Series/Universe: Family Business
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings: The usual ... violence, language, and references to ugliness. Oh yeah, and the original characters. Can't forget them.
Spoilers: All twenty-one episodes, my Road to Hell trilogy, (Recovery, Reunion and Reconciliation) and the stories in my Facets series will probably be alluded to.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who emailed me while I was writing the Road to Hell trilogy ... I couldn't have done it without your support. Extra special thanks, as ever, to Elizabeth and Cin.
No one witnessed what happened in the stables. By the time Casey Welles found Chris Larabee, a full fifteen minutes had passed ... and by the time she, Chris, and Mary returned to the livery, both Vin and Casey's would-be kidnapper were gone. But there was blood on the straw. Casey was nearly hysterical, and Chris left in a sweep of black. He had to organize the others...a sweep of the town would be necessary. Whoever this bastard was, he wouldn't get far.
He left Mary to comfort Casey, which she did until Nettie arrived. The older lady gave the young widow a quick glance, and Mary quietly explained what they knew ... and what they didn't know. Nettie's eyes snapped, as she drew Casey even closer, and Mary knew the girl was in good hands. With that settled, she squeezed Casey's shoulder comfortingly, then began her own search for Vin Tanner. It was possible that it was mere coincidence that both Vin and Casey's attacker were gone...not a large possibility, but Mary didn't want to overlook anything. She checked his wagon, checked all his favorite places. And then she headed into Potter's store.
Early in the morning, as part of his rounds, Vin would check on Mrs. Potter, see if there was anything she needed done. He liked helping her, Mary knew. While Nettie reminded him of his mother, Vin also had a soft spot for Gloria Potter. But the young man was nowhere to be found. On the other hand, her father in law and JD were there.
"What's wrong, Mary?" Orrin asked anxiously. Mary glanced over her shoulder, then led both her father in law and JD over to one side. Arthur Conklin often came here in the mornings, and Mary didn't want the news to get around before they had any answers. Once they were in a secluded area, Mary quietly explained what she knew. Which, admittedly, wasn't much. But Mary knew better than to keep such things from her father-in-law, especially after she neglected to tell Chris that Terry Greer was a woman with a small daughter.
JD's eyes narrowed for a moment. ..then he smiled at someone in the doorway of the store. The young sheriff said happily, "Well, there's Vin now. See, he's just fine!" Mary turned at the same time ... and she frowned. Vin seemed terribly pale, and his hand was pressed against his abdomen. Had he been beaten up? Then why was there blood on the straw? The tracker raised his eyes to meet Mary's, and he mouthed her name. Then he looked confused.
He wasn't fine, not even close to being fine. Mary started forward, but was swept to one side by her father in law, who was at Vin's side in a heartbeat. He asked, "Vin? Son? Are you all right?" Vin removed his hand ... and Elizabeth Potter gasped. His hand was bright ... scarlet red. He looked at his hand, looked at his bloodstained shirt, hid at first by his jacket ... and then he collapsed. Orrin caught him, yelling, "JD!" The boy brushed past Mary, barely whispering an 'excuse me, ma'am,' before taking his place on Vin's other side.
"Get help!" Mary cried out, as she finally processed what had happened to Vin. Elizabeth Potter sped out of the store, and Mary knelt beside the fallen tracker. His face was very pale, his skin covered with sweat, and Mary tore a piece of petticoat to use as a bandage. It was flimsy, but she had nothing better at the moment. She said hoarsely, "Get him to the house, it's closer than the clinic." Mary's mind zipped along. While she wasn't a nurse, she had received some education in caring for wounds over the years. She had things for treatment.
"Jamie, go tell Mr. Larabee that Mr. Tanner is being taken to Mary's house. Mary, what can I do to help? More bandages?" Gloria asked urgently. Mary nodded, concentrating on keeping pressure on the wound. A half second after Gloria's question, Mary found a wad of cloths being pushed into her hand. She grasped it with a murmured, 'thank you,' before turning her attention back to Vin. His eyes opened, removing her hope that he was unconscious.
Between Orrin and JD, they lifted him, Mary still keeping pressure on the wound. Hold on, Vin, just hold on a little longer. She tried to smile at him reassuringly, tried to ... keep him with them. We just got him back, she thought, you can't have him. Do you understand me? You can't have him! As Orrin and JD carried him across the street to the house where she and Billy lived, Mary saw Chris racing toward them, looking both terrified and furious. To someone who didn't know him, it looked like sheer fury, but Mary saw beyond the rage to the fear.
"What ... happened?" Chris growled. Mary didn't answer, just kept up her pressure on the wound. She didn't allow herself to think about what happened. She could only think about stopping the bleeding. If she thought about how Vin was hurt, she would get angry, and she couldn't afford that. No. Stay focused. She was only vaguely aware of Buck saying something, and Chris answering, "I want a perimeter sweep around the town. I wanna know where the bastard is heading, and I want him brought back. Alive. Casey didn't have a choice when she shot Browner, but we do."
