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Confined

JD kept his grip on Vin tight as they rode away from the Wilson homestead, worried at the fact that the tracker remained, limp and silent throughout the trip. Not liking the silence JD didn't even realise when he started talking, quietly at first.

"You gotta be okay Vin, I know you won't let something like this effect you, your one of the strongest people I know, and who would help me mess with Buck?" After a pause JD again started talking but this time louder, and not about Vin, he spoke of the weather and the fishing trip he'd planned with Casey. But his tight grip on Vin never relented. Whilst he talked a mile-a-minute, JD's thoughts were really on other things. He knew without a doubt that if Vin left, the entire seven would disband, if any of them left permanently, they would disband, and JD wasn't ready for them to go their separate ways yet. By the time it came for Ezra to take Vin, JD had practically told him his life story, without even knowing the words had left his mouth. Throughout Vin had remained still and cold as a marble statue.

Ezra pulled up next to JD and between the two of them they managed to transfer Vin over into the gambler's care. Like JD Ezra was one to use words to hide his true emotions but he used extravagance and subterfuge, long words that the others struggled to decipher and a poker face that was used in and out of his regular games. Like JD the gambler wrapped one arm around the tracker's waist, before spurring his horse forwards. It surprised him that Vin had been willing to accept him so eagerly, had been so willing to accept all of them. He would easily have dismissed the younger man for his appearance. Even when he was in town the Texan seemed to like wearing his buckskin coat and his tan clothing. It several months until Ezra understood why, he prided himself on being able to judge the character of others and knowing how to predict their moves, Tanner had kept him guessing for a while but he finally came to the conclusion that, like him, Vin was hiding. Not by using words, Vin definitely had a way with words but the man spoke directly and shortly, not saying a single word that didn't need to be said. He was hiding physically, in clothes that blended in to the scenery, in the way that he could move like a ghost, in a way that made Standish almost protective of him. Speaking directly for once the southerner spoke softly to Vin, "I do not know what it is you are hiding from my friend, but I swear I will be by your side should it ever find you." To his surprise Vin sighed softly as if accepting the promise and continued to slumber, propped up against him.

Josiah took Vin off Ezra at the next stop. The big preacher's body making Tanner look tiny slumped against him. But he moved with him off Ezra's horse and onto his own with a caring gentleness that belied his size. Being the oldest of the seven, he felt that it was his responsibility to guide them, offer them wisdom and encouragement when they needed it, and fight with them or for them when that was also needed. He had never really thought of himself as a comfort giver though, not in the literal sense anyway. But he found that he quite liked the idea of being able to provide comfort without having to talk. He didn't really know what he could say in this situation. Vin was obviously flashing back to some of the harsher parts of his young life, and Josiah knew first hand that battling demons of the past was not easy. He hadn't wanted the others to know about his sister, as it was only Vin knew, but keeping something like that a secret wasn't good for him, maybe it would be the same with Vin, if he could get the young Texan to talk about what happened, maybe his demons would lessen their hold, like the preacher's own had. "I know you kept all your problems and feelings close to your heart son, but if you need to talk about anything, or just want some company, I'm just letting you know that, I'll always make time for that, always make time for you, you saved me from my demons, least I can do is repay the favour"

Buck took over next. Like Josiah he was larger than Vin and could easily accommodate the slight tracker. He too started to talk, softly, but he could feel some of the tension leave the body in his arms as his voice broke the silence. "Well Junior you've gone and got yourself hurt again huh? Seems to be becoming a regular thing with ya, reckon you need to learn to look out for yourself a bit more rather than everyone else first, I think you nearly gave Chris a heart attack Pard, damn near scared the life outta me too, hell I reckon you caused all of us to skip a heartbeat or two." He shifted his hold as Vin shifted in his grasp, seemingly becoming agitated as he moved towards consciousness. With a suddenness that caught Buck of guard, Vin started to cough, deep hacking coughs that expelled some of the swallowed water from the well. Pulling his horse to a stop Buck hollered for Nathan and positioned Vin so he wouldn't choke of the liquid, after a couple of seconds Vin went limp again and all the coughing stopped. Nathan had pulled his mount closer as soon as the coughing started, and he met Buck's eyes. "That's a good thing, it means he's expelling the water from his lungs, should breathe easier now" Buck responded by tightening his grip. "Hang in there Junior, we'll get you home, you just listen to Buck, ya hear"

Chris took Vin next. Not saying anything. They hardly needed words to communicate what was the point in talking now, when Vin could likely not hear him anyway? So he just gripped Vin tight and rode. They were near Four Corners now and the whole ordeal would soon be in the past. At least that's what Chris hoped would happen, Tanner was notorious in their group for being fiercely independent and not accepting help until he'd fallen flat on his face. He had told Chris within days of meeting him about the bounty so maybe he would talk about the resurfacing memories and trauma of being stuck in the well. 'Yeah' thought the gunslinger, 'and one of these days he'll tell us that his shoulder is dislocated rather than walking around with it waiting for the opportunity to re-locate it himself' he snorted at that. It wasn't very likely.

