Shop With a Cop

By AJB

Part One

Christmas in July. Sgt. Larabee snorted at the idiocy of the event. Understanding the principle of the idea was simple enough, that was a given; to an adult, it was one more chance during the year to feel better helping the unfortunate. To a kid, it was another chance to rake in more useless gifts that would probably be appreciated for about a week before relegating it to the Pile of Unloved Toys.

The label brought forth a mental vision of a Claymation Rudolph and the Island of Misfit Toys with the very sharp memory of Adam's giggling at Yukon Jack and that white Yeti creature . . . and Larabee's throat tightened.

A well-practiced combination of clearing his throat, looking elsewhere, and directing his thoughts to baseball or cleaning the barn or harvesting dog poop in the yard – anything else – worked to banish the raw, long suppressed emotions. Chris forced a strangled sigh, pressed his lips into a hard line, and then refocused his attention on the broken, squirming line of County foster kids on the sidewalk leading to Jumbo Jim's Discount Toy Warehouse waiting, impatiently, to be paired with a uniformed Denver Police Officer.

Sgt. Larabee managed to avoid the traditional December event for the last five years. Now, here he was at the summer "holiday" debacle which happened to coincide with a Denver Rockies double header.

"Whose brilliant idea was this fuckin' thing?" he growled as sweat rolled between his shoulder blades and under his Kevlar vest. "The timing sucks."

Beside him, Corporal Buck Wilmington's earthy chuckle did little to soften Larabee's ire. "Come on, Chris, it's better 'n directing midday traffic at the stadium. Then again," Buck mused while tapping his upper lip in thought, "all them pretty baseball fans in those skimpy summer dresses . . . Hmmm. Maybe you're right, pard."

"What's the matter, Buck," Larabee goaded with little glee. "Denver's County caseworkers aren't good enough for ya?" He nudged his longtime friend and subtly tipped his head toward a grey haired Amazon of a woman clutching a clipboard and ticking off names with sure flicks of her pen.

"Damn, Chris, she scares the bejesus out of me!" Buck whispered, maneuvering behind his shift supervisor. "She works with kids?"

"She's here, isn't she?" The pair watched the sturdy social worker stop to speak with two boys, her stiff posture spelling out her displeasure. The smaller boy shrank back and tucked in behind the taller boy, who not only stood his ground, but set his jaw and met the woman's eyes without flinching.

"Well, looky there," Buck chuckled. "Looks like the old bat met her match."

The rest of the line of children edged back from the trio, leaving a circle of open sidewalk and reminding Chris of a shooting target. The defiant boy never uttered a word and was not cowed. By the way the woman gripped the clipboard, Larabee could tell her anger slowly approached rage. He moved without thought and found himself at the boy's side just as the woman reached out to grab a skinny arm.

"I think the heat's getting to all of us," Larabee said sharply, inserting his body between the two and leveling a look at the woman that usually sent people into frightened retreat.

"Look here, Officer," the social worker started.

"Sergeant, not Officer."

As the unpleasant woman opened her mouth again, another voice eased the emotion in the air. "Thank you, Jessica, I'll take it from here." A tiny woman took the Amazon's arm and steered her away from the two boys.

"I told you that boy shouldn't be here, Nettie. It's no wonder no one will take him. He's trouble, like I told you."

"Yes, you did. Now take care of the next group, please."

Larabee blinked when the newcomer ignored him completely and smiled down at the defiant boy. "It's okay, Vin. You and JD are staying."

As she spoke, Nettie rested her hand on the skinny boy's shoulder and the fighting stance loosened, leaving a gangly limbed, awkward child behind. Chris realized then that the kid couldn't be more than 10 years old although his first impression had been that the boy was a short teen.

Vin nodded and turned just enough to check on his charge, whose relief was obvious, before raising his eyes and connecting with Chris gaze. The weary sadness Chris saw in the depths of those blue eyes stole his breath. He may only be a boy, but this child had the eyes of someone much, much older.

"Sergeant?"

Chris blinked and the connection broke. He looked to the boy's champion, realizing that she was speaking to him. "Um, yes, Ma'm?" he answered, thrown by the unsettled feelings sparking inside. "Uh, Larabee. Chris Larabee."

