Disclaimers: The characters Duncan MacLeod, Tessa Noel, Richie Ryan as well as all other immortals mentioned belong to Rysher. I've only borrowed them for a short time. All other characters belong to me.
This story takes place during the first season, sometime after A Bad Day in Building A
The Long Wait by Dawn Cunningham
Duncan carefully placed the box containing one of Tessa's sculptures in the backseat of the T-bird. A local bank had bought it and they were supposed to be delivering it this morning. That is, if he could ever get Tessa and Richie out to the car. He headed back into the antique store to see what was holding them up.
He found Richie in the kitchen. No big surprise there. The younger man had his head buried in the refrigerator. "How can you possibly be hungry, Richie? Breakfast was only an hour ago."
"Hey, I've got to keep my strength up if I'm going to be running around town all day with you guys." Richie grinned over his shoulder at Duncan.
"Well try running yourself out to the car." Duncan continued his search for Tessa. One down, one to go.
Where was she? It didn't make any sense. Earlier this morning, it had been Tessa who had been hounding him. He had thought he would never find a crate for her sculpture that would satisfy her. They were either too big, too small, or too flimsy. He had struggled to remain patient but by the time she finished supervising the packing, he'd been tempted to tell her that she could deliver the sculpture herself. He managed to cool down while showering and changing his clothes. Now she was missing.
He finally found Tessa changing clothes in their bedroom. Clothes lay scattered over their bed as if she had taken everything out of the closet in her search for the perfect outfit. "Why are you changing again?" he asked with some exasperation as he cleared a space and sat down on the bed.
"The other suit just wasn't right. I want to look professional when I meet with the bank officials this morning." Her tone was that of a parent explaining the obvious to a child.
"You've already sold your sculpture to the bank. You could show up in jeans and they would still want it."
"You never know who may be there. I want to make a good impression in case I meet any future clients," Tessa turned from putting on new earrings and pulled him up off the bed. "Why are you still sitting there, Mac? I don't want to be late."
Duncan followed her out to the car, shaking his head as he went.
They found Richie already sitting in the back seat of the T-bird. "What took you guys so long?" he smirked, jauntily waving around the half eaten apple in his hand.
"Thank goodness *you* know how to be on time, Richie," Tessa said as Duncan helped her into the passenger seat.
Duncan just rolled his eyes as he went around to the driver's seat. "Why me?" he muttered to himself.
* HL * HL
It figured. It was turning into one of *those* days. Every parking place near the bank already had a car occupying it. Since it was the height of the tourist season, it shouldn't have surprised him. This area of town attracted tourists with lots of artsy craftsy types of stores.
After several minutes of fruitless searching, Duncan finally decided to drop Tessa and Richie off before he parked the car. He pulled into the no parking zone in front of the bank and they all got out. Duncan pulled the crate with Tessa's artwork from the backseat.
"Hey, you can't park there."
Duncan looked over at the sidewalk. A bank guard stood there with a belligerent look on his face.
{What else can go wrong,} Duncan thought. He tried to explain. "I'll come back and move the car after I take this box inside. It will only take me a few minutes."
"You'll move the car now or I'll have it towed away. I've been ordered to keep this spot clear of all cars." From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he wasn't happy with his work assignment.
Duncan sighed with frustration. He handed the crate to Richie who staggered slightly from the weight. "Can you handle it by yourself, Richie?" he asked with some concern.
Richie looked a bit miffed at the question. "Of course I can, Mac. No problem," he managed to huff out. He headed for the bank doors with his burden.
Tessa hurried after him. "Be careful, Richie."
"Not you too, Tessa," Richie whined.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," Duncan called as he got back into the car. Tessa just waved as she held the doors open for Richie.
It took almost ten minutes before Duncan finally found a parking spot five blocks away. It wasn't exactly in the best part of town so he decided to take the time to roll up the windows, put the top up and lock the car. In the process, he discovered the remains of Richie's apple on the floor in the backseat. Looking around, he spotted trash cans sitting in the alley near where he had parked and he pitched the apple core into one of them. The trash can was filthy so he returned to the T-bird and got a rag from the trunk to wipe his hands off.
"When I get my hands on that kid..." he growled to himself.
