This is a HL/FK xover. All the FK characters and concept belong to TriStar, Inc. and the HL characters and concept belong to Davis/Panzer Productions, Inc. No infringement is intended. All previous stories of this series can be found on my web page at: http://www.dlc.fi/~dce/fic/index.html 'The Darkness' was one of the turning points of Highlander, so I thought I should make it a part of my own series, as well, although I have taken some liberties with the plot. I know my time-line is way off from that of HL, but hey, this is my xover universe, so we're not going to be too picky about that, right? I have borrowed part of the dialogue from the said episode, but the rest of it is my own. This story, and all of the original characters are copyrighted by me. All and any comments are welcome. Many thanks to my wonderful beta readers Bob, Dianne and Stevana. OUT OF THE DARKNESS by DCE aka ViciousGurl (c)1998 "This waiting is driving me crazy!" "That's exactly what he wants, Richie", Duncan explained tiredly, as he watched the young man pace back and forth, "Try to calm..." His voice trailed off, and Richie saw the familiar look arise on his face just before they heard a knock at the door. "I'll get that", Duncan said getting up from the couch. "One of you guys?" Richie guessed. Duncan didn't answer him, but picked up his katana on his way to the door. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a familiar face. "Hi Mac!" Antonia smiled at him broadly. "Nia?" he knitted his brows, as if trying to understand why she was there. "Well, I know you're excited to see me again, Mac, but try to get a hold of yourself, will ya", Antonia said with dry amusement. That seemed to snap him out of his dumfounded state, and he said sheepishly: "Sorry, I had just completely forgotten that you were..." "Arriving today", Antonia finished his sentence for him, "Well, since I'm here now, mind if I come in?" "Oh yeah, sorry." He finally realized that he was blocking her way, and stepped aside to let her in. Antonia put down her luggage, and saw Richie peer around the corner. "Richie! Great to see you again, kid." She grinned at him happily. "Nia?" Richie seemed to be as surprised to see her as Duncan had been. Antonia looked from one man to the other, and tried to figure out what was going on. "Oh, I get it", she finally realized. "Okay guys, the joke's over, you got me. Now, where's Tessa? I hope she hasn't 'forgotten' my visit, too." Her grin began to fade as she watched the men glance at each other. Suddenly she had a sinking feeling in her stomach, and when neither of the men spoke up, she asked carefully: "What's going on here?" Duncan looked at her dead seriously, and swallowed a little before he answered with a low voice: "Tessa was kidnapped two days ago, Nia." "What?!" She was utterly caught by surprise, and it took a while before she could think coherently again. "Do you know who did it? What does the Police say?" she asked when she finally got her brain to work again. "We haven't informed the Police..." Duncan began, but he was interrupted by Antonia. "Why not?" She would've thought he'd do everything within his power to get Tessa back. "She was taken by a Watcher", Duncan said simply. Antonia looked at him, now understanding his situation perfectly - it wasn't that he wouldn't, but rather that he couldn't, call the Police. She tried to recall everything he had ever told her about the Watchers, and felt a cold shiver run down her spine as she remembered what had happened to Darius. She licked her lips, which had suddenly gone dry. "How can you be so sure about that?" she finally asked. "I found a friend of his, and he had the Watcher tattoo on his wrist", Duncan explained, and shook his head guessing her next question. "He died before he could talk." They were all silent for a moment. "What can I do to help?" Antonia asked then. "There isn't really much we can do before he calls", Duncan said tiredly. Antonia felt a grip in her throat, he looked so.. lost. She knew what he was going through. She could still remember the feeling of utter helplessness when John Hunter had taken Lucien. "Maybe there is", she said slowly, as a thought came to her. "I could call Lucien." "Why?" Duncan asked, "There's nothing he could do but wait, either." "You said the Watchers are behind this, right? So, with Lucien, all we need to do, is find *a* Watcher, and we would find out where they're keeping Tessa in no time." Antonia got excited by the simplicity of her plan. "Yeah well, there's just one tiny flaw to that plan, Nia", Richie