| JD stood in the Convention Center parking lot, his all day seminar on the latest computer technology in the FAA finally finished, and shifted his metal encased Rough Rider laptop from one hand to the other. He flexed his cramping fingers and blew on the tips as he scanned the parking lot a third time for any sign of his car. He was sure he had parked in row seven, positive even. He always picked row or section seven if it was available �row seven, Team Seven--was the perfect memory tool. Now though, as the cold winter wind whipped at him and light flurries of snow skimmed across the blacktop, row seven was empty. There was no sign of his beloved Shelby. He pulled his cell phone from his jacket and punched in the office's direct number knowing that the guys would still be there. "Wilmington here." Buck sounded warm. "Buck." "Hey, Kid, they finally let you escape from the geek seminar?" Wilmington asked; sounding a little surprised. "Somebody stole my car," JD blurted out. There was silence on the other end of the line for a full two seconds before JD heard his roommate begin to laugh uproariously. He scowled, his anger flaring. "It's not funny, Buck!" he yelled over the laughter. "My car is gone." Buck was obviously trying to stifle his amusement, but was failing miserably as he tried to speak again. "JD, think about it, who would want your car?" JD sighed heavily and shifted his weight. He stomped his feet half in fury and half in an effort to warm them up. "It's a great car," he argued. "The driver's seat reclines when you put it in first, when you can get it in first," Wilmington pointed out, laughing again. "So what!?" JD raised his voice again. "It runs and it's paid for. It's mine, damn it." He blinked in frustration. He didn't need this now. The whole reason his car had so many idiosyncrasies was because he just didn't have the funds to get them fixed. It was all he could do at this point to keep the thing road-worthy and filled with gas. �It�s all I have Buck and I don�t know have money for a new car! What am I gonna do?� he asked frantically. "Easy, JD," Buck was suddenly serious. "Calm down." "Calm down? Buck, my car is gone. I'm stuck at the Center. I've got no cash for a cab and I'm freezing my ass off! I'm going back inside if they'll let me in and calling the police." "Wait for me, JD. I'll come get you. Don�t call the cops until after I get there, please. You hear me?" "I hear you," JD growled and started back toward the now dark building. "I'll be there in about fifteen," Buck told him. "Fine." JD snapped his phone closed and angrily shoved it back into his jacket. By the time he made it back to the building, his ears ached, his nose was running and his fingers were stiff again. Impatiently, he banged on the thick glass door to the lobby, his frustration growing even more at being locked out. There was no response. Cursing, he put his computer down beside him and cupped his hands on the glass, peering into the darkness for any signs of life. He couldn't even find a security guard to yell at him for banging on the door. "Great, just great." He turned around and flopped against the door, barely controlling his urge to kick at it until it shattered. He shoved his red; wind chapped hands into his jacket pockets and tried not to focus on how cold he was. He fumed as he waited for Buck, angry and overwhelmed by his circumstances. He loved his job as an air marshal, but it wasn't like it paid an awful lot, not when you were drowning in years of back medical bills. It felt like he could never get ahead and just when he'd start to get on track, something like this would happen. He dreaded calling the cops-he knew most of them from his days as a detective and could only imagine the hard time they'd give him for letting his car get stolen. Buck and the guys were gonna be hard enough to handle. He loved his car but there was truth in the fact that no one else would want it. Why would anyone steal something they could barely start? First you had to turn the steering wheel just right in order to get the key in the ignition, and then there was the transmission, the driver�s seat, and the string holding the passenger�s side door handle in place. The guys were always hassling him about it all. Could he help it if he couldn�t afford anything else? There was a time he�d almost bought a new car, one that wasn�t pieced together with duct tape and string but then� JD blinked away unexpected tears in the sharp wind and ducked his head down into the collar of his jacket as far as he could. His thoughts drifting back to everything he�d lost in the last few years. His mother, his money�his independence, he�d gone from being a normal bachelor saving up cash for a new car to an orphan trying to pay off mounds of debt. Everything had cost so much when his mother had finally gone into the hospital but how could he say no to her? A simple cup of juice seemed to cost a fortune but he�d have done anything to make