7X5X15 - Book 1
By AJB
Chapter Nine
Chris flipped the family calendar on the last day of April wondering how May managed to sneak up on him like this. It was impossible for it to fall into the realm of a surprise. The second week of the new month – which was four days away - was highlighted in eye-popping neon green with the words "VINS' TRIP" printed neatly in black, stretching from Monday morning to Friday afternoon. Below that, scrawled in faint pencil, "Chris to L.A." huddled below the neon green line in a more tentative fashion.
Looking at both lines of writing nudged a small zing of anxiety to life in his gut so he took a moment to reflect on the feeling before wadding up April. He glanced at the loose page in his hands; April had been a very busy month and Chris chuffed and smiled at the first picture that entered his mind: Truck talks while acting as chauffeur.
Both Vin's and JD's after school lives kept everyone on the run and, looking back, it seemed like the only time they had to talk was in the Ram en route to one event or another. It was an absurd amount of time behind the wheel, but Chris wouldn't change anything about their activities. Vin's innate shyness, usually edged with strong caution, lessened as the season rolled on and Chris could see a confident young man rising to the surface. He had to admit that Dr. Will's "solid foundation at home" theory worked. As soon as both JD and Vin believed in the reliable strength of family - that they had a secure home base that would always be there - venturing out wasn't as scary as it had once been in the past.
Chris wadded up the large sheet of paper with a snort. Who was he fooling? Venturing out was as daunting to him as it was to his young charges. Malibu wasn't that far, really, when you factored in airplanes and cell phones. Physically, he and Vin might be separated by miles but digitally, they remained connected and only a plane ride away. This month would be a giant leap in personal growth for both of them.
The growing thunder of feet rolled down the hall toward the kitchen where Chris stood and life spilled into the room in the form of two happy boys followed by one scowling adult. "Chris, tell JD that homework is not stored under the bed."
"I wouldn't a forgot it!" the smaller boy chirped, unrepentant and giggling.
"He just likes to watch Buck crawl under there," Vin added, giving his dad an open, vibrant smile as he grabbed their two lunch bags from the counter.
The door barely slowed them as they pushed their way outside. Buck paused long enough to fill a travel cup of coffee, grumbling, "My knees can't take that abuse anymore."
Still holding the ball of paper that was April, Chris opted to use the unexpected ammo and bounced it off Buck's head. His friend shot him an astonished glare. "Et tu, Bruno?" Buck whined.
"I think that's Brutus," Chris corrected, grinning. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. "See you at the office."
Buck fitted the lid to his mug and grabbed a pile of folders from the kitchen table, talking as he arranged his grip on everything. "You do understand that you get double duty carpool to make up for next week since I have to drive two weeks in a row."
Recalling his previous thoughts, Chris nodded once. "Sure," he said before retrieving his coffee mug from the counter and taking a careful sip.
Buck nodded once. "As long as we're clear then. Later, boss." He slipped out the door without spilling a drop and moments later, Chris heard truck doors slam and the engine turn over.
Chris left the house at a more leisurely pace and scanned his land before slipping behind the wheel. Usually, taking in the extent of his home comforted him, but today, it left him feeling unsettled. Frowning, he started the Ram and swung down the long lane to the main road.
Chris went over the facts of their current case. Ezra would be going undercover in about a week, right after Chris' return from Malibu and the amount of intelligence to sift through was substantial. He knew his undercover agent would be up to speed on everything before he left the team, but everyone felt better sitting down one last time before Standish morphed into a different person. Since Chris was leaving for Malibu and leaving Buck in charge, their final briefing was moved up to tomorrow afternoon to accommodate his travel dates.
By the time he parked the truck and entered the Federal building, Chris' mind moved forward to what information they still needed for the meeting. He was the first one in the office and he appreciated the brief time of quiet. Dumping his briefcase on his desk, Chris grabbed his coffee cup and turned to head to the break room when his phone rang. Director Travis' office number showed on caller ID and the earlier unsettled feeling returned to his gut as he reached for the receiver. "Yes?" he growled.
