Jason awoke with the haunting memory of the final breakfast the Soldiers had shared before Nebula finally defeated them.

He awoke abruptly, but quietly. His eyes jerked open with the image of the Soldiers tucking in to the last meal they had ever shared together; with his ears ringing with the last words of confidence Greg had told them all before they had been forcefully ripped apart.

The sky was still dark, and a sliver of moon was visible on the horizon, but so low that it was obvious it'd only take an hour or two for the sun to make its appearance.

Everything was still; as silent as death.

Jason looked off towards the direction of the night-watch, only to find that the fire had been allowed to fizzle out. That undoubtedly meant that the two knuckleheads that were supposed to have been keeping watch had fallen asleep on the job- and there was only darkness for miles out because of their ineptitude.

He couldn't really hear much animal life, even from the usually frisky herd. That hopefully meant that everything around them was calm; and hopefully the boys that had been left with the herd proper had stayed awake, even if they seemed to have veered far enough for Jason to not be able to see the faintest glow of their lanterns.

"Of all the days..." he found himself huffing with annoyance bubbling within him- they were less than half their usual number of hands because of Favor's trip into town. This was not the time to be lollygagging.

He felt unsettled; unbalanced. Like there was something off about the world, even if he couldn't quite put a name to it. And it wasn't a feeling of foreboding, because he knew that so well that he could name it as soon as he felt it.

The sudden need to bounce his legs and quickly tap the tips of his fingers against the tip of his thumb, though, wasn't necessarily new. It didn't strike him often to move so forcefully, but it had happened before. It meant restlessness, and that meant that he needed to get up and do something if he didn't want to scratch his way out of his own body.

From the lack of any stirring along the camp, Jason could tell that he was getting up early even for their hours. But there was no way he'd be able to go get any kind of rest after that dream, so his best bet was to just begin his day.

So he sat up on his roll and reached in the direction he knew he always left his boots when he went to sleep to begin his day proper by shaking any unsavory critters out.

"It'd sting to be down two hands, but I always knew this'd be temporary while you got your feet back under you."

Jason felt like the world was beginning to crumble beneath his feet.

Gil Favor stood to Greg's right, his thumbs hooked inside of his belt as he tried to keep his face from showing his disappointment with Greg's decision and doing a good enough job of it. To Greg's left, barely coming up to his hips... was a kid.

His sharp eyes, dark hair, and distrusting glare told Jason more about what had gone down in the town than he was sure he'd be getting before he was able to get a moment alone with Greg- he wanted to deny it, but he immediately understood why Greg was even contemplating this damned idea.

"Y'already heard the kid, Boss. And I did sign up to head up 'til Cheyenne- we ain't gotta step out 'til after we're done if you'd let him pull his weight."

Favor's lips pursed in clear distaste, turning to glance past Greg and over to the kid. With both Jason and Favor's eyes on him, the boy began to fidget with the hat in his hands.

"Can't be older than ten." Favor's displeasure at that wasn't something he tried to hide, "Only job he should be doing's in a home, getting educated." Favor was one of the few members of this outfit that had the luxury of a good life waiting for him back home; when he saw a kid, he saw a child, not a miniature human that could be put to work if needed. "You'd still want to put down roots in Wyoming?"

It wasn't a big secret that Greg's master-plan for running with this outfit was to eventually be able to have enough money to properly settle back in Wyoming, the only true home he had ever known. Most of the men found it to be a pipe-dream to try and settle back to stationary living when he had cozied up so well to the nomadic life of cow-herding, but Jason knew that Greg had the drive to eventually settle down and make a proper house. He just needed the money to get some property to no longer need to rely on the kindness of others.

"Yessir." Greg's face was hardened with a look Jason hadn't seen in far too long; a look he knew much too well. "Y'see, I'd still be headin' on up to Wyomin' even if you cut us loose. So, ain't a need fer you to lose out on us if you let the kid tag-along."

Two years. That's how long they had been running with Gil Favor and his outfit. Two blissful years of tending to cows and getting to listen to Greg croon the nightlife to sleep. Two years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears; of seeing the best and worst of humanity; of looking death in the eyes when a steer became uncontrollable... two great years.

Jason had always known this was bound to end; had never been under the delusion that Greg could live this rough life until the end of their days. But he hadn't allowed himself to think much farther than the now and the near future as long as it pertained to planning for their immediate survival. Maybe he had just never wanted to put himself through this much pain if he was able to ignore it.

He knew his breathing was shallow, even when he tried to make himself appear to be unbothered and unaffected by the tragedy unfolding right before his eyes.

No one seemed to notice.

"I'll talk to Wishbone and see if we can feed another mouth." Favor relented after some seconds spent in a glare, then raised a hand to point at the kid. Said kid looked prepared to bolt if not for Greg's hand on his shoulder keeping him trapped in place. Jason could see what was going on, had no doubt about it. "And he's not working with the herd. He can help Wishbone and Mushy, but that's it, Saunders."

