More than Friends

By Deb

SERIES/UNIVERSE: SG-7

DISCLAIMER: M7 characters belong to MGM, Trilogy, CBS, and TNN. The characters from Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM, Gekko, and Showtime. I'm notmaking any money from writing this story, I just love to write. Adriana is mine, as are Priscilla Meadows (and her students, except Will and Charlotte Richmond, who also belong to Trilogy, et al.), Carly Tucker, and Dawn Jackson (okay, so is Detective McCoy). You're welcome to borrow them, as long as you ask first, and return them intact.

SPOILERS: Mainly my twisted version of Wagon Train, Manhunt and Vendetta, references to The Collector.

WARNING: Original characters, some violence, nasty language in certain sections, and this is gonna be a LONG story. I'm covering three years in this story, so it's gonna be long. It's not gonna be 'day by day,' just the highlights, but it's still gonna be long.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This begins in 1992, eight and a half years before the events in The Light in the Distance.

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top

Part Twenty-One

Dawn was on duty that day, answering the phones in the main office of the dorm. She would always remember this as the day she found out that Adriana Wilmington had a temper, a backbone, and no patience with stupidity. The five foot two inch tornado who had taken over the body of a girl Dawn had always considered quiet and sweet blew into the lobby, looking ready to kill.

At about the same time, Will Richmond entered the dorm, looking like a stormcloud. Dawn took one look at Will's face, then another at Adriana's, and realized a confrontation was brewing. She wasn't sure if she should batten down the hatches, or grab a bag of popcorn. This promised to be one helluva show, especially when Richmond demanded, "All right, where is he, you high-handed little bitch! I can't believe you! After everything Dr. Meadows has done for you, you took that wife-stealing creep and left her there at the hospital!"

"Number one," Adriana fired back icily, "while nothing would give me greater pleasure than to call you all the names that I consider appropriate, we don't have time for that bullshit right now." Dawn stopped thinking about battening down the hatches, and instead looked around for a bag of popcorn she could toss into the microwave. She had been right about one thing. This would be one helluva show, and she wished some of the residents who had dismissed Adriana as a spineless piece of fluff were here to see this.

"Number two," said the aforementioned 'piece of fluff,' "Vin Tanner isn't a wife-stealer, nor is he a creep, and if your head weren't up and locked, you'd realize that the reason your wife is with him, instead of you, is because you've been an ass for the last two years." Up and locked? Oh, yeah, she had been talking to her brother today! Dawn, whose older sister served in the military, knew Adriana had just accused Will of having his head stuck where the sun didn't shine.

Without stopping for breath, Adriana went on, "Number three, I was on the phone with my elder brother, Captain Bucklin Wilmington, of the United States Air Force when the attack at the hospital occurred, so unless my astral twin spirited Vin away, there's no way I could have Vin here, much less have abandoned Dr. Meadows. Who, by the way, is fine, aside from a bruised cheek, thank you very much for asking, she called me."

"I can verify both...I've been with Adriana on and off all day long, Mr. Richmond, and if you had shut up long enough to let me talk, I could have told you that. As well as inform you that Vin wasn't here. Moron," Dawn said, muttering the last word under her breath. Richmond glared at her, but she glared right back. Damn idiot. She almost wished Vin had been here...the boy was fiercely protective of his, and he wouldn't have tolerated Richmond's attitude.

"Thank you, Dawn, and that brings me to number four. I just got off the phone with your wife, who, as we speak, is on her way to her mother's cabin with Vin. Yes, you moron. Charlotte rescued Vin at the hospital, and was calling me from the truck stop where I used to work. Now, if you will get out of my way, I have two friends who need my help. Since you don't give a damn about your wife, much less my friend Kevin, I expect you to haul your ass back to your car and drive home to your empty little life. Dawn, Carly's called the police," Adriana said.

Dawn nodded in understanding, and Adriana circled around Richmond, heading outside. Just call her Hurricane Adriana, Dawn thought, upgrading from 'tornado.' The little hurricane didn't get that far, as Will grabbed her arm. Bad move. Adriana spun around, her face twisting into a feral snarl. Her body moved instinctively into a defensive crouch, ready to protect herself and do some damage.

