TITLE: Sunbow, Montana III – Code 10-99
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by
people with a lot more money
Author’s Voice of Warning (aka Author’s Note):
English is not my first language; it’s German. This is the best I can do. Any
mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize
FEEDBACK: Loved
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I'm in a fluffy mood... sorry... and I continued my Sunbow AU.... *sighs*
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Jace Marshall leaned back against the counter of Hight Hardware, sipping the
strong but very good coffee served free for customers from an old but very
reliable machine, and watched the busy street through the open door. It was
September and the annual Main Street Festival was starting up. All stores were
open for it, cafes served on the sidewalk, restaurants and bistros offered
Festival specials, and all stores had some kind of Festival sale. At Hight’s,
it was household items.
People were dropping in, saying their hellos and talking about home
improvements, the Festivals, horses, cattle and the weather.
Jon Hight, owner of the store, was chatting amiably with a blonde woman in her
mid-thirties who was holding a mixer. Jace suppressed a smirk. Arielle Paxton,
Mayor Orrin Paxton’s wife, had dropped in half an hour ago and had headed
straight for the cook wear section, only to make a beeline for the kitchen
tools after a second of hesitation. She was a woman with one well-stocked
kitchen, Jace always figured, because she left half her income from the
needlework shop she had a few blocks down Main in here. She also cooked a mean
stew and her apple pie was to die for. October would bring the next
festivities, the Halloween weekend, and usually there was a bake-sale that
people from all over town always anticipated.
“Hey, Elle,” Jace greeted her when Arielle came to the counter to pay for the
mixer and a stack of kitchen linen.
“Hello, Jace. Helping out with Jon’s sale?”
“Nah. Nicking a free coffee,” he laughed.
“You and every other leech in town,” the older man grumbled good-naturedly.
“Other people would call them ‘friends’, Hight.”
“I call them what I want. That’ll be 68.99,” he turned to address Arielle.
She handed over her credit card and waited to sign the credit card slip.
“I heard Jack and Logan have an exhibit out in the Courtyards.”
Jace nodded. “They do. I should know. Wheeler got me into helping him wrangle
all that junk down from his ranch.”
“I think they are beautiful works of art.”
“Especially that new raptor,” Jon laughed.
“Barrett threatened to shoot it should they pin up its history,” Jace supplied,
smirking.
“He would,” Arielle said as she picked up her shopping bag. “Bye, boys. See you
later.”
Jace walked over to the sink, rinsed out his cup, and placed it on the towel
left of the sink. “Well, I’ll be off, too. Promised to swing by Sam’s before I
go and see how our boys in blue are doing. I think Blake’s become addicted to
that double shot mocha.”
Jon waved at him and Jace threaded his way through the growing crowds. The Bee
Hive Café was busy, but when Mikaela saw him, she slipped his order in between
the other customers and Jace was outside, with two hot specialty coffees in
under fifteen minutes.
The Sheriff’s office was rather quiet compared to the hubbub outside. Finch was
in the back office, as usual, and he crowed in delight when Jace handed over a
way too sweet and absolutely too strong coffee to the computer specialist. The
last thing Finch needed was more sugar or caffeine. Then again, Jace had never
seen him on a low. He was always high-strung.
“Where’s Blake?”
Finch gestured toward the toilets, already gulping down the burning hot liquid,
looking blissed-out.
Deputy Blake Sides appeared a minute later and groaned thankfully at Jace’s
offering. “You’re a life saver!”
“I do what I can. Where’s Barrett?”
“Over on 5th. We had a 415.”
“Disturbance?” Jace translated. He still knew his codes and living with a law
enforcement officer meant you picked up a few things after a while, too.
“The Seekeras.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Again? Over what?”
“Who knows? Some trivial matter. Cade’s gonna be pissed as hell when he gets
back. Good that you’re here, Jace.”
“Oh thanks, Blake. Thank you so much,” he sighed.
The Seekeras were Sky and Star Seekera, the two unlucky souls whose parents had
been left over from the hippie era and had named all their children after
something celestial or the weather. Sky and Star were twins and pretty well
known around Sunbow for their fights. Both ran a Nature Company store and had a
very successful internet sales business. Still, when their tempers flared and
one accused the other of something, disturbance alerts rolled into the
Sheriff’s office. Sky and Star had two older siblings, Sun and Storm, but
neither lived in Sunbow any more. Nor did their parents, who had moved to San Francisco on the road to ‘enlightenment’.
