Title: Just Short of Peace
Chapter Four: Duncan and Richie
By: Cheddar
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.
Author's note: I have a really kinda random question for any one. What have people heard about Joss W.'s new show Firefly? Good? Bad? No clue? Just wondering. And another thing: Is any one else pissed off by the way the X- files series finale ended? I was.
Feedback: Please! I am so overwhelmed by what you all have said. Please tell me what you really think about this story cause if it sucks I'm not going to finish it.
*
In Seattle I think I began to wonder. Did anyone ever notice the way Seattle and Vancouver could be combined and come out the other side as Seacouver? Or was I just having some way strange side effects from my medicines?
I Shared my little ponderment with Amanda. She laughed. "So true," She said and I realized that I had not felt this happy and/or carefree in years. There was no evil of the week to vanquish with bad jokes, donut runs, endless research, and Buffy doing it on her own in the end. It was like before Buffy ever came to Sunnydale. When it was just Willow and Jesse and Me...
I didn't share that with Amanda. I was coming to like the woman. She had a sharp wit peppered with jokes and puns. Most of which related to history or thievery. But I never picked up on any of that. I was too wrapped up in his shell I'd built around myself. I would have been content to drive all over the world with Amanda and I didn't even know her last name. She was one of those people that was so much like me that we should have hated each other but she knew what to say. A trick that comes from practice.
As much as driving in that car with that woman until both of us were old and gray drove the thoughts of what I was leaving behind, I was brought crashing back into reality when it hit me. She was like me. She was the 'Xander' for the little scooby gang we were going to meet. But lucky them, they didn't kill things for a living.
Just past Seattle, Amanda had me fish her cell phone out of her bag so she could call the people we were going to be seeing. She didn't need her address book. Oh no, she just dialed the number from memory which was a skill I admired. I had trouble remembering my own number.
The Phone rang and I heard some one pick up. "Hello?" said Amanda. "Duncan?... It's Amanda." As she listened to him talk, a smile spread across her face. "No. I haven't gotten into any trouble here yet. I haven't been in town long enough." She listened. "What do you mean what do I mean by 'in town'? I mean, I'm coming to visit." Again with the listening. "Yeah and I've got a friend with me... His name is Alex" (quick note: I liked the way she said my name. I reminded me that this whole running away thing might work this time.) "No, nothing like that... We should be there in oh say," She checked her watch. "Twenty minutes?... Ok, See you then. Love 'ya!"
The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence as I watched the gentle rain sputter against the windshield. It was as if the whole world was waiting for us to arrive but I didn't want to go. Did I?
She pulled her car into a very narrow pace and slid out of the car. We'd parked in front of a large brick building. People danced with swords and fists before the window and I felt transported back to the back room of the Magic Box... or no, even before that... to the library at Sunnydale high. Watching Giles and Buffy go at it like there was no tomorrow because in truth, tomorrow was less than a whisper of a promise to Buffy and she lived up to the challenge.
I hadn't told Amanda but deep down I was scared shitless. I'd spent so many years in the center of my group of friends and it had been a while since I'd had to worry about acceptance by others. But who was I kidding? I was acting like some seventeen year old who wanted to be popular. I was twenty two years old damn it and I'd be damned if I was going to let a bunch of strangers walk all over me... yeah... me and my Mr. Pointy... Damn it!
Coming back into the present, I saw Amanda waiting calmly for me by the door. I felt my goofy 'Xander grin' slide onto my face and I quickly slid out and joined her. But she didn't even pause as she walked into the building. She walked right past the desk and the work out mats. Right past all of it. She head right in to the office at the back where a man sat slouched at the desk.
I don't think I'll ever be able to place what it was about this man that made me think of him. I mean, he and Angel look almost nothing alike. It must have been that dark brooding look he had going on... right down to the heavy eyebrows that left half his face shadowed.
The Angel wannabe looked up as we entered the room and gave me the strangest of the strange looks. But he stood up and gave Amanda a warm hug and caste kiss, and said "hello". weather that hello was meant for me or the pretty lady was unclear.
"Duncan, this is Alex. Alex, this is Duncan MacLeod." She stood with one of those proud mother type of smiles plastered to her face. It was almost endreaing.
But Duncan gave me his hand and I shook it. The hand shake really did wonders for him. His brooding mood seemed to lift like... well I don't know what it was like but hey, I tried. Angel's moods had never lifted that quick.. or at all come to think about it. Dead Boy had been Brood Boy 24/7.
