Revelations Part 2
A Houston Knights/Mag7 Xover
By Starwinder
Over supper, Levon told more stories about Emma Lynn and promised that he'd send Vin copies of some pictures that he had of her.
Joe and Ezra stayed mostly in the background letting the two men get acquainted, but Joe couldn't help smiling when a couple of times Vin reached for Ezra's hand, holding it. He had deliberately put Vin between Levon and Ezra instead of directly across the table from each other so that he could watch their interaction.
Joe received many compliments on his lasagna, with Ezra asking for the recipe. Both men were impressed when Joe brought out two separate desserts. As he sat the desserts on the table he commented.
"Ezra happened to mention that strawberries were his favorite fruit, but that Vin is allergic to them, like you are, Levon. So I made Strawberries Bellarosa, my grandmother Bellarosa's recipe, for him and me, cause I love strawberries, too. Then I made great-grandmother DeMira's Peaches DeMira for you and Vin. I thought since peaches are your favorite fruit that he might like them as well."
"Oh, yeah!" Vin grinned. "I love peaches... this looks great."
"It's a real simple recipe. I poached the peaches in brandy and sugar, then chilled them and added whipped creme just before serving, topping them with some of the brandy and sugar that I reserved as a sauce. The strawberries are simply chilled in a wine and sugar marinade."
Vin got a blissful look on his face as he took his first bite of the peaches. "Hummmm. This is good. You gotta get this recipe, Ez."
"I believe, if Joe is willing, I would like to have all the recipes for this meal. It has been exceptional."
"Well, they are all old family recipes. The lasagna was my Aunt Teresa's recipe, and the others like I said were grandmother Bellarosa's and great-grandmother DeMira's but I suppose that since you two are sort of family now I can let you have them."
Levon chuckled. "I knew it. Even if the test is negative, you've done been adopted."
Joe just shrugged. "What's a couple more younguns?"
"Just how many "younguns" do you two have?" Ezra asked, his curiosity piqued.
Levon laughed, "Ain't got none that's rightly ours, but Joe comes from a big family and all the kids think our ranch is their second home. Heck, when we left to come up here we left about fifteen, twenty people camped at the ranch."
"Aunt Olivia and her boys live there so you can't exactly call them camped... and JD and Ryan are investors so they've got owner's rights to be there."
"JD's one of Joe's cousins." Levon clarified. "Ryan's his partner, in life and work."
"Tokyo and Miguel are our housekeeper and hired hand so they live on the ranch with their two kids. That's eleven that's there most all the time. It's just Maria and the twins and your cousin that are just there temporarily."
"Well, if the custody papers go through on Rickerman, he'll be a permanent fixture as well," Levon said.
"Rickerman is Levon's cousin. His folks were killed in a car wreck about three months ago. He's been staying with us. Levon's the closest kin he's got left."
"Sounds like you've got a full house without adding me to the mix," Vin said, a note of sadness in his voice.
"Hey," Joe said, smiling at him, "there's always room for one more."
"And I'd be real proud to have you come to visit even if you turn out not to be any blood relation," Levon assured him.
Reaching out, he lay a hand on Vin's arm, looking him in the eyes as he said, sincerely, "Just what I've seen of you so far, I'm real proud to think that you *might* be my son. And if you are mine, well, there's just no substitute for your own flesh and blood. I love Joe's folks, and Rickerman is a fine young man but he's not my son. If you are, and I've got to say that I'm really hoping that you are, then you're special to me just because of that."
Vin nodded, tears welling in his eyes. He fought them back and gave a nod, "I gotta admit that I'm hoping for you to be my... my... dad. I never had anyone that I really wished was my dad before, but I really hope you are."
Levon squeezed his arm gently. "You know, if you want, we can just forget the test and say it was positive. I'd be happy with that."
"I would be, too, but I think that we ought to know the truth. We've already set it in motion and if it's negative we can still choose to be family," Vin said.
Levon nodded. "All right but no matter how the test comes out, if you ever need us for anything, you call, or come to us. You hear me?"
"I hear you," Vin sniffed then looked up at Levon and smiled, "Dad."
The grin that blossomed across Levon's face made Vin's heart fill with happiness.
Ezra and Joe exchanged smiles as they watched the two men.
Ezra stood up and lay a hand on Vin's shoulder. "On this happy note, we should, perhaps, call it a night. We still need to stop by your place and pick up a change of clothes for you, if you are staying at my place tonight."
"Yeah, we do... and I am," Vin smiled up at him. As they were slipping into their coats, Vin turned to Ezra. "Could we... you know... what you were saying about returning the favor?"
Levon raised an eyebrow at the stammered question.
Joe just shrugged at him to say he didn't know what they were talking about.
Ezra apparently did, "Of course."
He turned back to Joe and Levon, "Gentlemen, it would be a great pleasure if you would have supper with us, say Sunday evening, at my place. Vin could meet you here and show you the way?"
"That sounds good," Joe said.
"Be a pleasure," Levon assured them.
"Very well then. We'll see you Sunday afternoon. Until then, enjoy yourselves."
Saturday afternoon Nathan brought the test results by. He noted that Ezra's Jag was parked on the street directly in front of the walkway to the building.
