"Why couldn't I have a sword?" Melissa asked as they parked a half-block away from Kruger's place. It was an old, abandoned warehouse that Kruger used as his headquarters.
"I want you to stay with the bike. If someone comes, you get out of here." Richie instructed, handing her his helmet. "If you see the light show and I don't come out in ten minutes, you go back to Joes. Stay with Mac until he can arrange for you to go somewhere safe. You understand?"
"Then you think you might die?" Melissa asked, emotion choking up her voice as tears welled up in her eyes. "You don't have to do this! We can go to the police!"
"Kruger is Immortal, the police can't stop him. Only another Immortal can." Richie leaned over, giving her a loving kiss. "Whatever happens, you remember I love you. You have made me happier than I thought I could be." Pulling away he began to walk towards the building, pulling out his sword as he went.
"Richie!" She called, causing him to stop and turn towards him. "I love you!"
"Yeah, thanks." Richie smiled, giving her a wink. When he entered the building, Melissa got off the bike and followed. She was determined to help Richie in some way.
Entering the dark building, Richie paused in the dark shadows, letting his eyes adjust before he went on. It was quiet, but he knew there was bound to be someone around. Slipping quietly through the shadows, he was so intent on sensing Kruger that he didn't notice Melissa following him. He had searched the first floor and climbed to the second when he heard the cry of a baby. Heading in the direction of the cries he was shocked when the cry was joined by another, and then another.
There was more than one baby in this warehouse. He was close to the crying babies when he felt Kruger. Spinning around as the man came barreling through a doorway he raised his sword.
"I am Kruger! Who dares to enter my home to challenge me?"
"Richie Ryan, and I've come for your head!" Richie snarled, sizing the man up as he did. Kruger threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"You! And what brings a pup like you to your death?"
"Melissa and Kellie Martin! You took something of theirs and I've come to get it back!" Richie steeled himself to attack, studying the surroundings to know where to avoid.
"Ah! So you are the kid with a sword that kept my men from killing Melissa. Why waste such energy with a simple mortal?" Kruger taunted. "Go away kid, and I'll forget all about you." Kruger offered, even as he circled around, preparing to attack. It was then that Richie spotted Melissa, trying to slip past them into the room the crying came from. His first thought was to call out to her, but he knew that Kruger didn't know she was around. Perhaps she could get the children out while they battled in case he didn't survive. His decision was made for him as Kruger lunged and the battle was on.
They attacked and fought continuously, neither getting the best of the other. Richie realized that although Kruger was older, he wasn't any more skilled than he was. Once again he thanked whatever forces brought him to Duncan. Kruger pinned him up against the railing and the pressure caused it to collapse, sending Richie to the floor below. He was able to land so he wasn't injured but it stunned him sending his sword in the opposite direction. Scrambling to his feet, he went after the sword, but Kruger jumped down, landing between him and his sword. Trapping him without a weapon.
"Richie!" Melissa cried, distracting Kruger by jumping on his back. Richie took advantage of the distraction to scramble around and retrieve the sword. But he was too late. Kruger was quicker, throwing Melissa off his back he yanked a knife out of his belt and thrust it into her chest before Richie could even turn around.
Leaving the knife embedded in her chest, Kruger turned and pounced on Richie. The sight of the knife embedded in Melissa enraged Richie, making him stronger, knocking the sword out of Kruger's hand. "This is for Melissa." He said as he ran his sword into Kruger, bringing him to his knees.
"Too late, I killed her! She's as dead as I am!" Kruger taunted one last time, trying to get to Richie. But Richie just smiled back, raising his sword one final time.
"No, she's an Immortal. You didn't kill her." He grinned, bringing the sword down in a slicing motion, severing the head from the body. Dropping the sword, he took two steps towards Melissa before he was struck by the quickening. Thrown to the floor as the quickening came to an abrupt stop, he struggled to his knees and crawled over to Melissa. Yanking the knife out of her before exhaustion took over, causing him to collapse next to her.
Melissa gasped, coming back to life with a start. Sitting up, she pulled Richie's head into her lap. She spotted the bloody knife and the carcass over near Richie's sword. "Richie?"
"Yeah?" He opened his eyes, love shining in them as he did.
"You all right?"
"Yeah, it's just that a quickening leaves you weak. I'll be back to myself in a bit." He picked up the knife and stared at it. "You saved me."
"Am….am I dead now?" Melissa asked, realizing the knife had recently been in her. Touching her blood-soaked skin, she realized that there wasn't so much as a scrape on her.
"You were dead…now you are immortal. I think I'll miss that electric current we had between us before." He stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. Laughing, Melissa leaned down and kissed him. "Hmm… maybe it's not all gone."
"Richie's back!" Duncan jumped up. Sitting the closest to the door, he was the first to sense their arrival. The three men stood and stared at the door anxiously awaiting their entrance. The door opened and Richie came in carrying a baby. Melissa followed beaming proudly. "Rich?"
"Kruger is dead. This is Kellie's daughter Rose-Ellen." Richie plopped the tot up on the bar beside Duncan. "He had a dozen kids. We dropped the others at the police station with a little note about where they had been and what had happened to their mothers."
"I wanted to keep them all. But Richie says that this one will be a handful." Melissa gave Richie a fond look. Rose-Ellen, not liking being ignored reached over and gave a lock of Duncan's hair a yank, causing the other adults to laugh.
"You plan to keep her?" Joe questioned. "It'll be awfully hard, Richie looks nineteen and will continue to."
"So will Lissa." Richie frowned. "Kruger got her. She didn't stay outside like I told her to."
"Sounds like you." Duncan quipped. "How many times did I tell you to stay outside only to find you following me in?" He made a face at the baby. "This kid will outgrow you, how are you going to explain when she starts asking why?"
"Tell her the truth." Melissa gave Richie another look. and he nodded. "She'll need to start training as soon as she's able-" She began but was interrupted when Rose-Ellen launched herself at Duncan. Duncan caught her easily enough, but gasped as a current passed between them, Rose-Ellen gurgled, giving him a toothless grin.
"What is it Duncan?" Adam frowned, not liking the way Duncan was glaring at the baby.
"She one of us." Duncan continued to stare at the tot, as if fascinated. "Or,.., will be when she's a lot older."
"Well, like I always say." Adam looked at everyone before adding. "Life goes on."
THE END