SERIES/UNIVERSE: SG-7
DISCLAIMERS: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al, SG-1 characters belong to Gekko, MGM, and Showtime. Adriana, Carly, Lizzie, Josie and Jessica Tanner, as well as Evan and Pegeen Larabee, are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due. Mindy belongs to herself and my neighbors, though she still thinks my family and I belong to her.
SPOILERS: For Mag7, all twenty-one episodes are fair game, along with my previous stories, More than Friends, A Light in the Distance, Under the Sun, Days of Yearning, Sun, Fun, and Ezra on the Run, and Full Circle, also all five seasons of Stargate SG-1.
WARNING: The usual, violence and language. Some h/c, more comfort than hurt, and smarm, but again, I'll be trying to keep the smarm down to a dull roar.
SG-1 were only gone a few days ... their mission didn't take as long as they thought it would. Two days before the Open House at the Academy, Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne returned through the Stargate with the flagship team. All six, for a change, were in one piece. No injuries of any kind. In appreciation of that fact, Buck and JD had been released from duty, and told that the others were planning to go to the Academy Open House.
This had surprised Buck. Vin was still healing from his fall, and probably would be for some time. For his own part, Buck was still recovering from the revelation that Vin was the result of Evan Larabee's mid-life crisis. There were times when life liked to smack Buck Wilmington upside the head with how unfair it could be. This was one of those times. What the hell had Evan Larabee ever done, to deserve the four children he had been given?
How had the girls put it? Casey, particularly ... she knew so many couples who couldn't have children, for whatever reason, and Evan Larabee had thrown away his two younger children. Buck had a hard time forgiving his old friend's father. At least Jessica Tanner had found homes for her children ... well, except after her sister Julia died. But she gave Lizzie to her sister Josie. She acknowledged, at least sometimes, that she couldn't take care of her children.
Larabee, on the other hand ... there was no understanding that man. Yeah, Chris could be plenty mean under the right (or wrong) circumstances. But he had always taken responsibility for himself, instead of blaming everyone else. That was the thing right there. Evan Larabee was a man unnervingly like Buck's own father. He may not have molested his child, but he always could find someone else to blame for what he had done wrong. Just like Buck's father.
Buck had watched Vin and Chris struggling during the last few weeks. Chris with his rage and guilt, with his desire to make up those lost years with his brother, with his understanding that he shouldn't crowd Vin. And Vin ... Vin, who was struggling to heal in his body, heart, and soul. He had been hurting, even before he found out that Evan Larabee was his father, even before that bastard blew him down a hill.
After nearly fifteen years of friendship with Chris Larabee, Buck knew when to back off. But there was a part of him which wondered if Chris had straightened things out with his younger brother, about what had gone on before. Buck knew from repairing his own relationship with his sister, that the healing took time. Occasionally, a long time. You couldn't repair so many years of neglect overnight.
That was the situation now facing his two friends ... although, Chris hadn't neglected his younger brother. He hadn't known of his existence, but Buck realized that the colonel would still feel as Buck had. So much time to make up for, so many memories lost. Buck had done his best to give the two time to adjust to the changes in their relationship, including volunteering himself and JD for this last mission. But they were back now, and Buck had found that he missed Vin.
He was just as much Buck's friend as Chris was. People sometimes forgot that, because of the bonds created between Buck and JD, and Chris and Vin. And in all truthfulness, Buck had missed Vin, had been worried about him. That was why he was steadily growing more and more irritated, the longer JD took. He wanted to get to Larabee's, make sure Vin was still improving. Internal injuries brought complications, and while he was sure the generals would have told him if something had gone wrong ... Buck just wanted to be there.
The previous week, while they were all still planet-side, Buck had met the others at the saloon. The funny thing was, none of them had really planned to meet. It just happened. The men had been assured by the general that Vin would still be a member of SG-7 ... he had his place in the team, he had earned it. And no one would take it away from him. That had relieved the men, and created another concern. Vin was their friend, their brother, but now, he was also the actual brother of their commander.
How were they supposed to react to this man? He was still the same Vin Tanner he had always been, still the quiet sharpshooter with the dry sense of humor. Still the man who had come up with the plan to free Mary Travis and young Nora Whittaker from the pimp Wickes. And still the man who had taken care of Buck's sister for all those years. But now, he was also the colonel's brother ... and Chris Larabee would become twice as protective as his newly found little brother. He wasn't the only one. After the recent revelations, it was a pretty good bet that they were all feeling protective of their sharpshooter and friend.
Josiah had properly pointed out that Vin wouldn't want to be coddled. As the generals had said, he had earned his place in SG-7. He had worked hard, gaining the trust and respect of the other men. He wouldn't take kindly to being treated like a fragile piece of china. That was why they had met, to get that out in the open and figure out their strategy. Ezra's words, of course. He had been just as open in his concern for Vin as the others.
