Hidden Hero

This is for Faye Dartmouth who re-introduced me to the wonderful show, The Magnificent Seven. I fell in love with Anthony Starke's portrayal of Ezra Standish and wanted to give the character the respect that so eluded him on the show, even if it took a deathfic to do it. He was a flawed man, but hidden within him was a hero's heart.

It happened so fast.

No one saw it coming except for him and for all of their accusations and distrust, they had failed to see and to believe that he was more than the fancy clothes he wore, more than the greedy and seemingly selfish facade he projected. They had missed all the signs of inadequecy he had hidden from them, all the desire to be counted among them, to be perceived as their friend, their equal, to be seen as more than the gambler he was, to have them see the hope for redemption in his every action.

Then one action revealed all, but too late to redeem them.

For every time he had gone with them on missions, been beside them through gunfights, gun battles, wagon trains, and protective details they had never questioned why he had stayed when he could have easily left them, could have made more money conning people and playing poker yet they still questioned his loyalty to them. They treated him like a tag along to be tolerated and any gratitude for his presence or for any valorous deed he exhibited was barely expressed, if at all. He still had not been fully accepted or trusted because in the end, in their eyes, he still hadn't earned the respect and reputation they had developed in their lives, a fact that Ezra had acknowleged to himself long ago. He had done things that he knew had warranted their distrust, but they had taken his loyalty to them for granted, his presence for granted, his bravery for granted.

Until now.

It had happened so fast. The spray of gunfire broke out and Chris and Vin were pinned unprotected. It seemed, at first, that they had things under control until Ezra had spotted a gunman on the roof of the saloon, aiming his rifle right at them. He didn't think about the ramifications to himself or hesitate. He ran towards them, both of his guns in each hand. He shouted to them in the hopes of giving them awareness.

"Chris! Vin! The roof!"

He rushed in front of them at the best approximate angle of the shooter. The aim was leveled at Chris and he used his body as a shield. His warning to them had the shooter then switch targets. He swung the barrel of his rifle and shot at Ezra instead. He felt the impact of one round hit him hard into his chest, but he still managed to squeeze off a few shots from his gun, if only grazing the gunman. The gunman then shot again, hitting Ezra in the torso. Chris watched in horror and anger as Ezra fell backwards down to the ground.

"EZRA!" Chris yelled.

Both Chris and Vin then shot at the assailant of their friend with maximum prejudice and brought him falling down off the roof. Finally, in what felt like hours, they had either killed or wounded every gunman who had entered the town gunning for them. Vin turned to check on Ezra and Chris called out for Nathan.

"Ezra? Ezra? Are you all right?" Vin asked as he tried to assess Ezra's injuries, inadvertently causing pain to him.

Ezra couldn't catch his breath and only sounds of choking came with every word he tried to mouth. Blood was trickling from his mouth and when Vin took a quick assessment of Ezra's injuries, he grimaced at the sight before him. He had seen his share of serious and fatal injuries and what he had seen had looked bad to his view. He had to hope Nathan would find him wrong.

"Hang on there, Ezra. Nathan's coming," Vin said as he felt Ezra fumbling to reach for him.

Once he had found him, Vin felt him squeeze his arm, pant and groan. He had realized that Ezra was seeking purchase and comfort for his pain and Vin gladly provided it by allowing Ezra to hold onto him. Ezra did his share of complaining, but Vin had also seen him unflinchingly enter a hail of gunfire as he had just done with a fierceness that the buffalo hunter had respected as well as had benefited from. It gave him a cold and deathly feeling to think that Ezra's life was slipping away from them.

Ezra clenched his eyes closed and his ragged breathing was getting quicker and the intake of air was all struggle. He trembled with pain with every inhale and exhale. He nodded to let Vin know that he had heard and understood him. There was also gratitude there for Vin letting him grip his arm as a way to endure the pain washing over him.

Chris was in shock. As the leader of their group, he had always assumed the role of protector, had expected that he would be the first to die because of all of them, he had the strongest death wish. Losing his family had destroyed his will to live long ago. He was too cowardly to just end things with a bullet himself, but with every battle they faced, he was the most zealous. Still, his will had been unexpectedly rebuilding with the company of friends he had gathered around him. He respected and trusted each of them…except for Ezra Standish. He had been unable to abide Ezra's greed and selfishness yet he had selfishly accepted his help whenever he had given it and Ezra had given it without hesitation if not without complaint. And there Ezra was, at the very least hurt badly, if not dying and he had once again selflessly saved his life in spite of his opinion of him.

Suddenly, Chris felt ashamed for thinking so little of the gambler. He had never bothered to see past the bluster and Ezra's seemingly single-minded opportunistic nature. It had never occurred to him despite all the times he had seen him willingly enter into every conflict that Ezra was a selfless man, a courageous man. All Chris seemed to see was the man who had almost run away from the Seminole village and if he were to be honest, he had continued to judge Ezra by that first and one choice, never bothering to amend that judgment for every time that Ezra had proven himself just the opposite.

Nathan, JD, Josiah, and Buck rushed in from their various locations to join Vin, Chris and Ezra. Nathan rushed to examine Ezra's wounds, but his own expression revealed dismay at the injuries before him. He felt the daunting responsibility of saving his friend and the lack of confidence that he possessed the skills to do it hit him all at the same time. Ezra's clothes had been drenched with blood in the few short minutes it took for Nathan to get to him. It was pooling and spreading quickly across his chest; a bad sign from Nathan's limited but thorough experience. He exchanged a quick glance with Ezra and he detected a knowing look that gave him a chill and a profound sadness. Their relationship had been shakey. First, Ezra's prejudice of him which dissipated quickly with Nathan's kindness towards him for his dislocated shoulder then Nathan's own prejudice, less about him being a Southerner but more about his greedy and opportunistic character, that he took money from people with glee, didn't matter that most of those people were of less than stellar character themselves. His harshest accusation had been when he had forced Ezra to purchase the Chinese girl to save her and then had accused him of enslaving her. He had learned later that nothing had been farther from the truth. Ezra had paid her way back home to San Francisco to be with her family, unsuccesfully hiding his own affection for her, setting aside his own needs to give her true emancipation, a reunion with her family. He had been ashamed that he had misjudged Ezra so many times.

