Vin rushed through the doors into the waiting room, heading straight for the group of five men that had taken over a corner of the room. "How is he?"
"In surgery," Buck answered.
Realising that wasn't really enough information, Nathan elaborated, "He has a concussion from the blow to his head. Some organ damage and internal bleeding, which is what the doctors are working on know. A couple of broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, broken right leg, bruises and abrasions."
"But he's going to be alright?" Vin knew they probably couldn't answer that, but had to ask.
"We'll know more when he's out of surgery," Nathan said.
Chris looked up at the sharpshooter and noted the strain and worry playing across the young man's features, it was the same anxious expression that was reflected on all their faces. "What happened?"
Taking the time to order his thoughts, Vin began, "Ezra'd been worried about an intruder for the past couple of weeks. Things in his apartment had been moving around daily, but nothing was ever missing."
"So that's what's been on his mind," Josiah mumbled quietly.
Vin ignored the interruption and continued, "Ezra, being Ezra, decided it was just his imagination and didn't tell anybody."
"So that's what happened tonight?" Buck asked. "Except Ez surprised him this time?"
"No... Yes.... I'm not sure," Vin shook his head. "I was with him when he first entered the apartment. Nothing had moved or changed. Ez said everything was fine, more than once, and that we had overreacted. I left, decided I was hungry and thought I'd grab some takeout and bring it back to Ez's place seeing as he hadn't eaten either. Twenty minutes later I found him."
"We don't know who did this?" Chris inquired.
Vin just shook his head.
"Do you think whoever it was is going to come after Ezra again?" Chris continued with the questions.
"I don't know," Vin shrugged forlornly. "I don't know whether this guy knows Ezra's been found. I don't know whether or not this guy would wait to see whether Ezra lives. I don't know whether this guy actually intended to kill Ezra or just harm him. I don't know..."
"So let me get this straight, somebody's been breaking into the place for days. Surely someone would have noticed," Buck stated hoping to get Vin off this train of thought.
"The lock hadn't been tampered with," Vin muttered. "Maybe the perp was using a key, that wouldn't look so suspicious."
"Who has a key?" JD wanted to know.
"The manager," Vin answered.
"I don't think the manager of Ezra's apartment building would..." Nathan began.
"No," Vin conceded. "But when we were interviewing him tonight, it wasn't hard to figure out where he kept all the keys and it didn't look that hard to get into. Someone who knew what they were doing could have taken the manager's key, copied it and then returned it without anyone ever knowing."
"That is a possibility," Josiah agreed.
"I should go check out the locksmiths in the area," Vin already began moving towards the door.
"They won't be open now," Buck said.
"Well then, I'll go back to the office and look them up there. That way I can call them first thing in the morning," Vin was still inching his way out of the waiting room.
Chris watched Vin and knew there was no talking him out of it. Moving in his seat, Chris got ready to follow the sharpshooter, when he noticed JD leap out of his seat.
"Wait up Vin," JD called, following Vin out the door. "I'll come with you, maybe I can help."
Chris slumped back into the chair, glad that he hadn't been the only one to notice Vin needed someone with him.
"We don't know whether this son of a bitch will come back to finish what he started," Buck vocalised what Chris was now thinking.
"It seems unlikely," Josiah stated. "I don't think he'd risk coming to the hospital unless he knew for sure whether Ezra was going to make it." He was going to add 'and we don't even know that yet', but thought better of it.
"Still I'd prefer one of us to be at the hospital at all times," Chris decided. "And if something comes up and we all get called out, then we'll organise another agent or cop we know and trust to come in."
The other three men nodded in agreement.
"Good," Chris sighed. "I'll stay tonight."
"I'll keep you company," Buck added.
When it didn't look like either Josiah or Nathan were planning on moving, Chris ordered them home so that they'd be rested for when they relieved himself and Buck in the morning.
* * * * * * * "We're looking up locksmiths in Ez's neighbourhood, right," JD confirmed as he and Vin stepped off the elevator onto the darkened floor.
