AN: Now betaed!
Richie sat at the kitchen table reading his English assignment to Tessa. They had found that he could understand better if he saw and heard things at the same time, so they had taken to listening to his reading assignments as he did them. He was so engrossed in Oliver Twist, that he didn't notice Duncan standing behind him mouthing something to Tessa. Only when something had been plopped on his head did he notice anything.
"Um.'He has not peached so far, said the Jew as he pursued his occupation'." He read as he took the hat off his head. "'If he. if he means to blab us among his new friends, we my stop his mouth yet.' And that's it!" he announced closing his book. "What the hell is that?" he asked looking at the hat more closely now.
"Watch your language," Duncan told him. "Did you understand it all?"
"What does he mean 'he has not peached'?"
"Hasn't ratted them out," Duncan explained.
"Oh. so what the heck is this?" Richie asked picking the hat up. If reminded him somewhat of a golfer's hat. It was round and floppy with a little poof of something on top.
"It's a hat," Duncan told him.
"Please tell me you didn't buy this for me," Richie said. "Cause I'm not wearing it."
"Don't be stupid, of course I didn't buy it," Duncan laughed. "My mother made it."
"This is yours?" Richie asked looking at the hat in question a little more closely.
"Yes."
"Put it on!" Richie told him handing the hat over. Duncan did and Richie laughed. "You look like an idiot!"
"I know, that's why I never wore it," Duncan explained fitting it onto Richie's head again. "You, on the other hand. you can pull it off."
Richie gave him a doubtful look and went to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. "I look like one of those Scottie dogs you see in cartoons!" he exclaimed.
"You look Scottish," Duncan told him.
"Mom?" Richie asked her opinion.
"You look adorable!" she told him kissing him on the cheek. "Like Highland warrior."
"I'm sure the warriors all wore Scottie dog hats," Richie said rolling his eyes.
"They did. Where do you think the cartoons got the idea? It was so we could easily identify an allied clan in battle."
"I thought that was what the tartans were for." Richie gave him a confused look.
"But you could look above the heads of the enemy and see the hats."
"Oh. So why are you showing this to me? An impromptu history lesson?"
"Spell impromptu," Tessa told him. It was her new teaching technique. If she ever caught Richie using a big word, she would quiz him on the spelling.
"I-N-P-R-O-M-P-T-O?" Richie guessed. Tessa shook her head. "Was I close?" he asked.
"Listen to the word: impromptu."
"I-M?" Duncan nodded. "P-R-M-O-P-T-U?"
"You switched the M and O, but otherwise you were right," Duncan told him.
"I still got it wrong," Richie mumbled. "But you never answered my question. What's with the hat?"
"I wanted to see how it looked on you," he shrugged.
"And what prompted this?"
"This." Tessa handed Richie the folded up paper that he had done his St. Matthew's sketch on a few weeks ago.
"What does this have to do. Oh," Richie stopped when he flipped the paper over. He had doodled on the cultural fair flyer.
"Why didn't you say anything about the costumes?" Duncan asked.
"Um. I dunno."
"You don't know?"
"Maybe I was afraid you'd do this to me," Richie admitted pointing at the hat still on his head.
"But you look so good in blue," Tessa told him.
"And I look stupid in skirts."
"How would you know?" Duncan asked.
"What? Haven't you ever heard of Halloween?"
"So you'll do it?" he asked hopefully.
"No. There is no way you're getting me to wear a skirt to school. Ever."
"Why not?"
"Because I just transferred here. My reputation is still in the making. I'm not about to ruin all that by wearing a skirt to school!"
"It's not a skirt, it's a kilt."
"It's not pants and that's all I care about," Richie insisted crossing his arms over his chest.
"At least try it on," Duncan suggested.
"First off, no. Second off, even if I did consider it, it's yours. It's gonna be way huge!"
. . . . . .
"I can't believe this," Richie groaned looking at himself in the full- length mirror in Duncan and Tessa's room. "You made it fit."
Duncan smiled proudly from behind him. "Of course I did. And you look great."
"You fought in this?"
"No, don't be daft," Duncan said slipping into his accent.
"Oh, well then, I won't," Richie imitated back.
