J.D. watched his companions escort the two prisoners into town.

“Where the hell did you get to?” Buck asked his young companion as he dismounted. “Thought you and Chris were right behind us.”

The sheriff of Four Corners ignored the comment, or more correctly, didn’t respond because he didn’t hear it. He was totally obsessed with the two men being covered by Josiah and Ezra’s rifles. Without warning, J.D. attacked. The incensed young man grabbed the closest of the prisoners, dragged him from the saddle and began to pummel him. Startled, Buck seized the youth and wrestled him back away from his victim.

“J.D.! What’s got into you?!”

Ezra and Josiah eyed their young friend with a mixture of shock and concern.

“You bastards!” J.D. screamed. He was completely out of control. None of the men had ever seen their friend this angry.

“J.D.! J.D.!” Buck yelled, wrapping his companion up in his arms as he tried to calm him. J.D. appeared intent on getting his hands on the two prisoners. “What’s got into you?!”

“You bastards!“

“J.D.?“ Ezra exclaimed, stepping in front of his trembling friend and effectively blocking out the view of the two prisoners that Josiah was holding. “Easy, my friend.“ Finally, J.D. began to gather himself. “Are you alright?“ the gambler asked, more gently than others gave him credit for.

“Yeah. Sorry.“

Buck still held the shaking youth. “Kid?“

“One of them shot Chris!”

“What?!” his three friends thundered.

“When?” Buck demanded, releasing his companion.

“Happened in the livery when we were shooting at them. I noticed Chris on the ground and.. he’d been hit, Buck.”

“How bad?” Wilmington’s face shadowed with anger.

J.D. swallowed. He opened his mouth but no words were forthcoming. Buck shoved J.D. out of the way and jogged toward the clinic, climbing the stairs two at a time.

“Mr. Dunne, what is Mr. Larabee’s condition?”

J.D. swallowed. “I rode out and got Nathan. He’s with him. Ezra it... he...”

Josiah, who had one prisoner grasped in each hand, forced them ahead of him. “Come brothers. We need to pray for your souls. If Chris dies, your souls will need to be prepared.”

Out of nowhere, Vin Tanner appeared. His face was almost blank, but his eyes were coloured with both anger and concern. “Chris isn’t going to die. Nathan’s dug the bullet out. He’s going to be fine.”

“What happened?”

“Chris got shot.” The words were emotionless, like Vin was doing his best to control whatever emotions were simmering below the surface. Without further explanation, Vin turned and walked away, reflecting on the incident that had led to his best friend lying in the clinic....

“Vin! Vin!”

Tanner rose to his feet and strode toward the batwing doors of the saloon. J.D. yelling was not completely out of the ordinary. J.D. yelling his name was. Some moments before, there had been a couple of muffled shots. Vin had started for the opening, but the bullets had stopped almost immediately. Chris and the others were outside. If they needed him, they’d call. After five hours in the saddle, Vin wanted nothing more than to sit in the saloon alone with his beer. Clearly that wasn’t to be.

The tracker shouldered through the swinging doors and searched the street.

J.D. was jogging toward him, his face flushed. “Vin!”

“What is it, Kid?” The tracker’s voice was soft and calm. There was very little that could rile Vin Tanner.

“You gotta come!”

“Where?”

“The livery. Come on!” J.D. grabbed Vin’s arm and physically began dragging his older friend.

“Calm down there, Kid. I’m comin’. What have ya done?”

“I didn’t do it! One of them horse thieves they... oh, Vin. They did it.”

“Did what?” J.D. continued to rush Vin toward the livery, the tracker’s ambling strides never at any stage changing length or pace despite the sheriff’s efforts to haul him.

“Come on, you gotta hurry!”

Vin shook his head with amusement. There was no telling what had J.D. worked up. “Whatever it is, Kid, it ain’t goin’ nowhere.”

“No, you don’t understand! We gotta hurry!” For the first time, Vin noted more than J.D.’s usual insistence. There was real concern clouding the youth’s eyes.

As the pair entered the livery, J.D. pointed.

“Chris?!” Vin cried, leaping forward. Larabee was seated on the ground in the middle of the stable. Seated, but listing to one side. Tanner saw the blood immediately. The gunfighter’s face was set in a grimace. Vin raced to his friend and dropped by his side.

“It bad?” the tracker asked.

“How the hell do I know, I can’t see it!”

Vin dropped his eyes.

J.D. swallowed.

The tracker’s face remained blank.

