IN  EVERY  WAY by C.V. Puerro

JD gagged on the whiskey and spent the next few minutes coughing and trying to catch his breath. Finally, he managed to ask, "You did what?"

"I fucked Chris."

"W-when?"

"Last fall. Chris knew of these hot springs — had to be the ones Ezra was talking about — he ... I...."

"Oh my God." JD couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I think Ezra knows," Buck said, the agony plain in his voice. Buck grabbed the bottle of whiskey and drank again.

"Ezra? How could he know? I didn't even know," JD complained.

"I think he saw us."

"Oh my God."

"Would you stop saying that?" Buck bristled. "I can't even believe I'm telling you this."

Buck dropped his head into his hands and JD used the opportunity to steal back the bottle of whiskey; even as he took another sip, JD hoped he remembered all this in the morning.

"So, go back to the part where you f— I mean, where you and Chris...."

"Fucked?"

"Yeah, that part." JD might have trouble saying the word, but he sure liked doing it and the next best thing, apparently, was hearing someone else talk about it.

"Musta been all that hot water or maybe the laudanum Nathan'd given me — it wasn't long after I hurt my shoulder...." Buck began.

"Yeah," JD said, a little too eagerly, he thought, and tried to remind himself not to push Buck lest he decide not to tell him anything. He took another drink and then fought the urge to giggle at the realization that he was actually interested in hearing about one of Buck's exploits, in great detail.

"We were in the water," Buck said at last. "We'd been talking and ... I wanted to touch him ... no, I wanted him to touch me. Yeah. And he did. He ... he straddled my hips and—"

"Were you naked?" JD felt the heat rise in his cheeks when he realized what he'd asked.

"As the day we was born," Buck told him. "I could feel him, his hard shaft against mine, as he leaned in and kissed me..." Buck fell silent and JD sipped at the whiskey, waiting for him to continue.

"And?" JD finally prompted.

"Was a damn fine kiss, that's for sure. Haven't kissed any other men — well, 'cept Vin and I don't suppose that really counts, given the fact that all I can remember is him kneeing me in the family jewels — but I imagine Chris is about the best kisser there ever was."

"Hey!" JD protested. "I'm a good kisser, too. Vin told me I was."

"Probably said that just to get you in the sack," Buck said, grinning as he grabbed the whiskey away from JD.

JD lunged for the bottle, overbalanced and landed face first in Buck's lap.

"Hey now, none of that, young man," Buck admonished.

"Oh, you wish," JD said, righting himself. "You don't know what you're missing, you don't."

"Well, you ain't never been with Chris, so if I was you, I wouldn't be talking."

"So he kissed you. Get to the good stuff, would ya?" JD told him.

Buck downed another sip of whiskey before saying, "Fine. So there he is, sitting in my lap, kissing me, rubbing his length against mine, driving me to distraction. Oh, you have no idea — well, maybe you do," he conceded for a moment. "Then all of a sudden, he gets up out of the water. Just leaves me there, stewing."

"The bastard," JD said. He took the bottle of whiskey Buck handed him and sipped from it.

"That's what I thought, but then he spreads out his bedroll and lies down. Naked, right there beside the hot spring, in all his glory. So, I gets out of the pool, right? And I kneel next to him..."

"Yeah, go on," JD said, nudging Buck with his elbow.

"But I can't do it. I mean, he's a fella. And he's my friend. It ... I just couldn't..."

"But you said you fucked him." JD chalked up his language to the whiskey and then thought no more about it.

"I did, but well, it took some convincing. Granted, not a whole lot since he'd done already gotten me hornier than a greenhorn in a whorehouse."

"And what was it like?"

"Well you know, don't you?" Buck asked.

"Course I know," JD said. He'd been doing it with Vin for months now, months and months. And he thought he was getting pretty darn good at it, too. "But I wanna know what it was like for you."

