Archive of Our Own

LOVING A WATCHER

Richie had taken Duncan's T-bird that day because he had to pick up some supplies for the dojo. Now that people were actually coming back to the dojo - having discovered that Charlie's departure did not mean that they'd have to go elsewhere - they needed things like towels, soap, paper cups... For some reason Duncan never remembered these things, but when Richie had confronted him, the highlander had simply said, "That's what I hired you for. To remember those things." So Richie did. Who knew, soon the dojo might even start showing a profit.

All this was going through Richie's mind when something seemed to jump out of the shadows, straight in front of the car. Richie slammed on brakes and swerved, missing the person by inches. He jumped out of the car, to see a crumpled human being lying in front of it.

"Are you okay?" he began, then realised that there was no way one could simply fall out so far into the street. "What were you trying to do, kill yourself?" he yelled.

A dishevelled face framed by light brown hair looked back at him as the girl answered, "Yes!"

"What do you mean, yes? You were trying to commit suicide? Why?"

"I don't know who I am, where I am, or how I got here. I just want it to be over."

Richie helped the girl get up, appraising her as he did so. She was approximately his age - his actual age, that is, and very frightened. "What do you mean?"

"I woke up two days ago in this hotel room, with people banging on the door telling me it was time to leave. And I don't know how I got there. I've been walking around trying to see if anything is familiar, but so far it isn't. My head hurts," she added as an afterthought.

Richie took a look. "No wonder, you have some nasty gashes up here. That must be the cause of it. Let me take you to a doctor. Maybe he can tell us what the problem is."

The girl nodded. "Okay."

***

Richie drove the girl straight to the hospital, where he found Anne on duty. She didn't chase him out while she looked; she asked him what was going on as she attended to the girl. "She jumped in front of the T-bird. She said she was trying to kill herself because she didn't know where she was. Or who." Richie sounded worried to Anne, but also puzzled. Amnesia certainly didn't seem like a good enough reason to want to kill oneself.

Anne spoke to the girl as she cleaned the cuts on her head. "This is a weird cut. It looks... like someone hit you over the head with a knife or something. With the flat side. It still cut you, but don't worry. It'll heal okay, and you'll be fine."

"But why can't I remember?" pleaded the girl.

Anne shrugged, not really worried at this stage. "The blow most probably caused the memory loss. It's nothing too serious."

"You're saying I'll remember." For the first time that night the girl sounded a little bit positive.

Anne smiled. "Sure, I told you it isn't all that serious." She looked at Richie. "I need to speak to you. Excuse us."

They went into the next room, where Anne looked directly at Richie. "You realise that wounds of this kind require me to call the police."

"And they'll take her down to county hospital and keep her there. Real humane treatment." Richie's voice showed what he thought of that idea.

"That's why I'm reluctant to do it. County isn't exactly the place I'd want to go. If I knew that she was safe and had somewhere to stay..." Anne trailed off, her implication obvious.

Richie knew that Anne was trying to do the right thing - for the girl, and because she knew he cared and would look after her - so he didn't argue. He was about to say that he'd take her to Duncan when he thought better of it. The doctor might not like a patient of hers hanging around while she visited MacLeod, and Duncan by now was probably fed up with Richie's habit of sheltering girls in trouble.

"I'll take her to my place," he finally said. He'd been planning to do that anyway, he supposed.

"Fine." They went back in. "You can go home with Richie," Anne told the girl. "I'll come by and check on you. Do you at least know your name?"

"I... no, I don't think so... I keep getting this word 'Beth' in my mind, but I don't think it's my name."

"Well, how about we call you by it until you do remember your name?" Anne suggested.

"All right."

"Then go with Richie and get some rest. You'll be fine."

***

Richie took her to his place, not even stopping to drop off the T-bird or stock the supplies; he could always do that the next day. It was probably a good idea anyway, the girl could get out and see if anything looked familiar.

"Okay," he said, arranging pillows. "You can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. Just look in that drawer there for a T-shirt to sleep in. Need anything else?"

The girl shook her head. "Thank you." She was about to close the door, but turned back and looked at him. "Why are you helping me?"

Richie smiled. "Mac would say it's a habit of mine, and I guess it is. I figure it's nice to be needed. Makes me feel useful." He winked. "So now you know."

The girl tried to smile back and began to close the door. As she did, her wrist became exposed to the light. There was no mistaking the tattoo that adorned it.

He couldn't help it. Richie rushed forward and grabbed her by the wrist, looking more closely. "What are you doing?!" she yelled.

"Where did you get this?"

"What?"

"You're one of them."

The girl started to cry. "I don't know who I am, or why... I don't know!"

"Did you think I'd fall for it? Huh?" All the gentleness was gone from Richie's voice. "I get it. I go to sleep, you take my sword and wham. One less of us around."

The girl struggled to free her wrist from Richie's grasp. "I don't know what you're talking about! Let me go!"

"You have a Watcher tattoo."

"Richie, please, I..."

As she pleaded with him, Richie saw that she was indeed telling the truth. He'd never be so quick to trust anyone again, but when he thought about it he realised she wasn't lying. He hadn't told anybody the route he was going to take back to the dojo; the girl had placed herself in the road quite perfectly - if it hadn't been for his reflexes, he'd have run over her. And the wound on her head was quite real. 'But so was Pete's scar...' said something in the back of his mind. No. Such planning would have taken an army of Watchers, and the Hunters did not have that many people.

Richie let go of Beth, trying to steady his breathing. He was attracted to her. But that always happened, so he ignored it. "I'm sorry. It's just... I recognise that tattoo. In fact, I think I know how we can find out who you are."

Beth rubbed her wrist. "Really?" It hurt where he had grabbed her, and yet, when he'd held her, she had felt... safe.

"Yeah. I'll tell you tomorrow. We'll go see a friend of mine. But for now, go in there and get some sleep, okay?"

Beth nodded. "Okay."

Richie went and lay on the couch, thinking. Why did he always help girls in trouble? What he'd said to Beth was true - he liked to feel needed. His entire life had been one of wishing he could make a difference, make people happy. But he'd never been able to, not really, until he'd met Duncan MacLeod. Breaking and entering had been his way of surviving, but he'd always known that inside, somewhere, was the person he was finally becoming. It was a good feeling.

