Child Of My Heart (10/12) - Mag7/Highlander
Title: Child Of My Heart (10/12)
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom: Magnificent 7 and Highlander
Beta: Much thanks to ithildyn
Prompt: #69 - Thunder for Crossovers100. My table is here
Rating: PG, Gen
Characters: HL: OFC Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black); Mag7: Ezra Standish, Maude Standish
Chapter Summary: Charlotte begins the task of explaining Immortality to Ezra but the shock of the day's events may be more that he can handle.
A/N: Charlotte is an Immortal and an original character created by ithildyn. In Charlotte’s bio, Ith mentioned that she’d lived in New Mexico in the 1860’s, so it was obvious to me she knew the Mag7 boys. I have added the idea that she was Maude Standish’s teacher, longtime friend and one of those people Maude would occasionally ‘dump’ Ezra with. The rest of Charlotte’s stories can be found on ithildyn’s journal Here
Chapter List
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11; Epilogue
Child Of My Heart, Chapter 10
Charlotte chastised herself a bit for enjoying the sight of Maude crumbling to the ground. She was still so angry with the woman and had to admit that she felt a great deal of satisfaction in killing her, even if it wouldn’t last very long.
She set the weapons aside and turned her attention to Ezra. What she saw tore at her heart strings. He was staring at Maude’s body, confusion and grief played war across his face. She could see him restraining himself from going to her.
“Ezra,” she said quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder. “All will be well. She isn’t really gone. Because we are Immortal, we can’t die permanently from that kind of wound.”
Charlotte watched as he blinked back unshed tears. He was so still and seemed so defeated. Maybe shooting Maude had been a selfish act on her part that only served to add to the trauma of the day. The woman was, after all, still his mother and no child ever wanted to watch their parent die.
“Ezra,” she repeated, trying to get his attention.
“I should feel worse seeing her lying there like that.” His voice had taken on a dull monotone. “Instead I just feel - numb.” He continued to stare at the body as he let out a shuddering breath.
He was in shock she realized; emotional overload. Charlotte took his hand and guided him to a seat on the hay bale. “She’ll be back. Trust me.”
Ezra nodded slowly as he settled in next to her. She put her arm around him and he immediately dropped his head onto her shoulder. It reminded her so much of that very first night Maude had left him with her. The scared little boy who didn’t know what was happening. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from giving in to the tears.
As much as she had recently wished he was still the little boy who needed her comfort, she found she wanted him to be the clever confident man she’d gotten to know these past months. The dead look in his eyes and his silence was scaring her. She prayed that Maude’s stupidity hadn’t permanently damaged him in some way. She knew some people couldn’t handle the transition but would not allow herself to believe that Ezra was one of them.
She squeezed his shoulder as she moved to face him. “Ezra, before Maude wakes up, I must tell you everything you’ll need to know about being an Immortal. Do you understand?”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How did she know I wouldn’t die when she shot me?”
She rubbed a hand up and down his arm. “Because all pre-immortals give off a feeling that identifies them as potentials.”
“That’s how it happened?”
Confusion showed in Charlotte’s eyes and he clarified the question.
“In the orphanage, that’s why she picked me because she knew I - that I - that someday --” he trailed into silence.
“Yes, I believe so.” She hated to confirm that to him, but she had already decided there would be no more lies between them, no matter how painful the truth was.
His head drooped and his shoulders sagged. “She didn’t want me just my potential.”
She wasn’t about to defend or try to explain Maude’s complex feelings toward Ezra. Charlotte only knew how she felt. She placed a finger under his chin and tilted his head up to look him in the eye. “I never cared about that. From the first moment I saw you when you were five, I loved you. You are the child of my heart and I will always love you for the wonderful man you are in here.” Charlotte placed a hand over his heart before pulling him into a hug. She could feel his ragged breath on her neck as he clung to her.
“I love you too.” It was said so quietly, she almost missed the admission.
She held him close, willing her strength to him. Finally, Ezra separated himself from her. She reached up and brushed a wayward curl from his forehead. He barely acknowledged the gesture.
