Magnificent Seven Bingo Entries
Oct. 2nd, 2014 07:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katleeptThe following are all for a bingo cahllenge at the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tv_universe land comm. If you join, be sure to tell them Kat Lee of Team Bunny Ears sent you!
They couldn't have come up with anything better than "magnificent" when looking for a word to describe the Seven. I can't vouch one way or another for the earlier versions of Magnificent Seven as I've never seen them all the way through, although I can say that they all still have hordes of fans and are classics, but this series, despite being cut short by stupid executives in network chairs where they shouldn't be, truly upholds their name. From the very first moment when the series opens all throughout its two seasons, it shines.
I've never been much of one for westerns. Most of them have rather clear-cut storylines, characters, and dialogue which makes for a boring story to me. There's a reason why the genre has been referred to as "shoot 'em up". Other than gunfights, gunslingers, and winning the hand of the damsel in distress, there's not much else to be had in many of them. (Don't hate me: There are other exclusions to this besides my cherished Magnificent Seven boys.)
I, and many others, were caught by the very first episode. The beautiful scenery, both land and men, didn't hurt. The women were bold. No simple damsel in distress was to be had in the first episode, where we had Mary Travis, being the first and only townsperson to try to stop the mob from lynching Nathan for failing to save their boss after they brought him to him too late, and Rain, a black woman who had grown up in a tribe of Indians and former slaves and who wasn't about to just sit back on her heels and leave all the fighting to the men. There were some expected twists, like JD trailing after the older guys when they first set off to save the village and Ezra turning back at the end.
But what this Western had to offer that so few other series before and after gave us, and what drew it into a permanent place of adoration in most of its fans' hearts, was the theme that ran all throughout its core: Seven men from hard walks of life, each different from the others, only four (Chris and Buck and Nathan and Josiah) having met before those first pivotal moments, came together not just as partners to stop the Confederate ghosts, not just as friends, but as the brothers they'd never before had.
These seven men became a family, and the connections they shared are some that a lot of people spend their entire lives seeking and never find. They're what makes the best stories: not adventure, not action or even romantic love, but the love of a family of people who have come together and chosen to trust and love and be there for each other, no matter what. As with all families, those ties were tested, especially with Chris trying so often to battle his Demons alone and the prejudices that Ezra and yes, Nathan, too, had held before meeting and so many of the fights and revealing secrets they endured, but their family, their bonds, endured to the end.
This is what makes most of the series we love so great. These bonds have been shared by others: by Joss Whedon's epic Buffy and her Scooby Gang, by the X-Men (who pretty much everybody who knows me is my first and forever fandom love), by Harry, Hermione, and Ron of Harry Potter fame, and others. No matter the world in which they are placed, no matter the battle they must endure, no matter the tragedies or enemies they face, it is these bonds that help our greatest heroes pull through and what made this show such a hit if not among CBS' targeted audience then still certainly among fans who will remember and love the boys forever.
This series will never die. It lives on in fans' hearts, as I said, and always will. Starting since before it was canceled, we've seen the Seven in Dallas as Texas Rangers, in Chicago and other places as modern days cops and even Ghostbusters at least once, as the Village People, as ranch workers, and superheroes, and even Highlanders. Always, one thing remains prevalent amongst all else: the bonds of this family that their paid writers first created. It is these bonds that will keep them going forever in our hearts and keep them always being above great, above extraordinary, above fantastic, truly, forever, magnificent.
Working Title: Just Fine
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Chris/Vin, Ensemble
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 100
Summary: They pretend not to notice.
They pretend not to notice the hours ticking away as their leader stays holed up in one room. Josiah's sermons haven't worked nor have Nathan's healing ways, Ezra's eloquent dares, or even every trick in Buck's book.
They pretend not to notice when he finally comes down and approaches Vin. They pretend not to hear the heated words they share or see Chris marching back up to his room. They do take notice, however, when a certain sharpshooter finishes his drink and slips silently after him. Behind their cards, the five smile; their friend is going to be just fine.
The End
Working Title: Federal Protection
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Vin, Judge Travis, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 500
Summary: Vin's past catches up to him, but he's not alone.
He'd denied the hood and declined his last cigar. He'd let the preacher pray over him, but he hadn't been involved in his prayer or concerned for his soul. He'd led a good life, mostly. He'd done some things of which he wasn't exactly proud, but every one had. He'd made most things right, all but this. Despite one of his best friends' countless sermons over the years, he still wasn't quite certain there was a Heaven or even a Big Valley, but if there was, he knew where he was going. If there wasn't . . . Well, things would be over in just a few more minutes no matter what.
He waited with his booted feet swinging. He knew how these things went. When he was dead, his body would be picked clean. His weapons were probably already long gone. He wondered who had his gun and knife and who would take his boots off of his feet when they finally stopped kicking. He didn't look at the crowd. He knew there were women and children out there, waiting for his death, and the thought made him sick.
The heat of the noon sun stroked his whiskered cheek. A shout was made, then a shot. Vin closed his eyes, waiting for the drop. It came faster than he expected, but not in the way he had thought. He opened his eyes as he fell right into a pair of burly arms. "Heaven's not ready for you yet, brother," Josiah told him, then dropped him to Ezra whose horse immediately started running.
As bullets whizzed around them, one strong voice cut above all of the commotion. "Reckon you fellas better leave this boy alone. He's under federal protection."
"By whose orders?" the local Sheriff demanded.
"Mine." The higher ranking lawman hooked one thumb into the lapel of his jacket as his other hand patted the handle of the gun at his side. "Judge Orrin Travis."
"Reckon you boys would all be happier if you went back to your own business." Chris smiled.
"This's our business! He killed a man!"
"He did not kill that man, and he has saved many lives since he was framed for that murder. Regardless, son, I don't have to bicker with you. You hurt a hair on that man's head again, and I'll see you serve thirty years in jail." Orrin's eyes twinkled. "I know a thing or two about this town."