Members of the club that Vin had started to keep the local teens out of the neighborhood gangs were arrayed around it like royal guards around a king's chariot.
He couldn't help a twinge of jealousy, touched with anger that not one of them even acknowledged his arrival, let alone moved to stand guard over his Jeep Cherokee where it was parked halfway down the block from the walkway.
He didn't know what a fine man like Vin Tanner saw in the arrogant, deceitful undercover agent. The damned man made his living lying to people. It never occurred to him to realize that without Ezra's skill at deception Team Seven would not be able to run the stings that they did to recover stolen weapons and keep them off of the streets of Denver.
He trudged up the four flights of stairs to Vin's apartment, cursing the ancient and frequently out-of-order elevator as he did so. The man needed to find a better place to live.
He knocked on the door and again Ezra answered it, as he had the last time that Nathan was there. Man acted like the place was his.
"Come in, Mister Jackson," Ezra greeted, ignoring Nathan's irritated look. "Mister Tanner is on the fire escape. We are grilling this evening."
Nathan shook his head. Ezra made it sound like he was actually doing something other than sitting around and watching while Vin cooked, but Nathan knew better than to think that the man would lift a finger to help. He followed Ezra through the living room to the window that led to the fire escape and ducked through it to stand on what Vin referred to as his balcony.
It was barely big enough for the three of them. A small table and two chairs took up most of the space.
A small tabletop grill sat in the middle of the table and Vin was turning what looked like chicken breasts over on it. A small bowl with some kind of sauce in it sat beside the grill and when he finished turning the meat, Vin brushed some on it. Two foil-wrapped packets, with holes poked in them, lay on the back of the grill, giving off the scent of onions and peppers.
"Hey, Nate," Vin greeted. He nodded towards the envelope in Nathan's hand. "That what I think it is?"
"Yes," Nathan said and held it out to Vin.
Vin took it and passed it to Ezra. "Hang on to this until tomorrow, Ez."
"Vin," Nathan began then hesitated. He knew what the report said. "Maybe you should--"
"Nate, don't tell me what it says. I want to wait and open it with Levon."
Nathan sighed, but nodded. Finally he said, "Ya'll coming out to Chris' tomorrow for the cookout?"
He frowned when Vin looked at Ezra before answering.
"We could call Mister Lundy and ask if they would mind coming for lunch instead of supper. Then we would be free to spend the afternoon at the ranch as usual," Ezra suggested.
"You think Chris'd mind if we brought them along. I'd kinda like the fellas to meet them."
"You could call and ask. If he would rather that you not, you can always invite them to drop by the office one day next week. They still have a week of vacation time left."
Vin grinned. "Sounds like a plan." He turned to Nathan. "We'll be out to the ranch sometime tomorrow afternoon."
Nathan nodded. "Good. Well, I gotta go. Rain's expecting me. We're going out tonight."
"Sure. Ya'll have a good time," Vin said and turned back to the grill.
Ezra rose to see Nathan to the door. As he stepped through the window, Vin called after him. "Grab the salads and the wine, Ez, chicken's about done."
As Nathan headed back down the stairs, he couldn't help thinking how domestic the scene upstairs had seemed.
Vin awoke early the next morning, even earlier than was usual for him. It wasn't even first light yet, not that he would have been able to see the dawn what with the heavy light-blocking curtains that Ezra favored for his bedroom windows. Still he knew even before he looked at the clock that it was too early to get up.He wasn't certain at first what had awakened him then in the darkness he felt something nuzzle against his chest and realized that Ezra's head was resting there and his lover was moving his head slightly in his sleep, rubbing his nose across Vin's left nipple. A tingle of arousal surged through him followed almost instantly by an overwhelming sense of tenderness and gratitude.
He rolled to his side, his arms clamping tightly around Ezra, holding him close.
Ezra came awake instantly. "Vin? What's wrong?"
"Nothing... nothing. I just... I woke up and just for a minute I thought it was all a dream. I thought that none of it was real. Being here with you... Levon and Joe coming looking for me.... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I just needed to feel you in my arms. Know you're real...."
Ezra squirmed upward to kiss him softly on the lips. "Don't apologize, darling. Waking up in your arms is a dream come true for me, as well, and I, too, sometimes have a fleeting moment when I think that perhaps I am still dreaming."
He snuggled back down, resting his head on Vin's shoulder. "Are you worried about the test results?"
"Naw, not really. We done decided that no matter what, me'n Levon are gonna consider ourselves family. Been thinkin' about that. Think maybe family that you choose is better or at least as good as what you're born to. When I joined team seven I got six brothers," he paused and bent to kiss the top of Ezra's head, "well, five brothers and a lover now, and there ain't a drop of blood between us."
"I know what you mean," Ezra said. "If I had been able to choose a mother, I don't know if I would have chosen Maude. She isn't the kind of mother that I've always wanted and yet...." He let it trail off with a sigh.
"She *is* your ma and you love her," Vin finished the thought for him.
Ezra nodded against his chest. "Yes. Exactly." He sighed again, "I do love her although I sometimes don't like her much... and I've never been quite sure that she loves me."
"She does." Vin assured him."
"How can you be sure of that when I am not?" Ezra asked.
