Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 21:33:00 +0200 Reply-To: Marina Bailey Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Marina Bailey Organization: CDS OnLine BBS, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA Subject: Prophecy Fulfilled, 2 of 3 PROPHECY FULFILLED, Part 2 of 3 Richie got a room for himself and Kathryn. He'd debated whether she'd think it proper - she seemed overly concerned with her virtue, or maybe it was just that she hadn't liked Cole - but if he wanted to protect her properly, two rooms would not make his task easier. At any rate, she didn't say anything, but collapsed on the bed. "I'm so tired." "Yeah." Richie sat down next to her. "Look, tomorrow I'll call Mac and we'll find out what happened." "Okay." Richie began taking off his clothes. "I wish we'd had more time. At least I could have gotten a decent pair of shorts. And something for you." She shook her head. "Your shorts are fine. I'll wear my slip. Tomorrow we can see what we need." She took off her outer garments. "How long do you think this will take?" "I dunno." Richie turned off the light. "Are you okay?" "Yeah. Thanks for helping me." Richie laughed suddenly. "What?" "I was just thinking - about the pyjamas - Mac gave me his credit card!" "And?" "Well, I've always wondered what it would be like to buy silk pyjamas for a girl." Kathryn laughed too. "I think a football shirt is more my kind of thing." It wasn't completely dark. Richie could see her face, not too far from his. She was smiling. She looked so... vulnerable. He closed his eyes and turned away. Wishing for things did not make them so. When he awoke, he found she had already been to the store. There were packets around - well, only two. One contained breakfast, and the other... He heard a noise in the bathroom. He knocked and opened the door, looking in. The Kathryn from the previous night was gone. The long red hair had been replaced by a short blonde bob. "So? What do you think?" "I... dunno," he ventured. "The other seemed more you." Kathryn laughed. The strain was fading from her voice. "It's ironic. My hair started off being a faded brown. Since I've been running away from Daniel, I've had the most spectacular hair. I liked the red, but he'd seen me like that. Time for a change." "And a name change?" "Yeah. Let's be a married couple. If he doesn't know you, you can keep your name. I'll need a new first name, though." "Let's change it as little as possible. How about Kate?" She shook her head. "Something plain and simple. Julie, maybe." Richie had a brainwave. "No. Juliet!" "Juliet Ryan... I like it. Where will we get ID?" "No problem!" smiled Richie. This was something he knew how to do very well. "Mac? We're fine. We're..." Duncan interrupted. "You'd better not tell me, Richie. Just in case." "Oh. Yeah, okay. What happened with you and Cole?" "We lived." "So he's still out there?" "Yeah, and he's not going to stop until I kill him, or he gets what he wants." "Mac, I know how he feels. When I thought I... well, it was a good feeling. To know that you've created a life. I kinda understand the guy." "I understand him, too, Richie, but that isn't the issue. The issue is, does Kathryn want the same thing. She doesn't, so that's it." "Yeah. Okay, Mac, I'll check back with you in a few days." Richie replaced the phone and turned to find Kathryn looking oddly at him. "You understand Daniel?" She sounded incredulous. Richie looked at the floor. "Yeah. I'm too young to be worried about kids, but when I thought I had one, it was a great feeling. I think a lot of people would go to any lengths to have it." Kathryn saw some of the residual empathy in Richie's eyes. It made her uncomfortable, the way he was looking at her. She turned away suddenly. "Why do I feel like a... a prize poodle?" she asked, angrily. "Sorry." Richie spoke quietly. "I guess... every Immortal's going to look at you that way." "Not if we stop Daniel. You and Duncan - and Marcus - are the only ones who know. I feel I can trust you. I could have a normal life." "If you stay away from Immortals, yeah." Daniel Cole, however, never gave up. Two days later, Richie woke to the knowledge that there was another Immortal around. He nudged Kathryn. "Kath! Sh! I think he's found us." Kathryn was immediately awake. She started pulling on her jeans, and a sweater over the football shirt. Richie already had his clothes on, sword ready. "Check the window." Kathryn checked. No one there. She started as the door banged open, and Cole rushed into the room. "Kathryn! Stay with