lynnannCDC

"Wimp," Duncan chortled, "you're immortal, and you’ll heal. You know those girls are going to need rescuing tonight. They always do."

"If we pulled the plug on the pool, there wouldn't be any drowning."

"If we pulled the plug, they would injure themselves from all the thudding and thunking. You'll just have to bite the bullet on this one, Connor," Duncan said shoving the elder clansman into the pool.

Connor's response was muffled, thankfully.

MacNairCDC

...they were muffled, but as each bubble popped to the top, the message came through clearly to anyone listening.

~pop~ "I"

~pop~ "knew"

~pop~ "you"

~pop~ "were"

~pop~ "always"

~pop~ "shoving"

~pop~ "them"

~pop~ "in"

~pop~ "just"

~pop~ "so"

~pop~ "I'd"

~pop~ "have"

~pop~ "to"

~pop~ "do"

~pop~ "this!"

~pop~ "*(#&$(#^&^$~!"

Duncan laughed from his safe perch on dry ground ... then went looking for the first victim....

lynnannCDC

Duncan eyed the girls, who eyed him back, warily, albeit still drooling. Except one. The visitor had made the mistake of turning her back to him momentarily, so he scooped her up in his strong arms.

"OOO, Duncan," sighed Hayden. "Is this where the whipped cream and raspberry Jell-O come in?"

"Still too early, lass. In you go."

"I tried to warn her," lynnann said mournfully, "Never ever turn your back on the boys."

SharzCDC

“Victim needed? I'll volunteer. Not just for anyone, but for our boys, I'll play vict ...”

(GULP, splorting water all over) “Hey!” (under again)

“Give a girl some ...” (glub glub glub) “warning!”

(From underwater, talking through bubbles) “Never mind, I'd prefer the rescue. Breath--now—”

MacNairCDC

Hayden hit the water with a "BOOSH" and sank, too startled to do anything else.

She was even more startled to find Connor MacLeod on the bottom. He pulled her close, despite her wild gesturing towards the surface of the water and gave her a puff of air that she didn't have the wits to resist. Her eyes were wide, staring, before she remembered the rumors and hearsay.

This was an immortal that could breath underwater!

Then he winked ... and launched her to the surface with a prodigious shove.

hayden

hayden emerged from the water. “Oh my! Someone push me in again! Quick!”

lynnannCDC

Sharz bided her time waiting for another breath of air. Connor knew better than to send her back toward the surface any time soon. He preferred to keep his dignity ... and his speedos.

MacNair peered through the water, trying to see to the bottom of the pool, wishing she were there, but not wanting to be obvious. A murmured, "Just for you, MacNair," was whispered in her ear, "and don't ever bring up mascara and my eyes in the same breath again." She was tumbled into the pool and she sank gratefully to the bottom.

hayden

Methos quietly moved to the side of the pool thinking that he could escape while the girls were otherwise occupied...

lahoffyCDC

But he had forgotten just one teeny, tiny little thing ... lahoffy's halo!

ZZZ-I-I-N-NG-G-G!!! The halo whizzed by his head, narrowly missing his ear.

"Bloody hell, lahoffy! You nearly took my ear off!!"

"Did not. I've been practicing. Going somewhere?"

"Uh, just thought I'd check on the beer, make sure we have enough."

lynnann smiled mysteriously. "Nice try, my dear, but the cooler at your feet is full."

Methos sighed. "Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath. Suddenly, a spark of mischievousness glinted in his eyes. He reversed course and at a dead run, came straight at lahoffy, who stared in disbelief. With a mighty shove, into the pool she went.

"That'll teach you to zing that halo at me," he said smugly.

lynnann raised an eyebrow. "You shouldn't have done that, Methos. Run. Run while you can."

lynnannCDC

"Why the hell should I run? Almost everyone is in the pool." He eyed the woman in the tipsy dragon floaty. "Sharz, MacNair … Hayden just sank to the bottom again. lahoffy, you..."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, dear."

The presence of immortals never left during these parties, and the buzz wasn't directional, it didn't denote nearness, so there was no real warning. Duncan and Richie grabbed him from each side and heaved him into the pool. He sank to the depth of four feet in the shallow end and came to the surface, sputtering.

"You...you..." the language was dead, but the younger immortals got the gist of it, and they rolled on the ground, still dry, except for the tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks.

lynnann just circled in the drunken floaty, trailing a hand in the pool. "No one ever heeds my warnings..."

