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When Duncan returned to the loft he immediately felt Richie's presence. It was already 11:30am. He would have figured Richie would have take Dri shopping by now or at least been up eating breakfast.
Mac walked over to his room and quietly opened the door. Richie was sleeping on the bed. Why, he didn't know, but that was something to worry about later. He didn't see Dri. He walked into the room and checked the bathroom. She wasn't there.
"Richie!" He yelled.
Richie jumped up. "Hey Mac. I didn't feel you come in."
"Where's Dri?"
Richie looked beside him. "She was sleeping next to me."
"Get dressed. We need to find her."
The younger man jumped out of bed and ran into his room. He grabbed the first pair of blue jeans he could find and a black t-shirt. He grabbed his blue jacket and the two men quickly left to search for the young girl.
They reached the downstairs dojo and suddenly the two of them felt the presence of another immortal. They grabbed their swords and had it ready when the elevator opened. What they saw was not what they expected.
Dri was standing there in the same clothes she had worn yesterday. Mac had hidden them, but apparently not well enough. She stood there frozen at the site of the two of them with swords aimed at her.
"Dri!" Duncan said, putting his sword down.
Richie put his down as well.
"Where were you?" Mac asked walking over to her.
"I..I took a walk. I needed to clear my head." She took a step back from him. "You're not going to hurt me are you?"
"No, I'm not going to hurt you. I was worried about you."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Richie asked.
"Because I had already done enough. I mean I cut you and." She trailed off and stared at Richie.
"What?" Mac asked.
"Well when I woke up last night there was a cut under his eye," Dri said, walking towards him. "Now there's nothing."
Mac and Richie exchanged a glance.
"There was no cut," Richie said trying to cover it up. "I mean you scratched me and it got a little red, but I'm a quick healer."
Dri went to touch the spot on his face, but stopped and pulled away.
"Whatever the case is," Duncan said. "It doesn't excuse what you've done. You should have woken Richie up or waited for me to come home."
Dri turned on him. "You're not my father!" She said angrily. "I don't have to listen to you or anyone else for that matter!"
"I may not be your father, but I'm not going to let you endanger your life. What if Alec had found you?"
"What if he had found me? It's not your concern. Do you get that?" She screamed. "I AM NOT YOUR CONCERN!"
"I've made you my concern," Duncan replied calmly. "And whether you like it or not I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe."
Dri didn't know what to do or say. She'd never had anyone want to keep her safe besides her father. Alec had pretended and turned on her the moment he got the chance. Duncan would probably do the same thing. She wasn't worth it.
"You're lying," She seethed through clenched teeth. "I don't know what your game is, but there has to be something in it for you."
Duncan sighed. "You're not very trusting are you?"
"Oh yeah, I'm trusting all right. Just like I trusted my father not to leave me or how about how I trusted Alec to take care of me! Look where that got me! Trusting people gets you nothing but hurt or killed."
"I used to think the same thing," Richie said from behind her. "But then I met Mac and he renewed my faith in people."
Dri turned and looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Richie ran a hand through the mop of curls on top of his head. "I'm an orphan. Have been for as long as I can remember."
Dri raised an eyebrow. "So how did you meet Duncan?"
Richie grinned. "He used to own an antique shop and I uh, well let's just say I was browsing and we bumped into each other."
Duncan stifled a laugh.
Dri looked back and forth between the two. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I bumped into Richie all right. I bumped into him trying to steal from my store."
Dri crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you always take home people who steal from you?"
"I brought you home didn't I?"
"Hey a sandwich is not exactly worth what an antique is."
"Hey in my defense I was stealing it so I could get money to get food!" Richie argued.
Dri laughed and for once it was a normal, non sarcastic laugh. "Yeah that makes it all the more better." She continued laughing.
"I didn't know you could do that," Duncan said smiling.
"Do what?" Dri asked.
"Smile or laugh for that matter. You should do it more often."
Dri looked down. She felt heat rise to her cheeks.
