Shannon K: Thanks for the criticisms. Hopefully this chapter will help answer your questions. And to everyone else, if you have any questions about how things are going or comments about this story please let me know.

. . . . . .

Richie braced himself for the inevitable physical violence that was coming his way. David took a deep breath and instinctively Richie flinched back.

"This morning?" David's tone was calm and even. Richie was still braced for impact as he slowly shook his head. "Tonight?" He nodded. David stepped back and sighed.

Richie took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have done it."

"I'll say. How the hell could you do that?" David demanded. "I trusted you two!"

"I know you did..."

"I knew this was a bad idea."

"What?"

"I appreciate what you've tried to do, but we're leaving." David side stepped Richie and went into the house.

"Who do you mean by 'we'?" Richie asked following him.

"We... Heather, Brandon and I."

"Wait." He grabbed his arm. "I understand why you want to go and why you want to take Heather with you. I'm not gonna stop you. But Brandon has to stay." David stopped and looked from Richie's hand on his arm to Richie's face. Richie held his ground. "Look, I've been square with you from day one here."

"You kissed my wife!"

"And I told you, didn't I? And I'm sorry. We were wrong. But taking Brandon from here would be wrong, too."

"I've made my decision."

"And I've made mine. I told Brandon he was under my protection the first night he was here at dinner. That means that if you try and take him, it's my job to keep him here."

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm warning you."

The light flipped on. Both men turned to see Heather standing at the bottom of the stairs. "What's going on?" Richie felt David stiffen under his hand. Heather looked from David to Richie and back. "David?"

Richie released his grasp and David stalked over to where Heather was. He raised his left hand. "What does this ring mean to you?"

Heather paused and looked at Richie. "I told him," he said.

"David, it was a mistake. It didn't mean anything."

"Then why wouldn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it was necessary," she said, casting Richie a stern look. "It was a mistake that shouldn't have been made. But it was; it happened, now we move on."

"I think you should go get changed," David told her. "We're leaving."

"Now? It's the middle of the night?"

"Yes, now. We're going to pack and go to a hotel."

"David, you're being ridiculous."

"Let's put it this way," David suggested. "I'm packing and leaving tonight; either you're with me and we work this out or you're not and we don't."

"David, I love you. I married you."

"Then leave with me."

"What about Brandon?" Heather pleaded. "He's my brother; I can't just leave him."

"It's gonna happen anyway," Richie spoke up.

"Stay out of it," David snapped.

"Just trying to help."

"You're not."

"What's going on?" Brandon asked appearing at the top of the stairs.

"Go back to bed," the three adults chorused.

"Why are you guys fighting?"

"Brandon!" Richie snapped. "Bed, go, now!"

Brandon didn't move, but Duncan appeared behind him and pulled him back to his room.

"Heather," David started as calmly as he could. "I am willing to work this out. But I'm not willing to stay here one more night."

. . . . . .

Ten minutes later, Richie let himself into Brandon and Anthony's room.

"What's going on?" Brandon demanded.

"You need to go say good-bye to Heather and David," Richie told him. "Their taxi is on the way."

"Where are they going?"

"Talk to them, okay?" Richie wasn't sure what all David and Heather wanted Brandon to know of the situation, so left the explaining to them.

Brandon cast him an odd look, then left to find David and Heather.

"What happened?" Anthony asked. "You look angry."

"It's none of your business," Richie said. "Just go to sleep." With that he turned and left as well.

Duncan found him back out in the backyard holding Finny and leaning against the tree a little while later.

"They're leaving," he told him.

"I heard the cab pull up," Richie answered not turning to face him.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

"No."

"Richie..."

"What?"

"You can't hide out here."

"Says who?"

Duncan sighed. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Don't be cute."

"I'm not. I'm serious; there's nothing to talk about."

Duncan moved and positioned himself in front of his former student. "Try again."

"Mac. Back off."

"Why? So you can sit here and pout?"

"I'm not pouting."

"Fine. So you can sit here and dwell on this until you get so worked up, you—"

"Mac! I'm not pouting, I'm not dwelling, I'm being antisocial. Now get lost!"

"Richie..."

"Here." Richie shoved Finny into Mac's arms. "I'm going out for a while."

"Richie, no."

"Leave me alone, MacLeod," Richie groaned over his shoulder as he walked out the back gate.

Duncan waited for a second then followed, dropping the rabbit on a lawn chair on his way past. "Richie... Richie, stop."

Richie turned and glared at the older immortal. "What is your deal?"

"I'm trying to keep you from going off and doing something stupid."

"What makes you think I'm doing anything stupid?"

"Because I know you."

"Do you, Mac?"

"Go inside," Duncan told him.

Richie's eyes narrowed. "Is that an order?"

"It can be."

Then a familiar look crossed the younger immortal's face. He raised his eyebrows, smirked and cocked his head to the left. "Don't wait up."

He turned, got in his car and backed out of the driveway, Duncan staring after him in surprise.

. . . . . .

Richie pulled into one of the many empty parking spaces in the employee parking lot at The Village. He sat in the Jeep for a minute before getting out and heading to the trainer's office. He went straight to the locker room, opened his locker and changed into his red, Hawaiian print swimming trunks.

"Who's in here?" a voice asked from the locker room door.

"It's just me, Kyle," Richie called to the trainer on overnight duty. "Came to spend some quality time with T.G."

Kyle held the door open for him as he passed. "Hey, Rick. I hear you have family in town."

