k'lynn
Won day nere Chresmahs, lahofee, the bikr babe, puled awf the side of rode wen she saw sumthin shiny (she a lot lik me - lik shinee thins)
It was a hubkap with lotza spoakes, an she wantd a shyni star for Chrissmus treee. She pickt up and put in sadlebag, n tuk to connie to fix 4 her.
"Kut hear and here n al ofer" she sade, "mayk prity star 4 me pleze."
Connie sayd "shure think, bykr babie" an he do it quik and eezee. He pickted up new star n holed it up to sea fyrelite makin it sperkel. "prity" saed connie. "what u wand me 2 dew width this here leffofers?"
"juss tosst it away, " lahofee wayfd her feenkers. Connie did jusd that, and it landted on her hede an stook ther. she haf it efer cince.
leas thads wot she tolt me. but she hided hir haloe so donut noe if she tellt me trooth or not. lynan juss seyz oh dere.
lahoffyCDC
Methos opened the door to the rock & roll room, staggering a bit from the wall of sound that poured out. Obviously, lahoffy was in here. He spotted her near the speakers, singing off-key in that endearing way of hers.
"It's my life, it's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever, I just want to live while I'm alive," warbled lahoffy along with Bon Jovi.
Methos winced, popping the top of his beer and reaching out to cut the sound a bit.
"Hey! I'm listening to that!!"
"Lot of speculating going on about the origins of your halo," Methos drawled.
Reaching up, lahoffy adjusted the said halo in question. "I noticed."
"Think maybe you should say something?"
"Why? This is much more fun. Everybody gets his or her shot at coming up with something. Lots of laughs guaranteed."
"So, you're going to let them keep speculating?"
lahoffy grinned wikkedly. "For now."
Richie sighed heavily as he opened the door to the rock & roll room. This was not his idea of a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. Mucking out the stables held more appeal than trying to get lahoffy to tell the story of the halo. With his luck, she'd probably use him for target practice and still refuse to tell him.
Creed blasted out of the stereo. Richie grinned, "Well, at least I finally get to hear that new CD she's been hogging for the last few days."
lahoffy glanced up suspiciously when Richie waved a hand in front of her to gain her attention. "What?" she grumbled.
"Nothing. Just came to see what you were listening to. Enjoying it?"
"Uh-huh. So, how come you're in here and not out joyriding on this last beautiful day of the fall?"
"No reason." Richie fell silent, letting the music flow around him. "So...been meaning to ask, why do you have that halo?"
"I knew you had something on your mind. I'm not telling you, either. Did Methos put you up to this?"
Richie flushed. "Not exactly. It was more of a combined effort."
"I told Methos I'm not talking. Let everyone speculate, it's much more fun."
"I had to try. They threatened not to let me have any of MacNair's pies tomorrow. You know how I love those pies of hers."
"Fine. You go back and tell them 'no dice.' I'm not giving anything away until I'm good and ready."
"Just a word of warning. They're determined to find out the story. I think it's Connor's turn next, so watch out. They were saying something about 'eyes'."
lahoffy grinned. "Well, this should be interesting. So, they seem to think Connor has a shot, huh? Thanks for the warning."
Richie stood, backing slowly away from the wicked gleam in her eyes. Somehow, he didn't think Connor was going to fare any better.
Connor opened the door to the rock & roll room and was surprised to hear no music. He glanced around and spotted lahoffy standing at the window, staring out.
"That you, Connor?" she asked without turning. "Come to try and get the story of the halo?"
Connor paused; something wasn't quite right. She should have been able to spot his reflection in the glass. "You OK?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she said, without turning around. "Just getting a little tired of being asked about the halo. So, what trickery do you have planned?"
Connor walked quietly over to her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "No trickery, just a polite request. Why won't you turn around?"
"Cause you'll try to use your eyes on me. You know I can't resist them. And I'm NOT giving up the story of the halo until I'm good and ready."
Connor laughed; the little lady was good, she'd already figured out what he'd use against her. "Come on, turn around," he said, turning her gently to face him.
And stopped dead in his tracks, staring.
"Something wrong, Connor?" lahoffy asked gleefully.
Connor stared in disbelief at the multitude of bandannas she had tied across her eyes. The little wench had protected herself well. He grinned ruefully. "You know, I played bagpipes in the nude for you, the least you could do is tell me about the halo."
"That won't work, either. You lost that bet, fair...well, almost fair and square. I'll tell it when I'm good and ready. And you can tell your kinsman not to bother, I won't tell him, either."
Connor laughed. "I'll tell him, but I wouldn't count on him leaving you be."
