Sunrise by Megan Webmaster Note: This is the 8000th story hosted at blackraptor.

He felt the mud and grass grind into his knees through his pants. The rain from the previous night had left the ground wet and muddy. At the time, he hadn't thought about how muddy the grass would be today; it hadn't mattered - until it did. Now he wished he had given it more thought.

Straightening his back, he raised his head. The pounding headache and blood trickling down into his eyes made it hard to focus. His hands, cuffed behind him, prevented him from wiping the blood away. Spitting out a glob of blood and saliva, he looked into the eyes of the man who had hit him.

"You think this will save you?"

The man grinned. "Doesn't need to save me. But do you think any of those men will come to save you? They left you alone with me. They didn't even question anything. Your so called brothers have left you for the sharks. You think they care that you're out here, in the middle of nowhere, on your knees, easy to kill? Do you think that when they see your dead body, bloody and bruised, left in the mud, they'll care?"

Buck took a shallow breath and spat. "They would never let it get that far."

The man snorted, almost a chuckle, and shook his head. "They let it get this far, and as far as the eye can see, they aren't here. The legendary Team Seven will let one of their own dies in the mud. How far do you think they'll let it go? You have so much faith in a group of men who encouraged you to come out here. If someone didn't think better, one might believe they wanted you dead. They'll thank me, I think. I took care of the trash for them."

With that, the man hit Buck again, driving his fist into Buck's stomach. As Buck struggled to breathe, the man hauled him up by his hair and shoved a gun against his chest.

"I want to see the look in your eyes when I shoot you," he said with a grin. "And in your dying breath, I want you to realize that the team you called family betrayed you and let you die like a rabid dog. My only wish is that I had a video of this, something to replay on cold nights when I need to see how a man can be betrayed by everything he held dear and realize at the end, he was worth nothing. Not even the bullet that will kill him."

As the words left his mouth, a loud gunshot echoed through the clearing. A body fell into the mud, blood splattering around it like drops of rain soaking into the ground.

A few months earlier…

"No, we aren't going to do that. There must be another way."

Looking up from the dirty table in a bar that seemed lost in time, Buck sighed. "Chris, there isn't a choice. None of the others would be believable. Travis was right; it would be easy for it to work. We have the history, and by changing a few things, I'd fit the man's type."

Chris shook his head. "No. There has to be another way. There is another way to take the man down."

Buck played with the dirty glass filled with liquid that was supposed to be whiskey but smelled like rubbing alcohol. "Chris, there isn't. He's too slick. The teams he does this to, he convinces them he's cutting the weak link, and for a time, he makes those teams believe it. The man won't deviate from his plan. He isn't going to show his true colors unless we play his game. We know he's looking at our team. We know who he's aiming to cull."

"You aren't the weak link."

Buck took a shaky breath, then let it out slowly. "I know. But he thinks I am. He thinks I'm here because you feel sorry for me. He can't see anything but someone who shouldn't belong to someone who endangers the team. Whether it's true or not, we can use it. We play it up and take him down."

"No. This is a stupid plan. It requires us to make you seem incompetent at your job."

Buck shrugged, trying to calm Chris. "We all know I'm not. It's just to draw him in. A couple of words or actions will have him believe what isn't there. Then we take him down. No one will get hurt."

Chris was silent for a moment, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. With a sigh, he shook his head. "No one but you? We don't know what he's going to do."

"He's going to do it either way. He's already turning some heads with his words. If we play into it, we can control what's said and end this before anyone else gets hurt."

"Do you count yourself as someone who won't get hurt?"

Buck shrugged. "Chris, I'll be fine. He won't know what hit him, and in a month or so he'll be behind bars and we'll be onto the next case."

Chris couldn't help but feel that none of that would happen. "I still don't like it. If it goes too far, I will pull this plug and yank you out of this so fast your head will spin."

Chuckling, Buck shrugged. "I wouldn't expect anything else than that."

7777777

Buck felt the wound pull as he pushed himself off the floor and moved over to Ezra. "You, okay?"

Ezra groaned softly as he lay on the floor. "What hit me?"

Buck winced as he took a breath; he could feel the gash tug every time his chest expanded. "I did because someone decided to argue with a man who had a knife."

Ezra was quiet for a second, then spoke. "The man with a knife?"

Buck shrugged. "I think Vin got him or at least winged him enough. They have him in the cuffs now. You need me to get Nate for you?"

Before Ezra could answer, the man in question seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Ezra, you, okay?"

Before the undercover expert could respond, Buck spoke up. "You might want to check his head. He hit it on the ground when I tackled him. He might have a concussion."

Nathan turned toward Ezra to check him, and Buck moved away, staying hunched for an extra moment as he braced himself for the pain of standing fully upright. Taking a breath, he straightened, almost blacking out as the gash screamed in protest. Blinking away the black dots in his vision, he tried to control his breathing. So focused on appearing normal, he didn't notice JD, until the younger man was suddenly at his side.

He did notice when JD turned, looked at him, and shouted toward Nathan, "Nate, it's Buck he got slashed!"

Before Buck could say anything or wave off the help, Nathan was already there. He pulled up Buck's shirt and hissed at what he saw. "JD, go get my kit. Buck, sit down before you fall. What were you thinking?"

Buck grimaced as he was helped down to the floor. "Chris would be pissed if Ezra got killed by a two bit hood."

Nathan frowned as he cut away the ruined shirt and saw the wound clearly for the first time. "You think he'd be any happier about you getting killed?"

Before Buck could answer, Nathan stopped him. "No. I don't want to hear your answer. Whatever has you two acting like bickering siblings needs to be cleared up. Now stay still, I'm going to wrap this up before we get you checked out."

Rolling his eyes, Buck wanted to laugh. There was nothing going on between him and Chris, just the usual pattern of Chris deciding Buck was a convenient outlet for his anger. Right now, Buck didn't think Chris would give a damn about him being hurt. With how Chris had been acting lately, he might have tried to finish the job.

