Yo Ho Ho & a Bottle of Rum

[cj]

_{The part of Duncan MacLeod is temporarily being understudied by Donnie}

Tianna gets up from the bed in her hotel room and turns off the TV. She walks over to the picture window and looks out over the city below and sighs. She's bored. She had spent her first day in Seacouver perusing through old Seacouver phone books...going back as far as 1996 to no avail. She finally had to give up when her vision started blurring from all of the fine print reading after 6 hours. She left the library and headed for her hotel, stopping at a Burger King on the way. This was her second day in the city and so far she had spent it laying on the bed and watching mindless kiddie cartoons on the boob tube.

[Tianna] At this rate you're going to get fat and lazy. You need to do something productive Chambers.

Tianna says aloud to the empty hotel room. She walks back over and sits on the edge of the bed and opens the drawer to the nightstand. She removes the phone book and opens the yellow pages. She scans the listings and picks up the phone and dials a number.

Duncan is sitting in the office going through some bills, the phone rings.

[Duncan] Dojo, Duncan MacLeod speaking.

[Tianna] Yes....how late are you open on the weekends?

Tianna asks when the phone is answered.

[Duncan] Today we are open until five for members, and closed on Sunday.

[Tianna] Do you have to become a member to use the facilities?

[Duncan] Yes, but we allow visitors to come in for three visits to see if this is what they want. The Dojo isn't like the some of the better known clubs.

[Tianna] I see. Are you taking new members?

Tianna gets a bit of a smile across her face. She likes this man's voice. Soft, low and a bit sultry. She decides that she must meet him.

[Tianna] Would it be alright if I came by to check the place out and talk to you about it face to face?

[Duncan] Sure, no a problem. You have the directions?

[Tianna] No. I've only been in town since night before last. So I could use some help finding places.

Tianna says with a light giggle.

[Duncan] Where are you coming from?

[Tianna] I'm staying at the Regency Suites.

Tianna gets out a pad of paper and a pen and gets ready to write.

Duncan gives her the directions.

[Duncan] Your name is?

[Tianna] Tianna Chambers.

[Duncan] I look forward to seeing you Miss Chambers.

[Tianna] I'm on my way.

Tianna says and hangs up the phone. She grabs her coat and sword and leaves the hotel, heading for the Dojo.

Duncan hangs up the phone and starts putting the bills in a file. He takes out a clipboard from his desk and attaches a membership application to it. He opens another drawer to find a pen when he finds Cara key chain with her loft and Dojo keys attached.

Duncan holds the key chain in his hand.

[Duncan] Cara, where are you?

Duncan stands up and goes over to the window and looks out, it had been a long three month since she left. Three months of not sleeping much, worrying about her. Three months of being mad that she would just leave...three months trying to decide if they would have a marriage when she came back...

Tianna gets out of her car. As she approaches the front doors of the building she is overcome by an Immortal buzz and she stops and looks around. Not seeing anyone suspicious she shrugs and walks into the Dojo. She stops just inside the door and looks around at the ultra modern Dojo.

[Tianna] Nice.

Tianna says softly and nods...impressed.

Duncan sitting at his desk he looks up feeling the approach of another of his kind.

Duncan stands up and goes to the door of the office, he sees a young woman entering the building. Since she is the only new person there, he watches her.

Tianna sets her sports bag on the floor by the door and looks over at the office. She sees a man.....a very handsome man....inside and figures he must be the one she had talked to on the phone so she heads in that direction.

Duncan smiles, and goes towards her. She is very attractive and looks like she is in great shape. Her eyes got his attention, the color a brilliant blue.

[Duncan] Miss Chambers?

Tianna holds out her hand to the man and smiles warmly.

[Tianna] Yes. But please call me Tianna....or just Tia. Miss Chambers makes me sound older than I am.

Tianna says trying to be witty but it has been so long that she feels a bit awkward.

[Duncan] Tia it is then....how long have you been in town?

Duncan for some reason feels like a school boy around her.

[Tianna] Since night before last.

Tianna answers.

[Tianna] From what I've seen of it....it seems like a really beautiful city.

[Duncan] Yes it is...so you haven't seen much of the sights yet?

[Tianna] No. Not really. I spent most of yesterday doing some research in the library. To be honest....I didn't know Seacouver had sites. Maybe you could enlighten me.

Tianna says easily with a hint of a seductive smile.

Duncan not knowing why, he felt comfortable with her, and they had only met.

[Duncan] I would like to do that. Why don't you come into the office and I can tell you about the Dojo, and then show you around.

[Tianna] That's what I''m here for.

Tianna says light heartedly as she takes another look around.

[Tianna] This is really quite impressive. I take it...it's yours?

[Duncan] Yes.....I also have a partner who isn't around.

Duncan motions for her to go into the office and follows her.

[Duncan] Please have a seat Tia..

Tianna walks over to the couch and sits down. She spreads her arms out so that they are resting on the back of the couch and she crosses her legs regally.

[Tianna] Sooo.....what form of Martial Arts is practiced around here? Or is it basically free form?

Tianna asks getting down to business.

Duncan sits down at his desk.

[Duncan] We are free form here, it allows the members to do as they wish. I do Aikido

[Tianna] That's good I hate to feel like I'm back in a dictatorship.

Tianna says half jokingly. She relaxes a bit more....taking on a look of extreme confidence and smiles at the man across from her.

[Tianna] Soooo....I take it that you're the one I sensed when I came in?

[Duncan] Yes, I'm Duncan MacLeod....are you here on business?

Tianna 's smile has just a hint of cockiness.

Duncan watches her, the way she holds herself, she wasn't new to their way.

[Tianna] No....I'm here to find a place to burn off some energy and calories. Do you allow Immortals to join?

Tianna 's eyes have a bit of a sparkle in them.

[Duncan] Not a problem as long as you pay your membership....but like I said on the phone you have three free visits before you have to make up your mind. Would you like a tour of the Dojo, or would you like to change and start a workout?

Tianna sits forward on the couch and places the palms of her hands on her thighs in preparation of getting up.

[Tianna] I'd just as soon find things as I go along and get started getting rid of the calories I put on last night and this morning from laying around doing nothing but eating.

Tianna says. She stands up and pats her stomach as if it were bulging.

Duncan wonders where she thought there was any extra calories hanging on that perfect body.

[Duncan] The womens changing area and showers are down the hallway and to your left. I hope you enjoy your workout.

Duncan stands up and smiles at her.

[Tianna] Thank you, Duncan. Seacouver is looking better and better.

Tianna says with a seductive glance over her shoulder as she walks out of the office. She grabs her bag from by the door and heads into the locker room. Five minutes later she appears dressed in a pair of loose fitting light blue Hakama and a tank top that is just a shade darker. She walks over an open area and begins doing some stretches.

Duncan is talking to another member when she comes out. He notices the other men watching her.

Tianna finishes stretching and walks over to one of the weight benches. She adjusts the weights on the ends of the long bar, makes sure they are clamped down tight and straddles the bench then lays down on her back. She places her hands on the bar...takes a slow deep breath and blows it out and lifts the bar (with 95 lbs. on it) off of the stand. She steadies it above her head, adjusts her grip and begins slow, steady repetitions.

Duncan moves away from the man he was talking to and moves towards Tia. He stops and almost turns around. What was he doing....she was a customer here, and he was still married and he wanted to put a move on her. He turns back and goes over to her.

[Duncan] I don't normally bother my members while they are working out...but if you need any help just let me know, I'll be here on the floor just call out. .

Tianna finishes her repetitions and sets the bar back on its rack, smoothly and seemingly without any strain. She sits up and looks up at Duncan. She smiles up at him.

[Tianna] Do you use those....

Tianna says nodding toward the practice Katanas on the rack on the wall behind them.

[Tianna] for practice? You any good?

Tianna asks a bit daringly.

[Duncan] I've been know to use them......would you like to work out a bit with them?

Duncan smiles at her.

Tianna gets up from the bench and walks over to the wall. She removes both of the swords and brings them back to the open area. She flips one around so that the blade is between her arm and her side and extends the hilt to Duncan.

[Tianna] Ok.....let's see what ya got.

Tianna taunts.

[cj]

_{The part of Duncan MacLeod is temporarily being understudied.}

Duncan jogs along the vacant beach near the light house. Having finished a strenuous workout at the Dojo earlier he is enjoying the feel of the cool mid-morning ocean air.

Tianna sits on a large boulder near the base of the light house watching a small fishing boat off in the distance. The rhythm of the surf and the soft call of the sea gulls fill her with both contentment and longing. She has been in Seacouver two weeks now. She has spent most of her mornings sitting either in this particular spot or at another remote spot she had discovered that over looks the Puget Sound and a few afternoons a week she has spent working out at MacLeod's Dojo. Her evenings have been spent in her hotel room. On the afternoons that she hasn't been at the Dojo she has wandered the streets of the downtown area and the Heights hoping to run across the person she came to Seacouver to find. Since she hadn't had any luck so far, she was beginning to believe that the information she had acquired that brought her here had been wrong which meant she had a decision to make. She could either give up and leave and go back to where she had started from and start from scratch or she could stick around, get a place a little more permanent than the hotel room....maybe even find some form of gainful employment (for appearances sake) and see what life in Seacouver had to offer. She picks up a small stone and pitches it into the surf.

Duncan's leg muscles are beginning to feel tight from the exertion of running in the soft sand of the beach as he approaches the light house. His plan is to jog to where the beach becomes more rocky than sandy, then turn back and jog back to where he had parked his car. He sees the familiar granite outcropping just ahead and knows that the terrain changes a few yards past it. As he starts to round the outcropping he feels the buzz of another Immortal and comes to a stop, looking around warily. He begins to take a step backward with the intention of simply backing away and retreating since he is unarmed when he sees someone sitting down by the edge of the water on a large boulder. He looks around and decides that there is no one else around.

Tianna feels an Immortal buzz and sits up straight. Her hand drops down to her side and rests on the hilt of her sword which is laying on the rock beside her, underneath the coat it isn't quite cold enough to wear. She looks around cautiously. Sitting doesn't give her much of a view of the surrounding area so she gets to her feet and turns away from the water.

Duncan sees that the person by the water is unmistakably a woman when she stands up and he moves a few paces in her direction, straining to see who she is. Then he recognizes her and relaxes. Smiling he waves.

Tianna sees the only other person around wave and waits for him to take a few more steps closer then she recognizes him and waves back with a soft chuckle. She waves him over and sits back down on the boulder, laying her sword back where it had been and recovering it with her coat.

Duncan removes the bandanna he has had tied around his head, opens it up and wipes the sweat from his face as he makes his way over to the boulder.

[Tianna] Come on over.

Tianna says, smiling as she watches him walk up to her. She reaches down to the ground at the base of the boulder and picks up a bottle of water which she holds out to Duncan.

[Tianna] You look like you could use this.

Duncan grins as he walks up to Tianna and accepts the bottle.

[Duncan] Thanks.

Duncan says gratefully and takes a long drink. He hands the bottle back to her and takes a seat on the large boulder so that he can face her. He props one of his feet on a smaller boulder and rests his forearm on his knee. He stuffs one end of his bandanna in the waistband of his sweat pants.

Tianna takes the bottle and puts it back where it was and looks at Duncan curiously.

[Tianna] Long run?

Duncan shrugs.

[Duncan] Not really. 2 ½ miles one way.

[Tianna] Yeah but in soft sand. Isn't that the equivalent of double or triple the distance?

[Duncan] Something like that.

Duncan nods with an almost sheepish grin.

[Duncan] Am I intruding on a solitary moment?

Duncan asks, quirking his eyebrow slightly. He completely understands the need for solitude from time to time. He looks out at the end of the old wooden pier and remembers the last time he was out there. Then he moves his gaze out to the horizon.

Tianna shakes her head.

[Tianna] Not at all.

Tianna says warmly.

[Duncan] You sure?

Duncan asks looking back at her.

[Tianna] If you were I never would have waved you over.

Tianna says with a confident grin.

Duncan flashes one of his charming smiles.

[Duncan] Haven't seen you at the Dojo for a few days. I was beginning to think you had found somewhere else to work out.

Tianna shakes her head, still smiling and looks back out at the fishing boat.

[Tianna] Absolutely not. I just had a couple of things to take care of.

Duncan nods silently not wanting to pry.

[Duncan] I hope you're taking some time to enjoy some of Seacouver's points of interest.

Tianna looks back at Duncan.

[Tianna] I have managed to find time to wander through the Mariner Museum. That was very interesting. I didn't know that this area had such a history.

[Duncan] We have several nice art galleries and the Museum of Fine Arts is world renown. That is if you're into that sort of thing. If it's history that interests you....this whole area is quite historical.

Tianna laughs.

[Tianna] You sound like a travel brochure.

Duncan smiles at the sound of Tianna's laugh. It sounds like melodic bells.

[Tianna] Have you lived here long?

[Duncan] On and off since the 1800's.

Tianna looks at him a bit surprised.

[Tianna] You must like it.

Tianna looks back towards the fishing boat which has moved farther from the shore.

[Tianna] I've never stayed in one place for longer than a year. Never found anywhere I really liked that much.

Tianna says thoughtfully.

Duncan looks at her. Although she isn't looking directly at him he can still see her crystal blue....almost ice blue eyes and the dreamy look in them.

[Duncan] Never found that familiar place that feels like home?

Tianna is about to answer him when a boat comes into view that grabs her attention. It is a Brigantine schooner at full sail. As though in a trance she stands up and watches the ship glide across the water, its sails billowing.

Duncan sees the look on Tianna's face and follows her gaze to the sailing ship.

Tianna watches as the Brigantine slows and begins to lower her sails and drop anchor almost directly in front of her and Duncan. When the last sail has been dropped Tianna realizes that her reaction must have Duncan wondering about her sanity. She steps back and as she sits back down on the boulder. Tianna gives Duncan a sidelong glance along with a sheepish smile.

[Tianna] In answer to your question....the only place I have ever felt truly at home....that familiarity you described....

Tianna points to the Brigantine.

[Tianna] ....was when I was on one of those.

Tianna says her gaze still fixed on the ship.

Duncan looks back out at the sailing vessel as well and then slowly begins to nod in understanding.

[Duncan] Did she have a name?

Duncan asks in a soft voice.