Nathan had pointed out that Vin would be out of commission for several weeks, if not longer. They had time to adjust. The important thing, at least as far as the medic was concerned, was to make sure he knew that they were there for him. Buck didn't know about that. He was pretty sure Vin already knew that. To Buck, the most important thing was making sure the two brothers didn't kill each other once Vin started feeling better.
He had one other concern. His sister had finally admitted that she loved Vin, and surprise, surprise, Vin felt the same way. It was what came next which bothered Buck now. He trusted Vin about as much as he could trust any man with his baby sister ... but ... Adriana was still his baby sister. It was hard for him to consider any man good enough for Adriana, even Vin. It was just a matter of time before each overcame their wounds, and ...
Well, Buck just didn't want to think about it. 'Cause every time he thought about his little sister like that, with anybody, it made him want to choke the living shit out of the guy. And that included Vin. He had talked to Josiah about it. The preacher-man had reminded him that Vin Tanner would cut out his own heart, before he harmed any woman, much less Adriana. And that little sisters, just like little brothers, grew up.
Adriana wasn't a child any longer, but a grown woman. Buck knew that, he knew that. But ... she was still his little sister. His thoughts were interrupted as JD strolled out of his quarters, as if he didn't have a damn care in the world. Buck scowled at the young cartographer, knocking his cap off his head. JD scooped the hat up from the floor, jamming it back onto his head with a glare for Buck, who hooted derisively, "Now son, I've seen better glares outta little Billy, ain't no way you're gonna scare me!"
"Don't start with me, Buck. I just spent the last thirty minutes looking for something in my quarters, and I just realized it's not in there. Now all I wanna do is get outta here, so we can go see Vin!" JD retorted. Okay, so maybe he did have some cares in the world, but Buck needed to tease JD. The boy shook his head and muttered, "And before you even think about it ... don't! I know you, Buck ... leave Vin and Adriana alone!"
"Now, what makes you think I'd do anything to bother them? 'Case you had forgotten, kid, Vin's my friend, too," Buck retorted as the pair headed down the corridor, toward the elevator which would take them to the surface. He knew he should shut up, especially since JD had been so good through the entire mission with SG-1. It was a fact that he and Daniel Jackson didn't get along, but both of them had behaved. Hadn't even ended up in the infirmary! Either one of 'em!
"And Adriana's your sister, and I know you can't leave those two alone. Any more 'n you can leave me alone, and let me court ... I mean ... handle Casey on my own," JD retorted.
Buck rolled his eyes. Handle Casey, was it? Well, like they had been told, Vin wouldn't be fit for duty for another few weeks. That gave Buck plenty of time to work out a man-to-man talk with Vin about Adriana, and what Buck would do to the sharpshooter if he didn't do right by Buck's baby sister. Not that Buck really believed Vin would do anything else, but right by her. Still, it was good to have these things out in the open.
In the meantime, he had some work to do with JD. It was no wonder the boy kept getting into these arguments with Casey. Handle Casey, pshaw! Hadn't the kid learned yet, that you didn't handle Casey? Buck sighed, shaking his head. Yeah, his talk with Vin could definitely wait. His talk with JD, on the other hand ... well, it seemed Buck had been neglecting the kid's education lately. Time to remedy that!
By the time Friday rolled around, the entire SG-7 team had been reassembled planet-side. Buck and JD had been catching up on paperwork when they weren't helping Chris. JD was greatly amused when Carly Tucker ... or was it Carly Tanner? When she firmly put Buck in his place ... he had been flirting with her, as he always did with pretty ladies ... and he found out to his chagrin that it wasn't Vin Tanner he had to worry about, if he flirted with Carly. It was Carly herself. Yup. Those Tanner girls were nothing but trouble.
Lizzie wasn't any better. JD had actually heard her call him an 'owie magnet.' Him! An owie magnet! That was not like being called a 'chick magnet,' which is what she had called Buck. And Buck hadn't even tried flirting with her. She was nineteen, but as far as the big major was concerned, that girl was jailbait! Not only was she jailbait, Buck had told JD, but she was Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner's little sister. He liked all of his parts in working order, thank you very much!
Still, between being called an owie magnet and a chick magnet, JD would have preferred the latter. Even if she did refer to both of her elder brothers as chick magnets as well, that was beside the point. Being called an owie magnet made it sound like JD was in the infirmary every single week ... which he wasn't. It just seemed like he was sometimes. Unfortunately, the rest of his team (except Vin, who really didn't have any room to talk right now), didn't see it that way. Nathan thought it was hysterically funny.
Well, two could play at that game. JD had decided that Lizzie Tanner was a trouble magnet. Things could have gone one of two ways, when she and Casey met. They could have hated each other on sight ... or they could have immediately bonded, double-teaming JD to distraction. The latter had happened.
