Walk In The Light

by Desertgal

1996-Several beheadings have the Toronto police on alert. Nick finds an ancient Egyptian legend that might lead to a cure, but it takes a chance encounter with Natalie's old college room mate before it makes any sense.

DISCLAIMER:

The concepts of Immortality, and the characters used in this work are from HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES which is the property of Davis/Panzer Productions, Inc., Rysher Entertainment and Gaumont Television, and are used without permission. This is an amateur publication intended solely for the entertainment of its readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

The concepts of vampires as used here, and the characters used in this work are from FOREVER KNIGHT which is the property of James D. Parriott, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Columbia TriStar Television, and are used without permission. This is an amateur publication intended solely for the entertainment of its readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Some lyrics from ONE YEAR OF LOVE by John Deacon and from PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE by Freddie Mercury have been quoted in this work. Both are copyright 1986 by Queen Music Ltd./EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This is not my first fanfic, nor my first crossover, though it is my first HIGHLANDER or FOREVER KNIGHT fanfic. In the Highlander series timeline it takes place a few months after "Mortal Sins". Since the location and events do not mesh with season four of HIGHLANDER, call this an alternate timeline if you like. I have not intentionally violated canon in either show.

CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

I want to thank all the people who edited "Walk in the Light" and helped me with suggestions and technical advice. Those people are: Jessie, Joel, Marian, Michele, Charlotte, Todd, Russet.

A special thanks to my medical adviser, Georgiana, MD, who put up with a series of silly questions until I got the medical jargon right.

.

Walk In The Light
A Highland/Forever Knight Crossover
by: Desertgal
Copyright 1996
.

Duncan MacLeod watched the hands of the clock approach six as he stood in line waiting for the next teller. He had arrived in Toronto about four hours ago, and needed to exchange his French currency for Canadian. He could have done that at the airport, but he also wanted to redeem an investment he'd made with this bank around the turn of the century. It would give him some ready cash to start his life over.

It had been a long time since he'd lived in Canada and he thought a fresh start here would put some time and distance between his former lives in Seacouver and Paris. Anne had returned to the States four months ago. Duncan didn't want to be too close to her because he loved her too much to be near her without being able to see her.

Duncan had done a lot of thinking since Anne had left. When she saw him behead Daimler and witnessed the Quickening, she told him she had to leave. He understood her reasons, but the killing was a part of his life he couldn't change. The memories finally got the better of him and he decided to try a new location. He knew he'd go back to Paris and Seacouver someday. They were two of the cities to which he always returned.

Now, watching a mother and her two pre-school-age children standing in front of him, Duncan's mind drifted to Anne and her baby.

"Mommy, I'm hungry," whined the little boy.

The mother stroked the child's head. "I know honey, we'll be home soon."

The little girl tugged at her mother's pant leg. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"Tina, you'll just have to wait."

"But I can't, Mommy. I have to go now."

The mother sighed. "All right, let's go." Taking the hands of both children, the mother left the bank.

Duncan smiled. Parenthood did seem to have its trying moments. The smile faded as he remembered his lost opportunity at being a father. His immortality prevented him from having offspring, but when Anne had told him she was pregnant by an old friend he decided he wanted to help her raise her child. After four-hundred years it was the last thing he'd expected to happen.

Suddenly, Duncan's daydream was shattered by the unmistakable sound of gunshots. Spinning to face the door he saw the bloodied body of a man fall to the floor. The scream of an elderly woman behind him was cut short as a bullet entered her head. She slumped into his arms causing him to turn away from the gunman. Two bullets entered Duncan's back and he collapsed on top of the woman. As he took his last breath, Duncan heard the gunfire continue.

######

Josh glanced into the store windows as he and his companion walked down the busy Toronto street. "I'm glad you talked me into coming. I had a good time."

"It does you good to get out," Randy smiled, "once a century at least."

"I go out. I just enjoy my privacy."

"Yeah, right."

"Well, anyway, the show was great and it was good to see Diana and Tammy again. It's been, what, fifty years since we last saw them?"

"Something like that." Randy chuckled. "If you want to have a convention of Immortals, put on a sword exhibition."

Josh rolled his eyes at his friend's lame attempt at humor and walked on in silence. Several minutes later, both men felt the presence of another Immortal. Turning in a circle they searched out the location and saw a woman with straight, shoulder length, blond hair coming up behind them. "Diana?" Josh said as he relaxed.

"Hi Josh, Randy. I'm going to meet Tammy at the Siam Palace for dinner. Do you guys want to come?"

Smiling broadly, Josh said, "Sure."

As the three Immortals approached an alley, they all felt another of their kind. With a quick glance at each other, they walked cautiously ahead and entered the narrow passageway.

"Tammy!" Randy exclaimed, "I thought we were meeting you at the restaurant." He rushed ahead and hugged the dark-haired woman as Diana and Josh followed behind.

Tammy ran her finger down Randy's face, and then kissed him. "It's more private in here, lover." With an almost imperceptible nod at her friend, the two women drew their swords as one.

Josh and Randy realized too late the danger of their situation. They had relaxed in the presence of the two beautiful women and were unprepared for the attack that came swiftly and in unison. Josh tried to draw his sword, but only got it out a few inches. Randy was so shocked he didn't even try to defend himself. He stared open-mouthed at the woman he thought he knew and wondered what had changed her.

The power of Randy's Quickening entered Tammy's body and drove her to her knees. Diana took Josh's head without comment and screamed as the bolts began to strike her. The tremendous power unleashed by the double Quickening left no window or light fixture intact.

When it was over, Diana wiped the blood from her blade on Josh's clothing. "That was too easy."

"Yes, it was," Tammy said as she also cleaned her sword. "You told me when you first became my teacher that most men are over-confident around women. I didn't believe it would be so easy to take heads until we'd done this a few times."

"Men have thought of women as weak throughout the centuries and most of them also have a misguided sense of chivalry. It's their down fall, but it serves us well. Now, let's go get something to eat. It's almost five and I'm starving."

######

Nick Knight stared at the computer screen. For several months he had been searching the Internet for useful information about vampires. Most of what he had found dealt with popular fiction or groups of mortals organizing themselves into clubs to discuss and pretend to be what he was. He had even found several references to a television show about vampires. These mortals, Nick thought to himself, they don't know anything about us, yet they pretend they do. That could be a dangerous game.

Suddenly, Nick sat up straight and focused intently on a reference to an ancient Egyptian legend about a cure for vampirism. As a glimmer of hope flitted through his mind, he wondered if his quest was finally over. "If only this is real," Nick said aloud to the empty room. He selected the print option from his web browser and slid his chair back from the desk as he waited for the document to complete. Walking to his refrigerator he selected one of the tall bottles, pulled its cork and drank the life-giving blood. He put the cork on the counter and carried the bottle back to the computer desk so he could continue his meal while he pursued this thread of hope.

Nick grabbed the paper from the printer and studied it more closely. His experience as a detective and his natural perseverance had led him to this bit of information, but it wasn't the legend itself. He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the page.

"Good morning, New York Public Library. How may I help you?" the woman asked.

"I have a reference to a text from the Egyptian Late New Kingdom. How can I get the details on this item?"

"What is the call number, sir?"

"Uh... Oh, I see it now. It's JFD 95-15946."

"Just a moment, sir, while I look that up."

While he waited, Nick took a drink from the bottle and glanced at the clock. It was 11:00am and he needed to get some rest before his shift started tonight but he was too excited. "I have to follow up on this or I'll never get any sleep," Nick said to the hold-music on the phone. He listened to the lyrics of the song by Queen - "I'm cold but you light the fire in me, My lips search for your lips, I'm hungry for your touch…" Nick's thoughts turned to the one mortal who knew of his secret life as a vampire. Oh, Nat, how I do long for your touch.

"Sir," the woman said, "that reference is to one of a group of artifacts we cataloged for the American Museum of Natural History. It isn't actually part of our collection."

Hopefully, Nick asked, "Can I contact them to find out more about it?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I'm not sure that would be helpful. The document is from the twentieth dynasty, about 1150 BC. It is written in hieroglyphics and has not yet been translated."

"I can translate it," Nick said confidently. "I'm...I've had some experience in archeology."

"Oh, really," the woman said with a surprised tone, "that is quite unusual."

Nick thought, I am quite an unusual guy. He chuckled, and said, "Maybe uncommon, but not unusual."

"Right. Let me see what I can find out about the document."

While waiting again, Nick debated whether to tell Nat about this chance for a cure, or wait until he was certain it was a real possibility. Natalie was a doctor, and a coroner for Toronto, but more than that, she was his friend. She had stood beside him over the years and tried to help him again and again as he looked for ways to regain his mortality. He'd not made a decision yet about what to tell her when the woman came back on the line.

"Do you have access to a fax?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"The curator at the museum has a photocopy of the document and he will fax it to you. Any other medium of transfer won't work as well because most computers just aren't set up to handle the hieroglyphics. A picture seems to be the best option."

"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. The number is 416-555-5454."

"What is your name?"

It was hard for Nick to speak calmly. "I'm Nick Knight, spelled with a K. How soon before I'll get the fax?"

"You should have it in five or six hours."

"That long?" Nick asked with a little disappointment in his voice.

"It will take the people at the museum a while to retrieve the information and prepare it for transmission. It's the best we can do."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. It's just I've been searching for so long and to almost have it in my hands..."

"That's all right, I understand. Good-bye, Mr. Knight."

"Good-bye and thank-you."

Nick took one last long drink from the bottle, draining it. Nat would get onto him for drinking so much blood but he felt like he needed the energy today. He placed the bottle in the sink, shut down his web browser and headed off to bed. He would try to rest while waiting for the fax, but didn't know if sleep would come. After almost eight-hundred years maybe he was finally going to have a chance at a normal life.

######

Duncan took a deep, shuddering breath as his body stiffened with the reawakening. Remembering the circumstances of his death, he remained still and surveyed his situation. His body was wedged between the elderly woman who had died in his arms, and a man in a business suit. Why? Duncan's mind cried out. Why all this killing? As if in response to his unspoken question he heard a conversation on the other side of the bank lobby.

"I want to see my wife," the gunman shouted. "You can't keep Julie away from me."

Duncan turned his head towards the voice and saw several people lying on the floor. The gunman stood with his rifle pointed at a man seated against the counter.

"We've been through this before, Mr. Johnson," the man said. "Julie can't come out until you put the gun down."

"You've been stalling me for almost an hour. I won't give you my gun until I have my Julie back." Johnson jerked around to face the frightened people on the floor. "No judge can tell me I can't see my wife and kids. More people will die if you don't let me have her." Turning rapidly back to face the man acting as a negotiator, he said wickedly, "maybe even you."

The man spoke quietly. "Just calm down. No one else has to get hurt." . . . . . . . .

.

. . . . . . . . Duncan's mind returned to a similar scene in Seattle, mid-afternoon on June 6, 1889. He was in a tailor shop on Front Street waiting for the clerk to bring him his new suit. As the woman came out of the back with the garment, Duncan saw a man following her.

"Sally, you're my wife! You're coming with me," the man shouted at her back.

"Joseph, I'm not your property!" She turned to face him. "I won't go with you! I can't put up with your drinking and your temper anymore." Sally wheeled around to continue towards the counter.

Joseph grabbed her hair and jerked her back. "You're mine. I've got the papers that say so. When you married me you promised to obey me."

Sally started to sob. "You almost killed little Ethan last week. You don't love me or your children. When you drink too much, your anger gets out of control and you always hurt us."

Duncan hurried around the counter and put his hand on the man's arm that held Sally's hair in his clinched fist. "Mister, I don't think the lady wants to go with you. Now let her go."

"Stay out of this, stranger. It's none of your affair."

The hint of a smile touched Duncan's lips. "I think it is. Rescuing ladies in distress has always come naturally for me."

"Well, not today," Joseph said as he dropped Sally's hair and reached for the pistol at his waist. "I meant to use this on her if I couldn't get her to come with me. No man is going to have her if I can't. But that will wait until I take care of you."

Just then a shout arose from the street. "Fire! Fire! McGough's cabinet shop is burning and the whole block is going to go up any minute! Everyone get out as fast as you can!"

Duncan glanced at Joseph, who seemed dazed by the commotion, then grabbed Sally's arm. "Let's get out of here, now!" He pushed Joseph towards the door and almost dragged Sally along beside him. Once on the street he led Sally rapidly towards his horse. In one fluid motion he lifted her to the saddle then swung himself up on the animal. With a gentle kick, he soon had the horse moving at an even gallop away from the center of town.

As Duncan glanced over his shoulder he saw Joseph staring at the growing conflagration. The Great Seattle Fire had begun. . . . . . . . .

.

. . . . . . . . Another shout brought Duncan back to the present.

"Oh, you think so, smart ass. We'll just see about that."

Duncan realized this madman meant to start shooting again and he began to slowly move the bodies away from him so he could stand. At least he didn't have to worry about being seen, as the attention of the people in the bank was focused elsewhere since they thought everyone piled against the far wall was dead.

"Who's going to be first?" the gunman said with a snarl as he pointed the rifle at the head of a young woman. "How about you? Or maybe you," moving to stand over a middle-aged woman.

"How about me?" Duncan said as he calmly walked across the lobby floor.

Startled at the appearance of someone suddenly standing face-to-face with him, the gunman was caught off guard.

Duncan grabbed the rifle barrel and in one jerk pulled it away from the man. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the man who'd been talking with the gunman reach inside his coat.

"What! Where'd you come from?" the gunman finally stammered.

"Out of your nightmares," Duncan sneered and leaned close to the man.

Quickly regaining his composure, the gunman pulled a handgun from behind his back. "Not my nightmare," he said, as he began to pump rounds into Duncan's body as fast as he could pull the trigger, "yours. Now, stay dead this time and stay out of my face!"

Duncan staggered back at the impact of the six bullets, fell against a counter and slid to the floor, dead again.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the negotiator pulled his service revolver from inside his jacket and leveled it at the man who had just killed again. "Freeze! I'm a police officer. Drop the weapon and put your hands above your head!"

"A cop!" Johnson hissed, as he swung towards the voice with gun leveled.

Don Schanke pulled the trigger once and brought an abrupt end to the carnage. As he looked at the bodies around him he mumbled, "And to think all I wanted to do was deposit my pay check. I gotta get direct deposit."

The sound of the phone woke Nick from a deep sleep. Before he could reach it, his machine kicked in and he heard Captain Cohen's voice.

"Knight, there's been an officer involved shooting at the Toronto-Dominion Bank." There was a short pause. "It's Schanke. He's okay, but I need you to come in early if you can possibly make it. We also just got a report of a double homicide that seems to have happened about three or four hours ago. It's a nasty one. The patrol officers at the scene need a detective down there right away."

Nick picked up the receiver. "Captain, Knight here. I'll go straight to the homicide scene. Give me the address." As he wrote down the information, Nick glanced at the clock. It was 7:45 and the sun had been down about ten minutes. "I'll get over there as soon as I can. How's Schank?"

"He's all right, just a bit shaken up. Even for a cop, seeing seven people gunned down is traumatic."

"I can understand that. Will he be working tonight?"

"I told him to go home as soon as he's done at the bank. That's why I need you on the job as soon as you can make it."

"I'm out of here, Captain," Nick hung up the phone and spoke aloud to himself, "Well, actually, I have something to do first. The newly dead of Toronto can wait a few more minutes."

Nick headed straight for his computer to see if the fax had arrived and with a few quick clicks of the mouse, soon had the document printed. The cover sheet was from the Pierpont Morgan Library rather than the Museum as he expected.

"Mr. Knight, The curator of the American Museum of Natural History forwarded your request for the Egyptian legend to us as we have a collection of many rare and unusual volumes. We recently acquired a translation of that manuscript and it is being sent. If we can be of any further assistance, don't hesitate to contact us. Sincerely, Samuel Therese."

This is great, Nick thought. It would have taken me hours to translate it. He flipped to the second page and read the legend:

A creature of the night,
can return to the light,
when he drinks the blood,
of one once dead.

In a sanctified place,
the heart of the one once dead,
must be pierced by the hand,
of the one who holds him dear.

When the heart is still,
and there is life no more,
draw forth the blood,
from the one once dead.

While still warm,
this blood of kings,
shall be given to,
the creature of the night.

Then his cold, still heart,
will beat again,
forever free to,
walk in the light.
.

