Nightmare
(Old West)

by GemsPegasus

Disclaimer: The Seven don't belong to me. I'm only saddling them up for a 'ride' or 3. I will return them to MGM, Mirisch and Trilogy when we're done. Not mine. No copyright infringement intended. This was written for fun only. No profit made.
Characters: Ezra, Chris, Mary Travis, Nathan.
Rating: Gen
Spoilers: for episode "Serpents".
Summary: Ezra dreams after the confrontation with Stutz. Fiction is a "missing scene" fan fiction from the episode, "Serpents". Nightmare sequence in italics.


Ezra resolutely stalked to the livery intent on saddling Chaucer and riding out of Four Corners forever, never to return.

'You would only be leaving your soul behind.'

Ezra angrily blinked that thought away as he accidentally bumped shoulders with a glass-eyed stranger. After exchanging glances with the man, Ezra moved on then stopped right outside the livery doors. Whirling around, Ezra waded into the crowd, only to find the wrong man. Eyeing Chris, Ezra hurried to Chris's side and told him about Stutz being in the crowd.

Chris told him Stutz was not after the governor but rather after Mary.

While Chris tried to get Mary out of the crowd and off the street to safety, Ezra began to search the crowd with his eyes to see if he could see Stutz. Spotting Stutz, the gambler rushed forward.

'Oh, Lord, he's heading straight for Mrs. Travis. I won't let an innocent woman be murdered,' flashed through Ezra's head as he ran to intercept the assassin.

Stinging, sharp pain exploded through Ezra's body as the bullet from Stutz's gun tore though Ezra's muscle and bone.

Ezra collapsed. His lifeblood drained from him and pooled heavily onto the dusty street.

Barely hearing all the chaos and melee on the street, the gambler heard Nathan entreating him to hold on as Nathan futilely tried to staunch Ezra's wound.

"It's been a privilege to know you, Mr. Jackson," Ezra mumbled painfully as his head lolled against Nathan's chest.

Before, Nathan could reply, Ezra heard Mrs. Travis thanking him for saving her life.

"I did? I did!" said Ezra more weakly than before.

The last words that Ezra Standish ever heard were the words of Chris Larabee, "You done good, Ezra."

Nathan Jackson was wiping Ezra's fevered brow when Ezra muttered, "It's been a privilege to know you, Mr. Jackson." Nathan blinked in surprise at Ezra's words

What was the Southerner dreaming about? Nathan wondered.

Jade green irises opened wide and Ezra gasped in a deep breath.

It had just been a nightmare. He had not died from Stutz's shot.

Nathan offered him a sip of water, while he thought, 'It's a privilege to know you too, Ezra.' He didn't say it aloud though because he knew Ezra would be mortified so instead he fussed over Ezra's fever and the gambler's injured arm.

Earlier that afternoon Josiah had helped Nathan attend to an unconscious Ezra. The former preacher had kept apologizing to Ezra for thrusting the temptation of the money at Ezra so abruptly and rudely just so that he, Josiah could be free of the serpent tempting him.

It had surprised Nathan to find out that Josiah had also been tempted by the money.

Not one of the seven had known about this temptation of Josiah's while everyone knew money was Ezra's temptation.

'But yet, when Ezra could have escaped with the money, he chose to take a bullet to save Mary's life,' Nathan thought to himself as he changed the dressing on Ezra's arm.

Ezra blinked sleepily at Nathan as he heard the healer call his name.

"Just wanted to add my own 'You did good, Ezra' as Chris told you earlier," said Nathan as he patted Ezra on his good shoulder and the gambler drifted off to sleep with a little smile quirking his lips upward.

That night, Ezra's fever broke and he was able to get a night of restful, uninterrupted sleep.

The next morning, Ezra had his arm in a sling and several other minor cuts and bruises but he was well enough to leave the clinic.

Chris Larabee doing his morning patrol of the town stopped in front of the clinic and his, "How are you feeling, Ezra?" floated up to Nathan and Ezra who were standing on the balcony outside of Nathan's clinic.

Ezra answered with, "Well, I'll be shuffling one-handed for a while but otherwise I'm right as rain."

Chris's reply was, "All right then." He then turned to continue on with his patrol.

Ezra glanced at Nathan who nodded and grinned slightly. Ezra continued in a mischievous tone of voice, "Oh, by the way..."

Chris stopped walking and looked back up at Ezra.

Ezra with a sly smile, asked, "What are we planning to do with that money?"

A big grin split Chris's face as he thought, 'Yup, Ezra's fine.'

THE END

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