Duncan closed his book and looked over at Richie, who was sitting curled up on one end of the couch with his notebook propped up on one knee weaving his pen through his fingers. Suddenly Richie looked up and met his gaze.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Then stop staring at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Just stop staring at me. You're making me nervous."

"Then I won't look at you."

"Okay."

"Okay." Duncan reopened his book and Richie went back to writing. "Hey, Richie?" Duncan asked after a few seconds.

"Huh?" He didn't look up.

"What are you writing?"

"My will."

"What are you writing?" He repeated.

"This thing I call Lord of the Rings, it's about these creatures called hobbits."

"Sounds interesting. What are you writing?" Duncan repeated evenly.

"What are you reading?"

"I asked you first."

"I changed the subject."

"You are extremely stubborn, you know that?"

"It's all part of my charm." Richie said standing up and going into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" Duncan asked following him.

"I'm noticing a trend here, Mac." Richie said pulling things out of the cupboards. "What have I started?"

"It was a big mistake to spark my curiosity."

"So I've noticed. But to answer your question: I'm making a snack, because I'm hungry."

"What are you making?" Duncan asked as Richie poured some marshmallows into a bowl.

"This thing I make sometimes, it doesn't have a name." He put the bowl in the microwave.

"So he writes and makes nameless foods, but does he sing?"

"You just really want to know don't you?"

"Yes." Duncan smiled and put his hands on his hips innocently

"Fine, I'm not great but I don't completely suck." Richie admitted pouring cereal into the melted marshmallows.

"Well, if you don't think you suck, then you must be pretty good." Duncan smiled. "Am I ever going to get to hear?"

Richie picked up his bowl and turned to leave. "Get me some kind of accompaniment and we'll talk."

"Does that mean you play something?"

"Guitar and piano, take your pick." He called over his shoulder.

. . . . . .

Richie closed the door to his room. He went to his sock drawer and pulled out a wad of cash. $132. He needed $150 more until he could buy the guitar that he wanted. Sure, it was expensive, but if he was going to drop a load of money on something like a guitar he was going to go to the top of the line. He had also found a keyboard that he wanted when he had gone to drool over the guitar. And now he couldn't decide between the two. He sat on the edge of his bed and ate his marshmallow/cereal concoction while staring at the spiral sitting on his dresser. He blinked and looked at the money sitting on the bed next to him. He needed $150 before Christmas if his idea was going to work. He had a week and a half.

. . . . . .

Thirty bucks short. Thirty stupid, lousy bucks more and he would have his guitar. Richie fell back onto his bed.

'Stupid thirty bucks' he thought rolling over onto his stomach. He looked at the clock by his bed, two thirty-seven a.m.

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. First he'd be too hot, then he'd be too cold, then he'd be hungry, then he'd have to pee, then he'd be thirsty, then he'd count his $252 get annoyed by his lack of thirty bucks and the cycle would start over. He blamed his nerves. He had been planning to surprise Duncan and Tessa with a song he had been working on and he had been planning on having a guitar. But, he had promised himself that he would do it on Christmas, so he was stuck. He looked at the clock three forty-two. He began clenching and releasing the muscles in his legs.

'Damn nerves. Damn money..Damn Mac.' He finally decided. If he was going to blame anyone if was Duncan. 'After all,' Richie reasoned 'He was the one that couldn't keep his nose out of my stuff.'



After several more hours of room pacing, ceiling staring, clock watching, money counting, and grumbling Richie heard somebody in the kitchen. He quietly crept down the hall and peeked around the corner. Tessa was setting the table and Duncan was standing at the counter making waffles. As if sensing him, Duncan looked up and smiled at him.

"Good morning." He greeted. "Merry Christmas."

"Uh, yeah, Merry Christmas, Mac."

"What about me?" Tessa huffed playfully.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Tessa." Richie said giving her a peck on the cheek.

"What about me?" Duncan asked.

"Not a chance, Mac."

. . . . . .

Duncan looked at Richie's bouncing knee. "Anxious are we?"

Richie looked up from his fifth waffle. "Huh? Oh, um just fidgety."

"It's okay to be excited, Richie." Tessa said.

"Maybe that's part of it." Richie admitted. After all, this was one of his first real Christmases. "But I'm still just fidgety." The attention was already starting to make him uncomfortable. He was not looking forward to his little surprise.



Twenty minutes and four waffles later, Richie's knee was still bouncing.

"Okay, Richie, you're driving me insane." Duncan said exasperated.

"Sorry." He mumbled reaching for another waffle.

"You have got to be kidding me, you can not still be hungry."

"Yeah, well I'm a growing boy." The truth was, Richie hadn't been hungry to begin with. He hadn't even tasted the nine waffles he had already scarfed, but if eating delayed the performance Duncan and Tessa didn't know that they were about to get; he would eat forever.



Ten minutes later Tessa was staring at Richie as he downed yet another waffle. She had lost count after twelve.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Nothing." He shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Because I've never seen you eat so much."

"Sorry." He blushed lightly. "I guess I'm just hungry."

"That's an understatement." Duncan mumbled.

"Fine, I'm done. Is that what you want to hear." Richie snapped.

"Well don't let me tear you away from your meal." Duncan shot back.

"I'm done. I'm finished." He insisted sitting back in his chair.

"Okay then." Duncan said clapping his hands together. "Now on to the fun part."

"Dishes?" Richie asked hopefully.

. . . . . .

Richie's knee was bouncing harder than ever and his palms were sweating as he untied the ribbon from the last box from under the tree.

