Open House

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

Prologue

Evan Larabee was beginning to regret he had ever laid eyes on Jessica Tanner. Was beginning to regret going to that damn football game, and he sure as hell was regretting sleeping with her! Not just once, but twice. God, what had he been thinking? That was the trouble, of course. He hadn't been thinking, at least not with his upper brain. She had been a pretty enough girl, but she definitely wasn't worth his Pegeen.

Pegeen. Evan looked at his wife of more than forty years. She was staring straight ahead, her mouth a thin white line. He had heard references to his son's Larabee glare. What most people didn't know was that Christopher had inherited it from his mother. Pegeen could kill with a look, just as her only child could. She could also kill with silence, as she had been doing ever since she found out about his three illegitimate children.

She had known and accepted that he had ... strayed. He had told her about Jessica. But what she found unacceptable was the discovery that he had abandoned his child. His youngest son, Kevin, after the death of the woman who had been raising him. Jessica had contacted him, told him that her elder sister was dying. She couldn't take care of two children, Kevin was his responsibility. Evan had told her that he couldn't take the boy ... he had finally gotten things right with Pegeen, he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't foist another woman's child on her.

Pegeen had flown into a rage when she found Jessica's letters to him, three weeks earlier, and demanded that Evan tell Christopher. She had figured out, in no time flat, that the Kevin in Jessica's letters was the Vin Tanner who had become their son's best friend. And she had demanded that he tell their son. Which he had. However, Christopher had called Pegeen two nights earlier, reading the letter back to her. Evan had written the letter ... but he hadn't precisely told Christopher about his brother. Not in those terms, at least.

And now, they were on their way to Colorado from Indiana. Pegeen had learned from their son that the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs was having an Open House. It would be the perfect time for her to meet her stepson, and she informed Evan that they were going. No arguments. Evan had stopped arguing after the first time she threw a vase at his head, and couldn't bring himself to ask why she was so intent on meeting the boy.

He didn't think he wanted to know. No ... after more than forty years of marriage, he knew he didn't want to know, and after just two go-rounds with one Tanner, he had no desire to even think about another. He said, breaking the silence for the first time in two hours, "I want to go on record as saying I am opposed to setting foot on a military installation. You know how I feel about the military."

"And you know how I feel about liars, but I found I married one anyhow, it looks like we're both out of luck," came the harsh reply. Evan flinched. Pegeen turned her head to look at him, her eyes as cold as ice, and said, "You lied to me, Evan. You lied to me, you lied to our son. You abandoned your own child when he needed you most ... not just once, but twice! I don't give a damn about how you feel about the military, or Christopher's career choice. For once in your life, you are going to think past yourself and do the right thing."

Evan slunk down in the driver's seat, wondering how the hell he had managed to get himself into this. He was angry with himself, angry with Christopher, angry with his wife, angry with Jessica, and angry with Kevin. Why couldn't the boy have simply stayed missing! He didn't want to meet his youngest son, much less his two daughters, but Pegeen had insisted. He hadn't thought she was serious at first, until she threatened him with a divorce. The last time she threatened him with a divorce, she had damn near gone through with it.

As if hearing his thoughts (which wasn't entirely unlikely, not after their years of marriage), Pegeen pulled something out of her purse. Oh damn. Not again. She had read that email five times since receiving it from Christopher the previous day. And every time she had read it, her mood had become steadily uglier. She read aloud this time, "We're both back, Mom, safe and sound. I'm so sorry I made you cry the other night when I called. I don't blame you for what Father did.

"Vin has been released into my care, and he'll be staying with me until he's stronger. I'm not the only one taking care of him, as our entire unit is standing down while he's out of commission. He has a girlfriend now ... he met Adriana years ago, when he was a bounty hunter in Texas, and she was getting her Bachelor's. She's an archaeologist ... Buck's younger sister, if that tells you anything. She's a little shy, but downright wicked when she gets going. I think Daniel Jackson put it best when he said that they probably fell in love with each other years ago, but it took this long for them to break down and admit it."

She paused and took a deep breath, then went on, "Adriana comes over for about an hour each day. I think she's afraid of intruding. Vin and Carly's sister Lizzie just arrived last night, and Lizzie has been staying with me. Her mother ... Josie, I mean ... has been staying with Adriana. I think Josie is as concerned about intruding as Adriana is."

Evan tried to tune his wife out. He didn't want to hear about any of the children he had created with Jessica Tanner. He wanted to forget he had ever been that stupid. Of course, Pegeen wouldn't let that happen. She continued in that determined voice, "You should have heard the reaming Adriana gave Jessica when they met. I've known Adriana for almost as long as I've known Buck, and I've never known her to rip into a person like that.

"Carly will be returning to the project after the Open House at the Air Force Academy. She's scheduled to give a talk to the freshman class. From what I can understand, it's her first lecture, and she's a nervous wreck. She and Vin are twins, but they deal with nerves in two totally different ways. I noticed Carly giving Buck a hard time last night, hassling him. He, of course, was enjoying every moment of it.

"It's an odd little family I've created here, Mom. I wish you could meet them all. I know you'd love Vin. Half the females over fifty in the SGC have designated themselves as his surrogate mothers. You've met Buck, of course. There's Josiah, who behaves as a combination of older brother, uncle, and father. I know I've told you about JD ... remember in my last snailmail letter, how I told you that he and Adriana didn't get along? Well, they've started mending fences. They still aren't the best of friends, but they're definitely getting along better

"I've told you about Ezra, right? Our resident negotiator, gambler, and general pain in the ass? And I've told you about Ezra's mother, the senator? Well, I should tell you that she helped to expose Jessica Tanner. I think that surprises him more than anyone else. What really surprises him is that she has asked nothing in return ... in fact, she told Josie that this was on the house. Surprised Josie, too. Right up until the time Maude admitted that Vin had saved her 'darlin' baby boy' more times than she could count, so if she could help Vin's aunt, well ... Besides, she doesn't like Jessica, and I think she did it also to stick it to her."

To Evan's surprise, Pegeen laughed softly at this. She continued, "I think I just heard some glass breaking, so I better check out. Nathan isn't yelling at anyone to avoid the broken glass, but I still better check it out. I love you, Mom. Listen, if you can ... why don't you come out to Colorado for the Open House? It would give us a chance to catch up, and you could meet all of my brothers ... and not just the one given to me by blood. With love, Chris."

Pegeen looked at him as she finished reading the email, and said quietly, "Now. Regardless of what you want, I want to meet this boy. Not once, with any of his friends, did Christopher ever tell me that he knew I would love one of his friends. Kevin is not only his brother, but his friend as well. And I want to meet this woman Jessica, who abandoned her child repeatedly. I don't want to hear another word, Evan."

Evan had already made that decision. His wife had that Look, the one which said you only crossed her if you didn't want to live much longer. He had married her, in part, because of her strength. It seemed like that was coming back to haunt him, because once more, he was finding that she was much stronger than he was. And so, he drove on in silence, toward his past, toward his children, toward this Open House which would decide most of his future. And he wondered ... what sort of consequences was Jessica facing?

Part 1

"Vin awake yet, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth Tanner peeked into her brother's room, then shook her head. Colonel Chris Larabee continued, still in that low voice, "Then don't wake him up. He needs his rest." The golden-haired teen nodded and softly moved away from the door. Chris put his arm around his sister's shoulders and added softly, "In the meantime, you can help me make breakfast. Your mom and Adriana will be here in about twenty minutes."

"Cool! That's something I miss about college, I don't get the chance to make my own breakfast while I'm living on campus. When I move into my own apartment, then I can. And it just doesn't taste the same, you know?" Lizzie observed. Chris nodded, gently steering the teenager into his kitchen. Once they were safely away from Vin's room, the girl continued, "So, me being here really isn't a problem?"

"Not even close. And before you bring it up again, yes, I've known Vin for three years. But you're still my baby sister ... and put your tongue back in your mouth, young lady," Chris warned. At nineteen, Lizzie only barely tolerated the nickname she saw as childish, and she most certainly didn't appreciate reminders that she was the youngest of Evan Larabee's four children. Just because he didn't acknowledge the three out of wedlock ... well, that was his problem, and definitely not the problem of his oldest son.

Much less the problems of his two sisters or younger brother, and Lizzie had made that very clear as well. She had made it equally clear that as far as she was concerned, both Evan Larabee and Jessica Tanner were nothing to her. Her mother was Josephine Tanner, and her father was ... well, it didn't matter. Not to her.

Chris turned his thoughts away from his younger sister's fierce exclamation to that effect. It had been less than two weeks since Dickie O'Shea had been revealed as the traitor, since Vin had almost died, and since Chris had learned that his best friend was also his younger brother. The momentary resentment that he was no longer the only child had been squashed almost immediately ... partly because it was Vin.

For the first five days after that explosion which had almost taken his brother's life, Chris had concentrated almost solely on Vin. SG-7 was standing down ... again ... as a team. Individual members were being sent on missions. Ezra was away with SG-9 at the moment as a negotiator. One of the team members had broken a local taboo, and Ezra was needed to make sure the youngster remained in one piece.

Buck and JD had left this morning with SG-1, to act as additional support. That was trouble just waiting to happen, because Daniel Jackson still didn't have much use for JD. Buck wouldn't get anywhere with Sam Carter, but that didn't stop him from flirting with her. Chris grinned to himself, imagining the slow burn Jack O'Neill would do, watching Buck. Not that there was anything he could do about it, and Buck wouldn't cross the line with Sam.

Josiah and Nathan were with another team, SG-15, whose members were almost as accident-prone as SG-1 and SG-7 put together. Scary thought, that one. Chris was glad they weren't under his command. JD, the owie magnet, as Lizzie had described the young cartographer, was bad enough. Chris snickered to himself, relieved that JD hadn't heard the youngest Tanner's description of him. It was bad enough that Casey and Lizzie double-teamed the cartographer when the trio was together. Chris didn't want to think about what would happen if JD ever heard Lizzie call him an 'owie magnet.'

So Chris was free to concentrate on Vin in the first few days, and then Vin and his sisters, once Lizzie arrived. Carly was actually proving to be far more reserved than Lizzie. She would sit in Vin's room and watch him while he slept. That had made Chris ... uncomfortable ... until Adriana pointed out that Carly had known for the last eight years that Vin was her brother. And she had found it necessary to restrain her normal reactions, the way she usually acted toward those she truly loved, because she couldn't tell him what he was to her.

Right now, Josie had added, all she wants to do is ... just be with him. She's having a hard time accepting that this is really happening, that he really accepts she's his sister, and doesn't hate her for never telling him. Chris knew for a fact that Vin didn't hate his twin sister. He had been hurt and angry, yes. Despite his disavowal to Chris when he had first found out, Vin was angry with his twin for not telling him the truth.

It was a normal, natural reaction. Chris would have been worried if Vin hadn't been angry. It was just that his brother didn't feel he had the right to be angry with his sister. And when all was said and done, Vin's anger with his biological parents surpassed his anger with his sister. But even with that in mind, even knowing and understanding that, Vin still had a hard time forgiving himself for even that brief flash of anger with Carly. Which was why he never made a sound about her sitting at his bedside, even when he was awake.

The attention made him uncomfortable, Chris knew, but he dealt with it. What Vin was finding difficult now was how little he had seen of Adriana during the last few days. Josie had explained to Chris while they were there the previous day that Adriana wanted to give Vin time to get to know Carly all over again, as well as time to get to know Lizzie for the very first time. Vin understood that ... but Chris knew his little brother missed his lady.

Lizzie said now as they worked in the kitchen together, "You know, I think Mom and I should go shopping today, instead of Mom and Adriana. I think Vin misses her a lot. I mean, it's really nice of her, going out shopping with Mom, and showing her around. And I know Mom loves spending time with her. But ... Adriana is Vin's girlfriend, even if they don't put it like that. What, do they think they gotta sleep together before they can say that she's his girlfriend, and he's her boyfriend?" Chris, who had just taken a sip of orange juice, almost choked on it.

Lizzie looked up and said, "What? C'mon, Chris, I'm nineteen, not nine! I do know about that stuff, especially after the stunt my roommate pulled last year. And I know that Vin can't sleep with Adriana yet, 'cause he's still healing. Carly says that Adriana's healing, too, but she won't tell me how Adriana got hurt on the mission. Well, I suppose he could sleep with her, they just can't do anything else." Chris continued wheezing, staring at his sister in shock.

"Chris, close your mouth ... the way you're breathing, you sound like Darth Vader. And I know Aunt Josie will kick your ass if you wake up Vin. Morning, Lizzie ... isn't it a little early for you to be shocking Chris?" Carly asked with a yawn as she entered the kitchen. Chris closed his mouth with a snap. He still couldn't believe his baby sister had said that. Although, after spending the last few days with her, he also couldn't be too terribly surprised. To say that Lizzie was blunt was like saying JD liked to talk.

Lizzie was on her feet at once, throwing her arms around her older sister. From what Chris had learned in the last few days, Lizzie had known for the last few years that Josephine Tanner hadn't given birth to her, and that she had two older siblings. Chris had been an added bonus, as she had put it. Carly returned her sister's hug, pulling her along with her, and added, "I checked on Vin ... he's still asleep."

"We know, we checked on him, too," Lizzie said as Carly sat down at the kitchen table. Chris was shocked for the second time in a matter of moments when Carly pulled her nineteen year old sister down onto her lap, as if Lizzie was the nine year old she had claimed not to be. He would never understand this girl. Never. And in the back of his mind, he heard Sarah laughing at him. The girl just laughed happily, and said, "What do you think, Carly, do you want to come shopping with Mom and me?"

"Love to, kid, but I should go over my presentation. This is my first one outside my own little sphere of influence, and I don't want to screw it up. Chris, looks like you get some time to yourself. And Vin gets Adriana to himself, not that they can do anything about it," Carly said. Chris just glared at her, shaking his head. Carly just grinned, totally unaffected by his glare, and continued, "So, do you think your mom will come to the Open House? I know Aunt Josie wants to meet her ... any woman who has put up with Evan Larabee all these years has to be a saint."

Part 2

"Or a glutton for punishment," Josie Tanner added, slipping into the house. Chris had given her a key the previous day, after she had picked the lock. He hadn't asked where she learned to do that. He didn't want to know. Adriana was right behind her, and Josie continued, "So, three of the four are up. Good. I wanted to talk to you guys about Evan. Chris already knows, but I've done some investigating into him."

"What kind, Mom? Uncle Orrin and Uncle George already told me that he's antimilitary, so maybe it's for the best that he doesn't admit that we're his kids," Lizzie replied. Meaning? Lizzie caught the inquisitive look from Chris, and explained, "Guess I forgot to tell you. I'm in ROTC, I'll be going into the military after college as a second lieutenant. Air Force, of course." This was said with a broad grin, and Chris bit back a grin of his own. Lizzie continued, "Like I said, I know he's antimilitary, so maybe it's just as well he doesn't acknowledge us. I know I don't acknowledge him."

"Elizabeth Madeline, he's still your father," Josie warned. Chris sighed at the rehashing of this old argument between the mother and daughter. It was, however, bad timing on Josie's part. His youngest sister looked up, her bright blue eyes flashing. And in that moment, for the first time, Chris saw the resemblance between her and Vin. Apparently, so did Adriana, because she quietly moved to stand beside Chris ... and out of the line of fire.

"No, Mother, he is not. He provided the sperm that created me, but he is not my father, any more than your sister is my mother. She gave birth to me, and he was the sperm donor, but they are not my parents. They don't acknowledge me, and I don't acknowledge them. You are my mother, Chris and Vin are my brothers, and Carly is my sister. That is my family!" Lizzie fired back, hands coming to rest on her hips. Chris ticked off the checklist in his head ... that was a mannerism he had seen in both twins.

"Y'all think ya can yell a little louder?" a hoarse voice asked, distracting Chris from his mental checklist and everyone else from the impending argument. Vin. Chris turned down the oven and immediately ran into his brother's room, followed by Adriana. Vin was still in bed, lying on his side, and white with pain. While Chris moved immediately to his brother's side, Adriana shook out two pain pills, then went into the adjoining bathroom for a glass of water. Chris eased his brother into his arms, supporting Vin's weight against his own body.

"I'm sorry, Vin, I didn't mean to wake you up," Lizzie said contritely, as she, Carly, and Josie entered the room. Adriana returned from the bathroom and Chris accepted the glass from her. Vin had already taken the pills from Chris, and he popped them both into his mouth, then drank the water. Lizzie continued, obviously very upset, "Is there anything I can do?" As soon as the words were out, she muttered, "Never mind, that was a stupid question."

"Lizzie, I think I might have left the gift which Cassie asked me to give to Vin in your mom's car ... would you check on that?" Adriana asked. Chris turned, just enough to see his young sister's face brighten ... and Josie mouth 'thank you' to the archaeologist. Lizzie dashed out of the room, almost running over Carly in her zeal, and Adriana turned her attention back to Vin, asking, "Pain getting any better?"

"Gimme few minutes. Tell Lizzie it ain't her fault, Aunt Jo, she didn't wake me. Was already awake," Vin rasped. Chris 'shhhed' him, but it wasn't necessary. Vin sighed, allowing Chris to take his weight. Carefully, the colonel eased his brother back against the pillows. He made eye contact with Adriana, then looked at Vin's torso. Adriana understood immediately, and quietly led Carly and Josie from the room. Vin whispered, grimacing in obvious pain, "Reckon it's time to check the bandage?"

"Yeah. Janet would kick your ass if you ripped any of her nice, neat stitches, and we won't discuss what Nate would do to you," Chris replied. He pulled the blanket away, then eased Vin's t-shirt, flinching as he always did at the two scars on his brother's abdomen. One was healed, and the other was healing, but they were both never-ending reminders to the eldest sibling of his own stupidity.

"Well, they look good to me ... but you're gonna be weak for a while. Are you sure you'll be up to this Open House? Even sitting in a wheelchair is gonna take a lot out of you," Chris warned as he released Vin's t-shirt and pulled the blanket back up. Vin simply looked at him, nodding. Chris didn't expect anything else. And Vin had already agreed to use the wheelchair. He needed to get out, if only for a few hours.

"I'm sure. An' like I said when we talked 'bout this earlier, I promise to let ya know if I get to feelin' poorly, Chris. I just cain't handle this no more. I gotta breathe," Vin explained quietly. They were the same words he had used when the topic first came up. Chris rested his hand on Vin's shoulder, understanding. Hell, Chris wouldn't have had the patience to last this long, much less with so many women fussing over him.

It wasn't just the Tanner women ... no, there was also Janet and Cassie Frasier, Sam Carter, Mary and Evie Travis. And that was after they returned to the SGC. Vin had to be feeling hemmed in. Chris replied, "Then we'll go." He was rewarded with a smile and a quiet sigh of relief. Chris continued after a moment, "Give yourself a little time, and we'll bring breakfast in for you, then get you dressed."

"Thanks, cowboy," Vin sighed, closing his eyes. Chris didn't leave immediately. Dickie O'Shea had died too quickly. For everything he had done, everything he had put those whom Chris considered family through, he had died entirely too quickly. They still weren't sure who had fired the shot which had killed him ... Chris or Charlotte Richmond. Chris supposed it didn't matter. The man was dead. Dickie O'Shea was dead, while those whom Chris loved most were all alive and intact.

Chris slipped his hand from Vin's shoulder to the back of his neck, gently massaging the tension away. Vin sighed quietly, not making any protests, and Chris wondered if Vin was finding this ... transition ... as difficult as Chris was. The transition had to be difficult for his younger brother. Going from the family he had helped to create, to having an older brother, three sisters, an aunt barely remembered from his childhood ... and a set of parents who didn't want him. For his own part, Chris found himself at odds with himself. Part of him just accepted and rejoiced that Vin was his brother, in all ways. Yes, he was hurt now, but he would heal. He would be fine.

There was another part of Chris Larabee which wanted to protect his brother, as he had been unable to protect him while Vin was growing up. Vin wouldn't accept that overprotectiveness under normal circumstances. But he was hurting, and he was unsure. Chris knew this. He knew that Vin was tolerating his demonstrativeness because of that uncertainty. The rules had changed, now that they knew they shared a father. And those new rules were still under construction, so to speak. Chris found himself wondering if Buck had such a hard time with Adriana when things finally got straightened out between them.

"Somethin' botherin' ya, cowboy?" Vin asked softly, opening his eyes to stare at Chris. The colonel eased his hand from behind Vin's head and rose to his feet, quietly slipping across the room to close the door. With privacy ensured, he walked back to Vin's bedside and sat down beside Vin's feet. Vin regarded him without speaking, only the tightness around his mouth betraying the pain he was in.

"I need to know that you're okay with this. With being ... with having so many siblings, with our need to make you're okay. I need to know that we're not crowding you ... that I'm not crowding you," Chris said. He didn't know where the words came from ... but they were the right words, and words he didn't need to take back. Words never came easy for Chris Larabee, and for a long time, they weren't necessary with this man. But now, they were necessary.

Part 3

"Ya ain't crowdin' me, cowboy," Vin answered firmly. There was no hesitation, nothing held back. Vin tried to shift on the bed, then groaned in pain. Chris was at his side in any instant, gripping his shoulders and giving him an anchor. He remembered Billy holding Vin's hand after Vin had been stabbed by Ella Gaines, two years earlier. Billy had been holding Vin in place, preventing him from leaving them.

"Lie still," Chris said softly and Vin nodded, taking shallow breaths to combat the pain. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, and Chris went on, "We can talk more later. Get some rest. I need to check on breakfast. Your aunt and Lizzie are going into town today, to do some shopping. Carly will be working on her presentation. Should I send Adriana in with the breakfast tray?" A brilliant smile was the answer he received, and Chris realized for the first time just how much Vin had missed Adriana.

"Thanks, cowboy," Vin said softly. Chris squeezed his shoulder, then rose to his feet. As he began walking out, Vin continued, "Chris?" When the colonel turned to face him, Vin went on, "Ya reckon Drina and Mary might wanna come with us to the Open House? That way, we'll both have our ladies with us?" Chris just smiled ... he had talked to Mary the previous night, when she called to let him know that she and Billy were home safely.

"I think they'd like that. Get some rest," Chris replied. He quietly closed the door behind him, and came face to face with three anxious Tanner females and one concerned Wilmington female. He smiled and said softly, "Let's check on breakfast, and let Vin get some rest. I'll tell you everything while we get his tray ready." He was aware that if Buck had seen him, the major would have teased him relentlessly. But right now, Chris didn't care about that. He only cared about his little brother getting well again and getting back his strength.

As they headed back into the kitchen, Lizzie said, "Mom, I'm going shopping with you. Vin misses Adriana." This blunt statement of fact, with the teddy bear Cassie had made clutched in her arms, brought everyone's attention to her. Lizzie continued, a defensive note entering her voice, "Well, it's true! He misses her. So, Carly is gonna work on her presentation, and I'm gonna go shopping with you."

"That's fine, honey, you just surprised me. Chris, is there anything you need while we're out?" Josie asked. Chris shook his head and Josie removed the teddy bear from her daughter's arms, handing it to Adriana instead. Josie continued, "Then we'll have our breakfast. Mindy is at Nettie's ... we dropped her off before we headed over here. Casey said to tell Vin that she's been thinking about him. I didn't point out that she was just here the other night. Didn't think she would take too well to that."

"Thanks for reminding me, Jo ... I almost forgot the other gift. Maybe it's best if I don't go shopping, the way my memory seems to have turned into Swiss cheese," Adriana said ruefully, closing her arms around the teddy bear. She sat down at the table as Carly got the bowls down. Chris stayed out of this part of the preparations, because it always ended up that the breakfast he was actually fixing, was for Vin.

As Carly passed the bowls to her aunt and sister, she removed a banana from the hanging basket with her free hand and tossed it to Adriana. Chris scowled, but said nothing. He supposed he should be grateful that Adriana even ate in the mornings, since she wasn't someone who normally ate breakfast. Josie asked, "Drina, honey, are you sure that's gonna be enough for you? Are you sure you don't want a bowl of cereal?"

Adriana shook her head as she settled the bear in her lap and began peeling the banana. She replied, "I don't normally eat in the mornings, Jo, this is actually perfect." Josie nodded her understanding, but continued to watch the young archaeologist with concern. Adriana asked, "So, Chris, did Vin sleep all right? Buck told me before he left this morning that he thought Vin was having nightmares."

"Vin was talking in his sleep this time, that's all. He has had nightmares, but not for the last few days. Last night, I think he was reliving the confrontation between you and Jessica, because I heard him muttering something about you tearing a strip from her hide," Chris replied. Adriana swallowed, her face turning bright red with embarrassment, and Carly just grinned very, very impishly. She had been there for the confrontation, as had Josie.

"You tore a strip out of Aunt Jessica's hide? Cool! I wish I could have been there to see that," Lizzie said, her bright eyes sparkling as she poured sugar ... a lot of it ... over her cereal. So that was why she was usually bouncing off the walls! The father in Chris winced at the amount of sugar she was putting in her bowl. Then again, there was no doubt in his mind that she burned it all off, but what about her teeth? Oh, stop it, Larabee, Chris told himself in disgust, she's your sister, not your daughter! Although, he couldn't help wondering what would have happened if Lizzie had met Adam. The thought sent an arrow into his heart, so he was grateful when Lizzie's mother distracted him from that train of thought.

"It was ... entertaining," Josie replied, struggling with a smile of her own. Adriana turned even redder, and Josie reached over to squeeze her hand, saying, "I'm not trying to embarrass you, hon, really, I'm not. It's just been a long time since my sister was speechless for that amount of time. And since she was told by so many people that you were so quiet and easy to get along with, she really wasn't expecting it."

"That was just plain stupid," Carly observed, taking a sip of her own orange juice, "One of the first things that Mr. Tucker told me, when I told him how quiet Adriana was, was not to make her mad. It's the quiet ones who are the most scary. The quiet ones and the ones who are really easygoing. Like Vin. Or your brother, Adriana ... Buck's not quiet, but he's easygoing, right up until the time you mess with a member of his family."

Adriana nodded in acknowledgment, observing, "And more than a few people have found that out, much to their sorrow. I remember this one time, about a month ago. It was right before we left for Washington DC. I guess one of the newcomers had been told that Buck and JD were really close. He just didn't realize that my brother is fierce about his entire team, not just JD, because he made a number of disparaging remarks about Vin in Buck's hearing."

All of the Tanner females had met Buck by this time, and as one, they winced. Adriana continued, smirking now in remembrance, "Buck had this idiot on his feet and against the wall. Told him that Vin Tanner was more than a man than he ever could hope to be no matter what the length of his hair was. Said idiot then really stuck his foot in his mouth and asked if ... ahh ... well, he questioned whether or not Buck really looked on Vin like a little brother."

"Oh ... you've got to be kidding!" Josie sputtered. Adriana shook her head, that amused smirk still in place. Josie responded with a streak of swear words in Japanese, Korean, and several other languages which Chris couldn't identify. Josie finally sighed, "So what did your brother did to this little twerp?" Adriana smirked again and glanced over at Chris. Shit. Well, he should have known he wouldn't be left out of this.

"Buck didn't do anything ... Teal'c scared the crap out of the twerp, as you put it, Josie. Literally," Chris answered. Adriana tapped her foot, raising her eyebrows at him expectantly. He glared at her, and she just laughed in response. Chris continued, sighing, "I ... uhm ... might have helped Teal'c scare him. A little." At this, Adriana began giggling helplessly, and Chris growled, "Okay! I helped him a lot, is that better, little princess???"

"Ah reckon," Adriana drawled, sending the three Tanner females into hysterics. She just grinned impishly, and said once the laughter died down, "Now. I heard your question to Maude, Josie, I just didn't hear her answer. Carly told me that Maude helped out a lot ... did she tell you what you would end up owing you for her help?" Josie shook her head, and Chris kept his mouth shut, having heard Maude's answer.

"She said I didn't owe her anything, that it was 'on the house.' After all the times my nephew has saved her 'darlin' baby boy,' she figured it was the least she could do. But, just for appearance's sake, and you know how appearances are everything," Josie replied, grinning.

Adriana laughed, nodding her agreement, and Josie continued, "Anyhow, she told me that since appearances were everything, a) she was showing Ezra that there were worse mothers than herself, and b) she also enjoyed putting Jessica in her place. Maude won't tell me what Jessica did to piss her off so badly, but I cannot argue that putting those two together is more dangerous than putting Carly together in the same room with Will Richmond."

"Rephrase that ... putting those two in the same room is as dangerous as putting me in the same room as anyone who has ever hurt Vin, or anyone else I love," Carly corrected her aunt, and Josie nodded. Carly polished off the last of her breakfast and rose to her feet. She kissed the top of her sister's head, hugged first her aunt, then Adriana, and said, "Thanks for breakfast, Chris. I need to get to work on my presentation."

Chris would have pointed out that she made her own breakfast, but by then, she was already leaving the kitchen. Instead, he closed his mouth with a snap, daring Adriana to say a word. She simply smiled serenely, and said, "Before you ask, Lizzie, no, I won't tell you what I said to your aunt. You'll have to ask your brother or someone else. And Chris, is that breakfast about ready? Good. I'll get a tray, so I can take it to Vin."

Part 4

Outside his room, Vin could hear his brother, sisters, aunt and Drina talking and laughing. He focused on breathing, which helped to ease the pain. It was manageable, but Vin was careful to stay still. He didn't want a repeat of that last eruption. He didn't even raise his head when the door opened once more ... at least, not until he heard a soft voice singing softly. Drina? He opened his eyes as his lady moved carefully into the bedroom. Chris was holding open the door for her, a shit-eating grin on his face. He winked at Vin, then closed the door behind him.

"I knew you wouldn't be asleep, no matter how much pain you're in at the moment. Rephrase that ... you wouldn't be asleep because of the pain you're in. Gimme minute while I settle this somewhere, then I'll help you sit up. Let me do the work, okay? At the moment, I'm stronger than you are. We'll worry about how you'll eat in a moment. Okay ... there," Adriana said softly. She was talking as much to herself as she was to Vin.

He didn't care. He had missed her. Sure, he knew why she had been making herself scarce over the last few days. She was trying to give him time with his sisters and his aunt. But he had still missed her. Adriana sat down on the bed beside him, and as she had asked, he let her do the work. It would have been humiliating, but she made no fuss, saying, "Buck and JD left this morning, to go with SG-1. That's a disaster just waiting to happen, you know." Vin did know. While JD's relationship with Drina had improved dramatically, just during the last mission, everyone knew that Daniel still didn't have much use for the cartographer.

Her arms had eased around him, and Vin bit back a gasp of pain as her forearms lightly brushed his ribcage. Goddammit, that hurt! But he didn't cry out, just rested his forehead against her collarbone as she eased him into an upright position. He had actually fallen asleep in a reclining position, since it was less painful. Vin supposed he had just slid down during the night. Drina gently stroked his back, whispering, "Almost done."

And she was true to her word, carefully easing him back against the pillows, her hand bracing the back of his head. Vin closed his eyes, taking several shallow breaths. Drina gently stroked his arm, then reached down to take his good hand. She said nothing. After several moments, once the pain was again manageable, Vin opened his eyes to find her still sitting there, her eyes intent on his face. She smiled and said, "Hey there."

"Hey back," he answered in a hoarse voice. Jackass. Here he had been missing her so damn much, and now that she was here, he didn't have the first idea of what to say to her. He continued after a moment, as the pain continued to ease, "Ya been okay? Seem like I don't have a chance to talk to ya much lately. Missed ya." Drina just smiled, touching his face with her free hand.

"Well, I've been alright. Spending a lot of time with your aunt Jo. Getting blackmail information from her about you, from when you were a little boy. You were a mischievous one, weren't you, Kevin Parris? You haven't changed that much in the last twenty years. Do you feel up to eating?" she asked and Vin closed his eyes, concentrating on a moment, testing the endurance level of his body. Then he opened his eyes and nodded.

"Reckon I could eat somethin.' How we gonna do this? Ya gonna feed me, or what?" Vin asked softly, cringing at the pain in his throat. Damn. He hadn't talked much in recent days, letting his two sisters do the talking. So his vocal cords weren't well-used. Adriana sat back, regarding him thoughtfully. His arm was still in a sling, but carefully bound, to avoid causing his ribs any further pain.

"Well, let's see how you do first, okay? Damn. I'm sorry. That sounded patronizing," Drina sighed. Vin allowed himself a tiny smile. After a moment, she said, "Here's your spoon, I just remembered the orange juice. Be right back." She scooted from the room. Vin held the spoon in his good hand, and found his wrist trembling with the exertion of trying to keep the spoon in his hand and level. But he held it nonetheless. Only by exercising this hand would it get stronger. He might not be able to feed himself today or tomorrow, but in time, he would.

Adriana returned to the room a few minutes later. Her sharp hazel eyes took note of the spoon still in his hand and she set the orange juice down on the tray in front of him. Vin put down the spoon and took a drink of the orange juice instead. It burned its way down his throat, but that was a pain Vin could deal with. He settled the glass back on the tray, momentarily frustrated that he could hold an orange juice glass, but not a spoon. However, he was distracted as Adriana sat down on the bed, saying, "Lizzie and Jo just left ... they said to tell you they'll be back later today, probably sometime this afternoon. Carly is in her room, working on her lecture. Chris said he has some stuff he needs to do. Guess that just leaves us."

"Reckon so ... reckon I could use some help," Vin added. There was a part of him which was angry. Angry with himself, for his weakness ... angry with her, for forcing him to ask her for help. But Vin fought that back, knowing that he would have been angry with her if she had taken that task upon herself. And he had such a hard time dealing with his anger these days anyhow. Drina simply nodded and spooned some of the cereal and milk into his mouth.

There was no conversation, no silly little games. Just the business of getting him fed. And Vin didn't care, because she was there. He could touch her, could look at her, could see her smile, hear her laughter, smell the lilac perfume that was created by the body wash and shampoo she used. She had always loved lilacs, and honeysuckle. As he finished the meal, Drina spoke for the first time, asking softly, "What do you want to do, once Chris gets you dressed?"

"Aincha gonna do that?" Vin asked without thinking, then felt his face burn with embarrassment. Her face turned bright red, and he muttered, "Forget I said that, that was just plumb stupid." She put her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and Vin sighed, "I'm sorry, Drina, weren't thinkin' straight." Here they had agreed that they would take it slow, that neither of them were ready for ... how had Drina put it the second time they discussed it? Oh yeah. Physical intimacy.

"It's okay, Vin. If you weren't hurt and if I was in better shape mentally, I'd say absolutely, but ... Goddess, you have no idea how much I wish I could make myself do better. I get so frustrated with being ... where I am. But, I guess you do have an idea. Your body isn't reacting as quickly as you'd like it to, isn't healing as quickly, and for me ... " Adriana began. She closed her eyes and sighed.

Vin looked around the room, trying desperately to think of a way to distract her. She was continuing her sessions with the therapist, but as she had admitted, she was getting frustrated with her mental block when it came to physical intimacy and touch. Her father had molested her, for God's sake! She couldn't get over somethin' like that over night, if she ever did! What was promising was, she had talked to his aunt about it.

His eyes lit on the action figure of JarJar Binks that Adriana had left on the dresser. It had been a gift from Carly to Drina, after Charlotte had told Carly that Drina sounded like JarJar Binks during the interrogation of Dickie O'Shea. He asked hoarsely, "Whaddaya think 'bout us watchin' Phantom Menace then?" Adriana blinked and looked at him, then she smiled. They had gone to see the movie together when the movie originally came out, along with Chris and Mary, Nathan and Rain, and, of course, Billy.

"That sounds like a great idea. You want to watch it on the DVD player or the VCR?" she asked, but as soon as she asked the question, a devilish grin appeared, and she added, "The DVD! Remember the last time we watched this, right after it came out on video, Ezra watched it with us? Remember how he kept imitating Yoda? I thought Nathan was gonna kill him, for sure!" Vin did remember, and he grinned broadly at the memory. It had been a group of them together, not unlike the movies they had been watching in Virginia only a few weeks earlier. Nathan, Rain, Ezra had joined Chris, Mary, Billy, Vin and Drina for that movie night.

Drina eased herself from the bed and opened the dresser drawer that contained the DVD's. Chris had set this up as a guest room for each time one of the others stayed the night. Maybe they were too drunk to drive home, maybe they had been hurt. And maybe Chris had just wanted company. The DVD player had been a gift from Mary and Billy. Each of the team had contributed their favorites to the mix.

Vin smiled. This wasn't the first time he had watched a movie in the last few weeks, since he had been hurt. Lizzie had watched more than a few movies with him. Maybe it was better to say that Lizzie watched the movies while Vin slept. That was one thing he hated ... all the sleeping he found himself doing. You would have thought he had gotten enough sleep after getting blowed down that ridge.

Sure, both Nathan and Janet had told him that being unconscious wasn't the same thing as sleeping or resting. And Vin had known that from all the times he had gotten beaten up or some such thing as a bounty hunter. Still annoyed the hell out of him, though. There were things he wanted to do. Like be with his lady. Although, on the positive side, at least his aching body was providing relief in that respect. His body hurt too much for him to worry about desire.

Vin looked at the woman he did desire, to find Adriana still standing in the same position, her head lowered as she looked at the selection. He frowned and said softly, "Drina? Ya okay?" She nodded slowly, without turning to face him. Not at first, at least. After a moment, her shoulders rose and fell with a sigh, and she turned to face him. In her hand, she held ... what was that? Yeah, it was a DVD, but of what?

Part 5

"I remember us going to see this with Will and Charlotte in Texas," she said without preamble, holding the DVD up for him to see. She didn't look at him ... instead, she was still staring at the DVD. It was Gettysburg, the first, last, and only time he had ever seen Drina cry over a movie. She continued, her voice growing husky, "I remember holding onto Charlotte as we left the theatre, because we were both crying."

Vin didn't say a word ... it occurred to him that she hadn't fully dealt with everything that had happened on their modern-day wagon train. And he didn't know how to help her. Drina looked up at him and said softly, "I don't know why I thought of that just now. I just ... I remember it was raining that night. That was the other reason Charlotte and I were holding onto each other ... we were both crying, and besides, you two macho idiots gave up the umbrella to us." Vin smiled ... he had been wearing a raincoat, protecting himself from the rain. So had the girls, but it had seemed like the best thing to do.