"I can do that," Vin hit the light switch. "Maybe you could look up some of Ezra's old cases. Especially the ones from his FBI days. Narrow it down by only looking for any burglary or assault cases. Anyone who's been paroled within the last year that Ez'd put away."
"No problem," JD nodded. "Do you really think this was about someone with a grudge?"
"I hope so," Vin mumbled as he headed for his own office. Right know he didn't even want to think about how impossible this case would get if it had just been a random stalking.
After two hours Vin finally had most of the information he'd sought. He'd looked up all the locksmiths in the area and written down any places in the vicinity that had been rented in case the perp had stayed close to his mark. Vin had also run the number plates he'd noted of the cars parked around or close to Ezra's building - they had all checked out.
Wondering how the Kid was doing, Vin got up and headed towards JD's office, meeting the man himself halfway. JD handed over the ream of paper he'd been carrying, "I narrowed it down as much as I could, but there's still heaps. I made sure I printed out a brief description of their crimes."
"Thanks," Vin muttered as he snatched the pages and immediately started to read through the information. There was plenty here, probably a whole night's worth, and Vin absently sunk into the nearest chair, his brow furrowed in concentration.
JD watched the sharpshooter for a while wondering whether Vin remembered he was actually still in the room. Going back to his own office, JD took a few minutes to pack everything away, switch his computer off and turn the lights back out.
Vin had actually forgotten about the Kid once he started reading through the data. Knowing he probably wouldn't know the attacker by name, Vin skipped straight down the descriptions of the crimes, trying to find anything familiar. Vin's hand froze as he placed another sheet on the 'possibility' pile.
...objects in the victims homes shifted prior to crime being committed...
Vin's attention had been caught by the bolded line and he tapped his finger against the name written at the top. It couldn't be this easy, the bastard's name couldn't be near the top of the pile JD had handed him.
Curious as to why Vin had stopped all movement, JD looked over the sharpshooter's shoulder, "Daniel Reis. Is the name familiar?"
Vin shook his head, "No, but that's what's been happening at Ez's for the last couple of weeks."
"Reis never assaulted anyone though, he was just convicted for burglary," JD observed.
"Maybe he's changed his MO," Vin stared at the typewritten page hoping that it was this easy and that they at least had a name.
"I could go downstairs, try to pull the file," JD offered, stifling a yawn.
"Tomorrow," Vin noticed how tired the Kid looked, it had been a stressful night for everyone. "The file can wait until morning."
"Okay," JD agreed quickly, heading for the elevator and beyond that home and sleep. "Are you coming?"
"I'll just be a little longer," Vin answered. "But you go, get some shut eye. I'll lock up here."
JD nodded and disappeared behind the elevator doors. Vin sighed, staring at the large pile of paper next to him. Just because Daniel Reis fit into the right category, didn't mean some of the others wouldn't also. Vin shook any thoughts of sleep off and continued reading through the information.
* * * * * * * "Hey Vin," Nathan greeted the next morning when he saw the sharpshooter stride through the hospital's doors.
"Hey," Vin returned. "How's Ezra?"
"The surgeon said they were able to stop the bleeding, and that once he wakes up he should be okay," Nathan answered. "But he hasn't woken up yet."
Vin just nodded solemnly at the news.
"The doctor's letting us sit with Ezra, as long as it's not more than two of us at a time," Nathan continued. "Chris and Josiah are with him now. Buck went home, you just missed him."
Vin was just about to answer when Chris, looking incredibly worn out, joined them, "Vin, what's up?"
"I was just at the police station to see whether they had any results back," Vin replied. "I thought I'd drop by here to see how Ezra's doing."
"You can go in if you like," Chris offered.
Vin moved towards the hallway when the vision of Ezra, lying on the floor hurt and bleeding, flashed into his mind. Vin already knew how gruesome and lifeless the undercover agent looked, and didn't really think he wanted to see that particular image again. Stopping suddenly, the sharpshooter mumbled, "Uh, I have to get back to the office."
Chris and Nathan glanced at each other. "Alright," Nathan said as he headed towards Ezra's room. "Maybe next time."