As Nathan wrapped the cut, Chris swept in. Looking over Ezra, Buck, and Nathan, he almost seemed to growl, "What happened?"

Buck spoke before anyone else could answer. "The perp decided to try to kill Ezra. I tackled Ezra out of the way of the knife. Ezra hit the floor a little hard. Nate thinks he might have a concussion."

Chris frowned and turned his glare on Nathan. "Buck?"

Before Nathan could say anything, Buck cut in. "I'll be fine. Just got cut by the knife. I'll be fine."

"I asked Nathan, not you. Nate?"

"After a few stitches and a check at the hospital and if he rests, he'll be fine."

Chris nodded. "Take Ezra with you. Make sure they both aren't hiding anything else."

Buck opened his mouth to protest but shut it when Chris shot him a glare. He didn't feel like being slammed into the wall of the building by Chris. Nathan nodded. "Sounds good. I'll get them looked over."

Chris nodded again and was about to say something when Vin called him over. As Chris headed away, giving one last look at the two injured agents, Buck released a hiss of pain as Nathan secured the bandage. Nathan raised an eyebrow. "You sure nothing else is hurt?"

Buck shook his head. "No. Nothing else, Nathan."

Nathan nodded. "Then let's get you two looked at and make sure." The two men nodded and allowed Nathan to herd them toward the nearest EMTs.

7777777

Buck shivered. It had been a long night - one that ended with him soaked and barely stopped an explosive from detonating after a rookie decided he was an expert. A mistake that could have gotten people killed. All Buck wanted was a warm shower and eight hours of sleep. Instead, between one blink and the next, he was slammed into the side of his truck by a very angry Leader of Team Seven. "Chris?"

"What the hell were you doing? Playing it so close! You think that would make you a hero, or are you just lucky enough that you managed to stop it before it exploded?"

Trying not to tense up or push back against Chris, Buck shook his head. "I knew what I was doing. No one was going to get hurt. A rookie touched something he shouldn't have. I was able to stop it. Everything was fine."

Pushing Buck harder against the truck, Chris leaned in, closing the distance between them. "Everything was fine? You barely stopped the device - that isn't 'fine.' You want to play hero, do it on your own time, when it's just your life."

For a long moment, Chris studied Buck, searching for his face for something. When he either didn't find it or found exactly what he expected, he dropped his arm and watched as Buck slid down to the dirty ground beside his truck. "I want your report by morning. I'm sure Travis will want to know what went wrong tonight. Do you understand."

Buck nodded as he rubbed his throat. Chris frowned. "What was that?"

Buck cleared his throat. "Yes. I'll have the report ready by morning. Anything else?"

Chris shook his head. "No. See if you can do better on the report than you did on the device."

With that, Chris turned and walked away, heading to his truck to go home and get some sleep. Buck sat on the ground for a long moment. The last few weeks were taking a toll on him. He felt himself slipping here and there with trust. Tonight, all he wanted was one night - one night to rest and recenter. To be allowed to think everything was normal. Instead, he'd been called out to a mess. A mess he barely stopped from becoming a tragedy. He was tired, and more than once, he wondered if Chris had been right.

With a ragged breath, he pushed himself off the ground and upright. Leaning against his truck, he took a moment to gather his energy. Once he had what little he could muster, he opened the door, removed his bomb gear, shoved it into the truck, then climbed in and shut the door. For a long moment, he just stared at the steering wheel. He knew what he had to do - but all he wanted was to go home, or just start driving and never stop. He sat there, trying to urge himself to start the truck and head to the office. He had a report to write. He could do this.

With that final push, he started the vehicle and headed back toward the office, not seeing the man in black watching him from a vehicle not far away. A look of worry and concern crossed the man's face before he turned on his own truck and headed home.

7777777

JD looked around the office. Not seeing Buck or Chris anywhere, he turned to the other men on the team and finally asked, "What is up with Chris and Buck?"

Nathan shrugged. "I don't know, but whatever it is, they need to fix it."

Vin shrugged as well. "Wish I knew. Neither of them is saying anything. Chris is acting normal with the rest of us, but every time he sees Buck, he's ripping into him for things out of his control - or things that don't even seem to exist."

"Could just be how their relationship is," Josiah offered. "They've known each other far longer than we have. Maybe some old history is resurfacing."

A soft snort from Nathan made the team look at him. "Not saying you're wrong, Josiah, but that doesn't make sense. It's like Chris suddenly decided Buck can't do his job or something."

JD started to speak, ready to defend Buck, but Ezra cut in. "JD, we aren't saying Buck can't do his job. Just that Chris seems to think Buck isn't meeting the standard he set. For some reason, he thinks Buck is falling short."

Nathan shrugged. "He has seemed more tired lately - almost like he isn't sleeping. That can affect someone's performance. When you get exhausted, you start messing up on things you normally wouldn't."

Quiet for a moment, JD finally said, "He's been called out a lot more. I don't think he's been home for two nights in a row without being called to look at something. He says it's fine."

Josiah nodded. "Maybe Chris is just worried that Buck is pushing himself too hard."

Vin snorted. "Funny way of showing it. It just seems to make Buck focus on doing even more."

Ezra frowned. "Either way, Buck's going to burn out if this goes on much longer."<

The group fell silent for several long minutes before JD spoke again. "What if we helped Buck where we could? Make sure he gets rest when he needs it, field calls, and make sure they really need him. It might take some of the work off him."

Josiah frowned. "He wouldn't go for that. He wouldn't want us caught between the two of them."

Nathan spoke up. "Then we don't tell him. We just work around him. Take what we can off his plate without him realizing it. Do our best to limit the extra work he does with other teams. Volunteer to help out if needed. Take away as many extra tasks as he tries to take on. Make sure he eats and gets sleep."

