COMING TO TERMS Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Let's face it if any fanfic writer were given custody of the seven we wouldn't see them for dust after the way we treat them - so perhaps it's for the best that I don't own them or profit from them in any way except the warm fuzzy feelings I get.

A/N If anyone has wondered where 'not a keeper' has gone from my profile page I combined the chapters into one fic and it's now housed at Blackraptor. Thought I'd spread myself around a bit.

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Of course as soon as Chris had stormed off to vent his frustrations on some poor inanimate object the questions came thick and fast - what sort of cat was Fly?, why Fly for a name? How old was she? Was it really a joke and there was no cat? Why didn't Chris like cats? Was he allergic or phobic? That question from JD had given Ezra a moment's pause. He hadn't considered that possibility. Rather ironic, he mused, when others had always had to consider his own allergy. His mind was quickly put at rest by a chuckling Buck, however, who explained that the only reason that Chris hated cats was because cats seemed to hate him and consistently refused to do as they were told. Ezra let out a soft but thankful sigh. He had begun to rise to this challenge and would have hated to have given up so soon. But Fly was his family and as such was non negotiable. If she couldn't stay then he wouldn't stay. That statement had left a stunned silence over the phone when he had discussed the matter with the judge but he had put the touch of respect he had thought he'd heard when he received the man's reply down to wishful thinking. People like judge Travis didn't respect people like him…or at least people like he appeared to be. Pity nobody seemed to realise that appearances could be deceptive.

"So why Fly?" repeated Buck "Seems an odd name for a cat."

"Her name is actually Madame Butterfly, being named after the favourite opera of the dear lady who gifted her to me, and also quite fitting as she is an oriental, a purebred Siamese, but as with most names it tends to get shortened for ease of use" Everyone was startled as Ezra smiled what they would come to know as his 'little boy grin' A smile of pure pleasure and happiness that was rare for the ultra cynical man. "Of course the fact that as a kitten she was convinced that if the birds she chased could fly then so could she helped fix the nickname. It took quite a few tries before she worked out that gravity works differently for felines."

Everyone laughed at the mental picture of a flying flailing kitty but then a new voice spoke up. Ezra and Vin had seen Nathan slip into the room but the others all started at his voice.

"Don't you think it would have been more responsible to have given a home to a cat from a shelter? There are thousands of homeless animals in the country, last thing we need is to be breeding more just because people like you and your 'dear lady'"…Ezra bristled at the sneer that accompanied his comment… "want designer pets to go with your designer clothes."

Everybody tensed, ready for Ezra to unleash his vocabulary on the conscientious but sometimes overly blunt doctor. They were therefore quite surprised when instead of a scowl or harsh words Ezra nodded in agreement. None were more surprised than Nathan though.

"You agree? Then why…" Nathan trailed off in confusion; was there nothing that wasn't contrary about this man?

"Indeed I do Nathan, but you are making a common assumption that all cats needing homes are crossbreeds. Not all breeders are scrupulous and homes are sometimes needed for confiscated kittens…and sometimes kittens are born with minor flaws making them unsuitable for show and they are sold as pets. In Fly's case she is the offspring from a cat rescued from such an unscrupulous breeder by mah friend"

Nathan's critical expression started to soften but it was quickly transformed into embarrassment as Ezra's eyes narrowed and his voice hardened.

"While it is hardly your fault that you know little about the rearing and purchase of cats if I see a sneer on your face again when talking about mah Aunt Elizabeth, or any woman that I happen to be fond of I will make you very sorry. Do Ah make mahself clear Doctor Larabee?"

