Disclaimer: They are not mine. I don't make a profit from this.
ATF universe belongs to Mog.
Thanks to Angela B. (without her my stories could not be) and my best wishes to Laura.
Feedback is very welcome. (Be kind, I'm still learning English)
I don't know how it happened; I guess I never really fit in any place.I had classmates, I had and have coworkers and, of course, I have family. But friends, no. I don't recall ever having any of those.
A few minutes ago, I answered an e-mail from Chris. One of those about getting to know the people around you, with all kinds of trivial questions like 'What is your favorite kind of food?' or 'What was last movie you saw?'.
Things a friend should already know.
I never expected to get that kind of test from Chris. It's so out of character from him.
Nevertheless, I answered as Agent Ezra P. Standish would. . .
Not Ethan or Eddie or Evan, not Simmons or Sanders or Samuels.
To find the words any of my aliases would write would not have been hard.
Nor to find the words I would.
Au contraire, it was too easy. Even the expected sarcasm.
I replied to the document, sending it just to Chris. I didn't see the necessity in sending it to the other members of the team. They hadn't asked for the information.
Still, I took the precaution of saving a copy of the message I sent.
It's probable that more than one of the rest of the group is going to send his answers too, and I'll be expected to answer.
Not that I would forget what I wrote before, but it is just easier to attach the same answers and be done in a fifth of the time.
Would there be unexpected answers in the test about me?
No.
About them?
Of course. After all, who can remember the name of Mr. Wilmington's current girlfriend?
Just think of a name, if it doesn't match now it will in a couple of weeks or a few months.
Many of the answers would be the same, doesn't matter whom you are asking; like the sport you watch on TV or the favorite beverage. Football and beer are really overrated.
Then, why ask?
As if we all didn't know that Mr. Dunne and Miss Wells are an item, or that the last movie that they saw was the latest romantic movie that came out.
That the last person Nathan called was Rain.
That Josiah's greatest concern in life is the welfare of his sister.
That the most embarrassing moment in Chris' life was when he, at last, asked Mary out and all the people at Inez's bar cheered and yelled, "Halleluiah!"
Or that the person that Vin misses the most is his mother. Their mothers and Sarah, one of those is going to be the answer of all of them to that question. That's why I did write "Mother" in the space too.
I do not miss her.
You can't really miss somebody you barely knew, but they wouldn't understand that and to invent a name would release more questions, so I just kept it easy to remember and gave standard answers.
Except one;
The day of the year that held the most importance for you. . . I don't think many people would pick-up October 31 as that date, but I think that it's the only day other people become like I have always been: wearing costumes and pretending to be someone else.
Of course I didn't explained my answer, just wrote the date.
Well, what was done was done.
I'm in my home, so it's time to forget about coworkers, their e-mails, and those mundane things like friendships.
What I need is a drink.
Well, I feel obligated to toast, with my favorite beverage, to "every-day-masks" and "devoted mothers." So, I'll get up from the computer and seek a well-deserved refreshment.
The rest of the team's side:
J.D., computer expert, went into Larabee's office at the ranch, "Hey, Chris, has Ezra answered the e-mail we sent?" he asked.The blond ATF team's leader looked away from his monitor, "I'm checking, J.D. Would you stop distracting me?" he growled.
"Come on, Cowboy, we are all waiting for the answers. Hurry up, would you?" teased the team sharpshooter, Vin Tanner.
"What if he doesn't answer?" asked the team's EMT, Nathan Jackson.
Josiah, the team profiler, suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, "He will answer, Nathan. Have faith."
Nathan hunched in his seat. "Come on, these tests are so boring, I can't imagine Ezra taking the time to answer it."
"That's why we sent it from Chris' e-mail," Buck interjected.
"Probably the only person Ezra would not ignore with a request like this," Josiah reasoned.
"If you say so, preacher," commented the blond leader, unconvinced, just before he found that in effect, their undercover agent had already answered their "to know us better" test.
"He did it," he informed the rest of the team while clicking on the message and quickly scrolling down it.
He barely paid attention to the awed responses of the five agents in the background, as he found the question that had all of them planning this ruse, and froze, unbelieving the answer.
"Well, brother, what did he write?" inquired a very intrigued profiler.
Chris shook his head and cleared his throat before commenting, "Well, I have to remind you that I thought that the question, 'What do you desire most in the world?' was too vague."
"Chris," insisted an annoyed Buck, "just tell us."
"OK, but how in hell are you going to get 'food for all the hungry and the world peace' as Ezra's birthday present?" Chris growled.
"What?" "Are you kidding?" "Are you sure?" was heard from the agents.
"Yeah," Chris blazed angrily. "That's what he wrote. We are just like at the beginning, without birthday gift ideas," he concluded.
"Don't throw the towel in yet, Cowboy," Vin called merrily.
"Why, what did you find, brother?" Josiah said, tried to get close to the monitor of the computer.
"Here," the Texan pointed to the screen, 'The day of the year that held the most importance for you.' He answered October 31st."
"Halloween?" asked Nathan incredulous.
"Yep," said the long-haired young man with a smile. "We could give him lots of candy."
"And horror movies," added J.D.
"The date is close enough and the stores already have the season decorations and costumes. We can search for some fancy things that he would like," reasoned Josiah.
"Maybe a life size Frankenstein's bride," interjected Buck, who was immediately bombarded with all kinds of small objects. "Hey, it was just a thought," he defended.
"I don't know," insisted Nathan, "That's too childish, too simple for somebody like Ezra."
"Well, knowing his Ma, I don't think he had enough happy Halloweens growing up," murmured Vin.
"Yeah, I don't think she let him go 'trick or treating' or to a scary party," agreed J.D.
"Ok, we'll be planning a Halloween-Birthday party then," said Chris.
"Will be better if it's a Birthday-Halloween," laughed Buck.
"Buck, shut up," warned the blond leader. "We have a surprise party to plan"
End
Author notes:
Ezra's (or the dark side) is for me, the team's side is for the evil twin
sister. Feliz Cumpleaños and HH.