“Are you ready to hear all about what it means to be an Immortal?” she asked.
He raised a hand to his temple. “This buzzing behind my eyes. It feels like it’s coming from you, but I don’t feel it from Maude any more.”
“I like to think of that as an early warning signal,” she said lightheartedly, trying to draw him out of his melancholia. “Now that you’re Immortal, you’ll always sense when I’m around.”
Ezra met her eyes and there was finally a hint of a smile. The first since he’d awoken. “I like that idea. Always knowing when you’re around.”
Charlotte smiled and felt her heart lift a little. She hated having to share the rest of the story just as he seemed to be coming back to himself. “But it is also a warning. Not all Immortals are friendly and it’s a way of protecting ourselves.”
Ezra took her hand. “Immortality,” he sighed, and Charlotte could sense he was still struggling with the concept. “So, this was the big secret you and Maude were keeping.”
Charlotte nodded. “We guard the secret because most people wouldn’t understand.”
A surprised look crossed his face. “I would have understood.”
She reached up to stroke his cheek. “I know, dearest, but I was trying to protect you.” She was rewarded with a shy smile at the use of his childhood affection. “Realizing that you might become one of us someday, I wanted to spare you the details until you needed to know.”
“I guess now I need to know.”
Charlotte gathered her thoughts and plunged into the explanation of the Game and the rules that went along with it. She told him of the mythical prize, the need for secrecy and why he must become a better swordsman. Lastly, she told him that all Immortals were foundlings with no blood ties to anyone, and ultimately alone. Ezra sat patiently, without interruption, absorbing all she had to share. Charlotte watched him carefully trying to gauge how the things she was describing were affecting him.
“Those are the basics,” she said as she finished, waiting for him to begin asking the torrent of questions she could see in his eyes.
Ezra was silent as he picked through the information. “Tell me about you; who you really are.”
Charlotte was surprised that this was the information he wanted first, but she shouldn’t have been. Everything had changed and he needed to set their relationship back on an even keel. Hearing her history would allow him to really know her again.
“Well, I was born Charlotte Black in 1739 and I died in 1767 at the age of 28,” she began.
“I’m twenty-eight. It seems we are the same age,” he smiled at that revelation and she could see that the connection pleased him.
She laughed. “Not exactly. I’m one hundred and twenty seven but I look twenty eight.”
“And you will always look twenty-eight?”
She nodded. “I must admit I was surprised you never noticed that Maude and I hadn’t aged.”
He studied her as if really seeing her for the first time. “I guess I believed you looked so young and beautiful because somehow I always wanted you to be that way.”
Charlotte smiled and bumped shoulders with him. “Flatterer. You’re as bad as Buck.” She could feel their camaraderie returning and it gave her hope that their relationship would not change.
“I’m sure Mr. Wilmington would have said something even more appropriate,” he teased. “He’s a professional.” Ezra stilled but there were signs of distress returning to his eyes. “The others, what can I tell them? Will this change everything?”
“It doesn’t have to. They don’t know what happened here. Even JD was too far away to have heard the shots. What you do with your Immortal life is your choice,” she assured him.
“I don’t know what I want to do yet,” he admitted. Charlotte was relieved to see the panic fade away as quickly as it had appeared. He was master of his own destiny, even if he didn’t know what that destiny was. Charlotte knew he’d never felt he had the power to choose.
“Do you want me to continue with my history?” she asked. “I haven’t gotten very far.”
Ezra opened his mouth to encourage her to continue, then stopped and glanced at Maude. “Why? Why did you spend all those years catering to her demands and pretending she was your cousin?”
This was the one question she had asked herself again and again over the years. After today, she would carry the guilt of her friendship with Maude, and the choices she’d made, because of what the woman had done to Ezra.
“I was her teacher, as I hope to be yours,” she said. “You must understand that the relationship between mentor and student is one of the most profound we as Immortals have. There is trust at the highest level. Trust that the other won’t take your head, especially during the vulnerable months of training. It creates a bond as strong as any family.”
