Return From Darkness 1/7
Terry Odell (tlco777@JUNO.COM)
Mon, 29 Oct 2001 14:02:27 -0500
Return From Darkness
By T. L. Odell
Part 1/7
Disclaimers in Part 0
"Are you about ready, Richie?" He heard Duncan
MacLeod's deep voice resound from the living room. "It's
time to leave. Do you need any help?"
Richie Ryan looked into his bedroom mirror and made the
final adjustments to his tie. "I'm fine, Mac. Be right there."
This evening had been planned for weeks now, and he
wanted it to be perfect. He slipped into his navy blue jacket
and gave himself one last inspection. Charcoal slacks, light
blue pinstriped shirt, blue and silver striped tie. Not bad.
Now if he could just stay awake through the symphony part
of the evening, everything would be just fine. He
straightened his shoulders and headed for the living room.
"Wow, Tess. You look fantastic." She wore a form fitting
black dress. Its turtle-neckline hid her scars, but the slit up
the side revealed her shapely legs. A silver clasp secured
her upswept blonde hair; matching earrings dangled from
her ears. A sense of contentment washed over him as he
caught the scent of her perfume. He kissed her cheek.
"Happy Anniversary."
"Same to you, Richie. And you're quite the charmer
yourself."
"He does clean up nice, doesn't he?" said Duncan. "Now if
this mutual admiration party is over, we need to get going or
we'll miss the start of the symphony."
Duncan picked up the keys. Richie looked at the two lovers
as they led the way to the car. One year ago, Tessa had
been shot and had nearly died. Richie had been fatally
wounded as well, but had joined the world of Immortals.
Since that night, the three of them had bonded even closer
as a family, and tonight they were going out to celebrate.
Not only that, but Duncan and Tessa had decided that Richie
could be left in charge of the antique shop while the two of
them had their own private celebration in New Mexico. He
was determined to show them he was worthy of their trust.
Tessa had picked the symphony, but had turned over the
choice of restaurant to Richie. Remembering the
apprehension on Duncan's face when she had announced
that decision brought an involuntary grin to his lips. He'd
toyed with the idea of choosing some diner or even a fast
food place, but he really wanted tonight to be special for the
three of them. He had made reservations at an exclusive
French restaurant, and then waited until this morning to
reveal his selection to Duncan. Sometimes you just had to
seize the moment, and his moments in power were few and
far between.
The three of them sipped champagne in the concert hall
lobby before the start of the symphony. Duncan had his arm
around Tessa's waist. The Scot kept glancing Richie's way,
but never made eye contact. Richie checked his tie. It felt
straight. Since they had entered their Immortal teacher-
student relationship, sometimes Richie felt like he was back
in third grade, being called upon to solve a math problem at
the chalkboard. He hadn't liked it then, and he wasn't totally
comfortable with it now, although he knew Duncan had his
best interest in mind.
He tried to come up with an appropriate toast when the lights
flickered. Tessa smiled at Richie. "It's time. We should find
our seats."
"Right," said Richie. "Time to go in."
Richie discovered to his surprise that he enjoyed Mozart.
With Tessa sitting between them, Richie didn't have to deal
with any lessons from Duncan, which he knew would have
been inevitable had it been just the two men at the concert.
Duncan had taken Richie to an opera once. Richie hoped
he'd never have to endure that again.
At the restaurant, Richie again felt Duncan watching him as
they approached the counter. "Reservations for three. The
name is Ryan."
The maitre' d led them to a table in the back. "I hope this will
be all right, Monsieur Ryan?"
"Actually, Pierre, I believe I specified a table by the window."
Richie pointed to a table with a view of the waterfront. "I
think that one will be suitable."
"Oui, Monsieur. Of course."
Snooty French waiters. Not tonight. He'd learned to deal
with them in Paris, and this "Pierre" was probably "Pete"
from Brooklyn anyway. Richie sneaked a glance at Duncan.
Richie couldn't be sure, but he thought he noted a hint of
approval in his eyes.
"So, Richie. How did you like the concert?" asked Duncan
after they were seated.
"It was pretty cool. I didn't know Mozart wrote "Twinkle
Twinkle Little Star." Or songs for "Looney Toons" either."
"See, Richie; classical music doesn't have to be boring," said
Tessa.
"I sure liked it better than opera." Richie saw Duncan's
mouth open. A brief expression of pain crossed his face
before he closed it again. From the look on Tessa's face,
someone had just received a swift kick to the shins under the
table.
Duncan had ordered escargot for everyone. The waiter set
the plates and the appropriate utensils on the table. Richie
glanced at Tessa who gave him a reassuring smile. She'd
warned him that Duncan loved them, briefed Richie on the
techniques of eating them. Richie was going to prove he
could fit in no matter how exotic the cuisine. She'd also
explained that the waiter would place his napkin in his lap
which had saved him from a rather embarrassing moment.
Richie clasped a shell in the tongs and manipulated the
morsel of meat out.
"Mmmm. Rubber bands cooked with garlic and butter. Not
bad, but they could have left the rubber bands out," Richie
said. He continued eating and finished his portion without
looking up at Duncan.
At the end of the meal, their waiter appeared with a
chocolate soufflé and set it on the table with a flourish.
Tessa's eyes lit up with surprised delight. "I hope you don't
mind that I ordered it," said Richie. "I've already paid for it,"
he added. "I wanted tonight to be extra special. You both
have made such a difference in my life - not that becoming
immortal didn't make a big difference, but-"
"Richie, that is so sweet of you," Tessa said. "Now stop
talking so we can eat this before it falls."
As they savored the hot, creamy chocolate confection,
Richie once again felt Duncan's eyes on him. He finally
gathered the courage to return the stare with a questioning
look of his own. "What, Mac?" You've been watching me all
night. Did I use the wrong fork for the salad, or stir my
coffee with my dessert spoon or something?"
