Gwen paused at the bedroom door to take in the sprawling form on her sofa. Feet propped up on the coffee table, beer in one hand, newspaper in the other… Adam looked as if he had taken "make yourself at home" to heart. She chucked to herself as she crossed the room to the kitchen.
"Comfy?" she asked.
He looked up at her walking by and smiled, "Yes, actually I am, thanks."
Grabbing another beer for Adam and a bottle of water for herself, Gwen went back into the living room. She set the beer on the table and plopped down on the other end of the sofa. Without a word, the oldest immortal handed her a few sections of the paper. For several minutes they sat in comfortable silence.
Adam couldn't help but notice how completely at ease they seemed to be with each other. He dropped the top of the paper slightly to peer at her. Even though she appeared to be engrossed in what she was reading, she must have felt his stare, for suddenly, her big, clear eyes were looking back at him. A small smile started on her face and she opened her mouth to say something when all of the sudden Gwen sat up as she felt the buzz of another immortal close by.
"It's probably MacLeod," Adam said calmly. He took another drink from the beer and set the paper down. "However, you really never know, so I'd have my sword handy if I were you."
Gwen nodded and reached down beside the sofa to pick up her broadsword before rising and heading for the door. Even though she kept the weapon by her side, Adam could see the tension in her arm. She was definitely ready to defend herself.
Before she could open the door, she heard Duncan call out, "Gwen, it's just us." She visibly relaxed and let her two friends into the apartment. They set about installing the new hardware.
The next few days passed without incident. Gwen accustomed herself to carrying her sword with her and started training with it. She was also getting used to the sensation of having another immortal came near.
Duncan stilled worried about her when she was not with him or Richie. He felt slightly uncomfortable that she spent so much time in Adam's company. They worked together and he followed her from campus to the dojo each day for training. He knew that his friend rarely did anything without an ulterior motive and he wondered what he was up to concerning Gwen.
On Friday afternoon, the new immortal arrived at the dojo alone. Duncan briefly wondered why Adam had not accompanied her, but he was glad to have her to himself for a change. Richie had made plans with Andrea and had already gone home. The tall Scot stepped out of the office as Gwen came through the door.
"Hi!" he greeted her. "How was your day?"
"It was good, actually," she replied, removing the sword from her coat. She held onto it as she took off the long black leather duster and set the garment aside. "My lecture went well this morning and I have new prized student in my Myths class. He is working is working on some stuff that might rival masters thesis. I'm so glad to see someone really taking an interest and not just satisfying an elective."
Duncan retrieved his own weapon and moved to the center of the floor. Gwen joined him there, both hands on the hilt of the sword, circling in a fighting stance. He let her go on the offensive first, easily blocking her jabs and swings, offering bits of advice. Suddenly, he saw an opening and attacked and was surprised that his blow was deflected. Gwen's training in martial arts and boxing had taught her one important lesson – keep your guard up at all times.
Throughout the session, they both drew blood a few times. The first time it had happened a few days earlier, she had been amazed at the healing wound. This time she barely flinched, but she had learned not to wear good clothes for training. Almost two hours later, Gwen announced that she'd had enough. She and Duncan were both drenched in sweat and exhausted.
Collapsing on the bench, the small woman grabbed a towel and a bottle of water. Her companion sat down beside her with his own drink, "You're really learning very fast, you know."
"Good," she replied. "I'll do anything to stay out of the convent!"
He rolled his eyes and laughed. "So, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.
"No plans," she answered, taking a big gulp of the water. "What are you doing?"
Duncan shrugged, "I thought maybe I'd ask you to have dinner and go to Joe's or something."
Gwen thought for a moment before she replied, "Okay. I need to shower and change, though. Do you want me to meet you back here?"
"I'll pick you up," he said with a big grin. "Is an hour all right?"
"I can be ready in an hour," she smiled back at him. As she put her coat back on, she replaced the sword. "See you in a bit," she called on her way out.
Whistling, Duncan headed for the loft. He wondered again why Adam had not come to the dojo, but was happy that the older immortal had found something else to do.
When Gwen pulled up to her apartment, she did not take notice of the two cars following her. The closest one was an older model Honda with a young man at the wheel. Following him was a five thousand year old immortal in a rented Ford Taurus.
Adam knew that Joe had not put a watcher on Gwen yet since she was virtually surrounded by immortals and their watchers. He had noticed this man following her for the past several weeks. He'd gotten close enough to realize that his wasn't an immortal, but he was curious about the young man's interest.
Careful to stay out of range, Adam found a spot on a side street where he could see Gwen's house and the other car. He hadn't told Joe or MacLeod that he suspected someone of following the new immortal. He wanted to find out more about this individual and his motives before alarming anyone.
About forty-five minutes later he saw a familiar car park in front if the duplex. He watched as the highlander got out of the Thunderbird and walked to the front door. Both Adam and the man he was following looked on in surprise as Duncan presented Gwen with a single rose when she opened the door. She gave him a hug as he stepped inside. Several minutes later, the pair left in MacLeod's car.
Adam started the rental car in anticipation of following the man following Gwen. He waited for several minutes, but the car did not move. Furrowing his brow in confusion, he sat and watched. Finally, the Honda started up and moved, but instead of turning in the same direction as the Thunderbird, it went back toward campus.
He debated following the car for a moment, but decided that there was little chance of danger from this mysterious pursuer, he headed for Joe's in hopes that Duncan would be taking Gwen there.