Brotherhood

Chapter 33

...

Deeks stood out on the porch as Elan and Joe got Callen settled on the couch, still feeling unsettled by his reaction to Joe's accusation. He wondered if he would have hit his own brother if he'd kept pushing, reminding him he wasn't completely free of Jimmy Hale or of Antoine Guidry. He understood Joe wanting to just get on a horse and ride away, to run from the haunting dreams and the residual rage at what he'd witness and what he'd done to stay undercover. It sure as hell was tempting. Sheila was right there, but he knew with deep certainty that running away wasn't the answer. Facing the reasons Guidry's favorite insult came out of his own mouth wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't face his family and especially Kensi if he didn't deal with it right now. He couldn't let anything about that psychopath remain a part of him. He needed to reconcile his feelings about the man and his actions. He couldn't let Guidry come between him and his brothers.

"You thinking about leaving?" Elan asked softly from behind him.

"It crossed my mind," he replied.

"How 'bout a beer instead?"

"You know all my weaknesses, brother," Deeks said with a soft grin and followed him inside.

He let the screen door slap shut behind him and breathed in the fresh smell of the cedar siding that wrapped the small living room. He smiled at the far wall covered in shingles that had been Soldier's idea. He'd done most of the work himself and was quite proud of it, meticulously hanging up stuff he'd collected around the ranch or found in the old barn. Jim Littleshield had given him the colorful saddle blanket he'd inherited from an aunt and there was a pair of rusted spurs he'd found buried next to the old water trough in the corral. He'd allowed his father to hang his fishing rod on it, and the old wicker creel George had given him when he was a boy. It was homey and Deeks could see why Joe found solace here. It was a good place to hide.

Elan handed him two bottles of beer and nodded to where Joe stood by the red cast-iron wood stove that he and Callen had helped hauled in here. His brother looked sad as he stared down at Callen, who was now snoring softly, his good arm draped over his eyes.

"Signed himself out," Deeks said as he handed Joe a beer. "Hetty was pissed, but as usual, he didn't listen to anybody."

"How'd it happen?" He asked.

"Anybody fill you in on all the players?" Deeks asked in return.

"Not in any detail," he replied. "I know there was a group running things out of Washington, but never heard any names. We're you made? Did Guidry shoot 'im?"

"No...no. There were higher ups in the DOJ and a couple of generals involved. One of them brought his own private army to a meeting with The Brotherhood," Deeks related. "We didn't know they were there...they opened up after Guidry slit the throat of..."

"Stop, Marty," Joe interrupted quietly. "Tell me all of it...from the beginning."

"That won't be easy," Callen murmured. "For any of us."

"You sure you want to hear all that shit?" Deeks asked, decidedly unsure if he wanted to bring it all up again.

"I need to know," he said softly. "I screwed up..."

"Bullshit," Deeks spit out.

"Is it?" Joe said, walking over to stare out the window. "I made a mistake somewhere...let something slip I wasn't supposed to...or maybe I'm just not as good at this as I thought I was..."

"Again...Bullshit," Deeks saying it softer this time. "You fooled them all except for one guy."

"Joe...do you remember a man named Beau?" Callen asked.

"Which one? There were two or three of 'em."

"Big, tough looking...sounded like a reasonable guy..." Deeks said, turning to watch him.

"Yeah...kind of nice...and sharp," Joe answered. "A hell of a lot smarter than most of the men followin' Guidry."

"That big 'ol nice guy fooled us too," Callen said. "He was an undercover operative working under the command of General Rasmussen, one of Newton Pierce's co-conspirators. He was trained in black ops, Joe. He wasn't your average militiaman."

"He suspected you because it takes one to know one," Deeks said.

"You saying I was too good at my job?" Joe asked.

"He's saying Beau was very good at his," Callen said. "Was suspicious of us too."

"Roy thinks the guy managed to get a photo of you at some point, Joe," Elan said. "Got it to Harrison White or Eliot."

"They had access to every database in the intelligence community," Callen said. "Someone didn't bury your file deep enough."

"You two managed to stay under his radar," Joe replied.

"You didn't have the backup we did," Deeks said.

"We were lucky," Callen said.

"Are you serious?" Elan suddenly burst out angrily. "I had to listen to you two get the shit kicked out of you more than once. Deeks was pumped so full of drugs he almost died. Callen...that so-called 'nice guy' shoved a knife in your arm and twisted it to make you talk. I heard all of it...and couldn't do a damn thing to stop any of it."