Worse yet, JD was starting to wonder if that silent communication thing was a Tanner trait, because he could have sworn that had happened between Lizzie and Casey. By the end of the first night Lizzie had spent in Colorado, Lizzie and Casey were finishing each other's sentences, as if they had known each other for years. It was damn scary ... hell, Casey by herself could scare the hell out of JD. But Lizzie and Casey? That was the stuff of which nightmares were made, as Ezra had said.
Unlike the rest of his team, JD had never worried about Vin being reassigned, now that everyone knew he was the younger brother of the commander. Why should they reassign him to another team, and break up a great team? The fact was, regardless of Vin's blood relation to Chris, the pair simply were not as effective working separately as they were when they worked together. Something which both of the generals knew and understood.
On the other hand, JD wasn't as sure if Adriana would be assigned to work with SG-7. Or rather, with Vin, since they were sort of a couple now. When he had asked Colonel O'Neill, during the mission, about that, the colonel had answered, "It's nobody's business, kid. They're both civilians, both consenting adults, and neither of them in a situation where it's likely to matter. I seriously doubt if anyone's gonna know for a while when they finally start sleeping together."
Okay, that was a little more information than JD really needed, but he got the answers he had wanted. And he would have never admitted it, but he was actually looking forward to what happened when Buck decided that enough time had elapsed, and it was time for that man to man talk with Vin. The way JD had it figured, one of two things would happen. Either Vin would tell Buck to 'mind yer own damn business, Bucklin,' or Adriana would.
That wouldn't be fun, unless it was Vin telling Buck to butt out ... no, the fun part would come when Buck started trying to advise Vin on how to treat Adriana, what would happen if Buck caught him putting his hands in a place they didn't belong. That sort of thing. JD grinned in the darkness, as he and Buck headed for the Larabee place from Inez's. She had asked them to stop by, to pick up a get-well card and gift for Vin.
Buck was driving, humming under his breath, even though Inez had spurned his advances. As usual. In fact, he was in a very good mood, and JD had to wonder why. Inez had spurned him. He had gotten nowhere with Carly, Lizzie was jailbait, Mary was spoken for, and Adriana was his sister. Only a woman got Buck humming like this, and JD couldn't figure out which woman it would be.
Then again, maybe it would be best if he didn't know. Buck said, startling JD, "Before we left the saloon, I got a call from Chris. It's gonna be a family reunion this weekend. Josie's father and stepmother will be coming from Chicago. Vin's never met his grandpa." JD looked at his friend in the darkness, and Buck added, "Seems Vin's grandpa has a stepdaughter, right around his age ... Vin's, that is, and she may come with 'em next time."
"Next time? Why not this time?" JD asked. And why would 'next time' make Buck so excited? Of course, JD was excited about meeting more members of Vin's family.
He had met Vin's sisters, of course, and Josie Tanner. He had also met Jessica Tanner. If she hadn't abandoned his friend when he was a little boy, JD would have liked her ... she seemed to be a nice lady. She also made him appreciate his own mother, and Miss Nettie, all the more. Miss Nettie had told him to try not to judge her too much, and JD was trying. But she had just thrown her little boy away. How could any mother do that?
At least she had made sure that her two little girls got good homes. Even if Lizzie helped Casey drive him nuts. But hell, even Ezra's ma said Jessica was a lousy mother! JD liked Maude a lot, she had always been nice to him, but JD would be the first to admit she wasn't Mother of the Year material. Maude herself admitted that, for crying out loud, and said that one bad mother recognizes another.
Well, there was nothing JD could do about either of them ... well, about Jessica or her lover in her past-life, as Ezra had called Evan Larabee. Vin had his aunt now, and his two sisters, and his six brothers. And speaking of brothers, just what had Buck so excited about 'next time?' His friend added with a smirk JD could see, even in the dark, "Josie showed me a picture of Louisa at Paris and Rebecca's wedding. And let me tell you, from that picture, I'd say she's quite a gal!"
The Larabee house was packed and ablaze with lights. If Nathan Jackson hadn't known better, he would have sworn it was Christmas. But that wasn't for another two months. Although, he supposed they could have said it was an early Christmas. When he had returned to the base from his and Josiah's mission, he had called Rain to let her know he got in all right. She informed him that Chris had called her, and let her know that Paris Tanner would be arriving in Colorado on Saturday morning. Chris and Adriana would be driving to the airport to pick him up, along with his second wife Rebecca.
Rain said, joining him, "I haven't seen any house this bright since our wedding reception. I think the only member of your family who didn't make it then was your cousin Dawn." Nathan nodded as he kept a hand under his wife's elbow. They had just found out only days earlier that Rain was pregnant, and Nathan did his best to make sure nothing happened to this baby. Rain continued, with an affectionate smile, "Where was your cousin?"