Buck shook his head, and then had to steady himself by placing a hand on the floor for a moment. "It was like nothing else. Ain't never felt nothing tighter, nothing hotter. And when I came ... felt like I'd been swept down a river of rapids."

"Makin' me hard just hearing you talk about it," JD admitted. "What about Chris?"

"What about him?"

"Well, you returned the favor, right?"

"Nope. Feel bad about that, too. Felt almost natural to fuck him, but touching his prick ... that was just too strange."

"Just like touching yourself," JD said, "except not."

"It's the 'except not' part I had trouble with," Buck admitted.

"Oh, it's no big deal," JD told him, feeling a bit too well about himself for knowing things old, experienced Buck didn't. "He touched you, right?"

"Yeah."

"And he didn't turn brown and whither up, did he?"

"Course not," Buck replied with a huff.

"So, what's the big deal?" JD asked.

"It's just ... it's not mine. It's another man's cock. It's ... you just don't ... go around touching other fella's privates."

JD rolled his eyes at Buck's pathetic excuses. He got to his knees, undid the buttons on his trousers and then reached inside. He grabbed his prick and pulled it out as he turned to face Buck.

"Whoa!" Buck exclaimed, recoiling. "Whatcha doin' there, kid?"

"Just showing you, it's nothing to be afraid of."

"I'm not afraid."

"You look afraid," JD told him, because Buck did, with his arm up across his face as if warding off some terrible beast.

"Well, I'm not," Buck insisted as he lowered his arm.

"Prove it," JD challenged him. "Go on, prove it."

"How?"

"Touch it. I dare you."

"Dammit, JD, put it away."

"Ha, I knew you was scared."

"I ain't scared, you little shit," Buck said.

But JD still didn't think he was going to touch it, not until Buck's hand shot out and wrapped around the flaccid flesh. His pud immediately responded, swelling in Buck's warm hand. JD stared at Buck, but Buck was staring at JD's crotch.

A voice so quiet that JD wasn't even sure he'd heard it touched his ears. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," JD breathed. He wasn't sure what had just happened, couldn't quite remember how they'd gotten to this moment. "Wouldn't hurt if you rubbed it either," he found his mouth saying before his brain even thought it.

JD felt Buck's grip loosen a bit and then felt his palm sliding along his now-firm length. His eyes rolled back in his head at the pleasant sensations that washed over the nerves already tingling from the alcohol.

"See, I ain't scared," came Buck's voice, still very small.

"Nothing to be scared of," JD reminded him.

"Right," Buck said. "I, uh ... don't think we oughta be doing this." But Buck's hand didn't falter against JD's skin and JD was glad of it. He'd had too much of his own hand lately.

"Just a little more," JD said softly. Then his eyes met Buck's and they both came to their senses. Buck pulled his hand away and JD sat back on his heels.

After a minute, Buck grabbed the bottle of whiskey when JD groaned, "God, I gotta finish this."

JD spit into his hand, wrapped it around his hard cock, and then fisted himself quickly until he felt the relief wash over him. When he was done, he looked up and noticed that Buck had watched him. Nervously, he wiped his sticky hand down his trouser leg and then tucked himself away.

JD sat down next to Buck again, and took the whiskey bottle when Buck offered it. After a sip he asked, "So, you ever let Chris fuck you?"

"Nooo," Buck answered quickly.

"It don't hurt much, least wise not after the first time. Feels good, too, when you do it right."

"Don't think I could ever do that, let some fella ... do that to me."

"Chris let you do it to him," JD reminded him. Buck didn't answer him, so JD asked, "Why aren't you and Chris together?"

"Vin," he said plainly, but JD noticed an odd twinge in his voice: regret, anger, annoyance, self-pity? JD couldn't be sure what it was.

"Don't think you can blame it on Vin," JD said.

"I can if I want to," Buck told him sharply.

JD shrugged. "More likely your own fault," JD mumbled, but Buck heard him.

"Yeah, well, maybe it is!" he said loudly. "Maybe if I'd let him fuck me he wouldn't be off fucking Vin right now!"

