Title:       Spring Break
Author:      DCE aka ViciousGurl
Email:       geek-tastic AT gmx DOT com
Archive:     Nowhere without my written permission.
Disclaimers: This is a FK/HL xover. All the FK characters and concept 
             belong to TriStar, Inc. and the HL characters and 
             concept belong to Davis/Panzer Productions, Inc. 
            'Holding Out For A Hero' is written by Steinman/Pitchford 
             and sang by Bonnie Tyler. No infringement is intended. 
             The rest of the cast and this story are created and
             copyrighted by me. The 'Silver Bells Wedding Chapel' 
             does actually exist but since I've never been to Reno, 
             I have no idea what the chapel is really like. I've used 
             it in my story merely because I happened to like the 
             name.

Feedback:    Yes, please :)
			
This story follows my previous one: 'Whither Now?' which can be found
on my web page at: http://www.dlc.fi/~dce/fic/index.html



SPRING BREAK
by DCE aka ViciousGurl
<geek-tastic AT gmx DOT com>
(c)1999


"Somewhere after midnight in my wildest fantasy,  
Somewhere just beyond my reach there's someone reaching back for me,  
Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat, 
It's gonna take a Superman to sweep me off my feet, 
YEEEAAAHHH!"

LaCroix couldn't help cringing at the ear piercing wail as Antonia
sang to her heart's content along with Bonnie Tyler. But, as much as
Antonia loved music unfortunately she, unlike Ms. Tyler, couldn't
really carry a tune. Evidently she was trying to make up for it with
the volume, LaCroix thought dryly as his eardrums were about to
split.

Antonia had obviously emerged herself into her work again, and rather
enthusiastically it seemed. She usually popped a CD into the CD drive
of her computer as she worked, and when she was making really good
progress she tended to forget herself. When that happened, instead of
the usual humming she'd let her lungs really have it, as she was
doing right at that moment.

That had happened more and more of late, actually. While the business
hadn't exactly rocketed, Twilight Security had had a steady stream of
assignments during the last couple of months. And as a result,
LaCroix had gotten to 'enjoy' a steady stream of Antonia's musical
entertainment, as well.

Sighing lightly, LaCroix ended his phone call to his stockbroker and
decided that the rest of his business could wait until the next
evening. Rising from his seat he then followed the noise to Antonia's
office.

Stopping at the doorway he observed her with great amusement. She was
trying to dance sitting down and her chestnut hair flung wildly from
side to side as she tossed her head to the beat, and all the while
she kept tapping furiously on her keyboard. LaCroix couldn't
understand how she managed to get any work done in such a fashion,
but Antonia had many a times professed that it actually *helped* her
working.

"Up where the mountains meet the heavens above, 
Out where the lightning splits the sea, 
I could swear there's someone somewhere watching me...." 

That was when Antonia noticed LaCroix standing at the doorway,
watching her with laughing eyes. Her singing was cut off immediately
and she promptly turned beet red.

LaCroix thought that her reaction was even more entertaining than her
'dance routine' had been. And he found it endearing that she still
got embarrassed whenever he actually *saw* her singing. She was
comfortable enough with humming in his presence, but she usually only
sang out loud when she was alone in the room.

"Umm, just how.. how long have you been standing there?" Antonia
finally stammered, turning down the volume of the music.

"Not for long", LaCroix assured her.

Antonia straightened her posture, and gave him a slightly abashed
smile. "You could've said something, you know?"

"And have spoiled my fun?"

Antonia merely snorted at him in response.

"Shouldn't you be at the Raven, or something?" she then asked
sweetly.

"No", LaCroix answered innocently, before elaborating, "The station
is running a repeat tonight."

Making an unintelligible sound Antonia turned back to her work while
LaCroix moved to stand behind her and peered at the flickering
computer screen over her shoulder.

"How's the new job coming along?" He asked, slowly moving his fingers
up her neck and into her hair.

He felt Antonia shiver slightly as his cold fingers made contact with
her warm skin. Then her head lolled back to rest against his hands as
he gently began to massage her scalp. She closed her eyes, relaxing
completely under his ministrations and LaCroix couldn't help a
pleased smile as he listened to her soft, contended sighs.

"It's coming along great." Antonia spoke slowly, her voice a bit
slurred as she finally answered LaCroix. "I'll be finished well
before our trip to Seacouver."

"That's good", LaCroix said, gently sliding his fingers along her
scalp. He'd made certain arrangements which required that they'd be
able to leave as planned. They could be rescheduled if it became
absolutely necessary, of course, but he'd rather stick with his
original plan.

"Oh, I almost forgot..." he then continued. "Fernando called earlier
to cancel tonight."

Antonia had rekindled her friendship with her childhood friend and
his family after they had met again eight months ago. And, against
LaCroix's predictions, she'd even managed to form a friendship of
sorts with Fernando's wife, Cheryl. Although, LaCroix strongly
suspected that the formation of the latter relationship had been
greatly helped by the fact that Antonia had avoided dwelling down
Memory Lane whenever possible. She'd also made a point of not
visiting the younger Rosetti couple alone if she could help it;
whenever they would get together, she'd drag LaCroix along. And while
he wouldn't go as far as to call the Rosettis his friends, they
certainly qualified as good acquaintances by now.

"Canceled? Why?"

"He said that Mia is running a slight fever."

Antonia frowned a little. "I hope it's nothing serious."

"I'm sure it isn't." LaCroix didn't sound too concerned.

"Yeah, you're probably right", Antonia agreed. After a brief silence
she continued with another topic. "You know, I'm really looking
forward to our trip. It'll be great to have some time off. Besides,
it's been ages since I last saw Mac and Tessa."

"Yes, I believe this vacation is long over due. And it is always a
delight to see the lovely Ms. Noel." The last part was almost purred
into Antonia's ear.

Grinning, Antonia saved her work and switched the computer off. Then
she swiveled her chair to face LaCroix. "Don't get any ideas,
darling. She's *Mrs.* MacLeod now, remember?"

"Ah, yes of course." LaCroix lifted his right brow into a wicked
arch. "Well, it is her loss."

"And my gain, eh?" Antonia chuckled, her eyes sparkling as she
reached to entwine her arms around LaCroix's neck.

"Most definitely, my dear." LaCroix's blue eyes gleamed as he leaned
in for a kiss.

"Well, it seems that since our plans were canceled we'll have to
think of something else to do tonight", Antonia remarked after a
breathless moment.

"That shouldn't be a problem, my dear. I believe that I can think of
a thing or two to occupy our time with...." LaCroix breathed against
her neck.

"My hero." Antonia sighed, smiling. "I knew I could count on you."

******************

Seacouver, 
ten days later


"Are they going to stay here?"

"No", Tessa said and swatted Duncan's fingers off the cookie dough.
Ignoring the Scot's triumphant grin as he inserted a dough covered
fingertip into his mouth she then continued. "Nia said that they'd be
staying at the Excelsior."

"The Excelsior? Wow. That's like a five star hotel, right? Or is it
six? Can there be six stars?" Richie looked from Tessa to Mac and
back again.

Tessa didn't answer his question but instead frowned at the huge
ham-sandwich he was busy inhaling. "Dinner will be ready in half an
hour, Richie."

