Steam rose from the water in wisps. Vin’s breath caught in his throat as he lowered himself into the small tin bath in the bathhouse. He shivered, sinking below the water. The knotted muscles in his shoulders moved of their own accord as the heat seeped into them gradually. Tanner rested his head back and closed his eyes. He had been looking forward to this.

The days past had been hectic, to say the least. A dozen brawls had erupted in the saloon. Arguments between several local cattlemen on the surrounding properties had resulted in shots fired and a group of renegades from the reservation had been ’having a bit of fun’. Top that off with the fact that there was a rumour that gold had been discovered a day’s ride from Four Corners and hectic paled in its ability to adequately describe Vin’s life. Thankfully, he been able to steal a few moments to... now, what had Ezra called it? Luxuriate. Tanner grinned to himself. Yeah, that was what he was doing. He was luxuriating in a hot bath.

The sharpshooter allowed himself to relax, or attempted to do so. Larabee was watching his back. They’d made eye contract as he had entered the bathhouse. A single bob of the head had communicated Chris’ pledge. Buck was also on duty in town. Tanner and Larabee had decided to keep two of the boys out and about for appearance’s sake until things settled down completely.

Vin scooped some water up onto his face and a long, involuntary sigh echoed out of him as he shut his eyes again and tried to empty his weary mind of thought. Relaxing was not something he found easy. Life had taught him that letting his guard down was a dangerous business. These days, men traded in human life and Vin’s life had been valued at five hundred dollars. Nothing was more sobering than having your existence reduced to a monetary value. Tanner reflected on the fact that he really needed to get back to doing something about clearing his name. However, he had become distracted in Four Corners. No, he decided, scooping more water up over his face. He had he become comfortable in Four Corners and in the short few weeks he’d been there, his life had been irreversibly altered. It had happened gradually - sneaking under his defences. While responsibility had never worried him, he now found himself protecting an entire town. Considering the bounty on his head, it probably wasn’t the wisest decision he'd ever made, but the others had signed on and he’d felt compelled to join them. Why? He wasn't sure himself. He'd only known his six fellow peacekeepers for a couple days at that point, but in that time they had stood shoulder to shoulder against insurmountable odds and won. Even then, Vin had sensed something strange and yet reassuring about the group.

Tanner drew in a deep breath of steamy air and released it slowly. The six men he chose to ride with were the most stabilizing factor he had ever had in his life. In them, Vin had found a different way of defining himself. He was a part of something - something he valued. It was more than just knowing what he was doing that was right and worthwhile. He had found not only companionship, but men he could trust. Men who would stand with him regardless of the odds... men he would stand with come hell or high water. Vin Tanner realized that he had found something he had been looking for, for most of his life. A place to belong. People he could depend on. Life was good at the moment.

As Vin lay battling to unwind, for it was a battle to turn his mind off, he sensed movement. His eyes snapped open and his arm darted out for his holster hanging on the edge of the bath. He spotted a hand snaking its way around the wall, the fingers splayed and reaching for his clothes draped over an old create.

“Leave’ em, Buck,” Vin growled, laying back and closing his eyes.

The hand froze and a disembodied voice asked innocently, “How did you know it was me?”

Vin snorted. He opened one, narrowed eye, watching as the hand darted toward his shirt and pants and snatched them up. “Put’ em back.” Tanner heard chuckles as his clothes were whisked out of sight.

“Pay back time, Tanner,” Buck called.

Vin grinned and allowed his eye to close. The image of Buck dancing around a tree butt naked would stay with him for the rest of his life.* Obviously Buck had finally found out it had been the team’s reserved tracker who had been behind the ‘set-up’ and he was out for revenge.

Vin wriggled his shoulders to get comfortable again. He would worry about Buck and his clothes later. Right now, he just wanted to... luxuriate.

For a full sixty seconds that was exactly what he did. Sixty glorious seconds. Sixty, all too short seconds.

