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.
"Adam, wake up."
The young boy heard the voice but didn't recognize it. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. His head hurt and he didn't know where he was. Leaning over him was a longhaired man who looked vaguely familiar. He flinched away, sitting up and pushing himself against the wall behind him. The movement caused a pain in his arm and he looked down to see a bruise.
"Sorry, kiddo. Didn't mean to scare you. Do you remember me?"
After a few seconds, Adam nodded. "You're the man who stopped me and Mama from getting in our car."
"That's right. My name is Vin. I'm a friend of your Dad's."
"Daddy's here?" Adam asked, looking around hopefully.
"No, pard, I'm sorry, he's not." The boy's shoulders slumped in disappointment. "But, I'll tell you what. I will do my best to get you back to him. And I know he's looking for you."
"I want my Mama," Adam said, tears filling his eyes.
"I know, little guy, I know. I'm sure she's missing you too." Vin's heart just about broke at the scared look on the little boy's face. "I'll get you back to your Ma."
"Promise?" Adam whispered, tears slowly rolling down his face.
"I promise," Vin said, wondering just how he would keep that promise, locked up in this room like he was. Vin sat down next to the young boy trying to come up with a way to get out of the room. His head was killing him from the blow he'd received from Fowler. He glanced at his watch. He'd been here in this room with Adam for about four hours. When he woke up in the van, he'd been tied hand and foot.
Fowler had untied his feet so he could walk into the building. He'd then pulled the boy from the van. Adam had also been tied up but appeared to be unconscious when Fowler picked him up. Fowler had put a gun to Adam's head and threatened to shoot the boy if Tanner tried anything. He'd ordered the bounty hunter into the building, which appeared to be an old mill of some kind. The small building sat next to a small river and the area was covered in trees. As Vin looked around he didn't see anything he recognized.
After Fowler left the room, Vin had managed to remove the ropes that bound his arms, his wrists now bloody from the effort. He untied Adam and checked the boy over. He appeared to be drugged, not surprising since Vin had found a puncture mark under the dark bruise. Now, four hours later, Vin was waiting for something to happen.
He looked around the room. It appeared to be a basement storage area. There was one small window, high up on the wall. It was small and he wasn't sure he would fit through it. And he wasn't going to send Adam out of the building alone. The door was wood, but solid judging by the sound it made when he'd kicked it. There was no furniture in the room. Fowler had left two blankets and a tin bucket, which Vin assumed was meant to be used for taking care of calls of nature.
Vin's thoughts were interrupted by the small body moving against him. He looked down. Adam had pressed himself against Vin for comfort. Tanner moved his arm and wrapped it around the boy's trembling body. Pulling the crying child into his lap, he hugged him tightly, hoping to at least give him some small measure of safety.
"I'm scared, Vin."
"I know, Adam. I'm scared too. But I will do my best to get us both out of here. You willing to help me?" Vin looked down at the boy in his arms and could feel the tremors that shook the small body. He remembered being this frightened as a child and he hadn't had anyone to hold him and tell him they'd make it better. He would do whatever he could to be sure that this young boy was returned to where he belonged.
"What can I do? I'm just a little boy."
"Just do what I tell you, when I tell you. Don't hesitate. Can you do that?"
Adam nodded. "Vin, will we get back in time for Daddy's birthday?"
"When is his birthday?"
"We're having a party for him on Sunday. How many days is that?"
"That's four days away. And I'll do my best to get you back before then, okay?"
"'kay." Further conversation was halted by the sound of someone walking down the stairs. Several seconds later, the door was unlocked and opened. Fowler walked in, cigarette in hand. Adam cringed, causing Vin to tighten his hold on the boy.
"Well, well, well. How sweet." Cletus Fowler was dressed in a dark sweater and dark pants. He smirked, seemingly unconcerned that Tanner had managed to loosen his bonds.
"Let's us out of here, Fowler. You won't get away with this. Larabee knows you're involved in this and he's looking for you."
"He can look all he wants. He'll never find this place." Fowler smiled and took another drag on his cigarette. "Oh, don't get me wrong, eventually he will find you. Just you—dead. The boy will disappear. I have contacts overseas. Young boys are big business in Asia. Young Mr. Larabee will be sold for a large amount of money."
Vin knew that Fowler meant to sell the young boy into sexual slavery. "You're sick! He's only five!"
"Yes, the perfect age for my customers."
"I won't let you take him."
Fowler smiled. "You don't have a choice, Mr. Tanner. I do what I want."
"As long as you're paid," Vin replied with a sneer.
"Well, yes, there is that," Fowler said smugly. "But then you have no room to talk. You are a bounty hunter, after all. You make a living hunting men."
"How much do you want to let us go?"
