J.D. darted out of the livery at the same time Buck Wilmington rushed from Potter’s. The younger man shook his head.

“Damn,” Buck cursed.

Chris Larabee appeared out of the newspaper office, stepped off the porch and began marching down the street with short, sharp strides, his black duster flying up behind him. “Well?” he shouted. The entire town froze, Larabee’s voice echoing off the walls of the buildings. The citizens of Four Corners had never seen the gunfighter quite so worked up.

“No sign of him,” Buck stated, striding up to his leader.

Ezra, Nathan and Josiah approached from separate directions.

“No one’s seen him this morning.”

“And Peso’s in his stall,” J.D. confirmed, completing the group.

Larabee’s already hard face became brutally intense. His green eyes, that were usually so guarded, showed true concern. Vin was missing. If it were one of the others, any of the others, it would not have been such a concern, but the rest of the Seven didn’t have a $500 bounty on their head... Vin did.

“Search again!” Chris roared. He was worried. He was more than worried. If Vin had left town for some reason, he would have told one of the boys. Tanner wouldn’t have just taken off... unless he was forced against his will. “Search again!” Larabee repeated.

“But...” J.D. started. He clamped his mouth shut as Chris Larabee sent the infamous Larabee glare in the youth’s direction. For the first time, J.D. Dune understood why others feared the dark, serious gunfighter.

“I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Dunne,” Ezra proclaimed carefully. “If Mr. Tanner were in town, we would have found him.”

“Vin’s pretty accomplished at blending into the background,” Josiah argued.

“In the wilderness, yes. In the middle of Four Corners, no,” the gambler pointed out.

“I think...”

“SHUT UP! Search again!” Chris was beyond rage. His concern for his best friend pushed him into a nameless abyss - the closest place would be hell itself. Emotions he had not felt for a long time were attacking him from within. He would not go through that torment again. He had promised himself that he would not experience that anguish a second time. He would not stand by and watch someone he cared about stolen from him... and he did care about Vin. Damn the dusty tracker to hell. When Sarah and Adam had been murdered, Chris had shut the world out for this very reason, but Vin had no respect for Larabee’s need to be alone. Tanner hadn’t forced his friendship on Chris, though. Quite the opposite in fact. Vin’s friendship was something that had just been there. Right from the first moment they had laid eyes on each other. There was no explanation for it. Theirs was a complete and absolute friendship, but then, friendship was the wrong word. What these two shared was brotherhood.

“Chris...” Buck started. He knew questioning his oldest friend at this point was dangerous, but Vin’s life may be in danger and if he had been captured by bounty hunters, then every second counted. After all, Vin was wanted dead or alive and most bounty hunters found it easier to transport a corpse. They didn’t have to worry about feeding it or it escaping. In other words, the Seven couldn’t afford to waste any more time... Vin’s life may depend on it.

“Look again!” Chris growled in an explosion of sound. It was so unlike Larabee to raise his voice. The gunfighter glared at his fellow regulators who just stood staring at him. Vin was in town somewhere. Chris didn’t know why he knew, he just did. “He’s here somewhere. Find him.”

Buck, Josiah, Ezra, Nathan and J.D. glanced at one another and then jogged off to check every nook and cranny that may have swallowed their friend. While they collectively felt it was time to leave town and try to pick up Vin’s trail before it went cold, none were prepared to argue with Larabee on a matter like this. There was only one thing that sent Chris’ temper to breaking point and that was a sense of failure... his failure to protect those he cared about. More to the point, Larabee and Tanner had an uncanny understanding of each other - an unnerving connection, Ezra called it. If Larabee felt that Vin was still in town, then there was a damn good chance he was. Chris appeared so certain.

Larabee strode toward the boarding house. Several people saw him coming and darted out of his way. They watched as the gunfighter disappeared and then began to mutter softly among themselves.

Chris threw open the unlocked door of J.D.’s room. It was empty.

Larabee couldn’t explain why he was so sure that Vin was in town but... so where the hell was he? Had he had an accident? Was he hurt?! Had a bounty hunter captured him unawares and left him tied up hidden in town. Chris cursed. Vin had to be somewhere!

