Fanfics mostly

John spent his time divided between the designated field - walking the perimeter, taking soil samples and making extensive notes - and his barn on Thunderbird Hill making calculations and running experiments on the soil. And his dogs. Every day he spent the morning with them, running the course he’d prepared.

Gordon split his time between helping John and his own aqua farming. He’d almost perfected his pain-relieving plants but they wouldn’t be ready for this year’s competition. They still needed tending though. The rest of the time he spent looking after the farm in general, taking over the jobs his older brothers would usually do to free them up.

Alan helped out Gordon around the farm and running errands, making sure that his brothers ate and generally feeling a little useless.

Everyone knew Alan hadn’t yet found his place, his role…whatever you wanted to call it. He really wanted to do what Scott did. He’d been so much more than a big brother to Alan, he’d been the only Father Alan had had for most of his life.

He was man enough to know he hero-worshipped Scott, but Alan knew that he needed to find his own way. Creating new fuels to help his brother go even faster was all well and good, but that was something both John and Virgil had both done before him, his second-eldest brother introducing him to the process once he was old enough not to blow the barn up…more than once.

Alan needed something that was going to be all his. He just had no idea what that was going to be.

‘Alan?’ ‘Yes, Grandma?’ ‘I need your help a moment please.’ ‘FAB, Grandma.’

Sally Tracy smiled as her youngest skidded into the kitchen. Just like his eldest brother, Alan couldn’t do anything less than top speed, and he threw her a sheepish grin. She tutted but said nothing more, asking him to grab a box from the storeroom.

The storeroom was in the basement. It was neatly stacked but not somewhere Alan usually went. He found it creepy…but he’d do anything for his Grandma. The box she wanted was easy to reach but up high, and he used what looked like a sturdy box to stand on.

It was not a sturdy box and with a yell Alan unbalanced and fell, the box his Grandma wanted and a couple others falling with him.

No one heard him, though, and with a sigh he twisted around and began to stuff things back into boxes, glad that there was no one around to hear him curse. Why did they have so much junk? He shoved a photo album back into a box but a picture fell out.

Alan glanced at the photo and froze.

His phone rang and Scott broke off from his discussion of tactics with John. He frowned when he saw who was calling.

‘Grandma? Is everything alright?’ ‘I’m sure it’s nothing, Scott, but I asked Alan to bring the box of labels up from the basement. He’s been gone a long time.’ ‘FAB, Grandma. I’m on my way.’ ‘Thank you.’

Scott knew that their Grandma couldn’t leave the kitchen. Her various dishes needed constant attention and so he loped over to see what was going on with his youngest brother.

He froze at the bottom of the basement stairs. Alan was standing there, holding a picture in one hand and just…staring at it. For some reason it made Scott’s heart stutter.

‘Alan? Al, buddy?’

But Alan didn’t say anything for the longest while. Scott approached slowly but still he wasn’t acknowledged. Gently he removed the picture from Alan’s hand. He couldn’t help the gasp that escaped him and finally Alan moved.

‘Scotty? Is that…is that Mom?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘I never knew she rode rodeo.’ ‘I guess…I guess we just never talk about it. By the time Gordon was born Mom had retired, but when John, Virgil and I were growing up it was Dad who looked after us mostly, Mom was always on the rodeo trail. She’d be home maybe one or two months maximum spread out throughout the year apart from when she was pregnant.’ ‘Was she good?’ ‘Oh man, Alan, I wish…I wish you could have seen her! She was like lightning on hooves. She had a turn of speed I’ve never seen anyone else have on a horse, she was a real Cowgirl. I think there should be some old footage in one of these boxes…’

Scott broke off and began rummaging around the boxes and eventually held up a vid-disk with a soft smile. Grabbing firstly the box their Grandma wanted and throwing his arm around Alan’s shoulders they made their way upstairs.

After handing over the box of labels they moved to the den and settled down. While Scott set up the vid Alan called the others and pretty soon they were all sitting on the large sofa – Alan in the middle with Scott on one side and Gordon on the other, John on Scott’s side and Virgil on Gordon’s. And the video played.

They whooped and cheered along as Lucille Evans topped the bill. They watched their Mom riding, roping and racing far into the night until there was no more to see.

And Alan turned to his brothers, eyes alight and excitement clear.

‘I know what I want to do!’

He beamed at them.