Rating----R-for language and violence
Characters----Chris Larabee, Ezra Standish
Disclaimers---The Magnificent seven and characters do not belong to me, although I'd love to lay claim to a certain green eyed blond cowboy. No copyright infringement intended and no money has been made from this fic.
Comments----Well, this fic is written for my wonderful friend and beta, Antoinette, who is also an avid Ezra fan. She also knows that Chris is always number one in my fics, but I've given Ezra the second role and thrown him a few owies all his own. This fic was started over a year ago for her, but never seemed to get off the ground. So a year later and I'm finally gonna deliver on the promised tale. I guess this is another story in the destiny series as it does bring up events in The Devils' Spawn and Prior Engagement. Thanks to Jackie and Ninheve for reading along with me and for their comments and spell checks and just for being good pards. Thanks to Julie, because she's Julie, and the best friend a girl can have. Any medical inaccuracies are my own and please forgive them as I am doing the best I can with research on the net.
Summary----Ezra comes to Chris and gets him to fulfill his wager on the lost bet in The Devil's Spawn and both men attend the wedding of Ezra's mother to the king of a small island in the south. The island is only imaginary, and all of my own making.
Larabee looked up from the papers strewn across his desk and smiled at the man standing there. Ezra Standish looked as if the weight of the world had been dropped on his shoulders and Chris knew only one person who had that effect on the stoic conman.
"What's your mother up to now, Ez?" the blond leader of The Firm asked.
"What makes you think it's my mothah, Mr. Larabee?"
"She's the only one I know that can ruffle your tail feathers. What is it this time? Marriage or divorce?"
"Marriage...she's met this King..."
"I thought she was seeing an Earl?"
"She was...but alas that was his name, not his title. Mothah was simply appalled when she discovered his duplicity."
"So who is this new man?"
"He is a king, or so Mothah says. He owns an island south of the Caribbean Islands and has pronounced himself king. Since it's his property, Mothah feels he really is a king."
"So when is the wedding and how much time do you need?"
"The wedding is in one month and I will need at least three possibly four weeks, but there is another reason I'm here," the gambler said, eyes slightly downcast as he looked at his boss.
"Out with it!" Larabee insisted, pointing to the chair opposite his desk. He waited for the other man to close the door and take the offered seat.
"Chris, do you remember a bet we made while you were in the hospital in Washoe?"
"Ah, hell," Larabee said with a grin. "That was one bet I didn't mind losing,"
The bet involved whether Anne Sheridan would visit him as more than a concerned nurse. The woman now lived in Billings, but was a traveling nurse and often out of town for weeks at a time. This latest assignment would see her leaving in two weeks and she would be gone for two long months. He sat back, holding a pencil between his two hands, smiling as he realized why Standish was sitting across from him, looking a little nervous.
"Well, do you remember what I wanted if I won the bet?"
"No...no...can't say that I do," Larabee said, smiling as he saw the nervous tension in the other man's body.
"Oh...okay...I was just thinking..."
"Ez, I remember the bet and since you won I'll gladly pay up. When do we leave?"
"We would have to fly to St. Augustine, Florida on June 21st. We'd spend a day at Mothah's home and then take the a plane from there to the island."
"Alright, so give me a couple of days to work this out with Orrin. I think Vin can handle things from this end. So is your mother going for a royal wedding this time?"
"I think she said there would be over 500 guests."
"Guess that means I need to pack my Tux."
"That would be a very wise idea."
"Anything else I should know?" Larabee asked.
"No...that's it." Standish stood up to leave, but turned back to speak with the man he'd grown to respect so much. "Chris, thank you...I mean it...you don't know how much you're being there will mean to me."
"Ez, you're a friend...a part of this rag tag family...and that's what we do for each other. Let me know when the dates are finalized."
"I will...by the way, all expenses will be taken care of by mother's paramour. He insists on spoiling her," Standish said.
"As if she needs to be spoiled further," Larabee said, smiling at the other man as he left the office. Chris leaned back in his chair and thought about Ezra Standish and his turbulent relationship with his mother. The Firm's leader knew more about the relationship than the other men, having had a run in with the sophisticated debutante when he'd asked Ezra to be part of Orrin Travis' newly formed agency. The woman had been angry at him for even approaching her son with the offer, and she'd been angry when the young man defied her and chose to work for the blond.