Duncan walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you've been hurt a lot," he said seriously.
Dri looked up into his eyes.
"I know you're scared and I know you don't think we care, but we do and we want to help you."
She shook her head. "I don't understand why you care. You don't even know me."
Duncan smiled. "I know enough to know that you're a good person and that you need a friend. I'm willing to be that friend."
"So am I," Richie said.
Dri looked back and forth from the two. She honestly didn't understand why they cared, but there was something in Duncan's eyes. It was something that reminded her of her father.
She finally nodded and wrapped her arms around Duncan's waist, burying her head into his chest. Duncan returned the embrace.
"Everything's going to be all right." He told her.
It seemed as though Dri had heard those words a thousand times over her life. Although things never did turn out all right. Not once, any of the times that she had heard those words had anything ever been all right, but she found comfort in what he said. Even if it was false.
"I'm so tired of it all." She whispered into his shirt. "I just want to be safe."
"You are safe," Mac told her. "We won't let anything happen to you."
Richie walked over to her. "Hey Dri I know what will take your mind off of this stuff."
"What's that?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.
"Mac was going to take us to the mall. You know so we can get you some new clothes and stuff."
She pulled out of his embrace. "You don't need to buy me anything."
"I want to, besides what are you going to do? My clothes are to big for you and so are Richie's."
"Duncan I've imposed enough. I don't want to burden you anymore than what I have."
"You're not burdening me. I want to do this."
Dri had to admit, clean clothes sounded wonderful, but she didn't want to owe him anything.
"Look it's really nice and all, but I don't want to be in debt to anyone."
"You won't owe me anything if that's what you mean. I want it to be a gift."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
She nodded. "All right, but nothing expensive. Just something to hold me over for the time being okay?"
Duncan nodded. "Deal."
"Enough talking," Richie said. "Let's go. They have this great place to eat in the mall."
The Highlander laughed. "Just like Richie. Always thinking about his stomach."
Dri laughed again, and the the three of them left the loft.
~Please Review!!
When Duncan returned to the loft he immediately felt Richie's presence. It was already 11:30am. He would have figured Richie would have take Dri shopping by now or at least been up eating breakfast.
Mac walked over to his room and quietly opened the door. Richie was sleeping on the bed. Why, he didn't know, but that was something to worry about later. He didn't see Dri. He walked into the room and checked the bathroom. She wasn't there.
"Richie!" He yelled.
Richie jumped up. "Hey Mac. I didn't feel you come in."
"Where's Dri?"
Richie looked beside him. "She was sleeping next to me."
"Get dressed. We need to find her."
The younger man jumped out of bed and ran into his room. He grabbed the first pair of blue jeans he could find and a black t-shirt. He grabbed his blue jacket and the two men quickly left to search for the young girl.
They reached the downstairs dojo and suddenly the two of them felt the presence of another immortal. They grabbed their swords and had it ready when the elevator opened. What they saw was not what they expected.
Dri was standing there in the same clothes she had worn yesterday. Mac had hidden them, but apparently not well enough. She stood there frozen at the site of the two of them with swords aimed at her.
"Dri!" Duncan said, putting his sword down.
Richie put his down as well.
"Where were you?" Mac asked walking over to her.
"I..I took a walk. I needed to clear my head." She took a step back from him. "You're not going to hurt me are you?"
"No, I'm not going to hurt you. I was worried about you."
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Richie asked.
"Because I had already done enough. I mean I cut you and." She trailed off and stared at Richie.
"What?" Mac asked.
"Well when I woke up last night there was a cut under his eye," Dri said, walking towards him. "Now there's nothing."
Mac and Richie exchanged a glance.
"There was no cut," Richie said trying to cover it up. "I mean you scratched me and it got a little red, but I'm a quick healer."
Dri went to touch the spot on his face, but stopped and pulled away.
"Whatever the case is," Duncan said. "It doesn't excuse what you've done. You should have woken Richie up or waited for me to come home."
