Happy Trails II:
Rude Awakenings

Walter was just getting Tarzan into his stall when Alex came in with Muffet. She was a sweet mare that had been sold to them cheap, the pet of a family who could no longer keep her. Alex assured them he would take excellent care of her and would make sure the horse would go to a good home. She was a dappled gray with kind eyes and a long silky mane. The little girl had brushed the horse as often as she could, but the family couldn't afford her any longer.

"How's our lady doing?" Walter asked as Alex took the curry brush to her back and sides. He knew Alex paid a fair amount for the horse, maybe a little too much for lazy pet. The horse was in decent condition, but she was a little fat, since the little girl didn't own a saddle to ride the horse. Thankfully,

"She's good. Getting some muscle tone back. Tomorrow, I'm going to try just putting the training saddle on her, but not getting on. We'll see if she gets used to it. She's already taken to the polymer plastic bit, since it smells like apples. But she's gonna be here a few more months."

Walter nodded sadly. "You know Rick's not going to like that. He doesn't want a horse he can't make money from."

"So, what do I do? Ship her off to the Humane Society? The last six shipments of grain came out of my bank account, and I haven't submitted any expenses to him. So, when he can say he's losing money based on Muffet, I'll..."

"Hey, relax. We'll deal with it when we have to. We can always get her in good condition and sell her again. She's just going to take time. It's not like Desperado didn't take a long time."

"Yeah, that's true. We'll just play it by ear. You know how Rick is. He likes to yell." Alex laughed. Walter was right and Alex knew it. They would let Rick yell, get chastised by his wife, Emmie, and just give in anyway. It was a necessary evil. The key word was necessary. Rick, Walter's younger brother, still held the title to the ranch.

They were considering going back to the bunkhouse when a crackle came over the radio and Emmie's voice came over. "Walter, there's a call here for you. It's Major Harlow."

Alex looked at Walter and said, "Uh oh. Time to gossip with your girlfriend."

Walter laughed, but it was kind of annoying when Alex talked like that. Major Maxwell Harlow, the town's busybody, and a man who always held Walter's considerable ears. Walter walked to the house and took the phone from Emmie with a nod of thanks.

"Major, sir, how can I help you?" Walter asked, a little loudly as the Major was going deaf in his old age.

"You can help them horses better. Them assholes down on the Hokanson place, cleared out three days ago, left the animals. I'm tellin' you but you and that boy of yours, get on down there, call Sheriff Scott and get them horses and whatever them boys went and left there."

Walter knew the ranch he was talking about. Rumors had been flying around about the ranchers, that they not only abused their horses, but fought dogs, beat them and other sundry and assorted innuendo. Walter chose to keep his head down and his mouth shut. An openly gay rancher, even in these enlightened times, was still less likely to sell to the locals. Even with the online buyers that Alex had begun to court, Walter didn't want their ranch getting a bad reputation and losing any future sales.

"Yes, sir. Alex and I will ride over and take a look-see what's going on there. Should I call you back with what I find?"

"No, boy, you call the Sheriff and you call the animal people! I'm sure you're not gonna find nothin' pretty."

The click was heavy in Walter's ear as he pulled the phone from his head. The old man was pissed. He walked out to the barn where he'd left Alex combing Muffet's tail. "What did he say?"

"Told me to take you and get out to the Hokanson ranch."

"The fighters?" Alex asked. "Why are we going there?"

Walter thought he could see the hairs on Alex's neck start to rise at the thought of going to a ranch that was a cover for dog fighting. Alex expressed his outrage a few times, wanting to prove he hadn't gone soft after the break from the war and put back on the mantle of "Alex Krycek, Walking Death", but Walter refused to allow it, citing that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas probably was investigating already.

"Major says the boys cleared out and left the animals. I just wanna see what condition they're in. We'll call the SPCA when we get there, OK? But at least, let's go look."

