"No, do not lower your guard!" Duncan yelled again, as he brought the stick to her neck. "If you lose control, you lose your head!" Melissa felt the bitter tears of defeat and dropped her stick, falling to her knees as she began to sob. Richie came out of the office but a dark look from Duncan kept him from coming to her. "Tears will not help you. You must learn to overcome them!"
"You don't like me, do you?" Melissa looked up at him, wondering how she had ever though him at all good looking. Right now she only saw a bitter, sweaty man. "Why have you been helping me if you don't like me?"
"Of course Mac likes you!" Richie interfered, ignoring the look of warning he received as he kneeled beside her. "He just wants you to learn this. It's very important, feel lucky, he was worse on me when I had to learn this. In fact, it was at a bad time in his life. He often took it out on me, but hey, I learned it fast and well." Richie chuckled.
"Richie, this is no time to baby her." Duncan glared at the two. Wondering if he had been rougher on Richie because of Tessa or because he wanted him to learn quickly. He remembered Charlie telling him to let up on the kid.
"I know Mac. That's why you are doing this instead of me." Richie stood up, facing his teacher and friend. He really didn't think he could send Melissa to the ground and humiliate her over and over like Mac was doing. "I'm sorry for interfering, but remember, she's new at this. I had had a little training at least, and I didn't have to worry about understanding it all at once like she has to." Richie nodded to Melissa before heading off to run some errands.
Melissa groaned, easing her aching body down on the bench. Mac had been especially rough on her today after Richie had left. Contrary to what Richie believed, Duncan MacLeod did not like her. She knew she had to leave his house before she caused a rife between the two friends, but she felt safe, being around Richie and Duncan. Duncan certainly knew how to fight, and Richie was very protective of her.
She appreciated it yet she wanted to be able to protect herself. After two weeks of vigorous training, under all her bruises and aches, she was developing some muscles. Soon she would be able to face Kruger. She would kill him for all he had done to Kellie. Knowing that was what enabled her to get up after being thrown to the ground over and over.
"Are you okay?" Richie was suddenly standing over her, looking concerned.
"Yeah, just sore." Melissa sat up, her spirits lifted as he smiled and knelt down beside her. "I was just thinking that it's time I move on. I know I still have a lot of training to do, but I think I shouldn't impose on Duncan any longer."
"Has he said something?" Richie's face darkened into a scowl as he rose. Melissa put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "No, but he's bound to be sick of me always being in his face. Besides, I need to get out. I haven't left this building since you brought me here over two weeks ago." She knew someone must be coming, for Richie got a strange look on his face and turned towards the elevator. His body tensed, as if prepared for anything. Sure enough, the door opened and Duncan strode into the room.
"Hello, Rich. What's up?"
"Melissa wants to move out. Says you're getting sick of her." Richie answered, not angry anymore.
"Well, it's her decision." Duncan shrugged. Then he frowned at her. "You still have a lot of training to do."
"I know. I still will, but you can't enjoy having me in your place all the time. I can find me a place to live. I can come every morning to train with you, but I need to get out, get a job. You know…live." Melissa explained, but felt like she was convincing Richie more than Duncan.
Duncan agreed. "Okay, tomorrow we can go look at places for you. Show you what to look for in a place."
"We can make a day of it." Richie added, resigning to the fact that his two friends didn't really like each other. Duncan could barely tolerate her, and since she could tell that, she was wary of him. Richie was determined to force them to like one another. Duncan nodded and went out the door. Richie stared after him, wondering what made Mac so irritated when he was around Melissa. Turning his attention to her, he watched her rotate her shoulder, wincing as the muscles stretched.
"I can give you a massage." He offered. "I'm told that I'm very good with my hands. Maybe after that, if you feel better we could go over to Joe's and grab something to eat." Smiling he pulled her off the bench and over to the floor mat. "Lay down and relax."
Melissa was silent as he began to work her muscles, only a slight moan if he hit a particularly painful muscle. He felt he had finally gotten used to the way he reacted to touching her in the last couple of weeks, Touching her constantly as he was, it was beginning to feel good, too good for just friends.
"Richie? I saw a picture of you in Duncan's office. You and a beautiful woman. Who is she?" Melissa asked, her voice muffled by the mat.
