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 13: Learning To Get Along…The Hard Way
Two more weeks passed.
Chris was pleased at how well Ezra had adapted to life on the ranch.
He still grumbled and groaned about the clothes, the food, and the chores but he could the boy really didn't mean it. For the first time in his life, he was living out of his mother's shadow, away from her influence, and was able to just be himself.
True, he was no closer to breaking down the boy's emotional barriers or get him to accept him as even but a jailer, but he was getting there.
Unfortunately, things between the little gambler and Vin were no better and he feared that it would come to blows between them and he didn't know what to do about it.
Bucks' advice was to, "Just let 'em duke it out."
Josiah's was to, "Take each aside first, discuss how they're feeling, and then talk to them together."
Nathan's had been simple. "Boys get jealous, Chris. They'll get past it, they always do."
With these three oh-so-wise councilors providing him with guidance, was it any wonder he didn't know in which direction to go?
Chris sighed. Why can't they both be cheerful and happy like JD?
The youngest of the three wasn't phased in the least by the tension between the older two, or rather he didn't pay any attention to it. He was simply thrilled, after having been an only child his whole life, to have not just one but two pseudo-siblings to play with.
Of course, each time he tried to get Ezra to play with him and Vin the request was always met with a negative…which hurt JD to no end…but he still kept trying just the same.
Chris shook his head again. What am I gonna do?
Ezra, mean while, was enjoying the fact the fact he had—for the first time—managed to finish his chores early. It had taken him two long, grueling weeks but he had managed to learn to muck out the barn, wash dishes, dust and sweet, and groom Ace without leaving himself a filthy, sweaty mess.
Yes, he still got dirty and sweaty, but not as much as before.
He had decided to sit underneath a tree and read. He had been pleasantly surprised at the books Chris kept, and Buck had told him they had actually belonged to the man's late wife—who'd been a school teacher—and she had read them to their son at night.
The fact that the sheriff had had a family and lost it explained a lot about him taking in two orphans to raise as his own. It also proved that the man was a good man, not the kind of men his mother had always thought as "good" because they were wealthy, but the truly good hearted type who would have given you the shirt off back if you needed it.
It seemed Chris Larabee was truly a man any boy would be proud to call his father.
Any boy, he thought as he gazed up at the pure blue sky that seemed to exist only in Texas, but me.
He felt at longing tug at his heart then, but quickly surprised it. Chris had offered him his place here to keep him from going to the orphanage. He hoped to "reform" him from his 'less than savory' ways. That was all, and he knew it.
The sound of something hitting wood was heard and then something smacked his hand, causing him to drop his book in surprise.
"Oh, Ez," JD said, running up after the ball, "we're sorry! Are ya all right?"
Ezra looked up. No matter how many times he had corrected JD, the younger boy still insisted on referring to him as "Ez".
Getting up, he dusted off his denim breeches and handed him the ball. "I am quite well, Master Dunne," he told him, "here you go."
JD sighed. "Ez," he said, "you can just call me JD and I wish you'd play with us. Just once, please?"
Ezra heard the longing in the other boy's voice and he had—without them noticing him, of course—watched quite often as the two younger boys played baseball together.
I suppose, he thought, it wouldn't hurt just to play with them. Just to humor him, of course.
"Very well, M—uh-JD," he said, forcing a smile on his face, "I will play with you this once."
JD smiled brightly. Success at last! "Great," he said, "c'mon, I'll let you have my turn with the bat!"
Ezra didn't even have time to reply before his hand was grabbed and he was being dragged toward Vin, who stood waiting for his brother to return with the ball.
"What's he doin', JD?" the other boy asked his brother.
"Ez is gonna play with us," JD informed him, happily. "I told him he could have my turn with the bat."
Vin glanced at Ezra. "You ever play baseball before?" he asked, the tone of his voice saying he didn't believe it.
"I have not played often, Master Tanner," Ezra told the boy, crossing his arms, "but I have seen enough to know what to do."
Vin snorted. "This I gotta see," he said, handing him the bat. "JD, you pitch. I'll run after the ball—if he hits it."
Ezra glared at the other boy. Things between them hadn't been going well, and they had—except at night when they had no choice but to share a room—avoided each other as much as possible.
I'll show you, Ezra thought determined and hefted the bat onto his shoulder.
"Very well, JD," he told the younger boy, "whenever you are ready."
"Great," JD said, and ran to the place they had marked as the pitcher's mound. "He it comes."
Ezra lifted the bat into position, tightened his grip, and when JD let the ball fly swung with all his might. The ball connected with the bat…
He smiled as he heard the sound it made, but quickly lost it when he watched as the ball, instead of going up as it was supposed, sailed straight ahead and hit JD squarely in the face.
