Alternate Universe: Future LB (the boys are teenagers)
Notes: Just a little something for Buck's birthday.
Warnings: Food and drink are not suggested while reading this.
How on earth were they going to explain this? It had seemed like a really good idea when it started. Now, they just hoped they survived it. When Chris and Buck saw this, they were going to lose it.
"Hello?" Vin answered the phone. "Hey Sheriff Nelson, they're on route 12 by marker 86? Thanks, I'll be right out to get them," Vin thanked the man as he hung up.
"All of the horses?" JD asked hopefully. He looked like the losing side of a food fight.
"Moses and Maverick. I'll go and get them," Vin sighed.
"I'll start here," JD offered, surveying the decimated kitchen. "After I shower and change clothes."
"We should have just bought a cake."
"The mix would have been okay. I think it was trying to bake it from scratch that did us in," JD offered as he stepped over fire retardant, sugar, honey and milk. 'Take these out would you?" the younger teen asked handing Vin the remains of the kitchen curtains.
Reaching out so as not to step in the piles of mess, Vin took it 'I'll give you a hand when I get back."
"Take the cell phone then if we get calls about any of the other horses I can let you know," JD suggested.
Vin held up the phone as he headed for the door.
A black dodge ram pulled in.
Too late.
"Boys, what say we head to the saloon for a birthday ste... GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!" Buck bellowed seeing the kitchen. Then he saw JD. "What happened to you/"
"Boys?" Chris looked from one to the other in the cold quiet voice he got when he was beyond angry. The only other time they had heard it was when they had had a party while their dads were out. They had come home unexpectedly to a totally out of control bash with alcohol courteously provided by the guests.
"We can explain this," Vin said.
"Vin needs to go pick up two of the horses," JD blurted at the same time.
"The horses are loose too?" Chris looked from one to the other.
"Larabee," Chris gave his phone its usual curt answer almost before it had gotten out the first ring.
"No, Mr. Jenkins, I didn't know the horses were in your cow pasture. We'll be right out," Chris assured him and hung up.
Vin groaned. The only people Averill Jenkins, one of their neighbors, hated more than Buck and Chris were JD and Vin. So, of course, every time the horses got loose they headed right for his cow pasture.
JD swallowed, Jenkins would be the icing on the cake. No, actually the icing was covering the stove, and refrigerator, and the floor.
"Buck, you and JD start here, Vin and I will go and get the horses," Chris instructed.
Buck nodded as he took the mop and bucket JD handed him from the closet he had been in when the two men arrived.
Vin followed Chris out.
Chris raised an eyebrow at Abby, the Goth dog. The six month old black lab puppy was sitting in her kennel whining to be let out. She looked like a pinto seeing as she was covering in flour and sugar. Not to mention that she was soaking wet.
"We rinsed the cake mix off her and then she tried to help JD bake the cake," Vin explained.
Chris stared at the teenager.
"We were, well, I was taking care of Buck's farm chores while JD was baking the cake," Vin explained.
Chris nodded for Vin to get in the truck.
"And how did the horses get out?" Chris asked as they pulled out.
"I was filling the water trough and suddenly JD's yelling and there's smoke pouring out of the kitchen window. I ran in the house and forgot to close the gate. When I remembered and came out the horses were gone."
The blonde nodded. That made a certain amount of sense. It was easy to forget something like a gate in an emergency.
"What the hell happened to the kitchen?" Chris asked.
Vin took a deep breath. "It started with Abby getting hold of the cake mix... " Vin began.+ + + + + + +
"You're telling me that the dog and a cake mix caused all this?" Buck asked his son as they filled up the mop bucket with soap and water. JD had showered and changed while Buck got the fire retardant cleaned up.
"We wanted you to have a birthday cake so we got a mix and some frosting. I went out to feed the chickens and when I came back in Abby had gotten the box off the counter and was dragging it through the house," JD explained.
Buck smiled and shook his head. The boys had tried to bake a cake for him.
"Vin and I figured that we had the ingredients for a cake so we could still make you one even without a mix. We got the batter mixed and had it poured in the pan. Vin went out to take care of the horses so you and Chris wouldn't have any ranch chores tonight. You'd just be able to relax," JD continued while mopping.
"I appreciate that," Buck smiled at his son. It was sounding like this was basically an accident that got totally out of hand.
"Vin had hosed the cake mix off of Abby, but she was really wanting inside and I figured that as long as she was in here with me it would be okay."
Buck winced, JD's big heart would never have let him leave the lonely pup outside. "Mistake number one,"
JD nodded. "I let her in and saw the polite light was out on the oven so grabbed the lighter and was lighting it just the way you showed me. That was when Abby saw the squirrel and barked in my ear. I hadn't known she was behind me and I jumped."
"Setting the curtains on fire," Buck finished for him. That settled it, he and Chris were replacing that old oven!
"It was an accident, I'm really sorry," JD apologized.
"Hey, these things can happen," Buck assured him, and gave him a hug.
"I grabbed the fire extinguisher and put it out. But, well, it kind of got away from me and sprayed everything. I opened the window to get rid of the smoke. I was putting the cake in the oven when I slipped on the retardant and fell on the dog. I yelled, which brought Vin in," JD went on.
Buck was trying to not laugh as he wiped down the appliances.
"At that point I was wearing the cake. The dog tried to get at the batter and knocked me into the flour and sugar. Vin tried to help me up and lost his balance and fell against the counter knocking over the milk which crashed into the egg," JD finished, as he started on the windows.
Buck hadn't been able to help it, he was leaning against the only clean spot on the wall and holding his side he was laughing so hard.
"I take it you got the story, stud?" Chris smirked from the door. He had had to pull over by the Vin was done explaining the mishaps.
Buck just nodded, still laughing.
"I say we head to the saloon and buy you a piece of cake for dessert," Chris suggested.
"YES!" The boys responded instantly. They should have bought a cake to start with.
The kitchen clean and the horses recaptured, the four headed out. The boys had wanted to give Buck a memorable birthday. Mission accomplished. This was one he would never forget.