Chris laughed as he remembered her reaction to the clothes he wore when they first met.
*******Chris was working on his truck and covered in dirt and grease when the message came from Standish saying he wasn't sure he could take him up on the offer. He dropped what he was doing and drove to Standish' upscale apartment. He ignored the looks on the manager's face as his boot heels clicked on the hardwood floor and left tracks of dirt across the highly polished wood. He stabbed at the button and smiled at the extravagantly dressed woman who stepped out of the elevator. Once inside he hit the button that would take him to the top floor, where Standish owned the penthouse suite. He didn't bother with the doorbell, instead opting to pound on the door until it was opened by a woman dressed in a light cream-colored suit.
"The servants entrance is downstairs," the woman told him, disgusted at the way he was dressed.
"Not a servant. I'm here to see Ezra Standish."
"My son does not wish to see..."
"I'm not here to see you, Lady. Now do your damn job and tell Standish Chris Larabee is here to see him!" The blond pushed past her and stood just inside the door.
"Well, I never..."
"Don't matter to me whether or not you never...just get Standish out here!"
"My son..."
"Your son," Larabee smiled as he realized he was looking at the woman who'd been trying to make Ezra Standish give up any thoughts he had of joining The Firm.
"Yes, My dear boy..."
"Your dear boy is a man. It's damn well time you let him be one!"
"How deah you talk to me in such a manner? You will leave my home..."
"I'll leave when I talk with Ezra. Now are you gonna tell him he's got company or do I walk in there and tell him myself."
"Mothah, is something wrong?" the young man asked as he heard the raised voices. "Oh, Mr. Larabee, what are you doing here?"
"I came to see why you changed your mind about joining the team," Larabee said.
"I didn't change my mind. I told you I would report to the office on Monday morning..."
"And I canceled that meeting, Ezra."
"Mothah, you had no right..."
"I am your mothah and have every right to stop my boy from making a mistake!"
"Mrs. Standish, your son has made his decision, why don't you respect him for it?"
"Mr. Larabee, I'm not about to let my son go to work for a man of your standing. He is not to ruin his hands by working for a grease monkey like you!"
"Sorry, Ma'am, but again, that's Ezra's decision. Ez?"
"I'll be at the office at seven sharp, Mr. Larabee."
"Good, I'll see you then, Ez." He turned to the woman, smiled and nodded his head. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am," he said sarcastically. He turned and walked away leaving the woman flustered and angry. They'd had several more meetings since that one, but she always managed to catch him at a time when he looked a little the worse for wear.******
Chris sighed as he stood up and walked to the window. Somehow he knew this was going to be a trip he'd not soon forget. Maude Standish was a woman of high standing and they always seemed to butt heads over her son.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The month flew by for both Chris and Ezra as the two men made preparations to make sure their cases were covered and any loose ends were tied up. Maude's fiancé sent a private plane to pick them up and the two men sat in spacious chairs facing each other across a small table laden with little cakes and fresh fruit.
"So is Maude gonna be there when we arrive?" Larabee asked, sipping at the smooth Irish whiskey in his hand.
"No, mothah is already on the island. She said she's got too much to do and would see us both on St. Dominique. We shall be meeting her intended at that time as well."
"Any idea what King Reggie looks like?" Larabee asked, smiling at the grin on Standish' face. The team had begun alluding to Maude's intended as King Reggie the sixth...not because he was the sixth king, but because he was Maude Standish' sixth husband.
"King Reginald Thibideu is not a man who likes having his photo taken. I'm sure he's tall, brown haired, and gallant. Everything mothah deems a necessity in a male companion."
"Aren't you forgetting one other necessity?" Larabee asked, finishing the glass of whiskey and placing it back on the table.
"Ah, yes, mothah does also like to have a man who has pecuniary values as well."
"Was she always like that, Ezra?" The blond asked as the younger man gazed out the window.
"I don't know about her early life, but since I was old enough to hold a bottle, mothah coveted wealth and title. I remember once when her elder brother came to visit and I overheard them talking. Uncle Daniel was a big strapping bear of a man, so different from Mothah, yet they did love each othah. Uncle Daniel was trying to convince her not to marry the man who would be my third fathah, but alas he met with defeat. Mothah simply told him to stay out of her affairs, that she would not have her child growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. I often wonder which side of the tracks was the wrong side. I mean I grew up not wanting for anything, at least not when it came to what some people call expensive possessions, but I do believe I was short changed in other things."
