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Message-ID: <29797asstr$987001805@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Deja User" <empath69@my-deja.com>
Subject: {ASSM} "A Love for Forever"{Empath}(MF rom viol magic)[2/?]
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 11:10:06 -0400
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d





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<1st attachment, "Forever2.txt" begin>

SUBJECT LINE:
{ASSM}"A Love for Forever"{Empath}(MF rom viol magic)[2/?]

-------

Admonition: This story contains explicit depiction of 
sexual activity in it and shouldn't be made accessible to 
minors.  It also explicitly describes actions of severe 
violence towards people - this is FANTASY (even though 
people who delight in hurting others DO exist out there:P ) 
and the events herein should in no way be emulated or 
admired.

Disclaimer:  I, the author of this story, in no way condone 
irresponsible actions 'inspired' by this work of prose, and 
as such should not be held responsible for harm or 
misfortune that comes to those who do not adhere to my 
continued warnings. (I've got enough shit to eat in my 
life, thankyouverymuch; the last thing I need is someone 
heaping more feces on my plate.)

Copyright notice: I, the author of this tawdry pile of 
maudlin feelings masquerading as smut, hold all rights of 
reproduction to this work of prose.  Private copies for 
personal perusal and archives for NON-commercial 
distribution are permitted.

Plea for attention: The only reward ASS* authors can expect 
is the joy of sharing their creation with the rest of 
humanity.  But wait - how does that author KNOW if people 
are reading and enjoying his story?  Yep; if you like a 
story posted to alt.sex.stories.*, the fair thing to do is 
email the author and tell them so.  I promise that it'll 
make YOU feel good to send them kudos, after all, Mark 
Twain said, "The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to 
cheer someone else up."  As always you may contact me (and 
my wife Dancer) through my 'legacy' Deja News Email 
account: <empath69@my-deja.com>  
(Wow, I'm not just an author, now I'm an AGENT, too!  ;)

Author's Note: This story follows the common theme I've 
been having lately of lovers separated with the twist of 
accepting the premise of the "Highlander" television show.  
As such, it should probably be considered 'fanfic', but I 
like to think I have explained all the twists and turns 
adequately for the uninitiated (and much better than the 
show EVER did:) to allow them to get into the meat of the 
story.

Chapter note: This is part two of a multi-part story; I'd 
catch you up on what happened in part one, but I can't 
summarize worth a damn - so unless you want the entire 
story retold, go dig up chapter one of this story posted 
under the same title.

Oh, and my sincere apologies to any residents of Bathurst, 
NB who take offense to the inevitable inaccuracies in my 
depiction of their town.  ("Bah, we don't call it 'U-haul 
park' and you'd never get away with 'killing' someone there 
without passersby seeing it!":)  Hey, I'm an Anglo from 
Halifax who's never been inside the province; bear with me, 
eh? :)
-------


Highlander: A Love for Forever 
Part Two - Hello and Good-bye
By Empath
Copyright, 2001
===============

"Why on Earth did you do that?" Reggie asked me as she 
pulled me up from the floor.

"I figured you were going to attack low after you parried 
my lunge, not high."  I shook my head, making the minor 
pain increase, not fade.

"Well, you did stop my blade...with your head.  Next time 
don't plan so far ahead; I've been avoiding any particular 
pattern to keep you from getting set into an 'Anti-Regina' 
mode."  To belie these intentions, she began her favorite 
attack; a backhand slash at my right neck, which fell short 
and turned into a lunge to my abdomen while my guard was 
high waiting for the slash that wouldn't come.  

I avoided this feint and easily parried the low lunge while 
she kept up the discussion while we fenced.  "Because you 
only have one person to practice against, I don't want you 
to get too specific in your routines; tricks that would 
work against me might not work against someone else."  A 
quick cut at her sword arm forced her back, and then she 
tried surprising me.  

Regina never attacked below the waist; the rule in saber 
that 'the horse isn't a fair target' (saber was intended 
for cavalry training) was something she kept, even when we 
'played dirty.'  Now she slashed at my legs.  I was ready, 
and hopped back out of her reach.  With her leaning forward 
slightly, I brought my guard down on the top of her head.  

Reggie fell to the floor, stunned by surprise more than any 
force I put behind my strike.  I dropped to a knee and held 
my blade against her neck, indication that I could make a 
killing blow.  "I don't think you've let me get into a rut, 
my friend; your improvisation just leads to mine."

She raised herself up, laughing the entire time, and pulled 
her mask up to look at me.  "That may be, Mitch, but you're 
still getting a narrow perspective of swordplay.  I won't 
feel comfortable until you broaden you experience."

"Well, just introduce me to your fencing club - you got it 
together to keep yourself in practice, right?"  

She looked at me with a hint of annoyance.  "We can't until 
your new identity is ready, Mitch - you know that.  And 
there's always the risk of someone knowing you from your 
last life."  We both thought to the car accident that 
'killed' me for the first time - I had ended up in a 
hospital morgue, and only Regina's constant vigilance for 
just this turn of events kept me from waking up in the 
locker, or on the ME's slab.

"I still think I should tell my folks - they deserve 
better.  I could say the doctors were mistaken."

"And those doctors would want to examine you to see where 
they screwed up - too much attention."

"I could say my death had to be faked; something about me 
witnessing something and getting a new identity-"

"And then they'd know you were out there somewhere; they 
might try to find you someday."

"So WHAT?  They already wonder what's happened to me; it's 
been more than a week since I vanished from that morgue!  
They had to have told Nicole by now - how do you think she 
feels, thinking I'm dead?"

"Mitch, it's not like she can kill herself-"

"No, and that makes it worse - what if she slits her wrists 
in the bathtub?  She'll be sitting there, waiting to pass 
out, waiting, and nothing happening?  She might fling 
herself into the ocean - how will she feel coming back to 
life for the first time in the frigid Atlantic?"

"Mitch - it's too dangerous-"

"Reggie, when are you going to understand that I don't give 
a shit what happens to me if it'll spare *her*?  Dammit, my 
folks deserve better than an empty casket and all those 
questions, too!  We all know they're not my birth parents, 
but they're all I have - they raised me from infancy and 
I'd like to think they did a fucking good job!"

Regina looked hurt.  Good - she was ripping me away from 
everything I knew and loved.  She promised that we'd go up 
to Canada to meet with my girlfriend, Nicole - not the 
least reason was that she was a budding immortal like me - 
but all this silence couldn't have been helping anyone, 
least of all me.

"Okay, Mitch - we'll let your folks know, and call Nicole.  
I'll pretend to be with the FBI or something.  But we wait 
until you get your new papers.  And you DON'T tell your 
parents anything from them - we can't leave a trail for 
anyone to track."

I subsided.  "Thank you - I'm sorry for getting so worked 
up, but-"

She dismissed my apology.  "I know - these people are very 
important to you.  You've also been cooped up in here for a 
week, without a breath of fresh air - some of that was 
probably cabin fever."

"And I've been through one hell of a week - dying, coming 
back to life and then being told I was virtually immortal.  
And far from unique!"

"True - maybe I'm giving you too much credit; it's a lot to 
deal with."  Regina took her mask off completely.  "Anyway, 
this is enough of a practice session - at the risk of 
making you big-headed, you're the best student I've ever 
had."

I smiled as I pulled off my fencing gloves and dropped them 
into my mask.  "And what meaning does that statement have?  
How many students have you had?  I've only heard about one-
" Ohshit.

Regina's smile remained on her face, though it began to 
look rather brittle.  "It's okay, Mitch; I have to talk and 
think about Robert - bottling it all up for half a century 
couldn't have helped."  I hugged her to me, and let her 
rest her head on my shoulder.  After a moment, she sighed 
deeply and seemed more animate.  "Right, enough of that for 
now.  Let's get cleaned up - you STINK!"

           *           *           *           *

The 'people' who produced my new identity got the papers, 
licenses, and things to Regina the next day.  After she 
calmed me down from bouncing off the walls, she called my 
parents.  She was pretending to be a FBI agent, and 
explained that I had witnessed a mob hit while on guard one 
night.  The Feds had faked my death but someone had screwed 
up in not having a body-double available for burial.  She 
apologized profusely for government ineptitude, which I 
knew my father would eat up with a spoon; he had a low 
opinion of bureaucracy.

