Award
Author Megan
Rating FRT
Disclaimer: Mag 7 doesn't belong to me
Author note. Cont. of a drabble. Also, beta by Enola, who does an awesome job beta my stuff.
Buck looked around the room, and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't
want to be here in the first place but he was ordered. He hated award
dinners, the only reason he was here was that Travis had caught him
before he had gone on vacation. At least the rest of the Team wasn't
here. As his name was called for the award in surveillance, he got up
and received it, never noticing the six men that sat in the shadows
watching him get it.
()()()()
Last week.
Looking around at the empty office, Buck shook his head at the clock.
It was five o'clock on a Friday, and everyone in the office except
for him had disappeared on vacation. Chris and Vin were going to do
a week long horse ride planned out in the wilderness. JD and Casey,
for once their vacation coincided, the two love birds had plans for a
week long vacation in California. The other two love birds of the
group, Nathan and Raine, were going to do a bed and breakfast tour.
Josiah had decided to visit some old friends in New York, and Ezra was
off to a poker championship in Las Vegas.
Which had left Buck being the only one in the office on Friday
afternoon. Not that he had minded, he didn't have any set plans. It
also allowed him to finish up some paperwork on the last several
cases, that long nights and days in the surveillance van and other
perches hadn't let him get done.
Hitting the print button, he listened as the last report was printed
out. Getting up from his chair he stretched, listening to his
joints crack and pop, which told him he had been sitting for far to
long. Gathering the paper off the printer, he stapled them
together, and placed them on top of the pile.
Sighing, he turned off his computer, taking one last look at the
office, he headed with reports in hand out the door. He had one stop
at Travis office to hand in the reports and he would be free for a
week. He, whistle happily he headed towards the office.
Reaching the office, he was just about to place the reports in Travis
in box, when Travis entered. Placing the paper down, Buck turned and
greet the former Judge. "That's the last of the reports, I'm off."
"You haven't replied yet."
Buck stopped in mid motion. "Replied to what?"
"The award dinner, next week."
Buck looked at Travis innocently, "Never heard about that, to bad
I'll be on vacation..."
Buck's voice trailed off as Travis stared at him. Smiling, the
former Judge looked rather like a cat that had found the canary. "It
was rather big envelope, with a nice gold trim, that I placed on
your desk, it looked rather official."
"Oh, that envelope, never opened it, "
"Well, you'll be there, I sent in your invitation ."
"But it's vacation."
Travis just glared. "Its tuxedo and it is next Friday. You will be
there to accept the award."
Biting his lip, knowing that protesting wouldn't do anything. Buck
nodded and after saying a quick 'have a good weekend, made his
escape of Travis's office. Getting to his car, he entered the
truck and sat there staring at the almost empty parking lot. He had
hoped to avoid the award dinner. As, he sat, his mind started wander
back to when he first saw the envelope.
It had been one of the few days he had actually been in the office and
not out in the field. He was just completing one of his reports, when
he spotted the envelope for the first time. It laid on a clear spot,
the gold trim of the envelop being caught in the fluoresce lights of
the office. Curious at the envelope, Buck opened it. After pulling
out a couple of sheets of very heavy paper, Buck checked to make sure
no one was watching him.
Seeing that everyone was busy doing something, he started to read the
letter. After reading the first paragraph he almost dropped the
letter. Looking around the room, he sighed in relief when he saw no
one was looking at him. Putting the letter down, he stared at it for
a minute. He couldn't decide what to do with it. He really didn't
want to go, but if he threw the letter away anywhere near the rest of
the Seven, one of them was bound to find it.
Before he could do anything, he glanced up and spotted Chris heading
his way. Sweeping the letter and other papers from the envelope back
into it, Buck quickly tucked the envelope into a desk drawer.
"Yes Chris?"
"What's that?"
Buck looked around the room, noticing everyone staring at him. "What
is what?"
Glaring slightly, Chris pointed to the end of the envelope that was
sticking out of the desk drawer. "that there,"
Looking down at the gold edge envelope, Buck smiled, "Its an offer
to enter a contest. Figured I would throw it away later."