"Don't worry, Tess." Duncan comforted her. "One sandwich isn't enough
to spoil Richie's appetite, you know that."

"Two. This is my second", Richie corrected him before he realized his
own mistake. "But hey, Mac's right. One or two, what's the
difference? Really, I could still eat a horse."

Smiling a little Tessa shook her head at his innocent, wide-eyed
expression. "Well, I'm afraid tonight you'll just have to make do
with chicken, Richie."

"Chicken's good." Richie grinned and finished off his sandwich.

"And since you and Duncan don't have anything better to do you two
can set the table", Tessa continued covering the cookie dough and
turning to check the before mentioned chicken in the oven.

Richie made a face but took the plates Duncan handed to him. After
they had the table ready Duncan helped by making the salad while
Richie did his share for the dinner by opening a peanut butter jar.



"So, how long are they going to stay in town, anyway?" Richie asked,
munching away the delicious chicken.

"I think Nia said something about a week, or so", Tessa answered.

"Great", Duncan sighed, rolling his eyes. "A whole week with
LaCroix." Then he saw the look on Tessa's face and rushed to assure
her. "Don't worry, I promise to be on my best behavior."

Tessa took a sip from her glass of water and glanced at him over its
rim. "I don't understand why you don't like him, Duncan", she said
setting her glass down. "I think he's charming."

"Yeah well, I've got my reasons", Duncan grumbled slightly, avoiding
Tessa's inspecting looks.

"Yes, so you've told me. But I wish you'd tell me what exactly is it
that he's done to you. I mean, it can't be very bad since you were
willing to take on Nia as a student just because he asked you to."

"I owed him. But that's not what's important now." Duncan evaded her
question. "What matters is that I don't trust him. And I don't think
either of you should be fooled by him, either."

"Nia doesn't seem to have a problem with him. I mean, she's engaged
to the dude, right?" Richie threw in his two cents, which earned him
a dirty look from Duncan.

"Well, maybe Nia hasn't yet seen the same side of him as I have."

"And what side would that be, Duncan?" Tessa inquired with a slight,
amused smile. "I know it has something to do with honey, but I really
don't see the connection..."

"Honey? Sounds kinda kinky if you ask me", Richie deadpanned.

Tessa tried to control her facial expression but couldn't help a few
snickers from escaping. After that Richie lost it and he and Tessa
surrendered to their giggles. Duncan tried to get a few feeble
excuses in the middle of it all but failed miserably. Finally he just
settled with staring at them both reproachingly and half-heartedly
harrumphing at what some people found funny.

*****************

A dark-haired woman sat quietly in a nondescript car parked just down
the road from the MacLeod-Noel Antique shop. She'd been keeping an
eye on the place for days and she itched to take action already but
she was determined not to fail again.

Soon, she promised to herself, it would be time. Soon.

Finally the lights died in the building and the woman put down her
binoculars. She waited for an extra half an hour, just to be certain,
before starting her car and driving off for the night.

*****************

The next evening


"I'm sorry we're a bit late", Antonia apologized as Duncan released
her from his welcome-hug.

"As long as you're both all right", Tessa said, blushing slightly as
LaCroix brushed the back of her hand with his cold lips. "I was
getting a little worried that you'd gotten into an accident or
something."

"Oh no, we're fine", Antonia assured her, smiling. "We just took the
scenic route to get here."

Her brilliant smile and the look she threw at LaCroix's way were not
lost on Duncan. "Scenic route?"

"Through Reno", Antonia said nonchalantly.

"Reno?" Tessa repeated, not following immediately but then her blue
eyes flew to inspect both LaCroix and Antonia's fingers. And sure
enough, there were matching brand new shining white-gold bands on
both of their ring-fingers. "Are those what I think they are?" she
asked looking from one to the other.

Both Antonia and LaCroix glanced first at their hands and then at
each other as if by a reflex. The looks on their faces told Tessa all
she needed to know.

"I'm so happy for you, both of you!" Her smile was almost as radiant
as that on Antonia's face as she hugged her friend for the second
time that evening.

"Thank you." Antonia sounded a little shy but she positively beamed.

Duncan had been a little slow on following the turns of the
conversation but he'd finally put two and two together. He wasn't
really sure how he felt about the big newsflash but he was fully
aware of what was expected of him.

He smiled and gave a quick kiss on Antonia's cheek. "I hope you'll be
as happy as Tessa and I have been."

"Thanks, Mac." The look in his student's gray eyes told him that she
was aware of how he felt but that his efforts were appreciated
regardless.

But Duncan's smile tightened somewhat as he turned to shake hands
with LaCroix. "Congratulations."

LaCroix nodded graciously but his blue eyes didn't even try to
conceal his amusement at the other man's obvious reluctance.

Duncan's eyes narrowed but he kept the tight, little smile firmly in
place. His quiet whisper was loud enough for only LaCroix to hear.
"You better treat her right, LaCroix. Forever is a long time." There
wasn't a hint of threat in his voice, merely promise.

"Ah, but she's not yours to protect, Highlander. She never was." The
answering whisper was almost quiet enough for Duncan to miss it but
the sudden flash of ice in the blue eyes sent the message across,
loud and clear.

If the women had noticed the sudden tension they never let on.
Instead, Tessa ushered them all into the living-room and sent Duncan
to fetch a bottle of wine from the kitchen.

"Where's Richie?" Antonia asked after she'd settled down next to
LaCroix on the sofa.

"He and Angie went to see a movie", Tessa explained. "Now, I want to
hear all about your wedding. Sounds like it all happened very fast?"

"Must've been one of those spur of the moment things, right LaCroix?"
Duncan had returned with with the wine and four glasses.

"No."

"Yes."

Both Antonia and LaCroix spoke up at the same time.

"Well, which is it?" Duncan asked, amused as he poured the wine.

"Yes, it was sort of a spur of a moment thing for me", Antonia
answered with a faint grin. "But Lucien here had the whole thing
planned."

"Did he now?" Duncan didn't sound very excited. Then he noticed the
look Tessa sent his way and he knew he'd better get his act together
or he'd be in the doghouse for indefinitely.

Great. Ten minutes in the same room with LaCroix and he was already
in trouble. Silently he wondered how he was ever going to survive the
whole week. Then he realized that he'd zoned out just as Antonia was
explaining how the wedding had come to be.

"... so there I was, in the middle of the airport, people rushing
around us to every which way, and he's just standing there, waiting
for my answer."

"You proposed to her at the airport?" Tessa turned her blue eyes to
LaCroix.

LaCroix smiled faintly. "Guilty as charged."

"Ooh, that is so romantic."

At Tessa's sigh Duncan had an overwhelming urge to roll his eyes but
he fought it valiantly and even managed to swallow the little snort
that was trying to come out and play.

"I thought so, too", Antonia agreed with Tessa. "Either that, or he
was being arrogantly sure of himself." The last part came accompanied
with a mischievous grin directed at LaCroix.

"What do you mean?" Tessa gave her a confused look.

"I mean, that he'd already booked us tickets to Reno", Antonia
explained. "And not only that, but he'd also made the hotel
reservations and all the arrangements for us to be married at a
moment's notice."