Drina continued, "You know, I didn't say a proper good-bye to Will when we left the planet. We had to make sure you would be okay, and he was busy with the biology group, since Carly had to come back with us. I wonder ... I wonder if he thinks I'm still mad at him. I got things right with Carly, after we got back. And I got things with Chris while we were waiting for you to wake up. But I never got things right with Will." Aw hell, he *knew* he had forgotten something! Without thinking, he put his hands to where his pockets would have been in his jacket, only to remember the jacket was in the closet.

"He knows ya ain't," Vin assured her hoarsely, fighting off the waves of pain caused by his action. Just before they had left, Will had given him a letter to give to Drina. The archaeologist looked up with a frown, and Vin continued, "Will done gave me a letter to give to ya. Said that everythin' was good 'tween the two a' ya. Cain't find it now, though. He said to tell ya that the next time ever'body was together, when he and the others come back in a few months ... well, he'll finish makin' it right. Somethin' he wants to do for ya."

Drina nodded almost absently and put the DVD away, picking up the DVD for Star Wars instead. Vin continued hesitantly, "Ya know, if ya really want ... reckon ya can send a message through. Don't imagine the general, either of 'em, would have too much of a problem with that." Drina didn't answer at first, and Vin wondered a bit uneasily if she was still struggling with what she had done to the Jaffa on the planet, the one who had lit the fuse.

Chris had admitted to him the previous day that she had been called into Hammond's office, but no one knew what had been said. Drina wouldn't talk about it, said that it was over and done with. She had probably received a reprimand of some kind, for excessive force, or some dumb-ass thing like that. It was hard to tell with Drina sometimes. Vin loved her ... but there were times when he didn't fully understand the way her mind worked.

Whatever had happened in there, Vin just hoped it wasn't anything that would take Drina out of the SGC. He still didn't know what his status in SG-7 was, now that everyone knew Chris was his older brother. The last time he had spoken with either of the generals, he had been barely conscious, and he vaguely remembered Orrin Travis telling him that since neither brother knew about their relationship, there was no reason Vin shouldn't remain a member of SG-7.

But he wasn't sure if that was an actual memory, or if it was wishful thinking on his part. He was distracted from this when Drina said, "Well. I don't know about you, but I really think I'm being silly. It's the first chance I've had to spend with my boyfriend in weeks, and I'm moping about something I can't do anything about yet." She paused, a faint smile curving her mouth, then whispered, "Boyfriend."

"Yup ... and when we're both ready, then we'll be more," Vin promised. She tilted her head to the side to look at him, and Vin added, "That's a promise, Drina. That day will happen." She considered this, then nodded her agreement. She finished loading the DVD into the player, then sat down in the chair beside Vin's bed. She grimaced, got to her feet, then scooted the chair over. Vin didn't understand what she was doing at first, until she sat down again, put her feet on the bed beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

She was on the wrong side of the bed to hold his hand ... this was the best she could do under the circumstances. Vin smiled to himself, relaxing against the pillows as the movie started. And damn if he didn't fall asleep. It pissed him off, since he had liked all of the Star Wars movies. The next time he woke up, it was to find Chris quietly putting a blanket over Adriana's lap. She was asleep as well. Chris smiled faintly as Vin's confused eyes fell on him, and gently patted Adriana's leg before moving over to sit on the bed. He explained softly, "Before they left, Josie told me that Adriana's had nightmares the last few nights."

Nightmares? What sorts of nightmares? Chris continued, most likely seeing the question in his eyes, "Some about her father ... some about being locked in the shed again ... and some about killing that Jaffa. I find out last night about what happened in Hammond's office. She got reprimanded for using all that firepower to blast him into oblivion, instead of covering the defenders. Guess she didn't feel that, or the recharging she did when we got back, was enough."

Vin still hadn't heard everything about the battle between them and the Jaffa, after he ended up at the bottom of the ridge. Chris had apologized to him, twice, for shutting him out and for what he had said when Vin and Charlotte came back from looking for Katie. He had also heard that Drina had taken out the Jaffa who had lit the fuse, so to speak ... and that 'taking out of commission' was an understatement. It was more like 'pulverized.'

And then he focused on what Chris had said ... she had been reprimanded for using all that firepower on the Jaffa, instead of helping the defenders. But, Will had said that by that time, the firefight was almost over. He turned a puzzled look to Chris, who said softly, "The firefight was over, but it didn't matter ... she never even considered that she was leaving her own back open. She put her own life at risk, and had the circumstances been different, may have put the lives of others at risk. The generals both know that she wasn't thinking, but that ain't the point."

Vin knew his brother was right. He sighed, "Reckon it ain't." Chris simply watched him, and Vin asked, "Whatcha lookin' at, Larabee?" Chris just smirked. The pair was still working their way around this strange new facet to their relationship. More to the point, Vin was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. Chris really was his brother. Not just because they had adopted each other, but because they had the same father.

Vin was still trying to figure out that part right there. What kinda man just walked away from his kids? One thing he had come to accept over the last few weeks was, he wasn't the only child whom Evan Larabee had abandoned. He still wasn't sure how to feel about that ... if he should be relieved that it hadn't been anything he had done, or angry that the man pretended that three of his blood didn't exist.

"I'm looking at my brother, Vin ... that's what," Chris said, finally answering Vin's question. For men such as themselves, it wasn't easy, saying such things. They found other ways of saying things that couldn't be said. A hand around the back of the neck. Quietly supporting the weight of the other, and making it look like he was standing upright without trouble. Vin knew what he meant to Chris, and what Chris meant to him.

So, he was never sure how to react when Chris said things like that. 'I'm looking at my brother.' How did he react? All the rules had changed when the revelation that they shared a father had been made. What Vin knew of family, he had learned from women. From his twin sister, from Dawn, from Adriana, Nettie, Casey, and Charlotte. But there were different rules with women than there were with men.

He looked away, looked at the blank screen of the television set, suddenly confused. Chris said softly, "Remember what I told you earlier, Vin. About me pushing too hard. Hell, I know I can be a sonuvabitch."

Vin couldn't help himself ... he shot his older brother a 'ya think' look, and Chris laughed softly. Chris continued after a moment, "What I'm trying to say, Vin, is ... there will be times when I do push too hard. You can take care of yourself better than anyone I've ever met. You're smart, and you don't take stupid chances. But you're not just my second in command now ... and yes, you are still my second in command ... you're now my little brother as well. And a big brother's first instinct is to protect.

"You're gonna find that with Lizzie and Carly ... regardless of who was born first between you and Carly. Ask Buck and he'll tell you. A big brother's first instinct is to protect, whether the younger sibling needs that protection or not. But I gotta know if I'm going too far. I almost lost you once already, little brother. I'm not willing to take another chance ... and if that means I get my toes stepped on, so be it."

"Done tol' ya, Larabee ... ya ain't pushin.' It's just ... I ain't rightly sure how to act sometimes. 'Fore, ya could just say I was a friend, but now ... I'm yer blood relative, and I don't wanna embarrass ya. Any a' ya," Vin admitted. The second the words were out, he wanted to take them back, but that wasn't possible. Chris looked down at his hands, then looked back up at Vin, his eyes reminding Vin of a pair of green lasers. Aw hell, now he had gone and pissed 'im off!

"Don't let me ever hear you say that again! Are we clear on that? There is no way you could ever embarrass me, unless you became someone you're not. All right? If this is about you lapsing into old speech patterns when you're nervous, or your lack of formal education, or anything like that, it ends right now. I am proud of you, Kevin!" his elder brother hissed, the use of Vin's real name tipping the young sharpshooter off. He had really pissed off his brother.

Hell, it wouldn't be the first time! Vin sighed, "Hell, Chris, I ain't even sure what ... I ain't gonna be someone I ain't. I cain't do that, I don't know how, and I don't wanna learn. Reckon I just need a little more time, sortin' all this out. I ain't even ... aw hell!" He lay back against the pillows, closing his eyes. He got so frustrated when he couldn't think straight. For the second time that day, his brother slipped his hand around the back of Vin's neck.

"Look at me, Vin. This ain't easy for you, I know that. I've had more time to adjust to this. Words don't come easy to either of us. But I will help you in any way I can," Chris said softly. Vin opened his eyes and smiled faintly at his older brother. Chris smiled back sadly and eased Vin forward, carefully.

Even so, the motion sent agony rocketing through the guide's body. Awwww ... hell! When Vin was able to fight back the pain, Chris pulled him into a gentle embrace, whispering the words he had first spoken two weeks earlier, when Vin had first awakened. Vin made no reply. It wasn't expected or needed. At least, not a verbal response. But he gave his reply when he leaned his head against his brother's shoulder, and just remained in his brother's embrace. That was all that needed to be said.

Part 6

The rest of the day passed quietly. Much to her embarrassment, Adriana ended up sleeping through that movie ... and the next one which Chris put into the DVD player. By the time she woke up, Vin was dressed in baggy sweats, and Chris was sitting at her feet, quietly joking with Vin about the movie. Adriana didn't let on that she was awake for several moments. She just enjoyed listening to the banter between the two brothers.

Josie and Lizzie hadn't returned from their shopping trip, though that didn't surprise Adriana. It wasn't so much that Josie enjoyed shopping ... she just loved looking at things. She was a devoted window-shopper. Adriana resolved to say something to Mary about taking Josie on one of their shopping trips. While Josie hadn't said so, Adriana had a feeling that the former sergeant would remain in the area.

After all, she wanted to get to know her nephew again, and her niece was in the Stargate program as well. And, not for the first time, Adriana wondered exactly what kind of job Josie had done in the military, that would allow her access to the Stargate complex. She wouldn't ask her new friend ... she knew better than that. And after more than two years in the SGC, she also knew there were some questions that you just didn't ask.

And there were other questions which had to be asked ... whether you were in the military or out of it. Vin asked softly, "Somethin' I been wonderin' 'bout, Chris. Why does ... yer pa hate the military so much? Ya told me years ago, that part of the reason ya went into the service was 'cause yer pa hated it so much. But ya never told me why. Was it 'cause a' Vietnam? Aunt Jo done told me a little about that."

"No, it predated Vietnam. And I don't know why, Vin," Chris admitted. Adriana felt him shift against her chair, and the colonel continued, "The funny thing is, Mom understand that those in the service hate war even more than civilians. Father never did. Imagine JD, when we first met him ... how everything was written in absolutes for him, no shades of gray. That's how Father has been my entire life. It didn't bother me as much when I was a child, but the older I got, the more ... wrong it seemed."

"But ... JD was just a kid. And if he sees absolutes, then how d'ya think he ... I mean, he cheated on yer ma. Why don't he see it that way?" Vin asked. Now Adriana was wishing she had either told them that she was awake, or remained asleep. This was likely to get embarrassing, and she had no idea how to get herself out of this mess. Vin sighed and added, "Reckon it's 'cause he's one of them hypocrites."

"Yup, although don't try to tell him that. He swears it's different. I had this conversation with Mom after she got my email. The one I sent her when we got back, when you were released from the infirmary. According to Mom, he isn't taking anyone's life, so that makes it okay. Whatever. I don't have the time or the energy to waste on talking to him, because he won't listen. He didn't listen when I was in my teens, and he still doesn't listen now," Chris said bitterly.

There was silence between the two brothers, then Vin murmured, "Wish I could meet yer ma, Chris. Reckon I'd like her." There was a muffled laugh, and Vin added, "Hey, is it my 'magination, or has J'siah been eyeballin' my aunt Jo?" Adriana shifted in the chair, and Vin said with a laugh, "Reckon somebody's awake." Adriana opened her eyes and glared at him. He was starting to talk too much.

She gave a yelp as Chris grabbed her ankles and yanked her feet off the bed. He wasn't finished, though, as he pulled her out of the chair and down into his lap. Adriana struggled as Chris wrapped his arms around her tightly, the small woman sniping, "Damn cowboy!" The next second after that, she was on the floor, lying on her back and wriggling as Chris tickled her sides. He was sitting on her legs, so she had no way of defending herself.

Unless ... hmm. Gasping for breath, Adriana decided to try something that Mary had told her about. She knocked Larabee's hands away, and launched an attack of her own. Using the element of surprise, and his own body weight, against Chris, Adriana pushed him away from her, and onto his ass. A voice squealed from the doorway, "Doggie pile!" Which was how Adriana came to find Lizzie Tanner helping her to keep Chris on the floor.

The teenager threw herself to the ground, pushing Larabee's shoulders to the ground. Adriana, now sitting on the colonel's legs, looked at Lizzie with a questioning look, and the girl responded with an evil grin. Damn, she was just like her brother ... both of them! With only that look, Lizzie and Adriana began tickling Chris. It wasn't easy ... even with the two of them holding him down, he almost got free.

"All right, children, that's enough ... sheesh, I go away for a few hours, and you turn into a bunch of five year olds!" Josie said, laughing as she leaned against the door. Adriana looked up from tormenting Chris, and was almost knocked off his legs.

Josie looked back to the bed, asking, "Are you all right, Vin? You haven't been laughing and breaking any stitches, have you?" Adriana glanced at the man in the bed, who was grinning broadly. He shook his head, his blue eyes twinkling as he watched his brother being pinned to the ground by two little gals. Josie continued, "Lizzie, let your brother up, I'm gonna need his help carrying in the bags." As she spoke, Adriana rolled off and to her feet.

"You need anyone to stay here, or should I help your aunt with the bags?" Adriana queried Vin. She squeaked as Chris grabbed her by her waist, tucking her under his arm as he had at Busch Gardens. She grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. Oooh, she was gonna get him but good. Mary had been talking about karaoke for the last several weeks ... why not take her best friend up on that offer? A devilish smile made its way across her face.

"Be fine, Drina, go 'head. Oh, and Chris, if I was ya, I'd watch m' back. Drina's got that look in her eye," Vin said helpfully. Okay, Adriana thought, that means both of them get it. It wouldn't take that much to make Vin blush ... the hard part would be getting him to the saloon on karaoke night. However, since he and Chris had just found out that they were brothers, all she had to do was help Mary convince Chris ... and the rest of the plan would fall into place.

Part 7

Oh yeah. She was definitely up to something. And since he had just warned his brother, Vin knew that when his Drina struck, he would be in the middle. Vin would have laughed, but he didn't feel like spending the next hour in a world of hurt for a few measly minutes of amusement. So he just smiled as his brother carried Drina from the room, Lizzie practically skipping ahead of them. Aunt Jo winked at him, then followed the other three out to the car.

Vin took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain ricocheting through his gut and his ribs. He was having a helluva time getting a handle on his emotions. One minute, he wanted to be spending more time with his lady, the next, he wanted to be alone. He didn't know how much of it was his frustration ... being unable to do anything ... and how much of it was from other things. Like trying to figure out the two people who had created him.

He was actually starting to get a handle on Jessica Tanner. He couldn't bring himself to think of her as his mother. His mother had died when he was five, and regardless of who had given birth to him, that would never change. Vin felt terribly sad, thinking about Jessica Tanner. She had blamed everyone else for her decision to leave him ... her mother, Vin's ma, Aunt Jo, the neighbors for not realizing that she would come for him. Trouble was, they had waited two weeks. No word had come from her. It seemed that Chris was right ... she couldn't take responsibility for herself, and Vin wondered why that was.

His father ... Evan Larabee ... remained an enigma. In the last few weeks, since finding out that Chris was his brother, Vin had done nothing but think. He couldn't do anything else. The slightest motion left him in agony. So he had worked through his memories of his conversations with Chris, trying to find some clue in those conversations about the father whom they shared. And he still couldn't get a handle on the man, couldn't get a sense of him.

He found it much easier to form a clear picture of Mrs. Larabee ... Margaret Ann Delany Larabee. Pegeen. Born here in the United States of Irish parents, marrying at nineteen. Chris was born when she was twenty-one. That meant she had only been thirty-four when her husband had developed his mid-life crisis. Thirty-four. Only seven years older than Vin was now. How much older was her husband? It occurred to Vin that he didn't know.

She was beautiful to her son, that Vin did know. Chris had inherited the vaunted Larabee glare from his mother, not from his father, like so many thought. Vin had learned from his older brother that Pegeen Larabee was tough and feisty. And that Chris had fallen in love with Sarah because she was that much like his mother. Vin had heard, while he was growing up, that men often married women who reminded them of their mothers.

Had he fallen in love with Adriana because she reminded him of Julia Tanner? Vin didn't know. It would be a good question to ask Aunt Jo at some point ... if Drina reminded her at all of her elder sister. Vin thought then of his aunt. Like he had told Chris, he had noticed interesting vibes passing between his aunt and Josiah. The big man had never kept his liking for women a secret, and Vin recognized that his aunt was a very pretty woman.

All right. Let's say for the sake of argument that Josiah does like Aunt Jo. Forgettin' for a minute that Josiah and Josephine sounds right funny, I know that he would cut off his right hand before he would do anything to hurt her. That's good, 'cause I would hate to have to hurt him. Aunt Jo's still young, only forty-five. She's the real question mark ... would she be good for Josiah? Vin didn't know. But he would keep an eye on the situation.

He wondered about Buck, if this was how Buck dealt with him and Drina together. Vin would have laughed aloud, if he hadn't remembered with painful clarity what happened the last time he laughed. Hell, right now, he and Drina weren't 'together.' Yes, they loved each other, and they had both admitted that love wasn't platonic any more. If it ever was. But at the moment, Vin was in no condition to do anything about his feelings for Drina, and he knew it.

Buck knew it, too, and Vin had no doubt that in another few weeks, a month at most, he and Buck would talk. Vin was distracted from this train of thought when his aunt breezed back into his room, still laughing at the antics of her three younger helpers. Huh. Now, that was strange, now that he thought about it. For the first time, he realized that his aunt was only four years older than his brother. He wondered if Aunt Jo had thought about it.

It was hard to tell ... his aunt was unpredictable in some respects. He never knew what she would do next, much less what she was thinking. Although, the latter may have been due to the fact that she was a woman, and he had no clue how they thought!

Still, he just smiled at her as she collapsed into the chair which Adriana had vacated earlier. Aunt Jo sighed, "Lord, those three make me feel old. I was told, when I first got to Colorado, that Chris Larabee was a humorless type with no tolerance for bullshit. The next time Maude Standish tries to tell me something about a man, I'm not listening to her!" Vin just smiled, and Aunt Jo asked softly, "So. You feelin' all right?"

"Been better, been worse. Ya okay?" he asked. Aunt Jo thought that through, then nodded slowly. She reached over and brushed her hand against his forehead. Why, he didn't know. He hadn't been running a fever, to the best of his knowledge. Then again, even after he had awakened on the planet, he had been out of it a lot. They had sedated him for the trip back, after Will Richmond had apologized to him and given him the letter for Drina. The letter. He asked hoarsely, "Aunt Jo, wouldja do me a favor?" When she nodded, he told her of the letter which should be in his pocket.

"That's no problem, honey," Aunt Jo replied. She rose to her feet and went to the chair where Vin's jacket hung. She continued, removing the letter from the pocket, "You know, Carly's been telling me a lot about the Richmonds. You think she'll be able to handle Richmond by herself ... Will, I mean." Vin didn't know ... that was a good question. His sister ... Christ, would he ever get used to thinking of her like that ... sometimes had a short fuse.

And Will did his best to test her limits. In part because that was just his way, and also because he found it amusing. Vin had told him there were some who found testing Adriana's limits amusing. Will had looked at him in horror and retorted, "Are you kidding me? I am not that stupid! You did hear about what Adriana and Charlotte were threatening to do to Dickie O'Shea, if he didn't talk, right?"

No, Vin hadn't ... Will proceeded to explain how Charlotte's devious mind concocted the plan. It involved scaring the shit out of O'Shea, Will told him, by discussing a fictional event which had taken place years earlier, involving a knitting needle, a fictional kidnapper's feet, and torturing the location of a fictional child out of the aforementioned fictional kidnapper. Of course, O'Shea had no way of knowing this. He only heard what Charlotte was discussing with Adriana, and the disinterested way Adriana had answered, as if she was bored by the subject.

Shoving a knitting needle into someone's foot. Just thinking about it made Vin hurt. A knife was bad enough, but a knitting needle? That was duller than a spoon. Charlotte had told Will about what she was actually planning to do to the sonuvabitch who had threatened her child, if he hadn't talked. She had no doubt that Mary and Adriana would have helped. In fact, Charlotte had been downright certain that she might even have to share that task with the other two women, if it had come to that.

"Vin? You okay there?" Aunt Josie asked. Vin shook himself, then fought back a moan of pain. Dammit, when would he learn not to do that? Aunt Josie sat down on the bed beside him, giving him an anchor, and she said softly, "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to startle you. But I got worried when you didn't answer me." Answer? Oh, that was right. She had asked about Carly, and her ability to deal with Will Richmond.

"Reckon she will," Vin rasped out, still having a hard time breathing. He closed his eyes, an instinctive reaction to the darkness which was starting to steal his vision. Aunt Jo gently stroked his good arm, once more giving him an anchor, through the pain. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said, "Reckon she'll be fine. Even if Will pushes her too far, Carly will push back. And Charlotte will help her."

Aunt Jo grinned at that, her brown eyes twinkling, and she said, "Now that is something I'd love to see. Of course, you know it wouldn't be complete if Adriana didn't jump in as well, and I'm sure Mary would help too. She told me that she was afraid she would kill the worse half of that team within three weeks." Vin bit down on his lip, to keep from laughing. Yeah, he could just hear Mary saying that. She had made no secret of her irritation with Will.

After a moment, his aunt said softly, changing the subject, "Vin, I know you're frustrated. Frustrated with being helpless, with being unable to laugh ... being unable to hold Adriana, the way you want to. And I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. Things will get better, I promise you. It feels like it won't right, now, it feels right now like you'll be tired and in pain and helpless forever. But you won't. And as long as I'm here, as long as your sisters and brother are here ... as long as Adriana is here ... you won't be alone."

"I know that," Vin affirmed softly, "but I reckon what yer really sayin' is, y'all be patient with me. Reckon I just gotta learn to be patient with myself." Aunt Jo nodded, her eyes filled with compassion and pride. He wondered if Chris had told her about what he had said earlier, about being afraid of embarrassing them. Vin Tanner had never been worried about making a fool out of himself. But he had been alone, then, and now ... now, in addition to the five brothers he had discovered, he also had a brother by genetics.

He had two sisters, one of them a twin sister. He had an aunt. And he had a woman whom he loved, who loved him. The rules had changed, as Chris had said. And while Vin would never admit it, he was terrified. He was terrified of meeting his biological father, and finding out that Chris and the others were wrong ... that there was something so fundamentally wrong with Vin Tanner, that his father hadn't wanted him.

It was stupid. Made no sense, and Vin was a sensible man. But within the sensible adult remained a soul-wounded five year old boy who couldn't understand why no one came for him. What was wrong with him, what had he done wrong? Twenty-two years removed from that child, Vin Tanner nonetheless found himself keeping quiet about his fears ... and trying to protect his new family from finding out what a coward he really was.

Part 8

I not only married a liar, but a coward, too. Wonder what that makes me?

Pegeen Larabee turned on her side, away from her husband, and tried to settle down long enough to sleep. But her mind was overflowing with images. Christopher still didn't know that they were coming. Pegeen hadn't decided if she wanted to let him know, or if she should just surprise him. She should tell him, she knew that. He was caring for his critically injured brother, and right now, he just didn't need a surprise.

She had been informed that while she was out 'aiding and abetting' the enemy, her husband would be remaining at their hotel. Coward. This had nothing to do with the military, it didn't even have anything to do with Christopher. This had to do with that young man, with her stepson. Vin. Giving up her attempts to sleep, Pegeen threw back the covers and slipped from the bed. She went to her suitcase and removed the envelope from a pocket.

Glancing over her shoulder ... Evan was still asleep ... Pegeen eased into the bathroom. She had received this two days ago, the day before they left for Colorado. It was from Vin's aunt Josephine ... somehow, she had found their address. Maybe Christopher had given it to her, maybe she found it some other way. Pegeen didn't know. The letter inside had been simple. "I thought you might be interested in finding out what you've been missing, these last twenty-seven years."

She shouldn't have opened it. She knew that. But when Pegeen had seen the manila envelope in the trash, her curiosity had been piqued. And then when she saw 'Tanner' with the return address, there had been no stopping her. She had opened the envelope, and found first the note, then another envelope. And in that envelope, addressed simply 'to the father of my son,' she had found photographs.

A beautiful little boy ... from newborn to baby, from baby to toddler, from toddler to child. About five years old, and Pegeen's breath caught in her throat. This was her son's little brother, then. His best friend, though he hadn't known it. What were the chances? That her Christopher would find his little brother, in a bar in Colorado, so far from where they both had grown up? That their eyes would meet, and each would know, without words, what the other was planning to do? What were the odds?

And yet, it had happened! That, by itself, was some sort of miracle. Pegeen blinked back tears, looking through those pictures now. She found herself falling in love with that little boy all over again, as she had the first time she had seen those pictures. Josephine Tanner, Vin's aunt, had included more recent pictures ... starting from when he was about nineteen or so. Pegeen didn't know how she came to have those pictures, since there was that jump from five to nineteen. Nor did she care.

She saw a teenaged boy, aged beyond his years. Physically, he looked nothing like Christopher. Her son had inherited her own blonde hair ... Vin's hair was darker. His eyes were blue, instead of green. But his smile, when he chose to use it, was just as devastating as her son's. Pegeen had always thought that her Christopher had a smile like the sun coming up, and Sarah had always agreed with her. Pegeen's fingers stilled, as she thought of her lost daughter-in-law, and grandson. Those responsible for that travesty were dead, but ...

Pegeen shook her head, returning her attention to the pictures. The most recent had been taken only weeks earlier ... when they had been on vacation in Virginia. It showed Vin with Chris, a lovely blonde woman, a little towheaded boy, and a pretty brunette. Pegeen flipped over the picture, touching the names again. The brunette was Vin's new girlfriend, Adriana, and the blonde was Mary. Undoubtedly, the same Mary who had exasperated, amused, enraged, and enchanted her son during the last three years.

Pegeen was looking forward to meeting her. She was bossy, stubborn ... even abrasive. She could be pushy and self-righteous, and an all-around pain in the ass. She was a reporter, and while Pegeen didn't like them, usually ... well, this was one she was willing to offer a chance. She had helped to bring her son back to life, and for that, Pegeen owed her dearly. She flipped the picture back over, still smiling.

She touched her son's face, then looked at Vin Tanner closely ... as she had the first time she had seen the picture, she looked for resemblances between her husband and the boy. The only similarity she had found was the coloring. But that didn't bother her. She touched Vin's face, as she had Christopher's, and whispered, "You helped to bring Christopher back to life, too, Kevin. You were one of the few innocents in this whole sordid situation. And God forgive her, your birth mother abandoned you. You're my son now, Vin. Regardless of what my husband wants, I want you. And I want your children to be my grandchildren."

She gently kissed the forehead of the young man in the photo, then replaced all of the pictures back into the manila envelope. Feeling more at peace with herself now, with that promise made, Pegeen pushed herself to her feet, grimacing. She was getting entirely too old to be sitting on cold bathroom floors. She turned out the lights and shuffled across the room, depositing the envelope back into the suitcase.

She sighed quietly, and slipped back into bed, thinking about Vin. He had been critically injured in a fall, though Christopher hadn't specified what kind of a fall. Suffered from a broken arm, broken ribs, and some internal injuries. He would spend some time healing ... body and heart. He knew that he had been abandoned, by both of his biological parents. And the boy would have nothing to do but think.

Through her son's letters, Pegeen had come to know Vin Tanner. She could guess how things would go for him. The rage, the confusion, the fear ... what had he done wrong? Pegeen Larabee was no psychiatrist, but she had worked with abandoned children in the past, when she was a teacher. Maybe that was what was keeping her awake now. Vin Tanner was her son now. She didn't know what his early life had been like, after his mother died, Christopher had never said. And, there was a part of her which felt she didn't want to know.

Still, she had to do something, to make up for those years. Christmas was coming up. Yes ... it was a little over two months away. Enough time for her to plan ... to get to know her new son, find out what she needed to know. She had learned from her older son that Vin had two other mother figures in his life right now ... his aunt Josephine and Nettie Welles. And from what she had heard about those two ...

Well. Pegeen had no doubt that things would get interesting. Nettie Welles by herself was formidable, from what she had learned, but Nettie Welles with Josephine Tanner? And add to that mix, Pegeen herself? Pegeen had come to the conclusion that her husband was a coward, since he refused to face himself or his son. That was his loss. Pegeen didn't intend to lose what her husband had already lost. She smiled to herself, drifting off to sleep as she thought about how she could make her new son's first Christmas as a member of this family, a memorable one.

Part 9

Vin eventually drifted back to sleep, as Josie knew he would. She looked down at the letter in her hands. She had already decided, despite her own curiosity, that she wouldn't read it. It was meant for Adriana ... to Adriana, then, it would go. Josie rose to her feet and lightly kissed her nephew's cheek. He moaned softly in his sleep, but didn't awaken, and Josie quietly slipped from the bedroom, and into the living room, where the other three were now watching tv.

She went to the sofa where Adriana was lying on her side, watching ... whatever the program was. Drina's hazel eyes flickered away from the program, and she smiled up at Josie. The blonde woman dropped to her knees, whispering, "This is something Vin wanted you to have, Drina. It's from Will Richmond." Adriana pushed herself up onto her elbows, frowning thoughtfully as she accepted the envelope.

"Thanks, Josie," the archaeologist murmured, her eyes flickering back to the television screen. Josie now recognized the program as a documentary about Egypt. What Josie hadn't been expecting was her daughter's total fascination with the program. Adriana looked away from the screen, to Lizzie's face, and murmured, "She wanted to watch this. Said she's still figuring out the difference between an Egyptologist, an archaeologist, and an anthropologist."

"Lizzie's always been fascinated with history ... that's why I was so surprised when she chose premed. On the other hand, ever since she met up with y'all, she's been questioning Josiah about ancient cultures and their medical practices. Wouldn't surprise me at all if she ends up in the Stargate program herself," Josie answered softly, and Adriana nodded with a faint smile. She was fingering the envelope, as if she wasn't really sure she wanted to open it.

Knowing that it was none of her business, but feeling as if this girl was a member of her family anyhow, Josie asked in a low voice, "You wanna talk about it?" Drina shook her head, which didn't surprise Josie, but she had wanted to make the attempt. Josie had learned that the girl's father had molested her from the time of her mother's murder, when she was eight, until she was seventeen, and she ran away from home. Josie had wanted to kill the bastard when she heard that, but was informed that Chris and Buck had first dibs on him.

Adriana's experience had reminded Josie once more why she had never married. She had Lizzie to think about, after all, and Josie wasn't willing to entrust her little girl to just anybody. With everything that had been happening recently, hearing about how Vin had grown up, Josie had worried that she hadn't been enough for Lizzie. True, Lizzie had grown into a feisty, bright girl who could take care of herself ... but Josie still worried.

But in the end, wasn't it better to have no male in her life, than a bad one? At the same time, that hadn't been entirely true ... there had been good men around, who took Lizzie fishing and taught her to ride and shoot a gun. Things which Josie knew how to do, but her girl needed a father figure of some kind. There was also her father, though he was in Chicago, and Lizzie only got to see her grandfather during the holidays.

But no man in the house, every day, no man of the house. Maybe Josie's standards were set too high, because she expected all men to be like her father. Daddy. Since Adriana had to work through this thing with Will Richmond on her own, Josie patted the girl's shoulder and went to Chris. She knelt beside his recliner, whispering, "I need to call my father, update him. I'll pay you back later."

Chris waved his hand with a slight smile. Josie didn't worry though. She would find out from Vin how much the call to Chicago cost and reimburse Chris anyhow. She rose to her feet and went into the kitchen, dialing her father's number. He answered on the second ring ... probably had the cordless. She said, "Hey, Dad ... it's your brat-child." Laughter greeted this remark, a reference to Josie's childhood, when she was definitely the brattiest of the three Tanner sisters. Josie continued, "Just thought you might like an update on your only grandson and partial namesake."

"How is Kevin? Is he healing all right? Did they catch the bastard who tried to blow him up?" her father growled. He didn't know most of the story ... just that Vin had been badly injured in an explosion. That was all Josie could afford to tell him, and she hadn't even wanted to tell him that. When did the child become the protector, trying to protect the parent from bad news? For her, it had started with her mother's death ten years earlier, and the revelation that Jessica had abandoned Vin after Julia's death.

"He's doing fine, Dad. The guy who tried to kill him is dead, he can't hurt Vin or anyone else ever again," Josie reassured her father. She heard him repeating this information to his second wife, her stepmother Rebecca. That was something else. Josie hadn't been terribly upset when her father remarried five years earlier. Jessica, on the other hand, had thrown a fit, from what she had heard.

"Rebecca wants to know when he'll be strong enough for us to come visit. She couldn't believe it when I told her I had never met my grandson. And her oldest daughter is about Kevin's age," Paris said. Josie winced. Although she didn't really have a problem with her father remarrying, she couldn't say she really liked her stepmother. She made her father happy, but Rebecca wasn't among her favorite people. Especially not when Rebecca started trying to matchmake ... then, she really drove Josie nuts. The second-born Tanner sister swore that Rebecca wouldn't get a chance to do that to Vin. Starting now.

"Well, do you think you could get away this weekend? There's an Open House at the Academy, and we're all going. You can meet Vin's older brother, Chris, and his lady, Mary. And I know Vin would love to meet you. He asked about it, and when he could introduce you to his girlfriend Adriana, as well as his brother ... Chris and the other five," Josie replied. She smiled faintly as her father told his wife that Vin already had a girlfriend.

"I want to know a little more about Chris and this Adriana ... want to know if this girl is good enough for my grandson," Paris said a bit gruffly. Josie supposed she couldn't blame him. Vin's biological mother hadn't shown very good judgment with the father of her children, and neither Julia nor Josie had ever married. She hooked a foot around a stepstool, dragging it over to where the phone rested in the kitchen.

"Well, she's twenty-seven years old, an archaeologist. Her older brother Bucklin works on the same squad as Vin. She and Vin have known each other for eight years. She was Carly's roommate in college ... remember Carly talking about her? She was very quiet most of the time, but very strong-willed?" Josie asked. She had been in the room when her niece told Paris about college, during phone conversations.

Paris responded with an 'ahhhhhh,' as he did remember, and said, "She's that Adriana, then. I always wondered, when Carly talked about her, if there was something more between her and Kevin. Why did it take them this long?" Josie looked back into the living room, trying to decide how much to tell her father. There was a very specific reason, but Adriana had told her about her father because she trusted her, Josie. Adriana didn't even know Paris.

With that in mind, she said carefully, "I don't think either were ready, Daddy. And Adriana has been healing from parental abuse. Trust is hard with her." That much was true. Anyone who paid attention to the cues would be able to tell that Adriana was an abuse survivor, and her father had always paid attention to cues from people. It was something he had taught his girls, and it seemed Julia had begun the process with Vin.

Her father was silent for several moments, then he said quietly, "What you're not saying, Josephine, is that this child was molested. She's been getting help, then?" Josie assented, and her father continued, "All right. But I still want to meet her. It's not that I don't trust you, Josie, but Kevin is my grandson. I couldn't be there through most of his life. I just want ... I want to make sure she can take care of him, the way he deserves."

What her father meant was, he wanted to see that for himself ... wanted to watch them together. Josie could respect that. She said, "I'll make a deal with you. I'll give you the time you need, if you promise to make Rebecca keep the Man-eater at home. Vin's recovering from nasty injuries, Daddy, and he just doesn't have the energy to fight her off right now." She listened as Paris translated her request for Rebecca's benefit.

After a moment, he replied, "Deal ... especially if you promise to keep your sister away from Rebecca while we're there." Josie almost howled at that. Her sister was far more blunt about her dislike of Rebecca and her oldest daughter than Josie herself was.

It was, in fact, Jessica who had first given Louisa Perkins that nickname. And, considering Jessica had made herself scarce during the last few weeks, especially after the tongue-lashing she got from Adriana, she didn't think that would be a problem. Instead, she said, "Daddy, I don't think that will be a problem. Drina ripped into Jess but good, so we haven't seen much of her lately. And when Drina hasn't been around, then either Carly or Lizzie have."

There was a brief silence, then Paris sighed, "You'll never forgive your sister, will you?" He knew the answer to that. As blatant as Jessica was in her dislike of Rebecca and Louisa, Josie was just as blatant in her inability to forgive her sister. She could have forgiven Jessica for anything else ... but not for causing harm to a child. Worse yet, she knew that she had influenced her daughter's attitude toward her biological mother.

She had found that out this morning. After a moment, her father said quietly, "I'll make plans to fly out there this weekend. Lizzie told me that she doesn't return to classes until Monday. Says she'll make up for it with summer classes, if need be. So I'll get to see all of my grandchildren together, at the same time." Josie smiled. Yes, he would. After all these years, it would be good to have all of them together.

Part 10

Adriana was only vaguely aware of Josie leaving the room. Her attention was focused on the letter in her hands. On whether she would read it now or later. Was she ready? The most recent mission had left her shaken, for more than one reason. Not the least of which was her own reaction when Vin had gone down. The blind rage which had taken over. She hadn't realized she had that much rage, that much hatred within her.

Her conversation with the generals once they returned to the SGC had gone better than she expected. Instead of chastising her for using excessive force (since mercy and compassion weren't virtues understood or appreciated by the Gou'ald), they had instead brought up the danger she could have been in, under different circumstances. They pointed out that she had left her back open ... that she couldn't afford to make mistakes like that. She knew that. She knew that she couldn't leave her back open, that she couldn't afford to let the fury to take over. Maybe that was part of the reason she was standing down, after she finished recharging the staff weapons.

Enough of this. Adriana was getting restless, and it was time to finish this, once and for all. She ripped open the envelope determinedly, her attention focused on that. She didn't see Lizzie turn her head to look at her and frown, nor did she see Chris giving her a concerned look. It was time she started dealing with this, no matter how ugly it got. She fumbled with the now-open envelope, almost tearing the letter from the pocket.

