AN: Okay I know the first two chapters are extremely short, but they will
get longer, I promise!!
Richie was eagerly devouring his large dish of spaghetti. Tessa stared at him, mouth open in shock. Duncan ate his lasagna, chuckling softly to himself.
"Richard Ryan," Tessa finally exclaimed. "Has no one ever taught you manners?"
Richie was staring at Tessa with a few strands of pasta hanging out of his mouth. Duncan almost choked on his pasta as he started laughing at the look on the younger mans face.
"Duncan MacLeod, stop laughing!" She told him. "You're encouraging him!"
Richie looked back and forth between the two. "What?" He asked with a full mouth.
Tessa threw up her hands exasperated by both men. "You deal with this while I go to the ladies room," She seethed to Duncan as she got up. She threw her napkin on the table and walked away.
"What did I do?" Richie asked swallowing the rest of his food.
"Try to take smaller bites," Mac told him. "Oh and don't talk with your mouth full."
Richie nodded and took less food on his fork.
"Richie."
"Come on Mac, I didn't take that much, did I?"
"No, it's not the food Richie."
"Oh, then what's up?" He asked stuffing another forkful into his mouth.
"Tell me about Jesse Adams."
Richie, who hadn't been expecting that, started choking on his spaghetti. He grabbed his drink and began gulping it down.
"Are you all right?" Mac asked getting up and going over to him.
Richie held up a hand before Mac could get to him. He put his drink down and took a deep breath. "Yeah," He said still a bit breathlessly. "I'm fine."
"What happened?" Tessa asked walking up to them and reclaiming her seat.
Duncan walked over and sat next to her.
"Nothing," Richie said. "Food went down the wrong tube."
"Richie was about to tell me about Jesse Adams," Duncan explained to Tessa.
"I was actually going to ask about him myself," Tessa stated.
Richie didn't like this at all. The last thing he wanted to talk about was his past. He wasn't proud of the things he had done and he didn't want Tessa and Mac to know about them. If they ever found out, they'd kick him out for sure.
"What do you want to know?" Richie asked almost sullenly.
"Well he looks a little old to be your friend." Tessa said.
The teen shrugged. "You make friends of all different ages when you're living on the streets."
"Well you didn't exactly look happy to see him," Mac put in.
Richie sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain some things. "Jesse Adams was one of my foster fathers."
Tessa and Duncan waited for Richie to continue, but the teen was staring very intently at his plate.
"And?" The highlander finally encouraged when it was obvious that Richie wasn't going to continue on his own.
"And we parted ways under." He paused looking for the right word. "Intense circumstances."
"What kind of intense circumstances?" Mac asked.
"Intense circumstances that I would prefer not to discuss."
"How long ago did all this happen?" Tessa asked.
"I haven't seen Jesse in a little over three years."
"And he just happened to show up to the store," Duncan asked, raising an eyebrow. "After all this time you two just happened to run into each other?"
Richie knew the truth. He couldn't tell Mac that though. He'd go ballistic. Finally he shrugged. "He probably heard from one of my friends in the old neighborhood that I was working there."
"Even so," Tessa said, "If your parting hadn't gone well then why did he seek you out? Why did you invite him back?"
"I said it was intense, not bad. There was just a lot going on at the time."
"How were things before you two went you you're separate ways?" The Highlander questioned. He had a feeling there was more to this than Richie was letting on.
Richie slammed down his fork. "Why do you care?" He snapped. "He's an old friend all right? That's it! Just leave it at that!"
Duncan and Tessa exchanged a glance. There was definitely more to the story, but they knew if they pushed that Richie would just get angry and close down.
"All right, tough guy, we didn't mean to pry."
Richie ran a hand threw his blonde curls. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."
"Richie you don't need to explain," Tessa told him. "We shouldn't have been so meddlesome about your past."
Richie felt bad about snapping at them. He didn't want to hurt them, but he just couldn't let them know about his past. Not now, not ever. "It's just that my past isn't something I care to talk about," Richie mumbled. "Not even the good parts.
Duncan nodded. "We understand. Let's just finish up and then you can go talk with Jesse."
Richie didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't even finish eating. He just played with his food. Between the present conversation and his past memories he'd lost his appetite.
About fifteen minutes later Duncan paid the check and the trio were on their way home. Richie stayed slumped in the backseat with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't want to see Jesse, but in his heart, he knew he had no choice. Duncan and Tessa would despise him. He would be back on the streets before he could blink. He would just have to meet with Jesse and see what they could work out.
~~~~~Reviews.Must have reviews lol!