Staring at the ancient riddle Nick wondered what it meant. What is one once dead? It couldn't mean a vampire because the blood from one of us doesn't cure this curse. He sighed and stuffed the paper in his pocket. Maybe he'd get a chance to work on it some tonight and possibly show it to Nat if things didn't get too hairy.

Natalie Lambert wrote some notes on her clipboard. The crime scene wasn't as gruesome as some she'd seen during her years as coroner, but there was something eerie about two decapitated bodies lying so close together. There was no obvious sign of a struggle, but the whole alley was covered with broken glass and papers were strewn around as if a tornado had gone through the area.

"What have we got, Nat?" Nick asked.

Natalie jumped at the touch of Nick's hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Nick smiled at her with a boyish grin.

"Oh, you didn't, really," Nat said. "I was just thinking about how unusual this kind of thing is in modern Toronto."

"This thing, meaning the beheadings?"

"That, and also the fact both these men were carrying swords. Neither was able to unsheathe their weapon before they were killed, though at least one of them tried. From the way the heads were taken off, it is a safe bet swords, or at least something very sharp and long, was the murder weapon."

"How long ago?"

"After I do some tests I'll be able to give you a better answer, but I'd say three or four hours."

"That would have made it somewhere between 4:15 to 5:15. I'll see if there were any reports of unusual activity in this area at that time."

"Man oh man, what have we got here?" Schanke exclaimed as he walked up beside Nick and Nat.

"Schank, I didn't think you'd be around tonight," Nick said.

"I just came to see what you were up to before heading home."

"As you can see," Nat said, "what we have here is two very strange deaths."

"It doesn't look so strange to me," Schanke laughed nervously. "Cause of death, no head."

Natalie frowned. "The swords, Schanke. The swords are strange."

Schanke looked closely at the bodies for the first time. "Swords you say? Here in Toronto?"

"Yep!" Natalie quipped.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Schanke exclaimed. "The guy at the bank, the one who tried to stop the gunman, he had a sword."

"What?" Nick asked. "What guy?"

"Well, see, there was a guy that got shot when Johnson, he was the shooter, first came into the bank. I was sure the guy was dead because I helped place the bodies against the wall. Then about an hour into the stand-off this same guy comes walking up and takes the rifle away from Johnson."

"How did you know it was the same guy?" Nat asked.

"He was very distinctive, well dressed, with long, black hair pulled back in a pony-tail. He just wasn't the kind of guy you could forget. Anyway, for all his trouble, this guy gets shot again."

"Shot again?" Nick raised his eyebrows. "How?"

"I can't explain it Nick. The guy just seemed to come back from the dead. He walked like he wasn't hurting from the first shots even though there was blood all over his back. I guess he must not have been hurt as bad as I thought."

"You said something about a sword, Schanke?" Nat asked.

"Oh, yeah. When the bodies were being removed from the bank, they found a sword tucked inside the guy's coat."

Nick and Natalie exchanged a look. "When did all this happen?" Natalie asked.

"Around six I guess."

"And these killings happened one to two hours before this guy was in the bank," Nat said.

"Long enough ago that he could have been the killer," Nick continued. "Where is the sword now?"

Schanke furrowed his brow in thought. "I think it was taken back to the station. I was answering questions while all this was going on. I didn't really pay attention. It's not like it's my case, you know."

"Yeah, I know Schanke," Natalie said comfortingly. Putting a hand on his arm she continued, "It's been a rough night for you, hasn't it?"

"It sure has. That shooter was a crazy man. I just wish I'd been able to do more to keep all those people from being killed."

"You should go home and get some rest, Don," Natalie said. "We can handle this." She looked at Nick. "Why don't you see if the sword is at the station and if it is bring it by my lab. I'll test it to see if it was used in these killings."

"All right. Do you want a lift home, Schank?" Nick asked.

"No, I've got my car here. Thanks anyway. See you tomorrow night." Schanke waved and walked away.

"I've got to get moving myself, if I'm going to get anything done tonight." Natalie turned to leave.

"Nat," Nick said hesitantly as he reached for the paper in his pocket. "I have something..." He paused.

"What did you say?"

"It's nothing. I'll tell you later when we're not so busy."

Grace met Natalie as she returned to the lab from the crime scene. "Have we got the customers tonight! They brought in a bunch from that shooting at the bank and a few others for spice."

"Yes, I know. First thing I want to do is see one of the bodies from the bank job. Male, long black hair in a pony-tail. Would you have him prepped for me, please?"

"Sure thing." Grace left Natalie alone to go prepare the body for autopsy.

Natalie's mind was racing. Schanke said this guy seemed to come back from the dead. I don't think the guy is a vampire because the shooting happened before dark. But unless Schanke dreamed the whole thing, what other explanation is there?

"Okay, Natalie, he's ready," Grace said as she stuck her head through the door.

Natalie put on her lab coat and walked into the autopsy room. She pulled the sheet off the naked body of a very well built man. She spoke into her recorder, "Caucasian male, name on ID is Duncan MacLeod, age per driver's license, thirty. Six gunshot wounds to the chest." Nat turned off the recorder and touched one of the wounds with her gloved hand. Something didn't look right. Her examination was interrupted when Grace came into the room.

"You have a visitor," Grace said.

"Is it Nick?"

"No, it's a woman, Dr. Anne Lindsey. She said she's a friend of yours."

"Anne is here?" Natalie questioned. She took off her gloves and pulled the sheet back over the lower part of the body. She made her way quickly to the lobby of the building. "Anne!" Natalie exclaimed. "What brings you to Toronto?"

Smiling at her former medical school room mate, Anne said, "I'm here for a conference and couldn't pass up the chance to see where you spend your nights." Waving her hand towards the Coroner sign, she continued, "I see you're still fascinated with the dead."

Thinking of Nick as well as her chosen profession, Natalie laughed. "Yes, I guess I am."

"Is this a bad time for a visit?"

"No. Come on back to my office where we can talk." Natalie led Anne through a maze of corridors into the bowels of the building.

"I would have called before coming, but I took the place of a colleague at the last minute so I didn't know I was going to be in Toronto until yesterday. When I called for you earlier tonight they said you were gone, but would be back soon so I took a chance and just came over."

"That's okay. I'm glad to see you. Here, have a seat. Do you want some coffee?"

"No, I'm fine."

"I see you're going to be a mother soon. How long have you been married?"

Anne paused in the process of removing her coat. Briefly thinking about the father of her child and then Duncan, she said quietly, "I'm not with the father anymore."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's my choice to have the baby alone." After an awkward moment Anne asked, "How about you? Any interesting men in your life?"

Natalie sighed. "Well, there is one guy I'd like to be more involved with but we're...we're just from different worlds."

"His world is so different from yours, you just can't fit in."

"Yeah." Natalie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "How'd you know?"

"I have a friend like that." Anne took a deep breath remembering how Duncan had 'died' in the theater before he'd gone to Paris. "First, he left me, then he called me and we got back together, then I left him."

"And?"

"And, I don't know. He's...well, he's older than me and has a dark side I don't think I'll ever understand."

Natalie kept the smile from her face as she thought, An older man, huh? Anne, my dear friend, you don't know what older really means. "Isn't the blending of experiences what builds a strong relationship?"

"Yes, but, he has a mysterious past that is so different from anything in my life I don't know how to relate to him."

That sure sounds familiar, Natalie thought. "Does he talk about his past?"

"He does now. At first, we were being kept apart because he wouldn't explain things, and now we're being kept apart because I know what his life is really like." Anne paused, thinking about Duncan's immortality and knowing Natalie could never understand just how different he was. Men who lived forever didn't walk into your life every day. "It's so confusing, I don't know what to do."

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes, absolutely. For four months I've been thinking about him and I'm sure now I made a big mistake when I walked away."

"Do you think there's any chance you'll get together with him again?"

A pang of guilt stuck Anne as she remembered the last time she saw Duncan. He had taken her back to the barge to pack her things, and then said good-bye to her as she got into a cab. His face was impassive, but she knew he was hurting. He hadn't even let her kiss him. "It hurt him a lot when I left." Anne looked down at the floor. "I don't know if he'd take me back. I just..."

"Nat, you in there?" Nick called.

"Sure, Nick. Come on back."

Anne noticed the pleased expression on Natalie's face and smiled at her friend. "Your guy?"

As the nice looking blond man walked through the door, Natalie stood and walked over to Nick. "Yeah."

"Yeah what?" Nick asked.

Natalie giggled. "Oh, nothing you need to know. Nick, I'd like you to meet my old medical school friend, Dr. Anne Lindsey."

"Hello." Nick shook Anne's hand.

"Anne, this is Nick Knight."

"Pleased to meet you."

"An old friend, huh?" Nick asked, "Are you in town for long?"

"Just a few days."

"Too bad," Nick chuckled. "I was hoping you'd tell me all Natalie's secrets."

Anne returned Nick's laugh. "Well, I used to know all her secrets, but I think you'd know more about that now."

"Wait a minute you two," Natalie interjected. "I'll keep my secrets to myself, thank-you!" As her two friends laughed at her feigned indignation, she continued, "Nick, did you bring the item I wanted?"

"Yes. I left it with Grace when she said you had company."

"Anne, would you excuse us for a minute. We have a little business we need to complete."

"Business, huh? What kind of work do you do, Mr. Knight, that you come calling on the coroner at almost 9:00pm?"

"I'm a homicide detective, and please, call me Nick."

"Oh. That explains a lot, Nick," Anne said with an enigmatic grin. "Maybe I could tell you some things about Natalie's secrets."

Pushing Nick gently towards the door, Natalie said, "Don't you dare."

A few minutes after Natalie and Nick left, Anne decided to walk around a little to see if she could make her back stop hurting. She went down a hall that had several doors with windows and absentmindedly looked into each as she passed. In the fourth room there was a body on the table. Anne paused and stared. "No. It can't be," she whispered to herself.

Anne pushed the door open and screamed, "Duncan!" In seconds she was by his side. She rubbed her hand over his hair, down the side of his neck and onto the smooth skin of his chest. "You're supposed to be in Paris." Quickly she felt for a pulse and found none.

"Anne, I heard you scream as I was coming back to the office," Natalie said, entering the autopsy room behind her friend. "Why are you in here?"

Continuing to hold Duncan's hand, Anne turned to her friend. "He can't be dead."

"You knew him?"

"He's the man I told you about," Anne said in a whisper.

Natalie put her arms around Anne's shoulders and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry, but he's gone." She began to lead Anne towards the door. "Let me take you out of here."

Anne jerked away from Natalie. "No! He's not dead!" Anne's mind started to race. What did Duncan tell me about temporary deaths of Immortals? How long will it be before he revives? I have to start acting rationally and figure out a way to get Natalie out of here before he reawakens. She can't see that happen.

Walking around the table so she could face Anne, Natalie continued to speak softly, "I was told he died a hero. A distraught man was holding several people hostage in a bank. Your friend disarmed the man and sacrificed himself so others wouldn't be hurt."

Anne stroked Duncan's head with her free hand and continued to stare at his still form. "That sounds like Duncan."

"But he's gone now. You have to accept that."

"Yes, I guess you're right." Anne looked up at Natalie. "Let's go." She started to lay Duncan's hand on the table when she felt him grip her strongly. Oh, oh, she thought, it's too late for a graceful exit. She watched the life return to his body. This is amazing, she thought. All of the explanation he gave me didn't prepare me for actually seeing this.

Duncan took a long, deep breath and opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times to be sure he was seeing clearly. "Hello, Anne. What are you doing in Toronto?"

Natalie stepped back, momentarily startled. "What the...?" She remembered the first time she'd met Nick when he'd revived on her autopsy table, but she knew this guy wasn't a vampire.

Duncan turned towards the sound, and then looked back at Anne. "We've got a problem."

"Yes, I think we do," Anne agreed.

"What's going on here?" Natalie questioned.

"Well, you see..., um..., Duncan wasn't really dead," Anne stammered. "He was just stunned."

"Don't try to tell me that. I know a dead body when I see one and this one was dead just a few minutes ago. Now what's going on?"

Duncan sat up and grabbed at the sheet as it started to slide off his naked body. He gave the women a charming grin. "Could I have some clothes, please?"

Anne hugged him around the chest. "Well, it's not like I haven't seen you like this before, now is it?"

"I suppose you have," Duncan admitted, "but it's cold in here."

"Would you two talk to me?" Natalie demanded. "Anne, you knew he was going to revive, didn't you?"

Duncan looked at the woman in the white lab coat standing beside the table. "I take it you're a doctor."

"I'm the coroner, actually, Dr. Natalie Lambert."

"Natalie was my roommate in medical school," Anne explained.

Duncan extended his hand to Natalie. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Lambert. I'm Duncan MacLeod and I am Immortal."

"Duncan!" Anne exclaimed. "I thought..."

"...thought what? We can't very well hide what just happened."

Natalie shook the man's hand. "You're what?"

Carefully enunciating each word, Duncan said, "I am Immortal."

"Immortal? This doesn't make any sense." Natalie raised her hand in front of Duncan. "May I?"

Duncan nodded.

Gently touching Duncan's chest Natalie said, "The gunshot wounds are gone. How is that possible?"

"Believe me, Nat," Anne said, "it's not something easily explained. I just accept it as truth because I've seen it happen."

Natalie let out a deep sigh. "Boy, has this ever been a night to remember." Something like a night I had a few years ago, she thought. She walked completely around the exam table looking at Duncan. "There's not a scratch on you."

"No, there never is after the healing."

"Do you feel pain?" I know Nick doesn't feel anything when he's injured, Natalie thought.

"Yes. Getting shot, stabbed, or hung hurts me as much as it would you. I can also feel cold."

"I'm sorry, I forgot. My curiosity always gets the better of me and I can't pass up a good mystery. I'll go see if I can find your clothes."

"Thank you." When Natalie had gone, Duncan put his hand on Anne's abdomen. "I see she's still in there. How much longer?"

"Four weeks."

Several seconds of silence passed between them as neither knew what to say. Finally they both spoke at the same instant.

"I..."

"You go ahead, Anne."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since I left Paris. I told you once that I couldn't live with you and I couldn't live without you."

"I remember."

Anne smiled. "I think I'd like to try being with you again."

"I've been thinking about you, too." Duncan touched Anne's face. "I miss you, and would like to be with you, but nothing in my life has changed."

"I know that, but I'm ready to stay with you, Duncan. I want you to be the father to my child."

"Are you sure, Anne? What I am and what I have to do is a part of me. I can't change it anymore than you can change who you are. What happens the next time I have to kill? Will you leave again?"

"No."

"How can you be so sure?"

Anne was quiet for several seconds. "I've decided that when you...kill...I have to let that stay in your world. I can't want it to happen, or wish it wouldn't happen. It's the one part of your world that must stay separate from our life together."

Duncan sighed. "I think we should take things slowly, Anne. The pain of dying, or burying a friend or even having to kill a friend is nothing compared to the pain of your coming into my life and then leaving and then coming back. I don't want a relationship like that. We..."

Natalie came through the door and placed some clothing on the table. "I found your pants and shoes, but your shirt and coat were full of holes and covered in blood. I didn't think you'd want to wear them so I scrounged around the place until I found a sweatshirt I think will fit."

"Thanks." Duncan looked around the Spartan room. Understanding his dilemma, Anne and Natalie turned their backs while he dressed quickly. When he'd finished, he walked over and put his hand on Anne's shoulder. "I suppose we'd better be leaving. We've taken up enough of your friend's time."

"No, don't go yet," Natalie said, "I want to ask you some questions." Natalie knew she needed to ask about the beheadings, since this friend of Anne's had been carrying a sword, but first she wanted to find out more about him. "Schanke, he's the policeman who was in the bank, told Nick and me that he thought you were dead after the first shots. Were you?"

"Yes."

"So you actually died twice this afternoon."

"Yes."

"How many times have you died?"

Duncan laughed. "No one has ever asked me that question."

Joining in the laughter, Natalie said, "Well, believe me, I've never asked anyone that question either."

Anne smiled. "You have to understand that Natalie has had a fascination with dead things as long as I've known her. She knew her specialty would be forensic medicine from the time she first entered medical school."

"So I guess that makes me an interesting subject for you, huh?"

"Yes," Natalie agreed. "I'd love to run some tests on your blood, tissue and your DNA."

"No chance," Anne said. "I asked him about doing that when I first found out about his immortality. It's just something we accept as being the way things are."

"Well, okay." Natalie sighed and thought, I'd sure like to get a sample from him to see if it could be helpful in my vampire research. At least I'll be able to get some from his bloody clothes.

