J.D. paced a few feet from the door. His head throbbed, a result of worry and the tightness that extended across his shoulders and up and down his spine. He twirled his revolver unconsciously as he searched for an explanation.

Moments earlier, he’d caught a glimpse of Vin's face as Chris and Buck guided the unconscious man into the shack. J.D. swallowed. Vin's rugged and tanned features, usually so alive and alert, looked like a piece of raw meat.

J.D. shook his head and mumbled under his breath. Never had he seen anything like it, but it wasn’t that which had alerted him to the severity of the situation. When Buck and Chris appeared out of the trees with Vin hanging lifelessly between them, J.D. had rushed to offer assistance. However, Nathan had told him to 'stay out of the way.' He'd followed the order immediately. In the weeks J.D. had known Nathan, he’d never heard him speak with such command.

It had been as J.D. had stepped to the side that the breeze had blown Vin's hair briefly, revealing his badly beaten face. Now, J.D. couldn't get the shocking image out of his mind.

J.D. licked his parched lips and pushed the memory away. Nervously, he glanced back over his shoulder. There were muffled voices from within the shack, but nothing distinct enough to comprehend. He wanted to go in and help -- to check to see if Vin was okay -- but something was holding him back.

The image of Vin's face flashed in his mind again, accompanied by Nathan’s voice, ‘stay out of the way’.

Drawing in a deep breath, the young man stopped pacing and stared over the scene surrounding the cabin. The smell of gunpowder still wafted on the breeze. The corpses lay where they'd fallen only a few minutes before. Already, flies were swarming over some.

"What the hell happened?" J.D. muttered. He couldn't piece it together. Chris and Nathan were unharmed. Vin had been beaten and had been hiding among the trees. J.D. eyed the fallen... and who the hell were they?

Dunne thrust his revolver into his holster and turned at the sound of footsteps. Buck emerged, his face pale and strained.

"Buck?"

Wilmington didn't acknowledge the younger man... didn't seem to see him. He flashed passed J.D., a deep guttural growl emanating from deep within him.

"Buck? Is Vin okay?"

Buck stopped when he reached one of the bodies and roughly turned it over. "Dead!" He moved from one to the other, becoming increasingly frantic. A tirade of curses echoed from him. "All dead!" He lashed out at the nearest corpse. With one final curse he stopped, his shoulders slumped and his chin toppled down onto his chest. The rage had run its course.

Tentatively, J.D. approached. "Buck?"

Buck's chest heaved. His head lifted and the tears welled in his eyes caught J.D. by surprise.

Dunne felt a lump grow in his throat. "Buck?"

"They damn near beat him to death."

"But he's okay?"

Buck opened his mouth and then shut it. Slowly he shook his head. "I don't know. Nathan... Nathan's doing what he can, but..." His voice faded.

The rock J.D.'s life was built on shifted. "But... I... " Realization, too harsh for him to accept, clawed through his being and threatened to suffocate him. J.D. spun and strode for the door. Buck was wrong. He had to be.

From the corner of his eye, J.D. spotted movement through the small bedroom window. He stopped, his attention settling on Chris’ strangled expression. J.D.‘s chest tensed. He lowered his gaze to the bed were Vin lay. The injured man’s chest was exposed. The flesh was a torn, bloodied kaleidoscope of colour. J.D. shifted his gaze to Vin's face -- this time, he could see it clearly.

Dunne gasped, his brown eyes wide with horror. That couldn’t be Vin.

Buck appeared in front of the younger man and led him to the shade of the barn. For several moments, J.D. couldn't get his breath - his lungs convulsing and his stomach turning over.

"Take it easy," Buck ordered.

"Did you see what they did to him?!" J.D.’s revulsion echoed in silence.

Buck squeezed his shoulder. "Yeah. You okay?"

J.D. mumbled 'yes', but his head shook from side to side. As true comprehension of the situation settled, a dark familiar ache crept over him. "He isn't going to make it, is he?"

Buck's brow furrowed and he turned back to the window where he could see Nathan moving around the room. "Don't deal him out, kid. Nathan‘s with him.”

J.D. lifted his gaze and Buck met it, nodding encouragement. “Vin's as stubborn as they come.”

"Yeah. Yeah, he is." The agreement lacked conviction. Stubborn was one thing. Surviving a beating like that...

"Come on. Let's deal with this lot.”

The pair worked in silence. Each of the corpses were tied to horses to be returned to Four Corners. J.D. suggested burying them ‘out here’, but Buck refused. This was Chris’ new start. Men like this didn’t belong.

Once finished, Buck inclined his head. “You take them back. Then ride out to the reservation and collect Josiah.”

J.D.’s expressive eyes clouded with horror.

Buck’s mirrored them when he realized what his friend was thinking. “No. Not for Vin. You and Ezra may need Josiah in town. Looks like Chris, Nathan and I will be out here for a while.”

