Revenge by Dawn Cunningham ***************** Disclaimers: Duncan, Tessa, and Richie belong to Rysher. I'm just borrowing them and not getting paid for it. Do not post or publish this story anywhere else, without my express permission. Feel free to share it with others as long as the disclaimers remain intact. Permission is granted to post this story on the 7th Dimension Highlander fiction archive Warnings: Okay, there is one section in this story where it will look like Duncan is acting totally out of character. But he really isn't.... trust me. This is a first season story that takes place sometime after the episode Mountain Men. Acknowledgments: Once again, Melanie gets the credit for fixing all my typos. She always improves my stories. And of course, thanks goes to those readers who took the time to send me feedback on my first story in this universe. I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in seeing it continue, but your comments made it quite clear that you wanted more. Comments are always welcome at Dawn341@aol.com If you wish to read any of my other stories, they are archived at: http://members.aol.com/dawn341/fiction.html ************ Revenge by Dawn Cunningham Richie Ryan sighed as Tessa Noel stopped to peer into another store window. At this rate, it would take them at least another half hour to reach the car - and it was parked only two blocks away! At least the next building was a hotel so there would be nothing there to interest Tessa. If he remembered correctly, there were only two more stores between here and the car. Maybe he could just hurry her by those. When he'd offered to accompany the Frenchwoman this afternoon, he'd thought they were only going to make a quick stop at the art store to pick up a new easel for Tessa. He'd figured she could use some help in carrying it to the car. Instead, it was turning into a marathon shopping spree. He'd already made two trips to the car, first with the easel, then with another load of packages. And if Tessa bought one more thing, he'd have to make a third trip. His arms were already weighted down by more bags. Only this time, if he went to the car, he wouldn't come back! Maybe then she'd get the idea that he'd had enough of shopping. Finally, Tessa stepped away from the window, apparently not interested enough in the display of jewelry to go into the store - a fact that made Richie very happy. He turned to follow her, and spotted a movement in his peripheral sight. "Watch out, Tessa!" he called out as a bicyclist bore down on them. He dropped the bags he was carrying and made a desperate grab for the Frenchwoman to pull her out of the way. With only inches to spare, the bicyclist went by them, but Richie kept his arms wrapped around Tessa for several moments longer until she'd recovered her balance. He was too busy concentrating on Tessa to notice the man across the street who was aiming a camera at them. ***** Duncan MacLeod stared at the two pieces of paper he'd just found in one of the desk drawers in the antique store's office. The first was a bill from two weeks ago, and was for a local hotel. The name on the receipt was Tessa's, and it was for one night only. There was also a charge for room service, and, based on the price, it had to have included an expensive bottle of wine. Either that, or there'd been a party in the room. The bill had been paid in cash - something that most people wouldn't do. Especially not for this amount of money. It was almost as if someone was trying to hide something. He searched his memory for the date on the bill. If he remembered correctly, Tessa had supposedly been meeting with a new client, but she'd been home before ten. She'd been disappointed because she didn't think she would get a new commission from the man she'd met with. According to her, he'd spent hours looking through her portfolio, and questioning her on her art, then announced that he wanted to talk to some other artists before he made up his mind. He just couldn't believe that Tessa was secretly seeing someone else. Surely he'd notice a change in her if she'd been cheating on him - wouldn't he? They were still enjoying a very active sex life. Nothing had changed in that area. Actually, it sounded more like something that Richie would do to impress a date. The teenager had been out that night, too. Supposedly on a hot date, but he'd returned shortly after Tessa had. By why would he have checked into a hotel using Tessa's name? And where would he have gotten the cash to pay this bill? The second piece of paper was just as confusing. It was from a jewelry store whose address was next to the hotel, and was for a very expensive man's watch. It had been paid for in cash, too. What was really odd was that it was purchased just days before Richie supposedly found an expensive watch in the alley. Richie couldn't have afforded to pay this much for a watch - not unless he'd taken up stealing again. Could he have missed something like that? Surely he would have noticed something. Maybe Tessa had bought the watch for Richie as a gift. But why wouldn't she have told him about it? And why would Richie claim he'd found it? Unless they had something to