"So being alone with Duncan today was okay?" Sean asked Richie that night
as they cleared the dinner dishes.
"Yeah. He showed me this cool site on the internet and we had lunch on the roof. It was fun."
"Did you talk?"
Richie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we talked."
"About?"
"Stuff."
Sean looked at Richie, hiding his exasperation. Meek, mild mannered, frightened Richie was much easier to handle than almost back to normal, stubborn, close-mouthed Richie. "What stuff did you talk about?"
"Nothing I haven't already told you."
With a patient sigh, Sean backed off, both figuratively and literally, taking a few steps towards the counter to widen the small gap between them. "So would you like to do it again?"
"You mean spend the day with Mac, sure."
"I was thinking of you spending tomorrow with Tessa, actually. Would you be comfortable with that?"
"Yes," Richie told him, walking past on his way to his room. It was an unwritten rule, if from another room Richie retreated into his bedroom the discussion was over. It was his polite, yet blunt way of telling someone to shut up and leave him alone.
"Richie," Sean stopped him anyway. "I left you an assignment in your journal."
"Do I have to?" he whined.
"The more you do now, the less you will have to do it in the future."
"Yes, sir," Richie grumbled trudging away.
. . . . . .
"What I missed the most and why..."
With a sigh Richie picked up his pen and stared at the notebook. 'I missed little things, like bathing myself, feeding myself and making my own decisions. I never got to sleep in or order pizza like I did when I didn't feel like eating what Tess and Mac made and was too lazy to cook something myself. I missed dates.
'None of the kids liked me there. I was the favorite and the brat. They would gang up on me and beat up on me, just because I was treated differently. Then they would get in trouble and I would get pampered and it would start all over. Because I was the 'baby' of the group, the girls didn't want to be seen playing with me or even really talking to me more than they had to. We were all supposed to be quiet and meek, but there was a definite class system. I was at the very bottom.
'I missed hanging out with my friends, and having a good time. Staying out late on Saturday nights and sleeping until noon on Sunday. I missed getting drug along to fancy parties because it would 'look good' or to 'get some culture in my life'.
'Mostly I missed Mac and Tessa.
'I missed the way Mac used to explain every little detail of a new piece to me 'in case a customer asked'. Or how he insisted he always knew where I was going. How he would do nearly anything I asked just because he could. How he used to find excuses to take me places and give me stuff just to make me feel wanted.
'I missed how Tessa used to fuss over me at the slightest health problem. It didn't matter if I sneezed, got burnt, cut or threw up, she was always there to put a bandage on it, send me to bed and make my favorite soup for me, even if lunch was ten minutes before. I missed how she hated my movies, but watched with me anyway. How she ever so slyly started changing my wardrobe because she didn't have the heart to tell me she hated my shirts.
'I missed the way they wanted to include me in everything and felt horrible when they wanted to be alone. It never bothered me and I tried to tell them, but they always wanted to do something to make up for it. I missed the way they used to talk about me after I went to bed and they thought I couldn't hear. Even when I had done something wrong, they were never mean about it. Not to my face and not behind my back. They accepted who I was and what that meant and never asked for anything different.
I missed getting to be myself. I missed being home. I missed being important to someone for a reason other than sex. I missed everything.'
. . . . . .
"No way," Duncan shot down the idea that night after Richie had gone to bed.
"Why not?" Tessa asked. "You spent today with him; I want a turn."
"The difference is I am immortal, if someone came by I could protect him," Duncan insisted.
"There are two other immortals here," Conner reminded him.
"We need a guard?" Tessa demanded. "We'll be fine for one afternoon."
"Tess, I'd just feel better knowing that Richie is protected from any immortal that may drop by."
"Like who?"
"Someone looking for me. Maybe someone looking for him."
"You think that man is looking for him?" Tessa worried.
"I think that he considers Richie stolen property and a liability. He may not know where we are, but he can still be looking. There are plenty of people who know Richie's face and know who he belongs to. I'm not leaving you two unprotected."