"The postcard I got from her said that she was in Austria for three months. By the time she got the wedding invitation, it was over. And she's been doing a lot of traveling ever since she got back," Nathan replied as they approached the front door. He continued, "I hope Vin doesn't wear himself out tomorrow. I know he needs to get out and get some fresh air, but with the excitement of the Open House, the excitement of meeting his family ... "
"I know you're worried about him, Nathan," Rain counseled, "but he's not foolish. He'll be in the wheelchair, and Chris will be taking care of him. I am worried about him, but for a different reason. Have you noticed how much quieter he has become? Vin has always been quiet, allowing his actions to do his talking for him. But ever since you returned, and ever since he found out about his family ... he's become very, very quiet."
"I know," Nathan replied with a sigh, "it worries me, too." There was no more time for conversation, because the door had been opened by Josephine Tanner. She smiled at Nathan and nodded a greeting to Rain, whom she hadn't met before tonight. However, as Josie ushered them into the house, Nathan was still thinking about his friend. His wife was right. Vin had been unusually quiet, even for him. And that worried Nathan.
After suffering shocks and traumas like he had, Vin had to be feeling a multitude of emotions. Shock, grief, rage, joy ... Nathan had seen the joy, when it finally hit Vin, that Chris was his brother by blood. He had seen the shock, of course. The grief when he realized how much time he had lost with Chris, with his two sisters, with his aunt, and other members of his family. But Nathan hadn't seen the rage yet. That was what worried him.
He was fairly sure it worried Chris, too, even though the colonel was relaxed as he sat in the living room with the others. Buck was sitting with his back to the sofa, which meant JD was somewhere around the house. Nathan had seen Buck's vehicle in the driveway when he pulled up, though that was the only one he had seen. That proved nothing, though. Josiah had also arrived, and Nathan kept his smirk to himself when he saw Josie Tanner casually sit down between Josiah's knees. Uh-huh. So that was the way the wind was blowing? It seemed likely that Lady Love was shining on more than just one Tanner. However, Nathan knew better than to tease Josiah. Or Josie.
Ezra hadn't arrived yet, much to Nathan's surprise. Chris was sitting in his recliner, with Mary sitting across his legs, and Billy at his feet. Nathan grinned at his three friends, then found Vin reclining on the sofa. He looked tired. Lord, he looked so tired. However, Nate didn't comment on his friend's obvious exhaustion. With all the nursemaids in the house, Vin didn't need another ... anymore than Nathan needed a broken jaw for calling Chris Larabee a nursemaid. Instead, he reached down and squeezed Vin's shoulder. His reward was a wry smile.
Rain leaned over to kiss his forehead, murmuring something not meant for Nathan to hear. Vin's smile broadened. Rain said more clearly, "Where are the ladies? Your aunt opened the door for us, and I can see Mary, but where are your sisters and Adriana?" A sudden thud from the kitchen got everyone's attention. Well, that answered that. A half-second later, female laughter rang out as three very ... white ... young women emerged from the kitchen.
"Carly, you didn't let Lizzie near the flour, did you? I told you about that!" Josie scolded, getting to her feet once again. Nathan barely held back his own laughter. Adriana, Lizzie, and Carly were all covered head to toe in flour. Lizzie barely looked like she was holding back tears, while Adriana was biting hard on a part of her lower lip that wasn't covered in flour. Her eyes were crinkling, and Nate could tell she was having a hard time not laughing.
"No, Aunt Josie, I didn't. Lizzie was helping Drina. I'm the one who opened the flour all over the three of us. It would help, though, if Chris bought smaller bags of flour, like normal people," Carly replied, scowling at her brother. At this description of Chris ... calling him 'normal' under any circumstances ... Adriana shut her eyes tight. Carly ignored her and continued, "Lizzie, hon, why don't you go get changed ... and if JD gives you a hard time, push him into the shower. With his clothes on."
"JD's in the bathroom right now, remember? Lizzie, let's go into the one just off Vin's bedroom. After JD's spent the time he has in there, I don't think the air will be breathable. Especially not with his eating habits," Adriana observed. Buck started to sputter, and his sister continued calmly, "C'mon, Bucklin ... first, I know JD. The kid is a human garbage disposal. I've seen what he puts on his pizzas, and I know what twenty-two year old males are like."
Now Nathan was finding it harder and harder not to laugh. Adriana wasn't the only one who had seen what JD put on his pizzas ... what he ate. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who cringed. He cringed again when Buck turned his head to look at Vin, an evil grin appearing, and said, "Vin! Never would have thought it of you, son!" Vin glared at him, but the smile now twitching on Adriana's face told Nathan the truth.
Still, he kept his mouth shut, as Adriana replied sweetly, "I wasn't talking about Vin, Bucklin, I was talking about you." There was a moment of stunned silence, then Chris burst out laughing. Chris Larabee. If Nathan hadn't seen it for himself, he never would have believed it. The man was laughing so hard, he was almost shaking Mary out of his lap. Billy turned around, his blue eyes wide with awe.