spoke up for the first time. "These guys don't talk." Antonia gave him a strange smile. "That's because they've never met Lucien before. Trust me on this one, Richie, they'll talk." Richie of course didn't have a clue as to what she meant by that, but Duncan did. For a moment he wished that LaCroix could indeed just come and whammy out the information they needed, but unfortunately it wasn't quite as simple as that - it never was. "That might work if the whole Watcher *organization* was behind this, but it isn't", he said regretfully. "Well, it was just a thought." Antonia shrugged a little, and continued with conviction: "We'll think of something else." Duncan gave her a small smile but said nothing. "Mac, about my visit..", Antonia said then, hesitating, "mm, would you rather that I stayed in a hotel, or something...?" "What are you talking about", he asked puzzled. "Well, I just thought that under the circumstances, maybe you don't feel like putting up with a house guest", Antonia explained. "Don't be ridiculous, Nia, of course you're staying here, just as we planned", Duncan stated sternly. "Yeah, I'll bunk on the couch, so you can stay in my room", Richie chipped in, "I'll even clear out some of my stuff from the closet so you'll have a place for your clothes." "Thanks Rich, but I'm not gonna throw you out of your room - I'll take the couch." Antonia gave him a smile. "But I think I'll take you up on your offer for the closet space." ******** It had been a quiet party at the dinner table that evening. None of them had seemed to have much of an appetite, and after pushing the food around their plates for a while, they had finally given up. Half an hour later Duncan had gone out for a run, while Richie and Antonia stayed in by the phone. "... and this is like hell for him, but still he keeps himself in check so tightly, that he's almost in perfect control. I mean, I don't know how he does it", Richie said shaking his head slowly. Antonia said nothing, but she understood better than she cared to remember. One could either be in control, or fall apart, and the latter was not an option. "And how are you holding up?" Antonia asked then, studying his face. "You know me. I'm hanging on there." There was a shadow of his usual cockiness in Richie's voice. "Yeah." Antonia flashed a slight smile at him, before her tone turned serious: "But it's a good thing neither of you have to go through this alone - you have each other." "I know, I just wish there was something I could *do*. This waiting around is killing me", Richie grumbled with a heavy sigh. "That's exactly what this guy wants. It's all about control, and power. He's trying to make you lose it, so he'll win." "That's what Mac said, too", Richie said gloomily. "Well, he's right", Antonia answered simply. They were silent for a moment, then Richie said quietly: "You know, before Darius died, I never thought that one of the good guys could lose, but now.... What if something goes wrong? What if something happens to Tess?" Antonia looked at his young face, and all she wanted to do was assure him that everything would be all right. But they both knew that she couldn't make such a promise. "I don't know, Richie", she said looking straight into his blue eyes, "but I can promise you, that no matter how this all turns out, in the end, that guy will lose." Richie saw the cold fire in her gray eyes, and it occurred to him that maybe he didn't know her as well as he had thought he did. He remembered when he had first met her in Paris, when she had become Mac's student. They had all befriended pretty quickly, and she had become a part of their little group. He liked joking around with her, and she even flirted with him every now and then; after all, she wasn't *that* much older than him. But even though she was an Immortal, he hadn't thought that she had that certain edge to her; she was a new Immortal after all, but now he wasn't so sure anymore. The look in her eyes just now, had reminded him of his life in the streets, and the people he had known back then. Oh yeah, he'd seen that look more times than he'd care to remember - and every time it had meant deadly trouble. ******* Duncan MacLeod ran steadily through the dark streets of Seacouver. He could feel his stress ease up a little by the rhythm of his feet stumping against the ground. But along with that, he could also feel his precious control begin to slip. He picked up his speed, but it didn't help. He could hear Carmen's prediction from centuries ago echo in his mind. "You will bury many women, but you'll marry