"Tell him I said 'bring it on'."
"Duncan, I'm telling you, she's being very stubborn. Refuses to say anything. I almost think she's got some stubborn Scottish blood somewhere back in her family tree," said Connor.
Duncan, Connor, Richie, and Methos stood outside the rock & roll room, debating strategies for getting the tale of the halo.
"I can get it," Duncan said confidently. "She won't be able to resist once I turn on the charm."
Methos snorted quietly into his beer. "Right. Care to make a bet?"
Richie chuckled. "I don't think you want to do that, old man. Remember the last time you made a bet and lost?"
Methos winced and backed away down the hall. "Good luck, MacLeod. You're going to need it. That woman is nearly as devious as I am."
Duncan smiled, shaking his head. Three grown men afraid of a little woman like that? Unbelievable. He opened the door to the room with a jaunty wave to the others.
Then stopped, wincing. Why did he always feel like his ears were bleeding every time he came here? Lord, that woman liked her music loud.
The music stopped abruptly, leaving a faint ringing in his head. He sighed in gratitude. "Couldn't you at least listen to opera?"
lahoffy wrinkled her nose in disgust. "No thanks, I like my music less than a couple of hundred years old. So, Duncan MacLeod of the clan MacLeod, I assume you're here for the tale of the halo? I told Connor to tell you not to bother. I won't tell you, either."
Duncan let himself smile just the tiniest bit as he reached up and slowly began to unbutton his shirt, stretching a bit when the last one was undone to pull the shirt open wider. He shrugged his shoulders, allowing the shirt to slide slowly down his arms, coming to a stop at his wrists. He paused, posing for just a moment.
lahoffy eyed the expanse of male chest warily. She hadn't quite counted on a peep show. Could be interesting to see how far he'll go, she thought, feeling her knees weaken at the idea.
Duncan pulled the shirt off, dropping it negligently to the floor and prowling across the room toward her, the smile growing larger as she backed away. He reached for the top snap of his jeans, glad that he'd put his bathing suit on before he started this. The snap came loose, then the next one, then the next, all the while lahoffy backed up until she hit the padded wall. The jeans slipped a little, framing his hips, revealing a hint of blue swimsuit.
Duncan moved in close, pinning her against the wall, hands on either side of her head. His breath blew against her neck, as he whispered "Tell me about the halo."
lahoffy shuddered. This was dirty pool and he was going to regret it. "Duncan?" she breathed softly.
"Hmm?"
"Don't move any closer. I have a halo and I'm not afraid to use it."
Duncan felt the cold metal move against the flatness of his belly, nicking him gently. He inhaled sharply, staring into her eyes, trying to read her intentions. She stared back at him, giving away nothing in her expression.
"It's not like I really want to hurt you, but I will," she said, as she ran a hand up his chest, slowly, lingering a bit before regretfully pushing him away. "I'd regret it, but I meant what I said. I'll tell the story when I'm ready. No tricks or seduction, OK? As a matter of fact, I'll tell you first, providing you don't let the others know until I talk to them. Deal?"
Duncan nodded silently; still unable to believe she'd pulled the halo on him. "But when?"
"The par-tay is in 9 days. Meet me at the oasis the day before. Say around noon. And come ready to play sheik for me," she grinned.
Methos sat in the attic studying the little tin soldiers. Something still wasn't right with the placement. Reaching out, he gently picked one up from the center of the display, trying not to disturb the placement of the others.
A hand landed softly on his shoulder. Startled, he fell forward into the middle of it all, displacing the carefully constructed layout.
Gasping and swearing under his breath, he sat up, glancing around to see lahoffy smiling sheepishly.
"Bloody hell, you know better than to come sneaking up on an immortal like that! I swear, we ought to make you ladies wear bells."
The apology died in her throat. "Bells? You mean, like cows?" she asked, just a hint of outrage in her tone as she fingered the halo threateningly.
Whoops, wrong, wrong, wrong. "No, no, like cats do to warn mice and other prey." Which is how it feels around here somedays, prey for the CDC'ers to toy with. Not that he minded, usually. "Something on your mind?"
"Uh-huh. How would you like to know the story of the halo?"
"I'd love to. Now?"
"No, the day before the par-tay. Meet me here in the attic around 1 and don't tell anyone else that I plan on telling you. Let it be a surprise."
"Deal." Methos stopped, wondering at the look in her eyes. "You've got something planned, don't you?"
"Who me?" she asked in her best innocent voice. Good thing I left that real halo in my room, dang thing would be clanking all over the place right about now. "Nope, just thought I'd break my silence."