JD bit his lip lightly as he thought. "I could keep an eye on his calls and redirect certain numbers to our cells. If it's something Buck has to handle, we'll give it to him. Otherwise, we can figure out which one of us needs to take it."

Vin nodded. "Sounds good. We'll do our best to keep it quiet. We don't need him to notice, just lighten the load." The group of men smiled. They had a plan, and it would work.

7777777

Two weeks into the team's plan to help Buck. Buck was back in the dark, dirty bar. He twirled in his hands what he was almost convinced was the same glass with the same barely there whiskey that looked more like rubbing alcohol. His back rested against the wall of the booth in the darkest corner of the bar. He barely raised his head when the figure sat across from him. He set the drink down and finally looked up. "They're doing something. They're taking things away."

"You sound surprised. They aren't dumb or blind. They know something is wrong between us. They're trying to keep you from breaking down."

"I'm fine. They don't need to worry. But it's working in our favor. He sees it as a failure on my part that I can't handle my workload and the team is only covering for me so their reputation doesn't get tarnished."

"Has he contacted you?"

Buck shook his head. "No. But the whispers from people who are known to be his friends, or at least the ones who listen to him, have hinted as much. They aren't shy about voicing their opinions when I'm around without any of the team. They're just waiting for the team to get tired of covering for me and kick me off. It's nothing I haven't heard before. It's just more out loud now, instead of whispers in the dark."

"Who?"

Buck shook his head. "Doesn't matter. They're just jealous. I'm sure sooner rather than later, we're going to be asked to go on some sort of team building exercise."

"You think that's where he's going to try to…"

"Kill me off? Use a tragic accident to remove me from the team? Yes."

"That isn't happening. He is not getting time alone with you."

"Chris, we can't get the proof unless he confesses. He has too many people covering tracks for him. I won't be alone, you all will be ready to sweep in and catch him."

"I don't like it. Too much could go wrong. I already don't like this. The rest of the team is tiptoeing around me."

Grinning softly, Buck shrugged. "You can be scary. They just worry you'll throw them into the wall next."

"Don't change the subject. That wasn't the agreement when we decided on this. He isn't going to get you alone."

Leaning back against the dirty, torn cushion of the booth, Buck shook his head. "He won't have me alone. You or one of the others will be watching. He needs you all to hate me. He wants to show how weak and useless I am." Seeing the protest forming on Chris's lips, Buck held up a hand. "I know I'm not, but to him, that's all he sees. He needs to be stopped."

"I don't like this. You aren't going to have backup within easy reach. If he gets you…"

"That's sort of the point. I trust that you'll all know where I am. Chris, it'll be fine."

"I don't like this. We're leaving you in danger. If any of the people who think he's right decide not to back you up"

"They'll back me up until they think you'll let them hurt me. They aren't going to touch me until they think you won't go after them for touching what's yours."

"That's what worries me."

7777777

"Travis, I don't think we need this team bonding thing, nor do I think you needed to pull me into a meeting for this."

Travis studied Chris, then looked over at the other man included in the meeting. "Chris, you have to see that something is wrong with the team. And Peter here agrees. He's read the last few reports from other teams and watched yours, and he feels the whole team could benefit from some team bonding."

Chris shook his head. "We don't need that, Travis. We're fine as a team. We don't need to go to some cabin somewhere and bond. We're good at what we do, and we're working fine."

Peter Hopkins, sounding like a used car salesman, spoke up. "Now, I know nobody likes to think their team isn't working well together, but I need you to see that your team isn't running as smoothly as it should. We need to figure out where the weakness is and fix it."

"There is no weakness."

Peter nodded a little too easily. "You could be right, but we should be sure. If we don't find one, it'll just be a little vacation for your team. Unless you're worried we'll find something."

Chris snorted. "No, I'm not worried about anything. I just see it as a waste of time. My team is perfectly fine. We don't need an outsider judging us."

"Sounds to me like you're hiding something."

Seeing the flash of anger in Chris's eyes, Travis stepped in. "Chris, I know you don't like others looking at the team, but just this once. There are complaints from other departments. If nothing is going on, this will be a nice little vacation for all of you."

Chris growled softly, then finally nodded. "It's a waste of time, but fine."

Peter grinned. "That's great. I'll get everything ready and send you the travel and lodging information. You'll have it in a week."

With that, Peter got up and left. Chris and Travis watched the man leave the room and head down the hallway as the conference room door shut. As soon as it did, Chris let out a long breath. After waiting a few minutes to make sure Peter was gone, he turned to Travis.

"I still don't like this plan, and we were never supposed to go team building with him. At least not the whole team."

Travis nodded. "I know. But he came in here almost begging for it. This way, at least you can get the evidence we need, and it'll be over sooner."

"He's after Buck. We knew that before we even started this. We don't know why, but he's fixated on Buck, and letting him get Buck into his hands on his home field doesn't seem like the best idea. He couldn't care less about the team unless it's to get them to turn even more on Buck."

"How is the rest of the team?"

Chris chuckled. "They've tried to step in and take some of Buck's tasks from him, make sure he's getting sleep, and that his workload makes sense. They're doing all of this without thinking I know. They think I'm in a bad mood and taking it out on Buck."

"Do you think the rest of the team would pick one of you over the other?"

"No. They might confront us, try to figure out what's going on if it lasts much longer, but with Buck not complaining, they aren't sure what's happening. It has them on edge about what they should do. They'll think this team bonding trip is more for Buck and me to deal with whatever issue they think we have. At some point, I'm going to have to read them into this. If Peter gets his hands on Buck… Peter wants to prove something with him. I don't know what, but it isn't good."

Travis was silent for a long moment before he sighed. "If you think you need to get Buck out of there, we have enough proof to at least get a trial."