none. You will always be alone. Do you hear me? Alone!" And for the umpteenth time he wondered if maybe he had brought this whole thing upon them by proposing to Tessa. His logical mind told him that he was crazy, but another part of him kept whispering 'what if...', 'what if...' He kept seeing Tessa with his mind's eye, the way she had been that night at the club. She had been so beautiful... She had laughed at his proposal, but said yes anyway. That had been one of the happiest moments of his long life. If only they had listened to Greta's prediction, and left town as she had told them to. If only... Duncan felt his heart pounding, as he run as fast as he could. If only... He remembered what he had told Richie just the other day. "Tessa makes me feel so young. Every time I see her, it's like the first time. Every time I touch her..." "Sounds to me, like you're in love." If only Richie could even begin to comprehend how right he had been. He was in love. He loved Tessa, with all his heart, and he didn't know how this heart of his was going to survive if anything happened to her. Duncan tried to pick up his speed again, but he had reached his limit. It didn't matter. He kept on running blind as his vision was blurred by the tears, now flowing freely down his cheeks. ********************* The next day Duncan leaned against the door-way outside the antique store, buried deep in his thoughts. When he heard the door open squeakily as Richie came out, he quickly turned his attention back to the file in his hands, and pretended to be reading it. He had gone through it a dozen times already, and he knew there was nothing new to be found in it. "Found anything?" Richie asked, trying to sound hopeful. Duncan shook his head silently. Just then, Richie saw Greta walking towards them. "I thought you didn't want any part of this", he said to her almost accusingly, remembering how she hadn't wanted to help them find Tessa. "I didn't", Greta answered him, "but I can't get it out of my mind. I keep having these visions, these images... It's driving me crazy." Duncan saw his moment, and gave the file and the mobile phone to Richie. Then, he turned to Greta. "Did you see anything new?" Richie returned back inside, hoping that this new found gift of Greta's would actually give them a solid lead to Tessa's whereabouts. "What's up? Did you find out something?" Antonia interrupted his thoughts as she emerged from the kitchen. "I don't know", Richie sighed, and told her about Greta and her gift. ".... I mean, it's a long shot, but maybe it'll pan out", he finished his story. "Well, it's better than nothing." Antonia tried to sound positive, even if she wasn't sure whether or not she believed in these visions. Her thoughts were interrupted when Duncan walked in and asked: "Did he call?" As he spoke he headed towards his laptop, and switched it on. "No", Richie answered, and moved to see what he was writing. "What are you doing?" "I'm looking for a Tudor house that Greta saw", Duncan said without taking his eyes off the screen. Richie and Antonia glanced at each other, and then Richie pointed out that there were *a lot* of Tudor houses in Seacouver. "Some are registered as historical landmarks", was Duncan's only answer. "Sure, dozens", Richie said with a meaning. "Yeah", Duncan agreed, still tapping on the laptop, "but not all of them have colored glass windows." Some time later, he had found out what he needed. There were still more than a few houses on his list, but at least he now had some idea as to where to look for Tessa. "Mind if I come along?" Antonia asked when he was ready to leave. Duncan looked at her, obviously trying find the words to tell her no, but before he had a chance to say anything at all, Antonia went on: "Look, this guy knows about you, he knows what you look like, but the Watchers don't know about me, so together we might be able to take him by surprise." "I thought these Watcher dudes knew just about all of you guys", Richie intervened, looking at her questioningly. "Not *all* of us", Antonia told him, and turned then back to Duncan. "What do you think?" Duncan contemplated her suggestion for a moment. She was probably right in assuming that the Watchers didn't know of her - LaCroix would've made sure of that. And it might not be a bad idea to have someone along to help get Tessa out, in case there was any trouble. "Okay", he agreed finally, "but Richie, you better stay behind, in case he calls." "Yeah, right", Richie muttered to himself, as the two Immortals left. "Leave the mortal guy behind - again." ******* It was already dark, when Duncan and Antonia arrived at 3490 Briarcliff Street. They were planning on the best way to get into the house, when they heard a motorbike pull up nearby. Antonia heard Duncan sigh and mutter something to himself, when they recognized the biker as Richie. How he had known to come here was anybody's guess, but Duncan was adamant not to let him risk his young life by coming into the house. He took Richie by surprise, and pulled him further from the house. Richie tried to struggle, but Duncan's grip was like iron around him. "Mac!" Richie exclaimed as soon as Duncan removed his hand from over his mouth. "What are you doing here?" Duncan practically hissed at him. "He called just after you left. He's in that house!" Richie explained as fast as he could. "I know" Duncan said exasperated. "I want you outside. Tessa's the only one I wanna worry about in there, all right?" "Right." "*Right*?" Duncan repeated, looking sternly at Richie as his assurance hadn't sounded too convincing. "Right!" Richie repeated with more certainty this time. He waited for Duncan and Antonia to leave before he really finished his answer - *Not* - and headed to the house's backdoor. ******* As they carefully entered the house, Duncan motioned for Antonia to check the downstairs, while he would go upstairs. Nodding her understanding, Antonia fished out her shamshir from under her long coat, and sharpened her senses. Trying to move as silently as she could, she opened the first door on her right. As she was about to enter the third room, she heard a familiar noise coming from the second floor. So, Mac found his Watcher, she thought listening to the clashing sounds of metal. Since Mac was taking care of that problem, the least she could do was try and find Tessa. She opened the door, and couldn't help a small gasp escaping from her lips. There, sprawled on the floor, lay a very unconscious Richie Ryan. Antonia rushed to his side and checked him for any injuries, but aside from a lump on his head she found none. As she felt his head, he gave small moan, and began to wake up. Sighing from relief, Antonia helped him to get up a moment later. "I thought you were supposed to wait for us outside", she admonished him when he was finally able to stand without swaying. "I was tired of always being left behind", Richie said, trying to sound more flippant than he actually felt at the moment. "Besides, I thought that you guys might need some help.." "Aha", Antonia said slowly, and gave him an amused look. "And that's why you've got that lump on your head right now?" Richie looked appropriately sheepish as he admitted that that hadn't actually been part of the plan. Antonia let him squirm for a moment longer, before she finally broke off his explanations: "Okay, okay! Come on, we better go check upstairs for Tessa, and see how Mac's doing." ******* When they got to the second floor, they found Tessa safe and sound in Duncan's arms. "You're all right?" Duncan asked her still holding her tight. "I'm fine", Tessa answered, sounding relieved now that her ordeal was finally over. "I'm fine, too, if anyone cares", Richie quipped from the doorway. He was obviously all recovered from his earlier mishap. Duncan removed his eyes from Tessa, and stared at Richie: "I thought I told you to wait outside." "So, sue me." Antonia couldn't help grinning at Richie's smart ass answer, but she did her best to hide it. There was no point in encouraging the kid, he was already slick enough with his mouth. Duncan turned his attention back to Tessa, but addressed his words to Richie. "Take Tessa and Nia home in the car, I'll take your bike. I wanna find out a little bit more about this guy and his friends." Tessa lingered a moment before she released her hold on Duncan. "Don't be too long." she smiled tenderly at him. "I love you." "I love you, too", Duncan said caressing her with his eyes. Antonia watched Tessa and Richie leave the room, then he turned to Duncan. "Why don't you go with them, I can take care of things here." "You're sure?" Duncan's voice revealed that he really didn't have to think about his answer. "Yeah I'm sure." Antonia smiled at him. "You've all had a rough couple of days, and I think you should be together, now. I know what to look for here, so go on after them." Duncan held her from her shoulder for a moment, and said with a serious expression on his face: "Thanks, Nia." "Yeah, yeah." she gave him a lopsided smile, and nudged his side a little. "Go on already." ******* Antonia followed Duncan back downstairs, and