MacNairCDC

Rich thought this was tremendous fun. So tremendous that he forgot himself and shoved Duncan fully clothed into the pool. He stood ashore, the last one standing, crowing his delight.

Except the girls bobbed to the top at about the same time.

lynnann was shaking her head, slowly, clucking her tongue like some remonstrative mother at him.

Connor, uncannily aware of incidents involving his kinsman, arrived at the edge of the cement pool and leaned across his folded arms.

And Duncan was wading slowly back to the stairs leading out.

"Uh, guys? Really ... it's all in fun, right? We toss the girls in ... we toss each other in? Right? Hey, now ... um ... guys? Be cool now, guys?" Rich stammered, backing away, calculating how much of a head start he would need.

lahoffyCDC

In his hasty calculations, Richie had left out one factor--Puff. The little dragon weaved in the water, happily slurping up more beer-tinged water. A small grumble emanated from the area of his tummy.

"Look out!" lynnann squealed. "He's gonna blow!" Hastily, she slipped off and into the water, swimming desperately for the edge.

Puff let loose with the loudest belch any of them had ever heard. A stream of fire came forth, which had everyone in its path ducking for cover. Except for Rich.

"AAAAAAA!!!! Fire! Fire! My jacket!!" bellowed Rich.

Helpfully, the clansibs shoved Richie into the pool to douse the flames.

lynnannCDC

And then they all piled in after him, shrieking and splashing together. It wasn't often that everyone was in the pool at the same time. For good reason.

The barbeque, unattended, charred the steaks and burgers, and the salmon steaks shriveled.

"Our dinner!" Methos hauled himself out of the pool and stared morosely at the burnt offerings on the grill, and then picked up the super-soaker to douse the flames.

"Wait!" Connor put out a hand, but he was still in the pool, too far away.

"Don't!" yelled MacNair.

"Methos!" Duncan launched himself from the pool, but he was too late.

The heat ignited the Scotch and the ancient immortal found himself in possession of a flame thrower! Two lounge chairs were destroyed, and the table holding the chips and other snacks went up in a wall of flame.

MacNairCDC (laughing almost too hard to type!)

"O my God! The FIRE department will show up and we'll have to explain everything!" howled Connor.

"Lord, they'll card Richie because he looks underage!" shouted Duncan.

"And Puff will likely try to charm one of their fire hoses!" announced lynnann.

"And Connor's naked!" observed MacNair, and she feared no one was even listening to her!

lahoffyCDC

The voice of reason chimed in. "Just calm down, everyone," Sharz said. "Methos, run grab the buckets from the barn, we'll start a chain from the pool. Richie, quit blubbering about your jacket and help Methos. Duncan, distract MacNair while Connor, you go put your Speedos back on."

Bodies scattered, responding to the authority in Sharz's voice. Soon, there was a chain of buckets from the pool, slowly dousing the flames.

Grimy and soot-faced, Methos sighed tiredly. "Do you suppose we could skip the bar-b-que next time? After all, no one ever gets to eat any of it."

lynnannCDC

"Skip the barbeque?" the trio of immortals said in horrified unison. Duncan shuddered at the thought. How else were they to keep up their strength to keep up with the ClanCDC? And Richie was always looking for food.

Connor shrugged, he never got that much of the meal anyway (TG for the food he had tucked away up in the rooms!) He was always too busy rescuing the girls, but it was Duncan's excuse to keep him busy in the pool. He really didn't mind at all, he just liked to complain about it, looking for the sympathy from the girls, which he got in abundance. He grinned to himself. But the sharp-eyed MacNair saw that grin and dug an elbow in his ribs.

"What was that for?" he groaned, rubbing his side.

"I know that grin...too well, in fact. Sympathy for the Highlander. Having to rescue the Clan, under appreciated. We appreciate you plenty, bucko!"

Sharz appeared at the other side and snapped the red speedos to get his attention. "Yeah what she said. I wouldn't change a word." The voice of authority was gone now the crisis was over.

Connor grinned and wrapped his long arms around the two clansibs and fell backwards into the pool. They had to get the smoke grime off somehow, and the pool would have to be drained and cleaned in the morning anyway.

MacNairCDC

"Where'd they go off to?" Duncan muttered to himself. "Connor always spends half of the time necking with the clan! The rest of us can barely squeeze a moment in!"