"She got ya there, Bucklin," Vin rasped, his glare giving way to a mischievous smirk, as the flour-covered archaeologist led the now-smiling Lizzie from the room. Chris was still laughing helplessly, and Mary was having a hard time keeping a straight face herself. Josiah wasn't even trying. Vin continued, that smirk firmly in place, "But I gotta thank ya, Bucklin, for makin' m' little sister feel better."
Buck was still staring at the space where his sister had been standing only a few minutes earlier, his mouth working. In the three years he had known Buck Wilmington, it was the first time Nathan could ever remember seeing him speechless. It didn't last long. A half second after Adriana departed with Lizzie, Buck was on his feet, bellowing, "Adriana Kathleen Anne Wilmington, I'm comin' for you!"
He stormed out of the room, and those in the living room heard Adriana and Lizzie giggling in the bathroom. Vin rasped, "Betcha she thought to lock the door behind her." Nathan had no intention of betting against Vin this time around. Adriana didn't always think things through, especially when she was mad, but she had known exactly what she was saying, and exactly what she was doing this time. JD arrived in the living room, just as Buck began hammering on the door to Vin's bathroom. He looked around at the others in the room, all laughing, and shook his head. However, he said nothing. The glass door to the patio slid open, and Ezra slipped inside. Which meant everyone was accounted for.
"Now that is one bet, my friend, which I would not hesitate to take ... if we were speaking of your sister. However, we are not," Ezra said as he came in from the back porch. He smiled and nodded to Nathan and Rain, adding as Buck pounded on the door, yelling his sister's name, and demanding that she open up, "Delightful. Colonel, perhaps you'd like to remind the major that he has to pay for any damages to your property?"
"Naw, I'll wait until after he breaks down the door, and his little sister kicks his ass out. Did you hear everything outside?" Chris asked, by now recovering enough of his composure to speak without convulsing in laughter. Ezra nodded, a grin appearing, and Chris continued, "She's got his number but good." By now, JD was looking thoroughly confused as he took the seat beside the sofa which Buck had vacated.
Mary took pity on the boy, telling him, "Buck just got a reminder not to underestimate his sister, even when they're getting along." JD blinked, looked at Mary, then at Vin, then at Nathan. The medic barely noticed, since he had realized the pounding had stopped. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had his answer just a few minutes later, when Buck came stumbling back into the living room.
His face was an odd color, both gray and green at the same time, and he seemed to have a hard time breathing. Adriana and Lizzie, looking more like themselves, appeared behind him, and Adriana asked, "Did you come back in here for a gas mask, brother dear?" Nathan blinked slowly. Well, it would fit ... barely able to breathe. It would also account for the grayish-green tinge to his skin.
"Geezus, kid, what did you eat this afternoon?" Buck finally managed to choke out. He stumbled through the room, as feet were quickly removed from his path, and didn't stop until he reached the glass door through which Ezra had entered only a few minutes earlier. Once outside, Nathan watched in interest as Buck leaned over, hands on his knees, taking several, gulping breaths. Meanwhile, JD had an innocent 'who, me' look on his face.
"Don't even try that look with us, kid. We know you're a growing boy, but if Buck's reacting like that ... it's bad," Chris advised. Nathan could only nod, still shaking with suppressed laughter. The evening was off to a good start. He just hoped and prayed that things would continue to go well. Chris said, "JD, move your skinny butt and let Rain sit down. She's pregnant, you know!" Nathan hid a smile. Chris had become almost as protective as Nathan, ever since Nathan had told his friend about his wife's pregnancy.
JD's mouth fell open, then he quickly scooted to one side, allowing Nathan to see the seat Chris meant. There was a space on the end of the sofa where Vin was reclining. Nathan looked over at Chris, who returned the gaze ... with a smirk and a wink. Sneaky. Very sneaky. But Chris knew, just as well as Nathan did, that as another doctor, Rain would be in a good position to help Vin if it became necessary.
Rain sat down, smirking at both Nathan and Chris. She knew, too. Of course she would. She turned to face Vin, her smirk turning into a smile as she gently patted his blanketed feet.
"I'm so glad to see you doing better, Vin. I knew with all the ladies taking care of you, it wouldn't take long. Hi, you must be Vin's aunt Josie. I'm Rain Jackson ... we weren't formally introduced," Rain said. Josie rocked onto her knees and knee-walked over to Rain, shaking her hand warmly. Nathan's wife sat back and continued, "I didn't realize you had become so close to Josiah. I'm glad. He needs a good woman."
