Magnificent 7 fic - very, very, very AU.
Jul. 27th, 2006 09:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dimity_blueNancy asked for this and, as she'd had a bad day, I wrote it. It's very AU in that Vin hasn't met Chris and the others yet. Vin's a Guide being hunted for murder, while Chris and the team are working for law enforcement.
Btw, I'm not that knowledgeable about Mag 7, so it's a good thing I'm calling it AU. I got the name of the witness from another Mag 7 fic but I have no idea if it's true in canon.
Btw, there will, at some point, be an epilogue dealing with the actual bonding. In the meantime, here's the story.
The Beginning
by Arnie
Chris glanced through the file, wondering why it was so important that this Texan be captured. Okay, so the guy was a killer but so were at least half the guys on the wanted lists, so why was this cop so determined to have...Chris checked the name again...Tanner tracked down?
The Sentinel didn't like it. And he didn't like the small-eyed cop in front of him who was reeking of desperation and insincerity.
"I'm telling you, Larabee, this guy's dangerous. Just don't take any chances with him." The man's heartbeat increased. "He'll shoot you without thinking about it - so you should shoot him first, if you take my advice."
Chris smiled tightly. If he wanted the guy's advice, he'd ask for it. "I'll let you know when we catch him."
Closing the file, he indicated that the interview was over and, after a moment of indecision, the guy got the hint and left.
Flicking open the file again, Chris re-read the description of the 'killer'. Vin Tanner, twenty seven, wanted for murder.
~'~
Vin glanced around quickly as he entered the motel. No one appeared to be paying him any attention, which was how he liked it. After a few minutes of gazing at the receptionist as she filed her nails and assured Cindy that Jake really wasn't all that in the sack, he decided that he'd like someone to be paying attention, and finally rapped his knuckles on the desk.
The girl looked up, her attention still on her phone call.
"Can I have a room for the night?"
Rolling her eyes, she took his money and tossed a key in his general direction. "Room 32. No, Cindy, just some jackass wanting a room."
Vin raised an eyebrow as he shouldered his pack again and trudged off up the stairs. At least it meant she probably wouldn't remember him.
~'~
"Are you sure it was him?" Chris nodded as he listened. Sneaks was his favourite informant and the most reliable. "Okay, thanks." About to hang up, he stopped and listened some more. "Yeah - I got it. I owe you -" Sighing as Sneaks raved over the latest pair of sneakers he'd seen and had to possess, Chris promised to get him them and then got off the phone at last. "Buck!" Yanking open his door, Chris jerked his head at his second in command. "Tanner's been spotted."
Three minutes later, they were headed towards the motel. Glancing over at Bucklin, Chris could tell he had something on his mind. "What is it?"
"You never contacted that nice police officer who brought this case to your attention," Buck commented, his tone as mild as if he were talking about the weather.
"Well, now, I knew there was something I forgot."
"They say the memory's the first to go," Buck replied. He nodded wisely. "If Officer Jenson says anything, I'll make sure to tell him so."
Chris grinned. "Thanks, Buck. I knew I could count on you."
Arriving at the motel, Chris directed Josiah and Ezra to cover the back while Nathan and JD watched the front. He and Buck headed inside.
It took a minute to get the receptionist's attention and a minute more to convince her to get off the phone to Lulabelle, but Chris did it in the end. He showed her the photo of Tanner that he'd kept from the file, and then sighed as a totally blank look settled on her face.
"Well, he looks kinda familiar."
Exchanging a glance with Buck, Chris headed towards the stairs. They'd have more luck checking every room and hoping to flush Tanner out.
Once upstairs, Chris paused as a scent teased at the edges of his consciousness.
"Chris?"
Shaking off the hand Buck had put on his arm, Chris concentrated, then headed straight towards one door. Tanner could wait.
He reached the door and listened, revelling in the slow heartbeat that showed that his Guide was sleeping. Quietly kneeling, he pulled out a set of lock picks.
"Chris, what are you doing?" Buck demanded, his voice quiet.
