AN- Thank you all, as ever, for the reviews and the feedback. And to RRyanForever, I can promise you, that by the time this story is over things are never going to be quite the same between 20 something Richie and any of the others, ever again!
***
"TV? At this time in the morning?" Duncan eyed his "twelve" year old sceptically as they came downstairs into the lounge room.
"Its the cartoons. Its for kids. They wouldn't put them on, if they didn't want you to watch them, would they?" Richie reasoned.
He still looked tired, Duncan thought. There were dark hollows, and signs of strain around his eyes.
"You haven't even had breakfast yet." He argued, for forms sake.
"Thirty minutes." Richie bargained.
"Five." Duncan countered.
"Twenty five." Richie offered.
"Fifteen," Duncan surprised him. "But you have to eat up all your breakfast."
"I can do that," Richie chirruped happily, settling back on the couch with the remote. "Thanks, Dad."
Duncan pressed his lips together and tried not to notice how his heart contracted in his chest each time Richie called him that.
"You're welcome, lad." He reached out to tousle Richie's hair and was reward by a brief, brilliant smile, before he turned his attention to the cartoons.
***
"So?" Duncan leant back against the kitchen counter and addressed the three men huddled around the laptop. "How you found anything yet?"
"You know," Methos observed. "You could learn to do this yourself."
"I could," Duncan agreed. "But then I wouldn't have the benefit of your considerable experience."
"For all the good its doing us." Connor scowled at the screen as if he held it personally responsible.
"You've been at it for over an hour!" Duncan protested. "You must have found something."
"I'm sorry Mac," Joe sounded genuinely apologetic. "The records from those years are gradually being uploaded onto the system, but it could take decades."
"So, we're back at square one." Duncan sighed.
"Has anyone thought of just asking Richie about the accident?" Joe enquired.
"He doesn't seem to remember anything about last night," Duncan shook his head. "He's acting as if it never happened."
"That's why he's been dogging your footsteps since daybreak, is it?" Connor surmised.
"That doesn't mean anything." Duncan protested half heartedly.
"Oh, come on, Macleod." Methos protested. "Yesterday, you were a stranger to him. This morning, anyone can see he's starting to trust you. You think that is just a co-incidence?"
Duncan paused. Richie did seem much more comfortable with him this morning.
"Maybe he does remember something. But you didn't see him. He was absolutely terrified. I'm not putting him through that again when there's still another way."
"What other way?" Joe asked curiously.
The three Immortals looked at one another.
"Amanda." They replied in unison.
***
"She was out," Duncan put the phone down. "I left a message with the concierge."
"Where is she, right now?" Joe looked up.
"Don't you know?" Connor smirked.
"Not since she broke her last Watcher's nose for putting it in where it wasn't wanted." Joe winced.
"The way I heard it," Methos didn't look up from his book, "He followed into a Museum she was trying to rob and set off all the alarms."
"That was about the size of it," Joe agreed. "She said if I ever put another Watcher on her, she'd turn him into a Soprano."
"That's a bit sexist isn't it?" Duncan grinned. "Haven't you thought of using a woman?"
"We've tried, several times, they only last a few days and then they resign."
"Don't tell me she's been breaking their noses as well?" Duncan didn't think so.
"Our Amanda has a lot of pretty things." Joe sighed with resignation.
"She's bribing them?" Connor chuckled, how like Amanda.
"Vintage designer labels, antique jewellery, you name it. Never fails."
"Well, as luck would have it, she's in Boston, so it shouldn't take her too long to get here." Duncan shrugged.
"Just as long as she doesn't go a few decades without picking up her messages like some people I know," Connor grumbled.
"It was only one decade," Duncan defended himself. "And, I've been much better since."
"Only because Risteard taught you how to use e-mail." Connor snorted.
"Um, Mac, about Richie .." Joe hesitated. "Why are you doing this? I mean, why now?"
Joe knew that Duncan had always refused to look up Richie's records. He had had Connor check that there was nothing in there that would make Richie a danger to Tessa, but he had always maintained that the lad had a right to his privacy and he would tell his secrets in his own good time. Even after he had learnt of the Watchers, Duncan had refused point blank to look at anything in Richie's chronicle.
Yet here he was, hacking into data bases and dragging Amanda to New York, so she could fly to Seacouver and to steal the original paper files from Child Services, and violate the very privacy that he had always sworn to protect.
"Because this is different," Duncan spoke quietly. "This isn't something to make Richie feel awkward or ashamed. This is something he's buried so deep, even he doesn't remember it anymore."
"And you think, if you find out what happened, Richie will be back to his old self?" Joe said hopefully.
Methos winced at the unintended pun.
"I wish I knew." Duncan sighed.
***
"Hey, Richie what are you watching?" Joe sat himself down on the couch next to the young Immortal, only to do a double take at the scantily dressed characters on the TV screen. He had had no idea that there was a channel that screened movies like that at this time in the morning.
"Hey, you shouldn't be watching that!" he looked around for the remote.
"Why not?" Richie asked.
"Because you're too young to understand it, that's why." Joe insisted.