Nathan gulped reflexively and nodded, a rosy blush tinting his dark skin an ironically attractive shade. He hadn't realised and he couldn't blame the southerner for his reaction. First Vin and now this…this whole new brother thing was harder to get used to than he had thought it would be. He didn't see why they couldn't help make the transition easier for everyone though; he refused to admit to himself that by they he, of course, actually meant him. Still he supposed that every family had to have it's black sheep…he smiled slightly at the thought of the black sheep not being the black member of the family. He looked around the room as everyone filed out past him…he hadn't remembered the room being so small. He had heard Chris muttering as he passed him on the stairs about the proposed extra storage being erected in the attic space but he had to admit that as much as the southerner got on his nerves he couldn't blame him for wanting to extend his useable space. And unlike Chris he was quite looking forward to having a cat around. He liked cats. He just didn't understand them….rather like a certain southern brother he mused.

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"And just what on earth does one wear to a saloon?" Ezra murmured to himself as he perused his still, till tomorrow at least, limited wardrobe. While gamblers of times past might have been in the habit of frequenting such establishments his own preferred places of employ were high class casinos and exclusive gaming clubs. Besides he doubted whether, despite it's homely appellation, the modern day bar of that name would have much in common with it's pasts namesake; he doubted that karaoke was a traditional western theme - he shuddered at the thought and concluded that a sawdust strewn floor with bullet shattered mirrors and an out of tune piano were probably preferable to the torture of drunken amateur murderers of country and western ditties.

Deciding in the end to go with smart casual he was pleased to note that he didn't look too out of place among the gathered gentlemen though he received a couple of odd glances at his continued use of the cane that they had deemed to be a snobbish affectation. While he would be the first to admit to having a rather peacock mentality about his personal appearance when in an unfamiliar and potentially hostile or embarrassing situation he preferred not to stand out too much, but the cane did make a difference and if he carried it at all times then it would quickly come to be thought of as no more odd than Vin's habitual donning of his old and well worn buckskin jacket or JD's baseball cap.

"Okay fellas, ready to hit the bright lights? Hope you've been loosening up your vocal cords 'cause the Larabees have a reputation to uphold as the karaoke kings of Colorado!"

Buck's enthusiastic over the top claim brought chuckles and well meant groans from most and JD was practically bouncing with excitement. Vin and Ezra exchanged a look that spoke volumes….

Sheer terror!

"Don't worry boys" boomed the jovial ladies man as he saw their expressions. "We'll go easy on ya tonight and once you've heard Chris sing 'Rocky Mountain High' you'll know that at least you can't do any worse!"

The thump in the gut he received for his comment was less than gentle but the newcomers were shocked to see a genuine smile transform the older blond brother's face. It made him look younger and Vin felt a twinge of unwarranted guilt that it may have been their arrival that had kept that smile from his features until now. He shook the thought off not wanting to spoil the moment and added his jocular contribution to the pot.

"Well then Buck I guess you better start taking bets because my friends back at the Res actually banned me from singing in company - guess it's not just allergies that run in the family."

At the word 'bet' Ezra's eyes lit up like twin green beacons and before Vin knew it said bets had been placed and he found himself committed to performing without even opening his mouth.

"How the hell did that happen" he complained to no-one in particular as the others laughed and Ezra gave him an unapologetic smirk.

JD's bounce continued unabated as they trooped out to the cars and he smiled a secret smile. He wondered if anyone else had noticed that just for a few moments the tension of the day had disappeared and they had all acted like, if not family, at least friends. He wasn't dumb; he knew it would take time and there would be setbacks but for the first time he had hope that he would once again have a real family to be part of. Sure his last family had been small, just him and mom and a few distant uncles and cousins who he only ever met on high days and holidays but he wasn't the loner type and felt lost without somewhere to belong and someone to belong to and who, in turn, belonged to him.