"I'll come with you," Chris began walking towards the exit beside Vin. "I've already spoken to the Judge and he said he'd keep our workload light. But I still need to make sure the office is running."
Vin smiled wryly, "Yeah, the place would fall apart without you Larabee."
"Damn straight," Chris stated, giving the sharpshooter a soft glare. "Did you get anything on the fingerprints?"
Vin shook his head, "Just Ez's and ours."
* * * * * * * "You seem pretty set on this Reis guy," Chris observed as they arrived at the office.
"Just a feeling," Vin drawled. "Still have to check everything out."
"What about the vehicles in the area?" Chris asked suddenly. "Have the cops checked those out yet?"
Vin nodded, "And I'd already checked them out last night when I was looking up the locksmiths. They all seemed to check out."
"You planning on doubling up on all the work the police are doing?" Chris queried.
Before Vin could answer the elevator doors opened and JD stepped out, "Hey guys."
JD walked up to the two men, handing Vin a folder, "I was just downstairs and pulled that file on Reis."
Vin grabbed the folder and started looking through it, "Goddammit what is this shit. There's hardly anything in here. And no photo."
"I know," JD shrugged uncomfortably. "It's not completed."
"What the hell do you mean - it's not completed. I can't use this crap," Vin voice was rising in anger.
"Calm down Vin, it's not the Kid's fault," Chris interrupted.
Vin turned to JD, "I wasn't yelling at you. I was just...yelling."
"I know," JD said. "I was pretty pissed when I saw it myself. I'm gonna see if someone started another file. Maybe it's kept somewhere else. Then I'll call the jail, see if they have anything more."
Vin nodded sheepishly, "Thanks, Kid."
"And I can get the mail and any paperwork that's come in today sorted," JD continued. "You look pretty shocking Chris. You should go get some rest. I'll know where to reach you if there's a problem. I saw Buck when he came home, so I'll meet him at the hospital this afternoon to take over from Nathan and Josiah. You can come in then, check up on my work if you want."
Chris' mouth dropped open as he stared at JD. Hearing Vin's soft chuckle, Chris then turned to glare at the sharpshooter. "You know you don't look so hot yourself," he stated. "Are those the same clothes you were wearing yesterday?"
Meanwhile, JD had noticed the sheets of suspects he'd printed last night were divided into two distinct piles. "Did you go through all these last night after I left?" the Kid asked pointing the pages.
"Well, I..." Vin wasn't sure which question to answer first, and he really didn't want to answer either of them.
"I want you to go home Vin, get some rest," Chris stated firmly.
"No," Vin shook his head. "I've made appointments to see some of the locksmiths and real estate agents this morning."
"You can slow down you know," Chris said.
"Yeah, we're all gonna help you," JD agreed. "We want to get this guy just as much."
"I'm keeping the appointments," Vin was adamant.
"Okay," Chris sighed, too tired to argue further. "But promise me you'll go home afterwards."
"Yes sir," Vin muttered as he walked into his office.
* * * * * * * This time there were only Team 7 members in the waiting room as Vin entered the hospital. As he drew nearer the small group of men, Vin saw that they were eating dinner. He hadn't even noticed how late it was. "Did we scare everyone off?" Vin greeted.
"Sure looks that way," Josiah replied.
"And before you ask," Nathan interjected when he noticed Vin forming the question. "Ezra still hasn't regained consciousness yet."
"But all of us are allowed in to visit him at the same time," Buck's smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Because we've been so well behaved."
"Do you want something to eat?" JD offered.
Vin bent down and grabbed a couple of fries, and then reached for some more. He hadn't realised how hungry he was, in fact he couldn't remember when he last ate anything.
"Hey, leave some for me," Chris ordered as he strode into the waiting room from the hallway. He'd noted how ravenously Vin was now eating, and took the opportunity to check over the sharpshooter without the young man noticing.
The whole team looked worn out, Chris included, but at least you could tell they'd gotten some rest. Vin, on the other hand, looked exactly the same as when Chris had first seen him after the assault. Not exactly tired, more like wired, but when the adrenalin wore off Chris had a feeling exhaustion would soon take over. Vin probably knew that too, which is why the sharpshooter wasn't slowing down.
