Just thought I'd be nice, and give everybody (at least I hope that there's more than 1 person reading this) a late Easter Gift.  Enjoy!

Chapter #3: The Child

Disclaimer: The only character I own is: Katie, to use her contact me at my e-mail address.  Oh, and just to cover my bases I don't own any of the characters involved in Snow White either.

Summary: If you read this far into it, you must know what the story is about so far

Author's notes: 1. Alexa did not die.

                        2. Adam and Methos are interchangeable and refer to the same person.

                        3. ""=Dialogue, and ''= thoughts

                        4. Immortals can have kids

                        5. A.N.= Author's note.

Saturday morning:

BRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRING! "Hello, Lindsay Residence," Mary responded to the phone in two rings.

 "Mary, it's Duncan, could you put your mom on, I'd like to talk to her for a moment"

, Duncan's voice responded.

"MOM, PHONE FOR YOU, IT'S DUNCAN!" She screeched at the top of her voice.

"Got it!" Anne responded.

"It's a beautiful day, and I thought I'd call to see if you and Mary would to join me for the afternoon, we could take Mary to the movies- Snow White has just been re-released is playing, then we could go for dinner- just the two of us, what do you think?" Duncan asked.

"I'd like that, and I think Mary would too."  Anne answered, the continued: "But I would have to call Katie again, and I don't know if she's free or not…"

"If she isn't then I'll provide the babysitting. I'll pick you up in an hour." Duncan told her and hung up before she had a chance to ask who will be doing the baby-sitting. 'I'm going to owe Methos big-time, if it comes down to it.  An hour later he was in front of the house in his car.  He got out of his car and started across the lawn and was greeted by Mary:

"Duncan!" she shouted her pigtails flying everywhere, as she ran to his waiting arms.

"Mary!" he responded a smile stretching across his face, he scooped her up and carried her to the house.

"Is your mommy ready yet?" he asked her.

"Yes I am, Anne responded from the porch.

"Let's go then, Mac said while leading the way across the lawn to his car.

They got to the theatre, and the Mac followed Mary and Anne in to get settled then went for Popcorn for him and Anne, and Candy for Mary.  The buzz came over him just as he heard the source for it.

"Snow White Mac, come on, you call yourself a man? Why not Blade?" Adam mocked; he and Alexa had just come from seeing that movie. 

"For your information, it's for Mary," Mac answered indignantly.

"Sure, we believe you Mac, thousands, no wait make that millions wouldn't but we do." Adam.

"Ignore him Mac, I usually do when he's acting macho like this, which, is unfortunately all the time." Alexa said in an effort to make peace.

"Come on, honey, we should go." Adam said.

"O.K. say hello to Anne and Mary," Alexa smiled and turned to walk away with Methos.  The movie went by without a hitch, (AN: I could put a lot of mushy, and predictable stuff in here, but I don't, this IMHO deserves some extra points)

 Mary enjoyed it.  "My favourite part was when the Prince kissed Snow White and waking her up."  Mary chattered away all the way to Katie's.  Duncan pulled up in front of the MacDonald's home. 

"There's my ride, gotta go! By Mom, bye Dad!" Katie shouted as she ran out the door grabbing her schoolbooks off the counter.  Anne got out of the car long enough to hold the seat for Katie to scramble into the backseat with Mary.

"We went to see Snow White, it was great," Mary informed Katie.

"Yeah, I liked Snow White too, I think it was the idea of a handsome Prince," Katie replied.  The two girls chattered happily all the way to the Lindsay home.

"Well, end of line ladies, I've had a great afternoon so far, but the good doctor and I have some plans," Duncan told Katie and Mary. 

"O.K, bye Duncan, bye mommy," Mary told pair.

"You'll be home when?" Katie asked.

"Hopefully by midnight, but I'll call if I'm later, and mommy will be up to kiss you goodnight." Anne said as she got back into the car.  They drove in silence to Mac's place.

"This isn't Joe's, or that new Italian place on the other side of town," she said in surprise.

"I wanted some place a bit more romantic, if that's not too presumptuous of me." Mac responded.

"No it's not, it's just- I'm afraid to disappoint you, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet." Anne replied flustered.

"If you're not, you're not. I understand." Duncan attempted to calm her as he opened the car door for her.  They were silent all the way up in the elevator.  The doors opened on a scene that took Anne's breath away.

"Duncan you really shouldn't have gone to so much trouble." Anne told him her gaze sweeping over the table set already for two with a wine-coloured table cloth contrasting with the white plates, on top of which were the wine coloured linen napkins to match.  In the middle was a tall golden candelabrum.

