I started this as a short little PWP to introduce myself to the list. It started out 'Vin comforts Ezra after a nightmare' and I discovered after over 15,000 words and 23 pages that I have no talent for short PWP's. <sigh> Somehow I always end up saying, "But why did that happen and what about." and the story somehow grows a plot. <g> Anyway hope everyone enjoys.

He's safe. He's alive. He's home.

The reality of it crashed down on Ezra and he felt a distant relief that the gun battle the seven had just engaged in was over. Had he seen Vin earlier when the bullets were flying, he probably would have forgotten to duck and been perforated with holes quite nicely.

Desperate green eyes devoured the tracker's form and tried to imprint his presence into an overloaded mind. Beautiful, tousled brown hair, bright blue eyes that were shadowed with tiredness, a lithe, dust covered body. Overall he looked travel-worn, tired, worried and to Ezra he was the most wonderful sight he'd seen in his entire misbegotten life. The nightmares concerning Vin's death had started not long after the tracker had left a month ago on a supposed two-day trip. Delays relayed to the rest of the seven by telegraph had stretched a two-day trip into a frustrating, harrowing month before Vin had finally made it back into town just in time to be instrumental in thwarting yet another in a long line of attempted bank robberies.

Unbelievably, not one of the seven had been hurt in the resulting scuffle, well no hurt of any note Ezra thought with a dismissive glance at the bullet graze on his forearm. Absently, he shifted his clothes to hide the evidence even as he continued to stare at the man he loved. He's safe, he's alive, he's home. The words kept repeating themselves endlessly in his head and it was with distant surprise that he realized he had sank to the ground and was leaning against the wall of the alley where he had been posted during the preceding melee. Shock, one part of his mind noted calmly, while another part gibbered in hysteria and relief. Vaguely, Ezra stared at his wildly shaking hands and the gun that was still in one of them. It goes back in the holster, he thought dimly, and after a few feeble tries he managed to dispose of the weapon.

Knowing that it wouldn't be long until someone came to check on him, he tried to force himself to stand and retreat to his room, but his limbs were heavy and unresponsive. He was supremely disgusted with himself for the hideous display of weakness, but the proof that his nightmares hadn't come true was too overwhelming. Every night since the first telegraph telling of delay, he'd irrationally started dreaming of Vin's death, over and over again, the same nightmare every night in graphic color and splashed red with blood. The terror that had surged through him when he woke silently gasping was made worse because he had no way to prove the night terror wrong until the next telegraph message.

He'd been reduced to a couple of hours of broken sleep each night, only falling into true sleep around dawn. Unfortunately, without Vin's presence, Chris had been even more irritable than usual and Ezra had been forced to do more than his share of dawn patrols which had resulted in him being late and being assigned to even more of them. Several weeks into the vicious cycle, he'd began viewing the world through a haze of exhaustion. He'd imbibed enough coffee to have the thick brown liquid replace the blood in his veins. He'd tried to approach Chris about switching off dawn patrols for a time but because he couldn't bring himself to say why, he'd only received a harsh glare for his trouble.

"Ezra?" A soft voice broke into his thoughts and he looked up into Vin's worried blue eyes. Feeling several steps outside of reality, he pulled all of his remaining will power into focusing his mind and smiled at the man crouched by his side.

"I'm fine, Vin. Just a bit tired." His extensive vocabulary had deserted him for the moment leaving only the simplest of reassurances behind. Having the object of his dreams beside him was too overwhelming and he hesitantly reached out to touch Vin's arm to assure him of its owner's reality. Vin's strong hand came up to cover his own and he lost himself in the pleasure of that gentle touch until they were interrupted.

Chris' dark formed shown in the alley way for a brief moment before he too was crouched in the dust by Ezra's side. A small sliver of concern shown briefly in hard eyes as Chris asked, "Were you hit?"

The concern turned to anger when Ezra forced a lopsided smile and dismissive shrug. "No, Mr. Larabee, I'm simply taking a bit of a rest."

"Rest," Chris growled, "that's all you've been doing lately. Quit wasting our time and get your lazy ass up."

The gambler felt something snap deep within his mind as rage flooded through him giving him the strength to climb to his feet. He managed to hold on to his impassive faade with only the barest of margins and nodded as he strode out of the alley and past the rest of the seven who had gathered. Angry looks burned into his back as he smoothly and deliberately stalked away. He could understand their anger because he had been late to almost every patrol in the last month and had snapped irritably and almost viciously at everyone who had spoken to him lately. However, even though he understood their anger, at the moment he couldn't deal with it.

He gave a brief considering glance to the window of his room, before he shook his head and headed straight for the stables. He had to get out of town for a while until he had himself back under control. He could feel the fury seeking an outlet, crooning and screaming and he was deathly afraid he was a danger to his friends in this state. The only way sane thing to do was go somewhere where he could be alone for a few days, a few days in which he could catch up on the nirvana of sleep that was beckoning to him on the edge of his rage. Upon reaching the stables, he saddled Chaucer and gave a brief prayer of thanks for the emergency supplies he kept in his saddlebags. Mounting swiftly, he clutched the saddle horn when dizziness rocked through him. Taking a deep breath, he guided Chaucer out of the stables and onto the road outside of town.

Of course, as his luck would have it, which as far as he could see had been primarily bad lately, he encountered the angry visage of his leader and the rest of the seven just outside the stable.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Chris asked.

"I need a break," Ezra said flatly, focusing on the outside edge of town, "I'll be back in a few days." The irony of his statement touched him and he felt a sardonic smile tug on the edges of his mouth. Nudging Chaucer around the obstruction in the road, he was brought up short by a strong hand grabbing onto the reins. Looking down into the eyes of an irritated Josiah, Ezra felt his control slipping and when the first word out of the ex-preacher's mouth was "son" his calm facade broke and he glared viciously at the large man.

"Mr. Sanchez," his voice was razor sharp with icy rage and he watched in satisfaction as the ex-preacher's eyes widened, "I've implored you on quite a few occasions to not call me son. If you hold me in such little regard, I would prefer to be called scum-sucking bastard. After all, they both mean the same thing to me, only I have fewer bad memories associated with the word bastard than I do the word son."

Josiah's rough-hewn face had paled further with every word until finally he released Chaucer's reins and backed away, confusion, regret, and anger battling for control in every visible line of his body. With a sharp nod, Ezra turned away and prepared to leave only to stop once again, as Chris deliberately stepped into his way.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you get some kind of pleasure out of hurting other people? You lazy, good for nothing..." The black clad leader continued in this vein but Ezra tuned out the familiar words. His desperation had reached the breaking point, and a white haze descended on his mind. Dispassionately, he evaluated Chris and calculated where he could shoot him to achieve maximum effect for the least amount of damage. He was set to engage his derringer when Vin's voice interrupted Chris' diatribe.

"Back off, Chris." The usually soft-spoken tracker's voice was hard and biting, he glared at his best friend as he unceremoniously grabbed his arm and dragged him from the road. His gaze softened as he turned back to Ezra. "Take your time, Ez."

Beyond feeling anything but a distant relief, he nodded and urged Chaucer into a gallop out of town. He didn't care where they went as long as it was alone and he could lay down and rest. He prayed to every deity he could think of that now that Vin was home the nightmares would stop and he could finally get a single day of unbroken sleep.

As soon as Ezra was out of sight, Vin turned back to his friends and his voice came out in a near yell. "What the holy hell happened to him?" He nearly snarled at the stunned silence he received as an answer.

Damn it, damn it, damn it, he cursed silently to himself. He'd known, he'd simply known that it was unwise to stay away from town as long as he had. Not that he'd had a choice, he thought wearily. Coming back to town to find Ezra on the verge of a breakdown hadn't been the homecoming he'd wanted. He'd missed every one of the seven but he'd missed the gambler most of all. The days were flat without twinkling green eyes, a flashing smile, and the gambler's sly sense of humor. Only instead of the bright Ezra of his memories, his first sight of the gambler had been of dulled, dazed eyes, washed out smile, and shaking exhaustion.

Deciding he'd let his friends think about their answers long enough he re-focused his eyes on Chris and lifted one eyebrow in deliberate imitation of Ezra. "Well, cowboy?"

Chris shrugged, "Nothing happened, it's been a pretty boring month. With the exception of Ezra being more ill tempered than a sore-toothed bear and late to every morning patrol assigned to him. And why the hell did you pull me away from him? I've barely managed to get his assigned work out of him this past month, he sure as hell doesn't deserve a break."

Vin blinked in disbelief and looked around to the others to find the same questions in varying degrees on the face of every other one of the seven. Shaking his head, he walked to the saloon, and gratefully sat down at their table. The other five followed him; he would have been very surprised if they hadn't. Waiting until everyone sat down and Inez had brought a round of drinks, he quietly began to explain.

"Chris, I pulled ya' out of the street because Ez was fixin' to shoot ya'."

