In this AU, the boys are in modern day Texas. Sarah and Adam are still alive. We hope that we've set down a good foundation for others to build on.
We began this AU to explore the relationship between Chris and his family, in an effort to see Chris Larabee as the loving father and husband we believe the series was trying to portray him as. And to see how the boys would interact with Sarah and Adam. We welcome other writers who can share that vision and invite you to build on what we've started. We hope you can respect the premise of the AU.
The boys don't belong to us, dangnabit! Thanks to Mirisch, Trilogy, MGM, TNN, CBS, Hallmark Channel for bringing them to us. And many thanks to those seven wonderful actors for giving them life.
And eternal thanks to Rowan for her beta and her suggestions and remarks. (but we will continue to spelled it 'alright'!!). And thanks to Setcheti for giving the story a read and giving us her opinion before we posted it.
"So, we checked the house, just to be safe. And I had them check the ranch as well." Chris was updating Buck and Sarah about the investigation into the attempted bombing. "That bounty hunter took off, said he'd call me when he found Blackfox." They were at Wilmington's small rambler, in a small suburb of Houston.
Adam was asleep in Buck's bedroom down the hall, camped out on the floor, inside Buck's pup tent, which the big man had tied off to his dresser and nightstand. They'd spent the afternoon having an 'adventure' as Buck called it, setting up 'camp' in the bedroom. After dinner around the campfire—which was really hotdogs and marshmallows roasted in the fireplace—Adam had fallen asleep on a blanket in front of the hearth. Chris had put him to bed in the tent, then the adults settled in the living room for coffee.
"Do you really think that whoever is behind this knows about your dad's ranch?" Buck asked.
"I just don't want to take any chances, Buck. It's common knowledge around the office that we planned on moving out there once our house sold. Hell, Dad talked about it all the time when he'd come by to visit. He wanted us to move in, you know that. But after his accident..." his voice trailed off.
Sarah grabbed Chris' hand and rubbed her thumb across his knuckles. Matt Larabee had been extremely close to his only son. They constantly talked about running the horse ranch together after Chris left the Rangers. But Matt refused to hurry that retirement. As a former Ranger himself, his proudest day in the world had been when his child had pinned on that star and followed in his father's footsteps. Matt's death in a car accident two months earlier had devastated his son.
Chris' mom had died just nine months before her husband. The double blow had been hard on him. Sarah and Adam had been the only thing keeping him sane as he dealt with the pain and loss. The family was now getting ready to move to the ranch permanently, so that it would be easier for Chris to oversee the everyday operation of the ranch, while he continued to work his law enforcement job. Eventually, he planned to take over the ranch full-time. But for now, his dad's foreman was keeping things running just fine. Both Matt and Chris trusted him to run things.
"What about this bounty hunter, Tanner? What's your take on him?" Buck asked.
"Aside from the fact that he's mouthy and arrogant?" Chris asked with a bemused look on his face. "I did some checking on him. He's supposed to be the best. He's from San Antonio, but travels all over the state. He handles the hard cases and he handles them alone. Never works with a partner. Nick Granger at the Sheriff's Office said he doesn't even have to solicit work anymore. The bail bonds folks go to him. Granger said the Sheriff even requested his help more than once. And has never failed to bring in his target."
"That's good. That means his chances of bringing in this guy is good."
"Yeah. I guess."
"What is it, Chris?" Sarah asked. "I thought you liked Vin."
"It's not that I don't like him. I mean, how can I hate a man who saved you and Adam?"
"But?"
"I just wish he'd let me help. If this has something to do with one of my cases I might be able to give him some information about who might be behind it."
"You already have JD working on it, Chris. Let's see what he finds and then we can try and track down this Tanner fella," Buck suggested.
"Yeah, you're right," Chris replied. "If anyone can find out info about Blackfox, it's JD Dunne. I sure wish I could afford to hire him full-time. He's wasted in forensics. We could use him to do our research all the time."
"Hell, Chris. The kid is only nineteen years old. Once he turns twenty-one, he wants to go to the academy anyway. Just make sure Orin Travis knows you want him on your team."
"Colonel Travis is aware of that already, Buck," Chris assured him. "Trouble is, JD is going to want to be in the field, not sitting behind a computer."
"JD will do what you tell him you need him to do to get an arrest. Shoot, Chris, the boy idolizes you. Why do you think he does all that work for you for free?"
"It's not for free, Buck. It's a trade. He helps us out on cases and he boards his horse at the ranch at no charge."
"I guess that's fair."
"I think I'll go check on Adam and try to get some sleep," Sarah said. "Any idea when we can go back home?"
