Fic: Beer for My Horses

Jan 25, 2010 12:09

Title: Beer for My Horses
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: Adora, Garrett, Rebecca, Riley and Wyatt (mention of Isabelle)
Rating: high-PG for nekkid!Garrettlanguage
Summary: It's not wise to let Garrett Cain run out of grog. Or play cards with his sister-in-law.
Warning: pre-series, sometime during gatechic's The Academy, etc., series. AUish CRACK. As always: title!FAIL. This started as an innocent comment from Garrett to Adora and Steve snapped. tm_challenge Big Damn Prompt Table prompts: Next, Location, Singing, Freebie: Potato, Trip, Choice, Under, Path, Life and Connection
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors. The OCs are gatechic's and she knows I'm playing with them. ♥
Word Count: 2260

NEXT
Adora dropped down onto the stool as Rebecca pulled two plates from the cupboard. Rebecca smiled and tried not to laugh as Adora ran her hands over her face in frustration. Normally, Wyatt Cain was a stubborn man. But, a drunken Wyatt Cain was just downright aggravating. He'd managed to fall into a seated position on the sofa, and sat there for a few moments - a grog-induced sheen in his eyes - until his body began to lean to one side and he fell sideways, asleep.

"The next time our husbands decide to substitute grog for money during a card game, remind me of this night," Adora groaned and held out a hand for the plate now holding a slice of pie.

"Just think of the stories we could come up with," Rebecca teased, serving herself a slice of pie, "the things we can convince them they agreed to... A trip into the city, spending the entire day doing our chores... fixing the window and the door and the fence and the-" Rebecca trailed off, laughing as Adora took a bite of the pie. "Really brings new meaning to the phrase 'beat the pants off you', doesn't it?"

Adora blushed slightly and ducked her head and she laughed. "Well, I did suggest he shouldn't bet his shorts," Adora nodded as she got another forkful of pie.

"That, you did," Rebecca laughed.

LOCATION
Both women sat for a moment, enjoying the quiet for the first time in hours. It was in that moment that Rebecca Cain realized it was too quiet. Setting down the fork as she straightened, Rebecca's eyes went wide and she leaned back from the counter.

"Where is Garrett?" Adora blinked and froze, fork still in her mouth. She pulled the fork away and quickly swallowed, then opened her mouth as her eyes moved to the window. Rebecca must have been thinking the same thing, because her eyes found the pile of her husband's clothes next to the table and she bolted for the window. "Oh, Great Gale," Rebecca breathed and closed her eyes as her chin dropped. Adora pushed herself up to join Rebecca at the window and her eyes went wide at the sight of a rather naked Garrett Cain carrying a saddle toward his horse.

"Well," Adora said with a shrug, "least he's wearing his boots. And his hat." She made a face and both women broke into a fit of laughter as the initial rush of panic shifted to relief. "I really didn't think he was serious about going for more grog," Adora breathed, shaking her head. It didn't surprise her, though, honestly. Rebecca rolled her eyes at the sight of her husband and both women jumped at the sound of a screaming child. Rebecca winced and groaned and she turned to look over her shoulder

"I'll get him," Adora said, nodding toward the window. Rebecca nodded and moved away from the window. "I'm surprised he didn't wake up while those two were making such a racket," Adora mused as she pulled the front door open.

"A train could come through that door and he wouldn't notice," Rebecca said as she picked Riley up from the crib in the living room. "Neither would your father, would he," Rebecca added to her screaming son as she shook her head and sighed. "Only when mama is finally relaxed..."

SINGING
Adora moved out onto the porch and across the yard in the moonlight. She could hear Garrett singing a tune - whether to the skies or himself... quite possibly the horse - and, as she neared the horse corral, Adora realized that he did seem to have a better tone when drunk.

Crossing her arms, Adora waited for him to finish the chorus before clearing her throat. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked her brother-in-law, who was busy saddling his horse, preparing for a late-night ride into town. Next to the horse, Garrett turned stiffly and closed one eye as he looked at Adora.