"He ain't getting away, Chris, you got my word on that," Buck vowed. Mary was very proud of Chris. Not a word was said about Buck's word that they had the situation in town under control before Vin was taken. Chris was focused on Vin, she supposed, especially when JD eased Vin's legs to the leader's control. Everyone flinched at the tracker's soft groan at the movement.
And as JD raced away to the livery, ignoring the weeping girl in Nettie's arms, Mary caught a glimpse of the young sheriff's face. She had seen that look before. And words from the past repeated in her ears, as Chris and Orrin carried Vin into her house. JD, those are federal marshals! That's Vin Tanner, ma'am. Yes. This was Vin Tanner. And just like that day, months earlier, when Eli Joe's gang tried to take him ... they would not let him go without a fight.
He hurt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Vin realized he was being carried. He could hear voices surrounding him, could feel hands under his arms and cupping his legs. And if he concentrated really, really hard, he could even make out the voices. Vin decided he would try to concentrate on that, rather than the tearing pain in his gut. Maybe that would help ... focus. Focus on the voices, though he could tell they were voices of friends.
The voice nearest to his head belonged to Orrin Travis. He remembered, vaguely, seeing the judge in the store at the same time he saw Mary. Remembering the judge asking if he was all right, and calling him 'son.' Josiah called him that sometimes. Yes. The judge had his shoulders, and kept murmuring to Vin, telling him that everything would be all right. There was another voice, coming from the other direction. Chris?
Yes. It was Chris. Vin would have sighed in relief, knowing as he knew few things in his life that Chris would make sure no more harm came to him. And wait, there was another voice. Who was it? Soft ... female ... Drina? No. The voice was wrong for Drina. And then another memory came. Pressure on his belly. Mary. It was Mary. Aw hell, she don't need this...not after findin' her husband dead! But Vin could do nothing about it. For one thing, Chris had his legs and Judge Travis had his arms ... if he started squirmin,' they would drop him, and he really didn't want that. 'Sides. It hurt too damn much.
Concentrating on other things took his mind off the pain, and Vin turned his attention next to what happened, recreating things in his mind. He got up early this morning, and left the room while Chris was still asleep. A part of him felt ashamed that he needed a friend nearby ... until he remembered some of the nightmares which had cursed him, these last few weeks. Josiah told him that he almost hurt Adriana at one point, while she was trying to calm him down.
And he would rather have Chris in the room while he was having a nightmare than Adriana. It wasn't a matter of pride for the tracker...where Adriana was concerned, there was no such thing as pride. They had seen each other at their worst. Rather, it was only practical. Chris was bigger than Adriana, bigger and stronger.
So he got up early and left the room without waking Chris, which meant that he was getting along better. He saw Casey's abduction from inside the hotel, and had one of two choices. Would have been smarter, he realized now, to wake Chris. But he had been afraid for Casey. Shoulda gone for Chris. Definitely. And yet, when he saw Casey bein' taken, he believed he had a better chance of stopping the bastard 'fore they got outta town.
And I did, Vin realized. Yeah ... but I got stabbed in the gut. But ... he didn't have no knife in his hand. How did I get stabbed, if there wasn't no knife in his hand? The tracker frowned, then pain ripped through his body. The knife was forgotten for the moment as Vin focused on fighting back the pain. He had to stay awake, he had to figure this out. But oh God, it hurt. Through a terrible roaring in his ears, Vin heard Chris ask, "You okay, Judge?"
Judge? The other man answered angrily, "I'm fine, Chris, just a clumsy old fool who has no business trying to carry a wounded young man." Clumsy old fool? The judge added, "Sorry, son. I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at myself. I could have killed him just now. Tripping over my own feet like a boy of Rafe's age." Well, that explained that ... Vin felt like he was being torn in half because the judge tripped while carrying him. He was glad that was cleared up.
However, that sarcasm was quickly washed away with a fresh spasm of pain as he was placed on a bed. Vin arched his back, moaning under his breath, and he felt strong hands gripping his shoulders. Judge Travis murmured, "Easy, son, just lie still. Did someone get Nathan?" Vin tensed, sending another shockwave of pain through his body, and this time, he barely kept from passing out. Hold on, dammit!
Just when he didn't think things could possibly get any worse, Vin heard a voice cry out, "VIN! Adriana, Vin's hurt!" Aw hell. There was a sleepy answer, then Laura wailed, "There's blood all over his shirt, Laura thinks he's dying!" Aw ... hell! Laura's voice got steadily louder, then there was the sound of pounding feet. Damn, she can still sound like a herd a' buff even when it sounds like I got the ocean in m' ears. This ain't good.
