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.
Chapter 11: Option C
When Ezra woke up the next morning, in his room above the saloon, he couldn't help but wonder if it had all been a dream.
Unfortunately, the door opening and Sheriff Chris Larabee entering told him it wasn't.
"Mornin'," Chris greeted him, smirking.
"Hello, Sheriff," Ezra replied, groaning.
Chris grinned. "Not exactly a mornin' person, are ya?" he asked, cheerfully. "My deputy, Buck, is the same way. He sounds just like a bear if he doesn't get a hot cup of coffee in him."
Ezra rolled his eyes, wondering why the man was telling him that bit of pointless information. "Why are you here?" he asked him, bluntly. His mother's lessons about manners aside, he was in no mood to be polite.
"Well, I reckoned you might be hungry," Chris told him, "and Inez is preparin' breakfast. The boys are waitin' downstairs for us."
"Boys?" Ezra asked, climbing out of bed.
"Yeah," Chris told him, "my boys, JD and Vin."
"Oh," Ezra said, "them." Wonderful, he would have to endure an entire meal with the two younger boys. He doubted the sheriff would give him much choice in the matter.
Chris chuckled. "They can be a bit much, I'll admit," he told him, "but there good boys."
Unlike me, you mean, Ezra thought to himself.
"What happens after breakfast?" he asked him, curiously.
Chris wondered if he should go ahead and tell him what he and Judge Travis decided that morning or wait 'til after breakfast. The boy's stomach rumbling answered for him. He grinned. No matter what, a boy's stomach was still a boy's stomach and it didn't like being kept waiting for grub.
"I reckon we'll talk about that after breakfast," he said. "You go ahead and get dressed."
Ezra nodded, and waited for the man to leave the room. When he didn't, he asked, "Would you mind stepping outside, Sheriff?"
Chris chuckled. "You do realize you ain't got nothin' I ain't seen before, son," he told him, "right?"
Ezra glared at him. "I am not your son, Sheriff," he growled at him, "and I think I am entitled to a little privacy—unless they have made a law saying otherwise."
Chris shook his head. Couldn't the kid sound like a kid, even a little bit? "You gonna try and run like you did last night?" he asked him, crossing his arms.
"Where would I go?" Ezra asked him, rolling his eyes. "You took all my means of purchasing any mode of decent transportation and I highly doubt I would get very far on foot."
Chris nodded. "True enough," he agreed, "but let me make myself clear, Lil'Bit. You try another stunt like you did last night and you're gonna be one sorry little boy. Understand?"
He was now nearly nose to nose with the kid, his eyes flint hard.
Ezra's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Yes, sir," he said, "I understand."
Chris nodded. "Good," he said, "I'll just be right outside the door." He then left him to get dressed.
Ezra sighed, and got out a clean shirt, vest, and pants. He then changed into them, put on his jacket and shoes, and then stepped out the door.
Chris looked at him curiously. "Them the only clothes you own?" he asked him, scratching his chin.
"Yes," Ezra replied. "Why?"
Chris shrugged. "No particular reason," he told him, "just wonderin' is all."
Gonna have to get the boy some work clothes, he thought to himself, and I can just bet he's gonna put up one heck of fuss about it, too.
"C'mon," he said to the boy, "let's go get some grub."
Ezra wrinkled his nose at the slang, but nodded. "Very well," he said, and followed the man down the stairs.
"Mornin', Ezra," JD greeted him right away once he and the sheriff had descended the stairs. "How ya been?"
"Just fine, Master Dunne," Ezra replied, wearily, "and you, Master Tanner?"
Vin snorted. Couldn't this kid ever talk plain?
"Vin," Chris said, raising an eyebrow, "Ezra asked you a question, son. Don't be rude."
"I've been fine, too," Vin answered, though he didn't smile as he said it.
"C'mon, Ezra," JD said, "we're gonna be sittin' over here. Miz Inez is making pancakes! She makes the best dang pancakes in the world!"
Ezra didn't have time to protest as the younger boy grabbed his arm and began dragging him over to a table with seven chairs around it.
"I thought you said it would be just us, Sheriff," he said, looking at Chris.
"It is," Chris told him. "You, me, JD, Vin, Buck, Josiah, and Nathan."