The Sentinel glared at him, and Buck's eyes widened. "Oh no, partner, tell me you ain't found your Guide now - we're on a job!"
Growling softly in warning, Chris continued to manipulate the lock pick, then surged to his feet as his Guide's heartbeat went wild. Abandoning subtlety, the Sentinel kicked at the door lock then rolled into the room, keeping low in case his Guide panicked and used the guns that the Sentinel could smell.
His Guide was panicking, that much was certain, but he was also working on his escape. The window was wide open and his Guide - Tanner - was already halfway through it.
Snarling furiously, the Sentinel threw himself forward and grabbed at his Guide, only to miss as Tanner dangled the length of his arms for a brief moment, then dropped.
He landed and staggered, falling to sprawl on the floor, before scrambling to his feet and heading towards the corner of the building.
"Guide!" The rest of Larabee's team came running at the howl.
Buck's hand on his wrist stopped the Sentinel from throwing himself out of the window, but with a twist, Buck was hanging half out of the window himself, stretching his full length to allow the Sentinel to follow his Guide to the ground.
Chris dropped, and spun, racing after his Guide who was already struggling with Nathan and JD.
~'~
Tanner tried to wrench himself free as an unearthly howl of "Guide!" filled the air. He'd thought they were cops - if this was a Sentinel hunting pack, he was in even worse trouble than he'd assumed.
As he threw the smaller man to one side, the black man, bigger and more muscular than his companion, flung strong arms around Vin and held on the Guide twisted and flailed.
With a shock, Vin realised the man wasn't a Sentinel - although the sandy haired man heading towards them most definitely was.
Fear giving him strength, he managed to yank his captor forward, twisting to throw him over one hip. One arm pushed the smaller, dark-haired one back as he leapt over the prone man and fled towards the street.
The squeal of tyres caught his attention and Vin turned his head in time to see the car that was heading towards him. As he tried to dive out of the way, a heavy weight thudded into him and rolled with him, spinning them into the gutter on the other side of the road.
Vin saw the kerb as he rolled and knew, with a sickening lurch of his stomach, that he was going to hit it. The force of the movement was too much for him to pull back, and he felt the thud, then the world exploded into a dazzling display of stars and faded to black.
~'~
The Sentinel felt his Guide's head collide with the pavement, and managed to pull back in time to avoid landing on him and possibly injuring him more. As his Guide slumped into unconsciousness, the Sentinel snarled furiously.
"Hold up - just wait!" The frantic tone in Buck's voice broke through the Sentinel's fury, and Chris glanced over his shoulder in time to see Jenson reaching for his Guide, cuffs at the ready.
As the Sentinel rolled to his feet and grabbed at the challenger, his team swarmed in. One glance told him that Nathan was tending to his Guide, which left the Sentinel free to deal with the interloper.
"Chris, now let go of him. Jenson didn't know -"
"That man is under ar -" The rest of Jenson's words were lost as the Sentinel hoisted him into the air and shook him.
"My Guide!"
Jenson's eyes bulged and he made strangled noises.
Realising the man was not worth his time, the Sentinel threw him away from him and turned to gather his Guide up, crooning quietly.
"He's gonna be fine, Chris," Nathan murmured. "Though he'll have an almighty headache for a while."
"Hospital," Chris demanded.
"Ambulance is already on the way, partner." Buck's hand brushed his shoulder. "I'm just gonna deal with Jenson and the jackasses he came in with."
Chris growled again, not wanting to be reminded of Jenson, then hurriedly returned to making soothing noises as his Guide's eyelids flickered.
By the time the blue eyes were open, the ambulance was there; the medical personnel apparently willing to let the Sentinel fuss over the dazed Guide as he was moved from the street to the gurney and then into the ambulance. As the doors slammed shut, Chris heard Jenson protesting, but tuned the sound out; Buck would deal with them.
~'~
Vin frowned as he tried to make sense of things. He had been in the motel - he was sure of that. Then...he frowned some more, then let his frown fade as the medic fussed over him.
