Sweeping an assessing gaze over his living room, Ezra Standish breathed easy. There were bowls and glasses sitting ready for the 'munchies' that JD and Buck had said they would bring. He'd already ascertained from the rest of the team their selection for pizzas and pre-ordered their varied assortment of cholesterol laden food for later on that evening.

Chris and Josiah were picking up some more beer and then heading off to fetch Nathan - it had been the team's medic that had been given the onerous task of selecting several DVDs that the entire team would sit through without complaining - Ezra wished him well for that well nigh impossible task.

That just left Vin... the birthday boy. It was an added bonus that Vin's birthday just happened to fall on Good Friday for this year, and, having worked over New Year, Team Seven had the Easter holiday weekend off. The plan was beer, pizza and movies at his place, to be followed by a relaxing weekend at Chris' ranch.

No bad guys... no gunfights... no injuries. Chris had personally vowed to put anyone of his team that got accidentally injured doing 'something fucking stupid this weekend' on desk duty for a month; the look on his face had made sure that everyone took him at his word.

As a team, they'd worked hard to come up with the perfect present for their soft-spoken sharpshooter and inspiration had finally struck two weeks before. Barely having enough time to achieve their chosen task - they'd done the impossible anyway. Well, they were the Magnificent Seven after all... the impossible was considered standard operating procedure for them.

Through a bit of subterfuge on the part of Ezra and his lock-picking skills, and JD's miraculous touch with a digital camera; they'd accessed Vin's apartment and taken digital photos of the picture of his mother, in the tarnished locket that was Vin's sole surviving possession from his blood kin.

Josiah's contacts in the local arts community had obtained the services of Skye MacFarlane; a fifty year old artist and former flower child that had an uncanny skill as a portrait painter. The work she had done in recreating a likeness of Vin's mother was truly astonishing.

A knock on his front door brought Ezra's focus back to the present. Vin was here. He'd asked his team-mates to allow Vin to arrive half an hour before they did - he had another couple of gifts for his lover. As always, the rest of the team's ready acceptance of his relationship with Vin, never ceased to amaze him. Their willing and total support for the lovers within their midst was a blessed gift that they both cherished.

Smiling at the thought of his lover, Ezra opened the door and given a dazzling smile, saying simply, "Vin."

Grinning softly, slightly dazzled blue eyes met his own before a soft Texan drawl responded with, "Hello, love."

Stepping aside to let Vin enter, Ezra walked behind his lover into the living room; silently admiring the lithe beauty of the man in the simple attire of faded jeans and a blue t-shirt. Vin exuded sensuality with such effortless ease, Ezra was still amazed that Vin seemed to be the only person in Denver that didn't seem to realise that fact.

They'd been lovers since Christmas Eve... the best present he'd ever received - or ever would. The past three months had been the happiest of both their lives and Ezra never wanted it to end. Vin was at times tender, and, at times incandescent; having this man in his arms, in his bed and in his heart had brought him so much joy... he was loved and it was wonderful.

Motioning his lover to the couch, Ezra excused himself and went to his bedroom to get his two private presents for his lover. Moving to sit beside the birthday boy, Ezra handed him the first present and said, "Happy Birthday, love."

Slightly confused, Vin tore into the envelope Ezra had handed him and stared in confusion at the list of names on the single sheet of paper it contained. Ezra watched as Vin raised questioning eyes to his own. Placing one hand on Vin's leg, rubbing his thumb over the inside edge of the Texan's leg in a soothing yet sensuous gesture, Ezra said, "That is a list of every wildlife organisation both here and in Canada that protects wolves and their natural habitats. There are schemes in place where people can 'adopt' a wolf and the money they give provides for the upkeep of the wolf and its environment... stuff like that.

"You, my love, can pick whichever location you want. Find a pair of mated wolves that you want to protect and I'll adopt them for you as my birthday gift to you. Wolves mate for life, Vin. That's the way I feel about you."

Feeling Vin move, Ezra shifted position slightly so that Vin could more easily rest his head on his shoulder and smiled fondly down as Vin ghosted a kiss against the soft underside of his chin and murmured an incredulous, "Sometimes, Ezra, you just take my breath away. Thank you." He then waited patiently for the next words from his lover's mouth. In some instances, Vin had a temperament to match JD and this was one of them.

The soft voice asking, "Is the box for me too?" brought a chuckle to his lips and he nodded; grinning outright as eager fingers snatched it from his free hand. Watching Vin's sensitive fingers rub over the hand carved lid, Ezra bit back a groan as he remembered the feeling of the last time those selfsame fingers had investigated his body just as thoroughly and as reverently as they were examining the box.

He waited for Vin's reaction to the contents of the box... the one single item it contained. "Ezra...?" Hearing the shaky question in Vin's voice, Ezra took the biggest gamble of his life and laid his heart at his lover's feet, hoping fervently that he wasn't rushing things. What that item entailed included a lot of potential grief and harassment - the team would back the result without hesitation, not all the rest of the ATF would.

"Live with me?" said Ezra, his normally eloquent words dying on his lips.

For a long moment Vin said nothing and then his eyes lit up with an almost incandescent joy. Wrapping his fingers tight around the key to the condo - and Ezra's heart - that had been nestled in the box, Vin breathed out, "Yes, love. Yes!"

Ezra had no real idea who moved first, his next near incoherent thought was of the mind-numbing power that kissing Vin Tanner had over his heart and soul. Quite simply, to have Vin in his arms and to be worshipping the Texan with kisses from his lips, was the embodiment of heaven here on earth.

Bringing his hands to Vin's face, Ezra regretfully gentled the fierce embrace. The rest of the team was due within minutes... this would have to wait for later. "Happy Birthday, love."

Then, devilment warring with adoration, Ezra gave in to temptation and gave Vin another kiss or three... lips moving with a specific goal in mind... Vin's neck. A few passion soaked seconds later and Vin bore the mark of passion that had been Ezra's goal all along. A visible signal that the sharpshooter was taken... and was loved.

With Vin's willing agreement to share his life, his bed and his heart, the Texan had made sure that this Easter was going to surpass Christmas as the most joyous time of his life.