"You can't -- "
"I can." He held up an official-looking piece of paper. "Furthermore, if you kill him, it will be manslaughter, and you'll be the one swinging. Do you understand me, or do I need to write it down for you?"
"Understood, Judge."
"Good. Forget Vin Tanner was ever here."
Vin looked at Chris, Orrin, and the rest when they started for Four Corners. He was glad to be free and back among his friends, but he was still puzzled. "How did you know?"
Josiah smiled. "The birds told me."
Vin just shook his head. It was good to be home.
The End
Working Title: Messing with the Family
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Buck, JD, Inez, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 458
Summary: Nobody messes with the Seven.
Brown eyes softened and widened as the cowboy came quite nearly crawling into her saloon. Inez dropped her rag and ran to the man whose every attempt to flirt with her she always cut short before he could even truly begin. She knew his type and didn't want to get involved with him. She would not risk her heart again, but this time, her worry overrode her sense and she was to his side in an instant.
Nathan and Vin walked in behind Buck and JD. The healer and tracker quickly took Buck from the Kid and helped him to the nearest table where he fell into the chair. Two tables away, Ezra folded his card game and rushed to join them. He arrived just as Josiah also reached them.
Chris was the last to arrive. He was chewing on a thick cheroot when he walked into the saloon. The doors swung shut behind him as he glowered at Buck's many injuries. His oldest friend's clothes were ripped, and bruises littered his face. The flesh of one hand was torn with a knife, and hair was missing from his mustache. "What th' Hell happened to you?" Chris growled from around his cheroot.
Buck grinned, revealing three, missing teeth. "Ya shoulda seen th' other guy."
"What happened?" Inez questioned again, hoping he might actually answer her as Nathan began checking over his injuries.
JD turned his bowler hat over in his hands, his fingers feeling its brim. "Guy teased my hat," he murmured.
Inez's gaze narrowed as she looked at the Kid and then back to Buck. Buck shrugged. "Only one allowed to tease the Kid is me." He glanced at the bowler hat. "It's still a stupid hat."
JD smiled, his eyes twinkling. "But it's my hat," he said.
"Damn straight. Ow!" Buck winced as Nathan touched an especially tender spot on his leg.
"Where's the other guy?" Josiah's deep voice rumbled questioningly.
"Still out in the street."
JD understood the look on Vin's face. "Unconscious," he quickly added and then continued proudly, "but he does look way worse than Buck."
Inez shook her head. "Whiskey all around, senors?"
Several of the men nodded. "'Cept for the Kid." Buck's mustache twitched as he smiled. "Ow! Damn it, Nathan! Stop that!"
Inez smiled as JD protested that he could drink just as strongly as the rest of them and slipped away back to the bar to fill their orders. None of the Seven were men with whom people wanted to mess, but messing with one of them would always almost certainly get you killed by his others. The guys still denied it, but she knew a family when she one and recognized, too, how lucky she was to know them all.
The End
Working Title: Death Birds A Coming
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Josiah, Nathan
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 209
Summary: Josiah finally figures out the true purpose of the death birds following him.
It took three years of living with six very different men, fighting side by side by them and dreaming for them all, before Josiah finally realized the true purpose of the dark birds that had been frequently following him since shortly before five of their team came into his life. When he finally did, he began to look forward to sighting the crows with both trepidation and some quiet and honest anticipation. One morning, stopping by Nathan's clinic, he greeted his oldest friend with, "Gonna be an interesting day."
"Oh, yeah?" the healer returned. "Your signs tell you that?"
"Yup."
"How many bad guys are we gonna have to kill this time?"
"Don't know. They didn't tell me that," he returned, but the corners of his aging mouth twitched with the hints of a beginning smile.
"You been seeing those death birds of yours again?"
"Yup."
Nathan shook his head, but then he smiled. "Bring it on," he spoke aloud to whatever Powers were watching over and guiding them. At the sight of his friend's big, white smile, Josiah couldn't help it. He grinned, too. At least he'd finally come to realize that the birds weren't really for him but rather for the slaughter of villains the Seven left in their wake.
The End
Working Title: Holy Water
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: All Seven plus Mary, Billy, and cameos from Maude, Rain, Nettie, and Casey
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,835
Summary: Josiah and several others ponder the road to redemption and the men who travel it.
She watches him as her son crosses the road. She knows although his eyes are not resting on her or her child that he is fully aware of every step Billy is making and will let no danger come to either of them. Chris would have made a good husband once upon a time. He did make a good husband, and a good father, but he would never be hers.
She watches, with a gentle smile lighting her aging features, as he greets her son and takes him into his arms. She watches him carve a new toy for Billy, make her son smile and laugh as he hasn't done for any one except Chris since they lost his father, and make her little boy's day. His is not the only heart he cheers, the only soul he warms, but she knows even now, his eyes are stealing furtive glances at another down the boardwalk.
She follows his gaze and watches the man leaning against the post while tuning his harmonica. His is another strong soul like Chris', but unlike Chris, he's never had the chance to be a father or a husband -- at least, not that Mary knows of, but then there isn't much known about Vin Tanner. There isn't much known, but everything of importance is known. She remembers calling Chris the "bad element" when he first came into her town, but now she'd give anything to keep these two men in her, and Billy's, life.
It's funny in a way. They're the type of men about whom every mother warns her children. She knows they're both on the run, probably from more than one thing each even, but still there isn't a life or secret with which she wouldn't trust either. They make Billy and herself smile every day, but she rarely sees them smile. Oh, Vin will smile in polite gestures every time he nears her and tip his hat, but those smiles never fully reach his sky blue eyes. They've both been happy once, she's quite certain, but that had happiness stolen from them long ago.
