AN: Hey guys thanks for the reviews. Here's the next chapter. Oh and
Adsh..I promise it's not going to be as predictable as you think. *winks*
Anywho I've been thinking and if anyone knows of a good Beta reader who's available please let me know. Okay, okay no more rambling on with the story.
~~~ Richie was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. His radio was blaring some metallica song that he wasn't really paying attention to. His mind was on worse things. Things that he thought he hadn't thought about in a long time. Things he thought he had forgotten.
Richie never thought in a million years that he'd see Jesse again. He thought after Duncan and Tessa took him in that things would be different. That his past wouldn't be a factor anymore.
He laughed to himself. "You can't escape your past Richie. You are what you are."
He looked over at his clock. It was ten p.m. He was supposed to meet Jesse at midnight at an old place they used to hang out with to talk business. Richie didn't want to go, but more than that he didn't want Duncan and Tessa to hate him. If that meant helping Jesse, then so be it.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on his door.
He sighed. "Come in."
The door opened and Duncan walked in.
"What's up Mac?"
"How are you tough guy?" He asked walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Richie shrugged. "I'm fine."
"Richie have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?"
The teen looked over at him and slowly shook his head.
"Then why do you feel like you can't talk to me?"
"Mac.."
Duncan held up a hand. "No, Richie listen to me. I know something's wrong. I just don't know why you won't tell me."
Richie sat up and looked at the Highlander. He wanted to tell him. He would love to tell someone to get it out in the open, but he knew he couldn't. Mac would turn away from him. He was the best friend and the closest thing to a father he'd ever known.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Richie what is it? You can tell me. I'm not going to turn away from you."
"Mac I..Nothings wrong. It's just a lot seeing Jesse again."
"Why are you afraid of him?" Duncan suddenly asked.
The question caught Richie off guard. "I..I'm not scared of him," He stammered.
The Highlander raised an eyebrow. "Talk to me tough guy. Tell me what's going on."
"Nothing is going on!" Richie yelled. "Why can't you just leave it alone."
He jumped off the bed and stormed over to his dresser where his green jacket was and picked it up.
"Richie I just want to help."
"Yeah well you can help by staying out of my business!" He seethed as he stormed out of the room.
"Richie!" Mac called after him.
Richie didn't stop. He ran downstairs and out of the antique store. He ran down the street and around the corner. He ran until his legs burned and his lungs screamed for air. He found himself pacing back and forth in an alley.
Richie was angry. He felt rage coursing through his veins, filling him up inside and out. He wanted to scream, to run away from everything. He wanted to leave everything behind. He wanted to forget Jesse and everything else that linked him to that life.
He had a new life now with people who cared about him. People who took care of him, gave him a job and a place to stay. Duncan and Tessa were the closest things to parents he'd ever had. He'd never openly admit that to them, but it was true.
Well Emily was a great mom, but she had died when Richie was a kid. If she would have been alive things would have been different. He wouldn't have had all those other foster parents. He would have had someone who loved him all this time. Would he have given up Mac and Tessa for that? Maybe. Right now he didn't know.
Right now his life was a complete disaster and Richie was going to have to resort to an old path he never thought he'd have to walk again. He never wanted to walk again. He was angry, scared, and confused. Mostly he was worried about losing Tess and Mac. Right now he was losing the happiness that he thought he'd never have in the first place.
~~~~~~~
Duncan chased Richie down the stairs and out the door, but by the time he got down there the teen was no where in sight. He had no idea which way the younger man went. There was no point in chasing after him. Richie knew the back streets and alleys better than anyone else in the city.
"Richie!" He yelled. "Richie!"
"Duncan what's going on?" Tessa asked coming up behind him. "Where's Richie?"
"He ran off," The Highlander stated exasperated.
"Why? What did you say to him?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.
He turned to face her. "Nothing, I just tried to get him to talk about Jesse."
"Duncan, you know how he gets. If you push him about this he'll close up more than he already has."
"I know, but Tessa he's so scared and I don't know why."
"You can't force him to talk to you," She told him gently. "You have to let him come to you. He will when he's ready."
"I know, but I want to help him so much," He replied almost in hysterics. "I want to be there for him!"
"Duncan you are there for him. You talk to him, you help him." She said resting her hands on his shoulders. "You're like a father to him, but you have to let him come to you. You can't force him on this."
The Highlander pulled Tessa into a hug. "I know, but it's just so frustrating."
"He'll come to you Duncan. Just give him time."
Thunder rumbled quietly over head. Tessa pulled back and looked up.
"Do you think Richie will be all right?" Duncan asked.
"Richie will be fine." She assured him.
"I'm worried about him Tessa," The Highlander stated as the night sky flashed. "This Jesse guy, I don't like him. He scares Richie."
"Are you so sure?" She asked skeptically. "You're sure you're not being overprotective?"
"Tessa you didn't see him earlier. You didn't see the look on his face. Something's wrong!"
The first few drops of rain started falling with another roll of thunder.
Tessa looked into Duncan's face. She could see the worry etched in the tiny lines around his eyes. She saw the tension that followed the line of his jaw. He was so sincerely worried.
"If you're so worried, go after him."
"But you said I should.."
"I know what I said, but you can't stand it," She said giving him a slight push. "Now go so that I can get out of the rain."
Duncan grabbed her and kissed her. Tessa laughed when he abruptly let her go and took off for the T-Bird.
