Reconciliations Part III:
Resolutions

The last two weeks had brought a few changes to the Larabee 7. Vin had taken it on himself to have a talk with Chris, Rain, and Max about their mother hen attitudes toward Kelli. None of them had realized how strict each of them had sounded to his wife. The Texan convinced them that although their thoughts were appreciated, it was a bit too much coming from three directions, or more. Now, even Max was letting up on her constant watch of his wife, of course giving the older woman a new responsibility had helped considerably. The Texan asked her to find a part-time housekeeper to shift some of the workload off her, and to work out a new childcare schedule for after the twins were born. Max had a few suggestions and once she was given free reign to work on them, jumped in with both feet to accomplish that task.

Rain and Nathan’s home repairs were finished and they had moved back into their own space again. While Chris arranged for some of Walter’s men to keep an eye on the Jackson home. Rain and Casey immediately setup the home schooling classes for Jason, Caleb, Sarah, and Joanne to coordinate with their lesson plans from the regular school. In fact they were all ahead of their assignments, and their lesson times had been shortened. Rain dismissed them each day at one. It had become a daily habit for Max to have lunch waiting at the Tanner’s for all four students, and they were usually joined by their siblings. The routine around the Tanner’s, as well as Kelli’s energy was returning to normal. She was feeling better everyday, and, best of all Dr. Weeks said her blood tests showed a definite improvement in her iron levels, which meant no more iron shots, less bed rest, consent to drive again, and although she could not return to work, she had more freedom.

Raphael was still assigned to protect Tanner, but it was only to satisfy the federal prosecutor’s office, Walter had all the latest security measures that Chris had ordered installed and operating. In fact he knew the location of everyone on the Larabee 7 at any given moment. Today he knew that Linda was off the property, home school was in session at the Jackson's until one, and all the MCAT agents with the exception of the Tanners and Cordova were at the main office.

“Max, that beef stew smells delicious.” Kelli tried to sample it as she walked through the kitchen, and the older woman stopped her.

“It’s not ready yet, Missy. You drink some juice and there is a platter of fruit in the fridge for you.” Max handed her a glass of grape juice. “In fact you can share some of the fruit with the little ones in the family room. I think Vin and Raphael are in there with them.”

Kelli took the large platter of fruit out of the fridge and made her way to the family room. Adam, Maria, Andi, and Terrell were mesmerized by Blues Clues on the TV. The Dunne twins were keeping Grace entertained with their rendition of story time, and Vin as well as Raphael seemed to be enjoying watching all of the kids. “Snack time, munchkins,” Kelli set the fruit platter down along with a stack of napkins.

The fruit disappeared in nothing flat, and Max joined them for a story time for the kids. “I’m going to settle these little ones for a morning nap. Lunch will be ready at one. If you gentlemen would escort Inez and Tannis over when you pick up the school kids, we can all eat together. I know Rain and Casey will be anxious to claim their children; they might as well eat with us before they go home.”

“Yes ma’am,” Raphael readily agreed. He had learned that it did not bode well for his stomach to mess with Max’s plans when it came to dinnertime.

“It’s a beautiful day, I think Kel and I may just walk down and visit Walter for a bit.” Vin quickly assured Max. “We will be back in time for your stew, don’t worry.” He took his wife’s hand, as he recognized the maternal look on Max’s face. “We have Raphael to watch us, and I promise I won’t let Kelli overdo.” Tanner grinned as he walked out with Kelli and Raphael.

Cordova kept them in sight, but kept his distance from Kelli and Vin, giving the younger couple some privacy. He left them in the barn with the colts, while he and Walter discussed security, and Andrews showed Raphael the latest cameras that had been installed that connected to the network already in use in the homes on the ranch.

“As soon as it gets a little warmer, I need to teach Jason how to start trainin' this one.” Vin stroked the neck of Jason’s colt. “Jason handles him enough and has plenty of patience with him, so it should be easy, the colt already trusts him and that is more than half the battle.”

“You should know Tanner, you’re the expert.” Kelli laughed. “That is how you broke through my defenses…with trust and patience.”

Vin drew Kelli closer. “Are you complimentin’ or complainin’, woman?”

“Hmmm…not complainin’…I think…oh…” Kelli exhaled a deep breath.” Vin…I think I just felt our babies move.”

Tanner had read enough to know that it was about the right time for what the experts called the ‘quickening’. Although this was something only the mother could feel, he was content to see the look of amazement and delight on his wife’s face as realization of what she had felt set in. “What did it feel like, baby?”

“Like … butterflies taking flight for the first time…there it is again…I think they like the sound of your soft Texas drawl as much as I do.” The redhead leaned into Vin’s embrace and was delighted that the babies responded to their father’s voice.

“I reckon I need to start talkin’ to them more directly now.” The Texan grinned and tightened his hold on her. He knew that very soon, he would be able to feel and see the babies move, but for now he was happy to share this moment with Kelli. “I suppose this would not be the best time to make out with my wife in the barn…that is if the children are listenin’.”

“I don’t know Tanner, we could try it and see if they approve.” She teased. “Besides…we don’t need words.”

“You’re right.” Vin lowered his head and claimed a tender kiss, taking full advantage of the alone time they had for the next few minutes.”

All too soon it was almost one, and it was time to gather everyone for lunch. While Kelli and Vin returned home with Walter, Cordova went to escort Inez, Tannis, and the school children back to the Tanners for lunch. His first stop was the Wilmington home.

Inez smiled at Rafael as he gently took Tannis into his arms so that she could climb into the seat of the vehicle. Rafael, like her husband and his brothers, were all very lethal in their capabilities as federal agents, but place a baby into their arms and they all turned to mush.

“She sure is a pretty little thing...just like her Mama.” Rafael said as he handed the baby back to Inez.

“Gracias, Senor.” Inez said sincerely.

Rafael closed the passenger door and then moved around to the driver's side. He started the engine and set the truck into motion, to the Jackson home, where four kids climbed into the back of the SUV, ready to tackle lunch. Cordova kept watch out of the rearview mirror at Casey Dunne as she followed him in her car with Rain .It didn't take them more than a few minutes to drive up the road to the Tanners house and begin to unload all of the children.

Kelli was inside assisting Max with last minute preparations for lunch. Tanner and Walter were standing on the front porch talking when Rafael, the other women in the family, and children arrived. Although the conversation was casual, they were still creatures of habit, and years of training kept their instincts on alert for anything that might be perceived as a threat.