me, please!" Richie jumped in between the two of them, yelling, "Go to the rendezvous point! I'll meet you there later!" Kathryn climbed out of the window and onto the fire escape. Cole made a move to follow, but Richie blocked his path. The swords clashed. "I love her!" Cole said. "I must have her!" Richie parried the attacks, knowing he might not be a match for this guy... then again, he might. If he killed him, Kathryn would be safe, and they... He shut the thought out of his mind. No. She didn't want that. But as he stood there, the blade shining in the light, he knew that was not why he wanted her. "She isn't yours to have!" Richie yelled back, going on the offensive and driving Cole back towards the door. As he got to the door, Cole suddenly turned, lowered his sword, and ran down the corridor. "I'll find her." Then he was out in the street, and gone. Richie, perspiring, went back inside and put down his sword. Then he packed the few things the two of them had collected and went to the rendezvous point, making sure he wasn't followed, and keeping himself open to even the faintest of buzzes. He found her sitting in a booth right at the back of the 24-hour diner. As he approached she looked up, and the relief on her face was unmistakable. It was quickly replaced by a more neutral - though smiling - expression. "Richie." "He's still alive," Richie said, falling into the seat beside her. "I think he's lost all sense of reality. Finding you is his whole life." "I'll keep running. I won't do what he wants." "Did you ever - " Richie began, then stopped, thinking better of it. But she waited. "Ever what?" "Oh, geez, I don't know how to say this. Did you ever consider just having a kid, giving it to him, and splitting?" "Oh, Richie." Kathryn took a sip of her tea. "Any child out there would be mine, too. And I couldn't deal with a child of mine having a man like Daniel as the father." "Who would you pick?" asked Richie then, realising he was fishing. Kathryn realised it too. She knew the answer, but didn't think now was the time to say it. The whole situation reminded her of that Arnold Schwarzenegger movie with the robot and the couple on the run. They were the couple, Daniel was the robot. She remembered how it had ended: the guy had died, the girl killed the robot... the girl ended up with a child to raise on her own. No. That wasn't going to happen to her, however much she felt drawn to this young Immortal whose primary motivation was to protect her. So she looked away and said only, "Robert Redford." Richie laughed; the tension was broken. They could move on now. Duncan sat at Joe's bar, swirling his drink around instead of drinking it. It was driving Joe crazy. "MacLeod. Do you have to do that?" "Sorry." Duncan put down the glass. "Worried about Richie?" Mac shook his head. "He can take care of himself." "You hope." "Yeah. I just... maybe I shouldn't have sent him with her. Who knows what might happen..." "You mean, the two of them, alone..." "Joe, if it were me, I'd be tempted. Any Immortal would be. I just hope... I hope Richie remembers what's at stake. Did I tell you Cole found them?" "Yeah. Through credit slips, wasn't it?" Duncan nodded. "He checked my credit card. Now there's another avenue cut off for them. Cash only from now on. Different names. Different appearances." "They'll survive. Richie's a former street kid, remember." "I hope you're right, Dawson," said Duncan. "I hope those skills protect them." "And you want to be there to stop Cole." A statement, that's all. "She'll never be free of him. He'll chase her until she dies. He runs from confrontations. I shouldn't have stayed here to stop him, I should have taken her away myself. Now, my being there will only make her more conspicuous." "The next time Richie calls, tell him to come back. And then you take out Cole." "He isn't evil, Dawson. He's just... I know how he feels. I've felt what he feels. I understand him. I wish there was some other way." Duncan got up to leave. As he reached the door, Joe called out, "You and I both know it, Mac - there can be only one." "Gee, thanks." Duncan left the bar. Knowing the truth didn't make it any easier. Richie and Kathryn found yet another hotel in a long list of hotels. Kathryn, running for so long, was not only tired, but despondent. "He'll just find us again," she said. She'd said it every time they'd rushed off and found a new hotel. Eleven times, so far. They'd left Duncan's T-bird at the fourth place, called, and told him where it was. Richie knew that Duncan would try to find Cole