Rock a bye baby chapter 9

Disclaimer: We all know that I don't own any of the characters or the show but how can I delude myself that I do if ya'all keep making me admit it!

A/N Homophobic comments ahead - I don't condone them but nonetheless they're necessary to the plot. So apologies in advance.

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Vin didn't think that he'd ever felt so contented as he did at this moment. He lay on the large feather bed with the man he loved held in his arms. It didn't get better than this. Well, not without both of them being awake anyway. Ezra had relaxed as the medication swept away the last of his headache and he was now in a normal sleep….and he was a snuggler, which was duly filed away for later use in teasing. Intending to watch over his partner…in every sense of the word now, he thought with a smile….he instead drifted into a light doze; the scent of the vanilla and exotic spices that was Ezra smelling sweeter than a summers day. He smiled in his sleep as his subconscious felt his southerner curl up closer into his chest and his dreams took on a definite romantic turn.

"Lord protect us! Get your perverted hands off that boy now you disgusting animal!"

Vin's eyes snapped open and he froze as his brain tried work out if he was still dreaming, in which case his dream had just taken a nasty turn, or whether Nettie Wells was really standing in Ezra's bedroom. And if she was why?

Ezra, with a lifetime of practice at reacting to sudden change and potential danger, didn't even bother wondering why Nettie was in his room. He only knew that from her words she was obviously surprised, and plainly not pleased. He also knew that his one and only goal was to protect Vin. He disentangled himself from the lanky Texan and moved so that only he was within striking range of the woman; not that he would consider her capable of violence toward her surrogate son if he were thinking normally but he had slipped automatically into his 'undercover Ezra' persona, and undercover Ezra didn't take chances. He did, however, run through his options, deciding quickly that sweet talking would not be of any use. The more he talked the more he seemed to antagonize the old crone. He had to act expeditiously though as he could see out of the corner of his eye that Vin was probably about to say something incredibly honest and sweet…and very stupid.

Aware that there was no friendship for him to lose with this woman but that there was everything for his lover to lose he stepped further away from the bed so that her line of sight no longer included the other man. Ezra wanted these words to be associated only with him. He gave her the benefit of his best, coldest and most disdainful expression, conning and cards not being the only skills he had learned from Maude, though privately he acknowledged that the effect would be stronger if he were clad in more than his boxers.

"Mrs Wells; whilst my faculties are not up to their usual standards when I suffer from a migraine I am aware that I did not invite you to witness my suffering. I am also certain that none of the people who have had my permission to be here would have left my front door open so that any Tom Dick or Harry could wander in."

"I was…"

Ezra didn't let her finish. If there was one thing he valued above all else…well until Vin had come into his life….it was his privacy. His home was the one place he felt secure and she had just undermined that.

"What you were doing was committing a criminal act. Breaking and entering is still a crime Mrs Wells and so is assault."

"I didn't touch you!" Nettie was as horrified by the southerner's words as she was by her initial discovery. She wanted to turn towards Vin, to see why he wasn't defending her comments but her eyes remained fixed on the ice cold pale green eyes of the man opposite her like a rabbit faced with an oncoming car's headlights. She could only think that Vin's silence was a result of him being shocked at finding himself accosted by someone he had thought to be a friend.

"Assault can be verbal as well as physical, madam. But before I escort you off of my property…or report you to the police for trespass as well as the offences I have already stated let me make it perfectly clear that whatever I may have done under the influence of my medication Vin is in no way responsible for my actions."

"Well I know that, Vin wouldn't…"

"NO!"

Ezra's heart sank as Vin yelled his denial and then soared at the thought that he had finally found someone who would defend him…who would want to claim him. Not that he could let him of course, but it was wonderful nonetheless.

"Please Vin, you're…."

"No Ez" Vin's comment was quieter this time but no less resolute. He knew exactly what Ezra was planning on doing. It was what he always did when there was trouble, draw the wrath to himself to protect his companions. In this case they were both aware that being caught in a homosexual relationship could end their careers, equality laws notwithstanding, and he wanted to make sure that only one of them suffered the consequences of their actions. Vin didn't know whether to be happy at having someone care for him so much or angry that someone else he had called a friend, family even, would be so cruel and judgemental. Heck, Maude wasn't even a particularly nice person; in the morals department the old woman towered head and shoulders above the crafty con woman, yet she had managed to accept the situation with good grace and good wishes. What right did Nettie have in playing God.

"No" he repeated as he moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with his lover. He handed him the bathrobe that had been draped over the chair and Ezra gratefully put it on. "Miz Nettie, I think you should leave now. You wasn't invited and you're opinions ain't welcome. Whatever is between Me and Ez is none of your business and unless you want to lose a friend you should respect that."

