Author's note: I do not own the rights to The Magnificent Seven. No profit was make and only respect is intended. I'd like to thank Angela and Taryn for their beta efforts. Any remaining mistakes are my fault. Let me know where they are and I'll correct them.

This is for the many fans who have asked (sometimes repeatedly) how Chris came to be Ezra and Vin's father. I hope you will enjoy their story.

Ezra practiced his shuffling techniques with a new deck of cards. They were still too stiff for his liking, and he wanted to break them in. He noted Vin's arrival in his room, but maintained focus on his cards.

"Is that the new deck from Buck?" wondered Vin as he plopped down on the edge of Ezra's bed.

"Indeed," replied Ezra. The cards were finally starting to flow more easily through his hands. Shuffle, slide, shuffle, stack.

"Any chance you'll be done with that soon?" asked Vin.

Ezra's hands stilled. "You require my assistance?"

"No, not require. I was just hoping you might finish that story you started last night. Chris said we had to go to bed because it was a school night, but tonight it's not." The words tumbled out of Vin's mouth in an uncharacteristic rush.

Ezra felt flattered that his impromptu story so entertained his brother. "I'm not entirely sure where I left off," he admitted. The rather fantastical adventure had formed in his head several weeks after reading a couple of Michael Stackpole books.

"The sorceress just appeared in the sanctuary to tell the Seven about the prophesy that bound them," supplied Vin making himself more comfortable on the bed.

Ezra nodded. "Though they had been warned it would be too dangerous to join the other Chaos Riders in battling the demon army, Chris wasn't willing to abandon the already outnumbered warriors. So instead, he asked the sorceress to teleport them to the caves of the Black Church, where the demons planned to launch their invasion. It was a risky gamble to try and cut the invasion off before it got too far. . ." Ezra continued to weave his story of demons, elves, dwarves, magic users, and the ordinary humans caught up in their Chaotic realm. He'd been surprised by how natural it felt to create these fanciful tales. Vin enjoyed the stories so much that Ezra often felt compelled to write bits down in notebooks, on scraps of paper, and even in a new folder on his computer, so that he could share his ideas with his brother later. It was strangely satisfying to see a finished story grow from the stray thoughts of his mind. Ezra quickly discovered writing could be both relaxing and somewhat addictive. "The End," announced Ezra as his latest tale wound to an end. He gave a proper bow when Vin began to applaud his story's conclusion, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a second pair of hands joined in. "Chris, I didn't know you were there," Ezra spoke nervously.

"Your story was so good I didn't want to interrupt," complimented Chris. "Besides, it's not everyday that I get made into the prophesied leader of a group destined to save their world." Chris couldn't help teasing a little. He'd already decided it was best if Buck didn't find out he was one of the heroes of the story, the man possessed a big enough ego without any further encouragement. Chris also noted how Ezra made both Vin and himself adults in his story, so they could all work together. Adam used to do the same thing when playing make believe. At thirteen, Ezra was supposed to be beyond such parental attachments, but Chris felt glad Ezra thought enough of his foster father to make him a part of the story. "Have you ever given any consideration to writing one of your stories down?"

Within the span of a few seconds Ezra looked first elated, and then crestfallen. "Mother insisted that indulging in fantasy was a ludicrous waste of valuable time," murmured Ezra. It was one thing to share his stories with his younger brother, and quite another to expose them to a larger audience.

Chris bit his tongue against his first impulse. Speaking harshly of Maude would only end up hurting Ezra. "I suppose that might be true for someone who was trying to focus on their work, but the fact is; you're a teenager now, Ezra. It is the duty of every teenager to spend at least part of every day, wasting time. Where do you think the truism of the teenage slacker came from?" Chris was quite pleased with his impromptu line of crap.

Ezra looked just as pleased to have a justified 'out' to one of his Mother's rules. "I certainly wouldn't want to fail in my duty as a teenager," agreed Ezra.

"Good. I'm looking forward to reading your next story," assured Chris.

Ezra looked momentarily shocked; he didn't recall promising Chris a story. He'd just been conned!

"You boys can stay up a bit more if you'd like," Chris continued, "but I'll expect you to be ready by ten, so we can make it to Nathan and Rain's on time tomorrow. Good night, boys." He made a quick retreat while Ezra still looked shocked and confused.

"I can't believe I let him con me," moaned Ezra. His mother would be so disappointed if she were to see him now.

"Don't take it too hard, Ezra. You've just never dealt with this sort of con before. You're used to cons where people lose or have to sacrifice something. When parents con, it is usually about trying to improve their kids somehow." A fond smile crossed Vin's lips. "Ma used to always con me into trying new things. Afterwards, I was almost always glad that she did," he admitted.

"I suppose I can concede this round to Chris," decided Ezra, pulling on a pajama shirt. "But he better not try to make a habit of it."

Ezra pulled out a note book and pen, tapping the latter upon the first page of the former while he considered what story to write. As much as he enjoyed the characters he created for the world of Chaos, he didn't want to write another story about them just then. In fact, Ezra had a radical idea of what he wanted to write about. It would make Chris happy, answering many of the questions he and Vin had been unwilling to answer until now. After writing a rough outline, Ezra called Vin over, and pointing at what he'd written asked, "What do you think?"

Vin read the words slowly, and then read them again to make sure he understood them right the first time. The eleven-year-old looked at his thirteen-year-old best friend and foster brother. "You want to tell them everything?"

"Many of the reasons we kept quiet no longer apply," Ezra pointed out. "Now that we have learned you are a Sentinel and I am a Guide, much of what you were able to do can be easily explained; as long as you do not object. My only remaining hesitation involves your ethereal friend."

Vin snorted, "Is it really that hard to say the word ghost?"

"If you must be so plain spoken, I would prefer the term spirit," Ezra asserted. "Ghost implies participation in some cut-rate theatrical presentation."

"Fine," huffed Vin, "our spirit friend has no objections to you writing everything that happened, including his part in it. I think Chris and the others should know everything, too."

"It's decided then," Ezra confirmed. The thirteen-year-old felt both a rush of determination and a bit of fear. Going forward with writing the story he planned would violate one of Maude's rules of the con: Never show them who you really are. It was second only to her often repeated: Appearances are everything. In truth, while Maude's rules served him well while on the run, they seemed more of a hindrance now that he'd become part of Larabee's family. Part of him still feared Chris would eventually abandon him the way Maude had so many times. Yet over the last few months, that part had become smaller and smaller, through Larabee's consistent care. "It's time to explain to Chris and the others how we found our way to his door," he murmured as he again set pen to paper.