Hey. Had a few things going on, all good for a change, so I haven't actually been anywhere near my computer for weeks. (Then when I did I had loads of emails to answer) So I've not had chance to write, let alone update.

The way I describe defrosting the freezer in this chapter is exactly how myself and a friend defrosted her freezer three days ago... Seriously, don't do it like this, it is really not safe or advisable, but there was sleep deprivation and red wine involved in our attempt. Again, not good...

Chapter eleven

Waiting was definitely worse than acting, Connor decided, especially when you had two almost frantic people to watch over. Tessa was cleaning the oven as if her life depended on it. Richie was back to sitting on the sofa, staring at the rain. Duncan had only been gone for fifteen minutes. It was going to be a very long night.

Thirty minutes later Tessa had moved onto defrosting the freezer. She had at first attacked the 3 inches of ice in the top drawer with the fish slice, until that had snapped. Now she was trying to smash the ice up with a hammer. There was currently a puddle of water in front of the freezer and loose garden peas rolling all over the floor.

Richie had lay down on the sofa and was now staring blankly at the ceiling. As Tessa seemed completely occupied with her attempt at flooding the entire kitchen for now, Connor decided to sit with Richie.

"I hate waiting," Connor said to Richie who was shifting his feet to make room for Connor.

"Me too," Richie said. The relieved look on his face wasn't missed by Connor.

"It's ok when you are doing something. You know you are safe. But for those who care about you... It is torture waiting to know someone is safe."

"Yeah," Richie agreed. "It is."

"Of course this is Duncan we're talking about," Connor said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "He is a brilliant swords man. Almost as good as me."

The last brought a smile to Richie's lips. "He says he's better than you."

"He would," Connor said.

"Do you think..." Richie paused.

"Do I think what?" Connor asked after he felt he'd waited long enough for Richie to continue on his own.

"Is he better than Campbell?"

Connor thought about his answer for a long moment. He wasn't going to lie to Richie. But he wanted to be reassuring.

"Truthfully?" Connor asked.

Richie nodded.

"In my opinion, yes. But I don't know how good Campbell is. I only know how good Duncan is. But I pity anyone who gets Duncan as mad as he was when he left here. An angry Duncan is a dangerous one."

"Then how come Tessa's so worried?" Richie asked.

"She's no more worried than normal," Connor said not believing it himself.

"Then how come she's now throwing boiling water at the freezer?"

Sure enough Tessa now had cups of boiling water that she was throwing at the still impressively sized chunks of ice in the freezer.

Connor watched in silence for a minute. "Ok." He said finally. "She is more worried than normal. But she hasn't had the best couple of days. I'm sure Duncan will be fine."

"You're sure or you hope?" Richie asked softly.

Connor chose not to answer.

*****

Duncan reached the meeting place easily. His anger at the newly made threats against Richie's life hadn't yet dissipated. In fact his anger at the attempt on Richie's life, both of them, hadn't dissipated yet. The would be murderer was dead now, that was true. But the man behind it was still alive. This wouldn't be over until he took Campbell's head, then maybe Duncan could get Richie to talk about the events of that night.

"Campbell!" Duncan shouted. He was back here again. In the same building as last time, but this time Richie was safe at home with Connor and Tessa. There were no hired men waiting for hospital visiting hours to end. Connor wouldn't leave the apartment for anything so Richie would be safe. Tessa would be safe.

Except...

There was no Immortal other than himself in the building. He couldn't feel the tell tale buzz at all. Campbell wasn't here.

So where the hell was he?

*****

"You look tired. You should go to bed," Tessa said to Richie. She had finished attacking the freezer for now it seemed and Connor was mopping up the vast puddles that were still forming on the kitchen floor.

"I can't sleep," Richie said. He was tired. Extremely tired, but even if he did nod off in bed he'd just be plagued by his nightmares again and this time when he woke up he'd remember he was still living one of them.

"Why don't you try anyway?" Tessa suggested softly. She had moved on from scrubbing the house to mothering Richie.

Richie shook his head. "I really don't want to," he said.

"Ok then, why don't you try and get some sleep here?" Tessa said.

"Why don't you?" Richie countered. "You need some rest too."

Tessa smiled slightly. "I am too worried about Duncan to sleep."

"Ditto," Richie said. "So how about we both sit up worrying for the time being?"

Tessa smiled fully at Richie. "OK. For now."

Now didn't last as long as they expected though. Five minutes later Connor was reaching for his sword which he had left by the sofa, an all too familiar look on his face.

"Duncan?" Tessa asked.

"I don't know," Connor answered, glancing at her. "Maybe."