"I take it your mother didn't believe in showing her love for her child..."
"I'm not sure believe would be the right word. I think mothah found it hard to show affection of any kind. I grew up with nannies who said they loved me, but it wasn't the same. I'd have given up all the fancy clothes, the education...everything just to spend a few hours with her. I do believe that's why I was such a perfect student when she showed me my first card trick. I've never seen her so excited about anything and I practiced until I had the slight of hand trick down pat. She was between husbands at the time and we spent nearly three months traveling. I learned how easy it was to get her attention if I learned a new card trick."
"Not much of a life for a kid, Ez."
"No, it wasn't, but it really wasn't all bad. Mothah did love me in her own way, and I think she's mellowed over the years, but I do sometimes wonder what it would've been like to have a normal childhood," Standish said, smiling as a flight attendant refilled their glasses.
"What about you, Chris? What was your childhood like?"
"My mom and dad were wonderful parents...didn't have much money, but they didn't let that stop them. I had one brother...two years older than me."
"I didn't know you had a brother, Chris."
"I don't talk about him a lot, Ez. I loved him, but he had problems. He thought the world should revolve around him and sometimes I think he regretted having a kid brother. Mom and dad didn't see some of the things he did. They just saw him as the perfect son."
"But he wasn't?" Standish asked, amazed at hearing Larabee had a brother, something he'd always wanted, yet the brother seemed to resent his being born.
"No...no he wasn't," the blond said, sipping at the amber colored liquid as he looked out the big window.
"I'm sorry, Chris, I didn't mean to remind you of something you'd rather not talk about."
"It's okay, Ez. It's just hard to talk about. I haven't even told Buck all of it. My brother's name was Carl...and as I said he was two years older than me. When we were younger he looked after me...wouldn't let anyone hurt me or pick on his skinny runt of a brother, but that all changed suddenly when he went to the private school. He graduated with honors and planned to attend university. Mom and dad were proud of him and so was I. I mean here I was a scrawny kid who looked up to his brother, and couldn't understand why he would have nothing to do with me. I saw other families with two or more kids and they always seemed to get along, but Carl was cold to everything I tried. He hated when dad told him to take me with him, and sometimes it scared me to have to go. He hit me a few times, but never anywhere that someone could see it. Told me if I ever told mom or dad he'd put me in the hospital and make damn sure I never came out again." Larabee's hand shook as he remembered his own childhood, the troubled years when his life had become a living hell for not only him but his parents as well.
"Jesus, Chris, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Ez. See, Carl had problems none of us knew about. He'd started using drugs, but none of us saw the signs. He was a damn good actor and made sure none of us knew what he was doing. At least he kept it hidden until the university he wanted to attend turned him down. Mom and Dad were at work and I came home from school...caught him shooting up...I screamed at him for being so fuckin' stupid...sonofabitch grabbed me and pulled me down on the sofa beside him. I was only fifteen at the time, Ez, small for my age and he hel...held me down easily."
Standish watched as Larabee rubbed at the inside of his arm. He knew his friend needed to talk about his experience, yet he wasn't sure he was the right man to hear it. Finally taking a deep breath he found his voice again.
"What happened?"
"His eyes were crazed, Ez, and he looked like a madman. He held me down with his body, trapping my left arm behind me and pushing the damn needle into my arm..."
"Sweet Jesus!" Standish gasped.
"I fought him and before he could inject the heroin the needle broke off. He hit me over and over...until I grabbed the marble ashtray on the table. I...I...hit him with it..."
"There was nothing else you could've done, Chris. It wasn't your fault."
"I know that now, but that doesn't make it any easier."
"So what happened? Did you call for help?"
"I crawled to the phone and hit 911...couldn't really talk but they understood enough to send help. I passed out before they got there and woke up in the ER. Dad and Mom were there...and I knew they'd been crying. I couldn't face them...not knowing I'd killed my own brother. Later I found out Carl wasn't there when the cops arrived. They found him a week later down by the docks. He was dead...shot himself up with nearly pure heroin and died alone. It was such a fuckin' waste."
