Fic: A Touch Of Home 3/3 The Magnificent Seven
Title: A Touch Of Home. Author: Lopaka Tanu Disclaimer: I do not own Magnificent Seven. Characters: Ensemble Words: 31,490 Prompt: Sequel to Fic Previously Written/By Request Fandom: Magnificent Seven Pairing: Vin/JD, Maude/Josiah, Chris/Vin, Nathan/Rain, Chris/Buck, Ezra/Vin, respectively. Rating: Adult Warnings: Language, Violence, Het (trans gender), Gender Bender, Slash, Sexual Situations, Character Death. Summary: A new start in a medium sized Alabamian city brings with it dangers from the past that threaten the carnival. Author's Note: Circa June, 1933, Magnificent Oddities AU - Open. ______________________________________ Blinking, Ezra tried to remain focused on the crowd in front of him, but they kept on wavering. One moment he was seeing them, the next an endless row of possibilities. Eventually, he was forced to close his eyes. "You will be the next farmer in the dale." Snickering, he waved at the air.
The teen's face fell. Clenching his fists, he sat back down as the light over him winked out.
A woman in the back row stood up, her hat pushed back on her head to expose her bangs. When the spot light above her turned on, she cleared her throat. "I want to know the future of my children. Will they make something of themselves?"
Taking a hissing breath through his tongue and teeth, Ezra reluctantly opened his eyes. He frowned in concentration as he turned his gaze to her. For a minute, she seemed to waver, then she was solid again. Scowling, he rubbed at his forehead, pushing his hat up. "I don't see anything."
Paling, the woman clutched at the book in her hand. "Are you saying they will die?"
"All things must eventually die, madam, but that is not my meaning." Pushing up his hat, Ezra scratched the top of his head. "I can see nothing unusual. There's only you standing in a spot light."
Rafael moved to Ezra's side. Putting a hand on the man's shoulder, he squeezed it. "What's the matter?"
Raising his chin, Ezra faced his guard with a frown. Before he could respond, Rafael gasped and took a step back.
Jaw clenching, Rafael shook his head twice. Turning to the others, he nodded to the exits. "I'm sorry, folks, but the show is now over. Mr. Ezra must take a break. If you'll see the man out front, he'll refund half your money. Thank you for coming and enjoy the rest of the carnival." Reaching down, he grabbed Ezra by the elbow.
As he was pulled off his throne, Ezra frowned. "Unhand me this instant, sir. I protest..." was all he got out before his legs gave out. With a strangled cry, he slumped to the floor. If not for Rafael's hold on his arm, he would have slammed his chin in to the throne's arm.
Panic caused Ezra's skin to go sheet white. He tried to reach up to clutch at Rafael, but the strength seemed to flee his fingers. His hand beat quite uselessly at the Mexican's shirt. Choking was the last thing he felt before darkness swallowed him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wide eyed, Vin clutched the hem of her robe closer about her body. The wind had picked up while she lay on the stage in the middle of the tent. She could tell several hours had passed as the sun was now on the horizon. In all that time, no one had bothered her and Chris.
That thought alone had sent a chill down her spine. Why hadn't anyone come in? Why weren't they checking up on the one act that wasn't making any money. And the worst thought of all, what if they had been so loud was why no one came?
As she slipped around the side of the tent, she found Markus asleep at his post out front. Drawing near, she found no sign warning off the act. A stone fell in the pit of her stomach. She had to know why.
Walking up to Markus, she reached out and touched his shoulder. When that didn't bother him, she glanced about. She opened the robe enough to kick at the stool beneath him.
That got his attention. Snorting, Markus blinked awake. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he glanced about to find what had disturbed him. Seeing that it was Vin, he scowled. "What?"
"Where is everyone?" She couldn't decide if she wanted to scream at or choke him. Her eyes started to sting, so she bit her lip to keep from doing either.
"What everyone?" Finally taking notice of their surroundings, Markus held up his hands to gesture the fair grounds. There was no one coming their way around the tents. "No one's been by, at all."
"No one?" Vin couldn't believe it. That was impossible. "Is there something going on I don't know about?"
"Most likely, but not what the way you mean." Scratching himself, Markus sat forward on his stool so that he could lean against the post his money box was attached to. "You obviously ain't much of a draw." Glancing her over with his eyes, he snorted. "Can't say as I blame them."
Her robe parted only long enough for her to kick the stool out from under him. She kicked him twice more in the ass before he hit the ground. Closing her robe, she stormed away from the tent. Vin was no longer feeling insecure.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watching the sun as it grew ever closer to the horizon, Josiah ran a hand over his hair unnecessarily to flatten it out. At his throat, the high starched collar chafed miserably, but he refused to fidget at it. There was nothing going to impede his date with the great and beautiful Maude.
After hours of being dropped like a hot potato in that damned tank, he hadn't needed a proper bath. Still, a little soap and a whole lot of scrubbing had been had. Now he smelled like something from Ms. Nettie's girls, but he was clean.
His clothes were freshly bought, pressed and cleaned, from the shop in town. That alone had cost a week's pay, but it would be worth it. Anything just to see her smile once more.
With a wistful sigh, he figured he was as done as he was going to get. Grabbing the aftershave off the sink, he applied some to his cheeks. Then had a minute to waste while he winced from the pain. When his cheeks were through attempting to burn off his face, he rinsed his hands and put the bottle back on the sink.
He stepped out of the small bathroom, and in to Travis' trailer. Smiling at the older man, he picked up new coat off the chair by the door. "Thanks for the use of your sink. I'm off to see my beautiful lady."
"Be sure to keep your nose clean." Busy working over the ledger, Travis kept a tight fist around the hand of change. He marked down another dollar before looking up to take in a cleaned up Josiah. The corner of his mouth twitched. "If I didn't know there was ape in that suit, I would almost mistake you for human."
"The miracle of a straight razor." Teeth bared in a wide grin, Josiah put on his jacket. He did up the first two buttons before straightening out the sleeves. Picking up his hat, he gently set it on his head. "How do I look?"
Tiny took his eye off the window only long enough to give Josiah a once over. "Decent." Nodding, impressed, he went back to his window.
Grinning again, Josiah chuckled. "That's what I like to hear. Wish me luck."
"Good luck to you." Travis watched as Josiah took off out the door of his trailer, his excitement ruining the air of sophistication his suit gave him. Sighing, he went back to counting the coins. "That woman's going to need a stick to keep him off her."