Jace had had no plans, aside from enjoying the Festival and then maybe drag
Barrett off to look at Wheeler’s dinosaurs, though that might be a bad idea
after the twins. If Cade was on a short fuse, he wouldn’t enjoy looking at his
former patrol car in shape of a raptor called Barricade.
It was not twenty minutes later that his partner walked into the office, storm
clouds almost literally boiling over his head. Blake suppressed a smirk, gave a
sloppy salute, and slipped out onto the streets to take a look around.
“What are you doing here?” Barrett snapped as he discovered Jace.
“And hello to you, too, sunshine. I was over at Hight’s and thought I’d supply
your faithful troops with caffeine, maybe catch some lunch with you….?”
The dark eyes flared with still barely suppressed anger from the encounter with
the twins and Barrett just snarled something under his breath.
“Or,” Jace continued amiably, “I’ll head over to the Courtyards and have a look
at things there.”
With Barrett’s mood not getting any lighter, he knew it was better to let him
work that one out by himself. Jace had known his partner long enough to take a
hint. Right now Cade was close to blowing up in someone’s face.
“Barrett, deep breaths. It only happens every other month,” Jace said softly,
smiling, then walked out the door.
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Finch frowned at the sheriff over his flatscreen.
“What?” Barrett demanded.
“You’re one lucky guy that Jace still sticks around with that temper of yours,”
the computer geek only said. “I’d have kicked your ass all across Ark County for that.“ He then returned to whatever he was doing.
Cade glared at him before sitting down behind his desk, pushing papers and
files around. He knew he had been unfair to his partner, but the Seekeras
brought out the worst in everyone when they were fighting over trivial matters.
It was their hobby, it seemed, but it was also a disturbance of the neighborly
peace, so the law was called.
Barrett sighed. Yeah, Jace had to be the most patient man in the world
sometimes. He had no idea why they fit so perfectly together, despite
appearances to the contrary. They just did.
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It was late in the evening, the lights bathing the Courtyards in warm colors. The
shops had closed. People were now milling around the food and drink places,
walking through Wheeler’s metal dinosaur park at the end of the Courtyards, and
waiting for the fireworks that concluded this year’s festival. There had been
no further incidents, aside from children getting lost, someone twisting his
ankle, and a hysteric woman claiming her bag had been stolen – only to have it
returned to her by Berta, who had found it in the Bee Hive Café.
Barrett locked up the office for the night. Blake was on call tonight and Finch
had left early. Whether he was really on a date was anyone’s guess, but hey,
anyone could get lucky. Even a hyper-caffeinated computer geek like Firenzy.
He hadn’t seen Jace all day after coming back from the 415 where he had to get
his ears yelled off by the outraged twins. Cade knew he had been in a foul mood
after that, at least until after an hour later when his temper had finally
settled. Firenzy had only given him a pointed look in the end that told him
that he should get over it and behave like the town’s law again.
So he had.
Picking up lost children, removing two illegally parked vehicles – making the
day of Hook Towing -- and explaining the concept of one-way streets to a
five-year old who had blown bubble gum bubbles at him. Blake had been called to
a road accident on Old Tranquility, but it had only been a fender bender,
nothing serious.
And now he was off duty, walking through the dark streets of his hometown,
heading for the Courtyards to meet his partner. He had called up ahead and Jace
had told him he’d be at the dinosaur exhibit. It was closed by now, but it
would stay in town for another week until Wheeler would move it back to his
ranch. He was hoping to attract buyers. He had already started an internet site
with his art on display and the asking prices. Surprisingly enough he had sold
his pterodactyl already. Miracles never ceased.
Barrett found Jace just where he had said he would be. Dressed in old blue
jeans, a white shirt and boots, leaning against the fence post of the entrance,
finishing an ice cream cone, Jace Marshall looked like a GQ ad. His GQ ad,
Barrett mused. Damn, he was one lucky guy.
Jace smiled as he saw him and Barrett smiled back. “Got off late,” his lover
remarked.
“Ran into Elle. She and Orrin want us over for Thanksgiving.”
“It’s only September…”
“Elle mentioned something like evasion tactics and early notifications,” Cade
said with a shrug.
Jace laughed. “And who could she mean by that?”
“I had to work!”
“Riiight. Not like Blake didn’t tell me you almost begged him to switch shifts
with you that day.”
“I didn’t. He had a date the week before and I said I would take his shift…”
Jace pulled him close by his shirt and shut him up with a kiss. He tasted of
vanilla and peach. “I know you, Barrett Cade, and I wonder how you ever made
sheriff with your poor social skills.”
