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azombiewritesTitle: The Bounty
Sixth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Four bounty hunters arrive in Four Corners looking for two wanted men. One of them is Vin Tanner who is wanted for murder and the other is Ezra Standish.
Main Characters: Ezra, Vin and the rest of the seven, and some OC's
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed*
Notes: Sixth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 16,708
Part One
Chris Larabee entered the saloon to find Ezra in his usual place and in his usual state. Ezra didn’t seem to be coping to well after the incident with the bank robbers that he had been involved with - which was because he had lost his memory - but Ezra blamed himself for the death of the bank teller as though he had pulled the trigger himself. Chris went over to him.
"Ezra, don't you think that you’ve had enough to drink?" he asked.
"If I’m still standing, Chris, then I’ve not had enough to drink," growled Ezra. He was angry and had been for a while, and he was using that anger to keep his friends away.
"You know I’m starting to get a bit sick of your self-pity."
"Oh really," smiled Ezra not caring what Chris thought.
"It wasn't your fault, Ezra and it's about time you realised that."
"So you and everybody else keep telling me and I’m getting quite sick of it myself."
Chris gave up as he always did and went to join Vin and Josiah at the table that they were occupying.
"We really need to do something about Ezra," Chris stated, "there’s going to come a time when we’re going to need him and he’s is going to be too drunk to help."
"What can we do? We’ve tried talking to him but he won't listen," said Vin as he watched Ezra try to make his way to his room. He watched Ezra nearly fall but he was able to pick himself up and keep going.
"I think that’s going to come to the point where we’re going to have to lock him in a room and make him listen," growled Chris.
"Chris, you can't make him listen to something that he does not want to hear or believe," said Josiah.
"The best thing would be to try and get him to accept what happened." Josiah began to get up. "I’m going to try and talk to him again."
Josiah followed Ezra up to his room, he didn't knock and when he entered, he found Ezra sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Ezra looked up at him as he came in and a scowl crossed his handsome features. "What do you want? Don't tell me, you’re going to say how it wasn’t my fault and that I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself. Well you’ve said it now so get out."
Instead of leaving, Josiah went over and sat down next to Ezra. "I want you to tell me it wasn’t your fault." Josiah looked at him and he could see the self-hatred that had grown in Ezra over the last week. "And if you won't do that can't you at least accept what happened and get on with your life."
"Just get out Josiah," said Ezra.
"You need to move on, Ezra, this is eating away at you. Look at yourself. You’re a mess. You’re losing weight again because you won't eat anything. All you do is drink until you pass out."
"Get out of my room Josiah," growled Ezra.
"Talk to me Ezra."
Ezra managed to get up and he walked over to the door of his room. "Get the hell out!" he yelled at Josiah.
He stayed sitting on the floor. Ezra threw the bottle of whiskey that he still had in his hand at Josiah. The bottle missed him by two inches but the bottle shattered spraying Josiah with glass and whiskey. Josiah got off the floor and walked over to Ezra. He looked at him but Ezra couldn’t return the gaze, instead he looked down at the floor. Josiah didn’t say anything to him. After he left Ezra slammed the door shut, went, and sat back down on the floor. He didn't want to sleep; he had too many nightmares these days. He had not told anyone about them, as it was bad enough as it was. He was full on anger and self-hatred over what happened. He tried to get away from it by getting drunk but it didn't help, he still felt the same way drunk as he did when he was sober.
He eventually fell asleep on the floor. He was too tired to stay awake to long and after only a few minutes the nightmares began. He dreamt of being in the bank, he could see George behind the counter, he could see his gun arm come up and point in the direction of the person in front of him. He watched as he pulled the trigger. He tried to stop himself but he couldn't do it. He saw George go down, the blood oozing from the wound in his chest. He was then in the street with Sam to one side of him and Chris in front. When it actually happened, it was Ezra who was shot, but every time in his dream it was Chris that was gunned down and it was by Ezra's gun. Each time it happened Ezra woke with a jerk, the scream still in his throat.
==============================================
The following day four men entered Four Corners. They were bounty hunters looking for two wanted men. They headed to the saloon. Most bounty hunters went to see the Sheriff first but not these four as they were not your normal bounty collectors. They didn’t always work for the law and in this case, they were working for two different men each with their own reasons for wanting the lawmen. There was a bounty on their heads and because it was Dead or Alive, they were going to collect two rewards. One from the men who wanted them and then one from the law after they were handed in dead.
They entered the saloon and headed towards a table in the corner. As they sat down, they saw one of the bounties that they were after.
Halen smiled. "There's one of them," he nodded towards the table that Vin Tanner was sitting at. He recognised Vin from the wanted poster that he was given. He had a description of the other one but it would not be too hard to spot a gambler. "Jerry, why don't you go and get us a drink and we will wait for the other one to show up and then we will figure out how we’re going to get them out of town without their friends knowing about it.”
It wasn't until late afternoon that Ezra showed his face. He had managed to shave and make himself presentable but that was all. You could tell that he had not had much sleep and he was also pale. In addition, his clothes were becoming baggy again. The others were beginning to think that they would never see him in a healthy state again. As usual, he didn’t join his friends at their table. He had seen Chris, Vin and Buck watching him as he came down the stairs but he ignored them. He went straight out the front door of the saloon. He didn't feel like a drink, it didn't help him but he did feel like a strong cup of coffee.
Halen had also seen Ezra come down the stairs and he told his comrades that he was the second man that they were hired to collect. In addition, from the look of him he decided that they were not going to have much trouble with him. They sat there for a while longer deciding what their plan was going to be.
Ezra had nearly reached the restaurant when he bumped into Mary Travis. He hadn't really been looking where he was going. He found it hard to look the townspeople in the eye, as every time he did all he saw was disgust; he knew they blamed him.
"Mr. Standish, how are you this morning," asked Mary trying to hide the concern that she felt as she knew that it would just make him angry.
"I’m fine thank you, Mrs. Travis, now if you will excuse me I have somewhere to go." He tipped his hat and continued on before she could say anything else. Once Ezra had gotten himself some coffee he sat on the porch of the local store-watching people as they went by seeing what he wanted to see on their faces - disapproval.
==============================================
The four men in the saloon had decided on a plan. First, they would take the gambler and while the others were distracted looking for him they would then take Tanner.