The day after my papers were delivered, we visited my 
folks.  Reggie looked very much the government agent in her 
dark blue skirt-suit and dark glasses.  We pulled up, and I 
waited while she entered and spoke with Frank and Irene.  
It was funny to think of them as other than my father and 
mother, but they had adopted me when I was two.  All 
immortals were foundlings - no one knew exactly where we 
came from, ourselves included.  We were just...different, a 
people apart.

The cell phone ringing snapped me from my daydreaming.  
That was Regina's signal to come in.  I grabbed her case 
from the back, and entered the house I grew up in.

Oscar Wilde was right: "You can't go home."  It wasn't the 
same - I'd visited on and off through the years, but this 
hadn't felt like home since I moved out to go to NYU not so 
long ago.  And my folks seemed...smaller, somehow.  Not 
quite the godly figures they had been when I'd been growing 
up, they were just ordinary people.  People I cared a lot 
for, but people nonetheless.  I now look upon that day as 
my own personal Gotterdammerung - twilight of the gods.

Mom ran into my arms and hugged me close, sobbing in 
relief; that much I expected.  But for Dad to come up 
behind her and hug both of us was a surprise.  I shifted to 
hold both of them close to me, and fought back a tear.

Once the huddle was over, people started speaking sense.  I 
explained how I'd been on guard duty one night, and saw two 
well-dressed men take another from their car and shoot him 
to death.  According to my story, I hadn't been noticed, 
but when I got in touch with the police, the RICO people 
spoke with me, got an agreement for me to testify and 
handed me over to the FBI for witness relocation.

Frank and Irene swore to "Agent Gallant" that they would 
never mention their son Mitch being alive.  Satisfied at 
their discretion, she opened the case to reveal an 
assortment of electronic devices I hadn't seen before.  
Reggie took one item, a small box with a plain meter and a 
couple of phone jacks in its side.  Disconnecting the 
phone, she used another length of phone cord to put this 
meter in the 'circuit' of the phone.  Upon her direction, I 
picked up the receiver.

Her face was an unchanged frown, but she quickly slapped 
down on the switch hook to kill the phone.  She stood and 
asked my folks:  "Has anyone been working on this phone?  
The Phone Company come by for a 'routine inspection' or 
repairs, adding an extension or something?"

"As a matter of fact," my father replied, "we were having 
some trouble with the phone line in the last week - kept 
getting disconnected.  We got the company to send over a 
repairman."

Regina was hunching down to look at the wall mount.  "Did 
he do anything with this jack?"

"Yes, he opened up all the fixtures; they checked out okay, 
he said.  Then he went and found the problem in the line 
outside - we haven't had problems since."

My mentor had a screwdriver in her hand, and quickly 
removed the jack's cover plate.  Looking at the line 
inside, she pulled out a small chip attached to the wires 
with alligator clips.  "They know.  It's absolutely 
IMPERATIVE that you say nothing about Mitch to anyone - 
especially over this phone.  I'll disable the bug for now, 
but we can't let them know it's been discovered - I'll put 
it back after you all speak with Nicole."

I relaxed; figuring this was part of the cover story - a 
little prop to help convince my folks.  We sat around the 
table, me dialing long-distance to Canada...Bathurst...my 
darling Nicole.

"Hello?"

I was dumbstruck - my voice seemed to have run off, leaving 
me mute.  My father, god bless him, took the phone from me.  
"Nicole?  Frank Davis here.  Fine, thanks.  Well, I'm 
calling with good news.  Yes, believe it or not.  Well, I 
think he'd better tell you himself."  The sly bastard 
handed the receiver back to me, smiling widely.

I took a deep breath, and asked "Nicky?"

Her voice was even tinier then I remembered, though maybe 
the situation was having an effect on her. "Mitch?"

"I love you, my little shoe."  A pet name I bastardized 
from a French phrase she tried to teach me.

"Omigod - mondieu - MITCH - tu es VIE!"  The mix of relief, 
surprise, shock and delight was the happiest thing I'd ever 
heard in my life.  Tears fought my best efforts and ran 
down my cheeks.  "Yes, Nicky - I'm alive.  It was part of a 
witness protection thing with the government; I'm a mob 
informant, believe it or not."

I realized Nicky was gabbing gibberish into the phone, and 
I waited for her to calm down, singing 'Frere Jacques' to 
let her know I was still here.  I looked across the table 
to see Mom beaming at me.  I felt Regina's hand rest on my 
shoulder.

When she was ready to listen, I told Nicky 'the big lie' - 
I added "And I'll be up to see you soon, shoe."  

"What?  How?  The State Dep-"

"Has given me a new passport with a whole new identity, 
remember?  It may be a few weeks before I can visit - got 
to get some things sorted out first.  Who knows, maybe 
Bathurst would be a good place to relocate to?  The mob 
wouldn't think of looking there, would they?"

I demanded to hear her news, what had happened north of the 
border since we'd last spoken almost three weeks ago.  She 
caught me up on Canadian events and her work life.  She 
professed her love for me, and - impulsively - I did it.

"Nicky, darling?  Will you marry me?  I can't promise 
you'll become 'Mrs. Davis', but would you be my bride, 
love?"

Nicole and my mother gasped in unison (I'll have to ask 
them about that someday), and my broad, beaming grin told 
everyone in the room with me what her reply was.  I said 
good bye and quickly warned my now-fiancee that her future 
in-laws wanted to talk to her.  I handed the phone to Mom.

I stood to stretch and give my patron a look of thanks.  
She smiled back and signaled me to step across the room to 
speak privately.

"Thanks, Reggie.  This means a lot."

"You're welcome."  Her expression was strangely worried.

"That was a nice touch with the 'bug' - Mom & Dad won't 
blab to anyone now."

"Mitch?  That's what I wanted to tell you.  I didn't put 
that bug there."

           *           *           *           *

"Maybe it's just Trent - he's a real prankster; maybe he 
thinks I'm planning some big trick on him?"

"Larry?"  Reggie insisted in addressing me in my new 
identity - Larry Seagrove.  "What does Trent do for a 
living?  Do you think he can afford that sort of 
miniaturized transmitter?  It's not cheap."

"So who is it, then?" I retorted, hitting the steering 
wheel - she had asked me to drive so she could check out 
the car with her electronic 'bag of tricks.'  After finding 
nothing apart from the alternator emitting electromagnetic 
radiation, she relaxed a little to do some brainstorming.

"You never gave the Customs people the impression that you 
were smuggling anything - in either direction?"

I shook my head.  "No.  They never even asked me to open my 
bag.  Either time."

"And we both know Mitch never had a criminal record."  
Regina had sensed my latent immortality when I was still a 
child - she hung around, watching me and waiting for me to 
mature before approaching and explaining my special power.  
A wayward automobile on a snowy evening pushed up her 
schedule...

I chuckled.  "I *am* Mitch."

She looked at me with open concern.  "Look, you have to get 
used to this - Mitchell Davis is dead.  You go around 
answering to that name and worse things happen than a 
fellow immortal coming for your head.  We agreed on this - 
you like the name 'Larry,' so use it."

"I'm sorry, Reggie.  It's just so sudden - I've only been 
Laurence Seagrove for about thirty hours now."

Her hand patted mine in acceptance of my apology.  After a 
time, we pulled up in front of Regina's house...and my 
place of lodging, training hall, and prison.

"It could be another immortal - maybe I wasn't the only one 
who spotted you?"

"I thought you oldies were hung up on the past - bugs 
aren't your style."

"Speak for yourself - I've embraced the advance of 
technology; it's a darn sight better than mucking around 
with what we had in the Bronze Age!"

I cocked an eyebrow at this.  "Ah, been around for a while 
then.  How long *has* it been, luv?"

Regina had been very canny about revealing her actual age 
to me; my outright questions to how old she was were 
rebuffed as 'rude to be asked of a lady.'  Hints like she'd 
dropped just now were erratic and often contradictory - I'd 
spent a lot of my free time checking up on historical 
references she made.

"Too long, little one."  She looked at me, and marked my 
expression.  "You really want to know, don't you?  You 
won't give up, eh?"  I shook my head.  My mentor sighed.  
"Fine, let's just say I'm older than Christianity but 
younger than the Roman Empire.  Will that satisfy your 
persistent curiosity?"

