Apparently, the journey to Esterly was exactly what Frank had anticipated,
four days. The burial had cost them a day in itself, what with the digging
of the grave and the "ceremony". Frank had said something nice and poetic
for him as they circled the grave with their hats held solemnly at their
sides. Tom had insisted he perform some kind of Native American ritual that
would guide McClelland Miller to a safe afterlife as well, but after that
there wasn't much to be said or done so they'd continued on their way
though their spirits were dampened.
The town was quiet as the Younger gang walked their horses along the dusty main road. Jesse motioned for the others to follow him to the general store, which was simply called "Joe's", as the rickety wooden sign outside signified. Only Frank pursued his brother. The others seemed to want to stay outside, like they were imposing because they'd never met this friend of the James family. Jesse hoped silently that this establishment was still owned by Joseph Mueller, and not some other man by the name of Joe.
"Y'think he's still here?" Frank asked jokingly in reference to the sign as they passed through the small swinging doors of the store.
"I reck'n. 'Less he's dead," Jesse said simply, not catching Frank's humor.
"Jesse? Jesse James?" an amused voice sounded from behind the counter at the far side of the room. Both Jesse and Frank's heads turned in the direction of the sound, and they were met with the sight of a balding man, probably in his late thirties, dressed in a large white apron over a white shirt and black slacks. He was large, the nice way to put that he was quite fat, but had a friendly air to him that immediately displaced any thoughts of unpleasantness. His eyes were cobalt-like in color, and his remaining hair was an orange that had started to fade to gray. He was exactly how Jesse had remembered him. "Frank too? Gosh damn, how long's it been?"
Frank looked at Jesse as if he'd needed to use his brother's face as an abacus then turned back to Joe with a grin. "'Bout two years, I think."
"Yeah.. yeah," Joe said absently, like he wasn't going to bother thinking about it much. He pulled them both into a great hug, patting each on the back. "Good t'see you boys, damn good t'see you."
"You too, Joe," Frank was smiling. Joe had served as a surrogate father to them after theirs had passed on, and there was still that closeness even after a long period of separation.
"What brings y'here? Last I known y'all was wanted criminals. Lookin' for a place t'stay?"
Frank nodded. "Can y'help us?"
"Sure can. How many people're stayin'?"
"Seven," Jesse responded quickly without thinking. Frank nudged him and he cleared his throat. "O-oh, six."
"There a stable or somethin' for the horses?" Frank glanced at Jesse and then back to Joe.
"Jus' down the road, can't miss it."
"Thanks, Joe," Jesse left to go direct the others to the stables.
Frank lingered, a small smile appearing on his face. "So, Joe, where's Alex?"
"Prolly' down by the swimmin' hole with Dean and Lacey. Y'gonna drop by an' say hello?"
"Yeah, figured that was in order."
"Alrigh' then," Joe clapped Frank on the shoulder affectionately. "Come back t'the house when y'all get hungry, 'cause I'll be makin' dinner for y'all."
Frank's smile broadened at the promise of food and he tipped his hat to his estranged father figure. "Thanks, Joe. Really." He offered a wave, which the older man returned and then headed outside.
Jesse was just coming back from the stables with the others as Frank stepped out into the midday sun. He stuffed his hands into his slack pockets and squinted his eyes, looking expectantly at Frank. Frank nodded twice slowly, moving to the group. Jesse canted his head in silent inquisition.
"Down by the swimmin' hole," Frank grinned and tilted his head to look around Jesse. "Where's Jim?"
Jim, hearing his name, leaned out from behind a nearby support beam where he and Tom had been talking. His brows rose as he looked to his older cousin. "Whad'dya want?"
Jesse motioned for him to come near with his head. "C'mon, we wanna introduce you t'someone."
Jim narrowed his eyes in suspicion, stepping cautiously over to Jesse. "Who?"
Jesse smiled lightly at Jim's reluctance and doubt. "Jus' a friend," he said as he began to walk towards the swimming hole with his hands tucked deeply into his slacks. Jim watched him skeptically, but he felt better when Frank began to walk as well. He waited a few moments before jogging after them.
"What's his name?"
Jesse glanced at Frank who smirked as he glanced back. "Alex."