"Would you shush," JD told him. "They're gonna hear you all the way in Eagle Bend."

"I don't care," Buck said, but he said it quietly.

"If you want him, Buck, why don't you do something about it?" JD asked.

"Not sure I do want him," Buck admitted. "Never had this much trouble courting a lady."

"Well, Chris is hardly a lady."

"Yeah, probably punch me for even making the comparison," Buck said, letting out a quick hiccup of a laugh. "Still, even when it was work, it never felt like it wasn't right."

"And it doesn't feel right with Chris?"

Buck shook his head. "Feels awkward. Feels ... I don't know. Strange. Did you ever feel like that with Vin?"

JD shook his head. "I was nervous the first few times, but ... no. Once I had time to think on it, I knew it was what I wanted, that he was who I wanted."

"Then how can you sit here getting drunk with an old cuss like me when he's off making time with another man?"

JD shrugged. "It's not like I like it. Not like I don't wish I were with him right now — no offense. But, he says it's something he needs, something he hasn't worked out of his system yet."

"Like a bad meal?"

JD laughed. "Don't think he meant it quite like that, but ... I don't know. He just ... he told me, told me straight up, asked me to give him some time. If I love him, how could I say no?"

"I think you're an idiot, you know that, kid?"

"Thanks a lot, Buck." JD took another swing at him, this time connecting with this arm, but not very hard.

"No, I mean it. Here you've got someone, someone you love, who says he loves you, and you just let him ... he's fucking Chris right now. I just know it. I can't believe you won't try to put a stop to it."

"If I try to, I'll lose him."

"Don't see as how you've got him anyway. When's the last time he came to your bed?"

JD shrugged, though he knew the answer. Knew the date and time and how many days it had been since. "He told me he loves me."

"And he hasn't told Chris the same thing?"

"No, he hasn't."

"You sure?"

JD nodded. He was sure. He had to be, otherwise he was the idiot Buck had accused him of being.

"I knew you'd want it like this," Chris told him.

Vin was hard now, achingly so. And Chris had him in his fist, but he was doing little more than teasing him: flicking his thumb over the slit, spreading around the slick ooze, rubbing him just below the head... Vin wanted to come, wanted it so badly, wanted the ache in his groin and in his arms to end, but Chris didn't seem in much of a hurry.

Finally, Chris stepped away from him and began to undo his own pants. Vin watched him strip from the waist down, watched his boots and his clothes being tossed to the ground. Chris was so hard that the head of his dick was a deep purple and Vin could see a sheen of pre-cum already glistening on the surface.

This might go quickly after all, he dared to hope.

Chris stepped close to him again, but didn't touch him. He stood so close that Vin could feel the heat radiating off his body. This man knew something of torture after all.

Then Chris moved his hips forward, until just their cocks were touching. He moved, rubbing their hard lengths together. The sensation shot right into Vin's balls and he squeezed shut his eyes, praying to God to let him come. But Chris pulled away too soon.

When he felt hands on his hips, he opened his eyes again. Chris was smiling at him. A moment later, he was being turned around to face the pole that he'd been leaning against in order to keep his balance and spare his wrists from as much rope burn as possible.

He felt Chris's hands slip over the rise of his ass, felt thumbs press into each crease where a cheek met a thigh. Then he felt Chris tap against his instep.

"Spread 'em," he said, and Vin did the best he could, tied as he was. Ultimately, it was only a few inches, but the effort seemed to satisfy Chris.

He then felt the man's hot breath against his ass as fingers slipped into his crack and spread his cheeks. A moment later, he felt what had to be Chris's face pressed against his buttocks, his nose in the crack and then — "Oh God," he moaned against the gag — Chris's tongue lapped at his hole.

Numbness began to settle into his shoulders and arms as he strained to give Chris more access, as he silently begged for Chris to fuck him with his tongue. Chris stayed until Vin began to feel spit leaking down the back of his balls. Then he rose and pressed himself against Vin's back.

