Title: Under Caring Wings.

Summary: Just when you think you got friends who truely care, the carpet's pulled right from under your feet, sending you into the unkown.

Disclaimer: Dun own 'em, blah blah blah, yada yada yada, no money's made from this fic.

Archive: Yeah, sure!

Open Fandom: Nope, at least not until I figure out if there's a sequel or not.

Auhtor's Note: Hello, everybody! It's a new fanfic writer, ThE KiDDo, who will haunt you from now on! This is my very first fic for M7, and I have to warn you that I LOVE l'il Ezra!! You'll notice that in the future, but for now, just continue on with this fic. R&R!

Thanks: To Beth who beta'ed this chapter for me. Thank you for your wonderful work.

P.S.: This fic was posted before in "Ezra's Littleverse" group and Archive.

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The hall was dark. The setting sun was barely able to light the hall in front of him and the curtains that covered every window in the house didn't help, allowing almost enough light to help the small form to see where his feet stepped but nothing more, sending the house into a dark mood fitting it perfectly. The lack of light preventing anyone from seeing the dust that covered the place, getting along with the mood effectively.

A small hand was on the wall, leading its owner across the hall and warning him when he was about to face a room with an open door. A brown-haired head peeked carefully around the door, studying the room that had its door open. He heaved a sigh of relief when he found it empty. Two rooms down, one to go.

Five-year-old Ezra P. Standish never believed that the boogieman really existed, but after living in this house for a couple of months, he started to doubth his previous beliefs seriously. Maude's boy wasn't like other kids, who looked under their beds to make sure that no monster was hiding there, only to find out that it was their lost teddy. No, Ezra wasn't like that. However, in this house, there was a REAL monster living inhabiting it. He even had his own room, which was the biggest one in the house. No, the monster in this house didn't need to hide under Ezra's bed; he had his own.

He made his way cautiously, careful not to make any sound, across the hall. The little kid was careful to make sure that the rooms he had passed were empty. He knew better than to get caught sneaking out of his room, especially during the stay-in-your-rooms-with-locked-door hours. The southerner knew that Josiah ordered him not to step out of his room while he wasn't home, but the southerner needed to be with Hannah. Though locked in his room --which was located in the end of the hall-- Ezra was able to hear his friend crying in her room in the other end on the hall, as if the walls were made of thin paper.

Ezra checked the last room carefully; another empty room. Now he could get to Hannah with no trouble, he still had to be cautious though. He could never know when "the boogieman" decided to show up, but for now, he didn't really care, what he REALLY cared about was reaching Hannah and calming her down. The green-eyed boy never liked seeing Hannah upset, she was too nice to deserve being saddened by anyone. He wanted to cheer her up; he wanted her happy with her wide-smile etched across her young face.

However, that wasn't the only reason for wanting to calm her down, there was the fear of Mr. Sanchez hearing her sobs. Ezra learned from experience that Gerard Sanchez didn't like to hear anyone crying. Hannah got bruises to remind her, matching his own when he tried to defend her. The southerner didn't want her to be all blue and purple once again.

Finally, after his suicidal adventure of crossing the hall, he was standing in front of the youngest Sanchez's room. He could still hear her crying. She had calmed down a bit since he departed for his voyage. He stopped for a moment, pondering how to announce his presence. At last he decided to play one of his and Hannah's favorite games. Ezra was sure that it would cheer her up a bit.

Ezra rapped quietly on the door, noticing the immediate silence in the room, and called softly; not wanting the elder Sanchez downstairs to hear him. "Knock, Knock!"

He heard a few sniffles as the older girl tried desperately to clear her nostrils followed with a gulp. "Who is it?"

"It's da wolf!" He replied with a big grin, as though Hannah would see it and cheer up. And as if Hannah really did see the dimpled grin, she giggled. She always did, little Ezra thought at first that the former-missionary man's daughter was making fun of him, but Miss Sanchez once told him that she had never seen someone's cheeks go in like his. She added a giggle, finding it cute. The southerner wondered how Hannah never saw dimples before, he found out later that the young girl hadn't left the house since she was six. Mr Sanchez didn't like his mentally-retarded daughter and thought of her as a disappointment and disgrace. He'd always wished that she'd passed away with her mother during her birth.

"What d'ya wan'?" The voice asked with a different tone, filled with sudden excitement and happiness.

"I want an egg," he replied softly, proud of himself for making Hannah happy again. It seemed that the game was the greatest decision he'd made that month.

"What color?" She asked, knowing the drill by heart.

"Dat's easy!" He exclaimed with a smile. Hannah never changed the color. "It's rwed!"

The young boy's award was a soft click of a door being unlocked. The wooden door toward little Hannah's Room was opened quickly and he found himself pulled into a bear hug. He was released as quickly as he was embraced; he locked the door as soon as he was able to. Ezra didn't want to risk Gerard getting to them.

The two kids sat silently on the bed with the older one pouting at the other, the youngster raised an eyebrow at the eleven-year-old girl that sat next to him. "What?"

Hannah looked at him with confusion, "Wha' What?" she asked, her mind not able to catch the boy's meaning.

"Why da pout?" Ezra asked, berating himself inwardly, he knew that he should be straight-forward with Miss Sanchez.

"Oh," she paused for a moment, pondering what pout the southerner was talking about. "Oh," she repeated again, as she realized what he meant, her pout re-appearing on her sweet face as she remembered that she was supposed to be pouting. "I was wonderin' when ya tellin' me," she took a pause to arrange her sentence, "tellin' me how ya know the color... each, each time?"

"Tol' ya befowe dat it's a secwet, I can't tell you or it wouldn't be a secwet anymorwe." As Maude's little boy's words left his mouth, Hannah burst out crying, startling Ezra violently, no matter how hard the kid tried, he was never able to get used to the blue-eyed girl's mood swings. She threw herself into his thin arms and sobbed, while Ezra awkwardly patted her back; wondering if he had just made Hannah upset again. Hoping not, he asked worriedly, "What's 'rwong?"

She pulled back and hiccupped, fisting her eyes before answering sadly, "My teddy!" She wailed, "Daddy threw Jossy away. I wan' ma teddy!" And with that, she was crying again. Joge was her best friend in the whole world next to her big brother, Josiah. She named it after her brother and father, taking the first two letters from each name. 'Jo' came first because she liked Josiah better than Gerard.

Ezra tried to calm her down while patting her back; he knew how much the navy-blue teddy meant to Hannah. It was the only thing that was there for her when Josiah wasn't around. Ezra didn't hesitate as he stood and took Hannah's hand, if bringing Joge back would cheer her up, then he'd do it right away. "It's otay, Hannah." He said softly, helping the girl to stand up. "I'll get it back."

"Yo'd do that for me?" She asked, wide-eyed, tears still clinging to her long eyelashes. She might be mentally-retarded, but she did know the risk Ezra was going to make for her.

"Of couwrse!" he declared heading for the door, he started to unlock it when a shaking hand stopped him. He turned to look at the frightened young girl shaking her head, he immediately understood what she was terrified about. "Dun worry, Hannah. He's pwobably asweep by now."

She blinked at him, processing what she had been told before nodding and taking his hand in hers, "Me go with you. Go get Joge."

"Yeah," Ezra agreed, "Let's do dat!" He opened the heavy door slowly, not wanting to make a noise, all the while feeling the grip on his hand tighten.

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AN: Hope you've liked that, I'll post the other chapters soon. Reviews are HIGHLY appreciated! I'd like to know what you think of it. Thanks for reading.