headed for the computer. She began her search by going through the File Manager, and then selected a file for a closer inspection. She glanced it over quickly enough to see if there was anything of interest in there, and then moved on to the next one. She had only gone through a couple of files, when she heard two shots from the outside. She froze for a few seconds, and then she hurried out of the house. When she got to the street, she felt her heart miss a beat at the scene in front of her. Duncan and Richie were lying on the ground, both covered with blood. Duncan was obviously dead, with a bullet hole in the middle of his chest; Richie was unconscious, but still alive. And Tessa was on her knees between them, crying, but trying frantically to stop the bleeding from Richie's wound. She lifted her tear streaked face, when she heard Antonia approach them, and tried to stifle her sobs. Antonia swept the area quickly with her eyes, but saw no-one. "What happened?" she asked as she bent down to help Tessa. "We.. we were walking to the car, when this boy came out of no where", Tessa said with a shaky voice, "and he - he just shot them..." "It's okay, Tess", Antonia tried to console her when her voice broke with the emotions. "It's gonna be okay." While she waited for Tessa to continue her story, she took off her coat, and with Tessa's help, used it to bandage Richie's wound as best they could. "We gave him everything he asked for, but he shot them anyway..." Tessa cried silently as she glanced at Duncan's still form. "He'll wake up in a few moments, Tess, he's gonna be fine." Antonia held her with her gaze, and tried to sound as convincing as she possibly could. She saw Tessa nod a little, and she gave her an encouraging smile. Tessa was tough, she would make it through this. "We have to get Richie to a hospital", Tessa said then, wiping her face. "I know", Antonia agreed. "Do you have the car keys?" Tessa shook her head: "He took them..." "Okay", Antonia tried to sound calm, as she thought of their options. Then she took her shamshir from the ground where she had put it, and hit the car's side window as hard as she could, with it's handle. The window broke, and she quickly opened the door. "Now help me get Richie inside", she said turning back to Tessa. "But, we don't have the key, how are you going to start the car?" Tessa asked. "I'm gonna hot-wire it, what else?" Antonia told her calmly. "You know how to hot-wire a car?" Tessa was astonished at this new revelation. Antonia didn't answer her, but simply gave her a short, evil grin. Just as they were beginning to move Richie, Antonia felt Duncan's buzz return - he was waking up. Duncan's first conscious thought was of Tessa. He bolted to a sitting position, and looked for her. "Tessa?" He saw her close by, but her hands and clothes were all stained with blood, and he immediately thought that he had failed in shielding her from the bullets. "Are you all right? Where were you hit?" He quickly moved closer to her to see how bad it was. "Duncan, I'm fine, I'm not hit", Tessa assured him with a teary voice, "but Richie..." Duncan let his hand drop from Tessa's arm, as he saw Richie's still form on the pavement. He felt guilty at the site of the youth's pale face - if only he had moved fast enough to cover him, he wouldn't be lying there right now, soaked in his own blood. "Richie..?" he whispered hoarsely. "Come on, Mac, we gotta get him to a hospital", Antonia's sharp voice cut through to him. He nodded his agreement, and gently lifted Richie from the ground. With Tessa's help he placed his young protege to the back seat of the T-Bird, while Antonia was busy trying to get the car hot-wired. She was a little out of practice, so it took a couple of tries, but finally she got the car started. Tessa stayed with Richie on the back seat to make sure he wouldn't fall off, while Duncan drove the T-Bird to it's limits trying to get them to the nearest hospital with light's speed. ******************* St. Bartholomew's hospital 02:00 am "... I mean they've been in there for over an hour. What's keeping them?" Tessa was saying to Duncan when Antonia returned with the coffee. They murmured their thanks, and took the paper mugs she was offering. Duncan sipped the lukewarm liquid, before answering Tessa. "They're doing everything they can, Tess. Richie's a tough kid, he'll pull through this." Tessa took a long, shivering breath, as she tried to calm down. "I know they're doing their best, Duncan, but what if it's not enough? What if we lose Richie?" Her eyes, already red from