Tianna looks at Duncan and is a bit surprised to see that he is genuinely interested. So she nods and smiles with pride.

[Tianna] She did. She was the Pearl of Hope.

Duncan smiles seeing her eyes fill with pride.

[Duncan] Would I have heard of her captain?

Duncan asks. He hadn't known any actual pirates but he had spent enough time on the open seas to have heard the names of those most revered and feared. Most of whom never made it into the history books.

Tianna's proud beaming grows and she gets to her feet. She stands in front of Duncan and faces him. She places one foot slightly behind the other and doffs an imaginary hat, bowing low.

[Tianna] Captain Nicholas Jib and Captain Tianna Jib at your service.

Duncan looks at her a bit surprised.

[Duncan] Really?

Tianna stands up and reclaims her seat on the boulder, turning her body so that she is facing Duncan more than before. She nods and chuckles.

[Tianna] I was Captain Nicholas Jib until the mid 1600's. Once I knew I had the respect and undying loyalty of my crew I gave up the disguise. I didn't need it any more. Of course you probably never heard of either name.

[Duncan] My seafaring days were a bit later, I'm afraid. I was pretty much a landlubber for the first 100 years of my life. Sorry.

Tianna laughs.

[Duncan] To my recollection the only female pirate I ever heard of was one who claimed the northern part of the states and Canada as her territory.

Tianna's eyes begin to dance with glee.

[Duncan] They called her....ummm....Gert...Gertie.....

Duncan snaps his fingers as he remembers.

[Duncan] Gunpowder Gertie.

Tianna nods vigorously.

[Tianna] And her ship was the Tyrant Queen.

Duncan looks at her and raises an eyebrow.

[Tianna] We were best friends. I served under her until we got caught and sentenced to prison where we both died. I came back...she didn't.

Duncan shakes his head and chuckles.

[Duncan] You must have some thrilling stories to tell.

[Tianna] Oh they're probably so much like those that have already been told....they'd probably bore you to death.

Duncan shakes his head.

[Duncan] I highly doubt that.

[Tianna] You must have some stories of your own. I mean.....just from what you've said....I'm assuming that you're at least 400. And the name MacLeod is definitely Scottish. Would I be wrong in assuming you fought for Bonnie Prince Charlie?

Duncan nods and looks out at the horizon.

[Duncan] Not just for but with. Along side of.

Tianna sees the look of regret in Duncan's deep brown eyes and decides to try and lighten the mood

[Tianna] I'll bet you were quite fetching in a kilt.

Duncan feels his cheeks heat up and he looks down at the ground.

[Duncan] I don't know about that, now.

[Tianna] Oh....come on now.

Tianna says and bumps against Duncan playfully.

[Tianna] You can't tell me that you didn't have a whole slew of young Highland lasses clambering around you whenever you came into a village. You probably had your pick of the best the village had to offer. And I suppose you were a Musketeer, too.

Duncan shook his head.

[Duncan] No. I was too busy trying to keep an Italian royal daughter out of trouble during that time.

Duncan says with a snicker.

[Tianna] Poor girl.

Tianna giggles, teasingly

Duncan rolls his eyes with a smirk.

[Duncan] Soooo is the different last name due to a marriage? Or did you scare suitors away?

Tianna giggles.

[Tianna] No. I would just make them walk the plank if they didn't live up to my expectations.

Tianna picks up the water bottle she had offered Duncan when he had first joined her and takes a drink then offers it to Duncan.

Duncan accepts and takes a drink then sets the bottle on the boulder between them.

[Tianna] Actually I was married and widowed. Three times. Only one was one of us. My last husband. We were only married three months and some bitch took his head. That was in 1995.

Duncan nods understandingly.

[Duncan] I'm sorry.

Duncan says sympathetically.

Tianna shrugs.

[Tianna] It's the way we live. We have three choices of how we can live our lives. We can fall in love with a mortal and watch them grow old and die while we stay young or watch them die from something we would heal from....we can steer clear of the Mortals and fall for an Immortal and run the risk that they will be challenged and lose...or we can shut our emotions off completely and become hard as steel....uncaring and unfeeling. Personally.....the last choice doesn't appeal to me at all.

Duncan nods in agreement.

[Duncan] I've tried them all and I didn't like the last option either.

[Tianna] There's a Country song that says it best for me. “I could have missed the pain but I'd have had to miss the dance.”

Duncan nods with a snicker. That was one of Cara's favorite songs, too.

[Tianna] So what about you? I don't suppose you have ever taken the plunge. But I'll bet you have left a trail of broken hearts behind you, though.

Tianna says teasingly. and looks at Duncan with interest. He was definitely the best looking man she had seen in some time. Quite some time. And when she looked into his eyes something inside her seemed to be awakened Something that had been sleeping within her for longer than she could remember.

Duncan meets her gaze. He has never seen eyes like hers before. Like looking into glacier crystals. They seemed to draw him in.....almost hypnotize For a minute he almost forgets her comment then he mentally shakes his head to clear it and flashes one of his charmingly innocent smiles.

[Duncan] Why would you say that?

Tianna smirks.

[Tianna] Yeah.....that smile of yours says it all.

Tianna playfully shoves Duncan's shoulder. As she brings her hand back and shifts her position she brushes her hand against the water bottle between them, knocking it off of the boulder and it rolls just out of reach. She has to get off the boulder to retrieve it. When she has picked it up she turns around and looks at Duncan. She steps up to the boulder and sets the bottle on it then....without hesitation she steps closer to Duncan, reaches out and places her hand against his cheek and slowly leans closer, keeping her eyes locked with his. She gives him a long and tender kiss on the lips.

Duncan feels Tianna's ice blue eyes pulling him towards her and before he knows what is happening her lips are touching his. Then he realizes that he is returning her kiss and he suddenly pulls back, gently taking hold of her wrist and removing her hand from his face. He stands up and slips out from in front of her.

Tianna looks up at Duncan a bit startled at his reaction and a bit confused.

[Duncan] I'm sorry, Tia. I shouldn't have let that happen.

Duncan says, taking the blame for the kiss on himself.

[Tianna] I don't understand.

Tianna says bewildered.

[Tianna] I thought....it seemed like you wanted me to.

Duncan regains his composure and sees the look in her eyes. He liked Tia. She was interesting to talk to....to listen to and she had a great sense of humor. In the two weeks that he had known her she had made him laugh more times than he could remember.....something he hadn't done....not genuinely....in several months. He really enjoyed her company. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Yet....he could see in her eyes that he had...even though a veil had crept over them shielding her true feelings. He reaches out and gently touches her cheek and looks at her apologetically.

[Duncan] If I led you to believe that....I apologize.

Duncan lets his hand drop away from her cheek.

Tianna places her hand gently on Duncan's forearm.

[Tianna] Why are you apologizing?

Duncan extracts a gold chain from inside his shirt and slips it over his head. He unclasps it and removes the silver band that has been hanging from the chain inside his shirt.

[Duncan] I don't wear this when I'm working out.

Duncan slips the band on his left ring finger and looks at Tianna.

Tianna watches as Duncan slips the ring on his wedding ring finger and sucks in a breath and holds it, closing her eyes as the situation becomes clear.

[Tianna] You're married.

Tianna says disappointedly

Duncan nods.

[Duncan] Yes.

Tianna opens her eyes and moves closer to the boulder, leaning up against it.

[Tianna] Why haven't I ever met her? As many times as I've been to the Dojo.

Duncan sits down on the boulder and looks at Tianna.

[Duncan] She's been out of town.

Duncan answers simply.

The simplicity of his answer sends up a flag and Tianna looks up at Duncan.

[Tianna] For how long, Duncan?

Duncan looks at her, a bit surprised at her insight. Then he gets up and walks a few steps away.

[Duncan] A few months.

Duncan says quietly and looks at the ground.

Tianna purses her lips thoughtfully.

[Tianna] Soooo.....you're separated?

Duncan doesn't answer right away.

Tianna doesn't wait for an answer.

[Tianna] Duncan? Is she coming back?

Duncan thinks to himself, “I hope so. God how I hope so.” But to Tianna he says, “yes.”

Tianna pushes away from the boulder and walks up to Duncan. She stands next to him and looks at him.

[Tianna] Whatever is going on.....whatever the reason that you two are not together right now....you still love her....don't you?

Duncan turns and looks down at Tianna...looking deep into her eyes.

[Duncan] Yes. More than life itself.

Tianna looks up into Duncan's eyes and after a few seconds nods and smiles warmly.

[Tianna] I won't pretend to understand why...if you love her that much....why you haven't gone after her and brought her back. That's something between you and your conscience. And I don't know whether it was you sending out the signals I read or if I just misread them. Loneliness can play funny games with our minds when it wants to. What I DO know is that I don't want you to feel guilty for what happened. I sure don't. And I'm not hurt. Maybe my pride a little but my heart is still in tact. And I want you to know that, as enjoyable as it was.....as good as things could have been.....it will never happen again. Not because I wouldn't want to because God knows....I do....but because I would never deliberately do anything to jeopardize our friendship.

Duncan smiles down at her.

[Duncan] Thank you.

Tianna smiles as she lets her hands drop away from Duncan. She shakes her head.

[Tianna] No. Thank you.

Tianna turns and gathers up her coat and the water bottle and as she walks away she calls out over her shoulder light heartedly, “I'll be in Monday afternoon if you want a rematch from the other day.” She makes her way up the hill and disappears around the light house.

Duncan watches Tianna until he can't see her anymore then turns and looks out at the horizon. He raises his left hand to his lips and gives his wedding band a soft kiss. With a sigh he shoves his hands into his pockets and slowly walks back to where he had parked his car earlier.

[cj]

Cara smells the aromatic tobacco and turns back to her father, smiling.

[CARA] You're still smoking the same blend?

Cara asks as she goes to the fridge and takes out the ingredients to make a sandwich.

[Liam] To coin one of your favorite sayings...”if it ain't broke...don't fix it.”

Liam says as he puffs on his pipe.

Cara's smile turns to a grin.

[CARA] Brings back some great memories.

Cara says remembering sitting on his lap in front of the fireplace as he puffed on his after dinner pipe....her mother in the kitchen washing the dinner dishes and humming an Irish song as she worked.

[Liam] You look happy.

Liam observes.

[CARA] I am, Da'. I'm more at peace with myself than I have been for a very long time.

[Liam] Do you know why you...as you say “lost yourself”?

Liam asks puffing on his pipe.

Cara looks back at Liam.

[CARA] Da'....I haven't been me since my first encounter with Horton. I just didn't know it....or didn't want to admit it. But it was after I regained my memory....after my last encounter with him that I began to see the difference in the way Duncan looked at me.

Cara goes back to making herself a sandwich and puts everything away. She carries her plate with the sandwich and her cup of tea over to the table and sits down taking a bite of her sandwich.

[Liam] Are you sure you're not just imagining it?

Cara shakes her head as she chases her bite with a sip of tea.

[CARA] No, Da'. I'm not. That was always one of the things I loved about Duncan. The way he looked at me. I never questioned his love for me....I didn't have to...I could see it in his eyes EVERY time he looked at me. Even when he was frustrated with me it was there. When I regained my memory....and I was able to remember that look....that's when I began to notice that it was gone. It had been replaced with worry and sometimes disappointment.

Cara looks into her father's eyes.

[CARA] It wasn't his fault, Da.' Please don't blame him. He wanted to love me....he TRIED to love me...the me I had become. But he couldn't. Eventually it would have destroyed both of us. He would have ended up resenting me for changing....for taking away the woman he loved and I would hated him for not loving me anymore and I would have hated myself more than I did for destroying us. I couldn't let that happen. It was time for me to realize....and admit what was wrong and do something about it besides ignore it. It wasn't something that would fix itself. And it wasn't something that Duncan could fix. I was the only one who could fix me.

Cara takes another bite of her sandwich.

Liam puffs on his pipe as he lets everything his daughter has told him sink in. He realizes that he must have been so caught up in his own world that he had been blind to what she had been going through....blind to the changes that, evidently, Duncan had been able to see and he makes a silent vow to himself to never let that happen again.

[Liam] So now what?

Liam asks simply.

[CARA] Since leaving Wyoming I've just been living one day at a time. Basically getting reacquainted with myself. I haven't made any long range plans.

[Liam] Would you like a little fatherly advice?

Liam asks as he tamps down the tobacco in his pipe.

Cara chuckles softly.

[CARA] Could I stop you?

Cara says teasingly.

Liam chuckles and shakes his head. He lights his pipe again.

[Liam] Probably not.

Liam blows a large smoke ring and watches it as it drifts upward toward the ceiling.

[CARA] I didn't think so.

Cara says smarmily. She takes another bite of her sandwich.

[Liam] I think it's time for you to go home.

[CARA] Since when is Ireland not my home?

Cara says and takes another bite of her sandwich.

Liam gives his daughter a sidelong glance.

[Liam] You know perfectly well what I meant young lady.

Liam says in a stern fatherly tone of voice.

[Liam] Even if you don't want to remain married....you two should sit down and discuss it face to face.

Cara is in the middle of taking another bite of her sandwich and freezes, looking at her father a bit taken aback by his statement. She sets her sandwich on the plate.

[CARA] What would make you say that? Did Duncan say something? Did he tell you he doesn't want me back?

Liam rolls his eyes and sighs.

[Liam] No...he didn't say anything. He didn't even imply anything like that. I'm just saying....if this new you doesn't want to be married anymore....you owe Duncan the common courtesy of telling him to his face and not through a long distance letter, phone call or email.

[CARA] I didn't say anything about not wanting to go back.

Cara says indignantly and picks up her sandwich taking a bite.

[Liam] The why haven't you? When you left Wyoming....even after your little sight seeing tour....why did you come here instead of going straight home?

Liam asks setting his pipe down and leaning forward...resting his arms on the table and looking into Cara's eyes.

[Liam] Am I missing something here, Angel?

Liam asks in a soft voice.

Cara takes the last bite of her sandwich and washes it down with the last sip of her tea, giving herself time to think about her answer.

[CARA] No....you're not missing anything, Da'. There's nothing to miss. I guess I have just been putting it off is all.

[Liam] Why?

Liam asks simply, still looking into her eyes.

Cara looks down at the bread crumbs on the empty plate and says nothing.

Liam reaches over and lifts her chin so she is forced to look at him.