"Yeah, OK." Alex saddled his new horse, Geronimo, and Walter mounted Tarzan. They rode off in the direction of the ranch, leaving a note on the white board where they were and for Ricky not to follow. The boy was warming back up to the men, again, learning more and more about Alex's past, about the kind of man Alex was, other than the fact that he had sex with other men, mainly his favorite uncle. Walter and Alex knew that Ricky would need time to get things right in his head, but until then, it didn't hurt that their first Christmas on the ranch, Alex and Walter gave Ricky a motorbike, the kind used in dirt bike racing, and a helmet, both marked with the Skinner ranch symbol, an S formed from a lasso and rope. That won them points. They just acted like the military; don't ask, don't tell.

Alex had to send Tasha back twice, telling her to stay, which the dog did. She was really Ricky's dog, Alex happily giving her to the boy, but since the border collie had followed Alex around when he'd bought his truck, she still held a loyalty to her green-eyed human. She waited at the edge of the corral watching as Walter and Alex rode across the grazing land toward the other ranch.

They were not prepared to see the horrors of the Hokanson ranch live and in person. Sure, they'd seen seizures of such places on television, but to see the horses, the dogs, the cats, it was more than either man wanted to handle.

In the barn, locked into stalls were four emaciated horses with buckets of fetid water. They stood in unmucked stalls, hock-deep in their own waste. Dogs were caged in the back, sporting new and old scars, barely healed wounds, under weight and angry by the tone of their barking. Beyond that were carriers full of cats, feral cats screaming for release and standing in waste as well. Alex shook himself visibly, trying to get himself together.

Walter looked around and said, "Get on the phone to Emmie and tell her to get Ricky and Rick and drive over with some feed. Let's get these horses out of here and get them some water."

"Wait, hang on. We need proof." Alex pulled his camera-phone from his pocket, snapping as many pictures as he could of the horses before Walter would walk the horses out. Walter quickly found a metal trough that wasn't too rusted and upended it, dumped out the slimy water and looked around for a hose. Thankfully, the water still worked and Walter rinsed out the trough as best as he could and filled it with fresh warm water, leaving it right in the open corral area. He tested it to make sure it wasn't too cold, so the horses wouldn't get colic. At least the faucet had two temperatures. One by one, he led the horses out, and let them drink, remembering to keep refreshing the water, as it warmed under the June sun quickly.

The horses showed whip marks, wounds, scars, and horrible abuse as Walter had never hoped to see on horses. He'd seen these kinds of marks on humans, which never failed to turn his stomach. To see people do it to defenseless animals, poor horses that didn't look as if they'd so much as whinnied too loud, it was despicable. One horse was favoring her front left leg, making Walter think the poor girl had thrush.

"They fought the dogs, Walt," Alex said as he walked out the last horse. "I don't even want to go near them. The cats are feral, too, I think bait. Emmie and the guys are bringing feed for these guys and I called Sheriff Scott. He's bringing Mala Navarra from the vet's office. The SPCA will get some people out here, too. Damn, those boys were just the fucking worst."

It wasn't long before Alex's truck pulled up and he smiled as Rick got out of the driver's seat. The man never wasted an opportunity to drive it, and Alex let him. They started unloading the hay, hauling it to the corral where Walter and Alex were dumping the moldy contents out of a feed trough and rinsing it out with fresh water. They filled the trough with fresh hay, not too much, and stood back to let the four horses eat.

Emmie stood back and said, "What should we do about the dogs?"

"Leave them," Alex said, quickly. "Don't touch the dogs or the cats. They're probably all vicious and the SPCA will have handlers who can get the dogs to safety without getting hurt."

"There are cats!" Ricky shouted from in the barn.

"You leave them critters alone!" Rick yelled. "They're all sick and dirty, got fleas and worms. Wanna take that home to Tasha?"

"No, sir. Sorry," Ricky said, head down. Emmie eyed Rick harshly.

"S'ok, Ricky. I just don't want you getting hurt. And you gotta think of Tasha, you know. Those are fighting dogs. They'll tear her up."

