A/N: I own nothing.

A/N: A/U.

It was raining for the first time in almost a year. Of course the barn was struck by lightning and caught on fire, but still, it was raining. River laid in Rooster's arms, listening to sound of the rain dancing on the roof. It had been a long day since 5 am., but she knew he wasn't asleep as he was absentmindedly stroking her back.

"Okay, what's on your mind?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You usually fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. We just made love so if you're still awake, it's because something is bothering you," she replied.

"Well, I was just thinking..., if Colt is really going to stay around now, then Dad wouldn't really need us to be here," he said. "We could go look at the Peterson Ranch again. I know he would still talk to us." He paused for a long moment then added, "And maybe we could start thinking about having a baby again."

River was quiet. Theoretically, having a baby sounded great, but in reality, being pregnant and giving birth terrified her. It was agreed on by her family that her birth was pretty much what had triggered her mother's mental break and subsequent issues and she just couldn't escape the thought the same would happen to her. She had put it off for years, telling him that they had a long time to settle down and be parents, or that they should wait for a better time, or for the ranch to be doing better. He had finally talked her into trying last year, but then Mrs. Maggie had moved out again and Mr. Beau had taken it harder than ever. When Rooster had suggested to her that they move in with him, the one bright spot she had seen was that it would put off all baby making until they could be on their own again.

February 2016

Rooster had been home from work for at least half an hour and he hadn't taken a shower, made himself a drink, asked for a beer, or even turned on the television. As far as River could tell, he was just sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed.

She turned off the stove and went to join him.

"Rough day?" she asked, rubbing his neck.

He looked up at her for a moment before shaking his head. After another long minute, he said, "Dad isn't doing well."

"What do you mean?"

"He's losing it," Rooster replied. "He doesn't sleep. I don't think he has eaten or drank anything but Jack Daniels since you brought supper two weeks ago when you came over to work on the accounts. Today, he got so drunk he passed out. I've seen my dad drink a river of whiskey in my lifetime, but I've never seen him get blackout drunk. AND he was driving the damn tractor when I got there this morning!" He stopped for a moment and when he spoke again, his voice was softer and shakier. "I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself. I'm afraid that he wants to."

She sat down on his lap and hugged him. "What do you want to do?"

"I think we need to move in with him for a while," Rooster said. "Make sure he eats, and takes care of himself, and …, doesn't do something stupid."

"He'll never go for that," River said. "He may even shoot you for suggesting it."

"He will if he thinks he's helping us," he replied.

"How are you going to convince him of that?"

"The real question is, can I convince you to do it? My dad isn't an easy person to deal with when he's not upset."

"You've dealt with my mom's issues for years," she said. "I guess I can deal with a heartbroken Beau for a few months."

"Thanks, Baby," he said, burying his head against her shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

"How are you going to convince him that he's helping us?" She asked.

He looked up at her. "I've been thinking about that. I'm going to tell him that I screwed up, didn't pay the rent for a few months and we're being evicted."

"Jamie, we own this house," she replied.

"He doesn't know that," he said. "Beer-pong said the other day that he was looking for a place. We'll rent it to him for the price of the mortgage. Dad'll think we lost the house, the mortgage will keep getting paid, and Beer-pong will finally be able to move out of his mom's basement. Win all the way around."

"Well, okay," she agreed. "I'm not sure anything in this situation can be called a win, but I'm with you."

Two days later, Rooster went hat in hand to ask Beau for a place to live and stoically listened to the worst ass-chewing he'd ever sat through but in the end Beau agreed to let them move in 'for River's sake' which led to another chewing out about how he didn't deserve such a good wife. They moved in by the end of the week. The longest, toughest week Rooster had ever had on the ranch but it was worth to him if it helped Beau.

Six weeks or so later, when he'd started eating regularly again, and not drinking a bottle or two of whiskey a day, Beau realized what Rooster had really done. He didn't apologize, but he did ease up on him, at least as much as he could ease up with it just being him and Rooster working the ranch now.

River chose her words carefully. "That's true, but don't you think we should see if Colt is really going to stick around? I mean, this isn't the first time he's shown up and said he wanted to help and then took off again when he heard of some tryout somewhere."