I took a moment to accept the fact that I was speaking with 
someone who had been around more than two millennia, then 
nodded.  "Thanks, Reg.  I'm sorry if I've been pressing 
you, but it really nagged at me.  This time-frame is 
enough."

"C'mon, inquisitor - let's get something to eat."

           *           *           *           *

It was pitch black.  I fumbled around in the darkness, 
catching my shins on low objects with sharp edges, and 
hitting my forehead against low-hanging things more than 
once.  A cry for help made me hurry, and I laid myself low 
by rushing into another low projection from...the 'wall' or 
whatever.

When I recovered and stood, I could hear that the cries 
were of two people and they were yelling for me.  I closed 
on the voices, and came to a doorway outlined with light.  
Blinking to adjust my eyes, I stepped up to the 
entrance...or was it an exit?

I was confronted with a terrifying form - Death.  The Grim 
Reaper, what the Greeks called 'Charon, ferryman on souls'; 
it was the typical robed skeleton carrying a scythe.  The 
face was nothing but a skull, the features of which were 
fixed bone, yet what I was confronted with gave me the 
impression of satisfaction, strangely.

I was in some sort of disused warehouse.  Despite the inky 
blackness I had struggled through, there was dim light 
coming into the building through the many broken windows.  
The floor was a quagmire of rubbish and garbage.  And it 
had two more occupants than 'bone-boy' and myself.

Regina and Nicole were at the other end of the warehouse, 
kneeling in a cleared area.  Both were bound with their 
hands behind their backs, and each woman was looking scared 
and calling out to me.

I didn't wait to see what my host would do; I began to run 
to the women.  The going was slow, though - I slipped on 
loose refuse and fell too often.  As I struggled with my 
footing and worked to make progress, Reggie and Nicky 
started yelling even louder.  I looked around and found 
that Death was on the move.

He didn't step through the mess on the floor; he just 
drifted over it.  It was only at a walking pace, but his 
steady movement meant he was gaining on me.  I worked 
harder, finding the piles of garbage deeper.  When the grim 
figure reached me, I was in it up to my waist.  I ducked, 
wrapping my hands behind my head...

And was untouched - he drifted right past me.  I redoubled 
my efforts when this 'Charon' continued towards the raised 
section of floor where the girls were.  But it seemed the 
closer I got, the slower I moved.  I was still about a 
dozen feet from the platform when Death reached his desired 
position behind the two women.

They were looking back at the dark figure looming over 
them, fear evident on their faces.  It grasped the scythe 
with both hands, and brought its tool back overhead.  
Regina looked to me and spoke quietly, her whispered words 
reaching me clearer than any of the shouting earlier.  
"Forget me, Larry - save her; don't let him take her as 
well."  Then the scythe came down in a flash.

The sound was much like someone chopping a grapefruit in 
half; Regina's head tumbled away from her body and was lost 
in a flash of light.  I felt sick to my stomach as her 
torso slumped to the floor.  A vague mist arose around 
Reggie's remains, wraiths forming and fading in the swirl 
of white.

To my surprise, the 'quickening' if that's what it was, 
focused on the black-clad figure.  The spectral forms 
entered its body and all hell broke loose.  Lightning 
lashed out from the Reaper - lancing across the warehouse 
and grounding its arcs in whatever it touched.  The 
remaining glass in the windows shattered and sparks 
showered down from the ruined light fixtures across the 
high ceiling.  

And I hurried through the morass of garbage.  More than 
once an arc hit me, but I ignored the pain and the smell of 
burnt hair.  The quickening ended just as I pulled myself 
onto the platform.

The Reaper turned and regarded me, and smiled.  Granted, 
its skinless face gave it no choice, but I could feel it 
change its expression in some indefinable way.  It wasn't a 
smile of welcome, or relief.  The animate skeleton shifted 
to a position right behind Nicky.  My beloved just looked 
at me with tears in her eyes and terror in her face.  As 
the scythe came up again, I lunged forward, crying out-

           *           *           *           *

-And awoke.

Reggie was holding me by the shoulders.  I was sitting up 
in my bed, covered in sweat.  My throat felt sore, as did 
my fingers.  I hugged my mentor to me, panicked beyond 
reason.  She made soothing noises, and patted my back to 
calm me.

After reality reasserted itself upon my mind, I 
relinquished my hold on Regina, and looked around more 
closely.  The sheets were slick with sweat...and blood.  
There were several rents in the top sheet, and I was 
missing two fingernails.  As I wiped tears from my cheeks 
with my palms, I tried to speak and found my voice was just 
a raspy whisper.  "What...what happened?"

"I think you had a nightmare, hon - though I've never seen 
one so bad that it did this.  Are you okay?"

I shook my head distractedly.  "I don't know."  Despite the 
dream's vivid realism, it was already fading in my mind.  
"It was about death.  You and Nicky-" my breath caught in 
my throat.  Regina held me close again, and I wondered if 
my newfound immortality was driving me insane.

           *           *           *           *

It was some time later.  The fingernails had almost 
completely grown back, and my swordsmanship was back to its 
old level of excellence.  Two days after meeting with my 
parents and calling Nicole, Regina had introduced me to her 
fencing club as a visiting fencing master from the West 
Coast; I was certainly capable enough for the role.

The variety of styles helped.  As Regina feared I had 
gotten a little too specific - my first match against a 
left-hander was an embarrassment.  We joked about the 
effects of jetlag, and I studied my new opponents.  Within 
a few days of my introduction, I'd asserted my skill and 
bested everyone.  Then I took on the role of tutor.

It was fun; I enjoyed helping people better their fencing.  
I could explain to the other club members where their 
weaknesses were, and how to correct them - all without 
bruising egos or causing resentment.

It was almost six weeks since Mitch's - er, MY - death and 
I'd been fencing amongst the group for over a month, when 
Regina called everyone together near the end of our 
practice session.

"Folks, this is going to be Larry's last session from us; 
we've been very lucky to have his presence and tutelage for 
as long as we have, but his own club has been languishing 
all this time, and he has to get back."  I was treated to a 
short round of applause.  "And I have to tell you that I'll 
be leaving for a while, too."  Expressions of surprise and 
dismay were quickly allayed, "I'll be back, I'm just going 
to Oregon to visit Lar's club - fair's fair; he was graced 
us with his presence, so I get to inflict myself on his 
people!

"Jim?  I'll trust you to keep these misfits in line," 
Reggie admonished, handing the guy a set of keys.  "Oh, and 
water the plants once a week, but stay out of my drawers!"  
We all laughed at that.

After the club had broken up and we'd showered, Regina and 
I sat and had a coffee in the kitchen.  "So, you ready for 
this, 'Larry?'"  

Her question was a joke - I'd been chafing at waiting so 
long for us to dash up to see Nicole, constantly trying to 
get Regina to push up the date.  She persisted, though, and 
heaped history and language lessons on me for when I wasn't 
practicing with a sword.  I bluffed, "Well, I guess I'm 
going to have to be, aren't I?  Ready or not, we agreed to 
leave by this date..."

"Oh, we can wait if you want!  No hurry!"  She took one 
look at my face, and completely failed to stifle her 
laughter.  "Right; sure," I retorted, a smile creeping onto 
my face.

I changed the subject.  "So that special armory that you've 
been training me with; how are we going to get that across 
the border?  I think fifty or sixty pounds of steel will 
set off the metal detectors, dear."

"Simple - we tell them just what we're going to do with 
them."  Reg's calm smile threw me when I tried to compare 
what she looked like with what she said.

I must've misheard.  "What?"

"We tell them the truth - we're fencing instructors.  We'll 
be up in Canada for about a month or six weeks to visit 
some fencing clubs in New Brunswick.  All the swords are 
props, just for show.  Besides, most of them are only for 
training."  She was right there - we worked with blunt 
blades; still heavy enough to break the skin if we weren't 
wearing vests and the like, and they bruised a lot and I'd 
had more than one briefly-cracked rib after Reggie got a 
little overzealous.  But it would be a very difficult task 
to kill someone with one of these practice swords.

"Don't they have to register this stuff?  Quarantine it?"

"Not the practice swords; we'll include a couple of sabers, 
epees and foils to complete the set.  The real blades, yes 
- we'll need permits, but 'Regina Garant' has been around 
long enough to pass a background check; they'll think I've 
simply had facelifts."  Her smile showed the humor of that 
remark - Regina looked to be in her early thirties, not 
much older than my appearance.  She was in fact, older than 
Christ would be if he were around today.  

