WARNING: IF AT ALL POSSIBLE do not attempt to read this while drinking beverages or eating food. It could be expelled with great force out of many orifices of the body. Enjoy!!

"Why is there a sheep in my cubicle?" Ezra Standish's calm southern voice rang through the office.

"How the heck'm I s'posed to know?" a very bored Vin Tanner drawled out, trying to ignore the snickering from Buck and JD as well as the undercover agent's complaints.

"Well someone had to have put it there. Who?" The southerner's melodic voice took on a sharp edge while he still seemed calm.

As if suddenly realizing what Ezra had said, Vin looked up in surprise and questioned, "Hold up there pard... sheep as in a stuffed critter or sheep as in alive and goes Baaaaa?"

"Baaaaaa," came the response from the poor animal. Ezra turned to Vin.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Well I'll be danged..." Vin replied, glancing over at the animal. "Hey everybody! Ez's picked up a new hobby!! He's a sheep rustler now 'nsteaduva cheap hustler on poker night!"

Ezra just glared at the teasing sharpshooter.

"Well well Ez, I didn't know ya had a new hobby!" Buck boomed, coming up to Ezra and slapping his hard on the back. He looked down. "Oh damn Ez.

looks like he left you a little present."

"I'd warn ya ta watch yer step, but I reckon I'd be too late," Vin added with a grin, then frowning as he glanced back down at the stack of paper on his desk.

"What the hell is going on here?" Chris's voice was heard from his office door.

"Ezra's collectin for yer ranch, Chris! Ain't that sweet of him?" Vin called back.

"Whew, what stinks?" Nathan walked in followed By Josiah. "Is that a sheep?" Nathan exclaimed.

"Very astute observation, Mister Jackson," Ezra mumbled.

"Why is there a sheep in your cubicle Brother Ezra?" Josiah asked.

"Damned if I know! That's what I've been trying to figure out, but no one here seems to be too helpful in that matter..." Ezra growled, turning to glare in turn at the three men he presumed to be the culprits.

JD held up his hands. "What?! I had nothing to do with it!"

"Me neither, Ez. Honest. It wasn't me," Buck protested earnestly. Vin didn't even bother glancing up. "And don't even lookit me, 'cause I sure's hell got better things ta do than mess with your desk."

Ezra glared at all of them. "Someone had better tell me who placed this creature in my area. Or so help me, I will release the little secrets I know about all of you."

The other men paled at the blackmail, they each knew what Ezra was talking about: the various pranks and secrets he had found out that could place them at odds with each other.

Vin cleared his throat after a moment of total silence. "If'n it'd been one of us Ez, we woulda fessed up after a threat like that..." All eyes turned toward Chris' surprisingly closed office door.

The men looked at each other then back at Chris's office. "Do ya think?"

Buck asked quietly, not quite believing their serious leader had it in him.

Ezra narrowed his eyes at the five men still in the room. "Yes, I do have the mental capacity to *think*, Mr. Wilmington. However, it would be quite out of character for Mr. Larabee to perform such a... a... such a gross violation of building policy by bringing in an animal. A sheep none the less!"

"Yeah. What's the significance of a sheep?" Vin asked as they watched the poor sheep sniff around the desk. It baahed at them balefully then started to munch on one of Ezra's papers.

"Sacrifice?" JD offered helpfully confused.

The others just turned to look at JD.

"Sacrifice?" Buck repeated and then he whacked the boy upside the head.

"Well! It made more sense than Sunday dinner!" JD defended, belatedly throwing up his arms to block the whacking and smacking.

The sheep baahed again, it's cries more fearful as though it understood that it's demise was being planned.

"Now look what ya done! Ya went and scared the poor thing!" Vin reprimanded, standing up to go look at the sheep finally, "Poor little guy..."

"Well how do we get it out?" Josiah asked.

"Through the door me'be?" Vin drawled out sarcastically.

Suddenly Ezra looked seriously at sheep. "Baah ram Ewe. Baah ram ewe..." He intoned.

"Care to explain that one?" Nathan asked him incredulously.

"You mean to tell me you have never seen the masterpiece Babe?" Ezra asked incredulously.

"Yeah, like once five years ago..." JD admitted. The other men in the room just groaned and shook their heads.

"I ain't even gonna ask why *you* watched that one, Ez..." Vin decided.

"Yeah, why DID you watch that movie Ez?" Buck asked slyly. "Just what have you been hiding?"

