ATF Universe
ONE
“C’mon Vin,” JD yelled, pounding on the bathroom door, “we’re gonna be late.” JD jiggled the doorknob in frustration. Vin was doing him a favor in attending Easter Sunday mass with him so JD didn't want to annoy him too much. Yet.“Be out in a sec’,” came Vin’s muffled reply.
JD wasn’t a regular church-goer by any stretch of the imagination. Easter and Christmas were pretty much it since his mother died a few years back. Vin’s favor didn’t come without a string attached. After mass JD would go with Vin to the mission where Josiah and Vin helped out and assist them in running the Easter egg hunt for the kids. The mission was pretty close to where Vin lived in the “economically disadvantaged” part of Denver known as Purgatory. A slum plain and simple is how JD thought of the area. He always felt uneasy on Vin’s turf. Not admitting to scared : just uneasy.
“Vinnnn,” JD implored, not quite whining. Have to use the whining sparingly, when he really needed something, he thought. His roommate, Buck, was always good to whine to. Buck expected it and put up with it. JD thought maybe Buck secretly liked his whining. Made him feel like the older brother. Then again maybe Buck was just the ultimate good sport. The good sport was away on a ski weekend with his latest conquest from personnel. Buck wasn’t the only one with plans for the holiday weekend. Ezra was already in New Orleans spending some “quality time” with his mother, Maude. Nathan and his fiancee, Rain, were at her parents’. JD was heading over to girlfriend Casey’s Aunt Nettie’s for Easter dinner right after the kids’ egg hunt finished. Even Josiah had dinner plans with one of the women who volunteered at the mission. That left Chris and Vin to spend Easter together, just the two of them. Vin stayed overnight at JD’s so they could go to church together in Vin’s jeep. Saturday night was spent watching John Ford westerns, eating junk food, shooting the breeze. Vin was easy company.
Vin finally came out of the bathroom in a billow of steam and crossed the room to grab his jacket. He was clean-shaven, radiating a healthy glow from the hot shower. His still-damp hair curled on his shoulders.
“This good enough?,” he asked JD indicating his khaki Dockers and blue long-sleeved Oxford shirt. A white undershirt peeked out from under the shirt. He pulled on his brown suede jacket. “Don’t gotta wear a suit and tie, you said.”
“Right, no, um, you look fine. You clean up good, Vin. In fact, you look like one of those guys from the Gap ads. One of those dancers…….”
Vin’s glare cut him off. While not as commanding a look as would have emanated from their boss, Chris Larabee, holder of a blackbelt in intimidation, it was effective enough to shut JD up.
“Let’s go, JD, don’t wanna be late. Might miss somethin’ good,” Vin smiled.
St. Thomas the Apostle church wasn’t far from JD and Buck’s apartment. “I hope Father Wojciehowicz is saying mass. He’s pretty funny once you get past the heavy Polish accent and figure out what he’s saying,” JD said.
“Wojciehowicz,” Vin asked. “Like the cop from “Barney Miller? Oh, man, what was the name of that actor who played him? He usta always say when someone asked him about his name, ‘how do you spell that?’ and Wojo would say, ‘just like it sounds.’ Cracked me up everytime,” Vin laughed. JD had no idea what Vin was talking about. “They call this priest ‘Wojo’, JD?,” Vin asked.
“Yeah, I guess, well, I don’t really know, Vin. Anyway, Vin…”
“Hey, I thought you hardly never went to church. How do you know the priest’s name?”
“Well, I went on Ash Wednesday, a few weeks ago. I’m what they call an A&P Catholic. Ashes and palms. Like we only go to church at Easter, Christmas, ya know, the biggies.”
Vin just nodded and continued driving as JD launched into a monologue highlighting his past church attendance, going to parochial school, the nuns who taught him, how he promised his Mom he’d keep the faith. Vin just let JD’s voice wash over him. His mind was on someone else : his lover, Chris Larabee, his boss at the Bureau of Alcohol and Firearms. JD worked there, too, along with Buck, Josiah, Nathan, and Ezra. The 7 of them. One big happy family. But if that’s what we are then “Dad” is fucking with one of his younger “sons.” That thought brought a smile to Vin’s lips. Chris and he had become lovers months ago, and while the whole team knew of their relationship it was pretty much off-limits as a topic for water cooler gossip. Vin hadn’t moved in with Chris yet, but he had his own key to the ranch and it was only a matter of time before Vin gave up his apartment. He knew it and Chris knew it. They didn’t talk about it much. When it happened, it happened was their attitude. Vin thought it would probably happen soon. He loved Chris so much it hurt. It scared Vin sometimes when he realized just how much the two of them loved one another. For Vin knew Chris felt the same way, had done ever since their first time together.
