Forbidden Words

July 28, 2013

Vin tossed another broken chair onto the growing pile and stopped to wipe the sweat off his face. He looked around as he took a swig from his canteen. The town buzzed with industry, everyone pitching in to help clean up after the attempted… he paused, just what would you call it? He shook his head and grabbed another piece of broken something from the wheelbarrow.

Earl and his gang had made a mess. Anything that had been left on the street had been broken or shot full of holes. The front of the bank would have to be completely rebuilt after the cannonball Ezra put through it. Vin smiled at the memory. Still, the attack had brought the townsfolk together like nothing else. The townsfolk and their peacekeepers.

He grinned at the sight of Buck kissing Miss Millie and Nathan tossing a piece of lumber disgustedly to the ground. Then he saw Chris and the Judge and decided he’d better mosey on over to see what was up.

Vin sank a little further into his chair watching Chris as the others one by one drifted off to other entertainment. The blond had been even quieter than usual since they’d retired to the saloon to ponder the Judge’s offer. He’d worried that Chris might be heading for a dive into the bottle, but his friend had only sipped at his whiskey all evening.

Still, Vin was good at reading signs and right now he could see that something was eating at Chris. The gunslinger had started picking at a spot on the rough-hewn table with his carving knife.

“Gonna break the blade if you keep jabbing at the table like that, Cowboy,” Vin said, stretching his long legs out in front of him and crossing them at the ankles.

Chris snorted, but slipped the little knife back into a pocket in his coat and leaned forward, elbows on the table as he cradled the shot glass in both hands.

Silence reigned for so long that Vin decided he wasn’t going to get Chris to talk. He knocked back the last of his whiskey and tensed his muscles to rise when he heard Chris’ soft tenor.

Vin froze then forced himself to relax. His mind whirled to try and figure out who and what Chris was talking about. Then it hit him.

“Damn, C.. Chris, I’m sorry,” Vin said softly, correcting himself with a mental curse. Why else would the man be so tetchy about a stupid word?

A small smile tipped one corner of Chris’ mouth. “’s’alright, Vin. I would have told you if I wanted you to stop using it.” He twisted the half-full shot glass. “It brings back memories. For a long time, it only made me think of her death.”

Vin held his breath, not wanting to stem the break in the dam that was Chris Larabee.

“Now, it helps me remember the good times.” Chris tilted his head and gave Vin a grin. “At least when it comes from friends. It’s still a great way to scare the shit out of the bad guys.”

Vin chuckled and shook his head. Silence fell between them again, but surprisingly it was Chris who broke it again.

“I didn’t find any leads in Purgatory. Trail’s dead and cold as Fowler.”

“I’m sorry, Chris,” Vin said. “You know I’ll help you any way I can.”

Chris nodded and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “I didn’t really expect to find anything. Guess I’ve been putting it off for a while to avoid that.”

It was Vin’s turn to nod. He’d suspected the trail would dead end with Fowler. “Maybe the Judge could look into Fowler for you.”

“Already has,” Chris admitted taking a sip from his glass. “Didn’t turn up anything.”

“Yeah, well, figured the Judge owed me a few,” Chris grinned back. “Come on, Cowboy, I’ll buy the next round. We’re celebrating here, right?”

Chris chuckled, slapped Vin on the shoulder and refilled both of their glasses. “The town’s rebuilding, we’re back on the Judge’s payroll and none of us got hurt. I’d say that qualifies for a celebration.” He tapped his glass to Vin’s and they both drank.

Vin grinned, wondering at Chris’ sudden change in mood. “So… everything’s okay?” he asked, not quite sure what he should say.

Chris nodded then frowned. Vin followed his stare across the room to a lively conversation going on at the poker tables. “Well, it might be, if we can stop an all out brawl,” he growled, adding a wink at Vin as they both stood.

Vin smiled and nodded as he took a step forward only to be stopped by Chris’ hand on his arm.

Vin clasped Chris’ forearm in return. “No problem, Cowboy,” he said, his eyes twinkling as they broke their grips and headed for the increasingly loud disagreement at Ezra’s table.