Buck watched with interest as George Potter, son of the town's general store owner Gloria Potter, stalked down the boardwalk toward his home. The boy was covered with mud and splotches of what could only be horse manure. The disgusted scowl that covered the boy's face and his wrinkled nose was also a dead give away as to the substance liberally splattered over him from head to toe.
Buck couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of several of the town's ladies pulling their skirts out of danger as the odoriferous lad passed them by. The child looked like he wanted to disappear as the women scolded him for his current condition. Buck had to wonder how the boy had managed to get himself into such a filthy state.
He didn't have long to wonder as a very irate Gloria Potter came steaming from the store dragging a blushing and stammering George by the hand. The dark haired lawman straightened in his chair when it became apparent the woman was heading straight for him like a bullet.
"Mr. Wilmington!" the woman drew herself up to stare down her nose at him in indignation.
"Miz Potter," Buck greeted her warily and gave a polite dip of his hat.
"I really must insist that you restrain that hooligan of yours. He attacked my son for no apparent reason and ruined his new clothes. I paid good money for those clothes and I can not afford to be replacing them because your son can not conduct himself in a proper fashion!"
Buck loved women; young or old, slim or fat, quiet or rowdy, each held his deepest respect and admiration. He was able to charm women with so little effort because he was so often charmed by the little darlin's himself. With him, a woman could get away with things that he would shoot a man for trying. In fact, most women could get away with just about anything when it concerned the lady's man, with one exception. The regulator would not allow any woman to speak of his foster son in such a way.
Mrs. Potter unconsciously took a step back as the man stood up and towered over her, his face going dark with anger. His voice was strained with the effort to control his temper as he stared the woman down. George gulped audibly and stepped back to hide behind his mother.
"Ma'am, I don't cotton to nobody speakin' of Vin like that." The professional gunman's eyes were hard and ice cold as he stared at the storekeeper. "He's a good boy, and if …IF…he had anything to do with your boy's getting' in this shape then I know he had a good reason. There are two sides to every story and I believe it would only be fair to get Vin's side of this story before goin' any further…don't you?" Buck's raised eyebrow dared her to contradict him.
Staring up at the angry gunslinger, Gloria realized she might have let her motherly outrage lead her into dangerous territory and frantically began backpedaling.
"Of course. You are completely right," she rushed out breathlessly. "That is the only fair thing to do."
Buck nodded once sharply and made a conscious effort to relax his stance before turning to look at the cowering George.
"Where is Vin?" he asked the boy.
George looked down at the ground and started shuffling one foot in the loose dirt of the street. He peeped up nervously at the man watching him then immediately dropped his gaze to his feet.
"Uh…he, uh…" the boy stammered, "He was over behind the livery."
"Fine then," Buck answered and waved the woman forward. "After you ma'am."
The little procession made its way down the street to the alley that ran beside the livery stable and followed it until it intersected with the alley that ran behind the buildings. As they neared, the voices of two boys could be heard clearly.
"But it's ruined," Ezra wailed. "What will I do now?"
"It's okay, Ezra. Really!" Vin said. "I'm sure Chris won't be mad at ya. It weren't your fault. It was all that mangy George's fault. It never would a happened if he hadn't gotten mad and shoved you like he did. I know Chris'll understand."
A few distraught sniffles could be heard. Buck and Gloria looked at each other and then both turned to look down at a suddenly quaking George. Buck's eyebrow rose once again, this time in stern question as he stared at the boy. George avoided his eyes and started at the ground again.
Buck stepped in the back alley to find Vin on his knees beside Ezra who was sitting with his back to the livery wall, his arms clasped around his knees. His face was pressed against his legs so no portion of it could be seen, but Buck didn't have to see it to know the boy was crying. The soft sobs that shook his little frame were testament to that fact. Buck looked the boy over as best he could but couldn't find any outward signs of an injury although one sleeve of the boy's jacket appeared to have been ripped off at the shoulder seam and dirt covered the normally immaculate clothing of the child.
"Boys," Buck said with concern as he hurried toward the pair.
Vin's head jerked up in surprise then he looked relieved to see his foster father appear.
