Chapter 36

Rome

Darkness had fallen by the time Duncan, Alisaunne, and Ian arrived at their hotel in Rome. They'd made no less than four flights before finally reclaiming luggage and passing beyond the security gates of the final airport. Duncan had flagged a taxi and settled wearily into the front seat next to the driver while Alisaunne and Ian… keeping a mother-son decorum to their body language sat in the back… saying nothing.

The driver kept up a stream of Italian and English… interspersed with a touch of French as he attempted to comment on the sights as he drove madly through the streets. Duncan had chuckled, but refrained from correcting the man about several of his observations on said sights. He'd given the man a generous but not overly generous tip and had checked in with the concierge before allowing the bellhop to carry their luggage to the suite. Again… Duncan tipped handsomely… but not outrageously. He wanted the man's service… but did not wish to raise any suspicions.

Once the door to the suite was shut… all three immortals finally let out sighs of relief. It had been a long and very tiring day. Duncan crossed to the wide window wall and pulled the heavy drapes against the night. Turning back to the young couple he noticed that Alisaunne was already in Ian's arms… holding on to him as if she hadn't seen him in days. The boy's eyes were closed as he held her… it was evident pretending to be mother and son had taken its toll on them.

"Why don't you two get some sleep," Duncan finally said. "The suite has two bedrooms… You two take the larger one."

"I'm so tired. I didn't realize remaining so still and so quiet could be more tiring than the workouts you put me through," Alisaunne managed. Already her upswept hair was coming loose as she ran her fingers through it. She'd tossed the glasses on a nearby table.

Duncan smiled as he settled into a chair. "I never used to go to this much trouble. I never used to worry if the Watchers knew who I was or where I was. But I don't want them finding you… at least not for a while. Not until I know for certain what this is about."

Alisaunne disentangled herself from Ian and, stepping out of her heels and unbuttoning her suit jacket crossed to stand over the Highlander. "Do you think we lost them?"

Duncan glanced up at the young woman, noticing for the first time the fine lines apparent about her eyes and mouth. She was worried… and not just for herself. He smiled. "I'm certain we managed to lose anyone who might have been watching us in Tunis. Now… we just have to be certain we don't get picked up here by anyone. Go to bed… You both need sleep."

Alisaunne nodded, reaching out for Ian as she headed for bedroom. The boy stood watching Duncan. "What do we do now?"

Duncan blew out a lungful of air and glanced up at the boy… letting his brown eyes meet Ian's blue ones. He smiled reassuringly. "We'll worry about that tomorrow. I'm going to try and reach some friends tonight… now that we've stopped for the night. Depending on what I learn… we'll decide tomorrow."

Ian gazed at him thoughtfully and then seemed to agree. There was nothing for them to do tonight. He let Alisaunne lead him into the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

Duncan focused on his PPC and emailed Phillip. The Greek did not pick up his email on any regular schedule, Duncan had realized over the years. So few people even knew how to contact him… that Phillip sometimes forgot to check it at all. Carefully Duncan entered the code Phillip had taught him so that the Greek would contact him… and shut the system off. His own email box… had been empty. There were other… more open addresses he could check… but Duncan wasn't really interested in anything from anyone else. What he wanted… was to talk to Phillip… arrange a meeting… discuss this Watcher business that made him worry about these mortals as once he'd worried about Horton's faction.

Horton's men had been thoroughly drummed out of the organization… at least that's what Joe had once told him… over the years. In 1996, after the Watcher-Immortal War… as it had been called, a new council re-dedicated to restoring the old ways had taken control. They'd lasted maybe seven years. Duncan feared that after Joe's feeding the immortals information during the Nestor affair back in 2003, that council had heard its own death knell. Joe had been drummed out… and new people had come into power… people that neither Duncan MacLeod… or Joe Dawson knew.

Had a faction of the Hunter's returned to power somehow? Had they hidden their beliefs until they could safely wrest control of the Watchers away from other more sympathetic mortals? If so… were they still killing immortals? Duncan needed more information… and he needed it now.

He scanned news services and filed stories of murders, decapitations, strange lightning storms of a localized nature, in short… anything that might indicate immortal activity in certain areas. He saw very little. What he did find offered few, if any clues. If the Watchers were covering things up… then there wouldn't be too much evidence of immortal activity. Then again… perhaps immortals were simply staying out of the way… laying low as Phillip had mentioned in one email about a year ago.

"I worry Highlander," the email had read when translated, "that someone new is hunting our kind. Someone who knows our weaknesses and is preying on them."

Finally Duncan shut the PPC off. He glanced momentarily at the old laptop… wondering if anything might make sense to him tonight. He finally decided he was too weary to even consider it. Rising, Duncan headed to the smaller of the two bedrooms off the main room of the suite… and eagerly embraced the bed.

He was far more weary than he could have imagined… but somewhere in his dreaming mind were war cries as ancient warriors streamed forward into battle.

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Come morning… the smells of breakfast and the sounds of conversation finally roused Duncan. He was still tired… as if his sleep had been anything but restful. Stretching on the bed he tried to focus on what he was hearing… but nothing made clear sense. He rubbed a hand over his shaven chin… trying to decide if he should shower and shave or see what the others were up to. The growling in his stomach made his decision for him.

In the main room… a room-service cart had arrived with breakfast. Alisaunne was wrapped in a burgundy velour gown… compliments of the hotel… as was Ian. They looked like a couple of kids on a honeymoon.

"I hope you two didn't answer the door together like that." Duncan snapped as he lifted the domes and filled a plate.

Alisaunne who no longer looked the fictional thirty-six she had yesterday kicked up her heels from the sofa and laughed as she chomped on her croissants. "We scandalized the waiter. In fact… we asked him to join us!"

