Well, it's the 12 days of Christmas.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
A long-haired sharpshooter in a tall tree...
"Vin!" Chris Larabee called out, his tone a mixture of frustration and anxiety.
"What!" Vin called back.
"What are you doing up in that tree in the middle of December?" Chris asked.
"Pickin' mistletoe."
Chris closed his eyes and sighed. Sometimes getting answers from Tanner was like pulling teeth.
"Why don't you just buy some?" Chris asked as reasonably as possible.
"'Cause you've got a ton of it here in yer trees for free," Vin replied reasonably.
"Okay," Chris mumbled, steeling himself to try a different tact. "So what's taking so long? And why'd you have to climb the tree? Hell, there's plenty of pieces on the ground."
"Not enough, and they're all crushed."
"What do you mean, not enough? Just how much mistletoe do you need?"
"Well, when everybody heard I had a free source they asked for some for decoratin' and I said 'sure, why not.' Didn't really think about how much they'd want," Vin's puzzled voice came from above.
"Who all wanted mistletoe?" Chris asked, beginning to get the picture of what his soft-hearted friend had volunteered for.
"Well, thought I'd get some for the office and some for a few people in my building," Vin said thoughtfully. "Then the ladies in the secretary pool wanted some to decorate their offices. And Josiah thought it'd be nice for the church. Then Inez asked for some for the Saloon and somehow the Judge's wife found out and asked for a few pounds."
"A few pounds!" Chris exclaimed.
"Yeah, for one of her charity groups. Anyway, by the time I got all the orders, I figured it'd take a pickup truck to haul it all back to the office for delivery. So I volunteered ya."
"You volunteered..." Chris stammered to a halt and sighed. He frowned and looked around. "How are you plannin' to get it all from here to the truck?" he asked, not seeing any buckets, wheelbarrows or other form of transport nearby. He looked up, waiting for Vin's reply.
Vin leaned away from the trunk a bit to peer between the branches. His blue eyes sparkled above cold-pinked cheeks. "I was just waitin' for my helper," he said. "Here, catch."
Chris automatically opened his arms as a full burlap sack fell from the tree. It was tied shut, but he could tell that it was full of mistletoe. "Helper," he muttered as he set the bag on the ground.
"Here's another!" Vin yelled down.
"Hey!" Chris exclaimed, barely catching the next bag. "I thought you were waiting on your helper."
"Not any more," Vin said with a laugh.
"What do ya... Hey! I didn't..."
"The Judge was real pleased when I told him we'd be happy to help out his wife, Cowboy."
"Why you!" Chris stuttered. "Just you wait and see what Santa leaves in your stocking, Tanner.
Above in the tree, laughter flowed freely.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Two plates of chocolate turtles...
"Hey, Nathan, 'siah," Vin greeted as he sailed into the break room at full speed.
"Hello, Vin," Josiah said, licking his fingers.
"Hi, Vin," Nathan said, wiping his lips with a napkin.
"So, where are they?" Vin asked, his eyes lit up in anticipation.
"Where are what, Vin?" Josiah asked.
"The chocolate turtles," Vin said, looking around. "The guys said that one of the ladies in the secretarial pool brought up two plates of 'em." He grinned. "They're my favorite. So... where are they?"
"I, uh," Nathan said, looking to Josiah for help.
"Who told you there were turtles in here, Vin?" Josiah asked, looking concerned.
Vin frowned. They weren't on the table or counter, maybe they were in the fridge. Turtles were good cold. "Well, Ezra, and then Buck and JD." His frown deepened. They weren't in the fridge either. "And Chris asked me if I'd gotten any. Said they were real tasty." He turned to face Josiah. "Where'd ya'll put 'em?"
Nathan stood up. "Well, now, Vin, you know..."
"Brother," Josiah started at the same time, "your question really is a good one..."
Vin took a step toward the table, his suspicions aroused. "Did ya eat 'em all?"
"No!" Nathan denied, taking another step toward the door. "Ezra had at least three."
Josiah nodded. "And Buck and JD both took a big handful," he added, standing and joining Nathan nearer the door.
"Then where are they?" Vin asked again, his voice softer.
"Really," Nathan continued, "they were on very small plates, wouldn't you say, Josiah? Tiny even."
"Yes, yes," Josiah said thoughtfully, taking another few steps back. "I would go so far as to say miniscule."
"Ya ate 'em all?" Vin asked. "And didn't leave me none?" he added.
"Well..." Nathan said, then raced out the door.
Josiah shrugged. "Chris had four or five himself," he added, quickly following Nathan.
Vin stared after them then sat down at the table and sighed. He really liked chocolate turtles. Can't believe the guys ate them all and didn't save none for me. Some friends.
He heard someone come into the room, but didn't look up. He recognized Chris's step, but was too busy wallowing in his turtle-less misery to pay the man any attention.
A folded paper towel was gently dropped onto the table in front of him. Chris cleared his throat causing Vin to look
up. "Saved these for ya."
Vin's eyes lit up and he quickly unfolded the paper towel to expose four of the chocolate treasures.
"Know how much you like them," Chris said. "And since you weren't here, I figured I'd better grab you some or they'd all be gone." He grinned and shook his head. "Never known so many guys who loved chocolate so much."
Vin grinned, picked up one of the turtles and took a bite. He slowly chewed it, savoring the crunchiness of the peanuts and the smooth silkiness of the chocolate. Finally he swallowed and smiled up at Chris. "Thanks, Cowboy."
Chris laughed. "No problem. I'd better go now and leave you two alone. Merry Christmas, Cowboy."
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Three monkey wrenches...
Josiah rolled his eyes as Vin continued to harangue him good-naturedly.
"At least now I know what to get you for Christmas," the Texan teased as they entered the bullpen and went to their respective desks.
Josiah chuckled.
"And what, may I ask, might that be?" Ezra asked. "I could use a few suggestions in that department myself."
Vin tossed a sly grin at Josiah and then turned to Ezra. "Well, you might as well get him the same thing I am, as quick as he's going through them."
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Again, what might this perfect gift entail?"
"Monkey wrenches."
"Monkey wrenches?" Ezra asked in disbelief. "How many monkey wrenches does one man need?"
Vin scratched his chin thoughtfully, ignoring the rumbled warning coming from Josiah. "Well, considering he broke three this weekend, I'd say four, just to be safe."
Ezra's jaw dropped open. He moved his stare from Vin to Josiah. "How on earth did you manage to break three monkey wrenches?"
"Long story," Josiah grumbled, sending a glare at the chuckling sharpshooter.
"I have all day," Ezra replied eagerly.
Josiah sighed. "I was trying to loosen a bolt. It was stuck tight, so I applied a bit more pressure and the wrench broke." He shrugged. "It does happen, you know."
Ezra nodded, as if he knew from experience, which, of course, he didn't, then waved a hand for Josiah to continue.
Vin just grinned.
"Well, I went and found another wrench, but it wasn't the right size, so I called Vin and asked if I could borrow his. He brought it over and we tried again, but that bolt just wouldn't budge," Josiah said, dropping his eyes to the floor.
"I got a bit upset and banged on Vin's wrench which was still secured on the bolt with my smaller wrench and they both broke."
Ezra's face broke into a wide grin. "So, you broke two of your own wrenches and one of Vin's." He sent a glance at the still smiling Vin. "I guess you both need new wrenches. Did you ever manage to loosen the bolt?"
