Runners by Gil Hale (PG)

[wneleh.livejournal.com]

Fandom: THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Pairing: none
Length: novel
Author on LJ: not here
Author Website: Gil Hale's Literary Leaflets
Why this must be read:

I discovered M7 through a Gil Hale XO - she made the Seven intriguing enough that I started hunting them down, and, eventually, writing in the fandom myself.

This story, about the gaining of trust, is a particular favorite of mine. It's set in an alternate version of Mog's ATF AU, in which Vin and Ezra are homeless teens taking care of 10-year-old JD. Guess who takes an interest in them.

A sample:

Chris needed a distraction, something, anything, which would give him a chance to get the initiative.

Nathan knew it, but Nathan was looking dazed, blood running down from a cut over his ear. The knife was pressed too tightly against his skin.

Where the hell was the back up?

Chris glared at the men in an impasse that had only lasted moments but was already too long.

It was then that he saw someone move in the shadows behind Nathan and his captors. Only years of experience and discipline kept Chris from showing anything in his expression as the figure slid silently forward and into the light from the doorway. It was a kid, a boy of fifteen or sixteen, filthy and dishevelled, but he moved with adult confidence. He looked directly at Chris, and as their eyes met the sense of connection jolted Chris like a paddle to the chest. The kid was there to help, and he knew what he was doing.

Runners