Part 2

See part one for disclaimer.

"So this Carlos Lapin is coming after me. He can't be that bad, I've
never heard of him. Then again, if he challenges me, then it's my
problem, not yours," commented Duncan. "If this Lapin person is after
me, then why does Richie have to be here?"

"What makes you say Richie is here because of Lapin?" Connor asked.

"I called Richie to find that he had left Seacouver. I called a friend
to find out he was with you, Connor, and now you're both here. I just
put two and two together," Duncan said.

Connor had just about enough of Duncan's attitude and Richie could see
the fight coming. Richie knew that Mac was still upset over the Horsemen
incident and he was using that anger against Connor. Mac had always
taught Richie to be aware of what was happening around him, but in
Duncan MacLeod's state, he missed a vital piece of what was happening.
He missed the fact that Richie's personality had changed, from the way
he walked to the slight accent in his voice.

"Inside, Duncan," the elder MacLeod barked. He gave the young man a push
towards the door that led inside the barge. "You are going to listen,
now sit down" Connor said pointing to a chair that faced the only couch
in the place.

"Not until you tell me what is going on," Duncan countered as his temper
flared up.

"Sit down both of you," Richie yelled. Both MacLeods quickly did as they
were told. The elder one did it because he was afraid of the trouble
Richie would bring down on their heads if he didn't. The younger one did
it out of shock. "This is not some social call, where we have the time
to make small talk." Richie was slowly losing his patience and as he
did, his accent started to become more pronounced. Like Connor's accent,
Richie's original accent was distorted from years of traveling.

"What is going on?" Duncan asked.

"We sort of lied to you," Connor admitted.

"You what!" Duncan's angry voice filled the barge as he started to
realize just what was different. There was age behind Richie's eyes that
hadn't been there before, and somehow his quickening, the feel of it,
had changed. "Who are you?" Duncan asked Richie.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Methos awoke with a start from the nightmare that had been holding him.
He had only been asleep a few hours, and even as his body told him he
needed more sleep, Methos knew he would never get back to sleep.

The nightmare was a little different each time, and each time, he awoke
as the sword came down and severed his head. Sometimes it was Kronos
who did it, and others it was Richie, but each time there was always the
same hideous laughter from the person. It was the same laugh that Carlos
made when he knew he had won.

'Damn. I should know better than to let that monster into my dreams,'
Methos thought. 'Richie taught me enough to know how to control my own
dreams, so instead I let Carlos control them.' "No wonder I can't get
any sleep," Methos said to his empty house.

He got up and started to make himself some coffee when the phone rang.
"Hello," Methos answered. There was only silence on the other end. "I
don't know who this is, but if you don't answer, I'm hanging up."

"Don't like the games, Methos? You know how I love cat and mouse games.
Maybe you and I can keep this one up for a few more centuries, but tell
that teacher of yours that I'm coming," the voice on the other end said.
Before Methos could answer, the line went dead as did the power in his
house. 'Carlos!'

Methos threw on his clothes, forgetting the coffee that he had started.
Running out of the house, the only thought on his mind was that Carlos
was near and the end to this game was coming.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------


"I've been known as many things, but my real name was and still is
Richard. I just added the Ryan part recently. Many others know me as the
White Knight. I come from a time that no one knows even existed and I'm
the first immortal." Richie stopped there as he saw the coming
explosion.

"You lied by pretending you were a pre-immortal. You played on my honor
to get what you wanted and then you let Tessa die when you could have
protected her. How could you do this to me? Connor?" Duncan asked.

"We did this because you needed to learn things," Richie answered. "In
your four hundred years, you've learned nothing that will help you
survive, except how to fight. You've not learned the difference between
justice and revenge or how to forgive someone of the most hideous
crimes. You call what you do justice, when all it is, is revenge."

"I know the difference," Duncan snarled. "I also know that all anyone
has done is lie to me. Who else knows? Amanda, Methos, or maybe even Joe
knows." Duncan went over to the liquor cabinet and pick up a bottle of
Scotch.

"Alcohol is not going to do us any good right now," Richie said grabbing
the bottle from Duncan's grasp.

"Oh, so now that you're older, you know better. Let me tell you
something, you're no better then Felica Martins. You've learned what you
can from me and now it is time to let your little secret out. Even
better, you and Felica were working together, weren't you? Just using
Tessa and me from as long as it suited you." Duncan grabbed the bottle
back from Richie. "Get out! You are no longer welcome; either of you!"

"Duncan MacLeod, you don't have any idea what is going on. Richie was
here to help you survive the coming fight. What would you have done if
he hadn't been there when Tessa died? You would have found the first
head hunter out there and ended your own life. So don't you...."

"I said, get out," Duncan interrupted. This time he picked up his sword
and took a swing at Connor.

"Connor." Connor turned towards the calm voice and followed Richie out
of the barge, leaving Duncan think about everything. "Fighting him is
not going to get anything accomplished. I want you to find Methos and
Aries. Amanda's plane arrives in two hours. She knows about the White
Knight, but not that I am him. She will accept it a lot easier because
of Rebecca's teaching and stories. After you get them, head to my place.
If you don't remember where it is, Methos should. I'll meet you there
with Mac."

"Your place. You mean the place you call a house?" With a shake of the
head and a sigh, Connor kept from bursting out in laughter. "What are
you going to do? I mean, he seems pretty mad at us and I don't see any
forgiveness coming our way anytime soon."

