The City Meets The Country

Demons

She stood there facing her brother as she shuffled on her feet and moved her hands to rest on her head before letting them rest on her hips she glared at the earth and anything else as she tried to get rid of the sudden fear in her chest. She huffed out the air she was holding in, "Wh-what the hell do you mean you joined the army?"

She stumbled over her words, something she rarely does. Her breathing was short and rapid like she wasn't getting enough air. She shook her head before taking actual deep breaths that helped calm her.

"I joined the army about a week ago. I got a call this morning to come into the office where they informed me that I have been accepted and will be sent in for training." He explained before looking at his sister with a hint of guilt. "I didn't know how to tell you. I'm sorry."

She squinted at him as if she could catch whatever lie coming out of his mouth to tell her it was a joke and he didn't join the army. Nothing...she glared at his stupidity. "Estas loco o que?! Are you out of your danm mind!?"

She paced back and forth like a predator in a stuck cage as she rubbed her forehead in worry, "Joining the army! Do you want to get yourself killed or something?! Why would you do that!" She yelled at him, her voice cracked as she shook her hands at him in stress.

"I want to help people! I want to protect!! That's why!" He didn't yell, but his voice was hard like he had decided this long ago.

She cursed in Spanish under her breath before snapping at him, "WHO! Who will you be protecting? The government?!" She threw her hands up in frustration, "They have NEVERED cared for people like us! They will not protect you! They won't make sure you return! They don't care who you are Daniel!!!" She yelled at him, begging him to see reason as her chest burned with pain at the thought of losing her other brother.

"I am doing this for us! I'm trying to help, can't you see that?"

"How? By getting yourself killed?! Don't you remember the pain we saw Doc go through when he buried his only son!!! And all they gave him was a folded-up flag!! Is that what you want!!???" She gritted out as her throat burned, it felt like someone was constricting her airflow.

Steve slowly put what he had in his arms before trying to calm the woman down. He saw that she was beginning to have an anxiety attack as she clutched her chest. "You need to take deep breaths..." He laid his hand on her back but she shrugged it off and glared at him.

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of my family's business?" She gritted out angrily.

"Hermana, por favor..." Her brother whispered as he gently grabbed her arm taking her attention off of Steve.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes and a pained expression that made him regret his choice a little bit. "We just lost a brother not too long ago....and you're expecting me to let you go so easily? The last of my blood?" She painfully whispered to him before shrugging him off her carefully and walking towards the stables.

She felt that all eyes were on her as she walked past them but she ignored their gentle calls and kept her head down as she tried to blink the tears that were free-falling away. A gentle hand landed on her back in comfort making her stop and look up to see it was Bucky looking at her with sympathetic eyes.

She half-hartley glared at him, "I don't need your pity" She whispered before she kept walking towards her destination.

He frowned as his heart burned for her and the pain she felt. He hated how broken she was looking, since the begging he always saw her for the woman she is and only saw that part of her crumble the day of the fire. Not even at the funeral did she cry, she had stood strong for all those who looked at her. But now, he could tell she was starting to slowly fall apart.

"Let her calm herself and grab her surroundings. She'll come back." Doc came from behind him and stood next to him just as they both saw Rebecca ride off on her horse Rain towards her usual trail she took in the mornings.

Bucky looked at the man next to him and noticed how fragile he appeared as he watched Rebecca ride away. How his eyes soften in worry and love for the girl like she was his daughter. Doc sighed wearily, "Rebecca was always the one to get attached so very easily to animals when she was young. She would find an injured animal and would take it upon herself to help heal the poor things. But it was always hard for her, in the end, to set them free...but she would do it anyways. Knowing that the animal need to go back home, she would make herself release them. She would cry but she knew she would be alright. She stops crying after the death of her parents. At such a young age she felt like the world of her brothers relied on her..."

And with that Doc turned around without another word, heading to go speak with the last Sanchez brother.

Bucky stood there confused at what the man had told him. He turned around when he heard the sound of someone calling his name. It was Natasha who beckoned him over as the rest of the crew and A team stopped for lunch.

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When Rebecca returned the sun was already going down, she dragged herself to the farmhouse expecting to take a shower before bed. She pulled open the porch door taking off her hat before hearing someone stand up from the porch rocking chairs. She looked to her left an saw it was her brother who looked like he had a lot to say to her. She sighed before nodding her head and sat in the rocking chair next to her brothers and sat.

He sat as well before speaking his thoughts, "First I want to apologize for springing everything up on you, especially when you where already stressed for the drive. I should have told you long time ago...but I don't regret my decisions. I get it your angry and you just want me to be safe but I can make my own decisions." He didn't stop in fear that she would interrupt him and not hear him out. She needed to hear everything he was about to say. "When Ma and Pa died you automatically took over the farm thinking you had to do it, I understand. But when that happened you stopped being our sister and became a parent to us...and that wasn't fair, to you or us. But for some reason you felt the need to. And I'm grateful for everything you've done for us, I am. But it has to stop..."

She watched every movement he made, how his voice cracked when he thought of their parents and brother. She sat back and realized that for as long she was taking care of them he was watching. He watched and he learned from the way he rode to the way he talked.

"I'm not that eleven year old that needed direction and protection. I'm 22 years old turning 23 next month. Everything you do is for the farm... but I want to do what's best for me. I want to go to college... and before you say anything, I have it all figured out. I joined the army not just to help people but myself and my family. They'll pay for my college and every month they send checks to the families. I figured I could get my education and that money can be used for whatever you need on the farm. Help pay of the land debt. I'll help prepare everything as much as I can for the drive but I'm staying behind."

She looked at him with new eyes and realized that he wasn't a small boy anymore. A tear threatened to escape but she blinked it away before she sternly looked at her brother as she lent forward a bit. "I only ask for two things from you. One, remember what you must do when they undervalue you...when they think your softness is your weakness, when they treat your kindness like it's their advantage, you remind them what hell looks like when it wears the skin of a gentle human."

Daniel began to smile, "And two?"

She closed her eyes briefly before opening them with a heart wreaking sigh, her eyes watery, "You come back alive."

Daniel nodded and pulled his older sister into a hug. The siblings pulled back from each other with soft smiles on their faces before Daniel stood up and respectfully nodded to his sister making her do the same as he walked down the porch steps.

Rebecca called out from the chair making Daniel stop, "Give them hell."

He chuckled, "Wouldn't make me a Sanchez if I didn't!" He walked into the bunkhouse soon after.

She smiled sadly as she watched the red and pink hues of the sunset glow behind the mountains and trees. She frowned almost glaring as she thought of everything that could go wrong on the drive. She prayed....hoped that everything will turn out well in the end.

Guess who's back? 😂 Forgive me