"Mac, I can explain. Whatever you're thinking it didn't happen." Richie
started.
"What am I supposed to think? I'm gone for one night and come home to find an eighteen year old boy in bed with a girl who looks like she isn't even old enough to drive yet!" Duncan roared with such force that Richie's knees gave way and he flopped rather ungracefully onto the couch.
"She's sixteen, and I didn't say what you're thinking wasn't justified, after all you still don't really know me and you don't know her. What I said was it didn't happen." He explained once he found his voice.
"Then enlighten me, what did happen?" Duncan shouted.
"We ordered a pizza, then you called, the storm hit here, I told her to stay, she kicked my butt at poker, then we showered. . . separately. . . talked and fell asleep. The next thing I know I'm freezing my ass off and getting yelled at!" Richie shouted back.
"So nothing happened?" His voice became eerily calm.
"Nothing happened." Richie repeated. "So do you mind if I go rescue Rylan? I've been on the receiving end of Tessa's anger and it's not pretty."
"Rylan?" Duncan repeated confused by the sudden change of subject.
"Yeah, Rylan. The girl you were yelling at me about."
"She a friend?"
"Best friend. Since we were little."
"Best friend, huh? How come you never mentioned her before?"
"Because I knew if I told you about her, you'd want to meet her."
"And? I'm going to meet her now."
"Now I know I can talk to her without divulging a certain secret. One which I'm sure she would love to know."
"Oh really?" Duncan raised his eyebrows.
"When she was little she saw two guys fighting with swords. To me it was just was just some story she used to tell. Until a couple months ago." Richie said quietly. "She saw it and nobody believed her, but now I can finally explain to her what she saw."
"You can't tell her, Richie." Duncan warned.
"I know. I made it all up. That was the deal wasn't it?"
. . . . . .
Richie paused in the doorway. Rylan's face was a mixture of fear and bewilderment as she stared up at Tessa. Richie sat down next to Rylan and listened to Tessa ramble. Finally she stopped and looked directly at the teens.
"Am I right?" She asked.
"Um, oui?" Richie answered with a shy smile.
"I'm not sure." Rylan said. "I think I might have heard 'Richie' in there a couple times, but I don't speak French."
"French? Was a speaking French?" Tessa asked looking back and fourth between them.
"Almost since the beginning."
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"Have you ever seen yourself when you're mad? Even Mac avoids you." Richie interjected. "And I'm pretty sure it wasn't warranted." He added. "Because if you were talking about what Mac was going to talk about, you just wasted your time. Nothing happened."
. . . . . .
"So can we try this again?" A now fully clothed Richie asked entering the kitchen followed by a suddenly shy Rylan. "Duncan MacLeod, Tessa Noel, this is Rylan Fisher. Rylan, this is Mac and Tessa, they own the joint." He introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Rylan." Duncan said shaking her hand. She smiled sweetly but said nothing. He smiled back causing the heat to rise in her cheeks. "We were about to make breakfast, would you like to join us?"
"Um, no. I better get going. But thanks anyway." She said.
"Well, maybe some other time."
"You never know." She replied looking between the floor and his face.
"I'll walk you out." Richie said leading the way. "Somebody's in luv." He cooed in her ear.
"Yeah, well he's hot. So bite me." She returned. "Am I that obvious?"
"You only get that goofy look on your face for one reason."
"Great." She laughed.
"Hey, look before you go. Are you okay?" He asked.
"A little embarrassed." She shrugged.
"I'm serious. You know what I'm talking about." He pushed back the sleeve of her shirt revealing four thin bruises braceleting her forearm. "Well?" He asked expectantly.
"I'm fine. I can handle it." She pushed her sleeve back down.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Rich. It's not like this is the first time. I know the dos and don'ts. For instance, I have to go. Now."
"Ry, if you ever need to get away. You know where I am. Don't tough it out, just get over here okay?"
"Okay." She sighed rolling her eyes.
He took her by the shoulders. "Rylan!"
"I promise!"
"Okay." He let her go. "I'll see you later?"
"With that guy upstairs? Damn straight you will." She winked and jogged away.