There was a moment of dead silence, then a wheezing cough. It wasn't Josie, or Josiah, but Buck, who had returned from the patio ... obviously now able to breathe. The wheezing cough was caused not by the smell in the main bathroom now, but by Buck being bent over, laughing hysterically at Rain's words. Everyone stared at him, then at Josiah. However, it was Buck's younger sister who observed, "Careful, Bucklin ... remember the last time Josiah thought you were making fun of him and his feelings for a woman?"
"Yeah, Buck," Josiah growled, "remember?" Buck manfully swallowed his laughter, his eyes still dancing with mirth. Josiah turned to Josie, who had returned to his side, taking up her previous position between his legs, and said, "I do apologize for some of my companions, Miss Josie. They have no manners." Buck glared at Josiah, but that was ruined when Josie began laughing at the major.
"That's okay, I'm used to far worse. I grew up with two sisters, and we were varying kinds of troublemakers. That sounds like something I would have said, or done, when I was a kid," Vin's aunt replied with an impish grin. Buck grinned back at her, until he realized what she had said, and scowled at her. Josie responded with a saucy look, adding, "If you think that scares me, Major, you're outta your gourd. I've spent the last few days with your colonel, and I was raised by Paris Tanner. And my daddy can out-glare Chris, any day of the week."
"Is anyone else getting the image of Josie's dad and Chris having glaring contests?" JD piped up. Adriana, who had taken up position in front of Vin, leaned over and smacked up alongside his head. JD glared at her, exclaiming, "Hey!" Adriana straightened up, smirking at the young cartographer. JD grumbled, "Sheesh, I take care of her and protect her while we're in the shed, and she does that to me."
"Well, son," Buck retorted, successfully distracted from Josie's subtle insult, "if you had been doing your job, like you were supposed to, then she wouldn't have been locked in that shed, now would she?" JD bristled, even more so because Nathan happened to know that JD had never truly forgive himself for allowing the likes of Dickie O'Shea to get the drop on him. Before he had the chance to calm things down, Chris did it for him.
"That's enough, Buck. The past can't be undone. Little princess, would you please make sure my younger sister isn't making a mess in the kitchen? More of a mess, I mean ... I'll make sure no one takes your seat," the colonel requested. Adriana nodded and rolled to her feet, and Lizzie followed her into the kitchen. Chris continued, "Carly decided that while the spaghetti sauce is thawing, she would make homemade bread, which she would then make into garlic toast." He rolled his eyes, then glared at Mary as she elbowed him in the ribs. Chris added, rubbing the injured area, "Except, of course, it's not turning out that way."
Adriana muttered something under her breath as she passed Nathan. Buck took the seat between his two siblings, turning a brilliant smile toward Vin. That smile always made Nathan nervous. It made him wonder what the major was up to ... and Buck could never convince Nathan that he wasn't up to anything. Not up to anything ... please. Nathan knew better than that. When he wasn't contriving to play a prank on JD, he was up to some mischief.
Vin was evidently thinking the same thing, for he looked at Buck with narrowed eyes and said, "What the hell are ya up ta, Bucklin, and don't be tellin' me nothin,' cause I ain't gonna believe you." Buck's smile turned almost saccharine in its sweetness and Vin cocked his head to one side, as he added, "And now I know yer up to somethin,' ya only save that smile for the ladies. What are ya plannin' on doin,' or do I gotta get Chris after ya?"
"What makes you think Chris isn't in on it with me, assuming I'm up to anything at all?" Buck asked innocently. That innocent expression worked about as well for Buck as it did for JD with this group. Not at all. Nathan hid a smile as Josie Tanner beaned the major with a pillow handed to her by Josiah. The pillow hit Buck square in the face, and for the second time that night, he scowled at her.
However, it wasn't Josie who answered Buck's query, but Rain, who said, "Because I think everyone in this room knows you, Buck." Everyone laughed at that, and Rain winked at Nathan. The medic shook his head, grinning in wonderment. Rain never failed to amaze him. His wife continued, "Besides, I happen to know that Chris has threatened you with dire consequences if you pull any pranks on Vin while he's recovering."
"If my brother pulls any pranks on Vin while he's recovering, then Chris will be the least of his worries," Adriana replied, emerging from the kitchen. She told Chris, "Everything's fine, cowboy ... Carly got the mess cleaned up, and the flour in the bowl where it belongs. No, she didn't recycle any from off the floor, she opened another pack ... using a pair of scissors this time. Lizzie is staying in there to help." Chris nodded his thanks.
Adriana continued as she stepped to Nathan's side, "Trust me on this one, Bucklin. I've seen the Tanner females in action. You do not want to piss them off. Carly is bad enough. Lizzie and Josie are a thousand times worse." As she spoke, she folded her arms over her chest and began tapping her foot. Nathan recognized the posture. It was the position she always took when she was running out of patience.
