Highlander

"Little Immortals"

Summary:Richie has a 'little' accident. Can Duncan cope raising a seven year old Immortal...especially one as reckless, impulsive, and smart-assed as Richard H. Ryan?

Methos has a 'little' mishap and Connor is enlisted to help out with him. Can he handle a sarcastic, rude, and generally bratty 5,000 year old teenager?

Author's Note: This takes place any time after season 3.

Warning:SPANKING!!!!! DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. I just wrote this story for fun.

Chapter 20: The Quickening

Prague was an ancient city.

Its age seemed to seep from it, a reminder of its old—very—old history.

"I've never liked Prague," Methos grumbled, as the five Immortals made their way to the address Joe had given Mac.

"Brings back bad memories?" Conner asked, curiously.

The oldest living teenager shrugged. "Most of my memories are bad ones," he told him, truthfully.

"These any worse than usual?" the older Highlander asked, draping an arm around his shoulders.

"Not particularly," Methos said. "A woman I knew—and loved—was killed here, that's all."

"Ah," Conner said, understanding. He didn't comment, knowing nothing more needed to be said.

"Do you really think this crystal will turn us back?" Richie asked Mac, as he they walked side by side.

Mac glanced down at him and placed a hand on his head. "Not sure, Rich," he told him, truthfully.

"Oh," Richie said, seemingly disappointed. What was wrong with him?

He should have been excited, thrilled even, at the chance to return to his normal size, but for some strange reason he wasn't.

Why was that?

He couldn't...he couldn't possibly want to stay a kid, could he?

He glanced up at Mac. Who was he kidding?

With the Highlander as a dad, who wouldn't want to stay a kid a forever?

He sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Tired, Tough Guy?" Mac asked, concerned.

"Not really," the boy answered, "just thinkin', that's all."

"Don't think too hard," Mac teased, rubbing the top of his head, "otherwise you might hurt something."

"Hey," Richie said, wrinkling his nose, "are you making fun of me?"

Mac chuckled. "Maybe," he said, "what if I am?"

The boy smirked. "Then I'd have to challenge you," he said, pantomiming swishing a sword.

"Oh no, anything but that," the Highlander said, laughing.

"Yeah, Duncan would hate to be shown up by a little upstart like you, Rich," Conner said, smiling wickedly. "It'd injure his delicate ego..."

Mac scowled at his clansman. "How about I damage your delicate ass," he growled at his older kinsman.

Conner smirked. "You're welcome to try," he told him.

"Humph," Mac grumbled, snorting. "No one likes a show off, Conner."

"Nor a braggert," the older Highlander replied, nonplussed. "Thank goodness I'm neither, eh?"

"Uh huh," Mac said, showing just what he thought of that.

"You know," Kenny said, "we could all be walking into a trap right now and you all are acting like this is just another day at the park."

"Oh, please," Methos said, rolling his eyes, "like there's anyone out there capable of getting the drop on the three of us. Conner and Mac are two of the finest swordsmen in the world and I've lived more lives than most...I've seen every form of ambush there is."

"Over confidence will get you killed," the eight hundred year old boy replied. "Trust me, I know."

"Guess you learned that from all those poor fools you murdered, huh?" the world's oldest teenager stated, sneering.

"I had to survive," Kenny defended himself. "I never said I enjoyed it."

"Coulda fooled us," Richie muttered, rolling his eyes.

"All right," Mac said, firmly, "put a sock in it, you three. We're almost there."

The three boys, wisely, shut their mouths.

They arrived at the address; which, naturally, was a chapel, and went inside.

Upon entering, they discovered that they didn't sense another Immortal anywhere nearby.

"Excuse me," Conner spoke to a man in a habit, "but we are looking for Father Stephen, could you tell us where he is?"

The man blinked, surprised that he had spoken in his native tongue.

"He mentioned something about an errand," the man replied, in rough English. "He did not say when he would return."

Conner nodded. "Thank you," he said, and joined the others.

"Damn it," Methos swore, ignoring the glares from the priest, patrons, and two Scotsmen sent his way.

"C'mon," Mac said, ushering them back. "We'll come back another time."

"What if that 'errand' was a challenge?" the 5,000 year old stated. "Just because he is a priest, doesn't mean he follows the same creed as Darius."

"I know that," the younger Highlander growled, "but we have no way of knowing for sure unless—"

He stopped, as a sensation like an electric shock washed over him. From the looks on their faces, the others felt it too.

"A Quickening," Conner said, gulping. "Close by, too."

"Over there," Methos stated, positively. He pointed to a clump of woods just behind the chapel.

"Let's go check it out," Richie suggested, his eyes wide.

"Conner and I will go," Mac told him. "You three get your butts back in that church and stay there."

"I'm not helpless, MacLeod," Methos growled, angrily.

"He knows that," Conner told him, "but we need you to keep an eye on these two and make sure they don't follow us."

Methos sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, "c'mon, Brats. Back inside." He started ushering the other two back into the chapel.

Once they were inside, Mac and Conner raced into the nearby stand of trees.

It did not take them long to find the site of the Quickening.

"Damn it!" Mac swore loudly, upon seeing the decapitated body.

It was wearing the habit of a priest and a crucifix...but not crystal.

"It seems," Conner stated, raising an eyebrow, "someone has beaten us to it."

Mac nodded, glancing around. "Whoever it was made a quick getaway, too," he growled, angrily.

His older kinsman placed a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon," he said, "we need to call the police and then head back to the hotel."

"What are we gonna do now, Conner?" Mac asked him, helplessly.

Conner shrugged. "Not sure," he said, "let's go talk to the boys and see what they want to do. This should be their decision, Duncan, not ours."

Mac nodded.

Together, they turned and headed back for the chapel.

TBC...

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