Disclaimer: The characters and concept of Highlander unfortunately do not
belong to me. I am not receiving any compensation from this other than the
kind words of my reviewers.
The final strains of a Greig concerto filled the apartment as Gwen rubbed her eyes. She decided that she had studied these texts enough for now. Duncan sat in the chair drinking the beer he had just retrieved from the kitchen.
"I've done all I can do for one day," Gwen announced. "I better go make myself look more presentable if we are going to go out in public."
Duncan looked at her for a moment. She was dressed in loose jeans and a fitted purple turtleneck. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and she wore no make up. "I think you look great the way you are," he said.
Blushing under his scrutiny, she smiled, "Well, thank you, but its a female's prerogative to primp a little. I'll be back in a few minutes."
He watched her walk into her bedroom and sighed. The highlander had really been hoping to spend some time alone with her and then Methos called. Duncan wanted to ask Gwen to accompany him to the Keltoi concert at the end of the month. She had given him the tickets for his birthday. If he was going to do it, then he had to act before the old man showed up.
A few minutes later, the object of his thoughts emerged from her bedroom. She still had on the same clothes, but had tucked in the turtleneck and added a black belt and black boots with a slight heel. Her hair was brushed back from her face and she had applied some blush, a little eye make up and a light coat of lipstick. She was indeed beautiful.
"Wow, you look great," Duncan said. Gwen mumbled a word of thanks and blushed again. Deciding it was now or never, "Uh, Gwen? I've been meaning to ask you about something."
She looked up from straightening the items on the coffee table. "What is it?"
"The concert tickets you gave me for my birthday. Well, the concert is on the thirty-first and I was wondering if ." Just then he felt the presence of the oldest immortal arrive outside. He winced slightly as he hurriedly continued, "you would like to come with me as my date?"
"Oh, Duncan. I would really love to," Gwen smiled up at him, "but Peter already booked us to play that night. I'm sure you'll find someone else to go with."
At that moment there was a knock at the door announcing Adam's arrival. The young woman opened the door to admit her friend and colleague. "Hi! Come on in," she greeted him, giving him a hug. "Duncan is having a beer. Do you want one before we go?"
"Hello, MacLeod," the oldest immortal said with a nod of his head. To Gwen he added, "Sure, I'll have a beer, since Mac is."
"Okay, I'll be right back," she said as she headed to the kitchen. "Duncan would you like another one?"
Looking at his near empty bottle, he said, "Sure, I'll have another one. Thank you." He turned to Adam, "What have you been up to today?"
"Oh you know me. A little of this, a little of that," he smirked. "What about you?"
Duncan rolled his eyes, "I spent most of the morning recovering. Worked out a little and the got Richie to take me to Joe's to get my car and came here."
Gwen returned with the two beers. She handed to the two still standing men. "You guys can sit down, you know," She said smiling at them and sitting on the sofa.
Unfortunately for Duncan, Adam was closer to the sofa than he was, so the Scot grudgingly settled for the chair. He noted how at ease Gwen seemed to be with his friend, considering that they had only known each other a few weeks. However, she had been the same way with himself and Richie almost from the moment that they had met her.
Adam was very interested in why the highlander was here in the first place. Gwen had said that she had been distracted earlier. Just what kind of distraction was MacLeod providing? He could always just ask.
"So, Gwen, you said that you got distracted while you were working," Adam began, "it wasn't this guy's fault was it?"
Duncan and Gwen exchanged an amused glance before the young woman started giggling again and explained, "Actually, Duncan got here just after I got 'distracted.' I had the television on." She collapsed into a fit of laughter.
Duncan continued the story, "She came to the door crying and I thought she was in trouble. It turns out she's just a sap." He grinned. "It was a touching scene in a movie that brought our tough girl to tears."
Gwen caught her breath, "Okay. That's enough about my sappy side. I'm hungry. Can we go now?"
The remainder of the month flew by for Gwen as the semester got into full swing. Duncan and Adam both did their best to spend as much time with her as possible. Having an office down the hall from her gave Adam a slight advantage in this respect, but Duncan made sure that he was at the dojo every time she came in to work out and had started meeting her in the park to run with her in the mornings.
