Morning Dawn Read online

  Notes: Thanks to Shallan, Malu, and Zadra for giving this story a quick once over. Thanks to Cassie and Mog for keeping me honest in the Mag 7:ATF universe.

  Dawn: Alyssa Milano

  Ranger Gregor: Adrien Paul

  Morning Dawn

  by C.L. Combs

  “You got everything, Ez?” Buck Wilmington asked, trying to hold back a yawn.

  Making sure the strap to his carry-on bag was firmly positioned on his shoulder, Ezra Standish nodded at his fellow ATF agent. “Thank you for the transportation from the airport. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” Buck replied with a dismissing wave. “JD can get a ride from Chris when the rest of the guys fly in.”

  “After the six hour delay in Dallas, I’d have almost preferred staying in San Antonio with our fellow teammates instead of taking Mr. Larabee up on his offer for an early departure,” Ezra commented with a yawn. Both men had had minimal amounts of sleep the past two weeks while posing as arms dealers, so their leader Chris Larabee had sent them home right after the bust.

  Buck gave him a sleepy grin. “At least I’ve got a night without listening to JD’s Nintendo games beeping in the background.”

  “Well, I am off to sleep for a week,” Ezra replied with another yawn. “Enjoy your evening.”

  Fighting to stay awake, Buck drove to the loft he shared with his fellow teammate, JD Dunne. While he normally enjoyed the exuberate energy of the youngest Team Seven member, tonight Buck was actually looking forward to an evening alone. All he really wanted to do was veg in front of the Broncos game he’d taped with a pizza and a beer. Then like Ezra, he wanted to sleep for a week.

  Closing the front door and clicking the deadbolt shut, Buck yawned as he headed towards the couch, dropping his duffel bag half-way there. Toeing off his boots, Buck leaned back and stretch, popping his back. Glancing at the answering machine, he blinked as he noted the red ‘24’ blinking on their machine. Twenty-four messages? The Denver women must have missed me. Well, too bad, ladies. Ole Buck’s too pooped to woo tonight.

  Buck had barely started searching for the TV remote under the newspapers on the coffee table when the phone rang. Thinking it was probably JD, Buck absently picked it up. “Hello?”

  “Wilmington? Where in the Hell have you been this week?”

  Buck blinked, recognizing the voice. “Captain Elliot?” Confused, Buck tried to figure out why his old boss with the Denver PD would care where an ATF agent was. “I’ve been out of town. Why?”

  A heavy sigh echoed across the line. “I have news.”

  Picking up on the reluctant tone, Buck instinctively knew it wouldn’t be good news. “What’s up?”

  “Ted Montabone escaped from prison three days ago.”

  // It’s all YOUR fault, Wilmington! I’m going to KILL you!//

  Buck closed his eyes as the blood-covered images assaulted him. The ancient, painful memories he thought he’d left behind crashed down his head with surprising intensity. Fighting to keep in control, he softly asked, “Any idea where he went?”

  “We think he went to Arizona, but no one knows for sure.”

  Pulling himself together, Buck sat up straighter. “So there’s no way of knowing if he plans to carry out his threats?”

  “None. Though hopefully, he’s got enough problems staying ahead of the search to worry about you.” There was a pause, heavy with memories. “Still, I wanted to let you know so you could watch your back.”

  Voice rough, Buck softly replied, “I appreciate that.”

  “Let Chris know, too, so he can watch your back as well.”

  Buck winced. So much had happened to Chris since they had been partners in Homicide. So much had happened to both of them and between them during the intervening years. Buck wasn’t sure he was ready to dredge up old ghosts for both of them. “I’ll handle it.”

  “And remember, if you need anything, anything at all, let me know.”

  “Appreciate it.” Softly saying goodbye, Buck hung up the phone. Closing his eyes, an image of a pair of soft brown eyes and a warm, sweet smile floated in front of him. It was a ghost that had been with him for over ten years, slowly fading yet never totally disappearing. “Ah, Morning Dawn, how am I going to handle you tonight?” Buck dropped his head in his hands. He knew the nightmares would return with a vengeance. He just didn’t know if he could fight them again.

  =======================================

  Noon the next day

  “Hey Buck? You home?” JD called out as he stepped into the loft. Silence greeted him. “Hey Buck, you still asleep?” The young man bounced up the stairs, full of energy after being stuck on a plane for several hours. Planning to yank his friend out of bed to face the brilliant day, he skidded to a stop when his eyes discovered a neatly made bed. “That’s weird,” JD muttered. Buck rarely made his bed, unless he planned on being out of town for several days. Yet he should have slept in it last night.

  Oh well, maybe he went over the Marian’s. Or Susan’s. Or Katie’s… Shrugging, JD trotted back down the steps and walked over to the couch, nearly tripping over Buck’s duffel. Not thinking much about it, he glanced at the answering machine. TWENTY-FIVE MESSAGES? And Buck hasn’t listened to them yet? Puzzled, JD hit the ‘play’ button. He smiled as a message from his girlfriend Casey filled the room, saying she was sorry she had missed him and would make it up to him once he got back. Playing with ideas of how she could make it up to him, JD barely listened to the message from Susan asking if Buck was home yet, vaguely noted the one from Mrs. Swiss downstairs saying she picked up their mail, and ignored the one trying to get Buck to re-mortgage the loft.

