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:Language, references to violence and other unpleasantness. Original characters abound (if you've read SG-7 series, the character of Dawn Jackson has been translated into Aurora Hutchins). Also, Buck and Nathan are very, very bad boys. You have been warned. Special thanks to Cin, and she knows why.
These stories are set after Serpents, so you'll probably find references to all of the episodes, at one time or another.
Continues: Road to Hell : Recovery.
Special thanks to Cin, for betaing for me and for her unflagging support.
"So. Now what?"
Chris Larabee looked up as Ezra Standish appeared at his table. The gambler didn't look fully awake, but Chris asked him to be here at a specific time in the morning, and the Southerner seemed determined not to squander the chance Chris had given him. Chris gestured for Standish to have a seat ... they were still waiting on JD and Josiah. As Chris decided when they first entered Pordios earlier in the week, Buck and Nathan had been left out of the loop.
"We're still waiting for the kid and Josiah. You find out anything new?" Chris asked as the Southerner settled into his chair. Ezra was up half the night, trying to get information from the locals about the ranch house where Vin was taken after his rescue. In the meantime, Chris rode around the territory, widening his search in a radius around the town. He was trying to get a feel for how long it would take them to reach the ranch house from anywhere.
That had occupied his mind a lot, especially after Josiah raised the possibility that the men responsible for Vin's poisoning might have come to Pordios after the fire, to make sure Vin was really dead. In other words, those bastards could still be at large, and still dangerous. If that was the case, Chris wanted to be prepared for trouble from them, trouble from the bounty hunters, if they were still alive ... as well as trouble from Adriana, once they reached the house.
"Not particularly. Did find out that Miss Adriana scares the hell out of the locals. It's the considered opinion of the adults that the young lady is a demon from hell, in the guise of a human being. The children say something altogether different. Myself, I find the testimony of a child far more plausible than that of an overwrought adult, particularly when it comes to a woman of questionable virtue," Ezra replied.
Larabee's green eyes narrowed, and Standish explained, "It seems that in addition to her habit of rescuing wrongly imprisoned trackers, Miss Adriana also has been known to shelter working girls on the run from malefactors. That would stand to reason, since she was raised in a brothel. But there is something else you must know, Chris. There are ... rumors ... about town. About what happened to Miss Adriana ten years ago, when she disappeared from her home."
"What ... sort ... of ... rumors?"
Ezra continued, almost reluctantly, "I spoke to a child. About three months ago, she was abducted by miscreants during a robbery. Used as leverage." Chris nodded, though he was disgusted by anyone who would use a child. Ezra continued, "A few hours after her abduction, the child was rescued. By Miss Adriana and her ... and Laertes. The creature who abducted her died, while the young lady and Laertes returned her to town. She was left inside a church, where her parents found her."
So? Chris didn't understand what Ezra was getting at. The Southerner continued, "The child, Lucy by name, explained that while they were riding back to town, Miss Adriana told her that when she was only a few years older than Lucy, she, too, was taken. And she warned her that those people of color weren't the only ones who found themselves enslaved. She warned Lucy of one person in specific. A large black man named Gideon."
People of color ... slavery. Chris didn't make the connection, not at first. Then it hit him. Chris found it hard to breathe. Ezra said, putting it into words, albeit very reluctantly, "It is to be assumed, from Miss Lucy's narrative, that your young surrogate sister was sold to white slavers when you lost track of her, all those years ago. And ... that the one who delivered her to those malefactors ... was a man of color."
"Then things are gonna get nasty, if she sees Nathan. She already has reason to dislike him. I had another talk with your friend Miss Aurora. She told me that Laertes knows Nathan is among those who decided to turn Vin over to the bounty hunters," Josiah said, sitting down at the table with them. Chris acknowledged the arrival of the big man with a nod of his head and a grunt. Things were looking worse by the moment. But from the moment they arrived in town, that was the case.
They arrived in town three days earlier, and immediately got checked into the hotel. They ate, then started discussing what information they would need. First and foremost, they needed to find out more about Adriana Wilmington and the man who helped her rescue Vin, Laertes. They learned that she was considered barely more than a savage, as she often helped the local Indian reservations. That piece of information sent Josiah to the reservations in question, hoping for information from them. If need be, he was prepared to ask help from Koje, though the man came from a different tribe.
Following Ezra's information, Chris rode within sight of the ranch house. It wasn't anything spectacular, but he could find plenty of places where a sniper could take out an attacker. It was a home which could be defended. Whoever chose it, chose well. With Josiah gathering information about Adriana at the reservation, and Ezra gathering intelligence from the adults in town, that left JD. Needless to say, the youngster was champing at the bit to help somehow.
