JD awoke to a room dulled by muted light. The air was hot and stifling, and he felt as if he were breathing through cotton as he dragged in a huge breath and swallowed, but he winced as his sore throat protested the tightening of his muscles. His chest expanded as his lungs filled and the instant bite of rope against his skin made him flinch. Lifting his head, he realized he was lying on a table. He visually traced the rough cord tied tightly around his chest and torso to where it was threaded through metal hooks sunk into the wooden tabletop. Tugging feebly with his arms, he discovered his wrists were bound above his head. His jeans and thin tee shirt offered little protection from the rope.

Blackness swirled through his mind when he tried to recall where he was, or how he’d gotten there. He remembered something about a warehouse, and a black market, but no details sprang to mind. A low groan, hoarse with pain, whispered from the darkness to his right, and he turned his head to find Buck tied to a chair. The older man sat slumped forward as far as the ropes would allow, his chin hung down to his chest. As JD watched, his friend moaned again, then sat back but kept his eyes closed.

"Buck?"

Buck’s eyes were swollen, the skin around them puffy and purple, and he didn’t respond when JD called his name again. He’d obviously been beaten, and JD desperately tried to remember what had happened. He ran an internal inventory, but other than the discomfort of tight ropes across his chest and belly, he couldn’t feel any pain. Why had Buck been beaten? Where were they?

Heavy footsteps sounded through the house, and JD lifted his head in confused dread to watch the door. It opened and a man stepped in, followed by five other men. The first man reached over to the wall and flipped a switch. Brightness glared down from a naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. He looked familiar, but JD couldn’t remember why.

"Ready to talk yet, Wilmington? Or do you need more encouragement?" The man laughed and flitted his eyes toward his companions as they joined in the laughter. "I believe Acklin here is enjoying your little sessions. What’s say we leave you two alone again?"

A man, JD assumed it was Acklin, broke away from the group and moved to stand in front of Buck.

He had to do something! "Wait!" They all turned to look at him and he struggled to retain some sense of dignity in his vulnerable position. "What do you want?"

The leader dismissed JD with a shrug and twisted back to watch as Acklin untied Buck from the chair. The unconscious man slumped to the floor, his knees and elbows hitting hard against the wood.

"Take him outside, I’m tired of listening to the kid scream."

I’ve been screaming? That explains the tender throat.

"Damn it, who are you?!" JD’s shout drew the leader to his side as Acklin hefted Buck over his shoulder and left the room. The other men remained in a huddle off to the side.

"You don’t remember, little bug? Guess the drug hasn’t worn off yet. Does the name Gerhardt sound familiar?"

Gerhardt began tracing one finger along the rope cinched around JD’s chest. "And if you seriously want my attention, you can have it." The finger found the edge of JD’s ribs through the thin shirt and followed the knobby ends to his hip.

"Get your hands off me!" He squirmed as the big man placed his palm flat on his lower stomach and rubbed across his jeans.

"You’re just like a woman -- fickle." He reached out and patted JD against one cheek, then turned away. "You’re not important to us, so keep your mouth shut, and you might live through this little adventure. Wilmington, on the other hand . . . "

Gerhardt laughed again, and the other men joined him.

"Let’s go see how Acklin’s doing."

JD’s shouts went unheeded as the men left the room, and he stopped struggling as the bite of the ropes around his wrists became unbearable. He looked around frantically, searching for a means of escape, then froze when Buck’s shouts of pain filtered muffled through the walls.

"Oh god."

Frustration made him try again and he twisted his wrists, burning the tender skin as he worked against the ropes. Despair rocketed through him when his efforts did nothing but chaff his wrist. Heaving breaths turned to sobs and burned through his chest.

Hoarse groans rumbled low through the house, then oppressive silence followed. JD held himself still, straining to extend his hearing.

The door opened abruptly and two men walked in, dragging Buck with them. His head hung low between his shoulders and he made no move to protect himself when he was dropped to the floor. Instead, he curled in tightly and wrapped his arms loosely around his body.

"BUCK!"

JD’s shout was ignored when Gerhardt walked in with three of his men. "How pathetic. I thought you ATF agents were tough. Look at you, keening and wailing like a baby. Why don’t you make things easier on yourself and tell us what we want to know?"

JD watched as Buck weakly lifted his head from the floor and turned bruise swollen eyes to his tormentor. "Go to hell." His voice raspy from screaming, the curse still had the effect Buck obviously wanted. Gerhardt’s mouth turned down in an ugly frown and he leaned over the injured man.

"What does it take to break you, Wilmington?"

Buck shook his head as a grim smile tugged at one corner of his bleeding lip. "You haven’t done anything to me that hasn’t been done already, bastard."

With a growl of frustration, Gerhardt drew his foot back and kicked Buck in the hip. Buck jerked against the floor and grunted with the impact and JD began struggling and shouting.

"Buck! Damn you, Gerhardt, leave him alone!"

The big man turned to JD, his fists clenched in anger. One step brought him to the young man’s side and he backhanded JD hard across the face.