Elan slammed out the screen door and leaned over the railing of the porch, his head down. Deeks hadn't realized how badly he'd been affected by having to listen to everything they'd gone through. Deeks caught the surprised look on Callen's face, but it was Joe who seemed to understand and followed him out, with both of them right behind.

"Doing this job can be shitty, Elan," Joe said, resting a consoling hand on his broad back. "But listening to someone you care about suffer...it's almost too much to handle."

"Oscar."

"Yeah...I can't forgive myself for what happened to him," Joe said. "I felt totally helpless just like you, Elan. I know that hollow feeling. Your hands tingle...your heart races and your throat closes up...your skin feels too tight and you want to jump right out of it. You want to scream...to beg...to do anything to make it all end..."

"Even sacrifice yourself if that would stop it..." Elan said.

"Guidry knew that, Joe," Callen said. "He knew you cared about Oscar and he used that against you, just like he used our brotherhood against Jimmy and Jake."

"He was good at spotting any weakness," Deeks offered. "And he knew how to exploit it."

"You can't blame yourself for what Guidry did, Joe," Callen said. "Oscar's death belongs at his feet, not yours."

"Easy to say..."

"The Doucets don't hold you accountable, Cuz," Elan said as he turned to face him. "If they can let it go, so can you."

The tears came when Elan wrapped him in a hug and Deeks choked back his own as he reached out to offer comfort. He wondered who Elan was still angry with, because he could see the remaining tension in the muscle of his jaw.

"You gonna take your own advice, Elan?" Deeks asked as they all stepped apart. "You gonna forgive yourself for not charging to our rescue like some superhero?"

"You makin' fun of me, Cuz?" His face turned cold and distant and Deeks realized how his comment must have sounded to him.

"I would never do that, brother," he assured him. "Your hands were tied just as much as Joe's were. But I knew you were there and if I called I knew you'd come. Having your voice in my ear helped me get through all the shit I was dealin' with. But I sure as hell didn't want to see you shot down in front of me trying to save our asses."

"Would like to know what you were saying in Arapaho though," Callen said with a smirk.

"No you wouldn't," Elan said.

"Probably callin' you names," Joe said.

"Called Sam a couple...Roy too," Elan acknowledged. "And Hetty."

"Good thing she can't speak Arapaho," Deeks said with a soft grin.

"Who says she can't?" Callen said as he threw an arm across his shoulder and pulled him toward the door.

There was an awkwardness between them as they moved back inside, none of them sure what to do or talk about next. Joe dropped down on the couch and the others found their way to chairs, staying quiet until Joe looked over at Callen and then at Deeks.

"Tell me about the op," Joe finally said.

"Where do you want me to start?" Deeks asked.

"Start when you got to Louisiana."

"I'm gonna need a beer if we have to start that far back," Callen groaned as he got up and walked into the small kitchen. "Anybody else want one?"

Elan jumped up to help him and when they all settled back down and slowly sipped their beers, Deeks started talking with Callen adding comments as the narrative unfolded.

The story came out in bits and pieces of memories, each one's emotions flaring at different points, stoking long denied rage and revealing moments of fear they'd had no time to deal with. When Deeks would stop, Callen's monotone continued, his account mostly professional until his anger would get the better of him over something that had happened to Deeks. At one point they began to sound like Jimmy and Jake Hale, getting an odd expression of appreciation from Joe, but eliciting an angry response from Elan. When the story was finally finished they were all drained, and Joe's face was full of questions and there was an incensed look in his eyes.

"Why the hell didn't you let Henry kill that sonofabitch?" Joe seethed.

"What?"

"Why'd you save that bastard, Marty? Why?" Joe was on his feet now and sounding slightly irrational.

"I just reacted," Deeks mumbled uncertainly.

"You should have let him die," Joe spit out, his eyes flashing with anger.

Callen stood to confront him, but Deeks began to question his motives, stunned by Joe's sudden outrage.

"The op was just getting started, Joe," Callen said, starting to get worked up himself. "We still needed to find you and discover the identities of the other players. Without Guidry that wouldn't have happened. Deeks was doing his job...you know that."

"Yeah? Well it got the stupid dumbass shot," Joe shouted.

"I needed to find you, you big shit," Deeks snapped out, surprised by his anger and fighting to control his own. "And I needed Guidry alive to do that."

