A Matter of Family (ATF) - 02/04
Sorry for the delay - RL gets in the way sometimes:).
Title: A Matter of Family
Author: grachonok
Rating: PG-13
Universe: ATF
Characters: Ezra and Nathan
Summary: There are some things in Ezra's past that Nathan could understand better than anyone...
A/N Recently I sort of promised to write a story where Nathan won't jump to conclusions about Ezra. Well, here it is.
Special thanks to tpena19 for the beta-reading!
A Matter of Family
Part 1
3.
Three weeks after the visit of Atlanta’s FBI Agent, Team 7 had successfully finished their case, and the atmosphere in the office had, albeit slowly, returned to normal.
Early Thursday evening Ezra was sitting at home, reading a book and enjoying the peace and quiet, when his phone rang.
“Standish.”
“Ezra, it’s Joseph,” it was obvious from the man’s voice that something was wrong.
“Joseph? What happened?”
“Judith had an accident. She is alive and out of danger, but…”
Judith, the woman from the photograph hidden in Ezra’s desk, was his cousin, the eldest daughter of Mr. Jeremy Standish. His older cousin, almost sister really, was the only Standish Ezra actually loved; not counting his mother, who married into the family, and who he loved...usually. Joseph Sanders, the black man from the photograph, was Judith's husband. He continued talking on the phone while Ezra tried to comprehend what had happened. Judith had been in a car accident; her injuries, while not life-threatening, were very serious, and there was a possibility she wouldn’t walk again. A crucial operation would be performed in a week or two, after which it would be clear if the damage was permanent. Oh Lord.
“Ezra,” Joseph said after a brief pause. “We need your help.”
“Name it.”
“Could you look after Emily for a couple of weeks? I mean, if we send her to Colorado.”
Emily was the girl from the photo, the couple's daughter and Ezra’s goddaughter; she was a couple of months shy of her 9th birthday.
“You sure that's a good idea? I could fly to New York…”
“She's wanted to visit you since you moved to Denver, and we think it’s better for Em not to be here, at least until after the operation. I’m just afraid I might snap at her or something, and Judith…right now she is not a sight for a little girl to see.” Ezra heard Joseph swallowing, but before he could say something, the man continued: “Could you do it?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t in the middle of an undercover assignment right now, and the rest was solvable. “If you're okay with the distance...”
“Ezra, you know Judith. She prefers Emily to be with you, even if it’s half-way across the country, than to leave her with some babysitter on the next street. And I’ll second her in that.”
“All right, when should I expect her?”
“On Sunday, I think. I’ll arrange the papers and tickets tomorrow, and Ez? Try not to get into trouble over this, Judith will kill me if… ”
“Don’t worry about it, Joe. We’re between cases at the moment, so it’s no problem. You focus on getting my sister back on her feet, okay? I’ll take care of the little princess.”
“Ezra… Thanks.”
“That’s what family is for. Tell Judith…” Ezra stumbled. “Well, if you need anything else…”
“I know, Ezra. You just remember it works both ways, okay? I’ll call tomorrow, let you know the details as soon as I arrange everything.”
They exchanged a couple of more words and hung up; Ezra then went to his desk, took the picture out of the drawer, put in on top of the desk and stared at it. The thought of Judith, energetic, graceful Judith, lying hurt in a hospital, facing the prospect of life in an invalid chair, made his heart bleed. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her - like she had been there for him, when he’d managed to earn himself pneumonia at ten, and to the astonishment of everyone, a popular teenage girl had chosen babysitting a sick cousin over having fun with her friends and admirers - but if Judith wanted him to look after little Emily he would do it, and he would leave to Joe the supporting of Judith herself. Joe would cope; he was the most caring husband Ezra had ever seen.
Ezra took a deep breath, suppressing the building worry using willpower; he needed to focus on Emily, the kid would need support and reassurance. And there were a lot of things he needed to take care of now, to make her stay here as pleasant as was possible under the circumstances and, above all, safe.
Of course, Ezra had more than enough vacation time accumulated to just disappear from everyone's eyes, but he didn’t like that idea much. And if tomorrow he just walked into Chris’s office, requesting a long leave without any explanations, it might not bode well. Especially with his number of official and unofficial reprimands. Of course, family came first, but maybe this time he didn’t have to choose. Maybe, just maybe, this time he could take a gamble and ask for help. Or at least for some advice.
