{"id":2149,"date":"2009-12-08T03:22:31","date_gmt":"2009-12-08T08:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2149"},"modified":"2025-02-27T12:22:13","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T17:22:13","slug":"the-fire-and-the-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2149","title":{"rendered":"The Fire and the Night (by pony)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0<\/span>Tempers flare as Joe and Adam find themselves in conflict … but then discover an unexpected harmony. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K (1,260 words)
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Fire and the Night<\/strong><\/p>\n

His eyes were closed tight,<\/strong> his lips pressed tightly together, and he pinched the bridge of his nose sharply between two fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment, everything about Adam Cartwright was dark, tight and sharp.<\/span><\/p>\n

He sighed \u2013 a sharp exhale that sounded more like a snort of exasperation \u2013 then opened his eyes to look up at his brother, who stood frowning at him from across the campfire.\u00a0 <\/span>But unlike that of his brother, Joe\u2019s frustration was wide open and without reservation. Green eyes sparked with fury, his nostrils flared, and his lower lip was thrust out in defiance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the last time, Joe,\u201d Adam began, but Joe\u2019s explosive response made it clear he had already tolerated \u201cthe last time\u201d from his brother.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDammit, Adam, I\u2019m not gonna do it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now it was Adam whose temper was pushed to its limit. \u201cYou are gonna do it, and if you\u2019ll shut up for just a minute, I\u2019ll tell you why!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t tell me to shut up! You\u2019ve been tellin\u2019 me, all right; all day and all night you\u2019ve been tellin\u2019 me, and you still haven\u2019t said one word that\u2019s made any sense. Now why don\u2019t you shut up for a change, and listen to why I\u2019m sayin\u2019 I won\u2019t do it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did listen, Joe, but you \u2013 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe cut his brother off with a savage motion that slashed the space between them. \u201cYou didn\u2019t hear a word I said. You never listen; your mind\u2019s already made up. I\u2019m trying to tell you \u2013 \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam stood up and took a step toward his brother. He didn\u2019t intend for the gesture to appear threatening, but Joe\u2019s response told Adam immediately that his brother had interpreted it as such. Although younger and smaller, and although Joe had lost every physical contest in which he\u2019d ever engaged with his brother, that never stopped him from rising up to meet any challenge, real or imagined. Tonight was no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe moved forward so quickly that he was upon his brother before Adam realized what had happened. Adam blinked in surprise, but was not at any level intimidated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAw, Joe,\u201d Adam began, but Joe once again cut him off.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, let\u2019s settle this once and for all,\u201d Joe snapped.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam glared at his brother, but the argument had escalated to another level of confrontation, whether he liked it or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to fight you, Joe,\u201d Adam said stiffly, but Joe seemed not to hear.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou wanna tell me what to do, you want me to listen, well, I\u2019m listening now, big brother. Whaddaya have to say now?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI say you\u2019re acting like a kid. Settle down and reason this out like a man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam couldn\u2019t have chosen a better way to inflame his brother\u2019s temper than by calling him a kid, but whether his words were intentional or unfortunate, it was too late, and Adam knew it; Joe\u2019s eyes glittered like fire.<\/span>
\n And then Adam grinned.<\/span><\/p>\n