Richie finally got some sleep, having hid his sword away.

***

They walked into Joe's at mid-morning, the girl trailing behind Richie nervously. Joe was at the bar. He didn't show any sign that he recognised her. "What's up, Richie?"

"This is Beth," Richie introduced her. "She's lost her memory. "She jumped in front of the T-bird last night, but lucky for her I was feeling especially alert that night." He didn't tell Joe any of his fears for her, or the fact that her trying to kill herself over something like amnesia - which would go away, Anne had said - was still bothering him.

Joe looked at the girl, then back at Richie. "And you missed her, obviously."

"Yeah. I think she was hit over the head by a sword. Anne said that's probably what did it. But the reason we're here is because she's a Watcher."

"What?!" asked Joe, surprised. "Let me see." The girl held up her hand to show Joe the tattoo.

Joe frowned. "Not from our chapter," he said, noting Richie's puzzled look. "I can't tell you too much, but not all the Watchers know each other. We have Watchers in every country in the world. That's thousands of people. We don't all know each other."

"But you do have a database, am I right?"

Dawson sighed. "Yeah. I assume you want me to find out who Beth is, correct?"

"Yeah."

"But..." He turned to the girl. "How do you know your name is Beth if you've lost your memory?"

The girl explained how the word remained in her head. "It doesn't seem like my name, but it's the only thing in my mind that feels familiar."

"Hm. Okay, I'll start going through the database. It could take a while, though. Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'm staying with Richie."

"You're welcome to stay with me if you like. Or I'll arrange for one of the others - a woman, maybe - to accommodate you."

The girl shook her head. So far Richie was the only person she trusted. The only person who'd really seemed concerned. The only person... the only person who, when he was near her, made her feel... good. Joe seemed nice, but she felt safer - and happier - with Richie. "I'm staying with Richie."

Joe shrugged. "Whatever. We'll find out who you are, don't worry. Rich, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"

Richie looked at Beth. "Do you mind?"

She shook her head. "I'll put something on the jukebox."

When they were alone, Dawson quizzed Richie about the girl.

"I don't know, Dawson. She just jumped in front of the car. She was hysterical; she didn't want to live. But she calmed down when I said I'd help her. I think we need to find out who she is."

"From what I've seen, Richie, she was watching an Immortal who knows about the Hunters. He probably saw the tattoo and assumed she wanted to kill him. The way MacLeod did at first. So he tried to kill her first, and she just got lucky. Next time she might not."

"I'll protect her." It was all he could say. The last girl he'd tried to protect had died, and he was not going to let it happen a second time.

"What if she turns out to be one of the renegades?" Joe was asking.

Richie had thought of that. But the niggling thought remained: a renegade Watcher wouldn't kill him or herself for nothing - they only took their own lives to prevent information about them getting out. And an Immortal had NOT been following the girl, that he was sure of.

First things first, he thought. "Let's just find out who she is before we jump to conclusions," he said to Joe.

"Yeah." Dawson sighed. "Okay."

***

Richie took Beth around the city, but nothing came. They walked in the upmarket streets and in the back alleys; it made no difference. They took a walk on the beach, the pier, in parks... And still the girl's face remained blank. All she could say was, "I don't think I'm from this city, Richie. Nothing seems familiar. I wouldn't even be able to find my way back to your place without you." She clung to his hand as if afraid he *would* go off and leave her there.

Richie felt many things flowing from her to him as they walked along, his attraction for her growing by the minute. But he continued to ignore it as best he could: now was not the time.

Everywhere they went, the girl said the same thing: nothing was familiar. Richie, however, tried to remain optimistic. "Well, then we just take it easy and wait for your memory to return. Come on, we'll go to the amusement park, how's that?"

She looked at him with an actual smile in her eyes. "Are you trying to cheer me up?"

Richie leaned over and kissed her forehead. That couldn't hurt, he thought. "How did you know?"

This time she did smile. "Richie..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Enough with the thank yous already. I wanted to help, so I did. That's it."

She said nothing, but kissed him on the cheek instead. Smiling, they went to have some fun.

And have fun they did. They went on the rollercoaster, the teacup, every ride in the place. They even took pictures in one of those photo booths. It was utterly silly, but fun. The pictures, had anyone else seen them, would have fooled the unknowing into thinking they were just your average young couple in love. And maybe... they wouldn't have been entirely wrong.

***

In the night a nightmare came. All she could see for sure were swords, and one coming at her. She began twisting away... and woke up, to find Richie standing over her.

"You okay?"

In the light emanating from the living room he looked very cute and dishevelled. The girl felt safe again looking at him, and calmed down, wishing he'd hold her, but too proud to ask for such a thing.

"Just a nightmare," she said. "There were swords... maybe just one, it was coming at me, I tried to get away..." She squared her shoulders. If he didn't want to hold her or comfort her, that was fine. She figured she hardly knew him, and thus had no right to expect it. "I'm okay now."

But Richie sat down next to her. "You screamed in your sleep. Are you sure you're okay?

The girl nodded. "Yeah. It's just..." She gave in. He was so close... "Hold me for a minute, okay? You make me feel safe."

Richie held her, feeling her relax against him. His warmth flowed into her, and she never wanted him to let go. "I think I could fall asleep like this."

"That's fine for you, I don't think I could sit here all night like this," he replied.

"Yeah." He was only wearing boxer shorts, after all.

Suddenly, the girl thought of something. "You know more than you're telling, aren't you? About the Watchers I mean."

She felt Richie tense up as he said, "No, not really..." It was too evasive an answer. She tried again. "The Watchers are a secret organisation, you said, but what do they watch? Who? Are they some U.F.O. organisation? But if that's so, then why would someone try to kill me with a sword? I know you know, Richie, I can almost feel it."

Richie let go of her. It was too easy for her to judge his reactions with him holding her. He stood up. "Look, it's difficult to explain. I'd rather we waited for your memory to return, then it won't need explaining."

"Tell me now."

"I don't think you're..." He trailed off, a far-away look in his eyes. Another Immortal. "Wait here." He went into the living room and retrieved his sword from its hiding place. When the girl saw it her eyes widened immensely. "You have a sword!"

Richie realised why she'd have a reason to be afraid. "It's okay, this is an antique. It was given to me by a friend."