"Cause I know how lovable you are... and you musta been even more lovable as a baby so how can she not love you?"
"You think I'm lovable?" Ezra teased.
"Yep." Vin rolled them over grinning down at Ezra before leaning in for a long deep kiss.
He glanced at the clock. It was hours yet before they had to get up. Plenty of time to show Ezra just how lovable he thought that Ezra was.
Since they were having the lunch with Levon and Joe at Ezra's and the men from Texas had not been there before, Ezra drove out to the resort to bring them back while Vin fired up the grill and began the cooking.
They had decided on a buffet style meal. Ezra had prepared salad fixings and a vegetable tray with dip before leaving. A large crystal salad bowl, filled with torn greens, dominated the center of the table, surrounded by smaller matching bowls containing chopped eggs, bell peppers and onions, two different kinds of shredded cheese, sliced radishes, mushrooms and tomatoes and cauliflower and broccoli heads. Each bowl from the largest to the smallest had it's own plastic lid. The vegetable tray was also crystal, matching the salad set with a built in bowl in the center for the dip and it's own domed plastic lid.
Corn on the cob sat ready to start in a steamer sitting on the counter just inside the kitchen door. All Vin had to do was turn it on when Ezra had told him to and set the timer. The corn would be ready just before time for the others to arrive. He'd take it out of the steamer and drop it on the grill for a few minutes just before they got there to flavor it.
Vin hummed to himself as he prepared what Ezra had informed him was a London Grill, several types of meat, all cooked on the grill. They had selected two six-ounce, peppercorn-seasoned ribeye steaks, two boneless, skinless chicken breasts marinated in teriyaki sauce, two pork chops with garlic-herb seasoning and two skewers of jumbo shrimp marinated in Ezra's own Diablo sauce.
Vin smiled at the memory of how Ezra had come to concoct the sauce. Shortly after Ezra had joined the team he had ordered the Shrimp Diablo at The Saloon, where team seven gathered after work. He had said something about it not being as hot as he liked and Vin had agreed, saying he always said it wasn't as hot as something with a name like that should be.
An insulted Inez had told them if they though that they could do better they were welcome to try. Ezra had taken the challenge. He had gotten the basic recipe from her then embellished it with his own additions.
Vin had been his taste tester. When Vin had first tasted the current recipe he'd fallen in love with it, whooping and grabbing for a tortilla to cool off his mouth.
Inez now had a new item on her menu, Extreme Diablo Shrimp. She had wanted to call it Ezra's Extreme Diablo Shrimp but Ezra had asked her not to do so. It came with a warning that it was only for the most daring. Vin ordered it at least once every couple of weeks but it was never as good at Inez's as it was when cooked on Ezra's grill.
Joe had mentioned that Levon loved hot, spicy food so Vin was hoping that he'd love the shrimp as much as he did.
When the timer dinged on the steamer he had just taken up the steaks, chicken and pork chops, placing them on a platter with a domed metal cover to keep them hot. Ezra had told him when to put each type of meat on the grill so that it would all be done at the same time. The steaks had gone on first then the pork chops and the chicken. The corn and shrimp would go on the grill together and everything would be ready and piping hot when his lover returned with their guests.
He was removing the shrimp from the grill when he heard the front door open and voices in the entryway.
"Nice," Joe complimented as he surveyed the townhouse foyer.
"Very," Levon agreed. In contrast to Vin's rundown apartment the townhouse was sleek and modern. The entryway floor was a dark green, marbleized ceramic tile that their boot and shoe heels echoed on. The walls were a creamy off-white. A simple but elegant table stood just inside the door with two shallow Indian-style bowls, done in pinks, grays and greens sitting on it.
Ezra dropped his keys into one. The other held several pieces of mail. Between the bowls and directly in front of a mirror stood a matching vase with a single spray of what looked like cherry blossoms.
To the left was the living room, the tile giving way to a plush dark green carpet at the arched doorway. Joe could see the long sweep of a curved sectional sofa in soft cream-colored leather with a matching loveseat and two reclining chairs, all set to take advantage of the wall of windows looking out over a view of the mountains. To the right was the stairs to the upper floor also carpeted in the same deep green.
The hallway continued past the living room to another arched doorway into the dining room and a third into the kitchen. Both rooms were floored with the same green marbleized tile as the entry hall. There was a closed door to the right under the stairs that Joe figured most likely led to a bathroom and/or laundry room.
Ezra led them past it and turned into the kitchen, leading the way through it to the patio beyond.
Vin greeted them with a smile. Gesturing to the chairs scattered around the patio he said, "Make yourselves at home. Everything's ready. We're doing this real informal. Just grab a plate and set to."
While Ezra removed the plastic lids from the salad fixings and vegetable tray, Vin ducked into the kitchen, returning with tall glasses filled with ice and two pitchers on a tray. One pitcher held tea, the other lemonade.
Levon and Joe exchanged approving looks at how comfortable Vin seemed in the plush surroundings and how easily Ezra seemed to accept Vin's plundering around in his kitchen. If the two men were going to be together, they should be comfortable in each other's homes.
While Ezra had seemed right at home in Vin's apartment from the first time they had met, it would have been easy for Vin to have been intimidated by the luxurious townhouse, afraid of breaking something or messing something up.
