Copyright 1999

DISCLAIMER: OK. here's the difficult part any Highlander you have seen on TV or movies is not mine. The concept of Immortality as it is in the Highlander Universe is not mine either. The concept of a female Pony Express Rider is not mine either. Any body you think you might know from the Young Riders is not mine either. However, Mairi Katherine MacLeod is mine. Mary Louise (Lou) McCloud is not mine, (well the parts that are cannon anyway). I do this for fun and to improve my writing skill, not for money. I also do this to get these characters to shut up! This is my second fanfic so please bear with me as I have had no professional training in writing.

1980

"Aunt Mairi, Aunt Mairi, tell us a story, please" The children pleaded in unison as they bounced into the room.

"You're supposed to be taking naps!!!" She said in mocked surprise.

"But, Aunt Mairi, how are we supposed to sleep without a story?" asked Heather, the youngest of her charges.

"All right, what kind of story would you like to hear? One about sword fights?" the children shook their heads no. "One about Zoro?" The children shook their heads no again. "Well, you tell me what kind of story would you like?"

"One about the Pony Express!" Anthony, the eldest juvenile exclaimed rather loudly. "How did you get your job as a Pony Express Rider?"

While Stacie, their mother was in the hospital, Mairi was looking after the kids. Anthony was age 5, and Heather was 3 years old. Stacie was in serious condition, she might not make it. Andy, their father was only home to eat and sleep (and sometimes not even then), then he was at the hospital with his wife. They had hired Mairi as a governess to take care of the children until Stacie got her strength back--if she got her strength back.

"Aunt Mairi," as they had come to know her over the past few months, told great stories. But today they wanted to hear how she had gotten her job as a Pony Express Rider. She had told them about how life was being a Rider for the Pony Express, but she had never mentioned how she got the job.

"It all started in 1852...." Mairi began.

1852

"Please, Louise, you have to make sure Jeremiah and Teresa get to Holy Ground. You know that he won't hurt them on Holy Ground."

"Mary, I tried to train him, he insists on using guns to kill immortals and then taking their heads ... he doesn't play fair."

"You said no Immortal would ever kill on Holy Ground--even mortals. He won't hurt them long as their on Holy Ground."

"He could take them off Holy Ground. Boggs considers them hischildren, he will stop at nothing to get them."

"Please, Louise, get the children out of here. Take them to Holy Ground somewhere."

"I have no land on Holy Ground."

"There must be somewhere."

"The only place I know of that's definitely on Holy Ground, is an orphanage. In Thomasville, Missouri. That's about a month or ... two traveling with children ... away."

"Then take them."

"You have to come with me."

"Boggs'll kill me if I leave."

"He'll kill me if I take the children."

"No, he won't you're better than he is."

"I cannot kill my student."

"If you can get me out without me getting killed then do it."

Later that night, Lou went to the stables and got Lightening ready for the trip. She also got her covered wagon ready.

"What are you doing?" Boggs asked. He was standing at the entrance of the stables. Mairi MacLeod was no dummy, she had sinced him there.

"I'm getting ready for a picnic. Mary and I are taking the kids out for a picnic tomorrow."

"I can't allow that ... there are to many people who would like to hurt me." He said paranoid.

"Boggs, I can protect them. Mary wanted to take them on her own, but I persuaded her to let me go with them. Remember who taught you," the female Scottish warrior stated.

"You're right, no since in the children being bored and restless is there. You know they think you are their sister."

"Yeah I know. I love them like they were my own brother and sister. I give you my word that I will not allowed them to be hurt," By anyoneshe added quietly.

"All right, but take that wagon over there," he responded as he pointed to the best covered wagon.

"I was going to use my wagon."

"That's OK. Use my best. I'll help you get it ready. After all you bought for me."

"All right," Yeah I bought for you to use to get to a place for you and your family to live. Not for you to supply guns to outlaws.Mairi thought.

The next mornings they loaded up the kids and a picnic basket that contained food for a month. Before dawn, Louise had loaded up the children's and the women's belongings into the wagon.

As they rode out of camp, Mary was a little worried, "He's going to come after us...."

"No, he's not, not until after dark anyway. I told him that we were going on a picnic. By the time he misses us we'll have a day's head start. We can add time by switching drivers. You can drive during the day and I'll drive at night. Just keep going straight and wake me up when it's getting dark." Louise said as she pulled her hat over her face.

