Spirals of the Mind

Title: Spirals of the Mind: Chapter 5
Author: JadeHeart
Archived: If anyone would like it, please ask me first!
Fandom: Highlander
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: angst
Timeline: Not sure exactly when, but it is after Tessa’s death.
Characters: Duncan/Ritchie/Fitz/Kaiya (OC)
Feedback: Feedback is always welcome!
Summary: The crossing of lives and loves; they come and go.
Author’s Notes: This story jumps around a little, I know, in time – it is more made up of short little exerts of ideas that I haven’t tried to see if they could be fully developed into anything more.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to the creators of ‘Highlander’ , nor am I making any profits from this.


Chapter 5


“What a dismal place!” Ritchie exclaimed. “Why did Fitz want to meet here?”

The shore warehouse was dilapidated, old and rotten, and the tide encroached on it frequently leaving sludge and slime behind. The urgent call had come to them back in Seacouver, requesting that they meet Fitz in Paris. Duncan hadn’t been particularly happy to return to that city, but he also couldn’t ignore his friends summons. So he had booked his flight immediately, with Ritchie coming along for the ride.

Duncan looked around. “I don’t know. He was pretty cagey on the phone. He seemed worried about being followed.”

“Think he’s gone paranoid?” Ritchie asked.

“I am, and have never been paranoid!” a voice called from the shadows behind them, as the buzz was felt and they both spun round. “I can’t help it if they’re out to get me!”

“Fitz,” Duncan said with a smile, walking forward.

“Duncan.” he said, and nodded to Ritchie. “And your young protégé.”

“Hey!” Ritchie said. “I’m not that young!”

“My dear boy, you will always be young to us!”

“What’s all this cloak and dagger stuff for, Fitz? Another jealous husband?”

“I wish, my friend, I wish. At least then I would know what I had done, and have had the pleasure in doing it!”

Duncan sensed a seriousness underneath Fitz’s light bantering. “So what’s up?”

“There’s trouble - for us.” meaning Immortals.

“What is it?”

Fitz held up a hand. “First you need to meet someone. It will probably be a bit of a shock.”

“Who?” Ritchie asked, curious.

“Me.” said a soft voice, and from the shadows behind them, stepped Kaiya.

Both Ritchie and Duncan were stunned. It had been a year since she had left, and they both had come to terms with the fact that they would probably never see her again. Yet now, here she was. She came no closer to them, keeping her distance.

“I wouldn’t be here, except what Fitz told me is important and the trail we were following led to here.” She then moved, circling them to stand at Fitz’s side.

Are they lovers? Ritchie thought, jealousy surging. Then he clamped it down. It was no longer his business.

Fitz could see the play of emotions over both faces before him, reading them easily. Ritchie’s because of his youth and he hadn’t yet learnt to hide them successfully; Duncan’s because he knew his friend so well. Kaiya had told him briefly there would be some awkwardness. She had explained she had been lover to both Duncan and Ritchie – at separate times, of course! – and had left suddenly. They were still in love with her, he saw.

They think she’s my lover, Fitz thought. If only! It would give him great delight if she was his lover, but this wasn’t the case at all. It was all purely platonic. Not that he was going to admit that to them! Not to hurt Ritchie or Duncan, but he had his pride!

“You had better explain.” Duncan said.

“By all means.” and Fitz quickly outlined the previous events that had brought Kaiya and he back to Paris.

“I bumped into Kaiya in Florence and told her about what I had found. I had the contacts, she had the anonymity, so we did some stakeouts, and they just confirmed my suspicions.”

“Are the Hunters back?” Ritchie asked, looking at Duncan.

“I can ask Joe to check,” he said, “but it doesn’t fit their pattern.”

“Duncan, we’ve got to do something. It’s not like there are that many of us that we can just have anyone coming after us. The loss of the quickenings is sacrilegious enough. Remember the horrors the Hunters caused; Darius and all the others.”

Kaiya winced at the mention of that name, and Ritchie noticed. She still loves Darius, he thought. Does she still love me? He couldn’t help but wonder. They finished their discussion, setting some tasks, and attempting to make some sort of plan.

“We’re staying at the Hotel Chaneu, under the name of Hughes.” Fitz said. “We can’t risk coming to your place. Let’s meet at the Plaza de Guat where there are a lot of people around. Our quarry seems to prefer the cloak and dagger style so we should be safe in the crowds. We’ve got to stay away from secluded areas, even churches. Holy ground is proving to be no sanctuary for us. You two need to watch yourselves. They’re definitely here, and it may not be long before they identify you both. Try not to be alone at any time.”

“Ritchie can crash at my place. The barge is big enough for the two of us, and so doubles our chances if there’s any trouble.”

“Okay. We’ll meet at 10.00am tomorrow. Be careful.” and he and Kaiya left.

Duncan and Ritchie watched them go. “Do you think…” Ritchie began, but Duncan interrupted. “It’s not our decision. It’s hers. Always was.”

