Honour Among Thieves (Blood Ties/Highlander) PG

[mhalachai]

A Sunday-morning flashfic, so it's littered with run-on sentences. I wanted to see if I could still write something in under 3 hours. Enjoy.

Honour Among Thieves
A Blood Ties/Highlander story
by mhalachaiswords

Summary: Henry Fitzroy's past is littered with old friends and even older enemies... so which is it lurking in the shadows of the twilight?
Disclaimer: None of these characters or shows belong to me. The Blood Ties series started with Tanya Huff and slipped sideways into Lifetime. Highlander belongs to Davis/Panzer et al. I am only borrowing and will return them intact at the end.
Rating: PG for swearing, nudity, grammar abuse
Spoilers: For Blood Ties episodes so far (including The Devil You Know); vague Highlander spoilers (even though the show ended years ago).
Words: 3,510



Danger.

Breath returned to Henry Fitzroy's lungs along with the spine-tingling awareness of danger. There was something in his apartment, in the twilight moments between day and night, between life and death.

Henry lay motionless as death. Something moved in a whisper across the bedroom floor.

Closer.

A pause. A shuffle. A soft exhalation of breath as something scratched along the wall.

The predator instinct in Henry screamed to attack, to kill whatever had invaded his sanctum. But part of him would forever be the bastard prince, the true son of Henry VIII, king regent of England. The prince refused to attack without a plan, without a chance to win and crush his enemies forever.

"Any time now," whispered the voice, barely audible above the pounding of the living heart.

It was enough.

The haze of years fell away and Henry knew his enemy.

He opened his eyes.

She crouched by the far wall, head turned away from him. With vampiric speed fueled by anger, Henry pushed aside the sheets and flew across the room to the far wall where he kept his sword.

The intruder was on her feet as soon as Henry moved, her sword unsheathed. Henry swung around, already on the attack, but she moved to deflect the thrust.

"This isn't what it looks like," she said over the metallic clang of the swords.

"Really?" Henry tried again, slower this time, but still on the offensive.

She stepped back under the attack, then again, and they were through the bedroom doors and into the open living room.

"I didn't come for you, I'd never do that!" The exhilarated flush of her skin belied the fear in her voice, and that was just the way Henry remembered her. "Remember our deal?"

Henry sidestepped her sudden parry, circling around the coffee table. "That deal was off the moment you ran out on me in Oxford."

She swallowed hard. "So you remember that."

Henry smiled, feeling his teeth lengthen. "I remember everything."

She redoubled her efforts, attacking with everything she had. She wasn't a vampire, but she was over a thousand years old. What she lacked in strength she made up for in skill and innate ingenuity, until she and Henry were almost a match.

Almost.

Over the clash of the swords, over the pounding of her heart, Henry could hear someone coming down the hall outside his door. The steps faltered, then broke into a run, and too late Henry remembered that Vicki had mentioned something about 'dropping by' that evening.

And Vicki had a key.

There was no time. With a reckless slice that opened up his torso to her blade, he forced her around until her back was to the door. The tip of her sword sliced shallow from hip to ribs.

One for you, Henry thought grimly.

The front door crashed open. Vicki stood in the doorway, staring blindly into the darkness of the room. "Henry?" she demanded.

The distraction caught the swordswoman's attention for only a fraction of a second, but it was enough. As her head turned instinctively to see the intruder, Henry used all his speed to dart in, push her sword out of the way, and shove the point of his sword straight through her heart.

She was dead before the hilt of the sword hit her chest.

And one for me.

Vicki made a choking noise, almost deafening in the suddenly silent apartment. "Henry?"

Boneless fingers relaxed, and the woman's sword fell to the carpet with a muted clatter. Henry put his free arm around the body before gravity took it. "Close the door, Vicki," he said as he dragged the body off the carpet to the hardwood floor near his work desk.

Vicki did as he asked, cutting off the glare from the hallway lights. Henry could see in the dim light, but he knew Vicki would be blind in this gloom. He fought the urge to sigh. "You can turn on the lights if you want."

He hid the wince of pain from the sudden illumination, but his ears couldn't ignore Vicki's gasp. "What in the hell happened in here?"

Henry lay the body on its side on the floor, leaving the sword buried in its chest. "It's a long story," he said as he stood up. As he scanned the room, he realized what Vicki meant. The place was in shambles, a usual result of a sword-fight in close quarters. It was a good thing that the condo on the floor below was temporarily vacant.