Larabee intended searching every room. Every cupboard. Every two-inch space of Four Corners and no one on God’s earth was going to stop him!

The third door Chris tried was locked. He pounded on it.

“Go away!”

“Open up! Now!”

“Get lost!”

Chris raised his foot and slammed it against the door. The lock shattered, the door collapsing inward. A man and woman stared up at the intruder from the bed, their eyes large and their mouths gaping open. Like an avenging angle, Larabee strode in, glanced around the room, opened the cupboard and then marched back into the hallway to continue his search.

“Who was that?” the woman asked, her voice trembling with both shock and fear.

The man swallowed considering what he had said through the door... more importantly, whom he had said it to. “That was Chris Larabee.”

“What did he want?”

“Who cares, I wasn’t about to ask him!”

“Why?” There was the sound of a crash from further down the hall as another door collided with Larabee’s unmerciful boot.

The man turned to look at the woman like she was an imbecile. “Why? That was Chris Larabee!”

**********

J.D. climbed into the hayloft in the livery. He had visions of Vin having been tied up by a bounty hunter and left here until the scavenger was ready to leave town. Unfortunately there was no sign of his friend. J.D. prayed that when they found Vin he was okay.

**********

“No, Mr. Standish, I haven’t seen him since he came back this morning just after dawn. Said good morning to me and kept on going. You know what Mr. Tanner‘s like. He doesn‘t say much.”

“Was there anyone following him?” Ezra felt it was an absurd question but he had to ask. Someone trailing Vin without the tracker’s knowledge was a contradiction in terms. No one could track Vin. Tanner was far too accomplished a tracker himself not to be aware of those around him. For all of these reasons, Ezra had the grave feeling that Vin was in considerable trouble.

**********

“Have you found him?” Mary called to Buck as he strode by.

The scoundrel stopped walking and shook his head. “No Ma’am. And I gotta admit, I’m starting to get concerned. It ain’t like Vin to just disappear without tellin’ Chris.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Just look everywhere you can think of Ma’am.”

**********

“Nathan?” Josiah called. The dark skinned healer shook his head and then disappeared into the blacksmith’s shed.

Josiah’s brow furrowed with anxiety. “Where are you, Vin?”

**********

Larabee climbed the stairs and continued his agonizing search. With each empty room came an increased sense of trepidation.

As Chris reached halfway along the corridor, his attention was drawn to a closed door at the very end. Larabee’s eyebrows drew down. Why was the door closed? Technically, the room belonged to Vin. It was the one he was entitled to utilize as part of his contract with Judge Travis, but Vin never used it. He preferred his wagon. He hated being enclosed and the third floor of the boarding house left him feeling both vulnerable and hemmed in. The tracker didn’t even employ the room when it rained, choosing to brave the weather rather than find comfort and warmth indoors.

Hence, the door of Vin’s empty rented room was always open. Why was it closed today?

Chris started walking, but found himself jogging the last few paces. “Vin?!” he called as he flung the door open with such force it left its hinges.

Vin Tanner’s feet hit the floor before he was awake, the mare’s leg that had been strategically placed by his right hand, now levelled at Larabee. “Chris?” For several seconds the two men stared at each other and then both broke into a tirade of curses.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were...

“Were what? Havin’ a nap?!” Chris watched as Vin flopped back onto the bed. “Man can’t have nap without you bastards stickin’ your nose into his business.” Tanner shivered unconsciously. That involuntary action explained a lot. Now Chris understood why Vin was ‘hiding’ in here.

“Why didn’t you go and see Nathan?” Larabee demanded, the relief he felt draining away the anger.

“Nathan don’t come and tell me when he’s tired,” the tracker mumbled pulling the blanket up around himself. “Don’t see why I should be tellin’ him about my sleepin’ habits!”

Chris continued to stare at his friend with a mixture of amusement, sympathy and overwhelming and incredible relief. Before the gunfighter could say any more, Buck rushed into the room. “You found him! Thank, God. I’ll tell the others.” With that, Buck disappeared in a roar of sound. “WEEEE FOOOOUUUUND HIMMMMMM!!!!!!”

