Rock A Bye Baby Chapter 5
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own 'em. Just borrowing.
A/N Sorry this is a little late but I was a wee bit poorly. Just about the only thing I share with fanfic Ezra is his migraines! They may last two or three days but they throw life out of kilter for at least a week. Still, all better now, so onward…..
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The journey to the church at the edge of Purgatorio, the poorest and roughest area of the city, was far too long as far as Josiah was concerned. He prayed, fervently, that the baby would still be on the pew where he had left it. After all who would want a fake baby?
"Hello?" Ezra was of the personal opinion that whoever was calling him should have had the courtesy to be psychic and know not to interrupt what could possibly have been one of the most important conversations of his life.
"Ezra, I have a problem, son. A rather large problem." He then went on to explain the situation, the embarrassment clear in his voice.
"So let me get this straight Mr Sanchez" Ezra was a master at not letting his feelings show through either his expression or his tone so the words that carried to the unseeing profiler were as calm and polite as ever, if a tad cool in their delivery, but Vin could see the sparkle of mirth in the jade eyes, and also a hard glint of anger…a strange combination. He couldn't wait to hear what combination of events had occurred to create that reaction. He didn't have to wait for long as his friend continued.
"You misplace baby Michael" Vin's eyebrows rose in astonishment and he had to bite his lip to hold back his laughter, while Ezra didn't dare look at the Texan for fear of losing his own composure. "And now you need Vin's contacts in Purgatorio to determine his present location?……Yes Mr Sanchez Mr Tanner is with me as we speak. It seems that AH was the only member of our TEAM to aid him in HIS hour of need." Vin winced; well that explained the angry glint. Of course despite his team mates lack of support they all knew that as soon as he had the details he'd be on the phone to his neighbours and friends in the community he'd adopted on his arrival in the city. As would Ezra who, despite his highbrow ways and designer clothes, had been recognized by the outcasts of Purgatorio as a fellow outsider and his community work, alongside Vin, had not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. But he had to admit that he felt a warm glow spread within him as he listened to Ezra's quiet anger on his behalf.
It didn't take Vin as long as he'd feared to locate the simulacrum and neither he nor Ezra could hide their amusement at the result.
"Lord Vin! Ah just hope that Josiah has brushed up on his hostage negotiation procedures, but Ah fear that the poor man does not stand a chance against such a battle hardened adversary."
Vin wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and his breath caught in his throat at the sight and sound of his partner, jewel tinted eyes sparkling, gold tooth gleaming and ivory skin flushed pink with the exertion of the unrestrained laughter they had shared.
It was at that exact same moment that Ezra looked into the sky blue eyes and knew without a doubt that his heart no longer belonged to him alone and that there was no way he would ever be able to summon up the courage to offer the other half of it to the man standing in front of him.
He didn't realise that in his glance he already had and it was a gift that Vin had no intention of refusing.
Ezra had no idea how he came to be in Vin's embrace or the moment the other man's lips had closed on his own but his mouth opened in automatic invitation as tongues met and explored while two pairs of hands had exactly the same idea.
It was a moment of pure unadulterated heaven and nothing could break it……
"Waaaaaahhhhhh"
Except that!
Vin chuckled as they parted slightly and Ezra's chestnut head hit his shoulder with an exasperated thunk.
"Guess we really know what it's like to be parents now Ez."
Ezra raised his eyes hesitantly, as though uncertain of Vin's reaction to their kiss even though the Texan had instigated it.
"Indeed."
Vin heard the uncertainty in the voice and saw it in the jade eyes. It didn't surprise him; he had expected it. The only thing he hadn't expected were his own actions. But he had no doubts. His instincts had served him well all his life and he wasn't going to question them now.
" No doubts here Ez. I know we've got a lot to talk about but I reckon we both agree on how we feel about each other."
"No Vin, no doubts. Ah'm just glad that one of us had the courage of our convictions."
A second and then a third wailing infant reminded them that the real world didn't stop for anything, not even lovers. And they still had to inform Josiah of his child's fate…and dash across town to watch the floorshow as he tried to retrieve him.