While Ezra quickly gained the trust of the children, the adults didn't fully trust him around their children. JD, on the other hand, was often described as 'sweet' and 'innocent.' Luckily, JD didn't hear that. The boy was still trying to prove himself, and neither word were descriptions desired by any gunslinger. But he did like children, and they liked him. Thus, the parents didn't mind JD being around their little darlings.
Now, all four were gathered at the table, ready to begin. Chris had pieced together a very disturbing picture. A year earlier, Adriana escaped from the asylum, under strange circumstances. A matter of weeks after her escape, Laertes found her on the verge of collapse and took her in, cared for her until she regained her strength. The locals turned their backs on her, and she responded by rescuing their children and the odd working girl.
There were also stories that she helped a number of other inmates escape from the hell she survived. That wasn't what disturbed Chris. Rather, it was the bitterness which now seemed to mark the personality of his little sister. He knew a few things about bitterness, about how it ate away at you. God knew, she had every right to be angry, but Chris was starting to fear that there would be no way they could reach Adriana.
Josiah said it best. She was a reasonable person, but what happened to her was the furthest thing from reasonable anyone could imagine. As Chris listened to the information he received over the last three days, he grew ever more sure that Buck deserved to find out that his sister was alive ... when he saw her. And he was just as angry with himself. He failed Adriana, just as he failed Vin. That was what kept pushing him forward, when he faltered by thinking about how he would make it up to them ... the knowledge that first, he had to reach them before he could win back the trust of either young person.
"I have an idea about how we might be able to win Miss Adriana's trust," Josiah said when it seemed like no one would start the meeting. Chris looked at the big man, startled, and Josiah explained, "There is a little girl living with her. Laura. Aurora also told me that Laura was abandoned at the prison camp by her parents when she was about three years old. She's around six now. Anyhow, she's mute ... she'll laugh and even squeal when Laertes spins her around. But she don't talk."
"I still don't see why we can't just ring the front door, say we're friends of Vin, we'd like to see him," JD said. He had said that before. The kid didn't understand yet that while Adriana had saved Vin, and was still a decent person, she was damn unpredictable. Chris couldn't take a chance with her life, Vin's, or the lives of his men. JD sat forward, saying, "Look. I know all of you think I'm just the kid, and maybe I am. But we don't want to hurt Vin. We just want to make sure he's okay. We just want to see him."
"But Adriana has no way of knowing that. And like I said before, kid, she's unpredictable. Think about it, JD. How would you feel if you were sold to white slavers when you were fifteen ... you escaped, and not even ten years later, you were abandoned by the only family you had at an insane asylum. She's got no way ... no reason to trust us! We gotta earn her trust," Chris explained impatiently.
"I know that, Chris! But what Josiah is suggestin' is usin' a little girl. That's just gonna make her mad! It makes me mad, and I ain't been through the kinda hell she has. You say we gotta earn her trust ... we ain't gonna do that if we go behind her back! It ain't honest!" JD retorted. Chris looked at Ezra, who was regarding the boy thoughtfully. Josiah was also considering what JD had said.
"The boy has a point. That mean you're volunteerin' to talk to the girl, John Dunne?" Josiah asked. JD just sighed, and Chris had the distinct impression that they were severely irritating the youngster. Josiah continued, "Aurora told me the same thing she told Ezra. We all show up, and she's likely to blow us in half." JD was shaking his head, his dark eyes filled with a knowledge none of them seemed to have.
"She told me that Adriana said she would blow us in half if we tried to take Vin. If we tell her that we just want to talk to him, that we'll leave if he wants us to ... and we will. I mean, we ain't sure how much Vin remembers. He may think we all turned against him," JD said. Chris thought it over. Yes, his information said Adriana had become angry and bitter, but she was always gentle with children, even when she was a child herself. A little girl was living with her now. Would Adriana really frighten a child under these circumstances?
Chris didn't think so. He asked, "Josiah, what are you hearing from the tribes? What kind of opinion have the chief and the shaman formed?" The preacher sat back in his seat, still considering JD's words. Chris looked at Ezra next. Whether the gambler knew it or not, he would be the deciding vote. Ezra had a sense about these things. But as he looked at the Southerner, he had an idea of what the man would say. He agreed with JD.
"She's got a powerful amount of rage in her, brother Chris. They agree on that. They just don't agree on how she should be dealing with it. They also agreed on something else. Earning her trust. She don't hold well with liars, which may be why Miss Aurora is tellin' us one thing one day, and tellin' us somethin' entirely different the next, accordin' to who's doin' the askin.' If she's an ally to Miss Adriana, she may be doin' this deliberately. Testin' us," Josiah observed. It was something that hadn't occurred to Chris, but it made sense. When Adriana was younger, she often demanded passwords to make sure it was really Chris, or someone who was supposed to be around.