"You think he's looking for me?" Richie's voice shook from the doorway.
"Rich, what are you doing up?" Duncan asked.
Richie crossed the room to Duncan. "Don't let him take me back," he pleaded. "I can't go back."
"I know, tough guy. And we're not going to let that happen. That's why we're deciding who gets to stay with you and Tessa tomorrow."
"I hate him, Mac. I won't go back there."
"I know, Rich. Everything will be fine. We didn't mean to scare you. No one is going to hurt you... I won't let them. Do you believe me?" Richie nodded. Duncan smiled at him. "Good. Let's get you back to bed, huh?" He led Richie back down the hall and into his room. He waited for Richie to get back into his bed and settled under the covers. "Good night, Rich." He put his hand on the light switch.
"Mac?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't turn off the light. I don't like the dark."
"Alright. I'll leave it on."
"And don't close the door, sir."
"It stays open," Duncan agreed wondering where these sudden fears had come from. He had been doing fine sleeping in a dark, closed room up until tonight.
"And Mac?"
"Yes, Rich?"
"Will you stay with me?"
"Right now?"
"Just for a little bit?" Richie bargained with him. "Please?"
"I'll stay until you fall asleep. How does that sound?" Duncan asked, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed.
"Perfect."
"Okay, now go to sleep."
Richie scooted closer to Duncan until he had his head on his knee then obediently closed his eyes. It took him a little over five minutes to fall asleep. Duncan waited another ten before gently moving his head to his pillow and leaving the room, lights on and door open.
. . . . . .
"Is everyone gone?" Richie asked as he wandered into the kitchen the next morning. Tessa was toasting bagels.
"Sean is in the store. But he won't come up today. It's you and me."
"I can live with that," Richie decided going to the refrigerator for some juice. "He can't hear us, right?" he asked a few minutes later as they sat at the table with their bagels.
Tessa smiled. "No. Do you not want him to hear?"
"I don't know."
"Do you not like him?" she asked gently.
He shrugged. "He's okay."
"Do you not like what he asks you?"
"I don't mind."
"Do you not like what he has you do?"
"I don't know."
Tessa gave up. "Alright then."
They ate the rest of their meal in silence, but comfortable silence, both still able to bask in the fact that the other was simply there.
"So... how'd you finally get Mac to leave?" Richie asked as they sat, staring at empty plates.
"If another immortal comes we call him. He's just down the street at the café with Conner."
"There's a café down the street?" Richie asked.
"It went in a few years ago, where the furniture warehouse used to be."
"Oh."
"What do you want to do today?" she asked taking her plate and his to the dishwasher.
"We can just talk," he answered.
"Okay. Why don't you get settled in the living room and I'll be right there."
She watched him leave the kitchen. Duncan had told her how hard it was to get Richie to open up and share what had happened the day before. And how angry the boy had gotten suddenly. But here was that same boy, asking her to talk with him. She knew she shouldn't but she really wanted to rub it in Duncan's face when he got back and nothing had happened.
Richie was settled in the chair when Tessa entered the living room. She sat down on the couch being sure to sit in the closest available seat.
"This is the part where you ask me what you want to know," Richie said softly.
"I don't have to if you don't want me to."
"If I don't want to answer it, I won't." He pulled the cushion out from behind him and used it as a small shield.
Tessa thought for a moment. "Are you at least happier now that you're home?"
"Yes. I didn't mean to freak you guys out when I said that I wasn't happy. I was just trying to be honest."
"We know you didn't mean anything by it. We were angry at Conner, not you."
"Why does he want to kill me?" Richie asked softly.
Tessa reached over and pet his arm. "He doesn't. You don't have to worry about that, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, do you mind if I ask you another question?"
"Shoot."
"Was there anything there that you liked?"
Richie thought for a minute. He could think of one thing. "Mamma. She was the nicest person there."
"What did she do?"