Staring at Buck for a second, Chris knew Buck wasn't telling the
truth, "We have a meeting with Team 4 about the surveillance you got."
Nodding, Buck got up out of his chair and followed Chris out of the
room, never noticing JD's hand inching towards the envelope.
Shaking his head, he started his truck. Forgetting about the award
ceremony would be his goal until Friday.
()()()()()()()()()
Friday Night.
"Why are we in the darkest corner of this place again. I can barely
see the stage."
Chris growled softly, "Because if Buck knew that we would be here, he
would be out the door as quick as possible."
"But why would Buck do that." JD asked as he tried to spot Buck.
"JD, he just would, he doesn't like getting awards." Chris stated.
The young agent was about to say something else, when Chris glared at
him, shutting his mouth with a audible sound, instead the computer
expert started to scan the crowed for Buck again.
Chris shook his head, and turned back to his dinner of half raw
rib-eye and cold vegetables, as he played with his food, his mind
wander into thinking about JD's question.
The last time Buck had gotten an award, Chris had to almost get the
man drunk, then drag him to the banquet. Sarah, had help, making
sure Buck didn't have an escape route, they had placed the dark hair
man between them at the table. More then once, during the dinner the
two of them had to grab him and keep the rogue from bolting from the
table.
Afterwards the award seemed to disappeared and Chris hadn't seen it
since. Shifting in his seat, his mind focused on other memories of
awards Buck had received. Even in the seals, Larabee would of swore
that if it was for the military disciple, Wilmington would have
disappeared the times he received metals. Not that anyone would know.
Looking down at his plate for a moment, Chris frowned at the pile of
mush that had been created. Putting down his fork, Chris scanned the
room, looking for the elusive surveillance member of the group.
)()(
Seating next to Chris, Vin pulled at the collar of his shirt.
Sighing, he dropped his hands, and stared at the crowd of people at
the banquet. It felt weird to be sitting at a table with the team,
but no Buck. It was much quieter.
In some ways Buck was a mystery to the Texan. He seemed to be loud
and boastfulness and happy all the time, at least that was the first
impression Vin had of Buck. After awhile though, Tanner had realized
that Wilimington was a lot more. The first time he realize it was when he had walked into the office one day.
He had found Buck sleeping on the couch in the break room. At first
he had been taken back, frowning he tried to figure out why the other
agent would be there. Shaking his head he headed into the break area
and started the coffee.
As the coffee started to brew, the smell of it must have woken up the
sleeping man. Watching the big man stir, Vin had waited. When the
eyes had finally opened and the man had stretched and started to sit
up, the dark hair man's eyes landed on Vin. "What time is it?"
"About 7:30, what are you doing sleeping on the couch."
"Sleeping?"
Smiling slightly, Vin reached for a mug. "Figured that out, why are
you sleeping on the couch?"
Buck frowned for a moment, as if he was trying to remember a peculiar
hard memory. "Surveillance, finished late last night, to tired to
head home after dropping off the stuff."
"Thought we finished that two weeks ago?"
"Not our surveillance, helped out Team 3, they were down some men
cause of the flu. Said I would help out."
"Does Chris know?"
"Should, told him I was doing it, he signed off on it."
Before Vin could say anything else, Buck got up from the couch, "Think
I'll get a shower, see ya in a half hour."
As Vin watch him go, the last week or so, they've all teased him about
seeing a new girl that kept him up, but he was out doing Surveillance
for another team to help out. Vin had started to change his initial
idea about Buck that day.
Sound of clapping drew Vin out of his memoirs and back to the real world.
()()
JD stared silent at Chris for a minute, how could Buck not want to
know that they were there for him. Buck was the first to
congratulate any of them if they got a citation or award. Heck, the
big lug, had dragged more then one of them to an award ceremony.
JD knew this wasn't the first award his big brother had won. When he
had moved into the CDC, he was helping Buck clean up, and in the
corner of his closest he had found a cardboard box that was stained
and torn.
