Universe: ATF Little Britches

Disclaimer: Do we really even have to do this? We all know they're not mine.

Author's Note: Suffice to say I don't know anything about anything. If something doesn't sound like it makes sense, there's a very real possibility that it doesn't. For example, I'm aware that it is likely that the search wouldn't have been called off so quickly, but I ask that you let that go. Also, it was pointed out to me that it's not required to wear seatbelts on the big yellow monstrosities dubbed 'buses'. I know that, but from personal experience, some bus drivers require that the kids wear them, especially the younger ones; we're going to operate under the premise that this is one such driver.

Thanks: To Bonnie May and Selene who beta'ed for me, and to the people who volunteered to; all mistakes are mine, I can be incredibly obstinate when I want to be and didn't take all the suggestions that I probably should have. Also, thanks to the creators of the ATF and LB universes, couldn't have done this without them.

Feedback to Author: Sage

Chris picked up the phone in the middle of the second ring.

"Larabee."

"Mr. Larabee? This is Detective Williams of the Denver PD," a voice on the other line said, he sounded concerned and worried about something.

"How can I help you, officer?" Chris asked, distracted by the paperwork he was working on for the team's most recent case, he was only half paying attention to the voice on the other end of the line.

"Mr. Larabee, there was an accident earlier this afternoon involving a school bus." At this the detective had Chris's complete attention. "Route 13 from Winslow Elementary School crashed earlier this afternoon, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle and went off the road."

Oh God. "V — Vin and JD?" He could barely get the words out.

"JD Dunne is fine, a few cuts and bruises, nothing serious, he's being treated at the scene." There was a noticeable hesitation in the detective's voice.

It was 'JD's fine', not 'they're both fine'. Oh God, Vin. "What about Vin?"

Williams took a deep breath before continuing. "We haven't found Vin Tanner yet; it appears that he might have been thrown out of the vehicle and wandered off. He wasn't in the bus when we got there, and by the time that we noticed that he was missing, the snow had obliterated all traces of him. We've got dogs on the way."

Chris sat in shock. Vin — Vin was out there somewhere, alone, probably scared, undoubtedly cold, maybe even injured. And his time was running out. Chris was no idiot, he knew that the chances of one small boy all alone surviving in this icy weather were small at best, and dwindled with every passing hour.

"Mr. Larabee, it would be best if you could get here, for your son, JD," the voice barely registered in Chris's head.

"I want to be part of the search," he stated flatly.

"Mr. Larabee, I'm not sure that would be such a good — "

"I want to be part of the search."

Detective Williams sighed. "I can't promise you anything — "

"Just tell me where you are."

Williams sighed again and relayed the information.

Chris sat motionless for a moment after hanging up the phone, then got up, grabbed his coat and practically ran into the main office. "Where's Buck?" He demanded of the other three agents harshly.

"Right here, Stud, what's up?" Buck asked, coming out of the break room with a coffee cup in his hand.

"Get your coat," he ordered, then turned to Josiah, "Josiah, you're in charge. Let's go Buck." He turned toward the door without a second glance at any of them.

"Hold up a second Pard, care to tell us what this is all about?"

"I must concur, Mr. Larabee, your actions have us all a bit perplexed," Ezra seconded Buck's request for information.

Chris turned back towards his team, eyes like ice. "The boy's bus crashed this afternoon."

"Oh, God."

"Are they all right?"

"JD?"

"Vin?"

All four spoke at once, voicing their concerns. "JD's fine," he relayed, "they haven't found Vin yet." He saw the looks of horror and fear on his agents faces. "I need you guys to hold down the fort until quitting time, we'll keep you posted and let you know if you can do anything."

The others nodded and Buck shrugged into his coat and headed towards the door. JD might not be physically hurt, but he needed him, and if Vin was... Buck needed to be there for him.

Ezra spoke before the two agents could get all the way to the door. "Mr. Larabee, if you could clarify what it is you mean by 'they haven't found Vin yet'?"

Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering. "They think he might have been thrown clear and wandered off," with that he and Buck left.

The other three watched them go in silence, absorbing their leaders last words. Being lost in the cold winter wilds could be just as much of a death sentence as if Vin were lost in the wreckage of the bus.