"Not for a few days, at least," Chris told her, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. "I'm sorry, babe, but this guy has to know by now that he didn't succeed. I can't take the chance of him trying again. Until we catch this guy, I'd rather you stay at the ranch."
She sighed. "Okay. If only to put your mind at ease, so you can concentrate on catching this man. Don't stay up too late, okay." She gave him a lingering kiss before standing up from the sofa. As she passed Buck, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for putting us up, Buck."
"It ain't nothin', darlin'. You know y'all are welcome here anytime. Hell, you're family."
"I love you too, Buck," she teased.
"Goodnight, darlin'. Sleep well."
She smiled at him, then glanced over at Chris. Winking, she turned and walked down the hall to the guest bedroom.
"I think I'll turn in too," Chris said. "I want to get an early start tomorrow. Buck, like Sarah said, thanks for letting us stay. You're a good friend."
"Aw, hell, pard, now you're embarrassing me. You know you're always welcome here. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to that little boy of yours or to Sarah. Especially knowing that I could have prevented it."
"You're a good man, Buck. I don't care what anyone else says," Chris said, slapping the big man on the shoulder as he passed.
"What? Did somebody say something? Chris, who said I wasn't good? Chris? Pard? Come on, don't leave me hanging here!"
A soft chuckle was the only reply he got as Chris followed Sarah, who'd just come from checking on Adam, into the guestroom and closed the door.
"Well, hell." Buck frowned. He shook his head and turned back to the room. Making sure the doors and windows were securely locked, he turned off all but the kitchen light, then went to his own room. He walked over to the tent and carefully lifted up the left flap. He smiled. The towheaded tyke was softly snoring, his blanket snug under his chin.
Buck reached out and gently stroked his hair. "Sleep well, lil pard." Adam sighed in his sleep.
Wilmington got back to his feet and went into his bathroom. He quietly went about his nightly rituals and changing into the silk pajama bottoms he slept in. They'd been a gift from an old girlfriend, who took the top of the pajama set when she left. He liked to think she did that as a remembrance of their time together, since Buck's former girlfriends seldom left with any hostility. Buck always treated women with respect, until the proved they didn't deserve it. And it took a lot for him to feel a woman didn't deserve his respect.
He flipped the light off making sure the nightlight he kept for when Adam visited was turned on. He softly padded back into his bedroom and slid under the sheets, scratching his bare chest as he settled in. Turning onto his side he punched his pillow into shape for sleeping and closed his eyes.
"Ranger Larabee!'
Chris was just walking out the door when someone called his name. He looked up and saw Casey Wells gesturing that he had a phone call. He nodded and headed back toward his office.
"Thanks, Casey. Any idea who it is?"
"Said his name was Tanner. I told him you were just leaving, but he insisted that you'd talk to him."
"He's right. He's the bounty hunter that's trying to chase down the man who almost blew up my family. So anytime he calls I want to know about it right away."
"Sure thing, Ranger Larabee."
Casey Wells was nineteen years old and had just begun working in the office about four months earlier. She wasn't a Ranger—like JD she was too young—and really had no desire to do the job anyway. But her father had been a Ranger and when an opening came up for an office assistant, she was hired quickly, her skills just as important in procuring the job as her ties to the agency. She pretty much did all the menial jobs, typing up the Rangers' reports, making coffee, answering phones and filing just to name a few.
Chris had also found that she was a spitfire, especially when it came to one JD Dunne. She was constantly egging him on, telling him she could get information just as faster or faster than he could. JD liked her, although he would never admit it to the men or women in the office. In fact, he outright denied his affections on several occasions, however the fact that he bought her a birthday gift the month before went a long way toward disavowing those denials.
Chris sat down behind his desk and picked up the phone receiver. He punched the blinking line. "Larabee."
"Hey, Cowboy. I found him."
"Where are you?" he asked, quickly grabbing a pen and sliding a pad of paper closer to him.
"Meet me at the warehouse on the corner of Spur Street and Western Way. The three story building on the southeast corner. Come around the back, you'll see the open overhead door. I'll meet you just inside there."
"Fifteen minutes."
"No hurry. He ain't going nowhere." Chris heard a chuckle as the phone disconnected.
He ripped off the top sheet and stuffed it in his pocket. "Buck!" he called as he raced back out of his office.
Wilmington poked his head out into the outer office. "Yo!"
"Let's ride! Tanner just called!"
"Hooyah!"
The two men ran out to Chris truck and hopped in. Chris shoved the truck into drive and pealed out of the parking lot, the blue light attached to his dashboard flashing.