"Come to my office. I have some new information."
"On my way." Chris hung up, instinctively knowing things had changed.
Ezra Standish strolled into the office, instantly aware that he was not the last one to arrive. "Where is our esteemed leader?" he asked as he circled around to his desk. Buck stood at the fax machine frowning at some papers he held where Josiah and Nathan sat at their desks.
"Don't know. His briefcase is here, so he must be up with Travis." Nathan's eyes never left his monitor as he talked.
"I see," Ezra said as he settled into his chair. He logged in and waited for his computer to boot, taking the time to think about the upcoming weekend and Vin's departure. Although he was excited for the boy and his big adventure, there was a certain level of suspicion that tickled his sensibilities when he thought about the boys' school.
He'd been discreet in his investigation of Ella Gaines and found nothing incriminating on the woman, but the idea of coincidence still did not sit well with him. He pursed his lips in thought, mentally running through Ella's background again. There were some gaps in information and that was becoming bothersome. It wasn't long until he had to put this aside for awhile, so he decided to look at what he had once more.
Ezra logged in and opened the last financial holdings file of Ella's he'd received from one of his many sources and scanned the list of stock holdings. He kept one eye on the door knowing it was a huge understatement that Chris would not be happy about his having this information. The imagined blow up caused a twitch of a smile to one corner of Ezra's mouth.
A moment later, Chris strode into the room. Without uttering a word, he still managed to impart the impression of a black thunderhead.
"Ready for briefing?" Chris snapped as he stormed to the conference room without pause.
"I just have to -" Josiah started.
"The question was rhetorical," Chris growled, shoving the door open. "Conference room. Now."
Ezra sighed and closed the file, rising to his feet with reluctance. He was the last one in the room and closed the door under Chris' pointed glare. The team leader started talking as soon as the door clicked shut.
"I hope you're up on your persona, Ezra, because Lyman's vacant spot is being filled by a man named Jacob Bain and the time line's been moved up."
"I see," Ezra answered, careful to sound calm. "So how much time do I have to prepare? A week?"
"How about two days?"
"What?" Ezra sputtered, dropping into his chair with less grace than usual. "That's preposterous!"
"Preposterous or not, word is that Bain's workin' up an order of guns to go to Mexico and that the delivery date will be soon. We need you in there yesterday."
Chris continued, ignoring Ezra's gaping mouth. "Lucky for us, Bain's ex-bookkeeper got picked up on charges unrelated to Bain and he tells us that Bain's looking for a new money man - you."
Ezra's mouth snapped shut as his mind raced. So much to do and so little time! He sniffed and shifted. "I must log my objection on the record, gentlemen. This will not be easy."
"You make it look easy, Ezra," Buck interjected is a soothing tone.
"Just use the personality you used in the Perryman case a few years back," Josiah said. "It'll work great for this."
Chris leaned back in his chair and gave Ezra a hint of a smile before turning to Buck. The acknowledgment stoked the pride he felt being part of this unusual brotherhood, and Ezra acknowledged the smile with a slight nod of his head. Chris continued. "Agent Wilmington will be taking lead on this because I'm leaving on Monday."
"There ya go," Buck said brightly, picking up the thread of the brief, craning his neck to scan Chris notes. "Does Lyman's old buddy Esteban show up in this mix?"
"Looks like it," Chris said, shoving the notes over the Buck because his friend would pull a muscle trying to read with his head at that angle. "He's a good in for Ezra. Esteban Gallegos – he's always been on the fringe but it looks like he may be stepping up to be a player."
The next hours were crammed with information.
Afterword, Ezra left the building headed home to cut and bleach his hair. Once in his car, he looked in the rear view mirror and examined the nearly closed hole in one ear lobe with a frown. Working the small, gold ball earring into the tiny dimple would hurt, but it was still possible. "Edwin Stewart should really be much thinner," he thought, clucking to himself as he started the Jaguar. "Maybe that recent vacation in Germany will account for the gain."
