Out of the Past

Author: Jesfrealo

Disclaimer: I don’t own the seven, I’m just borrowing them. Don’t bother suing me, I’m not worth anything.

Author’s Note: This one sat in the depths of my desktop for a long while and I started working on it again.

CHAPTER 1

It was mid-November and the whistling wind was more than enough to chill every bone inside your body. It was the kind of wind that cuts through your clothes and seems to turn your flesh to ice.

These were the thoughts that swam through Ezra’s mind as he was riding back from Yuma prison to Four Corners with Buck Wilmington, on a basically average and completely uneventful (not to mention boring and far, far too long) trip to drop off a prisoner. They were very close to reaching Four Corners and Ezra couldn’t wait to get home. HOME? When did that dusty little town become so revered as for anyone to call it home? Oh, who are you kidding Standish, you love Four Corners and couldn’t dream of living anywhere else.

Yes, Ezra Standish had finally found a place to call home and he honestly looked forward to going home and spending Thanksgiving with his adopted family. These thoughts that Ezra’s seemingly split personality involuntarily argued back and forth were annoying but they brought a smile to the gambler’s face as the wind kicked up again and Ezra unconsciously pulled his coat up a little bit tighter around his neck. Chaucer wasn’t any happier with the weather conditions than Ezra and the normally calm and intensely easy-going horse was now getting somewhat skittish. This concerned Ezra because as the large chestnut stallion’s ears began tilting back and forth Ezra suddenly realized that Chaucer’s jittery behavior had absolutely nothing to do with the weather.

"Mr. Wilmington, Chaucer appears to be somewhat skittish and I do not believe it is an effect of the inclement weather. I am concerned there may be some danger coming, for Chaucer does scare easily."

"’Fraid I’ve got to agree with ya on this one Ez, Lady here seems to be feelin’ a bit skittish herself," Buck unhappily agreed, " We’d best…"

But whatever he was about to say was cut off by the sudden blast of gunfire that erupted around the two men. Despite the unease of both Lady and Chaucer the two well-trained horses knew not to take of or buck at the startling sound of the gunfire that went off around them. As a reflex Ezra drew his gun and began firing in the assumed direction of his and Buck’s pursuers while at the same time looking for a place to take cover. In Ezra’s search for cover he saw Lady but didn’t see Buck. Where could he be? Oh no, I hope Buck is not injured.

The distinct and utterly unmistakable click of a gun behind Ezra’s head caused his musings of Buck’s whereabouts to vanish while the gruff voice of the gun-handler spoke. "Hey, pretty boy, quit yer shootin’, or I’m gonna start."

"Alright boys we got um both, ya can quit yer shootin’," the gruff man yelled out, "And you, pretty boy, git off yer horse and come with me."

Ezra paused a moment to consider his options when a pair of strong, rough hands ripped him from the saddle and down to the hard dirt floor that made up the dry, desert-like area that made up the landscape around Four Corners. As Ezra was about to attempt to stand and regain some composure, a swift set of punches assaulted his midsection. Then a kick struck him in the side of the head. The pain was excruciating. Then another kick, almost simultaneous, landed directly on Ezra’s temple knocking him unconscious.

CHAPTER 2

"You bastards!" Buck Wilmington yelled as he helplessly watched Ezra be torn from his horse kicked unconscious and now the beating continued despite Ezra’s unconscious state. He was continuously kicked in the head the man pulled a knife and attempted to slash Ezra’s chest. The injury would have been severe except that, luckily for Ezra, the knife wielder chose to make the cut along the exact line of his hidden gun belt that went across his chest. Though blood oozed out the damage was minimal thanks to the heavy leather that made up the straps.

"Whoa, there Wilmington," the gruff man replied, "you best watch yourself or your gettin’ it next. Cordwell," he addressed one of the two new arrivals that had provided the gunfire on Wilmington and Standish, "You tie him up and gag him good," he gestured toward Buck.

"OK, Mac," Cordwell replied addressing the gruff leader of the posse.

"Stevens, git on over here and pick this sorry excuse up and tie ‘im and gag ‘im along with Wilmington. Then tie ‘im to his horse good and make sure Wilmington gits tied to his horse to. We best git movin’ and set up camp a safe place away," Mac finished by addressing the whole group.

They worked quickly and Buck was helpless to stop them from injuring Ezra further. Within minutes both Ezra and Buck were tied to their horses and the posse was ready to start moving in the opposite direction of Four Corners.

~*~

Chris Larabee, Nathan Jackson, Josiah Sanchez, Vin Tanner, and JD Dunne all sat at their normal table in the Standish Tavern, drinking the usual, Red Eye Whiskey and playing some possibly profitable poker since Ezra wasn’t currently in town.

"I’m out," Vin stated as he through down his cards, "you deal out hands as bad as the ones Ezra deals Josiah."

"Just doin’ what I can, brother," Josiah answered, in his typical soothing baritone voice.

"I’m out too," JD stated, obviously disappointed that he couldn’t even win when Ezra wasn’t there to beat him. "Hey, Chris, when are Buck and Ezra due back?" JD asked his mood lightening with the thought of Buck getting back. Things had been really dull since Buck and Ezra had left.

"Well JD, they telegraphed a week ago saying they’d made the drop-off safely, I reckoned they’d be back by today, but they probably stopped off somewhere."

"You don’t think they’re in trouble, do ya?" JD asked.

"Naw," Vin’s quiet voice lulled in, "Ez and Buck probably stopped off somewhere, and, well you know them Buck’s probably warm in some poor woman’s bed and Ezra’s prob’ly busy win’n everybody’s money"

"Yeah JD, don’t worry none," Nathan added, "’sides Buck and Ezra know how to take care of themselves."

"Well they better get themselves back here soon, they’ve got a job to do that don’t include gambling and sleeping with pretty women." Chris’ statement put an end to that line of conversation.

Buck Wilmington was worried. In fact he was more than worried he was downright scared. Ezra hadn’t regained consciousness and Buck could see a decidedly gray pallor forming on Ezra’s skin. And sweat beads forming on the gambler’s forehead even though the day was cool and breezy. They’d been riding hard for about an hour with no end in sight, and the ride was obviously taking a toll on the gambler despite his unconscious state.

CHAPTER 3

5 HOURS LATER

They had finally reached a stop and Buck and Ezra’s captors had less than gently removed the two men from their horses.

"Look at the fancy one, Mac," the man called Steven’s said, "DeCapri said he wanted um alive, an he don’t look so good."

"Yeah, yer right Stevens, I guess pretty boy is ‘bout as tough as he looks," this garnered a good laugh from the group of ugly men, before Mac continued, "’Ey Wilmington, we’ll untie ya so’s ya can take care o’ fancy pants over there but don’t you go causin’ no trouble or we’ll doll out some more pain for the both of ya."

Buck eagerly waited as they roughly untied him, leaving him to untie the gag himself. They’d left him with a canteen of water and Buck took a quick sip and then went to tending Ezra’s various wounds. Buck was no doctor but it was pretty easy for him to tell that at least five ribs on Ezra’s left side were broken with one protruding from the skin. Buck quickly went to the saddle bag contents his captors had dumped out for him to use to care for the gambler. Buck quickly grabbed one of the extra shirts he always carried with him and ripped into strips to clean and bandage the wounds. Buck took Ezra’s flask of whiskey and ignored his want to drink of the fine whiskey he knew the gambler’s flask contained and went straight to pouring the whiskey over the broken skin that covered Ezra’s bruised and battered body.

"Ez, buddy, can ya hear me," Buck whispered, "Come on Ez, wake up, ya gotta wake up, we have to talk." As Buck continued to try to verbally coax Ezra out of his unconcsious state the whiskey that he was pouring over Ezra’s wounds was doing a much better job as Ezra began to moan.

"That’s it, common Ez, wake up," Buck continued to gently coax the injured gambler who he greatly feared for after seeing his numerous injuries.

"Mr. Wilmington? What happened? Are you alright?" Ezra groggily asked Buck, still trapped in a haze of pain. Ezra’s talking didn’t make Buck feel better, in truth hearing the soft southern drawl made him feel more concern for his friend. He knew the gambler must be badly injured and in severe pain because Ezra wasn’t able to hide his pain behind inpenitrable emerald eyes and his skilled and infamous poker face. Also the absence of Ezra’s ever-present five-dollar words.

"Yeah Ez, it’s me. We got taken prisoner by some guys who it looks like took us as a job to bring us to another guy called DiCapri."

"Buck, are you ok?" Oh man, Ez must be in really bad shape not only is he not talking in his fancy words, but he’s not even calling me Mr. Wilmington anymore.

"Yeah, Ez, I’m just fine, you’re the one who’s hurt."

"But you’re okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good, Buck I’m tired, I’m going to go back to sleep, I can’t stay awake any more."

"No, Ez, ya gotta stay awake, I think ya got a concussion and you know how Nathan always tells us not to sleep when ya got a head injury."

"But I’m so tired and my chest hurts so much, please Buck, lemme go to sleep," Ezra began to slur his words and the pleading was something Buck was not only unaccustomed to but in truth it frightened him, hearing it from the normally unflappable gambler. Ezra seemed so young and vulnerable. In truth that was what scared Buck the most.

"No, Ezra!" Buck was stern. Ezra could not go to sleep. If he did Buck was afraid that he may never wake up again.

"Now Ez, you got any idea who this DeCapri is, it seems this guy wants to get you. Seems these bastards who took us are gettin paid to take us to this guy. Ya got any idea who he is?"

"Good Lord, what’s this man’s name?"

"DeCapri, you know ‘im?"

"Unfortunately," was the answer that Ezra gave with a very pained expression on his face that Buck suspected wasn’t a result of the beating Ezra had taken but the fact that he knew the man who had caused them this trouble.

"Well, Ez how do ya know ‘im?" Buck gently questioned the injured and now somewhat upset gambler.

"He was one of my many stepfathers, one of the more nasty ones, I might add."

"Why would your stepfather want to do this to you?" Buck questioned wondering how anyone

could hate their wife’s child that much.

"Well, Buck, he never liked me, always told my mother I got in the way, that is during the rare times when I was actually with them. He used to beat me with his belt for no reason at all. But really he was also very cruel to my mother much more cruel then he ever was to me, I suspect. He used to beat her very badly. I mean, when I was with them I could hear her screaming for him to stop hurting her, finally some time later she left him and I hadn’t heard anything of him since then."

Buck’s anger fumed at the thought of anyone beating their wife and her helpless child. "Jeez, Ez, that’s terrible but it doesn’t explain why he’d want to come after you now, I mean how old were you then?"

"I was only nine. I haven’t the slightest idea why but I’m willing to bet it has something to do with my mother. Even through he beat her so badly he was very possessive of her, obsessed you might say." all the talking had worn Ezra out, so he took a deep breath, which caused hem such severe pain that he was once again pulled into unconsciousness.

CHAPTER 4

The next morning 5am

"C’mon Steven’s git the hell up, we got ta git monvin’ Decapri’s expectin’ us and you know how pissed the old man will be if we ain’t there on time!" Mac yelled, angry because as good as Steven’s was he never could get up on time.

"Cordwell git the prisoners, Stevens git yer useless self dressed and pack this stuff up," Mac commanded.

~*~

Bailey Cordwell headed over to the trees by the stream where they’d left Standish and Wilmington the night before. He made his way to where he saw the unconscious form he knew only as Standish. He looked around to try to find Wilmington. He was caught completely unawares when Buck Wilmington swung from a tree and kicked Bailey Cordwell in the head so hard that blood oozed from the gash that appeared on the man’s forehead. Unconsciousness enveloped him with such speed that he didn’t have time to make a sound before his limp body hit the ground with a thud.

Buck had devised this plan after Ezra had told him about his former stepfather. He decided that he in no way wished to meet this man and doubted that Ezra wanted to see him again, especially under their current circumstances. The plan was simple. Take all the bastards down one by one, beat ‘em, tie ‘em, gag ‘em, and head back to Four Corners. Then find this bastard DeCapri and give him the punishment he deserves for beating women and children. In any event, Buck decided to take out that Steven’s guy next.

Will Steven’s squatted to pick up the utensils he, Mac, and Cordwell had used the night before to cook supper with. He grumbled that he always had to be the old maid and pick up the clothes and cook and pick up the cooking stuff. Why don’t these two pains in the ass just offer me their hands in marriage? However these sarcastic and somewhat frightening thoughts were the last thoughts that swept through Steven’s mind. This was because Steven’s, so lost in thought, never heard Buck pick up the frying pan or walk up behind him, however he did hear the clung of the frying pan as it smacked his head, that is before he lost consciousness.

Two down, one to go, Buck Wilmington thought to himself as he tied up and gagged Steven’s the same way he had tied and gagged Cordwell.

Deacon Mackenzie, or Mac, as everybody called him quietly tended the horses thinking, no dreaming, hell drooling over all the money that stupid old bastard, Decapri, was paying to bring in one lousy gambler. Crack, Snap.

Mac heard the sound of twigs breaking beneath boots and assumed it was Stevens or Cordwell. The sound stopped and no one came up to him so Mac turned just in time to see the prisoner, Wilmington, walking up to him, armed with a frying pan. With much faster speed then Buck expected Mac drew his gun and pulled the trigger just as Buck brought the frying pan down so hard on Mac’s head that he heard the gut wrenching crunch of bone.

The limp bodies of both Buck and Mac hit the ground.

Chapter 5

Carlton Decapri awoke at his usual time, 7:00 am. The only difference between today and all the other days was that he awoke with a smile on his face. A smile that had been there since the inception of his plan to get Maude Standish as his, once and for all. The simplicity of his plan was its genius. He was almost mad at himself for not thinking of it sooner, almost. At any rate, he’d finally get her. Maude Standish would be his once and for all. That is once he got that bastard son of hers. Once he had that boy he knew Maude would be at his mercy. From the start, for all her talk of her son being a pain in the ass, Carlton knew that Maude would do anything for that boy. Just so long as the boy didn’t know it and she could hide it from everyone else. Yes, as soon as he got that bastard he could notify dear Maude of her son’s situation. There was not a doubt in Carlton DeCapri’s mind that once he got that boy Maude would be his forever. It would be wonderful when he finally put that high-handed broad in her place.

~*~

10am

If nothing else Ezra Standish was confused. The midmorning sunlight filled his still sleepy eyes immediately making him very awake and aware of his location. However his situation was a much harder thing to figure out.

Good Lord, I thought we would have been on our way by dawn’s early light. What in hell is going on? Where are Mr. Wilmington and those miscreants that so rudely apprehended us? Lord, could it have all been a dream?….. No, No, couldn’t have been I can feel the pain in my head and chest and the pain from my broken ribs. No, this is real; its just all the people have vanished.

Ezra was becoming frightened, and he loathed it. He really couldn’t help it though. It was nerve racking to wake up and see no sign of the human life that surrounded you before you slept. He was especially troubled because he knew, from what Buck told him during the brief time he was conscious, that it was him, specifically, that these men were after. They were after him to bring him to his former stepfather. The thought of seeing that terrible man again made chills run down Ezra’s spine.