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Neither Vin nor Ezra thought it fair to keep the news of Josiah's predicament from their fellow team members so Nathan found himself glaring at most of the rest of the seven as Josiah attempted to explain the situation to one Maria Perez. Even Chris hadn't been able to resist the call and he was looking happier than he had in several days. Nathan couldn't help but think that there was something fundamentally twisted in that even as his over developed conscience forced him to admit to himself that if it were any other pair, or even better, Ezra, he would be sporting a pretty similar expression.
Josiah had commandeered Buck's assistance in dealing with the delicate situation. The ladies man could charm women of any age, from the very old to the very young.
At least that was what he had hoped. He'd been wrong.
"Now please honey, you wouldn't want Josiah's little girl to lose her dolly would you? Think of how she must be feeling. I know you want to help her. Please?" Buck didn't make it a habit to lie to ladies, whatever their age, but special circumstances called for special measures.
Rosa Perez gave the nasty big men as harsh a glare as Chris Larabee ever managed and stated with finality.
"Mine!"
"Mrs Perez?" Buck turned to Rosa's mother with a desperate pleading look. Over twenty minutes talking to the woman's eight year old daughter had gotten him nowhere.
If either Buck or Josiah thought for one minute that the nice young woman who loved her daughter very much had the power or the courage to snatch the 'doll' from Rosa's protective grasp, her very strong, teary and determined grasp then they were in grievous error. Both agents and mother's declaration that it wasn't right to take something that didn't belong to you was met with an unassailable legal wall…
"Finders Keepers!" Nathan's shock was obvious, as was the amusement of his so called friends as they chuckled, guffawed and even snorted. Well all except Ezra, thought Nathan as he watched the southerner walk a little distance away, cell phone clamped to his ear; typical that the man would be bored with the whole thing.
"Sorry Nathan" Josiah's contrition was genuine but Buck's look of sympathy was decidedly wobbly as his moustache twitched in his attempt to stifle his laughter. Nathan dragged his attention back to his partner. "She seems to think that finders keepers, losers weepers is not only legal but practically one of the ten commandments. I tried pretending that I had a little girl who needed her dolly back but it backfired when she told me that her mommy had brought her up to be careful with her toys and perhaps I should do the same…..It was like talking to a mini Ezra."
They all shuddered, except for Vin who's grin just widened and Ezra who gave the profiler a mild glare as he kept one ear on the conversation while he made his phone call and cradled Ethan who was a little cranky today.
Chris had to admit that this was the first time he had gotten any pleasure out of these proceedings. He didn't bother feeling guilty that it was at his own men's expense….after all there had been that incident with himself, the Simpson's boxers, a rose and a digital camera to be avenged. As Nathan and Josiah went on to discuss further options Chris took time to study his 'baby partner' who was holding their 'infant' with all the tenderness of a real father, as was Ezra, of all people! Hell, Chris thought, I doubt he even knows what it feels like to be a child let alone a parent. He immediately felt a stab of guilt. That hadn't been fair. He looked again at Vin who seemed to be almost radiant; Chris snorted but then immediately sobered as the memories of his own parenting days assaulted him once again. He really hadn't known how hard it was going to be, after all they weren't real babies. They didn't really behave realistically, how could they? And they didn't smell real…though there was some reason to be grateful for that blessing! But he had to admit that there were times when it…when Alice… drew him in. And that only made it harder to bear because it wasn't the fact that he had lost Adam that was getting at him. That was an event that bore no comparison to anything he had ever gone through and a doll no matter how well made wasn't going to come close to the place where he kept that heartache. No, it was the fact that he could be here for these simulated little moments…diaper changes and feeding, when in real life he had focused too much on his work; on saving lives and catching villains, to realise that those little moments were quickly in the past, the opportunity gone forever. He remembered thinking that there would always be tomorrow…and then suddenly there wasn't; not because Adam had died but because he had grown. And somehow giving in to the temptation of these endearing yet fake babies brought more guilt than it ever would pleasure. At least that was what he had thought; but as he watched Vin and Ezra…twins! Poor guy!…interact with their babes he was no longer so sure. They both seemed to be getting something special out of the experience. Something was definitely different …if only he could figure out what.