Twelve minutes later, they pulled around the back of the warehouse. Both men cautiously stepped from the vehicle, reaching for their weapons. Even though Tanner had called to report that he'd found Blackfox, neither man was taking any chances. They hadn't stayed alive this long by being stupid or careless.
They walked through the large overhead door, entering a large room, with a story that covered two stories. Buck took the left side, Chris the right, both men glancing around.
"Nobody here but me and Blackfox," a voice called from above. Buck and Chris looked up to find Tanner leaning slightly over the second floor railing, his body hidden behind several stacked crates. He was looking down at them through the sights of a rifle.
"Morning, boys," he called amiable before raising the barrel to the ceiling. He flipped the safety on and moved toward the stairs. By the time he reached the bottom, Larabee and Wilmington had joined him.
"Where is he?" Chris growled.
Tanner gestured with his head toward a hallway.
"You left him alone?" Larabee snarled as he moved that direction.
"Like I told you on the phone, he ain't going nowhere."
Chris stopped. "He is still alive, isn't he?"
Vin laughed. "Oh, yeah. But he did find out that the handcuff key he keeps stashed inside his belt just won't work on good ol' Texas rope."
Buck laughed and slapped Tanner on the back. "Ha! That's rich! I love this guy, Chris!"
Larabee just smiled. "We'll need to be sure to take that key away from him before we take him to jail." He turned and again started down the hallway.
"Middle door on the left," Tanner called.
Chris walked in the door and froze. The only thing in the room was a chair. And the man seated in the chair. A dirty rag was shoved into his mouth, another wrapped around his head to keep the gag in place. His legs were each tied to a chair leg and his arms were hooked around the back of the high back chair.
Chris moved further into the room, walking around the chair. Blackfox's arms were trussed together at the wrists and the elbows. Another rope tied his arms to the chair and wrapped around his chest.
Buck and Tanner were a few steps behind him. Tanner stopped by the door, leaning against the door jam. Buck continued into the room and joined Chris.
"Whooeee, Tanner! Where the hell did you learn to hog tie a man like that!"
"I grew up on a ranch. And the cattle there were smarter than Blackfox."
The trussed up man glared at Tanner, inarticulate words trying to escape the gag.
"I suggest you put the gag back in place when you're done talking. He's got a real nasty mouth."
Chris nodded as he reached up and untied the gag and pulled the filthy rag from Blackfox's mouth. As soon as the rag was removed Blackfox started cussing.
"God damn! You bastard!" he snarled at Tanner, who just smiled back at him from the doorway. "I'll kill you for this, you son of a bitch!"
"Shut up!" Larabee snapped.
"Ah, Larabee. The great Texas Ranger! How's the wife and kid?"
Larabee backhanded him. "Chris!' Buck yelled.
"He tried to kill Sarah and Adam, Buck."
"And he'll walk if you keep that up."
"No, he won't," Tanner insisted. "You see, Blackfox and I already had a real nice talk. Didn't we, Johnny?"
Blackfox paled and looked away. Tanner smiled.
"Tell the nice Ranger what you told me, Johnny."
Larabee and Wilmington exchanged confused glances.
"I don't have to say anything."
"That's right, you don't," Tanner said as he walked closer. "But we did make an agreement you and I, didn't we, Johnny-boy?" Vin moved behind the chair and leaned close. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Tell Ranger Larabee what you know about the hit on his family, Johnny."
Blackfox swallowed loudly, but shook his head. Tanner reached up and placed his left hand lightly on the back of Blackfox's neck, causing the man to flinch. From the expression on his face, Buck and Chris knew that if he wasn't tied down to the chair he would have jumped several feet.
Tanner put his right hand on Blackfox's forehead and tilted his head back exposing his throat. Vin's left hand moved around to the front of Blackfox's neck, the index finger dragging across his Adam's apple, which bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard.
Blackfox eyes widened and darted back and forth, settling first on Chris, then on Wilmington when he saw no sympathy in Larabee's eyes.
"Please," he whispered. "Don't let him cut me."
"Shhhh," Vin crooned. "No need to cut you, Johnny. But you need to tell the Ranger everything you know." Tanner continually moved his finger back and forth across Blackfox's taut throat.
"I can't. He'll kill me," he said, so softly that the others could barely hear him.
"Who?" Chris repeated.
Blackfox flinched and closed his eyes. His shoulders slumped in defeat.
Tanner released him and stepped back. The prisoner coughed his dry throat protesting the treatment it had received. Tanner reached around behind him and pulled a canteen from his belt. Uncapping it, he moved next to Blackfox and placed the canteen against his lips, letting the man drink his fill.