A short distance away from the Larabee 7, a group of men dressed in camouflage clothing, and sporting military issue rifles and other arms, gathered around Chip Bellows to listen to last minute instructions. “Chambers wants us to bring the traitor in alive, but that does not mean we can't hurt him… or anyone else who gets in our way or attempts to stop us from achieving our goal.” Bellows told the men gathered around him.

“Those of you who are going to be breeching the security measures through the back part of the property need to make sure that you don't cause any awareness to yourselves, and if you do, eliminate anyone you come in contact with.” It would take the men on horseback another fifteen minutes to reach their entry point onto the Larabee 7, and he waited to give those four men an opportunity to position themselves.

The rest of you, who are storming the gates with me from the front, have your weapons at the ready and be prepared for anything. Tanner is well-trained, as well as most of his family, they are federal agents, and they know how to defend themselves.” When he was certain that everyone with him understood their role in the siege of Tanner's house, Chip climbed into his truck with Stevens as his navigator. He waited for the dozen plus men to fill the bed of the truck and secure themselves. Then leaving the other vehicle and the horse trailer secluded, he headed his truck toward the entrance of the Larabee 7 and into position to make a run at the front gate.

At exactly one o’clock, Bellows pressed the gas petal to the metal and charged the iron- gate that was designed to keep unwanted visitors off the ranch property. The truck's fender connected with the gate, causing a rough jerking motion of the vehicle, throwing his passengers in the bed of the truck off of their feet. Chip cursed as he saw that the gate hadn't come completely unhinged as he anticipated and slammed the truck into reverse to give the vehicle space enough to make another charge at it.

“Hold on!” he yelled out to the men as he gunned it and the vehicle shot forward. This time the gate fell and he felt a thrill of exuberance fill him. “Look out Tanner, here we come!”

Tanner felt trepidation slice through him as he heard what sounded like metal clashing against metal in the near distance, and realized almost immediately what it was he had heard. A moment later he heard the distinct beeping noise coming from the security panel just inside the doorway signaling to them that the front gate had been breached. “Someone's forced their way through the front gate. Rafael, get those kids inside NOW!”

Walter was on his radio immediately for a security check of the perimeter as the women and children were unceremoniously pushed into the house. “Vin, it appears that four men on horseback were attempting to breech the west side of the property, too. Our security intercepted them and neutralized that threat, but it will be at least twenty- five to thirty minutes before we get any help from that direction. Our other patrols are on the far side of the ranch, and most of the ranch hands are in the high pasture dropping hay for the horses.” Andrews reported.

Vin acknowledged that information with a nod. “Raphael, you, and Max get the women and kids into the basement safe room, Kel, get the gun case open, and call the MCAT office."

Larabee was in his office, when Gunny walked in. “Sir, a package came for you special delivery, and was marked personal. It’s already been x-rayed and Agent Westin had Bandit check it over, too.”

“Thanks Gunny.” Chris took the package she handed him and began to examine it. The outside of the package gave Larabee no clue as to who the sender might be, so he ripped it open and dumped the contents on his desk. Two CDs and a short note was all that appeared. Chris picked up the note and read. “Your target will be in place for the next seventy-two hours, happy hunting.” It was signed only with an R, but the Commander knew who had sent the information.

Chris had just started to insert one of the disks into his computer when Gunny buzzed him with an urgent call. “Sir, Kelli is on line one and she says that it’s an emergency.”

“Kel, what…”

“Dad, the front gates, as well as the west side of the property have been breeched. How fast can y’all get here?”

Larabee surged to his feet as a chill ran down his spine. “Hang tight we’re on our way. I’ll call you back on the cell.” Racing out of his office he only had to say five words. “The ranch is under attack.” The rest of the brothers did not need any other prompting to drop everything they were doing and head for their vehicles. Chris redialed the Tanner home on his cell, and then cursed when he received no answer.

Chris, Josiah, and Ezra loaded into the Ram, and sped out of the parking lot, closely followed by Buck, Nathan, and JD, in Wilmington’s truck.

Once they were armed, Vin, Raphael, and Walter positioned themselves at strategic spots within the house, not only the best positions to hold back any threat, but also to keep an eye on the security cameras that could be monitored from any home on the ranch. The children were sheltered in the basement with Inez, Rain, Casey and Max, where they would be safe from any gunfire. Kelli gave Max a rifle that she was familiar with using, a handgun to Casey, and then went back upstairs to assist the men.

Vin turned at the sound of someone coming back into the room that he was in and frowned when he saw it was Kelli. “Kel, you should have stayed...”

“Save the argument Tanner. I may be pregnant, but I am a Federal agent, and I can still shoot. Right now we need every gun we can get.” The redhead determinedly stated, moving over to a window, where she eased herself into a comfortable position, and readied her rifle for the upcoming fight.

“Just so you know, if you get hurt, you have to answer to me, so keep your head down.” Vin knew it was useless to argue, and truthfully, he knew they if they were going to hold out until reinforcements arrived, it would take all of them to do it.

“Same goes for you.” Kelli replied and suddenly there was no time left for talking as a truck loaded down with men carrying guns came to an abrupt halt past the other cars belonging to family members, and the men began spreading out.

Vin set his eye to the scope of his rifle, letting the cool calm that always settled over him in crisis moments focus his attention to where it needed to be, and picked out his first target. The man went down without uttering a sound. As he picked out his next target, he heard a staccato of gunfire close to his ear as Kelli's, Walter's, and Rafael's weapons fired their weapons around him. Bellows had brought over a dozen men with him, and he had just lost four of them, plus his team on horseback had been captured.

Bellows and his men opened fire on the occupants of the house, realizing that their element of surprise had been shattered sooner than they had anticipated. They dove for cover behind anything that they could, constantly maneuvering their positions to make their way closer to the house so that they could find a way inside. “Tanner! We’ve been watching you! We know the routine of this place. Your ranch hands are too far away to help you, and your MCAT team can’t get here in less than twenty minutes. It’s after one…school is over for the day, and you have over a dozen kids in you house…two of them are yours….Jason, and Andi… let’s see, there is also your wife, and that black bitch you tried to save at the clinic and…”

Tanner had heard enough. “Get to the point, Bellows!”

“This is how it’s gonna be…you come out and leave with me, or I start lobbing grenades into your home…how many of those kids are you willing to see die before your ‘help’ comes?” Bellows challenged the Texan, making certain that the grenade he held up was in view of the security camera.

Vin froze as the enormity of Bellows' intention fell on him like a ton of bricks. He knew what Chip was capable of and he couldn't risk anything happening to the children, or anyone else for that matter. Not when he could prevent it. He set his rifle down against the wall and slowly stood up.