As much as she enjoyed the attention from these two handsome men, Gwen's thoughts were not on romance. Her main focus was teaching. She had even slowed down working on her dissertation. Her friend, Sally, who had brought to Seacover University was trying to get he to commit to another year and the idea was very tempting. After moving so much in her life, the idea of settling down in a place like this was appealing. She had a good job, an outlet for her music and some of the best friends she had ever had. All in all, she was beginning to think of Seacouver as home.
Saturday morning, the thirty-first, Duncan and Gwen met in the park at six. As they stretched beside their cars, Gwen asked, "So, whom are you taking to the concert tonight?"
The Scot shrugged and replied, "I ended up asking one of the waitresses at Joe's."
"Oh, yeah, which one?" she asked.
Duncan looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet and mumbled, "Uh. Sherri."
"Really!!" Gwen was surprised and amused. The buxom blonde had been after him since the first time she saw him. Duncan had never shown any interest in her and generally tried to discourage her advances.
"Well, I was telling Joe about not having anyone to go with and she said that she loved that kind of thing and before I knew it I was telling her what time I'd pick her up."
Gwen had no doubt that Sherri had never heard of Celtic music. The raised eyebrow and the smirk on her face said it all. "What?" he asked.
"I didn't say a word," she protested. "Let's get going. It's freezing out here."
After their five mile run, the pair returned to the parking lot. Duncan asked about her plans for the rest of the day. "Are you spending quality time in the library again?" he wanted to know.
"Actually, I'm going to be a Peter's for most of the day," she said, pulling on her jacket. "We're working on some new stuff and we need some more rehearsal before we try to play in front of people tonight."
"I'm sure you'll be great," he said with a smile. "I wish I could come hear you."
"Ah, but you have that big date with Sherri," Gwen teased. "You really don't want to disappoint her now, do you?"
The Scot just sighed and shook his head. He wanted to tell her that Sherri was not the one that he wanted to be with, but the one he did want was already getting in her jeep to go home.
"Call me tomorrow and tell me all about it," she called as she backed out of the parking space. "And have fun!"
The final strains of a Greig concerto filled the apartment as Gwen rubbed her eyes. She decided that she had studied these texts enough for now. Duncan sat in the chair drinking the beer he had just retrieved from the kitchen.
"I've done all I can do for one day," Gwen announced. "I better go make myself look more presentable if we are going to go out in public."
Duncan looked at her for a moment. She was dressed in loose jeans and a fitted purple turtleneck. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and she wore no make up. "I think you look great the way you are," he said.
Blushing under his scrutiny, she smiled, "Well, thank you, but its a female's prerogative to primp a little. I'll be back in a few minutes."
He watched her walk into her bedroom and sighed. The highlander had really been hoping to spend some time alone with her and then Methos called. Duncan wanted to ask Gwen to accompany him to the Keltoi concert at the end of the month. She had given him the tickets for his birthday. If he was going to do it, then he had to act before the old man showed up.
A few minutes later, the object of his thoughts emerged from her bedroom. She still had on the same clothes, but had tucked in the turtleneck and added a black belt and black boots with a slight heel. Her hair was brushed back from her face and she had applied some blush, a little eye make up and a light coat of lipstick. She was indeed beautiful.
"Wow, you look great," Duncan said. Gwen mumbled a word of thanks and blushed again. Deciding it was now or never, "Uh, Gwen? I've been meaning to ask you about something."
She looked up from straightening the items on the coffee table. "What is it?"
"The concert tickets you gave me for my birthday. Well, the concert is on the thirty-first and I was wondering if ." Just then he felt the presence of the oldest immortal arrive outside. He winced slightly as he hurriedly continued, "you would like to come with me as my date?"
"Oh, Duncan. I would really love to," Gwen smiled up at him, "but Peter already booked us to play that night. I'm sure you'll find someone else to go with."
At that moment there was a knock at the door announcing Adam's arrival. The young woman opened the door to admit her friend and colleague. "Hi! Come on in," she greeted him, giving him a hug. "Duncan is having a beer. Do you want one before we go?"