A chill ran down Dawn's spine. What the hell...? Adriana's defensive posture didn't change when she saw Will. Instead, she easily broke free and snarled, "Don't ever touch me without my permission, you self-righteous son of a bitch. Do you understand? Never. I don't have time for your goddamn games! Right now, there are two people at that cabin who need me, two friends, and I will be damned if I'll let them down on account of a self-centered prick!"

With that, Adriana stormed past him, her face set in stone. Richmond stared after her, his features slack with shock. Way to go, Adriana, Dawn thought with grim satisfaction, he needed a good kick in the ass. Will called, "Adriana, wait!" She halted in mid-step, her small frame radiating tension. Ooooh, she was mad. Not that Dawn blamed her. If Richmond kept this up, he would need his foot removed from his mouth surgically.

"I'll go with you. The police are on the way?" he questioned and the back of Adriana's head moved once. Will continued, "It'll be easier if we go together. My car's right out in front, and I happen to know you hate driving." Adriana's shoulders remained high, her back to Richmond, and he added, "Look. I'm sorry. I should have never made...should have never even thought that you would abandon Priscilla. I'm sorry."

"All right. Let's go," was all Adriana would say. It wasn't an acceptance of the apology, but it was the best he would get now. Will looked down at his feet, then moved a bit ahead of Adriana, leading the way to his car. Adriana turned long enough to snap off a quick salute to Dawn, then followed him. Dawn watched them go, then turned her head to the right at the sound of bare flesh on the tiles. Carly. It was still summer, after all. A number of residents in the hall teased her about cutting her bare feet on broken glass, but Carly ignored them. She wasn't used to the warmth of Texas, and she had vowed to relish it. All of her...including her feet.

"Did she put him in his place?" the girl asked and Dawn nodded. Oh yeah. Carly nodded with grim satisfaction and said, "Good. I'm glad to hear it. He deserved it." Dawn blinked. Oookay, now where did that come from? Carly slipped into Dawn's small office and began dialing the phone. At Dawn's confused look...what now...Carly said, that grim smile still in place, "I have a real bad feeling this is gonna get nasty. I'm calling in reinforcements."

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top

Part Twenty-Two

The drive to the cabin was silent. Adriana kept looking over her shoulder at the road behind them, looking for anyone who might be following them. Will, finally tired of the silence, asked, "You expecting trouble?" The look she gave him forced him to realize why his glares never worked on her...Adriana's Look was worse than any of his glares. Will swallowed hard. Okay, that was a dumb question.

He tried again, "Boudreau doesn't know the way to the cabin, why are you so worried?" The Look this time was sheer exasperation. If Charlotte had been here, she would have dubbed it an 'you've got to be kidding me' look. Charlotte. Will had tried not to think about her, ever since Adriana had told him that Charlotte had rescued Tanner from the attack at the hospital. He had tried not to think about Adriana's charge that he had driven his wife away.

From the moment Charlotte had set eyes on Tanner, Will had blamed the young guide for his wife's fascination with him. It was easier than facing facts, he supposed, but in the light of what Adriana had said back in the dorm, he no longer had a choice. The girl sitting next to him rarely lost her temper, and when she did, she usually had a reason for it. As he drove, Will thought about the last month.

Tanner was young and handsome, he paid attention to Charlotte, listened to her. And he had seen the expression in Tanner's eyes when he looked at Charlotte, who was a very pretty woman. What had Priscilla said, about persuading Tanner to forget about trying to save Charlotte? What had she meant by that? For his part, Tanner seemed both confused and flattered by her attention. And exasperated by Will. For the first time, the grad student looked at the whole picture. He remembered what Priscilla had said to him, about how he had made his marital problems the business of everyone on the dig when a betting pool was set up, deciding who Charlotte would sleep with. Had he really done that?

But why? Yes, he had blamed Charlotte for Lindsay's death, but why had he done that? Will didn't have an answer for that. In his mind, he knew...he knew...that crib death was no one's fault, that it just happened. Charlotte had loved Lindsay just as much as he had. Maybe more? She had carried Lindsay for nine months, after all, had given birth to her.

So why had he assumed that he was the only one mourning? Had he needed to blame Charlotte, to avoid blaming himself? God. Was he really that pathetic? That he had to blame his wife, to avoid blaming himself, when it was no one's fault? Will sighed, rubbing his fingers over his temples. No one had killed Lindsay. He hadn't, Charlotte hadn't, and he had pushed his wife away for the last two years because he couldn't accept that.