Vicki crossed the floor, eyes fixed on the body. "You..."

"Killed her?" Henry supplied. The wound on his stomach stung and knowing what he had to do next did not make his temper any sweeter. "Yes."

Vicki swallowed hard, her eyes huge behind her glasses. "What are you going to do?"

Henry used a bloody hand to push the hair out of his face. "I'm going to go put on some pants."

Vicki's owlish gaze left his face and traveled lower, then she turned away, cheeks red. "You do that," she muttered.

This time, Henry did sigh. Of all the ways he had envisioned Vicki seeing him naked, this had never factored in. "Don't touch the body," he called over his shoulder as he went into the bedroom. The previous day's pants half-lay on the hamper, and he pulled them on quickly.

"But--"

"Not even a little!" Not really trusting Vicki to leave well enough alone, Henry hurried back to the living room. Sure enough, Vicki had knelt beside the body, one hand hesitating over the sword hilt. "Don't you ever listen?"

"Henry, this isn't something to joke about!" Vicki insisted. She had paled in the intervening minutes. "You've got a body in your living room, and you killed her!"

"It's not that simple," Henry said. He surveyed the scene. If he moved quickly, he just might have enough time.

"How is it not that simple?" Vicki demanded.

Henry caught Vicki by the shoulders and gently pulled her to her feet. "You need to stay back," he said, maneuvering her over to the couch. "Just for a little while."

She must have heard something in his voice, for she gave him a very suspicious look. "What are you going to do?"

He smiled grimly. "According to you, I've got a dead body on the floor of my apartment and no real explanation, how much worse could it get?"

The suspicion deepened. "I spent five years on the Toronto Police Department's Violent Crimes unit. Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No, I'm good." He let go of her arms and went to the steamer trunk he used as a coffee table. After moving the books and papers to the floor, he lifted the heavy lid.

"Oh no, you're not putting the body in there!" Vicki said, pushing her shoulders deeper into the couch.

Henry ignored her. He removed the top concealing layer of blankets and laid them on top of the papers. His real target filled the rest of the trunk. The steel manacles clinked gently as he drew the chains into his arms. The cold metal grated against the half-healed wound on his stomach, but he pushed the sensation of pain away. He had other things to worry about.

He laid the chains on his work desk. The next step was to move the filing cabinets away from the walls to reveal the large metal rings embedded deep in the concrete of the walls.

"Henry? What the hell are those things?"

"What do they look like?" While Vicki took the time to figure out what she was seeing, Henry threaded the chains through the rings, one on each side, and secured them with steel padlocks. When he was done, the manacles lay about five feet apart.

"What are you doing?"

Henry heard the uncertain tremor in Vicki's voice, and he was speaking before he could think better of his answer. "Do you trust me?"

The silence between them hurt more than the sword had across his belly. He had known that his misplaced trust and blind devotion to Christina had hurt the fragile thing between them, but he hadn't wanted to know how much.

Now, it would seem, he had his answer.

Grabbing the body by the arm, Henry dragged it between the manacles. He was careful not to disturb the sword. Not yet.

"I do trust you," Vicki said reluctantly. Henry closed his eyes, letting the words rush over him. "But it's a whole lot easier to do that when you tell me what you're doing!"

"You need to wait."

"I do not! Henry, if this goes on any longer, it makes me an accomplice!"

Henry looked at the wall clock. If this went the way it was supposed to, he would only have a few scant minutes.

The red numbers clicked over the minute.

Henry braced one hand on the body's chest and pulled the sword free from the flesh. The blood-soaked metal hit the floor with a wet clang, but Henry was already moving. He stripped the jacket from the body, then the long black over-shirt, leaving the tight black t-shirt behind.

Next he removed the knife sheath on the left arm, then the watch and the rings and the bracelet, tossing them all on the blanket by the trunk.

Another minute ticked by.

The locks on the manacles were well oiled and tumbled open effortlessly under the key. Henry rolled the body onto its back and had a manacle around the left wrist before Vicki's affronted sputtering penetrated his consciousness.

"Have you completely lost your mind? What is she?"

The manacle locked around the right wrist with a satisfying click. Henry let the tension leave his body as he relaxed back onto his heels. "I haven't lost my mind," he murmured.