==============================================
Mary was returning to the Clarion when she saw Ezra sitting outside the general store. Stopped and sat down beside him. He didn’t look at her. She didn’t say anything when she first saw him because he would have been angry but she couldn’t just walk past him and leave him the way he was. She could see the expression on his pale face and she also saw that his clothes no longer really fitted him; he must not have eaten all week she thought to herself. The others had tried to help him but he would not accept their help. They had told her what happened, she had not been in town at the time as she had been visiting Judge Travis.
"Ezra," she used his first name thinking that under the circumstances it would be better.
"Yes, Mrs. Travis." He looked up at her.
She caught her breath at the sight of the pain that his eyes held. "Is there anything that I could do for you? I know that you don't want to talk about it but if there was anything else." Mary put her hand on his.
Ezra withdrew his hand away from Mary's. "No, Mrs. Travis, there is nothing you can do for me. Thank you for the kind offer though." He forced a smile to his lips but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Mary was saddened by what he was going through. "Well, if there is anything just let me know." She smiled back at him and then got up. She walked away looking back over her shoulder at him.
Ezra sat for a moment longer and the decided that he could do with a drink after all. He was passing by an alleyway when two men stepped in front of him. One of them was holding a gun. "Mr. Standish, would you please step this was and if you pull that derringer from your sleeve I will shoot you here and now."
"And what do you intend to do once we’re in there?" He asked. He didn't really care and he was to down within himself to want to put up much up a fight either.
"You’ve a bounty on your head and we intend to collect it," the man with the gun answered. "Now do as you are told or we will have to do it the hard way."
"There is no longer a bounty on me for bail jumping as Judge Travis gave me a pardon," explained Ezra.
"It's not that bounty we’re after." The man smiled an evil grin as he followed Ezra into the alley.
As they removed his guns from his person, Ezra tried to think of what other bounty was on his head.
As far as he knew, there was only the one. "What bounty are you after then?" He had given up trying to remember so he asked the question instead.
"It's a surprise," he smiled at Ezra. "One that you are going to enjoy nearly as much as the man who wants you. Now we don't want any trouble from you as the bounty is dead or alive and we can collect just as easy if we killed you."
He tied Ezra's hands together and under gunpoint, he was directed to the stable. Once there they saddled their horses and rode out of town with no one the wiser as to where Ezra was or what had just happened to him. When they had ridden for an hour, they stopped and got off their horses. The man that had pulled his gun on Ezra went over to him and dragged him off the horse.
"So what are you going to do, hang me here," asked Ezra.
"No we’re actually going to wait for some friends of ours and a friend of yours." He took enjoyment from the confused expression on Ezra's face. "They shouldn’t be too long and then you will know what I’m talking about." He walked away then and left Ezra to wonder whom it was they were talking about. He suddenly realised that the only other person that they would be after was Vin Tanner as he had a bounty on his head.
==============================================
Halen and Jerry waited in town for an opportunity to grab Tanner. He knew that his other two men would have Standish by now and they were just waiting for his friends to notice that he was missing. Tanner was sitting with three other lawmen and they needed to get him alone or at least lower the number of people with him.
Mary came into the saloon then carrying a tray of food. She went over to the table that Chris, Vin, Buck and Josiah were sitting at. "Gentlemen," she smiled. "Is Mr. Standish up in his room?"
"No, he left this afternoon and we haven't seen him since," answered Chris.
"I brought him some food. I saw him earlier and he looks like he hasn’t been eating at all. I’m getting very worried about him."
"We all are, Mrs. Travis," said Josiah. "Where did you see him anyway?"
"Outside the general store. But that was an hour ago," she looked down as a sadness came over her face. "He shouldn’t be going through this."
"That we also agree with. Do you think that we should go and look for him, Chris, just to make sure that he’s alright?" asked Buck.
"He’s probably drunk somewhere anyway so what does it matter. If you want to look for him go right ahead," he grimaced. He was tired of the whole situation. The next time he saw Ezra he wasn’t going to leave him alone until he admitted that what happened wasn’t his fault.
"Fine. I’m going to look for him." Buck got up and looked first at Josiah and then Vin. They both sighed and got up and left the saloon with him.
Halen was watching the situation unfold and knew that this was their chance to grab Tanner. They also got up and followed the three lawmen out of the saloon. Once they reached the footpath, they saw that they had split up and gone in different directions. They also saw that Tanner was headed for the livery. "He is making it easy for us," smiled Jerry.
Vin had decided to check to see if Ezra's horse was still in the stable. When he found that it wasn't he turned around to go back and tell Chris that Ezra was gone. He saw two men standing in the doorway.
"You’re coming with us, Vin Tanner. You’ve a bounty on your head and we intend to collect it. Now drop your gun on the ground before we shoot you."
Vin was tempted to do something, he wasn’t willing to go freely but there were two guns pointed in his direction and by the looks on their faces, they would shoot so he decided to go with them at the moment but as soon as an opportunity came up, he would take it. He pulled his gun out of its holster and placed it on the ground. One of the men then came up to him and tied his hands in front of him.
'That was your first mistake.' thought Vin.
"Which one is your horse?" the man asked.
Vin nodded towards his horse and watched as they saddled his horse. They then told him to get on and they headed out of town to join their friends who they were sure would also have Ezra Standish.
==============================================
Ezra was sitting quietly watching the two men who sat near their horses. They were also watching him. But they had smiles on their faces as though they knew what he would be in for. They all heard riders coming towards them. The two men hoping that it was their companions and Ezra knowing that it would be them, as he didn’t expect anyone to be coming after him to help. He looked up and saw the two men on their horses and he also saw Vin Tanner. He was correct when he thought that it would be Vin that they were after.
Vin arrived into the camp to see someone that he didn’t expect to see. He saw Ezra sitting with his back against a tree and his hands were in his lap. Anger grew on his features. "Have you got something do with this Ezra?" He said angrily.
"Now how did I know that you would assume something like that?" Ezra smiled but it wasn’t a friendly one. He held his hands up so Vin could see that they were also tied. "As you can see I’m a prisoner just like you."