It was a foreign thought, really; he’d never told anyone about J&J and Emily before, but maybe it was time he let somebody in on his biggest secret. There was a person, one who knew enough of the South to understand all the nuances of the situation, both now and 10 years ago; and, who knows, maybe he would even be willing to listen. After all, Nathan Jackson had half-guessed the truth and surprised him once already…
4.
Nathan had just opened the front door of his car, when his cell started ringing. Caller ID said it was Standish; surprised, Nathan hit the answer button: “Yeah?”
“Good evening, Mr. Jackson. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
“Nope, was just heading home from Mercy General. Rain has to work the night shift today..”
“In that case could you please come over? There is a matter I would like to discuss with you.”
“Sure, not a problem. You okay?” Ezra didn’t sound hurt or sick, but, hell, it was Ezra, he never really sounded like anything was wrong.
“I assure you, Mr. Jackson, I am in perfect health. But I’m in need of your advice on a personal matter.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a half hour or so.”
It took Nathan twenty minutes to arrive at Ezra’s condo, curiosity making him drive faster than usual. It was strange for Ezra to invite someone for an impromptu visit; and, if it wasn’t medically related, then Nathan couldn’t imagine a single personal situation where Ezra might need his advice.
“Well, guess I’ll know soon enough,” Nathan said to himself as he left the car and went to ring the doorbell.
Ezra opened immediately: “Thank you for coming, Mr. Jackson.” He invited Nathan in and, after inquiring if he was hungry and receiving a negative answer, led him to the living room. Tea had already been served on a small coffee table in front of the couch; Ezra had always been a perfect host, if he did invite over guests, that is.
Ezra was in no hurry to bring the matter up, whatever it was. Nathan couldn’t say if it was because of good manners, or a lack of resolution. Though Ezra didn’t look nervous, more likely pensive or lost. Anyway, after he’d finished his cup of tea Nathan decided to hurry things along.
“So, Ezra, what did you want to discuss?”
Ezra sighed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson, I just don’t know where to begin.”
“Try the beginning, Ez, that usually works.”
“Well, maybe…Nathan, do you remember the conversation we had at the stakeout some time ago, a conversation concerning my Uncle?”
“Yes,” Nathan answered, even more intrigued.
“You suspected then that I wasn’t being completely honest; you were right.” Ezra reached his hand over and took a down-turned picture frame from an armrest of the couch and handed it to Nathan. Nathan took it and found himself gazing at a white woman, a black man, and what he assumed to be their daughter. He looked more closely…and pieces began falling into place. The family resemblance was clear; and he knew Ezra had no siblings, so…
“Your cousin?” he asked.
Ezra nodded. “Judith Amelia Standish, the pride and beauty of the family, and a much favored fair southern belle with plenty of appropriate rich, white suitors.”
Nathan looked at the picture once more and laid it on the table. “She must be a very brave woman.”
Ezra chortled. “I’d rather say stubborn and reckless.”
“Might be a family trait,” Nathan deadpanned.
They both chuckled, but quickly grew serious again.
“So, what’s the story?”
Ezra shrugged. “They met, fell in love, ran away to New York and got married. Uncle Jeremy,” Nathan had never heard such venom in Ezra’s voice, “believes they are dead, and we try to keep it that way.”
“We?”
“Judith, Joseph,” Ezra pointed at the man on the picture, “and myself. I’m the only one in the family who knows where they are. Judith’s mother passed away before this, Maude doesn’t care, and the rest…well, they happen to share Uncle Jeremy’s beliefs.”
Uncle Jeremy’s beliefs… What had Ezra said about them back at the stakeout? ‘Certain opinions about family honor’? As a boy back in small town in the South, Nathan once had witnessed what had happened when an affair was discovered between a white girl and a black guy, and she’d been just an drugstore owner's daughter. What might have happened, if a daughter of a rich and powerful man like Jeremy Standish was involved…Nathan shuddered. If Ezra had been covering the couple and their girl… Then no wonder he’d protected his true self from his Uncle more carefully then he protected his identity from the criminals! No wonder he’d overdone it when that jerk of Atlanta had come… No wonder he was stumbling for words now, he most likely had never told anyone before. Something must have given him a reason to open up now, but, no matter what it was, Nathan still felt honored that Ezra had told him, that he had trusted him with this. And if Standish needed any help in whatever was going on…
“Ezra,” Nathan asked quietly. “Did something happen?”