It had taken Vin Tanner's arrival into their lives to shake things up. Will smiled without humor. Tanner, and Boudreau. Both men were attracted to Charlotte, but they were such different men. Charlotte would have never even looked at Boudreau in the early years of her marriage, or anyone like him. God, they had been so happy. And for Tanner, Charlotte had left Will. She had left him, had threatened to ruin his life if he hurt anyone else.

She had actually believed that he could do something like that. To anyone. Had things really progressed to the point that Charlotte believed he wouldn't face someone one on one? That he would threaten Tanner with killing Adriana, to keep him away from Charlotte? What the hell had he done? If he hadn't gone to confront Adriana at the dorm, if he hadn't made that stupid ass assumption about a girl who had never been anything but his friend...he would have never known that his wife was in trouble. That she needed him.

Charlotte...needed...him. Will felt dizzy unexpectedly. I'm sorry, he thought, but he wasn't sure if he was apologizing to his wife or his daughter. Apologizing to Lindsay for not being able to protect her...or apologizing to Charlotte for the last two years. He whispered, "God, I've been such a bastard. I don't even know how to make this right. I don't know if I can make it right with anyone."

Something flickered in the corner of his eye, and Will glanced to his right. Adriana had made herself more comfortable in her seat, resting her elbow on the door, then leaning her head against her fist. Her left hand remained in her lap, and she was staring at the road. She said in a low voice, "These...this doesn't match the directions Charlotte gave me. I may have a lousy sense of direction, Will, but I can follow directions."

"It's a shortcut. If Boudreau is following them, and that's a good bet, then it's also a good bet that we'll get there before they do," Will answered. Adriana responded with a disbelieving look, and Will added with a chuckle, "Didn't mention that I was a very bad boy earlier today, did I? I knew that Boudreau was behind the attack on Tanner at your dorm. Happened to see his truck at the hospital while I was looking for Charlotte this morning, and I...ah...let the air out of his tires."

"All four of them?" Adriana asked, turning away from the window to look at him more closely. Will nodded. It had been pure childishness on his part, but he had seen the truck. At first, Will had planned just to key the car. It was vandalism, it was criminal, and two wrongs didn't make a right. But oh, it had felt so good. The disbelief in Adriana's eyes slowly gave way to amusement, and she burst into laughter.

"All four of 'em," Will answered proudly. And he WAS proud of himself, too.

Adriana just laughed helplessly, and Will grinned. The bridge had been shaken, but it was still intact. He wanted to make things right. Not just with Charlotte...she wasn't the only one he had hurt. And maybe, if he repaired a smaller bridge first, building the larger one wouldn't be so hard. Remembering what Adriana had said at the dorm...what the hell had that been all about? Never touch her again without her permission? But he could respect the rage in her eyes, which had told him rather clearly she was more than capable of wiping the floor with him.

Why had he always assumed that she was helpless and needed protection? Why had he never seen, until now, that she could take care of herself? He supposed it was because she was quiet and shy, never really raised her voice. Except that one time, when he had tried to pressure her into contacting her family, and she had lost her temper. Hell, she was a totally different woman then, he thought, not a little girl lost, like Doug and me thought, but a woman. A fiery, furious, in-your-face woman.

Perhaps respecting her in a way he never had before, Will said softly, "I screwed up things big time, Adriana. I've been wracking my brain, trying to figure out what exactly...how I managed to drive Charlotte away. She honestly believed that I sent men to beat up Tanner. That I would have threatened your life, to make sure he would stay away from her. What did I do...how did I screw things up so badly that she would think that of me?"

The smile died slowly, and Adriana said, just as slowly, "Yup, you definitely screwed things up. Are you willing to listen now?" Will nodded and the girl continued, "Look, I've never claimed to be something I'm not. I'm not that wise, and I'm not even sure if I would classify myself as 'smart.' You know 'sophomore' is Greek, means 'wise fool.' I'm more foolish than I am wise. But I am smart enough to know that."

Will remained silent and Adriana went on, "But even I can see that Charlotte still loves you. Right now, she's angry...furious...outraged. I want you to know exactly what you're dealing with here, okay? She's scared, because I have a feeling something more happened at the hospital than what she told me. And she's angry with you, even though she knows Boudreau actually attacked Vin. But she thought you were capable of doing just that."