Vin shook his head, his eyes dancing. "Thing is that bolt wasn't just stuck, it was welded, weren't no way we could have got it off."
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Four calling chicks...
"Hey Buck!" JD called out as Buck came back from the break room. "You've got a call on line one from a Ms. Terry Dove?"
"Great kid, thanks!" Buck said slipping quickly into his chair and picking up his phone. "Hey Terry..."
JD grinned and shook his head. They weren't very busy right now, just wrapping up their last case and getting ready for some time off for Christmas, but Buck had had more phone calls in the last few days than the rest of them put together. And most of them weren't related to work at all.
"That another lady caller?" Vin asked as he dropped a Christmas cookie on JD's desk. He took a bite of another one as he watched Buck preening on the phone.
"Yep. A Ms. Dove."
"Hmph," Vin exclaimed. "Man's going to be booked from now to New Years," he grumbled good-naturedly.
"BUCK!" Chris shouted from his office. "Pick up line two! It's Mary Partridge. And stop giving them my phone number!"
Buck glanced towards Chris's office and quickly finished his first call then answered line two.
"Partridge?" Vin and JD asked as they shared a disbelieving look.
Nathan walked in at that moment with a piece of paper in one hand. "Hey Buck, there was a message for you, a Miss Sheila Quail?" he said, looking at the note as he walked over to Buck's desk. He stopped and looked up to see that Buck was on the phone. "Oh, sorry," he whispered and handed over the message.
"Quail?" JD asked, "like the bird?"
Nathan shrugged. "I guess."
Vin and JD grinned broadly at each other.
"What?" Nathan asked. "What's so funny?"
"So far Buck's had calls from a Ms. Dove," he held up one finger, "Ms. Partridge and now a Ms. Quail," he said adding a second and third finger."
Nathan frowned and then chuckled. "Wonder who else he'll hear from today."
Buck hung up the phone and grabbed his calendar and the message Nathan had brought up. "Thanks Nate. I gotta check my schedule before I call Sheila. Whoo! It's going to be a great Christmas. Hey, what time were we getting together Christmas? I may be able to squeeze in one more..." he trailed off as he perused his calendar.
Vin, JD and Nathan stared at the man in disbelief. Not quite knowing what to say.
Ezra strolled in with a piece of paper in one hand and a Starbuck's coffee in the other. "Mr. Wilmington, I would appreciate it if you would request your paramours call your home phone or your cell phone. I don't even want to know why you would give out my number. In the future, I will not play secretary, but in the spirit of the season, I will relay a message from the charming Ms. Crystal Cardinal, though I'm not convinced that is her real name..." he trailed off at the sight of Vin, JD and Nathan laughing so hard that they were having to support each other to keep from falling down.
Buck was staring at them in confusion.
"What did I say?" Ezra asked, just as confused.
"Terry Dove..." JD blurted out, his head resting on Vin's shoulder as he struggled for breath.
"Ms. Partridge..." Vin squeaked, his hip slipping off the edge of the desk, landing him rear first on the floor, but that didn't stop his laughter. JD just barely kept from falling on top of him, by catching the edge of the desk.
"Sheila Quail..." Nathan gasped, holding his stomach and pointing at Ezra.
Ezra stared at them for a moment, then looked down at the message he held, the pieces of the puzzle all falling into place. A huge grin lit his face at he looked into Buck's confused eyes. Barely holding back his laughter, he held the paper out to the ladies man. "It would appear that you have four birds a callin', Buck," he said with a twinkle.
Buck blinked as the other three continued to laugh.
"You know," Ezra said with a chuckle, "like in the song... five golden rings, four calling birds..."
Ezra broke down laughing as the light of recognition sparked in Buck's eyes and the ladies man joined their laughter.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Five Golden Rings...
Ezra sat in the hotel room of his alter ego, waiting. The whole team had been stunned when the D.A. insisted that Ezra resurrect one of his undercover personalities in the hopes of drawing a major gun dealer into the open. The fact that it was less than a week before Christmas had them all protesting, but their pleas to postpone the operation had fallen on deaf ears.
The plan, such as it was, was to have Dirk Bendish, former accountant for this big player and presumably dead, reappear with an offer Jack Towly couldn't refuse. Ezra, AKA Dirk, was supposed to convince Towly that he'd been held against his will by the Feds in an attempt to get information on Towly's organization, only to finally be released because they had nothing to pin on Dirk.
Of course, the danger was that Towly might think Ezra had squealed and decide to silence him permanently, but the D.A. seemed willing to take that risk, even in the face of Larabee's anger. Fortunately, Ezra had played his part flawlessly, rejoining Towly's organization and setting up a deal between Towly and a phony customer in need of weapons for the holidays.
The deal had been easy to make since Towly seemed to have an overabundance of weapons. The meet was set for the 23rd, today. Ezra's presence wasn't even requested, so he sat in Dirk's hotel room, waiting for the phone to ring and let him know everything had gone as planned.
Chris was to call when Towly and his men were in custody. Five rings, then hang up and a call back in five minutes to confirm that it was safe for Ezra to show his face. Part of the plan was for the 'Feds' to tell Towly that his accountant was already under arrest, from there 'events' would be set in motion to 'kill' Dirk off for good this time.
For now, Ezra waited anxiously for his friends to call. He tried not to think of all the things that could go wrong at the bust. He tried not to think about the fact that he wouldn't be there to back the others up. He tried not to worry... and failed.
The first ring startled him so badly that he dropped the cards he'd been shuffling. He stared at the phone, counting the rings, two, three, four, five... The ringing stopped and Ezra checked his watch. Five minutes, then he would know that everyone was well. Five minutes and he could go home.
Five very long minutes later the phone rang. The first ring hadn't even finished before Ezra snatched up the receiver. "Hello?"
"All clear, Ezra, come on home," Buck's jovial voice relayed.
"Everyone is unharmed?" Ezra asked nonchalantly.
"Yep, but we're hungry, so get your butt over here ASAP!" Buck teased.
Ezra grinned. "I'm on my way!"
He hung up the phone, grabbed his things and opened the door. Outside a light snow was falling, lit up by the street lights. Ezra pulled the door closed behind him and took a deep breath. It looked like it would be a merry Christmas after all.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Six geese a layin'...
Vin picked up his phone. "Tanner."
"Vin?! ... squawk! Cackle! ... help... come?" an almost unrecognizable voice begged.
"Nettie? What's wrong?" Vin asked, sitting forward in his seat. The five others in the bull pen gathered quickly around his desk.
"Honk! Hsssss! Squawk! Damn... Hssss! Vin? ... hear me?"
"Ms. Nettie? I can't hear you," Vin said loudly into the phone as he sent a worried look at his friends. "What's wrong?"
"Can you.... Honk! Honk! Sssss! Can't.... garble garble.... help!"
"Ms. Nettie! You hold on, we'll be right there, I'm coming, Nettie!" Vin shouted into the phone, but it went silent before he finished.
"Vin?" JD asked, already putting his coat on.
"Get Chris," Vin said grabbing his coat and keys. "Somethin's wrong out at Ms. Nettie's. Sounds bad," he added, worry written all over his face.
The others didn't hesitate, coats and keys were grabbed, Josiah dashed into Chris's office and in minutes the seven men were on the road.