"You're pretty good at that," Duncan smiled at Richie's accent. "This is a dress kilt," he explained fastening the sporran around Richie's waist. He straightened the stockings that came up to just below Richie's knees. "There we go, and the bonnet of course."
"Bonnet?!" Richie repeated.
"The hat," Duncan translated with a smile putting it on the boy's head.
Richie fidgeted with the plaid Duncan had fastened to his left shoulder with a gold broach. "This is weird."
"Go you show your mom," Duncan instructed giving Richie a slight swat on the butt. He followed Richie down the hall and to the kitchen where Tessa was looking through her recipes for something the boy could make for the fair.
"Oh!" Tessa squealed dropping the recipe cards she was holding and going to him. "You look wonderful!" She fussed with all the different pieces for a few seconds. "From the hat to the shoes!" she giggled.
"They're not shoes, they're brogues," Richie told her. "And it's a bonnet," he added.
"Oh, well pardon me. From the bonnet to the brogues," she corrected. "You still look adorable. You were meant to be a MacLeod," she told him. "It's like the colors were made for you."
"I really don't look that bad?" Richie asked skeptically. "It's not too big or anything?"
"No, it fits you perfectly. Just like it was made." she trailed off.
"Just like it was made for me," Richie agreed, not noticing anything strange. "It's kinda weird. I mean, being Dad's and all I thought this was going to be huge. But it's actually not that bad. It's a little hot, but the school is usually kinda cold so I."
"You'll wear it?" Duncan cut in.
"Yeah, I guess so. It's kinda cool. and I have to admit. well, you know," he blushed a little.
"It's nice to have a clan to belong to?" Tessa supplied.
Richie looked down at his brogues and messed with his sporran. "Yeah."
"Well, lets get you changed out of that so you don't spill anything on it at dinner," Duncan suggested, guiding Richie back to the bedroom.
A few minutes later Richie once again entered the kitchen; this time he was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt. "Speaking of dinner, what are we having?" he asked.
"I thought we'd make some stir-fry," Tessa told him. "Does that sound good?"
"Everything sounds good, I'm starved," Richie told her.
"Long day at school?"
"Yeah. I thought Chemistry was never going to end today," he complained.
"Well, you go get the chicken out of the freezer and you can tell us all about it at dinner."
"Okay," he shrugged, going to get the chicken from the freezer in the garage.
"Are you ever going to tell him?" she asked Duncan who was standing in the doorway.
"Tell him what?" he asked innocently.
"That you had that made for him."
"I didn't."
"Duncan, he thinks that's yours."
"It was."
"It's too small to be yours," she insisted.
"Now it is, but not when I was his age."
"You had something that nice when you were his age?"
"I was the chieftain's son," he reminded her. "Of course. I went to all sorts of parties and meetings with him. He was training me."
"That's really yours?"
"Yes. And to answer your next question a sympathetic clans-woman snuck it to me after my father banished me. Connor kept it and I had him send it to the university last week. come to think of it, that might be his shirt."
"It fits him perfectly. Even the shoes."
"Okay, you caught me," Duncan yielded. "I bought the shoes and the broach."
"But the rest is yours?"
"Was mine. It's his now."
"It's mine?" Richie asked coming back into the kitchen.
"I want to take you to Scotland," Duncan told him. "You might need it. There's still room for you to grow in it; I had to make a few adjustments for you now. What do you say? Do you want it?"
"Yeah, cool. Thanks, Dad," he smiled brightly, giving Tessa the package he was holding and giving Duncan a hug. "This is awesome."
"You're welcome, tough guy," Duncan answered. It still made him smile whenever Richie instigated such an intimate gesture.
"What's this?" Tessa asked opening the package Riche had given her.
"Shrimp," he answered.
"Is this your subtle way of changing the menu?"
"It's my way of asking?" he offered.
"I don't know. I'm feeling a little left out at the moment," she hinted.
Richie rolled his eyes and hugged her too. "That better?" he asked.
"I don't know," she continued.
Duncan stepped between the two and leaned in close to her. "I want shrimp, too," he smiled.
"I don't think that's what she was going for," Richie hinted with a smile.
"He's right, you know," Tessa added. Duncan pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.
After nearly a minute, Richie sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll start dinner."
