Jury Duty

The young woman entered the courtroom prepared to do her civic duty. But there was no law that said she had to be happy about it. On her last day, practically at the last minute, she had been chosen to serve on a jury. So here she was, back at the court house which was rapidly becoming far too familiar for her taste.

With a resigned sigh, the brown haired girl dug the latest batch of M7 fanfic out of her purse. At least she'd be able to catch up on her reading. She was soon engrossed in the adventures of Chris, Vin, Buck and the rest of the seven as imagined by their obsessed fans.

The Narrator cannot speak for anyone else, but being a firm believer in calling a spade a spade, obsessed was the only proper word which she could apply to herself.

She had just reached a particularly interesting part of the story she was reading when the bailiff made his entrance. She barely noticed when he began speaking. Buck had just been injured and that required her full attention. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, was the thought that he sounded very familiar. But his words poured over her, failing to capture her full attention, until...

"All rise. The court of the Honorable Judge, Chris Larabee, is now in session."

Ok. That got her full attention. Looking up, she stared in shock, the sheaf of papers in her hand falling to the floor from suddenly nerveless fingers.

Sitting there, in black judicial robes, glaring out at the court room was none other than Chris Larabee. Her Chris. Magnificent Seven Chris. But that was impossible. This was Real Life. It had to be some judge who just looked exactly like him. And had the same name...

Shaking her head slightly, hoping to clear it, she caught a glimpse of the bailiff, standing slightly behind and to the side of the judge's bench. Lean, rangy body clad in shades of tan. With a red shirt. Mare's leg strapped to one muscular thigh. Softly waving golden brown hair. A pair of twinkling blue eyes. This was getting spooky. Good. But spooky. The rational part of her mind was still trying to find a logical explanation for this when the judge spoke for the first time.

"Why don't you go bring in the plaintiff and the defendant, Vin. Might as well get this show on the road."

"Sure thing, cowboy. Err...I mean Judge." With an apologetic shrug, Vin, the bailiff, made his way down the middle aisle of the court room and disappeared through a door at the far end.

Vin reappeared after several minutes, followed by a group of six people. He led them back down the aisle towards the front of the court. It was at this point that our juror gave up all attempts at rational thought and just sat back to enjoy the show.

Immediately upon Vin's heels was a dark haired woman. She was dressed in a tasteful, obviously expensive, designer suit. Escorting her was a brown haired green eyed man dressed elegantly, if somewhat ostentatiously, in a custom made suit that was even more expensive looking than the woman's.

Their clothing must've cost more than the average person makes in a year. The juror snorted in amusement. No surprise there, considering those two.

Next was a towering figure of a man. His grizzled salt and pepper hair and the aura of dignity surrounding him, managed to make his off the rack suit seem almost distinguished. The handsome, mustachioed man accompanying him had a sullen frown on his normally genial countenance that clashed horribly with his dashing apparel.

Bringing up the rear was a dark haired young man wearing the uniform of a deputy sheriff. He was talking animatedly to a good looking, dark skinned man clad in a conservative suit and carrying a black bag.

Wonder if he's got any carbolic acid in that thing? The young woman almost fell out of the jury box as she leaned over for a closer look.

She watched as the six assorted characters took their places while the bailiff made his way over to the judge.

"There's been a slight change in plans." Vin whispered as he passed the judge's bench to resume his normal position.

Chris glanced over to where Inez and Ezra were seated at a large table near the jury box. Ezra was so close, she could almost reach out and touch that marvelous jacket. It looked like real silk.

"Dammit, Ezra." growled Judge Chris Larabee. "Last I heard, you were supposed to be representing Buck in this case. You're a defense attorney. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull?"

"I assure you, Judge Larabee, I am not attempting to pull anything, as you so eloquently put it. I merely felt, upon reflection, that my talents would be better utilized in the service of my present client."

Vin's snort was audible to everyone in the court room. "Ya mean she offered ya more money." He informed the nattily attired former defense lawyer.

Ezra merely smiled innocently in return and began shuffling papers in preparation.

Buck could contain himself no longer. "Ezra! You no good thievin' turncoat! You're lower than a snake's belly!" Buck was shouting by this time and his face was turning an alarming shade of purple.

"Order in the court!" Judge Larabee began banging his gavel on the table, looking as if he'd like to be using it to knock some sense into a few heads instead.

"Simmer down, Buck." He told his indignant friend sternly. "Ezra may be a sidewinder in a silk suit, but he's entitled to represent anyone he wants."

Buck scowled and then grinned as Ezra began sputtering in protest at Chris' words. They both lapsed into silence, however, after a patented "Don't make me do something you'll both regret" glare from Judge Larabee.

"Now what exactly is the reason for all of this?" demanded Chris, turning his attention to the table where Ezra and Inez were seated.

"Your Honor." Ezra rose to his feet as he began speaking. "My client has been most dreadfully abused. She has dedicated many of the best years of her life to this man. She has loved him, comforted him in his hour of need, washed his dirty socks..."

"Objection!" Josiah jumped to his feet. "They had a maid that performed those duties."

Ezra contrived to look shocked. "My dear Inez. How noble you are. I wasn't aware that Mr. Wilmington was in the habit of taking undue liberties with the hired help You should have told me."