Vin held up one of the skewers of shrimp. "Ya gotta try this, Levon. Joe told Ez that ya like stuff hot and spicy? You oughta love this!"
Levon took the skewer and popped the end in his mouth pulling one of the shrimp off. As soon as he could chew and swallow he whooped, "Whooeee! That is spicy!" He followed up with bite of his dinner roll and a long draught of the ice tea then turned to Joe. "When you an' Ezra exchange recipes, get this one!"
Joe promised he would, then mentioned that he liked the tile in the entryway, hall, dining room and kitchen.
Ezra chuckled. "When I bought this place, it was carpeted throughout in beige carpet. After the first time that my team mates dropped by and tracked dirt, mud, grease and god-only-knows what else through it, I had the entire place redone. Now the only rooms with carpet are the living room and the two bedrooms upstairs. Everything else, including the upstairs hall and bathroom has the tile you so admire. It has reduced my maid service bill considerably, although, I still have to have the living room carpet cleaned every time that it's my turn to host poker night."
"And he wins enough off'a us to pay for that," Vin put in, an admiring note in his voice.
At Levon's raise eyebrow he added. "Ez plays a mean game of poker." He chuckled, "Nate swears he cheats, but Ez don't need to."
"Mister Jackson is an abysmal poker player," Ezra added, "but he thinks he's good."
It was Levon's turn to chuckle. "Met a few of them myself. Just don't seem to understand that they aren't as good as they think they are."
When they had finished eating, Ezra waved off Joe's offer of help to clean up and suggested that he and Levon have a seat in the living room while Vin helped him put the leftovers away and fill the dishwasher.
When Joe and Levon entered the living room they saw that the seating arrangement not only took in the view of the mountains through the picture window but a fireplace built into the wall between the living room and dining room.
They settled on the long curving sofa and talked quietly for the few minutes it took the other two men to clear away the remains of the meal.
When Vin and Ezra came into the living room Vin was carrying an envelope.
Levon leaned forwards, "Is that the test results."
"Yeah. I ain't looked at them yet. Wanted to wait until we were all together," Vin told him. He sat down in one of the reclining chairs but didn't let it back.
Ezra perched on the arm beside him.
Vin swallowed hard then ripped the envelope open.
He unfolded the single sheet of paper then leaned back with a soft curse.
Ezra reached out to take it from him, looked at it and sighed, "Indeed," he seconded Vin's curse.
Rising, he moved to the couch and handed the paper to Levon.
Levon handed it off to Joe without looking at it. "It's negative, ain't it?"
Joe looked at the paper and sighed, "Yeah, Cowboy," he said. "Sorry."
"Me too. I's so sure. Felt so right. Like I'd finally found a part of me that'd been missing."
Ezra had returned to Vin's side and Vin reached up to take his hand.
"Ya know," Vin said, "we sorta agreed that the test results didn't really matter. Me'n Ez have been talking about what family is and we figure that feeling like family is more important than actual blood. I'd be real proud to think of you as my dad... that is if it's okay with you."
Levon grinned. "Hell, yes! I be honored! You're a fine young man, Vin. Anybody'd be proud to have you for a son."
Vin stood up and moved to stand in front of Levon, his hand extended, "Then it's settled. Glad to meet you, Dad."
Levon stood, but ignored the extended hand pulling him into a hug instead. "Proud to know you, son."
The four of them lazed around for a couple of hours after lunch. Vin and Levon talked mostly about Vin's mother and Levon's college days. Joe and Ezra shared the kitchen clean up and talked clothes and cooking.
It was mid-afternoon when they headed out to Chris' ranch.
Vin had always wanted to drive Ezra's Jag and Ezra still basking in the glow of their new relationship couldn't deny him. So Vin drove Ezra's Jag with Levon riding shotgun, while Joe followed in the rental car with Ezra riding along. That way if they got separated there was someone in each car that knew the way to the ranch.
Ezra wasn't really surprised when they hit the open road outside Denver on the way to the ranch and Vin couldn't resist opening the Jag up and leaving the rental car in the dust.
He just laughed when Joe asked if he wanted to catch up. "This car could never catch the Jag. Mah car has a racing engine in it."
"You're not worried that he'll wreck it?"
"No. Vin has remarkable reflexes and the Jag has a full roll cage frame. When Mother bought it for me she ordered it with every factory option known to man including bulletproof glass in all the windows, bulletproof panels in the doors, engine compartment and trunk as well as a full roll cage frame and run-flat tires."
At the look Joe gave him, he laughed. "I'm the team undercover agent. I often drive the Jag when I go under. Of course, when Mother gave it to me I was with the FBI and she chose a most inopportune moment to present it. The case I had just finished had gone down the toilet and when I suddenly showed up with a hundred thousand dollar car...." he let it trail off.
"They thought that you were dirty." Joe said it grimly remembering all the crap he had had to take about certain members of his family being connected to the Mafia when he was first transferred to Texas.
"It didn't help that I've always been a closed mouth bastard about my personal life. I suppose if I had let people know that Mother was married to one of the richest men on the planet, they might not have jumped to the wrong conclusion quite so quickly."