"Richie, what are you doing?" She did not sound convinced.

"Look, just wait there, okay?"

The girl remained in the doorway as Richie went to the door and opened it. Duncan MacLeod stood there, not looking at all pleased.

"Mac!" Richie put down the sword.

Duncan, however, was not in the mood for small talk. "Is she in there?"

"Yeah, she..."

Duncan grabbed Richie and pulled him into the hall, whispering, "Are you out of your mind, bringing a Watcher into your house?"

Now Richie became irritated. "Did Joe tell you?"

"No, Anne told me. And Joe mentioned he'd seen her. He must have thought you told me."

"They had no right to say anything!" fumed Richie. "I knew you wouldn't like it, that's why I didn't tell you."

Duncan's voice became harder. "Look, Rich. Anne's a doctor. Joe's our friend. They're worried."

"She's fine, Mac. Anyway, she's lost her memory."

"So she says. How do you know it's the truth?"

Richie was getting cold standing out here in the hall; after all, he was not wearing much. "Do you mind? It's freezing here."

Duncan rolled his eyes. "Answer me." As he said it, the girl appeared in the doorway.

She couldn't take the suspense anymore. Somehow she felt that they were talking about her. Did they know more than they were telling? "What's going on? Richie?"

Richie turned to MacLeod. "Why don't you come in and find out for yourself," he said.

***

The girl told Duncan everything she could remember, which wasn't much. But Richie could tell by the look in MacLeod's eyes that he was still very suspicious.

"Why try to kill yourself?" asked Duncan. This was the question that had been bothering Richie for two days.

The girl looked down. "I don't know... I felt it would be better."

"Better than what?"

"Better than falling prey to... to... I don't know! I can't remember! You have to believe me! I just don't remember."

"You say you're a Watcher, but you don't know what the Watchers are?" Duncan asked disbelievingly.

Beth nodded. "Richie told me I'm a Watcher. That's what this tattoo is, to identify me with them. But I don't know anything else! I don't even know what the Watchers watch!"

Duncan looked at Richie. "You didn't tell her that part?"

"Mac, it's pretty unbelievable as it is. When she gets her memory back, she'll know it all anyway."

Duncan didn't seem impressed. "Maybe you should tell her now." He got up to go. "Sorry to have bothered you two so late."

"So, you believe me? About not knowing?" the girl asked.

"Yeah." Duncan indicated to Richie, who walked outside with him. "I think Dawson's right, Rich. An Immortal tried to kill her. Which means there's an Immortal out there who's looking for her. And if he finds her, her finds you."

"Mac, I can..."

"Take care of yourself. I know. Just be careful."

"Sure."

***

Richie went back inside, to the girl. "Duncan said we have to be careful, that someone's probably looking for you."

"An Immortal," said the girl.

"Yeah, an... how did you know?"

"I... I don't know, it just came to me. That's who tried to kill me, Richie! An Immortal!"

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Not who I am, but... Immortals! They're... they... are you a Watcher? You know about them."

Richie held up his wrist. "Nope."

"Then, what..." It dawned on her. "You're one of them, aren't you? You're an Immortal."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm an Immortal."

"And you knew what I was. More and more Immortals these days are... are... I don't remember!" She looked up at Richie beseechingly. "What's an Immortal? Tell me, please!"

Richie sighed, sat down next to her. At least he wouldn't have to try to break it to her gently now. "What do you think?"

"Someone who can't die."

"Unless?"

"Someone chops their head off." Her eyes widened as she remembered seeing one of those duels. "And then... lightning."

"It's called the Quickening." Richie smiled. "Your memory's coming back."

She nodded, then started to cry. "I'm happy, Richie. I'll know who I am, I..." She stopped, remembering the other important fact about this whole thing. "Watchers watch Immortals."

"Yeah. Watchers watch us."

"We... we... we don't interfere, we just... watch. My parents call us historical voyeurs."

Richie pounced. "Do you remember their names?"

"No, I... no, but... It's coming back. Hold me." And she put her arms around him and held on tight, feeling his warmth again. She wanted more this time, and it didn't matter how short a time they had known each other: she felt as if they'd known each other forever. "Kiss me, Richie."

This was too much for Richie, even though every nerve in his body told him to do it. He pulled away instead. "No. Not again."

"Again?"

"I helped someone, once. Someone who... an Immortal was following her. We... she... She became important to me and I just had to help her. But the Immortal killed her. I don't want that to happen to you."

Laura. Every day he still thought about that whole incident. When he'd killed Mako, that had been his first Quickening. He was different now, and he knew it. In some ways he regretted doing it, but he still didn't know what else he could have done. He was a fully-fledged Immortal now and had to make his own choices. This time he chose to remain at a distance. It was best for them both.

But the girl didn't have access to all that knowledge. "I won't get killed if I can just remember who I am and what to do, Richie. Please be with me, I need you."

Richie's resolve started to weaken. He knew that this was a pattern of his, helping girls in trouble. And because of him they usually ended up in even more. It wasn't limited to his Immortality, though, he thought to himself. Perhaps he should have left Beth with Duncan. It was all him, he reasoned. Laura had been killed, Maja would have died because of his stupidity had Duncan not saved her, and Donna... Donna and the baby might very well have died too. Maybe there was still time to take her to Duncan.

"I think you'd be safer at MacLeod's," he finally said.

"No! I'm not going! You're the only person who makes me feel safe. I don't want to be anywhere else."

"Safety is an illusion," said Richie, "especially with me. I don't want anything to happen to you." As he said it he knew she wasn't going to listen. They stared into each others' eyes for a long time, neither one wanting to give way. Finally, Richie did give in. "Okay, you win. You can stay. So go in there and go to sleep. You need rest. I think that the more rest you get, the faster your memory will return. You've already remembered the important things."

"Except my name and where I live. Who I was watching. All the important things, right."

"I'll be here," said Richie. "You get some sleep."

"Okay."

***

In sleep the dream came again: a sword was coming at her. But this time she saw someone grab the arm holding the sword, and pull. The flat side of the sword impacted with her head, and it went blank. Beth sat up in the bed, shaking. It wasn't a dream, it was a memory. She tried to go back into it, to see what had happened. And then it came.

