Revenge

by dawn341

First season story. Is someone trying to separate Duncan and Tessa or is there something more sinister going on?

Disclaimers:

Duncan, Tessa, and Richie belong to Rysher. I'm just borrowing them and not getting paid for it.

Do not post or publish this story anywhere else, without my express permission. Feel free to share it with others as long as the disclaimers remain intact.

Warnings:

Okay, there is one section in this story where it will look like Duncan is acting totally out of character. But he really isn't... trust me.

* HL * HL * HL * HL

Revenge by Dawn Cunningham

Richie Ryan sighed as Tessa Noel stopped to peer into another store window. At this rate, it would take them at least another half hour to reach the car-and it was parked only two blocks away! At least the next building was a hotel so there would be nothing there to interest Tessa. If he remembered correctly, there were only two more stores between here and the car. Maybe he could just hurry her by those.

When he'd offered to accompany the Frenchwoman this afternoon, he'd thought they were only going to make a quick stop at the art store to pick up a new easel for Tessa. He'd figured she could use some help in carrying it to the car. Instead, it was turning into a marathon shopping spree. He'd already made two trips to the car, first with the easel, then with another load of packages. And if Tessa bought one more thing, he'd have to make a third trip. His arms were already weighted down by more bags. Only this time, if he went to the car, he wouldn't come back! Maybe then she'd get the idea that he'd had enough of shopping.

Finally, Tessa stepped away from the window, apparently not interested enough in the display of jewelry to go into the store-a fact that made Richie very happy. He turned to follow her, and spotted a movement in his peripheral sight.

"Watch out, Tessa!" he called out as a bicyclist bore down on them. He dropped the bags he was carrying and made a desperate grab for the Frenchwoman to pull her out of the way.

With only inches to spare, the bicyclist went by them, but Richie kept his arms wrapped around Tessa for several moments longer until she'd recovered her balance.

He was too busy concentrating on Tessa to notice the man across the street who was aiming a camera at them.

* HL * HL

Duncan MacLeod stared at the two pieces of paper he'd just found in one of the desk drawers in the antique store's office. The first was a bill from two weeks ago, and was for a local hotel. The name on the receipt was Tessa's, and it was for one night only. There was also a charge for room service, and, based on the price, it had to have included an expensive bottle of wine. Either that, or there'd been a party in the room. The bill had been paid in cash-something that most people wouldn't do. Especially not for this amount of money. It was almost as if someone was trying to hide something.

He searched his memory for the date on the bill. If he remembered correctly, Tessa had supposedly been meeting with a new client, but she'd been home before ten. She'd been disappointed because she didn't think she would get a new commission from the man she'd met with. According to her, he'd spent hours looking through her portfolio, and questioning her on her art, then announced that he wanted to talk to some other artists before he made up his mind.

He just couldn't believe that Tessa was secretly seeing someone else. Surely he'd notice a change in her if she'd been cheating on him-wouldn't he? They were still enjoying a very active sex life. Nothing had changed in that area.

Actually, it sounded more like something that Richie would do to impress a date. The teenager had been out that night, too. Supposedly on a hot date, but he'd returned shortly after Tessa had. By why would he have checked into a hotel using Tessa's name? And where would he have gotten the cash to pay this bill?

The second piece of paper was just as confusing. It was from a jewelry store whose address was next to the hotel, and was for a very expensive man's watch. It had been paid for in cash, too. What was really odd was that it was purchased just days before Richie supposedly found an expensive watch in the alley.

Richie couldn't have afforded to pay this much for a watch-not unless he'd taken up stealing again. Could he have missed something like that? Surely he would have noticed something. Maybe Tessa had bought the watch for Richie as a gift. But why wouldn't she have told him about it? And why would Richie claim he'd found it?

Unless they had something to hide.

No, that couldn't be true.

Short of confronting Tessa and Richie, he couldn't think of any way to figure out what was going on. He didn't want to do that-these two pieces of paper were hardly enough evidence to accuse them of anything.

For now, he'd do nothing, but he'd keep his eyes open.

* HL * HL

Duncan looked up from his desk when he heard the bells over the door ring. Tessa was in the shop, so he could continue with his work, but he tried to keep track of the number of people in the shop so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed. Instead of a new customer, Richie came bursting through the door, one hand held behind his back. Warning alarms went off inside the Scot's head. Sometimes Richie's surprises didn't quite come off as planned.

Richie looked around the shop, then headed away from the office. Duncan stood up and moved to the doorway to see what was going on. The teenager headed over to where Tessa was dusting some furniture. From his viewpoint, the Scot could see it was a bouquet of flowers that Richie was holding behind his back. A very nice bouquet. An expensive bouquet.

When Richie reached Tessa, he pulled the flowers out from behind his back with a flourish, and handed them to Tessa. His curiosity piqued, Duncan moved over to join them. Richie must want something really big to spend that kind of money on flowers for Tessa. Or else he'd done something really bad and was hoping the flowers would soften the blow.

"Oh, Richie, they are beautiful," Tessa said with a bright smile. She leaned over and kissed the teenager's cheek. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Richie's beaming smile practically lit up the store.

"What's the occasion?" Duncan asked.

Richie shrugged. "No occasion. Can't I give Tessa some flowers?" He glanced at Duncan, then quickly looked away, starting to fidget as the Scot continued to look at him. "What's the big deal?"

"That's a pretty expensive gift for no occasion," Duncan pointed out.

Richie looked at Tessa, who was frowning now, then color slowly seeped up through the teenager's cheeks. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

Duncan couldn't help but wonder why Tessa was frowning. Was it because Richie had spent too much money on a gift for her-especially when it wasn't for a special occasion? Or was it because Duncan was pushing Richie for an explanation? Or maybe she was upset at the thought that Duncan might have figured out that something was going on between them?

The Scot shook off that last option almost immediately. At least he tried to. He also didn't want to think too much about why he was pushing the issue. After all, if Richie wanted to spend his money on flowers for Tessa, then that was his choice. "Right. So, if it's just the thought that counts, why didn't you buy her a smaller bouquet or even a single flower?"

Richie's cheeks flooded with even more color, and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. He shot a misery-filled look toward Tessa, then bent his head to study the floor. Finally, he mumbled something.

"What was that?" Duncan asked.

"I... uh...got them... uh..." Richie looked around as if searching for an escape. When no magic door opened up, he finally blurted out, "I got them for free!"

"Of course," Duncan said, trying not to look too cynical. "You just walked into a florist shop, and they liked you so much, they gave you the flowers for free."

"No! No! There was this lady on the street... she was... she was just giving them away! Honest!"

"Ahhhh. Some good Samaritan was passing out flowers to the needy."

It didn't seem possible, but even more color filled Richie's cheeks. "She said that she was starting up a new florist shop and was trying to attract business."

"And where is this new florist shop? I might want to buy some flowers for Tessa."

Richie's mouth opened then closed, then opened again. "She didn't say," he mumbled.

"Did she give you a business card?"

Richie shook his head.

"So, this woman was trying to drum up business without telling anyone where the business was-is that correct?"

Richie nodded.

"Enough, Duncan!" Tessa said firmly. "Obviously, the woman won't remain in business for very long if that is how she runs it. It's not Richie's fault. The flowers are still beautiful, and I still love them, even if they were free. Thank you, Richie."

Almost defiantly, she kissed Richie's cheek again.

Duncan let the teenager escape, but he couldn't help but notice that Tessa's pleasure in the flowers had dimmed somewhat.

* HL * HL

Duncan glanced through the stack of mail the postman had just dropped off. Most of them were bills. There were a couple of letters postmarked from France addressed to Tessa. The only interesting looking piece was a large manila envelope. It was postmarked in Seacouver, but had no return address. He carried the mail into the office, and put all but the manila envelope on the desk, then wasted no time opening it.

It was filled with photos of Richie and Tessa. At first, he thought it was a warning from another Immortal, but as he studied the photos, he realized they were showing something totally different. And if he hadn't been sure, the final piece of paper had a set of block letters pasted on it.

THEY ARE MAKING A FOOL OUT OF YOU!

He studied the photos more closely. One of Richie, looking half asleep, his shirt wide open and hanging loose, standing next to Tessa and her car. Tessa kissing Richie's cheek. Tessa and Richie eating at an outdoor cafe. From the picture it looked like she was offering the teenager a bite of her food from her own fork-something that lovers would do, but not Tessa and Richie. Then there was the picture of the two of them standing in front of a jewelry store. He couldn't tell, but it looked like there was a display of watches in the window. The most damning photo showed them clinging to each other in front of a hotel.

The same hotel that was on the bill he'd found.

What was going on?

And who had not only taken the photos, but sent them, as well?

* HL * HL

Duncan locked the door to the antique store and put the closed sign in the window, then headed to the apartment. Tessa was looking through a magazine in the living room, but he went by her to knock on Richie's door.

"Come out here, Richie," he called out before heading back to the kitchen. He quickly spread out his evidence on the kitchen counter. "You too, Tessa."

When the pair had joined him, Duncan waved toward the photos. "Does anyone want to explain just what is going on between the two of you?" he asked, hoping his anger at their betrayal was obvious in his voice.

Tessa and Richie exchanged puzzled looks, then turned their attention to the pictures.

"I don't understand, Mac," Richie finally said. "Who's been taking pictures of me and Tessa? And why?"

"It's pretty obvious to me." He practically thrust the hotel bill into Tessa's hands. "You've been cheating on me, Tessa! And with Richie, no less! How could you?"

The Frenchwoman gasped, and Richie turned pale.

"Didn't I satisfy you in bed? Or was the thought of a young lover on the side too big of a temptation? I knew Frenchmen often had mistresses, but I didn't think the same applied to the women." He turned to glare at Richie. "As for you, I took you in off the streets, gave you someplace to live, gave you a job, and *this* is how you repay me?" He grabbed for the teenager's wrist. "Was this watch payment for services rendered? You must have been really good to earn something like that," Duncan sneered.

Richie turned even whiter before color flooded through his face. "Honest, Mac, there's nothing going on between me and Tessa. *Nothing*! I found the watch! That's the truth!"

Duncan made a chopping motion with his hand. "Don't lie to me! I'm not that big of a fool to ignore the evidence in front of me. Someone paid for that watch and it wasn't me!" He almost threw the bill at Richie.