J.D. stared at his boots. He felt Buck’s hand on his shoulder. “Can’t believe this happened.”

“Neither can I, Kid.”

J.D.’s rage erupted. He stabbed a finger into Buck’s chest. “We knew there was a bounty on his head and we just...”

“Whooh. Whooh. Slow down there. How would we know this was going to happen? No one could.”

J.D. looked surprised. “We should have known, Buck. Damn it. We should have...”

Buck grabbed each of J.D.’s shoulders and spoke harshly. “No. This isn’t our fault. It isn’t anyone’s fault.”

“But Vin...” J.D.’s eyes flicked back to the small window and his voice cracked, then faded. At a loss for words, he shook his head.

Buck shut his eyes and nodded. “I know.”

J.D. pulled away and mounted his waiting horse. “Buck, tell Vin that...” He floundered.

Buck smiled with understanding. “I will.” He handed J.D. the reins for the other horses and then watched as Dunne set off for Four Corners.

Buck watched until his young friend was out of sight before re-entering the shack. The small room was already full. Nathan was leaning over Vin, masking him from Buck’s view, while Chris stood to one side, watching Nathan’s ministrations intently.

“J.D.’s taking them bastards back to Four Corners. How’s he doing?”

Nathan swivelled and made eye contact. He said nothing. He didn’t need to. His face spoke a thousands words. Buck’s mouth went dry. Quietly, he suggested, “Chris, how about you take a break and I’ll help Nathan?”

Chris’ anguished gaze remained on Vin.

Nathan glanced at Chris, patted his arm and then returned to what he was doing.

Buck cleared his throat. “Is there anything I can do?”

“No,” Nathan replied.

“I’ll be outside if you need me.” Buck lingered a few moments and then exited.

**********

The afternoon sun had arched to the west and was beginning to descend when Nathan strode outside some hours later. He walked to the railings of the small porch, slapped his hands on the top rung and dropped his face.

Buck, who was leaning back in a chair, sat forward, allowing the chair's raised legs to drop to the ground. “Nathan?”

Jackson sighed deeply, his shoulders drooping under the burden. Buck swallowed and in a hollow voice asked, “Is he going to make it?”

“I don’t know yet.” Nathan stared out at the trees around the serene spot. He felt emotionally drained. “I can’t see inside him. Can’t tell how much damage there is.”

Buck blinked several times as he processed the statements. “How long before...”

“I don’t know!” Nathan spun around and glared at Buck, his helplessness shining like a beacon. “Damn it. I’m not a doctor!”

Buck held the other man’s fierce look and said simply, “You’re doin’ more for him than I can.”

Nathan lowered his head. He started to say something but words weren't forthcoming.

Buck diverted his attention and silence fell between the men until Buck asked, “His chances aren’t good?”

Nathan exhaled and lifted his eyes from the floorboards. “I’ve seen beatings like this before.... when I was a slave.”

Buck frowned.

“They just kept hitting.” Nathan’s expression became distant. “Even after a man stops moving, they keep hitting. The injuries on the outside can be tended. The ones on the inside... Most men never wake up."

"Vin did."

Buck's comment cut through the memories fogging Nathan's mind. "Yeah. He did," a sad smile touching the healer's face.

"Nathan?"

Jackson wearily ran a hand over his eyes. "The bruising’s real deep. His pupils are dilated. Took several blows to the head. I... I just don’t know, Buck. I wish I did, but...”

"Give me something."

His friend's emotional plea left Jackson's face a mask of helplessness. "All we can do is wait and hope."

**********

The words wafted on the breeze. Chris' jaw clenched. He squeezed his eyes closed as an image of Sarah and Adam filled his mind. The guilt and pain intensified. His wife and child had died because of him -- because he hadn't been there when they needed him most.

Chris looked down at Vin's battered and barely recognizable face. Vin lay on the bed fighting for his life, for the same reason.

Vin's eyes moved restlessly under the lids. It was the first sign of life since he'd been laid on the bed five hours earlier. Tentatively, Chris patted the unconscious man's fist. "Easy, pard. They're gone."

Tanner's chest expanded. The fingers below Larabee's flexed and Chris encircled them. He squeezed Vin's hand, instinctively. Vin's fingers twisted and then curled around Chris' with an accompanying groan.

Chris blinked, a lump formed in his throat and withdrew his hand from the grasp. He didn't want Vin thinking he could depend on him. Look where trust and faith had got his wife and son.

Chris rose, turned his back, and walked to the window. A long time ago he'd decided never to allow anyone to get close again... for their protection. He'd gone out of his way to avoid friendships. Even ending long time friendships, ensuring no one else would suffer the fate of his family. Friends provided a weakness enemies could target and exploit. Friends also obligated you in so many ways. In the three years since he'd pushed others out of his life, Larabee had been pain free.