They reached the hospital and Vin looked around as the medic stayed with him every inch of the way.
He thought for a minute that the guy was growling at people too but his ears were ringing and things were getting pretty muzzy again, so he let the thought go. Anyway, he couldn't figure out why a medic would go around growling at people. That didn't make sense at all.
It wasn't until he was settled into a separate room that Vin managed to gather his addled wits together.
Separate room and medic guy....
The guy had to be a cop.
Damn.
He was surprised that Jenson wasn't there already; foaming at the mouth as he gleefully told Vin about the death penalty he might be facing once they got him back to Texas - assuming he survived the journey.
Forcing his eyes open, he watched the cop stalk up and down.
Just then the cop turned and hurried back to the bed. "It's all right, you're safe."
As a large hand stroked his hair back from his face, Vin frowned some more. Cops didn't usually act like this.
"Just relax."
"Who are you?" Vin demanded, his hoarse voice making him all too aware of his thirst.
The cop ignored the question, instead reaching for a cup and holding a straw to Vin's parched lips. "Not too much. You've got a concussion and your face looks like you went five rounds like Mike Tyson."
Vin grimaced; his face felt like he went five rounds with Mike Tyson.
"What do you remember?"
Licking his lips as the straw was removed, Vin concentrated. "I was in the motel room."
"That's all?"
As Vin nodded, the cop returned to stroking his hair. "I'm a Sentinel," he said softly.
Vin's fuzzy mind cleared a little at that. He remembered the scream of "Guide!" that had urged him on his way, and then the car bearing down on him.
"Shhhh. You're safe. No one's gonna hurt you."
"Jenson!" Vin panicked as he tried to sit up only to have the Sentinel pushed him back down.
"Jenson's not gonna get near you. You're my Guide, Vin, and I'll protect you."
"You don't understand -" Vin stopped. There was no point in trying to explain. Sentinel or no, the guy was a cop.
"Then tell me."
Shaking his head, Vin turned his face away. The brief flare of hope had died.
~'~
The Sentinel frowned as his Guide turned away; a Guide should never turn away from his Sentinel. The Sentinel was there to protect and his Guide would learn that he should always turn to his Sentinel, especially when he was in trouble. "Guide." His voice had a hint of a warning growl in it.
"Just forget it - call Jenson. I'm sure he'll be delighted to get his hands on me."
The warning growl erupted into a full-fledged snarl at that thought. "He's never going to get his hands on you - you're mine!"
The face turned back at that, the eyes wide with surprise. "You're a cop - I'm wanted for murder!"
"Did you do it?" Chris knew that his Guide hadn't, but he needed to hear him say it.
"No, not that that matters!"
As his Guide's vital signs spiked again, the Sentinel reacted instinctively, pulling his Guide into his arms and soothing him - ignoring the brief struggle his Guide put up. "Then we'll prove you didn't do it. Now relax."
"You don't understand," Vin repeated. "Jenson -"
"Then tell me!" Chris held Vin's face in place, refusing to let him turn away again.
Finally, Vin held his gaze. "Jenson was in on it. He and Jojo owed Masterson money, so Jojo killed him and Jenson covered his tracks."
The Sentinel's memory flickered back to when he'd seen that car heading towards his Guide. At the time, he'd been intent on reaching his Guide, saving him - even if it meant his own death. But now, looking back, he realised that the car had swerved towards Vin. And Jenson had been driving.
~'~
Buck sighed as he listened to Jenson's complaints yet again. After Tanner and Chris had left the scene, Jenson had finally agreed to go back to their offices in order to do his complaining in comfort. Buck wished he'd let Chris tear him apart. The paperwork would have been worth it.
"Buck?"
The quiet voice got Buck's attention and he looked up and leapt to his feet. He'd never been so glad to see JD as then.
"Can I -" the door swung shut behind them, and JD continued, dazedly, "have a word?"
"For saving me from that long-winded gasbag, you can have ten." Buck smiled, then his smile faded as he saw the serious looks on the team's faces. "What's going on?"
