AN: Thank you everyone that has been following this story, for your feedback and your patience. Here's the last chapter and I hope you've enjoyed the adventure.
Chapter Nine
The warriors rode swiftly, aware that each moment they tarried would only bring more danger to Lady Catherine. They followed their Laird in silence, watching the determination fill his soul and press him onward towards his Lady.
They knew that their Laird would only accept one possible outcome from today's venture, Lady Catherine's safe return and MacNeil's complete defeat for all the crimes that he had committed against the MacLachlan clan.
The setting sun behind them cast its reddish-amber beams down upon them. The glow seemed to wrap around Iain and his steed. The cascading rays illuminating them with an eerie glow, an almost hellish shine that could strike fear into the hearts of even the most loyal of the clan. Man and beast blurred together, pressing onward in an almost inhuman pace that the soldiers strove to follow.
Nary was a word spoken and the only sound was the brisk thud of hoofs thundering across the grassy plain.
Iain paid his men no mind, his every thought centered on saving Catherine from Patrick. His jaw clenched tightly in an effort to hold back his anguished cry. His eyes darkened and became hard as steel in his fury.
Their mounts quickly approached MacNeil's holdings and at Iain's upheld hand they slowed to a trot. The gates were open and unmanned. The men looked about, searching the surroundings for signs of a trap that would be sprung upon them once they entered the MacNeil's domain.
Iain ignored their caution and flew through the gates, he cared not for his own safety, the fire within him spurred him forward, as if his will would overcome any deceit that was concealed beyond the large gates.
As if from a distance, he heard his men call out to him, cautioning him to stop and wait for them. He pressed forward and heard his soldiers follow suit, they fell closely behind him to guard his flank. It was their loyalty to their Laird that urged them to follow. Even though they were unsure if the next moments would be their last, they would go where he led. They would show him the same regard that he had shown them for so many years.
In the distance, they saw guards facing towards them, watching their impending invasion into their home.
He drew to a stop before the wall of MacNeil soldiers that blocked his entrance into Patrick domicile. Iain stared down at them, his glare condemning any who would dare to stand in his way. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready if they chose to attack.
The MacNeil commander stepped forward and knelt before him, laying down his scabbard and his sword. His men followed suit.
"Forgive us, Laird MacLachlan. We were not aware of our Laird's dishonorable conduct towards you and your family." The commander called out from his knelt position before Iain. "We are loyal to our clan but we have unknowingly let a monster rule it. It was recently that we were made aware of his infamy towards you and towards members of our own clan."
"I wish no harm to the innocent. I merely seek Lady Lindsay," Iain stated, dismounting and walking towards the soldier. "I give you my word that as long as no blade is lifted against mine, I shall not attack. Rise from the ground and tell me where she is being kept."
"I wish I could aid you, my Laird. We looked for her once we received word that he had taken her but we cannot find her within these walls." The commander replied shaking his head in defeat. "Nor can we locate MacNeil. It is as if he has vanished from this earth."
Iain's hands clenched around the hilt of his blade and eyes blazing he turned to them all. "Search every where. Leave no stone unturned, no door unopened. Find her."
"My Laird," a trembling voice called out in a whimper that resonated with pain, "There's a hidden room on the second floor. 'Tis hidden behind a large tapestry embroidered with the figure of a Lady upon a pure white horse. The door is locked but should be easy to break through. You'll find you're Lady within this inner sanctum."
Iain turned in the direction of the person who had spoken. His breath caught as he viewed the image before him.
A servant stood hunched over, an arm wrapped around his mid section, his face swollen and bruised from a recent beating. His tattered clothes were mired with perspiration, blood and what appeared to be ashes from a hearth.
"Thank you. Thomas, take care of his injuries." Iain ordered as he rushed into the manor, unheeding of the shouts from his men to wait for them.
He ran swiftly up the stairs, searching for the image that the servant had described. He found it, near the end of the large hallway. Grasping hold of it, he tore it free, exposing the hidden doorway. Rushing towards it, he thrust his shoulder hard into the wood, hearing it splinter from the force of his blow but still not opening completely. He rushed forward again and shattered the door and knocking it free from one of its hinges, so that it swayed from the force of his blow.
