One Never Knows
© Tabitha
Richie Ryan couldn't believe his eyes. Or his luck. He had just resigned himself to a lonely, third wheel position at Joe's when he felt the odd buzzing feeling he would never get used to. He looked up and his jaw dropped. An angel with golden-brown, shoulder-length hair and big green eyes was walking toward him, holding a motorcycle helmet in one hand.
"I don't want to fight," she said quickly, flashing him a quick smile. "I'm here visiting a friend and I got lost. I'm looking for-," at this she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and studied it quickly. "Joe's," she finished.
"Why'd you come looking here?" Richie asked, slightly suspicious now. It was quite a coincidence for her to just "happen" to walk into the dojo owned by Duncan MacLeod.
"Because Duncan is the only person I know in Seattle and I don't want to stop and ask just anyone. He always says to come to him for directions when I get lost in Seattle."
"OK, listen, I'll close up and then take you myself. I'm Richie Ryan, by the way."
"Felicity Pike." She held out her hand for Richie to shake. It was warm and strong, the grasp firm. "I'll just wait out by my bike."
Richie hurriedly finished up his business in the office, his mind preoccupied with the woman waiting outside. "Why would Mac do something like this?" he wondered. "I'm sure he could have easily given her directions to Joe's over the phone." Then it came to him. The Highlander was not above a little matchmaking of his own. He must've known that Richie was feeling a little lonely since his last breakup and decided to take matters into his own hands. "I owe you one, Mac," he said, grinning to himself as he grabbed his jacket and helmet.
She was still waiting outside for him, leaning against a black Harley Davidson. There was a half-smile on her face.
"So you are coming after all," she laughed, zipping up her jacket and putting on her helmet.
The ride to Joe's was uneventful. Richie had to admit that she rode well, keeping up with his breakneck turns at full speed. With every passing moment, she was proving to be the ideal woman for him. By the time they got to Joe's, Richie had fallen hard.
She flashed some ID at the door and walked in, and every man who was alone, and a few who weren't, turned and looked at an angel in black jeans and a black leather jacket. Richie followed close behind as she made her way to Duncan and Amanda's table. With a deadly look, she announced, "He's mine, Amanda."
Amanda stood up languidly. "Not a chance, Lissie. You couldn't have him before, and you can't have him now."
Felicity laughed humorlessly. "That was an unfair fight, Amanda. Now the odds are even. It's my turn to have Duncan."
"If you think you can have him, go ahead. But you have to get through me first."
The two women circled each other warily. Richie stole a look at Duncan. Was that a smirk?
At that moment Duncan began chuckling. The women turned to him angrily.
"So you think this is funny, Duncan?" Felicity bit out. "I've changed my mind, Amanda. I don't want him."
"Well, I don't want him either," Amanda shot back. "You take him!"
"You!"
"You!"
At this, Duncan lost all pretense of keeping his laughter under control. Felicity cocked her head to the side, then a smile crept up her face. "It's wonderful to see you again, Amanda." Then she hugged her former teacher.
"Likewise, Lissie."
"So, do you think we had Richie going?" Felicity inclined her head and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Definitely," Amanda joked, sitting back down and sipping her drink. Richie ducked his head in embarrassment and mumbled something before walking away.
"So, Lissie, what's this surprise you have for us?" Duncan pulled up a couple of chairs for Felicity and Richie.
"Oh, you'll see," said Felicity, sitting back in her chair with a self-satisfied smile.
"Did you ride your bike up here?" asked Amanda. "I've really got to see you on this thing."
"Yes, I rode up on my bike. I must say I prefer it to riding horses. It's harder for a motorcycle to outsmart me. Not to mention the shock value."
"How's Gus?"
"Doing well. He's following me up here after taking care of a bit of business in New Orleans. Nothing spectacular, just selling our house down there. We're thinking of going back to PEI for a while. The Island's in our blood."
"What Island?" asked Richie, coming back to the table at this moment.