With the rest of the team busy for the weekend Chris and Vin were spending Easter alone together. “Alone together,” had a nice ring to it, Vin thought. He wished it could happen more often, the alone together. Seemed like the whole “family” was always at Chris’s ranch on holidays, and on the weekends. Vin didn’t mind all that much, but still. He never had a real family growing up, orphaned at a young age as he was. These six men were now his family and while pretending to JD that this church- going was a chore to be endured, Vin knew in his heart the main reason he was attending church today was to give thanks to God for the gift of these friends.
“Here’s the church, Vin, make a right,” JD’s voice broke through Vin’s thoughts and with a repressed sigh he pulled into the parking spot and tried to get his mind off Chris. For the hour or so they would be in church, anyway.
JD and Vin sat near the front, close to the altar, off to the side. Church was filling up even though it was an early mass, 8 o’clock. They had promised Josiah to be at the mission by 10.
JD and Vin sat quietly. This was difficult for the younger man, but second nature to Vin. JD started tapping his foot nervously while chewing on a cuticle. Vin sat with his hands folded loosely in his lap his deep blue eyes gazing intently at the crucifix above the altar. The early morning sunlight streamed in through the stained-glass windows backlighting Vin. His sandy-brown hair was streaked with gold highlights from the light, creating an almost halo effect. Vin looked almost radiant bathed in the filtered sunlight as he was. JD looked over at Vin, “Gee, Vin, ya you look just like Chr----“ Just at that moment the organ blared drowning out the rest of JD’s whispering. “Crap,” is what Vin heard,“I look like crap?!,” Vin thought, puzzled over JD’s remark. “I thought I looked kinda good.” He shook his head slightly, picked up a hymnal and stood alongside JD and the service began.
The mass passed quickly, much to Vin’s surprise. Father Wojo (that’s how Vin now thought of him) delivered a sermon which was not only uplifting but funny as well, and more importantly, short. An added attraction was the young woman up on the altar who led the congregation in song. Vin thought she said her name was Kathy when she introduced herself at the beginning of mass. She had the voice of an angel and a face to match.
JD felt a little guilty when the collection baskets were passed around for a second time and he saw Vin throw in some bills. “Sorry,” he mouthed to Vin but Vin only gave him a small smile in return. He figured the money was going to a good cause.
The elderly ushers took the baskets, overflowing with cash and church envelopes, up the side aisle past Vin and JD and through a door near the front of the church to store the collection in the sacristy, the room off the altar where the priests changed for mass.
“Mass is ended, go in peace,” the priest intoned. Everyone who was on the altar, the altar servers, the leader of song, the lay ministers, and Father Wojo formed a line and proceeded down the main aisle and headed to the back of the church and out the front door to greet the departing parishioners.
JD and Vin started to leave the pew when Vin noticed two huge skeevy-looking skells head through the door the ushers had gone through. “JD,” Vin whispered, getting his friend’s attention. “Trouble.”
“You carrying?,” Vin asked.
“What, to church??! No, you?”
“Nope, not in the jeep either. You got your cell with you?,” Vin asked.
“Yeah, but Vin, we haven’t seen nothin’. Before I go makin’ a fool of myself calling the locals don’t you think we should actually see something go down?”
“Call ‘em, JD, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Where does that door lead to?”, Vin asked pointing to the side door the skells had just gone through.
“The parking garage for the priests. Stairs lead down to the garage through there and it also leads up to the room where the priests hang out before mass. The waddayacallit—something Latin. You can see a couple of steps on the left leading up to the room when you go out the door and off to the right are the stairs leading down to the garage. I bet there’s a safe or something where the ushers put the money in the ready-room .” JD said all this in a rush and Vin was already heading to the side door with JD on his heels.
“JD, go back out the front of the church and wait for the cops. Tell ‘em there’s a robbery going down and give them my description when they get here so they don’t go shootin’ me for one of the bad guys. Ya got that? Tell the padre what’s goin’ on and don’t let anyone back in the church. Got it?”
“Vin, there’s two of them, and we don’t know if they got guns and you’re unarmed and Vin, this is a bad idea.” JD knew nothing he would say would change the sharpshooter’s mind but he thought he should at least try.
“Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna do nothin’ stupid. Just keep my eye on ‘em and make sure those old usher guys are ok. I’m just gonna try and bottle them in the stairwell all by their lonesomes. And let the cops handle it. No heroics, promise. Call ‘em now, JD ‘kay? And when they get here send them through the church. Gonna try to stop ‘em from getting out the garage exit.”