"We believe Mr. Jenson was attempting to run our fugitive down," Ezra stated. "As you may recall, the car changed its trajectory in order to hit Mr. Tanner."
As Buck frowned and attempted to translate that into English, Josiah put in, "The car swerved."
Swinging around, Buck glared at the door, then turned back. "JD, I want you to get Tanner's records - Jenson's too - and find out anything you can about this murder Tanner's supposedly wanted for. Josiah, Nathan, I want you to go keep Chris company at the hospital. He needs to know if Ta - his Guide's in danger."
Nathan grinned. "Ain't no one gonna get near Tanner if he's Chris' Guide."
"Amen, Brother," Josiah intoned as they headed out the door.
"And what exactly do you want me to do?" Ezra asked, one eyebrow lifted.
Buck grinned. "Get in there and bamboozle him with that ten dollar vocabulary of yours. The way he talks, you two ought to get on just fine."
Ezra stopped, a haughty look on his face. "Ten dollar? Please, Mr. Wilmington, my vocabulary is worth at least twenty."
"That'll do for me, Ez. Just keep him occupied."
~'~
By the time JD had finished getting the official files, and hacking into various computer systems to pull any unofficial files, Buck had had two cups of coffee and was feeling more human. Ezra hadn't left the room so he was pretty sure the Southerner was holding his own - not that Buck had any doubts that Ezra would win any battle of words Jenson tried to start.
The official computer files made it clear that Vin Tanner was the killer. An upstanding citizen had testified to seeing Mr. Tanner shoot the not-so-upstanding citizen and all the evidence had supported that testimony.
The unofficial computer files had painted a different picture. The upstanding citizen was a drug addict who owed the victim a great deal of money, as did the investigating cop.
Files in hand, Buck sent JD over to the hospital to show Chris the evidence.
He wasn't completely surprised when the Sentinel came bursting through the door, apparently ready to finish what he'd started in the road. Even Ezra's twenty dollar vocabulary failed in stopping a Sentinel in a primal rage, and Jenson's screamed confession was heard by not only Ezra and Buck (fine, upstanding citizens that they were) but also by Judge Travis.
The judge, taking a poor view of anyone attempting to arrest a Guide, waded into the mess and sorted it out.
The Sentinel was sent back to the hospital to guard his Guide, Buck and JD with him, while Travis had Jenson arrested, pending investigation.
The attempt at extradition that Jenson had already started was cancelled. Regardless of Vin Tanner's past, he was a Guide who was going to be claimed - no one was taking him anywhere.
In any case, in light of the new evidence that Travis was having officially collected, it was extremely doubtful any accusations would stand up in court. If Tanner had to return to Texas, it would be to hear himself be cleared of all charges.
Vin, meanwhile, was having to get used to being fussed over. He'd thought, when the Sentinel left, that he'd be able to escape his hospital bed and make a quiet getaway. Instead, he'd found himself being babysat by one large gentleman called Nathan and one even larger gentleman called Josiah while the shorter one called JD attempted to chat up his nurse.
No matter how good Vin was at hiding his tracks, it was hard to escape while the two large gentlemen were playing poker over his legs.
It was soon after Josiah had won all of Nathan's winnings, and was thanking him for his 'donation' to the church fund, that the Sentinel returned. As the three of them left to stand guard in the corridor, the Sentinel settled down in the seat next to the bed and leaned over Vin.
Vin could tell that the Sentinel was scanning him but he didn't mind. It felt safe, reassuring. And the guy had stopped Jenson in his tracks.
"How are you feeling?"
Vin managed a half-smile. "Not too bad, thanks."
"Good. Judge Travis is dealing with the paperwork but once you're released, you'll be a free man."
As Vin raised his eyebrows, the Sentinel reddened. "Well, kinda free."
"I thought so." The relief was making him sleepy and Vin turned his face into the pillow, watching the Sentinel as he scanned the room. "Just tell me one thing, Cowboy."
The Sentinel turned his attention back to him quickly. "Cowboy?"
Vin smiled at the glare. "Yeah, Cowboy."
