Karaoke Night

by Sablecain

Alternate Universe: Stargate

Follows More Than Friends, A Light in the Distance, Under the Sun, Days of Yearning, Sun, Fun, and Ezra on the Run, Full Circle, Open House, End of Innocence,

Part 1

"To borrow a phrase from my little sister ... this is a seriously frelled idea," Chris Larabee said as he finished putting on his shoes. His kid brother just grinned at him impishly from the doorway, folding his arms over his chest. Trust Vin to find amusement in this. He found amusement in the damnedest things. Just like his girlfriend. Come to think of it, maybe that was one of the things which drew them together. They both had a warped sense of humor.

Not that Chris had any room to talk, as he had been told more than once that the same was true of him. That was, of course, even assuming the other person in the conversation even recognized that he had a sense of humor. It was a popular misconception that he was grim and humorless. True, he didn't find the same things funny that Buck did ... or as many of the same things ... but that didn't mean he didn't have a sense of humor.

"Reckon ya best tell Drina that Larabee's picked up one a' her words, Mary," Vin called into the bathroom which sat right off the bedroom Chris shared with his fiancé. Unofficial fiancé, as he hadn't officially proposed to her, but that was how he thought of Mary, nonetheless. The colonel just scowled at his brother ... if he meant Adriana, he would have said his little princess, not his little sister. No, this time, he meant his youngest sister, nineteen year old Elizabeth, who was home from college for Christmas break.

"Well, Vin, I would, but it just so happens that Elizabeth has been spending a lot of time around lately, when she's not sneaking up on her mother and Josiah. Chris picked it up from her, during one of her many visits, instead of Adriana. Your youngest sister is still trying to get Chris hooked on Farscape. Not succeeding particularly well, but he's starting to pick up the lingo, so that's a victory of some kind," Mary replied, padding back into the bedroom. Her blonde hair was still wrapped turban-style in a towel.

"Is that what's happenin,' then? Hell, ain't Drina tol' her that she and Nathan have been workin' on Larabee for the last coupla years?" Vin asked incredulously. Mary just smiled and began to rub her hair dry. Chris turned his back on the pair, still grumbling under his breath. Truthfully, he didn't have anyone to blame for tonight, except himself. Vin offered to let him out of a promise Chris had made to his child self, Kevin.

But Chris had made a promise, and now he had to carry out his end of the bargain. That didn't mean he had to like it. He repeated, "This is a seriously frelled idea. But, since part of the entertainment involves watching Mary get up and sing, I'll survive." He immediately wished he hadn't said that, as his brother and lady exchanged a devious look. Chris growled, "No. No, you will not sing, not here."

"Aw hell, Larabee, ya ain't no fun!" Vin pouted, giving a very credible imitation of a five year old. But, that wouldn't work on Chris any more, not after having Kevin, the five year old version of Vin, in his life for nearly a week. Vin knew that, too. The second in command of SG-7 said, "Well, ya still ain't answered m' question. Ain't Drina tol' Elizabeth yet that she and Nate keep tryin' to get Larabee into that, even enticin' him by tellin' him all about them ladies?"

"Several times," Mary agreed, "but you know your sister. She's just as stubborn as you, Chris, and Carly. I'd even go so far as to say she's more stubborn." Chris couldn't argue with that. There were times when he thought his baby sister could even out-stubborn Mary. Which, when he thought about it, was a downright terrifying idea. Almost as scary as the idea of Mary and Adriana ganging up on some poor unsuspecting man.

"Y'all talking about me again?" the other half of that demonic duo asked, appearing in the doorway behind her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around Vin's waist, pressing her cheek against the side of his arm with an innocent look that absolutely no one in the room bought. Especially not after they saw what she was wearing. Vin looped his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, drawing her forward until he could cross his arms over her chest.

That didn't keep Chris from staring in disbelief at his young surrogate sister's outfit. She was dressed, head to toe, in black. Black jeans that looked like they had been painted on, almost as tight as the black jeans Chris often wore, a black spandex camisole, a black shrug to cover her bare shoulders and equally bare arms, and black suede boots. Her dark hair fell loosely to her shoulders, framing her face.

As usual, she wore a bare minimum of make-up. Something about the time to put it on not being worth it. In fact, if not for three very important factors, Chris would have said she looked sexy. A) She was his little princess, the little sister he shared with Buck. B) She was his brother's lady. C) And he already had a lady.

But the first words out of Larabee's mouth, much to his chagrin, were, "Does your brother know you're wearing that?" The colonel found himself on the receiving end of a Wilmington glare, junior grade, and Chris muttered, "Never mind. Forget I said that." Forget that I just sounded like your father, when I'm not even old enough to be your uncle.

The giggle coming from Mary told him the chances of that happening, and for the first time, he realized that the two were ... ahhh, hell. Light and dark. Where Adriana was head to toe in black, Mary was dressed all in white. White jeans, a snug white top which showed a hint of decolletage, and a white shrug. The two young women exchanged a devilish grin, and Chris groaned, "Ah hell. You two are gonna be the death of me yet, assuming my baby brother doesn't do that for ya first."

Adriana disengaged herself from Vin and went over to Mary, putting her hands on the blonde woman's shoulders and leaning down until she could press her cheek to Mary's. Then the two gave him identical smiles of pure innocence mixed with pure deviltry, complete with wide eyes. Yup. These two would be the death of him, Chris realized, and damn if he wouldn't enjoy every minute of it, too!

Part 2

Damn, it was fun to watch Chris squirm! Vin Tanner leaned back against the doorway, smirking as the two ladies pressed their cheeks together, presenting their 'evil twin' faces to the world. His own lady winked at him, straightening up and laughing at Larabee's groan. One of these days, cowboy, Vin thought, reckon ya might learn not to underestimate them two. ' Specially when they git that there light in their eyes.

Vin didn't do anything ... aside from admiring the view. He still couldn't believe Chris had gone through with his promise, the promise he made to Kevin before the transformation back to Vin. But that was his brother ... although, Vin knew Billy had something to do with it. Chris was conscious that Billy looked up to him, and wanted to set a good example for the boy. Just because the boy wouldn't be accompanying them tonight ... Lacey (Vin finally got used to calling his sister that, instead of 'Lizzie') would be babysitting him. And Mindy.

Although, in Mindy's case, it would actually be 'puppy-sitting.' The dog in question wound her way around Vin's legs, sniffing and licking at his hands, before heading first to Chris to be petted, then over to the ladies. The guide smiled as Mindy received lavish attention from his older brother. He would give anything to have a video camera right now. There were still a few people at Stargate Command who thought of his brother as being cold and dour.

The man now laughing as Mindy graced him with a face-and-hand washing was anything but. I wish, Vin thought wistfully, people could see the real Chris. The one playin' with Mindy. He wasn't terribly sure where the thought came from. Vin wasn't one who usually cared about what other people thought. He knew the truth about himself, he knew the truth about his brother. He supposed it was a remnant of his time being Kevin again.

It was strange ... he had told the generals that a part of the adult Vin Tanner remained aware and active in Kevin's mind. Vin knew everything that happened. He knew about Drina leaving the bathroom almost in tears when she saw Chris helping Kevin to dress after his bath. He knew about Buck leaving, first to confront then comfort his sister. He knew about JD ignoring the child in his care to talk to someone whom Vin knew he didn't even like.

And while Kevin had gone back to his place, returning Vin to himself as an adult, a part of that child lingered in Vin's heart and mind. He seemed to be seeing things differently. Like his brother. Never before had Vin wished others could see Chris as he did ... as his family did. What did it matter if only some knew the truth about Chris Larabee? That made them part of a cherished inner circle, trusted and loved by his brother.

And, he acknowledged, that was the point, wasn't it? The real Chris Larabee was there, for anyone to see, if they bothered to take the time. Look past the obvious. What he had done. Nathan, Ezra, Josiah, Buck. Adriana, Mary. Billy. General Travis. SG-1. And ... JD. Vin felt a coldness steal over him as he thought about the cartographer. Since that first time, only days after Vin's return to the SGC as an adult, JD had made two more attempts to talk to Vin. Talk at Vin, and the sharpshooter wasn't ready to listen or talk.

Instead, he turned his attention to reassuring the various members of SG-1 that they weren't at fault. Especially Sam Carter. She carried a lot of guilt for Vin's transformation, and the guide hoped she was settled in the truth now. Sam was a woman who burned with curiosity, about the world, about the universe, about everything. That was who she was. She couldn't change that, and remain Sam Carter ... and Vin wouldn't want her to change.

Any more than she would want him to change. Just as Sam Carter burned with curiosity, to learn, Vin Tanner took care of other people. He didn't know if he would say he was a protector, the way Mary and Adriana and the other ladies did, but he did know he took care of people when they let him. That was part of what made his time as Kevin so strange. Someone else taking care of him like that.

Vin's thoughts strayed to the stuffed dog which sat on his bed ... one of his souvenirs from that time, a gift from Josiah. He knew he should give those toys to one of the orphanages in the local area, but he couldn't bring himself to give away those gifts from the heart. Not even the Sit-n-Spin. Hell, even as an adult, he took a few spins around on it. He was reading the books which Ezra gave him ... started while he was still in the infirmary. He wished now that he had swallowed his pride and asked for help sooner. It was one thing to hear Adriana tell him the stories behind the stars and the constellations. It was another for him to read it ... it gave him an independence he never had before.

And the sail boat sat on his dresser. The gifts touched the soul of the adult Vin in more ways than he could have ever said. Just as the memory of a sleepy Mary reaching down to pull him up onto the bed and beside herself and Chris after he had a nightmare went to the very heart of him. It was a little awkward at first, reconciling the emotions and memories of that five year old child, with facing the women who had taken care of him during that time.

He remembered lying between Mary and Chris in their bed, his head resting against Mary's collarbone, while Chris shielded his small boy-body. Watched his back. He remembered falling asleep, feeling so terribly ... safe. He remembered waking up, almost in a ball and pressed against Mary's body. He remembered hearing Mary and Chris softly talking over his head, looking down to see Billy sitting at the foot of the bed.

Billy. That little guy had surprised everyone ... first with his determination that he would be Kevin's big brother, and look after the child. And he did! Vin remembered waking up in the infirmary once, after returning to being an adult, to find Billy sitting beside him on the bed. Billy had just smiled at him and said, "I'm glad you're okay." That was it. But there was a short pause and the blue eyes grew sad, as Billy added, "But I'm gonna miss Kevin. I liked being a big brother. Do you think Kevin liked having one?"

Vin had put his hand on the child's shoulder, a silent invitation which Billy accepted. The eight year old lay down beside the man on the bed, putting his arm over Vin's chest. The guide answered softly, "I know he did. And ya done a real good job of lookin' out fer him, Billy. What's more, he ain't never gonna fergit that, neither." It was easier for him to refer to his child-self as 'Kevin,' rather than 'me.' He didn't know why. It was just the way things worked.

Billy was silent for a long time, then he whispered, "Does he remember when we were playing, and pulled a trick on Chris?" Vin tightened his arms around the child, remembering very well. Billy and Kevin had gotten up early one morning, after a night in which Kevin had no nightmares, and filled a basin with ice cold water. Knowing more or less how Chris got out of bed in the morning, the two boys placed the basin near the foot of the bed.

So, when Chris awoke and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet encountered ice-cold water. It was, in a large part, inspired by Billy's rendition of the time Ezra left the cat locked in the bathroom overnight, and Adriana encountered kitty droppings the following morning when she went in to take her shower. The two boys were rewarded by very un-Chris-like yelp, followed by him chasing them around the house.

Vin answered softly, "He remembers. Chris sure can make a lotta noise, cain't he?" Billy giggled at that, and then neither spoke as they drifted off to sleep. Vin was awakened briefly when Billy was lifted from his body by his mother, then went right back to sleep. It was so good, not sleeping so much any more. When he slept all the time, he wasn't able to settle things with the others ... the ones he could settle with, at least. The ones whom he couldn't ... well, that would wait a little longer.

Nearly two weeks removed from that conversation, Vin watched as three people very important to him finished getting ready for their night out on the town. Vin was sure it hadn't escaped his brother's notice that Adriana and Mary had dressed almost identically, except one was in black and the other in white. The sharpshooter thought with a half smile that if Ezra were in the room with them, he would have titled the pair, 'Two Faces of Beauty.' That brought up something else, though, something important. Vin wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, or if he was seeing Adriana through different eyes ... or if his lady really had changed during the last few weeks.

It seemed to the sharpshooter that she was different now. More playful ... more ... Damn. Vin didn't know how to describe it. Drina wasn't a cold woman. Vin had seen her get downright fiery, under the right circumstances. But the best analogy he could think of was that the ice which had protected her heart for so many years was melting. She was more playful ... less reserved, even more mischievous.

Not that he was complaining, of course. He liked the changes in her, if they were changes and not things that had been there all along. In fact ... Hey! Vin jumped and whirled around as a hand connected with his butt. His aunt Josie grinned at him impishly, her brown eyes dancing with laughter, as she said, "Stop your woolgathering, Kevin Parris, the gang's all here. Hello! You girls look ready to kill!"

Josie gave Vin's butt another swat, then moved forward into the room to admire Adriana and Mary's matching outfits. Josiah came up behind Vin, putting his arm around the guide's shoulders, and murmured, "She's been in rare form today ... which makes me wonder exactly what tonight will be like." Vin just shook his head in amazement as he watched his aunt with his ' sister' and his lady. That made two of them!

Part 3

It would take a devilish imagination to come up with the idea for their outfits. As it happened, that could have applied to any of the Four Corners. Which, technically, should now be the Eight Corners, since it included, in addition to the originals of Mary, Adriana, Sam, and Janet, the newcomers of Carly, Charlotte, Josie, and Elizabeth. And at times, Casey as well, though she wasn't present at the moment.

However, this time around, the idea belonged solely to the two women now wearing the outfits in question. Darkness and light, yin and yang. A psychologist could have had a field day, trying to interpret the messages being sent by the two women in nearly identical outfits, save for the color choice and a few other minor details. But the simple fact was, they dressed the way they did just because it was fun.

Fun. There were times when Adriana could have sworn she was making up for lost time where that was concerned. Through most of elementary and high school, Adriana had concentrated solely on surviving, rather than on having fun. Surviving ... keeping her sanity intact. It wasn't until she got to college that her life truly began. It was there that she began to figure out who Adriana Wilmington really was. She supposed that was true of most people ... she never really asked anyone else, always fearing that she would be ridiculed for being 'weird.' For being 'different.'

Goddess knew, that happened enough while she was growing up. She hadn't just learned about hiding in plain sight to protect herself from her father, though that was certainly a large part of it. No, she also learned to protect herself from the cruelty of people her own age. Maybe that was why she always gravitated to those who were older, even if it was just by a few years. Chris, Dr. Meadows ... Will and Charlotte, back when Will was capable of acting like a human being.

Claire taught her to let her guard down with people her own age, paving the way first for Vin, then Carly. Adriana didn't get to spend much time with Claire, since her arrival at the SGC. Claire had her children and her classes to teach, and Adriana had her work. Claire had Chanu. And now ... Adriana had Vin. Or, at least she would. Soon enough. It was the situation with Claire which allowed her to understand a slight distance between Chris and Buck, one which she noticed when she first arrived at the SGC.

Perhaps it was everything they'd dealt with during the last few weeks that had put her in such an introspective mood. She didn't know. She was just ... growing aware of the changing nature of relationships. Maybe because, for the first time in her life, she was in one. She had relationships in the past, sure ... but she had never been in one, and that changed her perspective toward the world. But wasn't that the way of the world?

People changed, their priorities changed. It didn't mean they no longer cared about each other. Adriana knew from talking to Vin that Buck would give up his life, would kill for Chris. And the same was true for Chris Larabee where Buck was concerned. It was simply a different kind of friendship from the one she remembered from her teen years. It just happened. But Adriana also came to realize that no matter what happened between her brother and Chris, the blond colonel would never stop loving her. She would always be his little sister, his little princess.

Lord and Lady, she was digging in deep tonight! The point of the evening was to have fun, not to wax philosophically. Adriana smiled to herself and looked back at Mary. Speaking of changes! When Adriana first arrived at the SGC, all those months ago, she regarded the blonde woman at her side with some trepidation. She wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe the sudden resurgence of insecurity had something to do with it, her fear that she wouldn't be good enough.

She had been having a hard time, wrapping her mind around what she was seeing. She had never heard of Stargate Command, of course. It was top secret. And at first, Adriana couldn't understand why the military would want her, a young archaeologist. The ink was barely dry on her degree, she was unlikely to find any credible work because she was willing to listen to the possibility that the Sphinx was far older than anyone had guessed.

And then, to find out the nature of the SGC, and the work she would be doing as a floating archaeologist for the various teams ... to learn, in time, that she gained her position because of that willingness to think outside the box, as the saying went! It took her breath away, and while she didn't know at the time she received the offer because of her paper on the Sphinx, the entire idea that someone thought she could ... do ... this kind of work ... left her reeling and dizzy with the exhilaration and the fear. The always-present, ever-secret, fear that she wouldn't be good enough.

Except ... she was wrong. She was good enough ... oh, sure, she had made some mistakes. The wagon train came immediately to mind. But overall, the generals were very pleased with her work. Mary Travis, who, though friendly, had scared Adriana so badly in those early days had become the best female friend she had since leaving Texas. It hadn't been easy for the blonde captain, Adriana knew that ... but Mary didn't give up. She thought Adriana was worth the effort.

An opinion shared by the slender, sexy, smiling young man standing beside Josiah Sanchez. Vin Tanner had always thought she was worth it. Always thought she was good enough. Always believed in her. Vin cocked his head slightly to one side, his smile growing questioning, and she mouthed, I love you. Vin blushed, but drew his hand to his lips, blowing her a kiss off his fingertips.

No words had formed, but they didn't need to. That gesture was Vin's own declaration of love. Josiah rumbled, his arm still around Vin's shoulders, "If I tell you that you look scandalously radiant, Miss Adriana, would you slap me?" The compliment forced a surprised giggle from the young archaeologist, who rose to her feet, Mary following suit. Adriana could feel her face burning, even as she saw Vin's eyebrows raise.

"Josiah, I'm not sure if you should worry about me slapping you. Although, I can now understand why Vin often refers to you as a 'silver tongued devil.' Personally, I think you should be more worried about Vin and his rifle ... or Josie," Adriana replied, glancing toward Josie Tanner. The blonde woman just grinned, opening her hands and shrugging. Not that Adriana allowed that to fool her. She had been around the ex-Army sergeant long enough to know the woman was just as dangerous as her nephew.

"He's allowed to look, Drina, he's just not allowed to touch. If he touches, then I have to hurt him. And I think scandalously appealing suits in this case. But ... why black? Did you decide to raid Christopher's closet?" Josie asked. Vin choked back a laugh, almost doubling over from the effort not to all-out lose it. His companion patted his back, a wide grin almost splitting his own face in two.

"Josie, I know Chris wears tight jeans, but I think this would be pushing it," Adriana replied, gesturing to her own jeans, which weren't nearly as tight as they looked. A good thing, too. She had a feeling she would be laughing a lot, and she'd need to breathe to do that. Tight jeans made it really, really hard to breathe. Or laugh, without popping at least one button or snap, whatever the case might be.

Josie laughed at that, replying, "Point taken. Okay, kids, I think it's time we got going. Elizabeth brought some videos for kids ... her old Transformer tapes ... and she'll want to watch those with Billy, and without any comments from us." The other adults acquiesced, leaving the bedroom to head into the living room where Buck, Ezra, Nathan and Rain were enraptured by the same cartoon which held both Billy and Lacey's attention. The archaeologist grinned. If only she had a video camera. The others at Stargate Command would never believe it. Ezra Standish, watching an old Transformers cartoon.

"You know," Adriana confided, "I always had a thing for Rodimus Prime. Poor thing, so angsty and full of self-doubt. Trying to live up to Optimus Prime, when all he really needed to do was find his own niche as the leader of the Autobots." With an uncomfortable flash, Adriana realized she could have just as easily been talking about herself. Something which someone else had realized, as Vin slipped his arm around her waist.

"Reckon he ain't the only one, Drina," Vin rasped out, drawing her in tightly against his body as Mary kissed her son good night and hugged Lacey. Adriana didn't answer, just held onto her man with all she had inside. She was almost ready. The walls were crumbling, and that, she realized, was why she had been thinking about the past and her own insecurity. Because she was starting to see she wasn't that person any more.

When she was a child, she saw a bumper sticker or something which said ' today is the first day of the rest of your life.' Adriana felt that was true. While she had never been to karaoke night before, she had the strong sense that wouldn't be the only change in her life tonight. But for the first time in her life, it didn't scare her ... because Adriana Kathleen Wilmington knew with absolute certainty that Vin Tanner would be there to catch her.

Part 4

Buck Wilmington hadn't heard Josiah Sanchez describe Buck's baby sister as 'scandalously radiant,' but he wouldn't have argued. As it was, he was struck speechless by his sister's attire. And once he stopped wondering if she had shrunk some of Larabee's clothes, Buck was tempted ... seriously tempted ... to order her to change clothes. Two things stopped him. Josiah's raised eyebrows and the fact that the only change of clothes DeeDee had was her nightgown and the clothes she wore to Chris and Mary's house.

Lacey had offered to wash Adriana's jeans and sweatshirt with the rest of the clothes, for the following day, after Billy went to bed. Still, Buck was seriously tempted to go ahead and order his sister to change clothes, especially after he saw the way Ezra was looking at her. Buck wanted to reach over, stick his tongue back into his mouth, then close his gaping jaw. On the other hand, it wasn't often he saw Ezra at a loss. Even Nathan, who was happily married to Rain, gave his little sister second, third, and even fourth looks. Rain didn't seem to object.