+ + + + + + +

It started to snow harder while Chris and Buck drove to the site of the accident. With every flake, their fear increased. Not only did the snow put Vin in more danger if he hadn't been found yet, it decreased the chances that he would be found. All Chris could think about was how scared his son must be, how cold. A part of him wondered why he wouldn't have made his way back to the bus even if he had been thrown from the large vehicle, and a pessimistic corner of his mind insisted that he must be unable for some reason to return to the bus. Another part of him clung to the belief that Vin was all right, that they'd have found him by the time he and Buck got there and the two agents would be able to take their sons home. But the niggling doubt remained that Chris couldn't dismiss as hard as he tried.

In his car following Chris' black Ram, Buck was just as concerned about the missing eight-year-old, but found his thoughts turning time and again to his precocious five-year-old son. JD must be terrified. He and Vin were very close and it was likely that none of the adults on the scene had told him anything.

Pulling his car to a halt beside Chris' just outside the police barrier, Buck barely waited for the car to stop before jumping out of it and running towards the scene. As it was, Chris had a huge head start.

Even to a trained eye it seemed chaotic. Dogs barked, children cried, parents yelled, police, fire and rescue crews swarmed over the scene.

Chris stopped short of the activity on the edge of the road and surveyed the scene, hoping desperately to catch a glimpse of his son. Buck caught up to him, also looking around for someone. But his someone saw him first.

"Buuck!" The shrill cry rent the air. Both ATF agents turned to see JD tear out of the back of the ambulance he had been sitting in, avoid restraining hands and come barreling towards his fathers.

Buck reached down and swept up the precious bundle, holding him close. JD sobbed into his shoulder, mumbling incoherently. Buck just held him, speaking soothingly in an effort to calm the child down.

Eventually, JD raised his tear-streaked face out of his father's shoulder. "Poppa, where's Vin?" He hiccupped. "They won't tell me where he is. Is he okay?"

The tearful voice tore at Buck's heart and he didn't know what to tell the little boy.

+ + + + + + +

Chris, seeing that Buck was dealing with the distraught JD, went to find someone who could tell him what the situation with Vin was. He stopped in his tracks when he got far enough off the road to see the bus over the small precipice it had run over. The front end was mangled, the vehicle having run into a tree, but beyond that it seemed relatively untouched. But Chris' blood ran cold at the sight; he knew Vin and JD usually sat in the front, the older kids claiming the back. Chris could easily see how Vin could have been thrown from the vehicle.

His fears were realized by the sight that met his eyes. Police roamed the area with dogs. If they were still out, then they couldn't have found Vin yet.

"What are you doing here?" a voice behind him demanded. "This is — "

Chris spun on the man, pulling his badge out in one fluid motion, green eyes deadly. "Chris Larabee, ATF," he spat coldly. "They're looking for my son."

Captain O'Reily took a deep breath and retreated from the rage and fear he saw in the man's eyes. "I'm sorry sir, I was not informed of your arrival," he apologized. "Vin Tanner, right?"

Larabee nodded. "What can you tell me?"

There was an edge to the man's voice that unnerved O'Reily. He gathered his courage to tell the man the bad news. "The bus driver said that there were a few boys teasing your son about wearing his seatbelt. The fact of the matter was that they were the ones in the wrong, because the driver requires that all the kids wear their seatbelts. Apparently Vin was sitting with his brother when they came up from the back of the bus and pulled him up from his seat. They started teasing him, pushing him around, the bus driver was telling them to break it up and go back to their seats when he hit a patch of ice that was hidden by the snow. When he impacted with the tree your son along with one of the bullies was thrown from the bus, the other had fallen into a seat when the driver lost control. The other boy was killed when he was thrown out of the vehicle, but there were indications that your son got up and walked away. Unfortunately the snow had just about covered everything up by the time we got here."

Chris took a deep shuddering breath and closed his eyes against the pain and the fear. "What are you doing to find him? What are the chances we will find him?"

O'Reily took a deep breath and released it before answering. He gave Larabee the full, albeit harsh, truth, knowing that the ATF leader wouldn't appreciate it if he softened the truth. "There are multiple search parties out, a few with dogs at this point. The snow is hindering our efforts though and the chances that we'll find him alive get less the longer that we don't find him. It's cold, snowing, and it's going to be dark soon, there aren't any tracks to follow, the dogs can't find a scent. Those aren't good odds."

Chris nodded, refusing to give in to the pain those words caused. "I want to be part of the search."

"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea, Mr. Larabee, you're too close to this."

"I need to do this," Chris growled.