One thing he had no trouble figuring out, however, was that he had not been a good team member or a good friend to their sharpshooter since this whole thing started. Vin hadn't been able to count on him today over that sterilizer thing and he had always prided himself on being there for his men, for the small things as well as the big. Instead his friend had been forced to turn to Ezra. And what was with that man anyway? He had realised within days of hiring the mercurial southerner that he would never understand what made the man tick but this sudden broody side had him completely flummoxed. He knew that Vin had reasons for his actions that he wasn't telling and wondered if they were similar to Ezra's. Most might not think that the Texan and the Georgia boy had anything in common but they seemed to connect on some unknown and mysterious level.
God! Why did thinking about those two make his head hurt? He sighed and moved toward the duo and to their astonishment he plucked Alice out of Vin's arms and indicated with a nod that Vin should help out a calm but overburdened Ezra who had finished his call but was trying to get Victoria out of the car while still holding a grumbling Ethan.
"Thanks Cowboy" Vin grinned at the obligatory scowl he received from Chris at the use of the hated nickname. He didn't know what had caused this sudden turnaround but he wasn't going to question it. He immediately retrieved Victoria from Ezra, who smiled his thanks to his leader and they waited for Nathan and Josiah to finish their 'meeting' A discussion that would have been over minutes ago if it were not for all the 'helpful' comments and advice from Buck and JD.
As they waited a small crowd of locals gathered around Ezra and Vin. Chris was instantly on alert, they didn't call this area purgatorio for nothing; his alarm quickly faded to be replaced by surprise. He wasn't surprised at the youthful congregation's response to Vin, after all the man lived nearby and probably knew most of the people by name. He was, however, surprised at their reaction to the debonair southerner. He had expected them to ridicule and taunt their seventh but to his amazement they treated him no differently than they did his partner; and what was more, Ezra seemed to know a fair few of them too. He couldn't really understand all of the conversation since it was in fast flowing and fluent Spanish but from the odd word and gesture they were sympathising with his allocation of twins. Would he ever understand the enigmatic and infinitely annoying, frustrating, downright ulcer inducing man. Chris sighed, he doubted it; then he grinned at the thought that he hadn't felt this alive in years. At that moment Alice began to whimper and before he realised what he was doing the most feared agent in the ATF was gently rocking the baby back to sleep in the middle of the street…and he didn't care what anyone thought……but if Buck didn't wipe that smug grin off of his face pronto their would be at least a months desk duty waiting him when they returned to work on Monday. Or maybe a nice few weeks giving safety lectures at the local elementary schools. He may be a temporary daddy but as far as Chris 'the bad element' Larabee was concerned he was still an evil bastard, and Buck had better not forget it!
Buck was listening to JD's suggestion of short circuiting the simulacrum so the little girl wouldn't want it any more when he caught a flurry of movement out of the corner of his eye. His expression settled into one of intense amusement and his partner's words faded as he saw his oldest friend rocking his baby in his arms. He grinned at the sight but suddenly decided that if he valued his health, and his family jewels, he'd best be somewhere else…immediately.
Once the crowd had finished their impromptu chat, gently teasing the two agents about their finding their feminine sides ( if only they knew! thought Vin ) Ezra pulled Josiah and Nathan aside.
"Gentlemen, if you would kindly re-start negotiations with our young hostage taker and follow mah lead when I arrive I think we can have this delicate affair concluded in a satisfactory manner quite soon."
Nathan frowned and Josiah looked concerned yet hopeful. Ezra's plans were usually flawless and well thought out, even at next to no notice. But then he was normally dealing with hardened gun runners not eight year old girls. Still, he didn't really have any other options left; he had tried every argument he could think of.
Nathan's stomach lurched at the sight of Ezra's shark's smile. It was the one he wore when he was about to hook a villain, or a mark in his conning days. It reminded the medic of the con man Face in the TV series he used to watch when he was younger…The A-Team. And Ezra was on the jazz…'Lord help us all' he prayed fervently as he followed Josiah back into the Perez household.