Blackfox looked at Larabee. He thought about playing with Larabee a bit, but one glance back at Tanner quelled that desire. And Tanner knew it, judging by the feral grin that graced his lips. Blackfox looked back at Larabee.
"I don't much about him, only that his first name is Cletus. He never gave a last name. He paid in cash, so I didn't ask."
"Why my family? This got something to do with a case?"
"Hell, no. This was personal."
"Personal?"
"I can't tell you anymore." Tanner moved close again. "No!" Blackfox yelled, leaning away from the bounty hunter. "I don't know any more! He didn't give me details and I didn't ask for any. That's the way I work. He gave me a location and a vehicle description and told me he wanted it to blow when the vehicle moved. And he paid in cash, in advance. Wrapped that metal claw around my neck and told me he'd kill me if it didn't happen as planned." Blackfox swallowed hard. "I swear, that's all I know."
The three men exchanged glances. "What do you mean a metal claw?" Chris asked.
"He's got a fake hand. But not like most people, it don't look real. His is shiny metal. He wears this black velvet glove over it. And he carries this little bottle of oil with him to make sure it doesn't squeak. He's like the fucking Tin Man."
"How did he know about you?" Tanner asked.
"I...I don't know! I swear. He approached me one day in Waco. I was getting ready to head to Dallas, take a break. He told me he had a job for me. Told me I either do the job or he kills me. He's crazy, man. He was reading the paper, something about a police officer who'd been shot after pulling someone over for speeding. He started laughing, saying if it was him that was pulled over, he'd have made the cop suffer more." Blackfox shivered.
Tanner looked over at Larabee. Chris nodded and Vin started untying the prisoner.
"Remember what I told you before, Blackfox," Tanner said. "I ain't a cop, so I don't have to be gentle with you." He left Blackfox's arms tied at the wrists and elbows, but released the ropes around his chest and legs, and the one that attached his arms to the chair.
"We'll take him from here," Larabee said.
"I don't think so," Vin replied.
"He's wanted for the attempted murder of my wife and son!"
"Then you can follow me in and press your charges against him. But he's my paycheck. I don't turn him over to nobody until I get my paperwork signed."
"Why don't you go with him, Chris," Buck suggested.
"Won't work, I don't have a back seat," Tanner said. "Look, it doesn't matter to me which precinct I turn this scum into. I'll follow you and we can handle the paperwork, then he's all yours." Vin pushed the prisoner ahead of him, keeping him close. In the hall, he walked back into the large bay where Chris and Buck had entered and walked behind a stack of crates. The other two follow them around to where Tanner had parked his jeep.
He opened the passenger door and forced Blackfox to sit. Using the ropes he'd used to tie him to the chair, he again trussed Blackfox up, using heavy-duty hooks welded to the floor. After having a prisoner kick him once several years ago while transporting him, he'd installed the hook to secure the feet of any future prisoners.
Buck laughed and shook his head after eyeing the set-up. "Geez, Tanner, this is a rolling prison wagon." Vin just smiled. After tying off the last rope, which he lashed around Blackfox's chest and tied behind the seat, he patted his prisoner on top of the head.
"Stay," Vin teased with a smirk. "Good boy."
"You son of a bitch! You already have my hands tied."
"I told you before, I'm not taking any chances. Now, you want that gag put back in as well?" Blackfox grimaced and shook his head. "Good. Just keep your trap shut until we get you to the police department and you might get out of this in one piece." He turned to the other two men. "So, Larabee, what'll it be?"
Chris frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but then he looked at again at Blackfox. A grin began to form on his face. "I like your style, Tanner. Can you bring him along to the Ranger Headquarters? You know where that is? We should have the paperwork we need to fill out there."
"One police agency is as good as any other. You're the state law enforcement agency. I would hope you have the forms I need," Vin teased. "That the big building down on Texas Street?"
"That's the one. If you get there before us, go around the back and into the garage. I'll call ahead and let them know you're coming. Wait for us in the garage. You need a pass card for the elevator."
"Okay. See ya in a bit."
Tanner climbed into his vehicle and started it up. As he did Blackfox started cussing and calling his captor names again. Larabee walked over to the passenger seat and leaned in to within a few inches of Blackfox's face. He lifted up a hand, which held the gag that had been used earlier.
"I'd be happy to shove this back down your throat, Blackfox," he said softly. "It'll take a surgical team to remove it."
The prisoner shut up.
Vin put the jeep in gear. Backing out of the close confines behind the crates, he drove out of the building, passing Buck and Chris as they jogged back to Larabee's truck.
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