Eyebrows shot up around the room. Vin just shook his head, maintaining that he didn't wanna know what skeletons Ezra kept in what closets. He shook his head as he heard Chris' office door squeak open to hear the answer as well.

Ezra heard it as well and seeing his chance for payback, began his revenge. He sighed, "If you must know, I saw it with Mr. Larabee. It seems he has a penchant for barnyard animals. Quite disturbing actually."

Chris' door opened the rest of the way and he glared out at the group.

Vin and Ezra were the only ones who didn't turn around to see, as they were already facing him, though Ezra purposefully didn't look up at him.

Vin noticed this action out of the corner of his eye and decided to play along with Ezra's little joke. "Y'know I always wondered why he had a pig in his barn."

Buck looked shocked at the implication of Ezra's words. "Woah, wait a second... Chris Larabee? What on Earth did I miss?!"

Chris glared at Vin and Ezra from his office. *Figures they would turn my joke against me.* Buck looked from Ezra to Vin to Ezra again. "Now what exactly happened? C'mon you can tell ol' Bucklin anything."

Chris' glare not escaping his sharp eye, Vin bit back a smirk. He scoffed and muttered in a stage whisper, "Now there's some things that even Bucklin doesn't wanna know..."

Chris burst through the door. "Alright that's it! I didn't do anything! Why am I being attacked?" Chris glared at the men, especially Vin and Ezra.

Vin looked back innocently. "I dunno, Chris, but ya might wanna watch yer step... there's a bit of a trail there..."

Nathan tsked tsked at Chris. "Now Chris, I would have thought you'd have more sense. Don't you know this can be a health hazard?"

Chris froze in his tracks and narrowed his eyes. "Who said I had anything to do with this? It's at Ezra's desk ain't it?"

"And why would I place a sheep in my own area? Everyone knows I abhor uncleanness."

"Just like you abhor gambling?" Chris shot back with a grin.

"That has nothing to do with sheep Mr. Larabee or am I mistaken?" He looked at Chris with a wide-eyed look.

Chris sobered. "Well, I dunno, Ezra. You manage to fleece the rest of us pretty well..."

The group groaned.

"Oh man, Chris. That was worse than one of my jokes," JD admonished.

"So what if it was?" Chris grumbled, turning his glare to JD now. "Uhhh, nothing." JD said quickly.

Vin stared carefully at Chris' unusually wide-eyed glare and made his way closer. "Hey, Nathan? C'mere a sec..."

Nathan moved towards Vin. "What?" he asked softly.

"Check out his eyes...I mean, his eyes are blue an all, but that's not normal..." Vin instructed, pointing.

Nathan looked closer. "You're right!"

Chris glared at them both. "What is your problem?" he demanded. Vin just glared back.

"Nothing! What's your problem?" Vin responded back. "You were breaking into the fridge in the break room again weren't ya?" he questioned suspiciously.

"Fridge?" Chris asked innocently.

"Uh huh. That's what I thought," Vin stated, turning back to face the others.

Ezra looked at Vin, trying to see where he was going with this. "And the significance of the fridge is?"

"Think about it: the sheep's sudden appearance, but none of the usual suspects responsible..." Vin began, glancing to Nathan, "His symptoms?"

Nathan looked at Vin seriously, trying to follow Vin's thought processes.

"I think you're right Vin. The symptoms are all there."

JD looked from Vin to Nathan as Chris quietly began slinking back into his office. "What?"

Josiah slipped behind, effectively blocking off his escape route to his office. Chris just rerouted his attention toward the break room again.

Buck looked at his old friend. "Chris? What's in the fridge?"

Caught in the act, Chris froze and stood up straight, trying to appear as if he hadn't been slinking. "How would I know?" he asked suspiciously.

Nathan disappeared suddenly, running to the break room to find out what was in the fridge.

Chris ran after him like a man possessed.

Nathan quickly opened the fridge and saw it, the damning evidence. "AH HA! I KNOW CHRIS' WEAKNESS!" he called out to his fellow workmates.

Chris launched himself at the refrigerator door, smiling to himself as he felt it slide shut and not caring in the least that he was now sitting on his butt. He'd gotten the door closed and his stash was safe.

Ezra had been quick enough to get a glimpse of 'the stash'. "Oh the horror!" Ezra lamented dramatically. "He's addicted! Our fearless leader, a slave of addiction!"

Chris leveled a cold glare at Ezra. "Am not." He threw in a raspberry to prove it.

