Disclaimer: The Magnificent Seven belong to MGM, Trilogy, etc.
Challenge: M7M Challenge for 11/21/04 – the boys are thankful for something
Characters: Seven
Universe: Various
Rating: G
Feedback: to MMW

For This I Give Thanks
By MMW

Old West - Nathan

Nathan had given this a lot of thought and hoped he’d be given a chance to explain. Finally his turn came to say what he was thankful for this year. “I’m most thankful for the bounty on Vin’s head.” Silence reigned at the table. Puzzled looks flashed at him, but Vin smiled, understanding. “If it weren’t for the bounty, Vin wouldn’t have been in town to save me from that lynching and I never would have met any of you.”

Blue eyes met brown and the current of friendship between them warmed both the wanted man and the former slave.

Little Britches Star Trek – Vin

Vin sat at the dining table and watched as the people he now considered family interacted. Buck was teasing Ezra about a poker game, Josiah and Chris were discussing something with long words, Nathan was cutting up JD’s food and explaining why it was important to eat snow peas.

Vin sat quietly smiling and absorbed it all, the love, the friendship and the warm feeling it made inside of him.

“You doing OK, Vin?” Chris asked quietly.

Vin smiled up to the man who had become his father and nodded, not knowing how to express his thankfulness at having family.

ATF – JD (before they were seven)

JD sat quietly in the chair watching his mother’s chest rise and fall. Glancing out the window, he saw the bare branches waving in the November wind as the dry brown leaves danced across the ground. A low, mournful howl began as the wind sought entrance to their apartment through the ill-fitting windows.

He knew most people would find this situation depressing, but they would never understand. Turning his eyes once more toward the still form on the bed, JD could only be thankful he’d been given one more day with his mother, one more day of not being alone.

Little Britches Old West – Buck

This was the worst part of their job as peacekeepers. It had been one of the reasons he’d given up his role as a lawman in Texas. He watched the couple age before his eyes as the devastating impact of his news was understood. There were no words to offer, nothing to say to ease the pain.

Once more offering his sympathies, he donned his hat and mounted his horse. Once he was out of sight of the homestead, he kicked the horse into a run and headed for home, thankful JD was alive and waiting for him.

Lost Lambs – Josiah

Josiah stood quietly by the grave and thought back to the last time he had stood here. Hannah had been in the sanitarium for only a year and it had fallen to him to make all the arrangements. He had asked one of the local pastors to give the eulogy and proceeded to say nothing during the entire ceremony.

Everyone had offered their sympathy. Josiah had felt only relief and thankfulness that his father was finally dead. Now, years later, the thankfulness was still there.

“Ready to go?” Chris asked, approaching the man.

Josiah nodded and turned, never looking back

The Firm – Chris

The others came in and settled in the various chairs around the living room, which bore a striking resemblance to a bombsite at the moment.

JD began asking each of the men what they were thankful for this year.

Chris realized that for the first time in a long time, he was actually able to be thankful. It had been these men that had given that back to him.

When his turn came, Chris met each pair of eyes and let his thanks show. Then, glancing at the room offered, “I’m thankful I don’t have to clean up this mess.”

Brothers Larabee AU2 – Ezra

Ezra sat in the living room quietly shuffling his cards as the sounds of the night and his sleeping brothers surrounded him. He had fought them almost every step of the way when it came to becoming part of this family. They had overcome a lot in their struggle to find family and their place in it. He was glad they had.

Now as he reflected upon the changed these six men had wrought in his life, he couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on his face. Feeling a need he couldn’t describe, he looked heavenward and said, “Thank you.”

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