"Come on Joe, he didn't plan on getting shot," Elan said, trying to placate them both.

"But I bet he planned on getting closer to Guidry after that," Joe said.

"How the hell else was I going to get information?" Deeks stormed. "You're not making any sense at all."

"Saving his life made that a whole lot easier," Callen said evenly. "Guidry changed after that. Included Jimmy more. Even began calling him mon fils...means 'my son'."

"I know what it means," Joe snapped. "Called Oscar that a couple of times too, but he still set his dogs on 'im. You must have gotten real close if you're still here."

"Is that what this is about?" Deeks asked. "You're pissed because Guidry took a liking to me?"

"Maybe you got too close, Jimmy," Joe said in a low voice. "Maybe some of his charming personality rubbed off. You called me couyon remember?"

The comment outraged him and Deeks lunged for his brother, but Callen grabbed a fistful of his shirt and stopped him, and Elan grabbed Joe and began talking to him in a voice too low for him to hear. A deep sadness slowly filled him, finding it hard to understand why Joe was being so damn nasty. He hadn't told them everything that was said between him and Guidry in that last conversation, and now he never wanted to.

"Why'd he let you live, Deeks?" Joe asked, tears standing in his eyes. "Why didn't he kill you like he did Oscar?"

"Would you have liked it better if he had, brother?" Deeks asked bitterly as he pushed away from Callen.

Joe looked stunned by the question, but Deeks no longer cared, turning quickly away and slamming out the door. He yanked Sheila's reins free and vaulted into the saddle, kicking her into a gallop as he tore out toward the higher hills beyond Elan's place. He heard Elan and Callen yelling, but he ignored them, kicking his mare harder, wanting to get as far away from Joe as he could, unaware that he was crying.

The land rose up before him and he urged Sheila up the first steep hill he came to, and she groaned as if scolding him as she climbed. He'd never been to this part of the ranch and as he pushed the mare into a loping stride he emptied his mind as he looked out across the rolling hills ahead of him. There were scattered outcroppings of rock along the way and he headed for one that dominated one of the hills above the creek. When he reached it he climbed down and let Sheila loose to graze. He could see the main ranch far below, smoke rising from the chimney and he realized the air had cooled, the wind whipping the grasses around him. The cottonwood trees obscured the barn from here, their leaves fading into yellow now that fall was coming. It was beautiful up here and he dropped down beside the massive rock and leaned back against it, slowly beginning to calm down even though his mind still tumbled over the many questions he couldn't answer. He tried to let his mind go blank, to let the ranch and the wide-open spaces begin to ease his painful homecoming. He hadn't expected accusations and rejection from Joe, but that was what he'd gotten, and as much as he tried he couldn't understand his reaction. It was if he blamed him for surviving. He knew deep in his heart that that wasn't true, but for some reason, Joe did blame him for getting close to Guidry.

Sheila alerted him with a loud whinny that the others had followed him. He wasn't surprised, but he would have liked more time to himself before they showed up. Maybe this high overlook would give them all some perspective.

"This is one of my favorite places," Joe said softly as he walked up to stand beside him.

"Soldier's too," Elan said as he leaned against the rock.

Callen didn't say anything, he just eased down beside him and let out a long sigh and gently squeezed his knee, his support comforting.

"You shouldn't have ridden all the way up here. You're wounded remember?" Deeks quietly scolded him.

"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't stormed off," he replied.

"Needed some air."

They all stayed quiet for a time, Elan unable to settle, moving restlessly from one foot to the other. Joe remained standing, walking to the edge of the drop off and staring out over the ranch below. He still seemed agitated, but Deeks wasn't going to be the first one to say anything. He couldn't help watching him, noticing that Joe continually rubbed at the healing dog bite on his arm. They hadn't spoken about his ordeal, and Joe hadn't offered to share any details, but Deeks remembered the day they'd found him and he closed his eyes against the disturbing memories. He had suffered and been alone for a long time. Deeks knew what that was like and he felt his anger soften.

"Oscar reminded me of you," Joe finally said. "He was always making stupid jokes about different members of the militia, especially a guy named Pea. Guidry liked him. Said he made him laugh. Didn't count for much in the end."

No one said anything, all of them simply waited to see if he would go on. The wind suddenly died and a stillness settled over the hillside and it grew warm.

"You made Guidry care about you...and I felt..." Joe said haltingly. "I guess it felt like a betrayal."