"Right. And I used to play tennis with King Charles the II."
lahoffy studied him carefully, wondering if he really had or not. That was a question better left to another time. Never try to con another devious soul, they know all the tricks. "Just be here, OK?"
Methos grinned. "Oh, I'll be here, wouldn't miss this for the world."
lahoffy descended the stairs from the attic, grinning softly to herself and trying to keep the giggles from surfacing. So far, so good. This little adventure should teach those immortals a lesson. Let's see, who should be next? Richie or Connor?
She hopped from the third step down to the floor, rounding the corner of the staircase. Distracted by her thoughts, she ran smack into MacNair and Sharz, who were blocking the way.
"Oops, sorry, deep in thought, didn't see you there."
Sharz stood there, arms crossed, a tiny frown marring her face. "Just what are you up to, lahoffy?"
"I don't know what you mean. I'm not up to anything," lahoffy stammered, trying to edge her way around the two.
MacNair moved slightly, blocking her escape. "We know the boys tried to get the story of the halo out of you and you refused to talk. Now, you're running around with this devious little smile on your face and wearing a fake halo."
Sharz reached up, snatching the halo off her head. "This one is made of wire and tin foil. Who do you think you're fooling?"
"It fooled Methos," she muttered. "Gimme that back."
"Not until you tell us what you're doing. Why do you need a fake halo?"
MacNair jumped up and down excitedly, waving her arms about. "Ooh, I know, I know. Cause the real one is a lie detector. She's telling tales to the boys and doesn't want to get caught in a lie." MacNair grinned happily, certain she was right.
"So what if I am? Silly boys thought they could come around and con me out of the story of the halo. When that didn't work, Connor tried with his eye thing. Then Duncan tried the old seduction routine. Humph, like they think I'm going to fall for something like that." Which I almost did.
Sharz paused, studying the indignant clansib standing in front of her. "So, you build a fake halo and do what?"
lahoffy sighed. "I'm telling each one to meet me the day before the par-tay at a different time and place, where I'll tell them about the halo."
MacNair jumped up and down again, still waving her arms about. "Oh, I get it!! And you'll tell each one something different, right? Then they'll tell each other how they have the real story, only when they compare notes, each one has something completely different from the rest."
"So which one will have the real story, lahoffy?" Sharz asked, thinking this was a great idea.
"Um, actually, none of them." lahoffy grinned wikkedly. "Thought I'd save the whole truth and nothing but for the par-tay. And this way, I can get back at the boys. If they'd just asked nicely in the first place, I might have told them. Maybe."
MacNair and Sharz fell against each other laughing. Sharz handed the fake halo back. "Go get 'em, girl!"
"Thanks. Know where Richie is by any chance?"
"Where else? The kitchen. And watch out, he was carrying the real halo with him." MacNair said.
"No problem. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." lahoffy grinned merrily and started down the hallway for the kitchen.
Richie stared at the shelves in the pantry loaded with food. There just *had* to be something here to eat. Something even *he* could fix. Man, those cooking classes were sounding better and better.
The door shut softly behind him and he whirled to see lahoffy standing there. His eyes lit up; maybe she'd cook him something.
"Don't even think it, dear boy, it's not my turn to cook. Dinner's only a couple of hours away, surely you can hang on that long?"
Richie sighed. "But I'm starved...Methos had me varnishing the bar for hours until it was just right. Made me skip lunch and all, the slave driver."
"Oh, poor boy." lahoffy moved in closer, laying a consoling hand against his cheek. "I'm sure you'll live."
"What's with the closed door?"
"I've got a secret for you and I don't want the others to hear."
Richie grabbed her hand, which was snaking its way down from his face into the open shirt he was wearing and across his chest. Teasing he did not need right now. "And what is it? Would you stop that?" he yelped, as the other hand playfully worked its way into his shirt and down. Richie backed up, banging the back of his head against a shelf. It didn't do any good, she was still way too close and her hands seemed to be everywhere. And wasn't there something he was supposed to do? Something to do with lahoffy? Geesh, how was he supposed to think, with those hands all over him?
lahoffy grinned. "I love to tease you, you still get so flustered. Meet me here in the pantry, say around 2 the day before the par-tay and I'll tell you the story of the halo. But don't tell the others."
Richie squirmed under the gentle assault of her hands. "No problem. Just...would you please...fix me a snack?"
lahoffy laughed, "Only two things ever on your mind, eh, Richie? Come on, I think there's still some leftover chicken in the fridge."