“One of them bastards shot Chris in the ass!” J.D. burst out.

“Shut-up!” Larabee roared

Vin ignored the men, reached down and parted the material around the wound.

“It still in there?” Larabee growled.

“Yeah. J.D.?”

“I’m here, Vin.” The boy was hovering several feet away. When he had spotted Chris on the ground he had rushed forward. When he had seen the location of the wound he had raced to get Vin. Vin would know what to do. It was one thing to get shot, but to be shot in the ass... that was humiliating! No one deserved that! Certainly not Chris Larabee!

Tanner pulled the bandana from his neck and applied pressure to the wound in an effort to stop the bleeding.

Chris swore and grimaced.

J.D. Dunne started shaking his head. He just couldn‘t believe it. “Vin they shot him in the...” Chris glared at the youth. J.D. swallowed and stepped back.

“Where are the others?“ Tanner demanded

“They took off after the two fellas who shot Chris in the... ”

Buck, Josiah, Chris, Ezra and J.D. had walked right in on two horse thieves who were brazenly helping themselves to the animals in the livery. Startled by the appearance of the regulators, the robbers had opened fire. Immediately, Larabee and his men spread out and returned fire.

“We didn’t know Chris was hit.“

J.D. had been the last to mount his horse. Out of the corner of his eye he had spotted his leader on the ground. By the time he realized something was wrong, the others were gone.

“Kid, race up to the clinic and get me some bandages and then ride out to the Turner place and get Nathan.” The youth nodded and raced off to carry out his companion‘s instructions.

“J.D.!” Chris snarled. The boy paused. “You tell anyone and I’ll wring your damn neck!” J.D.’s eyes grew wide. He nodded vigorously and then shot out of the livery to retrieve the bandages. “I can’t stay here,” Chris insisted, trying to get to his feet. Chris Larabee was a proud man. There was no way he was going to take the chance that someone would walk in and see that...

“Just settle down there, Cowboy. You ain’t movin’ nowhere until I’ve got this bleedin’ stopped.”

“Either help me up or get out of my way!”

“Chris!” Larabee and Tanner’s eyes accosted each other. It was a battle Vin never had a hope of winning. Without a word, he laced his wounded friend’s arm over his shoulder and pulled Larabee to his feet. Chris made no sound.

“You ain’t gonna be able to walk,” Vin argued.

“Yes I will.”

“Chris...”

“Just help me get to the clinic.”

Buck burst out of the clinic and marched down the stairs with short sharp strides. Those people on the street paused to watch him. Seeing Chris Larabee stride down the street with a face like thunder would not have surprised them. Seeing the town scoundrel do so was astounding.

“Buck?” Vin stated, stepping in front of the door to the sheriff’s office. Buck had murder on his mind and Vin knew it.

“Get out of my way, Vin.”

“Buck.” Vin raised his hand for calm.

“Did you see what they did to him?! Down right mongrel sonofabitch bastards!”

“Calm down, Buck.”

“Get out of my way, Vin.”

“You ain’t gonna help Chris by killing them.”

“No, but it will make me feel better.” The anger was leaving the big man. “Vin, they shot him in the ass.”

Tanner nodded. “He’s okay. Nathan says he’s going to be fine. Wound‘s clean and Chris didn‘t lose a lot of blood. His pride is hurt more than anythin‘”

“Yeah, I know." If it weren't for the location of the bandage, Chris wouldn't still be in the clinic. Buck swallowed. "Hell, Vin, they shot him in the ass. How's Chris gonna face anyone? I mean... it's embarrassing!”

“Reckon you should keep your voice down, Buck. Ain’t the sort of thing a man would want advertised all over town.”

Buck sighed and shook his head. He and the other boys were hard men. They had seen a lot of terrible things in their lives. They‘d seen friends shot in chest, stomach... even the head. Such incidents left a man feeling angered but it was the way of things. However, shooting a man in the ass was the most despicable thing Buck had ever come across. It just wasn‘t something a man did to someone. Hell, not even to his worst enemy. There were rules. Unwritten rules, but rules all the same. Rules that said shooting a man in the head was the callus act of a bastard or the necessary act of a man defending what was right. Shooting a man in the back was the act of a coward... unexceptable, but part of life. But shooting a man in the ass crossed the line! There was no acceptable explanation.

“I’m gonna go and sit with him for a while. He‘s pissed at the moment. Reckon Nathan may need a hand.”