She was standing on a corner, near an alley, unobtrusively. A lot of lightning came from the alley, and when she tried to step further away, to make it look as though she hadn't seen anything, a tall, dark-haired man grabbed her from behind.

Watchers were, of course, trained in what to do in these situations. Usually, playing innocent worked. "Look, I don't have any money on me," she had said. "I do have a chain, just take it, okay?"

The man didn't listen; instead he grabbed her wrist. "I know about you. You people are not going to kill me!"

Okay, so playing innocent had not worked. "You know we'd never tell anyone."

"No, you just kill us."

"What?"

The man took out his sword. It was one of the most menacing swords she'd ever seen, much like the Kurgan's. "I'll kill you first," the man said, and just as he came at her, two teenagers who were passing rushed to the scene.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" One of them grabbed the Immortal's arm, deflecting the angle of the blow, and the sword impacted with her head instead.

Beth was not to know that a club a block away had just closed its doors, releasing teenage ravers into the night. And that the flood of people bringing up the rear had scared the Immortal away. The two who'd saved her hadn't been quite sure what to do - they hadn't wanted to take her the hospital in case the police tried to connect them with the case. So they had taken her to the hotel instead.

All Beth could remember was the Immortal's face, and the sword hitting her. She didn't know who he was, but now she remembered what she had been doing there: she had followed *her* Immortal from her home, right up until he (or she? The girl couldn't tell) had gone into that alley. And gotten decapitated for his (or her?) trouble. She didn't remember her Immortal's name, or her own for that matter, but now she had somewhere to start.

And for some insane reason that even she could not puzzle out, the first person she thought to tell was...

"Richie!" She shook him awake.

"Yeah, what?" he asked, still half asleep.

"I remember now! I came all the way from Florida! I followed my Immortal here."

"Your Immortal?"

Something told her not to explain. "Yeah, and he, or she - I think it could have been a woman - met another one in this city, and lost."

"'Your' Immortal got her head chopped off, and the guy who did it tried to kill you?" It sounded plausible to Richie.

"Yes! Somebody saved me, I don't know who."

"You were lucky," Richie said. Mortals who got into altercations with Immortals hardly ever lasted very long. Meddling in Immortal affairs had gotten more than one person killed for their trouble.

The girl sank onto the couch next to Richie. "I know. All I got were a few scrambled brain cells. I could have been dead." On impulse, she hugged him. "I have somewhere to start, now."

Richie hugged her back, trying to keep it platonic. "Good." He'd resolved not to get involved, but it wasn't working. It had been a useless resolve anyway, he knew. He did like Beth a whole lot. And he wanted her a whole lot, too.

She was saying, "And, see, I don't feel helpless anymore. I'm okay. And I really like you, Richie."

"Don't confuse gratefulness with liking me," he said, but only half-heartedly.

"I'm not. I do like you."

Richie tried to say something more, but she interrupted. "Kiss me, you fool." All she wanted was for him to kiss her, and touch her, and make her feel safe. So, she kissed him first.

"Wha..mfff," was about all Richie could get out before she kissed him, and he couldn't help but return the kiss. As he kissed her, the young Immortal knew that it could not work, that it would have to end. He could feel it, but he ignored the feeling. She was here, now, wearing nothing but a thin T-shirt... and soon even that was gone.

***

Joe Dawson was startled to find Richie at the door when he opened
the bar the next day. "Gee, you're here early."

Richie, with Beth in tow, came in. "Yeah. Dawson! We found out where she's from! Florida!"

"Florida? Where in Florida?"

"I seem to... I get a picture of a planet... it must be a key... Jupiter! That's it, Jupiter, Florida!" She smiled in triumph.

"So, you'll be able to find out who she is now, won't you?" asked Richie anxiously.

"I don't see why not," Joe replied. "I'll have to check the database." He turned back to Beth. "You're a long way from home."

"I followed my Immortal here. She - I think it was a woman - was killed the other night in an alley, and the guy who did it tried to kill me."

Joe was about to lecture the girl on the importance of being unobtrusive, but then thought better of it. Her memory had not yet fully returned. Instead he said, "And that's when Richie found you."

She shook her head. "No, first I landed up in a hotel. It was when I left there that I ended up jumping in front of Richie's car."

"Why?"

"The Watchers I know... they program you... I feel it, somehow. Rather die than be captured and tortured by one of the bad Immortals. An evil enough person could destroy the Watchers, and we can't let that happen."

"You remember all this, but not who you are?" Joe was alarmed by the apparent programming to die rather than be forced to give up information. That was a tactic used by the Hunters. Could the Hunters possibly be using the girl to get to the Immortals in other parts of the country?

The girl was twisting her hair nervously. "I know myself, inside. What kind of a person I am. But my name isn't there. All I do know is, it's not Beth."

***

When he had seen Richie and the girl off, Dawson checked the database for Watchers in Florida, and came up with a family who were all Watchers. There was a man, his wife, their daughter, and a brother-in-law, all of whom did a little Watching. Their current assignment had been to watch a woman named Elizabeth Pierce, a fairly new Immortal as these things went.

Joe called the number provided.

"Joe Dawson?" asked the man at the other end of the line when Joe called. "Of course I know who you are. What did we do to get a call from one of the higher-ups?"

"A... friend of mine met a girl who says she has lost her memory. All she knows is that she's from Jupiter and followed her Immortal here."

"And you're still watching Duncan MacLeod up there in Washington?"

"Yeah."

"That's our daughter," the man replied. "She followed her Immortal up there."

They talked for a long while, not just about the girl, but about Immortals, Watching, and ethics. At the end Joe was satisfied that these people were not a group of renegades. He was immensely relieved.

Joe went over to Richie's place the minute he put down the phone. He found the two of them holding hands, even when Richie opened the door.

"Good news?" Richie asked.

"Yeah. We found out who you are," he said to the girl. "I just had to check our records and make a call."

The girl put her arm around Richie, but continued to look at Joe. "So, who am I?"

"Your name is Lily Thompson, you work in a music shop in Jupiter, as you thought. It's right across the street from where your Immortal worked. You've been missing for three weeks. Apparently your check-ins became irregular, and finally stopped."

"I kept hearing 'Beth' in my head," said Lily. "But I knew it wasn't my name."