and stop him, but the man was too clever. He'd just hide until someone got careless. Richie determined that if the chance arose, he'd take Cole out himself. He hoped he was ready. "Richie?" Kathryn's voice filtered through from the bathroom "Yeah?" "Do we have a towel in our stuff? There isn't one in here." Richie hauled out a slightly ratty towel emblazoned with another hotel's name and handed it to her round the curtain. "Thanks." She stepped out of the bath. Richie didn't look too good. "Are you okay? You don't look so great." "We can't go on like this," he said, not sure exactly what it was that he meant. It was just too much. It had to stop soon before they both went crazy. But Kathryn smiled. "Now I know how the guy from 'The Fugitive' felt." She looked away. "I should have left the country. I was in one place five months before he found me. Maybe..." "What?" asked Richie. "Maybe this time he wouldn't find you?" She nodded, looking down. "We both know he'd find you. At least with me here, it's a deterrent. I can always delay him, can't I?" A new thought struck Kathryn. "What if he kills you?" "Go to Duncan." "That isn't what I meant, I..." She looked into his eyes. Richie stared back at her, quite aware that there was more to her statement than worry for herself. But she shook her head. "I was just being silly. Daniel would have taken care of me. If he comes... maybe I can agree to go with him. I don't want anything to happen to you." "No!" Richie shook her by the shoulders. "You're not going with him! I can't bear the idea of him touching you!" Then he stared as he realised what he'd said. Kathryn's eyes were wide. Richie let go of her, threw up his hands and went out of the bathroom. Kathryn followed, kneeling down in front of where he sat. "What did you mean, Richie?" "Just forget it." "Forget it? Forget that we've spent almost every waking moment for the last three weeks in each others' company? Forget that when I'm away from you, all I want is to be back with you again? Forget that I hope that he keeps coming after me, because if you or Duncan kill him, it'll be over and I'll have to leave?" Richie stood up, went to the window. "You don't have to be part of this. I do, but you don't. You could still have a normal life." "What normal life? I *am* the woman foretold in the legend. It's... fate, destiny, whatever. Maybe... maybe the legend wasn't for the Immortals to choose... maybe I get to." Richie turned. "What?" "I choose you! Don't you see? This is what was meant to be! Not Daniel, you! Something threw us together like this, and I can't fight it anymore! I don't want to! All I can think of is being with you, and holding you, and being touched by you." She squared her shoulders. "I'm not going to fight it anymore." Richie moved slowly towards her until they were standing face to face. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" "Of course I am! I wanted to be with you... almost from the moment we met. I just... I was too proud to admit it." "You're sure?" "Yes." Kathryn looked at him, waiting for him to kiss her. And when he did, they both knew she was right: it was meant to be like this. He was meant to drop the towel to the floor, meant to place her on the bed they would have shared in sleep, meant to touch her where he had always wanted to touch her, and where she had always wanted to be touched by him. And she... she was meant to touch him, meant to look up at him and see all her feelings reflected in his eyes, meant to feel him *with* her, inside her, meant to fulfill the legend... the prophecy, maybe... in this way. They were meant to share themselves with each other, to sleep in each others' arms, and know that whatever Daniel Cole did now would be too little, too late. Kathryn smiled to herself as she looked up at the ceiling. Richie caught the smile. "What?" "I dunno... I was just thinking... I always thought that children came with marriage, or by mistake, not from actually wanting to have someone's baby. But I want to have yours." It was a wonderful thing for Richie, to hear that and know it was really possible. He smiled too. "I had just got used to thinking I'd never have kids, and now..." He frowned suddenly. "What about Mac?" "What about him?" "What makes me deserve this honour? If anyone loves kids and wants them, it's Duncan MacLeod." Kathryn sat up. "I love you, not him." "Really?" "Really what?" The hope in Richie's voice could not be disguised. "You love me?" She nodded. "Tell me you love me, too." Richie leaned forward to kiss her. "Yeah. I do." They had