Oh, right, Duncan! So we shook hands and he smiled. "We close in about fifteen minutes. Then we can all head over to Joe's Why don't you take Alex upstairs to meet Richie and I'll be up in a few minutes." Amanda nodded.
"Oh! Rich's here? That good. I haven't seen him in awhile" She looked flustered but Duncan laughed.
"I'll be right up. It was good to meet you, Alex."
And so I found myself in an ancient looking elevator that made far too much noise and made me far too uncomfortable what with the shaking and all for it to be comfortable. But at last we reached the top and the doors opened on what could only be called a bachelor pad.
My thoughts were interrupted by Amanda squealing. "Richie!" It was a strange sound coming from her. Richie, it turns out, was only seventeen or so. I couldn't really tell but that seemed about right when compared to Dawn's age of fourteen. He submitted to Amanda's hugs like she was some spinster aunt. I should know. I had a lot of those.
Introductions were passed between me and him finally and he proceed to show us the lay of the house. ("That's the kitchen, that's the dining room, that's the couch where I sleep, that's the floor where the dust sleeps..." ok, sorry. That wasn't as funny as it sounded in my head.)
As I listened to him joke about Duncan's living style, I got this sense from him that Richie was like Oz in a way. That kind of trusting person who has a ton of wild ideas he's just waiting to try out. Intensely loyal to one or two people. Maybe it had something to do with... Nope. Not that either. I just couldn't explain it.
But Mr. Ryan's cracks about this thing and that item were far more pleasant than I'd have thought. It was like having friends again. And this time the only thing keeping us together wasn't Buffy or some big powerful weekly evil. It was something even more primitive than that and I missed it.
When Duncan was ready, we all left the now dark dojo. Richie and I piled into one car (we'd really hit it off. I guess Amanda was right) And Duncan and the said female piled into the other. Amanda had told every one where they were sitting.
"Alex, you go with Richie. I want to talk to you, Duncan." Richie and I exchanged knowing looks as we got into the car. Gee, wonder what they wanted to talk about.. :-)
A/N: I know that was short but I'm working on it. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer but only if people want a net chapter. I'm not updating unless people review. I can just leave it here.
Chapter Four: Duncan and Richie
By: Cheddar
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.
Author's note: I have a really kinda random question for any one. What have people heard about Joss W.'s new show Firefly? Good? Bad? No clue? Just wondering. And another thing: Is any one else pissed off by the way the X- files series finale ended? I was.
Feedback: Please! I am so overwhelmed by what you all have said. Please tell me what you really think about this story cause if it sucks I'm not going to finish it.
*
In Seattle I think I began to wonder. Did anyone ever notice the way Seattle and Vancouver could be combined and come out the other side as Seacouver? Or was I just having some way strange side effects from my medicines?
I Shared my little ponderment with Amanda. She laughed. "So true," She said and I realized that I had not felt this happy and/or carefree in years. There was no evil of the week to vanquish with bad jokes, donut runs, endless research, and Buffy doing it on her own in the end. It was like before Buffy ever came to Sunnydale. When it was just Willow and Jesse and Me...
I didn't share that with Amanda. I was coming to like the woman. She had a sharp wit peppered with jokes and puns. Most of which related to history or thievery. But I never picked up on any of that. I was too wrapped up in his shell I'd built around myself. I would have been content to drive all over the world with Amanda and I didn't even know her last name. She was one of those people that was so much like me that we should have hated each other but she knew what to say. A trick that comes from practice.
As much as driving in that car with that woman until both of us were old and gray drove the thoughts of what I was leaving behind, I was brought crashing back into reality when it hit me. She was like me. She was the 'Xander' for the little scooby gang we were going to meet. But lucky them, they didn't kill things for a living.
Just past Seattle, Amanda had me fish her cell phone out of her bag so she could call the people we were going to be seeing. She didn't need her address book. Oh no, she just dialed the number from memory which was a skill I admired. I had trouble remembering my own number.
The Phone rang and I heard some one pick up. "Hello?" said Amanda. "Duncan?... It's Amanda." As she listened to him talk, a smile spread across her face. "No. I haven't gotten into any trouble here yet. I haven't been in town long enough." She listened. "What do you mean what do I mean by 'in town'? I mean, I'm coming to visit." Again with the listening. "Yeah and I've got a friend with me... His name is Alex" (quick note: I liked the way she said my name. I reminded me that this whole running away thing might work this time.) "No, nothing like that... We should be there in oh say," She checked her watch. "Twenty minutes?... Ok, See you then. Love 'ya!"
