AN- Thanks for all the reviews, as ever, they encourage me to kepp writing. Neoinean, as you know its hard torturing Richie in ways that haven't been done before (the kid has such a hard time in fanfic!) but I aim to try. Sweets2 – that was a very good point you made about the kevar, I'm glad you picked up on that (grins) and Jodi – sorry it wasn't quite in time for your birthday, but I was out all weekend, but hey, here it is now. And for everyone who thinks there are still a few ends to tidy up, there are! One more chapter after this!

!!!

"Richie! Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" The second Duncan and Richie walked back through the door, Tessa was all over the teen.

"Tessa, I'm fine. It was like a walk in the park."

"Don't you dare joke about such things!" she scolded sharply.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean .."

"You could have been killed!" Rather to his surprise, she kissed him soundly. "Don't you know we could not bear to lose you?"

"Umgpf," Richie managed, as she hugged him. "I'm getting that."

"Come, you did not eat much dinner," Tessa declared. "So I have saved you some pizza and some pasta and there is garlic bread and I think I have some of those chocolate brownies that you like in the freezer."

"With the butterscotch sauce?" Richie's voice could be heard, asking hopefully, as she towed him towards the kitchen

"Of course."

Watching until they were out of earshot, Connor turned his attention to his kinsman. He waited, expectantly, for Duncan to speak. But the younger Immortal strode silently across the room and poured himself a shot of whiskey, downing it in one swallow, without doing his mentor the courtesy of offering him a glass.

"Something amiss?" Connor asked mildly.

"No," Duncan answered shortly, refilling his glass and downing that too. "The whole plan went like clockwork. Vinnie took the bait, they'll be here in three hours exactly as we planned."

"So this," Connor raised a brow as the third glass of Scotch made its way down the younger Highlander's throat. "Is because everything went well?"

"Do you have any idea of the things that could have gone wrong?" Duncan turned on him. "That vest only covered his chest. How long does it take to bleed to death from a ruptured artery? Of course, you might waste a few seconds deciding which one to cut, because there are so many to choose from, should you go for the throat, the left wrist, or maybe the right one? Not to mention the wide range of firepower that could go through that kelvar at point blank range. Oh, he might not have been killed instantly, it would have bought us some time, at least I would have got to see the betrayal in his eyes before he died."

"Duncan," Connor plucked the glass out of his student's hand and pushed him down on the couch. "Richie's fine."

"No thanks to either of us," Duncan shook his head. "It would only have taken one wrong word or one false move and I could have lost him tonight."

"I think," Connor sat down beside him on the couch. "You mean, we could have lost him."

Duncan didn't appear to have heard him.

"I should never have agreed to such foolishness. I should have known better."

"You knew enough to trust that Richie could do this. And he did, didn't he?"

"Oh aye," Duncan scrubbed at his face. "You should have seen him, Connor. Ach, he'd most likely die before he'd admit it, but I could tell he was scared afore hand, but when the moment was upon us, he stood his ground, said his piece and played his part as well as any battle hardened warrior holding fast the line. He did us proud, Connor."

"Have you told him that?"

"Not yet," Duncan shook his head. "And you needn't say it. I was too busy worrying about what might have been to think about what .."

The faint sound of breaking glass brought his head up sharply.

"Seems like our invited guests are a little early." Connor observed.

"They've got the bloody code, did they need to cost me another window?" Duncan complained, even as he surged ton his feet.

"You take care of the lad, and Tessa," Coonor decided. "I'll go and greet our guests."

!!!

"Duncan?" Tessa looked up in alarm t the grim look on her lover's face as he burst into the kitchen.

"There're here."

"But they can't be. It is not yet time!"

"I guess Vinnie was playing hooky the day they taught telling the time in Kindergarten," Richie observed, even as he stood up. "The storeroom, right?"

"Right." Duncan confirmed, giving him a small smile for his compliance.

It had been decided by the two Immortals, that Richie and Tessa should wait out the conflict in the storeroom, it had the multiple advantages of being in the most inaccessible part of the building, a small window that could not easily be accessed from outside and, most importantly, a lock on the door. Richie had baulked at the plan and had been bound and determined to argue the point until Connor had stepped in with what Duncan assumed were a few quiet words of reassurance.

"Alright," Richie agreed, taking Tessa by one hand, and with his other hand he reaching over to pluck a large bladed knife out of the block on the kitchen counter. He hefted it lightly in his hand.

"Richie!" Tessa exclaimed, shocked.

