AN: Here's the next part. SouthernChickie I sort of used the frase, but
the actual one will come in a later chapter. Don't worry I'll give credit
where credit is due.
Sorry the updates have been taking so long, but I'm still trying to get everything together from the move. Thanks for the reviews and the patience.
~~~~~~~~~~ Daunte eyes were burning from the green letters on his screen. He had been trying to hack into the Foster care database since MacLeod had left six hours ago. Actually he had hacked in, but he hadn't found Richie's file yet.
He had to manually go through every file; there was no search engine to just pull up a name. The foster care system was extremely out of date.
"Bloody hell," Daunte said exasperated.
Daunte was extremely tired. He was practically starving and his body hurt from sitting in the same position for so long, but he did it anyways. The truth was he owed MacLeod. The Highlander had saved his life once upon a time and seeing how much this meant to his old friend he had no problem helping him out.
Finally after what seemed an eternity, Richie's file popped up. He started reading through it and his jaw dropped at what he saw.
"There must be some sort of mistake."
He kept reading through and finally printed the whole thing out. His next task would be easier.
~~~~~~~~
Richie jolted up in bed. Terrified he looked around. He saw his dresser, his guitars, all of his things right where they should be. He hadn't expected to. He had been so entangled in his nightmare that he thought it was real. He thought he was living back with Jesse.
He shuddered with the thought. It wasn't his favorite period of time to think about. In fact until Adams had shown up he had completely driven that part of his past from his mind.
He ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. His nightmare had been the same from when he was a little boy. The auction, going home with a rich family for the night. Everything horrible that he had once forgotten.
Now that old memories had resurfaced he was having a hard time putting them away again. Of course if things kept going the way they were he would have a whole new set of memories to lock away when it was all over.
Richie laughed at the thought. Over? As long as he lived it would never be over. His past would always catch up to him and be part of him.
Jesse had said something to him once a long time ago. Richie had come back from a client's house dressed in khaki pants and a yellow preppy sweater. He was so proud of his knew clothes, but Jesse only laughed and said:
"Kid it don't matter how nice the clothes are that you wear or how much they cost. By the end of the day, they always come off."
Richie sighed. Jesse had been right. Even living with Tessa and Duncan in their beautiful home his past had come back to haunt him. They couldn't protect him from it with all their money or love. Now, he was going to have to relive it all over again.
He looked up as his bedroom door opened.
"Richie, I didn't know you were awake," Tessa said. "I was just coming to check on you."
Richie half smiled. He loved Tessa like a mother, though he had never told her. At first when he had moved in she had been a little hostile, but how could he blame her? He had after all tried to rob her home.
"It's all right. I'm just restless."
She walked in and sat on the edge of Richie's bed in her blue terry robe. "That's odd, you were extremely tired a few hours ago."
He shrugged.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No, I'm all right. Just a lot has been happening lately, stirring up old memories."
Tessa nodded. "I understand. Good memories?"
"Some, but not all memories are good ones in anyone's life."
"Very true ma petit, very true."
Richie raised an eyebrow. "Ma petit?"
Tessa laughed. "Forgive me Richie. It is something my mother called me at one time."
"Um Tess in case you haven't noticed, I'm a guy."
She laughed again and it made Richie smile. She had a tendency to do that to him.
"I know very well that you are a young man. It has been used for both girls and boys, so do not fear."
Richie yawned.
"Tired?"
"Getting there."
"Lay down." She said standing up.
He did as he was told and Tessa tucked him in. He rolled his eyes, but accepted the gesture without comment. She kissed him in the forehead and it was surprisingly comforting.
"Sleep well Richie."
"Thanks Tessa," He replied sleepily.
He was practically asleep by the time she reached the door.
Tessa walked back to the bedroom. Duncan was sitting up in bed waiting for her.
"How is he?"
"As well as can be expected I suppose," She said crawling into bed with him.
"Does he know we heard him?"
"No, I told him I was just checking on him. I didn't want him to feel awkward."
"Did he?"
She shook her head. "Not until I accidentally called him ma petit." She grinned.
"Tessa you didn't," The Highlander laughed.
"I didn't mean to! It just sort of well, slipped."
"I'm so sure."
"Duncan!"
He leaned over and kissed her. "How come you don't have a pet name for me."
"It's not a pet name! It was just something my mother called me."
"All the same, I wouldn't mind having my own term of endearment."
She smiled. "Let me think on it and I'll get back to you."
Tessa scooted down in the bed snuggled into the crook of Duncan's arm.
"I wish he would tell us what really happened," She said seriously. "More so I wish he would trust us not to turn away from him."
"Tessa it's all he's ever known. Anyone and everyone he's ever cared about have left him at the drop of a dime. He'll tell us when he's ready."
"I don't like this Jesse Adams. I have a feeling he did something horrible to Richie."
Mac wrapped his arms around her. "So do I."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning bright and early, Duncan woke to the feeling of another immortal. He jerked out of bed, waking Tessa as he did so.
"Duncan what's wrong?"
The Highlander got out of bed and grabbed his sword.
"Is it another immortal?"
"Stay here," He told her walking out of the room.
With his sword posed he walked down the stairs. Someone rapped on the front door.
"MacLeod, wake up!"
Duncan sighed and put his sword down. He walked over and opened the front door.
"Daunte I wasn't expecting you so soon."
He walked inside and held up a file.