“And you thought of her that way?”
“Yes. Maude had her faults, but like any black sheep you always hope that you will be the one to bring them back into the fold. I felt a sense of responsibility for Maude. I was wrong and you paid the price.” There it was: her failings as a teacher and mentor laid open for Ezra to see.
Ezra looked at her, no blame in his eyes. “What Maude did to me was not your fault.”
“I left you alone with her. Not just today, but too many times.”
“And do you honestly believe that Maude and I would have never been alone the rest of my life?” Ezra asked. “No, dear cousin, this was always her plan and she would have found a way to fulfill it. Truthfully, I am glad it happened with you present. I would have hated to have been at her mercy when I awoke.”
“Cousin?” Charlotte smiled.
“That has not changed.” The matter-of-fact way he said it warmed her heart.
The logic of his words should have assuaged some of her guilt, but that would take time. “I am glad that I was here for you too,” Charlotte said. “But I can not forgive myself for -- “
“I forgive you,” Ezra said simply as he held her hands. “Whatever wrong you think you’ve done to me, I forgive you.”
Charlotte was about to protest when she sensed Maude’s revival. “Your mother’s waking up.”
Ezra’s eyes grew cold. “Don’t call her that.”
Charlotte nodded. “Whatever decisions you make with regard to Maude, I will support. I hope you’ll stay, but if you want to go-- “
“Go?” Ezra snorted. “You think I would actually go anywhere with her ever again?”
Smiling, Charlotte knew in that instant that all of Maude’s plans had failed. She’d raised Ezra poorly, not thinking of the consequences of her inattention. Maude had turned him Immortal, and only succeeded in turning him from her completely. Charlotte felt some satisfaction as she anticipated what was to come and the emotional pain it would cause her student. It was heartless, she knew, but nothing less than Maude deserved.
Fascinated, Ezra watched as Maude sat up. “I don’t think I actually believed it until this moment,” he said quietly.
Grumbling about the pain bullets cause, Maude proceeded to refasten her bodice and moved to sit on the hay bale next to Ezra.
“I hope you are convinced,” she said, smiling when she noticed them watching her. “Because I really dislike that particular demonstration.”
“He is,” Charlotte replied.
“Good,” Maude said as she laid a hand on Ezra’s. “Then you understand this gift I’ve given you.”
Ezra lifted her hand and set it back on her own thigh. “Gift?” He was incredulous. “That’s what you think this is?”
Maude looked confused by his coldness. “Charlotte, you said you were going to explain everything.”
Charlotte chuckled. “I did, but I warned you he wouldn’t see it the same way you do.”
“Ezra, surely you see the advantages of Immortality in our line of work. There are so many cons that we can play. We can fake our deaths to great benefit for blackmail and--“
Ezra put up a hand. “No,” he said simply.
“It’s obvious you don’t understand. With two of us it is much easier to play the death con because the other is there for protection,” she explained. “When you see it in action you will understand. I have the system all ready to go, I’ve just been waiting for you to join me.”
Charlotte had to stop herself from laughing as Maude misinterpreted his resistance.
“That’s what this is about? You tolerated me for all these years so you could improve your ability to swindle people?”
“You don’t have to be so crude about it, but now that you’re Immortal we can do so much more!” Maude was getting excited. She stood and began pacing as she laid out their future together. “We need to go back to town and get your things. Once we are away from here, I’ll teach you the new act. I think Chicago would be an excellent starting place. You always enjoyed it there.” She stopped pacing to look at Ezra. “Unless you prefer San Francisco?”
Ezra stood slowly and came to stand in front of Maude. He took her hands gently as he met her gaze. At his kind gesture, triumph lit up Maude’s face. “Mother, and I use the term for the last time, I will not go anywhere with you, I will never be your partner again and I most certainly hope you go to hell.”
Maude looked liked she’d been slapped. Ezra flung her hands away from him and headed for the door. Charlotte threw Maude an “I told you so” look as she followed.
