"Daddy, I'm worried."
"Yeah? What're you worried about, Bugsy?"
June smiled a little at the nickname, a play on June Bug, but then her face grew serious again. Lu was always amazed at how serious she could look when she wanted to. "It's about tomorrow."
"Don't worry about tomorrow, sweet-pea. You're gonna be great. I mean, you gotta. You're a Cohen, right?"
June shook her head. "That's not what I'm worried about. What if somethin' happens to you or Uncle Mikey or Miss Harvelle? You could get hurt."
"Sunshine, nothin's gonna happen to me or Uncle Mikey or Jo. We're all gonna be just fine. We've been doin' this for how long now?"
June shrugged.
"Since before you were born. Uncle Mike an' I were raised doin' this, just like you. You have nothin' to worry about."
"Promise?"
"Of course." Lu crossed his heart for emphasis. "I promise."
Evidently satisfied, June snuggled down under the covers and pulled her stuffed bear Pretzel to her chest. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you more, Bugsy." Lu kissed her goodnight and went to turn off the lights. "I'll be back when Aunt Rachel comes back from the grounds, okay?"
"Okay." June rolled over and closed her eyes, and Lu watched her for a moment before slipping out of the hotel room, patting his pockets to be sure he had his room key.
He found Michael in the lobby, his phone pressed to his ear. "Hey, bro."
Michael glanced over at him and held up a finger. "Don't take any bullshit from them, hon. They knew we were bringin' four, one for each rider. The contract should be in the glove box." He paused for a moment. "Found it? Good. Call me back if they try to argue again." A smile crossed his face. "He's passed the fuck out right now, but he'll probably wake up when you get back. Yeah. Love you. See you later." He hung up and pocketed his phone. "What's up?"
"Not much. Inias is asleep already? I'm impressed."
"Yeah, well, it was a long day. An' Dad's with him. Swear to God, that man has endless patience."
"Not surprisin'. He raised us, remember? We were little assholes."
Michael laughed. "True enough. June asleep?"
"Yeah. She didn't want to at first. Worried about you, me, an' Jo."
"About us?"
"Yeah. Couldn't care less about her own performance tomorrow."
"Huh." Michael shrugged. "Kids bounce back from injuries like that, though. Maybe she knows it already. Besides, you're her rock. An' me? I'm yours," he joked.
"You wish," Lu shot back, and a moment later, the two of them were gearing up for a world-class wrestling match. Only a sharp look from the concierge prevented a full-out battle.
They were both used to the long nights when they were on the road. It was always like this—the first night was invariably nearly sleepless, waiting for the two short straws to drop off the horses and come back, and no matter who went, someone always stayed up to wait. Lu didn't doubt that Sam was lurking in some corner, waiting for his own brother to come back.
Everyone else was settled in their rooms, but aside from June and Inias, he was pretty sure no one was sleeping. Well, maybe their dad and Ellen, and possibly Taz and Cas, but Jo and Anna definitely weren't. Tomorrow wouldn't be much different either. After every day of competition, there was always something to celebrate—or lament. They almost always went out to party.
Tomorrow would definitely be interesting. Lu would have to watch his drinking around Taz if he didn't want to do something stupid.
Balthazar was woken up by a sharp knock on his door. For a few moments, he was so disoriented that he'd forgotten where he was—it almost felt like he was back in Los Angeles in his own flat. But then he realized the bed wasn't big enough—when you've slept in a California king, any other bed felt far too small—and Bela wasn't in it. Then the past few weeks came rushing back, and he suddenly remembered he was at a hotel in Dallas.
Bollocks, he thought, finally stirring.
The knock came again, and Balthazar rolled out of bed and slunk to the door. Castiel was on the other side, already dressed and well put-together, considering he was dressing for a rodeo. Balthazar opened the door a crack—he was completely naked, after all, and didn't really want the whole world looking at his junk—and poked his head out. "Now what?"
"You've got another twenty minutes to make it to breakfast. Also..." Castiel held out a flannel shirt, similar to the one he wore. "It'll help you blend in."
"Bloody hell." Balthazar reached out and snatched the shirt, glaring at him. "I don't need to blend in. Don't you think my bloody voice will give it away?"
Castiel shrugged. "It's not like you'll be talking to everyone. Dean says we're leaving for the rodeo at ten-thirty."
Balthazar nodded and then grinned. "Did you happen to room with Dean last night?"
Castiel turned red, but he shook his head. "No. He shared a room with Sam."
"A shame. Perhaps he'll pay a visit tonight."
"Stay out of it," Castiel growled, and the sound of it raised the hair on Balthazar's arms, but he just grinned again.
"No promises," he said cheerfully, and then slammed the door in Castiel's face.
The small conference room, where the remainder of the continental breakfast was, was close to empty. The only person he knew in the room was Rachel, who was sitting at one of the corner tables with a paper cup of coffee in her hands. She stared vacantly up at the television, oblivious to it and everything around her. A half-eaten bagel sat in front of her.