Ritchie nodded acceptance, still finding it difficult to swallow his jealousy. Seeing her again brought the long buried feelings to the surface, the memories of that time rising up, the touch of her skin, her kiss. He turned resolutely away. That was in the past. “What do you think?” he asked Duncan.

“Fitz isn’t one to get worried without good reason, despite what people sometimes think of him. I think we need to take this seriously. and he had enough to convince Kaiya, and she’s no fool.”

“True.”

“Let’s talk to Joe and see what he can find out for us, then head back to the barge. We need to start working out where we go to from here. If we are lucky, we might be able to find a trail we can follow.”

The next few weeks were hectic, almost frantic, like a race against time. Joe and the Watchers battled from their side, the Immortals from the other. When fighting a madman, no strategy survived after the first contact, for that was their opponent. A simple madman; no immortal, no renegade Watcher, just a madman who reared his ugly head, and thought he was a sorcerer. After finding scraps of old stories that hinted at immortals and immortality, he twisted the meanings to suit his own maniacal thoughts, which resulted in, unfortunately, a number of his victims being Immortals.

Yet, just because he was an ordinary mortal, did not make his capture any less demanding, for now he was after Duncan, which was why the trail had led to Paris. For it was here, that the madman had identified that Duncan had once lived. In time, no doubt, he would have track Duncan across the ocean to Seacouver, however instead Duncan had inadvertently returned to Paris and within his reach.

And the bizarre reason for his desire to locate Duncan? It was because Duncan was the owner of the katana, and no more reason than that. Duncan was the main target, but the madman wasn’t too concerned about how many fatalities were incurred along the way, in his aim to achieve his goal. For it wasn’t the katana the man was seeking – it was Duncan’s life.

So Duncan played the bait, seeking to draw their quarry out, but he proved more than elusive, nothing more than a wisp and a rumour most times. Ritchie, Fitz and Kaiya all continued to follow up whatever leads they could find.

During this time, Ritchie and Duncan both found themselves working closely with Kaiya. Sometimes it felt like nothing had changed, other times it felt like a gulf lay between them.

Finally their opponent was brought to bay, and it was left to the local constabulary to deal with the situation. The Watchers swore to keep a close eye on proceedings, and whisked a number of scrolls and books the madman had been using, away as they found these to be portions of Watcher chronicles, lost at various times through the ages.

“Thank god, that is over!” Ritchie said, sitting back with a deep sigh.

“Agreed.” said Fitz heartfeltly. “That was too close for my comfort. A madman is unpredictable.”

“But we finally got him.” Duncan said, handing his friend a glass of wine

“Till the next one.” said Fitz, taking it.

“Hope not!” said Ritchie, pouring a glass for himself.

“At least the Watchers were able to remove their chronicles before the authorities got hold of them. It keeps some further secretes hidden.” said Kaiya, sipping her wine. They all looked tired. It had been a draining time for all.

“Well, it was great catching up with you, Duncan and young Ritchie.” said Fitz, swallowing the last of the wine. “Let’s try to do it again when it’s not a life and death situation!”

Duncan smiled and saluted with his glass. “I’ll drink to that. Where are you off to now?”

“Back to Italy, then Austria, I think. After that, who knows? Kaiya had a yearning to see Austria in winter again, and who am I to refuse a lady’s desires?” and Fitz half bowed in Kaiya’s direction.

She smiled crookedly at him, a twinkle in her eyes. “And we know what trouble that gets us into.” she said dryly, putting her glass down and getting to her feet. “Let’s not be run out of town this time, eh?” She turned to Duncan and Ritchie, “Take care. Thank you for the help.” and she glided out before they could think of anything to say. Duncan made a half step as though to follow her, but then halted. What was the point?

Fitz began to make his way out, before abruptly turning around. “We’re not lovers.” he said quickly. “Though it wounds my pride immensely to admit that she is immune to my wooing. Thought you might like to know.” and with a jaunty wave he left them.

Fitz’s parting comment meant a great deal to Duncan, and also Ritchie. It lay the jealousy to rest, though Duncan was pragmatic enough to recognise that they could hardly have expected her to remain celibate because of them. He half blushed. God knows, he and Ritchie hadn’t been. Even though neither of them had had a serious long-term relationship since Kaiya, they had certainly enjoyed the pleasures of more than one woman. Kaiya was right, men really are irrational creatures.

“Well,” said Ritchie. “Guess it’s time to head back home.”

“We can organise it in the morning.” Duncan said. “There’s still a couple of bottles of wine to drink to celebrate.”

“Sure!” Ritchie agreed, and they settled into companionable conversation.

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

Duncan walked quickly, knowing he was being followed. He looked around him constantly, searching for an opportunity to lose his pursers. Seeing an alley, he ducked into it quickly almost colliding with the person just coming out.

“Duncan!” was the surprised exclamation that greeted him.

“Kaiya!” Duncan responded no less surprised. He suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into an alcove, dragging the hanging washing forward to cover them. He peered out and saw his two pursuers pause, before being joined by a third man, one he hadn’t realised was tailing him.