To say that Nettie was shocked was an understatement. For a moment she had almost believed that Vin, her Vin, was truly in a relationship with the southerner but then she rationalized what she was seeing and hearing. Vin was no more the sort of man that would allow a colleague, no matter how heinous his behaviour, to be attacked, even verbally in such a situation; in fact he probably did believe that the con man's actions were the result of medication. Heck she might have believed it too if she hadn't already come to the conclusion that the man was a pervert. But he was a cunning pervert. She hadn't missed the way the slimy man had her boy at his beck and call, fetching him his robe without even having to be asked as though he were some sort of slave. But she was smart enough to see also that Vin wouldn't think that way so she backed off. It was the only thing she could do, for now. After all she was guilty of the offences Standish had cited.

But there was more than one way to skin a faggot and somebody she knew who was a lot scarier than her to do the skinning; and what's more Vin was likely to listen to him.

With a wounded look for Vin and a glare for Ezra Nettie made to take her leave.

"Mrs Wells, aren't you forgetting something?"

Nettie turned sharply….if he thought that an apology would pass her lips then….

"The front door key." Ezra finished and held out his hand which was as steady as a rock by sheer force of will alone.

Nettie had genuinely forgotten and handed over the key gladly. If he thought that she wanted to return to this den of iniquity then he had another think coming. She would have to shower when she got home as it was. She just wished that she didn't have to leave her boy there, but at least now he was forewarned and if she had her way he would soon be free too.

It wasn't until the door snapped shut, once again giving them the privacy they had taken for granted, that Ezra allowed his emotions to surface. His headache, although gone, had left it's usual fatigue and confusion in it's wake which he had countered with a burst of adrenaline at the intrusion. With that suddenly gone it was all he could do to stand on his own two feet. Not that he had to because Vin was guiding him back to the bed where he pulled him down so that he could curl into him.

Vin felt the tremors coursing through Ezra's body as he pulled him onto the bed and all he could do was hold his normally strong lover until they subsided. He knew that the emotional fear was more for what this would mean for him; Ezra always put others before himself. But he was also sure that some of it was a reaction to the migraine. He wasn't all that steady himself though his shakes were due to anger. Nettie Wells had every right to her opinion, though he would have hoped that she might have put her prejudices aside for people she had claimed as family. For her to then barge in on Ezra and attack him when she knew he was vulnerable….well he wasn't sure he could ever forgive that. Wasn't sure he even wanted to try.

As the warmth of Vin's body and the scent of citrus and herbs that was his scent seeped into Ezra's cold and tired body and mind the shivering slowly passed and he once again gave into sleep, but not before his lips found Vins and they reaffirmed their commitment to each other, slowly and lovingly; both reassuring the other that whatever else changed their feelings had only grown stronger in the face of it.

"You need to see to the babies." Ezra reminded in between two massive yawns.

"I know. I'll go when you're asleep, now hush, you're still not a hundred percent better."

There was silence for a while and just as Vin felt Ezra's breathing even out the southerner jerked awake and added,

"You know she'll run to Chris don't you?. That's where the key came from."

"I know, but we'll deal with that later. Go to sleep before I sing ya a lullaby."

"Good Lord!" Ezra's fear was not unfounded; Vin's singing was on a par with his coffee making…abominable.

Vin chuckled. To think that they thought that guns were his ultimate weapon. It worked though as Ezra was asleep in minutes. Vin, however, didn't join him in slumber this time. He stayed awake to make sure that nobody else threatened his Ezra; and because he still had too much anger coursing through him. All his life people and fate had tried to take away the people and things in life that made him happy, but not this time. Ezra was his. His to love, his to treasure and his to protect…and woe betide anybody who tried to take him away.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Josiah and Nathan sat in the office staring in horror at the memos in front of them; memos that had yet to be read by any of the others seeing as baby Joseph had kept them both awake so late into the night that they hadn't seen any point in going to bed. They had tried taking turns but each kept forgetting that it was their turn and the neighbours had begun to complain about the constant crying. One old dear had even threatened to report them to child services until they explained that the baby wasn't real and just why they were caring for it. She then warned them that she was going to complain to the President instead, citing the waste of her taxpayer's money on silly games. Nathan had been concerned until Josiah had pointed out that she had been complaining to the President since Jimmy Carter had been in power and that the oval office could be wallpapered with her ongoing row with Mr Kaplinski over his dog's unsavoury habits alone. It still didn't help them form a workable routine which was why they had beaten everybody into the office; Nathan had to admit to a greater respect for Ezra and his efficiency, even if it did come at a price - he would have to remember to check on his friend, and for the first time he felt that Ezra truly was a friend and not just a colleague, if he didn't come in by lunchtime. Even though he knew that he was in good hands with Vin he still worried when any of them were ill. 'You'd think that being such a mother hen I'd be better at this baby business' he mused as he re-read the evil memo. Chris was going to go ballistic.

