Duncan found Richie busing himself in the kitchen with the dirty dishes.
"Hey," he said. Richie didn't look up. "I'm sure those can wait. I want to talk to you."
"So talk." Richie squirted soap into the hot water.
"It'd be nice if you'd at least look at me." Duncan said as calmly as he could.
"I can hear you just fine. I don't need to read your lips, too."
"Are you just trying to annoy me?" Duncan asked. Richie's posture shifted as he weighed his responses.
"No," he finally said, "I'm trying to ignore you. Annoying you is just a bonus."
Duncan groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "Why are you so mad at me?"
"Do you know why people ignore other people?" Richie asked in annoyance. "It's so they'll go away."
"Are you going to answer me?" Richie continued to wash dishes. "I'm just going to follow you around asking questions until I start getting some answers," Duncan declared. Richie continued to wash dishes. "I thought I told you to stay here."
"That's not a question."
"Fine, didn't I tell you to stay here?" Duncan asked. Richie continued to wash dishes. "Why do you insist on getting involved? Why are you so hell bent on getting yourself killed? Is it your life's goal to break the world's record for near death experiences? Why did you follow me?"
"I was worried about Rylan," Richie answered simply.
"I can take care of her."
"Like you took care of me?" Richie asked turning to face Duncan.
"What? Richie, I'm not going to let anything happen to her."
"Funny, I've that before. Multiple times actually. And we all know where that promise gets you."
"What is that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?"
Richie rolled his eyes, "Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything." He turned back to the dishes.
"Wait. You're still caught on what Aldius did to you." Duncan said, as the souse of Richie's anger became clear to him. "You blame me, don't you?" Richie continued washing dishes. "Richie, do you blame me or not?"
"Yeah, MacLeod, I do. I got skewered and you just stood there." Richie refused to face Duncan as he spoke. "And what burns me the most is I defended you to that guy. He had his sword at my throat and, instead of shutting my big trap, all I could do was talk about how great you were, and how he was no match for you. Then, you showed up and shot my theory to hell! I guess he was right, you can't idolize someone until you really know them." He stopped scrubbing and stared at the wall waiting for Duncan's reaction. Nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Until, Richie quietly broke the silence. "Look, I know what you're thinking. I never really though about it, and I guess I might have before, but I definitely don't now, so don't worry about it."
Duncan's mind filled with questions, but he decided to avoid talking about Richie's heroes, for now.
"I didn't react as quickly as I should have. And so I guess what happened to you is partly my fault, but there was nothing I really could have done, immortals can't fight on Holy Ground."
"But they can kabob or sacrifice anyone else they want, is that how it works?" Richie exploded slamming pots into the cupboards. "For once in you life, act without thinking about the damn rules first!"
"Like you, the kid that nearly gets himself killed everyother week?" Duncan shot back. "Watch it, you're going to hurt yourself." He warned when he saw Richie cringe as he bent down to put the dish soap under the sink. When the boy didn't immediately get back up, Duncan moved to help him. Richie jumped at his touch.
"Get off me!" he barked whirling to face him.
"Richie, calm down. Don't over-exert yourself. . ." Duncan said calmly, noting Richie's paled complexion.
"This may or may not surprise you, but I've done this before, and I know what I can and can't do!" Richie yelled trying to walk past Duncan and to his room, but half way across the living room he felt like someone had kicked him in the chest. He reached behind him and supported himself with the help of the wall. A wave of nausea and dizziness enveloped him. Slowly he slid himself to the floor. He panted and rested his head in his arms.
"Richie!" Duncan called after him angrily, then stopped spotting him crouched in the hallway. "Richie?" he rushed to him. "Are you okay?"
"Leave me alone," he mumbled weakly as Duncan pulled him to his feet.
"Oh, shut up." Duncan said lightly and guided him gently to the couch. "Sit," he ordered. Richie fought him for a brief second, then sank obediently into the cushions. "I told you," Duncan said softly checking the boy for a temperature.
"Get off it," he grumbled.
"What am I going to do with you?" Duncan asked him. "You can't keep jumping in, you're going to get yourself killed."
"Mac- -"
"Just listen. I know you pretty much hate me right now, but the fact remains that fighting any other immortals is my job. I've been doing it for a long time, and I know what to do. Don't give me that look." The color had returned to Richie's face, and so had his strong look of annoyance. "Believe it or not, I've made some mistakes. . ."
"Oh, I believe it."
". . .in 400 years you have plenty of chances. But is seems to me you've taken every chance you've gotten to- - - You've made some mistakes, too." He corrected. "But I promise, if anyone messes with my family. . . and that includes you, so don't even start. . . their head is mine. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. But if I. . .or you. . .screw up, you are going to have to trust that I can fix it. Okay?"
Richie looked away then looked back, a medley of emotions dancing across his young face. "Okay," he finally answered.
Duncan smiled, "This doesn't mean that you're going to start talking again does it?"
Richie returned the smile, "I'm not that gregarious."
"I was kind of getting used to. . . Gregarious?"
"It means talkative." Richie explained with a smirk.
"I know what it means. How many big words do you have stowed up there?" Duncan asked ruffling Richie's hair.
"I got at 1510 on my SATs."
"A 1510?" Duncan repeated. "You mean you actually took the SATs?"
"Yeah," Richie shrugged, "I wanted to know what I would get, so I took the test. One of the most boring days of - - -"
"RICHIE!!" a panicked scream filled the apartment.
