CHAPTER 6:
As his car sped through the gates of the Luxembourg Gardens, Duncan MacLeod saw
lightning pierce the sunlit sky; the Quickening. Eyes bulging, not even bothering to shut
off his car, Mac ran towards the maelstrom, which was harder to find after it had ended.
The first thing he saw as he came through the trees was a headless body. To his relief, it
was much too large to be Rochelle. Shell-Belle was still on her knees, head bowed, now
more in shame than anything else. MacLeod could see how shaken she was, how her
body shivered and shook silently. He knelt by her side. "Your first?"
She turned her head slightly, "You think?" He reached out and touched her shoulder.
Rochelle collapsed against him, and held him so tightly, he thought she'd crack a few
ribs. She was cold to the touch and he wrapped his long trench coat over her leather
jacket. He unwrapped her fingers from his waist and she looked up at him. "Am I in
trouble?" Her voice was like that of a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Not really." MacLeod lifted her in his arms; and in one move, flipped her sword, which
had been lying on the ground, up in the air. Then he caught it. Once they were both in the
green jeep, she gave him his coat back. Laughing quietly, she turned her head to look at
him. "Seven years, during the Gathering no less, and that was my first Quickening."
"How'd you manage that?" MacLeod asked, turning the heat on.
Rochelle grinned. "God, I avoided us like the plague after Frank's death. If I ever felt
another coming, I'd run like hell in the other direction."
She was beginning to sound like Methos. They would have to be introduced. MacLeod
stared out the window, "You took a chance coming to find me."
She shook her head. "No I didn't."
Mac turned the wheel and drove away from the Gardens. He thought Rochelle had fallen
asleep when he heard her murmur a familiar name. He slammed on the brakes. "Who?"
"He's the ancient Immortal I was telling you about; he was Frank's teacher."
MacLeod was flabbergasted. "And you knew we knew each other."
Rochelle nodded.
"And you didn't tell me?" The Highlander asked, astonished. His pupil shrugged.
MacLeod then realized that their mutual friend could have ended the feud with the giant
years ago. "Why didn't he just finish it?"
She turned to face her teacher, amused how incredulous he was. "You know what he's
like; he's not like you or Amanda or Frank. He's worse than I am, er, was; if he feels
another Immortal coming, he makes tracks. Confrontation isn't something he enjoys."
Duncan furrowed his brow. "Yes it is! He's constantly being a royal pain in the ass."
Shelly smiled. "Who do you think I got it from?"
Behind them, cars leaned on their horns. MacLeod drove onward, towards the Immortal's
apartment.
* * *
He and Alexa were standing on a beach, in the south of France, watching a
Mediterranean sunset. Clothed in a purple bikini that set off her hair, she was holding on
to his arms and leaning against him, content. He gently kissed her hair, relishing an
emotion he hadn't felt in years. His lips moved over her skull, down her face, finding
their final destination at her lips. Suddenly, his love collapsed...
And he was standing over her hospital bed, watching with great despair as he saw tubes
running in and out of her once healthy body. Monitors made bleeping noises that were
bloody annoying. He raked his hands through his short brown hair, feeling tears well up
in his eyes. His craggy face was contorted with pain. Alexa's eyes fluttered open. She
whispered his name.
"Adam."
He crouched down and stroked her hair. "I'm here my love. I told you I'd be back."
She smiled feebly. "I knew you would. I knew I had to hold on." Her beautiful face
twisted with pain and she squeezed his hand. He whispered soothing words into her ear.
"I'm cold." she murmured. He gently eased himself into the small bed and held her
protectively, hoping to give her some of his Immortality.
"Are you tired, my love?" he asked, wishing to God she'd say no. She nodded slowly.
"Then close your eyes." His voice was choked with tears. "Close your eyes and sleep
Alexa. I'll stay with you." Moments later, he felt her sag against him and heard the heart
monitor flat line. He held his beloved against him, whispering her name, as if to make
sure it was permanently seared into his memory. A nurse came in and turned off the
monitors and began removing the IV line from her hand. "Sleep, Alexa. Sleep."
Methos was jarred out of his dream. His eyes flew open as he felt Immortals approach.
Confused and alarmed, he grabbed his sword. Amanda and MacLeod never visited him.
Clothed merely in boxer shorts, he moved silently to the door and pulled it open, sword
out. He dropped it as he saw Rochelle and MacLeod standing before him in the hallway.
He noticed Shelly's hand was over her stomach. He smiled coyly. "It still makes you
want to wretch, doesn't it?" His former pupil's pupil breezed past him. Methos turned to
Mac. "When she senses others, she has to struggled to keep from displaying her dinner."
"You didn't have to tell him that." Shelly said, coming back with a glass of water. She
pulled MacLeod inside.
Methos shrugged. "I like to hear myself talk."
"No kidding." MacLeod said. They sat in the kitchen chairs.
"It's done?" The elder Immortal asked.
Rochelle nodded and set her water lass down on the table. "Yeah."
Methos looked at MacLeod. "You?"
"Me." Rochelle stated.
"You?"
"Her." Duncan said, finding the dialogue comedic.
Methos rolled his eyes.
"I stopped running." She stood up and walked behind him. Standing there, she slapped
his shoulder. "But I wouldn't have had to have run if you'd just taken care of it." She
slapped his shoulder again. "You."
Again.
"Nearly."
Again.
"Got me."
Again.
"Killed."
Again.
"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?"
"You could have ended it." MacLeod said flat out.
Methos shrugged in his usual, annoying way. Then, also in his usual, annoying way. "Do
you know how early it is?"
Rochelle slapped him again.
MacLeod laughed heartily.