“Yes.” Ezra turned to the window, looked there for a while, gathering himself, then turned back and started talking, a bit faster than usual. “Judith had a car accident on Tuesday, she is out of danger, but it is serious and there will be an operation soon. She is in the hospital, and Joseph has to be with her, so they will be sending Emily here for awhile.”
Ezra paused; Emily must be the kid, and Ezra, it seemed, wanted to focus on her and not to dwell on his cousin’s condition.
“They don’t have anyone else,” Ezra added, looking down, as if it was a justification.
Well, Nathan, for once, didn’t need any extra arguments that Ezra was a good candidate for temporarily caring for Emily.
“Luckily, we don’t have any big cases at the moment; I think Chris would easily give you at least a week off. And then we’ll figure something else out if needed.”
“Yes, I know, but even though the probability of another visitor from Atlanta is very slim, you know how the office grapevine works, and Denver isn’t that big a city…” Ezra looked up. “You think I’m being paranoid?”
“Yes. But I also think you have damn good reasons for being so here. We need to think of something…” They kept silent for a couple of minutes, and then Nathan came up with an idea: “Ezra, you know, Rain has an amazing number of nieces, cousins and other relatives. I don’t remember half of them, and I’m sure she herself gets confused sometimes. So…”
It took several moments for the idea to dawn upon Ezra, and then his face changed into that funny expression which always appeared when Standish met an act of kindness directed towards him. “You sure Miss Eban wouldn’t mind?”
“Rain is a pediatrician, and we are speaking about the safety of a child here. Of course she won’t mind. You’ll have to tell the truth to Chris and the guys, though, at least part of it.”
“Do you believe they’ll understand?”
Nathan shrugged. “They possibly haven't met with ‘southern traditions’, like we have, but they do understand about protecting one's family. And that sometimes you need to protect them from someone wearing the same name.”
Ezra looked down again, thinking; Nathan reached over and touched his shoulder briefly. “Everything will be okay, Ez. Your cousin will recover, and while she is doing that, we’ll keep the little one here safe and sound. We’ll back you up in this, Ezra, all of us. No one will harm little Emily here, and no one will trace Judith and Joseph. Everything will be okay.”
A quiet moment passed, and then Ezra met Nathan’s gaze, his eyes unnaturally bright. “Nathan…Thank you.”
“That’s what friends are for, Ezra, that’s what friends are for.”
Continued in Part 3
Title: A Matter of Family
Author: grachonok
Rating: PG-13
Universe: ATF
Characters: Ezra and Nathan
Summary: There are some things in Ezra's past that Nathan could understand better than anyone...
A/N Recently I sort of promised to write a story where Nathan won't jump to conclusions about Ezra. Well, here it is.
Special thanks to tpena19 for the beta-reading!
A Matter of Family
Part 1
3.
Three weeks after the visit of Atlanta’s FBI Agent, Team 7 had successfully finished their case, and the atmosphere in the office had, albeit slowly, returned to normal.
Early Thursday evening Ezra was sitting at home, reading a book and enjoying the peace and quiet, when his phone rang.
“Standish.”
“Ezra, it’s Joseph,” it was obvious from the man’s voice that something was wrong.
“Joseph? What happened?”
“Judith had an accident. She is alive and out of danger, but…”
Judith, the woman from the photograph hidden in Ezra’s desk, was his cousin, the eldest daughter of Mr. Jeremy Standish. His older cousin, almost sister really, was the only Standish Ezra actually loved; not counting his mother, who married into the family, and who he loved...usually. Joseph Sanders, the black man from the photograph, was Judith's husband. He continued talking on the phone while Ezra tried to comprehend what had happened. Judith had been in a car accident; her injuries, while not life-threatening, were very serious, and there was a possibility she wouldn’t walk again. A crucial operation would be performed in a week or two, after which it would be clear if the damage was permanent. Oh Lord.
“Ezra,” Joseph said after a brief pause. “We need your help.”
“Name it.”
“Could you look after Emily for a couple of weeks? I mean, if we send her to Colorado.”
Emily was the girl from the photo, the couple's daughter and Ezra’s goddaughter; she was a couple of months shy of her 9th birthday.
“You sure that's a good idea? I could fly to New York…”
“She's wanted to visit you since you moved to Denver, and we think it’s better for Em not to be here, at least until after the operation. I’m just afraid I might snap at her or something, and Judith…right now she is not a sight for a little girl to see.” Ezra heard Joseph swallowing, but before he could say something, the man continued: “Could you do it?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t in the middle of an undercover assignment right now, and the rest was solvable. “If you're okay with the distance...”
