On Our Own

by dawn341

First season story. Duncan returns from a trip to find the police, and an ambulance outside the antique store.

On Our Own by Dawn Cunningham

Disclaimers:

Duncan, Tessa and Richie belong to Rysher. I'm just borrowing them and not getting paid for it. All other characters are my own.

Do not post or publish this story anywhere else, without my express permission. Feel free to share it with others as long as the disclaimers remain intact.

* HL * HL * HL * HL * HL * HL

On Our Own by Dawn Cunningham

Duncan yawned as he tossed his bags into the trunk of the T-bird. It had taken a great deal of effort, but he had managed to cut his trip short by two days. Wanting to surprise Tessa, he hadn't called to let her or Richie know that he would be home early. Tomorrow was the anniversary of the day he had jumped onto a tourboat in Paris and been beguiled by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed guide with a bewitching smile. He didn't want to miss celebrating the day with her.

Fortunately, he had managed to catch the last flight into Seacouver. By now, Tessa was probably getting ready for bed-unless she was waiting for Richie to come home from a date. She had become very protective of the teenager recently, claiming she couldn't sleep until she knew he was home safe and sound. Thinking back, Duncan realized that it had started when Walter Reinhardt had kidnapped Richie to use as bait for the Highlander. From the moment the phone call had come, until the teenager had been back home, Tessa had refused to sleep-even though the doctor had told her she needed rest to recover from the chemical burn she had received.

Quickly driving across town from the airport, Duncan plotted how the next day would go. He couldn't stop grinning at the thoughts. Making the last turn onto his home street, the sight that met his eyes caused him to stomp down hard on the brake pedal. Four police cars were parked in front of the antique store. Their bright, flashing lights illuminated the scene while casting strange, surreal shadows over the surrounding buildings. Next to them was an ambulance, back door wide open, gurney missing. As he watched in shocked silence, the gurney appeared at the door of the antique store, with a black body bag strapped on it.

That sight finally galvanized him into action. Without thinking, he had the T-bird parked as close as possible, and was out of it, running toward the shop. A big, burly police officer blocked his path.

"Out of my way!" Duncan insisted, trying to shove past the officer, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. "I have to find out... I have to know..." He seemed unable to finish the sentence as the reality of what the body bag meant. Someone was dead. Someone from the antique store. "Oh, God. Tessa... Richie..."

"I'm sorry, sir. You'll have to stay back," the officer said, straining to hold back the Immortal. When a second man came to assist the first, the Highlander backed off.

"You don't understand," Duncan said as he fought back nausea. "I live there." He pointed to the antique store. "I have to find out what happened."

"Wait here, sir. I'll go speak to the detective in charge and let him know you are here. I'll be right back."

Duncan anxiously paced up and down the sidewalk. He wanted to barge past the officers guarding the door. He found himself praying that the body was Richie, but he hated himself for doing it. The teenager would come back to life-Tessa wouldn't. What was taking so long? How long were they going to keep him from finding out whether his life was over? How could he keep going on if Tessa had been ripped from his life?

The door to the antique store opened and three people emerged. Two of them were police officers and they were escorting a third person between them, who kept his head down, looking at the ground. It took a moment to recognize him in the dark. Duncan started forward but, once again, another officer stopped him before he got closer than six feet.

"Richie!" Duncan called. The young man looked up and the Immortal was shocked by the expression on his face. "What happened?"

Richie turned away as if he couldn't bear to face Duncan. As he turned, the Highlander caught a glimpse of metal around the teenager's wrists. Handcuffs.

The Immortal watched in horror as Richie was taken to a police car, and placed in the back seat. A moment later, the car pulled out from the curb and headed down the street, leaving Duncan standing there.

Duncan moaned as the implications of that scene sunk in. If Richie was still alive, did that mean the dead body belonged to Tessa? And if they arrested Richie-did that mean they thought he had killed her?

What had happened while he was out of town?

* HL * HL

Earlier that day

"C'mon, Tessa," Richie pleaded. "What's it going to hurt?" "The sign is there for a purpose, Richie. It says we are open from 10 to 5-not 10 to 4:30. Thirty more minutes won't kill you, will it?" Tessa glanced up from the piece of clay she was working on.

"But there aren't any customers. Who's gonna know?"

"You never know when someone may come in at the last moment," Tessa explained with a smile. "And speaking of which, I just heard the bell. I think you have a customer."

Richie grumbled, but headed back into the store.

Tessa shook her head before returning to her work. Richie would do anything to get out of work-no matter how much effort it took. Hopefully, one of these days he would figure out that he expended more energy trying to be lazy.

A few moments later, she heard the bell over the door again. She didn't know if it was the previous customer leaving or someone else coming in, but it really didn't matter. If Richie needed help, he would call her. Another ten minutes passed before she heard the bell again. She kept working on her sculpture, determined to have it finished before Duncan got home. After one of his business trips, they usually spent the first day back together getting re-acquainted. There would be little time to work on her sculpture then.

A sudden cry from the shop followed by a thudding noise caught her attention, and she ran to the shop to investigate, wiping her hands on a towel as she went. Just last month a customer had tripped on the raised flooring in the shop. Fortunately, she hadn't been hurt badly, but she was still talking about filing a lawsuit.

Tessa came to an abrupt stop at the sight that met her eyes. Richie lay on the floor, his back toward her, and a stranger was pulling down the shades over the store windows.

"Richie! What happened?" she asked as she hurried across the shop.

The man turned quickly, pointing a gun at Tessa. "Shut up, lady," he growled. "Is there anyone else here?"

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Tessa asked in a shaky voice. "What did you do to Richie?" The man waved his gun at her. "I asked you a question, lady. Is there anyone else here?" When Tessa didn't answer, he moved over to Richie and kicked him in the stomach. The teenager groaned and curled up in a ball. The man drew his leg back to kick the youth again.

"Don't hurt him!" Tessa cried out. "No, there isn't anyone else here. Just Richie and me. What do you want? If it's money, I'll give you everything we have. It's not much, though. Most people pay by check or credit card. Just don't hurt him again."

"Right now, lady, I need a place to hide out. And I think I just found the perfect spot for it." He waved his gun towards Richie. "Get him up and we'll just check this place out."

Tessa went over to the teenager, trying to keep her eyes on the stranger. "Richie, are you all right?"

Richie turned his face towards Tessa and she gave a gasp when she saw the bruise starting to form around his right eye, and the blood from a cut on his cheek trickling down his face.

"I'm okay," he assured her with a bad attempt at a smile.

"Get him up, I said! Or I'll make sure he stays down permanently."

Tessa struggled to pull Richie to his feet. The youth tried to help, but she could tell he was in a lot of pain from the kick. Once he had steadied himself, she placed her arm around his waist, and they slowly moved through the office, into the workshop, and up the stairs to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Tessa. I didn't see the gun until it was too late," Richie mumbled in her ear.

"Don't be silly. There's nothing you could have done," she assured him.

"Put him in that chair over there." The man waved to one of the dining room chairs. He had picked up some cord that Tessa normally used when wrapping up her sculptures as they came through her workshop. He proceeded to tie Richie's hands behind his back, securing him to the chair in the process.

The cord chafed the skin of his wrists as the man viciously pulled it tight, and Richie hissed in pain. Fortunately, the stabbing pain in his stomach had settled down to a dull ache, but his head was still spinning from the sharp blow he had taken. He could feel something trickling down his face and knew without looking that it was his blood.

While Tessa fetched a hand towel from a kitchen drawer and ran water over it, Richie watched the man pace around the kitchen. He was just under six feet tall, slight build, light brown hair cut short, and had to be at least forty years old. He was dressed in black jeans, dark blue shirt, and brown jacket. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder and he maintained a death grip on the strap with his free hand. The teenager memorized everything about him, wanting to be able to pick him out of a police line-up, if necessary.