Chris shook his head. "You know as well as I do that proof isn't enough. That's why Buck and I agreed to this from the start. We'll be careful."

Travis nodded. "If you need it, though."

"Hopefully we won't."

7777777

Walking into Chris's ranch, Buck frowned as the five men's gazes turned toward him. "Chris called you guys?"

Nathan spoke up quickly. "What the heck happened to you?"

Pausing, Buck looked down at himself, then back at Nathan. "Nothing?"

"You look like someone dragged you along the ground and then left you there."

Buck snorted. "Nice to see you too. I'm fine, just had a disagreement with someone about what's considered a clear area."

Nathan shook his head. "Sit down and let me look you over."

Buck shrugged. "Nate…"

"Do not 'Nate' me anything. Sit and let me check. I don't need you bleeding out or something while we're all here."

Before Buck could protest, Chris spoke from the living room doorway. "Listen to Nathan, Buck. They aren't going to be happy anyway."

Nodding, Buck sat in the nearest open chair and sighed. "This isn't your fault. I agreed to this."

Josiah spoke up. "Buck, Chris - either of you want to explain?"

Chris sighed and motioned for Nathan to continue checking Buck. "I was hoping to wait on this, but you've all noticed the recent disagreements between Buck and me?"

Ezra spoke. "They seem more than disagreements. And from what we've overheard, it isn't just you and Buck. Others seem to have taken a dislike to him."

Turning to Buck, Chris frowned. "You didn't mention that. Who, and what are they doing?"

Rolling his eyes, Buck winced as Nathan poked a bruise, then answered. "Nothing they haven't said before, and they aren't doing anything. Just whispering in the dark. I've dealt with them before and will after. Once we take him down, they'll run back into the shadows. They aren't worth the time."

Chris shook his head. "After this, we're going to have a talk. I want the names."

Waving a hand, Buck glanced at Nathan and sighed. "We'll see. Do you want me to tell them?"

"Just let Nate check you. As for the rest, several months ago, Travis came to Buck and me about something odd happening to once well functioning teams. At some point, a team that worked well together would suddenly have two members, usually the leader and another, start having disagreements. The leader would begin to distrust the teammate. Over weeks, the working relationship would worsen. The rest of the team would start covering for or treating that teammate as if they couldn't trust them to do their job. Eventually, the team was offered a team bonding workshop. Every team that came back, the member they'd had issues with would resign a few weeks later, and then disappear, later found dead. At first nothing was noticed because the deaths were spread across states and months, but eventually the pattern was recognized. And the suspect had turned his eyes to Denver."

Buck added, "Apparently the suspect caught a glance of Chris on a bad day when we were having a disagreement, and he listened to rumors from people who felt they should've been picked for the team instead of me. Travis got wind of it and wanted us to play it up. We needed proof that this person is doing what we think he is."

Vin spoke. "So everything we've seen was an act?"

Buck nodded. Chris shook his head. Buck looked at Chris. "Chris.."

Holding up his hand, Chris said, "Everything between Buck and me, yes. Others? No. The same men who wanted to be on the team and weren't are taking this as a chance to retaliate."

Seeing the looks on the rest of the team's faces, Buck spoke. "They're just bullies. Ignore them. They aren't going to do anything if they think Chris cares about me. They're feeling bold right now, and their bullying is useful for the moment. Afterward, they'll crawl back into the shadows. They aren't worth worrying about."

Nathan finished checking Buck. "Did one of them do this to you?"

Buck sighed. "Nathan, I just…"

Chris cut him off. "Yes. Buck, you didn't trip. If it's escalated this far."

Buck shook his head. "Chris, we're almost done. I can withstand a few more weeks. He needs to go down."

Vin watched the two men, then asked, "Who is this person?"

Buck seized the chance to change the subject. "His name is Peter Hopkins."

Ezra frowned. "Isn't he the team bonding expert law enforcement teams bring in? He's the one behind the killings?"

Chris nodded. "Yes. And we don't know why, but when he finds someone, he fixes on them until he can cull them from the team."

"So he has eyes on Buck?"

Buck opened his mouth, but Chris answered first. "Yes. He has eyes on Buck. Buck fits much of what he was looking for."

Josiah frowned. "That doesn't make sense. If he goes for the weak member of the team, why Buck? Nothing against Ezra or JD, but wouldn't he have gone after one of them?"

Buck shared a glance with Chris, then shrugged. "Nothing against you, Ezra, but you wouldn't let Chris or anyone yell at you for no reason. You'd argue back, and I'd call Chris on it. JD is too young, and I'd call Chris on that too. Plus neither of you have the history with Chris to make it work."

JD frowned. "You do?"

Chris answered, "Yes, he does. He has a history with me, plus a history with people who work in Denver. People who don't know better will see the wrong thing and feed Peter's idea that Buck is the weak link."

Nathan shook his head. "So the last few months, you two have been playing into Peter's thoughts, and then we decided to help Buck not get yelled at by you, which helped make it look like Buck couldn't do his job."

Buck smirked. "Thank you for both making it look like I couldn't handle the job and worrying about me."

Vin studied the two men. "So this team bonding trip is where Peter is going to make his attempt on Buck? Were you going to warn us?"

Chris shrugged. "That's what this meeting was. We had to make sure he couldn't overhear and didn't have eyes on Buck. We couldn't do it at the office. You needed to know what was going on. You're going to have to say things and act like you think Buck is the weak link."

"But he isn't."

Buck grinned at JD. "We all know that. But we need him to make his final move, and that will only work if he thinks the team believes what he does. You'll all be there to make sure nothing happens to me."

Vin said what the rest of the Seven were thinking. "I don't think this is going to end well."

7777777

Buck eyed the room he'd been given. He knew the others had better rooms; this one was barely a room at all. After looking at the shower, he wasn't even sure he would fit into it, and the bed was at least a foot too short for him. The space was so small he swore he could reach out and touch each wall without moving.