Trailing behind him, lahoffy tucked the real halo that she had snagged from Richie without his knowing it underneath the shirt of Connor's that she had put on for just this reason. Bigger and looser, it hid the curve of the halo perfectly. Tease the boy and he's got no clue what's going on under his own dang nose, she thought.
Three down, one to go. Good thing I saved the hardest one for last.
Connor watched through the window of the hayloft as lahoffy made her way down the path to the barn. This must be mighty important, since she rarely comes down here, what with that allergic reaction she has to hay. He smiled when she stopped at the doorway below him, took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, as if she was coming to do battle. Which in a way, he supposed, she was.
lahoffy peered into the shadowy dimness of the barn, hoping to spot Connor and get him outside. But there was no sign of him. Rats! I'll have to go in after all. Steeling herself for the inevitable sneezing fits, she crossed the threshold. "Connor? Connor, are you in here?" AACHOO!
Connor's raspy voice called down from the upper reaches of the loft. "Up here." He peered over the edge, hiding a grin at the sneezing, teary-eyed girl. "Come on up, I'm just getting some fresh hay for the horses." He chuckled softly at the muttered cursing he heard drifting up.
lahoffy climbed the ladder, sneezing the whole way. This is enough to make me give up on this whole cock-eyed scheme! I'll be red-eyed and blotchy for hours. Grumbling still, she reached the top and crossed over to where Connor stood, arms crossed and the hint of a smile playing about his lips.
"Connor MacLeod, if you dare laugh at me right now, I'll use you for my next target practice, and I won't play nursemaid afterwards." The flurry of sneezing that erupted took any threat out of her words.
"So what's so all-fired important that you would actually come in here?"
Wiping her teary eyes on the sleeve of her shirt, lahoffy sneezed again. "Meet me in the tree house at 3 the day before the par-tay if you want to know the truth behind the halo. Don't tell anyone else, OK?"
"I heard something to the effect that you were telling Methos, or was it Richie? Duncan, maybe? What exactly are you up to?"
"I'm not achoo! up to anything. Please, just be there, OK?
lahoffy turned to go, only to have Connor snag her arm and turn her back. Eyes wide in surprise, she felt Connor grab the halo off her head.
"You forgot one thing, dear lass. I've worked on that halo of yours numerous times. I spotted this fake before you ever came in the door. So, the question again is, what are you up to? The only reason you would need a fake is that you're not quite telling the truth and the real halo would give you away."
lahoffy sneezed again, realizing that she was defeated. "Oh, all right. I had planned on telling each one of you a different version of the story, and save the real version for the par-tay. AAACCHOOO!! Would have worked if you hadn't been amidst all the hay."
Connor shook his head, taking pity on the girl. "I won't tell the rest what you're planning. It actually sounds kind of fun. Need some help?"
lahoffy smiled weakly, eyes streaming. "Yeah, get me out of this HAY!! I can't be devious in this condition."
Connor laughed, swinging her up in his arms, carrying her down the ladder and out of the barn to the fresh air.
A Brief Interlude:
Methos stood at the window, gazing across the compound towards the barn. "Hmm...that's interesting."
Duncan barely spared a glance at the old guy, too engrossed in the book he'd begun reading to try to take his mind off the upcoming strip tease he was facing. "What is?"
"Those two out there with their heads together, looks like they're plotting something."
"And this is news, how? There's always plotting going on between the ladies around here. Usually involving how to get our clothes off."
Richie joined Methos at the window. "But, Mac, it's not the girls, it's lahoffy and Connor."
This caught Duncan's attention. "Connor?" He stood, joining the other two in gazing out the window. Indeed, there was his kinsman sitting with lahoffy in the grass out by the barn with his head bent close to hers. Laughing.
"I've seen deviousness in action, hell, I'm devious enough to know it when I see it. Those two are most decidedly up to something."
"Man, you suppose it has anything to do with the halo?" asked Richie.
Methos smirked. "With all the speculation and rumors going around, do you think it could be anything else?"
"But what's Connor got to do with it? He doesn't know anything, and she said that she would tell..." Duncan stopped, aware that he had just about told them what lahoffy had said. "Uh, I mean, wouldn't tell anyone.
Methos glanced sidelong at Duncan. He had caught that misstep and his mind was working frantically behind his serene face. Aha! So, lahoffy was going to tell Duncan, eh? Putting that together with what she'd told him, and probably told Richie as well, the sneaky minx's plan fell into place. Hiding his grin behind his beer, he said, "Guess we'll just have to wait and see, then." And I'm going to be front and center for this little drama. Just how long was it until the par-tay now?