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom: Magnificent 7 and Highlander
Beta: Much thanks to ithildyn
Prompt: #69 - Thunder for Crossovers100. My table is here
Rating: PG, Gen
Characters: HL: OFC Charlotte Sparrow (AKA Pearl Black); Mag7: Ezra Standish, Maude Standish
Chapter Summary: Charlotte begins the task of explaining Immortality to Ezra but the shock of the day's events may be more that he can handle.
A/N: Charlotte is an Immortal and an original character created by ithildyn. In Charlotte’s bio, Ith mentioned that she’d lived in New Mexico in the 1860’s, so it was obvious to me she knew the Mag7 boys. I have added the idea that she was Maude Standish’s teacher, longtime friend and one of those people Maude would occasionally ‘dump’ Ezra with. The rest of Charlotte’s stories can be found on ithildyn’s journal Here
Chapter List
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11; Epilogue
Child Of My Heart, Chapter 10
Charlotte chastised herself a bit for enjoying the sight of Maude crumbling to the ground. She was still so angry with the woman and had to admit that she felt a great deal of satisfaction in killing her, even if it wouldn’t last very long.
She set the weapons aside and turned her attention to Ezra. What she saw tore at her heart strings. He was staring at Maude’s body, confusion and grief played war across his face. She could see him restraining himself from going to her.
“Ezra,” she said quietly, laying a hand on his shoulder. “All will be well. She isn’t really gone. Because we are Immortal, we can’t die permanently from that kind of wound.”
Charlotte watched as he blinked back unshed tears. He was so still and seemed so defeated. Maybe shooting Maude had been a selfish act on her part that only served to add to the trauma of the day. The woman was, after all, still his mother and no child ever wanted to watch their parent die.
“Ezra,” she repeated, trying to get his attention.
“I should feel worse seeing her lying there like that.” His voice had taken on a dull monotone. “Instead I just feel - numb.” He continued to stare at the body as he let out a shuddering breath.
He was in shock she realized; emotional overload. Charlotte took his hand and guided him to a seat on the hay bale. “She’ll be back. Trust me.”
Ezra nodded slowly as he settled in next to her. She put her arm around him and he immediately dropped his head onto her shoulder. It reminded her so much of that very first night Maude had left him with her. The scared little boy who didn’t know what was happening. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from giving in to the tears.
As much as she had recently wished he was still the little boy who needed her comfort, she found she wanted him to be the clever confident man she’d gotten to know these past months. The dead look in his eyes and his silence was scaring her. She prayed that Maude’s stupidity hadn’t permanently damaged him in some way. She knew some people couldn’t handle the transition but would not allow herself to believe that Ezra was one of them.
She squeezed his shoulder as she moved to face him. “Ezra, before Maude wakes up, I must tell you everything you’ll need to know about being an Immortal. Do you understand?”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “How did she know I wouldn’t die when she shot me?”
She rubbed a hand up and down his arm. “Because all pre-immortals give off a feeling that identifies them as potentials.”
“That’s how it happened?”
Confusion showed in Charlotte’s eyes and he clarified the question.
“In the orphanage, that’s why she picked me because she knew I - that I - that someday --” he trailed into silence.
“Yes, I believe so.” She hated to confirm that to him, but she had already decided there would be no more lies between them, no matter how painful the truth was.
His head drooped and his shoulders sagged. “She didn’t want me just my potential.”
She wasn’t about to defend or try to explain Maude’s complex feelings toward Ezra. Charlotte only knew how she felt. She placed a finger under his chin and tilted his head up to look him in the eye. “I never cared about that. From the first moment I saw you when you were five, I loved you. You are the child of my heart and I will always love you for the wonderful man you are in here.” Charlotte placed a hand over his heart before pulling him into a hug. She could feel his ragged breath on her neck as he clung to her.
“I love you too.” It was said so quietly, she almost missed the admission.
She held him close, willing her strength to him. Finally, Ezra separated himself from her. She reached up and brushed a wayward curl from his forehead. He barely acknowledged the gesture.
