Duncan sighed. This was his fault. How many times had he said to Richie, Stay here, I don't want to be worrying about you and Tessa. Stay here, look after Tessa for me. He'd only wanted to make sure the lad was safe. Lord knows, he'd never a care for himself. He'd never meant that Richie should think Tessa's welfare was more the important to him.

"I don't want to make that choice either, Tough Guy," Duncan reached out to cup his chin. "For there would be naught to choose between you."

"Aw, c'mon Mac," Richie jerked his chin out of Duncan's grasp, rejecting the sentiment. "You've known me a few weeks. You've known Tess .. what? Twelve Years? Its human nature."

Duncan mentally blessed the lad for giving him a way out.

"Human nature, huh?"

"Yeah," Richie nodded. "Its no biggie. Just the way it is, right?"

"Right," Duncan nodded, as if in agreement. "Did you know Mr and Mrs Gregson have just had their first grandchild?"

Richie looked relieved at the apparent change of subject. "Man, do I! She was in the other day. Couldn't stop talking about her. Had pictures and everything. Man, she was soo blown away. It was like she'd won the Lotto or something."

"Really?" Duncan arched a brow. "But he can't be more than a few weeks old .."

Richie looked at him.

"You know, Macleod. Sometimes, you're a real bastard."

"Love you too." Duncan quirked a smile, rising to clear away their plates.

Richie opened his mouth. He wanted to. But he couldn't say it. Not here. Not now. Maybe, one day when Mac had rescued him from certain death in an Avalanche or something.

Hey, with his luck it was bound to happen, sooner or later.

Instead, he watched the Immortal as he pottered around the kitchen, washing up their plates and wiping down the surfaces, occasionally throwing that goofy fond smile over his shoulder as he worked. Had anyone ever loved him like this? Emily had loved him, but that was when he was five and cute and .. well, before. What would she have thought of all the things he had done? The same as Tessa, probably. Richie bit his lip hard, hardly noticing the mug of hot chocolate that Duncan put in front of him.

"What's wrong?" Duncan asked, sliding back into his seat with his own mug.

"Have you ever wished you were someone else?"

"Sometimes," Duncan looked wistful for a moment, as he thought of a time when he had been going about his business, only to catch sight of a man, whose eyes shone with love as he looked into the face of his beloved, catching her up and kissing her deeply, only to be interrupted by some little imp of a lad, demanding that his Da come see this. God, how he had wanted that. He smiled at Richie. "Not any more."

"Maybe if I had four hundred years to practice I'd get it right too." Richie sighed.

"You're not doing so bad." Duncan assured him, taking a drink. "Most of the time."

"Look, Mac, about tonight," Richie shifted slightly in his seat. "If it was just you .. I'd trust you with my life .. Hell I'd trust you with it more than I'd trust me."

"Me, too." Duncan rolled his eyes.

"Its just .. Vinnie's real bad news, y'know?"

Duncan had guessed as much. He hadn't seen Richie this rattled since that night at the Police Station. Still, it was time the lad learnt he didn't have to fight all his own battles.

"That reminds me." Pulling out his wallet, Duncan counted out several one hundred dollar bills onto the kitchen table.

"You know, you really shouldn't carry that much cash in your wallet," Richie commented. "What if you got mugged?"

Duncan glanced sideways at him.

"Sorry," Richie grinned. "Forget I said anything."

"Here." Duncan pushed the money across the table towards him.

Richie eyed the pile of cash uneasily.

"What's that for?" Richie asked.

"It's how much Tessa's bracelet cost."

"Mac, I don't want your money."

"Neither do I," Duncan shook his head. " Not at that price." He nodded at the knife cut on Richie's face.

"I wasn't going to let him just take it." Richie insisted.

"But you'll piss him off and put your life in danger? For what? For this?"

"It's a lot of money." Richie said unhappily.

Duncan's chair scraped as he pushed it violently back across the floor. Surging to his feet he picked up the metal bowl, used for depositing odds and ends and dumped its contents onto the counter. Rummaging in a drawer he found one of Tessa's lighters and brought both items back to the table.

"Mac? What are you doing?"

