Warnings: Some mild cursing. Contains several references to "Second Childhood." Nothing too serious this time... just a fun little trip for Ezra, Buck and JD. I hope I can manage to tickle your funny bone at least once. Enjoy!
Let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Ah, if only they were mine, but, alas, they're not. Unfortunately, the privilege of ownership of "The Magnificent Seven" characters belongs to the Mirisch Corp., Trilogy, and MGM, and no infringement on the copyrights held by them is intended. I merely wish to dust the boys off and bring them out to play occasionally for the entertainment of those of us who still miss them dearly.
"The Fishing Trip" completed April 5, 2000
The edges of the sky were barely beginning to lighten when Ezra awoke. He could tell without even opening his eyes that it was still dark and wondered angrily what the heck had roused him at such an ungodly hour this time. Keeping his eyes closed in the hopes that he might fall back to sleep, he did a quick mental check to see if he could figure out what was wrong. No urgent call of nature beckoned him. The welts were uncomfortable, but definitely not bad enough to force him from his sleep. He wasn't unduly hungry, thirsty, or cold. And yet he was still awake. Heaving a huge sigh, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep until he figured out what the problem was.
Ezra slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. You didn't see that... you're just not awake yet... it was a trick of the flickering firelight. Once he had himself convinced he had imagined the horror he'd thought he'd seen the first time, Ezra eased his lids open once more and felt his heart leap into his throat. Dear Lord... what did I do to deserve this nightmare trip from hell?
Ezra lay perfectly still, trying to control his breathing and fighting an incredible urge to scream as he stared at the biggest, nastiest looking spider he'd ever seen in his life... sitting squarely on his stomach staring back at him.
When several tense minutes had passed and the spider hadn't moved, Ezra began to relax as he realized that it was just another of Buck's practical jokes. "Mr. Wilmington, I will get you for this one." But his relief was short-lived when he saw the creature react to his voice and move several steps closer to his face.
Ezra immediately felt himself break out in a cold sweat as his heart began to thunder wildly in his chest. Now what the hell do I do?! He didn't dare move because the slightest vibration seemed to irritate his visitor. Ezra lay perfectly still for several minutes praying it would simply crawl away, but apparently it had decided it was quite comfortable where it was and had no intention of leaving.
Feeling disgusted with the fear he was experiencing, Ezra mentally shook himself and tried to convince the logical part of his brain that he was in no danger. Come on, Standish... it's just a little spider. You know you're faster than it is... just reach up and sweep it off into the fire. Problem solved. Ezra felt his stomach turn at the thought of actually touching the disgusting thing, but he knew the only other choice he had was waking Buck and JD up and requesting their help... and that was totally unacceptable. He'd provided them with enough laughs for this trip.
Flexing his fingers slowly and taking a breath to calm his nerves, Ezra carefully shifted his arm to prepare for the assault... and immediately froze. The spider had moved quickly across his stomach and now stood in the center of his chest, staring at him with its beady little eyes. Ezra swore he could almost see it licking its lips in anticipation. do spiders even have lips? Ezra groaned and briefly closed his eyes as that strange thought popped into his head. you're losing it, Standish... better hurry up and do something before your mind's gone completely. But all his resolve to handle things himself fled when he opened his eyes again and saw the nightmarish creature creeping closer.
Barely moving his lips and taking slow, shallow breaths... Ezra began calling for help. "Buck?!... JD?!..." His voice cracked as he whispered their names. Shifting his eyes to the right and then left of him, he checked to see if he was being heard and had to stifle a groan when he realized the two men hadn't even stirred. He hated to raise his voice, but he knew he was going to have to risk it if he was going to get any assistance in removing the vile beast.
"Buck! Wake up, damn it!" Ezra froze again when the spider moved and waited til it seemed to settle down before trying again. "Buck! JD!... Help!" Ezra felt the sweat slowly running down the sides of his face and had to fight an uncontrollable urge to reach up and wipe it away when it began to tickle the sensitive skin of his neck. "Come on, Buck... wake... up!"
Ezra could have cried in relief when he finally saw the ladies man stretch and sit up.
