I had a stalker. The absolute ridiculousness of the situation was enough to make me fight back a fit of frustrated laughter. Of all the possible dangers traveling in a foreign country implied, picking up an albeit fairly attractive, but no less nutty stalker had never crossed my mind. My friends were still working very hard to become embarrassingly drunk at the pub where I had left them and I stalked towards them, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder every few steps I took. Dropping my bag into an empty seat I plopped down in the chair I had abandoned earlier and looked at the two women I had let convince me to take a long overdue holiday.

"You seem to have picked up an admirer Cat," Rachael said with a grin better suited to the Cheshire cat himself.

With an irritated grimace I turned in my seat to see the man who had introduced himself as Marcus standing on the other side of the pub, watching me over the rim of the mug he held. "No, that would be my stalker," I said, tersely. "I think our day trip to Craigh na Dun is going to have to wait a day or two." I turned back to face my friends to find them both grinning at me, obviously quite amused with my predicament.

"Oh come on," Tamara said, rolling her eyes. "We've been planning this for months, and you were the one who wanted to check out smaller stone circles, remember? No tourists traps on our holiday."

"Besides," Rachael piped up, "he doesn't look dangerous." She winked at the man across the room. "He's actually kind of cute."

"For fuck sake," I said, at wits end. "That jackass insists that we can't go to Craigh na Dun. Says it's much too dangerous, that sometimes people that visit the circle and never come back or some nonsense."

"Oh…so you two had a nice chat then?" Tam took another drink of her Guinness to stifle a giggle.

"Hardly. I was in one of the shops and he overheard me asking about it. He hasn't left me alone since." I paused to order a Guinness for myself although I would have preferred whiskey. "He informed me that it's entirely too dangerous and that he can't allow us to go alone."

The girls exchanged a significant glance and shrugged simultaneously. "So, let him tag along. What could it hurt?" Rachael waved to him to get his attention and jerked her head to signal him to join us.

"Couldn't hurt? Haven't you been listening to me? The man is crazy," I hissed. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose as Rachel sat my bag aside and offered the empty seat next to me to Marcus. "Fanfuckingtastic," I muttered.

"Catherine," he said in acknowledgement as he sat down beside me. "Nice to see you again so soon."

I didn't miss the wry smile he flashed me. "I'd say it's a pleasant surprise, but since you followed me here, it's neither pleasant, nor a surprise."

Rachael slid her empty mug aside and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Cat's naturally surly. I'm Rachael and this is Tamara." She offered her hand.

Marcus took her hand, "Ach, she's a cautious woman, nothing wrong with that. And a pleasure it is to meet three such lovely ladies." I rolled my eyes as he squeezed Rachael's hand and brought it to his lips. "I'm Marcus."

Tam beamed at him, a ridiculous look on her face. I accepted my Guinness gratefully and took several large gulps to control myself. "So Cat tells us you've offered to tag along with us to Craigh na Dun."

"Well, that's not entirely true, lass." He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and I glared at him. "I was telling Catherine that I didn't think it a good idea to be visiting the stone circles, especially this time of year. It's not safe."

I lit a cigarette and gave both of my friends a pointed look. Neither of them seemed the least bit concerned, however. In fact, they only seemed to lean closer to the odd Scot. What in the hell was it going to take to get them to realize this man was stark raving mad? Probably nothing less than him murdering me. I started to say something but he had their rapt attention as he started to speak again.

"Ye see, travelers that go to the stones have a tendency to disappear. Locals as well. There have been quite a few people gone missing on that hill."

"What do they think happened to them?" Rachael asked, resting her elbows on the table and propping her chin on one upturned palm.

"Oh, faeries of course," I said irritably. "For fuck sake, this is ridiculous." I waved to the bar maid and ordered another Guinness and two whiskies. "Obviously they were kidnapped or murdered. Which happens every day, everywhere."

Marcus turned to me and frowned. "Catherine, there are dozens of other places the three of ye could go. I could show ye myself. If ye want to see a stone circle so bad, then go and see Stone Henge."

I thanked the bar maid and paid up our tab before turning back to my friends and my stalker. "Well, Marcus," I said before tossing back one of the whiskies. "That would be a very generous offer if your help were wanted the least little bit." I ignored Tam's indignant exclamation over my rudeness. "Your assistance however, is not needed or wanted, nor is your opinion."

"Really Cat," Rachael said, clearly exasperated. "There's no need to be so rude. It wouldn't hurt anything for him to tag along if he's that worried about it." She turned to Marcus, "As for changing our plans, I'm afraid unless your have a very good friend that could lock her up, that's not going to happen."

"Rachael," I said shortly, feeling my cheeks grow warm as my temper flared even hotter. "I did not travel over 5,000 miles to have some nutty Scot follow us around and play nursemaid." I banged my empty glass down onto the table. "If he's not crazy then he's trying to scam us, or worse. What in the hell is wrong with you two? Just because some random stranger pretends to be concerned with out safety he couldn't possibly be dangerous, right?"