Deeks flinched, hurt by his words, but he didn't say anything. None of them did, but he heard Callen swear under his breath.

"When I heard you went back in I was so afraid he'd kill you both," he continued. "And it made no sense to me that he didn't when he found out you were a federal agent, Marty. He had the chance, but he let you live. I just wish he had done the same for Oscar, then maybe I wouldn't feel so damn guilty."

"He let me live because I'd saved his life," Deeks said, desperately wanting him to understand. "He knew it was over. The Brotherhood was dead and I think in the end he just wanted to go out on his own terms."

"It had to be something more than that," Joe said.

"I think he loved you, Deeks. He saw you as a son," Callen said, startling him.

"No...no, no. Don't saddle me with that bullshit," Deeks said, stumbling to his feet, unwilling to acknowledge what deep down he knew was probably true.

"It would explain a lot," Elan offered. "Why else would he go all the way to New Orleans to pull you off Pierce's yacht? He threatened to kill those two if they didn't turn you over. And he was serious."

"He came to the hospital too," Callen recalled. "He was truly concerned and really angry at what they'd done to you."

Deeks walked quickly away from them, the thought of that man loving him was too difficult to deal with. It made him feel dirty and he thought he might vomit as he recalled the smell of the man, and the viciousness that waited just below the surface, ready to explode on a whim.

"Marty?" Joe came up behind him, reaching out to grip his shoulder and he stopped.

His anger was roaring now, and he pulled free of his touch, unable to look at him. He had gone into The Brotherhood to save his own brother, and now he thought he might have lost his respect and his love along the way. Guidry's abhorrent love was something he'd never asked for or sought out and it made him sick just thinking about it. What was it about him that made a psycho like that find something he could relate to? What kind of darkness in his own soul had Guidry recognized? What did that say about him?

"What do you want from me, Joe? An apology for surviving that sonofabitch? What?"

"I had no right to say those things to you. Can you forgive me?" Joe asked softly. "You're my brother, Marty, and I love your big dumb ass."

Deeks turned to face him, his eyes suddenly filled with tears as Joe pulled him into a hug. "You're the only dumbass here."

"I deserve that," Joe said softly as he let him go. "But don't forget about Elan."

"And G."

"How come you don't call him Grisha now?" Joe asked.

"Sounds like that hair coloring product."

"I heard that," Callen said as he and Elan joined them.

They gathered close to one another, each one reaching out to touch the others in some way, to rekindle what had temporarily been forgotten in their struggle to come to terms with what they'd all gone through and survived. Deeks figured it would take more long talks and a lot of soul searching to resolve all their feelings, but they had made a start, and he reached once again for Joe, pulling him close to remind him that they would always be brothers.

"Our brotherhood is the real thing," Elan said quietly. "Don't forget that."

"Do we get to have a secret handshake?" Callen asked.

"You're right. He is a dumbass," Joe laughed.

"What's wrong with a secret handshake?" Callen smirked.

Elan said something in Arapaho and they all laughed as if they understood.

"You have to teach us to speak that language," Callen insisted. "It can be our own secret language."

"Now you're just being weird, G." Deeks grinned.

"Many of my people speak our native tongue, so it won't exactly be a secret language."

"Not many Arapaho in Los Angeles," Callen reminded him. "We can all speak it when you come out to visit Elan. It'll drive Sam and Kensi crazy."

"I may not be coming back to LA," Joe told them. "I haven't decided if I want to stay with the FBI."

"You could always take a leave of absence," Callen suggested. "I'm sure Roger Stinson would understand."

"He better after what they put him through," Elan snapped.

"You got a right to be angry about that, Joe," Deeks added. "We didn't know what the hell was going on when we got to your house after we found out you were missing."

"Kensi and Diane told me about that bastard Slater," Joe replied bitterly. "Dad's still angry and if I do go back to the FBI I'm kicking his butt big time."

"If you do it while you're this pissed the FBI may be the one kickin' your butt right out the door," Elan warned.

"They branded me a traitor, Cuz, so I'm not sure I'll give a fuck if they do," he spit out.

"Why don't you come work with us at NCIS?" Deeks asked.

"You think Hetty would have me?" He asked.

"Can't hurt to ask," Callen said as he clapped him on the back. "She's probably had a file on you since the Lee Chao case. If I remember right, she asked you to come over to NCIS way back then."

