Late afternoon the next day, Chris stood up from the desk in his small corner office and made his way to the kitchen. Paperwork always irritated him, and the feeling was only amplified when it was financial work that didn't bode well for his future. He couldn't help but think once again how much everything had changed in the past year.
The decision to return to ranching had been both the best and worst thing he could have done. It was, in theory, a great plan. He'd always wanted to be a rancher; that was where his heart was, why he had bought the ranch in the first place. Losing Sarah and Adam had killed that dream as well as so many others. But time and circumstance do in fact heal wounds, and now that he had more time on his hands than he knew what to do with, the idea of making it a fully working ranch once again seemed obvious. His expansion to allow for boarding worked, to a degree. He had both short- and long-term customers, but the income barely covered the costs and loan repayment. Leasing out grazing land helped, but he had a long way to go to make this a profitable venture.
Things had reached the point he was almost regretting never returning the phone calls that he was sure had been job offers. Messages were deleted quickly when he heard FBI, Denver police or any other official sounding organization leaving word that someone from their personnel office would like to drop by. None of the others had mentioned getting similar calls, although it wouldn't surprise him. But he couldn't see himself ever saying yes. He still had a lot of anger and frustration over what had happened - too much to ignore. The others may have been able to put it behind them, but Chris's level of resentment was too high for him to see himself carrying a badge again. They had been a good - no - a great team. But that hadn't been enough. Even without that issue, there was a bigger problem. Going back to law enforcement wouldn't be the right move unless they were going back together. All seven of them. And there was simply no circumstance where he could see that happening.
What he had now may not be perfect, but it was a decent imitation. It was good to have Buck and Vin working with him, when they weren't driving him just a little crazy. He still couldn't really pay them at this point, but both insisted room and board was all they needed. The money from the ATF payout was enough to ensure funds for life's little pleasures.
It didn't take a genius to figure out Buck had ulterior motives. Chris knew his long-time friend was worried. He'd seen Chris spiral into depression once before, and while the circumstances now were radically different there was enough common ground for concern. The difference this time was that Chris didn't blame himself. Well, not completely. Granted, things had fallen apart. But everyone had survived the ordeal.
Vin had gone ahead and fixed up the old abandoned shack, making it if not cozy, at least livable. He'd gone back to preferring to spend his time alone more often than not. The younger man didn't handle frustration terribly well, and that was one emotion he was dealing with on a daily basis. Chris was fairly certain he had yet to fully forgive himself for not finding Ezra faster. Not that such a task was possible. He'd gone over it himself a million times in his mind. There was nothing anyone could've done to speed that ordeal along. The reality of that statement didn't make it easier to accept the fact.
Josiah actually seemed to be adjusting to all of the changes better than any of them. He too had a simple lifestyle that was more than adequately covered by his pension. He spent most of his days at the church youth centre, offering counselling, advice, or just a friendly ear. And with the newer addition of working with victims of violence he was comparatively happy, and definitely in his element. Helping others always helped him in equal amount. And now, more than ever, he felt the need to be useful.
Landing a position at the community college that was a cross between helping with IT and teaching the subject kept JD busy, if not fully content. He put on a good face anytime they were together, but both Chris and Buck had noted the enthusiasm for – well, for everything, wasn't what it had been. The fact that living in the same house but not actually with Casey had put their relationship somewhat in limbo was another sign of how dejected he really was. And despite what he'd told Judge Travis, Chris wondered from time to time just how much trouble JD could get into in his new job. He had no doubt it was only a matter of time before the kid would find some way of stepping where he shouldn't. As much as Buck may have been just a much of a kid in many ways, he did seem to have a bit more impulse control - which wasn't really saying much. JD was just too inquisitive to leave well enough alone. For example, he was fairly certain the young man was keeping a very close eye on Ezra. He hadn't said anything, which was evidence enough of his activities. He would have been a lot more vocal with his concerns if he didn't have a degree of certainty that Ezra was doing alright.
Nathan's recovery was decidedly a high point in all of this. He was certainly doing a lot better physically. He was long since done with the surgeries, and while there was still some ongoing physiotherapy needed, it wasn't as often or as intense. No one who saw him now would have any idea just how badly he'd been hurt. They were all inordinately pleased with his area of study, knowing that he, like Josiah, was happiest when helping others. Chris knew that was critical, since he couldn't help but think Nathan still harboured some misguided feeling of guilt over what he believed his role had been in Ezra's imprisonment. And while both men claimed to have come to terms with what Taylor had done, the facts simply did not support that conclusion.
He looked out the window again, unconsciously scanning for company. It was funny that the day after lunch with Travis, JD would call and invite himself, Nathan and Josiah out for dinner. Chris suspected he knew what the main topic of conversation would be. It was no surprise that JD was continuously suggesting they head to New York. There was no arguing Buck owned the role of Big Brother, but Ezra had been a quieter kind of mentor to the young agent, and his absence was clearly deeply felt.
Whatever the reason, he was glad to get the call. Even though they still all got together from time to time, it was not as often as they used to; it didn't feel like it was often enough. it had been a while since all six of them had met up, but he had the feeling tonight was not going to be a social event, which was too bad. An afternoon of riding, some steaks on the barbecue, and an evening of drinking and telling lies sounded like a good idea. That was usually how the gatherings went, much as they had done before everything changed. The only thing different from those nights was poker. It'd been close to a year now since they sat around the table. Well, that wasn't entirely true. They tried a few games, but it just didn't feel right.
