ATF Universe
Disclaimer: Once upon a time in the Old West, CBS joined forces with Mirisch Entertainment, Trilogy and MGM. They brought together Seven unbelievably gorgeous men and made a Television series. And all was well. But the fans saw that certain of these sexy, hunky men did look upon each other with lust and longing in their eyes. And being the sweet, kind, generous fans they were wrote stories where they could have fun and hot cowboy sex and comfort each other after extreme pain and angst had been visited upon them. And it was good...
Then one day, Mog looked at the Seven hunky men (sweat-soaked and caked with dust<WEG>) and thought wisely, "Would it not be fantastic were they also to reside in the present day as well?" So she took the Seven, dropped them into beautiful Denver, Colorado, gave them each jobs to do and made them agents of the ATF.... Team Seven. The devoted fans rose to the challenge, taking them to their hearts and many more wonderful stories came to be. And they all lived happily ever after...
Feedback: Welcomed
Notes: This little story seemed to take on a life of its own and a rather different view of Chris and Vin than anything I'd written so far. I guess you could say this is the introduction of Wildcat!Vin and Possessive!Chris since the Boys are already whispering of a whole series of stories.
Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Annie for going over this for me. She really helped pull it together and tighten up the loose spots. Not even to mention all the missing commas and incomplete sentences she had to deal with. Any mistakes that remain are all my own. All extra spaces are solely the property of the writer. She warned me, but I have bad habits that are hard to break. <G>
Size: Approx 141K
"Freeze! ATF!" Josiah's big voice boomed through the warehouse. The drug runners scattered. Chris saw one of the ringleaders dart behind a stack of crates and followed. Larabee called to the man once again to halt. Desperate, the criminal suddenly turned and leapt at the team leader. It was a wild gamble but it paid off. He managed to shove Chris' gun up, forcing it to discharge. The much heavier man also hit Larabee with the full impact of his body weight, sending him crashing to the floor.Chris tried to break his fall, to tuck and roll the way he'd done so many times before, but the gunrunner had landed on him too hard and with too much force. The back of his head hit the concrete floor with a sickening crunch. Blackness closed in.
+ + + + + + +
The voices first caught his attention. Pitched low as if someone was sick. Darkness surrounded him. Then he realized his eyelids were closed and slowly opened them. A pair of huge dark blue eyes swam into sight. The face around it came into focus and he gasped. Unconsciously, his hand lifted to stroke a sculpted cheekbone and down to a square, stubble dusted jaw.
"Hey, Cowboy." The soft raspy voice came from the beautiful face. "How ya feelin'?"
He moved his hand over, thumb ghosting across a soft lower lip. He couldn't believe it was real, this stunning face hanging above him. It felt like he'd been kicked in the gut. His heart was thundering in his chest. He squinted against the bright light pounding into his eyes. A soft hoarse moan escaped him. Two cool, slender hands came up to clasp the one he'd lifted.
"Bucklin," said the raspy voice again. "Turn the lights down. It's too bright for 'im."
"That better?" asked the big man coming forward after dimming the lights. He looked as the man came into focus before his blurry vision. Buck was stroking a big, bushy mustache, concern written all over his face. Larabee peered up at him.
"Buck?" he said hesitantly.
"See," said Buck, reaching out to squeeze the younger man's shoulder. "I told ya it'd take more than a knock on the head, even one as bad as this, to take out THIS ole dog." Chris' lips twisted in a slight smile at the familiar nickname. Questions crowded his mind, but there was one in particular shouting the loudest.
"You... you know him?" he asked Buck. The big man looked confused.
"Who?" Chris' eyes tracked to blue ones with a furrow of worry between them. "Not Vin here..." Larabee latched onto the name.
"Your name is... Vin," he said, wonder in his eyes. The door of the room opened and four more men filed in. Chris' eyes widened and he moved away from the figures. Vin had released his hand when Buck approached. Now Chris grabbed the flannel-clad arm instinctively, looking up into the blue eyes for reassurance.
Vin leaned closer, then saw the green eyes grow distressed. Quickly he reached for the basin sitting nearby for just such a contingency. The motion as well as the stress had been too much for Chris' queasy stomach.
"Easy," he said soothingly, "Gotcha cowboy. Just lean over here." He helped the blond stretch partially over the side of the bed as he lost the contents of his stomach. Vin rubbed his back soothingly. When he indicated his treacherous stomach had settled at least for now, the slender young man helped him lean back on the pillows once again. He wiped his face with a damp cloth one of the men, the older grey-haired one, had handed him.
"Here, brother," he'd said in a deep warm voice as he handed the cloth to Vin. Chris looked up at him curiously, then back to the blue-eyed man, trying to see a family resemblance. Now the black man was moving up beside his bed, Buck with him. He realized that he'd heard them talking softly in the background as he was hanging over the side of the bed. Vin held a cup and straw so he could take a few sips and wash out his mouth. He reached again for the younger man's arm, not understanding why he felt so compelled to do so.
