Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry it might take long for me to update I am a theatre techie, so i hardly have time, but expect them usually on weekends. Thank you so much!

~K

Chapter 2

They moved at lightning speed. Caesar was the fastest most powerful steed around these parts. They sped through a forest, and into a glen. The cold stream they passed through didn't faze Caesar as he cantered through the frozen water. They had barely stopped all day, but Caesar's run stayed strong and would stay strong for as long as his master needed him.

Erik slowed Caesar to a stop as they approached a large willow tree. He had been riding all day and needed to give Caesar a break. He hopped down and took the satchel, sitting under the tree while Caser grazed. The whiskey bottle popped as he uncorked it. The burn felt good as the liquid hit the back of his throat. The weather had gotten colder and Erik took the other plaid out and wrapped it around his shoulders and head. The green of his plaid made him blend into his background…before he knew it the stress of the day had taken its toll and he was asleep.

~;~

Their lips sizzled as they met again this time with more fever. His arm around her waist tightened as did hers around his neck. His mouth traveled down her jaw grazing with his teeth, then to her neck. Her soft pants and mews spurred him on until he was kissing her collar bone. Her nipples hardened through the thin low cut green shirt she was wearing and he saw. He connected their mouths again and thrust his tongue into her mouth kissing her deep; she met his kiss with an equally sensual grinding of her stomach against the hardness digging into her. She tore her mouth from his and took her time kissing down his neck as he growled in obvious desire. Her hands ran up and down his powerfully strong arms before running down his impressive chest to his rippling abdomen. Her tongue slipped over one of his masculine nipples and he hissed.

He buried one of his hands into her hair and brought her mouth back up to his. The kiss was so intense that he sucked all the air out of her and when she couldn't breath he gave her all of the air he had. His hands went behind her to her jean clad ass and ground her against him before hosting her up on his body. Her legs wrapped around his waist, which put his straining arousal right in the vee of her thighs. That's where they both wanted it. She gasped and looked into his golden eyes when she realized how big he was. He gave her a playful smirk.

"Feel wha' ye do to me, lass." He growled playfully in her ear while his hand brought hers over his wool covered cock.

She gasped and tried to mold her hand to it through his skirt. She wrap her fingers around all of him but couldn't he was just too big. She gave a slight squeeze and he groaned his stance wavering. She smiled and released his cock and brought her hand up to his scared face. His eyes widened as she caressed what he knew to be repulsive. He froze not moving, waiting to see what she'd do.

"How can ye' do that? How do ye' do that?" he whispered as emotion filled his beautiful eyes.

"Do what?" her voice soft and her accent strange to his ears, but he could care less because of the feeling she instilled in him at that moment.

"How can ye' look at me like I'm a normal man? How do ye' make me feel like a normal man?" a tear fell from his eye and made its way down his ruined cheek. She leaned in and caught it with her lips.

"You are a normal man. I plan on proving this to you." She said with a tender smile.

They were over come with emotion and savagely brought their mouths together once more.

"Christine!" Larry said her name quietly but sternly to wake her up. She jolted awake and glared at him. I'll kill him. She thought, actually contemplating the demise of her friend by her own hands for waking her from the dream.

"What?" she said. Everyone in the plane was asleep, why couldn't she still be too?

"Um, you were making some odd sounds at it was getting pretty loud." Larry said. Christine tuned a bright shade of red, and sunk down in her seat. "You were dreaming about him again weren't you?" he asked. Christine nodded her head.

"This is ridiculous! I'm upset because the man of my dreams isn't real? How wrong is that?" she complained.

"I think this means that you are lonely, and just really want someone to love you. And maybe this trip has come at a good time. Maybe you'll meet your dream guy while you are in Scotland." Larry smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.

Christine never told Larry that her dream man was Scottish. What if this trip proves that he isn't real? What then? She thought.

"I hate flying how much longer do we have?" she asked.

As if right now cue the airplane dinged.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our decent into Glasgow, Scotland. Please put on your safety belts. Also please make sure that you have all of your belongings ready and there is no trash around your area. Thank you for flying with us today, we hope you have a good trip." The woman's voice was almost too sweet.

Christine and Larry waited for the plane to land. She had been itching to get to Scotland ever since she was a little girl but never had the money. But now, finally she was going to the land of her ancestors and it was making her emotional. She guessed it was early morning for there was a little light in the sky, and looked down at her watch.

"Did you set your watch to Scottish time?" Larry asked knowing that she hadn't.

Christine groaned. "Ok I think the first thing on our agenda is rent a car and drive all the way to Aberdeen." Christine said.

"Sounds like a good plan." Larry nodded.

"Oh, and by the way, you are driving."

"Christine," Larry groaned. "I have a hard enough time obeying American traffic laws now I have to deal with Scottish ones?"

~;~

Erik awoke with the same reaction he had the morning before and issued a silent curse before rising to his feet. Twice. This was the second time he dreamt of the beauty who desired him in spite of his face. He'd been married once and betrothed three times, but no woman rich or poor wants a monster as a husband. I can' take anymore of this bloody dream; 'tis quite plainly too good to be true. He looked up to the sky as if searching for God.

"Why? Why do ye taunt me with wha' I canna have? 'Tis no' enough that ye blessed me with the face of a monster?" He spat. "By Danu, why!?"

He turned and looked upon the tree that which gave him shelter the night before. Carved into the bark of the trunk was a heart but nothing more. He slowly moved his hand over it. Once. Then twice, before stopping his hand over it. He closed his eyes and peered into the soul of the tree.

