Chapter XXIII
Amanda sat on the porch swing, her eyes wide and her mouth open in amazement as she listened to Methos and Joe explain to her what had been going on since she left the States. Finally, when they finished she put her elbows on her knees and covered her face with her hands and exhaled long and slow.
Methos walked over and sat next to her on the swing. He put his hand on her shoulder and asked, "Hey, Amanda? Are you okay?"
Amanda nodded her head and turned her face up to look at him. There were tears in her eyes but she was smiling. "Yeah," she said in almost a whisper. "I'm fine." After she looked at him for a few moments, she raised up, squared her shoulders and looked up at Joe, then back to Methos. "Well?" She said, looking from one to the other.
"Well, what?" Methos asked.
"Can I go see her now, gentlemen?" She asked.
Methos smiled and said, "you realize she won't know you."
Amanda nodded, "I understand that. I still want to see her."
Methos got to his feet and put out his hand to help her up. Amanda took his hand and stood up. She looked over at Joe who had opened the front door and was bowing gallantly. She winked at him as she passed and let her hand brush him under his chin as she grinned over her shoulder at Methos and, "Now there's a gentleman You should take some lessons from Joe, old man," and she walked to the center of the living room.
Upstairs, Duncan heard Amanda's voice and straightened up, unsure if her being there was a good thing or not.
Kelly saw Duncan sit up straight and looked at him with concern. "What is it?" She asked quietly.
Duncan looked at her and said with a partial smile, "a friend."
Kelly watched as Duncan got up and walked to the railing overlooking the downstairs rooms.
Duncan looked over the railing at his three friends downstairs, then back at the woman on his bed. "I'll be right back," he said and headed down the stairs.
When Amanda first laid eyes on Duncan as he came into the living room she was shocked. She had seen him at his worse before but she wasn't prepared for the way he looked now. He had dark circles under his eyes which were red from obvious crying. "You look like hell," she said and walked up and put her arms around his neck.
"It's been a rough week," he mumbled into her neck as he hugged her.
"So I hear," she said and let him go. She glanced up toward the bedroom. Standing at the railing looking down at them was her one time student and best friend.
"Easy," Duncan whispered as he saw the look in Amanda's eyes and knew she wanted to run up and throw her arms around her friend but he knew it wasn't a good idea at that moment.
"I know," Amanda whispers back. "I'm cool."
Methos looked up and smiled at the girl looking down at them. He walked casually towards the stairs.
Kelly watched the scene going on below her. These people were all good friends and seemed to care a lot about each other. She watched the woman carefully. There was something about her...
Flashback
It's 1878 in San Fransisco, California. The girl with the long red hair is sitting at a table with four men. She's holding five cards in her hand and has four large stacks of poker chips in front of her while each of the men at the table have only one or two stacks in front of them. She rearranges the cards in her hand.
The man on her right says, "bet's to you Miss O'Dell." The girl thinks for a moment then removes two chips from one of her stacks and tosses them into the center of the table. Each man to her left follows suit.
The man on her right says, "cards?" and the girl removes one card from her hand and sets it face down on the table and pushes it towards her right. The man deals her one card which she picks up and places in her hand. Each man to her left is dealt two or three cards.
When the deal is finished the man on her right says, "bet," and the girl removes three chips from one of her stacks and tosses them into the center of the table. Her face is completely void of expression as she studies the cards in her hand and waits for the others to decide what they are going to do.
The first man on her left folds, tossing his cards down on the table with definite frustration. The next man deliberates for a few minutes then looks at the girl trying to read something in her face that might tell him how good a hand she has. The girl looks up from her cards, her face still expressionless and raises an eyebrow in question. The man removes three chips from his dwindling stack and tosses them into the center of the table.
The next man does the same, smiling confidently. The next man follows suit except after tossing in three chips he removes two more and tosses them in as well. He looks the girl square in the eyes and smirks as he says, "see you and raise you $1000 more." Someone standing nearby gasps, someone whistles and people begin to gather around the table to watch.
