ATF Universe
Chris sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, placing one hand next to Vin's head. The younger man had already suffered so much all because of him. Because some crooked snake that he had taken out of circulation more than ten years ago, Vin was here with a severe concussion and several broken ribs. It made Chris' heart ache to think that. He knew that they all had people in their past that would think nothing of using the others against them, but it seemed to Chris that he was mostly responsible.Vin shifted nervously, but settled as Chris moved his hand over his forehead. Chris marveled at how effective his touch was in calming the younger man. His thoughts turned back to the track they'd been following during their journey. The track that led to the idea that Vin loved him. Could this be another sign of that? Or was it merely a part of the special bond they shared? That there was something between them was something that Chris, or anyone who'd seen them together, could deny. The two had a connection. Was his touch more powerful because of that? Or was it because of a love that surpassed any barriers brotherhood or friendship tried to put on it? Or was that love merely an extension of that bond?
Chris hadn't really had the time to consider what his mind had proposed to him until now. Loving a man like that was not something Chris Larabee was familiar with. Sure, he'd known people that swung that way, but as far as personal experience.... As Chris let his gaze travel over the fretful sleep of his friend, his thoughts traveled further on their own. It wasn't the idea of having sex with a man that bothered him... Chris knew that love was something to be taken and cherished, no matter where it came from. And if you loved a person, expressing that love was one of the most natural things in the world.
So why the hell are you so jumpy, Larabee? he asked himself. And the only answer he could come up with was a blank space. Was it because Vin was his friend, part of his team? Or was it simply a pre-programmed response to the idea of him being in love with a man. More than just any man... With Vin. Or was it because he wasn't sure whether or not Vin felt that way in the first place. Earlier, Chris would have sworn that the dream he'd woken Vin from had been about him. And when the younger man had called out his name.... Chris smiled. Let's just say it wasn't exactly a worried or panicked cry. Chris dragged his thoughts back to his friend as Vin became more vocal in his feverish dreams. When the younger man called out his name, Chris listened intently, hoping that Vin would let something slip in his current state.
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"Chris!" Vin called out, swinging his head around. His body was hurting and tired. But, he had to go for help. He had to find Chris and tell him. Make everything right before anything else happened. Vin ran down hall-ways and corridors, poking his head in doors as he grew more worried. He had to find...
Vin slipped into a room, his eyes trying to figure out where he was. But then, it didn't matter as he looked and saw Chris standing with his back to him. Taking a deep breath, he started forward. He had something to say...
"Chris!" He cleared his throat. He knew this strong man was always blunt, why not keep it that way. "I gotta tell...Chris, I love...." Chris turned around to stare and Vin and the younger man was frozen. In his arms, Mary Travis smiled possessively. Chris smiled back, his lips covered in the bright shade of red that Mary wore. "Mary...."
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Chris froze, shell-shocked, Vin's words, for the second time in over twenty-four hours, ringing through his head. "Chris, I gotta tell ya... Chris, I love Mary." The slight flush of sickened fever that had been climbing his face was even more noticeable now as the precious flow of blood drained to gather in his chest. It wasn't him Vin wanted. Chris silently cursed himself for a fool. What the hell were you thinking? Perhaps he had the concussion....
Larabee stood quickly, hissing at the pain he felt at the sudden movement. That's it, he thought, his lips set in a grim line. It was the circumstances. That's all. Vin doesn't even have to know about...about... Chris stopped. About how I feel. Chris staggered to the opposite wall and leaned heavily against it, as if trying to draw strength from it. What would Vin have thought if I'd even...God....
The noises behind him were growing more agitated. Vin was slowly waking up. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Tanner rubbed at his face. Chris turned to face the wall. He was afraid his eyes would give too much away. Afraid that bond he had mistook would tell the other man true.
Vin struggled to wake up, his vision swimming as he tried to make his eyes focus in the dim light. Once again, he was shaking, both from the condition of his body and from the effects his last dream had left on his mind. The image of Chris and Mary together was still strong, causing him to close his eyes and shake his head. A moan of pain escaped from his lips as bright flashes hit the edge of his vision.
"Chris?" he whispered, reaching out blindly as his eyes came to rest on Chris' bleary form across the room. And just like in his dream, Chris turned to look at him and then turned back to face the wall, leaving Vin hurting and alone, reaching out for something so far away.