“Ezra, you know Judith. She prefers Emily to be with you, even if it’s half-way across the country, than to leave her with some babysitter on the next street. And I’ll second her in that.”
“All right, when should I expect her?”
“On Sunday, I think. I’ll arrange the papers and tickets tomorrow, and Ez? Try not to get into trouble over this, Judith will kill me if… ”
“Don’t worry about it, Joe. We’re between cases at the moment, so it’s no problem. You focus on getting my sister back on her feet, okay? I’ll take care of the little princess.”
“Ezra… Thanks.”
“That’s what family is for. Tell Judith…” Ezra stumbled. “Well, if you need anything else…”
“I know, Ezra. You just remember it works both ways, okay? I’ll call tomorrow, let you know the details as soon as I arrange everything.”
They exchanged a couple of more words and hung up; Ezra then went to his desk, took the picture out of the drawer, put in on top of the desk and stared at it. The thought of Judith, energetic, graceful Judith, lying hurt in a hospital, facing the prospect of life in an invalid chair, made his heart bleed. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her - like she had been there for him, when he’d managed to earn himself pneumonia at ten, and to the astonishment of everyone, a popular teenage girl had chosen babysitting a sick cousin over having fun with her friends and admirers - but if Judith wanted him to look after little Emily he would do it, and he would leave to Joe the supporting of Judith herself. Joe would cope; he was the most caring husband Ezra had ever seen.
Ezra took a deep breath, suppressing the building worry using willpower; he needed to focus on Emily, the kid would need support and reassurance. And there were a lot of things he needed to take care of now, to make her stay here as pleasant as was possible under the circumstances and, above all, safe.
Of course, Ezra had more than enough vacation time accumulated to just disappear from everyone's eyes, but he didn’t like that idea much. And if tomorrow he just walked into Chris’s office, requesting a long leave without any explanations, it might not bode well. Especially with his number of official and unofficial reprimands. Of course, family came first, but maybe this time he didn’t have to choose. Maybe, just maybe, this time he could take a gamble and ask for help. Or at least for some advice.
It was a foreign thought, really; he’d never told anyone about J&J and Emily before, but maybe it was time he let somebody in on his biggest secret. There was a person, one who knew enough of the South to understand all the nuances of the situation, both now and 10 years ago; and, who knows, maybe he would even be willing to listen. After all, Nathan Jackson had half-guessed the truth and surprised him once already…
4.
Nathan had just opened the front door of his car, when his cell started ringing. Caller ID said it was Standish; surprised, Nathan hit the answer button: “Yeah?”
“Good evening, Mr. Jackson. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
“Nope, was just heading home from Mercy General. Rain has to work the night shift today..”
“In that case could you please come over? There is a matter I would like to discuss with you.”
“Sure, not a problem. You okay?” Ezra didn’t sound hurt or sick, but, hell, it was Ezra, he never really sounded like anything was wrong.
“I assure you, Mr. Jackson, I am in perfect health. But I’m in need of your advice on a personal matter.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a half hour or so.”
It took Nathan twenty minutes to arrive at Ezra’s condo, curiosity making him drive faster than usual. It was strange for Ezra to invite someone for an impromptu visit; and, if it wasn’t medically related, then Nathan couldn’t imagine a single personal situation where Ezra might need his advice.
“Well, guess I’ll know soon enough,” Nathan said to himself as he left the car and went to ring the doorbell.
Ezra opened immediately: “Thank you for coming, Mr. Jackson.” He invited Nathan in and, after inquiring if he was hungry and receiving a negative answer, led him to the living room. Tea had already been served on a small coffee table in front of the couch; Ezra had always been a perfect host, if he did invite over guests, that is.
Ezra was in no hurry to bring the matter up, whatever it was. Nathan couldn’t say if it was because of good manners, or a lack of resolution. Though Ezra didn’t look nervous, more likely pensive or lost. Anyway, after he’d finished his cup of tea Nathan decided to hurry things along.
“So, Ezra, what did you want to discuss?”
Ezra sighed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jackson, I just don’t know where to begin.”
“Try the beginning, Ez, that usually works.”
“Well, maybe…Nathan, do you remember the conversation we had at the stakeout some time ago, a conversation concerning my Uncle?”
“Yes,” Nathan answered, even more intrigued.