He stalked off then, leaving Jason standing there with a man he knew far too well and a kid he knew far too much about already. It didn't matter that the boy was most definitely a complete stranger; Jason already knew everything he needed about him.

As soon as Favor was outside of earshot, Greg turned to him with a look of regret so clear on his face that it twisted Jason's heart. "I know this-"

"What's his name?"

His tongue tasted like ash and his body didn't feel like his own. But he knew Greg and he didn't need to hear unnecessary apologies from the man for something he couldn't even despise.

"Daniel Long." the boy spit out, his eyes narrowing even further to glare fully at him. "Why're you asking?"

And he was as rough around the edges as Jason knew he still was and... Greg had a bleeding heart, he had always known it. So even if this wasn't something he had expected would happen, it didn't surprise him either. "You're my new brother. Reckon it's a good idea to get proper introductions out of the way."

Greg and Daniel's eyes both went wide at this, and Jason could feel tightness beginning around in his chest and throat. With a clearing of his throat, he pushed past the discomfort this caused before placing his hands on both of his hips, "Name's Jason. As long as you don't start anything, we'll get along fine enough." and then he turned to Greg and he wanted to get angry at this, but he just couldn't. "This story better be good, Saunders."

Instead of any assurances or a telling of what had gone down in the small town, Jason found himself crushed by a hug so tight it stole his breath away as Greg told him he was the best kid anyone could ever have been blessed with.

Daniel was a thousand times better as a kid than Jason had ever been.

Whereas Jason had been a feral little shit that had accidentally hurt Greg in one-sided fights, Daniel had been capable of warming up relatively quick in the face of the unrepentant kindness he was now surrounded by. The kid may have seemed prickly as a cactus, but he was as much a warm ray of sunshine as Greg himself.

"Like this, Wishbone?"

"Just like that, kid. Doing so good a job you may just run Mushy out of his job." Wishbone's voice was filled with clear pride and then Dani was chuckling at the same time Mushy was whining about needing his job, wasn't there some other hand whose job Dani could steal instead?

Jason finished washing up his hands and turned around to find the kid waiting for him. He had the pot of coffee in his right hand and an empty cup in the other, a beaming smile on his face. He quirked an eyebrow at the kid and that was all that was required for Dani to start talking, "I made the coffee this time. You get the first cup."

As he spoke, the boy began to serve the cup; once that was done, Jason found Daniel pushing the cup into his hands with enough force to make it slosh all around. Some of the liquid managed to escape the cup and splash onto his naked fingers, and the kid could have added that he had just finished making it. It didn't just warm the skin it met, it completely heated the skin up.

The discomfort, while annoying, wasn't all that much to really take note of. Instead of telling him to be care, Jason allowed a small smile to come onto his lips before he nodded and lifted his left hand up to ruffle the boy's dark hair, "Good job, kid. Now, head on out. Lots of boys deserve their own cup."

Greg insisted that Dani liked him. Jason wasn't quite sure why the kid would even bother. The only time they were able to actually share anything like a conversation was in fleeting moments like these, when Jason was ending his work day and Dani actually happened to be around. Often, though, Dani was off on the most recent labor either Wishbone, Greg, or Favor had given him, which meant there wasn't much time to really talk.

Dani's beam, though... it had to mean something more than just nothing. He was sure of it.

He wanted to believe it.

Even if he wasn't quite sure why.

Kid didn't say anything else, though, and just ran off to start handing off coffee to the rest of the men that had worked Jason's shift; in the background, Jason could hear the soft strumming that came from Greg tuning his guitar as he began to settle in for his round of night-watch.

Seeing how the food was still being finished and he had nothing better to do, Jason made his way over to the far edge of the camp. He found Greg resting against the trunk of a tree, the brim of his hat pulled over his face as he strummed the strings into a proper tune.

Quietly, Jason made his way towards the man and eventually sat down at the base of the tree, resting his back against the trunk. From the periphery of his vision, he could see Greg's legs. But he was facing the endless stretch of forest that bordered the space they were currently traversing.

The strumming stopped, but Greg didn't say anything. A heavy hand fell on top of Jason's head, just barely pushing his hat down onto his head. And as he grumbled at the older man to stop messing around, Greg made an even bigger ass of himself by beginning to softly shake his hand on top of his hat, messing his hair up and forcing some of the strands to start to stick onto his sweat-slicked forehead.

"You're a real jerk, know that, Saunders?"

"Sure, son. That's what everyone says 'bout me." the hand settled and Jason huffed up in a vain attempt to dislodge some of the hair, but none of that had stuck to his forehead moved. It was a wet, cold sensation he didn't like. "Good work out there, son."

The sun was beginning to set, signalling the end of Jason's work day and the beginning of Greg's; signalling them getting one day closer to Jason needing to make a decision for himself... one he wasn't sure he was capable of making.

One he wasn't sure he wanted to have to make.

No, that was a lie: he knew he didn't want to have to make it.

"Thanks." his voice was flat, flatter than it had a right to be, but Greg didn't question him about it.

The strumming started up again, crafting a melody Jason had come to recognize in the past year- The Days of Forty Nine.

