The next morning, Duncan and Connor found Richie in the dining car munching on toast and drinking coffee.

"You're up early," Duncan commented, sliding in next to Richie in the booth.

"Who slept?" Richie grumbled. "That was a luxury compartment? My neck is killing me. That bed was a rock."

"I'm sure you will sleep better tonight, lad," Connor promised getting the waiter's attention. "Two coffees."

"Well, after our luxurious night on the train, I can't wait," he groaned dipping his crust in his coffee.

"We're going to arrive in just a few hours," Duncan changed the subject. "We have the day off to sightsee, explore, shop, whatever you want."

"Is sleeping an option?"

Connor kicked him under the table. "Don't be a pain." Richie made a face and rubbed at his shin.

Tessa stretched and yawned in the comfort of her spa suite bed. With a content sigh, she looked at the clock. She had an hour to eat before she was scheduled for a facial. She wandered out of bed and went to see if her sister and friend were awake. Once they were all dressed, they went down to the dining room and lingered over croissants and tea.

"I can't wait to get started," Katia beamed. "I've been anticipating this for weeks now!"

"We are in a spa, you have to be calm," Odette shushed her with a grin.

"Yes, too much tension is involved in getting excited," Tessa agreed.

"I can have all the tension I want now," Katia defended. "That is what I am here for. To get rid of the tension, no?"

The others giggled and were quick to agree. It was if they were all back in school, out for the night and happy to be away from parents, test and homework. Tessa had to admit, it was nice to be out with her friends with no worries of getting home to finish a project, no dreading about what she was going to find when she got home, no self imposed curfew, nothing holding her back at all. She was free to relax, laugh and be herself for the next week without anything in her way.

Duncan had been waiting for this moment since he read the letter Connor sent him. He had been excited to come home after being gone for so long. He hadn't been to Scotland in over fifty years, but a large hunk of his excitement came from getting to show Richie around his homeland. Richie was excited as well, but he had no idea what was in store for him. Duncan did.

"A castle?" Richie's jaw dropped. "Can you see this from our hotel?"

Duncan grinned. "This is our hotel."

"No way!" he breathed.

"Way," Connor told him. "I thought you'd like it."

"Is it yours? Like… a family heirloom or something?"

"Not ours. Actually, I think it may have been for a while, come to think of it… It's passed through many hands over the years. Now it belongs the MacEntire family and they've made it a hotel."

"How cool!"

"So you approve?" Duncan asked, putting his arm around Richie.

"Um…. I don't have to use a chamber pot or anything, do I?"

"No, they have indoor plumbing."

"Then it rocks!"

Tessa sighed in contentment as her jaw muscles were massaged into utter uselessness. Facial massages were heaven. After this, she was scheduled for a facial peel then a follicle hot oil treatment that was supposed to boost her hair's shine, body, and color. At first, she had wondered how her sister and friend had been able to pay for the bridal package for her as well as luxury treatments for themselves, but wondering made her tense, and having all the knots worked out just made it impossible to become tense, so she gave up wondering and just accepted it as fact.

"You just stay right here," her masseuse told her in a soft, soothing voice. "Your next appointment is here as well." She let the gentle flute music continue to play and left the room.

Tessa sighed again and let her mind drift. She began to imagine her wedding gown and how beautiful it was going to be. Her hair piled on top of her head with a simple veil clipped beneath. Her father walking her down the aisle, Duncan waiting for her with a smile. Her heart fluttered as she pictured herself standing side by side with the man she loved professing to love him for the rest of her life. It made her sad when the thought of dying and leaving Duncan behind crossed her mind. But she would think of that when it happened. Now she had to marry him. She imagined herself holding her bouquet of yellow roses and posing with Duncan for pictures that would last forever. A constant memory of the most important day of their lives.

"Are you ready?" a new voice asked, coming into the room.

"Mmmm," Tessa answered, still in beautiful bliss, too relaxed to form any actual words.

"Is there a spare key to his room?" Duncan asked the desk clerk as they checked into the castle.

"Of course, sir." The clerk turned around and got the second key to Richie's room and handed it to him.

"Thank you." Duncan gave the clerk a tip then turned to find Connor trailing along behind an excited teenager who was looking over paintings, vases, tables, and anything he could get close to. "Having fun?" he asked, making Richie jump.

"Are these all real?" Richie gestured to the various artifacts in a hutch in front of him.

"What do you think?"

Richie just shook his head. Duncan had been teaching him how to appraise and took every opportunity to make him practice. "I'm hungry," he changed the subject.

Connor chuckled. "You seem to have bored him," he observed.

"Just threatened to make him use his brain," Duncan explained. "Why don't we drop our things off and we can show you around a bit… you can get a snack while we're out, too."

"I'm in."

They had their luggage sent up to their rooms and set out to see the sights. Richie drug the immortals into a bakery for a snack. He nearly choked on his pastry when Duncan pointed out that they needed to make appointments to get their kilts fitted as they passed a tailor's.

"Get them fit?" he asked.

"Of course. Can't just go to the mall and buy them," Connor told him.

"Can't?"

"Of course not." Duncan put his arm around Richie's shoulder. "You get to stand in the middle of a shop while people pin and mark and mess with your clothes."

"Do I have to?" he asked hopefully.

"Since when have I ever given you a choice?" Duncan kissed the top of Richie's head, sending the teen squirming away and blushing. "It's not all that bad, I promise. If you stand still, it won't take too long."

"You owe me," Richie told him.

"I owe you," he promised.

"A bachelor party."