"Now I have a question for you," Duncan said. "What happened in the bank after I died the second time?"

"After you were...killed," Natalie explained, "Schanke shot the gunman. He was the only casualty...after you that is."

"Not the only casualty," Duncan said quietly. "There were at least six others who died."

"Yes," Natalie agreed. "But there were no more after you took the rifle away from the guy. You gave Schanke the opening he needed to draw his weapon and take the guy out. It was a very heroic thing to do."

"Not really." Duncan placed his hand on Anne's abdomen, looked away from both women and blinked quickly.

Anne grasped Duncan's hand in both of hers. "You couldn't save everyone. You're an Immortal, you're not omnipotent."

Remembering when Tessa had told him almost the same thing, he turned back to face Anne. "I know that."

"You did more than anyone else could have," Natalie added. "The man's wife and possibly his children might have been killed if you hadn't intervened when you did."

"The woman he was after, Julie, she's all right then?"

"As far as I know. Why?" Natalie asked.

"Because it means at least one thing did go right." Duncan told Anne and Natalie the events of the evening of June 6, 1889. . . . . . . .

.

. . . . . . . .Duncan slowed the horse to a walk. He could hear the woman riding in front of him sobbing quietly. "Sally, you're going to be all right. Tell me how to get to your cabin."

She sniffed a few times and then said, "Take the Green Lake cutoff trail. I'll tell you when we get there." Several minutes of silence passed, and then Sally asked, "What's your name?"

Tipping his hat, and twisting slightly so he could see her face, he said, "Duncan MacLeod at your service, ma'am."

"Such kindness from a man out here in the wilderness. You seem out of place, sir."

"I don't think so. Good manners and respect for ladies is something that is always right."

"Maybe so, but some men think of their women as property."

"Joseph?"

"I thank you for helping me back in the store, but my husband won't leave me alone. He'll come for me again and the next time he'll probably kill me."

"Is there someplace you can go, away from Seattle?"

Sally was quiet for a moment. "I guess I could go back to Ohio. I have a brother there and he might take my children and me in, at least for a little while."

They rode in silence for another half hour then Sally pointed, "There it is, the home Joseph and I made together. And those two running towards us are Jonathan and little Ethan."

Duncan stopped the horse and helped Sally to the ground. He dismounted and looped the reigns around the hitching post.

"What's happening in town, Mother?" Jonathan asked.

Sally looked back towards Seattle and saw the huge column of purplish smoke rising into the sky. "There's a fire burning, and from the looks of that smoke it could last for a while. Now, you two go get your chores done so we can have dinner later."

As the boys ran off, Duncan nodded towards the city. "Can you hear it?"

"What?"

"The roar of the fire."

Sally listened. "Yes, and also church bells, and steam whistles from ships along the waterfront."

"I don't think there will be any way for you to get out of town as long as the fire is burning. As soon as I can I'll see about arranging passage for you on an eastbound train."

"I appreciate all you want to do, Mr. MacLeod, but I have no money for train fare."

"Don't worry about the money. I promise you, I'll make sure you get on a train to Ohio and get away from Joseph."

"I can't take your money."

"If it makes you feel better, you can pay me back after you get settled in Ohio, but you are going."

Sally smiled at the kind stranger. "All right. I would like to get my children away from Joseph. Now, the least I can do is offer you a meal and a place to stay tonight."

Duncan removed his hat, and with a sweeping gesture bowed at the waist, kissed Sally's hand, and said, "I'd be much obliged, ma'am."

Sally laughed again and led the way into the small cabin.

It was just before eight when the blood-red sun dropped behind the mountains across the bay and darkness began to fall. Duncan and Sally were sitting on the porch watching the glow of the burning city reflected on the scattered clouds when Duncan tensed.

"What is it?" Sally asked.

"I thought I heard something out near the barn."

"It's probably the boys."

"Yeah, maybe." Duncan relaxed a little, but continued to listen intently.

"What brings you to Seattle, Mr. MacLeod?"

"I...There it is again. Someone is out there and I don't think it's the boys." Duncan started to stand to go get his rifle.

"Don't move, Mister," Joseph shouted. "I told you if I couldn't have Sally, no one would have her."

Duncan heard the shot and felt the first two slugs hit him in the chest almost simultaneously. As the life ebbed from his body, he heard the gun being fired again and again.

It was pitch black when Duncan revived, and felt Sally's cold, stiff body lying against him. Stumbling around in the dark he finally found a lantern and lit it. Inside the cabin the children were lying in their bed, the older boy's arms wrapped around his little brother as he had died trying to protect him.

Duncan went out on the porch and screamed at the night sky. "I will find you, Joseph. You will pay for this." He had seen death in many forms in his almost three-hundred years of life, but the death of the children who had yet to know life caused him great anguish.

At first light, Duncan saddled his horse and headed towards Seattle. He hoped to find some trace of Joseph or at least someone who knew him. Duncan was unprepared for the site that greeted him in the town. The whole business district, twenty-five square blocks, was burned clean. Every wharf and every mill from Union to Jackson streets was gone. There were refugees from the fire camped on lawns, in the streets, and along the shore of Lake Washington.

The militia was patrolling the streets as martial law had been declared by the mayor. Duncan was stopped when he tried to enter the burned out area. "What business have you here, sir?"

"I'm looking for a man named Joseph Campbell."

"Go to the courthouse and ask there. It's easy to spot because it's almost the only building left standing on Third street."

"Thank-you." Duncan turned his horse around and headed to the courthouse. He scanned every face he passed and couldn't believe his good fortune when he found Joseph standing in a line waiting to get food at the McConnell grocery. Dismounting, Duncan pulled his rifle from its holster and marched deliberately towards the man.

Joseph saw Duncan coming and thought he was seeing a ghost. Thinking quickly he pointed and began to shout, "There he is! That man killed my Sally last night. Someone stop him!"

Half a dozen men in the food line advanced on Duncan's position. "Stop right there, mister! Put down that gun!" the lead man shouted.

"I'm no killer," Duncan said. "Joseph Campbell killed his family last night. I saw him do it."

By this time Duncan was completely surrounded and two of the men held his arms out at his sides. A policeman came into the circle. "What's going on here?"

Joseph stood beside the officer and addressed him, "James, er..., Officer Campbell, this is the man I told you about yesterday who kidnapped my Sally. Who knows what he did to her last night before he killed her." Joseph took in a deep breath. "He also killed Jonathan and little Ethan."

"It wasn't me!" Duncan shouted and struggled against the hands that were holding him.

Office Campbell stared straight into Duncan's face. "You're a stranger in this town, mister. I believe my brother, not you. Now, come along peaceably."

Duncan jerked his arms forward and the men holding him lost their grip. He knocked their heads together and they fell to the ground. Using several quick jujitsu moves he had learned in Japan a century earlier he soon had the rest of the men on the ground.

"Stop right there," Officer Campbell shouted as he pointed his gun at Duncan.

With a brief glance at the policeman, Duncan ran to his horse and leaped onto his back. He turned the animal around and shouted, "I'll find you again, Joseph, and you'll pay for what you did." The searing pain of a bullet ripping through his shoulder and another in his leg caused Duncan to spur the horse into a gallop and he rode away in a hail of bullets. . . . . . . .

.

. . . . . . . .As his story ended, Anne squeezed Duncan's hand.

"Did you ever find the guy?" Natalie asked.

"No. As far as I know, he got away with three murders. I left the country soon after and went to the Paris Universal Exhibition to see the opening of the Eiffel Tower." Duncan paused. "At least this afternoon I kept another woman from being killed by an abusive husband. Nothing has changed in hundreds of years of so-called civilization."

Everyone was quiet for several seconds then Natalie blew out a big breath. "I'm still having a hard time believing everything that's happened tonight. I'm sitting here talking to a man who doesn't stay dead when he's shot, whose wounds heal right before your eyes, and who's over a hundred years old." And who isn't a vampire, she amended to herself.

Duncan raised one eyebrow, cocked his head to the side slightly, and smiled. "A little over four-hundred, actually."

"Whoa!"

"I told you I'd fallen for an older man," Anne smiled.

Not as old as Nick, but still old enough, Natalie thought. I'd sure like to ask Nick if he knows about these Immortals. "You certainly did."

"Anne!" Duncan said in mock surprise, "You've been talking about me?"

Anne laughed. "Well, I didn't tell Natalie everything. I didn't tell her..."

Duncan smiled as he put his hand across Anne's mouth. "Shhh! You mustn't tell all my secrets." Turning to Natalie, he said, "Seriously, I must ask you not to say anything about what you've seen and heard here tonight. If word about my kind gets out, the mortal population will panic. The witch hunts of the mid-seventeenth century would start over and I don't want to live through that again."

Natalie's mouth curled into a mischievous grin. "Your secret is safe with me. I can keep my mouth shut."

"I believe you can." Duncan tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. "I think it's time for us to leave. I'm really tired. Dying takes a toll on one's energy level and twice in one day is really hard."

Anne wrote the name and phone number of her hotel on a piece of paper. "We'll be staying here for a couple more days."

"We are?" Duncan asked.

"I assumed, since you're dead here, it won't be possible for you to go back to wherever it was you were staying and you'd like to stay with me."

"You're right." Duncan felt his pockets. His wallet was in its proper place. "Thanks for returning this, Natalie. Do you know where the rest of my things would have been taken? Has anyone cleaned out my hotel room yet?"

"I don't know what the police have done about that but I can find out and try to get the stuff back to you."

"Was my sword with my coat?"

Natalie's heart skipped a beat as she remembered the two beheading victims. She'd gotten so involved with Anne and her friend she'd forgotten this man might have committed a double homicide. What would you do with an Immortal murderer? Natalie thought. Making a quick decision to still run some tests on the sword she decided to pretend ignorance. "Your what?"

"My sword. It was sheathed in my coat."

"There was no sword with your clothes. I'm sure the police probably took it. A concealed weapon like that would cause a lot of questions."

"I suppose it would. If you could ask about it I'd appreciate it. It's like a part of me and I feel naked without it."

"I'll do what I can," Natalie said.

Anne hugged Natalie. "It's been good seeing you tonight. I'll be in touch before we leave town."

"Good-bye, you two," Natalie said as Duncan and Anne walked out of the autopsy room hand-in-hand.

Natalie went to start the tests on Duncan's sword to see if it was used in the beheadings. She wanted some answers before she talked to Anne again.

######

Nick hung his coat on the rack as he entered his apartment. He got a bottle of blood from the refrigerator and slumped into a chair. "What a night," he said to the empty room. The sun had begun to rise over the buildings of Toronto. After a brief glimpse Nick picked up the remote and closed the blinds.

Pulling the paper from his pocket, Nick again read the ancient riddle. I don't understand what this means, he thought. Am I really so close and yet unable to find a cure because I can't decipher a legend? For the next two hours Nick sat and stared at the paper trying to make sense of it. He nursed the bottle until finally he realized he'd drunk the whole thing.

"I guess it's time to ask for help." Nick reached for his phone and dialed Nat's home number. Her machine answered.

"Nat, give me a call when you get in, or better yet come by sometime today. I need to talk to you."

Nick hung up the phone and called the lab. In a few minutes he'd learned that Natalie had already left. "Well, I guess I'll try to get some sleep. Maybe the answer will come to me in a dream."

######

"Duncan, will you hurry up?" Anne shouted through the bathroom door. "I'm hungry and I only have two hours between sessions of the conference."

Opening the door with a flourish, Duncan smiled and asked, "What do you think?"

Anne looked at the new clothes he was wearing and nodded in approval. "It certainly looks better than the sloppy sweatshirt and blood stained pants you had on last night."

"Good enough to take my girl to lunch." Duncan offered Anne his arm and they left the hotel room giggling at his silliness.

A few minutes later they were walking along a busy street. "Why didn't we eat at the hotel?" Anne asked.

"Because I wanted to take you someplace special."

"I thought you just got to Toronto? Is this a place you've been to...recently?"

"Well, actually, no." Duncan smiled broadly. "But I looked the name up in the phone book and 'Mama Leoni's Family Restaurant' is still listed in the same neighborhood where it was at the turn of the century."

"So you've not been to this place in over ninety years?"

"No, but the food was always wonderful. Mama Leoni was a big, jolly..." Duncan stopped and turned quickly searching for the source of the buzz he felt.

Anne felt Duncan become very tense. "What is it?"

"An Immortal - close-by."

"And you don't have your sword," Anne met Duncan's eyes and knew how vulnerable that made him feel. "Let's go back to the hotel."

They had just turned around and started back up the street when the first lightning bolt surged into the sky. As the power of the Quickening was released one block from their position, Duncan gazed upwards. "At least I know he's not here for me, yet."

######

"Tammy, why are you doing this?" Diana asked as she blocked the sword thrust from her student and friend.

With a quick feint to the left, Tammy struck her teacher in the side, cutting a large gash. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

Barely blocking the swinging sword as it headed towards her neck, Diana gasped, "No. What are you talking about?"

Keeping up the vicious attack, Tammy continued, "You have taught me well, but I think I've learned all I can from you."

Diana lost her balance as she gasped, "What do you mean?"

Tammy's sword caught Diana in the upper thigh, but she twisted out of the way of a deeper blow. Tammy advanced and said, "A student must leave their teacher, eventually."

Thrusting her sword at Tammy's middle, Diana said breathlessly, "Yes, but it doesn't have to end this way."

Blocking her opponent's sword expertly, Tammy shouted, "It was you who taught me to be devious and to trust no one."

Diana backed away from the advance of Tammy's rapidly swinging sword and found herself against a wall. "I didn't know I was creating a monster."

"I'm not a monster." Tammy's sword sliced through her teacher's middle. "You're the one who taught me to gain the confidence of someone, and then take their head."

"I didn't expect you would ever betray me." Diana slid sideways and backed towards the center of the alley.

With a diabolical laugh, Tammy said, "The power of your nine-hundred years will make me even stronger and I want it."

Diana fell to her knees.

"I want it all." Tammy's sword cut through her teacher's neck in one smooth motion. "There can be only one!"

Tammy let the tip of her sword touch the ground as she stood waiting for the Quickening. When the first bolts hit her body, she shouted in ecstasy and pain as Diana's power and knowledge entered her.

######

It was around one in the afternoon when Natalie let herself into Nick's apartment. "Nick, are you here?" Getting no response, she shouted louder, "Nick you asked me to come by. Where are you?"

"Here, Nat," Nick said as he came down the stairs.

Natalie picked up the bottle by the chair and held it up to the light. It was empty. "I see you've been indulging yourself again."

"I got involved in something and didn't pay attention to how much I was drinking." Nick grabbed the bottle from Natalie and put it on the counter.

"Oh, really." Natalie pulled the second bottle from the sink. "What could be so interesting that you drank two of these?"

Nick took the second bottle from her and handed her the riddle. "This."

Natalie walked to the couch and sat down as she read. "What is this supposed to be?"

After rinsing the bottles, Nick joined her. "It's an ancient Egyptian legend about how to cure a vampire."

"Where did you get it?"

"I was surfing the Net and..."

"You were what?" Natalie exclaimed.

"I was browsing around on the Internet for references about vampires and found this."

Natalie giggled, and then began to laugh more loudly.

"What's so funny?"

"It just seems a little odd to me that someone who fought in the Crusades and who knew Joan of Arc is exploring cyberspace."

"It is the 1990's, Nat. Living for centuries means you have to adapt and learn new ways."

"I know that, Nick." Natalie put her hand on his knee and tried not to laugh again but didn't succeed.

Nick tried to keep a straight face but soon joined in the laughter. "I guess it is a little funny, but my survival depends upon being able to fit into the world in which I find myself no matter how much things change."

Natalie took a deep breath and thought, Duncan must have the same problem. She studied Nick's face as she continued to think, Duncan is immortal, like Nick, yet he doesn't have to live in the dark. I wish I could learn more about what gives Duncan his long life. "Nick, last night I..." Natalie stopped. I promised Anne and Duncan that I'd keep his secret. If I reveal it to Nick, would he ever believe that I don't talk about him or vampires to others?

"Last night you what?"

"Last night I ran some tests on the sword that belonged to the guy who was killed at the bank. It wasn't the weapon used to murder either of the victims."

"What convinced you?"

"The main thing is that there was no trace of blood. There wasn't enough time between the murders and when he was killed for him to have cleaned the blade thoroughly. There were some other things, but I'm convinced that sword didn't kill those two men."

