DCH 93
Defenders Chronicles: Highlander
By AmandaDoE
Chapter Ninety-Three: To Find Richie
"How was Richie at the funeral?" Duncan asked as he walked down the streets.
Amanda remained silent, not knowing what to say at first.
"Amanda?" Duncan called out.
Amanda sighed before she answered, "Well, he was despondent, and barely acknowledged anyone at the funeral, but we let him know we were there for him. Ming was arrested for Tori's death, but the damage has been done."
A Year Ago
Richie looked at a picture of him and Tori back when they first became a couple. He had known her for five years and she had been good to him since they'd met and she stuck with him through the good times and the bad times. She'd been his rock, even when he was stubborn, and she even helped him when Duncan was under the influence of the dark quickening and convinced him to forgive him. Now, she was gone. The woman he loved was gone, and he felt disconnected by the world, by everyone. Joe was there, Amanda was there, Methos and Marina were there too, so were Defenders of the Earth and the Gordon family. It just didn't feel the same. He wasn't sure how he was going to go through this memorial service.
"Richie?"
He turned around and saw Joe, Methos, Amanda and Marina.
"Is it….it's time?" Richie inquired.
Joe quietly nodded.
"I can't do it," Richie shook his head.
"Richie," Marina spoke up.
"If I go, it'll just be a reminder that Tori is not coming back," Richie stated, trying to hold back his tears, "and I – I don't know if I can handle it."
Joe gave him a comforting touch, an understanding touch.
"I don't understand it," Richie broke down, "Why did it have to be her?"
"None of us understand it," Amanda told him.
"Any word from Mac?" Richie asked.
"No," Joe answered.
"That coward!" Richie exclaimed in anger, turning away, "He caused this!"
Amanda stepped forward and comforted him, "Remember Tessa's death?"
Richie nodded, wiping tears away.
"Then you'd remember how hard it was for him when he had to bury Tessa," Amanda affirmed, "He feels guilty for what happened to Tori and maybe it's a way he's coping."
Richie managed to gather himself, "You're right, you know."
"We'll get through this, okay?" Marina assured him.
"Come on," Joe gently touched Richie's arm, "We'll be right here with you."
"Thanks," Richie replied.
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
Richie looked at the open casket. It was the day of the memorial service and his beloved wife was going to be laid to rest. He saw Tori laying there in the beautiful white casket. Even in death, she was beautiful. She was dressed in her signature colors and held her sword. She was also sleeping, unaware of the grief that surrounded the room.
He was grateful to both Joe and Flash for doing most of the funeral arrangements as he couldn't bare it himself.
In the background, the Judy Collins song "Send in the Clowns" was playing in the background as the memorial service was playing.
Richie was trying to keep it together, but it was proving to be futile as he felt tears forming from his eyes. Reality was hitting him hard. He knew that Tori was gone and she was not coming back.
Richie looked and noticed a lot people were in attendance of this memorial service. The Gordon family were all present, there was Flash, Janet, Abby, Sara, even Rick and Jedda were present. Hadea must have allowed them to pay their respects.
To his surprise, Connor was also present as he was seated between Richie and Joe. Methos was also present. As were the Defenders and even Jack was present, sitting next to Janet, comforting her as she was sobbing and Amanda was holding her hand. When Janet found out about her daughter's death, saying that she was devastated didn't even begin to do it justice.
The next thing Richie knew, it was that time for his wife to be buried. This was for real. Connor, Flash, Lothar and LJ were carrying the casket to the grave, where Tori would be laid to rest. Amanda and Marina were right behind Richie as they were comforting the best that they could.
Richie noticed the sky was as gray as his mood. April, Flash, Amanda, Marina and Joe stood with him as the casket was being lowered to the ground.
Richie didn't want to face this new reality: Tori was dead, just after Jenny had died, and he was all alone and widowed. This wasn't real. This felt like a horrible nightmare which he'd wake up from and Tori would assure him everything would be okay.
