Somebody's Watching by Maggie

The night air blew through Vin Tanner's blond hair, causing it to whip loosely around his handsome features. The team had been working on this particular case for two months and tonight they were gonna close the file. Friday the 13th. Vin was stationed outside an abandoned house on the outskirts of the Four Corner's District.

Josiah Sanchez and Nathan Jackson were waiting in the surveillance van around the block. JD Dunne and Buck Wilmington sat in an undercover sudan on the opposite end of the street. They were all awaiting the arrival of Chris Larabee and Ezra Standish. Those two were pretending to be arms dealers' and to meet Enrique Cantada in the barn at the edge of the property.

The Spaniard was very paranoid so the team had to stay as far away from the meeting place as possible.

Tanner eased his head back and allowed the wind to blow away some of the tension still in his body. He'd had a bad feeling since this day started. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened to cause him to be suspicious, but still. He sighed and returned his gaze to the building in the distance. Thats when he saw it.

A movement in the house behind him. He held his breath watching for another motion. Again. The top room on the right side. A shadow barely visible by the moonlight disappeared at the edges of the window. Vin stepped closer to the structure and caught another shadow. This time in the bottom left window.

"What the hell?" The sharpshooter glanced behind him to check the others' position and then swung his gaze to the barn. Nothing. He then made his decision.

"Josiah, you copy?" Tanner waited, nevering let his eyes waver from the house.

"Go ahead, Vin."

"Theres somebody in the house behind me. I'm gonna go check it out." He began to walk forward as his ear piece crackled again.

"Need backup?" This time Buck's voice came across the mike.

"Nah. I'm just gonna do a quick sweep. Shouldn't take more'n five minutes. Let me know if anything happens." Vin signed off, just as he reached the front door. He reached out and took hold of the doorknob, shivering as a cold chill danced down his spine. Ignoring the foreboding feeling, he stepped over the threshhold and his luck immediately changed.

+ + + + + + +

"Where the hell is Vin?" Chris Larabee was not a happy man. The bust had went down fifteen minutes ago and now team three was doing the clean up for them.

It was an easy takedown, due to the lack of brains between the bad guys. Buck and the others hadn't even been needed, but now, the adrenaline rush was over and one of their team was missing.

"He said he was gonna check out the house and that was half an hour ago." JD bounced lightly on his toes, trying to hide his nervousness. He'd had tried to get Wimington to let him go in an see where the sharpshooter had gotten. Well, 'big brother' had stated no in a firm voice, saying, "Vin's a big boy. He can take care of himself."

Now they were standing outside the house, having just finished a thorough search of the place and very puzzled. It was as if the ex bounty hunter had never entered the structure.

"Your sure you never saw him come out?" Larabee grilled his men once more. He had a knot the size of a mountain forming in his stomach. He knew something had happened to his best friend.

"We're postive, Chris. One of us kept an eye on the place at all times." Buck shifted under the leader's intense gaze.

"Well, it seems our illustrious partner has deemed this a night for a practical joke." Ezra pulled at his Armani jacket sleeve and quirked an eyebrow at his friends.

"I don't think so, Ez. Vin knew we were on duty and didn't know how this would play out." Nathan glanced once more at the darkened building that was causing them so much worry.

"Hey, whats that?" Dunne had caught a glint to the rear of the house.

"What JD?" Chris turned his eyes to match the younger man's direction and also saw the shimmer. "Lets go."

The six men unholstered their weapons and proceeded to the destination with caution. As they got closer, they could see the light had a shape. It was a gun. Larabee threw caution to the wind as he noticed the weapon was still being held by one Vin Tanner.

The older man felt his heart stop beating as he slid to a halt by the sharpshooter's still form. There wasn't an inch of the lanky man's body not covered in blood. Chris couldn't breathe. It had happened again. He had failed someone he loved.

"Vin?" The leader was surprised to hear his own voice and disappointed when there was no response.

"Dear Lord." Standish had went with the others to do a sweep of the surrounding grounds, making sure the threat wasn't still around. He dropped to his knees opposite Larabee and also felt his heart stop. The younger agent wasn't moving at all. "NATHAN!!" The conman winced at the grief he heard in his scream.