"I merely believe in being prepared, my dear, you know that", LaCroix
defended himself.

"Right." Antonia's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Anyway, when we got
to Reno he generously gave me four whole hours to find a wedding
dress and to get myself ready."

"Four hours?" Tessa repeated unbelievingly.

The look she and Antonia shared said it all but they still couldn't
help saying it out loud just the same. "Men!"

At their heartfelt statement LaCroix and Duncan glanced towards each
other and for the first time since who knew when they shared a moment
of total understanding. Women.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, somehow I managed to get
everything ready just in time and we were married in the 'Silver
Bells Wedding Chapel' yesterday morning." Antonia finished.

"Silver Bells Wedding Chapel? That sounds lovely." Tessa smiled at
them.

To Duncan it all sounded sort of plastic but he was wise enough to
keep his thoughts to himself.

"Oh, it was. Very." Antonia sighed, smiling softly, temporarily lost
in remembering.

LaCroix had listened to her recount of the events and noted with mild
amusement that she'd edited the story somewhat. Most notably, she'd
left out the part about him whammying the Justice of the Peace to get
him to marry them at three in the morning. And she hadn't mentioned
anything about the rearranging of the crosses in the chapel so that
the groom couldn't see them, or their somewhat unusual vows which had
been an odd mix between ancient Roman and contemporary customs.

"You're being very quiet, LaCroix." His musings were interrupted by
Duncan. "Don't have anything to add to the story?"

"I'm afraid my beautiful bride has left me completely in her..
shadow..." LaCroix's voice died out as he recognized the sudden look
on Antonia's face.

"Duncan..." Tessa's voice held a note of alarm in it as she noticed a
similarly familiar expression on her husband's face.

"Expecting someone?" Antonia threw a questioning look towards Duncan
who quietly shook his head.

Without another word the two Immortals got up simultaneously as if
they were of one mind. Duncan glanced at Antonia and opened his mouth
to say something but she beat him to it.

"Backup never hurt anyone, Mac."

The older Immortal considered it for a second before nodding his
consent. After having quickly fetched their swords the two of them
headed to the back-door.


They were halfway through Tessa's workshop when they heard a loud
knocking on the door. Whoever was on the other side of it wasn't
trying to sneak in - always an encouraging sign.

Sharing a quick look with Antonia, Duncan jerked the door open.

It all happened too fast for either of them to react.

All Antonia heard was someone purr Duncan's name and then that same
someone had herself wrapped around him with some serious
mouth-to-mouth operation going on.

For a moment Antonia was simply too stunned to do anything. When she
finally could rely on her wits again she lowered her sword and
observed the situation calmly, if with dry amusement.

The stranger appeared to be a gorgeous brunette, clad in something
tight and sexy. Her hair was chopped ultra-short but it only brought
out her cheekbones and, as far as Antonia could tell, big brown eyes.

Duncan didn't seem to be in any immediate danger unless one counted a
possible suffocation, but when the brunette showed no signs of
unwrapping herself Antonia carefully cleared her throat.

No reaction.

She tried again. "I take it you know her? Mac?"

Her voice seemed to finally jolt the brunette who released Duncan
from her lip-lock and turned to give her a quick once over. She
didn't obviously find her too impressive since a second later her
attention was back on the Highlander.

"Who's this? I thought you married the blond."

"He did", came Tessa's icy voice from behind them.

She hadn't heard any sounds of fighting so she'd come to see what was
going on. But as relieved as she was to find out that there was no
danger, at that moment she would've much preferred a centuries old
enemy to the woman still holding her arms around *her* husband.

As if on cue, Duncan managed to finally disentangle himself from the
unabashed brunette. His eyes flew between her and Tessa and with only
a hint of panic showing on his face he chose the lesser of two evils
to tackle on.

"What are you doing here, Amanda?"

"Since when do I need a reason to visit an *old* friend?" Amanda
purred, looking innocent to all the world.

"At 11:00PM?" Duncan asked, his brows rising an inch or two.

"Well you're all still up and partying, aren't you?" Amanda said and
pushed her way inside passed him.

"Why don't you step in, Amanda", Duncan intoned sarcastically to no
one in particular.

He closed the door and turned around just in time to see the three
women disappear into Tessa's workshop. Shaking his head like a man
who knows he just can't win he slowly followed suit.

When Duncan reached the living-room he found Amanda busy charming
LaCroix's socks off. Well, she was putting up a valiant effort, at
any rate.

He could see from Tessa's face that his beloved wife was decidedly
less than thrilled at the turn of events and silently wondered just
how long he'd be spending in the doghouse for this. Sometimes he just
wished that Amanda wouldn't get him mixed up in her schemes, even if
he did enjoy them most of the time. In retrospect.

There was nothing else to do really except to take the bull by its
horns, so to speak.

"Would you all excuse us for a moment?" he said grabbing Amanda none
too gently by the arm and leading her to the antique store. Once
there, he released her, crossed his arms over his chest and put up
his severest face.

"All right, Amanda. Now that you've had your fun... What do you
want?"

She regarded him for a moment, trying to decide how much of his
attitude was for show and how much of it was for real. Then, she
pursed her lips in a pout she knew looked adorable and flashed him a
repentant, yet enticing smile.

"Duncan..." she breathed, lifting her fingers to brush his collar.

Her fingers never made contact as Duncan stopped them in mid-air.

"Amanda."

This time there was a touch of warning in his tone and Amanda knew
that the game was over. She dropped the seductress act and got down
to business.

"I need your help."

"What? You promised my head to one of your friends again?" Duncan
wasn't above childish taunting when the mood arose.

"No." Amanda actually sounded a bit offended at his words but she
didn't pursue the matter. "I need to find an ancient Egyptian death
mask, and I need it yesterday."

"An ancient Egyptian death mask." He repeated, pronouncing every word
carefully as if he wasn't certain that he'd heard her correctly.

"Yeah."

"You are aware that it's illegal to export ancient artifacts from
Egypt, among other places, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that." Amanda sounded like she was trying to
please a five year old. "I'm also aware that plenty of that stuff was
taken out *before* any laws were passed against it."

Duncan contemplated her for a while, trying to figure out what the
catch was but she seemed perfectly serious.

"What do you want a death mask for? It doesn't really seem like your
style."

Giving an exaggerated sigh Amanda explained. "It's for a bet I made."

"A bet?" Duncan didn't sound too convinced.

"Yes, a bet." Amanda was losing her patience with him. Fast. "I made
a bet with Corey that I could get my hands on one faster than he
could."

"Corey?" Duncan repeated. "As in Corey Raines?"

"Aha."

Duncan shook his head. "Corey. I should've guessed."

"Look, MacLeod. This isn't twenty-questions, and Corey is beside the
point. Right now, all I need to know is if you've got the damn mask
or not."

"I'm surprised you're not out there just trying to steal one."

"That's the catch, we can't steal it. There'd be no challenge to it.
If we could, I'd be shopping at the Met right now, instead of wasting
my time here. Now, are you going to help me or not?" Amanda was
definitely out of patience.

"All right, all right." Duncan put up his hands in surrender. "I
don't have any death masks right now but I can ask around. Okay?"