. . . . . .
"So she knows about immortals?" Tessa asked handing Richie a dish to dry.
"She doesn't know what she saw. By now she probably doesn't know if she really saw it or not. I didn't even believe her, and she's never lied to me." Richie hoped his statement was true about their conversation in the alley just an hour before.
"Does she still remember?"
"She writes about it. She's got a whole series that she wants to get published. She thinks she made up this whole back-story, but I think she heard them talking. Either that or she's really immortal and doesn't know it yet."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I can't tell her, Mac made that pretty clear."
"Do you want to?"
"You have no idea. This is killing me. I avoided her for four months because of this. Even if she can't prove to anyone else that she's not crazy, at least she would know." Richie sighed. 'And I know she can keep a secret.' He added to himself.
. . . . . .
"How's Rylan doing?" Duncan asked over dinner. "She hasn't been around since that morning. I hope we didn't scare her too badly." Richie didn't answer, just continued to pick at the chicken on his plate. "Is everything okay?" Still no response. Duncan reached out and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Richie?"
Richie's head snapped up. "Sorry, what?"
"You've been very quiet lately. Is anything wrong?"
"Nope, everything's fine." Richie said with a forced smile.
"Are you sure? You have been really quiet." Tessa said.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Am I not allowed to be quiet or something? Everything's fine!" Richie snapped getting up.
"Where are you going?" Duncan asked.
"Out!" Richie yelled, grabbing his jacket.
Tessa looked at Duncan. "What is his problem? He's been so short tempered lately. I know teenagers are supposed to be moody, but this is ridiculous!"
. . . . . .
Richie took off his helmet and looked out over the water. He felt a little stupid having stormed out like he did. The truth was he was worried about Rylan, he hadn't seen her in almost a week. That wasn't like her at all. She would let him disappear and have his space for as long as he needed, but once he came back they would go back to being together all the time. This wasn't like her at all; something had to be wrong. Richie had the sinking feeling that his visit to her current foster home had something to do with it, and another visit would just make it worse. There was no way to get a hold of her, nobody he asked had seen her, and he knew she was in trouble.
"What am I supposed to think? I'm gone for one night and come home to find an eighteen year old boy in bed with a girl who looks like she isn't even old enough to drive yet!" Duncan roared with such force that Richie's knees gave way and he flopped rather ungracefully onto the couch.
"She's sixteen, and I didn't say what you're thinking wasn't justified, after all you still don't really know me and you don't know her. What I said was it didn't happen." He explained once he found his voice.
"Then enlighten me, what did happen?" Duncan shouted.
"We ordered a pizza, then you called, the storm hit here, I told her to stay, she kicked my butt at poker, then we showered. . . separately. . . talked and fell asleep. The next thing I know I'm freezing my ass off and getting yelled at!" Richie shouted back.
"So nothing happened?" His voice became eerily calm.
"Nothing happened." Richie repeated. "So do you mind if I go rescue Rylan? I've been on the receiving end of Tessa's anger and it's not pretty."
"Rylan?" Duncan repeated confused by the sudden change of subject.
"Yeah, Rylan. The girl you were yelling at me about."
"She a friend?"
"Best friend. Since we were little."
"Best friend, huh? How come you never mentioned her before?"
"Because I knew if I told you about her, you'd want to meet her."
"And? I'm going to meet her now."
"Now I know I can talk to her without divulging a certain secret. One which I'm sure she would love to know."
"Oh really?" Duncan raised his eyebrows.
"When she was little she saw two guys fighting with swords. To me it was just was just some story she used to tell. Until a couple months ago." Richie said quietly. "She saw it and nobody believed her, but now I can finally explain to her what she saw."
"You can't tell her, Richie." Duncan warned.
"I know. I made it all up. That was the deal wasn't it?"
. . . . . .
Richie paused in the doorway. Rylan's face was a mixture of fear and bewilderment as she stared up at Tessa. Richie sat down next to Rylan and listened to Tessa ramble. Finally she stopped and looked directly at the teens.
"Am I right?" She asked.
"Um, oui?" Richie answered with a shy smile.
