Disclaimer: I do not own the Magnificent Seven or the characters. I do not use this forum for profit. I do own the story and it’s premises.

Birthday Fic: This is for Susanne’s birthday. She wanted Chris hurt with Vin comfort.

Author: Stormm

Fandom: ATF, Chris, Vin, All Seven.

Premises: Chris and Vin are in for a rough ride.

Rating: FRM

Warnings: Some language.

Title: Rough Ride.

Buck came into the ATF office and saw JD and Ezra at the small kitchen where the coffee was perking.

He wandered over to him, his tall form taking up the rest of the space left in the small area.

“Damn, Ezra! That sure does smell good,” said Buck grabbing a cup from the cupboard that was situated above the coffee pot. He then poured him a cup and started sipping the black brew. “That is good.”

“Yeah,” piped in JD. “It ain’t nothing like Vin’s.”

“Ya right about that, JD. That stuff is worst than drinking tar,” said Buck jokingly.

“Don’t let our esteem sharpshooter hear you say that, Mr. Wilmington. I am sure that he would take great offense to it,” added Ezra.

“Yeah and he just might shoot you, Buck,” said JD.

“Well, he can’t considering where they are,” said Buck taking another sip of the steaming brew.

“They made it on time?” asked JD.

“Yep. Saw the plane take off on time. They should be in Seattle in a few hours,” replied Buck.

“I wish I could of gone with them,” said JD.

“No ya don’t, boy,” said Buck emphatically. “Where they’re going you would not want to go.”

“So where are they going?” asked JD.

Buck rolled his eyes, but said, “They’re going to get a prisoner that needs to be transported back here to Denver.”

“And why, may I ask is that, Mr. Wilmington? If I remember correctly, transportation of criminals is not a duly sworn requirement of our agency,” said Ezra, picking up one of the shortbread cookies that were lying in a platter.

“It ain’t. But this here prisoner is special. His name is Joseph T. Dawson.”

“Joe Dawson? You mean the Joe Dawson?” queried JD, shock coming through his tone.

“I presume you know of this felon, Mr. Dunne?”

“Erza, ya never heard of Switchblade Dawson?” replied JD.

“Should I have?”

“Yeah, Pard. Haven’t you been keeping up with the news and all?” came Buck’s surprised query.

“Mr. Wilmington, I do not peruse the drabble that is put out by the media drab that believes they know what news is. I stay to the financial communiqués only.”

“Well, Ezra, if you read or heard any of the local news, Joseph T. Dawson, aka Switchblade Dawson is a well-known serial killer of several people. He is the top assassin for the Russian drug cartel that has been moving through the country.”

Erza eyed the tall moustache man and replied, “That still does not explain why the ATF is involved in this deeming task, Mr. Wilmington.”

“Joseph T. Dawson, one of the last real Cossacks of the old Russia, has been killing for the cartel for the past twenty years. Until a month ago, no one knew who he was, or was able to pin anything on him. He was too slippery. But he made a mistake and that one mistake gave away his identity. Now, he was to bargain.”

“He wants to make a deal?” asked Ezra.

“Yeah. He’ll sing like a bird, if he doesn’t get the electric chair.”

“And our esteem and unfalliable justice system has agreed to this?”

“Yeah. They did. Life in prison. The Chief sent Chris and Vin to bring him back. He figures that if anyone can bring Dawson back safely for trial, it would be them.”

“How come he didn’t let us go too?” asked JD annoyed. “We could of watched their backs.”

Buck sighed and said, “He can’t let all of us go, JD. We got a lot of unsolved cases this team has been working on. He could only spare Chris and Vin.”

“Why does Chris and Vin get all the creamy assignments?” said JD with a sad puppy dog look on his face.

“Seniority, my dear, Mr. Dunne,” replied Erza with a gold tooth smile. “Senority.” Ezra then walked away to where his desk was situated, coffee in hand and a look of satisfaction.

Buck smiled back and then turned to JD, smacking him gently on the head and said, “Seniority, JD.” He then started to walk out, but JD pulled on his arm and stopped him.

“I go first, Buck,” said JD smirking and stepping in front of him.

“Not a chance, junior. Remember, seniority,” responded Buck laughingly as he pulled JD back and started to walk away first.

JD looked behind him and said to his invisible junior, “I go first.” He then stepped to the other side and said sarcastically, “Thank you, junior agent.” He then followed his friends towards his desk, shaking his head as he did.

*************************************************************************************************

Several Hours Later

The two-engine plane flew over the Cascades mountain range, Chris enjoying the view, but Vin did not seem that happy about it.

Vin hated flying and especially small planes like the one he and Chris were currently on.

He gripped the armrests tightly as the small plane hit every bump that existed in the air. They had just landed at Seattle’s Seatac International Airport and were now on their way to their destination to pick up Dawson.

Dawson, from what Chris had told him, was being held at safe house in Vancouver. They would retrieve their prisoner for transportation from the local agents who now had him in protective custody.

Vin knew that this assignment was no cakewalk. The Russian mafia had already tried to get rid of Dawson twice already in Seattle and it had cost the lives so far of two good agents.

The cartel’s men were everywhere and it was the reason why the safe house in Vancouver that was out in the country was deemed the only safe place to keep their informant until he was picked and dropped off at a safe house in Denver.

Dawson was scheduled to testify the day after their arrival, making it quick and fast, before the cartel could zone into his location.

It was a plan that Vin and Chris had developed and so far it was working.

Vin then felt another bump in the plane and turned to look over at his partner in this adventure.

Chris was sitting relax, his hands resting lightly on his lap and his eyes closed and head back in sleep. He did not know how Chris did it. No matter how rough their ride was, he was always calm. It bugged the hell out of Vin and he knew Chris knew it.

Vin nudged Chris seat, hoping to wake and get a rise out of the blond agent. “Hey, Chris? Ya awake?”

Chris did not move from his position.

Vin nudged Chris seat again, this time a little harder. “Hey, Chris? I say are ya awake?”

