The Past Revisited
Author's Note: Takes place between The Gathering and Family Tree
Warning: Child Abuse Theme
Duncan didn't know what woke him. Since Richie had moved in with them a month ago, Duncan had found himself waking up frequently in the middle of the night to check on the teen. Tessa if she were awake would laugh at him; tell him that he was acting like a child with his first puppy. He just couldn't help himself; he wanted this to work so badly. It didn't help that Richie seemed able to find trouble in a paper bag.
Carefully, Duncan removed his hand from Tessa's hip and snuck out of bed. Not finding the boy actually in his room didn't surprise Duncan. He smiled as he headed for the kitchen. Richie was like a garbage disposal but considering how skinny he was when Duncan brought him home, the immortal wasn't surprised.
In the kitchen the light was still on and there was a glass of chocolate milk on the table, but Richie was…Duncan's eyes flicked towards movement on the floor, underneath the table. He knelt down and only then did he get his first good look at the scene.
Richie was lying on the linoleum floor half on his right side, half underneath the table and there was a pool of blood under his hands which were extended in front of him.
"Richie!" Duncan crawled over to the boy still on his knees. Noting that the boy's skin was cool to the touch, he gripped the boy's arms and pulled the boy's head and torso into his own lap. Richie's face was so white, the boy was so still. Duncan patted the freckled cheek, but the boy didn't respond to the touch.
"Tessa, Tessa help!" he screamed before lifting the teen's limp wrists to examine them. He almost didn't notice the knife under them, hidden in the dark blood. Understanding dawned then as he looked at the wounds, lengthwise cuts made deep in the inside of wrists.
Tessa turned the corner, disheveled and pulling a robe around herself. She stopped dead when she saw them, her hands immediately covering her mouth and the robe dropped open again. Her eyes lifted to look into Duncan's, the question in them immediately understood.
"Tessa hand me some towels and call 911, tell them to hurry, he's…he attempted suicide," he finished with a bowed head.