"He was your brother?" "Your brother shot you in the back?" Nathan stood, bringing instant silence to the room. "What did I tell you guys?"

"It's alright Mr. Jackson. I expected nothing less. Yes, we were brothers. Half-brothers to be precise. And no Mr. Larabee, I shall not lose sleep over my act of fratricide. From what I understand, his intention was to kill both you and Mr. Tanner, and for that alone he deserved his fate. I assure you, there are many additional crimes he had to answer for."

Buck looked at his friend. "Would you mind terribly if I dug the bastard up so I could have a shot at him?"

"Actually, that title is mine. Mother believed herself to be wed to Richard Carson at the time of my birth, and it was over a year until she discovered otherwise. That happened when he showed up with a 5-year-old William in hand, having left the child's mother, his legal wife, behind somewhere in New York. I would prefer to leave the details of the next years out of this discussion. The memories are less than pleasant, and telling them would serve no purpose.

In other words, Chris thought, Maude comes off less than favorably. Still, nothing was to be gained by putting Ezra through the telling, so he nodded his agreement on behalf of all of them. "Like we said Ezra – as much or as little as you want to share."

"When it was over, I was informed that I would not bear the burden of his last name, and took that of my mother instead. Suffice to say circumstance brought us together again in later years. Richard had vanished at some point. His fate remains unknown to me, and now likely will forever be a mystery. That does not concern me in the least. William proposed a family business, and our connection was formed. We went on for several years, not always working together, but often. Then came what I had assumed would be a final parting. His arrival here fulfilled one of my worst nightmares. I firmly believed that his presence would bring to an end my time with you men."

"Damn near did." Buck growled. "But I'm bettin' that wasn't what you were thinking."

"William Carson is – was – an evil man. I did not fully appreciate that until it was too late for me to fully disassociate myself. And even then I had no concept of the depths to which the man could sink. Nevertheless, I was a party to much of what he did, and as such carry the responsibility."

"Don't know how many times we have to tell you Ezra. Your past is none of our concern."

"There are criminal considerations involved in this Mr. Larabee. We are supposed to be lawmen, are we not?"

"And if someone comes to arrest you we'll deal with it. We've got no posters on you and you've been long since pardoned for the one charge we know about. The rest doesn't exist."

"I think you've paid for your sins son. More than paid."

"Others have paid for them too Mr. Sanchez. That is my fault." Ezra's voice was getting weaker as he fought to maintain an appearance of detachment. He feared he would lose his composure at any moment, and wished he had agreed to earlier efforts to end the discussion.

Chris thought back to what Vin had told him earlier in the day, and finally saw the pieces fall into place. "Elizabeth made her own choices Ezra. She could have easily gone with you, but chose not to. Whatever happened there, it's not your fault."

"I never should have left her with him. I should have seen what would happen."

"How were you supposed to do that? You have the ability to see read the future Ezra? Were you supposed to make yourself miserable because she didn't know a good thing when she say it?" Buck challenged. "You're better off."

"He killed her." Ezra spoke so softly it was barely audible, but it stopped all of the them instantly. "He gloated about it after shooting me. Told me far more than I needed to know. I have no doubt she suffered. And I have no doubt it was because she wanted to leave him. She had heard I was settled her, and that she wanted to find me again. He killed her because of me." He sobbed out the last words, finally losing the control he'd fought so hard to maintain. Nathan made a move to go to his side, but Chris was there faster.

"He killed her because he was one sick son of a bitch. That's not on you. It's not on her either. All him Ezra. Just like you guys managed to convince me the Ella is to blame for Sarah and Adam, you've got to see that he's to blame for Elizabeth. I'm not going to let you fall down the hole I lived in for all that time after I lost my family. Not happening Ezra."

"I should have known."

"You couldn't Son. There's no shame in that."

"He didn't even have the decency to see that she was buried Chris." Ezra was shaking, overcome. "He left her to rot out there. How could he…" Ezra stopped, unable to speak any further.

Vin move over and nudge Chris away. "Ezra, do you remember talking to me in the wagon? When we were bringing you back? You told me some of this then. Told me what he did." Ezra shook his head, not able to look at any of them. "You told me what he said. That's why I haven't been here. I went to the Seminole Village, they contacted some others. I found what he called Canyon Gulch. We call it Whistler Canyon. Ezra. Ezra look at me. I found her Ezra."

