Disclaimer: I do not own Highlander. Wish I did, and then I have money ***Smirk. ***

I want to thank my Beta reader R.J. Bingham. Please go and read R.J. Bingham's Fan-fictions, they are all well written and very enjoyable.

Chapter 5

The Clan MacLeod Wedding Crashers - Plus One

Dinner was wonderful; Luke had out done himself again. The menu was simple but purely New Zealand, lamb with mint sauce baby peas, sweat potatoes in a special sauce, and chocolate cake for desert. After dinner the men went out on the deck to smoke Cuban cigars and drink brandy. Mary, Julia, John and Gwen cleaned up. Usually Gwen was out with the men on the deck smoking but wanted to give Joe a little space and Mary was always great company. Julia did what she was told then retreated down stairs to the games room, after asking her mom if she could go on face-book. Mary said yes but not to reveal where they were, life for a teenage daughter of an immortal came with certain restrictions. Julia didn't like it but understood why so agreed happily. John also had his own plans to go on to the local pub; he was twenty four and was tired of hanging around his elders. Mary and Gwen told him not to be out all night.

Connor had time to slip Joe two small boxes, one with his mother's engagement ring in it and the other containing Joe's parent's wedding rings. Joe opened them, it had been years since he had even looked at them. The wedding rings were just simple platinum bands, but Connor told Joe to take them out and look inside the rings. Joe looked and saw where formerly they had always been blank before they now were each inscribed, the women's ring said "I will always love you Joe" and he looked at the man's ring and it said "I give you my heart Gwen."

"Connor, how the hell did you know to write this, it's perfect but it is kind of personal?" Joe asked.

"Duncan helped me, he knows you better than I do and I know Gwen better. We put our heads together and tried to think what you both would write we came up with those being the most likely options." Connor laughed. "It was fun actually we were up all night writing different phrases out, it's the most male bonding we have done in years. We felt like two old women writing a romance novel." Connor continued to laugh.

"I wish I had a video tape of that, I bet we'd all be laughing our asses off, he is coming here right?" Joe inquired.

"Who told you?" Connor said with surprise.

"I'm psychic" Joe sarcastically replied. "So why is Duncan MacLeod coming here, can't you guys have your family reunion in Scotland?"

Connor lowered his voice and whispered in Joe's ear, "for the wedding. Joe I know Gwen, if you give her too long to think about something. She might not go through with it, so we have to hit her hard and fast. Propose first, and then we will have a wedding ASAP before she can change her mind."

"Connor it's nice of you and Mac to have planned my whole life out for me, you could have talked to me first though!" Joe said angrily yelling in sort of a loud whisper!

Luke smiled and said. "Hey Joe don't blame them alone I was in on it too, you were miserable without Gwen. I saw it every time I went to see you and mentioned her name. I even saw you and Methos fighting about it a few months ago, you are still pissed at him for how he dumped Gwen. He just pretended he is like a rock, and didn't care when I could see he's so jealous that you and her were having all those late night phone calls. I bet he is planning on trying to win Gwen back right now. So if you and she are married, you can be assured he will stay away from her at least until you're dead."

"Luke you didn't say that? Methos will stay away from her at least until I'm dead! Hey man you know how to comfort a guy." Joe shot back at Luke and Connor. "Guys it's not that I'm not touched by your complete meddling in my life, I just would have thought someone might have talked to me first before you engraved my parent's wedding rings! It's kind of surreal, and how did you know I wasn't going to do this all myself. I'm a big boy and been wiping my own ass for years without the help of my friends of the Clan MacLeod," then looking at Luke he said "plus one." Then Joe fumbled around in his pants pocket and pulled out a small velvet jewelers box and handed it to Connor. "Open it Highlander."

Connor opened the Box to reveal a platinum ring with a large emerald stone that was in a centre cut surrounded by what looked like more than one carat of diamond baguettes. "Joe this ring is exquisite; where did you get this ring it must have cost a fortune?" Connor pointed out as he passed it to the Luke.

"Oh it was real difficult, I sold my house, why did I need that big old place anyway? And if you need to know that is a platinum band with a 2.8 carat emerald cut centre stone surrounded by 1.10 total carats of diamond baguettes. Emeralds are Gwen's favorite stones, and she prefers platinum to gold, hey I did my homework. The emerald in this ring has a bright green vibrancy and light to it that Gwen will love. I have never given a woman a ring before, because I am a lifelong bachelor, and if I am doing this, I am doing this right. Still the thought of you Connor and Mac sitting up all night writing romantic sayings still tickles my funny bone." Joe shot back at Connor and Luke. "But don't worry your work will not go to waste my parents rings are platinum bands, so they will do." Joe laughed. "But really guys how stupid do you think I am, and I would appreciate it if both of you would stop manipulating me and Gwen. Damn immortals just because you can live forever you think you guys know everything."