[Liam] Why, Angel?

Liam asks softly.

Cara turns her head so it is free and gets up, grabbing her cup and the empty plate.

[CARA] Because I'm scared.

Cara says simply in a calm and matter of fact tone of voice as she walks over to the sink and puts the cup and plate into it.

[Liam] Of what?

Liam asks simply and watches his daughter.

Cara puts her hands on the front of the sink and leans on them, looking out the window without seeing.

[CARA] That I won't have anything to go back to.

Cara says, her voice almost a whisper.

Liam watches her in silence.

[CARA] I know that sounds cowardly of me....and it is....a bit.

Liam quirks an eyebrow.

[Liam] Just a bit? Ya think?

Cara sighs and rolls her eyes.

[CARA] Yeah....alright. A lot....OK? You happy now?

[Liam] And how do you plan on finding out if your fear is warranted? Through ESP? Or one of your vision quests?

Cara doesn't answer but she turns around and leans her back against the sink and looks at Liam.

[Liam] Cara Jean O'Dell was anything but a coward. She met her fears head on.

Cara sighs and nods, closing her eyes.

[CARA] I know.

[Liam] Can you honestly say that you would be happy with yourself if you let your fear keep you from going home and finding out?

Liam gets up and walks over to his daughter and puts his hands on her shoulders.

[Liam] Angel....if it's one thing I have learned it's that our lives as Immortals are unpredictable. We may be able to live forever but we may not have forever to live. What if you let your fear dictate to you to stay gone and a month....two...three months...even a year goes by and something happens to Duncan and you find out that he had wanted you back that whole time? You will have wasted all that time that you could have been together...time you could have been loving each other the way you said it used to be....the way you two were meant to be. Could you live with yourself then? Could you love yourself?

Cara looks up into her father's eyes. Tears form in her own as she realizes the gravity of what he is saying and she shakes her head, unable to speak.

Liam sees her eyes fill with tears and knows that his words have gotten through to her. He pulls her to him and wraps his arms around her.

[Liam] Then my advice is that you pack your bags and get on the next flight to Seacouver. If your fears are warranted you can always come back here to heal your broken heart. But if they're not....you will be able to live the rest of your life with the man you were meant to be with and give him back the woman he fell in love with.

Liam says softly.

Cara takes a deep breath...her tears stopped before falling and hugs her father gratefully.

[CARA] I love you, Daddy.

Cara says, her voice sounding almost childlike.

Liam smiles.

[Liam] I love you, too, Angel.

Cara pushes away and turns to look out the window at the paddocks and barn.

[CARA] I'm going to miss Flame.

Liam leans down and kisses the top of her head.

[Liam] I'll make you a deal.

[CARA] What's that?

[Liam] I'll stay here and keep an eye on him....keep him from getting lonely and when you find out how things stand at home....you give me a call and I will personally bring him to you.

Cara smiles.

[CARA] You won't try to break him....will you?

Liam grins.

[Liam] No, Angel. I'll leave that to you. I promise.

Cara takes a deep breath.

[CARA] I guess I need to go call the airlines and pack.

Cara turns away from the window.

[Liam] Tell you what....I'll take care of the phone call....you go pack.

Liam says, still smiling.

Cara looks up at him and smiles. She gives him a quick hug.

[CARA] I love you, Da'.

[Liam] I know. Now get upstairs....scat!

Liam says, turning her toward the kitchen door and giving her a pat on her butt.

Cara giggles and runs out of the kitchen and up the stairs to pack.

Liam chuckles, shakes his head, mumbles, “kids,” and goes into the front room to call the airline.

Seacouver, Washington

_{The part of Duncan MacLeod is temporarily being understudied}

Tianna picks up the phone in her hotel room and dials the number of the Dojo.

[Duncan] D & M Dojo.

Duncan answers the phone.

[Tianna] Duncan? It's Tia.

[Duncan] Well...hello there. How are you?

Tianna is glad that her impetuous act the other day hasn't screwed up their friendship.

[Tianna] Fantastic.

Tianna says cheerfully

[Tianna] Actually the reason I called is to tell you that I won't be able to work out with you tomorrow as planned. I made a decision about what we talked about the other day. I've decided to stay in Seacouver. To settle down here. I even got a job....not that I really need one...but I think it would look better on a rental application than ex-pirate with access to several offshore bank accounts and I start tomorrow.

Tianna giggles.

Duncan breaks into a laugh.

[Duncan] How very true. So what will you be writing in the employment block of this rental application?

[Tianna] Taxi driver.

Duncan coughs.

[Duncan] What?

Tianna chuckles at his reaction.

[Tianna] Taxi driver. It gives me the freedom to make my own hours....it's basically tax free money....and I'll meet interesting people....and what better way to learn the city?

Duncan chuckles.

[Duncan] I don't know why I'm surprised. It actually fits you.

Tianna smiles proudly.

[Tianna] So can I get a rain check on the work out?

[Duncan] Absolutely. And, Tia? I'm glad you decided to stay.

Duncan says sincerely.

[Tianna] Thanks, Duncan. I'll talk to you later. You have a great evening.

[Duncan] Thanks. You too.

Tianna hangs up and lays back on the bed. She stares up at the ceiling and lets out a satisfied sigh. This could be the beginning of a new life for her....definitely a new adventure.

[cj]

Tianna wakes up to the phone ringing. She rolls over and picks up the receiver and says in a sleepy voice, “hello?” The voice on the other end of the phone says cheerily, “Good morning, Ms. Chambers. This is your wake up call.” Tianna grimaces but says as politely as possible, “thank you”, and hangs up. She rolls onto her back and rubs the sleep from her eyes. She has a lot to do this morning before reporting to the Seacouver Cab Service garage to pick up the vehicle they would be assigning her. First she has to go to the DMV and turn in her Pennsylvania drivers license for a Washington one. “Thank God Washington gives theirs out over the counter the day you apply,” she thinks to herself. Next she has to go to the lab they gave her the address for to take a drug test and then....if she has the time....she wants to purchase a few incidentals that she might need on the job. If she times everything right she should be able to finish her errands with enough time to grab a bite to eat before going to the garage. She throws off the covers, gets up, showers and heads out to take care of business.

CARA dozes in her seat during the layover in New York. At one point she opens her eyes and stops the flight attendant and asks her what time it is. She is told that it is 12:30 in the afternoon Eastern time only she can't remember if it is the afternoon before she left Ireland or what. “Damn time lines,” she thinks to herself and lays her head back and closes her eyes.

Duncan stands in the doorway of the Dojo with a clipboard in his hand. Ten children ranging from the age of 8 to 11 years old...all dressed in white gis with yellow belts tied around their waists...file past Duncan and head for the large van waiting at the curb. Duncan checks off the names of each child as they file past. When the last one is in the van he slides the side door shut and climbs into the passenger's seat. He turns and look at the kids in the back and says with a grin, “everybody ready?” They all chime in, “yeah!” As the van pulls away from the curb they can be heard singing the chorus to “We Will Rock You” by Queen. On the back of the van hangs a small banner that reads, “Future NMA Championship Winners”.

*2 ½ hours later*

Tianna pulls out of the cab company's garage and heads for her first call.

Flashback

*1883*

Cara walked toward the cabin carrying a basket filled with the last of the wild blackberries she had spent the morning picking. The first snow of the season had left a thin white carpet on the meadow floor and there were a few sparkling ice cycles still hanging from some of the limbs of the pine trees. It gave everything an almost mystical look...like something out of one of the stories her father would tell her at bedtime when she was a child. The air was brisk but the sun had been out long enough that it wasn't frigid. Just crisp and clean. When she had started out on her berry picking mission she had worn a heavy fleece lined coat but it was slung over her shoulder now. As she cleared the tree line and stepped into the meadow she looked around for Duncan but he was no where in site. Figuring he must be around back by the barn she picked up her pace and headed for the front door of the cabin, wanting to get the basket of berries inside before he could get into them. No matter how many berries she picked....when it came time to bake them into either a pie, a cobbler or her famous strawberry or blackberry bread...she never ended up with enough and Duncan MacLeod was always the reason why. As she neared the front of the cabin she felt an Immortal buzz and heard the sound of an ax splitting wood behind the cabin. She was almost to the front porch when she was hit square in the back with a soft slushy snowball that turned into a wet mess as it slid down the back of her shirt....not to mention it was cold. She let out a yelp and whirled around to face her assailant but there was nobody in sight.

“Alright Duncan MacLeod,” she called out, trying to sound angry. “Yeah....you better hide if you know what's good for you” She waited a couple of seconds to see if he would show himself but he didn't so she turned to step up onto the front porch. Suddenly she was hit square in the butt with another snowball She turned back around, stepping into a shallow gopher hole which put her off balance. She staggered a few steps and had to reach for the porch railing to keep from turning an ankle. Doing that meant that she was now holding the basket of berries in only one hand which was now away from her body.

From behind her Duncan flew out of the shadows and as he ran past Cara, he grabbed the handle of the basket and slid it off of her arm in one slick maneuver and headed around the other side of the cabin.

“Oh....you....,” Cara growled and took off after him. “....brat,” she finished. She rounded the back corner of the cabin and looked around for the berry thief but he was nowhere in site. “Damn you,” she said more to herself than to him. “Ok....you want to play?” She said in almost a whisper “We'll play.” She scanned the surroundings quickly but observantly and when she was sure that he was no where in sight she hurried around to the back door of the cabin. “Fine!” She said loudly so he could hear her. “Keep them. Eat them all. I hope you get a stomach ache. “ She opened th back door and then shut it, slamming it hard enough that the sound echoed through the meadow. But she hadn't gone inside. She bent low and scurried towards the barn where she grabbed one of the feeding buckets and filled with water from the horse trough....after breaking the sheet of ice that floated on top. She carried the bucket to the ladder that led to the loft above and climbed up. She went over to the loft door and hunkered down behind a pile of hay that was waiting to be raked to the ground and bailed.

Duncan had run all the way around the cabin in hopes of coming up behind Cara. As he rounded the side of the cabin he heard the echo of the back door as it slammed shut. “So much for that idea,” he grumbled a bit disappointed. He wasn't through playing though and he decided what his next move would be. He headed for the barn, planning to empty the berries out of the basket and into something else. He would smear a few on his face so it looked like he had eaten them all and return the basket to Cara empty. He knew it would aggravate her but he also knew that she could never stay aggravated with him for long and getting her over being aggravated was just as much fun...if not more so....as “getting her Irish up” as she put it. He quickly glanced toward the back door to make sure he wasn't being watched and he made his way, silently for the barn.

Cara watched Duncan as he snuck straight for her. When he was directly below her she stood up and held the pail of ice water out beyond the loft and tipped it upside down.

When the ice cold water rushed over him, Duncan let out a holler of surprise. He looked up and saw Cara standing in the loft door, leaning against the door jam, empty bucket swinging at her side. She had a victorious and amused grin on her face as she looked back down at him.

“Oh....,” he growled loudly. “Ohhh...now you've asked for it,” he said and ran into the barn and headed for the ladder.

Cara tried to get to the ladder before him in hopes of dislodging it from where it leaned so he wouldn't be able to climb up to the loft after her, but when she reached the top of the ladder and grabbed hold of it, Duncan was already a third of the way up. She looked around desperately for an escape route. Her only option was a rope that was hanging over one of the rafters of the ceiling. Maybe she could swing across to the smaller loft on the other side of the barn. She headed for it. She had to climb up on top of a few bails of hay to be able to grab the rope high enough so that her feet would clear the floor of the loft when she swung.

Duncan reached the top of the ladder and saw where Cara was headed. He jumped off of the ladder onto the floor of the loft and with a few long strides reached Cara just as she grabbed the rope and jumped. He was only able to grab her by the ankles but that was enough to prevent her from swinging away from him. He reached up and grabbed her around the waist and was getting ready to pull her back when the rope that she thought had been tied around the rafter slipped, unwrapped itself from around the rafter it had simply been draped over...the end that was supposed to be tied...falling to the floor of the barn below.

Cara looked up when the rope went slack and saw what was happening but it was too late to stop her momentum and she looked at the floor of the barn where she knew she was going to end up. “Damn!” She swore.

Duncan looked up, saw the rope come off of the rafter, quickly looked down and assessed the situation. He quickly reached out and grabbed the waist band of Cara's jeans with one hand and yanked hard, falling backward himself.

Cara felt the wind get knocked out of her by the force of the waist band of her pants as they cut into her abdomen and suddenly she was no longer falling forward. Instead she was hurdling backward at a great rate of speed. Then she slammed into Duncan and heard him grunt as the wind was knocked out of him.

The force of Cara slamming into him, sent Duncan sprawling to the floor of the loft...Cara landing on top of him. At least she didn't go plummeting to the barn floor below. He let go of the waist band of her pants and started to wrap his arms around her.

As soon as Cara's body came to a stop on top of Duncan she started to flip herself over so she would be facing him...ready to give him hell. But just when she was face to face with him, his arms wrapping around her waist, there was a loud cracking sound that came from underneath them.

“What the....,” Duncan started to say as he started to turn to try and see what and where the sound came from. But he didn't get to finish his exclamation as there was another loud crack and the boards of the loft floor underneath them gave way, and both Duncan and Cara plunged through the newly rotted hole in the loft floor.

It all happened so fast Cara hadn't had time to even look down to see where they were going to land. She simply closed her eyes and prayed that there wasn't going to be anything down there that was sharp and could skewer them. She hated when things like that happened.

Their descent ended abruptly but not when they hit the hard floor of the barn or impaled on something sharp and pointed as they imagined. Instead it ended with a squishing sound as they landed in the large pile of manure Duncan had been accumulating to add with mulch and ferment turning it into fertilizer...(and sell to the farmers in the area).

It only took a a couple of seconds for the smell to become overwhelming and Cara quickly covered her face with her hand and tried pinching her nose to keep from smelling the horrific odor. She looked down at Duncan who was looking up at her, his face starting to contort with repulsion as the smell began to overwhelm him, too. Then.....suddenly.....they both burst into laughter. They fought their way out of the slippery yet sticky pile of livestock excrement....staggered a few feet away from it then fell into each other's arms laughing until their sides ached.

When they could laugh no more, Duncan got to his feet and pulled Cara to hers and put his arm around her shoulders. He started steering her toward the cabin, stopping as they walked through the door of the barn to retrieve the basket of berries.