Vin could have kicked himself if he was able. That was the last thing that Ezra needed. He didn't think, after being grabbed and dragged out here only to see Ezra. The thought just jumped out of his mouth without him thinking about it first. He felt arms grab him and drag him off the horse. He was then thrown on the ground next to Ezra who scowled at him.
"I'm sorry, Ezra, I didn't think," said Vin.
"No, you didn't, none of you do." Ezra was looking away from him so Vin couldn’t see the hurt that Ezra felt at the accusation. After everything they had been through, he still thought him capable of doing something like that.
After a fifteen-minute rest, the men came, got Vin and Ezra, and moved them towards their horses. They then rode out to a destination unknown to the Vin and Ezra. Halen didn’t allow them to ride together, they were kept separate. They continued to ride until darkness started to settle over the land.
"Well make camp here," called Halen.
Vin and Ezra were told to get off their horses and were motioned to sit in front of the large rock that was to their left. Guns followed them as they moved. Once they were settled, Vin began to discuss a plan of escape with Ezra.
"It is foolhardy and it will only get either one or both of us hurt or killed," stated Ezra.
"Not if you do what I just told you to do Ezra," Vin said back to him. "Listen, I’m not going to let these guys take me in and hang me for a crime that I didn’t commit so we’re going to escape. You got it!"
"I noticed that you forgot to state my innocence as well Vin, therefore I assume that you think that I’m guilty of what they claim the bounty is for," said Ezra. He was becoming very tired of these men believing everything they’re told about him.
"I don't know what they grabbed you for, Ezra, so I can't judge you."
"Well then that makes two of us who don't know why I’m here," growled Ezra.
"You don't know why your here?" questioned Vin.
"Did I not just say that, Vin," sighed Ezra.
Vin Ignored him. "When they bring over some food or water and there are two of them then we deal with them and then make a run for it behind this rock." Ezra didn’t say anything. "Okay Ezra?"
"I’ll do it but please, make a note that I disagree with your plan."
"Great! You can complain about it all you want when we get back to town," smiled Vin not knowing that Ezra was correct in his statement that someone was going to be hurt.
They only had to wait half an hour before two of the men came over with a plate in each hand. One of them actually had the plate in his gun hand. As they came closer, Vin got ready to jump at them. He looked across at Ezra seeing that he was also prepared, he was glad of that because if he didn’t help him then he would pay for it once they did get out of this situation.
When they were close enough Vin and Ezra jumped up and rushed the two men. Ezra ran straight into the man in front of him slamming his shoulder into his stomach, the man dropped the plate and doubled over gasping for breath. He then brought his foot up and kicked the man in the jaw knocking him backwards. He looked towards Vin and saw that he had also taken care of the man he went for.
They were both about to run when they heard a gunshot.
They both stood still and turned back around to find Halen standing in front of them with his gun pointed in Vin's direction. He walked towards them slowly with his right-hand man coming up behind him. "Now where do you think you two are going?" He smiled but it was a bitter smile.
"We thought we would go back to town where the food would be better," Ezra smiled back at him.
Halen nodded to Jerry who then went and picked up a thick branch that was lying nearby. He returned to stand next to Halen. He asked another question while looking at the branch that Jerry held as if to say that any more smart mouth comments would result in pain being inflicted upon that person with the use of the branch.
He looked at Vin. "I want to know whose idea the escape attempt was." He expected it would be Tanner.
"It was my idea," said Vin tensing himself for the blow that was going to come from the man holding the branch
But instead, Jerry moved straight to Ezra. He swung the branch and it hit Ezra in the side cracking two of the ribs in his right side. Vin watched as the punishment was inflicted on Ezra and not him. Jerry brought the branch up again and this time it hit Ezra squarely on the side of his right temple. He grunted and then collapsed in a heap at Jerry's feet. Halen then moved next to him and kicked Ezra in the side causing the cracked ribs to break under the weight of his foot. He then turned to Vin.
"That should stop you trying to make any more plans for an escape," he laughed and walked back to the campfire that they had made earlier.
Vin went to Ezra and knelt down beside him. He turned him over onto his back and saw the blood that was flowing from the wound on the side of his head. Vin pulled his own shirt out, tore a strip off, and pressed it against the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
"I'm sorry, Ezra, it should have been me. I should have listened to you," said Vin. He looked down at Ezra watching as his face became paler with each second. He didn’t know what to do now. He couldn’t escape and leave him here. He would have to go along with them now and wait until they got to a town so a Doctor could look at Ezra. But what Vin didn’t know was that they were not headed for a town. They were headed for a place where a man would not care if Ezra lived or died, in fact he would prefer that he died.
==============================================
Josiah and Buck had returned to the saloon stating that they had not found Ezra anywhere. They also noted that Vin had not returned.
"Where do you think he is?" asked JD, he had joined Chris in the saloon not long after they had left to look for Ezra and he had explained to JD what was going on.
"Probably done his usual thing of running off and expecting us to look for him," growled Chris.
"It's different this time, Chris," Josiah looked up at him. "The way he is feeling about himself at the moment he could and might do something stupid."
"What do you mean something stupid?" Enquired JD not realising what Josiah was saying. Buck and Chris were also looking at him but they had an idea of what he was talking about and they didn't like it.
"He hates himself at the moment, JD, and when you hate yourself as much as Ezra does you may begin to think that you shouldn’t be living. And Ezra could end up thinking that it should be him that is dead and not George. He may do something to rectify that situation. Even though it is not going to help himself or anyone else for that matter." he looked grim. He didn’t think that Ezra was capable of such a thing but with the state that he was in, they couldn’t take the chance.
"Maybe Vin found him. He went to look in the stable for his horse, think I’ll go and check there myself." Buck got up and walked out of the saloon.
He returned fifteen minutes later saying that both Ezra's and Vin's horses were gone. "Vin must have gone after him." stated Chris. "Because it’s so late, we’ll give them till morning and if they’re not back we’ll split up and go after them."
'They better be back, if I have to ride all day tomorrow just to find him wallowing in his self-pity then he will end up having a lot more to be sorry about.' Chris kept this thought to himself.
==============================================
Vin kept the makeshift bandaged pressed against Ezra's head wound but the blood flow had only slowed. He would check his ribs once the bleeding had stopped. He was afraid that if he took the pressure off it would begin to bleed heavily again. He felt the chill of the night begin to creep into his own bones and knew that it would not do Ezra any good. "Hey!" He called out to the men who were keeping themselves warm by the fire.