His smile grew wider as they started for town. It was possible that SHE would be there. Casey Wells! They had run into her on their shopping trip and Nettie had introduced her niece to them all. Her bubbly yet unassuming attitude had been a welcome change from some of the city girls he was used to and he had felt that she had liked him too, but he wasn't sure. What with looking after his mom and catching up on his studies after she had gone he hadn't had that much time for girls…not that he was quite as inexperienced as Buck seemed to assume; he may have a baby face but he was hardly a kid! Still he felt strongly that he didn't want to make any mistakes with Casey…but what if she preferred the 'older' man, like Vin or Ezra; at 26 Vin was only 7 years older than she was and Ezra, well he wasn't too sure how much older Ezra was but he had that easy charm that any red blooded male would kill to possess - still she didn't seem to be the sophisticated type that Ez would probably go for…no Vin was….He pulled his thoughts up short before he ended up marrying the girl he himself had only briefly spoken to to the brother he had only known for a day or so. He sighed in recognition that his natural insecurities had begun to get the better of him. Perhaps he should ask Buck for advice…nah! Just thinking about what Buck's advice might be was enough to make him blush.

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The Saloon wasn't quite what the new brothers had expected, not that they had dwelt on what to expect, Buck's sudden announcement over dinner that they would all be going out together as a family having been a bit of a shock. Even Ezra had been too surprised to put up a fight. They all looked around in appreciation…reluctant appreciation in Ezra's case. Mother had always viewed these sorts of places as beneath her skills. They had been her proving ground, somewhere to get away from and to keep her son away from. She had raised him to better places than this, to mix with better people than this. He grimaced at the memory of some of those things that the so-called better people had put him through. It wasn't until he had met Elizabeth and Daniel that he had understood that kindness and love were better, and less painful, than money and power. A sudden thump between his shoulders nudged him out of his introspection and he found himself being introduced to a pretty Mexican lady.

"And this is our southern brother Inez, Ezra Standish." The lady in question noted the distinct lack of enthusiasm that had crept into Chris's voice, at least in comparison with the almost pride as he had introduced Vin whose shy smile had enchanted her. But she understood why the tone had changed; she, too, had heard of Senor Standish's reputation, or rather, his mother's reputation. Of course she paid no mind to it. She had been judged often enough on the color of her skin or her heritage to return the insult. She could see from his expression that he was feeling a little nervous and, judging by the designer clothes, probably out of his element. And like many other women before her she felt that immediate need to take him under her wing and mother him.

"It is an honour to meet you senor Ezra. Welcome to the saloon."

Ezra immediately recognized the unstated offer of friendship implicit in the greeting. It happened rarely and always shocked him but that this acceptance had been offered so frequently since he had arrived was unprecedented. He expressed his thanks with his eyes so as not to embarrass her in front of her friends. His voice carried his usual polite grace but he knew that she saw his gratitude.

Once seated at their usual table, or rather their usual space since the actual table had to be exchanged for a larger one, Nathan explained the way things worked in the towns premier watering hole.

"Most nights are just normal entertainment with the jukebox or the widescreen TV if a local team are playing. Tonight is karaoke night and tomorrow is quiz night. Saturday we always have live music, mainly from the college, they have a good music department, so we do pretty well, at least until summer recess."

The evening progressed smoothly with an unspoken pact instantly being made not to tease JD as he and Casey made cow eyes at each other over the table. Buck had been surprised at their instant connection but figured it was best for the kid to start gentle and work his way up to the more feisty types. Casey was a nice enough girl and being a student at the local college they would have something in common but he was obviously too young to get serious; had many happy years of oat sowing ahead of him yet, he was a Larabee after all, and luckily he had an older and more experienced brother to show him the ropes. They didn't call him Casanova for nothing! Vin on the other hand was just the right age to be getting a little more serious…but not with his Inez! Buck hadn't missed the look of outright appreciation on the bar manager's face at their introduction. Not the Texan's fault that he appealed to the ladies but he'd have to head that little stampede off at the pass. It might not be time for the Buckmeister to settle but he already had his filly picked out for when he did and she could tell him 'nunca' till she was blue in the face he wouldn't take no for an answer. His sheer animal magnetism would wear her down eventually.