After soaking in a tub of steaming hot water and a couple tablespoons of rose scented oil Amanda had sent her from Paris, Cara joined Duncan in front of the fireplace. He opened the blanket he had wrapped around himself and she snuggled close as he wrapped it around them both.

Duncan leaned his cheek on the top of Cara's head and he said softly, “you smell like a whole garden of roses.”

Cara thinks about what he had just said and she snickered.

“what's so funny?” Duncan asked.

“I'm finally as good as Amanda,” she answered.

Duncan pulled away and looked down at her, puzzled. “What makes you say that?”

“I finally was able to fall into a pile of shit and come out smelling like a rose....just like she always does,” Cara said matter of factly. Duncan stared down at her almost in disbelief. Then she couldn't hold the laughter in any longer. Her laughter was infectious and Duncan joined in. They snuggled close under the blanket and laughed in the light of the fireplace.

Present day

[/color]

CARA opens her eyes and realizes that she is smiling. The elderly lady sitting in the seat to CJ's left is looking at her with a knowing smirk and she leans closer to CJ and whispers, “makes you want to sleep forever....don't it?” The lady winks and CJ can feel her cheeks getting warm as she blushes. But she nods, her smile more one of embarrassment now than before. She turns and looks out of the window at the sea of white clouds moving underneath the airplane. The elderly lady looks down and notices CJ's wedding ring and says, “that's a beautiful ring.” CJ turns back from the window and follows the lady's gaze. She raises her hand so the sunlight streaming in through the window catches the emerald, making it sparkle. She remembers the day that it was slipped on her finger and her smile returns.

[CARA] Thank you.

CARA says and smiles gratefully at the lady. She lets her hand drop back onto the arm of the seat and lays her head back, turning it slightly so she can see out the window. “Have you been away a long time?” The elderly lady asks.

[CARA] Hmmmm?

CARA says raising her head to look at the lady. Then the lady's question registers in CJ's mind and she shrugs slightly.

Continued on Page 2

s

[cj]

[CARA] Just a few months.

CARA answers. The lady nods and smiles. “Then it'll be good to get home, I 'spect. Everything'll be all shiny and new-like,” the lady says then starts looking around for the flight attendant. “Hopefully,” CJ thinks to herself and goes back to looking out the window. She is just about to let herself doze off again when the clouds underneath the plane begin to thin out. At first what can be seen through the clouds is dark and gray...indicative of the storm they are flying over. Then the darkness begins to brighten as the clouds part...allowing the sunshine they have been enjoying above the clouds, reach the world below. The view underneath the plane changes and CJ watches as what looks like a patchwork quilt passes under her. She starts to lay her head back and a flash of bright color catches her eye and she leans closer to the window. At first she doesn't see anything and begins to think that she is hallucinating from sleep deprivation but then it appears. Directly below the plane...forming a perfect and complete circle was a brilliant and perfect rainbow. CJ watches in awe as they fly over the circle. Then she sucks in a breath and stares for a minute in disbelief. Directly in the center of the perfect circle is the shadow of the plane...a shadow that is a perfect cross....an airman's cross. She has never seen one before but she remembers hearing about them from a couple of the fly boys that came through her MASH unit during WWII. It was considered a sign of hope. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine and she realizes that she is, once again, smiling. She lets out the breath she has been holding and lays her head back, closing her eyes....completely content.

Tianna helps her last fare, an elderly gentleman, carry his grocery bags to the door of his small house on the southeast side of town. He pays her the fare and hands her a generous tip...thanking her for her help. She thanks him and hurries back to her cab. So far her first day has been a good one. Nothing too stressful, but busy enough to keep her from getting bored and she is even managing to rake in a small profit. As she pulls away from the curb she realizes that the sun is beginning to set and she flips on her cabs headlights and the “Available” light on its roof and she heads out of the residential area and into a more commercial area, cruising slow enough to be able to stop should she see someone flag her down. She glances at the speedometer and notices that she is getting low on gas so she pulls into the first gas station she sees and proceeds to fill the tank. When she goes inside to pay for her gas she makes herself a cup of coffee at the self serve counter and then waits in the short line to pay for everything

CARA is awakened by the voice of the captain announcing that they are beginning their decent into Seacouver International Airport and that everyone should put their seats in their upright positions and fasten their seat belts. He informs the passengers that they will be landing in approximately 15 minutes and that they are right on schedule. CJ does as instructed and braces for the landing. As the plane taxis down the runway to the terminal she feels butterflies of anticipation fluttering in her stomach. As soon as the door of the plane is opened she gets to her feet and follows the throng of passengers out of the plane and through the passenger tunnel that leads into the terminal. She weaves through the maze of people, finally arriving at the baggage claim area. As she waits for her two pieces of luggage to slide down the chute and onto the carousel she takes out her cell phone and dials the number of the Seacouver Taxi Service...which she knows by heart...and orders a cab to pick her up in front of the terminal.

Tianna gets into her cab and pulls out of the gas station. As she comes to a stop light her two way radio squawks and her dispatcher asks her if she can take an airport call to which she says, “yes,” without hesitation. Having traveled a lot herself she knows that this could be a money making fare. She consults her map book for directions and heads for Seacouver International Airport. When she arrives she pulls up in front of the main entrance to the terminal and gets out. She walks around to the passenger side of the cab and leans against it.

CARA's two pieces of luggage finally slides down the chute and onto the carousel She grabs them and heads for the entrance of the terminal. When she steps through the set of revolving doors she is immediately met by the buzz of another Immortal. She looks around, but with there being so many people it will be impossible to tell who is giving off the buzz. She sees the taxi parked at the curb and walks up to it.

Tianna feels the presence of another Immortal and cautiously scans the faces of the people rushing in and out of the terminal. Then she sees a woman walking toward her carrying two suitcases. When the woman gets closer she feels the Immortal buzz get stronger and determines that this is the Immortal she had felt.

CARA feels the buzz intensify as she gets closer to the female cab driver and she sets her jaw.

Tianna decides to try and off set any tension by pushing away from the cab and stepping up to the woman. She smiles at her.

[Tianna] You call for a taxi, ma-am?

Cara nods and says, “yes...I did.?”

Tianna broadens her smile and reaches for the woman's bags.

[Tianna] Here....let me take those. For you.

Tianna says in her most pleasant voice.

CARA looks at the driver and decides that the woman doesn't seem to care that she is an Immortal and she relinquishes her suitcases and gets into the back seat of the cab.

Tianna loads the luggage into the trunk and hurries around the cab, getting into the drivers seat. She starts the engine and pulls away from the curb.

[Tianna] Where to ma-am?

[CARA] Just head for the northeast side of town. I'll let let you know for sure in a minute.

CARA says and takes out her cell phone.

Tianna watches the other Immortal in the rear view mirror

CARA dials the number of the Dojo and listens while the phone rings. She hangs up when the answering machine picks up. She chews on her lower lip as she wonders where Duncan is and why the Dojo is closed. After a few minutes she shakes it off and looks at the back of the driver's head.

[CARA] Do you know where Joe's Bar is on Claymore St.?

Tianna glances in the rear view mirror and smiles sheepishly.

[Tianna] I'm afraid I've only been in town for a few weeks and I haven't learned all the hot spots.

CARA nods and smiles understandingly.

[CARA] Well it's not really what you would call a hot spot. A friend of mine owns it. It's just a little Blues bar.

Tianna perks up.

[Tianna] Blues? The real stuff? Like Etta Baker, Albert King and Bessie Smith?

Cara chuckles.

[CARA] Yeah. Like those guys. I take it you like Blues music.

[Tianna] I do. It's been a long time since I've heard any really authentic Blues, though. Now-a-days it's all mixed in with hard rock and stuff. How about you?

Tianna asks glancing in the rear view mirror.

[CARA] Get off the freeway at the next off ramp and turn left.

Cara instructs.

[CARA] To be honest I'm more of a combination country and classic rock fan myself. I also like some of the high brow stuff, too, though.

[Tianna] Are you here on business or just to visit your friend?

Tianna asks making small talk.

[CARA] No. I live here.

Cara answers.

[CARA] Turn right at the second light.

Cara instructs again.

[Tianna] The reason I asked is I thought I detected a bit of an Irish brogue. That's why I thought you were a visitor.

Cara smiles to herself. She hasn't noticed that her accent had returned in the brief time she had spent on the Emerald Isle.

[CARA] That's because I am returning from Ireland. I spent 3 weeks there. I was raised in Ireland and a week back there and my accent comes back as though I never left.

Cara says and giggles.

Tianna snickers and nods her head.

[Tianna] Funny how our home never really leaves us no matter how long we've been gone....isn't it? I had a friend from the deep south who had left and moved to Chicago where he attended 8 years of medical school and worked for 6 more. He went back down to his homestead for 2 days and came back to Chicago sounding like he had just stepped out of Gone With the Wind. It took him a month to lose the drawl.

Tianna chuckles.

Cara laughs.

[Tianna] 3 weeks..huh? I bet you're glad to be home.

Cara nods and looks out the window at the passing scenery.

[CARA] Doesn't look like much has changed. How long did you say you've been here?

[Tianna] Almost as long as you've been away.

Tianna answers and chuckles.

[CARA] Do you have friends or family here? Is that why you moved here?

Tianna comes to a stop just short of an intersection and is forced to wait in a traffic jam caused by a big rig trying to back into a small parking lot. She reaches up and turns off the cab's meter.

[Tianna] No sense you having to pay for this nonsense.

[CARA] Thanks.

Cara says gratefully.

[Tianna] I didn't know anyone here. In fact I had never heard of the place before.

Tianna answers CJ's question.

[CARA] Really? Then if you don't mind my asking...how did you find Seacouver?

[Tianna] I was looking for someone. I had been told by what I thought was a reliable source that the person I was looking for was here. So I came out here.

Cara chuckles.

[CARA] What you thought was a reliable source?

Tianna snickers.

[Tianna] Yeah. I've been here almost a month and haven't come across one clue that the person was ever here. I'd go back and kick the lying S.O.B.'s ass but it would be a serious waste of energy.

[CARA] What made you decide to stay?

[Tianna] I had been living in Pennsylvania just outside of Pittsburgh Had been there for 6 years. After a couple of weeks out here I remembered what it was like to breathe fresh clean air instead of the stale steel mill air I had been breathing.

Cara wrinkles her nose up.

[CARA] Yuck!

Tianna nods.

[Tianna] Exactly. So I decided to accept the fact that I had been sent on a wild goose chase and that's when I started actually seeing the city. I liked what I saw and decided to stay. Sort of a new start....with a clean slate.

Cara understands.

[CARA] That's definitely one thing we have over regular people. We have lots of chances for new starts.

Tianna nods in agreement.

[Tianna] That's so true.

Tianna turns in her seat and reaches over the back of the seat, holding her hand out to CJ.

[Tianna] My name's Tia...by the way. It's actually Tianna but my friends call me Tia.

Cara takes Tia's hand and shakes it once.

[CARA] That's a beautiful name. I'm Cara to my parents when I was in trouble and my teachers.

A horn honks behind them and Tianna looks around. She sees that the big rig has finally gotten out of the way so she turns back around and puts the cab in gear and makes her way around the other cars that had been sitting and waiting for the street to clear so they could go on about their lives.

[CARA] My friends call me CJ.

CARA finishes her statement.

Tianna's head jerks up and she stares at her passenger through the rear view mirror in disbelief. “No way, “ she thinks to herself. “It's just too much of a coincidence”

[Tianna] Have you ever been to Pennsylvania?

Tianna asks keeping one eye on the rear view mirror.

Cara has to think for a few seconds. Then she remembers and nods.

[CARA] Once. A really long time ago. Like 12 years ago and I was only there for one night.

Tianna tightens her grip on the steering wheel. She has to force her voice to remain light.

[Tianna] What part?

CARA looks around to see where they were and says, “take a left at the street just past the third light.” She sits back as her mind fills with the memory of her only trip to Pennsylvania.

[CARA] It was a small town...ummm....Altoona I think was the name. Like I said I was only there for one night.

[Tianna] Altoona? Not exactly a tourist trap.

Tianna chuckles.

[CARA] My girlfriend and I had gone to the Kentucky Derby and she met these guys who told her about a hot poker game at a friend of theirs house in Pennsylvania.

CARA chuckles as she thinks about it.

[CARA] My friend could never turn down an invitation to any event that allowed her to hob nob with influential people, the opening of an exclusive jewelry store or a high stakes poker game....so...of course....we went.

[Tianna] Sounds like a fun friend.

CARA giggles and nods.

[CARA] Yeah. We definitely have had some fun experiences. With her...there's always an adventure....whether you want one or not. She attracts them like a magnet attracts a nail.

[Tianna] So you went all the way to a nowhere town like Altoona just for a poker game? I hope it was at least a little worth it.

Tianna makes her left turn but is still keeping an eye on her passenger.

[CARA] It was alright.

CARA says simply. What she remembers of the experience is that she had won but had left her winnings behind after the player who had lost the most had accused her and Amanda of cheating. It was worth the loss to keep the peace and that memory was foggy because they had been drinking heavily. In fact she couldn't remember anything after tossing her winnings back on the table and leaving the house until she woke up late the next morning in a motel somewhere in Ohio. Amanda had been able to drive that far before succumbing to her own exhaustion. She looks around to see where they are and sits forward in her seat. She lays her arm over the back of the front seat and points out the windshield.

[CARA] It's up there....about half a block on the left. In that gray building.

Tianna nods her acknowledgment and slows down.

CARA sits back and opens her purse. She takes some money out of her wallet and closes her purse.

Continued on Page 3

[cj]

[Tianna] This friend of yours....her name wouldn't happen to be Amanda....would it?

Tianna asks in a calm voice.

CARA looks up a bit surprised by the question and then she wonders why she is surprised. Amanda had made quite a reputation for herself and even though not that many people actually had met her....there were a lot of people that CJ had met throughout the last century that had at least heard of the infamous Amanda Darieux. She realizes that she really misses her best friend. It seems like it has been forever since the last time she had seen her and she makes a quick mental note to call Mand tomorrow at some point.

[CARA] As a matter of fact....

CARA starts to say. She shifts in her seat as she sees the parking lot next to Joe's Bar get closer and prepares for the turn into it.

