PREVIOUS STORY Play The Pipe Lowley
The following is a work of fan fiction based
on the CBS television series, The Magnificent Seven. It is in no way intended to
infringe on the copyrights of CBS, MGM, The Trilogy Entertainment Group, The
Mirisch Corp., or anyone else who may have legal rights to the characters and
settings. This story is strictly for entertainment.
With thanks to MAC
for your help and support and special thanks to Antoinette
for beta reading.
Play the death
march
Part Three
Main Characters
Chris and Ezra Warning Drunken
attempted Non con. Implied relationship m/m
Ezra sat in the
saloon, slipping his whiskey as he played cards, it was a low stakes game by his
standards but as a professional gambler you had to take the small with the large
especially when you’re anchored to a town, and rely on fresh blood coming in on
the noon stagecoach.
Glancing across the
saloon he saw Chris Larabee sat in the far corner with his back to the wall, a
glass and bottle of whiskey in front of him, the was tipping the bottle a bit
too much for his liking. He knew he had to do something, Larabee was in one of
those homicidal moods, and with Vin and Buck out on a job, Nathan and Josiah
over at the Indian camp, and it was left up to him to do something.
Buck had before he
left taken him to one side and warned him that he and Vin would do their best to
be back for the 15th, but if not for him to remember that the 15th
was the anniversary of Sarah and Adam’s death. The big man had laid a hand on
his shoulder, his finger biting in to his shoulder, as he had all but pleaded
for him to look after his old friend, as he had said “I can’t lose the old dog
now, not when he’s just found a reason for living.”
It was then Ezra saw the way Buck’s eyes
had burned into him as he had said that, no it couldn’t be what he thought, what
he….. Ezra made himself concentrate on the card game, but found himself thinking
of JD the kid would piss his pants if he had to go against Chris, no that was
unfair Ezra mused, the kid would do his best and then end up wounded or worse,
because like this Chris Larabee was lethal, he would pull the trigger on anyone
that pissed him off.
Ezra threw in his
hand of cards, and with a few jokes and smiles he got up and crossed over to
Chris’s table; he waved a hand at the spare chair.
Chris looked up at
him, “your funeral Standish,” he snarled and took another pull on the glass,
even as he reached out to top the bottle up.
How it happened
Ezra never really remembered it but the two hours later he found himself facing
off Chris Larabee.
The first bullet
tugged the sleeve of his jacket and hit the bar, another plowed into the floor
by his feet, all the time Ezra hasn’t moved, made no effort to draw his gun, not
even the hidden derringer. His trust in Chris was total that Chris wouldn’t gun
him down in cold blood. Suddenly
Chris was in his face, and a fist put him down, and Chris was stalking off in to
the night. The saloon exploded into excited talk once Larabee was left, and Tiny
Hughes bent down, a large hand circling Ezra’s arm as the blacksmith drew the
gambler up, holding onto his arm until he was safely on his feet again, as his
brother pushed a whiskey into Ezra’s hand.
“You are one lucky
son of a bitch Standish, I was sure that Larabee was going to blow your brains
out.”
Ezra didn’t answer,
the question he just thanked them, the two men had been the only ones to come to
his aid, and went out after Chris, he guessed that the man in black would head
to his ranch, and was surprised when he had just bend to tighten the girth on
his horse, when behind him he heard the distinct rustle of a duster. The next
thing a hand caught him by the back of his jacket and flung him face first
against the wall, and he was pinned in place and Chris hissed in his ear. “You
got a death wish Standish.”
“No, Mr. Larabee,
but I am your friend.”
“You really think I
would be friends with a two bit gambler,” Chris spat the words out, his breath
stinking of whiskey, the man was drunk but far from so intoxicated that he
couldn’t function, and that made him dangerous.
“I’ve seen the way
you’ve been looking at me.” Chris said, at the same time as he body ground
against Ezra as he pushed roughly pushed a knee up between the smaller man’s
legs, and Ezra was made all too aware of Chris’s aroused state. “This you want
Standish,” he demanded.
Ezra had been
shocked by the rough handling, and was now trying to free himself. But Chris had
the advantage and was managing to keep him pinned as he whispered the most
obscene things into the smaller man’s ear. What he wanted to do to a two bit
whore, the anger was building and Ezra knew that he was running out of time
unless he stopped him now in the morning Chris would never be able to live with
what they did. He would, he had had worse things happen to him, he pushed the
violent memories away.