Buck sat scratching his head and looking around blearily. Something had woken him up... what the hell was it?
"Buck!!" Ezra whispered frantically as he saw the spider move again.
"Ezra? What the hell's the matter with ya? Ya sick or somethin'?" Buck stood up and stretched again before moving slowly over to where the gambler lay in his bedroll.
"Buck, stop! Don't come any closer!" Ezra's strangled plea caused the gunslinger to freeze in his tracks and quickly scan the prone form lying at his feet.
"What's goin' on, Buck? Somethin' wrong with Ezra?" JD stumbled sleepily to his feet and walked towards them, rubbing his eyes and completely missing the Southerner's warning.
Buck spotted the spider and finally understood the panicked look on Ezra's face. It was only a tarantula... granted, it was a damn big one... especially from the close up view Ezra was receiving... but it was still nothing that could seriously hurt him.
"JD... no... don't!" Ezra's voice was hoarse from the strain of trying not to shout at them, but got the youth's attention anyway, bringing him immediately to full wakefulness as he recognized the underlying current of fear that laced Ezra's words.
Looking down at the gambler, JD's eyes widened in shock. "Damn, Ezra... that's the biggest tarantula I've ever seen!"
Buck winked at JD before he slowly hunkered down beside the Southerner and bent closer, presumably to get a better look at Ezra's unwanted companion. "It ain't movin', Ezra... ya sure it's alive?"
Ezra's eyes widened another notch and his hands clutched helplessly at the bedroll as he watched Buck reach out a finger as if to touch the spider. "Jesus, Buck... stop!! Don't touch it!!"
Buck and JD both nearly lost it when they heard the alarmed squeak that popped out of Ezra's mouth, but somehow they managed to keep a straight face and continued on with their teasing.
JD took his cue from Buck and knelt down on the other side of the gambler, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Whatever you do, Ezra... don't yell. If ya startle it, it'll jump straight at your face an' we'd never be able to stop it before it... before... well, just don't yell, okay?"
Ezra's face turned gray and the sweat began pouring off of him as he moaned and squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh God... just do somethin'... please?"
JD almost felt sorry for the stricken Southerner, but then he remembered all the practical jokes that Ezra had played on all of them and he decided it was only fair to pay him back when they got the chance.
Buck had to take a few deep breaths to keep from laughing and then, keeping his eyes on Ezra's face, started making suggestions to JD on how to remove it.
"I don't know what the hell we're gonna do... wait... how 'bout we take that stick over there an' give it a good hard whack? Is this a favorite shirt of yours, Ezra? Ah, hell... it shouldn't take but two or three washin's to get the stains out anyways." Buck fingered Ezra's sleeve and grinned at the greenish tint that now stained his cheeks.
"You can't do that, Buck! You might hurt Ezra!" JD patted the gambler's shoulder and felt him flinch as if he'd been bit. "Don't worry, Ezra... we'll figure out a painless way of gettin' that thing off a ya. An' just remember, it's only a spider... it ain't gonna hurt ya."
Ezra's eyes sprang open at JD's words and he stared first at the boy and then at the spider. 'It's only a spider... it ain't gonna hurt ya'... the words kept echoing in his head, but it was Vin's voice he heard speaking them. A strange image of he and Vin on a bed... a spider... those words... it all just kept jumbling up together in his mind. The confusion and fear, coupled with his anxiety over the spider was too much for him... his stomach began to roll, and he knew he needed to get out of there before he disgraced himself in front of his friends.
Buck stared hard at Ezra and saw his trembling increase and his eyes lose their focus as he stared at the spider. "Ezra? Talk to me, Pard. Answer me, please?" Suddenly he realized what was happening. "Shit." He quickly stood and began searching for something to use to remove the spider.
JD watched Ezra... his lips were moving, but he couldn't quite make out what the gambler was saying. "What's wrong with 'im, Buck?"
Buck walked around beside him and pulled him to his feet. "He's havin' a flashback, JD... the spider in the clinic. We gotta get that damn thing off of 'im right now."