"It's all right," said the dark man, seeing his edginess. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions." Chris' eyes flicked to the other two men who stood back against the wall. One of them was very young looking with long, dark hair that kept flopping into his eyes... eyes that would put a puppy to shame. The other was also dark haired though every hair was carefully in place. He wore an expensive, well-cut suit and had green eyes that blazed in a pale face. Both men wore anxious looks on their faces. He looked around the room. All of them seemed equally concerned. They were all worried about him he finally realized. Looking back up at the black man he nodded agreement. Then he winced at the pain shooting through him again.
"Don't move your head," urged the man. "Hurting you pretty bad, is it?"
"Yes," Chris managed to croak out.
"We'll get you somethin' for that real quick. As you might have guessed, you banged your head pretty good."
"Makes sense," responded Larabee.
"You recognized this scoundrel," continued the man, grinning and nodding at Buck. "You remember the rest of the drill? Name. Date. Who's the President?"
"Chris Larabee. Depends on how long I've been out of it and... more than likely the same damn fool that was when somebody tried to crack my head open like an egg." There was a chuckle from the young man against the wall with the long, dark hair. Chris looked up at Vin once again to find blue eyes brimming with amusement as well.
"Hell," Vin drawled. "Sounds just like the Chris Larabee I know." Larabee found himself smiling back at the man.
"Yep," added Buck, "that'd never change, no matter what."
"You know any of these other loose cannons?" persisted Nathan. Larabee looked carefully at each of the other men in the room. He felt his hand tighten on Vin's arm again. His head was pounding, his stomach beginning to roll again.
"Guess we're still keeping the same kind of company, huh, Buck?"
"Chris?" asked the big man, reaching out to grip his shoulder.
"No," said Chris after a long minute, closing his eyes as the throbbing pain grew worse once he admitted it. "I don't know any of them." He didn't see Nathan tilt his head towards J.D. and the young man hurry out of the room.
"Chris," said Buck's voice again, using his most soothing tones. Larabee opened his eyes once more, focusing on the man above him who both looked like his best friend... and didn't. "Chris, what do you remember about you and me?" The older man thought for a long minute then a smile lit his face.
"Hoo-Yah!" he said. Buck laughed.
"Hoo-Yah!" he responded, grabbing Chris' outstretched hand in the grip they had always used back then. "So, ya remember us bein' on the Teams... Once a Seal, always a Seal..." Larabee laughed lightly in spite of his pounding head.
"Always," he said.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Nathan prompted. Chris frowned.
"Nothing real clear," he said just as the doctor entered the room, J.D. right behind him.
"All right, gentlemen," said Dr. Garrett. The room's just a little crowded here. You can all wait down the hall..." His lips twitched in amusement. "You know the drill." The man turned to the bed. He didn't expect the stark fear in Chris Larabee's eyes as Tanner started to move away. The man had always been indomitable, all honed steel and surly command. The person who looked out of those green eyes now seemed much younger and more vulnerable. Different than the Larabee he'd come to know from the team's frequent visits to this facility.
The dark-skinned doctor saw the pleading look Chris cast at both Vin and Buck. Larabee's grip on the younger man's arm had tightened to what must be painful. Tanner laid his hand over the one tightly clutching him.
"Ain't leavin'," he said gruffly, looking into his boss' eyes. Chris relaxed slightly.
"Me either," added Buck. "You're gonna need me to figure out if anything's missin'." Larabee's eyes flew to Buck's face. A wry smile appeared.
"Nothing's missing," growled Chris.
"Well, certainly not the growl anyway," commented Dr. Garrett. "But how about if we check everything else out just for my peace of mind?"
+ + + + + + +
They all stood in the hall. The doctor had ordered even Buck and Vin to leave so he could talk with Chris some more in private. Tanner leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed, head down.
"He don't remember anything about..." The younger man couldn't get it past his closed throat.
"Sarah and Adam..." Buck managed to choke it out. Vin raised his head to look into the taller man's eyes, his own suspiciously bright.
"And when he does..." The Texan's voice was only a whisper.
"It'll be like losing them all over again."
+ + + + + + +
Vin refused to sit. Nathan and Josiah had herded them all out of the hallway and down to a familiar waiting room. The lights of the area seemed too bright against the backdrop of sparkling city lights and deep night outside the ceiling to floor windows. Josiah kept an eye on the younger man. Tanner leaned against an empty stretch of wall, fingertips jammed in his front pockets. One outstretched leg braced him against the wall, the other bent back, toe of his sneaker tucked into the angle where wall met floor. His head was bowed, shoulders rounded... the picture of grief. Josiah had to look closely to even see him breathing, so still was the young man.
Sanchez's breath caught in his chest as he realized what their sharpshooter was doing. With Chris' memory of his wife and son robbed from him at present, the team leader couldn't mourn or grieve over the loss of his loved ones. Vin had taken up that task for his best friend. He was submerged in grief for his friend's loss in not remembering, for the pain that would occur if and when Chris regained that memory. Most of all for the two people he'd never met but had come to care for and admire through knowing what kind of man they had made of Chris Larabee.
