"Let me see." Duncan reached over and tilted Richie's face to the light.

"Mac," Richie whined as people gave them odd looks as they passed them in the terminal.

"I don't think anyone will notice unless they look for it."

Richie's eye had healed nicely in the last week. There was just a little bit of yellow discoloration near his temple.

"Not if you keep poking at it."

Duncan chuckled and let go. "You nervous?" he asked.

"How much longer until we get on the plane?"

"Three hour layover was the best I could do, partner."

Richie looked around the JFK terminal. "Hey, did you tell Connor?"

"Tell him what?"

"That you're getting married," he answered in odd shock.

"I haven't been able to get a hold of him."

"Does that happen a lot? People just dropping off the face of the planet then showing up again randomly?"

"Yeah, it does. It's part of who we are. Sometimes you just have to."

"Don't you ever worry?"

"Connor can take care of himself. He taught me how to take care of myself; I know what he can do."

"So you never worry about him?"

Duncan shrugged. "No, not really. He's family, so I want him to be okay. And I'd do anything for him, to help him, protect him, but I trust him to take care of himself."

"Do you think he worries about you?"

"Probably. That's the thing about your teachers, especially your first one; they always see you as the inexperienced kid you started out as."

Richie smirked. "He sees you as a kid? You're, like, well…"

"Watch it."

"I'm just saying. It's weird to think someone would see you as a kid."

"Maybe I used the wrong word, but you get what I mean."

"Yeah," Richie yawned.

"Tired?"

"You got me up at five thirty this morning."

Duncan smiled. "You can sleep on the plane."

"Easier said than done."

After nearly ten hours of pill induced sleep, Richie was awake enough for a crash course in Tessa's family.

"Here," Duncan handed him a photograph of six people, posed rigidly.

"Tessa's family, huh?" Richie asked, easily spotting the familiar face.

"Just so you have an idea of what you are getting into."

"Is Tessa the oldest? She seems like she would be."

"Second, to Gaston," he pointed out the sand-haired young man.

Richie snorted. "Gaston."

"Family name, the oldest son of every generation is named Gaston."

"And I hate Richard…"

"No one likes their name."

"'Cept you."

"Hush," Duncan nudged him. "Gaston is the oldest, he's picking us up."

"Check."

"Then Tessa. Then Odette," he pointed out a woman nearly identical to Tessa, with a sweet but strong smile. "Then Nicolas; he's just a bit older than you."

"Yeah?" Richie looked closer at the picture. "How old is he?"

"Just turned twenty, I believe."

"How old's Gaston?"

"37 or 38."

"Big gap."

"Well, they have four kids."

"I guess," Richie shrugged. "Are they nice?"

"They're like Tessa."

"That doesn't help me any."

"You don't have to worry about them," Duncan promised him. "Her parents, on the other hand…"

"What's wrong with her folks?"

"They don't like me, so they won't like you."

"Guilty by association."

"Pretty much."

"So why even bother?"

"Because Tessa wants us to. And we get the satisfaction of being the bigger people."

"Why do I get the impression you don't like them much?"

"Don't worry about what I think. Just - -"

"Behave, I know," he groaned. "What do you people think I'm gonna do, put a pot on my head, paint my face with ketchup and hunt the family dog?"

Duncan chuckled. "Well, you have been known to do some strange things…"

Richie's jaw dropped. "Hey!"

He shrugged. "Can't blame me for the truth."

Richie shook his head bemused and looked out the window. "Hey, we're here." He pointed out the window at the familiar landmarks as they dropped below the clouds.

A few minutes after that, the captain came on, explaining first in French then English, that the time was seven thirty locally and the weather was cool and damp. Not long after that the plane bumped its way onto the runway and came to a stop at the assigned gate. Duncan and Richie sat in their seats, waiting for the rest to exit as was Duncan's gentlemanly custom. Once the last of the passengers were nearly out of the plane, the two got up and joined the line.

"How are we going to find Tessa's brother?" Richie asked as they exited the hall from the plane to the terminal.

"Don't worry about it, just don't wander off."

"I'm not five, you know."

Duncan chuckled. "If you say so."

They stood by the gate and were soon tentatively approached by an older version of the man in the picture. "Duncan?" he asked in slight uncertainty.

"Oui."

"I almost didn't recognize you, you look so much the same."

"Just luck." They shook hands with friendly smiles. "This is Richie," Duncan introduced, putting an arm around the teen's shoulders, already hard at work proving the small unconventional family's bond. Richie smiled and shook Gaston's hand. Duncan noticed Gaston looking at Richie's face, searching for the bruise. "Tess and Richie like to exaggerate," he said with a smile, gesturing to the remainder of the bruise. "And if you put the two of them together, a ding in the car turns into a life threatening car wreck."

"So Tess told us… at least about this one." Gaston put his arm around Richie's shoulder from the other side and started toward the baggage claim. "Not that she'll ever admit about herself."

Richie smirked. "Tell me about it." He shrugged himself free of both men. "She calls me dramatic all the time!" he walked backwards in front of them. "Then she gets mad at me when I tell her she's exaggerating."

"Richie, watch where you're going."

They made their way to the baggage claim, where Duncan sent Richie to fetch bags off the carousel.

"I'm sorry, he gets a little enthusiastic when he finally gets to move around after having to sit still for so long," Duncan apologized as Richie fancy-footed his way around the other passengers trying to get a spot by the conveyer belt.

"I hear he has a lot of energy."

"Both a curse and a blessing." They chuckled. "How is everybody doing?" Duncan asked, changing the subject.

"Odette and I have come home to help with the planning."

"Is there even room for two more?" Duncan asked. He knew both Gaston and Odette were married with children, but wasn't sure how many rooms were in the château.

"I have been told," Gaston said with a smile. "Even I have not seen every cranny and nook in our home." Richie came up with the bags. "I suppose we have just enough time for you two to change if we hurry." He took one bag, Duncan another, Richie the last.

"Change?" Richie asked.

"For dinner. And I'm sure you want to get out of your traveling clothes," Gaston explained. "We may be a few minutes late but we can just blame that on the plane, non?"

Duncan smiled. "I'm sure we can make it quick, right, Rich?"

"Yeah, sure."

They made it to the car in a record time, as Gaston had a valet park it. They loaded in and started for the château. Duncan and Gaston chatted all the way out of town and into the country side. Gaston filled them in on all the goings on since Tessa arrived and the news and assured them that the only Noels truly against the idea were Sebastian and Madeleine, though Odette tended to side with their parents.

They arrived and only had enough time to dig through their bags to find something appropriate for dinner and turn around again, leaving the luggage to the house staff to put away.

"Butler, maid…do you see all that?" Richie whispered to Duncan as they hurried back to the car.

"Now you see where Tessa gets it from."

"Man, a house staff…never in a million years would I have thought they'd let me into a place like that."

"Keep that up and they might not," Duncan advised seriously.

Richie's eyes widened and he hurried into the back seat. Duncan and Gaston shared a smile over the top of the car before joining him.