Felicity looked shocked. "Why, Prince Edward Island. What other Island is there?"
"Prince Edward Island? Isn't that where those books by LM Montgomery were set?" Duncan looked curiously at Richie, who shrugged. "One of my foster mothers had an Anne complex."
"LM Montgomery probably did the most for PEI in putting it on the map. She was an interesting woman, full of spirit and good Scottish temper," said Felicity, dodging Duncan's playful swat. "Oh, look, there's tonight's band."
Duncan looked and then choked on his drink when he saw the guitar player. "Is that Gus?"
Gus gently placed his guitar in the case and walked over to the piano. Felicity was playing and singing softly as the bar closed up around her. Duncan and Amanda were slow dancing to the soft melody of her music.
She finished playing as he sat down next to her on the bench. He leaned over and kissed her gently. "That was great," she whispered. "You had Duncan in tears."
"That doesn't count," Gus said as the other couple came over. "he's a sentimental Scotsman."
"When'd you learn to play, Gus?" Duncan asked.
"I used to play the fiddle when I was growing up. I started up again in Paris, but when we moved to Louisiana I fell in love with the blues. It might be possible to play the blues on the fiddle, but I sure don't have the talent to do it. So I got a guitar and taught myself."
"So this was your surprise?"
"Mostly. We do have a small problem on our hands, though."
"And what would that be?"
"Someone wants to kill me." Felicity smiled grimly.
The hospital bustled with activity, as hospitals do. Felicity blew a strand of hair from her face as she concentrated on her task. "There, the needle's in," she thought as she left the room and stripped off her gloves.
The day had gone routine so far. She had a feeling they'd have to leave soon. She had grayed her hair gradually over the past 15 years, but she couldn't age her face, and she could sense the curiosity and unasked questions about how a 37 year old looked 22.
"Besides, I think I've been a nurse long enough. I'd like to try something else for a while," she thought with a grin as she made her rounds down the hall.
Her last patient of the shift was a woman of about 75. She was dying of cancer, and her son apparently thought she was in danger, because there was normally a guard there to make sure she was safe. Today, however, the guard was absent, so Felicity went about her duties in a slightly more cheerful mood. She was just cleaning up with the other woman beckoned her close.
"I need to tell you something, dear," she said, pulling Felicity closer. "You know my Willy is a very rich, powerful man. I want to tell someone how he got that power, and this is the first chance I've had since I came to the hospital that I can." She began to whisper in Felicity's ear.
Several minutes later, Felicity left the room, her eyes somewhat larger than normal. "I thought I'd heard everything," she thought as she walked past the now-present guard in shock.
"So let him kill you. It's not exactly a big deal," said Duncan, handing everybody a drink back at the dojo.
"Well, there is a problem," Gus replied, clasping Felicity's hand. "He wants a few souvenirs."
"My eyes, my ears, and my hands," Felicity finished.
A silence filled the room. Amanda finally broke it. "What type of secret do you have?"
"One that would ruin his reputation and make him the laughingstock of the business world. That's why he was guarding his mother so closely. He didn't want what she knew to leak out, and he knew that she would take any opportunity to do it. She doesn't exactly approve of what he did."
"Killing him is out of the question, I guess," said Amanda, looking somewhat disappointed.
"We could make him think she's senile and told Lissie a bunch of nonsense."
"I'd hate to do that to her. She's such a nice person."
"I'm guessing there's a bounty out on you."
"Of course."
"I think I've got a plan," said Gus slowly. "Why don't we try this…"
The gray haired man climbed from the limo with the help of a trim young woman with short dark hair. After helping her employer, she turned and yanked a woman from the seat. A thin, scholarly-looking man helped her with the struggling woman while two other men carried an unconscious man out of the trunk.
The older man walked up to the guarded back door. "My name is Hodgkins," he said authoritatively, "and I have a present for Mr. Fields."
The group was lead with great speed to the man in charge. "So, Felicity Pike," he smirked. "You are a difficult bird to catch. And what is this other package."