Dr. Garrett came down the hall and all the men rose as one. A chorus of voices assailed him. The doctor wasn't intimidated by the solid wall confronting him. He'd dealt with this group on a regular basis. While they could be a real pain in the ass at times, he had found himself appreciating as well as envying the strong bond between the men. His eyes fastened on Tanner, standing in front, hands tucked into his pockets, silently waiting for the news.
"As I told you earlier when he was brought in," began the doctor, "Chris sustained a fairly severe concussion. In spite of that... and probably mostly due to that infamous hard head of his, he's managed to regain consciousness. His neurological responses are good. Other than some residual nausea and a pounding headache, he seems to have escaped any serious or permanent damage."
"What about his memory, Doc?" asked Buck.
"It's early days yet for that," responded Dr. Garrett, unable to meet Tanner's eyes. The pain in them was too fresh, too much to look at for long. "He seems to be missing his later memories... and there's no clear cutoff day. I'll be contacting Sidney about that..." There were several groans from the men. They'd all had their sessions with Dr. Sidney Greenfield, one of the Staff Psychologists. He chuckled. "I figure since Chris doesn't remember him..."
"I don't think he's gonna like somebody pokin' around in his head any more than he did before," commented Vin, speaking for the first time.
"No," said Buck, "I'm SURE he won't. He actually drove one of the Navy psychs to a nervous breakdown."
"Well," said Dr. Garrett, eyeing Wilmington warily, "Sidney knows all of you better than anyone else. So, he'll be able to evaluate what period of time Chris can't remember." He looked down at the chart he held in his hand. "Well, gentlemen... and I say that guardedly," he looked at Buck again, who put on his best innocent ear to ear grin. "As I said before... he's stubborn, bull-headed and he's come a long way from where he was when you brought him in. I'd bet on Chris Larabee any day..."
"So, you think he'll get all his memory back," asked Vin softly.
"Only time will truly tell... but I think there's a good chance of it, Vin," said Dr. Garrett, hoping to ease some of the pain and worry he still saw in the young man's face. "I'd like to give him the opportunity to remember as much as he can on his own. I imagine Sidney will concur with that. But barring full recovery, I'm sure you all will be more than glad to fill in any missing pieces."
"No, Ezra," said Josiah, watching the flitting emotions on the man's face, "you're NOT going to bury the reports on the Basinger case..."
"Moi?" asked the suave agent. "Would I do that, Mr. Sanchez?"
"In a heartbeat," snorted Nathan.
"It will probably be the first thing he remembers," sighed Ezra dramatically. Dr. Garrett repressed the urge to shake his head at the men. He knew at least part their behaviour was relief over Chris' improvement.
"We'll be waking him periodically through the night," he continued, knowing if he let them have too much control of the conversation it would get totally out of hand. "I'll want to keep an eye on him through mid-day tomorrow. Hopefully, Sidney can stop by tomorrow morning, but I expect to be able to release him by afternoon or early evening if he does well tonight."
"Great!" said Buck, rubbing his hands together. "We'll keep an eye on him tonight...and somebody will be here tomorrow to get him home. Vin..." The big man trailed off as he looked around, realizing the Texan wasn't with them anymore.
"There, Buck," said Josiah, gesturing down the hall. They saw the slender form moving silently through the shadows. He turned and entered Chris' room. "I think Vin just took the night shift."
+ + + + + + +
Vin felt gentle hands in his hair. He opened his eyes and realized his head had fallen forward to rest on the edge of the bed. Lifting it, he looked into alert green eyes.
"Thought I was supposed to be the one wakin' you up," he quipped, mouth lifting in his crooked grin. Chris smiled at him.
"I was awake."
"How you feelin'?" Vin rose and perched on the side of the bed.
"Better... head's not near so bad."
"That's good," said Vin. Chris looked at the younger man, focusing on the wide, blue eyes now almost dark holes in the dim light.
"I... know you..." he said softly, "but I don't KNOW you."
Vin inhaled sharply, his eyes half closing, but sat quietly as the older man looked him over, studying every detail. Reaching out a hand, Chris let it ghost down the side of his head, out over his shoulders and down to Vin's hand where it settled warmly over the slender fingers.
"Feels right," said Chris, "you being here."
"Glad you feel that way," said Vin, grinning, "since you're stuck with me for the night." Tanner felt his heart warm at the smile Chris gave him in return.
"Can't think of anyone I'd rather be stuck with," said Chris.
"Ya mean ya don't remember..." quipped Vin. Larabee chuckled.
"Touche," he said. "But unless Bucklin's changed a lot in the years I don't remember... Well, let's just say I'm not up to listening to a recap of all his conquests that I've mercifully forgotten."
"Man could talk the ears off a mule," muttered Tanner. They laughed together.
"He hasn't changed a bit then." Chris observed the younger man for a bit, eyes narrowing a little as he watched the expressive face. He kept returning again and again to those eyes. They seemed to tell him so much... and he was beginning to understand the language.
"Texas, right?" said Larabee.
"Guess it kinda shows," said Vin, blushing.