"What!" Halen called back.
"I want to move Ezra closer to the fire. He needs to be kept warm."
"No! You can both stay where you are."
Vin heard the laughter. "You can't leave him like this he could die."
"Well you should have thought of that before you tried to escape." Halen was still laughing and this time his men joined in.
After a while longer the bleeding finally stopped. Vin then opened Ezra's waistcoat, lifted his shirt, and began to feel his sides for any broken ribs. As well as feeling how cold Ezra was he also felt the two broken ribs move under his touch. He expected Ezra to make some sort of response to the pain that this would have caused him but he made none. He hadn't moved or made a sound since it happened. He needed to get Ezra warm but if he took off his own coat then he would only end up getting cold and if that caused him to get sick then he would be no help to Ezra. So he did Ezra's clothing up and then gently lifted him until his back was against Vin's chest. He then pulled his own coat around Ezra as much as it would go. And they stayed that way through the entire night. When morning came, Ezra had still not moved or made a sound. Vin was becoming very worried. They had managed to keep warm enough through the night but he needed to see something from Ezra, anything.
Two of the men who had grabbed them came over with their horses. One of them leant down and grabbed Ezra's arms. "You're gonna help me throw him over his horse and then we can get going," he said to Vin.
"You can't do that he's got some broken ribs, they could press against his lungs and if it is punctured he could die," growled Vin moving up with Ezra still in his arms.
The other man pulled his gun. "We could just kill him now and save all the trouble or you can help Dylan put him on the horse."
Vin knew he had no choice. He helped put Ezra on the horse. The man called Dylan then tied Ezra's hands and feet to the saddle so he would not fall off. Vin then got on his own horse and this time he was allowed to ride along side of Ezra, not that he was able to do anything for him.
==============================================
The other five hired lawmen had gathered in the saloon when they realised that neither Vin nor Ezra had returned. "Where are we going to start looking," asked Buck.
"Before we ride out we’re going to ask around town to see if somebody saw them ride out. We will have half an hour to do this and then we meet back here. If no one saw them we will just have to split up and hope that we find some sign of them."
They all left heading in different directions and they each returned half an hour later with only one of them having good news. "Joe up at the meeting hall said that he saw Vin ride out with two strangers. Said that it seemed like he was going with them of his own choice. But he would have told us if he was leaving wouldn't he?" stated JD.
"Yeah he would have," agreed Chris. "Nothin on Ezra though?" They all shook their heads. "Okay which way were they headed JD?"
"North."
"This is what we’re going to do. JD, you’re going to stay here in case Ezra shows up." He saw JD begin to protest but he cut him short. "When he does show I want the two of you to follow us." JD agreed knowing that arguing would not get him anywhere. "The rest of us will go after Vin. The only thing that I could think of is that the two men with him are bounty hunters." And it was because of this thought that Chris didn’t even consider the fact that Ezra might also be with Vin and the bounty hunters.
==============================================
They had finally stopped for a break to rest themselves and their horses. Vin was dragged from his horse and he watched as one of them untied Ezra and let him slump to the ground. Vin went to move toward him. "You stay where you are." Dylan said to him.
"But you can't just leave him there."
"I can do what I want and as you were told, we could kill him and if you keep arguing with me I may just kill him to shut you up," the man growled as he went away.
He then returned with some water and a small amount of food for Vin. But he couldn’t eat anything. All he could do was sit there watching Ezra as he didn’t make any sign of life, and Vin couldn’t check on him so he had to sit there and watch not knowing if Ezra was alive or dead.
Vin sat there for an hour watching Ezra. He thought that he had seen some movement from him but he thought that it must have been his imagination as there had been no sign of anything since. Nothing to show that he was coming round. After the men had finished eating, he was told to help put Ezra on the horse again and Vin took the opportunity to quickly look him over. The wound on his head had not started bleeding again but it did need cleaning as it was on this side of his head that he lay on the ground and Vin could see the dirt that had gotten into the wound and if it wasn’t cleaned it would become infected. He checked Ezra's breathing and noticed that it was steady and regular. He just wished that Ezra would wake up.
They rode all afternoon without stopping and again when they did make camp both Vin and Ezra were removed from their horses, Vin protesting and Ezra not making a sound. He watched as they made a campfire and just like the night before they would not allow him to move Ezra closer to the fire. He asked if they would at least give him some water. They allowed him a small amount, not enough to drink and to clean Ezra's wound so he went without. He tore another strip from his shirt and used it to clean the cut on the side of Ezra's head. He heard Ezra moan as he put the cloth against the wound.
"Ezra," Vin leaned forward hoping to hear him say something. But he didn’t make any more noises.
Ezra had finally regained consciousness but had gone straight into a deep sleep where he dreamed of George Tascon. He dreamt the same dream as he always did and it ended the same way except this time a scream did erupt from his throat. He woke up as he always did after shooting Chris and sat up but he felt both the pain in his side and his head and this allowed the scream to involuntarily come out of his mouth. He fell back down to the ground gasping for breath, hoping that the pain would subside.
"Ezra, try not to move, okay," said a worried Vin.
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at Vin. "Do you think that I’m stupid, Vin, of course I’m not going to move," he spat out. "Unless you want to try another escape attempt. Perhaps this time we could try and have me killed."
Vin was amazed that someone who was unconscious for so long could say so much when they first woke up. "Well, I see that your mood hasn’t changed any."
Ezra through him a look and if looks could kill Vin Tanner would have been a dead man right there and then.
"I believe that I have a good reason for being in a bad mood," growled Ezra wincing at the same time from the pain that was going through his body.
"I'm sorry, Ezra. But we couldn't just sit back and let them take us. It’s alright for you. They’re going to hang me; you’ll probably just end up in jail."
"I suppose that it’s too much to ask for some water?" He asked.
"Yeah, it is," answered Vin with a sigh. "They didn't give me enough and I used it to clean the cut on your head." Vin sat quietly for a moment. Ezra had closed his eyes again. Vin thought that he was asleep so he didn’t say anything else to him. He hoped that now he had regained consciousness that he would be okay.
