CHALLENGE:  RoundUp Challenge 2005 (the River Challenge) offered by NotTasha

 UNIVERSE:  Angela B’s 7B Ranch AU

MAJOR CHARACTERS: All Seven           

RATING:  FRC-FRT           

ARCHIVE:  Yes,  M7 Challenge site, Angel’s Reading Lounge, my own

SPOILERS:  All of Angela B’s stories especially Christmas Trappings

NOTES:  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Angela for letting me play in her wonderful universe.  I love every single story ever written in this AU.  I hope I didn’t ruin it!

 This is the second story I have written and the first one I ever completed.  Something sparked when I read the challenge.   Honestly, I have no idea what I am doing so don’t cringe too much

Part 1

Ezra wasn’t sure how they did it but the seven of them had somehow jammed themselves and all their camping gear into one vehicle.  The overloaded SUV that was borrowed from a neighbor traveled down the roadway, if this pothole filled dirt strip could be called such a thing, at a moderate speed.  It seemed as if the others were in no hurry to reach their destination as their caterwauling rendition of “99 Bottles…” filled the car at deafening levels.  Ezra was beginning to daydream that all of those bottles of root beer would come crashing down on their heads.  ‘Maybe it would knock them out.’ he secretly hoped; ‘then I wouldn’t have to listen to their obnoxious singing.’  With that thought in mind Ezra settled back as much as possible in his cramped seat and watched the scenery as it passed by his dust covered window.

Josiah, who was in the drivers seat, caught a glimpse of the smirk that crossed Ezra’s lips and wondered what had caused such an expression to appear on his obviously miserable brother’s face.  Shrugging the thought off, knowing that he would never receive an answer, Josiah once again contributed his deep baritone voice to the family sing-a-long.  He knew that Ezra’s idea of a family vacation did not  include a three hour drive in a cramped SUV to an out of the way camping spot.  In fact when it was brought up at the end of the school year, everyone in the family embraced the idea except for Ezra.

The plan was for all seven of them to be off, alone somewhere, so that they could have one last adventure as a family before Nathan began college this fall.  Camping had always been a favorite for the outdoor minded family and it was decided that a trip to the old camping grounds that rested on the edge of their property was called for.   This camp site was located beside a small waterway that fed into the South Platte River.  It was a secreted spot the family has used for many years to do some fishing and rafting.  At this time of year, with the river still being fed from mountain melt off, the rafting would be rough but as long as they kept the younger boys to the center of the raft, the older brothers would be able to handle the churning waterways.

The singing and boisterous behavior of six of the seven brothers continued until they reached their destination.  Once the SUV pulled into the camp grounds, the seven brothers tumbled out of the over-stuffed vehicle, stiff from the limited movement they have had to endure during the three hour drive.  Stretching cramped muscles and breathing in lungs full of fresh air, all of them agreed that it was good to finally be here, even if the ride over was fun.

The brothers quickly volunteered and divided up the tasks of setting up camp.  Josiah and Nathan would set up the tents and cook area.  Buck and JD would work on separating gear and Vin and Chris would start gathering wood.  As they went to start their various jobs Josiah noticed that Ezra was standing off to the side alone.  Chris having noticed the same thing quickly came to the rescue before Ezra thought he was being left out.

“Hey Ez, your with me and Vin.  We will be needing lots of firewood and the more hands we have to gather it the sooner we will be done.”

Ezra was not thrilled with the idea but figured it would give him a bit of time to be out and away from everyone.  He was definitely looking forward to the peace and quiet that Vin and Chris would offer so he quietly followed them into the woods without a word of protest.

“Did I just witness that?”  Buck asked in amazement.

“What are you talking about Buck?”  Nathan was curious as to what Buck was referring too.  He turned his head in the direction Buck was staring towards the woods thinking that some sort of wild animal may be there

“Did Ezra just go off with Chris and Vin and volunteer to help gather wood, which will be dirty and most likely house some creepy crawlies, without an argument?  The same Ezra Standish that fusses when he has KP duty with Chris?”

