WHAT A REPUTATION IS WORTH
By: Cheryl W.
Disclaimer: I don't own Magnificent Seven nor is any copyright infringement intended. I have the greatest respect and jealous for those who do own them.
Ratings: PG
Summary: Vin pushes his friendship with Chris to the limit in a town where Chris can't afford to lose face
The saloon patrons of Felp's Rock watched in utter surprise as the young man wearing a buckskin coat did the unthinkable - he argued with Chris Larabee. Larabee had come through this territory about a year back and there weren't many who could forget the man in black nor the speed of his draw. Arguing with Larabee then was one sure way to get yourself shot, maybe even killed.
Now Larabee was standing there letting the man talk to him with disrespect. Maybe Larabee had gone soft, lost his nerve. A few of the hard core men eased their hands down to their guns, wondering. Could they take Larabee in a draw? Had the man in black not only lost his deadly nature but his speed and skill with his gun as well?!
Chris could feel the change in the saloon. The fear he had invoked the second he strode through the bat wing doors was now being replaced by aggression. If he didn't handle this situation with Vin in the right way, he'd be in the street for the next hour, meeting challenge after challenge. Damn, his reputation was either going to cost him his friendship with Vin or it was going to cost Chris his very life.
Vin was oblivious to the forces at work in the room. "Chris it just ain't right to drag this boy on the trail with us. He already told you what Maynor looks like, let's leave 'em here."
Taking a menacing step forward, Chris growled into Vin's face, "And I said he's coming with us," and Larabee grabbed a handful of the 16 year old boy's coat and roughly yanked him from Vin's side and toward the door.
"Damn it Chris!" Vin exploded, "He's just a boy! Don't use him as bait for your revenge!"
It seemed the whole saloon fell to a shuddering silence as the tracker's words hung in the air. All eyes were on the infamous Chris Larabee. Here was the proof every man who wanted to gun down Larabee was desiring. Was Larabee still a man to be feared or was it time for him to do the fearing?
Chris was angry at Vin's challenging words, his accusation, but it wasn't anger that was drilling a hole in the pit of his stomach. No, it was the thought of what his next action would cost him. He knew without a doubt that he was one heartbeat away from losing his reputation as a cold hearted, fast drawing, deadly bastard. To Mary Travis, the loss of his reputation probably sounded like a God send but Chris knew that his reputation had kept him and the men he rode with alive more times than not. Just like it had kept them alive in this saloon where half the men having drinks would rather kill a man than look on him. Not to mention most of them wouldn't mind putting a bullet into Chris Larabee - fatally. If he showed weakness here, now, it would set into motion a thousand bad turns down the road.
The lines were drawn and Chris made the choice to save his life and the lives of his men - at the cost of those same men's friendship. Chris didn't hold anything back as he plowed his right fist into Vin Tanner's jaw. The bounty hunter dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes but stayed conscious, his blue eyes full of shocked pain as they watched Larabee's approach.
'Damn it Vin, why'd you have to push me here in this town' Chris thought even as he sensed the animosity in the room had only slightly dampened.
If Vin was shocked by Chris' punch, he was totally unprepared for the kick Chris delivered into his ribs. He groaned and curled into a ball, clutching his stomach. But soon hands he knew roughly grabbed onto his buffalo coat, yanking him from the ground, forcing his eyes to meet the deadly blue eyes of Chris Larabee.
"I'll use whoever I wanna use for whatever reason I want," Chris snarled and the saloon patrons all felt a shiver go down their spine. "Keep your damn bleeding heart away from me. Kid's going with me." The challenge as clear as a shout and Vin swallowed at the hardness in Larabee's eyes. "And you ain't going with me." Chris shoved Vin away from him and the tracker's back impacted again with the floor.
Chris stood and eyed the saloon with the same steely challenge. Suddenly every man's drink required closer inspection and Chris felt the air change again to fear. He looked down at Vin and almost cringed at the haunted look in his ex-best friend's eyes. But he didn't cringe only glared and then determinably snagged onto the 16-year-old boy's arm and shoved him toward the door. Chris followed behind the boy and heard footfalls behind him and knew instinctively that Buck was following him, watching his back. Chris hadn't given his other men one single look as he strode by them, certain he already knew the looks they wore. He had just officially severed all ties to his new friends that he begrudgingly had begun to think of as family. 'Damn Reputation!'