JD realized Buck was right and after thinking for a minute, hurried over to a clump of large bushes that ringed the camp. Breaking off a large branch, he moved back beside Ezra and handed it to Buck. "Just lay the leafy end in front of the spider real careful like and when it crawls up on it, sweep it off onto the ground."
Buck knelt back down and laid a soothing hand on the gambler's shoulder. "Hang on, Ezra... I'll have it off of ya in just a second." Ezra's eyes never left the spider, but he did manage a small nod. Buck was relieved to see JD's plan work, and as soon as the spider was perched amongst the leaves, he whipped the branch off of Ezra's chest and flung it behind him into the fire.
Once he saw that the spider was gone, Ezra rolled quickly over onto his hands and knees and pushed himself up off the ground. Running and stumbling, he hurried off into the trees, and soon the sounds of him retching and gagging drifted back to the two men left in the camp.
Buck and JD were flooded with an overwhelming sense of guilt at what they'd done to their friend. Sure, Ezra would have done the same thing to them, but this was different. They weren't still recovering from a major trauma in their lives like the gambler was and would be better able to withstand the teasing.
Finally the stomach-turning sounds stopped and they heard Ezra making his way slowly back through the trees. They met him at the edge of the clearing and helped him back over to his bedroll. When he hesitated to sit down, Buck quickly reassured him that the spider was dead.
JD brought the gambler a wet rag and handed it to him, waiting patiently as he wiped his mouth and face before handing him the canteen. Ezra drank several swallows and then passed it back to the youth. Buck frowned when he saw how hard the gambler's hands were still shaking, and forced him to lay back down beside the fire.
"Ezra... we're real sorry. We was just teasin' ya an' never figgered it would turn out this way." Buck watched a flicker of surprise wash over Ezra's face as he stared up at him.
"You mean... you... it..." Ezra couldn't quite get the words out as he tried to digest the fact that he'd been the brunt of another one of Buck's pranks.
JD shook his head quickly as he realized what Ezra was thinking. "We didn't put it there... we just decided to have a little fun with ya when we saw it. Tarantulas aren't poisonous, Ezra... ya never were in any real danger. I'm sorry, too... but out here, where ya don't know as much, is the only chance we ever get to get back at ya without ya figurin' out what were doin'."
Buck chuckled at the startled expression that appeared on Ezra's face when he heard JD's honest excuse for tricking him.
Ezra struggled against the smile that tugged at his lips, but couldn't hide the glint of humor that shone in his expressive eyes. "Well, I think that was a back-handed compliment and I guess I have to thank you for that. However, I do feel that I should warn you two gentlemen... and I use that term loosely... I am keepin' track of all these little pranks of yours and will be exacting my revenge whenever the opportunity presents itself. Understood?"
Buck smiled and slapped Ezra's leg as he stood and moved back over to his own bedroll. "Oh, we understand alright, Ezra... an' we're gonna try real hard to make sure that opportunity never does show itself."
JD still wasn't sure he'd been forgiven and stared deep into Ezra's eyes before holding out his hand and quietly asking, "Still friends?"
Ezra looked up at him and felt his own little twinge of guilt for the petty way he'd been acting toward him with regards to Buck's attention. Reaching out to shake the youth's hand, he softly replied, "Always, JD... always."
After JD had walked away, Ezra rolled over on his side, pulling the blankets up around his chin. He smiled as a warm feeling of belonging swept over him. Ezra would never admit it to the two of them, but Buck's and JD's teasing had made him feel a part of their little family more than anything anyone else had ever done for him. Even though he'd never had any brothers of his own, Ezra knew this was exactly how they would behave... teasing, irritating, and sometimes even angering each other... but always there when they were needed. What more could a man ask for?
Ezra stared across the fire at the two men who he now considered his brothers, and felt himself finally relaxing, knowing that nothing would happen to him as long as they were near. The smile was still in place as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Ezra became aware of the sun shining warmly on his face and wondered sleepily why no one had bothered to wake him yet. Buck and JD usually jumped at any chance they could find to drag him out of bed before he was ready... the earlier the better. Considering the last few rude awakenings he'd experienced, he was almost afraid to open his eyes. What did they have lying in wait for him this morning... a snake? Another disgusting insect?