Vicki knelt my his side. "So why the S&M cuffs?"

Henry gave Vicki a questioning look. "You spend a lot of time in the S&M scene?"

She elbowed his healing ribs. "You know what I mean." She pointed at the body. "Is she a vampire? Some kind of demon? Is she really dead?"

"See for yourself."

Hesitating only a moment, Vicki shuffled forward. Careful to avoid the path of blood where Henry had dragged the body, she laid her fingers against the corpse's throat.

"There's no pulse, no breath, nothing," Vicki reported as she knelt back. "So why did you lock up a harmless corpse?"

The third minute ticked by.

Life returned violently to the body, gasping breath and the pounding of blood to a heart magically healed from the sword. The woman on the floor convulsed, arms straining against the manacles as she fought to sit up.

Vicki sprang back, utter confusion on her face as she gaped at the thief's resurrection.

Henry let a satisfied smile cross his lips. "Vicki, I'd like you to meet Amanda." The blonde Immortal twisted in his direction at the sound of his voice. "Amanda, this is Vicki Nelson."

"Henry," Amanda growled. "Let me go."

Henry's smile grew wider as he crawled towards Amanda. "You honestly expect me to let you go after you broke into my home?"

Amanda jerked against the chains. "No one ever expects the Vampirish Inquisition, do they?" she offered.

Henry couldn't help it. He laughed. "How have you been, Amanda?"

"Never better. You?"

"Sunny as a summer's rose." Henry let the smile drop from his face, and was pleased that Amanda paled. "You broke into my house. Again."

"I figured it worked so well last time--"

"Be quiet." Amanda's mouth shut. "I told you what I would do if you broke into my sanctuary again."

Amanda edged backwards as far as the chains would let her. "This is different."

"Because it was during the day?"

"Yes." Amanda rotated her wrists in the manacles. "And the sun wasn't supposed to set for another nine minutes when you woke up, how is that possible?"

"Every clock in this place is ten minutes slow," Henry said, and was pleased at the expression on Amanda's face. "Never trust any timepiece but your own, Amanda. You taught me that."

"Um, Henry?" Vicki interrupted. "What's going on?"

Henry sat back. "Amanda and I know each other."

"Yeah, I got that much." Vicki edged back to the wall, out of reach of chains and vampire. "When did she last break into your place?"

Henry twisted his head around. "When did we steal the Crown Jewels?"

Amanda gave him an incredulous look and started straining against the chains again.

"Wait, she helped you lift the family jewels?" Vicki shook her head. "So, 1856?"

Henry raised his eyebrows.

"I spoke with someone about the last time an attempt was made on the Tower of London, and they said it was 1856." She smiled. "Quite an elaborate little scheme, but they said that nothing was actually stolen."

"Best kind of heist," Amanda muttered. The metal cut into her wrists, but she kept trying to free herself.

"After we pulled it off, Amanda came back for the loot during the day," Henry explained.

"And Henry didn't leave it where we agreed on," Amanda shot back.

"So no honour among thieves?" Vicki snarked.

"Hey, I'm honourable," Henry protested. Amanda paused in her fight with the chains to roll her eyes. "I wasn't the one who broke our agreement."

"So I simply helped myself to a few items to make up for being put out," Amanda explained with a winning smile.

"You took everything of value I had!"

"I left your sword!"

Vicki shot to her feet. "Please tell me this isn't another case of you having problems with an ex-girlfriend, Henry!"

Amanda sucked in a breath. "Let me guess. Christina came through town recently?"

Vicki glared at Henry.

"Amanda and I have a... history," Henry admitted.

"Really," Vicki said dryly. "This history always include chains?"

Amanda gave up on freeing herself from the chains and wiggled herself into a sitting position. "Henry learned the hard way that his knot-tying skills aren't up to par."

"What can I say, they didn't start Boy Scouts until I was four hundred years old."

Amanda scoffed. "Baby. I was trying knots before they even had chains."

Vicki stopped pacing and narrowed her eyes. "Exactly what are you?"

Amanda shared a glance with Henry. As tempting as it was to share the truth, Henry had to admit he owed Amanda something after all these years. She had never given up his secret, and it wasn't his place to reveal hers.

"Amanda is one of a kind," Henry said. Vicki heard the truth in his words, and seemed momentarily satisfied. "She's been around the block a few times."