I stood so quickly that my chair nearly toppled over. I ignored Marcus as he reached out to grab it and snatched up my bag. "Right, well you two stay here and have some more drinks with your new friend, I'm going back to my room." I tossed some cash on the table and spun on my heel, fuming as I headed for the door. I was halfway to the little hotel we were staying at when my temper had cooled enough for me to notice the rapidly approaching footsteps behind me.

I side stepped and reached out to grab my would be attacker's arm as he reached for me and twisted it behind his arm, using his own momentum to shove him against the side of the building I'd been passing. I wrenched his arm even harder and pressed my shoulder into his back. "Back off asshole!"

I was congratulating myself too early, however. The next thing I knew he had managed to shove me back and spin around, taking hold of my wrist and forcing my arm behind my back and pinning me against the wall, effectively trapping my arm between my body and the building. "Cat, it's only me."

"You have got to be kidding me," I hissed. "All the more reason to lay you out in the street." I dropped my bag and swung my other hand but he seized it as well. "Get away from me you psycho!" I tried to knee him but he divined my intent and shoved his knee between mine and pressed himself so tightly against me I could barely breath, much less move.

"Christ woman, ye call me a bloody psycho and I've done naught but try and warn ye away from trouble. Ye're the one that canno' keep a civil tongue in yer head and attacked me." He frowned down at me. "Why are ye so hateful?" I laughed at him, squirming to try and free my hands. "Why am I so mean? Call me crazy, but I don't like strangers butting into my business and manhandling me." I stomped on his toes although our close proximity made it fairly ineffective. "Let me go or I'm going to scream."

"Not until ye agree to stay away from the stones," he insisted stubbornly.

I looked up at the sound of voices coming down the street and opened my mouth to call out but he apparently had figured out by then that I wasn't joking around. He ducked his head and slanted his mouth over mine to silence me. I was so infuriated that I barely registered the laughter and ribald comments of the small group that passed us. I made a sound of protest and tried to turn my face away from his so I could scream but he released my hands then, wrapping one arm tightly around my waist and crushing me even more tightly against him and cupping the back of my head with his other hand.

Hands free at last, I pounded on his shoulders for a few moments, and then shoved against him with all of my strength, biting his lower lip for good measure. He released me so suddenly that I stumbled back against the side of the building. "Who in the hell do you think you are?" I demanded hotly, trying to catch my breath.

"If ye won't listen to reason, at least don't drag yer friends in harms way as well," he scowled at me disapprovingly. "It's clear enough that it's you who's so determined to see the stones. Go alone."

"Right, go alone so that no one's around to see you come along and kidnap me or murder me," he snatched my bag up off the pavement.

He drew back as though I'd slapped him, a faint red tint creeping up his neck. "I have never abused a woman. Ye don't even know me, who are you to make such assumptions?" A muscle in his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth.

I stared at him for a moment, what I'm sure was an incredulous smile quirking my lips. "Who am I to say such things?" I laughed. "You can't be serious. You just mauled me in the street." I slung my bag over my shoulder and jabbed my finger in his chest. "You just stay the hell away from me." He looked ready to throttle me on the spot but kept his mouth shut and took a jerky step back, nodding his head once in acquiescence. I thought I heard him mutter something in Gaelic under his breath as he spun on his heel and stalked off in the opposite direction.

I awoke just before sunrise the next morning, still very irritated from the night before and nursing a slight headache from indulging in too much drink and not actually getting drunk. I took two aspirin and checked my cell phone. Tam had sent me a text telling me to message she and Rachael when I was ready to leave for the stones. I frowned at the phone and shut it off, tossing it aside on the bed. To hell with them. They could stay in town and rub elbows with Marcus for all I cared.

After emerging from the shower a short time later I discovered that my friends had made time before going to the pub the night before to sneak into my room and steal my clothes and leave in their place one damn item. Gritting my teeth I removed the dress from my suitcase. Damn them. It was a deep green, made of a heavy linen, ankle length with long sleeves. How in the hell was I going to go hiking in this? I glared at the dress, refusing to admire the embroidery embellishing the front. Well I sure as hell wasn't going to call them, I was making this trip alone. I remembered the old man in the shop the night before telling me that the stones weren't that far off the road. With another curse I braided my damp hair and dressed quickly, slipping on the matching flat ballet style slippers they had left in place of my other shoes.

I considered taking the rental car out of spite but decided against it. I took a cab instead, deciding that the extra expense was worth the opportunity to enjoy the ride. I double checked my bag, making sure my camera was charged and ready. I dug around in the depths of my shoulder bag, scowling into it. I had forgotten to grab my stupid phone. Shit. Oh well, it would serve them right. I started to ask the driver if he had a phone, but decided against telling the man driving me to such a remote location that I had no means of contacting anyone should I need help. As long as my stalker wasn't camped out there I should be fine. I paid the man and asked him if he would come back in two hours explaining I wasn't sure my phone would pick up a signal. He agreed readily enough and I thanked him, forcing a smile.