“Be careful, Vin. Don’t go bleedin’ on your new shirt.” JD’s smile was weak. “Vin, you ever notice somethin’ bad always happens when it’s just the two of us? You know, Buck and Chris won’t let us hang with each other anymore if you get hurt, I just know it.” JD was half serious and said this with a grin.
Vin nodded once and punched JD on the shoulder, “Go, kid.”
TWO
Vin went to the side door and peeked in. No one in the hallway. The door had one-sided button locks on the edge and by pushing one in the door locked from one side only. No one could enter the church by this door if coming up the back stairs from the garage but the door remained accessible as an exit for those inside the church. Vin pushed the bottom button in and gingerly closed the door. He tried the knob making sure it was locked. One exit down.He could hear muffled voices coming from the sacristy. He hurried down the stairs into the garage and shut the door using the automatic door unit on the wall. Spotting a snow shovel leaning against the side of the garage Vin grabbed it and smashed the handle into the door opener unit. Second exit down.
The robbers only way out was through the priest’s changing-room, out onto the altar and out though the main doors of the church. But they didn’t know that and Vin was counting on them heading for the garage door exit first.
Vin wasn’t sure this was the best idea he ever came up with. The odds weren’t that bad, 2 to 1. But not knowing what weapons they had. This could be a stupid move, afterall, he thought.
Different scenarios played out in his head his favorite being the bad guys giving themselves up to him—no muss, no fuss, no guns. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen,” he muttered.
Vin crept back up the stairs and inched his way up to the sacristy door which was open a crack. He could see the two elderly ushers sitting against the far wall, alive, awake and scared to death. One of the robbers was holding a gun on the men while the other was stuffing cash from the overturned collection baskets into the pockets of his dingy raincoat as fast as he could. “I thought I told you to bring a bag, you moron,” he snarled to his partner
Shit, shit, shit, Vin screamed in his head, seeing the gun. So much for easy.
Vin knicknamed the two thugs Hughey and Dewey when he first saw them. Up close they were a lot bigger than he first thought, like pro wrestlers and twice as ugly. Vin gulped. Cops should be here soon, Vin prayed to himself. Now all he had to do was get the ushers away safe, trap the bad guys and get himself the hell out of there.
It wouldn’t be long before Hughey and Dewey were ready to leave so Vin hurried down to hide in the parking garage. He wanted any confrontation to occur as far away from the two old gents as possible. The ushers hadn’t been tied up and Vin was praying the men would get away as fast as their arthritic legs would let them and escape through the church. Then all Vin would have to do would be to sneak back up the stairs and escape through the priest’s ready-room locking the door behind him, trapping the thieves. Simple. And where the hell were the cops?, he asked himself, not for the first time.
From his vantage point, crouched behind a black Buick in the far corner of the three-car garage, Vin could see Hughey and Dewey hurrying to the garage door. They stopped short in front of the busted door opener unit, cursing profusely. Vin took advantage of their turned backs to make his move across the garage to the stairs. He almost made it.
A hiccup of a beep sounded from the car’s alarm freezing Vin in mid-stride.
“What the fuck? Hey you!,” Hughey and Dewey yelled as they spotted Vin and took off after him.
Vin bounded up the stairs, racing towards the sacristy door. He only had to get in that room, lock the door behind him and escape through the church. He was about ten seconds ahead of the enemy when he reached safety. He pulled on the door knob. Locked. Shit, shit, shit, I don’t believe this, Vin thought. The ushers made good their escape all right and locked the door behind them. Now would be a real good time for the cops to fling open that door and save the day, he thought desperately.
Two very large and very angry men stood a couple of steps below him. “You lousy little fuck! You the one locked us in here like this?”
Vin looked down at the hulking goons. His mouth had suddenly gone dry. “The cops will be here any minute. This can end right now. No one hurt.” Bracing himself against the doorway, Vin continued, “Look, there’s no way out. With the measly pickings you got from those baskets your PD can probably get this talked down from first to second degree robbery, hell that’s only a class C felony. Give me the gun. I’ll tell the cops you cooperated. Believe me, it’ll make a difference in your sentence.”
“You a lawyer? Why should we believe you?” Hughey rested his hand on the gun in the waist of his pants.
“I’m with the ATF. No one has to get hurt here. Just give me gun. C’mon guys. You don’t want to do this.” Vin’s soft drawl took on a pleading tone.
“You want the gun, kid? You got it.” And with that, Hughey pulled the gun from his pants, casually aimed it at Vin and pulled the trigger.
Click.
“You fuckin’ moron,” Hughey roared at his partner. “I told you to load the gun. First no bag for the money, and now no bullets for the gun.” Dewey just shrugged. “ I oughta shoot you where you stand.”