"What did?"

"I still think it was a sword. Just not that one."

"In checking out leads last night, I found out there is a sword exhibition at the convention center for the next couple days."

"Do you think the two victims were part of that?" Natalie asked.

"Either a part of it, or just admirers of fine cutlery. Some of the detectives on the day shift are going to check it out. I'll have a report on my desk tonight." Nick paused for just a second. "Now, can we get back to the riddle? What do you make of it?"

Natalie read the four verses again. "Well, a vampire could certainly be described as a creature of the night so this might indeed be a legend about a cure." She paused, studying the text again. "What makes you think it is more than just a legend?"

"I don't know, Nat, but I'm willing to try anything to be free of this curse."

"One once dead," Natalie read, "does that mean a vampire?"

"I don't think so because vampires are...dead."

"Well, maybe it means a vampire who's been cured."

Nick sighed in exasperation. "If that were the case, what cured the vampire in the first place?"

"I see your point. It couldn't very well be a vampire. Also, notice it says 'blood of kings'. Does this mean you have to drink the blood of royalty?"

"I have." Nick took a deep breath. "The prince died and I'm still a vampire."

"Yeah. So I guess that's not the answer."

"No."

The two friends continued to discuss the possible meaning of the riddle and talked of many other things. Finally Natalie looked at her watch. "Whew! It's almost four and I want to go see Anne this afternoon. Can I have a copy of this so I can keep thinking about it?"

"Sure, take that one. I can print another."

Natalie stood and walked towards the door. Making a decision, she turned to face Nick. "I'm convinced the sword taken from the man at the bank isn't part of the murders. I've signed the release for the body and possessions to his next of kin."

"Have you already found his family?"

"Not exactly, but my friend, Anne, whom you met last night, was his companion and lover."

"What?" Nick exclaimed.

"Small world, isn't it? She and I were talking about the men in our lives..." Natalie noticed the grimace on Nick's face but continued without letting him speak, "and when she told me his name was Duncan MacLeod I had the unpleasant task of telling her about his...death."

"That must have been a shock to her, especially since she's pregnant."

"Yes, it was a shock." But, Natalie thought, I was the one shocked last night. "Anne has already made arrangements to have the body shipped back to the States."

"And the sword?" Nick asked.

"Anne took it also. She said it meant a lot to Duncan and he wouldn't want to be...buried...without it."

"I don't think she'll bury it with him."

"Why not?"

"That sword is very old and I'm sure worth a lot of money."

"How do you know?"

Nick raised his eyebrows. "I have been around a while. I've not kept up on such things so I don't know its value, but I do know the sword is a dragon-head katana made in Japan by Masahiro."

It doesn't surprise me Duncan's sword is old, not after what I learned last night, Natalie thought. "You seem to know a lot about it."

"Not really. It's the type once used by the Samurai. Your friend would be foolish to bury it."

"She said that was what she was going to do, but I'll let her know what you said about its value."

Nick nodded in understanding. As Natalie left his apartment, he went to his computer to print another copy of the riddle.

######

Natalie glanced at the long sword on the car seat beside her as she navigated the rush-hour traffic. She didn't like lying to Nick about Duncan and the sword, but she'd given her word that she'd keep the secret of his immortality. "I wonder why I attract all the unusual people?" Natalie asked herself aloud as she made her way into the parking garage of the hotel where Anne was staying.

Disguising the sword the best she could by wrapping it in a blanket, Natalie went to the front desk. "Would you please contact Dr. Anne Lindsey and tell her Dr. Natalie Lambert is here to see her?"

In a few minutes Duncan came into the lobby and motioned for Natalie to follow him. He eyed the bundle in her arms and smiled. "I see you got it."

"Yes."

"Did you have any trouble?"

"None at all."

Duncan stopped at a door, inserted the key in the lock and stood back for Natalie to enter. Once safely inside the room, Duncan extended his hands towards Natalie, "Here, let me take that from you."

Anne came out of the bathroom in time to watch Duncan remove his sword from the blanket, hold it lightly in his hand, then twist it until he held it behind his right arm with the tip upright.

"You handle that thing like an expert," Natalie said.

"Maybe, or just someone with a lot of years of practice," Duncan stated as put the katana on the dresser.

"Can you stay a while?" Anne asked.

"Sure. After last night I decided to take tonight off." Besides, Natalie thought, I was hoping to be able to spend some more time with you two and find out more about this man who can't die.

Natalie and Anne each sat in the chairs on either side of the small table and then Duncan sat on the end of one of the beds. With a thousand questions crowding her mind, Natalie didn't know where to begin. "I see your wardrobe has improved since last night."

Duncan laughed. "Yes. We did some shopping, and then went to my hotel room. It seems the police hadn't been there yet so I was able to get my things."

"We assume since Duncan's death wasn't an unsolved case, cleaning up his personal belongings wasn't high on their priority list of things to do," Anne continued.

"True," Natalie agreed. "So what do you do for a living, Duncan?"

"I've done lots of things."

Not much of a talker, Natalie thought. "I'd like to take you with me sometime when I go shopping for antiques. I bet you're good at spotting the real stuff from the fakes."

"I've been an antique dealer."

"That figures." I wish he'd talk more about himself, but I know he's learned to be secretive about his past, just like Nick. "Did you come to town for the sword exhibition?"

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "Sword exhibition? No, I didn't know there was one here." But, he thought, that explains why there could be a larger than normal number of Immortals in Toronto. Some of us are fascinated by the weapons of our survival.

Natalie and Anne talked for over two hours catching up on what had happened to them since they'd last been together. Natalie kept trying to bring Duncan into the conversation, but for the most part he sat quietly, just listening. Finally Natalie felt comfortable enough to ask Duncan the question she'd wanted to ask since the previous evening. "Why do you carry a sword?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"It just seems kind of...unusual."

"Not for me. I've used a sword since I was a wee lad at my father's knee. It's a part of me."

The sight of the two beheaded men flashed through Natalie's mind. She decided she needed to get some answers for her investigation even if Anne was a friend. "Have you ever killed anyone with it?"

Duncan sat quietly for several seconds contemplating his answer. The time and place of my reawakening was unfortunate, but I don't want to explain any more about Immortals to this friend of Anne's than I've already had to. I felt an Immortal and we saw a Quickening today so she probably has a headless body in that morgue of hers. "Why are you asking me something like that? Is somebody dead?"

Anne felt the tension growing between her two friends. "I told you before, Duncan, Natalie has always had a fascination with death."

"That might be so, but this is a professional question. We found two decapitated men yesterday and it seems clear to me they were killed with a sword." Natalie saw Anne and Duncan exchange a look. "You do know something about this, don't you?" When no one spoke up, Natalie continued, "I am an officer of the court and you don't have to answer the question if you don't want without a lawyer present, but I'd like to know since you're obviously so close to a good friend of mine."

Two bodies yesterday and the Quickening we saw today means there is an Immortal in town taking heads, Duncan thought. She didn't say three bodies so the one today might not have been found. "I did not kill them," Duncan stated flatly.

"I didn't say you had." Natalie's eyes rested briefly on the sword, and then she looked back at Duncan. "In fact, I tested your sword last night and know it wasn't the murder weapon."

"Then why are you asking me these questions?"

Natalie stood, feeling it was about time to leave. "Because I think you know more about these beheadings than you're willing to admit."

Duncan and Natalie stared at each other for several seconds until finally Anne said, "How about let's all go to dinner?" When neither Natalie nor Duncan said anything, Anne continued, "Why don't you call your friend, Nick, and have him join us?"

"Uh, no," Natalie stammered, "he'll be at work soon and won't be able to come."

"Well, then, the three of us can go. Duncan, do you want to go to Mama Leoni's?"

"Yeah, sounds fine with me." He donned his long trenchcoat and placed the sword inside.

"You're taking that?" Natalie questioned.

Duncan flashed a smile. "I don't leave home without it."

######

Captain Cohen shouted, "Knight, come in here!"

Nick entered the captain's office and asked, "What's up?"

She passed him some photographs. "We have another beheading victim."

Flipping through the pictures, Nick said, "A woman this time."

"Yes. The body was found mid-afternoon in Little Italy. There was the same appearance of a storm having gone through the area as with the two victims yesterday."

"Natalie told me those two were likely killed by a sword." Nick passed the photographs back to the captain. "Was there a sword on her?"

"Not this time, though her wounds and the clean cut of the head indicate the same kind of weapon could have been used."

"Did the day-shift guys find out anything at the sword exhibition?"

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary there. A couple of the exhibitors remembered seeing the two victims, but no one could tell us anything about them."

"There weren't any witnesses to this third killing either?"

"At least no one who will talk to the police." The captain paused for a moment as she looked at the pictures again. "Knight, I want you to find this guy before we have a panic in the city."

"I'll get right on it, Captain." He turned to leave. "Is Schanke coming in tonight?"

"Yes, but he'll be a little late. The Internal Affairs people want to talk to him about the shooting at the bank."

"Right. I should have known." Nick went to his desk and dialed the number for the coroner's office. "Hello, Grace. Is Natalie there?"

"She took the night off."

"Do you know where she went?"

"I figured she was going out with you."

"No, not with me."

"You know, the two of you should get serious about each other. Everyone around here can see you make the perfect couple."

"Not so perfect," Nick mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Tell her I need to talk to her if she comes in."

"I will. Good-bye."

"Thanks, Grace." Nick hung up and dialed Natalie's home number. After several rings the machine picked up. "Nat, if you come in please give me a call." As he hung up the phone, he thought, I wonder where she could be? When she left my apartment she said she was going to see Anne but that was about four hours ago. Nick dialed the number for Natalie's beeper.

#####

Anne pushed her chair back from the table a few inches. "Duncan, you were right. The food here is wonderful."

"I have to second that," Natalie said. "How'd you ever find this place?"

"It was really an accident. A friend and I had been drinking and we were, well, smashed out of our heads. We were singing, yelling, and generally making fools of ourselves when two, um...ladies of the night, saw us staggering up that alley out back of this restaurant."

"Ladies?" Natalie smiled.

Duncan laughed. "I use the term loosely. Anyway, I'd fallen and Gregorio was trying his best to stay on his feet and help me up when these two 'ladies' waylaid us. They were all over us, kissing and rubbing their hands against our bodies, and trying to get inside our clothes."

"And you were enjoying it, I'm sure," Anne said with a little laugh.

Duncan grinned broadly at the memory. "We were so drunk they could have done anything to us and we couldn't have stopped them. The next thing I knew, this large Italian woman came out the back door of the restaurant swinging a rolling pin and told the women she would call the police if they didn't leave. I yelled at her because she had spoiled our fun, but she ignored me and grabbed Gregorio and dragged him inside. I crawled in after them."

"Was that Mama Leoni?" Anne asked.

"It sure was." Duncan tapped his finger on the picture of the founder of the restaurant that was on the placemat. "I found out later Mama Leoni was Gregorio's aunt. She had come outside to run off the drunks but when she saw it was him took us inside instead. It seems Gregorio's mother had asked Mama to keep an eye out for her wayward son who had been seen in the company of a roguish Scot." Duncan grinned broadly.

Anne and Natalie both laughed heartily. "And we know who that was," Anne finally managed to say.

"I didn't think I was so bad. I just liked to have fun. We stayed in the restaurant until we sobered up, and then had a good Italian meal, along with some wine, of course."

"Of course," Natalie interjected.

"I spent a lot of time around here after that." Duncan paused, his face getting serious, "Mama Leoni saved Gregorio's life that night."

"How?" Natalie asked.

"The two women who accosted us were in the habit of finding men who'd had too much to drink, taking their wallets, and then stabbing them. They'd already killed several times in this part of town. I wouldn't have died in the attack, but Gregorio would have."

Natalie furrowed her brow in thought. "Killings - down here? There haven't been any... Wait a minute. When did this happen?"

Duncan raised one eyebrow, leaned forward over the table, and lowered his voice slightly. "It was the summer of 1901."

"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting." I've gotten used to hearing Nick tell stories about the past, Natalie thought, but it is odd to hear them from a stranger.

"Were the women ever caught?" Anne asked.

"Yes. Mama Leoni identified them and they were tried and put in prison. She said we were making so much noise with our drunken brawl she came out to see what was going on. That's what saved Gregorio's life. It seems all the other victims had been trying to quietly enjoy the pleasures of the ladies and no one came upon them until it was too late."

"So you being drunk..." Natalie's beeper went off. "Ooops. Seems like someone wants me even on my night off." She picked up the device and looked at the number. "Excuse me a minute. I have to return this call."

Duncan stood as Natalie got up from the table. "I'll pay the check and we'll meet you out front."

Natalie nodded as she headed towards the pay phone. She dialed the number of the precinct and waited for someone to answer. "Nick Knight, please."

"Hello," Nick said smoothly. "Where've you been?"

"I'm out with Anne and her...and another friend." Natalie tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Why?"

"Don't get upset. This is business. There was another beheading this afternoon and the captain wants to know as soon as possible if there is a connection to the two from yesterday."

"Okay. So much for a night off. I'll make my good-byes short."

"Nat, wait a minute. When did you return the sword to your friend?"

"Why?"

"Was it before noon?"

"What are you trying to say? That Anne had something to do with these deaths just because she claimed her friend's sword?"

"No, but I have to ask. You know that."

Natalie looked towards Duncan and Anne and remembered the sword he carried so easily under his coat. At least she knew he hadn't done it because she had been with him ever since he had gotten the sword back. "I took it to her after I left your apartment at 4:30ish. If the killing happened around noon, it was way too early."

"Okay. I'm kind of surprised your friend is still in town. I thought she would have left by now."

"Um, I guess keeping busy is her way of coping." Wanting to change the subject, Natalie asked, "Where did the beheading happen?"

"The woman's body was found in an alley in Little Italy."

Natalie shuddered and didn't say anything.

"Are you all right?" Nick asked with concern when he heard Natalie's heart rate increase.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that we're in a restaurant down in Little Italy."

"I think you should get out of there. If there is some kind of maniac on the loose cutting off heads I don't want you in his way."

"Why, Detective Knight, is that concern for my well-being I hear? Do you really care for me?"

Nick sighed. "Yes, Natalie, I care. Now, will you get out of there and go home?"

"Yes, mi capitan!" Natalie said with mock attention. "At least as soon as we walk back to Anne's hotel where I left my car."

"Walk! I don't think walking is such a good idea. You'd better take a cab."

"We'll be all right. I'll meet you at the lab in an hour or so and I'll look at the latest victim. Good-bye, Nick." She hung up the phone before he could say anything more.

When Natalie approached Anne and Duncan, Anne asked, "Bad news?"

"No, just work. It was my friend, Nick."

"The homicide detective?" Anne said as much for Duncan's benefit as for confirming Nick's identity.

"Yes." Natalie focused on Duncan's face before continuing. "He said they found another decapitated body this afternoon." Was there a flicker of knowledge there? Natalie wondered. "In fact, the woman was found very near here."

Standing between the women, Duncan put each of his arms around their shoulders and gently pushed them towards the door. "I think we'd better go now."

They'd walked a couple of blocks when Natalie asked, "Are you going to tell me what you know about these killings?"

"You don't give up do..." Duncan tensed and scanned in all directions trying to locate the source of the buzz he felt.

"What's wrong?" Natalie asked.

Anne met Duncan's eyes and recognized that look. She saw the woman he had focused on about a block away coming towards them. She was slender, as tall as Duncan and had straight, shoulder length black hair.

"It's another Immortal," Anne whispered to her friend.

"Do you know her?" Natalie asked.

"No," Duncan said.

Natalie frowned. "What does she want?"

"My head."

Natalie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Why?"

Duncan stopped his advance for a brief moment and stared intently at Natalie. "Because that's what we do." He continued to walk towards the woman until they stood face to face.

"I'm Tammy Winton."

"I'm Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."

"Ah, the Highlander, no less." She glanced at the women standing on the sidewalk. "You keep some pretty company, MacLeod, but they have no place here."

"Anne, you and Natalie go back to the hotel. I'll be along as soon as I can."

"But..." Anne started to protest.

"Go!" Duncan commanded.

After Anne and Natalie had gone around a corner, MacLeod continued, "We don't have to do this."

"No, I suppose we don't, but why shouldn't we?" Tammy reached out to touch MacLeod's face, but he backed away. "I've heard you don't fight women, pretty boy."

"I don't fight anyone unless I'm challenged or I have good reason."