"You are a fool if you believe these." Tessa waved her hand toward the photos. "These pictures look damning, but there's an innocent explanation for these."

"Oh, please." Duncan rolled his eyes in disbelief. "And some lady was passing out flowers for free just as Richie happened to walk by. Like I would believe that one. And what about the hotel bill?"

"I don't know! I have never even been inside that hotel."

"Stop lying!" Duncan pounded his fist down on the counter, causing Tessa and Richie to jump back. "You were there." He grabbed the photo of the pair of them in a tight embrace, and waved it in front of them. "This doesn't look innocent to me. It looks more like you were unwilling to let each other go. I want both of you out of here! Now!"

"Mac! There's nothing going on between me and Tessa!" Richie protested. "I'll leave if you want me to, but you love Tessa. Don't do this to her!"

"I've made up my mind," Duncan said, turning his back to them.

"Come, Richie," Tessa said, her face devoid of all emotion. "We'll check in to the Hilton until Duncan has come back to his senses. Pack a suitcase."

Duncan listened as they walked away from him toward the bedrooms. He heard Richie open his bedroom door, while Tessa continued on. The last thing he expected was to hear footsteps coming back in his direction. He turned and saw Richie walking back to the kitchen. Without saying a word, the teenager removed his wristwatch, and placed it on the counter next to the bill before heading back to his bedroom.

Duncan felt like a total heel. Richie had avoided looking at him when he'd come back, but he'd still seen the look of abandonment on the teenager's face.

* HL * HL

Richie carefully closed his bedroom door behind him, and took a deep breath. He couldn't understand what had just happened. How could Duncan possibly think that Tessa was remotely interested in someone like him?

Sure, it would be great if he had someone as sexy and beautiful as Tessa interested in him, but he was enough of a realist to know he didn't stand a chance with her. Why couldn't Duncan see the same thing?

Maybe too many Quickenings caused an Immortal's brain to melt.

Or maybe too much sex.

He didn't find it hard to understand why Duncan wanted him gone. He would have done the same thing if he'd been in the Scot's shoes and had those photos as evidence. And the expensive watch and flowers just added the final touch. Besides, he'd never been able to understand why Duncan and Tessa had taken him in to start with.

What didn't make any sense was that Duncan would throw away twelve years of his life with Tessa. They were obviously still in love with each other. He couldn't stand by and let them break up. No matter how long it took, he would find the creep who'd set them up and get him to admit to the truth.

With a sigh, he pulled out his duffel bag and started to pack. At first, he only started with the clothes he'd brought with him, then he changed his mind. He'd worked hard during the last few months. Not only in the store, but also doing all kinds of errands. He'd earned these clothes. And they'd be of little use to Duncan.

He'd just slipped into his jacket when he heard his bedroom door open. He spun around and saw Duncan and Tessa entering his room. The Scot put a finger to his lips to stop Richie's questions. Then he closed the bedroom door very carefully. Duncan gestured toward Richie's bathroom, and the teenager followed the couple into the small room, totally confused.

Duncan turned on the faucet in the sink, then turned to face Richie. "I'm sorry, Rich," he said, keeping his voice low. "I know you and Tessa aren't cheating on me behind my back. Someone is obviously trying to break us up, and we've decided to play along with them."

"You mean... You mean that was all staged out there?" Richie couldn't quite believe his ears. "Why?"

"After I received the photos, I did some looking around the place. I've found quite a few microphones hidden throughout the store and the apartment. That's why we're in here with the water running. Someone's gone to a lot of effort on this, and I want to know why. I was afraid to let you in on the secret beforehand, although Tessa knew about it. I figured you'd react better if you didn't know what was happening. That was wrong-I shouldn't have put you through that without any warning."

"So, you're not kicking me out?" Richie just wanted to make sure before he relaxed.

"Well, technically no, but we need to make it look like I did. You and Tessa will go check into the Hilton as if I really did kick you out. The way I figured it, someone will then try to get close to either Tessa or myself and we can find out what's going on."

"If you want to be realistic, then I probably shouldn't go with Tessa," Richie pointed out. "After all, she probably wouldn't want me around after being accused of sleeping with me. I can go back to my old neighborhood. Maybe find some old friends to crash with."

Duncan frowned. "I don't want you back on the streets. At least at the Hilton you'd have some security."

"I don't need security. After all, they must be after one of you. Okay, how about I check into a cheap motel. I have some money saved, and this won't last for long, right?"

"Hopefully, only a few days. All right, Rich, find a cheap motel-but a decent one. And I'll pick up the tab." Duncan pulled his wallet out of his pocket and drew out some money, then handed it over to Richie. "That should keep you going for a few days. When you check in, call Tessa at the Hilton so she knows where you're at. The phones are bugged, too, so don't call here. We'll let you know when you can come back home."

"Sure, Mac." Richie grinned at the Scot. "I hope it's not too long. Who's going to take the trash out and sweep the floors while I'm gone?"

Duncan reached out and lightly smacked Richie's head. "I think I can manage those chores for a few days. Just stay out of trouble in the meantime."

Tessa kissed Richie's cheek. "I second that. And if you need anything, or run out of money, I want you to promise to call me."

"I promise."

"Good," Duncan said. "Now, I think we need one more little scene between you and me, to make it clear that you're not going with Tessa to the Hilton. Do you think you can make it sound convincing?"

"No problem."

Duncan shut off the water, and motioned for them to leave the room. They went back out to the living room. The Scot mouthed the word 'ready' to Richie, and when the teenager nodded, he started up.

"It took you long enough," he growled. "I want you to understand one thing-I'm not paying for your hotel bill. If Tessa wants to throw her money away on you, that's her business, but you aren't getting anything more from me."

"I don't need anything from you," Richie threw right back. "Or Tessa, either. I'm not going to give you any more ammunition to use against us. I'll find my own place to stay. I don't need your crummy money."

"That's funny. You've never complained about your paycheck before. Maybe I should check your bag to make sure you're not running off with some of my antiques."

Richie threw the bag down in front of Duncan. "Knock yourself out, but you won't find anything."

The Scot reached down and unzipped the bag. For a moment Richie thought he was really going to search it, but instead he finally closed it again. "I guess you don't have anything, but I'll be going through the antique store books very carefully. If I find anything that looks even the slightest bit odd, expect a visit from the cops."

"Go to hell, Mac!" Richie grinned at his friend before picking up his bag.

"Get out!"

"I'm going. I'm going." With a jaunty wave, Richie headed for the backdoor and his motorcycle.

* HL * HL

Richie decided against going back to his old neighborhood. There were a lot of bad memories there, and a lot of people he never wanted to run into again. Besides, it wasn't the only place in town with cheap motels. He finally settled on one that didn't look too bad, and had what appeared to be a well-lit parking lot. The last thing he wanted was to have his motorcycle stolen, or to be mugged in a dark parking lot.

He pulled into the lot, and parked his bike. He unfastened his duffel bag from the back of the bike and headed for the motel lobby. Before he reached it, a black Mercedes pulled into the lot and blocked his way.

Richie eyed the car somewhat suspiciously. It was the wrong kind of car for this part of town. The driver got out of the car with a map in his hands. The man was around six feet tall, with dark hair and a slim build. His oriental features reminded Richie of someone, but he couldn't figure out who.

"Excuse me. I seem to be lost," the man said with a cultured voice. "Could you give me some directions?" He spread the map out on the hood of the car.

Richie moved over to look at the map. "Where are you trying to go?"

Instead of an answer, he felt something hard crash down on the back of his head, sending him into oblivion.

* HL * HL

Richie woke up in pain. It took several moments before his head cleared enough to figure out why. He was resting up against some kind of pole, and his hands were tied behind it, holding him in place. He was leaning forward, putting strain on his wrists and shoulders. His head rested down on his chest, causing his neck to ache.

Slowly, he tried to raise his head, but a sharp stabbing pain caused him to moan. He shut his eyes as dizziness assailed him, and he desperately tried to remember what had happened. The last thing he could recall was a man who wanted some directions. Had he been mugged? And where was he?

He tried opening his eyes, and was glad that the world had stopped spinning around. There wasn't a lot of light, but it looked like he was in some kind of abandoned warehouse. Carefully, he tilted his head back, trying to see what he was tied to. Once again, the movement caused pain and dizziness. Eventually, he was able to see that he'd been tied to a support girder. There was no way he would be able to move it to free himself.

Next, he struggled with the ropes binding his wrists. He hoped there would be enough slack in them, but all he managed to do was rub his wrists raw. He had to accept the fact that he was not going to get free on his own.

"Hey!" he called out. "Is anyone around?"

There was no answer.

Richie tried to get as comfortable as possible. Sitting on a concrete floor, in a drafty warehouse, with his hands tied behind him, made that a little difficult. He had a feeling that he was going to be here for a while. He didn't know how long it would take Duncan and Tessa to even realize he was missing. Sure, he was supposed to call Tessa once he'd checked in, but would she just assume he'd forgotten to call?

And even if they did start to worry, how would they know where to look for him? He didn't even know where he was, how could they?

Was it really possible that the whole setup-the photos, the bills, the microphones-had been to get him kicked out of the antique store? Had someone been willing to ruin Duncan and Tessa's relationship just to get to Richie? Who would go to all that effort just to get to him?

Why did he have the sinking feeling that he was really in trouble this time?

* HL * HL

Duncan felt a little unsettled being in the apartment alone. It wasn't the first time, but somehow this seemed different. Knowing that Tessa was so close but wouldn't be coming home made it seem worse. He couldn't settle on any of the many tasks he knew he could do.

Finally, it was bedtime, and he went through the motions. But instead of changing into pajamas, he changed into dark clothes. Quietly, he slipped out the back door, and headed down the alley. He couldn't risk taking the T-bird. The idea was to make whoever had bugged the apartment think he was still there.

He had planned ahead. A rental car was parked several blocks away, and he wasted no time driving to the Hilton. Here again, he parked several blocks away. He went into a nearby restaurant and found a payphone. He called the hotel and asked for Tessa's room. A few moment's later, he had the room number and was on his way.

He took the elevator to the floor just below Tessa's, then headed for the stairway. He climbed the stairs, then waited for her to come get him. It was her task to make sure that no one was in the hall before he showed up. He didn't have long to wait.

