Chapter notes:

My thanks to Thenaggincube for the kick in the ass to get started again on this fic and to Skylark20 for the inspiration for the completely different ending to come.

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Chris Larabee found his friend in the bar already deep in his cups. He stood a minute and watched as Vin Tanner poured and downed yet another two fingers of rotgut whiskey. Picking up a glass from the bar top he ventured to his table and, while the other patrons gave the long-haired tracker a wide berth, he chose to ignore the almost palpable anger that surrounded the table and, uninvited, sat down anyway, placed his hat on the table and pushed his glass toward the bottle. He watched, eyes cold, his face like stone as, with only a slight hesitation, Vin filled it to the brim.

Vin Tanner had no reservations about sharing his whiskey but he wasn't about to share with anyone, not even Chris Larabee, his intentions. Ezra, Buck, Nathan, Josiah and even J.D. had already tried to talk to him about life and death, retribution and forgiveness and just as he had rebuffed their noble but maddening gestures whatever Larabee had to say on the subject of Molly's death was of no interest to him.

Chris quickly finished his drink, settled back into his chair and still without a word simply pushed the glass back toward the bottle.

The silence, not exactly uncomfortable but not entirely companionable either, stretched out between them as they continued to put away drink after drink. Having had a head start on Chris and business that still needed tending to Vin suddenly turned his glass bottoms up on the table and sat, deep in thought, while Chris finished up the bottle.

"You want another?" Chris asked as he lit up a cheroot, leaned back and exhaled a plume of fragrant smoke.

"Naw," Vin said in a measured voice, "Got things ta do."

"I know," Chris replied between teeth clamped tightly around the cigar, "I just want you to know that I'll back your play."

Stunned, Vin took a few moments to digest what Chris had said, what he had offered and then, to be sure, told him, "You might not like it."

"Don't matter," Chris told him honestly. He didn't care what Vin planned to do as long as he didn't do it alone, without someone at his back.

"I'll be headed east at sunrise," Vin then offered sure of the one thing that needed doing sooner than later. Any other plans would have to wait.

Chris stood up, picked up his hat, placed it securely on his head and nodded. "I'll be ready."

Vin watched his friend walk out of the bat wings and following soon thereafter made his way not to his wagon but to Potter's Mercantile and, after breaking a pane of glass in the door, let himself inside unseen by anyone.