This attention to detail is what set Agent Standish apart from all other agents and fit into the unconventional family Team 7 had become. So, by the time he got to his condo, Ezra was, mentally, Edwin Stewart and he felt a trifle uncomfortable in his own home.
Tomorrow, his acquired family memories would be tucked far away in a recess of his mind.
There was no reason for Chris Larabee to set his alarm for Monday morning; he'd slept very little since Ezra went under on Friday. His first check-in wasn't scheduled until after Vin's flight landed in D.C. Between his worry and getting Vin ready to go, sleep remained elusive.
So, when the rising sun's first weak rays gave him just enough light to keep him from smashing his toes on the furniture, Chris rolled from the rumpled sheets and started his day. The first thing he did was slap off the alarm while grumbling the uselessness of the device and the second thing he did was pull on the sweats piled on the floor, bedside.
The past two days had been difficult. Chris knew Vin picked up on his anxiety about Ezra, and he envied Buck's ability to shield his emotions with humor. Whereas Standish was a master of disguise, Wilmington was a master of deception in his own, Buck-like manner. JD seemed oblivious to Chris' stretched resolve and for that - and Buck - he was grateful. He just wished Vin was as oblivious.
Chris shuffled to the kitchen and started coffee, then wandered into the great room to see if it was light enough to feed the horses. Since he could barely make out the barn let alone any of the horses, he grunted once in irritation of the sun's obvious lack of integrity and decided to get dressed, hoping for enough time to squelch his emotions before Vin arose.
"Dad?"
"First hope of the day dashed", the thought before replying. "Hey, Cowboy." Vin emerged from the hall shadows in a noiseless fashion that Chris both admired and regretted. They met a step within the great room and Chris' hand automatically smoothed back the sleepy tangle of Vin's hair. "Up a little early, aren't you?"
Vin forehead furrowed. "I heard you. I was awake anyway."
Chris had no doubt about that and had to smile. "Come on. Let's watch the sunrise."
There was a time when this event was standard morning fare. When the boys first came to the ranch, Vin had a need to see the fading darkness unveil the barn every morning as if he didn't believe it was really there during the night. Once Vin understood that that this was his forever home and he trusted that his home wasn't a dream, he slept through the night through the rising of the sun. To have Vin sitting next to him again before the sunrise was a disconcerting way to start the week.
Chris made microwave hot chocolate for his son and poured a mug of coffee for himself. Sitting on the smaller love seat, snuggled together sharing a warm blanket as they sipped the warm drinks, Chris and Vin watched the growing light paint the day with color in their usual quiet way.
Although the forgotten ritual began with the both of them feeling somewhat out of sorts, by the time they spied the bright gold ball peek over the trees, they both felt centered.
"Are you worried about Uncle Ezra?" Vin finally whispered.
"A little. I know he can take care of himself but I'll feel better when I hear his voice."
"Are you gonna talk to him before you go to Malibu?"
"That's the plan. It's also the plan for you to check in with me when you get to D.C." Chris said with a slight grin. "I'll feel better when I hear your voice, too."
Vin returned the smile and nodded. "Me, too."
"You are going to see a lot of neat things. D.C. has more stuff than you can ever imagine. Be sure to send me some pictures, okay?"
Vin frowned. "I don't know if I'll have any email," he said. "And I didn't check the batteries in the camera." He chewed his lip for a moment before looking aside guiltily. "'N I ain't sure where the camera is, neither."
"Aren't sure. You aren't sure where the camera is."
Vin rolled his eyes and ducked his head. Chris fought the urge to laugh. "Hang on a sec," he said, putting his coffee down and rising from the couch. "I have something for you." Chris entered the kitchen and picked something up from the top of the refrigerator, then returned to the couch. "I figured it was time you had one of these."
He held up a brand new cell phone. Vin's eyes rounded in shock, and then his face erupted with a smile. "Really? It's for me?"