Vaguely he heard Mary telling Adriana and Laura, "Nathan should be here any minute. Adriana!" Ain't gonna work, Mary, Vin thought fuzzily, when Drina fixes on doin' somethin,' she does it. He heard her marching over to the bed, even as Chris and Judge Travis began removing his shirt. Mary's voice got a little clearer, telling Drina, "Listen ... I know you don't like Nathan, but he's Vin's best chance for survival."
"He doesn't need Nathan Jackson. I've stitched him up more times than either of us can count," Adriana fired back, her voice barely above a whisper. Oh, this was not good. Poundin' around like a herd a' buff, voice so quiet ya could barely hear it. But what she said next was clear. "Oh dear God." This was said at the same time Vin felt his shirt being ripped open. Dammit, Larabee, I don't need ya exposin' me to the entire world!
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Adriana. I know you've taken care of Vin in the past. But this time, he needs something more. Someone who knows ... who can do more than just stitch him up. Please. I know how much you care for Vin," Mary said softly.
New footfall. Vin recognized this trod as well, as belonging to Nathan. A half second after that, Chris said very softly, "If nothing else, little princess, if you trust no one else in this room aside from Vin, you know you can trust me." There was a long silence, then Chris continued, "Trust me now. Nathan is Vin's best chance for survival. I don't trust him either, but right now, we have no other choice."
Vin forced his eyes open, finally able to focus on something other than fighting the pain back. Adriana stood with her back to him, arms folded over her chest. Shoulders were up and tense. Nathan faced him, though he wasn't looking at Vin. Instead, he was looking at the small young woman who stood between him and Vin. Drina said after a long moment, "All right. But hear me, and hear me well. If he dies ... so do you."
It was neither a promise nor a threat, but a statement of fact, and Nathan seemed to understand that. He nodded once, and Adriana said, stepping to one side, "I'm staying in the room. I trust Chris, but I don't trust you." Nathan started to protest, tried to say ... something. But Drina hissed, "I am staying. I nursed him through beatings, stabbings, shootings, and more things than you have. I am not leaving his side. So just get used to it!"
"Best do as she says ... she ain't goin' nowheres," Vin rasped out. Adriana turned to face him, a faint smile appearing. Nathan just looked from him to Drina, then back again. After a moment, he nodded slowly. Adriana reached over to squeeze his hand, then walked to the other side of the room where Chris sat, his face troubled. Vin winked at his best friend, trying to make at least one of 'em smile. Since Vin was in too much pain, that left Chris.
The tracker tried not to flinch away as Nathan approached, and wondered at the guilt he felt at Nate's reaction. That flinch had hurt Nate. Why did Vin feel guilty about that? Screw it. He wasn't gonna get any better this way. Vin closed his eyes. He thought about his ma's smile, thought about trying to catch the birds as they flew when he was a child. And slowly, so slowly, his muscles began to relax.
The mischievous grin on Chris Larabee's face when he outlined how he intended to get Buck Wilmington out of bed, all those months ago. JD Dunne and his three-legged dawg jokes. Sipping coffee in the morning with Josiah Sanchez. Ezra Standish's expression when Casey threw whatever he was drinking in his face. Mary's tears when he recited his poems for her. Waking up in Laertes Townsend's home to find an old friend at his side.
They were both here now. Chris and Drina. They were here ... and they wouldn't let nothin' happen to him. Reassured by that, Vin allowed himself to give away to the oblivion which had been calling to him ever since he had stabbed. But even as he did so, a memory edged into his mind. That jackass who tried to take Casey didn't have no knife, not in his hand, not in his boot. He ran away ... so who stabbed Vin?
Author's Note: Adriana makes reference to her former traveling companion, Athelstan in this section. For visualizing purpose, imagine Jason Carter (Marcus on Babylon Five) when you come across him now and in future stories.
There were just some ways you really didn't need to wake up. Your adopted daughter running into your room and screaming at the top of her lungs about Vin dying was the last way anyone would want to wake up. Adriana was always unsettled, in her first night under a new roof. This was no exception. More to the point, she was uncomfortable in the home of a respectable woman.
She was supposed to have gotten past this. Past her fear that she wasn't good enough, that somehow she would dirty whatever was clean. The clean linens she slept on, she feared, would be sullied by her somehow. It wasn't Mary Travis. It was her own insecurity. Laertes would kick her ass if he heard her thinking like this. As she watched Nathan Jackson working over her friend, Adriana could actually hear Laertes' voice in her head.
Dammit, girl, you know better than that! You hold your head up high! You're just as good as any woman in this town, or any other. And don't you ever forget it! Yeah, that's exactly what he would say. He would also be furious with her for not trusting Nettie with the real Adriana, but on this point, she would not budge. She wasn't ready to let that mask drop. And in the end, it had to be when she was ready, or it wouldn't work.