"Yes, and that sense of honor and chivalry is going to get you killed tonight." Tammy placed her hand on the hilt of her sword. "If it makes you feel any better, I took my teacher's head earlier today. You'll at least be in good company." She tilted her head towards a nearby building. "Let's get this over with so I can get a good night's sleep."

.

Anne and Natalie stopped as soon as they were out of sight, and listened to what they could of the conversation between the two Immortals. They watched them enter an abandoned building then Natalie turned to her friend. "What was that all about?"

"Last night we told you Duncan is Immortal and can't be killed."

"Yes."

"What we didn't tell you is that if an Immortal is beheaded he dies."

"So the three people killed here were Immortals?"

"Probably. An Immortal can be once dead, or twice dead..."

"What did you say?" Natalie exclaimed.

"I said an Immortal can die once or twice..."

"No you didn't. You said 'once dead'." Natalie pulled the paper with the riddle from her purse and read the first stanza. "A creature of the night, can return to the light, when he drinks the blood, of one once dead. Once dead! An Immortal is the one once dead."

Anne stared at her friend. "What are you talking about?"

Natalie took a deep breath to calm herself. "Nick and I have..."

"You and I have what?" Nick asked as he came up behind Natalie. "Hello, Anne."

"Hello, Nick," Anne said. "You sure got here awfully fast."

Natalie realized Nick had flown to their location and covered for him. "He was nearby when I talked to him." She put her hand on his face. "He's worried about me."

"Yes, I'm worried." Nick took Nat's hand in his, started to smile at her, and then turned to look across the street. His vampire hearing had picked up the sound of the sword battle in the empty building. Nick drew his weapon and said, "Something is happening over there. Stay here." He ran across the street at a normal human pace.

Natalie followed and caught him just before he went inside. "Nick, wait. Don't get involved in that."

"What do you mean? I hear a sword battle. This could be our killer."

"Yes, it could be." She put her hands on both his shoulders and focused directly into his eyes. "But there is more at stake here than you understand."

Anne joined them after walking the distance at a much slower pace. "Natalie is right, Detective. It's their way and we can't interfere in their fight."

Nick slid open the door silently and the three went inside making sure they stayed hidden in the shadows. Street lights shining through several high windows cast an eerie pattern of illumination on the center of the room. Duncan and Tammy moved in and out of the light as they matched each other blow for blow. Nick leveled his weapon towards the combatants.

Natalie grabbed his arm and pushed it upwards. "Don't," she whispered as she waved a paper in front of his face.

Nick glared at Natalie. "Have you gone mad?"

"I'm no match for your strength. None of us in here are. But if you want to know the answer to this riddle, you won't stop that battle."

"What?" Nick asked as he let his weapon drop and point towards the floor.

"Duncan knows, or is, the answer to this riddle."

"What are you talking about?" Nick took a good look at the man wielding the sword for the first time. He was very distinctive, well dressed, with long black hair pulled back into a pony-tail. "Duncan? You called him Duncan."

"Yes. He's Anne's friend."

"But didn't you tell me today he was the man who died at the bank?"

"Yes. He died yesterday, twice. Nick, the riddle, 'One once dead'...it's Duncan...or others like him."

Nick shook his head. "But he's not a..."

"No, he's not. He's an Immortal. Anne, you explain it."

Anne watched the exchange between the two and wondered why Natalie had so suddenly broken her promise to keep Duncan's secret. Now, she was being asked to compound the problem, but decided the damage was already done. "I can't really explain it. Duncan just doesn't die unless you take his head."

"The beheadings," Nick said.

Natalie nodded. "You of all people should understand what it's like to be a part of a special community."

Nick raised an eyebrow slightly to acknowledge the truth in what Natalie had said. The three of them stood in silence as the duel continued. No one noticed the new arrival that came in through an open window near the roof.

Duncan tried to strike a blow to Tammy's upper thigh but she parried expertly, and twisted around so she was behind Duncan. She raised her sword for the killing blow at his neck, but Duncan ducked and rolled out of her reach. Her sword swished through the air striking no resistance.

When Duncan scrambled to his feet he found himself against a wall. Tammy charged him and thrust her sword completely though his body. He grimaced at the pain.

Anne gasped.

Nick put his arm around Anne's shoulders. "I should stop this. It's...it's barbaric. They're going to kill each other."

"Yes," Anne nodded, "one of them is going to die tonight."

"Why?" Nick asked. "Why does anyone have to die?"

"Duncan has to kill to survive. Kill or be killed. For Immortals it's been that way for thousands of years."

Nick studied the man who was fighting for his life then turned to Anne again. "You care for him?"

"I love him," Anne took a deep breath to control her emotions, "very much."

Nick gestured towards the battle. "Then how can you watch this?"

"Believe me, it's not easy." Anne paused. "I've only seen him fight and...kill...once, but that was enough to drive me away from him. He and his kind are different from us...from mortals."

Natalie touched Nick's arm and he turned to face her. She whispered in his ear, "Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I think the two of you guys have many things in common."

"I hope we get a chance to discuss it," Nick responded. "I should stop this before he is killed or we won't get to."

"If you interfere, I don't think Duncan would talk to you," Natalie said. "It's like a battle between two of your kind. It has no place in mortal affairs nor is it the business of mortal police jurisdiction. These battles are a part of their world."

Duncan pushed Tammy away and her sword came out of his middle. He grasped the wound with his left hand and staggered away from the wall. Tammy swung at his head again, but Duncan was ready. He blocked her charge and quickly advanced, pushing her back. With a quick twist, Duncan managed to knock the sword from Tammy's hand and it went skittering across the concrete floor.

"You can stop this now and walk away," Duncan said, as he lowered the katana towards his opponent's neck.

Tammy looked at him for just a second and did a back flip that landed her out of his reach. She dove for her sword and came up with it swinging wildly. The flat of her broad sword hit Duncan full force in the ribcage.

Nick heard Duncan's ribs crack. I've been in some duels in my time, but these people are vicious, he thought. This is definitely a fight to the death. I'm a cop. Why am I standing here watching this happen? He looked at Natalie, then Anne. Somehow I believe these two and I shouldn't interfere. Maybe this really isn't a battle between mortals. I'm not sure what they are, but I will let it finish.

Duncan landed a blow against Tammy's side slicing open a large gash. She caught his sword with hers and ran the hilts together. They pushed against each other. Both were tired and neither made much headway but they were slowly advancing toward the place where the three spectators stood.

Duncan struck the back of Tammy's legs and she went down to her knees. She swung her sword wildly behind her and hit him solidly in the thigh cutting one final, nasty gash.

Duncan raised the katana above his head and with a full twist of his body removed Tammy's head. He dropped to his knees, picked up her sword, and placed the tips of both against the floor. He waited.

Nick and Natalie started towards Duncan, but they stopped when Anne called out. "No! Don't go near him."

"Why not, Anne?" Natalie asked. "He's hurt."

Anne just pointed as the white aura started to rise from Tammy's body. The lightning bolts traveled up and around Duncan. He raised the two swords and the bolts jumped from the tips to the ceiling. The windows began to shatter one by one.

"What is it? Where did the storm come from?" Natalie finally managed to ask.

"It's the Quickening," Anne said. "The power and knowledge accumulated throughout an Immortal's life is passed from one Immortal to the other at the time of death."

Nick stared at the scene before him. The surges of power went through, over, and around Duncan. "That lightning would kill a mortal."

Anne put her hand on Nick's. "Duncan isn't mortal. You have to keep his secret," she paused as their eyes met, "please."

The lightning continued to strike Duncan for almost a minute then it finally died down. He sat back on his heels and let Tammy's sword fall to the ground.

Anne went to him and brushed some stray hair out of his face. She cradled his head against her body then kneeled by his side.

Duncan took several deep breaths and then struggled to stand. Nick rushed to him and helped him up. Nick supported Duncan's weight easily with his superior strength.

Natalie helped Anne get up then took an appraisal of Duncan's condition. He was in pretty bad shape. "What now?" Natalie asked.

The smell of blood in the building was almost overpowering to Nick. He stood holding Duncan who had several wounds that were still oozing. "Nat, the blood. I have to get away from here."

Anne frowned at the exchange and wondered what it meant. "I agree. We have to get out of here before the police arrive."

"I am the police," Nick stated with a grin, momentarily distracted from the blood scent.

Anne sighed, "You know what I mean."

Nick nodded towards Duncan, "Doesn't he need medical attention?"

"No, I don't." Duncan shook his head and stood upright, supporting his full weight. "You can let go, now."

Nick released his grip on the man who less than a minute ago was so weak he couldn't stand.

"Who are you?" Duncan asked.

Displaying his badge Nick said, "I'm Nick Knight, Metro homicide."

Duncan bent over to pick up Tammy's sword but Nick retrieved it first.

"I'll take that one also." Nick extended his hand towards Duncan.

Passing his bloody katana to Nick, Duncan asked, "So are you here to arrest me?"

"I just saw you kill that woman, not to mention the three other beheadings that have happened since you came to Toronto. Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't?"

"Nick!" Natalie exclaimed. "You can't arrest him. We have to talk about...the riddle...the cure."

The observer in the rafters continued to watch the assembled group. It seemed there was more here than a simple murder.

Duncan turned and began to walk away. Nick was in front of him immediately. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to get my coat," Duncan said indignantly. "I can't very well walk around outside looking like this." He spread his arms so the full extent of his bloodied body and clothing was obvious.

"I guess you're right," Nick agreed. "I just can't figure out how you're walking around at all."

"Nick, we'll try to explain," Natalie said. "Let's go back to the hotel so Duncan can get some clean clothes and then we'll talk."

"All right, but this isn't over." Nick took one last look at the body lying on the floor of the building and wondered what he would tell the captain about his activities this night. He concealed the swords under his coat the best he could and followed the other three people out onto the sidewalk.

Nick grasped Duncan's arm tightly. "Mister, you may not be under arrest, officially, but I'm not ready to let you go either. If I don't get some satisfactory answers, soon, I'm taking you in."

"I know." Duncan sighed as he thought, it's bad enough that Anne and another mortal saw our battle, but how am I ever going to get out of this with a policeman as a witness?

Natalie scanned the street. "Where's your car, Nick?"

"Uh, I didn't bring it. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I guess we walk."

Anne again noticed the strange exchange between these two people but let it pass. She put her arm around Duncan and heard him groan as she pressed against his ribs.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Duncan smiled. "I'm just a little sore, still. It'll pass." Duncan put his arm across Anne's shoulders and they walked in silence back to the hotel.

Nick listened to the conversation without understanding. He mused to himself, here is a man who should be dead from his wounds, walking down the street as if nothing had happened. He is limping a little, but with each step he seems to be getting better. Not to mention he just killed a woman and it doesn't seem to bother him at all. Nick leaned over to whisper in Nat's ear. "I sure hope you can explain this."

"Let's just say I've learned vampires aren't the only unusual life-form around." Seeing Nick's puzzlement, she smiled and put her arm around his waist. "Oohh, you've got dangerous things under that coat, Detective Knight."

With a grab at the slipping swords, Nick said, "It isn't easy to keep these things hidden."

Natalie nodded towards Duncan. "He doesn't have any trouble keeping his hardware out of sight."

Nick looked at Nat with a 'How could you have said something like that' expression.

"Don't look at me like that." Natalie grinned. They followed Duncan and Anne without saying anything more.

None of the group noticed the tall man with the short white hair lurking in the shadows, listening. LaCroix had been in the warehouse, drawn to the blood scent and had stayed near the ceiling when he'd discovered Nicholas was present. That mortal doctor was talking in riddles and LaCroix knew she was probably up to no good. "Always trying some cure," he snarled, as he silently followed them.

######

As soon as the hotel room door closed behind the small group, Anne pointed at Nick and demanded, "Okay, Natalie, explain to me why he's here? You said you'd keep our secret!"

"I'm here because I'm a police officer and I'm investigating several murders." Nick removed the swords from under his coat and put them on the floor between the wall and one of the beds. "Natalie didn't have anything to do with my arrival at the scene."

"You guys can argue all you want," Duncan said angrily. "I'm going to get cleaned up." He grabbed the plastic laundry bag from the closet, stripped off his shirt and stuffed it inside. He then jerked some clean clothes from a bag on the floor, turned silently and started to the bathroom.

"Wait!" Natalie put her hand on the bloody spot on Duncan's back where the sword had exited his body. "This is completely healed." She walked around to look at the entry wound. "This side isn't quite closed yet, but from the looks of it, it won't take long."

Looking down at the woman, Duncan said, "My broken ribs are also healed. Now, can I go shower?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Natalie stepped out of his way. "I'm just so curious."

"I'm sure you are. That's why mortals can't find out about us." Duncan sighed as he closed the bathroom door. In a few seconds he opened it again, threw the bag towards the door and said, "Those have to be disposed of, discreetly."

"It sounds like you've had to discard bloodied clothes before." Nick glanced at the bag, then at Duncan.

Duncan glared at Nick, and then slammed the door.

Anne sat down. "You haven't answered my question, Natalie."

Natalie took Nick's hand in hers and they sat on the end of the bed. "I will, but let's wait until Duncan joins us." After about five minutes, Natalie could no longer stand the silence. "Anne, I know you're angry and you think I've violated your trust..."

"You have! How could you?"

"We'll show you...Or at least Nick will show you, why I told him about Duncan."

"I'll what?" Nick asked.

"When Duncan gets finished," Natalie turned to face Nick, "you're going to show them what you are."

"Nat, I can't."

"Can't what?" Duncan asked as he came out of the bathroom drying his long hair with a towel. He sat on the end of the other bed.

"Yes, you can, Nick. You're going to have to trust Anne and Duncan if you want their help."

"Help with what?" Duncan asked.

"This." Natalie pulled the riddle from her purse and passed it to Duncan. "Would you read it aloud, please?"

"A creature of the night, can return to the light, when he drinks the blood, of one once dead.

"What is this," Duncan asked, "some kind of joke?"

"It's no joke," Natalie said. "Please, continue."

"In a sanctified place, the heart of the one once dead, must be pierced by the hand, of the one who holds him dear.

"When the heart is still, and there is life no more, draw forth the blood, from the one once dead.

"While still warm, this blood of kings, shall be given to, the creature of the night.

"Then his cold, still heart, will beat again, forever free to, walk in the light."

"It sounds like a riddle," Anne said, "but what does it have to do with us? What does it have to do with you telling Nick about Duncan?"

"You've been around a while, right?" Natalie asked Duncan.

Duncan finally gave a non-committal, "Yeah."

"Have you ever come across a vampire?"

"Nat!" Nick hissed.

"A vampire?" Duncan laughed heartily. "There is no such thing."

"How can you be so sure?" Natalie asked.

"I've known men who've lived..." glancing at Nick and deciding he had nothing to lose in this situation, continued, "for centuries and if there was such a thing as a vampire, surely they would have known about it."

"Maybe, maybe not." Natalie pointed at the paper. "We believe this is a legend about how to cure a vampire of his curse."

"I've heard many names for vampire-like creatures in my time. The Baobhan Sith, Nosferatu, Dearg-due are just a few, but that doesn't make them real."

"The vampire is a creature of the night, unable to walk among mortals in the sunlight." Natalie said.

"So?" Anne asked. "What has this got to do with us?"

"When Nick and I read this we couldn't figure out what 'one once dead' meant. Tonight I realized it is talking about an Immortal, like Duncan."

"But I've been dead more than once."

"I think 'once dead' in this riddle means formerly or previously, not one time. It's talking about someone who cannot die," Natalie continued.

"I still don't see what my immortality has to do with this legend. There just isn't any such thing as a vampire."

Natalie turned to the man seated beside her and said, "Nick?"

"What?"

"You know what." They stared at each other for several seconds.

Nick stood. His eyes turned red and he bared his fangs.

Anne screamed.

"Sorry," Nick said as his face returned to normal and he sat back down.

Shaking his head Duncan asked, "You're a vampire?"

"Yes."

"But you look so...normal," Anne said. "I can't believe this."

"Remember last night when Duncan sat up on my autopsy table having come back from the dead?"

Anne nodded.

"That was the second time a guy did that to me."

"Nick?" Anne asked.

"Nick."

"I still can't believe this," Anne said.

"It's no stranger than what you and Duncan asked me to believe last night."

"I suppose it isn't," Duncan agreed. "Are there a lot of vampires around?"

Outside the window an unseen figure listened. I was right, LaCroix thought, she's planning another cure attempt, as if Nick had some kind of disease. When will he learn to accept the fact I will never let that happen. I will not let him leave our family.