Get a hold of yourself, Standish, Ezra chastised himself, Carlton Decapri is probably nothing but a withered old man now, and he’s no harm to you or anyone else for that matter. Ezra told himself that, but he argued with himself. It is so hard to displace the demons of childhood. One gets over a fear of the dark or of monsters under the bed but getting rid of a real and worthy fear is something much more difficult. Ezra could still vividly remember the horrid beatings he had received as a child from that brute of a man. Carlton DeCapri had instilled a very real and tangible fear into his stepson. It had been exactly what he wanted to do. And he had succeeded, with flying colors. Whenever Ezra tried to displace his fear of Carlton DeCapri he would have dreams at night of the beatings and of his mothers terrified screams for help that were never answered. He dreamed of his own cries for help. He dreamed of how he would beg his stepfather to stop, and he dreamed of how when he did beg the beatings only worsened.

Ezra stopped these thoughts. This was the last thing he needed or wanted to think about. Instead he thought of his most current dilemma. He was in too much pain and was far too weak to attempt to get up and take a look around. So Ezra settled for scanning the area with just his eyes until he found some sign of human life, friendly or otherwise. At this moment, either one would be a relief to Ezra. As much as he hated himself for it, ever since Buck had mentioned DeCapri Ezra had felt unmitigated fear. It was as if everyone and everything he saw made him more nervous and more anxious. Having people around meant that he could avoid scanning the thoughts and memories in his head, but when he was alone there was no escaping them. This lack of people around him was coming close to driving Ezra insane. He continued to scan the area with his eyes in the hopes of finding some sign of life. Then, as if a gift from the heavens above, Ezra saw the dirt and blood clad figure, tied and gagged and just slightly hidden by a nearby tree. Then a terrible crossed Ezra’s mind. What if it was Buck?

That singular thought was too much for Ezra to take. He just had to make sure it wasn’t Buck. Ezra blamed himself for Buck’s capture. How could he not blame himself? That rat bastard DeCapri was after him, not Buck. Just the idea that Buck may have been injured in any way as a result of this was too much for Ezra. He wouldn’t be able to handle that. So despite his injuries Ezra forced himself up and headed toward the prone figure lying lifelessly on the ground. To his relief he found one of the miscreants that had apprehended himself and Buck. From the brief time Ezra had been conscious Ezra recalled this one to be Cordwell.

If this is Cordwell, where’s Buck? Is Buck the one responsible for this? And if he is, where is he now? These and many more questions barraged Ezra’s mind. So, he decided, he would take a look around. Ezra looked around and spotted a nice long stick. He crawled over to it and picked it up. Yes, this will make a fine walking stick. Actually it will probably be more of a leaning, put-as-much-of-my-weight-on-as-possible stick. But, Ezra supposed it didn’t really matter.

Leaning heavily on the stick, Ezra made his way over to where he could see the only half picked up camp sight. Good Lord, this just gets more and more odd. Something must have truly gone wrong for these, err…gentlemen. Then again, one can only hope. Ezra took stock of the scene around him.

It was not the disaster area one would suspect seeing after a fight had taken place. Despite the fact that things were only half picked up, everything looked like it was still in perfect order. Sleeping mats still lay on the ground, place settings with dishes, knives, forks, and cups still sat out, completely unhampered. Several cups of coffee sat with nothing amiss except for the fact that they were no longer hot. So, Ezra concluded, a fight probably did not take place. Ezra did however notice an opened satchel, he could see eating utensils and other trail items within it. He hobbled over to it, leaning heavily on his stick, reached down and grabbed the bag. There was nothing in it that was out of the ordinary so Ezra simply dropped it back onto the ground. A perfectly plain handless tin cup rolled from the satchel and followed what seemed to Ezra like a perfectly charted path. His eyes followed the little cup. The emerald orbs followed that cup on its journey down the sloping hill next to the camp all the way down until its journey ended with an abrupt halt hitting against the still unconscious form of Will Stevens.

"Mr. Stevens!" Ezra called, rather loudly from his positions atop the slope. "Hey you down there!" Ezra tried again. After a few more minutes of calling to the obviously unconscious man Ezra gave up. He decided to continue looking for, first and foremost Buck. However, if misfortune should happen to strike Ezra yet again (which Ezra figured was quite probable), he might run into the loathsome "Mac".

So Ezra continued looking around. He heard a faint neigh of horses and immediately thought to look there, assuming it only made sense that there would be someone there, preferably Buck, that is Buck fully awake and functioning.

CHAPTER 6

10AM, Four Corners

"Hey guys, Buck and Ezra back yet?" JD Dunne exuberantly greeted, in much the way he had for the past four hours that he had been awake.

"They ain’t back yet kid." Vin tiredly answered. He had decided that it wears on a person, being asked the same question upwards of ten thousand times.

"Sorry, Brother" Josiah answered, feeling much of the same tiredness and frayed patience that Vin felt. "Why don’t you sit down here and play some cards with us." Josiah suggested offering, not because he really wanted the boy to join them, in truth JD was driving both he and Vin nuts but he also knew that JD was pestering Chris in much the same way he was pestering Vin and himself. Josiah knew Chris liked the boy. On the other end of Chris’ somewhat unstable psyche was his lack of patience, especially when it came to things of this nature.

"Sorry guys, gonna go find Chris" JD was out the door before either Vin or Josiah could comment.

"Well Josiah, I figure I’ll go find Nathan."

"Well now Vin, why would that be?" Josiah asked, despite the fact that he had some idea where Vin was going with this.

"Figure I’ll tell him to get some bandages ready," Vin gave a wry grin, then continued, "Cause, if JD keeps up the way he’s goin’ either Chris or me are gonna shoot ‘im."

~*~

10:30 am

Buck Wilmington feared he was being pulled awake. He didn’t like it. He also didn’t have a choice. He could feel the burning pain in the right side of his chest and in the middle of his back as he struggled just to take in breath.

The sudden sound of twigs and leaves breaking under someone’s feet immediately got Buck’s undivided attention. Since he could already feel the pain he saw no point in continuing to keep his eyes closed. If his worst suspicions were correct Mac was regaining consciousness and if that bastard was going to kill an already wounded (more then likely dying man, Buck inwardly thought) then he was gonna have to look Buck straight in the eyes while he finished it.

~*~

When Ezra reached the horses what he saw almost literally tore his heart out. He saw Buck Wilmington lying on the ground in a puddle of dark crimson liquid. His eyes shifted just slightly to Mac, who was lying in his own puddle of blood. The metallic stench was nauseating. The gambler moved quickly, much more so then seemed possible with his injuries.

When Ezra reached the rogue ladies man he dropped to his knees without thinking, causing immense pain to shoot throughout his body like a bolt of white-hot lightening. But Ezra didn’t care.

"Buck, Buck!"

~*~

Oh, Lordy, lordy that sounds like Ezra.

With that thought of total elation, Buck snapped his eyes open. He did indeed see Ezra. Ezra with a very concerned look on his face. On the upside, Ezra was looking significantly better then the last time Buck had seen him.

"Buck"

"Ezra, that really you?"

"Yes Buck, who else would it be?" Ezra teased gently and smiled broadly glad that his friend had woken up. "Buck, can you, perhaps, inform me of the situation? The only life I have found has been the unconscious kind. Meanwhile I will attempt, with my minimal skills, to tend to your injuries."

"Well," Buck was tired and his voice was shaky because of his severe fatigue. "Ya see, after ya told me ‘bout yer stepfather and after ya fell back ‘sleep. I figured I didn’t wanna meet this guy an’ you wouldn’t wanna see ‘im, so I decided to try to take out these fellas. Well, it worked up until this last fella. He musta heard me commin’ cause he pulled ‘is gun an’ fired just as I nailed ‘im in the ‘ead. Ya should check if he’s still alive. When I ‘it ‘im I heard bone crunch."

"I will indeed, check him. That is, after I have completed the task I currently have at hand."

"Naw, Ez Check ‘im now. I wanna no if I killed ‘im or not."

"Alright, Mr. Wilmington. If that is what you insist." Ezra once again forced his bruised and battered body up and half walked half stumbled over to Mac’s unmoving body. He felt no need to reach down and check the man for a pulse. For when he reached the man he saw the monstrous gaping wound in his forehead, which was so massive that torn brain matter was visible within the man’s head. Despite all this Ezra leaned forward and checked the man’s pulse while doing his best not to look at the seen before him, it was sickening. "Well, Mr. Wilmington this man is most definitely out of the land of the living."

"So, what yer sayin’ is he’s dead?" Buck tiredly asked.

"That is correct Mr. Wilmington." Ezra nodded in the affirmative.

"Good." Buck simply stated as pain began to overtake him once more and it became difficult for him to breathe. "After what I watch ‘im do to you, he deserved to die. Ez, stop pokin’ at me. Yer as bad as Nathan. ‘Sides I’m real tired, I wanna go ta sleep."

"No, Buck you cannot go to sleep."

"But, Ez, it hurts like hell, an’ I’m real tired, jus’ lemme go to sleep," sounding nothing like a grown man but more like a small pleading child.

"Buck, are you listening to me? No. Do not go to sleep."

"But-"

"Don’t argue. You will not go to sleep. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Buck attempted to joke, however the effect was lost with the pain much more evident in

his voice then the joke.

"Buck, I am certainly-"

"Well we sure do hate to break up this little party," Cordwell spoke, making his presence known while he and Steven’s pointed their guns directly in Ezra and Buck’s direction. "But we got to git you fellas to Mr. DeCapri so we can git the money. Hell, iffin it weren’t for the money we’d jus’ hightail it outta hear. After what ya done to us an’ Mac that is. But that money’s jus’ to damn good. So you two jus’ git yer hands up, so’s we can git a move on." Cordwell spoke not sounding nearly as perturbed as one would think, after what Buck had done to him, Mac, and Steven’s.

"Yeah," Stevens continued, "We was damn mad at ya, that is ‘til we saw what ya done to Mac. Ya done killed ‘im an’ we figure that’s the best thing that ever happened ta us. Ain’t that right?" He addressed Cordwell.

"Shut up, you moron."

"What, I didn’t say nothin’"

"Yes, you did you asshole, now they know we wanted Mac dead. Now they know they did us a favor killin’ him."

Ezra just continued to kneel over Buck wondering how it could be that two men so completely and utterly stupid, and there was indeed no other way to accurately describe the two morons that were now in his and Buck’s presence, could have managed to get into a position of superiority over himself and Buck.

"Alright," Cordwell, the new leader, began. "Standish, git on yer horse, now, or we’ll finish of yer little friend here." Ezra could tell by looking into to the morons somewhat bizarre eyes that despite all his obvious loss of valuable brain cells he was dead serious and would have no trouble killing Buck. So Ezra walked over to Chaucer and mounted the beautiful chestnut, thankful that at least his horse was still in good health. "Steven’s, tie ‘im to the horse, make sure it’s real tight too. I’ll git this one tied to another horse an’ ready to go." Cordwell gestured toward Buck.

Buck inwardly cringed at the thought of that man pulling him onto a horse. He knew the pain would be exruciating. But, Buck could think of no way to get around his misfortune.

As it turned out Buck was right in both aspects. He did not manage to escape his situation. He also did expirience excruciating pain when Cordwell pulled him up off of the ground and forced him to do most of the work and expend the last energy he had in pulling himself onto Lady’s back. Futhermore, Buck now feared what the ride ahead would do to both him and Ezra. He also prepared himself for the shockwaves that would come when they got to Ezra’s once stepfather, DeCapri.

CHAPTER 7

2 PM, Four Corners

"Here you are, Senors." Inez Roscios said as she put down the bottle of whiskey. She looked at the five worried faces and sincerely hoped that Ezra Standish and Buck Wilmington got back safely. Of all the seven she was closest to those two. She couldn’t help but smile thinking of Ezra Standish. He had turned out to be a very good friend, not to mention attractive friend. If nothing else it was nice having him around just to look at. Besides that, she spent more time with Ezra then anyone else, since they worked together. On the other hand Buck had saved her and fought for her when Don Pualo came to get her. She could never repay him for that, but he was still a pig. She shook these thoughts off reminding herself that she had a job to do and should not be comparing those two.

All five of the seven peacekeepers that resided in Four Corners sat at the table that everyone recognized as theirs in the Standish Tavern. "Shouldn’t they be back by now?" JD questioned. "I mean weren’t they supposed to be back yesterday. I know they are easily distracted but it really isn’t like them to be this late besides Buck has that Muffin girl in town he’s been charming since she got hear and he wanted to get back as soon as possible. Even Ezra wanted to get back as fast as they could because of those rich business men who came into town just before they left. It don’t make sense that they ain’t back yet!" JD shouted, frustrated that they hadn’t already acted. However he quickly saw his mistake in yelling. "Sorry guys, guess I’m just worried."

"Ah, that’s okay kid, ‘sides I think ya might have a point. What-a-ya think, Cowboy?" Vin asked Chris enjoying the look that came onto Chris’ face when he called him Cowboy.

"I reckon we best wire some of the towns they might have passed through and figure out the last time anybody saw them. JD why don’t you go do that now."

"Okay Chris," JD said happy that at least now they were doing something.

~*~

2pm

Despair. If Ezra Standish felt nothing else, he felt despair as he continued to watch Buck Wilmington closely, despite the fact that he had lost consciousness long ago. At this point Ezra feared that Buck may have drifted off to sleep never to wake up again. That is, if the blood that continued to flow from Buck’s chest and the blood that was now dripping out the side of his mouth was anything to go by. At this point Ezra had more or less forgotten his own physical pain. The emotional stress and worry he felt was far worse than any physical pain he’d ever experienced.

He couldn’t stop blaming himself for Buck’s situation and if Buck died Ezra knew he would probably never be able to live with himself. The guilt was already eating him alive. When his mind wasn’t on Buck it drifted to thoughts of his less than stellar childhood and of Carlton DeCapri. Together these things made him feel as if some invisible force was sucking all the oxygen from his lungs and slowly but surely tearing his heart from his chest. To Ezra it felt as if the walls that were his life were now closing in on him. He felt trapped and terribly claustrophobic.

~*~

Bailey Cordwell was on top of the world.

He was very close to making a huge sum of money by bringing just one man in. In fact this sum was bigger than huge. Cordwell couldn’t honestly think of the word but it was a fortune. Although he still, for the life of him couldn’t figure out why the gambler was so valuable. Then again he supposed when it came down to it, that he really didn’t care that much. Just so long as he got his money that was all he really cared about.

They had gotten the gambler fellow with relative ease as well. That made it that much better. That Wilmington guy had always worried Cordwell, then again Wilmington was no longer a threat. Although Mr. DeCapri had said he wanted both men alive. He surely hoped Wilmington was still alive. Cordwell hated the thought of crossing Carlton DeCapri. Cordwell had been with Mac when they made the deal with DeCapri. The man had sent chills down Cordwells spine the moment he’d laid his eyes on the man. DeCapri was not a good looking man. He was old and withered with devious, calculating olive green eyes and a misshapen, slightly cocked-to-the-right nose. He had snow white hair and was about five feet nine and shrinking rapidly. He used a maple and ivory cane to walk. However despite his withered exterior he was still a rather strong man as he had showed when, during Macs and Cordwell’s meeting with the man a disgruntled employee had come in and thrown a punch at the old man. To both Macs and Cordwells surprise the old man caught the punch with his own bear hand, squeezed and Cordwell had heard the audible breaking of bone inside the mans hand. In fact, Cordwell suspected the cane was simply for show. And now they were mere hours from the drop off point and their half million dollars.

