AN – Thanks so much for reviewing. Um. Two more chapters I think. And hopefully all your questions will be answered! Sorry to anyone who read the first version of this and found the scence changes confusing. FF.net's oh so wonderful new quick edit edited out all my asterisks!

!!!

Duncan was surprised to find that Tessa was not only awake but fully dressed and sitting at her vanity table, applying her make-up. It was still dark out, but looking at the clock he saw it was already 6.30 am. Still, it was early for Tessa to be up. Especially, when she looked so tired and drawn.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked lightly.

"I have a busy day today," she didn't look at him. "I have to finish that piece for the Bank's foyer, I must re-arrange the meeting with that journalist and someone will need to watch the Store, for who knows when Richie will decide to return from this Gary's."

"He wasn't at Gary's. I found him sleeping rough in the Warehouse."

Duncan said it straight out, waiting for her reaction. She looked up at him, reading nothing in his face. But she had lived with this man for over a decade.

"He has told you."

"That you hit him? Yes."

"He used this word? Hit?" Tessa said unhappily.

"What would you call it?"

"I slapped him rather hard," Tessa admitted. "I did not mean to. I was scared and upset and .."

"You don't think he was scared?" Duncan challenged.

"I do not think he was as scared as I was," Tessa retorted. "He knew what to do. How to deal with this Vinnie. I could do nothing."

"You hit him because of your pride?"

"Of course not," Tessa denied. "Oh, I do not know why I hit him. I just .."

"Lost your temper?"

Tessa pressed her lips together tightly. But could not deny it.

"Is he very angry at me?" she asked quietly.

"Tess, he's not angry at all. He's upset and a little hurt but mostly he's just feeling lost and unloved."

"I do love him," Tessa affirmed. "How could I not? He has brought so much into our lives and he has had so little love in his life"

"But?" Duncan prompted.

"He is not a little child, Duncan. And I am not so much older than him. Perhaps I am wrong to think I can be a mother to him."

"Perhaps," Duncan agreed. He grinned tightly at her shocked look. "But that doesn't mean we can't be a family."

"Duncan, what re you thinking?"

"I'm thinking, that the first thing you have to do is make your peace with Richie."

"He will not speak with me." Tessa shook her head.

"No."

"Duncan, I have not even asked you yet."

"The answer's still no Tess. You got yourself into this. You have to sort it out. But .. I will help."

!!!

Tessa paced across the kitchen, taking occasionally puffs from her cigarette. A sure sign that she was nervous.

"The shower stopped five minutes ago. Surely he should be out by now?"

"Give him a minute." Duncan spoke calmly from the stove.

"A minute!" Tessa protested. "Already, you have let him sleep past noon!"

"He needed the rest." Duncan started dishing up.

"I just cannot stand this waiting," Tessa admitted, grinding her cigarette out hastily into an ashtray, when she heard Richie's door open. "He's coming."

Richie emerged hesitantly into the kitchen, his hair – usually left damp from the shower for which Tessa would fondly scold him – carefully dried. Instead of his usual jeans and a long sleeved T, he was wearing the dark pants and cotton print shirt that Tessa had bought him to wear in the store. It was as if he had deliberately tried to be as inoffensive as possible.

Which no doubt he had.

"Hey, Rich," Duncan greeted him, when it clear Tessa wasn't going to speak. "Grab a plate."

"Thanks," Richie flashed him a smile, which faded as he looked down at his plate. "Steak?"

"Something wrong?" Duncan asked.

"No," Richie lied as they all took their places at the table. He cut half heartedly into his steak. "This is fine."

"I thought you liked steak."

"I do," Richie put his knife and fork down. "But you guys don't have to do this."

"Do what?" Tessa asked.

"Steak? On a weekday lunch time?" Richie shook his head. "I've been down this road too many times before. People always think they're breaking it to you gently, but it happens enough times you get to read the signs. First the nice meal, then the bad news. If you guys want me out you just have to say."

"Richie, no!" Tessa protested.

"No?" Richie cocked his head at her.

"Absolutely not," Tessa affirmed, his casual acceptance that they would just throw him out like so much garbage giving her the courage to speak up. "Richie, I am so sorry that I hit you, I was scared and upset, but it was wrong of me. Especially, because the reason I was so angry was because you were right."

"I was? About what?"

"Everything." Tessa said simply. "We should never have taken that short cut .. I certainly should have put gas in the car .. and stopping at the light was, what do you call it ..? A rookie mistake."

"You weren't to know," Richie dismissed that. "How could you? Your folks probably went outta their way to avoid neighbourhoods like mine."

"If they had any sense." Duncan murmured.

Richie scowled at him.

"What? No one chooses to live in poverty or crime. Not even you."

"Wasn't like I had much choice."

"Well, you do now," Tessa told him firmly. "Your home is here with us."

"Tess, you don't gotta say that," Richie shook his head. "I'm 18. I can move out .. get a place .."

"Awpuf, 17." Duncan said over a 'cough'.

"Yes, alright," Richie cast a sour glance his way. "Its still plenty old enough to be making my own bed and washing my own undies."