“Are you ready to hear all about what it means to be an Immortal?” she asked.
He raised a hand to his temple. “This buzzing behind my eyes. It feels like it’s coming from you, but I don’t feel it from Maude any more.”
“I like to think of that as an early warning signal,” she said lightheartedly, trying to draw him out of his melancholia. “Now that you’re Immortal, you’ll always sense when I’m around.”
Ezra met her eyes and there was finally a hint of a smile. The first since he’d awoken. “I like that idea. Always knowing when you’re around.”
Charlotte smiled and felt her heart lift a little. She hated having to share the rest of the story just as he seemed to be coming back to himself. “But it is also a warning. Not all Immortals are friendly and it’s a way of protecting ourselves.”
Ezra took her hand. “Immortality,” he sighed, and Charlotte could sense he was still struggling with the concept. “So, this was the big secret you and Maude were keeping.”
Charlotte nodded. “We guard the secret because most people wouldn’t understand.”
A surprised look crossed his face. “I would have understood.”
She reached up to stroke his cheek. “I know, dearest, but I was trying to protect you.” She was rewarded with a shy smile at the use of his childhood affection. “Realizing that you might become one of us someday, I wanted to spare you the details until you needed to know.”
“I guess now I need to know.”
Charlotte gathered her thoughts and plunged into the explanation of the Game and the rules that went along with it. She told him of the mythical prize, the need for secrecy and why he must become a better swordsman. Lastly, she told him that all Immortals were foundlings with no blood ties to anyone, and ultimately alone. Ezra sat patiently, without interruption, absorbing all she had to share. Charlotte watched him carefully trying to gauge how the things she was describing were affecting him.
“Those are the basics,” she said as she finished, waiting for him to begin asking the torrent of questions she could see in his eyes.
Ezra was silent as he picked through the information. “Tell me about you; who you really are.”
Charlotte was surprised that this was the information he wanted first, but she shouldn’t have been. Everything had changed and he needed to set their relationship back on an even keel. Hearing her history would allow him to really know her again.
“Well, I was born Charlotte Black in 1739 and I died in 1767 at the age of 28,” she began.
“I’m twenty-eight. It seems we are the same age,” he smiled at that revelation and she could see that the connection pleased him.
She laughed. “Not exactly. I’m one hundred and twenty seven but I look twenty eight.”
“And you will always look twenty-eight?”
She nodded. “I must admit I was surprised you never noticed that Maude and I hadn’t aged.”
He studied her as if really seeing her for the first time. “I guess I believed you looked so young and beautiful because somehow I always wanted you to be that way.”
Charlotte smiled and bumped shoulders with him. “Flatterer. You’re as bad as Buck.” She could feel their camaraderie returning and it gave her hope that their relationship would not change.
“I’m sure Mr. Wilmington would have said something even more appropriate,” he teased. “He’s a professional.” Ezra stilled but there were signs of distress returning to his eyes. “The others, what can I tell them? Will this change everything?”
“It doesn’t have to. They don’t know what happened here. Even JD was too far away to have heard the shots. What you do with your Immortal life is your choice,” she assured him.
“I don’t know what I want to do yet,” he admitted. Charlotte was relieved to see the panic fade away as quickly as it had appeared. He was master of his own destiny, even if he didn’t know what that destiny was. Charlotte knew he’d never felt he had the power to choose.
“Do you want me to continue with my history?” she asked. “I haven’t gotten very far.”
Ezra opened his mouth to encourage her to continue, then stopped and glanced at Maude. “Why? Why did you spend all those years catering to her demands and pretending she was your cousin?”
This was the one question she had asked herself again and again over the years. After today, she would carry the guilt of her friendship with Maude, and the choices she’d made, because of what the woman had done to Ezra.
“I was her teacher, as I hope to be yours,” she said. “You must understand that the relationship between mentor and student is one of the most profound we as Immortals have. There is trust at the highest level. Trust that the other won’t take your head, especially during the vulnerable months of training. It creates a bond as strong as any family.”
