Chapter 17

Dinner was a much needed diversion for Duncan. He had not yet completely decided how much to tell Celeste about the disadvantages of immortality. There were so many things running through his mind that he didn't notice Celeste standing next to him, asking if she could help in any way, until she tapped him on the shoulder. He looked over to her, studying her face, but not sure what to say since he had not heard her question. "I'm sorry, my mind was a little pre-occupied." He looked a little embarrassed.

"I can tell. I just wanted to know if I could help with dinner."

"Well, that depends," the Scot joked, "Can you cook better than Richie?" The joke was an attempt to loosen up the mood in the quiet room. He was very aware that Celeste was annoyed when he announced the sudden dinner break and wanted her to relax a bit before their next conversation. "Actually, everything is just about done, but if you want to set the table, that'd be great."

A quick nod and she was off searching the cabinets and drawers for the place settings, while Duncan opened another bottle of wine and set it on the table before heading back to his unattended frying pan.

The smell of fried fish filled the small rooms of the cabin. By the time he set the platter in the center of the table, there was no need to inquire what was for dinner. Celeste wrinkled her nose slightly as Duncan approached her plate with a full serving of the blackened fish.

"Fresh trout, I caught it myself while you were napping this afternoon." He had a concerned look after seeing her reaction. "It's good, really."

"I'm sure it is," she replied after motioning for him to add it to her plate. "I just have never been much of a fish person."

Duncan frowned before adding some to his own plate. "Well, we don't really have a lot of options out here until we make a trip to the market. Maybe I should do that in the morning."

"You mean we?" She questioned back.

"No, I mean I."His voice turned stern. "Did you forget why we're here in the first place. Someone was after you, remember? You were ready to leave the country over this."

The young woman sighed, "Yes, I know. It's just the thought of being alone scares me more than the odds of getting caught going with you."

"There is nothing to be afraid of here. Except for the occasional bear, no one is around for miles." Duncan reminded her as he pored her a glass of wine.

"I know, you told me that already." She frowned and closed her eyes as she took her first bite of fish. To her surprise, she didn't hate it, but it still required a large sip of wine to wash the flavor away.

Duncan was just putting down his glass as well when he decided to try to find out more about who was after her. "What can you tell me about these people who are after you?"

She froze for a moment, not expecting the question, and had to take another swig of wine before answering him. "Not much. They have been after me for years. I've done a lot of moving around to make sure they couldn't find me." Celeste took a deep breath before continuing. "A few days after I became immortal, as you put it, I… I tried to…" clenching her teeth she continued. "I tried to kill myself. I didn't know that I couldn't die. So I jumper off a steep cliff into a river, expecting it to kill me. I thought that somehow, the first time I was killed that some sort of miracle happened. Never occurred to me that I would live through a suicide attempt to."

"Go on." Duncan added in between bites.

"When I woke up, I was in a hospital. I had a sheet over my face. I could hear people talking close by and I learned my body was in a hallway, waiting to be brought down to the morgue. So, I sat up. Suddenly I had six different doctors by my side, trying to figure out what happened. They examined me, and said I was in perfect condition. They were confused, but had no choice but to let me leave."

Her recollection of the past was interrupted by a ringing. The highlander stood up, and excused himself as he reached for the cell phone on the counter and disappeared into the next room. It wasn't a long conversation, since he was back to the table after only a few moments. But now a look of concern defined his face.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. That was Richie. The reception was bad and I couldn't make out most of what he said. But he sounded very concerned. First thing in the morning I'm going to head into town. I should be able to call him from there and find out what's going on."

Celeste put down her fork and looked down at her nearly still full plate. "This is all my fault. I never should have gotten you guys involved." She suddenly looked angry, but only at herself. "This is why I don't make friends. How could I have let this happen?"

In an instant, MacLeod was by her side, a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "This is not your fault. Richie and I want to help you. And we knew what we were doing. As soon as I saw that cut heal on your forehead, you became my business. We take care of our own."

Celeste closed her eyes and shook her head, "I just don't want either of you to get hurt over this."

Duncan smiles, "Have you already forgotten who you're talking to?"

That seemed to reassure her a little. "What about Richie? He's alone, and has no idea what he's getting into."

"Celeste," He crouched down to her level in the chair. "Richie is one of us. He can take care of himself. Don't worry about that. If you want to help us, the best thing you can do is tell me everything you can about who is after you."

The words stung for a moment as she processed what the man had just said. "Richie is one of us?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I thought he should tell you himself, but things are not exactly going as planned." Duncan stood and returned to his seat at the table. "So, why don't you continue your story."

Their previous conversation seamed a thousand miles away, and remembering where she left off took a few moments and the rest of her glass of wine.

"I was cleared to leave. One of the doctors arranged transportation for me to a near by motel. I was very surprised when a town car pulled up. As soon as I got in, a man got in the other side with me. Then I heard the doors lock and the car took off. The man took out a surgical knife and slashed my arm. He didn't seem surprised at all when the arm healed before his eyes. He nodded to the driver in the rear view mirror and I was driven to a secluded building. The inside was set up as a hospital, and the man told me it was a research facility. He said that by studding me, they could learn to save millions of lives."

Celeste nodded a silent "thank you" as Duncan refilled her wine glass. "I was told in the beginning that I could leave any time I wanted, but within days I discovered that I was a prisoner. They ran all kinds of tests on me, experimented, it was terrible. I don't have any idea how long I was there. Decades, I'm not sure. That's why I'm not sure how old I really am. I don't know what year it was when I was pulled from the river. Remember, we were not taught about the passage of years in the school I was in as a child. If I had to guess. I'd say I was in there for 40-50 years. That would make me somewhere between 65 and 75 when I escaped and I've been out for 7 years, and yet, my appearance never changed."

The woman realized she was getting off topic as she brought the wine to her lips again. "Anyway, I escaped one night. One of the night shift security guards forgot to lock down the patients rooms. I still think it was deliberate. I'd say about half of the detainees escaped that night. I've been running since, afraid they would find me. I never stay in one place more than two years. They have never come this close to finding me before."

The Scotsman didn't look happy at all. "So that's it? That's all you know about them?"

"Unfortunately yes. I know the facility we escaped from was in northern Maine. But I don't know if I could find it again even if I wanted to."

Duncan rose and carried both dishes to the sink. "Well, that's a start. Hopefully Richie was able to find out more. Guess we'll find out tomorrow."

Celeste cradled her wine glass, frowning at the thought of Richie being in danger because of her. "Yeah, Hopefully."