***
The three men arrived at the swimming hole to find two young boys standing at the edge of a large bastion-like rock. A solitary tree jutted out from it's top, and although it was dead, it served as a good support for a rope swing. The swing looked pathetic from far away, but it looked even worse as they got closer. It had obviously broken, the strands at the end were frayed and it stopped far above the reach of either boy. The taller, and noticeably older one made a show of attempting to jump up and grasp the rope, but it was clearly futile and he ceased eventually.
The taller boy was lean, but by no means scrawny. He was only dressed in tan slacks; he didn't have much need for a shirt if he was just going to get wet. His pants matched the color of his hair almost, a color too brown to be blonde and too blonde to be brown. His eyes were bright green, and radiated with false abhorrence and spite. After all, he was a teenager. They hated things for no reason, correct?
The younger boy was on the pudgy side, and looked a great deal like his father. He, too, was just in slacks; only his were a dark green that offset his brother's eyes. He had carrot-colored hair atop his pudgy head, and his face was dotted with freckles. His eyes were blue as his father's were, and it was obvious that the gene pool had undoubtedly made them alike in most physical aspects.
Frank strolled up to the water's edge casually, unnoticed by the children initially. It was hard to ignore him though, after he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Lacey! Where's Alex?"
The older boy, who had started to climb the tree, turned his attention to Frank. He didn't recognize him from his position and, convinced that it must be the sun, squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand. He stepped forward on the rock-cliff, just to the edge, and leaned over to try and get a better view. "Who's askin'?"
"What? Y'don't recognize Frank James when y'see him?" Frank sounded amused as the younger boy squealed and began to run down the back rocks that served as stairs to the cliff.
"Frank?!"
Lacey slowly followed his brother, albeit a bit more cautiously. "Who's there with you? That Jesse?"
Frank caught the young boy up in a hug as he rushed at him, chuckling lightly at his exuberant chatter.
"Wow, I can't believe it! Are y'here with the Youngers?!" his head popped up from behind Frank's shoulder and he spotted Jim. "You.. You're Jim Younger!" his gaze shifted to Jesse, "Jesse! Jesse James!"
By this time, Lacey had reached them, still squinting, only now in thought. "Calm down, Dean. Leave 'em alone. They prolly' come here t'hide out. They don't need y'yellin' their names at the top'a your lungs."
"Oh.. sorry, fellas," Dean's voice lowered an octave as Frank let him go. He stepped away and shuffled his feet as he pretended that a large rock on the ground was more interesting than the three members of the James-Younger gang standing in front of him.
Jesse smirked at the display. "Good t'see y'boys," he leaned down, placing his hands on his knees and making himself eye level with Dean. "Last time I saw you, Dean, you was 'bout eight. How old're you now?"
"Ten, turnin' eleven in August!" Dean chirped excitedly.
"An' you, Lace?"
"Fifteen," Lacey said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"How 'bout Alex?"
"Seventeen."
"Where is Alex, anyway?" Frank chimed in from his position on the shore.
"Well, we needed some new rope for our swing," he motioned to the rickety old tree and the broken rope. "So we-"
"So y'made me go fetch some for you, y'lazy sons'a bitches!" a new voice broke in, one clearly female, "God forbid y'move your own behinds t'do somethin' for yourselves!"
The girl approached the group, pushing the coiled rope into Lacey's chest without completely appreciating the fact that others were there as well. She was just shy of Lacey's height, something that bothered her greatly, and had a naturally hourglass-shaped body that was hidden beneath a large shirt, evidently from her father because it was much too big for her small form. Her hair was long and had a spontaneous curl at the ends that was terribly unusual for someone that lived in such a humid environment as this. It was brown, but had been lightened up by the sun so it was a healthy gold. Her eyes were dark, though nowhere near the muddy brown of Jesse's. She glanced up at the three strangers, not fully understanding who they were as of yet, and smiled ever so sweetly.
Jim gaped as the girl recognized Frank and squealed gleefully, latching onto him happily. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, despite the fact that she was in very unflattering clothes. He was attracted to her right off. The eyes, the hair, he was instantly smitten with her, and it showed on his face. Jesse smirked at his reaction, nudging him slightly in the shoulder. Jim's gaze shot from the girl to Jesse, tainted with confusion.
"What's the matter?" Jesse asked, indicating his look.
"Who's that?" Jim didn't want to assume this was the same Alex that the James brothers had wanted to introduce him to.
Jesse smiled to himself and then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "That's Alex."
"That's Alex? As in Alexandra?" Jim sounded upset, but managed to keep his voice in check. "Well why didn't y'tell me she was a girl? Look at me! I look like shit! God damn you."