Richie started the wok and after a few minutes, Tessa tore herself away from Duncan and told Richie what to do. She had slowly been teaching him how to cook. Once everyone was seated and served they began discussing upcoming events.
"Um." Richie thought hard when asked what was about to happen at school. "Well, I got a Pre-Calc test on Friday; the fair is the Thursday after that and that Friday is baseball tryouts."
"Baseball tryouts?" Duncan repeated.
"Oh, yeah. Can I try out for baseball next year?"
"But you said tryouts were in two weeks," Tessa teased. "Which is it?"
"Tryouts are this year to be on the team next year," Richie explained. "So can I?"
"I didn't even know you played," Duncan said.
"I haven't in a while. But I was pretty good when I did. I played on the school team in High School until I dropped out. So can I?"
"I don't see why not," Duncan shrugged. "What do you think, Tessa?"
"You will keep your grades up?" she asked Richie.
"Uh-huh, I have to anyway; no pass, no play."
"Then I don't see any reason you shouldn't try out."
Richie smiled broadly for the second time that night. "Thanks! I gotta call Nathan and tell him!"
"You have to finish your dinner," Tessa corrected.
"And the dishes," Duncan added.
"Then I can call?"
"Then you can call."
Richie looked down at his plate with great enthusiasm and finished his food in three bites. "Done!" he announced, still chewing on the last bite.
"Sit," Tessa instructed. "It's only seven; you have plenty of time to gab on the phone like a couple girls later. Tell us about the team."
Richie sat and talked while Duncan and Tessa ate. Once they were done, Richie did the dishes and ran to the phone. He and Nathan talked for ten minutes before they hung up.
"See, we don't gab like girls," he told Tessa pointedly.
"Sure you don't," she agreed. "Now come look at these recipes and decide what you want to make for Thursday."
Richie and Tessa went over her ideas and finally decided on crème brulee. That Saturday, Richie would make a practice batch to make sure he could do it on his own. The rules specifically stated that the students must make the food by themselves; so Tessa couldn't help him. He got into bed that night and stared at the kilt and plaid handing on his door until he fell asleep. That night he dreamed he was the chieftain's son fighting in a Highland battle. His clan won.
Richie sat at the kitchen table reading his English assignment to Tessa. They had found that he could understand better if he saw and heard things at the same time, so they had taken to listening to his reading assignments as he did them. He was so engrossed in Oliver Twist, that he didn't notice Duncan standing behind him mouthing something to Tessa. Only when something had been plopped on his head did he notice anything.
"Um.'He has not peached so far, said the Jew as he pursued his occupation'." He read as he took the hat off his head. "'If he. if he means to blab us among his new friends, we my stop his mouth yet.' And that's it!" he announced closing his book. "What the hell is that?" he asked looking at the hat more closely now.
"Watch your language," Duncan told him. "Did you understand it all?"
"What does he mean 'he has not peached'?"
"Hasn't ratted them out," Duncan explained.
"Oh. so what the heck is this?" Richie asked picking the hat up. If reminded him somewhat of a golfer's hat. It was round and floppy with a little poof of something on top.
"It's a hat," Duncan told him.
"Please tell me you didn't buy this for me," Richie said. "Cause I'm not wearing it."
"Don't be stupid, of course I didn't buy it," Duncan laughed. "My mother made it."
"This is yours?" Richie asked looking at the hat in question a little more closely.
"Yes."
"Put it on!" Richie told him handing the hat over. Duncan did and Richie laughed. "You look like an idiot!"
"I know, that's why I never wore it," Duncan explained fitting it onto Richie's head again. "You, on the other hand. you can pull it off."
Richie gave him a doubtful look and went to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. "I look like one of those Scottie dogs you see in cartoons!" he exclaimed.
"You look Scottish," Duncan told him.
"Mom?" Richie asked her opinion.
"You look adorable!" she told him kissing him on the cheek. "Like Highland warrior."
"I'm sure the warriors all wore Scottie dog hats," Richie said rolling his eyes.
"They did. Where do you think the cartoons got the idea? It was so we could easily identify an allied clan in battle."
"I thought that was what the tartans were for." Richie gave him a confused look.
"But you could look above the heads of the enemy and see the hats."
"Oh. So why are you showing this to me? An impromptu history lesson?"