Seeing that Buck was more amused than amazed, Josiah decided to play along too.  “I don’t know Buck.  It could be that the long ride here in that cramped car could of caused our young brother to finally lose it.”

Nathan now knowing what they were talking about shook his head and lightly chuckled.  “You two are just asking for trouble this week.”

“What do you mean by that Nate?”  Buck asked with a truly confused look on his face.

“I just mean that if your going to start picking on Ezra already, don’t come crying to me when he gets his revenge on you.  I for one do not want to be a victim of one of his practical jokes this summer.”

Josiah’s rumbling laughter and JD’s high pitched squeal of giggles echoed in the clearing.  “Nathan has a point there Buck.  Maybe you better watch what you say this week.  We all know Ezra wasn’t too happy about this trip as it was, we better not give him more reason for revenge.”

Soon the joviality of the situation passed as four brothers returned to the task of setting up the camp site.

Part 2

Off in the woods Chris and Vin moved around chatting quietly about tracks they have seen or small animals and bugs they have spotted while gathering up some fire wood.  Ezra followed behind at a sedate pace.  He didn’t join in their conversation or the joy of their findings.  He instead collected wood here and there as he enjoyed the relative peace of the woods.

It wasn’t that Ezra didn’t enjoy camping, in fact the few times he had participated in the event with the Walkers and his younger siblings he grew to enjoy the activity.  Bobby had found that while Ezra didn’t like the dirtier parts of camping, like the cleaning of fish caught that day or the “joys” of finding bugs that snuck into your sleeping bag during the night, he did enjoy the quiet and peace that accompanied a walk in the woods, the act of fishing itself, or any other experience that allowed him to simply enjoy the outdoors.  What was bothering Ezra about the trip was that it possibly put him in a situation like that of what happened before Christmas.  He could still feel the panic of not being in control.  He could still see Vin’s scared countenance while he laid on the ground bleeding and he could still hear the anger in Buck’s voice as he accused him of being irresponsible. 

“Ezra…hey Ez!” 

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Chris calling.  Looking around he found himself alone, no sign of Vin or Chris around.  Too caught up in his thoughts that he was paying no attention as to where his brothers were leading.  Now he was in the middle of the woods without one of them in sight.

‘Just great Ezra’ He berated himself while looking around in disgust.  ‘You are completely incompetent.  Only you could get lost in the woods while following two other people.’ 

A rustling noise to his left caused him to turn just in time to see Chris, followed by Vin come through a small stand of trees and bushes.

“There you are.  We were worried that you were hurt when we turned and you weren’t behind us and then you didn’t answer when I called.  You ok Ez?”  The concern on Chris’ face and in his voice was genuine.  As much as Chris enjoys the outdoors and spending time with his family, he was against this trip.  He quietly protested the idea, using the ranch and stock as an excuse.  His true reason for his lack of enthusiasm was that he felt it was too soon.  Even with the three older brothers there to watch the four younger ones, he had this fear that something like what had happened before Christmas could easily repeat itself.

When he and Vin were walking and talking about the various signs of animals they saw on the ground while collecting firewood he began to think his worries were just silly.  Then he turned to see a track that Vin had found and noticed that Ezra was not behind them.  Trying to keep calm as to not frighten Vin, he asked if he noticed where Ezra went.  Vin’s bright blue eyes widened and he turned around in a frantic circle trying to get a glimpse of his southern brother.  Chris put his hand on Vin’s shoulder and gently squeezed,  “it’s alright.  We just got separated.”

Patting Vin on the back he silently communicated for him to follow along as they retraced their steps, calling out for Ezra, who was too consumed in his own thoughts to hear them at the time.  Though each step he took with no answer from Ezra caused panic to rise in him, he kept a brave face on for Vin’s sake, the entire time all he could picture was that fateful day in December, when they came across a scared Ezra hovering over a too still Vin.  Only now the image of that day morphed into these woods with Ezra lying alone and hurt.