"You want it?" he asked in Vin's ear. Vin nodded vigorously. "You want it like this, from behind?" Vin nodded again. "Think it's gonna be that easy?" Chris asked, dashing Vin's hope that it might be.

Chris's hands returned to Vin's hips, turning him around again. Sharp tingles burst across his shoulders as he was repositioned. Vin sucked in a quick breath of air, as he endured the pain.

Chris then grabbed him beneath the thighs and lifted him until Vin was able to wrap his legs around Chris's waist. It startled him at first, but then he realized the strain had been taken off his shoulders and the blood seemed to start flowing again; it hurt for a few moments as the feeling returned, but he tried not to whimper for fear Chris would misinterpret the sounds.

When the pain began to subside, Vin realized Chris's hands were fumbling beneath him. He felt the head of Chris's prick against his hole and Vin bore down until Chris was able to push himself inside. Chris thrust up into him and in that moment, Vin was able to reach up and grab the slack in the rope. He held on, pulling himself up as much as he could. This wasn't the most graceful position, he imagined, and wondered how comfortable it really was for Chris. At least him holding on to the rope took a little weight off the man's hips.

As Chris continued to thrust into him, Vin was thankful for his jacket as his back rubbed up and down the rough-hewn pole. A fine layer of dust, filtering down from the roof, was illuminated by the yellow light cast by the single lantern that hung on the wall beside the door.

It wasn't long before Vin felt Chris huffing for breath, before he felt the man's muscles begin to tremble. He didn't think Chris was close enough yet to come and he knew at least part of what had to happen next.

"Let go of the rope," Chris told him and Vin did. Chris held tight to Vin's waist as he pulled out; Vin unwrapped his legs and placed his feet back on the hay-covered ground. Chris stepped away from him, placed his hands on his knees, and then just stood there, hunched over, breathing hard.

Vin was damn sure this wasn't how Chris had planned for things to end.

Suddenly, Chris straightened. "I need a drink," he said, and then left the barn.

"No!" Vin screamed through the gag. "God dammit!" He couldn't believe Chris had just left him, tied naked in the middle of his barn. "God dammit, God dammit, God dammit!" he fumed.

When he was sure Chris was gone, he twisted his wrists free of the rope, having loosened the slipknot when Chris had been fucking him.

He found his pants and was just about to step into them when Chris came back into the barn.

"I'm not done with you," he said.

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm done with you," Vin told him.

Chris walked right up to him, glaring at him the entire time. He pushed Vin back against the pole and kissed him; Vin didn't taste any whiskey. Chris's hand slipped between them and Vin felt it tighten around his still-hard shaft. Chris knew how to rub him, Vin would give him that.

But, just as suddenly, he stopped. He stepped back, grabbed Vin's wrist and yanked him away from the pole. Vin felt Chris push him and it was then that he saw the stacked bales of hay covered with a horse blanket. He knew what Chris intended for him and he accepted it. He leaned over the bales and Chris stepped right up behind him, pressed his dick against Vin's hole and shoved home.

Vin let out a gasp that wasn't quite as loud as the groan Chris emitted. A moment later, Chris was thrusting, hard and fast, and Vin was grateful for the blanket beneath him. Fucking like this felt good, too damn good, after the games Chris had been playing. He didn't know why the man needed to do that, to make him feel so helpless. He wished he could say no to it, but he couldn't; he just wished he knew why.

Vin was startled when Chris pulled out of him suddenly. With a sharp slap on his ass, Vin turned over, lying with his back against the hay bale. He pulled his knees up and Chris was quickly inside him again, thrusting as if there'd been no interruption.

Chris wrapped a hand around Vin's hard length and fisted him in time with his thrusting. Chris had been teasing him for so long that mere seconds passed before he felt the tension build in his groin, followed by a bursting of thick spurts of come. A moment later, Chris's features scrunched up; Vin heard the sharp intake of air and then felt the pulsing of his orgasm against the ring of muscle at his hole.