Chris's black Dodge Ram and Ezra's Jag skidded to a stop side by side in front of Nettie Wells' tidy, white-washed Ranch house. With weapons drawn, the men exited the vehicles and raced toward the house, only to hear a horrendous screech from the small shack where she kept her chickens and a few other fowl.
Vin headed for the front door, but Chris motioned for Buck, Josiah and Nathan to go around the back.
"Vin!" Chris hissed, trying to keep his friend from racing into a dangerous situation.
Vin skidded to a stop beside the door and sent an 'I know what I'm doing' glare at Chris as he impatiently waited for the others to get into position.
Chris gave a silent count of three and they burst through the door, and went unnoticed in the chaos.
Feathers flew as angry chickens raced around, wings flapping in protest to their unwanted guests. But it wasn't the seven men who had just entered their domain that had upset the fickle fowl, it was the six large, gray geese who were adding to the chaos with their own wing flapping and loud honking.
Nettie stood, with a broom in her hands, between her cantankerous rooster and a very angry looking gander. Feathers stuck to her hair and clothes and she looked like she was just about ready to shoot every bird in the place.
"Nettie?" Vin shouted over the din.
"Oh, thank goodness," she replied as she drank in the sight of her seven saviors. "Somehow these geese got out of their crates and I haven't been able to get them back in."
The six geese were large, magnificent examples of their species. Each one probably weighed well over twelve pounds, which wouldn't seem like much unless it charged you with a four to six foot wing span flapping angrily. It was easy to see why Nettie was having so much trouble rounding up the delinquent birds.
After a quick huddle, the seven men consulted with Nettie and came up with a plan.
Since the chickens were used to moving in and out of the shack by request, Nettie called the chickens outside and offered them a little more feed while the boys kept the geese from leaving the building. Once the chickens were out of the way, they sprinkled more feed into the crates the geese had been confined to and stood by ready to close the doors.
It took a while for the geese to settle down, but eventually they were all contained and the men made sure that the geese wouldn't be able to open the crates again.
"So what's with the geese?" Vin asked once they were in the house, recuperating with a cup of hot apple cider and some Christmas cookies.
Nettie sighed. "The orphanage asked if I would cook some geese that had been donated for the children for Christmas dinner. I told them it wouldn't be a problem, only I expected six already deceased geese, not six live ones. I was going to start dressing them this morning, but somehow they managed to get out of their crates, and... well, you saw."
The men chuckled.
"Did you want some help, Ms. Nettie?" Chris asked, knowing how difficult it could be to butcher a large bird like that. They were stronger than you'd expect.
"Mighty kind of you to offer, Christopher, and I'll surely accept."
Chris smiled and nodded. "You're welcome, Ms. Nettie. I have a few elves to help with this chore." Chris grinned. He'd have plenty of helpers, even the ones who at the moment were trying to come up with excuses. "Isn't that right, boys?"
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Seven delicious desserts...
After spending most of the morning helping Nettie with the geese, the boys had hurried home to collect gifts, food and overnight bags. Their now traditional Christmas get together would be at Chris' ranch as usual. The guys would stay overnight Christmas Eve to help prepare for a larger gathering of friends and family the following afternoon.
Chris grinned to himself as he heard the first car pull up. Well, calling the old jeep a car was probably being too generous, but for some reason Vin loved that old rust bucket. It certainly wasn't hard to recognize the sound of the engine, or Vin's shout as he greeted Peso who was out in the corral with the other horses and had probably just tried to take a chunk out of Vin's favorite coat.
The front door opened and closed and after a few moments Vin entered the kitchen.
"Dang horse tried to amputate my fingers, ungrateful mule," Vin grumbled, setting a box and a bag on the table.
Chris faced his friend with a broad grin on his face. "I told you to stop giving him all those sweets."
Vin ducked his head briefly then looked up, his eyes sparkling even though his expression was rueful. "Thought I'd give him a treat, it bein' Christmas and all, ungrateful mule."
"What ya got there?" Chris asked, nodding at the box. Vin was supposed to bring fixings for the sweet potatoes, but the box was much bigger than he'd need for those ingredients, especially since the sweet potatoes were in a bag sitting beside the box.
"Well, no one signed up to bring dessert, so I figured I'd bring something," Vin said as he started to unpack the box. "Some of the people in my building were making cookies, for gifts ya know," he added, a quick reminder to Chris how poor most of the people in that area of town were. "I got a couple dozen from my neighbors and they were so good, I offered to buy some to bring for the weekend."
Chris blinked. "You got a couple dozen cookies for Christmas and yet you bought more to bring with you?"
Vin frowned. "Those were for me," he said, sending a glare at Chris who couldn't seem to stop smiling. "Not for you gluttons."
Chris chuckled. "All right, don't shoot me, I wouldn't dream of taking your cookies from you. Let's get this stuff unloaded, the others should be here soon. Put the cookies on the counter with the brownies."
"Brownies?"
"Yeah, I picked some up at the bakery. I didn't want to chance the riot if we didn't have any desserts."
Vin grinned, finished emptying the box and then nodded to Chris. "I'm going to get the gifts. I left 'em in the jeep."
Chris just nodded and continued reorganizing his kitchen. By the end of the day there wouldn't be space on the countertops.
Vin had just reached his jeep when Josiah's suburban pulled up followed closely by Nathan's Cherokee. Both men smiled as he waved and waited for them to park.
"Howdy boys," Vin said.
"Brother Vin," Josiah replied as he started to gather his offerings from the back of the suburban.
"Hey Vin," Nathan greeted, doing the same.
"I'll help ya," Vin said, "but first I gotta get my stuff in."
"No problem," Josiah said, "we've got all day."
About ten minutes later the four men were once again in the kitchen unloading boxes.
"What's this?" Chris asked pulling a cake out of Josiah's box.
"A cake," Josiah dead-panned.
Chris rolled his eyes while Vin and Nathan chuckled. "I can see that. You didn't sign up to bring dessert."
"No, that's true," Josiah said, scratching his chin consideringly. "However, I didn't see anyone else's name under desserts either. Figured I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Chris sighed and shrugged. It wasn't like it wouldn't get eaten. "Okay, put it over there with the others."
Josiah looked at the counter and saw two containers, his eyebrows rose, but he took the cake and went to investigate.
"Um, Chris," Nathan said somewhat sheepishly.
"Nathan?"
"I brought a dessert, too."
Vin choked on the laugh he tried to hold back, but the expressions on both men's faces were too much for him and the laughter just spilled out.
Chris didn't even try to fight his smile. "You know where to put it."
"Actually," Nathan replied with an answering grin, "it's fruit salad, has to be refrigerated."
Chris' much put upon sigh earned him more laughter from the other three, which he quickly joined.
"What's so funny?" JD asked as he and Buck entered the already full kitchen.
"Howdy all!" Buck said, grinning in response to the smiling faces.
"What kinda dessert did ya'll bring?" Vin asked unrepentantly.
Buck raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know we brought dessert?"
"Yeah," JD chimed in. "We didn't sign up for it."
"Neither did anybody else," Chris said. "Just put it over there," he pointed to the rapidly filling space. "Guess I'll have to pull out another card table to set the real food on," he said, heading out of the kitchen with a shake of his head.