“And you thought of her that way?”
“Yes. Maude had her faults, but like any black sheep you always hope that you will be the one to bring them back into the fold. I felt a sense of responsibility for Maude. I was wrong and you paid the price.” There it was: her failings as a teacher and mentor laid open for Ezra to see.
Ezra looked at her, no blame in his eyes. “What Maude did to me was not your fault.”
“I left you alone with her. Not just today, but too many times.”
“And do you honestly believe that Maude and I would have never been alone the rest of my life?” Ezra asked. “No, dear cousin, this was always her plan and she would have found a way to fulfill it. Truthfully, I am glad it happened with you present. I would have hated to have been at her mercy when I awoke.”
“Cousin?” Charlotte smiled.
“That has not changed.” The matter-of-fact way he said it warmed her heart.
The logic of his words should have assuaged some of her guilt, but that would take time. “I am glad that I was here for you too,” Charlotte said. “But I can not forgive myself for -- “
“I forgive you,” Ezra said simply as he held her hands. “Whatever wrong you think you’ve done to me, I forgive you.”
Charlotte was about to protest when she sensed Maude’s revival. “Your mother’s waking up.”
Ezra’s eyes grew cold. “Don’t call her that.”
Charlotte nodded. “Whatever decisions you make with regard to Maude, I will support. I hope you’ll stay, but if you want to go-- “
“Go?” Ezra snorted. “You think I would actually go anywhere with her ever again?”
Smiling, Charlotte knew in that instant that all of Maude’s plans had failed. She’d raised Ezra poorly, not thinking of the consequences of her inattention. Maude had turned him Immortal, and only succeeded in turning him from her completely. Charlotte felt some satisfaction as she anticipated what was to come and the emotional pain it would cause her student. It was heartless, she knew, but nothing less than Maude deserved.
Fascinated, Ezra watched as Maude sat up. “I don’t think I actually believed it until this moment,” he said quietly.
Grumbling about the pain bullets cause, Maude proceeded to refasten her bodice and moved to sit on the hay bale next to Ezra.
“I hope you are convinced,” she said, smiling when she noticed them watching her. “Because I really dislike that particular demonstration.”
“He is,” Charlotte replied.
“Good,” Maude said as she laid a hand on Ezra’s. “Then you understand this gift I’ve given you.”
Ezra lifted her hand and set it back on her own thigh. “Gift?” He was incredulous. “That’s what you think this is?”
Maude looked confused by his coldness. “Charlotte, you said you were going to explain everything.”
Charlotte chuckled. “I did, but I warned you he wouldn’t see it the same way you do.”
“Ezra, surely you see the advantages of Immortality in our line of work. There are so many cons that we can play. We can fake our deaths to great benefit for blackmail and--“
Ezra put up a hand. “No,” he said simply.
“It’s obvious you don’t understand. With two of us it is much easier to play the death con because the other is there for protection,” she explained. “When you see it in action you will understand. I have the system all ready to go, I’ve just been waiting for you to join me.”
Charlotte had to stop herself from laughing as Maude misinterpreted his resistance.
“That’s what this is about? You tolerated me for all these years so you could improve your ability to swindle people?”
“You don’t have to be so crude about it, but now that you’re Immortal we can do so much more!” Maude was getting excited. She stood and began pacing as she laid out their future together. “We need to go back to town and get your things. Once we are away from here, I’ll teach you the new act. I think Chicago would be an excellent starting place. You always enjoyed it there.” She stopped pacing to look at Ezra. “Unless you prefer San Francisco?”
Ezra stood slowly and came to stand in front of Maude. He took her hands gently as he met her gaze. At his kind gesture, triumph lit up Maude’s face. “Mother, and I use the term for the last time, I will not go anywhere with you, I will never be your partner again and I most certainly hope you go to hell.”
Maude looked liked she’d been slapped. Ezra flung her hands away from him and headed for the door. Charlotte threw Maude an “I told you so” look as she followed.