The Day Before The Par-Tay, 12 p.m.
Duncan lounged against the palm tree, waiting for lahoffy. He checked his watch for the fifth time in two minutes. The sound of crunching sand brought his head up and around.
"Sorry I'm late, Duncan. Methos cornered me to tell me some long-winded story about how he once danced for Cleopatra. Wasn't easy getting away from him." lahoffy sighed as she sank down to the sand next to him.
"That's OK, you're here now. Are you sure about this? You really want to tell me about the halo?"
"I said I would, I will. Let me think where to start." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Well, it all started back in high school. I was a sophomore, and there was there really cool group of girls I wanted to hang out with. They had this strange initiation ritual. In order to join them, you had to prove that you were uh...well...a virgin. A good girl. Which at the time, I was. Stop snickering, I was, I tell you."
Duncan swallowed the laughter that was threatening to erupt, but couldn't quite wipe the grin off his face. "Sorry, do go on."
"Humph. As I was saying, they had this ritual that in order to prove you were a virgin you had to wear a halo. For a whole week. During that time, the boys were allowed to do whatever they could to make you...uh...unworthy of the halo. I said, stop snickering!! I'm being serious here!!"
Duncan chuckled. "Unworthy of the halo? Interesting choice of words."
"We were in high school, what do you expect? It was the height of coolness if you were in this group. Anyway, I lasted the week. I was worthy. But, once the week was up, the halo wouldn't leave. It stayed there, floating a couple of inches above my head, and it's been there ever since."
"That's impossible. A halo that doesn't go away? That's always with you? Those things don't happen."
lahoffy glanced sidelong at him. "This, from a man who cannot die and who's lived for over 400 years? And who just happens to know a witch named Cassandra?"
"You've got me there. So, how come you still have the halo. You're certainly not...uh, well..." Duncan stammered, avoiding her gaze.
"No, I'm not 'pure' anymore, so I don't know. It's there; I live with it. Now, I've told you the tale of the halo, I think you owe me some sheik-play."
Duncan smiled, took her by the hand and stood up, leading her to the horse that was quietly waiting and to a round of "Sheik of the Desert".
The Day Before The Par-Tay, 1 p.m.
Methos sprawled in the old recliner he'd found in the attic and had moved into a place where he could study his current display of tin soldiers. Reaching down, he snagged another beer from the cooler beside him. He heard steps behind him and grinned. Now it begins. Wonder what cock-and-bull story she's come up with? And just how much help did Connor give her?
"Hey, Methos, ready for the story?"
"Oh, yes, can't wait to hear it," he drawled.
lahoffy glanced at him suspiciously; something about his tone set off warning bells. "Scoot over." Pushing him slightly, she made room beside him.
"Sure you don't want to sit in my lap? It'd be more comfortable."
"For who? You just want to take advantage of the fact that I'm all weak and drooly over the idea of Duncan dancing tomorrow night."
Methos leered at her. "That's me, just a dirty old man. Albeit, far older than most dirty old men."
Sighing, she shook her head in exasperation. "Mind if I just get on with it? The story, that is?" At Methos' nod of assent, she began. "Well, you know how I used to be a biker babe and the notorious reputations they have? My fellow biker chicks and I decided, strictly as a joke, to do something about it. We all made up these halos and started wearing them. Sort of a way to protest our innocence, prove we weren't the bad asses we were made out to be. The guys thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. So did we. That is, until I tried to remove mine and it wouldn't come off. It was almost like it was trying to tell me to settle down and be *respectable.* I finally gave up ever trying to lose it and it's still here."
"Did you come up with that, or Connor?"
"What? What do you mean? It's the truth."
"I saw you out by the barn with Connor, and Duncan had a slip of the tongue that he thought I didn't catch. You've been running around here, telling each of us a different story. Wikked girl."
lahoffy cursed under her breath. She should have known she couldn't sneak anything past the oldest living devious soul. "You won't tell, will you?"
"You kidding? I can't wait to see how this all plays out. You do plan on telling the truth tomorrow, don't you?"
lahoffy just grinned.
The Day Before The Par-Tay, 2 p.m.
Richie waited in the pantry, hoping lahoffy would show up soon. There was something about being surrounded by food that made him hungry. He absently reached out and grabbed a bag of Cheetos, surely no one would miss just one tiny bag. There were still plenty more.
"Don't let MacNair see you eating those, Rich, she's keeping careful tabs on all the food. Especially the snack-y items," lahoffy said, as she entered the pantry, closing the door behind her.