Henry would not be the one to whisper Immortal into Vicki's ear. That secret was not where the danger from Amanda lay.

"And now she's going to tell us what she came to steal," he continued.

"What makes you think that?" Amanda had climbed to her feet, but the length of the chain didn't allow her to stand.

"Because that's how we play this game." He smiled. "And because otherwise I leave you here until you talk."

Amanda glared at him, then cast a beseeching look at Vicki. "Wouldn't you be able to--"

"She used to be a police detective," Henry interrupted.

Amanda snapped her mouth shut.

"Your choice."

Amanda tried once again to stand, then fell back to her knees. "Fine. Someone wanted something that they thought you had in your apartment."

"Who was it?"

"I didn't ask."

Henry waited.

"There was a lot of money involved."

Of course there was. "What did they want?"

Amanda shrugged. "A black silver photography case. They didn't tell me what was in it, and for that much money, I wasn't going to ask."

Vicki's breath caught in her throat.

"What? What's in the box?" Amanda demanded.

Henry pushed himself forward until he was inches from Amanda. "Your client asked you to steal something very dangerous," he said, head tilted to gauge her reaction.

"Like what, a bomb?" She still didn't believe.

"Pandora's Box," he breathed.

Shock and fear swept through the thief, her heart hammering erratic against her ribs, sour sweat on her skin and pupils widening. She stopped fighting the chains.

"You've seen it before," Henry said, realization dawning. "You really didn't know."

Amanda swallowed hard, fighting her reaction. "In the 12th Century. I was in Aleppo when one of the invading armies found it, opened it on the steps of the Harem castle." She closed her eyes. "I saw them open it."

"You can't," Vicki interrupted. "It kills everyone around it!"

"It did." Amanda opened her eyes. "I woke up a day later. The entire city had been destroyed in earthquakes. Over twenty thousand, dead."

"You would have opened the box," Henry whispered. "When you found it. You would have opened it, and everyone would have died."

Amanda's eyes darkened. "Tell me you're not so stupid to have kept it here."

"Of course not." Not after the disaster with Norman Birdwell.

"Wait, you said--" Vicki started.

"It's safe," Henry interrupted. "No one will ever find it. I'm the only one who knows where it is."

"Where is that?" Amanda asked. Henry gave her a look. "Sorry, old habits." She took in a deep breath, pulling the pieces of her every-day persona back into place. "Okay, let me go. I have a client's money to return." She paused. "And some answers to get."

Henry pulled the manacles' key from his pocket and held it up. "One minute."

Amanda bit her lip. "Is this going to turn into an after-school special about how Crime Doesn't Pay?"

"No." Henry touched the key to Amanda's throat. "The next time you come into my sanctum without an invitation, my sword will not be aimed at your heart. Are we clear?"

Amanda leveled her gaze at Henry. He saw the weight of her years pressing down on him, over a thousand years of experience and age, of fighting for every scrap of respect and value, of dragging her way up from nothing to her place in the world. Then she blinked, and it was gone. "Clear as crystal."

Henry unlocked the manacles.

"Wait, just like that?" Vicki said as Amanda stood up. "You're going to let her walk out of here?"

Henry frowned. "What else would I do with her?"

Amanda cleared her throat, and Henry gave her a dirty look. "Can't blame a girl for thinking it," she said, deliberately lowering her gaze.

"Get your things and go."

"As you wish, Your Highness." Amanda flipped him a bow, gathered up her belongings in her jacket, wrapped her sword in her overcoat, and vanished into the hallway.

"She always did know how to make an exit," Henry muttered, even though he was under no impression that this was the end of the encounter. He'd be seeing Amanda again, and soon.

He closed and locked the door behind her, then wandered back to the couch. He had been awake for less than thirty minutes, and he was already exhausted.

Vicki collapsed onto the couch beside him. "People come and go so quickly around here," she quipped.

Henry smiled without opening his eyes. "You must be feeling better if you're quoting children's movies."

"Yeah." Her fingers settled on his stomach, tracing the now-healed gash in his skin. "It's really safe?"

The Box. Henry had never pressed her on what had happened when she had re-lived the search for the Box, over and over. There was some pain she had to deal with, and only then could Henry finally figure out what had happened. He could wait. He had time.

