AN: Thanks to RichieFic for pointing out that I made a booboo. In chapter
one I stated that Jesse was 20 years old. It was supposed to say 20 years
OLDER than Richie. Jesse's supposed to be around the age of forty. I made
the corrections. Sorry about that.
~~~~~~~~~ They pulled up to the house. Richie saw Jesse straight away sitting on the hood of his car that was parked right out side the shop. The teen was dreading meeting with him so much that he didn't notice the gaze that Tessa and Mac exchanged upon seeing the older man themselves.
The three got out of the car and Richie walked over to Jesse. Tessa and Mac followed. Jesse had a grin wide on his face as the trio approached. He jumped off the hood of the car and clapped Richie on the shoulder. Since Tessa and Mac were behind him they didn't see the grimace that went across the young mans face.
"Hey kid I was beginning to think that you weren't coming back," Jesse said in an upbeat tone.
"Sorry, the service kind of sucked," Richie lied.
"Jesse, maybe you'd like to come in and join us for tea?" Mac suggested.
Jesse raised an eyebrow at Richie. "I think I'd like that."
"No!" Richie quickly intervened.
All three of them stared at the teen.
"I mean I kind of wanted to talk to Jesse alone first," He said to cover his mistake. "You know to catch up a little first."
"Of course Richie," Tessa said. "Why don't the two of you use my work shop and then Duncan and I will meet you upstairs when you're done."
"Thanks Tessa." He turned to Jesse. "If that's all right with you of course."
"Of course kid. Lead the way."
Richie nodded at Duncan and Tessa. Then he took Jesse around to the workshop.
~~~~~~~
"Something's wrong," Duncan told Tessa as they sat in the living room. "I don't like this Jesse guy."
"I don't know about something being wrong," Tessa replied. "I mean maybe Richie is just a little uncomfortable around Jesse because of there 'intense' parting."
Duncan was about to argue, but Tessa held up her hand.
"BUT as for not liking him, I completely agree with you," She finished.
"Well maybe you agree with that, but I still think something's wrong. When I mentioned Jesse's name at dinner Richie practically choked on his spaghetti."
Tessa looked at him skeptically. "Have you seen the way he eats? I'm surprised he hasn't choked long before that."
"Tessa I'm telling you this was different. He's keeping something from us. I just don't know what it is."
Tessa put a hand on his lap. "Duncan he's not used to opening up to people. You heard him earlier. His past isn't something he likes to talk about and now his past just walked right through our front door. It has to be hard on him."
"Maybe you're right," The Highlander conceded. "But I just can't shake the feeling."
"If you're so worried talk to him."
Duncan looked at her as though she had gone mad. "Have you tried talking to him? It's not as easy as it sounds."
"He's a teenager Duncan. A teenager who's had a rough past and he's skeptical when it comes to trusting people. He thinks everyone is going to betray him."
"Tessa we've never given him a reason to think he can't trust us."
"We don't have to," She explained to him. "Everyone else he's ever cared about did that for us."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tea?" Jesse asked as Richie closed the doors so they could have privacy.
"They like tea," The teen defended. He walked over to Tessa's work bench and leaned around it.
"You've got it made kid." Jesse stated as he started walking around the place, picking things up here and there.
"You knew I was here didn't you?"
Jesse looked up at him and smiled. "I always knew you were a smart one kid. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you."
"Yeah right," Richie replied angrily. "I was just a kid that gave you a meal ticket."
The older man shrugged. "That's true, or at least it was at first, but then I saw you're potential. The way you talked that lady into giving you money, I knew there was something special about you."
"I needed money for the bus!" He defended. "You never gave me anything and it was pouring. You just took advantage of an eight year old kid!"
"I taught you how to survive on the streets! I taught you how to make a buck!"
"You taught me how to steal!" Richie half yelled.
Jesse walked over to him and ran a hand across his shoulder. "I taught you how to do much more than that."
Richie cringed and pulled away leaving his back to the elder man.
"You know they'll make you leave if they find out." Jesse said. "They wouldn't want someone like you living in their house if they knew the truth."
The teen crossed his arms over his chest.
Jesse leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You're going to do exactly what I tell you or I'm going to tell them all about you're dirty little past."
Richie turned to face him. He glared at him, but he knew that Jesse was right. If Duncan and Tessa ever found out, they'd hate him. They were the nicest people he'd ever met. He didn't think he could handle it if they hated him. He had no choice. He hung his head.