Tiny snorted. "A really big one." He started to go back to window gazing when he caught sight of something. Rising from his chair, he put his gun to his side. "Sir! We gotta problem heading in right now!"
"What's going on?" Standing up, Travis grabbed the sacks of money from his table and the bowl. Rushing to the safe, he stuffed them and the ledger inside before slamming the door shut. No sooner was the door to the safe shut than the door to his trailer was being pounded on.
"It looks like Rafie! He and Marco got someone between them." Rushing to the door, he held up his gun just in case. "Should I let them in?"
"Go ahead." Travis had his own gun out and cocked. Ready for most things, he paled when the door was opened. The sight of Ezra hanging limply between the Mexican and his son made him nearly drop the gun. "What the hell happened?"
Entering the trailer first, Rafael carried the bulk of Ezra's weight with him. He dragged the man in backwards, his arms wrapped around Ezra's chest. "He stopped seeing. When I checked on him, his eyes were green!"
"What the hell?" Travis could see that for himself as Ezra was now blinking about him in confusion. Kneeling, he went down next to the man as Rafael and Marco laid him on the floor. He took Ezra's hand in his own, squeezing it. "Ezra, can you hear me?"
"Marco, go fetch Nathan!" Rafael snatched a pillow from the chair next to the door. He didn't see his son go, so much as heard him leave. Bending down, he placed it under Ezra's lulling head.
Eyes opening and closing slowly, Ezra's pupils seemed to lose focus.
That was the most alarming thing to Travis. Never, in all their years, did Ezra have pupils. Staring in to normal green eyes, he felt himself go cold. "Ezra?"
"I can't see!" Ezra's voice was filled with shrill panic. He tried to rise off the floor, but his muscles refused to work. Instead, he flailed across the floor. "I can't see it! I can't see it!"
Travis looked up to Rafael in question. "What's he babbling about?"
"I can't see it! Please, you have to..." Ezra reached out for something, but met only the floor.
Travis slapped his hands back to his side, then held it down to keep Ezra from hurting anyone, himself included. "Think, damn it!"
Pausing, Rafael wracked his brain, trying to remember what all had happened. As he replayed it in his mind, he snapped his fingers. "He can't see it any more, that's what he kept saying. When he was looking at that woman, all he saw was her. I don't think he can do it any more."
That wasn't what he had been expecting. Holding Ezra down with one hand, Travis reached up in to his shirt with the other. He popped a couple of the buttons in his haste to pull out the leather pouch. Ezra started to fight him harder. "Hold him down!"
Tiny moved to fall to his knees beside Ezra across from Travis. Using one hand to hold Ezra's arm, he placed a knee in the center of the struggling man's chest. "He's pinned!" But it took almost all his strength to keep him there.
"Thank you!" Freed to open the pouch with both hands, Travis pulled out the tiny figure from inside. Holding it gingerly between two fingers, he placed it front of Ezra's face. When nothing unusual happened, he closed his eyes. He fell back on his haunches, dropping the idle.
"Sir?" Having noticed the older man's change, Tiny glanced to Rafael for help.
Rafael just shook his head.
"Move him." Travis scrubbed a hand over the lower half of his face. "Put him in my bed."
"What's goin on?" Despite his question, Rafael grabbed Ezra's shoulders. He helped Tiny raise him from the floor. They backed across the small room to the far door. He elbowed it open and they carried Ezra inside. They laid him on the small bed against the front wall. When that was done, Rafael pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped it over his face.
Tiny did the same, breathing heavy as he entered the main room once more. Resuming his post, he cast only one glance towards the old man before looking out the window.
"Sir?" Rafael walked up to Travis, placing a hand upon his shoulder.
At the table, Travis shrugged the hand off. Silence reined in the small room as they waited for Nathan to come. "If," he finally broke the quiet. "If I'm right, Ezra's completely human." Raising his gaze from the table, he met Rafael's. "This does not leave this trailer."
Rafael was too stunned to respond.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Waving off the smoke from the Potters' cigarettes, JD carried his paper plate of ribs and potato salad over to a picnic table. It was a thirty minute break for the entire side show, and everyone was busy taking advantage of it. Across the way, the entire group of Ms. Nettie's girls were busy teasing passing men and teen boys. JD used to like watching them.
Taking a bite of his ribs, he smeared barbecue sauce over half his face. The taste was well worth getting messy though. Then again, it wasn't the first time he got that way that evening. Rubbing a hand over his forehead, he exhaled slowly. It wasn't the hottest point of the day, but it still felt like he was standing too close to an oven.
He started to gnaw on the bones, making noises not quite unlike the animal he was eating. Grabbing one end with his hand, he tore off a section of the meat with his teeth. By now, the sauce had spread from his face to parts of his hands and bare chest. JD had learned long ago the importance of not wearing a shirt when eating ribs.
Groaning from pleasure, he took a moment to savor the flavor. Nathan always did know how to make the best ribs. He glanced down at his plate to the potato salad warily. Mrs. Mason had made them, so that meant he had a fifty-fifty chance of keeping them down.
If she was drunk, those odds went right out the window. Since there was no Spanish opera playing, that meant she was sober.
JD poked at the potatoes with his finger. Should he try them and waste perfectly good meat, or just let them go? Luckily, he was saved from making a decision by the arrival of Marco.
Instead of heading for the line, like JD thought he would, he came rushing up to one of the far tables behind the kitchen. JD knew that was where the colored folk sat, which meant one thing. Ribs in one hand, JD left his plate behind as rushed around the cooking tents. By the time he got there, Nathan was already gone, but Marco was still there trying to catch his breath.
Walking up to the other teen, JD swallowed his meat. He wiped his face with the back of his hand before clearing his throat. "Who's been hurt?"
Shaking his head, Marco leaned against a picnic table. He coughed a couple times until he regained his breath. Marco tried to leave, but JD blocked his path. Frowning, he pushed at the other teen. "Get out of the way, I have to get back."
"Not until you tell me what happened." JD had a funny feeling he knew who it was, and it made something clench in his chest.
"Ezra, now get the hell out of my way!" Pushing JD hard enough to send the teen stumbling, Marco ran back the way he had come.
For some strange reason, that hadn't been who JD had expected. Trying to piece it together, he wandered back around to the main eating area. Strangely, his potato salad was still there. Swallowing another hunk of meat, he picked up his plate and carried it to the trash. If no one stole it, that meant Mrs. Mason had spiked them with something again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not caring if someone saw her, Vin walked through the trailers without keeping a hand on her robe front. The winds blowing tossed the hem about, but it remained closed. It shouldn't have happened. She knew it was a bad idea, the man was a drunk.