Vin nodded, watched the other man go and then entered the sheriff’s office where Josiah, Ezra and J.D. were collected.

"How's Chris?"

“Fine, but mad as hell. Do you know which one of them did it?” Vin asked. His voice was low and lethal. He had no intention of killing the shooter, but by God he would make him pay!

“Not yet.”

“They both carry the same type of gun,“ Josiah muttered. No way to identify the shooter by the bullet Nathan had dug out of Chris. “Reckon you’ll be able to tell?” Vin Tanner was a sharpshooter. Calculating the trajectory of a bullet was something he did without thought. Josiah was certain that Vin would be able to identify the coward who had shot Chris in the... Josiah began to shake his head. It just wasn’t right.

Vin eyed the other men carefully. Finding out which of the lowlifes had shot Chris was definitely high on the tracker‘s list of things to do. However, he was concerned with just what Buck may do with the information. Buck Wilmington was seen by most as a friendly fun loving man who was easy going and enjoyed life. That was certainly true, but Vin knew that his fellow protector had a darker side. Buck was a gunfighter. He lived by his gun. Those who chose to cross him did so at their own peril. Those that interfered with Wilmington’s friends did not live to tell the tale.

“Vin, I gotta know. I mean, it ain’t right for someone to shoot someone in the...” J.D. glanced around to make sure he wasn’t being overheard. “... in the ass. It just ain’t right, Vin.”

Tanner nodded his understanding. He inclined his head.

“We’ll keep an eye on the prisoners.” Both Josiah and Ezra understood that Buck really wasn’t likely to be rational if he ever came face to face with the two men that had shot Chris.

J.D. and Vin entered the livery. Immediately J.D. began to described the battle in detail. Vin said nothing, standing in the middle of the livery frowning as J.D. flitted around the room demonstrating every person’s position.

“So can you tell Vin?” Tanner turned and marched out of the livery without replying. “Vin? Vin you ain’t gonna kill him are you? Vin?!”

**********

Chris glanced across at the door as Vin entered. Buck acknowledged the newcomer with a nod.

“Cowboy?” Vin asked.

Larabee simply scowled. Vin leaned up against the wall, his brow furrowed with deep thought. Chris’ wound wasn’t serious, just embarrassing.

“If anyone breathes a word of this...” Larabee started.

“Don’t worry, Chris. Ain’t no one gonna hear it from us. We’ll just tell ‘em you got shot in the leg,” Buck offered.

“Chris, you should be trying to get some sleep. Your body has...”

“Shut-up, Nathan,” Larabee grumbled. “Vin?”

“I’ll deal with it,” the tracker assured his best friend quietly. Chris nodded satisfied that Vin would do so. “Buck, you better go and talk to J.D. We don’t want him tellin’ no one about this. You know how excitable he can get.”

Wilmington nodded, patted Larabee’s arm and then headed for the door. “Don’t you worry none, Chris. We’ll make the bastard pay.”

**********

Night had descended on Four Corners. All of the regulators except Chris were collected in the saloon. The atmosphere was mournful to say the least. For a long time none of the men spoke. If Chris had been shot in the arm or leg, or even the chest they would have been concerned, sympathetic and angered. But this... Larabee’s friends were incensed!

“What sort of a man shoots a man in the ass?” Buck muttered.

“A bastard,” Nathan murmured.

“A low, wretched knave,” Ezra voiced softly.

“A cur,” Josiah stated.

“An unspeakable brute,” the gambler added.

“A mongrel,” Buck put in.

“ A foul miscreant.”

“A sonofabitch,” J.D. whispered.

“A coarse degenerate who should be strung up from the nearest tree like the vile, disgusting offensive piece of manure that he is.” Of the entire group, it wasn’t surprising that Ezra was best able to voice his disgust.

“It ain’t right,” J.D. agreed. Silence engulfed the group.

“I mean it... it, it, it,... hell!” Buck exclaimed.

“Exactly,” Josiah agreed.

“I’ve seen some low things in my life but this...” Buck stated.

“Yep, low.”

“Real low.”

“Lower than low.”

“The lowest of low!”

Buck glanced at Vin. The tracker hadn’t said a word all evening. He had kept his head down; his eyes directed at some obscure spot on the other side of the room.

“We should do something about this. I mean, we can’t let that bastard get away with it,” Buck growled.

“For once, I agree with you, Mr. Wilmington. Shooting a man is an acceptable necessity in certain situations but shooting a man in the derriere is an appalling and heinous act so unacceptable and offensive that retribution seems not only proper but also an unquestioned necessity!”