"Insurance," Richie replied shortly, tucking it into his jacket, before turning questioning eyes to the Highlander. "Um. Is it OK?"

Duncan gave him a searching look, but nodded, apparently satisfied with what he saw.

"Aye. Good thinking."

"Duncan!" Tessa hissed, as they made their way quickly upstairs.

"Its hardly the Katana," Duncan murmured. "Besides, you'll be safe enough up here. Let the lad have his reassurance."

"Perhaps those boxing lessons were not such a bad idea, after all." Tessa sighed, as they entered the storeroom.

"Right, you both know what to do?"

"Wait, let me see if I have all the details, exactly correct," Richie said. "We sit here and wait until our brains leak outta our ears with sheer boredom? While you and Sir Lancalot run around doing all the macho stuff? "

"You got it," Duncan tousled his hair. "Look after .. " he paused. "each other." No one could say Duncan Macleod didn't learn from experience. "I'll be back soon. Don't open this door to anyone but me or Connor."

"Duncan, be careful." Tessa touched his arm.

Duncan gave her a quick kiss and flashed a conspiratorial grin at Richie. "Always am, sweetheart. Always am."

!!!

"Surely, something should have happened by now?" Tessa demanded, as she stalked across the floor. The few muffled sounds they had heard had died down into silence. But no-one had come to fetch them. "How much longer is this going to take?"

"As long as it takes, I guess." Richie shrugged, climbing up onto a crate to peer out of the small window.

"You've been very quiet."

"I'm fine." Richie looked away from her. "I just .. don't much like being shut up in places."

"Jail?" Tessa asked gently.

"Jail, Foster Parents, School Detention, you name it .." Richie hopped off the box and sat down, only to spring back up again, obviously struggling to settle.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I was suspended from school?" Tessa asked.

"You?" Richie grinned at her. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Not at all," Tessa sat down and patted the space beside her, inviting him to join her. "There was a group of us, who always .."

The sudden sharp retort of a gun stunned her into silence. For a moment, they both stared at each other.

"You don't think ..?" Tessa hazarded.

"Right now, I'm trying not to," Richie leapt up and walked over to the door, pressing his ear against it. The muffled shouts and running feet he heard did not sound good. "They're coming this way."

"Maybe, if we're really quiet, they will not know there is anything here?"

"Hey guys, there's another door up here!" A voice exclaimed triumphantly. "I bet there's loads more cool stuff inside."

"Or not," Richie decided. Moved over to the far corner of the room, he started moving boxes. "Tess, give me a hand here, will you?"

"Why are we doing this?" Tessa asked, even as she looked up at the emerging wall. "A door? There is a door back here? How did you know this?"

"Just did." Richie dropped to his knees beside the door and felt in his pocket for his lock picks.

"Richie, I have lived here twelve years and I did not know that there was a door back here. Where does it go?"

"To the roof," Richie said, frowning in concentration as he went to work on the lock. "You go across the top, and you can come down via the fire escape."

Behind them the shouts were joined by muffled thumps as the door itself came under attack.

"Can you go any faster?" Tessa flashed a terrified glance over her shoulder.

"Almost there," Richie hissed, between clenched teeth, succeeding in tripping the lock even as Tessa yelped, as part of the main door, splintered inwards. "Alright, go .."

Richie grabbed her arm and pushed her towards the newly revealed exit route..

"Wait. You must come too!"

"No time," Richie managed, as he pushed her towards the door. "Go, get help, find Mac, call the cops, just go .."

Hurriedly, he closed the door behind her and replaced the boxes, just as the main door flew off its hinges and he whirled around, only to come face to face with his enemies.

"Ryan, you little shit," Vinnie was first through the door, waving what looked suspiciously like a gun.. "You set us up!"

"Oh yeah, right," Richie improvised, as he backed away, trying to sound braver than he really felt. "Like I spend all my spare time in this cupboard! Macleod noticed I was gone and he figured I was up to something, so he kicked the shit outta me and locked me in here."

"He did, huh?" a cruel smile spread across Vinnie's face. "Show me the bruises."

Shit. Richie berated himself, how many times had Mac told him that if he had to lie, to keep it simple. Why did he have to add that bit?

"Aw, c'mon man, he busted my butt. You don't really wanna look at that, do ya?"

Thankfully for him, Vinnie had other entertainments in mind.

"Tell you what, Slick," Vinnie stepped up and stroked the butt of the gun along Richie's neck. "You tell me where to find the pretty lady and I'll even lock you back in here, so Daddy Warbucks won't be mad when he comes home."