"OK," A very nervous Mary said.

They only drove like that for the first day. Louise fed the children and when they took a nap, so did she. She was well rested for her night drive. However she did not expect that Boggs would catch up to them in three short days. When he did catch up to them he just started shooting. Louise got the children into the covered part of the wagon and made sure that they were laying down. It wasn't a guarantee that they would not get hit by any of the bullets, but it was the safest place for them. During the gunfire, Mary was hit and Louise took the reigns and drove them into a town. They were able to hide there for a while inside their church. They had hid the wagon behind the house of worship so Boggs wouldn't see it. He didn't even think to look there. He just rode straight through. However, inside the church, Mary, was not doing so good. "Louise, you have to take the children without me."

"No, Mary I will not leave you."

"You have to. They need to get to safety. Where he cannot hurt them. I won't make it." Louise, knew this since the first time she saw where Mary had been hit. People don't recover from being shot in the gut. It was slow painful death.

"I'm sorry Mary, I didn't think that even if he did catch up to us that he would start shooting. Especially since we had the kids."

"It's all right I knew I was going to die at the hands of that man anyway. He was rich and I thought that he would take care of my children. I was wrong, huh. You're a good woman, Louise."

"I give you my word, Mary, I will find some Holy Ground to buy and build a home on it. Then I'll go back to get the kids." Louise said fighting back tears. She had come to love this woman who reminded her so much of her own mother.

"Ma," said Jeremiah. "Why was Pa shooting at us and why did he hurt you?"

"Jeremiah, your father died a long time ago. That man that you were calling 'Pa' is a mean man. You know how he hurts you and your sister?" The boy nodded. "Well, he wants to hurt me because I'm leaving him. He hurts me, too. I don't like it, so I'm leaving and he doesn't want me to go." Mary answered her son.

"Where are we going?" Her daughter asked.

"We're going to see a friend of mine. She will keep you safe while I find us a new place to live." Louise informed the children.

"Louise, take care of them for me." Louise nodded silently giving her word. "Jeremiah, Teresa, please all ways remember that I love you." Mary said with her last breath.

The children did not know their mother would not wake up. It was hard for them to accept the fact. When they finally did accept it, Louise continued on taking them to her friend who ran the orphanage convent in Thomasville. It took a month to get there. When they finally did get there, Mairi Louise felt the irritating buzzing in the back of her skull that told her another Immortal was near by. "Hello, Sister Laura. This is my brother and sister Jeremiah and Teresa. Jeremiah, Teresa, this is my friend Sister Laura. She's going to make sure we stay safe. OK?" The children nodded. "Sister Laura, I know this is sudden, but I need to stay on Holy Ground for a while. You've told me before that you're looking for a good covered wagon, well you can have the one outside."

"OK, Louise, Thank you for the gift. But, where are their parents?"

"Dead. Their father died a long time ago." Mairi then switched to French. "An Immortal may come after them, his name is Boggs. He's dangerous. I tried to train him, but he uses guns on us then he takes our heads while we're out. I've seen him do it several times. He was married to their mother, but killed her while we were trying to bring the children here. He has beaten them and he was beating her. I can't kill my own student. I don't know what to do."

"Stay here for a while. Together we can make sure make sure that he won't harm these children again." Sister Laura replied in English.

Mairi Louise stayed for a few years and then she got restless and wanted her own place. Sister Laura tried to talk her church into selling Louise some unused land in the back of the lot they were located on, but the church wanted more than Mairi Louise had. So after staying for so long, Louise left in 1855.

"I'm sorry I have to go." Mairi Louise said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you some land." Sister Laura replied.

"Your church just wanted too much for it. I don't have that much. I'll stay tonight, then I'm going to visit some other towns. See if I can get some land from their churches. I think we're far away enough so that he won't find us. I might even try to get a job so I can earn the money your church wants."

"The only job available for women right now is..."

"No, it's not." Louise cut her off. "I can wait on tables in the saloons and restaurants and I can wash clothes, I can cook in the restaurants ... " Louise was cut off by Laura laughing. "What you don't think I can cook?"

"No, you can cook, haggis."

"You've got to admit it's the best haggis ever!! Besides I cook more things than that."

"All Scottish foods."

"What's wrong with that?!" Louise asked defensively.

