Chapter 5

"Please don't go. I didn't mean that the way it sounded". Duncan knew that he had just put his foot in his mouth. How could he have said that. He knew nothing about this woman yet he had already categorized her with a majority of Richie's other friends. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to watch out for Richie."

Celeste stopped walking toward the door and turned around quickly. "Well don't worry about me. I'm just his math tutor. You have reminded me that having friends is more trouble than it's worth. From now on my relationship with Richie, or anyone else for that matter, is strictly professional." She turned again to continue her walk to the door.

"C'mon, don't be like that." MacLeod was by her side faster than she thought possible. She felt a strong hand wrap around the top of her arm and gently tug her back in the other direction. "Please, give me a chance to make it up to you. You know, usually women find me quite charming."

With a quick tug, she managed to pull her arm free from his grip. "I highly doubt that."

Now he was smiling again. "You don't like me very much now, do you?"

"Well Mr. Charming, perhaps most women don't mind being insulted and put down, but I do. And no matter how good looking you are, I'm not the type to offer second chances to judgmental jerks like you."

"So you think I'm good looking?" MacLeod's grin widened.

"No, not at all. I just meant… Oh, never mind." Celeste looked away embarrassed as she realized what she had said.

"Please stay, for Richie's sake. I can tell that he likes you and he will be very upset if he comes back and you're gone, because I said something stupid." Duncan saw that this at least made her stop and think. Maybe he had gotten through to her.

"Maybe it's for the best. I am not interested in anything more than friendship and I don't want to lead him on."

Duncan suddenly looked sad. Had he ruined Richie's chance with this woman. "Does he know that you feel this way?"

"I told him right out that I am not interested in a relationship, but I'm worried that maybe he thinks he can change my mind." The fire in Celeste's eyes was gone and instantly replaced with regret. "I shouldn't even have come tonight. I'm just gonna go."

Duncan's hand was around her arm again, but this time felt supportive instead of restrictive. "Why?"

Celeste was taken off guard by the question. "Why? Because I don't make a good friend, or anything else." She suddenly realized that she should explain her comment, but really didn't want to. "I put myself before others, and it has caused problems. People don't stay friends with me long, so it's easier to just not make friends."

Duncan's face suddenly changed and she could see the look of recognition cross his face. He knew the feeling, he understood where she was coming from and realizing that she had something in common with him. Something this painful to face on a daily basis, made it hard to stay angry at him. "I know the feeling," he whispered. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Suddenly the hand wrapped around her arm was a welcome feeling. For a quick moment, Celeste felt less alone than she had in years. Tears started to build up in her eyes and she knew that she was only seconds away from loosing her composure. The desire to be in control was almost stronger than the lump building in her throat. She half heartedly tried to pull away from him again but his hand stayed firm around her arm.

"Please." Celeste looked up and met Duncan's eyes. "Please, I need to go."

"Whatever it is that has made you feel like you are alone, don't let it consume you. Let me help you. Or let Richie help, but don't keep running away from it. Something is tearing you up inside." The concern on his face was genuine as he pulled her back toward the couch and sat her down. "Talk to me. I'm really not a bad guy."

A thousand images were flashing through the young woman's mind. Everything from trying to run for it, to breaking down and coming clean to this near stranger. Somehow her worst case scenario had not only come true but gotten worse and no matter how badly she wanted to tell him everything, she knew she couldn't. She had trusted others before, only to cause more problems and lead to her having to run away and re-create herself somewhere new. And of course there were the few who would never stop looking for her. She was about to demand that she be able to leave when the man suddenly was not paying attention to her any more. Instead he was looking around the room as if trying to identify the source of a voice or a sound that he heard. But there had been no voice or sound.

Celeste took the opportunity to run for the door while Duncan seamed preoccupied. As she reached for the door knob it turned without her toughing it. The door swung open quickly as if someone had kicked it open in anger. Before she had time to react, the door hit her head and sent her to the floor. The sudden pain throbbed in her head as she tasted blood in her mouth. The blow had filled her eyes with tears and left everything blurry. Looking up toward the open door, she could see the outline of a tall, muscular man still standing in the doorway. The huge man walked through the door, glanced at her quickly and looked away, feeling no remorse for leaving her bleeding on the floor.

A loud roar came from his mouth when he spoke, unlike any man's voice she had ever heard. "MacLeod!"

Celeste finally became aware of Duncan standing in a defensive posture. He had something in his hand. Something, long and narrow stretching up past his head. The blur of her eyes wouldn't clear enough to allow her to see what it was but the loud clank that follow was the unmistakable sound of metal against metal. The loud clang came again, and then the sound of shattering glass. Celeste rubbed her eyes trying to clear her vision. When her eyes finally focused, she saw Duncan looking out the broken window.

"Another time MacLeod!" The huge voice yelled from two storied below, and then the roar of a motorcycle faded into the distance.

Within moments he was by her side again. "Are you ok?"

In all the confusion, her injury had been forgotten, until now. She touched her forehead with her fingers and stared in horror at the blood that turned them red.

"Are you ok?" he asked her again. Duncan picked her up in his arms and carried her back over to the couch where he sat her down.

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, I'm ok." She tried to sit up but was stopped by the immense pain throbbing through her head.

"Don't move." Duncan walked over to the kitchen sink and came back with a wash cloth. Very gently he dabbed the cloth against her head. She knew he was wiping the blood from the wound, but the spot was numb to his touch. "You have a big cut, but it doesn't look too serious."

Her hands moved up and covered his as she tried to take the cloth away from him. "Let me do it."

His hand slipped back from underneath hers as he lowered her hand to her lap. "Why are you so against letting people help you?"

Celeste started to panic as she realized that he was not going to give up the cloth. Her attempt to stand was also futile as his strong other hand rested on her shoulder and resisted her attempts to escape. It was only a matter of time. She knew that if she didn't get out of there quickly, that her whole life was about to change, again.

"I have to go!" She blurted out, almost sounding angry.

"What? You can't go now." He protested knowing that he was going to have to somehow explain what had just happened, before the woman would be allowed to leave. "You're bleeding badly." Duncan dabbed at the spot again, wiped away more blood and watched in disbelieve as the cut slowly faded away.