AN – Hey. I know this one has been a long time coming. But I hope its worth it. There is one more Chapter to come (again) Thanks to everyone for reading and especially reviewing.
Thanks so much to Lori for the fantastic beta job – if you notice I'm not doing those irritating things that I do anymore, it's entirely down to her!
Also a message for MorganaPendragon (if you are reading this cos you don't have an e-mail addy) I had kinda thought that would be the end of The Gift now I had tied up all the loose ends – (except maybe an epilogue where Richie gets the bike if anyone would like) – so if there's something you still want to see, let me know!
***
"Hey Mac." Richie leant against the door jamb of the office, feeling uncomfortably like he was seventeen again. "Is this is a bad time?"
Duncan looked down at the stack of invoices that absolutely, positively, had to catch the post.
In fifteen minutes.
"No." He put down his pen. "You want to go upstairs?"
"And have Methos smirk his way through my groveling?" Richie sank onto the sofa. "I'll pass thanks."
"What did you break this time?" Duncan smiled, as he came around the desk. Relieved it was nothing more serious.
"I dunno. Your trust. Your heart maybe." Richie looked at the wall.
Or maybe it was.
"I thought we fixed this?" Duncan sat next to him on the sofa. Making sure their shoulders touched.
"Not everything in this world is about me," Richie quoted.
"Methos." Duncan made the name sound like a curse word.
"Is he wrong?" Riche asked quietly.
"Rich .." Duncan sighed. He had never been anything but honest with the lad. "Yeah. OK. I was a little hurt. I thought we were closer than that." He gave an awkward shrug.
"When I was real small. We had to do this craft project in school." Richie began. "We had this clay and stuff. Matt Cooper dared me to eat some. It was gross."
"It didn't occur to you not to take the dare?" Duncan smiled at the image.
"Hey. I had a rep to protect." Richie grinned.
"So. What were you supposed to be doing with the clay?" Duncan nudged him.
"We had to make a paperweight." Richie made a face "I said right off it was stupid and I wasn't gonna do it. Sister Catherine wanted to make me stand in the corner."
"That makes sense." Duncan shook his head. "So you outsmarted her, huh? You didn't have to do it after all?"
"I thought so." Richie shrugged. "But I had reckoned without Sister Mary."
"She wanted to know why you didn't want to do it." Duncan guessed.
"It was supposed to be for Father's Day." Richie admitted. "I didn't want anyone thinking my foster father was my Dad."
"You didn't like him?" Duncan pushed a little.
Richie made a face. "He had creases ironed in his jeans."
"Enough said." Duncan acknowledged.
"I told her I didn't even have a Dad." Richie remembered. "Of course, she wasn't having any of that. She said God gave every child a father. I thought she was talking about a load of crap."
"You said that to a nun!" Duncan nearly fell off the couch.
"Are you even paying attention?" Richie groused. "I said I thought it. Its not like she was telepathic or anything."
"So. What happened?"
"Sister Mary laid a guilt trip on me," Richie scowled. "I mean, don't they have rules about nuns being sneaky or something?"
"Not if its for your own good. Then I think it's in the job description."
"She said that I oughta make it anyway, else when all the other Dads had stuff from their kids, I'd feel bad that my Dad had nothing from me."
"So did he like it?" Duncan wondered where this was going.
"I hope so. Cos I kept it real safe and I've been waiting a long time for a good moment to give it to him."
Richie pulled a small package, clumsily wrapped in a faded page from a comic, from his pocket and offered it to Duncan.
The chunky, gaudily colored paperweight, emblazoned with WORLD'S BEST DAD was the ugliest thing that Duncan had ever seen.
And he could not have been happier to own it.
***
"Mac. You don't have to." Richie's voice protested as he trailed after Duncan.
"I know." Duncan smiled, as he gave the paperweight pride of place on the mantle piece. "What do you think?" he asked Methos.
Richie winced.
"It's very creative." Methos observed.
"What does that mean?" Richie bristled.
"It means that most people would have just said the actual words," Methos pointed out. "It's quick, cheap and saves on resources."
"Talking of resources," Duncan looked at the pile of boxes in his kitchen. "What's this?"
"Beer," Methos told him.
"When Joe said he'd cover your bar bill," Duncan smiled, "I think he meant in the bar."
"Then he should have said that," Methos pointed out reasonably.
"Now that you're my teacher. That means you have to be on my side. Right?" Richie asked nervously.
"Look. It's not like I'm ripping him off here. Joe made the bet in good faith," Methos grumbled. "Just because I'm not going to be living in Seacouver doesn't mean"
"You aren't ..?" Richie's head came up.
"You haven't told him yet?" Methos affected surprise.
"I was going to break it to him gently," Duncan scowled.
"Oh. Well. Be my guest .." Methos waved an arm.
"Gee thanks." Duncan threw him a sour look.
"Mac?" Richie looked panicked. "What's going on?"