CHAPTER 8

5PM, Four Corners

"Mr. Larabee! Here’s the telegram about Mr. Standish and Mr. Wilmington!" Bill Perkins, the telegraph operator yelled to Chris Larabee as he walked past the telegraph, realizing the importance of the message he held in his hands.

"What is it, Mr. Perkins?" Chris Larabee asked hoping that they’d gotten some word on the telegrams that JD sent out. He wasn’t prepared to leave the town unprotected until he was positive that Buck and Ezra should have already been back. And if he found out that they were laid over in some town having a good time while everyone else was back in Four Corners worrying about them there was going to be hell to pay.

"I got this telegram about Mr. Standish and Mr. Wilmington, I think that it’s important." Bill stated somewhat nervously, it wasn’t really that he had any reason to be nervous but Bill was anything but a brave man, standing at only five foot seven. He was only thirty-six and was already bald and he was forced to wear thick steel rimmed glasses because he was as blind as a bat. If the truth were told, Chris Larabee made him exceedingly nervous. So Bill just wanted to give him the telegram and get on with his day.

"Thanks," Chris said abruptly as he took the telegram from Bill’s hands and began reading it. Bill wasted no time and had quickly scurried back into the telegraph office. As he did the only thing Chris could say was, "Oh, shit."

~*~

11:30 PM

"Buck, please Buck, talk to me!" Ezra fairly pleaded with the only partially awake man.

"Ezzraaa-go-away," Buck slurred wishing that the gambler would just leave him be. He could barely breathe and the pain was almost unbarible. He wished for unconsciousness but he’d been doing that for the past ten hours and so far it hadn’t helped. The whole damn ride he’d been at least semi-conscious for every excrutiatingly painful bump along the rough trail. He still didn’t know where they were headed, part of him really didn’t care anymore. Before now Buck had never known how someone could wish to be dead. However now he had some understanding of that because that’s exactly what he wished for, Death. Pure and simple that was all Buck wanted. The pain he was currently experiencing was more then he could handle. It felt like someone had lit the inside of chest on fire and every time he took a breath it was as if a thousand knives were stabbing him.

"Shut up, you two!" Cordwell yelled, not really caring what they were saying just tired of listening to their incessant arguing back and forth and concern over each other. People caring, God that makes me sick, Cordwell thought to himself. "We’re almost there and the two of ya’s is gonna want to practice keepin’ yer mouths shut cause I don’t see as Mr. DeCapri’s gonna let ya talk."

Ezra involuntarily shuttered at the mention of the man’s name. Hate is a strong word and Ezra rarely found himself truly motivated to use it but whenever he thought of his former stepfather only two thoughts came into his mind: Fear and Hatred. Sometimes the fear was more prominent and sometimes it was the pure hate that seemed to seep right into his blood stream, but Ezra was trying with all he had to make it the hate because the he believed that the fear he felt would eat him alive while driving him to insanity if he didn’t replace it with something soon. Ezra felt frozen as if he were in some twisted warp of emotion that he had no control over. He felt terribly paranoid and he could no longer take stock of what his actual emotions were. He was just trapped in his horrid memories of DeCapri and his sordid childhood. It was like he was a helpless victim in a dangerous game where everything and everyone had control of him except himself. The psychological turmoil Ezra felt was powerful. More often than not Ezra sincerely believed that his sanity hung by the thinnest of threads. He was equally certain that those threads were Buck Wilmington. Ezra was single handedly keeping the man alive. He was the only one who would answer and soothe Buck’s desperate, confused cries for help. Ezra continued to claim responsibility for Buck’s injury and therefore felt it his duty to care for Buck for as long as he could.

"Riders commin’ in!" Steven’s shouted.

"Looks like DeCapri’s men come out to meet us, jist like he said they would." Cordwell said sounding terribly pleased with himself as he stole a glance at the prisoners and gave them a sadistic glare.

Five riders reached Ezra, Buck, Cordwell, and Steven’s. "Howdy fellas," one of the new arrivals greeted Cordwell and Steven’s. "Where’s yer boss?" he questioned remembering the man who had accompanied Cordwell when they’d first been hired for the job.

"Well, he ‘ad a b-" Cordwell began.

"Well that feller who got shot, he done killed ‘im," Steven’s blurted, he received a murderous glare from Cordwell, although he certainly didn’t understand why.

"Well," another of DeCapri’s men began, "He looks like he’s been adequately punished." He then addressed two of the men who had ridden in with them. "You boys," he gestured with his hand,

"Head on back to Mr. DeCapri and let ‘im know we’re just about there. Then y’all make the proper arrangements, just like Mr. DeCapri said this has got to be perfect or Mr. DeCapri will kill us and y’all know he will, if we screw this up. So git on."

"Do we got to git them in to Mr. DeCapri tonight?" Cordwell asked, gesturing with one hand toward their captives.

"Sorry to say so but yeah. He wants ‘em by t’morrow so’s we’re gonna hafta ride through the night and hopefully we jist might git there by dawn."

"Well, what-a-ya say we pick up the pace some? I don’t know about you but I’d like this here trip to be over sooner rather than later."

"Yeah, I reckon that sounds like a right good idea."

~*~

Four Corners

"Are you sure, Chris?" Vin asked as they walked toward the jail where everyone had been told to meet.

"Yeah, Vin, I’m sure, hell it makes sense. They both wanted to get home as soon as they could, hell they made sure everybody knew it too."

"Ah, hell, Chris," Vin looked down, forlornly, " they were runnin’ ahead a schedule, they shoulda bin’ here day before yesterday. Besides there ain’t nothin’ but desert between here and Twin Deserts. Hell, they went straight through there. Can’t blame ‘em none. Ain’t nothin’ in Twin Deserts but desert and ain’t nothin from there to here but desert."

"I know Vin." Chris said, wishing that they’d acted sooner. By now anything could have happened to Buck and Ezra.

~*~

In the jail

Chris and Vin were, surprisingly, the last to arrive.

"Well, brother, do we know the whereabouts of our missing sheep?"

"’Fraid not Josiah but we do know that they shoulda been here the day before yesterday."

"What!" JD exclaimed. Feeling all sorts of emotions running wild through his head. The most prominent of which were anger at Chris, Vin, Nathan and Josiah for not listening to him sooner. It was rare for JD to feel anger at any of these men particularly his idle, Chris. "I knew-"

"We best start lookin’ for ‘em." Nathan deadpanned the obvious and rare eruption of anger by one JD Dunne. He was far more concerned with finding the ladies man and that stubborn, pain-in-the-ass southern gambler.

Josiah ignored the whole situation with JD and asked a terribly obvious question. "How do we know that?"

"Well Josiah," Chris began, "We’ve gotten back a telegram from Twin Deserts from the Sheriff there saying that Buck and Ezra were there. It said that he remembered cause, and I can hardly believe it, but for once instead of starting trouble they stopped it, by stopping a robbery of the general store in town."

"So, where do we start looking Brothers?"

"Well," Vin began, "I think we should head towards Twin Deserts and see if I can pick up their tracks."

"Let’s go," JD said with atypical enthusiasm, despite the situation.

"We’ll meet back here in fifteen minutes." Chris stated, "Then we ride."

CHAPTER 9

5:30AM

"There it is fellas," DeCapri’s man, Sherwood, said happy to be done with there all night trip.

"Good, let’s git there I’m tired," Cordwell responded sounding equally happy to be done with the whole mess that was Standish and Wilmington.

~*~

"WHOO!!" Vin let out a thrilled whoop at finally finding the trail.

"Vin you find the trail?" Chris questioned, wondering what on Earth Vin was seeing cause he sure as hell didn’t see anything. But then again he wasn’t a good tracker on a good day and the thought of today was not conducive with the thought of a good day. Chris hadn’t slept for worry over Ezra and Buck. They’d gotten up a four-thirty and had been riding by five.

"Yep, I got it. From the looks of the trail they took off in a hurry. Come on it heads west."

Ten minutes later

Vin dismounted Peso and walked around for a moment looking more closely at the tracks.

"Well fellas, it looks like they were getting shot at. Then Buck was pulled off his horse by a man on another horse while Ezra went over yonder," Vin gestured with his hand where Ezra had gone,

"By that tree. Then some more men came and got off their horses and held Buck. From there it looks like the first man went over to where Ezra was, still on Chaucer," Vin continued walking plotting out the story while everyone sat listening to the relatively detail story Vin was able to put together by simply looking at marks on the ground. That, to anyone else, would mean nothing.

"And then Ezra was pulled off his horse,. . . oh son of a bitch…"

"What is it Vin?" Chris questioned suddenly very concerned for the gambler if Vin’s reaction of

whatever he saw was anything to go by.

"Well, it looks like Ez got pulled off his horse and then the fella that done it to him never let ‘im off the ground. Looks like he just beat the shit outta ‘im until somebody," Vin turned around to look at the tracks, "picked ‘im up of the ground and put ‘im on his horse. Damn, there’s blood."

"Is there a lot?" Nathan questioned.

"Quite a bit Nate, we best find those two real quick, who knows what’s happened to ‘em by now."

"What I want to know is who the hell took them, and why," Chris stated with clear frustration and anger in his voice.

~*~

"Yes, Mrs. Standish can be found in Denver. Mr. Tracy here is the letter. Now I expect that she will receive it promptly."

"Of course, sir."

"Excellent, now be on your way I want her here as soon as possible. Do you undestand?"

"Yes, sir."

~*~

The men quickly pulled Ezra and Buck from their horses and dragged them into Carlton DeCapri’s mansion. The house was dark. Everything about it was dark, the coloring, the lighting, and the furniture alike. They were taken to a dark room in the upstairs and locked in. The windows and door were aligned with bars and there was really no chance of escape.

CHAPTER 10

9AM

Dearest Maude,

I have your precious little boy. I have found that although he is not little anymore he is just as pathetic as he was as a child. My Dear, you will come here, to me, immediately. If you, in anyway, value you son’s life. I have men watching you. If you speak to anyone of this letter or of where you are headed I will kill him. Wait, allow me to correct myself, I will mutilate him and make him suffer the most horrible , painful death I can think of. I believe you can comprehend how horrible that death would be. I will not describe it in detail, I do not wish to put such images into your delicate mind. From the time I told my men to deliver you the letter, 7:00 AM, I will have your son beaten and/or tortured hourly until your arrival. Then his treatment and possible release will depend on your behavior. Remember, I am watching you, I have always been watching you. Do not try to escape this or he will die, of that I asure you, my love.

Until we meet again,

Your Husband, Carlton DeCapri

She read the words over and over and every word stung her mind. She didn’t doubt what she had to do for a moment. She simply feared for both Ezra and herself and tried to think of what the quickest way to get to them would be. Stage Coach really was the only method of transportation in the territory. She romoved the directions that had also been inclosed in the letter.

She packed almost nothing and headed out to try to catch the noon stage with the knowledge that her precious son, the only thing left in the world that she actually loved, had already been beaten and tortured by this man, her ex-husband as a child and had now experienced beatings and torture at least three times due to her reluctance to remove herself from bed. Guilt ran rampant through her body. She only prayed that her son would survive this.

~*~

They rode in complete silence. Though all the men found it deafening no one broke it, nothing seemed appropriate or worthy of being spoken at the time. They rode secure with the knowledge that Vin had the trail, which was, according to Vin getting fresher and easier to follow as time passed, they only hoped that it would lead them to the fairy tail ending they were all hoping for.

~*~

Pain. It was the only word he could recognize within his tortured mind.

Buck Wilmington could no longer comprehend or think about anything else but the endless pain he was enduring. He wished for an end but his thoughts could carry him only so far as to recognize that that would end the pain, he could no longer convince himself of any reason to want to live or any reason to fear death, it took too much effort to even attempt to do so. So he didn’t bother. His memories were even becoming vague in his pain hazed mind, so much so that he could no longer clearly remember what had happened to him.

~*~

Ezra Standish had come to the conclusion that anticipation is worse then any torture. It was not knowing what was going to happen next that was making him so crazy. The fact that had no control was also getting to him. As a gambler, con man, and lawman he almost always had control of his situation. Losing control meant losing the game, in any of the three professions. He should have known that the moment he heard DeCapri’s name he’d lost the game. Ezra could retain no control when he thought of DeCapri. He no longer had control of anything including himself save at rare intervuls. Buck could no longer retain any semblance of consciousness. The man looked like death itself. In the amount of time he guessed they’d been gone any hope of being rescued in time was gone. Ezra now faced a terrible truth within the dark recesses of his troubled mind. The game was lost.

CHAPTER 11

12PM

The stagecoach endlessly bounced through the brilliant countryside. However the scenery was of little concern to Maude Standish. She wasn’t exactly sure what was of any matter any more, besides figuring out a way to save her son. She was not foolish enough to believe Carlton DeCapri would just let Ezra go once she went to him. Not only wouldn’t that be enough to satisfy his sadistic mind but Carlton was a man who enjoyed a mind game, especially one he felt he could not lose. Maude had gone through hell because of that man. After her marriage to him she had never truly trusted anyone again.

Maude had first met Carlton at a party in New Orleans after Ezra’s father, Daniel’s death. Daniel had been and still was the only man she’d ever really loved, or trusted. She had been devastated when he came to such an untimely death at the age of twenty-six. She was only twenty-four with a four-year-old son and next to no income plus the fact that she was heart-broken, this all made an easy target for the monstrosity named Carlton DeCapri. To him she was young, beautiful, sexy, refined and most importantly vulnerable. He soon found out that she also gave him the perfect tool for blackmail, a little boy whom she absolutely adored. Oh, at first he’d treated her and Ezra like royalty but the minute they said ‘I do’ that was over. His one and only rule became Obey or else. She always shuddered when she remembered the numerous ‘or else’s’ that she and most unfortunately Ezra had endured. That is until they day she picked up her son and walked out of that hellhole with nothing but the clothes on her back.

Maude had never been the same after her marriage to the man. The only reason he had granted her a divorce was because she had threatened to show the scars he’d given to her and Ezra to the general public at large. Namely one, Christopher B. Canton, a judge, who wielded considerable power and fried any man who abused women, that is after his daughter had been murdered by her abusive husband. Yes, that time she had won his sick and twisted mind game but her life had more or less ended. She may have been able to save her life and the life of her little boy but it had been at the cost of her heart and soul. She had loved Carlton when she married him, but with every time he forced himself on her and with every time he beat up her or Ezra she hardened a little bit more until all that was left was the Maude Standish that her son knew. It was a real pity that Ezra couldn’t have known the woman that married his father, that gave birth to him, because she and Maude were two different people entirely. Certainly she loved Ezra more then anything in the world, she just couldn’t bring herself to admit it. She couldn’t bring herself to admit that she loved anything besides the material possessions in life, because as far as she was concerned material possessions were the only thing that never left.

As Maude continued to ponder the occurrences of the past twelve hours she felt an involuntary wave of guilt flood through her body. This was all her fault. Once again she had managed to screw up her sons life. She couldn’t help but wonder how many times she could do that.

~*~

Six riders approached the campsite. Once it came into their view they immediately recognized the remnants of a fire and Vin pointed out where the three kidnappers had slept two nights ago. The men looked around hoping to find some sign of Buck or Ezra.

"Vin, Nathan, and JD, you head over in that direction and Josiah and I will head over to the creek.

Yell if you find anything, we’ll do the same," Chris commanded as all the men were already heading in their assigned directions not even thinking twice about following what he said to do. Chris walked only a few paces behind Josiah.