"You have a nice voice," said Chris, slightly squeezing the hand his still covered. "I like listening to it." He tilted his head slightly and rejoiced in the fact that he could do that without his eyeballs threatening to fall out of their sockets or his stomach going on another roller coaster ride. "Mmmm," he said, relaxing back into the bed. "That was some good shit they gave me."
"Yeah," chuckled Vin, "you were dead to the world in just a few minutes. Didn't even stir when the rest of 'em left for the night." He grinned mischievously at the team leader. "And the boys and I swore not to repeat what ya told us before ya went under." Larabee snorted.
"Couldn't have been anything worth blackmailing me for since anything I said would have been old news," said Chris.
"Awww, hell... busted," said Vin, still smiling. "Told 'em you were too smart to fall for it." They fell silent for a minute. Vin turned to gaze out the window. Chris studied Vin. It was strange. Most people didn't feel comfortable with long silences. And there were few people he felt right being quiet with. Buck had always carried the conversation, usually satisfied with an occasional grunt from his friend. Larabee couldn't remember the last person he'd been so easy with... in silence.
'Well, shit,' he thought to himself. 'That doesn't mean much. No telling how much I'm missing.' The doctor had edged around giving him even a ball park figure of how far back in the past his last clear memories were. He sighed. The hand under his felt firm and warm... and somehow reassuring. Larabee couldn't begin to explain why he had clung to this young man with the old eyes from the moment he'd first woken up in this strange new world... why trading barbed comments with him had been so natural. But it felt right somehow. Like he could trust this blue-eyed stranger with his heart and soul. That they would be well cared for.
"You and me..." said Chris. Vin's head turned and he was hit with the full impact of those eyes again. They hit him with the force of a punch to the belly every time. All the air left his body. He knew he was staring but couldn't help it. Larabee struggled to control his body's reaction. 'One more thing in working order,' he told himself as he fought down the involuntary reaction to this young man and tried to remember how to breathe. Finally, he was able to draw air again in order to finish the sentence he'd started. "We're friends..."
"You rememberin'..." said Vin, looking wary, "or askin'?"
"Not really remembering," said Chris shaking his head. "But it feels right somehow." Vin looked at him for a long minute. Their eyes met and Larabee knew... even if Tanner refused to answer his question. Slowly, Vin nodded.
"Friends," he said.
"Good friends?" pushed Larabee. The corner of Vin's mouth twitched. Chris hoped for a glimpse of that crooked smile but was denied.
"Good friends," said Tanner, his eyes calm and serene. Chris looked down at their hands together on the blankets, then slanted his eyes back up to Vin's face.
"More than just good friends?" Chris said in a slightly husky voice. He stilled his heart, tried not to hold his breath for the answer. Why was it so important to him... the answer? Larabee was determined that he'd find out. In the meantime, he'd be damned if he'd let this slip through his fingers.
"More than just good friends," said Vin after a long pause in which he seemed to search Chris' eyes. The alarm on Tanner's watch went off. "Time to wake up," joked Vin, breaking the serious mood. Larabee smiled. Who couldn't at that ingenuous face. He vaguely wondered if this were some strange and wonderful dream. Wondered if he would wake up and Vin as well as all the other men who'd looked at him with such warmth and affection would be gone. He hoped not. He needed to remember... to find his place in all their lives again. Soon.
"Actually," said Chris, as his eyelids began to grow heavy again. "I think that's my cue to go back to sleep." Vin stood and straightened the blankets.
"I'll be right here," he assured the older man. "See ya in a couple of hours."
"I think you're getting entirely too much enjoyment out of this," Chris said, smiling sleepily up at him.
"Yep," said Vin. "Gotta get even while I can. Why'd you think I volunteered to stay the night? I get to pester you every two hours."
"Sounds good to me," murmured Chris as his eyes closed. Vin chuckled. Larabee's hand reached out and closed over his again where it lay on the blanket.
Tanner stood, simply looking down at the man's face as his breathing slowly deepened into sleep. He'd vaguely noticed it earlier in the evening, but when he'd woken and looked up into Chris Larabee's face, it had come home to him. It had struck him once again as the man had looked up at him near the end of their conversation.
Chris looked different. His eyes didn't have that haunted look he'd always associated with the man. There was an open and charming manner about him now which had literally swept the sharpshooter away. He never should have admitted even as much as he had about their friendship, but he'd been unable to resist the pleading in the man's eyes. Even the man's face had looked younger, not so deeply lined as usual. And Chris had never been so affectionate... touching him the way he'd done today... almost from the moment he'd opened those deep green eyes.
It had seemed to Vin as if he needed to reach out to someone... to touch and be sure they were there. And subsequently, that he, Chris Larabee, was really there. He could sympathize with that. It all seemed too unreal to him. Chris was here. He was going to be all right. But he couldn't remember him... or their years with Team Seven. Couldn't remember taking a chance on one Vin Tanner... who couldn't even read or write straight but had an unearthly talent with a rifle. Taking a chance on a scruffy Texan who'd never been so close to someone in his life and making him his friend... not only that but his best friend. Choosing him even over a man he'd known most of his life and who had seen him through the most terrible time anyone could experience.
