Once again, the song isn't mine. This one is Garth Brooks. . .I promise no
more country after this, they just seem to be fitting in well with the
stories. As always, please review! Even if you hate it, I'd love to hear
from you.
Richie lightly strummed a few chords and swallowed. He hadn't been planning on letting anyone hear this particular song. . . especially Duncan. But he had teased Rylan into talking to him, so he felt he had to sing it, and pray that Duncan didn't figure out what had inspired the song. Not that it wasn't blatantly obvious, but he could still hope. He cleared his throat.
"Sometimes I tell you the way that I feel
And I swear that I'm going crazy.
I keep telling myself it's not that big a deal
It's better than pushing up daises.
I felt the arrow of death's fatal quiver
Come so close it actually grazed me;
I bled the blood and I felt the cold shiver
God only knows how he saved me.
There's two dates in time that they'll carve on your stone
And everyone knows what they mean
But what's more important is the time that is know
In that little dash there in-between.
That little dash there in-between."
"It's pretty." Rylan said when he was finished.
"Eh," he shrugged indifferently.
"Eh?" Duncan repeated stepping into the room. Rylan's back stiffened, but she remained where she was. "It was great."
"It was eh." Richie answered.
"If you say so." Duncan answered eyeing Rylan, who hadn't moved since he spoke and still sat stiffly on the bed with her back to him. "How are you feeling?" He asked putting his hand lightly on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, but allowed his hand to remain.
"Eh." She answered quietly, casting a shy smirk at Richie.
"Are you hungry?" Duncan asked moving to stand in her line of vision.
"No." Her eyes met his and she stared at him, as if she was still trying to figure out who he was. She looked behind her as Tessa entered the room.
"Are you sure?" Tessa asked, putting her hand on Rylan's shoulder. Duncan felt a twinge of jealousy as the girl's entire body relaxed with the simple touch.
"Yes." Rylan answered with a yawn.
"You tired?" Richie asked, shooting a concerned look over his shoulder at Duncan.
"Is that bad?" Rylan asked slightly confused by his sudden alarm, also looking up at Duncan.
"No, it's fine." He assured her. "You might be for a while."
"Oh," she nodded, yawning again.
"Why don't you get some sleep. And then we'll see if you're hungry." Tessa said shooing Richie off the bed.
. . . . . .
Richie and Duncan stood uselessly in the hall not quite sure what to do with themselves since Tessa had banished them from Rylan's side. Richie stood watching the door and waiting for some kind of instructions as to what to do next, while Duncan stared at the wall trying to sort out the evening's events in his head. He was still hurt by Rylan's reaction to him, but tried to comfort himself with the fact that she didn't jump away from him like she had before. Both men straitened their hunched shoulders when Tessa opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"She wants to talk to you." She said softly. Automatically, Richie stepped forward. "Not you, Duncan." Looking slightly confused Duncan walked around Tessa and closed the door behind him. "I, however, would like a word with you." Not quite sure what to make out of Tessa's tone, Richie followed her into the workshop.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Duncan told me what happened."
"Oh?" Richie tried to keep his tone light, but his stomach turned itself in knots with a twinge of fear.
"How could you do that?" She demanded.
Richie swallowed. "Do what?" he asked innocently.
"This!" She held up the still bloodstained sword that he had taken form the store. "Richie, you killed that man."
"Not really." He answered softly avoiding her glare.
"Not really?! Look at this!" She thrust the blade under his nose. He jumped back and lightly pushed the blade away.
"Can you put that down if you're going to yell at me?" He managed to squeak out.
"Don't try and be cute with me! That won't get you out of this!"
"All I'm trying to do is keep you from killing someone." He answered before he realized what he was saying.
"Like you?" She raged.
Richie's nostrils flared. "I didn't kill anyone! Mac did, I didn't! I just slowed the guy down! The worst thing I did was ruin his shirt!" He defended. "Don't look at me like that." He added almost pitifully.
"Like what?" she demanded, her anger not wavering for a second.
"Like I'm some kind of murder or something. I didn't do anything!"