Ricky walked out and nodded sadly. He'd grown so attached to Tasha over the past year. Walter loved watching the two together, Ricky on his horse and Tasha running alongside, gathering the horses that were grazing. The boy stood and watched the horses; they were all ribs, spines and hip bones. Walter could see the tears welling up in his eyes and he didn't think anyone should see the boy cry.

"Ricky, you go on to the truck and see if there's a first aid kit in there, OK?" The boy nodded and ran to the truck, taking his time looking. It wasn't long before Sheriff Scott and Mala arrived to investigate. Walter wasn't surprised to see Mala shaking with rage and Sheriff Scott very interested in the photos that Alex took.

"Alex, you hang onto those," the Sheriff said. "You're gonna be a witness for the state if we catch these bastards."

Walter walked to where Ricky stood staring at the dogs who were barking and growling at him where he was standing, just watching them. "Uncle Walter, why do they want the dogs to fight? I mean, yeah, they make money, but these are dogs, like Tasha. Why would they do that?"

"Because people are evil, Ricky. One thing I learned when I worked in the FBI is that people don't need reasons to do the thing they want to do. They just do them to make themselves happy, and there's no reason behind why the actions are evil. All we can do is try to punish the guilty and protect the innocent."

Ricky wandered away to walk back to the ranch, asking him dad if he could. He said he wanted to be alone. Rick understood and told Ricky to be careful when he got there and make sure the animals were tended. Ricky nodded and trotted off.

Alex stood and watched as the horses ate and drank. They looked as if they hadn't had any decent feed in months. Their spines and hip bones looked as if it would tear through the flesh. Alex had seen this kind of abuse before, the way that the Consortium treated the prisoners. He knew there was a vet on the way, but he was still very concerned. The horses had stopped eating and were just standing in the shade of the barn, swishing their tails and waiting.

Alex knew what they were waiting for. Waiting to be put back in their stalls, locked in and forgotten. He would never allow it. He would tell them that the horses would be kept at the Skinner Ranch and then, when they were ready to be adopted, Alex would help them find the right owners. There was no way he would let those horses out into the "system." TV was nice and all, but if children were lost in that system to horrible abuses, what would happen to the horses?

"Walt, I think we should foster the horses at the ranch. I don't trust anyone to take care of them." Alex walked to a dark brown mare with a white diamond on her nose. He stoked her neck and watched as her eyes fluttered. She had big, soulful brown eyes with a glint of gold. They reminded him of Walter's eyes, and he mentally shook himself. He knew he was attaching to them to fast, too strongly. Yet, he couldn't help himself.

"The SPCA will take good care of them, Alex. We don't need to do that."

"No, I want to. I don't trust anyone. These poor horses, right now they have a glimmer of hope. If we just let them go, let the SPCA take them, how can we be sure they're gonna be taken care of? I mean, you know we can do better than any shelter. We'll love those horses. *I'll* love those horses. And you know it."

"Yeah, I know. OK, let's talk to Mala and see what she says."

Walter and Alex went to the prowler where the investigators, the troopers and Mala the vet were discussing the case with Rick. He was offering the use of his trailer to take the horses to the SPCA facility.

"We would love your help in transporting the animals, Rick, thanks," Mala said and turned as Walter and Alex arrived.

"Why can't we keep the horses at the ranch?" Alex asked, point blank. "There are only four of them, we have the room. And you know our place it top notch," Alex said. He didn't want to look at Rick, knowing the scowl that was on the man's face.

"Well, for the initial stay, they'll have to be at our facility, sorry, Alex. But if the horses respond to treatment, and begin to improve, I will allow you to adopt them early. I'm sure your family will be good for the horses. But until I see that they're going to get through this, I have to keep them in my care."

"I don't trust the...facility," Alex stated plainly.

Mala smiled back. "I don't blame you. But you *can* trust me, Alex. I wouldn't lie to you. Once the horses are cleared, I'll call you and you can come and get them. You can either foster them or adopt them. Which ever you like."