Chris swallowed. Vin had been different though. Vin Tanner was one man who could look after himself. He didn't need, nor want, Chris' protection. He'd made no demands for friendship. As a matter of fact, he'd expected very little, which was the way Chris wanted it. Chris set his jaw. They were just acquaintances riding the same path for a short period of time.

Larabee turned to stare at his swollen and bruised 'acquaintance.' "What the hell were you thinking?"

"That they‘d kill you."

"Vin?" Stunned, Chris rushed to the bed.

Chris picked up Vin's hand and gripped it firmly -- intuitively providing comfort. Relief flooded him. Nathan had warned that Vin may not regain consciousness, but Vin was as stubborn as a mule. Death would have to fight hard to claim him. "You won‘t be doing anything so damn stupid again.”

"I don't want you picking fights on my account," Chris whispered. He realized Vin was gripping his hand again and his face clouded with confusion. He was about to let go when Vin's face tightened and his back arched. He clasped Chris' hand tighter as he rode out the agony burning through his battered body.

"Whooh. Whooh. Easy, Pard." Larabee placed his free hand on Vin’s chest and patted gently. He didn’t know what else to do.

Tanner flicked his attention to Chris as he settled. He frowned at the agonized expression on Chris’ face. Before his eyelid sank and his grasp slackened, he gave Larabee’s hand an almost indiscernible squeeze.

Larabee recognized the gesture for what it was -- Vin’s only way to reassure him. Chris squeezed Vin's fingers in return, his face awash with torment. "Easy."

Chris ran a hand over his mouth and nodded. "He’s in a bit of pain. Was awake."

"What?!" Nathan lifted Vin's eyelid. "Pupils are still dilated. You sure he was awake?"

"I just said so, didn't I!"

Nathan glanced at the other man, surprised by the aggression. "I guess you did. How long? How long was he conscious?"

Chris sighed and nodded an apology to the healer. "Not long. A few seconds."

Nathan pursed his lips and sank into the second chair by the bed. He eyed Larabee's hand wrapped so tightly around Vin's. "Next time, we need to get some water into him."

Chris noted the other's inquisitive gaze and withdrew his hand a second time. He cursed, not truly understanding the plethora of emotions he felt.

"You okay?"

"Yes!... No... Damn him."

Nathan looked at his companion curiously. "Sorry?"

Chris rose abruptly. "He thinks because we're friends he has to... Damn."

Nathan leaned back in the chair and laced his ankles.

"It's more trouble than it's worth," Chris growled in a low voice.

"Friendship?"

Chris stopped pacing and delivered a glare. "That's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

Larabee's eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped to an enraged whisper. "Every blow he took, he took because of me."

"For you."

Chris's glare deepened, then he spun on his heels and walked to the window again. "What's the difference? Because of me, for me..."

"For you," Nathan corrected. "That's a hell of a lot more than friendship."

Larabee swallowed. He knew that. He'd known all along, but hadn't wanted to accept it. The truth smacked him in the face, blasting through the artificial ignorance he'd tried to preserve. The fact was, he'd allowed Vin to get close -- hadn't meant to, but it happened without him realizing. And it appeared the reciprocal was true. Vin didn’t allow even those he liked and trusted to enter his personal space... and yet, he’d reached out to Chris -- held on when the pain had become too much.

"A friend picks up arms to defend you. Maybe even risks his life for you, but taking a beating like that... that's something else," Nathan marvelled.

"He's a stubborn bastard," Chris whispered. Was he trying to convince Nathan or himself?

"Yeah, he’s stubborn, but this wasn't just his jackass nature. I don't know too many men who'd give up their life for another... certainly not like this and for someone they‘d known for less an a month."

Chris turned to stare at Nathan, his expression tortured. "I know."

Nathan looked at the floor. He hadn't meant to make Chris feel guilty. He'd just been thinking aloud.

Again silence blanketed the room. Nathan brushed trail dust from his pants. He needed to prepare Chris for what was to come. "The only person I've ever seen hurt this bad was a cowboy, trampled by a herd. It's the damage on the inside I can't do anything about. I... I don't know if he's going to make it, Chris."

Larabee released his breath noisily. He walked back to the bed and stared down at Vin. “I didn’t ask him to do this for me.“

Nathan wasn’t sure how to respond, so remained quiet.

Chris sank back onto the hard wooden chair - a chair Vin had made.

Vin eyes become agitated under the lids again. Nathan patted his arm. “You‘re right. He‘s in a lot of pain. Nothing I can do until he wakes, though.“

Larabee stared at Vin's limp fingers resting on top of the blanket. They twitched. Hesitantly, Chris reached out and picked up the caliced fist that had fired straight and true despite the pain he’d been in.

He waited... and received the slightest acknowledgement in the form of a squeeze. Vin was still fighting.