"Hey," he said. Richie didn't look up. "I'm sure those can wait. I want to talk to you."
"So talk." Richie squirted soap into the hot water.
"It'd be nice if you'd at least look at me." Duncan said as calmly as he could.
"I can hear you just fine. I don't need to read your lips, too."
"Are you just trying to annoy me?" Duncan asked. Richie's posture shifted as he weighed his responses.
"No," he finally said, "I'm trying to ignore you. Annoying you is just a bonus."
Duncan groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "Why are you so mad at me?"
"Do you know why people ignore other people?" Richie asked in annoyance. "It's so they'll go away."
"Are you going to answer me?" Richie continued to wash dishes. "I'm just going to follow you around asking questions until I start getting some answers," Duncan declared. Richie continued to wash dishes. "I thought I told you to stay here."
"That's not a question."
"Fine, didn't I tell you to stay here?" Duncan asked. Richie continued to wash dishes. "Why do you insist on getting involved? Why are you so hell bent on getting yourself killed? Is it your life's goal to break the world's record for near death experiences? Why did you follow me?"
"I was worried about Rylan," Richie answered simply.
"I can take care of her."
"Like you took care of me?" Richie asked turning to face Duncan.
"What? Richie, I'm not going to let anything happen to her."
"Funny, I've that before. Multiple times actually. And we all know where that promise gets you."
"What is that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?"
Richie rolled his eyes, "Oh, nothing. Forget I said anything." He turned back to the dishes.
"Wait. You're still caught on what Aldius did to you." Duncan said, as the souse of Richie's anger became clear to him. "You blame me, don't you?" Richie continued washing dishes. "Richie, do you blame me or not?"
"Yeah, MacLeod, I do. I got skewered and you just stood there." Richie refused to face Duncan as he spoke. "And what burns me the most is I defended you to that guy. He had his sword at my throat and, instead of shutting my big trap, all I could do was talk about how great you were, and how he was no match for you. Then, you showed up and shot my theory to hell! I guess he was right, you can't idolize someone until you really know them." He stopped scrubbing and stared at the wall waiting for Duncan's reaction. Nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Until, Richie quietly broke the silence. "Look, I know what you're thinking. I never really though about it, and I guess I might have before, but I definitely don't now, so don't worry about it."
Duncan's mind filled with questions, but he decided to avoid talking about Richie's heroes, for now.
"I didn't react as quickly as I should have. And so I guess what happened to you is partly my fault, but there was nothing I really could have done, immortals can't fight on Holy Ground."
"But they can kabob or sacrifice anyone else they want, is that how it works?" Richie exploded slamming pots into the cupboards. "For once in you life, act without thinking about the damn rules first!"
"Like you, the kid that nearly gets himself killed everyother week?" Duncan shot back. "Watch it, you're going to hurt yourself." He warned when he saw Richie cringe as he bent down to put the dish soap under the sink. When the boy didn't immediately get back up, Duncan moved to help him. Richie jumped at his touch.
"Get off me!" he barked whirling to face him.
"Richie, calm down. Don't over-exert yourself. . ." Duncan said calmly, noting Richie's paled complexion.
"This may or may not surprise you, but I've done this before, and I know what I can and can't do!" Richie yelled trying to walk past Duncan and to his room, but half way across the living room he felt like someone had kicked him in the chest. He reached behind him and supported himself with the help of the wall. A wave of nausea and dizziness enveloped him. Slowly he slid himself to the floor. He panted and rested his head in his arms.
"Richie!" Duncan called after him angrily, then stopped spotting him crouched in the hallway. "Richie?" he rushed to him. "Are you okay?"
"Leave me alone," he mumbled weakly as Duncan pulled him to his feet.
"Oh, shut up." Duncan said lightly and guided him gently to the couch. "Sit," he ordered. Richie fought him for a brief second, then sank obediently into the cushions. "I told you," Duncan said softly checking the boy for a temperature.
"Get off it," he grumbled.
"What am I going to do with you?" Duncan asked him. "You can't keep jumping in, you're going to get yourself killed."
"Mac- -"
"Just listen. I know you pretty much hate me right now, but the fact remains that fighting any other immortals is my job. I've been doing it for a long time, and I know what to do. Don't give me that look." The color had returned to Richie's face, and so had his strong look of annoyance. "Believe it or not, I've made some mistakes. . ."
"Oh, I believe it."
". . .in 400 years you have plenty of chances. But is seems to me you've taken every chance you've gotten to- - - You've made some mistakes, too." He corrected. "But I promise, if anyone messes with my family. . . and that includes you, so don't even start. . . their head is mine. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. But if I. . .or you. . .screw up, you are going to have to trust that I can fix it. Okay?"
Richie looked away then looked back, a medley of emotions dancing across his young face. "Okay," he finally answered.
Duncan smiled, "This doesn't mean that you're going to start talking again does it?"
Richie returned the smile, "I'm not that gregarious."
"I was kind of getting used to. . . Gregarious?"
"It means talkative." Richie explained with a smirk.
"I know what it means. How many big words do you have stowed up there?" Duncan asked ruffling Richie's hair.
"I got at 1510 on my SATs."
"A 1510?" Duncan repeated. "You mean you actually took the SATs?"
"Yeah," Richie shrugged, "I wanted to know what I would get, so I took the test. One of the most boring days of - - -"
"RICHIE!!" a panicked scream filled the apartment.