"Well, Sgt. Larabee. How about you accompany our friend Vin Tanner here for a shopping trip?"

Chris stared at her a moment, surprised how things got this far so fast, and in the next second found himself nodding and reaching out to rest his hand on a very boney shoulder. It was like instinct made his body move.

"Wait, JD . . ." Vin's eyes reflected panic as they flicked between Nettie and Chris.

"Not a problem," Chris heard himself say. He felt the hardness of his face melt into a genuine smile as he drew the boy's eyes back to his own. "Got the perfect addition." He turned to call to Buck, but found his friend just a step behind and looking at him with an amused smirk. "You. Go with that one." Chris tipped his head sharply in JD's direction.

Buck glanced down and laughed as JD's eyes widened. "Just ignore this 'un, Little Bit. His bark's worse than his bite. I'm Buck." He held out his paw of a hand and the little boy's head tipped farther and farther back as he inspected the newcomer. Then, he reached out his tiny hand which was fully engulfed within Buck's as they shook. "Ready for some toys, JD?"

"Yeah!" The pair headed to the front doors and the Christmas in July Shop With A Cop event began. JD dragged Buck along while Chris and Vin followed in a more sedate manner, side by side, but with a span between them that marked the clear line of Vin's personal space.

Tanner wasn't compelled to talk much and glanced back often to make sure that . . . well, Larabee couldn't quite pinpoint why his kid seemed so suspicious of everything around him, but the boy's quiet way felt comfortable and the Sergeant appreciated it. Larabee allowed his charge to lead the way, noticing that Buck and his exuberant assignment never left Vin's line of sight for very long.

Several minutes passed before the first items made it to their shopping cart. Vin pulled the cart down the empty camping gear aisle where the boy tossed a small tent and a camouflage sleeping bag inside. Chris glanced down the packed main aisle and saw that Buck's cart was half full of brightly colored toys before they disappeared around a corner. Chris could hear JD's chatter above the rest, amazed that it still maintained an exuberant level. He turned his attention back to his car frowned when the next items hit the cart – hiking boots. Two pairs.

"Uhm, Vin?" Larabee said. He waited until the boys eyes met his, causing them to stop in mid aisle. Chris could hear happy laughter and delighted squeals from the other aisles. "Don't you want anything fun? Toys?"

Guarded blue eyes held is gaze as if the kid was debating how to reply. Spontaneity was not a trait Chris associated with Vin Tanner, and that idea increased Chris' curiosity about the boy.

"Okay," Vin finally replied rather sullenly.

Chris tipped his head toward the main aisle and Vin dropped back enough to walk by the Sergeant's side. This main aisle was crowded, but when they turned down the toy aisle, they ran into a roadblock of carts, uniforms, and kids picking through a vast wall of Legos, Hot Wheels and building sets. Although Larabee's mere presence magically create a path, Vin's distress resonated clearly with his suddenly stiff posture. Chris noticed immediately and he changed tack, finding Buck and JD in the press of people stopping his cart next to Buck's. Vin slithered from Chris' side between the two carts and placed himself at the front of the baskets, his back to the wire as he watched JD paw through the Hot Wheels.

"You think they'd never seen new toys before," Buck chuckled.

Delivered as an innocent statement, the words sent Chris' thoughts to a dark area that, for once, did not hold visions of his deceased wife and child. By JD's actions, Larabee believed the boy had toys at one time in his life, but Vin's way-of-being made Chris wonder on the truth of Buck's observation. Now, looking at the waif of a boy watch JD, there was just a hint of amusement in Vin's features and it was the first loss of wariness Chris witnessed.

"Vin?" Chris asked, causing the child to look his way. "Go ahead and pick out a Hot Wheels. It's fine. Do you like trucks?"

Chris then moved to Vin's side and, ignoring the boy's stiff posture on his arrival, rested his hand between the wings of shoulder blades easily felt under the thin shirt. Vin did not twitch or stiffen and graced Chris with a ghost of a smile, nodding once.

"Well," Chris started, turning his focus away from those huge eyes to the rack of cars. "Here's a red one. Looks like a Chevy. You like that?"

Vin studied the small vehicle for a moment before focusing the hanging vehicles. After a few seconds, he reached out tentatively and lifted a black pickup truck from a hook.