"What's wrong, Ezra? Are you hurt?" the worried man asked as he crouched down by the boys.
Tear-sparkling green eyes were raised to look at him in heartbroken sadness, but a little chestnut colored head shook negatively.
"I am not injured," Ezra assured him, the simple sentence broken by hitching sniffles.
Buck sat in the dirt beside the child and pulled him onto his lap, his strong arms enfolding the boy in a hug that offered both comfort and security.
"Then what's the matter, Rabbit," he asked using the nickname his friend and co-foster parent had given the boy.
"Nothing," Ezra tried to deny as he stared at a button on Buck's shirt and began fiddling with.
Buck lifted the boy's chin with one finger and stared into his green eyes skeptically. "You really expect me to believe that you, Ezra Standish, are sitting here in the dirt, in the DIRT," Buck emphasized, "with your sleeve ripped half off , and your eyes leakin' like a holey water bucket and there's nothing wrong? Pull the other one."
"It's not his fault, Pa, honest!" Vin explained earnestly. "He didn't do nothin' wrong. I swear! It was George, George Potter. He was playing marbles with us but he got mad when Ezra beat him. George shoved him, Pa. He grabbed onto Ez and knocked him down. He tore the new jacket Chris bought for Ezra. That's why Ez is so upset. He's afraid Chris is gonna get mad at him for ruining his new jacket and make him go away."
Buck shook his head at the little boy who seemed to fold in on himself as Vin spoke.
"Now you listen to me and you listen good, Ezra," the regulator stated with gentle but forceful sincerity. "Chris loves you. Chris is never, EVER, going to send you away. Not for any reason, but especially not for something so insignificant as a torn sleeve.
Little boys sometimes tear their clothes. It's a fact of life. Chris and I both know this since we were both boys ourselves, and believe me, we did our share of tearing up clothes," Buck's irrepressible grin shone down at the boy as he tried to reassure him. "It's not that big a deal, Ez. We'll just ask Miz Jeffers real nice and I bet she'll sew it up for us so it's good as new."
"Chris really won't be mad?" Ezra asked hopefully.
"I guarantee it!" Buck stated firmly.
Buck felt the little body in his arms relax in relief. He turned his attention to the blond child standing beside them.
"It seems like somebody did quite a number on George Potter and his new clothes," the man drawled out smoothly as he looked at his foster son. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you Vin?"
"Well…umm…"Vin tried to look everywhere than at his father.
Buck reached out a hand and used it to grab the boy's chin gently and turn the blond head toward the entrance to the side alley where Gloria and George were standing.
Vin jerked his head back quickly and he stared with wide, pleading eyes at Buck as he started talking swiftly, "He started it, Pa. He shouldn't have messed with Ezra like that. Tiny had been mucking the stalls and was carrying up a bucket to dump when somebody came and he stopped to go see to ‘em. He left the bucket right there. When George wouldn't leave Ez alone I…he's bigger than me and Ez and he…he wouldn't stop pushin' him down… I had to do SOMETHING!"
"That's right, Buck," Ezra immediately jumped to his twin's defense. "Vin was just trying to help me. George was angry and kept trying to hurt me. Vin merely acted to protect me, I assure you!"
"I see," Buck said glaring over the boy's shoulder at Gloria and her son.
Gloria turned red with embarrassment remembering the harsh words she's thrown at the other boy and now finding out it was her son who was at fault. She grabbed her son's arm and pulled him around to face the two boys.
"I think you have something to say to Ezra and Vin, don't you George," she said with a stern glare at the boy.
"But, Ma!" he started to protest but stopped as he saw the light of motherly ire ignite in her eye. "Um, sorry Ezra. Sorry Vin," the boy mumbled out his apology
Vin cast a resentful glare on the boy and Buck gave him a gentle shove in the back as a prompt. "Okay," Vin grumbled but his glare promised it wasn't over as far as he was concerned.
Ezra was a bit more gracefully accepting than his twin. "Apology accepted." Buck was watching Vin and didn't see the fire of revenge that flashed in the boy's green eyes before he shoved it back behind an unusually bland look.
"I owe you an apology of my own," Gloria said as she looked levelly at Buck. "My words were harsh and uncalled for whatever the circumstances. You have my apologies too, Mr. Wilmington."