She opened the letter, and stopped, seeing the salutation. Drina. When the hell had so many people started calling her by Vin's nickname for her? So many outsiders? Except, Will wasn't really an outsider, was he? He had been Adriana's friend before she had met Vin. Even if their friendship wasn't particularly equal, that wasn't the point. When had she started thinking of Will as the outsider? It had been, she realized, during this mission. When he set out to estrange himself from his wife and from her.

She swallowed hard and began reading, focusing on the words.

Drina.

By the time you read this, I imagine it'll be a few days, if not a few weeks. I've spent the last few days, trying to figure out how to make things up to you, and to Vin. You know everything that happened ... how O'Shea threatened Charlotte and Tansy. What you may not know is that while Charlotte figured out that you ... that ... well, she figured out about your father, I never did. If I had, I would never have said what I did about you and Vin.

Thing is, kiddo ... I've known for a long time that you two love each other. Hell, I've known since before either of you left Texas. I've been told that Chanu has said that I kept calling you Vin's girl, because he would be less of a threat to me. That's only partially true. But I've always believed that you and Vin belonged together. It was just that first year, I had to give him a hard time. Didn't want him thinking that I would let him hurt you.

But of course, he would never hurt you. That was always my job, and I always did it so well. Too well, because I always said or did the wrong thing, and had no idea how well I was hitting the mark. Some things never change, kiddo. I guess I'm one of them. What I'm trying to say, Drina, is ... I'm sorry. I don't know how I'll make it up to you yet. But I will. Take care of yourself, little lady.

Will.

Adriana allowed her head to drop back against the pillows once she finished the letter, and closed her eyes. Will had known all along? How the hell had he known, and Adriana hadn't figured it out until she saw Vin tumbling down that ridge? No, that wasn't right, either. She had started figuring it out before they even left. It was just that ... the attack on the ridge made it impossible to run and hide any more.

"You okay, little princess?" Chris asked softly. Adriana looked up ... she hadn't noticed the television was off. She hadn't noticed that Lizzie had left the room. It was just Chris, kneeling right beside her, his green eyes never leaving her face. Without speaking, she passed the letter to Chris. He was silent for several moments as he read, then looked up at her and asked once more, "You okay?"

"I don't know, Chris," she admitted wearily, "I just don't know. Everyone talks about you and that glare of yours. How you turn into a different person when it comes to Sarah and Adam. I talk about Buck's Hyper-Luxan Rage. Vin is always soft-spoken, but when he's angry, his voice ... you barely hear his voice. Do you understand what I'm saying? Of course you don't, I don't even understand what I'm saying." Chris shook his head and reached his hand out to cover hers, making sure she saw the contact coming.

"You're wrong. I know exactly what you're saying. What you did ... how you reacted when we almost lost Vin scared the hell out of you. And you've been having nightmares ever since, because you have no idea how to control it. The thing is, little princess, that's part of the problem. You've been controlling it too well. For twenty years, you have controlled that rage so well, that you couldn't even admit it was there," Chris replied.

Adriana felt as though she had been hypnotized, because she couldn't look away from Chris. He continued, "But now, you know it's there, and that's the very first step. You've already asked for help, you're in therapy. And I am so proud of you for that! That takes a lot of courage, little princess, to admit that you need help. To admit that you can't do it alone. No one can do it alone, Adriana. I sure as hell can't. I needed Mary, and your brother, Vin, and the others, before I could get through losing Sarah and Adam."

He raked his free hand through his blond hair, adding, "And it wasn't really over for me, not until Ella was dead. Even then, it took me time, before I could really let go. Because it wasn't me who killed her. I felt as though I had failed Sarah and Adam, by failing to avenge them. And I felt like I failed Mary, because she was the one who was standing in front of my two best friends, wielding a rifle. She has to live with killing Ella ... not me."

He looked back up at her and said, "What I'm trying to say, little princess, is that you've been working so hard, these last few weeks. Making sure that Josie felt welcome, making sure that things with Carly had been worked out ... making sure that Vin got all the time he needed with us. When have you taken care of yourself? Have you been making your appointments to your therapist?" Adriana nodded ... her brother had insisted on that.

"Yeah. It's just ... it's like things are locked up inside of me, Chris. I talk to her, but not about this, 'cause I can't figure out how to say it. And how in the hell do I tell her about the Stargate, or how Vin was hurt, or anything like that? I felt more comfortable in the general's office, when they were telling me to be more careful! I tell her about my father, and about my mother, and ... But I don't know how to tell her about Vin. Or about almost losing him," Adriana explained.

"Then tell me. Listen. You are still my little princess, my little surrogate sister. And you always will be. Vin is asleep right now, and even when he wakes up, Lizzie will watch over him. Right now, my gut tells me that you need me, because I've been where you are. I know about that rage, little princess. That need to inflict pain on someone or something, to make someone else hurt the way you are. I know about that," Chris said softly.

How did she say it? The blind, white-hot rage she had felt at the time of the second explosion, when Vin had begun his unwilling descent? The roaring in her ears, her inability to draw breath. She whispered, "I felt like my blood was on fire. Not just boiling, but ... it was like it was literally on fire. I don't know, the best I can do, the best analogy I can make is ... my blood felt like it had turned to lava in my veins. And I wasn't just shooting at that Jaffa any more ... but at my father, at Dickie O'Shea, even my brother, you, and Will. It was like everything came to a head at once."

She looked up at Chris and said, "I wanted him dead, Chris. I wanted him to pay for what he had done to Vin. For what Dickie O'Shea awakened, when he locked JD and me in that tool shed. For forcing me to confront the darkness ... in more ways than one. That's why I kept firing. He wasn't a danger to Vin any more, but it was no longer just about protecting Vin. It was about making ... it was about revenge. I crossed the line, Chris."

"We all do, from time to time. I won't lie to you, little princess. It ain't an easy road. But ... we're all traveling together. You know Josiah, that seven men, one destiny crap he spouts. It's not really crap. I just tell him that, 'cause we don't want no one else figuring out that I'm more than the volatile loose cannon everyone thinks I am," Chris said. Adriana found herself giggling in spite of herself, and Chris glared at her. She just giggled again, and Chris grinned before he went on, "But you've been there during the last few weeks, taking care of us. I can take care of you and Vin at the same time. If you'll let me. If you'll let us."

"Reckon I don't have much of a choice, cowboy," Adriana said with a faint smile, "it seems to me that you seven are a package deal. I get one of you, I also get the others. Now, I already had you and Buck. So, that means I get three more brothers, and an uncle. And since I get you and Vin, I also get Josie, Lizzie, and Carly, as well as Mary, Billy, and General Travis. Like I said. Package deal."

Part 11

SG-1 were only gone a few days ... their mission didn't take as long as they thought it would. Two days before the Open House at the Academy, Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne returned through the Stargate with the flagship team. All six, for a change, were in one piece. No injuries of any kind. In appreciation of that fact, Buck and JD had been released from duty, and told that the others were planning to go to the Academy Open House.

This had surprised Buck. Vin was still healing from his fall, and probably would be for some time. For his own part, Buck was still recovering from the revelation that Vin was the result of Evan Larabee's mid-life crisis. There were times when life liked to smack Buck Wilmington upside the head with how unfair it could be. This was one of those times. What the hell had Evan Larabee ever done, to deserve the four children he had been given?

How had the girls put it? Casey, particularly ... she knew so many couples who couldn't have children, for whatever reason, and Evan Larabee had thrown away his two younger children. Buck had a hard time forgiving his old friend's father. At least Jessica Tanner had found homes for her children ... well, except after her sister Julia died. But she gave Lizzie to her sister Josie. She acknowledged, at least sometimes, that she couldn't take care of her children.

Larabee, on the other hand ... there was no understanding that man. Yeah, Chris could be plenty mean under the right (or wrong) circumstances. But he had always taken responsibility for himself, instead of blaming everyone else. That was the thing right there. Evan Larabee was a man unnervingly like Buck's own father. He may not have molested his child, but he always could find someone else to blame for what he had done wrong. Just like Buck's father.

Buck had watched Vin and Chris struggling during the last few weeks. Chris with his rage and guilt, with his desire to make up those lost years with his brother, with his understanding that he shouldn't crowd Vin. And Vin ... Vin, who was struggling to heal in his body, heart, and soul. He had been hurting, even before he found out that Evan Larabee was his father, even before that bastard blew him down a hill.

After nearly fifteen years of friendship with Chris Larabee, Buck knew when to back off. But there was a part of him which wondered if Chris had straightened things out with his younger brother, about what had gone on before. Buck knew from repairing his own relationship with his sister, that the healing took time. Occasionally, a long time. You couldn't repair so many years of neglect overnight.

That was the situation now facing his two friends ... although, Chris hadn't neglected his younger brother. He hadn't known of his existence, but Buck realized that the colonel would still feel as Buck had. So much time to make up for, so many memories lost. Buck had done his best to give the two time to adjust to the changes in their relationship, including volunteering himself and JD for this last mission. But they were back now, and Buck had found that he missed Vin.

He was just as much Buck's friend as Chris was. People sometimes forgot that, because of the bonds created between Buck and JD, and Chris and Vin. And in all truthfulness, Buck had missed Vin, had been worried about him. That was why he was steadily growing more and more irritated, the longer JD took. He wanted to get to Larabee's, make sure Vin was still improving. Internal injuries brought complications, and while he was sure the generals would have told him if something had gone wrong ... Buck just wanted to be there.

The previous week, while they were all still planet-side, Buck had met the others at the saloon. The funny thing was, none of them had really planned to meet. It just happened. The men had been assured by the general that Vin would still be a member of SG-7 ... he had his place in the team, he had earned it. And no one would take it away from him. That had relieved the men, and created another concern. Vin was their friend, their brother, but now, he was also the actual brother of their commander.

How were they supposed to react to this man? He was still the same Vin Tanner he had always been, still the quiet sharpshooter with the dry sense of humor. Still the man who had come up with the plan to free Mary Travis and young Nora Whittaker from the pimp Wickes. And still the man who had taken care of Buck's sister for all those years. But now, he was also the colonel's brother ... and Chris Larabee would become twice as protective as his newly found little brother. He wasn't the only one. After the recent revelations, it was a pretty good bet that they were all feeling protective of their sharpshooter and friend.

Josiah had properly pointed out that Vin wouldn't want to be coddled. As the generals had said, he had earned his place in SG-7. He had worked hard, gaining the trust and respect of the other men. He wouldn't take kindly to being treated like a fragile piece of china. That was why they had met, to get that out in the open and figure out their strategy. Ezra's words, of course. He had been just as open in his concern for Vin as the others.

Nathan had pointed out that Vin would be out of commission for several weeks, if not longer. They had time to adjust. The important thing, at least as far as the medic was concerned, was to make sure he knew that they were there for him. Buck didn't know about that. He was pretty sure Vin already knew that. To Buck, the most important thing was making sure the two brothers didn't kill each other once Vin started feeling better.

He had one other concern. His sister had finally admitted that she loved Vin, and surprise, surprise, Vin felt the same way. It was what came next which bothered Buck now. He trusted Vin about as much as he could trust any man with his baby sister ... but ... Adriana was still his baby sister. It was hard for him to consider any man good enough for Adriana, even Vin. It was just a matter of time before each overcame their wounds, and ...

Well, Buck just didn't want to think about it. 'Cause every time he thought about his little sister like that, with anybody, it made him want to choke the living shit out of the guy. And that included Vin. He had talked to Josiah about it. The preacher-man had reminded him that Vin Tanner would cut out his own heart, before he harmed any woman, much less Adriana. And that little sisters, just like little brothers, grew up.

Adriana wasn't a child any longer, but a grown woman. Buck knew that, he knew that. But ... she was still his little sister. His thoughts were interrupted as JD strolled out of his quarters, as if he didn't have a damn care in the world. Buck scowled at the young cartographer, knocking his cap off his head. JD scooped the hat up from the floor, jamming it back onto his head with a glare for Buck, who hooted derisively, "Now son, I've seen better glares outta little Billy, ain't no way you're gonna scare me!"

"Don't start with me, Buck. I just spent the last thirty minutes looking for something in my quarters, and I just realized it's not in there. Now all I wanna do is get outta here, so we can go see Vin!" JD retorted. Okay, so maybe he did have some cares in the world, but Buck needed to tease JD. The boy shook his head and muttered, "And before you even think about it ... don't! I know you, Buck ... leave Vin and Adriana alone!"

"Now, what makes you think I'd do anything to bother them? 'Case you had forgotten, kid, Vin's my friend, too," Buck retorted as the pair headed down the corridor, toward the elevator which would take them to the surface. He knew he should shut up, especially since JD had been so good through the entire mission with SG-1. It was a fact that he and Daniel Jackson didn't get along, but both of them had behaved. Hadn't even ended up in the infirmary! Either one of 'em!

"And Adriana's your sister, and I know you can't leave those two alone. Any more 'n you can leave me alone, and let me court ... I mean ... handle Casey on my own," JD retorted.

Buck rolled his eyes. Handle Casey, was it? Well, like they had been told, Vin wouldn't be fit for duty for another few weeks. That gave Buck plenty of time to work out a man-to-man talk with Vin about Adriana, and what Buck would do to the sharpshooter if he didn't do right by Buck's baby sister. Not that Buck really believed Vin would do anything else, but right by her. Still, it was good to have these things out in the open.

In the meantime, he had some work to do with JD. It was no wonder the boy kept getting into these arguments with Casey. Handle Casey, pshaw! Hadn't the kid learned yet, that you didn't handle Casey? Buck sighed, shaking his head. Yeah, his talk with Vin could definitely wait. His talk with JD, on the other hand ... well, it seemed Buck had been neglecting the kid's education lately. Time to remedy that!

Part 12

By the time Friday rolled around, the entire SG-7 team had been reassembled planet-side. Buck and JD had been catching up on paperwork when they weren't helping Chris. JD was greatly amused when Carly Tucker ... or was it Carly Tanner? When she firmly put Buck in his place ... he had been flirting with her, as he always did with pretty ladies ... and he found out to his chagrin that it wasn't Vin Tanner he had to worry about, if he flirted with Carly. It was Carly herself. Yup. Those Tanner girls were nothing but trouble.

Lizzie wasn't any better. JD had actually heard her call him an 'owie magnet.' Him! An owie magnet! That was not like being called a 'chick magnet,' which is what she had called Buck. And Buck hadn't even tried flirting with her. She was nineteen, but as far as the big major was concerned, that girl was jailbait! Not only was she jailbait, Buck had told JD, but she was Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner's little sister. He liked all of his parts in working order, thank you very much!

Still, between being called an owie magnet and a chick magnet, JD would have preferred the latter. Even if she did refer to both of her elder brothers as chick magnets as well, that was beside the point. Being called an owie magnet made it sound like JD was in the infirmary every single week ... which he wasn't. It just seemed like he was sometimes. Unfortunately, the rest of his team (except Vin, who really didn't have any room to talk right now), didn't see it that way. Nathan thought it was hysterically funny.

Well, two could play at that game. JD had decided that Lizzie Tanner was a trouble magnet. Things could have gone one of two ways, when she and Casey met. They could have hated each other on sight ... or they could have immediately bonded, double-teaming JD to distraction. The latter had happened.

Worse yet, JD was starting to wonder if that silent communication thing was a Tanner trait, because he could have sworn that had happened between Lizzie and Casey. By the end of the first night Lizzie had spent in Colorado, Lizzie and Casey were finishing each other's sentences, as if they had known each other for years. It was damn scary ... hell, Casey by herself could scare the hell out of JD. But Lizzie and Casey? That was the stuff of which nightmares were made, as Ezra had said.

Unlike the rest of his team, JD had never worried about Vin being reassigned, now that everyone knew he was the younger brother of the commander. Why should they reassign him to another team, and break up a great team? The fact was, regardless of Vin's blood relation to Chris, the pair simply were not as effective working separately as they were when they worked together. Something which both of the generals knew and understood.

On the other hand, JD wasn't as sure if Adriana would be assigned to work with SG-7. Or rather, with Vin, since they were sort of a couple now. When he had asked Colonel O'Neill, during the mission, about that, the colonel had answered, "It's nobody's business, kid. They're both civilians, both consenting adults, and neither of them in a situation where it's likely to matter. I seriously doubt if anyone's gonna know for a while when they finally start sleeping together."

Okay, that was a little more information than JD really needed, but he got the answers he had wanted. And he would have never admitted it, but he was actually looking forward to what happened when Buck decided that enough time had elapsed, and it was time for that man to man talk with Vin. The way JD had it figured, one of two things would happen. Either Vin would tell Buck to 'mind yer own damn business, Bucklin,' or Adriana would.

That wouldn't be fun, unless it was Vin telling Buck to butt out ... no, the fun part would come when Buck started trying to advise Vin on how to treat Adriana, what would happen if Buck caught him putting his hands in a place they didn't belong. That sort of thing. JD grinned in the darkness, as he and Buck headed for the Larabee place from Inez's. She had asked them to stop by, to pick up a get-well card and gift for Vin.

Buck was driving, humming under his breath, even though Inez had spurned his advances. As usual. In fact, he was in a very good mood, and JD had to wonder why. Inez had spurned him. He had gotten nowhere with Carly, Lizzie was jailbait, Mary was spoken for, and Adriana was his sister. Only a woman got Buck humming like this, and JD couldn't figure out which woman it would be.

Then again, maybe it would be best if he didn't know. Buck said, startling JD, "Before we left the saloon, I got a call from Chris. It's gonna be a family reunion this weekend. Josie's father and stepmother will be coming from Chicago. Vin's never met his grandpa." JD looked at his friend in the darkness, and Buck added, "Seems Vin's grandpa has a stepdaughter, right around his age ... Vin's, that is, and she may come with 'em next time."

"Next time? Why not this time?" JD asked. And why would 'next time' make Buck so excited? Of course, JD was excited about meeting more members of Vin's family.

He had met Vin's sisters, of course, and Josie Tanner. He had also met Jessica Tanner. If she hadn't abandoned his friend when he was a little boy, JD would have liked her ... she seemed to be a nice lady. She also made him appreciate his own mother, and Miss Nettie, all the more. Miss Nettie had told him to try not to judge her too much, and JD was trying. But she had just thrown her little boy away. How could any mother do that?

At least she had made sure that her two little girls got good homes. Even if Lizzie helped Casey drive him nuts. But hell, even Ezra's ma said Jessica was a lousy mother! JD liked Maude a lot, she had always been nice to him, but JD would be the first to admit she wasn't Mother of the Year material. Maude herself admitted that, for crying out loud, and said that one bad mother recognizes another.

Well, there was nothing JD could do about either of them ... well, about Jessica or her lover in her past-life, as Ezra had called Evan Larabee. Vin had his aunt now, and his two sisters, and his six brothers. And speaking of brothers, just what had Buck so excited about 'next time?' His friend added with a smirk JD could see, even in the dark, "Josie showed me a picture of Louisa at Paris and Rebecca's wedding. And let me tell you, from that picture, I'd say she's quite a gal!"

Part 13

The Larabee house was packed and ablaze with lights. If Nathan Jackson hadn't known better, he would have sworn it was Christmas. But that wasn't for another two months. Although, he supposed they could have said it was an early Christmas. When he had returned to the base from his and Josiah's mission, he had called Rain to let her know he got in all right. She informed him that Chris had called her, and let her know that Paris Tanner would be arriving in Colorado on Saturday morning. Chris and Adriana would be driving to the airport to pick him up, along with his second wife Rebecca.

Rain said, joining him, "I haven't seen any house this bright since our wedding reception. I think the only member of your family who didn't make it then was your cousin Dawn." Nathan nodded as he kept a hand under his wife's elbow. They had just found out only days earlier that Rain was pregnant, and Nathan did his best to make sure nothing happened to this baby. Rain continued, with an affectionate smile, "Where was your cousin?"

"The postcard I got from her said that she was in Austria for three months. By the time she got the wedding invitation, it was over. And she's been doing a lot of traveling ever since she got back," Nathan replied as they approached the front door. He continued, "I hope Vin doesn't wear himself out tomorrow. I know he needs to get out and get some fresh air, but with the excitement of the Open House, the excitement of meeting his family ... "

"I know you're worried about him, Nathan," Rain counseled, "but he's not foolish. He'll be in the wheelchair, and Chris will be taking care of him. I am worried about him, but for a different reason. Have you noticed how much quieter he has become? Vin has always been quiet, allowing his actions to do his talking for him. But ever since you returned, and ever since he found out about his family ... he's become very, very quiet."

"I know," Nathan replied with a sigh, "it worries me, too." There was no more time for conversation, because the door had been opened by Josephine Tanner. She smiled at Nathan and nodded a greeting to Rain, whom she hadn't met before tonight. However, as Josie ushered them into the house, Nathan was still thinking about his friend. His wife was right. Vin had been unusually quiet, even for him. And that worried Nathan.

After suffering shocks and traumas like he had, Vin had to be feeling a multitude of emotions. Shock, grief, rage, joy ... Nathan had seen the joy, when it finally hit Vin, that Chris was his brother by blood. He had seen the shock, of course. The grief when he realized how much time he had lost with Chris, with his two sisters, with his aunt, and other members of his family. But Nathan hadn't seen the rage yet. That was what worried him.

He was fairly sure it worried Chris, too, even though the colonel was relaxed as he sat in the living room with the others. Buck was sitting with his back to the sofa, which meant JD was somewhere around the house. Nathan had seen Buck's vehicle in the driveway when he pulled up, though that was the only one he had seen. That proved nothing, though. Josiah had also arrived, and Nathan kept his smirk to himself when he saw Josie Tanner casually sit down between Josiah's knees. Uh-huh. So that was the way the wind was blowing? It seemed likely that Lady Love was shining on more than just one Tanner. However, Nathan knew better than to tease Josiah. Or Josie.

Ezra hadn't arrived yet, much to Nathan's surprise. Chris was sitting in his recliner, with Mary sitting across his legs, and Billy at his feet. Nathan grinned at his three friends, then found Vin reclining on the sofa. He looked tired. Lord, he looked so tired. However, Nate didn't comment on his friend's obvious exhaustion. With all the nursemaids in the house, Vin didn't need another ... anymore than Nathan needed a broken jaw for calling Chris Larabee a nursemaid. Instead, he reached down and squeezed Vin's shoulder. His reward was a wry smile.

Rain leaned over to kiss his forehead, murmuring something not meant for Nathan to hear. Vin's smile broadened. Rain said more clearly, "Where are the ladies? Your aunt opened the door for us, and I can see Mary, but where are your sisters and Adriana?" A sudden thud from the kitchen got everyone's attention. Well, that answered that. A half-second later, female laughter rang out as three very ... white ... young women emerged from the kitchen.

"Carly, you didn't let Lizzie near the flour, did you? I told you about that!" Josie scolded, getting to her feet once again. Nathan barely held back his own laughter. Adriana, Lizzie, and Carly were all covered head to toe in flour. Lizzie barely looked like she was holding back tears, while Adriana was biting hard on a part of her lower lip that wasn't covered in flour. Her eyes were crinkling, and Nate could tell she was having a hard time not laughing.

"No, Aunt Josie, I didn't. Lizzie was helping Drina. I'm the one who opened the flour all over the three of us. It would help, though, if Chris bought smaller bags of flour, like normal people," Carly replied, scowling at her brother. At this description of Chris ... calling him 'normal' under any circumstances ... Adriana shut her eyes tight. Carly ignored her and continued, "Lizzie, hon, why don't you go get changed ... and if JD gives you a hard time, push him into the shower. With his clothes on."

"JD's in the bathroom right now, remember? Lizzie, let's go into the one just off Vin's bedroom. After JD's spent the time he has in there, I don't think the air will be breathable. Especially not with his eating habits," Adriana observed. Buck started to sputter, and his sister continued calmly, "C'mon, Bucklin ... first, I know JD. The kid is a human garbage disposal. I've seen what he puts on his pizzas, and I know what twenty-two year old males are like."

Now Nathan was finding it harder and harder not to laugh. Adriana wasn't the only one who had seen what JD put on his pizzas ... what he ate. It was nice to know he wasn't the only one who cringed. He cringed again when Buck turned his head to look at Vin, an evil grin appearing, and said, "Vin! Never would have thought it of you, son!" Vin glared at him, but the smile now twitching on Adriana's face told Nathan the truth.

Still, he kept his mouth shut, as Adriana replied sweetly, "I wasn't talking about Vin, Bucklin, I was talking about you." There was a moment of stunned silence, then Chris burst out laughing. Chris Larabee. If Nathan hadn't seen it for himself, he never would have believed it. The man was laughing so hard, he was almost shaking Mary out of his lap. Billy turned around, his blue eyes wide with awe.

"She got ya there, Bucklin," Vin rasped, his glare giving way to a mischievous smirk, as the flour-covered archaeologist led the now-smiling Lizzie from the room. Chris was still laughing helplessly, and Mary was having a hard time keeping a straight face herself. Josiah wasn't even trying. Vin continued, that smirk firmly in place, "But I gotta thank ya, Bucklin, for makin' m' little sister feel better."

Buck was still staring at the space where his sister had been standing only a few minutes earlier, his mouth working. In the three years he had known Buck Wilmington, it was the first time Nathan could ever remember seeing him speechless. It didn't last long. A half second after Adriana departed with Lizzie, Buck was on his feet, bellowing, "Adriana Kathleen Anne Wilmington, I'm comin' for you!"

He stormed out of the room, and those in the living room heard Adriana and Lizzie giggling in the bathroom. Vin rasped, "Betcha she thought to lock the door behind her." Nathan had no intention of betting against Vin this time around. Adriana didn't always think things through, especially when she was mad, but she had known exactly what she was saying, and exactly what she was doing this time. JD arrived in the living room, just as Buck began hammering on the door to Vin's bathroom. He looked around at the others in the room, all laughing, and shook his head. However, he said nothing. The glass door to the patio slid open, and Ezra slipped inside. Which meant everyone was accounted for.

"Now that is one bet, my friend, which I would not hesitate to take ... if we were speaking of your sister. However, we are not," Ezra said as he came in from the back porch. He smiled and nodded to Nathan and Rain, adding as Buck pounded on the door, yelling his sister's name, and demanding that she open up, "Delightful. Colonel, perhaps you'd like to remind the major that he has to pay for any damages to your property?"

"Naw, I'll wait until after he breaks down the door, and his little sister kicks his ass out. Did you hear everything outside?" Chris asked, by now recovering enough of his composure to speak without convulsing in laughter. Ezra nodded, a grin appearing, and Chris continued, "She's got his number but good." By now, JD was looking thoroughly confused as he took the seat beside the sofa which Buck had vacated.

Mary took pity on the boy, telling him, "Buck just got a reminder not to underestimate his sister, even when they're getting along." JD blinked, looked at Mary, then at Vin, then at Nathan. The medic barely noticed, since he had realized the pounding had stopped. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He had his answer just a few minutes later, when Buck came stumbling back into the living room.

His face was an odd color, both gray and green at the same time, and he seemed to have a hard time breathing. Adriana and Lizzie, looking more like themselves, appeared behind him, and Adriana asked, "Did you come back in here for a gas mask, brother dear?" Nathan blinked slowly. Well, it would fit ... barely able to breathe. It would also account for the grayish-green tinge to his skin.

"Geezus, kid, what did you eat this afternoon?" Buck finally managed to choke out. He stumbled through the room, as feet were quickly removed from his path, and didn't stop until he reached the glass door through which Ezra had entered only a few minutes earlier. Once outside, Nathan watched in interest as Buck leaned over, hands on his knees, taking several, gulping breaths. Meanwhile, JD had an innocent 'who, me' look on his face.

Part 14

"Don't even try that look with us, kid. We know you're a growing boy, but if Buck's reacting like that ... it's bad," Chris advised. Nathan could only nod, still shaking with suppressed laughter. The evening was off to a good start. He just hoped and prayed that things would continue to go well. Chris said, "JD, move your skinny butt and let Rain sit down. She's pregnant, you know!" Nathan hid a smile. Chris had become almost as protective as Nathan, ever since Nathan had told his friend about his wife's pregnancy.

JD's mouth fell open, then he quickly scooted to one side, allowing Nathan to see the seat Chris meant. There was a space on the end of the sofa where Vin was reclining. Nathan looked over at Chris, who returned the gaze ... with a smirk and a wink. Sneaky. Very sneaky. But Chris knew, just as well as Nathan did, that as another doctor, Rain would be in a good position to help Vin if it became necessary.

Rain sat down, smirking at both Nathan and Chris. She knew, too. Of course she would. She turned to face Vin, her smirk turning into a smile as she gently patted his blanketed feet.

"I'm so glad to see you doing better, Vin. I knew with all the ladies taking care of you, it wouldn't take long. Hi, you must be Vin's aunt Josie. I'm Rain Jackson ... we weren't formally introduced," Rain said. Josie rocked onto her knees and knee-walked over to Rain, shaking her hand warmly. Nathan's wife sat back and continued, "I didn't realize you had become so close to Josiah. I'm glad. He needs a good woman."

There was a moment of dead silence, then a wheezing cough. It wasn't Josie, or Josiah, but Buck, who had returned from the patio ... obviously now able to breathe. The wheezing cough was caused not by the smell in the main bathroom now, but by Buck being bent over, laughing hysterically at Rain's words. Everyone stared at him, then at Josiah. However, it was Buck's younger sister who observed, "Careful, Bucklin ... remember the last time Josiah thought you were making fun of him and his feelings for a woman?"

"Yeah, Buck," Josiah growled, "remember?" Buck manfully swallowed his laughter, his eyes still dancing with mirth. Josiah turned to Josie, who had returned to his side, taking up her previous position between his legs, and said, "I do apologize for some of my companions, Miss Josie. They have no manners." Buck glared at Josiah, but that was ruined when Josie began laughing at the major.

"That's okay, I'm used to far worse. I grew up with two sisters, and we were varying kinds of troublemakers. That sounds like something I would have said, or done, when I was a kid," Vin's aunt replied with an impish grin. Buck grinned back at her, until he realized what she had said, and scowled at her. Josie responded with a saucy look, adding, "If you think that scares me, Major, you're outta your gourd. I've spent the last few days with your colonel, and I was raised by Paris Tanner. And my daddy can out-glare Chris, any day of the week."

"Is anyone else getting the image of Josie's dad and Chris having glaring contests?" JD piped up. Adriana, who had taken up position in front of Vin, leaned over and smacked up alongside his head. JD glared at her, exclaiming, "Hey!" Adriana straightened up, smirking at the young cartographer. JD grumbled, "Sheesh, I take care of her and protect her while we're in the shed, and she does that to me."

"Well, son," Buck retorted, successfully distracted from Josie's subtle insult, "if you had been doing your job, like you were supposed to, then she wouldn't have been locked in that shed, now would she?" JD bristled, even more so because Nathan happened to know that JD had never truly forgive himself for allowing the likes of Dickie O'Shea to get the drop on him. Before he had the chance to calm things down, Chris did it for him.

"That's enough, Buck. The past can't be undone. Little princess, would you please make sure my younger sister isn't making a mess in the kitchen? More of a mess, I mean ... I'll make sure no one takes your seat," the colonel requested. Adriana nodded and rolled to her feet, and Lizzie followed her into the kitchen. Chris continued, "Carly decided that while the spaghetti sauce is thawing, she would make homemade bread, which she would then make into garlic toast." He rolled his eyes, then glared at Mary as she elbowed him in the ribs. Chris added, rubbing the injured area, "Except, of course, it's not turning out that way."

Adriana muttered something under her breath as she passed Nathan. Buck took the seat between his two siblings, turning a brilliant smile toward Vin. That smile always made Nathan nervous. It made him wonder what the major was up to ... and Buck could never convince Nathan that he wasn't up to anything. Not up to anything ... please. Nathan knew better than that. When he wasn't contriving to play a prank on JD, he was up to some mischief.

Vin was evidently thinking the same thing, for he looked at Buck with narrowed eyes and said, "What the hell are ya up ta, Bucklin, and don't be tellin' me nothin,' cause I ain't gonna believe you." Buck's smile turned almost saccharine in its sweetness and Vin cocked his head to one side, as he added, "And now I know yer up to somethin,' ya only save that smile for the ladies. What are ya plannin' on doin,' or do I gotta get Chris after ya?"

"What makes you think Chris isn't in on it with me, assuming I'm up to anything at all?" Buck asked innocently. That innocent expression worked about as well for Buck as it did for JD with this group. Not at all. Nathan hid a smile as Josie Tanner beaned the major with a pillow handed to her by Josiah. The pillow hit Buck square in the face, and for the second time that night, he scowled at her.

However, it wasn't Josie who answered Buck's query, but Rain, who said, "Because I think everyone in this room knows you, Buck." Everyone laughed at that, and Rain winked at Nathan. The medic shook his head, grinning in wonderment. Rain never failed to amaze him. His wife continued, "Besides, I happen to know that Chris has threatened you with dire consequences if you pull any pranks on Vin while he's recovering."

"If my brother pulls any pranks on Vin while he's recovering, then Chris will be the least of his worries," Adriana replied, emerging from the kitchen. She told Chris, "Everything's fine, cowboy ... Carly got the mess cleaned up, and the flour in the bowl where it belongs. No, she didn't recycle any from off the floor, she opened another pack ... using a pair of scissors this time. Lizzie is staying in there to help." Chris nodded his thanks.

Adriana continued as she stepped to Nathan's side, "Trust me on this one, Bucklin. I've seen the Tanner females in action. You do not want to piss them off. Carly is bad enough. Lizzie and Josie are a thousand times worse." As she spoke, she folded her arms over her chest and began tapping her foot. Nathan recognized the posture. It was the position she always took when she was running out of patience.

Of course, her smirk gave her true feelings away, but that wasn't the point. She was hassling her brother, and enjoying every second of it. Buck crossed his eyes at her and stuck out his tongue, reminding Nathan of an overgrown child. Evidently, Adriana agreed, for she said, "Bucklin, you keep crossing your eyes like that, and they'll stay that way. Then how are you gonna get your ladies to even look at you?"

"Same way he does now," JD said, laughing, "using his animal maggotism." Buck lunged for the boy, who dodged out of the way. JD was on his feet immediately, and Ezra slid the glass doors open. The corporal dashed out onto the patio, with Buck in hot pursuit.

Ezra slid the door shut behind them, shaking his head and mouthing, 'children.' There was a knock at the door behind Nathan, and Adriana said, "You stay sitting, Josie, I'm already up." She brushed by Nathan, and she smiled up at him. There was a second, more insistent knock at the door and Adriana muttered under her breath as she reached the door. Nathan winced. He hated it when she swore in other languages.

Mary eased herself from her perch against Chris, allowing the colonel to follow Adriana to the door. Nathan didn't know why. Chris sometimes did that, in case there was someone pushy at the door ... moral support. Or intimidation, depending on the perspective of the person. Adriana opened the door and Nathan half turned as Chris passed him. Over Adriana's shoulder, he saw a petite woman in her sixties. And he heard Chris say, in disbelief, "Mom?"

Nathan turned more fully, as the petite woman in the door said, "Christopher ... and you would have to be Adriana. Your pictures don't do you justice, my dear. We're not interrupting anything, are we? We tried to call you from the hotel room, but the phone didn't seem to want to work." For the first time, Nathan saw there were two people ... the woman and a tall man, with dark hair gone to silver. This, then, could only be Pegeen and Evan Larabee.

Part 15

Pegeen was babbling. She knew she was babbling, but the twin expressions of shock on her son and Adriana Wilmington's faces had made her nervous. The truth was, they had arrived at their hotel about three hours earlier at the end of a very long drive. Evan had insisted on heading to Christopher's home, without warning him. However, while he was in the shower, washing away the grime of their trip, Pegeen had tried to call her son anyhow. Maybe it hadn't been turned on yet in their room, because she quickly grew frustrated with her inability to dial out.

They didn't have a cell phone, either of them. And this was one surprise which Kevin didn't need. Pegeen's head was still spinning. Evan had insisted on confronting his son tonight. Both of them. Of course, she had just called him a coward a few minutes earlier, that might have had something to do with it. However, he was in a foul mood, and she had wanted to wait until the following day. But they would be going to that place, as he called the Air Force Academy, for the Open House. No. It was now or never. And if it was never, that was just fine by him.

Which was why she was now staring at her son, silently pleading with him to forgive her. After a moment, Christopher shook himself and smiled, "Mom! No, please, come in." The young woman backed up, her eyes never leaving Evan. Unless Pegeen was greatly mistaken, there was a warning in her expression. Herself a mother, Pegeen called that look 'lioness protecting her cubs.' She smiled to herself as her son took her hand and led her into the house.

He said, "I want you to meet my team ... well, except for Buck and JD. They're outside, chasing each other around the yard. You've met Adriana ... and how did you know that was her? What pictures did you mean? Uhm ... that's Nathan, standing beside her. Ezra in the corner by the door. That's Mary and Billy Travis ... beside them, Josiah Sanchez and Josie Tanner." Pegeen looked at the woman sitting on the floor, between the legs of the man. Josie Tanner. She was in her mid-forties, attractive. This was the woman who had sent her the pictures.

Christopher continued, "Nathan's wife Rain is on the sofa ... and beside her is Vin." Pegeen moved out from behind her son, to get a better look. His pictures didn't do him justice, either. He was looking at her, a wary expression in his bright blue eyes. If he had been capable of it, if he hadn't been hurt so badly, Pegeen had no doubt that he would have put more distance between them. Pegeen didn't know if it was because of who she was ... or of Kevin's own past.

She stepped closer, to reassure him that she would never hurt him, when Buck Wilmington came barreling back into the house, a young man hot on his heels. This would have to be JD Dunne. It could be no other. Buck skidded to a stop, his eyes widening as he looked at Pegeen, and the beginnings of his brilliant smile began to appear. That was when Evan interfered. Damn him for his big mouth.

"So you're that little tramp's kid," he said, stepping closer to Vin. Buck's eyes flared, then, as one, both he and his sister stepped in front of Kevin protectively. Closing ranks. Josie Tanner was on her feet immediately, though Pegeen had the sense it was more because of the insult to her nephew than the insult to her sister. Behind her, Pegeen heard her son growling in mute frustration.