Buck snorted. "He's got your taste, boss."

Vin froze and raised his gaze to Chris, and Chris found himself smiling. "Looks like it," he agreed. "I have a truck just like that," he explained to the child.

Vin's shoulders relaxed and he held the truck close.

When their hour was up, the four of them checked out and left the store. Outside, volunteers labeled each item in permanent marker with the boys' names. Nettie appeared as the last item was tagged and gently rested a hand on a shoulder of each boy.

"Thank you, officers," she said, smiling up at them. "We'll take it from here. What do you say, boys?"

JD yelled "thank you!" while Vin uttered a quiet "thanks".

"You're welcome, Little Bit!" Buck replied, ruffling JD's hair

Chris smiled at Vin and nodded once, and then Nettie wrangled the pair toward the waiting school bus.

Chris found himself watching his charge until he was out of sight in the mob of kids boarding the bus. Buck nudged him to move and Chris shot him a glare.

"Well, looks like someone cracked that invisible wall," Buck laughed before walking away.

Chris frowned at his departing friend, wondering with irritation if Buck was right.

The next morning, a moderately unsettled Chris Larabee entered the sergeant's office to relieve the night shift sergeant and stopped dead when he saw the picture of a familiar face looking up at him from the watch commander's desk. The murmur of voices and the police radio faded to the background as his heart fluttered.

"What's this?" he demanded, cutting off the sergeant's verbal brief as he pointed at the photo.

"Missing kids at risk," Sgt. DeMarco replied while unbuckling his gun belt. "Looks like they ran away. Two of 'em. The BOLO came in about an hour ago."

"Vin Tanner and John Dunne."

DeMarco's brow arched. "You know them?"

"What?" Chris looked up from the photos. "No, well, sort of. I met them yesterday at the Shop With A Cop thing."

Surprise crossed DeMarco's face as he shrugged on a cover shirt over his uniform. "That's weird," he said. "There's not much to go on. They were discovered missing at morning bed check from two separate facilities."

"They're together," Chris said with enough certainty to make DeMarco pause.

"Maybe."

"Definitely. And I might know where they are, the area anyway." Chris collected the flyers, grabbed his patrol car keys, and left the office, striding past the briefing room.

"Hey!" Buck's voice carried from the room. "What about briefing?"

"Skip it. Buck, you're with me. Grab your car. Sanchez, Nate - head on out and cover the beat." Chris hit the exit door into the secured parking lot and Buck jogged to catch up.

"What's up?" Buck asked when he reached Chris' car. Chris shoved the boys' fliers into Bucks hand. "What's this . . . hey! It's those kids."

"Yeah, and I think I know where they are."

"You do? Did Vin here tell ya?"

Chris paused and looked at Buck. "Not exactly, but remember what Vin bought?"

Buck nodded, "Yeah, a tent, sleeping bag, boots . . . kinda weird."

Chris chuffed as he unlocked the Sergeant SUV. "Not if you plan on running away."

"That's true, I suppose, but where did they go?"

"The kid . . . Vin . . . lifted a map of local parks in the camping area of the store."

Buck thought about that a second. "The closest campground to his facility is Boulder Creek," he said.

"True, but the one closest to JD's facility is Tree Crest. There are several volunteers searching around the facility, so let's check the campground."

A humid blast of wind made the men shiver and Buck looked at the sky. "Well, where ever we search, hope we find 'em before that front moves in. They're predicting lots of rain and parts of Tree Crest are susceptible to flash floods."

"Then we better hurry." Chris slipped into the unit and fired it up.

The small tent shuddered with the wind's sudden onslaught. Vin, his head poking out from the light sleeping bag, snuggled closer to JD. He wished he got another sleeping bag, but he didn't want to explain why he needed two. They both fit inside one bag, but JD wiggled around a whole lot when he slept.

Vin scanned the interior of the tent, satisfied it wouldn't blow away, and noticed that he could see the outlines of the swaying trees. It was lighter outside, but muted with overcast skies. His stomach grumbled on cue. The biscuits he'd stolen from the center's kitchen were good, but they ate them all for dinner. A couple apples, a loaf of bread, and some funny smelling water from the campsite bathroom was all they had left and he figured it had to last another day or so. According to the map, there was a store a couple miles east, right on the route to the reservation. Once they reached their destination, he was sure they'd be okay. Vin felt the hard, sock full of coins tucked away under the sleeping bag; it was enough to get supplies at the store.