Buck chuckled. It was good to see Chris in such a good mood.
"So what did you bring?" Josiah asked.
"Well, the kid here insisted on pumpkin pie, but I knew not everyone likes pumpkin, so I brought apple and lemon meringue."
Nathan shook his head. "That should just about cover it."
"Nah," Vin said. "Ezra ain't here yet."
Half an hour later, the Southerner walked in wearing his ranch casual clothes, meaning a cashmere sweater and khakis. Of course tomorrow being Christmas, he had a dress shirt and tie. The jacket might go amiss, but that depended on what the Judge and the rest of the guests, his team mates not included, were wearing. Appearances and all that.
"Hey, Ez," JD said loudly, followed by various greetings from the rest. "What did you bring for dessert?"
Ezra started to answer, but the intense looks he was receiving made him pause. "What is the bet?" he asked.
"Dang, Ez!" Buck said, flipping the dish towel he'd been drying his hands on over his shoulder. "How'd you know we had a bet going?"
Ezra's cheeks dimpled with his grin. "Elementary, my dear Mr. Wilmington. Now, what's the bet?"
Nathan shook his head as he answered. "JD and Buck both said some type of fancy chocolate candies, Josiah figures it's pecan pie, Chris refused to bet, and Vin and I think it's got to be something with peaches in it."
"And do I get a piece of this action if someone wins?"
"No!" they all replied.
Ezra put his hand to his chest, pretending affront. "Well, it is 'my' dessert, I don't suppose I have to share it, then no one would win."
"Ah, come on, Ezra," JD cajoled.
Ezra pursed his lips, eyes twinkling with laughter. "I can't believe you left me out of a bet."
"It's the only way we know you won't win," Vin teased.
Ezra sighed. "I suppose that's true," he drawled dramatically.
"Grab him!" Josiah said, jumping to grab Ezra while Nathan lunged from the other side, Buck moved in to grab the box Ezra had set on the table while JD and Vin captured the undercover agent's legs.
"Unhand me you heathens!" Ezra shouted as he laughed and struggled to get free. The five of them stumbled into the living room almost running over Chris as Ezra was carried out and dumped on the couch.
Chris watched the spectacle with a bemused smile. Buck came up next to him holding a glass baking pan. They shared a smile.
"It's peach cobbler," Buck admitted, licking his finger.
Ezra straightened his sweater and stood in time to see. "I hope you didn't just stick your finger in my cobbler."
Buck just waggled his eyebrows.
"I'm surrounded by children," Ezra muttered earning a slap to the back of his head. He turned to see who hit him, but only Nathan was close enough, and he seemed innocent enough watching Buck and Chris head back into the kitchen. "Children," Ezra said with a glare at the other possible culprits.
Vin and Josiah both grinned and shrugged at each other while JD shared a wink with Nathan.
Josiah chuckled as they all headed back into the kitchen to work on the food. "Well, we have dessert covered. We should start the turkey," he said, looking to Chris.
Chris stared back at him blankly. "Turkey?"
Josiah's eyes narrowed. "You were supposed to get the turkey, Chris."
"I was?" Chris replied with a frown. "Where's that list?" he asked rhetorically, turning to face the refrigerator where a piece of paper was held to the door with a horse-shaped magnet.
"Chris, Chris, Chris," Buck exclaimed sadly, dropping his head to hide his grin.
"You didn't get the turkey, Chris?" JD asked, sounding scandalized.
"We got ham, JD," Vin tried to assure the younger man. "Nothing wrong with ham for Christmas dinner."
"I have to agree with JD," Ezra chimed in unexpectedly. "There's nothing quite like a Christmas turkey," he added softly.
Nathan looked at Ezra, surprised by the real emotion in his voice. Why would the lack of a turkey cause such a reaction in the usually impervious Southerner?
"Come, come, now," Josiah cajoled. "Christmas isn't about the food, it's about the company we are keeping."
"I'm sure I can come up with something," Chris said, his head in the fridge as he apparently rummaged around looking for an acceptable alternative. "Got some sliced turkey," he commented, holding the package out as he continued to move things around.
"Chri-is," Vin drawled, half in amusement, half in disgust. He still wasn't exactly sure what was going on. Buck was too amused by the whole thing.
"Ah ha!" Chris said, "I've got just the thing. Ground turkey! We'll just mold it to look like a turkey," he said with a grin, proffering two packages of ground meat.
Everyone rolled their eyes and shook their head, not sure what had gotten into their normally stoic leader.
Chris just shrugged and turned back to the refrigerator. "Okay, okay, thought you guys were more flexible than that. I guess, if you insist on a real turkey, I can," he backed out of the fridge and turned around, "cook this," he said, holding up a baking pan with a huge turkey in it.
Buck let out a guffaw at the looks on JD's and Ezra's faces, though he was sure the reasons for their surprise were different. Both men recovered quickly, laughing at the joke, but while JD seemed truly amused, Ezra was more contemplative than he had been.
After a bit more teasing, they settled down to work and shortly after that, Buck saw Ezra slip out of the kitchen. It was not unexpected. In fact, they all took care to respect each other's need for privacy. Once in a while, when a group this boisterous spent time together, everyone needed some peace and quiet. But this time Buck was pretty sure Ezra had a puzzle that needed solving and the ladies man wasn't sure Ezra would be able to answer it on his own.
Nathan watched them go, then wiped his hands. "Gotta get something," he said as he followed the other two. He found them out on the front porch watching the horses.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eight million stars in the sky
Nathan stepped out onto the porch, taking care to keep the screen door from slamming behind him. He could see his breath in the cold, crisp air and was glad to see that both Buck and Ezra had their coats on.
Buck nodded from the porch swing where his vantage point gave him the opportunity to watch Ezra without being too obvious. Nathan grinned to himself, of course Ezra was aware that Buck was watching him, but he could ignore the covert surveillance as long as an attempt at discretion was being made.
The medic took the few steps forward to the wooden rail that lined the porch. He rested a shoulder against the beam that supported the overhang and looked up at the clear sky. The stars twinkled brightly down at him and brought a smile to Nathan's face.
"Eight million stars," he murmured to himself.
A soft, amused, Southern drawl broke the silence. "I'm certain there are thousands or perhaps even a million or so visible tonight, but where did you arrive at such a specific number?"
Buck chuckled from his corner.
Nathan smiled and met Ezra's inquiring gaze. "It's something my Mom told me."
Ezra waited for more, but Nathan just turned his eyes back to the stars. "Would you care to share?" he asked finally, unused to Nathan's lack of elucidation.
"When I was little, my Mom told me and my sisters a story about one of her great-great-grandparents who was a slave. When she was little she'd asked her momma why they didn't get presents at Christmas like the master's children did. Her momma said that even though they didn't have toys, they had the gift of the stars. No matter where they were, how far from their family they might be, all they had to do was look at the night sky and they would know that their loved ones were under the same stars." Nathan paused, glanced at his audience and seeing that he had their rapt attention, continued.
"The Christmas before Mom died, she was telling us the story, reminding us that all we had to do was look at the stars to be close to our family when my little sister asked how many stars there were." Nathan smiled broadly at the memory. "Mom didn't really know what to say and so we started guessing. A hundred, six hundred, and so on. Mom kept telling us it was more than that, but finally Lori said 'eight million!' and Mom broke down laughing. She said that eight million sounded about right and it's sort of become a catch phrase for us."