Richie heard the priest mention the loss as a heartache no one could heal. Yeah, that was true. Richie felt a sob escape him, and Marina held him and comforted him. Joe gently placed an arm on his shoulder, comforting him.
He could hear the priest talking but the words meant nothing to him at all. He tried to block everything out, but that proved to be futile.
The next thing Richie knew, Joe was talking. He was talking about what a wonderful, intelligent, caring woman Tori was. He was also speaking of Tori as a wonderful person, agent, daughter, mother, niece, cousin and especially wife. Then he read a blues lament in memory of Tori. All this tugged Richie's heart.
Richie recalled Tori trying to warn him about Ahriman's trap. She tried to tell him to be careful when they were looking for Joe and Amanda, but he didn't listen. It was his fault. If he had just listened to her, listened to Joe and Methos and not argued with them, Tori would still be alive, and MacLeod would still be around too. They would probably be having lunch right now, joking around, anything but this.
Richie had no idea where Duncan MacLeod was, or if he was still alive. Not like any of it mattered now.
"It's time."
Richie glanced over and saw Methos. Then he saw Janet crying on Jack's shoulder as Connor was comforting her and Abby was holding her sister's hand. Richie took a deep breath as Amanda and April said their goodbyes. Richie wasn't ready for this as this would be a reminder that Tori was gone for good.
As he walked to the hole where his beloved wife's casket was.
"I think we should stay put to support Richie," he heard Marina speak up.
"Good idea," he then heard April reply.
"I agree," Amanda chimed in.
"We'll be right here," Joe assured his friend as he was next to Methos, "Take your time."
Richie heard the first of the shots firing, causing his lower lip to quiver. He wasn't sure if he could take this. Second round of shots fired. It felt as if the bullets were hitting his heart, and supposed any feeling was better than feeling nothing at all. Then the third shots fired as tears fell down Richie's face.
"I love you, Tori," Richie spoke up, his voice breaking, "I love you so much."
He turned around as he saw an IUA personnel presenting a folded flag to him. "Sir, on behalf of a grateful world, I present you this flag as recognition of your wife's achievements in the Intergalactic Union Agency. You have my deepest condolences."
Richie accepted the folded flag, as tears continued flooding his eyes and spilling over his face. He made no attempt to hold them back or wipe them away, grateful for the blurred vision.
The Present
"Richie was broken," Duncan stated sullenly.
"Yes. He tried to hide it." Amanda wrapped her arms around Duncan. "But it's hard not to when you lose someone you love. You understand how he feels, yeah?"
"That I do," Duncan replied.
-Defenders-Chronicles-Highlander-
Richie studied the flowers while sitting beside Tori in a field.
"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, opening their picnic basket.
"Yeah," he answered. "It's hard to believe it's been a year since we got married."
"I love you, Richie." Tori held his hands.
"I love you too, Tori." They shared a slow kiss.
Then she turned aside, and fright gripped her face. "Watch out!"
She pushed him out of the way. Seconds later, Richie looked up to see Duncan eyeing him.
"Mac?" Richie stated in shock.
The Highlander approached.
"No!" Richie exclaimed.
He tried reaching for his sword but Duncan stepped on his hand. Richie looked in horror to see Tori had been beheaded.
"Tori, no!" Richie yelled in anguish.
Then Duncan swung his sword at Richie's head.
Richie woke up, gasping. He looked around, finding himself at the hotel room he was staying in.
"Had a bad dream again?"
Richie looked to see Tori standing at his bedside. He looked on in shock, "Tori? No, it can't be. It can't be you."
"Now, Richie, is that any way to speak to your wife?" "Tori" chimed as she smirked at him.
"My wife's dead," Richie replied, "She's dead."
"Maybe it's a mere hallucination," "Tori" suggested, "Something Ming set up, if you know what I mean. You know how sinister Ming the Merciless can be, right?"