"I agree. Lyin' to this girl would be the single most foolish mistake we could make. We must decide how to approach the homestead, without getting our heads removed from the rest of our bodies," Ezra observed. Again, however, JD was clearly impatient with the men around him, as he started shaking his head in disgust. Ezra eyed the young man, asking, "There is somethin' you wish to add, Mr. Dunne?"
"Yeah! You're making this way too complicated! I say we just walk up to the porch, knock on the door, and announce ourselves. You're acting as if this lady is like Ella Gaines. Sorry, Chris. But she ain't! She's somebody who's been hurt," JD sighed. Chris ran his face over his hand. That's right. She had been hurt. Which was exactly why they had to be so careful. He wanted to make sure they got as far as her front porch.
"Yes, John Dunne, she has been hurt. We will be on her property, so if we're on her property, against her wishes, she would have every right to shoot us all, and no one be the wiser. What Chris is trying to say is, how do we announce our presence without getting our heads blown off? I told you, she's got a powerful amount of rage in her. And right now, that's topped off with righteous indignation. Far as she's concerned, we hurt her friend. She ain't gonna be real forgiving," Josiah explained.
"Oh. I didn't think of that," JD said, sounding sheepish. Chris sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. The kid's heart was in the right place, but Larabee's job, as leader, to consider all possibilities. The question was, while Adriana wouldn't have shot first and asked questions later when he knew her, the last decade wrought terrible changes in her. He didn't even know if she was still the girl he loved so much.
"We can sit here and debate until the end of time, and it ain't gonna get us nowhere. I can't speak for the rest of ya, but I say Vin is worth the risk," Chris said finally. That was what it came down to. They had come this far. They had spent three days gathering information, learning what they could. It was time to make a decision ... it was time for action. He looked at his men. All that was left of the team which was once known as the Magnificent Seven.
"He's worth it, and more," JD almost growled. Chris nodded. He thought that would be JD's response. JD tried to keep the fake marshal Yates from taking Vin from Four Corners. 'That's Vin Tanner, ma'am,' he told Mary Travis when she reminded JD that Yates was a marshal. Something Mary knew very well. But she also knew that getting himself killed wouldn't help Vin, either.
"You know what I think, Chris. That boy believed in me. Had no reason in the world to believe that I didn't kill that girl. But he believed in me and stuck by me. Like JD said. He's worth it, and a helluva lot more," Josiah said quietly. Again, Chris expected that answer. He saw the way Josiah's relationship with Vin changed after that incident. Chris remembered the way he patted Vin's shoulder after the young sharpshooter was forced to kill a bandit, trying for that blood money. That left Ezra.
The gambler said quietly, "You know I abhor gambling, and leaving things to chance. But it seems to me, we have no choice this time. Life is a risk, my friends ... particularly when human emotions are involved. I choose to believe that Miss Adriana will be more reasonable, perhaps a foolish risk ... but that's a risk I must take. What time do you desire to leave in the morning, Mr. Larabee?" Chris released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"We leave at dawn. Josiah, I want you to tell Jackson and Wilmington tonight that we're leaving in the morning. Ezra, I want you to hold another meeting with Aurora Hutchins. See what she thinks will happen if we approach Adriana directly, and let her know that we're willing to do things on her terms," Chris said. He wasn't used to having to do things on other people's terms. He didn't like it. But this was one time, he really didn't have a choice. Besides, Chris justified it this way to himself. After he let Vin and Adriana down so badly, it was only right that he should do this on her terms, and on Vin's.
"What about me, Chris?" JD inquired anxiously. Chris regarded the boy thoughtfully. Josiah said JD was the key to getting Vin back. That even if Vin decided he could no longer trust Chris or Josiah, or Ezra, he would still trust JD. With that in mind, Chris said now, "You have the most important job of us all, JD. When we get there tomorrow morning, you'll be the one whom Vin will trust. And I want you to trust your instincts. If your gut tells you something, listen to it. This is our best hope of getting Vin back."
The boy nodded, his eyes very wide. Chris took a deep breath and said, "All right. This night is yours, gentleman. Enjoy it. But remember, we leave early tomorrow morning." The other three men dispersed, leaving Chris to stare into his glass of whiskey. He had barely touched it. Had spent the time staring at it, as if it would give him answers. But there were no answers. Not this time. Only more questions, and only more uncertainty.
