Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 17:01:36 CDT Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Heather Hirshorn Subject: For the Love of Devon (Pt. 6) ****************** For the Love of Devon Part 6 ******************** Duncan stood in the library doorway watching Connor stare moodily into the flames. He knew that Connor was aware of his presence, but he knocked anyway. "Come in, Duncan." Connor said wearily. Duncan took the huge armchair at Connor's side. There was companionable silence between them for a time, then Duncan spoke. "Why did you bring her here? She still has no idea of who she is. Surely you cannot expect to teach her hundreds of years of experience in a few weeks or even months." "I don't know what I expect. I thought that if I brought her back here, she'd eventually remember. Unlike most of us, she never really ventured from this place. It is almost all she knows." Connor sighed and tossed back the remainder of the whiskey in his glass. "Connor, you still haven't told me the whole story. How can she be your daughter? We can't have children, remember? You said that you found her with Kate at Angus' funeral, but who's to say that she's not their daughter? Just because she looks like you and she's immortal?" "On her deathbed, Kate told Devon that she was not Angus' daughter. That she was conceived months before she married Angus. No one else could be her father, not with Devon looking exactly like me. I don't know how it happened. Hell man, we don't even know _what_ we are. You could have all kinds of children running around from your exploits before your first death." "Why didn't Kate throw her out? Wouldn't she have been rather upset to be carrying Satan's spawn?" Connor grinned without humor. "Kate only thought that I was Satan after I was 'resurrected'. She confided to Devon that she cherished the only reminder of the only man she had ever truly loved." Duncan was quiet for a moment. He knew that Connor was getting tired of all the questions that he would doubtless have to answer again and again. But he could not resist one more question. "What is her real name?" "Joanna. After my mother." The screams caused both men to jump to their feet. Connor was out the door first with Duncan hard on his tail. Brenda stood at the top of the stairs, her brown hair in a long braid. "Hurry, Connor, Devon's having a nightmare and I can't wake her up." The two men took the stairs three at a time. Brenda had left Devon's door open and the blood chilling sound hurt their ears. Connor reached Devon's bedside and pulled the tossing girl into his arms. "Devon, love hush. I'm here, no one will hurt you." Devon's unseeing eyes were open and she looked into Connor's face. "Nooooo! It's too much! Ah God the pain! And all the blood! There's never been so much blood!" Her teeth began to chatter and her eyes rolled back in her head. As abruptly as the nightmare had begun, it was over. With a small whimper, Devon's body went limp and she started to snore lightly. Connor gently laid her back down and covered her with the blankets, then stood. He allowed himself one last look to reassure himself that she was indeed sleeping and caught Duncan's eye across the bed. Duncan was watching him with an unreadable expression. They locked stares for another second, then Connor broke away and turned to Brenda. "Come love, let's go to bed." Holding hands, they left the room, Brenda bestowing a puzzled look on the immobile man beside Devon's bed. Duncan watched them go, then lifted a lock of Devon's tumbled red hair. "You'll be the end of him if he's not careful. I think I know why we're not supposed to have children." Devon's hazel eyes fluttered open, startling Duncan. He gasped and dropped the curl. She pushed herself up to a sitting position, surprised to see him at her bedside. "Duncan? What on earth are you doing here?" "You had a nightmare. I was about to leave." Duncan made it as far as the door before Devon's soft voice called him back. "You don't trust me, do you?" Duncan paused, not turning to face her. "I trust very few people. Now get some sleep, you will begin your training early tomorrow morning." "Already?" This time, Duncan fixed her with a penatrating stare. "You are going to need every second you can get." Pinned under Duncan's mesmerizing gaze, Devon found it hard to breathe let alone look away. But seeing the contempt within, a bubbling anger began to creep up inside of her. "You needn't worry, Duncan. I'm not a helpless little girl. And I'm not stupid either, I can learn." Duncan merely smiled and bowed out of the room. But he stayed outside her closed door long enough to hear a particularly vile Gaelic curse directed at a rather tender part of his anatomy. Shaking his head, he went to his own bed to follow his own advice. But sleep didn't come easily, he was plagued by dreams of a flame haired woman with a slender blade at his throat. =========================================================================