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  Michael then gently spoke in his son's ear. "Chris, get Buck back to the house."

  Pausing, Chris finally tore his eyes away from the body and looked at Buck. His friend's eyes were wide in shock and he was beginning to tremble again. Taking a deep breath, he draped an arm around Buck's shoulders and walked him out of the barn.

  Once inside the mud room, Chris took another deep breath. He felt safer in the house. He turned to Buck. It was obvious he was on autopilot, taking off and hanging up the borrowed coat while staring at the wall. "Buck?"

  "That was him, Chris. He's the one that...killed..." Buck suddenly collapsed to his knees, tears welling in his eyes as he trembled.

  Chris knelt next to his friend. "I know." As Buck began to sob, Chris roughly pulled him into his shoulder. "I know." Chris didn't know how long they knelt there, only that he was covering his hurting buddy's backside.

  * * *

  Later, Chris sipped his tea as he watched Buck in the living room. His friend was wrapped in a blanket, blue eyes staring ahead at the fireplace.

  They had been so damn lucky. Ricker had arrived around the same time as his father, both immediately noticing the car that had terrorized he and Buck a few days earlier. Together, they had tracked the boys to the barn. They devised a plan for Michael to distract the killer from the boys and allow Ricker to get into place. When the killer lifted his knife to throw at Buck, Ricker had been forced to shoot. Chris was simply grateful the man would no longer be a threat to his friend.

  However, there was more going on than just a physical threat. Even five years later, Chris remembered what it was like to lose his mother, and he had his father for support. Buck did not even have that safety net. Worried, Chris quietly sat next to him. After a few moments, Buck softly whispered, "Thanks."

  "Thanks for what?" Chris asked, honestly puzzled.

  "For protecting me. For keeping me calm. For saving my life."

  Chris shrugged. "That's what friends do."

  Buck turned his head to meet Chris' eyes. "Then I am your friend for life."

  "Friends for life," Chris emphasized the plural. They shook hands, making the vow official.

  * * *

  July 2001

  The meeting over, the various members of Team 7 stood, stretched and wandered out of the conference room. Chris stayed seated, scribbling notes. Then he looked up. Buck was standing beside him, a slight twist to his lips. "Friend for life."

  In a flash, Chris thought of everything that had happened since they were sixteen. Life had drifted them apart and then thrown them back together. They had stood by each other's side through honors, embarrassments, triumphs, failures, weddings, and way too many funerals. At each twist and turn, Buck had stayed with him, even when most sane people would have cut and run. Returning the gesture, Chris offered his hand. "Friends for life."

  Buck gripped it hard, confirming with his eyes that the vow was still as strong as when he had made it nearly twenty-six years before. Chris' eyes agreed. Then Buck smiled and walked back through the conference room door.

  The End