AN: Hey guys I am SOOO sorry it took me so long to get the next part up.
I just moved from Ft.Lauderdale to Jacksonville so I was packing and
unpacking and setting up the apartment and blah blah blah you don't want to
hear my life story. Well anyways people here's the next part.
P.S. A special thanks to SouthernChickie for checking up on me.
Richie and Duncan walked into the apartment. Tessa looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. Richie stumbled and Duncan caught him by the arm to keep him from falling.
"Richie are you all right?" Tessa asked worriedly getting up.
"Sorry," Richie mumbled.
"Duncan what's wrong with him."
"Relax Tessa," Duncan said leading Richie to the stairs. "He's just tired."
"Tired? He doesn't almost pass out from being tired." Tessa exclaimed.
"I'm fine Tess," Richie smiled to her. "No worries."
The French woman sighed. "Very well, but I want you to go straight to bed. No TV."
"For once, I don't think you're going to get an argument from me."
"Come on tough guy. Let's get you in bed."
Duncan kept a hand on Richie incased the teen stumbled again. He didn't want him falling down the stairs. He led the teen to his room and Richie didn't bother to get undressed. He just fell face first into his pillows.
Duncan couldn't help but smile at the teen. He walked over and pulled Richie's shoes off. He grabbed the extra blanket that Richie kept on the trunk at the end of his bed and threw it over the young man. Mac ruffled his blonde curls gently and walked out.
Tessa was waiting for him outside of the room.
"Duncan MacLeod I demand you tell me what is going on!"
"SHHHH" Duncan chided. "You'll wake him up."
Tessa glared at him. "What is going on?" She asked angrily, but in a lower tone.
"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Keep an eye on Richie."
He kissed her on the cheek and walked down stairs.
"Where are you going?" She called after him.
"To do a little background check on this Jesse Adams." He called back to her.
Duncan got into his T-Bird and took off. It was the middle of the night, but sometimes this was the best time to get a hold of one of his contacts.
~~~~
"MacLeod! What the hell are you doing here?"
"How are you Daunte?" Duncan asked with a smile.
"Pretty good Mac, pretty good," The other man replied. "Come on in."
Duncan walked inside and followed Daunte to the kitchen.
"I haven't seen you in a while," Daunte said. "You want anything to drink?"
"It's been almost twenty years," Duncan concurred. "And no thanks I'm fine."
"How are things with you?" Daunte asked. "Are you still with.I think Tessa was her name."
Mac smiled. Daunte always did have a good memory. In all the two hundred years he'd known him, Daunte had barely forgotten a thing.
"Yes, I'm still with Tessa. What about you? Any new relationships?"
Daunte shrugged. "Same ol' same ol." Then his face turned serious. "What's up Macleod. It's close to two a.m. You wouldn't be here if it weren't important."
Duncan sighed. "Daunte you're the best P.I. I know and I need you to find out anything and everything you can on a man named Jesse Adams."
"What's this guy to you?"
"I took in a teenager a while back and supposedly this Adams person was an old foster father of Richie's."
"Richie's the teen?"
Duncan nodded.
"Okay did he beat the kid or something?"
"He's holding something over him Daunte. I don't know what it is, but it's something."
"You know how to check up on people. Why do you need me?"
"I may be four hundred years old, but I have to admit I'm not the greatest when it comes to computers."
Daunte laughed. "And you've heard of my exceptional skills."
"Something like that. Juvenile records are sealed, but now that everything's computerized." He trailed off.
"And I can hack my way into the government you thought I could be of some help."
"I want to know why Richie was taken from Jesse. Oh and whatever dirt you can dig up on Jesse as well."
Daunte nodded. "All right, I'll do it, but you'll owe me big time MacLeod."
"Yeah, I will."
"MacLeod," Daunte said as the Highlander turned to leave. "How is it you knew where I was?"
Duncan looked down and then back at Daunte. "I know to track, but I can't do that as well as keep an eye on Richie."
"I understand MacLeod. Go home to your teen. Make sure nothing bad happens to him."
~~~~~~~~
Duncan stood over Richie's bed. The teen was sleeping soundly. He couldn't help but feel hurt by the fact that Richie wouldn't tell him the truth of what's going on. Duncan wasn't stupid. He knew that the young man feared Jesse Adams. He knew something awful had happened during the time that Richie had stayed with his foster father and now Jesse was blackmailing Richie with whatever that was.
Well Mac wouldn't stand for it. He wasn't going to let Richie get sucked back into his old life and he wasn't going to let Jesse hurt Richie. Daunte was the best person to take care of the job. Mac had heard he was back in town, but honestly hadn't had the time to go and see his old friend. Tonight he didn't have a choice.
MacLeod couldn't dig up the dirt he needed on Jesse while at the same time watching Richie. Richie was his first priority. Daunte could take care of all the information. MacLeod trusted him.
Duncan reached down and pushed a stray curl out of Richie's face and the teen mumbled.
"It's all right tough guy. You're safe."
And he meant it. He wasn't going to let anything happen to Richie. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt him, emotionally or otherwise. It just wasn't going to happen. He was taking as many measures as he could to see to that.
Mac would never admit it out loud, but Richie was like the son he never had, but always wanted. Mac never dwelled on the fact that he couldn't have children. When he had been mortal he had always wondered what it would be like to have a son, but once he became immortal it was out of the question.
Even though Richie was practically a man he still needed the guidance and love that had been neglected to him as a child. Duncan was more than happy to give it to him and he knew that Tessa was as well. He was there son and no one was going to tell them otherwise.
