A/N: Consider this a teaser - something to read while I work through things. Again, I do not own any part of The Magnificent Seven. Just borrowing – I will put back as I have found them. More or less. No profit has been made. Not beta'd, all mistakes are mine. Reviews are welcome and remember folks this is a work of fiction.

FIVE DAYS

A sweet sounding voice brought him to wakefulness. "Jesse, honey, you need to wake up."

With eyes closed he asked, "Where's pa?"

The forthcoming answer didn't come. He reluctantly opened his eyes. "Mrs. Travis?"

She fought the tears that threatened to fall while her lips quivered. "They…"

He sat up fully awake. "Where are they?"

"I don't know. They've disappeared."

"No." He quickly got out of bed. "I've got to find them." She touched his arm. "Don't try and stop me. I've got to do this."

"The Judge is on the next stage. Will you wait until he arrives?"

"I'd rather not, but I will for you."

Her eyes conveyed her thanks as she watched him gather his things.

The one time he listened to his pa all hell breaks loose. How could seven men disappear? His gut twisted just thinking about it. What was it that his pa said to him before they left town.

"Jesse, I need you to stay here in town."

"Why pa?"

Chris sighed. "You see son we are going to clear Vin's name." Chris held up one hand stopping Jesse's next question. "it will be even more dangerous and I want you to stay safe. Plus, Mary might need help and I don't want to leave the town unprotected. I'm counting on you." Chris placed both hands upon Jesse's shoulders.

"Pa?" Jesse didn't know quite how to phrase it without feeling like a young boy. "What if…"

Chris met Jesse's gaze. "No matter what happens you stay safe. Listen to Mary."

"Yes pa."

"I love you son." Chris then embraced his son almost like he already knew the outcome of this plan.

"Love you too pa."

Five days ago seven rode away and now they were missing. Perhaps even gone forever; his heart sank into his boots.

The Judge met Jesse at the jail. "Any news?" The anxiety he felt etched upon his face.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this. I believe our boys have met their match…I'm sorry Jesse."

He turned away from the Judge. "No way." He didn't want to believe they weren't coming back ever. "Will you ride with me? I need to know the truth."

"Sure Jesse. We'll get to the bottom of this."

Jesse smiled in spite of how he felt. He prayed their ends were quick and without suffering. The following day, he, the Judge, and a few men from town began their journey to Tascosa, Texas. Judge Travis made a silent promise to Chris to keep Jesse safe.

They were a silent bunch keeping much to themselves as their travels brought them closer and closer to their destination. Whenever they stopped to make camp someone would tell a story about one of the seven. Each time Jesse listened, he thought back on the men who shaped his life in one way or another. That was until Hiram got his turn to say something. It was never good as far as Jesse thought when Hiram wanted to say something. Hiram had never been too fond of J.D. nor Jesse for a long time; in his opinion they were too young to be carrying guns. As soon as Hiram began to speak Jesse knew it would be something involving him.

"Remember this one Jess?" Hiram started to say. "Not too long ago you and J.D. showed up one day muddy and soaked to the skin. Not to mention the two of you were already a day late. Had those men quite worried that you did."

Aw hell, Jesse thought. He thought he could feel the heat rise to his cheeks. Jesse swore to himself that Hiram thrived on his misfortunes.

"I remember that day too. Both Chris and Buck paled at the sight of the bedraggled pair." Tiny spoke his afterthought for all to hear.

"Yeah and something passed between father and son as well, didn't it?" Hiram looked directly at Jesse.

The Judge added, "I must have missed hearing this one. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Hiram continued as if the Judge had never spoken, "You looked guilty as sin that day."

"Alright, alright, fine," Jesse admitted. "Well, ya see Judge, J.D. and I had a habit of getting under each other's skin."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" The older man said with a smile and his eyes crinkled with amusement.

Slightly embarrassed by the question Jesse continued, "Buck was against the idea of sending the two of us out together to do a small request, although I think it was on your behalf. I don't recall the details, but we got the job done. It was on our way back when the trouble began." The Judge looked surprised by that revelation.