Josie said, evidently expressing the thoughts of the females in the room tonight, "Look, but don't touch. Because if you do touch, Adriana won't be the one paying the price." Josie's eyes dropped to Josiah's nether regions, and the big man gulped. The former sergeant continued with a sweet smile that fooled absolutely no one in the room, "Remember ... her beauty is no excuse for your lack of control."

This was greeted with 'absolutely,' 'hear hear' and 'amen' from the other women in the room. Except Lacey, who blurted out, "You look absolutely great, Drina! Wow! I bet you're gonna knock the guys dead tonight!" DeeDee turned crimson with embarrassment, but she didn't look away. In fact, her grin got even bigger, even as she swooped down to hug first Billy, then Mindy. Well, at least nothing was showing that shouldn't be showing!

"Thanks, hon. If you guys run out of entertainment, I brought a few movies. They're in my duffle bag," Adriana replied, straightening up to hug the young girl. She glanced over her shoulder as she drew back from Lacey, adding, "Don't worry, Mare, it's nothing little eyes shouldn't be seeing. You know me better than that." Out of sight from her son (but not her man), the blonde captain responded by sticking out her tongue and crossing her eyes.

"Okay, okay ... can we get this show on the road? You women, take forever ... ow!" Chris growled, glaring at his lady, who had just swatted his behind with her purse. Mary just grinned and winked at Adriana. Buck covered his mouth with his hand, trying desperately to laugh silently. That, however, was a gift which Vin had ... and Buck did not. Chris just turned his glare on the elder Wilmington, snarling, "Buck ... !"

Buck shook with laughter, raising his hands in surrender, but it was DeeDee observed, "Chris, please, don't even attempt your glare on us. Remember, we heard you singing 'kill da wabbit' at breakfast one morning." That was it. He was done for. Buck lost it. He laughed helplessly, having to lean against the sofa to stay in an upright position. And he couldn't look at his sister's impish grin, or he'd lose it all over again.

"You ... are ... so ... dead!" Chris growled. But Buck could see the laughter in his old friend's green eyes, and in the smile just dying to be born. He wasn't the only one. Billy was laughing almost hysterically, falling against Lacey's shoulder. But the colonel wasn't giving up just yet, as he tried again, "Little princess, you best start watchin' your back, ' cause you have no idea when I'm gonna get you back!"

"I watch her back, Larabee ... 'course, I watch her front, too," Vin returned, speaking for the first time and smirking. Buck lost it all over again. Damn that boy, when he got his hands on Vin ... ! And then it hit him. Vin was talking about Buck's baby sister. He was talking that way about Buck's baby sister! He wasn't allowed to talk about Buck's little sister ... it just wasn't right, even if she was his girlfriend! Vin just folded his arms over his chest and smiled at Buck, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter. The major didn't even dare to look at his sister ... he didn't trust himself right now. And if Vin's eyes were twinkling like that ... naw. Naw, he wasn't even gonna think that!

"And on that note," Mary laughed, her own green eyes twinkling with amusement, "we should leave. Billy, behave for Lacey, and Lacey, don't let him stay up past his bedtime. Be good, have fun, and don't eat too much candy while we're gone ... yes, I know both of you better than that." She kissed Billy one last time, accepted a face-washing from Mindy, hugged Lacey, then herded the still-laughing Buck and everyone else from the house. Behind them, Buck heard Lacey muttered, 'free at last!' Mary called over her shoulder, "I heard that, Lacey!"

"You were meant to hear that, Mary!" came the sassy retort. Buck shook his head. This would definitely be an interesting night ... Mary, DeeDee, and Josie were in rare form. Carly would be meeting them at the bar, and she was always in rare form. He just hoped Richmond stayed away ... maybe baby-sat his daughter, while Charlotte went out and had some fun. Buck's good mood darkened, as it always did when he thought about the worse half of that duo.

In the weeks since Vin's return to adulthood, Will Richmond's attitude toward the general population of the SGC had grown progressively uglier. Buck got that he felt threatened by the guide. It didn't take no oracle to figure that one out. What he didn't get was why. Vin was happily involved with Buck's sister, Charlotte loved her husband, she and Vin were just friends now. If they were ever anything more than that, which Buck doubted, that was in the past.

But Will was pushing Charlotte's patience to the breaking point, and things had gotten to the point where not even Adriana would talk to the male Dr. Richmond, not unless it had to do with work. And that was short, quick, and to the point. She didn't spend any time with him that she didn't have to. Charlotte and Tansy ... that was a different story. She always made time for her old friend from college, and the closest thing DeeDee had to a niece.

And that, in turn, made Richmond even uglier. Buck hated ugly. He hated ugly even more when it threatened to harm his sister. Things were still settling within SG-7, after Vin's transformation to and from a child. Buck was able to talk to JD, without wanting to strangle him, and the same was true of Josiah. At least, until JD started complaining about how Vin was still shutting him out.

Both Buck and Josiah kept trying to explain to the kid ... he had to give Vin time. The more he pushed, the more the guide would pull away. The cartographer had to be willing to give Vin the time he needed to heal ... otherwise, the wound would remain open longer than it had to. But JD still didn't seem to understand. He had to do this on Vin's time, and on Vin's terms And Buck didn't know what he could do, what would get through to the kid. Aside from smacking him upside the head with a clue by four, as his sister put it.

Buck looked ahead to his sister, who walked at Vin's side, her arms around his waist. She looked like she was tucked literally against the sharpshooter's side. And Vin looked like he would never let her go. Good. Buck would hate to have to kick his ass. Never mind that it was contradicting what he had been saying earlier. His baby sister had fought long and hard to get to where she was now, and Buck wouldn't allow anyone to undermine that.

Buck didn't wonder at his contradictory attitude toward his sister's relationship with Vin. He didn't even notice it. It was just ... there. Part and parcel of being an older brother was the desire to see a younger sibling happy ... and the desire to pound anyone who could hurt them into dust. Buck knew Vin would die before he would willingly hurt Adriana. That was never in question. But ... DeeDee was his little sister.

Buck Wilmington had spent the better part of his adult life, studying women and understanding what he could about them. He had been told once that he had a fifty-fifty shot.

When Buck asked what the other person meant, it was explained to him that some men turned on their mothers, for being single. For being prostitutes. That was simply unfathomable to the boy who had taken care of his mother after she was beaten by a 'client.' There were some men like that. Who enjoyed hurting other people. Who got a perverse sexual thrill out of it. And it had killed that child, seeing his beloved mother in such pain.

It could have gone the other way. He could have blamed her, for allowing herself to be treated like that. Again, it wasn't something Buck even considered. And it sickened him, that there were people like that in the world. The same people, no doubt, who taught his little sister that she deserved to be molested by their father for all those years. As Buck slid into the van which would take them to the saloon, he looked again at his sister's face. She looked so happy! And Buck thought, hoping his father could hear him, You ... lose.

Part 5

About thirty minutes after the others left, Billy and Lacey had finished watching the old Transformers tapes, Mindy curled up between them. Billy had a hard time believing his mother ever watched the cartoon from the late nineteen eighties, but Lacey wasn't nearly as surprised. In the last few months, ever since she had first arrived in Colorado to meet her older brothers, Lacey had come to realize that both of he future sisters-in-law were unpredictable.

She had only to remember a girls night in, with all the single ladies, the week before. Casey, Adriana, Mary, Lacey's mom, Lacey herself, and Carly, had congregated at Lacey and her mom's house for pizza, wine, movies, and general silliness. Vin was still recovering his strength, and Lacey's mom had decided that what they all needed was some fun. No guys ... they were still worried about Vin, even though Janet said his aches and exhaustion were perfectly normal.

Lacey grinned, remembering the image of a slightly soused Mary dancing around her mom's kitchen, with a glass of wine in her hand and her free arm around Adriana as they sang along with the radio. That was what had given her mom the idea of getting Chris to make good on his promise to Kevin. No one had explained to Lacey what exactly that promise entailed, but she was pretty sure no one would ever explain, either.

The tape was ending, and Lacey rose to her feet, saying, "So. What should we watch next? I think that's the last of the Transformer tapes. Let's have a look in Adriana's bag, see what she brought." Lacey knew both women well enough she wouldn't find any She-Ra or some such thing. That wasn't Adriana's style, even before her mother died almost twenty years earlier. And Mary ... Mary's choice in cartoons was explained by having four older brothers and no real female influence in her life until she was a teenager.

Lacey was stunned to learn that Mary's mother died when she was only four. She had thought both parents died when Mary was a teenager, which was what she was originally told. Instead, she learned, Mary's stepmother also died in the accident which killed her father. It was less time consuming to refer to them as her parents, rather than her father and stepmother, even though she never regarded her father's second wife as her mother.

It explained a lot about Mary. Lacey didn't want to think about ever losing her own mother. And losing her when she was just four ... even younger than Vin was when Aunt Julia had died. Lacey's attention was drawn back to Billy as he said, "Let's watch tv, and watch the other tapes later, ok ay, Lacey?" The teenager ruffled the boy's hair, wondering how she would react if he started calling her 'Aunt Lacey.' Perish the thought!

As usual, there wasn't much on to hold the interest of both a nineteen year old girl and a soon-to-be nine year old boy, but they eventually settled on the Discovery Channel, which they watched for the next hour, Mindy eventually falling asleep. And Lacey left briefly to change into her nightgown. When she returned, she glanced at her watch and realized the others would be reaching the saloon. She grinned. For the first two hours before the singing started, it was just like any other night, with dancing and darts and everything else.

Around nine pm, the fun would start. Mary had told her she and Adriana figured out a way to get Chris up on the stage, but that would come later. She and Adriana had already agreed they would get up and sing. And in a quick call to Inez before leaving the house with her mom, Lacey had been gifted with the promise that Inez would make a copy of the video tape for her. According to Inez, Charlotte was planning to attend ... if only to people-watch.

Lacey knew the lovely Mexican woman was hoping Charlotte would be alone, since her idiot husband had such a flair for starting fights. Usually by opening his big mouth. Lacey giggled, remembering what Mary told her about Adriana and Major O'Shea (who was almost as cute as Major Davis) measuring that idiot Will for his coffin, after he went after Kevin. For that alone, she'd ...

The door bell rang, and Lacey found herself on the verge of pausing the tape, until she remembered it was on the regular tv. Dammit, dammit, dammit! She sighed and left the sofa, and left Billy entranced in the program, then headed back to open the door. When she did, she promptly wished she'd left it closed ... because JD Dunne had seen fit to grace her brother's house with his presence.

It occurred to her in the back of her mind that she was starting to sound like Ezra, and she shook that off. She could use it later, to drive Chris nuts. Instead, she turned her own version of the Larabee glare onto the unwanted visitor on the doorstep. Who, oblivious as ever, asked, "Can I come in?" Lacey rolled her eyes. She really needed to work on the glare. Either that, or next time she shouldn't answer the door in her Scooby-Doo nightgown.

"No. Billy and I are watching tv, the others are at karaoke, and I swear to God, if you give me even a little reason, I will kick your ass clear to the moon," Lacey growled at the newcomer. He gave her a little reason. He smiled.

With a growl, Lacey grabbed his collar, hauling him into the house, and kicked the door shut with her foot. She slammed him into the wall, hissing, "You think that's funny, do you? You think that's so goddamn funny? Let's see how you like this!" Lacey jammed her knee into JD's crotch, then let him drop to the ground. She glared down at him, then stepped back when she realized he could probably see up her nightgown.

"Lacey! Don't you hurt her!" Billy cried out, leaving the sofa to shield Lacey protectively. Huh? And then it hit Lacey. Billy was here when JD showed up at the house, three sheets to the wind, and shoved Adriana out of his way to get to Kevin. Billy saw everything. The teen put her hands on Billy's shoulders, gently maneuvering him until he was at her side, Mindy quivering on Billy's other side. The pup didn't like violence between her humans ... of any sort. Even the playful kind.

JD forced himself into a sitting position. Lacey noted with grim satisfaction that he was having a hard time breathing, much less talking. While she had learned that particular trick when she was still just a child, Vin had taught her a few ways to put a little more power into it. Come to think of it, despite the brevity of her visits and the fact that they were all too rare, Lacey had managed to learn a lot from her brother. At last, JD managed to wheeze out, "Well ... at least ... I'm ... inside." Damn. He was right. How could she have been so stupid?

Billy repeated, scowling at the somewhat prone cartographer, "I'm not gonna let you hurt her!" Lacey squeezed his shoulder gently, partly to comfort him and partly to calm him down. The boy continued, "I thought you were our friend, JD!" Ow. From the look on JD's face, it seemed like that hurt the cartographer more than her own knee in his groin. She could change that ... or she could let Billy get rid of some of his own anger.

JD pushed himself to his knees, saying softly, "I am your friend, Billy. I screwed up really badly, but I want to apologize. I want to make things right with you, and with Chris, with Vin, and everyone else." Lacey just glared at the cartographer. Oh, puh-leaze. Next, he'd be bringing on the violins and the puppy-dog eyes. JD ignored her and continued earnestly, "Vin isn't ready to give me another chance. Are you?"

"You would have let those men hurt Kevin. He was just a little boy, JD, littler than me. And you tried to hurt Adriana. You were mad at Buck and Chris, but you hurt Kevin," Billy answered. The child wasn't saying anything that hadn't already been said ... anything that was new. But in those simple words were found a far more devastating truth. This was the first time, in the three years since SG-7 was formed, in the three years since they came into Billy's life, that any of his heroes had let him down. Much less so spectacularly.

Did JD understand that? Evidently not. Did he understand that the consequences of his actions and his attitude reached far beyond his team, and Lacey's family? The answer to that as well was evidently not. JD said, "You're right, Billy, I did, but I'm sorry. You know Vin's like my brother, and ... " Lacey just sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. Really, would it take a massive clue by four before he finally understood. JD glared at her ... and speaking of really needing to work on the glare ... and said, "Look. I am trying to apologize, and make things right, but you're not making it any easier for me!"

That ... did it. Lacey Tanner grabbed JD by the shirt ... again ... and slammed him into the wall. Again. She said in a very, very quiet voice, "Billy, wait for me in the living room. I'll be fine. But my language won't be, and I don't want you hearing what I'm about to say. Your mother would wash out your mouth with soap, then hold me down while my mother did the same to me." Billy looked at her very carefully, then dipped his head in agreement. The boy went back into the living room, to watch the rest of the program, Mindy trailing behind him.

Lacey turned her attention back to JD and hissed, "Now you listen to me, jerkoff! We don't have to make things easy for you! You screwed up ... that doesn't mean we kiss up to you. Shut up!" She slammed him into the wall again as he started to speak. Lacey fought to bring her rage under control, then continued, "In case you haven't figured it out yet, it isn't just the stunts you pulled while my brother was kiddified. It's your whole attitude.

"You're not the victim here, JD. But from the beginning, all you've done is whine. You're whining now. 'Poor, poor pitiful me, no one will forgive me, oh woe is me!' Well, I have had enough! You want my brother's forgiveness? You start by taking responsibility for your screwup and you start by respecting his wishes. Got me? Or have you forgotten that once upon a time you respected ... loved ... Vin?"

"I still do!" JD protested. Lacey released him and stepped back, folding her arms over her chest, to favor the cartographer with an 'oh really?' look. It was one she had learned from her mother, and often she found herself using it on recalcitrant males. JD was one of the most recalcitrant she had come across. He shook his head, saying, "It's not good enough. Nothing I do or say. It's not good enough. Okay. Fine. I'll leave. But I'll be back."

He stepped around her and opened the door, slamming it hard behind him. Lacey slid down the wall, muttering, "Arnie, you ain't." She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. God, she hated losing her temper. She always felt sick after it was over. She opened her eyes when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and saw Billy standing there with Mindy. Lacey offered him a weak smile, saying softly, "It's okay, kid ... it's just the letdown which is always hard." Always.

Part 6

At the same time as JD's appearance at the Larabee homestead, things were starting to mellow at the saloon. For the first ten minutes, there was usually chaos, as everyone got comfortable, found the best seats. Then the orders were taken, and while that was being done, couples often made a few circles around the dance floor. Vin wanted to wait for a very special song, before he took his lady out for a turn, so instead, he gave her a little nudge when Bucklin asked her to dance.

As she slid her hand into her brother's, Inez leaned forward from her position at the bar and winked at him. Moments later, the opening strains of Elton John's Someday Out of the Blue filled the saloon. Vin gave his friend's a thumb's up sign as Bucklin drew his sister into his arms The sharpshooter grinned, slouching down in his seat as Adriana put her feet atop her brother's, as if she was still a little girl.

The song, when he heard it on the radio, fit anyone who had been separated from someone they loved. But the more he listened to it, the more it seemed to be right for Bucklin and Drina, aside from a few lines. He made himself more comfortable in the booth, which wasn't difficult since everyone was now out there dancing ... except for the woman in the booth behind him. Her husband was currently in the men's room, which gave rise to a whole bunch of truly low humor.

Bucklin observed in a low voice to Vin that the shithead belonged in the shithole. Josiah put in that it shouldn't be so surprising, since the man had a potty mouth. And Mary, of all people, contributed with, it seemed like once more, Will Richmond had made everyone's shit list. Surprise surprise. From Mary, of all people! Vin turned his attention away from the annoying archaeologist and instead began to sing softly along.

"Someday out of the blue,
In a crowded street or a deserted square,
I'll turn and I'll see you, as if our love were new,
Some day we can start again, some day soon."

"Here comes the night ... here comes the memories,
Lost in your arms, down in the foreign fields.
Not so long ago, seems like an eternity
Love sweet afternoons, still capture me"

"Someday out of the blue,
In a crowded street or a deserted square
I'll turn and I'll see you, as if our love were new,
Some day we can start again, some day soon"

"I still believe ... I still put faith in us,
We had it all ... and watched it slip away,
Where are we now, not where we want to be.
Those hot afternoons ... still follow me."

Yup. Definitely Bucklin and Drina. 'Specially that bit about lettin' things slip away from 'em. They weren't the only ones. A whole lot of people came to mind, hearin' that. Himself included. Even now, years later, he still felt he could have found another way to protect Adriana from Eli Joe, without disappearing from her life. He hadn't realized he had stopped singing until a soft voice behind him said, "You know, you didn't have to stop. I'm not one who complains about someone else's singing." Vin turned and smiled at Charlotte. He hadn't seen her much since his transformation back to himself.

She looked tired. Vin asked softly, "How ya doin,' Carlota? Ya look kinda tired." She gave him a smile, the one she always wore when someone called her 'Carlota.' Funny. With all the times they called her that, no one had ever slipped and called her 'Carly.' Not that she and his twin looked anything alike ... but the similarities in the names were there, and no one could say otherwise.

"I am. Tansy's been sick the last week. Been up most of the last few nights with her. Will ... he's having flashbacks to when Allison died," Charlotte replied, choking a little on her late daughter's name, as she always did, and probably always would. Vin didn't push her. Will always did that when Tansy was sick. He was still running away from Allison's death, and Charlotte was just now starting to see that.

Vin wouldn't allow himself to judge Will for his reaction to his daughter's death, much as he sometimes wanted to ... especially when the man hurt his wife and living daughter. Truly, Vin had a hard enough time, thinking about losing any member of his family, much less losing his child. And, he knew quite well that both Chris and Buck had pushed members of their families away, after Sarah and Adam were murdered so many years earlier. But they both finally faced their loss and came through. Charlotte had faced the loss of Allison, and moved forward.

What would it take, Vin wondered, for Will to do the same? As the archaeologist returned to the booth, looking grim, it was as if Vin had stepped back in time. Once more, he was a young bounty hunter and guide, helping to find a lost child. The trouble was ... he wasn't that boy no more. He simply returned Will's glare as the archaeologist dumped himself beside his wife with a bored look of his own. Hell, if Larabee's glare didn't work on him, ain't no way Will's scowl would!

Will was on the verge of starting something, when the song ended and both Wilmington siblings bounded back to the table. Adriana sat down on Vin's lap, wrapping her arms around him and engaging him in a kiss that left his senses reeling. When they finally came up for air, he just looked at her, gasping for air. She smiled at him, a wicked smile which forced him to realize that the walls weren't just crumbling ... they were dissolving!

"Threatening my man again, Will? Really, by now you should know better than that," Adriana said, turning her attention to the sulking man in the next booth. That gave Vin a chance to catch his breath. The foul language that came from Will in response resulted in a war of words with Adriana. Since she had quicker wit than Will, Vin felt safe in not interfering. Instead, he looked over at Buck, who was watching him, his eyebrows raise questioningly. And while Vin didn't have the same sort of connection with Buck that he did with Chris, it didn't take no rocket scientist to figger out what Bucklin wanted.

I ain't 'bout to hurt her! Vin thought angrily, allowing his eyes to do his communicating for him. Buck knew that ... and if he didn't realize that by now, then he should! After everything they had been through together since their first meeting in Texas, didn't Buck know yet that Vin would walk through fire for Drina? Didn't he understand he would give up his own life for her ... that he would do everything within his power to make sure she was safe ... and happy? What more did Buck want from him?

I do know that ... just wanted to make sure ya knew the stakes and the consequences. Been a lot of that goin' around lately, Buck returned. Vin didn't stop to think about how he and Buck could communicate with words. Ever since Buck let down his guard (and Vin his own), it seemed to get easier and easier. And Vin couldn't argue with the other man about consequences. Aloud, he said as Mary and Chris, then Josiah and Vin's aunt Josie, returned to the table, "Reckon some folks don't never learn."

"Suppose you're right. Doesn't mean I like it," Drina replied, taking a sip of his beer as she turned her back on Will. She made a face, muttering, "Damn, why do I always forget how much I hate beer?" No one answered her, and after a moment, she continued, changing the subject, "Think Ezra looks real cute out on the dance floor with Toria." Vin smiled, seeing the negotiator dancing with Inez's six year old niece, who was in Colorado for a visit.