As his car sped through the gates of the Luxembourg Gardens, Duncan MacLeod saw
lightning pierce the sunlit sky; the Quickening. Eyes bulging, not even bothering to shut
off his car, Mac ran towards the maelstrom, which was harder to find after it had ended.
The first thing he saw as he came through the trees was a headless body. To his relief, it
was much too large to be Rochelle. Shell-Belle was still on her knees, head bowed, now
more in shame than anything else. MacLeod could see how shaken she was, how her
body shivered and shook silently. He knelt by her side. "Your first?"
She turned her head slightly, "You think?" He reached out and touched her shoulder.
Rochelle collapsed against him, and held him so tightly, he thought she'd crack a few
ribs. She was cold to the touch and he wrapped his long trench coat over her leather
jacket. He unwrapped her fingers from his waist and she looked up at him. "Am I in
trouble?" Her voice was like that of a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
"Not really." MacLeod lifted her in his arms; and in one move, flipped her sword, which
had been lying on the ground, up in the air. Then he caught it. Once they were both in the
green jeep, she gave him his coat back. Laughing quietly, she turned her head to look at
him. "Seven years, during the Gathering no less, and that was my first Quickening."
"How'd you manage that?" MacLeod asked, turning the heat on.
Rochelle grinned. "God, I avoided us like the plague after Frank's death. If I ever felt
another coming, I'd run like hell in the other direction."
She was beginning to sound like Methos. They would have to be introduced. MacLeod
stared out the window, "You took a chance coming to find me."
She shook her head. "No I didn't."
Mac turned the wheel and drove away from the Gardens. He thought Rochelle had fallen
asleep when he heard her murmur a familiar name. He slammed on the brakes. "Who?"
"He's the ancient Immortal I was telling you about; he was Frank's teacher."
MacLeod was flabbergasted. "And you knew we knew each other."
Rochelle nodded.
"And you didn't tell me?" The Highlander asked, astonished. His pupil shrugged.
MacLeod then realized that their mutual friend could have ended the feud with the giant
years ago. "Why didn't he just finish it?"
She turned to face her teacher, amused how incredulous he was. "You know what he's
like; he's not like you or Amanda or Frank. He's worse than I am, er, was; if he feels
another Immortal coming, he makes tracks. Confrontation isn't something he enjoys."
Duncan furrowed his brow. "Yes it is! He's constantly being a royal pain in the ass."
Shelly smiled. "Who do you think I got it from?"
Behind them, cars leaned on their horns. MacLeod drove onward, towards the Immortal's
apartment.
* * *
He and Alexa were standing on a beach, in the south of France, watching a
Mediterranean sunset. Clothed in a purple bikini that set off her hair, she was holding on
to his arms and leaning against him, content. He gently kissed her hair, relishing an
emotion he hadn't felt in years. His lips moved over her skull, down her face, finding
their final destination at her lips. Suddenly, his love collapsed...
And he was standing over her hospital bed, watching with great despair as he saw tubes
running in and out of her once healthy body. Monitors made bleeping noises that were
bloody annoying. He raked his hands through his short brown hair, feeling tears well up
in his eyes. His craggy face was contorted with pain. Alexa's eyes fluttered open. She
whispered his name.
"Adam."
He crouched down and stroked her hair. "I'm here my love. I told you I'd be back."
She smiled feebly. "I knew you would. I knew I had to hold on." Her beautiful face
twisted with pain and she squeezed his hand. He whispered soothing words into her ear.
"I'm cold." she murmured. He gently eased himself into the small bed and held her
protectively, hoping to give her some of his Immortality.
"Are you tired, my love?" he asked, wishing to God she'd say no. She nodded slowly.
"Then close your eyes." His voice was choked with tears. "Close your eyes and sleep
Alexa. I'll stay with you." Moments later, he felt her sag against him and heard the heart
monitor flat line. He held his beloved against him, whispering her name, as if to make
sure it was permanently seared into his memory. A nurse came in and turned off the
monitors and began removing the IV line from her hand. "Sleep, Alexa. Sleep."
Methos was jarred out of his dream. His eyes flew open as he felt Immortals approach.
Confused and alarmed, he grabbed his sword. Amanda and MacLeod never visited him.
Clothed merely in boxer shorts, he moved silently to the door and pulled it open, sword
out. He dropped it as he saw Rochelle and MacLeod standing before him in the hallway.
He noticed Shelly's hand was over her stomach. He smiled coyly. "It still makes you
want to wretch, doesn't it?" His former pupil's pupil breezed past him. Methos turned to
Mac. "When she senses others, she has to struggled to keep from displaying her dinner."
"You didn't have to tell him that." Shelly said, coming back with a glass of water. She
pulled MacLeod inside.
Methos shrugged. "I like to hear myself talk."
"No kidding." MacLeod said. They sat in the kitchen chairs.
"It's done?" The elder Immortal asked.
Rochelle nodded and set her water lass down on the table. "Yeah."
Methos looked at MacLeod. "You?"
"Me." Rochelle stated.
"You?"
"Her." Duncan said, finding the dialogue comedic.
Methos rolled his eyes.
"I stopped running." She stood up and walked behind him. Standing there, she slapped
his shoulder. "But I wouldn't have had to have run if you'd just taken care of it." She
slapped his shoulder again. "You."
Again.
"Nearly."
Again.
"Got me."
Again.
"Killed."
Again.
"Ow!" he exclaimed. "What'd you do that for?"
"You could have ended it." MacLeod said flat out.
Methos shrugged in his usual, annoying way. Then, also in his usual, annoying way. "Do
you know how early it is?"
Rochelle slapped him again.
MacLeod laughed heartily.