The last four members raced to the others'. "What happened?" Buck landed beside the now pale and quiet form of Chris, never taking his eyes from Tanner's bloody face.

Jackson had started examining Vin the minute he reached him. "Son of a.." Four fear stricken eyes looked to the medic of the group.

"How bad, brother?" Josiah was the only one still standing near the fallen man's head.

"I've found at least four bullet wounds and two stab wounds." Nathan's voice was barely above a whisper as he continued to attend his patient.

"Dear God, why didn't we hear anything?" JD could feel the tears slowly making there way down his cheeks, but didn't care.

"We gotta get him to the hospital, now." The appointed doc looked to Sanchez, hoping he would take charge.

"I'll call for the ambulance. Buck, you and JD research the house and be careful. Ezra, you stay here and help Nathan all you can, while I give these grounds another once over." The big man walked a short distance away and hit the speeddial on his cellphone. He quickly relayed the urgent news and then went to try and find some answer to this tragedy.

+ + + + + + +

Chris reached out slowly and laid his hand on Vin's forehead. He could feel the heat beginning to radiate from his body. He swept some of the blood soaked locks from the younger man's features and leaned down some.

"Hey cowboy, can ya hear me?" Larabee stared at the mocking eyelids of his best friend, but tried again. "Vin, I need you to hear me, please. Don't leave me." Chris reflexively grabbed Tanner's left hand in his. "Bad things aren't suppose to happen to good people, you hear me. And your the best." The leader squeezed the fingers sighing heavily when once more there was no response.

"Chris, the medics are here. Move away some so they can do their job." Jackson pulled at the distraught man's shoulders' trying to hold his own emotions in check.

"Why?" Larabee's cracked words sent chills racing through Nathan's nerves.

"I don't know, Chris. I don't know." The younger agent never let his hands' drop from his friend's form as they both watched the heroic efforts of the EMT's to keep Vin breathing.

"We need to get him out of here. We can only take one in the rig with us." The young blond paramedic glanced at the three men surrounding him.

"Mr. Larabee will accompany him, he is afterall his half brother."

The medic nodded as they lifted the gurney and began pushing it to the awaiting vehicle. Chris followed as if in slow motion. Still unsure as to what was going on and if it was real.

+ + + + + + +

"You boys find anything?" Josiah stepped up to join the four men who stood watching the retreating ambulance.

"JD and I found some tire tracks near the back of the house. They look to be motorcycle. Thats why we missed them earlier.." Wilmington stopped, closing his eyes to the horrific vision that had been haunting him.

"Take it easy, Buck. He'll be okay. You know how stubborn Vin is, besides Chris won't let him.." Dunne paused as he realized what he'd been about to say.

"I think we should get to the hospital as soon as possible, gentlemen." Ezra didn't raise his head as he strode to his Jag. The others' also bowed their heads and began the journey to their cars.

+ + + + + + +

"Doctor, he's crashing!" The nurse grabbed the cardiac paddles near the head of the trauma bed and handed them to the physician.

"Charge to 200." Dr. Mason rubbed the paddles together. "Clear."

Vin's body lurched upward as the voltage assualted him, but no reaction.

"300, Clear!" He hit him again and stood back. He was about to call 400, when a slow beep crept across the heart moniter. "Give him 10 cc's of cortizone and prep him for surgery. We don't have time to stabilize." Mason glanced at the young patient and shook his graying hair. *Yet another young life wasted.*

The nurses assembled the IV's and began to manuver the bed through the steel doors toward the elevator. The doc was about to follow when he felt a crushing grip on his upper arm.

"What the hell's happening?"

Mason turned and flinched at the hatred and fury radiating in the other man's eyes. "You are?"

"Chris Larabee. Vin's my half brother." The lie rolled easily from the leader's tongue.

"In all honesty, Mr. Larabee. It doesn't look good. Two bullets are still lodged in his chest cavity. The other two are just minor. The knife wounds won't even make scars." The doctor paused, almost feeling the pain in the other's face.

"You can save him, can't you?" The quiet plea sounded unusual coming from Larabee's mouth, but understandable.

"I'll do my best, but in cases like these. Its not only up to me." Mason patted Chris's hand and turned to resume his course to the OR.