He was pleased to see that she had a room right across from the stairway. It limited the time they could be seen together. Once inside the room, with the door locked behind them, Duncan pulled her into a tight embrace, and kissed her passionately.

"I've missed you," he murmured.

"It's only been a few hours," Tessa replied with a smile. "You can't be suffering that much."

He kissed her again. "Oh, yes, I can."

She pulled him over to the sofa, and they sat down. "Has anyone approached you yet?" she asked. "I want to come home."

"No, not yet, and I want you to come home, too. Unfortunately, we have to wait until they make their move."

Tessa sighed and snuggled closer to Duncan. "I'm still not sure this is such a good idea."

"I wish I could have come up with a better idea," Duncan admitted. "But someone went to a lot of trouble to set this up, and I want to know why." He pulled her even closer. "So, where is Richie staying?"

Tessa pulled away slightly, and looked up into Duncan's face. "He hasn't called. I'm starting to get worried."

"Knowing Richie, he probably got sidetracked by a pretty face. He'll remember in the morning and call you then. You can give him a lecture about worrying you when he does."

"Don't think I won't!" Tessa warned. She stood up. "Let's go to bed."

Several hours later, Duncan reluctantly left. He didn't want to risk spending the whole night with her. Someone could come looking for him at any time-especially if it was another Immortal who had set this up. Many Immortals preferred to battle late at night when there was less chance of being seen by mortals.

* HL * HL

Richie stared out the filthy window on the far side of the warehouse, bleary-eyed, watching as the sun slowly rose into view. He hadn't managed to get much sleep, tied up as he was. The temperature had dropped quite a bit, and he was cold. His head still hurt, and his whole body ached.

Slowly, he licked his dry lips, wishing he had something to drink. He was hoarse from calling for help over and over again. His last meal had been lunch the previous day, and his stomach was protesting. To make matters even worse, he really had to go to the bathroom. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to hold it in.

The long night had given Richie too much time to think. He knew he wasn't being held for a ransom, or as bait for the Highlander. If that had been the case, the bad guy wouldn't have gone to so much effort to make it look like Richie and Tessa were having an affair. It would have been just as easy to grab him at any time.

His biggest fear was that whoever had done this wasn't going to ever come back. Richie would slowly starve to death, and just the thought terrified him. By the time his body was found, there would be nothing left but bones. His only hope was that Duncan would somehow figure out where he was, but he knew it was a slim chance, at best.

As more light filtered into the warehouse, Richie looked around, trying to figure out why the place seemed so familiar. Finally, he realized where he was. This was the same warehouse where he'd come to confront Chu Lin, the man who'd drugged and killed his friend, Gary.

Was it just a coincidence?

Somehow, he didn't really think so. The man who'd clobbered him kind of looked like Chu Lin, as well. But if that was the case, why kidnap him? He hadn't been the one to kill Chu Lin-not that he hadn't wanted to. It had been that Immortal, Kiem Sun, who'd killed his own student. And to make matters worse, he'd waited until after Duncan had disarmed him.

So why had Richie been kidnapped? It didn't make any sense.

He had to get free!

He struggled to his feet, and moved around the girder so he could see the whole warehouse. His duffel bag was sitting on the floor about six feet away, but it might as well have been a mile. Whoever had done this had made sure that nothing would be within Richie's reach as long as he was tied up. Slowly, he slid back down to the ground.

* HL * HL

Several hours later, Richie stopped to take a rest. It hadn't taken long before he'd realized he had only one slim chance to get free. He couldn't untie the knots in the cords binding his hands, and the ropes were too tight to slip out of. So he'd set to work, rubbing the ropes along the edge of the girder. It was extremely difficult and tiring to try to keep up enough pressure on the ropes, and to keep his arms in constant motion. He just wished that he could tell whether he was accomplishing anything, or not.

It was hard to keep working at it. Sometimes the sense of futility and helplessness almost overwhelmed him. Only the thought of Duncan and Tessa kept him at it. He knew they would start to worry soon. And he knew it would be very difficult-especially for Tessa-to never know what had really happened to him. Duncan would probably eventually forget. He must be used to friends disappearing all the time. But not Tessa. She'd probably drive Duncan and the cops crazy demanding to know what had happened to Richie. She'd definitely harassed the cops before when the Scot had disappeared suddenly.

A sudden noise drew his attention to the far side of the warehouse. Maybe someone had found him.

"Help!" he called out hoarsely.

At first he thought he must have imagined the noise, but eventually, the man who had knocked him out walked around some empty crates and came over to stand in front of Richie. He studied the teenager without saying a word.

"Why are you doing this?" Richie asked, putting as much defiance into his voice as he could. "Let me go!"

The man threw back his head and laughed. He finally calmed down and stated, "You're going to die here, Ryan. Slowly, and all alone. Just like my brother."

"Let me guess-Chu Lin, right?"

"So, you remember the man you left here to die?"

"What?" Richie shook his head in confusion. "I didn't leave anyone here to die! He was killed by someone else."

"That's not what his teacher said. He finally found Chu Lin three days after you'd knocked him out, tied him up, then stabbed him with his own sword. Unfortunately, he was too late to save his life. Chu Lin told him what had happened with his last dying breath."

"That's not what happened!" Richie protested. "It was his teacher who killed him, and he died quickly!"

"Kiem Sun said you would lie. I know all about you, Ryan. I've seen your rap sheet. You are a two-bit thief and hustler. Kiem Sun has lived in a Buddhist monastery for years. Any reasonable person would believe him over you."

Richie didn't know what to say. How could he explain that Kiem Sun was an Immortal who was trying to control the world using drugs? He could tell him to talk to Duncan, but this guy might decide to kidnap the Scot, as well. That would leave Tessa all alone, and he couldn't let that happen.

"But I'm a cautious man," he continued. "I asked around about you. Several people told me you were looking for Chu Lin-that you wanted revenge because you thought he'd had something to do with the death of one of your friends. One of them was even here when you attacked him."

"Yeah? And what happened then?"

"They said his teacher showed up and stopped the fight. They left after that, so they didn't see what happened next. Kiem Sun thought you had left, too, but he was wrong. You waited until after he'd gone to sneak back in and hit Chu Lin over the head with a two by four. And we've already discussed the rest of it."

"Lies. All lies."

"No, it's the truth. So, you are going to die, Ryan. And I'm going to make sure it's nice and slow. I thought about stabbing you, but that might go too quickly. Instead, I'm just going to let you starve to death." He smiled at the thought. "I've gone to some expense to get my revenge-and I think it's going to be worth every penny of it. No one will be looking for you. You've been fired from your job, kicked out of your home. I've bought this warehouse and have made sure that no one will be able to get in here easily. I'll even come by and check up on you every day, just to see how you're doing."

"Go to hell!"

He laughed again. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ryan," he said, before turning to leave.

Once he was gone, Richie's strength failed him. He'd refused to show how scared he was, but now that he was alone, he had to struggle to hold back his tears. Finally, he managed to pull himself together and started working on the ropes again.

* HL * HL

Duncan looked up from the display case when he heard the bell over the front door ring. He was surprised to see Tessa standing inside the shop. She wasn't supposed to be here.

"What are you doing back here?" he growled, while his eyes carefully searched her face. "I thought I told you to leave."

"I left some of my things behind," she replied, walking toward the office. She beckoned with one hand, and he followed her into the apartment.

He went over to the kitchen sink and turned on the water, calling out as if Tessa was walking away from him. "Hurry up. I don't have all day to wait for you."

Tessa hugged him, then whispered into his ear, "Richie still hasn't called. I'm worried about him."

Duncan hugged her back, trying to comfort her. Something must have happened to the teenager, but if he said that, Tessa would worry even more. "I'm sure there's a good reason."

"No, there's not! I even checked with all the hotels and motels in this town. None of them have Richie registered there."

"Tessa, there are some motels in this town who probably don't even have their guests register. All they care about is getting paid cash for the room in advance."

She shook her head. "He wouldn't go to one of those, Duncan. Something has happened. I know it."

"All right. Go pack up a bag, then go back to the hotel. I'll close up the shop, and go look around for Richie. I'll let you know what I find out tonight."

Tessa nodded, hugged Duncan again, then went back to the bedroom. After she'd gone, the Scot closed the shop, and headed out to his T-bird. Armed with a picture of Richie, he drove down to the teenager's old neighborhood, asking questions at every motel he could find-no matter how sleazy it was.

Eventually, he had to admit failure. Richie was nowhere to be found around his old neighborhood, but Duncan wasn't ready to admit defeat. He started checking out all the motels in town. It was early evening before he had any luck. He'd just come out of yet another motel office when he happened to glance at the parking lot. He spotted a motorcycle that looked familiar and went over for a better look.

It was definitely Richie's-Duncan could tell by the license plate number. He stalked back to the office to interrogate the clerk again. He must have terrified the man so much that he was allowed to look through all the registration slips, hoping to spot Richie's handwriting, but that yielded nothing.

It was a small motel, only twenty rooms on two floors. Duncan slowly walked along each room hoping to feel that slight tingle that told him what Richie would become some day. When that failed, he started knocking at doors, asking everyone who would answer whether they'd seen Richie since the day before.

Totally frustrated at the lack of information, he went back to the T-bird. Richie had to have been here, but why hadn't he checked in? Or if he had, what name had he used? Unable to think of anything else to do, he settled back to wait and watch. Maybe Richie had just gone out for something to eat and would be back soon.

* HL * HL

Duncan gave up his vigil at 9:00 the next morning. While it was not impossible that Richie would stay out all night-especially when he didn't have Tessa or Duncan keeping an eye on him-it just didn't seem likely in this case. Besides, he would have come back to the motel by now, even if he had.

He drove home, took a quick shower, then went out again. This time his destination was the Hilton. It didn't take long for Tessa to pack her bags, and check out. There was no way he would let her stay that far away from him. He couldn't take the risk that someone would try to grab her, as well.

Once home, he went through the apartment and store with a scanning device he'd borrowed from a friend, and destroyed all the microphone bugs he could find. At this point, he didn't care if that tipped off whoever had done this-maybe it would even force the person to act.