"Well, you were right there. It's the name of your Immortal. Elizabeth Pierce. Her latest interest in life was aerobics and karate classes."

"Yeah, I... I seem to recall now... she hadn't been Immortal very long...40 years or something."

"42, yeah," said Dawson.

"Such a short time, and now she's dead." It was a sad thing. Lily knew that one shouldn't get attached to one's Immortal, but it often happened. After the scandal with Rita, Watchers had to be extra careful. The scandal with Rita?!! Another piece fell into place.

"Well, now we can put that in our records," Joe was saying. He hadn't really known much about Beth Pierce, so it was hard to miss her. "Do you know who killed her?"

"I didn't, but now... It was Nicholas Crawford." His name came as she was speaking. The look in Joe's eyes when she said the name told her all she'd need to know about Nicholas Crawford.

"Well, who's Nicholas Crawford?" prompted Richie.

"Not someone you wanna mess with," said Joe - firmly. "I'm serious, Rich. This guy's dangerous."

"And he's here," finished Lily.

Richie and Joe shared a look. Richie was not yet well-known as an Immortal, so Crawford could only be here for Duncan, unless Beth Pierce had been his target. But if so, what was Crawford still doing in the city? Joe turned to the girl. "I think you should go home to Florida. Staying here's dangerous."

Lily looked at Richie. "I... don't know if I wanna go back."

"Your father told me you could take care of yourself."

"My... yes! My parents... they're also Watchers!" As she said it, their names came to mind.

"Your father told me to tell you they miss you."

"I'll give them a call," she said, still looking at Richie.

***

Lily had to get the number from Joe because it was still lost with a few other stray memories... But when she heard her father answer the phone, most of them came back right away. He wanted her to come home immediately, of course. She needed to be reassigned.

"No, Dad, I can't come home now. There's unfinished business here." As she said it, she kept her eyes on Richie. *He* was her unfinished business. And then there was Crawford...

"We miss you, honey. You aren't thinking of staying up there, are you?"

"I might; I haven't decided yet." As she spoke, Richie took the hand that was not holding the phone and kissed the palm. Lily pulled her hand away, laughing silently, and mouthing, "No!" at Richie.

"Look, Lily, I know Joe can reassign you if you like, but... Who would you watch?"

"Who would I watch?" she repeated, watching Richie, and smiling. Then she realised what she had just said. And what she was doing... had done. Do not get near your Immortal. But Richie wasn't her Immortal, Richie was just... hers. At least for right now.

Her father was continuing, "...Not to mention that everything you need is here."

Lily was too distracted to continue the conversation. "Look, Dad, I've gotta go. Tell Mom I said hi when she gets back."

When Lily put down the phone, she grabbed Richie and kissed him passionately, holding him so tight he thought she'd squeeze all the air out of his lungs. "Whoa! What did I do to deserve that?"

The girl didn't answer; instead she began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Something inside her made her want to be with him, close to him now, in case they didn't get a chance later. Deep inside, in a part of her mind that she did not want to acknowledge, something told her that Watchers and Immortals could not work, not in a relationship like this.

"Wait!" Richie grabbed her hands. "What brought this on? Talking to your father?"

"He wants me to come home, Richie. I don't think I can do that. I want to be with you."

Richie just looked fondly at the girl. "I..." He had never spoken about this before, about making love with someone and how that affected you. He'd never needed to; words had not seemed necessary. But now... "Lily... you can't use sex to blot it out. It's..."

She shut him up again by kissing him, then tried again. "I don't care if that's what I'm doing. I need you now, that's all I care about."

"No, wait." He held her at arms length for a minute. "Why don't you go home? For a short while, anyway. I'll come with you. I could use a holiday, and I don't think Mac will object." That was a lie, of course: MacLeod would object *very* strongly. But Richie, despite his relationship with MacLeod, was his own person, and had his own life.

"You'll come with me?"

"Of course I will."

Lily looked away. "I don't... What if my parents find out what you are?"

"How could they? I won't tell them."

"Richie..."

"Look, if you need me you'll have to trust me. I think we should go to Florida so that you can sort out your feelings and priorities. That's all."

Lily nodded silently. "Does that mean making love with you is out?" She did want him so.

Richie grinned. "Well... no."

***

Duncan wasn't too happy with Richie's decision to go off with Lily. "She must have a circle of friends who are Watchers, Richie. If they know about you..."

"Mac, how could they know about me? I don't think I'm that famous, that they'd have a huge file on me that every Watcher knows."

"They do probably have a file on Mako, though." Duncan brought up the one name Richie did not want to hear. It still hurt to think about it. "Mac, we were both there that day. No one knew about me yet, and unless you told Joe, how do we know what their files say?"

MacLeod did not want the credit for killing Mako, but he hadn't said anything to anyone about it. "You know I didn't tell Joe."

"Then...?" smiled Richie.

"I don't like it, Rich."

But Richie had known Duncan wouldn't like it. So he tried a different approach. "Mac, I like this girl. She knows about Immortals. She knows what goes down with us, but she still wants me!" Richie hadn't ever had that before, where someone knew about him and didn't care.

"She's a Watcher, Rich. Sooner or later your priorities and hers will come into conflict."

Richie was starting to raise his voice a little now. Sometimes one could only get through to Duncan MacLeod by shouting. "I don't care, Mac! We'll have time together before that!"

"Richie, Immortals shouldn't live one day at a time. It's dangerous, stupid and irresponsible!"

"That's your opinion."

"No, that's fact. You have to think of consequences."

"Mac, I have. When they find out I can always move on. Or she could leave."

Duncan sighed. Trying to talk sense to Richie was like banging one's head against a wall: the only thing it accomplished was to feel so good when one gave up. He knew that nothing he could say would change his friend's mind, but he still had to try.

"Some of her Watcher pals might be renegades. You could lose your head. And you know what it's against the rules for Watchers to fraternise with Immortals." That, at least, was true.

"With *their* Immortals, Mac. We found that out, didn't we?" Despite knowing that being friends - or more - with one's Watcher wasn't the best idea, both Duncan and Richie had held to their friendship with Joe. This, however, was very different.

"She might also get kicked out of the Watchers on your account. And what'll happen if you two decide you're not made for each other after all?"

