Three hours later, after the unconscious girl was safely in Duncan's bed, he felt Duncan's return. He didn't get up as Duncan entered, just continued to stare at Adams' sherry, swilling in his glass. He sat slouched in the only non-leather piece of furniture, a cloth rocker. "I thought you didn't drink anything of Methos' private stock."

"Things change." Richie sounded surly, even to himself.

"What happened to you?"

"She's in your bed." Richie poured a glass for Duncan and offered it to him. Frowning, Duncan accepted it and sat down on the couch. "I'm sorry Mac, I didn't know where else to go, she didn't want the police or the hospital. Joe's was swarming with cops when I got to it."

"So why are you drinking? You found her."

"Not soon enough-"

"I didn't feel her here. " Duncan closed his eyes, staring at the bedroom door, trying to force himself to feel her presence.

"She's still mortal. I got there before they killed her." Richie took a gulp of the fiery liquid, "Tessa once said there would be only one time in which a woman would wish for death. If she were to die, there would be no peace for her. She will have to live with this for centuries."

"One learns to cope, to forget the pain of his past."

"Have you? Don't you go for revenge for all the past wrongs? Can you really say you have known anything that can compare to what she has just experienced?" Richie flared, slamming the glass down, unmindful of the liquid sloshing onto the table. He got up and began pacing the room like a caged animal.

Duncan stared at the spill for a moment before getting up and going over to his friend. His behavior confused him, he had never seen Richie like this before. He had always known what Richie was feeling, for he had experienced it also, but this was different. This Richie was a stranger.

"Rich-" He placed a hand on his arm, stopping the pacing for a moment. "This….it's not you…..I don't understand."

"Neither do I, Mac! All I know is that I can feel what she's feeling! I try to drown it out, but I can't, it's like a throbbing…it just gets stronger the nearer she is." Richie went to stare out the window. "Can you take a look at her? She may need stitches, but she won't go to the hospital. I figured with all the wounds you've dealt with, that you might have added stitches to your list of skills."

"I'll get the stuff. One day I should show you the quilt I made, oh, about two hundred years ago." Duncan joked, heading into the kitchen. Richie went into the bedroom quietly. Her eyes were shut, but he could feel that she was conscious. She was just pretending that she was still asleep. Pulling the chair closer, he sat and dabbed at the cut on her face.

"I know you can hear me. I'm Richie. Remember? I brought you here. My friend Duncan….he's had some medical training. He's going to fix this cut. It's pretty nasty." Jerking away from his touch, she opened her eyes and stared at him confused and frightened. "Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." Richie could feel the terror that she fought to control.

"Y-you saved me." She whispered hoarsely as Duncan quietly entered the room. "You had a sword."

"Yeah, that was me." Richie grinned, sensing that her fear of him was ebbing. Instead her fear was aimed at Duncan. "This is my friend, Duncan MacLeod. He's going to stitch you up. He's okay. He's a friend."

"You trust him?" She searched his face as he nodded. Squinting, she stared at Duncan then turned back to Richie. "Okay, I trust you….Richie….and if you trust him, that's enough for me."

"Here. Give her some of this." Duncan handed the bottle of Sherry to Richie as he began to put his stuff on the bedside table.

"Mac? This is strong stuff-"

"Well, I don't exactly have a pharmacy to get pain killers, do I?" Duncan snapped, sitting on the edge of the bed. The girl tried to move away but he held her in place. "Ssh, I need to get a look at this." Duncan cleaned what he could then let Richie force two glasses of the sherry down her. By the time she finished the last of it, she was struggling conciseness from the affects of the alcohol. "Rich…hold her hands. It's going to hurt, so hold her still."

Richie held her hands, but he had to turn his head as MacLeod drove the needle into her skin. Even with his head turned and the girl nearly out, he knew every time the needle entered her. He felt the sharp jabs in his own temple as Mac pulled her skin together.

The girl slept during the bandaging and they left her alone again. They were just sitting down in the front room when they felt a new presence. Richie went for his sword, but Mac stopped him. "It's Methos."

Relaxing somewhat, Richie sat back down. He kept his hand still on his sword until he saw that it was indeed Adam in the elevator.

"So you found her." Adam stated. "Is she asleep?"

"How did you know?" Duncan gasped as his old friend came to sit beside him on the couch.

"I feel her." Adam looked at him oddly. "You find out anything about her? Something's' up. You have friends outside." He nodded towards the window.

Duncan got up and looked out into the darkened night. A normal man wouldn't have noticed but he could see someone across the street. The person was smoking a cigar, the lit end glowing in the twilight.

"Richie, what have you gotten us into now?" Duncan groaned. Richie looked at him, his expression hurt, making Duncan regret his accusing statement. "Okay, let's go talk to her." He headed towards his bedroom, that was once again taken over by someone else. At least if a woman was in his bed, at least it could be one that would share it with him.

"Mac, let her rest. Please! I swear, I'll find out everything when she wakes. I'll even get her out of here. I swear, I'll never bring anyone here again. Just let her sleep right now. She needs it." Richie stopped him at the doorway. It amazed Duncan how serious Richie was acting, protecting her as a mother protects it's baby.

"I agree with the boy." Adam nodded. "Let's all sleep on it. It'll look better in the morning, after a good nights sleep."

"Speak for yourself. I'm to sleep on the couch. A rather uncomfortable contraption." Duncan grumbled, his humor returning somewhat.