One Faithful Heart
by Raine Wynd
The Heart Series, Part Four
Disclaimer and Notes: Highlander characters and concepts belong to Panzer/Davis and are borrowed without profit or permission. Kelly Pyron is mine. Lyrics to "One Faithful Heart" by The Wilkinsons also borrowed without permission.
"Time, it goes so fast
Like a river running past
And you're lucky if you find at last
Just one faithful heart"
— Steve Wilkinson, Charlie Black and Rory Michael Bourke (as sung by The Wilkinsons)
November 2000
Seacouver
Duncan wasn't sure what woke him in the gray light just before dawn. He lay still a moment, trying to discern if his subconscious had detected a possible threat, or if he had just been in the grip of a dream. He decided finally that it had been the latter, hearing nothing out of the ordinary, sensing no danger. Only the sound of his lover's rhythmic breathing echoed in the quietness of the early morn.
He rolled over slightly, careful not to awaken her with his movement. She stirred anyway, burrowing deeper underneath the quilt and the sheets, as if protesting the sudden chill his action caused, but did not otherwise respond. He smiled as he realized that her new position placed her so that the only indication of her presence was a mass of reddish-black hair.
Gently, he brushed a lock of hair away from her heart-shaped face, exposing the slowly fading souvenir of a nearly year-old knife fight. Not for the first time, Duncan wished he could erase that scar, and the hundreds more that marred her lithe body. He shook his head at his fancifulness, well aware that every imperfection was a piece of the woman he loved. She had been, up until earlier in the year, a soldier of fortune, more accustomed to the whims of war than of peace — or of love.
Yet here she was, curled up in peaceful dreams, and Duncan said a prayer of thanks to whoever would be listening that she wasn't plagued by nightmares tonight. She did not experience them much of late, a fact for which he was glad. He was also secretly happy that Methos had taken off for parts unknown; he suspected that his friend was in love with Kelly, and while Duncan's jealousy over Kelly's easy friendship with Methos had long been resolved, he did not relish the thought of fighting Methos over Kelly's affections.
Duncan had no doubt over Kelly's love for him. She had proven her love intangibly, with her faithfulness, devotion, and willingness to communicate through the rough spots their relationship had endured. Likewise, he had no doubt about his own feelings for her. He just was not entirely sure that Methos would continue to insist that as long as Kelly was Duncan's lover, he would not interfere with that relationship. Methos had surprised him before, and, Duncan suspected, would do so again.
Duncan chuckled silently, imagining Kelly's reaction if he voiced that particular thought aloud.
"Quit being a stupid idiotic Scot for once in your long fucking life and listen to me," she would probably say, her usually faint Irish accent rising with her vulgarity. "I love you, not Methos, and if he'd quit being a fucking stupid, egotistical, self-centered, S.O.B. for one minute, he'd admit that he knows that I love you more than I like him."
Duncan could just hear and see it now. Kelly would stand there, hands on her hips, her green eyes like dark emeralds with her anger. He smiled, remembering the first time he had experienced her fury, and recalling how stunned he had been. Och, Kelly was a passionate one, and Duncan knew he could measure how irritated she was by the number of languages she used and the severity of her curses. He found that trait as maddening as it was endearing, depending upon whether or not he was the subject of her anger.
He bent over and kissed her cheek. She shifted her body, turning abruptly, and Duncan found his lips brushing her cheek to land on her nose briefly before sliding down to rest on her lips. He froze.
A soft, sleepy laugh met his reaction, and Duncan realized she had caught him staring.
"Din'ya think I wouldn't wake up if you moved?" she murmured. She blinked up at him, love shining in her eyes.
"Aye, but I was hoping you wouldn't," he answered her. To forestall any further comment, he proceeded to kiss her.
He felt her smile at his obvious attempt to silence her, then her gentle surrender as she returned the kiss. Her hands rose to draw his head closer. Duncan savored the familiar sweetness of her mouth as she took advantage of their reclining position to press her body more firmly against his. Desire shot through him as she met his tongue's thrusts with her own and began mirroring the action with her hips. Blood pounded in his brain as they continued to kiss.
Unable to breathe, heart racing, Duncan finally broke the kiss. "As much as I'd like to continue, we have places to go."
She sighed, clearly disappointed. "So what are we doing today, love?"
"I have a meeting with my attorney this morning, and you promised Robert you'd teach his classes today so he could go to the doctor for that cough of his."
"I could close the dojo," Kelly mused. "You did make me the manager, after all."
Duncan chuckled, aware that Kelly's martial arts training hadn't been as formalized as Robert's. Filling in for the assistant manager and head instructor wasn't one of Kelly's favorite duties, as she didn't consider herself to be good enough to teach. "You are not closing the dojo," he told her firmly as he slipped out of bed. "I am not going to listen to you whine about how bored you are."
"I never whine," Kelly protested, rolling over on her side to watch Duncan dress.
"No?" Deftly, he buttoned a white dress shirt. "And what was that cursing I heard yesterday when you found out you're going to have to take the driving test if you want a driver's license without forging one?"
"Don't get me fucking started, MacLeod," Kelly growled. "I'm feeling too lazy and happy this morning to want to think about that stupid piece of crap just yet."
"So I noticed," he drawled, smiling. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Come on, get out of bed, love. You have to open the dojo in twenty minutes."
"I can be dressed and downstairs in five, so what's the rush?" Languorously, she stretched, popping several joints.
Duncan shook his head. Most mornings, Kelly practically jumped out of bed. It wasn't often she got into a mood like this. He usually relished these times, for she was at her most relaxed and open then. Even though they'd been together for almost a year now, Kelly still held herself in reserve. A lifetime of living as a mercenary had taught her volumes about how not to be intimate with people.
"The rush is the sooner you get the classes out of the way, the sooner you can help me pick out Mary's birthday present," Duncan informed her.
"Who?" Kelly blinked owlishly.
Abruptly, Duncan realized he'd never explained Anne Lindsey-Stone. "Mary's my goddaughter," he said simply. "She's the daughter of my friend Anne Lindsey-Stone. Anne treated you at the hospital when you were injured, though you probably don't remember that."
Kelly considered this information. "Just what kind of a friend are we talking here?" Wariness crept into her voice.
Duncan winced, hearing that tone. He was all too aware she trusted only one other Immortal besides himself, having been stalked and nearly killed by one.
"She's not an Immortal, if that's what you're asking. Mary's like a daughter to me." He pulled on a pair of gray slacks and tucked in his shirt.
Silence met his statement, and he wondered what Kelly was thinking. At last, she spoke. "You love her."
"Mary's very easy to love," Duncan replied, deliberately misunderstanding the pronoun reference. Pointedly, he added, "Anne's married."
"I see." Her tone left no doubt that she'd read his dodge correctly. She paused. "Lucky for me."
She rose from the bed and reached into the armoire for the T-shirt d'jour.
Duncan watched her a moment longer, expecting her to say more.
"Didn't you say something about being late?" she prodded him. "Unless you're going to join me in the shower — " she grinned wickedly at the idea "— you'd better get going. I'm not going to be held responsible for my actions if you don't leave."
She took a step toward him and stuck a deliberately provocative pose.
Duncan growled her name and turned away. Her laughter followed him all the way down the elevator.
— Finis — 12.21.98 Revised 4.24.99
Comments?
Read the sequel, What the Heart Wants