"From what I've heard," Josiah decided to break the silence. "It seems like Daniel Reis is still out best suspect."
"Yeah," JD agreed. "Except we haven't got a proper description, where he's living now or anything. I couldn't find any other file with the FBI, but I did call the prison and they're sending me over everything they can find."
"It's a shame nobody noticed anyone suspicious lingering around Ezra's apartment for the last couple of weeks," Nathan mused.
"What about yesterday?" Buck asked. "How did he get out of the apartment after attacking Ezra?"
"Front door," Vin drawled.
"Or the fire escape," JD suggested. "To avoid being seen."
Vin shook his head, "No, he would have had to make some noise getting down the fire escape. I re-interviewed most of the neighbours and they don't remember hearing anything like that last night."
"When did you talk to these people again?" Chris wanted to know.
Vin shrugged, "Today."
"I told you to go home after you'd spoken to the locksmiths and estate agents you had appointments with," Chris stated.
"I did," Vin indicated his change of clothes.
"For how long?" Chris asked becoming irritated.
"You never said anything about a time frame," Vin said, not liking the change in the conversation. "Anyway, the least obvious thing for this guy to do would be to walk right out Ez's front door, into the elevator, and out of the foyer as if nothing had happened."
"That's true," Josiah agreed.
"Did you pass anyone when you went back to Ez's?" JD inquired.
"Nope," Vin shook his head. "The only people I saw were already inside, lingering. I doubt this guy would have hung around."
"Still," Buck said. "You were only gone twenty minutes. You'd think you would have passed him somewhere around the building."
"Yeah," Vin whispered as he slumped back against a wall.
"It won't stop us from getting this guy," JD stated with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.
"Shit no," Buck agreed. "There's not way he's getting away with this."
"I've just remembered... I've got to.... I've got some things to check..." Vin mumbled as he headed towards the door.
"Vin, I thought you and I could sit with Ezra tonight," Chris called, but the sharpshooter was already out the door.
Chris turned to face the rest of his team, his puzzled expression mirrored by all.
"I'll stay here with you," Nathan offered after a moment.
* * * * * * * Vin wasn't sure what he hoped to achieve by being here. There were probably a million other things he could be doing to try and track down Ezra's attacker. However, being here seemed the most important place to be at the moment. The sharpshooter was glad that there was just enough illumination to see through the window into the hospital room.
Chris and Nathan were sitting either side of the still form in the bed. Ezra had drips and machines attached to him, his leg was in a cast and elevated, and you could just see the angry bruising around his chest and shoulders - the worst of it being covered by the blanket (thank God). Despite all that the undercover agent looked much better than the last time Vin had seen him, maybe now the sharpshooter could get the image of the bloody, broken heap that had been Ezra out of his mind.
Sighing, Vin rested his head against the glass. His constant concern for Ezra and his determination to catch whoever did this were steadily catching up with Vin, the warring emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
From inside the room, Nathan subtly nodded towards the window, and Chris tilted his head to find out what had attracted the other man's attention.
"Vin?" Chris whispered, still managing to startle the younger man. "What are you doing out in the hall?"
"I took the stairs," Vin stated vaguely.
"What?" Chris closed the door behind him and stepped closer to the sharpshooter.
"The other night," Vin explained. "I was waiting for the elevator up to Ez's floor, but they were taking too long, so I took the stairs instead."
"Where are you going with this?" Chris wanted to know.
"Buck's right, I should have passed the perp somewhere," Vin answered. "If I'd kept on waiting, I would have seen him at the elevators. He was probably coming down as I went upstairs."
"You can't be sure of that," Chris said quietly, the last thing he wanted was for Vin to start feeling guilty.
"Of course, if I'd just stayed at the apartment in the first place," Vin continued. "I just knew something was wrong, it felt strange. But I didn't even check the place out, I just left Ezra there alone."