"I don't know Mr. Larabee," O'Reily studied the scared father and came to a conclusion; this man wouldn't just sit passively on the sidelines watching, and he wouldn't be a pleasant "spectator" if forced to. "I'll see what I can do," he sighed, "but I can't promise anything. Technically you shouldn't be involved."

"I know," Chris responded, "but I'd appreciate anything you could do." He turned and headed back to Buck and JD, leaving O'Reily behind him.

"Poppa, where's Vin? They won't tell me where he is. Is he okay?" Chris returned to Buck and JD in time to hear the youngster's frightened query. He listened as Buck stumbled through a response that didn't even begin to answer JD's question.

"We don't know where Vin is, JD," Chris said quietly, startling both man and boy with his presence. "When the bus hit the tree, Vin was thrown out of the vehicle, do you remember?" Chris' voice was surprisingly calm and gentle with the child. Buck knew that he shouldn't have expected less of Chris, but he was a little surprised that Chris had been able to take his mind of Vin for long enough to explain things to the scared five year old.

JD nodded hesitantly. "Supposed to be wearin' a seatbelt," he murmured.

"Yeah, he was," Chris confirmed, "but I hear it wasn't Vin's fault that he wasn't wearing it." JD nodded his agreement from Buck's arms. "When Vin got thrown from the bus, he wandered away," Chris continued his explanation.

"Why?"

"I don't know, JD. Vin might have been hurt. If he hit his head, he might not be thinking straight."

"Vin always thinks straight," JD stated with confidence.

"If Vin hit his head, he might be confused," Buck interrupted to explain. "You remember when Uncle Ezra was all mixed up about where he was in the hospital a couple months age?" JD nodded. "Well, he hit his head, that's why he thought he was still in Atlanta."

"Oh," JD said quietly. "But even if he was all mixted up, why would Vin go 'way from the bus. I's cold out."

"I know it's cold," Buck agreed, "but Vin probably had his reasons."

JD nodded sagely. "Vin always has good reasons." He looked trustingly from one father to the other. "You gonna find him?"

Buck looked expectantly at Chris, silently asking what they were going to do.

"I'm going to stay here and help look, Buck is going to take you home."

Buck looked like he wanted to protest, but the child in his arms beat him to it. "Wanna stay an' look for Vin." The voice was solemn and sincere, the eyes wide and pleading. "Vin might be scared when you find him, you might need me."

Chris studied the dark haired child, considering his words. "You might be right," he conceded. "But I need you to go home and take care of Buck, make sure that he's okay. Ezra, Nathan and Josiah are going to be here soon to help me look. If we need your help, we'll make sure to call you. Do you think you can watch out for Buck for me?"

JD nodded, uncharacteristically serious. "You promise to bring Vin home?"

"I'll do my best," Chris whispered. JD nodded, seeming for all the world as if he knew that that was the best that Chris could give him.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Buck asked quietly over JD's head.

"I'll be fine once we find him," Chris said grimly, mentally adding alive. "The rest of the guys'll be here soon. Go on home."

"Call if anything turns up."

Chris nodded and watched as Buck strode away, meeting the wide, innocent eyes that stared over his shoulder, hoping he appeared more confident than he felt.

Chris took out his cell phone, knowing that he should update the others before he got too involved, but wanting nothing more than to forgo the pointless exercise and get on with the search. He called Nathan.

"Nate, it's Chris."

"Hey Chris, you find anything?" Nathan's voice sounded strained with worry and Chris realized that this was probably just as difficult for the others as it was for he and Buck.

"Not yet," he informed him grimly. "Buck's taking JD home. He's a little shaken up, but he's okay. Wants to know where Vin is, nobody here told him what was going on."

Nathan swore quietly. "What did you tell him?"

"The truth."

"How'd he take it?"

"I'm not sure he really understands what's going on."

"Yet. Probably won't be too long until he's askin' Buck if Vin's dreaming with angels."

"Hopefully he won't have to ask."

"We'll be there in an hour," Nathan informed him. Chris glanced at his watch and noted that they'd be leaving about half an hour before quitting time to get there by five, and couldn't bring himself to care. "Call us if you find anything before we get there, okay?"

"Of course," Chris assured him.

"Well, get out there and find him," Nathan ordered, tone half joking, but still deadly serious.

"Yes sir," Chris responded with a lightness he did not feel before hanging up.

+ + + + + + +

Chris was assigned to help a team, and he worked tirelessly, a frantic attitude colored his actions. The other members of the search party watched him with a deepening sadness as more and more time passed and still the father didn't find his son.