"I'm not sure." Rylan said. "I think I might have heard 'Richie' in there a couple times, but I don't speak French."
"French? Was a speaking French?" Tessa asked looking back and fourth between them.
"Almost since the beginning."
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"Have you ever seen yourself when you're mad? Even Mac avoids you." Richie interjected. "And I'm pretty sure it wasn't warranted." He added. "Because if you were talking about what Mac was going to talk about, you just wasted your time. Nothing happened."
. . . . . .
"So can we try this again?" A now fully clothed Richie asked entering the kitchen followed by a suddenly shy Rylan. "Duncan MacLeod, Tessa Noel, this is Rylan Fisher. Rylan, this is Mac and Tessa, they own the joint." He introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, Rylan." Duncan said shaking her hand. She smiled sweetly but said nothing. He smiled back causing the heat to rise in her cheeks. "We were about to make breakfast, would you like to join us?"
"Um, no. I better get going. But thanks anyway." She said.
"Well, maybe some other time."
"You never know." She replied looking between the floor and his face.
"I'll walk you out." Richie said leading the way. "Somebody's in luv." He cooed in her ear.
"Yeah, well he's hot. So bite me." She returned. "Am I that obvious?"
"You only get that goofy look on your face for one reason."
"Great." She laughed.
"Hey, look before you go. Are you okay?" He asked.
"A little embarrassed." She shrugged.
"I'm serious. You know what I'm talking about." He pushed back the sleeve of her shirt revealing four thin bruises braceleting her forearm. "Well?" He asked expectantly.
"I'm fine. I can handle it." She pushed her sleeve back down.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, Rich. It's not like this is the first time. I know the dos and don'ts. For instance, I have to go. Now."
"Ry, if you ever need to get away. You know where I am. Don't tough it out, just get over here okay?"
"Okay." She sighed rolling her eyes.
He took her by the shoulders. "Rylan!"
"I promise!"
"Okay." He let her go. "I'll see you later?"
"With that guy upstairs? Damn straight you will." She winked and jogged away.
. . . . . .
"So she knows about immortals?" Tessa asked handing Richie a dish to dry.
"She doesn't know what she saw. By now she probably doesn't know if she really saw it or not. I didn't even believe her, and she's never lied to me." Richie hoped his statement was true about their conversation in the alley just an hour before.
"Does she still remember?"
"She writes about it. She's got a whole series that she wants to get published. She thinks she made up this whole back-story, but I think she heard them talking. Either that or she's really immortal and doesn't know it yet."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I can't tell her, Mac made that pretty clear."
"Do you want to?"
"You have no idea. This is killing me. I avoided her for four months because of this. Even if she can't prove to anyone else that she's not crazy, at least she would know." Richie sighed. 'And I know she can keep a secret.' He added to himself.
. . . . . .
"How's Rylan doing?" Duncan asked over dinner. "She hasn't been around since that morning. I hope we didn't scare her too badly." Richie didn't answer, just continued to pick at the chicken on his plate. "Is everything okay?" Still no response. Duncan reached out and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Richie?"
Richie's head snapped up. "Sorry, what?"
"You've been very quiet lately. Is anything wrong?"
"Nope, everything's fine." Richie said with a forced smile.
"Are you sure? You have been really quiet." Tessa said.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Am I not allowed to be quiet or something? Everything's fine!" Richie snapped getting up.
"Where are you going?" Duncan asked.
"Out!" Richie yelled, grabbing his jacket.
Tessa looked at Duncan. "What is his problem? He's been so short tempered lately. I know teenagers are supposed to be moody, but this is ridiculous!"
. . . . . .
Richie took off his helmet and looked out over the water. He felt a little stupid having stormed out like he did. The truth was he was worried about Rylan, he hadn't seen her in almost a week. That wasn't like her at all. She would let him disappear and have his space for as long as he needed, but once he came back they would go back to being together all the time. This wasn't like her at all; something had to be wrong. Richie had the sinking feeling that his visit to her current foster home had something to do with it, and another visit would just make it worse. There was no way to get a hold of her, nobody he asked had seen her, and he knew she was in trouble.