When the man had first entered the store, Richie had assumed he was just another customer. That was, until he saw the gun in the guy's hand. Now, it wasn't the gun that scared the teenager, it was the look in the guy's eyes. A look that said this man was desperate, and crazy enough to try anything.

"Ow!" Richie exclaimed as Tessa touched the wet cloth to his cheek. "Take it easy, Tessa!"

"Shhh," she soothed. "I just want to see how bad this cut is." She made a few more dabbing touches before turning to the man. "I need to put antiseptic and a bandage on this. May I get the first aid kit from the bathroom? I won't try anything."

The man looked back and forth between them for a moment. "Okay, but first I want you to show me the rest of this place. And if you try anything, I'll shoot you. I've already killed someone today so I've got nothing to lose here." He set his backpack on the table, roughly grabbed Tessa by the arm. "Let's go."

Tessa led him towards the bedrooms, and as soon as they were out of sight, Richie started struggling against the cords, hoping to free himself. All he managed to do was rub his skin raw. He could hear some loud shouting from the master bedroom, but couldn't make out the words. He renewed his struggles, afraid of what that creep was doing to Tessa.

Richie's relief at seeing them coming back a few minutes later quickly changed to panic as he found himself staring down the bore of the gun.

"There's men's clothes in two of the bedrooms. She said the first bedroom was yours. Where's the other guy who lives here?" the man questioned angrily. "You'd better tell me the truth, and it had better match her answer, or you're going to die!"

Richie looked over at Tessa for a moment. If she'd been smart, she would have told the guy that Mac would be home any minute now. But if she hadn't, and he tried to lie, he'd probably get a bullet as his reward. The teenager swallowed heavily, and could feel sweat running down his back as the man pulled the hammer back on the gun. "Tell the truth, Richie," Tessa said. "It's not worth dying over."

"He's on a business trip and won't be back for another two days." Richie gave a sigh of relief when the gun was pulled out of his face.

"Can I get the first aid kit now?" Tessa asked again.

"Sure. Knock yourself out," the man said.

Tessa left the room and returned almost immediately with the kit. She pulled up a chair next to the teenager, and efficiently cleaned then bandaged the cut on his cheek. As she did so, the man wandered out to her workshop, returning shortly with a roll of duct tape.

"This might come in handy later," he said. "So. What're your names? And why is he living here?"

"What do you care?" Richie sneered back at him.

"Listen, kid. Another wisecrack out of your mouth and it may be your last one."

"My name is Tessa, and this is Richie," the Frenchwoman jumped in. "He's our friend and works in the shop with us. What's your name?"

"Let's see. You can call me Chad-I always liked that name. I don't want to hurt you-either of you. I just need someplace to hide until the search dies down. Then I'll take off and you'll never see me again. Just cooperate and everything will be fine." He jumped when he heard a buzzing noise. "What's that?"

"That's the doorbell to the shop," Tessa explained.

Chad jumped to his feet, quickly grabbed the duct tape and the scissors from the first aid kit. He cut off a piece and placed it over Richie's mouth. "Don't even try to make a sound," he threatened as he waved the gun in Richie's face again. He yanked Tessa to her feet. "C'mon."

Chad stopped pulling Tessa along as soon as they got into the office. "Okay, Tessa, all you have to do is convince whoever it is to go away. If you try to give any kind of signal, I'll kill your friend. Do you understand?"

Tessa nodded and he released her arm, pushing her towards the front door. She glanced back and saw that he was out of sight, but she knew that he would be able to hear everything that went on. With shaky legs, she went to the front door, took a deep breath, and opened it. Two police officers stood outside. "Can I help you, officers?" she asked, quite proud of the way she kept her voice steady, despite the fact that she was using the door to hold herself up.

"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am, but we're looking for a suspect who robbed a bank a few blocks from here. He was seen running in this direction." The officer proceeded to give her a description that matched Chad's to a T. "Have you seen anyone like that around here?"

For a moment, Tessa felt the urge to tell the officers about Chad, but she couldn't save her own life if it meant Richie losing his. "No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't help you. I haven't seen anyone matching that description today."

"Thank you, anyway. Please be sure to keep your doors locked, and don't open them for anyone you don't know. And if you have any doubts, don't hesitate to dial 911. There should be officers in the area until we find this guy. We can be here in an instant."

"Thank you, officers. I'll be sure to follow your advice." As the police turned away, Tessa closed and locked the door again. She headed back into the office, and gave a gasp as Chad stepped out of the shadows.

"Very good, Tessa. I'm glad you can follow directions. Let's go back inside."

Once back in the kitchen, Tessa immediately went to Richie's side and removed the tape from his mouth.

"Who was it?" Richie asked in a low tone, watching as Chad wandered around the living room.

"It was the police. I told them I hadn't seen Chad," Tessa explained.

"Oh, Tessa." Richie hung his head. "Why didn't you escape? You should have gotten out of here while you could."

Tessa put a finger under his chin and lifted Richie's head until he was looking at her. She could see the tears glistening in his eyes. "I couldn't take the risk that he might kill you."

"Please, Tessa. If you get another chance to get away, take it. Don't risk your life for mine. I'm not important."

"Don't ever let me hear you say that again, Richie," Tessa said heatedly. "You *are* important-especially to me and Duncan. I won't risk your life!" She lightly brushed his cheek with her fingers. "We'll get out of this together. He said he would let us go when this is all over. We just have to play this smart-do everything he says-and we'll stay alive."

"Tessa!" Richie glanced back to the living room where Chad was flipping through the television channels. "He already told us that he's killed someone. What makes you think he's going to let us live?"

"We *will* survive this, Richie. I have to believe that, otherwise I'm afraid that I would fall apart."

"I wish Mac was here," Richie said wistfully.

"So do I. But he's not. We're on our own here, Richie. Just you and me. For now, I don't want you to aggravate him-keep your mouth under control." Looking around cautiously, she whispered, "I have an idea, but it has to look like I'm cooperating with him to make it work."

"What..." Richie stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the man heading back toward them.

Chad walked up to the table, stopped less than a foot from Tessa, and looked her over intently. "You know, Tessa, you're a very beautiful woman." He reached out and stroked her cheek.

"Get your hands off her, you creep!" Richie yelled, struggling against the cords again.

Chad ignored him. "I want to see you with your hair down," he ordered.

With shaky hands, Tessa reached up and removed the tie holding her hair in a ponytail. She shook her head, letting her hair cascade down. Running her fingers through it, she tried to bring some order to the locks. "Is that better?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. But I think you should go change into something more... more feminine. A woman like you shouldn't hide her legs behind pants."

"Very well," Tessa said as she headed for her bedroom. "But it's going to take some time to clean up and make myself presentable."

Never had Richie been so glad that Mac had added a bath onto the master bedroom after he had moved in with them. The thought of Tessa using the glass enclosed shower off the living room while this creep watched her sent chills down his spine. He knew from experience that the glass blocks the walls were made of left little to the imagination.

"Just remember I have a gun on your friend out here." Once Tessa had disappeared down the hallway, Chad turned back to Richie. Without warning, he back-handed the teenager across the face. "For the last time, kid, keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it permanently." He turned and walked away.

Richie swallowed heavily. He could taste blood in his mouth and he ran his tongue over his lips, wincing as it found a sore spot that was the source of the blood. He sincerely hoped that whatever Tessa had planned would work. He just wished she'd had a chance to tell him what it was. But he couldn't count on it. He had to get free somehow. He had to protect Tessa from Chad. It was pretty obvious what was on the guy's mind. He couldn't let her be hurt that way. He'd never be able to face her or Mac again, if he let that happen.

Unbidden, a memory surfaced. He must have been about ten years old at the time, and he had been staying with the Milford family for about six months. Debbie and Steve had been one of the few good foster placements that he had had. Debbie had always gone out of her way to make him feel welcome. It seemed like she had always been smiling and laughing. Nothing fazed her at all-not bad grades, torn clothes, spilt milk. She helped him study, got a sewing kit out, or poured him a new glass of milk before cleaning up the mess. But overnight, it changed. Debbie had gone out to buy groceries and had been brutally attacked and raped. After that, she refused to leave her bedroom or, if she did, she would sit and stare at the walls.