As he finally headed for the bank, he could hear sirens. It sounded like six or seven different vehicles and headed for this area. {Must be a fire somewhere.} As he rounded the last corner to the bank, the sight that greeted his eyes brought him to a dead stop.
The street had been blocked off at both ends by police cars, their lights still flashing. Even as he stood there stunned, a SWAT van pulled up and disgorged more officers, all heavily armed and wearing bullet proof vests. He watched as they took up positions around the bank.
The bank! Oh no... Tessa... Richie.
Duncan dashed for the bank door but a young police officer stopped him. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step back behind the police line."
"I have to get to the bank, my friends are in there!"
"I can't let you do that, sir. I'm real sorry about your friends but you can't help them by becoming a hostage too."
The young officer was very nervous and Duncan briefly wondered if this was his first assignment.
"Can you at least tell me what happened?" Duncan pleaded.
The young officer looked hesitant for moment. "I shouldn't be saying this but I do know that a silent alarm was activated and some people walking by the bank heard gunshots inside."
"Was anyone inside the bank hurt?"
"I honestly don't know. I wish I could tell you more but I can't."
Duncan sensed the young man was telling the truth and knew he couldn't get any more information from this source. He decided to back off to assess the situation. The bank doors were made of smoked glass so he couldn't see what was happening inside of the bank. It was obvious that there wasn't anyway to get inside from the front without being noticed. Duncan doubted that the employee's entrance at the back of the bank would be any better but he had to try.
Once he got there, his doubts were confirmed. That entrance was also heavily guarded. That just left the roof. He looked at the surrounding buildings trying to figure out the best way to get to the bank roof. Before he had decided, he heard a police helicopter coming. He watched as more SWAT officers were swung down on ropes onto the bank's roof. His hopes squashed, he headed back to the front of the bank to try a more direct approach.
Duncan walked up to the first police officer he saw. Wainwright, his name tag said. He was a big man, both in height and width. In some ways he reminded MacLeod of Slan Quince.
"I want to see whoever's in charge," he demanded.
"That's impossible. He's busy right now. Can I help you?"
"No, but I can help you, maybe go in and negotiate with the robbers..." {Anything to get inside}, he thought.
"I can assure you that we have highly trained people already doing the negotiations now. The only way you can help is by staying out of everyone's way."
"If you'd just let me talk to someone in charge..." Duncan was quickly losing what little control he had on his patience. He tried to push past the officer blocking his way.
Wainwright was also losing control of his patience too. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" He grabbed MacLeod's arm and spun him back around. "I don't know who you think you are and I don't care. But if you don't get back behind that barricade, I'll personally haul your ass down to jail and have you locked up," the officer snarled.
Duncan stared down at Wainwright's baton pushing against his chest. While he could have easily disarmed Wainwright, the threat of being taken away from here was more than he was willing to risk. "Okay. Okay. You've made your point." He moved back behind the barricade, fuming as he went.
"If I see you put even one toe over that line, you'll being getting a personalized tour of the city jail," Wainwright threatened as he went back to his assigned post.
Duncan angrily paced back and forth. He couldn't believe that officious jerk wanted to arrest him just for trying to help. It was obvious the guy was on a major power trip. People like that didn't belong on the police force.
The adrenaline in his body was demanding that he take action but he could do nothing. Nothing at all. If he had been at home or by himself, he would have done a kata to try to relax but he couldn't do that on this crowded street. They would haul him away for sure.
The whole situation reminded him of the last time Tessa and Richie had been used as hostages at the courthouse. At least that time, Duncan had managed to get inside so that he could help them. This time he was on the outside and could only wait helplessly and worry.
Quite a crowd had gathered by now. Most of them appeared to be tourists or the kind of people who stopped to rubberneck at accident scenes. Duncan looked at them with disbelief. How could they stand around calmly drinking their sodas and casually discussing amongst themselves what was happening? Didn't they know that his whole life was inside the bank? Didn't they care that Tessa or Richie may already be dead?
Duncan knew Richie couldn't die, at least not permanently, from gunfire. However, he hoped the youngster would have a chance to grow up some more before he became immortal. It was one of the reasons he had taken Richie into his home and his life. Plus if Richie died in such a public way, Duncan knew that he would have to send the boy away to be trained by another immortal. There would be too big of a risk that someone would spot the young man living and breathing when he was supposed to be dead.
