AN – What can I say .. I like the cliffhangers! (Should I duck now?)
If its any consolation I'm pretty much on a roll with this now and I'm planning to finish the whole thing by the weekend. And Rai - You think you're being tortured? Be glad you're not Richie! I have evil things in mind for him.
***
"What did you say?" Duncan's voice came out as a low growl.
Richie went completely still and closed his eyes.
"Please tell me I didn't just say that out loud." He breathed.
"Oh Richie." Tessa's voice was full of sympathy.
Richie swore so fluently that Duncan blinked. He hadn't even known Richie could speak Polish.
It was the only warning he got. And it wasn't enough.
Richie fled.
"Duncan!" Tessa was frantic. "Go after him."
Inexplicably Duncan gave a sudden, brilliant, smile.
Tessa fought the urge to slap him. "Duncan Macleod, this is not funny!"
"Don't worry sweetheart." He kissed her heartily. "He hasn't gone far."
***
If Duncan hadn't known better he might have thought that he was mistaken. From this angle the roof looked empty.
He knew better.
Richie was sitting on the ledge, with his legs dangling over into nothingness, with a careless confidence that demonstrated no particular regard for his own safety.
Duncan Macleod grimaced. Just because he was Immortal didn't mean he had to like heights.
Still, he supposed it wouldn't kill him.
As he slid in beside Richie he noticed with surprise that the lad looked like he had been crying. But the swift hand that rubbed at red eyes, and the tense posture, indicated that this was not a subject for discussion. Not yet anyway, Duncan amended.
"I think I saw somebody do that once." He said casually.
"What?" Richie wouldn't look at him.
Duncan told him. In Polish.
"Oh." Richie blushed. "I shoulda figured you'd speak Polish. What other languages do you speak?"
"Richie." Duncan rolled his eyes. "Don't change the subject."
"Hey. You started it." Richie pointed out.
"I can sit here longer than you can." Duncan pointed out. "Much longer."
"Please don't make me tell you." Richie's voice was tight.
"I don't want to make you do anything." Duncan sighed. "I just want to help."
"Then stop poking around inside my head." Richie told him.
"And that will make it all go away?" Duncan raised a brow.
"Mac .. please.." Richie took a shuddering breath. "I just ..can't do this alright?"
"Can't or won't?" Duncan asked calmly.
"You think its that easy?" Richie shook his head.
"Richie. Trust is never easy." Duncan met his eyes.
**
"Show me." Richie challenged, producing a Swiss Army Knife from his pocket.
Even in these circumstances Duncan couldn't help but grin. "You don't seem like the camping type."
"It has a lock pick." Richie told him. "Are you gonna show me or not?"
"With that?" Duncan showed his disdain.
"Hey, I don't want you using some trick knife or something." Richie pointed out.
Duncan paused. And picked up the Katana.
"Hey. Chill man. It was just a joke." Richie protested.
Wordlessly Duncan turned the blade and offered it to Richie, hilt first.
"I can touch it?" Richie looked awed.
"Go for it." Duncan smiled.
Even using both hands Richie had to shift his feet a little to accommodate the unexpected weight. Yet he made a good attempt at holding it correctly, with the point down.
"Where did you learn that?" Duncan was impressed.
"Television." Richie grinned.
"And people say its not educational." Duncan smiled.
He fought the urge to correct the lad's stance. Seeing all too easily how well Richie would respond to instruction. He had the natural grace and balance of a born swordsman. The rest Duncan could teach. But not today.
"Test the blade." He suggested mildly.
Richie flashed him a knowing look. "Um. No thanks. I've seen what it can do."
"Then watch."
Duncan retrieved the sword and sliced deftly across his palm. Even as the dark blood trickled down his arm, the blue light flashed and the wound began to close.
"Oh man."
Before Duncan could stop him Richie reached out and touched the arching blue light, causing the Quickening to spiral up his arm and throw him backwards so that his head hit the wall with a sickening thud.