Finally, he could stand the suspense no longer and carefully cracked open one eye, peering apprehensively around the campsite. Well, so far so good... nothing crawling on him... no loud shrieks to make him jump out of his skin. He looked to his left and was relieved to see his revolver lying beside him.
Deciding it was safe to move, Ezra pushed himself up into a sitting position and stretched. His back popped and cracked, reminding him of why he hated sleeping on the ground so much. Lord, but he missed the comfort of his feather bed.
Ezra took a deep breath of the fresh morning air to clear his sleep-fogged mind and stretched once more before finally climbing unsteadily to his feet. The aroma of JD's coffee slowly penetrated his senses and he felt his stomach roll uneasily at the thought of food or drink. He swallowed several times and breathed shallowly to try and control the feeling and wondered why his throat was a little sore. Then he remembered the aftermath of the spider incident he'd experienced during the night, and felt a blush of embarrassment wash over him.
Ezra poured himself a mug of coffee and forced himself to take a couple of sips, knowing he'd feel better once he got some of it down. As soon as his stomach began to settle, he performed his morning ablutions, feeling even more himself as he moved through his familiar routine. After refilling his mug and grabbing one of the biscuits that had been left for him, he wandered toward the pond in search of his friends.
JD looked up as he heard Ezra approaching and smiled. "Mornin', Ezra! Feelin' better?"
"Right as rain, Mr. Dunne." He gestured toward the fish Buck was adding to the stringer and frowned at JD. "Y'all tryin' to get a head start on me this mornin'?"
Buck laughed as he washed his hands off in the pond. "Here we are, tryin' to be helpful by lettin' ya sleep in, an' ya go an' accuse us of cheatin'. Now is that nice?"
Ezra thought a minute and then shook his head. "Not nice perhaps, but undoubtedly true." He finished off his biscuit and drained the last of his coffee, then smiled as he picked up his fishing pole. "But I'll forgive you since I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to wake up on my own with no unpleasant surprises for a change."
JD grinned up at him. "You're lucky, Ezra... I managed to talk Buck outta puttin' that snake in your bedroll this mornin'. I figured ya needed a little break after last night."
Ezra had to laugh at the look of guilt that flashed across Buck's face before he could stop it. He quickly changed it to one of pure innocence and began vehemently denying JD's accusations.
Ezra raised his hand and shook his head, forestalling the argument between the two men which would surely last all day if allowed to continue. "Give it up, Mr. Wilmington... your initial expression gave you away. Now shall we dismiss the incident since it never actually happened and concentrate instead on our bet? Which one of us, may I ask, is currently in the lead?"
Buck grinned and decided to quit while he was ahead. "You are, Ezra... an' I gotta admit, that last one ya caught is gonna be tough to beat. Why do ya think we wanted a head start this mornin'?"
Ezra finished baiting his hook... a task that, as Buck had assured him, had finally gotten easier... and threw his line out in the water. Settling on the ground near Buck, he grinned confidently over at his two companions. "Now, let the master show y'all how to catch a prize winning fish."
The rest of the morning was spent companionably arguing over whose technique was better, which bait worked best, and a multitude of other topics. By noon, the temperature had risen considerably and the fish had become sluggish... preferring to remain in the cooler water at the bottom of the pond rather than at the top, feeding.
"Well, boys... I think it's time to take a little break while the fish are nappin'. How 'bout we grab a quick bite to eat an' take a little walk. I got somethin' I wanna show ya that I think you're gonna like." Buck pulled in his line and stood up, waiting for the other two men to do the same before starting back up the slope toward camp.
Buck was beginning to regret even mentioning taking a walk... JD and Ezra had argued and competed for his attention almost every step of the way so far. At the moment, Ezra was walking beside him complaining for the hundredth time that JD had interrupted him and JD was walking backward in front of them, telling one joke after another... determined to make them laugh or die trying... which was very close to happening. The dying... not the laughing.