"Good." Alex turned and walked away, planning on driving back to the farm to get the trailer that could hold two horses. His was the only truck that could pull it. He drove back to the Skinner ranch where he found Tasha charging across the front lawn. Behind her came Ricky running, leash in his hand. They always had Tasha's collar on her, with her tags. Alex had also had her micro-chipped, so they never leashed her. She was loyal, didn't leave the ranch unless she was in the truck or trotting along side of Ricky's bike.

Alex ran over and grabbed Ricky's shoulder, turning the boy to look at him, his face streaked with dirt and tears. "Hey, what are you doing? Why are you chasing her?"

"So I can tie her up! So she doesn't get took..."

"Taken. Ricky, no one's taking our dog. Calm down."

Alex walked the boy into the barn to the sink to help the boy wash his face and calm down. He let the boy stare down into the sink so he wouldn't be so embarrassed crying in front of Alex. He was still trying to find his place as a man in the world.

"Look, Ricky, those dogs were raised that way. They're all pit-bulls. Tasha's a border collie. She's not raised to fight. No one would take her to try and turn her. And she wouldn't go anyway. So, calm down, relax."

Ricky hiccupped a few times before looking up, tears still running and said, "Why? I mean, what...do you get it?"

Alex stroked Ricky's back, calming him the way he did the animals. "No, Ricky, I don't. I never have. I don't think I ever will." Alex gave the boy a hug from behind, around his shoulders, and gave the kid a squeeze. In an unguarded moment, Ricky turned in Alex's arms and held onto him while he cried. Alex held Ricky and patted his back.

"It's OK, man, don't you worry. We're gonna take care of the horses. But..."

Ricky pulled back and looked up. "They're gonna kill the dogs and cats, right?"

"We don't know that. They're gonna look at each one and see what can be done. If the dogs and cats can be saved, you know Mala will make sure it happens. Come on now, chin up, little man." Alex stepped back and allowed Ricky to rinse his face in the cool water and calm down. Alex took down several trainer harnesses to take back to the other ranch for the horses there. He'd noticed a little rust on the bit pieces and didn't want the horses to have rust in their mouths.

He dialed Walter's cell phone to have him tell Mala to check the horses' mouths and see how many halters they'd need. The call back yielded four new halters. Alex decided to use the soft cotton rope with aluminum fastenings, which were lighter. He knew the horses barely had the energy to stand much less fight in a halter.

"Hey, Ricky, you wanna go back with me? We can get the horses ready to go to the vet stable. Mala's gonna keep them there for a while, and then when they're cleared of danger, we'll take them home."

The sparkle in the boy's eye assured Alex he'd made the right choice. "Really? We're gonna buy 'em?"

"No, we're going to adopt them. The SPCA doesn't work like that. We pay an adoption fee and they're ours. But I'm gonna write them a check to cover the animals' care while they're at the vet stable."

Ricky looked up at Alex and cracked half a grin. "You're a good guy."

"Yeah, people keep saying that. OK, go get the hitch ready on the trailer while I move the truck."

"Can I drive?" Ricky asked, slyly.

"I'm not that good," Alex said, walking away.

Laughing, they got the trailer onto the truck hitch and pulled it to the ranch.

Walter had to leave the barn and stand outside with the horses while the SPCA handlers came and removed the cats and dogs. He'd never heard a ruckus so loud in his life. The cats were screaming so loudly, it was deafening. And none of them were being hurt in any way. They were just being loaded into cardboard carry boxes so that they would be isolated and couldn't hurt themselves for the transfer to the medical facility.

He did notice two fluffy gray kittens who weren't screaming were loaded separately into a box together. He figured that they were still young enough to be saved. He would make an inquiry about them; it would be nice to have a few house cats. Walter was always more partial to cats. Sharon had a sweet one that would get in Walter's lap and purr when her mistress wasn't around as she was stroked from head to tail. Sheba got sick and they put her to sleep, though. Sharon didn't want another cat after that.