"I am not," Richie insisted. "See that that blonde girl? Well, she's a prostitute and that dark haired guy, he's .."
"Yes. Alright," Joe cut him off, casting about desperately for something to catch Richie's mercurial attention. "What do you want for breakfast?"
Food. Never failed.
Richie bounced on the sofa. "Popcorn?" he asked.
"For breakfast?" Joe queried.
"It's a cereal, ain't it?" Richie gave him an innocent look.
"I suppose it is," Joe sighed. "I guess, its healthier than chocolate cake." He mused, he'd caught the older version of Richie having that for breakfast more than once.
"There's chocolate cake?" This Richie sat up.
"No." Joe said firmly.
"But you said .."
"I was just thinking out loud."
"Oh, right," Richie paused. Joe knew better than to think he was off the hook. Sure enough.
"Were you thinking we could make a chocolate cake?" Richie suggested.
Time to pass the buck, Joe decided.
"We'll have to ask your Dad."
***
"I can't believe you did that." Joe said incredulously, as Duncan started to wipe down the counter.
A chocolate cake, topped with chocolate fudge frosting and with a missing piece, a very large missing piece, sat on the table. Over on the couch Richie munched happily.
"It wasn't exactly hard. Connor always keeps a good store cupboard," Duncan shrugged
"I meant .." Joe rolled his eyes. "Weren't you the one who was always on at Richie to eat more healthily?"
"He eats healthily," Duncan pointed out. "He just eats lots of other things as well."
"Still, chocolate cake? For breakfast?"
"Its Richie's family tradition." Duncan shrugged.
"Aw c'mon, Mac," Joe laughed. "I can't believe you fell for that line. What parents would let their kid have chocolate cake for breakfast?"
"Tessa and I," Duncan stated simply, looking only slightly sheepish under Joe's incredulous gaze. He shrugged. "On special occasions, anyway."
"Oh and what special occasion is it today?" Joe teased. "Tuesday?"
"Joe," Duncan gave him an odd look. "Yesterday, I thought he was dead .."
"Ah," Joe blushed slightly, "Yeah, I guess that is cause for celebration. In fact, I might even join you .."
They both stilled as the phone rang.
"That might be Amanda. Finish this, will you?" Duncan pressed the cloth in Joe's hand and ducked next door to avoid Richie's prying ears.
"Just cos I''m a bartender, doesn't mean .." Joe didn't finish the sentence. Mac was already out of earshot.
By the time the Immortal returned the kitchen was almost spotless.
"So, was it Amanda ..?" Joe trailed off as he saw Duncan looking around. "What? Did I miss a bit?"
"Where's Richie?"
Joe looked around from rinsing out the cloth. ""He was here just a moment ago. In fact, he was helping. He figured he might earn another piece of cake." Joe chuckled.
"Well, he's not here now." Duncan informed him tersely.
"Maybe he went to the bathroom?"
"No, he would have had to come past me." Duncan was starting to get a bad feeling about this. His eyes lit on the empty trash can. He was sure that had been almost full earlier. And if Richie had gone to put the trash out. That meant he was somewhere outside.
Damn. This city was like Immortal central. Blissfully unaware of either Immortals or his Immortality this twelve year old version of Richie would be an easy kill for any foe who crossed his path.
***
Duncan frantically scanned the alley, painfully aware that Richie seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. Sure enough, there was the lad, sitting on the garbage can, and he was not alone.
"I might have known," Duncan sighed.
He reached the boy in four quick strides and seized him firmly by the collar.
"Sorry ladies," he flashed the two heavily made up young women, a blonde and a redhead, who looked to be about eighteen, a tight smile. "He's spoken for."
"I am not .." Richie piped up.
"Oh, you're nice," The redhead purred. "Maybe we could double date? I like my men to be a bit older .. more experience, if you know what I mean?"
"Sweetheart," Duncan shook his head. "You have no idea. C'mon Tough Guy."
"But we were talkin'," Richie protested, as Duncan took a firm grip on his arm and led him back towards the apartment.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers?"
"A stranger is just a friend you ain't met yet." Richie corrected loftily. "Besides, I know them."
"You do?" Duncan stopped dead. Hope flared in his chest. Maybe Richie remembered something, after all. "How do you know them?"
"Her name is Tina and the other one is Lisa." Richie told him, matter of factly.
Oh. Duncan pressed his lips together in disappointment, making his next words come out harsher than he'd intended.
"And what else do you know about them?"
Richie's eyes widened slightly at his tone and he dropped his eyes to the floor.
"Nuthin." He admitted quietly, trying to squirm out of Duncan's grasp.
Damn, Duncan cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him and took a deep breath, making an effort to speak more kindly.
"Richie .. its too dangerous for you to be out here by yourself."
"I can take care of myself." Richie mumbled.
Duncan's mouth almost quirked at the familiar defiant refrain coming from the lad.
"I know you can." He soothed. "Lord knows, you've had to .."
"Yeah, cos you left me."
"What?" Duncan hoped he hadn't head right.
But Richie's head came up defiantly, his eyes bright with pain and anger..
"You left me," He protested. "I was your kid and I needed you and you left me all alone. Why would you do that?"