"I am going into town for more grog," he said with an odd wink and nod combination and turned back to the horse. Adora was glad that it was dark out, because she was surely blushing at the sight of the moonlight illuminating his backside. Not that it was a bad view, and she had seen pretty much every view of Wyatt’s brother, so there really was nothing to be embarrassed about.

But, this time was technically her fault.

POTATO
Adora moved over to Garrett's side and reached up to hold his hand against the saddle strap. "Garrett," she said slowly, waiting for him to look at her. When he did, she continued: "You're going into town? Right now?" Garrett grinned and nodded. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, eyes still on him, but her head tilled downward.

Garrett frowned slightly and looked down. A moment later, his head shot up and his eyes were wide. Adora started to give him a nod, but blinked when his realization was: "I forgot my gun."

"Well, that's debatable," Adora muttered as Garrett turned back to the horse and saddle. "Garrett," she said a bit louder and grabbed his arm. He turned back and gave her a cheery grin. Adora mirrored the smile and nodded slowly. "Pants." Garrett stared at her for a second, frowned and then looked down again.

"Pfft," he breathed and waved a hand in the air.

"Garrett, you can't ride a horse without pants," Adora cried.

Garrett made another face and turned back to the horse and saddle. As he gave the strap another tug, he glanced her way and nodded. "Pants ain't nothin' but a piece 'a cloth 'tween the saddle an' my meat 'n sweet potatoes," he stammered as the alcohol began to settle into his system.

TRIP
Adora grabbed Garrett's arm again, as he moved back to adjust the saddle. "Garrett, the tavern isn't open this late. You ride into town in what the Zone gave you and start banging on doors, what are the folks in town gonna say?"

Garrett smiled and chuckled at the thought. "Give the old bats somethin' to gossip about, wouldn't it?" he asked with a smile. "The thrill might make 'em all keel over," he added with a nod, "which would get 'em all out of my hair, so..."

"No, Garrett, it'll get you thrown into jail and then you'll have to explain yourself to your mother," Adora warned, hoping that it would be enough to convince Garrett to not go. Garrett looked toward the trees for a moment then back to Adora.

"Won't throw me in jail if you're with me," he grinned. "Come on," Garrett waved, "I'll thrill the old bats and you can distract the sheriff," he added with a wink and a smile. Garrett pointed to the barn and waved to Adora. "I'll get the saddle and you can-" he waved toward her clothes. Adora could tell there was no talking the man out of it - stubborn must be in the Cain blood - but she wasn’t about to let him ride off.

CHOICE
"Okay!" she said before realizing that she had no plan. Garrett stopped and turned back to her. "I'll go with you," Adora nodded, praying to whoever was listening that it would work. Garrett beamed and planted his hands on his hips before nodding once. "But!" Adora continued, pointing toward the house, "you have to get Rebecca's permission, first."

Garret made a face and glanced toward the house. "Garrett Cain, I mean it. I'm not about to go off and give folks the idea that we're runnin' out on Wyatt and Rebecca unless she knows that nothing's funny." Adora nodded sharply, trying to have as much punch to her words as she could muster. Problem was, she'd also had grog during the card game and was beginning to feel the effects.

She also knew that, if it had been her own husband trying to ride into town with no clothes, she'd not give it a second though, because she'd be with him. And then her mind wandered to an image of her and Wyatt in the moonlight, in the middle of a field. The image was gone just as quick as it had appeared, though, as her brain remembered that Wyatt wasn't really a fan of the outdoors.

Garrett said it was because the city and the Tin Men had turned his brother into a girl.

UNDER
Adora was so busy with her own thoughts of Wyatt in a field that she didn't notice Garrett had already started moving back toward the house. Blinking, Adora figured the horse would be all right for a few minutes and chased after Garrett. He was halfway to the porch when the grog kicked in and his steps started to list. Adora caught him around the waist and threw one arm over her shoulder.