"Mac..." Richie was tired of arguing. "I'm going with her. If things work out we'll be back in two weeks."

"Well, just be careful," Duncan said finally. Richie always did whatever he damn well wanted to; trying to stop him was like trying to hold back an avalanche. Duncan often felt like strangling him, but in some ways he admired the youngster too.

***

"Wow, cool apartment," said Richie when they walked into Lily's.

"Thanks. I decorated it myself."

Richie stepped up and kissed her lightly. "So, you remember everything now?"

"The important things." She smiled, putting her arms around him. Then she let go. "I have to call my parents."

"Yeah. Okay. Where do I unpack?"

"Bedroom's that way," she pointed, already pushing buttons on the phone. "Hi, Mom. I'm back."

As Richie put out his few things, he could hear her side of the conversation: telling her mother that she was fine, saying she'd drop by later, and...

"What?! How'd you find out about that?"

Her mother, on the other end of the line, replied, "You live three blocks away, Lily. Your uncle saw him when you got out of the taxi. So, is he a new boyfriend?"

Silence. Then, "Yeah. He's someone very special. He's the one who helped me when I lost my memory."

"Are you going to bring him over? We'd love to meet him and thank him."

Richie had come out of the bedroom, and was watching her. She wasn't certain about whatever her mother had said, that much he could tell. He guessed that her parents wanted to know who it was who had helped their daughter. He nodded, whispered: "Say yes."

"Yeah, Mom. I guess that'd be okay. I think he wants to meet you, too."

The usual plans were made and goodbyes were said, but all the while Lily's worried expression remained. When she put the phone down she turned to Richie. "My mother wants us there tomorrow afternoon for lunch."

"So? Let's go."

"Richie... this is my home town. My parents are both Watchers. So's my aunt's husband. They might notice..."

"All they're gonna notice is whether they like me or not. I'm betting they won't. It always happens - if a girl really digs me, her parents always hate me. But that's usually a sign that the girl and I are set." He smiled.

"They'll love you." She hesitated. "Just like I do."

When Richie heard that, his heart leapt. He wasn't sure if it was because he loved her, too, or because saying you loved someone usually meant a commitment of some sort. But why was he hesitating now? He'd come thousands of miles to be with her, for crying out loud.

Richie forced the frown off his face, grinned at her. "I hope so. Just like... like I love you."

But she heard his hesitation too. "Maybe we're not ready to say that, Richie. Everything happened so quickly. I was scared, and you were there, I liked you... making love with you made me feel... I dunno. Safe. Like I belonged."

Richie nodded. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I do have feelings for you, though. Strong ones."

"And I'm guessing not all of them are on purely an emotional level," she said, putting her arms around his waist.

Richie swallowed. Hard. "Well... no."

"I have an answer to that," she said, taking his hand and pulling him along.

"Yeah? You do?"

"Oh, yeah."

They were in the bedroom now. She closed the door.

***

They arrived for lunch a few minutes early, and Lily introduced him. And, for once, a girl's parents liked Richie. "So, Richie, what do you do?"

"I manage a dojo back home," he replied, slightly cautious.

Lily's parents exchanged a glance. "A dojo? And what kind of money do you make?"

Richie was about to say, "Enough to get by," but by the way Lily's parents were looking at him, the appraisal wouldn't go too far if he behaved in too nonchalant a fashion. "Um, a decent amount," he finally tried.

"Lunch is on," came the call from the dining room.

They went in, and were about to sit down when the phone rang. Lily's father answered it, and there was a huge surprise in his voice when he spoke to the person. Then he turned and offered the phone to Richie. "It's for you." He went back into the dining room.

Richie was puzzled. He looked at Lily. "Who would know we were here?"

"Joe?"

"Oh. Yeah." Both remembered that Joe had phoned the girl's father, after all, and explained the situation - well, most of the situation - to him. Richie took the phone. "This is Richie."

"Rich?" It was Duncan.

"Mac? How..." He stopped. Joe had given MacLeod the number, obviously.

"There's no time for small talk. I'm sorry to bother you while you're there, but I had an encounter with Nicholas Crawford last night. I tried to get hold of you, but..." Richie knew why Duncan hadn't been able to get hold of him: he had taken Lily's phone off the hook. But there was no time for chit-chat now. "And?"

"We were interrupted. I don't think he was here for me, Rich. He didn't seem too interested in fighting me. I think he was here for Beth Pierce."

"But, Mac..."

"Exactly. She's dead. Why did he stick around?" Duncan didn't wait for an answer. "He was after Lily. I think he'll head back now. You be careful."

Richie noted that Duncan didn't try to talk him into coming back. He appreciated it. Besides, it seemed that it was now up to him to make sure the man didn't kill Lily.

"What?" asked Lily.

Richie, extremely aware of the girl's parents, said cautiously, "That was... a friend of mine. He just wanted to ask me something about the dojo. That's all."

When he said that, Lily immediately knew he was lying. Luckily, her parents didn't seem aware of that fact. Actually, her father looked a little peeved at total strangers phoning his house. Richie caught that look. "Sorry. Business emergency."

"Hm. Shall we eat now?" was all Lily's father said.

***

"How old are you, Richie?" the girl's mother was asking. "If you don't mind that kind of question."

"Ah... no. I guess not. I'm twenty-one." That wasn't quite the truth - Richie had yet to have his 21st birthday - but he knew that he looked too young to say he was older, and yet he behaved as if he were that age. He knew Lily was twenty-three. But with them, age scarcely mattered. He'd be 18 forever, after all.

The mother didn't notice his hesitation before answering questions; maybe she thought he was just shy or nervous. "What school did you go to back home?"

"School?"

"Yeah, you know, college."

Richie knew that he didn't lie well. Maybe before he'd met Duncan he'd been a good liar, but he was out of practice. "I... didn't go to college," he finally said, settling for the truth.

"And yet you manage a dojo?" This from the father.

"Well, I did have a little experience. I worked in an antique store before that. After that I... I spent some time in Spain and France."

"You're well-travelled."

Richie couldn't very well tell Lily's parents that Duncan had sent him away for a while, or that he'd been arrested for murder (not to mention attempted murder once before) while in Paris. Or that he tended to follow Duncan MacLeod around. So he just smiled. "Yeah. Even went down to Rio. Thought I'd do college later. I figure I have plenty of time for that."