Fowler burst into laughter. "Oh, that's priceless. You, Larabee and the entire Texas Rangers don't have that much money combined. Oh, no. My client was adamant about what was to befall the young lad. And I daresay, I look forward to fulfilling that part of the contract. I may even send a copy of the film to Larabee and his wife at Christmas. Do you think that by then they'll be anxious to learn of what's become of their handsome boy? Will they watch the film over and over again, just to catch a glimpse of him?"
A whimpering interrupted the conversation. Vin turned his attention to Adam. "Shhhh. It's okay, Adam. Don't listen to him. I won't let that happen, I promise you. And your Dad and Buck are looking for ya. I bet all the Texas Rangers are." Vin looked up at Fowler. "They won't stop until they find you."
Fowler just laughed again. He turned and left the room, but Vin could still hear his laughter even after the door shut and Fowler walked back up the stairs.
"We've got to get out of here, Adam. We can't afford to wait for your father to find us."
"Will he really send me away?"
Vin pulled the boy tight against his chest and rubbed his hand up and down Adam's back. "No, that won't happen. I promise you that. No matter what, I won't let him take you away from me." If I have to kill us both, to keep that from happening, then I will, Tanner thought, praying that the situation never got that desperate.
"Vin?"
"Yeah?" Vin loosened his hold on the child.
"Do you have a little boy?"
"No, Adam, I don't have any kids."
"That's too bad. You give really good hugs."
Vin smiled. "Why, thanks, pard. I'll keep that in mind if I ever have kids someday. But I'll bet my hugs ain't near as good as your Ma's. I remember my Ma's hugs were the best in the world."
"Does your Mama still give you hugs?"
"No, Adam. My Ma died, when I was about your age."
"Don't you get hugs anymore?" Adam asked, lifted his head from Vin's chest.
"Just from people like you."
"I'll make sure Mama hugs you when we get back home," Adam assured the bounty hunter, laying his head back down.
"I bet she'll be so busy hugging you she won't even know I'm there."
"I'll tell her." Adam patted his hand on Vin's arm, giving almost as much comfort as he was receiving.
Vin smiled at the heart of this child. Even locked in a room, scared to death, he was assuring a grown man that once all this was over, that man would be the beneficiary of a hug from the child's mother. He closed his eyes, praying that he would be able to get that hug and that Adam would be there to insist on it.
"Damn it, Chris! Will ya give the boy some room?" Buck asked in frustration.
Wilmington and Larabee had been in the office all night. Chris had called Wilmington after he'd finally gotten the full story from Sarah. Buck had taken his date home, then contacted JD Dunne and Casey Wells. The pair had met him at the office where they started to dig a bit deeper into Cletus Fowler. Chris had arrived at the office an hour later, after getting Sarah settled in at the ranch, with several Rangers for company.
Ever since then, Larabee had been hovering over JD's shoulder, begging for something to go on. He knew that every hour that passed meant less of a chance of his son being alive. He only hoped that Vin Tanner's presence meant a better chance for Adam. He'd assured his wife that it did. He just wasn't sure he believed it himself.
The police had located the information that Vin Tanner had dropped in his unsuccessful effort to free Adam from Fowler's grasp. They hoped to find out where he might keep Adam and Tanner.
It was nearing dawn, which meant he'd been up for twenty-four hours. He'd just got off the phone, after having to tell his wife that they had no new leads and that had made him angry. He knew he shouldn't take that anger out on JD, but at the moment he just couldn't care who was in his path.
"I need answers, JD! My son is out there in the hands of a man who already tried to kill him once!"
"Ranger Larabee, I can't make the computer go any faster. There isn't a lot to go on about this guy. We're just lucky you got the information that Mr. Tanner had, otherwise we wouldn't even be this far along."
"Shit!" Chris yelled and threw his coffee cup against the wall, shattering it and spilling brown liquid down the wall.
All activity stopped.
Larabee took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Buck knew he was near the breaking point. But then who wouldn't be.
"Chris, you need to calm down. JD can't work if you're breathing down his neck. Why don't you go back to the ranch and be with Sarah."
"No! I need to be here. I need to be doing something!"
"JD and Casey have got the searches going, Pard. Sarah needs you right now."
"Micah is with her."
"Your foreman isn't who she needs."
Chris turned around and looked at his friend. "I can't go home and tell her we haven't been able to find Adam. Buck, I just can't tell her that." His voice broke. "How am I supposed to tell her that I can't find my own son? I've been able to bring in some of the most toughest, most dangerous criminals in Texas history and I can't find a five-year old boy. My own five-year old boy!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist into his own chest.
Chris collapsed into a chair. He leaned forward with his face in his hands. Buck gestured to Casey and JD to leave the room. JD closed the door behind them as they left.
Buck pulled a chair over to sit down next to his friend. "Look, pard. JD has got the searches going automatically. He and Casey will follow-up every little bit of information they find. You've said yourself how good JD is with that computer. There is nothing you can do here, as much as you want to. And you know that I will call you as soon as we get anything at all."