Ezra looked at his boss then daintily brushed imaginary spit off his suit. "Are too."

"Alright... somebody here care to explain what in Hell is going on with Chris?" Wilmington questioned, stepping around Ezra and into the break room.

"No," Chris answered simply, grinning.

"It's quite simple really," Ezra said, "Our leader is..."

Ezra was interrupted by a threat from Chris.

"Don't say anything Agent or I'll wake you up at six am every morning for a month."

Ezra promptly shut his mouth.

"Okay. Okay. Fine," Buck groaned, looking around the room in frustration, "Chris, how bout you tell me what's goin on."

"No." Chris said stubbornly.

Buck looked in confused askance at Vin. "You started this with your theories... What're his 'symptoms' and what in God's name is in that fridge?!"

Vin smirked. He was not scared of Larabee's wrath. "Well it's like this..." he began.

Chris suddenly spoke. "If you say anything, Vin, I'll tell who took Buck's rubber chicken ... "

"It was YOU?!" Buck roared. "Hold me back JD or I might just kill 'im!"

Vin rolled his eyes and positioned himself so that Chris and Nathan were between himself and Buck. "That was real nice of ya, Chris..."

Chris just smiled triumphantly. "Next?" he asked and watched the others take a step back.

JD tried pushing Buck out of the room, but the bigger man nearly walked over him. "Forget it. I don't wanna know that badly..." JD decided. He shrugged an apology to Vin and stepped back to watch the battle.

Vin glanced around for an escape route. "Chris, if you don't call him off, I'm gonna tell what's in the fridge!"

Chris's eyes narrowed. *Damn, didn't think of that.* he thought.

"Back off, Buck," Chris warned, taking a reluctantly defensive stance in front of Vin.

Vin grinned triumphantly. "Score one for Mr. Tanner!" Ezra crowed.

"Shut up, Ez," came the irritated voices of both Buck Wilmington and Chris Larabee.

Ezra huffed and turned to Josiah and Nathan. "Do you see how they treat me? No respect, I tell you. Why I even bother to grace these gentlemen with my presence is beyond me!"

Josiah looked Ezra straight in the eye and asked, "Brother Ezra, are you feeling okay?"

Ezra blinked back at him.

"When did this become an issue about me?" he asked innocently.

"You brought it up." Nathan pointed out.

Ezra leaned closer and whispered. "Well now I believe we should redirect our attentions to Mr. Tanner. Currently Misters Larabee, Tanner, Jackson and myself know the mysterious contents of the fridge. And these contents are quite ... 'tease-worthy' if you will. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage?"

"Or someone could just inform the others now and suffer whatever wrath Chris' still got up his sleeve..." Nathan pointed out dismally.

"Wonderful idea Nathan! I nominate you!" Ezra grinned widely, showing off his gold tooth.

"That's a good idea," Josiah pointed out, "Out of all of the others, Chris still likes you."

Nathan sputtered. "What the hell? Nuh uh! No way! I'm sure the others can survive in ignorant bliss! Besides, if I die, who will patch ya'll up?"

"The EMT's we call to take those still living to the hospital," Ezra replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Josiah jumped in. "And I doubt Brother Chris would KILL you. Perhaps maim you or seriously injure you but not kill..."

"Oh you're really helpin' Josiah." Nathan muttered.

Ezra looked around suspiciously, then conceded, "Fine. Might I suggest a new plan of attack?"

"Like what? I still don't know what's in the fridge..." Josiah asked.

"What're you guys planning over there?" Chris had gotten very worried as the three men whispered and plotted in the corner.

Ezra heard him and quickly whispered something to Nathan, who then rolled his eyes and whispered something to Josiah, who suddenly turned disbelieving eyes on Chris.

"You're kidding!" Josiah looked at his boss with an incredulous look on his face, eyes full of humor. "Tell me it's not true!"

Chris glared daggers at Ezra and then Nathan in turn.

"What?!" he demanded.

Ezra immediately pointed to Nathan as his well-honed survival instincts kicked in. "He told!"

Nathan shoved belligerently at Ezra. "I did not!"

Ezra stumbled slightly and turned to Nathan. "Did too!" he shoved back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did TOO!" Ezra shoved Nathan harder.

"BREAK IT UP!" Josiah yelled.

Both men jumped. "Who gave you the right to interfere in our discussion Mr. Sanchez?" Ezra glanced at Josiah.