"Lord, boy... don't you ever run down?" Buck rubbed his forehead where an ominous throbbing was starting. Just what he needed, a headache. "And for God's sake, turn around! You're gonna trip over somethin' an' hurt yourself, an' then Ezra an' I'll have to cart your butt back to camp."
"Speak for yourself, Mr. Wilmington. I think the merciful thing to do in that instance would be to shoot him and put us out of our misery." Ezra grinned at JD as he dodged the rock the boy lobbed at him in retaliation.
"Ow! Damn it, JD!" Buck glared at the two men as he rubbed the knot now forming just over his left ear. JD may have missed his original target, but he unfortunately hadn't missed Buck. "You two had better quit actin' like a pair of two year olds before I use Ezra's idea an' shoot both of ya!"
"Oh, geez, Buck... I'm sorry! Are ya okay?" JD glared at Ezra who scowled back at him. "I was aimin' for Ezra... it's his fault for duckin'!"
"Well, excuse me for not standin' up there and takin' that rock like a man, JD... I don't know what I could have possibly been thinkin'." Ezra shook his head and glanced up at Buck. "I think you should order our young friend back to the camp, Mr. Wilmington. Maybe it would teach him a lesson and encourage him to act his age."
Buck narrowed his eyes and just stared at Ezra.
Ezra and JD could see that the older man had just about reached the end of his rope and wisely decided to stop talking.
Buck breathed a sigh of relief at the welcome quiet and prayed it would last at least for a little while.
It was only a little further down the trail when Ezra and JD became aware of a new sound penetrating the usual forest noises that had accompanied them on their walk.
They recognized it as the quiet rush of fast moving water and were pleasantly surprised when they rounded the next bend, to find themselves at the base of a small waterfall.
The three men stopped at the edge of the small clearing and stared around them, taking in the utter beauty of their surroundings. The grassy banks of the stream were shaded by the towering trees, while the sun shown down on the waterfall itself, producing an array of tiny rainbows in the glittering mist that surrounded it.
"Wow, Buck... it's... it's... beautiful." JD spoke in unusually hushed tones as he walked slowly toward the water. "It's like somethin' ya'd read about in a fairy tale."
Ezra followed behind him, his gaze roving around the little glade. He marveled at how the colors seemed so much more intense and the bird song so much sweeter than they would normally be. JD was right... there was something almost magical about it. He heard a rustling in the bushes to his left and turned to look, almost expecting to see a unicorn or some other mythical creature appear. Instead a small deer peeked out, calmly stared at them, and then slowly faded back into the shadows.
"I have to agree with our young companion... there is definitely something different... almost mystical... about this place." Ezra felt a soothing peace flow through him as he let himself sink down onto the velvety grass near the water's edge. Stretching his legs out and leaning back on his elbows, he closed his eyes and let the gentle cooling spray from the falls wash across his face. "Mmm... I do believe you may have stumbled across a piece of heaven, Mr. Wilmington."
Buck grinned and sat down beside Ezra, watching JD as he knelt by the stream and, cupping his hands, drank deeply of the cold, clear water. "I figgered ya'd like it here. Just seems to make ya forget about your troubles, don't it?"
Ezra squinted up at Buck and grinned back at him. "Troubles? What troubles?"
JD came up beside them, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Boy, that water's good." He placed his fists on his hips and stared down at the two older men. "What are ya doin' just layin' there... don't ya wanna explore some? Looks like there might be a cave behind the waterfall... who knows what all's in there."
Buck and Ezra looked at each other and then up at JD. "Sorry, Kid... we're just gonna sit here an' enjoy the peace and quiet. Why don't you check it out an' let us know what ya find."
JD peeled off his coat and tossed it and his hat down beside the two men. Shaking his head as he walked away, JD mumbled just loud enough for them to hear, "Must be hell to get old" and then grinned over his shoulder at them before running off toward the falls.
Ezra shook his head in amazement. "Doesn't that boy ever get tired?"
"Ya know... if I wasn't so damn old an' wore out, I'd go after 'im an' make 'im pay for that last crack." Buck sighed and stretched out beside Ezra in the grass. "But I just ain't got the energy for it."
They watched JD climb around on the rocks, disappearing for a short time behind the waterfall before coming back out and shaking his head at them in an apparent indication that he'd found nothing of interest.