When Greg started to sing, Jason closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk.

Even though the song told the tales of people Jason had never met, it reminded him of the family he had known and lost. He had started to think that this was one of Greg's favorites to play because it allowed him to think of those that were no longer around; amazing people they'd never see again; in the form of a song.

Why he loved playing it, though... that was something he'd never know. It was probably something he'd never be able to understand, either.

Just remembering their faces hurt; the details that this song dragged back into his consciousness of the memories they had shared... it all ripped at his heart.

He never stopped Greg, though, because even if he couldn't understand it, he knew this song helped.

His heart wasn't breaking apart as he had begun to think would happen once this day finally came. Maybe it was because he had eventually started to think that this would be for the best. Maybe it was because he just wasn't as in tune with his feelings now that early, exhausting days had become his normal.

Maybe it was just that he had come to accept that what he felt wouldn't matter at all, so it wasn't worth it to get all messed up.

There was no doubt in Jason's mind that he hadn't come out from the great series of never-ending tragedies and mysteries that had been his life unscathed.

In the end, while Greg was ready to go back to the mundane living of having a sturdy roof over his head, a comfortable routine to settle into, and edible food always available to fill his stomach... Jason wasn't. Just the thought of not having a busy day, filled with constant movement and responsibilities... it terrified Jason. It paralyzed him.

"I've checked and rechecked the route enough times to go mad- whenever you stop in a town, make sure to head on in and check fer mail." Greg's hug wasn't just crushing him anymore, it was keeping him ensnared. Jason didn't want to move away, though, even if he'd never admit it. He didn't want the other man to let him go just yet. "An' if you need anythin', don't keep it to yourself."

Greg's voice wobbled with concealed tears; Jason's eyes burned just the same.

He didn't have to reach up to hug Greg properly anymore. They were almost the same height at this point; luckily for him, he was still shorter than older man by enough to have a good excuse to hide his face away in his sturdy shoulder. No one could see if any tears escaped his resolve if his face was hidden away, after all.

"I'll be fine, Ace." he whispered, knowing he couldn't trust his voice to go any louder if he didn't want it to crack. "I'm working with the best; learned from the best, too."

He didn't want to let Greg go because Greg was all he had known for so long; he was the only home Jason had been able to have in all his life. He was the strong pillar that promised that everything would eventually be alright, no matter what... a true father to Jason. The one true safety Jason had ever been fortunate to be able to run to when the storms of life had begun to threaten him.

But he had to let go.

He couldn't follow Greg back to the stationary, boring living that the man so yearned for; not yet, at least. The idea of being in the same place, every single day, seeing strange faces every day, meeting people that would never care about him while they went about living lives so separate from his own... he couldn't subject himself to that. Not yet.

He wasn't sure just how long they shared the hug for. All he did know was that once he had stepped back, it was to find himself rushed by Dani, just about tackled by the kid into a hug not nearly as tight, even if it tried to be.

"When you come back, we'll have a whole ranch ready for you! And then you won't have a reason to move herds for others- you'll be moving herds for us!"

Jason chuckled at this because wasn't that just so simple and dumb? Dani still had no idea how the cattle drive business worked and there was no need for him to really learn about it. Greg was going to get himself a proper job in Cheyenne and eventually manage to make enough money to buy a plot of land to build a house in; but maybe he'd pay for Dani's education first and foremost- something that was equally as important to them all as making a home.

"We'll see, shortstack." Jason ruffled the kid's hair as his ribs were squeezed, "You better look after this one- he'll get up to no good if you don't wrangle him like we do the ornery steers."

Dani's face was plastered into his stomach so harshly that Jason could feel the wetness that began to seep into his shirt; instead of commenting on it, he just kept on ruffling the kid's hair.

He didn't know why Dani liked him; why the kid would miss him; because they really didn't know each other all that well... but he knew that he'd miss the blissful routine they had fallen into while on the drive.

If he wanted to, he knew that he could stick around and help Greg establish himself. With the pay Greg had gotten for the work he and Dani had been up to; because of course Favor would have added something for the work the kid had done, no matter the lack of contract establishing it; there was no doubt that there'd be enough to start a proper life with smart money management. He had even left a portion of his own pay with them, knowing that they would need it a lot more than him.

He had all of his gear, after all, and didn't have to buy anything new. He had plenty of access to water and food while on the drive, too. And anything else he may need wouldn't cost nearly as much as the horse and supplies he'd built up over the past few years of work.

Greg insisted he'd pay it all back in full by the time he rolled into Wyoming come the end of the next drive because he was a proud man at the end of the day. Jason didn't care what happened with the money as long as it helped because he knew very well how little use he truly had for it.

If he wanted to stay, he knew there was a place for him here. It may not be clear at the very beginning, but he'd find it eventually; Dani and Greg would help him find it.

But the fear of a dreary life worried him a lot more than the fear of no longer having Greg's humming lulling him to sleep at night or Dani offering him a pot of freshly brewed coffee at the end of a workday.

For now, at least another year of working on the range felt like the right thing.