"2 weeks, Tess, he's been here 2 weeks," Duncan said.

"That has to be a record for him," Tessa laughed.

"He's lucky if he can stay somewhere for 2 hours without getting into trouble, how we've gotten through the past 2 weeks is beyond me," Duncan replied.

When they agreed to take in Richie Ryan, the punk who broke into their store, they knew they were in for a handful, but Tess and Duncan had been walking on eggshells all the way, always expecting someone to complain about him, get a call from the police about him, something...And many a times, they came close to getting tangled in a lawsuit, but they always found a way to escape.

"Speaking of which, where is he? He's usually up by now," Duncan said.

"He got up about an hour ago, said he decided to go on a run," Tessa said.

"WHAT!?"

In all the excitement, Duncan threw his coffee in the air and didn't notice until the mug hit him in the head and shattered to pieces.

"Something the matter?" Tessa asked.

"Do you have any idea what a kid like Richie Ryan is capable of doing in an hour? We better find him," Duncan said.

"Well, what's the worst he could do?" Tessa asked.

"You don't want to know," Duncan replied.

And an hour later, Duncan was dragging Richie in the front door by his suspenders, with Tessa pushing him in the back.

"It wasn't that bad, Mac," he said.

"Wasn't that bad? Richie, I don't know how to tell you this, but South Park was less offensive than you were spray painting on that wall today," Tessa told him.

"Tess, if you knew this guy, you'd be calling him a big fat bitch too," Richie said.

"That was one of the more complimentary things you said about him," Duncan returned, "Rich, where did you get off thinking you could get away with this?"

"I did, didn't I?" Richie asked.

"Only because you signed the wall Gary Glitter, if someone had seen you, you'd be in a lot more trouble than you are with us," Tessa said.

"What? Why?" Richie asked.

"Why?" Duncan asked, "Because you publicly insulted someone you hardly even know, then you spray painted PERVERT in big red letters on his car, and then you flipped off a local gang on the way back. You're just lucky no one saw you do anything except for Tess and me," Duncan told him.

Duncan kicked Richie's feet off the kitchen table, Richie sat up.

"So what's my punishment?" Richie asked.

"You've gotten in trouble with the police before, so, I'm not going to call them this time...but you are going to be on house arrest for the next 2 weeks," Duncan said.

"House arrest? You mean I'd have to stay here ALL day with YOU? I'd rather go to jail," Richie said.

Duncan headed over to the phone when Tessa got up.

"Richie...Duncan, he doesn't mean that and you know it," Tessa said.

"It's his choice, it's either 2 weeks here with us or.....how long do you think they'd have you in jail for, Rich? A month, 2 months perhaps?" Duncan asked.

"Allright, you made your point, I'll lay low for the next couple weeks," Richie said.

After Duncan left, Tessa sat down at the table to talk to Richie.

"Wasn't exactly what you had in mind, was it?" Tessa asked.

"Well, compared to some jams I've been in, 2 weeks here is nothing. But...I wish he would've waited until tomorrow," Richie said.

"Why?" Tessa asked.

"Well, they're re-releasing the movie Warriors in the theaters tonight, I thought maybe I could get some ideas," Richie said.

"So you could get into more trouble with Duncan? Ay?" Tessa asked, "Allright Rich, tonight you can go to the movie, but tomorrow, you're on lockdown."

"Thanks Tess, if you weren't already taken, I'd kiss you," Richie said.

"Well try to contain yourself, I'm in no mood to get pregnant," Tessa replied.

Richie gave her a worried look.

"Don't worry, Richie, the last time I checked, it was impossible for a lady to get pregnant just by exchanging gestures with a man," Tessa said.

"Tess, you're amazing," Richie said as he left.

"I know, and that's why Duncan's not going to find out about this," Tessa laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Duncan woke up in the middle of the night when the phone rang, when he turned on the lighs, he found Tessa was gone. He figured she was getting a drink or something, he jumped out of bed and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Duncan asked.

"Mister MacLeod?"

"Yes, who is this?" Duncan asked.

"This is Chief Warner down at the police department on 48th Street," the voice replied.

"Is something the matter?" Duncan asked.

"I'm calling you in regards of your.....son," the chief replied.

Duncan went cold at that, he knew what Warner was talking about, he was talking about Richie.

"What's the matter? Is he allright?" Duncan asked, "What's going on?"

"He's down here with us, a little shaken up, but I think he'll be allright once you come down and get him and your wife," the chief told him.