Chris leaned forward, panting, much harder than Vin was — then again, he had done all the work, Vin reminded himself. Vin reached up and stroked his hair. He wanted to love this man, he certainly loved the way he felt whenever Chris made him come, but he knew that wasn't even close to being the same thing.

Chris soon pressed his lips to Vin's.

"I want you to spend the night," Chris said. It wasn't a question, but Vin told him yes anyway.

JD woke to too bright light stinging his eyes and immediately shut them again. He tried to shield his eyes with his hand, but found it pinned by something. He struggled and pulled and finally managed to tug it free. He placed it over his eyes as his fingers began to tingle with renewed feeling. Then he opened his eyes again, just a little bit this time, wondering where in the hell he was.

The first thing he saw was brown, brown and fuzzy. JD blinked and then squinted again. Slowly, something came into focus. Slowly, JD realized it was Buck's mustache. As more of the man's features came into focus, he wondered why he was staring into Buck's face. Suddenly, Buck opened his eyes and stared right back.

Buck gave a yelp and lashed out. JD tumbled over the edge of what turned out to be a bed and landed hard on the floor. He'd lost his breath from the unexpected impact.

"JD?" Buck mumbled. "Oh God," he groaned. "Tell me I didn't get drunk on whiskey again."

"You got drunk on whiskey," JD said once the air had returned to his lungs. He sat up and started to crawl back onto the bed; Buck scurried away from him to huddle at the far end. "It's okay," JD said. "I think I got drunk, too."

"Oh God oh God oh God," Buck was groaning again, this time with his head in his hands.

"You gonna be sick?" JD asked. He wasn't too sure he wasn't going to be sick himself.

"No," Buck replied. This time it came out as a moan.

"What then?"

"Did we ... did I ... God, tell me nothing happened."

JD tried to think. Tried to go over in his mind what had transpired the previous night. It was all just a bit too fuzzy.

"I didn't force you to..."

"What? No," JD said, of that he was certain. "Why would you think that?" he asked before finding the crusty white residue on his trouser leg.

"God," Buck moaned again. "Last time I got drunk ... last time I drank too much whiskey ... I tried to force Vin..."

JD just nodded.

"That's it. That's your only reaction?"

"Vin told me," JD explained. "I didn't want to believe him, but it did explain what happened at Christmas."

"You never asked me about it?"

"Didn't know what to say. Besides, he said you'd been drunk. Thought it best just to forget about it and hoped you two'd get past it."

"I can't get past it, JD. What I did ... it's unforgivable. Swore to myself I'd never get that drunk on whiskey again."

JD thought maybe the first step might have been to get rid of the bottle of whiskey Buck kept in the desk, but he didn't think Buck would appreciate his hindsight at this moment. Instead, he asked:

"So, what happened last night?" JD couldn't quite remember.

"Ezra. He ... he was talking about those damn hot springs. When I looked at him and he looked at me ... I knew he'd seen me and Chris. Don't know how, but he did." Buck pressed his palms hard against his forehead before continuing. "That night, Chris heard something. We stopped what we were doing and he went to check it out. Said it was probably just a jack rabbit, but I guess it weren't after all—"

Buck suddenly stopped again. His eyes got wide and he mumbled, "I'm gonna be sick," as he scrambled off the bed, barely making it to the metal waste container in the corner before heaving up the contents of his stomach.

A putrid wave of odor hit JD and he clamped a hand over his nose and mouth to keep himself from vomiting as well. Then he turned away, burying his face in the pillow on the bed. His thoughts were beginning to clear and snippets of their conversation from last night were starting to come back as he lay there trying not to be sick.

After a few minutes, he ventured a look at Buck. The waste container had been banished from the room and in its place was the bottle of whiskey they'd been drinking from the night before. JD couldn't believe when Buck took a swig.

"Hair of the dog," Buck said, and then offered the bottle to JD. JD just waved him off.