Breaking through the next set of brush he and Vin collectively gave a sigh of relief at seeing Ezra standing there with his arms loaded with firewood.  Chris approached Ezra, who seemed to be acting a little strange.

“There you are.  We were worried that you were hurt when we turned and you weren’t behind us and then you didn’t answer when I called.  You ok Ez?”

Mentally shaking the last of his thoughts away and silently cursing himself for the worry he saw in his brothers’ eyes, jeweled green orbs focused on the present.

“I’m sorry.  I just became so engrossed in my surroundings I didn’t realize that I had ventured away from the two of you.  I did not mean to take you away from your enjoyment of the exquisite scenery around us.”

“Ezra, we have all week to enjoy the scenery.  We were worried that you got hurt or something.  Why didn’t ya answer when Chris called you?”  Vin asked with a slight edge of annoyance to his voice.  ‘Why couldn’t Ezra just simply answer a question for once? ‘

‘Because he’s Ezra’ His mind answered itself.  In truth Vin wasn’t sure what to do or feel at the moment.  Chris and Ezra were not the only two thinking of previous events.  Vin’s mind returned to the pain of that day and of all the days that followed as he slowly began to regain use of his leg.  He never, ever wanted one of his brothers to go through that same kind of pain.  So finding Ezra ok and unharmed made him a bit angry and annoyed with Ezra.  Why did he have to bring up all of these feelings?  This is supposed to be a time for fun not bringing up bad history.

Ezra was a little shocked to see the slight anger appear on Vin’s visage.  He continued to silently berate himself.  He knew that this was a mistake.  He didn’t want to come along for the pure and simple fact that he didn’t want to chance being put in charge of the two youngest.  Now he was ruing the trip for everyone with his thoughtless behavior.

“I… I wasn’t paying attention and didn’t here him call.” He answered honestly while looking down at his arms full of firewood.

Following his gaze, Chris decided that it was probably best to drop the subject for now; after all he was guilty of the same thing once in a while.

“Lets get back to camp, I think we have enough fire wood to last the night.  I don’t know about you two but it feels like it has been a long time since breakfast.  Just follow us Ez, Vin and I left our wood on the path up a ways.  We’ll go get it and then see if the rest of the boys have camp ready for us.”  This was all said as a humorous grin started to spread across his face.

The mood decidedly changed as the three brothers decided to push back all of the anxiety of earlier, denial a sweet and welcoming place to reside.

Part 3

The rest of the afternoon passed by without incident.  After returning to camp with the firewood, they cooked the hotdogs they had packed in the cooler.  They had decided that enough would be happening that day without having the added hassle of making sure they all had a full belly by bed time but starting in the morning they would be dependant on the land, just like Bobby and Janice had taught them.

A couple of hours before the sunset, the seven brothers walked the short way to the riverbank.  Here there was a small inlet that trapped some water making it perfect for a small watering hole.  Being close to the river there was always caution to ensure that no accidents occurred but the area was relatively safe and though the water came from the river, there was no direct connection that would allow for the possibility for someone to get swept down stream.

The brothers enjoyed a leisurely swim and played water tag and swam races.  Sometimes they would just lie on the bank and enjoy the late afternoon sun and heat.  When the sun finally disappeared behind the hills of the western landscape, they all made their way back to camp.

They stopped and picked some fresh black berries and blueberries.  Being a frequented spot throughout the summer, Bobby and Janice had planted a few fruit bushes near enough the camp to allow a good source of food when they needed it.  These berries, though tempting to eat now, would be saved for morning when they could be enjoyed with Josiah’s fluffy flapjacks. 