"Just make it fast, I want to win this bet." Amanda was smiling again
already. She wasn't one to hold a crutch, not with her friends.
Enemies, now they were a whole different chapter.

"Just out of curiosity", Duncan said. "What's the stake?"

"We are." Amanda grinned. "The winner gets a personal slave for a
day."

*******************

There was just too much traffic going in and out of the building that
night. She'd thought she'd had them but now she'd have to postpone
her plans. But, maybe it was all for the better, after all. She'd do
it the way she always did these things. Take them one by one, and
save the biggest prize for last.

The woman smiled at her own thoughts.

Yes. She wasn't in a hurry, she could afford to wait for a few more
days if it meant that she'd get it right this time around.

Satisfied with her decision she started her car and took off.

*******************

Later that evening


Duncan watched his wife sit by her dresser and apply the night-cream
on her face with smooth, even strokes. She hadn't said ten words to
him since their guests had left.

Sighing inwardly he once again tried to break the ice.

"I didn't invite her, Tess." It came out more like a plea instead of
the persuasive fact he'd intended it to be.

"I never claimed that you did." She sounded perfectly calm, like the
eye of a storm.

"Then why are you being mad at me?"

"I'm not being mad at you. Why would I be mad at you?"

Duncan knew that tone and it implied that the storm was about to
break loose.

"Tessa..."

That was all it took. Tessa clunked the hairbrush she'd just picked
up back on the dresser and swung around to face him.

"How could you just stand there?"

"What..?"

"Don't you 'what' me, Duncan MacLeod." She steamed on, not waiting to
hear him out and switched into French. "You know exactly what I'm
talking about. You just stood there while that -- that man-eating
pirate had her tongue down your throat!"

"Wha.. I.."

"You what?" Tessa wasn't in the mood to wait for him to find his
speaking ability again. "What ever happened to those finely honed
reflexes of yours? You just forgot how to step back?"

"It wasn't a fight --" Duncan realized his mistake as soon as the
words left his mouth but it was too late to take them back. Taking a
deep breath he cleared his mind and tried again. "Tessa, she was
kissing me, I wasn't kissing her."

She just harrumphed at him and resumed brushing her hair in angry
strokes.

Carefully, Duncan stepped closer and kneeled beside her. He seized
her hand, and her brush, into his own hands and spoke as earnestly as
he ever had. "Sweetheart, I am exactly where I want to be - right
here, with the woman I am *madly* in love with."

He searched her blue eyes to see if she was listening to him, and
felt a glimmer of hope at what he saw in their depths.

"Amanda --, Amanda is Amanda. She is what she's always been and I
don't really expect her to change. But sweetheart, she doesn't *mean*
anything by it."

Tessa shook her head. "400 years and you're still naive when it comes
to women."

She still wasn't convinced but she'd switched back to English, Duncan
took that as a good sign.

"All right, but it doesn't mean anything to *me*. The only woman I
want to be ravaged by is right here, with me, in this room."

He'd managed to make her smile. Sighing quietly in relief, Duncan
gently brushed the back of his hand against her cheek. "I love you,
Tess."

Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter. "You're just hoping to get
ravaged tonight, aren't you?"

*******************

Two days later


The rose colored wisps of clouds looked beautiful against the blue
sky. Closing her eyes, Antonia lifted her face up and breathed in the
cooling air. She suspended her breath for an exhilarating moment
before letting the air in her lungs out in a soft rush. Smiling, she
opened her eyes again and slowly continued her stroll along the
water's edge.

The path around the huge pond was unpaved and Antonia enjoyed the
quiet rustling beneath her feet as she went on. It was a surprisingly
quiet evening considering that she wasn't very far from the downtown
area of Seacouver. She could still hear the cars driving by but their
sound wasn't at all distracting, and there were few people to be seen
in any direction. The park was surrounded by countless great oaks
which dampened the sounds of the city quite nicely, creating an
illusion of seclusion and privacy.

Watching the sun go down, the soft smile on Antonia's lips widened a
fraction in anticipation. She knew it wouldn't be long now.

She walked on slowly, pausing every now and then to look at the ducks
swim by, or to admire the great fountain in the middle of the pond.


She knew the exact moment he joined her. He walked a pace or two
behind her, quietly, as if not wanting to disrupt her thoughts, and
waited for her to acknowledge his presence. After a dozen or so
steps, Antonia finally reached for his hand and he moved to walk
beside her.

"What were you thinking just now?"

LaCroix's velvety voice sent shivers down Antonia's spine, and she
tightened her hold on his hand. Feeling his eyes on her profile she
finally turned her head and met his gaze.

Smiling a little wistfully she answered: "I was just thinking how
nice this is."

LaCroix cast his eyes over the park and nodded slightly. "Yes, it is
quite picturesque."

"The park's nice, too", Antonia agreed. "But I was talking about
us.., this walk... and how nice it is to hold hands with you in
public."

Glancing at LaCroix from the corner of her eye she continued with a
faint grin. "I know we're not the most tactile of people but
sometimes it's... I mean, we can't exactly be very demonstrative in
Toronto, now can we? But sometimes it would be nice to do something
like this more often."

They had slowed down their pace so much that they now had stopped
altogether. Turning to fully face Antonia, LaCroix arched his brow
questioningly. "What makes you think that we couldn't do something
like this in Toronto?"

Antonia met his eyes in silence for a moment to make sure that he was
being serious with his question. Then she she lifted her brows and
replied with dry amusement: "I know you didn't take Plato very
seriously when he suggested that we keep a low profile, but
personally, I think he more than proved his point. And frankly, my
dear, I don't think I'm ready to test the Community's tolerance again
any time soon."

LaCroix considered her reasoning for a moment before nodding slowly.
He didn't necessarily agree with her but he could certainly
understand her point. Then, he pushed all thoughts of Plato firmly
aside and returned to their earlier topic.

"So, besides holding hands, what else would you like to do in public,
given the chance, Mrs. LaCroix?"

His deliberately leery tone made Antonia's eyes sparkle with laughter
as she pretended to put on a serious face. "It's *Ms. Jones*
actually, Mr. LaCroix. But, well now, let's see..."

Taking her time, she then regarded him carefully all the while trying
to control her expression. It wasn't easy as LaCroix matched her
inspection with gleaming eyes, but when she finally spoke up her
voice revealed only the slightest bit of laughter.

"Sometimes, I'd really like to do something like this..." she said
grabbing him gently by the ears. "Just so that I could do this..."
She carefully inched his head downwards, closer to her own face. "And
then, I'd be able to do something like this..." She pressed her lips
against his, teasingly at first and then more firmly as LaCroix
deepened the kiss.

"If you ever get the urge to do that again, *Ms. Jones*", LaCroix
said after a while with a slightly husky tone, "please feel free to
act upon it, no matter where we are."

Antonia chuckled against his chest. She could only imagine the
reaction they'd get if she *did* do that in the middle of the Raven
in front of the ever present Community. Idly, she wondered if
vampires could get a heart attack...

Lifting her head from its resting place she then laced her fingers
with his and tugged lightly. "Come on."