Hard blue eyes narrowed in disbelief but Vin held up a hand to stop Chris from commenting as he continued.

"He was brushing his cuff just like he does before he releases his derringer and his eyes were empty. I don't know how it happened and I'm not gonna' blame anyone, but Ezra is beyond exhausted. He looks terrible. Don't tell me none of ya' have noticed?"

The others exchanged glances until JD spoke without looking up from the black bowler hat that he was turning in his hands, "He's not eating or sleeping well but he won't tell me why. Every time I approach him, he confuses, insults, or ignores me. The others quit paying attention to him after he insulted them the first few times."

JD looked up, ignoring the surprise from the others, and spoke directly to Vin. "You're the only one he'll listen to. You have to find out what's wrong before it kills him." The two youngest members of the seven held a silent conversation that ended when Vin nodded and pushed back from the table to stride out of the saloon.

He heard Chris snarl the question, "Where is he going now?" and smiled when JD answered, "After Ezra, of course."

Wearily, he swung back into his saddle and headed out of town on Ezra's trail. Reading the signs of the gambler's passing was easy and several minutes later he saw Chaucer contentedly nibbling grass on the banks of the seven's favorite fishing hole. Spotting Ezra curled up under a tree, he dismounted and quietly approached. He soon realized that it wouldn't make any difference if he'd approached yelling; Ezra was so deeply asleep as to be almost unconscious.

Shaking his head, he looked around and shrugged. If this was where Ezra wanted to sleep, it was fine by him. Beautiful spot, only a few miles from Four Corners, and in the company of his favorite gambler, actually it sounded great to him. He spread out his bedroll and moved Ezra onto it. Looking down, he had to smile at the picture Ezra made. He lay in an enticing sprawl, but was still fully clothed, from his hat, and guns, down to his boots. Vin removed them and stripped the gambler's clothing down to shirt and pants, frowning when he discovered a bullet graze on Ezra's left forearm. It wasn't serious but it looked painful and the cloth of the shirt was sticking to the wound.

Moving back to the fire, he put some water on the fire to heat and added coneflowers and comfrey. Once the mixture was steaming, he dipped some cloths in before trying to clean the wound. Thoroughly wetting the area caked with dry blood he began gently cleaning. When the wound was clear of dirt he rinsed it thoroughly, dabbed on the pitch of a nearby pinon pine, then wrapped it lightly. Pulling back, he frowned worriedly; Ezra hadn't even twitched during the process, he'd been as limp as a rag doll. Setting aside his worry, he finished setting up camp and then settled in close enough to his friend to watch him and yet get some fishing in. Mid-morning slipped into afternoon and finally to dusk without Ezra even stirring and after checking the gambler for any signs of fever, Vin lay down beside him and allowed his own tiredness to send him into sleep.

Hours later he opened his eyes and lay silently listening to the night sounds, trying to pinpoint what had awoken him. He noted the leaves rustling, the insects chittering, and the quiet rushing of the water and then dismissed them. With worried haste, he turned to Ezra as he heard the gambler's quickened breathing and restless tossing. He debated and finally decided to wake Ezra from his disturbed sleep when the gambler sat up straight with a silent gasp. Seconds later a barely moaned "no" had him reaching out to touch the trembling man.

His touch had no effect and Ezra drew himself to his knees and began to rock back and forth moaning, "No please no, no more." Alarmed, Vin firmly stopped the rocking with one hand and reached for Ezra's chin with the other. Tilting the gambler's face up to him, his gut tightened and acid began to churn in his stomach at the bright tears shining in unfocused green eyes.

"Ezra, what's wrong?" He punctuated the question with a gentle shake, trying to break the gambler out of his dreams. Hazy green eyes focused slowly and desperate hands grasped his arms, as tears broke free to trickle down Ezra's pale face.

"Vin, please make it stop. I can't take it anymore. You're home and safe so they should stop. Please, Vin." The gambler's usually honey-toned voice was breaking and cracking with the strain and Vin felt tears come to his own eyes at the pleading tone.

"Make what stop, Ez?" He kept his voice quiet and gentle as he reached out, drew the distraught man into the circle of his arms and began a slight rocking motion.

"The dreams, make them stop, please make them stop." With the last whispered plea, Ezra collapsed on his chest and began to sob hoarsely as Vin pulled him close and murmured soothingly.

Worry gnawed and tangled in Vin's gut as the man he loved cried brokenly. He'd feel easier if there were something physical he could fight to bring back Ezra's peace. Nightmares and dreams were harder to overcome and he didn't really know where to start.

When Ezra had exhausted himself and was lying quietly, Vin broke the silence. "Tell me about the dreams, Ez. It helps to share them."

There was a long silence and he thought the gambler had drifted back to sleep when a rough whisper emerged. "They're about you."

"Me?" He asked, stiffening slightly; only to tug Ezra back against him as the gambler tried to move away.

"Shhh, it's okay, tell me about them," he repeated.

"Every night, it's the same thing. Over and over, the rifle shot, the blood...your blood...it's everywhere..." The soft voice trailed off and the smaller man began to tiredly cry again.

Vin tucked Ezra's head under his chin and tightly wrapped his arms around the smaller man as he whispered, "I'm right here, bright eyes. I'm alive and not going anywhere. It's okay, it's just a dream."

"Don't leave, Vin." The whisper was almost inaudible buried against his chest, but he heard the plea and his heart squeezed painfully as he whispered back a promise.

A tear damp face lifted until hazy moss green eyes looked into his. Tired lines had settled heavily into the pale face and dark hollows shadowed the eyes. Damp trails of tears shone in the moonlight and he followed their path down to the tempting lips and before he could stop himself his head dipped and he brushed a gentle kiss across Ezra's cheek to land lightly on his lips.

Drawing back seconds later, he had time for an instant of panic at what his lack of self-control might have destroyed before he saw the expression on the gambler's face. Usually closed features were open and unguarded with hope, confusion, and bemusement clearly showing.

Smiling, he moved in for a second taste of the lush lips and after gently nibbling on Ezra's bottom lip, he delightedly dipped in to taste when the sweet mouth opened. He lifted a hand to hold Ezra in place while he slowly explored the wet depths. The taste was as sweet, decadent and unique as the man himself.

Pulling back slowly, he groaned at the sight of flushed features, sweetly swollen lips and heavy, sultry eyes. When Ezra blinked tiredly and his eyes didn't quite focus Vin forced himself back into control. The gambler was too tired for anything tonight so Vin shifted them both until Ezra curled into his arms and slowly smoothed a hand up and down the smaller man's back. "Just sleep, bright eyes, we'll talk once you feel better. Everything's okay." He kept his voice low and soon Ezra's breathing deepened as he fell back into deep sleep.

It was several more hours before Vin himself could return to his rest. Wonder, delight, worry, arousal and dozens of other emotions shot through him with the speed of bullets and he whispered a kiss across the sleeping man's temple as he wrestled with his emotions. He wasn't deceiving himself that any relationship with the gambler would be easy. They both had too many walls, bad memories, and strikes against them, but at least now, there was a chance.

A stray thought before he drifted into sleep had him both smiling wryly and grimacing: Chris was gonna' have a conniption fit.

Ezra slowly drifted up from the layers of sleep aware that for the first time in weeks he felt nominally human. He was still tired but the majority of the haze had cleared from his thoughts. Now if he could just remember where he was, he thought uneasily. Opening his eyes, he quickly noted that he was lying on a bedroll near the seven's favorite fishing spot. What he couldn't fathom was how he'd come to be resting in the outdoors just miles from home and his soft featherbed, not that the bed had been sufficiently comfortable to entice him into restful slumber lately.

With the beginnings of alarm, he sat up and tried to remember the events of the past few days. He was unsuccessful until he saw Vin slouched comfortably several yards from him with fishing pole in hand. Brief flashes of memory crept through him: Vin returning, the prevented bank robbery, nearly shooting Chris. He winced at that last memory and dropped his head into his hands. Damn, had he really been that far gone? Thank goodness Vin had intervened, otherwise the day might have ended in tragedy.

He made a fist and hit his forehead muttering until a hand grasped it and pulled it down causing him to look up in surprise and chagrin. He'd forgotten that he wasn't alone and automatically he began to smooth his features back into impassiveness only to gasp as Vin shook his head and stated, "Nope, don't want to see the poker face, want to see you," and pulled him into a hot, possessive kiss.

Bewildered, he groaned and felt desire shoot through him and leave dizzy longing in its wake. His thoughts crashed into each other and exploded as long hidden dreams transformed into reality. He felt a sudden weight settle over him and opened heavy eyes as Vin pulled back slightly after a last teasing nip. Blinking, he realized he was laying flat on his bedroll and Vin was kneeling astride his body. Loving, hot eyes with a gleam of amusement stared down at him as he continued to blink with confusion.

