Tessa had been gone for a matter of hours when the phone rang.

"Hello?" Richie answered it.

"Allo?" an accented voice answered tentatively.

Richie switched to French. "Oui, est-ce que je peux vous aider?" (Can I help you?)

"May I speak with Tessa Noel, please?"

"She's not here. She went to go see her parents."

"Oh? I wasn't aware she was coming…" the woman answered.

"Uh-oh…" Richie mentally kicked himself. "Let me get Mac on the line. He knows more what's going on…" He took the cordless phone into the living room. "Mac, help!" he whispered. "I think I screwed up. I just told some French lady Tessa was going to see her parents…." He pushed the phone toward the immortal.

"Bonjour?" Duncan took the phone.

Richie listened in on the conversation as Duncan explained to Madame Noel that Tessa wanted to surprise them and Richie hadn't known. She wanted to discuss the engagement in person and was hoping to get their blessing. He could tell by Duncan's tone that he wasn't having an easy time being polite. His voice was a little forced and his face was set coldly in a frown.

"Yes, Madame," he was saying. "I understand your reservations. That's why Tessa wanted to speak with you alone so that no one would feel the need to reserve their emotions…" Richie rolled his eyes. "Of course. Yes, you have a good day. Au revoir." He disconnected the line.

"Was that Tessa's mom?" Richie asked.

"That was her."

"You didn't sound too happy to hear from her."

"Lets just say, Tessa's family and I don't really get along."

Richie frowned. "Really? I would have figured that you're the type of guy that any family would be thrilled for their daughter to bring home."

"Well…"

"I mean, if parents hate a great guy like you, what kinda chance can a regular guy get?"

"Rich," Duncan smiled. "I moved their daughter across the planet. Any parent would be upset at that."

"I can barely get a guy to let me borrow his daughter for a few hours to take her across town."

"You're young, yet; you have time."

"So, what are ya gonna do? I mean, you and Tess still gonna get married, even if her folks don't want you to?" Richie asked, sitting on the couch next to Duncan.

"Richie, parents have nothing to do with love. Look at Romeo and Juliet."

"They died," the teen pointed out.

"But they didn't let their parents stop them."

"They died cause their parents wouldn't let them get married. They killed themselves."

"Okay…another example…"

"Like Becky and Mark on Rosanne," Richie supplied.

Duncan chuckled. "No. Not like Becky and Mark… just…" he sighed. "We will get married no matter what."

Richie smirked. "You had to pick the one play I knew…"

Duncan smiled. "Naturally. So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"I dunno…" Richie looked around. "I'm getting kinda hungry though…"

"It's barely six o'clock."

"I had an early lunch."

"So what do you propose we do about it?"

"We can go get some dinner…"

Duncan smiled. "Let me guess, you have somewhere in mind?"

"I guess I could make a suggestion…"

"What do you want?"

Richie shrugged innocently. "Steak sounds good."

Duncan shook his head and put his arm around Richie's shoulders. "How did I know you were going to say that?"

Tessa sighed deeply as she looked upon her childhood home. The large château hid the sprawling grounds and garden she knew was immaculately kept in the back. Every time she went home, she vowed she wouldn't do it alone again. Yet, here she was, alone, again, at the foot of the porch with suitcases at her feet. Just like when she was a single college student coming home for the holidays. Nothing had changed. She was a child coming home.

"I'm not a child," Tessa said out loud. "I am a woman." After taking a moment to collect herself, she rang the bell. The door was answered in a matter of seconds. "Odette!" Tessa exclaimed, throwing her arms around her younger sister. "What are you doing here?"

"Mere called and told me that you were coming. I had to come and see you."

"How did Mere know I was coming?" Tess picked up her luggage.

"She spoke to a boy on the phone. She called for you and he told her that you were coming." Odette stepped aside so Tessa could enter. "It's been so long." She kissed Tessa's cheek. "I missed seeing you last time you came home."

"Is anyone else home?"

"You know Mere, she won't come to you. She's in the garden."

"And Papa?"

"Vous attendant pour tourner autour," a deep voice answered. Tessa smiled and turned to greet her father with a strong hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Your trip went well?"

"It went fine. I'm a little tired, but that's all."

"Your visits are too far between." He put his arm around her. "Though I wish your visit were for a more joyful reason." Tessa swallowed the natural retort that her engagement was a joyful reason… if only they would accept her decision. "I am sure you are happy, but we really must discuss this before you make a decision."

"But, Papa, I have made a decision. I am going to marry Duncan."

"We will talk."

Richie crept quietly through the hallway, clutching his weapon as he investigated the noise in the living room. He slowly tip-toed in his socks straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of any movement. Suddenly, he found himself attacked from behind. He retaliated with his pillow turning and swinging.

"Ahh!" he yelled slamming Duncan again and again.

The power had gone out hours ago, and they had reverted to their childhood to keep themselves entertained, constructing a full scale soft weapon war using the loft as their battle ground. The two oldest fifth graders on the planet scuffled in the hallway, slipping and sliding on the bare floors in their socks.

Richie wedged himself between the wall and Duncan's back, wrapping his arms around the immortal's neck.

"No, you don't!" Duncan grunted, as the teen pulled himself up to his back, his feet wrapped around his waist.

"Die!" He thwaked him on the head with his pillow.

"You first!" Duncan carried him into the living room and flipped him over his shoulder onto the couch.

Richie grunted as his back hit the cushions.

"One of these days you will learn…" Duncan warned grabbing Richie's ankles and pulling him off the couch.