While he worked, he kept trying to figure out why someone would go to all this effort. If they just wanted bait for a trap, they could have kidnapped Richie or Tessa without this elaborate setup. The only other option he could come up with made his stomach churn.

Duncan knew some Immortals hunted pre-Immortals-not to protect them like the Scot was doing-but to take their heads. It was a quick and easy way to get a Quickening. The pre-Immortal would never have a chance to defend himself. He would be killed, then once he came back, his head would be chopped off.

It was quite possible that an Immortal had set up this whole scenario to get Richie off by himself. The simplest reason for the setup was to make sure no one would be looking for the teenager-which would have been true if Duncan had believed all those photos. The other option was that whoever the other Immortal was, he knew of Duncan MacLeod's reputation and was afraid that the Highlander would seek revenge.

In either case, Richie was still doomed, unless Duncan could find him first. And he had to face the reality that it might already have happened. Richie's headless body could be buried someplace where it would never be found.

Duncan could only hope and pray that wasn't true. And that he would somehow manage to find Richie in time. He'd grown quite fond of the impetuous teenager, and he'd looked forward to watching him grow into a mature adult with a bright future ahead of him.

"Who would do this, Duncan? Why would someone go to all this trouble to get to Richie?"

Duncan spun around to face Tessa. He couldn't tell her his conclusions because he didn't want her to know what Richie would someday be. "I don't know, Tessa, but I'll find him."

"How? Where will you start?" she demanded.

He couldn't lie to her about that. She'd know in a instant if he tried. Slowly, he shook his head. "I don't know."

She came over to him, and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her tightly as he felt her shaking. He didn't have to look to know tears were rolling down her face. He felt like he was letting her down-that he'd already let Richie down. He should have kept them both safe, but he'd played right into the trap by letting Richie leave.

"All right," he finally said, as he felt Tessa calm down. "Here's what we're going to do. I want you to stay here in the apartment, keep the doors locked, and don't open them for anyone. You can call Richie's friends, and see if any of them have seen him recently. Also ask them if anyone has been looking for information about him."

Tessa nodded. "I'll check the hospitals, too. Just in case..."

Duncan lightly brushed her cheek. "That's a good idea, too. And I'll go back to the motel where I found Richie's bike. Maybe someone in that area will remember seeing something."

Before he left, Duncan retrieved a light pistol from its storage case in the closet, and loaded it. He'd taught Tessa how to shoot, but she'd insisted that she didn't want a loaded gun around. He brought it out to her and handed it over after making sure the safety was on.

"Keep this close," he said. "Just in case..."

Tessa looked like she wanted to protest, but finally she nodded.

He kissed her lightly. "I want to know you'll be safe while I'm gone."

"I will be," she replied. "Don't worry about me."

He smiled at her, lightly brushed her cheek again, then headed for the back door.

* HL * HL

After hours of fruitless searching, Duncan finally headed home. No matter who he talked to, no one had seen Richie. He'd even taken to driving around, hoping to be able to sense the pre-Immortal. He'd stuck to the warehouse district, knowing that Immortals liked to use them for their battles. A part of him knew it was a slim chance, at best-a pre-Immortal barely gave out a signal. He could easily drive by a building and never know Richie was inside. Still, if another Immortal was involved, he'd be able to feel him from a greater distance.

Tessa was in the kitchen when he came in. He had checked in with her several times that day, and knew she'd had no luck in finding any information, either. She took one look at his face, then turned away quickly. Before he had a chance to say anything, she sighed before opening the oven door to slide out a casserole dish.

"You're just in time for dinner," she said with a forced cheerfulness. She carried it over to the table, then fetched a bowl of salad from the refrigerator. "Come and eat-we can talk afterward."

Duncan quickly washed his hands, then joined her at the table. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he forced himself to eat. Neither of them said much during the meal, and Richie's empty seat seemed to draw their attention, time and time again.

After they had cleaned up after dinner, Duncan went over to the liquor cabinet, and poured out two drinks. He handed one to Tessa, then sat down on the couch beside her.

She stared down at the drink, then looked up into the Scot's face. "Am I going to need this? Did you find out what happened to Richie?"

Duncan shook his head. "No, I didn't." He sighed, not wishing to say the words, but knew they were necessary. "It's too early to give up, Tessa, but you have to keep in mind that we may never find out what happened to Richie. Whoever went to all this effort is probably smart enough to not leave any evidence behind."

Tessa sipped at her drink before answering. "I guess I knew that, but I didn't want to face it." She paused for a moment and took another sip. "I still don't want to face it."

"Neither do I, but we may have to. I don't know where else to look for him, Tessa. Whoever took him didn't leave any clues behind."

"What about the photos? The receipts? Maybe we can find out who is behind all of this."

Duncan thought about it for a few moments. "It's a long shot, but all we have. I'll check into it tomorrow."

Tessa sighed, and leaned up against Duncan. "I just want this to be all over. I want Richie to come bursting through the door, just like he always does. I want to be able to scold him about it, even though I know it won't do any good. I want Richie back in our lives!"

Duncan hugged her tightly. "So do I. And I'll do everything in my power to see that it happens," he promised, even as he wondered how he would do it.

* HL * HL

A light slap across his face woke Richie. He looked around in confusion for a moment before his eyes settled on his kidnapper.

"Wakey, wakey," the man said with an evil smile. "Wouldn't want you to miss a moment of this."

Richie tried to get enough moisture in his mouth to lick his dry lips. "What do you want now?" he managed to croak out.

"A little thirsty, hmmmm?" He held out a bottle of water. "Maybe some water would make you feel better."

Richie licked his lips again, then nodded slowly. He couldn't believe the man was going to actually give him some water, but he hoped it was true.

"Oh, it looks like you've had a little accident and wet your bed," he said. "Guess I'll have to restrict your fluid intake." He opened the bottle, then tipped it enough so the water would start flowing. However, he held it just out of Richie's reach.

With a moan, Richie strained forward, trying to capture any of the liquid that was flowing right in front of his eyes. The man laughed uproariously at the sight. Fortunately for the teenager, that caused the bottle to shake a little, and some of the water splashed onto his face. It wasn't much, but it helped some.

"Feel better?" the man taunted.

"Go to hell!" Richie forced out.

"Until tomorrow." The man threw the bottle away, then left.

Richie stared at the puddle of water on the floor. It was another new torture to add to the list. He'd already soiled his jeans, and the stench was almost overwhelming. Plus, sitting in feces and urine-soaked underwear was causing his skin to burn. It was hard to believe it had only been about thirty-six hours since he'd been brought here. It felt more like an eternity.

He wondered what Duncan and Tessa were doing. Had Tessa moved back home? They must have realized he was missing by now. They were probably scouring the city, looking for him. Or maybe they'd already given up.

No, he wouldn't believe that. They were too stubborn to give up so easily. And maybe, just maybe, Duncan would remember this warehouse, and come check it out. He had to keep hoping, otherwise he was afraid that he would give up.

With grim determination, he went back to work on the ropes around his wrists.

* HL * HL

Duncan wearily let himself into the apartment. It had been another day of no information. No one remembered who had bought the watch, or who had registered at the hotel. He couldn't really blame them. They probably didn't even remember who the customers were from the day before, let alone several weeks ago.

The photos had been a dead end as well. There was nothing that unusual about them to cause anyone to remember developing them, let alone to remember who picked them up.

It was hard to do, but he had to admit he didn't know what to do next. Richie had been missing for at least forty-eight hours, and there was probably little chance that he was still alive.

He just wasn't quite ready to give up yet.

Tessa was sitting in the living room, staring into the fireplace. When she heard him come in, she got up and poured him a drink. He sank down into a chair in front of the fireplace, and drained the glass.

"I've kept your dinner warm," she said. "I'll bring it in here."

He grabbed her hand as she went by, and kissed her palm. At times he wondered what he had ever done to deserve her love. She smiled down at him, then went to fetch his dinner.

He ate quickly, having skipped lunch because he'd been more interested in finding Richie than in eating. With his stomach full, it made it easier to talk.

"I don't know what to do next, Tessa," he admitted, still finding it hard to actually say the words.

She came over and sat down on the arm of the chair, wrapping her arms around him, and resting her head on his. "It's not your fault, Duncan. You've done your best, but even you can't do the impossible."

"I should never have let the two of you leave. I should have kept you here where I could protect you." He clenched his fists tightly. "I should have known better!"

"If that was the case, then we both share the guilt! We discussed what to do, and we decided-together-on how to handle this. Neither of us had any reason to think that Richie was the target. It's too easy to look back and say we should have known better, but we didn't! If we let it, the guilt would eat us up. And Richie wouldn't want that-I know he wouldn't!"

Duncan sighed, and rubbed the arm wrapped around his chest. "No, he wouldn't want that. Richie would be the first one to tell us it wasn't our fault. It's just so hard..."

"I know." She kissed his cheek. "Maybe we should call the police tomorrow. I don't think it will help, but it can't hurt, can it?"

Duncan didn't know how to answer that. Avoiding police involvement was so deeply ingrained within him, that it was hard to even consider contacting them. If another Immortal had taken Richie, then he shouldn't even involve the police at all. On the other hand, it might look strange if Richie's body was found, and they hadn't reported him as missing.

"I'll call them. Tomorrow," he promised.

* HL * HL

Richie was awake the next morning when his tormentor showed up. He'd long since run out of energy, and had given up on the ropes. He was having trouble concentrating, but couldn't seem to sleep because of the aching pain in his stomach, and the dryness in his mouth and throat. When the man held out the bottle of water, the teenager just turned his head away. It was a small act of defiance, but he felt better by doing it.

Somewhat to his surprise, the man held the bottle to Richie's lips and let a small amount of water flow into his mouth. The teenager savored the moisture, swishing it around in his mouth before swallowing. Again, the bottle was put to his lips and he was allowed to drink a small amount. He licked his lips, trying to ease the dried, cracked skin.

For a third time, the bottle of water was brought to his lips, and he was given a few more swallows. Richie finally looked up at the man, and rasped out, "Why?"

"It's quite simple, really. You'd die of thirst, before you died of starvation. I want you to suffer for as long as possible."

"Bastard!"

"I'll tell you what. You sign a confession stating that you killed my brother, and I'll end your suffering. Immediately. Otherwise, you'll have days of agony to look forward to."