Sighing and shaking his head, the Sentinel folded his arms. "And what would that one thing be?"
"What in tarnation is your name?"
The end
24th July 2006.
Btw, I'm not that knowledgeable about Mag 7, so it's a good thing I'm calling it AU. I got the name of the witness from another Mag 7 fic but I have no idea if it's true in canon.
Btw, there will, at some point, be an epilogue dealing with the actual bonding. In the meantime, here's the story.
The Beginning
by Arnie
Chris glanced through the file, wondering why it was so important that this Texan be captured. Okay, so the guy was a killer but so were at least half the guys on the wanted lists, so why was this cop so determined to have...Chris checked the name again...Tanner tracked down?
The Sentinel didn't like it. And he didn't like the small-eyed cop in front of him who was reeking of desperation and insincerity.
"I'm telling you, Larabee, this guy's dangerous. Just don't take any chances with him." The man's heartbeat increased. "He'll shoot you without thinking about it - so you should shoot him first, if you take my advice."
Chris smiled tightly. If he wanted the guy's advice, he'd ask for it. "I'll let you know when we catch him."
Closing the file, he indicated that the interview was over and, after a moment of indecision, the guy got the hint and left.
Flicking open the file again, Chris re-read the description of the 'killer'. Vin Tanner, twenty seven, wanted for murder.
~'~
Vin glanced around quickly as he entered the motel. No one appeared to be paying him any attention, which was how he liked it. After a few minutes of gazing at the receptionist as she filed her nails and assured Cindy that Jake really wasn't all that in the sack, he decided that he'd like someone to be paying attention, and finally rapped his knuckles on the desk.
The girl looked up, her attention still on her phone call.
"Can I have a room for the night?"
Rolling her eyes, she took his money and tossed a key in his general direction. "Room 32. No, Cindy, just some jackass wanting a room."
Vin raised an eyebrow as he shouldered his pack again and trudged off up the stairs. At least it meant she probably wouldn't remember him.
~'~
"Are you sure it was him?" Chris nodded as he listened. Sneaks was his favourite informant and the most reliable. "Okay, thanks." About to hang up, he stopped and listened some more. "Yeah - I got it. I owe you -" Sighing as Sneaks raved over the latest pair of sneakers he'd seen and had to possess, Chris promised to get him them and then got off the phone at last. "Buck!" Yanking open his door, Chris jerked his head at his second in command. "Tanner's been spotted."
Three minutes later, they were headed towards the motel. Glancing over at Bucklin, Chris could tell he had something on his mind. "What is it?"
"You never contacted that nice police officer who brought this case to your attention," Buck commented, his tone as mild as if he were talking about the weather.
"Well, now, I knew there was something I forgot."
"They say the memory's the first to go," Buck replied. He nodded wisely. "If Officer Jenson says anything, I'll make sure to tell him so."
Chris grinned. "Thanks, Buck. I knew I could count on you."
Arriving at the motel, Chris directed Josiah and Ezra to cover the back while Nathan and JD watched the front. He and Buck headed inside.
It took a minute to get the receptionist's attention and a minute more to convince her to get off the phone to Lulabelle, but Chris did it in the end. He showed her the photo of Tanner that he'd kept from the file, and then sighed as a totally blank look settled on her face.
"Well, he looks kinda familiar."
Exchanging a glance with Buck, Chris headed towards the stairs. They'd have more luck checking every room and hoping to flush Tanner out.
Once upstairs, Chris paused as a scent teased at the edges of his consciousness.
"Chris?"
Shaking off the hand Buck had put on his arm, Chris concentrated, then headed straight towards one door. Tanner could wait.
He reached the door and listened, revelling in the slow heartbeat that showed that his Guide was sleeping. Quietly kneeling, he pulled out a set of lock picks.
"Chris, what are you doing?" Buck demanded, his voice quiet.
The Sentinel glared at him, and Buck's eyes widened. "Oh no, partner, tell me you ain't found your Guide now - we're on a job!"