This response was so sudden, so unexpected, that Joe stumbled, both physically and emotionally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWha – what\u2019s so funny?\u201d he sputtered, trying to collect himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shook his head, almost chuckling now. \u201cNothing,\u201d he replied. \u201cIt\u2019s just that, well, Joe, you know what, it doesn\u2019t even matter. It\u2019s not worth fighting about, that\u2019s for sure, one way or the other. If you don\u2019t want to do it, fine. It doesn\u2019t make any difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was having a hard time keeping up with this unanticipated turn of events. \u201cThen\u00a0why \u2026?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam shrugged, turned casually back toward the fire and crouched down again to pick up the coffee pot, as he\u2019d been doing when the argument first began. \u201cOh, I don\u2019t know,\u201d he replied easily, his voice as nonchalant as if they had been discussing the weather. \u201cI thought it was a good idea. But if you don\u2019t think so, well, that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe scuffed the dirt with the toe of his boot, studying his brother as Adam poured coffee into a tin cup, then leaned over to retrieve a second cup from his saddle bag.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I didn\u2019t say it wasn\u2019t a good idea,\u201d Joe began, somewhat uncertainly. \u201cWhat I was sayin\u2019 was, what I was tryin\u2019 to say was, uh, I was thinkin\u2019 it might be better to just do it the other way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam poured coffee into the second cup and, without glancing at Joe, held it out toward his brother. \u201cMm. You\u2019re probably right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After a moment\u2019s hesitation, Joe reached over and took the cup. Adam returned the pot to its place near the fire. Still without looking up, he picked up his own cup, settled back on the blanket tossed casually over his saddle, and began to sip his coffee.<\/span>
\n Joe continued to kick at the dust, holding his cup with both hands, watching his brother over the rim as he inhaled the fragrance of the hot, dark brew. Adam sighed contentedly, leaned back against the saddle and gazed pensively toward the fire as if contemplating nothing more contentious than the interaction of the hot, glowing fire against the cold, dark night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe exhaled as if he\u2019d been holding his breath for a long time. At the same time, and all in one motion, he moved around the fire and folded his legs so that he was sitting next to his brother, on his own blanket, propped up against his own saddle, and stared into the fire as though searching for the vision his brother saw.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s eyes flickered toward his brother with amused indulgence as Joe began to speak. Joe shrugged elaborately to emphasize his careless manner, but it was obvious that he was choosing his words deliberately as he spoke.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know \u2026 maybe you\u2019re right. There\u2019s no reason why I can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sipped his coffee carefully. \u201cWell, whatever you think,\u201d he murmured.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I think.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHmm. Well, all right then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The brothers sat in silence for a little while longer. Whatever anger had overwhelmed either of them earlier drifted away with the smoke into the silence of the night sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m gonna turn in,\u201d Adam finally said. \u201cMorning comes early.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSure does,\u201d Joe agreed. His voice had lost its lingering edge of grudging annoyance and was once again light, almost cheerful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without giving it any thought whatsoever, Joe scooted down, reached around his shoulder to catch the edge of his blanket, and then rolled over, pulling the blanket with him as he did to cover himself. Behind him, Adam did the same with his own blanket,\u00a0snaking out a hand to adjust his hat, tilting the brim to shield his eyes from the glow of the fire.<\/span><\/p>\n

As they always did \u2013 as they always had \u2013 the Cartwright brothers snuggled down to sleep next the campfire, Joe closest to the fire and Adam beside and behind him so that Joe was kept warm in between.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam was almost asleep \u2026 in fact, he was asleep when his brother\u2019s drowsy voice roused him back to a dreamy wakefulness.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAdam? You really think so?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam sighed \u2013 softly this time \u2013 and murmured, \u201cYeah, Joe. And you will too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The End<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: \u00a0Tempers flare as Joe and Adam find themselves in conflict … but then discover an unexpected harmony. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rated:\u00a0K (1,260 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":1246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drama","wpcat-23-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1452,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/bonanza13.jpg?fit=300%2C270&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7589,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=7589","url_meta":{"origin":2149,"position":0},"title":"Broken Bone (by DJK)","author":"DJK","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0A broken hand and an angry Adam, Hoss isn't having a very good day. 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Rated: K\u00a0 (700 words)","rel":"","context":"In "Chaps and Spurs"","block_context":{"text":"Chaps and Spurs","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=39"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/cutthroat-junction.jpg?fit=301%2C303&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2162,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2162","url_meta":{"origin":2149,"position":2},"title":"Shelter (by pony)","author":"pony","date":"December 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary: \u00a0\u00a0Adam and Joe Cartwright are lost in a blizzard. 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