The others arrived and were assigned to teams without much fuss, and still nothing was found. It was approaching nine o'clock when the teams were called in.

Chris didn't know what to think when they were going back to the scene of the accident. Hope warred with fear, he couldn't believe that they would have called of the search, yet there had been no word that Vin had been found. When the impromptu "base camp" came into view, fear won out, then crystallized into anger. They were packing up to go home, but there was a downcast slump to everyone's shoulders that told him that Vin had yet to be found. His men stood in a small group, grim faced and determined. Ezra appeared to be arguing with Captain O'Reily.

Ezra swore at the obstinate man before of him, of course, he did so eloquently with his customary ten-dollar words, so his audience was lucky to catch every third. Larabee's men knew, though, and the Captain was beginning to realize it. "Mr. Standish, I understand — "

O'Reily would have sworn that the temperature dropped several degrees as he found himself confronted with an enraged blond juggernaut. "No," he hissed, "I don't think you do. That's my son out there. My son. And you're just going to give up on him. Explain to me why that makes sense."

O'Reily looked into those frozen green eyes, and felt very thankful to still be alive, even if it wasn't for long. "It's been almost six hours, my men are tired, it's cold, it's dark, and there isn't a trace to be found of the boy," the excuse sounded hollow and weak, even to his ears.

O'Reily stared up at the ATF leader, knowing that this man was willing to make his life an absolute living hell. "What if it was your son?" Chris ground out, fingers twitching with the desire to wind themselves around the bastards neck.

"We'll resume the search tomorrow morning," O'Reily informed him coolly.

"He could be dead by then," Chris growled.

"He's probably already dead." O'Reily didn't like having to break bad news to parents, and the last thing he wanted to do was tell this man that there was virtually no hope that his son was still alive, but it had to be done, and by virtue of position, he was the one that had to do it.

Chris took a step back, then hauled off and hit the man. O'Reily dropped as if he'd been pole-axed. Chris turned to his men, noting distantly the grimly pleased expression on all their faces, Nathan didn't even move to check the downed man. "I'm staying," Larabee said quietly.

"You say that as if you do not expect us to accompany your esteemed self in this most important endeavor," Ezra stated calmly. "You do not truly expect that we would leave one of our number unaccounted for in his hour of need, do you?"

Chris saw the agreement on all their faces. "No, Ez, I guess not. And thanks."

Ezra gave him his customary two-fingered salute.

O'Reily watched with quiet admiration from the ground as the men broke up into pairs to continue their search, Larabee and Standish, Jackson and Sanchez. He had really expected no less from these men.

He rubbed his jaw as he slowly stood. He'd have a bruise, a nasty one if he was any judge, but he wasn't going to press charges. O'Reily had seen enough distraught parents to be prepared for this kind of response. Besides, the mood they were in, Larabee's men would probably say they hadn't seen anything.

If he survives, that kid is the luckiest kid on earth. O'Reily wished the four men luck.

+ + + + + + +

"Josiah, I'm gonna call Buck before we go out again," Nathan quietly informed his friend. "He should know what's going on, and it's been a while since we updated him."

"Sounds like a plan," Josiah agreed, glancing over his shoulder at Chris and Ezra as they disappeared back into the woods. "I doubt Brother Chris has remembered to keep him updated."

Nathan nodded grimly and exhaled before calling the ranch. He knew there was probably a good deal of truth behind that statement.

Josiah moved a few steps away to give Nathan a little room, but he still listened with half an ear to the conversation.

"Buck, it's Nate... No, we haven't found him yet." Nathan hesitated visibly and tensed almost as if expecting a blow. "They called off the search." Josiah could hear Buck's response, if not the specific words from where he was standing. Nathan held the phone away from his ear. Eventually Buck must have run out of steam because the noise decreased, and Nathan put the phone to his ear again. "Yeah, we're gonna keep lookin'. One of us'll let you know when we find him.... We will. Alright, take care of that other little one for us. ... Later Buck." He flipped the phone closed.

"That went well," Josiah joked quietly.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "If Buck'd been here, O'Reily wouldn't have survived."

"He's frustrated he can't be here helping."

"Yeah," Nathan murmured, looking away. "You think he's still alive?" Nathan asked quietly.

Josiah studied his friend for a long minute. "I have faith that the Lord will keep watch over our missing lamb until we arrive."

Nathan nodded, noting that that didn't necessarily answer the question. "Well, let's go find our lamb then."