He drew his sword and stepped into Patrick inner sanctuary in time to see McNeil reaching for Catherine's neck, even as she tried to back away from him. Not able escape as he had backed her into a wall.
"McNeil, hurt her and I'll ensure that you're death is as painful as I can possibly make it," Iain stated grimly.
Patrick grabbed hold of Catherine and pushed her forward, using her body as a shield against Iain's attack. He pulled her close and twisted her arm cruelly behind her back, his other hand wrapping around her slender throat, tightening briefly in warning as she struggled in his arms.
Patrick looked frantically about him. How had Iain entered his domain? Where were his men? The cowards had no doubt yielded when Iain had descended upon them. They would pay for their lapse in duty to their leader once he dealt with this trollop and her mongrel lover.
"The valiant warrior arrives," Patrick sneered, his lips brushing against the soft shell of her earlobe. His beady eyes taunted Iain as he toyed with Catherine. Casting Iain a mocking smile, he nibbled on the delicate flesh and nuzzled his fleshy cheek along her jaw, his rough stubble marring the white skin and leaving a red rash everywhere he touched.
Catherine closed her eyes and fought to hold back the bile rising within her at the feel of his body on hers. He followed a path that only Iain had traveled with loving kisses and touches, and instinctively, she arched away from him, whimpering in pain as he wrenched her arm further.
Iain watched helplessly as Catherine was manhandled and mauled. Any movement that he made would only enrage Patrick into hurting her more.
"Be still, Catherine," he urged softly, even as the warrior within him roared at him to attack and end this now. Everything within him screamed at him to rush forward and run the bastard through, ending his tyranny and purging him from their lives forever.
Catherine looked at him, determination and trust in her gaze. Her trust steadied him and beat back the demon within him, knowing that brute force alone would not end this.
"Yes, bitch. Be still," Patrick growled into her ear. "Unlike Iain, I have no compunction about hurting you to teach you obedience. Mayhap a broken bone will make you heed my orders more willingly."
At the threat, Iain stepped forward and raised his blade.
Patrick laughed out loud, knowing that as long as he held Catherine, he was safe from Iain's wrath. His hand tightened around her neck. The air filled with her choked gasps and moans, as he blocked her breath passage.
Catherine started to become light-headed from the lack of air, her nails dug into Patrick's arms, scrapping at the flesh in her effort to escape his deathly grasp.
"Alright! You have the upper hand," Iain roared. "Cease before you kill her. 'Tis me that you want dead, not her."
"Mayhap I want both of you dead. It's just a matter of whom I should dispatch first." Patrick retorted, easing his grip and stroking her convulsing throat. His eyes glittered in desire as she shuddered against him, her breasts rubbing against the arm imprisoning her, with each deep breath she took, "Did you think I want your used goods?"
Catherine shook her head to clear away the blurry vision and looked towards Iain. The helplessness, anger and anguish in his features were nearly her undoing. Any move that he made towards her, Patrick would delight in hurting her. They were locked in stalemate. Patrick would never give her up and Iain was too concerned for her safety to risk rushing forward.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, her eyes conveyed her escape plan to Iain and she mouthed silently to him, 'I love you.'
Before he could protest her actions, she stamped down on Patrick arch and thrust her free elbow into his protruding stomach. She felt his start of surprise and felt his breath rushed over the back of her neck at the blow. Twisting sharply away from him, she broke free from his weakened grasp and raced forward to Iain's side.
Iain placed her behind him, away from any chance of Patrick regaining her. Sheathing his sword, he turned to face the coward that had haunted his life for the last few months and rushed forward. Iain grasped hold of Patrick from his fallen position on the floor and flung him back into the wall. Glancing into Patrick unrepentant eyes, bloodlust overtook Iain as he thought of the lives that had been taken or broken by this poor excuse of a man. He began to pound blow after blow into Patrick's body. Each powerful hit that struck was for those that McNeil had harmed, his parents, his sister, Belle and Catherine.
"Iain," Catherine called out, reaching forward to lay a gentle hand over his sweat soaked back. He paused but did not glance back at her, all of his attention was on Patrick who had slid down the wall to lie on the ground unmoving. "Stop! This is not who you are. Don't let Patrick turn you into him. I am safe. You came in time before he could hurt me. Don't do something you'll regret, not when we are so close to being together, my love."