Buck nodded vigorously. “If I had my way...”

“Buck...” Nathan said quietly. “Let’s not get carried away.”

“Nathan, they shot him in the ass. IN THE ASS!”

Several people around the regulators glanced in their direction. Instantly the group became quiet.

“I mean it’s just... it’s just about the lowest thing a man can do to a body.”

“Lower than low.”

“The lowest of low.”

“Vin?” Josiah asked the silent member of the group. “You know which of them did it, don’t you?” Tanner’s face came up. He glanced around at his friends but said nothing. Normally the young man’s face was blank. Tonight, it was torn. Without a word, the tracker rose to his feet, tipped his hat and left the saloon. Buck started to rise to his feet.

Nathan stopped him. “Leave him, Buck.”

“But I want to know.”

“Do you think he’ll kill him?” J.D. asked.

Josiah glanced at Ezra. The gambler considered the question. “Mr. Tanner can be a somewhat unpredictable man.”

“He’s trying to decide what he should do,” Josiah reflected. “Let’s hope he comes to the correct decision.”

“So you reckon he’ll kill him?”

“Perhaps,” Ezra murmured. “Of course, I wouldn’t blame him. The cold, callus act...” And so the discussion continued for several hours.

**********

Buck watched Vin leave the clinic, cross the street and head into the livery. The scoundrel stepped off the porch and followed his companion. He found Vin standing, leaning up against a stall, a piece of grass between his teeth. Clearly, he had been expecting Buck.

“Vin! I want to know. I know you know and I want to know. I got a right to know! Chris and me have been ridin‘ together a long time. What this fella has done is unforgivable. I mean shooting a man in the ass, it‘s, it‘s, its... hell, it‘s unforgivable!”

Vin flicked his eyes to Buck and then went back to staring at the ground. His expression was unreadable.

“Dammit, Vin. I want to know who shot Chris in the ass!”

“And if I tell ya, what are you gonna do?”

“Well, I’ve thought about it long and hard and I reckon I like Ezra’s suggestion best.”

“And what’s that?” Vin asked, flicking the piece of grass away and studying Buck thoughtfully.

“Tar and feathers.”

Vin pursed his lips and then nodded. “Reckon I agree with that.” Tanner reached into his pocket, withdrew a bullet and handed it to Buck. “It’s a thirty-eight.”

Buck eyed the bullet and then looked back at Vin. “So?”

“Nathan dug that out of Chris.”

“So?”

“The two fellas we’ve got in the jail carry forty-twos.”

Buck stared at Vin. Suddenly, his hand came up to cover his mouth. His pupils enlarged to the point where it looked like his eyes were going to pop clear out of his head. Buck’s hand fell away. His mouth was moving at a million miles an hour but no sound was coming out. Abruptly, Buck’s hand flew back up to cover his mouth.

“You shot Larabee in the ass, Buck.”

The scoundrel’s other hand came up to cover the first and he began to shake his head viciously. “No. No, no, no, no, no. I... it ain’t possible!”

“You’re the only one who carries a thirty-eight.”

“But... no, no, no, no. Oh, God.”

“The lowest of low,” Vin muttered. “Shooting a man in the ass.”

“It was an accident!” Buck exploded. “Oh, God. He’ll kill me. You ain’t told him have you?”

“Nope. But if he asks me...”

Buck leapt forward and grabbed Vin’s shoulders. “No, Vin, you can’t. I mean...” Buck let his friend go and began to pace. “He’ll kill me. Oh, God! I can’t believe that I...”

“You shot Chris in the ass,“ Vin muttered, shaking his head.

Buck’s hand came up to cover his mouth again.

“Yep, that’s pretty low, Bucklin. Now what was it you said... the lowest of low.”

“Oh, God. Promise me you won’t tell anyone. Please, Vin?”

Tanner stared at his friend and then grinned. “Your secret’s safe with me, Buck.”

**********

Two days later, Chris limped into the saloon. Many people called out greetings and asked how his injured leg was healing. Larabee simply stared straight ahead assessing people’s expressions to see if anyone knew what had really happened.

Buck leapt to his feet and pulled out a chair. “Here, Chris. Let me help you.” Wilmington took his leader’s arm and helped to lower Larabee into the seat. Chris nodded and gently settled himself.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Larabee?”

“I could use a drink.”