She tried touching him, romantically. This had been going on for almost a year now. Richie had been hallucinating of people he knew: Tori, Alec, Mako, Laura, Christian and sometimes even Felicia. At first, Richie tried to resist the demon's powers, but overtime, he was starting to show signs of cracking. Ahriman was trying to break him and the plan the demon had for him was starting to work.
"Ming summoned you to destroy the Defenders and especially MacLeod," Richie eyed the form of his wife.
"Tori" chuckled, wrapping her arms around Richie, "Come on now, Richie. You can't really be buying what Duncan MacLeod was telling us, are you?"
"You're not real. You're not real!" Richie shouted as he backed away from "Tori", "I know what I saw! You are the demon that caused MacLeod to hallucinate and Tori lost her head as a result."
Moments later, Tori was gone and Richie looked around.
"Richie?"
"Not again," Richie muttered. He turned to see Laura Daniels, or the form of Laura, in which Ahriman was continuing to toy with him.
"Richie," "Laura" smiled at him, "I missed you so much."
"This can't be real," Richie backed away as he tried to shake off the vision, which wasn't going away, "This is not real. You're not real!"
"Come on, Richie," "Laura" pleaded as she eyed him, "Richie, don't you love me anymore? It's because of that genius girl, isn't it?"
"Laura" walked closer to Richie, "I know Tori hated me. Don't tell me you're following her mind set now."
"Tori never hated Laura," Richie insisted, "She never really hated her. Tori was only concerned about my well being."
"It doesn't really matter," "Laura" taunted Richie, "You feel in love with Tori after what happened to me, and now…."
She turned into Mako, who then told him, "You're all alone. I never would have guessed someone like you would be in an interesting story."
"Stop it," Richie yelled, "Stop it!"
Mako disappeared and Richie looked around. This was getting ridiculous and he wondered how long was this going to be going on.
"Missed me?"
Richie backed into a wall upon seeing "Christian", another form Ahriman was taking.
"Stay away from me!" Richie exclaimed.
"I've been waiting a long time to have you for myself," "Christian" stated as he walked closer to Richie, "Who knew that MacLeod did what I planned to do with your beloved Tori? It's part of the game, isn't it?"
Before Richie could react, "Christian" grabbed him by the hair and forcefully kissed him.
Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door and "Christian" was gone, but Richie felt traumatized by what had just happened.
"Richie? It's April."
Reluctantly, Richie took a deep breath before answering, "Come in."
The door opened, and April walked into the hotel room.
"How…..how the hell did you find me?" Richie asked.
"LJ is now a watcher in training," April answered, "He's been helping us Defenders keep an eye on you in case MacLeod decided to find you."
"What makes you think he will find me?" Richie asked.
"Word on the street is, MacLeod is back on the Watcher radar," April answered, "I don't know how or why, but he's back."
Richie looked up, hopeful at the thought MacLeod would find him, "I miss him."
He took a deep breath before he spoke sadly, "However, I miss Tori more."
"I know," April gave Richie a comforting touch, "I miss her too. We also kept an eye on you because we're family and someone had to keep an eye on you."
"Family?" Richie quipped.
"You need to come off it," April told him, "You're still family to us, even after Tori died. I wouldn't be a good cousin if I didn't owe Tori that much to look after you. Tori was like a sister to me."
"I miss her," Richie confided in her, "I want her back, but I... I know that won't happen."
April sat next to him on the bed, "I know."
She noticed the folded flag nearby, "I see you still have the flag."
"Yeah," Richie replied, "A reminder. Something that's all I have left of my wife."
April gave him a comforting hug.
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Author's Commentary:
He turned around as he saw an IUA personnel presenting a folded flag to him. "Sir, on behalf of a grateful world, I present you this flag as recognition of your wife's achievements in the Intergalactic Union Agency. You have my deepest condolences."