A lot of things didn't feel right anymore. Not the least of which was the fact that they really hadn't heard enough from Ezra to satisfy them, and what had said told them next to nothing. He assured them that he was doing well, and his recovery was "on schedule". They all wanted to believe that so much that they were willing to accept it. Honouring his wishes had been one of the hardest things the team had ever had to do. Travis's words only reinforced what they all knew. Going after him, tracking him down wouldn't accomplish anything. He'd just disappear, and next time probably wouldn't bother to stay in touch. That was a chance none of them had intended to take - up until now.
Maybe the time had come. This had gone on long enough in his mind, and he knew the others were coming to the same conclusion. Visiting didn't have to mean they were going to force him into anything he wasn't ready for, but it would reassure him that they hadn't forgotten about him. Of course, the regular calls made and emails they sent were doing the same thing, even if they weren't always answered. Ezra was just so damned hard to read. Give him too much room and he feels abandoned; too tight a grip and he feels pressured. The hope was that as a group, they'd be able to find the balance. And remind him that as much as he'd been through a hell of a lot, so had they. It was quickly approaching the point when it was time for them to all face it together.
Chris had been staring out for some time now, not exactly watching for his guests, but waiting just the same. He sipped slowly at what really should be his last coffee of the day. Sleep was elusive enough without overdosing on caffeine.
He looked down at the table with the 'priority' bills that were piled up. The utilities were covered, he'd made sure of that. But the extras were killing him. And the extras were essential if he was going to have a working ranch. Knowing he was going to regret it later, he reached for the coffee pot again.
"Thought you were going to limit yourself to 4 cups a day."
"Well let's just call this an early start on tomorrow's quota."
Buck walked over and took the cup. He ignored the glare. "You might as well grab a beer. Enough of those and you'll fall asleep regardless of how much coffee you've had." He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a couple of cold ones, setting both on the table. He spun the chair around and straddled it before opening his bottle.
"Everyone still coming out?" Chris tried to call Vin, but it seemed like the phone was off, so he just left a message. Odds were, he would see it. Whether or not he'd come was another matter, but Chris was confident. Loner or not, Vin still enjoyed the company of this group.
"Should be here any time now, since I haven't heard otherwise."
"OK, then I'll have my say before they get here."
Chris knew what was coming, and really wasn't in the mood. "Told you a dozen times; I'm not selling off any of the land."
"It was a good offer, it's out of sight of the house and you need the money."
"Need the land more. God knows what will end up being built there. Don't want a bunch of condos or worse."
Buck had expected that answer and didn't disagree. "What if you had a buyer you could trust?"
"Given the fact that I don't know anyone with that kind of money, and I doubt you do, I don't see that happening."
"I could get a mortgage."
Chris was glad he had swallowed his mouthful of beer. "You could. Really? Based on what? As much as you value your collection of little black books, I doubt anyone would take them as collateral."
"Because of our long-standing friendship, I will ignore the implied insult." Buck reached over to the counter and pulled the laptop to him. A few keystrokes later, he smirked, turning the machine toward Chris as the webpage opened. "I have managed to save a few dollars over the years."
This time Chris did choke on his beer, sputtering in shock. "Holy shit Buck – when did you rob a bank?"
"Well, it ain't all that much, but it should cover enough as down payment. I think."
"One million, thirteen thousand and change. Yeah, that should be enough."
Buck laughed. "Look again cowboy. There is this little dot there called a decimal point."
"Right. And in front of that are the 7 numbers that say one million, thirteen-".
Buck spun the laptop around, staring in disbelief. "Well somebody screwed that up nicely. Hey - do you think they'd object if I just transferred some of that out before they figure out who it really belongs too?" He looked up to see Chris wasn't laughing. "Uh, Chris – you know this isn't my money, right?"
"That could be hard to prove if someone is messing with you."
"If they are, he's not alone." They turned, surprised to see JD and the others coming in. Neither man had heard them pull up. "Check your account Chris. I'll bet you a million dollars you've had the same deposit."
It took only a few keystrokes to confirm the addition of funds. "You three as well?" All of them nodded.
"OK, what the hell is going on?" Buck stood, getting beers for the others. "It's a damned expensive frame up to try to bring down 6 guys who aren't even Feds anymore."
"I don't know. I don't really have the set up to trace back the funds without crossing the line."
Chris shook his head. "Don't do that. Least not yet. Easiest option would be to just check with the bank."
"Nobody with authority to look into anything was there when I called." Josiah answered. "Being a Saturday, that isn't really surprising."
Before Chris could voice his next suggestion, the backfiring of a truck interrupted. A moment later, Vin joined them. "Anybody else having troubles with their bank account?"
"Let me guess – you're a little more flush that you should be?"
Vin nodded his response to Buck and turned to speak, but Chris was already on the phone.
"Afternoon Judge. Sorry to interrupt your weekend, but we have a bit of a -. Oh, you too. Half a million. Well, ours is a bit more than that, but yeah, same issue." He was quiet for a moment, nodding or shaking his head from time to time. "No, we haven't got a clue. Could it be a frame of some kind? Any way you can figure that it ties into the other thing we were talking about?" The others waited impatiently for the conversation to end. "OK, we'll check what we can. Call us."
"What did he say?" JD was first to ask.
"He suggested we sit back for a relaxing dinner and prepare ourselves for some kind of shit to hit the fan. Because nobody hands over six and a half million dollars without one hell of an ulterior motive, and it isn't likely to be a good one."
M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7
tbc