"Mama! Mama!" Mary adverts her gaze and refocuses on her son as he runs across the dusty road to her. She's told him a thousand times over not to run through the road or even walk through it, because a stagecoach, a wild horse, or a dangerous man could very easily trample or grab him. But with Chris and Vin nearby, she knows he's safe. Even if a twister was to suddenly hit their little town, the men would find a way to keep them safe.
She stoops down and takes Billy into her arms, but as he eagerly shows her his new toy which Chris just finished carving for him, she looks back up and across the street. Both men are gone, having moved as quietly as the breeze that sends a tumbleweed down the road. She ushers Billy inside the Clarion. With the men nearby, they're always safe, but only with them in their lives. She knows where they've gone, to drink away more of their sorrows, and hopes they'll find their happiness again one day even while knowing it will never be at the end of any of those numerous bottles they down.
~7~
In the saloon, more furtive glances are being stolen. "You should talk to her, Ez," Vin murmurs, watching his friend's keen eyes peering over his hand of cards.
"And say what pray tell, Mistah Tanner?" Ezra drawls, selecting a card and moving it to a new position within his hand.
"I dunno." Vin shrugs. "You're a fancy man full o' fancy words. Bet ya got th' right ones in that head o' yers somewhere."
Ezra again looks to the senorita behind the bar, who quickly returns to cleaning shot glasses lest he notice she had been watching him too. "It takes considerably more than a vast vocabulary, my friend, to reopen a heart that has been so wounded."
Vin falls silent, but he watches Ezra carefully, thinking that he certainly would know much about that. His gaze shifts to the man in black sitting across from him and chewing on a cheroot. Ezra isn't the only one.
"Is mah son pitifully pilfering all of your hard-earned wages again?"
Emotions pass as quick as a rattlesnake's strike over Ezra's face before it becomes his usual stoic and calm mask once again. No one says anything. Most of the others didn't notice, Vin's quite sure, but he did. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat and keeps his eyes trained on his cards. "Can any one play, son, or are you just looking for easy pickings tonight?"
"You're always welcome to try your luck, Mothah."
"Ah've told you a hundred times, son. It's not luck but skill that wins at life." Maude takes an empty seat with triumph, and every one there knows who will again that night.
Buck slaps his cards down on the table. "I fold."
"So soon, Mistah Wilmington?"
"No offense, ma'am, but I got better things to do than losing to you again." He sidles toward the bar and the senorita who he, too, has been eyeing. Behind his cards, Vin smirks. Inez will turn him down again tonight, because there's only one man who she's interested in allowing to break through her guard. Sadly, the man in question has already been hurt far too many times by the fairer sex to try his hand again at Lady Luck's loving styles. Maybe one day, Vin thinks as he tosses a card down, but not today.
~7~
He watches as his friend moves toward the grave. It's unmarked; the only thing known about it is that it belongs to a woman who was passing through the town. Nathan knows Josiah didn't know the woman, but he knows, too, that, for right now, it's the closest he can reach to those of his past. He watches as the preacher removes his hat, lowers the flowers onto the grave, and murmurs some words. He looks up to the hills, thinking of his own past and trying to give his best and oldest friend some privacy with his own Demons.
He waits until Josiah is ready to move again, and then he moves his horse next to his. Together, they ride back to town for another night of slinging guns and throwing back drinks, but as they leave, Nathan looks back over his shoulder at the one, small grave. His heart aches for his friend and his sister, but he says not a word. Sometimes, the kindest thing a person can say is to be silent as a friend grieves.
~7~
"Amen."
Buck glances over at JD where he's kneeling at the food of bed. "Don't say a word," the Kid warns him, standing and starting to pull back his blanket.
"Wan't goin' to," Buck responds, mustache quirking, "but now that you mean it, that was an awful nice prayer."
"Shut up," JD mumbles. He turns away from him in bed, but Buck meant every word. He wonders sometimes about the Kid, about what few, real horrors he has seen and from what he's truly running. They're all running from something, he knows, but only JD and the preacher would be nice enough to pray for every one they know. Buck shuts his eyes against the rising of another voice from his past. His momma used to pray for everybody, too, and her memory stings his eyes with unshed tears.
~7~
The next morning finds the townsfolk gathering again. Josiah watches, with keen interest, as each person files into the little chapel. There are many who are here only because they either have been dragged by family or feel that it is the appropriate place to make a social appearance, but there are a few who have truly come to worship or seek enlightenment.
A warm smile broadens over Josiah's whiskered face as he sees his friends step through the double doors. Nathan is already here, in the front row with Rain who's actually come in with a few children from the village, while Ezra sits beside his mother with a pained expression. But it is a rare Sunday indeed that Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, and Buck Wilmington all come to church. Buck is usually dodging an angry husband on Sunday morn. Vin worships his god underneath the open, blue sky, and Chris, Josiah knows, rarely speaks to the Lord these days.
The Preacher considers the sermon he is about to give as he asks for volunteers to pass the wine and crackers. Only one husband is successfully badgered into volunteering. Josiah knows why Nathan doesn't offer, and his smile grows as his eyes lock onto their tracker friend. "Brother Tanner, would you be so kind as to assist me?"
"Me?" Vin is clearly stunned.
Josiah's smile stays warmly in place even as he notes Buck's sniggering. "You'll do fine, brother, and Brother Wilmington, you can collect the emptied glasses."
Buck's blue eyes glower at Josiah at first, but then he shrugs. Josiah grins as the two move forward. As the morning service progresses and he begins his sermon in full, he again thinks of the four men sitting toward the back of the church, the one boldly sitting in front with a small passel of people who never grace the first pew of any other white man's church, and the gentleman trapped by his mother. Josiah's ready for the complaints he'll receive from the regular parishioners later, but they already know what his answer will be although they'll still gripe. This isn't a white man's church; it's God's church.