"We gotta get Ezra to somewhere where I can get the bullets out and stop the bleeding," Nathan finally said, denying the truth he saw before him.

"Well, let's go then," Buck said, his voice insistent, but he felt a weak hand grip his arm. It was Ezra and he was shaking his head.

"N..n..no..."

"Don't be a fool, Ezra. We're carrying you out of here and getting you patched up," Chris said.

Ezra smiled with trembling pain.

"M...mister Larabee...afraid you have...no say in this...a much higher p...power is dictating...the matter of my life and death."

Ezra shook with pain again and groaned.

"We're wasting time," Chris insisted, revealing the fear in his voice, fear that he usually never expressed not even in the timber of his voice.

"Mister Jackson...knows...the truth as do the others...I am beyond...medical intervention."

Chris had no argument to give. He knew it too by the looks of the wounds as well. It gave him pain to come to acceptance that Ezra was dying and more shamefully for Chris, that he had underestimated the man. Ezra was dying with dignity and without complaint.

Ezra's breathing became more rapid, the struggle for him more difficult as each breath caused more pain. He clenched his eyes closed and even though it brought more pain, the pain itself was making him shift his body to find whatever comfort he could, however temporary. Vin and Nathan offered each of their arms for Ezra to brace against the tide of pain.

Ezra felt the end nearing, knew he didn't have much time left to him and he had much to say to his dear friends.

"I will not...leave this mortal coil...without saying that it has been...an honor to have served with...all of you...you're heroes all...I..." Ezra said as he stiffened, swallowing air, but it didn't ease his stuttering breathing or his excruciating pain. "I...only hope...that during my short tenure with you...I managed to earn some...manner of your respect...if not your trust...for which I cast no blame other than onto myself...I go to meet my Maker...redeemed for h...having been in your c...company..."

All the men, hardened by their life experiences, their distrust woven into their souls, collectively felt the impending loss of their seventh comrade, helpless to do anything to stop it tears filled each of their eyes. Josiah, unable to let Ezra's life pass in silence, spoke both in need to give comfort, as much for himself as for Ezra, but also to speak what had needed to be spoken to a man who had deserved knowing that he had mattered, at least to him.

"I can't speak for the others, but you have earned that and more from me, my friend, meager as it is," Josiah piped in.

Ezra nodded and smiled weakly, if too weak to acknowledge him with words. He was feeling light headed and could barely take any more breaths into his straining lungs.

"Josiah speaks for all of us, Ezra," Vin agreed, his sentiments for the dying gambler sincere. "It was an honor to call you friend."

Ezra smiled again.

"I'm sorry I misjudged you," Nathan said simply, guilt and sadness written across his face.

The rest could only nod in agreement.

Ezra saw the guilt in Nathan's eyes and felt the need to absolve.

"Y…you all had cause…I gave you no reason to think otherwise…I bear sole responsibility…thank you for being my friends regardless…"

Ezra then turned towards Chris and nodded to him, communicating to him that the same absolution went to him as well. Chris acknowledged in return unable to say the words he should to someone he had misjudged, but seeing in Ezra's eyes that no words were necessary, releasing him from any guilt.

"I have no...regrets...m…my friends..."

Ezra then arched with pain, his breath robbed from him and stilled.

The remaining six could only stare in disbelief. They had all known that the risks of the job could bring death to any one of them, but to have someone, the first of their magnificent seven, sacrifice his life so that they could have another day on Earth felt hollow and empty. The grief was overwhelming. Josiah scooped up Ezra's body and carried it back to the church, the others following behind him, a grim procession that only grew as the townspeople also joined in to pay their respects to a man who had protected their town.

Once they gotten to the church, Josiah realized that he had no place to lay Ezra.

"Buck, JD, can I implore you to get my bed and lay it here on the altar? I cannot and will not abide resting Ezra on the hard planks of this floor, hallowed though they may be."

Buck and JD silently complied. Josiah continued holding Ezra in his arms as more townspeople filed in and sat in the pews. The others watched as well.

"If only Ezra had seen this," Nathan said to Chris who was sitting next to him. He was still feeling his guilt linger no matter that Ezra had forgiven him, forgiven them all.

"If only we had all shown him…" Chris said wistfully. "Besides, this isn't for him. This is for us to see so that we won't forget."

Nathan nodded.

As memories of his wife and son flooded his mind, Mary had joined him. She took his hand in hers. He saw the tears flowing from her eyes and could only feel comfort in their shared loss. He hadn't expected Ezra's death to affect him so deeply. Perhaps it was because he had treated him so poorly in life. Ezra's death was by his choice and Chris would not sully his sacrifice by feeling sorry for himself.

Once JD and Buck had placed the bed in front of the altar, Josiah laid Ezra on it, even though the comfort of the bed would be lost on him, Josiah was unwilling to just dump his body onto the floor or into one of the pews. He then walked up the steps to his pulpit, hunched as if carrying a heavy cross across his own shoulders. He watched as his friends filled the first pew and then the town fill the others. It filled his heart both with joy and regret.

"Ezra, my friend, we have a full house. Something I know you are viewing with appreciation," Josiah whispered, his tear filled eyes gazing skyward. "I will not fail you today."

FIN. Hope you enjoyed the read as much as I enjoyed writing it.