Chapter 6

(Sorry this has taken so long to update. I had writer's block and then I have to confess another project overwhelmed me. But now I'm back to this.)

(The Present)

"You know I heard what you said to Zhang Lee."

"Hmmm?" Duncan replied as he attempted to keep an innocent expression on his face.

"I do NOT fight all my duels in the nude."

The pair of Immortals smiled at each other. They both remembered other meetings; some romantic and some in friendship when one or the other was involved with someone.

Deirdre stood up and stretched. She kissed Duncan lightly on the cheek. "Well I'm for bed. Your room is at the end of the hall with the door open. You can sleep through breakfast if you want. I'll leave the coffee on if we are all gone before you get up."

"Good night Deirdre."

"Goodnight Duncan. And Duncan? Don't be a stranger. Come back and visit and do it often."

"I'd like that."

And he did. More than once. Often enough in fact that soon Susan and Sheila were calling him "Uncle Duncan", which he rather enjoyed. He became friends with William, who seemed to have no resentment at all at the closeness between the Highlander and Deirdre. Of course Duncan's code of honor would have never let him do anything even remotely forward with Deirdre, regardless of their past together. And it was obvious that Deirdre adored her husband and the feeling was mutual. Duncan was wistful sometimes at their love. He had not had anything like that since Tessa. He always reminded himself about how that had ended when he started getting too envious.

One day he was lounging on their sofa as Deirdre prepared supper. William and Duncan had practiced soccer kicks with the girls in a nearby park until they were all worn out. William was taking a shower and the two Immortals were chatting about China.

"I would like to go there again sometime," remarked Deirdre. "I haven't been there since the late forties when the Nationalists and the Communists were slugging it out."

"I'd like to go too," admitted Duncan. "It would be rough getting a passport. Documentation is so strict everywhere these days. Hard to get the really good stuff."

"William could help you with that," replied Deirdre as she started to set the dinner table."

"Oh? How?" asked an interested Duncan.

"He's a United States Marshal with the Witness Protection Program. Perfect fake documents are a specialty of that group."

"You were in that line too as I recall."

"Not the Marshall's Service of course but yes." The Irish girl dimpled. "I was a Pinkerton agent as you very well know from when we met during the Civil War."

Sometimes Duncan stayed with the Hamiltons but more often he took a room in a historic hotel that had been fully restored and renovated just a few years ago. Duncan enjoyed the memories as he had stayed there over a hundred years ago when it was first built. He had just arrived and was unpacking when a brisk rap sounded on the room door.

He opened the door to find two neatly dressed men standing there.

"Duncan MacLeod?" asked one of the men.

"Yes. Can I help you?"

The speaker extended an ID folder. I'm US Marshall Robert Bolk and this is Marshall Griffin Price. Do you know a William Hamilton?"

"Yes," replied Duncan. "I met him about a year ago. He's married to an old friend of mine. What's this all about?"

"He's in Mercy Hospital, rather badly injured. He was unconscious when he was brought in but when he woke up he started asking for you. He said to tell you it's a matter of life and death." The federal officer looked puzzled. "it's strange. He won't say anything at all about his attacker. He just insists on seeing you. Will you come with us?"

"Let me get my coat," was all Duncan said.

Duncan leaped into his rented car and waved to the two me, who turned on hidden blue lights in the grill and flipped on a siren. The ride to the hospital was fast and furious. Once there the Marshalls led Duncan to a private room. A private room that had a guard in front of it Duncan saw. William was heavily bandaged but wide awake and appeared nearly frantic.

"William, what in the world happened?"

"Duncan, please, you've got to save her. Some man waylaid us as we were getting in the van after going out to picnic in the park. It was someone Deirdre knew. Another Immortal I guess. He just stepped out of the shadows and said something about it was time to renew the challenge."

The man looked miserable. "We didn't have Deirdre's sword. You know why, because of the girls. I wasn't armed either but I thought I could run a bluff with my ID. He just laughed at me and drew his sword. The girls screamed and I tackled him and yelled at Deidre to take the girls and run."

"I know I'm not supposed to interfere but that's bullshit. She's my wife and I love her and as old fashioned as it sounds I believe I'm supposed to protect her." William looked at the bandages swathing his body. "Some job I did of that didn't I?"

"You couldn't have stopped him even if you had been armed."

"I could have filed him with bullets. That would have stopped him long enough for us to get away."

Duncan ignored that. There were more important things to find out. "Did she mention a name?"

"She didn't call him by name. Her eyes got wide and she just said 'You!'." I saw the sword in his hand. I tried to jump him but he knocked me aside with the sword. It looked to be a rapier rather than a heavier sword like she and you both use. Then he stabbed me."

"Deirdre screamed and went for him bare-handed. He knocked her down and was about to take her head when a group of people, including a uniformed police officer appeared."