Vin reached out to brush away a lock of hair that had fallen over the man's brow... and froze before touching him. 'Best not go writin' no checks with your heart, Tanner,' he told himself, 'that ya ain't got no hopes of cashin'.' Still, he let himself stand there for a while, just watching Chris sleep. The distance between their ages didn't seem so much now. Not with the younger, more vulnerable look he'd seen today on Larabee's face. More mischief in those eyes too. He expected that both Buck and Chris had been hell-raisers when they were much younger. Tanner figured it was why their team leader could always be two steps ahead of all of them as well as reining them in with an expert hand. Strictly a case of "been there... done that... and you aren't getting away with it..." Vin smiled and sat down to make himself comfortable in the chair again. But he didn't pull his hand out from under Larabee's. Instead, he sat quietly in the dimly lit room... looking at their hands curled together on the blankets.
+ + + + + + +
Chris emerged from a warm haze. Someone was calling him. He managed to open his eyes slightly.
"Chris... Chris..." That rough voice was already becoming familiar. The square-jawed face swam into view just above him once again. Still half in the grips of the dream he'd been enjoying, Larabee reached up a hand. Sliding it under the long soft curls to the nape of Vin's neck, he pulled that inviting mouth down to his. Tanner stiffened underneath his touch, but when he began to stroke the lower lip gently with his tongue, the man's mouth opened to him. Some of the tension left the slender body. Chris drew it out, enjoying the taste and feel of this incredible man. He explored the warm mouth, tugged on the upper lip and dove back in for more.
His body responded immediately to the kiss, but what he hadn't expected was the sizzle like white lightning running through his veins. What startled him even more was the feeling as though the whole earth had shifted in its orbit. The movement he felt near his heart - as though something terribly significant had just happened - was even more disturbing. He cursed his lack of memory. When at last he released Vin's lips and drew back a little, the Texan's eyes were dilated and he was panting slightly.
"W-who" croaked out Vin, "are you..."
"Chris Larabee," said the man below him. "Still don't know what year it is... or who the President is now. But you're my 'more than good friend' Vin..." Chris used the hand still cupping Vin's neck to stroke the back of his head. His other hand rose to trace the still damp and swollen lips with a finger.
"Why'd you do that?" gasped out Tanner.
"Seemed to me like your eyes were asking for it," said Chris, smiling up at him with still half-closed eyes. There was definitely a seductive purr to the well-known voice.
"Chris!" said Vin, still trying to get his breathing back under control. "I never... we don't... we aren't..."
"Shit!" said Larabee, eyes widening. "I never thought to ask you or Buck. I noticed there was no ring..." He looked down at his left hand. "And I just figured that if they let all of you in here... that if there was someone else..." He looked back up at the obviously upset young man. "Vin... I-is there someone I'm committed to... someone else?"
"N-no," said Vin. "Mostly... we're family... the seven of us..."
"Thank God!" exclaimed Chris, breathing a deep sigh of relief. "Thought I'd really messed things up there for a minute." Vin took a deep breath as well and pulled back from the older man. He looked away for what seemed like a long time to the older man.
"Chris," Vin finally said, turning his face back to the older man. Larabee felt that sucker punch again, but this time it was to his heart. The younger man's eyes were full of pain. "We're not that kind of friends."
Larabee froze, then slowly scrubbed his hand over his face.
"What kind of asshole have I become?" he asked finally.
"You're my boss," blurted out Vin. Chris stared at him.
"Well, that does explain part of it. But surely nothing two moderately intelligent men couldn't work their way around if it's important enough. If they wanted it bad enough."
"Who ARE you and what have you done with Chris?"
Chris recognized the Texan's attempt to lighten the conversation but he wasn't ready to let this go just yet.
"A man who knows what he saw, Vin," said Larabee. "Are you trying to tell me you didn't want that?"
"Chris," said Tanner, looking at him with those too old eyes again, "I ain't never had much in the way of folks who cared about whether I lived or died. Never had anyone I was as close to as you and the Boys... What I'm sayin' is... I don't want to chance losin' what I've got."
"I'm not asking you to take that chance," said Chris. "I'm offering something here. I care about you. I'm not trying to take something away."
"You don't know! You don't remember!" said Vin, twisting away and moving to the window.
"You keep throwing that up in my face," responded Larabee in an angry voice. "But this is not like I don't remember ANYTHING. I'm STILL Chris Larabee. I KNOW how I feel." Vin leaned in the window, hands tucked in his pockets, shoulders hunched.
"But you don't know what things you've been through in the years between..." he said in a low husky voice. Chris thought he could hear tears in that rasp and wished he could see Vin's face. "You don't know what's happened to change you from who you were." Now, Tanner did turn his head. Chris saw those large blue eyes so full of pain and awash with tears. He could hardly keep himself from lurching off the bed and across the room to try and ease the man's hurt. But Vin wasn't done yet. "You don't know why you've never said anything to me. Why I never even knew..." Tanner closed his eyes tightly, his hand gripping the window ledge. "Never would have guessed you would even be interested in a man... much less me."
