A/N: I want to shout-out to the people that reviewed: Millie2077, Larafrank, mhart, bluewaters99 and my guest reviewer. You guys are the reason I spent the last day and a half working on this chapter (okay, in between cleaning my fridge, last minute christmas shopping, etc). Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
To all my readers (and holy crap almost 250 people have viewed this story) hi there! I would love it if you would tell me what you think, good, bad, what could be improved on, what worked, what's awkward. I take suggestions too! I'm really incredibly slow, but I take them.
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JD moped along behind Buck, tempted to try and make a break for it like Ezra had. Only, while JD had never done that before, he'd seen the results of Ezra trying to run off when Josiah or one of the others was after him.
He always got caught. And then swatted more. You'd think he'd stop, but he didn't. You'd think watching him get caught would completely remove the temptation from JD, but somehow it just made the possibility real. Just as he was seriously considering darting into the back alleys behind the street, they were in front of the jail and it was too late. JD froze as Buck continued up the porch, still standing there when his 'big brother' turned around and beckoned him up the porch. "C'mon kid, let's get this over with."
"Buck...do we hafta?"
"You did something you know you ain't allowed to do, to someone I told you to stay away from, and then ya lied to me about it. Whatta you think, JD?" The boy kicked at the ground, and muttered something rude that Buck decided to ignore. He didn't ignore the fact that JD still wasn't listening to him, just standing at the bottom of the porch. "JD. Inside, boy."
JD moaned, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "This is stupid.", but most importantly stayed defiantly right where he was was. Buck wasn't planning on being too hard on the boy, not for the prank anyway, but JD listening to him was important. This wasn't the same thing at all, and he knew it, but Buck couldn't help but picture JD rolling his eyes and not moving when he shouted an order at him in the middle of a gunfight and the very idea made him sick to his stomach.
"I ain't gonna tell ya again."
JD looked up, mouth open to toss off another smart remark, but whatever he saw in Buck's face stopped him, and he nodded, mumbling, "Yessir." and started trudging his way up the jail steps. Buck stepped to the side so that JD had to enter the jailhouse in front of him, swatting him sharply as he passed. JD yelped, and started to turn his head to complain, but then seemed to think better of it and just kept heading into the jail.
Buck was tired of fooling around, he didn't like coming down on JD, even when the boy pushed him like this, and wanted it to be over with. As soon as JD was clear of the doorway he stepped inside and took hold of his upper arm, tugging him over to the sheriff's desk with him, sitting on the edge of it and trying to pull JD forward over his hip. Trying, because the second JD realized he was already going over Buck's knee he pulled back, trying to jerk his arm free from Buck's grip. "JD, son, stop that right now." He shook the arm he was holding, just enough to jar him a little, and then went to pull him over again, when JD hauled off and kicked him in the ankle!
"No! It isn't fair! Conklin deserved it, and you're just a bully!" That was it. Letting go of the ankle he'd grabbed reflexively, Buck looked up at JD, who was hovering nervously a few feet away, shocked over what he had done, with a smile that had no humor in it.
"You really don't know when to quit, do you? If we were roughhousing that wouldn't be nothing, but you don't try and fight me when I'm taking you to task. That ain't okay, and it ain't ever gonna be okay." He sat himself properly back on the desk and pointed at the ground beside himself. "C'mere. Now." JD shuffled forward and this time let Buck pull him down over his knee without protest. Once he had him in place Buck laid a hand on JD's back to steady him, patting a bit, so the boy knew he wasn't too mad, and took a deep breath, both to calm himself down and to steel himself to the job ahead. He brought his hand down firm and swift about ten times, trying not to wince himself as JD yelped and squirmed. "That's about all I was planning to give you for the prank, kid."
"Was?" JD looked at him over his shoulder, face hopeful and crestfallen at the same time. Buck nodded, hating the way the kid's face fell even further.
"Yep. Then you had to go and lie to me, and refuse to do as I told ya." JD turned his face forward, feeling both guilty and damned stupid, as Buck's hand started falling again. Buck had looked almost mournful when he said that, sounded mournful because JD had told him a lie that he knew even when he was telling it Buck wouldn't believe for a million years!
Not that telling Buck a lie he believed would be any better, JD thought, hissing through his teeth as a swat landed on a patch of skin that was already particularly sore, he did understand that. It just sucked that if he'd told the truth, or not been such a baby about taking his medicine, this would be over by now. JD's face flushed as he remembered he'd actually kicked Buck. Buck was going slow now, hand a lot heavier than it had been, landing a smack and waiting a few seconds before landing the next one, so he could really feel each one. A swat landed so it clipped his thigh and JD yelped, tossing a hand back and Buck grabbed it with the hand that had been resting on his back, squeezing it lightly then tucking it down into the small of his back. Another swat landed low down on the other side, and they were halfway to another ten by now and he hoped Buck would stop then, and thought he would-but then JD hadn't just lied, he'd fought him too, so maybe he wouldn't.