Since Inez's place was a bar and grill, children were allowed into the establishment. And besides, where else would Toria be while she was visiting her Tia Inez? Ezra, as ever, had allowed his mask to drop while with a child. Remembering another child, Vin tightened his arm about Adriana's waist and said softly, "Ez's got a real soft spot for little 'uns." Drina turned in his arms and nodded with a smile. Whatever she might have said was cut off as the food arrived.

Part 7

Over the next thirty minutes, SG-7 and company ate and talked, traded insults and joked. Although, Chris was sure at one point he would have to rescue his kid brother from an overprotective brother ... namely Buck. Once Vin and Drina finished their respective dinners, they headed out onto the dance floor. As they did, Inez got a speculative grin on her face, which didn't bode well for someone.

As the music started, a slow, sexy bit of Latin-inspired instrumental piece, Vin and Adriana took their place in the middle of the dance floor. Mary murmured, "This should be good." Chris started to ask what she meant, until he saw two things. First, that Adriana's back was to Vin, and secondly, how his brother's hands were placed. One rested on Adriana's hip, while the other held Adriana's hand high over both of their heads, fingers laced together with hers. Adriana's free arm was draped over the back of Vin's neck.

"Did they plan this?" Chris asked softly as the pair began to move in time to the music, hips swaying in unison, Vin's hand slowly moving down Adriana's arm to rest on her waist. Adriana's hands followed his own, until they rested over Vin's hands, now settled on her hips. He couldn't look away from the sinuous, graceful movements of two people whom he barely recognized as members of his family.

"Mmm. I've seen them dancing to this song in the past. Charlotte got them hooked on the artist ... Cusco, I think they're called. Before we left, Inez called me to let me know she would be returning Charlotte's copy of the CD to her tonight. I asked her if she would play this piece," Mary answered softly as Adriana swung her torso down in a circle, Vin's hands never leaving her hips. And as she finished her rotation, Vin spun her around to face him, and again, Adriana rotated her body until she was leaning far back in Vin's arms

"You're a damn dangerous woman, Mary Travis," Chris said softly, looking away from his brother long enough to glance at Mary. He was rewarded with a smile that could be best described as devilish. Then he looked at Buck, whose mouth was hanging open. Josiah reached over and gently closed it with one hand, while Josie reached over and did the same to Ezra. Chris teased, "You're lettin' all the flies in, Buck!"

"He ... did ... did you see? What he's doing to ... with my sister?" Buck blurted out, his eyes never leaving the pair. Chris leaned back and grinned at Mary, who returned the grin. Buck continued, obviously agitated, "Did you see? It ain't decent! It ... oof!" He was cut off in mid-sentence as Josiah shoved him back into his seat, and it was all Chris could do to keep from laughing. Sure, the dance was a little on the suggestive side, but they weren't making love in the middle of the dance floor. Which Buck had been known to do, though not when there were people around to watch.

"Sit down, brother Buck," Josiah said gently, "in case you hadn't noticed, your sister ain't a little girl any more. She's a grown woman, and she ain't doin' nothing she don't want to be doin.' And it ain't like they're doing the sideways mambo." Chris nearly spit out his beer at that remark ... Nathan was laughing helplessly, slumping further into the booth, and Josie had buried her face in Josiah's shoulder, her shoulders shaking.

"Jo-si-ah! That's my baby sister you're talkin' about!" Buck blurted out, his face turning bright red. While it was something of a revelation to realize that his little princess really had grown up, Chris quickly adjusted to the knowledge and enjoyed watching the pair dance. Buck, on the other hand, was just now starting to grasp how much she had grown up. And it was proving to be very, very difficult for the ladies' man.

"She ain't a baby no more, Buck," Nathan chortled, his dark eyes twinkling with laughter, "that there's a fully-growed woman!" Buck glared daggers at the medic, who continued, "I mean, ya shoulda figgered that out when she come out of the spare bathroom, dressed to kill." By now, Buck's face was turning bright red with either embarrassment or anger ... or was it something else? Chris didn't know ... but he did know that his old friend was proving to be just as entertaining as the couple on the dance floor.

Who bounded back up to the table as the beginning strains of the next song filled the room. Adriana said breathlessly, "That was fun! I'll have to thank Inez for that. What did we miss? Bucklin, your face is redder than a fire engine!" She looked around the table for answers to her question, only to find everyone laughing hysterically. Adriana looked first at Buck, then at Vin, who just shrugged.

Finally, Mary managed to compose herself long enough to gasp out, "Buck was having a hard time, watching you on the dance floor. He was starting to overheat a bit." Now Adriana started blushing, and Buck lowered his eyes. Mary continued, taking a few deep breaths, "Now, have a seat, you're blocking our view." Chris was amused when Adriana took a page from Mary's book and stuck her tongue out, crossing her eyes at the same time. But, he noticed, they did take their seats.

Something was said from the booth beside them, where Will and Charlotte Richmond were sitting. Though he didn't know it, Chris agreed with Buck that the surly archaeologist should have stayed at home and babysat his daughter, rather than drag everyone else down with him. Jesus, what was wrong with the man? He'd been acting like a bear with a sore ass for weeks now, and it didn't look to get any better. Chris nearly choked on his beer a second time when Adriana fired back, "Bite me, Will!"

Vin added, "Naw, don't do that ... cause if ya bit m'lady, Richmond, ya wouldn't be bitin' nothin' else, ever. Ya'd be gummin' yer food." For the third time in less than an hour, Chris found himself practically inhaling what he was drinking. A quick glance told him that his brother was glaring steadily at Richmond, his face a cold mask. Evidently, he had stared the other man into submission for both Vin and Adriana took their seats. Oh yeah ... things were definitely gonna get interesting tonight!

Part 8

The singing started fifteen minutes later, once the dance floor cleared. Mary had signed herself and Adriana up, while the archaeologist witnessed her boyfriend signing up his brother. Vin winked at her as Inez picked up the sheet, which contained the names of the singers along with the songs they intended to sing. For Mary and Adriana, it was a no-brainer. With their men, there was only one song to sing.

They suffered and tried not to groan at the other singers ... Vin or Adriana taking turns bopping Will Richmond upside the head with something when he made a rude remark. Karaoke Night was about singing, whether you were any good or night. And in some of these cases, the singers knew they were bad. By the time they managed to get to the stage, half of them were drunk. Finally, it was Mary and Adriana's turn.

Mary was pleasantly surprised that Adriana was neither drunk, nor did Mary have to practically carry her friend up to the stage. While she had been improving in recent months, especially since coming back from Busch Gardens, Adriana was still on the shy side. Although, Mary had to admit as she took to the stage, that wasn't true tonight. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn someone slipped Adriana something.

But ... on the other hand, Adriana was seducing her boyfriend in her own peculiar way, and it was working. Even if Vin didn't realize what Adriana was doing, Buck did, and it was making him very nervous. Mary pushed her hair over her shoulder, saying into the microphone, "We chose for our selection Mary Chapin Carpenter's Shut Up and Kiss Me. If you know our respective men, the reasoning is obvious. So ... this is for Christopher and for Kevin."

Mary knew she would have to watch her back for calling him 'Kevin' in public, and she grinned at him as she started to singing, Adriana's contralto chiming in as the words played out over the tv screen directly in front of them. They didn't need the words ... they had listened to the song enough times to know the lyrics backwards and forward. But that would be cheating, sort of, and the two women sang,

Don't mean to get a little forward with you,
Don't mean to get ahead of where we are.
Don't mean to act a little nervous around you,
I'm just a little nervous about my heart.
Cause it's been a while since I felt this feeling
That everything you do gives me.
It's been too long since somebody whispered,
Shut up and kiss me

Didn't expect to be in this position,
Didn't expect to have to rise above my reputation for cynicism,
I've been a jaded lady when it comes to love but
Oh baby, just to feel this feeling that everything you do gives me.
It's been too long since somebody whispered
Shut up and kiss me.

There's something about the silent type attracting me to you.
All business none of the hype, that no talker can live up to

Here the music took over, while Mary and Adriana swayed in time to the music. Swaying, since Adriana didn't believe she could dance. Mary glanced at their table, saw the brothers gaping at them, while Buck wore a broad grin. Then ...

Come closer, baby, I can't hear you,
Just another whisper if you please.
Don't worry’ 'bout the details, you've got the kind of mind I love to read.

Talk is cheap, baby, and time's expensive,
So why waste another minute more.
Life's too short to be so apprehensive,
Love's just as much a symptom, darlin,' as the cure.

Oh baby when I feel this feeling,
It's like genuine voodoo hits me.
It's been too long since somebody whispered ...
Oh baby, I can feel this feeling
That everything you do gives me,
It's been too long since somebody whispered,
Shut up and kiss me ... shut up and kiss me.

The pair ended to applause, much warmer than the dutiful hand-clapping to what had gone before, and Mary took Adriana's hand, both women bowing in response. As she rose, Mary noted the appearance of Carly, who looked a little haggard, though that might have been due to sitting with Will and Charlotte. Putting up with Will would make anyone look like they'd been put through the wringer. For that matter, it would make anyone feel that way.

The pair bounded down from the stage, still holding on to each other's hands and still flying high. Buck, Josiah, and Josie all slid out of the booth, so Mary could slide in next to Chris, while Adriana approached her man. She didn't even have the chance to say anything. Vin grasped her wrist and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her passionately. Hmmm, Mary thought just before Chris claimed her own mouth, maybe we should have sung Passionate Kisses instead?

She didn't think anything for the next several seconds, nothing but the feel of Chris Larabee's mouth against her own seemed real. By the time he let her up for air, leaving Mary breathless and nearly senseless, Buck was saying, "Damn! Reckon you boys took that song a bit personal!" Adriana looked up, her eyes wide and dilated. Mary was sure she looked as out of it as Adriana ... as out of it as she felt.

"Reckon that was the idea, Bucklin," Vin answered, before kissing his lady again. Adriana had seemingly melted against him. In fact, if it weren't for the different colors the pair were wearing, Mary couldn't have said where one began and the other ended. Mary blinked, trying to regain her composure, but Chris didn't give her that chance as he kissed her again. That lasted as long as the previous kiss, and by the time she could think clearly again, they had gone through several more singers.

At last, Vin shifted Adriana off his lap, keeping her tucked against his side. There was another rude remark from the booth beside theirs, and Mary wondered if Chris had brought his gun. Because if he had, by the end of the night, there would be a fight ... over who got to shoot Will Richmond. Vin and Adriana said over their respective shoulders, "Oh, shut UP, Will!" They shook their heads and returned their attention to each other.

Okay, so maybe Vin did realize that Adriana was slowly, carefully, quietly seducing him. Mary would have been disappointed if Vin didn't at least have a clue from Adriana's apparel tonight. She deliberately chose an outfit to showcase her slim, athletic body ... and to remind Vin that she was no longer the awkward, unattractive nineteen year old girl she was when she and Vin met. Her words. Not Mary's, who had seen pictures of that nineteen year old girl.

It was then that Buck broke the spell, saying, "Well now, this is real nice, but I think someone else should get up there. I know it ain't gonna be Vin ... so how about you, Caroline?" Mary stifled a laugh as she witnessed Carly's reaction to Buck's suggestion ... as well as his use of her full name, which was never something you used. Buck pouted, "Well, ya don't have to be ugly about it. We all know how I feel about ugly."

"Yeah," Josie said, her dark eyes glittering, "and it's sitting in the booth right beside us. I don't mean either of the ladies, either." Ouch!

Although, Will deserved it. The way he had been acting lately, Mary was starting to wonder if he was rubbing off on JD, or the other way around. Josie continued, catching Adriana's eye, "What about you, Chris? Your lady and Adriana were willing to get up on that stage and sing ... potentially make idiots out of themselves, though they acquitted themselves nicely." Mary cocked her brow at the other blonde woman ... who winked.

Mary would never know whether what came next was scripted, but Buck retorted, "Chris? Hell! Ain't no way Chris would ever get up on that stage? Wouldja, old buddy? Hell, he wouldn't even do it on a dare! I dare ya, Chris, I double dare ya!" Mary closed her eyes. Oh Buck. You just had to say the magic words, didn't you? There was one thing that Chris Larabee couldn't pass up ... and that was a challenge of some kind.

"I've got fifty on Chris taking that dare!" Adriana piped up. Mary looked at her friend. She knew Adriana bet on sure things ... like Vin ... and Chris taking a dare was a sure thing. But fifty dollars. Adriana caught her eye ... and winked. Uh-oh. She was up to something. She was proved right only a moment later, when Adriana added with a wicked grin, "Fifty dollars, and if you lose, Bucklin, you have to sing a song of my choice during the free-for-all."

"Done!" Buck boomed, practically leaping across the table to shake his sister's hand. Nathan held out his hand, sighing as the others made their wagers. Mary chose to stay out of the bet. She would exact her own payment later. In the bedroom. Ezra, however, was backing Buck, while Vin backed his brother and Adriana. Josiah and Carly both stayed out of it, while Charlotte called over a ten dollar wager on Chris.

Chris rose to his feet, a wicked gleam appearing in his green eyes as he said, "Well, then. Looks like you just lost your bet, Buck. Little princess ... think of something good for him to sing. Because I know exactly what I'll be singing." Buck and Ezra's respective jaws dropped as the other side allowed Chris out of the booth. He paused long enough to kiss the top of Adriana's head, then sauntered up to the stage. Inez joined him, nodding when he made his request. This ... should be good.

Part 9

Aw hell, cowboy ... ya wouldn't! Oh ... he definitely would!

Vin Tanner looked between his older brother and Buck Wilmington's shocked face. Not only had he lost money to his sister, but he had lost big. And while Buck would never be considered shy ... so his turn at singing wouldn't bother him ... neither he nor Vin had any idea what Adriana would choose for her older brother to sing.

His Drina was a devious lady, damn near capable of anything. He, of all people, had figured that out. Even before, he knew how devious she was. In fact, it wouldn't surprise him in the least if his brother and Drina set up this whole thing with Buck. Or at least, discussed what song Chris would sing, if Buck could figure out a way to git him up onto the damn stage in the first place. Yeah. That was real plausible.

As the lighting changed, a change came over Chris at the same time, even before the opening strains of 'Sold (The Grundy County Auction)' filled the room. Adriana laughed, clapping her hands in delight, while Vin glanced over at Mary. She was blushing and grinning at the same time. Evidently, she had figured out what was coming as well. Well, she should. Vin always knew she was a smart lady.

He had been thinking at the beginning of the night, that he wished more people could see his brother the way he, and the rest of his family, did. He had to remember to be careful what he wished for. An almost-silly grin was plastered to his brother's face, and most of the tension which had been so obvious in Chris was now gone. He looked relaxed. Too relaxed, in fact. And then Chris began to sing,

Well I went down to the Grundy County Auction
Where I saw something I just had to have
My mind told me I should proceed with caution
But my heart said, "Go ahead an' make a bid on that!"

An' I said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gimme a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! On the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, I know
She's got ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!

Well, the auctioneer was goin' about a mile a minute
He was takin' bids an' callin' them out loud
An' I guess I was really gettin' in it
'Cause I just shouted out above the crowd!

An' I said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gimme a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! On the lady in the long black dress
Well she won my heart it was no contest
With her ruby red lips, blond hair, blue eyes
Well I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!

Yeah, we found love on the auction block
An' I hauled her heart away
Now we still love to laugh about
The way we met that day

When I said, hey, pretty lady, won'cha gimme a sign
I'd give anything to make you mine all mine
I'll do your biddin' an' be at your beckon call
Yeah, I never seen anyone lookin' so fine
Man, I gotta have her, she's a one-of-a-kind
I'm goin' once, goin' twice,
I'm sold! On the lady in the second row
She's an eight, she's a nine, she's a ten, I know
She's got ruby red lips, blond hair blue eyes
An' I'm about to bid my heart good-bye!

By now, Vin and Drina were both singing along, clapping and laughing, especially after Chris concluded with a triumphant 'Whoo!' Vin glanced over at Mary, whose face had turned about five shades of red in the last few minutes. But she was grinning and clapping along with everyone else. With a devilish grin of his own (and those were going around tonight), Chris replaced the microphone in its stand, swept a neat bow of his own, and bounded off the stage.

Drina bounced out of the booth and into Larabee's arms, hugging him tightly and exclaiming, "That was great, Chris, even better than when I was a kid!" Chris returned the embrace, swinging her around as if she was a small girl, before finally putting her on her feet once more. Vin scooted out of the booth behind his lady, exchanging his forearm to his brother. Chris reciprocated as the others on their side of the booth slid out to make room for him.

"Who's next? And Buck, not you ... you heard the lady. You have to wait until the free-for-all. At least to sing. I believe you owe your sister fifty dollars?" Chris asked, settling next to Mary once more. Bucklin was as good as his word, removing money from his wallet, and pulling out whatever he could spare, glaring at Chris all along. Adriana accepted the money happily, giving her brother a devastating smile. At least, Vin always found it devastating.

"Let's see ... I know better than to ask my nephew to get up on the stage. Who else signed up?" Aunt Jo asked, laughing. Her dark eyes moved over her companions, and Vin could actually see his aunt checking off names on a mental check list. She was right about one thing. There weren't no way in hell nobody was gittin' him up on that stage! He got too damn nervous in front of crowds.

"Well, Chris, Mary and Adriana have all done it. Buck will be doing it at the end of the night, from what I've been able to gather. Josiah ... Ezra ... what about you guys?" Carly questioned from behind Vin and Adriana.

"My turn is coming up, I'm sure ... I signed up and so did Ezra. Which reminds me, brother Ezra ... what song did you choose?" Josiah asked, looking at the negotiator. Vin raised his eyebrows, looking first at his lady, then twisting around to look at his sister. Carly was looking just as confused. Though that may have had something to do with her tryin' to figure out where Rafael Martinez was, since he was supposed to meet her.

"That, Dr. Sanchez, is between myself and ... oh screw this. You'll find out when I sing!" Ezra retorted. Vin blinked and looked around, seeing everyone else looking as confused as he now felt. At least until his eyes lit on someone who was talking to Inez at the bar. It took another minute before Vin's mind registered the identity of the newcomer. Aw hell ... Maude? What the hell was Maude doing here?

"This could get interesting," Drina murmured, her hand resting lightly on Vin's leg. Interesting? That was one way of looking at it, and Drina's voice dropped lower, "Although, that explains a lot. Ezra may decide to lose his convoluted speech for the night, just to irritate Maude. Hello ... what's this?" Vin tore his eyes away from Maude still talking to Inez and felt his jaw drop as Charlotte walked quietly up to the stage. Now what was she up to?

Part 10

Years ago, when she thought about becoming a teacher of some kind, Charlotte had taken Public Speaking. It wasn't that she really considered herself shy ... she didn't. But if it could make her a better teacher, so much the better. Much to her surprise, she found she actually liked it. She called upon those lessons now, trying to still the demons in her heart and in her head. She had come to Karaoke Night to have fun ... dammit, it was time she did just that!

She steadily ignored Will glaring at her as she made her way up to the stage. She was so angry with him, she was afraid if she didn't ignore him, she would end up in jail, Tansy would end up in the custody of the state, and Will would end up six feet under. What was particularly troublesome to the archaeologist was how little that prospect bothered her. The idea of Will being six feet under at least, though she had no desire to end up in jail or to see her daughter end up as a ward of the state.

Charlotte made a mental note as she reached the top of the stairs and made eye contact with Inez, to signal she was ready, to ask Adriana how she would feel about becoming Tansy's legal guardian. Just in case. As Inez set up things from her end, Charlotte stepped closer to the microphone and said, "When I was in Texas, there was a female singer who was very popular with my own little group."

Charlotte's eyes drifted to the booth containing most of the Seven, and their ladies. She saw Adriana straightening up a bit in her seat ... and Carly doing the same in Charlotte's own booth. The archaeologist took a deep breath, then continued, "We would sit in the living room of my friend Dawn's apartment and listen to the album which produced this song. There was actually another song from that album which I wanted to sing tonight, but the lyrics aren't available for that."

Here, she smiled at Inez, then continued, "When all is said and done, 'Lover of Mine' says what needs to be said ... but I think 'Black Velvet' will work just as well. Alannah Myles was that singer, from so long ago ... no, not Alanis Morrisette, although she's also Canadian." Charlotte was rewarded with a laugh from the younger members of the audience, and she smiled, even as the opening keys of 'Black Velvet' echoed through the room.

Charlotte held the microphone a little more firmly, her eyes connecting first with Will, then with the Seven. The ladies would understand why she had chosen that ... and maybe, if Carly didn't feel like killing Will, she could explain it to him. The words washed over her, returning to that time ... a time of friendship and total acceptance. A time when it wasn't necessary to make a promise to her best friend that she would leave her husband if he turned abusive.

Mississippi in the middle of a dry spell
Jimmy Rogers on the Victrola up high
Mama's dancin' with baby on her shoulder
The sun is settin' like molasses in the sky
The boy could sing, knew how to move, everything
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for

Now Charlotte gave herself completely over to the words, the way she always did when she sang as a girl. She could almost feel that Mississippi heat, she who had grown up in the Texas heat. In her mind's eye, she could see her mother dancing against the setting sun in the summer sky. Despite the sultry tone of the song, it returned her to her own age of innocence, just as surely as that Gou'ald desire machine did the same to Vin. Remembering the sweet five year old boy who had briefly taken Vin's place, remembering that little boy's smile, Charlotte's heart ached and she sang out clearly, her voice ringing with passion,

Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please

Up in Memphis the music's like a heatwave
White lightning, bound to drive you wild
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love Me Tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for

Longing. That was something she knew well. Longing to turn back the clock to the day before Allison's death ... later, longing to see her husband smile at her, or touch her the way he did before their baby died. And later still, a simple longing for kindness of any kind. A gentle word, a gentle touch, a warm smile. Oh yes, longing was something Charlotte Richmond knew a great deal about.

Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please

Every word of every song that he sang was for you
In a flash he was gone, it happened so soon, what could you do?

Will. Charlotte was grateful for the instrumental in this section, because the tightness in her chest when she thought of five year old Kevin had pushed into her throat when she thought about her husband and the way her marriage was dissolving around her. She lowered her head, moving in time to the music, but that was as much to hide the tears as anything else. In a flash he was gone ... what could you do? What could she do?

She didn't have the energy to keep fighting for a marriage, if she was the only one fighting for it. She still loved Will ... that hadn't changed. But her patience was wearing away, and grieving for those years before Allison's death, for those months after she and Will joined Stargate Command, and Will's insecurity resurfaced, made her angry, and the anger made her voice all the more passionate as she sang defiantly,

Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please

Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please

If you please, if you please, if you please.

So lost she was in her memories, Charlotte would have forgotten that she was singing for an audience, if Inez hadn't thoughtfully changed the lighting again. Inez, followed by Carly bounding to her feet, applauding like mad. Charlotte forced a smile and bowed, just as she was taught in elementary school, then replaced the microphone, once more leaving the stage to ever-growing applause.

And as she approached her booth, she saw in the faces of those important people who had been with her in Texas ... understanding.

She was especially glad for that understanding, particularly from a very special couple, when she reached her booth and Will grabbed her arm, hissing, "What the hell did you think you were doing, getting up and singing that song? You made me look like a fool, and yourself like a slut!" Anything else he might have said was quickly silenced when he was surrounded by two very pissed off Tanner twins, and an equally pissed off junior Wilmington.

"You best sit your ass down, Will ... because there are a few gentlemen at the next table who know how to treat a lady. And they really don't like a jackass who manhandles his wife for singing a song the way it's meant to be sung," Carly Tanner advised in a low voice as Adriana pulled Charlotte back. Will started forward, no doubt to push past Carly, but a third complication arrived in the form of Rafael Martinez.

"Sit ... down ... Dr. Richmond. If you were any kind of husband, you would have offered your support when your wife went up onto the stage. She is still recovering from a broken ankle ... remember?" the Latino colonel hissed. Charlotte was starting to remember. She had been so busy, taking care of Tansy the last few days, she had forgotten about her ankle. And now, it was killing her. Damn. Her daughter was well again, but the same couldn't be said of Charlotte. One of these days, that stubborn streak would get her into trouble.

Forced back into his seat by a combination of a Carly Tanner Glower, a Vin Tanner Look, and Rafael's words, Will continued to sulk. Charlotte thought longingly about taking her daughter and spending the night elsewhere, then remembered how Will often stayed out all night when he was sulking. Satisfied that Will would behave himself, Vin and Drina went back to what they were doing, while first Rafael, then Carly slipped into the booth before Carly helped Charlotte sit down. It was worth it. Just to sing again. It was worth it.

Part 11

Vin Tanner was spittin' mad, and right now, he didn't care who knew it. Drina held his hand tightly, saying to the rest of their now-solemn group, "Just so you know ... I've extracted a promise from Charlotte. That if he ever hits her, or Tansy ... she'll leave him. If it comes to that, I'll be inviting them to stay with me." Vin found himself starting to relax at his lady's words. He shoulda knowed she'd do that.

"I kinda wish she hadn't sung that one ... Ezra would have done a great job with that Southern accent of his. But, you know, while she was singing, I thought of another one which would have been good, especially in her situation," Aunt Jo said softly. Vin looked at his aunt, who continued, "Solitaire ... one of Laura Brannigan's early hits. 'Solitaire, see what it's like now, solitaire, to cry all night now, solitaire, see how it feels to care.' Remember that one?"

Vin looked around at the ladies of the table, all of whom were nodding. Mary added, "Solitaire, it gets so lonely, solitaire, no one to hold me, where were you when I played solitaire. I must have been in junior high or maybe high schoolwhen that came out! Maybe '85 or '86. Evenin,' Maude, what brings you here tonight?" Maude. Vin had completely forgotten about her, though it was clear from Ezra's expression that he hadn't. Then again, he wouldn't.

"Good evenin,' everyone! Ezra, darlin,' are you plannin' to sing tonight?" Maude asked. Ezra's face turned an interesting shade of blue around his glass of wine, and Vin guessed that he was trying not to choke. Maude continued before he had a chance to answer (and spew wine all over the rest of them), "And my dear late husband ... Preston, that is ... always used to tell me that we had to get out and meet the constituents, honey. So that's what I'm doin' tonight."

"Besides," Aunt Jo put in with an impish grin, "I asked her to swing by tonight. I knew she was in Colorado, and I thought it might be fun, seeing how the other half lives and finds its entertainment." Maude looked around and Vin could see her struggling with her reaction. He wasn't the only one. Aunt Jo threw back her head and laughed, "Oh, Maude! You should have seen your face just now!"

"That was solely in reaction to that dreadful little man up beside the stage. I do believe I recognize him ... doesn't he write those terrible Westerns? Jock Steele, isn't it? Speaking of men who have delusions of literary aspirations!" Maude answered, shuddering. At the same time, Vin saw the man in question, and groaned. He had met Jock Steele in the past. He didn't like him. Maude added with a delicate shiver, "He does remind me of my late husband Preston, and no, Ezra darlin,' that is not a compliment."

"Delusions of literary aspiration? That's a pretty way of saying someone can't write. Not that I disagree. My flatmate in Germany brought one of his books to me, asking how accurate it was, since I lived in Texas. I read it through once and almost got sick. The next time I wrote Carly, I asked her to send me some real Westerns, instead of those modern day dime store novels. I never knew it was possible to be that bad, and still get published. What an education!" Drina said, shaking her head.

"Oh, I don't know ... JD seems to like him well enough," Buck said. Vin couldn't help himself ... he tensed. Buck immediately continued, "Damn, I'm sorry, Vin. I wasn't tryin' to push you into nothing." Vin waved his hand. He had to get over this, it wasn't Buck's fault. And he wouldn't ask Buck to choose between friends. Wasn't fair to Bucklin or no one else. Nor was it fair for him to get JD kicked off the team, because Vin was having a hard time forgiving him.

He had tried ... maybe not hard enough. But every time he found his guard relaxing around the cartographer, a memory would slam into his consciousness. Being small and helpless, crying out in fear as someone who had been protecting him was flung aside ... then pain beyond belief tearing through him. Vin knew JD hadn't caused the pain ... that was the result of his internal organs starting to return to normal size.

But the memory lingered. The memory of tugging on JD's pant leg, whispering, "I gotta pee!" The disdain in JD's eyes every time he looked at him, only to turn back to his conversation with a growled, "In a minute!" I'm not ready to let go, Vin thought helplessly, I'm not ready to forgive him. He had found it was easier to separate Kevin's memories from his own, though he cherished the love and tenderness lavished on him by the others.

Even with that separation of memories, Vin found himself growing angrier on behalf of that child. He was just a little boy, dammit! He hadn't been present when Buck, Josiah, and Ezra made their decision to go to a toy store, to try to make this second childhood of his so much happier. But if there was a problem because of it, then dammit, JD should have taken it up with Buck, instead a' goin' after a five year old kid! There weren't no excuse for that!

He wasn't ready to forgive JD, but he wasn't ready to confront him, either. He didn't trust himself, and while Buck was still upset with the kid, Vin knew the major would be fit to be tied if Vin choked the living shit out of JD during a confrontation. And then JD Dunne was the least of his worries, as the annoying little fella approached the table, shattering Vin's reverie with, "Senator Standish, I thought I recognized you!"

"That's Senatah Wingo, Mr. Stein," Maude answered. Anyone who had spent any time with the woman at all could tell she was trying to get rid of Jock Steele. Anyone, except of course, Steele himself. Maude turned her attention away from the little fella, saying, "Now, Mr. Tanner, my darlin' baby boy tells me that you finally broke down and admitted how you truly feel about that lovely young archaeologist!"

"Steele," the writer corrected, oblivious to Maude rolling her eyes, "and what a great story that would be! A bounty hunter, born on the wrong side of the tracks, the result of an illicit affair between a middle-aged college professor, and a beautiful young girl! He falls in love with a young archaeology student ... only to be separated by a cruel act of fate and the emotional baggage of her mother's death and her father's sexual molestation of her ... finding her years later by accident! That would be a best seller!"

Vin sat up straight from his slouch, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the oblivious writer. Now just how in the hell did his private life become public knowledge? Looking around the booth, he saw a common anger as his friends and family looked at Steele. But there wasn't just anger in Aunt Jo's eyes ... there was also resignation. She had as little use for Steele as Vin himself did, which meant ...

Aw hell. But before he could pursue that thought, Adriana's icy voice cut into the little fella's ramblings, "Mr. Steele. You are, of course, permitted to write what you wish ... but understand this. If you attempt to turn my life, or the life of my boyfriend, into a book without our expressed permission ... there will be consequences of the direst sort." Vin looked at Drina in shock. Oh, she was royally pissed!

"You're a public person, Dr. Wilmington, your life is fair game for us. Especially given your personal tragedies ... it could be inspiring for other victims of sexual molestation to see your life," came the answer. Son of a bitch! Just when Vin didn't think it could get any worse, here came something else! Even if he hadn't been looking at his lady, Vin would have known she was enraged, by the way her body stiffened beside him.

"Mr. Steed, I don't think you understand what my niece is saying She is a private person ... an archaeologist who digs in the dirt. She is not a singer or a writer, she is not an actress or a politician. Therefore, she is not, as you so crudely put it, 'fair game.' You know about the molestation ... well, my niece has been violated once. And I will take drastic action of my own before I allow a little pip-squeak like you to violate her again!" Aunt Jo hissed.

"And we all know what drastic action means to a membah of the United States military, now don't we, Mr. Stubbs?" Maude added sweetly.

Vin had the distinct pleasure of seeing Steele swallow hard, as he managed to squeak out, "I ... it's St ... Steele. A ... an ... and ... I ... I ... I'm sure we can come to an agreement of some kind! It is a magnificent story ... but maybe I could change the details? Give her a percentage, maybe? Ten percent is fair, don't you think?" Aunt Jo continued to just glare at him ... up until an all-too-sweet smile lit her face.

"I have a better idea ... why don't you write a story about the woman you mentioned a moment ago? My sister? I know she's the one who told you about Vin and Drina's background, but she has such an interesting story to tell. Why don't you call her right now ... there's a phone over there," Aunt Jo continued. The little man nodded eagerly and scrambled off ... apparently not noticing that the phones were right beside the stage. Aunt Jo sat back, muttering, "Remind me to kill my sister the next time I see her!" Yeah ... and Vin would help her!

Julia Tanner was his mother, but he accepted that Jessica Tanner gave birth to him. He had believed she at least loved him a little. But after hearing of this betrayal, Vin wasn't so sure. The fun started to go out of the night, until Inez announced, "And now for our next entertainer! Ezra Standish, singing Michael Peterson's 'Drink, Swear, Steal & Lie.' Ezra ... the floor is yours!" Aw, now this he had to hear ... Ezra Standish, singin' country music!

Part 12

Initially, Ezra Standish had cursed Charlotte Richmond in five different languages for choosing the song he had wanted to do. He could have sung his own version, but that would have been so ... Well, Ezra Standish followed no man ... and no woman. He knew with his Southern accent, he could have, in the words of Vin's youngest sister, the inestimable Lacey, 'kicked some serious ass.'

However ... that was not to be. And after the bombshell regarding Vin's birth mother, Ezra found himself glad he opted for his second choice. If only to see the look of horror on his mother's face when she realized her darlin' baby boy, who had been raised on classics and on opera, would be singing country music. Up until tonight, Ezra would have died before admitting to enjoying country music. Oh, the horrors!

But Vin's transformation into a child hadn't just changed the guide and sharpshooter. It changed the entire team, it changed the dynamics of the team ... it changed Ezra himself. He was taught appearances were everything, growing up ... but he found he couldn't hide any more behind those appearances. And if he was really honest with himself, he would admit it began long before the transformation. Before the disastrous wagon train (and would someone please shoot the male Dr. Richmond before Chris did, and thus incurred the wrath of both generals?).

It, in fact, started at Busch Gardens and giving a Rebel yell on the Alpengeist. Ezra was sure if his mother knew of his incredibly juvenile behavior while at the amusement park, she would be having words with Senator Warner for suggesting Busch Gardens to them on that fateful day. So, this had been a long time coming. In addition, he often found himself paired with Buck when his quarters needed to be cleaned ... after all, they worked in the SGC, and things routinely went haywire.

Buck was a country music aficionado, and despite the teasing from his erstwhile junior shadow, wasn't just in it for the ladies of country music. One of his favorite singers was Michael Peterson, and the song Ezra was about to sing was Buck's second favorite off that album. The first favorite was a wonderful little ditty called 'Too Good to be True (To You),' which, when Ezra thought about it, applied quite nicely to the male Dr. Richmond.

As Ezra reached the stage and took the microphone, he said, "As Inez so kindly explained, my contribution is Michael Peterson's 'Drink, Swear, Steal & Lie.' I desire to thank my good friend Buck Wilmington, who introduced me to the wonderful world of country music, and his younger sister Adriana for kindly loaning me the CD's which her brother did not possess." As he finished his sentence, the words rolled up in front of him on the TelePrompTer, and the music began. With a mischievous smile for his friends in the booth, Ezra began to sing,

I was twelve when Daddy said to me.
"Don't take to drinking boy, that road don't lead to nowhere.
And don't you ever let me hear you swear’ ... Don't you dare!"
He told me stealing is a lazy man's way.
Something for nothing leaves you hell to pay.
So don't lie, then you can look the whole world in the eye.
(Honey I try)
But since I met you girl, I'm breaking every rule
I must confess I'm just a backsliding fool

Ezra paused, grinning at his teammates, and even from this far away, he could see Chris rolling his eyes. Even as a smile tugged at his lips, totally spoiling the effect. Ezra winked at his friends, as he sang out,

I want to drink from your lovin' cup
Swear I'll never give you up, Steal all your kisses underneath the moon.
I wanna lie here close to you, look what you made me do
Darlin' you're the reason why, I drink, swear, steal and lie!

The negotiator noticed Vin leaning over to say something to his lady ... only to realize that Vin wasn't saying anything. He was singing along. Adriana threw back her head and laughed, then picked up Vin's hand, kissing his knuckles. The tender gesture caused a moment of jealousy in Ezra, even though his feelings toward Adriana weren't of that sort. It was ... a desire to have that someone special at his side.

But he forced the jealousy and the desire away, concentrating instead on the moment, starting the next line of the song,

Last night I threw away my twelve-step book
Finally faced the fact that I am hooked on you.
There's nothing more that I can do (ain't no use)
Cause every time I see your angel face
My halo disappears without a trace (I swear)
Girl, I admit I haven't got a prayer (but I don't care)
Well I know this ain't exactly how I was raised
But heaven help me honey I ain't changing my ways

This line of the song never failed to make him smile, because it sounded so familiar to him. That, and it reminded him of Buck. When Buck was head over heels for a woman, she was the only woman who existed at that moment in time. While he still joked with Inez about when she would fall into his arms, the major knew she wasn't the right one for him. He didn't even know who that woman might be, although Hildy had gone far in touching Buck's heart. Who knew what might have happened, if they had the chance?

A chance ... that was all any of them asked. Some of their prayers had been answered, as Ezra looked at Vin and Adriana, Chris and Mary, Josiah and Josie, and Nathan and Rain. Some were in the process of finding that chance, like Rafael and Carly. Some chances were being ignored ... like that insufferable buffoon Will Richmond. And some, like Buck and Ezra, had yet to find that chance. But they'd keep looking.

For now ...

I want to drink from your lovin' cup
Swear I'll never give you up, Steal all your kisses underneath the moon.
I wanna lie here close to you, look what you made me do
Darlin' you're the reason why, I drink, swear, steal and lie!

Ezra finished with a somewhat sadder version of the mischievous smile he wore at the onset. A sadness which slowly lifted as he looked again at the table where his friends, his family, sat. They were cheering, and the look on his mother's face was worth all the pangs of jealousy in the world. He replaced the microphone on the stand, sketched a neat bow, then returned to his table amid applause.

Damn, that felt good! As he approached his table, both Vin and Adriana raised their palms And Ezra was in such a mood, instead of shaking their hands, as he might have under ordinary circumstances ... he responded with a high-five for each of them. His reward was a delighted grin from his 'little sister,' and the sight of Vin Tanner's all-too-rare laughter.

But the final surprise was on him that night, even as Josiah got up to sing his own selection. Ezra swiped Adriana's glass of wine to take a drink, ignoring her glower and muttered 'drink and steal, definitely.' As he sat down, Maude said, "Ezra, you really do remind me of your father at times." Ezra almost choked on his stolen wine ... his father? She never talked about his father!

Which was why he didn't interrupt her as she continued with a dreamy smile, "You looked just like him, just now, up on that stage. Oh, he loved to sing ... and he was very good at it. Not that you should get it into your head to start a singing career now, of course." Ezra rolled his eyes. That was Maude for you. But this time, his mother didn't have the last word.

That went to Josie Tanner who said softly as Josiah reached the stage, "Oh, I don't know ... Ezra's still young. Just as long as he kept his singing as his second priority, I don't see why he shouldn't do something he enjoys. I swear, Josiah better do this song the way he was requested, because if he doesn't ... !" And just what was Josiah singing? Josie grinned at him, adding in a (dare he say it?) singsong voice, "It's a sur-prise!" Oh ... wonderful. He hated surprises!

Part 13

Back in the early and mid 1980's, Josiah had become intrigued with the idea of expressing one's spirituality through music. This was nothing new, it had been done through the ages. But was there a way to express one's spirituality without, in the words of his students, shoving it down the throats of those around you? In 1985, Josiah realized it was quite possible, and that discovery changed his life.

It was in 1985 that the now-defunct rock group, Mr. Mister, released their album 'Welcome to the Real World.' On this album were two number one hits ... the first, 'Broken Wings,' which Josiah had liked well enough, but it didn't strike a chord with him. Not like the second number one did. Not like the song he was about to sing. He said, "Thank you, Inez. My contribution, as my colleage Mr. Standish put it, is an old song from the 1980's. I'm willing to be a lot of people here tonight weren't even born when this came out ... or they're too young to remember ... 'Kyrie,' by Mr. Mister."

He saw the smiles on the faces of his younger companions ... yet another song they remembered. Vin had joked that when they weren't singing country songs, they were revisiting the 1980's. That was when so many of them grew up and came of age. He saw Adriana smile, and wondered if she knew what the song meant. He knew her memories of her early years were unpleasant (to borrow a phrase from Ezra), and that she found no support in her church.

And yet, there was that smile which Vin loved so much, and if Josiah strained his eyes, he could see her tapping her fingers in time to the music. She might not have understood the lyrics as a young girl ... understood the meaning of the lyrics ... but he was willing to bet she understood now. She was a smart girl, after all. Josiah favored her, his own lady, and Mary with a wink, then launched into the song, silently praying he wasn't too old to do this after all.

The wind blows hard against this mountainside
Across the sea into my soul
It reaches in to where I cannot hide
Setting my feet upon the road
My heart is old it holds my memories
My body burns a gemlike flame
Somewhere between the soul & soft machine
Is where I find myself again

It sometimes felt just like that, too. Wasn't that what drew him to Vin Tanner, not just the tracker's fierce defense of him during the Poplar situation? Somewhere between the soul and the soft machine is where I find myself again. Vin's quiet calm and steady way of dealing with a situation was something he envied, and Josiah didn't fool himself into thinking that Vin didn't have his own wellspring of rage and frustration. But he had learned to deal with it, and Josiah was still struggling.

Kyrie Eleison
Down that road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light

SG-7 had become his highway in the light. Oh, a few of them could ignite his rage. Buck, JD, and Ezra, usually. Nathan worked too hard at healing people, rather than igniting their fury. Chris just wanted to be left alone, and that was something Josiah could give him. Vin had no interest in teasing him until Josiah was enraged, unlike the first three.

His rage could be ignited when one of his 'brothers' was harmed. And suddenly, as Josiah sang, his eyes never leaving the booth which contained so much of his family, the song lyrics suddenly took on a whole new meaning, one he had never thought of before. SG-7 was his highway in the light, just as Orrin Travis set him on that road that Josiah had to travel.

When I was young I thought of growing old
Of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road
Or only wished what I could be.

Oh, Lord that was so true! Josiah knew a great deal about those wishes to be what he could be. The Army talked about being all you could be, fulfilling that potential locked inside of you, inside every person. Josiah had strived his entire life to meet his own potential, and always, he failed. He had tried to please his father ... he had failed. He had tried to protect his sister. That, too, failed.

He had only to look at the most recent events to know he had failed once again. When Vin was turned into a child, though he was with SG-1, didn't Josiah feel like he let his young friend down? And didn't he feel guilty for delighting in the five year old child Vin Tanner had been once upon a time? Despite his words to Koje, many years earlier, Josiah didn't have his balance back. He was still fighting his father. And his father was still winning.

Kyrie eleison,
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie eleison
On a highway in the light.

The booth was singing along with him now. Vin with his arm around Adriana's shoulders, that young woman moving in time with the music in the booth. Josiah fought back a smile.

For some reason, when he looked at those two, 'where I'm going, will you follow,' seemed particularly appropriate. Long before Vin met up with SG-7, long before he found his brother, the girl at his side had fought at his side, watched his back, would have followed him into hell and back. And he would have done the same for her.

