"Why is it that the closest mall is still an hour away?" Scathach complained from the passenger seat. She used her sleeve to wipe away the condensation from the window and looked out at the gray landscape.

Billy glanced over at her from the driver's seat. "It's Montana. We're lucky to have a mall at all."

Machiavelli piped up from the backseat. "Why do we have to go to a mall anyways? They have clothing stores in town."

Billy had to raise his voice slightly so that he could be heard over the rain pounding on the top of the car. "It would look suspicious if we went into town and bought a bunch of clothes for a nine year old, a ten year old, and an eleven year old when supposedly I only have a seven year old. It's not a very big town."

"Well that's true," Machiavelli mumbled. He turned to the Warrior Maid. "Why are you coming? You didn't outgrow your clothes." His statement came out sounding ruder than he had intended it too and he quickly back pedaled. He hadn't meant to be rude, he was simply genuinely curious about why she would come along. Scathach didn't seem like the mall type of person.

Scathach twisted around in her seat so that she could see both the other two immortals at the same time. "I've spent the last hundred years living in a city. Much as I like your little cabin, I'll go mad if I'm stuck in there for days on end."

Machiavelli leaned onto the front seat so that he was closer to the adults. "I like the cabin cause there's always somebody around. I don't have to be alone anymore." Again, he found that he had said too much. A faint touch of pink colored his face.

Billy reached his hand back blindly, keeping his eyes on the road. He found the Italian's head and patted it softly. "I'll never let you be alone again, Mac. You're stuck with me now and forever."

"Me, too. I'll always be your friend," Scathach said, looking back out the window. Apparently, the conversation was getting too touchy feely for the warrior though, for she quickly changed the subject. "What's up with the radio anyway?" she asked. "You normally have something going. Suddenly, we're sitting in silence? When we went to Las Vegas that time I spent half of the trip listening to him," she jerked her head at the American, "singing along with the Broadway musicals."

Billy nodded happily. "I love RENT," he agreed, unabashedly. "Anyways, the radio's all static right now what with the storm. I couldn't find a station."

"Ah," Scathach acknowledged.

"Of course, we could sing ourselves. Let's sing Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. You know the songs, I sang that the other night when you had a-" A look from Machiavelli cut him off. He changed directions. "When you had a cold." He looked at Scathach. "I could be Dr. Horrible, you could be Penny, and the kid's Captain Hammer."

"I can't do that," Machiavelli protested. "I don't remember the lyrics."

At the same time he was protesting, Scathach said, "yeah, let's do that." Machiavelli leaned back in his seat, mumbling about how everyone ignored children.

~MB~

Scathach and Machiavelli followed the American into the boys' department of the store. "Okay, here's how I shop," he told Scathach. He held up a pair of purple shorts. "This pair of shorts is the next size up for him. Get that size and the next two sizes up. If all else fails, just get what seems bigger than he is."

"How many do you want of each size?" Scathach asked, thumbing through the hangers.

"Two or three. I do laundry fairly regularly."

"Jeans?"

Billy paused, thinking about it. "It's going to start getting cooler in about three weeks. So maybe a couple of pairs in sizes 12, 14, and 16." He kissed her on the cheek. Two women shot the Shadow jealous looks that Billy didn't notice, but Scatty definitely noticed it. She moved a little closer to the American and shot the other women a look. "Have fun with it. He's paying for it." He jerked his hand at the little boy, who was busy dumping boxer shorts in the cart. "Right, Mac?"

"Can we get a bathing suit?" Machiavelli clearly wasn't paying any attention to the adults' conversations. "For the next time we go rafting?"

"Sure," Billy said absentmindedly and the Italian grabbed a red and purple swimsuit. He trotted after Billy as the American walked over to the t-shirt display. "Like the Beatles?" Billy asked, holding up a couple of shirts. Machiavelli accepted or denied the t-shirts as he held them up. In particular, he enjoyed the shirt that had an imprint of a tie and suspenders on it. The outlaw shook his head, but grabbed copies of the shirt in three different sizes and colors.

Scathach joined them a minute later. "I'm all done over there. I even got the kid some socks. He forgot them."

"Okay, well that's all we need for you," Billy told the Italian. He looked over at Scathach. "I need to get some clothes for me. Anything you need here?"

Scathach shook her head. "I don't need anything. How about Mac and I head off and you can catch up with us after you're done." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the Italian's hand and led him off. Machiavelli had to skip slightly to keep up with her. He waved at Billy before they disappeared from sight entirely.

~MB~

It took some searching, but Billy finally found the two in the pet store. He pointed to the box that Scathach was hanging on to. "What'd you get?" he asked her.

She didn't answer that. Instead, the Warrior led him away from where Machiavelli was playing with a Husky puppy. "We want it to be a surprise. You'll find out afterwards."

Billy didn't protest. "Okay," he said, watching as Machiavelli tugged at the other end of the chew toy the puppy was hanging on to. "We'd better be careful, or he's going to want that puppy," he whispered to her.

"You'd better get him out of here then, cause it's a proven fact that I have no resistance to him," Scathach mumbled back.

"What do you mean?"

Scathach looked over at him. "Promise to keep a secret?" Billy nodded. She glanced over at the boy, then whispered, "I bought him a suit."

"And he doesn't know you did?" Billy said surprised.

Scathach punched him on the shoulder. "Of course he knows I bought it for him. He begged me." She pushed back at her hair. "He looks cute in it. Even I'll admit it."

"Why'd he want a suit?" Billy wondered. He caught the look that Scathach directed his way. "Besides the obvious, I mean."

Scathach smiled at Billy, her pointed teeth showing. "He wants to take you out on a date sometime. Of course, he didn't call it a date so much as a 'private dinner together so that he can wear his suit'."

"Well, I'll act surprised," Billy told her. "Come on, let's get him before he falls in love with that puppy."