"Spell impromptu," Tessa told him. It was her new teaching technique. If she ever caught Richie using a big word, she would quiz him on the spelling.
"I-N-P-R-O-M-P-T-O?" Richie guessed. Tessa shook her head. "Was I close?" he asked.
"Listen to the word: impromptu."
"I-M?" Duncan nodded. "P-R-M-O-P-T-U?"
"You switched the M and O, but otherwise you were right," Duncan told him.
"I still got it wrong," Richie mumbled. "But you never answered my question. What's with the hat?"
"I wanted to see how it looked on you," he shrugged.
"And what prompted this?"
"This." Tessa handed Richie the folded up paper that he had done his St. Matthew's sketch on a few weeks ago.
"What does this have to do. Oh," Richie stopped when he flipped the paper over. He had doodled on the cultural fair flyer.
"Why didn't you say anything about the costumes?" Duncan asked.
"Um. I dunno."
"You don't know?"
"Maybe I was afraid you'd do this to me," Richie admitted pointing at the hat still on his head.
"But you look so good in blue," Tessa told him.
"And I look stupid in skirts."
"How would you know?" Duncan asked.
"What? Haven't you ever heard of Halloween?"
"So you'll do it?" he asked hopefully.
"No. There is no way you're getting me to wear a skirt to school. Ever."
"Why not?"
"Because I just transferred here. My reputation is still in the making. I'm not about to ruin all that by wearing a skirt to school!"
"It's not a skirt, it's a kilt."
"It's not pants and that's all I care about," Richie insisted crossing his arms over his chest.
"At least try it on," Duncan suggested.
"First off, no. Second off, even if I did consider it, it's yours. It's gonna be way huge!"
. . . . . .
"I can't believe this," Richie groaned looking at himself in the full- length mirror in Duncan and Tessa's room. "You made it fit."
Duncan smiled proudly from behind him. "Of course I did. And you look great."
"You fought in this?"
"No, don't be daft," Duncan said slipping into his accent.
"Oh, well then, I won't," Richie imitated back.
"You're pretty good at that," Duncan smiled at Richie's accent. "This is a dress kilt," he explained fastening the sporran around Richie's waist. He straightened the stockings that came up to just below Richie's knees. "There we go, and the bonnet of course."
"Bonnet?!" Richie repeated.
"The hat," Duncan translated with a smile putting it on the boy's head.
Richie fidgeted with the plaid Duncan had fastened to his left shoulder with a gold broach. "This is weird."
"Go you show your mom," Duncan instructed giving Richie a slight swat on the butt. He followed Richie down the hall and to the kitchen where Tessa was looking through her recipes for something the boy could make for the fair.
"Oh!" Tessa squealed dropping the recipe cards she was holding and going to him. "You look wonderful!" She fussed with all the different pieces for a few seconds. "From the hat to the shoes!" she giggled.
"They're not shoes, they're brogues," Richie told her. "And it's a bonnet," he added.
"Oh, well pardon me. From the bonnet to the brogues," she corrected. "You still look adorable. You were meant to be a MacLeod," she told him. "It's like the colors were made for you."
"I really don't look that bad?" Richie asked skeptically. "It's not too big or anything?"
"No, it fits you perfectly. Just like it was made." she trailed off.
"Just like it was made for me," Richie agreed, not noticing anything strange. "It's kinda weird. I mean, being Dad's and all I thought this was going to be huge. But it's actually not that bad. It's a little hot, but the school is usually kinda cold so I."
"You'll wear it?" Duncan cut in.
"Yeah, I guess so. It's kinda cool. and I have to admit. well, you know," he blushed a little.
"It's nice to have a clan to belong to?" Tessa supplied.
Richie looked down at his brogues and messed with his sporran. "Yeah."
"Well, lets get you changed out of that so you don't spill anything on it at dinner," Duncan suggested, guiding Richie back to the bedroom.
A few minutes later Richie once again entered the kitchen; this time he was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt. "Speaking of dinner, what are we having?" he asked.
"I thought we'd make some stir-fry," Tessa told him. "Does that sound good?"
"Everything sounds good, I'm starved," Richie told her.
"Long day at school?"
"Yeah. I thought Chemistry was never going to end today," he complained.