"Lemme up, Bucklin. I wanna face him," Kevin said hoarsely. Buck's eyes flickered to Chris, then he looked at his sister. Adriana was already turning her back on Evan, a contemptuous look telling everyone in the room what she thought of Pegeen's husband. Between the two Wilmington siblings, plus JD Dunne, they were able to get Kevin to his feet. He gave a low groan of pain, and Buck kept a gentle, but firm arm around his hips, while JD kept another arm around Kevin's shoulders.

The young man was now staring steadily at Evan around the ferocious young lioness in front of him. He said in a voice made raspy with pain, "I'm Julia Tanner's boy. Reckon I'll thank ya for not talkin' about my ma that way." He swallowed hard, then added, "I'm only gonna say this once. Still ain't feelin' real good. But Julia Tanner was the only ma I ever knew, the only one who ever mattered to me. And if that's the way yer gonna talk 'bout her, reckon I don't much want ya for a pa, any more 'n ya want me for yer son."

"Ooh! Slam dunk, big brother!" a voice exclaimed from behind Pegeen, and she turned to face the newcomer. It was a young girl, a little younger than JD Dunne. She had golden hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and bright blue eyes. She also had several patches of white flour on her pretty face, and Pegeen smiled. The girl continued, "And before you say it, Mother ... I'm not gonna apologize. He opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it. All the way up to his knee." Mother? Pegeen looked around in confusion, then saw the resignation in Josie Tanner's brown eyes.

"Oh yeah, she's half-Tanner, half-Larabee, and all trouble," JD muttered. Half-Larabee? This girl was Evan's daughter? She turned back to face her husband ... she had known about Kevin and Caroline ... but they were twenty-seven, and this girl was no more than nineteen or twenty, if that. Pegeen heard a roaring in her ears. Twice. It hadn't just happened once, but twice. He had lied to her. Again.

"Pegeen ... I can explain, dear," Evan began, pulling away from Pegeen. She was sure there was murder in her eyes, because that was how she felt right now. Like murdering him. Chopping him into little pieces, then feeding them to the sharks. She would kill him! Here she had been starting to feel guilty about pushing the confrontation with Christopher and Kevin, and he had lied to her. Again!

"Uh-oh ... uhm ... big bro? You and your shadow might want to take Vin into the other room, I have a bad feeling about what's about to happen here," Adriana said, turning to her brother. Pegeen was only vaguely aware of Buck's assent as he carefully scooped Kevin into his arms, as if Pegeen's new son was the same age as young Billy Travis. Kevin gave a guttural sound of pain ... neither a moan nor a groan, not a whimper or a cry. All of them and none of them. Pegeen gently patted Kevin's knee as Buck carried him past.

However, her entire focus was on her husband. She had known that Kevin and Caroline had another sister. Lizzie. But she hadn't ... she had never known that Elizabeth was Evan's daughter as well. And Christopher had never said anything to her ... no. Of course he wouldn't. When Evan had left them, twenty-eight years earlier, Christopher had taken his role as man of the house very seriously ... and that inclination to protect her had never really gone away.

And it wasn't for Christopher to tell her ... she was his mother, for God's sake! He wasn't supposed to have to tell her such things! No. There was only one person responsible for this latest lie. She hissed, "How many times? How many times, Evan? How many times did you sleep with her? How many times did you lie to me?" She was vaguely aware that this was a conversation they should be having in private.

No. No more secrets, no more lies, no more hiding. Christopher had said that these men were like his brothers. They were family. Evan wouldn't look at her, just kept muttering that they had to discuss this in private, instead of with strangers around. Pegeen wasn't buying that. She snarled, "Strangers? I don't think so! Everyone's family here, Evan, thanks to your trysts with Jessica Tanner! Now tell me, damn you! How many times?"

"Just those two times ... it was a mistake, both of them, Pegeen! I never loved her, she never meant anything to me. We talked about this, when I told you," Evan pleaded. Pegeen was staring at her husband, so she couldn't see the face of Elizabeth Tanner. But she did hear the girl's soft gasp. She wasn't as immune as she thought. Poor child. To be nineteen, and think you had successfully protected yourself. Only to find out you were more vulnerable than you realized.

With a start, Pegeen realized she was talking about herself as well. She turned away from her husband abruptly, not wanting to look at him any longer.

She found herself face to face with Elizabeth Tanner once more. Christopher said very quietly, "Mom, may I introduce you to Miss Elizabeth Madeline Tanner ... my youngest sister?" Pegeen stared at the girl ... Elizabeth had blue eyes, like Kevin, but in every other way, it was like looking at a nineteen year old version of herself. Those bright eyes were now glimmering with tears. No matter what she said, her father had rejected her twice. It had to hurt.

Pegeen reached out and touched the girl's cheek, whispering, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth Madeline. You already have a wonderful mother ... may I be your aunt, then?" She saw shock taking the place of the hurt in the girl's eyes, and a moment after that, Elizabeth nodded with a slow, wondering smile. Pegeen enveloped her in a fierce hug. Yes, Elizabeth already had a mother ... but as of this moment, Pegeen had chosen Elizabeth as her daughter.

Part 16

Evan Larabee was a dead man. That was all there was to it. Buck was going to kill him. Assuming, of course, there was anything of him left after Pegeen was finished. And Chris, for that matter. Only Evan Larabee would have the gall to shoot off his mouth like that. Although, Buck had to admit, Vin had done good. Real good. Buck had been real proud of him. And even before his sister had said something, Buck was already figuring a way to get Vin out of there. She just moved faster than he did.

Behind him, they could still hear the argument between the two elder Larabees as Buck gently lay Vin down on his bed. Adriana had followed him and JD into the bedroom, and she immediately went into the bathroom with the ever-present cup. Pain pills. JD moved around behind Buck, to put the pillows against the headboard, allowing Vin to recline. He stepped back, and Buck eased Vin back against the pillows.

The guide was having a terrible time, trying to breathe, but he wasn't hyperventilating. JD circled around Buck again, to sit on the foot of the bed. His hazel eyes shot fire. It was a good thing JD had come with him. The boy didn't always think before he spoke, and right now, the situation in the living room had the potential to be as disastrous as a forest fire after months without rain. JD's words could easily be the spark which set the blaze off.

"Bucklin, I just realized Vin's running out of his pain medication. I'll run to the pharmacy and have it refilled. Would you tell Chris where I'm going?" Adriana asked quietly, holding up the nearly-empty pill bottle in her free hand. She handed the glass of water to JD, allowing her to slip the bottle in her jeans pocket. Buck nodded, and Adriana looked from him, to Vin, to JD, then said, "You know, JD, why don't you come with me? You were with Chris when he originally had the prescription filled ... they don't give these prescriptions out to just anyone."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Go ahead, kid, I can take care of Vin," Buck said. JD looked reluctant, but nodded. He didn't want to leave Vin, but the situation in the living room was still volatile. Buck couldn't get Chris out of this, but he could protect Vin, Adriana, and JD. He thought of one other whom he could protect, and said thoughtfully, "Why don't you take Lizzie with you, too, DeeDee?" His sister nodded, obviously understanding what he had in mind.

"Sounds like a plan to me. Back soon ... and yes, I'll drive careful," she replied, slipping to the bed to lightly kiss Vin. Buck watched with a combination of amusement and affection. She whispered, "I love you." Then she left the room, JD trailing on her heels. Buck turned back to Vin, eyeing the young guide with concern. In the living room, he heard his sister call for Lizzie, explaining that she and JD were going to get Vin's prescription refilled.

Buck tuned out that conversation, not at all convinced that the storm had passed, and instead concentrated on his friend. He said quietly, "You look like hell, Vin. Not supposed to be an insult ... just a statement of fact. I know you've been getting some beauty sleep, but quite frankly, it ain't done much for your appearance. It's just us now. And I know I ain't Chris, but I still see you as a little brother, just as much as JD. Talk to me."

"Nothin' to say. I ain't stupid ... I know I gotta take it easy, so I can get better. Right now, it feels like I'm gonna be hurtin' this way forever, and forever this weak. That ain't acceptable. Y'all need me to be strong again," Vin replied flatly. Buck sighed and sat forward. He didn't know if Chris had this conversation with Vin yet ... probably not. Both brothers had been struggling with the revelations, and working their way to a new relationship between them.

"That ain't what I'm talkin' about, Vin, and I think you know that. Now, normally, I'd leave this sort of thing to the ladies. They're better at it. But this is killing you inside, and I ain't gonna stand by and watch that happen," Buck answered. Vin looked away, and Buck said quietly, "You tell me that you ain't mad. That the last two weeks, you ain't wanted to scream and kick things, and just let it all go. You tell me that you don't want to rip off Evan Larabee's face, that you don't want to beat the living shit out of him."

"Course I do, Bucklin! Y'all are always goin' on 'bout how patient I am, but I ain't no goddamn saint! Just looking at that asshole makes me sick! But I done told ya, I ain't stupid, neither! Ya know what would happen, if I done anythin' 'bout how mad I am? I wouldn't never get better! I cain't even laugh without feelin' like a bomb's done gone off inside a' me!" Vin hissed, his blue eyes filled with rage Buck knew he had to be feeling.

He slumped back against the pillows, whispering, "I cain't even hold my Drina. I cain't do a goddamn thin,' and it pisses me off! I cain't do nothin,' Bucklin! I can watch out for Chris, but I cain't do nothin' about anybody who attacks him. I got two sisters, and I cain't do nothin' to look out for them! Chris done told me that a big brother's job is to protect, and I cain't do that right now!" Buck put a gentle hand on Vin's shoulder.

For a moment, he wished Josiah was in here, since the anthropologist seemed so much wiser so often ... but Josiah was needed in the other room. And Buck couldn't let Vin down.

He said softly, "I know, Vin. I know how frustrated you are ... and I know being this helpless is killing you. You can't do anything about the things that make you so angry. All of this was set into motion twenty-eight years ago, before you were even born. All three ... no, all four of you ... are angry, and you've got every right to be. You had your family taken away from you. But Carly, Chris, and Lizzie, they all have ways of dealing with the rage. You're hurt, and all you can do is lay here, and that makes you even madder."

Vin nodded, looking exhausted, and Buck continued, "You and Chris ain't that different. Neither of you say more than three words a day. But kid, this is one time, you gotta talk. There is no other way around this. We damn near lost you once. If you think we ... any of us ... are gonna give up you without a fight, you best think again. Talk to me, Vin. Tell me exactly what you want to do to Evan Larabee, tell me exactly how much you hate Jessica."

"I cain't do that," came the anguished reply, "I come from them, Bucklin, doncha understand that? Julia Tanner's my ma, and she always will be. The only ma who matters, but I come from Jessica and Evan. Doncha understand that? I cain't hate them, cause I come from 'em, and it's like hatin' myself!" Of course. Buck should have understood that, given his own relationship with his father.

The difference was, Buck's father had given him more reasons to hate him as the years passed, more than just his abandonment of his mother. The revelation of what their father had done to Adriana. That was the main impetus for his hatred of his father. Vin, however, didn't have that. His father was weak ... not evil. And Buck firmly believed that his own father was evil. However ... he and Adriana were not evil. They had become protectors, in their own ways.

That was the key. He said softly, "You may have come from them ... and I won't deny that Jessica gave birth to you. But you became more, Vin, just as Chris did, just as Carly did. Just as Adriana and I became more than our father could ever hope to be. Don't you understand? They only planted the seed, but you became your own man. You became a man that anyone with sense would want to call his son. You don't believe me, then you ask General Travis, or General Hammond ... hell, ask Josiah!"

Vin smiled, ever so faintly at that. Buck said, "There's one other thing you gotta know, kid. You ain't never gonna be alone again. Never. You got Chris, and your sisters, you got your aunt Josie, you got DeeDee, and you got all of us. That ain't never gonna change. You can't get rid of us, Tanner. Got that?" Vin nodded, that small smile widening. Not a great deal, but enough to relieve Buck's worry.

Not that it had been totally chased away. Vin hadn't growled at him for calling him 'kid,' a term which didn't really apply to him, not at twenty-seven. Still, it was sort of justified, since he was several years younger than Buck and Chris. However, the young man alleviated that concern a moment later when he asked slowly, "Bucklin? How the hell did ya get from the bathroom in here, to the other one?" Huh? What the hell was he talking about, and where the hell had that come from? It took a few minutes for Buck to figure out what Vin meant. The bathroom where JD had been busy polluting the air.

"Well, you see, it's like this. I knew that there was a key to the bathroom door, and that would be something my sister wouldn't expect. The key is down the hall, and I figured I would get it, and come back. Except ... it didn't quite happen like that," Buck replied. Vin was struggling not to laugh, his bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief, and Buck added with a shrug, "That was just plain *bad.* No wonder Adriana didn't want to go down that way."

"Yup, Miss Drina usually has reasons for what she does," Vin answered wryly, "whether we understand 'em or not is somethin' else." He closed his eyes and whispered, "Damn, I'm tired. Do nothin' but sleep, and I'm still tired." Buck didn't answer at first. He knew that the pain was taking its toll on his friend ... just as the emotional confrontation a few minutes earlier had exhausted him.

"Then go to sleep, pard ... I've got your back," Buck told the guide. Vin just nodded, closing his eyes. Buck put his hand on Vin's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. Within moments, the guide was asleep, and Buck eased his own weight from the bed and into a chair. However long it was necessary, he would stay here. Chris was dealing with an emotional storm of his own, but Buck knew his longtime friend well enough to know that Chris wanted him to stay with Vin. And it would take an earthquake to move him now.

Part 17

The three youngest members of the gathering at the Larabee house escaped to the driveway without much incident. Lizzie Tanner jumped into the back of Adriana's Tracker, shivering slightly. Things had gotten even more unpleasant after Pegeen Larabee had claimed her as her niece. Not because Lizzie's mother objected. If anything, Josie Tanner and Pegeen Larabee seemed to form some kind of an alliance. No, the unpleasantness had come from Evan Larabee.

As Adriana warmed up her vehicle, and she bantered lightly with JD, Lizzie thought back to the confrontation which followed the first. Buck, JD, and Adriana had been seeing to Vin, and the three Tanner females had quickly embraced Pegeen Larabee. The rest of Chris and Vin's friends had welcomed the woman as well. Pegeen had wanted to know everything. She wanted to know about Mary and Billy, she wanted to know about Nathan and Rain.

She had been surprised to learn that Lizzie's mother had only just started seeing Josiah Sanchez recently. They seemed so at ease with each other. Did Caroline have a young man? Oh, she preferred to be called 'Carly,' well, Pegeen would try to remember that. She had no young man? Why not? She was beautiful and smart, warm and funny ... what was wrong with the young men around here? Lizzie had laughed at her sister's response ... the only good ones she had found were taken or members of her own family.

Just as 'Caroline' had given way to 'Carly,' 'Elizabeth' very shortly gave way to 'Liz.' Lizzie sounded like a little girl ... either that, or frizzy. Since the youngest Tanner had often been called Frizzy Lizzie when she was growin up, she was very happy to be called 'Liz,' instead. The truth was, there weren't a lot of decent nicknames for 'Elizabeth,' none that she was particularly fond of at least.

Her biological father had been shut out of that circle, as Elizabeth Tanner had come to think of her brothers' friends. They were really a family, when she stopped and thought of it. They teased each other unmercifully, but let an outsider mess with one of theirs, then his days were numbered. Evan Larabee had been marked quite clearly as an outsider, as soon as he had attacked Vin.

He was further excluded after the confrontation between him and his wife. How had they stayed together so long, when he treated her like she was stupid? It occurred to the young girl that over the last few days, she had received an education about the opposite sex. There were the good ones, like her brothers and their friends ... and then there were the ones, like her biological father. The sperm donor, as she had taken to calling him in her mind.

She had never really thought about her mother never marrying. Josephine Tanner had devoted herself to raising Lizzie and trying to find her nephew, after Eli Joe had murdered Jess Kincaid. Lizzie had been fourteen when her mother learned of Vin's disappearance ... it was the first time she saw her mother lose control of her emotions, and it had scared her to death. That was also the day she had learned most of the truth about her family. The parts which her mother had known, at least.

Lizzie wished now that she had never found out that Evan Larabee was her father. She wished that she didn't have any part of him in her. He had started in on Chris, after a lull in the conversation. Chris had been repeating the story about how he had first met Vin, three years earlier. Lizzie had been enraptured, having never heard the story before. She was sure her mother had heard the story, but Mom had listened intently.

You would have thought that Evan Larabee would be proud to have two sons who wouldn't allow injustice to take place. Those bigots could have killed Nathan! All because he was trying to comfort his friend! Dumbest thing Lizzie had ever heard of. Until Evan began criticizing them. Surely a bar fight hadn't been necessary ... if they had really wanted to, they could have talked some sense into the gentlemen. Violence and fighting was never the answer. Sheesh. He sounded like that idiot Relena on Gundam Wing.

Lizzie had seen the rising fury in Nathan's eyes at this comment. She couldn't blame him. Nathan had been there ... the sperm donor hadn't. Well, for that matter, neither had Lizzie, but that was beside the point. And Chris was outright fuming. However, it was Ezra who replied coldly, "I assure you, suh, that if it had been possible for Chris and Vin to extricate Nathan from danger without any punches being thrown, they would have done so. However. It is customary to defend yourself when someone attacks you. Perhaps things are done in the academic world, and it's customary there to allow yourself to be beat to a bloody pulp?"

Ezra rocks. That was the first thing which Lizzie had thought. The second thought was what came out of her mouth. She said brightly, "Nope, Ez, that's not the way we do things at college. First off, on my campus, the first time someone messed with Nathan, they would have had half the football team breathing down his neck. And when Mary got shoved, the entire football team would have taught him how to treat a lady. It wouldn't have been necessary for Chris or Vin to get involved. I think it's really cool. I'm really proud of you both."

"How very civilized. Using your fists instead of talking it out," sniffed the sperm donor. He added a few uncomplimentary comments about the military under his breath. Lizzie glared at him. Never mind that her mother was out of the military by the time Lizzie became her daughter, the youngest Tanner still saw herself as a military brat. Her college roommate, herself a military brat for most of her nineteen years, had put it this way. The military was a family, for all its rivalries between the various branches. And you didn't screw with family.

"That's fine, Mr. Larabee, if the other party is willing to listen to reason. However, in my years as a journalist, I've come across far too many times when the other party is not willing to listen to reason. We tried to employ reason. They wouldn't listen. They didn't leave either of your sons any other option," Mary Travis said quietly. Lizzie looked at the blonde reporter. She liked Mary. She hadn't been too sure about her at first, but after a while ... well, Mary obviously loved both of Lizzie's brothers, though in different ways.

"Humph. I really expected better of you, Mrs. Travis, as a mother. You are the giver of life, not the taker. It is your duty to raise your son to be a peaceful, reasonable man," came the response. Wrong answer. Fury leapt into the green eyes of the woman. And Mom, who had been bristling, simply smiled and sat back. She winked first at Lizzie, then at Pegeen, who was showing every indication of losing what little control she had left.

"That, Mr. Larabee, is where you are mistaken. I am a mother. And as a mother, I will do anything to ensure my son's safety. Anything. If that means taking up arms, if that means killing, if that means dying to save him, then so ... be ... it. I have already taken one life, to protect my child, as well as yours. And I am raising Billy to be a peaceful, reasonable man. Yes. But I am also raising him to be a survivor, forget that silly television show. And one of the rules of survival, is knowing what to do when the other person will not be reasonable," Mary fired back.

"Absolutely right, my dear," Pegeen had said serenely, "I would kill for Christopher, for his brother and sisters. I am opposed to war, as I'm sure you and Christopher are, but sadly, there are times when there is no other choice. You were born what, thirty years after Pearl Harbor? I was a child during the Second World War. My father helped to free those who survived the concentration camps. He never forgot it. And I never forgot what that sight did to him."

"You never told me that, Mom. I knew Grandpa served in the war, but I never knew about that. That explained why he reacted to the Klan rallies," Chris had said wonderingly, and Pegeen nodded. Chris continued, "I was thinking about him, just before my eyes met Vin in the bar. He used to tell me what an education he got in the Army. I never realized just what kind of an education he meant."

"He didn't want you to understand, Christopher. He never wanted you to understand anything that horrible. Unfortunately ... you found out anyhow. In any event, Mary ... you are exactly right. I admit, I had my misgivings about you ... about all the ladies. But from what I've seen today, I would be proud to call each of you my daughter," Pegeen had replied, and Lizzie grinned to herself, remembering the reactions of the others.

"Wanna share the joke with us?" JD asked, bringing her back to the present, and her current companions. They had just reached the drugstore and Adriana had eased her Tracker to a halt. She named her car, wasn't that funny? And the name she had chosen for it was even funnier. Bright Eyes. Lizzie thought that was cute, and there was probably a story behind it. She shook her head, responding to JD's query, and he just growled at her.

That started another round of Lizzie teasing JD, JD growling at her, and Adriana just watching in amusement as they headed into the drugstore. Lizzie always enjoyed teasing JD. He was fun, because he let her get to him. It wasn't nearly as much fun to tease Chris most of the time, because he could brush her teasing off. JD, on the other hand ... Lizzie was struggling not to laugh at JD's indignant tone when she called him an 'owie magnet,' again, when Adriana growled, "Aw hell!"

She was used to her eldest brother and JD growling. She had never heard Adriana snarl like that, though. And she had never heard Adriana use Vin's favorite expletive. However, as she stopped teasing JD and followed Adriana's gaze, she understood her older friend's chagrin. Standing at the window of the pharmacy was none other than Jessica Tanner. Could this night possibly get any worse?

Part 18

There was no reason for her to stay in Colorado ... she should go back to Chicago, back to her husband. David hadn't urged her to return, but she wanted to go home, nonetheless. Didn't want to stay in this place, didn't want to make things right with her sister and her children. But that was what David wanted her to do. He had said it was time to stop running from her past, and face her mistakes.

She had married David Tucker when she was twenty-eight years old, only a year older than her twins. He had known from the beginning that Carly was her daughter, and he had quietly adopted her. But he hadn't know about Kevin, or about Lizzie. Not until she finally broke down and told him, weeks earlier. Before her trip to Texas, before her attempt to keep Carly from telling her brother the truth backfired so terribly.

David wanted Jessica to make things right with her son. He didn't accept her refrain that she hadn't done anything wrong, that Kevin was now someone else's responsibility. He had just looked at her, with disappointed gray eyes, and murmured that he had expected better of her. That had hurt more than her daughter's coldness, her sister's words. It hurt, because she had never seen that look in David's eyes.

She couldn't go home yet, that was why she was still here. She couldn't face the disappointment she knew she would find when David learned that things had been left undone with her children, all three of them. And yet, at the same time, Jessica recognized that they weren't her children. She had given birth to them, but they had become their own selves. Helped along by both of her sisters, and her parents. Helped along by David. Maybe that was why the estrangement with Carly was so difficult, because she had been in Jessica's life for so many years. She felt a bond with Carly that was absent with the other two.

None of which explained why Jessica was in this pharmacy at eight pm, instead of back at her hotel room. She had started driving around town, and recognized this as the pharmacy which had filled the prescription for her son's pain pills. She had stopped, telling herself that she would just grab a coke and a magazine or book. It was empty for a Friday night, and before long, she found herself engaged in a conversation with the assistant pharmacist.

The young man said, interrupting their conversation as the door opened, "Oh, great ... here comes trouble. Well, at least they didn't bring the colonel from hell this time." Jessica glanced over her shoulder, and was greeted with a very unpleasant shock. Her youngest daughter, accompanied by that little vixen, Carly's former roommate and Kevin's new girlfriend, as well as that bratty corporal.

The trio didn't seem especially pleased to see her, either, but Dr. Wilmington strode up to the window with a pleasant smile for the young man. She said, "Hi, I'm Dr. Adriana Wilmington, refilling a prescription for Vin Tanner. His older brother Chris Larabee sent this note along for verification purposes." She studiously ignored Jessica. Which was just fine with her, after the tongue lashing she had received from the girl.

"Oh, that was his brother. No wonder he was growling at me. Sorry, ma'am ... it shouldn't take me long to fill this, we're not real busy tonight," the boy replied and returned to his job. Dr. Wilmington turned away, engaging her two companions in a conversation. Was that flour which Jessica saw on her youngest daughter's face? Did she even want to ask? She and her mother had taught Carly to cook when Carly was about ten.

And that awakened long-forgotten memories. Her mother's kitchen when she was a little girl, with her two sisters. Her first memory of baking came from ... now, how old had she been? Four? Five? That sounded about right. Julia was about nine or ten, Josie was about seven, so that meant that Jessica had been five. It was Christmas time, and they were making gingerbread for a gingerbread house.

Five years old. The same age Kevin had been when Julia died. Julia had always been the maternal one, especially as they all grew up. She was the one who had often dried Jessica's tears, and it was to Julia whom Jessica had gone when she realized that she was pregnant with the twins. Had she really given up her dreams, to take Kevin? Jessica had never really thought about it, never really considered that Julia had her dreams.

And now that she was thinking about it, she felt sick. She was forty-three, and she had never once thought about what her sister had sacrificed for her. She had loved Kevin, yes, that had never been an issue. But could Jessica have found another way? No ... no, she had done the best she could. She had never been meant to be a mother. That was why she had given up Kevin and Elizabeth. And Carly ...

Carly hated her. Just as the girl now paying for the refill for Kevin's pain pills hated her. Jessica tried to tell herself that it didn't matter, and even if it did matter that Adriana Wilmington hated her, she wasn't fond of the archaeologist, either.

She had never found herself pregnant at sixteen, never given birth to children. She didn't know the first thing about Jessica or her life. No, came that annoying voice from the back of her mind, but she does know a few things about being abandoned. That's why she hates you. Because she was abandoned, and she would have done whatever she had to, for her child. No matter how old she had been.

And that was it, wasn't it? Jessica couldn't go home, not until she worked things out with her children. She couldn't work things out with her children, because all three of them hated her. Besides, she knew better than to think Chris Larabee would allow her anywhere near Kevin. And so, as the three young people left the pharmacy, Jessica Tanner realized something that took her breath away. She might never be able to return home to Chicago.

Part 19

Adriana was more than a little surprised when she and her two companions exited the pharmacy without incident. She had felt Jessica Tanner's eyes burning into her back while she was patiently waiting for Vin's pills. The woman was still probably angry with Adriana for tearing a strip out of her hide. Too damn bad. Adriana wasn't about to apologize to her. Jessica Tanner meant nothing to her. But two of the people whom she had hurt meant everything to her.

She had been ... furious wasn't exactly the word for how she had felt when she learned that Carly was Vin's sister. His twin sister, more to the point. Shocked. Hurt. Betrayed. She understood why Carly had kept that secret, just as she had understood, sort of, why Will had done the things he had to protect Charlotte and Tansy. In Carly's case, Adriana had still been healing from the turmoil of the situation first with Will and Charlotte (the first time), and then the one with Claire.

Maybe that was why she had found it easier to forgive Carly, than Will, after the truth had come out. Because, as it had been pointed out, it shouldn't have been Carly's responsibility to tell Vin the truth. Whereas, it had been Will's responsibility to tell them, especially after the sabotage had begun. By keeping silent, he had put all of their lives in danger. The same wasn't true of Carly. If she had told Vin, that would have opened up a Pandora's box. He would have had questions that she couldn't answer, that no nineteen year old kid could answer. So yes, she could understand, she could forgive Carly.

And looking at her friend now, side by side with Carly's brother in her mind's eye, she could see the similarities. The line of her jaw, the bright blue eyes. Carly's hair was considerably paler than Vin's ... a pale blonde, compared Vin's light brown hair. But yes, there were similarities. Her reverie was broken on the walk back to the Tracker, when Lizzie said hesitantly, "Uhm, Drina, there's something I wanted to ask you, but I didn't know if I should."

Adriana looked at the girl, who continued, "It was something that Carly said, while it was just her and me in the kitchen. About the sperm donor. And how you learned to ignore him, or people like him. Have you known people like him before? I mean, it kinda makes sense, that you would meet a lot of different people, cause you've traveled so much. Mom and I always lived in the same place in Texas, and there were a lot of ex-military there."

"So, until you found out about your biological father, you hadn't really met anyone who was anti-military," Adriana observed and Lizzie nodded. The archaeologist unlocked the doors for her two companions, trying to figure out how to answer the girl. The truth was, since she had grown up near (relatively speaking) the Air Force Academy, the military had always been part of her life, even before she found out that she had an older brother.

True, she had only been seven years old, just a little younger than Billy, when she met her brother, and her early childhood memories were vague at best. But it seemed to her, looking back, that there had never been a time when there hadn't been the military around her. She said slowly, "It seems to me that a lot of civilians are afraid of us. Especially the civilians in Hollywood. And yes, I know, technically, I'm a civilian, but I don't consider myself a civilian. We frighten them, because they don't understand us. And what people don't understand, they fear or they hate."

"Gargoyles," Lizzie said promptly. Adriana blinked. Come again? Lizzie continued, "Gargoyles, the cartoon. My roomie got me hooked on it, and sometimes I watch it with Vin. That's something the gargoyle leader, Goliath, says. What people fear, or don't understand, they try to destroy. But the gargoyles, Goliath's clan, still protect people, even when they try to destroy them. Same is true of the military, at least ours."

"That's a pretty good analogy ... that's the function of our military. To protect and defend the United States. When I was in Germany, I met another American, a woman who is a few years older than I am. She was a military brat, whose father served during Vietnam. He didn't serve in 'Nam, but he served during that time. What she had to say, really opened my eyes. A lot of things I didn't know," Adriana replied.

She paused, then continued, "You asked about Evan. And yes, I've known men, and women, like him. What makes him so repugnant to me, aside from the way he's treated the three of you, is his inability to look past himself. His inability to acknowledge that someone else's opposing opinion has just as much validity. And believe it or not, some of the people who share his opinion aren't like that. I've met some who understand that people have different life experiences, experiences which shape their perspective. They're still anti-military, but they don't try to shove it down other people's throats."

"He's like Conklin. I've been trying to figure out who he reminds me of, and he reminds me of Dr. Conklin," JD said from beside Adriana, snapping his fingers. Adriana started the car, thinking over what JD had just said. Yeah, now that she thought of it, he had a point. The major difference being, Evan Larabee wouldn't be caught dead in the SGC, for any reason. JD continued for Lizzie's benefit, "Dr. Conklin is a guy who works on our project. Real asshole. He kept trying to get Vin kicked off the project."

"I heard about him. So, what you're saying is, you can handle his opinion ... it's just that because he won't admit anyone else might be right, that's the trouble? Aside from the fact that he's just a sperm donor, and not a father?" Lizzie asked. The archaeologist nodded, flicking on her headlights and glanced at her two companions, to make sure they were both buckled up. It was one of the few rules she had while driving ... her passengers had to buckle up, there was no smoking or drinking. She was no fun, she had been told several times. Point being?

She discovered that Lizzie was, JD wasn't ... she glared at the young corporal meaningfully, her eyes flickering between his face and the buckle. Even in the dim light provided by the street lamp, Adriana could see JD flushing. However, he buckled up and Adriana started the engine, saying, "Yeah, that's what it comes down to. He thinks his own opinion is the only valid one, that anyone who thinks anything different is wrong-headed or evil."

A snort from the back seat told Adriana exactly what Lizzie thought of that. JD said into the silence that followed, "So he's never really grown up. I mean, when I was younger, I saw everything in absolutes. Hell, it's still hard for me not to see things like that. But that's it, isn't it?" Adriana shrugged. She didn't know. It wasn't a bad theory, but she wasn't a psychologist. She didn't see how someone could live for so many years, and not grow up.

"You know, my mom told me something once. That people grow up because they have to. You had to, because your dad was such a bastard, Drina. Vin had to, because there was no one else. And Chris did because the sperm donor walked out on him and Pegeen when Chris was a kid," Lizzie said thoughtfully. Adriana couldn't argue with her logic, and the girl continued, "So, I wonder if he was never forced to grow up."

"Uhm, there's one problem with that. I could see that today, if he was the same age as Chris and Buck. But he's not. I don't know enough about that family. Pegeen is sixty or so ... I think she's sixty-three, so she was a little girl at the time of Pearl Harbor, and the Second World War, and a lot of people had to grow up fast then. Evan is older, so you would have thought that he would have that, as well as the Depression, to deal with," Adriana replied.

"Well, whatever the reason ... I imagine Ezra is taking bets, about how quickly Chris will deck him. Especially after that crack he made about Vin when they first got there. I bet the ladies, and the fact that Evan's an old geezer, are the only things holding Chris back. We could even the odds, and let Josiah take 'im. What do you two think?" JD asked, turning the topic to the far less murky topic of who would be the first to be pushed too far. Less murky and probably safer, too. Adriana preferred to leave the more in-depth analysis of human behavior to Dawn, who was a psychologist, or to Josiah.

"I think, if I were betting on who finally took a swing at Evan, my money would be on Pegeen," Adriana replied. A glance in her rearview told her two things. First, that there was no one behind her, and secondly, that Lizzie was nodding like one of those bobbing head dolls which Adriana had seen in other cars. Buck had a bobbing head doll of a Hawaiian hula girl. Of course. JD frowned and Adriana explained, "He lied to her, twice. He cheated on her, twice. And even worse, he's not taking responsibility for any of it."

"Yeah, and you're a guy, JD. Maybe you can explain to us why guys say, 'she didn't mean anything' to me when they cheat, like that's gonna make it all right? That happened to my roommate," Lizzie snarled from the back seat. Adriana raised her brows, thinking that one over. She could honestly say that none of her friends had gone through that. To the best of her knowledge, Chanu had never looked at any one other than Claire.

Chris had done his share of looking, especially after Sarah and Adam were killed. Before Mary, he had been semi-involved with a vice detective named Lydia Whittaker. But that had been more a matter of mutual need than anything else. Maybe Adriana was wrong about that, she had never met Lydia ... only heard about her when Vin and Ezra told her the story about Ezra in the purple dress. But once he had become involved with Mary, after the first go-round with Ella Gaines, to the best of her knowledge, there had been no one else.

"Who, me? Are you kidding? How am I supposed to know? Casey would remove certain body parts, if I ever cheated on her, and if she didn't, Vin and Nettie probably would!" JD yelped. Adriana hid a smile. He was probably right about that. For the rest of the trip back to the house, she listened in amused silence as once more, JD and Lizzie began arguing. Maybe they should have invited Casey and Nettie, and made it even more interesting?

Part 20

May you live in interesting times.

Ezra Standish had heard that before. To this day, he couldn't figure out if that was a blessing or a curse. When Li Pong had used it, it had been a blessing. He thought. But then, Li Pong had never had the misfortune to meet Professor Evan Larabee. And she really hadn't had the misfortune to be on hand when his wife had found out that he had cheated on her a second time, creating yet another new life.

To her credit, Pegeen Larabee had not blamed either twin, or young Elizabeth, for her husband's wrongdoing. After Captain Travis had summarily put him in his place, he had fallen into a sullen silence, while conversation started once more. A bit awkward, to be sure, but Pegeen had been interested in all of her son's friends. And, she had made it clear from the beginning, that Vin Tanner was just as much her son as Chris was.

She had been fascinated with the revelation that Ezra's mother was now a senator, and that Ezra had put himself through college by playing cards. Ezra must have told her a good ten stories about his early years, before the conversation wen another direction and led eventually to Josiah, and his years of traveling.

Evan Larabee tried to interject a rude remark several times, about Ezra's less than savory past, or about something 'disgusting' Josiah had seen. Each time, he was silenced by his wife. The fourth attempt to make a scathing remark was about Vin's unkempt appearance, and Pegeen had had enough. She turned a green eyed glare to her husband, growling, "Evan. Another word from you, and so help me, I will find the dirtiest, sweatiest sock available, and gag you with it!"

Well. At least Ezra knew now where Chris had gotten his glare. Evan Larabee turned a rather unappealing shade of gray, and shut up. Pegeen shook her head, muttering, "I never! Kevin does not have overly long hair! I'm not always fond of longer hair on men, but his isn't too long, and it's very flattering to him. Wouldn't you agree, Mary?" The captain nodded her agreement, as did Josie Tanner.

Josie Tanner. Now there was a fascinating woman. His own mother had confessed to him before returning to Washington that Josephine Tanner was the closest thing she ever had to a best friend. The admission had startled her ... he could see it in her eyes. But there it was. That two women, so very different ... could be friends. And his mother was as different from Josie Tanner as Ezra was from Vin.

It was amazing, when you thought about it. That of the two remaining Tanner sisters, his mother was closest to the sister who was the least like her. Although, Ezra would have never tried to draw any comparison between his own mother and Jessica Tanner. For one thing, that would have resulted in a blistering tirade. His mother loathed the woman. Absolutely loathed her, and any indication that her son considered her to have anything in common with her ...

Well, it would have gotten ugly. And as Buck was so fond of saying, he did hate ugly. Speaking of Buck ... was he still seeing to Vin? Ezra knew that Adriana had taken JD and Elizabeth into town with her, to refill Vin's prescription. But he hadn't seen Buck since that trio took Vin back to his room. That was most unlike Buck. Not his dedication to taking care of Vin, since he tried to take care of all of his friends. But ... he hadn't returned yet.

The door opened and three young people spilled back into the house, JD and Elizabeth arguing yet again. Ezra smiled to himself, shaking his head. Those two. They had provided quite a lot of amusement when he was planet-side. In some ways, Elizabeth reminded him of a female JD, back when the boy had first joined SG-7. And in other ways? Well ... it would be best just to say that in other ways, she was very much the younger sister of Vin Tanner and Chris Larabee.

Adriana caught Ezra's eye and smiled at him, before disappearing into Vin's room. Probably to check on him. Dealing with his father this last hour had left Chris unable to make sure his younger brother was all right. That brought Ezra's attention back to the man now pouting in the corner. Amazing. The man had to be at least seventy years old, maybe even older, and he was pouting like a five year old.

Only seconds after Adriana had slipped into Vin's room, Chris followed suit. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Wilmington siblings to take care of Vin ... far from it. They were, in fact, among the first people whom Chris trusted with the care of his brother, along with his sisters.