He wasn't sure he would even bother emptying his clothes into the dresser shoved against the opposite wall. It looked like if he breathed on it, it would collapse into the pile of rotten wood it already resembled.

The bed didn't look much better. Besides being too small, the sheets looked like they hadn't seen the inside of a washer in ten years. The frame itself seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Buck had made the mistake of setting his suitcase on it, and for a long moment he thought the whole thing might crumble into rusted metal and rotted fabric.

Shivering slightly, Buck eyed the ill fitting window that let cold air seep in from outside. There were no curtains to pull across it to block the draft. Altogether, the room was little more than a large closet filled with furniture that must have come from the local dump. Buck had to wonder if he'd need shots after staying in it.

A knock on the door startled him, and he shook himself out of his thoughts. If any of the team saw this room, they would blow the case instantly. Buck didn't like the room, but he'd stayed in worse. It was only short term; he could deal with it. He had a feeling the food he'd receive would be in the same vein - definitely not the same meals the rest of the team would get.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed off the thoughts of hunger and cold and moved to the door, positioning himself so the room would be mostly hidden when he opened it. When he did, Buck blinked at the man standing there. It wasn't one of the Seven, it was Peter Hopkins.

Buck took a moment to peer around him, and seeing no sign of the others, he turned his eyes back to Peter. "Can I help you?"

Peter smiled, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "How do you like your room? Your leader picked it especially for you."

Knowing the lie in the statement, Buck bit back the remark he would normally give and instead answered, "It's a room."

Peter nodded, a mockery of sympathy and understanding. "I shouldn't tell you this, but the leader picked every room for his team. It seems he doesn't think you deserve a good one. We're here to fix that. I'm sure after a few days he'll see the error of his ways. You'll only have to deal with it for a short time."

Buck nodded. "I'm sure his mood will change."

Peter nodded again. "Yes, I'm sure it will. I'm here to give you the schedule of meetings and team bonding activities. I'm sure by the end of this, you'll be back in the good graces of Chris Larabee."

Knowing the lie for what it was, Buck took the papers and nodded. "I'm sure I will. Thank you for your words."

Peter grinned and said his goodbyes.

Shutting the door, Buck stared at the papers and wondered if any of the meeting times even matched up, and who Peter thought he was fooling.

7777777

Reaching the room where the first team bonding event was being held, Buck slipped inside and tried not to disturb the person speaking. He failed, of course, the man spotted him immediately and spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to him.

"You are late. Do you think this is a vacation?"

Buck opened his mouth to say something, but Chris cut in. "Buck, take a seat. You're in enough trouble as it is."

Slumping down, Buck slid into the nearest chair and kept his head down as he listened to the speaker. Every once in a while, he glanced up, only to meet either Chris's glare or the speaker's disapproving look. Throughout the talk, Buck sank deeper into the chair, trying his best to disappear. He listened to what they were going to do and silently braced himself.

When the speaker instructed them, Buck grabbed the pencil and paper in front of him and answered the listed questions. Once he handed it in, he steeled himself. He knew what he was going to hear wasn't true, he knew that, but the slight sting of doubt always lingered.

The speaker, one of Peter's cronies, shuffled the papers and wrote down what was on them. After a few moments, he spoke. "I have written down under your name what each of your teammates thinks of each other. Now, we won't know who said what, and I want you each to think about what your teammates think of you. I will read them out loud, then give you the paper to take back and reflect on tonight. Later today, we will have individual discussions. Please, no discussion among yourselves about these words."

After getting everyone's agreement, he began reading the names and the words people had chosen. For everyone else, it wasn't a surprise, all the words highlighted their skills and abilities.

Then he reached Buck's list.

The man almost smiled as he read, "Lackey, leech, inadequate; fop, simpleton, underplay, loud."

Buck kept his face blank at each word and didn't look at the rest of the team. He barely heard the man's voice. He took the paper automatically, and once they were dismissed, he started to leave, until the man stopped him.

"Buck, is it? Can you stay? I think we need to talk about your words."

Buck looked up at him, stifling the urge to glance at his team. He dropped back into the seat and nodded. "Sure."

He heard more than saw the rest of the team leave, the door shutting with an echo that seemed to fill the room. The man spoke before Buck could say anything.

"You missed the beginning, so you didn't get introduced. My name is Dr. Hale. I've worked at this retreat for over a decade, and never have I seen a team refer to a teammate in such a way while all the others receive glowing words. You are not liked by your team. Why do you stay with them?"

Frowning, Buck took a moment to think. "They weren't always like this. They're just stressed."

Dr. Hale snorted. "I think you want to see the good in them, but the look on their faces when I read those words, they almost looked proud, like they'd really thought about what they wanted to say. They didn't even care why you were late. Do they really care? Do they watch your back?"

Buck started to nod, then paused. "Mostly. I mean… I go out on calls about devices that might be explosive. They don't really watch my back then. The one time I called and someone called Chris, he wasn't happy about the call out, and… well, it was better if no one was called after that. But I can handle things like that myself."

"Are you sure? Has your medic even checked you over after a bust, or does he leave you for last, or trust that you let the EMTs check you? Do you really trust that if your back was against the wall, they would be there to save you?"

Buck wanted to say yes. He wanted to defend the team. But the truth was… he wasn't sure. His silence said more than any words could.

Dr. Hale spoke softly. "That silence tells me everything. This team you try to defend doesn't care about you. I don't know if I can make them a functioning team with you as part of it. I want you to think very hard about why you're staying and whether it's worth it. They might be better without you."

Buck opened his mouth to protest, but the man's words rang with a truth he had been avoiding. After several minutes, Buck shook his head."No. They're just stressed. It will get better."

Dr. Hale frowned. "Think about it. I don't think it will get better."

