Each Must Know His Part (5/6) - Magnificent 7/Highlander
Title: Each Must Know His Part (5/6)
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Magnificent 7; Highlander AU
Beta: ithildyn
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: Ezra Standish, Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson and JD Dunne. Chris/OFC - Charlotte Sparrow
Summary: An unexpected visitor to Four Corners, forces the men to come to terms with Ezra and Charlotte's Immortality
A/N: This is part of the Aces Immortal series created by me and ithildyn,
Chapter List:
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Ezra took a gasping breath and bolted upright. He was completely disoriented and unsure of what had happened, but instinctively his hand flew to his throat.
"It's still there," a familiar voice chuckled.
"Vin?" He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on where he was. He was sitting on the bed in Chris' cabin and he was very much alive.
"Yep. Gotta tell ya, Ez," Vin smiled a mischievous glint in his eye, "I'd 'preciate it if ya'd stop dying in front of me. It's just danged creepy watching you wake from the dead."
Ezra stared at the tracker. He was not happy that Vin had reminded him of his second death, the indignity of it still annoyed him. "I shall endeavor to make sure you are not around the next time I expire."
"So'kay. I think I'm startin' to get used to it," he laughed. Vin stood, dragged the chair he'd been sitting on next to the bed and settled himself back down.
"I am glad one of us is. While I am grateful for my Immortality, I am still not comfortable with my ability to resurrect." He rubbed his brow trying to rid himself of the headache that always seemed to accompany his return to life and looked around Chris' cabin. "What exactly happened?" he asked.
"Figured if he could cheat," the tracker tilted his head toward the kitchen area, "then so could you."
The gambler looked to where Vin indicated. Karl Jaeger was tied to a chair, head bowed forward and very dead. There was a wide patch of red on the man's tan shirt.
Ezra swung his legs off of the bed and stared at his friend. "You shot him?"
"Yep."
"Vin, I…," Ezra hesitated overwhelmed by what he owed his friend. He wasn't sure what had possessed the tracker to follow him; but, if Vin hadn't been present, he would most definitely be dead. He was a bit pleased by the idea that his friendship meant enough that, even after Charlotte's command to stay away, Vin was here watching his back. His hand reached up to massage his neck again.
"Hell Ezra, you've saved my life a few times. Figured this might be my only chance ta save yours." Vin smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.
Ezra returned the smile. "And for that you have my undying gratitude." The two stared at each other a moment before they broke into raucous laughter at the awful pun.
Ezra stilled as he felt the Immortal presence in his head.
"He wakin' up?"
"Yes."
"Know what you gonna do?"
The mischievous smile returned to Ezra's face. "Yes, I do." He looked around. "My sword?"
The tracker walked over to the small kitchen area and retrieved the sword from the counter. Ezra stood and felt the room tilt a bit. Vin was at his side immediately.
"You okay?"
"It just takes a few moments to get my bearings back after a brief trip to the great beyond." He pulled himself from Vin's grip, straightened his sleeves and smoothed down the front of his shirt. His hands hesitated at the bloody spot and he was reminded again how close he'd come to real death.
"Your assistance shouldn't be necessary but," Ezra's eyes drifted to Vin’s gun," just in case." He had no qualms about utilizing Vin's solution again if his opponent failed to cooperate.
Vin nodded and after handing Ezra his sword, pulled his mare's leg, keeping it trained on the now conscious Immortal.
Ezra moved to stand in front of Karl. The German didn't say a word just stared at him with hatred in his eyes. "Now what am I to do with you?" Ezra mused.
"Go to hell!" Karl barked, and struggled against his bonds.
"I doubt that I will be the one visiting that locale today." Ezra began to swing his sword in an arc in front of him, not contacting the other Immortal but tracing an invisible line across the man's neck.
"You can't kill me!" Karl insisted. "That's not fair. I'm tied up!"
Ezra snorted. "Fair? You shot me, sir!" He stopped the sword's motion, keeping it pointed at the hollow of Karl's throat.