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LeBirds looked out over the swamp, the black german shepherd laying next to his feet. Raising the proper hand signal, the dog rose and went to lie just beside the door to the room that held his prisoners. He beamed with pride as the dog obeyed without question. It was a shame he couldn't find human help that just obeyed.
His piercingly pale gaze flew to the man sitting just outside the shack. "Tobin! The man glanced his way and saw the evil smile that played across his boss' face. With a nod, he set off to make sure everything was fine. LeBirds turned back to the way the light of the setting sun played through the leaves to the dark ground of the swamp.
"Let the games begin.," he whispered.
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Buck sighed heavily as DeVareau ended his transmission with the team that Josiah and Nathan had gone with. Their report had been just the same as his own team's: nothing. There was not a trace found anywhere in the swamplands they had searched that Chris and Vin had ever been in the area. The usually smiling man ran a tired hand over his face, feeling the sweaty grime that had accumulated there throughout the day smear even further across his face.
"They didn't have any luck," DeVareau softly said as he moved closer to where Buck was standing. Ezra, who had been standing near his fellow agent during the conversation nodded.
"So we heard." Buck shot a glance at the undercover man. He rarely heard Ezra say anything under three syllables per word, much less for a whole sentence. Buck knew that, although it might not show through the cool facade the southerner liked to project, he was deeply worried about their friends. He knew that Vin had been the first to actually crack through Ezra's outer layer, bringing him fully into the circle. And Chris... Well, Chris was the first to really give Ezra a second chance. Ezra had told him once, after several shots of strong, rye whiskey, of course, that that one simple act of trust, giving him a second chance after he had run out on the team during their first bust together, had been more kindness than anyone had ever shown him. Even his mother.
Buck clapped his hand on Ezra's shoulder and squeezed it until the other man brought his emerald gaze up to greet his own. The southerner seemed to draw up a bit at the contact, but not away. Buck held his eyes, as well as his shoulder, letting the other know that he was not alone in sharing the burden of worry for their two comrades. Buck released his hold on the other man as the rest of their group came abreast of the three, the large dog that had led them out this morning proceeding at a much slower pace.
"We tried, Jack..." the man holding onto the thick leather leash sighed. "Kit couldn't find a scent anywhere. We ran a pattern all the way up to that big oak that marks the beginning of Lot Four. Didn't even smell fox." DeVareau nodded, reaching down to quickly scratch at the dog's ear. Kit whined, his head drooping as it ended in a large, toothy yawn.
"Gentleman, I believe that, unless we wish to carry our canine companion, we should head back to base camp. Perhaps our young Mr. Dunne has had some luck." Ezra didn't even complain as Kit jumped up, placing his paws on Ezra's already muddy, soiled jacket. The southerner offered a gentle rub to the dog's head before easing him down.
"We can certainly find out, "gent Standish," DeVeareau stated as he pulled out his radio again. Carefully, he adjusted the channel until Hawkin's voice was issuing forth from it, trying to confirm who had tapped into their comm channel. It didn't take long for the men to learn that JD and Hawkins had made no more progress than themselves, save for not being covered by 'half the mud of Louisiana', as Ezra had put it.
Jackson DeVareau rubbed at his eyes wearily with his free hand. There had to be someone, somewhere, that knew what was going on. As far as the dogs were concerned, there wasn't even a sniff of Larabee and Tanner in the deeper ranges of the swamp. It was almost as if they were chasing ghosts. They'd searched every section of swampland from top to bottom with teams, dogs, and anything they could lay their rapidly growing desperate hands on. Jack worried at the corner of his lip with his teeth as he thought, something nagging at his brain.
"Hawkins?" DeVareau waited until the younger man confirmed he was still reading him. "Has Joe checked back in again?"
"No sir, not since this morning when he sent in the all clear on Lot Four."
"Damn. We sure could use him and Jesse to help sniff around... Ring his house and see if he's there. Then call out on every radio band you can. I'm willing to disturb his vacation some more if it'll help any. Get those maps back out that we were studying this morning. I want to go back over every inch of where we've searched and who was on the team that went through there." DeVareau was putting his radio away before Hawkins had even finished signing off.
"Just who is this Joe you've been talking about?" DeVareau turned his tired brown eyes to meet Wilmington's gaze. The blue orbs showed just as much suspicion as his tone had implied. The elder agent thought back for a moment before answering.
