Disclaimer: I do not own Justified…to bad.
Summary: Set Season 3. Episode 10, Guy Walks into a Bar. AU: Quarles confronts Raylan in the bar. Everyone leaves, except Quarles isn't ready to kill Raylan yet. When Tim comes in acting as back-up for Raylan, he catches Quarles eye. Slash Raylan/Tim pre-existing relationship
"At least you got to shoot your father. Mine had the nerve to die before I got back from Basic with skills and a loaded weapon." –Tim Gutterson
WITH TIM:
Tim knows he has issues. At the top of the list is the slight PTSD from his time in Afghanistan. Second on the list was his inability to express himself emotionally. That was okay, for the most part, as Raylan had the same problem. Most of the feelings they shared were unspoken, shared through soft kisses and silent reassurances after nightmares. Tim thinks that the reason he and Raylan get along so well is that they understand there are some things they just can't say.
Tim's third problem is that he's in love with Raylan Givens and doesn't know how to tell him. The ex-Ranger just knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with Raylan. He knows that his lover doesn't do commitment very well. He understands; neither does he. Or at least, he didn't before Raylan. He knows the Deputy cares for him; can hear it in the soft drawl of darling late at night and the way he brings back coffee just the right way when Tim's pulled an all-nighter at the office. That's how problem two and three are linked. Tim loves Raylan but how does he tell him?
Tim's fourth problem is his unresolved trust issues. These were brought on by problem five and six; his first boyfriend and his father respectively. The boyfriend isn't an issue anymore, not with Raylan showing him what a true relationship is. Well, as healthy of a relationship two Marshalls can have. What with the constant shooting and stupid stunts and all that jazz.
Tim lists his problems in order of how much time he's willing to put into fixing said issue and how long he's been trying to fix said issue. That's the only reason problem number three isn't problem number one; he's only figured it out a few weeks earlier. Problem six has stuck around since he was a kid and hasn't left yet. Most of the time Tim just ignores the memories of his father.
Tim's issue right now is this; Quarles is holding him prisoner, in a bathtub, and beating him senseless to apparently get Tim to remember his hatred of his father so Quarles can "save him". Tim thinks he knows what happened to the Brady kid Raylan was asking about. Quarles obviously has his own unsolved daddy issues. The Marshall doesn't know what scares him more; the fact Raylan has no way to know where he is or that Quarles seems to enjoy touching him way to much.
There is one thing Tim actually respects his father for; his old man never touched Tim in the way Quarles' father seems to have touched him. Tim hates his father and wishes he had the chance to off him but he thinks he may hate Quarles' old man more. Tim dislikes the thought, but he pities the man currently laying into him with fists, kicks, and a belt. Tim knows this could be worse; he could be dead. Or dying. Or tied to a bed on his stomach, legs stretched open and completely bare of any clothing. So yes, it could be worse and yes, Tim is currently thanking his father for beating him senseless because it made him tough.
Quarles seems to have run out of juice. He drops the belt in his hand and falls to his knees in front of Tim. He's long since removed the zip-ties holding Tim's wrists to the bar. Now the ties are holding Tim's wrists behind his back. It stretches his shoulder painfully and the angle is uncomfortable to lie on. Quarles rolls Tim onto his stomach and the man freezes, breathing through his nose shallowly. He wishes he could open his mouth and spit out the blood-soaked tie.
"You're remembering…good. Your father did this to you, hurt you this way. Don't worry."
Quarles straddles Tim and the man stiffens further, any trace of pity for the businessman disappearing. The blonde leans forward, tongue running a thin strip from Tim's shoulder to his ear. Warm breath brushed over his cheek and he resists the urge to shudder.
"I'll save you; you'll be free."
Quarles kisses Tim's cheek and begins to roll him over when there's a knock on his door. The man sighs and stands, leaving Tim on his stomach. Vaguely the Marshall can hear the door open and Quarles usher someone in. He strains to hear any of the conversation.
"…called you…something's wrong…"
"…pay you….fix it!"