"Buck, can I ask you something?"

Buck nodded, so JD asked:

"If you and Chris hadn't been interrupted by ... that rabbit ... what do you think would have happened?"

Buck shrugged, and then took another sip of whiskey. "Probably exactly what did happen," he finally conceded. "Nothing."

Vin woke to find Chris kissing him. It wasn't a bad way to wake up, all things considered. At least he wasn't tied to anything again.

"How are your wrists?" Chris asked.

"Not too bad. How's your back?"

"I think you're gonna have to lose some weight before we give that a try again," Chris laughed. Vin laughed too, but at the same time planned on having double helpings at every meal for at least the rest of the week.

"I went too far last night, didn't I?" Chris asked after a silence had settled between them.

Vin nodded.

"I'm sorry."

Vin nodded again. He didn't really know what to say.

Chris kissed him on the cheek and then on the lips. "Can I make it up to you?" he asked.

Vin wondered if this meant breakfast, but when Chris began trailing kisses down his bare chest, Vin was pretty sure it didn't. When Chris took his cock in his mouth, Vin was positive.

It felt good, though. Chris could be gentle when he wanted to, gentle and attentive. Vin stretched his arms, his shoulders aching a bit from the night before. He rubbed his wrists, but they were rawer than he would have liked. He wasn't sure if his shirt cuffs would cover the marks.

A firm finger up his ass brought Vin's attention immediately back to Chris and what the man was doing to him.

"You're still wet from last night," Chris said before licking up the underside of Vin's morning wood. Vin wondered if that meant Chris was going to fuck him again. He didn't mind, but he found his thoughts drifting again.

He wondered what JD had done last night. He hadn't seen the kid since before he'd left for Nettie's. Probably tagging after Buck, he thought. He knew it ought to bother him, he knew after what Buck had done that he probably couldn't be trusted with JD anymore than he could be trusted alone with anyone given enough liquor. But something told him that had been a one-time thing — circumstances had gotten the better of him. He didn't know the whole story, but Vin knew enough to have guessed that some fucked up shit had happened between Buck and Chris.

He suddenly realized that was probably Chris's trouble, too. Frustration over Buck, over Buck's own frustrations. That could certainly make a man feel less than in control. Vin wondered if this was really helping Chris any, being with him, letting himself be taken, rough or easy, as Chris saw fit. Or if it was just preventing Chris from dealing with the real problem — whatever it was that had passed between him and Buck.

Vin sat up suddenly. He leaned forward and kissed Chris. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tight before pulling back.

"What was that for?" Chris asked, with a startled and bemused look across his features.

"Do you love me, Chris?"

"What?"

"You heard. Answer the question," Vin insisted.

"I..."

"Do you love me like you loved Sarah?"

"I won't ever love anyone like I loved her," Chris said harshly, as if he resented Vin bringing up her name.

"You love me like you love Buck?"

"I don't love Buck."

"Sure you do. Just haven't figured out how."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris asked. There was anger in his voice and a bit of annoyance. He didn't like being put on the spot like this, Vin could tell.

Instead of explaining what he meant, Vin asked, "Do you love him like you loved Sarah?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Something happened between you two, something big, something ... bad. I can feel it every time I'm with you," Vin told him. "Buck doesn't even have to be here for me to know he's the cause of it."

"You think I'm sleeping with you just because I'm not sleeping with Buck?" Chris scoffed when he asked this, as if he thought Vin were being ridiculous.

"No," Vin said simply. "I think you're hurting me, because you're mad at Buck, for not sleeping with you."

"I don't mean to hurt you, Vin," Chris said, and he sounded sincere.

"I know. But it's a good thing I can take it, because you do, whether there's rope involved or not," Vin said.

"I know what happened last Christmas. Buck told me what he did. Is that what this is about, because he tried to hurt you?"

"That's a part of it. Thought it was the only thing, but I realize now it was just a piece of it," Vin said. He'd had months to think about this. He didn't know why this morning it was all suddenly starting to make sense. "What happened between the two of you?"

