Note: this story is written around the song by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram
Thank you so much to all who reviewed the last chapter: Sarai, Roses, and and Meridian Siler.
:)

Somewhere Out There

--
Somewhere out there,
Beneath the pale moonlight,
Someone's thinking of me,
And loving me tonight...
--

As he opened the door to his apartment carrying a bag of groceries, Ezra contemplated the strange new turn his life had taken. If anyone had told him a year ago that he would be buying groceries for two runaways that he had actually invited to stay in his home, he would have thought that they had surely gone mad. However, much to his surprise, he found that he actually cared for the two like brothers. Vin was quiet, but with a mischievous side that proved amusing on many an occasion. JD, on the other hand, was constantly chattering. Good Lord, that child was like a wind-up toy with all that energy. And he couldn't lie to save his life--the boy had the most expressive eyes... But, JD was the most generous, trusting, and loving soul that he had ever encountered. And neither one of them expected him to put up a front. In fact, his facade had lasted all of a day before he had cautiously started to relax what with JD pulling on his hand excitedly and Vin just looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He soon found that when he was at home with the two of them he could just be himself, and they excepted him despite his many faults--which amazed him to no end...

Vin looked up as Ezra entered the apartment and got up to help him. As he started to put away the groceries, he thought about his life now. Obviously, it was better than the warehouse...but not just because of the running water, food, and heat part. He found that he cared for the two others like brothers and he knew that they cared for him too. And living with the two certainly made life interesting. There was also the fact that the two reminded him of himself in some ways. While Ezra was the opposite of him with how he used long words and fancy clothes, he knew that Ezra just used that as a front so people didn't get too close. He knew from experience what it was like to be afraid that people wouldn't like you for who you were... Then, there was wide-eyed lil' JD full of innocence. But JD wasn't naive --he knew about some things that someone his age probably shouldn't. Vin felt a certain kinship to him, as he too had lost his mother at a young age...

JD walked over to the fridge to get some milk while the two put the groceries away. He liked living here with Vin and Ezra. They were both really cool and they didn't mind that he talked a lot. He wished that the two were his real brothers--but they were like his brothers in all the ways that counted he decided. Vin told him stories about animals and helped him go back to sleep if he had a bad dream or started crying about his mama. Ezra told him stories too, but his were about knights stuff and Ezra also taught him all kinds of neat things. And they both listened as he told them about his day at school and even though they were lots older, they didn't mind hanging out with him. If he could have picked two brothers out of the whole wide world, he knew that he would have picked Ezra and Vin...

--
Somewhere out there,
Someone's saying' a prayer,
That we'll find one another,
In that big somewhere out there...
--

Chris Larabee slammed the door behind him as he walked out of his ranch house. He stood on the porch and stared out at the stars. He owned a private detective agency and the case he had worked on today had been a particularly hard one. His fists clenched as he thought about it. They had finally found the bastard that had killed a small boy. Chris had put all his strength and effort into finding him and honestly probably would have killed him with his own two hands if Josiah and Nathan hadn't been there. The boy had only been a couple of years younger than what Adam would be now. As he gazed at the stars he thought about how he and Adam used to go outside to look at the stars on clear nights like this. But, it was too quiet now. Even with Buck there the house was too quiet. He missed the sounds of children's voices and their laughter...

Seventeen-year-old Buck Wilmington stared at the door that Chris had walked out of. He knew that the case he had been working on was really getting to him. It got to him too, and he wasn't even working on it. He remembered when he had first come to live with his Uncle Chris and Aunt Sarah. Chris had been so different back then-- before Aunt Sarah and Adam had gone missing. Now, Buck wished that he would just stop brooding and get on with his life. He missed his Aunt and cousin too, but that wasn't gonna stop him from living his life. Aunt Sarah wouldn't have wanted him too. She would have wanted him and Uncle Chris to be happy.... As Chris walked back into the house, grabbed a beer, and walked back outside, Buck sighed. He sent up a silent prayer that something would happen to make Uncle Chris enjoy life again...

Josiah Sanchez turned on the lights as he entered his apartment. It had been a hard day at the office again. It usually was. He had originally been a profiler for the FBI, but quit because he didn't like all the bureaucratic bullshit. He thought that joining a private detective agency was just what he had been looking for. And he liked his job. But he and his coworkers never talked about anything that wasn't job related...and his boss wasn't the easiest to deal with on the best of days. He just wished that he would loosen up some--that they all would...

