In My Element Tidia

Rating: G

Disclaimer:  I  do not own or profit from the use of the Magnificent Seven characters. Thank you to MOG for the creation of the ATF.

Comments:  Inspired by MOG's Birthday and her reported very strong margaritas (Leslie, Cassie and Marla will vouch) Title was courtesy of Kim (OCC). Maggie took time to beta. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOG! .

Archivist's Note:   This fic was previously hosted on another website and was moved to blackraptor in September 2006.

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It had been a wonderful celebration consisting of one, two, three margaritas and one tequila shot. Inez had placed him and the others in a cab and sent them on their ways. Ezra was humming to himself as he stumbled in the door of his townhouse.

He looked down to find a plain brown package with Great Aunt Margaret's return address written in fine letters on the left corner. Standish bent down to pick up the package and noticed his world had shifted slightly.  He made his way to a chair and sat quickly down in order to gain some equilibrium.

Taking a deep breath he opened the package. "Had I known better I would've believed this to be a Buck and JD ruse."

Ezra had never liked Aunt Margaret. When he was 8, Maude had thought spending the summer in Savannah would be better for her son then being in New York City. What Mother didn't know was that the spinster was a religious zealot. She insisted that Maude was a harlot and a sinner. More importantly she had tried to convince Ezra that his imaginary friend, Stanley, was a minion of Satan instead of a child's stalwart companion. Standish remembered how offended Stanley had been.

"Well, Mother did say always send out a thank you card as quickly as possible to show good manners." Standish lurched to his desk, and pulled out a piece of paper and began writing.  "Next birthday I must refrain from any alcoholic consumption." The southerner said out loud as he tried to focus on the white piece of paper which seemed to have suddenly come alive.

Dear Great Aunt Margaret,

Thank you for the lovely birthday gift. It was most thoughtful of you. You shouldn't have- really- Please Stop.

In addition you can stop praying for me. Obviously your connection to God is not as close as you would believe. There seems to be some interference. Since I last saw you I was branded a traitor by the FBI and then recruited by a reformed alcoholic to join a team of debauchers and misfits. All in all I am in my element with a wonderful bunch of sinners I call friends.

Standish looked in the box again and shook his head. Margaret had ceased correspondence to Maude when she discovered that Mother actually liked her sinful ways. The undercover agent had not been so fortunate. The elderly woman believed he could be redeemed. Ezra found where he had left off and continued to write.

As for your gift, I am a man of taste. I have no use for white, utility, cotton underwear. For your information I don't wear any.

Your favorite nephew,

Ezra P. Standish

P.S. I have it on good authority that Stanley is in heaven -HA HA

Ezra signed his named with a flourish and stuffed the letter in an embossed envelope. Standish felt a warmness creep inside him, and decided to walk to the mailbox.  As he waved goodbye to the letter and closed the blue metal door he felt as if it had been one of his best birthdays ever.

The End

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