For the first time since he had known the boy, Duncan realized that the young thief had managed to steal something from MacLeod after all. He had stolen a piece of his heart. If Richie had to be sent away, he would leave a hole behind in Duncan's life that would be hard to fill. Duncan didn't even want to think about the consequences if Richie came back to life in front of a crowd of people. Right now, Duncan could only pray that Richie managed to keep his mouth and his attitude under control so that he wouldn't antagonize the bank robbers.
"Quite a situation isn't it?" A well-dressed young man was standing by his side. "Do you know anyone inside the bank?"
"Yes, I have two friends in there," Duncan responded absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere. The man disappeared back into the crowd.
Minutes later, the young man returned, this time accompanied by another man carrying a professional looking video camera.
Suddenly a bright spotlight blinded MacLeod. He heard the young man start to talk.
"This is Jack Kimble, WXRA News and we're standing here talking to a man who knows two of the hostages. What's your name, sir?"
Duncan stared in disbelief. "Leave me alone," he growled and turned away.
The reporter followed him. "Okay, if you don't want to tell us your name, why don't you tell us what you're feeling, knowing that your friends may be hurt or even dead."
With a snarl, Duncan shoved the insensitive reporter away, sending him lurching back into his cameraman. They both sprawled to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye Duncan could see Officer Wainwright head towards them. Duncan looked around for an escape route but it was impossible.
"What's going on here?" Wainwright asked the reporter.
"You saw it. He attacked me without provocation! If that camera is damaged, he's going to have to pay for it," Kimble ranted. "I demand that you arrest him."
Wainwright turned to MacLeod. "Did you agree to an interview with him?"
"No," was all Duncan managed to say through his clenched teeth. It took a supreme effort of will to stop from hitting either the reporter or the officer.
Wainwright turned back to the reporter. "Okay. That does it, Kimble. You've been warned about harassing people before. Let's go." He grabbed the reporter's arm and dragged him away.
Duncan just watched in amazement. He had been so certain that Wainwright was going to arrest him that the relief was overwhelming. He found himself revising his earlier opinion of the police officer.
* HL * HL *
Duncan started moving through the crowd, trying to find a place close enough so that he could at least sense the young immortal-to-be. No matter where he moved though, he couldn't sense him. {That doesn't mean anything... he's just too far away}
Suddenly his eyes were drawn to the bank doors. A bank guard had just exited through them, hands in the air. A shot rang out and the guard crumpled to the ground. A disembodied voice come from inside. "We've already killed one woman and we'll kill another one next if you don't meet our demands!" The bank door swung shut.
Please not Tessa... Anyone but Tessa. A small part of Duncan's mind felt shame that he could wish harm to another person, especially a woman but the selfish part of him wanted Tessa to be safe. Just the thought that she may already be dead sent a shaft of pain through his heart. He didn't know how he could go on without her. Resolutely, he put those thoughts behind him. He would think positively. She was going to be fine. She was going to be fine. Maybe if he said it often enough, it would be true. She was going to be fine. She was going to be... The soft sound of crying broke into his thoughts. He looked around and spotted a young woman nearby trying to dry her tears with the remains of a shredded tissue.
For some reason he felt compelled to help her. It was obvious that she must know someone in the bank. He walked over and offered her his handkerchief. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes... No... Oh, I don't know," she replied. "My husband is a teller in the bank. We've only been married a year! I'm so afraid..." She couldn't continue as sobs choked her voice.
He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder and tried to reassure her. "I'm sure he will be all right." He attempted to distract her. "My name's Duncan MacLeod. What's yours?"
"Jennifer Roberts. Do you know anyone in there?" She gestured towards the bank.
"Yes..." Before he could elaborate an older couple ran up to them.
"Jennifer, there you are! We thought we would never find you in this crowd!"
"Mom! Dad! Thank god you're here!"
Duncan watched as they led her away, arms around her, comforting her. He felt a stab of jealousy, a desire to have someone put their arms around him and comfort him. It wasn't fair. Just when he had found someone who would understand what he was going through.