His friends also are not just gunslingers. They are not simply the "bad element" as Mary Travis once billed Chris and, to a certain extent, Vin as well. They are not truly the kind of men about whom mothers warn their children, though each has had that distinction. These six men are six of the best people Josiah has ever known. He is honored to know each of them, but he knows, too, that every one of them has a hard past they're still trying to put behind them. Each of them has lost innocence and happiness, but just as their protection has washed over this town and the Lord's holy water washes over his people, they, too, are blessed.
They, too, are the Lord's people and his very best friends, his family here on Earth. They will find their redemption when the time is right. He can only pray that their roads will become easier and that he, too, will one day find forgiveness and redemption in the Father's eyes. He sees Inez slide closer to Ezra, witnesses Nettie beam at Vin, spots Casey making JD blush, eyes Chris feeling a little more comfortable in the Lord's house, beams brighter and wider, and speaks louder, all the while praying for them all, praying for his friends and for the redemption of all Seven.
The End
Working Title: Just This One
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: All Seven, Mary, Beavis, Billy, and two more
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 611
Summary: Buck and Mary are instrumental in bringing a new life into the world.
They gathered together that crisp, Autumn morning, eight adults from very different walks of life and one extremely excited child. Buck eyed his partner. "You finally did it, you old dog!" He shook his head as he brought his face down to his. "You know what this means, don'tcha? Now I gotta get ya fixed 'fore'n we start gettin' complaints!"
"Aw, don't be so hard on him, Brother Bucklin. He was only doing what comes natural."
"I know about doin' natural, preacher," Buck interjected, "an' the trouble it can getcha in!"
"It's not like he brought another one o' you in this world, Buck," Chris pointed out with a grin.
"Indeed," Ezra drawled. "There will be no fathers chasing after you for this event, and it certainly does hold a far lesser degree of scandal than any of your own activities. Although how the lot of you managed to draw me out o' mah luxurious bed for this droll event at this ungodly hour o' th' morning, Ah certainly can not recall."
Buck's mustache twitched.
"Ain't droll, Ez," Vin drawled, pouring him another mug of the coffee Inez had brought them before going to start preparing for the saloon's daily opening.
"You're as excited as the rest of us," JD countered.
Ezra stifled a yawn. "This is hardly an unusual occurrence, young Mister Dunne."
"Maybe not, but every birth's a special one."
Chris and Vin nodded while Josiah added, "Every new life is a blessing from the good Lord."
"Spare me yoah sermons. It is simply too early. Ah nevah should have allowed you to persuade me to rise before the sun. Ah'm -- "
Even Ezra stopped talking as a cry rose from the nearby, makeshift bed of hay. Mary held onto Billy who struggled to break his mother's grasp and see what was happening for himself. "Not yet, Billy," she chided as the men all leaned forward to see.
Vin was the first to spot the little head. The grin that broke over his face soon carried to all the rest of them.
"It's a healthy, baby girl," Nathan proudly announced as the mother whickered softly and started to clean her new baby.
"Aw, man, I was hopin' for a boy." Buck pouted, but he quickly grinned again just as wide and bold as the others' smiles.
Billy broke free from his mother and rushed to see the foal up close. Nathan gently touched the boy's shoulder and guided him to introducing himself to the new life. The child trembled with glee as he touched the white spot on the foal's forehead. Then he frowned worriedly and suddenly stopped stroking the tiny pony. He looked back over to where Buck stood with the proud father, Beavis. "Are you sure about this, Mister Buck?" he asked cautiously to which Buck's grin grew even larger.
"'Course I am, kiddo. Your mother's mare did half the work. She's all yours."
Grinning, Billy ran over, threw his arms around Buck, and hugged him tightly. Then he hurried back over to pet the foal some more amongst happy laughter of the adults. They were all laughing so joyously and loudly that no one but Buck and Beavis heard the ladies' man as he whispered into the new father's ears, "Okay, so maybe just one, old man, but next time, it's clip time."
The stallion looked long and hard into his human's eyes, then he blew out his disbelief over his face in a hot rush of air. Ears laid back, he nudged his cheek. Blue eyes twinkling, Buck laughed as he held his reins tighter. "Yeah, just this one," he said again, but no one believed him.
The End
They came together from different walks of life. When injustice knocked, their guns answered. Each ha dreams unanswered, mysteries unsolved, but together, they'll solve every case, right every wrong, and save the innocents who need them so badly when they no one else to call. Together, they were paid to protect a town but came to be a family. Together, they are . . . The Magnificent Seven!
Working Title: Gazing
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Chris/Vin
Rating: G/K
Word Count: 241
Summary: Chris and Vin ponder the possibilities of their new life.
Eyes as keen as an eagle's surveyed the calm, hot desert. No animals or people were moving. Not even the wind stirred. But the corners of the tracker's lips still twitched up into a smile as he looked through his spyglass. "Been kinda quiet lately."
"Yeah. See anythin'?"
"Nope."
"And here I was itchin' fer a fight."
"Yup." Both men smiled.
Vin turned his glass and looked toward town. Everything was quiet and peaceful. He was used to being out alone in the desert. It was a beautiful, but deadly, place. Still, there was something that stirred deep within him when he thought of the town of Four Corners where their other friends awaited their return. "Reckon a man could get used to the quiet."
"Yup."
"Not much of one fer town life, but it's a nice enough town we're protectin'."
Chris nodded, falling silent for a moment. "Still like being out on my ranch," he said after a long, comfortable minute had drawn between them.
"It's out just 'bout right. I've got a good view o' the stars out here at night."
"I've got one, too, from my back yard."
"Reckon you got plenty o' space back there."
"I do."
"Gettin' colder out here at night. Reckon I wouldn't mind a warmer spot to look up at the stars from."
"Back yard might be perfect."
Vin lowered his spyglass and met Chris' steadfast gaze. "Reckon it would be." Smiling, they rose together and left the desert.