But Ezra understood that when a younger sibling was hurting, body and soul, it was the desire of an older sibling to alleviate that pain. He had learned that fact in the last three years, as he had been gifted first with six brothers, then with a younger sister. He had never come to think of Mary as a sister ... more like a cousin, though she was considerably kinder than the cousins he had known as a child.

Chris Larabee had the additional baggage ... additional guilt ... of being unable to protect his younger brother while Vin was growing up. He, at least, had his mother, even if his father was the very definition of unreliable. Further, there was the ugliness surrounding their previous mission, and Ezra knew Chris Larabee well enough to know that he wouldn't forgive himself any time soon. As Adriana had put it, while Chris hadn't lost faith in Vin, he hadn't trusted him with the truth. That wound, Ezra was sure, was still fresh.

However, for the moment, it had been put aside, because Vin had other things to deal with. His body healing from the ... now, how was it that Colonel O'Neill termed it? His impromptu flying lesson? Yes, the elder colonel did have an ... interesting way with words. There was that, and the matters of Evan Larabee and Jessica Tanner. Ezra really wasn't interested in either of them. Their children, both together and separate, were far more interesting.

Elizabeth left the room, heading into the kitchen to help her older sister. It was either that, or find some sort of weapon to kill her paternal unit. That left Josiah and Josie, Nathan and Rain, Mary and Billy, JD, and the two elder Larabees, as well as Ezra himself. There was a temporary lull in the conversation, and Mary said, "Billy, why don't you come with me into the kitchen? I'm sure Carly and Lizzie wouldn't mind the help."

"Well, if dinner is ready, maybe we should put up the table in here, so the ladies have some place to set the dishes," JD suggested. This met with agreement from the others, and JD continued, "You wanna help me, Billy?" The little boy nodded eagerly, looking to his mother for permission. When Mary nodded her agreement, the pair went to the door just off the front entrance, the door which led to the basement.

Mary watched just long enough to make sure the light had been turned on, and they were making their way down the steps, then she headed into the kitchen to help Carly and Elizabeth. There was another long, awkward silence, then Pegeen asked, "So, Ezra ... forgive me for being so blunt, but it seems to me that you're the only one of my son's friends who doesn't have a lady. Surely a young man as handsome and intelligent as yourself has someone special in his life?"

Ezra, who had just taken a sip of his wine, nearly choked. Oh good heavens! Worse yet, he was blushing. Ezra Standish did not blush. He left that to his two younger companions. He managed to say in a hoarse voice, "I have found it most difficult, my dear lady, to find a suitable companion. Your son was twice blessed with his female companion, and I have yet to find the match that fits me as well as Mary and Adriana fit Chris and Vin respectively."

"In other words, he ain't found the right woman yet, and if he has, he ain't admitted it to himself," Josiah laughed. Ezra just glared at the big man. As if Josiah had much room to talk?

True enough, while the last two women who had attracted Ezra's attention ultimately weren't right for him, he could always remind Josiah of his infatuations first with Ezra's own mother, then with Emma Dubonet. However, while Ezra was what was popularly known as a smart ass, he wasn't suicidal. If he could break Nathan's spine, then he could undoubtedly do far worse to Ezra, without breaking a sweat!

Part 21

Vin was asleep. And from the looks of it, Buck wasn't far behind. Adriana smiled faintly, slipping into the room. She was almost to her brother's side, before his eyes flew open. His hand was already reaching for a weapon that wasn't there, and she stopped in her tracks. Buck glared at her, growling, "Dammit, DeeDee, I coulda hurt you! Why didn't you call my na ... uhhh. Ah, never mind." This was said as he glanced at the sleeping man in the bed.

Adriana took the last few steps required to reach her brother's side, then sat down in his lap. Both siblings adjusted themselves until they were comfortable, then Adriana put her head on Buck's shoulder. She murmured, "Didn't mean to startle you ... I was actually trying to figure out a way to let you know I was there. I didn't want to wake either of you up." Buck laughed quietly, tightening his arms around her.

"I wasn't asleep, baby girl," he answered softly. They were both silent for several moments, then Buck asked quietly, "You okay? I mean ... with everything? I know you've made your peace with taking things slowly with Vin, but a lot has happened in the last few hours. Things you weren't expecting, things none of us expected." Adriana sighed very quietly, understanding exactly what he meant about unexpected things.

"I'm okay. I'm half the reason we gotta take things slow, remember. And things have been a little weird today, but I've come to expect that. I still want to wallop both Larabee and Jessica clear into the next millennium. And that reminds me, she was at the pharmacy, when the three of us went for Vin's pills. Amazingly enough, there were no catfights, or anything else like that. Although, if looks could kill, I think I would have been splattered all over the pharmacy. She does not like me ... but that's okay, 'cause I don't like her, either. On the other hand, one wrong word from her, and Lizzie would have gone into attack mode," she replied.

"Yeah, but I bet her glare ain't no match for the Larabee glare," Buck snickered and Adriana pressed her face against his shoulder, trying to hold back her own giggles. That was an image that didn't want to leave her head ... Chris and Jessica in a glaring contest. Chris would win, naturally. Buck continued after a moment, "Just ain't sure whose glare would be worse. Chris or his mom, in this situation."

"Depends, I think ... on who is the glaree," Adriana replied, pulling back to look at her brother. He just blinked with a 'what?' expression, and Adriana explained, "You know, the glaree. The person who is being glared at. If it's Jessica, then it's a toss up. If it's Larabee Sr, it's a toss up. If it's Will, then Chris would be worse, I think." She turned at the footsteps, to find Chris entering the room. Adriana turned back and smirked at her brother, adding, "I think, brother dear, that we've been busted."

"What was your first guess?" Buck retorted as the colonel joined them. Chris smiled a bit absently, but he was watching his brother. Buck said, careful to keep his voice low, "He's okay, Chris. Fell asleep a bit ago, and no nightmares so far." Nightmares? Adriana had been having nightmares of her own, but this was the first time she had heard anything about Vin's nightmares. Neither of his sisters had said anything.

"Good ... listen, I checked with Carly. Dinner's gonna be ready before too much longer. JD and Billy are getting things set up in the living room. The sofa is still free, so I figured we should wake him up," Chris replied. Adriana looked from Buck to Chris and back again, trying to figure out what she had missed. Now she understood how Ezra felt when he asked plaintively 'what just happened there?'

"Already awake, cowboy," came a mumble from the bed. Adriana leaned forward on her brother's lap ... sure enough, her love's blue eyes were open. He seemed a bit sleepy, but he was definitely awake. She smiled at him, and she received a sleepy smile and an equally sleepy, "Hey, Drina. M' little sister behave herself?" Adriana snickered and Vin added, "Never mind. Didn't ask that dumb question."

"Actually, she's been pretty good ... helping Carly in the kitchen. Of course, it was either that, or pelt our ... now, how did Ezra put that while they were out? He was afraid that if Carly came out of the kitchen, she would, and I quote, 'pelt your misbegotten sire with uncooked meatballs.' Of course, Carly was out of the kitchen at the time, and she heard him say that. I think you can imagine how she reacted," Chris answered wryly, sitting down on the bed beside Vin. The guide glanced at Adriana, who just grinned.

"Knowing Carly, she probably made a smart ass remark about how that would be a waste of perfectly good meatballs, or some such thing," the archaeologist observed. She could tell from the colonel's expression that it had been something like that. Adriana added, "That's the way her mind works, Chris. JD might do something like that, but Carly wouldn't think the creep is worth the meatballs or the energy."

"She'd be right. You ready to deal with this, little brother?" Chris asked. He wasn't talking about dinner, of course, but about dealing with their father. And while Pegeen seemed to be cool, Adriana knew her love was ... anxious ... about facing her. Not because of anything he had done wrong. It was just the situation. Vin hesitated, then nodded once, a determined expression settling on his face. Adriana slid from her brother's lap, ready to aid if it was necessary. Buck and Chris carefully lifted Vin between them ... even with their gentleness, all still heard Vin's muted gasp of pain. Chris murmured, "Sorry, little brother."

"I'm okay, Chris," came the barely audible answer. His head hung down, and Adriana's heart ached for the pain he had to be feeling. She quietly swore to herself that if it was possible, she would bring back Dickie O'Shea from the dead ... and then kill him again. Oops, not possible, not even with the sarcophagus. She still wanted to do it, though. However, as she followed her brother and Chris from the room, Adriana silently swore that if Evan Larabee caused any more trouble tonight, then she would pelt him with meatballs. Assuming JD didn't do it first.

"Excellent timing, brothers," Josiah said as they headed into the living room. He was helping Josie to set the table, before heading back into the kitchen for another load. Now there was an interesting couple. Adriana had actually gotten an earful from Josie late one night. Adriana had been cleaning house, since she couldn't sleep, when Josie got back from what Adriana had thought was an evening with Vin, Chris, and the girls. She had thought wrong. Not the first time it had happened.

She had actually been with Josiah, opting instead to give her nephew and nieces time to themselves. Vin tired very easily, and Lizzie and Carly were still learning about each other. Josiah had asked Josie if she would be interested in going to a lecture about ... something. Adriana had been barely awake enough to register that Josie was flying high, a natural high. She could be forgiven if she couldn't remember exactly what the lecture was for. She was fairly certain that it involved anthropology, but beyond that ... ? Forget it.

In any event, that had been her first indication that the pair were interested in each other. Adriana was starting to wonder if she should worry about anyone else getting bit with the love bug. Not that there were too many singles left in their little circle. They still existed, of course. Buck, Ezra ... Carly. Everyone else, it seemed, was spoken for. Both Buck and Ezra had been warned of the consequences if they got involved with Carly and broke her heart.

Carly herself had warned them of what she would do to a guy who hurt her. That wasn't taking into account what her two brothers would do, as well as her little sister. Once, of course, Vin was strong enough to leave someone in a world of hurt. In the meantime, however, Chris was quite capable of protecting his little sister. Both of them. And neither Buck nor Ezra were willing to take any chances with their ... uhm ... family jewels.

Besides, unless Adriana missed her guess ... she had seen a dreamy expression in Carly's eyes when a particular member of SG-3 was mentioned. More to the point, when the name of Rafael Martinez was mentioned. Now, that would be an interesting couple, but since Rafael was currently watching over the Richmonds and the others, Adriana would have to wait to see them together. That was fine. Adriana was patient.

Buck and Chris were settling Vin on the sofa, and Lizzie immediately began flitting about, seeing what she could do to help. Chris gently steered her to the coffee table, where the food was still being set up. Adriana absently stepped to one side, sensing someone coming up behind her. And someone was, but not whom she expected. Josiah said quietly, "If I didn't know better, I'd say that little girl is trying to help out of guilt." Adriana looked up at the big man, who returned the gaze. Josiah went on, "Course, I'd have to ask why she feels guilty."

"Because there's nothing she can do to help Vin. Because she's worried about being able to keep her temper. I could go on, but I think you get the point," Adriana replied. Again, she looked up at the big man, who was regarding her with thoughtful blue-gray eyes. She continued after a moment, "That's not taking into account other things. She's nineteen years old, Josiah, she's learned that the world doesn't revolve around her. But that doesn't stop her from wishing she could spend more time with her brother."

"Are we talking about Miss Elizabeth ... or about you?" Josiah asked. Adriana inclined her head, raising her shoulders at the same time. She hadn't thought of it that way, but she could see Josiah's point. The anthropologist continued, "Still, I can't argue with you. Have you ever noticed, Adriana, that those with the greatest amount of guilt are those who have done the least amount of wrong?"

"Something of a generalization, Josiah, but I can't argue with your logic. I guess that's because it hurts more when something happens, and you couldn't do anything to prevent it or stop it. I guess that's what it comes down to. It hurts more, when something happens, and there was nothing you could have done, it wasn't your fault. At least, when there's something you could have done ... you can learn how to avoid it," Adriana replied.

"I repeat ... are we talking about Lizzie, or about you?" Josiah asked. Adriana didn't answer, and he continued, "You mind taking the next run into the kitchen? This is gonna take some time to get set up, and Carly still needs help." Adriana smirked at that. Which kind did he mean ... physical, mental, or other? As if hearing her thoughts, Josiah glowered at her and said, "With dinner!"

Adriana just laughed and answered, "On my way. Try not to put out Larabee Senior's eye with anything, at least until I get back." As she turned toward the kitchen, she was 'helped' along by Josiah's foot. She growled at him, much to his amusement, then continued into the kitchen. Just you wait, Josiah Sanchez, she thought, just you wait until dinner's over. She didn't know what she would do yet ... but she would do something.

Part 22

By the time everything had been carried into the living room, Carly had learned a few things. First and foremost, her recalcitrant sire had made an appearance with his wife. A feisty gal who had made it very clear that she was interested in adopting all three of her husband's by-blows. By-blows? What the hell did that mean, she had asked Ezra. The gambler had turned brick red with embarrassment, explaining that he hadn't used the term himself. It had just slipped out, before he thought about what he was saying. He had been most distressed.

Okay, fine ... so what did it mean? Carly could be just as tenacious as either of her brothers, when she so chose. She chose to be so now. She learned it was an archaic term for a child born out of wedlock. By-blows. What did one thing have to do with the other? Ezra, for once, was totally speechless. She did, however, find out that it was her paternal overunit who had described her that way. Not Pegeen, and most certainly not Ezra.

The second thing she had learned was that her biological father was, to put it quite bluntly, a dick. Not that this had surprised Carly. But still, it both saddened and reassured her. It made her sad, because it sounded like Pegeen deserved a better man (hmm, sounds a bit familiar? Maybe she and Charlotte should hook up when we come back from our tour, Carly thought). And it reassured her, knowing that she wasn't the only one who felt that way about him.

And the third thing? JD was making noises about silencing her biological father ('sperm donor' was the term of choice for her younger sister) with a meatball. Cooked or uncooked. Didn't matter to him. By then, it no longer shocked her, as she had already heard it. From, of all people, Ezra. Now there was a man full of surprises. And if she wasn't already overwhelmingly attracted to Rafael Martinez ... well, she would consider going for it. If only to drive Chris nuts.

Things were going smoothly for the moment. Everyone was getting their dinner, and to no one's surprise, Adriana had lowered herself to the floor beside the sofa, plate balanced on her knees. Carly grinned as her friend carefully cut up her spaghetti. She had seen Adriana pull that particular trick off in the past, but it was still fun to see the looks of abject horror on the faces of the others in the room.

Of course, the peace couldn't last. Carly had finally found a seat and started in on her own dinner, when the sperm donor picked up where he had evidently left off ... criticizing all four of his children. Carly for taking so long in the kitchen ... she'd like to see him do better, cooking for all those people. Lizzie for her desire to go into the military, for the way she wore her hair, for nervous fluttering around Vin. He criticized Chris for his career choice, for the house, for the fact that they were eating in the living room, instead of in the dining room. He criticized Vin for the length of his hair, for his career choices, for his lack of formal education.

He had probably figured he had a captive audience, since everyone else was concentrating on the food. He had been wrong. Carly witnessed Chris doing a slow burn, with only Mary's hand on his wrist keeping him from blasting his father. However, Vin said quietly, "Don't rightly matter to me, what ya think of m' jobs. I done what I done, 'cause it were necessary. 'Cause a mama whose baby got hurt deserved to know that some scum wouldn't never hurt that child again. I done what I done. Reckon ya don't understand that, livin' in yer ivory tower. But that ain't my problem. It's yers."

"And as Vin so eloquently pointed out to me once, Mr. Larabee ... he didn't need books to teach him about life. Of course, if his parents had done right by him, instead of abandoning a five year old child, maybe it wouldn't have been necessary. Even so, Vin Tanner is one of the most intelligent men I've ever met. And more than that, he has common sense, something which you seem to be sorely lacking," Mary Travis added.

Yeowch. Actually, Mary really didn't need to add anything else after 'if his parents had done right by him,' but still, she had done real good. Chris had stopped fuming and was now grinning broadly at his lady. Mary just smiled serenely and added, "Billy, honey, if you'd like seconds, I'm sure Carly wouldn't mind. She made plenty for everyone. And Carly, in case I didn't say it earlier, you did a wonderful job."

It was then that things really got interesting. Pegeen removed her husband's plate and handed it to Mary, saying, "Here, honey, take Evan's plate. Since he's more interested in criticizing Caroline for her attention to detail and her desire to make sure everything was edible, than in actually eating, I think his plate should go to a growing boy." Mary accepted the plate of spaghetti, and Billy whispered a 'thank you.'

Carly smirked as the eight year old tore into the spaghetti. Pegeen winked at her, then said to Adriana, "I noticed, dear, that you're wearing an interesting necklace. Could I be so bold as to ask if there's a story behind that?" Carly glanced over at her former roommate, frowning when she realized she had never seen that necklace again. Her frown deepened when she noticed how nervous Adriana looked.

However, the brunette replied, "It was a gift from a friend ... Charlotte Richmond. She's on the same project as Carly. She gave this to me before we came back to HQ. It's ... well, it's a representation of Hera. Charlotte is an archaeologist, like me, and she came across this in a shrine devoted to Hera. She ... knows of my ... interest in her." With a start, Carly realized what Adriana was saying ... as well as what she was saying.

She wasn't the only one. Pegeen frowned thoughtfully and said, "You're a pagan?" Adriana nodded, and Pegeen continued, "My dear girl, I'm not judging you. It's just that you're the first pagan I've ever met ... that I know of ... so I didn't really know what to expect. You belong to Hera, then?" Again, Adriana nodded, and Carly felt her jaw become unhinged. Adriana? Was pagan? When did this happen?

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," Adriana admitted. She was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation, though Carly wasn't sure if that was because of the mixed company, or if there were other reasons. Mary didn't look surprised, and Billy was still shoveling away the pasta. So either he hadn't been paying attention, or it simply didn't matter to him. Pegeen just smiled gently, indicating that she was finished with the subject.

Unfortunately, her husband was not. He said with interest, "You're a pagan, Dr. Wilmington? I am surprised. I thought 'an it harm none' was part of the pagan code. I had expected someone as learned as yourself to be more civilized and less prone to violence." Carly barely managed to keep from choking on her meatball. What planet did this guy come from? She swallowed the meatball, painfully, then looked at Adriana.

From the corner of her eye, Carly saw Pegeen slowly edging away from her husband, watching the opposite side of the room very, very warily. As if she expected food to start flying any time now. Well, Carly couldn't deny it sounded appealing.

Her friend had put down her plate between herself and JD, and looked over at Evan Larabee with cool hazel eyes. She said quietly, "In the first place, Mr. Larabee, the code you are speaking of is Wiccan. Not all pagans are Wiccans. I'm not. I have Wiccan friends in the archaeological community, and others, but I am not a pagan. As for civilized and less prone to violence ... does the name Boadicea mean anything to you?"

"Fight the foe, fight the foe, sang the warrior queen. The lion looks proud, in the shade of the tree, but the lioness hunts down the prey," recited Lizzie. Everyone looked at her in surprise, and she blushed, explaining, "I listen to Dr. Frasier's CD's. She ... I mean, Boadicea ... was a tribal queen in Britain. She was a pagan, wasn't she, Drina? I started looking up things about her on the Internet, after I heard that song."

"Exactly. It's a long story, but suffice to say, she was a pagan ... and she most assuredly was not peaceful. Personally, I doubt if I would have taken that particularly well ... being tortured by the Romans, my two little girls raped, and others of my blood being turned into slaves. Unless, of course, Mr. Larabee, you think such people are reasonable? I've never come across anyone who considers a child rapist to be a reasonable person, but there's a first time for everything," Adriana said, a challenging light in her eyes.

That was the second time in the last hour he had been put in his place by someone whom he had expected to support him. Carly knew she shouldn't, but she was actually enjoying the show. To say nothing of the expression on her biological father's face. Chris put in, "Actually, little princess, I have a few other ideas for someone who would do that to a child ... and none of it can be repeated with a little one present."

"I am appalled, Dr. Wilmington. You are a scientist, a woman of education. How can you advocate violence, for any reason? That only leads to greater atrocities. It ... urk!" her biological father started to say. He shut up as a meatball covered in spaghetti sauce hit his chest. Carly followed the trajectory backward ... to find an insincere apologetic smile plastered on JD Dunne's face. Now what was happening?

Part 23

"Sorry about that ... I imagine my trigger finger got a little happy. You know how it is with us bloodthirsty soldiers ... we're not happy if we're not killing someone, or at least maiming them," the young corporal said sarcastically into the stunned silence that followed. Pegeen was glad now she had moved out of the line of fire. She glanced at the others on that side of the room. Caroline was blinking in surprise. Buck was openly smirking, and Pegeen hoped Corporal Dunne had used one of his own meatballs.

Buck's younger sister was red-faced, one hand clamped over her mouth, but even so, Pegeen could see that her eyes were sparkling with suppressed laughter. And Kevin ... Kevin finally broke the silence by saying, "That was a terrible thin' to do, JD. Usin' one of them poor, defenseless meatballs like that after Carly spent all that time cookin' 'em. Ya oughta apologize to her for that!"

"You're absolutely right, Vin ... Carly, I am so sorry for using one of your meatballs as ammunition. I would have used the pasta itself, but I'm not close enough to give him twenty lashes with a wet noodle," Corporal Dunne replied. By now, Adriana was shaking with laughter, tears appearing in her eyes. The young corporal added, almost offhandedly, "Kind of appropriate, doncha think ... a wet noodle for a limp noodle."

"JD!" Christopher blurted out, glancing at Billy. Buck's smirk turned into an outright laugh, and Adriana just bounced against the sofa, shaking helplessly now. Pegeen didn't know whether to blush, chastise the young man for his dirty mouth ... or applaud him for putting it so concisely. It seemed, however, that just Christopher's 'JD!' was enough, because the young man shot an apologetic look first at Mary and Billy Travis, then another one in her direction. A sincere apology, this time.

"Sorry, ma'am. Buck always says my alligator mouth overrides my hummingbird rear-end, and I guess that happened this time, too," JD said, looking embarrassed. Pegeen noticed, too, that his apology was to her, and to Mary Travis ... not to Evan. In other words, he wasn't sorry he had said it, but he was sorry he had said in mixed company. Pegeen could respect that. He had meant what he said, after all.

Evan was fuming, but Pegeen paid him no mind. Instead, she focused on the young man now reclining on the sofa. The plate had been put to one side and Kevin had leaned back against the back of the sofa. His eyes were closed, and he looked very pale. Buck noticed where she was looking, and asked, "Vin? You okay there?" Adriana rolled to her knees and turned to face him, Pegeen catching sight of her expression as she did so. She looked worried.

"Reckon I'm just a mite tired, Bucklin, it ain't anythin' serious. Ya done real good, Carly," Kevin answered without opening his eyes. Caroline rose to her feet, approaching her twin, and Rain Jackson passed Kevin's plate first to Adriana, who then passed it to Caroline. That seemed to be a signal of some kind, because first Mary, then Josie rose to their respective feet. Mary started on her side of the room, Josie on hers, and together, they collected the plates of those who were finished with supper.

Both Christopher and Buck were among those finished, and they both eased Kevin from the sofa, Adriana and Corporal Dunne scrambling away to give them room. Josie Tanner said, "Carly, let me have that plate. You fixed dinner, I'll start on the dishes." Caroline handed the plate to her aunt with an absent smile, then turned her attention back to her twin brother, watching with concern as Buck and Christopher carried him from the room. The young biologist followed them from the living room, with JD and Adriana bringing up the rear. With their mothers occupied, Elizabeth moved to talk with Billy.

At Pegeen's side, Evan drew breath to say something ... the first words he had spoken since being struck by the flying meatball. Pegeen immediately elbowed him in the ribs, hissing, "Say one unpleasant word, Evan, and I swear, I'll let that boy finish what he started! Don't think I won't, because I will. Now behave yourself." She glared at him once, fiercely, then rose to her feet, stifling a groan at the aches which resulted.

She moved first into the kitchen, but Josie and Mary had everything under control. In fact, the two women were laughing and joking. Smiling to herself, and once more wishing she had been gifted with a daughter, Pegeen slipped next into Kevin's bedroom, where Christopher and Buck were quietly settling him into bed. Pegeen hung back, but still attracted the attention of Adriana, who was leaning against the dresser.

The archaeologist smiled at her, but there was a distance in her demeanor. Not a coldness, but a wariness. Like she didn't know what to expect from Pegeen. And for her own part, Pegeen had no idea how to reassure the girl that she had nothing to fear from her. The girl seemed quite capable of looking out for herself, and those she loved ... Pegeen had only to remember her able self-defense with Evan to realize that.

But it wasn't Adriana herself who concerned the archaeologist, but Kevin. He was reclining in bed now, his eyes closed, and Pegeen said, "Why don't you all go back into the living room, and relax? I'll sit with Kevin, in case he needs anything." Adriana shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her eyes narrowing. Pegeen got the message, loud and clear. She spoke to Christopher, but her words were directed at the archaeologist as well, "It's all right, son. You know I'd never do anything to hurt one of my children."

Christopher looked at her, then smiled quietly. He squeezed his brother's shoulder, a look passing between them. Pegeen didn't try to read anything into the look. Didn't try to interpret what it meant. Christopher had told her about the silent communication which he and Kevin had. It didn't matter if she understood. Obviously, Kevin did, and that was all that mattered. Christopher put his arm around Adriana's shoulders, murmuring, "It's okay, little princess, he'll be fine." Buck put his hand behind JD's head and began dragging him from the room by the scruff of his neck, ignoring the protests from the boy.

With the room now empty, save the two of them, Pegeen looked at Kevin and smiled faintly. He was watching her with a faintly bewildered expression, as if he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. She said quietly, "I meant that, you know. Not too long before we left, your aunt Josie sent Evan pictures of you, from the time you were born until you were five, and later pictures, when you met up with Caroline. And I swore to myself, Kevin, that you were my son now. Julia Tanner did a fine job of raising you ... but you're my son now."

He just stared at her, and it occurred to Pegeen that he didn't know what to say. A second after that, she understood why. She knew so much about him, but he knew almost nothing about her. She asked, "Would you mind if I sat down? I'm getting old, Kevin, and I can't stand like I used to." He glanced at the chair beside his bed, and Pegeen sat down quickly. She looked at her hands, then said, "Well, I would think you know the basics about me."

"I know yer Chris' ma," he said simply. Well, that was certainly basic. He continued after a moment, his voice husky from a mixture of sleepiness and pain, "I know ya raised him by yerself for a year, when he was thirteen. That ya didn't just let ... him ... back into yer life. That ya made him gain yer trust again. Reckon my ma woulda liked you." This startled Pegeen, until she realized that Julia Tanner had raised her little boy for five years, on her own. Kevin added, "She allus said, 'Vin and me is a package deal. Ya don't want him, ya don't get me.' Reckon that's what ya woulda done, if he hadn't come."

"That's exactly what I would have done, Kevin. You don't know what to call Evan, do you?" Pegeen asked. The look he gave her could have frozen a lake in August. She laughed a bit uncertainly and said, "I suppose that was a silly question. You can't call him your father, because I'd say Josiah Sanchez is more like your father. More like what a father should be like, at least. Yes, Evan provided the sperm which helped to create you ... but he isn't really your father."

"Reckon I could always call him 'Mr. Larabee.' That's what Chris always tells people when they call him that. 'Mr. Larabee is my father, not me.' He liked that about as well as he likes bein' called 'cowboy.' He don't like that one bit," Kevin observed and Pegeen laughed aloud. No, she was sure he didn't! Kevin asked, "Ya know why that is? Why he don't like bein' called 'cowboy,' even though he lets me do it?"

"I can answer those questions backward ... sort of. Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know why Christopher hates being called 'cowboy.' It goes back to when he was a boy. As for your other question ... why he lets you get away with it ... that's easy. Two answers, actually. First...when you call him 'cowboy,' it's a term of affection ... not malice. You're teasing him, and he knows it. The other ... because, Kevin, he loves you. From someone you love, you can forgive almost anything." Almost, Pegeen thought sadly, almost.

Part 24

"What do you suppose they're talking about in there?"

Adriana turned as her former roommate walked out onto the patio, sliding the glass door shut behind her. She had come outside after leaving Vin's room, needing fresh air and time to think. She was miserably aware that Vin was close to his melting point, when he couldn't take any more. When that happened, he would need her strength. She wanted to make sure he would have that strength to access. But the truth was, she wasn't sure if she could access it.

"Does it matter?" she asked. Carly shook her head, sitting down beside her. The pair were silent for several minutes, then Adriana continued, "You ever find yourself wondering what she sees in him? Pegeen, I mean?" Carly laughed and nodded. Quite often, it would seem. Again, silence fell, and Adriana asked after a moment, "That's not why you came out to talk to me, though, is it?"

"No. Although, Pegeen and my biological father remind me a bit of Charlotte and Will," Carly admitted. Adriana just looked at her friend in disbelief. Say what??? Will was a pain in the ass, yeah, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Evan Larabee. Not any more, at least, although he came close after they lost their child. Carly shrugged and added, "Difference in perspective, I guess. Why didn't you tell me you were pagan now?"

Ahhh. Adriana knew this would come up eventually. She replied, "Didn't seem important. It's not a big secret, Carly, that I was keeping from you. There were other priorities, and your twin was at the top of the list." Carly lowered her eyes. Adriana shook her head and asked, "What? What aren't you saying? I can't read you in the moonlight as well as I can in the daylight, but I know there's something you're not saying."

"It just blows my mind. Hera, of all goddesses. I never had you figured for the kinda gal who would worship a jealous bitch like Hera," Carly replied, shaking her head this time. Adriana stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she looked at her longtime friend. She should be used to this. Every time she actually mentioned the goddess who had chosen her, she got this reaction. That was why she usually kept those things to herself. Besides. It was no one else's business.

However, all she said was, "She's not a jealous bitch to me, Carly. She's the goddess who loves me, loves her child. I'm not denying what might have gone before. I don't know that Hera. I wasn't there. The Hera I know loves me. When I have bad nights, she rocks me to sleep, and she comforts me when I'm afraid. Hell, why am I even discussing this?" She rose to her feet, shaking her head in frustration, and Carly caught her hand.

"I'm sorry. It just ... it caught me off-guard. And it made me realize that there were things about you I didn't know. I've spent so much time with Vin, I'd forgotten how much you've changed ... and that I needed to get to know you again," Carly said softly, staring up at her. Adriana sighed, feeling the anger drain away. She usually didn't tell people anything, other than the fact that she was a pagan. She invariably got the same reaction, "Hera??? Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I should know better than to tell people anything like that. Hell, I read the same myths you did. Hera, the jealous queen of the gods. The tormentor of Hercules. I know all that. But Hera is a mother goddess. And like I told you, that's not the Hera I know. I don't even know that I can explain this to you ... I tried to explain it once to JD, and got absolutely nowhere," Adriana replied.

"JD is JD, though. Apples and oranges. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the defensive, didn't mean to imply you're stupid. I just ... it just startled me. And it startled me, to find out that Charlotte knew something about you that I didn't," Carly added. Adriana grinned at that. Yeah, she could imagine. Carly looked at her feet, then looked back at Adriana, saying seriously, "You gotta know something. As weird as it was for me ... you're still Adriana to me. Okay? You're still my roomie, my best friend, still the woman my twin brother plans to marry."

"Okay," Adriana answered with a deep sigh. She wrapped her arms around her legs, murmuring, "Vin ... it didn't even faze Vin when I admitted it to him. It doesn't matter to him. He doesn't care if I'm Christian, pagan, Wiccan, or whatever. He doesn't care that ... that ... I have a hard time explaining why I belong to Hera, and not someone like Aphrodite, or ... or Vesta, or someone like that. It just doesn't matter to him."

"It wouldn't. Being the son of a missionary and preacher ... did it bother Josiah at all?" Carly asked curiously, and Adriana shook her head, remembering. It startled him that Hera had chosen her, rather than Diana or maybe Morrigan. But he wasn't bothered by it. Carly said thoughtfully, "Well, that's good. I would hate to think that Aunt Josie is falling in love with someone who can't see past his own beliefs."

"No, in fact, he was the one who finally explained it to JD. And it's not that the kid is stupid, or anything like that," Adriana told her friend.

Carly simply listened in silence as the archaeologist continued, "I think ... I mean, I think he knew that there were religions, or belief systems, other than Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. It just didn't register with him that some of those religions actually worship other gods and goddesses. It took Josiah the longest time to make him understand that Hera is as real to me as Jesus Christ is to them."

She flashed her friend a rueful smile, adding, "I'm not the most patient of people. He kept making assumptions. And I should have expected that, but I'm still pretty new at this myself." Adriana gestured helplessly, but it wasn't necessary, as Carly seemed to understand exactly what she meant. The archaeologist took a deep breath and added, "I'm sorry I started to walk off earlier. It's just that I learned the hard way not to talk about my beliefs, and that usually, the best way to avoid an argument I could only lose was to walk away."

"I shouldn't have pushed you. You always were full of surprises. You even were willing to listen to Daniel's theories, even when Vin and I thought they were crazy. I always admired that about you," Carly said. Adriana cocked her head to one side. Admired? Carly nodded, saying, "There was a lot I admired about you. I thought you knew. Well. Maybe it's time a lot of things were said."

Part 25

Silence fell between Vin and Pegeen, after the woman explained that when you loved someone, you could forgive just about anything. Vin only had to remember the last mission to see the truth in that statement. Will and Charlotte Richmond were a living testament to that truth. The only reason Charlotte had forgiven Will, not just once but twice, was because she loved him. Of course, some groveling on his part didn't hurt. But love was the main factor.

How long had he loved Adriana? He became aware of it recently, just during the last few months. But really, hadn't he loved her a lot longer than that? Hadn't he really fallen in love with her back in Texas? And wasn't that what really hurt, when he thought she kept the truth from him about Claire and Chanu? Vin didn't know for sure ... but it made sense. Even so, even looking over his relationship with his friend turned girlfriend, seeing the parallels, there was still one thing which Vin didn't understand.

"Why?" he asked. Pegeen lifted her head to look at him, and Vin continued, "Why are ya here? Why do ya care 'bout me? Hell, he cheated on ya! Ya got no call to care 'bout me?" Pegeen's green eyes bore into him, but there was no anger in her gaze. Only steadiness. She reminded him of Nettie, when that lady wanted to make sure he understood something. Vin almost smiled, thinking of Nettie and wondering what she would make of Evan Larabee.

"I want you to listen to me, Kevin. And never forget this. Yes. My husband cheated on me. You, and both of your sisters, came out of those ... interludes. But that is not your fault. You did not create the situation, the situation created you. Long before he knew that you were his brother, my son had accepted you as his brother. That makes you my son. That's why I'm here, that's why I care. Because when my husband abdicated his responsibility as your father, you became my son," Pegeen replied.

Vin found himself rendered speechless by her response. Pegeen took a deep breath, then went on, "Mind you, I would never try to take your mother's place. Julia Tanner sounds like she was a wonderful woman. And Nettie, from what I've heard, loves you very much. But you were without a mother for so many years, Kevin. Will you let me make up that difference to you? Will you allow me that joy?"

Vin tried to answer her straight out, but what actually came out of his mouth wasn't 'yes' or 'no,' but, "Can ya explain somethin' to me?" Pegeen nodded. This was something Vin had been thinking about for a long time. It began when he first learned about Jessica Tanner and Evan Larabee, when he finally accepted that Julia Tanner wasn't the woman who gave birth to him. He asked hesitantly, "Why did my ma lie to me? She tol' me that my pa wasn't somebody her pa liked, but she loved him ... and that's how I came to be. Why did she lie to me?"

"I don't know that she did, honey," Pegeen admitted with a sigh. Vin frowned, and Pegeen continued, "She may have simply told you a sanitized version of the truth. You were so young when Julia Tanner died, Kevin. I think she told you what she could of the truth. The only untruth she told you was that your parents loved each other. But ... I'm not so sure I can blame her for that. Jessica was her youngest sister ... she probably wanted to believe that she and my husband loved each other."

It made sense. But Lord, all this was making his head hurt. He closed his eyes, and Pegeen said gently, "Why don't you get some sleep, Kevin? I know, it feels as if you do nothing but sleep. But every time you have another confrontation with my husband, it takes a lot of energy out of you. Close your eyes." Despite his best efforts, Vin found himself doing just that. He took a deep breath, his body's exhaustion taking priority over his need for answers.

Pegeen began humming softly as she lightly stroked his hair. Vin drowsily recognized it as the melody for 'What Child is This,' which was one of his favorite Christmas carols when he was growing up. Although, his ma always called 'em 'hymns,' instead a' 'carols.' He was gradually drifting off to sleep when he heard footsteps into his room. Pegeen said quietly, "He's almost asleep, Evan. You wake him, and I'll make sure you can't bring any more children into the world. You can't even take care of the ones you have."

"I wouldn't ... I just ... dammit, Pegeen. Do you think I don't know what an ass I've made of myself over the last few hours! I didn't even want to be here, remember?" Vin's biological father answered in a low voice. Vin struggled against what was drawing him back toward wakefulness. He didn't want to be awake now. He wanted to be asleep, asleep and unaware of whatever his father had to say.

"I'm not telling you again, Evan. Don't wake him up. And you didn't have to come with me to Christopher's home. You could have stayed at the hotel. I could have easily taken a cab. I've done it before," Pegeen answered in a deadly voice. Despite Vin's best efforts, his eyes opened to a slit. Pegeen was turned in her chair, practically bristling with rage. Her hand had left his hair and touched one of the bumps on his head. He hissed in pain, and Pegeen turned her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry ... I forgot you hit your head on the way down. Why don't I take Evan outside, and let you get some sleep. Would you like me to send in your brother or your girlfriend?" Pegeen asked. Evan snorted at this description of Drina, and Vin's eyes were now fully open. He glared at his biological father ... or, as Lizzie kept calling him, the sperm donor. Pegeen didn't look too happy, either.

However, it was Chris who said from behind Evan Larabee, "Adriana is out on the patio with Carly. I'll keep Vin company. You may want to take Father out front. I have a feeling Carly will want to remove certain body parts, after what happened at dinner." Vin, who had seen his brother's shadow in the doorway, simply relaxed against the pillows. Chris added, his green eyes flashing, "Come to think of it, I'm tempted to take a few shots at you myself."

