Dark Dreams – Part 2

[Chris/OFC – ATF AU]

"Hey stud," Buck said as he entered Chris' room with the Doctor Jacoby following him.

"Good morning, Mr. Larabee," Dr. Jacoby said.

"Buck, Doctor," Chris nodded. "When am I getting out of here, Doc?"

"We need you to remain just a while longer, Mr. Larabee. You are aware that you had an accident, correct?" Dr. Jacoby asked.

"Yes," Chris replied with a quick glance at Buck.

"Mr. Larabee, you've lost your short-term memory in the explosion. You are suffering from retrograde amnesia," Jacoby continued. "It was probably caused by the explosion. Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah, we were after a suspect who murdered a fellow officer. His name's Stevenson. There was a meth lab in the house where he was hiding out. There was an explosion when we arrived."

"What year is it, Mr. Larabee?"

"1995."

Doctor Jacoby sighed, "I'm sorry, Mr. Larabee. But it's 2004."

Chris' eyes went wide, "What?"

"Chris," Buck said, "we don't work for Denver P.D. any longer. We've been working for the feds since 1998. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – the ATF. You're the leader of Team Seven."

"Where's my wife?"

Buck placed a hand on Chris' arm. "Chris. I'm sorry. Sarah and Adam were murdered in 1996."

"No!" Chris screamed.

"I've given him a sedative," Jacoby said. "It will take some time before he accepts what he's been through."

"He won't know any of us, will he?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," Jacoby said. "We have to take this one step at a time, Miss Bradshaw. I'm going to set up counseling with a psychologist for Mr. Larabee. I think it would help for him to have an objective person, who is trained for this sort of thing, to talk to."

Emily nodded. She met Buck's gaze.

Buck smiled, "I'm going back in to sit with him. Want to come with me?"

"Yes," Emily replied.

Buck slipped his arm around Emily's shoulder and led her from the waiting room.

"We're gonna get through this, Em," Buck said.

"I know. I'm going to support him, Buck – however, I can. I'm going to stand by him," she replied.

"I know you are, honey."

Chris shifted in the hospital bed. The sedative made him feel woozy and he hated that. He opened his eyes.

"Hey old dog," Buck grinned.

Chris looked morose. "Buck," he muttered. Chris turned his head slightly and looked at Emily.

She smiled at him, "Hello, Chris. How are you feeling?"

"Better. I – you look familiar."

"I'm Emily. Emily Bradshaw," she said quietly.

"Do we know each other?"

"Yes. Quite well, in fact."

"How?"

"We met about six months ago, Chris. I came to Denver to do a story on your team. I'm a reporter."

Chris made a face and Emily laughed.

"You didn't want to talk to me, but AD Travis pushed the issue," she continued.

"Travis?" Chris asked.

"He's our boss, Chris," Buck interjected. "Assistant Director Orin Travis. Hell, Chris, Emily's your fiancée."

"Buck –" Emily began, putting up a cautioning hand. She was hoping to ease into that knowledge with a bit more subtlety.

"No," Chris shook his head. "I'm a married man. I would never cheat on Sarah."

"Of course you wouldn't, Chris," Emily soothed.

"I want to know what the hell is going on!" Chris yelled at Buck.

"Chris, the doctor and I tried to tell you. There was another explosion – not the Stevenson case but on an ATF case. It seems you've lost the memory of the time between the two cases. About nine years total," Buck said. "I'm sorry, Chris, but that's the god's honest truth."

Larabee was silent for a moment. "You said Sarah and Adam are dead."

Buck nodded, somberly, "Yeah."

"How did they die?"

Buck took a deep breath. He looked at Emily and she nodded. "There was a car bomb. It was in your car. You took Sarah's car into the mechanics and she was using yours that day. She was taking Adam to school when the bomb exploded."

"Someone was after me?" Chris asked slowly.

"We think so."

"Think? Didn't we ever catch the Son of a Bitch?!" Chris yelled leaning menacingly toward his oldest friend.

"Chris – the case got cold. We never found who set the bomb," Buck said.

"God damn it, Buck!" Chris fell back against the pillows. "Get the hell out of here."

"Chris –" Buck began.

"Now! I need to be alone!"

Buck stood awkwardly and moved toward Emily. She watched Chris who had looked away from the pair.

"I'm so sorry, Chris," Emily said gently. She stood and followed Buck from the room.