Nathaniel Jackson sat down on his couch with a weary sigh. It was days like this he wished he had stayed a medic, what with trying to stop his boss from murdering the suspect and nearly getting his head bit off in the process. That kind of stress just wasn't good for a person. Chris really needed something else to focus on besides his work. Sure there was Buck, but the boy was grown enough to pretty much take care of himself now. He just wished that something would happen to change his employer's perpetually bad mood...

--
And even though I know,
How very far apart we are,
It helps to think we might be wishing,
On the same bright star...
--

Ezra, JD, and Vin went about their nightly routines, feeling happy and content... but all feeling as if something was missing, something that they couldn't quite put their finger on but that left an empty spot nonetheless. As JD gazed out the window at the night sky, a flash of light caught his attention.
His eyes widened, "Ezra, Vin, look!"
The two turned just in time to see a shooting star streak across the night sky...

Buck sighed as he went outside to remind his uncle that it was getting late. Just as he opened his mouth, a star in the sky caught both of their attentions as they watched its decent through the sky. The corners of Chris's mouth twitched into a small smile as he thought about how he used to tell an excited Adam to make a wish on falling stars... At the same time, Buck thought about how his mom used to tell him how shooting stars were magical and were to be wished on. And so Buck did just that...

Josiah looked outside the window at the night sky, a forgotten book in his lap. He smiled as he saw a star shooting across the sky. He marveled that just maybe God was telling him that things would start looking a little brighter...

Nathan watched as the star fell in the sky, triggering a memory from his childhood and making him smile. Feeling a bit foolish, he decided to make a wish...

--
And when the night wind,
Starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping,
Underneath the same big sky...
--

JD yawned as he walked into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal. Vin was already in there as he was always the first one up. The two ate their breakfast in silence, then played a game of checkers as they waited for Ezra to wake-up. Today was a Saturday--a day that they all spent together. And today, they were going to a park and then to a small diner on 43rd street for supper...

Chris walked into his office followed by Buck, who usually came with him to work when he wasn't in school. Buck kept muttering under his breath that he shouldn't even be at work since it was a Saturday and Chris made his own hours anyway. Chris pointedly ignored him as he sat down and opened up a casefile. A few minutes later, Nathan entered the building followed by Josiah. The door swung shut behind them reading: Number 7, 43rd Street...

--
Somewhere out there,
If love can see us through,
Then we'll be together,
Somewhere out there,
Out where dreams come true...
--

Upon spotting the diner, JD raced ahead to be the first one there. Vin and Ezra kept an eye on him as they walked at a slower pace, both marveling at the abundance of energy their youngest had. When he was a few steps away from the diner, JD turned to wave to the other two and ran smack into a group of people walking out of a nearby building.

"Whoa, there."
"Sorry," JD said, turning around, his eyes wide.
"Just watch where you're going next time," Nathan said.
"Where are your parents, kid?" Buck asked looking around.
"I don't gots parents anymore, I live with..." JD started to explain.

Ezra clapped his hand over JD's mouth and plastered a smile on his face. He and Vin had run up as soon as they had seen the encounter.

"What my little brother is trying to say is that we are currently residing with relatives whilst are parents are away," Ezra lied smoothly as he discreetly pushed JD behind him.
"Oh?" Josiah said.
"Yes...and we simply must be going, we're running late already and they must be terribly worried...I do apologize for my brother's clumsiness," Ezra said quickly as he grabbed both JD's and Vin's hands and hurried away in the opposite direction.
"But, Ez-ra, I thought we were going to the..." JD started to protest as he was led away.
"Not now, JD," Vin hissed.

When they were far enough away, they stopped and Ezra turned to JD.
"What have I told you about telling people you don't reside with your parents?"
"You said not to tell anyone at school--and they weren't at school..."JD explained.
Ezra sighed in exasperation as Vin simply rolled his eyes. They had learned that when dealing with JD they had to be very specific.
"I meant that you are not to tell anyone--in or out of school...you don't want to get taken away do you?" Ezra explained.
JD shook his head.
"Alright then, let's forget this incident ever happened..."

--
And even though I know,
How very far apart we are,
It helps to think we might be wishing,
on the same bright star...
--

Upon reaching their apartment, Ezra, Vin, and JD's thoughts all kept drifting back to the group of men that they had run into. Ezra was glad that they had managed to get themselves out of a situation, but something told him that they hadn't fooled at least one of the men. The tall one with gray hair had somehow seemed to know that he had been lying, though the man hadn't challenged what he said. The teenager didn't seem to notice that anything was amiss, nor did the African- American gentleman. The fourth of the group--the dark-clad man, well it was hard to tell. He hadn't spoken a word and had seemed displeased with the whole situation. But, all in all, the group of seemingly mismatched men intrigued Ezra ...