+ + + + + + +

Buck picked up the phone on the first ring. While he hadn't exactly been waiting by the phone, he had been hovering within reach all afternoon and into the night. And now, late into the evening, JD curled up asleep on the couch next to him, the call that Buck had been expecting finally came. And he dreaded what the news would be. "Hello," he greeted.

"Buck, it's Nate," the voice of the medic came through the line.

"You got Vin?" Hope and desperation warred in his voice.

"No, we haven't found him yet." Buck visibly deflated, sinking into the sofa. He didn't say anything, knowing there was more. "They called off the search," Nathan informed him, obviously not happy with the situation.

Buck swore vehemently, trying to remember to keep his voice down in deference to the impressionable young boy asleep on his lap. He wasn't very successful. "You're still looking, right?" he growled eventually, knowing even as he asked that they wouldn't stop searching until they found him, one way or another. That morbid thought sent a chill down Buck's spine.

"Yeah, we're gonna keep lookin'. One of us'll let you know when we find him."

"Just make sure you do," Buck said quietly.

"We will," Nathan assured him. "Alright, take care of that other little one for us."

"Will do, Nate."

"Later Buck."

"'K." Buck put down the phone and laid his head back against the back of the couch, willing the tears he felt welling in his eyes not to fall.

"Buck?" a small voice called from the vicinity of his lap.

"Yeah, Little Bit?" Buck asked, opening his eyes and looking down on the precious bundle curled up in his lap.

"Is Vin dreamin' of angels?" Desperate brown eyes were full of fear and tears.

The question took Buck's breath away, knowing exactly what that meant to the two little boys. JD was asking if Vin was dead. "No, Little Bit," Buck said comfortingly, with a confidence that he didn't feel.

"Then how come you's so worried? Where is he?" JD was pleading with him to tell him that his best friend, his brother, was all right.

Buck was momentarily at a loss as to what to tell him, but Buck knew that he deserved the truth, and Buck didn't want to be the next in a long line of people who lied to the precocious little boy. "Vin got lost this afternoon," Buck explained carefully, "after the bus crashed."

JD shook his head, denying Buck's words. "Vin doesn't get lost," he proclaimed confidently.

"Well, ya see, the thing, is we think that Vin hit his head and that he mighta been confused so he wandered off," Buck did his best to explain in terms the child would understand without scaring him.

"Oh." JD seemed to deflate with the statement. "An' you can't find him, an' ya don't think that he can find his way home."

Buck stroked the boy's hair, pulling him close. He wished, just this once that JD wasn't as smart as he was, that somehow he could have shielded his son from that knowledge. "Chris'll find him," Buck whispered. "Chris won't give up 'til he finds him, and he's got all a the boys helpin' him."

JD nodded his head against Buck's chest. "Chris'll find him," the child echoed with absolute faith, "just like if'n I was lost, you'd find me."

Buck felt his heart swell at that simple declaration of faith and love. "You bet I would, Pard. Now, don't you worry about a thing, 'fore ya know it, Vin'll be back here and the two a you'll be playin' cowboys an' injuns like nothing happened." JD's soft giggle was muffled by Buck's chest, but it warmed Buck's heart. "Come on, Pard, let's get you in bed," Buck murmured, shifting JD so that he could carry him easier.

"Wanna stay with you," JD protested sleepily.

Buck gazed down at the tousled mop, love sparkling in his eyes. "Alright," he whispered quietly, leaning down to kiss his son's head, "we'll stay right here together and wait for the phone to ring."

JD settled himself into a more comfortable position in his father's lap. "Together," he mumbled.

+ + + + + + +

Ezra watched Chris as he plowed determinedly through the gathering snow. The man's dedication was admirable, but Ezra could sense a growing despair in the man.

The others didn't see it, didn't want to see it, maybe. Chris was their leader, they looked up to him, and now, in a time when they needed to be able to believe in miracles the most, they wouldn't allow themselves to see Chris' fear. But Ezra was a man that knew a mask when he saw one.

"Are you alright, Mr. Larabee?" Ezra asked when Chris stopped once more.

Chris spun to look at the Southerner, intending to give him a piece of his mind, but in the sincere green eyes he saw an understanding that he hadn't expected to see. He sighed, eyes traveling beyond the undercover agent to scan the landscape. "Why'd he leave?" Chris whispered. "He must of known that he'd be safe if he stayed with the bus, and I never would have thought he'd leave JD there all alone."