The shock of pain froze the anger in his chest and JD blinked to keep the tears out of his eyes.

Ears buzzing as his confused brain scrambled to catch up, he came to himself just as Buck launched himself off the floor and tackled Gerhardt from behind.

Gerhardt was taken by surprise, but his henchmen sprang forward and beat Buck down, pulling on his arms and locking their forearms across his chest as he fought harder.

"Don’t touch him!" The roar of Buck’s voice filled the room along with the men’s harsh breathing as they struggled with their prisoner.

"Hold him! Damn it, hold him, Acklin!" Gerhardt’s face burned red with rage as he watched his men fight to subdue his captive. He stepped forward and buried his meaty fist into Buck’s unprotected abdomen, and the punch brought the struggling man down. Buck curled forward and collapsed to his knees, nearly bringing his assailants down with him. Strained breaths heaved in and out noisily through overworked lungs as he struggled to control his breathing.

Gerhardt stepped forward and grabbed a fistful of Buck’s hair, clawing into the dark curls, and yanked the injured man’s head back.

"Had us fooled, didn’t you? Here I thought you were on the threshold of giving up, ready to give into the pain, and you jump up and surprise me like you’ve just come from a good work out. That’s one for you, Wilmington."

Buck gulped air, then swallowed thickly through an arched throat tight with pain. "Looks like I win, Gerhardt. Why don’t you just give up now and come quietly?"

The leader shook his head and laughed, then let go of his victim. "You slay me, Wilmington. No, you don’t win. In fact, a new twist has just been introduced, and I believe the game’s about to turn in my favor." A huge smile stretched his ugly face even wider as he stepped back and moved to the table where JD was tied. "This kid is your partner, right?"

JD turned his head to the side and watched Buck. The older man’s eyes were fixed on the big man, his face pale with the realization of what he’d given away. Buck pulled slightly against the tight grip around his arms and chest, testing their strength.

"We knew who you were, Wilmington. We knew you were close to busting our racket, knew you were closing in. We expected you, y’see, that’s why we were ready when you made your move at the warehouse. But this little punk, we weren’t counting on."

Gerhardt turned from Buck and looked down at JD. JD lay quietly watching Buck.

"As far as I was concerned, he was just a tag-a-long. I really hadn’t planned on taking him, too, but he was like your shadow, connected to your side, and it was too risky to leave him behind, in case he saw something he shouldn’t have."

"You should have left him." Buck grunted when one of his captors squeezed tighter, pinching the skin around his biceps. "It’s just like you said – he’s a tag-a-long, he doesn’t know anything about this."

"But if he’s so unimportant, why do you care if I hurt him or not?"

Gerhardt raised his hand and almost lazily rested his palm on JD’s chest. JD flinched, then held still, but his breathing quickened and the rapid rise and fall of his chest betrayed his fear. The big man looked over at Buck and the agent clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes when he saw the pleased expression on Gerhardt’s face.

"Yeah, I think I’ve found a way around your stubborn silence, Wilmington." He jerked his chin at the men holding Buck. "Take him outside while I get better acquainted with the kid."

"NO!" Buck surged up from the floor, erupting with volcanic anger as he pulled from his captives and lunged for Gerhardt’s neck. A lion’s roar erupted from his throat as he locked clawed fingers around the thick neck and squeezed hard.

A maelstrom of noise exploded through the room when Gerhardt’s men tackled Buck, pounding their fists into his sides and back and raking stiff fingers through his hair as they searched for holds to pull him from their boss. Grunts gusted from him, but he stood firm against the abuse, keeping his fingers secure around the corded throat of his enemy.

The storm of activity increased when the door burst open and Chris forced his way into the room, followed by more ATF agents clad in black jackets. Shouting blanketed the room and it was impossible to know who was detaining whom until Chris’ rough bark brought everything to a standstill. The henchmen released Buck, and he collapsed to the floor, bringing Gerhardt down on top of him. His fingers were pried away with difficulty, and the criminals were led away, bruised and disheveled.

Chris stayed by Buck on the floor, worried when his agent didn’t come to. Josiah and Nathan joined them.

JD had been untied from the table and he joined the others next to Buck. Yanking the remnants of his bonds from his wrists, JD reached down and touched Buck’s face. "Buck? Wake up, partner, it’s over."

Buck mumbled and his head shifted on the floor, but he didn’t open his eyes.

"Come on, wake up for me here."

"JD, the ambulance is here. Let the paramedics look at him." Nathan's gentle urging pulled him back and JD stood up, then swayed against the older man. "I need a little help here." The request brought an EMT to his side.

"No, no, I’m fine. They didn’t do anything to me --"

Chris stood and grasped JD's arm. "Just shut up, JD, and let them check you out."

"No, you don’t understand. I wasn’t hurt, it was Buck --"

The paramedic gently took his arm. "Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? I can check you out real quick in the ambulance, okay?"

"No, dammit! Chris, would you listen to me?! It wasn’t me this time! Buck—"

"Go, Kid. That’s an order." The firm voice gave no room for an argument, and JD reluctantly allowed the attendant to lead him out, but he insisted on watching Buck being carried from the room, first.