I watched the car pull off with a sigh of relief, thankful to be alone. As much as I enjoyed traveling, the constant presence of so many people, most of them strangers, was stifling. I tossed my bag over my shoulder and started up the hill, rubbing my arms against the chill of the early morning. I had only donned a wool cardigan over the dress, not wanting to be hampered by a heavy jacket or a coat. My feet were damp and chilled by the time I reached the top but otherwise I was quite warm. It was still too early for the morning mist to burn away completely but I had a fairly clear view of the stones from where I stood and I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

I pulled my Nikon from my bag and took a few shots before moving closer, stopping about 20 feet from the circle. I walked around the perimeter, keeping my distance so I could get the whole thing in each shot. I started to take a step forward when I heard a most unwelcome voice behind me. "I think that's close enough Catherine."

"You have got to be kidding me," I ground out, forcing myself to relax as my jaw started to ache. "Didn't I tell you to stay the hell away from me?" I turned around to face him, ignoring the way he took in my appearance.

"Not exactly dressed for climbing the hills now are ye?" Marcus came to a stop a few feet in front of me, crossing his arms over his chest. "What exactly is it ye're doing up here?"

I rolled my eyes, thoroughly disgusted with my would be protector. "What in the hell does it look like I'm doing?" I waved the camera before me. "What in the hell are you doing up here?"

"Well, this may not be America, but the last time I checked, it was a free country. I'm out enjoying this fine weather." He ignored the scathing look I gave him. "And of course I was hoping to talk ye out of getting yerself into trouble."

I resisted the urge to beat him about the head and neck with my Nikon only because I was so attached to that particular camera. "Look around genius," I said, throwing my arms out to indicate our deserted surroundings. "What kind of trouble could I possibly manage to get into out here? The only thing remotely unsafe I see is an obviously very unstable native."

"I'm not the one suffering from extreme paranoia. Ye'd made yer mind up about me as soon as I'd opened my mouth. It's a wonder ye have any friends at all."

"Piss off Scottie," I snapped at him. I started digging around in my shoulder bag. "Get lost or I'm calling the authorities."

A smug smile lit his face. "Ach, ye'll be needin this then," he took a cell phone out of his pocket and tossed it to me.

I snatched it out of the air and looked at it. I felt my cheeks get hot as blood rushed to my face. It was MY phone. "How in the hell did you get my phone? Did you break into my damn hotel room?"

Marcus rolled his eyes at my agitation. "Hardly. I ran into your friends this morning, literally. They came rushing out of the hotel room like the devil was chasing them, all in a fuss because you'd taken off by yerself without a word. I offered to track ye down for them and they sent yer phone wi' me so ye could call them. I'd say they'll be contacting the authorities if they don't hear from ye soon."

I was muttering rather uncharitable things about my stalker as I sent a terse text to Rachael asking her why in God's name she would send that nut after me. After exchanging several messages, I told Rachael I'd be back sometime that afternoon. And boy was I going to tear into the two of them. "Alright, you've tracked me down and delivered my phone. Mission accomplished, now take a hike."

"I thought I'd stick around and give ye a ride back into town," he said, slipping his thumbs into his belt loops.

"No thank you. I asked the driver to come back in a few hours and pick me back up." I turned on my heel and started towards the circle. I could hear bees buzzing somewhere nearby. I was about to walk into the circle of stones when Marcus gripped my arm and pulled me back.

"That's close enough Catherine."

I tried to pull my arm free but he tightened his grip. "Look around Marcus, no one's here but us! How dangerous can it possibly be?"

"Ye've no idea," he said. The tone of his voice made me turn to look at him. I frowned, he was tense, his gaze scanning the circle uneasily.

"What in the hell are you on about? It's just a bunch of rocks."

"No…it's much more than that. Strange things happen here, people go missing," he insisted.

"Let go of me," I said firmly, tugging again. He looked down at me, a scowl replacing his unease. He finally let go of me and then took a hesitant step into the circle of standing stones. I rolled my eyes at the broad expanse of his back. "See, there's nothing, and no one here."

I brushed passed him as the buzzing got louder, cocking my head to one side. I couldn't quite pinpoint where the sound was coming from. I moved towards the stone that had a split down the middle, as if someone had tried to cleave it in two. Marcus was close behind me and I brushed his hand away as he reached for me. The buzzing was getting louder. I was just about to touch the stone and lean into the cleft to search for the hive, it was so odd that I hadn't seen any bees flying around anywhere.

An ungodly noise rose from the stone and I jerked back, my Nikon falling to the ground along with my bag as it slipped from my shoulder. I stumbled back into Marcus, disoriented as the other stones began….screaming. My head began to pound and my chest felt tight as the air seemed to shift around me. The noise was unbearable, like the rending of metal or nails being raked over a chalk board. I thought I could feel Marcus grab a hold of me as I raised my hands to cover my ears and I squeezed my eyes shut but I couldn't be sure. I couldn't feel my body anymore, I seemed to have lost all sense of self, all sense of direction. I was in some sort of limbo. I opened my mouth to scream as the pain in my head intensified and suddenly everything was still and silent. I tried to open my eyes, to move, but I didn't seem to have control of my body and after a few moments futile struggle I succumbed to the stygian darkness that had been pulling at me and I knew no more.