Richie could still remember the vacant stare on her face. He had never blamed Steve for sending him back to the orphanage. The man had his hands full, trying to take care of his wife. He hadn't needed a troublesome kid there as well.

The teenager jerked back to the present when he heard a low whistle from his captor. Looking up, he saw Tessa walking across the living room. Richie almost moaned as he took in her appearance. She had put on one of her two-piece suits that had a very short skirt. Any other time, he would have loved to see her in the outfit, but he was afraid that she was playing with fire here. If she wasn't careful, she could push Chad over the edge and, ultimately, she would be the one to pay the price.

"Very, very, nice," Chad said. "You are a very beautiful woman, Tessa. You deserve better than a man who leaves you alone for days with only a boy to keep you safe."

"I'm *not* a boy," Richie protested. "And Mac is worth a thousand of you!"

"I warned you, kid!" Chad said as he raised his gun and pointed it at the youth. "I'm tired of your big mouth."

Richie fought the urge to close his eyes as he, once again, stared down the bore of Chad's gun. Any moment now, his life was going to be over-permanently. And Tessa would be left at the mercy of this madman. Why couldn't he learn to keep his mouth shut?

"No, don't!" Tessa cried out. "You can't kill him! I'll do anything you want, just don't hurt him." She watched with a sickening feeling as Chad turned his lecherous eyes on her.

"Anything?" the man asked. When Tessa nodded, he continued. "Come here and give me a kiss. And make it good or I'm going to off the loudmouth, here and now."

"Tessa, don't!" Richie cried out as Tessa approached Chad.

"Be quiet, Richie," she ordered. Telling herself it was just a kiss, and she had to do this to save Richie's life, she moved closer to Chad. Placing her arms around his neck, she pulled his head down and kissed him. She felt his arms go around her and struggled to remain calm. When it was over, Tessa wanted to scrub her hand across her mouth, but she didn't, fearing his reprisal.

"That was very nice, Tessa. I guess that was worth the kid's life. But I don't want to hear any more of his smart-ass remarks. So why don't you tape his mouth shut again? After all, you were the one who took the last piece off."

Without a word, Tessa picked up the tape from the table and moved to stand in front of Richie.

"I'm sorry, Tessa," Richie whispered, looking away from her. "I should've kept my mouth shut. You should've let him blow me away."

Once again, Tessa forced his face up so that she could see his eyes. "I couldn't do that, Richie. You're too important to me." She brushed away the solitary tear that rolled down the youth's cheek. "It was just a kiss. That's all. I'm sorry, but I have to put this tape on you."

Richie nodded. "It's probably for the best. That way, I can't say anything else to get you in trouble."

Tessa peeled off a strip of tape, and carefully placed it over Richie's mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"C'mon, Tessa." Chad pulled her away from Richie. "I want to dance. A beautiful woman like you must be a fantastic dancer."

"Let me put some music on," Tessa suggested, pasting a fake smile on her face. Determined to play along with him, until she had a chance to try her plan, she selected a CD filled with slow, romantic music.

Fighting to hide the shudders she felt as Chad put his arms around her, Tessa swayed slowly to the music. "Oh, you're such a fine dancer, not like Duncan at all," she lied. "I swear the man has two left feet." She gasped when she felt him start to nibble on her earlobe.

"Like that, don't you? Oh, Tessa, you're one hot woman." Chad renewed his attentions, first on her earlobe and then down her neck.

Tessa struggled to pull back. "Chad, take it easy. We have all night. Anticipation is part of the fun, you know? I like having a man around to pamper, especially one who will appreciate me. Why don't I fix us a nice meal to start with? Maybe a bottle of wine?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. I kind of like what we're doing right now."

"But you'll enjoy it so much more after a nice dinner. I'm sure that Duncan has several bottles of vintage wine or maybe even champagne stashed around. Why don't you let me open one up? You can start on it while I fix dinner."

"Very well, Tessa. If you insist." Chad released her. "I am a bit hungry-I had to skip lunch today."

Tessa went to the liquor cabinet and pulled out the best bottle of wine that she could find. With a few deft twists, she had the corkscrew inserted and, moments later, she had two glasses poured, while Chad watched her closely. She handed one to the man before retreating to the kitchen. She saw Richie's concerned eyes following her, and gave him a brief reassuring smile.

Chad took his glass of wine and sat down at the table by Richie. "Guess it's time to see how much loot I got away with." He opened his backpack and started pulling bundles of money from it. Once he had counted it, he looked over at the teenager. "Almost $250,000. Not too bad. Bet this is more money than you've ever seen before-isn't it, kid?" He laughed when Richie nodded his head.

Leaving the money sitting on the table, Chad went over to the stove and stood behind Tessa, peering over her shoulder. "So, what are you making?" he asked.

"Coq au vin. It's one of my specialties. That's why I'm fixing it for you. I'm sure you're going to love it."

"Well, it smells delicious." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Or maybe it's you that smells so good." His head lowered as he nuzzled her neck.

Tessa craned away from him. "Why, Chad, that was such a sweet thing to say. You're a real charmer. I bet you have all kinds of lady friends."

"I'd give them all up for you, Tessa. Just say the word. I have enough money to take us anywhere you'd like to go. And there's more where that came from."

"I don't know, Chad. I have very expensive tastes. It will take a lot of money to keep me happy. Now if you don't mind, I'm trying to cook dinner here." Tessa twisted away from him and crossed the room to search for something in another cupboard-something she really didn't need. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," she told him. "I need to have Richie set the table. Will you untie him, please?"

Chad looked back and forth between Tessa and Richie. "I don't think so. You'll have to do it yourself."

"Now, Chad, how do you expect me to cook *and* set the table? Besides, you'll have to untie him to eat."

Chad grabbed her roughly by the back of her neck. "Let's make one thing clear. I don't *have* to do anything. I may not even let the kid eat at all. That will teach him to keep his mouth shut."

Reluctantly, Tessa moved closer to the man. "Please, Chad, don't do that." She pressed her mouth to his, and gave him a long kiss.

"Well, because you asked so nicely, I'll let you feed him after we eat. But I'm not going to untie him." Chad returned to the table and placed the money back into the bag.

Tessa followed behind, carrying plates and silverware. She laid out three place settings as Chad watched.

"We only need two plates," Chad said with a frown. "The kid is ruining the mood here. I have a better idea." He went out to Tessa's workshop and came back with some more cord. Without a word, he untied Richie from the chair, leaving his hands still bound, and pulled his gun out. "C'mon, kid." He grabbed the teenager by the arm and dragged him towards the bedrooms.

Panicked, Tessa followed. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt him. I'm just tired of him glaring at me." Chad opened the door to Richie's bedroom and pulled the youth over to the bed. With a hard shove, he sent the teenager sprawling on his stomach on the bed. Moving quickly, he tied the youth's feet together and then used another piece to secure his bound feet to the footboard. "That should keep you out of the way. Now, Tessa, it's just you and me, some candlelight, wine, and a nice meal." He pushed the Frenchwoman out the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Richie immediately started struggling with the cords. He had to get free. Who knew what that creep was doing to Tessa? It had been bad enough to watch it happening in front of him, but it was ten times worse not knowing. He *had* to get free.

* HL * HL * HL

Tessa pushed the food around on her plate. All through dinner, she had tried to find an opportunity to put her plan into action, but Chad kept too close a watch on her. So she had smiled and tried to be charming-continuing to pander to his ego-while a growing sense of dread filled her. She wouldn't be able to hold him off much longer and she was running out of delaying tactics. Every time he touched her, she had to work harder at hiding the revulsion she was feeling. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little over three hours since the man had crashed into her life. It felt like it had been an eternity.

