Richie looked out the window and watched the streets of Seacover rush
by. He had ridden silently all the way across town to pick up food and now
he was bored. He had half expected Duncan to scream at him the whole way,
and the other half that was expecting the silence had hoped for screaming.
The silence left Richie to wonder exactly what Duncan was thinking, and
Richie didn't want to think about it. He reached up and turned the dial
on the radio. He found a station and went back to staring out the window.
"Richie?" Duncan said turning off the radio.
"Yeah?" He asked happy the silence was over.
"What happened back there?"
"You mean the argument with Rylan?"
"And you, yes."
Richie shrugged. "That's what we do. I guess you triggered a reflex."
"That's one hell of a defensive reflex you've got: Distract the enemy long enough for the other to get away, divide their emotions, confuse them into submission."
"It works, doesn't it?"
"You seem like you've had a lot of practice."
"Enough."
"I bet it didn't help that I was angry to begin with."
Richie snorted. "It didn't help you. It made our job that much easier."
"That hasn't happened again, has it?"
"What?" Richie asked looking at Duncan. "Oh, that. It's almost happened once, almost. I was older then, bigger, not so freaked out by the whole idea. So I, you know, fought back, kicked some ass. I doubt he ever tried again, I think I might have made a convert out of the guy. His face when I. . . well, let's just say it wasn't quit the experience he was looking for, but he won't soon forget it."
"Him?"
"Oh, well once, that time." Richie said quietly.
"The first time, it wasn't a man was it?"
Richie looked back out the window. "No."
"It explains a lot about you." Duncan said almost to himself.
"What?"
"The way you always jump in to protect people, it makes more sense now. There was nobody there for. . ."
"Aw, Mac, save the physiology stuff, would ya? I know the whole 'you are a product of your environment' shpeel. I've heard it a million times." They lapsed back into silence for a minute.
"So were you both living with the same family when it happened?" Duncan asked.
"Yup." He answered. "It's when we started sleeping together. That didn't come out right, but you know what I mean."
"Then it happened in the middle of the night?"
"Yup."
"And if you slept in the same bed they couldn't wake up one of you without waking up the other."
"Yup. It's easier to shut up one kid at a time. After that it became habit, more comfortable, more natural."
"But I thought Tessa said you watched."
"We did, but you don't make a lot of noise when you're barely conscience." Duncan almost couldn't hear Richie's response over the traffic.
"No, I guess you wouldn't."
"You mind if we change the subject? Not that I'm not loving all the attention, but I could really do without it."
"This isn't the type of thing you can just ignore, Richie."
"It seemed to work before." He said starting to get defensive.
"Okay, what do you want to talk about, then?" Duncan asked.
Richie thought for a moment. "What happened at the police station?"
"I'll let Rylan fill you in on the details. But long story short, I hope you don't mind sharing for a little while, she's staying with us until the trial."
Richie looked back over at Duncan. "How long is that going to be?"
He shrugged, "I'm not sure, a week maybe. I assume that's okay with you."
"Yeah, it's fine with me." Richie smiled genuinely at Duncan for the first time in days. "More then fine. I like having her around again. And I assume that's what she meant when she said she didn't have a choice about sticking around?"
Duncan nodded. "How did you guys meet? If you don't mind me asking."
"Uh, I think it was the Johnson's. I was six, she was four. It was my first experience with the whole foster home deal. And as pathetic as it sounds she was a pro with the system. We got along great. We had a really strong bond, even at that age. She kind of showed me the ropes. And back then the age difference wasn't a big deal so we stuck together. Then when we were old enough for the age thing to mean anything we were too close for it to matter."
"You get along great, huh?" Duncan chuckled.
"Yeah, you wouldn't know from what you've seen. But we really do thought. She's really deep, a writer to the core. But if you catch her in the right mood, she acts like she's ten. The prefect balance for someone like me."
"Someone like you?"
"You know, always goofing around and cracking jokes, with minor bursts of serious when the mood strikes." Richie explained, starting to sound more like himself.
"What type of things does she do?"
" She writes. . .gets into trouble, a lot. She's on a first name basis with a lot of the SPD."
"So I noticed. Everyone seemed to know her down there." Duncan smiled.
"That sounds about right." Richie commented glad Duncan had begun to loosen up. "She used to take kick-boxing lessons, she loves to jog and work out, you two should actual get along pretty well."
"I'll take your word for it."
. . . . . .
Dinner was mostly quiet with the exception of a few requests for the pepper or rice. Richie and Rylan looked mostly at their plates, but stole a glance at each other every few minutes. Tessa sounded as if she were about to cry every time she tried to say something, and Duncan curiously eyed the interaction between the teens.
"Does anyone want dessert?" He asked once everyone had resorted to pushing his or her food around with their chopsticks.
"Of course." Richie replied getting up and gathering plates.
"I'll help." Rylan got up, grabbed the rest of the dishes, and followed him to the sink. "Dessert?" She asked nudging him in the ribs. "How very 'Leave it to Beaver'."
"You'll get used to it." He nudged her back. She let out a small yelp. "Oh! Sorry."
"You'd better be. I know where you live. So what's for. . . what did you call it?" She smiled massaging the sore spot.