"Hello, MacLeod," the oldest immortal said with a nod of his head. To Gwen he added, "Sure, I'll have a beer, since Mac is."
"Okay, I'll be right back," she said as she headed to the kitchen. "Duncan would you like another one?"
Looking at his near empty bottle, he said, "Sure, I'll have another one. Thank you." He turned to Adam, "What have you been up to today?"
"Oh you know me. A little of this, a little of that," he smirked. "What about you?"
Duncan rolled his eyes, "I spent most of the morning recovering. Worked out a little and the got Richie to take me to Joe's to get my car and came here."
Gwen returned with the two beers. She handed to the two still standing men. "You guys can sit down, you know," She said smiling at them and sitting on the sofa.
Unfortunately for Duncan, Adam was closer to the sofa than he was, so the Scot grudgingly settled for the chair. He noted how at ease Gwen seemed to be with his friend, considering that they had only known each other a few weeks. However, she had been the same way with himself and Richie almost from the moment that they had met her.
Adam was very interested in why the highlander was here in the first place. Gwen had said that she had been distracted earlier. Just what kind of distraction was MacLeod providing? He could always just ask.
"So, Gwen, you said that you got distracted while you were working," Adam began, "it wasn't this guy's fault was it?"
Duncan and Gwen exchanged an amused glance before the young woman started giggling again and explained, "Actually, Duncan got here just after I got 'distracted.' I had the television on." She collapsed into a fit of laughter.
Duncan continued the story, "She came to the door crying and I thought she was in trouble. It turns out she's just a sap." He grinned. "It was a touching scene in a movie that brought our tough girl to tears."
Gwen caught her breath, "Okay. That's enough about my sappy side. I'm hungry. Can we go now?"
The remainder of the month flew by for Gwen as the semester got into full swing. Duncan and Adam both did their best to spend as much time with her as possible. Having an office down the hall from her gave Adam a slight advantage in this respect, but Duncan made sure that he was at the dojo every time she came in to work out and had started meeting her in the park to run with her in the mornings.
As much as she enjoyed the attention from these two handsome men, Gwen's thoughts were not on romance. Her main focus was teaching. She had even slowed down working on her dissertation. Her friend, Sally, who had brought to Seacover University was trying to get he to commit to another year and the idea was very tempting. After moving so much in her life, the idea of settling down in a place like this was appealing. She had a good job, an outlet for her music and some of the best friends she had ever had. All in all, she was beginning to think of Seacouver as home.
Saturday morning, the thirty-first, Duncan and Gwen met in the park at six. As they stretched beside their cars, Gwen asked, "So, whom are you taking to the concert tonight?"
The Scot shrugged and replied, "I ended up asking one of the waitresses at Joe's."
"Oh, yeah, which one?" she asked.
Duncan looked uncomfortable. He shuffled his feet and mumbled, "Uh. Sherri."
"Really!!" Gwen was surprised and amused. The buxom blonde had been after him since the first time she saw him. Duncan had never shown any interest in her and generally tried to discourage her advances.
"Well, I was telling Joe about not having anyone to go with and she said that she loved that kind of thing and before I knew it I was telling her what time I'd pick her up."
Gwen had no doubt that Sherri had never heard of Celtic music. The raised eyebrow and the smirk on her face said it all. "What?" he asked.
"I didn't say a word," she protested. "Let's get going. It's freezing out here."
After their five mile run, the pair returned to the parking lot. Duncan asked about her plans for the rest of the day. "Are you spending quality time in the library again?" he wanted to know.
"Actually, I'm going to be a Peter's for most of the day," she said, pulling on her jacket. "We're working on some new stuff and we need some more rehearsal before we try to play in front of people tonight."
"I'm sure you'll be great," he said with a smile. "I wish I could come hear you."
"Ah, but you have that big date with Sherri," Gwen teased. "You really don't want to disappoint her now, do you?"
The Scot just sighed and shook his head. He wanted to tell her that Sherri was not the one that he wanted to be with, but the one he did want was already getting in her jeep to go home.
"Call me tomorrow and tell me all about it," she called as she backed out of the parking space. "And have fun!"