"You're not enough of a man!" Evan hissed. A cold smile appeared, and Pegeen looked from her son to her husband and back again. She settled herself into her chair, as if she intended to shield Vin from the ugly confrontation that was bound to occur. It had been building all night now. From the moment Evan Larabee entered his son's home. And Vin wondered why Pegeen wasn't reminding Chris that Evan was his father, and entitled to respect.

"Actually, you're not worth it. Now, Paris Tanner will be here tomorrow. He's a little closer to your age. And he isn't real likely to look kindly on the man who abandoned his grandchildren. Yeah ... yeah, I think I'll let him deal with you. You want to head back to your hotel, you go right ahead. Mom is more than welcome to stay here. But understand this, understand it well. Vin is my brother. Carly and Lizzie are my sisters. I will not tolerate you insulting them, as you did tonight," Chris answered in a low voice.

He took a step forward, making Evan backpedal, and continued, "It's like Mary said. Maybe if Vin's parents didn't abandon him, he might have had the same opportunities. We'll never know what he could have become. But I do know the man he is, and I couldn't be any prouder of him. Even at nineteen, he was more of a man than you could ever hope to be ... hell, at twelve, the same was true!"

"Don't talk to me that way, boy, I'm your father, the only one you've got!" Evan hissed. Behind Chris, Adriana and Carly had appeared as well. The pair held onto each other hands, as they often did when they were nervous or frightened. A quick glance at his twin told Vin that she and Drina had patched things up. While he only just learned that Carly was his twin, he knew her well enough to realize she wouldn't take kindly to Drina surprising her like she done at dinner. They had a few things to work out. Looks like that was done. Carly winked at him, though she still looked nervous. Yup. Everything was good between them.

"I wish to hell I could respect you. I don't understand it. I didn't understand when I found out, and I still don't. How could you have abandoned Vin? Your own child? I would give my right arm to have Adam back, and you just gave your son away like he was a piece of trash! Thanks to you, Adam never got to know his uncle, or either of his aunts. Sarah never got to mother her brother-in-law. Thanks to you, I didn't find my brother until we were both adults. But now he's in my life, and I ain't about to let him go!" Chris fired back.

Huh? Maybe the pain meds were starting to affect Vin's brain, because that came out of nowhere. Or maybe it didn't. Evan Larabee said softly, "So that's it. You're choosing that little whore's brat over your father." Vin looked at Pegeen, startled. Where the hell did he get that? And why should Chris have to choose between them. Pegeen put her hand over his, her eyes never leaving the two angry Larabees.

"I'm choosing my brother over the man who abandoned my mother and me. You made your decision a long time ago, Father, and now I've made mine. I just finished a conversation with Mary. I've asked her to move in with me, her and Billy. She didn't give me a definite answer, but she did say she would think about it. I'm starting a new family for myself, Father. I thought about including you in that family. Until you insulted it. Until you insulted my brother and my sisters," Chris replied coldly.

Chris turned to Pegeen and added, "You will always be part of that family, Mom. You will always be my family." You will always be my family. The words echoed in Vin's heart, just as his mother's final words to him, more than twenty years earlier, continued to echo. Was it possible that when his mother told him to never forget he was a Tanner, it was just another way of saying he would always be her family? Regardless of their blood relation?

Part 26

At the same time his grandson was puzzling over that last message from Julia Tanner, Paris Tanner was on a flight bound for Colorado. It felt as if his entire body was tingling. He recognized it as excitement and nerves. He was nervous about meeting his grandson, the one grandchild who had been excluded from his life when Kevin was growing up. Paris was an old man. He knew he only had a few more years left to him. And enough time had been wasted.

It occurred to him that you wasted a lot of time when you were young. Being angry, carrying grudges. Being stupid. He had been stupid, even when he was not so young. It was one of these bouts of stupidity which led Julia to take Jessica from Chicago, heading to Texas. A part of him wanted to be angry with his daughter, for not realizing the truth ... but the larger part was angry with himself.

Julia was always a sensitive girl. The quietest of his three daughters, the one who listened the most. Even when Paris and Clarice would have rather she not hear what they said. Such was the case with Mateo Galindez, a young Marine who was killed in Vietnam in 1972. Even in those years, prejudice and bigotry was widespread against anyone who wasn't Caucasian, whether they were black, Indian ... or Hispanic.

Paris had liked Mateo. He was a good kid, had his head on straight. And he did his duty, even though he didn't believe in the war. He went, he explained to Josephine when she asked, because if he didn't, someone else would. And Mateo couldn't live with himself, knowing someone else died in his place. And so he died there, in 1972. Only two months after he promised to return to Julia Tanner and marry her. Paris Tanner liked Mateo Galindez ... but not enough to give his blessing for the boy to marry his daughter.

At least, that was what Julia believed. Mateo's death devastated her. And every remark she heard against the Latino population of Chicago drove her further and further away from her parents. So when Jessica went to her elder sister in a panic, telling her that she was pregnant, Julia convinced the teenager to accompany her to Texas. She wanted to be away from Chicago, away from the reminders of Mateo.

There, in Texas, Kevin and Caroline were born. Paris had known some of this. The rest, he learned when Rebecca found letters from Julia to Clarice in the attic. Clarice never shared them with him. Paris wondered why. Did Clarice agree with Julia, that Paris would have never given his blessing to Julia and Mateo's marriage? He didn't know. He just learned from those letters that Julia miscarried Mateo's child after she was told of his death.

Another grandchild he would never have a chance to know. It all made Paris feel very, very old. Now Mateo was long dead, as was Julia. Paris hoped that when Julia died, she and Mateo were reunited. Clarice was gone. And it was left to Paris to put things to right. Maybe if he was a better father, all those years ago, he would have been given the chance to watch Kevin grow up as well.

At his side, Rebecca squeezed his hand gently. He looked at her fondly. Paris knew Josie didn't particularly like Rebecca, but held her peace because she knew Rebecca made him happy. For that alone, he loved his daughter even more. He didn't know what he would have done without Rebecca, after reading those letters. She said not a word of blame against Julia, against Paris, or against Clarice. Just called it a lesson learned.

It was for that reason Paris made another decision, as he was packing, in fact. Yes, he would watch this young woman Adriana, because that was what a grandfather did. He wanted to make sure this girl was good enough for his grandson. However ... unless it was obvious to everyone but Kevin that she was totally and completely wrong for him, he would hold his own peace. He would not make the same mistakes twice, and he would show his grandson the same respect which Paris was afforded by his middle daughter. Rebecca said quietly, "It'll be all right, you know. But I'm glad now you insisted Louisa stay here. You were right. That poor boy will have enough to deal with."

Paris put his free hand over hers, answering softly, "Louisa is a fine girl. But from what I've been hearing from Carly and Josephine, she isn't right for Kevin. And I love you very much, Rebecca, but your daughter ... ahhh ... your daughter." Rebecca just laughed. Paris sighed and said softly, "Do you believe it's possible, Rebecca, to love someone, without every setting eyes on them? I read these letters from my granddaughters, these letters and these emails. And I think about what they write ... this is my grandson!"

"Of course it is, love. He's your grandson. That's reason enough right there. And he's become a fine man. Because of what he's endured, or in spite of it. However you see it. Of course you love him. And you're afraid he won't love you," Rebecca added. Paris looked at his second wife sharply, and she just smiled serenely. She was a smart woman, his Rebecca. She was exactly right. He was afraid Kevin wouldn't love him.

"It makes no sense, Becca. But that boy has been through hell. Jessica is my daughter and I love her ... but she's not been a very good mother. And Kevin's father," Paris spat the word out, "he doesn't deserve the term! Can you imagine what it must be like for that boy? Being abandoned when he was so young ... finding out that his biological parents never wanted him? And on top of that ... to find that someone like Evan Larabee fathered him?"

Paris shook his head, adding, "Lord knows, I wasn't a great father. Not when my own daughter feared I would disown her, because she loved a Hispanic boy. If she fell in love with a draft dodger, I would have been far more upset. But I would have never disowned her! And I hope, at least at some point, that I've made my girls proud. But Larabee ... he's only accomplished four things in his life. His two sons, and his two daughters. And Christopher is more of an accomplishment to Margaret than her husband!"

"I can't speak for Julia, Josie, and Jessica," Rebecca answered quietly, "but I can answer for Louisa. She is very proud to have you as her stepfather, and not because having a war hero as a stepfather will look good for her boss. She's proud of you, because you're a good man." Paris rolled his eyes when Becca mentioned him being a 'war hero.' He had done his duty. That didn't make him a hero.

And he hadn't felt like a hero on the beach of Normandy in 1944. He felt like a scared kid. Which exactly what he was. Becca added softly, "Are you proud of your grandson? Knowing that he's had to do ... things ... to survive? Just as you did, during war?" Paris lifted his head to look his wife in the eye. Was he proud of his grandson, knowing that the boy was a bounty hunter before he became the hunted?

How could he judge his grandson and find him wanting? Because Kevin killed people? So had Paris. Because Kevin's formal education was neglected after the age of five? That wasn't his fault ... he more than made up for it. Because Kevin was a bounty hunter from the time he was sixteen until he was twenty-two? The profession made Paris uneasy ... the idea that someone was tracking down law breakers for money and no other reason ... but he couldn't deny that his grandson did some good things as a bounty hunter. He was also part of search and rescue teams, which was how he met his Drina, eight years earlier.

People ... did things. Sometimes to survive, sometimes because they could. They made mistakes. While he was sure there were things in Kevin's past that the boy didn't want to remember, and that Paris probably didn't want to know about, Paris did know one thing. He was proud of his grandson. He was proud of the boy who overcame a lack of formal education and abandonment, who became more than his biological father could ever dream of being.

He was proud of the nineteen year old boy who agreed to find a five year old girl, because he knew what it was like to be a child, alone and afraid. He was proud of the twenty-four year old man who stood up to a bar of bullies. He was proud of the young man who served his country, even though Josie couldn't tell him what his grandson did. He was proud that the abandoned, unloved little boy became a protector ... not a predator.

Perhaps seeing this in his eyes, Becca smiled and said softly, "I thought as much. You'll be fine, Paris Tanner. You and your grandson both. I look forward to meeting him." Paris lightly kissed his lady's knuckles. If he ever forgot why he married Becca, she never failed to remind him. And it never failed to amaze him ... however had he gotten so lucky, to have two wives like the ones he had been given?

Part 27

It was a long night, but it was finally over. Evan Larabee left about an hour after that confrontation with Chris in his youngest son's room. His wife remained behind. There was minor confusion about who would sleep where, but it was eventually decided that Pegeen would share a room with Carly, JD and Buck would bunk together, allowing Buck's sister and Mary to share a room. Josie would bunk with her daughter, and Billy would bunk with Chris.

Ezra, Josiah, Nathan and Rain all went home, agreeing to meet back at the Larabee house the following morning to head to the open house. Billy was asleep long before Chris made his way to his room. Adriana left for an hour with Josie, to collect overnight bags and Mindy from Nettie and Casey's. It wasn't originally part of the plan, to stay overnight, but they couldn't argue with Pegeen once she suggested it.

One by one, people headed to their assigned rooms, until it was just Chris in the living room, watching tv. He was tired, but too restless to go to bed. And he didn't want to wake Billy with his fidgeting. It wasn't like there was anything decent on television, but he didn't know what else to do. Reading was out of the question, he couldn't concentrate. With a snarl of frustration, Chris leaned his head back against the recliner.

Everything was spinning out of control.

That was the only way he could put it. Everything was heading out of control, and it was about to get worse. JD told him that Jessica Tanner was at the pharmacy when they went to retrieve more of Vin's meds ... that gave Chris a really, really bad feeling. Especially when he considered that Paris Tanner would be arriving the following day. He should get some sleep, if he wanted to pick up the old man at the airport.

But Chris couldn't sleep. He was worried about Vin. The poor kid was worrying himself sick over the meeting with his grandfather the following day. He had already been through hell, between the bad meeting with Evan Larabee, the mission, and Chris setting him up. Vin was strong, but why should he have to endure any more than he already had? Hadn't he been through enough in twenty-seven years, to add to it? Why should he have to keep putting up with this crap? Chris was the older brother, dammit, it was his responsibility to look after his younger siblings. It was his job to take care of them, protect him ... even from their own father.

The door opened and Josie called softly, "Chris, we're back. Easy, puppy, don't break anything. I don't think my nephew would be very happy with us." Chris heard a snuff of disgust from the dog as she pranced into the living room. Yes, Mindy pranced into the room, all prim and proper. The border collie still wasn't entirely comfortable with him ... at least, not until she began sniffing his hand. Her ears perked up and she started licking his hand.

Surprised, Chris looked up at Josie and Adriana, but didn't do anything. Adriana murmured, "She smells the spaghetti. No, don't look at me like that, Christopher, I don't feed her spaghetti. But she's a dog, she knows food when she smells it, and she smell the spaghetti." Chris returned his attention to the dog, who was now sniffing his jeans. Adriana said helpfully, "She's getting your actual scent, as opposed to the spaghetti."

Chris just glared at her, but true to form, it didn't faze her in the least. He grunted in irritation and turned his attention back to Mindy. She was in front of his recliner, looking at him expectantly. Not knowing what else to do, Chris patted the seat of the recliner ... and much to his surprise, Mindy accepted the invitation offered. She leaped onto the recliner and settled herself across his lap. Leaving Chris to stare at Josie and Adriana, asking them mentally, 'Now what the hell do I do???'

Mindy herself answered that question, wriggling her muzzle under Larabee's hand. Even he could understand that meant, 'pet me!' With another look at Josie and Adriana, who weren't doing anything at all to help him, Chris began petting the dog. The two women sat down on the sofa, both grinning, and Chris whispered, "At the risk of sounding like Ezra, what the hell just happened here?"

"She's had time to get used to you, Chris, during the last few months. That's all," Adriana answered in an equally soft voice. Chris nodded. It made sense. It took time for a skittish child to relax around anyone he or she considered threatening ... it was only reasonable that the same be true of a dog. Hell, it took time for a skittish adult to relax around a possible threat, so what else did he expect? The archaeologist continued after a moment, her voice growing ever softer, "How's Vin?"

"Asleep ... you wanna go check on him?" Chris asked, grinning slightly. Adriana turned bright red with embarrassment, and Chris added, "Go, or you'll be fidgeting all night. But you wake him, and I swear I'll turn you over my knee." Adriana responded with her customary one fingered salute, and Chris sighed as the young woman left the room, "I should have never taught her that ... or at the least, told her that ladies didn't use it."

"She just would have told you that she was no lady, Chris. I don't think I have to tell you that she is still fighting her father. He tried to strip her of her self-worth, and even after ten years away from him, she is still fighting that. She can accept Vin's love for her, but 'lady' carries an altogether different connotation for that girl. He made her feel dirty, Chris ... that bastard who sired her and Buck made her feel dirty," Josie answered with quiet intensity.

"I know. Buck and I still can't agree on what we'll do when he comes for her. Buck says he will, and Vin agrees. When he knows where to find her, he'll come for her. We've been lucky, the last two years ... but that luck can't hold out forever, and when it runs out ... " Chris began. He shook his head, murmuring, "Even if I didn't love her, even if my little brother didn't love her, I'd still want to kill that bastard."

"Of course you would. You're a protector, Chris, just as much as Vin is. And it sickens you to think of any child going through that," Josie replied. Chris nodded, his jaw tightening. Yeah, it did. It really did. If he had his way, every ... creature who harmed a child, whether it be sexually, emotionally, or physically would suffer in any way Chris could devise. And what he couldn't come up with, Ezra could.

Josie continued after a moment, "Just don't forget that you won't be the only one protecting her. Watching her back. You'll have Vin, and Ezra, JD, Nathan, Rain, Josiah, me, Carly ... Lizzie, if she's here ... Mary, Billy, Nettie, Casey. Pegeen, again, if she's here. That lonely, scared, vulnerable little girl isn't alone any more. She's got the Magnificent Seven and their ladies backing her up. Against a force that powerful, do you really think he stands a snowball's chance in hell?"

Put that way ... Chris looked up and added, "Can't forget the generals and SG-1. Hell, Jack would skin me alive if he tried to keep me out of that fight! He hates bullies anyhow, and Teal'c don't take kindly to people messing with his star pupil." Josie answered with a brilliant smile. Chris sat back with a sigh, murmuring, "How did two young misfits with scars on their souls do it? Hell, I may be the leader of SG-7, but Vin's the glue that holds us together!"

"I think, if you asked either of those two, they would say they didn't do anything. And they didn't. Vin is what he is. He doesn't try to be anything he's not. And yet, he still makes miracles happen, just by being who he is. What he is. He makes those of us who had more breaks ashamed, Chris. The ones who had the education we wanted, who had loving families. He makes us want to try harder, because look at what he accomplished ... abandoned. Unloved. Unwanted," Josie replied.

Unloved and unwanted. That wasn't true of Vin any more.

Josie took a deep breath, then went on, "As for Adriana ... I don't know. I'm still getting to know her. I do know that she's the kind of woman who will never be comfortable in the spotlight. That she does her job, and does it well ... but she doesn't need any special accolades. It's one of the similarities between her and Vin, one that I noticed almost immediately. And the strange thing is, she's not comfortable with the spotlight, but she's not afraid to take a controversial position ... as she did with her paper on the Sphinx."

"Vin will do the same thing. When that FBI agent, Poplar, accused Josiah of the murders, Vin didn't back down. He kept at it. He doesn't like the spotlight. Too many years on the run, too much time being hunted. But he's not willing to let someone else suffer. Why didn't it make him cold and hard, Josie? Where did he get the strength I didn't have after Sarah and Adam died?" Chris asked.

"I don't know, Chris. I wasn't there after your wife and son were murdered. I just know that while Vin has always been strong for you ... I guess it's your turn to be strong for him. Are you prepared for that? Are you prepared to catch him when he falls? Which will be often, because he's having to sort through some powerful emotions ... emotions he can't even express, because of his injuries," Josie replied. Chris thought about it ... thought about what he had just put Vin through. Thought about calling his little brother a liar, because Chris didn't want to see the truth about Ella. After everything they'd been through together, after everything Vin had been through ... when his little brother needed him most ... how could he not be there?

Part 28

"Not asleep if that's what yer worried 'bout."

Adriana stepped further into the room, wondering if he had been awake all this time. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw her love reclining in bed, and Vin continued hoarsely, "Guess I done slept too much earlier. Glad to see ya got back safe 'n sound." Adriana moved softly into the room until she was standing at his bedside. There was only the one light in the room, but even so, Adriana could see that Vin had been crying.

She sat down on his bed, taking his hand, and asked, "What can I do to help, Vin? I hate to see you in so much pain." He gave her a weak smile, lightly squeezing her hand in return. Adriana reached out her free hand, cupping his face and lightly stroking his cheek with her thumb. It was times like these, when he was so vulnerable, that desire was strongest. Because she knew he couldn't hurt her when he was like this?

"Ain't much ya can do, Drina. I cain't hardly move without feelin' like a goddamn bomb done gone off inside my guts," Vin retorted.

Adriana said softly, "Let me have a look. Janet said you're healing pretty good. The main thing now is your ribs." She lifted the edge of his t-shirt, looking at him for permission, and he nodded wearily. Adriana eased the shirt up, until she could inspect the healing scar on Vin's stomach from the emergency surgery to stop the internal bleeding and to repair the organs damaged in the fall from the ridge. She said softly, "If you weren't in so much pain, I'd offer to kiss and make it better."

A faint smile appeared as he answered hoarsely, "Reckon I'll take ya up on that offer, when I git to feelin' better." She smiled back. Yes, the scar was healing very well. From the three Tanner females, she knew that he was still being given sponge baths, much to his embarrassment. Adriana's eye fell on another scar, just under his navel. Chris called them the twin scars once, twin reminders of his own stupidity.

"It don't hurt no more, Drina," Vin said softly, "an' when it did hurt, was different. Bein' stabbed, fallin' down a hill, gittin' beat up ... it ain't the same kinda pain. After a while, the pain goes away, an' it just itches." Adriana allowed the shirt to fall back into place, and Vin sighed, "I'm just so tired a' feelin' like this, ya know? Weak as a newborn baby. And that bastard actin' like he done tonight."

Adriana didn't ask which bastard he meant. She knew what he meant. She replied softly, "I know you are. I could see how frustrated you were getting tonight, every time he put down one of your sisters or Chris. You think you'll be okay tomorrow, for the open house?" Vin nodded, leaning his head back against the pillows with a sigh. Adriana continued, "Then get some sleep ... I'm heading that direction myself. Mindy has planted herself in the recliner ... right on top of Chris."

Vin actually grinned at that and said in a raspy voice, "Reckon I'll have ta tease him 'bout that, 'bout how he's gittin' down right soft." Adriana laughed and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. He returned the kiss with as much passion as he could show, until Adriana reluctantly pulled back. They gazed at each other for several long moments, Adriana's slim fingers caressing his hair. Vin just whispered, "I love ya."

"Te amo, tambien," Adriana answered him in Spanish. She lightly touched his cheek, then quietly slipped from the room. A quick peek into the living room told her that her dog was asleep in the recliner, and Adriana grinned impishly. She would have to remember to tease Chris about that in the morning. Vin was right, Chris was turning into a big softy. Or rather, in this case, he was turning into an even bigger softy, since she always considered him a softy in the first place. For now, however, she had to get to bed. She slipped down the hall to the bathroom, quietly grateful for the time which had passed. It didn't smell nearly as bad now.

She didn't quite reach the bathroom, as a figure slipped quietly out of it. Pegeen Larabee. The two women gasped in unison, "I'm sorry." But neither moved past each other. Pegeen simply studied Adriana's face for several moments, before saying, "You're still not sure if you can trust me, child. Still not sure if I'll hurt Kevin." Adriana didn't answer ... she felt her shoulders go up and back at the observation.

"It takes time. I have my own ways of doing things. I don't distrust you ... but I don't trust you, either. I'll give you the respect you deserve, for raising Chris as you did. But beyond that, it's gonna take time," Adriana replied. She folded her arms over her chest, watching the woman very carefully. Pegeen nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving Adriana's face. Watching her just as closely as she herself was being watched.

"That's fair ... that's reasonable. You don't know me, child, you have no way of knowing if I can be trusted. Not even if I say I would cut off my hand before I ever hurt Kevin. I know you love him very much," Pegeen finally said, and Adriana nodded very, very slowly. Yes, she did. It took her a long time to admit that she loved him, and a long time to accept that he might love her, too. But now, she wouldn't let him go without a fight.

"I do love him, very, very much. And I will move heaven, hell, and earth for him. That means, if your husband doesn't straighten up and fly right, I won't hold back tomorrow, like I did tonight. I won't tolerate him hurting Vin, or Carly, Lizzie, or Chris. They are my family, and I will kill for my family, if need be," Adriana answered in quiet voice. There was no bravado in her voice. Or in her soul. All the bravado was knocked out of her years earlier.

She paused, then added, "One other thing. I'm young, yes ... but I stopped being a child a very, very long time ago." The day I found my mother murdered. However, she didn't say that. It wasn't this woman's business. She continued, "I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me 'child.' The last person to do that was my mother. And she died when I was eight." As she spoke, a memory rippled through her mind.

She was about four years old. It was many years before Buck came into her life. She and her mother were in the grocery story, and little Adriana was so proud to be helping her mother. So proud to be a big girl. She remembered holding something up to her mother with big, pleading eyes. And instead of the coldness which Adriana remembered from her later childhood, the last four years before her mother's death, the little girl instead saw an indulgent smile as her mother replied, "Oh, all right, sweet child ... let Mama have the cookies, liefje.

Liefje. That was Dutch for sweetheart. Adriana swallowed hard, blinking back tears. Liefje. Why had she forgotten that, and where did that memory come from? She looked back at Pegeen Larabee, who was staring at her with undisguised concern. She merely lifted her chin proudly, something she learned from Charlotte, and Mrs. Larabee said, "I do apologize. It ... of course, I'll respect your wish. Good night, ch ... Adriana."

She slipped quietly from the bathroom, allowing Adriana entrance. The trembling young archaeologist closed the door behind her and checked the toilet seat. Down. Of course. A woman just left the bathroom. She sank onto the seat, still shaking. What the hell just happened to her? She buried her face in her hands, quietly sobbing. Her father didn't come to her room until after her mother's death. Now this. What was happening? Mama, she thought, did you really love me, after all? Did I do something to make you stop loving me, or did something else happen? After twenty years, how do I find the answers? She didn't even know where to begin, to find the answers she sought.

Once she could stop shaking and find some sort of composure, Adriana changed into a nightgown, then headed back to the room she was sharing with Mary. Her friend lay on her side, sleeping. At least, Adriana thought she was asleep until Mary murmured, "You're okay?" Adriana whispered her assent, and Mary sat up, saying, "Good. I was worried about you. You check on our guys?" Again, Adriana nodded, glad to have the distraction, and Mary added, "I suppose that was a dumb question. Chris is worried about Vin."

"So am I," Adriana admitted, sliding between the covers, "so am I. But there's nothing either of us can do until Vin's ready to ... well, you know. Right now, Vin is fighting so hard to control his rage. Until he's ready to let go, until he's ready to admit he's furious, until he's ready to ask our help, there's not a whole helluva lot anyone can do. And then there's the matter of his father. You know Chris told him that between him and Vin, Chris would choose Vin?"

"No," Mary admitted, "but it doesn't surprise me. I said 'yes,' by the way. After I talked to Billy. We're moving in next month, around Thanksgiving." Good. Adriana was glad to hear that. She had to admit, she was more than a little curious about why it had taken them this long, then reminded herself that both had been dealing with the losses of beloved spouses. You couldn't just get over that kind of pain. It took time. She, of all people, knew that.

Part 29

At six am, Chris, Adriana, and Buck were all up and awake. Chris could tell from Adriana's face that she didn't sleep well. Neither did he. However, he didn't comment on it, saying only as she finished her coffee, "You ready to go, little princess?" She nodded, picking up her purse, then turning to kiss her brother good-bye. Buck swept her up into a big hug, then set her on her feet, looking worriedly at Chris.

Adriana hadn't eaten breakfast that morning, but that was standard with her. What wasn't standard were the dark bruises under her eyes, or her silence this morning. Something upset her the previous night, and Chris didn't think it was his erstwhile father. The colonel silently promised his old friend that he would look after Adriana, then the pair set out for the airport. Adriana was hunched down into her seat, feet resting against the dashboard.

It wasn't his policy to push or get into the business of others, but Chris was worried about her, just as much as Buck was. He said softly, "You know, little princess, Mindy tucked me into bed last night." That provoked a smile from her, and Chris continued, "Yup, she walked with me to bed, made sure I was all snug, then she headed back to you and Mary. She's a good dog. Very loving and very loyal." This time, the smile was wider, and Chris decided to take a chance. He often heard Vin described as blunt ... well, so was he.

"Thing is, she's a lot like you. And she was worried about you last night. I am, too. Something's on your mind, and I don't think it's about my father," Chris said. Adriana sighed deeply, pushed off the dashboard, and sat up straight in the seat. Chris kept his eyes on the road, despite his desire to look over at her. He could see, from the corner of his eye, that she was looking out the window ... but he couldn't see her expression.

"I had a memory last night," she said after several moments. She proceeded to explain her encounter with his mother, as well as the memory provoked by that encounter. Chris listened intently. When she finished, she sighed, "I don't know where it came from, Chris. Hell, it might even be a false memory." But she didn't seem particularly convinced of that, and Chris knew he wasn't. It didn't sound right.

"No, little princess ... fact is, I've been thinking for a while that something didn't seem right with that. You told me not long ago, that your father didn't start coming to your room until after your mother died, right?" Chris asked. Adriana nodded, and Chris continued, "Okay. So, obviously, your mother was a deterrent of some kind, between your father and you. Which meant she loved you enough to protect you."

Again, Adriana nodded, though he could tell from his side vision that she was confused. Chris went on, "So ... the question remains. Why did your mother suddenly stop being affectionate with you, in any way? Okay, more than one question. What's the correlation between your mother's death and your father's nightly invasions? And ... did he kill her, or have her killed?" It wasn't the first time this occurred to Chris.

"It doesn't make any sense, Chris. Why would one thing have anything to do with the other?" Adriana asked in confusion. Chris started to answer, then realized the turnoff for the airport was coming up. He flicked on the turn signal, glanced over his shoulder, and eased into the proper lane. It was early on a Saturday morning, very little traffic, for which he was deeply grateful. Now, if he could just talk and keep an eye on the road at the same time!

"I don't know, little princess. But there are a helluva lot of questions, damn few answers, and that's something that's bothered me for a while," Chris admitted. Adriana sighed, slumping back into her seat again, and Chris added, changing the subject, "Did Mary tell you that she agreed to move in with me?" This time, he could easily see his young surrogate sister's smile, as it seemed to light up the entire cab of his truck.

"She told me last night ... I'm so proud of you, Chris! I know that took a lot of courage," she replied. Chris rolled his eyes. She had no idea. For the last six years, Chris had been by himself once he left the SGC, or wherever he was posted at the time. Vin sometimes recuperated at his place, after he was injured. But this was different. This was permanent. And this scared the hell out of Chris.

He replied, "You know I had a talk with General Travis, before I brought it up with Mary. He's the closest thing she has to a father, and Billy means the world to him. I didn't want ... " Chris didn't know how to finish. He would die before he would hurt either of them.

Well, before he hurt Mary any more than he already had. Chris winced, thinking of the expression in her eyes when she saw him with Ella Gaines. The woman who killed his family was long dead, but his guilt remained. There was a long silence from his companion, and Chris continued, "There will come a time, little princess, when things will move to that level for you and Vin. When that happens ... Buck's gonna be sticking his two cents worth in."

Adriana snickered, answering, "Tell me something I don't know! Don't worry. I knew that would be the case weeks ago. Leave Bucklin to me." Chris flashed her a smile, then Adriana continued, "What about you, Chris? How do you feel about ... well ... about Vin and me? As a couple?" There was the barest hint of hesitation in her voice as she spoke, and Chris looked over at his surrogate sister, a quick glance.

"I think it's about damn time you two got your acts together. If you're wondering if I'm worried by the idea of a girl whom I love as a sister being with my little brother, the answer is no. You and Vin are good for each other, and you make each other happy. That's all I want, little princess, all any older brother wants. Way I see it, I'm doubly blessed ... my little brother is in love with my little princess, and I know you'll take care of each other," Chris replied.

Adriana looked at him, blinking in surprise, then said, "Wow. I think you just passed your three-word limit, Chris." The colonel glared at her, then resolved to have a little talk with his baby brother. Adriana continued thoughtfully, "Seriously, you surprised me. You usually don't get into the business of other people ... or does this have something to do with you suddenly finding out that you're a big brother by blood?"

Chris smiled, returning his full attention back to the road. They were coming up to the airport, and he replied, "I suppose. Besides, I've known you for fourteen years, little princess. If I can't talk to you bluntly ... well, something's wrong. And I meant every word I said. I'm glad you and Vin are together. And ... that's why I'll do my best to keep Buck from driving the two of you nuts when you decide to take the next step."

"Too late, he's already starting to drive me nuts. Although, the last time he started in, he made the mistake of doing it at Inez's place. She dumped a pitcher of beer into his lap," Adriana answered with a giggle. Chris raised a brow ... and how, exactly, did he miss this little piece of entertainment? Adriana continued, still giggling, "It was when we first got back planet-side. You were with Vin, it was the night Buck took me to the saloon so I could relax."

Now Chris remembered. He took his brother back to his own place, with considerable aid from his sister and Josie. Vin was doped up on his meds, but still in a lot of pain. Buck announced his decision to take his little sister to the saloon, so she could let her hair down. JD rightly pointed out that Adriana usually wore her hair down anyhow ... earning him a cuff from Buck. God help Buck when Adriana and JD decided to join forces!

Adriana added, "I don't think you would have wanted to be there, though. Even as funny as it was, when she dumped the pitcher into his lap. I think you were exactly where you wanted to be." That earned her a cuff from Chris, but she just laughed as they pulled into the parking lot.

By this time, it was almost seven, and the flight was due to land any time. Chris found a parking space with little difficulty, then he and Adriana headed into the terminal. Josie gave them everything they needed to know about the arrival of her father and stepmother the previous night. Gate number, airline, flight number, everything. Adriana reminded him this morning to leave the pistol at home. He felt naked without it, but didn't need the hassle in security.

Besides, Chris could kill just as easily with his hands. Or with his eyes, Adriana had teased. They made it through security without incident. Chris was pleased about that, though he really did think security could be turned up a few notches in airports. He might spend a lot of time on other planets, but that didn't make him blind to the dangers here on earth. He was equally pleased to note that Adriana was alert as she walked at his side.

The archaeologist was now removing a picture of Josie's father ... Vin's grandfather ... from her purse. Yet another piece of information provided by the former sergeant. But until the tall, imposing man emerged from Gate A-9 with a petite woman, walked right up to Chris and Adriana, and said, "Colonel Larabee, I presume," Chris never even considered that Josie also provided a picture of him to Paris Tanner. He would have to be more careful with Josie in the future. She was, after all, a Tanner ... and Tanners could be damn unpredictable.

Part 30

As opening lines went, it wasn't that bad. Still, that didn't keep Becca from lightly smacking Paris in the back of his head. He glared at his wife, then turned his attention back to the blond-haired man in front of him. There was a young woman with him, several years younger. With him, wasn't exactly the right way to put it ... she stood to his right and a little behind, as if he intended to shield her from harm.

"That's right ... I'm Chris Larabee. Which means you're Paris Tanner. This is Adriana Wilmington," the man replied. He didn't seem inclined to say anything further, and Paris took those moments to assess this man, who was brother to all three of his grandchildren. He was in his early forties ... tall and slender, dressed in black jeans and a black leather jacket. And Paris Tanner knew, without a doubt, that this man could be quite dangerous when he chose to be. The proof was in the green eyes which now gazed steadily at him.

"That would be correct ... this is my wife, Rebecca. It's a pleasure to meet both of you," Paris replied, now satisfied that this brother had the ability to protect all three of his grandchildren, if it became necessary. Only time would tell if he had the will. True, Josie believed he did, but Paris preferred to make up his mind about people. With that in mind, Paris turned his attention to the young woman with Larabee.

Adriana Wilmington. His eldest granddaughter's best friend in college, and the beloved of his grandson. Nondescript in appearance ... dark hair, hazel eyes which now regarded him steadily. She was also very small ... no more than two or three inches over five feet ... and very slender. Easily dismissed as a threat, this small young woman with the impassive expression. Easily dismissed, if you were a fool.

Paris Tanner was not a fool. He hadn't survived war, or the loss of his wife and daughter, by being a fool. He recognized the truth beyond the impassive expression. Recognized wariness and suspicion. Chris Larabee said, bringing Tanner's attention back to him, "Was there anything you needed from the baggage claim area ... I was hoping to get back to the house before Vin woke up. Nice surprise for him."

"We both just brought carryon luggage, Colonel Larabee. How is Kevin? Josephine said that he's recovering, but that can mean anything," Becca answered. Larabee nodded and led them back toward the entrance and exit of the airport, Adriana still quiet at his side. Paris looked around, eyes sweeping over the terminal. He was glad now he chose to arrive early in the morning, though the late nights were hell on him.

"Vin's getting there ... he's still not at one hundred percent, but he's getting stronger every day. I should warn you ... my parents arrived last night, and my father has been trying everyone's patience since they arrived. I wanted to warn you, especially, Mr. Tanner ... my father seems to be incapable of taking responsibility for his part in this," the colonel replied. Paris looked at the young man with interest.

Especially when Adriana gave him a sidelong glance, observing in a quiet voice, "You've definitely used up your three-word-a-day limit now, Christopher." Larabee glared at the young woman, lightly bapping her in the back of her head. She just smiled impishly, and Paris then understood what drew his grandson to her. From what he had learned from Josie and Carly, Kevin had an impish sense of humor ... and apparently, so did this girl.

"Three word a day limit?" Becca asked with some confusion as she looked from Larabee's annoyed glare to the impish grin now decorating Adriana's face. Actually, Paris wouldn't mind hearing that story, either, but right now, he would settle for not seeing a murder right in front of him. As they reached the relative safety of the parking lot, he saw the scowl fighting the grin on Larabee's face. The grin won.

"It's an old joke between Vin and Chris. Vin always teases Chris about not saying more than three words a day. Not that Vin has much room to talk," Adriana replied as they reached the vehicle, a four-door truck. Christopher unlocked the truck and everyone climbed in. Paris was impressed when the small young woman climbed into the back, giving the front seat to Paris, who had the longer legs.

"I see, an inside joke," Paris replied and saw the dark head bob once in acknowledgment. He continued, "If I might be so bold ... my eldest granddaughter tells me that you're an archaeologist. How did you become interested in your field? You're around the right age to have grown up watching Indiana Jones ... did that play into your decision at all?" He wasn't sure why he asked the question he did ... maybe a way to test this young woman?

Adriana actually giggled, replying, "Well, Harrison Ford certainly didn't hurt! I guess the lure of it ... I'm guessing that's what you're really asking, at least ... was digging up the past, and putting the pieces together. I think of myself as a historical detective. Pretentious, but ... "

"Honest," Paris completed and Adriana nodded. Paris hadn't expected her to react as she did to the question about Indiana Jones. Most archaeologists tended to get annoyed with such questions. The man continued after a moment, "So, it doesn't bother you when the movies get it wrong ... like in the Indiana Jones movies, for example." Larabee remained quiet at his side, so Paris assumed the other man wasn't concerned about Adriana's ability to take care of herself.

"The way I see it, Mr. Tanner, the Indiana Jones movies aren't about archaeology. They're about adventure. An adventurer who happens to be an archaeologist. It's only when a movie thinks it's a serious flick about an archaeologist, and gets it wrong, that's when it bugs me. Otherwise ... I got other things I need to be worrying about," the girl replied with a shrug. She cocked an eyebrow, adding, "Like your grandson."

"Remember that time, little princess, when JD was oohing and ahhing over one of those football games on TV ... the video games for his Playstation? And the background music?" Larabee asked, and Paris saw that impish smile return to the young woman's face. Larabee explained, evidently seeing his confusion, "JD, the youngest member of our unit. He's twenty-two, and into Playstation. There's a football game ... "

"And the music which was being played with the commercial was 'O Fortuna,' from Carmina Burana. There's another member of the unit, Ezra ... you have to meet him to fully understand. Anyhow, he was lamenting the use of classical music in such ... now how did he put that, Chris? In such pedestrian ways. I told him that at least JD was getting exposed to real music, even if it was through a commercial," Adriana explained.

