Prologue | Monday
| Tuesday | Wednesday
Thursday | Friday |
Saturday
"Buck, this is not a good idea," Vin Tanner commented when he and Buck Wilmington found themselves walking up the path that led to the front door of Chris's ranch home. The leader of Team 7 had not been in a good mood since Friday and Vin was not entirely convinced that he would be any better today. His fears were not lessened by the fact that neither he nor Buck had been able to contact Chris on the phone for the last day which further heightened his concern. Men in their line of business had enemies who were not above tracking them to their homes and it was very unlike Chris to stay out of touch with his comrades, no matter how filthy a mood he was in.
"Look, the RAM is here," Buck groaned in exasperation wondering how someone as seasoned as Vin could be so filled with questions at time. Hell, it was like riding around with JD. At least then Buck expected this sort of behavior from the youngest member of the team, not Vin who was the unofficial second in command. "So there's no reason why he should not be answering his phone."
"He could be with the horses," Vin grumbled, "this is a ranch you know." Vin was not at all happy to be dragged out of the warm bed he and Alex were sharing in order to make this trip with Buck. At the time, Buck's reason seemed valid but the more and more Vin had opportunity to think more carefully about the situation, the more he became convinced that perhaps Chris just wanted a moment alone. After what had happened with Mary on Thursday, it was not as if he wasn't entitled to some privacy. Especially if his mood on Friday was any indication of his feelings.
Buck gave Vin a look and finally remarked. "Don't be such a baby. What's he gonna to do us if we're wrong?"
"Kill us both and bury any evidence of the crime," Vin deadpanned and garnered another exasperated look from his older companion.
"You know if I had any idea you were gonna be so skittish, I'd got a Josiah to come with me."
"You did try to get Josiah to go with you," Vin said smugly. "But Josiah ain't as dumb as I am to let you talk him into this stupid stunt."
"That's true," Buck grinned. "Never mind junior. If it comes to death, I'll let it happen to me first."
Vin's eyes narrowed and responded sweetly. "You got that right."
The opportunity for further conversation was cut short when Buck and Vin reached Chris's front porch and the big man knocked lightly on the door. There was no reason to go barging into the place yet. The RAM parked outside indicated that the leader of Team 7 was home and it was still early morning so it was quite conceivable that Chris was still in bed. A fact that did not impress Vin at all because Chris went woken up prematurely was like a grizzly bear compared to just your everyday garden variety bear.
When there was no response, Buck knocked again. "Maybe we ought to break in."
"No we are not going to break in," Vin said deciding to put his foot down. "Chris could be sleeping, he could be out, in fact there could be a whole number of reasons why he ain't answering his door. Too many for me to let you go busting in his door and have him kill us both when he comes back and finds the mess."
"I'm likely to kill you anyway," Chris Larabee growled when he pulled open his front door and found his two best friends bickering at each other so loudly that it could have raised the dead. "What the hell are you two doing here?" he demanded.
"Why aren't you answering your phone?" Buck returned. "I've been calling you all night."
"I know," Chris nodded. "That's why I have a machine, for nitwits like you to leave a goddamn message."
"Where were you?" Buck persisted not about to let him get away with answering the question despite the insult. "We were worried."
"He was worried," Vin pointed to Buck with a smug look. "I was just here for moral support."
"Morale support?" Buck looked at him incredulously. "You haven't stopped bitching since we got in the car!"
"It is too early in the morning for this crap," Chris grumbled. "I'm fine. I had…" he paused a moment as he searched for the right word to aptly describe what he had been doing since yesterday evening. "Things to do."
"Like what?"
"What are you my mother?" Chris retorted defensively. He remained at the door, unprepared to let either man in although that would only provoke their suspicion further and Chris wanted to keep his relationship with Mary his own private business for the moment.
"What's the matter?" Vin suddenly asked, noticing the way Chris had positioned himself and was trying not to let them enter the house. Suddenly the prospect that there was danger filtered into the younger agent's mind. "Is there someone in the house?"
"No there isn't someone in the house!" Chris growled exasperated wondering whether killing them was really such a bad idea. After all, they were miles from anywhere and no one would hear the shots. "Look, I had a rough night and I wanted to go back to bed. Now I promise you I'm fine. I'll probably take tomorrow off too, depending on how I feel."
Vin could not argue with that at least. Chris did seem exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot which seemed to indicate a late night, if he had got any sleep at all which at this time, Vin could not say for certain that he had. "Okay," the sharpshooter admitted reluctantly. "Come on Buck, let's go."