For a moment, Richie was tempted. The water had made the gnawing pain in his stomach even worse. The thought of this continuing on for days was frightening. Still, he couldn't do it. He wasn't going to confess to something he didn't do. For all he knew, the man would turn the signed confession over to the police instead of killing him outright. Then Richie would spend the rest of his life in prison. Somehow, death seemed better than that.

"Well, maybe you'll change your mind." With those words, the man turned and left.

Richie tried to let his mind drift away, but the pain in his stomach kept him anchored to reality. He kept reliving the feeling of water flowing over his dry, parched mouth, and down his throat. He wanted more. And it was right there in front of him. The man had left the bottle behind, and there was still some water in it.

Carefully, Richie stretched his legs out, knowing he should be able to reach it. Inch by slow inch, he dragged it across the floor using his feet. It was almost close enough to reach when it suddenly tipped over, spilling the water.

It was too much. Richie broke into sobs, tears running down his face. He couldn't seem to stop. He was just glad his tormentor wasn't there to see his breakdown. How the man would have enjoyed this.

It took a while before his sobbing ended. Exhausted, his head hung down on his chest, and he let himself drift away.

* HL * HL

Duncan had just returned from the police station, and was in the antique store office staring off into space when the phone rang. When he answered it, he was surprised to hear a female voice ask for Richie.

"He's not here right now," he replied, not willing to tell anyone else that he was missing. "Can I take a message?"

"Is this Mr. MacLeod?"

"Yes."

"Uhhh... This is Angie-you know, Richie's friend?"

"I remember. How are you, Angie?"

"Ummm... Fine. Look, I wouldn't have called, but uhhhh... Tessa called me yesterday and wanted to know if anyone had been asking about Richie. Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"I don't know, Angie." For the first time since Richie had disappeared, Duncan felt his hope rising. "Has someone been asking about him?"

"Well, not to me, but I ran into Forks last night, and he said some Chinese dude was asking about Richie and Chu Lin, and what happened that day in the warehouse... uhhhhh... you do know about that day, right?"

"Yes, I know about that day. I'll check it out, Angie. Thanks for calling." He hung up, and surged to his feet, suddenly energized now that he had some possible information about Richie. He hurried out to the store and found Tessa, who was arranging some of the displays.

"I may have a lead, Tessa. I'm going to check it out. I'll keep in touch."

"Good luck, Duncan," she said, crossing her fingers and holding them up in the air.

The Scot almost ran to the T-bird. He would check out the warehouse where Chu Lin had been killed. He knew there was a chance that all he might find was Richie's body, but even that would be better than not knowing. There was even the possibility that another Immortal wasn't involved. Although why someone would kidnap Richie because of Chu Lin was beyond his comprehension.

* HL * HL

A tantalizing smell brought Richie back to reality. Looking up, he saw his tormentor waving a cheeseburger in front of his face. The teenager knew it was the next step in his torture, but that didn't stop his mouth from watering and his stomach from growling.

"Are you ready to sign that confession, yet? You could have this cheeseburger if you did."

Richie slowly shook his head, closing his eyes to avoid looking at the food that was being held so temptingly in front of his face. Still, he could smell it. He summoned all the energy he could, and kicked out with his foot. He felt it impact something, but didn't bother opening his eyes to see what.

A sudden blow across his face sent his head snapping back against the girder. He groaned at the pain and finally opened his eyes. The man was standing over him, looking very angry. He saw the second back-handed swing headed for his face, but there was no way to avoid it. Once again, his head snapped back, but at least he didn't bang it into the girder this time.

"I'll give you this much, kid. You have more spunk than I thought you would. I think I'm going to enjoy watching you suffer."

"I don't think so."

Richie almost couldn't believe his ears. Or his eyes. Was Duncan really standing there, or was it just a delusion caused by lack of food and water? Or maybe from a concussion?

"You want to explain what you're doing?" Duncan said, as he stalked closer to the pair. A quick glance at Richie revealed no obvious wounds so he could concentrate on the other man.

"It's none of your business-just walk away and you won't get hurt."

"He's my friend, so it *is* my business."

"Well, then you picked the wrong person to have as a friend." The man pulled out two short swords from his jacket. "Now your friend will have to watch you die."

Duncan shrugged out of his coat, pulling his katana free at the same time. It gave him a brief moment of pleasure to see the man's eyes widen at the appearance of the katana. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked. "Are *you* ready to die?"

The man hesitated for a moment, then attacked. While he was a good sword fighter, his skill level didn't even come close to matching that of a four-hundred-year-old Immortal. Duncan quickly disarmed him, then trapped him up against a crate with the katana at his neck.

"Now then, back to my original question," Duncan said, trying to use a reasonable tone. "Explain yourself."

"Go ahead and kill me!" the man blurted out. "Leave me here to die just like your *friend* left my brother here to die!"

Duncan frowned. What was the man talking about? "Richie hasn't killed anyone that I know of."

"Chu Lin," Richie managed to croak out. "Thinks I killed him."

Duncan glanced over at his friend, hoping for more information, but the effort to say that much seemed to have exhausted Richie. He turned back to his captive. "You think *Richie* killed Chu Lin?"

The man nodded slowly.

"Well, you're wrong. I was here, too, and someone else killed him."

"You're lying-trying to protect Ryan! I want my revenge!"

"Revenge! This is all about revenge?" Duncan almost yelled. "Revenge is a never-ending cycle. Chu Lin stole a drug from his teacher, and gave it to one of Richie's friends, who died. Richie wanted revenge, so he came after Chu Lin, and almost got himself and another friend killed. His teacher wanted revenge, so he killed Chu Lin. Now, you're here to get your revenge. When will it end? When everyone in the world is dead?" Duncan had to pause for a moment to get his anger back under control. "And to make matters worse, you've gone after the wrong person!"

"But Kiem Sun said..."

"You were a fool to believe him. He's trying to get back at me-revenge again-for destroying his last supply of the drug he'd manufactured. He used you because he wasn't man enough to do it himself, and he figured you were stupid enough to fall for it!" Duncan pushed the man away. "Get out of my sight, and out of this town before I change my mind!"

The man scrambled up from the floor and ran out of the warehouse without even picking up his swords. Duncan heard the slam of a car door, then the sound of an engine starting. He hoped the man would take his advice and leave town, but Richie was his first priority.

He hurried over to the teenager, squatting down on the floor to cut the ropes binding Richie to the girder. He gently eased him down to the floor, then quickly examined him for injuries. Other than his wrists, and a small lump on the back of his head, there were no obvious wounds.

Duncan lightly slapped Richie's face, calling Richie's name until the young man opened his eyes halfway.

"Richie, are you hurt anywhere?" He didn't want to risk moving the young man too much until he was sure he wouldn't cause more harm.

"Mac? Are you really here?"

"Yes, Richie, I'm really here." Duncan didn't like the dazed look on the teenager's face. "What did he do to you?"

"No food... no water..."

Duncan could barely make out the whispered words, but anger flooded through him when he finally realized what Richie had said. He wished he hadn't let the other man go so easily. Three days without food and water. That was beyond cruelty. He carefully lifted Richie into his arms. "Take it easy, Rich. Let's get you to the hospital."

The young man tried to struggle, but didn't have enough energy to make much of an effort. "Noooo," he moaned as Duncan started carrying him to the car.

"Yes, you're going to the hospital! End of discussion."

"Not like this. Please, Mac!" Richie whispered as a solitary tear rolled down his cheek.

Duncan didn't understand what Richie's problem was, but there was no way he was going to change his mind. The teenager was going to the hospital-no matter what! But the closer he got to the car, the more agitated Richie became. And when he tried to place the teenager in the passenger seat, Richie almost threw himself out of the car.

The Scot just barely caught him before he hit the ground. "Richie, what is going on?" he growled as he propped the young man up against the car. "You *have* to go the hospital. You *need* treatment."

It was an obvious struggle to get the words out. "Need to clean up." Richie's hand waved toward his jeans.

Duncan finally realized what was wrong. Richie was embarrassed because he had soiled his jeans. "Rich, that's nothing to be upset about. The doctors and nurses have definitely seen worse things. They will be able to help you clean up. Now, enough of this-are you ready to go?"

"Blanket," Richie croaked, pointing at the leather seat of the T-bird.

Duncan sighed, but he went to the trunk and pulled out a blanket he kept there in case of an emergency-such as a headless body that needed to be disposed of. By the time he got back to his friend, he found the young man shaking as if chilled. He didn't like the looks of that at all, so he quickly wrapped the blanket around Richie, then lifted him back into the car.

"I'll be right back," he said before dashing back into the warehouse, grabbing his coat, katana, and Richie's duffel bag. With everything in the car, he finally headed to the hospital.

* HL * HL

Once he reached the hospital, Duncan parked by the emergency entrance, then ran inside to get some help. Two orderlies came out with a gurney, and the Scot carefully lifted Richie out of the car and placed him on it. Despite his desire to be with the teenager, he knew he had to park the T-bird so it wasn't blocking the entrance.

Back inside, he didn't see Richie anywhere. He stalked over to the admitting desk. "Where did they take my friend?"

"Room 12. Down the hall, and to the right," the receptionist answered.

Duncan followed the directions, and easily found the room. A nurse was already starting to undress Richie, and the Scot was pleased to see that the teenager wasn't struggling against it. Another nurse joined them, carrying a clipboard, and she came over to Duncan's side.

"I need to get some information."

Duncan rattled off Richie's name, address, age, known allergies, and illnesses.

"And what happened to him?"

Duncan glanced over at the examining table. Richie was staring up at the ceiling, and didn't seem to be paying attention. He'd thought about what reason he would give during the drive here. "It was a stupid gang initiation. They grabbed Richie, tied him up, then left him. The idea was to make him think he'd been left to die. Unfortunately, the guy who was supposed to go back and free him the next morning thought someone else was going to do it. By the time I found out what had happened, Richie had been tied up for three days, with no food or water."

A older man came into the room, and went straight to Richie's side. "I'm Dr. Meachem. Let's take a look at you." He pulled out a stethoscope from his pocket, and listened to Richie's chest. Next was a flashlight, which he used to examine the teenager's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears. "Let's get an IV started," he ordered.