hide. No, that couldn't be true. Short of confronting Tessa and Richie, he couldn't think of any way to figure out what was going on. He didn't want to do that - these two pieces of paper were hardly enough evidence to accuse them of anything. For now, he'd do nothing, but he'd keep his eyes open. ***** Duncan looked up from his desk when he heard the bells over the door ring. Tessa was in the shop, so he could continue with his work, but he tried to keep track of the number of people in the shop so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed. Instead of a new customer, Richie came bursting through the door, one hand held behind his back. Warning alarms went off inside the Scot's head. Sometimes Richie's surprises didn't quite come off as planned. Richie looked around the shop, then headed away from the office. Duncan stood up and moved to the doorway to see what was going on. The teenager headed over to where Tessa was dusting some furniture. From his viewpoint, the Scot could see it was a bouquet of flowers that Richie was holding behind his back. A very nice bouquet. An expensive bouquet. When Richie reached Tessa, he pulled the flowers out from behind his back with a flourish, and handed them to Tessa. His curiosity piqued, Duncan moved over to join them. Richie must want something really big to spend that kind of money on flowers for Tessa. Or else he'd done something really bad and was hoping the flowers would soften the blow. "Oh, Richie, they are beautiful," Tessa said with a bright smile. She leaned over and kissed the teenager's cheek. "Thank you!" "You're welcome." Richie's beaming smile practically lit up the store. "What's the occasion?" Duncan asked. Richie shrugged. "No occasion. Can't I give Tessa some flowers?" He glanced at Duncan, then quickly looked away, starting to fidget as the Scot continued to look at him. "What's the big deal?" "That's a pretty expensive gift for no occasion," Duncan pointed out. Richie looked at Tessa, who was frowning now, then color slowly seeped up through the teenager's cheeks. "It's the thought that counts, right?" Duncan couldn't help but wonder why Tessa was frowning. Was it because Richie had spent too much money on a gift for her - especially when it wasn't for a special occasion? Or was it because Duncan was pushing Richie for an explanation? Or maybe she was upset at the thought that Duncan might have figured out that something was going on between them? The Scot shook off that last option almost immediately. At least he tried to. He also didn't want to think too much about why he was pushing the issue. After all, if Richie wanted to spend his money on flowers for Tessa, then that was his choice. "Right. So, if it's just the thought that counts, why didn't you buy her a smaller bouquet or even a single flower?" Richie's cheeks flooded with even more color, and he looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. He shot a misery-filled look toward Tessa, then bent his head to study the floor. Finally, he mumbled something. "What was that?" Duncan asked. "I... uh...got them... uh..." Richie looked around as if searching for an escape. When no magic door opened up, he finally blurted out, "I got them for free!" "Of course," Duncan said, trying not to look too cynical. "You just walked into a florist shop, and they liked you so much, they gave you the flowers for free." "No! No! There was this lady on the street... she was... she was just giving them away! Honest!" "Ahhhh. Some good Samaritan was passing out flowers to the needy." It didn't seem possible, but even more color filled Richie's cheeks. "She said that she was starting up a new florist shop and was trying to attract business." "And where is this new florist shop? I might want to buy some flowers for Tessa." Richie's mouth opened then closed, then opened again. "She didn't say," he mumbled. "Did she give you a business card?" Richie shook his head. "So, this woman was trying to drum up business without telling anyone where the business was - is that correct?" Richie nodded. "Enough, Duncan!" Tessa said firmly. "Obviously, the woman won't remain in business for very long if that is how she runs it. It's not Richie's fault. The flowers are still beautiful, and I still love them, even if they were free. Thank you, Richie." Almost defiantly, she kissed Richie's cheek again. Duncan let the teenager escape, but he couldn't help but notice that Tessa's pleasure in the flowers had dimmed somewhat. ***** Duncan glanced through the stack of mail the postman had just dropped off. Most of them were bills. There were a couple of letters postmarked from France addressed to Tessa. The only interesting looking piece was a large manila envelope. It was postmarked in Seacouver, but had no return address. He carried the mail into the office, and put all but the manila envelope on the desk, then wasted no time opening it. It was filled with photos of Richie and Tessa. At first, he thought it was a warning from another Immortal, but as he studied the photos, he realized they were showing something totally different. And if he hadn't been sure, the final piece of paper had a set of block letters