"…only talk….you're the boss…"
There's quite for a moment and then the bathroom door opens. Tim twists his head to see Quarles changing his suit. The man catches his eye in the mirror and smiles reassuringly as he fixes his tie and hair.
"Don't worry Tim. I'll be back in a few hours. Meanwhile, I'm leaving you a babysitter."
Tim stiffens as Quarles leans down to kiss him again, licking at some of the blood that's coating the outside of Tim's mouth. He hums contentedly before standing and leaving the room. He can hear Quarles order the "babysitter" to feed him before the room slams shut. For the next thirty minutes Tim attempts to block out the pain ratcheting through his body with thoughts of Raylan and shooting Quarles in the kneecaps. The door to the bathroom opens and Tim rolls his eyes when he sees who steps through. None other than Duffy.
"Gutterson?"
Tim manages a sarcastic grunt. Duffy seems genuinely surprised and he is; he knew his boss was…psycho to say the least. He had believed it was only young teens. To kidnap a Marshall! Duffy moved backwards, ignoring Tim's indignant moans. Duffy tosses the bowl in the trash; he won't be part of this any longer. Tim watches as the man leaves the room, groaning as the door shuts and locks behind him. Fucking fantastic.
WITH RAYLAN:
Raylan is so close to having a breakdown that Art forces him to go ride the elevator for a break. The elevator! None the less, Raylan leaves the hectic office, trying not to look at Tim's empty desk. It's close to 7PM. Not even a day of Tim missing and Raylan was going crazy. He couldn't think of anything other than finding Tim. When he found Tim, he planned on keeping him locked in his apartment for at least a week. No way was his lover getting taken from him again. Raylan moved to press the button for the elevator, slightly startled when the doors slide open before his finger made contact. What truly shocked him was the man who stood in the elevator.
"Wynn Duffy. What are you doin' on this side of the law?"
Duffy ignored his question, gesturing for Raylan to join him in the elevator. The Marshall raised a brow but obliged. The doors had barley shut when Duffy pressed the emergence shut down. Raylan sighed, shifting so he was leaning against the wall watching the well-dressed man.
"Why are you here Duffy?"
"Look, I want a deal."
"A deal? For what?"
Duffy ran a hand through his hair. A feeling of unease began to grow in Raylan's stomach, coiling uncomfortably.
"Duffy…a deal for what?"
"I tell you where your missing Marshall is and you leave me out of any future business you have with Quarles."
Raylan shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to restrain himself from shoving Duffy into a wall and beating Tim's location out of him.
"Where. Is. Tim?"
"A hotel about thirty minutes from here."
Raylan punched the shut down button, pressing his floor and waiting for the door to open. When it does, Raylan practically launches himself out of the elevator.
"Givens!"
Raylan turns in time to catch the keys Duffy throws to him. Room 87; the hotel room keys. Raylan rushes into the office. He's not going to risk Tim's health by bursting in without backup. Time to talk to Art.
WITH RAYLAN AT THE HOTEL:
Raylan had gotten a bolo on Quarles car and found out he was heading back from Harlan. There were officers stationed around the parking lot to catch Quarles once he got into the lot and was out of his car. Raylan and Rachel were headed up to the motel room, a team of paramedics a few minutes behind them. Rachel unlocked the door and pushed it open. The two cautiously entered the room, guns drawn.
"Clear."
Raylan moves to the bathroom, nudging it open with his foot. He can hear muffled grunts and moves in quickly, barley pausing as he strides to Tim. He kneels beside his lover in the bathroom, calling for Rachel to grab a blanket or something to cover Tim's shivering body. Raylan grabs his pocket knife, flicking it open and cutting the tie that's gagging Tim.
"Tim, darling."
The blue-eyed man spits out blood, trying to speak and only managing a raspy exhale. Rachel, who has just given Raylan a blanket, moves to grab some water for her friend. Raylan wraps the blanket around Tim, helping him into a sitting position and wincing when the man groans painfully. His eyes are clenched shut and he actually whimpers, breath coming in shallow gasps.
"Shh, it's alright darlin'. Easy breathes."