Gone was the braggart from the saloon, replaced by a sniveling bully who'd had the tables turned on him. Jaeger gulped as he watched the sword inch closer to his neck. "But…but you cheated."
Ezra's green eyes flared with anger. "I did not!"
"You aren't some scared, inexperienced Immortal. You lied to me!"
"Lied to you?" Ezra looked back at Vin. "Do you recall me lying to this odious man?"
"Nope, he's the one who cheated." Vin sent the German a cold smile as he hefted his gun a little higher. "That made me mad. So's it alright iffen I shoot him again?"
"I'm afraid not. As much as I'd like to see that, I need him awake so that I can present my proposition."
"You're going let me go?" Karl asked, a small hope flaring in his eyes.
Ezra and Vin laughed. "Of course not," Ezra said, the 'you idiot' implied in his tone. "I can not allow you to roam freely to ambush other unsuspecting Immortals."
Karl drooped. "Then what?"
"I can either take your head where you sit or you can finish the fight in an honorable fashion."
Vin leaned in to whisper, "Ez, you sure?"
Ezra nodded and pushed for Karl's answer, "Well?"
"Not much of a choice," the German groused. "I lose either way."
"True, but I somehow wouldn't feel right if the first head I took was from a man tied to a chair."
"First…head," Karl sputtered.
Ezra was rather pleased at the look of surprise on the man's face. Confirmation that Ezra was as good as he thought he was. He would have to thank Charlotte for all of those wearisome days of practice, because this first challenge had really been no challenge. At least up until the point when his opponent had broken the rules.
Karl nodded as he resigned himself to his fate. "Let's finish this."
*****************************
Vin leaned against the hitching post as Ezra and Karl faced each other in an exact mirror of their positions earlier. But with one significant difference; this time it was Ezra that had a look of confidence while Karl was the one unsure of his skill.
He held his gun at the ready in case Karl decided to run or cheat, though Vin figured that was unlikely to happen again.
Ezra brought his sword up and took a step toward Karl. When the German didn't respond with like motion, the gambler hesitated. Vin understood his dilemma. When defending themselves or those they cared about, there was no uncertainty in killing a man, but neither he nor Ezra were the kind to take a man's life in cold blood.
"Ready yourself," Ezra demanded.
"What's the point?" Karl countered and raised his arms wide as if waiting for Ezra to take his head.
Ezra straightened his shoulders and raised his sword above his head ready to deliver the decapitating blow.
Something in Jaeger's demeanor triggered a warning in Vin's mind; it was a ruse, Karl was drawing Ezra in. Pushing himself off the railing, Vin wanted to shout to his friend, but immediately bit down on the words. He knew it wasn't his place to interfere, only if Karl broke the rules, again, would he use his gun.
He shouldn't have been worried; at the last instant Ezra changed the arc of his motion to bring the sword plunging toward Karl's stomach. The German's parry swung wide making no contact with Ezra's sword as he'd been expecting his opponent to be aiming higher. Now off balance, Jaeger was wide open to attack. Ezra's sword slid into Karl's stomach, driving him to his knees.
Vin could see the disbelief in Jaeger's face. He'd been conned by Ezra once again.
"This may be my first challenge," Ezra sneered. "But I am no novice when it comes to tactics." He pulled his weapon out of Karl's body and kicked the man's sword away.
Karl glared at Ezra and then at Vin as he knelt in the grass awaiting his fate. Vin thought Ezra was giving him a more honorable death than the cheater deserved.
Ezra swung his sword down severing the German's head from his body. It was over, Ezra was the victor. Vin started to walk toward his friend, but stopped when he waved him off.
He nodded thinking that Ezra needed a moment to himself and then the first lightening strike hit.
"Ezra!"
"Stay back!" he commanded as the lightening struck again and Ezra was driven to his knees.
