Response to:
The March 2002 Challenge: [offered by Katherine]
[Give any one of the seven a hobby the other six do not know about, until events conspire to bring it to their attention. Hobby must not be anything previously mentioned in other stories...i.e. no working at a shelter for Josiah, no piano playing for Ezra, no working with neighborhood kids for Vin. You get the idea. In essence I want to know what one of the boys does with his down time, and the reaction of the others when they find out. They aren't always working.]

Word had come down from on high two weeks ago. ATF Team Seven, stationed in Denver, would be getting training on new government regulations. The course would last a full ten days. Ten days in California. San Francisco to be exact.

When he announced this in their Monday morning staff meeting, Chris had expected the rest of the team to bitch incessantly about the training, and they hadn't disappointed him. The entire team thought the idea of training was stupid. It wasn't like they didn't get enough on the job training as it was. And all of them objected to the idea of traveling out of the area. Well, almost all. Only Ezra had gotten quiet once Chris told them where they would be going.

Vin hated to fly, and complained bitterly about small planes and too little air. Nathan had made plans with Rain that were going have to be put on hold. He shot dark looks any time some so much as mentioned that San Francisco was a romantic city. Buck hated California for reasons Chris didn't know. He suspected it stemmed from their days in the SEALS, but couldn't be sure of that. JD grumbled under his breath about earthquakes, mudslides, and forest fires. Chris rolled his eyes, wondering if Vin wasn't the only one on the team with a phobia. Josiah, usually the least upset by such things, kept shooting dark looks at Chris. He didn't even want to know why.

It wasn't like this little jaunt had been his idea, and Chris resented the whole team taking their hostility out on him. Well, not the entire team was hostile. One member was conspicuously quiet.

Chris had expected Ezra to be the most vocal. The undercover agent usually didn't spare words in voicing his displeasure. But all the man had asked was where they would be staying, what time the sessions started, and when they finished. Once Chris supplied that information, Ezra had smiled, and said no more. That made Chris nervous.

Sitting in the hotel lobby, waiting for the rest of his team to put in an appearance, Chris was still worried. Ezra had been late every single morning, but the man had shown up with a totally relaxed attitude, smiling pleasantly, green eyes bright with some inner amusement. It was nothing like his usual barely awake, but decidedly hostile morning mood that the rest of the team had come to expect. And the man disappeared each afternoon as soon as every session was finished. Just out right vanished. No one knew where he went or why.

//Of course, given the attitude of the rest o' the team, I wouldn't mind disappearing for awhile myself. It's been three days! You'd think they'd have gotten over it already.//

Chris frowned, sipping his coffee as he considered the puzzle of where Ezra disappeared to. Last night, Vin had disappeared as well. Chris wondered if Ezra had included the sharpshooter in whatever he was doing. If nothing else, Chris was grateful to have to listen to two less complaints when the team went to dinner.

He wasn't looking forward to the coming weekend, despite the fact that they would have two days free to do whatever they wanted. They had a rental car, but the idea of all of them piling into it, and going somewhere, made Chris want to take out his gun and shoot himself. His team had some seriously diverse interests, and he couldn't see all seven settling on any one outing they would all enjoy.

//Means someone will bitch and complain the entire time. Maybe I'll jus' stay in my room.//

Chris glanced up when the front doors opened. He blatantly stared at the man who walked in, unable to believe what he was seeing. Ezra strolled through the door, dressed in a black and yellow wet suit, sandles, and carrying of all things, a surfboard. His hair was damp, curling widely. His right calf, below where the knee length wet suit stopped, sported an ugly looking gash. But he was whistling, and looked decidedly pleased with himself.

Chris blinked, not sure of what he was seeing. In the year he'd known Ezra, the man had never looked this relaxed, or unguarded. Chris shook his head. //Hell, never saw him look this content before-or this informal.// He'd never seen the man with so much as a hair out of place. Even at the ranch.

Another man had come through the door with Ezra. His dark hair was streaked with lighter colors where the sun had bleached it, and he wore a wet suit similar to Ezra's. The stranger was slender, with a wiry build that suggested he was a damn sight stronger than he looked at first glance. Chris would guess him to be about the same age as Ezra. He was deeply tanned, and looked like the surfer type.

"You really should get that leg looked at, E." The stranger clapped Ezra on the shoulder, his southern accent stronger than Ezra's and marked him as growing up in the same geographic area Ezra had.