"It's just one little bag," Richie pouted, "look, there's gotta be at least 20 bags here."
"OK, don't say I didn't warn you." lahoffy sat down next to the young immortal. "Ready for the story?"
"I've been ready, I still can't believe you're going to tell me."
"It all starts way back when the show 'Charlie's Angels' was on. My friends and I loved that show; we thought it was the neatest thing that girls actually went out and kicked butt and solved mysteries. We even started playing 'Charlie's Angels' amongst ourselves..."
"Uh, wait a minute, wasn't that show on in the late 70's? Wouldn't you have been in high school? Isn't that a little bit...um..old to play?"
lahoffy glared at him. "Who's telling this story? And just what is that remark supposed to mean?"
Richie raised his arms, protesting innocence. "Nothing, nothing, go on."
"As I was saying, we loved to play Charlie's Angels. For the record, I was not too old, and we can just leave my age out of it. Where was I? So, my idea of an angel was that they wore halos, I insisted that I had to wear one. Wore it night and day. You know that old saying moms have? About you better stop making that face or it's going to stick like that? Who knew it applied to objects you wear? I've tried losing it for years, and it just keeps coming back."
Richie stared at her for a long moment. "You're kidding, right?"
"I've got a halo on top of my head. Does it look like I'm kidding?"
Richie glanced up at the halo, it was there all right. "Well, I supposed it could have happened like that. I've seen some strange things, I mean, look at me, I'm immortal, never would have believed people like me existed, if I wasn't living proof."
"Exactly. Strange things happen all the time. Pass me that bag of Chili Cheese Fritos from the shelf, would you?"
They happily munched their illicit chips, laughing at the idea that they were sneaking one past MacNair.
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, lahoffy thought wildly. Geesh,not only am I late, I'm beginning to sound like the White Rabbit. lahoffy glanced at her watch, and cursed softly. Giving the bike more throttle, she sped up slightly as she came into view of the compound. I hate malls. I hate malls most especially at Christmas, you'd think I'd learn not to procrastinate at this time of year. But she just couldn't show up at the par-tay without those special items for Elir and Sheeza to welcome them into the Clan.
Squealing to a halt, she hastily punched in the password and passed through the gate. She tossed a beer (with the top cut open) to the lady dragon of the moat and pulled to a stop in front of the house. Dashing up the stairs she could hear the raucous merriment coming from the pool area.
Good. I have time to comb this helmet hair and gather my thoughts before anyone knows I'm here.
A few minutes later, hair combed, dressed in her swim suit, she paused, taking in the scene before her.
Duncan was tending the barbecue as always, with lynnann standing nearby wearing her mysterious smile. Connor was giving breathing lessons to MacNair and Sharz. Kyrdwyn was sprawled in Methos' lap, munching on ding-dongs. Sheeza, Elir, and hayden seemed overwhelmed with all the noise and goings on. I think we all looked like that at our first par-tay.
"I'm here," she announced simply.
Kyrdwyn squealed and came running for a hug. It'd been a while since they'd last seen each other. Within a few minutes, the entire clan (and several immortals) had surrounded her, demanding the tale of the halo,
"Geesh, give a girl a break, will ya? At least give me one of those Pepsis, please? Road thirst, you know?
Richie handed her one, a slight glare on his face. "I thought I was the one you were telling the story to first, then I found out you told Duncan and Methos. Different stories. What gives?"
"Just a little joke, Rich, to throw you guys off the track and give me some breathing room. The truth of the halo is really quite boring."
"Boring, shmoring, just tell us already!" chimed in Sheeza.
"It all started one day shortly after the clan came into being. We were all drooling over the boys here and making, *ahem,* un-ladylike comments. I was accused of having a gutter mind and when I protested my innocence, I said, "See, I have the halo to prove it. And, viola, there it was." She shrugged. "In case you haven't noticed, this place is very special--magical, you might say. Words spoken, thoughts you think can sometimes take form. How do you think the house keeps growing? And all the additions to it since? For goodness sake, we have a beer-drinking lady dragon in the moat!!
She paused, taking a sip of Pepsi. "I think it's the love for the boys and the love we have for each other that creates the magic. Whatever it is, I'm thankful for it. Thankful for each and every one of you."
She reached into the bag she was holding. "These are for you, Sheeza and elir. My gift to welcome you into the clan." Smiling, she handed them each their very own personalized halos. "We all have them, now you do as well. Welcome to the clan, girls. Let's PAR-TAY!!"
~finis~
lahoffyCDC
>BR>November 2001
Top
Feather Tales
SheezaCDC
LOL! Boy, I sure can picture Duncan and that hat!