"Reg?  What was your name - originally, I mean?  You don't 
have to tell me, if I'm imposing."

"Rebecca.  I'm from what was Judea.  We didn't go much for 
last names, and I grew up without parents, so..."

"I'm sorry."  I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay - I've had plenty of time to mature on my own.  
Anyway!  We've got a week at the University of New 
Brunswick in Fredericton; I've called the head of the 
fencing club there-"

"Whoa-whoa; what're you talking about?"

"Our cover - if we're saying we will be visiting Canadian 
fencing clubs, than maybe we should make an effort to at 
least visit the first stop on the itinerary I'll have to 
leave with the Mounties?"

She'd blindsided me; heaped another week of delay before I 
could see Nicky - sometimes I could swear that she enjoyed 
torturing me...

           *           *           *           *

Customs was a breeze - the restrictions on swords and such 
were more relaxed than those for firearms were; Regina had 
left her handgun back in Buffalo.  The officer didn't even 
ask to open our luggage, just asked us whether we would be 
visiting any farms - fear of foreign bugs ruining crops, I 
guess.  Then he wished us safe journey to Fredericton. 

I was still somewhat short with Regina for leading me on 
like that - I understood the need to keep to our cover, but 
my heart and soul ached for Nicky, and the thought that she 
had this...this 'power' sitting inside her that she knew 
nothing about - it worried me.  

The fencing master of UNB was an elderly, cherubic history 
professor, who walked with a cane.  After one bout with 
him, I doubted he needed the cane to walk, and was willing 
to bet there was two feet of stiletto hidden inside the yew 
rod.  He knew a LOT about the history of swordsmanship, and 
we spent what time we could listening to him talk of 
martial customs and the origins for many of the esoteric 
'rituals' in a fencing bout.  As fascinating as he was, my 
mind remained fixed on Nicole and Bathurst.  

But as slowly as that time seemed to drag, the day came 
when we were due to leave for Moncton University.  We were 
given a send off by the club members, and then headed north 
instead of east.  FINALLY.

           *           *           *           *

She wasn't in when we first arrived.  It was only mid-
afternoon, and Nicole would still be working at the bank, 
so we drove on to find a hotel for Regina to stay at - 
Nicky's small apartment had been a tight fit for the two of 
us, and we'd...well, we're very close.

Once we'd unpacked, Regina drove me back to the apartment 
building.  It wasn't until we reached her floor before I 
felt it - the chattering, murmuring noise that told me 
another immortal was close.  As Reggie had said, the 
'warning' got less and less blinding as I settled into my 
immortality.  I looked at her as the 'white noise' faded, 
and she had a faintly smug expression on her face.

"You were right; I'm sorry.  But you don't know how 
relieved this makes me, that she's one of us."

"Fine-fine, apology accepted - now go get your fiancee, 
stupid!"  I grinned and proceeded down the hall, faster 
than was seemly, but not as fast as I would have liked.

I buzzed, heard a gasp and the door was flung open to shoot 
Nicole Passy into my arms.  I hoisted her up, spinning the 
two of us around as we kissed. 

An eon later, I felt Regina tap me on the shoulder.  I let 
my beloved down and introduced the two women to each other.  
Nicky seemed somewhat surprised by Regina and my mentor had 
a slight sadness to her smile that I imagine boded of her 
lost love, Robert.

Nicky ushered us into her apartment and asked us if we 
wanted coffee.  We assented and then Regina indicated for 
us to remain silent.  She took a small device I'd learned 
was a broadband directional receiver, and aimed it in a 
sweeping movement around the apartment.  After a couple of 
moments, she had found several bugs - one in the phone jack 
like at my parents', and two microphone/transmitter chips.  
This time, I didn't reassure myself that this was just part 
of Regina's 'FBI agent' act.

When we joined her in the main room, Regina spoke up.  "So 
Ms. Passy, I know you don't think you have much reason to 
take life insurance, a young person with no dependents."  
Meanwhile, Reggie wrote on a pad: 

           "Phone co. been fixing things?"

"Um, no - I don't even have a boyfriend...he died 
recently."  Nicky wrote: "No, cable bad 1 mo. ago - 
repairman checked apt."

Regina nodded and kept up her spiel.  "I'm sorry to hear 
that, Ms. Passy.  But the fact is this is the perfect time 
to prepare for the future.  You can't predict what time may 
bring to you.  We also offer disability insurance - even if 
a beautiful young woman such as you were not to find a beau 
and have no family in the years to come - unlikely as that 
may be - you can't deny the wisdom in banking against 
misfortune.  Take my supervisor Mr. Thomspon, here - he 
never expected to be injured like he was and rendered a 
mute."

I struggled to stifle a chuckle at this twist, and I saw 
Nicole smile.  "But Eternal Life and Home honored his 
policy, and he was so impressed with our organization that 
he sought employment with us.  Just a few years later, he's 
a Regional Supervisor. So you see that Eternal really takes 
care of their customers!"

Reggie elbowed me in the ribs, and I grunted.

"What's that, Mr. Thompson?  Oh, yes - look at the time.  
Um, Ms. Passy, this might sound a little irregular, but 
could we treat you to a meal?"

Nicky picked up on the hint perfectly.  "Oh, of course - 
certainly.  I understand - my apartment is somewhat 
cramped."

"Oh, no.  It's just that Mr. Thompson and I have been on 
the road for a while and we're both rather hungry."  I 
quickly grunted agreement - if only to prevent another cue 
from my mentor.

We gathered up our coats, and left the apartment.  Once in 
the hall, we all burst out laughing.

"MUTE?"

"Oh, mon dieu - that was so funny.  I'm glad you're taking 
care of Mitch, Agent Gallant!  I've missed his sense of 
humor."

"Bah - you didn't get much in there - I wasn't allowed to 
TALK!"

"Hush, you two - those bugs in there might be able to pick 
this up; sorry if I made it difficult, but the weird, 
unlikely stuff is not what someone questions when 
eavesdropping.  Had to make it unbelievable to make it 
believable.  Does that make any sense?"

"I guess.  So Nicky - where should we eat?  We need some 
place that's private enough that people won't overhear our 
conversation."

"I know just the place."

"Good.  Oh, and just to be certain."  I knelt at her feet, 
and took something from my pocket.  "Nicole, will you marry 
me?"

She bit her lip, and her eyes watered as she looked at the 
engagement ring in my right hand.  She offered her left to 
me, and stammered a simple "Oui" as I slid the simple 
monogrammed band onto her ring finger.

"Congratulations, you two.  Love really makes problems seem 
less important.  Now let's get something to eat."

           *           *           *           *

Once we were ensconced in a corner booth at a quiet Italian 
restaurant Nicky and I had eaten at before, we leveled with 
her.  Not the 'mob informant' story, but that Regina and I 
were immortal.  Her first response wasn't what I expected: 
"I thought she looked a little young for a FBI agent."

Nicole accepted everything we told her - Reggie handled the 
generalities of immortals, and I kept her up on what had 
really happened to me, in particular.  Despite all our 
explanations, I could tell my fiancee wasn't convinced.  
She surprised us again with "I don't understand, cher; if 
you want to go off with her, why did you propose to me?"

"What?"

"This fanciful story - people who cannot die!  You say 
you're just like her; just admit you love her and stop 
lying to me."

"Nicky - I'm not...I'd never-"

"Mitch?"  Regina really got my attention with that.  "I 
think your lovely woman here needs a demonstration."  She 
handed me a fork.  I sighed and looked at the sharp tines.  
'The things we do for love,' I joked to myself.

I turned to face Nicole beside me, opened my shirt, held my 
napkin below my breast, and grasped the base of the fork.  
"Shoe?  Watch closely - this still hurts like a bitch, and 
I don't want to do it more than I have to."  Regina, 
watching for staff or customers, nodded to me.  I plunged 
the fork into my chest.

Nicole almost screamed.  The fork slid in between two ribs 
and penetrated my lung right in to the start of the handle.  
I quickly removed the utensil and grabbed her hand.  "Feel 
it - prove to yourself that I'm not mo-" I coughed, tasting 
blood, "-not faking it."  I felt her run her fingers over 
the wound, smearing her hand with red.  Tears began to seep 
down her cheeks, and her mouth was working without a voice.