Chris sat up immediately, green eyes came open, confusion showing in them, but then they quickly became focused and trained themselves on the scruffy haired young agent next to him.

“What?”

“I asked if ya was sleeping?”

“Not now,” said the blond irritated. He glared at the young agent, but then his eyes softened. “You not getting airsick, are you?”

“Nah, nothing liked that. Just wonderin’ how much longer it gon’na take for us to get there.” Chris and the other agents of his team were the only ones who knew about Vin’s phobia. They were the only ones who would trust with his secret.

Chris sighed and rolled his eyes upward. He knew his friend hated to fly, but he did not realize it was this bad. Vin had been bugging him since they left Denver, first on the flight from Denver to Seattle and then on this flight.

Unlike Vin, Chris had no problem with flying. His tour of duty with the Navy Seals required him to fly on most conventional and unconventional aircrafts, even leaving them in unconventional ways. But Tanner had a fear and right now was feeling very sympathetic towards the young agent.

“Should be there soon, Pard. How about a drink?” asked Chris as an idea formed in his head.

“Nope,” said Vin curtly. “Just want off this ride.”

Chris nodded that understood and pushed the overhead button to call for a flight attendant.

The flight attendant, a young man in his twenties came staggering towards them as the plane hit another bit of turbulence.

“Yes, sir, how can I help you?” asked the flight attendant.

“How much longer is the flight?” asked Chris.

“We will be landing in about five minutes.”

Chris heard Vin release a sigh at the happy prospect of being on land again.

“Thank you,” replied Chris and he watched as the flight attendant got ready for the landing.

“That’s a relief. Don’t know how much longer my stomach could of stand this ruckus,” said Vin smiling.

Chris smiled gently back at him and sat back to relax. He knew that he and Vin were lucky to have got on this flight since most of the other flights were booked up. They were the only two passengers on the plane since most of the other passengers had made it on the first plane.

Chris preferred it this way. He hated crowds and like Vin, liked the solitary quiet that came with the emptiness.

Suddenly, Chris felt his stomach drop as the plane took a deep dip as it hit turbulence again. He had to admit that this plane ride was rougher than any he had been on in the past.

He turned towards Vin and saw the stress on the young agent’s face. His eyes were closed tight and his hands were gripping the arms of his chair tightly.

Just as he was about to ask Vin he was alright, he heard a loud explosion and the plane shake furiously out of control. It then started to take a nose dive that had even Chris scared.

Chris looked around to see if he could see the flight attendant who was the only other person besides the two pilots that was on the plane and saw him trying to get to Chris and Vin’s position.

“What the hell is going on?” yelled Chris as he felt himself being pulled forward by gravity.

“I don’t know,” shouted the male flight attendant above the noise of the airplane’s engines revving hard, as oxygen masks fell from the overhead compartments that they were in.

Vin looked at Chris frantically and said, “Chris?”

“I don’t know, Pard! Put ya mask on!”

Vin did as he was told, as he watched Chris do the same. The flight attendant tried to pull himself into one of the seats near them, but missed the edge of the chair and fell backwards towards the front of the plane.

Chris quickly unbuckled his safety belt and tried to reach the man before he could tumble away, but he was too late. He could only watch as the young flight attendant flew through the aisle and tossed down the small plane, hitting every seat as he went.

When the flight attendant’s body finally stopped its horrible flight, it landed with thud near one of the seats. Chris looked at Vin and said, “Stay here. I need to check on the attendant and the pilots.”

Vin did not answer him. He only kept holding on tightly to his chair and breathing rapidly through the mask.

Chris managed to inch his way towards the fallen man, the pressure in the plane making it hard for him to breathe. When he finally reached him, saw that his neck was at an awkward angle. Chris tried to find a pulse, but there was none. Chris could only assume that he had broken his neck in the fall. The flight attendant was dead.

Chris next action was to try and check on the pilots. He inched his way towards the closed door where he knew the pilots were. He tried to push it open and found it was barred by something.

Pushing with all his might, the door finally opened and Chris found himself buffeted with wind and debris. He also noticed that the window of the pilot’s cabin was shattered, and part of the side of the plane where the pilot would sit was gone.

“Shit!” cursed Chris as he looked at what had happened. He knew the pilot had to be dead, sucked through by the explosion. He could not guess what could have caused it and knew he would probably never know since his plan now was to get him and Vin off the falling plane.

He closed the door and as quick as he could started searching the plane for anything that could help him and his friend escape what he knew was certain death.

As luck would have it, he found four parachutes, stowed in a compartment above the kitchen area. He removed two of them and carried them as fast as possible to where he knew Vin waited impatiently.

When he reached their designated seats, Vin pulled off his mask, breathing harshly and said, “What happened?”

“Never mind,” said Chris tossing him the parachute. “Put this on.”

Chris then swiftly started putting on the one he had designated for himself.

“But, Chris…” started Vin.

“No…time! Get it…on and get over to the exit door,” said Chris unbuckling Vin’s safety belt and tugging him up from the chair.

Vin did not object, knowing that time was of the essence. He started moving towards the exit door, pulling himself through the aisle. Chris had followed him and when they both stood in front of it, he pulled at the release lever for the door.

The pressure from the outside and inside of the airplane blew the door outwards and away from the plane. Wind buffeted Chris and Vin harshly, almost making them loose their footing.

“Jump!” yelled Chris and unceremoniously pushed Vin through the opening. He then jumped himself after one last look at the diving plane.

Flying high above the Earth’s solidity, Vin and Chris watched as the plane crashed into the mountains, exploding on impact.

Chris could see Vin not far from him and motioned with his hand towards the ground. He could see Vin slightly nod in agreement, but knew the young agent was not happy about his current position.

At that moment, Chris decided to look down to see how close they were to the ground.

It was then that he noticed that he was falling faster than Vin was. He looked up at his chute and saw the tear in the top piece. Relying on his Seals’ training, he immediately started trying to slow down his descent by pulling on the rings of the parachute.