Those days which the fragmented Seven used to gather information, Vin used to regain his strength. He ate what was put in front of him, and he did exactly as he was told, slowly building his muscles back up again. Adriana was tense, waiting each day for an attack that never came. Vin didn't allow himself to think about it too much. To think about what worried her so badly. Laertes was providing her with reserve strength, though she had her own strength.
His body remained weak, after having a fever for so long. It had now been almost two weeks since his rescue, and his memories remained spotty. It took him very little time to realize that the rescue wasn't something Drina wanted to talk about. It hurt her, he understood. He didn't know why it hurt her, but it did, and Vin wasn't willing to do anything that would hurt her. And Laertes wasn't around enough to ask.
He didn't know why that was. Adriana unwittingly provided the answer when she told him that Laertes often scouted around the house, in case some more bounty hunter had heard about the fire and came looking for Vin's body. Once that mystery was solved, Vin turned his attention to the changes in his friend. There were the physical changes, which he noticed immediately. There were other changes which he had not.
She was much angrier than he remembered her. Far more bitter, and far more angry. He didn't blame her for that. Not after being abandoned. But it still hurt him to see. Drina was his first real friend after leaving the Nations. And Vin knew he wasn't being immodest to think that he helped to heal some of the wounds within her soul, wounds caused by being a slave for three years of her life. At the same time, however, it seemed that her time in that hellhole had reopened wounds which they both had thought were healed.
Drina never said so, but Vin had a sick feeling that she was a sex slave at one point. And he had no idea what happened to her in the six months she was in that place. The two weeks he spent in the prison camp was a waking nightmare. Her time must have been a hundred times worse. She was driven, as she never was before. This Drina was much harder, much darker ... far more deadly. She still couldn't shoot worth shit with a rifle, but she was still a dangerous woman.
And yet ... the Drina he remembered was still in there. When she smiled, when she played with Laura. Yes, his Drina was still alive. And maybe she was coming out for the first time in years. Maybe she found it necessary to become hard and dark, in order to survive those years. Once more, Vin cursed himself for leaving her. They should have never separated. He could have found a way to protect her from Eli Joe.
On the fourth day after he regained full consciousness, Vin was lying in bed, dozing. He was reading earlier ... Drina admitted that she knew all along that he couldn't read, but chose not to say anything. Protecting his pride. Of course. Over the months, his reading skills had improved ... Mary was so proud of his progress. Mary. He thought of her, then, for the first time in days, weeks even.
The report of a rifle brought him to full alert, and a slice of pain through his side warned him against any more sudden moves. He collapsed back against his pillows, fighting to breathe. A half second later, a familiar voice called out, "Hello the house!" Chris. Vin's blood ran cold. It was here, then. The confrontation which had so worried Adriana for the last few days. He wondered where she was.
His question was answered a moment later when she fired back, "What do you want, Larabee?" She sounded angry ... defiant. He could just picture her on the front porch, leveling a rifle at Chris. Glaring at him as if he was the devil himself. Vin smiled in spite of himself. Yeah, he could see that picture so clearly. The door to his room opened, and Laura scampered inside. Her small face was pinched with worry, and she scrambled up onto the bed beside Vin.
"We just want to see Vin, little princess. That's all. We just want to see him. We know he's alive, we know you rescued him. We do this on your terms ... however you want to do this," Chris called back. Laura patted Vin's cheeks, her way of reassuring him. Over the last few days, Vin realized he could communicate with her the same way Adriana did, with hand signals. He wondered about that, but decided it wasn't that important.
"How I want to do this? I want to blow your head off, Larabee! You aren't getting any more chances to hurt Vin, do you understand me? He told me everything, Chris, he told me that you allowed that so-called healer of yours to give him up to those bounty hunters! But you know something, I won't start with you ... I'll start with him," Adriana fired back. Laura shuddered, burying her face against Vin's bare shoulder.
"They lied to Vin, little princess! I never said it was all right for them to do that to him! I would have never said that! All we want is a chance to talk to him ... to see him, for ourselves. If he never wants to see us again, that's fine, we'll live with that," Chris replied.
He paused, then added, "We don't have a job no more. The Magnificent Seven don't exist. After Vin was turned over to the bounty hunters, the town turned against us. We came for Vin's body, but Ezra found out that he was still alive. After we see him, we're goin' our separate ways." Vin blinked in shock. What the hell was Larabee talkin' about, the town had turned against them? What did they care? Sure, people like Mary, and Inez, and Mrs. Potter ... Miss Nettie and Casey ... they would care. But the others in town?