"Yeah...I remember that," he said softly. "Thanks for the reminder G, I'll think about it."

They all became silent as they turned to look out over the ranch, and Joe threw an arm across Callen's shoulder and pulled Deeks close as Elan gripped the back of his neck. The sun was low in the sky behind them and Deeks felt his heart swell at their renewed brotherhood. They had almost been torn apart trying to save the country and each other, but they had survived it all, having weathered their own turbulent emotions.

"Let's go home, brothers," Joe said. "I'm hungry."

"It's spaghetti," Deeks said. "And apple pie."

"Sorry it ain't pig and grits, kid?" Callen smirked, causing Deeks to groan and make a face.

"I kinda liked the grits," Joe said. "And the cornbread was good."

"Even Roy's horrible gumbo was a hell of a lot better than grits," Deeks said, shivering dramatically.

"Should have had some of the Doucets' étouffée," Elan said. "Mama Doucet made me eat so much I could hardly move."

"Why didn't you sneak some into the hospital for me?" Joe asked as they headed for the horses. "All I got was jello."

"You were lucky Kensi wasn't there. She loves jello," Deeks said as they turned the horses back down the hill.

They bantered and laughed until they reached Elan's place and saw Soldier waiting. He looked worried and they all became quiet.

"What's wrong son?" Elan asked.

"A real tiny lady and a man with a cane are at the house," he said. "George sent me to get you."

"Hetty will love that description," Callen said with a smirk.

"Is the man named Roy?" Elan asked.

"Yeah. Talks funny," Soldier replied. "Better get movin'. Supper's waiting and Kensi's getting grumpy."

"Nice to know some things never change," Deeks laughed, kicking his mare, anxious to see her.

...

Callen was exhausted and in a lot of pain by the time they got close to the ranch house, and Deeks wasn't feeling much better, his ribs screaming with each step Sheila took. Elan and Soldier raced ahead and Deeks smiled at how much alike they looked, riding side by side with their long black hair flying out behind them. Joe ended up holding Callen in the saddle all the way in from the creek and Deeks was glad when they finally stopped, grateful to be on solid ground. Elan and Joe helped Callen inside, and George came up beside him to offer his help, but Deeks waved him off.

"Everything okay, son?" He asked as he stopped him just outside the door.

"We're good," he replied. "Joe and I worked through some things that were bothering him. Probably a lot more talks in our future. Hetty say why she was here?"

"Not yet," George said as he ushered him through the door. "That fella Roy sure does talk a lot though. Said you kept callin' him a dickwad."

"That's cause he is one," Deeks said with a cocky grin. "Hates horses."

"Heard that, boy," Roy said as he limped up to shake his hand. "Nice family ya got here."

"Don't go telling them too many stories," Deeks warned, giving him a hard look that had Roy nodding with understanding.

George led Roy off into the kitchen questioning him about his reasons for disliking horses, and Deeks smile as he looked around the room for the others. Callen was finally settled on the leather sofa in front of the fire talking quietly to Hetty when he saw Kensi walk in from the bedroom. Her hair was loose and longer than he remembered, and his heart stuttered for a moment as he held his breath, touched by the warm smile that widened when she saw him. She waited for him as he crossed the room to meet her, reaching out for her hand, the touch of her cool fingers sending a feeling of calm all the way through him. There was a sense of serenity he felt around her and he'd missed that, so he pulled her closer, wanting to bathe in it, needing her strength and steadiness to get him through whatever Hetty was going to tell them.

"Hey," he said. "No crutches?"

"Thought I'd try the cane," she said, striking a very sexy pose that made him grin like an idiot.

She looked over at Joe as Elan introduced him to Roy and grew serious. "How'd it go?"

"It was tough on all of us," he said as he followed her gaze.

"I was asking about you."

He dropped his head and she moved closer until she was leaning against him, one hand pressed over his heart and the other toying with the hair at the base of his neck.

"He was so angry at me, Kens," he shared. "And it made me mad. I couldn't understand why. I'm not sure he even knew."

"Did you get through to him?"

"Yeah, we finally did and I think we're good," Deeks said earnestly. "It was hard. It was almost as if he hated me for being alive and standing there in front of him."

"He was scare for you, Deeks," she assured him. "He broke down when he heard it was over and that you and Callen were safe."

"I think he expects me to fall apart like he did," Deeks said sadly.

"Will you?"