"Little princess, you're wearing a groove into the floors. Sit down, you're makin' me dizzy," Chris said suddenly and Adriana turned to face him, raising a brow. And where exactly would she sit? He had the only available chair in the room. Jackson was using the other one. Chris rolled his eyes ... reached out his hand, grasped her wrist and yanked her in his direction. She barely managed to hold back a squeak, before she found herself sitting on his lap.
Mary Travis, who had been standing beside Chris, was barely holding back a grin, her green eyes sparkling with laughter. An imp which Adriana couldn't name caused her to say, "The man calls me 'little princess' and pulls me into his lap, as if I'm still thirteen. I think we best keep this between us, Miss Travis, it might ruin his reputation as the bad element, otherwise." Chris glared at her, but his eyes were twinkling.
Mary replied, "In the first place, my name is Mary ... in the second place ... I think you might be right, Adriana. We can't have that reputation ruined, now can we?" She had an unholy gleam in her eyes. But the light died as she looked at Vin. She stared at him for several moments. Then her expression changed once more, as rage took the place of sadness and fear. Rage at whoever had done this to Vin? At who tried to hurt Casey? Or someone else?
Didn't matter. There was nothing they could do about it now. Adriana put her hand on the widow's arm, drawing her attention back to herself. She said softly, "Laertes always told me that laughter was good for people. Not just the people who were worried about someone they loved, but for the hurt person themselves. He told me that they can feel our anger or our laughter. And it's our laughter which pulls them back."
Mary's eyes were locked on Adriana's face as she asked hoarsely, "Did he learn this from being a slave?" Adriana thought about it, about what Laertes always told her. She thought about her own life ... how she began healing once she could laugh.
Vin always did that ... he could always make her laugh, just as he would hold her when she cried. She said slowly, "I think so. Because that's where I learned it as well. I didn't realize it at the time. When Laertes was a slave, he found all sorts of ways to maintain his dignity ... his humanity. Even while Miss Victoria's family tried to tell him that he wasn't human, and even if he was, then he was an inferior human. He never told me, not straight out. But it's something I learned, once I was with Vin. Once we started riding together."
Now Mary Travis was dangerously close to breaching a wall, and Adriana drew back, saying, "Laertes told me, after we first rescued Vin that the next few weeks would be difficult. I was so angry. So ... terribly angry. If Vin picked up on that ... it might make his recovery more difficult. And I didn't want that. The same rule applies. We're all worried about him. But he needs our strength, not our guilt."
A faint smile curved the widow's face as she replied, "Then he'll get our strength." Adriana simply nodded, her own smile faint. Mary continued, "But she's right, Chris. You can't let it get out that you call Buck's baby sister 'little princess.' Imagine the complications if word gets out you're really a soft touch." Chris just snarled at her, though there was no real heat in the glare. Mary just laughed softly.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to protect him from that, then, Miss Travis. It's only fair, don't you think? He protects us from the real bad element, and we protect him from ... the opposite extreme," Adriana replied, allowing herself a smirk. Despite her gentle banter with the widow, Adriana hadn't relaxed at all during the last few minutes. She couldn't. Years ago, after she separated from Vin, she and her traveling companion had met up with a ... strange person.
That was the only way to put it. She was uncomfortable with calling the woman a witch, as her companion did, because she really didn't know who or what the woman was, and calling her a witch was disrespectful to a woman who was simply different from herself. Did she have powers of divination? That was still being decided, but the years Adriana rode with Vin taught her not to dismiss something, just because she didn't understand it. A lesson which kept cropping over the years.
Adriana and her companion, Athelstan, had saved the life of this woman's grandchild, and the woman wanted to thank them both. Not wanting to hurt the woman's feelings, both agreed. Besides, if the woman did have abilities beyond those of the natural world, it would be a very bad idea to make her angry or offend her. That was only common sense. It was from that woman that Adriana learned that while Athelstan was using her (something she had known all along ... she was using him, too), he cared more for her than he had ever cared for any other woman. Something she hadn't known.
She remembered Athelstan turning absolutely white at that announcement, which told Adriana the woman was telling the truth. And if she was right about that ... couldn't she be right about what she told Adriana next? That she was ... now, what was the word she used? Adriana couldn't remember. Just that she had the gift to draw and collect energy ... and then focus it. Adriana never thought about it, but when the woman mentioned it ...
Athelstan had laughed that part off, though very uneasily ... the sort of laughter which said a man believed in what was being said, even if he didn't want to admit it. The old woman was talking about magic, for heaven's sake, and Adriana was far too smart to believe in that! Adriana countered by reminding him that she had survived when she probably should have died. Did magic keep her alive, or her determination?