“Chris," Josiah called him over. "Look at this," he pointed to blood and the ground and signs of some sort of struggle.

"We should get Vin over here, he may actually be able to tell us what this means," Chris stated somewhat absently. Josiah look up at Chris and noticed that the man seemed transfixed with the fairly large amount of blood that covered the ground.

"They’ll be alright, Chris. I truly believe that, we need to keep the faith. Brothers Buck and Ezra are tough and smart. They will make it through," Josiah stated with such honesty that the snub Chris normally would have given any statement involving faith didn’t come. All he could do was nod and pray that Josiah was right. They had to be okay, right?

"Vin!" Chris called and looked toward Josiah with clear appreciation in his eyes. Josiah simply nodded toward the black-clad gunslinger in a show that there was nothing to appreciate, that he’d simply spoken the truth.

"Chris, you gotta come hear!" They heard JD yell in a voice that was something between horrified and totally sickened.

Just as Chris was about to ask them what in hell was going on Vin appeared through the brush. "Vin, there’s some blood on the ground here, we figured it would be best if you looked around and tried to put together what happened."

"I’ll do that Chris. But you best git over to Nathan and JD-" Vin said.

"What’d you find?" Chris interrupted him.

"A dead body, figure he was one of our kidnappers."

"How’d he die?" Josiah asked, taking it as a good sign but finding more questions rise in his mind. Like, if one of the kidnappers was dead where were the other two? Who killed him? Why’d they just leave him? And where the hell were Buck and Ezra in this mess?

"Nate says he died from head trauma or somethin’ like that. Says he got hit over the head so hard that his skull broke. You should ask him Josiah, he’s figurin’ out all sorts of things from it. Hell of a nasty scene though, poor kid done throw up when he seen it." Vin said, speaking with an absent quality to his voice. He was deep in investigation of the ground and the scene which Chris and Josiah had found.

The moment he finished speaking Chris headed toward Nate, JD, and the dead kidnapper. "I’ll be back here as soon as I’m done talking to Nathan. Vin, Josiah try to figure out what happened here," he said as he walked away.

~*~

"Come now Buck, you have got to drink," Ezra pleaded gently with a less than semi-conscious Wilmington. All Ezra got in response was a pain-filled, incoherent moan. So Ezra continued to sit, applying pressure to Buck’s wound. The bleeding seemed to have stopped but it was all he could do and he feared that if he stopped it would begin to bleed again. He could no longer jolt Buck into consciousness and was growing more and more worried as the ladies man continued to go deeper and deeper into oblivion.

Ezra sat cross-legged next to Buck. His face was deep purple and black. His ribs cracked and broken, his lip was swollen and bleeding from being punched endlessly on three separate occasions since his arrival in this hellhole Carlton DeCarpi called home. On the upside, if one could possibly see any upside in the whole situation, Ezra had not been forced to see DeCapri yet. However he knew it was only a matter of time. And he dreaded it. Although, he thought, if he was forced to deal with DeCapri he might find out why the son of a bitch wanted him after all this time. He was getting a sickening feeling that he might know. That this whole thing might be an attempt to get his mother but Ezra shook those thoughts away. They were too hard to deal with. If that were the case then not only was DeCapri using him as a tool for the blackmail of his mother but also Buck had been injured, perhaps even killed, because his mother had married a lunatic twenty years ago. However, the more Ezra thought about it the more he realized how much it made sense. A shutter shot up his spine as his overwhelmed mind continued to dwell on his current misery. His broken battered body ached but somehow not only didn’t he care anymore, it really didn’t hurt that much. How could it? His mental and emotional states were much more hurt than anything they could ever do to his body. Besides, as he looked at Buck who was, despite his total incoherence, in such pain that now and again his body would have tremors and his face would get such a pain-filled visage that Ezra couldn’t help but think how inconsequential his injuries were.

~*~

12:30 PM

"Good God," Chris stated as he looked at the dead body before him. It was a gruesome scene. The man’s head had swelled to a far larger size than it must have originally been it was no longer the right shape and the place where his brain looked as if it was at least double its proper size but the lower part of his head was about normal size. There was bone and brain clear to see through the massively destructive wound that had been made in his skull. Chris had seen a lot of gore in his life, he was a soldier during the war and a gunslinger, half the time he was the one who made the gory scenes. But in all his life this was one of the uglier things he’d seen. Chris turned away from the gore to talk to Nathan, who stood a few feet behind him.

"Like Vin told you Chris, he was hit in the head with a blunt object. He was struck so hard that his skull broke and a piece of the bone went into his brain causing massive bleeding. He probably died within seconds of being hit." Nathan spoke dispassionately.

"Nate," Vin and Josiah had rejoined the rest of the group. Vin having mapped out what happened on the other side of the camp very quickly. "That blood on the ground closer to the path, is that his?" Vin gestured to the blood that soiled the dirt near the path that lead up to where the men had obviously kept their horses the night that they stayed there.

Nathan studied the ground, the man, and the blood a moment before answering. "No," he said somewhat surprised that he hadn’t noticed that himself.

"You think you know what happened here, Vin?" Chris asked knowing that Vin was there best chance of figuring out what had happened there and to their friends.

"Yeah, I think I might have figured it out," he spoke with a haunted, even scared look in his eyes.

"Well, Vin, tell us," Chris said.

"I could be wrong," Vin spoke very quietly, his voice telling the four men around him that he hoped that was the case.

"Just tell us, Vin," Chris demanded.

"Well, over on the other side it looks like that’s where they was keepin’ Ez and Buck. It didn’t seem like nothin’ special was over there and I couldn’t figure out where that blood had come from. That is until I recognized those damn boots Buck wears everywhere. I knew they were his right away, hell he refuses to where anything else. Anyway I followed his tracks in circles until they lead to a tree. From there, it looks like he climbed up the tree. But there were no tracks showing him climbing down the tree, besides all I could think was why in hell would he wanna climb a damn tree in the first place then it hit me. I walked over to the blood and just like I thought there were tracks beginning right near it. I reckon that Buck climbed up that tree and when one of the men come to get him and Ez up for the day he swung down and kicked the son of a bitch in the head," Vin paused.

"What happened after that?" JD asked eager to hear what Buck had done next. Well I found that those tracks headed over this way and-" Vin stopped having a hard time trying to say what he thought came next.

"Go on, Vin," Chris spoke warily, having a very bad feeling he knew what Vin was going to say before he said it.

"Well I think and the same time he hit this fella, this guy shot him," Vin finished quickly.

"Whoa there Vin, how do ya know he shot Buck maybe he just hit him," Nathan countered optimistically, hopeful that he was right and Vin was wrong.

"This is how I know," Vin spoke quietly not the least bit upset with Nathan’s words. He hoped more then anything that he was wrong but the evidence was very clear. He quickly walked over to the tree that had been right behind Buck and removed the dry, blood-covered bullet that had been lodged in the tree trunk. Upon seeing Vin’s discovery, along with Buck’s boot prints, and how much the story Vin somehow managed to put together made sense all the men had to assume the worst and concede that the chances were better then not that Vin’s story was correct.

"Well," Chris began, "We’d best get movin’ now, looks like the situation just got even more

desperate."

"Yeah," JD agreed aloud.

"Vin, you still have the trail, right?"

"Yeah, we best bring the horses over, the trail starts from right here."

CHAPTER 12

12:45 PM

Her mind continued to wander in the well of her tortured thoughts when thump of hooves approaching broke from her thoughts. She found herself looking out the window and to her surprise she recognized the five fearsome looking riders that rapidly approached the stagecoach. They were five of the ruffians her son chose to work with. What are they doing here? She asked herself unwilling to believe that they were coming to rescue her son. She didn’t have that much faith in the human species anymore. Especially in a bunch of no-good gunslingers who had only known her son for two years. Still, she had an involuntary flicker of hope when she saw them. She felt that she had to at least talk to them. Perhaps, they were headed to rescue her son, they could all work together. She forced herself, then, rather abruptly to stop those thoughts. How could she trust these men? She had that answer though, she had no choice, she could save Ezra herself, and she had to save him, or die trying.

"Driver," She called, all the dainty and lady-like dignity gone from her voice. Just her true southern accent and the determined voice of the real Maude Standish. "Stop this stage!"

"What?" The driver yelled back unbelieving that this woman who had made him leave early would want to stop. Besides that there were a bunch off gunslingers, probably robbers riding up on them. She must be insane.

"Lady you’ve got to be crazy, I ain’t stopping look at them men followin’ us!"

"I know those men, they are LAWMEN. You stop this stage coach right now-"

"I don’t believe for a second they’re lawmen. And I ain’t stoppin’ and a litt’l thing like you couldn’t stop me, although I wouldn’t argua to you tryin’," The driver aged in his mid-fifties yelled momentarily forgetting his trouble and completely unprepared for the beautiful southern women’s reaction. That is until he heard the distinct and unmistakable click of a gun.

"If you’d like to keep that useless little brain inside your skull you will stop this coach this moment. And do not think for a second I will hesitate to blow your fucking brains out," She spoke quietly, and calmly but there was a tone and menace to her voice that immediately told the driver she wasn’t bluffing. As he felt the cold metal of her gun press against the skin of his temple he immediately pulled the horses to a stop.

~*~

"Wonder what’s goin’ on with that coach?" Nathan commented to no one in particular.

"Don’t know, but I’m sure we’ll find out in a minute," Chris answered finding himself just a little bit curious despite their dire situation.

~*~

Ezra’s mind whirled as words and fists and feet came at him in a spinning daze that was making him naucious. Absently, he wondered whether it was the beating or the man talking to him that was making him sick. He could no longer understand the words that came out of Carlton DeCapri’s mouth. Truthfully he no longer cared, either. He had spent the better part of his twenty-eight years with a fear of this man whenever he thought of him. For years and years after Maude’s marriage to him Ezra would still have nightmares of the things that had happened to him and his mother on the big plantation in South Carolina of Carlton DeCapri’s that they had all lived on. Although when he thought of the years of his childhood spent in this man’s home a shutter of fear would spread down his spine and his palms would sweat and the frightening images of a childhood gone terribly wrong would come at him with a force he could not fight. However, at this particular moment in time Ezra decided that under no circumstances would he, a normally healthy twenty-eight year old man, be afraid of the old man that stood before him allowing his rather large goons to beat the crap out of his person. Where this sudden urge of mental toughness, of revolt against a long-lasting childhood fear, or whatever else you want to call it came from, Ezra could not tell you. However, he was suddenly very sure that it had come just in time. It was an epiphany that Ezra would need in the coming time more than any other realization he would ever have in his life.

~*~

"Gentlemen," Maude spoke as the five riders slowed to see about her stage, without their knowing that it was her stage.

"Maude," Josiah began. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Josiah," Maude spoke in her very typical tone of voice and southern accent.

"Cut the crap, we are here to get Ezra. Now, I now you’re here for the exact same thing so spill what you know and hopefully we can get him and Buck back in one piece before it’s too late," Chris deadpanned the tip-toeing around the subject.

"Buck was apprehended as well?" She asked, genuinely surprised and more of Carlton’s plan

seeping into her mind from her short association with the man.

"Yeah, now tell us what you know so we can get them out," Chris commanded hurriedly.

"Wait just a minute, Mr. Larabee," Maude spoke with a commanding, yet motherly voice and sent him a look that even Chris couldn’t question or defy. "I don’t believe that you have any clue about what this whole thing is really about. Frankly, we need each other, regardless of how much it grieves me to say it."

"So, Maude what is this about?" Josiah asked feeling a need to move on in this conversation and also eager to finally learn what this whole thing was all about.

"I suppose I have no choice but to tell you," She spoke gravely. "The man who kidnapped Ezra and apparently Mr. Wilmington as well is an odious little bug named Carlton DeCapri. I was married to him for four years," her sigh was a near moan as she continued her story, and all the men were surprised and shocked at the truthfulness and the raw pain they heard in her voice. "And for four years he made my and Ezra’s life a living hell. I was his slave in every way and if I ever refused to do anything he commanded of me he would not only take it out on me but on Ezra as well." As she spoke they could see tears welling up in her aqua-marine eyes and all present could sense that the emotional dam that hid her emotions from the world was about to topple down. However she continued warily, "Despite the terrible treatment the was and apparently still is obsessive and I’m his obsession. When finally worked up enough courage to gather up my son and leave Carlton he caught us long enough to vow he would get me for doing this to him someday. I guess I just always hoped that this day would never come and I hadn’t for so long…I suppose I allowed myself to much comfort. I thought that by now at least Ezra would be safe from him, but I was wrong about that too, wasn’t I?" she finished warily. Tears had begun to silently fall and she closed her eyes as if that could shut out the pain she was enduring.

No one knew what to say to the distressed woman. They had all thought Maude to be cold-hearted and cruel to Ezra. She always seemed so aloof and uncaring. And she was. However none of them ever expected to hear something like this. To hear a tale from her that might explain her actions and her behavior. What was more, was that they all sincerely believed her. The raw pain, the truthfulness, the self-incriminating tone of voice made them believe. This was not a woman looking for sympathy but a woman in pain and afraid of losing all she had left, her son.

Maude looked down thinking she’d made a mistake in telling them. Afraid that yet again she would be humiliated, attacked, or dragged through the mud or all of these things. She chastised herself for allowing her emotions to get the best of her. She was deeply ashamed of her crying in front of these men, showing her own weakness. She had learned the hard way that showing weakness will only help people to hurt and take advantage of you. She tried to stop the tears but they flowed freely and she had no control over them, especially as she though of her precious son in the hands of Carlton DeCapri. She couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

As if sensing Maude’s fear and doubts, Chris spoke up, surprising everyone including himself, "We believe you," he spoke for them all. Maude looked up, surprised at his words.

"Really?"

"Yeah, now you got any plans on how to save Ezra and Buck?"

"I might have one," she spoke, smiling deviously through her tears, bringing hope to the men around her. After all, no one would argue that Maude wasn’t a force of nature in and of herself.

CHAPTER 13

1:15PM, Carlton DeCapri’s Manor, Buck and Ezra’s Room

"Well, well, well is this really my rat bastard, stepson," the sadistic voice seemed to explode into his mind with a cruelty that even Ezra had never before had the displeasure of experiencing. "As much the weakling as you ever were, I see," the man continued tauntingly.

Outwardly, it appeared as if Ezra were simply continuing to apply pressure to Buck’s wounds, almost as if he were ignoring DeCapri. However, inside him was something completely different. Inside a tulmit of emotions and feeling were shooting through his mind. Painful memories, cooped up fear, and long held in anguish coupled into one brutal emotion that, although outwardly his calm façade showed no signs of it, inside the raw pain of hearing that terrible voice was bringing Ezra to a near catatonic state.

"Come on, Boy," Carlton DeCapri continued to taunt beginning to get upset, having expected some outcry, or retaliation, or anger, or at the very least a response from the man. "Answer me, talk to me, or are you to stupid to even do that you dumb little son of a bitch,"

As Ezra listened to his words trapped within himself as the emotions continued to rampage through him though, now they had no meaning. It was as his conscious mind had callused over and no longer held thought. While only his unconscious self attempted to deal with the terrifying and unexpected emotions that fired throughout him.