Yet, when he had looked at her...
Vin forced her eyes to remain staring straight ahead. So it hadn't been her he had been seeing. It had felt real, and that was what mattered. At the time, it had been enough. She had been with someone who wanted her.
Gasping, Vin backed against a trailer. Sliding down, she placed a hand to her chest. There it was, still beating. So why didn't she feel it?
Closing her eyes, she let her head fall to her knees. For several minutes, she sat there just focusing on her breathing. It wasn't unusual for her to feel nothing after being with a man. She had done it several times in the past.
There was nothing different about Chris Larabee. If she had been charging him, he barely would have warranted a second thought. The man had been lost in his own fantasy, it was a common occurrence. That was something she had gotten used to a long time ago.
Raising her head, she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes. The world came rushing in back to her. People were cheering and screaming, laughter and cries echoed over the wind through the trailers. Rubbing at her eyes with the back of her arm, she stood up.
Tugging her robe closed, she took in the trailers about her. The one she had been leaning against was familiar, right down the arrogantly inscribed letters on the door. Making up her mind, she walked up to it. Vin tried the handle, surprisingly, it wasn't locked.
Ezra wouldn't mind if she waited for him inside. She had some things she needed to discuss with him before she decided what she was going to do now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Approaching the park bench, hat in hands, Josiah had to swallow several times. His mouth was still dry when he came around to stop in front of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Taking a shuddering breath, he turned his hat over in his hands. Unable to quite meet her smiling face, he kept his eyes on her feet. "Hello, my lady."
Chuckling, she raised one lace-glove covered hand to him. "My charming gentleman."
Taking her hand within his own, he marveled at how small it was in comparison. He turned her hand over before bringing it to his lips. He kissed the back of her hand, then glanced up to see her smiling. Feeling bold, he turned it over to place one in her palm.
Her laughter took on a throaty timber. Tilting her face down, she smiled at him from the side. "Oh, Josiah."
"Yes, my dear?" He knelt down on one knee. Scooting in closer, he kissed her wrist. "How may I be your faithful lover?"
"Keeping that up is a good start." Chuckling as his cheeks pinked, she flashed open a fan. Waving it over herself, she pushed up her chest.
This did not go unnoticed by Josiah. Swallowing, he could barely tear his gaze away. "Where would you like to go tonight, sweet Maude?"
Folding her fan, she placed it to her lips in thought. She made a drawn out 'hmm' sound. Taking the fan away, she sighed. "It has been years. But if you would not terribly mind, I would dearly love to see this carnival of yours."
Kissing her wrist again, Josiah nodded. "Anything."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Coming from the bedroom, Nathan wiped his hands off with a one of the white towels Travis had provided him. His own brow beaded with sweat, he wiped it clear too. There was barely enough time to cross in to the main room before he was inundated with questions.
"What happened?"
"Is he okay?
"How long before he is up and about?" The last came from Travis himself. Having an idea of what might have happened, he was more worried about the man's health.
Sighing, Nathan sliced the air with a hand to cut off their questions. He stared at them for a moment. When he was satisfied they would wait, he hauled himself over to the chair next to the door and fell in it. Nathan took several calming breaths to clear his mind.
Certain he could carry on a conversation now, he raised his head to face them. "Ezra's fine. Exhausted, terribly so, but he's fine. Everything is normal." Laying his head back against the rest, Nathan exhaled slowly. "That's the problem, he's not supposed to be normal."
"We figured as much." From his place at the window, Tiny kept his attention between the men in the trailer and the men outside. He wasn't sure which to focus on, so he kept his guard on both.
"Any idea what caused it?" Since the other two men weren't in the loop, Nathan focused solely on Travis.
For his part, Travis was feeling much the same way. Shaking his head, he turned back to his counting table. "No, and until we know, Ezra's going to be out of it. Anyone know where Chris is?"
Nathan shook his head.
"Nope," Rafael wasn't certain he cared either.
Tiny's only response was to fart, loud and wet. Standing up slowly, he put his gun in the holster. Not meeting the gazes of any of the men, he didn't see their disgust as he rushed for the door.
Nathan leaned away as Tiny passed by. He had to wave at the air, scrunching his face. "Nasty bastard!"
"He had the potato salad." Shirt over his nose, Rafael walked over to the window and threw it open.
"Let's try to keep focus." Breathing through his mouth, Travis' eyes started to water. "No one knows where Larabee's passed out at." At the two head shakes, he sighed. "Fine. Nathan, you're in charge of this one. Tear down Ezra's tent. Since it's next to the dining area, put more tables and a pie stand in its place. Tell Mary what's happened, have her send Marco and Rain in town to gather supplies for those pies."
Nathan wasn't certain if it was the situation, or if the fumes were effecting his mind, but he suddenly burst in to laughter.
Soon all three men were chuckling, slapping knees, and trying not to fall over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the time they made it to the fair grounds, the sun had gone down and all that was left were the dying rays of twilight. Having walked the entire way, Josiah was feeling a little chafed in his suit. Still, it was worth pleasing the beautiful woman on his arm. Every time he looked over her way, he found himself lost.
As he lead her down the straw covered pathways, he found himself confused as to where exactly they were heading. Deciding it was best to let her take the lead, he cleared his throat and brought them to a stop. He twisted to face her, placed a kiss to the back of her hand. "We are here, my lady. Where is it you wish to go first?"
"Well." Maude broke their gaze to search about the fairgrounds. There were many people on their side. Most of the noise was coming from the far side where the Ferris Wheel dominated the midway. She raised a hand and pointed towards it. "The lights over there are especially bright."
"Your beauty needs no lights, you glow from within." He felt her laughter break against him. The wonderful sensations it sent through him made his heart flutter. "If that is where you wish to go, I shall take you there."
"Then lead on, my handsome knight." Laughing at the way he puffed up, she tossed back the hair over shoulder to expose her neck. She took in the lay of the carnival as they passed through a myriad of trailers and tents. The closer they came to the actual carnival, the louder it grew.
By the time they came upon the main tents of the side show, Josiah had to brace himself. There were a lot more people there than had been earlier. The majority of those were around JD's age. Ordinarily, this would have put Josiah ill at ease, but with Maude on his arm, that all ceased to matter.