"She took care of us. She was the only one Master listened to besides the guests. She actually, no offence or anything, reminded me of you. She was always on my side and was ready to help if I needed her. She actually saved me from some beatings."
"That's good, that there was someone there for you," Tessa said as kindly as she could. She wasn't too happy being compared to someone who would willingly do something so horrible to a child. But at least someone there treated him right. Tessa was about to speak again when she heard a thump down stairs.
"Did you hear that?" Richie asked.
"Call Duncan... go in our room," she ordered getting to her feet. Richie went to the phone then realized he didn't know the number.
"What do you want?" he heard Tessa demand. He didn't hear the answer but did hear the breaking glass of the door that connect her workshop and the kitchen.
"Tessa!" He ran down the hall and found her backing away from two young men with a whisk in front of her as if it were a dangerous weapon.
"Stay back!" she ordered. "Stay back or I'll...I'll..." she got a good look at her weapon of choice for the first time. "Stay back!" she repeated brandishing the weapon as if she had some end to her threat.
In the hallway, Richie opened the coat closet and snatched up the first weapon he could find. A long umbrella.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled coming from behind Tessa to in front of her swinging the umbrella like a sword. "Tessa go," he told her. "Get Mac and Conner."
"She can't go," one of the intruders said. "Master told us to bring you both."
Richie's mouth went dry. "Master?"
"You tell him that we're not going anywhere!" Tessa spat from Richie's shoulder.
"We have to bring you both," the other insisted.
"Like hell!" Richie argued, swinging the umbrella again. "You stay away from us!"
The two stood side by side, ridiculous weapons in hand, ready to fight. Richie was itching to get a good solid blow in. He was finally home, and he'd be damned if someone made him leave again. He was about to strike when an immortal buzz hit him.
"Please be Mac," he whispered to himself.
Unfortunately Duncan, who was staring at the store all during breakfast, could not see the delivery van as it pulled into and out of the alley from the street behind the store. He did, however see Sean running down the street towards him a few minutes later.
"I don't know how I missed it," the immortal panted. "But they're gone."
"Yeah. He showed me this cool site on the internet and we had lunch on the roof. It was fun."
"Did you talk?"
Richie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we talked."
"About?"
"Stuff."
Sean looked at Richie, hiding his exasperation. Meek, mild mannered, frightened Richie was much easier to handle than almost back to normal, stubborn, close-mouthed Richie. "What stuff did you talk about?"
"Nothing I haven't already told you."
With a patient sigh, Sean backed off, both figuratively and literally, taking a few steps towards the counter to widen the small gap between them. "So would you like to do it again?"
"You mean spend the day with Mac, sure."
"I was thinking of you spending tomorrow with Tessa, actually. Would you be comfortable with that?"
"Yes," Richie told him, walking past on his way to his room. It was an unwritten rule, if from another room Richie retreated into his bedroom the discussion was over. It was his polite, yet blunt way of telling someone to shut up and leave him alone.
"Richie," Sean stopped him anyway. "I left you an assignment in your journal."
"Do I have to?" he whined.
"The more you do now, the less you will have to do it in the future."
"Yes, sir," Richie grumbled trudging away.
. . . . . .
"What I missed the most and why..."
With a sigh Richie picked up his pen and stared at the notebook. 'I missed little things, like bathing myself, feeding myself and making my own decisions. I never got to sleep in or order pizza like I did when I didn't feel like eating what Tess and Mac made and was too lazy to cook something myself. I missed dates.
'None of the kids liked me there. I was the favorite and the brat. They would gang up on me and beat up on me, just because I was treated differently. Then they would get in trouble and I would get pampered and it would start all over. Because I was the 'baby' of the group, the girls didn't want to be seen playing with me or even really talking to me more than they had to. We were all supposed to be quiet and meek, but there was a definite class system. I was at the very bottom.
'I missed hanging out with my friends, and having a good time. Staying out late on Saturday nights and sleeping until noon on Sunday. I missed getting drug along to fancy parties because it would 'look good' or to 'get some culture in my life'.