"I'll get the dessert," she announced, rising to her feet.

"Let me do that, Tessa. After such an outstanding meal, the least I can do is serve you dessert. What are we having?"

"There are chocolate eclairs in the refrigerator." Tessa had bought them this morning as a treat for her and Richie. She shook her head slightly. It seemed like weeks ago, since she had seen them at the bakery. When the teenager had spotted them at lunchtime, it had taken all her persuasion to keep him from devouring not only his, but hers as well. And now, he wouldn't even get any. She vowed to make it up to him when this mess was all over with.

Tessa glanced over to the kitchen and saw Chad had his head buried in the refrigerator. Deciding that this was her best chance, she reached into the pocket of her skirt, frantically searching for the pill she had secreted there earlier. The doctor had prescribed Valium after her run-in with the Scalper, when she hadn't been able to sleep. She'd only needed to take them a few times, so she had pills left over. Valium combined with the alcohol should knock him out. With another anxious glance at the man, she reached over and dropped it into his wine glass. She watched the pill slowly settle to the bottom of the glass. Why wasn't it dissolving? When they did this on television, it was gone immediately.

"Here you go, Tessa." Chad placed an eclair in front of her before sitting back down at his place.

Tessa prayed fervently that he wouldn't notice his wine glass-at least not yet. The pill was almost gone. Her hopes shattered when he picked up the goblet and then turned furious eyes on her.

"What did you put in my wine?" he asked angrily.

Tessa decided to try Richie's innocent act. She'd seen it often enough, she should be able to do it in her sleep. "I don't know what you are talking about. It must be a food crumb or something."

Chad pulled his gun and aimed it at Tessa. "Tell me now! Or do I need to remind you about your little friend all tied up in the other room? What were you trying to do, poison me?" When she didn't answer, he jumped up, came over to her chair and grabbed her arm, jerking her to her feet. Taking the goblet, he dragged her to Richie's room. Cocking the gun, he pointed it at the youth. "One last time, what did you put in my wine?"

"It wasn't poison," Tessa said. "It was Valium. I figured it would knock you out. That's all."

He handed her the goblet. "Drink it!" he ordered. "Drink it, or I'm going to blow your friend's head off."

Tessa looked at the goblet in her hand and then down at Richie. He shook his head and mumbled something behind his gag. If she drank the wine, she would probably pass out, leaving herself totally vulnerable to Chad. He could do anything he wanted to her then. But weighing possible rape against Richie's life-there was no choice. She took a sip, hoping it would satisfy the man.

"All of it!"

Tessa drained the goblet. If Chad was going to rape her, hopefully, she wouldn't be awake to be aware of it.

"Much better. Now we can get down to the fun stuff," Chad said with an evil leer. He pulled Tessa close and kissed her deeply. "Shall we do it in here where the kid can watch? I bet he goes to spectator sports all the time. Hey, maybe he'll even learn something." He laughed as Richie struggled futilely on the bed.

"No! Not in here," Tessa said in a panic. It was bad enough that the teenager knew what was going to happen, he didn't need to witness it, too.

"Why not, Tessa? I could tie him to a chair in here so that he could see everything." He moved towards the bed. "What about you, kid? Do you want to watch? Or maybe you want to participate?"

Richie shook his head, angrily.

"I think that would be fun. Yeah, and we could videotape it. I bet you have a camera around here somewhere, don't you? I could leave it as a gift for your boyfriend when he gets home. Let him see what you've been up to while he was gone."

"We don't have a video-camera," Tessa insisted. She couldn't understand why the pills were taking effect so quickly-they hadn't worked this fast before. Maybe it had to do with the wine. Already, she had to fight to keep her eyes open and she could feel herself start to sway. Dimly, she saw Chad lay the gun down on Richie's dresser before he scooped her up into his arms. She struggled briefly, but it took too much effort, and she remained passive as he carried her to the master bedroom.

Chad dropped her onto the bed, then sat down beside her. As her eyelids closed, she could feel his hands starting to unbutton her suit top. Tessa prayed for unconsciousness as his hands roamed over her upper body, lightly cupping her breasts, trailing down over her stomach, finishing at the button on her skirt. She felt a tug around her hips, followed by cloth sliding down her legs. Next he pulled her to a sitting position to finish removing the top, and when he let her go, she limply flopped back down. Next came his lips, first on hers, then moving down her neck and chest. She heard something, but her drugged mind refused to tell her what. Just before fading away, she heard Chad say something, but she no longer cared.

* HL * HL *

Richie watched in horror as Tessa drained the wine goblet. He had no doubts about what would come next. Struggling, he fought the cords binding him. Before they had come into the room, he had managed to get some slack in the cord. Just a little bit more and he would have his hands free. He yanked roughly at the cords, clenching his teeth as pain assailed him. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Chad put his gun down on the dresser before picking up Tessa and carrying her out of the room. He renewed his struggles, knowing that if he got free he would have the upper hand this time, not Chad. Taking a deep breath, Richie pulled again and felt his hand come free. Finally, he managed to get turned over so that he could sit up and untie his feet.

Climbing off the bed, Richie almost ran to the dresser. Wiping his blood-stained hands on his jeans, the youth picked up the gun and checked to make sure it was loaded. It would have been so humiliating if it hadn't been, but the gun was fully loaded.

Opening the door, Richie listened carefully, trying to figure out where Chad had taken Tessa. Nothing. Deciding that the living room was closest, the teenager headed there first. When that room proved to be empty, he headed for Mac and Tessa's bedroom. The door was open and he carefully peered in. What he saw sent his stomach on a roller coaster ride. Pulling back the hammer, Richie entered the room.

"Get away from her, you bastard! Or so help me, I'll shoot you."

Chad looked up from the bed. "You're not going to shoot, kid. You don't have the guts to do it. You might hit Tessa here." He waved at the limp body next to him. "Why don't you just give me the gun?"

Richie fought to keep the gun steady. "No way, man! Now get away from her." He slowly started moving, trying to find someplace where he would have a clear shot without risking Tessa. While he had handled a gun before, he had little hope that he would be able to shoot Chad without possibly hitting the Frenchwoman.

"Looks like a Mexican standoff here, kid. You can't shoot as long as Tessa is next to me. And if you get close enough, I'll be able to jump you and take the gun away. So, now what are you going to do?"

Richie had no idea how long they stayed like that-him trying to hold the gun up and steady, Chad sneering at him from the bed. His arms and wrists aching, the teenager finally lowered the gun, aiming it at the floor. The other man grinned in triumph and surged to his feet.

He swaggered across the floor towards the youth. "I told you that you didn't have the guts to pull the trigger!"

Richie waited until Chad was far enough away from the bed before quickly bringing the gun up. He had figured the man would move away from Tessa if it looked like he was giving up. The teenager almost laughed at the expression on the man's face when he saw the gun pointed at him, but Chad quickly recovered.

"Listen, kid. You don't want to shoot me. You'll never forgive yourself. I'll haunt you for the rest of your life. After all, I'm unarmed-this will be murder. In fact, I bet the cops will haul you away-lock you up for a very long time."

Richie didn't want to listen to him, but some of his doubts must have shown on his face because Chad smiled.

"I'll tell you what I'll do. Give me the gun and I'll share. Not only the money, but her too. I bet you've been drooling over her for a long time. Here's your chance to get a piece of her-and she'll never even know."

"You're a real scumbag-you know that? Tessa's my friend-I would never hurt her. And as for your money, you can shove it up your ass!" When Chad started moving forward, Richie continued, "Stay back or I'll shoot you! I mean it."

Chad continued to advance and the teenager retreated, trying to maintain the distance between the two of them. "I'm warning you!" Richie backed up until he was against the wall in the hallway. There was nowhere else to go, but the other man kept coming.

"Give me the gun, kid!" Chad demanded again. "You know you won't shoot me."