Growling softly in warning, Chris continued to manipulate the lock pick, then surged to his feet as his Guide's heartbeat went wild. Abandoning subtlety, the Sentinel kicked at the door lock then rolled into the room, keeping low in case his Guide panicked and used the guns that the Sentinel could smell.
His Guide was panicking, that much was certain, but he was also working on his escape. The window was wide open and his Guide - Tanner - was already halfway through it.
Snarling furiously, the Sentinel threw himself forward and grabbed at his Guide, only to miss as Tanner dangled the length of his arms for a brief moment, then dropped.
He landed and staggered, falling to sprawl on the floor, before scrambling to his feet and heading towards the corner of the building.
"Guide!" The rest of Larabee's team came running at the howl.
Buck's hand on his wrist stopped the Sentinel from throwing himself out of the window, but with a twist, Buck was hanging half out of the window himself, stretching his full length to allow the Sentinel to follow his Guide to the ground.
Chris dropped, and spun, racing after his Guide who was already struggling with Nathan and JD.
~'~
Tanner tried to wrench himself free as an unearthly howl of "Guide!" filled the air. He'd thought they were cops - if this was a Sentinel hunting pack, he was in even worse trouble than he'd assumed.
As he threw the smaller man to one side, the black man, bigger and more muscular than his companion, flung strong arms around Vin and held on the Guide twisted and flailed.
With a shock, Vin realised the man wasn't a Sentinel - although the sandy haired man heading towards them most definitely was.
Fear giving him strength, he managed to yank his captor forward, twisting to throw him over one hip. One arm pushed the smaller, dark-haired one back as he leapt over the prone man and fled towards the street.
The squeal of tyres caught his attention and Vin turned his head in time to see the car that was heading towards him. As he tried to dive out of the way, a heavy weight thudded into him and rolled with him, spinning them into the gutter on the other side of the road.
Vin saw the kerb as he rolled and knew, with a sickening lurch of his stomach, that he was going to hit it. The force of the movement was too much for him to pull back, and he felt the thud, then the world exploded into a dazzling display of stars and faded to black.
~'~
The Sentinel felt his Guide's head collide with the pavement, and managed to pull back in time to avoid landing on him and possibly injuring him more. As his Guide slumped into unconsciousness, the Sentinel snarled furiously.
"Hold up - just wait!" The frantic tone in Buck's voice broke through the Sentinel's fury, and Chris glanced over his shoulder in time to see Jenson reaching for his Guide, cuffs at the ready.
As the Sentinel rolled to his feet and grabbed at the challenger, his team swarmed in. One glance told him that Nathan was tending to his Guide, which left the Sentinel free to deal with the interloper.
"Chris, now let go of him. Jenson didn't know -"
"That man is under ar -" The rest of Jenson's words were lost as the Sentinel hoisted him into the air and shook him.
"My Guide!"
Jenson's eyes bulged and he made strangled noises.
Realising the man was not worth his time, the Sentinel threw him away from him and turned to gather his Guide up, crooning quietly.
"He's gonna be fine, Chris," Nathan murmured. "Though he'll have an almighty headache for a while."
"Hospital," Chris demanded.
"Ambulance is already on the way, partner." Buck's hand brushed his shoulder. "I'm just gonna deal with Jenson and the jackasses he came in with."
Chris growled again, not wanting to be reminded of Jenson, then hurriedly returned to making soothing noises as his Guide's eyelids flickered.
By the time the blue eyes were open, the ambulance was there; the medical personnel apparently willing to let the Sentinel fuss over the dazed Guide as he was moved from the street to the gurney and then into the ambulance. As the doors slammed shut, Chris heard Jenson protesting, but tuned the sound out; Buck would deal with them.
~'~
Vin frowned as he tried to make sense of things. He had been in the motel - he was sure of that. Then...he frowned some more, then let his frown fade as the medic fussed over him.
They reached the hospital and Vin looked around as the medic stayed with him every inch of the way.
He thought for a minute that the guy was growling at people too but his ears were ringing and things were getting pretty muzzy again, so he let the thought go. Anyway, he couldn't figure out why a medic would go around growling at people. That didn't make sense at all.