Athelstan had no answer. He was a logical, rational Englishman who had no use for such things. But in the last few years, ever since arriving in the West, he had seen things he couldn't explain. Adriana knew this, and pressed her advantage. She collected all of her energy, and focused on surviving ... on escaping. And she did. Athelstan had no answer for that, either. Especially not after she pointed out the other part of the old woman's statement. She wasn't saying that the old woman was right ... but it bore thinking about.
Now, if Adriana could make that work for herself ... why couldn't she make it work for Vin? The old woman told her that tears and laughter were closely connected, and that laughter was a form of energy. Therefore, it followed that it could be directed. Taking what Laertes told her about laughter, why shouldn't she at least try it? She would trust Chris, that Jackson wouldn't do anything to hurt Vin ... but maybe a little extra ... help ... wouldn't be a bad thing.
She reached out and took Mary's hand, and maintained the contact she had with Chris. Mary's hand tightened around her own, giving back the strength which Adriana had given her earlier. Adriana wondered briefly what Athelstan would have made of the contradiction that was Mary Travis, then dismissed it from her mind. The brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She focused her attention on Vin. Live, old friend. You're home, and you still don't know it. That was another part of her discomfort the previous night.
Vin was home. He belonged here. Whether he realized it or not, he had people who loved him, a family. Which forced Adriana to make a choice. While Vin belonged here, she wasn't sure she did. Moreover, while she would have no problems taking the slings and arrows of the townspeople (she had done it before, after all), she was unwilling to subject Laura to that. (Unlike your mother, you mean? a voice asked inside her head).
She ignored that, and focused once more on Vin. This time, she had no problem sending the energy drawn from both Mary and Chris. The love, though Chris would have shot her, little sister or not, if he heard her say that. She didn't know if it worked, but again, it was something she had to at least try. And she didn't know that it could hurt him. Vin always told her that if there was a chance she could hurt someone, with the end result being a healing, she should take that chance. Well, now she was putting that lesson to good use.
It never occurred to her, as she concentrated, that what she was doing now was no different from what she had been doing, all the time Vin was unconscious after the rescue. Willing him to live, willing him to fight. At times, even willing him to breath, when it seemed like he was on the point of giving up ... of letting go. Then again, she hadn't heard Laertes tell Chris Larabee about her constant vigil at Vin's side. Giving her own strength to him. Nothing had changed, between then and now.
Or ... maybe something had. There was more strength to spare this time. She knew she wasn't the only one who cared about Vin. There was Chris ... JD. Ezra. Josiah. She still didn't trust her brother or the healer. But there was also Mary. Her father in law, her son. Nettie Welles. Her niece Casey. Gloria Potter, her two children. Where there was once just Adriana, Laertes, and Laura ... now, there were so many more. This time ... she wasn't alone.
The rage now flowing through JD Dunne's soul was unlike he had ever felt before. Not even when he returned to town, weeks earlier, with Josiah and Chris to find Vin gone, had he been this angry. Not even when he realized that his best friend, his mentor, his big brother, had betrayed him. He didn't know what was different this time. Maybe, because this attack on Vin happened while JD was in town, and Vin had been hurt protecting JD's girl.
He didn't know, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was finding whoever had attacked Vin, and ... making him pay. JD knew that Chris wanted the bastard alive, and JD had every intention of returning the man who tried to take Casey, and returning him alive. JD hadn't promised that he wouldn't hurt him. He hadn't made any such promise. He had no way of knowing it, but the rage surging through him was similar to the rage Buck felt when he encountered Duval at the insane asylum.
JD rode like a demon at Buck's side, not even focusing on keeping Buck at a distance. On the way out of town, they were met by Josiah, who was coming in off patrol. He told them of seeing a man on horseback, riding hell-bent for leather. The way he was traveling led Josiah to fear for his friends in town, and the big man sped up, heading for home. He was able to tell JD and Buck which direction he was traveling ... and gave them a description of the horse he was riding. That was the other thing that clued Josiah in that something was wrong. He recognized the horse which was stolen. He knew it was stolen, because it belonged to someone in town.
So, he was a horse thief, a kidnapper, and a low-down murderer. Stop that, JD told himself, you don't know Vin's dead. But he had looked so ... JD pulled his mind away from his last sight of his friend, with Chris and the judge carrying him into Mary's home. His face almost waxy from blood loss and pain. How long had it been since the attack? Why had Vin gone after them himself, why hadn't he awakened Chris?
Stop that! You're talking as if this is Vin's fault! You're talking as if he's dead, and he ain't! JD refused to accept that after everything they had gone through in the last few months, they would lose Vin now. And then that was driven from his mind by Buck's growled, "There." JD looked in the direction Buck was indicating, and saw the horse which Josiah described.