He didn’t need to caution Kaiya for silence. She could sense a dangerous situation, even if his actions hadn’t been warning enough. When they moved off, Duncan turned to look at her. Of all places, he hadn’t expected to find her in Hong Kong.

“You’re in trouble?” she asked, indicating with her head.

He smiled. “A little.”

She quirked an eyebrow upwards, a move that tugged at his heart. “How much is a little?” He pursed his lips, not answering. She sighed. “What kind of trouble?”

“You don’t want to be involved.”

“I already am.” she pointed out.

“They didn’t see you.”

“Do you want my help, or not?” she said tartly.

He considered. He couldn’t deny that she could be useful, so he made a decision. “Okay. Let’s get back to my hotel.” and she followed him from the alley.

When they reached his room, they found it ransacked. They then had to go through the formalities of hotel staff checking, reporting, apologising, then the inevitable police presence and questions. Fortunately, Kaiya had her passport on her and reported what hotel she was staying at and so on, so there were no further awkward delays. Finally it was all over, and she and Duncan were alone to begin cleaning up the mess.

“So, anything taken?” she asked, picking the bed covers up and remaking the bed, whilst Duncan gathered his clothes up, refolding them into his bag as he went.

Duncan shook his head. “No, I’ve got what they’re after in a safety deposit box in a bank in town.”

“So tell me.” she said, moving over the jug and making coffee for them both.

Duncan explained about his trip here, as a favour for a friend, and about finding the antique theft ring that was operating. The artefact he had secreted away that they were after now was one that he inadvertently been given by a dying man, who had fallen prey to their activities. He explained how he had also found out who was behind the ring, both the Hong Kong connection, and that in Seacouver which was what his friend back there had indicated was a possibility.

“So you intend to stop them.” she stated, sitting back and cradling her cup, sipping.

He couldn’t help but smile and shrug. “What can I say?” he said.

“Can you try to not be the saviour of the world just this once?”

He continued to smirk, and she shook her head, knowing the answer.

“So why are you here?” he asked her, feeling pleasure at her company after so long.

“Wandering. I was cutting through to London. Fitz and I were meeting up there in the spring.”

Duncan froze. She doesn’t know, he thought, she doesn’t know about Fitz.

“What?” she said sharply, attuned to his reaction.

He swallowed. How to tell her? He looked at her, remembering another time, long before all the trouble between them, of having to tell her of the loss of someone else dear to her. He saw the knuckles of her hand white on the arm chair. She guesses, he thought. He looked up to her eyes, her penetrating, clear gaze meeting his, demanding the truth.

“Fitz is dead.” he said quietly.

“How?” she asked, still sitting still.

“Kalis killed him.”

“And?” she said fiercely.

“I killed Kalis.”

“Good!” was her sharp answer.

She carefully put the cup on the table next to her and rose, going out onto the small open balcony. She stood there in the light and raised her face to the sun, closing her eyes. Duncan saw a tear roll down her cheek, just one. He rose and came behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. He felt her lean back slightly into his embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder, hugging her tightly.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered.

“He was a good man.” she responded just as quietly.

“The best.”

“You miss him.”

Duncan felt a stab of pain at his loss. “Yes. I don’t have many friends left.”

She turned in his arms and hugged him. The feel of her in his arms brought back so many memories; how right it felt, how comfortable, how much he loved her, how much he missed her. He placed a kiss on her cheek and held her tightly. Another kiss reached her lips, touched with salt. She had been crying silently all this time. He kissed the tears away, and the kisses turned more passionate with every one. They soon found themselves inside, and the bed rose up to meet them, as they made love with an intensity and longing that was almost frightening. They awoke in the early hours of the morning, and in the dark spoke of Fritz, Duncan sharing a great deal with her as he had known Fitz for a far greater time. After further tears, they then slept again.

When Duncan awoke next, it was daylight and he could hear the shower going. It soon ceased, and a moment later Kaiya exited, fully clothed.

“So what’s your next move?” she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Duncan sat up and outlined his plans to her, listening as she provided some additional input.

They spent two weeks in Hong Kong, but they didn’t sleep together again, not after that first night. However this lack of physical intimacy did not diminish the feelings Duncan had for her, that did not change. By the end of the two weeks, Duncan had succeeded in breaking the smuggling ring, much to the relief and consternation of the local authorities, and it was then time for him to return home, the artefact he had been guarding safe once more in his keeping.

“Come with me.” he urged Kaiya. She had no reason to go to London since Fitz was dead.

“No.” she said, shaking her head. “I’ll go to London and drink a pint in memory of Fitz.”

Duncan knew better than to argue with her. In a way, he knew she was right. Even after all this time had gone by, he knew that if she returned with him, the situation between Ritchie and he would change again. And maybe this time, it would be permanent. But he missed her.

“Have a safe flight.” she said, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek and with that she turned and left him – again.