The first booth they came to on the midway was the ring toss. He watched her reaction, but did not stop. If what she wanted to do was toss rings, she would give him a sign. Josiah was at least aware of the fact she was controlling the date, even if he didn't care.
Walking around a line of teens waiting their turn to try their hands at the shooting gallery, they over stepped a puddle of something that smelled horrible. When he looked up from helping her across it, he found her attention taken. Whatever it was, he knew they would be going. Turning, he found it to be something unusual.
Taking her hand again, he frowned. "The sledge hammer?"
She wrapped bother hands around his arm. "I wish you to prove how strong you are." Pushing out her bottom lip, she fluttered her eyes twice. "You're a big, strapping man. Certainly you can win me that stuffed bear."
Sighing, Josiah closed his eyes. "I didn't like this suit anyways."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watching as the last of the sunlight faded away to night, Vin let the curtains fall back over Ezra's window. She wasn't certain how long the man would be in his exhibition, but she wasn't about to go out again. While she had waited, a semblance of dignity had come back to her. Until she had proper clothing, she wasn't about to go walking the carnival again.
In that time, Vin had also made up her mind. She was going to leave. From what she had heard and saw, the carnival was earning more than enough to make up for their losses. They could keep the money she had spent to bring them there, but she was taking her truck and snakes. It wasn't a big loss, anyways. Bounty hunting always paid better than stripping off her clothes.
She had only come along because Ezra had the necklace. She had enough money to buy it from him, if he was willing to sell. If he wasn't, she had lived ten years without it, she could live the rest of her life. There were also other means of persuasion, most of them acceptable to her.
Of course, that all hinged upon Ezra returning soon.
"Where is that slick bastard?" Checking the window again, she found no one coming towards Ezra's trailer. She let the curtain fall a second time.
Tired of sitting in the dark, she reached over and turned on a lamp. For a second, she was dazzled both by the sudden change in illumination and by the mere fact she had electricity. That was something that usually cost extra and thus, was hardly ever gotten. Glancing about the room, she found it still as shiny and fancy as ever.
Snorting, she walked over to Ezra's wall shelf. It was lined with books held in place by a cross bar near the base of each shelf. Not recognizing any of the titles, she figured they were all obscure. Probably just to prove how superior he was. Fancy people of learning were always like that around those they considered inferior.
"Where the hell is he?" She considered looking out the window again, but knew it was worthless. Vin sat down in Ezra's chair, at least the only one she had ever seen him sit in. If he was going to be a bit longer, she might as well get comfortable.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Arms loaded down with stuffed prizes, Maude laughingly followed after a fuming Josiah. It took several steps to sober up, and by that time, they were once more in the worker's camp. "Josiah. Wait up."
"Go away." His shirt in tatters, he felt the cool breeze of night prickle across his skin. Water from his hair dripped down the stiff collar. Despite the damage and all the effort he had gone to, the damned thing was still intact.
"I'm sorry!" Her shoes made going an effort, but Maude's feet seemed to glide across the sand and patches of grass. "I didn't mean to say you were a baboon."
Stopping, Josiah tugged at the collar until it came away with a snap. The buttons that had been holding it together soared off in to the dark night. Spinning around, red in the face, he glowered at Maude. "You said it, that's enough in my book!"
"But, it's just." She slowed down as she came near. Resettling the stuffed toys so her body was showing, Maude tilted her head. "You appeared so silly in that suit. I tried holding in my laughter all evening, there just came a point when I could not keep it bottle up any longer."
"And that's why I'm telling you good night!" Grabbing her hand, he slapped the collar down in to it.
"I don't want your damn collar!" Dropping the prizes to the ground, she kicked one at him. Her hair came loose from the action, flying about her face wildly. "I want you, you silly fool! I want the man I met yesterday, who sang to me all night! The man who smelled of sweat and a hard day's work." Stepping through the animals, she carefully laid a hand upon his shoulder. "I want a real man, Josiah, I want you."
Lowering his head, Josiah breathed through his nose. It could all be just a ploy. Then again, what could she be trying to get from him? "Was it just the suit you didn't like."
"Honestly, yes. You look better in your torn overalls." Sliding her hands up his sides, she grinned in full force. "But, you look best in nothing at all."
"You've got the devil's tongue." Raising his face, he met her pleased expression. "My lady."
"I'll show you just what this devil's tongue can do." Her hands slid up his neck to cup his face. "My steed. Saddle up."
"Yee-ha!"
~~~~~~~~~~~
Slipping off his vest, Nathan stumbled in to the camp he had set up for him and Rain. Chief Alcoholic was probably passed out, pickled some where else. After nearly two hours, the new picnic tables and pie booth, ovens included, were finally set up. It had been a rush job, and he would inspect it in the morning, but at least it was done!
Right now, he was just looking forward to climbing in to his hammock. If the world was just, he would get the rest of the night and even some of the morning to himself. More than likely, he would be up before the dawn. Wherever Chris was, he hoped the man woke up in severe pain.
The sight that greeted Nathan as he entered his partitioned section of the camp made him drop the vest. He had to blink twice before he was certain she was real. Swallowing, Nathan took a step towards the hammock. "Rain?"
Raising the blanket that covered her and the hammock, Rain winked at him. "It's getting cold out there, but it's still very hot in here." Hair down and curling around her breasts, it shined from her straightening oil. "Come on over. This style cost me ten new dimes and hour in that crazy old woman's death chair, you had better make it up to me."
Removing his shirt, Nathan threw it across the camp.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Leaving the last of the mess to the camp workers to clean up, Buck slipped from the dancing tent. It was late, but the lights and noise of the midway were still going strong. His dance shoes tied together and slung over his shoulder, he staggered carefully over soft grass and patches of sand. Seven hours of almost uninterrupted dancing was going to cost him if he didn't get his feet to soaking soon.
There had been some choice ladies in there tonight. He had been able to dance with almost all of them too. It was almost a shame that it had to end. Then again, nothing would ever come of it, so may be it was a good thing the dancing had ended after all.
Scratching at his stomach, he considered his shirt. It hung open and would definitely not see another day upon his body. Tomorrow morning, he was going to take Inez in to the city and they were going to replace their lost wardrobe. Travis could have as big a fit as he wanted, it was happening.
He was considering stopping for a midnight snack in the kitchens, when movement off to his right drew his attention. Turning, he found nothing but a tent flap swaying in the breeze. It shouldn't have been open, but who knew which kid had left it untied.
"Sarah!"
Jumping, Buck spun to face the direction he thought the yell had come from. His heart was racing as he trudged along the path.