7777777

Chris paced back and forth in the room, doing his best not to glare at the door. JD finally spoke up. "It's clean in here. No cameras or bugs."

Chris paused in his pacing and nodded. Turning to Ezra, he asked, "Are you able to see his schedule?"

Ezra, seated in one of the chairs, nodded. "They have everything starting a half hour later than ours, and in a different room. The fact that he got there at all when he did is a credit to him. Peter is doing his best to isolate him and make him seem unable to make a meeting on time."

JD frowned. "Why? I thought we were here to become a team. Wouldn't it be better to make us a team?"

Josiah shook his head. "No. He needs to make sure we see Buck as expendable, so when he tries to kill Buck, we don't try to help. We don't do anything. He wants Buck to think he's alone, that everything Buck believes was a lie."

Before JD could protest, Vin spoke up. "We know, JD. Buck won't believe that. He knows this is our play. But we don't know what else Peter is going to do."

Nathan snorted. "Starve him and make sure Buck can't sleep. He wants to run Buck to his edge and then push him over it."

Chris frowned. "Do you think Buck will let it go that far?"

Vin snorted. "If he thinks he's protecting us, or others, yes. He'll let it go that far."

Chris sighed. "You're right. And there's nothing we can do to stop it. Any move we make will spook Peter. We can't act any differently than what Peter expects. Nathan?"

"I can keep an eye on him, but Buck is good at pretending he's fine, that he isn't hungry and isn't tired. Unless he's bleeding out, I won't be able to do much. We can't sneak food, and any attempt to check him over will blow the whole thing."

Chris could see JD gearing up to explode about how unfair this was. "We will keep an eye on Buck. Peter will want to take him. We need eyes on Buck as much as possible. We can't help if he's left alone. We need to know when Peter makes his move and be ready."

Vin frowned. "You think Peter is going to kidnap Buck before we leave here?"

Chris shrugged. "I think Peter wants to use Buck as an example, and what better place than somewhere he controls everything? We need to know where Buck is at all times."

Ezra sighed. "That will be easier said than done. We can't let Peter know we're watching, and he has cameras everywhere."

Josiah grinned. "We just have to be better. We can outsmart him. He can't be everywhere at once."

Nathan nodded. "We also need to keep an eye on Buck's health. If it gets too dangerous, we will pull him from this, right?"

Chris nodded. "We will, even if Buck doesn't agree."

7777777

The next few days were painful for the rest of the Seven. They couldn't do anything to intercede or protest what was said about Buck. They couldn't try to get him more food or help him get to the meetings on time. They couldn't stop him from using the broken safety equipment Peter handed him. They couldn't stop the pushes or shoves they saw instructors give Buck. They couldn't stop Buck from being volunteered as the example for every exercise.

Each of them stayed on edge, playing the game of not caring while suppressing the urge to beat each instructor into the ground. They had to keep stifling the instinct to reach out and help, to make sure Buck was all right. The only thing that held them back was Buck shaking his head every time something happened.

Vin entered the only room they'd managed to clear of bugs and cameras and frowned at Chris. "You glare any harder and we won't have to worry about Peter, you'll kill him."

"It isn't funny, Vin. He's torturing Buck, and there isn't anything we can do about it. We have to play his game until he decides it's enough."

Nathan looked up from where he was trying to read a book. "I don't like this any more than you do. But we all agreed to follow Buck's lead. If he feels he's in danger, he'll let us know."

"Are we sure he would?"

Looking over at JD, Nathan sighed. "We have to hope he would. We only have one chance at this. If he's in any true danger, we'll be here to pull him out of it, whether he likes it or not."

JD still looked unsure. "What if?"

Ezra stopped him. "We are not going to worry about 'what ifs.' We have a plan in place, and it's the best we can do. We will not leave Buck on his own, and he knows it."

Josiah frowned. "I just wish we knew what they were telling him in the single meetings. They're all praising us about how good we are, but nothing about Buck. And when they do mention him, they treat him like a mistake we should learn from."

Chris spoke up. "Buck knows better than to listen to those men. He doesn't trust them to begin with, so anything they say, he won't take to heart. He knows we don't think that way. We have two more days here. Peter is going to make his move either tonight or tomorrow after dinner, but before we leave in the morning. I want Buck watched as much as possible."

Vin frowned. "You think Peter is going to take Buck?"

Chris shrugged. "He wants to make him an example. He wants Buck to know he's a failure, and that Peter won. So keep an eye on Buck."

"That's going to be hard. He put Buck far enough away from our rooms that there isn't a direct line of sight to his door."

Looking over at JD, Vin spoke. "We'll just need to go on lots of walks, outside and inside. We'll do our best."

Chris sighed. "Hopefully that will be enough."

7777777

Buck woke up cold, head hurting, and with a taste in his mouth he would have expected after a three day bender rather than a night of sober sleep. Groaning softly, he wished he had enough saliva to spit out the taste. It took several minutes before he could blink his eyes enough to focus, and when he did, he stared at the room around him. The floor was dirt, and the walls looked like they'd been made from the most rotten planks someone could find.

Trying to bring his hands to his head made him realize they were tied to something above him. Closing his eyes, he wondered when he had been grabbed, and whether any of his teammates had seen him being taken. He ignored the part of his mind that poked at him, whispering they might not have cared. Shivering slightly, he struggled into a seated position, marginally more comfortable than lying on the dirt floor. The cool air of the shed made him wish he'd at least been taken while wearing a shirt.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he breathed through his mouth and nose, trying to control his thoughts and prepare himself for whatever came next.

He didn't have long to wait.

Just as he settled himself, the door to the shed opened, and outlined in the dying light of the day stood Peter. The door shut, and a light flicked on. Peter took a long moment to look at the tied up man.

"They aren't even looking," he said. "They didn't care that you weren't at dinner. You'd think they would at least ask, but no. They didn't even inquire. How does it feel to know that the team you thought would have your back doesn't even care that you weren't at dinner?"