He paused, then went on, "I just never wanted to trade on the fact that I have money. Then there was the fact that for some reason most of my co-workers at the FBI seemed to regard someone working in law enforcement when they had no financial need to work at all, with suspicion."
"Why did you choose police work?"
Ezra hesitated then sighed, "I come from a long line of professional gamblers and con artists liars and thieves.... I just felt the need to... I don't know... pay back some of what they cheated the world out of."
"I get where you're coming from. My Uncle Mikey, he's connected, if you know what I mean."
Ezra blinked then one eyebrow rose. "You're originally from Chicago?"
"Yeah."
"The Chicago LaFiammas," Ezra chuckled, "and you're a cop. That must have gone over really well with your family."
"They weren't happy but they learned to live with it. It was the people that I worked with that had a problem with it and some of the other families in the Mob."
"Is that how you ended up in Texas?"
"Yeah," Joe sighed, "A bust went bad. My partner was killed and I shot a guy that was under the protection of a big time mobster, He put a hit out on me. The department transferred me to Houston. Uncle Mikey managed to call in some favors and got the hit suspended for as long as I stayed in Texas."
"So, you can't go home again."
"It was a long time ago and the guy is dead so, yeah I can go back to Chicago now."
"But you won't," Ezra said positively.
"No. It's not home anymore. Levon's home, where ever he is."
"I understand. I've lived all over the world but there was only one other place that I called home before I came here. Team seven became my home and now, Vin is home. Where ever he goes, I will go."
"Where-so-ever he dwells, so shall you dwell, to paraphrase the book of Ruth."
"Exactly," Ezra smiled at Joe then looked back out at the road, "We're nearly there. Take the next left then it's only a mile or so to the turn in for Mister Larabee's ranch."
Chris was coming around the side of the house when he saw Ezra's Jag coming up the private road to the house. He stopped and waited, expecting Ezra to get out.
He raised on eyebrow when it was Vin and a stranger that emerged.
"Hey, cowboy," he greeted Vin, "where's Ezra?"
Vin gave him a cheerful grin, "Reckon I left him in the dust." He waved a hand at Levon. "This is one of the fellas that I told you about, Levon Lundy. His partner's in their rental with Ez. Reckon they'll be here in a bit."
After Chris and Levon exchanged greetings and shook hands, they all headed around back to where Josiah had the grill going. As they walked, Chris asked, "So, how'd you get Ezra to let you drive the Jag?"
"Just asked'm if I could. She sure is a smooth ride. Quick and easy on the turns."
By the time that they had reached the back yard and were introducing Levon around, Joe and Ezra arrived in the rental car and parked next to Ezra's Jag.
Vin introduced Levon and Joe without making any comment except that they were friends of his. He ignored Nathan's frown.
It was Josiah that finally asked, "So, Mr. Lundy, are you an old friend of Vin's?"
Levon turned to Vin raising an eyebrow in question.
At Vin's nod, he said, "Nope. Met him for the first time last week."
Vin chuckled at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces. "Levon knew my mom," he supplied, "before I was born...." He let it trail off suggestively.
"Is he your dad?" JD burst out, as usual blurting out the first thing that popped into his mind.
It was Levon that answered, "When I found out about him, I thought I might be, but the DNA test says no."
"Still, it's real nice to find somebody that knew my mom," Vin said. "Reckon I've learned more about her in the last week than in my whole life before I met Levon."
The rest of the afternoon went well. Levon got into a long discussion with Chris about horse breeding and was invited down to take a look at some of Levon's mares should he decide to start breeding horses on his ranch.
Joe moved easily between the others, getting into a lengthy discussion with JD about computers and another with Josiah about the psychology of repeat offenders.
Before any one realized it the sun was setting and the party started breaking up.
Chris stood on the porch, watching as the last car pulled out of the driveway. Surprisingly it wasn't Vin that has been the last to go but Nathan.
Buck came out of the door behind him as Nathan's taillights turned onto the highway. His oldest friend came up behind him and put both hands on his shoulders rubbing out the tension there. "What's got you all worked up, Old Dog?" Buck asked.
Chris just shook his head and grunted.
"Hummm, let me guess. Yer jealous of Levon. You know, you ain't old enough to be Vin's daddy, right?"
Chris snorted, "I know."
"Well then, maybe it's *Ezra* yer jealous of...." Buck suggested with a grin.
Chris shook his head again, turning into Buck's arms, "You know damned well I'm not interested in Vin like that!"
"Then what's got you so wound up?"
Chris sighed, "I don't know." After minute he said, "Maybe... it was just that Vin seemed so *disappointed* that Levon wasn't his daddy."
"Seemed alright with it to me. Looked like they were gonna be good friends. Least he won't have to worry about Joe and Levon minding his and Ez being together."
"You picked up on that, did you?"
"Oh, yeah. Vin seemed a mite distracted by the stuff with Levon, but Ez sure has got it bad. From the indulgent looks that Joe and Levon were giving them, they know what's what and don't have a problem with it."
"Josiah knows, for sure."
"Yep. Acting like a proud papa, practically crowing."
"Nate wasn't crowing."
"Nope, but he was paying attention and he relaxed some before the day was over. I think maybe he'll come around."
"Hope so. Cause if he's homophobic...." Chris's eyes narrowed dangerously before he leaned in to kiss Buck gently.