"Bet's to you again, Miss O'Dell," the dealer says
The girl studies her hand then looks into the eyes of the man across from her. The woman from downstairs steps through the crowd of onlookers and stands behind the girl at the table. She, too, has no expression on her face. The girl simply nods at the man across from her and meets his bet and raises it by adding two more chips to the pot.
The next man to her left tosses his hand on the table, sighs and sits back in his chair. "Too rich for my blood," he says and downs the contents of the shot glass on the table in front of him. The man who originally raised the bet looks worried. But he calls her bet and sits forward expectantly.
The girl sighs and gets a sad look on her face. In an Irish Brogue she says, "oh dear.' The man across from her begins to smile and his hands start to reach for the pile of chips in the center of the table. The girl's expression turns from one of sad regret to one of smugness as she lays her cards on the table face up and spreads them out displaying a King high royal straight flush and she says, "I'm afraid I win again."
The man's face falls as his hands double into fists and he slams them into the table knocking over his own meager stack of chips. The onlookers applaud and the woman standing behind the girl grins proudly and hugs the girl saying, "that's my Caitlin."
The man who has just lost stands up as the girl reaches across the table and begins to rake in her winnings. "You cheated," he exclaims loudly.
"Excuse me?" The girl asks looking at him warily.
"I said...you cheated," he repeats his accusation and reaches for his revolver in the holster around his hip.
"Mr. Hampton, please,' the dealer tries to intervene.
"I wouldn't," says the woman standing behind the girl and all eyes turn to her. She is standing erect and pointing a very ornately engraved Derringer at the man.
He freezes in mid motion and looks at the two women. The red head finishes scooping up her chips and rakes them all into a tray that the dealer has just handed her. She gets up from the table and nods to each of the other men and says, "It's been a pleasure, gentlemen, for sure." She takes a couple of steps backward placing the woman with the gun between her and the angry loser, then turns and walks away, shoulders back and head held high, the woman with the gun following. As the light fades they both look at each other and burst into laughter.
Present day
Kelly realized that she had moved from the railing that overlooked the downstairs rooms to the bay window and had sat down on the window seat. She was staring out at the nearly full moon.
Amanda got to the top of the stairs and stopped looking at the girl across the room Her hair was shorter...almost as short as her own...and lighter, more blond. Her face was thinner and the mischievous twinkle was gone from her green eyes. But it was Caitlin, without a doubt. No one would tell her different.
Amanda had had several students in her time but none had shown the drive and promise as Caitlin had. And none had had the infectious love of life as Caitlin And Amanda had never bonded with any of them as she had with Caitlin They had become best friends, almost sisters; their bond was so tight. Both seemed to know when the other needed a friend and would show up out of the blue on the other's door step. It was that bond that made Amanda absolutely sure that the girl across the room from her was Caitlin, no matter what the girl believed.
Kelly looked into the eyes of the woman standing at the top of the stairs. She was unaware that Duncan stood behind the woman, one step down and that Dr. Pierson was behind him.
Methos started to say something but MacLeod signaled with his hand to hold up.
Duncan looked from Amanda to Kelly and back again. He couldn't explain what he saw or what he felt that seemed to pass between the two women but he knew it was something powerful. They stared at each other as though they somehow connected.
Amanda took a couple of steps closer to the girl, their eyes locked on each other. The girl did not look afraid or intimidated. A little confused, maybe, but definitely not afraid. No did she look threatening. She simply stared in Amanda's eyes.
"Caitlin?" Amanda said softly and took another step closer.
"Kelly," the girl corrected, but her voice was small...almost as if she were in a trance. The response was obviously made out of some "programed" instinct.
"Cait," Amanda used her nick name for her friend; a name only she had called her. "It's me, Amanda," she said softly.
"Mand?" Kelly asked. It was Caitlin's pet name for Amanda and she was the only person aloud to use it because ordinarily Amanda hated to have people shorten her name. The name floated around in Kelly's head. It was somehow familiar to her and is sparked many warm feelings inside her.
"That's right," Amanda said and stepped closer. "You do remember, don't you?"
TO BE CONTINUED