"Yeah, what he said!" Nathan chimed in. The others just watched this scene in amazement.

"Buncha flippin' babies. And y'all wonder why I hit the Kool-Aid..." Chris muttered, turning his back on them and getting himself a mug from the draining board.

JD, Buck and Josiah turned to look at Chris while Vin, Ezra and Nathan grinned in victory.

"Kool-Aid?" JD and Josiah chorused, wide eyed. From his corner, Vin snickered, coughing into his hand to cover it as he was still within strangling reach.

"Yes damnit! Kool-Aid! Wanna make something of it?" Chris glared at his men, daring them to make a smart remark.

"Kool-Aid..." Buck confirmed, dubiously. JD stared at him in confusion.

"Is there an echo in here?! Yes. Kool. Aid. As in the sugary powered drink." Chris said irritably.

Vin nodded wisely from his corner, a slight smirk on his face.

"Hey, Chris," He began, "How'd the sheep get to Ezra's desk?"

"He walked." Chris said with a straight face. Vin rolled his eyes.

"Ya gonna make me lock the fridge?" he questioned, the threat obvious in his tone. Chris' eyes widened in fear, then he acquiesced and growled out a response.

"It the truth. I didn't carry it all th..."

"Baa-aaah!" Sounds of destruction could heard in the other room. "Oh shit..." Chris cursed and ran out.

Ezra Standish beat him there by a full second, afraid for his office equipment.

They both stopped and were joined by their teammates as they gazed at what used to be their office.

Chris' normally stoic features paled. The one time he finally decided to join in the pranks and something like THIS would have to happen...

"My CHICKEN!" Buck cried out.

"MY desk!" Vin declared, a mix of anguish and anger in the simple statement. He turned to glare at Ezra. "And you were worried about YOUR stuff!"

"Why the hell are you angry with me? *I* am not the one who brought that damn animal into the office." Ezra shot back.

"He started out at YOUR desk! Ya shoulda kept him there, damnit! Do ya have any idea how many files I'd been workin on today?! And look where they're at now!! " Vin continued on, distressed as he stared at the wreckage.

"This is NOT my fault! I will not stand here and be insul..."

"Now children, I think we should..."

"Shut up Josiah!" came the twin responses from the Southerner and the Texan, their individual accents quite heavy in their anger.

Ezra turned an angry glare at Chris. "Errors have been made. Others will be blamed."

He looked directly at Chris, who was starting to come down from his sugar high. More like he came crashing down with a resounding 'thud'.

"Uhhmm..." he muttered.

The office was in shambles, papers where everywhere and little hoof prints could be seen. In the center of it was the unassuming sheep, slowly chewing on a rubber chicken.

"Uhhmm?" Vin questioned incredulously. "That's all ya hafta say?! Uhhmm?!" he repeated.

"Would you like to explain this incident slightly more at length, Mr. Larabee?" Ezra added.

"Where the hell is my Kool-Aid?" Chris huffed out and went to the break room looking for his stash.

Vin went to cut off his access route, a determined look on his face.

"What about my reports?"

"You get an extra day or something. Let me have my Kool-Aid. Now," Chris hissed. Vin stubbornly shook his head.

"Uh huh!" he glanced to Nathan, "Time for an intervention maneuver..."

Nathan nodded seriously. "You know Chris, the first step is admittin' you have a problem." he said. Chris rolled his eyes, shaking his head somberly.

"I don't have one. But I promise y'all, if I had a problem, you'd be the first ones to know," he assured them, trying once again to brush past Vin.

It wasn't working. Vin moved with him, keeping the only entrance to his precious hoard out of his reach.

"Vin ... " he growled. "You better move now."

"Uh uh," Vin replied, bracing himself by placing his heels firmly on the floor against either side of the doorframe.

Josiah stood behind Chris. "We'll help you get through this, brother," he intoned solemnly.

A light bulb flashed over Chris' darkened and nearly deadly countenance.

He relaxed visibly and backed away from Vin, calm and trying to work a smile onto his face.

"Look, boys, I appreciate the thought," he began, "But it's just not necessary. I mean, really... it's *just* blue Kool-Aid..."

"I disagree, Mr. Larabee. I once had an acquaintance who was unfortunately addicted to the horrid substance." Ezra paused for dramatic effect, as though remembering. "It has a strange effect on a man! Makes him lose his mind." Ezra gave a dramatic sigh. "I would not wish that on my worst enemy." Ez bit back a grin as he watched the rest of the team nod their heads in mock seriousness.