Less than five minutes later Chris, Vin, Buck and JD watched the undercover agent as he checked on the babies that were now lined up in a row on the wrought iron bench that looked suspiciously like it had once been situated in a public park and now graced the small front garden of the scene of the crime. Chris only hoped that they cleared this up before the other teams got wind of it. They would never live this down.
As Ezra checked and fussed over each baby in turn Chris came to the unsurprising and inescapable conclusion that his undercover operative was completely insane. 'This is supposed to keep us away from the need for psychiatric evaluations but by the time we're done he's gonna have to go straight into therapy' He looked on in astonishment as Vin moved forward and began to….to tickle Junior's tummy! 'How the hell did I get landed with two crazy men?' He contemplated his two most reliable men's present location…inside a little girl's room trying to get their dolly back and glanced at Buck who was trying to charm a senorita half his age who didn't speak a word of English. Did he say two crazy men? Hell, he was probably the only sane one out of the lot of them….then again, they were his family by choice so perhaps he was the craziest of all. He could live with that!
Ten minutes later a limo drew up to a chorus of whistles from the still present audience; you didn't get many limos in such a run down area unless they took a wrong turn. But this driver knew exactly who he was looking for as he passed over two bags from Hubbards store to Ezra. The southerner checked the contents and signed for them with a smile and a large tip.
The men who remained outside watched as Ezra unpacked his purchases.
Vin laughed delightedly, 'God I love that man!' he thought to himself.
Chris smirked and shook his head in exasperation but there was admiration in his eyes.
Buck and JD looked confused.
"Bribery Ezra?" Chris smiled as he asked his question. The man was Maude's son alright.
"Indeed Mr Larabee. If appealing to the mark…I mean child's kind nature does not work then one must resort to less ethical though more effective methods."
"Heck Ez! Last thing we need is more of 'em" Buck indicated the doll in it's Moses basket that Ezra carried in one hand and the smaller doll in it's box that he held under his arm.
"Patience Mr Wilmington. There is method in my madness."
"Not so sure about the method but the madness…hell yeah!" Chris's comment was spoken too low for human ears.
"Ah heard that Mr Larabee." Ezra replied while Chris winced; 'man's a damn alien' he wisely kept the thought to himself this time.
Vin grinned. He suspected he would be doing quite a bit of grinning in the future.
"I don't get it!" JD piped up as they trooped into the babynapper's home.
"Hostage exchange JD" supplied Vin.
"Oh!….I still don't get it."
"You will Mr Dunne."
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Both Nathan and Josiah were ready for anything that Ezra had in mind but it was still a shock to see the man toting a garish frilly lined pink basket with a doll in it and a Barbie tucked under his arm.
"Never fear Mr Sanchez, your 'little girl' need mourn no longer. I have procured the finest of baby dolls to replace the one that now belongs to this delightful young lady" Ezra flashed a gold toothed smile at the impressionable youngster who was slightly awed at the sight. She wondered if the tooth fairy could be persuaded to leave golden replacements. "Now Ah am sure that your 'daughter' will quite happily accept this replacement."
Ezra was sure that the perceptive profiler would deduce his intentions but just in case he indicated with an almost imperceptible shake of his head that he should disagree with the proposition. Rosa didn't notice the exchange as she was casting covetous eyes on the confection coloured bundle.
"Sorry Ezra but Emmy loves baby Mikey; I can't see her giving him up." It was all Josiah could do not to burst out laughing ….or throttle the conman; he wasn't sure which would give him the most satisfaction.
Ezra put on a slightly disappointed air. "Are you sure Mr Sanchez? After all her doll may seem more real but this infant"….Ezra couldn't believe his expensive training and years of hard earned experience were being used for this…"according to the packaging, anyway, drinks, cries real tears and…um, wets her diaper."
The atmosphere in the room was suddenly charged with pure avarice as Rosa's eyes lit up like lighthouse beacons. Ezra ignored the reaction and assumed a slightly crestfallen yet casual expression.
"Oh well, I suppose I shall just have to throw it away then, since I have no use for a doll."
"NO!"
Ezra turned slowly toward the source of the outburst and raised an eyebrow in question.