Mac had been gone for an hour and a half. Richie had no idea how long it took for him to drive to wherever he had to drive to, chop off Campbell's head and drive back, but somehow ninety minutes didn't seem long enough.

And he was right. Or at least Richie assumed the blonde haired man with hate in his eyes and a sword in his hand was Liam Campbell.

"I am Connor MacLoed of the Clan MacLoed," Connor said raising his own sword.

A small smile twitched onto the mans face. "Liam Campbell," he introduced himself. "I have no fight with you Connor MacLoed. Just step away and it will all be over in a minute."

So the man behind the hell Richie had been living in for over a month was finally here himself. Richie finally had a face to put to the name.

"Richie, Tessa leave," Connor said over his shoulder. "You will have to go through me to get to the boy."

"Why?" Campbell asked. "Why risk your head for a child? A child you barely know?"

"For the same reason you risk your head for a son who died two hundred years ago," Connor said.

Tessa was pushing Richie towards his bedroom, but Richie wanted to hear what Campbell had to say. Mac had told him in great detail about Liam Campbell and Pierce Wood, his adopted son, and Mac had left him in no doubt that Wood's death was deserved. But... Campbell must have loved his son. To carry around with him the need for revenge for two hundred years he must have really loved his son. And he must really hate Mac.

"I loved my son!" Campbell hissed angrily at Connor. "He was all I had. And Duncan MacLoed, your kinsman, took him from me! I have waited for two hundred years for him to try and have what he stole from me!" his eyes flickered briefly to Richie, who was still resisting Tessa's attempts to pull him out of the living room.

"And you think an innocent boy should die for that?" Connor asked shaking his head. "No. I will take your head before I let you lay a finger on Richie. He isn't just Duncan's family. He is my family and Tessa's. And he has done nothing to deserve a death sentence."

"Neither had my boy!" Campbell practically shouted.

"He was a murderer and a rapist," Tessa shouted back at Campbell, abandoning her attempts to move Richie.

"Say's who? You're precious Duncan? He's a liar! He murdered my son! And now I will do the same."

Richie took an involuntary step back as Campbell made a lunge for him. He was, of course, nowhere near Richie and had no chance of reaching him, let alone getting past Connor, who still blocked his way.

Richie let Tessa pull him into his bedroom as the fight began. His head was swimming now with new information. He was sure he was the only one who'd seen it. Tessa and Connor were far to focused on other things to have seen what Richie had. And that changed, in Richie's mind at least, pretty much everything.

Liam Campbell, the man who had hired people to kill him. Who was responsible for the second attack, in which Richie had taken a life. The man responsible for weeks of nightmares and tension and stress. The man Richie had hated so intensely since the first time he'd heard the name, was now the man Richie felt most sorry for in the world.

A moment. One single moment had changed his entire outlook on the matter. Campbell wasn't truly driven by hate like Mac thought. He was driven by pain. The death of his son two hundred years ago still haunted him to this day. He couldn't let go of his grief. And he truly believed Mac was lying. Campbell no more thought his son capable of murdering and raping children than Mac would think Richie capable of it. His need for revenge came from all consuming pain, not hate.

*****

Considering his quest for revenge was going to have him facing one of the most adept sword fighters Connor had ever had the pleasure of teaching, Campbell really wasn't that good. Connor had him on the defensive already, panting with exertion and looking decidedly panicky.

Connor on the other hand, wasn't even remotely out of breath and, though he knew better than to underestimate an opponent, found his mind wandering a little. It would be a shame if he had to take Campbell's head in the apartment. The damage would be costly and it would be a nightmare trying to get another body out of the apartment without anyone noticing.

Pain in his left arm as one of Campbell' clumsy attacks made it through Connor's defence brought his mind back to the task at hand. Connor had Campbell on his knees and was preparing to take his head when he felt something. Or someone. Connor lowered his sword and waited for Duncan to join them.

"He's all yours," Connor said, when Duncan paused in the doorway. "Tessa and Richie are fine." He added.

"You came after my family again?" Duncan asked in a dangerously low voice. "What honour is there in that? Why couldn't you just challenge me? Why did you have to drag my family into it?"

"Because you have a family." Campbell spat. "You have what I would have had if you hadn't taken it away. Why should you be happy when I am not?"

"I did what I had to do to stop a killer," Duncan said. "I would do it all over again if I had to."

"And I would do all this over again if I had to and I will kill that boy if you don't kill me. So make up your mind MacLoed. Either shut up and stop looking for reason and kill me, or get out of my way!"

Connor watched as Duncan did just he had promised Richie he would. He ended it.