"Hey," Methos said from near his shoulder. He, too, was regarding the pool and the bubbles that blipped up from the depths. "Feeling a bit left out?"

Duncan shook his head. He felt a lot of things, but regarded most of them as something he should ignore. "I'm fine, Methos."

"I know you’re fine, Duncan," the ROG responded. "Just, tell me what you're thinking."

The young Scot (for he was young, compared to Methos.) contemplated the question, with both heart and head. "I'm thinking that I'm grateful for these women who appreciate my kinsman and have wrapped him up in their love and affection. I'm thinking that it's an honor to be bound up in the same love and affection. I'm thinking that if ever there was a place to belong, it is here."

Silence.

"Yes." Methos turned his head enough to look the younger man fully in the face. "You both belong here. In Clan. The closest thing to Clan that you've ever found, both of you together."

"And you?" Duncan said, purely by instinct.

"Me? Why, I make myself at home wherever I can." He paused and smiled his inscrutable smile. "This place has been easy to infiltrate. The food is prevalent and the beer is always stocked."

"Leech," Duncan chided.

"But a cute one."

"Cute? Ummm, that judgment is best left to those wiser than I."

"I've never seen your clansman so at peace."

"I haven't either," Duncan admitted, and his thoughts became light. "And it's well with me, that he is whole and at peace."

Methos looked at him, dark eyes mysterious and knowing. "Yes. That's the way it should be, in Clan. What is good for a kinsman is good for the kin. To find him at peace, is to find yourself at peace."

Duncan reached a hand and rested it on the slender shoulder near him. "You understand, don't you."

"I do. I'm not from Scot's heritage, but I know what it was like to live in fellowship -- and how it can be twisted and savaged from what it should be."

Connor surfaced, with a blow of water and a whoop. The blue eyes danced and his smile was infectious. "Hey, come in here, you two. The water's just right and the girls are slick as soap!"

Methos grinned and Duncan shook his head. It wasn't much encouragement, but it was all they needed. The two dove into the pool.

"Hey, you guys planning to eat anything over here?" Rich called from the buffet table. It was the only thing left after the blast of fire from Hayden's whisky laden super-soaker.

"Later," came one nameless voice. "Later."

MacNairCDC (The morning after the CDC par-TAY)

"Hmmm, what's the matter with Connor?"

"Connor? Oh, he's just a little under this morning," offered Duncan. He swept another load of 'fricassee' pool chair towards the trash bin.

"Under?" inquired the same curious voice.

Duncan looked up at the speaker. "Well, between Hayden, and a super-soaker loaded with whisky, and Methos dumping several beer hats worth of beer in the pool last night ... I suspect he's a bit hung over."

"Is that possible for an immortal?"

Duncan pushed more charred sludge with the shovel. "He was breathing it as well as drinking it. Yeah, he's a bit pickled this morning. He'll be fine about mid-morning, I suspect. Until then, woe to the noisemakers."

"HEY DUNCAN? YOU SEE MY PAR-TAY SANDALS ANYWHERE!?" shouted Richie through the kitchen window.

"Woe number one is right there," somberly announced Duncan.

lynnanncdc -giggling

bwahaha

ssshhhh! Trying not to be woe number two…

*snerk*

pbt~pbt~pbt~pbt...sssshhhh!

*giggle*

*snicker*

"back off, k'lynn"

oh dear

*

*

*

*

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

uh-oh!

:::lynnann heads for the hills:::

lahoffyCDC-laughing very quietly

Hee,hee,hee... (whispering) Poor Richie, the dear boy simply has no clue. Should we pity him? (Pause) Naw...he deserves it.

MacNairCDC

From upstairs in the big house ...

…from a large, but pitch black room ...

…from beneath a rumple of bedding and pillows came a low voice, grating: "Kill the boy."

[Interlude. Play nice music. (Softly!) The whole house is holding its breath ... waiting … watching.]

MacNairCDC

Connor dragged himself out of the whorl of bedding after the second intrusion of sound. Methos took one look at the shadowed eyes coming down the hallway and spun on a heel to enter the very first door he came to. Connor stalked down the hall unaccosted and unsmiling over an unshaven face.

"Psst! Hide, Rich!" hissed Sharz from near the laundry room.