"Anyways we basically traded some words and then we fought some. We rolled down a hill oblivious to the fact that the weather around us changed. Next thing we knew we're fighting near a stream bed in the mud. Needless to say things went from bad to worse.

"Before either of us realized, the heavens above let loose a deluge of rain and what we presumed was a stream became something more frightening. J.D. almost drowned because of me.

"I'm not proud of what almost happened that day and Chris made sure I'd never do anything like that again."

"What I heard later was your pa lit a fire over yer backside." Hiram recalled.

"It was more like a raging wildfire. I learned a lot of things the hard way."

"I see," said Judge Travis. He watched as Jesse shifted a bit where he sat. "I also see how powerful that memory is."

"More like painful. My backside aches jus' thinking about it."

The others howled laughing with amusement.

On the third day they reached Tascosa. The Judge pulled up alongside of Jesse. "From here on out the news will not be good."

"I know, but I can't back down now. I need to know." Travis grimly nodded in understanding.

Their first stop in that dusty town was the Sheriff's office. The news of the Seven's demise was disheartening. Five lives were snuffed out in a gunfight and the two remaining hung side by side. Although they were too late to fix the wrong that had been done, both the Judge and Jesse argued vehemently on behalf of the Seven. They couldn't dissuade the Sheriff to their way of thinking. They had hoped to bring the fallen home, but instead they received a few of their belongings.

On the fourth day Jesse visited the cemetery where they were laid to rest. There he encountered a woman waiting on his arrival. Her version of the events differed vastly from the town's law.

From the time they set foot in the town the lives of the Seven were at risk. The Sheriff and his men had been tipped off about their arrival. They had been ambushed from the start.

Ezra, Nathan, Josiah, J.D., and Buck died trying to get Vin and Chris out of town. Instead, their selfless acts were in vain.

The woman extracted a folded piece of paper from a pocket on her skirt. "The man dressed in black asked me to give you this. You are Chris Larabee's son, are you not? You certainly fit the description."

Jesse quietly answered. "Yes, I'm his son."

He took the folded note and tucked it into his shirt pocket. "How is it that you know all this?"

"I won't blame you if you become angry."

"I'm not here to judge."

"You sound just like him."

She then told him she was the youngest daughter of Jess Kincaid, the man Vin Tanner supposedly murdered. However, she never believed the young bounty hunter had killed her father. She too had been convinced that the man responsible had been Eli Joe. No one believed her and Eli Joe had evaded capture and proven he was a dangerous man.

Vin Tanner on the other hand was nobody. Easier to convince the townsfolk that this quiet, loner of a man was the guilty party. After all, he brought Kincaid's body in to collect the bounty.

"What his friends tried to do for him was admirable. I'm truly sorry for your loss."

After she left Jesse sank to his knees. The loss of the man he had come to know as his father and the six men as friends left him devastated. He was again on his own and very much alone.

That night in his room he read his father's final words to him. No one saw the pain. No one witnessed the tears he cried. No one heard the vow he made that day.

Sometime during the night he woke shivering from a chill. Thinking he must have pushed his blanket off he reached searching for it and suddenly stopped. Familiar voices gone forever murmured in the background; he even thought he heard someone say, "Any change?"

The one he respected and loved the most answered, "No." Jesse also thought he felt a cold cloth touch the top of his brow. The voices faded and he again slept.

Later he woke to sunlight streaming into the room. He felt weak. His arms and legs like heavy weights. The effort it took to sit up left him breathless. He then realized he didn't have a stitch of clothing upon his person. When did that happen?

While he held his head the door opened something shattered upon the floor as a figure hurried to his side. "Nathan! What…" The questions died upon the speaker's lips. "J.D., find a broom and clean that up. I'll get Chris!"

The surprise was evident upon the kid's face. Nathan would later swear that the boy had seen a ghost. "Easy now." The healer saw how much the boy had paled since his arrival. "Buck's gone to get your pa. Take it easy Jesse." The boy flinched when Nathan touched his arm.

J.D. and Vin had finished picking up the remains of the broken tea cup when they heard the sound of Chris' spurs jangle on up the steps.