Too late, Chris realised the sharpshooter had been feeling guilty all along, "You went back Vin. God knows how long Ezra would have been lying there, without medical treatment, if you hadn't acted on your instinct. He could be.... It could have been much worse."
Vin nodded absently, "I just wanna get this guy."
"We will," Chris squeezed Vin's shoulder, urging him toward the door. "Now, go in and sit with Ezra for a while."
As Vin entered the room, Nathan took his leave, giving Vin a small smile as he passed the sharpshooter.
Pulling the chair closer to the bed, Vin sat down and stared and the unharmed face of his teammate, noting how peaceful Ezra looked in his deep sleep. Just by being close to his friend, Vin was able to allow a calmness to wash over him as his inner strength began to resurface. Vin had been right, this was the most important place to be.
* * * * * * * Daniel Reis weaved his way around the cars in the hospital parking lot. He knew he really shouldn't be here, it wasn't exactly the smart thing to do. But Daniel had to see what he'd done, and if Standish still provoked that kind of anger. He'd never physically harmed anyone before, well not intentionally anyway. He was a thief, he stole, he didn't beat or kill - until now.
FBI Agent Ezra Standish had certainly pissed Daniel off when his robbery spree had come to an abrupt ending due to the wily agent. None of Reis' breaking and entering skills had diminished in prison, and when he was finally paroled seeking out Standish and teaching him a lesson had been foremost in the felon's mind. It had been so easy, the manager of Ezra's building had been so stupid, finding the right key had been a cinch. Reis knew it must have been getting to the agent, having things move around when he wasn't looking, that tactic had freaked out enough of his victims in the past. Then having it ignored by friends, and even police, when no evidence was found and nothing was ever missing pushed his marks into believing nothing was really wrong. They usually became even more lapse with their security, not wanting to overreact and embarrass themselves, making it easy to take whatever he wanted. What Daniel wanted from Ezra was to regain his confidence in his abilities and methodology, being able to make an FBI Agent think he was losing his mind had been providing these for Reis.
But the son of a bitch had actually had the gall to change the locks. Ezra was becoming more security conscious instead of less. And not being able to just use the key he'd had cut, Reis had actually had to break in. Lying in wait for the agent, Daniel's anger had festered rather than dissipated. It had been working so well, Standish was become a paranoid mess, and then it overnight it had changed. Then, hearing that Ezra had actually told someone who seemed to take Standish seriously, had increased Reis' rage to the point of blindly lashing out.
Now Daniel had to see what he'd done to Standish for himself, register in his mind how terrible this feeling was, and make sure he never let his ire get away from him like that again.
Knowing that Standish was still with the Bureau after having tracked him down to Denver, Reis carefully scanned the room he'd entered. Unfortunately, the only nurse in sight was standing behind the nurse's station, where a young man was hovering. Not liking that the kid would be able to overhear, but not really being able to do anything about it, Daniel strolled towards the nurse to ask for Standish's room number.
* * * * * * * "Who were you talkin' to Kid," Vin asked as he returned to the hospital with the file he'd collected from the police, while the rest of Team 7 were all in Ezra's room.
"Gil Parker, he was asking after Ez's room number so I asked if he was a friend. Said he was a neighbour. He has Ezra's spare key and he thought he might like some of his own stuff...." JD's words died on his lips as Vin pulled his gun and ran towards the hallways.
Daniel had almost made it to Standish's room before he noticed the guy running towards him, a weapon clutched in his hands. Dropping the bag, Reis ran for it.
Hearing the commotion, Chris, Buck, Josiah and Nathan all flew out of the hospital room, in time to see Vin tear past them in hot pursuit of someone.
"What's happening?" Buck asked as JD approach.
"I think that's the guy," JD explained hurriedly. "That's Reis."
"Nathan, stay with Ezra," Chris ordered quickly. "Let's go."
Four men leapt over the dropped bag which was full of empty boxes and rags, weaving their way past gurneys, patients and hospital staff, trying to catch up with Vin. Coming to the end of the hall, Chris stopped and looked down the adjoining corridor. Neither man was in sight, "Damn."
"The stairs," Josiah indicated the door to the stairwell.