To be Continued
By: Cheryl W.
Disclaimer: I don't own Magnificent Seven nor is any copyright infringement intended. I have the greatest respect and jealous for those who do own them.
Ratings: PG
Summary: Vin pushes his friendship with Chris to the limit in a town where Chris can't afford to lose face
The saloon patrons of Felp's Rock watched in utter surprise as the young man wearing a buckskin coat did the unthinkable - he argued with Chris Larabee. Larabee had come through this territory about a year back and there weren't many who could forget the man in black nor the speed of his draw. Arguing with Larabee then was one sure way to get yourself shot, maybe even killed.
Now Larabee was standing there letting the man talk to him with disrespect. Maybe Larabee had gone soft, lost his nerve. A few of the hard core men eased their hands down to their guns, wondering. Could they take Larabee in a draw? Had the man in black not only lost his deadly nature but his speed and skill with his gun as well?!
Chris could feel the change in the saloon. The fear he had invoked the second he strode through the bat wing doors was now being replaced by aggression. If he didn't handle this situation with Vin in the right way, he'd be in the street for the next hour, meeting challenge after challenge. Damn, his reputation was either going to cost him his friendship with Vin or it was going to cost Chris his very life.
Vin was oblivious to the forces at work in the room. "Chris it just ain't right to drag this boy on the trail with us. He already told you what Maynor looks like, let's leave 'em here."
Taking a menacing step forward, Chris growled into Vin's face, "And I said he's coming with us," and Larabee grabbed a handful of the 16 year old boy's coat and roughly yanked him from Vin's side and toward the door.
"Damn it Chris!" Vin exploded, "He's just a boy! Don't use him as bait for your revenge!"
It seemed the whole saloon fell to a shuddering silence as the tracker's words hung in the air. All eyes were on the infamous Chris Larabee. Here was the proof every man who wanted to gun down Larabee was desiring. Was Larabee still a man to be feared or was it time for him to do the fearing?
Chris was angry at Vin's challenging words, his accusation, but it wasn't anger that was drilling a hole in the pit of his stomach. No, it was the thought of what his next action would cost him. He knew without a doubt that he was one heartbeat away from losing his reputation as a cold hearted, fast drawing, deadly bastard. To Mary Travis, the loss of his reputation probably sounded like a God send but Chris knew that his reputation had kept him and the men he rode with alive more times than not. Just like it had kept them alive in this saloon where half the men having drinks would rather kill a man than look on him. Not to mention most of them wouldn't mind putting a bullet into Chris Larabee - fatally. If he showed weakness here, now, it would set into motion a thousand bad turns down the road.
The lines were drawn and Chris made the choice to save his life and the lives of his men - at the cost of those same men's friendship. Chris didn't hold anything back as he plowed his right fist into Vin Tanner's jaw. The bounty hunter dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes but stayed conscious, his blue eyes full of shocked pain as they watched Larabee's approach.
'Damn it Vin, why'd you have to push me here in this town' Chris thought even as he sensed the animosity in the room had only slightly dampened.
If Vin was shocked by Chris' punch, he was totally unprepared for the kick Chris delivered into his ribs. He groaned and curled into a ball, clutching his stomach. But soon hands he knew roughly grabbed onto his buffalo coat, yanking him from the ground, forcing his eyes to meet the deadly blue eyes of Chris Larabee.
"I'll use whoever I wanna use for whatever reason I want," Chris snarled and the saloon patrons all felt a shiver go down their spine. "Keep your damn bleeding heart away from me. Kid's going with me." The challenge as clear as a shout and Vin swallowed at the hardness in Larabee's eyes. "And you ain't going with me." Chris shoved Vin away from him and the tracker's back impacted again with the floor.
Chris stood and eyed the saloon with the same steely challenge. Suddenly every man's drink required closer inspection and Chris felt the air change again to fear. He looked down at Vin and almost cringed at the haunted look in his ex-best friend's eyes. But he didn't cringe only glared and then determinably snagged onto the 16-year-old boy's arm and shoved him toward the door. Chris followed behind the boy and heard footfalls behind him and knew instinctively that Buck was following him, watching his back. Chris hadn't given his other men one single look as he strode by them, certain he already knew the looks they wore. He had just officially severed all ties to his new friends that he begrudgingly had begun to think of as family. 'Damn Reputation!'
To be Continued