At first, Vin had no idea what was happening. The wind had picked up and he had to place a hand on his hat to keep it from blowing off. It felt like one of those electrical storms that Vin had experienced when he'd traveled in West Texas, but something was different. He looked behind him and the sky was clear. The only storm was the one centered right over Ezra.
This had to be the Quickening ritual that Ezra had told them about when he'd first confessed his Immortality; the exchange of power from one Immortal to another. Nothing Ezra had described prepared Vin for the intensity of what he was witnessing. He stood transfixed by the explosion of sound and color as the lightening continued to slam into his friend.
And then it was over. Ezra fell forward onto all fours, panting for breath. Vin raced to his side, kneeling beside him.
"You okay?" It was a stupid question because his friend sure as hell didn't look okay.
Ezra held up a hand as if the ability to speak was too much effort. Vin waited patiently as Ezra leaned back to rest on his haunches taking deep breaths.
The two stared at each other. Vin realized that Ezra was just as unprepared for the onslaught of the Quickening as he'd been.
"Quite a light show you put on, pard," Vin teased.
"I can only imagine what it looked like from you perspective," Ezra huffed out still winded from the experience.
"Did it hurt?"
"Not exactly. It was not painful as a gunshot wound would be, but it was definitely uncomfortable and unexpected in its intensity." Ezra grabbed his sword from where it lay in the grass and used it to climb to his feet. Vin stood with him, watching to see if Ezra would need his assistance.
"What was it like; taking in that power?"
Ezra took a deep breath and stretched, rolling his shoulders as if waking from a long nap. "Charlotte tired to describe the Quickening process too me several times, but failed to truly capture it." Ezra was staring at the decapitated body as his voice grew softer. "I understand now that there are no adequate words to explain the event. Only by experiencing a Quickening can one truly comprehend it."
Vin nodded. He had wanted to ask more, but Ezra had made it clear that he wasn't able to offer anything else. Vin was grateful that he'd been here to watch the Quickening. It had been both the most terrifying and beautiful storm he'd ever seen. He hoped someday to find the words to describe it.
Author: strangevisitor7
Fandom/Universe: Magnificent 7; Highlander AU
Beta: ithildyn
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: Ezra Standish, Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner and Buck Wilmington Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson and JD Dunne. Chris/OFC - Charlotte Sparrow
Summary: An unexpected visitor to Four Corners, forces the men to come to terms with Ezra and Charlotte's Immortality
A/N: This is part of the Aces Immortal series created by me and ithildyn,
Chapter List:
Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6
Chapter 5
Ezra took a gasping breath and bolted upright. He was completely disoriented and unsure of what had happened, but instinctively his hand flew to his throat.
"It's still there," a familiar voice chuckled.
"Vin?" He rubbed his eyes and tried to focus on where he was. He was sitting on the bed in Chris' cabin and he was very much alive.
"Yep. Gotta tell ya, Ez," Vin smiled a mischievous glint in his eye, "I'd 'preciate it if ya'd stop dying in front of me. It's just danged creepy watching you wake from the dead."
Ezra stared at the tracker. He was not happy that Vin had reminded him of his second death, the indignity of it still annoyed him. "I shall endeavor to make sure you are not around the next time I expire."
"So'kay. I think I'm startin' to get used to it," he laughed. Vin stood, dragged the chair he'd been sitting on next to the bed and settled himself back down.
"I am glad one of us is. While I am grateful for my Immortality, I am still not comfortable with my ability to resurrect." He rubbed his brow trying to rid himself of the headache that always seemed to accompany his return to life and looked around Chris' cabin. "What exactly happened?" he asked.
"Figured if he could cheat," the tracker tilted his head toward the kitchen area, "then so could you."
The gambler looked to where Vin indicated. Karl Jaeger was tied to a chair, head bowed forward and very dead. There was a wide patch of red on the man's tan shirt.
Ezra swung his legs off of the bed and stared at his friend. "You shot him?"
"Yep."