Ezra brought his
elbow back hard and fast, and was rewarded with a harsh gasp as Chris had the
breath knocked violently out of him, and the staggered back, Ezra turned quickly
his fist lashed out and the blow to the jaw put Chris down on his ass.
Glaring down at the
him, Ezra snarled, “You want a whore go find one, because if you ever treat me
like that again, drunk or sober, I’ll call you out and plant you in Boot Hill.”
There was no fear in Ezra’s voice, just anger, anger that a man he loved
would treat him like that.
He began to stride
out of the stable, when Chris called after him, “Ezra, I wanted…” Chris’s voice
slurred the rest of the words, but the need in them from a man he loved brought
Ezra to a halt, and he turned back to look at Chris, who was struggling to get
up, his coordination shot by the drink, and the hit to the jaw, looking back
over his shoulder at him. Ezra made no attempt to hide the contempt he felt.
“You think that I
would want a rapist,” the word was a barbed arrow; Ezra could see impact it had
on Chris, the look on the handsome face as if he had just hit him again, as it
knocked the breath from him.
“Rapist,” Chris
stuttered over the word shaking his head violently, and nearly falling over,
“You’re wrong Ez, you wanted me Ez, I know….”
Ezra ignored him
“Is that what you think Larabee. What do you call forcing yourself on another
person, because its rape in my
book?” The disgust rolled off his words and without another word he headed to
the door, he paused “and if you think I wanted that, then you’re sicker than I
thought.”
“Ezra….” Chris
called after him staggering a few feet, having to cling onto one of the horse
stalls, as the drink caught up with him.
Chris Larabee was pleading, he commanded,
he threatened but he never pleaded but in that one word, as
the older man had called his name Ezra had heard the plea. Ezra halted,
but didn’t turn around, “We’ll talk tomorrow, but you better be sober and for
God’s sake, take a bath, you stink like a drunk in a cathouse,” and Ezra walked
away.
It was only when he
had stepped outside that Ezra saw Yosemite stood there with an axe handle in his
hands, and Ezra had known that the big man had been on the verge of coming to
his rescue. Yosemite just nodded to him, and said “best get off Mr. Standish,
I’ll see to Mr. Larabee. Once he
sobers up he’ll be kicking himself for making such a dumb move you see. If he
doesn’t…...” and he paused and gave Ezra’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, “we’re
pound on that fool, thick head of his until he does.”
Yosemite smiled,
and then gave Ezra a gentle push to get him moving, before with a shake of the
head he went into the stable to beard the devil of Four Corners.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Later
Ezra sat on the his
bed, a full glass of whiskey in his hand, staring across the room towards the
open window, he could hear the thud thud of the piano as the pianist hammered
the keys playing some old favorite for the cowboys below. Normally he would have
gone down and picked up a game of poker, there was usually even mid-week a
couple of cowboys or locals willing to risk a few dollars in a game.
He smiled softly as
he remembered the first game that Tiny and his brother Yosemite sat in on. Big
men they towered over him by a good foot, and at least fifty pounds, when he had
won their money he had waited for it to start accusing him of cheating.
It had never happened. Instead they had brought beer and sat and talked,
they had been the first of the town’s people to actually offer a hand of
friendship towards him, instead of treating him like some sort of lowlife, and
since that day they had proved it in many ways.
They had looked
after his horse when he was injured, wading in when he was cornered one night by
some sore losers when the other members of the seven were fighting it out in a
saloon brawl with some drunken cowboys. The brothers had never wanted anything
in return from him that he hadn’t willingly given for such big and powerful men;
they were the gentlest of lovers. Never attaching any strings to their
relationship, friends with benefits was how Tiny had shyly put it, one night as
he lay naked in their bed. Tiny’s large coarse hand had with surprising
gentleness stroked his flank and hip, as his brother had taken him as if he was
the most precious thing in the world to them. It was to them and them only that
he had spoken of his love for Chris, the only people in this fly speck of a town
that would understand.
0-0-0-0-0
The day had been
the slowest of Ezra’s life, Chris had appeared on time, which had surprised him
considering the amount of drink he had put away the night before. Also he had
shaved and he could smell lyre soap when the gun man had reached past him to get
a mug of the thick sludge that passed as coffee.
During the day they
had dealt with the various troubles that an open town like Four Corner could
have, but their talk was stilted, Ezra prepared to wait Chris out; this had to
come from him, as much he wanted the answer of what Chris actually felt. Ezra
knew that Chris had to be the one to speak first, if they were to move on from
this, Chris had to address what he had done.
