nervous laughter/ Well, if anyone has come here from the Rugrats fandom, I'm sorry for not completing All Those Years Ago before doing this. I'm a naughty girl, I know... but, well... okay, yeah, no excuse. I'm just sorry, hehe.
This story is dedicated to Boxer Thief, the only one to actually comment on my other The Rundown fics and did so in a very flattering way. I was actually working on another concept for The Rundown when this story just jumped into my head and demanded to be written. Please enjoy! :D
"Where do you think you're going!" Beck shouted as the SUV's passenger door slammed shut. Travis froze halfway up the driveway and turned to give Beck a questioning look, "Help with the groceries! Idiot."
Beck went around the car and opened the back up. Approximately twenty canvas bags, filled to the top, were waiting there. They'd spent all morning grocery shopping. Their first stop was the farmers market where they purchased two weeks worth of fresh fruit and vegetables. They had also stopped at the meat market to get organic, grass fed beef and chicken, and then followed up with a trip to an all-natural grocery store for everything else. After spending three hours grocery shopping with Travis, his neck was tight with tension and all he wanted was a cold beer and a nap.
Travis came back to the car and took two of the bags, grinning up at Beck as he said, "You got the rest, right Big Boy?" He danced out of reach of the fist that swung out to cuff him upside the head, and then darted up the walk to the small house they were currently renting (under false identities, of course, all courtesy of a trusted associate of his). Despite the fact that he was annoyed at Travis's behavior, he was glad that the younger man was comfortable enough to play around. The last few months had been stressful, particularly for Travis and there were periods when he would shut down and not act like himself.
It had been a long six months after their escape from Billy Walker. They'd spent most of it just city hopping, barely two steps ahead of Billy's goons. There had been some close calls, one of which still caused Travis nightmares. They had been renting out a small cabin in Tahoe, out in the woods. He still wasn't sure how, but the goons had tracked them down and opened fire on Beck. He'd been hit in the shoulder and had gone down. It wasn't serious and it had pissed him off, but not as much as when he witnessed one of the goons pistol whip a struggling Travis. When it was all over, four men were dead and Beck and Travis got away, but barely. After that, they'd been able to slip under Billy's radar and had settled in a medium sized city in Colorado.
The very sight of their little two bedroom home filled him with an indescribable warmth. It was small, but new and had a beautiful kitchen; bright and open with stainless steel appliances, marble counter tops, and a double oven. While not perfect, he was still happy to come home to it. He had never really had a home. Not one that he enjoyed coming back to anyway. They had always been too angry, too violent, or too lonely to create any warmth in his heart. Now he was surprised to find a smile alight his face every time his eyes found their house.
At the moment, however, he scowled at Travis's retreating back and grabbed several bags before following him, prepared to shove his boot up the other mans ass when he caught up. The front door had been left open and he rounded the corner into the kitchen with some speed, only to slam straight into Travis, who was standing in the entryway to the kitchen.
"Dammit Travis!" he roared and sidestepped him to pass, only to trip over the bag laying on the floor next to the younger mans feet. He landed hard on the linoleum, dropping his four bags as he did so. Cursing, he turned to glare at Travis, who was staring slack jawed into the living room. It flashed through his mind that Travis had not reacted to anything that had just happened. On high alert, he jumped up, scanning the living room, arm coming up instinctively to push Travis behind him. The younger man reached up to grasp Beck's upper arm to steady himself.
Two men sat in their recliners: dark suits, sunglasses, earpieces curling down into their collars. Feds. How could he have missed this? Surely they had a car parked outside. He should have noticed! He began edging backward, down the hall, Travis still shielded behind him, and then he realized he was acting like a man guilty of something, which according to his new identity, he wasn't. He stopped and wondered what an innocent, every day man, might do.
"Who the hell are you?" he shouted and managed to inject a small amount of fear into his voice.
"No need to yell, Mr. Beck." The darker skinned man said. Shit. They knew who he was. "Don't worry. We aren't here for you." He added, smirking as he shifted his gaze to Travis. Rage flared up in his chest as Travis's hand tightened on his upper arm.
"Come and sit." The other said, gesturing at the sofa. Beck considered their options. If the feds knew who he was, then they'd probably come prepared. Surely, there were more men waiting outside in case he tried to run and he wasn't stupid enough to get into a stand off with federal agents, if he didn't have to.
"Tell me why you're here, first." He said coldly. The FBI agents exchanged a knowing glance and a smirk, which only served to anger him more.
"We're here to make a deal with your friend." The second man said. Beck waited, lips pressed tight together. A moment passed and the agent sighed, "We need Travis to infiltrate Billy Walker's business."
Hope you liked! Please review! (I have the next chapter just waiting to be posted!)