Alex arrived with Ricky and the trailer, willing to transport two horses for the SPCA agents. Mala was thankful that they wouldn't have to make two trips. Walter stood back and watched as they loaded the horses. Mala came beside him and said, "You men are something else, you know that? These horses are in really bad shape. The brown mare, she has thrush in the front. I'm pretty sure they'll all get some type of colic, as well. Hopefully it will be something simple, like gas. I can treat that easy. I'm gonna keep in contact with Alex on all this and not bother you. Is that all right?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She nodded and started to walk away. "One more thing," he said. She stopped and turned to him. "There were two gray kittens rescued. If they make it, I wanna adopt them, OK? My late wife loved cats."

Mala smiled gently. "Of course. I'll make a note of it in their charts. Take care, Walter."

Walter and Ricky rose Tarzan and Geronimo back to their ranch while Emmie and Rick accompanied Alex to the SPCA stable with the other horses. Walter had given his statements already and just wanted to take the horses home and care for them. The two mucked out the stalls, cleaned the horses well, combed them extra and even took great care in picking out and medicating the horses' feet. They ended up tending to all the animals they had, which made for content horses. Walter spent extra time making up their evening feed, as well. He knew he was just feeling guilty. And he suspected Ricky was as well when he found the boy braiding Muffet's tail.

"Come on, Ricky. Leave her alone. We've done enough work today." Ricky nodded and they walked out together, going into the main house to get some dinner. Emmie, Rick and Alex returned when they had the chili bubbling away. Walter hated that it was canned, but it was better than starving. There would be freshly cooked rice to go with it, though.

"Thank you for cooking, Walter," Emmie said before depositing a kiss on his cheek. She shooed him away and took over, needing time alone. Dinner was relatively quiet that night, which was unusual. Things had gone back to as close to normal as possible after the holidays. Rick and Ricky were more open about Walter and Alex's relationship. Walter suspected that Ricky was wary of upsetting his father if the boy got too close to them. Walter took it in stride, but he wanted to just come out and say to his brother, "Look, Alex and I will not fuck Ricky, so relax." But that wouldn't be smart.

Alex and Walter retired to the bunkhouse and just lay in bed, both showered and nude, but not talking or touching. They stared at the shadows from the outside lights on the ceiling, Walter wondering what Alex was thinking.

"Stop that, Walter. You'll pop a vein in your head."

"What?"

"You're thinking too loud. You wake me up like that, sometimes."

"I was just thinking about the horses and dogs and cats. I think they're going to be destroyed."

Alex rolled toward Walter and laid his head on the broad chest before him. "I'm sure they'll euthanize the dogs. Fighting dogs can't be trusted. I wish it was different. Maybe if there are puppies in there, they can try to help them. The cats are the same. Feral cats that don't know enough about litter and being held don't have much of a chance of being adoptable. But there were a couple of kittens in there that Mala picked up by hand, so maybe there's a chance."

"I want those cats. I like cats."

"Do you?" Alex sat up and looked into Walter's barely-visible eyes.

"Well, yeah. Sharon and I had a cat for years. Sheba got sick and we put her to sleep, poor thing. I'd like to have another."

"Tell Mala we want the two kittens. I think cats are great."

Walter smiled guiltily. "I already did. But I would have told her no if you didn't want them."

"I want what you want." Alex rubbed his cheek against the scrub of Walter's chest hair.

"Right now, I want a kiss." Alex crawled up Walter's body and pressed a kiss to his mouth. Walter's arms came about his body, pulling him down to rest against Walter's chest. Alex pressed his forehead to Walter's a moment. "Alex...if you don't want to..."

"I do. I mean, I really want to," Alex explained while rubbing the beginnings of his erection against Walter's thigh. I just...I feel guilty making love..."

Walter held Alex and said, "You think those dogs and cats are going to stop fucking if you get hurt?" Both men smiled and in the moment of the shared laugh. Walter took the opportunity to roll Alex onto his back and kissed him deeply. Alex responded enthusiastically, entwining his legs with Walter's. Big hands, rough from working the ranch clamped onto Walter's ass, kneading the muscles.

"God, I love your ass, Walter," Alex sighed, dipping his hand into the valley between the two globes of flesh to rub the small cleft between.

