Justice

Disclaimer: I don't own High Mountain Rangers or Jesse Hawkes, not making any money, just cheap thrills.

Warnings: Angst

Rating: FRT

Justice
Chapter 8


He hadn't planned to let the Rangers know they were back yet, but that was before he had realized Cody wasn't up to a long hike. Parking the truck, he shot Cody a concerned glance. He didn't dare leave his son in the truck alone, yet he wasn't sure how the boy would react to being here. With a heavy sigh he climbed out of the truck and walked around the front to open Cody's door. "Cody we need to borrow some horses from the Rangers, unless Frank can take us to the cabin." He waited in vain for his son to say something in acknowledgment. Realizing he wasn't going to receive a verbal response, he continued, doing his best to prepare Cody. "They're probably going to be pretty excited to see us son. I know it may be hard for you, but I don't want you to try to run or to get scared, okay?"

Cody glanced towards the station, giving his father a nod.

"They're your friends son, they won't hurt you," Jesse assured him. It was killing him, this need to prepare Cody for what should be a normal event. He only hoped the boy could handle this. "Come on then." Jesse took Cody's arm, guiding him to the porch and inside.

Terry looked up from the radio, as the newbie he was always being stuck with this job. The older man standing in the doorway looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. "Hello, can I help you?"

Silently Jesse cursed himself for not thinking ahead. He should have realized he might encounter somebody who didn't know them. "Is Robin Kelly or Frank Avila around?"

"Yes sir, Commander Avila is in the office and Ranger Kelly is out back."

"Thank you," Jesse said. "Come on Cody." Giving his arm a gentle tug, he headed towards the office.

Terry jumped up, moving to block his way. "If you'll tell me who you are I'll let the Commander know you're here."

Jesse smiled, it wasn't a pleasant smile. "Name's Jesse Hawkes and you need to move out of my way." His voice held a clear warning. He could sense Cody becoming agitated; he needed to get him into the office before he became too upset.

That's why he looked familiar, Terry thought. Still he didn't think he should just let him barge into the office without permission. Faltering with indecision, the younger man flicked brown eyes between Jesse and the office door. He'd heard the stories about this man. If the truth be told, he doubted a lot of them, but still, he had founded the Rangers. Yet, he wasn't a Ranger now. The decision was taken from him with the opening of the back door.

Robin had never minded tending to the horses, but since the Hawkes family had left the mountains, she had grown to love it. Taking care of the horses, especially the ones left behind by Jesse and his sons, was the one time she could feel close to them. God how she missed them. She froze in her tracks, it couldn't be, she must be dreaming. "Jesse? Cody?" she called in disbelief. Robin wanted to believe, more than anything, but she was afraid to let herself hope that they were really back.

"Robin..." Jesse's warning was cut off as Robin suddenly rushed forward, bringing a moan of fear from his son. Though the sound was soft, it was enough to stop the young woman's momentum.

"Cody?" Robin questioned. She watched with concern as Jesse soothed his youngest, assuring him that he was okay. She almost missed his request to see Frank, so engrossed was she in what was happening. "Of course, he should be in the office. Come on." Leading the way, she closed the distance to the office door and stepped inside, moving aside for Jesse and Cody, she shut the door behind them.

Frank's surprise was equal to Robin's. As he started to rise from his seat, he stopped at a motion from Jesse. Uncertainly he sat back down, waiting for Jesse to tell him what was happening. He didn't miss the concern rolling off of the older man in waves, nor the obvious upset of the younger. He sucked in a breath, realizing suddenly who was missing, “Matt?”

Jesse realized immediately what was being asked. “He's fine, he had to pick a few things up and then he'll be joining us at the cabin.”

Frank let go a relieved sigh. “Are you back for good?”

“Cody and I are, I'm not sure about Matt.”

Frank exchanged a concerned glance with Robin. It was easy to see that something was wrong. In all the years they'd known the Hawkes family, neither of them had ever seen Cody in a state like this, not even after Matt had been hurt so badly. After several minutes of watching Cody stare at the floor, never once looking either of them in the eye, he finally broached the subject on both their minds. “Jesse, what's going on?” Frank quietly asked.

Jesse sucked in a deep breath. He had known, as soon as he stopped here, that he would have to tell them something of what had happened, that didn't make it easy. “You remember the Rassy family?”

“The ones that killed that man and then tried to kill you and Cody? Of course,” Frank confirmed.

“The girl was able to stay out of prison, but I guess she couldn't handle losing her family. She killed herself a couple of months ago.”

“That's sad, but what does it have to do with why you're here and why Cody's acting like somebody's whipped dog,” Robin interjected.

“Her uncle used her funeral as a means of escaping from prison,” Jesse began his explanation. In a few short, clipped sentences he explained about leaving Cody home alone, the scene they'd walked into and the deal his youngest had made with a monster. “Cody hasn't spoken since Rassy ordered him not to say anything. We don't know everything that he suffered, but you can see some of the effect it had on him.”

