"So, Captain Larabee, do you have any questions before we head down?"
Travis stood up, straightening his suit jacket as he did so. The man seated across from him didn't say anything but just got to his feet slowly.
Trying to restrain a sigh, Orrin walked around his desk and opened the door, letting Chris walk through first.
Walking down the hall towards where Team Seven was located drew a lot of spectators, and curious glances were thrown their way. Travis could only imagine them wondering where the hell he found a man who could look so grim, gaining everyone's interest and obedience by just one severe glare.
The section they entered was louder than the other units' areas, and the director soon found out why. The team, once more, was goofing off... more or less.
"Gentlemen, if you could all join me in the conference room, I would like to make a few introductions," he called, gaining the men's attention.
JD and Vin stopped their heated nerf gun fight, lowering their weapons. A few of their bullets were still sticking on nearby computers and other flat surfaces. Ezra and Nathan had been arguing... again, and they looked away from each other and to the new people in the room. Josiah and Buck looked a little relieved, each having been trying to stop the argument for a while now.
The six agents complied, walking into the instructed room. They each gave their unexpected visitor a quick inspection as they walked by. The man not hiding he was checking them out also, though the expression on his face remained impossible to read behind the fixed grimace.
Once everyone was seated with the exception the director and the man with him, Travis began.
"With the unfortunate case of Special Agent Frank Owen now leaving this team without a leader," Travis saw a few of his men roll their eyes and others grimace at the mention of that particular man's name, "I thought it was about time that I introduce to the man who will be temporarily in charge of running this task force. Captain Chris Larabee has been serving in the Navy for six years now and has been so kind as to offer his services to us during his leave. He will be here for three months and if we're lucky, we might even convince him to stay. Think of this as a team reforming and building period. Captain Larabee, I'll go down the line and introduce you now-"
"That is completely unnecessary, sir, I've already read the files on each man here, and know what you claim them all to be. I prefer to make my own judgment so as to get a better understanding," Chris looked the men over with a bored expression. He could see most of them looked at him with wary eyes while the youngest appeared to be scared when his eyes fell on him. Only the oldest man gave him a smile, "As Travis said, this will be a time of reinventing this team and making it better. I won't exert myself in dealing with horseplay, so I suggest you get it all out of your systems today because tomorrow we begin."
With that, he nodded towards Travis and walked out the room to head to his new office without talking to any of his new team.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" Buck scoffed as he got up from his seat and clung to the back of it.
Ezra sighed, staring at the table in front of him, "I fear we have another Special Agent Owens or even Special Agent Decker."
"Heard they won't let Decker in charge of any unit anymore. Has to go to a therapist to deal with his anger issues," JD cringed, just remembering the man.
"Well fuck Owens and fuck Decker too. They ain't worth spending time talking about them," Vin growled.
"He did say he was looking to reinvent this team to make it better. That has to account for something, right?" asked Nathan, trying to find something positive.
"I agree with Nathan. It's not fair to cast judgment on the man. He just got here," Josiah nodded.
"Yeah, and dismissed us like children for recess," Buck huffed.
"In all fairness, he did walk into the room to see JD and Vin playing with nerf guns and Nathan and Ezra in an argument bordering on shouting match."
"I don't demean myself to such behavior," Ezra drawled.
"Yeah, the hell you don't," Buck snorted.
They all got up and went back to their workstations. The door to the leader of the team's office was closed and they could hear faintly someone inside.
"The man doesn't even want to socialize with us," Buck muttered as he went back to work.
Chris sighed, leaning his head back to rest on the back of his chair. He already felt like he made the wrong decision by letting Reeves talk him into doing this. Albeit, he had nothing else to do, and nowhere to go for three months. The hope that today's behavior of the team was just a one-time thing would be like being an adult that still believed in Santa Claus. If they still believed, there is no hope for them in the end for them to change.
The director had allowed him to bring his own laptop, which he was going to work on paperwork for his commanding officer until he got some form of clearance for some cases to work on for the ATF. Reading the ones on the previous team leader was very interesting, and he could only see it ending in a complete disaster.
Honestly, who cleared some of these people to lead others?