"Toronto has a fairly large community of vampires," Nick said. "What would you expect from the city that the United Nations says is the most ethnically diverse in the world? My kind just adds to the mix."

"I guess you do." Duncan stood and paced the floor. "You know, there was a time in England in the mid-1600's when there were some strange killings going on." He paused for a moment, remembering. "There was a barmaid I became friendly with. One week she was there, and the next week she was gone. When I asked what had happened to her, I was told she had died, but she didn't stay dead. The townspeople called it witchcraft but maybe it was vampires."

"Alexandra," Nick whispered.

Duncan stopped in front of Nick. "You knew her?"

Nick stood and faced him. "I...and another took her."

A flash of anger crossed Duncan's face. "You're really a homicide detective?"

"Yes."

"You were going to arrest me tonight for the beheadings?"

"That was my intention."

"But you've killed. Isn't that what vampires do? You need blood to survive."

"Yes, I've killed, and yes I have to drink blood." He paused. "I've not killed humans in over a hundred years."

"How noble of you," Duncan said sarcastically. "And that makes the murders you committed okay? That makes you different from me?"

"Maybe." Nick's voice rose. "You're still killing."

"I don't kill innocents." Duncan snapped. "My kind lives in the shadows killing each other." He glared at Natalie. "We keep mortals out of our battles."

"Lots of species kill to survive, but only some humans kill for the pleasure of it. My kind kills to live!" Nick shouted. "Your kind lives to kill!"

"It's never a pleasure to take another life! All life is precious to me!" Duncan returned.

"Guys! Guys!" Natalie stood and put one hand on each of the men's chests. "Calm down! You both have a dark past, and you've both killed, but that isn't why we're here."

"Why are we here?" Anne asked.

Natalie put both her hands on Duncan's chest and looked up into his eyes. "I was hoping you would help Nick and me try this cure."

There was a crash of glass. "I don't think there is going to be any cure," a new voice said.

"LaCroix!" Nick was in front of the other vampire instantly. "You have no business here."

"I think I do, Nicholas." LaCroix slinked over to where Anne was sitting. He ran a finger along her cheek, raised her chin and turned her head to the side. "Very pretty."

"Leave her alone!" Duncan rushed to Anne's side.

LaCroix caught Duncan by the throat and raised him from the floor. "So you're one of those who cannot die?"

With fangs extended and eyes glowing, Nick snarled, "Let him go!" He dove towards the other vampire.

"Just as you say." LaCroix threw Duncan across the room like a rag doll. He crashed against the wall and fell down beside the bed.

Nick grabbed LaCroix by the shoulders and pulled him away from Anne. LaCroix extended his fangs.

Anne screamed, "Duncan!"

Natalie went to Anne and pulled her up. "Come on." She led her into the bathroom, shut the door and locked it.

"What's going on?" Anne asked.

"LaCroix is the vampire that brought Nick across. He doesn't want to lose control over him."

"How did he get in here? We're on the fifth floor."

"Vampires can fly. That's how Nick got to us so quickly after we left the restaurant."

"Oh... What about Duncan? What's going to happen to him?"

"I don't know. LaCroix is evil." Natalie put her hand on Anne's arm. "Nick will try to protect Duncan. All we can do is wait."

"I don't want to lose him, Nat." Anne sat on the edge of the bathtub. "Ever since I left Paris there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about him."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I saw him kill a man...like he did that woman tonight." Anne rubbed her eyes as if that would make the images disappear. "You saw it; you saw how brutal his battles are."

"It was brutal, for sure." Natalie shuddered as she remembered the vicious, bloody fight. As a coroner she saw death every day, but didn't often witness the violence leading up to those deaths. "To see someone murdered and to see someone you love injured is...is frightening."

"Yes, but what upset me even more was that I wanted Duncan to kill." Anne stopped as she again felt the rage of seeing Father Bernard gunned down. Daimler had shot him and would have killed her too if Duncan hadn't arrived. "Natalie, I wanted him to take the life of another human being. At the time I really believe I could have killed the guy myself."

Natalie thought for a moment before answering. What does go through the mind of someone who kills? I know Nick is struggling to leave that part of his life behind. "Sometimes there are unusual circumstances that make us say and do things we wouldn't ordinarily do."

"If I stay with Duncan, those 'circumstances' as you call them, would be commonplace. Living with him means every time I watch him go out the door to face another Immortal I know he might not come back." An involuntary shiver went up Anne's spine. "And when he does come back, I know someone else has died."

"True, but as you said, Immortals must kill to survive. We cannot begin to understand what it's like for them." Just like I can't really understand what Nick's life was like before, Natalie thought.

Anne put her head in her hands. "But I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to save lives. How can I live with myself if I begin to believe that the death of anyone is justified?"

"I don't know." Natalie knelt and hugged her friend as they listened to the battle raging in the other room.

######

When he struck the wall, Duncan was winded, but was otherwise unhurt. He listened to the conversation between Nick and the intruder.

Nick and LaCroix circled each other. "You knew about Immortals?" Nick asked.

"I've heard tales of men who wouldn't die, but I never really believed it."

"Then you've not heard of this legend?"

"Do you think I'd tell you if I had?" LaCroix laughed. "Come now, Nicholas, why do you want to leave our community?"

"Because I don't want to be like you anymore."

"But if you're no longer a vampire you won't have all the powers that make you special." LaCroix reached out and lifted Nick off the floor. "You won't be able to do this anymore."

Nick twisted out of LaCroix's grasp. "I don't care."

"I think you will care. What will you do the first time you need to get to that pretty doctor friend of yours in a hurry and you can't fly? What will happen the next time you need to see in the dark, or you want to hear something that is beyond the range of mortal hearing?"

"I'll manage. Men have been living for centuries without special powers."

"I'm not so sure you'd call their existence really living."

Duncan felt the swords under his legs where he'd fallen. He picked up his katana and stood with it pointed towards the two vampires. "I think they do just fine."

"Oh, do you now." LaCroix walked across the room, put his finger on the tip of the sword and pushed it aside. "And how long have you been observing these mortals?"

"A little over four-hundred years."

LaCroix laughed. "A mere child, Nicholas, and he thinks he has the wisdom of the ages.'

"Not a great wisdom," Duncan said, "but the humanity to let them live their lives as they want." He looked towards Nick. "The wisdom and humanity to let everyone live their lives the way they want."

"So you think Nicholas should try this cure?"

"If he wants to I don't think you should stop him."

"What you think isn't important." At a speed human eyes couldn't follow, LaCroix grabbed the sword away from Duncan and placed the blade against his neck. "I saw you kill that female Immortal so I guess if I remove your head, you'll die."

"Don't do it, LaCroix," Nick shouted.

"And why not? If I get rid of this one you won't be able to try your cure." LaCroix swung the sword back.

Nick leaped across the room and grabbed LaCroix's arm. The momentary delay gave Duncan enough time to duck. He picked up the other sword and started to stand.

"You're no match for him," Nick shouted. "Stay down." Nick threw LaCroix across the room. The sword slid out of his hand.

Duncan remained in a crouching position beside the bed. He wracked his brain. What kills a vampire?

"You're outmatched, Nicholas," LaCroix taunted. "You can't defeat me." They continued to circle each other, snarling.

I've got it! Duncan remembered. A wooden stake through the heart. He looked around the room for something that would work. He crawled from behind the bed, and struck the leg of the table with the sword. It crashed to the floor.

Nick was momentarily distracted by the noise and LaCroix managed to grab the sword he'd dropped.

Plastic! Duncan realized as he picked up the table leg.

"I think our Immortal friend is about ready to be taken," LaCroix said as he swung the sword.

Duncan managed to block the thrust and twist out of the way.

Nick was between LaCroix and Duncan in a flash. "You were lucky that time. I told you to stay down!"

Crawling a few feet, Duncan swung the sword again, striking the leg of the desk. As it fell, the television hit the floor. Duncan grabbed the splintered leg. Wood! Finally!

Nick turned towards the sound and felt Duncan put the broken leg in his hand. All right, he thought, this could get tricky. The memories of killing LaCroix once before came to Nick's mind. He had failed to make it permanent and was determined to not make that mistake again.

LaCroix swung the sword at Nicholas's head.

Nick ducked. He rose almost immediately with the table leg pointing up and caught LaCroix in the chest. He pushed LaCroix back and impaled him against the wall. Holding him there, he shouted, "Duncan, take his head, quickly." Nick looked into the face of the vampire who had brought him across. The hostility there made it easier to believe killing LaCroix was the right thing to do.

LaCroix struggled but he didn't die.

"Out of the way!" Duncan yelled as he swung the sword towards the master vampire. Nick dropped to his knees. The sword crashed into the wall severing LaCroix's head from his body.

There was a pounding at the door. "What's going on in there? If you don't stop making so much noise, I'm going to call the manager!"

Pulling his badge from his pocket, Nick went to the door and opened it. He stood so his body blocked all view of the inside of the room. "I'm Nick Knight with the Metro police. Everything is under control. Go back to your room and stay there."

Several more people had opened doors in the hall and were trying to get a glimpse of the commotion. "All of you, get back in your rooms. Now!" Nick glared at the man who had knocked until he retreated into his room. Nick closed the door and leaned against it, drained by the last few minutes of exertion and emotion.

"Your badge comes in handy at times, I see," Duncan said. "Especially when you need to explain why we have a dead vampire in Anne's hotel room."

"Yeah," Nick said distractedly. He stared at the still body of LaCroix. It was hard to believe his nemesis, his friend, his enemy, his 'father' was dead. They'd been together for centuries, and suddenly, that relationship was over. Several lifetimes' worth of memories crowded Nick's mind in a few brief seconds.

"Are you all right, Nick?" Duncan asked.

Nick focused on Duncan briefly, but didn't really see him as he walked across the room. Nick pulled the spread from the bed and knelt beside LaCroix's crumpled body. The sense of relief he felt that his long battle was finished was overshadowed by an acute feeling of loss and loneliness. He wrapped the body, and then stood slowly. Remembering how LaCroix had come back once before, he said, "This needs to be exposed to the sunlight in the morning so it will be incinerated. I don't want to take any chances of him returning."

Natalie opened the bathroom door when the noise stopped. "Nick? Duncan? Are you guys okay?"

"We're all right, Nat," Nick said. "LaCroix is dead."

The women came into the main room and each went to their guy and hugged him. Anne and Duncan sat on the edge of one bed and Nick and Natalie sat on the other facing them. For several seconds no one spoke.

"Why, after all these years, did you kill LaCroix?" Natalie asked.

Nick didn't answer immediately. He scanned the faces of each person in the room, then again stared at the bundle wrapped in the bedspread. "He was going to kill Duncan and I couldn't let that happen."

"Why did you stop him?" Duncan asked. "You could have just let him take my head and then taken my blood for your cure."

"I don't want you dead. I don't want anyone dead!" Nick shouted.

"It's all right, Nick," Natalie took his hand in hers. "I know you care about people. That's what makes you different from LaCroix."

"Thanks, Nat." Nick smiled briefly, and then got serious again. "There is another reason why LaCroix had to die. He would have been a constant threat to you and me if this cure works. Like he said, if I become mortal, I'll lose all my special abilities and I would not be able to protect you from him." Janette's face flashed in Nick's mind. She had been his lover and friend for eight-hundred years. While she didn't understand his desire to leave the community of vampires, he knew she would leave them alone. Losing her companionship was a price he was willing to pay to regain his mortality and finally be joined with Natalie.

"You're right, of course," Natalie said.

"I need to thank you also, Duncan. I never could have defeated LaCroix alone."

Duncan shrugged. "It was in my own best interest to help you."

"Maybe so, but not many mortals would take on a vampire."

"I'm not mortal."

"Right," Natalie said, "and that brings us back to this cure. Are you willing to help us?"

Duncan looked at Natalie, then Anne, and then focused on Nick. "If I understand the legend correctly I have to be killed for the cure to work."

"True." Nick studied the face of this man he'd just met. "I know I'm asking a lot of you."

"Not really. It won't be the first time I've died to help a friend."

"But you don't know me," Nick said.

"No, I don't, but we share a bond of immortality, of living life in the shadows, of never really being able to belong."

"Yes," Nick agreed."

"You know what it's like to have to leave friends and disappear to start a new life because you don't age. You are the only person I've ever met other than another Immortal who can understand what my life is like. I think we could become friends."

"I want to abandon my immortality. Haven't you ever wanted to be mortal?"

"No. I accept what I am just like one accepts the fact they are tall or short. I've always been this way and always will be. You were changed and want to go back to your mortal life. Also, I think, my kind of immortality is much easier to live with than yours."

"If I thought the cure would harm you in any way I wouldn't even consider asking you to help," Nick said.

"Dying has never hurt me before." Duncan paused. "Now, let's look at that riddle again."

Natalie picked the paper up from where it had fallen during the battle. "We're all agreed the vampire must drink the blood of an Immortal. I don't understand this reference to 'blood of kings'. Are you royalty?"

"Hardly," Duncan laughed, "though I would have been chieftain of the MacLeod clan after my father if I hadn't died. There is a lot of mystery surrounding Immortals. Why are we here? What makes us Immortal? No one really knows those answers. There are legends that have come down through the ages, of course, and my kind have been called many things. I once heard a minstrel in Queen Anne's court singing a ballad with the line 'I am Immortal, I have inside me blood of kings.' No one in court knew what I was and to them it was just a song about another mythical creature."

"It talks of a sanctified place," Anne said. "That means holy ground, right?"

"Yeah, a church or something," Natalie agreed.

"But I thought you couldn't be killed on holy ground?" Anne asked.

With a fleeting memory of Darius lying dead in his church, Duncan said, "No, Anne, that's not right. Immortals don't fight or kill each other on holy ground but our rules don't apply to mortals. Besides, I'm not going to die, permanently anyway."

Natalie read the riddle again. "Anne, if I understand this legend correctly, you have to play a major role in the cure."

"What can I do?"

"It says 'the heart of the one once dead, must be pierced by the hand, of the one who holds him dear'." Natalie looked directly into her friend's eyes hoping to see the understanding of what that line meant.

When Anne didn't say anything, Duncan put his arm around her and spoke softly. "You have to be the one to kill me."

"No!" Anne exclaimed. "I'm a doctor. I save lives, I don't take them."

Duncan spoke slowly and deliberately, "I won't stay dead, Anne."

"I can't do it!"

"Just think of it as surgery," Duncan suggested.

"But it's not surgery. I...I have to kill you, to take your life."

"You're not really going to hurt me."

"Please, Anne?" Nick asked. "The cure might not even work, but if we don't do everything exactly as it says, I don't have a chance."

Anne sighed as she scanned the faces of those around her. With a feeling of revulsion that made her stomach roll she said, "Okay, I'll make myself do it."

Nick placed his hand on Anne's arm. "Thank you."

"It won't be the first time I've cut into a body after all, it will just be the first time I've ever intentionally killed someone." Anne kissed Duncan. "Especially someone I love."

After several seconds of awkward silence, Nick said, "Well, I guess I'd better contact the precinct. I've been out of touch all night and I'm sure the captain is wondering what I'm doing."

"What are you going to tell them about the beheading?" Duncan asked.

Nick let out a long breath. "I'm not sure. I'll make up something, but I will keep you out of it. Maybe I'll tell them I saw a tall guy with short, white hair running from the building. That should send the investigation off looking for a guy who doesn't exist. When the killings stop the furor will die down."

"I hate to burst your bubble," Duncan said, "but there is no guarantee you've seen the last of the beheadings. There are a lot of Immortals and there could be others in Toronto." He smiled. "We add to the ethnic diversity of this city, too."

"Well, I'll deal with that if it happens. For now, it's the best story I can come up with." Nick took one of his business cards from his pocket and wrote on the back of it. "Here's my address. You're going to have to get out of here before I call this in. We can't have a dead man running around."

"Very true," Duncan agreed. "I'll take my bloody clothes, and the swords." He pointed at the bundle in the bedspread. "What about that?"

With a feeling of mixed emotion, Nick said, "I'll take it someplace and leave it where it won't be found and it will be exposed to the sun in the morning. Then I'll come back and make the call."

"How are you going to get out of here with a body?" Anne asked.

Nick nodded towards the broken window.

"Right," Anne walked to the window. "You're going to ...fly... out of here with... Oh, oh. We've got company."

Nick went to her side. "What is it?"

"There are police cars down there."