Of course, her smirk gave her true feelings away, but that wasn't the point. She was hassling her brother, and enjoying every second of it. Buck crossed his eyes at her and stuck out his tongue, reminding Nathan of an overgrown child. Evidently, Adriana agreed, for she said, "Bucklin, you keep crossing your eyes like that, and they'll stay that way. Then how are you gonna get your ladies to even look at you?"
"Same way he does now," JD said, laughing, "using his animal maggotism." Buck lunged for the boy, who dodged out of the way. JD was on his feet immediately, and Ezra slid the glass doors open. The corporal dashed out onto the patio, with Buck in hot pursuit.
Ezra slid the door shut behind them, shaking his head and mouthing, 'children.' There was a knock at the door behind Nathan, and Adriana said, "You stay sitting, Josie, I'm already up." She brushed by Nathan, and she smiled up at him. There was a second, more insistent knock at the door and Adriana muttered under her breath as she reached the door. Nathan winced. He hated it when she swore in other languages.
Mary eased herself from her perch against Chris, allowing the colonel to follow Adriana to the door. Nathan didn't know why. Chris sometimes did that, in case there was someone pushy at the door ... moral support. Or intimidation, depending on the perspective of the person. Adriana opened the door and Nathan half turned as Chris passed him. Over Adriana's shoulder, he saw a petite woman in her sixties. And he heard Chris say, in disbelief, "Mom?"
Nathan turned more fully, as the petite woman in the door said, "Christopher ... and you would have to be Adriana. Your pictures don't do you justice, my dear. We're not interrupting anything, are we? We tried to call you from the hotel room, but the phone didn't seem to want to work." For the first time, Nathan saw there were two people ... the woman and a tall man, with dark hair gone to silver. This, then, could only be Pegeen and Evan Larabee.
Pegeen was babbling. She knew she was babbling, but the twin expressions of shock on her son and Adriana Wilmington's faces had made her nervous. The truth was, they had arrived at their hotel about three hours earlier at the end of a very long drive. Evan had insisted on heading to Christopher's home, without warning him. However, while he was in the shower, washing away the grime of their trip, Pegeen had tried to call her son anyhow. Maybe it hadn't been turned on yet in their room, because she quickly grew frustrated with her inability to dial out.
They didn't have a cell phone, either of them. And this was one surprise which Kevin didn't need. Pegeen's head was still spinning. Evan had insisted on confronting his son tonight. Both of them. Of course, she had just called him a coward a few minutes earlier, that might have had something to do with it. However, he was in a foul mood, and she had wanted to wait until the following day. But they would be going to that place, as he called the Air Force Academy, for the Open House. No. It was now or never. And if it was never, that was just fine by him.
Which was why she was now staring at her son, silently pleading with him to forgive her. After a moment, Christopher shook himself and smiled, "Mom! No, please, come in." The young woman backed up, her eyes never leaving Evan. Unless Pegeen was greatly mistaken, there was a warning in her expression. Herself a mother, Pegeen called that look 'lioness protecting her cubs.' She smiled to herself as her son took her hand and led her into the house.
He said, "I want you to meet my team ... well, except for Buck and JD. They're outside, chasing each other around the yard. You've met Adriana ... and how did you know that was her? What pictures did you mean? Uhm ... that's Nathan, standing beside her. Ezra in the corner by the door. That's Mary and Billy Travis ... beside them, Josiah Sanchez and Josie Tanner." Pegeen looked at the woman sitting on the floor, between the legs of the man. Josie Tanner. She was in her mid-forties, attractive. This was the woman who had sent her the pictures.
Christopher continued, "Nathan's wife Rain is on the sofa ... and beside her is Vin." Pegeen moved out from behind her son, to get a better look. His pictures didn't do him justice, either. He was looking at her, a wary expression in his bright blue eyes. If he had been capable of it, if he hadn't been hurt so badly, Pegeen had no doubt that he would have put more distance between them. Pegeen didn't know if it was because of who she was ... or of Kevin's own past.
She stepped closer, to reassure him that she would never hurt him, when Buck Wilmington came barreling back into the house, a young man hot on his heels. This would have to be JD Dunne. It could be no other. Buck skidded to a stop, his eyes widening as he looked at Pegeen, and the beginnings of his brilliant smile began to appear. That was when Evan interfered. Damn him for his big mouth.
"So you're that little tramp's kid," he said, stepping closer to Vin. Buck's eyes flared, then, as one, both he and his sister stepped in front of Kevin protectively. Closing ranks. Josie Tanner was on her feet immediately, though Pegeen had the sense it was more because of the insult to her nephew than the insult to her sister. Behind her, Pegeen heard her son growling in mute frustration.
"Lemme up, Bucklin. I wanna face him," Kevin said hoarsely. Buck's eyes flickered to Chris, then he looked at his sister. Adriana was already turning her back on Evan, a contemptuous look telling everyone in the room what she thought of Pegeen's husband. Between the two Wilmington siblings, plus JD Dunne, they were able to get Kevin to his feet. He gave a low groan of pain, and Buck kept a gentle, but firm arm around his hips, while JD kept another arm around Kevin's shoulders.
