Date: Sun, 30 Apr 1995 23:53:20 -0400 Reply-To: aduty Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: aduty Subject: Return of Felicia Part 2 Duncan glanced at the clock hanging over the dogo's office door. It was 8:00am,an hour past Richies scheduled workout.Duncan grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead.He had waited a half-hour until finally giving up and proceeding with his daily routine.Richie had been late to workouts before but he felt recent events coupled with Anne's departure would have motivated him to work a little harder.Richie had flat out lost too Garrick.Duncan thought that would have finally made Richie realize the necessity of training.Garrick may have had suprise but he wasnt that great a swordsman.His mind and body were in poor condition and even pumped full of pills Duncan easily defeated him.The only reason Richie was still alive was that Garrick didnt want to give any warning to his prescance. Duncan decided to give Richie a little bit more time before investigating.He stepped back onto the mat and performed his kata for the second time.He began reflecting on his life,as he often did,while performing the graceful moves taught to him by Mei Ling.It was times like these that Duncan realized how important Richie was to him.After Tessa's death he focused all of his thought and energy into training Richie and keeping him alive.After sending him away and moving back to Paris he realized what a void there was in his life.Tessa was dead,Charlie was in the hospital,and Richie was god knows where.The only true companionship was Joe.He really thought everything was finally coming together once again.He patched things up with Richie,Joe set up roots,and he was lucky enough to find another woman he thought he could have a long lasting relationship with.Now Anne had left him because he couldnt bring himself to tell her the awful truth.Her absence brought back the all the pain and loneliness he felt after Tessa's death. That is why he needed Richie here,he couldnt understand how Richie didnt know how important these sessions were for the both of them. Slowly as he progressed throught the kata his thoughts drifted to Conner.It had been much too long since he had spoken too him.He could hear his mentor chuckling as he told him the problems training his reluctant student.He would probably remind him of that ancient curse parents give thier children about thier children being as bad as they were. But of course Duncan was the perfect student he was never late for practice,he did everything he was ever told,and he always worked out during his free time.Duncan made a mental note never to let Conner and Richie discuss Duncans training. Duncan looked back at the clock,8:15am.Richie would never be this late unless something happened.Duncan grabbed the towel and headed into the office.He grabbed the phone and was about to call Richie when he thought better of it.He didnt want him to think he was checking up on him but at the same time there was always the threat of another immortal head-hunting. Duncan held down the reciever reset the line and called Joe,he was bugging him all day yesterday to go to Joe's so maybe he knew what happened. "Joe Dawson" "Hi Joe,its Duncan" "MacLeod,"he said warmly,"its a little early in the morning for a social call isnt it?" Duncan grinned at how well Joe was beginning to know him"Yeah maybe so,did Richie show up at the bar last night?" There was an akward silence Duncan picked upimmediately."Yeah..... yes he was." "Did he get out O.K?" "Yes,when he left he seemed perfectly fine to me." "Jooeee." "Look,Macleod I promised Richie I wouldnt say anything until I gave him a chance to handle it." "Whats going on Joe?"Duncan said angrily"Does this have anything to do with an immortal." Joe hesitated for a second than began too worry as badly as Duncan seemed to,"Yes,another immortal was here last night." "Who?" Joe paused a second time,he felt like he was violating Richie's trust but at the same time he knew the danger Richie was in,"Felicia Martins." A quick and sudden rage fell over Duncan as he heard those words, rage at Joe for waiting so long to tell him,rage at Richie for leaving the bar with her,and rage at himself for not taking her head those months before. Duncan slammed the phone down then ran up the stairs to loft, bypassing the elevator.He entered the loft and grabbed his overcoat,sword ,shoes and car keys and was off to his T-bird as fast as he possibly could. He flew down the stairs into the Dojo ran out the inner entrance then out the front doors.He was half way down the black steel stairs before he jumped over the handrail onto the pavement below.Then it was a few short seconds until he jumped into his convertable,gunned the engine and was off. He couldnt believe how stupid Richie was.Felicia could take his head in a cold minute.Richie honestly believed he couldnt die.Maybe that was the problem with taking a quickening so early,it made you feel stronger than you really were.Richie actually thought he was a match for Cullen at one point. The trouble was that Richie lost the last two fights he was in.With Kern he had too run and with Garrick he flat out lost.Duncan didnt know what it would take to finally convince Richie about the dangers of older immortals.He feared it would take decapitation to finally make him understand. Duncan pulled into a parking spot outside Richies apartment after breaking every speed limit and taking every short cut he could find to get him there.Duncan entered the building and ran up the stairs to Richies home, he prayed he wasnt too late.Then as he was half way up the stairs a familiar sensation hit him,like someone stepping over your grave.An immortal was there at any event he just hoped it wasnt Felicia setting up an ambush. Duncan started banging on the door with one hand while his other was firmly on his sword ready to bring to bear if any suprises were waiting for him."Richie!!"He kept banging until he heard a muffled voice from inside. "Alright,alright Im