Part One | Part Two
Master Fan Fiction List
Sixth story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Four bounty hunters arrive in Four Corners looking for two wanted men. One of them is Vin Tanner who is wanted for murder and the other is Ezra Standish.
Main Characters: Ezra, Vin and the rest of the seven, and some OC's
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *is ashamed*
Notes: Sixth story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 16,708
Part One
Chris Larabee entered the saloon to find Ezra in his usual place and in his usual state. Ezra didn’t seem to be coping to well after the incident with the bank robbers that he had been involved with - which was because he had lost his memory - but Ezra blamed himself for the death of the bank teller as though he had pulled the trigger himself. Chris went over to him.
"Ezra, don't you think that you’ve had enough to drink?" he asked.
"If I’m still standing, Chris, then I’ve not had enough to drink," growled Ezra. He was angry and had been for a while, and he was using that anger to keep his friends away.
"You know I’m starting to get a bit sick of your self-pity."
"Oh really," smiled Ezra not caring what Chris thought.
"It wasn't your fault, Ezra and it's about time you realised that."
"So you and everybody else keep telling me and I’m getting quite sick of it myself."
Chris gave up as he always did and went to join Vin and Josiah at the table that they were occupying.
"We really need to do something about Ezra," Chris stated, "there’s going to come a time when we’re going to need him and he’s is going to be too drunk to help."
"What can we do? We’ve tried talking to him but he won't listen," said Vin as he watched Ezra try to make his way to his room. He watched Ezra nearly fall but he was able to pick himself up and keep going.
"I think that’s going to come to the point where we’re going to have to lock him in a room and make him listen," growled Chris.
"Chris, you can't make him listen to something that he does not want to hear or believe," said Josiah.
"The best thing would be to try and get him to accept what happened." Josiah began to get up. "I’m going to try and talk to him again."
Josiah followed Ezra up to his room, he didn't knock and when he entered, he found Ezra sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Ezra looked up at him as he came in and a scowl crossed his handsome features. "What do you want? Don't tell me, you’re going to say how it wasn’t my fault and that I shouldn’t feel sorry for myself. Well you’ve said it now so get out."
Instead of leaving, Josiah went over and sat down next to Ezra. "I want you to tell me it wasn’t your fault." Josiah looked at him and he could see the self-hatred that had grown in Ezra over the last week. "And if you won't do that can't you at least accept what happened and get on with your life."
"Just get out Josiah," said Ezra.
"You need to move on, Ezra, this is eating away at you. Look at yourself. You’re a mess. You’re losing weight again because you won't eat anything. All you do is drink until you pass out."
"Get out of my room Josiah," growled Ezra.
"Talk to me Ezra."
Ezra managed to get up and he walked over to the door of his room. "Get the hell out!" he yelled at Josiah.
He stayed sitting on the floor. Ezra threw the bottle of whiskey that he still had in his hand at Josiah. The bottle missed him by two inches but the bottle shattered spraying Josiah with glass and whiskey. Josiah got off the floor and walked over to Ezra. He looked at him but Ezra couldn’t return the gaze, instead he looked down at the floor. Josiah didn’t say anything to him. After he left Ezra slammed the door shut, went, and sat back down on the floor. He didn't want to sleep; he had too many nightmares these days. He had not told anyone about them, as it was bad enough as it was. He was full on anger and self-hatred over what happened. He tried to get away from it by getting drunk but it didn't help, he still felt the same way drunk as he did when he was sober.
He eventually fell asleep on the floor. He was too tired to stay awake to long and after only a few minutes the nightmares began. He dreamt of being in the bank, he could see George behind the counter, he could see his gun arm come up and point in the direction of the person in front of him. He watched as he pulled the trigger. He tried to stop himself but he couldn't do it. He saw George go down, the blood oozing from the wound in his chest. He was then in the street with Sam to one side of him and Chris in front. When it actually happened, it was Ezra who was shot, but every time in his dream it was Chris that was gunned down and it was by Ezra's gun. Each time it happened Ezra woke with a jerk, the scream still in his throat.
The following day four men entered Four Corners. They were bounty hunters looking for two wanted men. They headed to the saloon. Most bounty hunters went to see the Sheriff first but not these four as they were not your normal bounty collectors. They didn’t always work for the law and in this case, they were working for two different men each with their own reasons for wanting the lawmen. There was a bounty on their heads and because it was Dead or Alive, they were going to collect two rewards. One from the men who wanted them and then one from the law after they were handed in dead.
They entered the saloon and headed towards a table in the corner. As they sat down, they saw one of the bounties that they were after.
Halen smiled. "There's one of them," he nodded towards the table that Vin Tanner was sitting at. He recognised Vin from the wanted poster that he was given. He had a description of the other one but it would not be too hard to spot a gambler. "Jerry, why don't you go and get us a drink and we will wait for the other one to show up and then we will figure out how we’re going to get them out of town without their friends knowing about it.”
It wasn't until late afternoon that Ezra showed his face. He had managed to shave and make himself presentable but that was all. You could tell that he had not had much sleep and he was also pale. In addition, his clothes were becoming baggy again. The others were beginning to think that they would never see him in a healthy state again. As usual, he didn’t join his friends at their table. He had seen Chris, Vin and Buck watching him as he came down the stairs but he ignored them. He went straight out the front door of the saloon. He didn't feel like a drink, it didn't help him but he did feel like a strong cup of coffee.
Halen had also seen Ezra come down the stairs and he told his comrades that he was the second man that they were hired to collect. In addition, from the look of him he decided that they were not going to have much trouble with him. They sat there for a while longer deciding what their plan was going to be.
Ezra had nearly reached the restaurant when he bumped into Mary Travis. He hadn't really been looking where he was going. He found it hard to look the townspeople in the eye, as every time he did all he saw was disgust; he knew they blamed him.
"Mr. Standish, how are you this morning," asked Mary trying to hide the concern that she felt as she knew that it would just make him angry.
"I’m fine thank you, Mrs. Travis, now if you will excuse me I have somewhere to go." He tipped his hat and continued on before she could say anything else. Once Ezra had gotten himself some coffee he sat on the porch of the local store-watching people as they went by seeing what he wanted to see on their faces - disapproval.