"Dessert." Duncan said from behind them. "It's the optional final course to a meal usually consisting of something sweet."
"Like chocolate cake." Richie finished watching Tessa place one on the table.
"Oh, I like this. . .dessert thing." Rylan sat back down at the table.
"Richie?" Duncan said turning off the radio.
"Yeah?" He asked happy the silence was over.
"What happened back there?"
"You mean the argument with Rylan?"
"And you, yes."
Richie shrugged. "That's what we do. I guess you triggered a reflex."
"That's one hell of a defensive reflex you've got: Distract the enemy long enough for the other to get away, divide their emotions, confuse them into submission."
"It works, doesn't it?"
"You seem like you've had a lot of practice."
"Enough."
"I bet it didn't help that I was angry to begin with."
Richie snorted. "It didn't help you. It made our job that much easier."
"That hasn't happened again, has it?"
"What?" Richie asked looking at Duncan. "Oh, that. It's almost happened once, almost. I was older then, bigger, not so freaked out by the whole idea. So I, you know, fought back, kicked some ass. I doubt he ever tried again, I think I might have made a convert out of the guy. His face when I. . . well, let's just say it wasn't quit the experience he was looking for, but he won't soon forget it."
"Him?"
"Oh, well once, that time." Richie said quietly.
"The first time, it wasn't a man was it?"
Richie looked back out the window. "No."
"It explains a lot about you." Duncan said almost to himself.
"What?"
"The way you always jump in to protect people, it makes more sense now. There was nobody there for. . ."
"Aw, Mac, save the physiology stuff, would ya? I know the whole 'you are a product of your environment' shpeel. I've heard it a million times." They lapsed back into silence for a minute.
"So were you both living with the same family when it happened?" Duncan asked.
"Yup." He answered. "It's when we started sleeping together. That didn't come out right, but you know what I mean."
"Then it happened in the middle of the night?"
"Yup."
"And if you slept in the same bed they couldn't wake up one of you without waking up the other."
"Yup. It's easier to shut up one kid at a time. After that it became habit, more comfortable, more natural."
"But I thought Tessa said you watched."
"We did, but you don't make a lot of noise when you're barely conscience." Duncan almost couldn't hear Richie's response over the traffic.
"No, I guess you wouldn't."
"You mind if we change the subject? Not that I'm not loving all the attention, but I could really do without it."
"This isn't the type of thing you can just ignore, Richie."
"It seemed to work before." He said starting to get defensive.
"Okay, what do you want to talk about, then?" Duncan asked.
Richie thought for a moment. "What happened at the police station?"
"I'll let Rylan fill you in on the details. But long story short, I hope you don't mind sharing for a little while, she's staying with us until the trial."
Richie looked back over at Duncan. "How long is that going to be?"
He shrugged, "I'm not sure, a week maybe. I assume that's okay with you."
"Yeah, it's fine with me." Richie smiled genuinely at Duncan for the first time in days. "More then fine. I like having her around again. And I assume that's what she meant when she said she didn't have a choice about sticking around?"
Duncan nodded. "How did you guys meet? If you don't mind me asking."
"Uh, I think it was the Johnson's. I was six, she was four. It was my first experience with the whole foster home deal. And as pathetic as it sounds she was a pro with the system. We got along great. We had a really strong bond, even at that age. She kind of showed me the ropes. And back then the age difference wasn't a big deal so we stuck together. Then when we were old enough for the age thing to mean anything we were too close for it to matter."
"You get along great, huh?" Duncan chuckled.
"Yeah, you wouldn't know from what you've seen. But we really do thought. She's really deep, a writer to the core. But if you catch her in the right mood, she acts like she's ten. The prefect balance for someone like me."
"Someone like you?"
"You know, always goofing around and cracking jokes, with minor bursts of serious when the mood strikes." Richie explained, starting to sound more like himself.
"What type of things does she do?"
" She writes. . .gets into trouble, a lot. She's on a first name basis with a lot of the SPD."
"So I noticed. Everyone seemed to know her down there." Duncan smiled.
"That sounds about right." Richie commented glad Duncan had begun to loosen up. "She used to take kick-boxing lessons, she loves to jog and work out, you two should actual get along pretty well."
"I'll take your word for it."
. . . . . .
Dinner was mostly quiet with the exception of a few requests for the pepper or rice. Richie and Rylan looked mostly at their plates, but stole a glance at each other every few minutes. Tessa sounded as if she were about to cry every time she tried to say something, and Duncan curiously eyed the interaction between the teens.
"Does anyone want dessert?" He asked once everyone had resorted to pushing his or her food around with their chopsticks.
"Of course." Richie replied getting up and gathering plates.
"I'll help." Rylan got up, grabbed the rest of the dishes, and followed him to the sink. "Dessert?" She asked nudging him in the ribs. "How very 'Leave it to Beaver'."
"You'll get used to it." He nudged her back. She let out a small yelp. "Oh! Sorry."
"You'd better be. I know where you live. So what's for. . . what did you call it?" She smiled massaging the sore spot.
"Dessert." Duncan said from behind them. "It's the optional final course to a meal usually consisting of something sweet."
"Like chocolate cake." Richie finished watching Tessa place one on the table.
"Oh, I like this. . .dessert thing." Rylan sat back down at the table.