"That's real nice, Nathan," Buck said. "Seems like a good number to me, too," he added with a grin and an exaggerated shiver. "Think it's about time to go inside for a warm drink." He stood up and shared a look with Nathan as he went in.
Nathan looked over at Ezra who was gazing up at the stars, lost in thought. He seemed more relaxed now than he had before, so Nathan kept quiet and waited a few minutes until the cold finally had him shivering as well.
"I'm going inside, too, Ezra. Too cold for my blood out here. You coming?"
Ezra turned his head and nodded. As they moved toward the door, he laid a hand on Nathan's back. "Thank you," he said softly.
Nathan smiled gently. "Eight million stars, Ezra. Don't forget," he replied as he slung his arm over Ezra's shoulders and the two men left the cold porch to enjoy the warmth within.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Nine twinkling trinkets
Ezra was content to spend the next few hours on the fringe. He wasn't trying to distance himself from his friends, he allowed them to bring him into the conversation and participated in the dinner preparations, but mostly he watched and listened. Ezra found his thoughts drifting back to Nathan's story and the implications of Nathan's last words to him. A warmth he'd seldom known seemed to fill his being and the melancholy he'd felt earlier fell away.
Ezra smiled at the fuss going on over how to set the table. He could, of course, tell them how to set a 'proper' formal table, but it was more entertaining to watch Josiah, Buck and Nathan argue about where each utensil should be placed.
A frown creased his brow as Ezra realized JD was nowhere to be seen. Their youngest had been uncharacteristically quiet since the turkey incident. Seeing that the table setting discussion was still in full swing, Ezra slipped into the kitchen to let Chris know he was going to check on the horses.
Chris nodded. "Vin and JD are out there, too," he said giving Ezra an appraising look.
Ezra returned the look with an assuring grin.
His boss nodded again. "Bring 'em back."
"Yes, sir," Ezra replied with a mock salute that earned him a poorly aimed flick of the dish towel Chris was using to wipe down the counters.
Ezra dodged and chuckled as he exited through the mud room door. He grabbed his coat and shrugged into it as he opened the back door and rounded the end of the house heading toward the barn.
His breath created small clouds in the crisp night air as he crossed the yard. The snow was trampled enough by the comings and goings that the path was easy to see in the starlight.
The horses had been brought in before sundown, fed and blanketed for the cold winter night. As Ezra neared the barn he could hear the soft snuffling and the occasional stomp of a hoof.
The barn was warm and inviting as he slipped through the door. He returned a nod from Vin who had his arms draped over the door into Peso's stall. Presumably, intact. Ezra smiled briefly, then tipped his head toward Dancer's stall. Vin shrugged, frowning a bit as he glanced over his shoulder. He shook his head as he met Ezra's questioning gaze.
Ezra nodded to himself. He hadn't been the only one affected by the thought of a less than perfect Christmas with his friends. Why the lack of a turkey would cause so much emotional upheaval...
He unzipped his coat and tugged it off, one sleeve at a time as he crossed to Chaucer's stall. After hanging the coat on a hook, he unlocked the special latch they'd installed on the horse's door. Chaucer had proven adept at most of the latches designed for escape artists like himself. Fortunately, Chris' neighbor, Yosemite, had suggested this particular lock and the appropriate placement, out of Chaucer's reach.
Ezra couldn't help but smile at the soft nose that shoved into his chest as soon as the door was opened. He stroked the silky face for a moment before straightening the forelock and offering Chaucer a piece of apple from his pocket. While Chaucer munched, Ezra looked into the next stall and saw JD brushing Dancer with a distracted air.
The horse didn't seem to mind the lack of focused attention, and though Ezra could only see the younger man's back, the slump of JD's shoulders told him something was definitely bothering his friend.
"Now, now, Chaucer," he said, throwing a 'play along' look Vin's way. "Be patient, there is more apple coming." He paused, seeing that JD stood a little straighter, as if just realizing he had company. Ezra gave his horse another section of apple and gave a nervous chuckle.
"I am somewhat relieved that Chris did not forget the turkey for our repast tomorrow," he said, loud enough for both Vin and JD to hear, but with a sheepish tone.
Vin gave Peso one last pat and headed across to the others. "Ah, Chris was just pullin' our legs a bit, Ez."
Ezra sighed noisily. "Yes," he paused dramatically, "I... well... it made me realize something I hadn't admitted to myself before, that's all."
JD's voice drifted from the next stall, "What's that, Ez?" he asked hesitantly.
Ezra sighed again. "I was unaware how much such a tradition meant to me, especially in light of the fact that I rarely encountered it in my youth."
"It's just a turkey," Vin said, unconvincingly. His tone saying it was not so.
"True." Ezra ran a hand through his hair, no longer acting for JD's sake. "I found myself looking forward to our 'turkey dinner' and 'family' get-together, so much so that when it seemed part of it would not occur," Ezra frowned, searching for the right words, "I felt saddened by the lack." He shrugged, embarrassed and turned to offer Chaucer another piece of apple to avoid the looks from his friends.
"Know what ya mean," Vin said softly. "I didn't have much in the way of traditions growing up, had to do whatever the foster home I was with did at the holidays." He fingered the halter that hung on the wall beside Chaucer's stall. "I don't really remember Christmas with my mom, but the smell of turkey this time of the year always makes me think of her."
The barn was silent for a minute or two, except for the scuff of hooves in the hay and the occasional whicker.
JD surprised the other two by being the first to speak. "I was lucky to have so much time with my mom. I do miss her," he said stepping out of Dancer's stall and moving to lean over Chaucer's door beside Vin. "I'm glad Chris was just teasing, too, but that wouldn't have mattered so much as long as you guys are all here."
Ezra and Vin stared at him for a moment.
"Then what on earth has you so depressed?" Ezra blurted, unable to hide his confusion.
Vin gave a soft chuckle. JD just stared at Ezra as the other man blushed and tried to regain his sense of decorum.
"Come on, kid," Vin said with a grin. "'fess up. Ezra doesn't like to be wrong, ya know."
Ezra rolled his eyes, but finally offered a rueful smile. "Sue me, I was worried."
That caused both JD and Vin to chuckle. Ezra shook his head, but didn't contain his smile.
Vin nudged JD with his shoulder.
JD sighed. "It's just, Mom and I did have one tradition that I wanted to share with you guys, but..." He shook his head. "It's silly."
"I doubt that" and "Tell us, JD," Ezra and Vin spoke at the same time to reassure JD.
JD looked down, his hair hiding his eyes. "Every year, we'd give each other a new ornament for our Christmas tree. It might just be a paper snowflake or maybe a special one we found at the store. I was going to..." He looked up, cheeks red with embarrassment. "I got everyone an ornament this year, but I thought it would be neat to draw names and have sort of a secret Santa each year. An ornament isn't too much and it would be fun to try and find one that matched the name you got."
"I think that's a neat idea, JD," Vin said.
"Yes," Ezra agreed. "It's very thoughtful of you to include us in your family tradition," he added sincerely.
JD looked up and seeing the truth of his friends' statements, he smiled broadly. "Cool. I can give them out tonight and we'll put them on the tree." He bounced in place. "You guys ready to go in?"
Ezra and Vin laughed at JD's youthful eagerness and nodded.