In the driver's seat, Larabee snickered, adding, "Ezra still hasn't fully recovered from the notion that someone would use a piece from Carmina Burana to sell a football game. He also hasn't recovered from Adriana's observation." Paris, who could see the girl's logic, simply sat back. He had the suspicion that what Larabee and Adriana were discussing was only scratching the surface of a most interesting topic. The next few days would not be dull.

Part 31

He looked like Alex. He had no right to look like Alex.

That was the first thing which occurred to Evan Larabee as he opened his eyes that morning. Alex ... and how much his younger son resembled his beloved older brother, dead for more than fifty years. He lay in bed, quietly furious that Kevin Tanner had made such an impact on him that Evan's first waking thought was anger that his unwanted son looked so much like the brother he had never stopped missing.

Alexander Christopher Larabee had been one of the first to enlist in the United States Army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Evan was too young to join, not that he would have wanted to. War was barbaric, and Evan wasn't a barbarian. Alex only joined up because he knew the government would start drafting people, and he wanted to join this fight on his terms. Or so Evan had told himself a thousand times since that awful day in December when his world was turned upside down.

Alex had made it almost to the end of the war ... dying in a crash on the way back to the United States. He was on his way home for leave. But he wouldn't have been in Europe, wouldn't have died if it weren't for the war. If it weren't for the military. And on the day his brother died, in 1945, an intense hatred of the military, of everything it stood for, was born within Evan Larabee.

But his love for his brother remained. When he met and married Pegeen, the one thing he asked when Christopher was born was that they commemorate his beloved brother in some way. She agreed without question. But Christopher didn't look like his uncle Alex ... he more closely resembled his mother, which never really bothered Evan. He adored Pegeen, despite his straying that year ... and again when Jessica Tanner crossed his path a second time.

It never bothered him, until he saw his brother's face on Jessica Tanner's son. There were differences, of course. Jessica's son had much longer hair, which brushed his collarbone. His features were still fine, but there was a hardness to him that Alex never had. The idea. That a former bounty hunter, of all things, looked like his noble, self-sacrificing brother. It made him furious. Especially during dinner, when Evan saw the boy smile ... it was Alex's smile.

And then there was Pegeen. Evan felt empty inside, thinking of his wife. While their marriage had been troubled, ever since she learned about Kevin Tanner, this was the first night they had slept apart in twenty-eight years. Since ... since he strayed. Since Jessica Tanner came into his life. Well, the second time didn't really count. That was a one night stand. But the result was the same ... a child.

He missed his wife. He missed waking up beside her, he missed watching her brush her hair. He missed her, dammit! What did she see, when she looked at Kevin ... what made her turn on him like this? A voice, which sounded suspiciously like Alex's, answered, A child of her own ... you always promised her you would have more children after Chris. Another promise to her you broke. Having children instead with another woman, whom you claim meant nothing.

That flash of insight took Evan's breath away. Yes ... he always told his wife they would have more children, but things just kept getting in the way. And then, he lost interest in his marriage, in his wife, in his mundane world, and went out searching for adventure and spice. He found Jessica Tanner, a brief affair which created two children. Two children which Pegeen believed should have been hers.

For the first time, it occurred to Evan, how that must have hurt his wife. Evan Larabee had spent most of his life, since his brother's death, looking out for himself, caring about himself.

Which was why this revelation took his breath away. He had said Jessica Tanner meant nothing to him ... and yet, he had three children by her. Only one by his wife, the woman he promised to love and cherish for all time. The woman he promised to have more children with. Evan groaned, sinking back against the bed. How did he make this up to Pegeen? He hurt her. How could he make things right with her?

He didn't allow himself to think about his children ... not about Christopher, not about Kevin, not about Caroline, and most certainly not about Elizabeth. As he pushed himself to his feet and began dressing, he could almost see Alex looking at him accusingly. What was he supposed to do? Acknowledge he helped to create a bounty hunter? Someone who tracked down criminals for money?

That's exactly what I expect you to do, runt ... because otherwise, you're pissing on me. Didn't you hear a word Captain Travis said last night? Maybe my nephew would have had a different life, if his parents did right by him. But they didn't, and he did the best he could. What are you so afraid of, runt? Why won't you let yourself love that kid? I do! Hell, I wish he was my son, I'm proud of him! His conscience spoke with his brother's voice.

I'm afraid to love him. I'm afraid to love him, because if I let that boy into my heart, I'll lose him, just as I lost you, Alex. It hurt too much the first time. He has your eyes, your smile. I can't do that. I can't let myself love him. I can't let myself love any of them, because that really would be a betrayal of Pegeen, Evan told his brother ... told his conscience. His reward was a rude sound, which was exactly Alex's reaction to something he considered ridiculous.

Please! You were never a coward when you were a kid, runt. At least, I never thought you were. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had more courage than I thought. God knows, I was scared out of my mind when I went overseas. But it had to be done, runt! It had to be done. Because given a choice between you dying and me dying, there was no choice. If it kept you stateside and alive, it was worth it! Alex told him.

Evan closed his eyes, leaning his forehead on the mirror. That was the heart of the matter, wasn't it? That Alex had sacrificed himself, so his pathetic little brother wouldn't die. He wasn't worth the sacrifice. He wasn't worth Alex's life. And he had never forgiven the military for giving his brother the chance to make that sacrifice. Not a particularly rational or mature way of seeing things, but where his brother was concerned, Evan Larabee never truly grew up.

There was a knock at the door, shattering Evan's reverie. When he looked back at the mirror, Alex was gone. But then, he had been gone for fifty-five years. Evan bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to blink back his tears. He splashed cold water on his face, then dried it, standing up straight. Maybe it was Pegeen, come back to the hotel for her things. She had just stayed at Christopher's house the night before.

But as he opened the door, he found the last person he would have expected to see on his door step. Her back was to him at first, presenting Evan with the back of her shoulders and her profile. From the side, she looked as she had twenty-eight years ago.

A remembered desire stirred inside, and then Jessica Tanner turned back to face him. She said quietly, "I didn't know if you or your wife would be here. I thought it was time we talked, Evan. Something we should have done a long time ago." She moved quietly, effortlessly past him into the room. And all at once, Evan realized there was something very different about Jessica. She wasn't the woman he remembered from even nineteen years ago.

As she reached the bed, she turned to face him, saying, "We made some terrible mistakes, you and I. But we have a chance to fix them. The question is ... are you willing to? Or are we both going to keep being immature children, forcing our own children to be the adults? I'm tired of being sixteen, Evan. I'm forty-three years old ... it's time I grew up." And with those words, Jessica sat on the bed, leaving Evan with the sense his world had just been turned upside down.

Part 32

If you asked her, she would have never said she was eavesdropping on the conversation between JD Dunne, Adriana Wilmington, and her youngest daughter. She ... simply overheard. Like she overheard their discussion of the father of her children, and how he was in town with his wife. Like she overheard how tense things were. Like she heard a half dozen other things which she really didn't want to know about, but heard anyhow.

Jessica spent the night alone in her motel room, thinking about what she heard. Thinking about what had gone before, and her husband's desire to make things right with her children. For the first time, she allowed herself to think about her son after Julia died. Five years old. The only family he ever knew was gone. Alone. Afraid. She thought about him at his mother's funeral. A single, solitary child, hardly more than a toddler.

She always knew that Evan wouldn't go for his son. Always knew he would just leave the boy. But she didn't allow herself to believe that. Of course Evan would get Vin ... that was his son, his flesh and blood. Just ... just as Vin was her own. And she left him there. Left her five year old son alone, because she couldn't face what a terrible choice she made. She was sixteen when the twins were born, yes ... but she was twenty-one when her eldest sister died.

She could have raised Vin. And Josie was right ... again ... in her desire to take the burden of guilt from herself, Jessica had rewritten history in her own mind. By the time Julia died, their mother was recovering. Clarice Tanner might have lived another few years, if she had her grandson as well as her granddaughter nearby. Instead, Vin was passed from family to family, as if he was a plaything instead of a person. Her son made her ashamed. Without any of the advantages she had in life, Kevin was a better person than Jessica could ever hope to be. And she was so proud of him.

Jessica spent a long night, acknowledging what she had done wrong. She only got a few hours of sleep, but when all was said and done, she was a Tanner. She lost sight of that for more than twenty-five years, but she was still the daughter of Paris and Clarice Tanner. She gave birth to Kevin, Caroline, and Elizabeth. And even if her children never forgave her, that didn't mean Jessica had to give up on them. Again.

When she woke up, around five am, she decided that the first step was to confront Evan Larabee on neutral territory. They had a lot to talk about ... and if his wife was there, that was fine, too. Pegeen Larabee had the right to know what went on, all those years ago. She already knew that three children resulted ... but she deserved no less than Jessica's own honesty. That was this last night had been about. Jessica recovering the honesty she had forgotten.

She confronted things she already knew. And while she would never forgive herself, she found peace in accepting her mistakes. Finally. Maybe that was what Maude Standish meant? Jessica didn't know. She still didn't like the senator. Still didn't trust her. But the woman was right. Whatever her faults were, the woman acknowledged them ... and coexisted with her only child in the only way she knew how.

That was what David meant, when he told her that she had to make things right. She couldn't make her three children forgive her ... but she could accept what she had done wrong. Because once she admitted that ... she could move on. Something she hadn't done, in all this time. Looking back now, Jessica was sickened at the time she had wasted. She would have to make things right with her children ... and with her sister.

Josie. Once a beloved older sister, a conspirator, and a friend. Could Josie forgive her? They both were wrong ... Josie with her attempts to push Jessica into doing the right thing, and Jessica with her stubborn refusal to do just that. But Jessica was more in the wrong, and Josie had given her twenty-five years to do the right thing. Jessica didn't know what would happen with her sister ... didn't even know what would happen with her children.

Because first, she had to face her partner in this quarter-century old crime. Evan Larabee. That was what she was doing here, in his hotel room, staring back at him. She studied him carefully, trying to remember what exactly she saw in him, all those years ago. Maybe, if she reconstructed that time in her memory, she would understand what she could do next. Maybe she would have some answers to give her children.

"You've certainly grown up, Jessica," Evan replied, in answer to her assertion that it was time she grew up. That she was tired of being that sixteen year old girl. Evan looked at her steadily, and for the first time, Jessica realized that her children did inherit some things from their father. Certain mannerisms. Like the way Vin would lean to one side. She heard about that, from the girls at the SGC. They thought it was quite sexy. Evan did the same thing.

"I've gotten older, Evan. I'm just now starting to grow up. I saw our daughter last night. Our youngest. Elizabeth. She's nineteen now. Becoming a beautiful young woman. My sister did a wonderful job raising her. Isn't it ironic?" Jessica asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Evan simply looked at her, and Jessica continued, "I spent all night thinking about this. I'm forty-three years old, Evan. My eldest daughter is a biologist, my son is a hero. My abandoned son, the one I told myself that you would take care of, the one who grew up being passed from family to family like a hand-me-down piece of clothing, is a bonafide hero. Just like my father. Not because of any one action, but because for his entire life, my son, my abandoned child, has tried to take care of others."

"Your son," Evan retorted, his voice thick with contempt, "is a bounty hunter. Not a hero." Jessica looked at him. Bounty hunter? That was only part of what Vin was! He survived as best he could, without becoming a predator himself. He had a dark side, everyone did, but the facts could not be disputed. Her son was a hero. He was a hero to little Lily Kincaid, when he rescued her from Eli Joe. He was a hero to those in the SGC, many of whom were alive because her son risked his life to save them.

"My son was a bounty hunter. He was also part of search and rescue. Do you know how he met his girlfriend, Adriana? She was helping to find a lost child, and Vin was brought in, because he knew the child. Can you say that your entire life has been exemplary, Evan? Can you say that you've never done something you regretted, or been ashamed of? Can you say that you're perfect? I can't. And my son, whatever his faults are, won't even try to say that," Jessica retorted. She didn't know where the words were coming from, but she couldn't stop them now.

She rose to her feet and advanced on him, saying, "He was injured, because he was helping to protect children. Would you like to hear how badly our son was injured? He had a ruptured spleen ... broken ribs, a broken arm, bruised kidneys. He almost died, Evan!" She was careful to keep any references to the SGC out. Jessica was selfish and self-centered, yes, but she wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what would happen to her if she mentioned the SGC.

"Violence only begets violence, Jessica ... you of all people should know that. You remember Kent State ... or maybe not, you were just a child during Vietnam. You weren't even born during Korea. Your son chose a violent life, he should expect something like that to happen," Evan answered stiffly. Jessica stared at the man, once more trying to understand what she saw him in all those years ago.

She shook her head, murmuring, "Who are you? What kind of man says that his son deserves to be hurt, because he was trying to protect children? I was a terrible mother. I admit that freely. I abandoned my son, I abandoned all three of my children. But I love them more than you can possibly imagine ... and I'm proud of them. You don't fight back the darkness by pretending it doesn't exist! I should know! I've been doing that for twenty-five years!"

"Because of your son, my wife turned against me. Pegeen chose to remain with him, rather than coming back with me. She ... wanted more children. I always put her off. And then I met you ... I gave three children to a woman I didn't love. Now, my wife ... whom I do love ... has chosen to make those three children her own. They have mothers ... they don't need Pegeen," Evan replied. And again, Jessica shook her head. For the first time since Julia's death, she started to understand just how frustrated and angry Josie had been with her.

"Vin didn't turn Pegeen against you. You did that. Don't you dare blame my son for your shortcomings. I was given a gift, twenty-seven years ago. Two wonderful, beautiful children. I wasn't smart enough to appreciate either gift. Not then. But I am now. I don't know if my children will ever forgive me ... but I'll spend the rest of my life, making it up to them," she replied. She swung the purse over her arm.

She got as far as the door, then turned back to face him and added, "You know, you no more deserve your gifts than I do. You don't deserve any of your children. Not my three. Not Christopher. But we don't always get what we deserve. If that was the case, my sister would have given up on me years ago. But she didn't. Josie never gave up on me. Now it's my turn. Good-bye, Evan." She moved swiftly out the door.

She didn't know where she was going, or what she was doing. She just knew that she couldn't tolerate being around that man another moment. Lord, she had a lot of work to do. Until last night, when she overheard the conversation between her son's girlfriend and her daughter, Jessica had been almost as bad as the man she just left. She tried to remember that whatever else he had done ... he also created four wonderful young people. Maybe that would be enough. She had other work to do. Evan Larabee was no longer her problem.

Part 33

By the time Chris arrived back at his house, it was eight am. During the drive back from the airport, Paris Tanner had given Chris plenty of blackmail material to use against Josie, by telling him and Adriana stories of what his middle daughter was like growing up. Adriana was in tears in the back seat, from laughing so hard. Chris kept his attention on the road, though with an effort. Oh, did he have blackmail material to use against Josie!

Once they reached the carport, and Chris had turned off the engine, Adriana eased herself out of the vehicle, then trotted around to the other side to open the door for Rebecca Tanner. Chris popped the back end, where the duffel bags were contained, and carried the two bags into the house, Paris striding easily at his side. As they approached the door, Chris winced at the sounds coming from inside his house. If any of those idiots woke Vin ...

Behind him, he heard Adriana mutter, "Uh-oh ... please don't tell me I'm gonna have to kill my brother?" Chris patted her shoulder, then reached for the door ... only to find it opening. Buck was still chortling as he yanked open the door. Chris almost fell into the house, but a small hand clamped over his, giving him an anchor. Chris glared at Buck. He supposed Buck thought that was real funny. And judging from the way his old friend's dark blue eyes were twinkling, that was exactly what Buck thought.

Adriana said dryly, "This is my older brother, Buck. One of the three clowns in the outfit. Even though he's not wearing a clown outfit. At the moment." Chris grinned down at the small young woman, his green eyes dancing with deviltry, while Buck just glared at his sister. One of these days, Buck would learn not to underestimate the trouble which Chris and Adriana could cause when they were together.

Buck's glare was switched to Chris, when the colonel observed just as dryly, "Now, I don't know about that, little princess, seems to me that Buck's always wearing a clown outfit. Just comes ... naturally to him." By this time, the colonel's grin threatened to split his face in two. A grin which grew steadily more evil as he added, "Although, something else will come naturally to him if I find out he or the others woke Vin."

"Hell, Chris ... we didn't! I checked on him just a minute ago!" Buck retorted, obviously indignant that his care of Vin would be questioned. Chris simply stared at him ... this was, after all, Vin whom they were discussing. He had been known to feign sleep. Perhaps realizing this, Buck added, "Vin's still asleep, Chris. With as much pain as he's been in, ever since the explosion, we always know when he's awake."

That was true, and Chris relaxed. He told his longtime friend, "Just wanted to be sure. This is Paris Tanner, Vin's grandfather, and his wife Rebecca." Buck nodded to Paris, shaking his hand, then smiled at Rebecca. Chris almost laughed. His old friend would never change, at least not when it came to women. Old women, young women, it didn't rightly matter. Buck loved 'em, and they loved him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tanner. I understand you have a lovely daughter," Buck said, his dark blue eyes dancing with laughter. Chris just rolled his own eyes, exchanging another look with Adriana, who was grinning. Buck would never change. And Chris was glad. Glad of that constant in his life. Glad of the other constant in his life. Because while his relationship with Vin had changed, Vin was still Vin.

"Let me introduce you to your grandson, Mr. Tanner," Chris said, inclining his head toward Vin's bedroom. The older man's face lit up and he nodded eagerly. This was the reason he had flown from Chicago. Chris led his brother's grandfather toward Vin's bedroom, while the Wilmington siblings introduced Rebecca Tanner to those who were awake. As Buck had said, Vin was still asleep.

"Kevin," Paris breathed. Vin just sighed in his sleep, but didn't awaken. Paris eased himself into the chair beside Vin's bed, the one closest to the door, repeating his grandson's name. Chris went to the bed, easing himself down beside his brother and gently shook him awake. Vin moaned softly, opening his eyes very slowly. A moment after that, the blue eyes came into focus and Chris smiled down at his younger brother.

A sleepy smile and a rasped out, "Mornin,' Cowboy," were his rewards. Chris shifted to one side, allowing his brother to see the man in the chair. Vin's brows furrowed, and Chris held his peace, knowing Paris seemed familiar. At last, Vin rasped out, "Grandfather?"

Chris glanced away from his brother, to see a brilliant smile dawning on the face of the older man. Paris whispered, "Yes, I'm your grandpa. I'm so glad to meet you, Kevin. I've waited so long." He studied him for a few minutes, and Chris tried to see Vin through the man's eyes. Tried to imagine how he would have felt if Adam had a child, whom Chris didn't know about, until after the child was grown.

Paris continued in a hoarse voice, "You look just like your mother. Julia and Jessica both. My God. You are a Tanner, boy." Chris looked back at his brother, in time to see Vin's bright eyes widen at the statement. And then he remembered. As Julia Tanner was dying, she told her five year old son to never forget he was a Tanner. Chris was told of this conversation, not by Vin, but by Nettie Welles. Who also told him of Vin's response ... how all he ever wanted was to live up to being a Tanner.

For his grandfather to say such a thing, was exactly what Vin needed to hear. Paris went on, "You're a Tanner. I could never truly forgive Jessica for giving you away ... but maybe Julia was the best person to raise you for those years. She'd be so proud of you, boy. So proud." Paris drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, "I know I am proud of you. I've been a soldier, grandson. I've been a soldier, and I've had to do ugly things. But what matters, is that the good you've done outweighs the bad. And your good balances out the bad by far."

Chris remained silent, understanding that his brother needed to hear this. Paris reached out a tentative hand, lightly tracing his finger along the line of Vin's jaw and murmured, "You know how I know you're a Tanner, boy? It's in your eyes. Not the color of your eyes, but what I see in them. I see determination and strength. Commitment and compassion. Hush, boy, I'm an old man, I'm allowed to be maudlin. It's something I've earned at my age, the right to be a sentimental old fool when I finally find my missing grandchild."

Paris Tanner smiled more widely then, and in that moment, Chris saw the similarities between grandfather and grandson. Paris added, "You should know, soldiers are among the most sentimental men on the face of the planet. Especially when they get old. Can I hold you, grandson? I know you've got internal injuries that are still healing, and I know your ribs are still broken. But can I hold you? I never got to hold you when you were a child."

"Reckon I'd like that," Vin rasped out, "Grandpa." Paris settled his hand against his grandson's cheek, then eased his body forward. Chris backed away, allowing the pair a more complete reunion. Paris carefully eased his grandson into his arms, tentatively resting one hand against the back of Vin's head, while the other hand lightly skimmed down Vin's back, reminding Chris suddenly and painfully of holding Adam after a nightmare.

The colonel looked away, giving himself a moment to regain his composure and his brother time to relax in his grandfather's arms. When he looked back, Vin's head rested under his grandfather's chin, and tears streamed down Paris Tanner's face. The old man whispered, "Your son is home, Julia. You can be at peace now. He's home, and with people who will take care of him." Always has been, Chris thought, he always has been ... we just didn't know it. Not in terms of facts. But he was my family long before we found out we were brothers.

The three men sat in silence, then Paris released his grandson, allowing him to ease back against his pillows. Vin looked at Chris, his eyes asking a question. Chris understood immediately and nodded once. Vin looked back at Paris, rasping out, "We're goin' to the Open House at the Academy today, Grandpa ... like to come along with us?" Paris wiped away his tears and looked back at Chris.

Once more, the colonel nodded, smiling ever so faintly. Paris returned his attention to his grandson and replied, "I'd like that, Kevin. I just have one other thing to ask. Would your brother be willing to give me the chance to push your wheelchair?" Chris laughed outright and nodded. Yes, he thought they could work that out. He just hoped his father didn't make any more trouble. At that thought, however, he smiled. Even if he did ... they could handle it.

Part 34

By nine am, everyone was up and ready to go. Vin and Paris would ride with Chris, while Rebecca would ride with Lizzie, Carly, and Josie. The latter was actually Josie's idea, as she was all too aware of Rebecca's flaws, and she didn't want her stepmother to have the opportunity to drive Mary or Adriana nuts. Those two would be riding with Buck and JD, along with Billy. By nine am, the others had arrived as well, and it was decided that Ezra and Josiah would ride with Rain and Nathan to the Air Force Academy.

If Josie was worried about Rebecca, it was for nothing. It seemed that before they left, Lizzie and Carly had cornered their grandmother-by-marriage and warned her what would happen if she made catty remarks of any kind to Mary or Adriana. When Rebecca protested, Carly had hissed, "Oh, please! You think I haven't heard you and Louisa sniggering at the expense of someone else? Here's a little newsflash for you. I have. Why do you think I can't stand Louisa? Here's another newsflash. You mess with someone I care about, and I'll wipe the floor with you. And not even your marriage to my grandfather can protect you."

Josie had learned about the confrontation from Lizzie. The nineteen year old was practically bouncing as she talked about it, her bright blue eyes filled with excitement and pride in her older sister. Rebecca had further incurred Carly's wrath when she observed that Mary was lovely, and Adriana would be as well, if she would just do something with herself. Carly snarled, "Why the hell should she? She's pretty the way she is. Vin loves her as she is. She takes care of herself. And if she doesn't look like some supermodel, who cares?"

Lizzie added, "Besides, she's already done something with herself. She became an archaeologist. She became a good person. And believe you me, if Buck ever heard you saying something like that about his sister, you'd be ... well ... toast. So put a sock in it."

Rebecca protested that she was just trying to help, to which Carly replied, "Save it. Adriana doesn't need your kind of help. She's happy ... for the first time in her life, she's happy. I'm not gonna let you, or your man-eater daughter, mess that up. Not that Louisa could. She's too phony for the likes of my brother. My twin has far more taste than to fall for Louisa. He wants someone more real."

Ouch. There were times when Josie could have sworn Vin was the more ... diplomatic of the twins. Vin could be blunt, but when Carly perceived a threat to any of hers, the result could be ... well ... messy. Only the arrival of Ezra kept things from getting out of hand. At least for that moment. But Josie didn't trust Rebecca. The woman loved Josie's father, but she could be mean ... and Josie didn't put it past her to undercut Adriana to get back at Carly.

However, Josie was sure Adriana could handle it. The girl had overcome a neglectful mother, an abusive father, and a series of hellish jobs. To say nothing of the tongue-lashing she had given Jessica when they first returned from the mission. Rebecca Tanner was probably small potatoes for her. Still, that didn't stop Josie from wishing her daughter and her niece had been a touch more diplomatic in dealing with Rebecca.

On the other hand, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying the peace and quiet in the car at the moment. Carly was driving, allowing Josie to sit in the back seat and simply relax. Funny. This felt like the first time in days she had been able to do that. Just ... relax. That was the case right up until the time her cell phone rang. She wasn't the only one who noticed the quiet. Everyone in the car jumped a mile, then shared rueful, embarrassed grins.

Josie answered the phone, mentally promising herself to seriously inflict damage on anyone who wasn't Josiah. She'd inflict something else on him. However, it wasn't Josiah. It was Jessica. Her younger sister babbled something which Josie couldn't understand, then finally gasped, "I'm so sorry, Jo, you were right all along! I'm so sorry! I don't know how to ... to make this up to the kids, to any of them, but I'll find a way to make things right!"

It took Josie several moments just to make sense out of what was being said, then she finally said, "Jess, slow down! I can hardly understand you." From the corner of her eye, Josie could tell Carly was stiffening in the driver's seat and mentally warned her niece to keep her attention on the road. Then her younger sister was talking again, much more slowly. And this time, Josie could get the entire story out of her.

Jessica had overheard a conversation between Lizzie and Adriana the previous night, when JD and the girls were at the pharmacy, getting Vin's prescription refilled. And it had forced her to start looking at her own behavior over the last few weeks. The last twenty-plus years. She was ashamed by what she saw. After working through things in her mind, she had gone to Evan Larabee's hotel room this morning (how in the hell did she find out where Evan was staying? Never mind that, worry about it later), and there was a confrontation.

He was still alive (now Jess was a mind reader, it seemed), but it forced Jessica to realize just how badly she screwed up. She loved her children. All three of them.

She screwed up, but good, and if need be, she would spend the rest of her life making things right with them. She just didn't know where to start. Did Josie have any ideas? Josie was still recovering from the shock of hearing her sister's voice, calling her. But she managed to reply, "I'm not real sure, Jess ... I mean, I can give you suggestions, but I think it would be best if you did something yourself."

She paused, then asked curiously, "Just ... on account of because ... how did you know where Larabee was staying? We had to deal with his crap last night ... you should be very proud of your eldest daughter. She was very well-behaved." Lizzie made eye contact with her in the rearview mirror, and Josie just winked at the girl, even as Carly scowled. Josie replied, in answer to her sister's question, "She didn't dump the spaghetti in his lap. Private Dunne used him as missile practice, though, using a meatball."

There was a stunned moment of silence, then her sister burst out laughing. Jessica said, still giggling, "Oh, I wish I could have been there to see that! Just to see the look on that big wuss's face when that meatball hit him!" Big wuss? Josie shook her head, and returned her attention to her conversation with her sister. Jessica added, "Besides, I heard about where they were staying, when I overheard the conversation between Lizzie and the other two."

Josie decided she wouldn't share that piece of information with her two companions. She was still reeling from her sister admitting that she was wrong ... finally, after all these years! Jess added, "Jo-Jo, I'm so sorry. I know I've put you through hell, too. Is there something I can do to make things right? Maybe something Vin would like? I hurt him the most ... and I'm most proud of him." Josie smiled faintly.

"I think, Jess, that the best thing you can do for Vin is to reassure him that he didn't do anything wrong. All these years, he's believed that he was abandoned because of something he did or didn't do," Josie replied. There was a long silence from her sister, then a choked back sob. Josie continued, "Just be there for him, little sister ... that's all he really needs. Just be there for him, and make sure he understands, it was never him."

"I don't know where to start, Jo-Jo. Do ... do you think it would be a big problem, if I came to Open House? I couldn't tell you what I saw in him, all those years ago, but I can tell you how Evan's gonna react. He's gonna be furious that everyone seems to be deserting him. And there will be a confrontation, probably at the Open House ... do you think it would be okay if I was there? To help Vin?" Jessica asked.

Josie thought about that. It actually sounded about right ... Evan Larabee wouldn't forgive the humiliation of the previous night that easily. She replied slowly, "That might work. Long as you understand that you're there for support, not to ride in and save Vin from his evil father. He's still healing from his injuries, but there's nothing wrong with that young man's brain. Are we clear on that, Jessica?"

"As crystal. Jo-Jo ... I'm sorry," Jessica repeated once more, before hanging up. Josie hung up her cell phone, shaking her head in astonishment. Her sister had apologized.

Not just once, but repeatedly, for abandoning her children. She looked at the cell phone in her hands, wondering if she should call the local zoos and find out if any of them had noticed leopards changing their spots. Or some such animal changing their pigmentation in any way. She shook her head in total amazement, telling the others in the vehicles, "I think someone needs to check the astrological charts, to see if some planet or star is in a location it's not meant to be. My sister just apologized!"

Part 35

Paris Tanner could have found out that he had inoperable cancer, and it wouldn't have mattered. He was with his grandson ... and his only regret would have been the knowledge that he had so little time to spend with Kevin. But he was healthy, he received a clean bill of health from his doctor only days before leaving for Colorado with Becca. Kevin was recovering ... and they had all the time in the world to get to know each other.

At the moment, Paris was pushing his grandson along one of the sidewalks of the Air Force Academy, listening as Chris Larabee read from the guide book. Paris wasn't taking part in the conversation ... he didn't need to. He was pushing his grandson's wheelchair, and that was more than he had for twenty-seven years. And, it wasn't really a conversation ... not with Chris reading from the book, Kevin making an occasional smart-ass remark, and Chris swatting him with the book along side the head.

The ease he saw between the brothers told him that they had been friends long before they found out about their blood tie. He had known that, from Josie and Carly, but like he had told them, he needed to see it for himself. Needed to see the affection in Chris Larabee's smile when he gently ruffled Kevin's light brown hair (always to Kevin's annoyance) ... the love which shone in his eyes when he didn't realize someone was looking.

Not that Paris called attention to it. He was an old man, allowed to be sentimental, but Chris was young yet. Only forty-one, and still sensitive to the macho crap. Getting better ... almost losing your younger brother, in part because of that macho crap, went far in shattering the walls built for self-protection. Chris Larabee would lay down his life for Kevin, that Paris knew, just as he knew the sun would come up the following day. And he knew the feeling was one hundred percent returned.

Paris knew the ladies were at Carly's lecture ... they were there for moral support, as Josie had said, before leading the ladies off to the lecture hall. He also knew that Jessica planned to show up today at some point, to apologize to her children. She had called Josie while the older Tanner sister was on her way to the Open House.

Paris was glad. Because today was the day for such reconciliations. It was the day of an Open House, and it was fitting for that reason. Of course, if he ever got his hands on Evan Larabee, there really would be hell to pay. He knew Chris wanted that particular honor for himself, but Paris had decided that if anyone dealt with Evan, it would not be the colonel. He didn't need that kind of burden. For all he had done wrong, Evan was still his father.

On the other hand ... he was nothing to Paris Tanner. Just the man who knocked up his youngest daughter and left her alone, taking no responsibility. Jessica had done the same thing, and Paris wouldn't say anything different. But Paris had no intention of confronting his younger daughter. Jessica had been wrong, so terribly wrong, but she hadn't done the things Evan Larabee had the previous night.

Remembering what he had been told about the dinner at Christopher's house the previous night, Paris found his blood boiling. The old man looked at the back of his grandson's head, to calm himself. Kevin's only request was that they not discuss his childhood. He didn't want to remember those years, not right now. They were a part of him, and he would never say otherwise. But he had just met most of his family, and he wasn't ready to talk about it with them.

Adriana probably knew ... given their history together, Paris would have been far more surprised if she didn't know. However, the young lady was now at the lecture hall, lending her emotional support to his eldest granddaughter. Paris wished she was here. He couldn't make up his mind about her suitability for his grandson, if she wasn't around. However ... he could appreciate her loyalty to her friends.

Kevin said now, "Hey, Larabee, how long d'ya think before Drina gets bug-eyed over the lecture? Ya know that ain't 'xactly her cup a' tea." Chris simply laughed softly, smacking Kevin with the guide book, and the young man growled, "Ya best be stoppin' that, Larabee, I ain't no baseball ya kin be hittin' with that thin,' ya know." Paris glanced at Chris, whose smile had broadened even further.

"Now, you know Julia taught you better than that, Kevin Parris Tanner, having respect for your elders," Chris retorted, his green eyes twinkling with unholy glee. Kevin just growled in irritation. Paris was getting tired of having to look around to see his grandson's face, so he pushed the wheelchair toward a park bench, put the brake on, then sat down on the bench. For the first time, he could see his grandson's expression ... and Paris bit back a laugh, seeing the pure mischief dancing in the bright blue eyes.

"Hear that, Grandpa, Larabee finally admitted he's an old man!" Kevin smirked. Chris just glared at his younger brother, which did absolutely no good. Kevin continued, "An' quit usin' m' full name, 'less I actually done somethin' wrong. Givin' m'self whiplash, tryin' to figure out what the hell I done wrong. Sorry, Grandpa." Paris shook his head. He was too old to care about 'hell' or 'damn,' but he drew the line at the 'f' word.

"Tanner ... it's a good thing you're in the wheelchair, because if you weren't ... " Chris threatened. Paris glanced at his grandson, who smirked and cocked his head to one side.

His expression said, ever so plainly, 'yesssss?' Chris swatted the side of his brother's head again, then dumped himself beside Paris, muttering under his breath about smart-ass younger brothers. Paris, who had seen similar scenarios play out with his three daughters more times than he could count, just smiled and turned to his grandson, saying, "Did I ever tell you why I was named 'Paris,' Kevin?"

Curiosity lit the bright blue eyes as Kevin shook his head, and Paris explained, "Well, I'm sure that you've heard the old jokes, about how I was conceived in Paris, France, or some such thing." Kevin nodded, a half smile lighting his face, and Paris continued, "The truth is, I was named after Paris in the old Greek myths. Paris of Troy. It seems my father always believed that Paris was an honest man who got a bad rep. You know about his place in the myths?"

"He was the fella the goddesses asked to judge who was the purtiest out of 'em. Drina told me the story," Kevin replied, nodding, and Paris nodded with a smile. He should have expected as much, since Adriana was an archaeologist. Kevin continued, "Cain't rightly recall what he was promised by the other goddesses, but Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world ... Helen."

"The face that launched a thousand ships," Paris agreed. He was silent for several moments, then said, "There was a great deal more to the story, but that was all I knew for the first fifteen years of my life. I always wondered why my father named me for a man who helped to start a war. A man like Paris. My father swore there was more to him than that, there had to be. I suppose that's what got me interested in history, and in myths and literature."

He paused, then continued, "Later, it didn't matter. Just ... well ... I wanted to become the sort of man whom my grandson would be proud of, a man who was worth sharing his name with." Kevin's answering, shy smile, gave him his answer. Paris reached over and put his hand on Kevin's shoulder, unable to say exactly what he was thinking. What he was feeling. After a moment, Paris continued, "I should tell you about your great-grandparents."

He would have said more. But the sudden tension in the third man told him that something was very, very wrong. Chris angled his body, as if he was protecting Kevin against something ... or someone. And it was then that he saw the man stalking toward them. He didn't realize who he was at first. Then Chris growled, "Father." Understanding, then, Paris rose to his feet, determined to protect his grandchild from further unpleasantness.

But both he and Chris left something out of their decision, someone very important. Kevin himself. As Evan Larabee approached, his face reminding Paris of a stormcloud, Kevin said almost casually, "Reckon it's time this was settled." Paris looked at his grandson, startled, and Kevin added, "Cain't protect me forever, Grandpa. Neither kin ya, Chris. It's time this was ended. One way or another."

"Oh for the love of God, you can't even talk properly! You sound like a goddamn backcountry hick!" Evan Larabee hissed. Paris didn't even look at Kevin, to see how this volley affected his grandson. He only knew how it affected him. And Chris.

The colonel looked as furious as Paris felt, and this was further demonstrated when Chris answered quietly, "At least Vin's never made a claim to be something he's not. He's an honest man, which is more than I can say for you. What the hell are you doing here? You, who make such a big production out of your distaste for anything military? You don't belong here. You made your choice yesterday."

"It's okay, Chris. I kin handle him," Kevin answered quietly. Paris and Chris looked at each other, then at the young man sitting quietly in the wheelchair. Chris didn't look like he was happy about it, but Kevin looked up at him and said softly, "I kin handle him, Chris. I just need ya to believe in me. Like ya always done." The eyes of the two brothers locked, and it seemed to Paris that a thousand different things were being said in those moments. Then a faint smile appeared, and Chris nodded.

He stepped to one side, putting a supportive hand on his younger brother's shoulder. Following the lead of the colonel, Paris stepped back until he was standing at Kevin's side, and put his hand on his grandson's other shoulder. Chris was right, and so was Kevin. This man had hurt his grandson. The call was Kevin's to make. He had made it. Now, it was time for the reckoning, which had been in the making for twenty-seven years.

Part 36

He hadn't meant to come here. This was the Air Force Academy, a military installation. Part of something which he hated with every fiber of his being. But here he was, nonetheless. Evan Larabee couldn't explain it to himself. He shouldn't be here. He loathed the military, in all its aspects. He didn't belong here. And yet, here he was. Walking across the lawn toward his son. Both of them.

Once more, Kevin's resemblance to Alex stabbed into his heart, but he ignored it. It became easier, after the boy spoke. He sounded nothing like Alex. Had none of Alex's diction or speaking abilities. He was absolutely embarrassing ... just a cornpone hick with no education and no elegance. But he did have something. He had both his elder brother, Evan's own son, at his side ... along with an older man whom Evan didn't recognize.