"Sorry Ez, I really shouldn'a taken advantage like that but I don't want you hiding behind that damn poker face. Besides, you taste delicious." Blue eyes widened mischievously and the quiet tracker laughed as Ezra flushed hotly. Vague memories of the night before drifted back to him and he remembered a gentle embrace and a soothing voice as he cried, a sudden kiss and frightened eyes that transformed to love, and strong, comforting arms protecting him as he drifted back to sleep.

Somehow, he realized with incredulity, in the middle of his nightmares his most cherished dream had come true. Damn if a month of nightmares and sleeplessness hadn't been worth it, he thought with wonder as he savored the tender look on Vin's face when he bent down for another kiss. This kiss was gentle, a warm expression of love and devotion and left him breathless and near tears. Soft kisses were brushed across his face as Vin whispered against his skin, "It's going to be okay, bright eyes, trust me." Vin sat back up and grinned down at him, "So what had you upset earlier?"

He thought for a second before he grimaced, he really didn't want to discuss this but he couldn't refuse Vin anything. The tracker could ask him to jump off a cliff and he'd pretend he was Icarus, he thought with amused resignation before he sighed and answered. "Our notorious leader came perilously close to being shot by one of his own men yesterday." His lips tightened and he lifted a hand to frame Vin's face, "Thank you. If you hadn't been there, that scene would have ended very tragically for all concerned." Self-disgust lay heavily on him, only lightened by the understanding blue eyes looking at him and the gentle hand stroking his hair. Swallowing hard, he continued, "I can't remember the events of yesterday clearly, it's as if it was happening in a dream." His voice trailed off as he continued to silently berate himself for his loss of self-control. He'd almost shot one of his friends. What kind of man was he?

"Stop it, Ez. This isn't completely your fault." Vin's voice pulled him out of his increasingly depressed thoughts and he focused on an exasperated voice and the finger that tapped on his chest in exclamation. "You should'a told someone how much trouble you were havin' sleeping but they should'a noticed somethin' was wrong." Vin frowned, "Well, someone other than JD, he's not bull-headed enough ta' get past your defenses."

Ezra felt a grin trying to pull up the corners of his mouth and twisted it into a frown as he glared into laughing blue eyes. "Mr. Tanner, I'll have you know that I resent that slanderous view of my character." Ezra gave up his supposed insulted mien when Vin's eyebrow lifted in imitation of his own and the blue eyes began twinkling outrageously. Laughingly, he admitted to being somewhat stubborn and was reduced to giggles when Vin began tickling him and repeating, "somewhat?" in an incredulous tone. Minutes later, he was gasping for breath and the tickling hands changed to caresses. He relaxed and purred under the gentle petting, causing Vin to shake his head with a fond smile and mutter, "always knew you were a cat in another life."

Smiling, his thoughts drifted until another disturbing memory reared its ugly head. Josiah. Just wonderful. Had he managed to insult and or nearly kill everyone in the group? He didn't know if he wanted to remember any more if all of the memories were of similar ilk.

"I s'pose you're thinking about Josiah now?"

Ezra blinked in surprise causing Vin to smile, "Hate to say it but you're predictable sometimes, bright eyes."

"Predictable? What a heinous allegation. I'll soon be an unemployed and lamentably penniless gambler if I become predictable," Ezra huffed.

"Don't worry, Ez. You're only predictable to me." Vin kissed the end of his nose and then frowned, "Josiah?"

"And you have the unmitigated gall to call me stubborn, sir," Ezra muttered and sighed. "While I did want Mr. Sanchez to discontinue his habit of calling me son, that was not how I preferred to go about expressing my wishes."

"Your father?"

A long silence followed and green eyes filled with sadness as they stared into the afternoon sun. Vin waited patiently and was rewarded a time later with a quiet voice, "I'm not sure he even knew my name." Suddenly his voice was harsh and mocking, "Son, I told you to be quiet. Shut up, son, and listen to your elders. No son of mine will be doing the devil's work. How did I have such a disrespectful, ungrateful son?" Ezra's voice changed to a harsh laugh and Vin shifted to lie beside him and draw him into a comforting embrace, cradling him close.

Ezra absorbed the quiet care and breathed in the sweet, herbal scent of Vin's skin as he dealt with the unpleasant memories. "Mother absconded with me when I was about 7 years old. We've never seen him again and I for one am quite grateful. Maude may have been an indifferent and irresponsible mother at times but she was better than the alternative."

Vin shifted until he was leaning over Ezra and began sprinkling kisses over his face and down his chin. "I'm sorry Ezra. And Josiah will understand." Vin placed one last kiss on the end of his nose and sat back with a grin. "So anything else you feel guilty about?"

With a wry grin and a shrug, Ezra indicated no.

"So, have you woke up enough to be hungry yet?

Ezra's stomach obligingly rumbled upon the question and Vin took that as a yes and brought over the fish he had baked earlier. The meat was moist and succulent with fresh herbs and wild onions and Ezra couldn't remember the last time something tasted so delicious. He realized the single-minded concentration he'd been showing to the food when he looked up into Vin's amused eyes and finally noticed that he'd finished the entire meal hardly pausing for a breath.

"I must apologize for my appalling lack of manners, Mr. Tanner."

"I'm just glad to see you eatin', Ez." Vin slid a finger down a sharp cheekbone with a frown, "You've lost weight."

Ezra captured the caressing hand and laid a kiss into the palm. "Thanks for being worried but I'm sure I'll regain it now that you're home."

Vin nodded and then leaned down to nibble a path down one side of his chin and up the other. "So, can we get to the fun part now?"

"Fun part?" Ezra questioned with a faint murmur while tilting his head back to provide better access to wandering lips.

"Fun part," Vin confirmed absently.

Ezra shivered as a hot tongue traced wet designs behind his ear and then trailed back to nip on the lobe before settling on the vulnerable junction between neck and throat. Little darts of desire began to fizz through his blood as the rough tongue began to lick slowly and then the fragile skin was sucked on and hotly tongued until he was marked. Ezra trembled when one hand slid slowly down to cup him possessively through his trousers. He looked up into Vin's fierce, hot gaze and licked dry lips at the burning desire he saw in the deep midnight eyes.

The first traces of panic began to form, as he was lost in the fiery intensity. Alarmed, he began to withdraw only to stiffen as Vin's hand tightened on his groin. Shuddering, he bit his lip and swallowed uncertainly. He felt vulnerable with the tracker's mark still stinging on his neck and the possessive grasp on his manhood. Part of him wanted to surrender and other parts were screaming warning. The resulting battle had him frozen, doing nothing but stare as a fierce hungry gaze devoured him.

"It's okay, bright eyes, you're safe with me." Vin's voice rumbled soothingly, "I would never hurt you, I love you too much." Ezra relaxed slightly as he saw the deep feelings behind the hunger. Shivering, he arched slightly as Vin slid a hand underneath his shirt to scratch lightly across one of his nipples. He'd never reacted like this to another's touch, his entire body felt sensitized and tight.

With shaking hands, he reached up and began unbuttoning the tracker's shirt, wanting to feel smooth skin under his hands and sighed in satisfaction when the last button opened and his fingers went exploring. He jumped slightly in surprise when his own shirt was disposed of and a hot mouth leaned in to trail wet kisses across his chest and down his stomach. Vin's long hair trailed in a silken wake behind him, gently tantalizing and tempting Ezra to card the silken strands through his fingers.

The hand on his groin returned and squeezed lightly causing a moan of delight. He opened his legs wider hoping for a deeper touch and was rewarded with a firm hand and the sudden tug on belt and fastenings. Bare fingers suddenly wrapped around his cock, the slight roughness of calluses tugging against sensitive skin sending shudders throughout his body. Gentle, efficient hands stripped his pants away and the hands were suddenly all over his body, stroking, caressing, exploring, and causing hot, curling desire to invade his every pore.

Opening eyes he suddenly realized he had closed, Ezra studied Vin in the afternoon sunlight. He was still almost fully clothed, with only his shirt hanging unbuttoned. The difference in their states of undress made him feel debauched and he couldn't contain an appreciative moan when Vin slowly began removing his clothes. He shrugged the plain cotton shirt off his shoulders to fall lazily to the ground and pool on the green grass the bedroll was laying on. Ezra eyes roamed over the muscled chest, tracing with his eyes the hollows and dips his hands and lips desperately wanted to explore.

"Damn, Ez," Vin said huskily, "I wish I had your words to describe how beautiful you are." He continued in a low, rumbling purr, "you look like a cat stretched out in the sunshine."

Ezra blushed and shifted as Vin laughed softly. The sudden baring of skin drew his attention back and he avidly watched as the tracker stripped until he was standing naked backlit by the sun's golden glow. To Ezra he resembled a deity come to earth, perhaps Apollo the Sun-god come to tempt mortal man. And he had no will to resist as Vin dropped to his knees beside him and immediately resumed his tender assault.