'Mostly I missed Mac and Tessa.
'I missed the way Mac used to explain every little detail of a new piece to me 'in case a customer asked'. Or how he insisted he always knew where I was going. How he would do nearly anything I asked just because he could. How he used to find excuses to take me places and give me stuff just to make me feel wanted.
'I missed how Tessa used to fuss over me at the slightest health problem. It didn't matter if I sneezed, got burnt, cut or threw up, she was always there to put a bandage on it, send me to bed and make my favorite soup for me, even if lunch was ten minutes before. I missed how she hated my movies, but watched with me anyway. How she ever so slyly started changing my wardrobe because she didn't have the heart to tell me she hated my shirts.
'I missed the way they wanted to include me in everything and felt horrible when they wanted to be alone. It never bothered me and I tried to tell them, but they always wanted to do something to make up for it. I missed the way they used to talk about me after I went to bed and they thought I couldn't hear. Even when I had done something wrong, they were never mean about it. Not to my face and not behind my back. They accepted who I was and what that meant and never asked for anything different.
I missed getting to be myself. I missed being home. I missed being important to someone for a reason other than sex. I missed everything.'
. . . . . .
"No way," Duncan shot down the idea that night after Richie had gone to bed.
"Why not?" Tessa asked. "You spent today with him; I want a turn."
"The difference is I am immortal, if someone came by I could protect him," Duncan insisted.
"There are two other immortals here," Conner reminded him.
"We need a guard?" Tessa demanded. "We'll be fine for one afternoon."
"Tess, I'd just feel better knowing that Richie is protected from any immortal that may drop by."
"Like who?"
"Someone looking for me. Maybe someone looking for him."
"You think that man is looking for him?" Tessa worried.
"I think that he considers Richie stolen property and a liability. He may not know where we are, but he can still be looking. There are plenty of people who know Richie's face and know who he belongs to. I'm not leaving you two unprotected."
"You think he's looking for me?" Richie's voice shook from the doorway.
"Rich, what are you doing up?" Duncan asked.
Richie crossed the room to Duncan. "Don't let him take me back," he pleaded. "I can't go back."
"I know, tough guy. And we're not going to let that happen. That's why we're deciding who gets to stay with you and Tessa tomorrow."
"I hate him, Mac. I won't go back there."
"I know, Rich. Everything will be fine. We didn't mean to scare you. No one is going to hurt you... I won't let them. Do you believe me?" Richie nodded. Duncan smiled at him. "Good. Let's get you back to bed, huh?" He led Richie back down the hall and into his room. He waited for Richie to get back into his bed and settled under the covers. "Good night, Rich." He put his hand on the light switch.
"Mac?"
"Yeah?"
"Please don't turn off the light. I don't like the dark."
"Alright. I'll leave it on."
"And don't close the door, sir."
"It stays open," Duncan agreed wondering where these sudden fears had come from. He had been doing fine sleeping in a dark, closed room up until tonight.
"And Mac?"
"Yes, Rich?"
"Will you stay with me?"
"Right now?"
"Just for a little bit?" Richie bargained with him. "Please?"
"I'll stay until you fall asleep. How does that sound?" Duncan asked, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed.
"Perfect."
"Okay, now go to sleep."
Richie scooted closer to Duncan until he had his head on his knee then obediently closed his eyes. It took him a little over five minutes to fall asleep. Duncan waited another ten before gently moving his head to his pillow and leaving the room, lights on and door open.
. . . . . .
"Is everyone gone?" Richie asked as he wandered into the kitchen the next morning. Tessa was toasting bagels.
"Sean is in the store. But he won't come up today. It's you and me."
"I can live with that," Richie decided going to the refrigerator for some juice. "He can't hear us, right?" he asked a few minutes later as they sat at the table with their bagels.
Tessa smiled. "No. Do you not want him to hear?"
"I don't know."
"Do you not like him?" she asked gently.
He shrugged. "He's okay."