Vin's thoughts kept drifting to one of the men in particular. The first three, he had quickly dismissed as not a threat. The fourth--the one dressed all in black had drawn his attention. The man hadn't said a word, but there was a sadness and an intensity about him. For a brief moment, their eyes had met and had made him even more puzzled. Vin wondered what had happened to the man to bring that look into his eyes...

JD too thought about their encounter with the men. He had instinctively known that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about how he was living with just Ezra and Vin, but something about the men had made him want to tell them. He didn't know why, but he just hadn't wanted to lie to them...

The four men also found that they couldn't help thinking of the three kids they had run into...

Chris had froze when they had run into the three kids. They had reminded him of Adam--of what he had lost. Now, they made him think of Adam again...but not in the same way. Now he recalled how Adam had been so full of energy and excitement like the little kid that they had run into. And he wondered if Adam would be like either of the other two. And he thought about how Adam used to have his friends over and how the house had been full of the happiness that only a child could bring. And he thought about how quiet the house was now. And how he wished the house wasn't so damn quiet...

Buck thought about how much he missed playing with his cousin and having another kid in the house. Now it was just him and Chris--and his uncle wasn't much company. He wondered who the three kids were and where their parents had been...

Josiah puzzled over the three and wondered why the one had lied about who they were living with. He could only think of one reason that they would lie about it, and if his suspicions were right, that worried him...

Nathan also thought about the kids that he had run into--one of which literally. They had seemed happy enough, but there was just something about them that he couldn't quite put his finger on...

--
And when the night wind,
Starts to sing a lonesome lullaby,
It helps to think we're sleeping,
Underneath the same big sky...
--

The next day, Vin had to go to work at one of the taverns, so Ezra and JD went with him. While he worked washing dishes, Ezra started up a card game and JD played with the toys that he had brought with him at the next table. After Vin finished up work, they planned to all go to lunch together as Vin was only working the morning shift...

The new day brought a new case to the detective agency at number 7--and a new lead to follow. They were to go to Joe's Tavern to interview the bartender about the suspect's whereabouts. So, the three PIs...plus Buck headed out to the tavern...

As the three PIs entered the tavern, they headed over to the bartender to begin their questioning. Buck, on the other hand, was bored and started to scan the room as he waited for the others to finish. He did a double-take as he noticed one of the kids that they had run into yesterday playing at one of the tables. A scan of the area revealed another one at a card table, he didn't see the third one though. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice that the others had finished till one of them tapped him on the shoulder.
"The kids from yesterday are in here," he informed them, nodding at the two, "well, two of them anyway."
"What do you suppose they're doing here?" Nathan mused.
"Where the hell are their parents?" Chris asked.
"I don't think they have any," Josiah said quietly, voicing his suspicions.

At that moment, Ezra noticed their observers and quickly ended his game. He walked over to JD's table and informed him, "it's time to go."
"But, what about Vin?"
"He'll meet up with us later...we have to go now," Ezra whispered urgently as JD stuffed his stuff back into his backpack.

"Let me guess...you're very late and your relatives are waiting," a voice said right behind them, startling them both. Ezra's breath caught as he recognized the black clad man.
"Well, yes...you see..." he tried desperately to think of an excuse under the intense gaze.
"Uh, huh. You're coming with us," Chris stated.
Ezra looked for an escape route as Chris led them toward the others.
JD called out, "Vin!"
Vin almost instantly appeared from the back room, scanning the area for threats.
"What's going on?" he asked and he soon found himself being led away also. Vin didn't sense that the four meant them any harm, so he more or less complied.
The four led them back to their office, and to a new faze in their lives...

--
Somewhere out there,
If love can see us through,
Then we'll be together,
Somewhere out there...
--

A call to the local police stations turned up nothing on the three and a call to social services only revealed that one Vin Tanner was supposedly living in a foster home. There was no trace of the other two, though and they didn't have much information to go on. JD had told them that his mother had died. Ezra hadn't told them anything. As they discussed what they were going to do with the three, Chris interrupted, saying, "They're coming home with me." His outburst surprised everyone in the room and rendered them temporarily speechless. But, the three did indeed end up going home with him. Buck smiled thinking that maybe his uncle would start living his life again and just maybe start acting like his old self. Josiah and Nathan were happy as they felt that the three were just what their employer needed to start acting a little more human. Ezra, Vin, and JD were a bit relieved now that the burden of their secret had been lifted a bit and that they now had someone else to take care of them for a change...

--
Out where dreams come true.
--

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