The rest of the ride was spent in companionable silence as I watched the gentle rain sputter against the windshield. It was as if the whole world was waiting for us to arrive but I didn't want to go. Did I?
She pulled her car into a very narrow pace and slid out of the car. We'd parked in front of a large brick building. People danced with swords and fists before the window and I felt transported back to the back room of the Magic Box... or no, even before that... to the library at Sunnydale high. Watching Giles and Buffy go at it like there was no tomorrow because in truth, tomorrow was less than a whisper of a promise to Buffy and she lived up to the challenge.
I hadn't told Amanda but deep down I was scared shitless. I'd spent so many years in the center of my group of friends and it had been a while since I'd had to worry about acceptance by others. But who was I kidding? I was acting like some seventeen year old who wanted to be popular. I was twenty two years old damn it and I'd be damned if I was going to let a bunch of strangers walk all over me... yeah... me and my Mr. Pointy... Damn it!
Coming back into the present, I saw Amanda waiting calmly for me by the door. I felt my goofy 'Xander grin' slide onto my face and I quickly slid out and joined her. But she didn't even pause as she walked into the building. She walked right past the desk and the work out mats. Right past all of it. She head right in to the office at the back where a man sat slouched at the desk.
I don't think I'll ever be able to place what it was about this man that made me think of him. I mean, he and Angel look almost nothing alike. It must have been that dark brooding look he had going on... right down to the heavy eyebrows that left half his face shadowed.
The Angel wannabe looked up as we entered the room and gave me the strangest of the strange looks. But he stood up and gave Amanda a warm hug and caste kiss, and said "hello". weather that hello was meant for me or the pretty lady was unclear.
"Duncan, this is Alex. Alex, this is Duncan MacLeod." She stood with one of those proud mother type of smiles plastered to her face. It was almost endreaing.
But Duncan gave me his hand and I shook it. The hand shake really did wonders for him. His brooding mood seemed to lift like... well I don't know what it was like but hey, I tried. Angel's moods had never lifted that quick.. or at all come to think about it. Dead Boy had been Brood Boy 24/7.
Oh, right, Duncan! So we shook hands and he smiled. "We close in about fifteen minutes. Then we can all head over to Joe's Why don't you take Alex upstairs to meet Richie and I'll be up in a few minutes." Amanda nodded.
"Oh! Rich's here? That good. I haven't seen him in awhile" She looked flustered but Duncan laughed.
"I'll be right up. It was good to meet you, Alex."
And so I found myself in an ancient looking elevator that made far too much noise and made me far too uncomfortable what with the shaking and all for it to be comfortable. But at last we reached the top and the doors opened on what could only be called a bachelor pad.
My thoughts were interrupted by Amanda squealing. "Richie!" It was a strange sound coming from her. Richie, it turns out, was only seventeen or so. I couldn't really tell but that seemed about right when compared to Dawn's age of fourteen. He submitted to Amanda's hugs like she was some spinster aunt. I should know. I had a lot of those.
Introductions were passed between me and him finally and he proceed to show us the lay of the house. ("That's the kitchen, that's the dining room, that's the couch where I sleep, that's the floor where the dust sleeps..." ok, sorry. That wasn't as funny as it sounded in my head.)
As I listened to him joke about Duncan's living style, I got this sense from him that Richie was like Oz in a way. That kind of trusting person who has a ton of wild ideas he's just waiting to try out. Intensely loyal to one or two people. Maybe it had something to do with... Nope. Not that either. I just couldn't explain it.
But Mr. Ryan's cracks about this thing and that item were far more pleasant than I'd have thought. It was like having friends again. And this time the only thing keeping us together wasn't Buffy or some big powerful weekly evil. It was something even more primitive than that and I missed it.
When Duncan was ready, we all left the now dark dojo. Richie and I piled into one car (we'd really hit it off. I guess Amanda was right) And Duncan and the said female piled into the other. Amanda had told every one where they were sitting.
"Alex, you go with Richie. I want to talk to you, Duncan." Richie and I exchanged knowing looks as we got into the car. Gee, wonder what they wanted to talk about.. :-)
A/N: I know that was short but I'm working on it. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer but only if people want a net chapter. I'm not updating unless people review. I can just leave it here.