"Yes it was, but it wasn't your fault, Chris. You couldn't have stopped him from doing that to himself."
"I know...and I keep telling myself that, but to know he died alone...with no one there to care about him..."
"Chris, would you have helped him if you'd known where he was?"
"Hell yes, Ez. I loved Carl in spite of what the drugs did to him. I would've done anything to help him."
"Then he didn't die alone. Deep down inside him he would've known you were there, that you forgave him everything he did to you."
Larabee looked at the younger man and realized how easily he'd just read him. He knew it wasn't the same as his bond with Vin Tanner, but Standish was an integral part of his new family. He nodded and closed his eyes, picturing a time when his brother was with him and they'd been close.
"Thanks, Ez," he said softly.
"You're welcome, Chris. Now, how about a little game of chance?"
"Name your game," Larabee said, sitting up and smiling as the gambler fanned out a new deck of cards.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The flight had been a pleasant one and the landing smooth and easy. Chris and Ezra thanked the flight attendants as well as the pilot before disembarking and making their way through the airport. They both carried overnight bags, but left the bulk of their luggage on the plane as they would be leaving early the next morning. The terminal itself was fairly busy, but Ezra led them through the main doors and out into the main waiting zone where he immediately spotted his mother's driver.
"This way, Chris," the conman explained as he hurried to the waiting white Limousine.
Chris looked at the sleek automobile and whistled softly.
"Nice," he said simply.
"Yes, mothah has a thing for white limousines. She says they make everything so elegant. Hello, Maxwell," Standish greeted the driver as he opened the back door.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Standish, a pleasure to see you again."
"How is your family?" the gambler asked as Chris ducked his head and climbed into the car.
"Very well, thank you, Sir." Maxwell answered, closing the door once Ezra was inside and seated comfortably.
"Maxwell's been one of mothah's drivers for over ten years now. He's very reliable and has a small chalet on the estate," Standish explained as he buckled up his seat belt.
"Ez, just how big is your mother's property here?"
"Let's see, the house features six bedrooms, three of those have en-suite baths, floor to ceiling fireplaces, white colonial furnishings, and four poster beds. The beds are antiques and mothah refuses to buy new ones, although she has invested in new feather mattresses and king size pillows. The other three bedrooms share a bath, and are furnished in oak or cherry wood, depending on which one you choose to stay in. My room is just to the right of the stairs, and I believe you would be comfortable in the one next to mine."
"Right now, any bed sounds good to me," Larabee said, tired after the long plane ride, and the late nights he'd put in getting ready for this trip. He knew everything was up to date at the office, but he also needed to make sure things at the ranch were taken care of. Vin would look after Pony for him, and would also make a trip out to his place everyday to check on things.
"I certainly agree," Standish answered.
"So six bedrooms, what else does this mansion have?"
"Mothah calls this her summer cottage," the conman said with a grin, knowing the home was bigger than most people could ever imagine living in.
"Okay, so tell me about the cottage." Larabee looked out the window at the homes surrounding the narrow streets. Something about this place put him at ease and he relaxed into the comfortable seats, smiling as his companion handed him a cold glass of Pepsi.
"Well, the lower level has a large foyer...the main dining room seats thirty comfortably, the breakfast nook seats ten to twelve and is just off the kitchen. There's a full contingent of staff whenever guests are staying here, but I told mothah, Mrs. McMurtry would be fine. She's been on staff for a long time, approximately fifteen years, and her culinary skills are unsurpassed in this state. There's a study and library also located on the main floor, opposite the main dining hall. I guess that's about it for the main house. The property is well over 5000 square feet with stables and a pool house located..."
"Stable? Any horses?"
"I thought that would intrigue you, Chris," Standish laughed at the excitement in the sea-green eyes.
"You know I love horses, Ezra," Larabee told him.
"You and Vin do seem to be equine inclined." The conman grinned at the other man as they turned onto interstate 95 north.
"Vin's got a way with animals," The Firm's leader said softly.
"Yes, he certainly does. Now as to whether there are horses in the stables the answer is yes. Mothah invested in a couple of thoroughbreds. I'm sure we could find time to visit the stables if you are so inclined."
"Oh, I think I could be persuaded to take a look at them," Larabee agreed. They remained silent for the rest of the journey, watching as the city gave way to rolling lawns and large estates.