Vin thought it was smarter to pitch the tent away from any actual campsite, but the campground was full of summer campers anyway. After filling the canteens in the pre-dawn darkness, he'd dragged a tired, complaining JD deeper into the woods and put up their shelter against a rocky slope that had a nice, sandy base. Being the only flat spot large enough for the tent he could find in the dark, the curve of the slope protected them from the worst of the wind and Vin smiled at his luck for finding the spot.

The tent shuddered again and the wind whistled through the trees creating a soothing whisper that made Vin drowsy. He'd decided it was best to lay low today and start moving again at sunset when most people settled down. Keeping JD quiet and in one place wouldn't be easy, but the small boy usually did what Vin told him to do and there were some new toys to keep him busy. Vin couldn't imagine anyone cared enough to search for very long, anyway.

When the first light drops dotted the tent top Vin relaxed, sure that no one would search in the rain. With the comforting sound of gentle rainfall and JD's soft breathing, he drifted back to sleep.

"Are you sure about this, Chris?"

Buck and Chris, after studying the campground map posted at the entrance, picked a quadrant that would most likely appeal to the escapees. First, they checked every one of the campsites and spoke with the campers - due to the rainfall, a good majority was still on the grounds. Only the adventurous patrons were out hiking in the weather.

"I know they're here. I just have this feeling . . ." Chris scoured the forest edge with sharp eyes, looking for any hint, any clue. He refused to voice that in reality, he wasn't sure what direction to take.

Buck squinted skyward, tugging the hood of his rain gear lower on his forehead. "Well then, let's figure where they won't be first."

"The riverbed. It's overgrown and dry, but it's where the flooding would happen." Chris tipped his head aside and met Buck's troubled eyes.

"Well, it's where you and I wouldn't be, that's for sure, but maybe we'd best check there first?"

Chris nodded once and stepped onto the path leading to the riverbed. Somewhere inside he understood Buck's logic was why they were at that particular trailhead - his gut led them here, and he knew better than to ignore his instincts.

"At least it's not raining hard yet," he muttered as he walked.

"True, but you know it's heavier in the hills and that's where the flood water comes from. We don't have a lot of time."

Fear flared low in Chris' stomach. He knew that, too, but couldn't put the fear into words.

"Hell, this may all be some wild goose chase, right?" Buck, following his friend's footsteps, gave him a light hearted poke in the shoulder.

"Right."

Chris knew that wasn't true.

"Is it rainin'?" JD muttered as he rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Yeah. It's getting a little harder." Vin handed his small friend an apple. "Here. Want some bread?"

JD frowned and pushed out of the sleeping bag. "I gotta go potty," he said. "Bad."

"Okay. Put your shoes on and you can pee just outside the tent door."

JD giggled at the idea and hurriedly poked his feet in the new boots while Vin unzipped the tent flap. He slipped on a tattered windbreaker with a hood and when Vin pushed it aside, a wet, earthy smell blew inside causing both of them to grin. It smelled a lot better than the County rooms.

"Ooo it smells like trees!" JD squealed when he stepped outside.

"Just don't let the wind blow your pee inside," Vin giggled.

JD glanced back at him, delighted. "Don't look at me!"

"I'm not watchin' you, I'm lookin' at the trees! Jeeze."

"I'm goin' over here." JD took two steps around the side of the tent and Vin soon heard the sound of JD's business hitting the rocky wall that curved around them. He knew the noise because he'd already done his business in the same place.

Vin smiled and admired the view outside the tent doors. Now that he could see, he saw that they sat in the curve of what looked like a dry riverbed, sitting on higher ground against a rocky cliff face. Beyond the rock-strewn sand, the woods seemed endless and there wasn't a person or vehicle in sight. The light patter of rain made the whole scene seem magical and Vin wished they didn't have to leave.

JD came around the corner and dropped clumsily onto his butt just inside the door way.

"Ew, you're all wet. Take that coat off."