Tianna clenches her jaw. Her knuckles are turning white from her gripping the steering wheel so hard. She has to make a conscious effort to loosen her grip with her left hand so she can flip on her turning signal but as her fingers touch the turn signal bar the picture of Jack Chambers' body laying a few feet from his head in an alley not far from his friend's house....where he and his buddies played their weekly poker game....and her hand returns to the steering wheel which she yanks as her foot tromps down on the accelerator and she swerves around the car in front of her....forcing an oncoming car to drive up onto the sidewalk to prevent a collision.

CARA has to grab hold of the back of the front seat to keep from falling over. She looks up at Tia's reflection in the rear view mirror.

[CARA] What are you doing? That was....

CARA starts to say.

[Tianna] Shut up!

Tianna snaps as she begins driving like a maniac through the traffic on the street.

CARA looks at the buildings they are going by which are now almost a blur and she finds herself hoping that a cop will see the speeding taxi and pull them over.

[CARA] Tia why...what...?

[Tianna] I said shut up.

Tianna snarls.

CARA sits back and begins to evaluate her options. After several seconds she reaches for the door handle with the intent of bailing out of the cab. Whatever injuries she would sustain when she hit the asphalt would heal.

Tianna, as though reading her passenger's mind, reaches over and presses the button on the door panel that locks all four doors.

CARA hears a thunk and realizes her plan of escape has been thwarted and she curses to herself.

[Tianna] I had actually given up finding you. I guess this must be my lucky day.

Tianna says as she speeds through the evening rush hour traffic.

CARA's hand unconsciously goes to her throat and her fingers fondle the small eagle's talon she wears around her neck on a leather string.

[CARA] Why have you been looking for me? I don't even know you.

Tianna glances in the rear view mirror at her passenger.

[Tianna] Tianna Chambers at your service.

CARA runs the name through her mind but can't remember ever hearing of the woman.

Tianna sees no recognition on her passenger's face.

[Tianna] No? Nothing? Well....I guess that's understandable since we have never met face to face. But you must know the name Jack Chambers. Hmmmm? That name ring any bells?

CARA closes her eyes and thinks hard trying to remember but she is getting nothing.

Tianna is getting more irritated with her passenger's ignorance.

[Tianna] So the name Jack Chambers doesn't ring any bells? Damn girl. You're either the biggest air headed Immortal I've ever met or the most cold hearted one.

CARA opens her eyes and glares at the reflection of her now abductor in the rear view mirror.

[CARA] I am definitely not either one. Don't even pretend that you know anything about me because you don't. I've never met you before in my life nor this Jack person. I don't know what your game is but I can tell you that you're making a very big mistake.

Tianna chuckles. She glances around at her surroundings and finally recognizes where she is and decides where she wants to go. She throws the cab into a last minute turn and heads for an area she knows in the northwest section of town.

[Tianna] Yeah....you don't strike me as being the air headed type so that must mean you're just one cold hearted bitch.

CARA shakes her head in frustration and opens her mouth to say something.

[Tianna] It would take a cold hearted bitch....

Tianna says before her passenger has a chance to say anything.

[Tianna] ...to take someone's head and not care enough about life to remember who they are.

CARA looks at Tia's reflection in the rear view mirror, puzzled.

[Tianna] You know.....Jack and I sat down one night and figured out that I have taken somewhere just over 300 heads in my 372 years and I can tell you every one of their names. Tell me.....

Tianna says and looks in the mirror at her passenger.

[Tianna] What do you do with their memories once you've had their Quickening? With the part of them that WAS them? Have you found a way to just shuck it off? Or can you just ignore it until it fades away? Is that all their lives meant to you? They're just a means to an end? Your stepping stone to the big prize? Hmmm?

CARA is unable to answer as she doesn't know what this woman is talking about. The one thing that is sticking in her head is the number that Tianna had quoted. If what she said is true....then she is just a little younger than Duncan but has taken twice as many heads as he has. That realization sends up every alarm in her because it means that this woman....this Immortal had not just been lucky in her encounters with other Immortals.....it meant that she was good. Very good. Probably better than even Duncan and Duncan was way better than herself. She suddenly feels her stomach knot up and it feels like her blood has turned to ice. This was not good. Not good at all. She lays her head on the back of her seat and looks at the ceiling of the cab and her fingers tighten around the eagle's talon.

[Tianna] Well let me tell you little missy....I don't know how many poor souls you have stolen lives from just so you can slither your way up the ladder in hopes of being the last one of us and win the ultimate prize.....but however many it was....you stole something from them more valuable than any prize you could win in the end. You stole not only their lives...and life...any kind of life is precious...but you stole the part of them that makes them who they were. And that's the part that you throw away. And do you think it ends there? Do you think their world ends when the lightening stops? Huh?

Tianna steers the cab through alleys and back streets.

[Tianna] Yeah.....you probably do. Someone like you doesn't think beyond themselves and their greed. So let me school you on something you can take to your grave when I send you there. I can just about guarantee you that everyone of the Immortals you killed....that their death effected someone....some way. They either had a family....loved ones waiting for them to come home....maybe depending on them for one reason or another. Maybe they owned a business or businesses where there were people who depended on them for their salaries so that they could live. Or friends.....friends who cared about them....friends who would grieve over their loss. Nobody goes through life....especially as long a life as we have without having an effect on someone...somewhere....no matter how minute. So when you cold heartedly took their life....and their essence...who cares about the power and knowledge because that's not what makes a person...it's their essence....when you stole that from them and callously threw it away....that moment of cold hearted selfishness had a negative effect that encompassed more than just the area lit up by the lightening of their Quickening.

CARA looks at Tia's reflection in the rear view mirror. Her captor is concentrating on her driving as she speeds through narrow alleys and back streets. Cara looks around at her surroundings and tries to figure out where she is. She finally decides that she only has one option....besides going into battle with this woman....a seriously lopsided battle....and that was to do what she could to cause Tia to lose control of the cab and have an accident serious enough to afford CJ the chance to escape...but not serious enough to injury herself so that she couldn't escape. She has no weapon on her. Her sword is hidden in her luggage as is the knife she always wears strapped to her lower leg underneath her jeans. And no amount of Martial Arts skill can help her sitting in the back seat of a car. She lets her eyes travel around the back seat area. They stop on her purse laying on the seat next to her....more specifically its thin shoulder strap. The purse is one of those convertible ones that could be either a clutch or worn slung over her shoulder by a thin leather strap that was attached by two spring clips.

[Tianna] Such was the case of Jack Chambers. You weren't satisfied just taking every penny he had....and some he didn't have....you wanted more. You wanted his life. It didn't matter to you that he had a wife waiting at home who loved him....who wanted to share the rest of her hopefully long life with him....whose heart would be completely broken if she lost him.....who would be devastated at having to bury him. That meant nothing to a heartless bitch like you. Hell...you've probably never loved anyone in your life....anyone but yourself, that is.

CARA glances up at Tia...mainly to see if she is paying attention to what is going on in the back seat.

[CARA] You don't have a clue of what you're talking about.

CARA says as her hand carefully and quietly works at unclipping the strap from her purse.

[Tianna] Really? You think so?

Tianna snorts.

[Tianna] I suppose you'd like to think that. Yeah....you probably do think that. You probably think that you're the only one who has a clue. You're probably so arrogant that you think that you're the only one in the world who matters.

CARA carefully slips the strap onto her lap and wraps each end around her hands and she slowly sits up getting ready to make her move....to quickly slip the strap over Tia's head and tighten it around her throat thereby choking her until she lost control of the vehicle and slammed into one of the walls that bordered one of the narrow alleys she was speeding through.

Tianna glances in the rear view mirror.

[Tianna] You still don't have a clue who Jack Chambers was....do you?

Tianna returns her attention to her driving.

[Tianna] Well....I'll tell you who he was. That man in Altoona, Pennsylvania who you and your buddy cheated out of every penny he had...the deed to his house and his business....

CARA looks up, listening to Tia.

[Tianna] That man who had a gentle spirit....and a heart so big you could fill ten super domes with it.....that man who you battered and beat before leaving him headless in a vacant lot.....

CARA 's memory suddenly clears and she remembers the night of the poker game she and Amanda had attended. She remembers leaving....leaving her winnings behind to keep the peace and having to walk a couple of blocks away to the car she and Amanda had been driving. She remembers the man who had accused them of cheating coming up behind them. He was drunk....as they all were....and he had been enraged...out of control. He hadn't been satisfied with CJ not claiming what she had won fair and square. His ego had been bruised. He wanted what he thought was satisfaction. He wanted her head. He had challenged her. She had tried to ignore him but he made it impossible by placing himself between them and Amanda's car. Amanda, who had surprisingly enough been a tad bit more sober than CJ, tried to take the challenge probably figuring she was in better condition to fight him than CJ was at the time. But he wouldn't have any part of it. His sights were set on exacting revenge for CJ deflating his ego. CJ had no choice but to accept the challenge. They had fought in the vacant lot where he had stopped them. It was a moonless night in a rural area and there was nobody around. The battle didn't last very long because the man was inebriated and CJ would have not taken it all the way if he hadn't forced her hand at the end. Yes....she took his head. She had to. He had left her no choice.

[Tianna] ....he was my husband. I have only loved 2 men in 300 years and Jack was one of them. You took him from me....ripped him from my life without a thought....without a care.

[CARA] That's not true. I didn't want to kill him. He left me no choice. Tia....he was drunk. I didn't take his money and the deeds....I left them on the table. He came after me and Amanda. He challenged me. He wouldn't let it go. Believe me....I had no choice.

CARA says sincerely.

[Tianna] You expect me to believe you? God you are dense.

[CARA] Tia....

[Tianna] NO!

Tianna shouts.

[Tianna] You killed him. He was a good man and he didn't deserve to die like that.

[CARA] Well....if he was such a good man....do you think he would want you seeking revenge....would he want you doing what you're doing now?

CARA says hoping there still might be a chance to reason with the woman.

[Tianna] It's not revenge I want you ignorant bitch.

Tianna snarls.

[Tianna] I can't believe that you can somehow throw away the parts of your victim's Quickening that you don't want. You have to keep them....somewhere...buried deep inside of you. But they have to be there.

CARA suddenly realizes where Tia is going with this. It all suddenly makes sense. It makes sense because she would feel the same way....want the same thing if she ever lost Duncan to another Immortal.

[Tianna] I don't want your head. I don't care about getting revenge. I don't give a shit about the damn prize. Never have. I want something much more valuable to me. I want what you took from me. I want Jack's essence which you got when you got his Quickening and the only way I can get it is to take yours.

CARA realizes that there is no way she is going to be able to reason with Tia. And as much as she sympathizes with Tia's feelings and understands what she wants and why she wants it....as much as she wishes she could give her what she wants....there is no way in hell that she is going to give up her own life to do that. Like Tia said....everyone's life effects someone else's And she was no exception. Maybe if she were alone....but she wasn't. She had someone else to think about.....someone else's feelings to consider. Someone who was waiting for her to come home. And she wasn't going to disappoint him. So she had only one choice. She couldn't take the chance that she might lose to this woman who was obviously better skilled and driven than she was. She had to end this now. She slowly moved her butt to the front edge of the seat and got ready to sit up and quickly make her move.

Continued on Page 4

[cj]

Tianna has been winding through the alleys in the commercial area of the northwest part of town. Not far from the Dojo her friend Duncan owns. The area borders the edge of the old waterfront which is filled with abandoned warehouses....left vacant when the port had been moved to the area it was in now. Duncan had brought her here one time for their run and she knows it will be the perfect place to do what she has to do. She throws the cab into a sharp right turn at the end of the alley, bringing them out onto the last “inhabited” street before the old waterfront. The sun has set but it is still early enough that there are quite a few people on the street but none of them seem to pay much attention to the speeding taxi cab. She makes another sharp turn to the left, tires squealing, and heads for the abandoned area just a block ahead of her.

CARA is thrown sideways when the cab turns suddenly. She manages to sit back up but is thrown the other way when Tia makes a sharp left turn. When she sits back up she sees where they are. She quickly scoots forward and loops the purse strap over Tia's head and pulls it tight around her neck....tightening it.

Tianna is caught off guard. Her hands grab at the strap around her neck but it is so tight she is unable to get her fingers between it and her throat. She struggles, trying to turn herself in her seat and so she can elbow her assailant in the face and knock her back which would make her let go of the strap but the strap tightens even more. She can't breathe and she lets go of the steering wheel and claws at the strap with both hands.

CARA plants her feet on the floor with her knees against the back of the front seat for leverage and pulls backward as she pulls the strap tighter around Tia's throat.

Tianna, in her struggle to try and pull away, straightens her legs out in front of her which causes her right foot to press down on the accelerator....forcing it all the way to the floor. The cab speeds up and careens out of control.

CARA sees the direction they are heading.....sees the building looming ahead of them. She gives one last hard pull which almost raises Tia out of her seat.

Tianna gasps for air. She opens her eyes in time to see the building rush toward them and realizes that they are going to slam into the brick and concrete wall.

CARA clenches her jaw and watches as the building rapidly gets closer. At the last minute she lets go of the strap and throws herself on the floor. From that point on everything seems to happen in slow motion. First there is the sudden and violent jolt as the vehicle slams into the wall of the abandoned warehouse. Then the back of the car lifts off of the ground just before it accordions in on itself. There is the sound of crushing metal and breaking glass. Somewhere in the distance somebody screams. Then there is nothing.

The last thing Tianna feels is the sudden release of the strap around her throat. She sees the wall as the front of the cab connects with it and she screams just as she is thrown forward through the windshield. Then there is nothing.

CARA wakes up to searing pain in her legs, back, abdomen and head. It takes a couple of minutes for her head to clear. When it does she quickly accesses the situation. Her body is tangled in the mangled metal of the cab and she can tell that she has several broken bones. Something warm covers the front of her abdomen and she realizes that it is blood. Blood runs into her eyes from some wound on her head. At first she can't move then she manages to move an arm and her hand reaches up and touches the eagle's talon still around her neck. She closes her eyes for a second and visualizes Duncan's face. He is smiling lovingly at her....those deep brown bedroom eyes of his calling to her.....inviting her to come with him.

[CARA] I'm coming, baby. I'm coming.