He growled something under his breath which only made the other man smile more.
“Orrin wants to be a good friend.”
“And that little brat of his just wants to torment me.”
“Roddy? He’s a sweet kid.”
“He’s a menace.”
Jace wrapped an arm around his waist, kissing him again. Somewhere in the
distance an early starter fired off a rocket and it bloomed a beautiful green.
“You love him.”
“I’d throw him in jail if I could.”
“He’s four, Barrett.”
“Life sentence.”
Jace laughed against his neck, his warm breath ghosting over Barrett’s skin. “I’ll
tell Elle we accept and this time I’ll make sure you are there, no shift
changes.”
Cade sighed deeply.
“C’mon,” Jace stepped back and tugged him a few steps along.
“Where to?”
“To see the dinosaurs.”
“Jace…”
“You’ll love yours.”
“He brought that thing over?!”
Blue eyes lit up with laughter. “Yes.”
“Wheeler…” Barrett snarled.
“It’s really great. C’mon, Barrett. Be a good sport.”
He snorted, but he followed his partner through the exhibit, past dinosaurs
made of all kinds of scrap metal, until they reached a red and blue lit up one.
It was as tall as Cade, looked remotely like a raptor, and still had the police
decals on its sides. He groaned. That had been his car until a drunk had pushed
it, with him inside, down Mission Hill.
“I think it’s great,” Jace said, smiling.
“It was my car.”
“You got a new one.”
“And he called it Barricade?”
“I’d be honored in your place.”
“You would.”
“Yep.” Jace stood shoulder to shoulder with him. “I think it’s perfect.”
“You think I’m a dinosaur?” Barrett asked evenly.
“No. The raptor. You. It fits.”
He should be tickled, honored, whatever, but looking at his former patrol car
still hit a sore spot inside Cade.
Another brilliantly green and blue fireworks display went off, soon followed by
more.
“Hey, they’ve started,” Jace commented. “Cool.”
The dark sky lit up with all kinds of colors, with sparklers and streaks of
gold and silver, with howlers and hissing, sizzling sparks. Barrett wrapped his
arms around his lover and pulled him close, Jace’s back to his chest, and
rested his chin on the left shoulder.
They watched the fireworks until the last blooms faded. Jace turned in his arms
and kissed him.
“Hungry?”
“Restaurants will be full.”
They always were at the end of the Festival when people flocked to the
eateries.
“Mia is keeping a table for us.”
Barrett chuckled. “You thought ahead.”
“Always do. So? Dinner?”
“Sounds fine by me.”
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The restaurant was truly crowded. Cade nodded a greeting or said a hello to who
they knew as they walked to their table. Mia came over with a bright smile on
her lips.
“Hey, boys. Want the menu or are you going with the dinner special?”
They agreed on the special, as well as beer for both of them, and Mia walked
off into the kitchen. Jace leaned back, surveying the crowd, feeling right at
home. Barrett was slowly unwinding, too, his shoulders relaxing. Tension eased
out of him and a fine smile played around his lips as he watched Willy and
Chase playing at the table near-by. Willy was coloring a book and Chase, the
older boy, was reading a Harry Potter novel. Their parents were still eating,
talking animatedly.
When Mia brought over their drinks, Jace nodded his thanks. “Say, I don’t see
Jon here.”
“He’s in the kitchen. Rico is feeding him dinner,” she chuckled.
Mia and Jon had been an on and off item for years now. Actually they were a
constant couple, sometimes more, sometimes less. They fought, they made up,
they lived more or less together, but each had his or her own place. Mia would
probably marry him right on the spot, but Hight had a kind of aversion –
allergy, Barrett always remarked with mirth – concerning serious engagements.
Ten minutes later they also had their food and from the way Cade dug in, he had
to be hungry. Jace simply enjoyed himself among people he knew, with his
partner, with good food, and he stole a few fries from his lover’s plate now
and then without getting stabbed by a fork.
It had been a great day. A great festival, just like every year.
No, he wouldn’t exchange this life for anything.
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Jace knew he was a dead man. The moment he had made the decision to buy the raptor
he had also signed his death warrant. Barrett would kill him. Plain and simple.
But Jace loved the dinosaur. It looked sleek and dangerous and it had been
created out of Cade’s former patrol car. The black and white color was still
present and Wheeler and Grim had found ingenious ways to include all the little
details about the car into their metal creature.