At least, not until that older man said, "We believe in you, Kevin. Both of us. Just as your grandmother would, if she were here." Grandmother? Or course. Jessica told him earlier that her father was arriving in town. This would have to be Paris Tanner. One of the men who came home from Europe, when Evan's own brother died in the war. That made it easier for Evan, then. At least, until Paris Tanner looked at him as if Evan was nothing more than a bug, and added, "So. This is Evan Larabee. The ... person ... who abandoned a five year old child."

That's right, runt, Alex said inside his head, you abandoned a five year old kid. Then had the gall to criticize him for not being up to your lofty standards. Five years old, runt. Do you remember being five years old, Evan? I do. I remember you being five years old. Have you ever noticed that there's almost the same age difference between Vin and Chris, that was between you and me? No, of course not. You're still denying your own flesh and blood.

Evan reacted to this criticism by his older brother the same way he always did ... by lashing out at someone else. Once more, he lashed out at the young man with his brother's face, growling, "This is all your fault! If you had just stayed away from my son, none of this would have happened!" Christopher reacted predictably ... as any older brother would, when there was a threat to the younger sibling. The same way Alex always reacted to threats to Evan.

His older son fired back, "No, this is all your fault, Father! Vin did nothing wrong! He did nothing wrong the night we met, and he sure as hell did nothing wrong just now. I'll tell you something else. My little brother has done nothing in his life except help people ... too bad I can't say the same for you. How dare you intrude on a family day like this? You're not welcome in my life, or hadn't I made that clear before? I ... no ... longer ... have ... a ... father!"

"Chris ... I got it," Kevin said softly, putting his hand over his brother's, now resting protectively on his shoulder. Christopher looked at his younger brother somewhat apologetically. Evan knew the expression well. It meant, 'I'm sorry I stepped in, but I won't apologize for protecting what's mine.' Evan knew the expression, he had seen it on his wife's face enough times. Kevin added, turning his attention back to Evan, "Now. Ya made it real clear that I ain't good 'nough for the likes of ya. Now it's my turn."

Christopher and the elder Tanner adjusted their position behind Kevin, closing ranks. Tanner put his hand on Kevin's back. Evan stared at the young man who had been silent for so long, who would be silent no longer. Kevin Tanner stared at him with contempt burning brightly in his blue eyes, as he said, "Now, I've had just about enough of ya insultin' m' ma, insultin' m' sisters, insultin' my brother. Hell, wouldn't surprise me none if ya insulted m' lady last night when I didn't hear ya. And ... it ... ends ... now."

Evan was mesmerized. The flashing blue eyes, the forceful words, the tone of voice, it was all Alex. Only the Texan accent and the long hair reminded him that his brother was dead. Kevin swallowed hard and went on, "Like I done said earlier. I know ya don't like me, and that's fine by me. I got me a brother and sisters, an aunt, and a grandpa who do. I got my Drina, and I got m' other brothers. I don't need ya!"

Christopher remained silent, his fingers kneading his brother's shoulder through the jacket Kevin wore. The young man continued, "I was like ever' other kid, growin' up. Wonderin' 'bout m' pa. Wonderin' what I done wrong, to make 'im not want me. Oh, I tol' m'self it weren't important, that m' ma wanted me and loved me. But it were important. 'Cause I was missin' a part of m'self, all them years."

The boy shook his head, his eyes blazing with fury, and continued, "Then I meet m' pa. And I was right, all 'long. He don't want me. Never did. Didn't want me when I was a kid, and I sure as hell don't measure up to what he wants now. How could I? When the son he raised ain't good enough, an' I ain't never met a better man 'n Chris Larabee. That's the one good thin' ya done. Ya gave Chris to me. I cain't tell ya what it meant to me, findin' out that Chris really was m' brother. Brother I wanted all m' life, and there he was." Evan lifted his eyes to meet Christopher's, and was shocked to see the stark emotion there.

"That was the best gift you could have given me, too," Christopher said softly, "finding out that Vin Tanner, my best friend, my second in command ... was my little brother. I got two more gifts, when I found out that I had two sisters as well. But Vin was the greatest gift, because I already knew him. It's so ironic, Father. That year, when it was just Mom and me ... you were never really ours after that year. But what you created ... is ours."

"And you're welcome to it ... both of you! You made your choice last night. And for reasons which I can't ascertain, your mother has chosen to adopt this ... this ... this get of a whore! What ... " Evan spat. He never finished that sentence. Kevin Tanner had just been pushed too far. The young man levered himself out of his wheelchair, his bright eyes reminding Evan of pictures he had of a sun which had just gone supernova.

"That," the young man growled, "is the last time I'm hearin' ya insult m' ma. Julia Rose Tanner was the finest woman to walk this earth, and the likes of ya ain't gonna say otherwise. How dare ... agh! Oh God ... Chris?" Kevin doubled over in the middle of his sentence, arms wrapped protectively around his midsection. Christopher moved faster than Evan ever saw his son move before, gently easing his brother to the ground.

"I'm right here, Vin, I'm right here. Easy. I got ya. Shhh, I got ya," Christopher soothed gently. He cradled his brother against his body, just holding onto him. Evan watched in fascination ... right up until he felt a pair of hands twist themselves into his collar, forcibly lifting him off his feet. Evan eeped and found himself staring into the very angry eyes of Paris Tanner. Evan barely heard his elder son whispering to his brother.

Because he heard something else, right behind him. A voice he heard only that morning, snarling, "Put him down, Daddy, and let me deal with this pile of manure. You help Colonel Larabee take care of our boy. Insult my sister's memory and upset my son? I don't think so, buster!" Tanner snarled at him once more for good measure, before turning him away from Kevin and Christopher and dumping him unceremoniously on the ground. At which point, Evan found himself facing an irate Jessica Tanner.

Part 37

Oh ... God. That hurt. Vin drew in his breath in hisses, because that was the only thing he had strength enough for ... hissing in his breath. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against his brother's collarbone, only vaguely aware that his grandfather had physically picked up Evan Larabee after Vin collapsed. The only things which were really real to Vin at the moment were the agony in his gut and Chris holding onto him as if he'd never let go. Hating himself for drawing strength from his brother, and doing it nonetheless because he had none of his own, Vin held on as well.

This was one time when Vin wouldn't break his brother's hand for stroking his hair, even if he had the energy. But Chris just rocked him, skimming his hand down Vin's back, the rhythm giving Vin a focus other than the tearing pain, and how stupid he felt. He knew this would happen, so why the hell did he do it? Stupid, stupid, stupid ... how could he be so stupid? But he was tired of that prick insultin' his mother, the woman who raised him for those five years, who taught him about right and wrong, about love.

Over the last two weeks, his rage and frustration had grown, with no way of dealing with it. And things only got worse the previous night, during the first confrontations with his biological father. Vin's worst nightmare as a child came true as an adult. His father not only didn't want him, Vin was the epitome of everything Evan Larabee hated. Vin could have dealt with that. What really hurt the young man was the knowledge that there was only one thing Evan Larabee had done right, only one reason to be proud that Evan Larabee was his father. That was Evan's first-born son, Chris ... Vin's newly found older brother. Otherwise, Vin considered his biological father a waste of oxygen.

No child should ever see their parent that way. But it was how Vin truly felt about his father. And Evan had tried the last of Vin's patience today, by once more attacking the woman who took care of Vin for those years before her death. He knew he was born of Jessica Tanner's body, but for all time, he would consider himself to be Julia Tanner's son, and he would allow no insults of her ... any more than he would allow insults to his aunt, his sisters, or his Drina.

At last, his rage had an outlet. Vin hadn't been thinking when he pushed himself out of his wheelchair. It wasn't a matter of pride. It was a matter, really, of stupidity. And he paid the price for it. But for just a few seconds, there had been no pain. Only fury. Only the sensation of lava where his blood should have been. And then, it felt like the pain was tearing him in half, but as he had so many times during the last two weeks, Chris had caught him.

Vin knew his older brother was still feeling guilty about not telling the whole truth during the last mission. And he knew, no matter how many times he told Chris he understood, it made no difference. Chris had to work through his guilt as best he could. Like Vin himself, Chris took care of people, he protected people. And when he believed he had failed to protect one of his, it took him a long time to stop feeling guilty about it.

After several moments, and as Vin's thoughts quieted, he felt himself being lifted back into his wheelchair, heard his grandfather talking to him in a gentle voice, felt a big hand once more skimming down his back. And the pain began to ease, just as an unfamiliar female voice snapped, "I'm just gonna say this once, Evan. Don't you ever insult my sister's memory again! Julia never did anything to you! And what the hell are you doing here anyhow, aside from insulting my sister's memory and upsetting my son?"

What in the hell? Vin leaned his head to one side, and found his brother's shoulder there. The old song, 'put your head on my shoulder,' danced through Vin's mind, and it was all he could do to keep from giggling. Two things stopped him: a) he wasn't hurting quite so badly now, and he liked it that way, and b) he knew Chris wouldn't appreciate his singing or the song.

"I was here ... I don't know! Maybe I wanted to see how the enemy did things, or I wanted to settle things with Christopher ... wanted to make him see what a mistake he was making. What are you doing here, Jessica?" Evan Larabee demanded. Vin at last found himself able to draw in a deep breath, without feeling as if a bomb had gone off inside his gut. He maneuvered his head on his brother's shoulder and saw his birth mother for the first time.

She was pretty. Not as pretty as his ma, her older sister. She had dark blonde hair which had been frosted. And if Vin hadn't known she had given birth to three children ... well, she didn't look it. She wasn't facing him at the moment, but the man who had Vin, his brother, and his sisters. Her hands seemed attached to her hips as she fired back, "I'm here to make things right with my children, with my father, and with my sister!"

"And you've done a fine job of starting that, sweetie ... but I think you should step away from the father of your children. I think those nice, strapping young men would like to have a conversation with him about disturbing the peace. And isn't that Orrin Travis walking with them?" his grandfather asked. Vin raised his head to see Jack O'Neill, Teal'c, and General Travis making their way toward the impromptu Tanner family reunion.

"That it is, Mr. Tanner. General, may I present Paris Tanner ... Vin's grandfather, and a survivor of D-Day. I believe you've also met Jessica Tanner, as have Teal'c and Colonel Jack O'Neill, both of whom were with us when Vin was nearly killed," Chris replied. He paused, then almost as an afterthought, added, "Oh, and this is my father, Evan Larabee ... my father and Vin's." But Vin was more interested in the woman. Jessica Tanner. The woman who gave birth to him. She was staring at him as well.

"Oh, so, this is the guy who abandoned his five year old kid, huh? Chris, I'm still figuring out how a wimp like that managed to raise you, and create Vin and Carly. Good to see you up and about, kid," Jack said, distracting Vin from his staring-contest with his biological mother. Vin looked at his friend, smiling to see the concern in the brown eyes. And the young guide felt another pain, not physical, release its hold on him. So his biological father was a bastard who didn't think Vin was worth his time? That was his loss. Not Vin's. Never again.

Vin still had his grandfather. He had his older brother, his two sisters. He had his aunt. His five other brothers and their respective ladies. He had Nettie. He had Drina. The other SG teams. And ... maybe ... if things were right for it ... maybe he and his biological mother could become friends. Teal'c intoned, "Indeed, Vin Tanner. Your recovery has been a concern to Colonel O'Neill and myself. It is indeed good to see you out today."

"Good to see ya, Teal'c, Jack. My old man was just leavin.' Weren't ya," Vin rasped, glaring at his biological father. Evan Larabee looked around nervously, and Vin realized it may already be too late to keep things from going too far. While General Travis wouldn't intervene, and neither Jack nor Teal'c would commit murder out in plain view (unless it was Maybourne or Kinsey), he was more worried about the ladies. A quick look told him that both his grandfather and his elder brother had noticed the very same thing ... although, neither Chris nor his grandpa looked particularly worried.

"Uh-oh," Jack muttered, evidently seeing the same thing Vin saw, "looks like Carly's lecture has been let out. Do you think if we gave him a ten minute head-start, it would be enough for Mr. Larabee to outrun the ladies? Judging from the expression of the lovely Dr. Tanner, I think she's seen her biological father. Which means, if she gets here, we'll have to worry about biological decontamination, by the time she's finished with him."

"I don't think there's time for that, Jack," General Travis replied with a deep sigh, "Mary was a track star in high school. Take a look, she's leading the charge." A glance toward his sister and the other ladies confirmed that Mary was striding right alongside his twin sister and his lady. This ... looked to get interesting. Especially since none of the ladies looked pleased to see his biological father. Vin found the rest of his pain quickly fading in anticipation of what was about to start.

Part 38

There was very little discussion among the women heading toward Paris and Vin Tanner, as well as Evan and Chris Larabee. Adriana Wilmington had pulled out her cell phone as soon as the biology lecture let out, and dialed JD Dunne's cell phone number. She knew better than to call her brother. Buck was forever turning off his cell phone, because he didn't want to run the risk of a call interrupting him when he was with a lady.

Josie Tanner had explained what she was thinking to Pegeen Larabee, once the women parted company with the men. She further explained that it seemed likely that Evan Larabee would show up, after being humiliated so badly. None of the women could argue with her logic, so they decided they would wait until after Carly's lecture (which went absolutely brilliantly, despite Carly's last minute panic-attack).

Mary had a special signal she and Chris created with her pager, after the last mission. One beeps meant Vin was down, and two meant he was down and they were under hostile fire. During the lecture, Adriana found herself struggling to stay awake when she received a note from her best friend, who was sitting beside her. "Two beeps," was all it said. Adriana folded the note back and nodded, then passed it to the other ladies.

By the time Carly was finished with the admiring young cadets ... and the ones who wanted to challenge her ... Mary and Adriana had pinpointed where Chris and Vin were most likely with Paris Tanner. Josie filled in Carly, as well as the news that the twins and Lizzie's mother had finally wised up. Then they headed out, because their men needed them, and nothing more needed to be said. Well ... except for Pegeen, who agreed with Josie and Jessica that Evan wouldn't be able to let things lie.

In any event, it took them less than fifteen minutes to find the guys ... and they also discovered that Jack, Teal'c, and General Travis had joined the ranks. Oh, this looked to be interesting. Lizzie (who had announced her desire to be called 'Lacey,' which sounded far more grown-up) had a few choice remarks for her biological mother, and Josie quickly hushed her. Adriana agreed, especially once they got within earshot, and she heard for herself, the way Jessica Tanner was ripping into Evan Larabee.

Adriana was an archaeologist, a scholar and a well-read woman. She also knew how to cuss someone out in three different languages (English, German, and Latin) ... five if you counted the lessons in Spanish she got from Cass Montoya during her years in Texas and the Russian lessons she got from Claire. So, she had a very good understanding of blasting someone ... and an excellent appreciation of the dressing down which Jessica was now giving Evan. It wasn't quite as viciously elegant as the one Adriana herself gave Jessica, or the ones which Ezra was capable of giving, but it was vicious and elegant in its own right.

Her smile died as her eyes shifted from Jessica still reaming Evan, to the pale, hunched figure of her boyfriend. She glanced at Mary, whose green eyes registered her own concern, and the blonde captain nodded her agreement. With only that, the pair began walking a little faster than the others. A second glance had them both running, and they were at the sides of their respective men only seconds later.

Adriana knelt beside her boyfriend, who smiled at her weakly and rasped, "M' pa pissed me off, and I was stupid. Sorry, Drina." The archaeologist just touched his cheek gently, allowing her eyes to do her talking for her. Vin sighed, leaning his face into her hand, and muttered, "Shoulda knowed ya would do that. Ya always do." Adriana wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, and she didn't think he needed to be talking.

Jessica was winding down, which was why Adriana was looking away from Vin when her eyes met Josie's. Unexpectedly, the woman turned bright red and she said, "You ... did tell me not to swoop in and rescue him from his evil father, and what do I do? He made me mad, Jo. Not Kevin, but Evan. He called our sister a whore, and got Kevin all upset. That made me mad, and I just ... stopped thinking and started reacting."

"I called you a whore ... never said anything about your sister," Evan Larabee fired back. Jessica turned back to face him, and Pegeen rolled her eyes heavenward, as if to say, 'why? Why me?' Evan went on, sounding suspiciously like a whining child, "How was I supposed to know that he considered your older sister Julia to be his mother?" Adriana dropped her head again, allowing her forehead to rest against Vin's good shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know, Evan ... maybe the fact that Julia raised him might have clued you! Yes, I gave birth to Kevin ... and to Carly, and to Elizabeth. But as far as Lizzie is concerned, Josie is her mother, and Kevin feels the same about Julia. I gave birth to them, but those are their mothers!" Jessica retorted, throwing up her hands in obviously aggravation. Billy, who had managed to keep up with the contingent of pissed off women on the way from the lecture hall, moved from his mother's side to Vin's. Adriana couldn't argue with his logic.

"Lacey. I go by Lacey now. Lizzie is a little girl's name," the blonde girl corrected. Adriana glared at her future sister-in-law ... now was not the time! Billy managed to scoot a little closer to both Chris and Vin, obviously worried by the teenager. Adriana didn't blame him. For that matter, this entire situation was quickly heading out of control. Elizabeth Tanner added, "And she's right. Josie's my mom."

"Evan," Pegeen said, sounding more than a little annoyed, "just give it up. You'll never win, or haven't you learned that yet? And Lacey, that's a lovely name, just give us time to get used to it ... especially your mother." She started to say something else, then looked at Jessica hard. As if it was just now hitting her, who this woman was, and Adriana wondered a bit uneasily if they would have to worry about a cat fight right here, in the middle of the campus.

But Jessica said quietly, "There's nothing I can say, to make up for what I did to you." Adriana moved a little closer to Vin, because she had no way of knowing what came next. The blonde woman continued, "There's nothing I can say to you, and nothing I can say to my children. No way I can make it up to my children. Especially Kevin. And to Carly, for putting her in an impossible situation for so long."

"At least we agree on something. No, Aunt Josie. I'm glad you've forgiven her. But that doesn't mean I will. Not for abandoning Vin, not for lying to me, and not for asking me to lie to my brother," Carly replied. Adriana kept silent ... this had nothing to do with her, and she had to worry about Vin. Besides. In Carly's position, she wasn't so sure she could or would feel any differently than her friend.

"Then that's what I'll live with. I won't ask you to give something, Carly, not if you can't give it. I won't ask more from you than you can give," Jessica replied quietly. This sentiment was so unusual for a woman who had been totally self-centered only weeks earlier, Adriana blinked in amazement. Who the hell was this woman, and what did she do with Jessica Tanner? More to the point, when did a simple trip to an open house turn into a soap???

"Oh, that's very big of you ... considering what you've asked of me already. Drina, will my brother be all right?" Carly asked, turning her attention to the archaeologist. The brunette nodded, and Carly knelt beside the wheelchair, peering intently into Vin's tired blue eyes. She reached out and brushed a lock of hair from Vin's eyes. Both Adriana and Carly laughed, seeing the annoyed Look she got from her twin.

"You know, I really think it's best that you leave. Teal'c, why don't you escort Mr. Larabee to the shuttle bus ... and make sure he gets to his car? We wouldn't want him getting lost on a campus this size," Jack said with a pleasant smile which fooled absolutely no one. Adriana thought of the old saying, 'come into the parlor, said the spider to the fly.' That was what Jack's expression reminded her of.

"Indeed. Good day, Colonel Larabee ... Vin Tanner. Ladies," Teal'c replied, inclining his head to those he mentioned. He nodded to General Travis, took a hold of Evan Larabee's collar, and frog-marched him away from the small group.

With that threat eliminated, General Travis approached the two brothers, asking the younger, "How you feeling, son? Up to getting some lunch?" Vin nodded with a weary smile, and both Carly and Adriana rose to their feet. General Travis continued, "Well, then ... Dr. Wilmington, if you would be so kind, call Corporal Dunne and your brother, let them know the crisis is passed, and they should meet us at the officer's club."

Adriana blinked and looked at Mary. General Travis noticed the look that passed between the two, and added, "I know you, Adriana, and I know my daughter-in-law. Just like I know the others have all been informed of Mr. Larabee's intrusion. As soon as you got off the phone with JD ... because we both know how your brother is about turning off his cell phone ... that young man called Dr. Sanchez, and the others."

"Right the first time, General ... sorry we're late. Turns out Ezra ain't so good with a map," Nathan Jackson said, approaching the group with his wife, Josiah, and Ezra. The negotiator just glared at the medic, who grinned broadly, adding, "Hate to be the one to tell you this, Ez, but you got a long ways to go before you're as scary as Chris. Everything okay? Vin, you're lookin' a mite peaked."

"Long story. We'll explain on the way to lunch," Chris answered shortly. Adriana just laughed to herself, at Chris, and at Ezra's indignant expression. His mouth was opening and closing like the proverbial fish out of water. She looked over at Nathan and winked at him as Chris and Paris began pushing Vin's wheelchair. He just grinned even broader, putting his arm around Rain's waist, and began walking alongside Chris.

The rest of the group followed, Becca Tanner looping her arm through her husband's free arm. Adriana was looking forward to joining up with the others. Looking forward to her brother and JD's reaction to missing all the fun. She knew Buck ... her big brother would be highly perturbed that he had been denied the chance to beat the living shit out of Evan Larabee. Next time, though. Next time.

Part 39

Buck Wilmington was, indeed, furious that he had missed all the fun. But that wasn't what was causing Orrin Travis such amusement. Rather, it was watching the antics of his best team (SG-1 was George's best team, SG-7 was Orrin's). Buck and JD were grousing about missing the fun. Nathan and Ezra were indulging in a food fight ... acting more like Buck and JD than Buck and JD themselves. Josiah was making calf eyes at Josie Tanner, who was dividing her attention between him, her daughter, her father, and her sister. Strange family, the Tanners, but Orrin had decided it was a good kind of strange. Mostly.

The brothers were across the table from Orrin. Vin had finished his sandwich and fallen asleep in his wheelchair. Chris was quietly talking with Paris Tanner, and Orrin wondered in passing what they were discussing. On the other side of Vin were Carly, Adriana, and Mary. The three had their heads together, and Orrin had the uneasy sense that the Four Corners were about to gain a new member, at least until Carly Tanner left to rejoin her team.

While they were getting the lunches put together, Chris had taken Orrin aside and told him of his plan. There was some place Chris wanted to take Vin, some place very special. Would Orrin mind ... well ... looking out for Paris and Rebecca Tanner on Sunday, while Chris and Vin took care of their errand? That wasn't a problem at all ... Orrin would call Evie, and the senior Tanners would spend Sunday with them.

Orrin's dark eyes returned to Vin. It was curious, how the open house at the Air Force Academy had been the catalyst for so much. Orrin had been told of Vin's collapse. He couldn't be too hard on the boy. Vin's frustration and anger had been growing by leaps and bounds during the last two weeks. What surprised him wasn't that Evan Larabee had finally pushed the young man too far ... it was how long it had taken to snap Vin's patience.

Then again, his teammates often tested Vin's patience. The bickering between Nathan and Ezra came immediately to mind ... although, that had improved dramatically, once both put aside their defenses and bothered to get to know each other. Vin sighed and grimaced, shifting in his sleep. Nathan stopped his food fight with Ezra and left his seat to check on his friend. Orrin watched in silence. Vin's eyes slowly opened and he yawned.

He smiled sleepily at Nathan, mumbling something which Orrin couldn't hear, but which made Nathan roar with laughter. Vin just grinned and closed his eyes again. Extraordinary young man. Just extraordinary. Nathan returned to his seat, still grinning broadly. The general looked at the young man's birth mother, wondering, just as everyone else had been, what caused her change of heart. What made her realize that it was time to take responsibility for her part in this mess? She had already been several steps ahead of the game. Even before she took responsibility for her part in things, Orrin had realized that she actually did love her children. All three of them.

She would have a harder time, making things right with her two daughters. Vin Tanner was a man who simply accepted people as they were. With the flaws and faults of most people, the young man had nearly unlimited patience. His patience with his birth father had run out, because Evan Larabee crossed a certain line. He had insulted the guide's mother one time too many. But Orrin hoped the young man understood, even though Larabee didn't deserve to have him as a son, Vin had more fathers than he realized. Josiah, Chanu's father Koje, the two generals. He had a family. He would always have a family.

Yes, in time, Orrin could see Vin reconciling with Jessica. She had given birth to him, but she would never be his mother. That would always be Julia Tanner ... and Nettie Welles. Jessica accepted that, and offered friendship instead. An offer that was tentatively accepted by her son. Her two daughters were another story, though Elizabeth (Orrin knew it would take a while before he could call her 'Lacey') was a little more relaxed than her older sister.

Orrin had also learned that Chris asked Mary and Billy to move in with him. The general wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he was glad Mary and Chris were moving toward a more permanent relationship. And he was glad that Chris would be able to take care of Mary and Billy, though he knew his daughter-in-law would protest that she didn't need a man to take care of her.

On the other hand, Orrin was somewhat old-fashioned, and Mary had become his daughter when she married Stephen. He loved her, had loved her from the beginning. Seeing past the defensive, angry young girl to the woman she could be. The woman she had become, once she stopped trying so hard to prove herself. Orrin Travis still felt that a couple shouldn't live together if they weren't married.

But Mary was a fully grown woman, a captain in the United States Air Force, and a mother. He had to trust her. And he did. He trusted her and believed in her. Just as he trusted and believed in Chris. Just like he trusted and believed in the entire SG-7 team. His sons. Except for Josiah Sanchez, who wasn't that much younger than Orrin himself. Had George Hammond found a new family, when the SGC was created, as Orrin did?

Orrin thought so. George still had his daughters, and his granddaughters. But just as Orrin found six new sons (and a younger brother, or maybe a cousin) in SG-7, George found a new daughter and three new sons in SG-1. In many ways, the military itself, as a whole, was a family. There was a great deal of rivalry between the branches of the service, but when it came to dealing with civilians, with outsiders ... the military was a family.

Perhaps that was the magic of SG-7. And Orrin was too old to pretend to himself that magic didn't exist. It did. Oh, not in the fairytales which he read to his grandson when Billy was smaller. But magic did exist. It existed within people. It existed in the bittersweetness of a first love, in the security of a love which gifted two people married for decades. It existed in seven disparate, unusual men who came from all walks of life, to create a new family.

Contained within SG-7 was a microcosm of the military. And the civilians who helped the military, in whatever form. Because one thing had not changed in his three years as the second in command of SG-7 ... Vin Tanner was not military. And he never would be. But he would have been far less effective, if he was in the military. Native peoples were more inclined to trust the civilian than Colonel Larabee or Major Wilmington or even young Corporal Dunne.

Oh, he was getting maudlin in his old age, but Orrin wasn't worried about it. He had been told about Paris Tanner's assertion that at their age, old soldiers were entitled to it. Orrin couldn't argue with that. In fact, he was actually looking forward to the following day, and talking to Paris Tanner. One thing they had in common, aside from their military service ... they were both grandfathers. And while Tanner's youngest grandchild was eleven years older than Orrin's only grandchild, they were both still grandfathers. They had notes to compare.

And Paris would want Orrin's perspective on his grandson, as well as on his grandson's elder brother. He had already said as much, and Orrin understood.

He had three years of experience in dealing with the two brothers, three years of experience that Paris didn't have. Orrin could tell Paris things that Chris wouldn't tell him ... things that would never occur to Chris to tell him. Orrin was drawn back to the present by a deep sigh. He looked across the table as Vin straightened in his wheelchair, blinking sleepily. The young man mumbled, "So, we gonna explore more after lunch, or are we lettin' my ... our ... waste a' oxygen pa ruin the day for us?"

"You sure you're up to it, Kevin?" Paris asked, looking at his grandson with some concern. Vin smiled and nodded, the surety in his blue eyes as reassuring to the men as his smile. Paris stared at the young man for several moments, then said, "You're just like Julia. She never was one to let something stop her. I have stories to tell you, young man. So many stories." That made Vin's smile widen, and Orrin smiled, too. Yes. Paris had stories to tell, and so did he.

Part 40

Since the Larabee house was filled to capacity, it was decided that Paris and Rebecca Tanner would stay at the same hotel where Jessica had been staying since her arrival in Colorado. Pegeen Larabee decided to return to her own hotel room, and see if the blow to her husband's pride was fatal. Chris didn't know why his mother always returned to his father ... but he wouldn't question her. He had too much respect, too much trust, in her.

By five pm, everyone was tired, and Vin had spent the last half hour asleep in his wheelchair. Chris had taken him inside one of the buildings, the campus infirmary, so he wouldn't get too cold and in case he had hurt himself more than they realized when he got out of his wheelchair earlier. At five, as Chris had requested, everyone met inside the medical building and it was decided that Paris and Rebecca would return with them to the Larabee house to retrieve their bags, then head over to the hotel in Jessica's car.

Chris wasn't comfortable with the woman. Truth be told, he didn't like her. But this piece of family business was beyond his control. Jessica had been warned by both Elizabeth (which Chris began calling his youngest sister, at least until he could get used to calling her 'Lacey') and Carly of what would happen if she hurt them again. Any of them. Chris kept out of it, but silently agreed with his two sisters.

After Paris and Rebecca left with Jessica, Chris heard from his mother. His father made it back to the hotel in one piece, though from the way he was fuming, it sounded like he almost didn't make it back to the shuttle bus intact. Teal'c hadn't said anything when he returned from his escort duty, just smiled and inclined his head to Chris ... however, that proved absolutely nothing. Not that Chris would give Teal'c a hard time, whatever he had done to scare the shit out of Evan Larabee.

In the first place, whatever Teal'c had done, his father probably deserved it. In the second place, Chris was still volatile at times, but he wasn't stupid. Further pissing off Teal'c would have been just plain idiotic. However ... he did plan on asking Teal'c exactly what he had done to scare Evan so badly. You just never knew when these little pieces of information might come in handy. Chris smirked.

It was a much quieter night at the Larabee house that night. Vin went to bed as soon as dinner was over, and went right to sleep. Despite the ugliness with their father, he was happy. Maybe, the confrontation (as well as the fresh air) had done some good. Whatever was the cause, Chris was just glad to see his little brother genuinely smiling again. Vin was starting to come back to himself ... and Chris knew the others were glad to see it, too.

There's a point, when you're sick or hurt, when your personality seems to change. Your energy and spirit is the first to go, when feeling that miserable, followed by your sense of humor. And as you get stronger, the sense of humor is the first to return ... followed at some point by your spirit, then finally your energy. That had been Chris Larabee's experience, and he was seeing the same thing in his younger brother.

Vin's sense of humor had never totally left ... unless he moved wrong on the bed, and he was in too much agony. His spirit was starting to return ... had returned sometime during the Open House. Whether because he was finally in open spaces, or because of the confrontation with his father, Chris didn't know. He just knew that a light which had been gone too long was returning to his younger brother.

Early the following morning, he woke Vin up. Everyone was still asleep ... Chris had checked, to find Billy sleeping between his mother and Adriana this morning. Chris could barely see Adriana under the covers, as the nights steadily got more chilly. All he could see was a tuft of dark curls. Chris smiled and quietly closed the door behind him, before checking on his two sisters, both of whom were still sleeping, as were Buck and JD.

Finally, he went into Vin's room, gently shaking his shoulder. The eyelids parted, revealing a pair of sleepy blue eyes, and Chris murmured, "Time to get up, Vin. We're going out, just you and me." Vin blinked, trying to focus on Chris, and the colonel continued in a low voice, "Everyone else is asleep ... we have a long drive, so you can sleep in the car, but you have to get up right now."

"Ya gonna help me git dressed?" Vin asked sleepily and Chris assented. He was true to his word. Moving slowly, to avoid causing his brother any more pain than he was already in, Chris helped Vin into a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt, before putting a pair of socks and shoes on him. Before waking his brother, he wrote out a note for the others, letting them know where they had gone ... and when he intended to be back.

Once Vin was dressed, Chris half carried, half pulled his brother from the house and put him into his car. Chris had put a blanket in the vehicle the night before, along with his wheelchair, after Vin was asleep. Once he was in the truck, he smiled, seeing that Vin was already asleep again.

Chris gently arranged the blanket around the sleeping form, then carefully buckled his brother up, easing the seat belt around the blanket. Vin sighed softly, stirring in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Once his brother was safely buckled up, Chris buckled himself up, then started the engine. It would take about two hours to get where he planned to go. By the time he reached their destination, the others would be up.

He knew none of the others would come after them at that point ... that was why he chose to leave before anyone else was up. So none of the others would try to come with him. He was less worried about the ladies, than he was about Buck. But this wasn't for his old friend to do. This was for Chris and Vin, and no one else. He was glad Orrin had agreed to spend the day with Paris. Besides, he was already starting to see why Rebecca got on Josie's nerves.

For two hours, he drove in silence, with only the soft breathing of his brother breaking the silence. Chris tried to listen to the radio for a while, but couldn't find anything to suit his mood. So he drove, listened to the sound of his brother sleeping, and remembered. Finally, at a quarter after eight, he reached their destination. He didn't move for several moments, aside from turning off the engine. Just sat still, his eyes sweeping over the landscape.

It had been too long, since he was here last. But he knew they wouldn't begrudge him that. Chris grasped his younger brother's shoulder, gently shaking him awake. Vin moaned, hand going to his stomach as he jolted awake. Chris winced. He'd have to watch that in the future, with the safety belt. He gave Vin a few minutes to bring the pain under control, and cursed himself for forgetting the pain meds.

But Vin had spent a lifetime of dealing with pain on his own terms, and after just a few minutes, he brought his breathing under control. He opened his eyes to look at Chris inquiringly, his blue eyes sleepy, despite the continuing pain, then looked around. His eyes widened as he realized where they were. Vin had never accompanied him here before, but that wasn't important. He looked back at Chris, who said softly, "I thought it was time for you to meet the rest of your family. Hang on a minute, while I get your wheelchair out."

Vin nodded mutely, and Chris patted his blanketed thigh, before easing himself out of the truck. He didn't allow himself to look around, didn't allow himself to focus on anything but getting the wheelchair ready. He was a man on a mission today. Nothing would stand in his way. Within just a few minutes, he had the wheelchair set up and the chariot ready for his brother's use. He eased Vin from the cab, not teasing his brother about the way Vin clung to him, and not calling his brother on the whiteness around his mouth. He settled Vin carefully into the wheelchair, then lay the blanket over his legs once more.

Without a word spoken, the two brothers set out. Chris knew exactly where he was going, even though it had been a long time since he had been there. Until, at last, he stopped the wheelchair. Someone had been here recently, he could tell. Probably Buck. Chris eased the chair to a stop, patting his brother's shoulder. Then he came around the back, to kneel beside the wheelchair and said in a husky voice, "Hey. Brought someone to meet you. Adam ... this is your uncle Vin. Vin ... this is your nephew. My son Adam."

His voice cracked as he spoke his son's name, and he reached out, gently caressing the lettering on the stone marker. 'Adam Connelly Larabee.' With his date of birth, and date of death. Beside him lay his mother, Sarah Connelly Larabee. Chris whispered, "Hey. I'm sorry I haven't been here in so long. I brought my brother with me this time, Sarah. I told you about him in the past, and I bet Buck has, too. But what none of us knew was that Vin really was my little brother. God, I have so much to tell you!"

"Chris ... help me outta this thing. Gotta say hello to m' nephew and sister-in-law, proper-like," Vin whispered. Chris blinked away his tears and almost said no. Until he realized what his brother meant. Then he smiled, patted Vin's knee, and rose to his feet. He helped Vin to his feet, easing one of his arms over the back of his shoulders and took a few steps forward. Then he carefully lowered Vin to the ground, and sat beside him.

As Chris had, Vin gently traced the names of his sister-in-law and nephew. He whispered, "Good t' finally meetcha, Sarah. Both a' ya. Adam. Sorry it's like this. Never had me a nephew before. Reckon we coulda had a lotta fun, drivin' yer pa nuts, Adam. But I want ya to know, Sarah. We're takin' care a' Chris. Reckon that's a full time job, for just one person. That's why there's six a' us, plus the ladies. See, Chris and me, we got two sisters, too. And then there's Mary and Drina. Drina's m' lady. Reckon I oughta let Chris tell ya 'bout Mary."

Chris slipped his arm around his brother's shoulders, saying softly, "I did it, Sarah. I asked Mary to move in with me. And she said yes. I ... guess I was worried that you'd see it as a betrayal. 'Til Josie got to telling me about her pa ... how he remarried after her mother's death. They were married for so long, Sarah, and they made three children. And if Paris marrying Rebecca after Clarice's death isn't a betrayal ... "

He didn't continue right away. After several moments, he said softly, "I will always love both of you. I guess I finally figured out that I had enough room in my heart, after all. For all of you." There was more to it. His father's rejection of his own flesh and blood, when Chris would have given anything to have Adam back. Paris Tanner's assertion that the Open House was an appropriate place for the family reunion, for things to finally be made right. Chris slowly relaxing in his relationship with Mary. His own relationship with his brother.

His brother. He was the key, wasn't he? Almost losing Vin had forced Chris to realize just how much he stood to lose, if he didn't get his ass in gear. He didn't want to lose Vin. Or anyone else. Chris wrapped his free arm around Vin, allowing his brother to lean against him. The colonel whispered, "We'll come back. Next time with Mary and Billy. Because life is for the living. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to understand that. But we'll stay awhile today."

And they did ... the two brothers sitting there in front of the graves of the mother and son. Finally, however, both Chris and Vin started getting hungry. Chris helped his brother back into his wheelchair, after Vin said good-bye to his sister-in-law and nephew, then pushed the wheelchair back to the truck. He didn't allow himself to look back. If he had, he would have seen a red-haired young woman and a dark haired little boy, standing in front of the headstone, watching the brothers depart.

He didn't. But Vin did hear a soft, little boy's voice whisper, "G'bye, Uncle Vin. I love you. Take good care of my papa for me!" I will, Adam, Vin promised his nephew, inside his heart, ya got my word. I'll take good care a' m' big brother. We all will. He was answered a moment later by Sarah, murmuring, "I know you will, Vin. Now sleep. The Air Force Academy Open House was yesterday ... but the Open House for your family isn't over yet. Sleep." Closing his eyes, Vin Tanner could see his sister-in-law and nephew in his mind's eye. Trusting in his brother to watch his back while he slept, he did just that.

The End
Next Story: End of Innocence