"Sarah!" This time, the name was dragged out.
Coming around Vin's tent, normally the cooche tent, Buck found Chris standing in the entrance. His pants were half hanging off his hips and his shirt was gone. For a second, Buck found himself taking in every inch of that golden tanned skin. Shaking himself out of it, he realized the tent poll was the only thing keeping Chris erect.
Buck started towards him slowly. It had been a long time since Chris had been this bad, but he still remembered how to deal with him. Still bore the scar from crossing him too. Hands raised, he whispered nonsense. "Easy there. Calm down. Ole Buck's right here."
"Sarah," this time it came out almost a pained whine. Blinking, Chris looked about him, lost. "Where'd you go?"
"I didn't go any where, buddy." Stepping closer, Buck was almost within reaching distance. This was the most dangerous area if Chris decided to get violent. "I'm right here."
"Sarah." Shivering, Chris raised his head to look towards Buck. "She was here. I was, and she. She was right here." He raised one shaking hand to point inside the tent. "Where'd she go?"
"She's not here, Chris. She's been gone a long time." Two more steps and he was almost touching Chris. In fact, he could feel the other man's breath ghost across his skin. Taking a risk, he reached up to carefully rest a hand upon the other man's shoulder.
Chris seemed to sway under the weight of Buck's hand. Luckily, the other man caught him. "She's gone, Buck."
"I know, pard, I know." Despite Chris' shivering, the other man was burning up. From the lack of booze breath, Buck knew what was happening. "You got the DT's, Chris, we gotta get some you something to stave them off."
"No!" Suddenly alert, Chris pushed Buck's hand off him. Glancing about him wide eyed, he shook his head. "No more rotgut. No more any of it! Sarah, she didn't like it. I don't." He swayed, this time losing balance completely. As Buck caught him, Chris looked up in to his eyes. "No more, Buck, I want to get sober. Gonna need help. Will you help me?"
Buck didn't hesitate. Nodding emphatically, he brought Chris' head up under his chin. "Yeah, I'll help you. I promise."
"Thanks. You're a good man." Wrapping his arms around Buck, Chris fought to retain even that hold. "My good friend."
"All right. Let's get you back to my tent." As he pulled Chris up so that he could walk, Buck shook his head. "Been wanting to get you there a long time, never thought it'd take this though."
"If you wanted me in your tent, all you had to do was ask." Head laying on Buck's shoulder, Chris continued to shiver.
Groaning, Buck shivered himself. If there was a god, he was a mean bastard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crawling in to his tent, JD found the blankets curled up neatly at the foot of his bedroll. His clothes were folded next to them. He knew there was something off about it, but was too tired to figure it out. Grabbing the sheet from the blankets, he dusted off the bedroll.
The scent of perfume hit JD as he pulled the shirt over his head. He couldn't place why it was familiar, but knew in the morning it would bother him. Tugging his pants off, he kicked them next to his folded clothes. They would have to be washed tomorrow.
Draping the sheet over himself, he tied off the tent flaps to keep them from flying open in the wind. When he was certain they were secure and nothing was getting in, he laid back on the roll. The perfume smell was on the bedroll and pillow as well.
Rolling on his side, JD yawned. "Good night, Vin." He closed his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Satiated, Josiah's snoring was violent enough to wake the dead. As it was, he was passed out cold, dead to the world. Sprawled gracelessly across the sleeping mat of his tent, he was barely covered in the sheet he normally used.
Standing in the entrance of his tent, Maude finished buttoning up the collar of the work shirt. It was Josiah's, thus ten sizes too big for her, but it worked. It fit well in to the baggy pants she now wore, belted about her waist.
With a final look over at the lumber sawing Josiah, she slipped out of the tent. The worker's camp was divided in to several small camps on one side, and the travel trailers on the other. With only four trailers used for sleeping, the others in the lot were for hauling the carnival around. It was towards one of the sleeping trailers she headed.
Careful to avoid any of the sleeping forms around the few dying fires, she moved quickly. Upon reaching her destination, she strolled up to a door and knocked on it. She didn't have to wait long. Reaching in to her pocket, she pulled out a wad of money.
Standing in the doorway, Casey handed over a bundle wrapped in black cloth, taking the cash. "Thanks!"
"Don't mention it." Slipping the bundle down the back of her pants, Maude shut the door before Casey could say anything else. A quick glance about told her that no one had seen her. Then she turned, heading back the way she had come. As she passed Ezra's trailer, she stared at the door for a moment before going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blinking slowly, Chris was aware that he wasn't fully awake. He knew that the heavy presence on his right was Buck. They were in a bedroll together. The other man was latched on to him like a squid and didn't seem to want to let go. Chris knew this, but he wasn't consciously aware of it.
Staring up at the ceiling of their tent, he watched it sway up and down as it was buffeted by the wind. Closing his eyes, he wondered if this was the time they would not open. The world seemed to be passing by in slow motion, dragging out the seconds in to centuries.
Each breath felt like a hurricane, sounding like a tornado in his ears. When he opened his eyes again, he felt a little disappointed. But was distracted from that by the appearance of a figure at the foot of their bedroll. He wondered if Buck could see it, but figured not because he was asleep.
Chris started to look back up at the ceiling, but the figure moved. Drawing his eyes, it seemed to want to be noticed. So, he stared at it wide eyed.
"Ezra has the pictures of your wife and son." The figure tossed something at him.
As it landed, Chris noticed that it was his wallet. For a moment, he felt nothing, not even curiosity.
"He intends to burn them." The figure tossed something else to him. This item landed next to his hand. "You must stop him before he does it."
His eyes started to burn, and Chris was forced to close them. When he opened them again, the figure was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was standing in the heart of a burnt field. Glancing about, Orrin realized he was in the same field from before. Spinning, he found the woman from before kneeling, her eagle gone.
Her hair hung in tatters about her head. In her arms, she clutched the body of the stag to her chest. Raising her eyes, tears streamed down her face. "I didn't know."
"Know what?" Orrin longed to reach out to her. His hands would not move. Glancing down, he found they were gone. "What's happening to me?"
"I didn't know!" Her scream echoed across the burnt plain as it extended on forever.
With a gasp, Orrin came awake in his sitting chair. The light of an old oil lamp flickered on his counting table.
In the chair by the window, Tiny was snoring lightly.
Scrubbing a hand over his face to remove the detritus, Orrin took a shuddering breath. He coughed a couple times until his throat cleared. Glancing over at the clock on the wall, he found it to be shortly after midnight.