Buck placed a hand on Chris' shoulder. "Sarah needs you, Chris, more than she ever has in her life. I know how much you want to be here with us. But at the moment it's a game of 'hurry up and wait'. And you'd be better off waiting at home, with Sarah. She's probably feeling even worse than you."
Chris looked up at his friend in confusion. "Chris, she was there when Adam was taken. She couldn't stop it!"
"What's that supposed to mean, Buck? You blame her for this?!" Chris glared at his friend.
"Of course not! But, if I know Sarah, she's blaming herself."
Chris sat back, stunned. "Oh, God. Of course she is." He shook his head. "It wasn't her fault, Buck. It's mine. I should have known better. I knew Blackfox had been hired and I still let her go back to the house."
"Chris, don't do this to yourself. Sarah isn't to blame and neither are you. Right now, you need to concentrate on Sarah and Adam. Go back to the ranch. Be with your wife. As soon as we get anything here, I will call you personally."
Larabee sighed, tired deep in his bones. "I know you're right. I just need to do something."
"Look, go be with your wife. Take the laptop. I'll have JD send you everything that we have. You can do some searching of your own from the ranch. That way you'll still be involved, but you'll be with Sarah as well. Chris...you know how I feel about Adam. I love that boy. I will not let a stone go unturned to find him."
"Yeah, I know, I know. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have gotten as much done as we have already. You know I'm grateful." He looked up to make sure his friend understood. Buck just nodded. "I'm just so tired, Buck. And so scared. We have to find him." Larabee's voice was soft, the fear obvious. "I can't lose my boy."
"You know we'll do everything we can. The Feds are working on it too. Every Ranger in town is working on this. The Amber Alert has been activated, so everyone in this part of Texas knows that we're looking for Adam. Tom Fisher interrupted his vacation to come in to work. So did Sophia Barrajas. You aren't alone here, Chris. Let us do the work. You go home and put your arms around Sarah. You need it as much as she does."
Chris gave his friend a tiny smile. "What would I do without you, Buck?"
"Probably go to pieces."
Chris snorted. "You're right about that." He stood up. "If Sarah calls, tell her I'm on my way. And have JD send whatever he has on to me."
"I will. You be careful driving, Chris. In fact, it might not be a bad idea to have one of the boys drive you. You could be a target too."
"It's not that far, Buck. I'll be alright. When are the teams at the ranch due to be relieved?"
Wilmington glanced at his watch. "In about two hours."
Chris nodded. "Call me, Buck. No matter what, I want to know if you get anything."
"I will, Chris. You got my word."
"That's always been good enough for me." The two men shook hands.
"Give Sarah my love," Buck told his friend.
Before Chris could get to the door, it opened. A well-dressed man entered.
"Ranger Larabee, I just heard about your son. Have you received any news?"
"Mr. Standish, I'm surprised to see you here so early," Chris said.
Ezra Standish was the new Assistant State's Attorney. Although he'd only been on the job a few months, he and Chris Larabee had clashed several times, usually about police procedures. Standish insisted they be followed and Chris wasn't against skirting around them if it got the job done. He'd never done anything illegal, exactly. But Standish was obsessive when it came to cases he prosecuted. He wanted to be sure he could win his case in court, not have it tossed due to a technicality.
And that was the only reason why Chris had even tolerated him in the beginning. Lately, they'd come to have a mutual, yet grudging, respect for one another. It showed in the fact that Standish was in the office before dawn, inquiring about Larabee's son.
"I am here to offer my services, however they might be needed. I only just discovered the unfortunate circumstances. I was out of town until this morning. My staff is available and is already assisting in the search for any information regarding this miscreant who absconded with your son."
"Thank you," Chris said. "I appreciate any help you can give us."
"If you don't mind my saying so, Mr. Larabee, you appear to be in need of rest. And possibly a shower and change of clothing."
"You do have a way with words, Standish. I was just on my way to the ranch. I need to be with my wife."
"Ah, yes, she must be devastated. If there is anything I can do, please do not hesitate to contact me. The dastardly villain who perpetrated this particular crime will not escape the collective forces of the Texas Rangers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State's Attorney's Office. I also received a call from the Governor while enroute this morning and he assured me that his office would afford any assistance necessary."
"Well, then, I guess I can safely head out," Chris said, grateful for all the attention this case was being given. He knew that because of his position as a law enforcer, special effort was given by his fellow officers. While none of them would shirk their responsibilities in any event, especially with children involved, everyone knew they would always give that little bit more when a fellow officer was involved.
"Thanks, Standish." Chris pulled his keys from this pocket and moved past Standish to the door. "Buck..."
"Yeah?"
"Adam loves you, too."
Buck just smiled as he and Ezra watched Chris walk down the hall, his steps weary.
"He'll be okay, as soon as we find Adam," Buck said softly.
Standish nodded his agreement.
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