"Now watch him closely, dear."  Reg put a comforting hand 
on Nicky's back and tried to soothe her.  I felt a burning 
sensation in the puncture, and we both looked as my chest 
closed up.  In seconds there was only some blood that the 
napkin wiped away.  Regina grabbed the stained linen and 
hid it in her purse.

Nicole's head was slowly working back and forth; she 
couldn't believe her eyes.  I quickly buttoned up and held 
her close, speaking to her in a soothing voice.  "It's 
okay, shoe - it hurt, but there's no permanent harm.  It 
was worth it if it helps you understand.  I love you.  I 
will always love you.  And that means more than most 
people's promises."  I felt her chuckle at this.  

She turned her head up to mine. "You really do love me?"

I kissed her forehead.  "Forever, shoe.  Regina may be 
around for another thousand years, but she's a friend.  A 
mentor and teacher.  You're the one who owns my heart.  
Always."

The flaw in this statement occurred to Nicky as I saw her 
frown.  "Not forever; you'll live forever but I won't."

I looked to Regina before answering.  "That depends, 
darling."  This made the woman in my arms stare me in the 
eye.  

"Nicky?  You have the potential for immortality in you as 
well."

Her head began its slow 'no' shake again.  "You're just 
saying that to humor me."

"You're just as immortal as I was a couple of months ago - 
if you die in a violent manner, that part of you will 
'awaken'.  You'll come back to life and stop aging.  Or you 
can live normally, age and grow old; I'll do everything I 
can to help and protect you either way."

"Me?  Live forever?"

"If you want to...and there is a catch.  Reggie?"  I let my 
mentor explain the limitations of our immortality and the 
resulting effect this had on relations between immortals.  
Nicole was shocked.  "You mean people go around, killing 
for power?"

A thought occurred to me: "It's not much different than 
mortal people; they've been killing to amass power for as 
long as we've had more than two people!  But yes, it's evil 
to do this.  And many people - immortal or not - don't do 
it.  

"It's like many difficult things in life; it's a personal 
choice.  A lot of religions make a big thing about us 
having free will.  This is the downside of it - not 
everyone will choose to be nice, fair and just."  I stopped 
when felt Nicky grasp my hand and hold it tight.  Looking 
at her, I saw she was beginning to weep.  "Oh, honey - did 
I say something?"

She smiled, wiped the tears away, and told me "Sorry, cher.  
I just realized how much I miss your little lectures.  
Boring as they are, I love the sound of your voice!"

We all laughed at that, and I gave my darling a big kiss.

           *           *           *           *

We were driving Nicky back to her apartment before carrying 
on to the hotel - the bugs whoever planted would make me 
stay with my fiancee difficult.  Nicole and I were leaning 
on one another in the backseat, when she spoke up.  "Je 
decide.  I'll do it."

"Quoi, chere?"  

"Mit-er, Larry?  I want to be with you, as long as 
possible.  I want to become immortal."

"This will hurt, Nicole," Regina reminded, looking at us in 
the mirror.  "You have to die relatively violently."

"It's worth it, if I can be with him."  She hugged me.

"Okay, we need a public place, but not very crowded - lots 
of trees to keep someone from seeing us."

"U-haul!" Nicole and I said in unison.

"What?"

"Youghall Beach Provincial Park, Regina.  It's north of 
town, along the shore.  There's plenty of...privacy there," 
Nicky admitted, blushing at talking about the place we 
first made love.

           *           *           *           *

The air was brisk and only a little above freezing.  At 
least there was no snow around.  Regina followed directions 
to a parking area, and we made our way along the paths to a 
spot we figured was private enough.

"Okay, kids 'If t'were done, tis best it were done 
quickly.'  Or something like that; never paid much 
attention to Will's work when he was around."

"Don't mind her - she's probably shitting us anyway!"

"Nicole.  Do you want to..." Regina gestured lamely, "or do 
you want one of us to?"

She thought in my arms, then said "Laurence?" Damn, my 
alias sounds so much SEXIER when she says it! :)  "Could 
you?"

"Absolutement, chere."

Regina drew one of her short swords and handed it to me.  
"This'll be easier than using that saber of yours, let me 
have it."  I handed my weapon to her.  "I'm going to roam 
around the park for a half-hour - make sure whoever bugged 
your apartment isn't following us.  When I get back, you'd 
better be dead!"

We laughed at the ludicrous comment, and pushed into a nest 
of bushes while Regina strolled off down the path.  There 
was a clear spot in the middle; just large enough for two 
people to lie together...but only if they were the closest 
of friends.

I sat, spooning behind Nicky, and we leaned back.  She 
opened her coat, undid her blouse and I got the honor of 
unfastening her bra - thank god she wore a front clasp.  I 
pulled out a rag and placed it on her belly.  Brandishing 
the short, squat sword, I held the hilt with both hands, 
resting the tip against the center of her breastbone.

"I love you, shoe."

"Toujours, mon amour."  Nicky shivered.  "Quickly, j'ai 
froid!"

I chuckled at her sense of priorities.  "Right, on the 
count of three: one-" and I plunged the sword into her 
heart.

She jolted in my embrace, her mouth working like a fish out 
of water.  I quickly removed the blade and dropped it 
beside us.  Mopping up her blood with the rag, I shifted to 
let her see my face as I held her.

"Je...je t'adore," she gasped, and died.

I chewed my lip, hoping we hadn't made a mistake.  I shed a 
few tears over having to hurt her so much, but soon the 
wound closed.  I checked my watch - six minutes, longer 
than Regina said my first death took - no, wait...wasn't 
that my *second* death?

I was still pondering this when Nicky gasped and shook in 
my arms.  I kissed her, reassured her in both languages, 
and started bundling her up again.

"Oh, chere, chere.  D'accord?"

"Eh.  It's good to know I'll live through it, but I don't 
want to go seek it out, mon amour."  We laughed.

"You were out for just over fourteen minutes."

"You counted?"

"Apart from praying, what else could I do?"

My beloved looked at me with an impish grin.  "So, is there 
anything else you'd like to do while we're in this little 
'love nest,' cher?"

"As much as I'd like to, honey, it's fucking cold out here 
- as you'd notice if you hadn't been DEAD!"

After slapping my chest, she retorted "Mais oui, 'FUCKING 
cold' - it is a good way to keep warm!"  I'll give Nicole 
this; she never fails to make me laugh.

"Sorry, Nicky; Regina will be back soon.  If you want to 
get your circulation going, we can get up and walk around."  
We did, me slipping the sword inside my jacket.

I had my girl pinned against a tree, kissing her neck when 
I felt it.  Nicky made it obvious that she was sensing an 
immortal arrive as well.  I held her and comforted her.  
"It's okay, love.  I feel it, too.  It's just an immortal 
coming nearby, hopefully Regina.  You don't believe me now, 
but you'll get used to it.  In a month's time, this 
'buzzing' will seem like your cell-phone ringing, chere."

It was Regina, looking a little flustered.  I unzipped my 
jacket and grasped her sword.  She waved me off.  "Relax, 
there's nothing around - no damn signs, even."

"Then, what happened?  You look worried."  Actually she was 
starting to look embarrassed.

"Nothing, nothing."

"C'mon, we're friends.  'Ja meet some good-looking guy?  
Nicky, check her back for leaves!"

"I got lost, okay?!?"

We tried not to laugh.  "It's not funny, every path looks 
the same around here - there's no signs, and you can't see 
the sun to get your bearings!  Lewis and Clark would've had 
to wander around here for a while!"

"Sorry, Reg."

"So, how'd things go?"

"Okay, I guess - is fourteen minutes long?"

"Not too much, but you must've really skewered her."

"Oh, yeah!  I forgot: you said you'd count to THREE, 
Larry!"

"Well, I figured it'd be better if you didn't tense up from 
expectations."

Nicole gave me a dirty look nonetheless, to which Regina 
chuckled.  "Oh, yes.  Don't trust this guy when he gets a 
sword in his hand; he's sneakier than a snake in the 
grass!"

"Hey, what is this; pick-on-the-guy-day?"

"Sounds like an idea for our first practice session; she 
can watch me attack you and then try out the moves for 
herself?"

"Quoi?"

"Fencing lessons, Nicky - you'll need them now."  She 
started to complain but I shushed her.  "Even if just for 
self-defense.  I might not be around to protect you, love.  
At work, for example."