It made him want to talk to Travis about his choices, but decided it could wait until it was close for him to leave. The least he could do was put in a word to have someone decent and well-trained to replace him or else why was he here?
M7M7M7
The next day Buck sat on top of Tanner's desk, his arms crossed over his chest.
"What do you want Bucklin?" Vin drawled as he frowned at the computer, trying to concentrate on typing up his paperwork.
"What do you think of the new leader?" Buck asked, leaning over to whisper conspiratorially to the other man.
Vin finally looked up from his work and over to the door that was again closed, "He's quiet."
Wilmington rolled his eyes, "No shit, you two see to have that in common."
"Is that all you're asking then?" asked the sharpshooter, again, his eyes on his screen.
"I was asking if you got any of those vibes or shit you get."
"No, I'm not getting any vibes or shit," Vin looked up Buck, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Besides, reading people is 'Siah's thang."
"You know very well what I'm talking about."
Just then the door to the office opened and the blond stepped out going over to the printer and typing something in before the machine spat out a stack of prints before powering down again. He didn't speak to any of them or even glance in their direction before heading back into his office.
"Damn, why does he have to be so serious and quiet about everything. I swear, if he didn't speak the other day at the introduction, I would've thought he didn't have a voice," Buck snorted.
"Why don't you go ask him then what he's doing?" Vin grinned.
"Your scrawny ass ain't any better. Why don't you talk to him?"
"One, I'm not as curious as you. Two, he emailed us each a list of what we have to get done today before we're allowed to leave. Did you not get an email?"
"I did, figured I could read it later," Buck stretched his back as he got up from the table.
Vin frowned, "Are you sure you just want to put it off? He doesn't seem like the type to allow slackers."
"You just worry about your own little list," Buck called back as he went to go talk to the secretary in their section.
Ezra looked up from his own computer and cast a look in the retreating man's direction. He turned back to Tanner, "With a man like Larabee who has no apparent family or friends in this area and only has a rented apartment to go to at the end of the day, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd stay until the janitors kick him out."
"Hey, I tried to warn him. Did you not see how much effort I put in warning him?" Vin grinned.
The two shared a laugh before getting back to work.
At the end of the workday, everyone turned in their stack of completed task from Larabee in the tray beside his door. Chris watched each, scanning the stacks to make sure everything was accounted for. Only Wilmington's was missing and he was trying to make his way over to the door.
"Wilmington. I don't see your completed assignments here," he called, making the man freeze where he was at and turn nervously around.
Buck gave Chris a good-natured smile and chuckled nervously, "I didn't finish it all so I figured I could turn them all in at once tomorrow. Figuring you wouldn't want just a bit of it tonight."
The blond smiled back, but it was more like a smirk than a happy smile, "You're right. I wouldn't want just a piece of it tonight. That's why you can stay behind and finish it up before you can go home."
Ezra, Vin, and JD snickered from where they were while Buck paled. The look he received from their leader brook no argument and so he dejectedly walked back to his desk and fired up his computer.
"Those of you who are finished should leave instead of laughing. I can easily assign more for you to do," Chris said, looking pointedly at the snickering trio.
The rest of Team Seven cleared out, leaving only Buck and Chris.
Larabee watched from the open door of his office as Wilmington sighed and sagged and slouched in his seat, taking long breaks in between whatever he was writing.
"You know, you can talk without having to issue an order," Buck said loudly, making Chris look up from what he was reading on his computer.
"Can I now?" Chris snorted softly, "Well I thank you for the permission. Keep writing."
Buck frowned and shifted in his seat to face Chris more fully, "Look, I was in the Navy, served five years before coming to work for the ATF. I know what it's like and all the structure, rules, and shit. However, that isn't what this team needs."
"Really? And what do you think this team needs from your experience?"
"Good leadership for one. Someone who isn't going to fuck us over," Buck answered gruffly.
"Yeah well, I'm only here for three months. A good or bad leader in your eyes, I aim to fix this team before I go."
"Back to the sea life?" Buck cocked his head slightly.
Chris stared off, "It's all I have left, so yeah once I'm done here I go back to my ship." Remembering himself, Chris looked back down at his screen, "I suggest you finish your work, Agent Wilmington."