"Her husband. We thought you might appreciate it," said Hodgkins. "I'd like you to consider this a gift. They walked right into my people."
"Excellent. But why go to all this trouble? I would have settled for a few select pieces. Much easier to transport."
"It was quite enjoyable to watch her struggle. She's pretty fiery for an older woman."
"What can I do to return the favor?"
"My people would like to dispatch them for you."
"Here? Someone might hear."
"Watch and learn." A smile flickered across the man's face. "Ryan, could you fetch the receptacles? Monica, prepare the gifts." The woman moved quickly, gagging the unconscious man and tightening his bonds before plunging a needle into him. Whatever solution the needle contained woke him quickly, and he began struggling.
"Calm down," the woman crooned, stroking his head. "It'll all be over soon. For both you and Mrs. Pike."
The red-haired man soon reappeared with two large plastic trashcans. Seeing Mr. Fields confusion, he hastened to explain. "We'll put them in here to kill them. Makes cleanup easier."
They took care of the man first. Fields watched in fascination as the thin, dark-haired man removed the knife from his victim's heart, then looked over to the next victim. Tears poured down her cheeks as the process was repeated. The two men who had carried Gus in before each took a trash can and disappeared.
"We'll even take care of disposal."
"I guess I'd better cancel that bounty."
"That was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," said Joe, resting his head in his hands.
"I'm sorry you had to do it, Joe," Felicity said softly. "I'm sorry it had to be done at all. How do you think I felt watching my husband die?"
"So what exactly was this big secret, Lissie?" asked Amanda, sitting down next to Joe. "What in the world was worth all of this fuss?"
"That's the thing. It's not illegal, just embarrassing." Felicity sat down on the piano bench. "He got all of his power by sleeping his way to the top. After he had a sex change. He/She/He changed back when he got to the top."
There was a moment of dead silence. "That's it?" Duncan sputtered. "No smuggling, no murdering, no illegal activities?"
"As far as I know, putting out the bounty on me was the first illegal thing he had done. Everything else was just unethical and embarrassing."
"You mean I had to kill two people so this guy could keep an embarrassing past secret?" demanded Adam.
"It's all over now, Adam," Gus said softly. "Thank goodness. It was hard knowing my Lissie was about to die, and I couldn't do a thing about it. But it had to be done."
Gus sat down on the piano bench next to his wife. "It'll be nice to get back to PEI, eh love? Nothing like this ever happens there."
"Oh really? I seem to recall a time when you fell in love with a jewel thief…"
"So I guess there's no hope for me, huh," said Richie, sitting next to Duncan as he watched Gus and Felicity turn to each other.
"Sorry, Richie. Gus and Lissie have been married for almost 90 years. They're still in love. I hope they remain so, because Gus is unbearable when he's lonely."
Over at the piano, Gus began to play, and Felicity started singing.
For all those times you stood by me
For all the truth that you made me see
For all the joy you brought to my life
For all the wrong that you made right
For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you
I'll be forever thankful baby
You're the one who held me up
Never let me fall
You're the one who saw me through through it all
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
You gave me wings and made me fly
You touched my hand I could touch the sky
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me
You said no star was out of reach
You stood by me and I stood tall
I had your love I had it all
I'm grateful for each day you gave me
Maybe I don't know that much
But I know this much is true
I was blessed because I was loved by you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
You were always there for me
The tender wind that carried me
A light in the dark shining your love into my life
You've been my inspiration
Through the lies you were the truth
My world is a better place because of you
You were my strength when I was weak
You were my voice when I couldn't speak
You were my eyes when I couldn't see
You saw the best there was in me
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach
You gave me faith 'coz you believed
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
I'm everything I am
Because you loved me
END
Everyone, please go buy Celine Dion's CD record "Falling Into You" if you like this song. This song was written by Warren (whoever that is). The "Falling Into You" CD is only $13.99 at cdnow.com