crying, watered again at that horrible thought. Duncan felt powerless to ease her pain, as he pulled her gently into his embrace. He stroked her hair, and whispered words of encouragement into her ear, hoping against hope that somehow he would have the power to make everything all right. Antonia looked at them, and she felt her own eyes tear up again. They were so lucky that they had each other, so they didn't have to go through this alone. She remembered how helpless she had felt when she had waited for news about Elaine. The doctors had fought hard to keep her alive, but even though the operation itself had been a success, Elaine had sank into a coma. She had never regained her consciousness again, and had died a week later. Antonia was snapped out of her memories, when Tessa got up and headed towards the ladies' room. When she was out of earshot, Antonia said slowly: "You know, Mac, this might be a little easier for her to handle, if she knew the truth about Richie.." Duncan looked at her tiredly, and sighed heavily. "Don't you think I haven't thought about that? I wish I knew what's the right thing to do, but..." "I know, it's a tough call", Antonia said sympathetically, "but you know that telling Tessa doesn't necessarily mean that you'd have to tell Richie, as well." Duncan rubbed his eyes wearily. "Yeah, I know. I just..." His answer was cut off suddenly, when they saw a doctor wearing green scrubs approaching. They stood up, anxious for news, and looked at her expectantly. "How is he, doctor Marshall?" Duncan asked, preparing himself for the worst. "The operation itself went well", Dr. Marshall began, looking serious, "he had lost a lot of blood, but we were able to stabilize him. Luckily, the bullet hadn't done quite as much damage as we had initially suspected, but it had splintered a few ribs...." Her report was interrupted for a moment when Tessa returned, but she soon continued: "The bullet had also grazed the left lung just enough to cause some problems, but over all, we don't expect any complications." Duncan, Tessa and Antonia just stared at Dr. Marshall in silence, when she finished. It wasn't until her solemn face melted into a slight smile, that they all dared to sigh in relief. "So, he's going to be all right?" Tessa wanted to make sure. "Yes, we expect him to make a full recovery", Dr. Marshall assured her. "Thank you, doctor..." They all spoke at once, shaking her hand with fervor. "Can we see him?" Duncan asked after they had all calmed down a bit. "Just for a few minutes. He's in the recovery, the nurse will take you there", Dr. Marshall said before she left for a well earned break. Tessa was crying again, this time with happiness. "He's going to be all right.." Duncan drew her into his arms, and whispered into her hair with not quite steady a voice : "Yes, he is.." Antonia felt a lump in her own throat as well, but tried valiantly to swallow it down. She gave Duncan and Tessa a slightly trembling smile. "Of course he's going to be all right, he's the tough guy, remember." That evoked a short laugh from them. It felt good to smile and laugh again, now that their worry and stress was easing up a little. Their joy was somewhat dampened, however, when they finally saw Richie again. He was hooked up on all kinds of blinking and beeping monitors, and he looked quite fragile, as he lay there, pale, on the hospital bed. ******************** By the third day it was obvious that Richie was beginning to feel better. He was still on painkillers, but was already cracking jokes. But Antonia knew that even though he was getting better physically, he would still have to deal with the emotional side of his experience in the near future. However, it *was* good to see him smile again, and he would deal with the rest of it when was ready. "How are you feeling today, Richie?" Tessa asked as they arrived. "Man, I can't wait to get out of here", Richie grumbled. "I mean, have you guys ever had to eat hospital food? A person could die for less!" "You'll be released from here sooner than you think, and then I will make you all your favorite dishes", Tessa promised right away. "Aah, but think of all the pretty nurses who take care of you here..." Antonia grinned at him. "Yeah", Duncan chipped in, "isn't it kinda nice to have someone to tend to your every need, and to be at your beg and call - like Tessa is there for me?" That earned him an evil glare and a slap on the arm from Tessa. "Don't listen to that chauvinist, Richie, he's obviously delirious", she exclaimed, trying to suppress a smile. Richie lifted