Work Text:
Maude's Thanksgiving
By Lady Q
'Life never really turns out like you expect it,' Maude Standish thought as she watched her son and his lover talk privately in a darken corner of the saloon.
'Ever since Ezra was born, she knew he had been destined for greatness. He was a Standish after all.'
'She'd taught him every thing she knew, from pulling out the best con to picking easy targets for taking money from,' Maude thought as she turned and set the tables on the now closed saloon for their Thanksgiving dinner.
'He was on his way to being the second best con man in the west. The first being herself, of course.'
'Then one day all of her beautiful plans for her son's life change. She had the perfect con set up when six mysterious men came into her son's life and changed his path,' she thought as she watched Nathan and Rain begin to put the food on the table while Buck pulled her chair out for her.
'Why, if he had listened to her, he would be sitting in one of the best houses in New Orleans married to the richest and the best family. Where his sharp and quick-witted mind would have play the best con of all. The job of a politician.'
She paused as she watched Ezra lovingly smile up at Josiah as he quickly stole a kiss from his love. They walked over to the table hand and hand.
She let out a disappointed sigh as she admitted the ugly truth to herself, 'If he had listened to me, he would have been unhappy in the life I had chosen for him. Here, his talents are needed even though it is for the wrong side.'
He would have never met these six men who have become more family then I had ever given him. He would have never met Josiah and never fallen in love with him.' These were her thoughts as she watched the seven different men. Six sat down to the two combined tables and they watched the seventh, Vin, bring in the cooked turkey.
'I will be the first to admit,' she thought as she watched Chris give achaste kiss to his lover before he started to carve the turkey. 'That he is needed here, that he is loved and that his love is returned to him.'
'Oh, but those wonderful plans of mine. I surely hate to see them go to waste. Ezra would have made a wonderful senator.'
She let out a soft sigh as she watched the love in this small, dirty, old saloon, "Mother," came Ezra's soft, worried voice. "Are you all right?" He questioned softly as he gently squeezed her hand.
She smiled down at her son and saw the true concern in his worried green eyes. 'But of all those wonderful plans of mine couldn't give me what I have right now. The love of my son back.'
She shook her head as she tried to swallow the lump that formed in herthroat. "I'm all right, Ezra, I'm just saying good-bye to some old plans of mine and thinking of some new one's."
"New plan's, Mother?" he asked as he passed her the cranberry sauce.
"Why, yes, dear. The west is quickly being added to this here, United States, and I think that it's about time that there should be a lady to lead that change. Oh, something like a first lady Senator."
Ezra chuckled softly as he squeezed her dainty hand, "And that mysterious lady Senator wouldn't be you, now would it?" he inquired.
"Now, Ezra Standish, you know that I wouldn't do that," she said in her most innocent expression.
Ezra softly chuckled at his mother as he said, "I wouldn't put it past you. Besides, I learned long ago, Mother, that whatever you put your mind to, you will succeed, no matter how dirty you have to play."
Maude smiled down at her son and nodded in agreement to his opinion while she felt her pride in him grow.
He leaned his head down next to hers as he whispered so softly that she almost didn't hear him, "I'm glad that you were able to come today, Mother. It means the world to me have you here on Thanksgiving Day."
Maude almost let a tear fall at hearing his soft-spoken words, but she held them back so she could cry when she was alone. 'After all, it was never a good thing to let anyone see a Standish cry,' she thought.
"Your welcome, Ezra and Happy Thanksgiving, son."
"Happy Thanksgiving, Mother," he said as he squeezed her hand and smiled at her.
The End