“Vin?”

“Close the door on your way out, Larabee,” Vin grumbled trying to settle. “What’s left of it, anyway.”

“Vin!” J.D. exclaimed clamouring into the room and pushing passed Chris. The boy’s face flushed with surprise. “You’re laying down?” Every syllable echoed his amazement. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Vin was lying down... in the middle of the day?!!

“You’re real quick today, Kid,” Vin muttered, drawing himself up into a sitting position and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

“You sick?” the boy pressed.

“No, I ain’t sick. I just decided to have a nap. Thought I’d use the bed. That okay with you?!”

“Mr. Tanner!” Ezra exclaimed, slipping onto the tiny room behind Chris. “We have been... “ Ezra’s annoyed voice faded out as he took in the scene. “Mr. Tanner, are you feeling unwell?”

Vin rolled his eyes. “Can’t a man decide to...”

“Thank the Lord you’re safe, brother.” Josiah paused, staring at Vin who was leaning up against the wall with the blanket draped half on him and half on the ground. “I’ll go fetch Nathan.”

“I already did,” Buck informed his friends as he squeezed into the room. “So, you sick, Vin?”

“No, I ain’t sick! Hell!” Vin stared into his friends’ concerned faces and immediately changed his tone. “I’m sorry if I panicked ya, but there ain’t nothin’ wrong. I ain’t sick or anythin‘. I just decided to use the bed today. I feel fine. Didn’t realize it would cause such a fuss. But I ain’t sick.”

“I do believe that he protests too much,“ Josiah chuckled.

“I ain’t sick! I just decided to come and lay down.”

“But you never lay down in the day,” J.D. stated.

“Well, I wanted to today. I appreciate ya concern, but I ain’t sick. So ya can all go back to what ya was...”

“Alright, all of you out,” Nathan ordered, pushing himself into the tiny space. “I need some room to examine him.”

“Shit, are ya all hard of hearin‘?! I ain’t sick!! Now get the hell out of here and leave me be!”

“Ya sure are irritable for a man who ain‘t sick,” Buck commented with a grin. “You sure you ain’t...”

“I’M NOT SICK!!!”

“You’re looking a little pale, Vin,“ Nathan assessed.

“The door’s right behind you... USE IT!”

His friends all stood staring at him. Then they twisted to look at Chris. Larabee inclined his head. The group turned and started for the door. Chris kept his eyes firmly on Vin’s annoyed expression.

All of the sudden, Tanner’s face twitched. Abruptly, he spun around on the bed, his hand darting under the pillow. An explosion echoed out of him. Vin pulled the handkerchief way from his face. He froze, realizing he had an audience. He lifted his eyes. Chris had stepped up to the side of the bed and was glaring down at him. All of his other friends were crowded in the doorway smiling in triumph.

“Dust,” Vin offered lamely, shoving the handkerchief into his pocket.

“Nathan,” Chris snarled. The healer stepped back into the room, shooing the others out. The rest of Four Corners regulators flooded into hallway and headed for the stairs knowing that their pig-headed friend was in good hands. To their delight, Vin’s muffled protests unceremoniously echoed out of the room.

“Awww hell. Will ya just leave me be.”

“You’ve got a fever, Vin. Pull that blanket up around him, Chris.”

“Look, I’m just a bit...” Another bone-shattering sneeze exploded out of the tracker.

“Dust,” Ezra explained to Buck earnestly as they made their way down the corridor.

A third sneeze reverberated off the walls. “Awww hell.”

Buck Wilmington turned to J.D. “Dust,” he pointed out seriously.

J.D. glanced at Josiah and stated in a dead pan voice. “Dust.”

Josiah Sanchez nodded his head and then smiled broadly. “Dust my ass!”

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© March 2001 Aussie Lass : This relates only to the creative property in this story. The distinctive way the story unfolds, the specific dialogue and unique situations are mine. I acknowledge that some of the characters and settings belong to MGM and Trilogy Entertainment and thank them sincerely for turning a blind eye so I can borrow them. (g) No infrigement of copyright was intended and no profit has been made from this story... so, please don't sue me. It wouldn't be worth your while.

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