Reaching up, Ezra reveled in the feeling of smooth, taut skin and inhaled the sweet, herbal smell that rose from Vin's skin: the rich scent of wood smoke and cedar, the fresh smell of the grass after a rain, and the sweet hint of honeysuckle. The heady combination forever imprinted itself into his memory. Ezra gasped as strong hands suddenly spread his legs and warm air swirled and prickled over his skin before a hot wet mouth swallowed him and he lost touch with reality. Throwing back his head and grasping the bedroll between clenching hands he lost himself to sensation.

A slow steady rhythm drew him higher and higher and waves of pleasure swamped him so thoroughly that he barely noticed a caressing finger swirl around his entrance. The unfamiliar touch finally registered and he wanted to flinch away and at the same time move closer. The gentle pressure sent a riot of sensation along his nerves, radiating tingles in a shivering ripple. He stiffened and shivered uneasily. The mouth along his cock slowly slid off and a rough tongue licked him from base to tip and Vin murmured, "It's okay, bright eyes, I wouldn't hurt you."

The tracker slowly slid up his body until he was blanketing him, the warm weight of his presence anchoring him to earth. A warm breath blew into his ear, "Have you done this with a man before?"

Anxiety tightened his throat and he shook his head mutely. Casual sex was not something he indulged in because even that required a small amount of trust. And trust was something he had in very limited supply. Apparently, all of it had been reserved for the tracker now scattering kisses across his face and rubbing his cheek gently and reverently.

"Do you trust me, Ez?"

Blinking in disbelief, Ezra wondered if Vin really were becoming telepathic, the tracker surely seemed to be reading his thoughts today. Inwardly he shrugged, threw himself into the hands of fate and took a chance on the love he could see shining in Vin's eyes. He nodded yes and was unprepared for the hands that gently framed his face and kissed each eyelid, then his nose and finally soft lips traced his own before Vin pulled back. "We don't have the supplies to get too serious, but I'd like to play a little."

Swallowing, he nodded and the tracker smiled delightedly. Vin moved and settled until he was astride Ezra's body and their erections were in contact. They both hissed at the sensations to pleasure swollen members and Vin began a slow downward thrusting movement that soon had him lost in the pleasure once again. He moaned in loss when the tracker moved only to be soothed with firm strokes and a mouth tugging on one nipple. Hissing, he arched as the nub was nipped and a spike of pleasure-pain swept through him and directly to his aching manhood.

When that nipple was throbbing, attention switched to the other one as it was sucked, bitten, and soothed until he was mindlessly twisting and arching. When the tormenting mouth slid down and engulfed his erection again, he began to thrust upwards into the hot cavern and moaned as his entire body burned in reaction. He shivered and this time when an exploring finger brushed his opening he thrust upward in invitation. His attention split between two sensations: the heat and pressure along his cock and the strangely pleasurable invasion of his body. The slick intruder gently pushed in and he squirmed slightly at the sensation.

Soon he established a rhythm as he thrust upwards into Vin's mouth that was sucking and swirling on his cock and back onto the finger that was pushing inside him. A deep thrust backwards brushed against something inside him and a flash of igniting fire exploded outward as he arched up helplessly moaning as he rocked back and forth from one pleasure to the other. Fire, bliss, and tightly spiraling tension radiated deep inside him. When Vin hummed around his erection at the same time he pressed firmly against the pleasure spot in his body, Ezra exploded with a keening cry, shuddering as shock waves rippled through him in explosions of prismatic color.

Ezra lay trembling for several minutes with the aftermath of pleasure. His limbs felt heavy and his lids felt weighted. It was only the knowledge that Vin hadn't come yet that prevented him from slipping back into the beckoning haven of sleep. Forcing his eyes back open, he saw Vin hovering over him with a satisfied look deep in midnight blue eyes. "I love you, bright eyes."

Tears burned behind his eyes and Ezra felt his throat tighten. "I love you too, Vin." He felt a frown form between his eyes, "Although, I've never loved anyone before and I haven't the faintest idea what I'm doing."

Vin laughed and hugged him close, "We'll figure it out together, Ez. Why don't you get some more rest. You're eyes are barely open as it is."

Ezra made a protesting noise and lifted his hand in Vin's direction. "But what about you?"

"You can make it up to me later, bright eyes. Just rest." Vin's voice dropped to a comforting whisper as he pulled the gambler closer.

Somewhere in the maze of tiredness, Ezra still felt as if it wasn't fair, but Morpheus had a firm grip and he fell into the land of dreams before he could protest again.

The next morning he awoke to the smell of breakfast, after a month of almost no appetite he discovered he was ravenous. The smells wafting from the campfire caused his stomach to rumble but it was the lean tracker coming toward him that sent hunger of another kind sparkling through his nerves. Food was suddenly very low down on his list of priorities. As soon as Vin was within reach, Ezra pulled the tracker into a morning kiss. Several breathless moments later Vin broke away laughing, "I see that you're feelin' better this mornin'."

"Indubitably," Ezra purred and tried to pull the laughing Vin back into his arms only to be dodged as the tracker went to the campfire and brought a plate of food back. Ezra pouted briefly but blushed at Vin's next comment.

"Better eat up, Ez, you're gonna' need the energy."

Ezra felt a flash of heat and proceeded to finish his breakfast in the least amount of time possible. Vin watched it all with a content smile and eyes hungry for something other than food. As soon as the last morsel was gone, the tracker began to glide towards him. The gambler felt his breath dry up in his throat at the sheer sensuality of the man.

Seconds before Vin's lips reached his they heard a shot in the distance. Immediately they both stilled and their heads turned towards the noise. There were several legitimate answers for why a gunshot would resound in the morning air. An answering shot from a different gun changed the situation though and both lawmen prepared to investigate. Ezra forewent the extra layers of clothes that as a gentleman he normally wore and swiftly strapped on his guns. As soon as he had all of the necessary accoutrements, he signaled Vin and they mounted their horses bareback and rode off towards the sounds disturbing the morning.

Silently, Ezra grumbled and decided that he and Lady Luck were due to have a serious discussion sometime in the near future. Sighing, he focused on the alert form of the tracker in front of him and froze as soon as Vin held up a hand. Knowing that both of their horses would stay without being hitched, they dismounted and Ezra followed in the silent tracker's wake.

The morning was eerily hushed and Ezra looked uneasily around. Sounds usually heard on the morning air were absent. Birds were silent, insects had ceased to rustle and only the wind dared to still whistle through the trees. Something about the situation was triggering all of Ezra's internal alarms. They slowed to a stop on the edge of a copse of trees. Both men were tense; there was no sign of whoever had fired the earlier shots.

Prickles of dread began to run along Ezra's spine and the hair on his skin tingled with recognition. Looking around in frozen horror, he finally recognized where they were. It was his nightmare played out in reality: the tense hushed stillness, Vin's lean beloved form, the small stand of trees, the smell of gunpowder lingering faintly in the air. They were all elements of the dreams that had woke him gasping for weeks.

Frantically, he reached out to stop the next part of the nightmare from happening. The part of the nightmare where Vin turned to him with a reassuring look that a split second later exploded into blood. He could remember the sprawled lifeless body, the blank staring eyes, the red blood that had exploded outward and the single drop of that scarlet life that had dripped down his own face as he began to scream. The helplessness, rage, and denial had driven him beyond the edge and in his dream the screams became never ending.

With a heroic effort, he broke out of the horrifying scenes and focused on reality. Vin's head was turning towards him in the beginnings of a reassuring smile that never quite reached his face. Because at that moment Ezra lunged forward and tackled him to the ground, protectively covering every inch of the beloved body that was humanly possible. The gambler could have sworn that he felt the burn of the passing bullet and frantically looked down in agonized disbelief as he felt a drop of blood drip off his face.

He almost collapsed in overwhelming relief when he realized that the blood wasn't Vin's. Apparently, the bullet had grazed his own head in passing, but Ezra dismissed that as unimportant. What was important was that Vin was alive. They had come out on the other side of his nightmares and his beloved tracker was still alive. However, the person who had killed him in his visions was still loose. An uncontrollable black fury suddenly knifed through his skull and with a quick kiss for the beloved one under him he was up and hunting their adversary.

All of his anxiety, fear, and horror had disappeared into the depths of his frozen rage. Someone had almost stolen the other half of his soul and that person was going to pay. Sounds suddenly magnified a dozen times louder as he moved as silently as the grim reaper through the stilled morning. He glided as effortlessly as a shadow until he was saw a man lying on the ground with his rifle aimed in their previous direction. He stared silently at the man's back for several moments, a malevolent look burning deep in emerald eyes, only Vin's possible reaction kept Ezra from shooting the man in the back.

The sniper looked to be a professional judging by the excellence of his gun. His clothes were of decent quality but had an eastern feel to them. Short, blond hair and pale skin were the only identifying qualities he could see from the back but he decided that he really didn't care if they knew him or not. They could identify his dead body. The cocking of the hammer of his gun was loud in the stillness and the sniper froze as Ezra's icy voice sounded behind him.