Three shots shattered Vin’s tranquillity. Tanner sat bolt upright. The tub rocked in protest to the sudden movement. He waited. Three shots was the call to arms - an agreed signal among the peacekeepers akin to the ancient cry of the Musketeers; “All for One and One for All.”

“Riders coming in!” Vin heard Chris shout. Tanner leapt from the bath and raced to the small window in the tin shed that served as the town’s bathhouse. At the top of the street, Vin spotted a mob of riders entering town in a cloud of dust. They were shouting and firing rifles. Another group of drunken miners, no doubt.

“BUCK!” Vin roared, spinning around and grabbing his holster. Outside, all hell had broken loose. The citizens of Four Corners raced indoors and barred their windows. Their regulators would deal with the disturbance, just as they always did.

Tanner cursed when Buck and his clothes failed to materialize. By the time the sharpshooter raced back to the window, the tables had turned against his friends. Ezra shot out of the saloon, but was forced back by rifle fire. J. D. was pinned behind a wagon, which was affording him little cover. Vin was too far away from the action to be of any assistance. He had to get out there!

Tanner turned around and desperately searched the bathhouse for something to wear.

**********

“Chris! J.D.!” Buck cried, alerting the Seven’s leader to Dunne’s predicament. Rifles barked. Horses bucked. Dust rose in clouds. Bullets filled the air like hail.

“J.D., get ready,” Chris cried. “COVER HIM!” Josiah, Ezra, Nathan, Chris and Buck jumped up and hit the mob from all sides. J.D. darted out from behind the wagon, dodging bullets as he raced to join Buck behind some barrels. He made it safely, much to the relief of his friends.

All ducked back to reload. In the middle of the street, a dozen men on horseback struggled to control their excited animals. Some leapt from their mounts and sought cover while they could.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw Vin flash out of the bathhouse and dive behind some crates. Larabee paused for a split second. Surely he was mistaken? Vin sprinted to the next group of boxes, firing with deadly accuracy. Chris Larabee, despite the situation, found a grin creasing his lips. Buck had followed though with his threat by the look of it. Chris shook his head with amusement. Vin Tanner was on the street so Four Corners with only a flimsy towel wrapped around him.

“Chris, your left!” Nathan shouted, snapping Larabee’s mind back to the situation at hand. The gunfighter reacted, Jackson’s warning saving his life. However, the pile of crates that had been shielding him was disintegrating in front of his eyes. Chris moved to his right, heading for the cover of an alley. At the same time, Vin flashed across the open space and entered the same alley, one hand expertly pulling the trigger of his mare’s leg, the other gripping the towel with white-knuckled vigour.

“I’ll take the high ground,” he shouted.

Chris nodded and returned fire. The rabblerousing mob were all dismounting and rushing off in various directions, tyring to find shelter. The Seven needed an edge to end this quickly and Vin would provide that from the roof. Larabee glanced above to check on his partner‘s progress.

The other boys spotted their companion as he reached up to pull himself onto the roof. All felt a sense of relief. Vin was lethal from up there. However, as they watched, the towel hiding Tanner’s modesty snagged on a nail and was yanked loose. Above the town, exposed in all its glory was Vin’s backside, lily white in the afternoon sun. Tanner clawed his way up onto the roof and dashed across it, dropping behind the facing board. “I’m in place!” He tensed.

“Now!“ Chris roared. As one, the Seven rose and delivered doom. Moments later, the skirmish was over. The mob found themselves not only surrounded, but being peppered from above. Deciding their afternoon’s fun had become a nightmare, they bolted out of town on horseback or on foot... which ever was at hand. Slowly the dust settled, revealing the fallen.

One by one the members of the Seven stepped from their places of concealment. Every one of them had their faces tilted upward. Vin’s head disappeared. They waited. One word was roared with passion and echoed off the buildings. “BUCK!”

Wilmington’s face screwed up with mirth as he jogged toward the alley. “Comin’, Vin. Just hang on. Ole Buck is coming to the rescue.”