"The Box is safe. I promise." Henry lifted Vicki's hand and kissed the palm. The beating of her heart sang under her skin, but he would not press. Not now, with the confusion of the evening so close in her head. "No one will uncover it, I promise."

"Good." Vicki laid her head on his shoulder. "So, tell me about Amanda."

"Who?"

She nudged his arm. "Come on, Henry. I've got all night."

"I thought you needed to see me about something."

"No, I just wanted to hang out."

Henry opened his eyes.

"And there was a vampire movie marathon I wanted to watch on TV with you," she admitted. "But this is so much more interesting. Amanda?"

"Vicki--"

"She's pretty."

"Vicki."

"You really do have a thing for older women, don't you?"

Henry sighed. "I'll make you a deal. If I tell you this story, you need to do something for me."

"What?" Vicki's eyes were bright with curiosity, and a hint of suspicion.

Henry smiled widely. "You get to help me clean this place up. Starting with all that congealing blood on my hardwood floor."

"Henry--"

"Do we have a deal?"

He waited, knowing what answer he would receive. After all, this was Vicki "Curiosity Killed the Cat" Nelson.

"Fine. Talk."

Henry settled back onto the cushions. "It started in 1652 in Warsaw..."

end

Comments

[serpentine-moon.livejournal.com]

brilliant and hilarious. three thumbs up (don't ask where the third came from)

[dizzy-lizard.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like!

[goldenrat84.livejournal.com]

Ah, the redoubtable Amanda, she fits into almost any story type and makes it all the more enjoyable.

[nessa5.livejournal.com]

hehe
Loved it, thank you

[ravenboo.livejournal.com]

Oh I like this a LOT, more please?? :D

[autumnus]

heh maybe they should have started with the cleaning. dry blood is probably harder to clean :P

great story as always. :) more?

[vivichick.livejournal.com]

Hooray! Very nicely done :) Made me laugh and grin like an idiot. Good stuff.

[rose1thorn.livejournal.com]

"He'd be seeing Amanda again, and soon."

Yes please? This was so good there has to be more! :-)

[deepfishy.livejournal.com]

Of course Amanda knows Henry. She knows everyone :D.

I like all the precautions he took before pulling out the sword. Can't trust Amanda, even when all she has is her jewellery...

[randomlaughter.livejournal.com]

I've never seen Highlander, but this was brilliantly written, and now I need to take a trip to Blockbuster and rent it. Spot on. Great job!

[hsifyppah.livejournal.com]

I was trying knots before they even had chains.

Bwahaha.

[chegs74.livejournal.com]

This is great!! I LOVED Highlander and a crossover with BT is just genius!!! I sure hope we will get more of this :)!!!!!

[gale-dragoon.livejournal.com]

Ha. This is such a great way to start the week. Very well done. :D

[oportunemoments.livejournal.com]

I'm on a Blood Ties kick, so I have no problem with you helping me feed my addiction ^_^ But now I have to go find Highlander. And watch all of it. :P

[blade-and-roses.livejournal.com]

Ah, two of my favorites shows. Of course, Amanda would know Henry. But -- they heisted the family jewels together? Now, that is a story I'd love to hear. No pressure of course!

[aislingde.livejournal.com]

The story is very good. The interaction between Henry and Amanda... old lovers. The good kind of old lovers.

After reading this I would like to know what really happend 1652 in Warsaw. It sounds like a good story.
I also want to know, how Christina an Amanda met. Amanda has a view on Christina which seems to be very interesting.
No wonder she also knows Methos and comparing to him Christina is a little girl.

I hope you will write some more Blood Tie storys.

[teresa-c.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! My oldest fandom and my new favorite. ::adores you::

[moonprincessnat.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good crossover. I loved this line: This time, Henry did sigh. Of all the ways he had envisioned Vicki seeing him naked, this had never factored in. *giggles* Really nice interplay between Henry and Vicki. Interesting that Amanda knew about Pandora's Box, too, and had first-hand experience with it. She'll be thinking twice before accepting a job from that client again. Thanks for sharing! :-)

[idontlikegravy.livejournal.com]

I don't have a clue about Blood Ties, but I loved this anyway. :)

[sexynikki12.livejournal.com]

OHHHH PLEASE WRITE MORE I LOVE IT.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

If the show were more like your fic, I'd like it a whole lot more! That was great! [applauds]