Buck cleared his throat and answered, "They're good actors. I'm sure they're worried and trying to figure out who they can trust to ask. I'm sure none of your lackeys are going to give a straight answer."

Peter grinned. "I don't have to worry. Your team doesn't care. They ate dinner and headed back to their rooms, not once looking for you. They must be tired of you."

Buck said nothing for a long second, then choked out, "They will come for me."

Throwing his head back, Peter laughed. "They don't care. You haven't heard their meetings. They don't care about you. You are a waste of space, and you will die knowing you died not even out of sight of where they were eating breakfast. Before that, though, we have some things to discuss."

Buck smirked softly. "You want to discuss football or baseball teams? Or how the weather is this time of year? Or how you should really get someone out here to inspect your buildings to make sure they're up to code?"

The punch to his face and ribs wasn't a surprise, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Scrambling back into a seated position, Buck focused on getting his breathing under control, even though every breath felt like someone was crushing his ribs in a vise. Finally, he managed to speak. "That is not the way to start a conversation."

Peter stepped closer, looming over him. "Oh, I think it's a good start. You get to see how little your team cares. I want you to know they are so close, but they don't care. All they would have to do is leave their hotel room. They just have to go out for a walk, and they could save you."

Buck closed his eyes for a second, reminding himself this was all part of the plan. Opening them again, he smirked. "As you said, they don't seem to care, but I'm sure they'll be disappointed they weren't the ones who beat me up."

"I've watched your team leader, Chris, take that privilege with you. You're his own punching bag. Most people would have left a long time ago. Do you think you can change him? Or is it guilt?"

Buck didn't answer fast enough, and that was enough of an answer for Peter.

"Guilt, then. You let him do all that to you because of guilt. How long before guilt isn't enough, I wonder? Almost makes me want to change my plans. But it will be interesting to see if he even cares when you're gone."

Buck shook his head. "So what, your plan is to shoot me at dawn?"

Peter grinned. "Oh yes. Shoot you at dawn. I feel it will be a great way to start a new day. Everyone should see a last sunrise. Though between now and then… well, I'm pretty sure you'll be hoping for death by then."

Buck refused to look away from him. "I don't think it will be me who sees one last sunrise."

7777777

Several hours after dawn, the rest of the Seven found themselves sitting in the hospital waiting room, waiting for news on Buck. They had watched him being wheeled through the doors, and now they could only wait. They cared little about Peter, he had been alive the last they knew, and none of them would have cared if he died. Buck, on the other hand, had them worried. They didn't know what had happened to him during the night Peter had him. They had seen the wounds, but they didn't know how bad they truly were or what the two men had talked about.

All of them had the same scene replaying in their heads, and the same question: What if they had been too late? What if they had taken a second longer to go looking? What if Vin hadn't been able to take the shot? What if one of a thousand little things had gone differently?

They sat in silence, none of them wanting to break the stillness.

They all looked up when someone entered the room, and were slightly disappointed that it wasn't Buck's doctor, but ex Judge Travis. Chris straightened up and greeted him. "Travis. Didn't expect to see you here."

"I figured if I wanted to know what happened, it would be faster to come here and get a preliminary report."

Chris looked at his team, then began. "We went to the retreat. Right away, Peter worked to separate Buck from us. His schedule was never in sync with ours. He was either late or in the wrong room. His room wasn't more than a dirty closet, and he was fed less than we were. Peter took him sometime late yesterday. We realized he was gone almost immediately. We searched the main buildings and the grounds. He had Buck in a shed behind the property. We didn't stumble on it until almost dawn. Vin followed the trail to the clearing where we found them. Peter had a gun on Buck, and Vin took the shot, hit Peter in the shoulder of the arm holding the gun. It was enough to put Peter down and keep Buck from getting shot."

Travis looked at Vin, who shrugged. "I was aiming for his chest. I didn't have my rifle and aimed the best I could. It was luck it didn't kill him. With how far away we were and the weapons we had, I was lucky to get the shot I did. We didn't have much of a choice, if we waited or called out, he would've had time to shoot Buck."

Travis nodded. "I'll let them know. From what we can see at the scene and what's being recovered, the outcome, both alive, was the best we could hope for. Have you heard anything about Buck?"

Chris shook his head. "No. Not yet. We're staying until he's awake."

Travis nodded. "That's fine. I expect nothing less. Chris… Buck knew what he was doing. Don't take on the blame for what happened."

Chris shook his head. "It shouldn't have gone as far as it did. We shouldn't have had to do what we did to get him. There should've been oversight. It should've been taken care of before it got to us."

Travis nodded. "You won't find me disagreeing. Controls are being put in place so it doesn't happen again."

Before any of the Seven could reply, the doctor who had been working on Buck came out. The group zeroed in on him immediately. Seeing all eyes on him, the doctor moved toward them.

"Buck is going to be all right. Some rest and rehydration, and he'll be okay. He is also quite underweight. We're going to keep him here at least overnight, we want to make sure his blood work returns to normal and none of his wounds become infected. You can all see him, but only one person can stay. We don't have space for all of you. And I shouldn't have to say this, but do not wake him. He was dosed with something, and combined with his wounds, he's exhausted. Rest is the best thing for him right now."

Almost as one, the team rose from their seats and followed the doctor to Buck's room.

7777777

The first thing he knew was that he was warm - not hot, not barely not freezing, but warm and comfortable. The bed he was on, while not his own, was soft and supportive. His clothing wasn't wet or damp or prickly against his skin, but warm and dry. He was tired, but the exhaustion that had clung to him for so long wasn't there. He could feel the pull of the wounds on him, but they didn't hurt and felt bandaged.

For a long moment, he thought about just going back to sleep, doing his best to stay in the dream he thought he was in. He feared that when he opened his eyes, everything would be gone, that he'd be back in that damp shed, trying to stay warm and ignore the blood that had trickled down his back.