Buck shook his head but complied, turning back to his screen and began typing again.
M7M7M7
The next day Chris sent out another group of emails of things the team needed to complete before the end of the day.
Ever since their old leader was removed from his position and earned a new title in the prison he was being held in, the work completely halted with the team. Paperwork was left undone, files that should've been closed were still open and reports not started. Judge Travis wanted the boys all to take a break after the whole ordeal of the betrayal, and some of them needed it for healing purposes, however, it left a lot to do before they would be seeing any cases coming their way.
An unexpected knock at the door came about an hour after work had officially started and Chris frowned before calling whomever to enter.
It was Josiah Sanchez.
Chris was unsure what the man wanted but told him to take a seat in the available chair across from him.
"You know, Jesus was a leader of men. Though when he began, he was treated poorly, and no doubt people didn't want to listen to him. He was patient with them though and soon he gained his flock. His disciples in which he loved They were prostitutes, tax collectors, gentiles and regular folk."
Chris shook his head, "I ain't your Jesus, Sanchez."
"Nor am I free of sin, but I feel, no, I know you were sent to be with this team for a purpose."
"Yeah, to fill in a position until they hire someone more permanent," Chris answered gruffly.
"You see only what you allow yourself to see, but I do hope you will find what it is you're looking for here. By the way, you may wish to extend more of your patients to Ezra and Vin. They are both good men and incredible agents. Unfortunately, they have difficulty in expressing their true feelings. Especially after their trust has been broken again and again."
"I'll keep that in mind," Chris gave a curt nod. Of course, he wouldn't forget. He had a whole list of things he wanted to forget. It was a shame, however, that once said or seen, it was forever stored in his head
After another day of work was completed, with only a little bit of noisy ruckus coming through the door, it was time for everyone to hand in their finished assignments.
Buck gave a smug smile as he dropped his into the tray.
It was the weekend and to Chris's surprise when he closed and locked his office, he found the team still there. He frowned in confusion.
"Hey Larabee, we were going to head to the Saloon for drinks. Want to come?" asked Buck.
A flash of surprise crossed briefly over the blond's face before it was hidden again by a frown.
"Saloon?"
"It's the name of the bar we hang out at after work on Fridays," Josiah explained.
Chris thought it over, thinking about how much he'd love a drink. However, if he started he wouldn't want to stop, and though he couldn't get drunk no matter how much he drank, he felt it better to just return to his apartment.
"No thanks," Chris said finally, adjusting the strap of his computer bag before walking past the group and heading towards the elevator.
"I told you he wouldn't want to come," said JD, thinking that while Buck's offer was kind, he was relieved it was turned down. He didn't want to see what an angry looking man looked like when he was drunk.
"If you were making such claims, why did we not issue a bet?" frowned Ezra, annoyed he missed out on the opportunity to win money.
"Guys, I know Decker was a dickhead and Owen can get his brains fucked out in prison for what he did to us, but that was them and Larabee is different," Buck sighed in exasperation.
Ezra rolled his eyes, "What, did you two have a heart to heart while he kept you here last night?"
"Sort of," Wilmington shrugged, "He only wants this team to succeed and he frankly doesn't care what we think of him."
"I glad he seems to want to make things better," Nathan nodded.
"Is that all he said?" asked Vin, sensing Buck was holding something back.
"He said that in the end he'd be going back to his ship and that's really all he has," Buck said sadly, wondering at the man's life story.
"Sounds like a man who is in a hurry to leave," Ezra crossed his arms over his chest, "And I say we let him. The sooner we can get him on his little boat the happier all of us are going to be."
"Brothers, getting Captain Larabee agree to be here was no small feat. He is the best at what he does and will be good for this team."
"Well I bet that he won't last long," Ezra drawled as they made their way to the elevators.
"If you wish to make bets Ezra, then I will go so far as to bet you will be one of the group who wishes for him to stay," Josiah challenged.
The others looked at the older man in surprise. He had never participated in any of the bets before. The others eagerly started calling out a number of how much money, and it was decided five hundred to the winner.