"Probably Tessa."
"The one that was killed?"
"Yeah, she was very beautiful. And nice…the first really nice woman I had ever met. Very elegant and smart."
"Were you in love with her?" Melissa cocked her head around to look at him.
"Me? In love with Tess?" He repeated, shocked, "No, but close to it. I loved her, but wasn't in love with her. I sort of thought of her as a mother…. No….an older sister. She and Mac were always there to give me advice and teach me things. Tessa bought me my first suit. I didn't believe I was fit to wear it, but Tessa convinced me. She treated me with respect. That was something no one had ever done."
"Did Duncan love her?"
"Yes, losing her destroyed him. He's been with women since then, but I don't think he's loved anyone since Tessa." Richie sighed, thinking of his friends heartache, "They were going to get married when she was murdered."
"Poor Duncan."
"Immortals have to see everyone they know and love die." Richie quoted Duncan, then it hit him, like a blow to the head, it nearly knocked him over. "That's it!"
"What?"
"When we first met, you reminded me of someone. Tessa, you remind me of Tessa! I wonder if that's Mac's problem with you. Maybe you remind him of Tessa too. I'll have to ask him."
"Do you think that's a good idea? Perhaps it'll just rub salt in his wounds." Melissa sat up and stretched. She ached, but it was a good ache, not quite so painful as it had been before. "Whoever said you were good with your hands knew what she was talking about."
"Better?" Richie gave her a look that was a mixture of concern and something else. She didn't have the time to figure out what because Duncan entered the place and stopped near them, frowning.
"What's going on?" He glared at Melissa but asked Richie.
"We were talking, and I gave her a massage-" Richie began.
"She must learn to tolerate pain." Duncan growled. "When in battle your opponent won't stop and wait while you whine about the pain he inflicts on you."
"I'm sorry." Melissa apologized, rising she slithered away, admonished.
"She didn't complain, I offered to give her a massage." Richie rose, angry with his friends rudeness. "I remember how it feels after a workout with you. But, I figured out what makes you rough on her. The same thing that made you rough on me."
"Oh?" Duncan scoffed. "And what's that?" Duncan demanded, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Melissa peeking at him from the doorway.
"Tessa. As we were talking, it hit me. Lissa reminds me of Tessa, and she must remind you too! Are you jealous of her? Because Lissa is Immortal and Tessa wasn't?"
"No, I'm not jealous of her." Duncan glared at the girl, for she did remind him of Tessa, when he first knew her. Tessa had been full of such energy and eager to love and be loved. Melissa was like that, always ready to give someone a smile, or a kind word.
He was jealous of Richie, he realized. He saw the way she looked at Richie, with adoration, like she lived to see him smile at her. He could see the beginnings of something between them, the bond that was already there. He knew if he were to attack the girl, that Richie would fight him, die for her, kill for her.
"So I remind you of Tessa?" Melissa was suddenly there, looking up at him with those puppy-dog eyes, eager for his answer.
"Yeah." Duncan growled, not meaning to, but gruffness seemed to be his last defense. Whether he liked it or not, this girl was getting to him. He expected her to shrink away, like always, but this time she didn't. She simply gave him a smile, a smile that took his breathe away.
"I'm glad."
"What the hell are you glad about?" He bellowed, angry with himself as Richie stepped forward, almost in between them, glaring back at him. Melissa's smile just got bigger as she placed a hand on Richie's arm, soothing him.
"It's okay Richie. I'm honored that he doesn't like me." When they both looked at her as if she were insane, she added. "From what you tell me, Tessa was a wonderful person, and if I remind Duncan of her so much as to enrage him, then I must be a lot like her. I feel honored to be compared to such a person." With that she turned and raced up the stairs. "I'll be ready in a bit Richie, I have to change."
"I'm taking her to eat. Then over to Joe's, introduce her to him. I wonder if he would have to assign a watcher to her if I told him she will be Immortal." Richie stared after her, smiling, clearly smitten. "You want to come?"
"No, I got things to do." Duncan stalked off to his office. He couldn't handle spending the evening with them, and still pretend to dislike the girl. She made Richie too happy to truly dislike her. Richie deserved to be happy.