TYR MCAT Story #1 Evolutions
MCAT AU: MCAT (Major Crimes and Acts of Terrorism) is the brainchild of my friend 'TannerTexasLady' in the Magnificent Seven fandom. The idea for the TYR MCAT AU camewhen 'TannerTexasLady' decided to expand the elite government unit into three units. One of those companies, 'Charlie' will be based in San Antonio, Texas.
"Evolutions' Parts 1-3 (#1 The Players Assemble, #2 The Team Rises and #3 Charlie Team is Formed) will include excerpts from MCAT: Strengths of Solidarity Story # 3: Turn the Page. These excerpts include important information leading to the set-up of the San Antonio MCAT unit. The Mag 7 Characters, along with originals, created specifically for Tanner Texas Lady's MCAT AU, will make appearances in this story.
Without Tanner Texas Lady's amazing creativity, her brain storming ideas, friendship, and extensive help on the last chapters, this story and au would never have come into fruition.
Asterics/Italics are used to indicate a character's thought process or comments.
Prologue
Three Years Ago
It was a dark and dreary day. Aloysius 'Teaspoon' Hunter, Texas Ranger, found it a befitting atmosphere for his dark frame of mind. His wife and helpmate of more than thirty years, was dead. He didn't know how he was going to go on without his precious Maria Elena. A shuddering sigh escaped his lips as he gazed at the elegant oak casket which held his wife's remains. He tried to listen as Father Arturo Riaz spoke solemnly, reading from the eulogy that the priest had prepared with information he and his children had provided, but his heart really wasn't in it. He couldn't think, eat, or sleep, now that his beloved wife was gone. Ever since he'd received the heartbreaking phone call a week earlier telling him his precious Maria Elena was killed in a plane crash on her trip home to her native Mexico, to visit relatives, he had been on autopilot.
"I'd like to close with us all reciting one of Maria Elena's favorite scriptures, the Twenty-Third Psalms." Father Riaz suggested.
"The Lord is my Shepherd…"
"Amen."
A chorus of somber voices echoed the priest's sentiment. Other funeral attendees rose to their feet around him, bringing Teaspoon out of his reverie. He had not realized Father Riaz had closed the eulogy with a prayer. He quickly muttered an "Amen" and rose to his feet. Stepping forward, he laid the bouquet of red and yellow roses he held onto the top of the casket, one roughened hand caressing the polished wood for a moment, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him, before he got a handle on them.
"You've taken my heart and soul with you darlin'. I don't know how I'm supposed to get on without you here by my side. I'll love you forever, Maria Elena, and I cannot say goodbye, because you'll always be with me. So instead, I'll say Vaya con Dios, and I'll see you soon."
He lifted one hand to swipe at the moisture welling up in his eyes, only to see a white handkerchief come into his blurry view. Teaspoon lifted his head and looked into the sorrowful dark brown eyes of his son, Ramirez. Ramon, as family and friends called him, was finding it hard to control his own emotions. Seeing his son in such an emotional upheaval helped Teaspoon to put aside his sorrow, and prompted him to embrace his child. The two men held each other tightly, grieving for the loss of the special woman who was taken from them.
"Pop, how are we goin' to get along without her?" Ramon choked out as the embrace ended.
Teaspoon used the back of his hand to wipe the tears from his blue eyes. "I don't know, Son."
"We'll do it because it's what Mama would have wanted," a female voice said close to them.
Emma Hunter Cain stood a few feet away from them, her soft brown eyes filled with tears, and a wobbly smile on her face. Her husband, Sam, stood directly behind her, one supportive hand on his wife's shoulder, and the other holding onto their three-year-old son, Austin. Six-year-old Melinda Cain stood solemnly beside her mother, one small hand clutching at the skirt of the dark suit Emma was wearing.
"C'mere darlin',"
His daughter didn't need any further prodding to close the distance between them. Teaspoon held open his arms and Emma gratefully stepped into his embrace. Ramon hovered close, one hand stayed firm on his father's shoulder, while the other gently rubbed his older sister's back.
Sam crowded close, wanting to offer whatever support he could to his grieving family. His heart ached at the loss of his mother-in-law. Maria Elena Hunter had been a remarkable woman indeed, strong willed, feisty, and with a heart of gold. She had a capacity to love that rivaled his own mother, and he would truly miss her.