“Vin! No, you can't do this! He's goin' to kill you as soon as you step out onto the porch!” Kelli cried out; rising to a standing position, fear for him etched on her face and in her voice

“Chambers wants me alive, despite what those flyers said. He wants to kill me himself. Bellows knows that, and so do I.” Tanner knew he could give his wife and children the time needed for Chris and the others to arrive, and he had to give then a chance to survive, besides he stood a better chance of defeating Bellows once he had him away from his family.

“NO! Chris and the others will be here in less than ten minutes, we can hold them off. If you go out that door…damnit Vin, you can’t!” Kelli pleaded with him. “Please wait for your brothers!”

Bellows yelled again. “I’m not waiting for your fellow agents to get here Tanner! I have two horses ready…you come out now and we ride out together…your family lives.”

Vin pulled Kelli into a fierce hug. “I've got to do what he says, Kel. I love you.” He kissed her, trailed his fingers down her cheek, ran his hand over her stomach, and then reluctantly released her and moved toward the front door. Tanner exchanged a look with Rafael. “Make sure she doesn't follow me out.”

Rafael nodded. Vin continued to the door, took a deep breath, and then called out before he opened it. “All right, Bellows...I'm comin' out.” He glanced over at Kelli and felt his heart twist in his chest as he took in the tears standing in her beautiful blue eyes. The Texan repeated the words he had said to her only moments before.” I love you, Kel,” as he opened the door and stepped out onto the front porch.

Chip grinned from ear to ear, knowing that catching Vin Tanner and delivering him to Chambers personally, was going to elevate his status in the RMR even further.

Cordova blocked Kelli’s path to the door as she tried to follow her husband, while Walter covered Vin the best that he could. Bellows had dropped off one of his men at the barn to have two horses saddled, and waiting by his truck, he had chosen Pony and Peso. “I told you, we have been watching. I even made sure we had your horse ready for you.” Chip grinned. “Karl has been waiting for you Tanner, and I am going to enjoy watching him kill you.”

Once Tanner was close enough Chip tied his hands and ordered him to mount Peso, while he got on Pony. As soon as he had his prisoner secure he took the reins and led Peso behind him. The fact that Bellow's men had chosen Peso and Pony out of all the horses in the stables was a gift from Mistress Fate. He would certainly use his and Chris's horse’s natural orneriness to his advantage. Peso was a bit confused by his master’s contradictory behavior. Vin seemed to be controlling him with his leg muscles, but was allowing that fool in front of him to lead them. Pony was not thrilled about his new rider either and the only reason he had not dumped the man on the ground was the fact that Tanner was around, and that usually meant that Chris would be along sometime soon.

“What do you want us to do Bellows?” Stevens called to him.

Chip looked at Tanner and grinned. “Give me time to get Tanner out of here… then…kill ‘em all, and drive out before the other agents get here.”

If looks could kill, Bellows would have been dead. Rage seized hold of Vin and he made a solemn vow then and there that Chip Bellows would be dead before they ever left Larabee 7. He had to trust that his brothers would arrive in time to save the lives of their families, including his. As they rode away gunfire began again, and then the horrifying sound of a grenade going off ripped through Tanner’s soul.

The explosion that shattered the floor to ceiling windows in the living room caught them off-guard, but not for long. That man who threw it was dead before he had an opportunity to duck his head. Kelli did not let her flow of tears stop her from killing the man that aided Bellows in his quest to kill her husband, and dared to try and injure her children; Michael Stevens never knew that it was her shot that felled him. Raphael, Walter, and Kelli continued to shoot back, taking out as many of Bellow’s men as they could. Little by little the sound of returning shots lessoned, and no one had a chance to send a second grenade into the house. Through the anger and tears they kept firing until they heard more gunfire coming from the opposite direction…Chris and the others had arrived…in time to halt the siege, but not soon enough to keep Vin out of hell.

The Cavalry rode to the rescue in the form of Vin's six brothers. From the moment they came through the gate in their vehicles, Larabee and the others opened fire on the RMR members attacking the Tanner home. They could hear the sounds of gunfire being shot from weapons inside the house, and that gave them heart, knowing that they weren't too late. In a matter of a few minutes, the siege had ended with all of the RMR members in sight dead, injured, or handcuffed. Larabee led the charge toward the house and onto the porch.

Rafael met them at the door.” We're okay...all the children and women, except for Kelli, are secure in the basement.”

“Dad!” Kelli threw herself into Larabee's arms.” Bellows has Vin… You've got to go after them!”

Larabee held on to his daughter, but leaned back. “What do you mean Bellows has Vin?”

“Bellows told Vin that if he didn't surrender himself, that he was going to throw several grenades into the house.” Rafael told them. “He taunted Tanner with hurting the children, and Vin made the decision to go with him. From what I could see from my firing position, Tanner's hands were bound and then he was helped onto a horse. Bellows mounted another horse and they rode off, after he had Vin, Bellows then ordered his men to throw the grenades anyway...We stopped them from sending more than one in.”

“He had Peso and Pony saddled and …they took off toward the north about ten minutes ago.” Tears streamed down Kelli’s face. “Please, you have to find him…”

“I will Kel, and if that man was idiot enough to get Tanner on Peso and then take Pony, it won’t be hard to find them. Vin will have that ornery horse walking around in circles.” Chris took in the damage to the house. “Are you up to handling what needs to be done here?”

“Just go, we’ll manage.” Kelli urged him on.

“Raphael, you take over here, and Walter, use your security force to hold the prisoners until the rest of the team gets here.” Chris instructed.

Josiah and Buck had heard Cordova’s explanation and were already on their way to the barn to saddle more horses.

Ezra closed his phone and told Kelli. “Barbara is on her way out, whatever you need, she will be here to help with until we get back with Vin.”

JD came up from the basement. “Chris, Casey and Rain are going to take the kids over to the Wilmingtons. Max and Inez have already taken Tannis and Grace over, and the twins are next. We figured they didn’t need to see any of this and Kel is not up to answering questions about all this destruction from Jason and Andi.”

“Kel you should go with them.” Chris told her.

“No, ‘m stayin’ here, I’ll be fine,” The redhead stubbornly answered, “Just bring Vin home.”

Buck and Josiah returned a few minutes later leading six saddled horses. Nathan was the first one to grab for his. “These injured men don’t want help from a darkie so they are on their own.” He mounted up. “I’m good to go.”

“Chris, I saddled Dancer for you, just until we get Pony back.” Buck handed him the reins.

“No problem, let’s mount up and ride. We have a Tanner to find.” Chris kissed Kelli on the forehead “We will all be back.” The rest of the brothers quickly mounted their horses and followed after him as he led the way toward the north. Heading out after their seventh and the man he was with.