With a wild cry of rage and triumph, JD spurred his horse forward, easily outrunning Buck. The young sheriff focused only on taking down the filthy bastard who put his hands on JD's girl, who had tried to kill Vin. Even if Buck had tried to call him back, JD would have never heard him. Within seconds, he was alongside the horse thief. He swung one leg over the head of his horse ... then sprung, knocking the other man from his stolen ride.
They hit the ground hard, and JD indulged himself with a blow to the bastard's jaw before rolling off his prey, hissing, "Get up! Get up, you miserable piece of shit, get up!" The man stumbled awkwardly to his feet, and JD knocked him down again with another punch to his jaw. This time, the man fell to his knees, shaking his head to clear it. JD grabbed him by the kerchief, hauling him to his feet, before landing a savage blow to his gut.
He would have beaten the man to death. Looking back even days later, JD knew he would have beaten him to death, if Buck hadn't grabbed him and physically pulled him away. JD fought like a wildcat, but Buck hissed, "I wanna kill that bastard, too, JD! But we can't be thinking of ourselves right now, we gotta think of Vin. We gotta take this piece of shit back, so we can find out who's after us and why! JD!"
Unbidden, a memory rose in JD's mind. The burned out remains of the prison camp, outside Pordios. Yes, Buck and Nathan had betrayed Vin, but there was another, even greater enemy. This man was the key to that enemy. JD nodded once and Buck released him. JD grabbed the still-hunched over would-be kidnapper and hauled him to his feet, growling, "You get to live a little longer, asshole. Chris Larabee has a few questions to ask you."
His prisoner spat at his feet and JD found the man yanked out of his hands by a seriously pissed off Buck Wilmington. The big man sneered, "You know, we could always drop you off a cliff and tell Chris you fell. He don't really want you alive ... he just wants the pleasure of killing you for himself ... for laying a finger on one of his. You tried to kill Vin, you tried to kidnap Casey, and Chris ain't in a very good mood."
"I never laid a finger on Tanner ... " the man started to protest, but was cut off when Buck punched him hard in the stomach, effectively silencing him. He doubled over, gagging, and Buck spun him around, so that he had a hold of the thief's collar. Buck started dragging him to his own horse, giving JD a few, precious minutes to bring himself under control. The young sheriff took a deep breath, closing his eyes.
The rage he felt scared him, as few things did. And he didn't know what scared him more. The rage he felt, or just seeing Vin ... like that. Knowing that even as they were getting him to safety, they were causing him more pain. A flash of seeing Vin alive on the porch of the Townsend ranch ... alive, but barely able to stand upright. Clad only in trousers and a blanket which Laertes had wrapped around his shoulders. So pale, so fragile.
And fragile was never a term he associated with Vin Tanner. Except one time. When Eli Joe had fallen to his death, and taken Vin's best chance to clear his name with him to the grave. Vin had absolutely no defenses then, and that had haunted JD ever since.
Buck finished securing their horse thief to the horse he had stolen and turned to JD as the young man remounted. He asked softly, "You okay, kid?" JD nodded a bit numbly. Even though he wasn't okay. He was still so angry. Frightened by his anger, and made even angrier by his fear. He was a man, dammit, not a boy. A man who had feared only moments earlier that a friend, a brother, would die in his arms. And JD hated that part of him which shook at that knowledge. He couldn't lose any of them. Not even Buck.
Buck continued, unaware of the minute softening in the young man who had ridden with him to avenge their friend, "Let's get back to town, then. Let Chris question this sonuvabitch, then check on Vin." JD nodded, turning his horse back toward town. There was silence for several moments, then Buck said, "I wanted to kill him, too, JD. Just like I wanted to kill that pig Duval. At ... that other place." JD looked at Buck, frowning, and the big man continued, his voice halting, "He ... put his hands on Adriana."
Put his ... ? Oh God. JD stared at Buck, horrified, and the other man nodded slowly. He continued, his voice growing tight, "I didn't know that, when I was pounding the hell out of him. I only knew he was insulting my baby sister, callin' her crazy when she was as sane as anyone I ever knew. Later ... God help me, JD. If I'd known that he ... touched her ... put his filthy hands on her ... I woulda killed him."
Venom dripped from each word as Buck gazed over at JD. He repeated in a soft voice, "I woulda killed him. And I woulda enjoyed doin' it. Because one thing you don't never do ... " He couldn't finish. But he didn't have to. Buck turned his attention back to the hunched-over thief, and shoved him almost off his horse, hissing, "You don't never go after a woman, you worthless piece of shit!"
If he hadn't been so angry, JD would have laughed. It was so ... it was such a Buck thing to say. A little more of the wall around his heart crumbled as he listened to Buck ranting about what their prisoner had done. Only cowards used women as shields, and you didn't use a woman to make her man dance to your tune. That was a surefire way to bring the Seven down on your head, even if the woman wasn't one of theirs. But what this man had done ... he hadn't just tried to take Casey. He also hurt Vin, and JD couldn't say what enraged him more.