“I’ll get it for you!” Buck cried, racing to the bar to do so. Chris watched Buck and reflected on the past two days. Every time Chris had turned around, Buck was there to offer assistance. Nothing had been too much trouble. Buck had always been there when he needed him... even when he didn’t need him.

“Here you go, Chris. You hungry? Want anything to eat?” Wilmington was speaking so fast that he was stumbling over the words.

“No, I’m alright, thanks, Buck.”

“You sure? I don’t mind going and getting you something.”

“Sit down, Buck.”

“Things have been quiet,” Josiah stated, trying to make conversation.

Larabee nodded.

“There were some problems out at Packard’s ranch, but we dealt with it.”

“Vin went out and checked on your cabin for you, yesterday.”

“Everything okay?” Larabee asked. They were making small talk. No one knew how to deal with the uncomfortable situation. The bottom line was, Chris had been shot in the ass. It just wasn’t something men could sit around and discuss. A leg wound could be discussed but... everyone was avoiding the issue.

“I can go out and check on everything for you again tomorrow, Chris,” Buck offered.

“Thanks, Buck.” Larabee tipped his whisky to his lips and glanced at Vin Tanner. The reserved tracker had his face lowered. That was unusual. Vin normally kept an eye on the entire room.

“You okay, Vin?” Chris asked. Tanner’s head bobbed once. Larabee’s eyes narrowed. Buck’s eyes enlarged.

“Hell, Chris, you’ve finished your drink already! I’ll go get you another one!” Buck bounded across to the bar, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his brow.

Larabee stared at Buck. He glanced at Vin and then looked back at Buck who grinned and waved. In that split second, the penny dropped. Vin’s refusal to say whether he had worked out who was responsible. Buck’s need to ‘help’ with everything.

“Buck?!” Larabee growled.

Wilmington swallowed. “Yes, Chris?”

Chris’ face darkened. “Buck?!”

“Chris?” The other men at the table watched the scene curiously. Vin Tanner’s body began to quake.

Chris shot him a look of undiluted anger. Vin was laughing. Vin Tanner was the only man on the planet who would even consider laughing in this situation. “BUCK!” Chris growled, awkwardly rising to his feet. The others stared from Chris’s look of rage, to Buck’s guilty expression, to the quietly quaking tracker.

“Oh!” J.D. gasped.

“No!” Josiah exclaimed.

“He didn’t?!” Nathan asked.

“Mr. Wilmington, how could you?!”

“BUCK! “ Chris roared.

Buck leapt over the bar placing it between himself and oldest friend. “Now, Chris. Chris, you calm down there. It was an accident.”

“A low act,” Josiah muttered.

“A very low act,” Nathan agreed.

“Lower than low,” Ezra stated seriously.

“The lowest of low,” Vin chuckled.

“Buck!” J.D. exclaimed. “Buck! I can‘t believe it!”

“Shhhh!” Buck yelled. Larabee started to advance. “Chris. Chris calm down. You know I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.”

“An accident?”

Buck decided now would be a good time to make a run for it. He shot out the back door. Chris strode after him.

“Do you think we should go after them?” J.D. asked.

“Nahhh,” Vin chuckled.

“Chris looked pretty mad.”

“I am sure Mr. Wilmington will be fine.”

J.D. shook his head. “I don’t know. Chris looked awful angry.”

“Chris won’t make a fuss. He doesn’t want anyone to know what happened.”

“Chris will take this to his grave,” Nathan agreed.

“Mr. Larabee will never utter anything about this unfortunate accident. No matter how angry he gets at the ill-fated Mr. Wilmington, he will not risk anyone overhearing his accusations. Trust me, J.D. Buck is quite safe, for Mr. Larabee will remain silent. I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” Ezra announced with confidence.

Two voices from the middle of the street echoed in through the door.

“Chris! Chris, now let’s look at this sensibly.”

“Sensibly?! YOU SHOT ME IN THE ASS, BUCK!”

“Then again,” Ezra stated toasting his companions who were leaping to their feet determined to prevent Chris from killing Buck. “I could be wrong.”

Author Comment: Thank you for reading. Okay, this story just popped into my mind. It was a result of the picture of Buck at the top of this page. I took one look at Buck's face and thought, what on earth have you done, Buck? I know this story doesn't have a plot... or atmosphere... or well described settings... or detailed characterisations, but it was a lot of fun to write and I hope you got a chuckle out of it.

I'd love to know what you thought.
You can drop me a note here.

© June 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.