It was torture, sheer torture! Well maybe that was a slight exaggeration mused Ezra as the latest cowboy slaughtered the latest rendition of achy breaky heart. He just couldn't understand why the audience were so appreciative of such inept displays of what he would kindly call singing but which sounded rather like Fly when she was annoyed about something. He had to admit, though, that both Nathan and JD had exhibited some aptitude. Nathan's performance of a Lionel Ritchie song had been quite melodic and JD had gone all out to impress Miss Wells with his performance of the Billy Joel classic 'Uptown Girl' and by the look on her face he had succeeded. Josiah's unexpected foray into show tunes with the title track of Oklahoma! Had proved popular and it was beginning to look like Chris and Vin's admitted lack of a musical ear were the exceptions to the rule.

And what exceptions! Ezra noticed with some puzzlement that the audience praise increased in direct relation to the torture inflicted on their eardrums. He couldn't decide whether this was a traditional feature of the pastime or a result of excessive alcohol consumption. Either way the sound level of cheers indicated to those sat at the table that Chris, with his legendary John Denver song had just pipped Vin and his 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon…' As they regained their seats Ezra settled the winnings and pocketed his own share. It made him quite homesick for the poker tables and the bright lights of Vegas. In fact the way he was being stared at right this moment he would have settled for being anywhere else at all.

"Just us left little brother. You want to go first or would you rather deliver your effort while the audience are still reflecting on my glory; might be easier on ya. Course if you do decide to go first you ought'a know that the machine isn't set up for none of that high falutin' opera you probably like." Buck's grin was positively evil but his eyes were sparkling with humour especially when Ezra paled slightly and shook his head.

"Come on Ez" cajoled Vin "Hell you can't be any worse than me and I have to admit that it was good fun. Don't matter to the audience if'n ya can't sing…they'll appreciate the effort."

Ezra had suspected that he was the only one still entirely sober…his medication not mixing well with alcohol, but the support conveyed in that last statement let him know that Vin recognized his worry that the judgemental crowd could turn hostile. Nevertheless he was not prepared to take the chance.

"Ah think not, thank you all the same Vin."

"You a coward Ezra? Afraid to make a fool of yourself just because you can't sing?" As the next day was Nathan's day off he had allowed himself the luxury of a few drinks, just enough to loosen his tongue but even he winced at how snide the comment sounded. Ezra noted his immediate look of contrition but said nothing about the tone as he replied to the insinuation.

"Ah hardly think that anyone enjoys making a fool of themselves Doctor but ah said that I did not want to sing not that I couldn't."

Everyone perked up at that. It hadn't taken any of them long to discover that getting Ezra to talk wasn't difficult but getting him to talk about himself was nigh on impossible so every new piece of information was like gold dust. Buck startled them all by slamming his beer glass down on the table.

"Well that's a challenge if ever I heard one! Why didn't you say you could sing before now?"

"Nobody asked."

That stopped Buck for a few seconds while he tried to backtrack but then he forged ahead once again as the beer clouded his brain.

"Must have more Larabee in ya than ya thought hey hoss? Though I doubt if you're as good as old Buck here. What I can do with a song from the King would make you weep" As the others saw the expressions on Chris Nathan and Casey's faces they suspected that the tears might not be ones of joy. Vin and Ezra sprayed their drinks as Inez, who had brought a fresh round muttered something about ears and plugs in Spanish.

"See" Buck cried in tipsy delusion "My Inez can't wait for the highpoint of her evening."

"Madre Dios!" Inez exclaimed though she couldn't help but smile at the big man's antics.

"While Ah do indeed have musical talent in mah family I doubt that it is inherited from your side of the DNA chain." Ezra could have bit his tongue at the interest that comment sparked and any hope that they were too drunk to follow it up faded quickly.

"You got musicians on your Ma's side then Ezra?" JD was curious about all his brothers but Ezra was a mystery within a mystery.

"Indeed JD" Ezra gave up the information with good grace, after all it wasn't anything to be ashamed of and Buck might get a kick out of it.

"Anyone we'd recognize?" Buck could see a glint of mischief in the green eyes and he wanted to draw it out; he was starting to confirm his suspicions that Ezra hadn't had enough fun in his life.

"Ah suspect so. He did have some success."