"Josiah's the pastor and Nate's the doc," JD supplied, before he could ask who the two men he didn't recognize were. "Yer gonna like 'em, Ez, their real nice."
"It's Ezra," he told him, "and I'm sure I will." He sat down.
Vin deliberately went and sat on the other side of his brother, not wanting to have anything to do with the boy who had tried to hurt their father and then stolen his horse. He didn't care what Pap said about it being the older boy's mam's fault him being the way he was, he still thought Ezra was bad news and wished JD wouldn't be so welcoming to the older boy.
Chris noticed his son's lack of response to Ezra, but didn't say anything. He had enough to deal with at the moment. Namely, finding away to break through the hardened shell the little gambler had managed to put around himself in the form of adult mannerisms and language.
Underneath that shell, he had a feeling lurked a nine year old boy just like any other nine year old boy who just wanted someone to love him and care about what happened to him. His mama certainly didn't, and with her being locked up there was on one the kid could depend on.
No kid should be mini-adult, he thought to himself, they should be allowed to be kids for as long as possible.
He was determined to bring out the child within Ezra, if it was the last thing he did.
First thing was first, though, and that was getting' through breakfast without blood being shed. Luckily, the others arrived just then and had a seat.
"Well now," Buck said, smiling at Ezra, "this must be the Lil'Bit who gave ole Chris here quite a workout last night. Howdy, kiddo, I'm Buck."
Ezra nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Deputy Wilmington," he replied, inclining his head politely.
Buck was a bit thrown by the adult like response, but quickly shrugged it off. "Yes sir," he said, smiling teasingly at Chris, "I haven't seen ole Chris here so outta breath in a mighty long time. Ain't that right, Pard." He slapped the sheriff on the back.
Chris rolled his eyes. "This from the man," he said, "who sits in the jail house with his feet propped up and snoozing the day away while the real law man in this town does all the work."
"Now hold it right there, Pard," Buck said, feigning indignanty, "are you callin' me lazy?"
"Sounds like it to me, Brother Buck," Josiah said, grinning mischievously, "what say you, Brother Nathan?"
"Well now," Nathan said, smiling also, "I'd say that would be assumption, Brother Jo, and from a purely clinical view point—I did do your last physical, Buck—I'd have to agree with Chris on this one."
Buck huffed. "What about you, boys?" he asked, looking at JD and Vin. "You think ole Uncle Buck is lazy?"
JD, who hero worshipped Buck like crazy, shook his head. "Course not, Uncle Buck," he said, smiling. "All the ladies say yer not!"
"That don't count," Vin told him. "They're talkin' bout something else. That don't count. Does it, Pap?" He looked at Chris.
All eyes turned to the sheriff, who was blushing furiously. "Uh, well," he said, not quite sure how to answer it, "oh, look, here comes Inez with those pancakes. Boy, am I starved!"
The other three men chuckled at this. "Coward," Buck told him, giving him playful shove.
"Inez, my beauty," the deputy said, using his most 'lady-killing' smile, "tell these louts that I'm not lazy."
"I would, Senor Buck," she told him sweetly, too sweetly, "if I could."
This sent the other three, and the boys except Ezra, into peals of laughter.
Buck grabbed his heart. "Inez, you wound me," he said, feigning hurt. "Why don't you come over here and kiss it to make it better!?"
Inez snorted. "I am afraid, Senor Buck," she told him, grinning wickedly, "you will have to kiss it yerself." With that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen to retrieve the syrup she had left in there.
"No respect," Buck muttered, "I just get plain no respect."
"Come now, Buck," Chris told him. "I'm sure the horses respect you."
This sent everyone, including Buck, into more laughter.
Ezra had sat listening to this and wondering what it must be like to be able to know that you could joke around with someone because you were close enough to know they wouldn't actually get offended by anything you said.
They're a family, he realized as he began to eat his pancakes.
It must be nice to be a part of a family and he also knew it was an experience he was never going to have; and never had.
Maude had never been a true mother to him, so he had never had a family with her.
And now, he never would.
At that moment, he felt more like a lost little nine year old boy than he had in his entire life. He felt like curling up into a tight little ball and crying his eyes out.