It wasn't until he was settled into a separate room that Vin managed to gather his addled wits together.
Separate room and medic guy....
The guy had to be a cop.
Damn.
He was surprised that Jenson wasn't there already; foaming at the mouth as he gleefully told Vin about the death penalty he might be facing once they got him back to Texas - assuming he survived the journey.
Forcing his eyes open, he watched the cop stalk up and down.
Just then the cop turned and hurried back to the bed. "It's all right, you're safe."
As a large hand stroked his hair back from his face, Vin frowned some more. Cops didn't usually act like this.
"Just relax."
"Who are you?" Vin demanded, his hoarse voice making him all too aware of his thirst.
The cop ignored the question, instead reaching for a cup and holding a straw to Vin's parched lips. "Not too much. You've got a concussion and your face looks like you went five rounds like Mike Tyson."
Vin grimaced; his face felt like he went five rounds with Mike Tyson.
"What do you remember?"
Licking his lips as the straw was removed, Vin concentrated. "I was in the motel room."
"That's all?"
As Vin nodded, the cop returned to stroking his hair. "I'm a Sentinel," he said softly.
Vin's fuzzy mind cleared a little at that. He remembered the scream of "Guide!" that had urged him on his way, and then the car bearing down on him.
"Shhhh. You're safe. No one's gonna hurt you."
"Jenson!" Vin panicked as he tried to sit up only to have the Sentinel pushed him back down.
"Jenson's not gonna get near you. You're my Guide, Vin, and I'll protect you."
"You don't understand -" Vin stopped. There was no point in trying to explain. Sentinel or no, the guy was a cop.
"Then tell me."
Shaking his head, Vin turned his face away. The brief flare of hope had died.
~'~
The Sentinel frowned as his Guide turned away; a Guide should never turn away from his Sentinel. The Sentinel was there to protect and his Guide would learn that he should always turn to his Sentinel, especially when he was in trouble. "Guide." His voice had a hint of a warning growl in it.
"Just forget it - call Jenson. I'm sure he'll be delighted to get his hands on me."
The warning growl erupted into a full-fledged snarl at that thought. "He's never going to get his hands on you - you're mine!"
The face turned back at that, the eyes wide with surprise. "You're a cop - I'm wanted for murder!"
"Did you do it?" Chris knew that his Guide hadn't, but he needed to hear him say it.
"No, not that that matters!"
As his Guide's vital signs spiked again, the Sentinel reacted instinctively, pulling his Guide into his arms and soothing him - ignoring the brief struggle his Guide put up. "Then we'll prove you didn't do it. Now relax."
"You don't understand," Vin repeated. "Jenson -"
"Then tell me!" Chris held Vin's face in place, refusing to let him turn away again.
Finally, Vin held his gaze. "Jenson was in on it. He and Jojo owed Masterson money, so Jojo killed him and Jenson covered his tracks."
The Sentinel's memory flickered back to when he'd seen that car heading towards his Guide. At the time, he'd been intent on reaching his Guide, saving him - even if it meant his own death. But now, looking back, he realised that the car had swerved towards Vin. And Jenson had been driving.
~'~
Buck sighed as he listened to Jenson's complaints yet again. After Tanner and Chris had left the scene, Jenson had finally agreed to go back to their offices in order to do his complaining in comfort. Buck wished he'd let Chris tear him apart. The paperwork would have been worth it.
"Buck?"
The quiet voice got Buck's attention and he looked up and leapt to his feet. He'd never been so glad to see JD as then.
"Can I -" the door swung shut behind them, and JD continued, dazedly, "have a word?"
"For saving me from that long-winded gasbag, you can have ten." Buck smiled, then his smile faded as he saw the serious looks on the team's faces. "What's going on?"
"We believe Mr. Jenson was attempting to run our fugitive down," Ezra stated. "As you may recall, the car changed its trajectory in order to hit Mr. Tanner."