"Then why don't you?" Duncan grinned.

"Mac, you're not helping."

"Yes, Duncan, this is serious."

"You know," Duncan looked at Richie. "Your problem is you watch far too much TV. He looked at Tessa. "And you don't watch nearly enough."

"What? You want we should fix this by going on Oprah or something?" Richie asked.

"What is Oprah?" Tessa wanted to know.

"My point exactly." Duncan said smugly.

!!!

"You know, if I was really trying for the perfect sitcom family, like Mac said, the sofa is in entirely the wrong place." Richie groused, as he helped to clear the table.

"It is?" Tessa glanced over towards the living room. "The floral one or the plain one?"

"Never mind." Richie shook his head.

"Still, Duncan had a point, it was naive of me to think that all families must be a Mother, and a Father with their child. There are so many blended families now and the new partner does not always seek to take on the role of Mother or Father. They make their own roles."

"Yeah, I mean, I know Emily is dead and all .." Richie said quietly.

"But in your heart, she will always be your Mother," Tessa agreed softly. "But that does not mean that I cannot love you, also."

"You sure?" Richie gave her a sideways glance. "Cos, I know how much you want a kid of your own to raise."

"And perhaps, I will have that one day," Tessa was philosophical. "And if I do, you'll be first in the line for diaper duty – Uncle Richie."

"Uncle Richie? Cool," He grinned shyly. "Hey, I can do diapers."

"You can?" Tessa was surprised.

"Sure," Richie shrugged. "There were always lots of little kids around when I was growing up."

"Good. Then you will be able to teach me." Tessa admitted.

"You've never changed a diaper?" Richie's jaw dropped. "You know, Tess. Maybe you'd be better off with a puppy."

"What!"

"I'm serious. You know, there are some really cute puppies out there."

"Its hardly the same!" Tessa laughed.

"Of course its not. That's the idea.  And they'll never grow up to talk back, or let you down, or get arrested .." Richie stopped.

"Actually," Tessa began. "There is something I've been meaning to ask you about all of that?"

Richie looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Yeah?"

"This thing that you can do to start the car, without any keys?"

"Hot wiring?"

"If that is what it is called," Tessa nodded. "Can you teach me how to do that?"

"Tessa!"

"I think it is a very sensible precaution. It would come in very useful when I lose my keys," Tessa said with a lofty look, that belied the wicked twinkle in her eyes..

"You know," Richie grinned. "It's a good job that Mac's Immortal, if this is the way things are gonna be from now on."

"He was the one who told us to stop trying to live up to each others expectations and just be ourselves," Tessa shrugged. "He has only himself to blame."

"Don't you ever get sick of him being older and wiser all the time?"

"Pass me that platter will you?" Tessa pushed her hair back. "In a word? Yes."

Then she smiled.

"But it does have its compensations."

"Ugh, please. Don't even go there. I'm getting mental pictures."

"I would not think you would need them after that time when you .."

"Yes, alright. I thought we all agreed to forget all about that."

Tessa sobered.

"Some things are hard to forget .. and forgive."

"Tess," Richie rolled his eyes. "It was just a slap. It didn't even hurt that much."

"It bled."

"Only cos of before." Richie shrugged.

"And that was also my fault," Tessa worried. "You would have fought Vinnie if I had not been so foolish as to wear that bracelet so casually."

"Ah." Richie busied himself, scrubbing some of the tougher stains off the frying pan.

"Ah?" Tessa questioned.

"Truth?"

"Always."

"Only, I already had the "how could ye be so foolish laddie to risk yerself for a mere bauble," lecture from Mac, over this. I don't need another one."

"This will be just between us." Tessa promised.

"Vinnie's a bully. But he doesn't really have any moves of his own. He survives on his rep and getting his gang to scare the life outta people. I knew that if I could take one clear pop at him, I could take him out easy."

"You wished to fight him?"

"Call it a community service. Folks get to hear about it, other people will realise that's all he is – a rep." At least Richie hoped so, maybe that way Vinnie's gang would lose interest in turning him into fish bait or road kill or whatever.

"Richie!"

"Nuh-uh, you promised. No telling dear ole Dad."

"You know, Duncan would burst with pride to hear you call him that." Tessa said softly.

"Maybe." Richie's cheeks tinged with pink.

"Just between us?" Tessa asked.

"Yeah?"

"He has bought you a birthday card that says "To the best son in the world." but he is too shy to give it to you. He is afraid of your reaction."

"Oh," Richie swallowed hard. "I .."

They both turned as Duncan came into the room, his sword drawn and his face serious.

"Oh, no," Richie said. "I know that look."

"An Immortal?" Tessa worried.

"One who apparently doesn't bother to knock," Duncan shifted the sword to his other hand and went to stand in front of Tessa and Richie. "And knows how to bypass the alarm." Part of him hoped it might only be Amanda. It was the kind of behaviour he would expect from her. The other part of him fervently hoped it was not. He didn't think either Tessa or Richie were ready for that yet. He knew he wasn't.

All three of them turned to look as the intruder entered the room.

"Have I come at a bad time?" Connor asked.