"Actually, it's Alexan-DRIA," Jesse said simply, a small chuckle mottling his words. Jim just stared at him. He smiled again and shoved him a few steps forward. "Well, go say hello or somethin'."
Jim staggered forward and back to the group, where Alex was still chatting with Frank. Frank had his arm looped around her shoulders casually, as they'd been hugging moments before. They looked close enough, as if they were brother and sister, and chances were, if the Jameses had the same relationship with the children as they did with Joe, then they were quite close. Jesse sauntered back to the group after Jim, to the delight of Alex, who'd rushed over and hugged him like she had with Frank.
"Aw, look'it you, gettin' so big!" she giggled and squeezed his cheeks similar to the way you would a baby or toddler. He pushed her hands away with a laugh, and then turned to Jim.
"Alex, I'd like you t'meet someone," he motioned to Jim.
"Jim Younger," Jim extended his hand to her.
She smiled. "I know who y'are, I follow the wanted posters," she took his hand and shook, "I'm so excited t'see y'all! You gonna be stayin' with us for a while?"
"Jus' long enough t'recouperate, right Jess?" he glanced at Jesse, who nodded and smirked at the fact that Jim was still shaking Alex's hand.
"Well, it's uh, it's real good t'have y'all," she said uncertainly, prying her hand from Jim's grip and raising a brow at him. She looked at him strangely and then turned to Jesse. "I missed you guys, it's so borin' 'round here."
Jesse nodded with a smile, nudging a stupefied Jim back into reality. "Yeah, 'member that time me an' Frank chased y'through your daddy's cornfield, scarin' you t'the point where you was screamin' at the top'a your lungs?"
Alex grinned, remembering it well. "I do, but what happened after that?"
"Once you found out it was us y'cried like a little girl."
"I WAS a little girl, Jesse!" she laughed, "'Sides, that's not what happened anyway. You know what happened."
"Yeah, yeah. Y'set us up real good, we were real sorry."
"Damn straight. Y'don't mess with a Mueller and not expect payback."
Jesse shoved her playfully, to which she blushed and cleared her throat. "Where'd Frank run off to?"
As if on cue, a large splash sounded behind them. The three turned to see Dean and Lacey standing at the edge of the cliff, which must've meant Frank had plunged into the cool water below. Alex placed her hands on her hips and smiled slightly as Dean leaned over the side of the cliff to see if Frank had surfaced. Seeing he had, Dean launched himself over the edge with a loud cry.
Alex started towards the shore, and after some coaching from Jesse, Jim followed her slowly, his hands tucked into his pockets. Jesse dashed to climb the rocks to get to the top of the cliff as silently as he could, stopping behind Lacey. Lacey didn't seem to notice; he was watching Dean and Frank splash at each other playfully. Jesse grinned and gave Lacey a good shove, causing him to stumble over the edge and plummet into the water.
Alex crossed her arms, but she was still smiling. "Look at those guys.." she trailed off.
"Yeah, they're actin' like idiots," Jim finished for her with a disapproving tone.
She glanced to him slyly. "I was gonna say they looked like they was havin' fun."
"Oh.." he paused. "I mean, it's fun t'be an idiot." He blinked at what he'd said, and looked away, repeating it to himself silently in dissatisfaction.
"Right," Alex drew out the 'i', staring at him strangely. "I'm gonna join 'em an' have fun bein' an idiot, I guess. You comin' with?" she set off into the water.
"Wha..? Oh, yeah," he followed, knowing that it was him that was the idiot.
"You're a bit odd, y'know that, Younger?" she giggled. He blushed, terribly embarrassed.
They headed into the water, paddling over to the other four (Jesse had jumped in after he'd pushed Lacey). Jesse saw Alex coming towards them and took a deep breath, submerging himself. He swam under and to her, latching onto her foot. She let out a terrified scream, startling Jim and Dean as she, too, was submerged. He surfaced, flicking his head in one direction to clear his vision of his hair. She followed in seconds, sputtering and trying to clear her hair from her face. He began to chuckle and she heard him; she turned and smacked him lightly in the head.
"Jesse James! Still actin' like you're fifteen, I see."
"Yup, and you're still as whiny as ever," he grinned. She gasped in mock- offense and dunked him under the water as the others laughed.