The boy grabbed his nose and sank to the ground. Both Vin and Ezra raced forward, the younger boy getting to him first.
Ezra was horrified. "Is he all right?" he asked, worriedly.
Vin glared at him. "You do that on purpose," he growled at him, angrily.
Ezra stepped back, his concern quickly turning to anger. "I did no such thing," he growled back. "I did not mean for the ball to hit him!"
Vin snorted. "Yeah, right," he said, and turned back to his brother.
This was too much for Ezra, who grabbed a hold of his shoulder. "Take back what you said this instant, sir," he said, wanting an apology.
Vin shook his head. "Make me," he dared, smirking. He obviously didn't believe the little gambler would do anything.
He'll be too scared to get dirty, he thought to himself.
Ezra was angry. The younger boy had no right to accuse him like that. He wanted an apology and he was going to get one.
The fact that they had both apparently forgotten about JD, whose nose was bleeding, didn't cross either of their minds.
Ezra stepped closer. "I said," he growled, "take it back."
Vin stepped closer. "I said," he growled back, "make me."
Ezra had never participated in a brawl before, but he had seen them often enough when he played poker to know one usually started by swinging his fist. So, he did.
Vin ducked, and then tackled the older boy. Soon, they were rolling around on the ground trying to get in blows.
"Stop it," JD cried, blood pouring from his nose, "stop it!"
His cries and the sounds of fighting reached Chris' ears and he came running. He took one look at the situation, and his temper went through the roof.
"All right," he growled, reaching down and hauling both boys to their feet in one yank, "that's enough!"
Ezra and Vin, both sporting bloody lips and dirt stained clothes, both looked rather surprised to see him.
"What the hell is goin' on here?!" he growled, in a voice that promised dire consequences if someone didn't answer him.
Vin pointed an accusing at Ezra. "He hit JD with the ball!"
"It was an accident," Ezra defended himself. "I didn't mean to hit him, and he dared to accuse me of doing it on purpose."
Chris released them. "Stay put," he ordered, sternly. He then walked over to check on JD.
"Hey, Lil'Britches," he said, "let Pa see." He examined the boy's nose, which he had managed to stop bleeding but was now quite swollen.
"Wasn't Ez's fault, Pa," he told him. "Was an accident, I promise."
Chris nodded. "Don't you worry about it, son," he told him, scooping the boy up into his arms. "First things first, let's get some ice on that honker of yours." He turned to the two boys.
"You two," he growled, "go to your room. I'll be in to talk to you in a minute."
Glaring at each other, the two angry boys followed him inside and then went into their room. Each thrust himself onto his bed and pointedly ignored the other.
Chris cleaned up the blood on JD's face and then wrapped a chunk of ice from the ice chest in a towel. "Here ya go, Lil'Britches," he said, "you hold this on that there honker."
"It's cold, Pa," JD complained, wincing when the make-shift ice pack was placed on his sore nose.
"I know," Chris told him, "but it's gotta be to take down the swellin'. Okay?"
JD nodded, obediently holding the ice pack in place. "Don't be mad at Ezra, Pa," he pleaded. "He didn't mean to."
Chris grinned, and ruffled his hair. "You don't go worrying about Ezra," he told him, picking up up once more. "Leave that to me." He then carrying the boy into his bedroom and laid him down on his bed.
"You just lay there and rest 'til your honker feels better," he told him, firmly. "I'm gonna go talk to your brothers."
"Brothers?" JD asked, his eyes a light. "Does that mean Ezra, too, Pa?"
Chris chuckled, not really realizing what he'd said until just then. "That's right, JD," he told him, "as far as I'm concerned Ezra's your brother now just as much as Vin. I'm just havin' a little trouble convincin' him of it."
"Why, Pa?" JD wanted to know. "Don't he like it here?"
Chris sighed. "I'm sure he does, Lil'Britches," he said, "it's just that Ezra's mama wasn't much of a mama to him so he's been on his own for a while. It's hard to see yerself as part of a family if ya've been by yerself for so long."
"Oh," JD said, clearly not understanding but pretending he did. "We'll jus' have ta' show 'em, won't we Pa?"
Chris chuckled, bending down to kiss his youngest son's forehead. "Yeah, Lil' Britches," he told, "we'll have to show him what being in a family is really like. Now, you close them eyes and try not to think how sore that honker of yours is."
One down, he thought as he made his way towards the room the boys all shared, two to go.
He entered to find Ezra laying on his bed, reading. Vin, who had claimed the top bunk for himself, just lay looking up at the ceiling. It was clear neither boy was going to admit they had been wrong.