Buck let the kiss go on until Chris drew back then said, "I reckon it's more his issues with Ezra. They ain't gotten along real well from the beginning."
He grinned down at Chris, "Now, how about we go warm up that big ole bed of yours?"
"Sounds like a plan."
Nathan drove slowly along the long road from Chris' ranch back into town. He was grateful for the quiet of the evening and the sparse traffic.
He'd watched Vin and Ezra a lot at the gathering and had noticed something.
Ezra was never far from Vin.
He hadn't been pushy or clingy but he'd always been right there whenever Vin turned to him or looked for him.
It kind of reminded Nathan of the way that Rain always knew where he needed her to be when they were at some gathering. He never had to go looking for her, she just was there and he *knew* that she would be there.
Vin had confidence in Ezra. He trusted him and that was remarkable because Vin Tanner trusted very few people. The man had an uncanny ability to see through people. If he trusted Ezra then he saw something in Ezra that made him feel that Ezra was trustworthy.
He sighed. He would have had to be blind not to see the way the two of them were looking at each other.
Not to mention, Josiah's proud papa look and the indulgent glances from Vin's new friends.
He should have seen it coming. The way Ezra had acted at Vin's, answering the door, acting like he was at home in the tiny apartment.
Nathan frowned. Just about every member of the team had had something negative to say about Vin's apartment, except Ezra.
Ezra had refused to comment, saying that it was ill mannered to insult another's home.
He hadn't even added, 'even when it's a hovel like this,' as everyone had expected him to, thereby getting the insult in while saying that he wouldn't insult Vin's home.
Then there was the fact that, at least from what Joe and Levon had said, Ezra had left Vin alone at his place, while he went to get Joe and Levon.
Which meant that Ezra *trusted* Vin.
And Ezra Standish trusted no one, not even the members of the team, or at least he hadn't.
But that had started to change before this, hadn't it?
Ezra had started letting them in. He'd slowly accepted Josiah's paternal posturing, becoming more amused by it than annoyed. He'd started being more careful undercover, starting to recognize that Chris' yelling when he did something reckless was concern more than anger. He had started to spend more time with Vin and JD, becoming friends with them. The only two that he hadn't gotten closer to were Buck and himself.
And that was their own faults, wasn't it? Buck was so jealous of his friendship with his 'little brother' that he saw Ezra and Vin's friendship with JD as a threat to his relationship to the kid.
As for his own problem with Ezra it was exactly that: his problem. It didn't even have anything to do with Ezra. It was about his past, his memories and insecurities.
Ezra hadn't done anything to make him feel the way that he did. It was all him, projecting his feelings about someone else onto Ezra.
Maybe it was time to take the bull by the horns and clear the air with Ezra, because if Vin and Ezra were going to make this work, they were going to need the support of the entire team. They were going to need to know that no one on the team would betray them that no one would let their secret out.
Being gay in law enforcement was a hard row to hoe, difficult and dangerous.
There were more than enough homophobic people in the ATF. He wasn't homophobic and he wasn't going to let Vin and Ezra think that he was just because Ezra reminded him of someone from his past.
He needed to talk to Ezra, explain about how much he reminded him of someone else and promise to try not to let his past stand in the way of them becoming friends. He needed to make sure that Ezra knew that the problem was his and that he was trying to deal with it.
Decision made he turned his car towards Ezra's townhouse.
JD waited until he turned onto the highway from Chris' access road before letting out a whoop and popping a wheelie on his bike. As the front tire reconnected with the pavement he laughed out loud.
He had *told* Casey that Vin and Ezra would make it to bed together before they did!
She had laughed at him and swore that the two men were so deep into denial that they might not ever make it to bed together.
He couldn't wait to tell her! He crowed to himself then shook his head. Damn! He couldn't tell her.
Vin and Ezra hadn't actually come out to the team. Granted almost everyone could tell that they were together or at least that something was going on between them, but they hadn't *said* anything.
He sighed and slowed down. He'd just have to wait until Vin or Ezra one told him that they were a couple and that he could tell Casey.
He and Casey had spent too much time trying to make friends with the two most private and mistrustful of the seven and he wouldn't ruin all their hard work by talking out of turn.
He bypassed the turn off to the Wells' ranch and headed on into Denver.
It was up to Vin and Ezra to decide when and if they wanted to tell Casey and her aunt, Nettie Wells.
Josiah grinned all the way home.
His boys had finally decided to do something about their mutual attraction.
He couldn't help but wonder which one of them had made the first move.
It was a hard call to make, even as a profiler he couldn't absolutely sure. Both men were wary of emotional entanglements, both were fiercely private and unfailingly independent not to mention downright suspicious and paranoid.
He frowned. That didn't sound much like a couple with a good chance of making it.
On the other hand they were both stubborn to the point of obstinacy... and loyal. Once they committed to something they were completely committed to it.
Therefore, if they were committed to the relationship and it looked like they were then they weren't likely to breakup. In fact you'd probably need a good bit of C- 4 to break them up.
He whistled as he trotted up the steps of the old Victorian house he lived in.
Yep. It had been a good day, a very good day.
Joe followed the Jag back towards town. Ezra had let Vin drive it home but apparently he wasn't going to let him wind it out again, at least not now, in the dark with it starting to rain.