The door to his room opened slowly, revealing Laertes. The big man said quietly, "Adriana sent me, son. She says it's up to you. Are you ready to deal with this?" Vin thought about it. Was he ready? No. But he knew Larabee. Chris would just keep coming back and coming back until he got what he wanted. If Vin ever wanted any peace, he had to do this now. And then, once he got more of his strength back, he, Drina, Laertes and Laura would head to Tascosa. Get that straightened out, once and for all. And on his terms.
"I ain't sure I'm strong enough to walk on my own. Ya mind helpin' me out?" Vin asked. By way of an answer, Laertes walked to the bed and gently helped Vin to his feet. The tracker groaned, his legs barely able to hold him. But Laertes didn't let him go ... his hands were sure and strong on Vin's arm and around his waist. Gratefully, Vin leaned against the older man's support, taking deep breaths to fight back the dizziness. Once the room stopped spinning, he nodded to Laertes, who carefully guided him from the room. Laura remained where she was.
Vin hadn't seen much of the house, aside from his room ... and right now, he was too intent on making it to the front door without collapsing. He wanted to face his former friends while he was standing. He didn't want to be carried. He wore only pants ... no socks, shoes, or shirt. He shivered involuntarily, and then felt something being draped about his shoulders. A blanket. Well, that would help somewhat with his dignity.
And then the sun was blazing in his eyes. Vin gasped in pain, shielding his sensitive eyes from the glare. It had been days since he was outside. Laertes moved him forward a little more, until Vin's eyes were shielded by the roof of the porch. And for the first time in weeks, Vin saw his former friends. They were all there. Even Buck and Nathan. His eyes swept over them. Buck and Nathan couldn't look him in the eye. And Ezra ...
A memory hit him then. He was successful in blocking out the memories these last few days, choosing instead to concentrate that energy into healing. But this memory was too powerful to shut away. He was lying on his back in Nathan's clinic, alternately shivering and burning up. What was happening to him? He was dying. But he was hearing a voice ... Vin focused on the voice. Soft. Southern. And a pair of green eyes went with the voice.
"Rest easy, my friend ... I'll find some way of safeguarding you. We'll find another way to protect the town, and you. I give you my word," Ezra whispered, wiping the sweat from Vin's face. Vin tried to ask him what he meant, what was happening, but the words wouldn't come. And then, the tracker returned to the present with a forceful slam. The world dimmed for a moment, and he felt Laertes tightening his arms around Vin's waist, keeping him upright. He heard several concerned voices calling his name.
When the blackness finally cleared, Adriana was growling, "You've seen him. Now you listen to me. Vin decides whether or not he wants to talk to any of you. You've put him through hell, and that's gonna end now." Vin blinked, forcing his eyes open. Chris was staring at him. He looked ... scared. Like he had when Vin had been blowed off the hill by the powderman. Okay, so Vin really hadn't been alright ... he thought at the time he was.
He forced out, "Ezra. Ezra's okay. He ... he tried to stop them." Drina looked at him through the corner of her eye, and he nodded. He looked back at Ezra, whose features held relief and concern at the same time. He saw relief, concern, and hurt in a second pair of eyes. JD. Vin added, "JD's okay, too." And that was it. His body couldn't handle any more. And no longer worried about preserving his dignity, Laertes scooped Vin into his arms, as if Vin was Laura's age, and carried him back to his room.
Through the dizziness which he could no longer fight, Vin heard Drina snap, "Okay, you heard the man. The fancy man and the kid. The rest of you, stay here. Although, Mr. Jackson, you can feel free to approach any time. I'd be more 'n happy to blow you right in half." That was the last thing Vin could remember hearing, as the blackness finally rushed over him, and he felt himself going limp.
DeeDee was alive. His sister was alive. Buck missed most of the argument between his sister and Chris, because he was fighting to stay in the saddle after the shock of seeing his sister on the front porch of the homestead. She was alive. How could this be? She died more than a year earlier, only months before he got to Four Corners. And yet ... there she was. Standing on the porch, leveling a rifle and a glare at all six of them, as if they were evil incarnate.
JD and Ezra disappeared inside, and Chris turned his horse back to the edge of the property. Josiah asked quietly, "You gonna wait, see what the two of them say?" Chris nodded. His eyes met Buck's, and the ladies' man of the Seven realized. Chris knew DeeDee was alive. Knew that she was the woman who helped to rescue Vin. Chris must have seen this understanding in Buck's eyes, for a cold smile appeared and he nodded very slowly.
Numbly, Buck followed the other two to the treeline which marked the edge of the property. Nathan whispered, "Buck? Buck, ya okay? Who was that girl? Chris knew her, do you?" Buck nodded, trying to make sense of it all. It barely occurred to him that Nathan, who hadn't spoken for days, whom Buck had been taking care of, was now taking care of him. DeeDee was alive. The people at the asylum lied to him. She hadn't died. And because he couldn't face her death, he sentenced her to hell. Dear God ... she must hate him.
