Jason hurried across the square and the street, hoping to get home before anyone saw him. He was exhausted, and short of sleep, and maybe even hungry, if the first two problems hadn't been taking precedence. Fortunately, the town was quiet. Dingy and drab, brown and gray and wet, but thankfully quiet. Bless the fickle weather, which had reverted to winter the weeks he had been gone. For once, it was a blessing.

He made it, and entered the cabin here in town. Lamp was lit, fire was burning, stove was hot. Coffee was warm, and a pot of something-or-other stew was simmering. No brothers though, which made him frown for a moment. He'd asked the boys to stay in town until he got back.

But then Josh came in from the back, whistling. "Oh. Good. You're back."

"I am." Jason started pulling off his outerwear. The clothes could probably stand up on their own, and lord knew they didn't exactly smell fresh. (Neither did he.)

Josh cocked his head and studied him briefly. "You want a bath?" He stirred up the fire in the stove and put some water on to heat.

"Want one, yes. But I probably won't survive one, and it would be a shame to survive that trip then drown in my own home."

Josh laughed, and picked up the discarded clothing. "I'll take this mess out and put it on the line."

"Thanks." Jason checked the water, which of course wasn't yet warmed, shook his head, and poured himself a cup of coffee.

When Josh came back in, he was looking at himself in the mirror. "If Jeremy sees me, he'd think I was his monster for sure. Where is he, anyway?"

Josh half-laughed. "You won't believe me. He's in school."

"That's – a surprise." (It wouldn't do to say it was unbelievable afte Josh had just used similar words.) "How did that happen?"

"You can thank Aaron Stempel for that. As he has with so many civic roles, he appointed himself truant officer and told Jeremy he could spend school hours in school or in jail. Schoolchildren have to be in school here in town now, and Mr. Stempel is big on enforcing the rules."

"I see. I'm surprised Jeremy didn't go to jail."

"He thought about it for a long time, turned right around on the street and strolled into the schoolroom in all his sopping-wet, mud-splashed glory."

"I can see it now." That boy. Had he been dignified or nonchalant? No doubt he'd hear about it soon enough. The water was warm enough now. Jason moved the pan to the counter. "Oh, while you're out, don't mention I'm back unless someone asks, will ya?"

"Sure," Josh agreed, putting on his boots and taking his coat off the hook on his way out the door.

When Jason finally woke up, Jeremy was standing beside him staring at him. "Well, g'morning," Jason said, or tried to. His mouth was dry. He sat up.

"It's alm-most n-night."

"Oh, I thought I'd slept all night."

"You d-did. And all d-day and all n-night ag-gain, and I g-guess all d-day again."

"Mmm." Jason ran his tongue over his teeth and threw back the cover.

"G-guess you was tired."

Jeremy followed him across the room to the water pitcher.

"You guessed right. Where's Josh?"

Jeremy shrugged.

"Is there anything to eat?"

"Apples. Bread. You're skinny. G-guess you're hungry, huh?"

"Right again. Your return to school is doing you good." Jason found a couple apples.

Jeremy grinned. "It's n-not b-bad. The n-new t-teacher says I c-can take a t-test to see how m-much I learned if I NEED to come back again, but it won't b-be until the end of the t-term." Jeremy pulled the bread out of the breadbox, and sliced off a couple hunks of it.

"And when is that?" Jason poured coffee for both of them and put it on the table.

Jeremy put a plate with the buttered and jammed bread on it in front of Jason. He watched Jason eat and drink without speaking.

With his voice that was. Those speaking eyes of his were saying volumes as they didn't waver.

Josh came in with a box of groceries, looked at Jason, laughed, and went to the cupboard and brought a bottle of white liquid.

"What's that for?"
"Your face."

"What's wrong with my face?" Jason headed for the mirror.

"It's c-coming off."

Jason stopped mid-step. "What?"

Josh laughed again. "That's as good a way of explaining it as any."

Jason looked in the mirror. His cheeks and forehead were red and dry and the chapped skin was peeling off. "Oh." He shook his head. "Wind and water, brothers. Wind and water. Is that what you've been staring at all day?" he asked Jeremy, putting the medicine on the worst spots.

"No. Just f-filling m-my eyes up with you."

"Oh." He had no idea how to respond to something like that. "I'm surprised you didn't think I was your monster."

Jeremy shrugged. "Ev'n if you l-look l-like a m-monster, you're still you. And I know YOU."

"Thank you." Jason was touched by Jeremy's sincerity. But he sure missed the boy who had always greeted him with cheers and hugs when he'd been away a while. Well, Jason reminded himself, he had damaged some of that by – not trusting Josh? – his own actions and misunderstandings. He touched the boy lightly on the shoulder before turning to help finish putting away the groceries.

Jeremy looked over his shoulder, grinned, and turned his attention to cutting and frying the ham Josh had brought. When had he stopped needing a stool, chair, or block of wood to stand at the stove?

/

"J-jason?"

He jumped. "I thought you'd gone back to sleep."

Jason, having slept for so long, hadn't been able to sleep more, so he had taken up a book and sat in the big chair, turning the lamp down low. But Jeremy had slept a little while before waking and 'just looking' at Jason.

"You can come and sit with me, if you want," Jason had invited. "The chair's big enough for both of us." And probably always would be. Da had wanted a chair big enough to sit in with a son on either side of him, and that was what he'd got.

Jeremy had shrugged, remained wakeful, and finally wandered around a bit, before tucking himself in beside his oldest brother.

Aside from putting his arm across Jeremy's shoulders and tugging him a scooch closer, Jason didn't react, and Jeremy had been silent.

"No," Jeremy said. "I was th-thinking."

"Heavy thoughts?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Thinky thoughts, I guess."

"Hmm. Do you have a question?"

"They don't go into words yet."

"Oh." Jason closed the book. "Would you like to talk about something else while they assemble themselves?"

Jeremy laughed quietly and squeezed Jason's arm. "Maybe."

"What's on your mind?"

"When your face was messed up when you woke up."

"What about it?" Jason rubbed his face. It was , of course, still dry and rough, but feeling better under his fingertips.

"I don't know."

"I guess that's one of your not-ready-yet questions?"

"Uh-huh. Jason, did I ever see your face like that before?"

"I'm sure you have. It happens at least once every winter. Takes time to get used to the weather. Of course, being on the water all day every day makes it worse."

"Din't think of that." Jeremy fell silent, snuggling closer to Jason's body, holding onto his arm. On the edge of sleep, he murmured, "when we used to live at home on our mountain."

Jason tucked his long lanky not-so-little brother into bed. "Dream about it, little one," he said, before turning out the lamp and getting into bed himself.