There was applause as he finished the song, and Josiah replaced the microphone in its cradle, jumping down from the stage. Not one of his better moves, as his aging joints protested the impact. He made his way back to his friends, all of them beaming. Adriana said as he reached them, "Dammit, Josiah, you're gonna make me dig out my old tapes, aren't you? I loved that song when I was a teenager."

"Ya love 'most all the songs done here tonight, Drina, and the competition is 'bout over. Reckon ya need to be thinkin' about what song Bucklin's gonna be singin' while the judgin' is goin' on," Vin pointed out as Josiah took his place beside Josie once more. By this time, Josiah had seen a devilish smile appear on the faces of his friend so many times tonight, he had started numbering one. The devilish smile which now flashed across Adriana's face was Devilish Smile Number 35. And counting.

"Who says I haven't? Get ready, Bucklin, because I know exactly what I want you to sing!" came the purred response. Josiah turned his attention away from his aching knee as Buck leaned over to his sister. Adriana whispered something and Josiah watched in fascination as Buck's dark blue eyes grew wide first in surprise, then with an evil mischief which was Buck Wilmington's alone. Oh-oh. This did not bode well for someone! Buck gave his sister a firm, smacking kiss on her forehead, and then he was off to the stage. Oh yeah. After that little performance, someone was definitely in trouble.

Part 14

Now he was worried. Vin wasn't sure if he should be, but he was. That expression on both the Wilmington siblings usually meant trouble. His instinct told him that he had nothing to worry about ... at least for the moment ... but someone was in trouble. He just hoped it was the jerkoff behind him, and that the brother and sister hadn't concocted a plan to harass Ezra. Not that he really believed Adriana would do that, especially not with Maude present.

His lady was leery of the senator. She didn't make it a habit to interfere in the relationships of others, especially not when both parties were adults. It was asking for trouble, and Vin agreed with her. But that didn't change the fact that Adriana had never been comfortable with the blonde socialite-turned-senator. Part of it was her own past as an abandoned child, even though she was now questioning her own memories of her mother.

Strangely enough, even as Adriana pulled back, Maude moved forward. Vin thought that might be because this was a challenge for the other woman. She wasn't used to a woman turning away from her for any reason other than disgust at her previous occupation or jealousy because she was still beautiful. She wasn't used to the wariness in Adriana's eyes, and it intrigued Maude. Vin thought it was asking for trouble. But Maude was Ezra's mother, so he really couldn't say nothing. At least, not until Maude did something to hurt Drina.

But Maude wasn't his primary concern at the moment. Drina kept shooting looks over her shoulder at Will and Charlotte. The male half of that pair had grown steadily more boorish over the course of the night, even after Carly explained Charlotte's preferred choice of song, 'Lover of Mine,' to him. A woman desperately reaching out to a man she loved, whom she feared no longer loved her. Despite that fear, despite the fear of rejection.

So, whatever song Drina had chosen for her pain in the ass colleague, it was definitely chosen to smack him upside the head with a clue by four, as she liked to call it. He was right. Buck took to the stage, snapping up the microphone with a single quick motion. The man was a born performer. In a way, Vin envied him that ease with himself. The guide knew if he got up onto that stage, he wouldn't be able to get two words out.

Buck said, "Since this is the free-for-all, I thought I'd make it easier on y'all and break the ice. This song is sent out to all the men out there who don't appreciate their wives or their girlfriends ... whether they cheat on 'em or not. You best start treatin' them ladies right ... or somebody's gonna come and take 'me away." Subtle, Bucklin, Vin thought, shaking his head, real subtle. And his jaw dropped when Buck launched into the song.

You were all she ever wanted, that was once upon a time
She was all you every needed, that's what makes it such a crime
How you took her heart for granted, how you threw her love away
Now you still don't understand it, if you did, you'd never say...

Oh my god ... she didn't. Oh yes. Yes, she did. Vin looked at his lady in a combination of amusement, amazement, wincing as he heard Charlotte practically spit out whatever he was drinking. She was as ... shocked? As Vin was? No, Vin thought she was probably more shocked than he was. Drina had pretty much ignored Will unless she had to during the last few weeks. Up until now. Ouch.

It was too good to be true...
What did you expect a girl as good as her to do?
What do you think would make that woman go and find somebody new?
She's not too good to be true..
She's just too good to be true to you.

"Hey, didn't Michael Peterson have dancers in the video to this song?" his aunt asked over Buck's voice. Vin looked over at Aunt Jo warily. What was she up to? Mary nodded, a gleam appearing in her green eyes, and Aunt Jo continued with an impish grin, "What do you think, should we back up Buck on this one?" Again, Mary nodded, and the pair moved quickly out of the booth. Though, not quite as quickly as their men did. Obviously, they didn't want to get in the way of their ladies. Smart. Very smart.

His aunt and Mary stood expectantly in front of the booth containing Will, Charlotte, Rafael, and Carly. There was a mini-exodus from the booth, as Carly joined her aunt and eventual sister-in-law, and Vin snagged Charlotte's wrist, observing Rafael taking up position beside Chris. Charlotte started to protest, and Drina leaned forward, murmuring, "Vin just wanted to make sure you were out of the line of fire."

Charlotte mouthed 'line of fire' with some confusion, looked at first Vin and Drina, then over her shoulder ... to see her recalcitrant husband alone in the booth with two female Tanners and Mary blocking his exit. Once Charlotte and Rafael were safely out of the line of fire, the three women began to dance in time to the music, acting out the words, for lack of a better phrase.

Just because she never said so, doesn't mean she didn't see
Everytime you stole an apple off somebody else's tree
Late last night that lipstick letter she left on the bedroom door
Said "You don't get it, and you ain't gonna get it anymore!"

Vin snickered as the trio put their hands on their own hips with 'you don't get it,' then leaned forward, removing one hand from their hips to waggle a finger reprovingly at Will, shaking their heads as they sang, 'And you ain't gonna get it anymore!' Beside him, Drina was laughing helplessly, her small body sagging against Vin's as she started losing muscle control. Obviously, her plan worked better than she planned.

It was too good to be true...
What did you expect a girl as good as her to do?
What do you think would make that woman go and find somebody new?
She's not too good to be true..
She's just too good to be true to you.

Now Bucklin belted out the song, leaving the microphone behind on the stage as he came down the stairs. It didn't matter, because everyone in the whole damn place was singing along and clapping. He was heading straight for the two booths, and the members of SG-7 remaining in the booth drew closer together, Vin pulling Charlotte with him as he pushed Adriana toward Nathan.

It was too good to be true...
What did you expect a girl as good as her to do?
What do you think would make that woman go and find somebody new?
She's not too good to be true..
She's just too good to be true to you.

As the song ended, the three women each pointed a finger at Will, their free hand placed firmly on the corresponding hip. Buck put his arm around all three women at once, giving each of them a kiss on the cheek, then came to the booth. He swept a bow to the still-shocked Charlotte and took her hand, pulling her lightly to her feet. Aw hell. What's Bucklin up to now?

Vin found out a moment later, when Buck established eye contact with Will for a brief moment, then put his arm around Charlotte's waist, swung her into a deep dip, and kissed her quite firmly on the lips. Holy Shit! He didn't! Oh yes, he did! After almost four years as a member of SG-7, Vin didn't think it was possible for Buck to surprise him any more. Damn, was he wrong about that!

He understood the meaning of the kiss, of course ... it was rather blatant. It was a warning, in and of himself. Do right by your lady, or someone will take her away ... if she didn't walk away on her own. Buck righted Charlotte as Carly slid into the booth, then gently eased the stunned archaeologist into the booth beside Vin's sister, then took his own seat, a shit-eating grin on his face. How in the hell did you top something like that???

Part 15

Chris couldn't decide whether he wanted to reach over and bap his old friend or not. More to the point, he wasn't sure if he could. He wasn't drunk. But he had almost fallen out of his seat (could you do that in a booth?) when Mary had gotten up with Carly and Josie, and danced to 'Too Good to be True (To You)' as Buck sang.

Part of it was the shock of his normally self-contained lady dancing like that ... and part of it was the look of pure shock on Will Richmond's face when he realized he was being ganged up on. Chris knew exactly why Adriana chose that song ... a quick glance at her face was the final straw for the SG-7 colonel. He had almost fallen over into Josiah, laughing almost hysterically. To say her expression was smug was something of an understatement.

Still, even though Richmond deserved it for being an ass to everyone in his sphere of influence, Chris was concerned that Buck might have gone too far with the kiss. There was also the question of how it would affect Charlotte. They didn't know if Richmond had gotten physical in his attitude toward his wife, but Buck's kiss would definitely be a provocation.

But that's Richmond's choice to make, he thought, Buck initiated the kiss. He made that choice. I don't think it was the right one, but I can't live Buck's life for him. If Richmond does raise his hand to his wife because of that kiss ... then she has to choose whether or not she'll stay with him. And God, if he hits her or that little girl, I hope she walks out immediately! Josie said softly as they all joined together in the booth, "Buck, I think you or Josiah should have a word with Dr. Richmond. Make him realize that if he hurts Charlotte because of what just happened, there will be consequences."

"I'd be more than happy to show brother Richmond the error of his ways," Josiah rumbled, his blue-gray eyes lighting up. Chris almost groaned. Especially since Josiah was as prone to go to the rescue of a damsel as Buck was. And he was twice as likely to break some heads in the process. True, his budding relationship with Josie balanced that out, but in some ways, it exacerbated it. Josiah, now that he had a lady in his life, had even less patience with men who took their women for granted. Like Will Richmond.

I have, Chris lamented to himself, an entire team of Robin Hoods! Which was something Jack often teased him about. It wasn't just Vin, Buck, and Josiah. No, Ezra had Robin Hood tendencies, even though he usually cloaked them. JD ... hell. Chris rubbed his hand over his eyes. What were they gonna do about JD? Vin was still struggling with how to react to the kid, and Chris felt the same.

He knew Buck and Josiah could talk to the kid without wanting to strangle the living shit out of him ... good for them. Now if Chris could just get his own rage under control. That was proving to be easier said than done. He had found that if he limited his contact with the boy to just passing along information about the mission, he found it much easier to control his temper. He just didn't know if the team could last under that strain.

And there was a part of him which thought he was being too hard on the boy. Until he remembered it wasn't just the mistakes which made him so angry, it was JD's continuing attitude. JD kept expecting Vin to forgive him on JD's terms Chris supposed it was only natural, as JD had never pushed Vin too far in the past. Always before, Vin let things go without a grudge.

But never in the past had JD hurt Vin this badly, either. Never before had he betrayed Vin's trust so completely. Something JD still didn't understand. Unbeknownst to the others, Chris had made a quick stop when he went to the bathroom earlier.

Well, Mary knew about it, because he had told her he would call Lacey and see how things were. His youngest sister informed him of JD's arrival at the ranch, and it had taken all of his self-control to keep from putting his hand through the wall. That, and a reminder of just how bad it hurt when he did something stupid like that. Chris flexed his hand, wincing at the memory.

Then again, the last time Chris had done that was during his out of control days, right after Sarah and Adam's murders ... more specifically, the bender when Buck had informed him that Adriana was graduating from college and Buck wouldn't be there. Hell, he had been so furious with Buck for that! Chris lost his family, they were taken from him, and Buck had just thrown his away!

Well, the siblings had finally gotten things back on track. This stunt here tonight just proved it. The old relationship would never truly come back ... but the siblings were working on making a new one. Better ... stronger. And Chris knew, if his brother (or either of his sisters) had been sitting next to him, and heard what he was thinking, the next adjective would have been 'faster.' With this retro kick to the night, between the songs of the eighties, and the unforgettable sight of Ezra watching old Transformers cartoons (personally, after Optimus Prime, Chris had always liked Bumblebee best. Not that he would have told any of his friends, or his family about it ... hell, no!), a reference to 'The Six Million Dollar Man' or 'The Bionic Woman' would have fit right in.

As Buck once more hi-fived his little sister, Chris observed ruefully, "I just hope you didn't just land yourself in more hot water. Think you mighta crossed the line a little bit with that kiss. Mary, so help me, you start singing 'This Kiss,' and you will suffer the consequences!" She offered him a smug smile in reply, which made him wonder exactly what kind of consequences would fit the crime.

And in the end, it wasn't Mary he needed to worry about this time. Adriana, who had been in an extremely weird mood all night, launched into the song in question ... at least, until Vin silenced her in an extremely passionate kiss, pushing her backward in the booth until both of Adriana's suede-booted feet were sticking straight up in the air. Chris decided he didn't want to know what else was going on there. He really didn't want to know. Especially not when he heard Buck yelp in dismay, "That's my sister, Tanner!"

"Children, children ... uh, Vin? Are you gonna let her up for air any time soon?" Josiah began, only to question the young sharpshooter in mid-chastisement. He had his answer as the aforementioned booted feet came down to table level, and two tousled heads came up. Okay, Larabee, get your mind out of the gutter. Adriana just blinked at them all, a goofy grin the size of Texas on her face. Chris happened to glance over at Ezra, and realized why he hadn't heard a word out of the other man ... the Southerner was just staring at Vin and Adriana in awe.

"Mistah Tannah ... that was quite exceptional!" Ezra finally managed. Vin turned his head toward Ezra, with a goofy grin the size of the entire United States. He looked just as dazed as Adriana, and Chris realized it wouldn't be too much longer before the last walls between those two were gone. As in ... by the end of the night? Assuming big brother Buck didn't decide to go haywire?

Chris decided to redirect his old friend's attention by reminding him of the kiss with Charlotte Richmond ... and the potential fallout. He said, "I know better than to ask if any trouble with that jerk was worth it, Buck ... " The major grinned, successfully distracted from the sight of his younger sister and Vin now practically joined at the hip (don't go there, Larabee, you don't want those pictures in your head!)

"Well, hell, Chris, of course it's worth it! Just to see the look on that prick's face was worth it. And speaking of which, he's off to the gent's room ... Josiah, whaddaya say we have a little talk with Doc Richmond ... make sure he understand the consequences if he hurts that pretty wife of his?" Buck asked. Josiah responded with a smile that was positively scary, and the two men traipsed off ... leaving a very exasperated colonel to wonder what the hell would come next?

Part 16

When he got his hands on Wilmington, he'd fucking break his neck! Who the hell did he think he was, telling Will how to treat his wife? Will could handle Charlotte just fine, he didn't need help from some space cowboy Casanova! Will was fuming even as he washed his hands. Which was probably why he never even saw the two men come into the men's room behind him.

At least until a deep voice rumbled, "Evenin,' brother ... you look a mite disgusted there." Will jumped a foot in the air and whirled around to face the two newcomers. Josiah Sanchez favored him with a toothy grin which was probably specially designed to strike fear in the hearts of men all over the world. Will hated to admit it, but in his own case, he'd have to say it was working.

"We just came on back here to have us a little talk. See, everyone else is back in there, havin' a grand ol' time ... which gives us some privacy," Wilmington replied. Will just glared at the big major, who continued, his face growing stony, "Now, I want one thing to be real clear. Charlotte didn't know anythin' was comin' when I got up on that stage. So if you get it into your teeny-tiny head ... "

"He means your lower brain, which is the one you usually think with anyhow," Sanchez offered. Will looked away from Wilmington long enough to glare at the older man, and quickly regretted it, as Wilmington was immediately in his face, and almost literally breathing down his neck.

"Let me rephrase that ... you do anythin,' and I mean anythin,' to harm your wife or your little girl, and I will find out. I will find you, and I will kick your miserable ass clear to the fucking moon, do I make myself clear?" Wilmington growled. Will tried to pull back, suddenly making the discovery that Larabee wasn't the only dangerous one in SG-7. Wilmington could be just as scary. Maybe even more so.

But that didn't mean he would allow this oversized hormone to tell him how to treat his wife! Sanchez added softly, "You may be thinkin' we ain't got the right to interfere. Maybe we don't. But we do got the right to make sure Charlotte don't pay for something that ain't her doin.' Somethin' else. You seem to think your wife has unlimited patience. She don't. And you're stretchin' it to the limit. That girl's been tryin' to get through to you all night, and you just keep pushin' her away."

"Charlotte will never leave me," Will replied smugly, "she came back when she could have left forever, and she'll come back if she leaves. She'll keep comin' back. Because she knows she can't do any better than me." Bad thing to say. Because a split second after that, he found himself up against the wall ... literally, with Buck Wilmington's flashing eyes only inches from his own.

"Now you listen to me, you smug son of a bitch! I'm tellin' ya right now. You take her for granted, and next time, she'll leave for good! That woman has been carryin' the load of your bullshit, your little girl bein' sick, and the baggage of your first little girl's death, too. Yeah, asshole ... you think it hasn't scared her? Wondering if she might lose this baby, too? And instead of bein' at her side, where you belong ... you've been god only knows where! Now, that lady is my little sister's friend ... that makes her my concern. And Charlotte's a real nice lady, but she ain't a saint. She's a human being. And if she can't get what she needs from you, she will go somewhere else ... you'll lose her for good this time, and you'll lose your little girl. Again," Wilmington fired back.

"Now ... if you think you can scare her into staying? Say, by threatening to take Tansy away from her? You should know ... we ain't gonna let that happen. So, either you straighten up and fly right, do right by your wife ... or suffer the consequences. And you start by takin' her home tonight, carryin' her inside the house, so she don't put any more weight on that bad ankle of hers. You know the one? The one she broke because of your stupidity?" Sanchez added.

Well, it would be kinda difficult to forget, since someone was shovin' Will's face in it every five minutes, but really, how was he supposed to know that it would trigger a damn rockslide? That wasn't his fault! Somewhere in the back of Will's mind, the part of him that was capable of thinking like a grown man, instead of a whining child, he knew he had been stupid ... but he was also proud.

But wasn't that how he got into this mess? How he almost lost Charlotte twice now? Because he was too damn proud? Because he wouldn't ask help, to protect his wife and daughter? Because he couldn't accept that maybe, just maybe, Allison's death was nobody's fault? But as had been the case from the first time he laid eyes on Vin Tanner and realized this was a dangerous man, Will refused to see what his eyes ... what his very soul ... was telling him.

Instead, he lashed out, retorting, "You know, you're just as bad as your sister! For years, she kept trying to tell me how to talk to my wife! She had no idea what went on in a relationship, she had no idea of how the world worked!" Big mistake. Buck Wilmington's dark blue eyes glazed over with a mixture of shock and fury ... right before he slammed Will into the wall a second time.

"She knew a helluva lot more than you did, jackass. Even before she and Charlotte became friends, she saw what you were doing to your marriage. She was trying to protect you, you asshole! Trying to protect you from your own stupidity. And then, she actually got to know Charlotte and ... that's it, isn't it? It isn't just Vin. It's anyone who reaches out to Charlotte who scares you ... anyone who diverts her attention from you is a threat. Whether it's me, my sister, Vin ... that's it," Wilmington repeated, nodding.

"Makes sense ... Adriana and Vin aren't a threat, in the way we think of it. But because she has them to lean on, Charlotte negates some of her husband's control on her. They don't threaten the marriage or the relationship ... they threaten his control," Sanchez put in, his blue-gray eyes narrowing. Will just looked from one man to the other, breathless. No. No, that couldn't be right.

It couldn't be, because it made him sound like a goddamn control freak! Sanchez continued, as if Will wasn't even there, "It does make sense. He's still struggling with the death of their older daughter ... and since that was something he couldn't control, he takes control over what he can. Their younger daughter, Charlotte herself ... and he runs away from what he can't control. Tansy getting sick."

First they called him a control freak, now he was a coward. Will had enough, and he growled, "You wanna talk about control, Wilmington? Then you start keeping better control of your sister and that long-haired bastard. You keep them away from my wife and daughter, away from my marriage. Because so help me god, if either of them interfere again ... " He never finished the sentence. He couldn't. He couldn't even breathe as Wilmington pressed his forearm over his throat.

"Now you listen to me, you bastard ... you just crossed the line. No one, but no one, threatens my little sister, or my little brother. You understand? No one! Much less some miserable son of a bitch who thinks the world is supposed to revolve around him. For some unknown reason, there's still a part of my sister that's fond of you ... that's why she keeps trying to get you to wake up and smell the coffee, before you drive Charlotte away. But you know something? You're right. She should stay out of it. She should just be a friend to Charlotte, concentrate on her work and her man," Wilmington snarled.

She should just be a friend to Charlotte, concentrate on her work and her man. Concentrate on her man. For some reason, that kept repeating in Will's mind, over and over. If Wilmington planned to say anything more, Will would never know, because a strong voice filtered into the men's bathroom. What was the name of that song? The singer was Clint Black, he remembered that, and it was from the 'Maverick' soundtrack. Charlotte loved Westerns, and insisted on dragging him to that damn movie.

The song attracted the attention of his two ... companions. More to the point, the singer. Josiah Sanchez said softly, "Buck ... that's Nathan. Nathan's singing!" Wilmington looked away from Will, his dark blue eyes widening with surprise.

"I'll be damned," he breathed, "you're right, Josiah! I know that song. I hear Charlotte playing it on her CD player when she's working. She's just like DeeDee in that respect ... gotta have music playing to get some work done. 'A Good Run of Bad Luck,' isn't it?" Yeah, that was the name of it. Will could never remember the name. He didn't like country music. His wife liked all music. Almost all, at least.

"Yeah ... let's go. Moral support is always good," Sanchez intoned. He looked closely at Will, saying very quietly, "Understand me, and understand me well. You harm Vin or his lady, and you'll answer to me. After Buck and Chris are finished with you." Assuming there was anything left of Will after those two were finished with him. Will wasn't stupid enough to think Larabee would be any easier on him than Wilmington if he harmed Larabee's kid brother.

