A/n: First off, there are NO SPOILERS in this chapter. Yes, you CAN look at the next line and be COMPLETELY surprised by the fourth season finale.

This is something that has been pinging around my brain since Eliot had that line about water rights.

I couldn't figure out anywhere else to put this little story so it is now a brief flashback Sasha has when Nate "introduces" her to Eliot. Enjoy!

Late Summer, 1977 -

Sasha and Eliot were sitting in the front yard when their father got his "spittin' mad" face on. He was talking to their neighbor Mr. Birchwood, and something Mr. Birchwood said about "failure to produce" and "growth not what we expected" and even "the hospital won't wait anymore" had made Daddy upset. Sash gaped at him as Daddy hit Mr. Birchwood on the jaw. Their usually friendly neighbor spat in the dust at his friend's feet.

Mr. Birchwood got into his shiny Dodge Club Cab and drove off real fast, leaving a huge cloud of dust behind him. Sasha got up from where she was sitting and brushed the dead grass from her carefully mended jeans and shirt. Helping her two year old brother up, they walked hand in hand over to their dad. Sash, at seven, knew something very bad was going on, but didn't know just quite what.

When they reached him, their father was sitting on the front step of their house, right leg out in front of him to ease the pressure on his bad knee. Their house wasn't a new house or a big house; she and Eliot both slept in the living room on the floor, Momma and Daddy slept upstairs in the attic and there was barely enough room for the kitchen and the washroom daddy had built onto it; but it was home.

"Daddy," Sasha spoke as she hauled her little brother up the step and put him on the railed porch. "Daddy, what's wrong? Why did you hit Mr. Birchwood, Daddy?"

Their father sniffed and wiped tears off his face. That scared Sasha more than even him hitting Mr. Birchwood. Daddys weren't supposed to cry.

"Daddy's just upset because Mr. Birchwood told him our corn crop wasn't big enough to pay off some money Daddy owed the bank." Daddy ran his hand over his face and his fingers rasped against his three day beard. Eliot ran over and jumped into his lap. Daddy didn't even really notice as he stared out over their front yard, waiting for their Momma to come pulling up the drive in their dusty old four door '63 Impala on her way home from her secretary job. He wrapped his arm around Sasha and muttered to himself.

"Land without water's just dirt." Then he looked up at Sash. "No matter what happens sweetheart, you take care of your baby brother." He picked Eliot up off his lap and put him on his feet in front of them. "You make sure nothing bad ever happens to him, okay?"

"I will Daddy. I promise."