Disclaimer: Highlander belongs to Davis/Panzer. They are being borrowed and returned hopefully in about the same shape they were taken in. Jeff, Emmy, and just about everyone else, belong to me. You can use them if you like, just return them please.
Chapter 12
Rick felt the sensation of another Immortal approaching. Although he was sure this time that he knew who it was, he still brought his wrench with him. He kept a tight grip on it until he entered the lobby and saw Emerald's smiling face. "Hey," he said, smiling and letting the wrench hang down.
"Hi. You closing up shop soon?" Emmy asked, leaning against the wall. The light was coming in from behind her, pink and orange and yellow, giving a halo to her dark hair and olive skin and making her look even more gorgeous than usual.
"Yeah. Just putting the final touches on this bike so that we can call the owner in the morning, and I should be done. Did you need something?"
"I wanted to get you away from Jeff, and just talk for a while. I mean, if that's okay," Emmy replied, biting her lip in an agitated manner that Rick could only describe as cute.
"Sure, that would be great. Give me fifteen minutes. You can come in, if you want."
The two walked silently into the garage. Both Manuel and Mike were putting their stuff away and clocking out for the day. They said good night, and the two found themselves alone in the garage. Rick wanted to rush through the work in front of him, but he knew if he did it would take longer. He felt nervous, with Emmy standing there watching him. She was so quiet and motionless, almost like a black cat staring at a mouse hole. The only difference was that she did not seem impatient or ready to strike. No, Emmy seemed relaxed, almost as if she was somewhere else entirely. She was so still, that when Rick would look over at her periodically while he worked, he could not see her breathing. It was like having a living mannequin in his shop.
That was one of the things Rick really liked about Emerald. She was all patience. It was something that set her apart from Amanda. She did not seem to rush headfirst into things. She thought things out, had a plan—at least when she could, it seemed.
"Done," Rick announced, getting up and walking over to the sink in the back of the shop to wash up. Emmy followed, still just as quietly, almost as if she was a ghost, or... a thief trying not to disturb her surroundings. He blinked and smiled. "You walk around like you're casing the place. You realize that, don't you?" he asked, turning from the sink to look straight at her for the first time since she had entered the store that day.
Emmy laughed. "I guess old habits die hard. I was a professional thief for a long time. It just comes naturally to me to size up any place I'm in."
"And to move around the place without disturbing anything," Rick said, smiling at her as she walked toward him.
"That too, I guess." She smiled back at him, and her eyes seemed to sparkle.
"I need to lock up. How 'bout I meet you out front?"
She nodded and headed back out of the store.
He met her about five minutes later, as he pulled down the gate to finish locking up the shop. He cast her a grin. "So, where shall we go?"
"You just want to take a walk with me?" She looked quietly hopeful.
"I have a better idea. There's this amazing park not far from here. It's beautiful to walk through this time of night. It'll help you appreciate the splendor that is Florida." He handed her the extra helmet he kept with his bike.
She took the helmet, but stood looking at the bike non-committedly.
He bent his head and said softly, "Look, I've been riding one of these since I was sixteen. I've done it professionally in over ten different countries. I've won awards for it. So, unless someone shoots out my tire, you will not be dying in a motorcycle accident. Come on, Emmy, you were the one who wanted to get to be friends. Trust me." Rick put on his helmet and climbed onto the bike, then held out his hand for Emmy. She sighed, slid on the helmet, and climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Let's go."
He started the engine, and the two of them were off.
Rick took a deep breath as he brought his bike to a stop in front of the park. There were palm trees all through the grounds. A jogging trail wound its way around the park, and trees and bushes popped up all over the place. He set the kickstand down and helped Emmy climb off of the bike. Then he dismounted himself. The two took off their helmets, and Rick stored them in the bike seat. "So what do you think?"
Emmy looked around, an enchanted smile on her face. "I think it's beautiful."
"When it's raining, and it gets heavy enough to cover the entire sidewalk, it looks like you're walking across the sky. It's one of the most beautiful places I've been on Earth."
She reached out and took his hand. "Walk with me."
He walked with her contentedly. "What's on your mind, Emmy?"
"It's this whole Watcher thing. I wanted to talk to you about it away from Jeff. I mean, he's great, but he's still just a kid, and mortal."
Rick snickered softly. "Yeah, he's definitely a kid." The two kept going along the jogging trail. "It's strange though—it wasn't long ago—I was the one who was considered the kid."
"How long have you been around, anyway?" Emmy asked, looking at her companion.