"I wasn't expecting to find this out about your boy or his old foster father."
~~~~~~~~
TBC
Sorry the updates have been taking so long, but I'm still trying to get everything together from the move. Thanks for the reviews and the patience.
~~~~~~~~~~ Daunte eyes were burning from the green letters on his screen. He had been trying to hack into the Foster care database since MacLeod had left six hours ago. Actually he had hacked in, but he hadn't found Richie's file yet.
He had to manually go through every file; there was no search engine to just pull up a name. The foster care system was extremely out of date.
"Bloody hell," Daunte said exasperated.
Daunte was extremely tired. He was practically starving and his body hurt from sitting in the same position for so long, but he did it anyways. The truth was he owed MacLeod. The Highlander had saved his life once upon a time and seeing how much this meant to his old friend he had no problem helping him out.
Finally after what seemed an eternity, Richie's file popped up. He started reading through it and his jaw dropped at what he saw.
"There must be some sort of mistake."
He kept reading through and finally printed the whole thing out. His next task would be easier.
~~~~~~~~
Richie jolted up in bed. Terrified he looked around. He saw his dresser, his guitars, all of his things right where they should be. He hadn't expected to. He had been so entangled in his nightmare that he thought it was real. He thought he was living back with Jesse.
He shuddered with the thought. It wasn't his favorite period of time to think about. In fact until Adams had shown up he had completely driven that part of his past from his mind.
He ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair. His nightmare had been the same from when he was a little boy. The auction, going home with a rich family for the night. Everything horrible that he had once forgotten.
Now that old memories had resurfaced he was having a hard time putting them away again. Of course if things kept going the way they were he would have a whole new set of memories to lock away when it was all over.
Richie laughed at the thought. Over? As long as he lived it would never be over. His past would always catch up to him and be part of him.
Jesse had said something to him once a long time ago. Richie had come back from a client's house dressed in khaki pants and a yellow preppy sweater. He was so proud of his knew clothes, but Jesse only laughed and said:
"Kid it don't matter how nice the clothes are that you wear or how much they cost. By the end of the day, they always come off."
Richie sighed. Jesse had been right. Even living with Tessa and Duncan in their beautiful home his past had come back to haunt him. They couldn't protect him from it with all their money or love. Now, he was going to have to relive it all over again.
He looked up as his bedroom door opened.
"Richie, I didn't know you were awake," Tessa said. "I was just coming to check on you."
Richie half smiled. He loved Tessa like a mother, though he had never told her. At first when he had moved in she had been a little hostile, but how could he blame her? He had after all tried to rob her home.
"It's all right. I'm just restless."
She walked in and sat on the edge of Richie's bed in her blue terry robe. "That's odd, you were extremely tired a few hours ago."
He shrugged.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"No, I'm all right. Just a lot has been happening lately, stirring up old memories."
Tessa nodded. "I understand. Good memories?"
"Some, but not all memories are good ones in anyone's life."
"Very true ma petit, very true."
Richie raised an eyebrow. "Ma petit?"
Tessa laughed. "Forgive me Richie. It is something my mother called me at one time."
"Um Tess in case you haven't noticed, I'm a guy."
She laughed again and it made Richie smile. She had a tendency to do that to him.
"I know very well that you are a young man. It has been used for both girls and boys, so do not fear."
Richie yawned.
"Tired?"
"Getting there."
"Lay down." She said standing up.
He did as he was told and Tessa tucked him in. He rolled his eyes, but accepted the gesture without comment. She kissed him in the forehead and it was surprisingly comforting.
"Sleep well Richie."
"Thanks Tessa," He replied sleepily.
He was practically asleep by the time she reached the door.
Tessa walked back to the bedroom. Duncan was sitting up in bed waiting for her.
"How is he?"
"As well as can be expected I suppose," She said crawling into bed with him.
"Does he know we heard him?"
"No, I told him I was just checking on him. I didn't want him to feel awkward."
"Did he?"
She shook her head. "Not until I accidentally called him ma petit." She grinned.
"Tessa you didn't," The Highlander laughed.
"I didn't mean to! It just sort of well, slipped."
"I'm so sure."
"Duncan!"
He leaned over and kissed her. "How come you don't have a pet name for me."
"It's not a pet name! It was just something my mother called me."
"All the same, I wouldn't mind having my own term of endearment."
She smiled. "Let me think on it and I'll get back to you."
Tessa scooted down in the bed snuggled into the crook of Duncan's arm.
"I wish he would tell us what really happened," She said seriously. "More so I wish he would trust us not to turn away from him."
"Tessa it's all he's ever known. Anyone and everyone he's ever cared about have left him at the drop of a dime. He'll tell us when he's ready."
"I don't like this Jesse Adams. I have a feeling he did something horrible to Richie."
Mac wrapped his arms around her. "So do I."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning bright and early, Duncan woke to the feeling of another immortal. He jerked out of bed, waking Tessa as he did so.
"Duncan what's wrong?"
The Highlander got out of bed and grabbed his sword.
"Is it another immortal?"
"Stay here," He told her walking out of the room.
With his sword posed he walked down the stairs. Someone rapped on the front door.
"MacLeod, wake up!"
Duncan sighed and put his sword down. He walked over and opened the front door.
"Daunte I wasn't expecting you so soon."
He walked inside and held up a file.
"I wasn't expecting to find this out about your boy or his old foster father."
~~~~~~~~
TBC