"When we get back with the grog," Garrett started to stammer, "we're goin' 'nother round an' I'm gonna win my shorts back from ya..." he mumbled. Thankfully, Rebecca had stepped out onto the porch because Garrett's legs gave out just as they reached the railing.

"I want some sweet potatoes," he mumbled into Rebecca's neck and she helped Adora heave him up.

"I'll get you some sweet potatoes," Rebecca huffed, "but you've got to get up the stairs, sweetheart." He chuckled and pulled Rebecca closer, giving her a nuzzle.

"'dora's gonna go to town with me. Nothing funny," he said, blinking as they reached the door and his eyes had to adjust to the light.

“Never crossed my mind," Rebecca grunted as Garrett's weight leaned against her.

PATH
"We're never going to get him up the stairs," Rebecca said a moment later, and Adora nodded to the door in front of them.

"Put him in our room," she told Rebecca. Wyatt was on the sofa, as it was.

"No, that's-" Rebecca started to protest, but the weight of her husband suddenly doubled and she realized it was either that, or leave him on the stairs. "Your room, it is," she grunted. It took the women a few minutes to get the elder Cain into the bedroom, and they simply let him fall onto the mattress with a thump.

"Can we lock him in?" Adora asked, running the back of her hand over her forehead as Rebecca threw a quilt over Garrett and removed his hat. She wasn't going to bother trying to pull off his boots.

"He's not going anywhere," Rebecca sighed, reaching down to straighten her blouse.

LIFE
They moved back into the living room and pulled the door shut. Garrett was asleep in the spare bedroom, Wyatt was on the sofa and Riley was asleep, again, in his crib. Adora dropped down to one of the stairs and laughed. "Is it always like this with the Cains?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded and then shot her sister-in-law a smile. "Isn't it great?" Adora laughed and pulled herself up. She had a piece of pie to finish, after all. As Rebecca returned to her own pie, she dropped the remaining pie between them and pointed to it with her fork.

"No sweet potatoes for that lump," she pointed toward the door, "until he loses a few pounds. Eat up." Adora smiled and shook her head. Two bites later, she started laughing. "What?" Rebecca asked, unable to control her own smile, as Adora's was infectious. Adora shook her head and lifted a hand to cover her mouth.

"Just thinking that, if Wyatt wakes up in the middle of the night and heads in there," she said, pointing to the closed door, "he'll be in for quite the surprise." Rebecca laughed loudly and her eyes went wide for a moment as Riley made a noise. A second later, however, they were certain none of the Cain boys were waking up any time soon.

"So," Adora asked after a few moments, "what are you going to get out of this one?" Rebecca's eyes sparkled as she considered the stories she could tell Garrett.

CONNECTION
When Wyatt finally woke up the next morning, the first sun was up. Noting that he was alone in the living room - even Riley was gone from his crib - Wyatt ran a hand over his face and yawned. 'No more grog for me,' he swore, knowing full well that the claim wouldn't hold past the next visit with his brother.

It never did.

He moved toward the kitchen, but found no one. The door to the bedroom he and Adora were sharing opened and Wyatt smiled at the sight of his wife moving toward him. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she said with a smile and reached up to hold his face.

"Rebecca and I already did all your chores, so you be nice to her," Adora added, giving Wyatt a poke to the chest. Wyatt winced slightly and turned with Adora as she moved around him. "We're going to be around back, working in the garden." Adora gave him a quick wave and continued through the kitchen to the door.

Wyatt took a deep breath and fought back a yawn as he turned back to the bedroom. Giving his sleeve a sniff, Wyatt's eyes rolled back slightly and he made a face. He was two steps into the bedroom when Wyatt saw his brother's backside staring up at him from the bed. Garrett snorted into the pillow, mouth wide open, completely oblivious to his company and current state.

Wyatt's eyes went wide and he spun around, staring at the door as his mind began to come up with every scenario possible.

fanfiction, family, siblings, pre-series, clan: cain

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