"How can you say that?"
"Because I didn't!"
"Tessa, leave him alone." Duncan said gently from the doorway. "He didn't do anything wrong."
"See?" Richie said proudly. Then realizing how childish he sounded he added, "Thank you, Mac."
"Go inside." Duncan said.
"But- -"
"Richie, go." He repeated firmly.
Tessa watched Richie retreat into the apartment. "Duncan, how can you say that?"
"Tessa, he didn't feel he had a choice. He did what he felt he had to do." Duncan explained calmly.
"But he- - -"
"Protected Rylan."
"By killing!?"
"He can't start getting queasy about it now." Duncan answered outloud not meaning to.
"What?" Tessa asked.
"If he can rationalize it, let him. Just drop it, okay?"
"There's something you're not telling me." Tessa said looking into Duncan's eyes. "I thought you wanted to keep Richie out of all of this. And now it's like you've given up."
"If he wants to keep jumping in, there's nothing I can do about it. I can tell him what to do until I'm blue in the face, it doesn't work. He gets involved because he's drawn to it."
"What are you talking about?" She demanded. He looked away. "Duncan tell me. What do you mean he's drawn to- - -" Tessa stopped and explored Duncan's expression. "He's not. . .He can't be. . .He isn't. . .is he?" She fumbled over her words.
"Tessa I . . ." Duncan stuttered.
"That's why you wanted him to stay with us. So you could. . ."
"You can't tell him. He takes enough chances as it is." Duncan half instructed/half pleaded with her.
"But he- - -"
"Not a word." He said a little more forcefully.
. . . . . .
Richie looked up from his book as the door opened. He shifted uncomfortably under Tessa's gaze. She walked over to where he sat on the couch and placed her hand on his cheek. For lack of words, he gave her a goofy grin and raised his eyebrows in question to her action.
"What?" he finally asked. She made a soft whimpering sound and turned abruptly for her bedroom. Richie turned to Duncan. "What's with her? Two seconds ago she wouldn't stop screaming at me, and now she doesn't say a word."
Duncan shrugged, "Women."
Richie lightly strummed a few chords and swallowed. He hadn't been planning on letting anyone hear this particular song. . . especially Duncan. But he had teased Rylan into talking to him, so he felt he had to sing it, and pray that Duncan didn't figure out what had inspired the song. Not that it wasn't blatantly obvious, but he could still hope. He cleared his throat.
"Sometimes I tell you the way that I feel
And I swear that I'm going crazy.
I keep telling myself it's not that big a deal
It's better than pushing up daises.
I felt the arrow of death's fatal quiver
Come so close it actually grazed me;
I bled the blood and I felt the cold shiver
God only knows how he saved me.
There's two dates in time that they'll carve on your stone
And everyone knows what they mean
But what's more important is the time that is know
In that little dash there in-between.
That little dash there in-between."
"It's pretty." Rylan said when he was finished.
"Eh," he shrugged indifferently.
"Eh?" Duncan repeated stepping into the room. Rylan's back stiffened, but she remained where she was. "It was great."
"It was eh." Richie answered.
"If you say so." Duncan answered eyeing Rylan, who hadn't moved since he spoke and still sat stiffly on the bed with her back to him. "How are you feeling?" He asked putting his hand lightly on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, but allowed his hand to remain.
"Eh." She answered quietly, casting a shy smirk at Richie.
"Are you hungry?" Duncan asked moving to stand in her line of vision.
"No." Her eyes met his and she stared at him, as if she was still trying to figure out who he was. She looked behind her as Tessa entered the room.
"Are you sure?" Tessa asked, putting her hand on Rylan's shoulder. Duncan felt a twinge of jealousy as the girl's entire body relaxed with the simple touch.
"Yes." Rylan answered with a yawn.
"You tired?" Richie asked, shooting a concerned look over his shoulder at Duncan.
"Is that bad?" Rylan asked slightly confused by his sudden alarm, also looking up at Duncan.
"No, it's fine." He assured her. "You might be for a while."