Get a hold of yourself, he told himself stubbornly You're not a kid, stop acting like one.
But part of him knew he was, and it was that part that was causing his heart to long for something he saw as beyond his reach. It was that part that made him want to cry.
The joking and laughing continued through out the entire meal, until finally every last pancake was gone, all seven plates were clean, and all seven mugs (the men had coffee while the three boys had milk) were drained dry.
Chris caught Buck's eye and nodded. His best friend and deputy nodded back.
"My goodness, I'm plain stuffed," he said, patting his belly. "Hey, JD, what say you and I grab our fishin' poles and take a walk to the pond? We can work off our breakfast that'll way."
JD, who loved going fishing but especially with Buck, hopped up from the table instantly. "Let's go," he said, grabbing a hold of the man's hand and tugging.
"All right, Lil'Britches," he said, "hold yer horses. I'm comin'." He allowed himself to be pulled from the saloon.
"Vin," Nathan said, "didn't you promise to help me clean my tools and stuff today?"
Vin nodded. "Yeah, Uncle Nate," he said, "I did."
"Then let's get to it," he said, and then winked. "Maybe afterwards, we'll head down to the pond, too."
They got up, and so did Josiah. "I need to go speak to Sister Mary about the upcoming Family Day Picnic we're to have at the church," he said, then grinned, "then I too believe I shall join Brother Buck and JD at the pond."
The three headed out, leaving Ezra and Chris sitting at the table.
Ezra had been silently dreading this moment. He knew Chris was about to tell him his fate.
"How about we take a walk, Ezra?" the sheriff suggested. "I'm a bit full myself."
Ezra nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin and setting it on his plate. He then got up and followed the man out of the saloon.
They walked along with wooden sidewalk of the town for a bit, before Ezra could no longer stand the silence or uncertainty. He had to know what was going to happen to him and he had to know now!
"What's going to happen to me, Sheriff?" he asked Chris. "Am I going to jail or to an orphanage?"
"Well, your definitely not going to jail, son," Chris told him, stopping and looking at him, "but about the orphanage…that's up to you."
"What do you mean?" Ezra asked him, curious. "With Maude in prison, there's no one to look after me, so what other option is there besides an orphanage?"
Chris grinned. "Weren't you the one who said there's always an option C?" he asked him, teasing.
Ezra nodded. "Yes," he said, "but I don't see one in this scenario."
"Well, there is," the man told him, "if you accept it, that is."
"What is it?" Ezra asked, desperate.
"I talked to Judge Travis this morning," Chris told him, "and he agree to place you into my custody provided that I insure you no longer engage in more of your mama's 'dealings'."
Ezra was confused. "I don't understand," he said, "what does that mean?"
"It means, Ezra," Chris told him, kneeling down so that he was looking the boy in the eye, "that you will come live with me, JD, and Vin on my ranch provided that you keep your nose clean and out of trouble. Do you think you can do that?"
"So," Ezra said, "if I agree to this, I won't have to go to an orphanage?"
Chris nodded. "That's exactly what it means," he told him, "provided that you stay out of trouble. Can you do that?"
Ezra nodded. "Won't your sons mind?" he asked, curiously.
Chris shrugged. "It ain't up to them," he said, "and besides, JD'll love having you around."
I'd bet ten to one odds that Vin wouldn't, Ezra thought but didn't say so out loud.
He knew he should probably ask what staying with the sheriff would entail, but really he didn't much care at the moment. Anything was better than going to an orphanage.
"All right," he said, "I accept option C."
Chris looked at him seriously. "Are you sure, son?" he asked him, firmly. "Really?"
Ezra nodded. "I am, Sir," he said, seriously.
Chris stood back up. "All right then," he said, nodding his head in satisfaction. "Now that that has been decided, why don't we mosey on down to the pond to see if Buck has managed to fall in the pond. He usually does when him and JD go fishin' together."
He knew the boy didn't fully understand what he was agreeing to, and also that there was going to be a lot of adjusting—on all their parts—but at the moment he wasn't going to get into it. Right now, he just wanted the boy to get used to being around them.
They'd worry about the other stuff tomorrow.
Why do I get the feelin' tomorrow is gonna be one Hell of a day!
TBC…