Ian cackled as he flopped beside her.

"Glad somebody slept well," Duncan snarled.

"Looks like somebody we know didn't!" laughed Ian.

Duncan slammed his plate on the table so loudly the two younger immortals jumped. "This isn't a game. The more people who see us… interact with us… the harder it will be to change identities and move on. Now… what did you do?"

"He didn't see me," a properly chastised Alisaunne whispered. "I stayed out of sight… as you have often said… but Duncan… why? Why should I stay out of sight? You never explain anything… not really. You just tell me to do things and I do them because I trust you, but I really would like answers… real answers one of these days."

Duncan stared at her and then looked away… uneasy.

"Duncan we were careful. I was properly mute…" continued Ian. "I just signed for the food."

"Who ordered?"

The two looked at one another. "I did," admitted Alisaunne. "I was properly mature."

"What language did you use?" Duncan persisted.

Alisaunne's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped open. "French… I think."

"Next time know… and next time… think about who you're supposed to be… and what language you're supposed to know. You have to learn to turn a deaf ear to what you overhear and not overtly react to things you are not supposed to understand. Never…"

"Never let on how much you know," Alisaunne finished. "I remember."

"Then start acting like it. You are behaving like a child… a child whose actions may get us all killed!"

Alisaunne seemed to deflate. She sobered and sat huddled on the couch. Ian glared at Duncan a moment and then rose. "I think I'll grab a shower."

As Ian left, Duncan threw his fork onto the plate and sat back. Rubbing a hand over his face and neck he finally admitted to himself that he'd come on a little strong. "I'm sorry, Alisaunne. It's been a rough couple of days and I'm tired and stressed."

"I know. It's been rough for me, too… first killing a man… no an immortal… dealing with the confusing feelings of the aftermath… your vanishing for two nights and a day… the Watcher… this whole traveling incognito business… I'm just a little confused."

Duncan chuckled feeling a somewhat lighter mood come over him. As he poured himself some coffee from the carafe he teased, "Only a little confused?"

Alisaunne sat forward, her hands clasped. "I keep getting this feeling from you that there is something more going on here than just you training me as your student. Why is that?"

Duncan sipped thoughtfully, a moment. Finally he set the cup down and sighed. "All my students are dead Alisaunne. Every one of them. The ones I trained. The last one I had… I killed." He paused noticing the shock in Alisaunne's eyes. "I didn't mean to… it just happened. But I don't want you dead before your time."

"I don't want me dead either… but this is more than that going on with you these days. There is an intensity in you that seems to boil over when I fail even a little. Sometimes I feel as if nothing I will ever do will be fast enough or strong enough or smart enough for you. You are like some parent who wants to live a life through the success of a child. And I know that's not it."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I only want you to understand that out here in the real world… it is kill or be killed and you have to be ready. Not all immortals you meet will simply smile and fall in love with you." Duncan immediately regretted the last statement. He pushed back his chair and strode to the windows… pulling open the drapes slightly to stare at the vista.

She came up silently to stand beside him. "Is that what this is about? Surely you aren't…"

He turned to her. "Aren't what… wondering what it would be like to kiss you… make love to you? Yes… I wonder about those things."

Alisaunne held her robe even closer and stepped back. "I think of you like an uncle… or a big brother. Don't get me wrong… but I don't…" She shook her head.

Duncan shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean for any of that to come out… partly because I don't understand it myself. I don't love you that way… I want you to be happy… or at least as happy as any of us can be. It's just that… working so closely with you… now that you're immortal… things are different."

"What things?" she screamed. "What's so different?"

"Everything," Duncan mumbled as he re-entered his bedroom and slammed the door.

Behind him in the main room of the suite, Alisaunne stood confused. What had begun as a perfectly enchanting morning… waking up to Ian's caresses in that big bed… the room service… food that reminded her of long ago… before she was an immortal… and the joy she felt at being anywhere else other than that desert land to which they'd fled… had all evaporated. Slowly Alisaunne entered the other bedroom. She could hear the water running as Ian showered. Flinging herself on the bed… she wanted to cry… but that was something she might have done years ago… when she'd still been a child. And… as Duncan had reminded her… she was not a child… not any more.

Sitting up on the bed she stared into the mirror… really stared at the face that looked back at her. It was not the face of a teen-aged girl… it was the face of a woman. Even without the glasses and upswept hair she'd worn yesterday… it was clear she looked far older than Ian did. Removing the robe… she stood and observed her reflection, turning slightly back and forth. She was tall… about five ten, her deeply tanned skin radiated health. Slim-hipped and full-breasted she was as Ian had once called her, a delight for any man to gaze upon. She ran her fingers through her dark hair and peered closely into the mirror at her round face and at the grey eyes, which stared back at her.

The water stopped. Ian entered still dripping-wet and drying himself. "Are you all right, lass?" he asked gently. He'd filled out some in the past few years as Duncan had worked him nearly as hard as he'd worked her. Ian's arm muscles bulged slightly as he toweled off. His blue eyes seemed oddly out of place in his still darkened skin and black hair. He looked so very young.

Alisaunne began crying, hiccuping slightly as she sobbed. She felt Ian's wet arms go about her as she buried her face in his damp chest. "I love you Ian Daffyd! I don't want there to be only one! I want us both to live!"

"Here now… With luck neither of us will be dying any time soon. You listen to me Alisaunne des Pres, we'll have each other for as long as we can hold on… and we have the greatest warrior of the immortals to teach us and lead us. Duncan MacLeod willna let anythin' happen to either of us."

But his words only made her sob more.