"Chris, now...just calm down, Chris. Ain't no need to be gettin'
yerself in a...Chris?" Buck began backing away slowly. Hands up,
defensively warding off the gunslinger in black as he moved,
"Chris...?"
"Don't give me that bull, Bucklin!" Chris growled. "You were on
duty last night and you blew it. Every time something in a skirt
walks by your brain drops to your crotch!" he accused.
Buck swallowed, it was a hard one to deny, but "She wasn't just
any lady, pardner. This one was something special. You shoulda
seen her she..."
"I have seen her," the blond man interrupted, dryly. "Just saw
her sitting in a jail cell 'bout ten minutes ago."
"Jail? Now... that can't be. Larabee I'm tellin' ya she..."
"She played you for a fool, Buck!" Chris snarled. His hand
snapped out, like a rattlesnake, and grabbed the front of Buck's
shirt, giving a strong yank that nearly pulled Buck off of his
feet. "Everyone this side of the border knows how you are about
women. They SENT her to distract you!"
Buck's eyes widened in sudden comprehension, "No..." he
breathed. Suddenly his eyes filled with horror as he realized
that the attack on the town the night before had been his fault.
Not just because he had been on duty but also because he had
been...busy when it had happened.
They had taken down the bank, easily. If Chris and Vin hadn't
been on their way home from riding circuit the men would have
got away clean. Two men had died in the resulting firefight
(Buck had joined in, wearing only his long johns.) The
remaining three had been tossed into a cell.
When Chris had caught sight of the shifty looking blond woman
lurking around outside the jail less then an hour later it had
suddenly all become clear. "That IDIOT!" The woman had joined
her cohorts in the cell, and then Larabee had set out to find
his partner...and kill him.
Buck was looking guilty and ashamed of himself. He ruffled his
hair with one hand and tried his best to look innocent. "Coulda
happened ta anyone ya know...She was beautiful."
Chris snorted; she wasn't that beautiful and Buck sure as hell
wasn't innocent. "Somehow Buck, I have a feeling this could only
have happened to you." He sighed deeply, "What the hell am I
gonna do with you, Bucklin'?"
"Do with me?" Buck asked in surprise. He grinned and shook his
head, confused. "Nothin' ya kin do with me Chris. I just can't
help m'self. I see a skirt and my mind just..." he shrugged with
an amused look on his face.
Chris was not nearly as amused. "Not funny! Are we supposed to
watch while every band of outlaws in the west walks through the
town, just because they bring a woman with them?" he demanded.
"What would you do if J.D. had done something so stupid?"
Buck chuckled, "Probably take 'im over my knee and blister him
good so he...uh..." Buck's eyes narrowed and he took a good look
at the expression on Chris' face before he changed his tack.
"Dunno what I'd do to J.D.- prolly be understandin' on account
of everyone makes mistakes," he lied. "Anyway J.D.'s just a kid
and I ain't!"
"Really? That makes it better. Hell Buck, at your age you sure
as shootin' should know better!" Chris lectured.
Buck scowled, "Yeah? Well mebbe I do know better. But I ain't
gonna sulk around wearin' all black and makin' all the ladies
feel sorry fer me." Buck wrapped his hand around the one Chris
still had clenched to his shirt, and pried it loose. He stepped
around the gunslinger and headed for the door.
"Buck, don't you leave when I'm talking to you!" Chris shouted.
"Sorry pardner. Ain't no kid; don't need no lecture," Buck
retorted.
Chris completely lost control of his temper and dove for Buck.
Soon the two of them were rolling on the dusty floor and trying
to punch each other. Generally in a fistfight Buck would get so
riled up that he would make a mistake; Chris just waited for it
to happen. When it did, Buck found himself face down on the
floor with his arm twisted painfully behind his back.
"OW GODDAMITT CHRIS! LET ME GO!" Buck hollered.
"Not a chance Bucklin! I've had it with this skirt chasin'
bullshit. Who do you think you're fooling anyway?" Chris
demanded as he sat on the other man's back and held him there.
"Dunno what yer talkin' about Larabee, but if you don't let me
up..."
"I'm not letting you up until you promise to lay off the women
and do yer damn job!"
"Like hell I will!"
"Fine," Chris said angrily. He began shifting his body around,
confusing Buck who couldn't figure out what was going on
until...
<<CRACK>>
"YEOUCH!!! Chris, what the hell are you doing?" Buck demanded,
renewing his attempts to roll out from under him.
"Just giving you the same justice you would have given J.D."
Chris announced smugly. "Figure maybe it's the only thing that's
gonna get through to you. Can't get through yer head; might as
well try the other end."
<<CRACK>>
Somehow without Buck realizing it, Chris had managed to remove
his belt. Now, with Buck flat on the floor, ass up, he was using
the strap of leather across the back of his thighs. He'd never
actually strapped anyone before, but the mechanics of it seemed
pretty simple and the results were instantaneous.
"Buck, you've been like this ever since I've known ya and I'm
sick of it!" <<CRACK>> "Ya act more like a kid then J.D. does
and he IS a kid!" <<CRACK>> "I don't know if this is going to do
a damn bit of good, but it's sure makin' ME feel better!"
<<CRACK>>
"I getcher point Larabee! Lemme up!" Buck yelled. He had begun
to buck (no pun intended) his body frantically, in an attempt to
knock Chris off of his back, but so far it wasn't working. His
thick jeans weren't protecting his backside as much as he would
have expected neither.
"Glad yer gettin' my point, but I ain't done yet. If I thought I
could get those britches of yours down without you getting'
loose I'd really show ya how pissed off I am...well, this'll
just have to do," Chris said, with a hint of regret in his
voice. He brought the belt down in a fast series of vicious
blows across the seat of Buck's pants.
Buck yelped, and quickly decided that giving in was going to be
much less painful then remaining stubborn. "I'm SORRY! Alright?
I won't chase women when I'm working!" he swore.
"Give me your word Buck," Chris insisted. A man's word meant
something and he knew if Buck gave it, then he would at least
try to follow through.
"Hell noOUUWDAMNIT! ALL RIGHT!!! !!!" Buck howled. "I give ya my
damn word!" he added reluctantly.
"There that wasn't so hard was it, pardner?" Chris asked, hiding
a grin as he rolled gracefully off of Buck and got to his feet.
He held out a hand to help Buck up but the other man smacked it
away angrily.
Buck scowled at his oldest friend and then stormed out of the
room without a word. He was feeling embarrassed and angry and a
number of emotions that he couldn't even describe. One thing he
did know was that he didn't want to piss off Chris Larabee again
any time soon.
The End