Opening the lid, JD stared at the plaques and sealed cases that were
jammed into the box. Calling out for Buck, the young agent frowned
when he didn't hear an answering bellow. Leaving the box for a
moment, he left the room and looked around the apartment. Noticing
that the older agent's keys weren't on the table he noticed a note.
Picking it up, he quickly read it, which stated that surveillance
expert had ran out to get some more cleaning supplies. Putting the
note down, JD made his way back to the box.
Eyeing the cardboard, he tried to ignore it. He didn't want to paw
though someone else's possessions, but his curiosity finally got to
much for him, and he found himself in front of the box, one hand
reaching for the lid again.
Looking around for a minute and not hearing Buck yelling at him to
stop. JD open the first small box he picked up.
Twenty minutes later, JD was startled when a throat cleared behind
him. "Having fun?"
"Your back!"
Grinning, the older agent, walked over to his younger teammate and sat
down next to him. "What ya doing?"
"I didn't, I mean, I wasn't, I... I'm sorry?"
Looking at the open box, the blue eyed man smiled. "Its just some
old metals of mine, you can look at them if ya want. Just put them
away when your done."
"But why don't you have them showing off, on the walls?"
Shaking head, Buck smiled, "Ah, those old things, I just got for
doing my job, not doing anything exiting."
Before JD could say anything, his roommate had gotten up and headed
out the door of the room.
The waiter jostled JD, bringing him out of his memory, looking around
he sighed in relief when no one had noticed him lost in thought.
)()(
Josiah raised his glass of wine to his lips, taking a small sip, the
quietness of his companies didn't brother him. He, himself, was
trying to figure out the sudden enigma of one Buck Wilmington.
Being the profiler of the team, Josiah almost unconsciously profiles
his teammates, it has nothing to do with trust or lack of it, he just
have not found more six diverse men that seemed to define logic or
profiling. Every time he seemed to have a hand on them, one of them
would do something completely out of character.
For one thing, Josiah would have never figured that the rogue of the
team would be the hardest one to get to accept an award. It had been
easier to get the shy Texan to accept a sniper award then Buck
appearing here.
The subterfuge that the six men had to do, to make Buck think that
they knew nothing of the award had to nothing less then the best
acting. What was more of a shock that it hadn't been anyone in Team
Seven or the ATF to nominate Buck for the award, it had been a FBI
director and a Denver PD Captain.
Some quick research the team had learned that the two men had been
impressed with the help that Buck had given them on several cases.
It seemed that Buck was a regular consultant with the two groups on
surveillance. Either conducting it or going through the information
that was gathered.
Buck had even taught some seminars for the arm forces on surveillance.
Some of it the group knew of, other parts they learned that Travis
okay as long as Buck did on his own time.
Josiah was stilled amazed that Buck was able to hide it from everyone
on the team that he did this on his own time, what little they seemed
to have. What more was that Buck didn't see any of this as a big deal.
From what Josiah could figure it, was that Buck just saw it as part of
his job, nothing special, nothing unique. Josiah knew that different
members of the Seven always seem to be getting offers to join one of
the alphabet of agencies, but none of them wanted to go.
This was the first time that it struck him odd, that Buck had never
seemed to get any of those offers. Now Josiah just wonder how many
Buck had gotten and not mention.
For all of Buck's boasting, he did little of sharing truly personal
information. This award was just the top of it.
Taking a sip of wine, Josiah wondered what else Buck wasn't telling
them. The sudden applause jolted Josiah out of his deep thoughts.
)()(
Nathan poked at what was supposed to be chicken something or other.
He didn't trust it, chicken wasn't supposed to be that color orange.
Laying down his fork, Nate looked around the room. After several
minutes he spotted Buck.
Wilmington was sitting next to Travis and another man. Staring at
the man for a few second, Nathan figured out that the man was the
director of the FBI for Denver's branch.
He felt surprise flirt across his face, on how easy Buck seemed to be
talking with the two of them. He would be one of the first to admit,
that the surveillance expert didn't have much trouble talking to
people, but to high powered and connected people was surprising.