Chris ground his jaw and tried not to loose the appearance of calm he'd managed to attain.

"I'm an ATF agent, well versed in the effects of addiction. I. Am. NOT. Addicted. To. The. Blue. Stuff!"

"Then give it up!" Buck said, sounding like a TV evangelist. "Defy the blue demon! Be strong!"

"Don't succumb to its siren's call!" Ezra added, getting into the spirit of things.

"Ha. Ha," Chris muttered mirthlessly.

JD decided to get into the act. He looked up to his role model with big brown eyes. "Chris? Is it true? Are you ... a Kool-Aid junkie?" JD even sniffed for emphasis and nearly burst out laughing when he heard the snorts of barely contained laughter behind him.

Chris turned to glare briefly at the young man before returning his gaze to the man truly responsible for his current misery.

"Vin. Last chance. Get out of my way."

"Can't do that pard. It's for your own good."

"No, it's for *your* own amusement."

"Believe what ya want, Chris. We only have yer best interests in mind," Vin shot back.

"Do not," Chris growled, "If ya did, you'd cut the bitchin and let me at that fridge before I loose my sanity out here listening to it."

"Look Chris," Vin started.

"What the hell happened here?" a familiar voice said from the doorway.

The seven men cringed and turned to meet death in the guise of Judge Orrin Travis.

"Uhhm..."JD stammered, turning along with the others to place the blame on Chris.

Chris froze for a moment then drew himself up to his full height. "We're watching over evidence judge." Chris said.

Vin's jaw dropped, his eyes widening as he listened to Chris *lie* to the judge. Chris quickly elbowed him into shutting it.

"Evidence," repeated Travis.

"Yes sir," Chris confirmed, shifting slightly. Vin relaxed against the closed door behind him, waiting to see how his friend dug himself out of this new hole.

Travis looked at the sheep, then the mess that was the office. "Why is a sheep evidence, Agent Larabee?" He asked. Chris appeared to be at a loss for a moment, something akin to fear on his face.

"Agent Standish's last case was at a ranch... the sheep was a witness to a slaughter..." he mumbled.

Ezra's head whipped around and he hissed, "What are you doing? Don't bring me into this! YOU left the damn sheep in my office!" Ezra immediately composed himself and turned to the Judge, trying to disappear into the crowd.

"The sheep is a witness to a *slaughter*?" Travis rubbed his head, as though he were getting a headache.

"Yes'ir," Chris maintained, ignoring Ezra's protests.

"Well has the sheep made a statement?" Travis said, clearly getting annoyed. The other members of the team slowly shrunk away from their leader, leaving him on his own.

"BAAAAAAAAH!" offered the sheep.

Chris turned a slight pink, as the judge looked expectantly at him. Vin looked for a way out, but was left with none, so he bravely stood behind Chris. He let out a sigh, realizing that he was now forced to take the heat as well for the prank.

Travis looked at the sheep and said with seriously, "Thank you for your statement," He looked up at Chris. "I expect you'd like to interrogate him."

"Her," Chris interrupted.

"Pardon?"

"The sheep is a her," Chris said through clenched teeth as he looked away.

"Her then. I expect this mess cleaned up ASAP boys," Travis turned to leave. "And Agent Larabee, I'd like to see you up in my office at the end of the day."

A collective sigh was heard around the office as the judge turned and left, glaring one last time toward Chris as the elevator doors closed.

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to Larabee when it was safe.

"You heard him," Chris barked, "Clean it up!"

"What?! Us?" JD protested.

"No way!" Buck cried.

"You did it!" Vin countered.

"It's not my sheep!" Josiah said.

"Not my fault," Nathan replied.

"I most certainly will not!" Ezra held, horrified.

"It's your office," Chris shrugged. He turned his attention back to Vin and the doorway.

"Lemme in. NOW, Vin, or I go find my gun..." he said, his tone as serious as it'd ever been. Vin sighed.

"Fine," he moved away.

"Thank you," Chris replied with forced graciousness before lunging at the door. He went into the break room and locked himself inside. His men gathered around, glaring at Vin for letting their boss disappear.

"Get to work, gentlemen!" Chris called from inside.

With a resounding grumble and thoughts of revenge, Team seven, minus one, got to work on the office.

"Baaaah," the sheep said in sympathy.

"Shut up!" shouted the six men.

THE END!!