"Vin, I…," Ezra hesitated overwhelmed by what he owed his friend. He wasn't sure what had possessed the tracker to follow him; but, if Vin hadn't been present, he would most definitely be dead. He was a bit pleased by the idea that his friendship meant enough that, even after Charlotte's command to stay away, Vin was here watching his back. His hand reached up to massage his neck again.
"Hell Ezra, you've saved my life a few times. Figured this might be my only chance ta save yours." Vin smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.
Ezra returned the smile. "And for that you have my undying gratitude." The two stared at each other a moment before they broke into raucous laughter at the awful pun.
Ezra stilled as he felt the Immortal presence in his head.
"He wakin' up?"
"Yes."
"Know what you gonna do?"
The mischievous smile returned to Ezra's face. "Yes, I do." He looked around. "My sword?"
The tracker walked over to the small kitchen area and retrieved the sword from the counter. Ezra stood and felt the room tilt a bit. Vin was at his side immediately.
"You okay?"
"It just takes a few moments to get my bearings back after a brief trip to the great beyond." He pulled himself from Vin's grip, straightened his sleeves and smoothed down the front of his shirt. His hands hesitated at the bloody spot and he was reminded again how close he'd come to real death.
"Your assistance shouldn't be necessary but," Ezra's eyes drifted to Vin’s gun," just in case." He had no qualms about utilizing Vin's solution again if his opponent failed to cooperate.
Vin nodded and after handing Ezra his sword, pulled his mare's leg, keeping it trained on the now conscious Immortal.
Ezra moved to stand in front of Karl. The German didn't say a word just stared at him with hatred in his eyes. "Now what am I to do with you?" Ezra mused.
"Go to hell!" Karl barked, and struggled against his bonds.
"I doubt that I will be the one visiting that locale today." Ezra began to swing his sword in an arc in front of him, not contacting the other Immortal but tracing an invisible line across the man's neck.
"You can't kill me!" Karl insisted. "That's not fair. I'm tied up!"
Ezra snorted. "Fair? You shot me, sir!" He stopped the sword's motion, keeping it pointed at the hollow of Karl's throat.
Gone was the braggart from the saloon, replaced by a sniveling bully who'd had the tables turned on him. Jaeger gulped as he watched the sword inch closer to his neck. "But…but you cheated."
Ezra's green eyes flared with anger. "I did not!"
"You aren't some scared, inexperienced Immortal. You lied to me!"
"Lied to you?" Ezra looked back at Vin. "Do you recall me lying to this odious man?"
"Nope, he's the one who cheated." Vin sent the German a cold smile as he hefted his gun a little higher. "That made me mad. So's it alright iffen I shoot him again?"
"I'm afraid not. As much as I'd like to see that, I need him awake so that I can present my proposition."
"You're going let me go?" Karl asked, a small hope flaring in his eyes.
Ezra and Vin laughed. "Of course not," Ezra said, the 'you idiot' implied in his tone. "I can not allow you to roam freely to ambush other unsuspecting Immortals."
Karl drooped. "Then what?"
"I can either take your head where you sit or you can finish the fight in an honorable fashion."
Vin leaned in to whisper, "Ez, you sure?"
Ezra nodded and pushed for Karl's answer, "Well?"
"Not much of a choice," the German groused. "I lose either way."
"True, but I somehow wouldn't feel right if the first head I took was from a man tied to a chair."
"First…head," Karl sputtered.
Ezra was rather pleased at the look of surprise on the man's face. Confirmation that Ezra was as good as he thought he was. He would have to thank Charlotte for all of those wearisome days of practice, because this first challenge had really been no challenge. At least up until the point when his opponent had broken the rules.
Karl nodded as he resigned himself to his fate. "Let's finish this."
*****************************
Vin leaned against the hitching post as Ezra and Karl faced each other in an exact mirror of their positions earlier. But with one significant difference; this time it was Ezra that had a look of confidence while Karl was the one unsure of his skill.
He held his gun at the ready in case Karl decided to run or cheat, though Vin figured that was unlikely to happen again.