"You knew it had to happen sooner or later, Rich." Duncan said gently. "You can't stay here looking nineteen forever. Sooner or later people are gonna notice."
"And in your case its almost always going to be sooner," Methos pointed out. "Had you even started shaving when you became Immortal?"
"Methos. Not now," Duncan warned.
Richie had gone completely white.
"I have to leave Seacouver? For good?" Richie managed. "But it's only been a few years."
"You don't have to do it alone." Duncan assured him.
"Mac. I can't ask you to give up your home for me." Richie shook his head.
"Richie." Duncan shook his head. "Don't you get it? You are my home."
"Why else do you think he stayed in Seacouver longer than sense or reason would suggest?" Methos demanded. "He's not getting any older either."
"It's just .." Richie swallowed. "I'm not ready."
"Then it's a good job we are." Methos said, not unkindly.
"We?" Duncan quirked a brow.
"Well. You," Methos acknowledged. "But I helped."
"Really?" Duncan tipped his head on one side. "How exactly did you help?"
"Give me a century or so and I'll think of something."
***
"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Joe wondered aloud.
"I have taken students before you know," Methos huffed.
"I meant Richie," Joe deadpanned.
"This doesn't mean I have to go live in Greece or Rome or anything does it?" Richie asked. "Cos I'm telling you. Togas are really not my thing."
"Togas?" Methos winced. "Where exactly do you get your cultural references?"
"MTV," Richie grinned.
Methos spat his beer out.
"I see a whole lot of books in your future kid," Joe chuckled.
Duncan gave Richie a level look.
"You know, now he's your teacher you're going to have to stop doing that." He chided.
"But its so much fun," Richie protested.
"Would someone care to let me in on the joke?" Methos wiped beer off his shirt.
"You, of all people, should know about living down to people's expectations," Duncan shrugged.
"Ah," Methos mused. "That explains a lot."
"It does?" Joe didn't think so.
"I know," Richie made a face at Methos. "I couldn't possibly be as stupid as I look right?"
"Actually, I was going to ask how many degrees you'd managed to amass?" Methos raised a brow.
"How many what?" Joe was sure he hadn't heard right.
"Six. Maybe seven. Although, he needs a bit more practical experience with accounting." He threw a tolerant scowl in the direction of his student.
"I can always account for my money," Richie smirked. "It's just other people's money that's boring."
"What other subjects?" Methos was interested.
"English Literature. French. Maths. History, of course. Spanish. Although, I can't take all the credit for that. His Spanish was pretty good before. Polish, obviously. All I had to do was lend him a few books to broaden his understanding to degree level."
"Seven college degrees!" Joe spluttered. "You're trying to tell me Richie has seven degrees?"
"Well. The equivalent education," Duncan shrugged.
"It helps having a college professor as a Dad," Richie quipped shyly.
"Dad?" Joe blinked. "But he isn't .."
Joe hesitated.
Duncan wrapped an arm around Richie's shoulder and pulled him in close to his chest and kissed his curls.
"Really Joe, I thought you were supposed to be the authority on these things," Methos smiled. "Macleod has been a College Professor several times."
***
"So where are we going to live?" Richie got back to the subject at hand.
"How do you feel about Montana?" Duncan suggested.
"Montana?" Richie blinked. "That's in America right?"
"May the God's preserve us." Methos muttered.
"I was just saying," Richie pointed out.
"Yes. It's in America." Duncan gave him a tolerant smile.
"So. Is there much call for Antiques in Montana?" Joe smirked.
"I wouldn't know," Duncan shrugged. "We're going to raise horses."
"Horses?" Richie swallowed. "As in hooves the size of dinner plates?"
"They have really big teeth, too," Methos added helpfully, making his own face.
"You two don't have to do anything you don't want to." Duncan glared at Methos. "I'm going to run the place and I've asked Conner to come and act as foreman."
"Conner?" Richie and Methos said as one.
"Well, with Rachel gone there's little to hold him in New York. Nash has lived there too long already. He's due for a fresh start."
"And he never could resist the turn of a fine fetlock," Methos smirked.
"Um. This place will have like water and electricity and all that stuff right?" Richie worried. "Cos I know you guys and your outdoor stuff."
"Do you really think Methos would be coming if it didn't have plumbing?" Duncan asked.
"Absolutely not!" Methos answered for him. "I lost my taste for outdoor plumbing once Jacuzzis were invented."
"Would you feel better if you went to take a look?" Duncan asked.
"Sure," Richie smiled. "When?"
"How about tomorrow?" Duncan shrugged.
"Just so long as we aren't going by mule train," Methos groused.
"Actually, I thought we'd use a plane .."
"Well. That's alright then."
"Then a helicopter, a boat, a jeep and finally a mule train, although we might have to dismount for the last bit and do it on foot." Duncan smirked.
"He's joking, right?" Richie looked at Methos. "Tell me he's joking?"
