Disclaimer: Not mine, never were, never will be. No money, no sue!
Author's Note: This is set in my Precious Gems Universe, but has no particular time except that it is after 'I Sing Noel'.
Homecoming
Knoteach
Chris cut the engine off, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. He was too exhausted to move.
It was good to be home, even if he didn't think he could move an inch if his life depended on it. It had been two months since he and Buck had seen the ranch house that had become their home. Two months since they had seen the three boys that had become their family. While they knew that Netty, Josiah, and Nathan would take wonderful care of them, it didn't keep them from worrying.
Chris sighed and opened his eyes. Chris knew the dark marks that marred Buck face simply mirrored the ones on his own face. Stress had a way for sapping the energy and life right out of Buck, and he worried sometimes that his normally cheerful friend wouldn't be about to bounce back this time.
Regarding the haggard face of the man sitting next to him in the cab of the truck, Chris wondered if it had been worth it. True they had gotten their target, but was it worth the pain and worry that it had taken to do it? They had lost two months of the boy's lives entirely, too afraid of what might happen if their targets found out about the boys to even make the barest of contact with them once they were under.
Shoving the morbid thoughts from his mind, Chris weakly reached out and slapped Buck's shoulder, "Come on, sleepyhead. We're home."
"Hmmmm, Home?" Buck questioned sleepily as he pealed his eyes open. Blinking sluggishly, he brought the image of the familiar stone house into focus and smiled. Both men fumbled for the door handles and wearily trudged toward the door.
Stepping onto the porch, Chris started looking for the house key amongst the couple dozen others on his key ring, but before he could locate it, the door opened from the inside.
"Da," Ezra's excited voice barely preceded his arms clamping tightly around Chris waist. "Vin, JD, they're home!"
Chris smiled as he returned the hug. Glancing over at Buck he found the dark-haired man smiling hugely as he returned hugs from JD and Vin.
Any doubts he might had had vanished as he and Buck stood on the porch, hold in their arms all the reason they would ever need to keep doing their jobs.