There two lovers sat. The young woman was obviously a much higher class, her expensive purple gown outshined the worn and tattered trews and shirt that the rugged blond man wore; but it was obvious that neither of them cared about the difference in their class. They sat under the tree and kissed. The man touched the woman's face as though he were touching the finest silk; and the woman touched his as if trying to memorize every plane and hollow. Erik could feel the love between them and wished that he could have what they possessed for one another. The blond man slipped a dirk from his boot and began carving the heat upon the tree.

As he was about to carve more inside of the heart, both of their heads whipped around and an expression of fear and horror crossed their eyes. Three men upon horses rode up to them and dismounted. The leader grabbed the young woman's arm and tore her away from the blond man. The blond man tried to reach for her but before he could, the other to men made him the target to their arrows. The woman tried, but with no avail, to tear from his grasp and reach her lover. She screamed and thrashed in his arms.

Erik's body jerked violently.

The woman slipped from her captures grasp and ran to her lover just before he fell to the ground. Two arrows in his chest the man started to cough. The woman's lips kept shaping the words 'I love you,' 'don't leave me,' and 'I'm sorry.' The young man reached up and touched her face for what he knew would be the last time. He looked at her and formed the words, 'I'll wait for you, my love. When the time has come I'll be waiting for you, and we'll enter the lord's kingdom together.' The woman's tears fell onto his face. She reached behind her and unclasped the Celtic cross that hung around her neck. She laid it in her love's hands and closed the fist. 'It won't be long my love. We'll be together soon.' The blond man issued a final, 'I love you,' before he succumbed to death. The woman cried out. She screamed and yelled, but he was gone. The three men grabbed her and attempted to force her on a horse. Before they could, she grabbed a dagger from the man's waist and said, 'I told him that we'd be together soon, I won't let him down.' Before she plunging the dagger into her stomach, ending her life.

Erik ripped his hand from the tree and kneeled in the dirt; Pounding the grass and mud with his fists, cursing God for his fate and theirs. As his fist hit the ground, something metallic caught his eyes. He grabbed what ever it was and held it up. Immediately, his eyes softened as he realized that he was holding the cross that the woman from his past vision gave to the man. He held it to his face and cried. He sat there for what felt like half of an hour and poured out his soul. He cried for the love that had never been given the chance, he cried for the chance he'd never been given, and he cried for the answer which would go unrequited.

For a moment, Erik stood there in udder silence. The cool breeze blew the branches of the willow tree; as the water, of a creek near by, rippled. His eyes closed as he breathed in the scent of the only thing that had ever loved him back: The Highlands. He heard Mother Nature whisper through the tree, and sing as birds passed by overhead. Silently, as though to not disturb the peace of nature, he reached up and untied the laces of his mask, letting it fall off of his disfigured face and onto the ground before him. He waited. No screams, no taunts, no laughs. Instead the breeze kissed his face and lovingly caressed his deformity.

He looked up, as if making temporary peace with what had come to pass. Stringing the cross on a leather cord he tied it around his neck before kneeling once more. Quietly, he issued a prayer for the couple, praying that they were safe together in the arms of the lord, before rising to his feet. The sun was well near directly over head. He'd lost time. Amber eyes scanned the horizon before landing on a black speck in the distance. He brought his fingers to his lips, letting out a loud whistle, summoning his dependable steed. Erik gathered his belongings as Caesar made his way to the tree. In a matter of seconds, Erik mounted and raced off.

~;~

"Right? A right? How can you see a right in this pea soup?" Christine asked, clearly not seeing the clearing in the land known as a road.

"Here, here, here!" Larry said quickly pointing to the right. Christine turned suddenly jerking everything in the car to the left.

"Smooth, Christine." Larry said dryly.

"Would you like to drive?" She offered. Larry shook his head. "That's what I thought."

She hoped that they were almost there. She was never one for road trips, and the green was starting to make her dizzy.

"Why is everything green?" she asked aloud, not really looking for an answer. Larry answered her anyway.

"We are in Scotland, Christine."

"Thank you, I am very aware of world geography. But honestly, green, green, green. Green land, green car, hey look! My sweater is green." She pointed out.

"There are a lot of other colors too. We just passed a field of heather. Hey I though you loved Scotland, what's got your panties in a knot?" he asked, paying close attention to the map in front of him.

"I do. I love Scotland. I don't know what making me act this way." She replied. In the distance she saw a tree and what looked like a tall dark figure in front of it with its fits in the air. Her heart stopped and she slammed on the breaks.

"What the hell?" Larry exclaimed.

Christine rolled down her window, but the figure was gone. I could have sworn I saw…

"What the hell is the problem, Christine?" Larry asked more adamant this time.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I thought I saw someone." She looked back at the road ahead of her and continued driving. Her heart took another pang. A tear fell.

"Christine, are you pregnant?" Larry asked carefully.

"No, I just…have you ever been suddenly hit with emotion? Like you don't know what's causing it but you just want to cry because something isn't right?"

"No, maybe it's a female thing. Are you PMSing? That defiantly would explain a lot." Larry offered.

Christine decided to leave it. "Yea, I must be. Sorry, I must be really freaking you out." She looked over and smiled, and was please when she got one in return.

"Just a little, it's ok. Just so you know if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm always here."

She smiled and leaned over to hug him-as best as she could while driving.

They passed as sign that said "Welcome to Aberdeen."

"Finally." Christine expelled.