When'd We Meet? by Pamela

"I tell ya Chris, it's been longer than that!"

"How would you know? You were drunk at the time!"

"Hell, Larabee, not that drunk that I didn't kick your skinny ass! And we didn't get drunk until later that night."

The other five men looked on with interest at the argument taking place at their table. The saloon had cleared out and it was just the seven men now. They had assured Inez they would lock up everything when they were done.

"My ass ain't skinny. And it was a sucker punch!"

"Hey, Cowboy, you two gonna sit here and fight about it or are ya gonna share?" Vin asked.

"Sucker punch! Who you kidding? Shit, Larabee, you've got a glass jaw!" Wilmington exclaimed.

Chris rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, then glared at his long time friend. "Only where you're concerned, Wilmington!"

"Mr. Larabee. Do I take it this is a continuation of your argument on how long you two gentlemen have know each other?"

"You got that right, Ezra. Seems the stubborn fool here thinks we haven't known each other as long as we have."

Josiah joined in the conversation. "How old were you two when you met?"

Green eyes met deep blue. They did the mental calculations. Then both widened in surprise when they realized it was longer than either one realized. They laughed out loud.

"So, Brothers, are you going to share it with us?"

Chris and Buck shared a look, then looked around at their friends. "No!" was the resounding answer.

"But Buck, are you at least gonna tell us how ya met?" JD wanted to hear how his big brother and his mentor met. It should be a great story.

"Well, kid, it's like this," Larabee started. "I was just on my way to meet my girl. Well, I thought she was my girl. I knocked on her door and heard them scrambling around. I busted down the door and low and behold, there's Buck
struggling to get into his clothes. Good thing I didn't have my gun then, otherwise his ass would have been full of lead and then he wouldn't have been able to move! Well, I hit first and then thought later. Just about broke my hand on that hard head of his."

All the men were laughing now. "You and Buck datin' the same girl, Cowboy? Now that's gotta be somethin'."

"Like I said Vin, I didn't know she's goin' out with Buck. Thought she had better taste than that!"

"Now, ya know, Chris, it was just my animal magnetism and natural charm," Wilmington bragged.

"So, Buck what happened after that?" Nathan wanted to know.

"As I was layin' on the floor, I looked up at this guy full of piss and vinegar, shooting green daggers. I swear if looks could kill, I would have died right there. I decided that I wanted to get to know this guy better. I held out
my hand and waited for him to take it and help me up. After what seemed like an eternity, he did." Buck paused and took a sip of his beer.

Chris took up the narrative. "I was looking down at this guy who seemed to think he was God's gift to women. But damn, if there wasn't something that drew me to him. I don't know what it was. Could have been that big grin he was wearin' even after I had punched him. I helped him up, then we decided that if Doreen was seein' both of us, how many more fellas was she seein'. We shared a look, then headed for the saloon."

"Some things don't change, huh, Larabee?" Tanner snickered. "What happened next?"

Chris shot a look to Buck daring him to finish the story. Wilmington just ignored it. "Well, we both got shit-faced and talked about our good taste in women, among other things."

"Buuuuuuck..."

"As Chris and I were staggering back to the boarding house I realized I owed him one. I tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around I gave him just a second to see what was comin'. Then hauled off and punched him. He went down
like a stone. I threw him over my shoulder and continued on the boarding house. I put him on the bed, got his boots off and left him there. Next morning, he couldn't remember what happened. I think it was several years later before he
ever found out the truth."

Chris glared at the ladies' man, "Buck, you know what they say, paybacks' are a Hell," the words were said without malice, but there was a distinct gleam in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Bucklin, we'll watch yer back." Everyone laughed. The seven men sat in comfortable silence around the table, basking in their friendship.

THE END