Richie accepted the folded flag, as tears continued flooding his eyes and spilling over his face. He made no attempt to hold them back or wipe them away, grateful for the blurred vision.
This was from the one shot story In Memory Of, where the aftermath of Tori's death took place. I wrote this in my original draft of the finale for this story before the one shot ever came to my mind.
Richie looked on as he was sitting at a field of flowers having a picnic with Tori.
"Enjoying yourself?" Tori asked.
"Yeah," Richie answered, "It's hard to believe it's been a year since we got married."
"I love you, Richie," Tori held her husband's hands.
"I love you too, Tori," Richie returned the gesture before they shared a kiss before Tori turned back, noticing something, "Watch out!"
She pushed him out of the way. Seconds later, Richie looked up to see Duncan glancing at him.
"Mac?" Richie stated in shock.
The Highlander came towards him.
"No!" Richie exclaimed.
He tried reaching for his sword but Duncan stepped on his hand. Richie looked in horror to see Tori had been beheaded.
"Tori, no!" Richie yelled in anguish.
Then Duncan swung his sword at Richie's head.
Richie woke up, gasping. He looked around, finding himself at the hotel room he was staying in.
I pictured the theme song from the 1976 horror movie Carrie being played in the background while the dream sequence is happening, something I had in mind after watching Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice when that movie played the aforementioned song at the end of that movie. If you've seen the end of that movie, or the Beetlejuice movies in general, you should know what I mean.
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Chapters
Tori Gordon, a teenage operative for the Intergalactic Union Agency, transfers to a branch in Washington State, where she becomes involved in a battle between supernatural forces.
While reflecting on personal matters, Tori witnesses a stunning occurrence.
Richie introduces Tori to his friends, Duncan and Tessa, who detail the secret affairs of immortals.
As Tori begins learning more about her true nature, a teacher offers assistance.
Tori informs the Defenders that she plans to help Duncan and his companions.
Tori and Richie continue bonding as the IUA works with Duncan.
Tori is given a new task by her mother Janet.
Duncan and the group encounter Tori's teacher, Amanda. Tori learns that Duncan and Amanda have history.
9: Two Families, One Adventure
The Defenders arrive in Paris, where they unite with Tori's team.
Tori tends to an ailing Richie.
The group gains allies while investigating a new matter.
The search for Horton begins.
An old friend of Tori's reveals a darker side. Janet becomes involved in the current operation.
Duncan is told to be wary of a dark prophesy.
The team is menaced by Annie Devlin, an old associate of Duncan's.
Duncan begins refining Tori's skills.
Richie and Tori continue bonding.
A new woman comes into Richie's life.
Janet takes steps to make Richie an IUA operative.
Tori and her allies confront a number of enemies in the city.
The teams head out for a day of fun.
Rick's capture leads to a compromising situation as LJ and the others attempt a rescue.
Lucy, a dangerous immortal, targets Richie. Tori intervenes.
The IUA investigates when one of the Phantom's acquaintances is victimized by an immortal.
Richie and Tori return to Paris to assist with the mission, which is complicated by police involvement.
Duncan meets a woman who bears a strong resemblance to Tessa.
27: Can't Help Falling In Love
Kern, a vindictive old associate, returns to challenge Duncan.
Duncan attempts to work with the unstable David Keogh.
Charlie prepares to depart.
The group meet a girl named Michelle, who has just discovered her immortal nature.
Tori and Richie attempt to care for a younger boy named Kenny.
Everyone prepares for a holiday.
A mysterious statue creates chaos.
Joe and the team find others in need of their help.
Jedda and Tori have an intimate conversation.
Kalas haunts Richie and the others.
Duncan prepares for battle with Kalas and finds a surprise.
Kalas searches for Methos.
Tori worries as Richie begins taking chances.
Anne arrives.
41: The Exorcism of Richie Ryan
Richie requires assistance in getting back to normal.