“You suspected then that I wasn’t being completely honest; you were right.” Ezra reached his hand over and took a down-turned picture frame from an armrest of the couch and handed it to Nathan. Nathan took it and found himself gazing at a white woman, a black man, and what he assumed to be their daughter. He looked more closely…and pieces began falling into place. The family resemblance was clear; and he knew Ezra had no siblings, so…
“Your cousin?” he asked.
Ezra nodded. “Judith Amelia Standish, the pride and beauty of the family, and a much favored fair southern belle with plenty of appropriate rich, white suitors.”
Nathan looked at the picture once more and laid it on the table. “She must be a very brave woman.”
Ezra chortled. “I’d rather say stubborn and reckless.”
“Might be a family trait,” Nathan deadpanned.
They both chuckled, but quickly grew serious again.
“So, what’s the story?”
Ezra shrugged. “They met, fell in love, ran away to New York and got married. Uncle Jeremy,” Nathan had never heard such venom in Ezra’s voice, “believes they are dead, and we try to keep it that way.”
“We?”
“Judith, Joseph,” Ezra pointed at the man on the picture, “and myself. I’m the only one in the family who knows where they are. Judith’s mother passed away before this, Maude doesn’t care, and the rest…well, they happen to share Uncle Jeremy’s beliefs.”
Uncle Jeremy’s beliefs… What had Ezra said about them back at the stakeout? ‘Certain opinions about family honor’? As a boy back in small town in the South, Nathan once had witnessed what had happened when an affair was discovered between a white girl and a black guy, and she’d been just an drugstore owner's daughter. What might have happened, if a daughter of a rich and powerful man like Jeremy Standish was involved…Nathan shuddered. If Ezra had been covering the couple and their girl… Then no wonder he’d protected his true self from his Uncle more carefully then he protected his identity from the criminals! No wonder he’d overdone it when that jerk of Atlanta had come… No wonder he was stumbling for words now, he most likely had never told anyone before. Something must have given him a reason to open up now, but, no matter what it was, Nathan still felt honored that Ezra had told him, that he had trusted him with this. And if Standish needed any help in whatever was going on…
“Ezra,” Nathan asked quietly. “Did something happen?”
“Yes.” Ezra turned to the window, looked there for a while, gathering himself, then turned back and started talking, a bit faster than usual. “Judith had a car accident on Tuesday, she is out of danger, but it is serious and there will be an operation soon. She is in the hospital, and Joseph has to be with her, so they will be sending Emily here for awhile.”
Ezra paused; Emily must be the kid, and Ezra, it seemed, wanted to focus on her and not to dwell on his cousin’s condition.
“They don’t have anyone else,” Ezra added, looking down, as if it was a justification.
Well, Nathan, for once, didn’t need any extra arguments that Ezra was a good candidate for temporarily caring for Emily.
“Luckily, we don’t have any big cases at the moment; I think Chris would easily give you at least a week off. And then we’ll figure something else out if needed.”
“Yes, I know, but even though the probability of another visitor from Atlanta is very slim, you know how the office grapevine works, and Denver isn’t that big a city…” Ezra looked up. “You think I’m being paranoid?”
“Yes. But I also think you have damn good reasons for being so here. We need to think of something…” They kept silent for a couple of minutes, and then Nathan came up with an idea: “Ezra, you know, Rain has an amazing number of nieces, cousins and other relatives. I don’t remember half of them, and I’m sure she herself gets confused sometimes. So…”
It took several moments for the idea to dawn upon Ezra, and then his face changed into that funny expression which always appeared when Standish met an act of kindness directed towards him. “You sure Miss Eban wouldn’t mind?”
“Rain is a pediatrician, and we are speaking about the safety of a child here. Of course she won’t mind. You’ll have to tell the truth to Chris and the guys, though, at least part of it.”
“Do you believe they’ll understand?”
Nathan shrugged. “They possibly haven't met with ‘southern traditions’, like we have, but they do understand about protecting one's family. And that sometimes you need to protect them from someone wearing the same name.”
Ezra looked down again, thinking; Nathan reached over and touched his shoulder briefly. “Everything will be okay, Ez. Your cousin will recover, and while she is doing that, we’ll keep the little one here safe and sound. We’ll back you up in this, Ezra, all of us. No one will harm little Emily here, and no one will trace Judith and Joseph. Everything will be okay.”
A quiet moment passed, and then Ezra met Nathan’s gaze, his eyes unnaturally bright. “Nathan…Thank you.”
“That’s what friends are for, Ezra, that’s what friends are for.”
Continued in Part 3