"The slightest of wrong moves and you are dead. Frankly, I want you dead very badly so I would be overjoyed if you made a wrong move."

Very slowly the sniper's head turned and Ezra had no idea what he saw on his face but the man's face blanched pasty white and he very carefully released the rifle from his hands. Staring down in frank disappointment, Ezra's hand shook as he slowly caressed the trigger.

"Ez, coming in," a soft voice sounded behind him and he sighed as Vin moved to his side. The gambler never took his eyes off his prey as he absorbed the lean, saturnine features of the man he still ached to kill. A white scar slashed across one cheekbone highlighting the pale features. Perhaps the remnant of a duel he thought absently.

"It's him, Vin," he heard his voice from far away, "the one that caused my nightmares. The blood, the screams, your death, they were all his fault." Ezra felt a flicker of irritation as Vin stared at him instead of at the ambusher lying frozen in front of them. Didn't the tracker understand? This man had almost killed him.

"We need to disarm him, Ez. Will you cover me?"

A smile flickered around his mouth as he stared into the frightened eyes of the man frozen upon the ground. "Go ahead, if he moves, I'll kill him... maybe... eventually."

Carefully, Vin moved to the sniper, kicked the rifle several feet away, and thoroughly searched the man. He removed several knives and one other gun before securing his hands behind his back with a strip of rawhide. Through the entire procedure, the sniper's eyes never left Ezra and he didn't move except as directed by the tracker. Beads of sweat had gathered on the pale face and Ezra wondered why he hadn't spoken yet.

"I'll find his horse," Vin murmured and after a brief worried look in his direction left as silently as he had appeared. Minutes later, the tracker returned leading a roan. When Vin would have boosted the sniper into the saddle, Ezra stopped him.

"Tie his feet, drape him over the saddle, and then tie his hands and feet together around the horse."

There was a brief moment of stillness from the tracker and Ezra stated quietly, "It's for his own protection. Because if I think he's escaping I'm going to shoot him and if I shoot him once I'm not going to be able to stop."

Vin nodded and tied the docile prisoner exactly as the gambler had specified. Once that was finished, Vin approached him silently and standing to the side, he reached for the gun that had continued to aim at the center of the pale man's forehead as if attached. Silently, Ezra released his hold and Vin carefully replaced the weapon in his holster. He was still as the tracker cleaned his head wound; reality was unimportant at the moment and pain made no inroads into his consciousness.

Ezra felt the first faint cracks on the edge of his composure and knew that an emotional and mental breakdown was in his imminent future. Drawing the strands of his self-control close, he was barely aware as Vin helped him onto Chaucer's back as they headed home to Four Corners.

Vin kept a worried eye on his lover as they rode home even as his mind reeled with astonishment. Several curses floated through his brain and repeated themselves endlessly. He'd never seen anything like the events of the past hour and hoped to God that he never saw them again. He'd witnessed Chris during his towering black rages and knew that the most violent of them paled in significance to what he had seen today. Death had stalked through the shadows and it had hungered. He still didn't have the faintest idea why their ambusher was alive and unmarked.

The man's fear had been obvious as he stared at Ezra as if he were a snake charmer; sweat had rolled down his face as he stared into the frozen hell that lived in green eyes. Vin wondered for a brief moment why he wasn't afraid for himself and in the next second dismissed it. Ezra would never hurt him; the entire situation had been because he'd been in danger. Furthermore, despite being pushed to the edge of insanity, he'd inflicted not one hair of physical damage to their prisoner.

He spared a brief glance at the sniper to make sure nothing had changed before he turned back to Ezra. He figured that his lover was going to explode any time now and he wanted to have the prisoner disposed of and have his lover alone in his room before that happened. The gambler would be appalled if he lost control in public.

Minutes later, they were riding into town. He ignored the exclamations and whispers that followed their progress. While it wasn't unheard of for them to bring a body back to town draped over a saddle, this was the first time that the body had been alive. He dismounted in front of the jail just as JD came out. The young sheriff halted in surprise and opened his mouth to speak just as Vin handed him the reins of the prisoner's horse.

"Sniper," Vin explained shortly, "took a shot at us and grazed Ezra. I'll explain later, right now I need ta' get Ez out of here."

JD closed his mouth with a blink and after a close glance at the gambler nodded. Vin was grateful but unsurprised at the lack of questions. The young sheriff might be nave but he was incredibly insightful at times. The tracker approached Ezra and guided him into dismounting. The gambler was barely aware of his surroundings at this point; glazed, shocked emerald eyes stared inward as Ezra stumbled beside him.

Every moment increased Vin's feelings of urgency and he nearly screamed when they ran into Chris and Nathan on the porch outside the saloon. Damn, he loved Chris like a brother but he was the last person the tracker wanted to see now. Their black-clad leader had little patience with Ezra and could be incredibly stubborn about wanting the full story immediately. Sure enough, Chris moved to block the door when Vin tried to steer Ezra around them.

"What is going on?" Chris demanded. "And where have you two been the last two days?"

Vin shook his head and said sharply, "Later, Chris."

At a faint sound from Ezra, Vin turned and saw him swallowing rapidly, a sheen of sweat beginning to dampen his brow. Dark eyes met his own and he could see his lover was beginning to unravel. Desperate now, he pushed around the two men blocking the doorway. Chris stopped him with a firm hand on his arm causing Vin to grab the startled gunfighter by his shirt and snarl directly in his face, "Not now, Chris!"

He turned back to Ezra only to see Nathan studying him closely. When the healer put a hand on his forehead Vin had to suppress a growl. So, the healer had finally decided to get involved. Ezra had spent the last month in steadily worsening health and Nathan had ignored it. Vin tried to calm himself, Nathan was a good man if oblivious at times, and he wouldn't deliberately ignore Ezra when he was hurt. The healer examined the bullet graze on the gambler's head.

"The graze isn't serious. He's so drunk he probably doesn't even feel it." The black man's voice was thick with disgust. "What did he do this time, Vin?"

Vin stared in disbelief at Nathan. I will not hit him, Vin told himself calmly, I will not hit him.

Nathan continued, "Choose the wrong person to cheat? Saloon brawl?"

Vin let loose with a wicked right cross and the healer stumbled backward several feet before falling to a sitting position with an absolutely pole axed expression on his face. Okay, he thought, so I will hit him. Before anything else could happen, the tracker latched onto Ezra's arm and quickly ushered him through the silent crowd that had begun gathering at the first signs of a confrontation.

Finally, gratefully, they managed to make it upstairs and into the safety of Ezra's room. Vin guided the shaking man to sit on the edge of the bed and began to remove the gambler's guns and boots. Quickly divesting himself of the same items, he maneuvered them to the bed and pulled Ezra into his arms. Minutes later the shaking became crying and Ezra began to sob as if his heart was breaking. Desperate arms pulled him close and he could feel hot tears soak his shirt. He rocked and held Ezra as close as humanly possible trying to merge their bodies as he offered comfort. The last few days must have exhausted the gambler's emotional reserves because the crying quickly dwindled to occasional gasps.

"Ez?"

A hoarse voice answered him, "He almost killed you, Vin."

"But he didn't, bright eyes. You stopped him," he whispered comfortingly as he pulled the covers around them, trying to still the constant shivering of the gambler's body.

"I lost it, Vin. I almost shot him in the back."

The tracker was silent for a moment before replying. "If I had been havin' nightmares about your death and then had them almost come true, I would've shot 'im." Vin lifted Ezra's head off his chest until the damp green eyes met his and seriously continued, "You are a remarkable man. You saved me and resisted the urge to kill that man in cold blood." Vin leaned down for the gentlest of kisses before breathing almost silently, "I love and trust you down to the depths of my soul."

Shining emerald eyes belied the tears that trickled down Ezra's face. "For a gentleman who is so sparing in his speech, you certainly know the perfect thing to say."

Vin searched the unguarded face and finally began to relax. Ezra was still troubled but he was beginning to deal with the outcome of his dreams. Suddenly, the gambler's brows lowered thoughtfully.

"What'cha thinkin' Ez'?"

"I had never had cause to consider what an insalubrious effect that prophetic visions could have upon one's health," Ezra replied absently with a considering look upon his face.

Vin blinked in confusion before laughing, "You must be feeling better, the five dollar words are back."

The gambler smiled crookedly through a yawn, "Sorry, love. Habit, I'm afraid. I said I never realized how hard visions were on your health. Not that I've ever had any before," the gambler sighed. "And while I'm quite grateful for the outcome of this one, I hope that if it happens again two or three repetitions of the dream are considered sufficient to warn me."

"You and me both, bright eyes," Vin said with a hard hug. "By the way, next time I leave town, you're goin' with me."

"You're damn right," Ezra agreed sleepily.

Vin watched with tender affection as his lover fought a battle with sleep. "Get some rest, Ez, I have plans for you later."

"I've done nothing but rest lately," the gambler protested grumpily.

"A bit more won't hurt," Vin said firmly.