Richie was eagerly devouring his large dish of spaghetti. Tessa stared at him, mouth open in shock. Duncan ate his lasagna, chuckling softly to himself.
"Richard Ryan," Tessa finally exclaimed. "Has no one ever taught you manners?"
Richie was staring at Tessa with a few strands of pasta hanging out of his mouth. Duncan almost choked on his pasta as he started laughing at the look on the younger mans face.
"Duncan MacLeod, stop laughing!" She told him. "You're encouraging him!"
Richie looked back and forth between the two. "What?" He asked with a full mouth.
Tessa threw up her hands exasperated by both men. "You deal with this while I go to the ladies room," She seethed to Duncan as she got up. She threw her napkin on the table and walked away.
"What did I do?" Richie asked swallowing the rest of his food.
"Try to take smaller bites," Mac told him. "Oh and don't talk with your mouth full."
Richie nodded and took less food on his fork.
"Richie."
"Come on Mac, I didn't take that much, did I?"
"No, it's not the food Richie."
"Oh, then what's up?" He asked stuffing another forkful into his mouth.
"Tell me about Jesse Adams."
Richie, who hadn't been expecting that, started choking on his spaghetti. He grabbed his drink and began gulping it down.
"Are you all right?" Mac asked getting up and going over to him.
Richie held up a hand before Mac could get to him. He put his drink down and took a deep breath. "Yeah," He said still a bit breathlessly. "I'm fine."
"What happened?" Tessa asked walking up to them and reclaiming her seat.
Duncan walked over and sat next to her.
"Nothing," Richie said. "Food went down the wrong tube."
"Richie was about to tell me about Jesse Adams," Duncan explained to Tessa.
"I was actually going to ask about him myself," Tessa stated.
Richie didn't like this at all. The last thing he wanted to talk about was his past. He wasn't proud of the things he had done and he didn't want Tessa and Mac to know about them. If they ever found out, they'd kick him out for sure.
"What do you want to know?" Richie asked almost sullenly.
"Well he looks a little old to be your friend." Tessa said.
The teen shrugged. "You make friends of all different ages when you're living on the streets."
"Well you didn't exactly look happy to see him," Mac put in.
Richie sighed. He knew he was going to have to explain some things. "Jesse Adams was one of my foster fathers."
Tessa and Duncan waited for Richie to continue, but the teen was staring very intently at his plate.
"And?" The highlander finally encouraged when it was obvious that Richie wasn't going to continue on his own.
"And we parted ways under." He paused looking for the right word. "Intense circumstances."
"What kind of intense circumstances?" Mac asked.
"Intense circumstances that I would prefer not to discuss."
"How long ago did all this happen?" Tessa asked.
"I haven't seen Jesse in a little over three years."
"And he just happened to show up to the store," Duncan asked, raising an eyebrow. "After all this time you two just happened to run into each other?"
Richie knew the truth. He couldn't tell Mac that though. He'd go ballistic. Finally he shrugged. "He probably heard from one of my friends in the old neighborhood that I was working there."
"Even so," Tessa said, "If your parting hadn't gone well then why did he seek you out? Why did you invite him back?"
"I said it was intense, not bad. There was just a lot going on at the time."
"How were things before you two went you you're separate ways?" The Highlander questioned. He had a feeling there was more to this than Richie was letting on.
Richie slammed down his fork. "Why do you care?" He snapped. "He's an old friend all right? That's it! Just leave it at that!"
Duncan and Tessa exchanged a glance. There was definitely more to the story, but they knew if they pushed that Richie would just get angry and close down.
"All right, tough guy, we didn't mean to pry."
Richie ran a hand threw his blonde curls. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap."
"Richie you don't need to explain," Tessa told him. "We shouldn't have been so meddlesome about your past."
Richie felt bad about snapping at them. He didn't want to hurt them, but he just couldn't let them know about his past. Not now, not ever. "It's just that my past isn't something I care to talk about," Richie mumbled. "Not even the good parts.
Duncan nodded. "We understand. Let's just finish up and then you can go talk with Jesse."
Richie didn't say anything. He couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't even finish eating. He just played with his food. Between the present conversation and his past memories he'd lost his appetite.
About fifteen minutes later Duncan paid the check and the trio were on their way home. Richie stayed slumped in the backseat with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't want to see Jesse, but in his heart, he knew he had no choice. Duncan and Tessa would despise him. He would be back on the streets before he could blink. He would just have to meet with Jesse and see what they could work out.
~~~~~Reviews.Must have reviews lol!