"Wanna fuck it for me? I would like that a lot, Alex," Walter breathed in his ear. Alex smiled into the kiss he placed on Walter's neck.

"Oh, I think it's about time I fucked that ass for you," Alex said.

"Yeah, it's been a while, you insatiable slut," Walter purred in Alex's ear. "Hope I can sit a horse tomorrow."

"I'll be gentle."

And gentle he was, rolling Walter onto his back. Walter happily went and spread his legs wantonly. Alex kissed his way up Walter's chest back to his mouth. Settling down, Alex kissed Walter slowly, taking of his mouth as if it were the sweetest ambrosia. He reached to the bedside table for the lube they kept there and reached down to prepare his lover. Alex went back to kissing Walter deeply, just as he slid into Walter's ass, sighing into his mouth.

"Oh, Walt, your ass is so fuckin' tight. God, I love that."

Walter didn't have words for him. He could only moan in response, reveling in the feeling of Alex loving him. Alex reached down to stroke Walter's cock in time to the thrusts, eliciting the most exciting sounds from Walter's throat. He stopped kissing, allowing the whimpers to come out, resonating in the room. Walter moved with Alex, stealing kisses on the sweet flesh of Alex's throat, hands massaging and caressing Alex's back and ass. A hand slid up Walter's leg, bringing it up around Alex's waist. Alex brought the other up and kissed Walter's knee before wrapping it to meet the other.

Walter took his cue and squeezed tight, pulling Alex as close to him as possible. Their breaths mingled together until their hearts beat as one. Walter felt it first, that knot of heat starting in his belly. Alex angled himself to start hitting his prostate, and with each jab, the knot got hotter and heavier, it got bigger and brighter. Heat built up, sprouting little beads of sweat on his head and neck. Alex swooped in and licked the line of moisture from Walter's throat.

"So sexy, my love, so delicious," Alex moaned in Walter's ear. Alex reached down and took Walter's cock in his hand, stroking it with his thrusts. "Come, baby, come for me."

Walter thrust and moved, letting Alex bring him to the edge, then began sucking on Walter's throat, just below his ear and that was the spot that brought the magic. The wave of pleasure crashed over Walter's head, flowing around him and floating him away. The jerking motion of Alex coming above him was the perfect ending to a hard day.

Both men held each other tightly, catching their breaths and coming back down. Alex moved to the side to hold Walter tightly. They lay together, listening to the sounds outside. Walter was the first to rise to clean up, bringing a cloth back for Alex. Alex never bothered to move when they needed to clean up. When Walter settled down bedside him, Alex quickly curled up beside him, laying his head on Walter's shoulder.

"Come on, Alex. Let's get to sleep. Tomorrow's another day."

Within moments, both men were fast asleep.

Each week, Alex made the morning call to the SPCA veterinary stable to check on the horses. He had previously found out that all the dogs failed the aggression tests for adoption and were humanely euthanized. He didn't like that very much, but knew it was necessary. Most of the cats were also ill with either feline leukemia or upper respiratory infections that were too far gone to treat with any chance of a meaningful recovery. There was a small bright spot.

"Alex, the two kittens are ready for you to come and get them," Mala told him that early morning in September. "They were just fixed and have been given the blessing to be adopted."

"Oh, great. Don't tell Walter, I want to surprise him." Walter had already gotten up and was making breakfast. Alex rushed through his morning routine and ran down to where Walter stood, dishing out scrambled eggs and bacon. Alex's coffee mug, the big one with the smiley face with a bullet hole between its eyes, was full of hot black coffee, which was the way Alex liked it.

"Hey, I have to run to town for a bit, OK, Walt?" Alex asked, sipping from his cup.

"Yeah, that's fine. Tell Mala I said hi." Alex turned to Walter and gave his broad back a withering look. They sat to eat and Alex quickly jumped up and ran out the door. He happened upon Ricky who was on the porch with Tasha.

"Where you going, Alex?" he asked. The boy warmed up quite a bit since the incident with the horses and it seemed the men of the Skinner ranch were as friendly as they ever were.

