Duncan sat on the cold gray hardness of the rock, but felt nothing except for the warmness from the baby he held tenderly and protectively in his arms and the touch of the woman at his side. He gazed down, lost in wonder, into eyes that were mirror images of his own.

The blonde woman stood next to him, one hand on his arm and an indulgent and playful smile curving her lips while she caressed the baby's tiny foot through the blue knitted bootie with her free hand. The day is peaceful and the baby smiles, but Duncan does not see it because he is turning to take a long slow kiss from the woman at his side. The joy inside of them is immense--their hearts can barely contain it and it beams from their eyes piercing through the slight blanket of fog rising from the warm earth at their feet.

Their kiss grows deep quickly, but is broken as the hum of an approaching immortal�s song shatters the peace of their perfect moment.

With a hurried gentle smoothness Duncan placed the baby in the woman�s arms and armed himself with his katana. The woman holds the baby tightly against her chest looking at him with question in her eyes. Duncan smiles a smile that is meant to reassure her before spinning to scan the landscape before him. As the hum grows stronger so does his stance. Visibly he pulls energy into his body readying for battle.

Connor appears over the outcropping of gray rocks moving through the mist like a specter, his eyes concentrated on his clansman--beckoning to him.

Duncan senses immediately his kinsman�s distress. Worry wrinkles his brow in concern as he moves towards his kinsman, his brother.

Connor's eyes seem to devour the scene before him and there's a harsh sadness just barely veiled in his intense eyes.

Duncan sees Connor's mouth moving, forming words, but the words have no sound. "What? What is it Connor? I can't hear you!" he calls out, his voice strangled.

Connor's lips continue to move as he drifts closer and closer to him, but there is still no voice to bring out the words.

Duncan stands frozen unable to move any further. Something is wrong--terribly wrong. The baby, startled by the urgency in his voice, begins to cry. Duncan turns in the direction of the sound; the woman has tearing streaming down her cheeks and is standing where he left her with the baby in her arms and her eyes locked to his.

She and the baby are fading like a mist burned away by the rising of the summer sun.

Duncan screams out, "Nooooo!" He turns to chase after the fading woman and child, but is held back by the strong grip of Connor's hands on his shoulders.

"Let me go, Connor!" he raged, fighting against the superhuman hold Connor had on him. �I have to get back to them, please!" Duncan begged, his hands reaching out desperately trying to grasp the fading image of the woman and the child. The sound of the baby's crying ceased as the woman and child vanished slowly from sight.

The scream from his mouth was a wounded sound echoing across the gray face of the mountain. As his scream died, the sound of his Clansman's voice fell on his ears,

"Duncan, Duncan!" the voice rasped close to his ear. "Duncan you have to come with me out of here!" Connor�s voice was pain wracked; yet commanding.

He struggled with his clansman, desperate to wring himself from his encompassing hold. The grip on his shoulders tightened to the point of pain. Connor's voiced rasped louder and louder in his ears, breaking through the pain tearing through Duncan�s body at the loss of the woman and his child.

"Brother, this is not a journey I'll have you take ever again. I'd gladly take your pain and spare you this if I could," the voice continued. Arms snaked around him and held him tightly. "Wake up Duncan! Wake up now, and let this go. It's not meant for us!" Connor�s voice was demanding and unrelenting.

Duncan sat straight up in the bed, slipping loose of the arms that held him. His body was covered with a fine sheen of sweat and his heart was slamming against the wall of his chest.

The body next to him in the bed stirred, rising to sit next to him, "Are you all right?" Connor's voice broke through the spell that had wrapped him in such taut layers of painful longing. Grasping the strong column of Duncan�s neck he held firm, anchoring him back to the present.

"You were there," Duncan stated, simply shaken.

"Yes, cousin, I was there." Connor spoke without apology. Safeguarding the man under his hand was caustic for them both. Rescuing Duncan, taking him from a dream that was bringing him great joy had hurt him, but Connor would have him suffer this small hurt to save him from the unknown in their futures.

"Damn it, Connor! I wish.... I wish�" he faltered lamely, falling silently back to his pillow. Connor�s hand was still clamped firmly to him.

"You wish what, Duncan?" Connor asked softly, knowing already what the answer would be.

Duncan's eyes clouded over, "I wish you could have waited just a moment longer before bringing me back."

The End!

Vidalia
June 4, 2003

A thousand and one thanks to Lahoffy, my friend and greatest fan (no blushing, aw shucking or snerking at me for thanking you) what would I do without you?. To Cel and Sheeza who drooled through over 2000 frus trying to find one that must only exist in my mind. I wish I had that problem *g*. To MacNair, who was the one who really started all of this by replying to a curious woman's e-mail and last, but never least, all hail to the voices in my head, that I dearly call my beloved muses. They seem to know exactly when I can handle writing a piece like this without falling to pieces myself.

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