CARA says aloud and gathers every bit of strength she can....every bit she has left and begins to methodically untangle herself from the wreckage. She manages to crawl out of the space she is in, through a broken window to the asphalt and with every last bit of strength she has she drags herself away from the wreckage only seconds before it catches on fire. Her body, broken and exhausted, wants to collapse where she is but she closes her eyes and forces herself to take in a deep breath. As she does she mentally tells herself in a firm voice to get up....to move. Somehow she is able to pull herself to her knees and then to her feet. She opens her eyes and slowly puts one foot in front of the other. She sees nothing in front of her....hears no sound. It's as though she is floating. The only thing she hears is the sound of her voice in her head coaxing her to take one staggering step after another....to breathe one breath after another. She doesn't hear the explosion as the flames of the burning cab reach the ruptured gas lines nor does she feel its concussion In zombie-like movements she heads for the Dojo a few blocks away.

CARA staggers blindly into the Dojo building and up to the open Dojo door. She grabs the door jam and for the first time since crawling out of the mangled cab her vision clears enough for her to be able to see Duncan across the Dojo.

[CARA] Duncan?

CARA says in a weak and raspy voice as she clings to the door jam for support.

Duncan feels the buzz go through him and then all of a sudden hears the very familiar voice of his wife. Looking towards the doorway, he spots her clinging to the door like it was the only thing to save her life. He stands there looking rather stunned at her appearance. "Cara?" He recovers himself quickly and goes to her side. "Cara, what the hell happened?" Any thoughts that she was back home fled at her bloodied and bruised appearance. His first concern was how she got to be in this state. Gently he takes hold of her, hefting her into his arms and he heads straight up stairs to the loft.

CARA manages to hold on until she feels her husband's arms around her and then she collapses into his arms. Once again the world goes dark and her heart gives out from the strain and loss of blood.

Duncan feels her whole body relax and he knows right away that she's succumbed to whatever injuries she had. He walks over to the couch and lays her down on it, not caring that the blood will stain the fabric. That would be easy enough to fix or replace. After leaving her on the couch, he goes to the kitchen to grab a large bowl filled with warm water and then to the linen closet for a wash clothe. He walks back over to her and kneels down next to her and begins to wipe away the blood and grime on her face.

CARA revives, gasping for air, which sends spears of residual pain through her body. She opens her eyes and sees Duncan hovering over her. She manages a weak smile and whispers, "Hi."

Duncan stills his hand as she comes to. He drops the now blood stained cloth into the cooling water. He places his hand towards her forehead, his fingers trailing through her hair. He notices that a lot of it is matted with blood. Whatever happened was serious. "Hey...care to tell me how you came to my doorstep in this shape?" he asks gently. "I have to say that this is not how I pictured your homecoming."

CARA tries to sit up and winces from some pain from the wounds still healing.

[CARA] I'm sorry.

CARA says weakly and falls back against the cushions.

[CARA] Can I get a do-over?

CARA asks, her voice almost a whisper. She does manage a bit of a smile.

Duncan feels a slight tug of a smile at the corner of his lips. His concern is only becoming greater as every second ticks by. Was the reason Cara came back was because there was an Immortal after her that she felt she couldn't win against? That thought was bothersome in several way, but he couldn't jump to any conclusions. "Tell me what happened."

[CARA] Rough cab ride.

CARA says simply as she tries to find a more comfortable position to lay.

Duncan grabs a throw pillow and places it under her head to make her more comfortable. "Okay...care to elaborate on that for me?" He gives her a smile.

CARA looks up at him and smiles a bit nervously. This is definitely not the way she had wanted her return to be. She had spent the entire flight from Ireland to the states fantasizing about several different scenarios....all of which included her making some sort of classy entrance...different ways she was greeted...what would happen afterwards but none of them included her having to fight for her life and show up looking like she had been through a meat grinder and needing rescuing. "Some things never change," she can hear Duncan saying in her head. She sighs.

[CARA] I guess I owe you that much after getting blood all over your sofa.

CARA says and closes her eyes as she tries to organize her thoughts and figure out where to start.

Duncan shakes his head gently. "It can be replaced. So, it the least of my concerns."

[CARA] Will you accept the abridged version? Because I don't really feel like going into all the details right now.

CARA asks and looks up at him hopefully.

Duncan nods. "That's fine."

CARA smiles gratefully.

[CARA] My cab driver took a wrong turn and ended up crashing into a wall a few blocks from here.

CARA says and tries again to sit up.

[CARA] Needless to say...I didn't bother tipping her.

CARA gets to a sitting position and tries to brush her hair from her face but it is matted in place.

[CARA] God! I must look terrible.

CARA grumbles.

Duncan gets to his feet. "Nothing a hot shower can't fix." He extends his hand to her to help her to her feet. He had this feeling that maybe she was glossing over something important but he wasn't going to harp on her for those details at the moment.

CARA moans softly as she takes his hand and gets to her feet.

[CARA] Ohhh....that does sound good.

CARA says and starts for the bathroom.

Duncan guides her to the bathroom. "I can take your clothes and throw them out and get you some clean one."

CARA stands in the middle of the bathroom and begins unbuttoning her blouse.

[CARA] You don't need to wait on me, Duncan. I'm fine.

CARA smiles gratefully at him.

Duncan gives her a smile. "I know, but when you make an entrance like that I think you might need it till you're completely healed." He walks of toward the bedroom to find her something to wear of his that wouldn't overwhelm her too much.

CARA removes the rest of her clothes and gets into the shower. She moans contentedly as the hot water washes over her. After she has shampooed her hair and washed the rest of the tell tale signs of her ordeal down the drain she stands under the stream of hot water and closes her eyes letting the water sooth her shattered nerves.

Duncan finds a tee-shirt that should work and also a pair of sweat pants. The sweat pants will have to be rolled up at the waist, but they'd do for now. He lays them on the bed for her and then walks back to the living room to clean up.

CARA turns off the water and gets out of the shower and towel dries her hair. She wraps a towel around her and walks out of the bathroom.

[CARA] Want some help with that?

CARA asks Duncan in regards to the cleaning.

Duncan looks up from the stains on the couch he's been blotting at. He sighs and looks at her, shaking her head. "No, I think we need a new couch." He said getting to his feet, grabbing the blood tinged water. "Feel better?" He asks as he walks into the kitchen.

[CARA] Much.

CARA says smiling. She follows him to the kitchen door.

[CARA] Thank you.

CARA leans against the door jam and watches Duncan.

[CARA] Did I take you away from anything important downstairs?

Duncan dumps the water into the sink, making sure to rinse the bowl. He turns to face her and take her in. She looked good. She seemed to hold her head a bit higher and her shoulders were set back, like she had her confidence back. That was a very good sign. "No, nothing that can't wait." He walks over to her. "How were your three months away?"

CARA looks up at him and smiles reassuringly.

[CARA] Enlightening. Rough...but enlightening.

Duncan nods and smiles. "Good." He sees the eagle talon resting against her skin. His fingers touch the necklace, but not the talon itself. "Is this something you found?"

CARA 's own hand goes to the talon.

[CARA] Actually....it found me. You can touch it. It hasn't been cleansed or anything.

CARA says looking up at him curiously.

Duncan shakes his head. "I can see it without touching it. It found you. It's sacred already." His hand comes up to brush aside the wet, fiery strand of her hair away from her forehead. "You said rough? How rough? Like missing me so bad it caused you so much pain...?" He says with a smile, totally joking with her.

CARA rolls her eyes.

[CARA] Who said anything about missing you?

CARA says and steps back as if to give him room to pass through the kitchen door.

Duncan looks mock offended. "You didn't miss me? You're telling me that you didn't miss me dogging your every step wondering what you were up to?" He gave her a smile.

CARA snorts.

[CARA] THAT I did not miss.

Duncan chuckles. "In all seriousness, things went well then?" He rubbed her bared upper arms.

CARA so wants to drag him into the bedroom and make mad, wild, passionate love to him until the sun comes up but she still is unsure if he even really wants her here and she definitely doesn't want to put either of them on the spot. Unfortunately....that makes her a bit uneasy...not really how to act and feeling almost like an intrusive guest.

[CARA] I'm here aren't I?

CARA asks in answer to his question.

Duncan looks into her eyes. "Yeah, you are here. A definite plus for me." He pulled her gently into her arm and kissed her slowly. He broke the kiss and nibbled gently on her lips. "You have no idea how much I missed you. I think Joe got sick of seeing me walk into his bar. Bastard wouldn't tell me a damn thing and he's my Watcher." He raises his head and looks down at her. "I think Joe is smitten with you."

[CARA] Joe didn't know where I was so he couldn't tell you. Honest. I didn't tell anyone. Not Peggy or even Mand. In fact....I never even told Mand I was leaving She's probably madder than hell at me.

Duncan chuckles. "Buy her something shiny. That will bring her comfort in her great distress."

[CARA] So you really did miss me?

CARA asks coyly.

Duncan nods. "Of course I did. Just because I accepted you need to do this it doesn't mean that it was fun and games for me."

CARA huffs.

[CARA] Right.

CARA says rolling her eyes.

[Duncan] You don't believe me?

Duncan quirks a brow at her.

CARA takes hold of his arm and pulls him away from the doorway and looks him over.

[CARA] You don't look any worse for wear. Looks like you held up pretty well.

CARA says but only halfway jokingly.

[Duncan] The first couple of weeks were definitely the hardest for me. I just had to keep reminding myself that you needed this. It helped but it wasn't all that comforting.

Continued on Page 5

[cj]

CARA looks up at him to see if he's being serious. She wonders if he is telling her what he thinks she wants to hear or of he is being completely sincere. Unfortunately she is unable to see beyond the surface and she isn't sure if that is a result of him closing himself off because she was gone or if he did it before she left and she was just too blind to see it.

Duncan allows his fingertip to trail across her cheek. He had missed her. He knew Joe saw it plainly when ever he had walked into the bar. His eyes follow the path of his fingertips that now begin to slowly trail down her neck.

CARA shivers at his touch. She had forgotten how it felt.

It had been hard for Duncan to sleep here. The place they both called home. The place she put some much time and effort into. He had been half tempted to stay in a hotel until she came back. But he did have a business to run. So, he stayed and bared the nights alone, trying to find anything to keep him busy and not notice the silence that filled the place without her around.

CARA closes her eyes. She doesn't realize that she is holding her breath.

Duncan 's eyes sweep up to her face and smiles when he see her eyes closed. His lips start off where his fingers left off, leaving a nibble here, a light kiss there up her neck and her jaw.

CARA 's body begins to tremble and she can no longer stand it. Tossing caution to the wind she grabs a handful of the front of his shirt and backs into the bedroom, pulling along with her. Once she senses she is near the bed, keeping her hand firmly on his shirt...as if to prevent him from getting away, she uses her free hand to drop the towel she's had wrapped around her, letting it fall to the floor. She pulls on his shirt, pulling his face closer to hers and she kisses him forcefully, yet passionately. As she does, she crawls onto the bed and up onto her knees.

Duncan 's hands cradle her neck and slide up so his fingers are tangled in her damp hair. He kisses her more forcefully.

CARA grabs hold of the neckline of his shirt with both hands and rips the front of it down the middle. She slips it off of his shoulders and places a hand on each bare shoulder and lays back on the bed, pulling him down on top of her. She breaks off from the kiss and begins nibbling the side of his neck just below his ear lobe.

Duncan feels a shiver go down his spine. His hands move up her sides lightly stroking her skin.

CARA places her hands against his chest and pushes him over onto his back. She leans over him and kisses him passionately as her hand moves down his abdomen to the waist band of his pants and she begins to unfasten them.

Duncan 's hands travel up her sides with light caresses, then slowly up her back. He lets his fingers drift across the back of her neck as he kisses her.

CARA takes the lead and makes mad passionate love to Duncan. It had only been a few months that they had been apart but it felt like years.

Duncan lays there, holding Cara against his side, very content to have his wife back home with him. No more silence and emptiness for him.

CARA lets out a breath.

[CARA] Wow!

CARA says simply.

Duncan turns his head to look at her and he chuckles. "Interesting reaction..." He shifts to his side so he is facing her, his hand going to the small of her back and his index finger begins to make slow circular patterns on her skin.

[CARA] If I didn't know any better I'd say that you've been practicing

CARA says teasingly.

Duncan A slow smile spreads across his lips. "Only in my dreams with you, sweetheart."

[CARA] It's been a long time.

CARA says a bit more seriously and reaches over and kisses him.

Duncan kisses her back slowly, like she's some piece of chocolate to be savored and he a starving man. He breaks the kiss and looks into her eyes. "It has been a long time. Now you're home and we can make up for lost time. There's a lot to fit into 3 months apart," he says seductively.

CARA leans back and quirks an eyebrow.

[CARA] Really?

CARA asks just a bit surprised.

Tianna wakes up, gasping for air. She opens her eyes and realizes that her face is covered with something. She pushes the sheet off of her face and looks around. "Damn!" she exclaims. "The morgue." She gets up and wraps the sheet around her and proceeds to sneak out of the morgue without being seen and finds an empty office and goes inside. She picks up the phone and closes her eyes trying to clear her head and remember the phone number of the only friend she has in this town. When she remembers it she quickly dials it and waits for an answer.

[Duncan] Really...

Duncan pulls her flush against him and begins to kiss her again.

CARA 's expression turns mischievous.

[CARA] Then bring it on, baby.

CARA says tauntingly.

[Tianna] Come on, Duncan. Answer your phone. Please?

Tianna whispers.

Duncan rolls over on top of her and this time he plans on slow and thorough to show her with his body how much he missed her. He looks toward the ringing phone hoping it's a wrong number or something. But when it continues to ring, he moves off the bed and picks it up. "MacLeod..."

[Tianna] Duncan?

Tianna says in a loud whisper.

[Tianna] I need your help. You're the only friend I have here so there's no one else for me to call.

Duncan frowns as he realizes it's Tianna calling him...wonderful and in the middle of it all. "Okay...where are you?" He says getting up from the bed and grabbing his pants.

CARA sighs...a bit surprised that he didn't let the answering machine pick it up.

[Tianna] I just woke up in the morgue. I have no clothes and now....no place to go. Can you come?

Tianna asks hopefully.

CARA sees Duncan get up and start to get dressed. She sits up realizing that there's a problem of some sort.