They continued their stroll in companionable silence. Even though
their lives had been relatively peaceful during the last few months
Antonia was glad that they'd decided to take this vacation. It was
good to get out of their usual circles and just relax. And she was
very glad of these quiet, private moments she got to spend with
LaCroix. In Toronto she sometimes felt that there were simply too
many demands on their time, too many prying eyes around them for them
to be able to truly let go while out of the privacy of their own
home. But right now, she felt totally at peace with the world. With a
smile she silently decided that a little public hand-holding could
sometimes beat even a flight at the night sky.

They reached a sturdy wooden bridge which arched above the pond where
it was at its narrowest and decided to take the short cut it offered.
Shivering a little Antonia wrapped her coat tighter around herself.
It had been a warm spring day but the temperature had dropped fast
during the past hour and the earlier delightful breeze had gotten
decidedly chillier. Luckily her trench coat was warm enough but as
she shoved her hands into her pockets she wished that she'd brought
her gloves along.

"Cold?" LaCroix asked as they paused in the middle of the short
bridge to enjoy the view, and wrapped his arms around her more
securely.

Pressing her back even closer to his chest Antonia nodded. "A
little."

LaCroix snuggled closer still in an effort to shield her from a
sudden puff, and rested his chin lightly against the crown of her
head. They stayed like that for a moment, each lost in their own
thoughts, until LaCroix broke the silence a little later.

"Are you happy, my dear?"

Antonia twisted and craned her neck to see his face, wondering what
an earth could have prompted his question. Then, meeting his soft but
totally serious eyes she gave him a somewhat dry smile. "Take a wild
guess."

The amused glint returned to LaCroix's blue eyes as he chuckled
quietly at her response. "How wild?"

Grinning, Antonia batted her lashes innocently. "Would you like me to
tell you -- or to show you?"

Giving her a smoldering look LaCroix spoke with his best Nightcrawler
voice. "Why don't you show *and* tell."

As always his voice caused the familiar reaction. Drawing in a sudden
breath Antonia caught her lower lip between her teeth, and blushed
faintly. "Well, in that case, unless you want us to get arrested I
think you better get us back to the hotel. Pronto."

Her somewhat breathless voice seemed to have an equally powerful
effect on LaCroix. For as soon as she'd finished her sentence Antonia
found them to be airborne and well on their way towards the hotel.

*****************

The next evening


Finally!

The dark-haired woman set down her binoculars and smiled triumphantly
as she watched the Highlander and his two companions, that
not-so-virgin-anymore 'son' of his and a short woman she'd seen
visiting before, leave the building. Biting her lip in excitement she
waited for twenty minutes to be certain that the three of them were
truly gone -- and left the blond all alone....

Silently, she hurried to the backdoor and let herself inside.
Pausing, she listened to her surroundings and then, without
hesitation, headed towards the kitchen.

She found her unsuspecting prey elbows deep in dishes with a pot full
of eggs boiling beside her on the stove. Not quite the setting she'd
pictured a thousand times but as long as it didn't include any
welding-pipes, she wouldn't complain.

"Well, well. Long time no see, Tessa." Her smile was that of a hungry
lioness. She'd waited for this for so long... Now, she was going to
enjoy every second of it. And the frightened look in the other
woman's eyes was a nice start.

"Felicia..."

************

"You know, Nia, the idea is to stay out of the blades' way..." Duncan
grinned as he gave yet another mark on his student.

Antonia glared at him in mock indignation. "I wouldn't be so cocky,
if I were you, Mac. I'd say that even if that shirt of yours wasn't
beyond repair yet, it's definitely a goner now!" She made a quick
thrust with her shamshir and nicked Duncan's side, ripping the said
shirt in the process, and returned Duncan's earlier grin in like.

They'd been sparring for a half an hour in the old warehouse Duncan
sometimes used to practice in. They'd gotten a late start that
evening, thanks to Antonia who'd overslept, and it was getting dark
already but they weren't ready to call it quits just yet.

They kept going on for a little while longer, each giving it their
best shot. But, since this was a fight between friends, they also
took chances neither of them would've taken in an actual fight.

While they sparred Duncan could see first hand the difference in
Antonia's skills now compared to the last time they'd practiced
together. Sure, she still had a lot to learn but she'd already taken
a couple of heads and it showed. She wasn't as reluctant to go for
the kill as she'd been before; now, she knew it was a fight to the
death. Yes, she'd known it before but there was knowing  - and then
there was *knowing*.

All in all, Duncan was rather pleased at the progress Antonia showed,
especially the speed with which she used her blade, and told her so.

"Thanks." Antonia smiled, swiping the sweat off her face. "I've been
practicing with Lucien."

Richie, who'd sat quietly at a safe distance, serving as an
enthusiastic audience for them, looked at her questioningly. "I
didn't know that he could --" He finished his sentence with his
hands, mimicking sword movements.

"Well, it's been a while since he's been serious about it but, yeah,
he used to study fencing, sort of." The last part was practically
mumbled as she threw a warning look towards Duncan who seemed to
enjoy her discomfort at the subject far too much. "But, speed's
really Lucien's specialty, so he's been helping me with that",
Antonia continued briskly, eager to finish this particular
conversation before she said something she really shouldn't.

But, Richie didn't seem to notice anything amiss and was satisfied
with her answer.

Swords and sword fighting had been a subject of fascination to him
ever since that first night when he'd broken into the antique store
and he was glad that Duncan had taken him along tonight.

He remembered spying in on Duncan and Connor when they'd sparred in
the same warehouse they were now. And, even though he certainly was
no expert on the subject, he could still see the differences between
that sparring session and this one.

Part of it, Richie suspected, had to be that the two Highlanders were
older and much more experienced than Antonia was, but that wasn't
all. She was good, even he could see that, but her style was totally
different from the two older Immortals.

She was a woman, of course, but more importantly, she was a rather
small woman. To Richie, that spelled a clear disadvantage, because it
meant that her reach was nowhere in the vicinity of that of Duncan or
Connor's. He himself had had some rather nasty first hand experiences
at fighting with someone who's arms were like those of a gorilla's
compared to his own. Yeah, sometimes being small really sucked.

But, there were some advantages to it, as well, something else Richie
had learnt first hand. And when he saw Antonia fight it was like he
was looking at a ballerina. The Highlanders certainly weren't heavy
on their feet but she was just something else. And she really was
quick, not just with her feet but she wielded her blade pretty fast,
too.

He remembered watching in on some of the early lessons Duncan had
given her when she'd first become his student. Man, she'd spent more
time on her butt than on her feet but one would never believe it
looking at her now.

"Hey, Richie!"

His thoughts were interrupted by Duncan's holler.

"You coming, or did you plan on spending the night here?"

He'd been so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Duncan
and Antonia finish off and getting ready to go.

"Yeah, coming." He got to his feet and followed the two Immortals
into the darkened evening.

***********

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

LaCroix's polite inquiry cut through a cry of intense pain and froze
the two women opposing each other, allowing him a few seconds to
fathom out what exactly was going on in the MacLeod residence.

The kitchen table lay on its side, broken, along with a couple of
chairs, and the floor was covered with broken dishes and scrambled
eggs. It didn't take a brain surgeon to deduce that the sword
wielding brunette who was sporting ugly burn blisters all over her
upper torso was an Immortal. Why she was fighting the very mortal
Tessa MacLeod, however, was not quite as obvious.