Balthazar put a waffle and a blueberry muffin on a paper plate and filled another cup with black tea. He was rather surprised to discover such a touch down here in Texas, but he wasn't about to complain. He brought his food to where Rachel sat, and that seemed to snap her out of her reverie. "Long night?" Balthazar guessed.
Rachel blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah, little bit. Those assholes at the grounds took some fightin' with." She grinned suddenly. "But I fixed 'em good."
Balthazar grinned back. He had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn't doubt that she could be formidable when she put her mind to it. "When did you get back in?"
"Around two." She yawned and took a halfhearted sip of coffee. Balthazar imagined it was rather cold by now.
"Did you sleep at all?"
"Of course I did. Mike an' Nick waited up 'til I got back an' Mike made sure I went right to sleep. Not that I coulda done much else. God, I'm exhausted. So glad I'm not ridin' at all on this trip."
"Why aren't you?"
"Hmm? Oh, I just don't feel like it. I haven't really been practicin' the last couple a' months. Got other stuff to worry about."
"So who's riding today?"
Rachel yawned again. "Everyone. June's up first—they get the kids' races outta the way early in the day. Mike an' Nick are after her, an' Jo's ridin' last. There'll be a few more events tomorrow, but today's the only day everyone'll be ridin'. I think Mike an' Nick are ridin' every day."
"He told me about his real name," Balthazar said quietly. "That he's named Lucifer."
Rachel blinked and cocked her head to the side. "Really? He doesn't share that with just anyone." She nodded to herself. "Well, all for the better. I hate callin' him Nick at home. It's just his road name. Everyone important knows the truth. An' honestly, it kinda fits. The two a' them fight sometimes, but they wouldn't be anywhere without the other." She rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. "What about your name? I highly doubt it says 'Taz' on your birth certificate."
"It doesn't," Balthazar confessed. "Nor does Cas's say 'Cas' on it. Both our names are rather unusual."
"So what are they?"
Before Balthazar had a chance to answer, the door to the conference room opened and Chuck's voice floated over. "Rach, Taz, we're about to take off. Care to join us?" There was a hint of teasing in his voice, but Balthazar scarfed down the other half of his waffle anyway and picked up the tea and muffin to go. Just as well—he wasn't sure how well "Balthazar" would go over with the Cohens. Although considering that Chuck had named his sons after the General of Archangels and the Prince of Hell, maybe his own name wouldn't be so difficult to swallow.
Now that there were no horses to drive around, the entire party piled into the van for the trip to the rodeo grounds. Once again, Chuck drove with Ellen riding shotgun, but this time, Michael, Inias, and Rachel piled into the front row behind them. Rachel still looked exhausted, but she somehow managed to keep her eyes open. Behind them, June and her father chatted animatedly—Balthazar fought to keep his eyes off them. Sam, Dean, and Castiel commandeered the third row. Dean and Castiel seemed a little close, but if anyone else noticed it, they didn't say anything. Anna and Jo were in the last seat next to Balthazar. They both had their feet kicked up on the bench, Anna sideways with her arms on the backs of the seat she was on and the one in front of her, Jo curled right up next to her. Anna's fingers ran through Jo's hair, and the blonde smiled contentedly.
Balthazar only had a few minutes to observe, though. As it turned out, they were barely three miles from the grounds. Chuck parked, and the whole group dumped out onto the pavement. Balthazar imagined it looked rather like a clown car, although it was a van, so it would naturally hold a lot of people.
He felt conspicuous in the borrowed flannel shirt, but considering that everyone else in the group was also wearing at least either plaid or flannel, he actually blended in. It definitely wasn't his first choice for fashion, but his only concession to his favored style was to keep the top four buttons undone. In his opinion, shirts looked better off him.
Everyone seemed to know where to go from here, so he followed his party to an entrance labeled COMPETITORS. "Registration's this way," Chuck explained as they walked. "They gotta sign a stack a' papers an' pay their entrance fee."
"How much is that, usually?"
"Fifty for kids, hundred for adults."
Three hundred and fifty dollars for something that could kill them. "They pay their own way? The adults, I mean. I doubt June has fifty dollars floating around," Balthazar added with a small smile.
"Nah, I cover the boys anyway since it's all comin' from the same place, an' when any a' the employees wanna ride, I cover them, too. Only fair, considerin' all the work they do. It's not a problem, either," Chuck said. "We don't really have to worry about money right now."
Balthazar wasn't really surprised by that.
They'd just barely gotten under the tent when a voice cut through the hubbub. "Cohens! You're here!" A man with dark hair and eyes hurried over to them with a huge grin on his face. He hugged Lu tightly, and for a second or two longer than socially acceptable. "Nicky! Good to see you!"