her comfortable, paid any price and he was still paying. He�d given his mother whatever she had needed during her last days but everything came with a price attached, strings that continued to pull him down even today. He glanced up at the parking lot again in the vain hope that his car had suddenly reappeared but the empty row just taunted him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted headlights coming into the parking lot and grabbed his computer. The one positive side to his life�his new family. He knew he could depend on Buck and the others to give him rides and help him get to where he needed to go until he could save up for something�he just hated to ask them. The car approached and slowed to a stop right in front of where Dunne waited. He blinked in confusion as he focused on the familiar blue and silver Dodge. "What the hell?" He jogged the few steps to his car and pulled the door open. A blast of heat escaped as he stood there staring at his grinning roommate. "What the hell is going on? You think this is funny?" JD asked harshly. "Shut up and get in, you're letting all the heat out," Buck replied, unphased by his friend's anger. JD frowned but got in, swinging the computer into the back and barely missing Buck's head in the process. "Hey now," Buck chuckled and waited until JD had closed the door before pulling out again. "This was not funny," JD stated angrily. "It's not a joke, Kid." Buck said seriously, wondering how long it would take for Dunne to start noticing the changes. "What the hell are you doing with my car? If you needed it, you could have asked you know." "I know. Think of it as a pleasant surprise." Buck shifted the '87 Charger smoothly and pulled out onto the road. He glanced at his friend and smiled to find him staring down at the gearshift. "You didn't have any trouble with first," JD said quietly. "Nope, and you won't with reverse anymore either." JD looked up, but Buck kept his eyes on the road. Dunne reached over and shoved the driver's seat backwards but it held solid. "The seat." "No more reclining suddenly as you drive." Buck nodded. "What?" JD glanced around the blue interior, realizing it'd been cleaned and vacuumed. "Put your seat belt on. It works now, " Wilmington ordered lightly. Stunned, JD followed directions and fastened his safety belt. "I-I don't understand." "Consider it a late Christmas present." Buck flicked on the wipers to clear the fresh snow off the windshield. "Christmas?" JD sounded confused. He was starting to notice more changes. The rearview mirror wasn�t held to the window with duct tape and the passenger�s side door was string free. "Or an early birthday- whatever. Fact is, the guys and I were tired of worrying about you driving around in this death trap." "It's not a death trap." "Not now, it ain't," Buck agreed. "But all this, the belts, the transmission, it's too much," he protested. Buck came to a stop at a red light and searched JD's questioning face. "It wasn't too much. We all chipped in and Vin did most of it." "Yeah, but." JD swallowed slowly. "I'll pay you guys back." Buck laughed and shook his head as the light turned green and he turned right. JD recognized immediately that they were headed to Chris' place. "No, you don't even worry about that." "But." "Hey, a gift is a gift, JD-take it as it's given-freely, with no strings." The pair was silent for a few moments as JD tried to process what Buck was telling him. He felt as if a sudden burden had been lifted and with the help of his family�he could face both his past and the future. "No strings?" he asked after a bit, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Buck shrugged, his grin widening. "Well, you know there might be a few things. I might ask you to crash at Chris' if I have a special lady over. Josiah might grab you to work at the mission one weekend and I'm sure Ezra will come up with something, probably trading you out of first class some flight." "All right, all right," JD laughed in spite of himself. "I get it." Buck winked at him and pulled into Chris' parking lot. JD grabbed his computer again, knowing better than to leave it in the car and climbed out. "Hey Buck?" he called as he followed the taller man into the warehouse. "Yeah?" Buck paused and waited for him to catch up. "Thank you," JD said seriously. Buck smiled and nodded, handing the car keys to Dunne. He grabbed JD in a half-hug and dragged him into the building. "You're welcome." |
| No Strings |
| By Debby |
| (disclaimer: the mag7 characters belong to MGM, Trilogy and Mirisch. No copyright infringement is intended) |
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| my belated response to the january 2003 challenge on M7challenge list offered by Angela B: Write a story in which one (or more) of the guys horses goes missing. (If you are using an AU in which there are no horses go ahead and use the mode of transportation used) |
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