"Sure, kid."
~~~~
Back inside, JD explained what he had told Vin and Ezra to the others. They were all receptive, so he ran to his room to get the ornaments. Chris looked thoughtfully at the tree then excused himself and left the room.
Buck fended off the questioning glances everyone threw his way with a shrug. He had no idea what Chris was up to.
JD came bouncing back into the room bringing smiles to his friends' faces. "Where's Chris?" he asked as he came to a stop.
"Right here, JD," Chris said, a small paper bag nestled in the crook of his arm. "Go ahead."
JD nodded and without further ado, handed a small gift bag to each of the others. "Open them and put them on the tree," he said with a smile before opening the last bag himself and withdrawing an ornament. "Mom gave me this on our last Christmas together. I wanted to put it on our tree," he said, carefully placing the sparkling star-shaped picture frame ornament on a prominent limb of the tree.
Within the frame was a picture of JD and his mother.
Each of the others opened their gift and one by one placed them on the tree. Joyful laughter rang out at the choices JD had made.
Finally, all seven ornaments hung on the tree, but Chris lingered near it, the paper bag in hand.
"What ya got there, Hoss?" Buck asked, seeing the look of sadness that flashed briefly across Chris' face.
Chris cleared his throat and opened the bag. "Got a couple more to add to the tree," he said, not looking away from the tree. He pulled something out of the bag, inspected it for a long moment then placed it on the tree between the seven they'd just hung. Another item was removed and similarly placed. Chris took a deep breath and stepped back. "Tree looks great, JD. Good idea." He turned around, a look of contentment on his face. "You guys ready to eat?"
At the chorus of 'yeses' Chris grinned and they all made for the kitchen. Except JD, who hung back to look at the last two additions to the tree.
The first was obviously handmade by a child. Two lopsided Popsicle sticks wrapped with colored yarn, a Gods-eye with a bright red, plastic cabochon glued in the center. The second was a snowman picture frame ornament. His belly contained a picture of Chris, Sarah and Adam standing out in front of the house in the snow. They were all mussed like they had just had a snowball fight and were smiling as if they'd never had more fun in their lives.
JD smiled. Nine new ornaments, nine memories made, just like his mom had always said. "Merry Christmas, Mom."
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Ten minutes of peace and quiet
Vin peered out the window at the early morning sky. Stars still twinkled brightly as the sun started to peek up over the horizon.
He'd gotten up early, unable to sleep. Sure, the expectation of the day to come may have been part of it, but if asked he would just say it was 'habit' and the others would accept his answer with knowing grins.
One corner of Vin's mouth lifted in a grin at the thought that these six men could know him so well and accept him as he was. Yes, they would rib him for being anxious to see what 'Santa brought' but it was all in fun.
By the time Chris was up, Vin had already taken care of the horses and been back in to shower and change. He'd noticed that the stack of presents under the tree had grown from the night before, including those that Vin had added himself.
The image of Chris' fuzzy glare when he learned Vin had completed the chores already made Vin's grin expand. His friend had disappeared into the kitchen set on getting a cup of coffee and starting their Christmas meal. Vin had ducked back into the living room when Chris bellowed about the undrinkable coffee in the pot.
Noises from various parts of the house told Vin that the rest of his friends were starting to wake. He wandered over to the tree and fingered the colorful, ceramic Rudolph ornament with Buck's name scrawled across its rear. Vin smiled as he recalled JD's enthusiasm at sharing the ornaments.
Each one an animated Christmas character from a children's show, chosen for each man specifically and labeled with their name and the year. Vin nodded and flinched at the thump from upstairs. Shouts and laughter told him Buck and JD were up and at it already.
Vin sighed, a deep, contented sound, unable to keep the smile from his face. He almost wished it could just be him and his six brothers for the day, but all too soon their guests would be arriving and the dynamics would change to include all of them in the celebration.
He chuckled to himself. He'd be willing to bet that he had less than ten minutes to enjoy the peace and quiet before chaos descended.
Vin sat down on the couch and stared at the Christmas tree, a huge smile gracing his face.
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
Note: I have been trying to keep the story in line with the verses of the song, by number and theme or even the true meaning of the verse, but this one was not cooperating, in fact I thought what I'm going to do in part 12 would be part 11... I have to blame Nathan and Buck. There are 11 words spoken in blessing.... It's very subtle. See if you can pick them out.
*******
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Eleven words a-blessing
Vin looked up at the ruckus being made by someone barreling down the stairs and was surprised to see Ezra with Nathan hot on his tail. Ezra hit the couch with one foot and bounded over it, keeping the long sectional between himself and a growling Nathan.
Vin's amusement grew as the two, normally self-controlled men played a game of 'ring-around-the-rosie' around him and the couch for several moments before Nathan lunged, slipped and almost squished Vin when he landed on the cushion beside him.
"Ezra! Give it back!" Nathan demanded as Ezra stopped, far enough away to be out of Nathan's long reach.
It was only then that Vin saw the small box Ezra held in his hand.
The Southerner grinned and gently shook the present. "I wonder what it could be?" he teased, eyeing the box critically. "It's small. Is it perchance jewelry for the fair Rain?" he asked, his green eyes glittering with glee.
"None of your business, Ezra," Nathan huffed as he levered himself back up to his full height and extended his hand. "Give it back."
Ezra took a small step back, but continued to grin. "I do believe it's just the right size for a ring," he sent a conspiratorial glance Vin's way, but kept his attention fully on Nathan. "Are you planning on asking for her hand in marriage today?"
Nathan pressed his lips together. "I told you, it's none of your business, now give me the r... box!"
Ezra's grin almost split his face and Vin knew his own grin was just as wide.
"I do hope you aren't going to give your paramour some other piece of jewelry," Ezra continued, rotating the box in his fingers. "After three years, anything but a ring would be gauche." He looked Nathan square in the eye, apparently serious now. "When are you going to ask her to marry you?"
Nathan opened his mouth, closed it and then set his jaw. "I'll ask Rain to marry me when you get off your lazy butt and ask Inez out," he finished crossing his arms over his chest with a cocky smile.
Ezra gaped.
Vin had to choke back a laugh.
"But.... I... Mr. Wilmington..." Ezra stammered, doing a poor job of covering his surprise.
"Do I hear my name?" Buck asked as he and JD trotted down the stairs. "I thought we were way past that Mr. Wilmington stuff, Ez," he added with a hang dog face.
Vin saw the panic on Ezra's face and spoke up. "Nathan here just challenged Ezra, said he'd propose to Rain when Ez asks Inez out."
Buck shifted his attention from Vin to Ezra who had not managed to pick his jaw up off the ground yet. At Buck's intense gaze, Ezra snapped his mouth shut and swallowed hard. The ladies' man allowed a slow smile to spread onto his face.
"Sounds like a win-win situation to me. I think Inez and Rain would say it's about damn time."
At that, both Nathan and Ezra were once again struck speechless while their friends laughed at them.
Chris came out of the kitchen and shook his head at the tableau. "Any chance I can get some help sometime today?"
Ezra and Nathan shared a quick look, nodded to Chris and disappeared into the kitchen. Chris frowned to see the others laughing uncontrollably.
Josiah came downstairs at that moment, surveyed the scene and asked, "What'd I miss?"
This only set Buck, JD and Vin to laughing harder.