In all of his four hundred years, Duncan could never remember feeling this helpless. He wondered if this was what Tessa went through every time he went to face an immortal. If it was, he didn't know what kept her from going insane. He remembered a conversation they had several weeks earlier on that very subject. Tessa had claimed that having Richie there helped her through the long waits. At the time, Duncan thought she was only trying to make him feel better about inflicting his lifestyle on her. Now he wondered how true it was. Would having a friend here make it any easier?
Duncan thought about who he might call. He really didn't have any close friends here in town. He tried to avoid becoming too close to most mortals. It made it that much more difficult to leave when the time came to move on. It was too hard to explain why he never looked any older.
He had a lot of immortal friends but they lived scattered around the world. By the time any of them could get here, the whole situation would be over. If they had lived here, who would he have called? Connor? Definitely. Fitzcairn? No, he would be chasing after all of the pretty women in the crowd. Amanda? No, she would end up checking out the jewelry stores in the area looking for something to steal. Kit O'Brady? No, he would probably start taking wagers on how many people would die. Darius? He would be a good choice but Duncan couldn't imagine Darius ever leaving his sanctuary. Deep inside, MacLeod knew he was misjudging his friends. If push came to shove, they would all be there for him.
Oh, this was pointless. Why was he wasting time thinking about things that could never be? {Because it stops you from thinking about what may be happening to Tessa,} a small voice inside him whispered.
How much longer could it possibly be? Duncan looked at his watch. Then he looked again. It had been less than two hours since this had started. It felt like years to him. And there was no way to know how much longer the standoff would continue.
Someone had started to pass out cups of coffee but his stomach was churning so badly he doubted if he would be able to keep it down. He definitely didn't need the caffeine boost.
His mind started to wander through his memories of Tessa. Images sprang to his mind. Tessa, hot and sweaty, wrestling with pieces of metal as she worked on one of her sculptures. Her graceful hands working a piece of clay into a thing of beauty. Her calm and sophisticated way of dealing with customers in the shop. Her anger at him when he tried to send her away whenever another immortal was after him. Her eyes, glowing with love when she looked at him. Her smile...
His attention snapped back to the present. Something was happening. It looked like the SWAT team was starting to move in. Oh God, they were going to storm the bank. He watched in horror as they shot tear gas canisters into the bank. A few moments later the officers rushed through the bank doors. Sounds of gunshots came from inside. Duncan moaned. {Tessa... Richie}
Once the SWAT team signaled the all clear, the activity around the bank changed. Paramedics, firemen, and police officers all wearing gas masks started helping people from the bank. Some walked out with assistance, others had to be carried out on stretchers. There were so many people going in and out that Duncan was unable to see if Tessa or Richie were amongst them.
Duncan spotted the police officer he had talked to first. He worked his way over to where the young man was trying to keep the crowd back.
"Please, I need to find my friends," he pleaded with the officer.
At first, Duncan thought the young man would refuse. He tried to think of something else he could say but could only come up with one word. "Please."
"All right." The officer quickly glanced around. "Just don't tell anyone that I let you in."
"I promise." Duncan briefly touched the young man's arm as he went by. "Thank you."
He frantically searched through the crowd looking for Tessa and Richie. Finally, he spotted Tessa. She lay on a gurney with an oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. He ran the few remaining feet to her side.
"Tessa, please Tessa, tell me you're all right?" He begged. He gently took her hand in his and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "How bad is it?" he choked out to the paramedic who had just returned to her side.
"She's going to be fine. The oxygen is just a precaution after the tear gas. And now I'm going to rinse her eyes which should help with the burning sensation she's feeling right now." He calmly proceeded to do so. "There, does that feel better?"
Tessa nodded her head.
"Good. Just leave the oxygen mask on for a while and I'll be back to check on you later." He gave them a cheerful smile as he headed off to help another patient.
"Tessa, are you sure you're not hurt?" Duncan asked again, seeking reassurance. "I've been so worried."
Tessa smiled at him and nodded her head. With her free hand she reached up and stroked his cheek, wiping away the tears that rolled unknowingly down his face. Suddenly she frowned.
"What is it? What's wrong? Should I get the paramedic?" the words tumbled from Duncan's mouth.
"Richie?" she managed to croak out, her voice hoarse from the effects of the tear gas.
"I don't know. I hadn't found him yet. We'll look for him after you feel better."
Tessa glared at him. "Now!"
"No, I don't want to leave you alone!"
"Duncan! Now!" Tessa started to sit up.