The agent watched the physician until the elevator doors took him from his sight and it was then when he felt the reality of the situation. It was happening all over again. The emptiness seeping slowly into his soul, followed by the shattering of his heart. "I can't do this again." Larabee ran both hands roughly through his hair and started walking. He had no idea where he was going or why, he just wanted to run away as fast and as far as he could.

+ + + + + + +

"We're ready, doctor." The nurse turned expectantly to the blue clad man.

"Alright. I want his vitals watched closely." Mason picked up the scalpel and made his first incision.

+ + + + + + +

Chris sat down heavily on the bench never raising his head as he stared at his blood covered hands. *Vin's blood.* The soft cry escaped his lips and he slammed his eyes closed harder.

+ + + + + + +

"Doctor, something's wrong?" The nurse looked from the moniter to Vin. "His pulse is fading."

Mason stopped his search for the second bullet and glanced to the heartbeat that was disappearing. "Damn!"

+ + + + + + +

Chris could feel the eye's watching him but didn't have the energy to care. His best friend was lying on an operating table fighting for his life, and he didn't even know why. "Please God, I can't lose him too. Please watch over him and bring him back to me." He said the last word on a sob and finally raised his head almost choking on his breath as his gaze fell on the cross hanging above the altar.

It was glowing with a white light, and Chris could swear he saw eyes looking at him.

+ + + + + + +

"He's flatlining!!" The OR came alive as the loud even noise echoed around the small room. "Blood pressure's dropping."

Mason knew it was hopeless. Even though Tanner was a strong, healthy man, the injuries were just too much for him. He injected the epenefrin into his heart and glared at the mocking moniter. He grabbed the paddles and after three shocks, still nothing. He laid the instruments down on the crash cart and turned to the clock.

"Call it.."

+ + + + + + +

Chris could feel the air growing cold around him and knew Vin was leaving him. "NOO!! You can't have him, please." He lunged from the bench and slammed his hands onto the altar. "He's apart of me. He's my best friend. He's my brother. Please, I need him." He glared straight at the cross and for a moment felt a flash of fear, but just as suddenly as it occured, it was gone. Replaced once more by the ever present warmth of his best friend's soul reuniting with his.

"Thank you." Larabee let his head fall to the platform and sobbed silently, both with joy and pain.

+ + + + + + +

"Call it.."

"Doctor, look." The whispered words caused Mason to turn swiftly back to his patient. He could feel a heat radiating from Tanner and began to step forward, but was interrupted by the strong beep of the heart moniter.

"I don't believe it." The older man glanced back to Vin and began to smile. "Looks like someone's watching over you my friend." The doctor picked up his scalpel and finished what he started, knowing this was gonna be a happy ending.

+ + + + + + +

The air was swirling around his face again and it felt like heaven. Vin blinked his eyes slowly as the sun's rays penetrated them. He tried to shift away from the bright light but a stabbing pain erupted in his chest causing him to gasp in agony.

"Easy there, cowboy." Chris jumped from his chair and placed a calming hand on the squirming sharpshooter. "You tear open them stitches and the doc ain't gonna be happy." Larabee let his hand rest on Tanner's left shoulder while he took the younger man's left hand in his. He was about to say something else when he locked gazes with the blue eyes he knew as well or better than his own.

"What.." Vin's voice cracked from dryness and disuse, but the leader knew what he wanted to know.

"It seems you stumbled into a drug deal." Chris waited while the other man's still drugged brain comprehended what he had said. "You never knew what hit you. The Diablos' thought you were another dealer trying to muscle in on the deal. So, they took you out as you came in the door."

Tanner swallowed a few times getting his strength back. "Guess it was my lucky day, uh?" Vin let a slow grin crease his features.

Larabee felt the weight of doubt finally ease from his body. "Yeah, so lucky, I've decided to lock you up on Friday the 13th from now on. The six of us can't handle such good luck." He glared at the sharpshooter as he ended his sarcastic speech.

"Just make sure its a house I know." Vin started to chuckle but that turned to pants as the pain took hold of him.

"Get some rest, cowboy. I'll keep an eye on you." Chris grasped his best friend's hand tightly in both of his.

Tanner's eyelids began to slid shut. "Yeah, I know. Somebody's always watching."

END