Carlton DeCapri held a polished wooden cane and once he sat in the chair the guard had been sitting in he twirled in his withered fingers. "You little peace of shit, yellow peace of shit, I should say," as he continued his anger mounted. "Come on you scum sucking bastard," his rage mounted. "Say something, even yellow-bellied scum like you usually has something to say," with no response forth-coming his rage at Ezra spun out of control (as it always did) and taking the cane he had twirled between his fingers, he hit Ezra with it. It struck him in the back of the neck effectively knocking back into something of normal conscious thought. It was at that precise moment in time that the grown man in Ezra struck out at an old man named Carlton DeCapri.

~*~

1:15 DeCapri’s Manor, outside

The plan was very simple, so they were sure it would be effective. All it was was to give Carlton DeCapri what he wanted, at least for a minute. Maude would show up, alone, as planned. Then when DeCapri was all puffed up and proud, as a man of his total insanity would no doubt be at finally getting what he wanted, they would strike. The five of them would head in a designated entrances rescuing, first Ezra and Buck and then Maude (this was by Maude’s request). Oddly enough (or maybe not), Maude had asked them to let her take care of DeCapri herself. More then one of the men had thought to argue with her about them, but from the look in her eyes they got the feeling that there would be no debate over that aspect of the rescue mission.

They were at the manor now. At this point there was nothing left to do but wait for the perfect moment to execute their plan. It wasn’t that they were waiting for a sign. As a group they had decided that, since they didn’t now what DeCapri planned to do with Maude when she arrived, they would simply wait an allotted amount of time and then storm the place. They had decided to make so that they arrived approximately ten minutes before Maude and sneak into their specific positions outside of Carlton DeCapri's home.

Now they were in their positions. As they waited for Maude’s arrival, to be followed by the rescue of their kidnapped friends, Vin could no longer hold in his fears.

"You think this’ll work, Chris?" He asked in a whisper.

"It better, Josiah," Chris spoke sourly. "Truth is, though, I don’t know that I can think of a better plan, in this situation. Ezra and Buck are safest this way, aren’t they?" Chris asked as worried for their friends as Josiah. Although the plan seemed good it was clear, from the letter and what Maude had told them that they were dealing with a lunatic. Who knew what the man would do? He really hated relying on their guesses of how a total lunatic would react to save their friends. Then again, what choice did they have, really?

"I don’t know, Chris," Josiah commented in his deep baritone as unsure of the safety of their friends as Chris. "What keeps nagging me is, they may be safest this way for escape but what kind of condition are they already. I mean when we were following the trail we knew that Ezra got beat and Buck got shot. We also know, according to DeCapri’s letter to Maude that they’ve beaten Ezra again at least seven times. Who knows what condition Buck and Ez are already in?"

"You’re right, Josiah. They’re probably already hurt but there really isn’t anything we can do about that. I just hope we’ve picked the right way to handle this now," Chris was about to continue when he heard the stagecoach rolling up. Chris watched closely as Maude stepped out with her single bag, which he knew contained a gun in its hidden compartment. He continued to watch as the stagecoach rolled away and she headed swiftly to the manor with long determined strides. Chris couldn’t help but have a little more respect for the con-woman. He knew for a fact that she was terrified of going in there and facing that man. However, she would not be deterred. There was something about her ability to face that which scared her that he couldn’t help but respect, even if he wasn’t a big fan of her as a person or her mothering skills. Although in the past half-hour he had learned a lot more about Maude Standish, the real person, and had decided that maybe she wasn’t so bad after all. At any rate, no one could say that she didn’t have grit.

~*~

1:25 DeCapri’s Manor, Ezra and Buck’s room

The old man was so shocked when he was attacked he had no time to react or to protect himself from the onslaught he was currently receiving. Ezra was straddled over the top of the man, beating him relentlessly with his fists. However, they both knew that Carlton still had the advantage. They could hear the guards he had posted outside, beginning to move around. Beginning to get suspicious, for DeCapri was crying out with the pain his old body was taking and the guards were beginning recognize that these were cries not of a from the one of the young men but from their boss.

Ezra didn’t care though, he really didn’t. They couldn’t hurt him anymore. He was so tired of playing the victim. He really hated it. So he continued, relentlessly beating the man beneath him senseless. Allowing all the anger, pain, penned up for so many years to spill out as beat his tormenter. He wanted the man to beg for mercy. He wanted hear him start screaming for help. Then he wanted nothing more then to continue slowly killing the man until there was nothing left but a dying pulp.

~*~

1:25 DeCapri’s Manor, in the front hallway

She was absolutely terrified. Large oafish men had been waiting at the door to bring her in. The moment she walked in she heard the horrible screams. Though they were gut wrenching, she found herself unable to stop from trying to identify their source. At first she had feared that they were Ezra or his friend, Mr. Wilmington’s, screams, however as she continued to listen to them she realized that the one making the awful sounds was not a young man, but an old one. A sadistically happy thought crossed her mind, briefly. Was someone finally giving Carlton DeCapri what he so richly deserved after all the pain and suffering he had brought to so many people over the years?

She waited for five minutes. The time though short seemed to span an eternity for her. There were two large men at either side of her, standing there to assure that she went no where. When the screams stopped for some unknown reason her instincts told to be very afraid.

~*~

1:25 DeCapri’s Manor, outside

"Okay, she’s in," Josiah said. "Ten more minutes until we get to end this, God be with us and our lost Brothers."

"Amen," Chris said quietly.

~*~

Maude saw a man coming down the stairs. "Ma’am," The large, more intelligent looking oaf, began, "We’ve got a problem," he paused, and smiled hideously. "Actually you’ve got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" She asked her voice bereft of all emotion.

"Well, ma’am, you know your son is here?"

"Yes," she spoke coldly.

"Well, Mr. DeCapri went in to speak to ‘im this morning and your son overreacted." He finished watching her closely, and finding himself quite pleased when she visibly paled.

Maude, however, regained all of her composure rapidly, and asked, "How exactly did my son ‘overreact’?"

"He needlessly attacked Mr. DeCapri, I believe you heard the attack as you came in?"

"Oh, is that what that was, well what a pity," She said her voice just dripping with sarcasm, making it clear to all with the tone of her voice that she was actually quite pleased at what had happened to their boss.

The young man talking to her was very loyal to DeCapri and found that he really wanted to just slap her, however Mr. DeCapri had made it very clear that no one but him was to touch her in any way shape or form. So he decided he’d do the next most satisfying thing. "So we were forced to punish him," He told Maude matter-of-factly.

"My son?" she asked quietly knowing the stupidity of the question but feeling the need to ask it anyway.

"Yes," he smiled.

"How so?" Maude again spoke quietly, suddenly felt horrible sadness and weak frailty.

"We shot him, well actually we’re about to," he looked up the winding staircase behind him and yelled, "Now, Marks, shoot ‘im now!" At that moment she watched in utter horror as the shot sounded from behind her view on the left at the top of the staircase and almost simultaneously, she watched, as blood splattered on the wall on the right side of the staircase.

Maude found that she couldn’t help the scream that escaped her lips when the reality of what happened hit her as she watched them drop her son’s body. As the blood-covered, badly bruised body rolled down the stairs. She had wanted to believe that it wasn’t real that perhaps they were playing some terribly cruel trick on her. That some how some way, it wasn’t Ezra that they’d just shot. Anyone but Ezra, she had prayed, as the horrifying events unfolded before her eyes. She could feel tears welling up, although she forced them back wishing for anger not grief and pain. However that’s all she felt. She had wanted to advance forward, to reach her son. Unfortunately, realizing her plans, two of the men grabbed her. So, not knowing what else to do she began screaming for help. The men laughed, thinking that she had lost her mind. Thinking that no one would hear her screams they just continued laughing at her and mocking her.

As he heard the men’s mocking he gathered enough strength within himself to ask the men to help to the stairs. "I must see my newest possession!" He’d spoken happily through bruised, broken, bloody, and swollen features. As the men more or less carried him, Carlton DeCapri asked, "So they killed the little brat?" They told him, dutifully, that they’d shot him and now Maude was watching her son die.

"And she thinks someone will answer her cries?" He laughed.

"Apparently," One of his most trustworthy guards answered.

"Stupid wench," He shook his head, "She always was a screamer," he spoke angrily.

~*~

1:35 DeCapri’s Manor, outside

"You hear that?" Chris asked his stomach rolling inside him as he listened closely to Maude’s screams for help. He could only imagine what was happening to make her scream like that. More then anything he wanted to go in and end it then and there. However there was no way to change the plans now. The whole thing worked on the timing that everybody went in at the same time. He knew the time must be near he forced himself to endure whatever was left of the wait.

"Yes, Chris," Josiah answered fearfully. "It must be Maude." He said even though he was well aware that that fact was rather obvious to them both. He feared what could possibly make a woman like Maude Standish scream like that. He feared what they would find when they went in.

"Yeah," Chris said. "Is it time for us to go in?"

"Why yes, Brother, I believe it is," Josiah said, happy that they could act. Form the sound of those horrible screams it was none to soon.

CHAPTER 14

1:35 Carlton DeCapri’s Manor

With the two massive men towing him they reached the stairs quickly. "My dear, how good it is to see you after so many years," when he finished he smiled evilly at her, as if daring her to retort.

However she just continued screaming and did her best to look at neither her son nor Carlton DeCapri.

"No one will help you, no one can hear you. No one ever did and no one ever will, bitch."

"That’s not entirely true," Chris Larabee’s ice cold voice broke through with such quiet, menacing rage then not even the insane DeCapri knew what to say, right away.

"Who the hell are you?" DeCapri asked, then as if it had suddenly come to him out of no where he answered his own question. "Ah, wait now I remember, you’re the fearsome Mr. Chris Larabee. You ‘work’ with my little sonofabithch stepson, correct?" He enunciated the word work, in a way of mocking what the men did. "My, my Mr. Larabee I am impressed that you managed to find us, or did my bitch here tell you to come. My dear, dear Maude," He spoke fearcely as he addressed her, "You didn’t disobey me did you?"

"Fuck off," She spoke rather levelly for the first time since Chris’ and the other’s appearance, excluding her screams of course. She sounded completely drained, as if she had no spirit left at all. That was fairly obvious for anyone who cared to notice.

"Well, that is a truly lovely come back, my dear, just lovely," Carlton said every word dripping with some hideous, twisted form of affection for her as he continued to mock her.

Maude really couldn’t care less anymore. As much as she didn’t want to look, she couldn’t pull her eyes away from her son’s broken form, which lay only feet away at the bottom of the stairs where it had unceremoniously landed after being dropped. She couldn’t tell whether he was dead or alive. While the waiting to find out was killing her, so to, she thought, would be finding out if all she had left was dead.

"DeCapri, if I were you I’d be shuttin’ up real soon," Chris remarked with a snide expression that belied the terror he felt when he saw Ezra and the pain that came with the thought of losing the sly gambler.

"Why is that?"

"’Cause if you don’t, there’s a whole lotta people who’re gonna blow you brains out," Chris commented looking for the insane man’s reaction.

"Well, Mr. Larabee, I have one question for you," DeCapri began mockingly.

"Oh, what would that be?" Chris asked menacingly, having expected some type of wise ass retort from the bruised old crone that stood before him.

"Where are all of these men who plan to blow my brains out if I don’t shut up?"

"Howdy."

Vin’s voice answered the man’s question. Then one-by-one Nathan, Josiah, and JD stood up making eye contact with DeCapri as they did so. Now it was Vin who spoke, "Except now we ain’t gonna shoot ya if ya don’t shut up, I’m gonna shoot ya anything ya do." With that Vin cocked his sawed-off Winchester and took his deadly accurate aim and fired. The bullet hit the old man square in the left quadrant of his chest causing his heart to explode and killing him instantly. The room seemed completely still and quiet as the old man fell to the floor. It was as if time just stood still for a moment as all the eyes in the room were on the dead man falling to the floor. However the moments of calm ended quickly. As soon as Carlton DeCapri’s corpse hit the floor all the men on the floor moved to action. The fight that ensued was bloody and fatal for the employees of the deceased.

CHAPTER 15

2:00 PM, Carlton DeCapri’s manor

~*~

At the end of their extremely victorious gunfight with DeCapri’s extremely inept men, Nathan knew immediately, that he had to go to Ezra. Chris, had apparently felt the same way as Nathan because as opposed to half barking half grunting the customary commands at the end of their fights he didn’t say a word but simply holstered his gun and arrived at the gamblers side just as Nathan did. He arrived, in fact, just in time to grab Maude’s arms from the back and pull her away from her injured son so Nathan could check him (and hopefully find the gambler alive-Chris and all the others prayed, unable to imagine life without Ezra).

Sickening, nauseating injuries were nothing knew to Nathan Jackson. He’d thought he’d seen just about every sickening, grotesque type of injury there was. And, he supposed, he had. Except that this was probably one of the most sickening things he’d ever seen. Probably because the body at the receiving end of the bruises that lay beneath the blood caked, covered skin seemed to be, almost, you might say, accustomed to such wounds. If a body could ever, or would ever become accustomed to such things. As Nathan continued to peel back the layers of clothing that still covered many of the injuries that were of such monstrous proportions, the horror, not to mention the severity of Ezra’s injuries, became clear in Nathan’s vision. It was also then that he saw the gunshot wound. A massive, oozing hole in the right corner-just to the right of his sternum and across from his armpit.

Nathan worked quickly to access Ezra’s injuries, while still trying to apply pressure to the still bleeding wounds. The wound was very bad-for despite the gambler’s deeply unconscious state-he still choked on the blood as it traveled from his punctured, bullet-ridden lung to his trachea and finally dribbled out of the side of his mouth. Nathan had never performed surgery to remove a bullet from inside a person’s chest before (except with Annie-but he’d never actually cut her open he’d tried to dig it out-he knew now there was no way that would work-he certainly wouldn’t do that again). He would find some way to save Ezra-no matter what.

~*~

Despite feeling a strong need to follow Chris and Nathan, Vin, Josiah, and JD went upstairs in search of their last missing member and hoping that they would find Buck in much, much better shape then they’d found Ezra in.

The problem they faced now was that the house was HUGE! There were dozens upon dozens of rooms with multiple entranceways, hidden passageways, staircases, and storage rooms that could easily house a family of four. The place was a mouse maze and even Vin who could track seemingly non-exeistent trails found himself walking in circles unable to tell apart one drab hallway and one drab room from all the others. There were absolutely no defining characteristics to the room. That was why it was so hard, Vin found himself thinking, nature had defining things out there that could help you find your way and the sky and ground provided ways of learning your direction; this house had nothing but dozens and dozens of identical rooms, passageways, and hallways. Finding any human life (or animal, plant, ANY life) in the place was next to impossible. How were they supposed to find Buck??

~*~

2:10 Carlton DeCapri’s manor

"Chris, we gotta find a secure place here- I gotta operate now!" Nathan spoke with a firmness, authoritativeness, and eagerness (almost a nervousness or anxiety Chris thought). This mixture of emotions had Chris in action quickly, never considering questioning the healer in matters such as this. "Chris, take my instrument bag and set it in the room." As Chris left he nodded and grabbed the bag before he quickly grabbed Maude and fairly dragged her behind him, knowing that the moment that he let go nothing would stop her from rushing to Ezra’s side. It was strange seeing her act so…maternal. It felt strange even associating that word with Maude Standish but heaven help him, that’s how she was acting. He thought he might have fainted from the shock of seeing such a side to her if it weren’t for the dire air of the situation currently at hand.