*Everyone is safe and uninjured, but Kel is pretty damn upset. Not that I can blame her.* Larabee could almost hear the edge in Vin's voice and he sensed that Tanner wasn't too happy about him questioning his reasoning behind him going with Bellows.*We’re on our way…wait for us.*

“I thought you were going to be a lot harder to capture, Tanner.” Bellows said as he led the way down the trail to where he had the truck and trailer stashed. “All that hype about not letting anyone take you alive back at the compound was all a bunch of bullshit wasn't it?”

“You might have gotten me out of the house, Bellows, but you'll never get me off of this ranch. You'll be dead before that happens.” Vin told him in a lethal tone.

Chip laughed. “Just what are you going to do when you're all trussed up on the back of a horse and no weapons to fight with?”

“I won't need weapons when I kill you.”

“You talk big Tanner, but you are going to die the same way Anson did.” Chip made his hand into the shape of a gun. “BOOM! Karl nailed him right between the eyes. It’s a damn shame though that Ricter never knew you suckered him with that bet in the bar…If he’d of known that piece of ass was your wife, he would have killed you both, but not before he got him a prime cut.” Chip laughed. “Hell maybe she survived that grenade blast, and Stevens grabbed her…man that would be something to see. She may be a Fed, but with that white skin, and sexy ass, I bet she can get wild…right Tanner? “You put it to her every night don’t you?”

Vin worked to control the fury building within him at Bellows' taunting words. He knew that he was going to have to stay in control and not let the other man's barbs get to him. Scanning the countryside around him, the Texan realized that they were about to enter a small clearing. It was where he decided that he would make his move.

“What? No witty comeback? No verbal threats telling me what you are going to do to me once you have your hands on me?” Bellows continued to taunt him.” Maybe the men will kill your brother agents, and then let the children watch as they have their way with the white women, or while they kill that black whore, the porch monkey, the Mex and her half breeds. Don't you people understand that if those niggers and wetbacks are allowed to continue to breed with our white brothers and sisters, that we are one day going to wake up and find that the white race has become extinct.”

Tanner had heard enough. *Cowboy, you can have what’s left of him, I ain’t waitin’.* Signaling Peso with his knees, the horse stopped and refused to move forward.

“What’s wrong with your damn horse, Tanner? Make him move!” Bellows yanked on the reins, and still the horse refused to budge.

A slow grin creased Vin's lips as he let out a high pitched whistle that startled Pony into rearing up and tossing Bellows onto the ground. The Texan made his move. He threw himself off of Peso's back and onto Bellows. Even though his hands were tied in front of him, Tanner found that he could still use them. He went straight for Bellows gun, knowing that if he could get it away from the other man, it would all be over. Bellows, sensing how close he was to dying, rallied and the two men were soon fighting intensely for his weapon.

The fight went on for several minutes, until Vin felt victory was near as his right hand settled firmly around the butt of the gun and he started to aim it toward the other man. Chip took that opportunity to knee Tanner in the groin. Vin fell onto his back gasping for air as paralyzing pain shot through his body, but he somehow had the presence of mind to toss the gun away from him to keep Bellows from reclaiming it and using it on him.

Bellows lurched to his feet and made a move toward the area where the gun had been tossed, but Peso blocked his movements, and Pony stepped onto the gun. With a cry of rage, Chip withdrew the bowie knife from its sheath on his belt and lunged at the incapacitated Tanner.

Vin threw up his hands in a defensive block as the knife slashed downward toward his stomach. That move effectively slowed the momentum of the knife, but didn't manage to keep it from slicing through his shirt. Red-hot pain flooded through his chest, even as Bellows made another lunge at him with the knife. This time, Vin took the risk of allowing the knife to cut through the rope that held his hands together, freeing them. He was able to fully stop the knife with the palms of his hands and he saw to his satisfaction a flicker of fear dash across Bellows face as he realized that the tables had suddenly turned on him. Ignoring the pain he still felt in his groin, Tanner drew up his right leg and kicked Chip off of him. Bellows landed on the hard ground a few feet away from him, attempting to breathe again as Vin rose into a standing position and lunged toward him.

Bellows scrambled onto his feet and swung out with the knife, making the Texan abruptly halt his forward motion and go into a defensive stance. He blocked the slashing movement Chip made with the knife and moved easily into a roundhouse kick that connected with Bellow's hand holding the knife and sent the bloodied blade hurtling through the air.

“What's the matter, Bellows? Ain't feelin' too cocky now, are you?” Vin taunted his opponent, enjoying the scared look settling onto Bellows' face.

“Karl will never let up on you Tanner. He will take everything you care about and take pleasure in killing it. You are a walking dead man.”

“So are you.” Tanner told him coldly as he advanced on the man, moving into a series of intricate martial arts steps that was hard for Bellows to follow, let alone defend himself against. The RMR member did his best to put up a good fight though, and actually managed to sweep Vin's legs out from under him.

As Tanner fell backwards, Bellows leaped on top of him and grabbed the Texan by the throat. Vin grabbed the man's hands with his own and pounded on Bellows hands until he felt the other man's grip on his throat start to slip. He then he raised his head and butted the other man in the face. Bellow let out a roar of pain as blood began to pour from his broken nose, breaking his hold on Tanner's throat with one hand to cup it. It was all the advantage Vin needed to free the other hand from around his throat. He wrapped his legs around Bellows waist, rolling them until he was in a dominant position and then he encircled Bellow’s neck with his arm.

Chip desperately tried to break Tanner's hold on his neck, but the Texan was unmerciful. Images of Nathan in his car at the bottom of the embankment, Paul's mutilated body on the porch of his house, Rain's terror in the clinic, Jason's distraught face after he had seen the wanted poster, Kelli getting ready to open the bomb, and the order to kill ’em all as they left his home, flashed through his mind as he squeezed the breath from Chip's body. He gave one violent jerk of his arms and heard the resounding 'pop' of Bellows' neck breaking before he released his hold on the man.

Vin fell onto his back in the dirt and lay there gasping from his exertion. Now that the immediate threat to his life was over, the adrenaline left him in a rush, and was replaced with pain and weariness. All he wanted to do was lay there and not move, but Peso and Pony were not about to let that happen. They nudged the Texan with their noses, and kept up their relentless assault until Vin raised his hand to stop the horses from pestering him more.

When the others arrived, they saw two motionless bodies on the ground, one of which was surrounded by two very concerned horses. Chris was off Dancer in an instant, and running toward his brother. “Vin!”

