Spanning the Generations

"Hey Tommy my dad texted that he was back home, so I'm going to head out." Nate said grabbing his coat from the chair and putting it on.

"Okay, I'll keep working on my diorama," he said with a grin.

"Yeah it looks great, take your time on it and you should get an A."

Nate made his way skirting the edges of his neighbor's lawns on his trek home. He opened the door and his mouth dropped open as Arlo stood front and center in the living room. "Does my dad know you're here?" He said eyeing his grandfather suspiciously.

"Who do ya think dragged me in?" Arlo responded his hand stiff at his side slightly behind his back. "Stuck here all day waiting, bored to no end."

"Yes I know he's here, and before you ask don't; it's complicated." Raylan answered his back to them both.

"Are you also aware that he is holding a gun?" Nate calmly added as Raylan spun around his gun out and aimed at Arlo.

"Come over here Nate," Raylan ordered.

"Sure just don't shoot me," he retorted as he quickly shuffled over towards his father.

Once Nate was next to him, Raylan ordered Arlo to put the gun down which he did ever so slowly, carefully watching his son. "So what's the plan?" Raylan asked.

"For me to shoot you in the leg, Bo wants to take you alive," Arlo was saying as Raylan unloaded a round just skimming his father's arm. Arlo screamed like a wounded animal and Nate after initially being startled raised his eyebrows to new proportions and knew there were some good stories his dad needed to share with him about his grandfather.

Raylan never taking his eyes off of Arlo asked, "then what happens? Nate will you please go and get me some bandages and so forth from the hall closet."

"But I want to hear," he protested.

"Do as you're told," Raylan stated his eyes still glued to his father who was bleeding all over the couch where he had fallen backwards.

Nate made a discernible noise that sounded like a snort and headed off down the hall and began to rummage for whatever might get his grandfather to stop staining the living room red. He could hear voices but nothing he could understand. He loaded up with all that he could find and headed back to the scene of the crime when there was a knock at the door. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked at his father who put his hand up palm towards him indicating he should stop. Raylan walked over to Arlo and grabbed his gun which was lying on the floor and tucked into his back waistband. "Who is it?" he yelled towards the door.

"Tommy, I thought I heard a gunshot I was wondering if your friend was back?"

"No Tommy, that was just a car backfiring, you need to go back home now," Raylan yelled through the front door.

"Is Nate okay?"

"He's just fine," Raylan answered tilting head to indicate that Nate should answer.

"I'm fine, it was just a car."

"Okay then, text me later then Nate."

"Okay I will," Nate shouted in return.

"I'm going to patch Arlo up while you try and clean this mess up." Raylan stated.

"I've had first aid how come I don't get to fix him up?"

"Cause I'm never leaving you alone with him even for a second. Now get some rags and use cold water."

Nate scowled but went off to find some cleaning products. Each Givens was busy with their task, cleaning, attending and mending that nearly a half hour had passed. Nate finished and went to dump his bucket in the tub. "Looks good, you'll even have a cool scar." He told Arlo who was perched on top of the toilet.

"I already have plenty of scars."

"Don't we all," Raylan said looking his father in the eye. "Nate I left the ace bandage in the living room can you get it for me. Nate nodded and headed back to the living room.

"He's a good kid that one, better than what you deserve," Arlo commented after Nate departed.

"Better than what you got?" Raylan asked tilting his head as he looked up.

Nate had grabbed the bandage and was returning to the bathroom when he heard the door jiggle and then open revealing two men who looked like classic back alley killers. The bald one aimed his gun at Nate and gruffly asked, "where is he?"

Nate for one of the first times in his life was speechless. He wasn't particularly afraid he just couldn't make his mind move forward. His eyes roved over the two intruders as they stood still with their intimidating demeanor projecting across the room.

"Drop your guns fellas," Raylan ordered quietly as he entered the room. Nate had frozen in his tracks as Raylan quickly made his way towards the gun toting intruders. They made the mistake of lowering their weapons for a moment giving the marshal the opportunity he needed. In seconds both men were dead or dying on the floor, blood pooling around them.

"Now I am not cleaning that up too," Nate stated a frustrated look on his face.

"Go over to the table and sit down," Raylan ordered calmly.

"What are you going to do?"