MacNair: "Please, Duncan, won't you let me try it on?"
Duncan: "No way! You just want the feather."
MacNair: (Looking innocent and batting her eyelashes) "Why whatever for? I just wanna try it on."
Duncan: "Nuh-uh, nothing doing. If I let you have it, I'll get it back either without the feather, or it'll be broken or something."
Connor enters the room in time to see Duncan holding a giant sultan's hat replete with a glorious feather waving around wildly above his head. MacNair, being diminutive, is jumping up and down trying to bat it out of his hands.
MacNair: "Come on! Gimmee! I want it!"
Connor: "Uh, Cousin? It isn't safe to tease MacNair like that. You should know better. Can't you see she has her pointy .....Ewww, that's gotta hurt!"
Duncan drops the hat after a swift, yet small well-aimed pointy shoe caught him in the shin. Bending over, he rubs his leg furiously, trying to rid himself of the pain. "You'd better watch out, Connor, she's got the feather."
Connor: "Uh oh! Dang it, Duncan!"
MacNair picked up the hat, looking at her prize. Plucking the plume from the folds of material, a wikked gleam was in her eye to match her smile.
Glancing over her shoulder, she spied Connor, his eyes wide open with an expression of surprise tinged with fear. Not taking his eyes off the wily CDC'er, he started edging back toward the door he had so recently entered.
Duncan: "RUN!"
Turning on his heels, Connor shot out the door, the blonde streaking behind him hot on his trail.
Duncan winced at his painful shin, a smile on his lips. "Well," he said, "now that was easy."
Giggles could be heard outside on the lawn. Moving to the window, Duncan burst into laughter at the sight. MacNair had Connor down on the ground and she straddled his chest. The giant feather......
MacNairCDC --- Roaring!
The giant feather could reach anywhere her hands and fingers couldn't from her position and she industriously put it to good use. Connor was half yelping, half-sniggering beneath the onslaught.
"Tell me!" she demanded, pinning his shoulder down with one knee when he attempted to flip her off. "Tell me what you know about that halo of lahoffy's!"
"I don't know a thing! She wouldn't TALK, I'm tellin' you!" he sputtered, twisting the other way. He was leaving an imprint in the grass.
MacNair shifted her weight to the other knee and hissed right into his face: "But you WENT IN THERE! You used that ... that ... look you have!"
"She had blindfolds on, MacNair!" he protested. "She knew I was coming!"
The feather stopped. So did the intense pressure of her knees. Connor stopped writhing and looked up at the puzzled expression of the little blonde. A little blonde with a mean feather, he mentally chuckled.
"You don't know." She announced it in a stunned voice.
"I told you I didn't know anything!" he protested, putting on his very best vulnerable hurt expression. His brows puckered just a little.
"Oh, you poor sweet boy," she murmured, trailing the soft plume along one clavicle, up his throat and across his jaw. "And I've tormented you dreadfully for nothing!? Oh! I must make amends! What would you like?"
"The usual. Just add the feather."
"Hey, now that's not right!" Duncan muttered from his window observation post. He watched Connor be tugged to his feet and led away with this positively rogue expression on his face ... swishing the feather at various parts of MacNair's anatomy as he walked. "That's just not right! I'm the one who had the feather first!" He glanced around for supporters and all he found was the forgotten turban. "I think I've been set up!"
"Hey, Duncan?" called Connor from a distance. "Thanks for the feather!"
~finis~
Nov 25, 2001
Top
The Moat
SheezaCDC
I thought there was a gutter surrounding the property when I came in. And Methos told me once that the compound was built atop an ancient holy gutter........
MacNairCDC
BWAHHAAHAAAHAAAHAAAAA!
WE HAVE A MOAT!? E-gods! [Peers through her fingers at several muses that have suddenly gone berserker!]
ConnorMuse: "Yes, we do, I'm telling you. I saw it when I first got here. Remember me telling you and you just said it was because I was exhausted from driving a U-haul all night with millions of dollars of personal property in the back, through the snow, in a city where the idiots can't DRIVE in snow!? You said I was a can short of a six pack and I rubbed your face in the snowbank for it?"
DuncanMuse, unamused: "You *were* a can short! The six pack with one can missing was on the seat next to you. You promised Methos a full six of that Wikkid Ale if you could move into the CDC with all of us. Methos hollared because you drank one!"