Ezra brought his sword up and took a step toward Karl. When the German didn't respond with like motion, the gambler hesitated. Vin understood his dilemma. When defending themselves or those they cared about, there was no uncertainty in killing a man, but neither he nor Ezra were the kind to take a man's life in cold blood.
"Ready yourself," Ezra demanded.
"What's the point?" Karl countered and raised his arms wide as if waiting for Ezra to take his head.
Ezra straightened his shoulders and raised his sword above his head ready to deliver the decapitating blow.
Something in Jaeger's demeanor triggered a warning in Vin's mind; it was a ruse, Karl was drawing Ezra in. Pushing himself off the railing, Vin wanted to shout to his friend, but immediately bit down on the words. He knew it wasn't his place to interfere, only if Karl broke the rules, again, would he use his gun.
He shouldn't have been worried; at the last instant Ezra changed the arc of his motion to bring the sword plunging toward Karl's stomach. The German's parry swung wide making no contact with Ezra's sword as he'd been expecting his opponent to be aiming higher. Now off balance, Jaeger was wide open to attack. Ezra's sword slid into Karl's stomach, driving him to his knees.
Vin could see the disbelief in Jaeger's face. He'd been conned by Ezra once again.
"This may be my first challenge," Ezra sneered. "But I am no novice when it comes to tactics." He pulled his weapon out of Karl's body and kicked the man's sword away.
Karl glared at Ezra and then at Vin as he knelt in the grass awaiting his fate. Vin thought Ezra was giving him a more honorable death than the cheater deserved.
Ezra swung his sword down severing the German's head from his body. It was over, Ezra was the victor. Vin started to walk toward his friend, but stopped when he waved him off.
He nodded thinking that Ezra needed a moment to himself and then the first lightening strike hit.
"Ezra!"
"Stay back!" he commanded as the lightening struck again and Ezra was driven to his knees.
At first, Vin had no idea what was happening. The wind had picked up and he had to place a hand on his hat to keep it from blowing off. It felt like one of those electrical storms that Vin had experienced when he'd traveled in West Texas, but something was different. He looked behind him and the sky was clear. The only storm was the one centered right over Ezra.
This had to be the Quickening ritual that Ezra had told them about when he'd first confessed his Immortality; the exchange of power from one Immortal to another. Nothing Ezra had described prepared Vin for the intensity of what he was witnessing. He stood transfixed by the explosion of sound and color as the lightening continued to slam into his friend.
And then it was over. Ezra fell forward onto all fours, panting for breath. Vin raced to his side, kneeling beside him.
"You okay?" It was a stupid question because his friend sure as hell didn't look okay.
Ezra held up a hand as if the ability to speak was too much effort. Vin waited patiently as Ezra leaned back to rest on his haunches taking deep breaths.
The two stared at each other. Vin realized that Ezra was just as unprepared for the onslaught of the Quickening as he'd been.
"Quite a light show you put on, pard," Vin teased.
"I can only imagine what it looked like from you perspective," Ezra huffed out still winded from the experience.
"Did it hurt?"
"Not exactly. It was not painful as a gunshot wound would be, but it was definitely uncomfortable and unexpected in its intensity." Ezra grabbed his sword from where it lay in the grass and used it to climb to his feet. Vin stood with him, watching to see if Ezra would need his assistance.
"What was it like; taking in that power?"
Ezra took a deep breath and stretched, rolling his shoulders as if waking from a long nap. "Charlotte tired to describe the Quickening process too me several times, but failed to truly capture it." Ezra was staring at the decapitated body as his voice grew softer. "I understand now that there are no adequate words to explain the event. Only by experiencing a Quickening can one truly comprehend it."
Vin nodded. He had wanted to ask more, but Ezra had made it clear that he wasn't able to offer anything else. Vin was grateful that he'd been here to watch the Quickening. It had been both the most terrifying and beautiful storm he'd ever seen. He hoped someday to find the words to describe it.