"I'm still processing it all, Kens," he replied. "It was a living hell, and he knows what it was like, but I had Callen with me. Joe lost his partner, and he blames himself. That's not something you get over in a couple of days or weeks. But we're all here for each other and we'll work it out together."

Hetty caught his eye and motioned for him to come, and he blew out his breath, trying to prepare himself. Kensi led him over in front of the fireplace while Hetty smiled tightly and sat down next to Callen. Roy and Joe joined them, stepping over a couple of sleeping dogs before settling into the leather chairs next to the sofa. The rest of the family gave them their privacy, leaving them alone to discuss the remnants of the mission that would draw Deeks back into a world he longed to forget.

"Mr. Callen. You've looked better. Riding a horse with a gunshot wound is not something I would recommend in the future," she scolded with a soft smile. "Mr. Deeks. I bring news about Jacqueline Bennet."

Deeks dropped Kensi's hand and stiffened, making Elan hurry to his side and run a hand along his shoulder, steadying him, even though his own hand was trembling.

"Don't remember her name in your little recap of events," Joe said.

"Shut up, Joe," Elan said evenly. "If Marty wanted you to know he would have told you."

"Do you want them all to stay, Mr. Deeks?"

"Of course...their family."

"Good ta know, kid," Roy said.

"Did she get away?" Deeks asked as he took Kensi's hand once again.

"No. Newton Pierce made sure of that before he left for New Orleans," she said quietly. "Her body was found this morning on a horse farm in Maryland she'd inherited from her great aunt. Safa said she'd been trussed up in a complicated arrangement of ropes and knots on the bed upstairs. She'd been strangled, among other things. Safa said it was quite gruesome."

"How do you know Pierce did it?" Deeks asked haltingly.

"Nell was able to hack into the security system," he replied. "Apparently Mr. Pierce didn't know Jacqueline had hidden cameras in all the bedrooms. You could say he was caught with his pants down."

Deeks started to leave, desperate to be by himself to deal with all the emotions that came storming back, but Hetty held her hand up and he stopped.

"I think you might want to hear this, Mr. Deeks," she said. "Jacob Pensky has been quite talkative about what they'd been planning, giving us more than enough to send Harrison White and General Rasmussen away for the rest of their lives and not in the comfort they had become accustomed to."

"Thought those ugly bastards would turn on each other," Roy said.

"There will be a Congressional hearing, of course, and the members of our task force will be asked to testify, but that won't be for some time," she continued. "Washington is in quite a tizzy over this. But, the Attorney General wants to honor you three and a representative from the Doucet family in a private ceremony at the White House. You will all receive the highest honors for what you did. Oscar will receive the FBI Shield of Bravery in honor of his sacrifice, and the Doucet family will receive the FBI Memorial Star. Joe...you will receive the Shield of Bravery as well."

"Do I get an apology or have they conveniently forgotten they labeled me a traitor?" He growled as he stood up. "Now they want to give me a medal? Fuck 'em. They can keep it."

Deeks could see how raw his anger was, and wrapped an arm around his chest as he tried to leave. Callen stood up and took his arm as Elan stepped in front of him. He stood with his head down as they surrounded him, struggling to control his emotions.

"What you did was for your country, Joe," Callen said. "Not for the FBI. Let them make amends."

"You earned that honor, Cuz," Elan said softly.

"You'll be standing up for Oscar, brother," Deeks said. "They need to hear what he did for his country and you're the only one who can tell his story."

"He never broke...he kept his cover the whole time. Didn't give up a damn thing," Joe said as tears streamed down his face. "That kid was so damn brave and Guidry killed him for it."

"I'm so sorry, brother," Deeks said.

"You would have liked him," he whispered through his tears. "He was a dumbass just like you."

"Want to get some air, Cuz?" Elan asked.

He nodded and they headed for the door. Deeks squeezed Kensi's hand as he turned to follow, but she pulled him back and kissed him lightly on the mouth. She smiled softly at him as she brushed away a tear that still clung to his cheek and then shoved him toward the door. He caught up with his brothers as they walked toward the barn in the twilight. Their arms were draped across each other's shoulders and he broke between them to be close to Joe. This time their silence was comforting. They were together again. They're brotherhood had survived, and their love for one another was stronger than the arrogant men who had tried to break them.

...

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Thanks to all of you who have followed this story or simply dropped by for a chapter or two. I appreciated every encouraging review I received. They were like signposts along the way.

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