Unfortunately, it was not working and Chris knew he was going to hit the ground and hit it hard. He looked over to see if Vin was anywhere nearby and saw that the distance was getting greater between them. He knew Vin would not be able to help him or hear him and decided the best thing to do was try to land in something soft.

He saw below him a small body of water and knew it was his only hope. He started guiding the parachute towards it, hoping that he did not underestimate how deep it was. If it were not deep enough, it would be a painful landing.

Vin noticed that Chris’ chute was torn and he was going down fast. He tried to guide his own chute closer to Chris but soon Chris was way ahead of him. He saw him steer towards a small body of water and knew what he was trying to do. He started guiding his own chute towards the same area, hoping to land close to where Chris would land.

Vin tracked Chris descent as he landed into the body of water. He saw him sink, but did not see him come up. Vin landed his own parachute not far from where Chris had landed into the water. He swiftly threw off the chute and started running towards where he saw his friend, hoping when he got there that his friend was still alive.

******************************************************************************************************

Chris came up from the lake and heaved a deep breath of air, as water shot of his nostrils. He cleared the water from his eyes and looked around to see where he was. It had taken him a while to get the parachute loose from his body and he currently was gasping as fresh air was reaching his starved lungs.

He realized that he had something in his hand beneath the surface of the water. He pulled it up to look at it and realized it was an emergency survival kit that was attached to the parachute.

He remembered in his last moments before hitting the water that he and Vin would need it. He was glad that this flight had it. Most commercials planes did not, but this was a privately owned company and tended to have their planes equipped with these new types of kits.

He saw that he was not far from the shore and started swimming as best as he could towards the bank, pulling the duffle bag with him.

He did not notice that Vin, who had landed only a few feet away on dry land near the small lake, come running into the water towards him. He was just so happy to the blond alive and well to worry about getting himself also wet.

He had reached Chris a couple of feet from shore and grabbed his friend by the collar. Once he had a good hold on Chris around the waist, he started swimming towards shore, Chris helping him as best as his tired body could.

When they both reached land, they crawled the rest of the way further onto land, both of them gasping and heaving. Chris, still holding onto the bag, then started coughing harshly, trying to bring up the last bit of lake water from his lungs. He was down on his knees, water spurting out of his mouth on the grassy shore.

Vin lay on his back, breathing hard, but elated to have his friend alive next to him.

“How ya doin’, Chris?” he asked between breaths.

“F…ine…cough…fine,” said Chris trying to catch his breath.

“Let’s rest here awhile,” said Vin finally sitting up. “Then we can find out where the hell we are.”

Chris sat back on his hunches and glared at the young agent. “I know where we are, Vin. We’re in the Cascade Mountain range,” snapped Chris.

Vin rolled his eyes to the sky in exasperation. “I knowed that Chris. I’m saying is where exactly in the mountain range,” explained Vin.

“Oh,” said Chris embarrassed. “Ya got ya cell phone on ya? I lost mine when we jumped.”

Vin nodded and pulled out his cellular phone. He turned it on, since he had turned it off during the flight and saw there was no signal. He shook his head at Chris and said, “I guess the mountains are blockin’ my signal.”

“Great. Just great,” said Chris disappointed. He thought it would easy getting him and Vin out of this predicament, but it looked like it was not going to happen that smooth. “Okay, let’s get a fire started and start drying ourselves off. I found this kit attached to the parachute. We’ll need it.” He then stood up and started walking towards the wooded area to find some dry wood for the fire.

Vin got up and followed him silently. He was too tired to talk and figured he did not care if they had to walk all the way back to Seattle. It was better than flying and he was glad for the ground beneath his feet.

**************************************************************************************************

Switchblade Dawson sat on the lounge chair in the living room of the secluded cabin in the Cascade Mountain ranges.

The local authorities had moved him here to wait transport by the ATF agents who would take him back to Denver, Colorado for his deposition on his involvement with the Cartel.

Switchblade laughed at that. He still did not know why he listened to his lawyers. He knew he would not live long enough to talk to anyone. And he was prepared for it. He knew he was going to die, just not how. It was inevitable in the type of business he was in. Being an assassin himself, he had no illusions about rescue from his impending doom. Instead, he decided to just accept it.

In the meantime, he was enjoying all the finer things in life, as his so-called protectors basically gave him anything he wanted, except for his freedom.

He had no problem even when they told him he was being taken to somewhere in seclusion for his own protection. He laughed at that too. He figured that they were wasting their time trying to save him, but of course, it was there time to waste and who was he to tell them otherwise.

He sat back further into the seat and turned on the only television in the rustic cabin. Maybe there was some other news better than his. He chuckled softly to himself. “Yeah, right,” he thought and watched the afternoon news in pure boredom.

What he did not know was that the two agents that were suppose to pick him up were busy trying to find their way to back civilization and that three other men were being dropped off by helicopter not far from those two agents position.

These two groups of men had the same purpose, to find and recover, one, Switchblade Joe Dawson, assassin elite. But where one group would keep him alive, the other would not.

**************************************************************************************************

Chris and Vin had dried themselves off and though a little worse for wear, they were pretty much better off than before.

Chris limped over to the fire and started packing up the backpack from the plane.

Vin eyed him watchful, taking note of how Chris had been slightly favoring his other leg. He knew his friend had hurt the leg somehow, but he just did not know when considering they both had jumped from a crashing plane. He just hoped it was not that bad. They were out in the middle of nowhere and a long walk was ahead.

Chris finished packing and felt eyes on his back. He turned to find Vin staring at him, appraising his every move.

“And what do you find so interesting?” asked Chris annoyed.

Vin smirked at him and said, “Nothin’ in particular, Cowboy.” Vin smiled widely at him.

“I ain’t a cowboy,” snapped Chris. He then realized he sounded angry and then sighed. “I’m sorry, Vin. Just…this was suppose to be a piece of cake assignment and it’s turned out to be a pain my ass,” Chris explained solemnly.

“Listen, Pard. We got a lot to be thankful for.”

“And what would that be?”

“We’re alive, Chris. That’s enough for me,” said Vin.

Chris knew that Vin was right. They were alive and well. “You’re right, Vin. I’m being selfish,” answered Chris apologetically.