Richie rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. Duncan smiled at the site and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
~~~All right I will have the next part up as soon as possible and it will be much longer. Promise.
P.S. A special thanks to SouthernChickie for checking up on me.
Richie and Duncan walked into the apartment. Tessa looked up from the book she was reading and smiled. Richie stumbled and Duncan caught him by the arm to keep him from falling.
"Richie are you all right?" Tessa asked worriedly getting up.
"Sorry," Richie mumbled.
"Duncan what's wrong with him."
"Relax Tessa," Duncan said leading Richie to the stairs. "He's just tired."
"Tired? He doesn't almost pass out from being tired." Tessa exclaimed.
"I'm fine Tess," Richie smiled to her. "No worries."
The French woman sighed. "Very well, but I want you to go straight to bed. No TV."
"For once, I don't think you're going to get an argument from me."
"Come on tough guy. Let's get you in bed."
Duncan kept a hand on Richie incased the teen stumbled again. He didn't want him falling down the stairs. He led the teen to his room and Richie didn't bother to get undressed. He just fell face first into his pillows.
Duncan couldn't help but smile at the teen. He walked over and pulled Richie's shoes off. He grabbed the extra blanket that Richie kept on the trunk at the end of his bed and threw it over the young man. Mac ruffled his blonde curls gently and walked out.
Tessa was waiting for him outside of the room.
"Duncan MacLeod I demand you tell me what is going on!"
"SHHHH" Duncan chided. "You'll wake him up."
Tessa glared at him. "What is going on?" She asked angrily, but in a lower tone.
"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Keep an eye on Richie."
He kissed her on the cheek and walked down stairs.
"Where are you going?" She called after him.
"To do a little background check on this Jesse Adams." He called back to her.
Duncan got into his T-Bird and took off. It was the middle of the night, but sometimes this was the best time to get a hold of one of his contacts.
~~~~
"MacLeod! What the hell are you doing here?"
"How are you Daunte?" Duncan asked with a smile.
"Pretty good Mac, pretty good," The other man replied. "Come on in."
Duncan walked inside and followed Daunte to the kitchen.
"I haven't seen you in a while," Daunte said. "You want anything to drink?"
"It's been almost twenty years," Duncan concurred. "And no thanks I'm fine."
"How are things with you?" Daunte asked. "Are you still with.I think Tessa was her name."
Mac smiled. Daunte always did have a good memory. In all the two hundred years he'd known him, Daunte had barely forgotten a thing.
"Yes, I'm still with Tessa. What about you? Any new relationships?"
Daunte shrugged. "Same ol' same ol." Then his face turned serious. "What's up Macleod. It's close to two a.m. You wouldn't be here if it weren't important."
Duncan sighed. "Daunte you're the best P.I. I know and I need you to find out anything and everything you can on a man named Jesse Adams."
"What's this guy to you?"
"I took in a teenager a while back and supposedly this Adams person was an old foster father of Richie's."
"Richie's the teen?"
Duncan nodded.
"Okay did he beat the kid or something?"
"He's holding something over him Daunte. I don't know what it is, but it's something."
"You know how to check up on people. Why do you need me?"
"I may be four hundred years old, but I have to admit I'm not the greatest when it comes to computers."
Daunte laughed. "And you've heard of my exceptional skills."
"Something like that. Juvenile records are sealed, but now that everything's computerized." He trailed off.
"And I can hack my way into the government you thought I could be of some help."
"I want to know why Richie was taken from Jesse. Oh and whatever dirt you can dig up on Jesse as well."
Daunte nodded. "All right, I'll do it, but you'll owe me big time MacLeod."
"Yeah, I will."
"MacLeod," Daunte said as the Highlander turned to leave. "How is it you knew where I was?"
Duncan looked down and then back at Daunte. "I know to track, but I can't do that as well as keep an eye on Richie."
"I understand MacLeod. Go home to your teen. Make sure nothing bad happens to him."
~~~~~~~~
Duncan stood over Richie's bed. The teen was sleeping soundly. He couldn't help but feel hurt by the fact that Richie wouldn't tell him the truth of what's going on. Duncan wasn't stupid. He knew that the young man feared Jesse Adams. He knew something awful had happened during the time that Richie had stayed with his foster father and now Jesse was blackmailing Richie with whatever that was.
Well Mac wouldn't stand for it. He wasn't going to let Richie get sucked back into his old life and he wasn't going to let Jesse hurt Richie. Daunte was the best person to take care of the job. Mac had heard he was back in town, but honestly hadn't had the time to go and see his old friend. Tonight he didn't have a choice.
MacLeod couldn't dig up the dirt he needed on Jesse while at the same time watching Richie. Richie was his first priority. Daunte could take care of all the information. MacLeod trusted him.
Duncan reached down and pushed a stray curl out of Richie's face and the teen mumbled.
"It's all right tough guy. You're safe."
And he meant it. He wasn't going to let anything happen to Richie. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt him, emotionally or otherwise. It just wasn't going to happen. He was taking as many measures as he could to see to that.
Mac would never admit it out loud, but Richie was like the son he never had, but always wanted. Mac never dwelled on the fact that he couldn't have children. When he had been mortal he had always wondered what it would be like to have a son, but once he became immortal it was out of the question.
Even though Richie was practically a man he still needed the guidance and love that had been neglected to him as a child. Duncan was more than happy to give it to him and he knew that Tessa was as well. He was there son and no one was going to tell them otherwise.
Richie rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. Duncan smiled at the site and walked out, gently closing the door behind him.
~~~All right I will have the next part up as soon as possible and it will be much longer. Promise.