As the distance narrowed, Richie gave a small gasp, and pulled the trigger-then pulled it again, then a third time. Chad's body jerked as each bullet hit him before falling back into the bedroom and crashing to the floor, blood spurting from chest wounds. The teenager stared, unable to believe that he had actually done it. The gun slipped from lifeless hands as the youth fell to his knees in shock. "Oh, God! I killed him!"

Time passed as Richie tried to pull himself together. He finally managed to look away from the body on the floor and saw Tessa lying on the bed. Stumbling to his feet, he headed for her, going out of his way to avoid the body. Drawing closer to the bed, he could see her chest move and knew that she was still alive. Heaving a sigh of relief, he sat on the edge of the bed and lightly patted the woman's cheek. "Tessa? Can you hear me, Tessa?"

Receiving no response, Richie reached for the telephone by the bed and dialed 911. "I need an ambulance and the police," he said when the dispatcher answered. He calmly told them the address of the store and then added, "I killed someone." He hung up on the flood of questions that followed. Looking back down at Tessa, he realized that she was lying there with only a bra, panties and hose on. He went to the closet and pulled a quilt out, gently placing it over her. He then resumed his seat, picked up her hand and started rubbing it, saying her name over and over again.

Richie heard the sirens drawing closer, but didn't move from his place by Tessa's side. It seemed the most important thing to do-be there to watch over her. The loud thuds at the door only dimly registered. He jumped when he heard an authoritative voice behind him.

"Police! Step away from the bed and keep your hands where we can see them!"

The teenager looked over his shoulder and saw two uniformed officers at the door to the bedroom, both pointing guns at him. He slowly stood up. "We have to get her to the hospital," he said, pointing to Tessa.

"Move away from her-up against the wall!"

Richie looked back and forth between the officers and Tessa. Deciding that the best thing to do was to cooperate so that she would get medical attention, he moved towards the wall. One of the officers approached him while the other checked out Chad and then Tessa.

"Turn around, hands up against the wall and spread your feet."

In almost a haze, Richie complied. He felt hands patting him down, obviously searching for weapons. "I dropped the gun in the hall," he explained. "Please, help Tessa."

Apparently satisfied that the teenager was unarmed, the officer turned Richie around. "What's your name?" he asked, pulling a notepad from his pocket. The other officer disappeared from the room.

Richie looked at the officer in disbelief. "What difference does it make? You've gotta help Tessa!" He tried to move back to the Frenchwoman's side, but the officer blocked him.

"Take it easy. There's an ambulance on the way. Now, what's your name?"

The youth sighed. "Richie... Richie Ryan."

"Address?"

"I live here." Just to be on the safe side, he rattled off the address, too. He continued answering questions-Tessa's name, Chad's name, and so forth.

"What happened here?"

Richie pointed at the body on the floor. "He came into the shop and started threatening us with his gun. Said he'd robbed a bank and killed someone. He wanted to hide here until the search cooled down. He tied me up and was going to... to..." Richie stopped and shook his head, finding it difficult to even say the word. "He was going to... rape Tessa. I got free and I shot him."

As he talked to the first officer, the second one returned, escorting two paramedics. One did a quick check of Chad before joining the other one at Tessa's side.

"What happened to her?" the paramedic asked.

"Um... I think she mixed a Valium pill with wine in his drink." Richie pointed to Chad again. "But he must have seen her, so he made her drink it instead." He watched silently as the paramedics moved her to the gurney they had brought in. When they started rolling it out of the bedroom, he tried to follow.

"Hold on there," one of the officers said. "You're not going anywhere."

"I have to go to the hospital with Tessa. I have to take care of her."

"I'm sorry, but you can't leave yet. The homicide detectives are going to want to question you."

"Why?" Richie asked, still in shock.

"Sorry, but it's standard procedure. They should be here soon. Why don't you sit down while we wait."

Richie perched on the edge of the bed, unable to stop thinking of Tessa's limp body. He tried to keep his eyes averted from the body on the floor, but time and again, they seemed to come to rest on the blood-stained corpse.

Suddenly, the room seemed full of cops-both in uniforms and in suits. He watched as tape was placed around the body to mark where it had landed while others checked the gun out. Two suited men finally came over to talk to him, introducing themselves as Detective Rodriquez and Detective Perry. They asked him to describe what happened, and Richie took a deep breath before beginning. Once he finished, they moved away and conferred for a moment before returning.

"Why did you shoot him?" Detective Perry asked.

"He was gonna rape Tessa. I had to stop him."

"How did you know that? You said yourself that she passed out. Maybe he was trying to revive her."

"No way! It was obvious what he was after, the way he kept pawing at Tessa."

"Did she fight him off? Make any attempt to reject him?"

Richie hung his head in shame. "No. He said he'd kill me if she didn't cooperate."

"When you had his gun, what did he do? Did he try to jump you?" Perry kept asking questions as Richie shook his head. "Did he threaten you? Hurt your friend? Did he have another weapon? Then why did you kill an unarmed man?"

"I warned him to stay back, but he kept coming. I didn't know what else to do."

"You've got quite a juvie record, Ryan," Rodriquez jumped in. "This is what I think really happened. You and this Chad fellow were friends. After he robbed the bank, he came here to hide because he knew you. But you wanted all the money yourself, so you drugged the woman and then shot Chad while he was trying to help her." He leaned in close to Richie. "Isn't that what happened, Ryan? Isn't it?"

Richie looked at the detective in disbelief. "NO! I never met him before. I was trying to keep him from hurting Tessa."

The interrogation continued for what seemed like hours. Richie kept claiming he had killed in self-defense and the detectives kept insisting that he had another motive. When they finally bagged up the body and hauled it away, Perry announced that Richie was under arrest. They read him his rights before placing handcuffs around his wrists. The feel of metal on his chafed and sore wrists had him wincing in pain, but the cops refused to remove them, only loosening them somewhat.

Escorted out the door by two uniformed officers, Richie kept his head down. The sound of his name brought it up quickly, and he saw Mac standing a short distance away. Unable to face the Highlander, the teenager looked away in shame as he was put into the squad car for the ride to jail.

* HL * HL * HL

The Immortal watched in horror as Richie was taken to a police car and placed in the back seat. A moment later, the car pulled out from the curb and headed down the street, leaving Duncan standing there, alone.

Duncan moaned as the implications of that scene sunk in. If Richie was still alive, did that mean the dead body belonged to Tessa? And if they arrested Richie did that mean they thought he had killed her?

What had happened while he was out of town?

He turned to the nearest officer. "I want to see whoever's in charge here and I want to see him know!" He glared at the unlucky soul who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I'll get him for you, sir," the officer mumbled before fleeing inside. The young man returned with an older man in a dark blue suit.

"I'm Detective Perry. How can I help you?"

"My name is Duncan MacLeod and I own this store. I want to know what happened here, where my partner-Tessa Noel-is, who was killed, and why my friend was hauled away like a criminal."

"Well, in a nutshell-a nearby bank was robbed, the thief took refuge in your shop, and Ryan shot and killed him. Personally, I think it was a righteous shooting, but the man was unarmed at the time, there was major money involved, no other witnesses, and Ryan has a juvie record a mile long. It will be up to the D.A. to decide whether or not he wants to prosecute."

Duncan heaved a sigh of relief. The body hadn't been Tessa after all. Richie's guilty look was caused by the fact that he killed someone. But when Tessa told them what happened, surely all the charges would be dropped. Then something the detective said hit him hard. "You said there were no other witnesses. Where was Tessa? Where is she now?"

"Ms. Noel apparently drank a glass of wine doctored with Valium. She was unconscious at the time of the shooting and has been taken to St. Joe's hospital. The hospital will also do a rape work-up on her."

Duncan felt the earth move beneath his feet, and he swayed slightly. Rape. Not Tessa. No. "She was raped?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. MacLeod. I should have put that better. We don't think it went as far as rape, but we need to know for certain. Now then, I can't let you back into your home yet, it's still a crime scene. I suggest you stay with a friend or get a hotel room, but please let us know where we can reach you." With a nod of his head, the detective turned away and went back into the shop.