“No, ya ain’t. Ya just tired and hurtin’ is all. Once we get out of here, things will look better.”

Chris nodded, agreeing with Vin’s assessment of the situation. “Well, I guess we better start moving,” said Chris standing up with the backpack on his back. “We’re burnin’ daylight.”

Vin stood up also, chuckling to himself. “Ya got stop watchin’ those westerns, Chris,” he said taking off in the direction of what he sensed was where civilization existed.

Chris followed, retorting, “And what western have I been watchin’?”

Vin turned around and smiled. “That line was from the Cowboys. We saw that last week, remember?”

Chris feigned ignorance and said, “Nope.”

They both looked at each other and started laughing loudly as they began on their journey to traverse the deep Seattle country.

*****************************************************************************************************

The three men dressed a mountain hikers climbed through the wilderness of the Cascade mountain range.

They were given specific instructions to follow the map given to them that would lead them to a mountain cabin containing their prey.

The tall muscular blond was named Jack Handsome and was anything but.

An ugly scar marred his face from the top of his forehead, across his right eye, which was white with blindness and then down to the end of his chin. Jack was once a handsome man and liked the fact that his name suited his looks, but after the accident, his name was now a curse.

Brut Bisborne, the older short black haired man of the group stopped in their walk to adjust his pack.

Jack turned to him and said, “What’s up?”

“These things are heavy. What’s in it?” asked Brut. He did not make the pack, but was only designated to carry it.

Ronny Waldman, the young man, who was bald, laughed, his wide teeth smile looking like a jack-o-lantern. “Ya didn’t tell him what was in the bag?” he asked Jake.

Jake glared at him and snorted.

Ronny took this as a negative and explained, “Ya carryin’ C4, dummy and ya better be careful you don’t drop it.”

Brut, shocked by this revelation, almost let the bag drop to the ground, but caught it deftly with one hand before it did.

“It’s stable,” explained Jake.

“It’s what?” asked Brut.

“Stable, idiot,” snapped Jake. “It won’t explode because you drop it. It has to have something to ignite it, like a fuse or a switch.” Jake then roughly grabbed the bag out of the man’s hand.

“You must really plan on making sure the target is dead,” smirked Ronny.

“I am. This will not only take out the snitch and it will take out anyone else near him,” replied Jake thoughtfully.

“Ya a mean bastard, Jake,” stated Brut matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, that’s what my momma told me,” replied Jake as he headed off towards the tree-lined mountains.

Brut and Ronny followed, neither knowing whether Jake was joking or not.

************************************************************

Chris and Vin had been walking for a few hours and both were tiring from the trek. Chris had been limping all the way, and Vin did not fail to notice it, but at the moment there was nothing that he could do to alleviate his friend’s pain.

When he questioned his friend about it, he only received a glare that kept him from questioning Chris any further.

They had found a stream on their way up the mountain range and had filled the canteen that Chris had found in the backpack he had saved from the plane.

Vin suggested that they stop and rest for a moment. The sun was almost gone now, and it was getting dark. Vin did not like wandering around in the wooded area without sight. Even a great tracker like himself, would never go any further once daylight was gone. It was an unfamiliar area and he did not know what lay before them.

Chris reluctantly agreed with Vin, although he mumbled something about wasting time. Vin ignored him in his usual carefree manner and went about removing the backpack from Chris’ back.

The glare that Chris sent him was not as strong as his last one and Vin could tell that Chris was hurting but was refusing to admit. It made him worry about the blond agent.

“Chris, why don’t ya take a nap while I scout around,” suggested Vin.

“I’m fine,” groaned Chris as he sat down on a rock.

“Yeah, sure ya are. Hitting the water the way ya did couldn’t of done ya any good,” fussed Vin.

Chris only looked at him and sighed despondently. He was hurting and although he had tried to hide it from his friend, his right ankle was in excruciating pain as he tried to keep up with his younger friend.

“I think I twisted my ankle,” said Chris.

“Let me take a look,” said Vin walking over to him and kneeling down beside him.

Chris was ready to object, but decided against it. He knew the scruffy haired man was not likely to listen to him anyway.

Vin carefully drew Chris’ right pants leg up and away from his ankle. He swore loudly when he saw it.

Chris’ ankle was swollen and red. Vin could not tell if it was broken or not, but it did not look good. He touched it delicately and heard Chris swear under clamped lips.

“It don’t look great, Pard,” said Vin solemnly.

“Figured as much,” said Chris through gritted teeth.

“We gotta get ya some help, Chris. I’m gon’na look scout around. You stay put and I’ll be back soon.”

Chris smiled lightly and replied, “Ain’t going anywhere any time soon, Pard.”

Vin nodded and knew he was right. He then stood up and took one of the canteens and started walking towards the more wooded area.

Chris watched him with pain-filled eyes as he quickly disappeared into the surrounding trees.

*******************************************************************************************************

Jake and his fellow assassins trekked up the rise and so the wooded area below.

“Through them woods is our target, boys,” said Jake triumphantly.

“Great! I’ll be glad when we can get back to civilization,” said Ronny.

“City boy,” snorted Brut. “I grew up in woods like these in the Appalachian mountains. This is like home to me. It’s like where I lived.”

“You keep talking and it’ll be where you die too,” retorted Jake.

Brut turned angry eyes towards Jake, but kept his mouth shut. He knew crossing Jake was a dangerous play and he wanted to live long enough to spend all the money they were going to get for the job. No, he was not going to risk that.

As they started their walk towards their destination, Jake spied something along the tree-lined area below. He held up his hand and then sliced through the air in downward motion. This was the signal for them to take cover.

They knelt down behind the bushes in front of them, Brut and Ronny confused as to why Jake would order them to hide.

It was then that they saw what he had seen.

It was a man, tall and lanky with curly-brown hair and dressed in a deerskin, fringed jacket and jeans slowly walking towards the same destination as the one they were about to move to.