"Okay.  But maybe not tonight; it's COLD!"

As we walked back to the car, we discussed the necessity of 
swordsmanship for an immortal.  "Sooner or later, you'll 
have to fight," Regina pressed.  "Some of our kind just 
won't take no for an answer to their challenges.  And if 
you can't defend yourself, ckkkkk - hundreds of years of 
experience come to an end."

"Oh, may I ask, Regina?  How old are you, really?"

 I clenched my jaw, but my mentor smiled.  "Oh, just a 
little older than Christ, apparently - we weren't good at 
keeping track of dates back then."

"Hang on - when I asked you snubbed me and said it was 
rude!"

"For a man to ask a woman her age IS rude, Larry.  But a 
woman asking another woman is merely an interest out of 
sisterly friendship."  She had that fucking knowing grin 
again.

"Gender equity my ass - you all want superiority."

Nicole piped up "Oh, no, cher; we want *supremacy!*"

They laughed as we got into the car.

           *           *           *           *

"That's it; you've got him, now ATTACK!"

Nicole beat my blade off line, and pressed the foil into my 
chest, making the blade bend nicely.

"Good one, love!"  I relaxed and flipped my mask up.  "See? 
It's not a question of reach, it all comes down to drive, 
you *will* your sword past his guard."

Nicole took her mask off completely and bent over to catch 
her breath.  "Maybe, cher.  But I still had to fight of 
several dangerous attacks of yours.  I'm never going to be 
as good as you."

"So?  That's not saying much, Nicky - he's really good.  
You could be worse than him and still be quite good 
yourself; don't sell yourself short."

"-Even though she is!"  I couldn't help myself - Nicole is 
four-foot eleven; you tell me you wouldn't have made the 
joke!

"Oooh, you cochon!"  Her foil came up, and I was hard 
pressed to parry a quick flurry of Nicky's lunges.  I kept 
backing until I tripped over a tree root.

"Yah!" my fiancee called as she tapped my forehead with the 
rubber knob at the end of her blade.

"See?  How'd you do that?  FIRE in your belly!  You've got 
to WANT to beat him.  You're competent enough, dear.  Now 
back off and take a break.  Enjoy the show."

Regina had some different practice blades and the stocks in 
her hands.  I took my mask off, affixed a padded stock 
around my neck and put the mask on again.  She handed me a 
blunted gladius, and took a long weapon resembling a 
Scottish claymore.  

"Now, Nicky?  We all know you're not the best with a sword; 
you're short - lacking in reach - and you haven't got a lot 
of practice at it yet.  So what I'm going to show you are 
some tricks that could save your head; only use them if you 
have to."

"But what about this rule about fair play in an immortal 
duel?"

"That's more like a code of honor - just as some want to 
kill other immortals, some of these will use 'dirty tricks' 
to make that happen.  A lot of immortals carry guns - it's 
the weapon of choice for mortals, and even though it's more 
regulated, it's a lot less conspicuous than a giant knife.  
I saw one immortal go around wounding his opponents with a 
pistol, and then cut their heads off savagely with a big 
Bowie knife."

"Ugh - that'd be messy."

"It was."

"What happened to him?"

"Remember I said 'I saw,' not 'I've seen'?" Regina replied 
with a grin.  Nicky looked uneasy for a second.  Our tutor 
went to her and held her student's shoulders.  "I know you 
don't like the idea of killing another, even to defend 
yourself.  That's why I'm letting you know about these 
tricks.  I don't want you to use them to take another's 
head, but to keep yours.

"If someone comes for you, you'll probably have Larry 
around to protect you - he can force the immortal to fight 
him first.  And Larry is one mean fencer.  That will keep 
you safe most of the time, but he's not going to be nearby 
every minute of every day.  And what if someone picks him 
off with a rifle before pouncing on the two of you?  You'll 
have to protect both him and you.  

"I'm more honorable than most immortals - apart from the 
inviolable rule of no dueling on sacred ground, and the 
generally accepted one of one-on-one, I adhere to the 'fair 
play' rule - when I want to fight.  But I've met people who 
caught me unawares, or weren't nearly up to my skill and I 
just didn't want to end their lives.  So I'd do something 
like this."

And Regina put on her mask, wielded her claymore and 
pressed several attacks against me.  With a shorter blade, 
I was often thrown a little off-balance, but the lighter 
weight meant I could recover faster and attack more 
quickly.  Soon I had Reggie backing, trying to keep her 
heavy blade between my sword and her body.

One good feint and Regina was off-balance; I dipped my 
blade to flick her back leg loose, and she fell on her 
side.  I stepped up to make an overhand chop at her neck - 
knowing full well that this was the point Reg would pull 
her 'dirty trick.'

She grabbed a handful of leaves and threw it in my face.  
If I hadn't been wearing the fencing mask, they would have 
obscured my vision longer, but I played along, wiping at my 
mask.  And allowing her to jump up and smack me with that 
big-ass sword right in the kidney.  I fell to my knees in a 
mixture of genuine and pretend pain, and Regina rested her 
sword against my neck.

"See?  Use dirt, sand, leaves - anything to blind your 
opponent for even a moment.  You'll notice Lar tripped me, 
use that if you can.  The difference is, you'll want to RUN 
while your opponent is busy, not move in for a kill - look 
what happened to your fiance!"  Nicky laughed a little, 
though she was still a little uneasy about fighting.

I pulled up my mask, and told her "Remember - most 
immortals will fight to win - you don't have to; keeping 
your head is enough.  Skewer the belligerent jerk and bail 
while he's recovering; hamstring him - cut his ankle; do 
anything that will help you SURVIVE."  I shrugged.  "Mind 
you, if you manage to get your opponent totally helpless, 
and you know he'll come after you if you let him get back 
up, you may be better off beheading him while you can.  
Just remind yourself some people are evil and won't give 
up.  Besides, with a few quickenings, maybe you'll be good 
enough with a sword?"

"Yeah, but even then, I think I'll avoid fighting if I 
can."

"Even better," Regina admitted.  "You can't lose your head 
if you never let them draw a blade on you."

My girl came over and hugged me.  "Yeah, I'll get my big 
strong man to deal with them!"  We all smiled.  

"Yes, I'll be there most of the time - I suppose we should 
put this stuff in perspective; it's last-resort tricks to 
keep you alive when I can't help you."

"But I can tell you understand what we're getting at, so I 
figure it's a good point to call it a day."  Regina looked 
at us in askance.  "You two still want to clean up here?"

"Yes, it's not so cold anymore, and that stream is REALLY 
bracing."  We walked over to Reggie's car, unloaded our 
practice gear, and Nicole and I took some soap and a few 
large towels along with clean clothes.  

Reggie just grabbed her two short swords.  "I still say 
you're nuts - I'm waiting for a nice hot shower back at the 
hotel."

"Nuts?  Of course, but I've said how much I hate sitting in 
the car stinking like this."

"Good point; you two go ahead.  *I* don't stink when I work 
out, though, so I'll just sit and watch."  She grinned as 
we set off for another part of the park.

           *           *           *           *

Cold, yes.  But the running water was just as soothing as a 
hot shower for my tired muscles - a brief spasm as they 
first touched the stream, then a relieving numbness.  I sat 
in the water, looked pointedly at Regina leaning against a 
tree on the bank, and dropped back into the water.

The women laughed, and Nicole quickly joined me - she was a 
little shy about Reggie's presence, but having a friendly 
immortal around while we were busy made things MUCH easier.  
The two of us quickly scrubbed the dirt and sweat off - 
each doing the other's back - and then we clambered out to 
dry off on the opposite bank.

I concentrated on my legs, and felt another towel running 
over my back.  I grinned and straightened up to dry off my 
lover's hair.  She giggled and tackled me onto the blanket 
I'd spread out for us to dry out on.  We tussled a little, 
and I felt Nicky get a little amorous in her movements.  I 
looked across the stream and waggled my eyebrows at my 
friend in a silent request.  Regina shook her head and 
rolled her eyes, but she grabbed her swords and walked 
around the tree.

I kissed Nicky, but she cut it off to ask "What about - 
oh."  I smiled as she looked up.

"Regina will keep watch out for us, and allow us the 
privacy for...whatever."

"Oh, I've missed you, cher - it's been too long."  She 
kissed my chest.