The redhead darted a frantic look left, then right. Duncan, having heard that same whispered warning and knowing what it must signal, extended a long arm and pointed -- straight at the cubby where the dishwasher was routinely inserted. The young immortal dived in the hole and Duncan shoved the Kenmore back against him and leaned on it. One muffled "Wuughh!" escaped from behind the culinary cleaner.

The elder Highlander entered the kitchen like a black cloud and looked at Duncan ... who was quietly refilling the rinse aid dispenser.

"The kid," Connor's voice grated out. It was threat, question, and pronouncement all in two words.

"Hmm?" Duncan returned nonplussed. "I don't see him." He shrugged and continued to eyeball the small refill chamber; praying Rich wouldn't chuckle and give himself away. Duncan's immortal signature would cover the youth if he were quiet enough.

Connor skulked onward, around the island, and passed the coffee maker without even taking a cup. Duncan watched him go out of the corner of his eyes and sighed when his clansman's presence faded.

"Am I safe?" Rich whispered.

"For now. But shut up, if you want to live, for criminy sakes!"

MacNair was on the balcony with lahoffy. They both watched without a word as the irritable elder Scot walked through the dining area. Both of them leaned over to see where he went and then scurried down the hallway on the second floor to the open foyer. Their joint startled expression pulled lynnann from her current book and she joined them in looking down from near the vaulted ceiling.

All three took in a swift breath and put a hand over their mouths in unison ... as Connor headed straight to k'lynn's closet door. Without even breaking stride, the immortal jerked the door open, stepped quickly inside and shut it with a thump behind him. The typical abrupt "open/shut" required to keep the CDC spectre contained.

"Aiiii!" exclaimed lahoffy.

"Eeeeeek!" yelped MacNair.

"Oh dear!" proclaimed lynnann.

Inside the closet there were seven coats, two sweaters, one ball of orange yarn, twenty seven coat hangers all strung together, a yard of bubble wrap popped all the way to line number two hundred thirty three, seven hundred twenty two paperclips chained all in a row, a bagel painted like a happy yellow sun, nine zippers without owners ... and k'lynn sitting right in the middle of her hoard like a dragon on her jewels.

She was startled to see Connor MacLeod arrive without ceremony or announcement into her domain and she popped out of the midst of her baubles in appropriate delight. And stopped.

"Connie?" She tilted her head ... tilted, tilted, tilted ... until she was looking at him upside-down while still being on her feet. "Connie look terrible."

He didn't answer. He just looked at her.

"Connie feel bad?" The elusive spectre righted her head ... then tilted all the way the opposite direction and looked at him upside-down again--as if by the change in perspective, he would become right.

He looked the same. Still silent. Still grim.

"Connie feel bad. Connie look bad. Connie eyes no sparkle. k'lynn fix. Sit, Connie, sit."

Outside the closet, in the big house, seven clan members and three immortals were in a rush for the same place at the same time.

There was a pileup on the staircase consisting of lynnann, lahoffy and MacNair. They managed to sort out their respective persons without any loud noises. A chorus of "Shhh!" and giggling accompanied the scramble. MacNair nearly had her clothes pulled off as both her clansibs hung on to keep from falling right down the flight of steps.

Methos and Duncan collided and bounced off each other at the corner of hall and foyer. They grappled for the wall and each other to keep from falling. Rich slide around the corner just as they got upright and almost knocked the other two down again. Sharz and Kydwyn arrived like a team. The last three CDCers emerged from various points in the house. It was like the three stooges, multiplied, as they all streamed to right outside the door of k'lynn's closet--and halted to listen.

Silence.

Twenty ears all trying to press on the door at once and all they heard was silence?

Ominous silence.

Inside the closet, right in the middle of the seven coats, two sweaters, one ball of orange yarn, twenty seven coat hangers all strung together, a yard of bubble wrap popped all the way to line number two hundred thirty three, seven hundred twenty two paperclips chained all in a row, a bagel painted like a happy yellow sun and nine zippers without owners--Connor was curled up asleep.

k'lynn was curled up around him with her face pressed into the limp hair of the bedraggled immortal who had entered her lair. It was quiet and she was smiling. Smiling like a dragon sitting amidst her jewels--as if she had just added one.

And woe to anyone who disturbed a dragon lurking over her hoard of jewels!

~finis~
Oct. 6, 2001

[Five paperclips added to this collection by Connor and Duncan Nov. 2001]

Back to The Playroom

Back to the Library

Home