Duncan rubbed his temples as he tried to decide what to do next. First and foremost, he wanted to be at the hospital with Tessa. If she had been raped, he wanted to be there when she was told. But the thought of Richie being on his own at the jail also bothered him. Why hadn't he been here when they needed him the most?

The Immortal went back to the T-bird and headed for the hospital. When he got there, he found that Tessa was still unconscious and in an examining room. While he waited, he went to the bank of public phones and placed a call to a friend of his-Jake Hathaway-who was a lawyer. Duncan quickly explained the situation, and his friend promised that he would be on the way to police headquarters to see what he could do.

Satisfied that he had done the best he could at this point for Richie, the Immortal returned to the waiting room. After all, the teenager would understand that Duncan would want to be at Tessa's side. In fact, knowing the youth, he would have told the Immortal to do the same thing. Jake was a top notch lawyer and could do more about getting Richie released than Duncan could. So why did he feel so guilty?

Pacing around the room, constantly telling himself he was doing the correct thing by being at the hospital, he almost missed hearing his name called. Looking up, he saw a young woman, dressed in a lab coat and holding a clipboard, standing by the desk. He went over and introduced himself.

"I'm Doctor Michaels," she said "Please come this way, Mr. MacLeod. Ms. Noel is starting to come around now, and you'll be able to sit with her. We've given her a stimulant to counteract the drugs and alcohol she consumed. Don't be alarmed if she's disoriented-she'll be fine once the drugs have cleared her system. But, to be on the safe side, we'd like to keep her overnight."

"Whatever you think is best, Doctor." Duncan took a deep breath before asking the important question. "Was she raped?"

The Doctor stopped in the hall, turning to face the Highlander. "There is absolutely no indication of sexual intercourse, Mr. MacLeod. However, I would strongly suggest an AIDS test. I've already sent a request in to the police for one on her assailant. I will need consent from Ms. Noel to do the test on her."

"Of course. I'm sure she will agree to one," Duncan said in a haze. AIDS? Just when he thought the nightmare was almost over, something new popped up. They continued their walk down the hallway until the doctor finally stopped in front of a door.

"She's in here," she said with a brief smile. "I'll check back in a little while to see how Ms. Noel is doing."

Pushing the door open, he paused to take in the sight of his love lying so still on the hospital bed. She was dressed in a standard-issue hospital gown, but even it couldn't hide her beauty. Nor could the wires running from beneath it to a heart monitor on a nearby stand. Slowly he walked toward her, fighting the urge to run over, embrace her fiercely, and never let go. Instead, he moved a chair closer to the bed, sank down on it, and picked up her hand, squeezing it gently, while his other hand brushed her cheek.

"Oh, Tessa. I am *so* sorry. I should have been here when you needed me," he murmured gently. Too busy watching the slight rise and fall of her chest, and listening to the constant, reassuring beep of the heart monitor, he missed the doctor's return.

"How is she doing? Any signs of her waking up?" Doctor Michaels asked.

Duncan shook his head. "Not yet. How much longer will it take?" He needed to see her awake, solid proof that she would be all right.

The doctor checked Tessa's vitals before replying. "It won't be much longer. Try talking to her-that usually helps. I'll be back in a little while." Turning, she left the room.

"Talk? How am I supposed to talk to you, Tessa, when you're lying there so quietly? I thought my life was over tonight when I saw that ambulance at the antique store. I don't know what I would have done if the body they carried out of the shop had been you." He heard a slight sigh from the bed. "Tessa? Come on, Tessa, it's time to wake up," he encouraged her.

A slight fluttering of eyelids rewarded him and Duncan kept up the encouragement. Moments later, Tessa's blue eyes were staring up at him.

"Duncan?" she whispered hoarsely. She looked around the room before turning panicked eyes back to him. "What happened? Where am I?" Her voice came out stronger this time.

"Take it easy, Tessa. You're in the hospital, but everything's going to be okay. You drank some drugged wine-do you remember that?" He reached over and cupped her cheek, before helping her sip from the cup of water that had been on the nightstand.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then re-opened them. "Yes, he made me drink it. Duncan, he was going to kill Richie!" She looked around the room again. "Where's Richie?" Her hand clasped his frantically.

"He's fine, Tessa. I saw him before I came here." Hopefully, she would accept that and not ask for details. He didn't really want to tell her that his last view of Richie had been of him in handcuffs. He carefully watched her face and eyes, seeing the acceptance of his words.

"How long have I been here? You weren't supposed to be home for two days."

"Only a few hours. I came home early-I wanted to surprise you for our anniversary, but I was the one who ended up with the surprise."

Tessa smiled and let her eyelids flutter shut again. She kept a firm grip on his hand, but he let her rest. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she gasped. "Chad! He was... he was..." Tears filled her eyes.

Duncan couldn't stand it anymore. He scooped her up in his arms, carefully avoiding the monitor wires and IV tubes. "Shhh, Tessa. Nothing happened. Richie stopped him before he could hurt you." He rocked her gently back and forth as she cried on his shoulder.

"Oh, Duncan, I was so frightened. I didn't know what to do. He kept threatening to kill Richie and then he caught me drugging his wine so he made me drink it. Then he carried me to *our* room and *our* bed. He was going to..."

"I know, Tessa, but you're safe now. He didn't hurt you and he won't be back." He tried to lay her back down, but she clung to him for a long time until she had calmed down enough to let go.

The door to the room opened and the doctor came back in, followed by two men in suits. The first one he recognized as Detective Perry. The doctor came to Tessa's side and did a quick check of her vitals again.

Dr. Michaels turned off the heart monitor, plunging the room into silence. "Everything's fine, Ms. Noel. Now these two police detectives want to talk to you. If you're not up to it, I can have them come back later."

Tessa looked back and forth among the four other people in the room. Duncan gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"Yes, I'll talk to them now," she agreed.

"Very well. If you need anything, buzz the nurses' station." Dr. Michaels then breezed out of the room.

The two detectives came over and introduced themselves, before asking for Tessa's version of the story. Haltingly, she told them what had happened from the time she had entered the store to see Richie lying on the floor to the point where she drunk the wine.

"I don't remember much after that. Just him carrying me to the bedroom."

"Did you think he was going to rape you?"

Tessa nodded her head. "I'm positive."

"And yet you encouraged him throughout the night?"

"It was the only thing I could think of. I wanted him to trust me enough so I could try to drug him. And whenever I didn't do something he wanted, he would threaten to kill Richie."

"Did Ryan appear to know the man who broke into your store? Or give any reason as to why he would want to kill him?"

Tessa turned confused eyes to Duncan. "I don't understand. Chad was a total stranger-why would Richie want to kill him? And why are you asking these questions?"

"Ryan shot and killed him-an unarmed man. We need to know why he did it."

"Oh, Duncan, no," Tessa whispered. "Poor Richie. You didn't tell me that he shot Chad. How is he handling this?"

The Highlander decided it was time to come clean. "I don't know, Tessa. They arrested him. I have a lawyer already working on getting him out of jail."

Tessa turned her full French temper on the two detectives in front of her. "You arrested him! How dare you! If Richie was forced to kill Chad, it was because there wasn't any other choice. He is not a killer. He's just a boy, and he was trying to protect me. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a criminal. In my mind, he's a hero-*my* hero, and I demand that you free him immediately." She turned back to the Immortal. "Duncan, call our lawyer. Have him sue these... these... imbeciles for false arrest. They can't do this to Richie."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Detective Perry tried to soothe her. "But we were just doing our jobs."

"Well, then, you have awful jobs. I suggest you find another line of work. Now, please leave. I don't have anything further to say to you."

Exchanging resigned looks, the two detectives retreated from the field of battle. Tessa continued the war with Duncan.

"If Richie is in jail, why are you here? Go get him out, now! I've heard what those jails are like for young boys."