He looked up, stunned into silence. "I found Elizabeth for you Ezra."

"How?"

Vin smiled slightly. "Cause I'm as good at tracking as you are at cards. Once I knew the area, it wasn't too hard to find the most likely place he would – well – do what he did. Then I went down and started hunting. I brought back what I could find Ezra. You can bury her proper like." He waited for a moment then pulled away. "Nathan, something's wrong." The healer moved in quickly, but relaxed after a quick look.

"Basically, he fainted. He tired himself out, then all this is just too much. Out – all of you. I'll stay here, but nobody needs to talk to him any more tonight. Or tomorrow. He's got to sleep."

"I'm staying here Nathan. There's one more thing to tell him, and you got to trust me, it'll help him." Nathan looked at Vin and realized there was no point in arguing. "Fine, but don't wake him. When he comes to on his own you can talk to him – if he feels up to it. The rest of you – leave. And somebody bring us back some dinner."

7-7-7-7-7-7-7

Nathan was sleeping on the floor mat when Ezra awoke again several hours later, trying to sit up and gasping in pain. Vin rested his hand gently on the wounded man's arm. "It's OK Ezra. I'm here." Nathan sat up immediately, but Vin signaled him to stay where he was. After a moment, Ezra's breathing returned to normal.

"You needn't be here Mr. Tanner. You should be resting."

"I'm exactly where I should be, and for the last time, knock of the Mister crap. Nothing you said, nothing that has happened has changed the way any of us feel about you. No, that's not true. If anything, I have more respect for you. You faced down this demon in a way that took a lot of courage. I'm sorry my carelessness meant you had to kill your brother."

"He was not by brother Vin. Yes, we were connected by blood, but that is all there was. I have come to learn that the bonds of family reach far beyond that connection. I have no regrets for my actions. If that makes be me a callous, cold-blooded man, so be it."

"No way Ezra. You're a good man. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Ezra was quiet for a time, and Vin was almost convinced he'd gone back to sleep, until the whispered question came.

"You really found her?"

"Yeah Ezra. I wish I could have done more."

"Nothing more could be done Mist- Vin. You have no idea what it means to me. To know she isn't abandoned to the elements forever. I cannot believe you were able to retrieve – anything."

"I won't lie. It's not a lot, but I think something is better than nothing – right?"

"Assuredly." Ezra was fighting hard to keep his voice from breaking. "But it is the act of doing it, the effort made that means so much to me. Especially now."

"There's something else Ezra, if you feel up to it." He got a small nod, so continued. "I found something of hers there. Looks like he left her bag and purse when he – left her there. Wasn't too much left of them. Nothing worth saving. But they served to protect something. There was a necklace. A locket. It was under the bag, kind of protected from everything. It was dirty, but still in one piece." He dug into his pocket and laid the treasure in Ezra's outreached hand. He clasped in tightly, using more strength than Vin would have expected he still possessed.

"I think you'll want to see the picture."

"No, I don't. I remember the piece. It was from the same picture I showed you before. William had it printed up small for her. Him on one side, her gazing at him from the other. I don't need to see what's inside, but I will treasure the piece. Thank you, Vin."

Vin took it from his hand and opened the charm. "She changed it Ezra. She must have saved a copy of that picture, because she changed what's in here. He ain't there Ez. You are. You had the place near her heart." He turned it toward Ezra. Through tear filled eyes, Ezra could see his face looking longingly at Elizabeth, but now, she looked back at him. He knew that while it didn't reflect the reality of that moment, it did seem to reflect the passage of time.

"I have no words. There is no way to thank you."

"Yeah, there is. You let yourself off on this. What happened was wrong, but it wasn't your fault. You got to remember she cared for you when all was done. That's the only important thing in this. There rest is just history. Go to sleep Ezra. You want to thank me, you get yourself better. That's all I need. All we need." He waited till Ezra was sleeping, then quietly left the room.

Elizabeth was buried in the town cemetery three weeks later when Ezra was strong enough, in every sense, to attend. He stood, surround by the men who were his family by choice. A bond stronger than any blood ties could ever be.

M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7

The End