Authors Notes: Ok…I have to apologize for such a long wait. A lot has happened since I have updated this story. I recently got married and have moved into a new place. So now that everything is out of the way I can finally get back to writing! I have a dodgy internet connection, at the best of times, so I'll try to update as much as I can. I am bound and determined to finish this story. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 5

Ezra stood at the bar taking a shot of whiskey, watching with amusement as Buck and Nathan attempted to haul Josiah up to Nathan's room to have his leg re-bandaged, leaving the tab with Ezra of course.

"So everyone's going their own way." J.D. spoke next to Ezra, sounding sad.

"As well they should," Ezra poured the drink down his throat with nary a grimace. The thoughts of Madie so close to the shooting still left him shaken. As soon as he could, he was going to get married and get out of this town. Find a place to open his bar, possibly have children. Ezra with children, he nearly laughed at the idea.

Into the bar stepped Oren Travis, Ezra saw him through the mirror above the bar, and he just realized where he knew him from. "Good Lord," just what he needed a reminder from the past.

"All right. I got twenty dollars for any man who wants to be sheriff." Mr. Travis spoke to the bar. "A week's work." When no one spoke up, "all right thirty dollars." J.D. perked up, looking eager to prove himself, this was what he had been waiting for.

"I am deeply moved by this exhibition of courage," Mr. Travis stated, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Sir?" J.D. spoke, walking up to him with a huge smile on his face. "I'd like the job."

"No, you're too young." Mr. Travis sized up the kid in a moment's notice.

"I'm older than I look."

"This job could kill you."

"I know," oddly enough still with the smile planted firmly upon his face.

Eyeballing the young kid Mr. Travis spoke, "there's no glory in it."

"I'm not looking for any."

"Am I to believe that this is the only brave man among you?" Mr. Travis spoke to the few remaining sober men in the bar.

Ezra gritted his teeth as he continued to drink his whiskey. It was quite often that his courage and bravery was called into question, along with his allegiances, with good reasoning. He should be used to it by now, but every time it happened he always felt like he was being socked in the gut.

"All right, you're hired," Mr. Travis said somewhat reluctantly.

With a shake of the hand and a laugh, J.D. bounded over to Ezra with the good news. "Ezra. I'm gonna be the sheriff."

"Congratulations," Ezra wanted to hit the kid for calling attention to him.

"Ezra," Mr. Travis spoke. Curiously Mr. Travis walked up to the bar to stand next to the man in question. "Do I know you sir?"

"Don't believe I've had the pleasure." The cool demeanor that Ezra fronted was still in place, even though he was a wreck inside, feeling that his cover had been blown.

"Ezra Simpson…Ezra Smith?...Oh it was Fort Laramie. You jumped bail."

The con artist Ezra continued lying to the man, even though by now he knew it was useless. "Must've been someone else. I've never been to Fort Laramie." He continued to pour himself whiskey, and made a point not to turn and look at the judge.

"Oh, no. I never forget a face. Especially one I put away. You're under arrest. Young man, take his gun." Judge Travis pulled out his shot gun and pointed it at Ezra. J.D. looked as if he were in quite a predicament. Ezra threw back the last glass and turned around with pure charm on his face.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Please. This is obviously an unfortunate case of mistaken identity." Ezra pointedly looked at J.D. hoping that he would believe him.

"Take his gun," Judge Travis prodded.

J.D. sighed and reached over Ezra for the gun on his right hip.

"If my memory serves me correct there's a little something up his sleeve too." With a wrap on the contraption underneath Ezra's right arm, the small derringer popped out and into Ezra's awaiting hand. Ezra clenched his jaw to keep from uttering an oath. J.D. took the gun from his hand as well, not being swayed by the look of betrayal on Ezra's face.

"Don't do this, my friend." Ezra looked down upon the younger man, hoping he would change his mind.

"Sorry, Ezra. I don't know you all that well, and apparently he does."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"All right, take him to jail. Lock him up."

Madie sat idly nearby Mrs. Travis' workshop soon becoming bored out of her mind. She wished that there was something in this town to do, a bookshop maybe.

"Mrs. Travis, is there a bookshop in town?"

Mrs. Travis looked up from her desk and crease lines crossed her forehead. "Now that you mention it, we don't. Although…" Mrs. Travis stood up from her desk and beckoned for Madie to follow. She went to the back of the shop and opened a door that presumably led to the basement. She took a lamp with her and they descended the stairs. There before Madie stood shelves upon shelves of books. Looking with awe she ran her hands upon the dusty books that lined the walls of the dank cellar.