With Ezra finally settling down, the tracker glanced guiltily at the door. He really shouldn't keep their friends waiting any longer for explanations. However right now he couldn't bring himself to leave his lover. The events of the morning had scared him more than he was willing to admit and he just wanted to hold Ezra close and be thankful that they were both alive.

Hours later his arms were cramping from holding his love as close as possible when he sighed and reluctantly began releasing his hold. Looking down he smiled at the curled up form. With the cat green eyes closed and his face relaxed, the gambler looked young and innocent. He was also tempting enough to seduce a saint. Soft, gleaming skin, tumbled chestnut hair, pouting lips, and a slim, muscular body just begging to be kissed and claimed. Trying to control himself, he took a deep breath and almost groaned, the gambler smelled of sex and desire, rich summer nights, and hot sultry days.

Mentally slapping himself, he leaned over the sleeper and shook one shoulder slightly. "Ez, wake up for a minute."

Hazy, sleep drowsy eyes lifted and a sweet smile graced perfect lips.

Swallowing audibly, Vin forced himself to continue, "I need to tell the others what's happened. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine, love," a husky voice reassured, "come back soon."

With a groan and a deep passionate kiss that left him gasping, Vin tore himself away from the bed and shakily strapped on his guns and put on his boots before reaching for the door. After a last look at Ezra, the tracker stepped out into the hall. Closing the door behind him, Vin leaned heavily against the wood. He would need his wits for the coming confrontation so he rested for several minutes until his normal calm returned.

Ambling down the stairs to the saloon below, he smiled internally as he saw the rest of the seven sitting at their usual table. What was unusual about the situation was the silence that reigned instead of the usual conversations and laughter. In a fit of mischief Vin sat down, accepted the beer that Inez served him with a smile and then stared down at the table in absolute silence. He had a silent bet on who would be the first to lose patience and break the stillness.

"Is Ez okay?" JD asked with a worried look.

Vin shrugged mentally, he had bet on Chris, guess that was why he left the gambling to his lover. Looking up he locked eyes with the youngest member of the seven.

"He's had a rough month but I think the worst is over."

"Would now be a good time to ask what is going on?" Chris' voice was darkly patient and the look on his face said that now had damn well better be a good time to tell him what was going on.

Vin sighed and looked at the others sitting around the table in the saloon. Every person at the table had a good and kind heart although some of them hid it much better than others. Unfortunately, one of the things the others didn't do well was understand their gambler. He immediately amended that thought to his gambler. Ezra hid a surprisingly fragile heart with a prickly uncaring exterior. He'd hoped that the others would have seen past the mask by now but it looked as though he was going to have to hit them over the head with it.

"Do any of you, besides JD, give a damn about Ezra?" Vin's voice was quiet and almost emotionless.

"Of course we care about Ezra, brother Vin," Josiah's voice rumbled and he frowned.

"He can be an irritating cuss, but we do care what happens to him," Buck's normally cheerful voice was serious.

Nathan was sullen and refused to look up, "He makes it hard, but we all care."

Vin stared silently at the last person in the group. Chris looked up a minute later and sighed with irritation, "He's one of my men."

Knowing that was the only acknowledgement he would get, Vin nodded, "I was askin' because with the exception of JD none of you seem to notice Ezra. Since I left he's lost over ten pounds and has barely slept two hours a night." He fixed a stern eye on Chris and made sure that his point got across. "He's been late for patrol because dawn is when the nightmares finally let up and he can actually go to sleep." Something almost like guilt crossed their dark leader's face and Vin nodded inwardly with satisfaction.

"Nightmares about what?" Buck asked quietly, out of all of them the ladies' man had the most experience in dealing with a friend's trauma.

Vin hesitated before speaking, "About my death. Every night since I left he's dreamed I was ambushed and shot." The tracker swallowed hard, "And yesterday the dreams almost came true."

JD's eyes widened, "The man you brought in?"

Nodding, Vin turned a cold look on the still sulking Nathan; "He received that bullet burn from knocking me to the ground a split second before that shot would have exploded through my head." The group's healer looked up his eyes darkened with shock as Vin continued, "He hadn't had a drop to drink but he had just seen his nightmares come to life."

Suddenly, Vin shivered and leaned back in his chair staring out into the dark room, "Have you ever seen someone in a rage so cold it was beyond thought?" He was silent for a moment before he continued almost idly, "That ambusher was tied so securely because Ez was afraid he'd fill 'im with holes at the slightest twitch."

There was silence for a moment as everyone absorbed the sketchy details of the story.

"Are you saying, brother Vin, that Ezra had a prophetic vision?" Josiah's voice was surprised and even a bit incredulous.

"Yep," Vin confirmed.

"Wow," JD exclaimed, "No wonder Ez looked so strange this morning. He is feeling better now though, right?"

"Yeah," Vin reassured the worried man, "he's spent most of the last two days sleeping, the nightmare only woke him up once and he managed to get back to sleep once we'd talked it out."

"So, you think he'll stop having it now?" Buck asked thoughtfully.

"I sure hope so. By the way, next time I leave town, Ez goes with me," Vin stated flatly.

"You think this will happen again?" Chris said frowning.

"Don't know. But I'd rather have him close next time." Vin sighed, "Truth be known, neither of us slept good while I was gone. I kept havin' this feeling I was needed back here and it frustrated me that I kept hittin' one damn delay after another. Damn rustlers, damn bounty hunters," the tracker muttered, "damn weather, and plain old damn stupid people."

Vin ignored the worried looks that his unusual fit of temper was causing. Looking up he was happy to see Ezra making his way down the stairs. The gambler was graceful, elegant, and so beautiful it hurt Vin thought. The sleep of the past few days had done Ezra good. The lines on his face weren't quite as deep and the shadows under his eyes had started fading. However, it was the sparkling look in cat green eyes that thrilled him. That was the look he had dreamed of receiving on coming back to town.

Ezra nodded politely to everyone at the table before smoothly sitting down at the chair that suddenly appeared beside Vin. Reaching under the table, Vin squeezed Ezra's leg tightly before letting go. Ezra smiled at him for a brief blinding second before looking at the others at the table. "Gentlemen," he said in greeting. If the silence he received in answer bothered the gambler he didn't let it show. Unconcernedly, he slipped a pack of cards out of an inner pocket and began shuffling them slowly.

As far as Vin was concerned, everything was right in his world. Ezra was awake and obviously feeling better, the seven were together, and better still, he had the night to look forward to. Sitting back, he relaxed and prepared to listen to his other half answer questions and tell of the events of the morning. Now that he was feeling more like himself, Ezra would have no problems with holding his own.

Chris frowned as he watched Ezra slowly descend the stairs. Still smarting from Vin's sharp words he took a close look at the gambler and didn't like what he saw. Despite lively eyes, there were lines of exhaustion carved deep in his face and his eyes were sunken and heavily shadowed. Even his clothes were fitting him more loosely than usual. If Ezra continued to look exhausted after almost two days of solid rest then he must have looked infinitely worse earlier. How had he missed it? The fact that the gambler irritated the hell out of him was no excuse. All if would have taken was one close look and he would have seen that something was wrong.

The slow realization that he'd been conned dawned on the black clad leader. In fact, he thought with an internal furrowing of his brow, Ezra had been conning most of them from the time they had met. He'd been portraying the image of the amoral, charming, self-absorbed gambler to perfection and most of the seven were beguiled into believing the image. Everyone except Vin and JD, he thought broodingly. He really should have trusted Vin's instinct with people and taken a closer look at the contrast between Ezra's image and his actions. Moreover, JD, while charmingly nave, wouldn't have continued to staunchly defend the man if he hadn't deserved it.

So, if he didn't trust Ezra or even much like him then why had he taken him on as one of the seven? He turned the question over in his mind as he watched the gambler sit down and shuffle cards. On some level, he realized, he must have known that the gambler was different from the image he presented to the outside world. Chris' instincts had said to trust him but his conscious mind had cataloged faults and continued to mistrust him.

Not that Ezra made it easy to trust, he thought wryly, he seemed to make a game out of fulfilling people's worst expectations. However, he of all people should have recognized a defense mechanism when he saw one; he used anger and Ezra ran a con. Well, he thought with an inner sigh, it was time he got to know the real Ezra.

Looking around the table, he was surprised to note that no one had broken the silence. Everyone was staring in expectation at Ezra who was ignoring the attention with fine disregard. Studying the gambler's face closely, he thought he saw a hint of amusement in the corners of the mobile mouth. Turning to Vin, he saw that he wasn't bothering to hide his amusement at all. The tracker's blue eyes were twinkling and he seemed content to let Ezra fill in any details that he had left unsaid. Well if no one else was going to start the questions, it might as well be him.

"Are you feeling better Ezra?"

A considering look was sent in his direction and now that he was looking for it he could almost see the gambler weighing the question for ulterior motives before he answered. "I find that my constitution is much improved, Mr. Larabee."