"She's my little sister, Nathan. Adriana. I've always called her 'DeeDee.' She couldn't say her name properly when she was a baby, just learning to talk. 'DeeDee' was the best she could do. It stuck. You knew, Chris. You knew she was alive," Buck said bitterly, staring at the man in black. Chris dismounted and walked to a tree, easing himself to the ground. He didn't answer Buck, but he didn't need to.
"We wait here. After JD and Ezra are finished in the house, we figure on our next move. Still think ya was right to give up on him, Nathan?" Chris bit out, glaring at the healer. Nathan lowered his head. Buck just sighed, staring at the house where his younger sister had taken Vin after she and the big black man had rescued him. He seemed weak ... but after being sick, after his fever rising once more, that was to be expected.
"Tell me a little more about Miss Adriana when you knew her, brother Chris. Maybe you know something that will help us stay alive, if JD and Ezra fail to convince her and Vin," Josiah suggested. Nathan frowned, looking at Buck as if to say, 'would she really kill us?' Buck nodded. Oh yeah. No question in his mind. He had seen the steadiness of her hands, as well as the hatred in her eyes.
"I met her when she was thirteen. She was tiny and scrappy. Lord, that girl could get into some scrapes! I guess part of it was being the daughter of a working girl. She had a lot more shit she had to take, because she was a girl, and the people who went to the brothel automatically assumed she was a working girl as well. Her mama decided she was destined for better things. She would be a lady. When Adriana was five, her mama started pushing her away. Didn't show her no affection. Acted like she didn't love her no more," Chris replied.
"That right there is gonna cause a powerful amount of rage," Josiah pointed out, "sounds to me that she was abandoned more than once." Buck closed his eyes. He hadn't seen that. He, in his innocence at the time, thought that his mother would be good enough to pick up the slack. And she was. But Dulcie wasn't Adriana's mother, Katrien was, and her mother's abandonment hurt that little girl.
"She was. We actually met because of one of the scrapes she got into. One of the local boys ... guess he was around JD's age ... tried to take liberties with her, as Ezra would say. Thirteen years old, and he's trying to take her innocence. She was giving a pretty good account of herself, 'til his friends showed up. I figured that was a good time to make my presence known," Chris replied.
He laughed, then added, "I didn't know what would happen, once we got rid of 'em. For all I knew, she could have yelled at me for interfering. She didn't. She stood straight and proud at my side until they were all gone ... and then she threw herself into my arms, bawling. One minute, she was a little wildcat ... the next, a terrified child. I didn't know what the hell to do. I just picked her up and carried her home." Buck stared at the other man in surprise. He had never heard that story. Had never even known that Chris met DeeDee before their formal introduction that night. What else hadn't he known about his sister? DeeDee was fifteen when she disappeared. Did Chris know why she disappeared?
Josiah was silent for several moments, then said softly, "That's real interesting." Buck didn't see this would help them, but Josiah's mind worked in strange ways at times. The preacher said quietly, "Brother Chris, whether you realize it or not, I think you just gave us the key. She's angry, no doubt of that. But with anger comes fear. She's afraid of something, and it's not just us. She can handle us. She saw that today, saw we were willing to respect her terms."
Chris nodded, and Josiah continued, "If the lady is willing, I think we should spend the night on her property. Protect her and the others. If one person in town knows that Vin Tanner was in that prison camp before the fire, then others will. And that means, eventually, more bounty hunters will show up. There's still the matter of the bastards who poisoned Vin. If you were right, if they started this to break us up ... "
"Then they're still around. Watching. Waiting," Chris replied and Josiah nodded. Chris went on, "All right. Then this is what we'll do. Ezra will be the one talkin' for us. Assuming he hasn't given her a headache with them fancy words of his." Josiah laughed softly, and Chris murmured, "At least we know Vin is really okay. Weak as a kitten, but okay. And he's willin' to talk. That's a good sign."
"It's also a good sign that he remembers Ezra tryin' to protect him. He ain't just gonna believe us when we tell him that you never agreed he should be turned over to the bounty hunters. Ez and JD, they gotta convince him, and they gotta convince her. I'm glad to see our young brother on the mend," Josiah added quietly. Buck nodded faintly. Yeah, it was. And seeing Vin weak, but alive, and sane, made Buck feel even worse about his betrayal.
His first instinct was now to protect ... to make it up to him. The trouble was, he couldn't. He couldn't make things right by pushing. Chris was right, they had to do this on Vin's terms. Which meant Buck had to stay in the background. He had to let Ezra and JD build the first bridges. They were still seven. The question in Buck's mind was, were they still Seven? Once they got back to town, back to Four Corners, would they still have a job?