"True." Lily's father reached for the salt. As he did so, Richie stared at the Watcher tattoo on the man's wrist.

He'd known that Lily and her parents were Watchers, but this brought it home with a jolt. He was surrounded by Watchers. Joe, he trusted. Anyone that Joe said was okay, was. But these people were strangers. And he, an Immortal, was sitting here having lunch with them, telling half-truths. It suddenly made Richie even more uncomfortable, and try though he did, he could not stop staring at the tattoo.

Lily's father caught the look. "I got drunk once while on shore leave," he said, by way of explanation.

Lily, who had been getting more and more tense, laughed. The laugh was a little too high, as she held up her wrist. "And I copied it. Cute, aren't we?"

"Uh... yeah," said Richie, trying to bring his attention back to the table. He'd almost managed it when he felt...

He looked up. Another Immortal. The door suddenly crashed open, and Nicholas Crawford stood in the doorway, sword in hand. He looked at the assembled people. "Which of you is it?"

Lily's father stood up, assumed what Richie knew to be a classic martial arts pose. "What do you want, Crawford?"

Crawford took a step forward. "My, my. You know me, but I don't know you, except..." He looked at Lily. "You. You were there when Beth lost her head. You were watching us."

Lily didn't know what to say.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that you Watcher people don't kill Immortals," Crawford quipped. "Save it. I've heard it. I know about Darius. And Xavier St. Cloud's scheme. I heard it all, from *my* Watcher. Just after he tried to kill me, and just before I killed him."

Richie could see that Lily's father was going to try and block Crawford, but without a sword he knew the man didn't stand a chance. Richie stood up, came around the table. His sword was under his coat in the living room. And now he knew that what he would have to do, what he'd have to say, would end his relationship with Lily. But he couldn't let Crawford kill these people.

"They're not all like that, Crawford. Not all the Watchers kill Immortals. Horton was a renegade, a lunatic. Duncan aired him out. That's over."

Crawford brought his attention away from Lily's father to Richie. "We'll have our own fight later, kid," he said. "I'm here for these people."

"They won't do anything to you!" Richie yelled. "All they do is Watch!"

"Sorry. I can't take that chance."

As Crawford spoke, Lily's father rushed forward, grabbing the man's sword arm and kicking him to the ground. Crawford landed on his side, flipped himself, and stood again. "You'll pay for that." He lunged with the sword, Lily's father ducked out of the way.

Lily and her mother watched the fight, feeling powerless. Lily edged as far out of the way as she could. She still remembered the sight of a blade reflecting in the light, then pain and blackness.

The fight continued for a while, as dishes and ornaments crashed everywhere. But Lily's father had no sword. Finally, he made one bad leg move, and Crawford grabbed the leg, shoving him backwards to the floor. He stood over Lily's father, bringing the sword down...

It impacted with Richie's as Richie parried the blow. "You and me," said Richie without preamble. "Let's do it."

Crawford yanked the blade away, stood back. "Why not. After I kill you, I can finish the job with them."

"We'll see," was all Richie said.

The fight was joined. Crawford was good, but not that good. Richie knew that Duncan would have finished this guy off in no time. But for himself, it was a different story. They were more evenly matched.

Crawford jumped forward, lunging as he did so. Richie had to step back, falling onto the couch which was behind him. Crawford brought the sword down; Richie dived out of the way, rolled across the floor and stood up, bring his own sword to lunge at Crawford, who parried easily.

Over and over the same pattern was repeated, as the Watchers stood in the doorway of the dining room, watching. They knew from experience that no Immortal ever got more than one mistake. One was all it took for an Immortal to lose their head.

Tears streamed down Lily's face as she watched, her fear for Richie - and of swords - at its peak. Still, she would have rushed forward in an attempt to help had her father not gripped her arm, holding her back.

Then they saw it: the mistake that Crawford was making. He was underestimating the young Immortal he was fighting. He was using only standard techniques. One good blip in the curve would throw him right off and give Richie the advantage. They only hoped Richie would see it too. All three Watchers knew the names of techniques that could end the fight with Richie the winner. But no one said anything. Watchers could not get involved. They *could not*.

Lily turned to look into her father's eyes, knowing his reasoning. "Please," she whispered, "tell Richie."

"It's not allowed."

"He'll kill us!" Lily cried softly. "You know that."

"I think it's time to leave, then," said her father, pulling her towards the kitchen and the back door.

"No!" Lily managed to pull her arm free, rushing back to watch the fight.

"Richie, remember in bed last night! Remember!"

And Richie did. She had whispered something in Italian, saying it was the only Italian she knew, and Richie had explained that the only Italian words *he* knew were for a sword technique used... Felicia. Used for overly aggressive opponents who were off-balance.

Crawford lunged, and Richie took his opportunity.

Crawford stared at Richie's sword protruding from his midsection, his eyes wide. He knew he was going to die. Richie pulled the sword out, and Crawford fell to the floor. As he did so, he dropped his sword. Richie stepped on it and raised his own sword, bringing it down in an arc that severed Crawford's head from his body.

He looked at the assembled Watchers, at the girl he had saved. "Lily..." Then the Quickening hit.

They watched helplessly as Richie screamed, as every window in their house shattered, as all their glassware, plates from the table, ornaments, went the same way.

Finally, it was over. Lily rushed forward to where Richie lay on the floor, hugging him tightly. "Richie!"

He sat up, putting his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

They both knew he wasn't only apologising for Crawford or the house. He was apologising because it was over. They were over. They didn't need words to know it; her parents had seen, and he couldn't stay here. Because, despite what they might tell themselves, it would happen again. A Watcher and an Immortal could be friends, maybe. Not lovers.

As they held each other, Lily's father stepped forward, grabbing his daughter by the arm and pulling her away from Richie. "Get out of my house," he said.

Lily was furious. "He saved your life, and that's all you have to say?"

The girl's father faced her, his eyes blazing. "You knew! You knew he was one of them! And you still brought him here!"

"We'd be dead if it wasn't for Richie!" she shouted back. "Crawford wanted to kill me. *Me!* Long before Richie came on the scene, he tried to kill me! And when I didn't have my memory, I tried to kill myself because of what you always said: Immortals don't care! Rather die than be raped or killed by one! Well, you were wrong! Richie cares so much he risked his life to save us!"