"Yes, but there are a few rules. The trip sheet did not forbid cell phones, but they strongly suggest not bringing them, so don't show it off or let anyone else use it." Chris didn't add that he didn't trust most boys Vin's age, but knew his son would appreciate the idea of a connection even if he never used it. By the look of relief on Vin's face, he was glad he followed his instinct. Chris handed it over and pointed to a button. "It's all charged. Let me show you how to do a few things."
They spent the next few minutes going over cell phone basics and were so absorbed that it took the call of an impatient, hungry horse to get them off the couch. From that moment, time flew too quickly.
The house was alive with JD's chatter upon their return from the barn, and it was non stop until they dropped him at school. Well out of sight from the other kids, JD hugged Vin good bye and then ran inside.
Both Buck and Chris took Vin to the airport, finding the large, active school group with ease. Buck laughed at the harried looking faces on most of the chaperons.
"Remind me to be busy when it's JD's turn for this, will ya, Pard?"
"Gladly," Chris muttered, eying the wild bunch in search of Mrs. Richmond. He spotted her at about the same time he felt Vin tug at his sleeve.
"There she is," Vin said, towing Chris along.
Charlotte Richmond stood with steady calm amongst the chaos, calmly speaking to both adults and students. In the very few times Chris met the woman, he felt as if there was some kind of invisible, defensive barrier between them. She was polite, but seemed wary of him, and Chris didn't quite understand Vin's attraction. Even now, as she turned toward them, he saw her face light up at seeing Vin, then suddenly shutter when her eyes met his.
"Mrs. Richmond," Chris greeted.
"Mr. Larabee," she replied in a rigidly polite way.
"Vin's very excited. Buck's checking the bag." He nodded to the teeming group of students. "Is everyone here?"
"Yes," she answered. Her smile seemed forced. "Vin will be fine, won't you Vin?" When her gaze fell on his boy, her features softened and she even broke into a genuine smile when he looked up at her with excited eyes.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then." Chris squatted down just enough to see eye-to-eye with his son and refrained from pulling him into a hug. "You have fun, Vin." He leaned in so only Vin would hear him. "Use that new phone when you get to the hotel. Remember, you can only use it at the hotel. That's one of the trip rules."
"I know. Thanks, dad." Vin surprised him by giving him a hug in front of everyone.
When he stood and looked into Vin's eyes, all he saw was excitement, and he knew he'd be fine.
"It's time to check in and board," Mrs. Richmond said, turning Vin to the others with a hand on his shoulder. She gave Chris a cold look. "He'll be fine, Mr. Larabee. We've talked about this. Don't worry." Then she turned and walked away with Vin under her hand.
Chris watched them herd the students into two lines and proceed through security. Buck stood at his side.
"She's one cold woman," Buck muttered.
Usually, Chris would tease him about losing his touch, but this time, he had to agree. Once clear of the check point and moving again, Vin and nearly half of the other students turned and waved. Chris and Buck, along with a crowd of parents, waved back and Vin disappeared down the long hall. Some parents sniffed and some sighed happily as they all broke away and exited in different directions. Chris and Buck stayed until the plane was out of sight in the cloud-dotted sky.
"Well, that's it," Buck said, slapping Chris' shoulder. "Let's get busy so we don't think about it." He shoved Chris toward the door.
Chris couldn't find the words to reply. He felt - empty and strangely untethered. Buck must have picked up on his friend's state because he didn't try to hold a conversation on the way to the office and, instead, hummed along to the country music station.
Once at the office, Chris headed directly to his office and dropped in his chair. In the bullpen, he heard Buck say, "Give him a little time, guys. I think he's a bit shell-shocked."
It dawned on Chris that Buck was right - that was exactly how he felt. He decided right then to make a point to not punish everyone for his stupid anxieties. To get his mind on to another track, he picked up the phone and called Ella to confirm his arrival time in Los Angeles that evening. It was time to act like a parent and be happy for his son's independence.
TBC