coming already.",Richie began wiping the sleep out of his eyes still a little confused from his sudden rude awakening.He opened the door without precaution since Duncan made it so abundantly clear who he was,"Hey Mac,whats up?" "Where is she!",he said pushing Richie aside and stepping into his living room.He looked into the kitchen the walked into the bedroom still on gaurd. "Who?Mac what are you doing?" Duncan turned looked right into his eyes and with solemn determination said,"Felicia Martins,where is she?" Richie was taken aback by the fierce look in Duncans eyes. The only time he had seen him look so grim was when Kern came after him."She's not here Mac,we spent the night talking,she went back to her hotel,I came back here and that was it". Duncan knew Richie well enough to tell when he was lying and so far he wasnt.Duncan walked over to the front door and shut it then turned once more to Richie,"Sit down".Richie immediately sat on the couch like a child trying to avoid a punishment."From the top I want to know everything that happened." "Theres not much to tell,"he said in all seriousness" She went to Joes looking for me,found me,and wanted to apoligize for everything that happened.Then we left drove around on out bikes for awile,found an allnight restraunt,and talked to about six this morning." "Where is she." "I dont know.I gave her my phone number and she's suppose to call tonight." "You are going to see her again!"Duncan looked at the youth in stunned disbelief,"Where's your head?"he said leaning forward and giving him a light tap to the side of the head"Dont you remember what she did? To you.. to me...to Tessa?" Richie started getting annoyed,"Dont you think I know what she was like!Give me some credit.I didnt give her my address and we were around people most of the night anyway.I just want to see if she has changed." Duncan looked at him despritely,"Why?" "Mac,she was the first woman I ever really loved.I mean,I had been out with alot of girls before her but I never felt that strongly about someone until I met Felicia.Not......not until Laura."Richie could tell Duncan was struggling with this almost as hard as he was,"Mac,havent you ever felt this way?" ***************************************************************************** Scottish Highlands 1620 Duncan looked down from the hill into the valleys below.The day was warm and the sky was a rich bright blue.A light wind was blowing russling the deep green grasses,making them look like the waves of an ocean.Duncans eyes focused a little further down and settled on the one person that meant the most to him in all of the world,Miriam.He stared at her for what seemed to be hours,her strong lean body kneeling down picking flowers,her rich brown hair all gathered up behind her head.She looked up at him and smiled,her bright white teeth contrasting her dark tanned skin.He looked deeply into her brown eyes which seemed to swallow him up completely into a world of warmth and contentment. "Im so glad you brought me here Duncan."She said as he made his way down the hill. "I had to,this is my favorite place in all the world and I had to share it with you." Miriam rose and Duncan pulled her close and kissed her deeply.Miriam smiled and held up her newly filled basket of flowers."I picked them for your victorious return tommorrow." "No man could have a better reason to return than the smell of these sweet flowers and the love of the woman who threw them." "Promise me you'll come back to me,Duncan." Duncan could see how worried she was,"Of course,I'll be back.I couldnt miss my own wedding could I". "No you couldnt,"she laughed nervously,"and if you did I'd hunt you down and kill you myself.Do you have to go Duncan?" "You know I do Miri,my father needs me and so does the Clan." "I know its just that Im so frightened for you." "Hey,"he smiled lifting her chin up"Ive been here this long havent I? Come here I have something to show you." Duncan delicately took her hand and led her back up the hill to a large gnarled tree that rested at its highest point. "You wanted to show me a tree?"she giggled. "No,"he smiled,"look closer.This tree has been here for hundreds of years.Its been here since before our grandfathers grandfather and will be here after our grandchildrens,grandchildren.I placed our marks on it so all those that gaze on this hereafter will know that our love can never die." Duncan brought her close and kissed her once more,"Tommorrow I will return and the next day you will be my wife." "Then children?" "Dozens." Miriam laughed,"No,hundreds" Duncan laughed even louder,"Aye,we'll fill Scotland so full of MacLeods that no one will be able to go anywhere with out finding one." The world dissolved around them until they were all that was left. Never before was Duncan MacLeod so at peace......and never again would he be. ***************************************************************************** "Yes,I have.A few months ago with Lisa Mionet,perhaps you remember her." Richie cursed himself for speaking without thinking.Lisa was an operative of James Horton who was cosmetically altered to look identical to Tessa Noel,the love of Duncans life."Im sorry Mac,I shouldnt have said that. I also remember,though,that you wanted to handle it yourself.Now Im asking the same thing from you." "That was completely different.Lisa wasnt after my head." "No. Horton was." The conversation was exhausting him so he made one final attempt "Richie,I knew deep in my heart that Lisa was a setup and deep inside of yours you know this is too.Im asking you not to see her any more and if she tries to contact you send her to me." "You'll kill her." "I'll talk to her.If she's on the up and up I'll let her go,if not Im not going to make the same mistake I did last time I saw her." Duncan stood and headed for the door. "Mac,you've said it yourself.People change." "People change in the course of decades Richie,"he said opening the door,"not in a couple of years." =========================================================================