"What do you want?" He asked sullenly.
Jesse smiled. "That's more like it."
~~~~~~~~
By the time Richie came out of the workshop Duncan was sitting in his office doing paperwork. Mac lifted his head and saw the teen heading for the stairs with his hands shoved into his pockets. He didn't look happy.
"Richie," He called, causing the younger man to jump.
"Jesus you scared me Mac!" He exclaimed putting a hand to his chest.
"Sorry tough guy." Duncan replied getting up and walking over to him.
"What's up?"
"Where's Jesse? I thought he was going to come up for a while."
"Nah, He had some things he had to do. We didn't expect to be talking that long."
Duncan nodded. "How did things go?"
Richie shrugged. "They went all right. I mean everything's not perfect, but we're going to have lunch tomorrow to talk more about it."
It wasn't exactly the truth, but as long as Richie could play it off that he was trying to fix his relationship with Jesse then he wouldn't have to explain everything else.
"Richie are you all right?" Duncan asked. "I mean is there anything you want to talk about? Anything I can help with?"
The teen gazed into Duncan's brown eyes and for just a moment he wanted to tell him the truth. He wanted to tell him everything about his past. He wanted to be able to trust someone.
"I'm fine Mac," He said instead. "It's just a little overwhelming. I can handle it though."
"You can trust me you know," The Highlander told him. "I won't turn away from you."
Richie felt his heart sink. He wanted to believe that. More than anything in the world, but he knew it wasn't true. He'd heard it from other people, but Mac was different wasn't he? He wouldn't throw Richie out or hurt him. He wouldn't look at him with disgust or repulsion. Would he? Richie couldn't take the chance. He loved it here. He couldn't let them know about his jaded past.
Richie put on his best smile. "I know Mac."
Duncan nodded and Richie continued his way upstairs. The Highlander walked over to his desk and sat down. He didn't resume his paperwork. His thoughts were on Richie. He noticed something flicker across the teens face when he assured him that he would be there for him. He just wasn't sure what it was.
Besides that he looked so sullen when he walked in. Something wasn't right. Richie was lying but Mac didn't know about what or why. He just knew that whatever it was it had to do with Jesse Adams.
~~~~~~~~~All right guys, please review.
~~~~~~~~~ They pulled up to the house. Richie saw Jesse straight away sitting on the hood of his car that was parked right out side the shop. The teen was dreading meeting with him so much that he didn't notice the gaze that Tessa and Mac exchanged upon seeing the older man themselves.
The three got out of the car and Richie walked over to Jesse. Tessa and Mac followed. Jesse had a grin wide on his face as the trio approached. He jumped off the hood of the car and clapped Richie on the shoulder. Since Tessa and Mac were behind him they didn't see the grimace that went across the young mans face.
"Hey kid I was beginning to think that you weren't coming back," Jesse said in an upbeat tone.
"Sorry, the service kind of sucked," Richie lied.
"Jesse, maybe you'd like to come in and join us for tea?" Mac suggested.
Jesse raised an eyebrow at Richie. "I think I'd like that."
"No!" Richie quickly intervened.
All three of them stared at the teen.
"I mean I kind of wanted to talk to Jesse alone first," He said to cover his mistake. "You know to catch up a little first."
"Of course Richie," Tessa said. "Why don't the two of you use my work shop and then Duncan and I will meet you upstairs when you're done."
"Thanks Tessa." He turned to Jesse. "If that's all right with you of course."
"Of course kid. Lead the way."
Richie nodded at Duncan and Tessa. Then he took Jesse around to the workshop.
~~~~~~~
"Something's wrong," Duncan told Tessa as they sat in the living room. "I don't like this Jesse guy."
"I don't know about something being wrong," Tessa replied. "I mean maybe Richie is just a little uncomfortable around Jesse because of there 'intense' parting."
Duncan was about to argue, but Tessa held up her hand.
"BUT as for not liking him, I completely agree with you," She finished.
"Well maybe you agree with that, but I still think something's wrong. When I mentioned Jesse's name at dinner Richie practically choked on his spaghetti."
Tessa looked at him skeptically. "Have you seen the way he eats? I'm surprised he hasn't choked long before that."
"Tessa I'm telling you this was different. He's keeping something from us. I just don't know what it is."