The four men in the saloon had decided on a plan. First, they would take the gambler and while the others were distracted looking for him they would then take Tanner.
Mary was returning to the Clarion when she saw Ezra sitting outside the general store. Stopped and sat down beside him. He didn’t look at her. She didn’t say anything when she first saw him because he would have been angry but she couldn’t just walk past him and leave him the way he was. She could see the expression on his pale face and she also saw that his clothes no longer really fitted him; he must not have eaten all week she thought to herself. The others had tried to help him but he would not accept their help. They had told her what happened, she had not been in town at the time as she had been visiting Judge Travis.
"Ezra," she used his first name thinking that under the circumstances it would be better.
"Yes, Mrs. Travis." He looked up at her.
She caught her breath at the sight of the pain that his eyes held. "Is there anything that I could do for you? I know that you don't want to talk about it but if there was anything else." Mary put her hand on his.
Ezra withdrew his hand away from Mary's. "No, Mrs. Travis, there is nothing you can do for me. Thank you for the kind offer though." He forced a smile to his lips but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Mary was saddened by what he was going through. "Well, if there is anything just let me know." She smiled back at him and then got up. She walked away looking back over her shoulder at him.
Ezra sat for a moment longer and the decided that he could do with a drink after all. He was passing by an alleyway when two men stepped in front of him. One of them was holding a gun. "Mr. Standish, would you please step this was and if you pull that derringer from your sleeve I will shoot you here and now."
"And what do you intend to do once we’re in there?" He asked. He didn't really care and he was to down within himself to want to put up much up a fight either.
"You’ve a bounty on your head and we intend to collect it," the man with the gun answered. "Now do as you are told or we will have to do it the hard way."
"There is no longer a bounty on me for bail jumping as Judge Travis gave me a pardon," explained Ezra.
"It's not that bounty we’re after." The man smiled an evil grin as he followed Ezra into the alley.
As they removed his guns from his person, Ezra tried to think of what other bounty was on his head.
As far as he knew, there was only the one. "What bounty are you after then?" He had given up trying to remember so he asked the question instead.
"It's a surprise," he smiled at Ezra. "One that you are going to enjoy nearly as much as the man who wants you. Now we don't want any trouble from you as the bounty is dead or alive and we can collect just as easy if we killed you."
He tied Ezra's hands together and under gunpoint, he was directed to the stable. Once there they saddled their horses and rode out of town with no one the wiser as to where Ezra was or what had just happened to him. When they had ridden for an hour, they stopped and got off their horses. The man that had pulled his gun on Ezra went over to him and dragged him off the horse.
"So what are you going to do, hang me here," asked Ezra.
"No we’re actually going to wait for some friends of ours and a friend of yours." He took enjoyment from the confused expression on Ezra's face. "They shouldn’t be too long and then you will know what I’m talking about." He walked away then and left Ezra to wonder whom it was they were talking about. He suddenly realised that the only other person that they would be after was Vin Tanner as he had a bounty on his head.
Halen and Jerry waited in town for an opportunity to grab Tanner. He knew that his other two men would have Standish by now and they were just waiting for his friends to notice that he was missing. Tanner was sitting with three other lawmen and they needed to get him alone or at least lower the number of people with him.
Mary came into the saloon then carrying a tray of food. She went over to the table that Chris, Vin, Buck and Josiah were sitting at. "Gentlemen," she smiled. "Is Mr. Standish up in his room?"
"No, he left this afternoon and we haven't seen him since," answered Chris.
"I brought him some food. I saw him earlier and he looks like he hasn’t been eating at all. I’m getting very worried about him."
"We all are, Mrs. Travis," said Josiah. "Where did you see him anyway?"
"Outside the general store. But that was an hour ago," she looked down as a sadness came over her face. "He shouldn’t be going through this."
"That we also agree with. Do you think that we should go and look for him, Chris, just to make sure that he’s alright?" asked Buck.
"He’s probably drunk somewhere anyway so what does it matter. If you want to look for him go right ahead," he grimaced. He was tired of the whole situation. The next time he saw Ezra he wasn’t going to leave him alone until he admitted that what happened wasn’t his fault.
"Fine. I’m going to look for him." Buck got up and looked first at Josiah and then Vin. They both sighed and got up and left the saloon with him.
Halen was watching the situation unfold and knew that this was their chance to grab Tanner. They also got up and followed the three lawmen out of the saloon. Once they reached the footpath, they saw that they had split up and gone in different directions. They also saw that Tanner was headed for the livery. "He is making it easy for us," smiled Jerry.
Vin had decided to check to see if Ezra's horse was still in the stable. When he found that it wasn't he turned around to go back and tell Chris that Ezra was gone. He saw two men standing in the doorway.
"You’re coming with us, Vin Tanner. You’ve a bounty on your head and we intend to collect it. Now drop your gun on the ground before we shoot you."
Vin was tempted to do something, he wasn’t willing to go freely but there were two guns pointed in his direction and by the looks on their faces, they would shoot so he decided to go with them at the moment but as soon as an opportunity came up, he would take it. He pulled his gun out of its holster and placed it on the ground. One of the men then came up to him and tied his hands in front of him.
'That was your first mistake.' thought Vin.
"Which one is your horse?" the man asked.
Vin nodded towards his horse and watched as they saddled his horse. They then told him to get on and they headed out of town to join their friends who they were sure would also have Ezra Standish.
Ezra was sitting quietly watching the two men who sat near their horses. They were also watching him. But they had smiles on their faces as though they knew what he would be in for. They all heard riders coming towards them. The two men hoping that it was their companions and Ezra knowing that it would be them, as he didn’t expect anyone to be coming after him to help. He looked up and saw the two men on their horses and he also saw Vin Tanner. He was correct when he thought that it would be Vin that they were after.
Vin arrived into the camp to see someone that he didn’t expect to see. He saw Ezra sitting with his back against a tree and his hands were in his lap. Anger grew on his features. "Have you got something do with this Ezra?" He said angrily.
"Now how did I know that you would assume something like that?" Ezra smiled but it wasn’t a friendly one. He held his hands up so Vin could see that they were also tied. "As you can see I’m a prisoner just like you."
