Disclaimer: As before, Highlander and any ideas associated with the show do not belong to me. Any character you don't recognize is most likely mine.

Author's notes: Sorry for waiting so long for the update. I was busy moving into a new place. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thanks for the review sherry and for your second one DumbOldDork.

Chapter Four

The Present

Richie laid back on his bed. Sleep eluded him however and he soon found himself thinking about Sarah. He did not expect to see her again after last night, but what were the chances that she happened to be friends with Joshua. Richie frowned when he remembered the woman's behavior at the bar and the slight bruising on her face he had glimpsed this morning.

Without wasting any time, Richie got up from the bed to talk to his friend. He heard noises coming from the kitchen and headed in that direction.

"I thought you'd still be catching some z's,' Joshua called over his shoulder when he saw his friend walk into the room.

"Hey, Josh. Listen," Richie said hurriedly. "I think Sarah might be in trouble or something. Do you know who would want to hurt her?"
"Whoa, slow down there a minute. What exactly are you talking about?"

"Come on, man! I'm talking about the bruises."

"Bruises?" Joshua asked, stalling for time. He wasn't quite sure what to tell his friend about Sarah. Telling him the wrong thing might lead to an unwelcome complication.

"Yes, the bruises! They were only on her face," his friend answered sarcastically.

"Hey, calm down. Here." Joshua handed the other man a cup of coffee and the two settled around the kitchen table. "I asked her about that."

"And?" prompted Richie. "Is she being abused or something?"

"What? No … no, of course not. Besides I have no doubt that Sarah can take care of herself." Joshua looked at his friend closely and asked, "Why all this concern for a girl you just met?"

The question caught Richie off guard and saw the mischief in Joshua's eyes. "Yo, it's nothing like that," he quickly denied. He got up and deposited his cup in the sink as he tried to hide a tell-tale blush from his friend.

"It's just that I saw her at the El Toro last night. She didn't see me though. It looked like she was either looking for somebody or running away from someone."

"More like the latter," Joshua said without thinking.

"So, she is in some sort of trouble." Richie turned back to her friend. "Why aren't you more worried about your girlfriend?"

Joshua raised his eyebrows at Richie. "My girlfriend? Sarah's not my girlfriend."

"She's not?"

"You don't have to sound so happy about it," Joshua said with a chuckle. "But hey, it's not like I didn't try. When I first met her two years ago, I had every intention of going out with her. But alas, fate has conspired against me and thus friends we shall only be."

Richie laughed at his friend's dramatics and threw a dish towel at him. "Seriously though, what are you gonna do about Sarah?"

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Joshua said with a sigh. He stood up and placed his cup in the sink as well. "Sarah didn't give all the details, but she said it wasn't anything serious."

As he walked out of the kitchen, Joshua was not sure if he was also trying to convince himself with the lie.

* * * * * *

Sarah's eyes flew open. She surveyed the unfamiliar surrounding for a second or two before bolting up from the bed. Her body relaxed when she remembered that she was in Joshua's house. She suddenly frowned when something about this morning's encounter nagged at her consciousness. With a shake of her head, Sarah roamed the house in search of her friend, making sure to be quiet just in case his friend Richie was around. When she did not find Joshua , she grabbed the notepad on the counter and began to jot down a short message. The clock on the wall showed that it was almost six in the evening. Probably went out to eat with friends, she thought.

The note was almost complete when the front door swung open. She turned to say something, but froze instead when she saw that it was not Joshua.

"Hey, good to see you up," Richie said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered. Sarah tried to keep her face blank, but inside a number of emotions swirled within her.

Looking at Richie right now, Sarah realized what had been bugging her the minute she woke up. The resemblance he has with Nathan was uncanny and she could not help, but be amazed. Her vision had been hazy from the pain that morning and therefore was not able to fully register his features during her first glimpse of him. But somehow her subconscious had picked it up.

Memories long forgotten came rushing back as Sarah watched the man that should have been dead, walk towards the kitchen. She dropped her gaze when she realized that she had been staring.

"Joshua went to go see somebody about his bike after we left the track. But he should be back soon." Richie stopped just a few feet from her. "Anyway, I got us some dinner and you're more than welcome to have some." When that failed to get a response from Sarah, Richie decided to put on the charm. "Come sit and talk awhile. You can even tell me why Josh has been hiding you all this time. Don't worry, I don't bite."

That got her attention and Sarah jerked back her narrowed eyes at Richie. The man was wearing a sport jacket over a plain blue shirt, tucked inside a pair of faded jeans. His helmet dangled in his left hand while his right arm supported a brown paper bag. Possibly the aforementioned dinner. This guy may look like Nathan, but he was certainly a few centuries ahead in fashion.

"I'm not hungry," Sarah replied with a smirk. At least not for food, she thought wearily.

"Oh." Disappointment flashed in Richie's eyes, but he quickly shrug it off and continued walking. "Suit yourself. I still wouldn't mind about having company though," he called over his shoulder.

Sarah was telling herself a number of reasons why she should just leave. Her body, however, seemed to have a different plan. She quietly followed Richie and stood by the door to watch the man that could pass as Nathan's twin. Richie had his back to her and therefore missed the sad and wistful expression that crossed her face.

Sarah quickly shook her head as the image of Nathan, laying in her arms covered with blood, flashed before her eyes. Stop torturing yourself, she angrily thought.

"Glad to see you decided to join me," Richie said, grinning happily. He pulled out a chair and indicated for her to sit down. Sarah reluctantly took the chair and sat across from him.

"So, how long have you been friends with Josh?" Richie opened the carton in front of him, looked at Sarah expectantly, then began eating.

"Two years."

"You guys meet here?" he asked through a mouthful of food.

"Yes."

"You're not from around here though, " he stated. Richie took another mouthful of his food and continued to speak when she raised her eyebrow. "Your English is perfect, but I could still hear a trace of Scottish accent. Trust me. A close friend of mine is a Scot and I know a Scottish accent when I hear one."

"Tell me," Sarah said with a frown. "Do you always talk with your mouth full?"

Richie's spoon paused halfway from his mouth as he blinked at the abrupt change in subject. He chuckled, then asked his own question. "Tell me, are you this great a conversationalist?"

The corners of Sarah's mouth twitched in a reluctant smile. "I thought I handled my end of the conversation quite well. I answered your questions, didn't I?"

"Well yeah, but one or two words from you hardly give me anything to work with. You got to help me out here." Richie wiped his mouth and gave her a friendly grin. "Tell you what, why don't you ask me questions and I'll answer them. I'll even stop eating just so you won't be distracted."

Sarah opened her mouth to return a remark, but quickly changed her mind. She could not believe that she was just about to flirt with someone she hardly knew. With her mind resolved, Sarah shook her head and stood up.

"I hate to end such a stimulating conversation," she said sarcastically. "But I've got places to be right now."

"Whoa, hold up a minute," Richie called out as he followed her to the front door. "Did I say something wrong? 'Cause if I did, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No-no. It's not that," she interjected. "It's just that I …" She felt a deep longing within her as she gazed at the face of a man she once loved. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

Sarah hastily opened that door and fled into the night before he could say anything else.