pasted on it. THEY ARE MAKING A FOOL OUT OF YOU! He studied the photos more closely. One of Richie, looking half asleep, his shirt wide open and hanging loose, standing next to Tessa and her car. Tessa kissing Richie's cheek. Tessa and Richie eating at an outdoor cafe. From the picture it looked like she was offering the teenager a bite of her food from her own fork - something that lovers would do, but not Tessa and Richie. Then there was the picture of the two of them standing in front of a jewelry store. He couldn't tell, but it looked like there was a display of watches in the window. The most damning photo showed them clinging to each other in front of a hotel. The same hotel that was on the bill he'd found. What was going on? And who had not only taken the photos, but sent them, as well? ***** Duncan locked the door to the antique store and put the closed sign in the window, then headed to the apartment. Tessa was looking through a magazine in the living room, but he went by her to knock on Richie's door. "Come out here, Richie," he called out before heading back to the kitchen. He quickly spread out his evidence on the kitchen counter. "You too, Tessa." When the pair had joined him, Duncan waved toward the photos. "Does anyone want to explain just what is going on between the two of you?" he asked, hoping his anger at their betrayal was obvious in his voice. Tessa and Richie exchanged puzzled looks, then turned their attention to the pictures. "I don't understand, Mac," Richie finally said. "Who's been taking pictures of me and Tessa? And why?" "It's pretty obvious to me." He practically thrust the hotel bill into Tessa's hands. "You've been cheating on me, Tessa! And with Richie, no less! How could you?" The Frenchwoman gasped, and Richie turned pale. "Didn't I satisfy you in bed? Or was the thought of a young lover on the side too big of a temptation? I knew Frenchmen often had mistresses, but I didn't think the same applied to the women." He turned to glare at Richie. "As for you, I took you in off the streets, gave you someplace to live, gave you a job, and *this* is how you repay me?" He grabbed for the teenager's wrist. "Was this watch payment for services rendered? You must have been really good to earn something like that," Duncan sneered. Richie turned even whiter before color flooded through his face. "Honest, Mac, there's nothing going on between me and Tessa. *Nothing*! I found the watch! That's the truth!" Duncan made a chopping motion with his hand. "Don't lie to me! I'm not that big of a fool to ignore the evidence in front of me. Someone paid for that watch and it wasn't me!" He almost threw the bill at Richie. "You are a fool if you believe these." Tessa waved her hand toward the photos. "These pictures look damning, but there's an innocent explanation for these." "Oh, please." Duncan rolled his eyes in disbelief. "And some lady was passing out flowers for free just as Richie happened to walk by. Like I would believe that one. And what about the hotel bill?" "I don't know! I have never even been inside that hotel." "Stop lying!" Duncan pounded his fist down on the counter, causing Tessa and Richie to jump back. "You were there." He grabbed the photo of the pair of them in a tight embrace, and waved it in front of them. "This doesn't look innocent to me. It looks more like you were unwilling to let each other go. I want both of you out of here! Now!" "Mac! There's nothing going on between me and Tessa!" Richie protested. "I'll leave if you want me to, but you love Tessa. Don't do this to her!" "I've made up my mind," Duncan said, turning his back to them. "Come, Richie," Tessa said, her face devoid of all emotion. "We'll check in to the Hilton until Duncan has come back to his senses. Pack a suitcase." Duncan listened as they walked away from him toward the bedrooms. He heard Richie open his bedroom door, while Tessa continued on. The last thing he expected was to hear footsteps coming back in his direction. He turned and saw Richie walking back to the kitchen. Without saying a word, the teenager removed his wristwatch, and placed it on the counter next to the bill before heading back to his bedroom. Duncan felt like a total heel. Richie had avoided looking at him when he'd come back, but he'd still seen the look of abandonment on the teenager's face. ***** Richie carefully closed his bedroom door behind him, and took a deep breath. He couldn't understand what had just happened. How could Duncan possibly think that Tessa was remotely interested in someone like him? Sure, it would be great if he had someone as sexy and beautiful as Tessa interested in him, but he was enough of a realist to know he didn't stand a chance with her. Why couldn't Duncan see the same thing? Maybe too many Quickenings caused an Immortal's brain to melt. Or maybe too much sex. He didn't find it hard to understand why Duncan wanted him gone. He would have done the same thing if he'd been in the Scot's shoes and had those photos as evidence. And the expensive watch and flowers just added the final touch. Besides, he'd never been able to understand why Duncan and Tessa had taken him in to start with. What didn't make