Duncan cradles the phone against his ear and shoulder as he puts his pants on. "Yeah...are you downtown then?" His minds starts racing as to what to bring for clothes.

Tianna looks around the desk top and sees something with letter head on it. She picks it up and holds it so the light from the hallway illuminates it.

[Tianna] I'm at Seacouver Memorial Hospital.

Tianna sets the paper back down.

[Tianna] There's an alley outside of the morgue....where they load and unload the bodies. I'll be out there. I'm wrapped in a white sheet so you can't miss me.

[Duncan] All right. I'll be there in a few minutes. Just stay as quiet as possible and hope no one else gets sent down there before I get there.

Tianna says trying to sound light hearted about all of this.

[Tianna] Thanks. You're a pal.

Tianna says and hangs up. She makes her way out to the alley and hides behind a dumpster near the door to the hospital.

Duncan hangs up the phone and finishes dressing. He looks at Cara. "I think I'm going to need your help..." he stops and sighs, "But you don't have any clothes either...great..."

CARA pulls the blanket up around her and looks at Duncan questioningly.

[CARA] Is there a problem, babe?

CARA asks looking up at him.

Duncan nods slightly. "Yeah...I have a friend who is in the morgue and needs out."

CARA sighs.

[CARA] That can be a problem.

CARA says with a slight chuckle.

[CARA] Why would you need....Ahhh...this is a female friend. I see.

CARA says nodding her head.

Duncan walks over to the bureau and opens a couple of drawers. He pulls out pair of sweat pants and t-shirt. It is starting to look like he may have to go shopping for some more tee's and sweat pants. He closes the drawers and looks at Cara.

[CARA] Sorry, my love. I wish I could help. But unfortunately the clothes I brought with me went up in smoke.

[Duncan] Yep, I was hoping to have you hand her off the clothes so I wouldn't have to.

Duncan walks over to Cara and gives her a kiss. "I'll be back as soon as possible, sweetheart."

[CARA] Go....hurry. She's probably freezing.

CARA says and returns his kiss.

[CARA] I'll be here when you get back. I love you. Please be careful.

Duncan gives her a smile and nods. "You know I think she may want a sweatshirt...agree?"

CARA says smiling proudly.

[CARA] Yes....I'm sure she would. It's cold out there tonight.

"My knight in shining armor," CARA thinks to herself as she watches her husband prepare to rescue a damsel in distress.

Duncan goes back to the bureau and pulls out a sweatshirt. He gives Cara another look over his shoulder and smiles. He was actually surprised that she wasn't questioning him as to who this woman was. And Cara was taking it all in stride and that made him feel even more secure in the fact that indeed, she had changed.

[CARA] Be careful baby.

CARA says lovingly.

Duncan nods. "I will be." He says as he walks out the door, his mind already preoccupied with how he was going to do this without seeing this particular woman naked. He gets into the elevator and heads downstairs. He heads out to his car, gets in, and takes off for Seacouver Memorial.

CARA snickers and shakes her head. When she hears the elevator door shut she gets up and puts on the t-shirt Duncan had put out for her earlier. She goes into the kitchen and starts making some tea, figuring that Duncan's friend might want some to ease her anxiety about waking up in the morgue.

Within minutes Duncan spots the hospital up ahead. He drives around back and slows down so he knows he's headed in the right direction.

Tianna sees headlights turn into the alley. She crouches down behind the dumpster...just in case...but keeps an eye on the approaching car...hoping it's Duncan.

Duncan pulls into the alleyway and as he gets closer to a dumpster down at the other end he feels the buzz. He brings the car to a crawl and stops about half way down. He grabs the clothes he brought along and gets out of the car. "Tianna?"

Tianna comes out from behind the dumpster, breathing a sigh of relief. She hurries over to him, holding on to the sheet she has wrapped around her like a Toga.

[Tianna] Thanks, Duncan. You're a prince.

Tianna says smiling at him.

[Tianna] And I told you to call me Tia.

Tianna says as an after thought and snickers.

[Tianna] Sheesh. So formal. You really are a gentleman...aren't you? I didn't think there were anymore of those left in this world. Of course I guess it doesn't matter what you call me now. I'm going to have to re-invent myself....again. God this gets old sometimes....you know?

Duncan hands her the clothes. "I can't seem to help it. It's just part of who I am." He gives her a sheepish look, "Let me first apologize for the clothes, they're mine and I know they are going to be way to big for you, but it's clothing."

Tianna smiles gratefully at him.

[Tianna] Beggars can't be choosers.

Tianna looks around and decides to go back behind the dumpster to change out of her Toga.

[Tianna] I'll go over there. Keep a watch out for me?

Tianna says and heads for the dumpster.

Duncan nods. He turns his back on her and definitely keeps his eyes straight ahead.

Tianna quickly puts on the clothes that Duncan has brought her and comes out from behind the dumpster. She walks up behind him and playfully pokes him in the sides.

[Tianna] Boo!

Tianna says playfully.

CARA finds the makings of a sandwich and prepares one. She knows that she's always hungry after dying and figures Duncan's friend might be, too.

[CARA] Well....I can tell that I'll need to do some grocery shopping. You were definitely living like a bachelor.

CARA says laughing and shaking her head.

Duncan turns to look at her. He gives her a smile. "Ready to go? Do you even have a place TO go?"

Tianna walks around the car to the passenger side.

[Tianna] Well.....I guess I could go back to my hotel room. I don't know how long it will take for them to learn I died.

Tianna gets in the car and closes the door, putting on her seat belt. She waits for Duncan to get in the car and then asks, "you don't happen to know anyone who can do the paperwork I'll need to re-invent myself....do you?"

Duncan puts the car in gear and pulls out of the alleyway. "I do, so don't worry about that."

[Duncan] So, what happened?

Tianna sighs and gets comfortable.

[Tianna] Remember me telling you that I originally came here looking for someone?

Duncan nods as he turns out onto a main rode.

[Tianna] Well.....I had given up...figuring I got some bad information back in Pittsburgh and decided to just forget it....to let it go.

Tianna says. She turns slightly in her seat so she is facing Duncan more and she lays the side of her head, wearily, on the back of her seat.

Duncan glances over at her. "But the info wasn't bad was it? You found the person..."

Tianna smiles.

[Tianna] I guess I should tell you why I was looking for this person so you don't think that I'm one of these Immortals that just goes around head hunting...because I'm not.

[Duncan] Okay, why are you looking for this person?

Tianna picks at a dried paint spot on the sweat shirt Duncan brought for her.

[Tianna] I was married....happily...up until 1995 when this Immortal took advantage of the fact that my husband, Jack, was very drunk one night and took his head. I didn't have much to go on as far as who the person was but I was able to find out more about their friend and tracked them to Seacouver.

Tianna looks up at Duncan.

[Tianna] I want you to know that this isn't about revenge. That's not my style.

Tianna would hate to have him think she was just out for revenge. He doesn't strike her as someone who has much sympathy for a vengeful person....especially a woman and she definitely doesn't want him to think badly of her. She likes Duncan and respects him and is glad that they have become friends.

[Tianna] The reason I was looking for this person....now this may sound a little weird.

Tianna thinks a minute.

[Tianna] But then again....maybe not. You told me about your wife and how much you love her....so you might be able to understand.

Tianna looks at him hopefully.

[Tianna] Anyway....the reason I was looking for them was because....yes...I do want their head. But not because of revenge. I want that part of Jack that they got in his Quickening If I can't have him with me physically....I want his spirit...or essence...or whatever you want to call it...inside of me so we can be together forever the way we promised each other we'd be.

Tianna watches Duncan for his reaction.

Continued on Page 6

[cj]

Duncan nods. He can understand where she's coming from on that, and if he were totally honest with himself, he would probably feel the same if such a thing happened to Cara. But wasn't it still what it is? Taking another head to get closer to the Prize, even if she didn't mean it that way?

[Duncan] Okay, so you've been looking for this person and you ran into them. What happened that it got you sent to the morgue?

[Tianna] It's like they say....you always find something you've been looking for when you stop looking. And that's exactly what happened. Here I am....getting ready to start a new life in a new city with new friends...well....one new friend....and even a new job and wham! It happens. My first day...and I get a call to the airport. And who should get into my cab? Yeah. You got it.

Tianna shakes her head and looks out the front window and sighs.

[Tianna] I found out who they were just before getting to their destination and I guess I sort of lost it. I decided that I would take them someplace and take care of business. Unfortunately they didn't like the idea too much and tried fighting me in the cab while I was driving and caused me to lose control of the cab and we crashed. It was at a high rate of speed and the last thing I remember was my seat belt ripping from the force of the impact....and I guess the cab company hadn't maintained their cabs' airbags because mine didn't deploy....and I was thrown through the windshield. The next thing I know I'm waking up under a sheet in the morgue.

Tianna turns back to face Duncan and sighs.

[Tianna] So....how was your day?

Tianna asks with a chuckle.

[Duncan] A lot better than yours.

Duncan pulls up in front of the Dojo "My wife came home tonight and she knows I that I picked up a friend. I'm sure you'll have a feast waiting for you. She, herself, get pretty hungry after reviving."

[Tianna] Your wife came home?

Tianna says as she unbuckles her seat belt.

[Tianna] Oh....maaan....that means I probably interrupted your reunion. I'm sorry, Duncan. Really. I know how much you wanted her to come home....even though I got the impression you weren't sure she would. I'm happy for you. Really I am. You must be on cloud nine right now.

Duncan gets out of the car. "I am very happy she's home. But don't apologize for interrupting anything. You needed help." He closes the door and walks up the steps to the doors. He pulls the door open and wait for Tianna step inside before he follows behind her.

CARA has been sitting in the living room watching TV when she feels an Immortal buzz. Figuring it's Duncan she gets up, turns off the TV and goes into the kitchen.

Tianna gets out of the car and follows him int the building. She feels the presence of another Immortal and looks at Duncan questioningly.

[Tianna] You never told me your wife was one of us.

Duncan opens the door to the elevator. He sees Tianna's questioning look. "It wasn't a detail that came up." he says with an off handed shrug. He turns the key for elevator and up they go to the loft.

Tianna sighs, leaning against the back wall of the elevator.

[Tianna] It's hard either way.

Tianna says and then adds, "I mean being married to a Mortal or Immortal."

[Duncan] It always takes work no matter who or what we are.

Duncan feels the elevator come to a stop. He opens the door and allows Tianna to step inside before he follows and closes the door to the elevator.

Tianna steps out of the elevator and then steps to the side letting Duncan step past her.

CARA hears the elevator door slide open then closed.

[CARA] I'm in the kitchen, babe. I made some tea and a sandwich for your friend.

CARA goes to the kitchen doorway.

[CARA] I thought.....

CARA stops in mid sentence when she sees Duncan's guest.

Duncan walks over to a small table and drops his keys onto them. He looks up when he hears silence.

Tianna looks up as the voice from the kitchen gets louder then suddenly stops. She sucks in a breath when she sees who it is.

Duncan frowns slightly. "You all right, sweetheart?" He glances over at Tianna and finally it dawns on him. "Oh you have got to be kidding..."

[Duncan] Let me guess, my wife was your passenger She did come home making a rather dramatic entrance"

CARA is holding a serving tray with a tea pot, cup and a plate with the sandwich on it. She calmly carries the tray over to the coffee table and sets it down and then walks over and stands next to Duncan, linking her arm with his.

[CARA] Duncan? I'd introduce you to my taxi driver but I can see you two have already met.

CARA says casually.

Duncan looks down at Cara, then back at Tianna. "Yeah, she's the friend I had to go rescue from the morgue." He knew right now that the rest of his evening was going down hill.

Tianna is so surprised as well as feeling her anger beginning to boil to the surface so she is speechless for the moment.

[CARA] It's nice to have friends you can call when you need them....isn't it?

CARA says in a tone that is almost too sweet.

[CARA] Would you care for a cup of chamomile tea and a sandwich....ummm....what was your name again? Oh yes....Tia. Right?

CARA says her voice a combination of almost sickeningly sweet and sarcasm.

Tianna takes a step towards CJ, her anger evident in her expression.

Duncan steps in front of Cara. "Tianna, don't. If you want help, then you stay away from her."

CARA pulls back gently on Duncan's arm and smiles up at him.

[CARA] Now Duncan....don't be rude to your guest. She's just been trough one hell of an ordeal. The last thing she needs is her host and rescuer being rude.

Duncan looks down at Cara again with a bit of shock. "Right. So you two can play nice then." He looks at Tianna now that question was directed right at her.

CARA steps around him and looks directly into Tia's eyes. She lowers her voice as she says, "you wanna go, Tia? Then we'll go. But not here. Not in our home. And not until I have some clothes on. Now....why don't you take a seat and have some tea. I fixed it just for you."

Tianna looks from Duncan to CJ then back again. She is completely torn. On one hand she wants to rip CJ's head off with her bare hands. Not just for her original reason but because...it is because of CJ not sitting back and waiting to get where she was taking her and fighting her properly that now has to go through the hassle of starting a new life with a new identity and all the hassles that go along with that.

CARA watches Tia closely not sure of what the woman will do.

Tianna sees Duncan's protective stance and sees his love for this woman in his eyes. Then she remembers the tone of his voice the evening on the beach when she had kissed him and he told her he was married. He not only had said that he loved his wife but that she was his world and she had been able to hear the love in his voice. Then she remembers how much she had loved her husband, Jack, which was why she had wanted the person who had taken his Quickening. To love someone that much....then to lose them.... She looks up at Duncan and decides in that instant that she still liked the man and valued their friendship even though she realizes that they will probably not be able to remain friends because of this. And because of the way she feels about their friendship and about him she decides that she wouldn't want him to go through the devastation of losing his wife. Tianna looks back at CJ and points to Duncan.

[Tianna] If you weren't his wife you'd be dead right now. But because you are....

Tianna looks at Duncan, her expression changing from the hatred she looked at CJ with to one of apology and sympathy

[Tianna] Thank you Duncan....for coming to get me tonight. And for the clothes. I appreciate it. I'll get them back to you....somehow.

Tianna turns toward the elevator to leave.

Duncan looks at Tianna and gives her a nod. He didn't like the fact that this woman couldn't put her idea of wanting her husband's essence aside, but he wasn't going to forfeit his wife for such a thing. He walks over to Tianna and stops in front of her. "If you can ever get over this, you know where you can find a friend." He knows those words were basically drawing a subtle line in the sane with Tianna. He doesn't want her causing trouble for either Cara or himself.