With what? Vin bit his lip against uttering this out loud. His blue eyes had widened in surprise and relief at the hollow click of the empty chamber. Reprieve. Must be something to this church-going after all, he thought. He began to breathe again.
Hughey jammed the gun back in his waistband. “So what are we gonna do with you, ATF?” His eyes narrowed as he looked over at his partner. “Shall we?” Dewey nodded once, an evil grin curling his lips. “It’s showtime,” he snarled.
The two advanced up the steps toward Vin. Vin anchored his arms against the door jams, hoisted his legs up and kicked out in one fluid motion. Each man received a well-placed kick in the gut and stumbled back to the landing, bumping and tripping one another and ending up on their backs, momentarily stunned.
Best defense is a good offense, Vin thought to himself. He heard the police siren then, the sound coming closer by the second. Just gotta keep ‘em off me a few more minutes, Vin thought, his hopes raised by the sweet sound of the siren. Standing at the top of the stairs, Vin knew he had to get solid footing under him to launch an attack, or mount some kind of defense. But Hughey and Dewey were already rising to their feet.
“Uh-oh,” the little voice in Vin’s head whispered. All Vin could think of at that moment was Chris waiting for him with an Easter ham dinner. “Oh, he’s gonna be pissed at me, that’s for sure,” Vin grinned at the thought of the Larabee glare. Those steely green-eyes pinning him down. If he got out of this alive he would welcome any shit Chris gave him about it. “If.”
THREE
For the two hulking giants were back on their feet and they were on Vin in a flash. Vin kicked out at them again but this time they were ready for him and they weaved and parried Vin’s kicks. Hughey charged Vin and pulled him off balance enough that Vin lost his balance on the top stair and fell into Hughey who pushed him off and threw him down the stairs to the landing. Vin ended up on his side. Dewey leaped down to the landing and viciously kicked his lower back. The breath was knocked out of him and he collapsed on his back, groaning. Hughey came up beside Vin and got in some kicks to his ribs and thighs. Pain ripped through his body and Vin struggled to get a breath. He doubled over in agony and he curled up into a ball and put his arms up over his head. Dewey grunted, “my turn,” and angled his kick with such force that Vin’s body rolled down the remaining stairs to land on the cement floor of the garage. “Goal!”,” yelled Dewey in triumph, grinning. Vin could hear voices and shouts but they sounded like they were coming from the end of a long, dark tunnel.He heard his name from far off. He knew that voice. He opened his eyes and saw a pair of black boots. He knew those boots. He squinted up at a kneeling JD who was staring at Vin with a frantic look in his eyes. JD’s hand was on his shoulder. “Vin, Vin, can you hear me? You ok? The cops are here. Vin? Are you shot? What happened?”
The cops were busy cuffing and Mirandizing Vin’s assailants.
“Good to see you, JD. Help me up, will ya,” Vin groaned. “Nope, not shot, just got the shit kicked outta me, is all.” Vin sat up slowly and JD got him under the arms and helped him lift himself off the cold, cement floor. Vin stood on shaky legs, leaning against the garage wall. “Aw, hell, I feel like a truck hit me. What time is it, JD?”
“Only 9:40.”
That surprised Vin. He had lost all track of time during the encounter. Only 15 minutes had passed since the end of mass. “JD, you still have time to help Josiah. The cops don’t need you for anything. I’ll drop you off at the mission and then head over to the station house and give my statement. Can Josiah give you a lift back to your place later?” JD nodded. “Good, then I won’t be all that late getting over to Chris. I play this right he won’t know a thing about what happened. Just let me catch my breath a little.” He leaned back against the garage wall.
“Vin, you gotta tell Chris. You have to be all black ‘n’ blue getting the crap kicked out of you by those guys, Vin. Your face doesn’t show it but I bet your body does and Chris will notice when…”, JD turned red. “I’ll shut up now.”
Vin felt his ribs. Nothing broken. “Hell, JD, I’ve gotten a harder workout at the ranch.” JD didn’t think his face could feel any hotter or burn any redder than it was. Vin blushed too. “Aw hell, I mean with the horses. Chores, stacking hay and the such. Shoot, I’m gonna tell Chris. Just not today. No need for him to be fussin’ and worryin’ today of all days. Just want to have an easy day. Tomorrow is soon enough for him to know, ‘kay? And thanks JD.” Vin gave JD a lopsided grin. Vin wanted more than anything to just spend the day with his lover, just the two of them.
Vin’s whole body was in agony. Like he was stomped on by two Neanderthals. It hurt to breathe, so he took only soft, shallow breaths. His head was spinning. Still leaning against the garage wall Vin closed his eyes for a moment to try to stop the garage floor from tilting up at him. He counted to ten, opened his eyes. The floor was where is was supposed to be.
