Twenty Years Later
By: Carole
Chris
Larabee looked out over Four Corners, a cheroot
clenched tightly between his teeth. Clad in an
old battered poncho that had seen better days, he
wore an almost wistful _expression as he compared
the present day town to the one that had existed
during the early days of the Magnificent Seven.
Once a dusty, lawless town on the verge of being
swallowed up by the surrounding desert, Four
Corners was now a thriving, peaceful community.
The Magnificent Seven had changed notably as
well. As a body, they were older, grayer, wiser -
although Chris wasn't too sure about the wiser
part - and, if the truth be told, a bit slower,
although their youngest member often made up for
that with his still-youthful exuberance.
While it had been awhile since the Seven had rode
together in any official capacity, all six of his
friends, after leaving for various reasons and
lengths of time, had eventually returned to Four
Corners. And now, twenty years later, Chris's
extended family consisted not only of his friends,
but also their wives and children.
Still lost in thought, Chris's attention was
caught by movement across the street. Vin Tanner,
still favoring an old buckskin coat and munching
on an apple, had just exited the general store.
As Chris watched, Vin suddenly stopped in his
tracks, his head swiveling and his eyes searching.
Chris grinned as Tanner's gaze found him. The
tracker nodded his head slightly in
acknowledgement, a smile forming on his own face.
For a second, Chris was transported back in time,
to the moment that the two men had first exchanged
glances across that same dirt street, then Larabee
tilted his head toward their favorite saloon in
invitation. When Vin nodded again and took a step
forward, Chris moved out into the street as well.
Striding together toward the saloon at the end of
the street, both men smiled as they were joined,
first by Buck, and then by Ezra, Josiah, Nathan,
and JD in turn.
A look of contentment crossed Chris's face, a look
that was quickly echoed on the faces of his men,
and the years seemed to melt away as the Seven,
forever linked together by an unbreakable bond of
brotherhood, walked side-by-side in perfect
unison.
~end~