"Good," he said, "next time you are having problems, I expect to be told." He gave the gambler his second blest glare and inwardly grinned when he received a bland look in return. One of the things he admired most about Ezra was that he had never managed to intimidate him. It was also; he admitted ruefully, one of the things that irritated him the most.

"Why didn't you let us help, so...Ezra?" Josiah rumbled in his deep voice.

Chris grimaced slightly at the near slip. He'd been witness over the months to the gambler's repeated requests to the ex-preacher to not call him son. However, like many of Ezra's requests, because he hadn't given a reason he was ignored. He found it disturbing that Ezra had endured the troubling memories stirred up by the affectionate endearment when he could have stopped it with a simple explanation. Did he trust them so little?

"Because there was nothing you could have done." Ezra answered casually. "None of you knew from day to day whether Vin was alive any more than I did and nothing less than his living presence would have halted my nightmares.

"I could have given you something to help you sleep," Nathan offered quietly.

"Thank you, Mr. Jackson, but I tried that one night and found that being unable to wake from the nightmare was even worse."

"You know, pard," Buck said with a smirk, "if you'd let me know you were having trouble sleeping I could have found you a companion to help tire you out."

"I appreciate the offer, but I believe our taste in companions differs slightly, Mr. Wilmington."

Chris turned as he heard Vin give an odd choking sound and saw him struggling not to laugh. Merry blue eyes looked at Ezra and when the gambler looked in his direction, an odd amused glance flashed between the two.

"Did your dream tell you why that man was trying to kill Vin, Ez?" JD asked.

Ezra turned cool eyes on the sheriff, "No, it did not. Do you mean to say that the sniper hasn't stated his reason for this morning's ambush?"

"He hasn't said a word, Ez. And I went through all of my posters and can't find him listed."

"Well, well," the gambler said softly with a faraway look in his eyes, "perhaps I should have a talk with the man."

With that, Ezra stood up, smoothed his jacket and strode towards the door with Vin almost on his heels. Curious, Chris followed them and was amused to note that all of the others were not far behind. He stepped through the doors of the jail just seconds behind Ezra and Vin and noted that the prisoner had yet to notice that anyone had come in. He seemed to be absorbed in studying the floor. The lean face was set in brooding lines and Chris didn't expect that Ezra would get any further in questioning him than the others had earlier. The man had just stared at them with cold eyes and refused to utter a word.

Buck and JD stumbled in behind him, horsing around as usual; at the noise, the prisoner looked up and stared straight at Ezra. Chris' eyes widened in disbelief as the man paled and stiffened. As far as he could tell, Ezra and Vin had brought the sniper in without a scratch on him, so why was the man so upset at seeing the gambler? Looking at Ezra, he couldn't see any reason for the reaction, the gambler looked calm and almost expressionless.

"Who are you and why were you shooting at Vin?" Ezra's voice was cold and empty and Chris saw the prisoner shiver.

The pale man in the cell stared back without speaking but sweat began to gleam on his forehead. Ezra stared at him for a minute and then took several graceful steps forward until he stood at the edge of the cell. He reached out and slowly slid one finger up and down one of the bars separating him from the sniper and his voice emerged silkily.

"Sir, I am fast running out of patience. Start talking or I am going to resort to other forms of... persuasion."

Chris looked at the rest of the seven and wasn't surprised to see stunned amazement on almost every face. The only person who didn't look surprised was Vin; he didn't even look very concerned, more watchful than anything. Suddenly, the tracker's description came back to him, 'have you ever seen anyone in a rage so cold it went beyond thought?' Whatever had happened this morning had been enough to thoroughly scare their prisoner and he found himself unsurprised when the man broke and began rapidly telling his story.

Every time he slowed, he looked at Ezra who was stroking the bars of the cell and smiling absently. Once every detail was told, the gambler looked up and the click of the cell doors sounded in the silence. He walked to stand in front of the man who was trying to merge with the wall behind his back.

"Make sure that you never cross paths with any of us again, next time I see you the first bullet will go here," Ezra lightly traced an x over their prisoner's right shoulder, "it will be followed by a bullet here, " the left shoulder, "here," the right knee, "and let's not forget here," the left knee, "and if I'm feeling generous the last one will go right through here." The gambler reached out and gently traced a mark on the center of the man's forehead. There was absolute dead silence throughout the room as every person felt the waves of danger and even the edge of madness emanating from their soft-spoken friend. It was painfully obvious that the sniper believed every word he said because he was nodding almost frantically.

With a last chilling smile, Ezra slowly strolled out, relocking the cell door before exiting the jail completely. Chris turned questioning eyes to Vin and with a look demanded an explanation. Vin shrugged and then walked to the porch to watch Ezra's progress back to the saloon. Chris waited patiently as the others gathered around.

Deciding he had waited long enough, Chris asked aloud this time, "What the hell is going on? I've never seen Ezra act like that."

"Ez is a man of many layers," Vin said slowly, "apparently one of those layers is very, very dangerous."

"But why now? People try to kill us all the time," Buck protested.

"Buck, how would you feel if you witnessed my death?"

The womanizer winced and started to nod slowly.

"Now imagine that you witness my death not once but over and over again every time you close your eyes. Now imagine what you would do if you found the person responsible."

Frowns slowly cleared as every one began to understand. They were still surprised at how intimidating the gambler could be but they understood his reasons now. Furthermore, Chris was beginning to understand that the lazy charming faade hid a man as dangerous as himself, perhaps even more so since he didn't appear threatening. Damn if the last few days weren't proving to be extremely enlightening, he thought irritably.

Sighing, he once again followed the procession back to the saloon. Once inside, Inez indicated the private meeting room and once inside they saw Ezra slouched in a chair with a glass of brandy by his side. He was staring into the amber liquid, his face as calm as it had been since he had come down from his room earlier. Vin quickly moved to the gambler's side and asked a low voiced question. He received a nod and a smile in answer.

Every one sat or sprawled as was their preference and Josiah was the first one to ask about their current problem. "So what do we do about the man who hired our Mr. Harrison."

"I'm afraid we only have Harrison's word that he was hired by Lucas Deveraux to kill Vin and we can't bring formal charges against him since Vin still has that murder charge against him," Chris sighed.

"And Baton Rouge is too far away to do anything about it personally," Nathan interjected.

"How did you happen to kill his son, Vin?" Chris asked.

"Etienne Deveraux was a touchy son of a bitch, I ran into him about three years ago and he decided for some reason I had offended him. He challenged me to a duel and when I refused, he drew on me. Unfortunately for him, I was faster."

"So what can we do?" JD asked. "We can't just let him keep sending hired killers after Vin."

"I believe this is where I can be of assistance, Mr. Dunne," Ezra said quietly. "There are some associates of mine in Louisiana who owe me a favor. Mr. Deveraux will not be a problem for long."

"And what do you have planned for him?" Chris asked warily.

"Evidence of wrongdoing will be either found or invented against him and the authorities will take it from there," Ezra said calmly, his hands pulling out his cards and shuffling them in complex patterns.

"That's not exactly legal, Ezra," Nathan protested.

"No it is not legal, Mr. Jackson, but it is justice."

"Hell, pard, while you're on a roll, you should do something about that murder charge in Tuscosa," Buck said laughing.

An odd smile flickered over the gambler's face causing Chris to frown suspiciously. He noticed that Vin was staring closely at Ezra also and smiled. He figured he'd get the story out of the tracker once Vin had gotten it from the gambler. In fact he noticed, there was something odd going on between the two. He couldn't pinpoint what it was but he continued to watch them.

Ezra's stomach picked that moment to rumble enquiringly, breaking the tension and causing several of the men to laugh. JD offered to bring back something for supper and hurried out. Conversation behind him was lighthearted with the drawling southerner at his charming best. The laughter continued throughout the meal and lasted through the poker game that followed. Vin drew a halt to the gathering when Ezra yawned once too often, ignoring laughing protests by said gambler.

Everyone but Ezra and Vin drifted from the room. Chris lingered outside the door wanting to talk to Vin when he emerged. A change in the tone of the voices inside the room drew him back to the doorway and he nearly stumbled in shock. Vin had his hands cupped around Ezra's face and his voice was low and intimate.

"Are you sure you're all right, bright eyes?"

Ezra laughed huskily, "I'm fine, Vin."

"Good, because I believe we had plans for tonight, didn't we?" Vin's voice was suggestive and his hands slid down until they wrapped snugly around the slim body of the gambler. His head dipped and he traced Ezra's lips with a tender, possessive tongue before the kiss became a mutual plundering. Minutes later they broke apart, both of them were flushed and grinning. They turned in his direction and then stopped upon seeing him in the doorway. Neither of them seemed particularly upset at being caught. Vin showed a trace of apprehension and Ezra a bit of wariness but otherwise they acted as if this were a common situation.