The End
As always, all characters mentioned above belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
tv_universe land comm. If you join, be sure to tell them Kat Lee of Team Bunny Ears sent you!They couldn't have come up with anything better than "magnificent" when looking for a word to describe the Seven. I can't vouch one way or another for the earlier versions of Magnificent Seven as I've never seen them all the way through, although I can say that they all still have hordes of fans and are classics, but this series, despite being cut short by stupid executives in network chairs where they shouldn't be, truly upholds their name. From the very first moment when the series opens all throughout its two seasons, it shines.
I've never been much of one for westerns. Most of them have rather clear-cut storylines, characters, and dialogue which makes for a boring story to me. There's a reason why the genre has been referred to as "shoot 'em up". Other than gunfights, gunslingers, and winning the hand of the damsel in distress, there's not much else to be had in many of them. (Don't hate me: There are other exclusions to this besides my cherished Magnificent Seven boys.)
I, and many others, were caught by the very first episode. The beautiful scenery, both land and men, didn't hurt. The women were bold. No simple damsel in distress was to be had in the first episode, where we had Mary Travis, being the first and only townsperson to try to stop the mob from lynching Nathan for failing to save their boss after they brought him to him too late, and Rain, a black woman who had grown up in a tribe of Indians and former slaves and who wasn't about to just sit back on her heels and leave all the fighting to the men. There were some expected twists, like JD trailing after the older guys when they first set off to save the village and Ezra turning back at the end.
But what this Western had to offer that so few other series before and after gave us, and what drew it into a permanent place of adoration in most of its fans' hearts, was the theme that ran all throughout its core: Seven men from hard walks of life, each different from the others, only four (Chris and Buck and Nathan and Josiah) having met before those first pivotal moments, came together not just as partners to stop the Confederate ghosts, not just as friends, but as the brothers they'd never before had.
These seven men became a family, and the connections they shared are some that a lot of people spend their entire lives seeking and never find. They're what makes the best stories: not adventure, not action or even romantic love, but the love of a family of people who have come together and chosen to trust and love and be there for each other, no matter what. As with all families, those ties were tested, especially with Chris trying so often to battle his Demons alone and the prejudices that Ezra and yes, Nathan, too, had held before meeting and so many of the fights and revealing secrets they endured, but their family, their bonds, endured to the end.
This is what makes most of the series we love so great. These bonds have been shared by others: by Joss Whedon's epic Buffy and her Scooby Gang, by the X-Men (who pretty much everybody who knows me is my first and forever fandom love), by Harry, Hermione, and Ron of Harry Potter fame, and others. No matter the world in which they are placed, no matter the battle they must endure, no matter the tragedies or enemies they face, it is these bonds that help our greatest heroes pull through and what made this show such a hit if not among CBS' targeted audience then still certainly among fans who will remember and love the boys forever.
This series will never die. It lives on in fans' hearts, as I said, and always will. Starting since before it was canceled, we've seen the Seven in Dallas as Texas Rangers, in Chicago and other places as modern days cops and even Ghostbusters at least once, as the Village People, as ranch workers, and superheroes, and even Highlanders. Always, one thing remains prevalent amongst all else: the bonds of this family that their paid writers first created. It is these bonds that will keep them going forever in our hearts and keep them always being above great, above extraordinary, above fantastic, truly, forever, magnificent.
Working Title: Just Fine
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Chris/Vin, Ensemble
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 100
Summary: They pretend not to notice.
They pretend not to notice the hours ticking away as their leader stays holed up in one room. Josiah's sermons haven't worked nor have Nathan's healing ways, Ezra's eloquent dares, or even every trick in Buck's book.
They pretend not to notice when he finally comes down and approaches Vin. They pretend not to hear the heated words they share or see Chris marching back up to his room. They do take notice, however, when a certain sharpshooter finishes his drink and slips silently after him. Behind their cards, the five smile; their friend is going to be just fine.
The End
Working Title: Federal Protection
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Vin, Judge Travis, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 500
Summary: Vin's past catches up to him, but he's not alone.
He'd denied the hood and declined his last cigar. He'd let the preacher pray over him, but he hadn't been involved in his prayer or concerned for his soul. He'd led a good life, mostly. He'd done some things of which he wasn't exactly proud, but every one had. He'd made most things right, all but this. Despite one of his best friends' countless sermons over the years, he still wasn't quite certain there was a Heaven or even a Big Valley, but if there was, he knew where he was going. If there wasn't . . . Well, things would be over in just a few more minutes no matter what.
He waited with his booted feet swinging. He knew how these things went. When he was dead, his body would be picked clean. His weapons were probably already long gone. He wondered who had his gun and knife and who would take his boots off of his feet when they finally stopped kicking. He didn't look at the crowd. He knew there were women and children out there, waiting for his death, and the thought made him sick.
The heat of the noon sun stroked his whiskered cheek. A shout was made, then a shot. Vin closed his eyes, waiting for the drop. It came faster than he expected, but not in the way he had thought. He opened his eyes as he fell right into a pair of burly arms. "Heaven's not ready for you yet, brother," Josiah told him, then dropped him to Ezra whose horse immediately started running.
As bullets whizzed around them, one strong voice cut above all of the commotion. "Reckon you fellas better leave this boy alone. He's under federal protection."
"By whose orders?" the local Sheriff demanded.
"Mine." The higher ranking lawman hooked one thumb into the lapel of his jacket as his other hand patted the handle of the gun at his side. "Judge Orrin Travis."
"Reckon you boys would all be happier if you went back to your own business." Chris smiled.
"This's our business! He killed a man!"
"He did not kill that man, and he has saved many lives since he was framed for that murder. Regardless, son, I don't have to bicker with you. You hurt a hair on that man's head again, and I'll see you serve thirty years in jail." Orrin's eyes twinkled. "I know a thing or two about this town."
