Vin dropped almost bonelessly into his chair, propping his booted
feet up on the corner of his desk. Someone else, probably Chris, had
made it to the coffee pot first, so he wouldn't be getting his normal
dose of caffeine this morning. He absently fitted a paper clip to a
nearby rubber band and took aim at Buck's back. But before he could
fire, his attention was caught by an oddly familiar voice coming from
the direction of the elevator.
The sharpshooter turned his head, and the rubber band fell from
suddenly nerveless fingers. His startled gaze was caught by a pair
of the greenest eyes Vin had ever seen. An image darted through his
mind; those same green eyes dull with pain and sickness. An image
that he was sure he had never seen before in his life.
He was then hit with a series of mental images that took his breath
away. Watching pain blossom in those green eyes as the other man was
shot. Laughter as they shared a joke. Love and desire as he leaned
in for their first kiss. And unbearable grief as the beloved body in
his arms went limp in death.
Vin blinked rapidly as he tried to bring himself back to the present,
knowing that he had an odd look on his face as the other man walked
slowly over to him. Even though he knew he had never seen him
before, the Texan knew he was as familiar with the other man as he
was with himself.
He simply sat at his desk silently as the other man continued walking
closer. He was unable to look away from the green gaze that seemed
to know Vin as intimately as he seemed to know the other man. There
was something in the depths of the other man's eyes that set Vin's
soul aflame and left him burning.
The other man finally spoke, and his soft Southern accent almost
rippled up the sharpshooter's spine. "Do I know you, sir?"
Vin's eyes widened as his own voice seemed to echo with the soft
drawl in his ears.
No matter where ya go, or what happens, I'll find ya again, Ez. I
promise.
The Texan nervously swallowed, ignoring the odd looks the others were
giving him. He glanced down for an instant before looking back up at
the familiar green eyes. He could see a fire there that rivaled the
flames licking at his own soul. He suddenly felt like he was coming
home, that something that had been missing for far too long had
finally been found. And as a single word passed his lips, he saw the
same knowledge reflected in the Southerner's eyes.
"Ez?"
Ezra's eyes lit up as his lips curled into a smile. "I knew you'd
find me." His voice was a soft whisper, not meant to be heard by
anyone but Vin.
It was in an equally soft voice that Vin answered. "I told ya I
would. And I always keep my word, Ez."
The Southerner chuckled lightly. "I know you do, Vin. And I never
doubted you for an instant."
Vin knew that they would have a lot of explaining to do, and he
wasn't sure he really understood it himself. But in the end it
didn't matter. He and Ez had found each other again. And nothing
was going to tear them apart again.
The End
