Date: Tue, 6 Feb 1996 15:32:02 -0500 Reply-To: Beth Arritt Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Beth Arritt Subject: Studies In Life - Part 05/10 ***** The threesome stayed at the loft the rest of the afternoon, talking, ordering out for dinner and playing Trivial Pursuit. Over the next week, eating dinner together and playing Trivial Pursuit became as much of a ritual as Maddie and Richie's morning chess matches and fencing matches. Richie had a slight advantage with a sword, but Maddie managed to beat him occasionally. She always won at chess, though. Richie complained that the other two had an unfair advantage at Trivial Pursuit # Madison was a history teacher, and Duncan had lived through most of the times the questions were based on. "You should go to college, Richie," Madison urged. "Duncan may have learned a lot of his history by experience, but all of my knowledge came from school. You could have it too." "Did Mac put you up to that?" Richie asked, half teasing. "He's always trying to talk me into going to college # he even offered to pay for it." "No, he didn't put me up to it, but I'm glad to know he's trying to convince you to go. He'll wear you down eventually # he's very good at that," she said with a smile. "Are you accusing me of being pushy?" Duncan asked, sounding insulted. "I'm never pushy!" "Umm, excuse me, how about when I was sixteen and told my father that I wasn't going to college, that I was going to work in archeology digs when I finished high school # I thought that was all the history experience I needed. I seem to remember several long 'conversations' with you where you all but threatened to tie me to a desk and force me to sit through classes." "Okay, so maybe I can be a little *persuasive* at times." This brought harumphs from both Madison and Richie. "But you can be a real tyrant too, little Maddie." "God, I hate it when he calls me 'little Maddie'!" she said to Richie. Duncan continued as if she hadn't spoken. "What about the time when you were twelve, and you wanted me to teach you how to use a sword? You pestered me constantly for two weeks until I finally gave in so you would stop waking me up every half hour every night!" Madison just smiled. Richie laughed out loud. "I'll have to remember that one for future reference," he said. "Try it and I'll take your head myself," Duncan shot back. "Well, I was right, though, wasn't I?" Maddie asked. "I turned out to be an excellent student." "True," Duncan admitted. "Still, I'd say you were a bit stubborn about the whole thing." "But anything I learned about being stubborn I must have learned from you," Madison retorted with a sweet smile. Richie stood up. "Well, guys, it's been fun, but all this getting beat has made me pretty tired. I think I'm gonna head home." Duncan and Maddie stood as well. "'Night, Richie," Madison said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for everything." She always said that when he left. "Don't mention it," he replied. "I'll see you in the morning for another fencing match?" She nodded. "I'll be right back," Duncan said, getting into the elevator with Richie. The two rode down in silence. When they reached the dojo, Duncan spoke. "Thanks again, Rich. I'm glad you're here to help me with this." "No problem. After everything you've done for me, this is practically nothing," he answered. "Besides, Maddie seems pretty special." "Yeah, she is." They reached the door. "I'll see you in the morning?" Richie said. "Yeah. And thanks again." "Don't mention it. Later." ***** Duncan arrived back upstairs to find Maddie staring out the window, her arms crossed. "Everything okay?" he asked as he walked towards her. She looked back at him over her shoulder. "I guess. It's all so weird, the three of us, hanging out, acting like there's nothing wrong, but all the time knowing that he's out there." She looked back out the window. "And he's coming." Duncan put his arms around her from behind. "I won't let him hurt you. Not if I can help it." Maddie leaned back against him, her head against his neck. "But what if you can't help it? You yourself said that nothing is certain. Suppose he cheats. Suppose he beats you. Suppose you're not around and Richie can't beat him. Then I die with your death or Richie's death on my head as well." She broke free of his embrace and went over to collapse on the sofa, silent tears beginning to fall. Duncan followed her, sitting next to her and pulling her back into his arms. "I know those are all possibilities," he said carefully. "But they're not likely. The most likely situation is that I *will* kill him and you *will* live." "But it's not fair for the two of you to take the risk, and to put your lives on hold because of me." Duncan held her out at arms length. "Listen to me. We've been over this a hundred times. Richie and I are helping you because we want to. Richie really likes you. And you know how I feel about you." "Do I?" she asked, suddenly angry. "I don't think I do. How *do* you feel about me, Duncan?" Once again she broke out of his grasp. "Do you feel like you're stepping in for Dad when he can't help? Or are you just helping an old friend? Or is there something else?" He looked away. "I care about you," he said after a moment. "I don't' want to see anything happen to you." "Is that all? You *care* about me? Great! Fantastic! *Wonderful!*" she said sarcastically, as she leaned back against the sofa and closed her eyes. He looked back at her. "What do you want me to say?" "I don't want you to say anything you don't mean. But that doesn't mean there aren't things I'd like to hear." "Some things are better left unsaid," he said, looking away again. Maddie's eyes snapped open, and she sat up quickly. "And why is that? Because you might put me in danger by saying them? Look around Duncan, I'm already there." She put her hand on his chin and forced him to look at her. "I'm tired of pussyfooting around this. Either one or both of us could get killed by this maniac, and I'm *not* leaving this unfinished anymore. I'm in love with you Duncan!" Duncan didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped. After a moment he pulled her into his arms again, and held her against his chest. "I love you too you fool," he said, stroking her hair. "But are you sure you *really* love me # that this isn't some continuation of the crush you had on me years ago?" "I don't know if it was a crush then, or if I always loved you. But I do know that this last week has been wonderful, spending all this time with you, despite the circumstances." She pulled back a little to look into his eyes. "I don't know what I felt for you years ago, but I know now that I love you." She touched his face. "I will never feel this way about anyone else." "You can't know that," he argued. "You haven't had time enough to know that." "Oh, and you in your infinite four hundred year old wisdom are trying to save me, is that it? Or is it just that you love me, but 'not in that way'?" She sneered on that last comment. Duncan put his hands on either side of her face, angry. "I love you! I would like nothing more than to take you over there," he pointed at the bed, "and make love to you!" He took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. "To keep you there forever. But it wouldn't be right. Not if you don't really love me. It wouldn't be fair to either of us." He dropped his hands from Maddie's face and looked away again. "I have had plenty of time to look around," Maddie said. "I've dated lots of men." She pulled his face around to look at her again. "*Slept* with a few of them too! I may not be four hundred, but I'm old enough to know what I feel. And I have never felt for any of them what I feel for you!" For a long moment Duncan just stared at Maddie. Finally, he pulled her to him, and crushed his lips to hers. Without taking his lips from hers, he picked her up off the sofa, and carried her over to his bed. He laid her down carefully, and sat facing her, his legs hanging over the side of the bed. His left hand was behind her neck, and the right one caressed the side of her face, pushing her hair back out of the way. "I love you," Duncan said. "In some way I have always loved you." "I know," Maddie replied, her hand caressing the back of his neck. "It's the same for me. There's something special between us. But I don't want to analyze it tonight. I feel like I've been waiting for this forever. Make love to me, Duncan. Please." "When have I ever been able to refuse you anything?" he said with a smile. Then he pressed his lips to hers and did as she asked. =========================================================================