JD did as he was told, stuffing the damp jacket into a corner of the tent. Next, he kicked off his boots and sat next to his friend to watch the rain while he ate his apple.

"We gotta move when it gets dark," Vin said quietly, reluctant to break the spell of the woods. "Luckily, the rain will keep anyone for lookin' very long, so we'll be safer moving at night."

"Can't we stay here longer?"

"No, we need to get more food. And when the rain stops, there's gonna be more hikers around here. We gotta move."

There were several long seconds of contemplative silence before JD spoke again.

"D'ya think anyone really cares enough to look for us?"

A thoughtful crease crossed Vin's forehead. "No, but they gotta make the effort to cover their own butts," he said wisely. "They'll stop after a while. We'll be on the reservation by then."

"Are there really horses there?"

"There were when I was there with my grandpa. I bet they are still there." Vin knew it had been a few years ago when his grandpa died, but hope was a bright spot in his mind. All he wanted was for things to be the way they were before his last family member died and the State stepped in after he and JD lived on the streets for awhile. He wasn't sure it was even the same reservation, but Vin decided that JD didn't need to know that; the boy trusted Vin, and Vin trusted him, and they wouldn't ever be separated again if Vin could help it.

"It's raining harder."

Vin listened a moment. "Yeah," he said slowly. Suddenly, his stomach felt funny, reminding him of how he felt when he visited a doctor. Unsettled, he stood and slipped on his jacket.

"Where're ya goin'?" JD asked.

"Nowhere." Vin stepped outside the tent door and concentrated on listening to the woods and rain.

"Look, there's a river now!" JD pointed at the line of brown, foamy water that followed the etched lines in the sand. Soon, it was a steady stream.

Something felt . . . off.

"JD, put on your boots and jacket," Vin said, staring upstream.

"Why? I just took 'em off!"

"I'll help you with your laces."

Vin broke his stare with a sense of doom and donned his boots and jacket then squatted down to ties JD's laces.

"Wow, the water growed."

Hurriedly working the bootlaces, Vin glanced aside and saw that the water was rising fast. Leaves and twigs rolled with the muddy current. "Grab the food, JD. We gotta go." JD darted inside and came out with their backpack of food and Vin started to collapse the tent.

"Vin?" JD sounded worried.

Vin turned around at the sound of a loud roar and saw that the water was only a foot away from their feet and there was no dry path out of the notch where they'd camped.

"Come on. Climb." Vin shoved the small boy to the rocky face and pushed him up. "Hurry, JD!"

Vin felt a rush of wind before he saw a wall of water barreling through the tangle of trees. The dry bed was now a rage of foam and branches and tore away their tent. Vin scrambled up behind JD, pressing the small boy between his chest and the cliff face.

"Keep going!" Vin screamed.

JD was eerily silent but Vin could hear him gasping for air. The roiling water sloshed over Vin's lower legs. One foot slipped.

"I can't hang on, Vin!"

"CLIMB!"

Their path led Chris and Buck to a rustic wood bridge that spanned a trickle of brown water.

"Guess that's usually dry," Buck said, mid-span. Chris stopped, looking down, and Buck stopped a few paces later on the far side. "What?" he said.

At that moment, their hand held radios crackled to life. "Flash flood watch for the County areas," the dispatcher reported. "All units be aware of road closures."

The two of them had heard that warning countless times in their career. The same roads always flooded, and there were always idiots that attempted crossing them. Someone always had to be rescued and the dispatcher's verbal warnings always caused annoyed grunts and rolled eyes from the officers.

This time, however, the warning raised alarms in Chris' gut. He charged across the bridge and turned south, following the creek bed. Buck opened his mouth to yell, but a distant rumble he'd hardly noticed had grown to a frightful roar.

Flash flood.

"CHRIS!" he yelled - but he was already out of sight. Buck immediately got on the radio. "Flash flood at Tree Crest County Park. Possible victims north of the camping area." He dashed after Chris without waiting for acknowledgement.

Chris crashed through the trees heading directly into the sound of chaos. The roar grew until it covered all other sounds, including his police radio ear bud. He was above the flow, on a winding ridge that contained it, but the noise of the rushing water was unexpectedly loud. Chris glanced at the opposite ridge and was shocked to see how fast the water rose. At one point, he heard something and stopped, panting hard. He tipped his head, straining to hear, and ripped out the ear bud to stop the radio chatter. There - a voice?