Chris raised an eyebrow. //E? What the hell? The man has a fit when we call him Ez!//

Ezra grinned. "Yeah, Jase. I know. I will have someone look at it today."

Jase gave Ezra a stern look, dark eyes demanding. "Swear?"

Ezra saluted with two fingers. "My word on it."

Jase nodded, apparently satisfied. "Okay then. Best take the afternoon off. Being in salt water, especially around here wouldn't be the best thing for that leg."

Ezra nodded and sighed heavily. "I know. It's just so rare I get to indulge myself. I hate to miss even one day."

Jase patted him on the back. "Not to worry, man, we're still on for the weekend, right?"

Ezra nodded. "I'll call you if anything changes."

"Cool. Yer friend still wanna tag along?"

"So far as I know, he is still interested." Ezra grinned. "After just watching last night, I think he is more than ready to take the plunge and try it for himself."

"Excellent." Jase held out his hand, and Ezra offered his. The two engaged in what looked like a ritualized handshake to Chris. And just that quick Jase was out the door.

Ezra headed for the elevators. Chris cleared this throat announcing his presence. Ezra glanced over. Chris felt momentarily disconcerted when he realized the happy, contented air Ezra walked in with, slipped into something far more reserved, formal and subdued once Ezra spotted him.

"Good morning, Mr. Larabee."

Chris tipped his head, and then pointed with his chin toward the board Ezra was carrying. "Didn't know you surfed?"

Ezra shrugged one shoulder. "Hardly surprising, Mr. Larabee. Denver doesn't exactly abound with opportunities to pursue such an endeavor."

"You been doing that every morning since we got here?"

Ezra nodded. "And every evening as well." He didn't look ashamed or embarrassed.

And Chris realized the younger man had no real reason to be. //It isn't like his free time isn't his to use as he sees fit. And lord knows if I had a chance to escape the other's whining, I'd take it too.//

Still, getting up early wasn't the sort of thing Chris expected from Ezra. "Didn't think you got up before ten?"

"Ordinarily you would be correct." Ezra raised one shoulder in a move far too elegant and precise to really be considered a shrug. He flashed a quick grin, dimples readily visible. "But some of the best waves to be had are as the sun rises. For such an opportunity, I have no problem bestirring myself to greet the dawn."

Chris nodded, accepting that answer. Ezra was contrary enough to be just the sort who could wake up early to goof off, but not to get to work on time. "Who was your friend?"

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "Jason Manning."

Chris rolled his eyes. Leave it to Ezra to take a question literally. The man could be deliberately obtuse like no one else, giving only the information asked for and nothing more.

Chris sighed. //Why do I always end up feeling like I'm conducting an interrogation when I talk to him?// He waved a hand in a "go on" motion, trying to encourage Ezra to say more. "And just who is Jason Manning?"

"An old friend from college."

"Known him a long time then?"

"Nearly fifteen years."

//Hunh. First time Ezra's ever mentioned any friends. Not that he isn't entitled to a few, but he just never talks about any. Course, I guess I never asked either.// "He lives around here?"

"For the past eight years or so, yes."

"What's he do-besides surf that is?"

"Very little else, Mr. Larabee." Ezra laughed lightly. "And lest you think badly of Jase, the man is not your average beach bum. He runs his own business, in addition to being a world class surfer."

"His own business?" //Didn't look like your average business man to me.//

"Jase designs and constructs surf boards."

Chris raised both eyebrows. "You can make a living doing that?"

Ezra tipped his head. "Indeed. A rather lucrative one I might add."

Chris couldn't help but wonder how lucrative, but decided not to ask. He pursed his lips, studying the surfboard. "How the hell did you get that thing here? Didn't see it in with your luggage."

Ezra shook his head, and grimaced. "I would not trust such an exquisite thing to the less than tender mercy of the airlines."

"So then how'd you get it here?"

"It was always here, Mr. Larabee." Ezra smiled, clearly amused by the disgusted expression on Chris' face. His smile broadened into a grin, showing off the gold pre-molar, before he relented and offered more information. "When I informed Jase of our impending arrival, he offered to loan me one."

Ezra's hand lovingly stroked the board, drawing attention to the clean lines, smooth finish and brilliant color. "This beautiful specimen is one he recently finished. Jase dropped it off here, at the hotel, before we arrived. He wanted me to get a look at it, so I could be sure it met with my approval, before we hit the water." Ezra shook his head. "As if anything he made could be less than absolutely perfect."