Before Buck could take his questioning any further Inez signalled that it was his turn.

"Hold that thought Ez. Tell ya what, when it's your turn see if any of his stuff's on the list and you can perform it for us, they have loads of songs programmed and not just the big stars."

The others couldn't decide if Ezra's expression was one of disbelief or horror. They decided that it had been disbelief when Buck launched into a hip swivelling lip curling and decidedly awful rendition of Elvis's 'Blue Suede Shoes' and they saw what a horrified Ezra actually looked like.

"Thank ya verra much" With that Elvis quote Buck bounded off the stage to find two less at the table. His enthusiasm dropped a little as he noted Ezra and Josiah's absence.

"Where?"

"Ezra had to go to the toilet" Nathan supplied

"And Josiah went to make sure he came back to face the music" added a grinning Chris as he pointed to the oldest Larabee escorting a less than happy southerner back to the table, a firm grip on his arm to prevent escape.

"Seems that brother Ezra almost mistook the back exit for the bathroom but I was able to show him the error of his ways."

They all laughed at Ezra's hangdog expression, even Vin who received a look of one who had been betrayed from his Georgian brother which made him laugh even harder. Nathan shoved a list in his hand which Ezra reluctantly consulted.

"Anything there by your…what relation is he anyway?" asked Vin. He knew that despite Ezra's escape attempt something was amusing him.

"He was Maude's mother's brother's son…which I suppose makes him mah cousin once removed" Ezra sounded doubtful at the working out of his family tree. It wasn't as though they had ever been any sort of a proper family.

"You said was?" Chris understood loss and as much as the southerner got on his nerves he didn't want to bring up painful memories. Ezra recognized his concern and waved it away

"He died before I was born."

Before he could elaborate he found himself being firmly escorted to the stage by Buck and delivered into the care of the announcer who was used to dealing with reluctant performers. Ezra couldn't help but think that the man would make a good grifter considering the speed at which he had extracted his choice and set things up. Oh well there was no other option left but to bite the bullet…he just wished he could see Buck's face as he launched into one of his cousin's greatest hits…

"Love me tender,

Love me sweet…."

Mouths dropped open in astonishment, the recognition of the almost perfect Elvis impersonation warring with the realization that Ezra Standish was, or at least appeared to be claiming to be, related to the King of Rock and Roll.

The audience, while supporting any act no matter how bad, and contrarily ready to boo the black sheep foisted on the Larabee family merely for the offence of existing instead listened in impressed silence as the southerner sang the sweet love song. Ezra, having expected the worst was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic applause as he finished. Now all he had to do was face his new family. It made standing on stage seem like a walk in the park!

"I don't believe it!" Nathan shook his head in denial but had no doubts that it was the truth when Ezra confirmed that the details were on record.

Ezra peered at a dazed looking lothario

"Is he alright?" he asked a glowering Chris. Quite why the connection of his family to a famous one should be a cause for scowling he wasn't sure but at this moment his concern lay with Buck who appeared to be catatonic.

Buck couldn't believe it! Elvis! He was related to Elvis…maybe not by blood as such but still….

"Wow, cool" enthused JD as he offered an entranced Casey some chips. His enthusiasm wilted a little as she appeared to be more entranced with Ezra than him but it reinstated itself as she blushed at the brush of their hands.

Vin eyed Ezra with curiosity. Elvis had Cherokee blood… which meant that Ezra was family in more ways than one.

Inez practically dropped her tray as Buck leapt out of his chair and gave a heart stopping rebel yell. "Loco" she muttered, "and now even more of them! Lord help us!"

TBC

Hope you enjoyed the lighter side of new family life…more angst next chapter when Vin learns the reason behind Ezra's injuries but we also meet Fly and Chris has a meeting with the Judge who seems to have changed his tune about their southern brother. Oh and as for the Elvis connection…well anything is possible in the world of fanfic but no disrespect is meant to any actual members of Elvis's family tree. The lyrics of Love me Tender belong to someone other than me.