"He risked his life because there can be only one! We all know it!"

Richie stood up. "It's okay. I'll go."

"You don't have to."

"Yeah, I do. I'll meet you back at your place." And then he went.

Lily turned to her father. "I love him," she said.

"Rule number one," her father said.

"If I'd played by the rules I'd be dead," Lily said.

"Thank God you can't get pregnant sleeping with one," her father retorted.

Until now, Lily's mother had remained silent, but now she stepped in between her husband and daughter. "The war's over, you two."

The girl looked at her mother. "My father's a... I don't know. Racist isn't the word. He hates Immortals."

"No, he doesn't. He just doesn't believe in fraternising with them."

"Oh. They're okay to Watch, but he wouldn't let his daughter marry one."

Her father opened his mouth to continue the argument, but Lily threw up her hands. "I'll see you later."

The door slammed on her way out, and her parents looked at each other. "Know a place that fits glass real cheap?" the father asked, shaking his head.

***

Lily found Richie packing when she got back to her place. She knew it was over, but she couldn't help wanting... wanting him. She *did* care about him, and she didn't want him leaving like this.

"Richie... we could still have a life together. I'll come back to Washington with you."

Richie shook his head. "No. We both know it could never work. Your parents know what I am. And I know what you are. You have rules, and so do we. I have to live by Immortal rules, you have to live by Watcher ones."

"I'll have the tattoo removed!" The girl started to cry. "We can try, Richie. Please!"

"No. Being a Watcher is not what you do, it's what you are. You'll have to keep in contact with others. You'd feel as if you had to report goings-on in my world."

"I could try..."

Richie ignored the interruption. "You're a Watcher. You have to be what you are. I'm not your Immortal, but if you get reassigned, I'd end up killing your Immortal, or he'd kill me. The Gathering is here."

"Richie, don't. We could..."

"Go somewhere else? Where the Gathering won't find us? Do you know Immortals have lived in towns of less than 500 people? Where could we go? Desert islands don't exist."

Tears spilled down the girl's cheeks. "I know you're right, but... I love you! I do."

Richie picked up his bag and went to the door. "You'll get over it."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah."

She rushed forward and kissed him, crying all the while. "Just tell me this: would it have worked if I weren't a Watcher?"

"Maybe. But if you weren't a Watcher we would never have met." He turned in the doorway. "Will your parents report what happened?"

"I don't know."

***

Duncan MacLeod sensed an Immortal, and opened the door to find Richie Ryan standing there. "Back so soon?" he asked in a knowing tone of voice.

"Yeah." Richie's tone was one of defeat. "You knew it couldn't work."

"Well, I hate to say I told you so, but I did tell you." Duncan paused. "So? Did Crawford try anything?"

"I had to kill him, Mac. I killed him in Lily's house, in front of her parents. A house full of Watchers, and I cut his head off!"

"And if you hadn't he would have killed them."

"Yeah. And boy, were they grateful. So grateful that her father kicked me out." His tone was one of bitterness.

"Don't be too hard on them, Rich. They're mortals who have to try to figure out what it's all about. They may know about us, but that doesn't mean we don't scare them."

Richie nodded. "She's a Watcher. I know she could never be anything else."

MacLeod was nodding. "And that's why you left."

"Yeah." He took a breath. "Mac, will we always have to give up the people we love? Can't we ever just live a normal life?"

Duncan shook his head. "I tried. You tried. Tessa's gone, and she was the only person I ever wanted to have that life with. We can't protect them, Richie. Not even from ourselves."

"Yeah, well, it stinks, Mac."

"I know." Duncan handed Richie a plate. "Get yourself some food, you must be hungry."

"Yeah. Thanks."

***

In Florida, Lily watched the soft rain from her window. "So?" came a voice from the doorway. She turned to face her father, who had come in silently. All her anger toward him was gone now. He was right about most things. She should never have gotten involved with Richie in the first place, once she'd found out what he was, and who she was.

"You were right, Dad. About... most of it. A lot of Immortals don't care, but some do. I never felt like you did about them, and now I know you're wrong. Richie cared. Some do care."

"Maybe. I'm sorry, honey. I was too hard on you."

She shrugged. He was her father; he'd been worried about her, and that was the reason for his behaviour. "You could still have thanked Richie for saving our lives, though."

"I know. Maybe you could call and tell him I said thank you." Even as he said it, the father knew his daughter would not call. Then, "Does Joe Dawson know Richie is an Immortal?"

Now Lily was forced to lie. But, she had no choice. Rules were rule, and when they were broken, it was always for a good reason. "I don't think so. Richie lives around there. I think they bump into each other."

Her father came up and hugged her. "I really am sorry for what I said."

"Dad..." She disengaged herself. "You're not going to put any of what happened in the records, are you?"

Lily's father knew he owed her one, because despite everything, Richie had saved his daughter. But Richie wasn't here, so the favour would have to go to the other person involved. "I'll have to say something," he said. "What do you want me to leave out?"

"That it was Richie who killed Nicholas Crawford."

"Lily..."

"Please, Dad. We didn't talk about it much, but I know there are still Watchers out there who kill Immortals. I love him, can you understand that? I need to know that he'll be safe - at least from mortals, for a while."

"Okay."

Looking into her father's eyes, the girl knew that everything had been forgiven - on both sides. "Are you going to ask for reassignment?" her father continued.

"Yeah. Richie was right, being a Watcher is what I *am*. I don't think I could learn to go through life without that... that 'magic'."

"Honey, don't forget the rules, okay?" Her father had turned away and was now at the door.

"I know why those rules are there, and I know not to break them, not when I know who I am. But for a little while... I could dream. We both could."

"I'm sorry the dream ended," said her father.

"So am I."

***

Duncan and Richie practised on the mat in the dojo: Duncan because he figured that Richie needed to work out more, and Richie because it gave him a way to get rid of his frustrations.

There were no others around this late. No *mortals* around. It was a very solitary feeling, but at least they weren't alone: they had each other. Maybe, they mused, one Immortal friend could make up for all the mortals they'd had to leave behind. But when they looked into each other's eyes, they knew that nothing could make up for that. It was the price they had to pay.

THE END