These lot don't belong to me just the AU does so please don't use it without asking me. Thanks for the reviews for the other chapters I tried to get back to everyone but if I didn't manage it then sorry.

One week later:

He'd been in palace for a week now and he wanted to move on but was not sure how to raise the issue. Chris and his family had for the most part taken to him warmly though Vin had yet to work out how some of them were related and doubted that he would figure it out any time soon.

"Vin?" A soft voice questioned from behind him. Charlotte! The woman had been in palace for slightly longer than him and he had yet managed to find a way to escape from her as she seemed to have fixed her attentions on him from the day they had met.

"Charlotte, how can I help you?" Vin asked his eyes flicking to the exit hoping for someone to come by and rescue him.

"Well I was wondering if you would come for a meal with me in the gardens, just you and me." She ran one finger slowly up his chest, which caused him to take a step back.

"Vin there you are." Buck said walking into the room, the adopted brother of Chris the big man had taken to Vin from the moment they had met on account of his saving Chris' life.

"Bucklin" Vin said a look of such relief on his face at seeing the man that Buck's smile grew that much wider.

"Chris was lookin' for you. He's down in the stables somewhere." Buck said and Vin almost ran out the room. "Now darlin' you want ol' Buck to join you on that lunch?"

Chris was not a patient man, he was willing to acknowledge that himself, but he was trying for once something that Ezra and Buck both seemed to take great delight in. Vin Tanner was the reason behind this sudden restraint, the pair of them had connected in some way the first time they had met and Chris was sure he'd met the younger man before, a deep friendship had been formed in the first days of Vin's stay as the young man was too weak to do much and Chris had been by his side all the time. It had not taken long for Chris to fall in lust, he suspected it might have been from the first time he'd seen those blue eyes but something had stopped him from making a move on Vin in anyway so had had to stand by while Charlotte had persuaded the man he wanted himself and just made sure someone always interrupted her before things went to far.

The man he was thinking about ran in at that point, long hair having escaped from it's usual tail, face slightly flushed and panting slightly.

"You ok Vin?" Chris asked

"Buck said you was lookin' for me."

"Wanted to see if you fancied coming into the city to pay Nathan and Nettie a visit." Chris said reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Sure anythin' that gets me out of here."

"Charlotte?"

"Charlotte." Vin agreed.

"Come on then, lets get out of here." Chris said slinging an arm over Vin's shoulders and leading the younger man out of the stables. He glanced back at the palace as he had always done since his son was alive and used to wave his daddy goodbye from one of the windows. The quick glance showed him a figure in one of the windows about to throw something. Diving into Vin who'd walked ahead of him and knocking him to the floor a knife whizzed over their heads to fall to the ground some distance in front of him.

"Chris you alright?" Vin asked anxiously one hand running over the back of the blonde mans head.

"I'm fine are you?" Chris asked seeing a red mark where it looked as though his shoulder had come into contact with Vin's chin. He tilted the mans head to examine it as guards came running with JD in their midst.

"Chris! You aren't hurt are you?"

"We're fine JD, we got out the way in time." Chris assured the young man, he noticed Vin trying to edge away and grabbed his arm keeping him close.

"Rest assured we will find out who tried to have you killed your highness." One of the guards promised

"Keep me appraised of the situation. Vin come with me." Chris said almost hauling the young man into the stables once more.

"Let go a me Chris." Vin said trying to pull away.

"Are you alright?"

"Who was they trying to kill me or you?"

"I think me. I have not had any luck in finding who tried to have me killed before."

"Thank you all the same for saving my life." Vin said seriously much of his accent going for once and seeming like a different person.

"I can't loose you Vin. When Sarah and Adam were taken from me I though the world was ending but I moved on, I was my fathers heir and as such needed to help look after the country. Then I met you and I started to live again, my heart died once Vin I don't know if it could recover from a second loss." Chris said seriously.

"Chris don't say that please." Vin begged not wanting this, not now, not when he was going to have to leave again soon so as to protect these people from his brother.

"I can't not say it Vin" Chris said before kissing Vin softly, it was little more than a light pressure of lips to lips before Vin pulled back, eyes wide.

"I can't do this Chris. I can't stay." He said wanting nothing more than to stay, he saw the hurt in green eyes before he ran from the stables to his rooms wanting to shut the world out.

Thanks for reading so far let me know what you think and I'll be starting on the new chapter soon.