“I’ll drive,” JD said, giving Vin an anxious look. He saw how out of it Vin appeared. Vin dug in his jacket for the keys. “You gonna be all right to drive later, Vin?”
“Yeah, just give me a few minutes,” he said softly.
JD told the cops Vin would be by later to give his statement. They walked up the stairs back into the church. Father Wojciehowicz was there surrounded by an anxious little circle of mostly elderly parishioners. The two ushers were sitting in one of the pews being interviewed by a policewoman.
“JD, I’ve met. You must be Mr. Tanner. You are good with the guns, I hear,” referring to Vin’s sharpshooting expertise. “JD has told me a lot about you, son. You are ok, yes?,” the priest asked in his Polish accent.
Vin looked over at JD but didn’t say anything. “Well, we had a few minutes to kill waiting for the police. Vin, this is Father Wojciehowicz, but you already know that,” JD mumbled.
Vin nodded, shook the priest’s hand and said, “Don’t worry about me none, Father, I’m fine. How are the two gentlemen?” Vin glanced over to where the ushers sat.
“They are made of sturdy stock,” Father Wojciehowicz said. “They will have the ladies of the parish making kielbasa and babas for them for weeks. Thank you, Mr. Tanner, for getting our money back,” the old priest continued. “Those robbers, pretty stupid, stealing after only the first mass of the day.” He shook his head, puzzled.
Vin and JD laughed at the priest’s remark while shaking hands in farewell. They left the church, got in the jeep, and pulled out of the parking lot. Neither of them noticed a white van drive up and stop across the street from the church. KMGH, Eyewitness News was printed across the side of the van.
JD drove across town to the mission. He gave the keys back to Vin. “You sure you’re ok to drive, Vin?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. You gone on now JD, have fun with the kids and let Josiah know how sorry I am to bail on him like this.”
“Happy Easter, Vin and say hi! to Chris. And Vin, I’m really sorry about today. This is all my fault, you know. If I hadn’t talked you into going with me to mass you wouldn’t have gotten hurt…..”
“And you might have,” Vin finished. “Besides, you didn’t really have to talk me into church. Been meanin’ to go for a while now. Had to tell someone thanks.”
JD grinned. “See ya at work tomorrow, Vin.” JD walked to the mission entrance as Vin drove away.
Vin’s first stop was his apartment to change of out his ripped and filthy clothes. Peeling off his shirt and slacks, he grabbed the first clean shirt and jeans he saw folded on top of the laundry basket. More than anything he wanted a long, hot soak in the tub but that would have to wait till Chris’s. He looked in the mirror and saw the bruises on his chest, arms, stomach and legs turning shades from deep red to hues of purple and blue. Muscles protesting his every move Vin slowly and gingerly began to change into his faded jeans, wincing at the tight fit. He figured the energy it would take to lift his arms to pull off the white undershirt would be too much so he left it on and donned a blue denim workshirt. Who am I kidding, Vin thought dejectedly. No damn way I can keep this a secret from Chris. I can hear him now, ‘What the hell did you think you were doing Vin, not waiting for backup?! You could have gotten yourself killed.’
“What the hell did he think he was doing? Dammit Tanner, you could have been killed!,” Chris Larabee yelled at the TV in frustration. The screen showed a young newswoman, standing in front of a church, interviewing a gray-haired priest. Chris had heard the priest sing the praises of one JD Dunne, who alerted authorities while young ATF agent Vin Tanner prevented the robbers from escaping by locking himself in the church with them. Chris ran his fingers through his short-cropped blond hair. He pinched the bridge of his nose. The vein in his forehead began to do a cha-cha. Why am I hearing this from a news report and not from Vin and JD? Chris Larabee, agent-in-charge of Team 7 of the ATF, was feeling anything but in charge as he listened to the rest of the news. Chris didn’t hear the all-too-familiar phrases “treated and released,” or “treated at the scene,” or “suffering from gunshot wounds and taken to a local area hospital.” There were no ambulances or paramedics scurrying around in the background, only a few cop cars. Chris released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. They’re ok; he’s ok. Dammit to hell, why didn’t he call?
“Reporting live from St. Thomas the Apostle Church, this is Brigid Marie of KMGH Eyewitness News, Denver wishing you a Happy Easter.” Chris shut off the set, leaned back on the couch, folded his arms, and waited, his face set in stone.