"Well, you go get the chicken out of the freezer and you can tell us all about it at dinner."
"Okay," he shrugged, going to get the chicken from the freezer in the garage.
"Are you ever going to tell him?" she asked Duncan who was standing in the doorway.
"Tell him what?" he asked innocently.
"That you had that made for him."
"I didn't."
"Duncan, he thinks that's yours."
"It was."
"It's too small to be yours," she insisted.
"Now it is, but not when I was his age."
"You had something that nice when you were his age?"
"I was the chieftain's son," he reminded her. "Of course. I went to all sorts of parties and meetings with him. He was training me."
"That's really yours?"
"Yes. And to answer your next question a sympathetic clans-woman snuck it to me after my father banished me. Connor kept it and I had him send it to the university last week. come to think of it, that might be his shirt."
"It fits him perfectly. Even the shoes."
"Okay, you caught me," Duncan yielded. "I bought the shoes and the broach."
"But the rest is yours?"
"Was mine. It's his now."
"It's mine?" Richie asked coming back into the kitchen.
"I want to take you to Scotland," Duncan told him. "You might need it. There's still room for you to grow in it; I had to make a few adjustments for you now. What do you say? Do you want it?"
"Yeah, cool. Thanks, Dad," he smiled brightly, giving Tessa the package he was holding and giving Duncan a hug. "This is awesome."
"You're welcome, tough guy," Duncan answered. It still made him smile whenever Richie instigated such an intimate gesture.
"What's this?" Tessa asked opening the package Riche had given her.
"Shrimp," he answered.
"Is this your subtle way of changing the menu?"
"It's my way of asking?" he offered.
"I don't know. I'm feeling a little left out at the moment," she hinted.
Richie rolled his eyes and hugged her too. "That better?" he asked.
"I don't know," she continued.
Duncan stepped between the two and leaned in close to her. "I want shrimp, too," he smiled.
"I don't think that's what she was going for," Richie hinted with a smile.
"He's right, you know," Tessa added. Duncan pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her deeply.
After nearly a minute, Richie sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll start dinner."
Richie started the wok and after a few minutes, Tessa tore herself away from Duncan and told Richie what to do. She had slowly been teaching him how to cook. Once everyone was seated and served they began discussing upcoming events.
"Um." Richie thought hard when asked what was about to happen at school. "Well, I got a Pre-Calc test on Friday; the fair is the Thursday after that and that Friday is baseball tryouts."
"Baseball tryouts?" Duncan repeated.
"Oh, yeah. Can I try out for baseball next year?"
"But you said tryouts were in two weeks," Tessa teased. "Which is it?"
"Tryouts are this year to be on the team next year," Richie explained. "So can I?"
"I didn't even know you played," Duncan said.
"I haven't in a while. But I was pretty good when I did. I played on the school team in High School until I dropped out. So can I?"
"I don't see why not," Duncan shrugged. "What do you think, Tessa?"
"You will keep your grades up?" she asked Richie.
"Uh-huh, I have to anyway; no pass, no play."
"Then I don't see any reason you shouldn't try out."
Richie smiled broadly for the second time that night. "Thanks! I gotta call Nathan and tell him!"
"You have to finish your dinner," Tessa corrected.
"And the dishes," Duncan added.
"Then I can call?"
"Then you can call."
Richie looked down at his plate with great enthusiasm and finished his food in three bites. "Done!" he announced, still chewing on the last bite.
"Sit," Tessa instructed. "It's only seven; you have plenty of time to gab on the phone like a couple girls later. Tell us about the team."
Richie sat and talked while Duncan and Tessa ate. Once they were done, Richie did the dishes and ran to the phone. He and Nathan talked for ten minutes before they hung up.
"See, we don't gab like girls," he told Tessa pointedly.
"Sure you don't," she agreed. "Now come look at these recipes and decide what you want to make for Thursday."
Richie and Tessa went over her ideas and finally decided on crème brulee. That Saturday, Richie would make a practice batch to make sure he could do it on his own. The rules specifically stated that the students must make the food by themselves; so Tessa couldn't help him. He got into bed that night and stared at the kilt and plaid handing on his door until he fell asleep. That night he dreamed he was the chieftain's son fighting in a Highland battle. His clan won.