"Okay, I'll go. Just lie back down and rest and I'll go look for him." Duncan gently pressed her back down on the stretcher. He kissed her on the cheek. "Now don't go away," he managed to grin at her.
Once again he started wandering through the area. He sensed Richie before he actually found him. He realized that it was the buzz of a pre-immortal and a feeling of relief washed over him. It took him a few moments to spot the boy sitting on a nearby gurney. As he approached Richie, he started cataloging his injuries. Eyes, watering from the tear gas, nose and mouth covered by an oxygen mask, just like Tessa. There were no other apparent injuries, it looked like the boy had gotten off lightly too.
"How are you doing, Rich?" He ruffled the young man's hair.
Richie batted his hand away and took the oxygen mask off. "I'm fine. Just another normal day. Held hostage, my life threatened, tear-gassed, what more could a guy ask for?" he replied sarcastically, the tough street kid persona in full force.
"Nothing like a little excitement to spice up your life," Duncan teased. He wanted to reach out and hug the boy but wasn't sure how Richie would react.
"Have you found Tessa yet? They put us in separate rooms from the start. I...I don't know what happened to her." For a brief moment, the boy's mask slipped and his eyes became shadowed with memories of events that had happened earlier that day.
{Maybe he didn't get off so lightly after all,} Duncan thought. "She's just fine," he reassured the boy. "She insisted I come find you right away. And when she uses that tone of voice..."
"Yeah, I know. I've heard that tone often enough." Richie smiled tentatively.
Duncan had originally planned on finding Richie and then immediately returning to Tessa's side. Now he felt torn between them, wanting to be with both of them but unable to do so.
Richie resolved the problem for him. He turned to the paramedic treating him. "I feel fine now, can I leave?"
The paramedic checked him over once more and agreed. He advised them to see their own doctor if Richie's eyes bothered him or if a cough or rash developed. He took down Richie's name and address, stating that someone would be by in the next few days to get his statement and sent them on their way.
Together, they headed back to where Duncan had left Tessa. Duncan kept one arm draped around Richie's shoulders to reassure himself that the boy was actually there, safe and sound. They found Tessa giving the same information to her paramedic.
"Richie, are you all right?" She looked the young man over carefully.
"Yeah, I'm okay. What about you?"
"I'm fine now that I know you are all right." She smiled at him and sat up.
Duncan gently assisted her from the stretcher. Once Tessa was back on her feet, he pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair. He couldn't decide which one of them was trembling more. After a few moments, he heard a slight shuffling sound to his right. He saw Richie scowling at the ground as he kicked at some gravel on the street. Smiling, Duncan reached out with his right arm and pulled Richie into the embrace as well. "Thank God you're both okay. Let's go home."
As they started to leave the area, Duncan noticed Jennifer Roberts and her parents standing beside another gurney. They were all crying as a paramedic raised the sheet over a young man's head. Duncan felt a stab of guilt. His friends were fine but her husband was gone. He debated going over to talk to her but finally, he decided not to. She was with her parents and he was practically a stranger.
"What is it?" Tessa asked as she noticed his hesitation.
"I'll tell you later," he promised. "Let's go home now."
With one arm around Tessa's waist and the other around Richie's shoulders, he headed them towards the car. Once there, Duncan learned that the day's traumas weren't over with yet.
The T-bird sat waiting exactly where he parked it. No graffiti had been painted on it. No hubcaps had been stolen. Nor had the top been slashed open. The radio was still intact. Instead Duncan found... a flat tire.
In a totally irrational response, Duncan kicked the flat tire. Hard. Too hard. The soft leather shoes didn't protect his feet like his boots did. Hearing Tessa and Richie laughing as he hopped around on one foot didn't help his mood any. "When I get back home, I'm going back to bed, pull the covers over my head and forget this day ever happened," he threatened.
"Sounds like fun," Tessa grinned. "Maybe I'll just join you there."
"Is that all you two ever think about?" Richie complained as he took the car keys from MacLeod. "What about food? It's been hours since we last ate. A person could starve to death around you..." His voice trailed off as he searched through the trunk for the tire jack.
Duncan and Tessa just smiled at each other, their eyes making promises of things to come.
{Maybe it's going to be a good day after all,} Duncan thought.
The end.