Chris vaguely recalled Ezra asking if his package had arrived when they checked in, but assumed it was something work related. The man always seemed to have a file of one kind or another with him. And he never traveled without his laptop. The undercover agent might not keep the usual working hours of the rest of the team, but the man was far from lazy.

Ezra smiled, his whole expression warming as green eyes adoringly traced the board's lines. "Jase has suggested that I keep it, but I've not yet decided."

Chris was pretty sure what Ezra's decision was going to be. //Man looks like he's just been handed something he's waited his whole life for. Can't imagine he won't take it.//

Chris glanced down toward Ezra's leg. "You gonna let Nate look at that cut?"

Ezra sighed, and looked away. "I had not planned to, no."

"Told your friend you'd have someone look at it." Chris reminded him. //Heard him promise. Man doesn't very often promise much of anything, and always follows through when he does.//

"Yes, well, Mr. Larabee, this hotel employs a competent first aid staff. They are more than qualified to apply a bandage, which is all I really require."

"Why not just let Nate look at it?"

"Because I prefer not to be berated, for my injuring myself, while engaging in what he will no doubt see as a foolish and dangerous past time."

Chris had to admit Ezra had a point. Nathan had a tendency to rag on all of them whenever they got hurt. It didn't seem to matter if it was job related or not. Chris could readily understand Ezra's reluctance.

The elevator doors dinged as the opened. Vin stepped out. He glanced toward the lobby, immediately spotting both Chris and Ezra. He grinned seeing Ezra.

"How were the waves this mornin', Ez?"

"Outstanding, Mr. Tanner. Positively outstanding. You missed a truly excellent opportunity."

Vin chuckled. "Honestly, Ez, if it was like last night, not sure I'd have ever gotten on the board. 'Sides, if I got started I wouldn't want to quit 'til I got it down. Ain't enough time in the mornin' for that."

Ezra tipped his head. "Indeed. Or in the evening either, for that matter. The sun simply sets too soon. And while surfing at night can be exhilarating, I would not recommend it for a novice."

"You knew about this?" Chris glared at Vin. //I spend three days trying to figure out where the damn southern fool was disappearing to and Vin knew! And not only does the son of a bitch know, he's been going along!//

Vin looked at him, his expression one of complete innocence. "Well, yeah. We're sharin' a room, Cowboy. Would be kind o' hard to miss that board. Or the fact that he was up even 'fore me every morning."

Chris snorted. "And you didn't see any reason to enlighten the rest of us?"

Vin shrugged. "Nope." The lanky Texan's lips quirked upward in a half smile. "Ya didn't ask me."

Chris glared at him, something Vin shrugged off with practiced ease. Vin looked at Ezra again. "Hey-yer friend still okay with me taggin' along this weekend? Don't want to cramp yer style or anything."

"Nonsense." Ezra waved one hand in dismissal. "It is a pleasure to bring along someone who wants to learn." Ezra smiled. "Jase said he has a board appropriate for a beginner. He suggested we head up the coast where the shoreline is not quite so tricky."

"Not like the spot you were at the other day then?" There was more than just a touch of admiration in Vin's voice. "Wouldn't want ta wipe out there."

Ezra flashed a quick grin. "Most definitely not. That area is not for beginners or the faint of heart. Jase has another spot in mind for you to make your first foray into the art of riding the waves."

Vin's sharp eyes gave Ezra the once over. "You wipe out this morning?"

Ezra grimaced, looking down at his leg. "I was careless, and duly punished for my lapse in attention."

Vin pursed his lips. "Don't look too bad."

"It isn't." Ezra agreed. "Sufficient to keep me out of the water later today, but not enough to ruin the weekend."

Ezra hefted his board. "If you will excuse me, Mr. Larabee, Mr. Tanner, I need to clean up and dress appropriately for today's session."

"Don't forget to have that leg taken care of." Chris ordered.

Ezra raised two fingers in his usual salute, and headed for the elevators. Chris watched him leave, still trying to figure out how someone as reserved as Ezra could get involved with something like surfing. It just didn't seem to match.

He scowled at Vin."You could have said something."

Vin shrugged, sliding into a seat with near boneless grace. "Man's allowed ta spend his free time how ever he wants." Sharp blue eyes calmly regarded him. "And just 'cause we're a team don't mean we all don't need a break from each other now and again."