  Then a stern voice boomed into the room. “Wilmington? This is Captain Elliot. I need to you call me pronto.” JD frowned. Why would Buck’s old boss call him? The next message was also from Captain Elliot. So was the next one. And the next one.

  Suddenly, the fact that Buck wasn’t in the loft as he had planned became a bit more ominous. Looking around as another message from Captain Elliot rang in his ears, JD noticed a frame picture sitting on the coffee table. He picked it up to study. It was of a much younger Buck and a young woman with soft brown hair and eyes. Blinking, JD realized that in the four years he had known the older man, he had never seen such a contented smile on his friend’s face. Who on earth is this? And why is this picture sitting out when I know I’ve never seen it before?

  “Wilmington, I REALLY NEED TO TALK WITH YOU. CALL ME!”

  JD looked down at the machine. Something was going on here, but he didn’t have a clue what. He glanced at the duffel bag that had not been opened. Thought of the neatly made bed upstairs. But most unsettling was that Buck was not here where he was supposed to be. Don’t panic, JD. Try the office. He grabbed the phone.

  =======================================

  Elephant Ridge, Arapaho National Forest

  “I love you, Buck.”

  The soft whisper barely reached his ears. Buck grasped the bloody shoulder tighter. “Don’t go, Morning Dawn. Fight, darling, fight!” Anguish filled his soul as the delicate eyelids closed for the last time. “Oh God, NO! Dawn! Dawn!”

  Buck awoke with a jerk, tears streaming down his face like they did that fateful night. It took a moment to realize he wasn’t at Dawn’s apartment in Cherry Creek. He was in that special spot entwined with her memories, so he could mourn her yet again.

  Slowly standing and pulling away from the rock that had supported his all-too-brief nap, Buck ignored the small dome tent behind him. He wasn’t ready for sleep. He wanted to remember her as she had lived, not how she had died. Taking a deep breath, the tall man walked onto a gently curved rock outcropping. Before him stretched a mountain valley, the rugged, pine tree covered slopes sharply d
ipping down to a quiet valley, a stream cutting through the green meadow grass. A soft breeze dried his tears, the scent of pine teasing his nose.

  They had found this particular spot one day when they had been hiking. Buck only had to close his eyes to see her spinning on this very rock, arms opened wide. He had admired her sleek curves in denim shorts and a T-shirt sporting a red rose and the saying, ‘a touch of class’. “Isn’t this the most beautiful view, Buck!” she had exclaimed. “A picture just wouldn’t do it justice!” Buck had the same thought, only he had been thinking of her.

  They had spent their first night together in this spot. It was here with an eagle flying above that he had proposed to her. And it was here that he had sat for four days mourning her, with a worried Chris silently watching him grieve. While he had been with numerous women since, there had only been one Morning Dawn.

  At first, he had come back often to this spot, silently celebrating her birthday, the anniversary of their first date, the anniversary of his proposal. He had spent several days on the rock after Sarah’s and Adam’s deaths, mourning them and recovering from his own frustration when Chris shoved him away. Whenever his soul needed the gentle soothing her touch once provided, he would come here.

  Yet those visits had gradually grown fewer. Buck had only returned once since Chris had formed Team Seven, and not ever since he had gained his energetic protegee and roommate. Until now, when the past once again decided to haunt him. Damn you, Montabone. Damn you for taking her. And damn you for making me remember again.

  A part of him felt guilty. How could he forget her? How could he stop mourning that beautiful ray of sunshine? But another part pointed out that he hadn’t really forgotten. The piece of his soul that had been hers alone still remained untouched, lonely in a way no other woman had ever been able to completely erase. Only JD and the other men who had become his family had ever come close. All of whom should be home now and possibly worrying since he had simply disappeared. With a sigh, Buck started to turn back towards his cell phone, wondering if it would work and what he could possibly say to JD to explain what he was doing.

  With harsh suddenness, something slammed into the back of his head. The echo of the rifle report swirled with the sense of falling before blackness overtook him.

  =======================================

  Buck’s loft

  “… and his duffel is still right here!”

  “Maybe our Mr. Wilmington has simply gone out to obtain some nourishment?”

  “No, we have enough food, and he should have been too tired to go out.”

  Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner walked in through the open door to spy JD waving at the kitchen area. His audience consisted of the rest of Team Seven, namely Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson, and Ezra Standish. The four looked up with mixtures of disappointment and relief shining from their faces. Noting the clothes the two men still wore, Josiah softly commented, “Didn’t get all the way to Vin’s place?” Chris was to have dropped off Vin before driving out to his ranchette on the city’s outskirts.

  Vin silently shook his head as Chris approached the youngest team member. “JD, what’s going on here?”