They arrived at Four Corners a little while later. Vin was carried to the clinic and the others all crowded into the room. Spending the night cramped together but nearby when Vin's nightmares surfaced. At first it was subtle movements, head rolling from side to side and hands clenching. They thought he was coming round, so they all gathered around, just in time to hear a low, "No" coming from the blanket covered figure. Vin awoke after several minutes, glancing around the room wildly, before exhaustion again claimed him. This happened several times before the others could take it no more. All six swapped glances, before five questions were directed at Nathan. "What do we do?" "Do we proceed to awaken Mr Tanner?" "How do we help?" The healer held up a hand at the others and silence fell again. "He obviously has some bad memories that being confined in that well brought up, knowing Vin he'll bury them, but that might not be for the best, I saw a fella in the war, terrified of thunder, lost his whole family in a storm, he froze on the battlefield as soon as he heard the thunder, caught a bullet between the eyes." JD paled, but Sanchez nodded "Fear is a powerful thing"

To the surprise of all in the room, it was Vin's voice who answered, "I y'all are only trying to help, but ain't nothin' you can say ta make this better"

All eyes in the room turned to focus on Vin. Josiah lent forward and placed a hand on the tracker's shoulder, "We don't have to say anything, we just want you to know that if you want to talk we'll listen, talking about the past is sometimes the only way to make the hurt attached to it dissipate, like with Hannah"

Vin looked up and met the gaze of the preacher, nodded almost imperceptibly before looking away again, and Josiah knew they'd only get the barest of details. JD looked to Buck and mouthed 'Hannah?' Buck shrugged in response.

"Y'all probably know I lost my ma when I was a little fella, was put in an orphanage shortly after she died, man who owned it weren't very nice, used to beat on the kids iffen we did something wrong, also had a…a" he trailed off and the others looked away letting him compose himself. Chris placing his hand on Vin's other shoulder, relaying his silent support.

"Had him a small cellar, just big enough for a barrel, never kept a barrel down their though, used to put the 'bad' kids down there, I'se down there a lot, used to stick up for myself, never let the bigger kids, steal my food, nor nothing else of mine, always ended in a fight, always ended with me in the cellar." He shuddered lightly, before looking at the others, seeing the anger on their faces he almost smiled, these six men hadn't known him for all that long but they were taking on his demons with him. Whatever he'd done to deserve brothers like them he didn't know. Sighing he continued his tale. "Was always musty and pitch black, made it hard to breathe, he'd leave you down there for days, till you thought you'd never see sunlight again, used to laugh as he threw ya down too" soon as he let me out one time, I snapped, punched him in the face as he lifted me out, and ran, dunno where I was going just had ta get away, kept on running for several days, just stopping to catch my breath, that was when I met up with the Comanche's, they took me in made me one of their own"

"How old were you when you ran away?" it was JD's voice that broke the silence after Vin's tale.

"I don't know" "DON'T KNOW!" "Yup" It was Chris' turn to speak next "Pard, do you know how old you are now?" "Nope, Kiowa's reckon I was 18 when I left them to go Buffalo hunting, did that two years, maybe three bounty hunting" "That only makes you 23" "Sounds 'bout right" "But that's only a year older than me"

"It doesn't matter how old you are or were Vin, we're just glad you're with us" It was Chris speaking again. Vin nodded unable to find words.

Ezra, sensing the sharpshooters, embarrassment all the attention and not finding the words he wanted, looked up from staring at the floor and saw the weariness in Vin's posture, getting himself comfortable in a chair he addressed the room, "Seems to me like Mr Tanner had told us all we need to know and we should all be getting some rest." Vin nodded his thanks to Ezra and once more drifted off content to have the others watching his back. Each of them settled around the room, on various pieces of furniture.

That was how Mary found them in the morning, when she noticed the horses were in the livery. Chris, Vin and Ezra were all tangled on the bed, Nathan and Josiah were on their bedrolls on the floor, Buck had pushed two chairs together and was sleeping on both of them and JD was on the other chair with his legs hanging over one of the arms.

Smiling to herself at the picture of innocence the seven made, she backed out of the room and silently closed the door. Vin was the only one who woke at her intrusion, finding Ezra's legs over his and one of Chris arms above his head he smiled. He was still confined, trapped between the stray limbs of the others, but this didn't make him panic, instead he lowered his head to the pillow and let sleep take him again.

End

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