Title: Trust

Author: Nomooretears

Universe: ATF

Summary: Vin loses faith in a friend. Written for VFD 1 Hour Challenge. Theme - "Trust"

Feedback: Yes please!

Vin considered himself to be a good judge of character. He had to be in his job, it was a matter of survival. Trust a person you shouldn't, you could die. Don't trust a person you should, you could die. Most importantly, he trusted himself to make that decision.

Now however, he was seriously reconsidering his ability to read people. There were six men that he trusted totally and completely, but it was the trust he placed in one of those men that had led to his current predicament. That man had apparently abandoned him to his fate, and if he survived this ordeal, Vin would be having a very long discussion with him, if he didn't kill him first.

Pressing himself further into the corner, Vin dodged another lunging body. He wouldn't be able to keep them all at bay for much longer, he was tiring, and there were just too many of them. As if they could sense him weakening, the threatening horde pressed in closer. Vin was now having trouble breathing. He had nothing to defend himself with, his 'friend' had assured him that it wasn't necessary. He did have his ever-present knife, but it wouldn't help him in this situation.

Making one last break for the freedom that was mere yards away, Vin groaned in defeat as he was forced back into the corner. There would be no escape for him this time. Closing his eyes, he prepared for the end.

Ezra Standish, appearances be damned, bolted up the stairs of the Denver Heights Country Club. His thousand dollar tuxedo pants were ripped and muddy, bow tie undone, shirt untucked, hair in complete disarray, and he had an impressively swollen eye. To make things worse, he was absolutely dripping wet, leaving a trail of puddles in his wake. But none of it mattered now.

Bursting into the main ballroom, he shouldered his way through a crowd of expensively attired attendees and came to a halt in the middle of the dance floor. Completely unaware of the stares and gasps of horror he caused, his good eye roamed the room in a desperate search. Spotting a mob of women in brightly colored, fluffy dresses made with miles of fabric, he ran towards them. Plunging into the crowd, he finally found the object of his search.

Vin Tanner was pressed tightly against the wall, the whites of his eyes showing with barely restrained panic as he fought off the flock of women trying to get the handsome man with the gorgeous blue eyes to dance with them. Not even really seeing anything anymore, when someone took an especially forceful grip of his arm and pulled hard, he resisted and tried to stay in his corner. The grip insisted, and he suddenly found himself outside, in the rain. Closing his eyes and lifting his head to the sky, he took a deep breath and relaxed in the fresh, the wet, air. Keeping his eyes closed, he leaned against the wall and slowly relaxed. A voice beside him made him jump.

"Vin, are you all right?" The southern drawl was rough with worry. Hearing it reminded Vin of why he had found himself here to begin with. Anger rising, the voice interrupted before he could start his prepared lecture on trust. "I am so sorry, Vin. The Jag got a flat on the highway, the tire jack broke, and then I discovered that the spare was flat. I called a cab and came straight here. I'm deeply sorry, Vin."

Vin opened his eyes and took a good look at the man before him. Ezra looked like hell. "Ez, you look like hell." Seeing the still swollen and quickly blackening eye, he asked, "What happened to your eye?"

"My cab driver was apparently a rally car driver in a former life. I told him I was in a hurry, and I must admit he got me here in incredible time. I swear he took every corner on two wheels. I was unprepared for the first one, and bounced my face off of the door frame."

Vin stared at Ezra, considering his appearance and his words. "Ez, did you leave the Jag on the side of the highway?"

Ezra blinked as if he hadn't considered that. "Yes, it appears that I did."

"And you just ran through your country club, in front of all these people, looking like that?"

Ezra looked down at himself. "Oh, dear Lord, I will never be able to show my face here again!" He sounded truly shocked at his appearance.

Vin thought about his earlier ranting about trust. This man, to whom appearances were everything, had abandoned his prize car and ran into a room crowded with snooty, snobby people, just to rescue his friend from some amorous socialites. With that thought, Vin's trust in his friend, and himself was immediately restored.

"I'm ok, Ez. Thanks for rescuing me." He held out his hand, which Ezra took with a smile. "But, Ez, I don't care if it's for charity or not, I'm not coming to one of these things again."

Ezra laughed. "Understandable, Mr. Tanner. I am not entirely sure that I will be attending them, either. At least not at the Denver Heights Country Club. Let us get a cab and return to my abode. I've got dry clothes, and an excellent bottle of Scotch."

Grinning, both men headed down the street in search of a cab.

The End