Jake squinted in the dimming sunlight and knew this man was going to be trouble. The way he carried himself told Jake that he would not be easily taken out and that he was not going away anytime soon. They had a timetable and their employer would not appreciate any delays or foul ups.

“What we gon’na do?” whispered Brut.

Jake did not immediately answer. He was thinking about just that. He then noticed that the man must have found what he was looking for and started back the way he had come.

Jake knew it would be best to follow the man and see where he would go. If there was one person out here, there could be another or group and that would definitely put a problem in his plans.

“We follow him…and quietly,” he added.

Brut and Ronny nodded.

When Jake was sure that the man had moved far enough away not to notice them, he motioned for the others to follow him, as he followed the man who was unaware that there was someone else there.

*****************************************************************************************************

Vin came walking back into the rest area and found Chris sitting against the rock he had left him at, his eyes closed and his breathing harsh.

It scared him and what he feared was that Chris not only had somehow fractured his ankle but also was starting to get pneumonia from his fall into the lake.

He lightly moved over to him and knelt down beside him, his hand gently brushing back a lock of blond hair and touching the man’s forehead. He sighed in relieve as he did not feel any heat animating from the man which meant there was no fever and if it was pneumonia, it was not in full blown yet.

Just as he pulled his hand away, he saw two green slits trying to focus upon him.

“Hey, there, Cowboy. Glad to see ya awake.”

Chris snorted and tried to sit up straighter against the boulder. “Got tired of waiting for you,” said Chris coughing hard.

“You alright, Pard?” questioned Vin, his eyebrows quirking up in concern.

“Yeah…yeah,” answered Chris between another cough. “Just getting a cold.”

“Well, I have some good news. There’s a path not far from here and from what I can see there seems to be some sort of cabin up there.”

“Anything’s better than staying here,” groused Chris.

“Getting antsy, Chris?”

“I don’t know, Vin. I got this itch that I can’t scratch,” answered Chris thoughtfully.

Vin nodded, agreeing with him. He also felt it, but tried to reason it away as just tired nerves.

“Well, let’s get ya somewhere warm,” said Vin pulling the blond agent up onto his feet.

Chris swayed slightly and grimaced as he felt the pain in his ankle, but the thought of a warm place to lie was too enticing for him to give the pain any credence.

“Lead the way, Pard,” said Chris tiredly.

Vin nodded and grabbed Chris by the arm, leading him the way.

What they did not know was three pairs of eyes were watching them and the owners of them started following cautiously behind them.

*****************************************************************************************************

Vin and Chris had reached the area where the cabin was located and found it surrounded by three armed men. Chris looked at Vin shocked and arched his eyebrows at him in surprise.

“I didn’t say it was not being used,” said Vin smiling.

Chris looked at the men and the cars parked outside the large cabin structure. The men looked like law enforcement, FBI or even CIA and the cars were definitely the type of cars they would use.

“Vin, I think you might have found our destination,” said Chris amazed.

Vin looked at him unbelieving. “Our destination? Ya mean this is where…”

“Yeah. Switchblade is being held. Damn, Vin. If I had any doubt in your tracking skills before, there gone now,” said Chris smiling.

Vin tried to feign indication and replied, “Ya sayin’ ya didn’t trust my instincts?”

Chris laughed and said, “Always, cowboy. Always. Come on. Let’s get down there and take charge of our prisoner.”

Vin was elated that soon they would be on their way back home.

They started to walk down the hillside to the cabin when Vin heard something like a popping sound and then watched as Chris fell hard to the ground.

“Chris!” he yelled kneeling down next to the fallen blond who was trying to get up.

“Vin! Snipers!” gasped Chris, motioning Vin to help him behind a boulder to the right of them.

Both men moved to the boulder and fell behind it, still trying to determine where the shot came from.

“I think they’re up there, Chris,” stated Vin.

But there came no answer from the body next to him. Silence was all that Vin heard.

“Chris?” said Vin, turning to look at his friend lying next to him.

Chris lay on the ground, curled up on his side, facing away from Vin. “Chris!” said Vin again, this time pulling the blond towards him.

He touched Chris’ side as he did and the man hissed in pain. Vin saw that his hand came away with bright red liquid and knew his friend had been shot.

“Chris, where did they get ya, Pard?”

“I…I’m alright, Vin,” said Chris finally, breathing harshly. “It’s only a scratch.”

“Let me see,” said Vin turning the blond to face him.

Vin saw where the bullet had struck the man and it did not look bad, but it did not look good either. It went in low, on his right side. Vin had lifted up Chris’ shirt and saw a neat small hole in Chris’ side.

“Chris, this ain’t no scratch and I don’t think it went through. It’s probably still in there,” sighed Vin concerned.

“It…feels like it, too,” moaned Chris. He felt a burning sensation where the bullet had went in.

“We gotta get ya out of here, but damn if I know who’s shootin’ at us.”

At that moment, a voice could be heard from above. “Hey, you two down there!”

Chris wanted to answer him, but Vin held up his hand to keep the blond silent.

“Listen up, you two,” said Jake. “We don’t want to have to kill ya.”

Vin was irked by the statement. ‘Ya can try!” yelled Vin over their protection.

“Don’t…antagonize…them, Vin,” said Larabee smiling weakly.

Vin knew Chris was in pain. The smile that he noticed was a forced one, but that was the way of Chris.

“I ain’t tryin’ to, Cowboy, but them men don’t seem too bright if ya ask me,” said Vin smiling back.

“Yeah,” answered Chris and then coughed.

Vin was shaken by it and just hoped that it was not a bad omen. “Ya alright, Chris?” he asked anxious.

Chris nodded, but deigned not to speak. He thought his voice would sound weak and did not want to make Vin anymore anxious than he was.

“We need a plan, Cowboy. Those men ain’t gon’na go away.”

Larabee’s brow furrowed downward and Vin thought he was in pain.

“Ya alright, Chris?” queried Vin.

Larabee nodded and said, “Yeah…I think…I think I know what their…planning on doing.”

Vin waited patiently for Chris to get his breath back so he could speak.

“They’re after Switchblade.”

“Assassins?”