"Mr. Larabee, may I remind you that Mr. Tanner is still very much a wild and distrustful child; a child with some truly horrendous memories. It is likely that he wasn't thinking clearly and that something about the situation frightened him into running away from safety instead of towards it."

"Like what?" Larabee challenged.

"Like, perhaps he hit his head and was disoriented," Ezra snapped back, "or maybe he saw the body of that other boy and got scared."

"Vin's seen that sort of thing before," Chris dismissed, at the same time hating the fact that it was true.

"Perhaps," Ezra countered," but the circumstances were different this time, and he might fear your response if he considered himself responsible."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, confused.

"Simply observing that the last thing that the young Master Tanner wants to face is your condemnation, and perhaps he believes that his actions would have garnered your disgust."

"I wouldn't — " Chris protested. "He couldn't possibly think that."

"Recall for a moment that it is Mr. Tanner of whom we speak, and that he has an amazing capacity for guilt, forced upon him by his life thus far and those less than desirable cretins masquerading as homo-sapiens with whom Vin spent far too much of his young life."

Chris broke eye contact and sighed. "Damn," he breathed.

"Precisely."

"You think he's still alive?" Chris asked, allowing the fear that he'd been feeling since receiving the call this afternoon to show through for the first time.

Ezra was touched by the depths of the trust that Chris was displaying by allowing him to see his vulnerability. He answered as honestly as he could. "Master Tanner is a survivor above all else; no doubt he is much more comfortable at the moment than we are."

Chris snorted in what was almost a laugh. "With any luck, he found an abandoned cabin somewhere and is holed up in front of a roaring fire," Chris commented, turning away from Ezra and back to the search.

Ezra smiled his agreement, turning his flashlight back to their surroundings, looking for anything that might indicate that a seven year old had passed through the area. Something of to his right caught his attention. Ezra frowned, trying to discern what had attracted his attention. Perhaps it was nothing, all he could see was uninterrupted snow and trees. Ezra took a few steps in the direction he was looking and understood why the area had attracted his attention. The snow might have been uninterrupted, yes, but it wasn't undisturbed.

A smile tugged at his lips as he realized what he was looking at. "Perhaps not a cabin," he commented, "but certainly the next best thing."

Chris turned at the comment and saw that Ezra had wandered off in another direction. He directed his gaze to where Ezra was focused. He couldn't see anything, but the ramifications of the Southerners words slowly sunk in. "You found him?" he asked breathlessly, hurriedly catching up with the undercover agent.

"It is a distinct possibility," Ezra told him, studying the area illuminated by his flashlight intently.

"I don't see anything," Chris growled with frustration.

"Direct your attention to the illuminated area," Ezra directed his confused leader. "Notice how the snow seems to be disturbed. It is possible that someone burrowed under the snow there."

"Someone like Vin."

"It would have been a very intelligent move on Master Tanner's part, and he has enough sense and knowledge of the great outdoors to consider doing so. I would, however, advise approaching with due caution," Ezra's words gave Chris pause, "it's possible that it is nothing of significance." They proceeded at a more sedate pace than either of them would have preferred.

+ + + + + + +

Vin woke to a pounding head and pain in his right side; and he quickly learned not to move his right arm for fear of the searing pain in his shoulder. He stood up and looked around.

Vin saw the bus first. Fear washed through him at the sight of the large yellow vehicle crushed against the tree. "JD," he whispered.

Next he saw the lifeless form of Brad the Bully lying motionless on the pristine snow, his neck lay at an odd angle and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

All thoughts of his adopted brother fled from Vin's thoughts at the sight. Brad was dead... He was dead — and it was his fault. Chris would hate him. Vin felt the sob well up in him. Chris was going to hate him. And Vin knew that he was right to do so.

It wasn't really a conscious thought to run, but with only a glance back at the bus and the assurance that Buck would take care of JD, Vin was steadily making his way into the woods.

It began to snow.

+ + + + + + +

Vin dropped in the snow. He was cold, tired and hungry. Every step got harder as the snow got deeper with each flake.

Vin glanced behind him longingly. His heart was telling him to go back, but his head insisted that there was nothing to go back to.

With a huge sigh, he forced himself up and trudged onwards, but the next time he fell he realized that he had to find some kind of shelter, even bundled up the way that he was, he could feel himself going numb, even his injuries didn't hurt as much any more.

Vin wondered detachedly about the chances of finding a cave to ho