Again, she paused, as if waiting for him to interrupt. But Will Richmond wasn't interrupting any more. If Tanner was smart enough and tough enough to be a respected bounty hunter and guide at the age of nineteen, then maybe his nineteen year old companion was worth listening to, as well. Satisfied that he would let her finish, the undergrad continued, "It won't be easy, Will. In all likelihood, she's not gonna be happy to see you. She may even be angry with me for letting you come with me. She may have even talked herself into believing that she's in love with Vin, because he's nice to her."

Shit. The kid was right. On every point. To the best of his knowledge, Adriana had never had a boyfriend. Unless you counted Tanner, and Will didn't. So how the hell did she get to be so smart? She had said she knew she wasn't wise. Hell. He sighed, "I think we should wait to figure all this out. Let's worry about protecting them from Boudreau first." Adriana nodded. Will started to say something more, but it was then that he saw the turnoff onto the dirt road.

"We'll be there in about five minutes," he said quietly, "check the glove box. I have a pistol in there. You know your way around a gun?" She nodded, already opening the glove compartment and removing the gun, along with ammunition. Adriana didn't seem too terribly surprised that he had a gun in his car. Nor did she seem too surprised by his request. She was expecting trouble...always best to be prepared when you expected trouble.

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top

Part Twenty-Three

"Car comin,'" he said hoarsely and Charlotte raised her head cautiously. She had spent the last twenty minutes setting up a bedroll for Vin on the floor. Even though she had called Adriana, she knew there was a good chance Boudreau would follow her...and if Vin was in a bed or a chair, he would be an easier target. She had actually thought he was still unconscious...he had passed in and out of consciousness repeatedly during the drive.

He had finally passed out once they reached the cabin and she settled him in a corner while she set up a bedroll in the form of blankets, towels and pillows. Now, hearing his voice, she looked over at him. He was frowning in puzzlement and asked, "Where are we?" Charlotte peeked out the window...they were okay so far, but she still picked up her own revolver and scooted over to his side.

"My mother's cabin. Easy...need you to slide toward that bedroll. It'll be easier on your ribs. And if we're lucky, that's Adriana. I called her," Charlotte answered. There was a flash of fear in the bright blue eyes, and Charlotte added, "She was callin' the police, she said. Adriana is young, but she's not stupid. Now come on, and let's make you a little more comfortable." Keeping a close eye on the window and the door, Charlotte eased Vin to the bedroll.

He was in pain. God, he was in such pain. He didn't make much noise, just a soft groan when she put her arm around his waist. Bad idea. Leave his ribs alone, Charlotte, she chided herself. They had finally gotten the bedroll when she heard the car pull up. She would have to ask Vin about that later...how he had heard the car before she did. She heard Adriana's voice, raised. Something about the windshield of Charlotte's car being broken. Yes. They were shot at as they left the hospital. She hadn't told Adriana about that?

"Charlotte, it's me...we're here," Adriana said before she opened the door. But Charlotte's relief was short-lived as she saw the other part of 'we.' She stared at her husband, feeling all the color drain from her face, taking what felt like all of her strength with it. But not all of it, obviously. Without even being aware of it, Charlotte brought her weapon up. She had a flash of Adriana's worried eyes, then the girl had eased her hand down, saying, "Easy, Charlotte, he's not here to cause trouble."

"First time for everything," Charlotte replied, strength slowly returning to her arms and legs, and an old anger returning with her strength. She forgot about the looming threat from Richard Boudreau...forgot about the wounded Vin...even forgot about the slim girl standing between her and her husband. She snarled, "What the hell are you doing here, Will? Haven't you caused enough trouble? You may not have hired those men to beat up Vin, but you have just as much responsibility here as I do!"

"There ain't time for this," a voice growled from the floor, and Charlotte's attention was brought to the figure on the bedroll. Vin was struggling into a sitting position, hissing in pain, and said, "Boudreau ain't gonna give up...we gotta work together, if we want outta this alive. I'm okay, Drina." The young girl had knelt beside him, and ignored his words. Instead, she set to making him more comfortable.