"You cannot Senor!" Rosa didn't know whether he could or couldn't. She only knew one thing….she wanted that doll, both those dolls. Unless she was very much mistaken the other doll was a Barbie princess, and she was dressed in pink! "I will take the dolls for you Senor. It is no trouble."
Ezra withheld his smile by sheer willpower alone as, he suspected, did the others who were crowded into the too small room with them. They had thought it best to leave the babies in the next room for fear of endangering the deal. He fancied that he felt Nathan's disapproving glare boring into his back though. 'Ah well can't win them all' he thought philosophically. He still couldn't get over the fact that Vin had kissed him. The memory of that sensation had given him a permanent giddy feeling and the urge to grin like a lunatic….much in the same way that his love ( Lord how Ah love that word…love. ) had been doing since the event.
He dragged his wandering mind back to the moment. "That is most kind of you Senorita, but you already have a doll and it would not seem right to expect you to care for three dolls, not to mention that your friends might become jealous of your good fortune and cease coming to play."
Rosa pondered the problem…for all of five seconds… before she thrust the computer chipped baby towards him with the declaration.
"I will swap Senor. Your two little dollies for this one."
Ezra gave it due and careful consideration for several moments, feeling the massed unspoken demand of his colleagues to get on with it. He felt that the little con artist in the making deserved for her first proper effort to be treated with respect. After all he still remembered the first time he had successfully conned his first mark.
"Well Ah do hate to throw anything away when it can go to a good home. Are you sure?"
As the team stood outside the apartment with baby Michael once again in his proper place Josiah stuttered a heartfelt thank you to their seventh while a genuine, though less enthusiastic, thank you was Nathan's contribution. Ezra was magnanimous enough to ignore the fact that it took a subtle poke in the ribs from Josiah for Nathan to speak up. Josiah's smile dropped at the sight of the piece of paper that Ezra smilingly thrust into his free hand.
"What's this Ezra?"
Ezra thought it was obvious but humoured the man.
"It is a bill of sale Mr Sanchez. For one hundred and forty two dollars and twenty five cents. The delivery was free of charge given the special circumstances."
Josiah gulped at the cost of two dolls however he couldn't help but chuckle as his team mates teased him all the way back to the cars. He knew perfectly well that when he came to pay up the southerner would wave a hand and tell him to put it in the poor box. The man had a heart of gold; Josiah just wished he didn't hide it so well, especially from Nathan.
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The trip back home felt very lonely all of a sudden. Ezra already missed Vin's quiet presence and wished that they didn't have to part; they had so much to talk about; and so much to do that didn't involve talking at all. They had both agreed, though, in a hurried conversation, that it would be idiotic to pass up the new found enthusiasm for the project of their leader so Vin had gone back to the ranch and Ezra and the twins were headed back to Ezra's townhouse for, hopefully, some rest and an early night. Babies were the most exhausting creatures!
So much for a peaceful night. It was eight PM and both babies had been fretting on and off since they had come back; Ezra fancied that maybe they missed Vin too. He shook his head in disbelief as he paced up and down, a baby in each arm, this fatherhood thing was getting a life of it's own.
A sudden chiming of the doorbell had him sighing with relief. Evie Travis had called a half hour earlier to check how he was doing, a gesture which he found extremely touching, and when she had heard Ethan and Victoria's cries she had insisted on coming over.
"Come in Mrs Travis" he called, not having a free hand to open the door which he had left unlocked in expectation of her arrival.
Ezra turned, infant in the crook of each arm, just as Maude Standish strode elegantly through the door.
"Really Ezra, since when did you leave your door………"
Ezra heard his Mother's rebuke at the same time as he saw her take in the sight he presented.
He didn't think he had ever seen a woman actually swoon at his feet before.
"Mother! Dear Lord!" He stood stunned as he gazed at his mother, fainted dead away in his hallway.
TBC
A/N Well hope that went OK. Poor Maude! Has a fanfic character finally suffered an honest to goodness conniption?! Sorry again for the delay but hopefully everything should be back on schedule now. Next chapter sees Maude getting an explanation, Buck trying out his babe magnet and the guys return to work. And will poor Ez & Vin get a few moments to pick up where they left off? I'm sure that love will find a way:D