Chris threw his hands up in the air, turned on his heel and went back into the kitchen to make sure his 'helpers' hadn't disappeared.
~~~~~
Note: Almost there. Did you figure out which line applies?
*M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7**M*7*
To answer the last part's question. The 11 words-a-blessing came from Buck in his own round-about way when he said "I think Inez and Rain would say it's about damn time." : Now on with the tale.
~~~~~
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
A dozen guests for dinner
The morning progressed with an unusual quiet from Ezra and Nathan. All through breakfast and opening Christmas presents, both men kept casting covert glances at each other and their friends who were all silently amused by the two men's dilemma.
By the time breakfast was over Josiah and Chris had both been informed of the 'challenge' and knew what had to be going through the two men's minds. Nathan was wondering how he was going to make sure Ezra spoke to Inez so he could follow through with his plan to propose to Rain. And Ezra was now confronted with Buck's permission to pursue Inez, a pursuit he himself hadn't been entirely certain he was interested in, even though his friends had known for some time.
By mid-afternoon, Chris had a permanent grin on his face. This Christmas was full of surprises. Their guests had started arriving around ten o'clock, first the Judge and his wife with Mary and Billy in tow, then Nettie and Casey. Mrs. Potter and her kids had followed shortly thereafter, and Inez and Rain came together, carpooling to save gas since they actually lived close to each other.
Chris' first surprise came from the Judge who had handed him a manila envelope with a broad smile on his face.
"These arrived by courier yesterday," Orin said as he watched Chris open the envelope to find a letter and seven smaller envelopes inside. "In appreciation for all the hard work your team has done this year, and every year," he added wryly, "the boss has given you each a bonus and an extra two week, paid vacation on top of your normal vacation time that must be taken within the next three months."
Chris turned shocked eyes on the Judge. Although they reported directly to Orin, their real 'boss' was the President. He was the one who authorized their special team and for him to acknowledge their hard work this way was incredible.
"About damn time, isn't it?" Orin asked with a grin. Chris could only nod.
After he opened his own envelope, Chris went around to each of his friends to give them theirs. Although the bonus was substantial, he knew that the acknowledgement of a job well done was worth more to his men than the money. The extra, mandatory vacation time would, of course, be welcome, too.
Chris waited until Ezra had finished a private conversation with Inez to give the undercover agent his bonus. Ezra had been as shocked as the rest of them to receive the praise.
~~~~~~
Preparations for Christmas dinner had begun first thing that morning, but once the guests had arrived, they pitched in to start the side dishes and add more desserts to the already groaning dessert table. Once the food was taken care of and at the urgent insistence of the kids, they all adjourned to the living room to open presents.
Chris was surprised at how much he was enjoying himself. Christmas had been a difficult time for him the last few years, even with the addition of his new brothers. This year seemed different. He had found a way, with JD's help to bring his two families together, to remember Adam and Sarah and share them with his friends. His heart was light and instead of everything reminding him of what he had lost, the celebrations had only reminded him of what he had gained.
The sound of the piano startled Chris out of his musings. The old upright hadn't been played since the accident. Chris turned from where he was sitting on the couch with Billy to see Buck plucking away at the keys with a huge smile on his face as Emily and Brian Potter started singing along to Jingle Bells. Chris' grin turned to a full smile as he caught Buck's eyes and knew that the big man was healing too.
Buck and Sarah had been like brother and sister and used to play the piano together. This was the first time Buck had played since Sarah's death.
After half a dozen requests, Buck held up his hands and claimed he needed a break. He hadn't played in a long time and his fingers were cramping up. Nathan offered to massage them, but Buck, sent a sly glance at Ezra and turned pleading eyes on Inez.
The Southerner rolled his eyes at the blatant ploy, but took his cue.
"I'm afraid I need to commandeer the lady's time for a moment, Buck," Ezra said, standing and gently taking her by the hand. "Inez, I was hoping you would accompany me to dinner next week..." he was interrupted by a squeal and suddenly found himself with an armful of Inez. He could only listen to the hoots and hollers of his team mates as he was a little preoccupied with the kiss she was applying to his lips.
Later, Ezra would tell Nathan that he had asked Inez for the date in private and gotten her permission to do it again in front of the rest of the party, but that Inez had improvised her own response, surprising him in a most pleasant way.
At the time, Nathan had just dropped his head, grinning at the look on Ezra's face and wondering if he should ask Rain in front of everyone or give her privacy. He smiled as Rain stood and crossed the room to stand in front of him.
"Hey, lady," he said softly.
"Nathan," Rain replied. She then got down on one knee in front of him, a smile spreading across her face as Nathan's eyes grew wide and the room fell to silence. "I was hoping you would do me the honor of becoming my husband," she said into the silence.
Nathan stared down at her for a moment, his hand going into his pocket for the small box he'd rescued from Ezra earlier. He chuckled softly and pulled the box out of his pocket as he offered a hand to Rain to help her stand. Nathan handed her the box. "If you will be my wife," he replied.
Rain took the box, removed the lid and stared at the small, velvet covered jewelry box inside. Nathan cupped her hands in his, supporting the gift so she could take the velvet box inside. As she did, he dropped the wrapping on the chair behind him and he opened the ring box she held gingerly.
Her amazed eyes met his with a sparkle of mischief. "Does this mean 'yes'?" Rain asked.
Nathan's smile bloomed. "Yes."
There was a lot of noise after that, but, much like Ezra, Nathan heard very little of it as he kissed his future bride.
~~~~~
Once things had settled down, Vin went to Josiah and handed him his envelope. Josiah looked at him questioningly.
"I want to give my bonus to the home, for Hannah and the others," Vin said.
Josiah blinked back unexpected tears at the kind offer. "Thank you, Vin. I was going to give them mine as well. It will be a blessing for them, the home gets little outside funding."
Vin nodded. "I'd be happy to help you with the handiwork, too, next time you go. I might even be able to round up a few other helpers," he added with a wicked grin.
Josiah looked out at the others and grinned back. "Even Ezra?"
Vin just chuckled.
~~~~~~
The turkey was almost ready, with the help of Evie, Nettie and Gloria, the table was set properly, if not with all the fancy placements the boys had tried to use the day before.
"Wouldn't have any room for the food if we put all those forks and spoons down for every place setting," Nettie had grumbled good-naturedly.
Josiah went to talk to JD, then gathered each of the others before dragging Vin back over to them.
"What's up, guys?" Vin asked, taking in their excited, but apprehensive stances.
Surprisingly, they all looked to JD, who met Vin's curious gaze.
"Vin, we all know how much you love that old Jeep of yours, but it's in the shop more often than it's on the road, and we're all afraid it's going to strand you out in the middle of nowhere one of these days, or in a bad part of town... worse than Purgatorio, that is, so we were hoping you would accept a gift from us... it's not a new Jeep, but we'd like to get yours restored. I know a guy who works on antique cars and you have to admit, your Jeep is an antique. He said he could restore it any way you want, even if you want to keep the beat up look it has now, the important part is that the engine and other stuff will be completely restored so it runs like new." JD paused, staring at Vin who stared back.
"Well, what do you think?" JD asked, a little anxious.
Vin took a quick breath and shook his head. "Geeze, JD, how did you say all that in one breath?" JD opened his mouth, but Vin just held up a hand to stop him. "Restoring that Jeep would be expensive. I don't want you guys spending that kind of money on me."