"He's right. Will slowed Boudreau down, but he'll still come. Vin, before you ask, Dr. Meadows is fine. She's just worried about you right now. Charlotte, I can read your face about like a book, and before you ask, do you really think I could have stopped Will once he had made his decision to come? Now that we have that settled, we need to start getting ready. I don't know how long Will has slowed Boudreau down, but it won't be enough time for the police to get here first. Will took a shortcut," Adriana explained.

Charlotte closed her mouth...she had, in fact, been about to castigate Adriana for bringing Will with her. But it was like the girl said...she couldn't have stopped Will. Vin said dryly, "Reckon ya could stop a speedin' train with that glare of yours. Ya talked about that fella Larabee...reckon ya learned that glare from him." Surprisingly, Adriana laughed at the smart-ass remark. Adriana was an easygoing girl, but she was...well, there was more to her than Charlotte had previously thought. She had underestimated the girl.

"Reckon it's possible," she returned with a smirk, "but I'm not quite that good yet. Give me time, though." This time, Vin laughed, then groaned. Laughing, obviously, was at the bottom of his body's priorities. Adriana glared at him, and now Charlotte saw what the young man meant. Distracted from her anger by the bantering, she didn't hear the car. Adriana, who was on her haunches beside Vin, tilted up her head, frowning.

Vin, however, heard. He hissed, "Car comin,' everybody down!" Half a second later, a bullet hit the door. Charlotte gave a little scream and rolled away from the door, ducking under the window. Vin swore as bullets began striking the cabin. From her position under the window, cringing as a bullet shattered the glass over her head, Charlotte watched as the young guide looked around, and realized for the first time that she hadn't gotten proper cover for him.

She didn't have to worry...Adriana was helping him toward the opposite window, just barely able to keep her head down. That meant Will was beside Charlotte. She found herself giggling, and not entirely sure why. Oh Lord, she had finally lost her mind. Her husband, who still hated her and whom Charlotte had left for Vin Tanner, was finally at her side, bullets were flying into her mother's cabin, and Charlotte was giggling like a loon. She had finally lost her mind, that was all there was to it.

Her laughter died as Richard Boudreau shouted, "Let me take you away from this, Charlotte. We will go away, just you and I! You will never have to see Tanner or Richmond, or that little bitch who keeps taking men away from you." Did he mean Adriana? She hadn't taken Will from Charlotte...Will had done that, by distancing himself from her after Lindsay's death. And Vin was Adriana's friend.

"Boudreau, I'll send you to hell before I'll let you anywhere near my wife or my baby sister!" Will yelled back. Under the other window, Adriana rolled her eyes, and Charlotte crawled over to her friend, who grabbed her hand tightly, then passed something to her. Something cold and metal. A gun. She looked at Adriana in wonderment, who shrugged.

"It's either laugh or cry at this point," Adriana whispered. Charlotte didn't ask how her friend had known what she was thinking. The girl smiled faintly and added, "I figure as long as I'm laughing, my mind is still working properly. Ain't entirely true, but whatever gets you through." Adriana was scared, too? No...no, looking at her friend, Charlotte could tell the girl was terrified. But she was trying to brave, and Charlotte could do nothing else.

Adriana smiled and patted Charlotte's hand, then her eyes narrowed. Charlotte's body tensed. Very slowly, she turned as Adriana hissed, "Will Richmond, you get down right now, before you turn yourself into a target!" Charlotte turned the rest of the way around, to see her husband rising to his feet. Now what the hell had he done that for? A half second after that, a bullet exploded through the already-shattered window...and slammed into Will's chest. At that moment, everything disappeared for Charlotte Richmond. The cabin, Vin, Adriana, the bullets still striking the cabin. Will was down. Her husband had been shot. He needed her.

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top

Part Twenty-Four

"They're gonna cut us to pieces before the cops get here," Vin whispered, eyeing the fallen Will Richmond. Adriana nodded, her eyes flickering around, and her eyes returned to him at last. Vin hurt all over, but he was alive, and he had every intention of staying that way. Vin continued, "Reckon you can find some towels, or whatever, to stop the bleedin' from gittin' too bad? Can ya get to them, without gittin' your head blowed off?"

She glared at him, and Vin just grinned at her. Adriana had said during one of her visits that she would have to introduce him to Chris as soon as possible. She answered, "I'll scoot over to Charlotte. The way I figure it, she's gotta have some guns around here somewhere. Vin, don't take this the wrong way, but you can't handle a rifle with those ribs, and with a broken arm. Charlotte's gonna be tending Will for a while, so it's up to the two of us to hold that piece of shit off until reinforcements arrive."