"No!" Richie protested as he was drug across the floor into the kitchen. "Mac, don't," he begged when Duncan took hold of the vegetable sprayer. "C'mon, man. You win, okay?"

"Okay." Duncan put the sprayer back and released his hold on Richie's left ankle.

Richie panted and stayed on the floor for a while, as Duncan peeked out the window to see if anyone's power had come back on. The whole neighborhood was pitch black. Suddenly, something very cold pressed against his skin. He jumped and did a little dance, trying to get the ice out. Richie stood laughing at him, suddenly stopping when the ice fell to the floor and Duncan turned to face him.

Richie smiled hopefully. "Truce?"

"You should have left well enough alone…" Duncan started toward Richie.

"I surrender?" Richie tried, putting his hands up. Duncan lunged at the teen, fingers flying. Richie shrieked a high pitched laugh as he hyperventilated and tried to twist away.

"Not that easy," Duncan laughed still tickling.

Richie broke away, but his socked feet had no traction on the tile floor. He shifted his weight backward trying to compensate and crashed down, knocking Duncan off balance. Duncan tried to catch himself but, gravity was a force too great and he crashed down on top of the teen.

"OW!" Richie rolled over face down and covered the right side of his face with his hand.

"What happened?" Duncan asked, sitting up.

"Ow!" he repeated. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"Sit up, lemme see." Richie sat up, but kept his hand over his right eye. "Stay put. I'm going to get a light." Duncan got up and found a flashlight in the junk drawer. "Move your hand." Richie moved his hand to reveal a pink cheek. "What did you hit your face on?"

"Your elbow!"

Duncan suppressed a smile. "Did you get your eye, or just the face?"

"You got me right here!" He pointed at his cheekbone.

"Well…" Duncan inspected the cheek. "I think you're okay." He stood and gave Richie a hand up. "Lets get some ice for that."

"You're not supposed to open the freezer," Richie said, even as Duncan did it to collect cubes in a towel. "It lets all the cold out."

Duncan smiled as he placed the towel on Richie's cheek. "Just don't tell Tessa and she'll never know."

"About what, opening the freezer or beating me?" Richie sat at the kitchen table, holding the ice.

"I didn't beat you, I don't even think I did that to you."

"I didn't hit myself in the face with my own elbow."

Tessa sighed as she dialed the long list of numbers to her home in America. She needed to hear a voice of reason before she sat down to dinner with her entire family. Her parents had driven her nuts. All that talk about how she didn't know what she was doing, wasn't thinking clearly and was basically incompetent to make such a decision had set off her fuse. If she and Duncan had remained in France, chances were she would have her parents blessing and wouldn't have to deal with all the drama.

"Hello?" The line picked up.

"Hi, Richie. How are you doing?"

"Hey, Tess! Look, I'm sorry about telling your mom. I guess I just got a big mouth."

Tessa smiled. "Don't worry about it. It was an accident. Are you and Duncan getting along?"

There was a pause on the other line, then she heard Richie relay her question to Duncan with a familiar cocky laugh.

"Give me the phone," Duncan's muffled voice demanded. There was a short scuffle then Duncan's voice greeted her. "Hi, honey. How are things going?"

Tessa laughed as Richie protested in the background. "As expected," she answered carefully.

"That well, huh?"

"Yes. They are about as happy as we expected."

Duncan sighed. "Hostile natives?"

"Not hostile, just not exuberant, either."

"I don't suppose there is anything I can do."

"Just tell me that this is worth it."

"It's worth it, Tess. If you want your family involved, you deserve to have your family involved. Once your parents understand that you're getting married and how much we love each other, they'll come around."

"Romeo and Juliet," Richie's voice spoke up apparently having picked up a second line.

"Be quiet," Duncan laughed at him.

"What's all this about?" Tessa asked, sensing some joke between the two men.

"Mac said you and he are like Romeo and Juliet and you're gonna die," Richie said seriously.

"What?" she laughed.

"I was trying to explain to him that your parents aren't going to keep us from getting married."

"And you told him we were going to kill ourselves?" she giggled.

"He came up with that on his own."

"Thank you, Richie. I need some cheering up; how are things going there?"

There was another ominous pause. Then Richie chuckled. "We had a power outage. All day and it was all dark outside, too, so it was pitch black in here."

"You didn't open the freezer did you?"

Richie laughed again. "Mac?"

"Keep your mouth shut," his elder warned.

"Okay, what happened?" Tessa's curiosity peeked.

"Mac gave me a black eye!" Richie blurted out gleefully. "Hit me in the face with his elbow!"

Tessa laughed out loud. "What happened?"

"It was an accident. We got a little rough and it just happened."

"I've told you a thousand times," Tessa lectured with a grin in her voice. "You're going to hurt him roughhousing like that. And now you know. He's not like you; he's fragile."

"I am not!"

"You can seriously hurt him. You're too big to be wrestling with him the way you do. And now people are going to think we're abusing him. He's too small for all this."

"I am not!"

"She's just teasing, Rich."

"To an extent. Just don't break him until after the wedding."

"I promise. Richie, get off the line," Duncan said. "I want to talk to Tessa for a while."

Richie sighed. "Okay. Bye, Tess."

"Bye, Richie. Behave."

"Yeah, yeah." He hung up.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Duncan asked.

Tessa sighed. "I don't know if I'd go so far as to say okay. It's going…interestingly. So far I have yet to convince them I am not a child."

"They'll come around."

"I hope so… I should get ready for dinner. We're meeting the rest of the family. I'll call tomorrow."

"Alright. I love you, Tessa. We'll figure this out." They hung up.