Red rock swept down from the bluff in ragged stretches that tumbled and turned into rolling hills. Scraggy, tough grass crept over the lower reaches of the rock before turning into lush grazing. The dark lines of fences and irrigation canals led a neat geometric pattern to a large ranch-house. Johnny twitched a muscle at the corner of his eye and the dark dots moving around the property snapped into focus, uniformed soldiers. Silver rank tabs glinted on the collars of the ones walking in and out of the house.

"Tha's yer folks place, ain' it, Jason?" Johnny lifted a hand to shade his eyes against the sun, then stood and brushed dirt from the knee he had been kneeling on. The tall, rangy younger man next to him lowered his binoculars.

"Yeah - should be mine now, but they - " Jason paused and spat off the side of the ledge they were standing on, "came in an' took it over. Least it looks like they're still taking care of the cattle." Pushing back his broad-brimmed hat to dangle by the cord around his neck, Jason wiped his forehead with the back of his sleeve. Russet hair flamed in the sun, nearly the same shade as his older sister's.

Johnny frowned absently while he took up a lean against the wall of rock behind them. A slow blink retracted the silver film over his eyes, turning the scene in the valley into an idyllic farm rather than the site of a military occupation. "Y'all been thinkin' abou' yer nex' move? After seein' all tha' I've go' an idea I'd like ta add onta wha'ever yer doin'."

At the question Jason shifted side to side uneasily before taking a lean next to Johnny in unconscious mimicry of his pose. He paused, shifted, settled the hat back on top of his head and then leaned again. Stalling tactics.

"Wha'? Ya tryin' ta tell me they don' have anythin' planned ye'? Been almos' two weeks since th' las' raid."

"See, Johnny, there's a lot'a th' folks that're getting tired of this, that just want ta go home. I ain't seen m'wife in almost a month. They're figgerin' that if we lay low fer a while, they'll," Jason paused, spat, continued, "leave an' we can go home." His voice was plaintive, almost pleading with Johnny to understand.

Johnny pushed off from the rock wall, took the two short steps to the edge, spoke with his back turned to Jason. "How lon' a while're they wantin'?"

"Six months, eight. Long enough ta make it seem like they don't need ta be spending all th' money they're wasting ta keep folks here." Jason sounded calmer when Johnny appeared to listen. He went on more confidently, "Year or so at th' outside, ya could do that. Ain' like ya got a bad set-up here with Sarah an' all."

"No...." Johnny's voice was tight, strange, and the muscles of his shoulders were taut. "Ain' like this's th' wors' place I've ever been."

"So I can tell th' others yer goin' ta go along with it, not cause any more trouble fer a while?" Jason asked hopefully.

"No." Johnny turned then, jaw clenched hard. One long stride covered the distance between the two men faster than Jason could respond. Johnny pressed Jason back against the rock wall with a forearm braced across the younger man's chest. The brim of Jason's hat was crushed against the rock, and he coughed with the impact.

"Ya ain' seen yer wife in a month? Been almos' four since I've seen Sianna, an' she's had our kids while I've been gone. Lor' an' Skies, I still don' know if'n they're all righ'." Johnny's baritone was low, dangerous, and Jason stared wide-eyed at the emerald gaze just inches from his face. This wasn't a side of Johnny he had seen before, and he swallowed.

Opening his mouth to say something calming, Jason was cut off when Johnny went on. "Ya can go back an' tell th' others ta star' gettin' ready fer somethin' big. Once I've gotten wha' I need, gotten me an' Sarah off this rock, y'all can go belly up ta them all ya wan'." Johnny's next words were clipped, precise, with no hint of an accent to give misunderstanding. "But I am going to go home."

With that Johnny stepped back, released Jason and turned to kneel at the edge again, silver film sliding down over his eyes. Jason stumbled forward half a step, rubbing at his chest, opened his mouth again, closed it. After a moment he just turned and started climbing up the rock wall.