Buck nodded as he smiled at the woman and let her off the hook by saying "I appreciate that ma'am. I guess there's nothing that can rile a parent faster and make ‘em go off half cocked like the thought of someone pickin' on their little ‘uns. I know that's true for me anyway. Don't reckon I could stay mad at you for doin' exactly what I'd do if the tables were turned."
Gloria smiled at his understanding then turned to face her wayward child saying, "I believe I will take George home and clean him up while we have a talk about things like not picking on other children, and telling the whole truth."
George started yelling "Ow, ow, ow," as his mother grabbed one of his ears and started dragging him home.
Buck turned back to the waiting children.
"Why don't you two head back home and wash up. It'll be dinner time soon. We'll ask Mrs. Jeffers after supper about your jacket Ez." Buck told them.
He saw Ezra cast a hesitant glance in the direction of the jail and said, "Remember, Ez nothing will make him send you away. Nothing."
"Buck's right, Rabbit," Chris said as he stepped out from the side of the livery.
"Did you get it all?" Buck asked with a knowing smile.
"Just about," Chris assured him before turning his attention to a startled Ezra. Chris squatted on his heels next to the boy who was still sitting in Buck's lap and held out his arms. Ezra practically leapt into them at the unspoken invitation. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" he asked the child.
Ezra pulled back enough to look Chris in the eye and state, "I really am uninjured. It was only my jacket that was damaged."
"It's alright, Ezra. It's only a piece of cloth that can be replaced. But you…" The gunman wrapped his arms around the child and pulled him in close for a hug, "You could never be replaced. You're one of kind and you're mine. I will never want to let you go. One of these days you're going to believe that."
Ezra snuggled in his foster fathers arms and gave a contented sigh. Wrapped in his father's arms, he found it much easier to believe.
Buck wrapped an arm around Vin's shoulders and pulled him close to his side as they watched the other pair.
"I'm proud of you for sticking up for your brother the way you did, Vin," Buck told him. "I have to say that was a very effective way to make him stop what he was doing," an amused grin broke out on his face.
Vin's grin mirrored his guardian as he started to giggle, "I knew I'd get in trouble if I hit him, so…"
Buck started chuckling. He said fondly, "You're a devious little devil, aren't ya!"
"It worked, didn't it?" Vin laughed and smirked up at the gunslinger.
Chris set Ezra on his feet then stood up, keeping the boy's hand in his own.
"We'd better get on over to the boarding house before dinner gets cold and Mrs. Jeffers decides to throw it out to the pigs," the blonde leader told the other three.
"Come on, Ez. I'm starvin'," Vin yelled as he pulled away from Buck. "I'll race ya!"
Crisis past, the twins took off running for home, their fathers following behind at a much more leisurely pace.
"I reckon it's not gonna take the bullies in this town long to learn a lesson about those two," Buck mused as he watched the boys race across the deserted street and onto the porch of the boarding house they all called home.
"And what lesson would that be?" Chris asked with a curious, sideways look at his friend.
"That when you mess with one, you mess with both. Anybody who's looking to cause trouble for one or the other of those boys is gonna find out it comes back at ‘em in doubles."
Chris laughed ruefully in agreement.
"I could almost feel sorry for ‘em," Buck grinned incorrigibly.
Chris laughed harder.
"Almost."
Later that night
"So you think it will work?" Vin whispered to his twin as the two lay in the bed in their darkened room.
"It will work," Ezra whispered back confidently. "George will never see it coming until it's too late."
"Good," Vin murmured with little boy vengefulness. "He deserves it."
"I agree. The vile ruffian deserves this and much more. We must free the children of our fair town. This hooligan's reign of terror must cease. Chris and Buck and their fellow regulators have other more important matters to attend to, so the duty falls on us."
"Yeah, we got to clean up this town for decent folks," Vin nodded firmly. "And besides, nobody messes with my brother!"
"Or mine," Ezra agreed. The two reached out across the darkness and grasped hands.
Across town in the Potter household
"MAMA!" George Potter screamed out.
The End
Next: They Dont Know Thate