"My husband loved to read and he collected many books. I was thinking about opening up a shop but never got around to it. What do you think?"

"I think it would be a wonderful idea. Children should be reading more and maybe we could create a more cultural atmosphere then the normal drunkenness that hangs over the town like a dark cloud."

"It could be our shop, would you be willing to help me? We could turn this town around." Mrs. Travis had a smile upon her face as she stared wistfully into the future.

"I would love to," Madie smiled as well.

"Well partner, we have a lot of work to do."

Ezra was unceremoniously thrown into his cell, next to the outlaw who had shot up the store clerk. Great, now he was being jailed next to murderers.

"They try to escape, shoot 'em." Judge Travis shot a dark look towards Ezra before throwing the set of keys to J.D.

"Well, sir, now that we are rid of that loathsome curmudgeon, you may effect my emancipation." Ezra spoke from behind the bars, his fancy talk though did not quite get through to the younger man.

"Huh?" J.D. asked as he looked into Ezra's cell with confusion written on his face.

Ezra rolled his eyes and stared at J.D. "Let me out," he translated.

J.D. nodded his head in understanding. "Oh, well…uh, nothing personal, Ezra. I can't. Just doing my job."

Ezra closed his eyes, this was not where he had envisioned he would be. What would happen to Madie.

"That boy's done some stupid thing!" A voice carried from outside the sheriff's office, belonging to none other than Buck Wilmington and he was not happy.

"Ah, Mr. Wilmington, at last. Someone of maturity to end my ordeal." Ezra spoke to Buck, hoping that at least he would let him out.

"Yeah, right," Buck scoffed at Ezra before turning his attention to the young man sitting behind the sheriff's desk. "What is wrong with you son? Bartender said you signed on as sheriff?"

"I'm getting enough money to be called mister."

"Yeah, I hope they paid you in advance." The outlaw called from his cage.

"Shut up," Buck replied. "Are you out of your mind? You're gonna get killed. Ok, and then I'll have to think of something nice to say at your funeral."

"You mean you're capable?" J.D. laughed.

"Yeah, I'm capable."

"I'll be fine, Buck." J.D. replied as he perused through the contents of the desk that the previous sheriff had left behind.

"Yeah, I've seen your 'fine.'"

"Look what I found," J.D. smiled at the gun that he held in his hand. "Navy Colt .44," he spoke lovingly as he twirled the barrel.

"Don't do that okay?" Buck pleaded with his gently pushing the gun to the desk. "It could come loose, and then it could come out. Put the gun down. You're gonna be sheriff."

"Yep," J.D. replied looking for something else since his gun was taken away from him.

"You're gonna be sheriff," Buck reiterated with disbelief in his voice. "Yeah, you're gonna walk tall!"

"That's right," J.D. said with pride in his voice.

"Do something for me right now. Just get rid of the hat." Buck reached over the desk and plucked the hat off J.D.'s head and set it on the desk.

"You know, Bat Masterson wears a hat just like this one, Buck." J.D. replied picking up the hat with a frown and placing it back on his head.

"Shoot, you're no Bat. You're not anything like any of them," Buck scoffed.

"Well, I still ain't changing my hat."

"Okay, that's fine. I'm just trying to give you a few pointers, okay? So you don't get yourself killed. All right? Now, I was a lawman once. You don't respect that, that's fine. I understand."

"Hey," J.D. held up a trinket in his hand as if he just found gold. "A badge," he laughed as he put it on his chest.

"A badge, imagine that. A badge in a jail. That's something, isn't it? Do me a favor, would you? Just pin it behind your lapel. That way, you're not advertising. In case someone is looking to shoot you." Buck tried to get across to him that J.D. was too young for the job but it was obviously not working. J.D. was oblivious to what Buck was saying. Exasperated Buck ducked out of the jail and decided to go on over to the newspaper room, that was where he had seen Madie last, I bet she would love to know what has happened to her darling Ezra.

"Good mornin' Clarion News," Buck entered the building with a smile on his face. "Have I got news for you."

Author's End Notes: Sorry…a bit of a cliff hanger. What do you think? I'm following the series pretty heavily. I'm not sure how I'll break off of this story but I will be adding characters for our other Magnificent Seven members. They need some lovin' too! Please review!