While the nurse did that, he examined the notes on the clipboard before turning back to the young man. "Richie, are you in any pain?"

Richie nodded. "My throat," he rasped out. "My stomach, my head, and my wrists. Can I have some water?"

"Let's get him some ice chips. That should help a little until we finish the exam." The second nurse left the room, and came back a few moments later with a glass filled with ice chips and a spoon. She scooped up some, and fed them to Richie.

"Just let them melt in your mouth," the doctor suggested. "Once we're sure that you don't have any serious injuries, we'll let you have some water. Tell me if anything I do hurts." The doctor started pressing down along Richie's abdomen in various spots. "Nothing hurts?"

Richie shook his head.

"Good. Were you hit anywhere?"

"My head. Knocked me out."

The doctor turned his attention to Richie's scalp, running his fingers over every inch of it. "Hmmm... you do have a small lump back here." Once again he brought out the flashlight and checked Richie's eyes and ears. "All right, we'll let the nurses get you cleaned up a little bit, then we'll take another look." He headed for the door, and Duncan followed him out of the room.

The Scot introduced himself, then asked "How is he?" He hadn't seen anything that sounded life threatening, but he was no doctor.

"Well, he's badly dehydrated, and might have a slight concussion, but I don't see any serious problems," the doctor explained. "We'll have to keep him at least overnight, until we know he can keep food down. Right now the IV will help restore the fluids he's lost, as well as provide nourishment. I'll check him over a little more thoroughly once he's been cleaned up. I'm also going to have to ask him some embarrassing questions, and he might find it easier if you weren't in the room."

"I understand," Duncan said. "I'll just let him know where I'm going." He went back into the room and found Richie already enveloped in a hospital gown. "Rich, I need to call Tessa and let her know you're okay. If you need me, just ask them to get me from the waiting room."

Richie nodded, his eyes half-closed. They fluttered shut before Duncan had even left the room. The Scot walked down to the waiting room where he found a bank of payphones. It didn't take long to contact Tessa, and ask her to come to the hospital.

* HL * HL

Richie heaved a sigh of relief when the nurses and doctor finally left him alone. He'd hated some of the things they'd done to him, even though a part of him knew they'd been necessary. And some of the questions they'd asked had been even more embarrassing.

Still, he was as clean as he could be without taking a shower, and they'd put some kind of ointment on his wrists that had taken some of the sting away. The nicest thing they had done was to bring in some warm blankets to cover him. He could get real used to that. And the ice chips they'd kept feeding him had helped a lot, too. He just wished they'd give him something to eat and drink. They'd told him that the IV was the best thing for him at this point, but it wasn't as satisfying as sinking his teeth into a juicy hamburger.

And where had Duncan disappeared to? He vaguely remembered the Scot saying something about calling Tessa, but how long did that take? He'd been awfully tired at the time, so maybe he'd missed something. He could probably fall asleep right now, but he had a feeling that as soon as he did, a nurse or doctor would think up something new that had to be done.

Still, his eyes kept drifting shut, and he finally decided to just leave them closed. As expected, the door opened, and he tried to pry them back open, but his eyelids refused to cooperate. He stopped trying, figuring that as soon as they started poking and prodding him, he'd wake up. Instead, he felt a hand softly brush his hair back from his forehead, then a feather-light kiss on his cheek.

Kind of strange behavior for a nurse. Richie decided he'd better check this out. Maybe he'd want to get her phone number. He forced his eyes open, and spotted a familiar face leaning over him.

"Hey, Tessa," he murmured, then tried to smile. He was never quite sure whether he was successful, because his traitorous eyes slid shut again, and he fell asleep.

The Frenchwoman turned in panic to Duncan. "Is he all right? What is wrong with him?"

Duncan smiled. "He's going to be fine," he whispered into her ear, not wanting to disturb Richie's rest. "I'd say he just fell asleep-he's been through a rough time and his body needs to recuperate."

Tessa turned back to the bed, smiling down at the sleeping teenager with a maternal expression. Duncan wondered whether she even realized it. After a few moments, she moved back to Duncan's side, and hugged him tightly. "It's a miracle," she said in a low voice. "I thought we'd never see him again."

Duncan nodded-he had begun to think the same thing. He'd have to remember to send Angie a thank you gift. If it hadn't been for her, they might have never found Richie. Just the thought of how much the teenager would have suffered brought a new surge of anger flooding through him.

He knew he could easily take out his anger on the man who had kidnapped Richie, but it was Kiem Sun who had orchestrated this whole mess. And knowing the other Immortal as well as he did, Duncan knew he would stay on Holy Ground for as long as possible. That limited his options.

The doctor came into the room, but when he realized Richie was asleep, he beckoned to Duncan to join him in the hall. Tessa motioned for him to go, before taking a seat by the bed.

"All the tests are looking good," the doctor said once they were out of the room. "He'll be transferred to a room very soon. Assuming he can keep food down, he'll be able to go home tomorrow." The doctor paused for a moment, then looked directly at Duncan with a stern expression on his face. "While I can't force the issue, I sincerely hope you contact the police on this matter. This so-called prank could have been deadly-in more ways than one. We need to send a message to gangs that this kind of activity is not to be encouraged."

"I definitely intend to take actions to make sure this doesn't happen again," Duncan promised, although he knew involving the police wasn't what he intended.

"Good. I just don't understand kids today. Why they would want to be involved in a gang is beyond me." The doctor walked away, shaking his head.

Duncan went back inside, giving a thumbs-up signal to Tessa. She understood, and smiled back at him.

* HL * HL

It took almost an hour before two orderlies showed up to move Richie to another room. Duncan had hoped the transfer could be accomplished without disturbing the teenager's slumber. He slept through the trip from the emergency room area, up the elevator and down another hallway, but when they tried to transfer him from the gurney to the bed, he woke with a start, looking around frantically.

"Take it easy," Duncan soothed him. "You're just being moved to a different bed. Nothing's wrong."

Once Richie had calmed down, the orderlies finished transferring him before wheeling the gurney out of the room. The teenager casually looked around the room, then latched on to the remote control for the bed. First he raised the head of the bed. Then he raised the foot of the bed, before lowering the head back down.

"Cool," he said with a smile.

After several minutes of watching Richie fiddle with the controls, Tessa scowled at the young man. "Find a setting and leave it be, Richie! You're making me dizzy!"

"Sorry." Richie finally settled on a position, and set the remote aside. "So, when am I going to get some food?"

Duncan glanced at his watch. "It shouldn't be too much longer. How are you feeling?"

Richie shrugged. "Better than when you brought me in."

"You're still very hoarse," Tessa said with a worried look. "I'll go see if I can get you some more ice chips."

"Something to drink would be better." Richie gave her a hopeful smile.

"We'll see." Tessa left the room.

Richie turned to Duncan. "So, did you..." he waved his hand around in the air in a simulated sword fight. "I think I missed something."

"You didn't miss much."

The teenager stared at him. "You did... take care of that guy, right?"

Duncan nodded. "I took care of him." Just not in the way Richie was thinking. That explanation could wait until they got home.

Richie heaved a sigh of relief. "Good! 'Cause I don't want that jerk coming after me again. Once was enough."

"You don't have to worry about that." He only had to worry about what else Kiem Sun might try. And Duncan still didn't have a clue as to what he should do about the other Immortal.

Tessa came back into the room, carrying a glass and a can of soda. Richie grimaced, but took it from her. "Guess it's better than nothing."

"The nurse said the dinner trays would be here in about ten minutes. I'm sure you can hold on until then."

The long-awaited dinner tray finally arrived, and Richie stared at in disgust. "I wanted real food!"

"Sorry, but the doctor ordered a liquid diet for you," the aide replied, before leaving the room.

Richie turned pleading eyes toward Duncan and Tessa. "Mac? Tessa? C'mon, you know how much I eat. They're still trying to starve me."

Duncan had to admit that the food was nowhere near the volume that Richie normally ate. There was a small glass of juice, a carton of milk, a small bowl of green Jello, a cup of beef broth, and another cup with a lid on it. Still, it was what the doctor ordered. And he had a feeling that Richie might not be able to eat as much as he normally did after three days of nothing.

"Start with that," the Scot suggested.

Richie made a face, but picked up the spoon and set to work. He'd finished everything off except for the last cup. He pointed to it, and stated, "I'm not going to drink whatever that is! It's got to be something pretty awful, I just know it."

Duncan reached for the cup, and took the lid off. When he realized what it was, he tried to hide his smile. "You're right, Rich, you shouldn't be forced to drink this. I'm sure you wouldn't like a chocolate shake."

"What? Give it back!" Richie sat up and lunged for the cup.

Duncan laughed, but handed it back.

"This is more like it," the teenager said after his first sip. "Maybe this hospital food isn't so bad."

By the time he'd finished the shake, Richie's eyes were drooping.

"Did you get enough to eat?" Duncan asked, as Tessa pushed aside the stand with the food tray on it.

Richie nodded, then let his eyes shut.

Tessa leaned over and kissed his cheek. "We'll let you get some rest. We'll be back tomorrow morning."

"Take it easy, tough guy," Duncan added, lightly squeezing the young man's shoulder. "If you need anything, just give us a call."

Richie's head barely moved this time as he nodded. He was asleep before Duncan and Tessa had even left the room.

* HL * HL

When Duncan and Tessa arrived at the hospital the next morning, the nurse stopped them in the hallway and told them Richie could go home at any time. They hurried down the hall to the teenager's room where they found a very disgruntled Richie scowling at the ceiling.

"Is something wrong?" Tessa asked, hurrying over to the bed. Duncan wasn't far behind.

"Will you go tell those... those... *idiots* that are running this place that I'm almost *starved* to death! I need more than a poached egg and juice for breakfast! And I could have used a good night's sleep, but noooo... They had to come in and take my temperature and blood pressure at 1:00 AM, then again at 6:00. You can also tell them that I'm big enough to go to the bathroom by myself." Richie waved his arms around, and continued his rant. "And who designed these hospital gowns, anyway? Every time I got out of bed, the nurse got a free peep show!"

Duncan struggled to keep the smile off his face, and could tell that Tessa was doing the same thing. Richie had to be feeling better.

"You ready to go home?" Duncan asked, holding up the bag he'd been carrying. "We brought you some clothes."