"Lucien!" There was a sliver of hope in Tessa's breathless voice as
she cut in on his musings. "Be careful. She's crazy. She thinks she
can beat Duncan if she kills his family first."

Even though she was obviously at a disadvantage fighting an Immortal
she'd managed to keep her opponent at bay quite admirably by the look
of things. She still held on to the the pot which she'd emptied on
Felicia, it seemed to be her last means of defense but scared and
injured as she was she still hadn't given up. LaCroix wasn't easily
impressed but he recognized courage when he saw it, and he thought
she'd done very well - for a mortal.

Felicia's grin, which she'd lost as she'd discovered that killing off
MacLeod's better half wasn't quite as easy as she'd expected,
regained all its arrogance at Tessa's words.

Turning slightly, she faced LaCroix with gleaming eyes. "You're at
the wrong place at the wrong time, buddy. Tough luck, but you know
what they say, life's hard --"

"... then you die." LaCroix finished with a smile. Just as Felicia
had enjoyed the fear she'd seen in Tessa's eyes LaCroix now enjoyed
the sudden uncertainty flashing through hers.

He could've easily taken care of the crazed brunette but not without
revealing his true nature, something he wanted to avoid if at all
possible. Briefly, he entertained the idea of simply hypnotizing her
but he wasn't positive that it would actually work. As far as he
could tell, he'd met two Immortals during his years and both of them
had proved to be resisters. Whether or not that meant that *all*
Immortals were resisters was something he'd rather not try and find
out right now. But, the standstill had to come to an end and, as he'd
long since learnt, the simplest solutions were often the most
effective ones.

"I believe this is perhaps a good time to point out that I called the
police when I saw the open back door. They should be here at any
moment now." He underlined his calm words by showing the women the
cell-phone which had miraculously appeared in to his hands.

Felicia met his cold blue eyes, wondering why this mortal wasn't more
worried about her sharp sword which she could easily use to slice his
throat. Maybe he really had called the cops...

"You're bluffing." She made sure her voice revealed nothing of her
doubts.

"Are you sure?" Tessa asked.

Felicia threw her a venomous glance before turning her attention back
to LaCroix. "It makes no difference, really. The two of you will
still be dead."

He'd tried the easy way but it seemed that a little extra was perhaps
needed. If he kept it subtle enough it couldn't hurt to try.

Holding her eyes he concentrated on Felicia's heartbeat. "I think
not." There was just a tiniest bit of suggestion in his voice.

Whether it was the suggestion or the threat about the police that
prompted the Immortal to action, he couldn't tell. Either way,
Felicia was backing down.

"Tell MacLeod that I'll be back." She waved her sword one last time
in Tessa's direction. "Just remember, he can't protect you or little
Richie for ever."

**********

"No, no hospital. It really isn't that bad", Tessa assured LaCroix
after she'd patched herself up.

LaCroix was actually somewhat  surprised at how little damage Felicia
had done, all things considered. Tessa had escaped the situation with
only a few scrapes and a slight burn; the loss of furniture wasn't
really even worth mentioning.  But while he was fully aware that the
small cuts and the first degree burn on Tessa's forearms didn't
actually require a trip to the hospital he'd suggested it none the
less, for his own sake. The smell of blood was only slightly
distracting but when it was combined with the smell of fear still
emanating from his hostess... All in all, it was a good thing that
his self-control wasn't that of a fledgling's.



When Duncan and company returned almost an hour later they found
Tessa and LaCroix discussing animatedly in the living-room over a
bottle of red wine.

"How was your practice session, my dear?" LaCroix asked, eyeing
Antonia's somewhat worse for the wear T-shirt.

"Great." Antonia smiled, and continued. "I guess I don't have to ask
how your evening's been? Look's like the two of you've been having
fun."

At her words LaCroix and Tessa exchanged a quick glance, something
Duncan caught on immediately.

"Sweetheart? Is there something wrong?" His brown eyes searched hers,
suddenly worried.

Before she could answer him Richie appeared to the living-room after
having fetched himself a sandwich. "Hey Tess, what happened to the
kitchen?"

"What's wrong with the kitchen?" Duncan looked from Richie to Tessa
and back again.

"You had an uninvited visitor", LaCroix answered him for them. "A
Felicia Martins, I believe the name was. She wasn't a fan of your
decor, I'm afraid."

Duncan's alarmed eyes flew back to Tessa. "Are you all right? Tess?
Did she hurt you?"

Despite Tessa's assurances that she was 'just fine' he stepped closer
to his wife and let his hands roam over her in an effort to convince
himself of that. When his fingers caught the bandages beneath her
sweater's sleeves he let out a quiet oath; once again she'd been hurt
because of him.

He was so caught up with his sudden fury that he almost missed
Richie's strangled voice coming from the doorway.

"Felicia? She was here?"

His usually pale complexion had gone even paler and his suddenly numb
fingers dropped the sandwich to the floor but no one seemed to
notice.

Antonia looked at her three friends, all of whom seemed to be in
different states of shock. "Who's Felicia?"

Her words shifted Duncan's attention from Richie to her.

"Trouble." His voice didn't invite any further questions. Then he
turned to his wife again. "What happened?"

Tessa, who'd managed to calm down with the help of both LaCroix and
the wine, found her anxiety rise again as she had to recount the
earlier events.

When she finally ended her story Duncan's face was a hard,
emotionless mask. He knew what he'd have to do and he was already
emotionally distancing himself from the rest of them; emotions and
headhunting didn't go well together.


Antonia felt like an intruder as she listened to Tessa. The last
thing her friends needed right now was extra company. She exchanged a
look with LaCroix who read her mind perfectly and nodded in response
to her silent question.

"Mac?" Antonia cleared her throat a little to get his attention.
"I--, Lucien and I will be heading back to the hotel. If there's
anything we can do to help, you just let us know, 'kay?"

"Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow."

Antonia thought that he sounded a little distracted but then he had a
lot on his mind. Inwardly, she shrugged and decided to let it go.

Sighing a little she turned to Tessa and gave her a warm smile. "I'm
glad that you're okay."

"Me, too." Tessa's answering smile was still a bit shaky but she was
slowly calming down again.

"It'll be all right, you'll see".

"I hope so."

Antonia followed her gaze to Duncan and squeezed her arm lightly in
quiet support. She had no doubt that Duncan would take care of the
problem but she hoped that he wouldn't be too hard on himself, for
everyone's sake.

***

After LaCroix and Antonia had left Tessa returned to the living-room
where Duncan still stood, deep in his thoughts. The house seemed very
quiet suddenly. That's when she spied Richie's forgotten
cheese-sandwich lying on the floor. There was no sign of Richie,
though. He'd disappeared so quietly that no one had noticed.


Upstairs, Richie lay on his bed staring blindly at the ceiling.

When he'd first heard that Felicia was back his mind had drawn a
total blank, now his head hurt with the jumble of thoughts. He didn't
know what, exactly, he felt towards Felicia, if anything, but there
was no mistaking the guilt he felt at what she'd done to Tessa. If
Tessa had been killed it would've been his fault. He was the one
who'd *begged* Duncan not to kill Felicia when he'd had the chance.