He should have known Buck would be fair, shouldn't have tried to lie, and should have done as he was told, but he'd seen how nervous Ezra was (Ezra was always nervous, even when Josiah just wanted to talk to him. Buck had said it was because Ezra's mother was a word JD still didn't know the meaning of, because no one would tell him, and that Chris had smacked Buck on the head for saying), and then Vin, who was never scared of anything, ever, had ridden out of town. Another smack landed and JD couldn't help but cry out, "Owww...Buck, please!" His whole butt was burning now, Buck's hand was big and every inch had been smacked at least once, most twice. JD had figured what they'd done was way worse than he'd realized, and he was in it deep. Then he'd started thinking about all the things Conklin had said about all of them, about his family and about Buck in particular and gotten mad, mad that he knew he was going to get a spanking for what had been rightly earned by Mr. Conklin, as far as he was concerned. A whimper escaped him as Buck's hand swatted down on the center of his ass again, and JD knew if he didn't stop at ten he was going to wind up crying for real, not just the tears that were pooling up in the corners of his eyes.
"Almost done, kid." Buck's voice was soothing, but almost done didn't mean done, and JD was sorry he'd lied, he really was, so really, Buck could stop already. This was all that stupid Conklin's fault, he'd always been a jerk, but he'd all but started a campaign against the peacekeepers the last couple of months. The worst day had been last week. JD had tripped coming out of the restaurant, the last jam laden biscuit from his breakfast clutched firmly in his hand, hurrying to meet Vin for morning patrol, and landed directly on Conklin, smearing jam and biscuit crumbs all down the front of the man's suit. He'd tried to apologize to him, it had been a complete accident-as if JD would ever waste good food just to ruin Conklin's stupid suit-but the man just wouldn't hear it. JD was a menace, a delinquent, a motherless bastard and a nasty little Mick brat, and it was all that stupid Wilmington's fault, such a louse, such a home-wrecker, who spent all his time and money on the saloon girls, had no business being in charge of a child. He, Joseph Conklin, was going to do something about it even if nobody else would, he had friends that would make sure whatever farce of guardianship Travis had given to the town Lothario was revoked, and if JD wasn't careful he'd be cooling his heels in an orphanage. He'd hissed it all at him, voice cruel, but quiet, so that no one but JD could hear. Vin had come looking for him, and seen the man standing next to him, seen JD's face, and had quickly pulled JD away, but no matter how much he'd asked JD wouldn't tell him what Conklin had said. It would have made it too real, too scary.
JD had hated the orphanage.
Buck had stopped and was rubbing JD's back, though he hadn't seemed to realize it yet, when the little hitching breaths that had been tearing at his resolve suddenly turned into full-blown sobs. He had a moment of full-blown panicked horror, worried that he'd somehow been spanking JD much harder than he thought and had actually hurt him, and froze, before realizing he was being ridiculous. Buck knew how strong he was, and he'd only swatted the kid about twenty times. He wouldn't have been crying ordinarily, not yet. Something else was going on. Buck scooted further back on the desk and turned JD over in his arms, situating him so his rear was balanced in the open space between Buck's legs, guiding his head into the crook of his shoulder and wrapping his arms around him. "Hey, hey, it's alright now. Buck's gotcha kid. Ya just cry as long as ya need to, we got all the time in the world. Then you can tell Ol' Buck here just what's got you crying so hard." Buck rocked him, expecting JD's crying to taper off, but he just kept crying and crying for ages, to the point that Buck was worried he was going to make himself sick, and starting to wonder if his first thought had been partially right. "C'mon now, pard, you gotta try and calm down. I'm sorry if I was too hard on ya, I didn't mean to be." JD shook his head almost violently, burying it deeper in Buck's neck and squeezing onto Buck tight enough to hurt a little.
"Not yoouuu." It was more a wail than a word and Buck moved so that one of the arms he had around JD could rub the kids back. The only other time he'd seen the kid cry like this was nightmares after that horrible mess at the bank.
"Okay, pard, I'm real glad. Can ya tell me what's wrong?"
"Don't let him take me back, Buck, don't let him take me back there, please!" The force and the fear in the words made Buck's own eyes sting, because JD wasn't supposed to be that scared, not anymore, not here, not with him and the others to protect him, then with sudden clarity he realized where 'there' was and he rushed to reassure the boy.
He didn't know for sure who him was, though he had a damn good idea, but whoever it was, Buck was gonna kill 'em.