"Richie!" Duncan dropped to his knees beside the teen, reaching out to check the damage.
"Don't!" instinctively Richie flinched back as if from a blow.
Duncan swallowed hard. He knew Richie was leery of being touched, but to have the lad recoil from him, cut him to the quick.
"Easy." he soothed, swallowing his bile with difficultly. "I just want to look. Okay?"
He was profoundly relieved when Richie permitted him to gently part the blonde curls and inspect the growing lump.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Blue." Richie's lips quirked slightly.
"How many?" Duncan insisted trying not to smile.
"Maac." Richie protested, pushing his hand aside. "I'm okay. Talk about a light show." He shook his head ruefully, then winced.
"You weren't supposed to touch it." Absently Duncan rubbed the lump beneath the blonde curls.
"You never said that." Richie protested softly.
"I didn't think I had to." Duncan him gave an exasperated smile, shifting slightly so he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with the lad.
"So. How old are you?" Richie asked quietly, as if he expected to be told to mind his own business.
"About 400." Duncan shrugged.
"Four Hundred?" Richie squeaked. "You're snowing me. Right?"
"You seem to me like a good judge of character." Duncan arched a brow. "What do you think?"
"I think you are 100% serious." Richie sighed. "And I've just entered the twilight zone."
"Not America's funniest home movies?" Duncan teased.
"No." Richie smiled. "This would never pass the censor."
***
"Aw c'mom Mac." Richie protested. "That's not fair. I trust you."
"Yeah." Duncan acknowledged. "You trust me not to chop your head off .." he shrugged. "You just don't trust me enough to tell me the truth."
"I trust you more than any other guy I've ever met." Richie said, stung.
The admission hung in the silence between then.
Duncan waited.
"You're not going to let this go are you?" Richie sighed.
"What do you think?" Duncan teased gently.
"I think you'd probably bug me until I'm 100." Richie sighed.
Duncan took that as an opening. "What's been so wrong with all the other guys you've met?"
"I just don't really do foster fathers." Richie admitted reluctantly. He looked out at some distant point on the horizon. "I mean .. when I was small .. my Dad .. my real Dad wasn't around much. I don't really remember him. Then in the Orphanages it was nuns mostly. There were some places where the guy maybe worked real long hours. Others pretty much left the kids to their wife, so long as you didn't stand in front of the TV they didn't much notice you."
"Didn't any of them ever spend time with you?" Duncan inquired.
"Oh sure." Richie forced a smile. "Did you know I've been up the Harbour Centre Tower 32 times?"
"I didn't mean a couple of hours on weekends. I meant enough to get to know you?"
"To be fair I moved around so much .." Richie shrugged. "I guess it was never really worth it."
Duncan bit back the observation that Richie clearly thought that he wasn't really worth it.
"Then what?" he nudged.
"Then when I was twelve I landed up with Teresa and her family." Richie smiled, genuinely this time. "They were so great. I don't think I'd ever been so happy since .." he swallowed hard.
"She seems like a good person." Duncan observed gently.
"Oh yeah." Richie nodded. "She like changed my life .. I stopped getting into trouble at School, my grades went up .. I got taller .. I tried out for Basketball for the first time .. man that was such a rush .. I just felt like that I belonged there. You know?"
"So what happened?"
"Would you believe she decided to adopt me?" Richie said bitterly.
"What?" Duncan wasn't sure he had heard right.
"Uh huh." Richie nodded. "Got all the papers, went to the Court. Wanted to make us a real family."
"It fell through." Duncan realised.
"Yep." Richie bit off. "New Social Worker. She'd known me for all of three weeks and she decided that I'd do better in a home with a stronger male influence. The Court went with her recommendation and next thing you know .. I'm outta there."
"Richie." Duncan put a hand on his shoulder. "That won't happen this time. I give you my word. I won't let it happen. We'll go to the Court and the only thing that will happen is that you will become a legal member of this family."
"You still don't get it, do you Mac?" Richie looked up at him. "That's what I'm most afraid of."