"Did he say operate?" Maude croaked quietly, speaking for the first time in a long time as Chris searched for the best place for Nathan to operate on Ezra. Chris was somewhat taken aback by her question. He wasn’t sure why, it wasn’t really that he felt the question was stupid (even though it was) it was more the tone of her voice. The resignation, sadness, desolation, fear in her voice that shook even his foundations.

Chris’ mind raced. What should he say? He’d always been terrible at this type of thing and normally he would have just grunted a frustrated and anger "yes" at her wasting Ezra’s short amount time over such a stupid question, but Chris remembered vividly what it was to be a parent, what it felt like to worry, to feel like it’s all your fault-he knew that feeling too well, to be so scared that you needed something to hang onto. After learning all of the suffering she had faced, after learning so much more about the person and to now see her facing this; Chris against his most fervent hopes felt something of kinship with Maude Standish. He could easily tell she blamed herself. That she had more pain and supressed anger and sadness in him then he did. And for the first time in his life he felt the need to help someone like this woman that shared nothing with him except deep pain. However at the moment what everyone needed was Ezra to live, so there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Nathan!" Chris shouted seeing Maude’s eyes go down to the floor looking more defeated, even then before-if such a thing were possible. Silent tears ran from her face and her breathing was deep, almost as if she were quietly, privately sighing. "I found a room! I’m coming to help you carry him!"

"Alright!" Nathan yelled back.

"Maude," Chris addressed quietly and in a voice he usually would only use with Billy Travis, "Why don’t you head in there and turn down the bed and git some water?"

She didn’t move. It seemed like she couldn’t catch her breath. She slowly sank to the floor in a heap and began sobing, deep, tired sobs. Sobs that almost begged for someone to put an end to her misery. It was seeing her, sink like that, sobbing he knew he had to help her, he just knew it. "Maude, this is not your fault," He spoke in his most firm authoritative voice. Though her expression didn’t change he had, at least, gotten her attention. "Do you understand me?"

"No!" She cried sounding angry that he didn’t get it. "I’ve ruined his life! I never did a thing right when it came to him. I cause my own child nothing but suffering his entire life. And now when things just are beginning to get better for him I screw everything up again. It’s my past mistakes, frailty and misjudgments that have put him in this situation now! I married that bastard. I was too afraid to stop him from hurting Ezra. I was too afraid to protect my child!" She put her head in her hands and let out an anguished cry. She continued sobbing and crying as she continued to speak, "I didn’t know what to do," She said, head still in hands, then she looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "When his father died I was lost. I loved that man so much. Ezra’s father took care of him too. He was the one who was good with children, who knew anything about them. Then he died. Our lives had been so happy! Then he died and it was all gone. Then I married that bastard!…I didn’t know he was bad then!" She cried pleading with Chris as if trying to convince him of some impossible thing. "I tried leaving him with people!" She was breathing heavily, almost as if she was hyperventilating. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her entire body now shook but she continued, finally letting her heavy burden go only to sail into more troubled waters. "Except, later, I found out they were as bad a Carlton! No one would take care of my baby!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. "Finally after the years of beatings and tending his wounds and my own, I left." Maude sounded nothing but deflated and defeated, she continued to rock, her once brilliant eyes looking darker-filled only with pain yet in stark contrast to her mood, the water that filled them and the sunlight filtering into the house made those eyes sparkle beautifully. She continued, "Except," She tried unsuccessfully to take a deep breath, but it just brought on more sobbing and heavy breathing. "Except," she began again, "I couldn’t love him anymore. I was afraid to. I had loved Carlton and the Lord knows that I love my husband! There were others I loved, that left me in one way or another-friends, family, other children-it seemed everyone left me. So I tried to stop loving my little boy. I couldn’t love him. I was too afraid, if I did, if I showed it, if I didn’t make him hard, he’d leave me too! What a fool, and now all my foolishness is what will kill him!" Through sobs and dangerously uneven breathing he let out a crude, bitter laugh, "What I did to protect ended up causing the ultimate hurt-for both of us."

Chris didn’t know what to say to that. However, he could think of one thing, a thing so unlike him, it seemed odd for it to have even come to him. Though he would do it, it was something Sarah would have done, so he knew in some way it would help. He wordlessly reached out to Maude and enfolded her in his arms. He held her close and to his surprise she didn’t pull away but in turn wrapped her arms around him, needing something to clutch to and for that moment both lost and weary souls found solace.

When the moment had ended they parted and Chris now had some idea what to say. "You love him much, show him now. Don’t let him go on thinking you didn’t love him, that he wasn’t wanted.

Tell him," Chris urged.

"He won’t believe me," Maude said frail and weakly, her breathing still uneven.

"Tell him the truth, tell him what you told me. He’ll believe you," Chris continued.

"Maybe he would," Maude spoke tears falling heavily once more, "He’s dead now though," She sobbed and really began to hyperventilate.

"Stop it!" Chris grabbed her by the shoulders. "This," he gestured around, "Is not and never was your fault. Yes, you made some shitty choices, but who hasn’t? Really. And if you would only tell him and show all that love you have for him, it would all be worth it. Now, he’s not dead…yet. I’ve got to help Nathan. Why don’t you get in there and start fixing up the room for us?" He spoke gently as her breathing finally began to slow.

With that she simply nodded and moved quickly, but not before surprising him greatly by grabbing Nathan’s medical bag from his hand and walking purposefully through the door and set to work as Chris headed speedily back down to Nathan and Ezra.

~*~

2:15, makeshift operating room, Carlton DeCapri’s Manor

When Chris and Nathan entered into the would-be-operating-room they saw that Maude had stripped the bed down in such a way that it now resembled a large hospital bed or operating table then the finely furnished bed that Chris had seen the first time he had entered the room. Further, all of the necessary instruments that Nathan would need for removing the bullet and sewing up the gambler’s vast injuries were laid out in what seemed to them like a very technical and precise order. Nathan wanted to ask her how she knew all the tools he would need but while he had no time for such questions-Ezra really didn’t have that kind of time. Once Ezra was laid on the bed Nathan poured a small amount of ether onto a clean, white cloth and put it gently over Ezra’s mouth.

"Chris," said Nathan, "I’ll need you to hold this and…"

"I’ll do that, Mr. Jackson," Maude calmly but authoritatively interjected, having reagained her composure, there was almost no signs of her recent breakdown.

"Ma’am, I don’t think that’d be a good idea, this could get messy and I don’t rightly think you bein’ in here would be a good idea," Nathan didn’t say that he didn’t think she could control herself, he didn’t say that he saw no reason for a woman as delicate and probably prissy and sqeamish as her to be getting in his way as tried to save her son, and he most certainly didn’t say she didn’t want her to watch Ezra die because he was becoming more and more afraid he wouldn’t be able to save the man.

"Mr. Jackson, my son does not have much time, now years ago I attended Johns Hopkins under the guise of a man, simply to prove a point to my husband. However I am a medical doctor so if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to stay and help where I can. Now, let’s get started. Mr. Larabee," She turned to the gunslinger, smiled slightly, and focused on him whose mouth had literally dropped when she had divulged her amount of learning to them, then she was his own mouth turn upward just slightly before turning before his normal grimace type look, "goodbye."

Chris simply shook his head able to see Maude doing something like that-even though it was odd thinking of as a cross dressing, then again, he thought as his mind wandered back to when the seven had first come together, maybe it ran in the family. Chris smiled at the memory of Ezra in that purple dress singing Red River Valley. With that he once again prayed for Ezra’s survival and left the room.

"You serious, ‘bout that graduatin’ from Johns Hopkins, ma’am?" Nathan asked astonished, he never imagined the woman as a doctor, and to think, she only went to prove a point.

"Yes, Mr. Jackson, now this little chat will have to wait a little longer because Ezra doesn’t have the time."

"Alright…but maybe you should do the operatin’, I mean I ain’t no kinda real doctor. You are though, maybe you should do it," Nathan spoke as he and Maude continued to prepare Ezra for the surgery he was about to undergo.

"Mr. Jackson I’ve performed only a very few real operations, most of my experience was in medical school using cadavers. Further I haven’t picked up a scalpel in over 25 years. I’ll assist you, I’d guess I may have a better idea of anatomy then you, still. Now, quickly we’re beginning to run out of time. Make the first incision, Nathan. That’s it, take it slow," She encouraged quietly feeling nervousness the likes of which she’d never before known as she watched him slice her son’s chest open and the rough, razor sharp scalpel.

Nathan didn’t speak, already lost in the trance that always seemed to take control of his body every time he treated someone.

~*~

2:25, somewhere in Carlton DeCarpi’s manor

"Got any ideas where we’re at, Vin?" JD questioned happy that at least he had stuck with Vin because if he hadn’t he probably get himself lost forever in the massive house that they seemed to be aimlessly wondering.

"Nope, kid," Vin answered patiently, in his normal quiet way even though beneath his clam façade he was a mess of nervous jumbled up emotion. Between worrying for Ezra and the worry of still not being able to find Buck who they knew was also wounded, Vin was a mess.

"We gona find Buck soon, right?" JD asked hopefully, just as worried for both the ladies man and the gambler.

"I hope so JD, I mean we already know he got shot. I’m thinkin’ we gotta find soon else it’ll be too late," Vin spoke in that same voice though JD could hear the tension laced within it.

"Come on, Kid," Vin called as he ran up ahead briefly. "I think this passageway leads to a section of the house we ain’t seen yet!" Vin cried exuberently, hoping they’d finally gotten closer to finding Buck.

"You sure we haven’t already been here?" JD questioned doubtfully as he looked around their current location.

"Yes, now come on, I got a gut feelin’ Buck’s in one of the rooms down here!" Vin shouted to JD and JD obediently followed because he’d learned well enough to know never to doubt Vin’s gut feelings.

~*~

2:25 PM, Buck’s room

"Buck! Buck!"

Buck Wilmington thought he could hear the faint drones of someone calling his name. Was it Ezra? No don’t sound like Ezra, sounds like JD but JD ain’t here, or is he? Fool kid prob’ly got himself caught in this mess too.

"BUCK! BUCK!"

The calls had grown louder, Buck’s tired mind managed to discover, only this time the owner of the voice calling to him sounded like Vin.

Am I bein’ rescued? Yeehaw! Wooohooo! Bein’ rescued, thought seems mighty fine to me-wait what am I bein’ rescued from? Oh, don’t matter. "Vin, JD," Buck finally managed to croak out, in a voice so hoarse it was barely above a whisper, and to make matters worse, just doing that tiny action had made Buck extremely tired.

"Vin, Vin," Buck cried, a little bit louder this time. Unfortunately his voice was still not loud enough for Vin and JD to find him.

"Buck! Buck!" JD’s and Vin’s voices were getting quieter now and Buck felt terror at the thought that they might pass him and leave him in this place. Although, he thought it rather odd that while he knew he wanted, no needed, to get out of this place, he couldn’t for the life of him remember why. Also he wondered, Maybe the voices arent’ getting softer, maybe I’m just loosin’ my mind. Maybe they aren’t there at are, maybe they never were.

~*~

2:35 PM, the operating room

Though the operation was still very early in it’s span, much blood and guts had already be exposed and splattered.

She watched nervously, unable to pull her eyes from the grizzely scene before her. Then what her eyes saw finally registered in her brain the professional in her, that was in control her body put her mouth into action. "Mr. Jackson," She spoke as she reached down and took hold of a different size scalpel. "Use this size scalpel when you cut through tissue so deep and thick, also try not to saw like that, when you do that that’s when you knew you need to change scalpel. That’s just causing unnessessary bleeding," She finished still sounding calm and collected as if she were simply a close friend or teacher, speaking gently and non-judgmentally.

Nathan was actually quite happy with her instruction he was so used to dealing rough battle type wounds he was never taught how be gentle its importance surgery, though now as he cut more easily he saw that Ezra did indeed lose much less blood.

Inside her mind raced as more of Ezra’s blood spilled out all over the table. What will I do if he dies? What will I say, how can I change if he doesn’t?

~*~

2:40 pm, the depths

"Brothers!"

Both Vin and JD turned as they heard Josiah’s booming baritone summon them from down the vast hallway they were looking in for Buck. Vin was very relieved to see the preacher, not only he was afraid they would fail in finding Buck in time, he also feared they’d have to send out a search party for the preacher, or Chris would have to send one out for all of them. "You find anythin’, Josiah!" Vin called to him as Josiah made his way to them.

"I thought I heard someone calling you and JD a second ago," He addressed the two men before him.

"Really," JD piped in, "I didn’t hear nothin’."

"Neither did I," Vin commented, "Guess, though, I wasn’t listenin’ too good."

"Well," Josiah consoled Vin who suddenly looked almost…you might say…ashamed that he hadn’t been paying good enough attention to hear as well. "At any rate hopefully this is a sign that Buck is both near and alright," Josiah finished.

However JD didn’t agree with Josiah’s assessment and for the first time since they’d come together as a group he decided to speak an opposition to one of the others, "Well, it may mean he’s close but I wouldn’t say he okay," JD paused as if searching for the right way to put this.

"Whattaya mean, JD?" questioned Vin.

"Well, if he were okay he’d still be callin’ to us," JD finished quietly.

~*~

3:00 pm, the depths

JD was about to leave the room feeling like a terrible failure that he couldn’t even find his best friend in the world. However a trace of red on the light hardwood floor caught his eyes as he was about to turn around and leave quite disillusioned. However he walked to the blood, placing his hand to the floor he felt that is was almost dry, but not quite. He perused the room quickly searching for any sign of Buck, he thought that pehaps the blood on the floor was mere coincidence and had nothing to do with Buck, that is until he saw the black hair just shoved behind the door.

He walked quickly over to the door pulling it closed so he could see more clearly the body hidden behind it. "BUCK!!" JD cried when he saw the bloodied Ladies Man.

~*~

3:02

"BUCK!!"

Vin heard JD’s voice cry out. It was loud and scared, which, in turn, scared the tracker. He immediately left the room he was looking in and moved towards where he knew JD to be.

"Josiah," he called. "You hear that!"

"Yes, Brother, I think we’d best find our missing sheep!"

Both men met in the hallway and headed further down the corridor to where JD was located. The door was closed and as Vin made a move to open it, he felt Josiah hands reach out and stop him.

"What??" Vin questioned.

"Look," Josiah gestured to the bottom of the door, where the light was patially blocked by an object that very closely resembled a person, skin was showing. However interrupting Vin’s thoughts on the subject was the voice that called.

"Vin, Josiah," they heard JD, "Don’t open the door, Buck’s in the way. He’s hurt, bad!"

~*~

3:15, operating room

From a medical perspective the operation was going well, and Maude knew that, and for that she was greatful. However the mother in her, the person who couldn’t even stand the thought of losing him, cringed with Nathan’s every cut and stitch. They were fast approaching the one hour mark of surgery, which, tended to be the most difficult. Up until then, it’s hard to be sure of what exactly you have to fix and if it can even be fixed. However, if you have some idea of what to do and the patient is still alive at that magical one hour mark, well then you’ve got something. Then you’ve gotten your patient a chance to live. And right now the two physicians in the room were indeed very glad of these facts.

"How much longer do you believe this surgery will take, Mr. Jackson?" Maude questioned quietly as she watched the man, who had had no formal training, use his hands perfectly to make nothing less then magic in healing her son’s wounded body. At that moment she didn’t believe she could ever be more grateful to anyone, if Ezra did indeed live. And as much as she hated to admit it-she hated to think of it more, the odds were still not in their favor, and while the Standish’s were known far and wide for their poker skills they certainly weren’t known for their good luck. She only prayed her horrid bad luck streak would end, before her son died.