The rest of the boys collected together. J.D. glanced at the older men. He wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to smile. Josiah winked at him and the boy’s face split from ear to ear. Moments later, Vin Tanner appeared out of the pathway between two buildings, Buck’s jacket concealing his top half and the trusty towel back in place below.

“Interesting attire, Mr. Tanner.”

“Shut-up, Ezra,” Vin snarled. He was not a happy man. Without pausing, the sharpshooter marched back toward the bathhouse, a sheepish Buck on his heels. The moustached man glanced back over his shoulder at his partners and the serious expression on his face became a wide wolfish grin before he wiped it away and followed dutifully. As the pair disappeared, Vin’s voice wafted out of the window. “WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES, BUCK?!”

**********

“Oh, come on, Vin. It’s been over a week,” Buck pleaded. Tanner shot his friend a fierce stare as he shouldered past him and headed for the table in the corner where the rest of his friends were seated.

“I ain’t talkin’ to you, Buck.”

Buck skipped along until he was at Vin’s shoulder. “Come on, Vin. I said I was sorry. I mean, how was I to... to...” His bottom lip began trembling as he fought to keep the grin off his face.

Tanner tipped his hat to his companions as he took a seat. The others, who were in the middle of a card game, greeted him with nods. Since ‘the incident‘, no one had said anything. Had it been J.D., Josiah, Buck or even Ezra the teasing afterwards would have been relentless, but no one had mentioned Vin‘s naked dash across the roof tops. Tanner was something of an enigma, even to his closest friends. While they knew he had a devilish sense of humour, they also understood that his embarrassment factor had gone through the roof that day he had been forced to brave the streets in his birthday suit to stand shoulder to shoulder with his partners.

Buck slipped into a seat. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. He continued to battle the smile, but it leaked out and he began to giggle.

“Keep it up, Buck and I’ll shove my rifle up your ass.” The only reason Buck was still breathing was because of some quick thinking on the scoundrel’s part. He had pointed out that no one had seen Vin’s naked tush because no one had been on the streets except the Seven. By the time the town’s citizens had emerged, Vin had been back in the bathhouse.

The rest of the regulators’ eyes flicked to each other but they remained silent.

Chris threw his cards down and glanced at Vin. “Had a wire. That group we ran off is shooting their mouths off in Eagle Bend. Reckon they’re gonna come back and teach us a lesson.”

Vin frowned. “They say when?”

Chris nodded. “Couple of days. And apparently they’re going to hit at night next time.”

“When I was in Eagle Bend yesterday I heard a rumour that it will be Wednesday night,” Josiah commented. “Apparently, they want to use the light of the full moon so they can see the damage they do.”

Ezra pursed his lips thoughtfully. “Mr. Sanchez, surely it would be astrologically impossible to have another so soon?”

“What do you mean?” Nathan asked, curiously.

“We had a full moon on the streets of Four Corners the last time those miscreants visited our fair town and that was only seven days ago.”

For a split second there was silence and then J.D., Buck, Nathan and Josiah burst out laughing. Not giggles, but loud, resounding, rollicking laughter. It was the first time they had done so in front of Vin. Tanner’s eyes grew wide as he realized what Ezra meant. He glared at the grinning Standish who toasted him, saying, “To the brightest and whitest full moon I’ve every seen.”

This caused the others to begin convulsing. Larabee winked at his best friend, noting the slight reddening of his cheeks.

“Ah, hell,” Vin grinned sheepishly but still shot Buck a glare.

“I..I’m.... I’m sorry,” Buck laughed, tears of mirth streaming down his face.

“Not yet, but you will be, Bucklin. You will be.”

Chris smirked and slid a drink across to his embarrassed friend. “Yep, the moon was low and full last Sunday at about four o’clock.” Laughter exploded from the other five men again.

“Shut-up, Larabee.” But even Vin was smiling.

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© July 2004 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 the owners of “The Magnificent Seven” and I 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.