Explainations

“We’re fine, Fitz, the question is; are you alright?” Danny said quickly.

“My name is Vin Tanner. I won’t answer to anything else.” Vin said firmly. It didn’t matter to him that this time around he had been adopted. His name wasn’t and never would be Martin Fitzgerald. He was ashamed enough to have forgotten his promise to his mother to never forget he was a Tanner. It was only the spell that he remembered someone putting on him that eased that shame at all. Spells were out of his control. If he let anyone call him Martin now, well that was in his control and it would be a slap to his mother’s memory. That was something he couldn’t bring himself to do.

“Ok, Vin. Are you alright?” Jack said. He didn’t care what Martin was calling himself and for all he knew Vin Tanner really was his name, he just wanted to know if he was alright. The rest could wait for later.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Jus’ don’ make me put somethin’ around ma neck like that.” Vin shuddered. He hated how ties reminded him of the time that he had been lynched or the time he had died jumping out of that airplane. The cord from his chute had wrapped around his neck in a freak accident, and when the chute had opened it had snapped his neck instantly. He had been dead before he had hit the ground.

“No problem, but you still have to wear a suit. The tie you can get away with ditching. I’d say having been hung is a good enough reason for you not to have to wear it.” Jack reassured Vin.

“Thanks.” Vin said. “Think ya’ll can get me into a sniper course?” He figured he might as well get started on getting his skills back up to snuff. Chris and the boys would find him soon enough. It wouldn’t do to have the sharpshooter behind the times by about fifty years or so.

“A sniper course?” Danny asked.

“That stupid spell clamped me down hard. I’m runnin’ behind. Gotta ketch up.” Vin stated.

“Catch up to what?” Jack asked.

“I bin a sharpshooter for more’n a hundred years. I’m outa practice. An’ the boys’ll be lookin’ fer me sooner or later.”

“It’s called the Curse of the Seven.” Witch Chloe said. “Seven lawmen in New Mexico were cursed in a joined reincarnation curse soon after the civil war. So far, they’ve been reborn twice and this will be the third time.”

“That’s right. You know the old saying, ‘Heaven doesn’t want us and Hell’s afraid we’ll take over’? That pretty much describes us.” Vin smirked. “Chris Larabee is our leader. You’ll know him when you see him. He’s blond, slight, wears all black, and,” Vin’s smirk grew wider, “He’s danger personified. You can’ miss ‘im. Buck Wilmington is a big man, a lone Two-Blood, but we’re his pack. He’s always born a Two-Blood. The rest of us might change a might, but not that. Sam, Viv, Buck is a ladies’ man but he’s a real gentleman so no worries. Josiah Sanchez is the eldest, usually. He started out as a Preacher, but he’s as much interested in people as he is in God. Don’t get into discussion with him over it, no one’s got the time. Then there is Ezra Standish. He’s a mite shorter than me. Usually about my age too. He’s a real southern gentleman, but he started out his lives as a con man and he never lost some of his habits. Never get into a poker game with ‘im ifin ya wanna win. Nathan Jackson is the only black man among the seven, but that’s never mattered to us, even if it mattered to others. He’s pack. He’s also our healer. He might have even gotten his MD this time around. I hope so ‘cause we tend to keep him a mite busy. JD Dunne is our youngen. He was just sixteen when we got together in our first life. He’s real short, hair’s a bit long, Black Irish in colorin’. Has a bad habit a tellin’ bad jokes.” Vin shook his head in remembrance of some of the worst JD had ever told him. “Can I get outa here Miss? Not that I ain’t grateful for what you done, but I really hate hospitals.”

After the usual paperwork was taken care of, everyone headed back to the office. “I for one am just grateful this happened when we didn’t have any hard cases on our backs.” Sam said as she put her stuff down at her desk. “Cause it looks like we’ve got one now. Vin, do you know if you were adopted or not?”

Jack, Viv and Danny looked at each other in surprise, how could they have forgotten what sent Martin to the hospital in the first place? “Yeah, I was. Why?”

“Because the curse that put you in the hospital was one that is placed on children stolen for illegal adoptions. It makes them compliant and suppresses their memories if they have any. According to the Witch who took it off of you, no one survives more than ten years under the curse. You survived more than that because this reincarnation curse was keeping you alive.” Sam explained.

“That’s what doesn’t make sense to me. You’re always giving your old man fits. How does that work with this curse?” Danny wanted to know.

“I ain’t even hardly started givin’ that man fits, Danny.” Vin promised. That was one thing this team didn’t know. They knew he and his father didn’t get along but thanks to the spell he had usually backed down in the end. That was over. Vin Tanner backed down to no man. Chris was the only man who could order him around and get away with it. Victor Fitzgerald just didn’t know that yet. It was gonna be an interesting meeting.