Inez produced a lace edged handkerchief and began dabbing at her eyes. "I could not be certain that he was, Senor Standish. I suppose I do not wish to believe it is true. But he did always insist that our help be young and beautiful."

The ladies of the jury, indeed the whole court room, were now staring at Buck in outrage.

"Brother Buck, I must say I am very disappointed in you." Josiah eyed Buck sternly as he spoke.

"Oh sit down, Josiah." Buck said in disgust. "You ain't even a real lawyer. And you're not helping matters any here."

"Seems to me Buck, Josiah declared huffily, that you'd be grateful anyone at all was willing to represent you. The last lawyer that went up against Ezra " The Shark" Standish, is now a janitor in this very court house."

"I never touched any of the hired help and you know it." Buck peered around Josiah to glare witheringly in the direction of Inez.

"Furthermore, Buck continued, I never promised her anything. The subject of marriage never came up. We were both perfectly content with the way things stood. It wasn't until I got that contract with the studio that she all of a sudden started this breach of promise business. Don't you think that's just a little bit suspicious?"

"No promises? My dear Mr. Wilmington, I beg to differ. It was you who were content with my client whilst a lowly private detective. Now that you are on the verge of stardom with your own TV series, Buck Wilmington:Private Eye, my client is no longer good enough. She has waited patiently for the day when she would become Mrs. Buck Wilmington. A wait that she has apparently made in vain."

Ezra paused for breath and Buck stared in open mouthed astonishment. No one, but no one, could twist words into knots the way Ezra could.

"Ain't you gonna object or something?" Buck demanded finally, looking at Josiah.

"No Brother Buck. The time is not right. But don't worry, my friend. The truth will out and right shall prevail." He patted Buck consolingly on the back. Buck just groaned and put his head down on the table.

"Your Honor, I'd like to call my first witness." the barely suppressed glee in Ezra's voice caused Buck to raise his head and stare suspiciously at his erstwhile friend.

"Mr. JD Dunne, will you please take the stand?"

Buck narrowed his eyes and watched as JD walked up the aisle towards the witness box. He and Nathan had been seated on the spectator benches a few rows behind Buck and Josiah. As JD passed the table where his best friend sat, he smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders. Buck just sighed in resignation.

"Et tu Brute'?" was all Buck said in reply. Let JD figure that one out. Buck had acquired that phrase from Ezra. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he'd liked the sound of it.

Vin swore JD in, his soft molasses drawl causing more than a few hearts on the jury to start fluttering.

"My dear Mr. Dunne, you are well acquainted with the defendant, are you not?" Ezra kept his tone light and friendly.

"Why sure, Ezra. We're all friends. Well, at least we used to be." JD muttered glancing toward Buck and then Inez in turn.

Ezra sharpened his tone, moving in for the kill. "Indeed, Mr. Dunne. We *were* all the best of friends. Until Mr. Wilmington shamefully abrogated his promises to my client. Leaving her with nothing but memories of broken dreams."

"And a fortune in jewelry." Buck couldn't quite supress his reaction to that particular piece of eloquence from the prosecution.

"But, JD began to protest. He was no match for Ezra, however, who continued talking as if he hadn't heard JD.

"You, yourself, have been a witness to many of Mr. Wilmington's declarations, have you not Mr. Dunne?"

"I don't know..."

"Inez, sweetheart, you're the only woman in the world for me. Ask me anything darlin' and it's yours."

"Does that ring any bells, Mr. Dunne?"

"Well." JD hemmed and hawed. "I guess. I mean I might've. Ok, I heard him say it!" he finally blurted out, glaring at Ezra.

"Objection, Your Honor!" Buck shot up from his chair. "Do something, Josiah." he hissed, tugging at his friend's arm.

Josiah rose grudgingly to his feet. "What is a mountain?" he began, deep voice rumbling across the court room.

"The answer to that my friends..." Josiah continued, voice gaining in enthusiasm.

Buck's defense was cut off at this point by Judge Larabee who banged his gavel hastily down in front of him. "Objection overruled."

The next witness to be called was Nathan.

"Mr. Jackson, what is your considered medical opinion, now that you are a *real* doctor, as to the state of my client's health?"

"Well, it's difficult to judge the extent to which mental trauma may affect physical health. But it could conceivably do severe damage to her if not rectified."

And so it went. Things were looking grim indeed for our Mr. Wilmington when he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"I got me an idea." Buck declared. Moving purposefully over to Inez, he knelt down in front of her and took one of her hands in his.

"Let's get married." This simple statement had an electrifying effect on both attorney and client.

"Really Buck? You mean it?" the girlish delight evident on her face and in her voice left no doubt as to what her answer would be. Or what her true intentions had been all along.

"But Inez. We talked about this. What about all the money for damages you said you wanted? What about my contingency fee?" Ezra was so distraught that his usually extensive vocabulary failed him. That was probably just as well, since the cheers and congratulations of everyone in the court room drowned out any additional protests he might've made.

Judge Larabee eventually reestablished order in the court. Grinning openly, he pronounced. "Well, I think a verdict has been reached. Court is adjourned."

Filing out of the court room, the young woman juror thought to herself. I guess doing your civic duty isn't so bad after all. I wonder what I should get them for a wedding present? Still musing thoughtfully, she walked to her car and drove home.

The End