Chris said, "I got a wire from the judge yesterday, after the meeting ended. Said to take as long as we need. He wants as much of the team back together again as possible. Also said Mary spread it around town that Vin was still alive within five minutes of my first wire." Josiah grinned and Chris said, "I can't blame her. She, and Gloria Potter ... Inez ... Nettie and Casey. They would have wanted to know. Just hope she don't end up sending more trouble our way."
"If more trouble comes our way, brother Chris, it would have come, regardless of Miss Mary's actions. Reckon we still have a job, if Vin is willing to give us a second chance," Josiah said and Chris nodded with a smile. Buck looked away again. Eventually, Vin would accept that Chris never even knew the bounty hunters were in town, much less that they were threatening the town. Eventually, he would accept that Nathan had lied to him about that.
But even if Vin forgave Ezra, JD, Josiah and Chris ... he would never forgive Nathan and Buck. The anger might die in time, but he would never trust them again. And yet, Buck couldn't bring himself to leave, even now. He should leave. He knew that.
Buck, like Nathan, no longer had a future in Four Corners without the Seven. No one would ever trust either of them again. But Buck realized that he couldn't run away this time. The last time he ran away, he left his sister in hell. She was another who would never forgive him. No. No, Buck would stay. He would accept the consequences of his actions. And maybe ... maybe one day, he would be forgiven as well.
Chris felt his heart stop when Vin's legs gave way. After everything which had happened in the last few days ... did they really come this far to watch Vin die? But Laertes caught him, kept him from hitting the ground. Laertes caught him, and Chris failed to do the same. Not because the girl he considered a little sister was aiming a rifle and a glare at him, but because Chris had given up the right to stand at Vin's side.
After answering Josiah's questions about Adriana, and gaining new insight to his little sister through those questions, Chris replayed the confrontation in his mind. He wanted more clues into what was driving her, aside from her rage. Granted, that was enough, but there was something else preying on his mind. If Ezra was right, Adriana was sold to white slavers when she was barely more than a child. Now that Chris thought about it, he realized that her disappearance coincided with the appearance of the father shared by Buck and Adriana.
He was vaguely aware of Buck stewing in his own juices about seeing his sister again. The gunslinger didn't care to think about how the other man reacted to seeing Adriana again, after all these years. He just knew how it hit him, and he knew ahead of time that she was still alive. She looked older ... tired. She was ten years older and ten years harder. From what he could tell, there was none of the laughter he remembered left in her. Only rage and righteous indignation. Only pain from being sold by her father? Chris wouldn't know until she relaxed her guard, and that didn't seem likely at the moment.
How many times was she abandoned in her life? Too many times to think about, really. She was abandoned by her mother, most likely sold to white slavers by her own father, then abandoned again by himself and Buck nearly two years earlier. To make matters worse, she believed they had abandoned her friend. Chris still didn't know how Vin knew Adriana, how they hooked up, but that didn't matter.
What did matter was Vin himself, as well as Chris winning back Adriana's trust and respect. Vin. Chris closed his eyes, seeing Vin's body slump once more toward the ground. The tracker looked wiped out as well. He'd lost weight ... weight he couldn't afford to lose. No wonder he was shivering, with only that blanket to warm him. And he was pale, frighteningly so.
Chris was too far away to see his eyes, but he could imagine there were dark circles bruising the skin there. Laertes was the only thing keeping him upright. And when Vin collapsed, before forcing out that Ezra tried to stop Buck and Nathan ... Chris cried out his friend's name. If he could have moved, if he hadn't felt paralyzed by his guilt, he would have been up on that porch in a heartbeat, helping Laertes to support Vin.
But Chris was far too aware of the consequences his actions might have. To Vin, to Adriana, to himself. So he stayed where he was, unable to look away from Vin's nearly limp body until he was upright once more. Then, and only then, could he look at Adriana. In the past, he heard people speak about looking into hell when they looked into his eyes. Chris now understood what they meant, because he saw that same hell in Adriana's eyes.
Once they reached the treeline, Chris overheard Nathan ask Buck if Adriana would have really killed them. Yes. She would have. To protect Vin, to avenge him ... if they made a move she didn't like, she would have killed them. But Chris had no intention of giving her a reason. He was walking a delicate tightrope, warring with himself. Just as he had warred with himself the second time Vin collapsed ... this time, Laertes caught him and swung him into his arms.