"It's really no trouble at all, the pasta is all set to cook." Duncan assured her.

"I should help really," she told him.

"No, just make yourself comfortable," Duncan said.  So that's what Anne did walking over to the leather couch, kicking off her shoes and putting her feet up.  Dinner was soon ready, and Anne was sitting down across from the tall Highlander.

"You got to ask me questions about my life, so now it's my turn to learn about the real Duncan McLeod," Anne informed him with a twinkle in her eye.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"Well, I hear the beginning is a good place to start, so how about with your childhood in Scotland?" she inquired of him.

"My childhood in Scotland, hmmm, I had a rather happy one, at least by 14th century standards, I was an orphan, but luckily I was adopted my clan chieftain: Andrew McLeod and his wife Mary.  He loved me dearly, and treated me as though I was his own son, he was even grooming me to become one after he died, but I 'died' before he did, I was the age of 24, and wandered the moors for a while, not knowing what I was.  I came back for his funeral.  My mother believed I was some kind of ghost, and gave me my family's sword to carry.  Everybody thought I was a ghost, or some kind of monster." Duncan answered her, a note of regret in his voice. 

An uneasy silence filled the room as they ate, finally Anne said:

"Look Duncan, I'm really sorry if I bring up some bad memories for you, it's just I want to get to know the real you."

"It's o.k. I want to you to know cause if there's any chance of us- I know I maybe jumping ahead, we have to be honest with each other," he responded.

"No, it isn't looking too far ahead, but if there is to be something between us I want to take it nice and slow, in other words more nights like tonight where we learn about each other, agreed?" Anne inquired hopefully.

"Yes, I'd love more nights like tonight," Duncan, responded with a smile.  They were silent as they finished the meal.

"Duncan that was fabulous, I'd forgotten how good your cooking is." Anne complimented.

"Now what?" she asked wondering what the next surprise was.

"Now we watch a movie," Duncan replied picking up a copy of Casablanca on his way to the TV.

"Casablanca! You remembered my favourite movie!!!!!! She squealed, snuggling herself back into the cushions. Duncan pushed the movie in and pressed play, and then took a place beside her.  She quietly leaned her head on his shoulder as the opening credits began.  "Bet on six," Rick told the patron, as he eyed the blonde coming through the door.  By the time Rick told Sam to "Play it again," Anne was asleep.  Duncan stopped the movie and picked the sleeping doctor up, carried her over and laid her down gently on his bed marvelling at how beautiful she looked while she was sleeping.  That being done he then called Anne's house and told them she wouldn't be home, and that he would pay Katie the extra money it would take to keep her there with Mary.

Early the next morning:

"Oh my, did I fall asleep during Casablanca?" Anne asked stifling a yawn as she sat up in bed, slowly realising her surroundings.

"Yeah you did, don't worry though, I slept on the couch" Mac responded walking towards the bed.  " I could take you home now, if you like," Mac suggested.

"Yeah, I should get home, that really was a great evening Mac, I enjoyed it." She told him in appreciation.  They got into his car then, and drove to Anne's house in silence. 

"I'll send Katie out, Anne told him, as she shut the car door.  He watched her walk to the house, open the door and go in.

"Katie, Mac's waiting in the car to take you home, Anne called.

"Coming Dr. Lindsay," Katie responded hurriedly stuffing everything she had brought into her purse, the only problem being it didn't close properly.

"And thank you for staying the night," Anne said gratefully.

"You're welcome," Katie responded as she ran across the lawn to Mac's car. 

"You're evening wasn't too eventful I hope?" Mac asked as Katie got into the car.

"Nope, we just ordered some pizza, and watched Cinderella." Katie responded, while rummaging through her bag.

"I know they're in here somewhere she muttered, becoming so frustrated, she dumped her purse out on her lap, and found them as she was putting her stuff back into the purse.  'Where is that book, I know I brought it with me', she thought looking everywhere.

"Well here we are," Mac said.

"Thanks for the ride Mac", Katie said getting out of the car.  He waited until she waved from the doorway, then drove off.  As he was getting out of the car at his loft, he noticed a brown covered book on the floor in front of the passenger's side.  The title read: The Chronicle of Duncan McLeod.  'How did she get this?' he wondered, thinking to ask her the next time he saw her.

T.B.C.

Author's note: I don't own any line/character out of Casablanca, and I also potentially butchered the quotes, and quite possibly the plot, but pretty please don't sue me.

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