As Nick reached for the phone to call the precinct he said, "That doesn't mean they are coming here." After a brief conversation Nick hung up the phone. "It seems our nosy neighbor called in this disturbance. We don't have much time, though I should be able to stall the officers who are here to investigate the guy's complaint".

Nick pulled his car keys from his pocket and gave them to Duncan. "You can take a cab to the station and get my caddy." He picked up the bundle. "I'm not going to be able fly this away from here. If I drop it outside, will you be able to get it into the trunk of the car?"

"Yeah, no problem." Duncan put on his coat, placed the two swords inside, and picked up the bag of clothes. He was reaching for the door knob when there was knock.

"Open up, police."

Duncan stepped back from the door. "I guess I'm not going out that way."

"Let me talk to them," Nick said. "Just wait."

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to wait. I'll jump out the window."

"We're on the fifth floor!" Natalie exclaimed. "You'll be killed."

Duncan shrugged. "Maybe, but more likely I'll just break a leg or something."

"Right," Natalie said, "those kinds of things don't bother you, do they?"

In spite of the situation, Duncan had to grin. "No, they don't. I'll heal fast enough that I'll be able to get away before I'm discovered."

The knock came again, more insistently. "Open this door, now."

"Just a minute," Nick shouted. He dropped the bundle through the open window with a precision that placed it behind some shrubs.

Duncan gave Anne a quick kiss. "See you tomorrow." He climbed through the window and disappeared.

Nick pulled his badge and started to open the door. Turning back to the women he whispered, "Would you two sit down and act like you're scared." He opened the door and said, "I'm Nick Knight with Metro homicide. I have a situation here. We need to start a search for a suspect."

Nick continued to weave his tale for these officers and the others who arrived later. It was close to dawn when the last of the police team departed.

Looking out the window at the brightening sky, Nick said, "I've got to fly, Nat."

"I know. We've been here all night. I'll take Anne to my place so we can get some sleep and then we'll come to your loft a little before dark."

"That sounds good." Nick started towards the window then turned to face Nat. "This may be the last time I'm able to do this. I wonder if I'll miss it."

Natalie put her hand on Nick's shoulder. "I don't know. Are you having second thoughts about wanting to be mortal again?"

"No," he said emphatically as he took flight into the morning sky.

######

When Nick landed outside his apartment building, he saw Duncan sitting in the caddy. He went to the car and got into the passenger seat. Opening the garage door with the remote, he asked, "Did you have any trouble getting the body?"

Duncan drove the car inside as he said, "No. After I got back, there were several police vehicles parked near the hotel, but I didn't see anyone. I just backed in close to the building, and lifted it inside."

"Good. I'll be gone just a few minutes." Nick pulled the bundle from the trunk and flew up to the roof of the building. He stood staring at the orange and brown bedspread as a rush of thoughts went through his mind. Was LaCroix really gone this time or would he come back again? Was he glad LaCroix was dead or was he sad that he'd lost a friend, sometimes his only friend in the world?

Nick knelt to open the bedspread but his hands paused before he touched the cloth as the conflicting emotions from the last few hours came crashing in on him. He spoke quietly into the coming dawn, "Why couldn't you just let me live my life the way I wanted? If you could have left me alone, you wouldn't have had to die." In a lot of ways, Nick felt like a traitor, but he knew LaCroix would never have given Natalie and him any peace. This time he was going to be sure LaCroix would not be back.

As the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon Nick opened the bedspread. He covered his head and waited. When the LaCroix's body fell into ashes, the full realization that his almost lifelong friend was really gone hit him. It was over, at last. Nick returned to the ground and closed the garage door.

Duncan sensed sadness in the man standing next to him. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"You knew him for a long time?"

"Almost eight-hundred years."

Duncan played a hunch and stated rather than asked, "You were close to him."

"Very close." Nick studied the face of this stranger who seemed to know so much about him. "I think you know what it's like to lose a friend."

"Yes, and I also know what it's like to have to kill a friend."

Nick paused for a moment thinking that this time he was certain he was right to have killed LaCroix. But that didn't stop the pain. "It's not easy, is it?"

"No," Duncan agreed, "but sometimes there is no other choice."

The two men looked at each other for a long minute, both remembering lost friendships. Finally, Nick said, "We need some rest. Come on up to my loft."

Nick led Duncan into his apartment. "Make yourself at home. I'll just be a minute." He went to his refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of blood. In deference to the presence of his guest, he poured the thick liquid into a glass. He walked over and sat in the chair facing the couch where Duncan sat.

"I'm afraid I don't have any food in the place. Are you hungry?"

"No." Duncan watched Nick sip his drink. It was hard to accept he was sitting next to a being that for all the centuries of his life he had thought to be only a legend. Of course, he thought, why should it be any harder to believe in vampires than Immortals? "That's blood, isn't it?"

Nick stared into the glass. "Yes." A few seconds of awkward silence passed. "It's cow." Several more seconds passed with neither man knowing quite what to say. "Wait a minute!" Nick exclaimed. He put his glass on the table and went to the kitchen cupboard and looked at an array of bottles. "Schanke gives me some kind of liquor almost every year at Christmas and now I have quite a selection. Do you want something?"

"Yes, thank-you," Duncan agreed enthusiastically.

Nick scanned the labels, and then picked one. "With a name like MacLeod I suspect you'd appreciate this. How about some Glenfiddich?"

"Sounds good."

Nick poured a glass, and gave it to Duncan. Sitting back down, he picked up his own glass and offered a toast, "To new friends."

"To new friends," Duncan repeated and took a sip of the Scotch. "That's pretty good stuff."

"I wouldn't know. It's been years since I've been able to eat and drink normal foods."

"Ever since you became a vampire?"

"Yes. I was brought across in 1228 by LaCroix."

"So he was your mentor?"

"My master." Nick stared into his glass. "Our relationship was...complex." He took another drink. "I will miss him." When Duncan didn't offer any information about himself, Nick asked, "How about you?"

"I was born in 1592 in the Highlands of Scotland and died the first time in 1622." Duncan stared into his glass. "When I revived, I was cast out because the clan thought I was a demon." He took another drink. "I was alone in the world, not knowing who I was or even what I was."

The two men drank in silence, both still uncomfortable with revealing much about themselves. Nick drained his glass and noticed Duncan's was also empty. "You want some more?"

"Sure." Duncan extended his glass towards Nick.

Nick ignored it as he went to the counter, returned with both bottles and placed them on the table. "So, tell me your life story, Duncan MacLeod."

Duncan laughed. "I think you should tell me yours. You're the oldest."

A small streak of sunlight came through the window. Nick's eyes traced the path on the floor for a brief moment before he picked up the remote for the window blinds and closed them. "There's not much to tell. I live in the dark with the beast inside me trying to get out. I'm afraid to get too close to Natalie for fear I'll hurt her."

Duncan remembered the night in a gypsy camp a hundred and fifty years before when an angry young woman had cursed him. The words rang in his mind as if they had been spoken only yesterday: 'You will bury many women but you will marry none. You will always be alone.' "You don't have to be a vampire to hurt the women in your life. I've been with many women in my time, but the ones I've really cared for have always been taken from me. I'm afraid if I get too close to Anne something will happen to her."

"And the baby."

"Yes and the baby. I don't want any harm to come to either of them."

"Didn't you and Anne talk about these things before she got pregnant?"

"The baby's not mine. Immortals can't have children." Duncan paused, thinking about what might have been. "I really want to be a father to that little girl. I want to teach her things and watch her grow up. It may be my only chance to have a family."

Nick drained his glass and filled it again before speaking. "At least you can give the child a mostly normal life."

"But should I subject a child to my lifestyle? What kind of father will I be coming home from battles all bloodied and cut-up?"

"I think you'll make a good father because you care about people. You'll protect her and never hurt her. I can't risk being around a little one as a vampire. My only hope of being a husband and a father lies in my return to mortality."

"Are you really sure you want to become mortal again? In your line of work you are constantly in danger. You could be killed and leave Natalie alone."

"Of course that's true, but I wouldn't be different from any of the other guys in the department. We all take the same risks."

"True, but why is being mortal any better than what you are? For eight hundred years you've seen the wars, the atrocities, and the destruction they inflict on each other. Do you really want to become one of them?"

"I do. Most mortals aren't bad." Nick paused. "I know I'll be giving up eternal life, something mortals often desire, but the eternal life of a vampire isn't something to be desired." Nick raised his glass and extended it towards Duncan. "The blood-lust is sometimes almost overpowering. The desire to kill and feed is always with me. I don't want to feel this anymore."

"Killing and death is a part of my life, too." Duncan closed his eyes against the memories of so many dead. He sighed and looked directly at Nick. "I've buried more friends than I can count, but it never gets easy."

"Why did you kill that woman last night?"

Duncan refilled his glass as he contemplated his answer. Taking a life was never easy for him. How could he explain the conflict of emotions that accompanied every kill he made? Did he even know why Tammy Winton had to die at his hand last night? Could he have done anything differently? "She challenged me." Duncan sighed. "In the end, there can be only one."

"Only one? One what?"

"Only one Immortal left in the end."

"Why?"

"I wish I knew. For thousands of years Immortals have been killing each other and no one seems to know why, but some of my kind are actively trying to be that one." He paused. "I kill only when I have to."

"What you do doesn't make sense to me."

"We Immortals try to keep our fights, our world, our very existence out of the public eye. Our world doesn't make sense to you just as yours doesn't to me. We're different. We're different from each other and from mortals."

Nick smiled. "I've heard 'different is good.'"

"That has been said, but are we really good?"

"I like to think so. It's true that we've both killed, but I think we're also both different from the darker ones of our kind. We have morals that some don't, not even some of the mortals of this world." Nick paused. "Did you ever see Hitler?"

"Yes, I was in Berlin in 1936." With a wry grin, Duncan said, "You may be right."

The men talked on into the morning as they found they had a lot in common. They swapped stories about the people they'd met, the wars they'd seen, and the advances in civilization they'd witnessed throughout the centuries. Finally, Nick emptied the bottle of blood. "I want to thank you for agreeing to help me."

Duncan poured the last of the Scotch into his glass. "I told you before, it's nothing."

"Well, it is to me."

"My part is easy. I just have to die."

"How long will you stay 'dead'?"

"I don't know, exactly. When I was shot twice yesterday it took less than an hour for me to revive, yet when I was shot six times it took a little over two hours. It varies depending upon the severity of the wounds."

Nick placed his empty glass on the table. "You know, Anne has the hardest part in this whole thing."

"Yeah, I know."

"I just hope it isn't too much for her. I don't want anything to happen to her or the baby."

Duncan put his own empty glass down. "I don't either, but I think she'll be okay with it. We can ask her again when they get here."

"And speaking of the ladies, we should get some sleep before they arrive. I'll bring you some bedding for the couch." Nick stood and picked up the bottles and glasses. "I also have to clean these up before Natalie gets here and scolds me."

Duncan laughed.

As Nick washed out the items, he continued, "If you want to take the car and go get some food, feel free. I'll leave the keys here on the counter."

"Thanks, but I think I'd rather sleep for a while."

######

It was about seven when Natalie and Anne let themselves into Nick's apartment. "Soup's on!" Natalie shouted.

"Hello, ladies," Duncan said. He put the book down he'd been reading and stood. Taking one of the packages from Natalie he asked, "What's this?"

"I knew Nick wouldn't have any food, so I brought our dinner."

Duncan looked inside the sack. "It smells good."

"I know how much you like Japanese," Anne said as she put her arms around Duncan's waist and gave him a hug.

"There are plates in that cupboard there, Anne." Natalie pointed. She and Duncan removed the cartons from the sacks and opened them as they placed them on the table. "Oh, Anne, we only need three."

"Right, I forgot."

Nick surveyed the unfolding domestic scene from the top of the stairs and made a silent wish. I hope a place setting for four will soon be required. He joined the others near the kitchen table. "Good evening."

"Hello yourself." Natalie smiled broadly.

"We seem to be taking over your apartment," Anne said.

"That's quite all right. Those dishes don't get much use."

"Maybe after tonight they will," Duncan said.

"Yeah," Nick agreed quickly.

The four people sat at the table, with three of them passing food around serving themselves. Duncan nodded towards the refrigerator. "Aren't you going to...drink...anything, Nick?"

He met Natalie's eyes. "I think tonight I'll follow my doctor's orders and cut-down."

"Good choice," Natalie quipped.

The conversation during the meal and clean-up did not touch on the reason they were together. After things were put away, Nick gestured towards the couch. "You guys go in there and sit down. I have to make a phone call." He picked up the receiver and dialed the precinct.

"Captain, I won't be in tonight. I'm not quite feeling like myself." After assuring his superior he'd try to make it in the next evening, Nick hung up the phone and looked at each of the three people as he joined them. His gaze stopped on Duncan. "At least after tonight, I hope I don't feel like I have for the last eight-hundred years."

"So what do we do now?" Anne asked.

Natalie pulled out the legend. "We need to make sure we're interpreting this correctly because I think we have to do it exactly as it's written."

"But, Nat," Nick said, "it was translated from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. There's no guarantee the translation is accurate."

"I know that, but we have to at least try." Natalie read the legend before speaking again. "It says 'in a sanctified place'. I guess we need to go to a church."

"In the middle of the night?" Anne questioned.

"It shouldn't have to be a church," Duncan said. "Holy ground is anything consecrated by any religious belief. It could be a shrine or a cemetery."

"How about a mausoleum?" Nick asked. "We'd be on holy ground, yet be inside a building away from prying eyes."

"I think that would work," Natalie said. "What do you have in mind?"

"Forest Hills Memorial Park has a large mausoleum. I don't know what hours the cemetery is open, but we shouldn't be disturbed if we arrive after ten or eleven tonight."

Nodding in agreement, Natalie continued, "Okay, so now we've decided on a place. The next thing it says is 'The heart must be pierced'. I guess we can use a scalpel to..." She paused when she heard Anne suck in a sudden breath. "Are you all right?"

Duncan took Anne's hand in his. "If you don't want to go through with this, say so now. I..." He glanced at Nick. "We don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

"No...no. I'm all right. I was just thinking how much this sounds like human sacrifice. It's...it's...I don't know."

"Barbaric? Uncivilized? Inhuman?" Nick asked. "It's all of those things, but so is being a vampire."

A vampire, Anne thought, is something from stories; something not real. Yet, I'm sitting here talking with a man who defies all the popular images of such a being. Anne smiled. "And you don't want to be one of those anymore." She turned to face Duncan and squeezed his hand. "We will help you. A single, precise thrust to the heart would be best. Death would occur quickly."

"It would also minimize the pain," Natalie added. "You did say you feel pain, didn't you?"

"Yes, I'll feel it."

"We could give you something before we do this," Natalie said.

"That won't be necessary. It doesn't hurt for long. Besides, this legend was written before there were anesthetics and we wouldn't want to take a chance of something like that in my blood affecting the cure."

"I guess you're right," Natalie agreed. "Next, it says 'draw forth the blood'. I suppose we can use a cardiac needle and syringe for that. Right after...right after it's done, there should be enough blood pooled in the heart."

"How much do you suppose it has to be?" Nick took the paper from Natalie. "It doesn't give any hints about that."

"No, it doesn't," Natalie said, "but I'm going to guess not much because three thousand years ago they didn't have the technology to draw blood like we do now."

Nick nodded.

The four people sat and talked until well after ten when Duncan looked at the clock. "Don't you think we'd better get started? We want to be in and out of the cemetery before anyone knows we're there."

"Yes," Nick agreed, "let's get going."

With a brief stop at the coroner's office to pick up the items they needed, they were soon standing in front of the locked doors of the mausoleum.

"Can you open it," Natalie asked?

"Of course I can." Nick easily broke the lock on the door. "At least I can right now." As they walked inside he continued, "Here I am a cop and I'm breaking into private property. What makes me so different from the next vandal to come along?"

"Because you're going to pay for the damages," Natalie laughed.

"I know." Nick smiled and held the door open for the others to enter. He stared up at the dark, moonless sky, wondering if this night would finally bring him into the light. As he followed Duncan into the dark interior of the small room and closed the door behind them, he couldn't help but marvel at the courage of this man who was willing to help a complete stranger. Even though MacLeod was convinced the procedure wouldn't hurt him, Nick was still afraid something might go wrong.

Duncan spread the blanket on the floor and then helped Anne sit down. He sat in front of her with his back against the wall.