Nathan grabbed his medical bag and was one step behind the blond, as the other brothers followed them. “Move, you ornery animal,” Jackson attempted to push Peso aside and was almost nipped in the process.

Chris grabbed the reins of both animals and handed them to Buck, who managed to led them away a short distance. “Tanner you had better be alive or so help me …”

“Damnit Chris, can't a man rest in peace without you yellin'?” Vin said, opening one eye and gazing up at him and the others. “Don’t need you barkin’ in my ear, especially after those two mules tried to roll me.”

Nathan put his hand on Tanner’s shoulder. “Don’t move. Let me see how much of this blood is yours first.”

“Hell Nate, ‘m fine.” Vin grimaced as he attempted to move.

“We can see that, but indulge us and let Nathan look you over.” Chris exhaled a relieved sigh, and then started in on Tanner. “You had to take him on all by yourself…you knew we were coming damnit…but did you wait…hell no!”

“Bitch, bitch, bitch…sometimes I think there is no pleasin’ you Cowboy.”

“You remember this, my friend, you had your shot here with Bellows…I get mine when we go after Chambers. Raven gave us a special invite.” Chris decided that the details could wait until tomorrow.

“Maybe one of us should call Kelli and let her know that Vin's all right?” JD spoke up.” Well, not all right, but at least alive, so that she won't continue to worry?”

“You do that JD, and tell her…hell; just let me up and I’ll tell her myself.” Tanner tried again to get up and was stopped by three sets of hands. Nathan, Chris, and Buck knew that at least some of that blood belonged to the Texan and they were not about to let him up until they were satisfied that he was not in any immediate danger of bleeding to death.

Ezra knelt down next to Bellows and noted his broken nose and neck. Whatever transpired here it was brutal and ugly. “Perhaps we should arrange to remove this piece of vermin, and once Nathan is finished, work to clean up our Texan, before presenting him to his family.”

Nathan felt relief flood through him as he finished his examination of Vin. Except for the serious slash on Tanner's left upper chest quadrant, Jackson saw only minor cuts and abrasions on the Texan. The wound on his chest was about two inches deep and three inches wide and would require stitching once he had his injured brother in a more sterile environment. He had packed the wound tightly and wrapped bandages around Vin's chest to keep the dressing in place, so that they could move him back to the house.

“It's an ugly and painful knife wound, but he'll live.” Nathan told his anxious brothers. He let his own relief show for a moment as he looked at Vin.” He will need to have some stitches, maybe a pint or two of blood to replenish the blood that he lost. He'll also need to undergo some tests since Bellows apparently bled over Vin's open wound to make sure that he wasn't carrying any blood borne diseases.”

“What kind of test Nathan? Vin asked warily.

“Sorry Vin, but unless an autopsy proves that Bellow's blood is clean… no HIV or hepatitis…”Nathan did not finish.

“Aw hell, it’s not enough they come after my family at home, and want me dead, now you’re sayin' the bastard might have been diseased, and passed it to me?”

“We’ll cross that bridge if we need too, right now let’s get you home. You’ll ride with me.” Chris ordered. “Josiah, you hand him up once I’m on Pony.”

“Damnit, I can ride…”Tanner protested.

“No, you can’t! You need stitches and by God, you’re not going to rip that wound open more by bouncing around on that mule you call a horse.” Nathan yelled. “You will ride with Chris or I’ll have to kick your ass Vin!”

“We’ll since you asked so nice…how can I say no.” Tanner grumbled as Josiah helped him to his feet, and up on Pony’s back. Although Vin would not admit it, it felt good to let Chris take control, and he closed his eyes intending to only rest for a minute.

Kelli was certain that this day was never ending; it seemed as though it should be midnight, but it was still early afternoon. The rest of the MCAT team had arrived and taken over the disposition of the prisoners, and forensics was clearing out the dead bodies. Walter supervised several ranch hands as they used tarps and boards to cover the space where the huge floor to ceiling windows had been in her living room. Max, with Mallory and Barbara’s help began the cleanup inside the house, as Kelli paced. She was torn between anger and worry. Vin had not heard the last of his arbitrary decision to take off with Bellows, and even though JD had called and said Vin was slightly injured, but basically okay, until she saw him herself, the redhead would not rest.

Raphael saw the riders first and steered Kelli away from the view until he saw Ezra lead one of the horses carrying a body over to Bones. Once Chris was closer to the house he opened the door, but was unable to stop her from running outside. She gasped as she saw the blood that covered Vin’s shirt.

“He’s okay for the most part Kel, just wore out.” Larabee quickly assured her, as she approached Pony.

Josiah slid off his horse and came around to assist Tanner down. “Come on sleepin beauty, the princess wants to see those pretty blue eyes.” Sanchez eased Vin off the horse and supported his weight as he helped him into the house.

“Take him to our room and put him on the bed.” Kelli instructed as she stopped in the kitchen to grab an ice pack for the bruises on Vin's face. She then followed them into the bedroom, and anxiously waited for an opportunity to examine his wounds.

Chris handed Pony’s reins to Buck. “Take charge of the scene, and let Bones know we need those test results on Bellows ASAP. Put Justin and Alex on interrogation. Give everyone a chance to see to their families, and then we meet at Camp Larabee at eight in the morning to determine our next course of action.”

“You think Nathan will insist that Tanner go to the hospital?”

Chris laughed. “Throwing a fit to get him on my horse is one thing, but if Vin says no hospital…Nathan may have a bigger fight on his hands.”

Buck took the reins of the other horses and passed them over to George who was waiting to help. “See you in twenty, Chris.” Wilmington went over to talk to Bones.

Larabee proceeded inside to see how Jackson was doing with his patient, and heard the arguing before he reached the bedroom. Prepared to intervene between Jackson and Tanner, he was surprised to find Vin snapping at Kelli. “Kel, Nathan knows what he’s doin’, just step back and let him do it.” Vin said, his voice harsher than he intended, but until he knew that he was not carrying HIV or hepatitis, he did not want her near him.

“You made the decision to leave with that racist bastard, without even consultin’ me, knowin’ that there was a good chance he would see you dead before you made it off the Larabee 7. I was left here wonderin’ if I was ever goin' to see you alive again or how I was goin’ to tell our children you were gone. Then, miracle of miracles happened and you return, all cut up and bloody, and instead of lettin’ me help take care of you, you won't allow me anywhere near you! You've got a hell of a lot of nerve Tanner!” Kelli yelled; each word laced with a mixture of anger and hurt. “I thought that WE made decisions together...I guess that only applies when YOU decide that I'm allowed to have an opinion.”