"Watch," Duncan put the money into the bowl, and held the lighter to the corner of one of the hundred dollar bills. In seconds all the bills were ablaze, Richie sat open mouthed, as the small fire burnt bright orange before it died to sooty ashes. "Look at it now," Duncan shoved the bowl under his nose. "Would you risk your life for that?"

"I cannot believe you did that!" Richie protested. "There must have been six hundred dollars there."

"Seven, but who's counting?"

"You're nuts. You know that, right?"

"Richie, this is nothing. Its just a tool. A commodity. It has no real value."

"Tell that to the people who don't got any."

"I know," Duncan acknowledged. "And I know how hard this is for you to understand, but I don't care about the money. I do care about you."

"Tessa, loves that bracelet." Richie muttered, ducking his head.

Duncan dipped his own head, so he could catch the teenagers eye. "She loves you more."

It didn't get the reaction he was expecting.

"Look, Mac. If you and Tessa want a kid so bad. Maybe, you should just go and get one from the Orphanage."

"Richie, .." Duncan almost choked on his drink. " You make it sound like getting a puppy from the pound."

"I'm serious, Mac. Look, it won't change anything between us. I can still work here. We can still hang out. All that good stuff," Richie looked away. "But .. Tessa could have the kid she wants."

Duncan stilled. The echo of Tessa's earlier sentiments too strong for him to ignore.

"What makes you think you're not the kid she wants?"

"What do they call that thing when two galaxies crash into one other and leave behind a great big nothing?"

"You mean like a Black Hole?"

"I guess." Richie nodded. "Maybe, in some alternative universe, where you guys found me right after Emily died I could have been the little boy she wants, she could have picked out my clothes, cut my hair, given me piano lessons and turned me into little Lord Fauntleroy …"

"What are you most afraid of Rich? That she wants to be your Mom? Or that she doesn't?"

"My Mom died, Mac. Emily died. And the little boy I was, died right there with her. I haven't been that little boy for a long time Mac. Tessa just didn't want to see it before."

Duncan had to acknowledge that was probably true. Tessa had been quick to see that Richie needed a home and a family, but she had been apt to treat him like a much younger child. Her memories of the scared, vulnerable, boy facing Duncan's sword that night in the Store, overriding the fact that he had had the skills and audacity to break in, in the first place.

Still.

"Neither did you."

"What?"

"Think about it Rich. You wear the clothes she buys you. You eat the food she cooks you. You watch black and white films – in French - just because she watched them with her folks when she was a child …."

"So, maybe I wanted something more," Richie admitted. "I wanted to feel like I belonged here. Like, we were a family, .. kinda. Don't get me wrong, Mac. I think Tess is great, more than great. But I can't be the kind of kid she wants me to be."

"You do belong here. And we are a family .." Duncan insisted. Or at least he hoped so. "It just .. takes a little time. We all have to make adjustments."

"Mac, she thinks I'm still a virgin. It's a bit too late to adjust that." Richie scoffed.

"I'll talk to her." Duncan promised.

"Won't do any good." Richie shook his head.

"You let me worry about that," Duncan scolded, lightly, collecting up their dirty mugs. "You get off to bed."

"Alright," Richie dragged himself to his feet. "I guess your reflexes are better than mine, huh?"

Duncan stilled. Surely not.

"What?"

"Sorry," Richie hastily backtracked. "Bad joke. I'll .. um .. hit the sack," He flinched at the poor choice of words. "Um. I mean .."

"Tessa hit you?" Duncan was aghast.

Richie looked at him in equal astonishment.

"I thought you said you guys talked."

"We dinna talk about that."

"Oh shit. Look, Mac. Forget I said anything."

"Richie, if you tell me you deserved it, I swear .."

"Tessa figured I deserved it." Richie said, a trifle resentfully.

"I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it. She's probably feeling really guilty about it."

"I just .. I need to know where I stand, Mac. You know?"

"Rich," Duncan swallowed hard. There was so much he wanted to say. But first he needed to talk to Tess. Instead, he reached over and gave the lad a quick, hard, hug. Trying to provide in his actions the reassurance he couldn't give in words. "Don't forget to brush your teeth, alright?"

Richie gave him a smile.

"Sure. Night, Mac."

"Sleep Well, Tough Guy."

He waited until the teenager was safely in his room, before making his way down the corridor to the bedroom he shared with Tessa, closing the door behind him.