Natalie sat beside Duncan and Nick sat facing her. For a moment no one said anything as they all contemplated what they were about to do.

"What if I become violent after I drink the blood?" Nick asked. "What if try to hurt one of you?"

"What are you saying," Duncan asked, "that you should be tied up before we start?"

"There's nothing that could hold me. The vampire is too strong."

"I brought some things that will be more effective than chains." Natalie unzipped her bag. She removed three tightly closed bottles and handed one each to Duncan and Anne. "This is very pungent, minced garlic." She glanced at Nick as she pulled three crosses from the bag.

Nick turned away quickly.

Handing a cross to each of the others, Natalie said, "Keep these close, but out of sight. If at any time Nick becomes violent pop the top of the bottle of garlic and extend both it and the cross towards him."

When the crosses were concealed, Nick looked at Natalie. "Thanks. I should have known you'd be thinking ahead."

"I have learned a few things about vampires since I've known you." She turned to Duncan. "Are you ready?"

Duncan took Anne's hands in his. "I am if you are." He felt her trembling and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Anne's breath came in short, shallow puffs. Her mind rebelled at thinking about what she was about to do. She inhaled deeply, held the breath for a few seconds, and then blew it out. Not trusting her voice, she only nodded.

Duncan removed his shirt and put it on the blanket. He looked over at Nick. Physically, he knew this death would be like all the others, but emotionally it was very different. So much was at stake for his new friend. The centuries had given Duncan an ability to size up a man's character and he knew this man, this other kind of immortal, was good at the core of his being and he deserved his chance at happiness.

Natalie placed the ear pieces of her stethoscope around her neck, and then prepared the syringe. Natalie's heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to believe that this time the cure would work, but there had been so many disappointments. As she pulled the scalpel from the bag and extended it towards Anne, she told herself that this time the magic would be there.

Anne reached out hesitantly, took the scalpel and stared at it. I'm supposed to use this to intentionally take another human life, she thought. The basic tenet of medicine is 'First of all, do no harm', so why am I doing this? What if something goes wrong? What if Duncan doesn't come back this time?

After several seconds passed and Anne still sat silently, Duncan gently placed his hands on either side of her head and slowly slid them down her hair. He caressed her cheek softly, pulled her towards him and kissed her. With their faces still close he said, "Do it." He leaned back against the wall, put his hands at his sides and shut his eyes.

Anne turned the scalpel horizontally and placed the point against Duncan's flesh aiming for the pericardium in the fourth intercostal space. She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest and then gazed into the calm face of this man she loved. How can he be so relaxed? How can I be doing this? It's insane, she thought. Anne glanced sideways and saw the expectant anticipation from Nick and Natalie. She took a deep breath and with a single thrust pushed the scalpel into Duncan's chest, instantly piercing the left ventricle of his heart. In order to hasten death, she pivoted the scalpel against the ribs to enlarge the injury to the heart muscle, and then extracted the blade.

An involuntary gasp escaped Duncan's lips and his face contorted for a moment. He consciously relaxed and steeled himself against the pain which he knew would soon pass. The familiar feeling of weakness and dizziness that accompanied impending death came over him. Before long his head slumped to the side as he blacked out from lack of blood to the brain.

Natalie placed her stethoscope on Duncan's chest and in a few minutes, all signs of life ceased. She inserted the large needle into his heart and pulled back the syringe drawing about 30 cc of blood. Natalie injected it into a small glass and handed it to Nick.

Centuries of hopes, shattered dreams and failures swirled before Nick's eyes as he stared into the red pool of the still warm liquid. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he knew his strength unleashed could be a real danger to the others. "Nat, are you sure you'll be safe? What if I lose control?"

"We'll be fine."

"But neither garlic or a cross will..." Nick stopped as he saw Natalie pull a wooden stake from the bag.

She hadn't wanted to reveal this weapon to the man she loved, but knew it was necessary to overcome his fears. "This is a last resort."

Nick nodded his head, and then drank the blood down in one gulp.

"Well?" Natalie said.

"It tastes a little different than I'm used to, but I haven't had human blood in a long time. Maybe that's all that's different about it."

"Do you feel anything?" Natalie asked.

"No. I..." Nick grabbed his middle and groaned. He fell backwards and drew his body into a ball. He shivered for several seconds then suddenly straightened his legs and sat up. Nick growled with eyes red and fangs extended. He began to reach towards Natalie when his body was wracked with a violent convulsion. He collapsed into her lap and shook for almost a minute. Finally, he was still.

Natalie ran her hand through his hair. "Nick?"

"Is he all right?" Anne asked.

"I don't have any idea. We tried a cure once before and he had a violent reaction like this so I'm not completely surprised. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." Natalie took the bloody scalpel from Anne, wrapped it in plastic and placed it in the bag with the rest of the equipment.

Anne moved over between Natalie and Duncan. She leaned his head against her shoulder. "I love you Duncan and I don't know why I ever left you. When you come back to me tonight, I'm going to tell you that, again."

"You guys are going to stay together, then?"

"I don't know. I hope so." Anne stroked Duncan's head. "He wants to take things slowly and I understand why." She kissed his forehead gently. "The women in his life always die or leave him and I did the same thing."

Neither woman spoke for several minutes, each lost in her own thoughts. Natalie looked down at Anne's swollen abdomen and wondered what it was like to be pregnant. Would she ever have a baby? Would she ever have Nick's baby? Natalie felt Anne's eyes watching her and she blushed, embarrassed that she was staring.

"I assume Duncan is the father?"

"No, Immortals can't have children." Anne placed her hands over her baby. "It was because he knew he couldn't be a father that he wanted to help me raise this little girl."

Natalie thought about Nick's desire to be mortal and about how much he wanted to be a father. She wanted this cure to work. She wanted Nick to be her lover. She wanted him to be the father of her children.

"Nick and I have always had a strange relationship. Because of the vampire we couldn't get close even though I know we both wanted it." Natalie traced her finger along the edge of Nick's ear. "If this works and Nick becomes mortal we'll be entering a whole new phase of our lives together. In a lot of ways it will be like starting out with a new guy."

"I know what you mean. After I found out about Duncan's immortality it was like learning to love someone completely different."

"Both guys have quite a history and being secretive is a part of that."

"Yes, but in the present, they have no past."

"What?" Natalie asked.

"Duncan, and I'm sure Nick too, have no immediate past like most people. There are no school records, no medical records, no family history, none of the things we take for granted about people we meet."

"That's true." Natalie felt Nick stir and looked down. "How do you feel?"

When he tried to move he became dizzy and he grabbed Natalie's shoulders. "I feel so weak, Nat."

She helped him sit up beside her with his back against the wall. "Maybe that's a good sign."

"Yeah, maybe it is." Nick looked at Duncan. "How is he?"

"Still no sign of life," Anne said.

"Have I killed him in my quest for mortality?"

"I don't think so," Anne gently probed the wound on his chest. "This is almost healed."

"But shouldn't he be awake already?"

"Not necessarily. Even he doesn't know how long he stays...gone...each time. Do you feel any different?" Anne asked.

Nick ran his hands through his hair. "I feel...weird." He moved to stand up but fell back against the wall. "My legs just won't support me."

"Maybe it's something you drank." Duncan laughed.

"Duncan!" Nick exclaimed. "You're alive."

"Again." Duncan smiled. "How are you?"

"Well, something is definitely different."

"How will we know if the cure worked?" Anne asked.

"Let's try something." Natalie pulled the cross out from under her leg and held it in front of Nick.

He clasped it both his hands. "Natalie! It doesn't burn!" He drew the cross to his breast. "I haven't been able to touch the blessed crucifix since my youth."

"How about this?" Duncan opened the bottle of garlic and waved it in the air.

"Ooohh, that stuff is strong," Anne said.

Nick took the bottle tentatively and sniffed. He wrinkled his nose. "How can anyone eat this stuff? It smells terrible."

"It's an acquired taste," Duncan laughed.

"But the important thing," Natalie said excitedly, "is that it's not making you sick. You're able to hold it close."

Nick passed the jar to her. "It may not be as sickening as it once was, but I still don't like it."

"There's nothing unusual about that," Natalie agreed. "Some people, mortals, can't stand garlic."

"When can we find out about the sun?" Nick asked. "What time is it?"

Natalie looked at her watch. "It's still several hours before daylight, but I'm not letting you go outside until I do some tests on your blood. Right now I think we need to get back to your apartment."

Duncan stood and put on his shirt. He helped Anne and then Natalie get to their feet. He watched Nick roll over onto his hands and knees and try to get up. Duncan grabbed him under the arms and pulled him to his feet. "Let me help you, old man."

"Thanks, youngster." Nick put his arm across Duncan's shoulders and the two men walked out of the mausoleum together.

Anne and Natalie followed. "Give me your keys," Natalie said, "you're in no shape to drive." The four people got into the car and drove back to Nick's apartment in silence.

After Duncan helped Nick up to his bed, he joined the women. "He went to sleep almost immediately. I've never seen anyone so weak who wasn't ill."

"Nick doesn't get sick," Natalie said. "At least he never did before."

"Do you think the cure worked?" Anne asked. "That might explain why he's like he is."

"It's certainly a possibility," Natalie agreed. "The little tests we did earlier are quite hopeful. Tomorrow we'll find out more. I'm going to stay here tonight in case Nick needs something. Do you want to take my car back to my place, Anne?"

"Sure, I guess that makes sense." Anne glanced at Duncan. "What about you?"

"I think I should stay here in case Natalie needs help with Nick. He could get violent."

"All right, I'll see you guys in the morning."

######

When Anne arrived back at Nick's apartment the next morning she found Natalie standing outside. She was holding a blood collection bag up to the sunlight. "What's the verdict?"

"I see no reaction at all," Natalie said. "In the past when I've done this with Nick's blood it begins to boil and becomes too hot to hold in less than a minute. I've been out here almost ten minutes and...nothing."

"That's wonderful."

Natalie smiled broadly. "Yes, it is. Let's go inside and tell the guys." The two women entered the loft. "Good news." Natalie held out the bag for Nick to see.

"Normal?" he asked.

"Sure looks like it to me." Natalie paused. "Are you ready for the next step?"

Nick took a deep breath and nodded. He picked up the remote for the blinds and opened them a crack so a small streak of light entered the room. He walked towards it, paused for a moment as he looked back at Natalie, then thrust his hand into the sun. After a few seconds he put his other hand into the light and turned both of them palm upwards.

Natalie joined Nick and put her hand on his shoulder. "Nothing?"

He didn't say anything, just took the remote and opened the blinds fully. The sun struck him in the face and he blinked at its brightness. In a few seconds he grabbed Natalie in a bear hug and swung her in a circle. "It worked! The vampire is gone!"

"That's wonderful," Anne said. She put her arm around Duncan's waist.

Duncan smiled. "It seems my very first blood donation had quite a beneficial effect."

Nick drew Natalie into his arms and kissed her passionately. When he broke the embrace, he smiled at her. "We've got about four years of catching up to do, Doctor Lambert." Letting go of Natalie, Nick went to Duncan and Anne and grabbed both of them in a hug. "I owe this all to you two. What can I ever do to repay you?" Nick let his arms drop and stepped back as Natalie joined him. She put her arm around him and laced her fingers into his.

"Live a long, productive life, raise many children, and die an old man," Duncan said. "That's the best legacy any man can have. Do this and you will have repaid me."

Nick touched Natalie's face gently. "God willing, I will." Is it really possible? Nick thought. Am I cured? He smiled down at Nat. Or will I wake up and find this is all a dream?

In the years that Natalie had known Nick, she had always held out hope that someday they would become more than friends. She looked at Anne and Duncan's smiling faces. Now, because of an accidental meeting with an old friend and her companion, she and Nick were going to have their chance at a normal life.

Several seconds of silence passed as no one quite knew what to say. "I think Anne and I should be going," Duncan said. "We need to be at the airport in a couple hours."

"Can't you stay for some breakfast?" Nick asked. "I'd like to share my first meal in over eight-hundred years with the people who allowed me to have it."

"We're going to have to take the eating slowly, I think," Natalie said, "but, yes, can't you stay a little longer?"

"No, really," Duncan moved towards the phone, "we must be going. I'll call a cab."

"We need to keep in better touch, Anne," Natalie continued.

"Yes, we do. We've always had lots in common," Anne glanced towards Duncan's back, "even our choice in men."

Natalie laughed.

Duncan rejoined the others. "The cab will be here in a few minutes." He extended his hand to Nick. "It's been good to get to know you. I hope to see you again."

"Well, don't wait a hundred years," Nick smiled at Natalie, "I won't be around."

######

Anne rushed around Natalie's apartment making sure she packed everything. "Have you called a cab yet?"

"No," Duncan said.

"Why not? Our flight leaves in just over an hour."

Duncan grabbed Anne's hands as she hurried past him. "Not our flight, your flight."

"What did you say?"

"We have to talk, Anne. Please, sit here beside me."

"What do you mean 'my flight'. We're going together, aren't we?"

Duncan pulled Anne down on the couch. "No, I'm not going with you."

"I don't understand. I thought we decided to take things slowly, but you never said you weren't coming with me."

"I gave this a lot of thought yesterday."

"You gave it thought!" Anne said angrily. "This isn't something you can decide alone!"

"That's why we're talking now."

"It sounds to me like you've already made the decision for me."

"I've made my decision, but I think you'll agree with me when you hear me out."

"I'm listening."

Duncan took a deep breath. "Like you said back in Paris, nobody knows what is going to happen and we can't live our lives on what might be. But I have a better than average chance of not living through another day."

"Why do you say that? You're Immortal. You've already lived over four-hundred years."

"It is because I am an Immortal. Most people don't have others coming after their heads with swords."

"I know that, but I've accepted that part of your life. I still want to be with you for a year or for fifty years or for however long we have."

"How can you be so sure this time? You've already left me twice."

"That was a mistake." Anne looked down at her hands, then towards the window, and finally back at Duncan. "I love you and I want to be with you."

"I love you too, Anne, but I had no intention of ever seeing you again. Our meeting here in Toronto was an accident."

Anne pulled Duncan to her and kissed him deeply. "You can't walk away from me."

"Yes, I can. I must. It's not safe for you to be around me. Someone might hurt you to get to me."

"We had this discussion before. I'm willing to take that chance."

"When one of us becomes involved with a mortal we tell you about us so you can make an informed decision about whether you want to be with us." Duncan placed his hand on Anne's abdomen. "She can't make that choice. It would be wrong to subject her to my lifestyle from birth. It was hard enough for you to accept what I am and decide you could live with the killing. Should we expect a child to understand? Would we want to?"

"You told me you wanted this baby."

"I do. I want to be a father to your child, Anne, very much. But it would be wrong. Immortals aren't supposed to have children. What if someone like Kalas comes for me and takes her? Do you want to live with that fear?"

"No," Anne said hesitantly, as the full realization of what Duncan was saying finally became clear.

"That's why I can't stay with you...and with her."

Anne covered Duncan's hand that was still on her abdomen with both of hers. "You're right, of course." The tears came to her eyes as she understood what she must do. "I could live with the danger if it was just me, but I couldn't live with myself if someone like Kalas or Daimler showed up and hurt her."

After a brief moment, Duncan stood, went to the phone and called a cab. "Your ride will be here in five minutes."

Anne wiped the tears away, and then busied herself with the last of her packing. Duncan carried the bags outside where they waited for the cab.

"Where will you go, Duncan?"

"It's better you don't know." They stood in silence. When the car arrived, Duncan hugged Anne one last time. "Go back to Seacouver and make a life for yourself and for your little girl. Forget about me."

"I'll never forget you, Duncan MacLeod." Anne got into the car and was gone.

THE END

Historical reference:

The Great Seattle Fire started at 2:40 on June 6, 1889 in McGough's cabinet shop. A glue pot caught fire, then fell or was knocked to the floor. The wood shavings on the floor provided ready fuel and from that small beginning, most of downtown Seattle was destroyed. No one died in the fire but the core of the business district of the city, anywhere from 30 to 60 square blocks, depending upon the account you read, burned in a few hours. As described in the story, the roar of the fire could be heard for miles and afterwards, many of those left homeless camped on the lake. A few buildings survived. The courthouse on Third and McConnell's grocery used in this story indeed did escape destruction. The fire burned for over twelve hours and at its height could be seen from miles away. Within three days, the city had started to rebuild, replacing the wooden structures with stone and brick. It has been said by some historians that the best thing to happen to Seattle was the Great Fire of 1889.