Finally at the end
of the day, Chris put a hand up blocking the door as Ezra was about to leave,
the gambler looked at the black clad
arm and then followed it up to Chris’s face.
“Mr. Larabee you’re
blocking the way, is there a reason for this.” Ezra spoke levelly only the
thickening of his southern accents hinted at the sudden stress.
“You could say
that.” Chris dropped his arm, “I want to speak my piece if you want to leave
them I won’t stop you and if you want me out of town I’ll leave once Buck and
Vin gets back.”
Ezra nodded and
stepped back in the room, “about last night, I didn’t want it to happen like
that. But yesterday, all I could see and feel was…” Ezra cut him off with a
slashing motion of his hand.
“NO Mr. Larabee.”
Ezra snapped the word, “last night you nearly raped me.” He saw the way the
gunman paled, “yes Mr. Larabee it’s an ugly word, but no uglier than what you
would have done to me last night. Because you were drunk and wallowing in your
own self pity. So someone had to pay the price, and that was me, you didn’t want
to take a woman because it would sully your wife’s memory, so what, you thought
I would stand by and let beat and rape me to exercise your own demons.”
“Ezra.” Chris’s
voice dropped to a warning note at the mention of his wife.
“Buck asked me to
look after you, said you would get drunk and fuck some whore to get it out of
your system. “ He paused, “he didn’t warn me you fucked men as well.”
“I don’t.” Chris
protested.
“Well Mr. Larabee
you could have fooled me.” Ezra paused and his face took on a bitter look, “So
it wasn’t sex you wanted it was what power, put me in my place, beat me down.”
“No…It was.” Again
Chris trailed off.
“Well what is it,
sex or power, Christopher?” Ezra pushed, trying to force it to a head.
Chris’s head
snapped up at the use of his first name,
“I saw you with the brothers, I know what you…”
“What I am,” Ezra
gave a soft sigh, “and you thought that I was some degenerate that would let you
take me like that, in some stinking stable among the straw and the horse shit,
like the cheapest whore, and I would enjoy it.”
“No, I...” Chris
ground to a halt again.
“What the brothers
and I have, doesn’t concern you, but what we have isn’t sordid, they don’t pin
me down or abuse me.”
“It does concern me
Ez, because that’s what I want with you.” The words sounded stilted and Ezra
couldn’t help but smile Mr. man in
black, Larabee the most infamous gunman in the territory and possible the
fastest gun ever, looked like as shy as a school boy. But then the Chris he knew
snapped into place and when he looked at him his eyes seemed to burn into Ezra,
and all innocence vanished and the gambler felt his body reacting to the heat
and want in those green eyes.
Ezra took a breath,
all the wanted to do was to grab hold of Chris, but he fought it back. Instead
he lifted his head a little higher. “If you want me Mr.Larabee you have to show
me that I can trust you, I won’t be an experiment because you want a change of
flavor, I won’t be an itch you want to scratch.”
“You’re more than
that Ez, I… last night all I knew was.” Chris halted “this isn’t an excuse, but
I want to tell you. Last night I was lost, all I knew was that my life had
ended, but in you I saw a new beginning. I didn’t know how to tell you that….I
can’t tell you I love you Ez. But I want to try.”
In that minute Ezra
saw that Chris had opened up his heart to him, and he saw the very real sorrow
in the older man, Chris was mourning the death of his wife and child, and the
death of what he thought he could never have.”
“If you want a
relationship Mr. Larabee, you have to prove your worth.”
“Hell Ez.” Chris
shook his head in disbelief, “You don’t mean I have to court you.” It was said
with relief
A mischievous smile
tugged at Ezra’s lips as he walked past the gunman, “and you better make it
good.”
“The last person I
courted was Sarah.” Chris at Ezra’s retreating back his voice wistful something
that Ezra had never heard before.
The gambler stopped
in his tracks, and turned slowly, “I don’t expect you to forget her,
I just expect you to treat me with some respect.”
Ezra touched these
fingers to the brim of his hat and walked out heading for the saloon.
If Chris really wanted him then he would do as he asked, he wasn’t
expecting hay rides and flowers but he wanted to know that this was for real and
that Chris wouldn’t use him and then throw him away. He couldn’t bare that from
someone that he loved, and the more he was with Chris the more he knew that was
what it was, he was in love with the mean and moody, leader of the seven, he
remembered someone once said that Byron was mad, bad and dangerous to know, well
that could apply to Chris Larabee. What ever happened it was going to be an
interesting few weeks.
The
End