Course, Nathan thought he shouldn't be surprised, Buck seemed to
always be full of surprises. The medic had never known someone who
talked so much, but reveled so little about himself.
Come to think of it, the team knew more about Vin's past then of
Buck's. What the team had learned about the rogue's past had been
force to be reveled or a very drunk man had mumbled it. Still for
someone who seemed so open, he knew how not to share any personal
information.
The most information they had on Buck was that his mother was a saint,
and that he had known Chris for many years. Come to think of it.
They didn't know really anything else, how he grew up, or any time
before Buck had met Chris.
The rest of the team, they knew at least if there parents were alive.
Frowning slightly at his mutant chicken, Nathan realize that he never
noticed the lack before.
On the way here, they had heard JD stated that this wouldn't be the
first award that Buck received, Chris had nodded in agreement. At the
time that was enough information for him, but now that he was sitting
here, Nathan wonder what other awards that the big rogue had won or
what other departments he had been helping out.
Sighing, and poking what was supposed to be vegetable matter, Nathan
wonder how likely he would be able to get the agent captured, so he
would be able to ask some questions without the rogue running away.
Shaking his head at the different scenarios that flirted through his
head, Nathan was brought out of the thoughts as his plate of
questionable food was taken from him.
)()(
Letting his eyes wonder the room again, Ezra noting the different
fashions and money that was expressed. Looking over at Nathan for a
minute, wondering if anyone would take the bet with him on how soon
Jackson would be taking the meal to a lab to get an analyses.
Smiling at the thought, Ezra's eyes roamed the room again and
spotted Buck finally. Watching the rogue, Standish couldn't help but
wonder if the rogue was as good as an actor he seemed or if what they
were seeing tonight was the true man.
Out of all of the group, the undercover expert, never thought that
Buck would be the one who was the best at deflecting personal
questions. The surveillance expert had gotten more personal
information out of Ezra then he ever got out of the older agent..
It still seemed that whenever Ezra thought he had a handle on who Buck
Wilmington was, the man himself would do something to change that
perception. Which, Standish thought was annoying. As much has Ezra
enjoying being an enigma, he hadn't excepted to find anyone else who
was more of one then himself.
Buck was one of the first to break through Ezra's defenses, sometimes
almost dragging a protesting Ezra out to the saloon on a Friday night,
or showing up at the undercover experts house on a Saturday.
Dragging him to Chris's ranch for the weekend.
Ezra smiled at as the memory of being kidnapped from his house, and
finding him stuff in the back of the van with Vin and Nathan staring
at him. Apparently Buck had decided that the team had needed a team
day, and was working his way though kidnapping the group from their
domiciles.
JD had been seating up front, egging Buck on, and helping with the
kidnappings.
As much as Ezra hadn't want to trust anyone again, Buck had worked
with all of them, showing that they were a team and that it meant more
then seeing their coworkers at work. More importantly the rogue had
shown that the team could be trusted. That they wouldn't ever betray
each other no matter what.
Trying to ignore the little warm feeling that was running through him,
Ezra turned his attention outward to the award dinner.
)()(
Through all the awards that were given out, the six men ignored them all, until
it had gotten to Buck's award. Watching as Buck made his way up the
stage and accepting it. The team couldn't help but feel proud.
As their teammate walked off the stage, and sat back down, the group
couldn't take their eyes off the man. Each wondering in there own
ways, why Buck hadn't told them.
The dinner broke up. The six men, were out and hanging around the
front of the building, keeping an eye out for their missing member.
Vin was the first to spot Buck coming out, with the award jammed
under one arm. Wilmington almost ran over Chris who had moved in
front of the dark hair man.
The rogue, pulled up just short of crashing into Larabee. Staring at
the leader of team seven, it took several seconds for Buck's mind to
connect to what he was seeing. The rest of the group almost laughed
as the man's head whip around spotting each member of his team.
"What are you guys doing here, I thought you were on vacation?"
Chris smiled. "We'll tell you over drinks."
With that the six men lead the seventh away from the building, to
their favorite bar.