Vin nodded. He had come to the same conclusion. He knew she hated rifles, knew she was a terrible shot, but if that was all Charlotte had, they would have to make do. She took a deep breath, and for the first time, he saw how scared she was. Hell, of course she was scared! Vin started to reach for her hand, then thought better of it. No. No, as tense as she was, that wouldn't be a smart idea. Instead, he said softly, "Ya done good, Drina. Real good. Reckon your brother would be right proud of you."

She looked away and murmured, "Maybe." Vin frowned. He had thought that the siblings were close, if Adriana had been so happy that her brother called. What the hell was going on? Why was Adriana acting as if she wasn't sure what her brother thought of her? She smiled faintly, adding, "Well. If you'll be all right, I'll see about those guns. Stay put?" Vin nodded, cringing a little at the pain that resulted.

Given the way she reacted when people touched her...Vin had a pretty good idea what had happened to her, probably when she was a little girl. He also had a pretty good idea who had done that to her. What he didn't know was her brother's part in it. She obviously loved him...Vin would go so far as to say she adored him. But...why did she react like that, when he had said her brother was probably proud of her? If she had been excited about his call, why?

Vin knew he should be worrying about dealing with Boudreau, so he couldn't hurt any more people, but until he had a gun in his hands, there wasn't much he could do about that worthless piece of shit. And it wasn't like he could do anything about Adriana's relationship with her brother, but Adriana was his friend, and he cared about her. Hell. He hadn't had many friends, but in the short time he had known her, it seemed like Adriana Wilmington had become just that. And he was confused.

Vin Tanner didn't like mysteries, especially not when they pertained to someone who had become very dear to him. And he would find out what was going on. It wasn't a matter of her being unable to take care of herself. Vin knew Adriana could take care of herself. But with friendship came worry, and Vin realized he was worried about Adriana. He couldn't do nothin' about what her pa had done to her...but he could protect her in the future, starting now.

With that in mind, he checked on his friend's progress. Adriana had moved quickly to Charlotte's side, accepting the handgun and sliding it along the floor to Vin. He quickly checked the barrel. Good. It was loaded. He wasn't sure if Adriana had done that, or not. Didn't much matter. It was done, and it was somethin' he didn't have to worry 'bout. As he maneuvered himself into a sitting position beside the window, where he could get a clear shot without making himself a target, he glanced at Adriana again.

She had crawled on her hands and knees toward one of the closed doors. Rather than risk her getting shot, Vin attracted attention to himself, away from her, by firing at their attackers. His ploy worked, and all the shots from their enemies peppered the left side of the building, where Vin was positioned. Hell. He wished he had higher ground, but he knew getting onto the roof at this point in time was not an option.

He ducked back inside the window...near all of his shots had hit their targets, which meant there were a few less goons to threaten what which was Vin's. Several towels were being pushed toward Charlotte with the point of a rifle. Towels? Rifle? They kept a rifle in the bathroom??? Well, Vin reckoned there were worse places to keep it. Charlotte immediately began ripping up some of the towels with her bare hands. Yowch. Remind me to stay on her good side, Vin told himself silently.

Adriana followed the rifle a moment later...heh. She had pushed the rifle out ahead of herself, sliding it along the floor. Rather than attracting the attention to herself by lifting it into the air. Good girl. Adriana crawled to Vin's side, murmuring, "Wasn't sure if I should come over and crowd you, or Charlotte, and figured it would be better to come crowd you. She's got her hands full taking care of Will, and we can keep those goons busy."

"Reckon that's a good idea," Vin agreed. He saw a grin flash across the girl's face. She was loading the rifle...it was old, but if it came down to it, she could always use a club. 'Sides, he had never had much use for them fancy new rifles. The old ones were sleeker. He added, "Drina, you told me in the hospital you ain't real good with a rifle. How you gonna use that?" She smirked as she finished loading the weapon.

"Wal, reckon I'll take aim at the trees them varmints hidin' behind...reckon if I aim at the tree, I'll hit a varmint instead," Adriana answered, teasing Vin. He glowered at her, which of course didn't scare her at all. She added, laughing softly, "Really, though...I figure if I aim at the trees, I'll hit one of the goons. I figure we could alternate...'cause every time I fire this damn thing, I can guarantee it'll knock me on my ass."