Frustrated, he threw his arm over his eyes and tried to silence his
tumultuous mind. He felt like such a fool every time he thought of
Felicia, of how she'd played him like a violin, of how he'd fallen
for her like a ton of bricks. It didn't help to realize that he was
hardly the first fool she'd used and probably hadn't been the last
one, either. No, it didn't help one little bit.

The worst part was that he hadn't even been really in love with her.
That *might* have given him some kind of an excuse, but no. He'd been
driven by his virginal hormones, and the feeling he'd wanted to
believe was love had been nothing more than good old fashioned lust.
And he'd wanted her to live because he couldn't stand to watch Duncan
behead the first woman he'd ever slept with. And now she'd come back.

To kill Tessa.

To take MacLeod's Quickening.

To off him - Richie Ryan, the Idiot.


His self-loathing came to an abrupt end when there was a familiar
knock on the door and Duncan stepped in.

Throwing his legs to the floor Richie quickly got up and faced the
older man nervously.

"Mac..."

"Richie..."

Their words collided and then there was an awkward silence.

"Richie." Duncan was the first to speak up again. "I think we should
talk, about Felicia."

The words Richie had been dreading. He just knew that this was the
part where MacLeod told him to go packing, because it was his fault
that Felicia was still around causing trouble. Wasn't that what she'd
promised that night at the Andrews Beach? That she'd be back? Well,
guess she was as good as her word, then.

"Richie?" Duncan's voice brought him back to the present.

"What? Yeah. Felicia. Okay."

"Are you okay, Rich?" Duncan stared at him, frowning. "Look, I know
this isn't easy for you but I think it's important that we talk about
this."

"Yeah, sure." Richie tried to sound relaxed but had only minimal
success. He just hoped that Duncan would be quick about it, but
knowing MacLeod he'd try to soften the blow somehow.

"... Tessa wouldn't hear about it but if you want to I could send you
out of the city until I've taken care of it."

Richie had missed the beginning of Duncan's speech but the ending
made it all pretty clear to him. So, Tessa hadn't wanted for him to
leave. But then, she was like that. She had a big heart, big enough
to even have some room in it for the likes of him. Suddenly, he felt
ashamed of the words he remembered saying to her when Felicia had
first appeared into their lives. Some wisecrack of how he had the
time on his side, unlike her. What a load of bull that had been.

"Earth to Richie, come in, please."

He'd zoned out again and MacLeod didn't seem none too pleased with
him right then.

"Did you just hear a word I said to you?"

"Yeah, I heard you. You want me to leave the city", Richie repeated
obediently. He thought that it was a bit extreme, even for MacLeod to
order him leave town, as if kicking him out of the house wasn't
enough.

His silent musings came to an end as he realized that Duncan was
staring at him with an odd expression on his face.

"Richie, what exactly do you think you just heard me say?"

"You said that you wanted me to leave town." Richie didn't understand
where MacLeod was going with this but suddenly he wasn't quite as
sure of his assumptions as he'd been just a moment ago. "Wasn't it?"

Shaking his head Duncan gave an exaggerated sigh. "Something like
that, but not exactly."

Now it was Richie's turn to frown; no wonder he had trouble following
the Scot when he spoke in riddles.

"I asked if you'd like to leave town until I've taken care of
Felicia. Tessa didn't want to leave but since Felicia is after you as
well you should have a say in this, too."

"You mean..." Richie felt a sudden rush of relief wash over him. He'd
jumped to conclusions, but old habits died hard. Even after all this
time he sometimes still didn't believe that Duncan and Tessa weren't
just waiting for a good excuse to boot him out of their lives. Guess
he should've known better by now.

"No. No, I don't wanna run." He finally managed to give Duncan a
coherent answer. "Besides, Tessa'll need someone to keep her company
while you go after Felicia."

His words made the Highlander smile a little. Richie preferred the
smile to his frowns.

"Ay, she will", Duncan agreed. Then he continued more seriously. "But
Richie, if you still have feelings for Felicia it might be better
if--"

"Whoa!" Richie cut him off right then and there. "I know she
screwed--" Richie stopped suddenly, blushing at his choice of words,
but continued steadfastly after a beat. "I know she messed with my
head the last time but you don't have to worry about me, it won't
happen again."

That hadn't been exactly what Duncan had meant but he didn't pursue
the issue. If Richie had a problem with him going after Felicia he
would've said something by now.

"All right, tough guy." He smiled a little at the familiar nick-name.
"I better go tell Tessa that she's not the only stubborn one in this
family. Good night, Richie."

"Yeah, good night." Richie's belated reply came out after Duncan had
already left the room completely missing the look on Richie's face at
his casual use of the word 'family'.

******************

The next day


A dark look from Tessa stopped Richie's drumming against the table.
Dropping his hands to his lap he squirmed on his seat for a moment
until another look from Tessa froze him still. Taking a deep breath
he tried to think of something pleasant to pass the time but, as he'd
once told Tessa, waiting just wasn't his thing, and the pleasant
thoughts weren't really doing the trick. Finally, he just couldn't
take it anymore.

"How much longer are we supposed to wait, anyway?" His question was
accompanied with a heavy sigh for effect.

"As long as it takes", Tessa said as a matter of factly, even though
the waiting was getting to her, too.

Antonia finished off her cup of tea and joined in. "And what if this
doesn't work? I mean, she's gonna know that I'm here as soon as she
gets close enough. What makes you think that she'll go through with
it, anyway?"

As promised, Duncan had called her that morning, saying that he
needed her help with the Felicia Martins situation. Then, he'd
explained to her his plan which Antonia had thought had sounded
pretty good over the phone. However, after having waited for six
hours at the MacLeod residence she was having second thoughts. Not
only that, but she was having trouble keeping her eyes open since
she'd only managed to get three hours worth of sleep before Duncan's
call. Sometimes being a night person really sucked.

"Duncan seemed very certain that she would," Tessa said, not sounding
very sure of it herself.

Antonia shrugged a little. "Well, I've never met her so I guess I'll
just have to take Mac's word for it. But the thing I really don't get
is, if Mac beat her once already then why is she coming after him
again? Or is she just plain suicidal?"

Richie must've been really bored because that got a quiet snort out
of him. "Nah, she's just a bad loser."

Tessa glanced at him covertly from the corner of her eye. She'd been
a little worried about how he would handle the situation but although
the waiting was getting to him just as it did to the rest of them he
didn't seem to be brooding over Felicia. Of that she was glad. It was
bad enough that Duncan had to face that woman *again* but if Richie'd
still harbored feelings towards her.... Suffice to say that Tessa
found a certain amount of relief from the fact that she didn't have
try and find a way to soften the blow, so to speak.

Her musings came to an end as Antonia suddenly got up to her feet.
The familiar look in her eyes told Tessa that their long wait was
finally over - Felicia had returned, as promised.

"Stay here." Antonia spoke without looking at either of them, her
entire focus for the moment turned inside, to the prickling sensation
inside her head which had alerted her to the presence of another
Immortal.

Leaving the two mortals behind she headed towards Tessa's workshop.
Feeling the weight of her shamshir in her hand she couldn't help a
faint smile; it seemed that Duncan's plan was working out after all.

