"Hello"

Her voice was death and sorrow itself but still held her Scottish lilt. Connor drew his claymore shifting the earth beneath him so he was ready to leap. The malcontent had appeared out of the shadows not giving him a clue of her approach.

"Aye. Who are ye?"

Connor had no time to ditty dawdle. The Dragenesti's needed him inside to contain the roaring wedding reception in the ballroom. This was supposed to be a quick five minute sweep and Connor knew that questioning and killing this malcontent could take awhile especially if his sudden desire had anything to say about it.

"I am Michelle"

The name suited her black hair and electric blue eyes. But even as Connor admired the beautiful Michelle he couldn't help but feel that she was strangely familiar. It was her definite features but more the tilt of her lips and the shadow of her jaw.

"And what do ye want?"

Michelle tilted her head and peered into his eyes considering his question. He doubted that she would answer at all which would give him a reason to grab her and lock her up down in the silver room. Not that he needed a reason to lock up a malcontent ,he reminded himself. But then she answered admittedly it was vague and gave him no clues to her presence here but it was an answer.

"To see him"

His mind raced trying to figure out who he was. Romatech had more than 75 male guards here to supervise Robby and Olivia's wedding and reception. It could be that she was looking for one of the married guards but he doubted it. All the women had placed very large wedding announcements in the newspaper. He looked into her eyes trying to will her to give up more of an answer but her lips held a stubborn line that just made the desire stirring inside him flame higher. He shook off the fire and let the wall of anger for the malcontents come to the forth of his mind. He tightened the hand on his claymore and prepared for the fight the beautiful, stubborn women was bound to put up. He took an threatening step toward her letting hate and anger and cold calculation claim his eyes. Michelle swiftly backed up slamming into a tree.

"Now Lass," he hissed between his teeth " That not a good enough answer. But I'll ask ye one thing before this sword turns ye to dust. Who. Is. He?"

She turned her head so she was staring directly into his eyes. He was shocked to see anger in her eyes not the fear usually present when he threaten a malcontent to death.

"I'm not going to tell you."

He already figured she wouldn't. She was too fierce to let a man like himself boss her around. But she had obviously not been trained to fight because in the next moment his claymore was pressed to her throat. Any solider would have been paying attention to his body not his eyes. As he pressed slightly on the sword he saw the fear he had been waiting for stir in her eyes. It left him feeling oddly hollow instead of the satisfaction he usually felt.

"And what about now Lass?"

She answered immediately. Connor smiled inwardly. The persuasive powers of his sword always amazed him. It seem that whenever held to a malcontent they couldn't stop blabbering on.

" Ian. I'm looking for Ian."

Ian. A burst of jealousy raged inside of him. Ian was married but apparently this girl didn't know. His body told him to shove against the tree and show her that there were other fish in the sea but he just stood there and answered softly in a deadly voice.

"Aye. So ye be looking for Ian now."

She nodded and he saw a flurry of emotion storm into her face. Both sorrow and joy danced a raging battle in her eyes. He wondered at the sorrow. It was not usually something he saw in a malcontents face. And it wasn't something to be seen in a lovers face either. So why did she want Ian. He looked into her eyes to see if they could reveal anything else but saw that only one emotion now adorned her beautiful face. Fear.

" Run! Please run! They're coming!"

Michelle looked frantically around, all the while pushing him urging him to leave. Connor didn't know who "they" were but the fear dancing around her face made a ball of anger erupt in his chest scorching his throat.

"No! now tell me why you want Ian. Then I will run."

Her eyelids fluttered rapidly in panic. If this was just a rouse to get him away then this would tell him everything he needed to know. Suddenly a look of gut wrenching horror ripped through her face.

"Because he is my brother! Now run!"

He threw her over his shoulder and ran.