"Neither do I, but that doesn't mean I can't get him to listen to us. We
need him to fill the gap left by Darius. I've already contacted some
others to help complete our group, but I doubt they'll be here in time
to face Carlos."

Connor knew it was time to go and turned to leave. He had only gotten a
few steps when Richie called out, "Watch you head, Connor. Carlos may
not be here yet, but he has followers in this city."

"I will."

Richie watched Connor walk away and disappear around the corner, before
he headed off. He knew that by himself he could not persuade Duncan, but
maybe a dead friend might be able to, or at least his books could.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Duncan didn't know what to think. Fist he found out that Methos had lied
to him and now Richie and Connor had. 'What next, Darius? What happen to
trust and the truth, or does it go out the door when you deal with
immortals?' Duncan asked himself.

He walked over to the porthole and watched Richie and Connor talk. Then
Connor walked one way and Richie the other. 'Everything has been a lie.'
A photo of Tessa, Richie, and himself caught his eye. They looked like a
family, but 'look like' was all it was. No immortal ever got the chance
to have a real family.

"I trusted you like a son," Duncan yelled to the empty barge. Seconds
later, the picture went flying across the room. It connected with the
wall and the glass shattered to pieces. 'Just like everything else in my
life. Just shattered pieces!'

MacLeod looked down at the bottle of Scotch he was drinking and
remembered Richie's words. 'Alcohol isn't going to do us any good right
now.' Duncan knew he was right, though. No one, mortal or immortal,
thought clearly when they were drunk. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly
right now.

'Richie's still family and Connor's right, where would I be if Richie
hadn't been here when Tessa died?' Duncan took another swing of scotch.
'It wouldn't have mattered, because Tessa wouldn't have died. It's all
Richie's fault. Tessa and I were perfectly happy before he came into our
lives.'

Taking another drink, Duncan started walking through the barge. He
tripped over the coffee table and went tumbling down. His head connected
with the wood of a chair and blackness took over, blocking out the pain
that Richie had caused.

********************************************

Fall of 1992

"Tessa, are you sure this is all right with you?" Duncan asked after he
had come back down from showing Richie his room. "I could always find a
home for him."

"What? Find a home for him, like he is just some puppy dog? No. He lives
here with us, because like you said 'he has seen too much.' Anyhow, how
much trouble can he actually be?"


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Gary's funeral

"Richie," Duncan called into the room. The teenager had retreated
straight to his room when they had gotten back. "Richie, do you want to
talk about it?"

"No," came a response from within the room.

Duncan who was a loss at what to do, went back downstairs to where Tessa
was fixing some tea. She had her back to Duncan when he came in and the
immortal knew she was crying, the second he walked into the kitchen.

"What's wrong, my love?" Duncan asked even though he had a good idea
what it was about.

"He was a 19 year old kid. Richie's, what, a year younger? Where did the
world go so wrong, that children grow up without the love of a family?"

"I don't know."

******************************************************

1993

"I'm sorry," Richie said for the hundredth time. Duncan did everything
he could think of to reassure Richie that it wasn't his fault.

"Don't be. It's not your fault that Tessa died...."


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present

Duncan awoke to those word floating through his mind. 'It's not your
fault.' Duncan knew that Richie had cared about Tessa and would have
done anything to save her, but it had been out of both their hands.
"It's not your fault," Duncan said out loud.

"Maybe it is," someone said from right next to him.

MacLeod bolted upright to find himself on the bed instead of sprawled
across the coffee table. He found Richie sitting on a chair by the side
of the bed. He had an old book clutched protectively against him.

"I could have saved her, but her dying there was for the best. She
didn't want you to have to suffer like she knew you would. That's why I
let her die that night. To save you both from some pain."

"Why? She had so much to live for, but you let her die on a street like
she meant nothing to you," Duncan said. The confused and hurt look on
his face just broke Richie's heart. "How could you, and then come back
here like nothing happened?"

"I'm sorry about Tessa, but trust me for now. What happened, happened
for the best," Richie said, but he couldn't meet Mac's accusing eyes.

"I could have forgiven you for Tessa's death until what you just said.
Tessa's death wasn't your fault until you told me you let her die. I
guess given everything you said, a second thought would just be a waste
of my time," Duncan said. He let his anger cover the hurt and pain that
he felt.

"Maybe someday I can explain my actions, but right now I don't have the
time. Here is a book Darius wrote, with a letter. He wrote this about
five years before he died. It will explain things that I don't even know
how to start explaining. Read it before you make your decision. Don't
base your decision on what I've done, but on what we mean to the world.
Yes, we lied and I know you can't forgive that, but read this. There are
many innocent people who count on our group."

"Richie... You're... I can't forgive you. I can't forget that you could
just lie to Tessa or me with no thought. I doubt this book can change my
feelings."

"Fine." Richie walked out with a pained look covering his face and
sadness in his eyes, but he would never let Mac see that. He couldn't
let any of them see that he was weak.

Duncan watched him go with no regrets about what he just did. He had
been lied to and used. They were no better than people like Felica
Martins, Alexei Voshin, Kenny, and all the other evil immortals out
there. His true friends would have never have hurt him like this. 'Guess
I know which ones aren't my real friends,' Duncan thought as he sat down
and started reading Darius's book. He didn't know it, but Richie waited
for him topside.

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