"Going to the SPCA stable, wanna come? Tasha can get in the cab and everything." Alex knew he didn't have to ask twice. Ricky and Tasha were off the porch and in the cab of the big pickup with lightning on their heels. They drove off to the stable and visited the horses. This did Ricky a lot of good, since he'd wondered about the horses after they were taken away.

Mala came out and hugged Alex. "Hey, stranger...not. Ricky, my man! Glad you finally came here to see the horses."

Ricky nodded and followed Mala to the corral where the horses were wandering. They had all gained a bit of weight, not as much as he thought. There was one missing since the last time that Alex was there and he enquired about her.

"Oh, the brown girl with the thrush foot. She didn't make it. The infection went into the hock and after that, the whole leg goes. I put her down two days ago. I...didn't think calling you would do any good. It would just ruin your weekend."

"Thanks, but you should have called. Anyway, I'm glad she didn't suffer any more." Alex watched as Ricky went into the corral and made his way to a newly-gelded sorrel boy who Alex remembered was very timid. Ricky had managed to coax the horse into a game of tag, albeit a slow game of tag. Mala disappeared into the building and left Alex standing there, watching Ricky and the horse. It made Alex happy to see Ricky happy again. He'd been so sad for so long, refusing to talk for weeks. Eventually, Ricky had let on that he was confused about why the men just let the horses starve like that.

Alex was the only one who could explain. "They fought the dogs for money. And they used the cats as bait. The horses were just a front for the ranch. They didn't care about any of the animals if they weren't making any money. You have to know that these weren't pets. They weren't even alive. They were like kids who race their cars until the car crashes. The horses and dogs and cats were just things to be used. Not the way we love our animals."

Ricky looked back at Alex. Ricky had grown about half a foot since Alex had moved to the ranch. His voice had also changed and he was growing a beard. He was becoming a man, and Alex was determined to treat him like one. Ricky, while keeping a bit of physical distance, was back to speaking openly with Alex.

Alex left Ricky for a while to go inside the complex to see the other animals. There were plenty of dogs and cats available for adoption. Mala came out with two mewling balls of fur in her hands. She handed them off to Alex, where they promptly found the crooks of his elbows and snuggled down, quieting.

"What's with you, Alex? The horses love you, Tasha followed you around. Those two have not been quiet when they're awake since they got here. It's got to be something about you, Alex."

"Well, little kids, are we ready to go home to the big man?" Mala brought a box to him to put them in for the drive home. Ricky came in and looked at the cages of cats and said, "Can we take one home, Alex?"

"We're taking two. They're the only two left from the barn. Walter wants them."

Ricky nodded and smiled. They stopped at one of the pet accessory super-marts and got a ton of stuff, all that Alex decided they'd need. He did love shopping.

Upon reaching the ranch, Walter came out to meet them, smiling at Ricky who carried the box to him. "Here, Uncle Walt. Your new kitties." They made their way to the front porch where Emmie and Rick were sitting, a pitcher of ice tea waiting for them. Walter sat on the porch steps with Alex and Ricky to open the box and take out the mewling babies. Walter put them down on the porch to start exploring. Tasha watched them from a distance, but when one kitten, the little boy, got too close to the edge of the surface, she grabbed the kitten by the tail and dragged it back. Alex laughed heartily.

"Well, I guess I know who's going to keep her eyes on the kittens when they're out and about." Walter took the kitten off the floor board, and inspected the tail. Immediately, the kitten tried to groom its very fluffy tail.

"OK, these kids need names, there, big brother. What you callin' 'em?" Rick asked.

"What do you guys think?" Walter asked, looking the cats over.

"What sex are they?" Emmie asked.

Walter took both kittens and turned them over, checking. "A boy and a girl."

"How about Cinderella and Ashley?" she suggested. "They're gray, after all."

Walter nodded and smiled. "OK, then, those are their names. I hope they take to farm life."

"Hey, Walt, where are we putting the litter box?" Alex asked.

"Litter? These are farm animals. They'll go outside. No litter box, babe. You can take that back tomorrow."

