Date: Tue, 12 Jul 1994 09:21:55 -0700 Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Margaret Newman Subject: Tessa Okay, this is one of my "quickies". Yes, it's my birthday and that's what made me think of this. I hope you like it. Comments and flames welcome. Margaret margaret@cs.arizona.edu ******************************************************************************* A Highlander Story "Tessa" by Margaret Newman ******************************************************************************* The day dawned bright and cheerfully. Tessa's alarm clock went off with a trifle too much verve. Swearing in French that would have shocked her parents, she rolled over and turned off the blasted alarm. She groaned, hiding her face in her pillow. Why did she have to get up so early? -and who had set the bloody thing anyway? With Mac out of town, there was no reason to bound up so early. Tessa frowned into her pillow, and then slowly raised her head. Who had set the alarm clock? She hadn't, and Ritchie would have no reason to touch their alarm clock. She stared at the red digital numbers, trying to think. It was then that the oh-so-familiar scent of cologne registered to her foggy morning senses. She flipped over, throwing covers, and sitting up. "Good morning, my love." Duncan said from the chair near the end of the bed. He must have been there for some time, watching her sleep. "Duncan?" Tessa's heart leaped, and she smiled shakily. "You said you wouldn't be back until..." "Do you seriously think I would miss your birthday?" He grinned. His eyes sparkled, full of love and merriment. Tessa found herself tangled up in bedcovers, finding it difficult to scoot to the end of the bed. Duncan laughed. She finally reached him, leaning from the bed with hands on his knees, Tessa kissed him. Her hands slid up on his thighs, the kiss deepened. "Come celebrate my birthday with me." Tessa invited him. His arms went around her. "No." He said simply. Tessa's head jerked back. He had that arrogant, infinitely pleased grin on his lips. He blinked at her innocently. "What do you mean, 'no'?" She growled. "I mean, I have other plans for us. We have to get going. You need a shower. Your hair is a mess. What did Ritchie get you into last night? A wind tunnel?" He stood, disengaging her hands from his jeans. "Duncan MacCleod." She threatened. "What? You don't want to see the Burgheim Exhibit?" He went to her closet, and withdrew an already packed suitcase. He had done that last night while Ritchie had kept Tessa busy. "The Burgheim Exhibit is- ." Tessa sat back on her heels, watching Mac. "We're going to San Francisco?" "Yeah. I thought it would be fun. I have dinner reservations, and tickets for show tonight." He looked around at her, shrugging. "Unless you'd rather stay here?" "We can make love in San Francisco just as easily as here." Tessa jumped off the bed -carefully, the covers were still clinging- and stripped as she walked towards the bathroom. "Bring the car around, don't just stand there. Make sure Ritchie knows how to handle things while we're gone." "Yes, Ms. Noel." Duncan laughed. "Oh, Tess!" "Yes?" She poked her head around the corner of the bathroom door. "Happy Birthday." He smiled softly. "Thank you." She beamed. * The lone man on the bridge crumpled the flyer in his hands before tossing it down into the river. He shoved his hands into his long, black coat before turning to walk away. A young man with curly red hair stood at the end of the bridge, watching him. Their eyes met despite the sunglasses. The man in the long coat walked towards the young man. The young man turned, and they walked on together, side by side. Ritchie knew that it had been a flyer for the Burgheim Exhibit which was in Paris this year. They were all over the place. He had even found one stuck in the grips of his cycle. Tessa would never be gone from them, not as long as they remembered her, and memories were all they had of her now. ******************************************************************************* =========================================================================