~~~~~~~~~Please Review
Anywho I've been thinking and if anyone knows of a good Beta reader who's available please let me know. Okay, okay no more rambling on with the story.
~~~ Richie was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. His radio was blaring some metallica song that he wasn't really paying attention to. His mind was on worse things. Things that he thought he hadn't thought about in a long time. Things he thought he had forgotten.
Richie never thought in a million years that he'd see Jesse again. He thought after Duncan and Tessa took him in that things would be different. That his past wouldn't be a factor anymore.
He laughed to himself. "You can't escape your past Richie. You are what you are."
He looked over at his clock. It was ten p.m. He was supposed to meet Jesse at midnight at an old place they used to hang out with to talk business. Richie didn't want to go, but more than that he didn't want Duncan and Tessa to hate him. If that meant helping Jesse, then so be it.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on his door.
He sighed. "Come in."
The door opened and Duncan walked in.
"What's up Mac?"
"How are you tough guy?" He asked walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed.
Richie shrugged. "I'm fine."
"Richie have I ever given you any reason not to trust me?"
The teen looked over at him and slowly shook his head.
"Then why do you feel like you can't talk to me?"
"Mac.."
Duncan held up a hand. "No, Richie listen to me. I know something's wrong. I just don't know why you won't tell me."
Richie sat up and looked at the Highlander. He wanted to tell him. He would love to tell someone to get it out in the open, but he knew he couldn't. Mac would turn away from him. He was the best friend and the closest thing to a father he'd ever known.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Richie what is it? You can tell me. I'm not going to turn away from you."
"Mac I..Nothings wrong. It's just a lot seeing Jesse again."
"Why are you afraid of him?" Duncan suddenly asked.
The question caught Richie off guard. "I..I'm not scared of him," He stammered.
The Highlander raised an eyebrow. "Talk to me tough guy. Tell me what's going on."
"Nothing is going on!" Richie yelled. "Why can't you just leave it alone."
He jumped off the bed and stormed over to his dresser where his green jacket was and picked it up.
"Richie I just want to help."
"Yeah well you can help by staying out of my business!" He seethed as he stormed out of the room.
"Richie!" Mac called after him.
Richie didn't stop. He ran downstairs and out of the antique store. He ran down the street and around the corner. He ran until his legs burned and his lungs screamed for air. He found himself pacing back and forth in an alley.
Richie was angry. He felt rage coursing through his veins, filling him up inside and out. He wanted to scream, to run away from everything. He wanted to leave everything behind. He wanted to forget Jesse and everything else that linked him to that life.
He had a new life now with people who cared about him. People who took care of him, gave him a job and a place to stay. Duncan and Tessa were the closest things to parents he'd ever had. He'd never openly admit that to them, but it was true.
Well Emily was a great mom, but she had died when Richie was a kid. If she would have been alive things would have been different. He wouldn't have had all those other foster parents. He would have had someone who loved him all this time. Would he have given up Mac and Tessa for that? Maybe. Right now he didn't know.
Right now his life was a complete disaster and Richie was going to have to resort to an old path he never thought he'd have to walk again. He never wanted to walk again. He was angry, scared, and confused. Mostly he was worried about losing Tess and Mac. Right now he was losing the happiness that he thought he'd never have in the first place.
~~~~~~~
Duncan chased Richie down the stairs and out the door, but by the time he got down there the teen was no where in sight. He had no idea which way the younger man went. There was no point in chasing after him. Richie knew the back streets and alleys better than anyone else in the city.
"Richie!" He yelled. "Richie!"
"Duncan what's going on?" Tessa asked coming up behind him. "Where's Richie?"
"He ran off," The Highlander stated exasperated.
"Why? What did you say to him?" She asked crossing her arms over her chest.
He turned to face her. "Nothing, I just tried to get him to talk about Jesse."
"Duncan, you know how he gets. If you push him about this he'll close up more than he already has."
"I know, but Tessa he's so scared and I don't know why."
"You can't force him to talk to you," She told him gently. "You have to let him come to you. He will when he's ready."
"I know, but I want to help him so much," He replied almost in hysterics. "I want to be there for him!"
"Duncan you are there for him. You talk to him, you help him." She said resting her hands on his shoulders. "You're like a father to him, but you have to let him come to you. You can't force him on this."
The Highlander pulled Tessa into a hug. "I know, but it's just so frustrating."
"He'll come to you Duncan. Just give him time."
Thunder rumbled quietly over head. Tessa pulled back and looked up.
"Do you think Richie will be all right?" Duncan asked.
"Richie will be fine." She assured him.
"I'm worried about him Tessa," The Highlander stated as the night sky flashed. "This Jesse guy, I don't like him. He scares Richie."
"Are you so sure?" She asked skeptically. "You're sure you're not being overprotective?"
"Tessa you didn't see him earlier. You didn't see the look on his face. Something's wrong!"
The first few drops of rain started falling with another roll of thunder.
Tessa looked into Duncan's face. She could see the worry etched in the tiny lines around his eyes. She saw the tension that followed the line of his jaw. He was so sincerely worried.
"If you're so worried, go after him."
"But you said I should.."
"I know what I said, but you can't stand it," She said giving him a slight push. "Now go so that I can get out of the rain."
Duncan grabbed her and kissed her. Tessa laughed when he abruptly let her go and took off for the T-Bird.
~~~~~~~~~Please Review