Despite having both hands tied to the pommel, the man managed to stay upright on the horse and he fired back, "I didn't have no intention of hurtin' her!" JD just glared at him, and the man continued, "I didn't! I never expected Tanner to show up ... he was still real weak yesterday, when y'all got in. And I didn't do nothin' to Tanner. I heard him yell to the girl to get Larabee, and there weren't no way I was stickin' around."
"There were only two people in the stables," Buck said in a low voice, "you and Vin. So don't even try to tell us that Vin hurt himself. Now shut up and keep ridin.' Or next time, I won't stop the boy, if he decides to take ya off yer horse." The man started to reply, looking at Buck's darkly furious face, then decided against it. First smart thing he had done. Evidently, their mysterious opponent didn't care about the intelligence of his lackeys. Buck said quietly as they rode toward town, "We drop him off at the jail, then we see about Vin."
JD nodded his agreement. He wanted to see how Vin was, then he would go back to the jail, and see about getting some information out of this worthless pile of manure. As they rode toward town, JD focused on what he would do, once Chris was finished with their prisoner. He allowed his always-vivid imagination free rein. But despite his worry for Vin, not once did he allow himself to think about seeing his friend. Not when there was vengeance to be had.
It hurt when Vin flinched away from him. In part because of the rejection, and partly because of the pain which Nathan saw in Vin's eyes at the motion. He also saw Vin force himself to relax, thinking about God only knew what. Why had he fought as long as he did? Nathan knew Vin Tanner, and he knew when he was fighting off an injury or unconsciousness. What was so important to him that he wouldn't let go?
Never mind that now. Nathan, all too aware of Adriana Wilmington's fierce glare, set to work. He flinched as he washed the knife wound out. It wasn't a sharp knife which had done this to his friend. Not dull, as such, but not sharp. And it was dirty. Which meant there was a good chance, even with Nathan washing out the wound, that it would get infected. Then he would wait to stitch it up. For now, wash it out and get it as clean as he could.
In the meantime, he would pack the wound with bandages. Nathan called softly, "Chris, I need yer help." Chris gently eased the still-glaring Adriana from his lap, and from the corner of his eye, Nathan noticed that Mary Travis never released the brunette's hand. Chris approached and Nathan said quietly, "I need ya to lift him up, so I can wrap his ribs. I ain't stitchin' the wound, not 'til I know it's clean."
Chris nodded his agreement and slipped around Nathan. He sat down on the bed beside Vin, gently lifting the tracker into a sitting position. Vin groaned under his breath, but remained unconscious. There was a quick glance between Chris and Nathan, and Chris kept his arms around his best friend to keep him upright. Nathan worked quickly, carefully wrapping the strips of cloth around Vin's waist.
At last, he tied off the tourniquet and nodded to Chris, who gently lay Vin back against the pillows. Nathan stared at the gunfighter's face as Chris put his hand on Vin's bare shoulder. Larabee's jaw was tightly clenched, indicating both suppressed fear and suppressed rage. Nathan almost felt sorry for whoever had stabbed Vin. Almost. Nathan turned his attention back to the unconscious tracker. Chris leaned over and whispered something to his best friend, giving his shoulder one final squeeze, then released him. Nathan looked away. It was never easy, seeing Chris like this. Because you just never knew when the storm was gonna break.
What was worse was the storm inside Nathan. He remembered his conversation with Josiah the previous night, and as Chris walked heavily back to the two women, Nathan leaned over and said softly, "It don't matter how many times ya push me away, Vin Tanner. I'll come right back. Ya can yell at me, can ignore me, can hate me. Hell, I hate myself. But I ain't never gonna leave ya again. I'll always be right here."
He reached down and picked up one of Vin's hands, lying at his side, and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then, Nathan reached down and carefully arranged the blanket around Vin's body. He looked up at Chris, Mary, and Adriana, saying softly, "I cleaned it up as best I could. But it was a dirty knife, and not real sharp. There's still a chance it's gonna git infected. That's why I wrapped it, instead a' stitching it."
Chris answered, "I've got Buck and JD out looking for the bastard now. The judge told me he would have someone searching the stables for the knife. Mary, Adriana ... you'll be here?" Both women nodded and Chris continued, "All right. Nathan, finish cleaning up, then I want you with me. We have other work to do." Nathan nodded and started putting his tools away, wondering what Chris wanted him to do.
Larabee went on, addressing the two women, "You know what to look for, how to change the dressing, right?" Nathan assumed the pair nodded, for Chris went on, "All right. Buck and JD should be back, I want to check with them, see what they were able to find. Josiah should also be off patrol by now, I'll be checking in with him. I'll let you know what Buck and JD found, if anything."