"Vin," Ezra interrupted, "we all just received a bonus, which while appreciated, none of us really needs to survive. Since I'm certain you have already given yours away..." Vin ducked his head with a small grin. Ezra only nodded and continued, "Josiah thought it would be nice to put our money," Ezra sent a mock glare as he emphasized 'our' at the preacher, "to good use. Please allow us to do this."
"For our own peace of mind, Cowboy," Chris added.
Vin shook his head in disbelief, his brothers were something else. "What about Nathan? He and Rain could use the money for the wedding."
Buck clapped a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Whatever money we don't use on your Jeep goes toward the wedding." He chuckled as Nathan's jaw dropped.
Vin grinned. "Okay, as long as you all promise to help Josiah and me fix up the home Hannah's at. It needs some paint and other repairs." He sent a wink at Josiah who grinned back.
"Perhaps I could organize a fundraiser," Ezra said, mock desperation in his voice.
Their laughter got the attention of their guests and the seven brothers went back to join the party.
~~~~~
The turkey was done and they were about to sit down for dinner. Chris was pretty sure there was nothing left that could surprise him this day. The house was filled with laughter, good cheer and wonderful smells. It was the very definition of Christmas. And his face hurt from smiling so much.
The knock at the door almost went unheard over the noise of everyone gathering around the table to eat.
Chris opened the door and did a poor job at hiding his shock at seeing Maude Standish standing on the porch. His grin slid to confusion and then grim determination as she turned to face him. Larabee wasn't about to let Ezra's mother ruin the day for her son, or any of them for that matter.
"Maude," he said curtly.
Maude's cheery smile slipped a little. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Larabee," she said, falling back on her manners to hide her dismay at such an icy welcome. "I was hoping to find my son here."
Chris stepped out onto the porch, the lack of an invitation to enter not going unnoticed by the older woman. "He's here," Chris replied. "What did you want with him?"
Maude opened her mouth, then closed it, truly astonished by Larabee's unveiled hostility. "Is it against the law to wish to spend the holiday with your family now?" she asked indignantly.
"Only if you plan to destroy Ezra's holiday in some way to make yourself feel better," Chris said with a glare.
Maude looked down at the ground for a moment, then met Chris' eyes and nodded. "I do appreciate your efforts to protect Ezra, even from me, Christopher. But, I swear, I only came to spend time with my son. We've had far too few holidays together, mostly due to my... interests, and I hoped to make some of it up to him."
She finished with a small, hopeful smile, one that Chris recognized from Ezra's repertoire as being sincere. He sighed and nodded.
"All right, Maude. You can come in, we're just about to have dinner, but... there are a few conditions," he said, pinning her with another glare.
She looked back at him nodding, all innocence and eagerness, a look he also recognized and mistrusted immensely.
"The first thing you say that makes Ezra unhappy, I'll pick you up and toss you out into the snow bank," Chris said, pleased to see Maude's eyes widen as she realized he meant business. He waited until she nodded, then continued. "Ezra has finally drummed up the courage to ask Inez out. If you do anything to sabotage them..." he trailed off threateningly.
"Ms. Recillios?" Maude asked, her mind immediately looking for benefits to that relationship.
"She makes him happy, Maude," Chris added, "that's all you need to worry about. Got it?"
Maude nodded. "I'll be on my best behavior, I promise. I really do just want to spend time with my son," she added sincerely.
Chris eyed her for another long moment, then nodded and reached for the door handle.
"Christopher," Maude said.
He frowned, knowing that the other shoe was about to drop.
"Would you mind helping me bring a few things in?" Maude asked coquettishly. He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Just a few presents, that's all."
Chris sighed, but nodded and followed her to the BMW rental she had arrived in. Several minutes later, he was wishing he had declined and waited until they were inside to get some help. Apparently when the Christmas spirit hit Maude Standish, it did so with a vengeance.
He juggled gift bags and wrapped packages as Maude followed him back to the house carrying her own, smaller load of gifts. She graciously opened the door for him with a toothy smile which made him roll his eyes.
Chris entered the living room, the packages helping to block Maude's presence.
"Hey Chris," Buck said leaning back in his chair at the dining table to get a better look. "What'd you do? Hold up Santa?"
"Yeah, what took you so long, Cowboy?" Vin teased. "We were about to send out the rescue dogs to look for you."
"Glad to hear you missed me," Chris replied with a grin. "Found a stray on the porch," he said, grunting in surprise at the elbow to the ribs Maude gave him.
"Really Christopher, a stray?" she said, a sparkle in her eyes as she dipped into the teasing mood.
"Mother?" Ezra squeaked.
Maude quickly found her only child amongst the crowd. He had Inez on one side and a young girl on the other. She smiled fondly as he stood and approached her. Maude's joy at seeing her son was tempered by the caution in his eyes. Had she done so much damage to their relationship that he couldn't be happy to see her and not suspect ulterior motives?
"Mother," Ezra repeated, seeing something in her face that he couldn't quite place. Remorse? "I did not know you were going to be in town. We could have made plans," he said cautiously.
"Nonsense, my dear. I simply found myself free and decided to join you for the holidays. I do apologize for not calling, I wanted it to be a surprise," Maude said, reaching out to grasp his hand.
Ezra smiled tentatively, glancing at Chris to see that he was okay adding another guest to the table. "Well, it was that. Can you join us for dinner?"
Maude looked out over the room, seeing that several smaller folding tables had been added to the main dining table and that every inch seemed to be taken. "Well, I don't want to impose," she started to decline, but was surprised when everyone started to scoot their chairs and plates a little closer to each other, enough to make a space between Ezra and the young girl. She smiled warmly. "I'd love to join you, it smells wonderful."
Ezra took her arm and led her back to his place, sending a smile at Josiah who brought in an extra chair. He looked down at his mother as he took his seat and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Mother."
Maude's brilliant smile lit up her whole face. "Merry Christmas, Ezra."
*******
Ezra sat comfortably in his chair at the table, one arm resting on the back of Inez's chair and the other over the back of his mother's. The food had been excellent and the company even better. He couldn't stop smiling, and only some of it was due to the very bad jokes JD had been reduced to telling.
Inez had moved her chair closer to his some time ago and he enjoyed the warmth of her body along his side. The sound of his mother's laughter, true, joyous laughter, brought memories of happier days when his father had been alive.
Around the table, friends and family were teasing and laughing with each other, sharing a truly magical day. Ezra sighed, a happy sigh, earning Inez's attention.
She lifted a questioning eyebrow. He merely leaned in and placed a kiss on her temple, then for no reason, he did the same to his mother, earning another smile from her. He gave their shoulders a quick squeeze then reached for his almost empty glass and raised it high.
"A toast, ladies and gentlemen," Ezra said loudly, cutting through the merriment. Everyone quieted down and retrieved their glasses. "To family," he said allowing his eyes to meet everyone's as he looked around the table. "Merry Christmas."
The end
Feedback is greatly appreciated. JudyL
Notes:
From: http://www.carols.org.uk/the_twelve_days_of_christmas.htm
Religious symbolism of The Twelve Days of Christmas (The 12 Days of Christmas)
1 True Love refers to God
2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments
11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles
12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points
Feedback is greatly appreaciated. JudyL
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