Jack had given him that squinty-eyed look that told Jace the other was very
much aware of what Marshall was doing and pitied him, but he had taken the
money anyway. Logan had brought the metal monster over on his truck and with a
winch, a lot of sweating and swearing, they had hauled all the parts off and Logan had put them together again.
Looking at their new ‘family member’, Jace smiled to himself. He didn’t know
why he had done it; not really. Part of it was sponsored by the relief he had
felt back then that the accident hadn’t killed his partner. Another part wanted
to help Jack and Logan with their business. And a small part was simply fascinated
by the raptor itself.
So much like Barrett, he mused.
Jace Marshall had been trained by the Army, had served with Special Ops, had
been on black ops missions, and he knew how to take a life, how to infiltrate,
how to spy. Barrett Cade was simply the sheriff of a small Montanan town, but
to Jace he was much more of the raptor than Jace felt he himself was one.
Strange, he thought. I could probably take him down in a fight, but I would
never try because his very presence is so… imposing, so dangerous.
He laughed a little to himself.
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When his partner came back that afternoon, Jace was down in the basement and
going through what he called their personal flea market. He was boxing up stuff
neither had used in years and was labeling it all to give to charity.
Jace came up the stairs and gave his lover a kiss. “Blake kicked you out?” he
asked, smiling.
“Yeah. He said to go home and not pester him.”
Barrett usually worked overtime and the deputy tried to man-handle him home if
there were no pressing matters. It was just that Cade liked to wrap up
everything, type his reports, file what needed to be filed, and then check on
everything once more. Blake would complain, threaten to call Jace if he didn’t
get his ass home, and finally resort to some sort of blackmail. It was a daily
ritual.
Jace took an envelope down from the shelf with the mugs on it and handed it to
the other man. “Happy birthday, Barrett.”
Brows drew down as Barrett opened the envelope, then shot up in disbelief.
“You didn’t…!”
Jace smiled widely. “I did.”
The dark eyes flared. “What the fuck, Jace?”
“C’mon! How couldn’t I? It’s beautiful!”
“It was my car!”
“One more reason to buy it.”
“Jace!”
“That’s my name.” Jace grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. “He’s around the
back.”
“It,” Barrett insisted.
“Whatever.”
He pulled his lover with him around the house and couldn’t suppress that really
wide, happy smile at the sight of Barricade the raptor. Wheeler had captured it
on the prowl, the gleaming red eyes – the car’s former strobe lights – alert,
the jaws opened just enough to capture a hint of sharp teeth. It was bending
forward, fingers curled in anticipation of a successful hunt, the strong hind
legs balancing it perfectly together with the long, whip-like tail. Its belly
was white, the front, including the head, as well as the hind legs and tail
black. ‘Police’ was written on the sides of the belly.
Barrett gazed at it with a mixture of disbelief, fading anger and bemusement. He
walked slowly around the whole sculpture that he had only seen lit up in the
exhibit at night.
“You’re crazy,” he finally stated, voice softer than before.
“I know.”
“You actually paid money for this?”
“It was the only currency Jack would accept,” Jace joked.
Barrett glared at him, but the anger was by now gone. “Idiot.”
Jace joined him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “I know.”
The kiss that followed was slow and loving and expressing all Barrett wasn’t
saying out loud. The ringing of Jace’s cell phone interrupted and he fumbled it
out of his pocket.
“Has he killed you yet?” Blake’s voice rumbled over the phone.
Jace laughed. “No, he hasn’t. Actually, he is just about to thank me for it.” He
winked at Cade.
“Leave out the details,” the deputy warded off any more information on that
particular tidbit. “Was just checking if you were still alive.”
“Yeah, thanks, Blake, but I can handle my partner.”
Barrett raised his brows, smirking. Jace hung up and pocketed the cell.
“Where were we?” Marshall asked.
“I was about to say thanks,” his partner reminded him.
“Hm, yes. So…?”
Barrett pulled him closer again, capturing those smiling lips. “How about we
continue this inside? I want to unwrap my other present?”
“I wasn’t aware of a second present.”
“Hm, but I saw one.” Cade slipped a hand under Jace’s t-shirt, playing his
fingers over the skin.
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, really,” came the purr.
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.
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New characters:
Mia – Chromia
Rico – Ricochet
Willy and Chase – Wheelie (I kept thinking Willy Wheeler, but I couldn’t do
that to Jack, the poor guy :P) and Chase
Arielle Paxton – Ariel/Elita
Roddy – Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime
The Seekeras – the Seekers (Starscream, Skywarp and Sunstorm (who was split
into two people because he appeared only once ;) ))