//Ain't that the truth.// Chris sighed. "You went along with him last night." It was more of a question than a statement.

Vin nodded. "Wanted ta see what it was like. He's been coming in every morning and evening like he was walking on cloud nine. Was just curious."

Vin looked at Chris with more than a trace of awe in his expression. "You shoulda seen him, Cowboy." Vin shook his head. "Was most incredible thing ta watch. Him and his buddy would just catch a wave and ride the thing. Was amazing to see him jus' sort of move ahead of the crest. Like he was floating there, moving in and out with it. Made it look like it was the easiest thing in the world ta do."

Chris could hear the envy in Vin's voice. "Why didn't you try it last night?"

"Like Ez said-place they went to last night weren't really right for beginners. It's all about balance and coordination. Screw up and you're toast."

Chris frowned. He didn't like the way that sounded. "That dangerous?"

"Can be." Vin nodded. "Didn't seem ta bother Ez or Jase none. Ez said they sort o' eased into the one they were at last night. He hasn't had the chance ta surf lately, and he needed ta get his feet under him again. Jase picked an easier place ta start with so he could get the feel of the water. They been hittin' harder spots as they go."

"He say how long he's been doing this?"

Vin shook his head. "Nope. But I'd have ta say he's been at it awhile. Two o' them both looked like they knew what they's doing. Nobody makes anythin' look that easy without a hell of lot o' practice."

Vin shrugged. "Aside from it bein' the wrong place-the other reason I didn't give it a try last night was Ez didn't get a chance to talk to Jase 'fore I asked ta come along, so they didn't have an extra board. Ez offered ta let me use his, but it didn't seem right for me ta take his when he was havin' so much fun. Man gets a chance to do something he really loves, he oughta be allowed to just enjoy it."

"And you didn't go this morning because-"

"Didn't want Ez ta think I was doggin' him." Vin sat back in his chair, assuming his habitual slouch. "Figured he only has while we're here ta visit with his buddy. Kinda got the impression him and Jase used to be real close. Sounds like they've kept in touch, but don't get to see each other all that often, so they got lots to catch up on. And Ez has the chance ta do something he likes, ain't no reason for me ta butt in and be a third wheel all the time. Weekend will be more than enough."

Chris smiled. //Leave it to Vin to think of someone else first.// "You think he'd mind having another spectator?"

"Ya'd have ta ask him." Vin grinned, blue eyes twinkling. "Thinking of trying it out are ya?"

Chris snorted. "Hell no. But I wouldn't mind the chance to get away from the others. Sort of hoping their mood will improve while we're gone. And I know a trip to the beach will do wonders for mine."

Vin chuckled, an impish smile gracing his features. "The others will be pissed if they find out."

Chris rolled his eyes. "What-like they haven't been pissed since we got here?"

"Point."

"Besides, I heard Buck talking to some of the ladies. It sounds like if he doesn't have plans for the weekend yet, he will before the day is over."

Vin nodded. "And Josiah said he wanted to hit some museums. One place usually takes him all day. 'Nuff here ta keep him busy for the whole weekend."

"JD was talking about some computer thing. Have no idea what it was all about, but he sounded gung-ho for it. Said it started tonight and ran through Sunday."

Vin frowned. "Leaves Nate."

"No it don't." Chris grinned. "He don't know it yet, but Rain is flying in on Friday. She wanted to surprise him. Said she'd already arranged to have the weekend off, so there was no reason not to make the most of it."

Vin grinned. "Cool. So then I guess they all got plans anyway."

Chris nodded. "Which just leaves me, if Ez doesn't agree to let me comin' along."

Vin waved a hand. "Not to worry, Chris. If he's willin' ta let me go along, he'll let you go too."

Chris looked at his best friend, expression doubtful. He and Ezra spent a fair amount of time at odds with each other. "You sure about that?"

"Yep." Vin didn't seem to have any doubts.

"What makes you so sure?"

Vin shrugged. "When I went last night-Him and Jase were in the water 90% of the time. Didn't actually spend much time with 'em, except for the ride there, and the trip back. Figure you and Ez can tolerate each other that long."

Vin stood up, and moved toward the coffeepot. He cast a sly look over his shoulder, and winked. "Think you can keep yer mouth shut for that long?"

"Keep my mouth-Why you little shit." Chris threw himself out of his chair, but Vin was already dancing away, laughing as he did so.

"Gotcha."

THE END