ConnorM: "I told you, I didn't drink it! I had to give it to her to get across the damn bridge! She was going to tear the lid off the U-haul! Do you know how much a U-haul costs these days?"
lahoffy and MacNair, followed at a run by Sheeza and Elir, round the corner and slide to a halt. They slap up against each other in true CDC Pack formation. Connor and Duncan are face to face, yelling at each other! Connor is gesturing with both hands and the tendons are straining in his neck. Duncan is undaunted by his brothers ire and is talking right over the top of his words.
lahoffy: "What in thunder are you two fighting about? We could hear you clear from the back forty!"
Sheeza: "And it'd better be worth our while, because we ran the whole way and NONE of us are fond of dry heaves!"
DuncanM, rolling his eyes dramatically: "Connor is arguing with me again about the moat."
Elir: "The moat? You mean the gutter?"
ConnorM: "It's a moat. Look at the steep sides and how deep it is."
MacNair, grinning: "Because we're over our heads in drool over you two rather quickly and it had to be that way to keep from flooding the compound!"
ConnorM: "It's a moat!"
DuncanM, smugly: "Yeah, old man, so tell them what you told me about the moat!"
Connor looks a bit startled, then abashed, then cranky and unamused. "We've got a dragon in the moat."
CDC'ers, in unison: "A DRAGON?!?!"
ConnorM: "Yes, a wee beastie ... and she's not so wee either! She curled clear up over the cab of the U-haul and had to lean down to look through my window! I thought I'd piss my pants until she asked me if she could have a beer."
lahoffy, very slowly: "She? Asked? For a beer?"
ConnorM, thinking, unaware of any askance looks: "Yes. And she was polite too. 'Might I partake of your fine brew, Mr. MacLeod?' she asked. I had to whack the top off of the can with my sword so she could get to it ... the tiny hole of those pop-tops annoy her."
DuncanM, stuggling behind his smile: "She knew your name?"
ConnorM, glaring at him: "Dragons know everything you idiot! Honestly, did you go to school at all?"
Sheeza: "You could talk to her?"
ConnorM: "Of course I can. I'm a Scot! I grew up and lived in the land of dragons."
The CDCers stare and Duncan begins to laugh hysterically. Connor sighs and rolls his eyes, punches his kinsman on one shoulder, then looks morosely at the ground. I hate being made a fool of.
"What's the ruckus?" blithely inquires lynnann, arriving late to the scene.
lahoffy: "Connor swears there is a dragon living in the gutter. She must think it's a moat---"
"--IT IS a moat!" interrupts Connor, he throws his hands up in frustration.
"--and she can talk to Connor. She wouldn't let him in the CDC compound until he paid her off with a beer. He says she's taller than a U-haul on the bridge and is really polite," continued lahoffy with hardly a break in her sentence.
There was silence. All the eyes of the CDCers rested on lynnann for a moment. Connor stared at the dirt. Duncan was playing with his lip to keep from laughing hysterically some more. A dragon? As tall as the U-haul? That demands beer? he thought.
"She prefers Wikkid Ale and she detests those little pop-tops. She gets her right tooth caught in it every time," lynnann announced matter-of-factly. Connor nearly pounced on her, mysterious smile notwithstanding. He beamed, properly restored.
"SEE! I told you! You never believe me about stuff like this! Nakano would have knocked you off the cavern walls twice as much as he did me because you lack belief!" he called next, poking his stunned clansman in the chest with one finger.
"lynnann?" chorused the CDCers.
"I have a magic dragon floaty, remember? He swims in that moat a lot and he never keeps any secrets from me." With this, lynnann turned and proceeded back towards the house. She stopped just once, to call over her shoulder to the silent CDCers [and Duncan] and one grinning Connor MacLeod. "Oh, for Christmas, she wants some reflective tape on the lead edges of the bridge. She keeps whacking her horns on it because she misjudges the distance."
"Both sides, I expect?" returned Connor, nodding understandingly.
"Both sides. Be a dear and she'll help you with it. You can stand on her nose."
"I can put up the strips just fine. What I want is to go for a ride! How long has it been since she's flown?"
"Talk to Ennaj, she was out with her last. They had a bit of a bother on the roof, Puff said."
"So that's how my tiles got messed up on the ridgebeam! Someone should have told me she lands up there, dammit!" He looked at the heavens for some help. "Okay, okay, I'll get on it. Have Puff tell her to hold off the midnight flights until I get some padding put up for her to sink her claws into up there on the roofline."
lynnann: "Oh, and Connor? If she helps you with the reflective tape -- be sure to remind her to hold her breath or you'll get your hiney singed."
ConnorM: "More than my hiney, I'll wager! I'll be sure to remind her!"
~ Finis~
Nov 26, 2001
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