Vin could have kicked himself if he was able. That was the last thing that Ezra needed. He didn't think, after being grabbed and dragged out here only to see Ezra. The thought just jumped out of his mouth without him thinking about it first. He felt arms grab him and drag him off the horse. He was then thrown on the ground next to Ezra who scowled at him.
"I'm sorry, Ezra, I didn't think," said Vin.
"No, you didn't, none of you do." Ezra was looking away from him so Vin couldn’t see the hurt that Ezra felt at the accusation. After everything they had been through, he still thought him capable of doing something like that.
After a fifteen-minute rest, the men came, got Vin and Ezra, and moved them towards their horses. They then rode out to a destination unknown to the Vin and Ezra. Halen didn’t allow them to ride together, they were kept separate. They continued to ride until darkness started to settle over the land.
"Well make camp here," called Halen.
Vin and Ezra were told to get off their horses and were motioned to sit in front of the large rock that was to their left. Guns followed them as they moved. Once they were settled, Vin began to discuss a plan of escape with Ezra.
"It is foolhardy and it will only get either one or both of us hurt or killed," stated Ezra.
"Not if you do what I just told you to do Ezra," Vin said back to him. "Listen, I’m not going to let these guys take me in and hang me for a crime that I didn’t commit so we’re going to escape. You got it!"
"I noticed that you forgot to state my innocence as well Vin, therefore I assume that you think that I’m guilty of what they claim the bounty is for," said Ezra. He was becoming very tired of these men believing everything they’re told about him.
"I don't know what they grabbed you for, Ezra, so I can't judge you."
"Well then that makes two of us who don't know why I’m here," growled Ezra.
"You don't know why your here?" questioned Vin.
"Did I not just say that, Vin," sighed Ezra.
Vin Ignored him. "When they bring over some food or water and there are two of them then we deal with them and then make a run for it behind this rock." Ezra didn’t say anything. "Okay Ezra?"
"I’ll do it but please, make a note that I disagree with your plan."
"Great! You can complain about it all you want when we get back to town," smiled Vin not knowing that Ezra was correct in his statement that someone was going to be hurt.
They only had to wait half an hour before two of the men came over with a plate in each hand. One of them actually had the plate in his gun hand. As they came closer, Vin got ready to jump at them. He looked across at Ezra seeing that he was also prepared, he was glad of that because if he didn’t help him then he would pay for it once they did get out of this situation.
When they were close enough Vin and Ezra jumped up and rushed the two men. Ezra ran straight into the man in front of him slamming his shoulder into his stomach, the man dropped the plate and doubled over gasping for breath. He then brought his foot up and kicked the man in the jaw knocking him backwards. He looked towards Vin and saw that he had also taken care of the man he went for.
They were both about to run when they heard a gunshot.
They both stood still and turned back around to find Halen standing in front of them with his gun pointed in Vin's direction. He walked towards them slowly with his right-hand man coming up behind him. "Now where do you think you two are going?" He smiled but it was a bitter smile.
"We thought we would go back to town where the food would be better," Ezra smiled back at him.
Halen nodded to Jerry who then went and picked up a thick branch that was lying nearby. He returned to stand next to Halen. He asked another question while looking at the branch that Jerry held as if to say that any more smart mouth comments would result in pain being inflicted upon that person with the use of the branch.
He looked at Vin. "I want to know whose idea the escape attempt was." He expected it would be Tanner.
"It was my idea," said Vin tensing himself for the blow that was going to come from the man holding the branch
But instead, Jerry moved straight to Ezra. He swung the branch and it hit Ezra in the side cracking two of the ribs in his right side. Vin watched as the punishment was inflicted on Ezra and not him. Jerry brought the branch up again and this time it hit Ezra squarely on the side of his right temple. He grunted and then collapsed in a heap at Jerry's feet. Halen then moved next to him and kicked Ezra in the side causing the cracked ribs to break under the weight of his foot. He then turned to Vin.
"That should stop you trying to make any more plans for an escape," he laughed and walked back to the campfire that they had made earlier.
Vin went to Ezra and knelt down beside him. He turned him over onto his back and saw the blood that was flowing from the wound on the side of his head. Vin pulled his own shirt out, tore a strip off, and pressed it against the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
"I'm sorry, Ezra, it should have been me. I should have listened to you," said Vin. He looked down at Ezra watching as his face became paler with each second. He didn’t know what to do now. He couldn’t escape and leave him here. He would have to go along with them now and wait until they got to a town so a Doctor could look at Ezra. But what Vin didn’t know was that they were not headed for a town. They were headed for a place where a man would not care if Ezra lived or died, in fact he would prefer that he died.
Josiah and Buck had returned to the saloon stating that they had not found Ezra anywhere. They also noted that Vin had not returned.
"Where do you think he is?" asked JD, he had joined Chris in the saloon not long after they had left to look for Ezra and he had explained to JD what was going on.
"Probably done his usual thing of running off and expecting us to look for him," growled Chris.
"It's different this time, Chris," Josiah looked up at him. "The way he is feeling about himself at the moment he could and might do something stupid."
"What do you mean something stupid?" Enquired JD not realising what Josiah was saying. Buck and Chris were also looking at him but they had an idea of what he was talking about and they didn't like it.
"He hates himself at the moment, JD, and when you hate yourself as much as Ezra does you may begin to think that you shouldn’t be living. And Ezra could end up thinking that it should be him that is dead and not George. He may do something to rectify that situation. Even though it is not going to help himself or anyone else for that matter." he looked grim. He didn’t think that Ezra was capable of such a thing but with the state that he was in, they couldn’t take the chance.
"Maybe Vin found him. He went to look in the stable for his horse, think I’ll go and check there myself." Buck got up and walked out of the saloon.
He returned fifteen minutes later saying that both Ezra's and Vin's horses were gone. "Vin must have gone after him." stated Chris. "Because it’s so late, we’ll give them till morning and if they’re not back we’ll split up and go after them."
'They better be back, if I have to ride all day tomorrow just to find him wallowing in his self-pity then he will end up having a lot more to be sorry about.' Chris kept this thought to himself.
Vin kept the makeshift bandaged pressed against Ezra's head wound but the blood flow had only slowed. He would check his ribs once the bleeding had stopped. He was afraid that if he took the pressure off it would begin to bleed heavily again. He felt the chill of the night begin to creep into his own bones and knew that it would not do Ezra any good. "Hey!" He called out to the men who were keeping themselves warm by the fire.