"Tessa, I had to make sure that you were all right first. Don't worry, Richie can take care of himself." At least he hoped that he could-jails were no place for someone Richie's age. "Besides, Jake is handling it. He's the best man for the job."

Tessa huffed. "Fine. Then go find out how Jake is doing."

"Yes, Tessa." Rising, Duncan lightly kissed her lips and conceded the war.

Striding down the hall, he was almost to the exit leading to the parking lot when he heard his name called. Spinning around, he spotted his friend and lawyer. "Jake, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to the jail to help Richie."

"What can I tell you, Duncan-I'm a great lawyer. Richie isn't in jail anymore. They've dropped all the charges against him. Just wait until you get my bill." He rubbed his hands together in glee. "I've had my eye on this new Ferrari..."

"I'll gladly pay it. I can't believe you already have him released. Thank you, Jake. But you still haven't told me why you are here. And where is Richie?"

"He's why I'm here. I thought it best if a doctor took a look at him."

"Why? What's wrong? Did something happen at the jail?" Duncan grabbed his friend's arms in panic.

"Calm down, Duncan. You're going to blow a gasket if you keep this up. He just lost some skin around his wrists from the cords he was tied with. He had a black eye as well. Nothing serious. I wanted documentation in case you decide to pursue a suit against the police. After all, they denied him medical treatment."

"Thanks again, Jake. I'll handle it from here. I'm sure they're going to want more paperwork filled out for Richie now."

Jake laughed. "Probably. For a small fee, I'll help you with the forms."

"No thanks. I doubt that I could afford *that* bill." With a quick shake of hands, the friends parted, Jake to the parking lot and Duncan to the registration desk. He had just finished filling out the forms when he felt the frisson that warned him of the approach of another of his kind-only this one was so slight, it had to be a Pre-immortal. Looking around, he spotted Richie heading for the exit.

"Richie, wait up," he called after the departing youth. The face that turned to him was not the face he expected. Instead of the happy-go-lucky young man that he had seen before he had gone on his trip, the Immortal saw the shuttered face of the street-wise punk that he had taken into his shop. Had months of struggling to earn Richie's trust and friendship been destroyed by a few hours of violence? "Richie, are you all right?"

"I'll live," came the terse reply. "Is Tessa..."

"She's fine. She's in a room upstairs and is anxious to see you. Why don't we go up there now?" Richie looked like he wanted to do anything else but, and that confused Duncan.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Richie asked, looking everywhere but at the Highlander.

"Yes, she did. I'm so proud of you, Richie." Duncan forced the teenager to meet his eyes and turned his warmest smile on the youth, although it faded somewhat at the look of shame and guilt that filled Richie's eyes. "If it hadn't been for you, Tessa would have been raped, and you both may have ended up dead. You did what you had to do to stay alive. There's no shame in that. I wish you hadn't needed to kill to survive, but if that's what it took..."

Richie pulled away from Duncan's grip and shrugged. The Immortal waited for a moment, hoping that he would say something, but unsure of how to get the youth to open up. "Let's go see Tessa." Maybe she would have better luck. The teenager trailed after him, almost dragging his feet as if reluctant to see her. The normally talkative young man stayed silent during the entire trip up in the elevator and down the hall.

Duncan pushed open the door to Tessa's room and peered inside. Since he had left, someone had removed the wires leading to the heart monitor from Tessa's chest, although she still had the IV running into her arm. She was lying on the bed, eyes pensive, and he hurried forward, determined to erase that look. "Look who I found," he said with a grin, pulling Richie into the room behind him.

Tessa's face lit up. "Richie! Are you all right? I've been so worried when I heard they arrested you."

Richie stayed by the door, looking like he would bolt at any moment. "I'm fine, Tessa," he mumbled, letting his eyes wander anywhere but towards the bed.

Duncan and Tessa exchanged concerned glances, the Immortal shrugging slightly at the question in her eyes.

"Richie," Tessa said in a gentle voice. "What's wrong? What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Is this because you killed that... that... monster who invaded our home? You *had* to do it, Richie. There wasn't any other choice."

Richie shrugged again.

Just then, the nurse came into the room and asked them to leave since visiting hours were long since over. "Ms. Noel needs her rest, too," she said with a frown.

Before leaving, Duncan gave Tessa a quick kiss under the scrutinizing eyes of the nurse. Richie was already waiting out in the hall by the elevators. The trip to the parking lot was a repeat of the trip to Tessa's room, and the Highlander found the silence unnerving. It wasn't until Duncan had driven past the turn that would have led to the antique store, that Richie finally spoke.

"Where are we going?"

"The police told me that we couldn't go back to the apartment until they were through with the investigation. Since they've released you, it's probably over, but I don't want to have to deal with the mess at this time of the night. So I'm going to check us into a hotel. That okay with you?"

"Sure. No problem."

Silence fell again. "Richie, are you upset with me because I went to the hospital to see Tessa instead of coming to help you at the jail?"

"No."

Duncan ground his teeth in frustration. "Then what is it? Talk to me, Richie. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired-okay?"

Duncan decided to drop the subject for now. Maybe Richie would be more talkative in the morning after a good night's sleep. He quickly drove to one of the nicer hotels, and checked them into a suite. While Richie was old enough to be on his own, the Immortal thought it would be better if he were close by, in case the youth wanted someone to talk to. The teenager maintained his silence throughout the check-in process and, once in the suite, he went into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind him.

The Highlander gave him some time before going over and lightly tapping on the door. When no response came, he cautiously opened the door and peered in, hoping that Richie had already fallen asleep. Instead, he found the young man standing by the window, staring out into the darkness.

"You hungry?" he asked. According to Tessa's story, Richie had never eaten dinner.

"No."

"All right. Try to get some sleep, okay?"

"Sure."

Closing the door, Duncan went to his own room and soon fell asleep.

* HL * HL *

The next morning, Duncan called for room service before taking a shower. He made a quick phone call to the police and was informed that they could return to the antique shop. Timing it just right, he was fully dressed when the knock came at the door. After tipping the waiter, he went over to Richie's room, knocked on the door, and opened it. Richie was standing in the same place as the night before. "Breakfast is here, Richie. Come on out and eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You still need to eat something, so come on."

With a deep sigh, Richie joined the Immortal at the table. He made a pretense of eating, but he didn't fool Duncan.

"So, did you sleep at all last night?" Duncan asked with a frown, noting the deep circles under the youth's eyes.

Richie shrugged. "Guess I wasn't tired after all."

"Or maybe you had too much on your mind. Let's talk about it, Richie."

"Nothing to talk about."

Duncan fought the urge to start yelling. The only normal thing about Richie was that he was being stubborn. His lack of appetite, inability to sleep, and his refusal to talk, made him a stranger the Immortal didn't know how to deal with. "Fine, but sooner or later, you're going to have to talk. Now stop playing with your food and eat. Once we're done with breakfast, we'll go over to the shop and start cleaning up."

With great reluctance, Richie started eating. Duncan sighed. At least it was a start.

* HL * HL *

Duncan led the way into the apartment behind the antique store. Nothing missed his eyes-the dirty dishes still sitting on the table, the empty bottle of wine, the tousled covers on Richie's bed, the lengths of cord also on the bed, the pool of blood inside the taped off area where the body had come to rest, and the suit that Tessa must have been wearing, lying on the floor.

Richie had followed him as he checked everything out, and the Highlander heard a gasp behind him when they had reached the master bedroom. Spinning around, he took in Richie's pale face before quickly leading him away, one arm around the teenager's waist in gentle support. "Take it easy, Richie. I'm sorry. I should have let you wait at the hotel until I got everything cleaned up. I wasn't thinking."

"I'm okay. I just didn't expect..."

"I know. Why don't you stay here in the living room-watch television or something, while I clean."

"No. I want to help." Richie's face took on his normal stubborn look.

