Standing in the kitchen alone, sorting through what had to be tossed before they left, Duncan couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong with Richie. Normally, he would have discussed it with Tessa, but the woman was so anxious about the trip, he hadn't wanted to burden her with his own paranoia. And besides, she had run out to the store to pick up what she referred to as 'necessities' for the trip as soon as they had gotten the table cleared.

Starring into the refrigerator, lost in his own thoughts, the Immortal was startled by the very loud and, frankly, annoying pounding that was happening on his back door. As he neared the loud distraction, his temper began to flare.

"What in the hell?" The Immortal stopped in his tracks as he stared at the offender. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for answers." Jason replied, pushing past the man as he walked into the loft uninvited.

Duncan closed the door behind him. "Please, do come in."

"Thank you." Jason returned equally as sarcastically. He walked through the apartment, obviously searching for something.

Or, in Duncan's opinion, someone. "Richie isn't here."

"I know." Jason replied flatly, surprising the Immortal. "Is it just us?"

"Yes." Duncan replied, suspicious of the question and curious as to how the man knew Richie wasn't home. "What do you want?"

"An explanation. And you've got about 30 seconds to come up with a damn good one." Jason replied.

"Richie told you we're going to France." Duncan returned in realization.

This reply angered his visitor to no end. "Damn right he did. What the hell is wrong with you? Abandoning him like that; as if you hadn't just given your word that you were going to keep him. Are you schizophrenic or something?"

"Abandon him?" Duncan repeated. "What are you talking about, I'm not abandoning him."

"What do you call taking off on him for weeks?" Jason shot back.

Suddenly, Duncan realized what had been out of place during the conversation with Richie. "You've been talking to him?"

"Obviously." Jason returned hotly.

Duncan's response greatly melted some of that hostility. "And he thinks we're leaving him."

"He does." Jason replied, not having expected that as a response. He continued suspiciously. "Are you telling me you aren't?"

"Of course not." Duncan replied shortly. "He can't honestly believe that I'd up and leave the country without him."

"Have you two never been introduced? Honestly, the idea that you are still surprised when he thinks he is being abandoned amazes me. Do you know him at all?" Jason asked.

It was not a question that put the Immortal at ease. "Of course I know him. I just didn't realize that he is still mistrusting that I'll keep him."

"Do you remember the night in the alley?" Jason asked.

Again, a topic that didn't exactly warm Duncan's heart. "You mean the time I found you two out there in the middle of the night, him sick and jacketless? Vividly, thank you."

"I asked him if he wanted to stay here." Jason told him.

The idea that the man had considered taking the teen away did not exactly settle well with the Immortal, either. "And?"

"And he told me that, until you got sick of him, he was liking it here." Jason replied.

"Until I get sick of him?" The Immortal repeated.

Jason nodded shortly. "And then you get in a fight and, an hour later, decide you're leaving."

"A fight?" Duncan replied, not getting the reference.

But Jason reminded him. "Over some concert. Richie said he had made you mad by wanting to go to some concert and you'd gotten tired of it and decided to take off."

"That's not…I would never…" Richie's words were swimming through his head. 'I guess I'll get to go out of town after all, huh?' How had he missed the fact that they had been having two entirely separate conversations? "Where is he?"

"Why?" Jason asked.

Duncan was hardly in the mood for the questioning, despite his gratitude to the man. "We need to get a few things straightened out."

"Like what?" Jason questioned, not entirely trusting that the Immortal would be forgiving of the teen.

The Scotsman was, apparently, not having a very intuitive day. He didn't get the reference. "Like that his home here in not temporary."

"And you plan to do that by?" The man pressed.

Duncan finally understood what Jason was alluding to. He was appalled. "Not by harming him, if that's what you mean."

"You'll have me to answer to should you change your mind." Jason replied darkly.

Duncan was far from afraid. "Fine. Just tell me where he is."

"I told him to meet me on the docks." Jason finally replied.

"He knows you're here?" Duncan replied, both surprised and concerned.

"Hardly." Jason returned.

"Thank you." Duncan replied shortly, already shrugging on his jacket and leading the man towards the door.

As soon as he spotted the teen, standing on the edge of the dock tossing rocks into the water, a mixture of emotions flooded through the man. Relief. Sadness. Joy. Pity. He couldn't even decide which one was most prevalent. It didn't really matter though. All that mattered was getting things straightened out with Richie. And getting the teen home.

As he neared the boy, he was shocked to realize that his approach was continuing to go unnoticed. This was not like Richie at all. Usually the teen was as jumpy as a cat. He definitely was lost in his own emotions. It wasn't until the Immortal had taken a hold of the bottom of the teen's coat, that he was even noticed.

Startled out of his thoughts, the frightened teen turned towards the man. His relief that it was only the Scotsman was evident. After all, it wasn't exactly a good idea to be unaware of your surroundings on the docks at twilight. Still, he was hardly expecting the Immortal. "Mac?"

"Funny, the zipper doesn't seem stuck." Duncan told him as he gripped the other side of the teen's jacket and abruptly zipped it up.

Richie barely even processed the comment. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a wonder you've never had frostbite. Who kept you warm before we met?" The Immortal questioned, pulling the teen tightly to his chest.

Richie tried to push away. "Mac, come on. We're in public."

"Afraid you'll loss your tough guy image among the junkies and skells?" Duncan asked, still holding tightly to the teen.

Richie didn't address the question. "What's going on?"

"This doesn't look much like the park." Duncan told him, gently prying himself away from the teen and leading him towards the car.

Richie blushed slightly at the question, shaking Duncan's arm off his shoulder. It wasn't until the Immortal firmly gripped his hand that he replied. "Mac. Come on, let go. People'll talk."

"All right." The Immortal said nonchalantly. "If you'd rather I carry you."

As the Immortal let go and leaned over to do just that, Richie stopped him. "Okay, okay." The teen replied, this time grabbing the man's hand.

As they walked across the dock and towards the car Duncan had parked in the alley, Richie finally broke the silence between them. "Mac?"

"Yeah?" The Immortal replied simply.

Richie hesitantly questioned him. "Where are we going?"

"Home." The man told him resolutely. "You and I have a few things we need to talk about."

As Duncan held the passenger door open for him, Richie couldn't feel anything but trepidation. It was definitely not his day.