Flinging open the door, Chris tilted his head, "Up or down?"
Receiving no answer, Chris decided to split them up, "Buck, JD you go up. Josiah and I will go down."
Bursting into the basement, the first thing Chris saw was Vin with his gun trained on a very startled man in front of him. Chris didn't think that Daniel had a weapon of his own, but aimed his own gun on the man while Vin stepped forward to arrest him.
Having established that all was clear upstairs, Buck and JD turned around and headed for the basement. They approached the door carefully, not wanting to surprise anybody who might be ready to shoot at anything that moved. Both JD and Buck only relaxed when they saw a handcuffed Daniel Reis standing between Vin and Chris while Josiah called it in.
JD stared at Daniel as the uniformed police led him to one of the cars, "I didn't think he'd actually show up at the hospital in broad daylight, with all of us there."
"It's okay," Buck placed a hand on the Kid's shoulder. "None of us did."
"How did you know?" JD asked Vin.
"Well, for one thing," Vin replied. "Ez changed the lock to his apartment that morning. I have all the keys, including the spare."
"And the other thing?" Josiah prompted.
Vin was about to say, 'since when did Ezra trust anyone enough to give them a key', but changed his mind, "I already interviewed all the neighbours, and didn't recognise that guy."
"We should go tell Nathan that everything's fine," Chris stated.
"And Ezra," Buck added. "Good news might prompt him to wake up."
Vin watched the patrol car slowly back out, "I should go to the station. Give a statement and everything."
"Go ahead," Chris nodded, understanding that Vin needed to see this through to it's conclusion, even if that meant writing every report in duplicate himself.
* * * * * * * "It's okay," Nathan said quietly. "We know about Daniel Reis. In fact, I think he's been caught."
Ezra's bleary eyes turned from Nathan's smile, to the four men entering his room.
"You're awake Ez," JD rushed excitedly towards the bed.
"Great to see ya," Buck's smile reached his eyes for the first time since Friday night.
"You had us worried," Chris' relief could easily be heard in his voice. "How are you feeling?"
Ezra ignored the question and asked his own, "What happened? With Reis, he was at my apartment..."
"We know," Nathan repeated.
"Yes, but who found me?" Ezra continued. "I don't remember getting here. And how did you know it was Reis?"
Noticing how just talking was wearing on Ezra, and the pain that the undercover agent couldn't hide, Chris was quick to answer, "Vin on both counts."
Before he could ask another question, Buck interjected, "Sshh Ez, just relax."
"But.." Ezra began.
Knowing that he wouldn't shut up until he knew, even though he must be hurting with every breath, Buck explained. "Vin came back to your place not half an hour after he left. He found you, and then became like a dog with a bone."
"Yeah," JD agreed. "He wouldn't stop for anything."
"Collected evidence, looked up suspects, checked out any and every lead, interviewed witnesses," Nathan listed.
"We know for sure he harassed your neighbours a couple of times," Josiah added.
Ezra swept his eyes over the room once more, only now noticing the person they were talking about was missing, "Where is Mr Tanner?"
"The police station," Chris answered. "He's still hanging onto the bone."
* * * * * * * Ezra sat in a chair on Chris' porch, waiting somewhat impatiently for the two men to hurry up. It's not as if he couldn't pack his clothes on his own, thankfully he was mobile now. And soon he'd be independent again too.
After spending a month in hospital, Ezra had been glad to finally escape. Chris, of course, hadn't allowed him anywhere until the doctor's say so. And their leader had made it clear how pleased he'd been that there was no way Ezra could escape with the cast on.
Chris' ranch had felt like heaven, for about the first two days. Then it became just as stifling as the hospital. Chris had decided he could do most of his work from home, and hovered over the recovering agent constantly. He'd been worse than what Buck was with JD. Even after the cast had been taken off, Ezra had to stay put and not exert himself or endure the wrath of Larabee. The rest of Team 7 hadn't helped any. They always seemed to be spending time at the ranch, and Chris even insisted Ezra have a babysitter when he did have to leave. Every day was filled with trying to convince to everyone that he was fine. Which he was, sure he still needed a cane to walk, but he didn't need constant attention. All six men were determined to see Ezra well, and they wouldn't let up.