"Reckon it will," Vin agreed. Adriana rolled her eyes, moved into position on the opposite side of the window, took aim at a tree which hid a goon, and fired. She hadn't been kidding. He had seen her aim at the tree, and hit the goon. Shit. Her aim really was lousy. And the recoil knocked her backwards. Vin fired his pistol, taking out another goon. He figured that would be safer than teasing her about her aim.

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top

Part Twenty-Five

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Adriana's ineptitude with a rifle was inspired, in part, by an incident the first time I went to a Ren Faire with my two best friends. The youngest of our little trio (and eerily, she's a mixture of a female Buck Wilmington and a female JD Dunne) was shooting arrows at one of the games. She was aiming for the dummy's chest...she put the arrow in his groin.

He was making fun of her. He hadn't said a word, but she knew he was making fun of her. Adriana sighed as she rocked back into position. Oh well. She had been teasing him with her own mock-accent, so it was only fair that he would make fun of her dreadful aim, and her problems staying on her feet when she fired a rifle. Of course, this meant once his ribs and arm was healed, she would have to tickle him. Yes, that sounded reasonable.

He didn't talk during the fight, she noticed. Concentrating only on what had to be done, and if it was to talk, it was only to pass information along. Except at one point, when he shook his head and muttered, "Damn, girl...we get outta here in one piece, I gotta teach you how to shoot proper!" And laughed at Adriana's muttered, That a promise or a threat? The idea of him meeting up with Chris was starting to scare her.

Glancing from the corner of her eye as Vin took his shot, Adriana could see that Charlotte was taking care of Will. Stopping the bleeding, at least...they would need the bullet removed. Maybe they would get lucky, and it hadn't hit anything vital. Still, they had to get him to the hospital. Adriana had no doubt that Carly and Dawn would be coming with the police. Speaking of which...when would they get here? Will had slowed down Boudreau just enough for Will and Adriana to reach the cabin before he did. But the police had helicopters, and Boudreau was already wanted for questioning. God, they had to get here soon.

They had other problems. Vin muttered, "Two's missin.' Drina, git over to Charlotte, ask if there's a back way into this place." Adriana nodded, and scooted the rifle ahead of herself. She wasn't entirely sure why she did that. It made no sense, logically speaking, since it would just hinder her movement. And the rifle was unwieldy when she was lying on the ground, so it wasn't like she could really fire it.

As she scooted along the floor, there was an implosion of glass. Adriana ducked instinctively, her muscles tensing at what would come next...but wait. She hadn't heard a gunshot before the window broke. Charlotte screamed, and Adriana raised her head as a man rolled into a kneeling position, not far from Charlotte and Will's position. There was no time to think, only react. Grasping the barrel of the rifle, Adriana pushed herself to her knees and swung the weapon. She was lucky. One swing of the rifle connected with the gunman's ribcage, knocking him to the ground and knocking the gun out of his hand at the same time.

A second swing wasn't necessary, as a seriously pissed off Charlotte Richmond left her husband's side and pounced on the downed gunman. Adriana lowered the rifle and glanced over at Vin, who flashed a 'five' to her. Five men to go. The girl growled in irritation and crawled back into position beside the bounty hunter. As she checked the rifle for how many shots she had left, her blood ran cold. Dear God. She really had been lucky.

She must have gone pale, because Vin whispered, "Drina? What's wrong, girl?" Numbly, she showed the rifle to him. She hadn't put the safety on before she struck the gunman with the rifle. She could have killed Vin, or herself. Vin put his hand on her shoulder, whispering, "It's okay, Adriana. We got lucky this time, ya just gotta remember to put the safety on next time." Adriana glared at him...what next time?????

Vin just laughed softly and muttered, "Better. Much better. We got five men left, and I reckon we just got some help." Adriana frowned at him, then listened. A helicopter. The police were here. Vin continued, "Now, it ain't real likely that they'll just give up, but we ain't on our own no more." That gave the still-shaken Adriana a much needed burst of strength. Charlotte had exhausted her rage beating on the now unconscious gunman, and had returned to her husband's side.