He endured the paramedic’s prodding and poking, accepted a butterfly bandage for the cut on his cheek where he’d been backhanded, then was released with a quiet, "I told you so" aimed at the stubborn man. Grabbing a black ATF windbreaker from a helpful agent, JD hurried to Chris and they left for the hospital.

It felt strange as he walked into the hospital, as if he were viewing the world from the wrong end of a telescope. It was so often Buck checking up on him, and not the other way around.

A nurse let them know the doctor was still with Buck, so JD and Chris retreated to a waiting area. They sat together in silence for a moment. JD cleared his throat and turned to the older man.

"What went wrong? How did Gerhardt know we were there?"

"He had an informant. Brewster in Transcription was keeping Gerhardt up to date. He had access to the information since he filed all our paperwork. We planted a few false leads and caught him trying to get the data to Gerhardt. He was willing to make a deal, and turned over where his boss was holding you and Buck in exchange for the protected witness program."

"It was too close. I thought he was going to kill Buck." Reaction caught up to him and JD bent forward, his elbows on his knees as he ran shaky fingers through his hair.

"We had you two on surveillance, saw his men knock you out, but we were too far away to help. Nathan and Ezra were involved in a minor fender bender during the chase and lost you. I know it was close, JD, but you’re both safe now, and Gerhardt’s going where he can’t be a threat to anyone."

JD sat up. "I know, Chris. Thanks." He rubbed his knee and looked away in embarrassment.

A doctor walked into the waiting room and both men stood up.

"Sir," he nodded toward Chris. "We’ve met before. I’m Dr. Woodall." He shook the ATF leader’s hand, then turned to JD. "I assume you’re JD Dunne --?"

JD nodded.

"Good. Then as soon as we’re finished here, you can see your partner. He’s been asking about you."

"How is he?"

"Bruised and sore, but he’ll live." The easy smile on the doctor’s face calmed his worry, and JD sighed heavily.

"He’s got a few broken ribs, but his lungs weren’t punctured, and though some of the bruising on his torso runs fairly deep, there’s no serious internal bleeding."

"But there is some bleeding?"

"With the trauma he suffered through, he’s lucky to have come out as well as he has, Mr. Larabee. Yes, there is some bleeding involved, and he’ll see some in his urine, but that will clear up within the next day or two. He has a concussion, mild, but enough to give him a headache, and there’s a few substantial cuts and bruises on his face."

"Is he in a lot of pain?" JD grimaced as he recalled the aftereffects of a beating, knowing some of what his partner was going through.

"Right now, he’s floating . . . I gave him a pretty strong sedative and he’s resting comfortably."

He looked at his watch, then glanced back up at the two men. "I need to get back to my other patients now. He’s in room 442. You can go in and see him now if you’d like. Gentlemen." With a quick nod, the doctor left.

"I need to get back to the scene, get the paper work started for this little adventure. You be all right here for awhile?"

"Yeah."

"Tell Buck I asked about him, and I’ll see him later when I come back to drive you home."

Chris left and JD walked out of the waiting area and moved down the hall, searching for room 442. Finding the door, he stepped quietly into the room.

A bag of medication hung from a pole next to the bed and dripped into the line that fed directly into Buck’s vein. The agent lay sleeping, and JD sat down in the chair next to the bed to watch him. Bruises marred the smooth face and white butterfly bandages criss-crossing swollen red cuts. The thin hospital gown barely concealed the broad chest that rose and fell gently with Buck’s breathing.

Almost without his knowledge, JD found himself standing next to the sleeping figure, his hand resting on a muscle defined bicep. Buck’s skin felt surprisingly soft and warm beneath his palm. He sighed as the image of Buck rising from the floor and tacking Gerhardt to keep him from hurting his partner came to mind and his chest tightened when he remembered the pain Buck had suffered for him.

"Uhhh—"

"Buck?" JD withdrew his hand but leaned further over his friend. "Open your eyes, Buck, look at me."

Lashes fluttered then opened to reveal blue eyes bright with moisture. Buck blinked but his lids remained heavy with sleep. "JD?"

"Yeah, it’s me. How do you feel?"

"Not too bad. Gerhardt?"

"Gone, man. Chris and the others arrived to save the day."

"’Bout time," Buck grumbled as he turned his head on the pillow. "Where is he?"

"He had to get back to the scene, but he told me he’d see you later. The doctor told us you’d be fine."

"That’s good. How’re you doing?"

"I’m fine, Buck. Gerhardt never touched me."

"He -- damn straight he didn’t. I woulda broke his neck if he had."

JD grinned as Buck’s eyes slowly closed. "Thanks, Buck. Just wished I could have been more of a help."

Blue eyes lazily opened again. "You did, JD. You were my motivation." The words were barely understandable as Buck slid quietly into sleep, but they brought a smile to JD’s face.

"Anytime, partner, anytime." Patting Buck’s arm affectionately, he sank back into the chair at his side to wait.

THE END

Shellie

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