Buck and JD had already hashed out a reason why they didn't have junior in tow this morning. Buck's less than monogamous ways coming in useful for once as he invented a new girlf riend who had wanted to get into the whole baby experience by babysitting the infant. Nobody would have believed him of course, but everybody believed JD and he spent the rest of the morning feeling guilty at his deception. He just hoped that their con didn't have to last too long and Buck could track down Bobby Pickles quickly. Speaking of cons; Ezra was eyeing them both as if he could see straight through their ploy…probably could, JD concluded. But there was something else too, an air of tension that couldn't just be explained by the terrible memo they had all received. One that made the threat of mandatory psyche evaluations look like a reward rather than a punishment. And to top it all Chris was late. How could they deal with this business without Chris, unless he had already heard and was tearing Travis a new one already. JD sighed. It was too early in the day for all this crap and to make it worse every time one of the other babies began to cry he felt guilty all over again. It seemed that the only good thing to come out of the past couple of days was the way everyone helped Ezra more with the twins. No-one had realised until he had collapsed just how much the man had on his plate.

As JD nudged Buck, ready to ask once again if progress had been made, it had been at least five minutes since he'd last enquired after all, a baby began to wail from the section of the office where they had put them all in a neat little row behind a bamboo screen - for some reason very little work got done when visitors spied babies at the sides of desks and the screen, while giving an air of seclusion still fell within the rules. Only Ezra and Vin's desks had full view.

"It's Michael, Josiah." Ezra called only for Buck to yell

"Thought his name was Joseph."

"It is!" answered Nathan.

"Isn't" replied Josiah with a long suffering sigh. For two men who hadn't even bothered to come up with a name until the simulacrum arrived they had become very possessive of their own choice. Their squabble had gotten so bad that one of the Sisters at the mission had presumed that he and Nathan were the ones with twins.

Nathan winced at the petulance in both his own tone of voice and his partner's. It really shouldn't have been this difficult to cooperate, after all they worked together closely every day without trouble. He had a feeling that this project had more behind it than they had thought, because if they couldn't allow for each others opinions outside of business perhaps they weren't giving the public as much care and attention as they deserved. He was also wishing that he hadn't wagered quite so much money on himself and Josiah in the betting pool. He wasn't nearly so confident of winning now. In fact his money would switch to Ezra or maybe even Buck. Oh to be beaten by Buck! He would never live it down…and if Raine found out he would probably never get a chance to be a father.

"Okaaay" Buck, contrary to popular belief did occasionally know when to keep his mouth shut. Besides he quickly became distracted by his computer alerting him to the completion of it's task. He scanned the information and grinned. 'Result'!

"Well?" JD was hopeful given that Buck's moustache was twitching like a cat's whiskers, always a sign that Buck had succeeded in something sneaky…or was about to get laid. And he was pretty sure that wasn't the case since that the only female present was Gloria Potter.

Buck turned to his impatient partner but before he could answer the door to the Team 7 offices slammed open and a figure of barely controlled violence and rage stormed to his office, only to detour to the conference room when he saw that it was occupied by Mrs Potter…knitting bootees.

VIN, EZRA! CONFERENCE ROOM NOW!"

Bucks eyebrows rose; he hadn't seen Chris this pissed off in a long long time. He certainly wouldn't want to be in his two young friend's shoes for all the tea in China. He watched as the duo exchanged glances, faces pale but expressions resolute. He also noticed the subtle meeting of fingertips in a mutually reassuring caress as they moved away from their desks; Ezra nodded at Josiah's call that they would look out for the babies and he caught Buck's eye as he passed by, a small sad smile of acknowledgement for the understanding he saw in the dark blue eyes. Vin gave Buck a solemn nod as he too realised that Buck had guessed. And then they were gone…into the lion's den.

"Oh Shit!" Buck whispered as all the little pieces that had been bothering him of late fell into place. He got up from his desk, swinging his computer screen to face JD in answer to his curiosity about the whereabouts of his old college friend. As important as fixing the baby was this was far more urgent. Those boys looked like they were going to need someone in their corner and soon. When Chris got that angry any sense he had tended to go out the window pretty quick and he was in danger of saying something he couldn't take back, even if he almost certainly didn't mean it.

His walk turned into a run as he heard the sound of breaking glass and a muffled thump as if a body had fallen to the floor.

TBC

A/N I know, I'm cruel. Hope nobody minds me demonizing Nettie. Since I didn't do it to Maude she was the prime candidate :D It's a tad shorter than usual but not by much. Oh, and please don't tell me off for Chris's attitude - all may not be quite as it seems. Then again it might. LOL