"Let's go?" Buck retorted, unprepared to leave because it still felt as if Chris had something hidden underneath his hat that he was not letting them in on. Chris did look exhausted and what he had been doing to reach this state of weariness concerned Buck. Was he on the trail of a case that he had not mentioned to the others? With his recent troubles with Mary Travis, Buck knew that it was just like Chris to bury himself in work to forget.
It was at this point, a decidedly feminine voice sang out from the top of the stairs, leading from the bedroom over Chris's living room. From the doorway, both Vin and Buck managed to crane their neck far enough to see Mary Travis emerging from the direction of his bedroom, wearing the same shirt she had ripped off Chris's shoulders in his office the night before.
"Hey Chris, I'm starving. What have you got in your fridge?"
Both men stared at Chris.
"Uh Mary," Chris gave them a dark look that told them without his needing to say a word that any response would not be well received. He glanced sheepishly in her direction and remarked. "We've got company."
While the three men before her were wrestling with what appeared to be a supremely embarrassing situation, Mary felt none of it. Her only reaction to Buck and Vin's presence was to do up the top button of the shirt as she proceeded down the stairs.
"Hi Buck, hi Vin," Mary greeted as she padded over to them, with all three men unanimous in their opinion that she looked spectacular wearing nothing but that shirt with her long blond hair looking tousled and wild. Upon reaching Chris, she leaned over and greeted him more personally with a deep kiss that Chris did not return because he was turning red with embarrassment.
"Good morning." She smiled as she parted from his lips. "I'm getting some coffee. Want some?" she asked.
"Sure," Chris nodded mutely as she pulled away and started back towards the kitchen. He could not help admire the view for a few seconds as she drew away from him.
"What about you two?" Mary threw the question at Buck and Vin. "Do you want some coffee?"
"No they don't," Chris said hastily and glared at them. "In fact, they were just leaving. Weren't you just leaving?"
"Actually," Buck was wearing a grin that begged desperately to be wiped off his face with a knuckled fist. "I could go for some coffee."
Vin who did not possess a monumental death wish, declined.
"No you can't," Chris retorted. "You can because you need to get ready for your next assignment."
"My next assignment?" Buck looked at him.
"Yeah you know," Chris said with an equally devious grin. "The one where you are going to be checking liquor licenses in gay bars for the next millenium unless you get going now," the man hissed loudly with a glint in his eyes that indicated he was not joking.
Buck swallowed, the grin dissolving as baser instincts to guard his virtue in such establishment kicked in. "Point taken. Thanks Mary, we'll be going now."
"Your loss," Mary answered. "Chris I'll have your cup waiting for you upstairs," she said with a little wink before disappearing into the hallway that led to the kitchen.
Once she was gone, Chris turned back to them and said very firmly, "Not a word."
"Not a one," Vin replied although the sharpshooter was practically gnawing the inside of his cheek to keep himself from bursting into loud guffaws.
"So I take it, you and Mary talked," Buck found himself asking, unable to resist milking the moment for as long as he could. Aw to hell with it, how bad could panty hose be?
Chris cleared his throat. "Something like that."
"Must have been a long conversation?" Buck asked again, that smug grin tugging at the corner of his lips, refusing to be denied its moment. "All nighter?"
Chris stiffened and glared at them, aware that hiding anything was going to be impossible now. Especially when Buck's last remark had split the sides of Vin's control and the leader of Team 7 could see the muscles clenching in Vin's jaw as he fought to supress that snigger that was forcing past his lips. "I am glad that you two are finding this so funny. It's none of your business what I do with my private life."
"Hell pard, we're just glad you got a private life." Vin decided he could not keep silent for much longer either. Not after watching the fiery foreplay that had gone on all week. Suddenly, he had an idea why the rest of Team 7 found his courtship with Alex so amusing. If it was anything like what Chris and Mary had been doing all week, it was no wonder they were keeping an eye with such close interest. It was better than TV.
"Although," Vin found himself unable to add. "I have to admit I just had to shoot Ezra in the ass. I never thought about dumping Alex in the sewer, or in a canal, or taking her to a strip joint or telling people she was a lesbian."
With that, whatever restraint the duo had left was snapped and both men started laughing their asses off.
Chris swore before slamming his door in their faces, all the while having this oddest feeling that if he thought the last week had been bad, they were nothing compared to what the rest of Team 7 would put him through during the next seven days.
THE END
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