Tessa put a hand on his lap. "Duncan he's not used to opening up to people. You heard him earlier. His past isn't something he likes to talk about and now his past just walked right through our front door. It has to be hard on him."
"Maybe you're right," The Highlander conceded. "But I just can't shake the feeling."
"If you're so worried talk to him."
Duncan looked at her as though she had gone mad. "Have you tried talking to him? It's not as easy as it sounds."
"He's a teenager Duncan. A teenager who's had a rough past and he's skeptical when it comes to trusting people. He thinks everyone is going to betray him."
"Tessa we've never given him a reason to think he can't trust us."
"We don't have to," She explained to him. "Everyone else he's ever cared about did that for us."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tea?" Jesse asked as Richie closed the doors so they could have privacy.
"They like tea," The teen defended. He walked over to Tessa's work bench and leaned around it.
"You've got it made kid." Jesse stated as he started walking around the place, picking things up here and there.
"You knew I was here didn't you?"
Jesse looked up at him and smiled. "I always knew you were a smart one kid. I knew it the moment I laid eyes on you."
"Yeah right," Richie replied angrily. "I was just a kid that gave you a meal ticket."
The older man shrugged. "That's true, or at least it was at first, but then I saw you're potential. The way you talked that lady into giving you money, I knew there was something special about you."
"I needed money for the bus!" He defended. "You never gave me anything and it was pouring. You just took advantage of an eight year old kid!"
"I taught you how to survive on the streets! I taught you how to make a buck!"
"You taught me how to steal!" Richie half yelled.
Jesse walked over to him and ran a hand across his shoulder. "I taught you how to do much more than that."
Richie cringed and pulled away leaving his back to the elder man.
"You know they'll make you leave if they find out." Jesse said. "They wouldn't want someone like you living in their house if they knew the truth."
The teen crossed his arms over his chest.
Jesse leaned in and whispered in his ear, "You're going to do exactly what I tell you or I'm going to tell them all about you're dirty little past."
Richie turned to face him. He glared at him, but he knew that Jesse was right. If Duncan and Tessa ever found out, they'd hate him. They were the nicest people he'd ever met. He didn't think he could handle it if they hated him. He had no choice. He hung his head.
"What do you want?" He asked sullenly.
Jesse smiled. "That's more like it."
~~~~~~~~
By the time Richie came out of the workshop Duncan was sitting in his office doing paperwork. Mac lifted his head and saw the teen heading for the stairs with his hands shoved into his pockets. He didn't look happy.
"Richie," He called, causing the younger man to jump.
"Jesus you scared me Mac!" He exclaimed putting a hand to his chest.
"Sorry tough guy." Duncan replied getting up and walking over to him.
"What's up?"
"Where's Jesse? I thought he was going to come up for a while."
"Nah, He had some things he had to do. We didn't expect to be talking that long."
Duncan nodded. "How did things go?"
Richie shrugged. "They went all right. I mean everything's not perfect, but we're going to have lunch tomorrow to talk more about it."
It wasn't exactly the truth, but as long as Richie could play it off that he was trying to fix his relationship with Jesse then he wouldn't have to explain everything else.
"Richie are you all right?" Duncan asked. "I mean is there anything you want to talk about? Anything I can help with?"
The teen gazed into Duncan's brown eyes and for just a moment he wanted to tell him the truth. He wanted to tell him everything about his past. He wanted to be able to trust someone.
"I'm fine Mac," He said instead. "It's just a little overwhelming. I can handle it though."
"You can trust me you know," The Highlander told him. "I won't turn away from you."
Richie felt his heart sink. He wanted to believe that. More than anything in the world, but he knew it wasn't true. He'd heard it from other people, but Mac was different wasn't he? He wouldn't throw Richie out or hurt him. He wouldn't look at him with disgust or repulsion. Would he? Richie couldn't take the chance. He loved it here. He couldn't let them know about his jaded past.
Richie put on his best smile. "I know Mac."
Duncan nodded and Richie continued his way upstairs. The Highlander walked over to his desk and sat down. He didn't resume his paperwork. His thoughts were on Richie. He noticed something flicker across the teens face when he assured him that he would be there for him. He just wasn't sure what it was.
Besides that he looked so sullen when he walked in. Something wasn't right. Richie was lying but Mac didn't know about what or why. He just knew that whatever it was it had to do with Jesse Adams.
~~~~~~~~~All right guys, please review.