He started to question what had woken him until he heard it again. Orrin realized that the noise was coming from his bedroom. Climbing to his feet, he groaned and popped several joints. If Ezra was having a fit, the young man was shit out of luck.
Crossing the room, he grabbed the door handle. He twisted it slowly to keep it from making too much noise, then pushed the door in. In the small room, he found Ezra wrapped up in his blankets. Scowling, he started to close the door when the young man sat up.
Breathing heavily Ezra looked about wildly. Wide, green eyes searched the room for something, but seeing nothing. Running a hand through his hair, Ezra scratched at his scalp. "Did you see her?"
"See who?" He felt like a character from a dime novel. If this spooky shit kept up, he was going to start shooting people.
Ezra swallowed. "Mother."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gasping for breath, Chris' cough was hoarse and bone jarring. He nearly came apart at the seams, but he had made it. He took a moment to gather his strength and his breath, holding on to the trailer for support. Just a few more steps, and he would be there.
When he was certain he could continue, he used the trailer as a balance and walked the rest of the way to the door. He reached up and twisted the knob. It took a great deal of his strength and concentration, but be he managed to get the door open.
He pushed it out of his way, then bent forward to climb the stairs on all fours. Shivering, he pulled himself up in to Ezra's trailer. The only light in the room came from the table lamp by the window. With it, he could see the tuft of dark hair sticking above the chair's back rest.
Chris sat back against the doorway to catch his bearings. Reaching down the back of his pants, he pulled out it out. He raised it with one shivering hand, then pulled back the hammer with the other, cocking it. Taking aim at the back of the chair, he pushed everything away until he was perfectly calm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first shot woke him. Raising his head, JD turned towards where he thought he heard the sound. The second one had him climbing to his feet. Glancing about the tent, he searched for Vin, but couldn't find her. A cold chill gripped his heart as he reached for the flap ties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rushing for the door, Ezra was still kicking the blankets off him as he stepped out of the trailer. Ahead of him, Travis and Tiny were already rushing towards his trailer. He just knew the shots had come from it. The fact his door was standing wide open and his lamp light was flowing out in to the camp only seemed to confirm it.
Coming up to the door of his trailer a half a second behind Travis, he found Tiny knocking the gun from Chris' hand. His stomach twisted, causing him to gasp. The smell of burnt sulfur still filled the air.
Travis and Tiny were busy trying to get some sense out of Chris. Tiny holding him up while Travis was questioning him.
Ezra wasn't so much interested in them, as what Chris had been shooting at in his trailer. Stepping in to the light coming from his doorway, he winced at the brightness.
Chris straightened in Tiny's hold. He tried to point at Ezra, but his legs gave out on him. "Him! I shot that bastard! He did it, so I shot him." He nodded, half falling over.
"Shot me?" Ezra shared a look with Travis before climbing in to his trailer. At first, all he saw were the two holes in the back of his favorite chair. Then he noticed the arm, pale and unmoving.
Walking slowly, Ezra felt he couldn't breathe. As he came around the chair, he found Vin slumped against the left side.
Gasping for breath, a trickle of blood poured from the right side of his mouth. Vin raised his eyes to see Ezra's. His fingers twitched as he limply raised his hand.
Ezra caught it before it could fall back to the arm rest. Clutching Vin's hand in his own, he brought it to his chest and knelt down beside him. "Mr. Tanner."
"Ez...ra." Vin winced. Then he stopped all together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JD arrived along with half the work camp. Pushing his way through, he didn't care who he shoved. Finally, he made it to the center. There were dozens of people standing around in a semi-circle as Chris was restrained by Tiny. But none of those held his attention. His sole focus was on Ezra as he climbed out of his trailer.
The sight of Vin hanging limp in his arms made JD gasp. He wavered a bit before someone behind him caught him. Shaking his head, JD tried to deny it, but it was Vin.
Her robe was stained with blood, hanging open to reveal two perfect holes in her chest.
A cry went through those gathered, but JD could barely hear it. The sound of his own breathing was all he could make out. The hands on him weren't enough and then the ground was rushing up to meet him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
She came to with a screaming gasp. Flailing desperately for something to hold on to, she knocked herself out of someone's arms. She hit the ground with a thump that knocked her newly won breath from her. Mouth gaping, she looked up to find out who she would have to kill for dropping her.
Above her, she found Ezra staring at her in shock. Now that she noticed, everyone in her field of vision was doing the same.
When the air came rushing back in to her lungs, she screamed. Her back was killing her and the bastard's foot was digging in to her side where she had landed on it. Scooting on her back, she eventually cleared his foot and sharp toe nails.
Vin rolled to her side, and curled up to alleviate some of the pain. Soon, there were hands upon her. They ran up her back, checking her for injuries through her robe. Vin slapped at any that tried to go further than her side. She wasn't about to let any asshole get a free grope.
She saw a familiar pair of pants kicking out on the field of her vision. Raising her head slightly, she found Chris being restrained by two men she didn't recognize. For some reason, that pissed her off enough to sit up and do something about it.
Mindful of her robe, she climbed to her knees, then her feet. As she walked towards them, the crowd behind the three men backed away, some so quickly they tripped over those behind them. Vin didn't care about them at the moment, her whole attention was focused on the men and Chris.
Stopping only a step from them, she crossed her arms. "Let him go."
They were too stunned to do anything else. The larger of the two stood gaping at her chest, unable to break his eyes away from her breasts.
Realizing what was going on, Vin rolled her eyes but kept them exposed. If they got her what she wanted, she would use even them. Stepping forward, she caught Chris as he fell under the weight of his own hair. The familiar smell hit her, bogged down with the stench of his sweat. But, in that instant, he smelled only of comfort.
His arms came around her, doing more than hanging on. Pressing his face in to her throat, Chris kissed the warm skin and inhaled her scent. He took a slow breath before sighing. When he pulled back, he looked up in to her face. Then his eyes rolled up in his head and he became so much dead weight.
"Someone take him from me." Vin had to adjust her stance several times until a pair of hands came up from behind Chris. As his burden was taken from her, she looked up in time to see a partially familiar face. She nodded her thanks to him, closing her robe at the same time.
Noticing she was the center of attention, Vin scowled at them. "Go back to bed, nothin to see here." With that, she turned back to Ezra's trailer. She found him sitting on the steps, watching her with wide eyes.