"I know, but, Dad's doing fine and I personally wouldn't mind not spending quite so much time with him. There are only so many times I can hear what a dumb ass I am before it gets old," he replied. "Maybe it's time to get on with our lives anyway."

"Okay. Let's go talk to Peterson first," she agreed, reluctantly.

"You're going to be fine, Riv," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here with you. I won't let anything bad to happen to you."

"I know, Jamie, but it isn't something we can control," she said.

"It's also something you don't know will happen," he pointed out. "Look, River, we can waste our whole lives wondering what if or we can focus on what we know and what I know is you're going to be an amazing mother."

She kissed him. "I love you, Jamie," she said. "You'll be a great Dad. Let's get a house lined up, then we'll work on the baby."

"Deal," he replied kissing her.

Well, that was the plan anyway. But the next morning, as River stood in the bathroom, holding her birth control pill between her fingers she thought about having a baby again. For the first time, she wasn't filled with fear. This time she thought about Jaime, sitting in the rocking chair, rocking a swaddled baby by the fire. Maggie would love a grandchild, and Memaw had been hinting around about it for years. She thought about what Jamie had said. He wasn't going anywhere. He would be there for her and the baby. So would both of their families. She had convinced herself of all these things before, but this time, she really felt it. Something was telling her the time was right. She took a deep breath and dropped the pill, watching as it rolled down basin and slipped down the drain. Instead of dread, she felt hopeful.

Rooster was cooking breakfast when she went downstairs.

"Want some beer cakes?" he asked, kissing her.

"Nope," she smiled. "No more beer cakes. No more whiskey syrup."

"Why is that?" he asked, turning back to his cooking.

"Well, I was just thinking that I should probably start taking better care of myself. More exercise, less alcohol, you know, that kind of stuff, if I'm going to be pregnant soon," she smiled.

He dropped the bowl he was holding and looked at her. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "I thought we could work on the baby and the house at the same time," she shrugged. "I mean if Peterson says no, we just kick BeerPong out."

Rooster's face lit up in a smile as he pulled her close and kissed her again. "Let's get started."

She laughed, "Slow down. It could take months."

"Right," he agreed. "Let's practice then."

"Babe," she laughed again. "We've been 'practicing' for fifteen years. I think we've got it down."

"Yeah, but you see, until today the point has been to not get you pregnant," he replied. "Totally different now." He kissed her hard, lifting her up on the counter.

"Oh, God, not in the kitchen," Colt groaned from the stairs.

She didn't have to look up to know Rooster flipped him off. She looked back at Colt and smiled. "Sorry." She hopped off the counter and turned back to Rooster. "I take it you aren't coming to church?" She pointed to the beer.

He shook his head. "Have to help Daddy fix the hole in the barn roof," he said.

"I figured," she replied. "I think I'll go on over to Memaw's and go to church with them. Come over for lunch?"

"I'll try. You know how dad is," he said. "What is she cooking?"

"Chicken and dumplings," she replied.

"I'll be there," he smirked.

"See you later," she said, reaching up to kiss him before leaving.

"Look at you," Colt laughed. "Being all domesticated, going to church and Sunday dinner with the folks." He made a whip cracking sound.

"Yeah, I'm the one who is whipped," Rooster scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Rooster said, pouring his pancake batter into a pan. "I'm not the one hung up on a girl I haven't seen in fifteen years."

"Because you married her," Colt shot back.

"Because I'm smarter than you."

"Because you were too dumb to work a condom and knocked her up," Colt snickered.

"For the last time, we did not get married because she was pregnant," Rooster said, exasperated.

"Yeah," Colt scoffed this time. "Because River just decided to give up a full ride to Colorado State and Dale paying for everything else to go to community college just so could marry you."

"That's not what.., you know what?" Rooster interrupted himself. "I ain't going to bother. You wouldn't get it anyway."

He quickly ate his breakfast to the sound of Colt harassing him to tell him what he wouldn't get. Finally, he stood up, put his plate in the sink.

"You know, speaking of things you should get," he said. "You should hurry up and get dressed and come to help Dad and me on the barn. We've already been at it for an hour and he isn't likely to be in a very forgiving mood today."