"Let Casey know ... and please, Chris, tell her this isn't her fault. The poor girl has been blaming herself ever since she came to find you," Mary said softly. Chris nodded, tipping his hat to both women, then left the room. Mary turned to Adriana and said softly, "If I understood you properly earlier, we both have nursing experience. We'll work in shifts, I think. Maybe one person to sit with Vin?"
Nathan smiled to himself, realizing that he had been forgotten ... and that it didn't even bother him. The two women were still making plans as he left, Adriana saying, "I think shifts would be the way to go ... maybe get Mrs. Welles and Casey to help? Casey needs to do that, I think ... " Nathan followed Chris from the room, the conversation between the two women still echoing behind him.
Chris stopped long enough to reassure the two children, who were waiting anxiously in the sitting room, then he stepped onto the porch. He and Nathan found Judge Travis there, and Chris said without preamble, "The ladies are lookin' out for Vin. Do you know if Josiah is back from patrol yet?" The judge nodded, looking anxious, and Chris continued, "I need you to ... " The gunfighter stopped and thought it through.
Nathan knew exactly what Chris was trying to say. He wasn't a sworn officer of the law, like JD was, or Buck was once. But he was still a man who believed in justice ... and a man who knew that justice didn't always equal the law. He wasn't the only one who knew.
"You have my blessing to get the answers you need, Chris ... in whatever manner you see fit," Judge Travis answered. Nathan glanced at the leader of the Seven, and saw a faint smile appear. The judge continued after a moment, "I'm delaying my business out of town. I want this threat neutralized. I want to know who hired these men, I want to know who has targeted you. Taking down Judge Avery Wilmington can wait a few weeks more."
"His daughter has waited for justice for ten years, Judge. Another two weeks won't matter to her," Chris replied. There was another long silence, then Chris added, "He's strong, Judge. You know that. And you know that regardless of whether you tripped or not, that won't change anything." Tripped? What the hell was Chris talking about? The judge didn't answer at first ... Nathan could see his jaw clenching.
"He's strong, Chris, but every man has his limits. He's still recovering from almost dying, and now this. I want whoever is behind this. I want the man who thinks he can target my ch ... my men ... and get away with it. I want to see what kind of coward hires other men and doesn't even tell them why he wants a job done, much less what his own name is. I want someone to pay for this, and I'll happily take some of that payment out of the hide of this new lackey," Judge Travis answered.
Nathan stared at the Judge in amazement. Where did that come from? Judge Travis wasn't just disgusted with their opponent ... no, Nathan was seeing genuine hatred and rage coming from the usually composed judge. Chris replied, "We'll get him, Judge. It may take time, but we'll get him. Because this is the same kind of coward who tells a little boy that he's the devil and that he'll kill his mother if the child tells who killed his father."
And there it was. What the judge had been holding back. He hadn't meant to say 'men' at all ... but 'children.' As Chris had said, this was the same kind of men who had killed Stephen Travis years earlier. Stephen Travis died because of land deeds. Nathan asked softly, "What if we're lookin' at somethin' similar? Not something which we found out, but something you found out, Judge? What if this is a vendetta against you?"
The judge turned his head to look at Nathan, answering slowly, "Then let him come to me himself. I don't believe that's the case, Mr. Jackson. I believe this mysterious opponent of ours has targeted the Seven for a very specific reason. And I believe that Chris and Vin, specifically, have been targeted. You can't tell me you haven't noticed that each time this opponent has attacked, Chris and Vin have been the most directly affected."
And that was true. As a matter of fact, Nathan hadn't noticed ... but now that the judge mentioned it, he was right. Browner had been freed from prison, and one of the first people whom he hired was Daniel Neely, who had a grudge against Vin. Now, this. Nathan believed in coincidences, up to a point ... and that line had just been crossed. While the entire Seven suffered as a result of the choice Nathan and Buck made, there was no denying Chris and Vin had been the most directly affected. Not just because of Nathan's untruth.
Which left the questions ... who was behind it, and why?
Those questions would have to wait until they had other answers. Chris observed quietly as Buck and JD rode into town with a third man, "Well, well ... it looks like their little hunting expedition went better than I expected. Nathan, you're with me. And ... keep your knives handy. Judge, it's up to you." Nathan didn't know what his leader meant, not right away. Not until the judge stepped off the porch and joined Nathan and Chris.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world, Chris. Let's find out what this coward knows about his employer," Orrin W Travis replied, falling into step between the leader and the healer. As they headed toward the jail, Nathan found himself wondering if he was imagining it ... or if another piece of the fractured Seven had been put back into place. He resolved not to think about that right now ... right now, they had work to do.
Feedback to Author