Magnificent Seven

"Lil' Ones"

Summary: In this Old West Alternate Universe: JD Dunne is seven, Vin Tanner is eight, and Ezra Standish is nine. All three wind up in Four Corners and all three end up in the care of Chris Larabee, who is the town's sheriff. Buck Wilmington is his deputy, Josiah Sanchez is the town's preacher, and Nathan Jackson is the town's doctor.

Author's Note: I have recently found the M7 "little" universe and absolutely loved it, for the most part. I especially loved the "little" Ezra stories. I must admit I have not actually seen the show, but seeing as how this is an AU story that wouldn't (or shouldn't, anyway) matter. I know enough about the characters to make it work–I hope… This will be a sort of blending of the "Little Britches" universe and the "Little Ezra" universe—with my own twist, of course ;) If you like "kid fics" I'd suggest reading these. They are great.

Warning: Spanking of minors. (Naturally, since this is the Old West.)

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I just wrote this story for fun. Enjoy.

(Mention of spanking in this chapter.)

Chapter 8: Trigger Happy

Vin had been a part of Chris' family for three weeks now. In that time, he had come to love and respect the man as a father, the other three men as uncles, and JD as a younger brother.

There was just one thing ruining the whole thing, and that was Chris wouldn't teach him how to shoot a gun. Gran'father had promised to buy him his very own gun before he was shot.

Gran'father thought I was old enough, he thought to himself gloomily, why doesn't Pap?

Pap. That was how he had begun to think of Chris not too long after the man had asked him if he would like to stay. After all, JD called him "Pa" so why couldn't he call him that?

Unfortunately, he hadn't exactly worked up the courage to say it out loud yet.

He sighed again. Yer supposed to be cleaning, he reminded himself.

It was his week to do the "inside" chores while JD mucked out the barn and fed the horse. They alternated weeks, which they had found they liked. Chris was pleased that the boys had found an effective way of handling chores without one having to do more than the other. This way they had the same amount of chores, it just one was inside while the other was outside.

Anything "big" that needed to be taken care of around the ranch was handled by Chris or Buck. At the moment, Buck was in town minding the jail while Chris was busy fixing one of the fence posts that had come loose.

It was while he was cleaning that Vin came across the gun. He'd been dusting in Chris' room when he'd been tempted to see what was in the side drawer of the man's bedside table.

Yer not supposed to touch anything in here, the logical quiet side of his brain said, however it wasn't that side he was listening to.

He was listening to the eight year old boy side with a little too much curiosity than common sense side. Opening the drawer, he was more than a little surprised to find a fire arm in it. It wasn't the one Chris used though, as that was currently hanging by his gun belt on the hat rack by the door—just as it always did when he was here and "off" duty.

This gun looked older, but he bet it still worked. Digging a little bit deeper, he found bullets for it. That was when an idea formed in his brain.

If I show him I am old enough to handle a gun, he thought eagerly to himself, he'll have to teach me, won't he?

Seeing only the positive side—or what he thought was the positive side—of his plan and none of the negative, he hurried out the back door with the fire arm and bullets. He knew he had to get far enough away from the house where he practicing wouldn't be heard, otherwise Chris would know something was going on.

Heading for the apple tree he had come to think of as "Gran'father's tree" he happily told the deceased bounty hunter all about his plan.

"So, see, Gran'father," he said, eagerly, "if I show him I can shoot a gun just like him, he has to teach me!" He waved the gun around for effect.

"I wouldn't bet on it, Lil'Pard," a familiar deep voice spoke from behind him, and he spun around to find a very angry looking Chris Larabee glaring at him.

Vin's eyes widened. "Huh," he stammered, unable to think of anything to say. Where had he come from?

Chris crossed the distance between them and held out his hand. "I saw you headin' this way," he explained, "and came to see if you were all right. Hand it over."

Gulping, for this was the first time he'd heard that particular hint of steel in the man's voice, he handed over the fire arm. Chris looked at it, looked at the fact that it was now loaded, and his eyes hardened even more.

"Where did you get this?" he growled at him, angrily.

Vin looked down, unable to meet the man's eyes. He was also unable to speak.

"I asked you a question, Vincent Michael," Chris said, reaching over to lift his chin, "where did you get this gun?"

"F-From yer room," Vin answered, honestly. "I found it while I was cleaning."