Coming up to him, she noticed their color and smirked. It must have been exhaustion, because she spoke without thinking. "You have pretty green eyes too. I must have a thing for them."
For some reason, Ezra found that hilarious. Clutching his sides as they shook, he watched her. Completely entranced, he quickly sobered.
"What?" Looking down, Vin searched for what he found so enthralling. What she found had her heart stopping. Swallowing, she covered the necklace with the collar of her robe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sitting on top of a picnic table, Vin waved away a persistent fly. The afternoon heat was putting everything on slow speed and keeping it there. It was still two hours until the next show time, but after the day before, she wasn't certain she would go through it again. They still had her tent set up, but it might be another empty attraction.
Across the dining area, she saw JD trying to catch her attention, but she ignored him. Her clothes were in her truck where they belonged, he could keep the damned tent. She didn't know why he had forgotten about her, and she didn't care. It had happened and it was now done.
The table shifted as someone climbed on beside her. Glancing over her shoulder, she put up a hand to block the sun. Seeing the familiar head of light brown hair, she went back to her people watching.
"I just came back from visiting our Mr. Larabee." Ezra's cultured tone was closer than it had been before. From the shading against her back, he was almost leaning against her. "He is suffering from the DTs. He doesn't remember a thing about yesterday or the unfortunate events of last night."
"All's the better." Vin glanced down at her drink, waving away a bug before bringing the bottle to her lips. Sucking the sweet soda from the jar, she heard Ezra's quick intake of breath. When she finished swallowing, she put it back down on the table and glared at him. He was indeed just over her shoulder. "Pervert."
"Quite to the contrary, my dear, I am in the majority on this one." He pointed over her shoulder to the rest of the dining area.
Sure enough, several tables featured men and teens, even a few women, watching her intently, licking their lips.
"Bunch of dicks with no brains to guide them." Raising her bottle again, she winked at Ezra from the corner of her eye. "My momma always said they made the best customers."
"I know." Ezra's natural smirk grew as Vin turned to fully face him, glaring. "She was a very skillful woman, and man."
"There goes your majority, Ezra." Taking the last swig from her cola bottle, Vin put it down and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. "I'm thinking of hitting the road."
"What about our bargain? I believe we had an agreement." Reaching up, he tugged on the collar of Vin's shirt. "It involved a certain token, I do believe."
"Deal's broken. The necklace doesn't work." Reaching in to the front pocket of her buckskins, she pulled out the small bundle. She tossed it over her shoulder in Ezra's general direction. "I'm a woman now, forever and always." With that, she pushed off the picnic table. Carrying her bottle, she wandered over to the trash can, throwing it in.
Staring at the necklace in his hand, Ezra couldn't figure out what went wrong. It should have gone so perfectly.
"Don't blame the necklace." Her hair perfectly coiled and held in place by pins, Maude sat down on the picnic table's bench. Using her finger nails, she picked the onions off a sandwich. "You can thank Mr. Larabee for the reason why Vin will always remain Venessa. Then again, the death of her male side saved your life."
Turning to look at her slowly, Ezra refused to keep the look of disgust off his face. "Hello, Mother."
"Hello, Ezra." Maude took a small bite of her sandwich. Chewing it ten times, she swallowed then set it down. "Things didn't go exactly as I planned, but they worked out in the end. You shouldn't have defied me, Ezra."
"I refused to be a pawn in your games. I have the right to be my own person." He slapped at a fly that landed next to her, but she refused to flinch.
"Had things gone according to plans, you would have been in that chair. Unfortunately, she proved just a little more unpredictable to manipulation than we had thought." When she raised her face to look at him, Ezra snorted.
"Why mother, what black eyes you have." He reached out and picked a small portion of her sandwich off. "What deal did you make with father this time?" Shoving it in his mouth, he made a big show of swallowing it whole.
"Your little whore is pregnant." Rising from her seat, she wrapped the sandwich back up in the wax paper. "She will have twins, you will raise them as your own. The real father will never know. Consider this our graduation gift to you. From now on, you're on your own." Maude started to put on a pair of dark blue glasses, but Ezra's hand on her own stopped her.
"What about my abilities?" He squeezed her hand until she smacked his fingers. He winced as it hurt more than it used to.
"You are being punished, Ezra. What part of that don't you understand?" Putting on her sunglasses, she adjusted the set of her curls. "When you've come to your senses and ask for forgiveness..." She snorted. "Never mind. Just do not expect them back any time soon."
Before he could ask any more questions, she seemed to disappear. He knew she was around some where close by, but didn't want to waist the time looking. Instead, he pushed off the table. He had a certain 'little whore' to track down and pursued to stay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carrying the last hindquarter to the butcher's block, Nathan picked up the large cleaver and slammed it down through the joint. Using the blade, he scooted the ham up the block out of his way, then repositioned the leg bones for slicing. Swinging the blade, he sliced off a chunk for the beans. While swinging for the next chunk, he saw Josiah.
The older man was wandering through the colored picnic tables as if lost. That is, until he saw Nathan. Upon spotting the man, Josiah wandered on over.
Having separated the entire leg bone in to hocks, Nathan put his blade in the cleaning solution before putting it back on the block. He picked up both the ham and the hocks, then carried them over to the cooking grates. After dropping the hocks in the pot of beans, he hung the ham on the bar over the cooking grate.
Stopping a couple feet from the cooking grate, Josiah rubbed at his jaw. The stubble there made a scratching sound against his fingers. Frowning at that, he released his chin. "Am I ugly?"
"Yes." Nathan finished stirring the hocks in to the beans. He tapped the large wooden spoon on the side of the cooking pot before setting it on the bricks in front of him. When he looked up, it was to find Josiah scowling at him. "You wanted me to lie?"
"Yes!" To be peevish, he kicked a clump of dead grass in to the coals and burning wood under the grates.
"Hey!" Nathan had to whip away the smoke that came flying up out of the fire. "That's a perfectly controlled burn! I've got the wood flavor set, do not add the wrong shit!"
Snarling, Josiah clawed at the air towards Nathan. "Why don't we get you some ears you can flatten and a tail."
"Don't start with me, Ugly." Using the turning fork, Nathan pointed it at Josiah. "What's got a burr up your ass?"
For a minute, all Josiah did was glare at Nathan, then the fire pit. Scratching his face again, he heaved a great sigh as if it were the heaviest thing in the world. "My wonderful woman. She was gone this morning. I went in to town, to ask about. Nothing. I think she gave me the wrong address because she was ashamed of being seen with me." Head held low, he sighed again.