Iain heard her words but a part of him wished for the final revenge against Patrick. To eradicate him from their midst and deny him life, as Patrick had done with his sister and parents. But Catherine was his voice of reason, her gently murmured words soothed and calmed the anger within him.
Iain nudged McNeil's leg, paying no heed to the pitiful whimper that Patrick uttered. "I spare you your life. Death would be too light a punishment for the crimes that you have committed. Nothing will give me more pleasure than knowing that you are trapped within a cage that you cannot escape, and that you'll spend the rest of your life surrounded by vermin and filth. Denied the riches and abundances that you have accrued through foul means,"
He turned and walked to take hold of Catherine in his arms, he lead her from the room into the cavernous hall.
His men stood lining the walls, their weapons at the ready if needed to defend their Laird.
"Thomas, get him ready for the Magistrate," Iain commanded. "We'll take him upon our departure and thus we'll know that he cannot escape from his deeds."
Thomas looked sharply at him, his gaze filled with questions and finally understanding. Iain nodded at him and acknowledged the silent thanks that filled Thomas's visage.
As Iain walked Catherine to the long stairs, muffled cries echoed in the distance, justice had been served for all those who had been abused by Patrick's tyranny.
They walked into the empty courtyard and stood in the rays of the setting sun, basking in the freedom that they had won. He held her tightly to his chest, his hands resting upon her hips as Catherine stroked his tense shoulders and back. Both needed to hold onto one another, aware of how close they had come to losing it all.
Iain brushed a tender kiss against her bruised cheek and swollen lip.
"Catherine, you know that I care deeply for you and would never change anything about you," Iain began to say, smiling as she peeked up at him through half lowered lids. "But I pray that you'll never do anything so dangerous and impulsive again. I don't think that my heart could take it and I would have to punish you for your disobedient ways." He announced as he playfully smacked her bottom.
Catherine gasped loudly and placed her hands upon her hips, her eyes flashing with amusement, "Iain! You dared to spank me?"
"Aye, and there's plenty more where that came from if you continue to court danger," Iain growled.
"Pfft," she retorted, smiling at him devilishly and batting her lashes coquettishly at him. Raising her hand to his muscular chest, her fingers began to play with the buttons of his shirt, "Does that mean that I can do other things instead?"
"Catherine," he groaned, gazing tenderly at her heart shaped face "I'm so glad that you're safe. I don't know if I could have survived if something…" His voice trailed off, unwilling to utter his greatest fears aloud, afraid that fate would hear his words and conspire to take her from him.
"Hush, I'm safe and soon I'll be your wife," Catherine murmured tenderly.
"My beloved wife," Iain corrected her, laying his cheek against the auburn crown of her hair and breathing deeply her rich scent. "Forever and a day will I love you, Catherine."
"Aye, my beloved husband, for all eternity," Catherine vowed.
They embraced and sealed their vow with the sweetest of kisses, the first of their new life together.
Epilogue
Two Lovers torn apart before their time
Two Hearts incomplete and lonely
Crying out in sorrow for the other
Two Souls searching for each other
Love found once again but forsaken
When logic rules, the heart weakens
Destroying all that once was and what should once again be
Foolishness abounds and the spirit slowly withers,
As they ache for the other part of themselves.
Remember what you once had and almost lost
Remember,
Before it is gone forever
'Remember what you lost…'
Kathryn woke with a startled gasp as the words echoed within her mind. She laid one hand over her rapidly beating heart as the other reached up to gently touch her lips, the sensation of smooth lips brushing against hers still vivid in her mind.
She lay back down on her bed and pulled the soft, beige blanket over her body, wanting the warmth and comfort that it provided in the wake of her vivid dream. With a soft sigh, she called for half-lights and she rose from her bed, walking slowly towards her replicator. She was wide-awake and still had about three hours before she needed to be up for her next duty shift.
"Computer coffee - no Chakotay herbal blend 14," she ordered, waiting for the soothing cup of tea to appear before her.
Cradling it in her hands, she lay back on the chaise and blew into the steamy mug. As she sat in the semi darkness, she replayed her dream in her mind. Never had she experience one with so much detail. It was almost as if she had been there or had been acting it out on the Holodeck.