Larabee gasped as pain shot through his heart. How could he have looked at this man every day... worked with him and not seen what was in his eyes? It wasn't possible that he could have claimed to have been this man's friend and never realize... never know... and... never, not once, act on that knowledge. What kind of asshole HAD he become? Chris was beginning to have doubts as to whether he really wanted to find out. Especially, if it hurt this man with the soulful eyes who he felt such a connection to. Even though he couldn't remember him beyond a few hours ago, he felt the pull, the draw to Tanner. He couldn't understand it or begin to explain it but he was beginning to recognize its strength.
"Vin," he said softly, holding out his hand. "Come here, please." The young man hesitated. "Am I going to have to climb out of this bed and come over there to you?" Vin moved. Uneasy, he stood by the side of the bed. Chris reached out and lightly touched Tanner's hand. It jerked. Gently, he encircled the slender wrist with his thumb and fingers, cradling the hand in his palm. The blond looked straight into deep blue eyes that still held all the pain and agony of "knowing", something he had the luxury of being without right now. Slowly, he lifted the hand to his face, cupping it around his cheek. Larabee turned his head to nuzzle into the palm, then pressed a tender kiss in the center. "I won't hurt you," he said, holding Tanner's eyes with his own.
"Ya can't promise that," said Vin huskily, but not pulling his hand away. "Not when you don't know... don't remember why..."
"You trust me?"
"With my life..." Larabee nodded, knowing without even thinking of it, that it was the same for him.
"But can you trust me with your heart?"
"I don't know..." said Vin, looking at him with dark eyes. "I want to..."
"Cowboy..." said Chris. Vin looked at him, puzzled. "Even when you don't say it... you do. I heard you the first time, right after I woke up. And you've been struggling not to say it ever since. It's one of the reasons I thought there was something between us. When you said it... the way you said it... it sounded like a lover's nickname."
"It was a... a joke between us," said Vin, not meeting Chris' eyes.
"The question here, I suppose..." said Larabee, "is whether we have the guts to make it real or not. Whether we have the strength to see where this takes us... and to go somewhere we've never been before."
"What if..."
"What if I never remember..." Chris interrupted. "What if what I've got now is all I ever have?"
"We'll help you, Chris," said Vin, leaning forward. "We won't let you lose everything. You won't lose us... no matter what."
"Thanks, Vin," said Chris, tightening the grip he still had on the hand he held. "I'll trust you for that..." Vin let go of the hand and reached up to clasp Chris' forearm as they always had. Larabee returned the hold.
"That's a promise I can make and keep," said Vin, lips thinning as he struggled to assure the man that in all the shifting sand they currently stood in, this was one thing that he could count on. "The only other thing I can promise right now..." continued Vin, "is that I'll think about it."
"That's all I can ask I suppose," said Chris, "for now..." The older man looked at Vin through half lowered eyes. Tanner found himself gulping and wondering just what he'd let himself in for.
"Maybe you better try and get a little more rest," suggested Vin, not sure whether he liked or disliked being eyed as if he were some exotic dessert. Either way, it made him nervous. Chris smiled as though he knew what he was thinking. The older man shifted his grip on Vin's arm, lifting the slender hand to his mouth again. He turned it and ran his tongue from the heel of the hand, through the palm and all the way up the index finger. Larabee swirled his tongue around the tip, sucked the finger quickly into his mouth, then released it. A half-strangled moan broke from the Texan. He looked up into dilated blue eyes. Tanner was struggling not to show that his breathing had become uneven. Chris watched as he swallowed heavily. Chris closed the hand over the moisture and wrapped his own fingers around it. Settling back in the bed, he got comfortable again.
"Just a little something to dream on," he told Vin in a slow, husky voice.
"Yeah, well... dream on..."
"Cowboy..." finished Chris, "and I intend to... I intend to, Vin..." He closed his eyes. "And you were going to do some thinking." Vin sat down in the chair he'd been occupying all night right beside the blond's bed.
"I always keep my promises," he said.
"You didn't have to tell me that, Vin," said Chris, already half asleep.
The Texan sat and stared at their hands clasped together once again. He could still feel the moisture in his palm, the touch of that slick tongue. His groin was still throbbing from the feel of the wet heat of Chris' mouth when he'd enveloped his finger. Tanner shifted in his seat uncomfortably. It was going to be a long night.
+ + + + + + +
"Chris," said that soft voice from his dreams, "wake up..." Larabee opened his eyes. The dreams had been nice, but looking at the young man's face was immeasurably better. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as close as it had been the last two times he'd woken to find the Texan leaning over him. He smiled up into the blue eyes.
"Hey Texas," he said huskily, reaching out to curl his hand around Vin's neck and pull him closer. Tanner allowed it. Chris met the warm lips with his own, slowly turning his head from one side to the other to brush their mouths against each other. He gently sucked Vin's lower lip into his mouth and nibbled on it. One quick swipe with his tongue along the inner lip and he drew back.