"We're almost there, Chris. it's just over the next rise."
Chris had been immersed in the countryside. The estates stretched over lush green valleys, running down into the ocean and back over the rise. They passed a small well kept bridge and Chris spotted the house set back amongst Sycamores, Magnolias, Slash Pines and a few others Chris recognized but couldn't think of the names. Flowers such as Primrose, yellow Jasmine, Roses and Bougainvillea grew in abundance in well tended flower beds around the front terrace. Birds of different colors and size flew around the flowers, butterflies of all varieties flitted from flower to flower as the golden orb of the sun bathed the perfectly maintained lawn in golden light.
The gates opened at their approach and they drove down the tree lined driveway, stopping in front of the four car garage. A vintage Black Rolls Royce stood in front of one of the garage doors, sleek and elegant in its day, the automobile still had many years ahead of it with proper maintenance. Chris reached for the handle just as the door was opened by one of the staff.
"Welcome home, Mr. Standish," the jocular grey haired man smiled as Ezra slid from the car.
"Thank you, Lewis," the gambler said as Larabee stepped out.
"You must be Chris Larabee, welcome to Standish Manor. I'm Lewis St. John, please let me know if I can be of assistance."
"I will, thank you Mr. St. John..."
"Please call me Lewis. Mrs. McMurtry has a light luncheon prepared for you if you'd like to go round to the back patio," St. John told them.
"Thank you, Lewis, I do believe we could both use a small repast. Follow me, Chris," the gambler led them around the side of the house, along a well-kept garden path until they came to the gazebo set up in the back yard. A middle-aged woman with black hair speckled through with gray placed a large bowl of salad and sandwiches on the table before turning towards them. She smiled as she spotted her employer's son and hurried towards him, arms held wide as she wrapped him in a friendly hug.
"Ezra, I'm so glad you've come home again." She held him at arms length and studied his lean form, scowling as she looked him over from head to toe. "You have lost weight since leaving home."
"Mrs. McMurtry, I assure you I am the same weight I was when I last visited."
"I can tell that you have lost weight, young man, now don't argue and sit down. I'll make sure you eat properly while you're here." She smiled as Standish broke away from her and turned to the blond standing behind her.
"Mrs. McMurtry, I'd like you to meet my friend and employer, Chris Larabee," the conman introduced them and was relieved when the older woman ran her eyes up and down his boss' body.
"You look like you could use a little fattening up yourself, Mr. Larabee. What are they feeding you in Billings?"
"It's Chris, Ma'am," Larabee corrected her as she led him towards a seat and handed him the tongs to help himself to the spinach salad.
"Well, Chris, welcome to Standish Manor. Now you be sure to eat hearty because there's plenty more where that came from. Ezra, I'm fixing Prime rib for dinner, would you like it in the main dining room or the nook?"
"The nook is fine, Mrs. McMurtry," the gambler assured her, smiling as the woman continued to tell them both to eat even as she walked away.
"Wine, Chris?"
"No thanks, Ezra, just water right now," Larabee told him, helping himself to the delicate finger sandwiches on the tray before him.
Standish filled both Crystal glasses and passed one to his companion, who seemed to be studying everything around him.
"This is some place, Ez."
"It is efficient as homes go," the conman told him, a wistful quality to his voice.
"I don't think I've ever heard of a home being described as efficient," Larabee observed softly.
"Nevertheless efficient is the proper word. Mothah was rarely around when I was here, and so I never really thought of this place as home. It was more like staying at a luxury hotel where the staff catered to my every whim."
"Except when you needed your mother..."
"Exactly. There was a time when I resented everything about my mothah. I thought she didn't care about me, but I have learned that she does care. She just has a completely different way of showing it."
"I'm glad you've been able to come to terms with your mother's way of life. I've often wondered if you regretted your decision to join The Firm," Larabee said, biting into a ham and pimento sandwich.
"Chris, joining The Firm and becoming part of that extraordinary group of men we work with was the best decision of my life. I will be forever indebted to you for making me see that I did not need to reside under mothah's rules of thumb any longer."
"You're part of the team, Ez, an integral part. I'm just glad you were able to see it before your mother convinced you to fly to the south of France."
"Indubitably, Mr. Larabee." The conman smiled as he picked at his salad, amazed at how relaxed he felt in Chris Larabee's company.
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