Richie's face brightened immediately. "Great!" He quickly threw back the covers, and started to slide out of bed. Suddenly, his face turned red and he grabbed the covers back over him. "Tessa, do you mind?" he asked, glancing at the door.

"Of course not," Tessa said with a smile. "I'll wait outside."

Even after she had left the room, Richie still hesitated.

"Why don't I go out and see what kind of paperwork needs to be signed?" Duncan suggested diplomatically. "Unless you want me to stay?"

"That's all right, Mac," Richie replied nonchalantly. "I can manage by myself."

"Okay." Striving to keep his face straight, Duncan left the room.

It took about fifteen minutes to sign the release forms and get all the instructions for Richie's care. The list of symptoms to watch for was rather daunting, but nothing the Scot couldn't handle. By the time he got back to Richie's room a male orderly was helping the teenager into a wheelchair while Tessa watched.

"Home, James," Richie said with a cocky grin. The orderly rolled his eyes, but started pushing the wheelchair out of the room.

* HL * HL

Duncan kept close to Richie as he walked across the workshop and up the stairs to the apartment. He wasn't sure if the teenager realized how the last few days had affected his body, and wanted to be near if Richie should start to feel faint.

The young man made it into the living room without a problem, but he was definitely paler than when he'd gotten out of the car. He collapsed with a groan onto the nearest chair. "Why did that take so much effort?"

"You need to expect this for a while. Your body has been through a major shock and needs time to recover. You'll feel like everything takes more effort than before, and you will tire much easier. So, for the next few days, you'll be taking it easy. No working in the shop. No going out anywhere. Understood?"

Richie nodded, but didn't look too happy about the whole idea.

"Why don't you stretch out on the couch and take a nap?" Tessa suggested.

"It's 10:00 in the morning," Richie said. "I just got out of bed!" His protest was marred by the huge yawn at the end of it.

"You said they woke you up during the night, then early this morning," Tessa pointed out reasonably. "A short nap won't hurt."

With a sigh, Richie stood up and went over to the couch. Once he was comfortable, Tessa placed an afghan over him. "Don't let me sleep through lunch," he mumbled before falling asleep.

Tessa and Duncan quietly tiptoed out of the room.

* HL * HL

Quietly, Tessa moved around the kitchen preparing lunch. Richie was still sleeping in the living room, and she didn't want to wake him until it was ready. She didn't think the young man would eat much, so she was fixing vegetable soup. That, along with some warm, crusty, French bread should be ample. She knew it would be a while before his old appetite was back, but if this wasn't enough, she could always make an omelet.

For a moment, she debated whether she should take Richie his lunch on a tray, and let him eat in the living room. He could enjoy the fire during the meal, and not leave the comfort of the couch. But the doctor had said that the young man should walk around every so often to get the muscles working again.

Tessa quickly set the dining room table for three places. Once she'd eaten, she'd take Duncan's place in the antique store and he could have his own lunch. When all that was left to do was to dish out the soup, she went over to wake Richie.

He looked so young that it made Tessa even more grateful that they'd managed to rescue him. Just the thought of Richie dying of starvation, all alone, was enough to make her want to cry. She forced back the tears, and lightly shook Richie's shoulder.

The young man gave out a loud gasp, and bolted upright, his eyes looking around the room in terror. Tessa stepped back quickly, worried that Richie would strike out in his panic.

"It's all right, Richie. It's just me," she calmly said.

Richie's eyes locked onto Tessa, and when he realized where he was, he started to calm down. "Oh, maaaan," he moaned, burying his face in his hands. "I'm sorry, Tess."

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about. I shouldn't have startled you." She moved closer and lightly rubbed his shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?" Lunch could wait.

She could feel the shudder that ran through Richie's body. "Not really," he said, trying to get to his feet. He got tangled up in the afghan and almost fell on his face.

"Calm down, Richie. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm not going to make you." She decided to change the subject to one that would seem less stressful. "Are you ready for lunch?"

Richie looked relieved. "Sure. I'll just go... uh... wash up."

Tessa headed back to the kitchen and ladled out soup for both of them. Grabbing some potholders, she removed the foil-wrapped bread from the oven, and carried everything to the table. Richie joined her a few minutes later.

"Is this it?" he asked, a look of disappointment on his face.

"Start with this. If you still want more, I'll make you something else. However, I think you will find that you won't be able to eat as much as you normally do. The stomach shrinks after going for so long without anything in it."

Richie took a tentative sip of the soup, then started eating more enthusiastically. "This is great," he mumbled around a mouthful of bread.

Tessa didn't bother correcting his table manners. She was too grateful to have him back home again, safe and almost sound. Manners could come later.

Richie surprised her by almost making it through a full bowl of soup before pushing it away. "I guess you were right. I feel stuffed. Do you want me to go relieve Mac so he can eat?"

"No, no working in the antique store for a few days. I'll trade places with Duncan as soon as I am done."

"I can do it, you know?"

Tessa smiled and patted his hand. "I know, but you don't have to. You can clear your dishes from the table, though."

Richie did as instructed, then wandered over to the alcove where he turned on the television. After flipping through the channels several times, he decided on a science fiction movie. He settled back in a chair, and started to watch it.

The next thing he knew, the television was off, and savory smells were coming from the kitchen. Lights had been turned on, and through the glass block windows, he could tell that the sun had set. Richie glanced at his watch, and found it hard to believe it was almost six PM. He'd slept most of the afternoon!

There was no one around as Richie stood up and stretched. He wandered into the kitchen, and lifted the lid off of a pot that was on the stove. The sight and smell of Tessa's home-made spaghetti sauce caused his stomach to growl. He quickly retrieved a spoon from a nearby drawer and sampled the sauce. It was wonderful! He could barely wait for dinner.

Richie headed for his bedroom to clean up. He washed his face, then slipped on a clean shirt. The one he'd been wearing was all wrinkled from sleeping in it. When he came back out to the living room, Duncan was in the kitchen filling a large pot with water.

"Hey, Rich, how do you feel?"

"Much better. I think all that sleep was good for me. I can go back to work tomorrow."

"We'll see." Duncan smiled at the teenager. "Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"Great. I can't wait."

Once again, Richie couldn't finish his meal, even though it was one of his favorites. By the time they'd finished cleaning up the kitchen, he was tired again. But this time he refused to let himself fall asleep. Instead, he spent a quiet evening with Duncan and Tessa, listening to music, and watching the flickering flames in the fireplace.

However, by 9:00, he couldn't stay awake any longer, no matter how often he tried to tell his body that it was too early to go to bed. With a final 'good night', he headed for his bedroom, practically falling asleep as soon as he climbed into bed. * HL * HL

Duncan's sleep was rudely interrupted by a loud scream coming from the direction of Richie's bedroom. He grabbed his katana and raced down the hall.

"Noooooo! Mac! Please!"

The terror in Richie's voice added wings to Duncan's feet and he burst into the teenager's room ready to do battle. However, a quick look around the room revealed only Richie, tossing and turning in bed.

"Don't leave me!" Richie screamed.

Duncan hurried to the young man's bed. Lightly placing one hand on his shoulder, he shook Richie awake. The teenager bolted upright in his bed, and frantically looked around in panic.

"Take it easy, Rich. It was just a nightmare."

Richie's eyes stared at Duncan, then the teenager grabbed his arm with the strength born of desperation.

"Don't leave me, Mac! Please!" The words just seemed to tumble out, but the terror in the voice was quite evident.

"I won't leave you," he promised. Duncan saw Tessa enter the bedroom out of the corner of his eye, but motioned for her to stay back. She must have turned on the light in the hallway and it lifted some of the darkness from the room. He could have turned on the bedside light, but didn't want to blind Richie or himself by doing that.

"I tried to get free by myself," Richie continued. "I really tried. Don't leave me here to die!"

Duncan finally realized that Richie was still caught up in his nightmare-one where he had left the young man in the warehouse to die. He didn't know how the teenager could ever believe he would do such a thing, but that wasn't the important issue right now. He tried to wrap his arms around Richie, but the tight grip that the young man still had on his right arm made it impossible. He settled for wrapping one arm around the teenager's shoulders, and pulled him in close to his chest.

"I won't leave you," he said again. "You're safe now."

Tessa joined them at that point, walking around the bed to sit on the other side. She lightly rubbed Richie's back. "You are safe, Richie," she added. "Nothing can hurt you here."

It took several long minutes of soothing before Richie started to relax. He finally gave a sigh and went limp, releasing his hold on Duncan. The Scot took advantage of that to wrap his other arm around Richie, and hold him tightly.

"I would never leave you alone to die," he firmly promised. "No matter what."

"I know." Richie's reply was muffled by Duncan's chest, but the Scot still heard it. He closed his eyes in silent thanks for a moment, but a touch on his arm brought them back open again. It was Tessa this time, obviously realizing that her lover needed to be soothed, too.

Finally, he slowly released Richie. Even in the low light he could see the tears on the young man's face. He didn't make any comment on them, somehow knowing that it would embarrass the teenager. "Feeling better?" he asked.

Richie nodded. "Sorry about waking you up."

"That's all right."

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Tessa asked, still lightly rubbing Richie's back. "Maybe it will help make it go away."

Richie shuddered. "I was back in that warehouse, and Mac found me, but he was so disgusted with me about not getting free by myself that he walked away and left me." "I would never do that!" Mac promised again.

"I know, Mac. I don't know why I had that kind of nightmare. You would never do that."

"Nightmares don't always make sense," Tessa replied. "That is why they can be so frightening. Would you like some hot chocolate? Maybe it will help you fall asleep again."

Richie nodded, and Tessa hurried from the room. Duncan helped the teenager get settled back into bed, leaning up against pillows piled against the headboard.

"Do you want to talk about what happened to you in the warehouse?" the Scot asked, trying to keep his tone casual. He hadn't questioned the teenager at all about what he'd gone through, thinking it would be easier to forget that way. Maybe he'd been wrong.

It seemed to take forever before Richie began to talk. Maybe the darkness helped, because Duncan almost couldn't believe what the teenager said next.

"I was so scared, Mac. Scared that I was going to die alone. I knew you would be looking for me, but I knew there wasn't much chance of you finding me there. I tried to get free by rubbing the ropes along the pole I was tied to, but it didn't help."