Wilmington, for his own part, started to follow Sanchez from the men's room ... but before he reached the door, he turned and his fist connected with Will's jaw. The archaeologist ended up on his ass, staring up at the big major, who hissed, "That was a warning ... and a payback. I never did return the favor when you went after Vin right before the wagon train. You touch him or my sister, and I'll do a helluva lot worse. And that is a promise." With that, Wilmington stalked out of the men's room behind Sanchez, leaving Will to stare after him in shock.

Part 17

After Josiah and Buck went to the men's' room to have their little talk with Will, Vin turned his attention back to the booth. There was nothing he could do about them, and honestly, he thought their mission was a good idea. He didn't trust Will not to take the kiss out on Charlotte. He didn't understand that man. He acted as if his marriage was a game. He acted as he had when Vin first met the couple, eight years earlier.

Instead of worrying about that ... now, what had Liam O'Shea called him? Oh yeah ... nine fingered shitehawk (Vin wasn't sure what the exact translation was, but it sounded like a good description of Will). Instead of wondering about him, Vin turned his attention to the conversation and to the sensation of having his lady curled against him. Vin was quite aware that his lady was, in her own unique way, seducing him. She didn't seduce in the same way her brother did, but then, she wouldn't. She had a very different personality from her brother, and very different experiences. Vin had decided he kinda liked Drina's seduction style. Ok ... he liked it a lot. And not for the first time, he wondered what it would be like ... to wake up beside her.

She wasn't quite ready for that, he thought...or maybe she was.

Maybe she was trying to tell him that she was ready for them to take the next step. That would make sense ... but he was too wary. His lady had been hurt too many times before. He didn't want to misread the messages she was sending out to him. He didn't want to do the wrong thing. Maybe he was, as Ezra said, waitin' for an engraved invitation, but it was better than the alternative.

That decision could wait until later. For whatever signals she was sending out, if it came to it, Adriana would tell him outright. Ask him to track a human or an animal, and he was fine. Ask him to guide a group of scientists to their new home on a new planet, and he could do that. But where human emotions were concerned, especially his own, and Vin often found himself fumbling. 'Sides. Where was it written that he had to make the first move? Vin kinda liked the idea of being seduced.

Vin turned his attention to the current conversation, and had to shake his head at the ladies. His aunt, Maude, Mary, his lady ... them three were somethin' else. He figured it could be worse, though. Just imagine what the conversation would be like with Carly or Charlotte over here. The conversation centered on the decision reached by the ladies at the booth, to start playing matchmaker for Liam O'Shea. Major Paul Davis wasn't around enough for the ladies to play matchmaker for him, and Liam was.

And just what was it with women trying to matchmake? Vin got his answer, in a roundabout way, when his aunt observed in response to a question from Chris, "Well, darlin,' it's like this. I've met some of the girls who seem attracted to Liam. They're not good for him. And we're not directly setting him up ... just planning to invite girls we know who would be good for him to a picnic or something, so he can choose for himself."

Mary added, nodding, "That's exactly right. Let's face it, there are a lot of gals out there. We just want to make sure Liam has the pick of the crop. He's a nice man, nothing like that brother of his, and this is our way of looking out for him." What scared Vin wasn't the idea of his lady, his aunt, and Mary putting their heads together ... it was how much sense Mary's last sentence made.

Chris observed with a faint smile, "And the fact that Priscilla Meadows, rest her soul, did a fair amount of matchmaking in your own life, Adriana, has nothing to do with it?" Vin glanced at his lady, who responded with an innocent 'who, me?' look which fooled absolutely no one. Chris chuckled, saying, "That's what I thought. Chanu mentioned a conversation he had with her ... she told him that she decided early on that you and Vin would be good for each other."

He paused, grinned, then added, "I don't know if I should be pleased by her ability to judge character, or worried that someone else could read my brother as well as I can." Vin glared at his older brother, who continued with a grin, "Then I remember how well she took care of these two, and decide just to be grateful." Vin looked at Drina, who returned the gaze, then on cue, the pair looked back at Chris and stuck their tongues out at him.

"Now, now, children ... that's no place to be putting your tongues!" Mary chided. It took Vin a moment to realize her double-entendre, and when he did, he groaned, closing his eyes and shaking his head. Mary just laughed and Vin felt his face turning bright red. She added, "Good, I'm glad to see I didn't have to say anything more! I always knew you were smart, Vin ... just wanted to make sure you were on the right page."

"Right page and right line," Aunt Jo chimed in as Vin opened his eyes once more. The guide just glared at her, and Aunt Jo continued, glancing over at Maude, "My poor nephew thinks one of his glares can scare me. If Chris can't scare me with his glare, does Vin really think one of his glares can do any better?" Her brown eyes twinkled with laughter, and any attempts Vin might have made to answer vanished when Adriana put her hand on his thigh.

Okay ... that was kind of hard to misinterpret! He almost inhaled his beer, catching his breath at the way his body reacted. Nathan looked at him in amusement, and Rain said softly, "Having some trouble breathing, Vin?" The guide felt his face turn bright red with embarrassment and ... something else. Which he really didn't want to think about. Rain continued, evidently deciding to cut Vin some slack, "Nathan, you haven't sung tonight."

"Haven't decided what I want to sing, yet ... we got another few hours left," Nathan answered. Beside Vin, Drina perked up and Vin glanced at his lady. What was she up to? On second thought, maybe it was best not to ask. Nathan looked at her almost indulgently, asking, "Ya got some ideas?" Drina nodded and leaned over to whisper something to him. Nathan's dark eyes narrowed, then he grinned and nodded. What the hell? Nathan said, "Reckon that'll do just fine."

The pair looked toward Ezra with evil grins pasted on both faces. The Southerner looked at them nervously, asking, "What? What just happened there?" He looked at Maude, who looked just as confused. Then again, whatever Nathan and Drina cooked up 'tween the two of em, would probably be worth it, just to see that expression on Maude's face. Wasn't every day he saw her look confused. It was sorta the same as Ezra's 'what just happened there' look.

"Oh ... nothin,' Ezra ... nothin' at all," Nathan replied with an innocent smile which fooled no one. First it was the evil grins, now it was the innocent smiles which seemed to be going around. Nathan formally lifted Adriana's hand from the table (the one that wasn't resting on Vin's thigh) and kissed it, saying, "That's perfect. If y'all will excuse me, I have a request to fulfill." Nate winked at both Drina and Rain, then there was a mini-exodus from the booth as the others slipped out to allow Nathan to leave.

There was a break, and as so often happened, people looked around each other nervously, as if trying to force each other into going next. But Nathan strode up to the stage, and Vin saw expressions of relief cross several faces. Whew, saved this time! Still, Vin couldn't blame them. As much as he hated being in front of crowds, he couldn't blame them at all. As Buck had, Nathan snapped up the microphone, and Aunt Jo said softly, "Should someone go to the men's room and retrieve Buck and Josiah? I have a feeling they'll want to see whatever's about to happen."

"Naw ... I'm sure they're having entirely too much fun laying down the law for the male Dr. Richmond ... or, as Drina calls him, 'the prize pain.' Can't argue with that," Mary answered cheerfully. Vin raised his brows at her, and Mary continued with an evil smirk, "I know I would. I know I did earlier." Earlier? Oh. When she, Carly, and Aunt Jo were dancing to 'Too Good to be True.' Vin didn't think he would ever forget Will's expression when Buck kissed Charlotte.

Or, for that matter, Charlotte's expression when Buck pulled her upright then eased her into the booth with her husband, Carly, and Rafael. Priceless ... absolutely priceless. Though it was nothing compared to the expression on Ezra's face when Nathan said into the microphone, "This song is for my good friend, Ezra Standish. Few months back, a mutual friend loaned my friends and I a copy of her favorite movie, 'Maverick.' The song I'm about to sing comes from that movie ... and Ezra's gonna understand exactly why I chose this for him."

He gave his booth a wink and cheeky grin, then began to sing. Vin settled in the booth more comfortably, drawing Adriana's hand from his thigh to hold it tightly, with his free arm around the back of her shoulders. He tentatively rubbed his thumb along the silky skin of her upper arm. Drina shivered and looked up at him with a blinding smile. Vin swallowed hard. Okay, he definitely didn't misinterpret that!

And suddenly, the song Nathan was singing was appropriate for another reason. He listen to the lyrics intently.

A high roller even when the chips are down
To win her over, I'd seen the tables turn around
She's ten the hard way, I can feel it in my bones
She'll be makin' my day and not another night alone
'Til it's time for a windfall and not a single moment too soon
I've been too long overdue, now I'm gonna shoot the moon

You wanna talk about double entendres? Oh, there was the obvious meaning ... the one which was a gimme for Ezra. And then there was the other mean, which was equally obvious when you thought about it. What a gamble love was. Vin locked eyes with Nathan, who just smiled impishly again. The damn song was full of double meanings. Especially that last line, 'I've been too long overdue, now I'm gonna shoot the moon.'

How long had Adriana been part of his life? Eight years, with a two year hiatus, as Ezra would put it. Eight years. He had met her when they were nineteen years old, and while they were both older than most nineteen year olds when they first met, they were still children. Vin had only to think of those early arguments, to remember that, and he winced. God, had he really been that stupid? Adriana had only tried to protect him, and he lashed out at her, accusing her of being ashamed to be seen with him.

Part 18

He looked at the dark-haired woman beside him, who was now wearing a faint smile as she listened to Nathan, her head bobbing in time with the music. His insecurity could have destroyed his friendship with her ... but she had proved more stubborn than that. She apologized for ever giving him reason to believe she was ashamed of her relationship with him, her friendship with him, but it wasn't her doing. It was his. Because it wasn't just a matter of insecurity ... it was his deep-seated fear that he really wasn't good enough for this smart, well-educated young girl. Not even as a friend. Much less for ... anything else. Vin thought about what Daniel said once, about how he thought they fell in love with each other in college.

Was that true? Had he fallen in love with Adriana while they were still teenagers? Had she fallen in love with him? He didn't know. It wasn't a matter of losing time. They had been comfortable in their friendship, in being more than friends and not quite lovers, because it felt right to them. Until recently, neither of them had been ready for the next step. He still wasn't sure if he was reading her right, that she was ready. But he knew he was ready.

I'd bet it all on a good run of bad luck
Seven come eleven and she could be mine
Luck be a lady, and I'm gonna find love comin' on the bottom line

There was no 'could' about it. They had declared themselves to each other, as Ezra put it. She was his, and he was hers, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He had found his love, that was the bottom line. He couldn't argue with the assertion that luck was a lady, because the luckiest day of his life was the day he found his lady. And as he looked back up at Nathan, Vin wondered if Nathan had ulterior motives in selecting this song. Well, no, because Drina suggested it. While Nathan was probably the most forthright of all of them, Vin knew he could be sneaky when he wanted.

I've been to the table, and I've lost it all before
I'm willin' and able, always comin' back for more
Squeezin' out a thin dime 'til there's no one hanging on my arm
I've gambled on a third time, a fool will tell you it's a charm
If I'm bettin' on a loser, I'm gonna have a devil to pay
But it's the only game I know to play, it doesn't matter anyway.

Yes ... that was true. That was true. How many times had he believed he had lost everything, and kept fighting ... only to find he still had so much? He didn't know any other way to be, and, looking over at Ezra, Vin could see Ezra was reacting the same way. Neither of them knew any other way to be, but still, found themselves changed by the rest of SG-7. By their newly found family.

I'd bet it all on a good run of bad luck
Seven come eleven and she could be mine
Luck be a lady, and I'm gonna find love comin' on the bottom line
I'd bet it all on a good run of bad luck
Seven come eleven and she could be mine
Luck be a lady, and I'm gonna find love comin' on the bottom line

Nathan finished as Josiah and Buck returned from the men's restroom, identical expressions of glee on their faces. That was downright scary ... what had those two done? Nathan rejoined them before either man sat down, and Josiah said, "That was a damn fine job, brother ... we listened to you from beside the stage."

Vin smiled at his friend, who was beaming. Ezra said, his voice faltering slightly, "Mr. Jackson ... thank you. But I dare say, that song wasn't meant just for me." Nathan's smile got even wider as he slid back into the booth beside Rain, and shook his head. The others took their places, and Ezra continued, his eyes sliding over to Vin, "I imagine you were sending a message to another member of our strange little family."

"Reckon ya'd be right ... but don't plan on spoilin' the surprise. Didn't realize 'til I got to singin,' that the song would be good for someone else. I hope ya find yer Lady Luck, Ezra, like I done," Nathan replied. He looked at Vin, and the guide's sense was proved correct. The question became now, what did he do about it? He looked at the young woman beside him and found her staring back at him.

The carefree atmosphere which had permeated the group ever since Karaoke Night (well, aside from when Buck kissed Charlotte in front of her fuming husband) seemed to dissipate. At least for Vin, as he gazed at his lady. There was no expectation in the dark hazel eyes ... the only expectation was in Vin's soul. But that brought no relief, because Vin didn't know what to do next.

He had never considered himself a coward ... there were times when he made the wrong decision, and he didn't consider himself particularly brave. But he didn't run from things. Unless they involved the emotional minefield which he was now walking through. What if he did the wrong thing? Nathan was right about one thing, when he was singing that song ... love was a gamble.

And not even that could quiet his nerves. He didn't notice Will Richmond returning to the booth beside his own. There was so much riding on what he decided to do about his own readiness to take the next step. He kept coming back to the same question. What if he did the wrong thing, and frightened Adriana? What if he misread the clues she was sending out, and totally misinterpreted what she was ready for?

It was two sets of eyes which calmed him ... the dark hazel eyes of his lady, which told him they could face the new step. Together. Just hold onto her, and things would take care of themselves. The other set of eyes belonged to his brother, as Chris quietly called his name. Vin tore his eyes from Drina's, to look at his older brother. There was a quiet, serene comfort there. Something Vin couldn't name, until his brother said without words, as they always had, You can trust yourself, little brother. You would no more hurt her, than she would have hurt you while you were a child.

Drina had taken care of him while he was a child. No pressure. Just simply ... she was there. She only retreated when she was faced with memories she hadn't allowed herself to face. But even then, Vin remembered, she wasn't alone. He wouldn't be alone, either, because he didn't have to be. He wasn't alone. He didn't have to face this new territory by himself ... his brother and his lady would be at his side. As they always were.

With that settled, Vin turned his attention to teasing Buck and Josiah, asking, "So, what exactly took y'all so long? I was startin' to wonder about ya, tryin' to figger out just what the hell ya done." There was a growl behind him, followed by a yelp. And Vin would have puzzled that one out as well, but he happened to see his lady's free hand reach over the back of her shoulder to swat Will upside the head.

Josiah gave him a toothy grin, the kind of grin Josiah always produced when he was feeling particularly devilish, and replied, "Why, brother Vin, what makes you think we done anything we shouldn't have?" Vin just looked at the man who had become like a father to him, who would likely end up making his aunt Jo very happy (he better make her happy, or Vin would kill him), and Josiah added, "We just ... showed him the error of his ways, that's all, son."

"With some help from somebody's right hook, I saw," Chris observed, winking at Vin. The sharpshooter raised an eyebrow at his brother, and Chris continued in a voice just loud enough for Will, Charlotte, Rafael, and Carly to hear, "Yeah, that was one helluva bruise I saw on his jaw, Buck, but I couldn't be sure if you hit him ... or Josiah ... or maybe the lady Dr. Richmond."

"Choose a number, get in line, half of the SGC wants to kick his ass," Drina fired back. There was another rude remark from behind them, and again, Drina's hand swiped at Will. She added with a contemptuous look over her shoulder, "Ignore him for the rest of the night. We've had such a great time tonight. I don't want that nine-fingered shitehawk to ruin what's left of it."

"Which reminds me ... whose turn is it to sing?" Chris asked, turning the conversation back away from Richmond. He stared pointedly at Vin, who was already shaking his head. Chris continued, "Oh, come on! I've sang, Drina and Mary have sung, Buck, Josiah, Ezra, even Nathan. It's only fair. You should sing something, too, little brother." And Vin just kept shaking his head.

Someone totally unexpected saved him, saying softly, "I'll do it. I wasn't gonna sing tonight, because they wouldn't have the song that's been repeating in my head. But free style is something else." Vin looked over his shoulder at his twin sister, who was leaving her booth. She smiled as she stood, and said, "This song is for ... everyone. For anyone. For everyone. For you and Chris ... you'll understand when you hear it." With that, she made her way up to the stage. Chris and Vin exchanged a look ... what the hell did she mean by that???

Part 19

Lord and Lady ... what was she thinking? And wasn't that an indicator, of just how worried she was? Using one of Adriana's phrases, when Carly was Christian and Adriana was pagan. Still, Carly knew her decision made more sense. Out of the twins, she was the more outgoing, the one better able to get up in front of a crowd and sing. That didn't stop her from shaking inside as she approached Inez, who was currently behind the bar.

The owner of the saloon had put her niece to bed upstairs in her apartment several hours earlier, and turned on her pager. Inez explained to Carly, and the rest of their booth, that her pager was linked to the monitor in Toria's room ... if her niece needed her, the pager would buzz. The young woman smiled as Carly approached, asking, "Hola, Carolina ... is there something I can do for you?"

Carly smiled ... she liked how Inez used the Spanish version of her name. In some ways, it reminded her of Adriana calling Charlotte 'Carlota.' Inez never called Mary 'Maria,' for reasons she didn't explain. Maybe because Mary liked her name as it was, and Carly liked it when Inez called her ' Carolina,' Carly didn't know. She asked, "Mind if I borrow your guitar? I know you don't have this on your karaoke machine."

"Claro ... but I didn't realize you could play la guitara. You are full of surprises, just like your twin. Both of your brothers, I should say," Inez replied as she handed over the guitar. Carly didn't insult the woman by asking if it was tuned. She knew better ... Inez took care of everything and everyone within her little realm. That included her guitar, a present from Ezra on her last birthday. Instead, Carly thanked the other woman with a smile and walked to the stage. The brief conversation with Inez had served to calm her nerves. A little. Yes, it was definitely a GOOD thing that she was up here, instead of her twin brother.

She walked up onto the stage and picked up a stool sitting just off stage, all too aware of the eyes now on her. Carly knew she was pretty. She came from a good gene pool, in terms of looks ... her two brothers were both very handsome men, and Lacey was showing the promise of turning into a beautiful young women. Carly was used to stares. But this was the first time she had ever done anything like this. Karaoke was one thing ... but this was more personal.

Ever since she heard this song on Sam Carter's CD player, it had haunted Carly. For some reason ... maybe because of their silent communication ... it just screamed her brothers. She settled herself on the stool, adjusted the microphone, then said, "This is 'Reborn,' by a Celtic rock group based out of San Francisco, called 'Avalon Rising.' I heard this for the first time a few weeks ago, during a family crisis, and haven't been able to get it out of my head since. This is primarily for my two brothers ... but I think everyone can relate to it ... or would like to."

She swung her long blonde hair over her shoulder, strummed the guitar, then began to sing, staring at her brothers and the rest of that booth all the while,

When I was younger, 'bout a thousand years ago
I was a tiger and a warrior of the snow
Once born a creature that I hardly could describe
My lives were many and so many times I've died.

The wonders that I've seen
are fodder for a thousand dreams
I've touched so many lives
and changed the course of so many tides
You seem familiar, I've seen your soul before
Our first encounter, twenty-one or fifty-four.

That was the hook for Carly ... that second line of the song. You seem familiar, I've seen your soul before ... our first encounter, twenty-one or fifty-four. That screamed her two brothers at her, every time she remembered the story of the first time they met. By now, it had been repeated so often, it was considered passe by the others, but it never failed to send a thrill through Carly. And even in the one lifetime each of her brothers had lived (she wasn't sure if she believed in reincarnation, but that wasn't the point), they had each touched many lives ... and changed the course of still others.

I've traveled over space and over time
I've lived in bodies that didn't feel like mine
I've been on planets encircling distant suns
Magical landscapes where life had just begun.

Carly looked at her family, all gathered in one booth. There were some missing ... Billy, Mindy, and Lacey, still at the ranch. Grandpa ... Jessica. But it seemed to Carly that everyone who mattered to her was sitting right there. And then there was the evil one, as she and Charlotte had taken to calling Adriana. People only thought she was innocent. HA! They didn't see the evil smile now decorating her face. Just you wait ... you'll get yours, Carly told her old friend.

Our paths have crossed before
A distant world, a foreign shore
We've shared a time and place
And occupied a common space
You feel familiar, I've shared your soul before
We've been connected, I want to know you more.

Here, she switched her gaze to her brothers' faces once more, because looking at Adriana's broad grin was starting to hurt Carly's face. Chris was staring at her, his mouth hanging slightly agape, and Mary was too entranced in the song to close it for him. And Vin looked absolutely ... the best Carly could do, to describe his expression, was 'wonderment.' That created a warm rush through her body, and she knew she had been right to choose this song ... or, had it chosen her?

Part 20

Surely time kept us apart
Though you're remained inside my heart
Four hundred years in solitude,
yet each day held something new.

No matter what happened, Carly knew that her brothers would remain inside each others hearts. They would have, no matter what their blood connection. It took her breath away, that bond between her brothers, and she found herself envying them that connection. She never felt that sort of bond with anyone in her life ... no one except Vin, and he had bonds of a similar nature with Adriana and Chris.

We've been alone so many times and still we've gotten through
I'd gladly be reborn each time anew
If I could spend eternity with you.

And so my story doesn't seem to have an end
we are both riders on a journey here and then
If we are lucky, our lives will touch again,
You, my companion, are my close and dearest friend.