Levon leaned back in the passenger seat, smiling to himself.
Joe glanced over at him. "What's got you looking like the cat that ate the cream?"
Levon chuckled. "What'd you think of Larabee?"
"Good guy. Seemed real close with Vin. Didn't seem to have a problem with the boys new found closeness."
"Uh-huh. Anything else?"
"You mean did my gaydar go ping, ping, ping?"
Levon chuckled, deep and warm, "Yep."
"You know damned well it did. Him and Wilmington."
"Oldest friend. Best friend for years. Knowed each other since high school."
"And they made a real point of making sure that we knew that."
"Heading off any thoughts about how close they seemed?"
"Uh-huh. Lifelong best friends is a real good cover for spending lots of time together without people getting the idea that they are boffing like bunnies."
"You think they are?"
"Oh, please! Wilmington acts like he owns the place. He spends almost every weekend out there. He's got his own room which I'll bet he only uses when they rest of the guys are there."
"Do you think the others know?"
"I'd bet our boys do. They sure didn't seem worried about him finding out about them. The profiler, Sanchez, he probably knows. The others, I can't be sure about. Maybe Dunne. He's Wilmington's roommate."
"I don't think that Dunne knows," Levon said, "Wilmington apparently has a pretty big rep as a 'ladies man'. He probably lets Dunne think that he's out with a woman when he's actually with Larabee."
"And Larabee, apparently doesn't date much just taking someone with him when he needs a date for some event or other, continuing to play the grieving widower card even though he's quietly moving on."
"I doubt that he's consciously playing the grieving widower card, as you put it. From what little I was able to pick up, he truly loved his wife and son. The pictures and keepsakes of his wife and child that fill that house show a happy loving family. He'll never completely get over their loss. He's lucky to have someone that knew and loved them, too, to help him get on with his life."
"I didn't mean that he was faking his grief, only that he's letting people think what they want to think, letting them assign his lack of dating to his continued grief."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you did mean that. Guess I'm just a mite sensitive on the subject," Levon said with a sigh.
"I know." Joe sighed then looked over at Levon. "And I know that there are still days when you miss Caroline and the pain of losing her comes back sharp and clear. I'm sorry that I can't be there for you the way someone who had known her could be."
"I don't need that from you. You give me exactly what I need when the memories get to be too much. You give me yourself. You remind me that life may suck from time to time but it can get better. And what we have, is good, real good. In a lot of ways it's better than what I had with Caroline. Me'n you, we've been together now longer than Caro and I were married, almost as long as I had known her. Caro and I only had a few good years before things started falling apart. I've been happier with you for a lot longer than I was with her."
"And I'm happier with you than I ever was with anyone else."
Levon smiled again and reached across to take Joe's hand.
Lacing their finger together, they held hands all the way back to the resort.
Nathan sat for a long moment, staring out his car window at Ezra's townhouse. The lights were still on downstairs, even the front porch light.
He wondered vaguely if Ezra left it on all the time or if he had somehow known that someone would be coming by tonight.
The garage doors where closed, the security lights shining down on them, making puddles of light on the rain wet concrete drive way.
He wondered if Vin were in there with Ezra, and found that he was suddenly hoping that Vin was.
Maybe if the two of them stayed together Vin would finally move out of the dangerous neighborhood he lived in.
After another long moment of contemplating what he was going to say to Ezra, he opened the car door and made a dash for the townhouse porch.
He rang the bell and listened to the soft, elegant chime ring inside the townhouse.
Vin opened the door and Nathan had a moment of deją vu, remembering Ezra opening the door to Vin's apartment.
"Nate," Vin said quietly, then turned to call over his shoulder, "It's Nate, Ez!"
"Well, invite him in," Ezra called back, his voice coming closer as Vin stepped back and waved Nathan in the door, closing it behind him.
Ezra was coming down the hall from the kitchen, a smile on his face. "Good evening, Mister Jackson. We were just about to have a nightcap. Would you care for one?"
He turned into the living room and moved towards the bar as Nathan followed him in with Vin bringing up the rear.
"Thanks," Nathan said, "But I'm driving and the rain is getting worse."
"Yes, of course." Ezra moved behind the bar and continued with fixing his and Vin's drinks. Getting out two glasses he opened a decanter and splashed a small amount of brandy in each glass. He swirled the brandy before handing Vin his glass.
He swept his free hand to indicate the couch and said, "Please sit down, Mister Jackson."
Nathan nodded his thanks and sat. then after a brief and awkward silence he said, "I reckon that you're wondering why I'm here."
"I was a bit curious," Ezra said with a smile that crinkled the skin around his eyes and brought up the dimple in his cheek.
"I thought it was time that I tried to clear the air with you. I know that the problem is with me but I think that you deserve to know why I have such a problem with you when you haven't done anything for me to have a problem with."
"I have always wondered exactly what your problem with me was," Ezra admitted. "I have never been able to think of anything that I have said or done that would justify your hostility."
"That's because it's not something that *you* said or did. The problem is that you look like someone else, you sound like someone else, someone that I used to know, someone that cost me my dream of being a doctor."
"Damn!" Vin's quiet exclamation pretty much said it all.