"I didn't know my bedside drawer needed dusting?" he asked, knowingly. "The top of the table, yes, but not the inside of the drawer—which is where this was."

"I was curious," Vin told him, knowing that was not excuse.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Chris told him, "and for a good reason. You planned on shootin' this, didn't you?"

Vin bit his lip. "I wanted to prove to you that I'm old enough to learn to shoot," he told him, a little angry now. "Gran'father thought I was ready!"

Chris raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't raise yer voice to me, Vincent," he told him, quietly yet firmly. "Yer in enough trouble as it is."

Vin winced at that. He didn't like the sound of that. "I'm sorry," he said, quietly.

Chris sighed. "Vin," he said, gently, "what did I say about learning to shoot?"

"That you'd teach me when I'm old enough," Vin answered him, quietly.

"Did you not believe me?" Chris asked him. "Did you think I was lying to you?"

Vin's eyes widened at that. "No, Sir," he said, "I believed you."

"You just thought you were ready now," Chris said, knowingly.

Vin nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. "I'm sorry."

Chris sighed. He knew what he was going to have to do, but he still hated doing it.

"Let's go have a talk in the barn, Lil'Pard," he told the boy, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders.

Vin's eyes widened at that. JD had told him about what it meant to go have a "talk" in the barn. Chris was gonna spank him.

"Please, sir," he said, "I won't do it again. I promise I won't."

"Oh, I know you won't," Chris told him firmly, "especially after we're through in the barn."

Heading into the barn, they found JD mucking it out. "Hey, JD," Chris said, "me and Vin need to talk in here a minute. You mind going in and finishing the cleaning inside. Vin'll finish mucking out the barn."

JD looked between his adopted father and his adopted brother. Uh-Oh. It looked like Vin was about to get a "talk" with Pa's hand. Knowing he couldn't say no without risking his own backside, he gave his brother a sympathetic look and did as he had been told to do.

Once he was gone, Chris went and sat down on one of the hay stacks. "C'mere, Vin," he said, gently yet firmly.

Vin came, tears stinging his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, again.

"I know, son," Chris told him, "but what you were about to do was very dangerous. This gun is old, it hasn't been cleaned in Lord knows how long, and if you'd tried to shootin' with it, it could have exploded. You'd have a lost a hand, or worse…" Again, losing one of his new sons was as unthinkable as losing his first one had been.

"Not only that," he continued, "but you deliberately disobeyed me, and what is my rule about what I do if you do that?" He had explained the rules to Vin just as he had to JD, and the same consequences for breaking those rules.

"You spank us," Vin answered him, biting his lip.

"That's right, son," he said, "and it wouldn't be fair to JD if I spanked him for disobeying me but I didn't you. Yer both my sons now and that means when I love you both the same. That also mean I gotta punish you both the same when you break the same rule. Understand?"

Vin nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said, blinking back tears.

Chris sighed, and then guided the boy face down over his lap. Raising he hand back, he delivered a very thorough, very hard spanking to the upturned bottom.

When it was over, Vin was bawling and he let him cry on his shoulder just as he had done JD.

"Shhh, son," he told him, "yer forgiven now."

"I'm sorry, Pap," the boy whispered in his year, "I'm really sorry."

Chris wasn't quite sure if he'd heard him correctly or not, so he pushed the boy back a bit and asked, "What did you just call me, Lil'Pard?"

Vin's eyes widened when he realized he had actually called the man "Pap" out loud. "I called you Pap," he said, "but if you don't want me too…"

Chris stopped him. "No, son," he told him, feeling his heart swell with love just as it did when JD called him Pa, "it all right. I don't mind you calling me that."

Vin smiled. "All right then, Pap," he said, "and I am sorry." He reached back to rub his behind.

Chris chuckled. "I'm sure you are," he said, "I know I always was after my pap was done with me. Now, you finish mucking out the barn while I go check on your brother…after I get rid of this." He held up the fire arm.

"What are you going to do with it?" Vin asked, curious.

"Make sure no too curious little boys ever find it again," Chris answered him, smirking.

Vin smiled. Despite the fact he had a sore rear, or that he still didn't know how to shoot, he couldn't help himself.

He had a Pap again!

TBC…

AN—Ezra coming up next, so be prepared… ;)