"Why didn't tell me he was already up?" Colt exclaimed, jumping up. "You're an ass."

"Yeah, but Dad's not mad at me," he laughed, zipping up his jacket and heading out to help Beau unload the lumber he'd just gotten home with.

There was no way Colt would ever get all the things his 'career' had cost the family. Or more correctly everything he did to piss away his career had cost the family.

2001

River and Jamie were sitting outside his house in his truck.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"It's okay if you are," she said, laying her head against his shoulder. "I was. I thought Granddaddy was going to throw a fit. At the very least he could have thrown out some cuss words. Called you some names. In fact," she continued, "I think I might be insulted by his lack of reaction."

Rooster laughed softly and laced his fingers through hers and lifted her left had to his lips, kissed it, then looked for a moment at the slim gold band glittering on her fourth finger. After discussing it all summer, they'd had finally taken the plunge the day before, sneaking off to Denver and getting married. Well, it wasn't really sneaking. Charlene had known what they were up to.

River had just graduated high school that past May and Rooster had graduated from community college. River was headed off to Colorado State in a few days and Rooster was staying home to work the ranch and at Frank Bishop's garage while saving up for a house when she came home. At least that had been the plan. Then his teacher had helped him get a job with a restoration shop in Fort Collins. Not just a repair shop, but a real restoration shop. He was going to learn to paint and do body work and when River was done with school, he would be ready to open his own shop. He was going to move to Fort Collins the next week. So it wasn't just that he'd gotten married. It was that he was leaving the ranch too. Frankly, his parents probably wouldn't care about the marriage. They, like Dale and Charlene, would probably just be happy that they had managed to get married before getting pregnant. It usually didn't go that way around Garrison.

"Come on," he sighed. "We can't put it off forever." He walked toward the house on wooden legs, but when he stepped in the back door, everything changed. He knew something was wrong.

Maggie had moved out, for the first time, a few months before, but she was sitting next to Beau at the table. They had bank books and financial papers spread out in front of them.

"I don't see how we have another choice," Beau said, tossing a paper on the table.

"What's up, guys?" Rooster asked, taking a seat at the table as River took the seat next to him.

Beau didn't look up. Maggie sighed.

Finally, Beau said, "Colt's in jail."

"Damn. What happened?" he asked.

"He drove through a drive-thru liquor store," Maggie said.

"Isn't that what you are supposed to do?" Rooster asked.

"From back to front," Beau replied. "Colt decided to go from left to right. Of course, he'd had a six pack and a bottle of Jim Beam first."

"Shit. Is he okay? What's going to happen?"

Maggie put her arms on the table and leaned forward. "We're going to bail him out and the owner said if we pay off the damages, they won't press charges. He'll still be able to stay in school and play football this season. And yes, he's okay."

"How much is that going to be?" he asked.

"Damages, court costs, bail, hospital," Maggie replied. "Fifty thousand."

"Damn. What kind of liquor store was it?" Rooster laughed. "So what now?"

"Put the ranch up," Maggie said, pouring herself another drink.

"What?! No." Rooster

"Can't be helped," Beau said.

"Yes, it can," he objected. "Let him stay in jail. Let him flunk out of college. Let Colt have some consequences."

"We're not going to ruin his life for one mistake," Maggie replied.

"With you back, we can let go of Pedro, stay afloat til we sell the calves," Beau said.

"But, Dad, I'm not going to be working...,"

"I know you have a job at Frank's garage, but I need you here now," Beau interrupted. "Frank'll understand."

"Yeah, Dad, I don't understand," Rooster exclaimed, getting up. "How does Colt's mistake get to ruin my life?"

"Quitting Frank's is hardly life ruining," Maggie shot back.

"It's not just Frank's..." Rooster started but then trailed off seeing River's look of warning. She was right. This wasn't the time to announce their plans. He changed directions. "You know what? I'm going to take Riv home. Come on, Baby." He stopped at the door. "I'll see you." He waved with his left hand and walked out the door.

Maggie let her head fall to her arms on the table, then suddenly sat up again. "Was he wearing a wedding ring?" She jumped to her feet and ran to the door. "Fuck!" she exclaimed as his taillights lit up the drive on his way out.

Please R and R.