"Call the coroner."

"Good plan." Nate responded appearing unfazed by what he had just witnessed.

A few minutes later flashing red and blue light began to decorate the street. Arlo had his shirt back on with the bullet hole taped together and was trying to look casual while Nate was being shooed back into his bedroom by Raylan. They couldn't shut the front door because one body was blocking the way. People in varying uniforms began to mill around and Tommy was back at the door again.

"You can't tell me it was more backfires marshal cause I can see the bodies, what happened?" Tommy asked.

Raylan paused blew out a mouthful of air and screamed for Nate who came rushing from his room. "What?"

"Take Tommy to your room and lie about what happened here." He whispered directly into Nate's ear.

"Okay," Nate said enjoying being in the middle of this adventure.

Raylan had Tommy go around and come through the garage door so he wouldn't disrupt the crime scene. The two boys headed off to the calmer confines of Nate's room. "So dude what happened?"

"Bad guys picked the wrong house, that's all there is to it," Nate explained keeping it light and simple, smiling as he lied.

"Were they trying to rob you?"

"I really don't know what their intentions were," Nate answered truthfully.

As Tommy thought about that his phone rang. "Dang it's my mother," he said as he pushed the button to answer. He listened for a minute and then nodded and said, "yes ma'am." He disconnected and slid his phone back in his pocket. "I gotta go, try not to get shot."

"Will do," Nate replied glad that he didn't have to explain any more especially since he didn't know any more. "See ya," he said as he was guided back through the house.

Before he would return to the sanctity of his room he was snatched up by an investigator who wanted his statement. Raylan looked over and covered the room in four strides. "He needs his parent present."

"No, not really, but you can stay," the man said. "What happened son?"

"Those two guys walked into the house with their guns drawn and then my dad came into the room. They raised their guns and he shot them, end of story."

"Well that seems rehearsed."

"No it's not rehearsed it's just that I'm really good at giving statements and I've whittled it down to the basics without any extra melodrama. No I don't know who they are or what they wanted all I know is that I was fearful for my life."

"How old are you Nathaniel?"

"It's Nate and I'm eleven."

"Are you done with him, I'd rather he not be in here," Raylan said as the bodies were still present.

"Sure, if need anything else we'll be in touch."

"Go back to your room, finish your homework and then go to bed."

"Dad..."

"Please don't argue with me," Raylan begged.

"Thanks for not hesitating." Nate said.

Raylan looked at his son's face and allowed for a small smile. "You saw my words in action, don't have it if you're not going to use it; hesitation kills."

The next morning brought a whirlwind of activity. Raylan was relieved the bodies were gone but found Nate standing over the taped outlines of where they had fallen; the bloodstains still thick and taunting, not allowing anyone to think that perhaps they had dreamt it all. Arlo's color was better but Nate looked exhausted, dark circles under his eyes. He often had those as sleep wasn't always easy for him but they seemed much more pronounced this morning.

"Tough night kiddo?"

Nate merely raised his eyebrows, "did you really just ask that?"

"Stupid I know. How do you feel?"

"Like crap."

"You need to eat something."

"Not hungry."

"Eat anyway. I need you to go to school, I don't want you at the office with everything going on and I'm not comfortable leaving you at home. Do you think you can make it?"

"What difference does it make; I won't feel any better in bed or on the couch."

Raylan looked down at his son and smiled at Nate's efforts to deal with the difficulties of his life. "We need to talk to your doctor about some new pain meds."

"They never work," Nate replied.

"We need to find some that do. Do you want to talk about last night?"

"Who were those guys?"

"I think they work for somebody that has some kind of issue with me."

"Who and what, and was Arlo on their side?" Nate asked looking at his grandfather.

"Arlo is always on his own side," Raylan said glaring at his father. "Look this goes back a few years and is…"

"Complicated, I know everything is always complicated."

Raylan softened his eyes and looked at his son. "I'm sorry this happened, it's not fair, you already have enough to worry about without gun toting strangers showing up at all hours."

"Well it does provide a distraction."

Nothing more specific was forthcoming from the powers that be and Nate found himself looking at the world with a suspicious eye. He couldn't even trust his grandfather and his own father's past was full of dark shadows that had only begun to reveal themselves.