"You can't -- "
"I can." He held up an official-looking piece of paper. "Furthermore, if you kill him, it will be manslaughter, and you'll be the one swinging. Do you understand me, or do I need to write it down for you?"
"Understood, Judge."
"Good. Forget Vin Tanner was ever here."
Vin looked at Chris, Orrin, and the rest when they started for Four Corners. He was glad to be free and back among his friends, but he was still puzzled. "How did you know?"
Josiah smiled. "The birds told me."
Vin just shook his head. It was good to be home.
The End
Working Title: Messing with the Family
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Buck, JD, Inez, Ensemble
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 458
Summary: Nobody messes with the Seven.
Brown eyes softened and widened as the cowboy came quite nearly crawling into her saloon. Inez dropped her rag and ran to the man whose every attempt to flirt with her she always cut short before he could even truly begin. She knew his type and didn't want to get involved with him. She would not risk her heart again, but this time, her worry overrode her sense and she was to his side in an instant.
Nathan and Vin walked in behind Buck and JD. The healer and tracker quickly took Buck from the Kid and helped him to the nearest table where he fell into the chair. Two tables away, Ezra folded his card game and rushed to join them. He arrived just as Josiah also reached them.
Chris was the last to arrive. He was chewing on a thick cheroot when he walked into the saloon. The doors swung shut behind him as he glowered at Buck's many injuries. His oldest friend's clothes were ripped, and bruises littered his face. The flesh of one hand was torn with a knife, and hair was missing from his mustache. "What th' Hell happened to you?" Chris growled from around his cheroot.
Buck grinned, revealing three, missing teeth. "Ya shoulda seen th' other guy."
"What happened?" Inez questioned again, hoping he might actually answer her as Nathan began checking over his injuries.
JD turned his bowler hat over in his hands, his fingers feeling its brim. "Guy teased my hat," he murmured.
Inez's gaze narrowed as she looked at the Kid and then back to Buck. Buck shrugged. "Only one allowed to tease the Kid is me." He glanced at the bowler hat. "It's still a stupid hat."
JD smiled, his eyes twinkling. "But it's my hat," he said.
"Damn straight. Ow!" Buck winced as Nathan touched an especially tender spot on his leg.
"Where's the other guy?" Josiah's deep voice rumbled questioningly.
"Still out in the street."
JD understood the look on Vin's face. "Unconscious," he quickly added and then continued proudly, "but he does look way worse than Buck."
Inez shook her head. "Whiskey all around, senors?"
Several of the men nodded. "'Cept for the Kid." Buck's mustache twitched as he smiled. "Ow! Damn it, Nathan! Stop that!"
Inez smiled as JD protested that he could drink just as strongly as the rest of them and slipped away back to the bar to fill their orders. None of the Seven were men with whom people wanted to mess, but messing with one of them would always almost certainly get you killed by his others. The guys still denied it, but she knew a family when she one and recognized, too, how lucky she was to know them all.
The End
Working Title: Death Birds A Coming
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Josiah, Nathan
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 209
Summary: Josiah finally figures out the true purpose of the death birds following him.
It took three years of living with six very different men, fighting side by side by them and dreaming for them all, before Josiah finally realized the true purpose of the dark birds that had been frequently following him since shortly before five of their team came into his life. When he finally did, he began to look forward to sighting the crows with both trepidation and some quiet and honest anticipation. One morning, stopping by Nathan's clinic, he greeted his oldest friend with, "Gonna be an interesting day."
"Oh, yeah?" the healer returned. "Your signs tell you that?"
"Yup."
"How many bad guys are we gonna have to kill this time?"
"Don't know. They didn't tell me that," he returned, but the corners of his aging mouth twitched with the hints of a beginning smile.
"You been seeing those death birds of yours again?"
"Yup."
Nathan shook his head, but then he smiled. "Bring it on," he spoke aloud to whatever Powers were watching over and guiding them. At the sight of his friend's big, white smile, Josiah couldn't help it. He grinned, too. At least he'd finally come to realize that the birds weren't really for him but rather for the slaughter of villains the Seven left in their wake.
The End
Working Title: Holy Water
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: All Seven plus Mary, Billy, and cameos from Maude, Rain, Nettie, and Casey
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,835
Summary: Josiah and several others ponder the road to redemption and the men who travel it.
She watches him as her son crosses the road. She knows although his eyes are not resting on her or her child that he is fully aware of every step Billy is making and will let no danger come to either of them. Chris would have made a good husband once upon a time. He did make a good husband, and a good father, but he would never be hers.
She watches, with a gentle smile lighting her aging features, as he greets her son and takes him into his arms. She watches him carve a new toy for Billy, make her son smile and laugh as he hasn't done for any one except Chris since they lost his father, and make her little boy's day. His is not the only heart he cheers, the only soul he warms, but she knows even now, his eyes are stealing furtive glances at another down the boardwalk.
She follows his gaze and watches the man leaning against the post while tuning his harmonica. His is another strong soul like Chris', but unlike Chris, he's never had the chance to be a father or a husband -- at least, not that Mary knows of, but then there isn't much known about Vin Tanner. There isn't much known, but everything of importance is known. She remembers calling Chris the "bad element" when he first came into her town, but now she'd give anything to keep these two men in her, and Billy's, life.
It's funny in a way. They're the type of men about whom every mother warns her children. She knows they're both on the run, probably from more than one thing each even, but still there isn't a life or secret with which she wouldn't trust either. They make Billy and herself smile every day, but she rarely sees them smile. Oh, Vin will smile in polite gestures every time he nears her and tip his hat, but those smiles never fully reach his sky blue eyes. They've both been happy once, she's quite certain, but that had happiness stolen from them long ago.