"Mr. Wil— um... Buck... I've been wantin' to thank you for askin' me to accompany you and JD on this little trip. I realize it's usually just the two of you, and I appreciate your including me this time." Ezra stared down at the ground, his fingers plucking nervously at the grass as he spoke. He hoped Buck wouldn't ask him why he'd wanted suddenly to come along, because he didn't even know the answer to that question. It just somehow felt... right.
"Hell, Ezra... we'd have asked ya sooner if we'd a known ya wanted to come. Just never figgered ya'd be interested in fishin'." Buck looked over at Ezra and nudged him with his elbow. "I hope we didn't ruin it for ya by funnin' with ya the way we did. Ya know we didn't mean no harm by it."
Ezra glanced up at Buck and shook his head, "On the contrary... as much as I detest being awakened in such an abrupt manner, I have to admit these... incidents... have made our excursion that much more interesting." He rubbed lightly at the welt on the back of his neck and grinned ruefully. "I could have managed quite well without my encounter with those nasty little blood-suckers, but that was hardly your fault. Just an unfortunate accident."
Buck laughed and, reaching out, tipped the gambler's hat forward over his eyes. "Hell, Ezra... those incidents as you call 'em are all just part of bein' a family. You'll get used to 'em after awhile."
"Hey, Buck! Look at this!" JD's voice drifted down from one of the trees and Buck and Ezra looked up to see where he was.
"Damn it, boy... get your butt down outta there 'fore ya fall an'—" Buck never got a chance to finish his warning. To their horror, they saw the branch JD was precariously perched on bend under his weight and finally snap in two.
The two older men were on their feet and running the minute they saw JD start to drop, their hearts pounding wildly and their eyes never leaving the boy as he tumbled through the branches, grabbing frantically at anything he could to try and stop his fall. JD was able to slow his momentum, but couldn't latch onto a branch strong enough to stop him altogether. Buck and Ezra managed to get under him just as he plummeted past the last branch, and were able to cushion his landing. All three men ended up on the ground in a tangled pile of arms and legs, with JD on top and Buck and Ezra on the bottom, desperately gasping for breath.
"You alright... JD?" Buck managed to suck in enough air to get a few words out, anxious to make sure the boy wasn't injured.
JD laughed nervously, as he flexed his arms and legs, checking for injuries. "Yeah... I'm okay. Thanks for catchin' me... I—"
Ezra groaned softly and struggled to breathe under the boy's considerable weight. "I'm relieved... you were... unharmed, Mr. Dunne... now would you... mind... getting... up!"
JD immediately scrambled to his feet, apologizing profusely as he turned around and saw the pained expressions on his friends' faces. "Oh, geez... sorry 'bout that. You two okay?"
Buck slowly sat up as his breathing finally started to even out and reaching over to grab the hand Ezra was shakily waving at him, pulled the gambler up beside him. "I think I'm in one piece... you alright, Ezra?"
Ezra took a quick mental inventory of the various aches and pains that had blossomed throughout his body and nodded his head. "Bent and bruised, but thankfully not broken. Would you mind helping me to my feet, Mr. Dunne... I think my posterior may have sustained the most damage thanks to this rather large rock I'm sittin' on."
Buck frowned when he heard Ezra's low moan of pain as he tried walking. "Damn, Ezra... are ya gonna be able to ride?"
Ezra stretched his sore muscles and moaned again as his backside started throbbing painfully. "I'm sure most of the soreness will have disappeared by the time we start back, Mr. Wilmington." Shooting a glare at JD, Ezra moved slowly back over to where he'd been lying in the grass and retrieved his hat. "At least it better be, or our young friend here will be carrying me all the way home."
Buck and JD both winced when they heard Ezra's sharp intake of breath as he bent over, and knew he was in more pain than he was admitting.
Buck let JD help him to his feet, and then checked the boy over while he waited for his legs to quit shaking. The boy had several scratches on his face and hands, and a particularly nasty bruise was darkening along his jaw line. "Ya sure you're okay, Kid?"