"And I had this planned; I couldn't wait any longer, and 
this is actually safer than borrowing Reg's hotel room."

"More exciting, too."  The little minx ran a hand up my leg 
to find I was getting plenty of excitement from the 
situation.

She moved to lie beside me, allowing me to nuzzle her 
breasts while she stroked my manhood.  I teased her nipples 
to swell, then rolled each between my lips.  A few minutes 
more, and Nicole pulled me on top of her.

As I brought my knees forward between her legs to brace 
myself, she ran her hands up my sides to grasp my 
shoulders.  "Mmmm, no condom, no pills, no nothing - I 
think I'm going to look forward to this!"  I placed myself 
at the entrance of her warm, wet pussy.

"I guess you DID miss me, ma cherie!" I noted, and pushed 
slowly into my lover, making the woman shut her eyes and 
curl her mouth into a smile.

"Oh, I played with myself thinking of you; at first it 
wasn't very often, but as the months rolled by, I missed 
you so much; I missed THIS so much!"  Nicky pulled me down 
onto her to kiss.

After I broke off to breathe, I had the presence to 
actually start fucking.  She was right; I'd missed being in 
her arms - and between her legs - so much it hurt.  I 
tilted my head back to keep her from noticing my tearful 
eyes.  My hands found her hips, and slid underneath Nicky 
to massage her tight little derriere.  

As I stroked myself into my fiancee, she brought her legs 
out and underneath my arms, wrapping them around my 
midsection.  She pulled me onto her again, wrapped her arms 
around my neck and kissed me deeply, plunging her tongue 
into my mouth.

I responded as best I could, but Nicky sensed something was 
wrong and stopped.  Wetness on her face was the final clue.  
"Lar - tu pleures!"  She looked up at my face as I chewed 
my lip.

"Oh, Nicky, Nicky!  I'm never going to leave you again!"  
My arms came up to slide under her back to hug her to me, 
my face nestling in the crook of her neck.  I sobbed a 
little and felt her stroke my hair, her arms and legs 
holding me close.  

I had shifted my weight into my knees and forearms, in an 
attempt to let both of us breathe.  It didn't work - 
despite her best wishes Nicky was feeling uncomfortable 
under me.  I pulled myself to roll us onto our sides.

"Oh, Larry.  We're together now - I'm never letting you go 
away again, cher.  It's okay."  I looked at her and noticed 
her cheeks were wet as well.  I sniffed, and gave her a 
smile.  "Together forever, eh, shoe?"  She grinned at the 
implications of that, and kissed me.

And then we fucked.  Nicky took charge and pushed me onto 
my back.  She rode my cock to several orgasms; I holding 
myself back for her - which not hard, as I wasn't moving 
much.  When she tired and fell to my chest, I cuddled her, 
soothing her with whispered affection.

Then she made me fuck her; she rolled us over again, 
putting me on top.  Her legs linked behind my ass, pulling 
me into her.  I complied, stroking into her long and deep, 
and building in force until her tits shook with every 
thrust.  I felt her hands clench on my shoulders, and her 
inner muscles clench at my cock, pushing me over the edge.  
I gasped as I emptied my soul into hers.

One last roll before my strength gave out left Nicole lying 
on my chest and straddling my thigh.  She raised herself 
just enough to look at me.  "Mon dieu, Mitch...er, Larry.  
I'm beat - first the workout and now this!  Oh, cher; I 
can't even get up to pull some clothes on."

"Not necessary, shoe.  Give me a second, and we can nap."  
I grabbed one end of the blanket and flipped it over onto 
us, wrapping us in its warmth.  

She smiled and rested her head back on its fleshy pillow.  
"You think of everything, cher."

"I had a month of self-imposed seclusion to do little else 
but make plans about getting back together - this was the 
most useful one."

"I love you and your overactive mind."

"And we love you right back, shoe."

           *           *           *           *

We didn't need too much time to rest, thankfully.  We had 
to clean up AGAIN, due to our post-bathing activities.  
When we were getting our street clothes on, we felt Regina 
return.

"I was starting to wonder if someone snuck up on you."

"You worked us too hard today - we needed some rest."

"I bet; c'mon - if we hurry, I can get a shower before we 
go out for dinner.  How does Chinese sound?"

Nicole and I nodded our agreement, and we all gathered up 
the 'bathing' stuff.  We carried it back to the car, only 
to get ANOTHER 'immortal buzz'.  Reggie put her hands 
together, grasping her swords' hilts.

He was leaning against the passenger door, looking around 
expectantly.  Tall, medium to skinny build, and a long coat 
lying on the hood of the car.  "Ah; Regina Garant?  I feel 
like I know you after all this time.  You would be Mitchell 
Davis.  And this is Nicole Passy, oui?"  He bowed with a 
flourish, saying "Enchante de faire votre connaissance."

Neither of the ladies was impressed, though Reggie smirked.  
"You learned out of a guidebook, didn't you?"  

Our visitor shrugged, offering his hand with "Greg Stamp - 
originally Gregor Stentov."

We each shook hands with 'Greg,' myself hoping this 
wouldn't end in a fight.  I was to be disappointed.  
"You're the one who's been making me pine for pest 
control."

"Yes, sorry about that, but I've spent a lot of time in the 
intelligence community, so it was second-nature to leave a 
few things behind to keep me appraised of things."

"I never found anything in MY house, I notice."

"Professional courtesy and sensible caution - you might 
spot them in your home.  I didn't even know you'd found ANY 
of my devices."

"You're not the only one who's electronically inclined."

"Well, I figured I'd wait until you had your protege 
trained up and ready to leave.  But you've been hanging 
around her a fair bit, Mitch."

I tried to match the cool flippancy of these two.  "Sorry - 
it's Nicky here; she turned out to be just like us, and 
Regina had another student all of a sudden."

"Ah.  Should I leave, then?"  He reached for his coat, and 
something twigged - in a fraction of a second, I knew Greg 
was going for a weapon, and that the comforting weight of 
my saber wasn't touching my back - Regina was the only one 
armed!

My sword wouldn't have done much good as it turned out; 
Greg pulled a silenced pistol to shoot Nicky and myself.  
As I collapsed with a bullet in my heart, I watched him 
draw a large, heavy sword and begin to fight against Reggie 
with her two smaller blades...

           *           *           *           *

I came back to hear the clang and clash of sword combat.  
Taking a moment to wonder if 'near-death' people felt like 
this when the paramedics brought them back - if so, I'd 
start sabotaging ambulances to spare these poor mortals - I 
sat up to find Regina holding her own against the newcomer 
Greg.  He had a minor cut on one thigh, while she had 
several red scratches on her bare arms.

I moved to Nicole - she was still out of it.  I dragged her 
to the car and pulled at the door handle.  Nothing; it was 
still locked, and Reggie had the keys.

With the current state of affairs, I couldn't do much 
anyway - Regina and Greg had entered into a duel, and I was 
honor-bound to not interfere until it was over.  With 
nothing else to do, I rifled through Greg's coat.  I 
noticed the gun he shot us with wasn't there.

Watching the man, I noticed the automatic stuck in the 
waistband of his trousers, behind his back.  Maybe he just 
had it to keep us 'students' at bay should he win - 
receiving a quickening was supposed to make even the best 
of swordsmen weak and slow for a while until they 
recovered.  But what if he had other plans for that gun?

My worries about that had to be put aside when my darling 
woman come back.  I knelt beside her, comforting Nicky as 
she got over the experience of dying and reanimating.  When 
she calmed down, I asked her if she had any ideas for 
getting into the locked car.  We never got a chance to come 
up with a plan.

We heard a cry from this Greg fellow; I stood to look, and 
was confronted with a frighteningly familiar tableau:

Greg had tripped and fallen onto his back.  His sword was 
somewhere past him from me, or perhaps under his back, and 
he was feeling around for it.

Regina was standing over him; one sword aimed at his chest.  
She gave him a choice - agree to give up coming after her 
until after her students were off on their own, or die now.  
I realized what Greg was actually doing, and called out to 
my mentor "REGGIE - GUN!" as I looked around for a decent 
rock to throw at him.

Reg understood me, and tried to disarm the trap by lunging 
at Greg to incapacitate him before he could shoot; she was 
slow.  He brought the gun from behind him and I watched 
Reggie's knee explode.  She dropped her swords in shock and 
grabbed her maimed leg, falling to a sitting position.  He 
stood with the sword in his left hand and brought it out in 
a backhand slash at waist level...or neck level for Reggie.