to go back. Running away when you had no reason to stay was one thing, but running away when you had every reason in the world to make a home was another. Kathryn had been a private tutor before all this had happened, it had been easy for her to give that up to escape Cole. But now... here was something - someone - she was not ready to give up. Even if it meant going back and facing Cole. When the two of them walked in the door, Duncan MacLeod sighed with relief. He'd been expecting... well, maybe Cole. He was relived - and happy - to see that it was Richie. "Hey, Mac." "Richie. Kathryn." They all started talking at once. "I was just thinking - " "You know, we - " Stopped. Duncan began again. "I made a mistake telling you to leave. Whatever happens, running isn't the solution. Not to this problem. When Cole comes, I'll handle it." Richie shook his head. "Not this time, Mac. This one's mine." Duncan merely looked exasperated. "Richie..." Then he saw how the two of them were looking at each other. Richie spoke. "It's my duty to protect Kathryn. I love her." When he heard that, Duncan knew it was the truth. Richie really did love someone this time. No more crushes, flings or good samaritan overtones. Richie loved the girl. Duncan wanted to protest, but he remembered a similar encounter with *his* mentor... "Protecting Tessa is my job." He ignored the voice that still said - over a year later - that he hadn't done his job, had he? Connor MacLeod hadn't cared whose job it was. He'd knocked Duncan out and gone to take on Slan Quince himself. Duncan, though he understood that reasoning, wouldn't do that to Richie. He'd fought Daniel Cole. If it came to that, Richie was better. Richie would win. He hoped. "Okay." Richie looked surprised. "Okay? Mac, I thought you'd... I dunno... bawl me out for being reckless or something." "Not this time. I know what it's like for someone to want to protect the woman they love." Richie hadn't thought of that. He assumed, of course, that Duncan was referring to the night outside the tudor house. "Mac, I'm sorry, I didn't..." "It's okay, Richie. I was remembering Connor trying to do something that I had to do. That's all." Amazingly, Cole didn't show up for almost two months. Richie in one way felt relieved - Kathryn got to rest. He got to rest. Well, not much rest was involved, actually. But the waiting was something else. They *knew* Cole would find them, the only surprising thing was that he hadn't already. He'd always found them within days when they'd been running. Maybe that was it! Cole was looking for two people on the run. And here they were, firmly ensconced at Richie's place... er, resting. It couldn't last. Kathryn was beginning to feel stifled - not by her Immortal protectors, but by the situation. Richie refused to allow her to go anywhere without him or Duncan. It was understandable, but not pleasant. When she began to feel different, she naturally assumed it was the situation. Of course, it wasn't. Joe's doctor friend - who had, in the meantime, become slightly better acquainted with the doings of Immortals and had provided a shoulder for Kathryn to lean on - figured out what the problem was. "Maybe it's this simple: the legend has been fulfilled." Kathryn rubbed her face. "What are you talking about?" "Maybe you're pregnant. I mean, I thought you and Richie were..." "We are, but... I mean, I know the legend's true, but... That would be enormous luck, if..." "Maybe not," said the doctor. "Sometimes a legend only gets one chance to be fulfilled. Maybe once was all it took." "That was almost three months ago. We..." She stopped. The doctor was looking at her knowingly. Kathryn spoke again. "That's it, isn't it?" "Let's go to my lab and I'll check you out. How about that?" "Sure. Let me get Duncan." Duncan came out of the back of the bar where he'd been chatting with Joe. Joe was the one person who knew how he felt in this situation: glad for Richie, jealous of what it meant for him, Duncan MacLeod. No kids. Ever. The girl had chosen. - Marina. \\ "I don't care about their different thoughts; ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> // // different thoughts are good for me." || R I C H I E >> \\ \\ - Tanita Tikaram; Twist in my Sobriety ||>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> // //======tmar@cds.Alt.ZA=======Marina Bailey======|| \\ \\=============Chief Flag Waver and Defender of Richie==============// ... Replace with same type. --- Blue Wave/RA v2.12 [NR] =========================================================================