Tianna glances back at CJ then looks up at Duncan and smiles sadly.

[Tianna] I think that ship has sailed, my friend. Not because of what I told you in the car but because ....well....I just don't think your wife would allow it. Thank you for being there tonight, though. You're a good man. And a good friend. And you're happy. I can see that. And I don't want to ruin that for you. Besides.....I'll probably have to leave town now anyway so....

Tianna holds out her hand to shake his.

Duncan takes her hand and gives it a firm shake.

[Tianna] Be happy. And be safe. May your sails always find a strong wind..

Tianna shakes his hand and reaches over to the elevator call button, pressing it. When the door opens, she steps inside and turns around. She looks back at CJ.

[Tianna] You have possession of two very good men that are....were very important to me. Please....please take good care of both of them or all bets are off.

Tianna says seriously. Then with another regretful glance at Duncan she closes the elevator door and descends to the ground floor.

CARA watches the door close behind Tia and something inside her tugs at her heart. She walks over to Duncan and places her hand on his arm.

Duncan watches the door close on the elevator. He feels Cara's hand on his arm. He turns to look at her.

[CARA] Duncan....go after her. She doesn't have any money on her. How is she going to get where she needs to go? You can't let her go like that.

CARA says softly looking up at him.

Duncan nods. "You're right." He gives her a kiss, then steps away and goes for the stairs hoping to beat Tianna to the door.

CARA watches Duncan head down the stairs. She stands there for a few minutes then goes over and picks up the tray of tea and sandwich and carries it back into the kitchen.

Tianna steps out of the elevator and heads for the door of the building. Tears are streaming down her face. She was giving up more than just a new friendship. She was giving up the chance to be close to Jack again. And that was the hardest of all.

Duncan runs down the stairs and into the Dojo just as Tianna is stepping out out of the elevator. He pushes the Dojo door open. "Tianna, wait a second." He grabs her arm to keep her from walking away. "You can't just leave without anything."

[Tianna] No, Duncan. You've done enough. Go back to your wife. I'll manage.

Tianna says trying to keep him from seeing her tears. She has never let anyone see her cry before. Not even Jack.

Duncan holds her arm and turns her to face him. "Look, you don't have any money. You can't do anything without money." He pulls out his wallet and takes out all the cash he has in his wallet. "Here take this. That should buy you some clothes and a plane ticket."

Tianna keeps her face turned away from him and gently pulls out of his grasp, shaking her head.

Duncan takes her hand and places the money in it. He raises her chin so he can see her face. "I know the tears are for him. And I'm sorry that you lost him."

[Duncan] If you and he loved each other that much, I can tell you that he wouldn't want you living your life like this.

Tianna clenches her jaw hating herself at this moment for being weak. She turns her head away from him and looks at the money in her hand and removes a twenty dollar bill and hands the rest back to Duncan.

[Tianna] I have money and clothes back at my hotel. I'm not desolate. But I will borrow this for cab fair.

Tianna says indicating the twenty she has kept.

Duncan nods. "All right. Good luck and stay safe, Tianna."

[Tianna] Don't worry....I'll manage. I've managed for 300 years. And I've been in a lot worse situations than this.

Tianna quickly wipes her face on the sleeve of the sweatshirt Duncan had brought her. She walks up and places a hand on each of his shoulders and reaches up, kissing him on the cheek.

[Tianna] You're a good man, Duncan MacLeod. A damn good man. I'm glad I had a chance to meet you. I'll never forget you. Never.

Tianna turns and hurries away.

Duncan watches her leave before he takes the elevator back up to the loft.

CARA wraps the sandwich in foil and puts it in the refrigerator. She puts the untouched cup back in the cupboard and the tea pot back on the stove. When she hears the elevator door open she goes to the kitchen door and leans against the door jam.

Duncan steps out of the elevator and looks around the loft for Cara. When she appears in the kitchen doorway he smiles and walks over to her, taking her in his arms.

[Duncan] Are you alright, sweetheart?

CARA leans back and looks up at him and smiles.

[CARA] I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?

Duncan looks down at her.

[Duncan] I don't know. I just thought.... I mean I just brought home someone who wanted your head.

CARA chuckles softly.

[CARA] You had no way of knowing. Besides....my head is still where it's supposed to be. So no harm done.

Duncan is surprised at how calm she is about all this. He leans down and gives her a gentle kiss.

CARA returns his kiss, slipping her arms around his waist.

Duncan pulls back and slips one arm around her shoulders. He begins to steer her towards the bedroom.

[Duncan] Someday you're going to have to tell me how you managed to do whatever it was you did last night.

Duncan says softly.

[CARA] Someday I will. But not now.

CARA says with a smile.

[Duncan] No. Not now.

Duncan says as they walk into the bedroom. He turns off the overhead light then reaches down and scoops her into his arms. He carries her over to the bed and gently lays her on it. He lays down next to her, turns on his side and pulls her to him, kissing her passionately. Duncan makes gentle love to his wife until just before the sun comes up then falls asleep with his arms wrapped around her...feeling content and completely happy for the first time in a long time.

[cj]

***Flashback***

***1600's...somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean***

Tianna stood at the forward most bow of her ship, her elbows resting on the railing and her spy glass fully extended. She slowly and methodically scanned the fog bank they were running parallel to.

“I swear, Captain,” Newhouse said, “I saw something. A sail. I swear I saw a sail.”

“Aw you've just been drinking too much of your own brew,” Morrison said only partly joking.

“It ain't nothin' like that. I swear,” Newhouse said defensively.

Tianna waved a hand behind her. “Shhh,” she said without looking away from the thick cloud. “Mr. Morrison....if Mr. Newhouse said he saw something then I believe he saw something.” what I don't know, she thought to herself. She made one more pass with the spy glass and was just about ready to give up when a flash in the fog caught her attention. Instinct told her that what she saw was the flash of a canon and she turned from the railing and yelled, “Get down!” She grabbed Newhouse and threw herself...and him to the deck just as a canon ball crashed through the railing only a couple of feet from where she had been standing. Two more followed within seconds, shattering railings and deck boards and sending splintered wood flying.

“Damage report,” She heard Morrison yell, trying to be heard over the screaming and yelling crew. She somehow managed to get to her feet and , dodging flying debris and more canon balls, make her way to her ship's helm.

“Fire all starboard canons, Mr. Morrison,” she yelled.

“Aye, captain,” Morrison replied and headed below. “Sound stations, Mr. Smythe,” he said to a very young lad as he passed by him and gave him a shove towards the bell which the boy began to ring furiously.

“Give me full sails, Mr. Newhouse.” she yelled over the chaotic din.

“Aye, Captain,” Newhouse replied and repeated her order.

Tia squinted to see through the smoke, debris and fog. A large ship emerged from the fog bank, its canon doors on one side were all open...all 14 of them...and they were all firing. She grabbed the wheel out of the hands of her helmsman and spun it hard, steering her ship away from the massive battleship.

“This is twice you've snuck up on me,” she called out, speaking to the captain of the other ship as though he could hear her. “I'll be damned if there will be a third time.”

The wind caught her sails and her ship began to pick up speed. She pointed the bow of the Paradise into the surf.

“We're running, Captain?” Her helmsman asked incredulously.

“Yes, Mr. Stevens. We're running,” she said simply and her tone told Stevens that he better not question her further.

As soon as they were out of the other ship's canon's range she gave the wheel a hard turn back starboard and headed for the fog bank. It wasn't long....although it felt like an eternity...and the thick fog was enveloping them. She stepped aside and nudged Stevens back to the wheel as she said, “straight away, Mr. Stevens. Steady as she goes.”

“Aye, Captain,” Stevens replied.

Tia left the helm and headed below to check on the damage to her ship. Once she had assessed the damage, which was extensive, she headed back on deck and went to the stern. She leaned over the railing and called down to the crewman already hanging from a rope and examining the rudder, “Mr. Bolls?”

Bolls looked up at Tia and called out, “It's damaged, Captain, but fixable.”

Tia nodded. “See to it, Mr. Bolls,” she said as she started to turn away from the railing.

“Aye, Captain,” Bolls called out.

Tia paused from turning away from the railing and stared into the fog behind them. She could barely make out the outline of the battleship's sails. She stared at it a few more seconds then turned away and headed back to the helm.

“Mr. Stevens, when you can no longer see them behind us turn her to port and slow to half speed,” she said calmly.

Stevens looked at her questioningly but only said, “Aye, captain.”

Tia headed for her quarters. Once inside she walked over to the large table in the center of the room. It had a large map spread out on it and she placed her hands on the table and leaned on them, staring down at the map without really seeing it. After several minutes she focused and actually studied the map.

Morrison and Newhouse opened the door to Tia's quarters and then knocked on the door jam.

“Come,” Tia responded to the knock without looking up from the map.

Morrison and Newhouse walked over to the table and stood across from Tia.

“We need to find a port, Captain. The Paradise needs repairs,” Morrison said.

“We'll make repairs at sea,” Tia said simply. “Mr. Newhouse, bring Mr. Smythe to me. I have a job for him,” she said.

“Aye, captain,” Newhouse said and hurried out of Tia's quarters. He returned shortly with the young crewman in tow.

“Mr. Morrison, we're going to need a bunch of empty barrels, something to make a 7 or 8 foot mast out of, some cloth, some rope and 4 or 5 lanterns,” Tia said when Smythe and Newhouse had stepped up to the table across from her.

Morrison quirked an eyebrow. “What have you got in mind, Captain?” He asked.

***20 minutes later***

The Paradise had slowed to almost a complete stop. The battleship behind them had lost sight of them in the fog and had been firing blindly into the dense fog when they would catch a glimpse of lights coming from the wounded ship. While most of the crew of the Paradise were working feverishly on making repairs, a handful of men were assembled by the port railing near the stern and were hoisting a makeshift raft with an 8 foot mast and sail and lanterns hanging from the top of the mast and both arms over the railing and lowering it into the water. Halfway down they stopped.

“Are you ready, Mr. Smythe, to assume your first command?” Tia asked, clapping the boy on his shoulder.

“Yes, Captain,” he answered with a proud grin. He climbed over the railing and onto the raft. He hugged the mast as the crew finished lowering the raft and him into the water.

Once the raft splashed down they waited a few seconds to make sure it was going to actually float before letting out the line, allowing it to drift off behind the ship.

“Kill the lights,” Tia ordered and the word was passed along and every lantern on the ship was extinguished.

When the raft and Smythe were several yards away from the ship Smythe made sure that everything was tied down so that it wouldn't come apart and he untied the line between the raft and the ship and wrapped it around his waist. Just as he lowered himself into the water the battleship fired a couple of shots at the lights, missing the raft buy only a few yards. The crew pulled in the line with Smythe on the other end. When he was at the hull of the ship they reached down and helped him back on board

Tia had a blanket waiting and wrapped it around the boy and grinned at him. “Good job, Mr. Smythe. Good job.”

“Thanks, Captain,” Smythe said quietly.

Tia made her way to the helm. “Turn her starboard, Mr. Stevens,” she said. Then to Newhouse who had been right behind her, “Minimal sails, Mr. Newhouse. Run her silent.” Then she took the spy glass and went back to the stern where she kept a look out behind them.

With the thick fog as their cover repairs were made to the Paradise. When they were completed Tia took out her compass and checked it then made her way back to the helm where she whispered instructions to her helmsman and the ship began to turn slowly, making a wide circle back to the edge of the fog. Their timing was perfect and as the sun crested the horizon, illuminating the fog, the Paradise found the edge of its cloud cover.

Tia crawled up to the bow and stood with one foot on the railing at the front most point, held onto a sail line with one hand and scanned the sea with her spyglass. Then she saw it. The warship that had been chasing them was now in front of them, cruising the edge of the fog bank.

“Full sails, Mr. Newhouse,” she called over her shoulders and her orders were relayed back. “Gunners at the ready. Catch up to her Mr. Stevens. Raise our colors, Mr. Smythe.”

The Paradise picked up speed and soon was within range of her forward canons. “Fire!” She ordered down to the two gunners and they fired the two forward canons simultaneously...one cannonball shattering the glass windows of the warship's captain's quarters. The sound of chaos could be heard and Tia smirked.

“Bring her along side, Mr. Stevens,” she called out.

“Aye, Captain,” Stevens replied and skillfully steered the Paradise along side of the warship. As soon as they were next to the large ship, Tia called to open fire and all of her starboard canons opened fire at the port side of the warship.

The warship...caught completely off guard opened its canon ports and fired back but it was too late. The Paradise had already damaged most of its port side hull and most of the canon ports wouldn't open. Its crew attempted firing their rifles and pistols at the Paradise between dodging splintering wood.

“Prepare to board,” Tia called out and her crew threw grappling hooks onto the deck of the warship and within minutes they were pulling the Paradise close enough to lay gang planks from their deck to the warship's. It wasn't long before Captain Tianna Ford possessed the large warship. She buried her dead and the dead of the warship's captain's at sea and with honors and assigned Mr. Morrison to captain the huge ship back to their lagoon in the Bahamas once repairs had been made.

The Paradise followed the warship back to their port with its captain standing on the forward most point of its bow...the wind blowing her hair and the sea glistening like diamonds on her tanned skin.

***Present day***

[/i][/color]

Tia stands on the bow of the clipper ship, the wind and ocean spray on her face and she smiles. A few minutes later her thoughts are interrupted as the ship slows and a voice from behind her says, “we're coming into port, Ms. Steinberg.” She turns and looks down at the man standing on the deck of the bow and nods. Still smiling she jumps down to the deck.

[Tia] I'll take her.

Tia says with conviction. The man leads her over to the chart table behind the wheel and as his tiny crew drops the clipper ship's anchor, Tia signs the required sales contract and pays the man in cash. “The title transfer should take only a week or so,” the man says as he walks her to the railing and the ladder leading down to the small boat waiting along side. “I'll call you as soon as she is ready for you,” he says.

[Tia] I look forward to it.

Tia says. She takes one more look at her new ship, shakes the man's hand and climbs down to the boat which will take her to shore. She is once again the captain of a sailing ship (although she is now Captain Suzanna Steinberg).