his brows and snorted to Duncan: "I should be so lucky! But have you seen the nurses in this joint?" Antonia laughed at his theatrics. "Well then, maybe next time you should try ducking when you're at the wrong end of a gun, so you won't have to come back here again." "Ducking? I'll try to keep that in mind", Richie said dryly, but continued then more cheerfully, "So, have you guys done any big plans while I've been lying in here?" "Plans?" Antonia asked. "Yeah, about the wedding..." Richie explained. "We've bee so busy worrying about you, that we haven't had time for any plans", Tessa answered. "*Wedding plans*? Antonia looked at them incredulously. "You two are getting *married*, and it just happened to slip your minds? Oh yeah, I can see how that could happen..." Tessa and Duncan glanced at each other, and smiled happily. "So, you're really getting married?" Antonia asked, still a bit dazed by the news. "Yes, we are", Tessa smiled holding Duncan's hand. "Well, what can I say?" Antonia laughed a little. "It's about time! Congratulations, to both of you!" "Thank you", Duncan said grinning. "We thought it would be a good idea." "A *great* idea", Tessa murmured as Duncan kissed her. "See what I have to live with", Richie made a face at Antonia. "They do that all the time, and I've got a feeling it will get even worse once they tie the knot." ********************** Two months later Duncan MacLeod and Tessa Noel became husband and wife in a simple, but beautiful ceremony, held before some of their closest friends. The reception took place in a small botanical garden near the church. While the guests and the newlyweds mingled and enjoyed the warm July afternoon, a string quartet played softly in the background. Antonia took a sip from her champagne glass, and looked about her. Most of the guests she didn't know, but she could *feel* some of them; there were quite a few Immortals present, but luckily she was already getting used to the buzzing effect, and was no longer acutely aware of it. Her eyes stopped at a petite, dark-haired woman, who was dressed in moss-green silk. She looked vaguely familiar, and Antonia knitted her brows trying to remember why. Then she smiled as she remembered who it was. She walked over to the woman, and asked: "Grace Chandler?" It was obvious from the woman's expression that she didn't remember her. "Antonia Jones." Antonia extended her hand, smiling. "We met a little over a year ago, in Toronto." "Oh, yes of course." Grace returned her smile, remembering, and shook her hand. "It's nice to see you again. I didn't realize that you were a friend of Duncan's, as well." "Likewise", Antonia said. "Just goes to prove how small the world is after all." "Indeed", Grace agreed, and asked then, "How's Dr. Lambert? I seem to remember that she was doing some interesting research at the time we met." "I'm afraid Natalie and I haven't kept in touch since she moved to New York some six months ago", Antonia answered, her smile diminishing a bit; the subject was still a little tender. Just then she noticed Tessa and Duncan, talking to one of Tessa's friends near by. Duncan looked very handsome in his black tux, and Tessa was an angel in her long, white lace gown. "They make a handsome couple, don't they?" she remarked to Grace. Grace looked at the couple for a moment with a strange expression on her face before she answered: "Yes, they do." Her tone caught Antonia's attention, but before she could say or think of anything, Richie came to them. "Ladies, you look stunning", he declared, eying them both appreciatively. "And *you* get smoother by the day", Antonia laughed. Richie grinned humbly: "Thank you, thank you, I try to." "You made a very good best man, Richie", Grace smiled at him kindly. "Thanks. I figured that as long as I don't forget the ring, I'll be okay", Richie confessed shrugging his shoulders a little. Then he continued scanning the crowd: "This sure looks like an Immortal class reunion to me. I'm just waiting when someone's gonna pull out a sword. Do you know any of these guys?" "Some of them", Grace said, and nodded towards a pleasant looking man on their right, "That's Sean Burns, he's an old friend. And I think the couple he's talking to is Gina and Robert de Valicourt." "Sean Burns", Richie repeated. "Yeah, I think I remember Mac mentioning him a couple of times." Then he turned to Antonia: "How about you, Nia, see anyone you know?" "Besides Mac and Grace, here, I don't think so..." Antonia said. "I had hoped to finally meet the famous Connor MacLeod, since Mac's told me so