As Buck frowned and attempted to translate that into English, Josiah put in, "The car swerved."
Swinging around, Buck glared at the door, then turned back. "JD, I want you to get Tanner's records - Jenson's too - and find out anything you can about this murder Tanner's supposedly wanted for. Josiah, Nathan, I want you to go keep Chris company at the hospital. He needs to know if Ta - his Guide's in danger."
Nathan grinned. "Ain't no one gonna get near Tanner if he's Chris' Guide."
"Amen, Brother," Josiah intoned as they headed out the door.
"And what exactly do you want me to do?" Ezra asked, one eyebrow lifted.
Buck grinned. "Get in there and bamboozle him with that ten dollar vocabulary of yours. The way he talks, you two ought to get on just fine."
Ezra stopped, a haughty look on his face. "Ten dollar? Please, Mr. Wilmington, my vocabulary is worth at least twenty."
"That'll do for me, Ez. Just keep him occupied."
~'~
By the time JD had finished getting the official files, and hacking into various computer systems to pull any unofficial files, Buck had had two cups of coffee and was feeling more human. Ezra hadn't left the room so he was pretty sure the Southerner was holding his own - not that Buck had any doubts that Ezra would win any battle of words Jenson tried to start.
The official computer files made it clear that Vin Tanner was the killer. An upstanding citizen had testified to seeing Mr. Tanner shoot the not-so-upstanding citizen and all the evidence had supported that testimony.
The unofficial computer files had painted a different picture. The upstanding citizen was a drug addict who owed the victim a great deal of money, as did the investigating cop.
Files in hand, Buck sent JD over to the hospital to show Chris the evidence.
He wasn't completely surprised when the Sentinel came bursting through the door, apparently ready to finish what he'd started in the road. Even Ezra's twenty dollar vocabulary failed in stopping a Sentinel in a primal rage, and Jenson's screamed confession was heard by not only Ezra and Buck (fine, upstanding citizens that they were) but also by Judge Travis.
The judge, taking a poor view of anyone attempting to arrest a Guide, waded into the mess and sorted it out.
The Sentinel was sent back to the hospital to guard his Guide, Buck and JD with him, while Travis had Jenson arrested, pending investigation.
The attempt at extradition that Jenson had already started was cancelled. Regardless of Vin Tanner's past, he was a Guide who was going to be claimed - no one was taking him anywhere.
In any case, in light of the new evidence that Travis was having officially collected, it was extremely doubtful any accusations would stand up in court. If Tanner had to return to Texas, it would be to hear himself be cleared of all charges.
Vin, meanwhile, was having to get used to being fussed over. He'd thought, when the Sentinel left, that he'd be able to escape his hospital bed and make a quiet getaway. Instead, he'd found himself being babysat by one large gentleman called Nathan and one even larger gentleman called Josiah while the shorter one called JD attempted to chat up his nurse.
No matter how good Vin was at hiding his tracks, it was hard to escape while the two large gentlemen were playing poker over his legs.
It was soon after Josiah had won all of Nathan's winnings, and was thanking him for his 'donation' to the church fund, that the Sentinel returned. As the three of them left to stand guard in the corridor, the Sentinel settled down in the seat next to the bed and leaned over Vin.
Vin could tell that the Sentinel was scanning him but he didn't mind. It felt safe, reassuring. And the guy had stopped Jenson in his tracks.
"How are you feeling?"
Vin managed a half-smile. "Not too bad, thanks."
"Good. Judge Travis is dealing with the paperwork but once you're released, you'll be a free man."
As Vin raised his eyebrows, the Sentinel reddened. "Well, kinda free."
"I thought so." The relief was making him sleepy and Vin turned his face into the pillow, watching the Sentinel as he scanned the room. "Just tell me one thing, Cowboy."
The Sentinel turned his attention back to him quickly. "Cowboy?"
Vin smiled at the glare. "Yeah, Cowboy."
Sighing and shaking his head, the Sentinel folded his arms. "And what would that one thing be?"
"What in tarnation is your name?"
The end
24th July 2006.