"You gonna do that every time I wake you up?" asked Vin, blushing bright red, eyes sparkling, mouth swollen and wet from Chris' touch.
"Just wanted to remind you what you're supposed to be thinking about," said Chris softly. Tanner's tongue came out to lick his lips.
"It worked..." he replied.
"Good," said Chris, settling back down on the pillow. "See you in two hours." His eyes drifted closed, then his hand reached out, knowing without even looking where to find the hand he sought. Warm fingers closed around Vin's. The young man couldn't suppress a smile. He settled once again in the chair right by the bed.
+ + + + + + +
The next time that raspy voice awakened him, there was a definite edge to it. He looked up to flashing blue eyes and fought back a smile. It had been there, just under the surface like he'd thought. This Texan was no easy pushover. He liked that. He'd never been the type to be attracted to people who would give in to him. Larabee liked challenges. He reached out to the young Texan and gave him a tug, trying to pull him closer.
"Ya don't fight fair, Chris," growled Tanner.
"Life isn't fair," responded the blond. "LOVE... isn't fair."
Vin couldn't argue with that. It seemed more than even his usual level of unfair lately. He was torn, feeling like the object of a tug-of-war between his head and his heart. Desperately, he wanted to give in to Chris. Kiss the man till his head really was spinning. Pull a groan out of him just like the one he'd almost managed to hold back when the blond had sent a fireball directly to his groin with that little performance on his hand. But he was terrified at the same time. He couldn't bear to lose what he'd found with Chris... with all of these men. He'd been alone most of his life. Gotten used to it, too. But now, he'd tasted of the joys of close friendships and places to be on the week-ends. Laughing... or fighting over plays of their favorite teams. Practical jokes around the office. Someone to watch his back when the job got dangerous. And warm green eyes turned on him. Eyes that seared his soul... and made it complete at the same time.
Vin felt the fear and pain rising till it threatened to choke him. A warm hand still rested on his shoulder and it tugged again, pulling him closer, into arms that wrapped around him. That long-fingered strong hand drew his head down to Larabee's shoulder. Another hand stroked soothingly down his back.
"Shhhh," said that seductive voice. "Easy, my friend... I won't hurt you. I'll be here... no matter what."
And with those words, Chris had hit the nail on the head. A long shudder ran through the thin frame. So, that was it thought Larabee. He'd told him he was afraid of losing what he had... and that was the bare truth. The young man had trusted him with a bit of his heart. Chris swore he wouldn't stop trying... wouldn't give up, no matter what happened. He'd found what he wanted now... and nothing or no one... no memories, no past lovers he might have forgotten were getting in his way.
Vin slowly relaxed against him. Chris savoured the feel of the lean body in his arms. He could feel the whipcord strength of the man, the soft curls tickling his chin. Larabee changed the tone of his strokes, going a little further down and slightly out onto the curve on his buttocks. On the next sweep upwards he moved to tilt the square jaw up and leaned down to fasten his lips on Vin's. Not a demanding kiss this time, just soft, slow and exploring. Only a flick of tongue now and then to let him know he was still interested. The younger man's crotch was pressed against his thigh and he felt the swelling, hardening bulge. He twisted his mouth on the Texan's and dove in deeper. Vin jerked and pulled back, out of his arms.
"Yer pushin'," snapped the Texan.
"I never promised I wouldn't push," retorted Larabee. "I promised I'd trust you." Vin practically snarled at him and flopped back down in the chair.
"I don't take kindly to bein' bossed around..." he said.
"Oh, I don't intend to boss you, Texas," said Chris in a smooth growl of his own. "I just intend to halter-break you a little. I like 'em spirited." Blue eyes almost disappeared in a surly squint. Larabee laughed. "You don't fool me at all, Vin," he said. "Not one little bit."
The blond laid his head back down on the pillow, closing his eyes. He reached out his hand, finding the one he sought and slipped back into heated dreams of one Texas wildcat.
+ + + + + + +
Josiah and Nathan arrived at the hospital room bright and early. They found Vin asleep in the chair beside the bed with Chris' eyes on him. Waking the young man, they sent him home for a few hours sleep. He argued and growled, got his back up and snarled at them. Larabee figured he hadn't slept much the night before, between waking him up at regular intervals and all the things on his mind.
"Vin," he said softly. "Go home and get some rest. I'll be all right." The Texan crumbled and left. Buck and J.D. arrived a little later. Ezra trailed in with bleary eyes though impeccable grooming, a tray of coffee cups and bag of pastries in his hands.
"Where's Mr. Tanner?" he asked. "After a great deal of argument, I managed to get them to brew him a cup of that ulcer-creating acid he prefers."
"You should have just brought him a cup from the machine down the hall," chuckled Josiah. "He likes that stuff."
"Yeah," said J.D. "Buck says that's where he learned to make coffee from... those machines."
"He's gone home to get some sleep," said Nathan, smiling smugly.