"He told me he loved me," Chris said after a long pause. "Said he always had. I tried to make it work, but..."

"But what?"

"But Buck couldn't do it. Couldn't bring himself to be with a man. I gave him as many chances as I could, even tried to help him... It's his problem now. I told him I couldn't do it anymore; if he couldn't meet me halfway then there was no point to it." Vin could hear the frustration in Chris's voice.

"If Buck is the way you say, what made him tell you he loved you?"

"Not sure." Chris shook his head for a moment. "Jealousy, I suppose. He said you were no good for me. Said you were being unfaithful by being with JD. Said I deserved better, someone who loved me, like Sarah loved me..." Chris's eyes widened and Vin realized he finally understood what Vin had been trying to tell him.

"Is Buck that person?" Vin asked.

"I don't think so."

"Am I?"

Chris stared at him for a long time. Then he asked, "What do you think, Vin?"

"I think— no. I know I love JD. I love him like I ain't never loved anybody before. I dream about him ... I think about him, even when I don't mean to."

"When you're with me?" Chris asked calmly.

"Sometimes."

"This morning?"

"Yeah," Vin admitted. This wouldn't work if he couldn't be honest.

"We're not going to do this anymore, are we?"

"No."

Chris nodded. Vin wasn't sure, but he thought he might have seen tears welling in the man's eyes.

Vin got out of bed, found his clothes and quickly dressed. Before he left, he leaned back down and kissed Chris again.

"Make up with Buck, would you? You two have been friends too long for something like this to come between you."

JD had left Buck to sleep off his hangover on his bed in the spare room of the sheriff's office. He had a bit of a hangover himself, but luckily hadn't drunk nearly as much as Buck had.

A stop at the saloon for some breakfast had JD feeling less nauseous and a good deal less fuzzy in the noggin. Inez had made him some sort of drink with raw eggs and hot pepper sauce — it tasted terrible, but it seemed to help — that and a bit of toast had him on his way.

He wondered where Vin had gotten to, wondered if he'd spent the night with Chris again. JD was beginning to think maybe he ought to say something after all. Maybe Buck was right, maybe he had already lost him.

He wandered down to Vin's wagon, hoping he might find him there, but no luck. He plopped himself down on the tailgate and decided to wait. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, which had him wondering when the next outlaw might come riding into town.

A few minutes after that, he started poking around in the back of Vin's wagon. Vin had collected the oddest assortment of things over the years. JD pulled out a pan used for gold mining. He found a rusty thimble and a tiny pair of scissors with a minutely detailed bird tooled into the metal. He found a dust-covered jar of what looked like peach preserves; he wondered how old they were. He found a gray military hat that looked like it could have belonged to a Confederate soldier; he wondered if Vin had serve in the war. He knew Nathan had, knew Chris and Buck both had. He took off his bowler and tried the hat on for size; it was a bit small, which meant that it wouldn't fit Vin either, but JD kept it on anyway.

He'd just pulled out an unstrung bow and an arrow with crushed feathers and a broken arrowhead when he heard Vin's voice.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Sorry," JD said, but he saw Vin was smiling. He was glad Vin didn't mind. "I didn't mean to pry," he said just the same.

Vin pulled the hat off JD's head and gave it a long look.

"Were you in the war?" JD asked.

"Yup," Vin said, nodding, but he didn't elaborate.

"I bet my dad was in the war. Bet he was a Colonel or something important."

Vin smiled again. "If he was important, then he would have been a private — they're the ones that do all the work. I hope he wasn't, though," Vin said.

"Why not?"

"Too many people died. Besides, if he had been in the army, then he woulda been with the Union. Means he would have been one of the ones shooting at me. Rather not think about your pa shooting at me, even if neither of us ever knew him."

JD couldn't help but agree. "What about this?" he asked after a moment. He held out the bow and arrow.