The young man was now staring steadily at Evan around the ferocious young lioness in front of him. He said in a voice made raspy with pain, "I'm Julia Tanner's boy. Reckon I'll thank ya for not talkin' about my ma that way." He swallowed hard, then added, "I'm only gonna say this once. Still ain't feelin' real good. But Julia Tanner was the only ma I ever knew, the only one who ever mattered to me. And if that's the way yer gonna talk 'bout her, reckon I don't much want ya for a pa, any more 'n ya want me for yer son."
"Ooh! Slam dunk, big brother!" a voice exclaimed from behind Pegeen, and she turned to face the newcomer. It was a young girl, a little younger than JD Dunne. She had golden hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and bright blue eyes. She also had several patches of white flour on her pretty face, and Pegeen smiled. The girl continued, "And before you say it, Mother ... I'm not gonna apologize. He opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it. All the way up to his knee." Mother? Pegeen looked around in confusion, then saw the resignation in Josie Tanner's brown eyes.
"Oh yeah, she's half-Tanner, half-Larabee, and all trouble," JD muttered. Half-Larabee? This girl was Evan's daughter? She turned back to face her husband ... she had known about Kevin and Caroline ... but they were twenty-seven, and this girl was no more than nineteen or twenty, if that. Pegeen heard a roaring in her ears. Twice. It hadn't just happened once, but twice. He had lied to her. Again.
"Pegeen ... I can explain, dear," Evan began, pulling away from Pegeen. She was sure there was murder in her eyes, because that was how she felt right now. Like murdering him. Chopping him into little pieces, then feeding them to the sharks. She would kill him! Here she had been starting to feel guilty about pushing the confrontation with Christopher and Kevin, and he had lied to her. Again!
"Uh-oh ... uhm ... big bro? You and your shadow might want to take Vin into the other room, I have a bad feeling about what's about to happen here," Adriana said, turning to her brother. Pegeen was only vaguely aware of Buck's assent as he carefully scooped Kevin into his arms, as if Pegeen's new son was the same age as young Billy Travis. Kevin gave a guttural sound of pain ... neither a moan nor a groan, not a whimper or a cry. All of them and none of them. Pegeen gently patted Kevin's knee as Buck carried him past.
However, her entire focus was on her husband. She had known that Kevin and Caroline had another sister. Lizzie. But she hadn't ... she had never known that Elizabeth was Evan's daughter as well. And Christopher had never said anything to her ... no. Of course he wouldn't. When Evan had left them, twenty-eight years earlier, Christopher had taken his role as man of the house very seriously ... and that inclination to protect her had never really gone away.
And it wasn't for Christopher to tell her ... she was his mother, for God's sake! He wasn't supposed to have to tell her such things! No. There was only one person responsible for this latest lie. She hissed, "How many times? How many times, Evan? How many times did you sleep with her? How many times did you lie to me?" She was vaguely aware that this was a conversation they should be having in private.
No. No more secrets, no more lies, no more hiding. Christopher had said that these men were like his brothers. They were family. Evan wouldn't look at her, just kept muttering that they had to discuss this in private, instead of with strangers around. Pegeen wasn't buying that. She snarled, "Strangers? I don't think so! Everyone's family here, Evan, thanks to your trysts with Jessica Tanner! Now tell me, damn you! How many times?"
"Just those two times ... it was a mistake, both of them, Pegeen! I never loved her, she never meant anything to me. We talked about this, when I told you," Evan pleaded. Pegeen was staring at her husband, so she couldn't see the face of Elizabeth Tanner. But she did hear the girl's soft gasp. She wasn't as immune as she thought. Poor child. To be nineteen, and think you had successfully protected yourself. Only to find out you were more vulnerable than you realized.
With a start, Pegeen realized she was talking about herself as well. She turned away from her husband abruptly, not wanting to look at him any longer.
She found herself face to face with Elizabeth Tanner once more. Christopher said very quietly, "Mom, may I introduce you to Miss Elizabeth Madeline Tanner ... my youngest sister?" Pegeen stared at the girl ... Elizabeth had blue eyes, like Kevin, but in every other way, it was like looking at a nineteen year old version of herself. Those bright eyes were now glimmering with tears. No matter what she said, her father had rejected her twice. It had to hurt.
Pegeen reached out and touched the girl's cheek, whispering, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth Madeline. You already have a wonderful mother ... may I be your aunt, then?" She saw shock taking the place of the hurt in the girl's eyes, and a moment after that, Elizabeth nodded with a slow, wondering smile. Pegeen enveloped her in a fierce hug. Yes, Elizabeth already had a mother ... but as of this moment, Pegeen had chosen Elizabeth as her daughter.