The Defenders step in to assist with Kalas, and to help prevent the truth about Duncan's kind from leaking.
Duncan prepares to confront Kalas.
Duncan embarks on a private journey to Scotland. Jedda and Tori spar before an audience.
45: Walking On Shattered Glass
Duncan tries to intervene as Charlie clashes with Cord.
The current situation reminds Tori of a well-known scenario.
Amanda and Richie follow Duncan on a journey in secret, and end up defending themselves from a horde of ice robots.
The friends see Kenny again. Duncan suspects that a certain immortal is pursuing the child.
Seacouver is targeted by an ambitious supernatural woman named Sierra.
Duncan, Tori, and Richie investigate a matter from Duncan's past alongside the police.
The group is challenged by a charismatic new antagonist, Kamir.
The spellcaster Kristin Gilles arrives and pursues Richie. Mandrake offers assistance in thwarting her.
Duncan and his friends attempt to aid a pianist.
Anne and Jack participate in the latest endeavor.
Duncan falls under a dark influence temporarily.
Methos and the others reflect.
The exploits of Flash and his famed allies from Mongo are chronicled. Meanwhile, Zorelda reemerges.
The team members engage in sparring and storytelling during downtime.
The groups attempt to rescue Joe, who has been lured into a trap.
As tensions rise and truths are revealed, the team bands together in their effort to help Joe.
Richie makes a monumental decision.
As Tori and Richie prepare for the big day, opposing forces on Mongo makes plans of their own.
Katarina and Castra attempt to unite with the Defenders before Zorelda makes her move.
Zorelda arrives on Earth.
65: Setting Up The Rescue Mission
The groups outline their rescue effort.
Zorelda begins enacting her plan for Richie.
67: Mongo Showdown — Part One
Methos and Duncan engage in action on Mongo.
68: Mongo Showdown — Part Two
As the battle continues, Tori confronts Zorelda.
The group deals with the repercussions of their adventure and return to Earth.
Duncan's ally, Cassandra, relays a vision.
Tori and Richie encounter a cult. Duncan pursues Clay.
The Ryans foster a mysterious child who bears a resemblance to Tori.
Amanda and Maurice return as a new enigma arises.
Amanda engages in more questionable activity.
The group tries helping a woman who might be stalked by an old acquaintance of Duncan's.
76: All That Glitters Is Not Golden
Richie seeks to assist a childhood friend who's dealing with legal issues.
The Ryans encounter an apparent impostor, who also approaches Hadea.
An adversary known as Kronos targets Tori, seeking to exploit her intellect.
Richie and Duncan move to counter Kronos.
80: The Ransom of Richard Redstone
The Ryans depart for an undercover mission overseas.
The group make new acquaintances while pursuing a lead tied to a mysterious dancing event.
The enigmatic Keane arrives, wreaking havoc on several people's lives.
Duncan deals with a mischievous adversary named Byron. Jedda and Rick prepare for parenthood. Both Katarina and Jedda sense danger ahead.
Ming and Octon turn to a new ally.
Duncan is haunted.
The shape-shifter initiates a confrontation.
Ming shifts his focus to an isolated girl.
The Defenders unite with Tori's friends in an effort to stop Ahriman.
A climactic battle occurs as the Defenders clash with Ming, while Tori and Richie attempt to aid their friends.
90: Aftermath: The World Changes Forever
Everyone is affected by the recent events, which will have lasting repercussions.
Richie copes. Duncan travels overseas.
Joe, Amanda, and Duncan continue to hunt the enemy.
April locates Richie and provides an update on the current situation.
Richie is confronted by the opponent again.
Joe leads the investigation as everyone bands together.
The final clash begins.
Duncan makes a crucial discovery.
The key element to the plan is obtained.
The team proceeds with their endeavor.
100: The Last Stand — Part One
The group discovers that only one person can assist Duncan.
101: The Last Stand — Part Two
The battle reaches a conclusion.
Series finale.
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