"Why don't you clean up the dining room and kitchen while I do the bedroom? Okay?" With the doctor's comments about the possibilities of AIDS still uppermost in his mind, there was no way he would let Richie clean up that bastard's blood. As an Immortal, he was safe from that danger. In the future the young man would have to learn how to clean up after himself when he took someone's head, but, right now, cleaning up the blood from the man he shot would be too traumatizing.

"Yeah, I can handle that."

Each of the men went his own way, determined to remove any trace of what had happened. Duncan finished his chores first, having scrubbed the bedroom floor before stripping the mattress, bundling up all the bed covers and cramming them into garbage bags along with Tessa's suit. He wanted nothing that Chad had touched left in the room. He re-made the bed with clean sheets, before carrying the garbage bags to Tessa's workshop. He wanted nothing more than to burn everything, but that would be up to the Frenchwoman. Knowing his luck, if he got rid of them, she would get upset over losing her favorite comforter.

Passing by Richie's room, he stopped and went inside. He quickly untied the cords from the bed, his teeth clenched in anger at the thought of his friend being treated that way. Smoothing out the bedspread, he debated whether to remove it or not, finally deciding to leave it alone. The teenager would probably consider it an insult if he took it.

Richie had the dishwasher loaded, the machine busily humming through its cycle, and was currently scrubbing the countertop. Duncan pitched in, wiping off the dining room table. Finishing up, he emptied his bucket of water, before turning to the teenager.

"I called the hospital a little while ago. Tessa can be discharged any time. Do you want to come with me to pick her up?"

Richie shook his head. "No. I've got some more things to do here."

"Okay. We shouldn't be too long." Duncan left, satisfied that whatever had been bugging Richie had been resolved. He wasn't as talkative as usual, but he had been talking more this morning than he had been last night.

* HL * HL

Richie watched as Mac left the apartment. During the long hours last night, while he had stared out the window, he had come to a decision. He had to leave. It was fairly obvious that Tessa hadn't told the Immortal everything, otherwise Mac would have kicked him out already. It was better to leave first. He went to his room, pulled his duffel bag out, and started packing. It was a lot more difficult than he thought it would be. Somewhere along the way, he had accumulated more clothes and possessions than would fit into one bag. He had to start over, weeding through everything, trying to decide what to keep, and what not to.

With the bag almost full, Richie added one more item-a framed picture of the three of them. It would help him remember the past months-the happiest time of his life. Why had he screwed it up so badly? Defiantly, he wiped away the lone tear that coursed down his cheek. Now wasn't the time to be sentimental. It was time to return to being a tough guy. He would need to, in order to survive on the streets again.

Placing the bag by the back door, Richie wandered through the store and apartment one last time. The memories would have to last him a long time. And there were so many of them-mostly good. Stopping in the office, he decided he had better leave a note, just so they would know he had left on his own. He picked up a pen, chewing on its end as he debated what to say. A glance at the clock warned him to hurry up. He didn't want to be here when they got back. He scribbled down a few lines on a piece of paper, then left it lying on the desk.

He headed for the back door, picked up his bag, and took one last look around. Turning, he crashed into something. Looking up, he saw Mac standing in the doorway, Tessa right behind him.

"Going somewhere?" Duncan asked, his face expressionless as he pointed at the bag Richie was carrying.

Summoning up all his courage, Richie replied, "I'm leaving. I left you a note in the office."

Mac stared at him for the longest time before going into the office. He returned a moment later, anger now filling his face. "You call this a note? 'I decided that the best thing for everyone is for me to leave. I'm sorry. Richie.' Why now? What did we do to make you want to leave?"

"*You* didn't do anything. I... it's just better if I go now."

"I don't understand," Tessa said, disappointment and hurt filling her face. "Why, Richie? You're a member of our family."

"No, I'm not! I'm just a stupid kid you took off the streets for a while. I'm... nobody."

"Richie, we've had this conversation before. You *are* somebody very important to us," Tessa said.

"So, where are you planning on going?" Duncan asked, his face once again expressionless.

Richie shrugged, wishing he knew what the Immortal was really thinking. "I'd have found someplace."

"So, you have no plans, no place to stay. Why are you running away, Richie? You've faced worse than this. What about when Reinhardt kidnapped you? Or the Scalper tried to kill you? Is it because you killed someone this time? Did something happen that you didn't tell the police? Was it more than self-defense? Was he someone you knew before you came here-and decided to take revenge against? Or was he pleading for his life and you still shot him?" Duncan asked, towering over the youth.

"NO! I told him to stay away. I warned him, but he kept coming... I had to shoot him. You've got to believe me."

"Then give me one good reason why you have to leave. Just one. That's all I need."

"It's just for the best."

"Best for who? You? Why would leaving be best for you?"

Richie looked for a way out, but with Mac in his face there didn't seem to be any escape. His head ached-trying to keep from spilling his reasons for leaving took all his concentration. He didn't want the Highlander to hate him, so he couldn't tell.

Tessa approached the teenager. "Richie, yesterday we were on our own-just you and me. And we survived. Now you're talking about leaving. If you think killing Chad would make me be less proud of you, then you're wrong. You saved me-you saved us. If you hadn't been here..." She shuddered at the memory.

"You're wrong, Tessa..." Richie clammed up when he realized he'd almost spilled the beans.

"Why is she wrong, Richie?" Duncan pounced. "Tell me, Richie. Tell me!"

"Okay! You want to know? It's all my fault! If I hadn't been there, Tessa would never have..." Richie felt the heat pouring into his face, and couldn't continue.

Duncan's voice turned deadly. "Tessa wouldn't have what?" He looked back and forth between the two of them. "What haven't I been told?"

Tessa turned a confused look towards the Immortal. "I haven't a clue. Richie, what are you talking about?"

"He used me to get you to do things you'd never do. If I hadn't been there, you would have gotten away from him when the police came. And you would never have... have... kissed him," he blurted out finally. He looked down at his feet, too ashamed to meet their eyes. Then he heard something that totally floored him-Tessa laughed. She actually laughed! "Oh, Richie, is that what this is all about? I want you to listen carefully. Yes, I kissed Chad when he threatened to kill you and, no, I didn't like it. But if you hadn't been here, I would probably have done the same thing. I was stalling for time. He would never have let me go to the door. And, if you hadn't been there, he would have raped me, and there wouldn't have been anyone to stop him."

"But if I had kept my mouth shut..."

"No. No buts. Even if you had kept quiet, I'm positive that Chad would have still come up with some reason to threaten you. We came through this because we were together. Now, I want you to take your bag and go unpack it. There will be no more talk about you leaving, understand?"

Richie looked over at Mac. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Duncan gave an exasperated sigh. "Richie, you've been the bait several times since you moved in here. Felicia used you to get me to the beach; Reinhardt used you, too. The only difference this time is that Tessa was the one involved instead of me. Whenever you care about someone, that makes you vulnerable. It's a risk we all take. But the alternative is loneliness, and that's not something I want. You leaving won't stop us caring about you. We'll still worry. And I'm not about to hold anything you or Tessa did last night against you. You did what you had to do to survive in a life-threatening situation. That's the most important thing to me. Understand?"

Richie nodded, suddenly feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "I guess so." He glanced over at Tessa. "I just wish that you hadn't let Chad use me that way. You could have gotten away before he had done anything."

"Oh, Richie. I couldn't let you be hurt. I told you that last night," she said, smiling gently at the teenager.

"The choice is never yours, Richie. I could have left you at Reinhardt's mercy. It was my choice, just as last night it was Tessa's choice. You have to accept that. We both care about you enough that we're willing to risk ourselves to see you safe." Duncan reached out and pulled Richie into a bear hug. "I'm proud of you, Richie. And I want to thank you for saving Tessa. It's something I'll never forget." He released the youth and drew back. "Now go unpack," he ordered in a stern voice.

Richie beamed. "Yes, sir!" He shouldered his bag and headed for his room. It felt good to be cared for.

The end