"It was only a dream," she whispered, aching for the happiness Catherine had found in the arms of Iain.
A bright flash filled the air and a familiar sardonic voice blared out.
"Not this time, Kathy."
Kathryn groaned and raised a hand to her brow, already feeling a migraine coming with Q's unwelcome appearance in her quarters. 'Q. I should have known he'd have something to do with this.'
"What do you want, Q?" She grumbled, not in the mood to deal with any of his schemes.
"Dearest Kathy, is that any way to greet the father of your favorite godson?" Q asked in a hurt tone.
"Q, I don't have the patentice at 0300 to play little word games with you," Kathryn replied, rolling her eyes at his ploy for sympathy. "Why did you send me that dream and more importantly, what the hell do you want?"
Q sat down close beside her, his thigh flush against hers. Kathryn looked down at it and raised her eyes to look into his. She arched her brow, her face promising him all manner of torture if he didn't stop touching her. She had to stifle a chuckle as he pouted and slid away from her.
"The question should be 'What did you do to piss off Eros?'" Q retorted in a petulant voice.
"Eros? Eros is a Greek myth. He doesn't exist, Q." Kathryn said in an exasperated voice.
"For your information, he does." Q corrected her. "See all the interesting things that you're missing. You should have taken me up on my offer, sweetest Kathy. There's still time," Q growled playfully, turning towards her and grasping her hand in his. "Be mine!"
"As I told you before, I'm busy for the next fifty or sixty years," Kathryn replied, pulling free of his grasp. "Just tell me the facts."
"Alright then, Eros and his mate, Psyche are members of an ancient race. They are the cosmic matchmakers of all universes and temporal planes. No one is foolish enough to get in their way," Q informed her, before continuing in a disgusted voice, "Bunch of lovey-dovey immortals that spend their days cooing at each other, when their not out messing in other people's lives by giving them a red-head bride and a son, but I digress. Lately though, they've been a little well… enraged. Psyche's screeches are echoing throughout the Continuum and giving everyone there a bloody headache. They're so close to descending on you and taking matters into their own hands."
"And your point is?" Kathryn inquired.
"My point is that Eros was coming here to take care of things before I convinced him to let me have a go at it. If I fail, which of course I won't, you'll have bigger problems than me to deal with," Q said cockily.
"Why?"
"Because you and Chuckles have broken the Cosmic Rule," Q exclaimed, his noise crinkling in disgust as he uttered his pet name for Chakotay. "Although, I don't know what you see in that big ape. He doesn't have my class, my breeding and my omnipotent powers."
"Q," she said his name, a warning clearly being uttered.
"But that's beside the point. The reason that I'm here is because not even the Q mess around with those two, unless they want to be mated to a single-celled organism for a millennium or two."
"What does your little story have to do with Chakotay and I? What did we do that was so horrible that we now have Eros and you, breathing down our necks?" Kathryn spat, angry at being a pawn at the hands of omnipotent beings.
"It's want you didn't do," Q stated in a matter of fact tone. "I'll give you two words, Kathy. New Earth."
She paled and looked away for him, unwilling to let him see how deeply those words cut into her. She had buried her feelings and memories of that time deep within her heart, unwilling to bring them to the surface and acknowledge what she had abandoned so long ago.
Q watched her, sensing her hurt and anguish but pressing on regardless. He was here it make her see reason. Unlike Chakotay, who didn't want to upset the carefully constructed friendship they had created since New Earth, Q refused to let her hide behind her mask any longer, forcing her to recognize the gift that she had been given but had foolishly cast aside. The consequences would be too devastating to his favorite mortal.
"That was your first chance to fulfill your destiny together and you both threw it away. It was the last thing that Chakotay wanted to do, but to ease your burdens he withdrew his love, knowing that you would see it as another responsibility and another burden on this long voyage."
He watched her frame tensing with each word he spoke but she remained silent.
"The second chance was after the shuttle crash. By the way you really shouldn't let Commander Crash pilot anymore of those, it's not as if you have an unending supply floating around in your docking bay." Q cautioned. "Where was I? Oh, I remember now. He carried you to safety, he breathed life back into you, his tears fell upon you and his soul cried out as you lay dying in his arms. We heard his sorrow in the Continuum, a feeling so heart wrenching that it touched even the most uncaring of Q's. Yet, you still refused to give in. You stood before him surrounded by the beauty of Lake George, and quoted rules and regulations."