Nicky? Balthazar nearly gagged. He hated the small stab of jealousy he felt.
Lu grinned back, either not noticing the prolonged embrace or not caring.
If I didn't know any better...
Then the man was hugging Michael and Rachel and Chuck, and those were normal hugs, not like that little moment with Lu.
I'd say they were fucking.
"You guys get in last night?"
"Yeah, sent in the cavalry to drop off the horses," Chuck said.
"How was the drive?"
"Too fuckin' long," Lu said, then seemed to remember his daughter was standing right next to him. He sheepishly glanced at her. "You didn't hear that."
"Hear what?"
The other man laughed. "Hey, Junie, good to see you. You ridin' today?"
June nodded proudly. "Yep! I'm gonna win, too!"
"Well, considerin' your dad an' the rest a' your family, I would be extremely surprised if you didn't."
Another voice cut through the air, loud and steady."RAPHAEL DEMORE MOSELEY! YOU BRING THOSE FINE PEOPLE OVER HERE!"
The man flinched and rubbed the back of his head. "An' you remember my mother," he muttered. He glanced at Balthazar and Castiel. "Please don't call me Raphael. I'm just 'Ray' around here."
In the grand scheme of things, "Raphael" was a far better name than "Balthazar," but he wasn't about to contradict the guy. "I'm Taz," he said, and Ray grinned and shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Taz." He turned to Castiel. "An' you are?"
"Cas Collins." Castiel shook his hand, too.
"Nice to meet you, Cas. So what are y'all folks doin' with this bunch a' misfits?" Ray asked, with a deliberate grin at the Cohens.
"We're from a magazine. We're hanging out with them for awhile for a few articles. He's my photographer."
"Great. I'm sure you'll manage to dig up quite a few skeletons while you're wanderin' around with them. They're good people, though."
"Your mother—" Chuck started, but he was cut off by the mother in question.
"RAPHAEL!"
"Comin, Ma!" Ray grinned sheepishly at them. "You heard the lady. It's been awhile since the last time she saw you. I'm sure y'all got lots a' catchin' up to do."
Balthazar got the distinct impression she wasn't the only one who had a Cohen or two to catch up with.
"We're real good friends with the Moseleys," Chuck explained as they wandered through the tent. "They run the rodeos in Dallas."
"You make it sound like we're some kind a' dynasty or somethin'," Ray teased. "We're nothin' compared to the great Tulsa Cohens."
"Don't be so modest, Ray. You got a good thing goin' here."
"True." Ray shrugged. "It's me, my mom, an' my sister. We don't have quite the entourage that these country folk have, but we do alright. It's an honor to be able to do what I love every day."
"An' we definitely agree there," Chuck said. They stopped in front of a rickety table where two women sat, both with Raphael's dark complexions. "Ms. Moseley, it's great to see you again," Chuck said, and the older of the two women stood up, holding out her arms.
"Chuck, get your ass over here an' give me a proper hug."
"Of course, Missouri." He gave her a tight hug, and then turned to Balthazar and Castiel, one arm still thrown around her shoulders. "Taz, Cas, this is Missouri Moseley, the grand matriarch a' Moseley Rodeo Management. You've met Ray Moseley, an' this is Missouri's daughter Rochelle. Moseleys, this is Taz Roché an' Cas Collins, reporters from National Sporting in Los Angeles."
"Welcome to Dallas," Rochelle said, shaking their hands. Balthazar was grateful to not be hugged. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Have you registered yet?" Missouri asked.
"Didn't get a chance. Ray here intercepted us before we could get to the table. It's a bit of a mess over there."
"That is very true. Should clear up in a few minutes. Who do you got ridin' this time?"
"Mike an' Nick, naturally. Jo Harvelle as well, an' there was someone else, too. Who was that again?"
Balthazar glanced at Chuck just in time to see a small, mischievous grin cross his face. Suddenly, he could see the resemblance Chuck's sons had to their father. Next to Nick, June was bouncing on her feet while trying to maintain her composure, and Nick was grinning, too. "Gee, Dad, I don't know. Maybe we didn't have anyone else."
"Daddy!" June stage-whispered, tugging on Nick's hand.
"Mike? Anything?"
Michael picked up on the act, too. "I think Nick's right, Dad. Pretty sure it was just the three of us."
June evidently couldn't stand it any longer. "Me! I'm competin' today, too! An' I should be up first!"
"Of course, that's who I forgot!" Chuck smiled and ruffled his granddaughter's hair. "June's been talkin' about ridin' nonstop for the last month or so. She's real excited."
"Well, of course she is," Missouri said, smiling down at June. "And I'm sure she's gonna do just fine."
I love Missouri. And I had to make Raphael/Rochelle brother and sister. I liked both of their vessels.
Also. Lu fucked Ray. Many times.
And one final note: Cohen is a very Jewish name. This is intentional. The Cohens are Jewish.