  “Something’s wrong, Chris. I can’t find Buck. Hell, other than the duffel bag and the picture, there isn’t even any evidence that he got back!”

  “What picture?” Vin asked. Ezra silently handed Vin the frame he held.

  “You sure Buck isn’t visiting one of his lady friends?” Chris asked with a slight smirk. He knew his old friend well.

  JD shook his head. “I called all the current ones and a few of the older ones. Even then, he usually takes his cell phone. Plus there’s all the messages from Captain Elliot.”

  “Elliot?” Chris repeated with surprise. “What did he want with Buck?”

  “Apparently something big, since he left nearly twenty messages on our machine,” JD replied. “Though I think he did get a hold of Buck by the sounds of the last message.”

  “What did he say, JD?” Chris asked patiently. He took the frame from Vin while still concentrating on his youngest agent.

  “Well, here’s the last message…” JD pressed the appropriate button.

  “Wilmington, Elliot again. Montabone is NOT in Arizona. In fact, no one knows where the hell he is. So watch your back!”

  Montabone! Chris felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. The image of his partner, rocking and sobbing while he cradled a blood covered body close to his chest, filled his mind.

  “Chris,” Vin asked cautiously, “You know this Montabone?”

  Shaking the image from his mind, Chris absently replied, “Yes.” He glanced down at the picture, remembering the sweet young woman and how happy she had made Buck. Rusty connections from the past cleared through his brain.

  “Then who is it?” JD asked, worry thinning down his patience.

  Chris forced himself to look at his men. “Buck’s business. JD, is Buck’s backpack still here?”

  “His backpack?” Nathan questioned as JD raced to check. “Why would he want his backpack?”

  Chris remained silent. Vin felt his own concern climb as worry radiated from his friend.

  “No, it’s not,” JD replied, breathlessly. “His hiking boots are gone, too.”

  “Then I know where he is,” Chris replied. He turned to Josiah. “Call Elliot and find out what the status is on Montabone. If he’s in the Denver area, I’ll take Buck to my place where we can keep him safe.” He turned to the door.

  “Where are you going, Chris?” Nathan asked in confusion.

  “To get Buck,” Chris tersely replied.

  “I’m going, too,” JD declared.

  Before he could take a step forward, Chris turned back. “No. Buck doesn’t need your questions right now. Let me get him, and we’ll meet at my place.”

  The door slammed in JD’s face.

  =======================================

  Below Elephant Ridge, Arapaho National Forest

  “Buck, you need to move.”

  Buck tried to lift his head to see the speaker, but the eruption of pain suggested that was a bad idea. He couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped.

  “Please Buck, he’ll find you if you don’t.”

  Dawn wanted him to move. Nothing made any sense, but if Dawn wanted him to move, he’d do anything in his power to obey. “O-kay, darling,” Buck whispered, his dry throat making the words sound more like a hiss.

  Somehow, he rose to his forearms before a sharp explosion of pain radiated from his left shoulder. Biting his lip to keep from crying out, Buck tucked his left arm close to his body as he fought to keep the darkness at bay. He finally forced his eyes open a crack. For a moment, he studied the yellowish brown rock and dirt under his hand.

  “Buck…”

  Swallowing hard against the dry throat, his right arm snaked ahead, then pulled the rest of him forward. More pain erupted from his right leg, but Buck continued. The scrape of rock against his bare skin hardly registered between the pain of his head, shoulder and other assorted tender spots. Slowly, he managed to drag his long body across the rock to where it dipped into a patch of soil with a line of short juniper bushes. Once he was tucked against them, Buck lost the battle with the darkness. A soft breeze caressed the unconscious man, oblivious to the dark-haired man below who was swearing because he couldn’t find his prey.

  =======================================

  An hour later, Chris’ ranch

  JD rubbed his hand over the handle of his motorcycle as he waited in the bushes at the end of Chris’ driveway. Sure, Chris had told him not to come. But Buck was practically his brother, damn it, and that meant he wasn’t going to just stay away when he was in trouble. Which had to be the case, if the look on Chris’ face earlier was any indication. His gut twisted with the thought of Buck alone, in trouble or worse. If he needed space, JD would give it to him – as long as he was within view.

  “Boo.”

  JD nearly jump
ed ten feet. He turned, finding Vin Tanner standing behind him. “Man, don’t DO that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

  Vin rocked back on his heels nonchalantly. “Chris leave yet?”

  JD turned back to the driveway. “Not yet.”

  “You know, Chris did tell you not to come.”

  Stubbornness and attitude filled the young face. “I don’t care. Buck needs me.”

  Vin shrugged. “I was thinking it’s a good time to go camping, myself.” Noting JD’s disbelieving stare, the sharpshooter continued, “It’s a free country, right? Nothing stopping us from pitching a tent. And it’s not our faults if we just happen to be in the same woods as Buck and Chris.”

  A wide, mischievous grin stretched across JD’s face as he caught on. “Especially if they don’t see us.”