"Wife?" Duncan asked.

Oh boy, now Duncan knew this was serious, Richie getting picked up was routine, but Tessa too? Duncan jumped into his clothes and rushed down to the police department, when he stepped out of his car, he heard some of the officers talking, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying.

"MacLeod."

Duncan put his hands up, he didn't know who was talking, but he had an idea it wasn't good.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Chief Warner, turn around."

Duncan put his hands down as he followed the chief in through the back door.

"There's been some trouble around the front, don't want to take any chances," Chief Warner said.

"So what's wrong with Richie? Where is he?" Duncan asked.

He pretty much knew that wherever Richie was, Tessa was probably right with him.

"He's up front still talking to the officers, we got a 518 earlier through the dispatch, went down to the docks and found him half drowned," Chief Warner explained.

"Oh God, no," Duncan said.

"But he's fine, we got him out, he seems to be breathing normally, and I don't think you'll have to worry about him catching pneumonia, a couple of yards away, we found your wife, said she just go there a few minutes before we did," Chief Warner continued.

Duncan headed up front to see Richie and Tessa, Richie seemed to be okay, other than soaking wet and chilled to the bone, and Tessa just looked plain ticked off at the officers' delaying their stay there.

"Are you two allright?" he asked.

"We're fine, Duncan, don't worry," Tessa said.

"Don't worry?" Duncan choked, "I get a call in the middle of the night from the poice telling me to come down and pick you two up? I think I have a right to worry, Tess, what's going on?"

"Well, you see," Richie got up.

"What about you? Are you okay?" Duncan grabbed Richie by his shirt.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about," Richie said.

"Nothing to worry about? What happened to you? Are you okay?" Duncan asked.

"I'm fine Mac, it's a terrible world, these things happen every day," Richie explained.

"Your son witnessed a murder earlier this evening, he said he then called his mother, then by the time she got to the docks, a local gang passed by terrorizing the people, he panicked and jumped into the water, we brought them down here just for questioning," Chief Warner said.

"Oh yeah?" Tessa stood up, "if we're just in here for questioning, then take this off of me!"

Duncan saw Tessa had been handcuffed to the desk by her left wrist.

"Richie, what were you doing out at this time of night anyway?" Duncan asked.

"Well Mac..." Richie started.

"There's a lot of explaining, most of which, I can do," Tessa told him, "but first you're going to have to promise not to explode."

"Tess, you know me, I don't explode," Duncan said.

"Good," Tessa replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"11:30 AT NIGHT? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING GOING OUT THAT LATE? DO YOU REALIZE WHAT MORE YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO?" Duncan asked.

"What about your promise not to explode?" Richie asked.

"THAT WAS BEFORE I KNEW!" Duncan exclaimed.

"Duncan, it just doesn't make any sense to punish him in the MIDDLE of the day, I said he'd be put on punishment first thing tomorrow," Tessa said.

"AND IT'S ALREADY TOMORROW!" Duncan explained.

Duncan realized that time, he'd only gotten himself worked up, as well as Tessa, and when she started arguing with him, she mostly won.

"Allright, I'm sorry Tess, but you should've told me sooner what had happened, and you..." Duncan turned to Richie, "You should've told me, and then called me to come get you after the movie, then none of this would've happened."

"Look Mac, I'm sorry!" Richie said.

"I can see that.........look, it's obvious none of us are in any condition to go at each other tonight, we'll disuss this whole thing in the morning, I think the best thing for all of us is to get some sleep before we start at it again," Duncan replied.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," Tessa told him.

Duncan went on to bed, Richie sat at the kitchen table, worried.

[Ohhhhhhhh man, I'm gonna hear about this in the morning,] he thought.

"Something wrong, Richie?" Tessa asked.

"I'm just thinking Tess, you think we should've told them...AND Mac what really happend?" Richie asked.

"Are you kidding? And get locked up and put up with that bull for another month? I'll tell Duncan the truth when the time's right, but we can't tell the police what happened, or else they'll take us to jail," Tessa said.

"No kidding? Can't Duncan just do something and get rid of them like he always does with his enemies?" Richie asked.

"If he did that, then everyone would know he's Immortal, and that is something you don't exactly want to brag about, especially in this day and age, there are people listening everywhere.....Well, I'm going to bed, goodnight Richie," Tessa said.

"Goodnight," Richie muttered.

As Tessa headed to bed, Richie stayed at the table, thinking....

To be Continued.