They fooled around for a while, enjoying the cool, refreshing feel of the water on their skin. Jesse was grateful for the chance to wash the dirt and sweat and blood off his body, as were Jim and Frank. Besides, they needed to have some fun. With the streak of luck they were having, their morale was at an all-time low.
The town was quiet as the Younger gang walked their horses along the dusty main road. Jesse motioned for the others to follow him to the general store, which was simply called "Joe's", as the rickety wooden sign outside signified. Only Frank pursued his brother. The others seemed to want to stay outside, like they were imposing because they'd never met this friend of the James family. Jesse hoped silently that this establishment was still owned by Joseph Mueller, and not some other man by the name of Joe.
"Y'think he's still here?" Frank asked jokingly in reference to the sign as they passed through the small swinging doors of the store.
"I reck'n. 'Less he's dead," Jesse said simply, not catching Frank's humor.
"Jesse? Jesse James?" an amused voice sounded from behind the counter at the far side of the room. Both Jesse and Frank's heads turned in the direction of the sound, and they were met with the sight of a balding man, probably in his late thirties, dressed in a large white apron over a white shirt and black slacks. He was large, the nice way to put that he was quite fat, but had a friendly air to him that immediately displaced any thoughts of unpleasantness. His eyes were cobalt-like in color, and his remaining hair was an orange that had started to fade to gray. He was exactly how Jesse had remembered him. "Frank too? Gosh damn, how long's it been?"
Frank looked at Jesse as if he'd needed to use his brother's face as an abacus then turned back to Joe with a grin. "'Bout two years, I think."
"Yeah.. yeah," Joe said absently, like he wasn't going to bother thinking about it much. He pulled them both into a great hug, patting each on the back. "Good t'see you boys, damn good t'see you."
"You too, Joe," Frank was smiling. Joe had served as a surrogate father to them after theirs had passed on, and there was still that closeness even after a long period of separation.
"What brings y'here? Last I known y'all was wanted criminals. Lookin' for a place t'stay?"
Frank nodded. "Can y'help us?"
"Sure can. How many people're stayin'?"
"Seven," Jesse responded quickly without thinking. Frank nudged him and he cleared his throat. "O-oh, six."
"There a stable or somethin' for the horses?" Frank glanced at Jesse and then back to Joe.
"Jus' down the road, can't miss it."
"Thanks, Joe," Jesse left to go direct the others to the stables.
Frank lingered, a small smile appearing on his face. "So, Joe, where's Alex?"
"Prolly' down by the swimmin' hole with Dean and Lacey. Y'gonna drop by an' say hello?"
"Yeah, figured that was in order."
"Alrigh' then," Joe clapped Frank on the shoulder affectionately. "Come back t'the house when y'all get hungry, 'cause I'll be makin' dinner for y'all."
Frank's smile broadened at the promise of food and he tipped his hat to his estranged father figure. "Thanks, Joe. Really." He offered a wave, which the older man returned and then headed outside.
Jesse was just coming back from the stables with the others as Frank stepped out into the midday sun. He stuffed his hands into his slack pockets and squinted his eyes, looking expectantly at Frank. Frank nodded twice slowly, moving to the group. Jesse canted his head in silent inquisition.
"Down by the swimmin' hole," Frank grinned and tilted his head to look around Jesse. "Where's Jim?"
Jim, hearing his name, leaned out from behind a nearby support beam where he and Tom had been talking. His brows rose as he looked to his older cousin. "Whad'dya want?"
Jesse motioned for him to come near with his head. "C'mon, we wanna introduce you t'someone."
Jim narrowed his eyes in suspicion, stepping cautiously over to Jesse. "Who?"
Jesse smiled lightly at Jim's reluctance and doubt. "Jus' a friend," he said as he began to walk towards the swimming hole with his hands tucked deeply into his slacks. Jim watched him skeptically, but he felt better when Frank began to walk as well. He waited a few moments before jogging after them.
"What's his name?"
Jesse glanced at Frank who smirked as he glanced back. "Alex."
***
The three men arrived at the swimming hole to find two young boys standing at the edge of a large bastion-like rock. A solitary tree jutted out from it's top, and although it was dead, it served as a good support for a rope swing. The swing looked pathetic from far away, but it looked even worse as they got closer. It had obviously broken, the strands at the end were frayed and it stopped far above the reach of either boy. The taller, and noticeably older one made a show of attempting to jump up and grasp the rope, but it was clearly futile and he ceased eventually.