Shoulda known this was gonna happen, he thought to himself, shaking his head.
"Ezra, Vin," he spoke, sternly, "look at me."
The two boys sat up, swung there legs off their beds and looked at him. "I'm mighty disappointed in both of you," he told them, sternly. "You two are older than JD, and instead of fightin' with each other you shoulda came and got me."
Vin looked down, clearly covering up the fact there were tears in his eyes. He hated when his pap said that dreaded word "disappointed", and he knew he was probably wrong about Ezra hitting JD on purpose which made him feel even worse.
"I'm sorry, Pap," he said, sincerely. "Is JD all right?"
"He'll live," Chris told him, crossing his arms. He looked at Ezra expectantly.
However, instead of remorse or sorrow, his stern gaze was met by an equally stern one.
"I will not be called a liar," he said, firmly, "and I will not be accused of something I did not do. I demand an apology."
Vin stared at him, wide-eyed. Noboby talked to pap that way. No body!
Chris really wasn't that surprised, and he really couldn't blame the kid for being upset.
"Ezra," he said, "in this house you do not raise yer voice at me, son, and you certainly don't tell me what to do."
Ezra deflated a bit, but still glared defiantly. "I didn't do it on purpose," he said, his voice cracking a bit. "It was an accident."
"I know it was, son," Chris told him, "and yer right. Vin, ya do owe him an apology for accusin' him like that."
Vin gulped. "I-I'm sorry, Ezra," he told him, sounding sincere.
Ezra felt his gust twist. Ah, why had the younger boy given in so quickly. Now, he was the one to feel guilty.
"Apology accepted," he said, quietly.
Chris nodded. "You two are gonna have ta get along," he told them, firmly, "and ya might as well start now. For the rest of the day, you two are stayin' here. No playin', no readin', just sittin' and talkin'."
Vin's eyes widened at that. He would much rather take a trip out to the barn than be cooped in his room all day. "F-For how long, Pap?" he asked, not liking this at all.
"At least 'til supper time," Chris said, firmly, "maybe 'til bedtime if you two don't behave."
Vin and Ezra looked at each other. It was just now noon. Supper time was a long ways off, and bedtime even longer…
"I mean it, boys," Chris told them, sternly, "you two better be nice ta each other from now on, or they're gonna be hell to pay." With that, he turned and exited the room.
There, he thought, I've let 'em duke it out. Now their gonna sit and talk, even if it kills 'em.
He just hopped his solution to he problem worked, otherwise he knew he was gonna have to start wearing out some backsides if it worsened.
Maybe I shoulda went on and wore out their backsides first, he thought but then decided against that.
He hated havin' to result to spankin', even though he'd do it if the boys deserved it, and he was still tryin' to get Ezra to accept his place there. Hoping against hope the two boys would resolve their differences, he checked on JD—finding him fast asleep—and then headed back out to continue repairing the barn door.
Ezra and Vin weren't the only ones hoping supper time came quickly.
The boys, once he was gone, continued to stare at each other silently.
"So," Vin huffed, dropping down off his bunk and sitting Indian style on the floor, "what do we do now?"
Ezra shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, Master Tanner," he said, and then because he felt awkward looking down at the other boy he dropped down into the floor also.
Vin wrinkled his nose. "Can't ya just call me Vin like everybody else?" he asked. "Why do ya talk like that anyhow?"
Ezra shrugged. "It is how I have always spoken," he explained. "Maude taught me I had to speak, dress, and behave just like a gentleman."
Vin snorted. "If getting' gussied up and talkin' funny makes ya a gent," he said, "I'd much rather be a regular joe any ole day."
Ezra smiled. "That sounds like something Deputy Wilmington would say," he told him.
Vin smiked. "Where da ya think I heard it? he asked. "Miz Inez told him he needed to learn to be a gentleman, and he told her that."
"What did she say?" Ezra asked. The pretty saloon owner loved to banter with deputy, he noticed, and he secretly thought she really did care for her (and he her) but both were too stubborn to admit it.
"She told him," Vin said, "that he wasn't even a regular joe cuz regular joes took baths regularly."
Ezra chuckled. "I'd have loved to seen his face," he said, laughing at the image of an indignant Buck in his mind.
"It was so funny!" Vin told him. "Uncle Buck puffed himself up like he was really about to say somethin', but then he just took a whiff of himself and said, "Huh, I don't think I smell that bad."
The two boys laughed even harder.
"Well," Ezra said, "what do you know, Vin? I do believe we're actually getting along."
Vin nodded. "Maybe you ain't as bad as I thought you was," he admitted, "and I am sorry for accusin' you of hurtin' JD. I know you wouldn't really."