Yes ... yes, that was right. Chris and Vin were each other's close and dearest friends. And yet, they hadn't shut the others out. Carly blinked back tears as she came to that understanding. No, they hadn't shut the others out, but had expanded until everyone was included within that magic circle. And, she found, if reincarnation really did happen, she found she wanted to believe that her brothers' lives would touch again ... and that their family would remain intact throughout all of the lives to come.

The world needed men like Vin Tanner and Chris Larabee. It needed the Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jacksons of the world. It needed all of them, for all the gifts they brought to this world or any other. And the men needed each other, needed the rest of their extended family. Carly remembered something Adriana once told her, back when they were in college, about why she never complained about doing the grunt work on the digs. She had given Carly a faint smile and said softly, "An army needs its support group ... so do archaeologists." So many years later, Carly now understood what her friend had been saying.

We'll get along just fine
in separate worlds in separate times
And we'll be born somewhere
as two souls in a body shared
You're so familiar, I've been your soul before.
We lack as separates, combined, we're so much more.

I've traveled memories to be reborn.

We lack as separates, combined, we're so much more. That was true of Vin and Chris, it was true of the Seven as a whole. It was true of them all. Or, to put it another way, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. And God, she was so proud of them. Of her two brothers, of the men who made up the rest of the Seven. She was so proud of them all! That was why she was crying as she finished the song, and she made no attempt to wipe away her tears.

The entire bar erupted into cheers and applause as she finished, easing herself from the stool. The booth containing her family were ... oh God. They were giving her a standing ovation. All of them. Buck ... Nathan ... Josiah. Ezra. Aunt Josie, Rain, Mary, Chris, Vin, Drina. All of them standing. Except Maude, but she was smiling and applauding politely. Carly felt a smile stretch across her face as she bowed first to her family's booth, then to her own booth.

There, Charlotte was on her feet ... a bit unsteadily, but on her face, and applauding wildly. If not for her broken ankle, Carly was sure her old friend would have been bouncing up and down. As it was, she had a big ol' grin on her face. Rafael was smiling as well, his dark eyes filled with ... pride. He was proud of her. Just as her two brothers were proud of her, just as her aunt and college roommate were proud of her. Well.

She made her way back down the stage steps, her legs shaking as she returned the guitar to Inez. The saloon owner swept her into a fierce embrace, whispering, "Muy buena, Senorita Carly ... muy buena!" 'Carolina' had given way to 'Senorita Carly,' and the biologist wasn't sure if she had been given a promotion or not. But she thanked Inez with a broad grin, then made her way back to the booths.

Chris and Vin were both out of their seats and the pair hugged her at the same time, a ferocious embrace that would have taken her breath away if she hadn't been ready for it. Fortunately, the expressions on her brothers' faces had warned her ahead of time. It had been a long time since Carly enjoyed a group hug, and she didn't even say the words to her two brothers. She just laughed and held onto them both as Mary and Adriana left their respective seats to join the ever-growing group hug. From the corner of her eye, Carly could see Charlotte removing her camera from her purse.

Enjoy it while it lasts, Carlota, Carly thought with more than a little amusement, I don't think you'll ever see members of the Magnificent Seven in a group hug! Charlotte snapped the picture, her smile growing broader by the moment. Yup, she was taking evil lessons from Miss Evil herself, Adriana. Well, there was one more song to be sung tonight, and Carly resolved to have a talk with Charlotte. She had just realized the perfect song for her twin to sing, and she would need Charlotte's help to make it happen.

Adriana wasn't the only one who could suggest fitting songs, after all. Carly knew damn good and well that she had put Buck up to singing 'Too Good to be True.' That was part of their deal, after all. He lost the bet, and Adriana chose his 'free for all' song. Then she suggested 'Good Run of Bad Luck' for Nathan. And that really was perfect for Ezra. Absolutely. But now, Carly had something up her own sleeve.

As her brothers settled her on her feet again, both green and blue eyes glowing with pride and happiness, Carly exchanged hugs with the ladies of her brothers. Once everyone who wanted to hug Carly, had, the young biologist slipped back into the booth ... beside Charlotte. She whispered, "I have the perfect song for Vin, Carlota, but I need your help to make this happen. Can you make the stage again, if you have help?"

Charlotte nodded, and Carly continued, "Great. This is the plan." She quietly outlined what she was thinking, rewarded as Charlotte's eyes grew steadily wider. At the same time her eyes were growing wider, her smile was growing more and more evil. From the corner of her eye, Carly saw Rafael and Will exchange an uneasy look. Good. If she was scaring those two, she had a better than even chance at making her plan work.

"I can do it, Carly. But we need to work out a few kinks. We have about an hour before closing time. I think Vin should be the last one to sing ... oh. Carly! That's perfect. We usually stick around after hours, to help her clean up ... if we can get him to sing, after everyone goes home, that's half the battle right there!" Charlotte whispered excitedly. Carly canted her head to one side, having no idea how much she resembled her brother in that moment ... her twin.

"You're right," she said after a moment, "Okay, that's half the battle. Now, we gotta figure out a way to get him on the stage. Oh. How does this sound?" She explained her idea to Charlotte, who nodded ... her smile getting progressively bigger. Oh, this would be so much fun! All they had to do was be patient, because Vin's Robin Hood tendencies would do the rest. Who said chivalry was dead?

Charlotte said, "I think that would work just fine. Do you think you'll be able to wait until closing time? You keep bouncing like that in your seat, and you might just give the plan away." Carly glared at the other woman, who laughed, adding, "Just making sure. Besides, I'm happy to be part of this. I've been practically hearing Vin second guess himself all night, trying to figure out if he's interpreting Adriana's signals correctly, poor thing."

Carly snorted softly, replying, "Adriana has been pretty clear in her intentions, I think, but if we have to draw him a map, so be it. Save her the aggravation of an engraved invitation." Charlotte responded with a reproving look, and Carly knew she wasn't being fair to her twin. But sheesh! Adriana knew exactly what she was doing ... why was Vin making things so damn difficult for them all?

Because that was part of what, and who, Vin Tanner was. When her little sister wasn't losing herself in old Transformers cartoons, she was dragging Carly into watching Gargoyles with her, and an oft-repeated on that cartoon held true for Carly's twin. Gargoyles protect. So did Vin Tanner. The trouble was, this time, it wasn't protection which was desired or needed. Well. Carly had a few ideas on how she would straighten out her sweet Robin Hood twin brother. Ha! She wasn't chosen as the Matchmaking Queen in high school and college for nothing!

Starting with this song. Charlotte asked softly, "And this is a song he knows?" Carly nodded, grinning evilly. Yes, she knew he knew it. She overheard him singing along with the entire song, when the CD was in the player. Charlotte said, "Well ... then all we have to do is be patient and be ready for the end of the night. In the meantime ... we work out a few more kinks?" Carly nodded, and the two women set to making their plans, careful to keep their voices low.

Part 21

Them two were up to somethin,' but damn if Vin could figure out what that somethin' was. For the last several moments, ever since Carly returned from the stage, they had been whisperin' in the booth. And when Vin glanced over his shoulder, he saw Rafael and Will exchanging worried glances. That, alone, was enough to worry Vin. The idea of those two ever agreeing was akin to Maude suddenly deciding to adopt Drina.

But Vin forgot about the war council between the two members of the magic circle, as Priscilla Meadows called them back in Texas, turning his attention to the conversation going on at his booth. Josiah had mentioned that they totally missed the announcement about who had won the karaoke contest. Mary retorted that it didn't matter who won, because she had gotten Drina up on the stage, and Buck in turn got Chris up on the stage to sing.

Vin grinned, giving Drina a little hug. He would never forget the look on Buck's face when Mary said that, as if he was finally realizing that his sister and Chris had set him up. Ezra chimed in, before Buck could start blowing off steam and chasing Drina around the slowly emptying bar and grill, that of course it mattered who won. Nathan fired back with a teasing grin that he was only saying that because Ezra wasn't the one who won.

Typical fare for the Seven. Josiah once more broke in, saying that Mary was right, and with the things accomplished here tonight, they all won. Vin couldn't argue with that. He thought back to the shy young girl he had met years earlier in Texas, and knew she would have never gotten up on stage fully sober, even if she wasn't alone. And he had known both his twin and Charlotte to get Drina drunk a few times, to do just that.

Charlotte. There was another one who had changed drastically from the woman he first met. Who would have guessed that the lonely, miserable young woman he had met while searching for Raquel would turn into a hellraiser to rival Chris Larabee and Buck Wilmington, when partnered with Carly and Drina? On the other hand, Vin acknowledged, that probably wasn't a change, so much as a return to who she really was all along. But one thing hadn't changed about her ... she was still damn stubborn.

But that probably saved her sanity after losing Allison. Sheer determination. Which she had passed onto Tansy. Vin looked over his shoulder at the couple behind him. He had been told that Will didn't start backsliding until they got to the SGC, and were reunited with the rest of the old group. For the six years after Boudreau and the cabin, Charlotte had her husband back, her husband and Allison's father.

Or had she? Vin didn't know what to think. He didn't want to worry about it, but he knew Drina was worried about Charlotte. And when Drina worried, so did Vin. Oh shit. Now he knew he had it bad. And then he felt the warm pressure of her body fitted against his side, and decided it wasn't nearly as bad as all that. There was nothing wrong with loving someone, and wanting them to be happy.

Sure, he had wanted her to be happy, even before he realized he had fallen in love with her ... all over again, or for the very first time, whichever it was. The nineteen year old bounty hunter he had been had precious little experience with love. If his desire to break Eli Joe into a thousand little pieces if the outlaw touched even one hair on Adriana's head, then he supposed Daniel was right, and he had fallen in love with her in Texas.

But he wasn't sure that was the case at all. And in the end, did it really matter when he fell in love with her? They were together now, and it was right, and wasn't that all that mattered? Vin pressed a gentle kiss to Adriana's temple, and she favored him with a sleepy smile. He looked up, startled as he realized that aside from his booth and his twin's, there was only one more group of people left.

Inez had gone upstairs a few minutes earlier, according to Mary, and she was checking on Toria. Vin checked his watch, and realized it was eleven thirty. Usually, it would stay open until about two am, but since Inez was looking out for her niece, it would be closing early. The last group left, calling weary good-byes to the Seven and their extended group. For some reason, Maude had remained, and Vin wasn't entirely sure why.

With just the two booths remaining, the members of the Seven and their ladies began to clean up the saloon, to make things a little easier on Inez. Josiah grabbed Will by the scruff of his neck and steered him toward the kitchen. Josie commented that she heard her man say something about trash duty ... the trash taking out the trash. She really didn't like Will. And then there was Carly's answer, which wasn't fit to be repeated in even impolite company.

Buck had scooped Charlotte up into his arms and carried her onto the stage, where she could rest her ankle in peace, without having to worry about moving when they cleaned the booths. She had protested at first, until Aunt Josie firmly told her to hush up. Tansy needed her mother whole and strong, and Charlotte's ankle would never heal if she didn't take care of herself. Trust Aunt Jo to play the trump card!

Rafael had accompanied Will and Josiah to the kitchen, to help with the trash which had accumulated during the course of the night. Vin thought about the uneasy glances he had seen between Will and Rafael during the night, and grinned as he began to sweep under the booths and tables. He remembered doing the same thing in Texas, when the girls got going. A favorite activity of Charlotte, Dawn, Carly and Drina was to take a song all four liked, and break it up into four parts for each of the four women to sing.

Although, looking back now, Vin was thinking maybe the reason Will always felt so uncomfortable when they did that was because the four women were so damn dangerous together. Mary had laughingly called the get-togethers of the women 'war councils.' Vin immediately got a mental picture of her, Sam, Drina, Janet, Charlotte, and Carly sitting around a fire with war paint. It took him a long time to get that picture out of his head.

"Batter up!" his brother called and Vin jerked up. He realized that he had been sweeping the same area for the last five minutes, and had yet to push the dirt and dust into the waiting dustpan in his brother's hands. Vin neatly swept the pile into the dustpan, and Chris said as the pair ambled to the next set of booths, "Where'd you go? You looked like you were a thousand miles away, little brother."

"Nah ... no further than Texas," Vin admitted and Chris looked up at him. There was a faint smile which Vin didn't fully understand, and that worried him. He thought he knew all of his brother's expressions by now. Vin continued, dropping his voice, "Been thinkin' about them early years. Wish ya could meet Dawn, cowboy. Ya think Mary, Drina, Carly, and Charlotte are dangerous now? Ya ain't seen nothin' yet."

"So I keep hearing. Both Ezra and Nate have been telling me a little about her. Don't tell either of them I said this, but I think Ezra has always had something of a crush on the lovely Dr. Jackson, as he calls her," Chris replied. Vin responded with a knowing grin of his own. He should have known he wouldn't be the only one to pick up on that. Well, they always knew Ez had good taste in women.

Chris continued after a moment, "You know, ever since Carly and the others got back, she's been telling me a lot about those Texas years. I can see why Priscilla called you guys 'the magic circle.' Sounds to me like you really were magic." Vin nodded with a soft smile. Chris continued, "She told me about the four-part harmony game they used to play. That's what she called it, at least. How much you wanna bet they'll get Mary in on it eventually?"

Vin snorted as he pushed the last pile into the dustpan, replying, "No bet! Or, a sure bet. I ain't 'bout to bet on whether they're gonna drag her into it ... the only question I got is, when it's gonna happen!" Chris just laughed and dumped the contents of his pan into the trash bag being held open by a sleepy-looking Carly. Vin did a quick head count. Yup, they were the last ones to finish, though Josiah, Will, and Rafael were still outside.

Buck was flirting with Inez over by the bar ... Vin never even saw her come down. Probably while he was busy sweeping. Of course, Bucklin wasn't gettin' nowhere. Ezra, for all his protests that a gentleman didn't engage in menial labor, had been put to work, wiping down the tables and counter tops. Maude was sitting at the bar, watching them all. While Drina, Aunt Jo, and Mary were folding up the table cloths which covered the individual tables and putting them away.

Charlotte was still on stage, quietly picking at Inez's guitar. Vin smiled, remembering all the times she played the guitar while the other girls were singing their parts of the four-part harmony, as his twin had put it. Oh, it weren't the right term, he knew that, and he knew Carly knew it. But Carly liked to do things her own way. She always had. Vin figured it was part and parcel of being a Tanner. At least, that was what Chris and Aunt Jo had been tellin' him lately, though Vin figured it could have somethin' to do with bein' a Larabee as well.

"Figure someone should go help Charlotte," Carly said around a yawn, and started to turn toward the stage. She ever so conveniently left the bag in Chris' hands, and while he could handle it, no problem, Vin snagged his sister's wrist. She looked at him innocently and he just ignored it, indicating instead the bag which still had to be tied. Carly shrugged out of Vin's grasp, saying nonchalantly, "Oh, fiddle-faddle!"

"Little sister, I would strongly recommend you at least stabilize the bag until this is closed," Chris said, glancing at Vin. The silent communication flowed between the two brothers, Chris asking without words, can you see to Charlotte? Vin nodded and headed for the stage. He totally missed the second bit of communication, this time flowing between his twin and his elder brother. The mischievous glint in Carly's bright blue eyes, and the warning in Larabee's green.

Part 22

Those two were up to something. Chris didn't know his sister, or Charlotte, the way his kid brother did, and he knew right now. They were up to something, and somehow, it hinged on getting Vin up onto the stage to help Charlotte. Get Vin up onto the stage. For the second time in less than five minutes, Chris jerked his head up, first to look at the retreating back of his younger brother as Vin headed for the stairs, then at his sister.

Carly just smiled sweetly, but before Chris could do or say anything, Vin was approaching the stool where Charlotte had been resting. Everything fell into place then. The suggestion that Charlotte should be on stage, where she wouldn't need to worry about being in the way of the cleaners. Inez quietly carrying the guitar over to the archaeologist while Vin's back was turned. Chris looked over at the saloon owner, who just smiled sweetly.

Well, that was three conspirators. He glanced next at Mary and Drina, both of whom were engaged in conversation with Josie. No, it didn't look like those two were up to their pretty eyes in this particular shitpile, but only because they hadn't been asked. What was it that Josiah was always saying? Too many cooks spoiled the soup? And Nathan looked like he was just now figuring out what was going on. Chris was glad he wasn't the only one.

When Inez went upstairs to check on Toria, she had taken Rain upstairs with her, since the other woman wasn't feeling well. It wouldn't surprise Chris at all if Rain spent the last several weeks of her pregnancy in bed. That was the way things were looking at the moment. And while medicine had come a long way, there was still no substitute for bed rest. Knowing Nathan as he did, Chris had no doubt his friend could ensure that Rain would come through, she and the baby both. Hell, look at the way Nathan took care of them!

That thought was interrupted as he heard Charlotte picking out notes on the guitar. The melody seemed vaguely familiar to Chris, and he tried to place where he heard it before. Vin sat down on the stage, as Charlotte was in no hurry to leave. Chris supposed he really couldn't blame her, though after tonight, he really wished she would just hurry up and leave her husband, so his little princess and little brother didn't worry so much about the big oaf.

That was Chris Larabee's main concern. He didn't pay attention to other people's business, until it started to affect his family. Well, after tonight, it definitely affected his family, though that was as much due to Buck kissing Richmond's wife right in front of him. Chris knew exactly what Buck was doing. That was a whack with a cosmic clue by four, if he had ever seen one. But there was a part of Chris which worried Buck was being irresponsible in that kiss. Especially given how much Buck enjoyed kissing Charlotte, never mind her husband's reaction.

Then an unfamiliar masculine voice began to sing softly. It took Chris a few minutes to realize that it was his brother singing ... he had never heard Vin sing. It took him another few minutes to pick out the words, and realized that he did, indeed, know this song. He had been hearing the ladies in his little circle singing it for the last week, ever since his sister first bought the CD while on a trip to a local mall with Drina and Lacey.

I'm holding the stars in my arms tonight.
Distant are the memories
that you try to leave behind.
And you can feel, the touch, that made you feel so weak.
Hold onto your secrets,
'cause they're always mine to keep.

Time moves in circles
and what goes around
will come around again.
I'll go on living
somewhere in your dreams
You will be mine again ...
Inside the mystery.

Chris stopped what he was doing and stared as his brother's voice grew steadily stronger. Charlotte had stopped picking at the guitar and started actually playing it. Chris looked around, to see that everyone else had stopped to listen and watch. Charlotte looked away from Vin, directing her eyes to Chris ... and smiled. This was what she was up to, then. She and Carly had engineered this, between the two of them ... waiting until after everyone was gone before maneuvering Vin onto the stage. So the only people who would hear him were the people who loved him (well, except Will, but he didn't count anyhow).

You'll find the magic
in a forgotten place.
I will be waiting there for you,
with an angel's kiss to taste.
And in the heart, of the storm, as it passes by,
you can almost hear my name in the whisper of the night.

Time moves in circles, and what goes around,
will come around again.
I'll go on living, somewhere in your dreams
You will be mine again,
inside the mystery.

By now, Adriana had reached the front of the stage, where Vin was singing. From Larabee's position, he could see that his little sister and Vin were staring at each other ... and knew that was exactly why Charlotte ... or Carly ... had chosen this particular song. Time moves in circles, and what goes around, will come around. I'll go on living, somewhere in your dreams You will be mine again ... inside the mystery.

Didn't that sum up Vin's relationship with Drina ... hell, it could be anyone! He and Mary, Vin and Drina. Even, if you stretched it, Ezra and Dawn ... and Chris found himself hoping against hope that his friend would get that chance Nathan was talking about, after singing 'Good Run of Bad Luck,' (and did that song prove just how well Nathan knew Ezra or what?). He just hoped Dawn was worthy of both her cousin and the man who most likely had loved her for years.

I will be waiting right here for you ...
I will be waiting right here for you ...

In the front of the stage, only a breath away from where Vin sang, Adriana had begun dancing, spinning around and around, her eyes never seeming to leave Vin. The lyrics sent a chill down Chris Larabee's spine that had nothing to do with the cold blast of air which was brought into the saloon when the last bag of trash was carried out to the dumpster by Rafael. Josiah and Will both stood beside the door, transfixed. Chris wondered if it was because of Vin singing ... Or because of the girl dancing, only inches from where the man she loved sang?

Time moves in circles and what goes around,
will come around again,
I'll go on living somewhere in your dreams
You will be mine again
inside the mystery

Long after Vin's voice faded into silence, Charlotte continued with the melody, as Adriana continued to dance, her dark hair flying about her face as she spun, her arms raised high above her head. Sarah had loved to watch ballet dancers, and Drina was now executing a series of nice pirouettes, though flat on her feet. As the last strains of the melody died away, Adriana stumbled against the chair, and the spell was broken.

Yes. That was exactly what she had done, damn her. With her guitar and the melody, Charlotte had woven a spell of her own ... one which led Vin to get up onto the stage and sing in front of them. Which led Adriana to dance, as she had never danced before. And even as he damned her, Chris Larabee was actually blessing her. She had done which no one else could have done, not with bets or challenges or dares. She made Vin sing and Adriana dance.

Part 23

Aw hell ... he couldn't believe he just done that! But as Vin Tanner lightly kicked his feet against the brick wall under the stage, he found he couldn't regret it too much. He had never allowed himself to sing before, except in the shower. No one, not even the ladies, had ever heard him before. And now, his entire family (except his grandfather and Jessica) were gathered in front of him, staring at him in wonderment.

Vin ducked his head, blushing, and Charlotte said, "You did great. I'm really proud of you." The guide felt himself turn even redder, and felt her hand on his shoulder. More loudly, Charlotte continued, "I could use some help this time ... really. I'm not gonna try to drag anyone else up onto the stage and sing." Vin looked up at the audible groan, and Charlotte continued with a laugh, "Well, Buck, you could do an encore, but I don't think it would be as much fun this time around!"