"Yeah."

"So what are you doing out here?"

Richie shrugged. "I never said my family and I get along well."

Kyle smiled. "I hear that. Well, have fun. Maybe I can bring Niko [nee- koh] out later."

"Maybe."

Richie went to the pen and eased his way into the water. It was a little chilly, but he got used to it quickly. The pod of dolphins came over to see who their visitor was.

"Hey, guys," he said softly patting each in turn. "Long time no see, eh?"

Once it was figured out that Richie had no fish, the older dolphins lost interest and swam away.

"Hey, Tough Guy," Richie greeted patting T.G. on the side affectionately. "I've missed hanging out with you, man. Things have gotten pretty crazy back at the house." He held onto the dolphin's dorsal fin and signaled him to swim to the partition that separated the holding pin from the lagoon so they would have more room to swim around. He opened the gate and gestured T.G. out before swimming out himself and closing the gate behind himself.

"How you doing?" he asked swimming over to the dolphin and leap frogging over him in the water. T.G. whistled nudged Richie in the arm with his beak. "What?" Richie asked innocently swimming over to the beach to get a snorkel and mask out of the shelter.

"You ready?" he asked getting back into the water. He signaled T.G. to do a few tricks: blow bubbles, roll over, speak, and then to swim out to the deep water and do a flip. "Oh, good boy," he rubbed the dolphin's back and slapped him a few times. He put on his mask, tested it for leaks then put his mouth around the snorkel, before grabbing T.G.'s dorsal fin again and letting him drag him out into the deep water. He put his face in the water and watched the fish and other small sea creatures swim beneath him.

The longer he stayed out in the water wrestling, playing and swimming with T.G. the more relaxed he got. He used the activity as an outlet for his nervous energy and after a little over an hour felt suitable for human contact. He got a walky-talky out of the shelter and radioed Kyle if he wanted to bring Niko out.

The two laughed and joked as they raced their dolphins and started up a game of tag and then catch.

"I wonder what time it is?" Richie asked, squinting at the clock on the shelter.

"Almost three," Kyle answered looking at this waterproof watch.

"I better start heading back."

Kyle put up the masks and snorkels while Richie put the dolphins back in the pin for the night.

. . . . . .

"Where have you been?" Duncan demanded as Richie walked into the house.

"Work."

"Work?"

"Yeah, work. Thought I went to a bar?"

Duncan didn't answer.

"Look, Mac. I'm sorry if you were worried or whatever, but I'm a big boy now. I can take care of myself."

"You don't act like it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Running out of here like that? That was the adult thing to do?"

"Mac, I needed space. You wouldn't back off."

"I was worried about you."

"There's nothing to worry about."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to."

"Then there's nothing I can do, is there?"

Duncan sighed. "Why does this always happen?" He sat back down on the couch.

Richie paused, not quite sure what to say. "What?"

"Since when does every conversation we have turn into a fight?"

Richie couldn't help but quirk a grin. "Since always. It's what we do best."

Duncan smiled back. "Rich, this is stupid."

"What is?"

"I just didn't want you to go out and do something rash."

"I told you I wasn't going to. You didn't listen."

"No. I didn't," he admitted. "I just don't know how to react to you anymore."

"Well, I'm not Anthony or Brandon for starters."

"What?"

"You can't go throwing orders at me all the time. I'm too old for that now."

"You usually listen," Duncan said as if that justified it.

"Habit. Mac, I know how the tradition goes. 'To show your teacher respect you always treat them as if you are still the student' Blah, blah, blah... but Mac, that doesn't mean you can treat me like a kid." Duncan didn't answer. "You didn't even try to boss me around this much when I was your student."

"I guess I never noticed. I'm just used to being in charge."

"You're gonna have to get used to not being in charge."

"I guess."

"Maybe we can start by figuring out what we're going to do about Brandon," Richie suggested, flopping down into the over stuffed chair angled toward the couch.

"Why don't you take him?" Duncan started. "You're great with him."

Richie sighed. "I thought about it. But...I don't think I'm ready. And besides, how am I going to juggle work, school and explaining having a kid shadowing me all the time?"

"He can enroll at your school."

"I'm leaving in a year."

"Can't you stay until he graduates?"

"Mac, I started here as a seventeen year old. People are already telling me I'm lucky I look so young."

"It's only been three years," Duncan commented. "How can anyone notice already?"

Richie shrugged. "Welcome to my world. And besides, I don't think I'm ready to be a teacher yet."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I still feel like I'm learning."

"Because I had a favor to ask of you."

Richie raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"I was hoping that...if anything should happen to me...you'd take Anthony."

"Like be your second?" Richie joked in a New York gangster accent.

"Exactly."

Richie smirk faded. "Really?"

"I think you're ready."

"Mac... I dunno...I mean, that's a really big responsibility..."

"No more than what you're doing for Brandon."

"So, if you die, you want me to finish training him?"

"Yes."

Richie thought about it. "Do you always do that?"

"What? Have someone agree to take your student?"

"Yeah."

"Of course. If you care enough to take on a student you care enough about them to be ready for all situations."

"Did you have someone for me?"

"Yes. Conner was going to take you."

"That's why you sent me to New York."

"Exactly."

Suddenly both immortals, who had been studying various objects in the room, looked at each other with bright smiles.

"I can't believe we didn't think about him!" Richie laughed. "Conner can take Brandon."