FOUR
Vin was almost at the ranch. He felt lucky not to be running all that late. His statement to the cops only took about 90 minutes. No alarm bells would be going off in Chris’s head, Vin thought happily. It was only slightly past the time he told Chris he’d be there. He still hadn’t figured out how to play Chris when he got to the ranch. Pretend a stomach-ache? Nope, Vin was too hungry and looking forward to a ham dinner with all the fixings. A headache, then, Vin thought. He could still eat, maybe take a nap after. Soak in the tub and later, in Chris’s bedroom, making sure it was pitch black, make love as gently as possible. Vin snorted. He never, ever thought of that word, “gently,”when he thought of making love to Chris. Harder, deeper, faster sprang to mind instead. His groin quickened at the thought.From the kitchen Chris heard the crunch of gravel as Vin drove up the driveway. Chris was sharpening his carving knife holding it so tightly his knuckles were white. He heard Vin’s key in the front door and a call of, “Chris, I’m home.” All his previous anger melted at the sound of his lover’s voice. “In here,” Chris yelled.
Vin walked in the kitchen, a big grin on his boyish face. “Hey, Chris. Brought some of that ‘3 Stooges’ beer you like, cowboy, nyuuuk, nyuuuk.” Chris grinned.
“Come here, you,” Chris said and kissed Vin, crushing his lips against Vin’s and thrusting his tongue into Vin’s eager mouth. Damn he looks good, Chris thought, his heart skipping a beat. He could see no signs of a fight on that handsome face. Chris inhaled the familiar scent. Damn, smells good too. Vin’s deep blue eyes fairly sparkled. Chris broke off the kiss and enveloped Vin a tight embrace. He heard Vin catch his breath. He wondered if it was from pain or desire. Chris ran his hands up and down Vin’s back. No bandaged ribs. Vin was breathing heavily now. Chris wanted Vin to level with him if he was hurting. What was so hard about that? Stubborn kid. Vin had an almost pathological dislike of being fussed over and coddled when sick or injured. ATF supervisor Chris Larabee needed to know if his agent was fit for duty. The lover Chris Larabee needed to know the same thing but for different reasons : Vin was Chris’s heart and soul, the center of his universe. How this long-haired, sharpshooter became the most important person in Chris’s life was still a mystery to the older man : a mystery Chris accepted with the blind faith of a true believer.
“Anything wrong, Vin?”
Vin knew Chris had heard his sharp intake of breath. “Nope, just glad to see ya. Kinda’ tired. Have a headache. Mind if I take a nap after we eat? Ham looks good,” Vin said eyeing the platter and changing the subject. “Hell, Chris, who else is coming to dinner? You’ve got enough to feed a company of Rangers.” The kitchen counter was crowed with covered dishes and steaming bowls.
“Hey, I’ve seen you eat, Vin. I probably didn’t make enough. Wash up, everything’s ready.”
After they ate, Vin did the dishes. Now he really did have a headache to go along with his aching body. He longed for a hot bath and sleep.
“Hey, cowboy, mind if I try to get rid of this headache with a soak and a nap? Sorry to be such poor company, pard. I’ll make it up to you later tonight.” He tried to leer as he said this but the look fell flat. Chris knew what he meant, though.
“Sure go ahead and take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
All during dinner Chris waited for Vin to spill his guts about what went down at the church and how bad he was hurting. He was growing impatient with Vin’s stubborness and not a little annoyed at being kept in the dark. He decided to force Vin’s hand.
“Help me with the firewood first, ok?” Chris was already shrugging on his black polartec jacket.
Vin cursed under his breath. Earlier he could barely reach across the table to pass food to Chris without groaning in pain. And now he had to lift firewood? He felt like crying.
“Sure, Chris. I’m just gonna take a leak first. Be right with you.”
While in the bathroom, Vin took three Advils. He splashed cold water on his face and looking up in the mirror above the sink he wasn’t too surprised to see he looked like shit since that’s exactly how he felt. Sunken, blood-shot eyes stared back at him. The dark circles under his eyes stood out in sharp contrast to his ashen face. “Suck it up Tanner, you can do this,” he murmured. Vin was determined to see that this precious time alone with his lover be perfect. Chris has enough stress and worry from work during the week, Vin thought, no way I’m gonna fuck up his Sunday.
Chris was leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms folded across his chest as Vin returned.
“Ready,” Vin said softly, slowly putting on his jacket.
Chris narrowed his eyes at Vin. “You don’t look so hot, Vin. Headache worse?”
Vin walked past Chris out the door never meeting his gaze. “Let’s do this, cowboy.” Chris followed the lanky young man to the woodpile, staring daggers at his back. Damn, obstinate fool, Chris seethed. He didn’t want Vin to aggravate any injuries he might have. On the other hand he desperately wanted Vin to admit he was hurting and in need of Chris’s help. That’s what friends do for each other. And we are so much more than just friends, Chris thought. Why couldn’t Vin just let go and ask for help?