~*~

3:10, the depths

Rather suddenly, the door swung open and JD appeared.

"Hurry," he rushed, "we gotta get ‘im downstairs. And he needs Nathan! Well, come on! Hurry! What are you waiting…"

"Hold on son, now Nathan’s real busy with Ezra. Besides we can’t just go pickin’ Buck up and flingin’ him all over. Now let me take a look at him-see if he’s up to bein’ moved," Josiah said sothingly, however the young man before him was seething in indignation and about to make a rather ugly retort. However Josiah was in no mood for it. "Calm Down," He said with enough of a hellfire and brimstone tone to quiet JD.

"Vin, ya wanna come help me with Buck. We’ll look ‘im over and see what’s best," At Vin’s nod of agreement Josiah continued, "JD, can you go downstairs and still remember how to find your way back up here?"

"Um…yeah," He spoke a little unsurely before adding, "I think."

"Can you or Can’t you, cause if you can’t then you’d best not go down at all, unless you’re with. The last thing we need now is havin’ to find you."

"I can do it," JD said cinfidently.

"Alright then, head down and tell Chris and the others we’ve found ‘im. Then bring ‘um up here to help get him back down safely," Josiah finished as Vin was already working on looking closely at Bucks wounds.

JD needed no more instruction. He was out the door before either man could say another word. He raced quickly through the halls of the mansion hoping not to get lost.

~*~

3:18pm

"Chris!" JD called out hoping to receive some kind of answer. He knew that he was now on the bottom floor of the house, so somewhere on this same floor were Chris and the others. It was just that he didn’t have the slightest most remote clue as to where on this floor they were. "Chris!" he called again. Stopping his aimless search trying to find some way to identify his location.

"JD!?"

"Yeah!" JD called to the unseen but definitely heard voice of none other then Chris Larabee.

"Where are you?" Chris snapped, still out of sight but the voice was getting louder.

"I’m not sure," JD supplied weakly then added, "but I am looking for you."

It was then that Chris appeared from behind him and said, "Did you find Buck?"

JD jumped slightly at Chris’ sudden appearance behind him. "Yeah, Josiah and Vin are up with him. It looks like he’s hurt real bad Chris, he needs help. Josiah sent me down to get you to come up and help us carry him down and…" JD was talking a mile a minute.

"Slow down, JD," Chris commanded over the young man’s voice, getting quick compliance.

"Now," he continued, "Before we go up I gotta check some stuff with Nathan," he finished beginning to walk away when JD stopped him.

"Chris?"

"What?"

"Is Ezra okay?"

"Don’t know JD they’ve been operatin’ on him about an hour now, ain’t heard nothin’ though. Reckon that ain’t such a bad sign, means he’s still alive," Chris said with something between a sigh and a grunt.

"Who’s they?" JD asked before adding, "Where’s Maude?"

"Oh, she’s in there, helpin’ Nathan," Chris spoke in his usual nonchalant tone.

JD was aghast, "You let her in there!"

"Apparently she’s a doctor JD," Chris countered.

"A lady doctor, and Maude," JD thought on it but from the look on Chris’ face held his tongue and watched Chris walk toward the closed door he assumed to be the operating room.

Maude, a doctor? No, couldn’t be.

CHAPTER 16

Two weeks later

They’d only returned to Four Corners days ago and now she was gone. He couldn’t believe it. He’d really thought that she’d turned over a new leaf upon Ezra’s survival, recovery, and quick return to Four Corners. However, she’d left without telling a soul and leaving nothing behind but a sealed envelope. Ezra didn’t know of her leaving yet, they’d only talked when he first regained consciousness yesterday. Even then, very little was said although anyone who could see and hear knew something highly important had transpired between the two. Chris had really thought Maude would stay by her son’s side. He didn’t know how Ezra would handle this. All Chris could think was that that letter better be good.

~*~

The light crystallized in his eyes as he once again reached a state of consciousness. While his injuries were bad he was recovering quickly. He couldn’t help but believe that that had something to do with this new inner peace that had mysteriously (or perhaps not) materialized within himself. All his penned up anger-at many people dead and living-all the penned up pain he’d held inside for so long had finally come to a head. He truly felt like a new man. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even his mother seemed more relaxed, more contented. He knew that his peace came from finally facing inner and outer demons and for once in his mostly miserable life winning and coming home-oh there’s that word again- to his happy life. A life he enjoyed, that made him feel good inside, a life, full of friendship and free of loneliness. Despite the weakness and pain he was physically feeling he knew he would heal and he knew that he’d never have to face the demons alone again.

"Ezra," Chris’ stern voice cut through Ezra’s contented reverie.

"Hello, Mr. Larabee," Ezra responded completely unaware of the new emotional burden Chris was about to drop on his shoulders.

"I got somethin’ ta tell ya, it ain’t so good," Chris said in his typical way, wasting no time with formalities.

"What would be?" Ezra asked, immediately on guard, knowing that the news that Chris brought was worse the ‘ain’t so good’ due to his leader’s his tone and manner.

"Your mother, she left," Chris said quickly as if speaking more quickly would take some of the pain of his words away. Briefly Chris had hoped that Ezra wouldn’t be that bothered by it. It wasn’t like he had ever seen his mother act maternally; maybe he would have expected this. However as Chris looked into the gambler’s face he knew immediately that those hopes were in vain.

~*~

Buck Wilmington was an unmitigated pain in the ass. No two ways about it. The man was a worse patient then Chris and Vin put together. He wouldn’t, or maybe he couldn’t, sit still for more then two minutes at a time. His injuries were still in an important healing stage, Nathan knew and had told Buck (more then once) that he had to relax. To which Buck typically (actually all the time) replied that the only way he could stay relaxed in bed was when a "lovely lady" accompanied him. Plus, he never shut-up, he insisted on constantly regaling Nathan (and anyone else within the vicinity-even some who weren’t) of his many escapades with the many ladies he’d been in the "company" of in his time.

Nathan was seriously thinking about just telling Buck to get out. He was quickly losing control and was beginning to fear for the ladies man’s life. Because if Buck didn’t sit still and shut up real soon, Nathan might just be forced to kill him.

~*~

"She left," Ezra spoke softly. His voice cracking just slightly the tone mirroring perfectly the sadness he felt inside.

"She left ya this," Chris offered once again hoping that this was good as he reached into his pocket and offered the letter to Ezra who reached timidly for it and grasped with a weak grip.

"Thank you," Ezra murmured as he studied the elegant handwriting that had printed his name on the front of the envelope. Chris chose that time to make his quiet exit, feeling that the man had the right to be alone while reading his letter and hating to get anymore into this than he already was.

Ezra barely noticed Chris leaving the room as he continued to study the letter closely. Finally, upon really realizing that Chris was gone and he had some solitude, he opened the letter and read his mother’s elegant pen:

Dear Ezra,

I am not be sure whether or not you will even wish to see me, after all of my deplorable behavior over the years; behavior which I now deeply regret. I also apologize for leaving you but I couldn’t stay any longer. I needed to be here, and I think it is about time that you saw this place as well. In fact, I believe your visit here is long overdo. I will be here for over three months. So when Mr. Jackson says (and only then) I ask that you come here. Of course the choice is yours, but I do think it’s long, long overdo that I finally tell you about your father. You and he both deserve that much. I truly believe this will bring both of us peace, and perhaps give you some insight into my past behavior, though there are no valid excuses. I hope you will come here, however know that if you don’t write me or show up in the next three months I will most certainly understand. The choice is yours and yours alone; I do not want to pressure you in any way. This must be your choice.

I love you dearly and always,

Mother

I am located in Mellow Springs, South Carolina, you’ll remember where it is, I believe. Go to the old Markson Plantation, you’ll find it’s remnants then further along the old road a smaller house. Simply knock and tell whomever answers that you’re looking for me. They’ll tell you where I can be found.

He wouldn’t have even considered going, not after his own mother would hurt him like this again. Except her words sounded so honest, so truthful. Something that was so unlike his mother that he was intrigued by them. Also, he’d always wanted to know about his father but she’d never seemed very open to that line of conversation. He supposed in truth that it was an honest need, or perhaps just a want that he would finally get to have a mother. He had wished for such a thing for so long, it almost seemed like an unreachable thing. And to think, she said she would tell him about his father! He wanted that for so long. He’d built his father’s image up so much. What if the man was scum, or didn’t live up to the super-human figure Ezra had made up in his mind as a child and through his adulthood.

Yes, he would have to go to his mother. In fact, the more he thought about it the more curious he became. This was one conversation he most certainly and honestly needed, wanted, dreamed of.

~*~

The scene in which Nathan Jackson arrived just in time to see was one that nearly gave him a heart attack. Through all this healing he’d had to do over the past weeks (between Buck and Ezra and the normal assorted injuries that he saw daily) the one bright spot was that Ezra hadn’t been his normal total-pain-in-the-ass self. He’d been relatively pleasant (especially considering that his injuries were long healing and very painful), he’d lay still, he’d even taken the medicine with minimal complaints. Ezra had truly been a model patient…until now.

As far as Nathan was concerned Ezra would need to be in bed at least a few more weeks before he was healed enough to move back to his room (even then he should rest there a few more days and take it real easy). However as Nathan walked into his room in the clinic he found a very distressing scene. Knowing how uncomfortable Ezra was in his nightclothes in front of so many people they’d brought him a large amount of his regular wardrobe, just to make the man happy. Now, to Nathan’s extreme dismay, he watched, jaw agape, as the gambler stood, fully clothed, packing his clothing into a travel bag.

"Mr. Jackson, perhaps you should close your mouth, the flies seem to be gathering there," Ezra commented breaking Nathan from his trance.

"What do you think you’re doin’?!"

"I am going on a voyage, Mr. Jackson."

"Oh, no. You ain’t in no condition to be goin’ on no voyages. You got to be in bed!"

"Mr. Jackson," Ezra began in his typical distant type voice (although sounding weak), before he turned to face Nathan and began again. "Nathan, my mother left," he paused and at Nathan’s nod indicating that he knew his mother left, Ezra continued. "She left me a letter, stating some quite important details, and stating that I can find many answers if I go to her. I must do this, Nathan and frankly, I cannot wait, I will not wait, I need my answers now."

With that Ezra picked up his bag and walked past Nathan, leaving the healer a bit amiss. However before the gambler got out of the earshot Nathan called out something never thought he’d offer, "You want comp’ny?"

"Are you offering?"

"Maybe," was Nathan’s reply.

"Why would you want to?"

"Couple reasons. First, if I don’t you’ll abuse yer self and last thing I need is to do more patchin’ on you. Second, sounds like ya could use some comp’ny."

"Nahtan, she’s in Georgia," Ezra said, knowing that Nathan would recognize the perils of traveling there.

"If ya want comp’ny, I ain’t gonna back out causa that," Nathan spoke confidently.

"My friend," Ezra began, voice full of abnormal warmth and friendship, "I would be happy to receive the pleasure of your company. However, the choice is yours, I do not believe it fair to ask you to accompany me into such perils unless by your own choice, entirely and not out of sympathy." Ezra added quickly, without realizing that the others knew full well that he hated receiving acts of sympathy.

"Ezra, do ya want comp’ny or not?" Nathan asked quietly.

"Yes, I suppose I would like that," Ezra conceded. "But don’t you have to be here, especially with Mr. Wilmington…"

"Oh, hell, if’n I don’t git outa here soon, I gonna kill Buck. The man’s drivin’ me nuts," Nathan said sounding extremely exasperated.

Ezra let out a little laugh, which caused him more then a little pain, however he pushed away the pain and turned back to Nathan. "Mr. Jackson, I believe, if you are to accompany me, you should go apprehend your belongings. I plan to leave on the noon stage which," He paused a moment to glance at his watch, "leaves in one half hour. Could you perhaps make Mr. Larabee aware of my…no our departure," Ezra amended.

"You don’t give a man lotta time to prepare, Ezra. But I think I can handle it, and I’ll be sure ta tell Chris," Nathan spoke with a little smile.

~*~

"Yer lettin’ him go?" Chris asked surprised.

"Ain’t no stoppin’ him. You and me both know he’d go on his own anyway, even if we tied him down. Figure if’n I go with ‘im there’s a better chance a him not getting’ hisself hurt more," Nathan explained.

"Reckon yer right," Chris slowly conceded. "Wonder what Maude’s up to."

"Don’t know, don’t like it though. He ain’t up ta this kinda stress," Nathan spoke sounding just a little bit angry.

"I can’t believe she’d just up and leave, without a word to anyone," Chris spoke sounding equally upset.

"Yeah," Nathan spoke quietly. "Maybe she’s got good reason," Nathan offered, always striving to look for the best in people.

"She better," Chris deadpanned.

"Well, I’d best get to my packin’, got ta catch the noon stage."

"Then you’d best be on your way," Chris said.

"Keep an eye on Buck, and try ta keep him still!" Nathan called as he walked out the door.

"Well Nathan," Chris spoke with something of a laugh in his voice, "I promise we’ll try!"

~*~

CHAPTER 17

One and a half weeks later, somewhere in the backwoods of Georgia

"We almost there?" Nathan asked as they continued walking, feeling extremely uncomfortable back so near to the place where he was born into slavery.

"Yes, I believe so," Ezra spoke trying valiantly to remember the location of a place he hadn’t been to since he was twelve.

"What ‘xactly are we lookin’ for?"

"The foundation of a burned out plantation," Ezra answered automatically. "According to my mother’s letter, if we travel down the old road there’s a rebuilt house, we’re to knock on the door and ask for her," Ezra finished.

Nathan was beginning to fell more uncomfortable. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised that they were going to a plantation but it was hard knowing he’d be seeing such a place again. He wondered how the owners would take to his presence. Nathan suddenly felt a shiver run down his back.

~*~

Four Corners

"Buck, what do you think you’re doing?!" Chris yelled at the ladies man. Never in his life had Chris so wanted to shoot someone. Buck was the single most infuriating, jackass he’d ever met. He was driving them all to insanity.

"Chris," Buck spoke irate, "you just don’t interrupt a man like this," Buck spoke from his position atop some unseen person beneath the sheets.

"Shut up, Buck! You’re in no condition for this. Now git you sorry self up and out of here now."

"Don’t want to be exposin’ the lady, Chris, I mea…"

"I don’t want to hear it Buck. Now I’m you can manage to get up and off her without ‘exposin’ her too much," Chris said becoming more irate by the minute.

Buck had seen the look of homicidal mania in Chris’ eyes too many times to ignore it. So reluctantly he removed himself from Miss Rebecca, making no attempt to cover anything up. And slipped into his trousers. He put on his hat tipped it to Rebecca and walked out just ahead of Chris.

"Sorry ma’am," Chris apologized half-heartedly to the women in bed and followed Buck out shaking his head.

~*~

"There it is," Ezra announced to Nathan. "There’s the old foundation."