"That's not true," Duncan pointed out. "When I cut the ropes free, I could see where they had been frayed. I don't think it would have taken much more to free yourself."

Richie sighed. "I was also scared that you'd find me, and the guy would get you, too, and then we'd both die there. Except you would come back."

Duncan knew that Richie would have come back, too. At least he thought he would have-was starvation considered a violent death? For that matter, was the violent death part of immortality really the truth. It didn't really matter, he wasn't about to tell the young man that someday he'd be just like Duncan.

"And Tessa would have been all alone. I guess that was what I was most afraid of."

Duncan couldn't help it. He pulled Richie in for another strong hug. It seemed almost impossible to believe that the street-wise teenage thief who he'd taken in only a few short months ago, would care the most about Tessa being left alone. Now, he knew that no matter what happened to him, Richie would be there for Tessa.

He heard Tessa approaching the bedroom, and released Richie. A few moments later, she was there, carrying a tray filled with three mugs. Duncan took two of them, handing one over to Richie. Tessa set the tray down, and with her own mug, went to sit on the other side of the bed.

They didn't say much as they drank their hot chocolate. By the time his mug was empty, it was obvious that Richie could barely keep his eyes open. After Duncan took his mug, he slid down into the bed, and drifted off to sleep.

Duncan motioned to Tessa, and they both quietly got up, and headed back to their own bedroom.

* HL * HL

When Richie woke the next morning, he glanced at his clock, then jumped out of bed. He couldn't believe it was already 10:00. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I slept all day yesterday."

He quickly showered, then hurried out to the living area. Duncan and Tessa were nowhere in sight-probably out in the antique store. While they'd both told him he didn't need to work today, he felt guilty about it. There wasn't anything really wrong with him.

He made himself some breakfast-nothing fancy-just cereal, orange juice and toast. The newspaper was sitting on the table, still neatly stacked together. Duncan must not have had time to read it this morning. Another surge of guilt swept through Richie. His nightmare in the wee hours of the morning had probably caused the Scot to sleep in. Therefore, he hadn't had a chance to read the paper.

Richie opened the paper, glancing through the news articles on the front page very quickly. Most of them held little interest for him. He couldn't get into all the political news, or the discussions over new tax rates, or the new landfill. He knew Duncan read every line of the paper, but he couldn't understand why.

Turning to the second page, his attention was drawn to a headline about a murder, and police shoot-out at a Buddhist monastery. A man, by the name of Chang Lin had broken into the monastery, killed one of the monks, Kiem Sun, then been killed by the police.

The Highlander had lied to him! He must have let the guy go. Richie was sure that Duncan had shown up while Chu Lin's brother had been there. He had vague memories of them fighting with swords. Why would Duncan have let the guy go? After all, he'd kidnapped Richie and tortured him.

It didn't matter that his torturer was dead, and couldn't come after him anymore. What did matter was that Duncan had let him walk away-possibly to come after Richie again.

He grabbed the paper and stalked out to the antique store. He looked around quickly, pleased to see that no there were no customers in the shop. Tessa was nowhere in sight, but he spotted the Scot and hurried over to confront him, practically shoving the newspaper into his face.

"Why did you let him go after what he did to me?" he practically screamed. "What if he'd come after me again?"

Duncan calmly took the paper from Richie's hand, and quickly scanned the article. "I explained to him that it was Kiem Sun who had orchestrated the whole thing. I knew he wouldn't come back after you once he understood that. He was just a puppet of Kiem Sun's."

"It wasn't Kiem Sun who knocked me out, tied me up, and then tortured me with water that he wouldn't let me drink, and food that he wouldn't let me eat. He was going to let me die!"

"The only reason he did that was because Kiem Sun told him you'd killed his brother. If Kiem Sun hadn't lied, the guy would never have come after you. What he did was wrong, but he didn't deserve to die because of it. Revenge is never a good motive to go after someone. He should have gone to the police in search of justice, but he didn't. And if I'd killed him, that's all it would have been-revenge-it wouldn't have been justice."

"And if I'd been..." Richie had to struggle to get the word out, "dead when you found me? Would you have still let him go?"

Duncan dropped the paper and approached Richie. He put one hand on each of the young man's shoulders, and looked at him squarely. "If you had been dead, I would have turned him over to the police. As much as I would have liked to take my own revenge, there is a legal system in this country that would have seen that justice prevailed."

Richie couldn't miss the sincerity in Duncan's eyes. He gave a little sigh. While still unhappy over the Scot's decision, he had to admit to himself that it fit Duncan's personality and sense of honor.

"I understand," he finally said.

Duncan pulled him in for a quick hug. "I'm glad. And this guy has done me a big favor, too."

"What?"

"By killing Kiem Sun-even if it was only temporarily-he got him off of holy ground. If I get there soon enough, he should still be in the morgue. I can make sure he doesn't come after you or Tessa again. He will pay for what he has done."

"Uh... Mac... that sure sounds like you're out for revenge," Richie pointed out.

"No, I'm after justice," Duncan explained as he headed for the back door.

"Sorry, but I can't see the difference," Richie continued as he followed Duncan. "You want to make him pay for what he's done-that's revenge."

The Scot turned to face Richie. "No, I want to make sure he doesn't come after you and Tessa again. And he's stepped over the line. Since he is an Immortal, I will make sure that justice is served. If he wasn't an Immortal, then I would have let the law handle it." He started for the back door again. "Tessa is at the market and will be back soon. Go ahead and close the shop." Without another word he left.

Richie stared at the door for several long moments, then muttered, "still sounds like revenge." He headed back into the antique store, deciding to go ahead and work. It would give him something to do.

* HL * HL

It had only taken a small bribe to get the attendant at the morgue to take a long break. Once the young man was gone, Duncan quickly searched the room, looking for the drawer that would contain Kiem Sun's body. It didn't take long to find.

The Scot yanked it open and was pleased to note that the other Immortal was still inside. There had always been the chance that the other man had recovered and escaped already.

A few moments later, Kiem Sun jerked back to life with an agonizing breath. It gave a small sense of satisfaction to Duncan to watch the other Immortal in agony, even for such a brief moment. It didn't match all the pain that Richie had been in, but it was a start.

Duncan threw Kiem Sun some clothes-he'd made a quick stop at the monastery to pick them up for the other Immortal. "You're not on Holy Ground anymore, Kiem Sun. And I warned you the last time, that if you crossed the line again, that all past promises would be null and void."

Kiem Sun shrugged, but grabbed the clothes and started to dress. "I had no idea he'd go after your young protege. I thought he'd go to the police, but they wouldn't have enough evidence to do anything about it."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Is that why you embellished the story so much? Told Chang Lin, that Richie had left his brother to die slowly and all alone? You knew he would go after Richie, but you didn't care."

"He would have come back to life again," Kiem Sun burst out. "I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is that you had no right to deflect your enemies on to someone else. You had no right to play god with Richie's immortality. He deserves the right to grow up first, before he's got to face the harsh reality that is our lives." Duncan looked his adversary over, trying to keep his anger at bay. Anger could make him careless.

"We're going for a little walk, and only one of us is going to return," Duncan promised, as he pointed toward the door.

"You're going to take my head? Without giving me a chance to defend myself? It hardly seems like your style," Kiem Sun pointed out.

"You'll have your chance. I picked up your sword while I was getting your clothes. You'll have more of a chance than you gave Richie."

Duncan followed Kiem Sun out of the building, then pointed the other Immortal to a back alley several blocks away. Hopefully, their fight would come to its conclusion before anyone spotted them. Normally, he'd prefer waiting until dark, but he wasn't going to give Kiem Sun a chance to get back to Holy Ground.

* HL * HL

"Richie, what are you doing out here in the store?" Tessa exclaimed as she spotted the young man sitting on the stairs leading up to the catwalk. She'd already searched the apartment when she got home, and had been surprised when she hadn't found the teenager there. "And where is Duncan?"

"He's off," Richie made slashing motions in the air to simulate sword-fighting, "with Kiem Sun. I didn't have anything better to do, so I'm taking care of the store."

"You're supposed to be resting."

"I am resting. Whenever there weren't any customers, I'd sit down. It hasn't been a problem, Tessa."

Tessa frowned, but let it go. "All right, but you should go lie down for a while."

"I'll do that after Mac comes home. I want to make sure-"

Tessa could fill in the missing words. They'd been through this before, waiting together for Duncan to return from a clash with another Immortal. She sat down next to Richie, and clasped his hand tightly for a moment. "He'll be fine," she promised, while wishing she had a guarantee of that.

"Sure he will." The bluster in Richie's voice made it obvious that he wasn't so certain. "He beat the guy before, so he can beat him again."

"Of course he can." Tessa tried to keep her misgivings to herself. Richie had been through enough already. He didn't need her falling apart to add to his stress. "So, how did you sleep? Any more nightmares?"

Richie shook his head. "Just the one. I'm sorry I woke you and Mac up."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Tessa tried to assure him. "You have been through something very awful. If it had been me, I'd probably still be in the hospital begging for sedation. You are entitled to a few nightmares."

Richie looked down at the floor, studying his feet. "I'm glad it was me, instead of you," he finally mumbled.

Tessa wrapped her arms around the young man and hugged him tightly. She kissed his cheek before releasing him.

"Am I missing something?"

The sound of Duncan's voice drew their attention to the office doorway. The Highlander was leaning against the doorjamb, watching them with a smile on his face. Tessa jumped up and ran over to her lover, almost throwing herself into his arms.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Richie approaching them, and pulled back from Duncan.

"Hey, big guy," Richie said with a grin, reaching out with a mock punch to tap Duncan's arm. "Did you take care of the bad guy?"

Duncan nodded. "He won't be bothering us again."

Tessa had been around Duncan for twelve years, and could read him very well. She didn't miss the sadness in his eyes. Emotionally, he had to be torn. He'd been friends with Kiem Sun for centuries, and now he'd had to take the other Immortal's head to keep the two mortals in his life safe.

It just didn't seem right. No one should have to kill one of their friends. And yet it was one of the prices that Immortals had to pay if they wanted to live forever. She hugged Duncan again, not knowing any words that would make it any better.

Life had taken another little piece of revenge against her lover's soul.

The end.