"Yeah," Nathan said grimly. "He pretended to be my friend, pretended to like me, pretended to want to help me. Then when he got caught cheating he told the ethics board that I had stolen the answer booklet and sold him the answers."
"When, of course, you had not." Ezra said quietly.
"Yeah," Nathan said, "but he had planted the booklet in my dorm room, so the board believed him and I was expelled and barred from ever getting my medical degree."
"And I look like him...." Ezra said quietly.
"There's a basic physical resemblance, The same height, the same hair and eye color, but it's more the way that you talk, the accent, the precise speech patterns, the words that you use."
"I see."
Nathan winced and Ezra raised an eyebrow at him in question.
"That... phrase, 'I see'. He used to say that, in just that tone and inflection."
Ezra tilted his head and regarded Nathan for a long moment. Then very quietly he asked, "What was his name?"
Nathan frowned, "I doubt that you know him."
"I know an awful lot of people and I particularly know someone who bares a faint family resemblance and who copied that particular phrase from me."
Nathan blinked, "You don't think that...."
"It's possible, he did take premed and he was expelled for cheating."
"Shit," Nathan stood and began to pace. "Eric. His name was Eric Bo--
Ezra interrupted with, "Bodine," his voice was hard and grim. "That son of a bitch!" he added with a snarl.
"You know him! How do you know him?" Nathan demanded.
"The miserable miscreant is a cousin, on my mother's side, second cousin twice removed, I believe. The little shit has been causing me trouble since we first met as children. On at least three occasions he has impersonated me, he has stolen from me, taken my credit cards and used them without my knowledge. He once stole my badge and impersonated me on the job!"
"And now!" Ezra sprang to his feet and began pacing even faster than Nathan had been. "Now he's fucked up my life here before I even got here!"
He spun to face Nathan. "I am going to hunt that little bastard down and make him wish he'd never been born. He is not messing this up for me! I will kick his ass from here to China then dump him in an oil drum, ship it to Afghanistan and boot it out of an airplane at fifty thousand feet!"
"Want some help?" two voices asked in stereo.
Ezra turned to look at his lover who was now standing beside their friend. "Well now," he said in a dangerous purr, "I don't really intend to kill him... dying is easy after all, far too good for my despicable cousin. I think that making the rest of his life a living hell would be far preferable."
Vin grinned, "We're all LEOs. I've hunted bounty and you're almost as good a hacker as JD. We shouldn't have any problem finding him. I'm sure Nate here can help us come up with something non-fatal to do to him when we do."
Nathan's grin turned feral. "I've got a sister that works for the IRS... as an auditor."
Ezra grinned wolfishly, "You do know how to torture a man, Mister Jackson."
"If we're gonna be partners in crime you should call me Nate, and yeah I do. You know that if they find one error on this year's tax return, they can pull your tax returns for the last ten years and if they find errors on those they can go back to the first time that you filed."
Ezra nodded, "They can levy fines all the way back and with interest and penalties that can run to millions of dollars."
Vin added, "If you can't pay the fines they can confiscate all your property and send you to prison for tax evasion."
"So, where do we start looking for him?" Nathan asked.
"I know his full name, his place and date of birth and no less than three social security numbers that he has used. I have a number of addresses as well, the last just over two years old."
"Good start," Vin said. "How about we start looking in the morning." He gave Ezra a soft look, "Had some plans for tonight."
Ezra smiled back at him then seemed to realize that Nathan was still standing right there and turned giving Nathan a nervous look.
Nathan smiled, "It's alright. Reckon you two are still in the honeymoon stage. I'll be going. See you at work tomorrow."
Ezra blinked several times, his mouth slightly open then he smiled at Nathan, "Thank you, Mist-" he caught himself and changed it to, "Nate. We'll see you there."
The three of them walked to the front door and Nathan opened it, looking out at the rain, which was coming down in sheets now.
Ezra reached over and plucked a large umbrella out of the stand next to the coat rack beside the door.
"Here, take this. There's no sense in you getting soaked. You can return it whenever you get the chance."
"Thanks," Nathan smiled at them as he opened the umbrella, "Ya'll have a good night." He winked at them then jumped off the porch and ran for his car, grinning.
They stood in the doorway watching until he was safely in the car and had pulled away before stepping back and closing the door.
Vin pulled Ezra into his arms, and kissed him softly. "You heard the man, Ace, we're supposed to have us a good night. What say we head up to bed and get on with it?"
Ezra grinned at him, "I say, yes, dear."
They laughed quietly as they headed up the stairs, then Ezra asked, "So when did I become 'Ace' to you? And which Ace am I?"
"You've always been my Ace and you're the Ace of Spades of course."
"Because that is my calling card."
"Nope. 'Cause it's the highest rankin' card in the deck and you're the most important person in my life."
Ezra smiled, "I'll have to think of something that tells you that you are the most important person in my life as well."
"I already know. You tell me every time you look at me and smile that little smile that no body else ever sees."
"What smile?" Ezra asked, green eyes shining at Vin.
Vin smiled back at him and reached up to trace a finger along Ezra's lips, "That smile, right there."
He leaned in and kissed Ezra's smiling lips.
The End
(For now, there may be a sequel.)