"Wow, thanks." He added the sweater to the pile of presents at his feet.

"Don't you like it?" Tessa asked.

Richie swallowed hard. "Yeah, I do. I can't believe you guys did all this. I guess I don't know how to react." His mouth was going dry. He swallowed again. "I really do appreciate it." He tried to smile, but his mouth didn't seem to want to.

"Well there's one more." Duncan said standing up.

"More?" Richie croaked.

"Just one."

"Mac, no. I can't accept that." Richie said eyes wide as he looked at the big box Duncan had produced from behind the couch.

"You don't even know what it is yet."

"But I got all this stuff already." He protested.

"Just this one more. It's sort of for me, too."

Richie raised his eyebrows and took the box. He looked at it for a moment trying to figure out what it was.

"Are you going to open it or just stare?" Tessa asked. Richie swallowed hard and nodded. Slowly he untied the ribbon and opened the box.

"Holy." he started. "I mean, why.how.no, why did you.I don't get it." Richie stammered not quite sure what to say.

"You said if I got you accompaniment you would sing."

Richie blushed. "I said we'd talk. And I was joking. I didn't expect.this." He gestured to the box.

"I saw you at the music store and couldn't decide which one to get so."

"Seriously, I can't accept this. It's too much. It's too expensive. I can't."

"I want you to."

"I can't."

"At least try one of them before you make a decision." Tessa spoke up. Richie eyed the guitar and keyboard.

"And you owe us a song." Duncan added. Richie lightly touched the guitar and looked at Tessa.

"Go ahead." She urged. "Play something."

Richie swallowed hard and wiped his hands on his jeans. He checked the tuning and turned a few pegs before strumming his first chord. He closed his eyes and played another.

"Well?" Tessa asked.

"It does sound nice." Richie admitted with a smile. "And I bet I look real good, too."

"You do." She agreed.

Richie played a few more chords, then came to a decision: It was no or never. He slowly made the transition into the intro of his song. Duncan and Tessa smiled at each other approvingly. Then, in slight surprise, they turned to Richie as a soft, timid bass voice began to sing along.

"If I ever leave this world alive I'll thank you for the things you did in my life If I ever leave this world alive I'll come back down and sit beside you feet tonight

Wherever I am you'll always be More than just a memory If I ever leave this world alive."

Richie looked up at them then quickly closed his eyes again.

"If I ever leave this world alive I'll take on the sadness that I left behind If I ever leave this world alive The madness that you feel will soon subside

So in a word don't shed a tear I'll be here when it all gets weird If I ever leave this world alive"

Duncan sat down next to Tessa and she put her arms around his waist.

"So when in doubt just call my name Just before you go insane If I ever leave this world Hey I may never leave this world But if I ever leave this world alive."

He let the final chord hang in the air. As the sound faded Richie opened his eyes and looked at the floor. Neither Duncan nor Tessa spoke, which made Richie very nervous. His heart somehow made it from his chest to his throat and was blocking air from his lungs. His palms started sweating harder and he felt he was about to faint. Slowly he raised his eyes to Duncan and Tessa. He couldn't read their faces. Carefully he replaced the guitar back in the box next to the keyboard.

"I knew this was a bad idea." He said getting up.

"Richie." Tessa said abruptly.

"What?" He demanded turning to face them.

"That was amazing." She breathed. "Did you write that?"

"Uh-huh." He answered wearily.

"By yourself?"

"Uh-huh."

"When?" Duncan asked.

"A couple weeks ago I started. I finished it last night. It took me a while."

"It's.you wrote that?"

"Is it really that hard to believe?" Richie asked.

"Well, no. Why would you hide a talent like that from us?"

"Why would you hide it at all?" Tessa added.

"I'm just not used to people caring what I do. It throws me off to all of a sudden have two people so freakishly interested in me." He explained.

"What do you mean?" Tessa asked lightly putting her hand on his arm.

"How do you guys always do this to me?" He mumbled sinking back into the chair. "Okay I think we can all agree that we had three very different upbringings, right?" He started.

"What are you getting at?" Duncan asked. Richie looked him in the eye.

"Like, where you grew up it wasn't healthy to bathe and people died of the flu. And you Tessa, I bet you had fresh milk on your doorstep every morning. Am I right?" They nodded. "Well, where I come from you never saw or heard anything, and mommy and daddy of the moment didn't care what you did as long as they got their check every week."

"Richie." Tessa started.

"Look, I'm a little 'shared out' for today and I got no sleep last night. So if you don't mind I'm going to go lock myself in my room and, I don't know die or something." He got up and began to leave.

"Richie." Duncan tried to stop him.

"Not now, Mac. You can one-more-question me later, okay? I'll answer what ever you want, but just not now." He disappeared into his room. "Actually." His door reopened. "I have a question for you." He came back out and stood in front of Duncan. "How come you always have one more question? Did you just sit around for four-hundred years and come up with annoying questions to ask people?"

"Not all four-hundred." Duncan responded lightly. Richie was clearly not happy with his answer. "Is this your way of telling me to ask less questions?"

"No, this is. Stop asking me so many questions! If it's anything important you should know you'll find out. But I'm a private person, I'm not into telling people everything, and it makes me uncomfortable to have people asking so many questions. So stop."

"I'll make a deal with you." Duncan offered. "If it's important you tell us, and I'll stop asking questions."

"Isn't that what I just said?"

"Is it a deal?" Duncan asked ignoring Richie's question.

"Yeah, deal."