Connor and Luke couldn't stop apologizing, but Joe just shook his head at the two immortals. "Guys stop rushing me and give me some room to breathe, and Luke I'd like that ring back please she might be out here any moment. I don't think it's safe for any other immortal to come here right now anyway, Gwen is off the radar and so is Luke, the watchers will notice both of them if Mac shows up, and is Amanda and Richie coming too?"

Luke chimed in saying. "No Amanda's in America and, I didn't want to tell Gwen but she's working with Barney, at the MacQueen security firm. Don't worry she's not involved with Barney, he met a nice normal girl, another lawyer, and got married five years ago; they have two sons and one daughter. Barney needed the help running the firm so Amanda is doing a great job, with her back ground she knows just about every way to break into something so she's real good at keeping people out of the client's way. Therefore Mac's not bringing Amanda here she's too busy, and for once she is enjoying an honest job. But Richie is coming."

"Connor, spill the beans, the watchers will be here, it has happened before when there were a large gathering of immortals for a wedding or such and they will see Gwen and Luke, the watchers are not stupid. So who else is coming?" Joe snapped back at Connor.

"Duncan is bringing Cassandra with him, she says she knows Gwen and they were friend a long time ago, Duncan trusts her so I am sure it will be fine Joe." Connor promised.

"I just think that Gwen might have her own opinion on this shot gun wedding you all have planned for us, but hey I came here to propose, even before you all started giving me the treatment. Holy Shit I would have locked the door and not let you in if I knew yesterday what I know now and that includes you Mr. Denton." Joe pointed to Connor and Luke. "Ok I would have let your wife in MacLeod I like her."

Then the sliding glass door to the deck opened and Mary and Gwen joined the men out on the deck. "Having a good time guys" Gwen asked.

"Yea we have been having a peachy time, sorry to leave you doing all the work, want a brandy ladies?" Joe asked Mary and Gwen.

"The kids both ran off Julia is on face-book and John's gone down to the pub." Mary announced to the group.

"Well if you two couples don't mind too much I will go meet up with John at the pub. Honestly being the third wheel is about as sad as it gets. So I will make sure he doesn't stay out all night. Good night all and Gwen we can have our lesson in the AM?" Luke mentioned to her.

"No; Connor said he'd do the honors for me tomorrow and take over your lesson. So Luke, you have to set up a time with Connor, I wanted to take Joe in town with me to see McDermott travel and tours. Joe has to meet the staff and I want to introduce him to a few people in town. Then we will meet up with Mary and Connor for a late lunch and see the sights the city of Whangarel has to offer." Gwen answered Luke back as she sipped her brandy.

"Ok Connor let me know what works out best for you, after watching you and Gwen goes at it I hope you are planning on teaching me something and not just using me for target practice, like she does most of the time. This should be interesting, I sparred with your kinsman before."

Connor laughed. "Well we will have fun then, and I've been one of Gwen's students also so don't expect any mercy. The object is to teach you how to keep you head, not be buddies. Luke maybe about ten thirty, it's always better to spar before lunch, builds up an appetite."

Luke looked a little worried as he left to change and go to the pub; and both couples had to laugh at how fast he got out of there. Gwen asked Connor to tape his session with Luke, so she could watch it later. Joe really didn't understand the immortals fascination with watch them gut each other, but Luke was her student and as Luke had told him Gwen was old school in her approach to training a young immortal. Perhaps Gwen was right to be so hard on him. Joe had seen Luke was much tougher, more focused and stronger than when he had last seen him before he left Paris. It was a bloody bad world out there for a young immortal and Luke would need all the skill he could gather. With all the activity at the house the watchers would be finding out that Luke was an immortal; and he wouldn't be going home again.

Joe grumbled as he thought to himself (Well you can't fight city hall, or both immortal members of the Clan MacLeod when they got a stupid notion into their heads.) So Joe decided he would just play along with this little drama, try to keep Gwen safe and hope it would work out for the best.

Joe looked at Gwen, and touched her hand then turned to the MacLeod's and said "well it's only my second night in New Zealand, so if you folks would excuse Gwen and myself I did promise my lady a little time just for ourselves. Good night Mary, good night Connor, I think Gwen and I were going to continue that discussion we were having earlier." Gwen gave Connor and Mary both a big hug and peck on the cheek, Joe shook Connor's hand and gave Mary a hug, and said good night one last time. Joe locked the doors to the master suite behind them as soon as Gwen and him were safely in there room.

Now with that Connor and his wife were left alone enjoying the lovely night air of New Zealand. It wasn't long before Connor picked up his wife and carried her to the elevator. Well just because they were an old married couple that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a romantic night also. Mary was right all immortals were sex crazed but she liked it that way. Soon the only thing anyone could hear in the big house was the rock music coming from Julia's room, as she face-booked her friends and surfed the internet.

End chapter 5

next chapter 6

Joe Dawson if you going to get away that kind of behavior any more you strongly mistaken.