“I did what I thought was right at the time! If I hadn't left with Bellows like I did, he would have bombed the whole house, killin’ everyone inside and I couldn't let that happen! Damn it, Kel, I didn't expect you to agree with the decision I made, but it was the only one I could have made at the time and you know that! “The Texan snapped. “Now get out of the way so Nathan can tend to me!”

“Fine...arguin' with you is pointless anyway once you've made up your mind that you are right about somethin'!” Kelli snapped back, choking back an angry sob. “Sorry that I happen to be concerned for my own damn husband! You don't want me in here, then I'll leave...but I also won’t be stayin’ around here either. You want to be alone, so be it! You can make all the decisions and have the whole damn house to yourself!” Kelli turned to leave and ran into Chris.

Larabee reached out to steady her, and saw the hurt look in her eyes. “Kel…”

“Excuse me Dad; I need some fresh air. Am I allowed out of the house on my own, or do I need a damn babysitter?”

“It should be safe, but if you want, I’ll go with you.” Chris offered.

“I can manage. Contrary to what some people think I am a grown woman and I damn sure know how to take care of myself!” Kelli pushed past him and out of the room.

Vin sighed as Kelli made her rapid departure from their bedroom and leaned back against the pillows. “Do whatever you have to Nate. Just get it over with.”

Jackson nodded as he pulled on some plastic gloves and prepared to suture the wound up. “I can stitch you up here, but you probably need some blood and…”

“No hospital! Do what you can and then tell me what fuckin’ tests I need to take.” Tanner growled. “If you can’t do ‘em, then I’ll go to a doctor later, but for now just get me on my feet. Chambers is next, and I plan to be there when we find the sonofabitch.”

Ezra made an appearance in the bedroom just then. “What in the hell did you do to Kel, Vin? I just saw her and that is one angry woman.”

“She’ll get over being angry sooner or later.” Vin said through gritted teeth as Nathan began preparing the wound for stitches. “Right now though, she needs to work through everythin’ that happened today. If being mad at me helps her to process it without losin’ it altogether, then so be it.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing Vin. She just had her home attacked, her husband nearly killed, part of her house bombed, she’s pregnant, and has a Larabee temper. That is not a good combination to piss off and expect to smooth things over. It could be a while before we know about the tests results, are you sure…?” Nathan said doubtfully, without looking up from his suturing.

“There isn't anythin’ that Kelli and I can't work out.” Tanner said confidentially.

Chris snorted.

“What?” Tanner glanced over at Chris. “You think that after everythin’ we've been through, that I should just tell her... Oh, by the way the bastard may have passed on HIV or hepatitis to me, but there's nothin’ to worry about.”

“I think your protection mode just took a flying leap off a steep cliff, but what I think doesn’t matter.” Larabee told him seriously. “What I do know is that arbitrarily making decisions about what's best for Kelli, isn't going to do your marriage one lick of good. Kelli is a strong woman who has seen more than her share of hurt in the world, but somehow she has managed to turn into one hell of a lady. You have to trust her to be able to handle the news that there may be a possibility that you've contracted something from Bellows. The decision of how you handle this from here on out is all up to you, but I would think carefully over what your next move should be… because Kelli is one upset lady who looks to be seriously considering leaving your ornery ass.”

“If it will make your decision a little easier, Vin,” Nathan said, pausing in his stitching to look the Texan in the eyes, “The chance of you contracting anything from the little amount of blood that you might have shared with Bellows is....very low. You just need to take a few precautions until we know for sure; touching or even kissing your wife is not gonna put her or the babies at risk."

“Why the hell didn't you tell me that in the first place?” Vin asked angrily, and then felt his anger dissolve.” Sorry, Nate...regardless of whether you told me the stats now or earlier, don’t change the fact that I've just been a helluva bastard to my wife.”

Chris smirked at him. “It wouldn't be the first time...and I'm quite certain it won't be the last. Just prepare to do a whole lot of apologizin' an' I'm sure that Kelli will forgive you.”

“If I wanted any input from the peanut gallery, I would have asked for it.” Tanner tried to glare at Larabee, but found that he couldn't. Chris was right. He had a whole lot of apologizing to do to Kelli, and as soon as Nathan was finished with sewing him up, he was going to hunt her down. He had to know things were right between the two of them before he went with the others to bring Chambers down, and he was going down, one way or another.

Larabee and Standish knew better than to argue with the stubborn Texan when he got his dander up, so instead they followed him out of the bedroom and into the main part of the house. Vin moved carefully, one hand on his injured side as he came to a stop in the middle of the living room and surveyed the damage that had been done. Shattered glass and splintered pieces of wood were strewn over the entire front room. Where there had once been a spectacular view of the mountains, an ugly gaping hole now stood as reminder of the evil that had visited them that day.

Vin sucked in a deep breath, and had to remind himself that Kelli and the children were safe. “Damn.” The Texan reacted to seeing the damage wrought by the grenade. “Y'all were lucky no one was hurt or killed by the flyin' glass.”

“The man that threw it never saw the damage. Kel zeroed in on him and he was dead before it hit.” Raphael told him.

Chris saw the conflict of emotions on Vin’s face. Cordova had reminded him that he was not the only one that had experienced hell today and going with Bellows did not stop a grenade from exploding in his home. "I talked to Matt, he’s going to escort Linda home and send over some of his men to help us make repairs. You need more than the tarps and plywood?”

“It’s enough for tonight.” Vin was thankful that there were no injuries.

“Vin, the kids can stay with us until you make more permanent repairs if you want. You and Kel, too” Buck offered. “I know the boards and tarps help, but they won’t keep the cold out, and cold don’t feel too good when you ache already.”

“Thanks Bucklin, but I’ll stay here. I will come over and say goodnight to Kel and the kids though.” He knew that Kelli had gone over to the Wilmingtons to be with the kids, and for now he reckoned that was the best place for her to be.

Buck raised a brow. “The kids are at my house, but Kel isn’t. She came over, talked to the kids and then left. I thought she was here.”

“No, I thought she was at your house.” Vin stood up too fast and grimaced with pain. “Where in the hell did she go?” Tanner closed his eyes and tried to think past the panic that flooded over him. *Think Tanner, where would she go?* He knew that even as angry as Kelli had been at him, she wouldn't leave Larabee 7 on her own. Not when there was still a threat against them, although a good portion of the RMR members were dead or in custody at that very moment. *The barn.* It was a place that both of them seemed to find a bit of peace from things when they were going a bit rough. He started toward the door and heard more than one man sound a protest.

“Where in the hell do you think you're going?” Nathan demanded. "I just spent over an hour sewing you up. You want to undo all my work?"