Entering the workshop she immediately spotted the dark-haired
Immortal. She wasn't quite what Antonia had expected. But evidently,
she wasn't what, or rather whom Felicia had expected, either.

"So, MacLeod left you to protect his little family, eh?" Her low
voice mocked Antonia, the implication clear.

"Don't tell me you *really* expected him to just leave them alone?"
Antonia's voice held a tad of dry amusement.

"Of course not", Felicia replied, a knowing smirk on her face. "That
wouldn't be his style. Once a boy scout, always a boy scout. I knew
he'd get someone to baby-sit them while he went after me. I just
expected him to at least find someone who'd be up to something more
than just token resistance, that's all."

At any other given time Antonia might have taken offence but this
wasn't her fight. In fact, her role in the play was almost over now
that Felicia had finally made an appearance.

"Oh, you'll be facing more than just 'token resistance'." She smiled
almost benignly at the other woman. "I promise."

She'd hardly finished her words when she felt the presence again. At
the sensation Felicia whirled around, and found herself face to face
with the 'boy scout'. Trapped between the two Immortals she had
nowhere to go, and her careful plan thus ruined she had no chance but
to bite the bullet.

"MacLeod." She moved slightly so she was able to keep an eye on both
Antonia and Duncan but the bulk of her concentration was on the older
Immortal. "I told you we'd meet again."

"And I told you what would happen if we did." Duncan's voice was
devoid of all emotion. He wasn't into mind games and he certainly
wasn't going to play them with Felicia.

"Ah, but this time I came prepared." Felicia flashed him a tight
smile. "You taught me everything you know, Highlander, and I've been
practicing."

With that she opened the game.

Antonia moved out of their way but didn't leave the workshop. Should
Duncan fail for whatever reason it would be up to her make sure that
Felicia didn't get her hands on Richie and Tessa. Not that she
seriously contemplated the possibility. Felicia had already lost to
Duncan once, and that reason alone gave him the upper hand this time
around as well.

She found herself observing the fight almost clinically. Part of it
was a conscious effort on her part to detach herself from the fight,
to not allow herself to be overwhelmed with worry over her friend.
But another part was pure curiosity at being able to witness a fight
between two Immortals. It was one thing to be in thick of it and
another to simply serve as an onlooker.

She recognized the skill both of the fighters possessed, the economic
efficiency of their movements and the confidence with which they both
handled themselves. She could also detect the slight mistakes they
made and the calculated chances they took. But while she analyzed and
dissected their every move a part of her kept reminding herself that
this was not an exercise for her benefit, it was a fight to the death
and only one of them would be left standing in the end.


Felicia hadn't been lying when she'd said that she'd been practicing.
But Duncan hadn't exactly been resting on his laurels, either. And he
was fighting for something more important than to merely protect his
own Quickening. Felicia was going to have to go through him to get to
his family, and there was no way she was going to get past him.
Besides, no matter how much Felicia's skills had improved she still
hadn't learnt that it didn't pay to be overconfident.

With grim determination Duncan blocked Felicia's latest attack and
brought the fight to an end with a quick thrust of his sword. Felicia
barely knew what hit her. Duncan drew out his blade from her throat
and returned it back to her neck in one fluid swing.


In the kitchen Tessa and Richie sprang to their feet as they heard
the unmistakable sounds of a Quickening. Without even stopping to
think about their actions they rushed towards the workshop only to be
halted by Duncan and Antonia at the doorway.

Carefully closing the door to the workshop before either of the
mortals could see what remained of Felicia Antonia stayed in the
background while Duncan assured his family that everything was indeed
all right. Guiding them back to the kitchen he shared a quick look
with Antonia which she read clearly enough. It wasn't quite over yet.

The icky part of having to fight in one's own home was to get rid of
the body. Elsewhere, one could just leave it be and walk away but
there was no walking away from a corpse lying on your floor. As
Duncan disappeared from view with his family Antonia returned to the
workshop. Spying a tarpaulin in one corner she took it and wrapped
the body in it to wait for the darkness to fall. After that it'd be
Duncan's problem, he was after all more familiar with Seacouver than
she was.

*********

Later that evening Antonia returned to the MacLeod residence, this
time with LaCroix in tow. They were greeted by soft candlelight in
every room thanks to Duncan's earlier Quickening which had blown the
building's circuitry.

"I suppose we'll have to close the shop for a few days until we get
everything repaired", Tessa explained. "Although, I admit I rather
like candlelight. It's very romantic, not to mention flattering."

Antonia returned her smile with an agreeing nod. She loved candles,
especially if they were scented, and scattered around the bathroom
while she was soaking in a heap of bubbles with LaCroix doing that
wondrous thing he did with the sponge... Catching herself just as
she felt a blush creep up her cheeks Antonia banished all thoughts of
bubbles and sponges from her mind. Well, she did her best at any rate
but she was, after all, still very much a newlywed.

If any of the other occupants of the room had noticed the sudden
change in her color they didn't mention it. Instead, she found that
while she'd been daydreaming LaCroix and Tessa had immersed
themselves into a lively discussion over art.

Turning to Duncan she quietly asked him about the 'body situation'.

"All taken care of", Duncan answered, keeping his voice low.

Nodding, Antonia then changed the topic to a less gory subject.
"Where's Richie?"

"He said he was going to catch a movie or something but I think he
just needed to get out for a while and clear his head."

The look in Duncan's eyes made Antonia furrow her brow. "He's okay,
isn't he? I mean, the way he talked today, I thought he was over
her."

"I think he was but still, this wasn't easy for him. I just hope he
won't be too hard on himself." Duncan paused for a moment before
adding with a lighter tone. "Sometimes, he can really brood with the
best of them."

"Well, I'm sure you'd know more about that than I do", Antonia
replied with a small, crooked smile.

There was a friendly glint in Duncan's eyes but he inserted a shred
of indignation into his voice. "Trying to imply that I'm a brooder, 
Nia?"

Antonia gave him her best innocent look. "Who? Me? Never." Then, she
paused as if to give the matter some more thought. "Although, if the
shoe fits, Mac...."

Duncan took a small cushion from the sofa and aimed at her grinning
face. She caught it easily and was about to throw it back at him when
she noticed both LaCroix and Tessa's not-quite-shocked expressions.

"Well, he started it."

LaCroix and Tessa looked from her to Duncan and then at each other,
shaking their heads indulgently as if they were dealing with a couple
of misbehaving kids before continuing with their conversation. 

"Now see what you did!" Duncan stage-whispered at Antonia, giving a
meaningful glance towards their significant others.

"Ha-ha!" Antonia mouthed and threw the cushion back at him.

*****************

Meanwhile, somewhere in Oklahoma


"Oh, come on, Corey. Not the old slave girl routine!"

"Now, now, Amanda. It's my choice, remember? I won, fair and square",
Corey reminded her, smiling pleasantly.

"But why the slave girl thing, again?" Amanda almost whined.
"Wouldn't you like to try something else for a change? I've got this
*great* French Maid costume..."

"I'm just being consistent, babe." Corey grinned. "Besides, the slave
girl's a classic."

"Oh, all right then." Amanda knew a lost cause when she bumped into
one. "But I'm NOT scrubbing your bathtub like I did the last
time....!!!"



The End