“Most likely,” said Chris trying to sit up higher against their cover. “Vin, do you still have our weapons?”

Vin grabbed the duffle bag and rummaged through it quickly. He pulled out both his and Chris weapons.

“Ammunition?”

Vin checked both weapons and shook his head.

“Not enough to shoot our way out of here,” answered Vin thoughtfully.

“Enough…enough to create a diversion?”

“Possibly, Cowboy. What ya got in mind?”

“I have…a plan,” replied Chris. And he began to tell Vin what he had in mind.

*****************************************************************************************************

Jake and his men were getting antsy. Since they had given their ultimatum to the two men, they had not heard a word, except the tort response from the curly haired one.

Since then, things were quiet, in fact, too quiet.

“Jake, what do you think they’re doin’?” asked Brut worried.

Jake rolled his eyes up to the sky in exasperation. He could not reason with himself on why he had even bothered to keep Brut around.

But then it came to him. Brut was good at the dirty jobs and he needed men like him.

“Jake?” called Brut again.

“Shut up, idiot! Why don’t you keep talking so that they know exactly where we are?” retorted Jake sarcastically.

Brut eyed Jake hurtfully, but kept his mouth closed.

Jake was getting tired of waiting. He knew his timetable was being comprised and so was his payday. He needed to get things moving and quickly.

“Brut, move over to the other side of that hill and see if you can get a target,” ordered Jake.

“Right,” answered Brut lifting up the rifle and moving towards the area that Jake designated.

Jake then stood up and yelled, “Listen, guys, why don’t you come out and we won’t kill you!”

At that moment, a shot rang out and hit the rock next to Jake. Jake ducked down towards cover, cursing as he did.

“Shit! They’re armed!” said Ronny.

“No, shit,” responded Jake. “Take ‘em out, Ronny!”

Ronny nodded and started firing back at where the shot came from, but it was hard to get the target down without them giving him something to shoot at.

*****************************************************************************************************

Vin heard the shots as he was running towards the cabin. He knew he had left Chris in danger, alone. But he also knew Chris was right. There was no way that they could get out of this alive if he did not get help.

As he reached the area of the cabin, he saw two of the agents guarding the house pull out their weapons and aim them at him.

He skidded to stop and threw his hands out in front of him.

“Hold up! ATF!” he yelled.

The two men ignored his statement and approached him cautiously. They looked Vin up and down, noticing his torn and dirty clothes. They did not know whom he was and they were not taking any chances.

“Keep your hands up!” said one of the men as he got closer.

“Listen,” started Vin as the man started to turn him around and then pat him down for any weapons. “I’m ATF. Name’s Vin Tanner. I got my ID in my left pocket.” Vin motioned slightly to where his ID was.

“See if he’s telling the truth, Rich,” said the other man, still holding his gun aimed at Vin.

The other agent searched Vin’s pocket and pulled out Vin’s wallet. He opened it and then glanced back up at Vin. “He’s ATF alright,” said Rich.

The other agent then lowered his weapon and came closer to the other two men. “So what the hell are you doing out here, Agent Tanner?”

“Listen, I ain’t got much time,” said Vin frantically. “My partner is out there with some men trying to give me some time to get to you. He needs backup and he’s hurt.”

“Wait a minute. Where is he at?” asked the one called Rich.

“He’s up on the ridge up there,” Vin explained starting to turn back towards where he came.

“Wait!” yelled the other man. “We can’t leave the area. We have a dangerous prisoner in custody here.”

“I don’t give a shit!” screamed Vin. “My friend is up there hurt and alone and he maybe dyin’!”

“Listen, Agent Tanner,” said the other man trying to calm him down. “Let’s go inside and we can call for backup.” He tried to grab Vin’s arm to lead him towards the cabin. Vin shook his arm loose.

“Ya just don’t get it, do ya! I’m goin’ back,” said Vin turning away and starting to go back towards where he left Chris.

He was about half way back to the place he left Chris, when he felt his arm being grabbed again.

He turned around to throw a punch at whomever it was that dared try and stop him from saving his friend, when he found himself looking into the face of none other than Buck Wilmington.

“Buck!” shouted Vin grabbing the man and hugging him hard.

“Well, it’s good to see ya too, Stud. But I think we should stop or we might give these FBI agents something to talk about,” said Buck laughingly.

It was then that Vin noticed that the other team members were there too.

“Where’s Chris?” questioned JD.

“That’s what I’ve been tryin’ to tell these fools here. Chris is up there, fighting for his life,” replied Vin. Vin then stopped in thought and said, “By the way, what are you all doin’ here?”

“Well, my good friend,” said Ezra. “We had the unfortunate honor to hear about your plane crashing in the mountains.”

“And since they did not find any other bodies, but the ones of the pilot and flight attendant, we came looking,” added Josiah.

“But how did you know we weren’t dead?”

“Buck would not believe that you two were dead until he saw the bodies,” said Nathan.

“Yeah, he got on the phone with Travis and he got his here,” said JD excitedly.

“Come on, Vin,” said Buck pulling him forward. “Let’s go get Chris.”

Vin nodded and started back to where he left Chris.

The others followed, only Ezra lagging behind.

He turned to the FBI agents and said, “I’d advise you sirs to call in for assistance immediately and then I advise you to follow with as much medical assistance as possible post haste.”

He then turned away from the baffled and confused agents to follow his companions into the wooded ridge area.

**********************************************************************************************************

Chris had only one clip left as the barrage of bullets hit his rocky cover.

He started loading the last clip, his bloody hands marring the weapon with his life giving liquid. He hoped that Vin would get back in time. He was his only hope and it seemed that these men were not as dumb as he thought, or at least one of them.

They had him surrounded from all sides and Chris knew there was no way out for him. He shifted slightly to get a better view of the area, the pain radiating down his side, but he ignored it. There were worst things than pain at that moment.

He leaned a little over his protective barrier when something caught his eye. There was movement coming from the far side towards him and he knew it was not a friend.