"Joe Birds. He came to us about eight, nine years ago. He'd last worked as a part time K-9 instructor with the French police, but he opted to not go for the full time position. He passed our background checks and has proven to be a major asset, Mr. Wilmington. He and his german shepherd, Jesse, have been very successful on several occasions around here."
"Despite that incredible repertoire, "gent DeVareau, isn't it a bit odd that this man, who was supposedly on vacation, reports in long enough to steer you clear of an entire section of land, and is yet to report in or be seen again? Not to mention the incredible feat of covering the entirety of said section without help?" Buck glanced over at where Ezra was standing, the tip of his tongue visible at the side of his mouth. A slight smile flashed out from underneath his mustache. There were those ten-dollar words he was used to.
"Even if your man is on the up and up, why ain't he checked back in yet? Seems kinda unlikely to me that he'd search a whole section all by his lonesome and then just give up and go home... Maybe he got himself in a spot of trouble in that 'clear' section." Buck could see that DeVareau was almost won over. Not only by his last argument, but the younger agent could see his superior turning over Ezra's words in his mind as well. The last push came as the other two men of their team joined in.
"Couldn't hurt, Jack," the one with the leash said. His partner nodded and even Kit looked like he understood, pulling at the leash. DeVareau checked each face and found only an urgent will to continue on with the search, wherever or however long it took.
"Alright. We'll go ahead and make a sweep." Buck and Ezra swapped grins as they turned to follow Kit, now free from his leash and jogging ahead.
"I'll let the kid know," Buck said, reaching for his own radio.
"No, don't. If there is a possibility that Mr. Standish is justified in his accusations, however subtle they may be, of Joe, he'll have a radio. Any transmission will be heard by him. We're on our own for right now..." The others nodded as they reached the edge of a creek that marked the boundary of Lots Four and Five. With a small jump, each man crossed over and Kit began to go to work in earnest.
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With a sigh of enjoyment, LeBirds replaced the small radio into his coat pocket. The men on the other end had been very easy to track all during the search simply by using their radio stations. Both search teams had found nothing, not even the slightest trace, that his captives had been in the area. Guess Tobin had gotten that finely grained pepper he'd bought spread out well. LeBirds smiled as he watched his men drag Larabee and Tanner out of the shed. The two were very close to the end of their endurance and will power.
The dark haired man's smile grew evil as he saw Tanner almost drop to the ground, Johnson's grip on his arm the only thing keeping him upright. Larabee, it seemed, was faring only marginally better. But, there was something different about them... LeBirds noticed no new injuries, thankfully. He would have hated to miss anything as important as that. What was it? The two plodded along separately, neither making eye contact with the other as Tobin and Johnson led them forward.
That was it! Ever since LeBirds had seen them coming down the embankment, the two had been supporting one another. A furtive glance, a touch, a shoulder to lean on -- they had always been next to each other. Now, there was a distance. Larabee seemed to be looking everywhere but at the young, long haired man beside him. And Tanner seemed only interested in getting the older agent to look his way. Ahh.... LeBirds mentally sighed. I do so love it when they get pushed far enough to turn on one another. "n idea flashed through his brain then, making the small man crackle with laughter.
The two captives were brought up before the still laughing man, the distance he'd noticed between them even greater at such a close up view. LeBirds walked around the pair, his pale blue eyes alight with a maniacal glow. Yes, he had gotten a token of his revenge back already by merely seeing their present physical conditions. The only thing left was fixing this rift he saw before him. For only when it was fixed could he have the pleasure of ripping it open again.
"What's this?" he asked in mock-horror. "Trouble in paradise? You two were very close when you first arrived. We must get you back to that level again. It's the only way I can really enjoy watching you suffer. Knowing how much you would give to take each other's place as I exact my payment from you. I shiver with delight at the very thought." Larabee simply glared at the other man, biting the inside of his lip so hard that LeBirds could see a slight trickle of red liquid oozing out from the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, enough of this. I want you two to kiss and make up so that we may continue." When the two men realized that he was speaking literally, LeBirds watched with pleasure as Tanner blushed a deep red while every last trace of color was drained from Larabee's face. Neither man moved toward the other. Nodding, LeBirds stepped out of the way as Tobin kicked out with his leg, catching Larabee just behind the knee-cap. The blonde agent dropped to his knees, feeling the throbbing pain start up from the bruised joint. Vin was soon in the same position, gasping as it pulled and pressed against his injured ribs.