Chris rather thought it wasn't, since he was sure he would have seen the signs if their relationship had changed. What mattered now was what he thought of the situation. Neither man was ashamed of the other that was clear, love also shown plainly on both of their faces. Before today, he might have been disapproving of a match between the two, because of Ezra. However, he'd had many of his preconceived notions upset today and frankly, he thought with a shrug, they were both adults and had the right to love whoever they wanted to.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys, do carry on." He smiled a rare smile, turned and left.

Vin and Ezra stared out the door where Chris had just left before turning to each other with smiles.

"Well, that went a lot better than I had hoped," Vin said.

"Yes, Mr. Larabee seemed most sanguine about the situation."

Vin just grinned at the five-dollar word and pulled Ezra close for another kiss, reveling in the sweet heat and slick moistness. He teasingly nipped and soothed until they were both panting for breath. Pulling back, they said in unison, "bed." Laughing, they swiftly went upstairs and closed the door to Ezra's room.

Early twilight seeped through the edges of the covered windows causing brief sparkles of light to soften the room in the deepening night. Vin and Ezra both divested themselves of their boots and weapons but Vin halted the gambler when he reached for the buttons on his coat.

"Hands off, those are mine," Vin said as he moved close and began to slowly unbutton the covering. Proper care was shown to the garment once it was removed as Vin neatly folded it over a nearby chair. The vest was treated to the same care as Ezra held his arms out with a wide grin. Once Vin made it down to the shirt, Ezra's clever hands joined into the game and the tracker was bare-chested before Vin made it three buttons down on his lover's garment.

Vin paused between each button to caress the bared skin, kissing and caressing. Halfway down the shirt he became distracted by the tempting nubs that were beginning to peak against the fine weave of the material. He moved his thumbs to circle and rub the small bumps until they tightened and Ezra shivered. Bending, he licked them through the material, until the cloth was thoroughly wet. Moving back up he took Ezra's mouth in another mind-bending kiss while nudging the slim man backwards until they fell onto the bed.

Pulling back slightly, Vin gazed hungrily at the man sprawled beneath him. The gambler was panting softly and his lips were swollen and glistening, just begging to be bitten and sucked on. His shirt was half open with enticing patches of skin showing. Moving with deliberation, he bent down until his lips were on the vulnerable skin at the juncture between neck and shoulder. Thoroughly laving the area with his tongue, he then sucked the skin into his mouth with gentle pressure until the pale skin bore his mark.

Returning to the shirt, he swiftly opened it and bent his mouth to tasting each inch of skin. Stopping at the still swollen brown nipples, he took one into his mouth, gently bit, and rolled the nub. Ezra arched up with a breathy cry and threaded fingers through his hair. Letting go of his prize, he moved down, circled his tongue around the small belly button, and then spread kisses across the flat stomach. He purred when Ezra began kneading his scalp causing the gambler to laugh and himself to smile at the happy sound.

Letting his fingers trail up and down the hard bulge swelling Ezra's trousers he slipped his hand inside, cupped the hard and already leaking cock in his hands, and squeezed. The choking cry he got in return sent a primitive thrill along his nerves and he knew he had to possess and claim his mate tonight. The earlier day's playing had only strengthened his hunger. He wanted to see the tightly controlled gambler helpless and reeling with passion and swiftly set out to do just that. Swiftly stripping Ezra of his remaining clothes, he settled between his legs and bent to lick at the leaking cock, savoring the slightly bitter pre-cum that was leaking from the tip.

"Vin, wait," Ezra protested, "I want to touch you too."

The tracker looked up into heavily dilated eyes and pouting lips. The long slim body with the smooth skin and sprawled limbs was irresistible. He felt his mouth dry as he gazed at the dark flushed cock, heavy eyes, and tight swollen nipples.

"Not tonight, Ez," he growled, "you can do whatever you want tomorrow, tonight is mine."

"Vin--," the gambler's protest broke off with a groan when Vin swooped down and deep throated him. He caught Ezra's fine boned hands and held them pinned to the mattress as he slowly slid his mouth up and down the long shaft. Breathing deeply, Vin savored the musky, sexy scent of an aroused male and swallowed repeatedly. Ezra's legs began to tremble and gasping noises were coming from his mouth as Vin pulled up and swirled his tongue around the tip and then plunged back to the base and hummed. He repeated this several times until Ezra's hips were arching to meet him and the wrists held captive in his grip tensed to iron hardness.

With a long cry, Ezra came in heavy bursts. Vin eagerly swallowed and licked the shrinking penis until the gambler pulled away. Taking the moment to remove the rest of his clothes, he gently turned the languorous man over and smoothed long caresses down the slim trembling muscles. With slow licks, he covered the length of the strong back and savored the salty sweet taste exploding over his tongue. He moved to cover the body under him and whispered in a nearby ear.

"Love ya', bright eyes."

He licked the rim of a pale ear and then scattered kisses in random patterns over Ezra's shoulders and down his spine to the small of his back. A light lick here caused a shudder and delighted, Vin placed a small kiss there before moving lower. Bites and licks were spread over the rounded buttocks and a gentle finger traveled in a line up and down. Soon that wasn't enough and Vin spread the cheeks open with his hands until the small rosy pucker was clear to his gaze. A light kiss produced a full body shudder and a puff of air received a low voiced moan.

Shaking himself by this time, he reached for the grease he'd brought up earlier and coated one finger. He gently circled the opening for a minute before sliding into the relaxed muscle. The passage quivered and Vin laid a gentle kiss against each butt cheek as he began to slowly finger fuck his lover. He began to whisper huskily.

"So beautiful. Want to be inside you so bad." He slowly added another finger and brushed Ezra's prostate lightly, producing a broken cry and a sudden thrust backwards. "That's it, bright eyes," he breathed, "move for me." Ezra began to rock himself on his fingers and hardly seemed to notice when they were increased to three. He was thrusting back almost wildly now and sweat was gleaming on his back. Vin groaned harshly and pulled his fingers out, soothing the despairing cry with a caress. He urged the gambler to his hands and knees and blanketed the shaking body.

"Do you want me inside you, Ez?" He growled as he held the gambler's hips and teasingly brushed the entrance to his body.

"Yes," Ezra pleaded, "please, Vin. Please."

Slowly Vin pushed into the gambler's tight heat and groaned as Ezra surrounded him. Primal instincts fought with protective and he forced himself under control and resisted the urge to pound mercilessly into his mate's hot body. Once he was fully inside, he stilled and rested his head against the tense back. Waiting until his lover's muscles began to relax he stroked soothingly up and down his flanks.

"Love you so much. So beautiful. So perfect."

When Ezra relaxed enough he slowly pulled back a bit and began a gentle rocking motion. With every forward thrust he growled, "mine" and soon Ezra was answering him with "yours" before his voice dissolved into constant moans. The tight beloved heat soon became too much and he could feel himself tightening up and the tension building to an unbearable point. He reached for Ezra's cock and strongly fisted it in time with his thrusts. Seconds later the gambler came with his head thrown back in a soundless scream.

The tight convulsing passage around him became too much and with a last strong thrust Vin came with a triumphant howl. Long streams of almost incandescent pleasure burned through him and he held tightly to his mate as fire pounded in his blood. The overwhelming pleasure he had been denying himself continued on and on until he felt the world begin to gray out.

Gentle hands stroking his hair was the first sensation that he registered a while later. He burrowed close to strong arms that were cuddling him and sighed with satisfaction. A whisper of a kiss feathered across his eyelids, each cheek and then on his nose.

"I love you so much, Vin." Ezra whispered into his ear and he smiled contentedly.

Minutes later as his thoughts began to haze and sleep was beckoning he was disturbed by a soft puff of air by his ear that might have been a laugh.

"What is it?" he asked sleepily.

"I was just thinking that I hope that my previous experience doesn't mean that all of my dreams are going to come true now." Ezra said thoughtfully, "I can think of quite a few of my dreams that I would wish to remain exactly that."

Vin woke completely up and looked across into twinkling eyes. "For example, the dream where I inadvertently failed to clothe myself before venturing into the saloon is one I would not wish to happen."

It took a few seconds for the tracker to puzzle out the meaning of Ezra's words and about the time his eyes widened in comprehension the gambler was continuing in a serious voice.

"Or the one where our illustrious leader's gun shot flowers instead of bullets."

Vin was still choking with laughter when Ezra's next sentence sent him howling.

"Or the one where Buck declares his undying love to Chaucer."

The tracker was chortling so hard he had tears running down his cheeks and he reached over to cover Ezra's smirking mouth and laughed himself almost sick while the gambler smiled at him with innocent eyes.

"God, I love you," he finally gasped and pulled his lover into his arms for a quick kiss. "You are definitely one of a kind, bright eyes."

"Yes, I know," Ezra said smugly, prompting another bout of laughter from Vin and starting a tickle fight in which they both ended up winners. The laughter and loving continued long into the night as both men reveled in finding their life mate and concentrated on loving the other into oblivion.

End