He held his weapon shakily pointed towards the advancing figure, keeping his eye trained on him. He held still, not moving or giving the man any sign that he had seen him or that he was there.

Without preamble, the man spied him and started to raise his weapon at Chris’ head. But Chris quickly fired off a round from his weapon, the bullet hitting its target.

The man screamed loudly as the bullet tore through his chest and fell to the ground.

Chris did not know if the man was still alive or not, but he did not move and Chris swiftly returned to his vigilant scouring of the ridge above.

******************************************************************************************************

“Damn!” cursed Jake to himself. “I think he got Ronny!”

Jake then picked up his two-way earpiece and spoke into it. “Brut!”

“Yeah. I saw. Ronny ain’t movin’, Jake,” came the voice over the two-way.

“Take those bastards out!” commanded Jake.

“Right, boss,” came Brut’s reply.

Jake threw the two-way down on the ground, as anger seared through him.

This was suppose to have been a simply eradication. But now it had turned into one of his men dead and a lone man keeping them from their target.

He did not know who the hell these guys were, but they were good and it was costing him not only his reward, but the lives of his men as well. It was time to put this to an end.

He picked up the two-way again and said, “Listen, Brut, I’m going to move around to the other side and see if I can pick them off. You keep them distracted, got it?”

“No problem, Jake. But what about Ronny?”

“Fuck, Ronny! He’s probably dead anyway. We have a job to do and I’m not letting some hikers keep us from it. Now do as I say!”

Brut did not answer him, but he did see and hear Brut’s answer as bullets ricocheted where his opposition was.

Jake then moved slowly and cautiously, crouching low, towards the other side of the rocky barrier.

**********************************************************************************************************

Chris sat hunched against the rocky barrier, breathing and sweating hard. The sweat was so bad that it ran rivulets down his face and into his eyes.

He immediately wiped it away so that he would not be blinded by it, unbeknownst to him as he did, the blood from his hands smeared his face in ghastly red.

He knew he would not be able to hold out much longer.

The winds had picked up and he felt a chill go down his spine. It was getting colder out and he was getting colder. Or maybe it was from the lack of blood, he did not know.

What he did know was that he could not last much longer. He had taken one man out of the game, but he did not know how many more still existed up on the hill. He wished Vin would hurry up. He was afraid of what the young agent would find he did not.

Vin and the others had become his family. Since the death of his wife, these six men had found a place in his heart and soul. He did not wish to leave certain things unsaid. Especially when it came to Vin and Buck. He could not die now, his dizzied mind rage.

Chris fired another shot at the men on the ridge, but now the bullets seem only to come from his right side. He slowly and painfully turned to face that side of the ridge and fired another shot off at his shooter. The resounding ping of several shots being returned hit Chris’ safe haven.

Chris was about to fire another shot, when out of nowhere a shot coming from near the shooter above could be heard. The next thing he heard was a shout and then the body of a man came tumbling down the ridge.

Chris looked about to see where the shot had come from and he saw on the ridge Ezra and JD standing over the fallen body.

“JD?” whispered Chris hoarsely. “Ezra?” They had found him and they had arrived in time. It looked like things were going to be okay and that he was safe.

“Chris?” came the call from JD on the ridge.

“Mr. Larabee, where are you?” shouted Ezra.

He started to painfully pull himself up and make his hiding place known. He was about half way up when he heard the click of a gun coming from his left side. He turned and found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.

“Well, so you’re the pain in my ass that’s been keeping me from my reward,” said Jake standing in front of Chris smiling.

“So…you’re…the asshole that I’ve been sticking it to,” laughed Chris. As he did, he coughed and blood dribbled out of his mouth.

“Well, it won’t make a difference anyway. Seems you’re not going to be long for this world anyhow. I think I just might speed up the process,” said Jake raising his gun and taking careful aim.

Chris closed his eyes and knew that this was going to be the end. He would not be able to tell Vin and the others what he should of said so long ago. It had been a rough ride and he had lost in the end, but he would not have it any other way. Vin was safe and so were the rest of his men. He do it again if he had too.

Chris then sighed and felt the peace that encompassed him at that thought.

“Goodbye, whoever you are,” said Jake.

“Larabee. Chris…Larabee,” said Chris through closed eyelids.

Just then Chris heard the shot go off, but he felt no pain, which was strange.

He opened his eyes and saw the man in front of him gasp and blood started to form on the front of his chest.

Jake looked down at the red spot that was staining his shirt. A smile curved on his lips and eyes glistened in delight.

He said, “It was too good to last…” and with that statement he fell to the ground.

Chris assumed that he was dead, but at this moment he did not care since everything seemed to get darker. He only had one question as he felt himself slipping into oblivion. Where did the shot come from?

Unfortunately, it went unanswered as he fell unconscious to the ground.

**********************************************************************************************************

Vin and Buck ran towards where Chris and the other identified man lay.

When they got there, Buck roughly turned the stranger on the ground over and saw that he was dead.

Vin ran over to his fallen companion, who lay unmoving on the ground.

“Damn, Vin! That was the best shot I ever seen from that distance!” shouted Buck.

Vin ignored the remark and started to lift Chris from the ground. He then laid the blond sweat and blood soaked head onto his lap.

“Buck, get Nathan fast! We need an emergency evac.”

Buck finally realized the condition Chris was in and ran back to hurry Nathan over.

Vin turned back to look down at the man who he called friend. He pushed back the blond hair that obscured his friend’s eyes.

“Come on, Chris. Ya gotta hang on,” said Vin pleadingly. “Open ya eyes for me, Cowboy.”

At first there was no movement from under the closed lids, but then slowly Vin found himself staring into two slits of green.

“Hey, there ya are. I told ya I’d come back.”

“What…what took…ya so long?” said Chris, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Had to bring them,” replied Vin motioning to the side.

Chris turned his eyes towards the direction Vin was motioning and saw five men walking towards him, shoulder to shoulder. It was his men, his friends, his brothers. They had come and they had come for him.

Chris felt at peace, his body was hurting, but his mind was healed with the knowledge that his friends were safe and here.