"Everyone saw her on your arm yesterday. So it's probably simpler than you think. Did you ever consider she didn't belong there?" Turning the ribs cooking on the grate, Nathan didn't see Josiah's head shoot up. "May be she is married." When he did look up, he found the other man smirking at him. "What?"
"Married, I kinda like that. Lovers torn apart by duty and obligation." Now that he was on a roll, Josiah was staring up at the sky. Watching the birds fly over head, he sighed for a different reason.
"You are..." Nathan waved it off. It wasn't worth it. "I asked Rain to marry me."
That drew Josiah's head from the birds' asses. "What?"
"Last night. She kinda made me do it. Not that I didn't want to," he quickly added. Shaking his head, he finished turning the last set of ribs. Walking over to the barbecue pot, he pulled out the large brush and started to slather the ribs with it. "My grandmother would be ashamed I didn't ask her before. But I've done it. If you head over to Ms. Nettie's trailer, you'll see her showing off that damned rock. Grandma's probably cackling in her grave."
Snickering, Josiah only shook his head.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opening her eyes, Vin checked her appearance in the mirror. Black charcoal lined her eyes, red highlighted her lightly tanned cheeks. The new hairstyle had to be oiled down and it made her feel greasy. Still, it made her look like something out of the pictures.
In the middle of checking out the placement of her breasts in the top, she closed her eyes and let her posture slump. Shaking her head, she tried to tear the silk scarf and bobby pins out of her hair. A strong hand upon her own stopped her from getting that far. Opening her eyes, she found Ezra staring at her in the mirror.
Forcefully, he made her lower her arm from the silk scarf. Ezra reached up to adjust the scarf to fix the arrangement of it. "You are a woman now, I suggest you get used to that."
Snatching her hand back from him, she glared at his reflection. "This is all your fault. You and that bitch you call a mother!" Pulling away from him, she spun to face him and the rest of the back stage. They were in her tent, getting ready for a show she didn't want to perform.
"I realize that, Ms. Tanner, and I sincerely regret my actions in this matter. Still, you must realize I am not complicit in locking you completely in this form. Pleasing that it is." Ezra let his eyes trail along her body, stopping at her breasts and hips along the way.
"The cover charge is fifteen cents!' Crossing her arms over her chest, Vin motioned for him to look up at her face. "You're not going to get free what every other man has to pay for."
"Don't be coy, my dear, it does not become you." Strolling across the small space between them, he reached up to take her shoulders in his hands. Instead, his hands were knocked away, and Vin's knee came up towards his groin. Only quick thinking and reflexes saved him from a very unpleasant situation. "Vin."
"Don't Vin me! The only damned reason I'm here right now, Ezra, is because I was guilted in to continuing my performance by Judge Travis! The moment this carnival pulls up stakes, I'm gone!" Uncrossing her arms, she walked back over to the mirror to check her costume. Finding that her breasts were still perfectly placed inside, she snorted. "Really, I don't even know why he wants me. Aside from Chris, I didn't earn a single dime yesterday."
"About that." Scratching at the back of his neck, Ezra chuckled a little hysterically. "It seems my mother had a hand in that as well."
"A hand?" Vin spun to lay in to Ezra, but found him suddenly right there.
Grabbing her by the arms, Ezra placed a kiss upon her lips. "Break a leg." Then he was pushing her towards the curtain. He didn't give her a chance to protest before shoving her through. As the cheers and applause rose, Ezra moved quickly to the phonograph and putting the record on. The moment the music started he knew he was safe for another ten minutes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chris awoke to a cool breeze blowing across his warm body. Licking his lips, he tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry. Opening his eyes partially, he tried to make out where he was. A dark shadow was blocking his field of vision, then a straw was being pressed to his lips.
Sipping through the glass tip, he swallowed slowly. After a few mouthfuls, he spit it out. He cleared his throat a couple times. When he was certain he could, he tried to talk. "Where..."
"You're with me, in my tent." Buck brushed the damp hair from Chris' brow. Without thinking, he bent down and pressed his lips to his feverish skin.
Chris blinked a couple times, but found he didn't mind. "What happened?"
"You've blacked out. The DTs have that effect on people." Buck's tone was amused, but his expression remained bland. "You've been in and out for three days."
"Have you...been taking care...of me?" He gasped with the effort to finish the sentence. Who knew it was so hard to ask a simple question?
"Yeah, I have." Ruffling Chris' hair, Buck finally grinned. It seemed like the first time he had done in such a long time. Certainly, it was the first time Chris could recall. "I don't mind it none."
"Well it means a lot." Chris caught Buck's hand as he tried to turn away. Clutching their hands together, he smiled at his old friend. "I mean it, Buck. You're very important to me."
"You mean a lot to me too." Buck wanted to look away. Staring at his friend, he started to feel vulnerable. Yet, he couldn't break the gaze.
"When I'm feeling better, would you like to..." was all he got out before Buck squeezed his hand so tight he nearly cried out.
"More than anything." Staring down in to Chris' half lidded eyes, Buck felt light as a feather. "More than anything."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a fire in the small hearth. It warmed all of the small room in the trailer. The pouring rain outside had driven most of the people the people for their tents. In Ezra's trailer, Travis sat in one chair while Nathan sat in the other. On the small couch, Ezra sat in one corner with Vin curled up around his waist. JD sat on the floor, his head back against Ezra's knee.
Snifter half filled with brandy, Travis continued to watch the small fire crackle. It was usually covered by a bookshelf and table, but on occasions, it provided the perfect way to relax. "I've come to a decision."
"About?" Nathan looked up from the fire place, a little surprised. He wasn't quite sure why he had been called to the meeting instead of Chris.
"You've done a fantastic job handling things while Chris recovers. It's going to be another couple more weeks while he sobers up, before he can get back in to the swing of things." Travis took a sip of his brandy before continuing. "Until then, you will continue on in his stead. When he recovers, he will need a second. The job's yours if you want it."
Nathan had to consider it for all of two seconds. "I want it."
"Good. Then it's settled." Sipping the brandy again, Travis made a sound of appreciation. "Tomorrow we strike camp. I've already sent Mary ahead to the next town to put up posters along with that Wells girl."
JD snorted, but kept his words to himself when Vin thumped him on the head.
Letting his hand rest upon Vin's stomach, Ezra trailed his fingers up and down the line of her abdomen. When she looked down at it, then up at him, Ezra smiled at her.