Raylan quickly cuts the zip-ties from around Tim's wrists, boiling in anger when he sees the weeping cuts. He helps Tim take small sips of the water Rachel fetched. She leaves them with a soft hand to Raylan's shoulder, leaving the bathroom door slightly open.
"R-ray."
"Hey Tim."
Raylan manages a smile, glad to hear his love's voice.
"You don't look so good, sweetheart."
"Don't f-feel it."
His voice is raspy and low so Raylan helps him take a few more sips of the water. Tim eventually pushes the water away, though he keeps his hand around Raylan's wrist. The elder man moves so he's sitting beside Tim and threads their fingers together, kissing Tim's head lovingly.
"Ray…"
"Shh, darlin'. There's plenty of time to talk later."
Tim nodded, setting his head on Raylan's shoulder. When the medics get there, Tim is deeply asleep but still refuses to let go of Raylan's hand.
IN THE HOSPITAL:
Tim wakes suddenly, eyes snapping open and hand moving under his pillow for the gun that is always there. He's slow to realize it isn't his pillow and he isn't at home. When he sees Raylan sitting in an uncomfortable chair besides his hospital bed, he begins to remember what happened. Everything clicks into place pretty quickly after that. Raylan's hat is covering his eyes and Tim can see why; the sun is shining uncomfortably bright through the window.
"Goddamn sun."
Raylan stirs, reaching with one hand to remove his hat and using the other to search the bed for Tim's hand as he wakes. Tim carefully slips his fingers into Raylan's, giving the man's hand a gentle squeeze. By now Raylan has woken completely. His hat is thrown on his chair as he moves to sit on the edge of the bed next to Tim.
"Hiya darlin'. Glad to see you finally awake."
Tim smiles softly, lifting his head and meeting Raylan halfway so they could kiss gently. The effort seems to exhaust the younger man and he falls back into his pillows. Raylan scoots closer, running a hand through Tim's locks, gentle smile on his lips.
"How ya feeling?"
"Like I got run over by a bus."
"It was a Sudan, actually."
They share a grin, Raylan chucking lightly. It only takes a few minutes for Raylan to get serious, brow crinkling.
"You took quite a beating."
"From the car or Quarles?"
Raylan palmed his forehead, rubbing comforting circles onto the back of Tim's hand.
"The car cracked two of your ribs and gave you a slight concussion. Apparently you also had traces of opium in your blood. 'Course your all bruised 'n bloodied from Quarles. Doc says you'll be fine in a few weeks."
Tim tugged Raylan closer, resting his head on the Marshall's shoulder. Raylan smiled softly, reaching with one hand to card through Tim's hair as they basked in the companionable silence. Within an hour Art showed up, Rachel in tow. They brought coffee (honest to god, good coffee) and news that Quarles had been found and was currently in custody under the charge of kidnapping and assaulting a federal officer. Raylan felt a momentary twinge of anger knowing he wouldn't get to kill the asshole. Tim's soft chuckle at Rachel's glorified version of hauling the bastard in erased the feeling.
He was just glad Tim was safe and relatively unharmed. He knew that for awhile Tim would get nightmares more frequently than he had been; that was okay. Raylan would try his damndest to make his lover alright. Visiting hours ended too soon for the team. Rachel and Art said their goodbyes and left, though Art told Raylan both he and Tim weren't expected at the office for at least a week. Raylan eased into his chair by the bed, watching the nurses flirt around Tim and get him settled for the night. Once they had left, Raylan settled himself next to Tim on the bed, arm wrapped around his lover's shoulders. They snuggled comfortably, an easy silence coating the room.
"Raylan…"
"Hm?"
"I wanna go home."
Raylan leaned down, kissing Tim's brow lovingly. With gentle fingers he traced the bruising pattern around Tim's wrists.
"In the mornin'."
"Hmmm, 'kay."
Within minutes Tim was deep asleep. Raylan only smiled; anything for his lover. He'd talk to the doctor's in the morning. For now, he'd just enjoy being in the same bed as Tim, curled together in the familiar, warm embrace.
END OF CHAPTER:
How was it? Did you enjoy the bit of fluff at the end? Anyway, one chapter left!
Review please?
Eris-R-Renee