"Why, little darlin,' if you want me to kiss ya again, all ya gotta do is ask!" Buck retorted. Vin laughed, turning to look at Charlotte as Drina hopped up onto the stage beside him. She put her hand on his thigh, the warmth burning through the denim of his jeans. Charlotte just rolled her eyes, and Buck continued with a glance around, "I imagine this is about as good as it's gonna git, 'less the lady of the house has somethin' else for us to do?"

Buck waggled his brows at Inez, who whapped himself the head with a dishrag. Everyone laughed as they all started for the stage. On Vin's other side, Chris settled himself, his arm still around Mary's waist. Just when the hell would his brother git up off his ass, and formally ask her to marry him! If this kept up, Vin was sure Mary would have to do the askin,' and that would really get Larabee's goat. On the other hand, it was worth thinkin' about, just for that!

Drina settled her head on his shoulder, and Buck yelled as he jumped up onto the stage beside Mary, "Hey now, you two, none of that! You put that finger away where it belongs, Adriana Kathleen Anne Wilmington!" Vin didn't even bother to look around ... he didn't have to see Adriana's hand to know she had just flipped off her brother. Vin was starting to think, based on his observations of his lady and her brother, as well as his own relationship with Chris, that younger siblings were created for the sole purpose of irritating their elder counterparts.

"And where, exactly, would that be, Buck?" Mary teased, snuggling against Chris as he put his arm around her shoulders. Vin did look, then, just to see Buck's expression. Chris leaned back and looked at Buck expectantly. He winked at Vin as he did, and the guide could see Mary was smiling impishly. Well, based on what he had been hearin' tonight, once the ladies got Liam O'Shea settled with someone they thought was good enough for him, they would be going after Buck and Ezra next.

The ladies seemed to think Dawn would be perfect for Ezra, and Vin knew for a fact the lady could handle herself. She would fit in perfectly with the other ladies of the Seven. Which left Buck. Whoever the matchmakers had in mind for Buck needed to be feisty, stubborn, and more than willing to stand up to Buck. The trouble was, most of the women who fit that description were already spoken for.

"Aggh ... never mind! Can't never win an argument with none of ya! And Charlotte, quit laughin,' it ain't that funny!" Buck retorted. Vin felt his lady laughing silently. It was late, and she was tired. And after having fun, like she done ... like they all done ... tonight, she would be getting silly. Which meant, sooner or later, Adriana would totally lose control of her laughter. Mary would follow, and it was anyone's guess who came after them.

"Of course it's that funny, Buck! Didn't ever hear that ... what was it? Aretha Franklin? Sisters are doin' it for themselves? I think that's who did it, at least," Charlotte fired back. Vin looked over his shoulder, and she winked at him. Drina saw the wink as well, and fell, laughing, across Vin's lap. Her head rested on his knee, and Vin eased her upright, but kept his arm around her. She was getting past silly now, and heading for giddy.

"Does anyone else find that notion as scary as I do? I mean, Mary and Adriana were bad enough. Mary, Adriana, Charlotte, and Carly ... that's the stuff nightmares are made of," Ezra said, his grammar slipping with his own exhaustion. He was sitting on Drina's other side, and yelped when Drina smacked the back of his head. At least, she was intending to smack the back of his head, but she ended up smacking the back of his neck instead.

"Scary? Those four? Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet! Scary is the four of them, plus me and Lacey ... oh, yes, Sam and Janet, and Inez after about three drinks on a Girls Night Out. That, my boy, is scary!" Aunt Jo retorted, leaning back against Josiah's chest. He rested his chin atop her head, wearing a contented grin. Aunt Jo looked over at Maude, and added, "Oh yes ... and scary is also your mother and I on the prowl."

The images conjured up by those words resulted in Ezra spewing his drink ... what the hell was he drinkin,' anyhow ... all over Drina. Fortunately, she was wearing her parachute pants, and no ice cubes emerged along with the drink. She looked at him in amazement, then looked at Vin, then looked right back at Ezra ... and burst out laughing. Ezra glared at her, growling, "I hardly see what's so amusin,' Dr. Wilmington!"

"You are, Ezra, of course!" came Drina's merry reply. Ezra looked at the remainder of his drink, then looked at Drina. Vin immediately realized where Ezra was planning to dump his drink ... ice cubes and all ... and shook his head vehemently. No. No way, not gonna happen. Ezra pouted like a five year old, but righted his glass and took another sip. Much to Vin's relief, Adriana didn't say anything more.

Pouted like a five year old. Wasn't that how this started? Because Chris wanted to keep a promise he made to a five year old boy? Vin looked at his brother thoughtfully, and Chris kissed the top of Mary's head, then looked at Vin. The brothers looked at each for several moments. Then, in the language that was theirs alone, Vin asked, So ... why? Why'dja do it, Chris? Weren't a promise. Why?

Because I wanted to ... because it was the best way of giving Mary and Adriana what they wanted, without them realizing they had won. Because a five year old boy had too many other promises to him broken, starting with the promise his biological mother made to her dying sister. Because I wanted to. Do I really need any other reason, little brother? Have we ever really needed any other reason, to do these things? Chris asked.

The answer, of course, was no. They never needed a reason ... much less doing something for someone they loved. Or, as the case might be, several someones. And Vin's mind went back once more to his five year old self. He said softly, looking directly at his brother, "I know I gotta forgive JD, cowboy. I just ain't sure how I do it." Chris put his free hand on Vin's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze.

"When you're ready, little brother. When you're ready. Don't force yourself, don't do anything you're not ready to do. Remember. We don't want, or need, you to be anything you're not. Vin Tanner has always been good enough for us ... so has Kevin. Okay?" Chris asked. Vin nodded. He thought about what he had been thinking about, at the beginning of the night. People in the SGC, other than SG-1 and SG-7, seeing his brother as he really was. As he was right now.

It didn't really matter, he knew now. Sure, it would be nice. But the important thing now was, he knew. Drina knew. The rest of their team knew. Jack and his people knew the real Chris. The real Chris, as Vin had decided at the beginning of the night, was there for all the world to see ... if they just bothered to look. The loving, laughing older brother who kept a promise to a little boy, long after that little boy returned to the adult.

Ezra told him once, not long after he returned to himself, that Chris retained the persona he developed after Sarah and Adam's deaths for his own reasons. And Vin knew that. He knew that Chris was actually amused by the perception of him as a brusque, mannerless lout. Only a few years ago, he wouldn't have been, but Chris had relaxed. He had a job he enjoyed, coworkers he respected (for the most part ... Conklin and Will came immediately to mind for ones Chris didn't respect), and a woman he loved.

A few times, during the last few years, Vin saw the enraged demon who had taken over after his sister in law and nephew were murdered. He had seen the darkest part of his brother's soul, and he hadn't looked away. Vin knew their blood relationship had nothing to do with it. Vin was no stranger to the dark sides of men ... he saw it in himself and others when he was a bounty hunter. Maybe that was why Chris, even at his worst, never really scared Vin. Because the bounty hunter had seen just how depraved people could be.

But Vin also knew that enraged demon wasn't the real Chris. The real Chris was sitting right here, beside him. His green eyes focused on Vin, even as his lady relaxed against him. Chris, who had been his brother and friend, long before they found out about the blood connection between them. Behind him, he heard Charlotte quietly strumming the guitar, since no one was going anywhere.

And it was Josiah who began singing at first, followed by Aunt Jo ... and then, surprisingly, Chris. This, then, was the whole point of Karaoke Night. Not what had gone before. But now. This being a family. Maybe that was the key to forgiving JD. That they were a family. And when you were a family ... when you loved someone, you forgave them anything. At the very least ... it was a place to start.

Part 24

Buck Wilmington knew as the first strains came from the guitar, what Charlotte was doing. And yet, he didn't start to sing. Not yet. He left that to Josiah, who was in some ways, the father of this small family. One of three or four. Josie Tanner joined in next, her brown eyes shining with laughter and love. And then, Chris started to sing. The leader of SG-7 kept one arm around Mary's shoulders, and he put the other around his brother's shoulders.

Buck picked up the song on the fourth or fifth word, smiling when he saw his little sister singing around the yawn which almost split her face into two. She gave him a sleepy smile, snuggling against Vin once more. Cuddle bunny ... that was what his mother used to say about him. Looked like the same was true of his baby sister, and Buck marked it up to yet another thing about his sister that he had to learn.

When you're down and troubled
and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me
and soon I will be there
to brighten up even your darkest nights.

Here, Buck smiled first at his sister, then at Vin. There was one missing tonight, but he had resolved not to think about that. And he had succeeded, but as they sang, Buck found himself missing JD, and wondered if he was the only one. No ... no, Buck was sure he wasn't.

You just call out my name,
and you know wherever I am
I'll come running, oh yeah baby
to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
all you have to do is call
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.

Buck looked again at Chris, who had been part of his life for almost fifteen years. In the beginning, it had been hard to get used to the change in their friendship. But the truth was, they were still friends. Chris would be there for him, even when he thought Buck was wrong, or in the wrong. Just as Buck would be there for him. And for Vin, this unexpected little brother whom Buck had seen as a rival in those early days. Who had been there for Buck. The big major winked at the civilian who had his arm around Buck's sister, and got a smile in return.

If the sky above you
should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow
Keep your head together and call my name out loud
and soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer or fall
all you got to do is call
and I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Beside Vin sat DeeDee, her head on Vin's shoulder, with her right hand resting on his thigh, and her right arm draped around Ezra's shoulders. It occurred to Buck that her position had to be uncomfortable, but she gave no indication of that, or any wish to move from where she was sitting. And then there was Ezra, the last to be drawn into the family. But once Ezra made the choice to be part of this team, to let down his guard ... he held nothing back. Much less from the dark-haired young woman with her arm around his shoulder. In a way, Buck knew that Ezra had been more of a big brother to DeeDee, and that hurt. But he got a second chance, one he didn't throw away.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
Well they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

That verse inevitably brought back memories of Ella Gaines ... the discovery that she hired Cletus Fowler to kill her rival. It brought back memories of Montana, of cradling Vin in his arms and trying to stop him from bleeding to death. It brought back memories of Mary Travis killing to protect them and Billy.

Buck inhaled sharply, because the image of Vin lying in his arms came back with terrible clarity. As did the image of the knife embedded in his friend's abdomen. But Ella Gaines was dead now, and she could never hurt anyone whom Buck loved again. Vin was safe and healthy and strong once more, never mind the brief detour into childhood he had taken. But, Buck didn't want to forget Kevin ... of the small body curled up in his arms, of a small face buried trustingly against the side of his neck. He didn't want to forget Kevin, or where his other surrogate little brother had come from. He didn't want to ever forget that.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don't you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
You've got a friend.

Buck looked up as Will Richmond stormed out of the bar and grill, and hid a smile at Inez walked over to join them beside the stage, muttering under her breath in Spanish. His knowledge of Spanish was limited, despite his sister's valiant attempts to teach him, but it sounded like the lovely Mexican lady was cussing out the resident idiot. Inez didn't have much use for men like Will Richmond. Buck looked back at Richmond's wife, who didn't even seem to notice her husband's latest attitude eruption.

Instead, she was smiling and laughing as the others gathered around her, and Buck heard Charlotte say, "Well, when I was in college ... college, not grad school, I was in music theatre. And every night, after we finished our rehearsals for the play we were working on, we would all gather 'round this piano and sing Billy Joel's 'Piano Man.' I guess that's what I was thinking about when I started on the guitar again, but that didn't seem to be real appropriate for this bunch." She yelped as Carly lightly smacked the back of her head, and responded by whacking Carly's butt. Ezra and Chris had to separate the pair, though Buck didn't think they were in any danger of starting a catfight.

"Now, now, children ... behave yourselves, and Carly, put your tongue back in your mouth where it belongs, before I tie it into a knot!" DeeDee called as Vin and Mary helped her to her feet. Buck remained where he originally sat down, watching in amusement as Carly responded with the European version of flipping someone off ... then almost fell off the stage, laughing when DeeDee fired back, "No thanks, you're not my type."

"No, Caroline, her type is your twin ... hey!" Charlotte giggled. Buck couldn't see what was going on, but he did see Charlotte wriggling away from Carly as the blonde girl went for her friend again, the bright blue eyes sparkling with laughter. Ezra grabbed the female twin by the waist and pulled her back yet again, his green eyes sparkling with amusement. Buck knew damn good and well Carly and Charlotte had set up Vin, but he didn't know which of them decided to wait until everyone else left, before getting Vin up on the stage.

Didn't matter ... he should probably keep an eye on them two. He remembered the general ... Travis ... saying something about hearing 'Ride of the Valkyries' every time he saw Mary and Charlotte together. Buck thought Travis should revise that, to include Carly Tanner. The girl was just as dangerous as her twin brother, maybe even more so. But then, so was Charlotte. Buck gazed at the strawberry-blonde archaeologist, as he thought about the kiss. There was a part of him which hoped Will Richmond kept taking for granted. But he would never tell anyone that. Nor would he tell anyone just how much he had enjoyed kissing Charlotte.

Part 25

Once he could move, JD had practically crawled to his car. Damn, he really needed to watch out for Lacey's knees! Inside his car, he waited until the pain in his groin had eased to something manageable. Shit. That had been really stupid of him. He had gone to Chris and Mary's because he knew they would be at the saloon tonight, and he wanted to talk to Lacey in private. But he had bungled that.

The idea was, talk to Lacey and see what she had to say about winning back Vin's trust and respect. Instead, he behaved like a child, and quite frankly, once the humiliation went away, JD knew he had come across like a whining child at that. Maybe what he really did need was that knee in the groin. And if he thought that was painful, there was also the look in Billy's eyes. Christ, if he ever had any doubt that JD screwed up, those doubts were gone now.

Then again, Billy had risen to the occasion when Vin was kiddified. The eight year old had happily become a big brother to little Kevin, instead of resenting the child because he was no longer the youngest. No longer the special one. He had taken care of Kevin. Been what Kevin, what Vin, needed him to be, instead of pouting. Christ. JD had spent all this time, whining because he was treated like a child. And when he was needed to be a man, he acted like a child.

Well, much as he wanted, there was nothing he could do about that now. He could only move forward. So, once he could move with some level of comfort, JD left the ranch and headed to the saloon. By the time he reached the bar and grill where they spent so many nights over the last few years, only a few cars were left ... and from inside the saloon, he could hear singing. JD turned off the engine, swallowing hard as he listened to his friends singing.

One line especially made his throat hurt. Because it reminded him of what he had, up until this last mess. His family. His friends. The respect of the people he worked with, respect he gained back after the mess which also cost Conklin his career. And that's when it hit. He won back their respect once. He could do it again.

You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Oh babe, don't you know that,
Winter spring summer or fall,
Hey now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
You've got a friend.

The door swung open and Will Richmond stormed out. JD's eyes narrowed. Now there was trouble, just waiting to happen. Especially when the pissed-off archaeologist caught sight of JD, leaning against his car. Richmond altered course, steaming toward JD, and said without preamble, "I'm just gonna tell you this once, boy. You keep that space-age Casanova away from my wife, or there will be hell to pay!"

JD's hackles rose, not just at the threat, but at being called a boy. Never mind that was actually how he had been behaving lately. The fact was, Will hadn't been behaving like an adult lately, either. JD pushed off his car, getting right up into the annoying archaeologist's face, and spat, "Well, maybe if you'd do right by your wife, maybe Buck wouldn't be paying attention to her! What did he do, dance with her? Make her smile? Maybe even make her laugh?"

"He kissed her! Right in front of me, after humiliating me in front of the entire crowd! And that bitch little sister of his was encouraging him!" Richmond retorted. JD raised an eyebrow, staring at the fuming man. Well, from what he had seen, it didn't take much to humiliate Richmond. He really was a small man. Oh, sure, he was bigger than JD, in the physical sense. But he was easily threatened, and entirely too proud. JD overheard Josie Tanner say once that the fact that his wife was so much stronger than he was threatened him.

"Did he now? Go Buck!" JD retorted. Richmond started for him, but JD was ready. In a move taught to him by Vin, and practiced countless times over the last three years, the young cartographer caught the man's wrist and swung him around, until his face was mashed against JD's back passenger window. If JD had really wanted to, he could have put Will's head through the window. As it was, he would have to clean it of Richmond drool. Replacing the window would have been a real pain in the ass.

"Now you listen to me, you pathetic little weasel," JD hissed, unaware of how much he sounded like both Vin and his 'big brother,' Buck, in that moment, "I have had a really bad day. I got kneed in the groin by a girl, realized that I wasn't a little boy's hero any more, and came to the conclusion that I've been acting like a first rate jackass ... and an immature one at that. The last thing I want to deal with is some overgrown whiner like you who can't treat his wife properly. So I'm just gonna warn you this one time. First. Start treating your wife better, and you won't have to worry about space-age cowboys, like Buck, or scruffy guides."

Because if he was feeling threatened by Buck, for sure he would be feeling threatened by Vin as well. More history there, and history was a damn powerful thing. More to the point, Buck always interfered when he thought a woman was being badly treated by her husband. It wasn't even a matter of whether it was his business ... that was simply how Buck was. JD learned years earlier to just deal with it. He always lost arguments with Buck when he tried to talk his 'big brother' out of it. And as for Vin ... hell, no one could argue with him when he made up his mind to do something!

"Second ... you threaten a member of my family again, and I'll see to it that you can't father any more children. I've learned a few things from Vin Tanner. Since you've been scarce while Charlotte sat in the infirmary with Tansy, that would actually be a blessing not only to Charlotte, but to any future children. I don't like you, Dr. Richmond. You showed some promise, once we set up camp after the wagon train. But you have this bad habit of threatening my family. And I don't like that. Not at all," JD hissed.

And somewhere during the few minutes, something else had changed within JD Dunne. Gone was the last of his resentment toward the rest of his family, for shutting him out during the last two weeks. And yes, he had resented them all. Until now, when he understood that they were doing the same thing he would do once he finished with Will Richmond. When you were so angry, you could barely control what came out of your mouth, that was the only thing you could do. And Will Richmond had made him that angry.

Worse, he had threatened JD's family. And when all was said and done, despite the last few weeks, those men and women inside the bar and grill were still JD's family. They just needed time to heal themselves, and to forgive JD. This was a situation where a simple 'I'm sorry' wasn't enough. Sometimes, words made things worse instead of better, and the more JD had pushed, the further they had retreated.

All right. Then starting right now, JD would do whatever had to be done. And right now, someone had to make sure Will Richmond understood the consequences of messing with his family. JD still couldn't believe that Buck had actually kissed Charlotte, but he also knew he was only hearing part of the story. And of course, Will Richmond was totally incapable of taking responsibility for whatever he had done. While Buck loved women, and often could be found with ladies whose husbands didn't appreciate them ... this felt different to JD.

The young cartographer released Richmond, saying, "Now, I'm gonna let you go. But understand me, and don't ever forget this. I'm sure Buck has told you ... now I'm telling you. SG-7 is a family. We look out for each other, we take care of each other, we even fight each other. But when someone from the outside threatens us, we take action. So, you decide you go after Buck, because he kissed your wife, and it ain't gonna just be you and Buck ... it's gonna be all of us. Including his sister."

Will actually swallowed hard at that last comment, and JD guessed that Will had seen Adriana in action. JD never had, though he came close when he grabbed Adriana's arm a few times. And she was someone else whose respect and trust JD had to win back. Especially for shoving her while Vin was still Kevin. JD continued, "So just remember that. You want to keep your wife? You start being there for her when she needs you. Charlotte's a pretty lady. Wouldn't take much at all for one of the other Robin Hoods in the SGC to decide to take her away from you ... take them both away from you."

Will froze, and JD continued, thoroughly enjoying himself, "Oh yeah ... let's see. Just in our team, there's Buck, Josiah, Vin, and Ezra. Then there's Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson, in SG-1. Don't know Major Davis that well, but I'm sure he could probably be a Robin Hood under the right circumstances. Then there's Major O'Shea ... he's Irish, of course. We Irish love our women ... Buck's Irish, too, you know." Just because Buck preferred not to think about his father's side of the family. He often said that Adriana was the only other good thing that his father ever did ... and he managed to ruin that as well.

JD shoved Will away from the car, seeing through the windows that the others were starting to head for the door. Hmm, that was interesting. Carly and Josie Tanner were supporting Charlotte's weight between them. Would have been more fun if Buck was carrying her. But that wasn't the issue at the moment. JD shifted his eyes back to Will, saying, "One other thing. Leave Vin and Drina alone."

Through the window, he could see them locked in a passionate kiss. Buck kept turning around to look, and probably harass them, but Chris kept turning him back toward the door. Probably telling the overprotective big brother to leave them alone. Well, now JD was telling Will that. The elder archaeologist just glared at JD, who retorted contemptuously, "Oh please ... I've had to field the Larabee glare a thousand times over the last few years ... do you really think that can scare me? I'm not warning you a second time. Leave them alone, or face the consequences."

"I'd listen to that young man, if I were you," Josiah said clearly into the chilly winter night, "you were already warned once." Will looked from JD to Josiah, then back again. He stormed off toward his own car, and Josiah called over his shoulder, "Jo, we're driving Charlotte home tonight. Better yet, let's pick up Tansy, then they'll both sleep over. Lacey will probably be staying with Chris and Mary tonight."

Josiah turned his attention back to JD and nodded once. JD felt his chest swell at that nod, because he saw the pride in the gesture. He had just taken his first step back toward his family. But it wouldn't be the last. JD wouldn't let it be. He looked past Josiah, through the window, to Vin. He was still locked in that passionate kiss with Adriana, and JD heard Buck yell at the pair to get a room.

I will make this up to you, Vin. I swear it. Like the song says. I know I've got a friend in you ... and you've got a friend in me. I'll be that friend again, Vin. I'll be that brother.

The End