Gathered around a now warming fire, they shared an evening meal and settled back to enjoy the nightly show.  Close enough to the fire to benefit from its warmth but far enough away to see the splendor that swept the night sky, Ezra found himself with both of his younger brothers snuggled against him as he pointed out various constellations. 

“There is the Big Dipper which is part of Ursa Major which is know as The Great Bear and if you follow the two stars on the outer edge of the cup you will find Polaris…”

“The North Star” Vin breathed out in a contented sigh.  He loved it when they did this.  Vin knows the constellations, maybe not all of them by their fancy scientific names like Ezra but he knew them and they often gave him peace.  He knows the stories behind them but nothing was better than listening to Ezra’s smooth retelling of each one, his vocabulary allowed him to speak with an elegance that Vin’s heart could only express.

“Where’s Orion?”  JD asked.  The story of Orion had always been a favorite of JD’s mainly because of his two loyal companions.  Ezra explained to JD, in terms he could understand that Orion was only visible at certain times.  He gave a simplified version of the scientific reason but JD wanted more.  He wanted the story.

Ezra had a knack for telling a story and soon everyone in camp was listening to the story of Orion the hunter, his dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor. Lepus the rabbit and Scorpio.  He enthralled them all about the birth of Orion form the Ox, Taurus and his love for Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt.  He wove the tale of how Apollo became jealous of the love and sent the giant scorpion to hunt the hunter and that is why the two never share the sky.  In summer Scorpio chases Orion and by winter, Orion scares off Scorpio.

By the end of the tale, JD and Vin were both snuggled down and asleep and Ezra could hardly speak three words before they were cut off by a huge yawn.

Nathan sat off to the side taking in the whole scene.  Caught between adulthood and childhood, it was often difficult for the 18 year old to belong in one group.  Ezra, Vin and JD saw him more as a guardian like Chris, Buck and Josiah more and more each day and Chris, Buck and Josiah still saw him as a kid.  Whatever role he played in the family now, he knew he was loved.  For now he was content to sit and contemplate the peaceful moment.  It seems like it has been a long time since everyone seemed happy.  He is entranced by the quiet sharing and bonding that is taking place between them all and he wishes that they could be like this forever.

“We better bed down for the night” Josiah’s deep rumbling voice sounds above him moments before a gentle hand lands on his shoulder.  “Do you want to help me get Ezra settled?”  Josiah continues.

It is then that Nathan notices Buck caring a limp JD and Chris guiding a groggy Vin to the tent the three youngest will be sharing.  Looking over to the spot they once occupied Nathan spots a very tired but valiantly-struggling-to-stay-awake Ezra sitting alone.  Nathan smiles up at Josiah, “I got him, why don’t you bank the fire for the night and I will see you in the tent.”

“Hey Ez.” Nathan quietly calls out as he approaches him.  “How about you and I check to see that Chris and Buck put the terrible twosome down correctly” He tries but fails miserably at keeping the amusement off of his features.

“And I suppose that is a hint for me to go to bed as well, if you can call sleeping on the hard cold ground with little more than a thin layer of polyfill between it and my poor body.”  Ezra responded in a mumbling slur.

“Yep!”  Is all Nathan could respond with as he chuckled lightly while steering an oblivious Ezra in the right direction to his “bed.”

Josiah worked on banking the fire so it would be safe to go to bed and straightening up the area around it, though there really wasn’t much of a mess. 

“Good night Josiah.”  Chris and Buck both called as they head to the tent they will be sharing.  They made no attempt to soften the laughter in their voices.  They realize that Josiah was left with the nightly chores tonight and were more than happy to ‘rub it in.’

“Laugh it up now boys, there is always tomorrow.”  He just left it at that.  He turned back to his cleaning and securing for the night with a large smile on his face.  This is just what they needed.  Some time to remember what it was like to be a family only a minimum of responsibilities this week and lots of time to have fun.  If everything continues to go as well as it did today, they will be leaving here in six days much closer as a family.