A few seconds passed as Duncan and Tessa stared at the teen, unprepared for his entrance. It was Duncan who composed himself first. The look of trepidation on Richie's face made the Immortal's course of action crystal clear. He let go of Tessa and crossed the room with a few long strides to lift the teen off the ground in a bone crunching bear hug. "Hugging you." He said into the side of the teen's head before planting him back on his own two feet and landing a kiss on top of his curls. "Immediately."
Still in shock from the Immortal's uncharacteristic and completely unexpected display of affection, the stunned teen allowed himself to be turned around to face the waiting Tessa. The Frenchwoman's response did not exactly mirror that of her lover. Grabbing the teen by both shoulders, she shook him, as if wanting to bring some sense into his head. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea how foolish what you did was? Running off in the middle of the night, walking along major highways by yourself, not giving us any clue about where you were. What on earth were you thinking? There are bad people in this world, Richie. Someone could have grabbed you up off the side of the highway and we would have had no idea where to find you."
"Tessa, I." Richie began to defend himself.
But Tessa would hear none of it. "I am not finished." Her tone left no room for argument. "Do you know how easily you could have been hit by a vehicle? There is a reason all the signs say 'no pedestrians', young man. And to think you could walk so far. You feel asleep on the side of a bridge, Richie! You go to a strange town, in the middle of the night and are not even alert as you walk around. What if Duncan hadn't found you? Hum? What would have happened then? Do you really think you would have just been left in peace along the side of the road? Do you?"
"I didn't." Richie once again interjected.
"Certainly not." Tessa continued. "You could have been hit by an oncoming car. Drivers certainly aren't looking for sleeping boys on the side of the highway. And the drunks that surely drive along that bridge at night!"
"I wasn't." Richie once again attempted to defend himself.
"You didn't even flinch when you got home, Richie. Duncan managed to carry you off that bridge, drive home with you, bring you in, get you changed and tuck you into bed. You didn't move an inch the entire time! Do you have any idea what could have been done to you while you slept? What if it hadn't been Duncan? What then?"
"I wouldn't have." Richie didn't even know what to say.
But it really didn't matter. Tessa wasn't interested. "I don't want to hear it, young man. You sit yourself down on that couch. We are going to have a long talk and get some things straight."
"Yes, ma'am." There was not even a trace of sarcasm in Richie's response. He quickly made his way over to the couch, keeping one eye on Tessa the entire time, and perched himself on the edge of it, flinching slightly from a combination of sore muscles and trepidation as he went.
"Well, do you have anything to add?" As Tessa turned her attention to Duncan, he attempted to pull his jaw off the floor. The tirade he had just witnessed was the last thing he had expected from Tessa. And the last thing he thought Richie needed. He certainly didn't want the boy to fear them; he had already witnessed first hand Richie's response to any sort of discomfort: fleeing.
Duncan snapped himself out of his own thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. "We need to talk." He looked directly at Tessa, letting her know he was serious. "Right now."
"Fine." She replied accommodatingly before turning her attention back to Richie. "We will be right back." With a wagging finger to accentuate her point she warned. "Don't you move an inch."
As Tessa swiftly moved towards their bedroom, Duncan paused to look at Richie. He appeared absolutely stunned by the turn of events. The Immortal leaned over to give the teen a quick kiss on the top of the head. As the boy turned wide eyes on him, Duncan became more determined to figure things out with Tessa. They were definitely not on the same page about how to handle the teen and that needed to change, immediately. He gently squeezed Richie on the back of the neck and gave his best smile. "Give us a minute, partner."
At Richie's hesitant nod, Duncan turned from him to follow Tessa down the hallway. The irony of the situation hit him with full force. He knew it was time to hash some things out, he just hadn't realized that it was he and Tessa who needed to do it.