“You aren't in any shape...” Buck started to protest, but found that he was talking to Tanner's back.

“Perhaps you will allow us to assist you in finding our wayward sister?” Standish asked.

Chris wisely said nothing, knowing that this was something that the Texan needed to do

“I'm goin' to find my wife.” Vin told them firmly and continued on his way. He exited the house and was slowly making his way off the porch when he realized he wasn't alone. He turned around just in time to see Larabee trot down the stairs.

“Where are you goin'?” Vin demanded.

“With you,” Chris told him. “You are in no shape to be wandering off too far by yourself, so I'll go with you. When we find Kelli, I’ll give you the privacy you need to work things out between you, but until then, I'm going to be your shadow.”

Tanner knew it was pointless to argue with Larabee. “Fine...just don't hover.”

Chris laughed as the two men started toward the barn, going at a slow rate to accommodate the Texan's wounded condition.

Just as Vin had suspected, the doors to the barn where the colts were stabled stood open, and he felt a sigh of relief fill him. “I go it alone from here, Chris.”

"Call out if you need rescuing." Chris grinned as Vin answered him with a hand gesture, before entering the barn.

Kelli sat curled up on the hay strewn floor, her back against a post, and her head buried on her knees weeping. The sound of her crying tore a hole clean through Tanner's heart, and guilt flooded through him, knowing that he was responsible for making her cry again. He moved into the barn, not as quiet as he usually was, but Kelli made no movement to indicate that she heard him. Carefully he eased himself down into a kneeling position and then sat down beside her.

“Aw, Kel.” He wanted to pull her into his arms, but wasn't sure she would let him touch her. “I'm so sorry for the way I acted.” Considering her condition he figured he should tread lightly and damn sure use some conciliatory words to parley peace between them.

Kelli lifted her head up at the sound of his voice, fire still evident in her blue eyes. “You should be.”

Tanner almost smiled, but stopped himself just in time. “I shouldn't have made the decision to go with Bellows without consultin' with you first.”

“No you shouldn't have.”

“I know that it was a terrible risk to take, and even though I thought it was a good idea at the time, it was unfair of me to make it arbitrarily.”

“Yes, it was.”

Now he did smile. He couldn't keep it from his face, and was rewarded with a flicker of one in return, before his wife corrected herself and returned to looking sternly at him. “I shouldn't have yelled at you when the boys got me back to the house either. I should have allowed you to help Nathan tend to me, but… I was scared for you to touch me.” He admitted softly.

Puzzlement, followed by concern flooded over Kelli's beautiful face as she gazed at him. “Why?”

“Some of Bellows blood got mixed with mine.” Tanner told her quietly. “Nathan told me that I was goin' to have to get tested for hepatitis and HIV, and all I could think about was protectin' you.”

Vin quickly realized that was the wrong thing to say. "Of all the idiotic, lamebrain things you've come up with Vin Tanner, this one takes the cake!” Kelli's renewed anger surprised him. “You don't get to protect me from life! I'm your wife Vin, not some child that you have to shield from all the ugliness all the time! What affects you, affects me, remember? 'Til death do us part! If by God, you have contracted somethin' from that sick bastard, then we will face it together! As man and wife! As life mates, so you had best get it out of your head that you are makin’ all of the decisions around here, right now!”

“I'm tryin' to apologize here!” Vin snapped back at her, although there really wasn't any fire in his voice.

“Well you're doin' an awful job of it!” Kelli snapped back.

The Texan gazed at her for a long moment and then threw his head back and howled with laughter. The release of the stress from earlier finally hit him. They had survived all the terrible things that had been thrown at them since Dusty Slater went into Rock Meadows, and should be celebrating that fact. Instead here they sat in a cold barn, on a hard floor, snapping at one another, but…it felt good to be able to laugh about it all.

Kelli stared at her husband as if he had suddenly lost his mind. “Vin, stop it! It's not funny, damnit! This is serious!”

“I know it is,” Vin gasped out, his face paling a bit from the pain of his sutured wound as he tried to control his laughter.

Although concerned about his injury, a slight smile creased Kelli's face as she continued to gaze at her husband, and finally a giggle escaped from between her lips. “Vin Tanner you are impossible, but I love you anyway!”

“I love you too, Kel.” The Texan said as he finally got his laughter under control, and turned serious again. “I really am sorry I shut you out and that I made the decision to go with Bellows without consultin' with you first. All I could think of is protectin' you, our children, and everyone else. I reacted to the situation, and in that moment, you weren't another MCAT agent, but my wife that I wanted to protect."

"You seem to be doin' that a lot lately Tanner, and that's somethin' we need to work on." Kelli let out a sigh as her anger at him finally dissipated. “I know you thought you were doin' what was right at the time...I can even see the reasonin' behind it...but damnit, Vin, watchin' you walk out that door and not knowin' if I was ever goin' to see you again, just about tore my heart in two.”

Vin reached over and caressed her face. “I'm sorry that I scared you so badly.”

Kelli leaned her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes against a new wave of tears. “Don't do it again.”

“I can't make any promises, Kelli. I don't know what the future holds.” Tanner told her softly, “All I can tell you is that I'll do my damnest not too.”

“I guess that is goin' to have to be good enough then.” Kelli replied and shifted closer to him as Vin lowered his mouth to hers in a sweet kiss of further apology, which Kelli readily accepted.

Tanner shifted his position and groaned. “I hate to admit this, but I think you’re gonna have to step out that door and ask Chris to come and help me up.”

Kelli chided herself for not realizing how much it had physically taken for Vin to come after her. “Hang on.” She hurried out to find Chris standing not too far away from the door. “Dad? I think we might need a little assistance gettin’ Tanner back to the house.”

Larabee followed her inside and smiled when he saw the predicament that the Texan was in. He had managed to get down on the barn floor, but couldn’t get up. He started to reach out to help him, but had to ask first. “Kel, you want this ornery Texan back in your house?”

Vin growled, and Kelli laughed. “I took him for better or worse, so I reckon my answer is yes."

“Good,” Larabee helped Tanner to his feet. “Now that you two seem to be on speaking terms again, we can all go home. Tomorrow we have to start making our final plans to take on Chambers.”

“What’s to plan? We go in and take him down.” Tanner retorted.

Chris and Kelli both rolled their eyes as they watched Vin gingerly move between them. Larabee quipped. “Right, but if you don’t mind, this time, your brothers and I get to have some fun…you don’t get to hog all the action.”