much about him, but I haven't seen him." "Yeah, he's somewhere in the Middle-East right now, and he couldn't make it", Richie explained. Just then, they heard an ear-piercing shriek behind them: "Grace!" A tall red-head, who was clad in an interesting combination of orange and green, crushed Grace into a hug. "Susannah?" Grace smiled surprised after the other woman finally released her. "I can't believe it! How long has it been?" "Ninety-three years", Susannah answered with a loud voice. "Time certainly seems to fly by when you're having fun!" Grace smiled weakly: "It certainly does..." Then she remembered Richie and Antonia, and made the introductions. "Charmed", Susannah said, revealing all her teeth in a big smile, and went on without waiting for their response, "You don't mind if I steal Grace for a while, do you?" As soon as she finished her question, she grabbed Grace by the arm, and led her away. "Come on Grace, I want you to meet my husband", she said as they walked away. "You got married, again?" was Grace's response. Richie and Antonia looked at each other, and burst into laughter. "Well, I guess she would qualify as a 'personality'", Antonia said, when she was able to breathe again. "To the acquired taste", Richie grinned in agreement, just as Tessa and Duncan stopped to talk with them. "What's to the acquired taste?" Tessa asked him. "Not what - who", Richie said glancing at Antonia, who was trying to contain her grin. "Congratulations to both of you!" Antonia then said, giving Tessa and Duncan a hug. "So Tess, is it Mrs. MacLeod or Mrs. Noel-MacLeod, now?" Tessa and Duncan glanced at each other, smiling, before Tessa answered: "We've talked about it, and I'm going with MacLeod. But professionally, I'm still going to use Noel." Then Duncan introduced to her a curly haired man standing next to him. "Nia, this old scoundrel is a good friend of mine, Hugh Fitzcairn. Fitz, meet Antonia Jones." "Antonia", the man rolled the name over his tongue. "We used to know an Antonia, didn't we Duncan? The duchess, remember?" "Do tell", Tessa said softly, lifting her brow. Duncan cleared his throat a little, and gave Fitz a dirty look, before he explained to Tessa: "Actually, I didn't really know her. She was more of Fitz's friend really." "Aha", Tessa smiled amused. "Good answer." "Ah, but she wasn't nearly as lovely as the two of you", Fitz assured them with his charming English accent. Antonia glanced at Duncan from the corner of her eye, and said: "I think I like your friend already, Mac." "And what's not to like?" Fitz asked innocently, brushing the back of her hand with his lips. Antonia felt her cheeks blush, and she felt like giggling, but with an effort she managed to constrain herself. "What indeed", she said with a twinkle in her eye. "I'd be careful if I were you, Fitz, her fiancee is the jealous type", Duncan tried to waver his friends' flirtatious smile. Fitz looked around them calmly, and said then: "I can't see anyone glaring murderously at me." "I'm afraid Lucien couldn't be here today", Antonia explained with a smile, "but he did send his love to the newlyweds." While Tessa thanked her, Duncan made a sound which clearly told that he didn't believe her last statement for a second. Antonia stared at him with a wicked smile, as if to challenge him to contradict her words. Duncan said nothing out loud, but his brown eyes told her clearly that in any other situation he would've loved to say a few selected words. "Ah, then his loss is my gain", Fitz smiled, and offering Antonia his arm, led her to a stroll around the garden. ****** Before Tessa and Duncan could head for their honeymoon a lot later that evening, they had to take care of some traditions. Tessa tossed her bouquet towards the enthustiatic crowd, and to her pleasure it was caught by her old friend, and maid of honour, Natalie Ward. Then there was a defeaning noise of wolf whistles when Duncan slipped a blue garter off of Tessa's leg. He tossed the garter through the air, and to his amusement a blushing Richie was the one to catch it. When the last of the guests had finally left, it was really late, or really early, depending on how one wanted to view it. Richie made sure that the caterer would take care of the cleaning up, and then he walked over to Antonia. "Well, the cab's here, are you ready to leave?" he asked running his fingers through his unruly curls. "Oh, yeah", Antonia sighed smiling at him; she was tired but happy. Richie offered her his arm, and in an amicable silence the two friends walked slowly to the waiting cab. The End