"That ain't never gonna happen. I promised I wasn't gonna let no one take you away from me, and I keep my promises, don't I?" A reluctant nod into his neck and fresh hot tears, "Promised you weren't ever going back there, either, and it'll be a cold day in hell before you do. When the judge decided you could stay, he made me responsible for bringing ya up 'til you're a man, and made it legal so no one can take you even if they tried. You know that, JD. And if anyone tried I'd make them regret it, that's another promise."
Voice steadier, but small now JD said, "Mr. Conklin said he had a judge friend who was above Judge Travis and he wouldn't dare cross him. And that he could get a whole bunch of townsfolk to say you were unfit and then I'd wind up back in the orphanage for sure." Yep, that was it. Buck was gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch, nice and slow too.
He'd just like to see Chris or Josiah try and stop him. "I'm gonna kill 'im." Judging by the startled look JD shot at him, face leaving his neck for the first time, he sounded serious. Shit, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.
"Then you'll go to jail, or hang, that's stupid." JD was glaring just a little now, eyes red and swollen and cheeks still a little damp, and he couldn't have looked more fragile if he were a glass bauble nestled in cotton wool. Buck knew the kid was tough as hell in his own way, but damned if he looked it.
"You're right. I can't do that, I'd have a hell of a hard time looking after you if I was in Yuma. Joe Conklin is full of shit. He's not Judge Travis, and I doubt that weasel has any friends higher up than our Judge. I know he couldn't get the townsfolk to say I was unfit." He shifted the kid a little as he spoke, untangling one of his hands so he could take hold of JD's chin and make sure they were eye to eye, "But you know what, son? It wouldn't matter even if he did. I told you, Buck Wilmington keeps his promises. You and I, we'd just go off to Mexico if it came down to it. No one is taking you away from me and no one is taking you back to the orphanage. I don't care if they bring down the whole damn army."
JD was looking at him in almost awe, the sort of thing that Buck would ordinarily eat up, but right now the only thing he was worrying about was that JD believed him, because, by god, he meant every word. "You'd really leave Chris and the others for me?"
"'Course I would. I reckon we could probably get a few of the others, maybe even all of 'em, to come with us, but that's not the point. You're my boy, JD." Buck looked a bit embarrassed here, but plowed on anyway, "You're my little brother that I love to fool around the town with, get into trouble with, but you're also my son in a way. I love ya, and it's my job to protect you and take care of you."
"I feel like that too," JD said shyly. "When we're wrestling or playing pranks on the others, like that day we hid all Josiah's Bibles?" Buck had to stop himself from either shushing JD or looking around nervously. He'd regretted that from the moment he saw how upset Josiah had been, and was still fairly certain the big man would be handing out the tanning of a lifetime if he found out they'd been the ones behind it, and not to JD. "Or when you talk to me about girls, I feel like you're my big brother. But times like, well, now, or when I got the flu and you took care of me as much as Nate did, or," the boy blushed now, looking down, "when I had those nightmares, after Annie, you feel more like a...Da." JD's voice was barely more than a whisper by the end and Buck squeezed him tightly, planting a smacking kiss on his temple.
"Ya know JD, I'd be tickled pink if sometimes, when it felt right, ya called me Da." If his voice was a little thicker than usual, there was no one but JD to hear.
"I never had a Da before."
"Me either. Hope I'm doing alright."
JD grinned at him tremulously, "You're doing pretty good." They sat there for a minute longer, then JD seemed to abruptly realize he was still in Buck's lap and with the usual amount of teenage embarrassment awkwardly climbed to his feet, trying to wave off Buck's help and being ignored. Buck busied himself with some papers on his desk to give JD a couple minutes, trying not to smile as he saw him rub his behind out of the corner of his eye.
He wondered whether he should say it or not, and in the end he decided he had to. Despite what others might say, Buck's mother had been the saint he called her, and hadn't made many mistakes with him-and when she did she always apologized. He turned around, took a deep breath, and just said it, "I'm sorry for spanking you for the prank, if I'd known why you did it I wouldn't have."
JD shrugged, wiping his nose on his sleeve, making Buck grimace and pull the handkerchief that was in his shirt pocket out, and hand it to him, waiting as JD blew his nose, "S'okay. I shouldn't have lied to you, or not listened. Or kicked you in the ankle."
Buck chuckled, "I wasn't saying sorry for that part of the tanning. That part you deserved." JD huffed at him, but nodded, and Buck reached out and ruffled his hair. He sobered up again, asking earnestly, "Are we okay?"
"Yeah, Buck, we're okay. Buck?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"It wasn't just me Conklin said stuff to." Ah hell. He was gonna have to kill Conklin after all.