"Samuel, let me take the children to the car."
He turned to see his mother, Marian Cain, standing directly behind him. Marian was silver haired, with blue eyes, and a rounded figure clothed in a conservative dark suit and white lace blouse. She was holding a lace handkerchief in one hand and her eyes were red rimmed from crying. She had been close to Maria Elena, too. Sam used to marvel at how well the two women got along, even though they were as different as night and day.
"Alright," Sam agreed. He set Austin on the ground next to his sister, and crouched down before his children. "You two go with Grandma."
"Why is Poppa crying?" Melinda asked solemnly.
Sam swallowed. "Do you remember what your mom and I told you about Nana?"
"She went to heaven to be with God." Melinda said.
"That's right. God decided it was time for her to go live with him."
"Will we see her again?" Austin asked, his blue eyes troubled.
Sam choked up, and it was then Marian decided to step in. She placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder as she said, "We'll all get to see your Nana again when it is time for us to go to Heaven. Now, you two, come along with me. Your Mom and Dad will be along directly."
Austin and Melinda each took one of their grandmother's offered hands and allowed her to lead them away. Sam stood and watched them go for a moment, before turning back to the small grieving group, which consisted of his wife, her brother, and her father. Other mourners, including Emma's friends and co-workers from the Criminal Intelligence Unit, his and Teaspoon's fellow Texas Rangers and their spouses, Ramon's partner and his wife, and members of the SAPD, and more offered their condolences as they passed the family and headed toward their individual cars.
Soon only the Hunters and Cains stood around the new grave. Each remembered the warm, vibrant woman who had gone ahead to light a path for them to follow when their lives were over.
An aristocratic man with graying brown hair and dark eyes, dressed in a crisp black pinstriped suit, stood a short distance away observing the Hunter family in their time of sadness, hesitant to intrude upon them. On his arm was a matronly woman wearing a conservative black dress, who periodically dabbed at the corners of her blue eyes with a lace handkerchief, and sniffled occasionally.
Orrin Travis was a man of action, who made informed decisions, and carried them out in a decisive manner. He was used to issuing orders and having them obeyed. Not since his earliest days as a new rookie in uniform had he ever felt so hesitant. He had met Teaspoon Hunter back in their earlier days at a law enforcement seminar, and they became fast friends and colleagues. The years were busy ones for both and kept them from spending as much time with one another as they would have liked. The availability of modern technology allowed the two friends to remain in touch via telephone calls and assorted emails. Many letters and packages traveled back and forth between Hunter's ranch in Pearsall, Texas, and Travis's home in Denver, Colorado. They shared day-to-day news, family growth, and celebrated a multitude of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and other celebrations with one another. There were more than a few vacations shared between the two couples, as Evie Travis and Maria Elena Hunter had bonded the first time they met, and the foursome shared strong, lasting friendships.
It was only two years ago, when the four of them had last shared some relaxing moments together, at a law enforcement convention held in Washington, DC, where both men were scheduled to give speeches. Since the convention was around the Hunters' anniversary, plans changed so that their wives could accompany them to DC, and once the convention was over, the two couples shared many special moments together. None of them had the slightest idea it would be the last event the four would spend together.
"Orrin?"
He turned his head toward his wife, "Yes, my love."
Evie smiled at her husband, "It's not so much what you say to him that matters, just that you are here to support him."
"I know." Her words gave him the courage he needed to approach Teaspoon.
As he and Evie made their way toward the grave site, they saw Sam and Emma move away arm-in-arm. After another moment, Ramon, too, headed toward the location of the few remaining parked cars, leaving Teaspoon alone at his wife's grave.
He did not want to leave her alone in the cold, dark ground. Maria Elena had always craved the light; she enjoyed soaking in the sunshine as she worked in the garden or taking long walks with him. Her final resting place needed to be more appropriate. Full of the warmth and sunshine she loved so much, instead her earthly body would be covered with dirt and darkness. It was wrong; just plain wrong that such a beautiful person was taken too early from the ones she loved so much. He did not know how he was going to go on without her.
"Aloysius."
The familiar voice interrupted Teaspoon's dark thoughts, and after swiping a hand across his moist eyes, he turned to face his long time friend and law enforcement colleague.