Nathan didn't turn around when he heard Chris enter the room. "Chris wait!"

He was already two strides in when he froze. "Nathan, Buck said…"

Behind him Buck uttered, "Oh my lord…"

The terror stricken green eyes along with the boy's ragged breathing would forever haunt the five men within that room. The next words baffled them more. "It's not possible." Tears started to fall. "Where am I? Is this some sort of joke?"

"Where do you think you are?"

"Ta…Tascosa. You're all dead. I…I saw your graves. Judge Travis, where is he? He's seen them too."

When they heard the words fall from Jesse's lips Chris met Vin's bewildered expression. "Go get the judge."

Buck immediately volunteered. He slowly backed out of the room. Once he hit the bottom of the stairs he bumped into Josiah.

"What's the hurry brother Buck?"

"Need to find Judge Travis."

"Is it Jesse?" Josiah walked with him.

"He's awake, yet not awake. He thinks we're all dead."

"Dead! What would give him that idea?"

"I don't know. To top it all off he thinks he and the Judge are in Tascosa."

"Tascosa! Let's check the Clarion. He mentioned seeing Billy today." Together they hurried off.

They eventually found the Judge having breakfast with Mary and Billy. After Buck filled them in on the current situation, they made haste to Nathan's clinic.

Mary went to tell Ezra the news while Oren spoke with Jesse alone. "Jesse, the boys tell me quite a tale. You believe we're in Tascosa."

"Aren't we? Are you saying I dreamed all of it?"

"I'm afraid so." The Judge tipped back his hat. "You want to tell me about it." Jesse then told him everything.

Over by the jail, seven men conversed. Ezra finally was brought up to date. "So according to what I've been told he is awake but with no memory of what really occurred. Have I got that right?"

Josiah said, "You most certainly do."

"Unfortunately he thinks we're all dead." Buck concluded.

Vin asked as he leaned back in his chair. "I'd like to know where he got that notion."

With a raised brow Chris questioned. "J.D., what did you two fight about?"

"Everything and anything. You know how he gets." J.D. blurted.

"I know. What else?" The man growled.

Grinning Buck added his take on the situation. "I think what it boils down to is a couple of young bucks butting heads again."

Exasperated J.D. blustered on as if Buck never spoke. "He went on and on about a few of those dime store novels. Said most of them weren't true."

"He's right."

"But…"

"Most of those writers haven't even seen the stuff they write about. Even that character Jock Steele said so himself. It's only what they hear told to them by someone else. Lord knows if that person is telling a yarn or two."

"But…"

"But nothing J.D.," Stated Buck. "I'm beginning to see where this is going."

"So am I." Chris said. "I think you need to get your head out of the clouds and admit that you were wrong."

"J.D., we're not telling ya to stop dreaming it's just those tales are just that. Stories made up."

"What about the Magnificent Seven? Our story. Mr. Steele wrote that and it's true."

"Okay you made your point. Maybe there are a few out there based on real life, but you still owe him an apology. He saved your life."

Their young Sheriff thought on that. "Alright, you're right. I'll apologize."

Meanwhile Judge Travis did his best to quell Jesse's fears. With some help from Mary they convinced Jesse to drink some tea and to get some more rest. Under Mary's watchful eye Oren left the clinic. He caught up with his men over at the jail.

"He's a little disoriented, but I think we've laid his fears to rest. Right now he's resting." Chris made to stand, but he motioned him to sit back down. "Mary's watching him. So, are you going to tell me how he got this outlandish idea in his head?"

Everyone looked to J.D. who flushed beet red. Chris prompted, "J.D."

"Fine." He launched into the story once more.

In the early pre-dawn hours Jesse woke feeling a bit more like his old self. A slight movement to his left told him someone else occupied the room. "Hey pa."

"Son. How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Good to hear."

"I'm sorry pa."

"I know." His pa said quietly. "We'll discuss this at a later date."

Jesse gulped. He then tentatively asked the question that had been burning in his head since the other day. "Pa?" Chris met his gaze. "How long have I been sick?"

"Five days."

THE END