Frank glanced at Robin, idly wondering which of them was paler at this point. How could anybody treat another human being like that? He wasn't surprised, however, that Cody would make such a deal. That kid would do anything for his family, especially the father he very nearly worshipped. “What can we do to help Jesse?”

Robin felt sick. She couldn't imagine what Cody had been through. Hearing Frank's offer, she spoke up, “Anything Jesse.”

Jesse smiled, he knew then he'd made the right choice in stopping here. “Could you fly us up to the cabin Frank? I don't think Cody could handle a long hike and I can't drive the truck all the way up there.”

“Of course I can. What about your horses?”

“Well Matt's going to have the same trouble, maybe one of you could ride up with him so he doesn't have to handle all of the horses on his own.”

“I'll take care of it Jesse,” Robin quickly offered, surprising nobody.

Jesse hid the indulgent smile, that threatened to form. “Thank you Robin. How long until you're ready Frank?”

“It'll take me about ten minutes, will that give you enough time to get what you need from your truck?”

“Already have it,” Jesse patted the bag he carried. “Matt's getting everything else.”

Frank nodded. “Okay, you want to wait in here or join me by the heli-pad?”

Jesse gave Cody a considering look, “I think we'll join you outside.”

Jesse had been almost afraid to put Cody in the chopper. The entire ride to the cabin, he had half expected his son to try to bail out. He hadn't relaxed until they were back on solid ground. He thanked Frank for the ride and led Cody inside the home they'd left what seemed like year's ago, though in reality it had only been a little over a year.

Cody's knees felt like jello as he followed his father. He couldn't be here! If master found out he was here he would kill them. Cody knew he couldn't let that happen. But, how was he going to stop it? He was too weak, that had already been proven. With a heavy heart, he moved forward, each step feeling like a step closer to the end of his world.

Jesse stepped inside the cabin, his eyes narrowing in surprise at what he saw. Where he had expected to see a thick layer of dust, he saw only clean surfaces and the air he'd thought would be stale was as fresh as if they'd only been gone a few hours. He idly wondered who had been taking care of the place. Maybe Frank or Robin would know; he'd ask them later. He turned to say something to Cody, only to find him missing. Retracing his steps to the door, his eyes darkened with concern.

“Cody, what is it son?” he asked as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

The feel of his father's arm laying gently across his back was more than Cody could take. His knees turned from jello to water in an instant and he would have fallen if not for the strong arms of his dad.

“Cody!” The echo of Jesse's cry rang through the surrounding trees. Scooping his son into his arms, Jesse carried the boy into the cabin. Making a beeline for the couch, he laid Cody down. “What's wrong son? Please talk to me,” Jesse nearly begged.

Cody shook his head, he wanted to tell him but he couldn't disobey master.

“Damn that bastard,” Jesse snapped. He knew if Rassy hadn't told Cody to be silent, he would be able to get the answers he needed. “Are you in pain? Dizzy? Feel sick?” Each question was met with a shake of the head. He wouldn't need to call Frank back then, that was good. “Is it being here?” he finally asked. It was the only other thing he could think of. He sighed when Cody nodded, “Would you like to go for a walk?” He hoped that if he gave his son a little time he could handle being here. He smiled when the boy nodded his acceptance of the idea. “Just let me leave a note for...” he trailed off as a thought struck him. Quickly leaving a note for Matt, he grabbed the pad of paper and a pencil before leading Cody back outside.

They walked in silence for a while. Jesse smiled as he noticed that Cody had automatically headed towards one of his favorite spots, a large boulder next to a small creek. He could remember many times over the years, finding Cody here, sitting on that boulder or skimming stones across the creek. “Why don't we sit down for a few minutes,” he quietly suggested.

Cody shrugged, it didn't really matter to him. He did feel better now that he wasn't at the cabin, but the fear he felt for his family was still there. Cody knew it wouldn't leave until he was back with master. He shuddered at the thought. He never wanted to go back there, yet he had to. He had promised to obey; he couldn't risk his family in exchange for his freedom.

“You okay son?” Jesse softly asked. He waited in vain for an answer beyond the nod he received. Sighing quietly, he pulled out the note pad and pencil. “You think it would be okay for you to write down your answers?” he asked, holding out the paper and pencil.

Cody took the things his dad handed him, looking at them as if he'd never seen anything like them. Master had said not another word, but did that include writing? Cody considered the question carefully, finally deciding it would be okay. Picking up the pencil, he wrote haltingly, choosing his words with care.

Jesse let go the breath he had taken, more relieved than he could say. Mentally he shook his head at his own foolishness; he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of this sooner. The relief turned to despair when Cody handed the pad to him, allowing him to see what had been written there.

TBC

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