"Not long. There are still tons of mortals older than I am. In fact, you were married longer than I've been alive."
Emmy laughed. "There's no way! You act so mature. Who was your teacher?"
He flinched, just a little. "I don't talk about it. Let's just say, my first few years as an Immortal I was called upon to deal with more than anyone should. So I changed my name and moved on. Enough about my troubled 'tween years. What did you want to know about Jeff, or the Watchers?"
Emmy sighed. Rick could tell that she was not content with the answer she had received. "You told me yesterday that you've known about the Watchers practically since your first death, how is that? My teacher—her name is Amanda—she told me that there are very few Immortals that know about the Watchers."
"My teacher ran afoul of the Hunters. They were a group of the Watchers who went psycho and started killing Immortals. He found out about the Watchers, and so did I. We became friends with one of them. Good friends, I still call him once in a while."
"So you trust the Watchers?"
"The organization, no. The people, yes. That's the thing; some Watchers are good, and some are bad; that's the same with any group. Overall, I think that what they are doing is important, and I think it's a noble cause, but that doesn't mean I like it. Still, for me, working with my Watcher is far better than being followed around all the time by one. And believe me, after you've gotten to know how they work, you can spot them. Jeff was excellent at his job, and I still cornered him."
She nodded. "But you trust Jeff, right? I mean, with your life?"
"I trust Jeff to always do the right thing, because that's the kind of guy he is. I also trust him to be loyal and true to his friends. He has a pure heart, and he's had it tough, so he really cares about people."
"I guess that's all that matters. One more thing..." Emmy took her hand out of Rick's and turned on the trail to face him. "Why did you have the change of heart you did?"
"You risked your life—your head even—to make sure that Casey got home safe. You did that for Jeff, for me, and for a family you didn't even know. It's been a really long time since I've met anyone like that... especially one of us. It meant a lot." Rick stepped around Emmy and started walking again. He did not want to get this close to her yet.
Emmy grabbed his hand and stopped him. "Rick, what are you running from?"
He looked at her with a peculiarly hopeless expression. "I don't really know anymore. I've come to the conclusion that sometimes you hit a point where you've been running for so long, you forget why you're running. At that point, it's just easier to keep going than it is to feel anymore."
"You and I have something in common then," Emmy said, pulling Rick closer to her and looking into his eyes.
He wanted to look away, but knew she was testing him, so instead he brushed her face with his hand, moving her hair away from her eyes. "What's that?"
"We've forgotten how to feel." She battled with herself, then suddenly pulled away from him. "I think we should head back, it's almost dinner time."
Rick felt himself tense. He could not help it. "Sure, don't want to make you late for dinner." He sounded angry, even to himself. He wheeled on his heel and started hurrying back towards the bike.
"Rick? Rick, wait up!" Emmy was almost running to catch up to him, he was walking so fast.
He did not slow down. He did not want her to know why he was so upset. He just wanted to get out of here, end this evening. He was on his bike with his helmet in place before Emmy caught up to him. He held out hers, and she took it from him with over-exaggerated force.
"Did you take a car to my shop or a taxi?" Rick asked, as he started the engine.
"My car is in front of the shop. You can drop me off there," Emmy said quietly.
"Fine," Rick replied. He was calming down now, and he felt bad for freaking out on her. They had only known each other for a couple of weeks; very little of which they had actually talked. Most of those times, Rick had been nothing but a jerk to her. He knew she had a right to close herself off. She had lots of reasons to do so, and so did he.
The ride back was quiet, but it began to rain in the late evening. He took the long way through the more beautiful central part of the city. The lights were coming on as the sun was setting, the sky a mix of pinks and oranges. In between each of the light poles stood a palm tree. As the rain came down, it coated the road and as they drove, it began to look like they were driving over the trees and lights. Rick loved taking this street in the rain as much, if not more, than he like walking in the park. There was something magical about it.
By the time they reached the store, Emmy's mood had improved a bit; as had Rick's. "That's what you were talking about in the park, wasn't it? When it looks like that, the sky all pink and orange; the lights and trees. It was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."
"How old are you, Emmy?" he asked, while taking off his helmet to look at her.
She handed him her helmet. "I'm six hundred, give or take. Why the sudden interest?"
"It's just nice to know that there will still be things that amaze me when I get that old."
Emmy smiled. "Life is a journey, and the road is what you make of it. If you look for the beauty around you, you'll find it."
Rick smiled and put his helmet back on. "Good night, Emmy."
"Good night, Rick."
He sped off, keeping an eye on Emmy in his rear-view mirror until he could no longer see her.