"Now, you can either kiss and make-up on your own, or I can have Johnson and Tobin help you with that, too..." LeBirds waited. He almost wished the two would refuse. He was already pleased with himself for thinking of this new way to torment Larabee. The two men seemed to share a look. Tanner blushed again, deeper this time, if it was possible. Larabee merely licked his lips nervously, his tongue wiping away the small line of blood that had appeared there not long ago, before leaning forward slightly. Tanner met him a little under half way, pressing his lips to the blonde's.
Chris felt every single pain in his body being replaced with a strange feeling as his lips moved over Vin's. Not one of pleasure so much, but one of familiarity. Almost as if his body was telling him that he was finally doing something right. But how can that be?! his mind screamed at him. Vin loves Mary.... Vin shifted a bit, out of unconscious need for more of his kiss or pain from his ribs, Chris wasn't sure... "ll he knew was that as he felt a fuller contact with the younger man's mouth he didn't care about the reasons for it.
Vin felt his face becoming hot once again with the accursed blush that seemed to be his give-away to anyone who knew him. Chris tasted better than anything he had ever imagined over the last few months. Strong, warm... And more amazingly, the man didn't seem disgusted by what LeBirds had forced them into doing. Ever since Vin had woken from that nightmare that still made him shudder, Chris had avoided him, not looking at him or coming very close to him. As Vin pressed harder into the kiss, he was tempted to just agree to anything LeBirds asked of them from now on, for it had been the other man's idea for this kiss. Vin figured he could forgive almost anything for that...
LeBirds watched for a moment as the two mouths did a slow, sensual dance across one another. Barely a whisper of movement came across the silence. Both men had their eyes closed and LeBirds began to get a strange feeling about the men before him. He frowned slightly. The idea of the them kissing had been meant to embarrass the men, but it appeared... Finally, almost reluctantly, LeBirds noticed, the two broke apart.
"Good, now that's settled... Let's continue, shall we? You're going to love this first little sport I have planned for you, I'm sure. Of course, we'll allow Mr. Tanner to try it out first and make sure it's all been set up well for you." Chris and Vin were once again hauled to their feet, but this time, they did not try and turn from one another. LeBirds grinned. That worked well... Perhaps there is something to this whole thought of agape love after all...
Just then, the stillness of the swamp was broken by a loud, electronic squeal coming from LeBirds' pocket. LeBirds watched Larabee carefully as he pulled the small, hand-held radio from his pocket. A young voice filled the air and Chris tense, quickly realizing what he was hearing. The large black german shepherd on the porch raised his head to as the radio transmission named the dog. Chris listened as a younger man answered DeVareau, but he could easily hear JD's hyper mumblings in the background. And that meant the boy was here....probably along with everyone else.
Another thought came crashing to him as his brain finally worked through what he'd heard, barely paying attention as LeBirds quietly told the dog on the porch, Jesse, he assumed to Stay where he was. They were looking for a man named Joe who had a dog... A man who, earlier, had radioed in to tell them that a certain Lot Four was 'clear'. Chris cursed quietly as LeBirds put his radio away in a breast pocket inside his coat..
"Oh, don't act so surprised, Mr. Larabee. After all, it is much easier to protect my clients from those dreadful searches you used to enjoy organizing when I am a member of the search team. And since Search & Rescue is not technically a branch of the Agency... Plus, it always helps when the men that want you are willing to step in and play the system right into your hands..."
Chris sighed. If they thought this man was on their side, it could be a very long time before they realized he wasn't. Every small hope that had begun to rise in his chest when he'd first heard JD's voice was quickly dashed to the slopping mud around them. Appeared they were back to being on their own again. As LeBirds' men pushed them forwards, Chris felt Vin's shoulder against his own, offering as well as taking a small measure of support from the contact.
The soft sounds of LeBirds' mumbled voice was all that was heard as he led the way down a path deeper into the swamp, echoing back hauntingly to the two captives.
"For it was Death that knocked at the door, but my Brother answered for me. That's why I'm walking in Hell, To take his place and let my Brother go free...."
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