"How’d it burn?" Nathan absently questioned. In truth he wasn’t really thinking at all about the old foundation, he was thinking much more of his current situation. A situation he never in a million years thought he would find himself in. It was a truly ridiculous situation when you really put it into perspective. Here he was an ex-slave in the same place he’d been enslaved in. In a place where anything a white didn’t like could get him killed. So, he came with a southern white man out of no reason but friendship. Even more amazing, Nathan knew that Ezra would without question provide him the protection necessary to survive in his current setting. It was amazing, how far he and his companion had come in the past few years. To think that two men of such different backgrounds, different beliefs, different ideals, different morals, different races, different everything really. To think that two men such as this would find themselves traveling together to provide support. That was something, really something.

"Sherman’s march," Ezra answered simply somewhat absently himself. He strained his eyes in search of this newly built home. He couldn’t see it. He hoped it wasn’t too far. He was very tired. Though you’d have to put a gun to his head to get him to admit it (especially with Nathan constantly mother-hening him) he was tiring quickly. He needed a rest. He was in pain. But he didn’t want to rest. He wanted his answers. He wanted to speak to his mother. He wanted to learn about his father. Ezra wanted all these things and resting, escaping pain would not help him reach any of them.

"Ezra," Nathan began now that he was actually looking at the man, he was able to see his obvious weariness. "Maybe it’d be best we just set for a while. We’ll git there, but you keep goin’ the way you are and you ain’t gonna have the strength to talk to yore ma," Nathan reasoned knowing how much Ezra need to speak to his mother, but also carrying the knowledge that if the man didn’t rest soon there was a fair chance he would collapse.

"Well, when you put it in such a way Mr. Jackson," Ezra looked up at him with something of a smile playing on his face. "How can I refuse?"

Nathan shook his head as they walked over to a log on the side of the rough road and sat to rest for a while. They sat in a companionable silence for sometime with one another, simply enjoying one another’s company.

Some time later they saw a figure walking up the road coming from where they were headed. She was a black woman, carrying a water bucket up towards them. She wasn’t really old, however one certainly couldn’t call her young either. It was hard to place her exact age however she looked to be somewhere in her forties.

When she saw the two men she slowly, almost cautiously approached them. "What you two fellas doin’ all the way up on this here road?" She questioned somewhat timidly.

"We are looking for someone, Madame," Ezra spoke.

She laughed heartily, as if his words were the funniest thing she had ever heard, before responding, "Ain’t we all, honey, ain’t we all," She let out another small chuckle before continuing, "This ‘someone’ got a name?"

"Yes, ma’am," Nathan answered this time, "Her name is Maude Standish."

At that moment the woman’s expression changed from the one that before had been laughing at the two young men before her to a much more serious expression. She turned to Ezra and as if seeing him for the first time seemed to really see him, "You’re her son," She spoke, this was not a question but a statement that her tone alone said she was absolutely sure of.

"Yes," Ezra answered simply, seeing that this woman knew his mother.

"What a fool I am, I should a recognized you before," She paused before adding, "You look just like Daniel, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you before," She then stopped and studied him, as if he were a ghost.

"You knew my father?" Ezra asked sounding quite shocked.

"Yes, darlin’, I surely did."

"How did you know him?"

"Well, that’s a long story that’s better told by yore mama," She picked up her bucket, only for a moment before Nathan grabbed it from her, "How do you fit into this?" She asked him.

"Just comin’ as a friend ma’am," Nathan answered lightly and cordially.

The woman let out a little laugh and shook her head a slight bit before turning to the two men and saying, "Well, boys, I know you," she motioned toward Ezra, "are Ezra Standish, but I don’t know yore name," She said to Nathan.

"Nathan Jackson, ma’am."

"I like that, good strong name," She commented haughtily.

"I do not believe we know your name either," Ezra observed.

"I do believe yore right, my name is Ellie Markem."

"Well Ms. Markem…" Ezra began but Ellie cut him off.

"Oh, now I won’t be havin’ none of that, you’ll both call me Ellie," Both men made a move to argue that, however neither succeeded when she cut them off again before they even got a chance to get a word out. "Now don’t you two argua with me, I won’t have it. You’ll call me Ellie, that clear?"

"Yes, ma’am," Nathan answered.

"Of course, Madame," Ezra answered.

"Now, let’s head on up ta the house, for yore mama goes any more nuts for worryin’ over you," She said to Ezra.

~*~

Upon their arrival at a fair sized home, Ezra and Nathan were quickly ushered in by Ellie, who had told them to make themselves at home until she came back. After that she had quickly disappeared from that front foyer and moved onto another room, presumably in search of Maude.

For less then five minutes she was gone. She returned to them quickly. "Ezra, dear, yore mama is outside. I’m gonna tell ya the way to git to where she’s at. You listenin’ good?" At Ezra quick, anxious nod, she continued. "Now you’ll git on ole Mongoose and head on down the ole path through the oaks. You’ll know it. Now You just gotta folla it, quite a far ways. After while you’ll reach where the Monroe River runs long side the path. On the otha side a the rivah there’ll be a real rough path cut through them tree. Folla that, you’ll come ‘long yore mama ‘ventually." She finished, patting Ezra on the arm and motioning him to follow her.

Ezra followed without question, or words, leaving Nathan alone in silence to contemplate the things that happened to them thus far.

~*~

1½ hours later, the woods

About a half-hour before Ezra had begun to think that perhaps Ellie Markem had lied to him and perhaps this was a wild goose chase. He was beginning to believe that his mother wasn’t here. That this was some elaborate hoax to add further insult to his life and just generally make him miserable.

It was as these thoughts floated in his mind that he spotted Monroe River, in all of its mostly dried up glory. He immediately looked to his side, opposite the river, and to his mild surprise he did indeed see that ‘rough trail’ Ellie Markem had spoken of.

As he rode the rougher trail astride Mongoose, he took better notice of his surroundings. He noted the massive oak trees the almost completely surrounded him. He rode within a small entrenchment. Beyond the depressed trail he was in, both sides, steeply sloped upward on a rocky, tree-filled embankment. The trail was extremely narrow and Mongoose was none to happy about riding in the narrow, rocky, and rough terrain.

Ezra focused his eyes forward hoping he would soon see his mother. The tall trees seemed to almost block out the sun; it seemed almost like he was in a tunnel. So, as you can imagine, he was very happy when he saw an end to the tiny trail and an opening to the end of his tunnel.

CHAPTER 18

Ezra nudged the horse forward a little harder then before. They quickly reached the place where the "tunnel" ended and to Ezra’s surprised the sun-deprived place he was just in opened up into a brightly lit, wild flower filled meadow. Ezra couldn’t help but think that if heaven could exist on Earth, it would have to reside where he was at that very moment.

His eyes continued to search this new land until he spotted the feminine figure, kneeling down, near the edge of the meadow (where it reconnected with forest). He knew the figure almost immediately to be his mother and for the first time since relatively early childhood he couldn’t wait to see her.

He pushed Mongoose into a full run across the meadow in a rather successful attempt to reach Maude sooner. "Mother!" he called to her.

Maude turned with a surprised look on her face. "Ezra?" She asked, not expecting out and about so soon, in fact knowing that he should still be in bed and should continue to be for some time. As he neared and dismounted the animal she spoke once more, "You should still be recuperating. If I had known you would come so swiftly I would have held back in my letter."

"You said you would give me answers, that you would tell me about my father," he spoke anxiously, allowing her to quickly realize that he hadn’t listened to a word she said.

"Is that the only reason you came?"

This question caught Ezra somewhat off-guard. He wanted to say no, for some reason deep within himself he didn’t want her feelings to be hurt however he’d never been able to lie to her and in truth he never would be able to. So, he conceded to the truth. "Well…I suppose…I…well…yes, I suppose that is the main reason."

"Well, at least your being honest," she spoke quietly, sounding somewhat sad and completely unsurprised. She sighed deeply, while Ezra stood somewhat shocked. Shocked, mostly by the utter honesty and straightforward manner in which she was speaking with him. It almost seemed as if this was a completely different woman then the Maude Standish that he had known all his life. He had to admit he liked this obviously honest personality.

She turned quietly back to what she had been doing before. It was only then that Ezra noticed what he had interrupted her doing. He saw a small, humble, utterly plain wooden grave marker bearing the name Daniel Standish. He saw that his mother had been cultivating the flowers that seemed to completely enveloping the grave area and making it seem quite grand despite the less than extraordinary marker.

"Is that his grave?" Ezra asked despite knowing it was a foolish question.

"Yes," Maude answered simply.

"How did he die, Mother?"

"Oh, son, it was such a waste of life. It was so useless," Maude spoke quietly unshed tears making her eyes sparkle, ready to spill down her cheeks. "Before I tell you of his death, would be alright if I told you about his life, our life."

As far as Ezra was concerned he’d rather talk about that anyway. After asking that rather heartless question, especially looking at how difficult it was for her to even think about Daniel Standish’s death. "Of course, I would rather hear about his life anyway," Ezra told the truth. It wasn’t as hard for him, because for as much as he’d always loved and idolized his father; he’d never really known the man.

Ezra was somewhat surprised when Maude’s voice began quietly regaling him with the tale of the first time she and his father had met. "When we met, I was fifteen and he was seventeen. It wasn’t exactly what one would call a pleasant meeting. I absolutely despised him. You see my brother had just gotten married and we were at this big party my father had thrown for him and his betrothed. What you must understand though, is, I hated these affairs, with a passion. Now my sister, who happened to be eighteen at the time, took an immediate liking to your father. So since my big sister was not my favorite person in the world I decided that the only way I could enjoy this night of pure living hell-in my opinion-was to make my lovely, daddy’s little angel, sister as miserable as me…and her newest beau as well," Maude smiled rather evilly in remembrance and

Ezra couldn’t help but pity those poor souls.

"What did you do?" Ezra asked with his voice somewhere between accusatory and amused at this anecdote.

"Well, I watched them dote on each other all night. They danced and stared over one another the whole night. I was about to get sick. However I knew my sister’s habits well, I always spied on her, so I knew she was moving in for the kill. I knew she just about had that boy whipped. So I waited for her to make her move, and so she did, about twenty minutes later. You see, my dear darling sister," Maude continued voice dripping with thick sarcasm despite the fact that it was clear to anyone and everyone who was or could have been listening that this was an extremely fond memory. "Had a habit of reeling these handsome boys in and then before the nights party came to an end taking them out to the barn loft-where she was certain daddy wouldn’t catch them-and necking with them." Maude shook her head smiling a little before continuing. "Well, I knew without having to follow what my dear sister was going to do, but I followed anyway-with a definite plan ripe in my mind. My sister worked quickly and by the time I reached the barn, only minutes behind them, she already had her tongue about a mile down his throat. Anyway I knew from trial and error that at this point they wouldn’t notice the little noise I was about to make. The loft to the barn had two latters. One that went down into the barn and the other-on the outside that, led into the pig pen-right near the slop trough. Now while they were up there I quickly scurried to remove both latters from their places. Once that was done-without my getting found out-I ran like the dickens back to the house to tattle that some boy had his dear sweet Annabelle in the hayloft. My father was less then subtle in his approach on this situation. Shotgun in hand I watched in total glee as he marched toward the barn shouting to the heavens and firing shots. Well, your father, slippery as anyone you ever did meet-son of a gambler raised by his father alone-heard the commotion and just as he and Annabelle heard daddy enter the barn thought himself real smart to climb down the latter outside and escape," Maude looked at her son, let out a little and concluded, "He’d already allowed all his weight out the loft door before realizing there was no latter."

"You mean he fell in the pig pen?" Ezra asked with a smile.

"No, darlin’, he drifted slightly in his descent and fell into the pig slop," she spoke jovially, while Ezra laughed out loud, so did Maude.

"Now how on Earth did you two end up together?" And on a second note Ezra added, "What did your father do?"

"Well," Maude began with a slight smile; "Your second question is just a little bit easier to answer then your first. For all his luck, that poor boy ended up breaking his arm and a couple ribs in his fall. Now daddy wanted to shoot him just the same-this was the first he’d ever known of Annabelle and her beau’s and was naïve enough to think that your father had tricked his innocent little daughter into it. Lucky for your father, Mama had come out in time to watch the scene unfold and reminded Daddy of his past indiscretions of a similar nature when they were young-which made me absolutely sick- but in turn both of them ended up taking pity on Dan and actually ended up allowing him to spend some time in our house to do some healing."

"What about my first question?" Ezra asked genuinely interested and entertained by his mother.

"Well, for some reason, which certainly wasn’t my sister, your father started coming for Sunday dinner just about every Sunday. Now, while it’s true that at first I despised him eventually his charm and good looks got to me. In my life I’ve discovered that there’s a fine line between love and hate and somewhere along the way, without my realizing it, I fell head over heels in love with him. And well, you know me, I wanted him, and I always get what I want." She spoke with a smile her voice happy as Ezra watched her face he thought he’d never seen her look more alive, or more at ease.

Ezra wasn’t sure what kind of response the next question he had was going to garner or even if it was fair ask her, but he did, "Was I wanted, I mean were you married and did or didn’t want or am I the reason you got married?"

“I never meant to make you feel unwanted, although I suppose I did," Once again the pain of past mistakes, terrible mistakes, came to her. Ezra could clearly see the pain and regret in her face. She looked downward briefly at her hands, which absently fingered a small flower. Within moments she looked back up and lovingly put her hand on Ezra’s cheek and spoke tenderly to him, "We wanted so much, it took three years to get you and we were both so happy when you finally came. When we first got married I hadn’t been thrilled with the prospect of having children, your father on the other hand…well he loved children and he wanted them badly. The idea of being a father made him absolutely…giddy. So I though, if Dan loves this so much it can’t be that bad. We tried and tried to get pregnant. And did four times, the first time ended with a miscarriage, so did the third and so did the fourth. And the second time the baby was still-born. By the time I got pregnant with you I almost feared being pregnant, I was so afraid of losing another baby, I couldn’t have handled that. In fact, I’d become so distraught about losing all those babies that before I became pregnant with you, your father had come to me and suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t try to have anymore children. He was scared of what would happen if I got pregnant again-I’d almost bled to death the last time…" It was then that Maude stopped, she was crying. She wrapped her arms around her son and spoke into his ear, "And then you came. I felt so blessed, you were our miracle. We both loved you more then life itself…Oh, baby…I’m so sorry I screwed everything up, I never meant to hurt you. It’s just that after your father died and after Carlton-I was afraid to love you. I was afraid I’d lose you. I thought that if I stopped loving then…I couldn’t be hurt anymore. I was such a fool…all I did was hurt the one thing I had to live for…you." She kept her arms tightly around Ezra. He’d never heard her talk like that before. Her words were absolute truth and sincerity, of that Ezra had no doubts. It was just so shocking to hear his mother speaking so openly and honestly and for the first time he didn’t hate her for leaving him at all those terrible places and for not loving because it finally hit him how much she’d suffered and how much she really did love him. By the time she’d left Carlton and started leaving him with all those relatives life had crippled and scarred her heart so badly the only way she could go on, or so she thought, was to close it off. This epiphany settled over Ezra as he wrapped his arms around his mother and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, so much…I’m so sorry…can you ever forgive me?" She asked quietly, however he sensed she was near hystaria.

"Shhh," Ezra whispered, holding her tighter, giving her all she needed to answer her question.

They stayed there hugging for some time. Nether one wanting to let go of the other. When they finally did let go, both silently stood and began to walk to there horses and leave the beautiful grave site who’s occupant could truly rest in peace and who’s family had now reached peace.

As they got on the horses and headed back Ezra had one more question, "Now what is this I hear about you being a doctor?"

"Well, it’s a funny story, your father…

The End