Chris again wanted to go to his friend. But he knew what would happen if he did that. Vin wasn't ready to deal with him, and Adriana would regard any movement by someone not chosen by Vin as a threat. He had to proceed with caution. Curiously, he didn't blame Adriana for her reaction. Even a year earlier, he might have. But she had no reason to trust them. Any of them. She would only allow Ezra and JD into the house because Vin said they were okay.
Where were they? What was going on in there? He hadn't heard any shots, so he didn't think Adriana shot either of them. Though JD and Ezra could both try the patience of a saint separately, and Adriana's patience was thin. He often joked that Adriana was really his own little sister, and not Buck's, because they both had short tempers, little patience, and little need to talk. Until now, it never occurred to him how frustrating that was.
As if hearing his thoughts, Josiah said quietly, "Patience, brother. It hasn't been that long." Chris looked at the big man, who smiled wryly and added, "I just checked my own time piece. It's been fifteen minutes. And she hasn't shot either of them yet, so that's a good sign." In spite of himself, Chris found himself laughing. Josiah's grin broadened and he asked, "Oh, that occurred to you, too?"
"Adriana shares Buck's blood, but she's got my patience. And those two would try the patience of a saint on their own. Together ... " Chris replied, shaking his head ruefully. Josiah laughed softly, and Chris continued, his own laughter dying away, "You know what I was thinking when Vin collapsed? All I could think was, dammit, we did not travel all this way, just to watch him die."
Josiah sobered as well, answering, "I know, brother Chris. I imagine, though, that we both forgot something. Vin is a stubborn young man. He ain't about to give up. He doesn't know how to give up, that ain't somethin' he understands."
Josiah looked at the house, his voice growing far away as he continued, "Right now, he feels like we turned our backs on him. But even if he hates us, he's smart enough to know Miss Adriana put a lot of work into saving him. He ain't gonna mess with that." Chris followed his line of sight. Josiah was right. No matter how much Vin might hate him and the others right now, Adriana had saved his life, she and Laertes. And as Mary would have said, Vin was too much of a gentleman to disappoint a lady.
Out loud, he said, "I was afraid, Josiah. Right then, I was afraid. I was afraid I would watch Vin die, I was afraid we would lose him again, before we had a chance to make things right with him." Just like he was afraid after the powderman blew him off the hill. Chris remembered that sick feeling in his gut, when he saw Vin lying so still in the grass. There was no place for anger, of any kind, when he lifted Vin into his arms. Just fear. Soul-wrenching, gut-churning fear.
"I was, too, brother. I was, too. You know what I was thinking about, when he collapsed?" Josiah asked. Chris looked away from the house, and back at Josiah. The big man continued, "I was thinking about the confrontation in the jail, between Poplar and Vin. I had nightmares for weeks after, you know. Nightmares that Poplar shot Vin. And I always woke up with the same feeling I had, when he collapsed on the porch."
Josiah fell silent briefly, then looked at Chris fully, saying softly, "It ain't easy, Chris. Tellin' about my past. I knew when I joined up with you, when I saw them crows, that I would probably die. I welcomed it. If that was my destiny, then so be it. I didn't find death, Chris. I found life. And it took me a while to understand it, but I found two sons. Lord, I would be so proud to call John Dunne and Vin my sons!"
The big man smiled again, adding, "They can be infuriating and stubborn. They can make mistakes, and they have. We've almost lost them both because of those mistakes. But I wouldn't trade either one of 'em." Chris shook his head. No, neither would he. Josiah paused, then laughed, "Then again, if John Dunne starts chattering away, like he's been known to do, Miss Adriana will probably give him back without question."
Chris laughed at that. Yeah, JD liked to talk. As did Buck. Chris looked over at the other part of that partnership. He didn't know if Buck and JD would ever work that out. It was between them, really. And right now, Buck was obviously still struggling with seeing his sister again. The big man looked like he had been poleaxed. Or maybe slashed with Colonel Anderson's saber again.
Nathan ... Nathan just looked confused. Funny. Seeing Vin alive and conscious served to take the edge off some of Larabee's rage. He was still royally pissed at them both, and would probably never trust either of them again. In a corner of his mind which was capable of rational thought, he knew he was being unfair. He should probably tell them both what Ezra had told him about Adriana being sold to white slavers.
But he wouldn't. Nope, he would let them find out.
Harsh? Absolutely. Cruel? Probably. Did Chris care? Not really. He leaned back against the tree trunk once more, folding his arms over his chest. Content to wait, at least for the moment. He still wanted answers. Since Adriana was wary of him ... no, she was downright suspicious of him and his motives at the moment ... he thought Laertes would be a better choice. He would wait. He would wait to talk to Laertes, to Vin ... to Adriana. As long as it took.
Feedback to Author