"I made this," Vin said. He ran his hands over the smooth wood of the bow. "This, too," he said about the sorry-looking arrow. "They've both seen better days, though."

"Can you teach me to shoot?" JD asked.

"Sure I can. Only not just now." Vin leaned into the wagon and tucked the bow and arrow away. JD leaned in, too, to see where Vin was putting them, so they wouldn't forget where to find them again. As Vin leaned back out, his lips brushed against JD's.

"Mind if we go back to your room for a while?" Vin asked. "Got some things I'd like to say to you in private."

JD nodded. He couldn't help but wonder what those things might be.

"Got something to show you, too," he said. He'd been saving it for when he and Vin had a chance to spend some time together.

They walked down the street, close but not too close, and as they passed the hotel, JD waved at Wade.

"Who's that?" Vin asked.

"Ezra's brother."

Vin stopped and looked at JD for a minute. "Ezra's got a brother?"

"Step-brother. Nice fella. Owns a plantation in Virginia. Nathan's upset because he thinks that means Ezra kept slaves when he lived there, only Wade — that's his name — Wade says they never did."

"Sounds like I missed a lot."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." JD went on to tell him everything that happened in the saloon last night and then what happened after at the jailhouse.

As soon as they reached JD's room, Vin closed and locked the door.

"You're not mad, are you?" JD asked.

"That you let Buck touch you?"

JD hung his head and nodded.

"Does he remember that he touched you?"

"I don't think so," JD said. "He drank a lot more than I did."

"No, I'm not mad, but maybe you two oughtn't to get drunk together," Vin said. "Been my experience that Buck can be a bit ... unpredictable when he's drunk."

"Aw, he's okay, Vin. Really he is."

Vin nodded, hoping that Chris and Buck got their friendship sorted out. If they did, then he was pretty sure JD would be right.

"I missed you," Vin said, finally able to gather JD up in his arms. Then he kissed him until he was sure the kid's head must have been swimming.

When Vin pulled back, he saw a huge grin spread across JD's face. He figured the kid was going to say something about sex, about his own hand not being the same as Vin's, about being hard for days now, about aching and dreaming, but JD didn't say any of those things.

"I got a new book."

"What?"

"It's called _The Three Musketeers_ written by this fella named Alexander Dumas." JD went over to the table beside his bed and grabbed the book. "It's all about these men who are the personal guards of the King of France and this one kid who wants to join up with 'em."

Vin smiled. He could see why JD might take to a story like that. "Does that mean you started reading it without me?"

"No, course not! I read that in the catalog that I ordered it from," JD insisted.

"God, I love you."

"I love you, too," JD said. JD dropped the book on the bed and then slipped his arms around Vin's waist and squeezed him tight.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something," JD mumbled against his chest. "Is it about Chris?"

"Yeah," Vin said quietly, and then led JD over to sit on the bed. "Remember how I told you that I cared about Chris, that him and me..."

"That you'd been with him for longer than you'd been with me?"

Vin nodded. "I just wanted you to know that I'm not gonna be with him anymore."

"Not at all?"

"Not at all."

"Did you two fight?"

"No. We talked, though. Chris's got some thinking to do, and him and Buck got some fences need mending. They can't do that with me in the way. Besides, I got all I need right here."

JD lunged forward and hugged Vin again. Then he sat back up and asked, "So, what's it to be then?"

"Would you hit me if I said reading?" Vin asked.

"Hell no! You know how long I've been waiting to get started on that book?" JD exclaimed. Vin couldn't help smiling.

"Did I tell you how much I missed you?"

Please do NOT repost this story anywhere outside of the Blackraptor Fiction Website.

Thanks to my beta reader for all of her helpful suggestions, as well as her encouragement with this series!

Characters from "The Magnificent Seven," were used without permission and this story in no way signifies support of or affiliation with The Mirisch Group, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment, or CBS Worldwide, Inc. The story itself and any non-Magnificent Seven characters belong to the author. This story will not be sold for any reason.

October 2005