Chris pushed onward and a slower pace, concentrating on sound and scanning the opposite cliff face where the torrent continued to climb. He stopped again, hearing . . . crying?

Chris tipped his head to locate the noise when Buck joined him. Chris raised his hand and Buck frowned at him, silently wiping the rain from his face. Chris took another careful step, and then looked down.

"Watch the edge," Buck managed to get out before Chris dropped to his knees, then his stomach and reached over the cliff.

"Hold on!" Chris yelled. "I can't reach them, Buck! Rope!"

"What?" Buck leaned over Chris and looked down, where he saw two pale, frightened faces looking up at him. The water lapped at their heels, and the boys gasped and clung frantically to the rocks when a large branch brushed against their legs. "Aw, hell! Dispatch? We need ropes now! There are two kids trapped by the flood! The ranger is closest - "

"I'm at the park entrance," Officer Sanchez's voice instilled calm, and Buck was momentarily relieved that he was the one responding. "Where are you?"

"Follow the creek path by space 7, cross the bridge, turn left." Buck was distracted by Chris, who was removing his gun belt. "What are you doing?"

Without answering, Chris backed over the crest and lowered himself over the edge. "I'm helping them hang on." He disappeared from sight.

Buck dropped onto his belly and peered down; even though the rain had stopped, the water continued to rise. Chris was to the right of the two boys, and luckily, the slope of the cliff face wasn't as severe as other areas, and there was a good selection of large rocks to hang on to.

The water battered the boys' feet. Chris reached down and initiated a wrist to wrist grip with the smaller child against the rocks. "Come on, just a little higher and you can rest," he said evenly. The boy - JD, Chris recalled - was shivering and terrified to near catatonia. "Come on, JD. Just a few feet."

He pulled and JD finally responded with a gasp, his cold fingers clutching Chris' forearm as far as his fingers could reach. The boy managed about three feet, clearing his feet from the water to find a good rock to anchor himself. "Got it?" Chris asked before letting go.

JD just blinked, terror clear in his eyes.

"I have to help Vin now, JD. You're safe here if you hang on. You need both hands. You hear me?"

JD just shivered and clung to Chris' arm with one hand while the other hugged the rock.

"Hey, JD! Up here!" Buck called in a firm voice. "You're fine where you are, Little Bit. Can you look at me please?" Finally, the boy cautiously looked up and Chris freed his hand. "There ya go! Easier to hang on with two hands, right?"

Chris quickly climbed down until his legs were even with Vin's torso. With JD on the rock, there was no place for Vin to go, and Chris frantically worked to come up with a plan. "Hey, Vin," he said, looking over his shoulder at the wiry boy. Without JD under him, Vin pressed against the cliff face like a stubborn tick, but Chris knew he was wearing out. He could see the boy's muscles trembling and he was breathing hard and shivering.

The water surged and rose to Vin's knees. Chris instantly reacted by reaching down and grabbing Vin's collar. "Hang on, son," Chris breathed, feeling his position slip. The water crept higher. Chris tugged and Vin edged sideways until he pressed against Chris' side.

"Hang on, Chris! Almost there!"

The sound of Josiah's voice renewed Chris' grip on the wet jacket. Vin moaned. Chris felt the tiny body quivering against him, and then he felt it slip. "No!" he growled, readjusting his hand so it looped under the boy's shoulder. "You aren't going anywhere, you hear me?"

Vin's breathing became labored. Chris felt the water soaking his feet. "No. . ." he snarled again.

"CHRIS! To your left!"

Chris felt a rope brush his left shoulder. He couldn't grab it and keep his grip on the rock, and he couldn't let go of the boy.

"I'm coming down!" Buck yelled as Chris felt loose rock slide along his left side.

Chris focused everything he had on the child in his grasp. He looked down and met terrified, exhausted blue eyes and knew he would save this boy or die trying.

Another surge struck Vin, lifting his body from the cliff face.

Chris held on to him and felt his grip on the rocks loosen.

"Chris! Hang on! Chris!"

In the next second he fell, his grip on the child's bicep tight when the plunge into icy water stole his breath.

TBC