"What!" Halen called back.
"I want to move Ezra closer to the fire. He needs to be kept warm."
"No! You can both stay where you are."
Vin heard the laughter. "You can't leave him like this he could die."
"Well you should have thought of that before you tried to escape." Halen was still laughing and this time his men joined in.
After a while longer the bleeding finally stopped. Vin then opened Ezra's waistcoat, lifted his shirt, and began to feel his sides for any broken ribs. As well as feeling how cold Ezra was he also felt the two broken ribs move under his touch. He expected Ezra to make some sort of response to the pain that this would have caused him but he made none. He hadn't moved or made a sound since it happened. He needed to get Ezra warm but if he took off his own coat then he would only end up getting cold and if that caused him to get sick then he would be no help to Ezra. So he did Ezra's clothing up and then gently lifted him until his back was against Vin's chest. He then pulled his own coat around Ezra as much as it would go. And they stayed that way through the entire night. When morning came, Ezra had still not moved or made a sound. Vin was becoming very worried. They had managed to keep warm enough through the night but he needed to see something from Ezra, anything.
Two of the men who had grabbed them came over with their horses. One of them leant down and grabbed Ezra's arms. "You're gonna help me throw him over his horse and then we can get going," he said to Vin.
"You can't do that he's got some broken ribs, they could press against his lungs and if it is punctured he could die," growled Vin moving up with Ezra still in his arms.
The other man pulled his gun. "We could just kill him now and save all the trouble or you can help Dylan put him on the horse."
Vin knew he had no choice. He helped put Ezra on the horse. The man called Dylan then tied Ezra's hands and feet to the saddle so he would not fall off. Vin then got on his own horse and this time he was allowed to ride along side of Ezra, not that he was able to do anything for him.
The other five hired lawmen had gathered in the saloon when they realised that neither Vin nor Ezra had returned. "Where are we going to start looking," asked Buck.
"Before we ride out we’re going to ask around town to see if somebody saw them ride out. We will have half an hour to do this and then we meet back here. If no one saw them we will just have to split up and hope that we find some sign of them."
They all left heading in different directions and they each returned half an hour later with only one of them having good news. "Joe up at the meeting hall said that he saw Vin ride out with two strangers. Said that it seemed like he was going with them of his own choice. But he would have told us if he was leaving wouldn't he?" stated JD.
"Yeah he would have," agreed Chris. "Nothin on Ezra though?" They all shook their heads. "Okay which way were they headed JD?"
"North."
"This is what we’re going to do. JD, you’re going to stay here in case Ezra shows up." He saw JD begin to protest but he cut him short. "When he does show I want the two of you to follow us." JD agreed knowing that arguing would not get him anywhere. "The rest of us will go after Vin. The only thing that I could think of is that the two men with him are bounty hunters." And it was because of this thought that Chris didn’t even consider the fact that Ezra might also be with Vin and the bounty hunters.
They had finally stopped for a break to rest themselves and their horses. Vin was dragged from his horse and he watched as one of them untied Ezra and let him slump to the ground. Vin went to move toward him. "You stay where you are." Dylan said to him.
"But you can't just leave him there."
"I can do what I want and as you were told, we could kill him and if you keep arguing with me I may just kill him to shut you up," the man growled as he went away.
He then returned with some water and a small amount of food for Vin. But he couldn’t eat anything. All he could do was sit there watching Ezra as he didn’t make any sign of life, and Vin couldn’t check on him so he had to sit there and watch not knowing if Ezra was alive or dead.
Vin sat there for an hour watching Ezra. He thought that he had seen some movement from him but he thought that it must have been his imagination as there had been no sign of anything since. Nothing to show that he was coming round. After the men had finished eating, he was told to help put Ezra on the horse again and Vin took the opportunity to quickly look him over. The wound on his head had not started bleeding again but it did need cleaning as it was on this side of his head that he lay on the ground and Vin could see the dirt that had gotten into the wound and if it wasn’t cleaned it would become infected. He checked Ezra's breathing and noticed that it was steady and regular. He just wished that Ezra would wake up.
They rode all afternoon without stopping and again when they did make camp both Vin and Ezra were removed from their horses, Vin protesting and Ezra not making a sound. He watched as they made a campfire and just like the night before they would not allow him to move Ezra closer to the fire. He asked if they would at least give him some water. They allowed him a small amount, not enough to drink and to clean Ezra's wound so he went without. He tore another strip from his shirt and used it to clean the cut on the side of Ezra's head. He heard Ezra moan as he put the cloth against the wound.
"Ezra," Vin leaned forward hoping to hear him say something. But he didn’t make any more noises.
Ezra had finally regained consciousness but had gone straight into a deep sleep where he dreamed of George Tascon. He dreamt the same dream as he always did and it ended the same way except this time a scream did erupt from his throat. He woke up as he always did after shooting Chris and sat up but he felt both the pain in his side and his head and this allowed the scream to involuntarily come out of his mouth. He fell back down to the ground gasping for breath, hoping that the pain would subside.
"Ezra, try not to move, okay," said a worried Vin.
Ezra opened his eyes and looked at Vin. "Do you think that I’m stupid, Vin, of course I’m not going to move," he spat out. "Unless you want to try another escape attempt. Perhaps this time we could try and have me killed."
Vin was amazed that someone who was unconscious for so long could say so much when they first woke up. "Well, I see that your mood hasn’t changed any."
Ezra through him a look and if looks could kill Vin Tanner would have been a dead man right there and then.
"I believe that I have a good reason for being in a bad mood," growled Ezra wincing at the same time from the pain that was going through his body.
"I'm sorry, Ezra. But we couldn't just sit back and let them take us. It’s alright for you. They’re going to hang me; you’ll probably just end up in jail."
"I suppose that it’s too much to ask for some water?" He asked.
"Yeah, it is," answered Vin with a sigh. "They didn't give me enough and I used it to clean the cut on your head." Vin sat quietly for a moment. Ezra had closed his eyes again. Vin thought that he was asleep so he didn’t say anything else to him. He hoped that now he had regained consciousness that he would be okay.
Part One | Part Two
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