For a long moment, he fought waking up. But the sounds he was hearing weren't what he expected. With more effort than he thought it would take, he opened his eyes. After blinking for a few seconds, he focused on the people in the room.

It didn't take long for them to notice he was awake. JD was the first to alert everyone. "Buck! You're awake!"

Buck frowned for a second, then nodded. Clearing his throat, he spoke. "Yes… what happened?"

The group looked at each other, and Chris spoke. "What do you remember?"

Buck was quiet for a long moment as he tried to pull the memories of the last few days together. Finally, he frowned and said, "Something about dawn… and a clearing? Peter was talking about something?"

Chris nodded. "He was boasting about why he was killing you, and how it would be seen as a great thing. We were able to stop him in time."

Buck nodded, then looked around at the group. He huffed softly. "When do I get to leave?"

Nathan answered. "Once your blood work comes back normal and whatever cocktail of drugs Peter injected you with clears your system. Most likely sometime tomorrow."

Chris nodded. "You'll be staying up at the ranch. As much as you might argue to go home, you won't rest there. First call you get, you'll sneak out to handle it."

Buck opened his mouth to protest, but Nathan spoke first. "You will follow whatever instructions the doctor gives. You will eat, sleep, and take whatever pills they give you. There is no argument."

Frowning, Buck opened his mouth again, but JD jumped in. "No. No protesting. If you're home, you'll leave the moment someone calls. Besides, you need downtime to heal."

Vin nodded. "What JD said. If you were at your apartment, you'd leave if someone called for help. If you're up at Chris's, it'll be harder for you to slip out."

"I would never!"

Nathan snorted. "You would, and you'd say you were fine even if you were bleeding out. You're resting at the ranch, and the rest of us will be there to keep an eye on you."

Buck stifled a yawn, then spoke. "If it makes you all feel better. But I'm going to be fine, and you'll all get sick of being cooped up at Chris's ranch."

Chris smirked. "We'll see."

7777777

Several days later, the cool night, with the sky clear and thousands of stars twinkling overhead, had drawn Buck outside. The quiet chirp of crickets, the flashes of lightning bugs, and the occasional hoot of an owl made the night peaceful. It pulled him out to the deck, where he snagged a blanket from a chair as he passed.

Settling onto the porch swing, he wrapped the blanket around himself and leaned back, looking up at the stars. The last few months had been harder than he'd let on. The things that had been said, the isolation, the play acting, all of it had taken a heavier toll than he expected. He ignored the words as best he could, and he tried to brush off the looks and whispers. But sometimes, in the deep part of the night, he still remembered the things Peter had said in the shack and at dawn. The words from the trainers at the retreat. Even knowing all of it was false didn't stop it from lingering.

His wounds were healing. Being mother-henned by the whole team meant he did little else but rest. But the months had been long, and sometimes he just needed to sit outside with his thoughts.

Staring up at the stars, he let everything play through his mind, every whisper, every threat, every punch, every moment of knowing the people he was working with didn't have his back. Lost in the memories, he was startled when he felt someone else settle onto the swing beside him. Turning his head, he frowned.

"Didn't think anyone else was awake."

"Woke up and heard someone moving around," Chris said. "Figured I'd check it out. Didn't want one of the others getting overexcited and tackling one of us again."

Buck chuckled softly, remembering the time Josiah had been quietly reading and got tackled by an overzealous JD. "True. Would've woken everyone up. You can see it's just me."

Chris nodded, and the quiet settled again. Buck figured Chris had fallen asleep when he spoke once more. "Travis called earlier today."

"Figured. That why you and Nathan made a run out to the office?"

"Yes. He wanted to make sure our reports were done and filed. He didn't want Peter getting out on a technicality. Not that anyone thinks he can leave, there's more than enough evidence on him. Others seem to be coming out of the woodwork now."

"Rats abandoning a sinking ship. Peter isn't there to protect them. I'm sure the teams he hurt are speaking up."

Chris nodded. "How are you doing, though? You had to go through a lot. You show the others you're fine, but…"

Buck raised a hand to stop him. "It's fine. None of it, from the team or from you, was meant. It was play acting. Peter saw what he wanted to see. He couldn't fathom anything else. Others…" Buck shrugged. "There are always whispers. Now that they know I'm not in your doghouse, they'll slink back into the shadows and keep their mouths shut."

"Who are they?"

Buck shrugged again. "Bullies. They only come out when they think they can. They aren't worth our time."

"That's for us to decide. But we can deal with that later. Quiet out here."

Buck hummed in agreement. The night made the doubts and taunts he'd lived with seem to fade. "Yes. Nice after the chaos of Vin and JD."

Chris shook his head. "You and Ezra egged them on. Anything those two get into, I'm sure to blame you two for encouraging them."

Buck chuckled softly. "Not the worst thing I've been blamed for." The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed himself, that wasn't what he meant to say or even hint at. Sliding his gaze toward Chris, he sighed at the look on the man's face. "I didn't mean it like that."

Chris stayed silent for a long moment, then spoke. "I know you didn't. But you can't blame us for getting prickly when we hear it. We almost lost you."

Buck looked back up at the star filled sky. "You didn't. We took down the bad guy, and I'll heal quick enough."

"Once you're healed, we're talking about your call outs from other teams. You're not doing those alone for a while. The teams that call you don't seem to understand how to keep you safe."

Buck sighed softly. "If it makes you feel better. But I don't think anyone needs to lose sleep. It isn't that often."

Chris shook his head. "It's more than I like. Either you let one of us come watch your back, or you don't go."

"If that'll make you all calm down on the mother henning, then fine. Just don't complain to me when you're tired."

Chris snorted. "I don't think we'll complain about that for some time."

With that, the two fell silent and watched the sunrise together.

THE END