The taller boy was lean, but by no means scrawny. He was only dressed in tan slacks; he didn't have much need for a shirt if he was just going to get wet. His pants matched the color of his hair almost, a color too brown to be blonde and too blonde to be brown. His eyes were bright green, and radiated with false abhorrence and spite. After all, he was a teenager. They hated things for no reason, correct?
The younger boy was on the pudgy side, and looked a great deal like his father. He, too, was just in slacks; only his were a dark green that offset his brother's eyes. He had carrot-colored hair atop his pudgy head, and his face was dotted with freckles. His eyes were blue as his father's were, and it was obvious that the gene pool had undoubtedly made them alike in most physical aspects.
Frank strolled up to the water's edge casually, unnoticed by the children initially. It was hard to ignore him though, after he cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Lacey! Where's Alex?"
The older boy, who had started to climb the tree, turned his attention to Frank. He didn't recognize him from his position and, convinced that it must be the sun, squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand. He stepped forward on the rock-cliff, just to the edge, and leaned over to try and get a better view. "Who's askin'?"
"What? Y'don't recognize Frank James when y'see him?" Frank sounded amused as the younger boy squealed and began to run down the back rocks that served as stairs to the cliff.
"Frank?!"
Lacey slowly followed his brother, albeit a bit more cautiously. "Who's there with you? That Jesse?"
Frank caught the young boy up in a hug as he rushed at him, chuckling lightly at his exuberant chatter.
"Wow, I can't believe it! Are y'here with the Youngers?!" his head popped up from behind Frank's shoulder and he spotted Jim. "You.. You're Jim Younger!" his gaze shifted to Jesse, "Jesse! Jesse James!"
By this time, Lacey had reached them, still squinting, only now in thought. "Calm down, Dean. Leave 'em alone. They prolly' come here t'hide out. They don't need y'yellin' their names at the top'a your lungs."
"Oh.. sorry, fellas," Dean's voice lowered an octave as Frank let him go. He stepped away and shuffled his feet as he pretended that a large rock on the ground was more interesting than the three members of the James-Younger gang standing in front of him.
Jesse smirked at the display. "Good t'see y'boys," he leaned down, placing his hands on his knees and making himself eye level with Dean. "Last time I saw you, Dean, you was 'bout eight. How old're you now?"
"Ten, turnin' eleven in August!" Dean chirped excitedly.
"An' you, Lace?"
"Fifteen," Lacey said as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"How 'bout Alex?"
"Seventeen."
"Where is Alex, anyway?" Frank chimed in from his position on the shore.
"Well, we needed some new rope for our swing," he motioned to the rickety old tree and the broken rope. "So we-"
"So y'made me go fetch some for you, y'lazy sons'a bitches!" a new voice broke in, one clearly female, "God forbid y'move your own behinds t'do somethin' for yourselves!"
The girl approached the group, pushing the coiled rope into Lacey's chest without completely appreciating the fact that others were there as well. She was just shy of Lacey's height, something that bothered her greatly, and had a naturally hourglass-shaped body that was hidden beneath a large shirt, evidently from her father because it was much too big for her small form. Her hair was long and had a spontaneous curl at the ends that was terribly unusual for someone that lived in such a humid environment as this. It was brown, but had been lightened up by the sun so it was a healthy gold. Her eyes were dark, though nowhere near the muddy brown of Jesse's. She glanced up at the three strangers, not fully understanding who they were as of yet, and smiled ever so sweetly.
Jim gaped as the girl recognized Frank and squealed gleefully, latching onto him happily. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, despite the fact that she was in very unflattering clothes. He was attracted to her right off. The eyes, the hair, he was instantly smitten with her, and it showed on his face. Jesse smirked at his reaction, nudging him slightly in the shoulder. Jim's gaze shot from the girl to Jesse, tainted with confusion.
"What's the matter?" Jesse asked, indicating his look.
"Who's that?" Jim didn't want to assume this was the same Alex that the James brothers had wanted to introduce him to.
Jesse smiled to himself and then, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "That's Alex."
"That's Alex? As in Alexandra?" Jim sounded upset, but managed to keep his voice in check. "Well why didn't y'tell me she was a girl? Look at me! I look like shit! God damn you."
"Actually, it's Alexan-DRIA," Jesse said simply, a small chuckle mottling his words. Jim just stared at him. He smiled again and shoved him a few steps forward. "Well, go say hello or somethin'."