"Nothing -- if you're in Scotland or cooking for a Scottish family. Louise, these people don't want Scottish food."

"Well, there are other options."

"Good luck."

When she got to St. Joseph, she saw a sign at the brothel. The sign said that they needed someone to wash clothes. She could do that. She would just pretend she didn't know it was a whore house. She worked there for about a year and had made friend with the girls. However she didn't make friends with her boss. In her opinion he was slimy.

One day while out on errand, she and a friend Sarah were talking about leaving.

"This is the only job for me." Sarah was saying.

"Sarah if you want to do something bad enough, you can do it. We can cut our hair, wear baggy men's clothing, wear specs, and keep our hat over our faces. People will think we're boys ... they won't know the difference until after we the job, and by then they'll see how great we are and they won't let us go."

"Louise, you're something else you know that?" Sarah said laughing. "I wish I could be more like you."

"You can, come with me and I'll help you. You'll see we'll do it."

Sarah saw for the first time how serious Louise was. It scared her to think of acting like a man. She couldn't pull it off. What excuse would Louise take though? "I don't even have a horse!"

"Sarah, don't let that stop you. We'll get you a horse." Mairi Louise pleaded. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she had to get Sarah out of there.

"You'll help me right?"

"Yeah."

"You can't go alone. I guess I'll have to go with you."

Yes. Looking like I'm only 15 when I'm over 300 does have it's advantages!!Mairi Louise thought. "We leave tonight."

That night, before they were able to even pack a few of their belongs, the slimeball had beaten Sarah to death for being sick and not "working." When Mairi Louise, saw this she started to fight back. Somehow, in her grief, her grief of Sarah, Mary, her failure to keep Sarah safe from Wicks, her lack of training in the past year or so, her reflexes were not as quick as they should have been. If this was another Immortal, she would be dead ... forever. As it was this was a mortal who just wanted her body and so he took it. She wished this was another Immortal taking her head. As soon as he left her, she left. She left everything but the clothes on her back, her sword, and Lightening. Charlotte Rowan helped Louise escape to St. Lois that night.

When she got St. Louis, she cut her hair and starts dressing and acting like a boy...again. (She had did this when she first became Immortal. Connor MacLeod said it would be easier this way. Thank goodness he had taught her how to disguise herself as a boy.)

As she went from town to town, she asked the church of the town for a small piece of their land. None agreed to sell any land to her. She even got so desperate that she asked some of the Indian tribes--that did not go so well. The years past as she was able to do odd jobs for a week or two. She never did hold down a job for too long, she just kept moving ... like her and Connor had. I wish Connor were here. Or do I? After all I did catch him with Amanda. Maybe I can find Methos...what name was he using now? Oh yes Dr. Adams. He might know what to do.

As it was it wasn't until 1860 that she found her key. There in the general store, she saw the sign that would change her life. It said:

RIDERS WANTED

Young, skinny, wiry fellows,

Anxious for adventure, and chance to see

Our great West. Must be expert riders,

Willing to risk death daily.

Orphans preferred. $60 per month & keep.

Perfect she said. She asked the store owner where to apply. He showed her where the recruiter was and she left right away to sign up.

"Are sure you can do this son?" The recruiter asked.

"Yes, sir," came the reply. If he only knew how she used to beat the boys of her clan on horseback...

He handed her a contract to sign.

"I do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, that I will not under no circumstances, use profane language; that I will drink no intoxicating liquors; that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties and direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers. So help me God."

Lou McCloud

When she signed the contract, not only a huge burden lifted off her, but she also received a lightweight raffle, a colt revolver, a bright red flannel shirt, blue trousers, a horn and a Bible. A Bible. She hadn't even had the chance to read one since she had learned how to read. Maybe she'll get around to it now that she had one of her own.

The Pony Express assigned her to Sweetwater Weigh Station. Regardless of weather, lack of rest, or personal danger to him/herself, the mail must be delivered -- and for 18 months it was.

1980

Andy had walked in during the middle of the story and now he helped Mairi take the children, Anthony and Heather up to their beds. "How do you do it? I've tried to make up stories before and I can't seem to put them to sleep like you do."

"Well, I told them that all my stories were true. I told them that I knew that they are true because I lived it."

"You told them that?"

"Yep" She did tell the children that, but she knew their father would not believe that it was true--even though it was.