Title: Rocks
Author: Nomooretears
Universe: OW
Summary - Vin and an injured Ezra have a discussion during a shootout Written for VFD 1-Hour Challenge. Theme - "Rock"
Feedback - Yes, please!
Ducking as a bullet sent shards of the rock he was hiding behind past his ear, Vin cursed. He was outnumbered, and running short on bullets. Snapping off another shot, he glanced down at the gambler next to him. Ezra blinked slowly, staring at the rocks behind them. Another bullet tore Vin's attention away from the gambler again, and back to the men pinning them down.
He and Ezra had been riding back from a visit at Nettie's when they had been ambushed. A flurry of bullets had rained down on them, one striking Ezra's thigh, knocking him from his horse. Vin had thrown himself off of Peso, dragging Ezra behind the rock that was now slowly being chipped into pebbles.
Worried about the unresponsive gambler, Vin quickly bandaged his friends leg. Looking to see if Ezra was awake, Vin was alarmed to see blood running down his face. Frantically searching for the wound, he was relieved to find that Ezra had apparently hit his head when he fell, rather than being shot.
Their hiding spot wasn't ideal, just a group of rocks in a small gully that just barely offered cover. Unfortunately, the attackers had the high ground, and the most maneuverability. Firing over the rock again, Vin thought about his options. He didn't know how many men were out there, or where they were positioned. They had the freedom of movement, and were probably trying to flank them. Vin had enough cover in the rocks that he could possibly work his way out of the gully before they could do that, but it would mean leaving the gambler behind.
A chuckle suddenly came from the prone man next to him. Startled, he looked down at Ezra again. The gambler was still staring at the rocks behind them, with an expression of great amusement on his face.
"Ez, you ok?" asked Vin.
"What is it, Vin?" Ezra was slightly slurring his words.
"What is what?" asked Vin. He fired another shot, rewarded with a cry of pain from his target.
"Is it a rock, or a boulder?"
Vin glanced at him again, but he was still smiling at the rock. "It's just a rock, Ez."
"Are you positive? I feel I must deliberate on this, for I believe that it may indeed be a boulder."
"Fine, Ez, it's a boulder. How are you feeling?"
"It's certainly not a pebble, thought perhaps it was once," Ezra chuckled again. "I wonder if that is where rocks come from. Do you think that they simply sprout from diminutive pebbles, Vin?"
Vin didn't answer as he reloaded his gun. The gambler's ramblings really worried him. Nathan had talked of how head wounds could be really serious, could mess up someone's mind for the rest of their life. Vin picked another target and shot, knowing he really needed to end this. He had to get Ezra to Nathan.
Ezra carried on his conversation, completely unaware of their precarious situation. "And what kind of boulder do you think that could be, Mr. Tanner? Is it sandstone? Limestone? Or maybe my favorite, gemstone!" Ezra laughed again.
"You've been hanging around JD too long, Ez. That was almost as bad as one of his jokes," Vin couldn't help chuckling, Ezra would be horrified if he remembered this conversation.
Suddenly, the gunfire erupted again, but this time from further away. He heard shouts of alarm from the attackers, and smiled as he heard Larabee snarl out an order to surrender. "Cavalry's here, Ez," he smiled down at Ezra.
The gunfire stopped, and Chris yelled out to his missing men. "We're over here. I need Nathan, Ezra's down," Vin called back.
Suddenly sensing motion behind him, Vin swung around, trying to find a target. A strong blow knocked his gun away, and a second strike to his chin sent him over on his back. Looking up, he found himself facing a large man holding a large pistol. Knowing he was about to die, he braced himself for the shot.
Instead of a gunshot, he heard a dull thunk, and the man fell over sideways. A fist sized rock dropped next to him. Vin looked over at Ezra in shock.
Ezra grinned back at him. "That, Mr. Tanner, was a rock." He started chuckling again. Vin couldn't help himself, the fading adrenaline and passing danger was too much, he started laughing as well.
Chris and Nathan came running over to them. Nathan immediately starting checking on Ezra, while Chris went to Vin. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," Vin answered, still smiling. "What are you doing here?"
"Your horses came running into town, and Chaucer had blood on him, so we came looking. What the hell is so funny?" Chris was confused by the tracker's laughter.
"Nothing, Chris, me and Ez just decided the difference between a rock and a boulder," Vin just grinned up at Chris. Looking over at his friends he asked "How's he doing, Nate?"
"He'll be all right. Bullet went clean through, and the knock on his head isn't too bad. We need to get him back to the clinic. He needs some stitches, though. Good thing his head is as hard as a rock." He looked over in shock as Vin burst into laughter once again.
Reaching down, Chris pulled Vin to his feet and they helped Nathan get Ezra over to the horses, where the others waited with the surviving bandits. Their horses having been exhausted and left in town, Vin rode on of the bandits horses. Buck held the gambler in front of him as they headed for home, shaking his head as he listened to a one-sided conversation about rocks versus boulders.
The End