The Highland Fling

I generally like to write a ‘fun, light’ piece when writing – and this is a direct Helen and Nikki crossover with Monarch of the Glen.
Make Isobel Helen and Nikki who is going to be a new character introduced around the Monarch of the Glen situation.
I hope this works and you all like what I am going to attempt. Its going to only be a quite short piece, although as yet I don’t have a definite scale or size in mind.
Oh, and the first Chapter is being posted in 2 parts – to gauge how this is going to see if I will carry on or not. So this is only a very short piece to give you a feel for what it is about.

Disclaimer:
Shed Productions own Nikki and Helen, while Ecosse Films and the BBC own Monarch of the Glen’s characters.

Chapter one.


“Och, you’ll soon get used to them.” Golly said with his usual dry sardonic tone.
“I’m sure I will.” Nikki said swotting another midge from her arm before it feasted on her flesh. “What the hell do you do to them up here anyway?” Nikki said watching in dismay, as her arm was becoming a mountainous region in its own right.
“Oh, just a bit of good Scottish air.” Golly tilted his head before pulling the landrover up to park alongside a set of farm buildings. “You’ll find him inside.”
Nikki frowned knowing it was Golly’s way of dismissing her, and so pulling her rucksack with her, she clambered out of the passenger seat. Before she had even had a chance to move more than 3 steps, he was reversing out of the small yard area and was gone in a haze of dust kicked up from the wheels.

Nikki grimaced as she was now open invitation for the midges, which seemed to appear from nowhere and covered her arms in seconds. Sprinting towards the door that had an office sign on, she didn’t even bother to knock and tilted straight into it.
“I don’t like it one bit……”
The angry Scottish accent stopped dead as the women who had spoken them realised someone had just gate crashed her attempts at getting Paul, Laird of Glenbogle, to listen to her ideas. She glowered at Nikki, who was rooted to the spot before she returned her glare back at Paul, who was seating behind a desk with a bemused expression.
“Oh forget it.” She turned, and pushing past Nikki walked out of the door.
“He’s all yours.” Were her parting words.

“I see you still have a knack with the ladies.” Nikki smiled as Paul stood up.
“I certainly have.” Paul came around and he hugged Nikki warmly. “I wasn’t expecting you quite this early.”
“I managed to get an earlier train, and then I was in the village and someone told me your ghillie was about, so I hunted him down and scrounged a lift….” Nikki paused as she swotted another midge. “And I would never have taken you up on your offer if I had known about these little biting monsters!”
“Hhmm, they can be a nuisance.” Paul admitted as he shut the door to the office and sat down again. Nikki sat in the chair opposite.
“Nuisance? Is that what you call them?” Nikki shook her head. “Damn nightmare and I haven’t even been here an hour.”

“I am going to kill him.”
“Now, why would you want to be doing that?” Ewan asked as he carried on cooking some pheasant.
“Because he just won’t listen to me….” Jess sank down on a chair and sighed in frustration. “It’s almost because I’m a girl, he seems to think I can’t do the job.”
“You have been as miserable as sin since Duncan left.” Ewan said slowly.
“Oh thanks, just tell me what a bitch I’ve been.” Jess retorted with a fierce look. Ewan shrank back slightly wishing he hadn’t said anything about Jess’s failed relationship with Duncan, who had just left the Glenbogle estate, where he had been the head ranger to pursue his dream of becoming a DJ.

Part 2

“Donald.”
Molly’s warning tone stopped Donald in his tracks and he turned slowly.
“My dear Molly….” Was as far as he got.
“Don’t you Molly me. I spotted you and Ewan trying to get that old jalopy of yours going. You know you are banned from driving and it will be Paul who will get into trouble if you do.”
Donald, knowing he had been caught out put on the best contrite face he could.
“I am so terribly sorry but I am not one for being cooped up.” Donald explained, Molly still glaring at him. “You of all people, dear Molly should know how I hate being in a house like this.”
Molly sighed heavily.

“I appreciate you hate the fact you are being held at Glenbogle as part of your conditions of sentence, but if you break these conditions, it isn’t just you being thrown in jail now is it!” Molly grabbed his arm and pulled him into one of the sitting rooms and pushed him down into one of the armchairs.
Donald thought about resisting, but taking one look at Molly he accepted what as happening and stayed sitting.
“What do you want me to say?” Donald asked.
“That you promise to stay within the confines of the estate.” Molly sounded exasperated at having to tell Donald.
“I will.”

Donald couldn’t help but sneak an admiring glance at Molly. Even though they were both now well into retirement age, he still held a flame for the woman he had loved all those years ago.
He tried not to remember the pain he had felt having to flee Glenbogle because of how he felt about Molly.
To fall in love with her was one thing, but he couldn’t stand by and watch her as the wife of his brother, Hector who died much later on in an accident on the estate.
“And another thing….” Molly carried on.
“Oh dear.” Donald mumbled.
“You might very well oh dear me, but this is important. I don’t want you leading young Ewan astray. He has come along wonderfully since beginning to work for us here on the estate and I don’t want him getting into trouble like this.”

“So, do you think you will stay?” Paul looked hopeful.
“I will for now.” Nikki said trying not to fall into temptation and scratching where she had been bitten. “I did warn you though before I came up it might only be for the season.”
“That would help enormously, whatever else you decide.” Paul looked happier and he pulled a bunch of papers out of the drawer in his desk.
“Here’s the contract we drafted up. If you want to check through and we can sign them now and get it over with.”
“Sure.” Nikki took the top copy, and glancing through saw nothing different to the draft agreement and she signed where Paul indicated.

Helen picked herself up from the ground, grimaced and wiped the mud off her as best she could. Meanwhile one of her two Tamworth pigs just snuffled out of reach through the rows of cabbages. The other had moved on and was now attempting to strip down the runner bean plants.
“Having trouble?”
Golly’s voice made Helen jump and she wheeled around to find him at the gate with a small smile on his face.
“Yes.” Helen shook her head and walked over to him. “I wouldn’t have guessed that two pigs could cause so much chaos and destruction.”
“Do you want a hand?”
“Yes please.” Helen pleaded. “I might stand a chance of salvaging something.”