Duncan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Of course not. You
did fine."
"Did fine? Like this was a test? Can we take the boy out in
public?"
"Richie, stop," said Tessa. "I think what Mac's trying to say
is that we're both very proud of you, not for your table
manners or being able to eat a snail, but because we love
you and we're glad you're part of the family. In fact, you've
made us a family."
"Tessa's right," said Duncan. His voice was gentle. "You're
more than my student. You should know that. If I've stared,
it's because I'm proud of you, too. I've been remembering
what you were like when we met, and how much you've
grown. And that I've probably never thanked your properly
for all you did for us after Tessa's accident. I couldn't have
managed without you."
Richie felt his face grow hot. He hated the way his pale
complexion announced his embarrassment to the world.
"I'm sorry. I guess I was really nervous about tonight.
Between what the night means, and the fancy surroundings,
I didn't want to do anything you'd be ashamed of. I guess I
overreacted."
"Not to mention overindulged." said Tessa. "I think we can
chalk a little of this up to champagne, wine and brandy."
She raised her snifter. "To our anniversary."
The two men raised their glasses in salute. "Happy
Anniversary."
Richie set his brandy down. "Mac, Tess ... I've had a great
night. It's been perfect, really. I kind of have one more thing
I'd like to do for you two, if you think it would be all right."
"What, Richie?" asked Tessa. "You don't need to do
anything else."
"Well, it's not that late, and I thought I'd go to Joe's and relax
for a couple of hours-not that Mozart wasn't just fine and all
that. But you two can go home alone. You know, kind of
some privacy for a while. I'll get a cab."
"We get the picture, Richie," said Duncan. The look he gave
Tessa spoke volumes. She blushed, but nodded her assent.
"Go. Have fun, but don't do anything foolish. The shop
opens at ten tomorrow, remember," he added.
"Moi? Foolish? Never." Richie grinned and got up from the
table. "Thanks again for a great night. And you have one,
too. I'll be at work on time. Promise." He had Pierre call
him a cab and headed to Joe Dawson's bar.
Richie opened the door to Joe's and let his eyes become
accustomed to the dim lighting. He was surprised to see the
room almost full this late on a Sunday night. He stepped up
to the bar.
Joe looked up from the counter he'd been wiping. "Hello,
Richie. You're all spiffed up. Special occasion?"
"Like you don't know?" Richie had accepted the fact that
there were Watchers keeping tabs on Immortals. Joe was a
good man, and a great blues musician; Richie preferred to
ignore the fact that he probably knew more about Duncan
MacLeod than Mac knew about himself. He'd never asked
Joe if anyone was watching him. Some things were best left
in the shadows. "Mac, Tessa and I went to the symphony
and to dinner. It's been a year since ... you know."
"Already? Time does fly now, doesn't it? Can I get you
something?"
"Just coffee." Richie took his cup and found a seat at a table
near the band. He pulled off his tie and put it in the pocket of
his jacket.
Joe came to the stage and sat in on the next set. They
began with a soulful rendition of 'When a Man Loves A
Woman.' Richie was engrossed in the music, another new
form he had come to appreciate since meeting Duncan and
Tessa when he felt someone taking the seat next to him.
"Hope you don't mind me joining you?"
Richie looked up at the speaker. A woman, probably in her
early thirties, with a luxurious mane of auburn hair hanging
halfway down her back leaned across the small table. She
wore a black leather jacket over a royal blue turtleneck. He
couldn't make out the color of her eyes in the dim light, but
they echoed the smile on her lips. "Not at all. My name's
Richie. Richie Ryan." He gave her what he hoped was a
mature smile and offered his hand. "I don't think I've seen
you in here before."
"I'm Kathleen." She tossed her hair back with a flick of her
head and sat down. "A friend told me about this place. Said
I'd enjoy it. I think she was right."
"Joe's good, isn't he?"
"Joe?" She glanced at the stage. "Oh, you mean the music.
I was thinking about the clientele." She gave Richie a
provocative smile. A waitress came by and Kathleen
ordered an Armagnac. "Can I get you one? I hate to drink
alone."
Richie forgot about how much he'd already had to drink.
"Sure, but my treat. I insist."
As the set ended, Kathleen excused herself and headed for
the ladies room. Richie took in her long legs and short
leather skirt. Very short skirt. Could this night get any
better? She was gorgeous and she was sitting with him. A
little older than his usual dates, a little heavy on the perfume,
but what the heck?
When Kathleen returned to the table, she leaned over
Richie, her hair brushing against his face. "You want to
come back to my place?" she whispered.
"Oh, yeah."
When Richie came out to the kitchen for breakfast the next
morning, he saw Duncan and Tessa exuding the afterglow of
a night well spent. He wondered if he looked the same.
Maybe it was all the alcohol with dinner, or maybe it was
Kathleen's hypnotic hazel eyes and red hair, or maybe she
had just been genuinely interested in him for his sparkling
personality and charming wit, but they had gone back to her
apartment and spent the night discovering mutual pleasures.
Lots of mutual pleasures.
"Didn't hear you come in, Richie. Hope it wasn't too late,"
said Duncan.
"I got enough sleep, if that's what you're worried about, Mac.
I'll open the shop as soon as I get cleaned up."
Mac joined Richie in the shop shortly before it opened. "I
wanted to give you our itinerary. We'll be leaving day after
tomorrow. I should be here to help with the shipment of
Egyptian artifacts, and then you'll be in charge. You can call
Jimmy if you need any backup."
"I told you, Mac. I can handle it. Don't worry about a thing. I
can take care of myself. And the shop. You two have fun."
End of Part 1