"Orrin, Evie, I appreciate you comin'. Maria Elena adored you both very much and she would have loved to have been here to see you."
"We loved her too," Evie said in a shaky voice, as her eyes filled with tears once again, over the loss of her dear friend.
Teaspoon stepped forward and took Evie into his arms. He felt Orrin place a hand upon his shoulder in silent support and he appreciated the gesture. The threesome stayed that way for a few moments, sharing their grief for the loss of their fourth.
"The days ahead are going to be hard ones for you, Aloysius, but you don't have to spend them alone. Embrace the support of your children, lean on them as much as they lean on you through this difficult time. Reach out to your friends and let them be your sounding board, your strength," Orrin told his friend, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Day or night, you call me if you need to talk."
His eyes were watering again, but Teaspoon did not care. He was a man smart enough to take the help and support he needed, and while he did not think anyone could possibly help him through the lonely, sad days ahead for him at that moment, he would do as Orrin asked. "I will. I promise, old friend."
Together the three friends walked away from Maria Elena's grave and toward Teaspoon's waiting family.
Texas Rangers Headquarters
Teaspoon picked up a picture frame from his desk and wrapped it carefully in newspaper, before placing it on top of the rest of his personal items he had gathered in a cardboard box. He was surprised to find out how much stuff there really was to pack away. Citations from his years in law enforcement. First as a uniformed officer, and then as a Texas Ranger, drawings from his grandchildren, his favorite coffee mug, pictures of Maria Elena and his kids, and assorted other things.
When he was done packing, he glanced around the office to make sure there wasn't anything else he had overlooked, before he headed out to his truck. Sam chose that moment to appear in the doorway leading into his office.
"You sure you really want to do this?"
Teaspoon glanced up at his son-in-law, the new Captain for 'D' division of the San Antonio Texas Rangers Unit. "It's a done deal, Son. It is time for this old Ranger to turn in his shield and gun. I'll let firebrands like you take over bringin' in the bad guys."
"This place isn't goin' to be the same without you." Sam said. "If you change your mind, I'm sure Archer will be more than willin' to give you your job back."
"I'm not goin' to change my mind," Teaspoon said as he picked up the box of his belongings and started for the door. "The squad is now yours to lead. Run with it, Son."
Sam lowered his head, his own emotions getting the best of him. He greatly respected the man before him, both as a father figure, and as one of the best damn Texas Rangers, he had ever known. To know Teaspoon thought so highly of him, and his skills, meant the world to him. "I'll do my best to make you proud."
"You already do," Teaspoon said firmly.
Sam raised his head and locked eyes with Teaspoon for a moment before saying, "Is there anythin' I can help you with?"
"You can grab that other box and walk me out to my truck."
"Sure."
Sam grabbed the aforementioned box off the oak desk and followed Teaspoon out of his office.
Teaspoon stopped in his tracks the moment he walked out into the bullpen, as the Rangers under him lined up around their desks, and saluted him military style. Emotion welled up inside of him at their show of deep respect and honor. He had made it abundantly clear to his people that he did not want a party to celebrate his retirement. He reckoned he should have been suspicious when they had all amicably agreed to his request. Another thought crossed his mind and he turned to look at his son-in-law.
"Disobeyin'orders already?"
Sam grinned, "Nope, just makin' decisive ones."
The older man chuckled before turning his attention back onto the crowded room. He shifted the box he held into one arm and raised his own hand in a return salute. "You are the best damn Rangers I've ever worked with and I'm proud to have been your captain. I know that you will all continue to be an invaluable asset to the department, under Captain Cain's supervision."
Amid well wishes and a chorus of 'Jolly Good Fellow" , Teaspoon made his way down the aisle of Rangers to the door, with Sam following behind him. He did not look back, but felt the sensation of several eyes upon him as he circled the building and stepped into the parking lot, and walked to his truck. He placed the box he held into the back, and unlocked the driver's door, while Sam put the box he carried into the truck bed as well.
"Tell Emma supper's on me tonight." He told Sam as he slid in behind the wheel and started the engine.
"I will."
"See you later," Teaspoon pulled out of the parking lot and headed the truck toward the Hunter ranch.