Billy frowned a little. He paused at the door and turned around again, facing the Frenchwoman. He put up a hand, carefully framing his argument. "Are you sure you're okay watching him, cause if you aren't I could just stay here and..."

Perenelle motioned him out the door. "Go," she commanded firmly. "Nicholas and I are not going to kill Machiavelli while you're gone. You need the time off." She pushed him away from the cabin.

"I'm beginning to think that you don't want to spend time with us," Black Hawk called from the Jeep where he and Scathach already sat. He honked the horn on the wheel impatiently. "Come on, we'll be back in a couple of hours. You can't be away for a couple hours?"

Billy looked helplessly back at the cabin, but trudged over to the Jeep. "Of course, I want to spend time with you," he told his friends, climbing into the back of the vehicle. "But remember," he called to Perenelle, "he needs to be fed clear liquids, nothing heavy, and give him his cough medicine at eleven. And I think that..." Black Hawk peeled out, causing Billy to lurch backwards a little. He grabbed the side of the Jeep, thankful that there was a pipe welded to the door. The Flamels waved from the front yard of the cabin.

Black Hawk looked back at his young American friend through the rear view window. "Billy, you're becoming one of those mothers who only know how to do things with their kids. Get a grip," he drawled.

"I am not!" Billy protested, still clawing at the frame of the car as Black Hawk flew over a particularly nasty dip. He whooped happily as the backseat bumped upwards and he was temporarily held in midair.

"What are we doing today anyways?" Scathach broke in, also white knuckling the frame.

Black Hawk began to whistle. "I have a buddy who owns a racing track about an hour from here," he said happily. "He's agreed to let us use it for the day."

"Oh, good," Scathach mumbled. "Soon we'll be in a fast car."

"What was that?"

"She said it's seems a bit far," Billy covered for her from the backseat. "I could've driven," he added under his breath.

"I've got to be honest with you, Bill. I don't like your Thunderbird." Billy shifted as if he had been hit. "Now if you had gotten a Mustang..." the Native American teased.

~MB~

As it turned out, Scathach outraced both the American immortals when they finally got there. The moment they had gotten there, she had claimed the black racing car, easily winning race after race. Even when the two Americans stopped to break for lunch, she continued wheeling around the track. Black Hawk didn't seem to mind, grinning happily as he watched her careen around the corners, finally screeching to a halt. The Shadow sauntered over to where the two men stood.

"Having fun?" she called to the two men.

"Having a great time," Black Hawk called back. The two immortals helped her over the barrier and into the stands. "I was thinking, Billy, we should bring Machiavelli back here when he's older. He needs to have fun."

"And I can teach him sword fighting," Scathach added, dropping into one of the stadium seats. "It's seems like the kind of thing he might like."

Billy leaned back against the railing and grinned. "Look at the two of you. Just this morning you were giving me trouble for talking about the kid too much."

Black Hawk had to laugh. "Fine. So we all talk about him. I think he needs to do something that thrills him. I've thought that since before all of this happens."

Billy settled down on the ground in front of them. He tipped back his hat. "I think so too," he admitted freely. "I was thinking of taking him paint balling when he's a little bit older. I want to pack all the fun I can into him before he gets older again and things go back to the way they were."

The grin faded from Black Hawk's expression. "You think he's going to take off when he's an adult again?"

Billy cocked his head to the side, then nodded. "See, he's got these little kid emotions in him right now which take over sometimes, and I think that's why he doesn't mind spending so much time with me. But I think that once he's an adult again and he's got his mind back where it should be, he won't want to be with me so much." He looked away, and leaned back to grab Scathach a soda from their cooler.

"Thanks," Scathach toasted him. She was quieter, both of them were, wishing Billy hadn't said what he had, wishing he didn't believe the things he did. "Billy," she tried carefully. "I think you underestimate Machiavelli. I think you bring a lot to him that he needs."

The outlaw scratched the side of his face, rubbing his stubble. "I'm not smart like Machiavelli is. I barely spent any time in school and when I did go, I always got in trouble. I still get in trouble wherever I go. I can't imagine Machiavelli ever loving a man like me." Billy noticed their melancholy air. "Aw, hell," he said. He jumped to his feet and did a flip over the bar. "Let's have one more race before we go home," he yelled. "Bet I beat you!"

~MB~

"I think it's kind of sad," Scathach whispered to Black Hawk as they followed Billy up the driveway to the cabin. "He thinks Machiavelli only needs him now while he's stuck in the kid's body."

"We'll have to work on it," Black Hawk murmured back. He let her in through the doorway first. The two smiled to see Billy capturing the Italian in a hug.

Scathach stepped beside Nicholas. "Have fun today?" she asked, grinning at him.

Nicholas rested an arm around her shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the temple. "It wasn't a very eventful day," he explained. "Machiavelli slept a lot, but he got up this afternoon and made raspberry brûlée with Perenelle. Those two get along surprisingly well."

Scathach looked over at the Machiavelli to see that he had led Billy back to Black Hawk. Her keen hearing picked up traces of their conversation, telling her that Black Hawk and Billy were busy recounting (and stretching) their stories about their day. "Is the raspberry dish the reason why Machiavelli is purple?" she asked the Frenchman.

"Ah." Nicholas suddenly looked uncomfortable. "No, that wasn't it at all."

"Then why-?"

Nicholas steered her towards Perenelle. "I don't wish to talk about it," was all he said.