Dri turned on him. "You're not my father!" She said angrily. "I don't have to listen to you or anyone else for that matter!"
"I may not be your father, but I'm not going to let you endanger your life. What if Alec had found you?"
"What if he had found me? It's not your concern. Do you get that?" She screamed. "I AM NOT YOUR CONCERN!"
"I've made you my concern," Duncan replied calmly. "And whether you like it or not I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe."
Dri didn't know what to do or say. She'd never had anyone want to keep her safe besides her father. Alec had pretended and turned on her the moment he got the chance. Duncan would probably do the same thing. She wasn't worth it.
"You're lying," She seethed through clenched teeth. "I don't know what your game is, but there has to be something in it for you."
Duncan sighed. "You're not very trusting are you?"
"Oh yeah, I'm trusting all right. Just like I trusted my father not to leave me or how about how I trusted Alec to take care of me! Look where that got me! Trusting people gets you nothing but hurt or killed."
"I used to think the same thing," Richie said from behind her. "But then I met Mac and he renewed my faith in people."
Dri turned and looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Richie ran a hand through the mop of curls on top of his head. "I'm an orphan. Have been for as long as I can remember."
Dri raised an eyebrow. "So how did you meet Duncan?"
Richie grinned. "He used to own an antique shop and I uh, well let's just say I was browsing and we bumped into each other."
Duncan stifled a laugh.
Dri looked back and forth between the two. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I bumped into Richie all right. I bumped into him trying to steal from my store."
Dri crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you always take home people who steal from you?"
"I brought you home didn't I?"
"Hey a sandwich is not exactly worth what an antique is."
"Hey in my defense I was stealing it so I could get money to get food!" Richie argued.
Dri laughed and for once it was a normal, non sarcastic laugh. "Yeah that makes it all the more better." She continued laughing.
"I didn't know you could do that," Duncan said smiling.
"Do what?" Dri asked.
"Smile or laugh for that matter. You should do it more often."
Dri looked down. She felt heat rise to her cheeks.
Duncan walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I know you've been hurt a lot," he said seriously.
Dri looked up into his eyes.
"I know you're scared and I know you don't think we care, but we do and we want to help you."
She shook her head. "I don't understand why you care. You don't even know me."
Duncan smiled. "I know enough to know that you're a good person and that you need a friend. I'm willing to be that friend."
"So am I," Richie said.
Dri looked back and forth from the two. She honestly didn't understand why they cared, but there was something in Duncan's eyes. It was something that reminded her of her father.
She finally nodded and wrapped her arms around Duncan's waist, burying her head into his chest. Duncan returned the embrace.
"Everything's going to be all right." He told her.
It seemed as though Dri had heard those words a thousand times over her life. Although things never did turn out all right. Not once, any of the times that she had heard those words had anything ever been all right, but she found comfort in what he said. Even if it was false.
"I'm so tired of it all." She whispered into his shirt. "I just want to be safe."
"You are safe," Mac told her. "We won't let anything happen to you."
Richie walked over to her. "Hey Dri I know what will take your mind off of this stuff."
"What's that?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.
"Mac was going to take us to the mall. You know so we can get you some new clothes and stuff."
She pulled out of his embrace. "You don't need to buy me anything."
"I want to, besides what are you going to do? My clothes are to big for you and so are Richie's."
"Duncan I've imposed enough. I don't want to burden you anymore than what I have."
"You're not burdening me. I want to do this."
Dri had to admit, clean clothes sounded wonderful, but she didn't want to owe him anything.
"Look it's really nice and all, but I don't want to be in debt to anyone."
"You won't owe me anything if that's what you mean. I want it to be a gift."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
She nodded. "All right, but nothing expensive. Just something to hold me over for the time being okay?"
Duncan nodded. "Deal."
"Enough talking," Richie said. "Let's go. They have this great place to eat in the mall."
The Highlander laughed. "Just like Richie. Always thinking about his stomach."
Dri laughed again, and the the three of them left the loft.
~Please Review!!