Jim staggered forward and back to the group, where Alex was still chatting with Frank. Frank had his arm looped around her shoulders casually, as they'd been hugging moments before. They looked close enough, as if they were brother and sister, and chances were, if the Jameses had the same relationship with the children as they did with Joe, then they were quite close. Jesse sauntered back to the group after Jim, to the delight of Alex, who'd rushed over and hugged him like she had with Frank.
"Aw, look'it you, gettin' so big!" she giggled and squeezed his cheeks similar to the way you would a baby or toddler. He pushed her hands away with a laugh, and then turned to Jim.
"Alex, I'd like you t'meet someone," he motioned to Jim.
"Jim Younger," Jim extended his hand to her.
She smiled. "I know who y'are, I follow the wanted posters," she took his hand and shook, "I'm so excited t'see y'all! You gonna be stayin' with us for a while?"
"Jus' long enough t'recouperate, right Jess?" he glanced at Jesse, who nodded and smirked at the fact that Jim was still shaking Alex's hand.
"Well, it's uh, it's real good t'have y'all," she said uncertainly, prying her hand from Jim's grip and raising a brow at him. She looked at him strangely and then turned to Jesse. "I missed you guys, it's so borin' 'round here."
Jesse nodded with a smile, nudging a stupefied Jim back into reality. "Yeah, 'member that time me an' Frank chased y'through your daddy's cornfield, scarin' you t'the point where you was screamin' at the top'a your lungs?"
Alex grinned, remembering it well. "I do, but what happened after that?"
"Once you found out it was us y'cried like a little girl."
"I WAS a little girl, Jesse!" she laughed, "'Sides, that's not what happened anyway. You know what happened."
"Yeah, yeah. Y'set us up real good, we were real sorry."
"Damn straight. Y'don't mess with a Mueller and not expect payback."
Jesse shoved her playfully, to which she blushed and cleared her throat. "Where'd Frank run off to?"
As if on cue, a large splash sounded behind them. The three turned to see Dean and Lacey standing at the edge of the cliff, which must've meant Frank had plunged into the cool water below. Alex placed her hands on her hips and smiled slightly as Dean leaned over the side of the cliff to see if Frank had surfaced. Seeing he had, Dean launched himself over the edge with a loud cry.
Alex started towards the shore, and after some coaching from Jesse, Jim followed her slowly, his hands tucked into his pockets. Jesse dashed to climb the rocks to get to the top of the cliff as silently as he could, stopping behind Lacey. Lacey didn't seem to notice; he was watching Dean and Frank splash at each other playfully. Jesse grinned and gave Lacey a good shove, causing him to stumble over the edge and plummet into the water.
Alex crossed her arms, but she was still smiling. "Look at those guys.." she trailed off.
"Yeah, they're actin' like idiots," Jim finished for her with a disapproving tone.
She glanced to him slyly. "I was gonna say they looked like they was havin' fun."
"Oh.." he paused. "I mean, it's fun t'be an idiot." He blinked at what he'd said, and looked away, repeating it to himself silently in dissatisfaction.
"Right," Alex drew out the 'i', staring at him strangely. "I'm gonna join 'em an' have fun bein' an idiot, I guess. You comin' with?" she set off into the water.
"Wha..? Oh, yeah," he followed, knowing that it was him that was the idiot.
"You're a bit odd, y'know that, Younger?" she giggled. He blushed, terribly embarrassed.
They headed into the water, paddling over to the other four (Jesse had jumped in after he'd pushed Lacey). Jesse saw Alex coming towards them and took a deep breath, submerging himself. He swam under and to her, latching onto her foot. She let out a terrified scream, startling Jim and Dean as she, too, was submerged. He surfaced, flicking his head in one direction to clear his vision of his hair. She followed in seconds, sputtering and trying to clear her hair from her face. He began to chuckle and she heard him; she turned and smacked him lightly in the head.
"Jesse James! Still actin' like you're fifteen, I see."
"Yup, and you're still as whiny as ever," he grinned. She gasped in mock- offense and dunked him under the water as the others laughed.
They fooled around for a while, enjoying the cool, refreshing feel of the water on their skin. Jesse was grateful for the chance to wash the dirt and sweat and blood off his body, as were Jim and Frank. Besides, they needed to have some fun. With the streak of luck they were having, their morale was at an all-time low.