Tanner grinned, “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Chris finally had all his brothers in one place and started the meeting with the information about Raven's message. “In the middle of all that happened yesterday, I received a package. Raven has sent us a gift.” Larabee passed the note over to Vin “JD helped me transfer the information off the disks, and the first one is a detailed map of the area where Chambers is hold up, and the second one gives us specifics about the RMR facility. We have a seventy-two hour window to move in. Travis is already working to obtain the warrants we’ll need.”

“It looks like we’re going hunting.” Buck grinned

“Damn straight.” Vin agreed

Larabee stood in front of the chalkboard using a pointer to indicate a particular building on the blown up version of the map of the RMR's new base of operations that Raven had supplied for them. “We know from the information that Raven obtained for us, that this building is where Chambers sleeps. Besides the sentries who stand guard at the entrance to the compound, and those who patrol the perimeter of its interior, there is always at least one man guarding Chambers at all times.

Vin broke in. “Havin' someone guard his back twenty-four-seven is somethin' new that Chambers has set up. He must be feelin' the pressure of knowin' that we are out to take him down, because he values his privacy. We also have to assume that he will know that Bellows failed yesterday, and he may tighten up his security even more.”

“He’d better get use to not having any privacy. Where he’s going he’ll be on display twenty-four hours a day.” Buck commented.

“I’m getting the current satellite view from that location and can track any activity on that compound until we’re ready to move in.” JD showed them a current view on his computer screen.

“That’s great JD, you keep it going. Justin and Alex have already begun to interrogate the prisoners from yesterday, to see if we can confirm what Raven sent…either way we’ll be ready to move in within seventy-two hours. Vin, you try to contact Raven. See if anything has changed due to yesterday’s activity. We’ll have to go in by horseback; any other way would call too much attention to our movements.” Chris flipped over the compound map for a look at a broader view.” We can go in here, make camp and then move in on Chambers tomorrow night. What kind of moon will we have?”

“Full moon,” Vin replied.” Should give us enough light to see by, and give us the element of surprise that we need to enter the camp.”

“Going in on horseback is going to limit us on the supplies that we will need to carry to execute such an operation.” Ezra said. “We are going to have to plan carefully of what is absolutely vital for us to have.”

Josiah picked up a pad and pen. “I assume that Vin will sort out the weapons we’ll need. What else?”

“I’ll take care of the medical supplies. With this bunch, I won’t take any chances on not being prepared.”

“We won’t need much. There won’t be any campfire, and we should be on our way back by Monday mornin'. So, light weapons, cold tack, bedrolls, and wear dark clothin'. Ez, you might wanna round up some dynamite. I seem to recall Chambers’s men greetin’ us with some; I’d like to return the favor.” Vin listed what he considered essentials.

“Mr. Tanner, I like how you think.” Standish remarked with a wide grin.

“Kevlar vests for everyone. The added weight may be a hindrance to our movements, but with this bunch I don't want to take any chances of any of us getting shot.” Larabee informed them.” Let’s go over this one more time. Our main objective is to get in and take Chambers and we are not going to instigate a major firefight to do".

“I’ll take care of communications. Pam will coordinate all of us from here, and I will have my palm pilot handy for satellite feeds.” JD stated.

Buck was already making additional plans. “Mark, Alex and Raphael will be our back-up and will be prepared to move in on the Commander’s order to pick up any prisoners. Selina and Mallory will stay here at the ranch for added security while we’re gone. JD, you might want to have Casey, Miss Nettie, and the girls come and stay with Inez. Mal and the kids can stay at the Jackson's. Walter is keeping an eye on Kelli and Max, so that leaves Barbara, and Linda to account for.”

“We know where Chambers is supposed to be for the next three days, do we really need to alarm the kids, at this point, by moving them?” Dunne questioned

“Better to play it safe, than sorry,” Vin answered. “I don’t think any of our families are at risk for one night, but then I didn’t think Bellows would break through the front gate, or that Chambers could get a bomb through our security to my wife either.”

“Point taken, Tanner,” Ezra said thoughtfully. “Barbara will be staying close to Kelli, and I am certain that it would take a team of wild horses to drag Max away from either of them.”

Chris laughed, “That is a sure bet, Ezra. Linda will stay with Matt while we are gone, and he has added extra patrols to ours to make certain that the ranch is secure. I’ll have the warrants, and Travis has arranged to have Harrison and Turner picked up this afternoon. I figure we can ride in close enough to make a cold camp by late tomorrow, and then we’ll wait until after midnight to move in. Are there any questions?” Larabee looked around and saw only satisfied grins on his brother’s faces. This was something they all had been waiting for, and now they would have their chance to take Chambers and the RMR down. “We’ll meet at the barn tomorrow at 0500hrs to load the horses. Okay, you each have preparations to make, get to ‘em, and dinner for everyone at my house at three.”

Nathan pulled Tanner aside. “Vin, I’m concerned about you being on a horse…those stitches…”

Vin laid his hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “I appreciate your worry, but ‘m not lettin' a little thing like stitches stop me from being there when Chambers goes down.” Tanner grinned. “Besides, you’ll be there to patch me up if I fall apart.”

Jackson rolled his eyes and shook his head; he knew it was useless to try to convince Tanner to stay behind. “I will at that.” Nathan reached into his pocket and handed Vin a folded piece of paper. “Bones called me early this morning. He worked all night to finish the autopsy on Bellows and personally tested his blood and tissues. These are the results.”

The Texan fingered the note. “Just tell me.”

“Bellows showed no signs of illness, and his blood was negative for HIV and hepatitis.” Jackson smiled. “No possibility of Aids Vin. I still sent your blood work to the lab, but only as a cautionary procedure. So, you can stop worrying, you…Kel…and, the babies are not at risk.”

Tanner visibly relaxed and then grinned. “Thanks Nathan.”

Chris walked up to the pair. “I see that Nathan told you the good news.” He laid his hand on the Texan’s back. “It’s almost over Vin, after Monday all you’ll have to face is the trial, and we can get down to the business of welcoming three new babies into this family. Don’t forget that you promised to help me build Cody’s nursery.”

“I haven’t forgotten. I have some major rebuildin' to do on my own home, and a nursery to build for the twins, too.”

“Then it is fortunate that you two have several brothers that are willing to assist.” Ezra spoke for all of them that had been listening to the conversation.

Josiah grinned. “You don’t think we trust you two on your own to get it right do you?”

“My specialty is how to prepare for twins, so Vin, I expect to see your plans before you even begin.” JD smiled.

Buck stood between Josiah and JD with a hand on each of their shoulders. “Hell, we know it’s going to take the entire family to get it done. You two can do the actual work, but as uncles we have to make certain you do it right.”

Chris looked them all over, and smiled. “Yep, I’d say we are two damn lucky men.”