Title: Who's Payin'
Author: Night Of The Land
Rating: K
Disclaimers: I don't own Highlander. I do own Claira; however, I am simply playing with Connor for a little bit. I promise I shall give him back.
Summary: A simple interlude in the lives of two Immortals.
A/N: My first fan fiction for this genre. Hope it's alright.
Breathing out Claira brought the delicately curved Katana around in a low arc. She stilled her body and willed her mind to calm. Taking a deep breath she spun on her heel and brought the ancient weapon around behind her and ended in a back stance, the sword held at shoulder level tip pointed forward. Breathing out she thrust the weapon forward. Spinning quickly she blocked an attack from an invisible weapon. She brought the Katana down and around in a graceful arc pushing the invisible weapon away from her.
The sound of a blade being drawn brought a smile to her face. She spun and blocked an attack from the newly arrived opponent. The sound of the blades meeting rang out through the large practice room.
"Very good." An accented male voice commented.
Claira smiled. "Yes, well I suppose I ought be flattered that the great Conner MacLeod is complementing me." She told him as she spun away from him
Conner raised an eyebrow. "I don't know about the whole 'The Great' thing, but you are welcome." He said barely able to keep from grinning.
Claira shook her head. She had known Conner almost forever. Conner and his kinsmen, Duncan, where the ones that had found her wandering aimlessly around the Oriental Countries. They had helped her come to terms with the fact she couldn't die; they had also helped her hone the sword skills that she already had. Now she could hold her own. Needless to say she wasn't the best, far from it in fact, but she still had her head.
"Well what are you doing here, Conner?" she asked as she began gathering her stuff.
Sheathing his sword, he walked over next to her. She looked up at him and raised a delicalty-arched eyebrow.
"I wanted to give you something." He said almost shyly.
Claira gave him a look. "Oh really?" she asked, "Since when did you started delivering gifs personally. Usually you just call me up and say, 'we've to meet, Cla.'"
The older Immortal gave her a slightly hurt look.
"Well, I happened to remember that it was your birthday today, and I found something that you might like, young lass." He told her.
Her deep brown eyes sparkled, "Eh, well that's good enough fer me!"
Conner grinned at her, and pulled a little silver box from the inner right hand pocket of his coat. It was tied with a little silver bow that was slightly deformed. He handed it to the raven haired Immortal. She took it with a questioning look.
MacLeod gave a little embarrassed laugh and scratched the back of his head. "One would think that when one lives for almost 5 centuries that one would know how to tie a bow. Hehe, guess not, eh?" he said.
She laughed and touched the deformed bow gently. "Oh it doesn't look that bad, MacLeod. I've seen worse." She told him. She fingered the silver ribbon.
"I thought it was still yer favorite colour. Hope I was right." Conner said.
Claira nodded and smiled at him. "Can I open it?"
"Sure" was the simple reply.
Carefully she slid the bow off the box. She wanted to keep so that she would have something to tease him about later. She gently took the lip off the box. Inside nestled in white cotton lay a flat silver pendant on a chain. With trembling hands she lifted the necklace from the box and inspected it. Tears clouded her eyes. On the pendant a Japanese symbol was etched in to the smooth surface. Below that an inscription read:
We will love you forever, our daughter.
Looking up at the grinning Conner she managed to choke out, "Where on earth did you find this?"
"In Paris actually. An antique dealer, who is also a good friend of mine, had it. He truly had no idea what he had." Conner said somewhat thoughtfully.
Claira hugged Conner tightly as she cried gratefully into his jacket. The Scottish highlander held the weeping girl know that this was what he had suspected would happen. Claira had been shattered the day she had lost it. She had said it was the she had from her parents. She said they had given it to her for her eighteenth birthday.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, Conner." She sobbed, her words slightly muffled.
Pulling back slightly Conner offered, "Let me put it on for you."
Claira nodded and handed him the little necklace. Pulling her hair up she turned so the smiling Scot could place it around her neck. When it was firmly clasped she turned back to him as she fingered it.
"What are you doing to night?" Conner asked.
"Not much. Why?" Claira replied.
"Well I thought that in honor of your birthday that we might have dinner." He told the raven haired Immortal.
Claira grinned at him. "Oi! Thought you'd never ask! I'm starving!" she said as she pulled her coat on and grabbed her bag.
"Knew you would be." Conner laughed, "You were always eating and nothing has changed in the last century it seems."
Brown eyes filled with mirth and Claira punched him in the shoulder lightly, "Not my fault!" she exclaimed, "yer the one who was trying to work me to death!"
MacLeod rubbed his shoulder ruefully, and shook his head. " Well apparently you didn't die." He said laughing softly.
A thoughtful look passed over Claira's face. "Well, I did drown myself once, put that was a total accident!"
Conner sighed. He remembered that incident. It hadn't been one of Claira's best moments.
"So where are we going for dinner?" she asked.
"How bout Michcelie's?" Conner suggested.
"Read my mind!" Claira grinned.
MacLeod nodded. "I have tendency to do that." He said jokingly.
The girl shook her head and laughed.
"Shall we?" he asked offering her his arm.
Taking it Claira smiled, "Of course, Master MacLeod."
Together they stared out of the building. Claira's bag slung over her shoulder, her right arm linked with Conner's left. A smile fixed gently on cherry lips. Turning to Conner, her face suddenly very serious, she asked in a dark tone:
"So who's paying?"