"Oh," she nodded, yawning again.
"Why don't you get some sleep. And then we'll see if you're hungry." Tessa said shooing Richie off the bed.
. . . . . .
Richie and Duncan stood uselessly in the hall not quite sure what to do with themselves since Tessa had banished them from Rylan's side. Richie stood watching the door and waiting for some kind of instructions as to what to do next, while Duncan stared at the wall trying to sort out the evening's events in his head. He was still hurt by Rylan's reaction to him, but tried to comfort himself with the fact that she didn't jump away from him like she had before. Both men straitened their hunched shoulders when Tessa opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"She wants to talk to you." She said softly. Automatically, Richie stepped forward. "Not you, Duncan." Looking slightly confused Duncan walked around Tessa and closed the door behind him. "I, however, would like a word with you." Not quite sure what to make out of Tessa's tone, Richie followed her into the workshop.
"What's up?" He asked.
"Duncan told me what happened."
"Oh?" Richie tried to keep his tone light, but his stomach turned itself in knots with a twinge of fear.
"How could you do that?" She demanded.
Richie swallowed. "Do what?" he asked innocently.
"This!" She held up the still bloodstained sword that he had taken form the store. "Richie, you killed that man."
"Not really." He answered softly avoiding her glare.
"Not really?! Look at this!" She thrust the blade under his nose. He jumped back and lightly pushed the blade away.
"Can you put that down if you're going to yell at me?" He managed to squeak out.
"Don't try and be cute with me! That won't get you out of this!"
"All I'm trying to do is keep you from killing someone." He answered before he realized what he was saying.
"Like you?" She raged.
Richie's nostrils flared. "I didn't kill anyone! Mac did, I didn't! I just slowed the guy down! The worst thing I did was ruin his shirt!" He defended. "Don't look at me like that." He added almost pitifully.
"Like what?" she demanded, her anger not wavering for a second.
"Like I'm some kind of murder or something. I didn't do anything!"
"How can you say that?"
"Because I didn't!"
"Tessa, leave him alone." Duncan said gently from the doorway. "He didn't do anything wrong."
"See?" Richie said proudly. Then realizing how childish he sounded he added, "Thank you, Mac."
"Go inside." Duncan said.
"But- -"
"Richie, go." He repeated firmly.
Tessa watched Richie retreat into the apartment. "Duncan, how can you say that?"
"Tessa, he didn't feel he had a choice. He did what he felt he had to do." Duncan explained calmly.
"But he- - -"
"Protected Rylan."
"By killing!?"
"He can't start getting queasy about it now." Duncan answered outloud not meaning to.
"What?" Tessa asked.
"If he can rationalize it, let him. Just drop it, okay?"
"There's something you're not telling me." Tessa said looking into Duncan's eyes. "I thought you wanted to keep Richie out of all of this. And now it's like you've given up."
"If he wants to keep jumping in, there's nothing I can do about it. I can tell him what to do until I'm blue in the face, it doesn't work. He gets involved because he's drawn to it."
"What are you talking about?" She demanded. He looked away. "Duncan tell me. What do you mean he's drawn to- - -" Tessa stopped and explored Duncan's expression. "He's not. . .He can't be. . .He isn't. . .is he?" She fumbled over her words.
"Tessa I . . ." Duncan stuttered.
"That's why you wanted him to stay with us. So you could. . ."
"You can't tell him. He takes enough chances as it is." Duncan half instructed/half pleaded with her.
"But he- - -"
"Not a word." He said a little more forcefully.
. . . . . .
Richie looked up from his book as the door opened. He shifted uncomfortably under Tessa's gaze. She walked over to where he sat on the couch and placed her hand on his cheek. For lack of words, he gave her a goofy grin and raised his eyebrows in question to her action.
"What?" he finally asked. She made a soft whimpering sound and turned abruptly for her bedroom. Richie turned to Duncan. "What's with her? Two seconds ago she wouldn't stop screaming at me, and now she doesn't say a word."
Duncan shrugged, "Women."