What really irked Standish was that fact that the sharpshooter had been just as bad as anyone, maybe even worse. Ezra was used to having an ally in escaping the nurturing instinct that seemed to take over the men when someone was hurt. However, this time Vin decided to side with the rest of them, and had become just as damn annoying. Until the past couple of weeks. Come to think of it Vin had been very lax in his attention to Ezra and hadn't been around nearly as much as he should have been. At least the sharpshooter had come to take him home, the least he could do after shirking his responsibility.
"What are you doing out here?" Chris asked as he and Vin carried Ezra's suitcases out. "Can't wait to get away, I suppose."
"It's been a pleasure Mr Larabee," Ezra drawled. "But no, I can't wait. Some solitude will be most welcome."
"Okay then," Chris smiled. "Be careful, take it easy. And if you need anything, I can come over and help, or you can come back here. Maybe you should stay longer, until your fit for work. You're leg does give you trouble..."
"I'll be fine," Ezra interrupted with a smile of his own, thankful that these people cared so much. "Thank you anyway."
* * * * * * * Although he'd been looking forward to going home, now that he was Ezra was beginning to feel apprehensive. He had considered selling the apartment and moving, but hadn't wanted someone like Daniel Reis to win. Besides, Ezra had always liked the place, it had become home. Now that he was almost there, he imaged what a mess it would be in.
Naturally, Ezra hadn't seen the place since the attack. Vin had been the only one to go back and get some of Ezra's clothes, and the sharpshooter hadn't said much about the condition of the place. The police weren't known for cleaning up a crime scene, in fact it hardly ever occurred to them to even call a cleaner. The places usually ended up looking worse than before, especially seeing as how they would have moved and dusted everything for fingerprints. And the stains, Ezra wondered if he could handle seeing his own blood that would have surely dried in his carpet by now.
Realising his thoughts were turning morbid, Ezra turned to Vin, "You haven't been visiting me as much in the last two weeks."
"Got sick of your whingeing," Vin grinned. "Besides, I had some odds and ends to take care of."
Well, that helped. Ezra decided against asking Vin to stay for dinner as he'd planned. Hell, he probably didn't have any food in the apartment anyway.
* * * * * * * Standing outside his door once more, Ezra was glad Vin took the initiative and unlocked it. Ezra's eyes widened as he stepped into the room. Everything had been polished, not in exactly the right place, but sparkling. Almost timidly, Ezra flicked his gaze towards where he'd been assaulted. When he didn't spot any dark stain, he looked back. Nothing, it was perfectly unmarked. In fact the whole carpet looked cleaner than usual. Ezra took a deep breath, the place even smelt clean and fresh. The carpets must have been steam cleaned, and recently. More than that, his home felt safe and secure. All the bad feeling had evaporated, and now that it was missing Ezra had realised how prominent it had been before.
Moving towards the kitchen, Ezra opened the refrigerator and noted all the food. Coming back into in the living room, Ezra smiled at the man standing in front of him, "Odds and ends?"
"Yeah well," Vin shrugged. "I also had the locks changed again. Here's your key, the manager's and the spare."
Ezra reached out and took them, "Perhaps you should take one back."
When Vin just stared at him puzzled, Ezra continued, "It might be best of someone else kept the spare key. In case of an emergency. If the front door hadn't been open when..."
"Thanks Ez," Vin interrupted, taking the offered key. The sharpshooter knew how difficult it was for Ezra to show that much trust, and Vin was flattered that he had been the recipient. Realising Ezra needed the sentiment returned, Vin reached into his pocket, "Here, I'd like you to keep the key to my place."
Ezra smiled, this friendship thing was definitely worth it. "I'm honoured Vin, this means..." Staring at the shiny metal object in his hand, Ezra stopped and thought about what he was saying. "Wait a minute, I'm not honoured. You never lock your door."
"Then it won't matter if you lose it," Vin grinned.
"Give me my key back."
fini
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