"No." Duncan didn't fall for Richie's attempted slyness.

"C'mon, Mac, it'd be fun. Don't you think, Connor?" he pleaded.

"It is traditional," the older immortal agreed.

"See!" Richie jumped on the chance to get his party. "Tradition!"

"No."

Richie rolled his eyes and went back to his pastry. Connor changed sides of the sidewalk and leaned in close to Richie. "I think we can arrange something," he whispered quietly in his ear. Richie looked up with a grin and Connor winked at him.

Duncan led the way to the kilt shop at the end of the street and Richie noticed both immortals tense as they entered. Richie looked up at Duncan before he could decide how to react. Since the immortal had a friendly smile on his face, he decided that there was no immediate threat and relaxed.

"Conall," Duncan smiled warmly at the third immortal and gave the elderly looking man a strong hug. "How have you been?"

"Quite alright, Duncan. Staying away from the game as much as I can. And you?"

"Just fine. You know Connor," he added.

"Of course, Rome," Conall shook Connor's hand. "Quite some time ago." He cast a glance at Richie as he censured himself.

"Over a century ago," Connor agreed.

"This is Richie," Duncan introduced. "He knows about us." Conall put out his hand and Richie took it with a friendly smile, though he had no idea what was going on. Everyone's accents were so thick he wasn't sure if they were speaking English or not.

"What brings you home, then?" Conall asked. "You haven't been here in far too long."

"The foolish lad is getting married," Connor told him. "We've come for the appropriate attire."

"Even that one?" he nodded toward Richie.

"Even this one." Richie looked up when Duncan nudged him with his elbow.

"Huh?"

"Why don't you go first? Just go with Conall." He gave him a push forward.

"What are we looking for?" Conall asked, looking Richie up and down.

"That's the best man," Duncan spoke up when Richie stood there in confusion, still lost in the accents. "A nice Prince Charlie outfit."

"MacLeod tartan, I assume?"

"Is there any other?"

"I'm sure I could scrounge up a few." Conall took out a measuring tape and took a few numbers before looking for his pad and writing them down. "I'll be right back, why don't you have a look for the accessories." He walked away and Richie stood in the middle of the shop with the look of a lost puppy on his face.

"You feeling alright, Rich?" Duncan asked coming up to him.

"I thought they spoke English in Scotland," he said in a hushed voice.

"We do."

"Then why can't I understand you guys?"

Connor chuckled as he looked over the broaches in a near by display case. Duncan shot him a quick look before turning back to Richie. "We'll try to tone it down for you."

"So… what am I supposed to be doing?" Richie asked.

"Lets see… you need a kilt pin and a sporran." He took him to the display across from where Connor was. "A kilt pin does the same thing as a belt; it's just a different look."

"So why can't I wear a belt?" he asked, looking over the kilt pins. He didn't much trust one of those little things to hold up his skirt, and wasn't too keen on finding out if it would work in front of a church full of people.

"Because with this style, you don't. Pick a pin or I'll do it for you."

Richie looked over the selection of knots and various other designs, but before he could make a decision, he was ushered off to the back room to change clothes. What felt like hours later, he emerged dressed up like a waiter from the waist up and a private school girl from the waist down. Duncan tried to keep a straight face as he looked at the embarrassed teen, but Connor felt no sympathy and let out a loud bark of laughter.

"I'm not doing this!" Richie declared trying to retreat back to the changing room.

"Not so fast," Duncan caught him by the arm. "You look fine." He held up a few different pins to Richie's hip to see which would look best.

"Can I show you to your table, sir?" Richie shot back with groan. "Would you like to see the wine list?"

Duncan smiled. "You won't be the only waiter there, I promise. Just give us a few minutes and you can get out of the kilt."

He and Conall discussed a few changes to the outfit while Connor teased Richie by pretending to carry a tray and serve tables behind Duncan and Conall's back.

"Hold still," Duncan scolded when Richie tried to go after the other immortal.

Conner waggled his eyebrows and nonchalantly browsed through the merchandise. Richie rolled his eyes and shook his head, but couldn't hold up his pretence when Connor approached him with a Balmoral hat, complete with red pom pom on top.

"Knock it off, Connor," Duncan added not looking up from where he was debating the hemline of Richie's kilt.

Richie stuck out his tongue and Connor returned the gesture, before putting the hat on his own head and making the teen laugh.

"Here I'd hoped you would be a good influence on him," Duncan mumbled.

"And make it this easy for you? Nonsense."

That made Richie laugh again and he only had to wait a few minutes before being allowed to change out of the kilt. The other two men found the proper attire in half the time it took Richie to get situated.

"Do I get to carry a sword?" Richie asked when Duncan came out from changing back into his street clothes.

"No." Somehow Duncan knew he'd find Richie in front of the ornamental weapons case.

"Dagger?"

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Exactly."

"You and Connor are carrying swords," he pointed out what he hoped was a logical reason to get one of his own.

"We know how to use them. And we will not be carrying them in the ceremony."

"It'd look cool if you did."

"Nice try, but I already argued your case and got the same response," Connor told him straightening his belt as he, too, emerged from the changing room. "Maybe if you play nice, you might have a little present waiting for you when you get home."

Richie smiled broadly and Duncan shot Connor his second disapproving look of the day. Connor smiled sweetly and followed Richie out onto the street.

"I asked you to be nice to him, not spoil him and make him expect presents that even if they do show up, will never find their way into his hands," Duncan hissed as he followed.

Connor smiled over his shoulder and moved into stride with Richie.

Duncan shook his head. It was going to be a long five days.