Richie didn't think now was the time to point out that they'd rendered the door pretty much useless.

"She's not here."

"C'mon Slick," Vinnie nodded at his henchman, who produced a pair of knuckle dusters, and a very painful looking jagged edged knife. "You know you're gonna tell us what we want, sooner or later. You might as well make it easy on yourself."

Richie stood his ground, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach. Even if he could create enough of a distraction to pull his knife, it wouldn't be much use against a gun. On the other hand, the longer he could hold out the goons torture, the more chance Tess would have to get to safety.

"Go screw yourself, Vinnie."

"Always thought you were smart, Slick. Guess, I was wrong." Vinnie shook his head. "If you won't just tell me where she is, I'm gonna have to make you."

"He doesn't know, where she is." A familiar baritone cut in. "Wanna try me?"

And suddenly, the sick feeling in Richie's stomach just melted away. Because Mac was here and Mac wouldn't let anything happen to him. It was a new feeling, to be able to trust in someone so completely. He liked it. A lot.

"Look, man, my main beef is with the kid here," Vinnie back-pedalled furiously in the face of the clearly far superior threat. "We have a history goin here. I gotta rep to protect. You let me take the little shit and I'll leave the lady be."

"Not bloody likely." Duncan said flatly, his eyes betraying nothing as he saw Richie start to edge his right foot between Vinne's.

"C'mon man, there are four of us and only one of you. Whatcha gonna do?"

"Two." Duncan corrected. "There are two of us."

"Him?" Vinnie laughed. "You're not serious."

"Deadly," Duncan vowed. He took the gamble that Vinnie didn't speak much Polish. "Rich, you OK?"

"I'm fine, Mac." Richie replied in the same language. "Not a scratch."

"What?" Vinnie looked from one to the other in confusion. "Whatcha sayin?"

Duncan ignored him.

"When I say now, you take him out, go down and stay down, alright?"

"Got it."

"What did you tell him?" Vinnie demanded, levelling the gun at Duncan, which was exactly what the Immortal had been hoping for. "You tell me what you said."

Duncan smiled a feral smile, "I told him you were a dickhead."

"Why you .." he started to squeeze the trigger.

"Richie, now!" Duncan commanded. The lad obeyed instantly, using his right foot to pull Vinnie's leg out from under him, and dropping flat to the floor. Caught off balance Vinnie's aim was well wide of the mark, the bullet imbedding itself harmlessly in the wall. In an instant, Duncan stood over him, the Katana levelled at his throat.

"Anyone else want to have a try?" he invited.

The other four gang members all shook their heads and crowded together nervously, as far from the Immortal and his prey as they could get.

"Rich?" Duncan asked, not taking his eyes off Vinnie.

"I'm good, Mac, Richie assured him, lifting himself off the floor and dusting himself down. "Tessa?"

"She's fine. She's calling the Police." He flashed the lad a quick smile that was full of humour. "Apparently, we've been robbed."

Richie laughed, already relaxing in the Immortal's steady presence.

"Duncan?" Connor's voice was followed by his feet thundering up the stairs. "The Police are here."

"Nice of you to join us," Duncan raised a brow his kinsman's bare chest. "You want to take out the trash?"

"My pleasure," Connor smiled thinly, picking up a ball of bailing twine and deftly going around and binding the intruders hands. "But you .. I shot you .." Vinnire spluttered, as Connor seized him by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

"Didn't do a very good job of it, did you?" Connor rebuked him. "Although, you did ruin a perfectly good shirt." He started herding the now subdued captives down the stairs leaving Duncan and Richie alone in the stockroom.

"You sure you're alright?" Duncan stepped up and put a hand on his cheek, feeling the last tremors of adrenalin flowing out of the teen.

"I am now." Richie covered the hand with his own.

"I'm sorry, Rich," Duncan berated himself. "They should never have got this far."

"Hey Mac, you were here when I needed you," He swallowed hard. "That .. that means a whole lot to me."

"Ach, lad," Duncan drew him in a hug, taking his own comfort from the pre-immortal buzz that hummed steadily in the background. "I'll always be there for you. That's what family is."

"Speaking of which?" Richie asked, when Duncan released him. "What the hell happened to Connor?"

"That is another story," Duncan threw an arm around his shoulders and started to guide him out the door. "One best told, over a dram or two of the good stuff."

"Whiskey? Me?" Richie asked.

"Purely medicinal," Duncan assured him. "And besides, after the day you've had, I think you've earnt it my lad."

.