"Mama! Mama!" Mary adverts her gaze and refocuses on her son as he runs across the dusty road to her. She's told him a thousand times over not to run through the road or even walk through it, because a stagecoach, a wild horse, or a dangerous man could very easily trample or grab him. But with Chris and Vin nearby, she knows he's safe. Even if a twister was to suddenly hit their little town, the men would find a way to keep them safe.
She stoops down and takes Billy into her arms, but as he eagerly shows her his new toy which Chris just finished carving for him, she looks back up and across the street. Both men are gone, having moved as quietly as the breeze that sends a tumbleweed down the road. She ushers Billy inside the Clarion. With the men nearby, they're always safe, but only with them in their lives. She knows where they've gone, to drink away more of their sorrows, and hopes they'll find their happiness again one day even while knowing it will never be at the end of any of those numerous bottles they down.
~7~
In the saloon, more furtive glances are being stolen. "You should talk to her, Ez," Vin murmurs, watching his friend's keen eyes peering over his hand of cards.
"And say what pray tell, Mistah Tanner?" Ezra drawls, selecting a card and moving it to a new position within his hand.
"I dunno." Vin shrugs. "You're a fancy man full o' fancy words. Bet ya got th' right ones in that head o' yers somewhere."
Ezra again looks to the senorita behind the bar, who quickly returns to cleaning shot glasses lest he notice she had been watching him too. "It takes considerably more than a vast vocabulary, my friend, to reopen a heart that has been so wounded."
Vin falls silent, but he watches Ezra carefully, thinking that he certainly would know much about that. His gaze shifts to the man in black sitting across from him and chewing on a cheroot. Ezra isn't the only one.
"Is mah son pitifully pilfering all of your hard-earned wages again?"
Emotions pass as quick as a rattlesnake's strike over Ezra's face before it becomes his usual stoic and calm mask once again. No one says anything. Most of the others didn't notice, Vin's quite sure, but he did. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat and keeps his eyes trained on his cards. "Can any one play, son, or are you just looking for easy pickings tonight?"
"You're always welcome to try your luck, Mothah."
"Ah've told you a hundred times, son. It's not luck but skill that wins at life." Maude takes an empty seat with triumph, and every one there knows who will again that night.
Buck slaps his cards down on the table. "I fold."
"So soon, Mistah Wilmington?"
"No offense, ma'am, but I got better things to do than losing to you again." He sidles toward the bar and the senorita who he, too, has been eyeing. Behind his cards, Vin smirks. Inez will turn him down again tonight, because there's only one man who she's interested in allowing to break through her guard. Sadly, the man in question has already been hurt far too many times by the fairer sex to try his hand again at Lady Luck's loving styles. Maybe one day, Vin thinks as he tosses a card down, but not today.
~7~
He watches as his friend moves toward the grave. It's unmarked; the only thing known about it is that it belongs to a woman who was passing through the town. Nathan knows Josiah didn't know the woman, but he knows, too, that, for right now, it's the closest he can reach to those of his past. He watches as the preacher removes his hat, lowers the flowers onto the grave, and murmurs some words. He looks up to the hills, thinking of his own past and trying to give his best and oldest friend some privacy with his own Demons.
He waits until Josiah is ready to move again, and then he moves his horse next to his. Together, they ride back to town for another night of slinging guns and throwing back drinks, but as they leave, Nathan looks back over his shoulder at the one, small grave. His heart aches for his friend and his sister, but he says not a word. Sometimes, the kindest thing a person can say is to be silent as a friend grieves.
~7~
"Amen."
Buck glances over at JD where he's kneeling at the food of bed. "Don't say a word," the Kid warns him, standing and starting to pull back his blanket.
"Wan't goin' to," Buck responds, mustache quirking, "but now that you mean it, that was an awful nice prayer."
"Shut up," JD mumbles. He turns away from him in bed, but Buck meant every word. He wonders sometimes about the Kid, about what few, real horrors he has seen and from what he's truly running. They're all running from something, he knows, but only JD and the preacher would be nice enough to pray for every one they know. Buck shuts his eyes against the rising of another voice from his past. His momma used to pray for everybody, too, and her memory stings his eyes with unshed tears.
~7~
The next morning finds the townsfolk gathering again. Josiah watches, with keen interest, as each person files into the little chapel. There are many who are here only because they either have been dragged by family or feel that it is the appropriate place to make a social appearance, but there are a few who have truly come to worship or seek enlightenment.
A warm smile broadens over Josiah's whiskered face as he sees his friends step through the double doors. Nathan is already here, in the front row with Rain who's actually come in with a few children from the village, while Ezra sits beside his mother with a pained expression. But it is a rare Sunday indeed that Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, and Buck Wilmington all come to church. Buck is usually dodging an angry husband on Sunday morn. Vin worships his god underneath the open, blue sky, and Chris, Josiah knows, rarely speaks to the Lord these days.
The Preacher considers the sermon he is about to give as he asks for volunteers to pass the wine and crackers. Only one husband is successfully badgered into volunteering. Josiah knows why Nathan doesn't offer, and his smile grows as his eyes lock onto their tracker friend. "Brother Tanner, would you be so kind as to assist me?"
"Me?" Vin is clearly stunned.
Josiah's smile stays warmly in place even as he notes Buck's sniggering. "You'll do fine, brother, and Brother Wilmington, you can collect the emptied glasses."
Buck's blue eyes glower at Josiah at first, but then he shrugs. Josiah grins as the two move forward. As the morning service progresses and he begins his sermon in full, he again thinks of the four men sitting toward the back of the church, the one boldly sitting in front with a small passel of people who never grace the first pew of any other white man's church, and the gentleman trapped by his mother. Josiah's ready for the complaints he'll receive from the regular parishioners later, but they already know what his answer will be although they'll still gripe. This isn't a white man's church; it's God's church.