Vin watched as Chris’ eyes slowly closed. “No! Chris! Come on! Don’t ya dare give up! Ya hear me!” he shouted as he gently shook the blond.

But Chris was languishing in the darkness and where there was no pain.

At that moment, Nathan came quickly and knelt down next to the two men. He started examining Chris. “The medivac will be here soon, Vin. Let’s get the bleeding stop and get him comfortable. JD, bring my bag over.”

JD came walking over with Nathan’s black bag of medicinal magic as Vin once called it. He handed it to the dark-skinned medic and then stood off to the side, next to Buck, to watch the man work.

The others crowded around the men on the ground, praying that they were not too late.

“What about the other one, Ezra?” asked Josiah.

“It seems that the nefarious gunman has breathed his last,” said Ezra.

“That’s unfortunate,” came a voice behind him.

It was the agent known as Rich and behind him were EMTs carrying a stretcher.

“And why is that?” asked Ezra, his eyebrows quirking in curiosity.

“Well, it would have been helpful to find out who hired them. Too bad you couldn’t of wing him or something.”

“My dear Fibbie, the only thing I was concerned with at the time was saving my friend and leader. Anything else was inconsequential,” retorted Ezra angrily.

The agent known as Rich turned briquesly away and went back towards the cabin, leaving the EMTs and the ATF agents to their jobs.

Buck looked over and eyed Ezra laughingly. “Fibbie?”

“Yeah, Fibbie,” piped in JD. “You ain’t never heard the slang before, Buck? It’s a way the young people today describe FBI agents.”

“I just didn’t think I ever hear Ezra say it,” said Buck smiling.

“Sometimes it is appropriate in its usage, but it is not something that I would not utilize on a regular basis. It is just that the man ruffled my proverbial feathers,” explained Ezra.

When the EMTs were done and Chris was ready for transport, Buck motioned for the other FBI agents who had arrived to start the clean up of the dead assassins.

“What hospital ya taking him too?” asked Vin.

“We’re going to Seattle Memorial,” replied one of the EMT men as they hurried towards the awaiting helicopter.

“Come on, Vin. We got a ride waiting for us back at the cabin,” said Buck. “We’ll meet ya there.” He then grabbed the young agent by the arm and led him back towards the cabin while the others followed closely behind.

Nathan though did not and said, “I’m gon’na ride with him to the hospital.”

The other EMT started to shake his head no, but when he saw the look in the dark-skinned medic’s eyes he only nodded.

Vin and the others hurried back to the cabin as the helicopter with Chris and Nathan took off towards the hospital.

**********************************************************************************************************

Two weeks later

Chris sat on the front of his porch of his house awaiting the arrival of his other kindred brothers.

He had been released from the hospital two days ago and today was the day of their great cookout.

Vin was in the kitchen, cooking up something that Chris said he did not want to know about. Vin always thought he was a good cook, but Chris and the others knew you needed a cast-iron stomach around Vin’s vittles.

He heard the front door open as Vin came out carrying two beers. He handed one to Chris and pulled up one of the other chairs on the porch and sat beside the quiet blond agent.

“Everything alright?” asked Vin.

“Yeah. Everything’s perfect. Just antsy for the guys to get here,” said Chris, the old fears of the incident returning to haunt him.

“They’ll be here, Cowboy. Don’t ya worry none,” said Vin sensing the unease in Chris’ composure.

“I ain’t worry!” snapped Chris. He then eyed the Texan guilty and sighed. “Sorry, Vin. Don’t mean to snap at you.”

“Ain’t the first time I had to deal with someone as ornery as you’ve been lately.”

“I know. It’s just that…” Chris stopped unable to voice his fears to his closest friend.

“I know, Pard. But we’re all here. We’re all alive and you and I survived it. Let it go. It’s time to move on.”

Chris knew that Vin was right, but he still needed to tell them what he should have so long ago about how he felt about them.

Chris took a swig of his beer and licked his lips. Just as he was about to tell Vin what he wanted to the sound of cars coming up the drive drew his attention.

He stood, with his beer in his hands and watched as Buck’s truck and Josiah’s SUV came pulling up into the driveway.

Buck jumped out his truck with JD getting out of the side.

Josiah then exited his SUV, with Nathan coming out of the back with Rain.

He did not see Ezra, nor his car and was about to ask Vin about it, when Ezra came screeching up the drive in his Porsche.

Chris smiled as he watched Ezra jump out of his convertible Porsche and follow the others up to the house.

When all of them were standing in front of the porch, Chris stepped down and appraised each of them.

They were all here, including Rain. He felt the pride and love for these people swell in his heart.

He said, “There’s something I been meaning to tell you all…”

Vin held up his hand and said, “Ya don’t have to, Chris. We already know.”

Chris turned glistening green eyes to clear blue ones and knew that they did.

He then turned back to the others and said, “Well, let’s get going. There’s plenty to eat and drink.” He then started walking into the house.

As he did, the others followed and he heard the banter behind him.

“I just hope Vin didn’t cook it,” commented Buck.

“Just for that you don’t get any,” sniped Vin back.

“Gentlemen, if you don’t mind hurrying I would like to open this exquisite brandy that I brought from one of my best conniseurs,” piped in Ezra.

“Aw, Ezra, keep ya pants on,” said Buck.

“You’re the one to talk, Buck,” said JD.

“Boys, boys, Chris just got out of the hospital. He don’t need to hear ya acting like children and giving him a headache,” reprimanded Nathan.

“Brothers, Nathan is right. Let’s play nice now,” said Josiah.

“Hey, Chris can I have one of those beers you got?” yelled Buck.

Chris cringed when he heard Nathan say, “I hope you ain’t mixing that with your meds!”

Chris then smiled and kept walking towards the back of the house and the backyard.

Yeah. It was nice to be home and among family. He and Vin had a rough ride. But life in itself was one hell of a rough ride too. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Vin grabbed him by the shoulder and stood next to him as they watched their family get everything ready for the cookout.

“Couldn’t agree with ya more, Cowboy,” came Vin’s thought into his head.

The End.