========================================================================= Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 19:16:00 PST Reply-To: Mike Goldman Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Mike Goldman Subject: "Scavenger Hunt" (4/11)--HL Story "OK, next on the list is a pink feather boa." Rory announced as they sped along. "Where are we going to find one of those?" Mac wondered aloud. "A costume shop?" "No, we can't buy anything, remember?" "Yeah, right." They drove in silence for a few minutes. "Maybe we should go to the next item on the list?" Rory asked. "There's got to be a way," Duncan mused. Suddenly his eyes lit up and he made a quick right-hand turn. "What are you thinking of, Macleod?" Duncan smiled , but didn't say a word until they had driven almost to the outskirts of town. He parked the car underneath a large red and white sign and pointed to the building nearby. Rory unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled herself up to perch on the headrest, craning her neck to look at the sign. "Oh no, Macleod," she said, "*No way*." "Oh come one," he teased, getting out of the car and grinning hugely at her, "What's wrong? Scared of a little business establishment?" "Busin--" she began and stopped as he started to walk towards the gray concrete building. She scrambled out of the car and caught up to him. "Macleod." He kept walking and she ran up in front of him to make him stop. "Macleod, this is a *strip club*." "Uh-huh." He reached out and patted her cheek. "That's what I like about you--your ability to quickly grasp the obvious." "And just who are ye knowin' here?" Rory demanded, pushing her coat back and placing her hands on her hips. "You'll see." With that, Mac again moved towards the club and Rory was forced to break into a trot to keep up with him. They reached the back door of the club, bathed a sickly red from the light of the sign, and Mac knocked loudly. The door opened and a belch of loud music, cheering, yelling and a tall, thin man poured out. "Whaddya want?" he demanded sourly, the lights from the sign glinting off his gold tooth. As he saw who it was, he attempted to flee back into the club but Duncan grabbed him by the shirt collar and yanked him back out and up against the wall. "Joey," Mac crooned, "So glad to see you remember me." "What do you want?" Joey whined. Mac turned to Rory. "Joey's the bouncer here and he owes me a favor," he explained, "I caught him trying to break into the dojo and didn't turn him in because he was a friend of Richie's." He turned back to Joey. "It's payback time, Joey." "What do you want?" Joey whined again. "Let us into the club." "Hey, you can go to the front and pay just like everyone else. She --" he continued, "has to stay outside, though." Rory curled her lip at him and made a conscious effort to remove her hand from her sword hilt. "She comes with me and we talk to the dancers. 15 minutes and we're gone." Joey looked from Mac to Rory and back again. "15 minutes?" Mac nodded. "OK." Duncan released Joey's shirt collar and the man ushered them inside. "Joseph and Mary." Rory said, crossing herself and staring reverently up at the night sky before she entered.