THE FLEDGLING

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm simply borrowing these guys. I can't do justise to the original writers, except that I'd keep Richie alive. Dang PTB! Murderers!

Summary: Set before the unfortunate episode (that debuted on my birthday no less!) Richie is alive and well, as he should be.

Richie runs across a fledgling Immortal and gets himself in a mess.

Richie felt the familiar tingling go through his body, knowing that another Immortal was near. It was faint, as if from far away, or a very weak Immortal. Glancing over at Joe, who was flirting with a pretty young lady, he decided not to interrupt him. Crossing the rather crowded club he went outside, holding the door open for a young woman as he went. Slightly touching her as he did, he felt an odd electrical shock pass from her to him. She felt it also, and gasped. It was her. He could feel the quickening all around her, yet he knew she was not yet an Immortal.

She stared at him oddly, then paling, she ran away. "Wait!" Richie called giving chase, but she was too fast, she disappeared around a corner and seemed to vanish.

After searching the area for hours, he went in search of Duncan, sure that he would know what that strange feeling was. Entering the Dojo, he could feel the presence of two very strong Immortals. Crouching, he listened but there was no sound of battle. Perhaps Amanda had returned.

"Mac?" Following the feeling, he found Duncan in the office drinking sherry with Adam.

"Hello, Richie." Adam saluted him with his glass as he entered. "Care for a drink? It's from my private stash."

"No thanks, One sip of that junk would knock me out." Adams' stash was as old as Adam himself. As far as Richie knew, Adam was the oldest and smartest Immortal alive. Known to most as Methos, Adam had tricked all Watchers' into thinking he was one of them. That alone made him smarter than any other Immortal.

"Something troubling you Richie?" Duncan was studying him, he always seemed to know when there was a problem. Sometimes, it seemed that Duncan knew him better than Richie knew himself.

"At Joes, tonight, I felt something. It was like another one of us. Close….. yet far away. I went to go outside, to search out the cause but I ran into this girl. She had the aura yet she wasn't Immortal. I touched her and it was like a bolt of electricity."

"She's a mortal Immortal." Adam nodded then shrugged when Richie looked at him to explain. "She is an Immortal, but she hasn't died yet."

"You felt this with me?" Richie turned to Duncan, who was studying his glass.

"Well, sort of, I knew what you were, but it wasn't quite that strong. I've come across several,...,pre-Immortals, other than you, and everyone of you felt different."

"So what's stopping some of the bad-guys from going around cutting the heads off pre-Immortals?" Richie frowned, there was so much he didn't know about the rules and the game.

"Nothing really," It was Adams' turn to study the sherry. He looked like he wanted to say more. He looked over at Duncan.

"Some do kill them before they become Immortal, I could have killed you, Or someone else could have found you."

"So why didn't Slan kill me?"

"I don't think he could feel you. Conner and I could. If I hadn't have taken you, Conner would have."

"What do you mean, taken me? Am I a peace of furniture?"

"Taken you to train, to explain to you what you were." Duncan sighed.

"It seems the ones that can feel the Immortals while they are still mortal, are those that can or will train the mortal."

"So I was supposed to explain to the girl what she was? To train her to fight? How? I hardly know the game!"

"Well, then it's your job to find her and find someone to train her, if you feel incapable." Adam stood. "I suggest we go get the girl. Where is she?"

"I don't know, she ran off before I could even speak to her." Richie looked apologetically to the others. "I've been searching for her, I can't find her anywhere."

"Well, let's start with Joe." Duncan got up, taking his coat and sword. As they climbed out of Duncan's T-Bird, a blood curdling scream sent them running in the opposite direction as the Club. Coming to a darkened area of the street, they stopped.

"It's her." Richie gasped, searching the street for any signs of life.

"Where? Richie, concentrate! Feel her!"

"Oh, Duncan, I think your over- reacting." Adam placed a hand on Duncan, a soothing balm. Richie shook his head.

"I don't know, I felt her when she screamed, but I don't anymore. Let's split up, we have got to find her." Richie took off, intent on finding the girl…. his girl. It shocked him to think of her like that. He'd never had anyone to be responsible for, and yet, he felt that way towards her.

Suddenly, he stopped, he knew that he was going the wrong way. She wasn't ahead of him. He ran down a darkened alley, and then another. Breathing heavily, he paused. He knew she was near. At the end of the alley he saw several figures. Pulling out his sword, he charged, bellowing at them like a insane man. Although outnumbered, he had them at a disadvantage. Surprise, coupled with a razor-sharp, long-bladed sword made them easy to scare off. When they finally disappeared into the night, he turned to the girl.

She was huddled against the trash dumpster, trying to hide, yet her sobs were echoing through the alley. "Please...don't hurt me." she whimpered as he drew near.

"Ssh, I'm not going to hurt you." Richie whispered, wincing as he took in the state she was in. It was obvious what the men had been doing when he had come upon them. A quick scan over her told him that there was only one wound that would need tending. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Ignoring the electricity that surged between them, he pulled her to her feet, and began to lead her back to the car. When they surfaced from the gutters, he paused. Two squad cars where near the T-bird, lights flashing.

"Please, not the cops." She pleaded, her legs giving out. Richie picked her up, carrying her back into the darkness. Back to the Dojo, for that was the closest now that the t-bird and the club were out.