His friends also are not just gunslingers. They are not simply the "bad element" as Mary Travis once billed Chris and, to a certain extent, Vin as well. They are not truly the kind of men about whom mothers warn their children, though each has had that distinction. These six men are six of the best people Josiah has ever known. He is honored to know each of them, but he knows, too, that every one of them has a hard past they're still trying to put behind them. Each of them has lost innocence and happiness, but just as their protection has washed over this town and the Lord's holy water washes over his people, they, too, are blessed.
They, too, are the Lord's people and his very best friends, his family here on Earth. They will find their redemption when the time is right. He can only pray that their roads will become easier and that he, too, will one day find forgiveness and redemption in the Father's eyes. He sees Inez slide closer to Ezra, witnesses Nettie beam at Vin, spots Casey making JD blush, eyes Chris feeling a little more comfortable in the Lord's house, beams brighter and wider, and speaks louder, all the while praying for them all, praying for his friends and for the redemption of all Seven.
The End
Working Title: Just This One
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: All Seven, Mary, Beavis, Billy, and two more
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 611
Summary: Buck and Mary are instrumental in bringing a new life into the world.
They gathered together that crisp, Autumn morning, eight adults from very different walks of life and one extremely excited child. Buck eyed his partner. "You finally did it, you old dog!" He shook his head as he brought his face down to his. "You know what this means, don'tcha? Now I gotta get ya fixed 'fore'n we start gettin' complaints!"
"Aw, don't be so hard on him, Brother Bucklin. He was only doing what comes natural."
"I know about doin' natural, preacher," Buck interjected, "an' the trouble it can getcha in!"
"It's not like he brought another one o' you in this world, Buck," Chris pointed out with a grin.
"Indeed," Ezra drawled. "There will be no fathers chasing after you for this event, and it certainly does hold a far lesser degree of scandal than any of your own activities. Although how the lot of you managed to draw me out o' mah luxurious bed for this droll event at this ungodly hour o' th' morning, Ah certainly can not recall."
Buck's mustache twitched.
"Ain't droll, Ez," Vin drawled, pouring him another mug of the coffee Inez had brought them before going to start preparing for the saloon's daily opening.
"You're as excited as the rest of us," JD countered.
Ezra stifled a yawn. "This is hardly an unusual occurrence, young Mister Dunne."
"Maybe not, but every birth's a special one."
Chris and Vin nodded while Josiah added, "Every new life is a blessing from the good Lord."
"Spare me yoah sermons. It is simply too early. Ah nevah should have allowed you to persuade me to rise before the sun. Ah'm -- "
Even Ezra stopped talking as a cry rose from the nearby, makeshift bed of hay. Mary held onto Billy who struggled to break his mother's grasp and see what was happening for himself. "Not yet, Billy," she chided as the men all leaned forward to see.
Vin was the first to spot the little head. The grin that broke over his face soon carried to all the rest of them.
"It's a healthy, baby girl," Nathan proudly announced as the mother whickered softly and started to clean her new baby.
"Aw, man, I was hopin' for a boy." Buck pouted, but he quickly grinned again just as wide and bold as the others' smiles.
Billy broke free from his mother and rushed to see the foal up close. Nathan gently touched the boy's shoulder and guided him to introducing himself to the new life. The child trembled with glee as he touched the white spot on the foal's forehead. Then he frowned worriedly and suddenly stopped stroking the tiny pony. He looked back over to where Buck stood with the proud father, Beavis. "Are you sure about this, Mister Buck?" he asked cautiously to which Buck's grin grew even larger.
"'Course I am, kiddo. Your mother's mare did half the work. She's all yours."
Grinning, Billy ran over, threw his arms around Buck, and hugged him tightly. Then he hurried back over to pet the foal some more amongst happy laughter of the adults. They were all laughing so joyously and loudly that no one but Buck and Beavis heard the ladies' man as he whispered into the new father's ears, "Okay, so maybe just one, old man, but next time, it's clip time."
The stallion looked long and hard into his human's eyes, then he blew out his disbelief over his face in a hot rush of air. Ears laid back, he nudged his cheek. Blue eyes twinkling, Buck laughed as he held his reins tighter. "Yeah, just this one," he said again, but no one believed him.
The End
They came together from different walks of life. When injustice knocked, their guns answered. Each ha dreams unanswered, mysteries unsolved, but together, they'll solve every case, right every wrong, and save the innocents who need them so badly when they no one else to call. Together, they were paid to protect a town but came to be a family. Together, they are . . . The Magnificent Seven!
Working Title: Gazing
Author: Kat Lee
Character/Pairing: Chris/Vin
Rating: G/K
Word Count: 241
Summary: Chris and Vin ponder the possibilities of their new life.
Eyes as keen as an eagle's surveyed the calm, hot desert. No animals or people were moving. Not even the wind stirred. But the corners of the tracker's lips still twitched up into a smile as he looked through his spyglass. "Been kinda quiet lately."
"Yeah. See anythin'?"
"Nope."
"And here I was itchin' fer a fight."
"Yup." Both men smiled.
Vin turned his glass and looked toward town. Everything was quiet and peaceful. He was used to being out alone in the desert. It was a beautiful, but deadly, place. Still, there was something that stirred deep within him when he thought of the town of Four Corners where their other friends awaited their return. "Reckon a man could get used to the quiet."
"Yup."
"Not much of one fer town life, but it's a nice enough town we're protectin'."
Chris nodded, falling silent for a moment. "Still like being out on my ranch," he said after a long, comfortable minute had drawn between them.
"It's out just 'bout right. I've got a good view o' the stars out here at night."
"I've got one, too, from my back yard."
"Reckon you got plenty o' space back there."
"I do."
"Gettin' colder out here at night. Reckon I wouldn't mind a warmer spot to look up at the stars from."
"Back yard might be perfect."
Vin lowered his spyglass and met Chris' steadfast gaze. "Reckon it would be." Smiling, they rose together and left the desert.
The End
As always, all characters mentioned above belong to their rightful owners, not the author, and are used without permission.