The man in question was thinking the same thing. Vin had been orphaned at an early age and bounced around foster homes until he ran away as a young teenager. He had been self-reliant for such a long time he didn’t know how to act any other way. Chris was the first person to break down his defenses, getting inside those fortified walls years in the forging. Vin was so tired. Would it be so hard to give in, to give up his pain to Chris and let him care for him?
Vin picked up a log, letting out a ragged gasp. Chris added a few more to his outstretched arms. Why was Chris glaring at him like that? He managed to walk back to the house and inside to the fireplace in the living room. Chris was right behind him with an armload of logs. Chris knelt down and dumped the logs near the fireplace then stacked them on the side. Vin just stood there holding the heavy load. His arms were quivering, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He was frozen. He couldn’t make his body bend to place the logs on the floor. He was going to drop the whole load any second now. “Chris?,” Vin rasped. His eyes rolled up and back as he said, “I think I’m gonna……”
Chris was there to catch him as Vin slowly crumpled, logs spilling heavily to the floor.
FIVE
Chris sat with an unconscious Vin cradled in his arms. He brushed back a few strands of wavy hair from his forehead. “Rest easy now, tough guy, I got you,” Chris said in the barest of whispers. Chris pulled open the snaps on Vin’s denim shirt and gently pulled up his undershirt. He whistled softly as he saw Vin’s bruised and battered body. “Oh man, Vin, why didn’t you just say something?” Chris shook his head, he gray-green eyes brimming with tears.He carefully lifted Vin to a sitting position, gathered him up in his arms and carried him into the bedroom laying him as gently as he could on the king-sized bed. He pulled off his boots and jeans inhaling sharply as he saw the contusions and abrasions on his thighs. “They worked you over real good there, pard,” Chris said, his voice breaking.
Chris wet a washcloth and began to wipe the sweat off Vin’s face. Vin’s eyes fluttered open. “What…? Chris? I’m sorry. I’m sorry I..”
Chris shushed him. “I saw the news report on the robbery at the church, Vin. I don’t know all the details but I know you and JD were involved. I see you got the crap knocked out of you. How’s JD?”
“He’s ok. He waited for the cops like I told him to. This isn’t his fault,” Vin’s voice was raspy.
“Did I say anything about fault, Vin? You think I’m going to yell at you, is that it? You get hurt like this and come over like nothing happened. How do you think that makes me feel, Vin? I love you, doesn’t that count for something? Geeze Vin, I thought you knew me better than this. You aren’t alone in the world anymore. You’ve got the team, you’ve got me. We’re all here for you, pard, you have to believe that. You have to let us in.” A flood of tenderness and longing swept over Chris making his knees feel weak. He sank onto the edge of the bed, a sob in his throat, and put his hand on Vin’s shoulder and began stroking it.
“Let me help you get your shirt off.” Vin struggled up slowly, grimacing in pain, as Chris slipped his arms out of the shirt and pulled off his undershirt. “Hurts even to raise my arms,” Vin said with a lopsided grin. “Got fucked up pretty good, huh?”
Chris leaned down and began to kiss Vin lightly, just grazing. He kissed his forehead and his temples, his eyelids and his cheeks with a touch as light as a butterfly’s. Vin closed his eyes and felt like he was floating. He smiled as Chris lowered his head and tracked kisses down his throat into the hollow of his neck.
“Hmmm, feels so good, Chris. I was going to tell you all about it tomorrow at work. I just wanted today for us, you know, no worries.” Vin’s eyes pleaded with Chris. “I wanted today to be perfect, cowboy. I’m sorry.” Tears welled in Vin’s eyes. “Hell, I’m gonna start ballin’ like a kid,” he sniffed.
He opened his brimming eyes and smiled. Chris leaned over him and kissed him full on the mouth, his tongue lingering on the full, soft lips. He drew back, and their eyes met and sank deep into each other.
“Perfectly normal reaction, Vin. You might have been killed today. You’ve been running on pure adrenalin the last few hours and now you’re crashing. Like coming down from a Pop-tart high,” Chris laughed.
“Makin’ fun of my junk food diet, Larabee? Didn’t I eat all my vegetables at dinner like a good boy?”
“Yes, and for that you get dessert.”
Vin’s eyes widened and he broke into a grin. “Hell, Chris, the way I ache I don’t think I can do anything….,” he trailed off.
Chris put a finger over Vin’s lips. “Hush up hero. Just lie back and relax.”