Ezra nodded. "He can drive me crazy at times," he admitted, "but I like him well enough despite his endless chatter."
Vin snorted. "Tell me about it," he said, feigning annoyance. "He could talk the ears off a horse, and he doesn't even shut up in his sleep!"
"Really?" Ezra asked. "I have never heard him talking at night?"
"That's cuz yer across the room," Vin told him, "and I'm right above him. I'd stuff somethin' in his mouth if I didn't think Pap would have a fit about it."
"He probably doesn't do it on purpose," Ezra said, shrugging.
"Maybe," Vin agreed, "but it still dang annoyin'."
"Tell you what," Ezra offered, "if you can't sleep one night, I'll trade places with you so you don't have to listen."
"Really?" Vin asked. "That'd be swell, Ez."
"Not you too?" Ezra groaned. "Can't you all understand my name is "Ez-ra"."
"Course we do," Vin told him, "but Ez is easier and shorter, just like me and JD."
"I suppose," Ezra said, sighing, "I can tolerate it as long as no one else starts using it."
"Great," Vin said, smiling. "I hope JD is all right?"
Ezra could tell his concern for his younger brother was genuine. "I am certain he is," he told him. "Had he been seriously wounded, the sheriff would have insisted on taking him to Doctor Jackson."
Vin nodded, knowing he was right. He sighed. "It sure is a long time 'til supper," he complained. "I don't think we can talk that long."
"Probably not," Ezra agreed, "but have another idea. Tell me, can you read."
Vin looked down. "No," he admitted, hesitantly. "Uncle Josiah is openin' a school soon, and Pap says we're gonna go but…well, I know I'm just gonna be the only there who can't read! Even JD can read!"
"Would you like me to teach you?" Ezra offered, hesitantly. He didn't want the other boy to think he was trying to be superior or anything.
"But Pap said we're not supposed to read or anythin'," Vin reminded him.
"We won't actually be reading," Ezra told him, getting the pad and pencil he had tucked under his bed, "you're not ready for that, yet. Before you can start reading, you first have to know your alphabet."
"I know that," Vin told him, "JD explained it to me."
Ezra wrote A, B, C down onto the piece of paper. "See here," he said, showing the younger boy what he had written. "These are the first three letters of the alphabet. See if you can copy them."
Vin nodded and did as he was told.
For the rest for afternoon, Ezra went through the entire alphabet showing Vin how to write them and telling him about each letter.
At supper time, Chris was more than a little surprised to find them sitting close together with their head bent over the note pad.
"What three letters are those?" Ezra was asking Vin pointing to the X, Y, and the Z.
"X, Y, Z," Vin told him, smiling brightly.
Ezra nodded. "Good job," he told him, "now you know how to recognize every letter of the alphabet. You can start forming words next, and after that learning to sound the words out."
"Really?" Vin asked him. "So, you think I'll be readin' by the time Uncle Jo gets the school goin'?"
Ezra nodded. "Not only that, Vin," he told him, "but I bet you two to one odds that your one of the best readers there."
"Wow," Vin exclaimed. "Thanks, Ez. Thanks a lot." He then gave the older boy a hug.
Ezra hadn't been expecting it, but he returned it the best he could. "You're welcome, Vin," he told him.
"Well now," Chris said, gaining their attention, "this is more like it."
Both boys hopped up. "Guess what, Pap?" Vin told him. "Ez is teachin' me to read so that I'll be ready to start school when Uncle Jo gets it goin'!"
"That's great, Vin," he told him, smiling. "Thank you, Ezra. I've been meanin' to teach him, but kept getting' sidetracked."
Ezra blushed. "You're welcome, Sheriff," he said," but it was really just something to pass the time." He glanced
Chris grinned. He didn't buy it for a second. The little gambler had been enjoying himself as much a Vin was, he was sure of it. It seemed they had managed to settle their differences quite nicely.
"You two ready for supper?" he asked them, knowingly.
"Yes, Sir," they answered, and their stomachs rumbled confirming it.
"Well then," Chris said, "I'd best get to makin' it. Ezra, you come help me get the table set and Vin go get JD up. I'm sure he's hungry to."
"All right, Pap," Vin said, and rushed to get his younger brother up.
Chris placed a hand on Ezra shoulder. "You did a good thing today, son," he told him, "and I'm mighty proud of you for it."
Ezra blinked up at him, feeling his heart flutter strangely. Why had the man's words made him feel that way?
Chris smiled and ruffled his hair. "C'mon," he said, "let's get the grub on the table. I've got three starvin' boys to feed."
Ezra nodded, and followed after him.
He didn't really understand what he was feeling, but he certainly didn't want it to go away.
TBC…