This was no dream as I saw her head fall clear of her body 
- a light came from her open neck and wisps of ghostly 
essence began to fly around the clearing.  They moaned and 
kited around, making me wonder if they were the essence of 
those Regina had beheaded - was Robert, or Regina herself 
among these 'spirits'?  Then they flew into their victor, 
and all hell broke loose.

Lightning lanced from Greg as he screamed, grounding itself 
in the trees around him.  Several boles exploded as the 
water inside flashed to steam, filling the air with sharp 
splinters.  Small fires started up, and sparks flew as a 
couple of bolts even struck the car.  Fortunately I was 
clear of the vehicle, crouching over Nicky - we were also 
spared the splinters from our position.

Then I saw Regina's headless corpse across the clearing 
from me, and I knew rage.  I quickly outlined a plan to my 
fiancee:  "I want you to go to the back door; I'm going to 
smash the front door's window and hit the lock.  As soon 
you can, open the door, dive in, grab my sword and pass it 
forward to me.  Then shut the door and I'll lock you in as 
best I can - stay in there.  I love you, shoe."  I didn't 
give her a chance question anything, but pulled her up to 
me.

The plan went seamlessly; I got my sword out of the car and 
Nicole into the car as quickly as possible, and I was ready 
to face Greg.

Greg didn't seem in any shape to face me though - he was 
staggering around some, and actually looked a little 
singed.  I held my sheathed sword out to point at him.  He 
shook his head and said "No.  No quarrel with you, son."

I snarled "Then you shouldn't have shot her before taking 
her head, perhaps?  I've got a point of contention with 
you, Greg or Gregor or whoever you are; you play dirty and 
someday I'm going to have to come up against you.  It might 
as well be today."  I drew my saber from its scabbard to 
emphasize my point.

He shook his head again, bringing his gun up to aim at me.  
"And you won't even wait for me to recover; hardly fair, 
boy."  I spoiled his shot by my throwing my scabbard at him 
and dodging.  I came up on his right side, bringing my 
sword down on his wrist, cleaving the hand clean off and 
denying him his gun.

Greg dropped his sword and grasped his injured limb in much 
the same way Regina did - I noticed this as I placed my 
blade at his throat.  "How does that feel, cheater?  Your 
own medicine is pretty bitter, isn't it?"  I had to give 
him credit, he shut up and knelt proudly, his head erect 
and neck an inviting target.

I had other plans.  "Get up and go get one of Regina's 
oversized knives; it'll be a better one-hand weapon than 
that big cleaver you wield.  This is just to show you what 
a fair fight is like - so you can tell people in the 
afterlife that you DID actually experience one once."

He did as I said, the stump closing up some.  He seemed to 
be in no more pain, but losing his right hand handicapped 
him; he now had Regina's knowledge in him as well as any 
other immortals he'd taken before this - I didn't want him 
to have too much going his way.

The fight was fair - each of us getting injured quite 
seriously in the course of it, only to have the cuts heal 
as we fought.  We were both healthy but tired by the time 
Greg slipped up.  

He tried punching at me with his stump - maybe some of 
Regina's unorthodox strategies were coming through.  This 
broke the rhythm of my attack, but left him with his sword 
arm slightly behind his body as he leant into the punch; I 
brought my saber up under his arm and slashed his armpit 
deeply.

Blood poured down his body and he sank to his knees in a 
gesture of submission.  "I give - you win.  I can't keep 
up.  You're right - I pulled a dirty trick and now I'm 
paying for it."  I just looked at the kneeling man and 
caught my breath.  "Come on, Mitchell - take my head; you 
deserve it.  You're a good fighter, and a better man than I 
ever was or ever will be.  You deserve what I have more 
than I do."

Then he looked up at me.  "Do it, man - I want you to.  
Part of me actually wanted to lose to her.  You'll reach 
this point too, someday.  Someday when everything seems the 
same, and you just get so tired of it all.  I only hope you 
handle the feeling better than I have.  And maybe you will 
be able to deal with the guilt better, as well."

And so I took my first head for several reasons: to avenge 
a lost friend, to put a tortured soul to rest, and to gain 
power to protect my lover and myself.  

The quickening felt worse than it looked - feeling the 
'ghosts' entering my body wasn't too bad, but feeling their 
memories and experiences filtering themselves into my mind 
was quite another!  I lost track of reality and relived 
flashes from various lives; Regina's I recognized - even 
back in the Dark Ages - and I thought I felt a few battles 
in the two World Wars that might have been Robert's 
experiences.  And I learned what sort of life Greg had 
lived. 

Then the energy lanced INTO me - it looked like I was 
sending it out, but it was the pulling of electrical charge 
from the objects that damaged them; I was filled with this 
sense of power and fury.  To say it was painful is 
unnecessary.

When it was all over, I curled up into a ball and got used 
to the new shape of my psyche.  A touch on my back made me 
flinch, then I remembered the only other person who was 
still around and stretched out.

Nicky was hovering over me, more worried for my well being 
than for her own.  I sat up and we hugged desperately.  
"Are you all right, cher?"

"Fine enough for now, shoe.  I'll get over it in time."

"How bad is it?"

"Not that BAD - it's just weird.  They're up here," I said, 
tapping a temple.  "Everyone - Regina, her husband Robert, 
the handful of people she took.  And Greg and his retinue 
of defeated opponents.  It's hard to remember what's my 
memories and what's theirs."

"Lar?  What did he mean about 'the guilt'?"

I sighed.  "Damn - hoped you hadn't heard that."  I shifted 
to a more comfortable sitting position, and put Nicky on my 
lap.  And I told her of the life of Gregor Stentov had 
lead.

Gregor was born into servitude to the Czar.  He was working 
in the winter palace when the Revolution came along and 
swept away the old government.  He was accused, tried, 
convicted, sentenced and executed for 'his crimes against 
the People.'  And he came back, of course.

He moved to a different region and became a loyal 
revolutionary.  And got drawn into the Cheka - the original 
precursor of the KGB.  He changed identity a couple of 
times when people began to notice his perpetual youth.  But 
he put his immortality to good use - Gregor was a capable 
assassin and hatchetman of the intelligence organization.

By the time the Soviet Union dissolved, he was thoroughly 
disillusioned with his profession and what he'd done with 
his life.  He sought out his own kind and fought for 
something greater - perhaps he could find someone who would 
have the peace of mind he wanted.  After two kills, it was 
clear that was impossible - knowledge and experience was 
passed on to the victor, not personality traits; Gregor was 
stuck with the guilt of his life, and the inability to put 
it aside.  And now he had the reputation as a killer - 
other homicidal immortals sought HIM out.

When he was 'casing' Regina out, he sincerely wanted to 
lose to her - to find peace of mind in oblivion, or 
whatever afterlife lay ahead of us all.  But during the 
fight, something of the old ruthless assassin took over and 
he acted without thinking.  

I bore the knowledge that Gregor Stentov felt more guilt 
and remorse for killing Regina Garant than for any other 
person he'd executed or murdered in his busy life.  And 
just as certainly, I bore the knowledge that I could bear 
knowing this.  And Regina's regret at having to kill her 
husband to save her own life.  And Robert's pain and agony 
at being a broken and tortured prisoner of war as well as 
his own remorse at forcing his wife's hand to bring some 
surcease to his turmoil.

I didn't tell Nicole all of this, but outlined Greg's life, 
and what drove him to this place.  Then we embraced and I 
said a silent prayer for the souls I had touched who were 
now gone.

=============

Author's postscript: Well, y'all feel better now that 
'Mitch' and 'Nicole' are reunited?  Sorry I had to kill 
Regina off, but it's literary law; if someone other than 
the protagonist's true love has sex with him/her, they must 
die.  Hell - check out ANY James Bond movie - he screws an 
average of two babes per flick, yet how many are in his 
arms at the end, and what happened to the other one? :)

The TV show is finished, but it runs often enough in 
syndication, so you can always catch reruns.  A lot of 
episodes were as deep and somber as this, so if you like 
serious stuff based on a fantastic premise? <shrug>  

Anyway, you'll get more of this just as soon as I can get 
it written; Dancer will be definitely interested in this, 
so I'm not going to abandon it... 


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