Chris slid Vin’s boxers down his long, slim legs and tossed the shorts over his shoulder. Chris stood up and shed his clothes quickly. He stretched out beside his lover, Vin’s slender body against his, and the sting of desire overwhelmed them both.
“Oh God, Chris, I am so in love with you it hurts. It hurts so damn much sometimes. And I ain’t talkin’ about my black and blues.”
Chris’s eyes blazed with desire. He began to stroke Vin’s cock. “Glad the bad guys left the family jewels alone, pard.”
“Yeah, well. Seems I’m real good at curlin’ up in a ball. I knew you’d be pissed as hell if anything happened to ‘little Vin.’”
“Oh, so now he’s got a name?,” Chris laughed.
Vin’s sex, which had been responding lazily to Chris’s hand, bounded into full erection. Chris felt Vin’s hand slide up along his flank. Vin reached for Chris’s cock and began to stroke it, his long, tapered fingers wrapping around the pulsing essence of his lover.
Chris was close to coming even though Vin had only started on him. Vin had that effect on him. Vin continued stroking and whispered huskily to Chris.
“Let me finish you off in the only other place that don’t hurt.”
Chris released his fingers from around Vin’s member. He growled low in his throat and got to his knees, inched his way up to Vin, straddling him, being careful not to put any pressure on his chest. He knelt over Vin’s face and Vin took his engorged member in his hot, eager mouth. Vin pushed his head forward, swallowing the cock, gurgling as if gasping, allowing the cock to slip out, grasping for it with his mouth, swallowing it again. He pulled back and stared up at Chris. “Move a little closer,” he said huskily.
He ran his tongue around Chris’s balls, up the length of his cock. He took Chris into his throat. Chris ran his fingers through Vin’s soft hair, caressing it. Chris felt a flood of urgency and desire. He arched his back and thrust forward. “Yeah, Vin. Ah, ah, ahhh—take it!! Chris came in Vin’s mouth, Vin swallowing Chris’s creamy essence.
“Mmmm, lipsmacking good, cowboy.”
“Oh, Vin,” Chris breathed out, climbing off Vin and falling back to lay beside him. “Oh, man, I’m wiped. That was----“. Words failed him. He turned to face Vin his finger tracing Vin’s strong jawline. “Thank you.” Chris kissed him, tasting himself on Vin’s full lips.
“You said something about dessert?”
“Yeah, now where was I? Oh, yes, ‘little Vin,’ down there feeling lonely.”
This struck both of them as funny and they shook with laughter until Chris’s hands were so full of the feel of Vin’s convulsed body that a shiver ran down his spine and his breath caught and he instantly sobered. Chris reached out, skimming his fingertips along Vin’s smooth skin. Vin turned to face him. They hugged lightly, not pressing hard and Vin nuzzled his cheek. It was a familiar and delicious moment for Chris. They kissed each other’s necks. Vin’s lanky body, with its signature of bones, felt full of love.
Chris bent over Vin and began feathering kisses along his cock. Vin moaned in response. Warm blood surged to Vin’s groin, his cock straining. Chris took Vin in his mouth. Vin arched his back slightly, hissing in pain and pleasure. Now Chris had Vin all the way in his throat and held him there. Vin felt his cock pulsing inside the other’s throat, there for incredible moments, long, long, deep, deeper, deep—and then Chris swept his tongue over Vin’s balls, then farther, farther, licking his ass, spreading it, dabbing at the hole, feeling the brush of hairs on the smooth parting flesh, as he probed with his tongue, deeper in still. Chris vigorously tongued Vin’s ass, which puckered and closed, puckered and closed with each lick of his dabbing tongue. Vin was trembling from the feel of Chris’s hot, moist tongue. He moaned in ecstasy.
Chris licked his way back to Vin’s cock, tonguing it and then taking the full length in his mouth. He pumped away at Vin’s hot, sticky member with his lips and tongue bringing Vin to the edge. “Chrisssss!,” Vin screamed out and Chris took away his mouth while Vin came in spasms and waves all over the sheets. When he was through, groans sounded for several minutes more. Chris held him in a gentle embrace. He wanted to squeeze him tightly to himself, claim him, never let him go.
Chris stretched voluptuously and arched his back. “It is amazing, isn’t it? About us,” he said. He looked into Vin’s dancing blue eyes. “You’re such a goddmn miracle, Vin. I’ll never get to the end of you. I’m going to try. Just give me a lifetime to try.”
It was so good to feel Chris next to him, as if the two of them had undergone some kind of trial and could rest now because they had come out of it stronger. Best of all, he didn’t feel alone.
Everything was in the perfect here and now, the scent of the cold night air surrounding them. They slept.
THE END
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