Just Following the Road
by Setcheti for the May 2003 M7 24-Hour Challenge

Disclaimer: Don't own them, never have, never will. And Mog created the ATF AU.


The road was empty. Not a soul was in sight as he walked along its side under the early morning sky. The rays of light just peeking over the lush tree line did little to cut through the chill that had settled deep in his bones. Ezra Standish was at a complete loss as to exactly how he had ended up there. And as to why the twisting, cobbled road was such a strange color. It clashed badly with his shoes, and he didn't like that at all. But then of course, he couldn't remember where the shoes had come from either...

A throat clearing drew his muddled thoughts away from the tangent they'd wandered off in and he looked up into his companion's round blue eyes. "Ez, stay with me, pard."

"I have gone nowhere," Ezra maintained. He squinted down the road. "And I appear to be going nowhere, does this damnable road actually lead somewhere?"

"Yep, sure does - I think." Vin didn't wink but he did grin. Of course, he could hardly do anything else, considering. "Chris should be back soon, he'll tell us."

Sure enough, clanking footsteps announced that Chris was returning to them. "Well?" Ezra asked.

"Road ends up ahead, pretty field of flowers, your favorite color too," Larabee answered him in a rusty voice. He pointed back the way he'd come. "Josiah stayed up there, I couldn't get him to come back with me."

Ezra snorted softly. "Well, we had best rejoin him before he gets himself into mischief." He cocked an eyebrow up at Larabee. "I don't suppose you recall how I got here, do you?"

"If this is another complaint about the road and the shoes, I don't want to hear it," Chris replied, brandishing his axe. "Walk, Ezra - I don't want to stand around like a statue here all day, you know."

"Don't look like rain that I can see," Vin teased him, capering out of the way of the axe. "Rusty, Cowboy."

Chris glowered at him and then went back to stomping down the road, muttering under his breath. Ezra just shook his head and went back to putting one foot in front of the other, doing his best to ignore the clashing colors. He perked up a bit, however, when the road crumbled to an end and he saw that the thick field of fragrant flowers matched the shoes rather well. He hesitated to walk into the field, though. "Isn't there a path?"

"No," Chris grunted. "Don't worry about crushing any of them, if Josiah didn't there's no way you're going to." He pointed with the axe. "See, he's right over there."

"Curled up like a big kitten," Vin chuckled. "C'mon, Ez."

Ezra took a step into the flowers...and then stopped and sniffed, his head spinning. "Gentlemen, I find I am not so sure about this pretty path, the smell is rather overpowering."

Vin made a show of sniffing. "I think it's nice, real pretty."

"Very funny, Mr. Tanner." Ezra took a step back. "Perhaps we had best remove Mr. Sanchez from this locale..."

He all but ran into Chris, who glared down at him. "Well, if you want him out then you go in there and get him."

Ezra ducked the shove that would have sent him sprawling into the middle of the flowers and then found himself avoiding a near-tackle from Vin as well. His instincts were screaming at him as he danced out of reach of both of his companions. "I don't know what the two of you are up to..."

Hysterical chattering laughter interrupted him, and he ducked again as the two winged monkeys swooped down with what looked like deadly intent. They circled and then begain making short, diving runs at him, obviously attempting to drive him into the flower field. "Buck, JD, what are you trying to do to me?!"

More laughter, and the two monkeys dove for him again. Ezra found trapped between the sea of heady red blossoms and four determined attackers, and was driven back toward Josiah a step at a time. "Just keep goin', Ez," Vin crooned. "It's all gonna be all right, just breathe deep and easy and it'll all be over before you know it."

"Over?!" But Ezra's dizziness was already deepening into frightening lethargy. He staggered and ended up half-collapsed against Josiah's warm, soft bulk, the flowers rising up around them like a miniature forest. "I don't understand..."

Overhead, the circling monkeys screamed with laughter again. They were starting to blur on him, as were Chris and Vin, and he felt himself sinking farther into Josaih's coat as the scent of the flowers filled his lungs like molasses. "You just go to sleep, Ezra, it'll all be all right," Chris told him as if from a great distance. "Nathan will be here soon."

Ezra's eyes fell shut and he struggled to get them back open. "He'll leave the throne room..."

"For you he will," Vin assured him. Ezra felt a gloved hand touch his hair. "S'alright, Ez. We'll be here when you wake up."

Ezra managed another snort, and then he was asleep. He woke up an indefinite amount of time later, still feeling lightheaded, and smiled to see them all still there as promised - even if they were all asleep in their chairs. He closed his eyes again with a sigh and a tired chuckle, making a mental note not to watch The Wizard of Oz before a bust ever again, and fell back to sleep wondering idly if Travis would make a good Glinda.