Alex nodded. He felt silly. He was brought up in an apartment and all the cats his neighbors had were litter trained cats. He wasn't used to farm life in some respects. He should have known, since they never had to walk Tasha.

"OK, but I bought kitten food and bowls and stuff. I even got some harnesses and leashes. Wouldn't it be cool to walk them?"

Walter laughed. "We'll see, Alex."

Cinderella climbed into Walter's lap and settled to nap. Walter stroked her fur, enjoying the sound of purring. New family members were always good.

That night, in bed, Walter lay beside Alex with two furry purring balls between them. Alex was too enchanted with them to let them sleep outside, so they did use the litter box in the bunkhouse. Before settling down, Ashley went to Walter's ear and sniffed around while purring loudly before settling down beside Cinderella to sleep.

"I love snoodles," Walter murmured.

"What?"

"Snoodles. Those purry, blowy kisses cats give you, especially in your ear. Sharon called them snoodles."

"Sharon was weird," Alex said, before settling down. Walter snickered and settled down beside him, cradling the kittens between them.

By the time the autumn leaves were collecting around the ranch, Alex got a call from Mala about the last three horses rescued from the Hokanson ranch. They were well enough to be adopted and she knew Alex wanted those horses. It took him two trips to get them, but when the last horse, a dark bay gelding, was unloaded, the three new family members were mixing with the incumbent horses, all grazing in the field.

Alex stood beside Walter at the rail and watched as Muffet nudged Tarzan, who was the only stallion in the stable. The rubbed their noses a bit, then Muffet trotted off deeper into the field. Of course, Tarzan followed her out. Alex bumped Walter's shoulder.

"We're gonna have a foal soon," he said.

"Yeah, my randy boy is looking to sow his wild oats I think. Muffet up to it?"

"Yup. She's been with us 'bout a year. I think it's time. Rick'll like that. We'll have a new horse and he didn't have to pay for it."

"Yeah, babies are nice, huh?"

Behind them there was a high-pitched laugh followed by a boyish giggle. Both men turned to see Ricky with a girl, blonde, thin and pretty. He was pointing things on the ranch out to her. Walter and Alex looked at each other and waited until Ricky walked over with the new girl.

"Uncle Walt, Alex, this is Trini. Trini, this is my uncle, Walter Skinner and his partner, Alex Krycek." Walter was impressed to hear Ricky use the word partner and not boyfriend, as he'd said once or twice, to Walter's dismay.

Alex shook the little girl's hand, as did Walter. She smiled up at them, bright blue eyes shining. She was wearing the requisite t-shirt that was far too tight, but boldly emblazoned in pink with "Girl Power" on it. He jeans looked a little tight as well, but Walter wasn't her father.

"It's nice to meet you, Trini. How did you two meet?" he asked, seemingly harmless.

"Oh, Rick's an awesome biker on the track. He was just showing me his horses."

Walter looked at Alex with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, we all work the ranch."

Trini tilted her head a bit, looking at Walter and Alex. "Um...you...I mean..."

"Yes, we're a couple, sweetie," Walter said. "Don't feel weird around us, OK?"

"No!" she said, quickly, with wide eyes.

"I was gonna say that you guys make a good-looking couple...that you're like hot. I know where Rick gets his looks from."

Ricky blushed a furious deep red while Alex snickered. Walter just smiled and said, "Why thank you. But if I took off this hat, you'd see I'm bald as a bowling ball, Trini. Thankfully, Emmie's father didn't have that problem."

"Uncle Walt!" Ricky said. "Come on!"

Walter laughed. "Why don't you take her around the place? Lunch won't be ready for about an hour. You kids have time to play with the cats and the horses."

Ricky took Trini's hand and pulled her toward the barn. Alex smacked Walter's ass and said, "Old man, you're terrible."

"Yeah, but that's how you like me."

"That's how I love you."

Both men looked out into the pasture to see the beginning lovemaking moves of the equine. They laughed and walked back to the bunkhouse, planning on taking their own moment away to prove the love they held for each other.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!!