"That's no one's business but our own," Kathryn replied in a husky voice. "We're best friends and…."
"You were meant to be lovers," Q cut in, losing his patience with her stubbornness." Kathy, I'm going to break the rules, just this once for you."
"I don't want any favors from you, Q. They always come with a price," Kathryn murmured, still looking away from him.
Q looked at her profile. She seemed so strong and larger than life. As if the injustice of her life didn't faze her but if you looked closely, you could see the lines of weariness and worry that were becoming etched into her visage. Only one other person had noticed but soon, there would be no one there to care for her, if things didn't change.
'If she didn't allow herself to change,' he corrected himself silently.
"In less than a year, you'll lose Chakotay," Q stated, ignoring her words.
"What?" She cried, spinning around to look at him, pain searing though her.
"Not to death, not to a passing alien, not to leaving him behind on a planet that he chooses, but to your pet drone," Q said, "That's right, Kathy. You pushed him from you for so long that he finally leaves you for Seven. She begins to develop your mannerisms and your sense of humor, she learns how to mimic your personality and she falls for Chakotay. She's like a balm to his hurting soul, his shelter from the slights of the day and since he can't have you, he'll settle for her. In his mind, it's almost like having you. You've been her mentor in her quest to regain her humanity.
You'll marry them on a planet that looks like an unfound paradise. Standing amid the trees and the wild flowers, you'll be reminded of New Earth. Moreover, as you hear him say his vows to her, your heart cries out in denial. You see the understanding and reconization in his eyes as he remembers another time and place."
Kathryn's ragged breathing began to fill the air and she struggled to hold onto her unraveling emotions as Q continued to speak.
"You'll watch from the side lines as their relationship grows and she blossoms under his care but you'll always feel that pull towards each other until one day it's severed forever."
Kathryn rose and made her way to look at the passing stars," Why?" She rasped, agony filling her.
"You'll send Seven on an away mission and she doesn't come back alive. You'll watch her die in his arms, her blood soaking the ground and his uniform. With her last breath, you'll see hatred overtake the love in his gaze as he looks upon you. In that instant, your souls rend apart, dooming you both to an endless eternity of loneliness and rage."
"No," she whispered.
"Yes, for centuries you've met and fallen in love, an unbroken cycle that strengthens with each reincarnation. You're past is a rich tapestry filled with knowledge that filters into each new life. Only once was this cycle almost broken before it's time," Q continued.
"With Iain and Catherine," Kathryn replied, her hand covering her throat as she remembered the feel of Patrick's hands on her body, his fingers tightening and cutting off her breath before she broke free.
"Yes, if things had happened differently. With Catherine's death, he wouldn't have cared what happened to him. His family was dead and his love was dead, he would have ridden out into battle uncaring if he lived or died. Eagerly courting death until the day he found it. He would die alone with a peaceful smile on his lips, uttering your name with his last breath, with the knowledge that he would find you again and that you would be together at last in the next world." Q came to a finish.
Kathryn glanced back at him, "Why are you being so…" She paused at loss on how to word her question.
"Divinely Godlike in my revelations? Caring? Nice? Don't get used to it, Kathy," Q sneered, before a slight smile crept along his curled lips. "I like you, and as much as I think that Neanderthal doesn't deserve you, the Q don't come between soul mates. Eros can be such a pain in the ass when he's pissed off."
She did not reply to comments, her mind warring with her feelings. Was duty really a valid substitute for love? Could she knowingly send Chakotay into Seven's waiting arms? Was she willing to lose him forever out of fear?
No, she wasn't willing to lose him. She felt light headed and her heartbeat quickened. For the first time in many years she felt the weight of command evaporate from her.
"That's what I thought. Fight for your man and for everyone's sake, keep him away from blondes," Q cried out triumphantly. "Adieu, Kathy. I'll be back for the birth of your first child, Chérie."
With a snap of his fingers, she found herself lying on top of Chakotay's naked body. Her eyes roved appreciatively over his golden flesh. She sighed and lovingly laid her palm over his heart. She raised her gaze and stared into his sleepy eyes.