"Do you not like what he asks you?"
"I don't mind."
"Do you not like what he has you do?"
"I don't know."
Tessa gave up. "Alright then."
They ate the rest of their meal in silence, but comfortable silence, both still able to bask in the fact that the other was simply there.
"So... how'd you finally get Mac to leave?" Richie asked as they sat, staring at empty plates.
"If another immortal comes we call him. He's just down the street at the café with Conner."
"There's a café down the street?" Richie asked.
"It went in a few years ago, where the furniture warehouse used to be."
"Oh."
"What do you want to do today?" she asked taking her plate and his to the dishwasher.
"We can just talk," he answered.
"Okay. Why don't you get settled in the living room and I'll be right there."
She watched him leave the kitchen. Duncan had told her how hard it was to get Richie to open up and share what had happened the day before. And how angry the boy had gotten suddenly. But here was that same boy, asking her to talk with him. She knew she shouldn't but she really wanted to rub it in Duncan's face when he got back and nothing had happened.
Richie was settled in the chair when Tessa entered the living room. She sat down on the couch being sure to sit in the closest available seat.
"This is the part where you ask me what you want to know," Richie said softly.
"I don't have to if you don't want me to."
"If I don't want to answer it, I won't." He pulled the cushion out from behind him and used it as a small shield.
Tessa thought for a moment. "Are you at least happier now that you're home?"
"Yes. I didn't mean to freak you guys out when I said that I wasn't happy. I was just trying to be honest."
"We know you didn't mean anything by it. We were angry at Conner, not you."
"Why does he want to kill me?" Richie asked softly.
Tessa reached over and pet his arm. "He doesn't. You don't have to worry about that, alright?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, do you mind if I ask you another question?"
"Shoot."
"Was there anything there that you liked?"
Richie thought for a minute. He could think of one thing. "Mamma. She was the nicest person there."
"What did she do?"
"She took care of us. She was the only one Master listened to besides the guests. She actually, no offence or anything, reminded me of you. She was always on my side and was ready to help if I needed her. She actually saved me from some beatings."
"That's good, that there was someone there for you," Tessa said as kindly as she could. She wasn't too happy being compared to someone who would willingly do something so horrible to a child. But at least someone there treated him right. Tessa was about to speak again when she heard a thump down stairs.
"Did you hear that?" Richie asked.
"Call Duncan... go in our room," she ordered getting to her feet. Richie went to the phone then realized he didn't know the number.
"What do you want?" he heard Tessa demand. He didn't hear the answer but did hear the breaking glass of the door that connect her workshop and the kitchen.
"Tessa!" He ran down the hall and found her backing away from two young men with a whisk in front of her as if it were a dangerous weapon.
"Stay back!" she ordered. "Stay back or I'll...I'll..." she got a good look at her weapon of choice for the first time. "Stay back!" she repeated brandishing the weapon as if she had some end to her threat.
In the hallway, Richie opened the coat closet and snatched up the first weapon he could find. A long umbrella.
"Leave her alone!" he yelled coming from behind Tessa to in front of her swinging the umbrella like a sword. "Tessa go," he told her. "Get Mac and Conner."
"She can't go," one of the intruders said. "Master told us to bring you both."
Richie's mouth went dry. "Master?"
"You tell him that we're not going anywhere!" Tessa spat from Richie's shoulder.
"We have to bring you both," the other insisted.
"Like hell!" Richie argued, swinging the umbrella again. "You stay away from us!"
The two stood side by side, ridiculous weapons in hand, ready to fight. Richie was itching to get a good solid blow in. He was finally home, and he'd be damned if someone made him leave again. He was about to strike when an immortal buzz hit him.
"Please be Mac," he whispered to himself.
Unfortunately Duncan, who was staring at the store all during breakfast, could not see the delivery van as it pulled into and out of the alley from the street behind the store. He did, however see Sean running down the street towards him a few minutes later.
"I don't know how I missed it," the immortal panted. "But they're gone."