"This is the police! Throw down your weapons! You are surrounded!" came the very welcome confirmation of Vin's words. They weren't alone anymore. There were five men left, but Boudreau was missing. That worried Adriana. To her surprise, Vin quietly placed the pistol on the ground, motioning her to do the same with the rifle. However, she trusted Vin...he probably had more experience with the police than Adriana, as a bounty hunter.

She placed the rifle on the ground beside the pistol, motioning Charlotte to stay put. The other woman nodded her understanding. All four were silent, except for Will's ragged breathing. Vin had positioned himself so that he could easily start firing again if it became necessary. His ribs had to be hurting him. The officer...detective...whatever...who had warned the remaining goons to throw down their weapons yelled again, "There are only five of you left! Throw your weapons down, there's no need for anyone else to get hurt."

"No!" Boudreau screamed, "I'm not leaving without my Charlotte!" Adriana glanced at the woman, to see how Charlotte was reacting to this, and swallowed hard at her friend's lethal expression. Ack. She definitely didn't want on Charlotte's bad side. Ever. Boudreau repeated, "Do you understand me, pigs? There are six of us, there are only four of them, and you won't kill us."

God, can he really be that stupid, Adriana wondered, does he really think he can win this? The answer, of course, was yes. More to the point, he didn't think there was any other option. No other option...oh, shit! Her eyes met Vin's, and he frowned. Adriana pointed to the fireplace, then extended her hands outward. It took him a moment to understand what she meant, then his eyes widened as well.

"Hell, he's just crazy enough to do it, too!" Vin hissed. His blue eyes narrowed as he searched around the cabin, looking for another way out. Boudreau had used his smoke bombs once already, and they had no way of knowing if he had more. Vin muttered, "All right, he's gonna do one of two things. I can't be rightly sure where Boudreau is, but I reckon we woulda heard him if he was on the roof."

"Unless he got up there during the shooting," Adriana pointed out, and Vin shook his head, pointing to the ceiling above their heads. Frowning, the college student followed his line of sight...ahhh. The ceiling was an inverted V, and from the outside, Adriana had noticed that the roof was shaped like a V. Sloping roof. But still, if he was on the roof, wouldn't he still be able to cause them trouble?

"The trouble with higher ground is, if ya don't got cover, you're a right easy target. And this cabin ain't that big. Naw. He's gonna attack on the ground, and my bet would be a frontal attack," Vin observed quietly. Adriana blinked in surprise...come again? Vin explained, "It's like this, Miss Drina. He's got five men left. They don't mean nothin' to him, just hoods. But while they're in a fire fight with the police, he'll make his rush."

"Sounds suicidal to me," Adriana muttered, "but I never claimed to understand that man. Okay. So he makes a frontal attack, while his flunkies sacrifice themselves to the greater bad. We fill him with lead as soon as he shows up?" God knew, they would have the right of it, since this was Charlotte's property, and he was trespassing. But she was an archaeology student, not a law student, and she didn't know the legalities of it.

She remembered a conversation they had, while he was in the hospital, and how surprised he had been that she had been born and raised in Colorado. While she had told him in the past that she had grown up there, he had been amazed that she had lived her entire life in one place. She had joked that if she had wanted to be a lawyer, she would have had a devil of a time, since she would have had to pass both the Texas bar and the Colorado bar. That had gotten them started on a conversation about Texas law...about which Vin was, naturally, rather knowledgeable. Which was why she was deferring to him now...he was the bounty hunter, and he had lived in Texas a helluva lot longer than she had. He had a better idea of what they were getting themselves into.

"I ain't shootin' to kill, 'less I gotta," Vin replied, "and he's gonna be gunnin' for me. That's why I want you on the other side, with Charlotte and Will. They're gonna need you." Adriana began shaking her head immediately. Oh, no. No, no, and not just no, but hell no! Vin hissed, a hint of a smile appearing, "Trust me, Adriana, I know what I'm doin,' and I know he's gonna want to take me out first. I'm gonna give what he thinks he wants."

Adriana hadn't known Vin long, but she had known him long enough to be worried when she saw that particular smile. He had a plan. She muttered, "All right, Tanner, but I want to hear your plan. You are not, I repeat, not putting yourself at risk. I'm not gonna watch you die. You hear me?" Vin nodded, and Adriana continued, "What are you thinking?"

Continued...

Home		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	Top