any sense was that Duncan would throw away twelve years of his life with Tessa. They were obviously still in love with each other. He couldn't stand by and let them break up. No matter how long it took, he would find the creep who'd set them up and get him to admit to the truth. With a sigh, he pulled out his duffel bag and started to pack. At first, he only started with the clothes he'd brought with him, then he changed his mind. He'd worked hard during the last few months. Not only in the store, but also doing all kinds of errands. He'd earned these clothes. And they'd be of little use to Duncan. He'd just slipped into his jacket when he heard his bedroom door open. He spun around and saw Duncan and Tessa entering his room. The Scot put a finger to his lips to stop Richie's questions. Then he closed the bedroom door very carefully. Duncan gestured toward Richie's bathroom, and the teenager followed the couple into the small room, totally confused. Duncan turned on the faucet in the sink, then turned to face Richie. "I'm sorry, Rich," he said, keeping his voice low. "I know you and Tessa aren't cheating on me behind my back. Someone is obviously trying to break us up, and we've decided to play along with them." "You mean... You mean that was all staged out there?" Richie couldn't quite believe his ears. "Why?" "After I received the photos, I did some looking around the place. I've found quite a few microphones hidden throughout the store and the apartment. That's why we're in here with the water running. Someone's gone to a lot of effort on this, and I want to know why. I was afraid to let you in on the secret beforehand, although Tessa knew about it. I figured you'd react better if you didn't know what was happening. That was wrong - I shouldn't have put you through that without any warning." "So, you're not kicking me out?" Richie just wanted to make sure before he relaxed. "Well, technically no, but we need to make it look like I did. You and Tessa will go check into the Hilton as if I really did kick you out. The way I figured it, someone will then try to get close to either Tessa or myself and we can find out what's going on." "If you want to be realistic, then I probably shouldn't go with Tessa," Richie pointed out. "After all, she probably wouldn't want me around after being accused of sleeping with me. I can go back to my old neighborhood. Maybe find some old friends to crash with." Duncan frowned. "I don't want you back on the streets. At least at the Hilton you'd have some security." "I don't need security. After all, they must be after one of you. Okay, how about I check into a cheap motel. I have some money saved, and this won't last for long, right?" "Hopefully, only a few days. All right, Rich, find a cheap motel - but a decent one. And I'll pick up the tab." Duncan pulled his wallet out of his pocket and drew out some money, then handed it over to Richie. "That should keep you going for a few days. When you check in, call Tessa at the Hilton so she knows where you're at. The phones are bugged, too, so don't call here. We'll let you know when you can come back home." "Sure, Mac." Richie grinned at the Scot. "I hope it's not too long. Who's going to take the trash out and sweep the floors while I'm gone?" Duncan reached out and lightly smacked Richie's head. "I think I can manage those chores for a few days. Just stay out of trouble in the meantime." Tessa kissed Richie's cheek. "I second that. And if you need anything, or run out of money, I want you to promise to call me." "I promise." "Good," Duncan said. "Now, I think we need one more little scene between you and me, to make it clear that you're not going with Tessa to the Hilton. Do you think you can make it sound convincing?" "No problem." Duncan shut off the water, and motioned for them to leave the room. They went back out to the living room. The Scot mouthed the word 'ready' to Richie, and when the teenager nodded, he started up. "It took you long enough," he growled. "I want you to understand one thing - I'm not paying for your hotel bill. If Tessa wants to throw her money away on you, that's her business, but you aren't getting anything more from me." "I don't need anything from you," Richie threw right back. "Or Tessa, either. I'm not going to give you any more ammunition to use against us. I'll find my own place to stay. I don't need your crummy money." "That's funny. You've never complained about your paycheck before. Maybe I should check your bag to make sure you're not running off with some of my antiques." Richie threw the bag down in front of Duncan. "Knock yourself out, but you won't find anything." The Scot reached down and unzipped the bag. For a moment Richie thought he was really going to search it, but instead he finally closed it again. "I guess you don't have anything, but I'll be going through the antique store books very carefully. If I find anything that looks even the slightest bit odd, expect a visit from the cops." "Go to hell, Mac!" Richie grinned at his friend before picking up his bag. "Get out!" "I'm going. I'm going." With a jaunty wave, Richie headed for the backdoor and his motorcycle. ***** end of part 1