JD gently touched the bruise and nodded as he shot a worried look at Ezra. "Yeah... I'm just a little sore. I'm really sorry, Buck... I didn't mean for that to happen."
"We know ya didn't." Buck followed the direction of JD's gaze and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Kid... ya just scared the hell outta ol' Ezra... he's not really mad at ya."
"Ya know, Buck... maybe we outta throw the bet an' make sure Ezra wins. I think he deserves it after all he's been through." JD plucked a few leaves off his shirt as he and Buck walked toward the gambler.
"Nah... Ezra loves to win, but he don't like havin' it handed to 'im." Buck shook his head and smiled as he brushed more leaves off the younger man's back. "We'll just have to try an' make sure nothin' else happens to 'im 'fore we head home... or us. At the rate we're goin'... Nathan won't let us leave town again unless he's with us to patch us up."
JD started laughing as he watched Ezra gingerly rubbing his backside. "Can't ya just see Ezra's face when Nathan insists on checking that last bruise he got... he'll be turnin' fifty shades of red while he tries to convince Nathan he's okay."
Buck laid his arm across JD's shoulders and grinned. "An' we'll be right there to enjoy the show. I can't wait to see how Ezra wiggles outta that one."
JD snorted. "If he's still in this much pain, he'll be wigglin' mighty careful... that's for sure."
Ezra scowled at the two men when he heard them laughing. "Gettin' your amusement out of my misery again, Gentlemen? If this is what it means to be part of the family... I want a divorce."
The two men looked quickly at Ezra's face to see if he was serious, and were relieved to see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth and a glint of humor in his light green eyes.
Buck smacked Ezra on the back and laughed at the smaller man's muffled grunt of pain. "Aw, come on now, Ezra... ya know ya don't really wanna divorce... then you'd miss out on all this fun."
Ezra began complaining loudly about their twisted idea of fun and tried to stalk away from the two men, but was stopped when they each threw an arm across his shoulders and began walking beside him, chiding him playfully on trying to leave his two favorite brothers behind.
Ezra heaved a deep sigh of resignation when he failed to pull himself out of their grasp and reluctantly slowed his pace to match theirs. His head dropped to his chest as they started in on how ungrateful he was and began listing off all they'd done to try and make this an enjoyable trip for him, also reminding him that he wasn't the only one who'd been the victim of the jokes. That much was true. JD and Buck seemed to be having a friendly competition on who could play the most tricks on the other while they were there... salt in the coffee, mud in a boot... just childish little pranks. Luckily, they were basically leaving Ezra out of that contest.
When their discussion turned to an argument over who's trick had worked best so far, Ezra finally decided to try and shut them out with thoughts of home... a hot bath, a good meal, a stiff drink, and finally... a good, long night's rest in his warm, soft feather bed. Please, God... just let them tire of this soon... that's all I ask.
Ezra got his wish when they reached the narrowest part of the trail. It was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side and there immediately ensued a slight argument between JD and himself over who would walk beside Buck.
The trail followed along side a shallow ravine at that point, and Buck had to grab first JD and then Ezra and pull them back as they wandered too close to the edge. They were so engrossed in battling for Buck's attention, that neither of them was paying any heed to where they were walking.
"Damn it! Will you two quit actin' like two year olds an' watch where the hell you're goin'?!" Buck yelled as he jerked Ezra back onto the trail for the third time. The only thing releasing his anger accomplished was giving the two younger men something new to argue about... which one of them was acting more like a child.
Somehow, Ezra managed to maneuver himself into the coveted position at Buck's right elbow and turned and shot JD a smug look of satisfaction. Naturally, JD refused to be outdone and immediately tried to squeeze in on the gunslinger's left side.
Just as Buck opened his mouth to tell JD that there just wasn't room enough for three men on this part of the trail, he saw the young peacekeeper's booted foot land on a particularly soft patch of earth and begin to slip out from under him. Buck quickly grabbed JD's shoulder and twisted around, throwing the boy in Ezra's general direction. He saw the gambler wrap his arms around the Kid and heaved a sigh of relief... just before the ground dropped out from under him and he disappeared into the ravine.