"And who pried him out of here with a crowbar?" asked Ezra, passing out the cups. All the other eyes in the room turned to Chris Larabee. The blond just sat back, a smile of his own pasted on his face. This was going to be just too easy he thought. All he had to do was listen to the men talk and he could figure out a great deal. Obviously they weren't all as close-mouthed as the Texan.
"Oh," said Ezra, his own eyes twinkling at the picture that must have been. He handed Larabee his cup. "Since the good doctor doesn't seem to have you on a restricted diet..." His smile widened and he held up the bag of pastry for Chris to have first choice.
"Thanks," said Chris, looking over the selection. "The breakfast they gave me wasn't exactly edible." He picked one out and Standish's eyes twinkled.
"You're welcome, Mr. Larabee," drawled Ezra, giving Chris his most charming and innocent smile. The older man immediately looked at him warily.
'Some things never change,' Ezra thought to himself as he paid close attention to the man who had been his boss for several years. He would have a lot of observations to report to the others later when they met for their now daily council of war. There was no way in Hell they would leave it up to chance to get Chris back to wherever he needed to be for his own satisfaction. Knowing Larabee, Ezra figured that would be one hundred per cent or nothing.
Josiah watched the interaction between the two men. He hid a smile behind taking a sip of his second cup of coffee for the day. Relishing the way the rich taste rolled around on his tongue, he found himself grateful again for Ezra's good taste and acute powers of observation. The man knew all the best coffee shops in the city and would only frequent the ones that met his exacting standards. And he could make accurate observations of the rest of the Team almost as well as Chris and Vin read each other.
Chris was relaxing around them already. Beginning to trust them and fall into familiar patterns. It would be necessary if Team Seven were to accomplish their new goal. Josiah and Nathan had approached AD Travis already, laid out their idea for the Team's newest "case." He'd agreed smiling. Josiah chuckled at the memory. The man had experienced enough of Chris' temper and unorthodox methods over the years that it was natural for him to be quite satisfied at the thought that Larabee was about to be manipulated back into his right mind... by his own men. Josiah would be interim Team leader with Nathan's assistance.
The ex-anthropologist had seen the look on Chris' face when they entered the room that morning. He guessed that it had been a long, busy night for their sharpshooter. What he didn't like was the haunted look in Vin's eyes when they'd woken him. It made him wonder just what had happened. He sighed. Nothing he could fix right now, though he promised himself to get to the bottom of it very soon. The Texan had been under too much stress ever since Chris had hit the floor in that warehouse. Josiah didn't believe the slender young man could tolerate very much more.
Sanchez looked across the room to meet Nathan's eyes and exchanged a wink and a nod. So far, so good. Plan "Recover Lost Lamb" was off to a good start. And if Chris ever found out about it or what they'd named it, he'd shoot every one of them in the ass. He hoped J.D. could keep his mouth shut.
"You know," said Josiah casually, "if we could keep those nurses down in Pediatrics from letting Vin shower down there, it'd be easier to get him to go home more often."
"Are you kidding?" said Buck picking up the gauntlet and watching Chris with perceptive eyes as his ears pricked up at mention of their sharpshooter. "They dote on him. He always makes time to tell the kids stories and talk to them."
"And it doesn't help any when you bring him fresh clothes every day Buck," commented Nathan.
"It wasn't me," protested Buck. J.D. stopped in the act of taking a swig of his soda.
"Yeah, sure," he said, "and it wasn't us stopping by Vin's place every morning."
"Last time it was Ezra," defended Buck. They all turned to look at the suave undercover agent wide-eyed.
"There happens to be a very good Coffee shop near there."
"In Purgatorio?" Josiah snorted in laughter.
"Well... on the way there..." Ezra took refuge behind his cup of cappuccino and a pastry from the bag. He subsided in the corner and refused to be baited further. Though they tried.
Chris kept quiet and watched the by-play amongst the men. His eyes glittered. Amazing what one could discover just by keeping their mouth shut and listening. Something he'd always been good at, sitting back and letting others talk... picking up everything he needed to know about them. And the picture that began to appear was very interesting as well as compelling.
Most of Team Seven arranged themselves around the room, getting involved in a college football game. Chris was happy to learn that his favorite team, the Hoosiers, were doing well this season. The men came and went, unobtrusively trading seats periodically to sit near him. Trying to make sure they didn't overwhelm the man with all of them at once. Each one spent some time talking to Larabee, easing him back into their tight circle. Vin returned after only a couple of hours. Nathan glared at him, but he totally ignored him and took over the chair in the corner. He was quiet but Josiah and Buck both noticed how his eyes were often drawn to the man in the bed.
Dr. Sidney Greenfield appeared in the late morning. With just a few well placed looks he cleared the room. The rest of the men remembered him very well and were happy to leave, not interested in Sidney deciding they needed to have a "little talk" with him. Larabee eyed him warily from the bed.
"Relax," said the casually dressed psychologist, "I don't bite."
"Don't count on it," growled the sharpshooter as he went through the door. Buck hovered in the doorway a moment.
"Watch out though, Doc," he said grinning. "He does..." Sidney snorted. Wilmington looked back over at Chris. "We'll be right down the hall." It was a promise.
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