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.
Vin walked into the kitchen, finding the Larabee family already sitting down to breakfast.
"Morning, Vin," Sarah said. "Coffee?"
Vin nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
"We got waffles this morning, is that okay?"
"That'll be great. Haven't had waffles in awhile."
"I'll have a couple ready in a minute." She set a cup of coffee down in front of him and headed back to the stove. "I heard from my friend this morning. If you still want to look at that apartment, she can meet you at noon. Adam and I can drive over there with you, since he's not going to daycare today."
"Actually, I found a place," Vin said, taking a sip of the strong brew. He glanced at Chris, surprised to see a look of disappointment on the man's face.
"Really? Where?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, ah, I'm not sure. What would you say, Chris, about three hundred yards or so?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
Chris frowned, confused. Then his face lit up in a smile. "I'd say more like two hundred and fifty yards."
"Chris?" The two men looked up at Sarah.
"Vin has decided to stick around for awhile and help Micah."
"Vin?" she asked hopefully.
Tanner nodded. "I thought a lot about it last night. Hardly slept at all. I really could use a break from bounty hunting and can't think of a better place to do that."
"I'm glad," Sarah said. "It's been nice having you around. And I know Micah will appreciate the extra help."
"Daddy, does that mean Vin's gonna live here with us?" Adam asked from his seat next to his father.
"Well, he's gonna move into the old shack on the other side of the corral. But, yeah, he's sticking around."
"Yippee! Vin's stayin'!" Adam yelled as he jumped up from his chair and started dancing around the room. "Vin's stayin'!" The adults watched in amusement, until his mother told him to sit and finish his meal.
"I guess that makes it unanimous." Chris chuckled. "I'm glad too. I've got today off, if you want we can take a look at the shack and see just how much work it's gonna take."
"Sure."
"Right after breakfast, boys," Sarah commented as she set a plate of waffles down in front of Vin. "And you let me know what I can do to help. You'll need curtains and rugs. We've got some stuff in the attic. Chris, maybe you can bring it down later. And we'll need to really clean that place up. No one has been in there in several years. It's probably got six inches of dust everywhere." She opened the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, pouring some more for Adam, while she continued to list all the repairs she felt would be necessary to make the small dwelling livable again.
Vin leaned over. "Is she always like this?" he asked softly, not wanting to interrupt her running dialog.
Chris smiled. "You ain't seen nothing yet, pard. She hasn't even gotten started. Wait until she invites Nettie over and the two of them gang up on you." He slapped Tanner on the shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Tanner."
"Ah, can I change my mind about that job offer?" he asked, leery of being the object of interest of the two females.
"Nope, too late now. You wouldn't want to disappoint the lady now would ya? Actually, I look forward to the time she starts to play matchmaker. And think of Adam. He's really looking forward to you being around."
"That's blackmail, Larabee."
"I reckon." Chris' smile grew bigger.
Vin snarled, but couldn't keep the smile off his face.
"Eat up, boys, There's more where that came from," Sarah said, sitting down with another plate of waffles for herself. "Vin, I have some fabric that would make great curtains for the house. I'll probably have to pick up some more bleach. I can just imagine what animals having been inhabiting that place..."
Chris leaned back and smiled. His wife didn't get this way often, but when she did it was amusing to watch. He glanced over at Vin, who looked slightly shell-shocked, dazedly chewing on his waffles. Chris nodded.
Life was good.
THE END
How did you like the story? How do you like the AU?
Let us know, good or bad (of course, we prefer good!)
WE NOW OPEN UP THIS AU TO OTHER WRITERS. WE CHALLENGE YOU TO EXPAND ON THIS UNIVERSE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SOMEONE WRITING A SEQUEL TO THIS ONE, MAYBE BRING IN ELLA AND SEE HOW SHE DEALS WITH A LIVING SARAH (OR RATHER HOW SARAH DEALS WITH HER <
AS STATED EARLIER, WE DEVELOPED THIS AU AS A MEANS TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRIS, SARAH AND ADAM. I KNOW WE HAVEN'T DEALT TOO CLOSELY WITH NATHAN, JOSIAH, EZRA AND JD, BUT THEN THAT'S WHAT FUTURE STORIES ARE FOR. AND WE DO HAVE PLANS TO BRING THEM FURTHER INTO THE STORYLINE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T BRING THEM IN IN YOUR OWN WAY!
WE HOPE ANY OTHER WRITER'S WHO CHOOSE TO ADD TO THIS UNIVERSE CONTINUE TO SEE THE LARABEES AS A LOVING FAMILY WHO HAVE THE USUAL UPS AND DOWNS, BUT ALSO THE STRENGTH TO STAY TOGETHER.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR INTERPRETATIONS OF THE AU.
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