"Come closer, my love," he murmured, bring her head down so that he could tenderly kiss her. He was lost in dreams of her and their time together on a bright morning in a distant land.
Kathryn returned his kiss, putting all her love, desire and grief she had endured for the past seven years, into that soulful union of lips. Her lids fluttered closed as he pulled her down onto the mattress and laid his body over hers, rising above her to brush aside her auburn locks from her smoky, blue eyes.
"Chakotay, please…" She called out softly.
Calling out his name began to break the spell clouding his mind and Chakotay looked down at her, seeing her lying under him, her hair tousled, her lips kiss swollen and reddened.
'I've never dreamt of her so clearly. I can smell the delicate scent of roses and Kathryn. Her taste is almost indescribable, so pure and sweet. Have I ever seen such tenderness and love shining in those pools of blue towards me, even in my most treasured of fantasies? Her body feels… it feels… real?'
He pulled away with a horrified expression and hurriedly removed his hand from her hip.
"Kathryn," Chakotay stuttered, losing his calm demeanor. "I'm sorry. I don't know how this happened."
"You mean my being in your quarters, lying on your bed with you, your body pressing down upon mine and being thoroughly ravished by you?" Kathryn asked innocently.
"Yes," he muttered, wishing he could remember how he'd managed to get her into his arms after so many years of her sending him away from her at the slightest hint of affection from him.
"Destiny," she said simply, "I've finally realized that what we have is more powerful than any protocol, any deceit, any betrayal and anything Starfleet can do to us once we get home. What we have is something that transcends time. I'm ready to live in the present with you by my side and not worry about a future that may never be."
"That's seems like a quick change of mind. You've kept things safe for so long, how do I know that in a few weeks or days, you won't change your mind about yes," Chakotay questioned, needing to hear her promise that this wasn't a mind game that she was playing with him but a true step towards a lasting relationship.
She shook her head. "I won't change my mind, Iain," she replied, watching him closely for his reaction.
"What did you call me?" Chakotay demanded, his voice raspy. He stared at her and the realization hit him. "It wasn't a dream."
"You're right, it wasn't a dream, Chakotay. We were there."
"I remember it. I can still feel you in my arms and your kiss," Chakotay said in wonder.
"Uhmm, Chakotay. I am in your arms and I just finished kissing you. I'd be very upset if you didn't recall that," Kathryn teased, every fiber of her being glowing in joy and mischief.
"Kathryn, you know what I mean," Chakotay replied, sheepishly grinning at her. "Do you truly mean it?"
"Yes, I'm done running away from this. You're stuck with me from now on. Just try getting away from me and you see what happens to you, you big lug," Kathryn threatened playfully, glancing down at his masculine beauty and sighing in contentment.
"There's no where else I'd like to be," Chakotay vowed, tilting her head back to meet his intense look. "Now, where were we in our dreams? Oh, I remember. Someone owes me a wedding night," Chakotay growled in a low purr that sent shivers through her.
"Just one," she asked, her voice hitching as he began to play with the straps of her nightgown and his lips nuzzled against the sensitive flesh of her throat.
"Kat, every night will be our wedding night. A night filled with passion, love and renewal," Chakotay murmured, as he nibbled his way long her slender throat to capture her earlobe in a soft kiss. "Now, come here wench."
"That's Captain Wench," she purred huskily, surprising him by flipping him over and straddling his stunned figure. She smiled down at him and brushed trembling hand over his face, "I love you, Chakotay."
"And I love you," Chakotay replied, tears falling freely down his face, at last he had the freedom of speaking aloud of his love for this complex woman and it being returned. Love replacing the fear that had so long ruled their lives. His voice broke in mid-sentence as he reaffirmed a pledge given by Iain to his Catherine, "For all eternity, my love."
"Forever," Kathryn echoed, cherishing the treasure that she had been gifted in both of her lives. A gift that would nourish her until the end of her days. An eternity of being at his side, forever loved and forever cherished.
The lights dimmed, casting the lovers into shadowy figures. The air filled with their sweet cries and words of love, as they renewed a promise that was given in the distant past and creating a new life that would enrich them all as they began their new journey together.
The End
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