by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13
LINK TO PART ONE
~
Little Joe gave Adam and David a questioning look as the three of them piled into a carriage. They were on their way back to the hotel from Marty's flat.
"Time to go home?" he asked. "We can wire Pa and let him know that we’ll be leaving on the next stage."
David thought that over and then nodded. "Let’s just wait till after the Sabbath. I’d as soon not travel on it, if we can avoid it."
Joe frowned. "The Jewish Sabbath? That starts when—tomorrow night?"
"Yes," David affirmed. "It goes from sundown Friday till sundown Saturday."
"There’s no outbound stage on Sunday," Adam put in. "So that will have us leaving San Francisco on Monday."
"Sounds good to me," Joe said, yawning as he settled back in his seat. "That gives us a couple of days just to rest up."
He stretched out his legs as he spoke and cocked his head at David, who was sitting opposite him, next to Adam. "Are you going to try to convert older brother?" he asked.
David couldn’t help but smile at the question. There was no derision or hostility in Joe’s voice—there was just plain curiosity.
"It wouldn’t work," Adam said matter-of-factly as he put a casual arm around David’s shoulder. "I admire Judaism—but I’ll always be an outsider looking in."
"That’s all right," David assured him. "Judaism’s not keen on trying to convert people."
"Why not?" Joe asked.
David shrugged. "There’s no point—you don’t have to be a Jew in order to live a life acceptable to God. The Talmud says that ‘the righteous of all nations have a share in the world to come.’"
"Well, that may be," Joe said, raising his eyebrows, "but Rebecca’s father sure wanted Adam to convert."
"Only if I meant to marry Rebecca," Adam corrected. "He didn’t care otherwise."
Joe folded his arms across his chest as he considered that. "I see," he said at last. "Well, Catholics aren’t fond of intermarriage either—the non-Catholic spouse doesn’t have to convert, but he has to promise to raise the children Catholic. Pa had to do that when he married my mother."
David grinned. "And hence you’re a nice Catholic boy."
Joe winked at him. "Sure am. That’s why I’m not a Protestant heretic like older brother here."
"Or like Pa," Adam said dryly. "But for a nice Catholic boy, I don’t see you going to Mass often."
"I’m there every Sunday in spirit," Joe assured him.
All three men laughed at that. Adam gave his brother a fond look and shook his head.
"I can remember when you were a kid, Joe," he said. "You asked the preacher at Pa’s church why we didn’t have a statue of Mary—you wanted to light some candles to the Virgin in honor of your mother."
"Yeah, I remember that too," Joe said. "The preacher got all red in the face—I thought he was having an attack. Apparently he didn’t hold with statues of the Blessed Mother."
"No, I don’t think he did," Adam agreed. "Well, at least the preacher they have now is a more understanding man. He wouldn’t have given you such a hard time."
Joe smiled. "That’s all right—you didn’t let that other preacher give me a hard time. And then Hoss piped up that he wouldn’t mind a statue either, remember?"
David grinned. "You three are lucky to have each other—I’m experiencing acute sibling envy right now."
"No brothers or sisters?" Joe asked, regarding him with sympathy.
"None," David agreed.
"Well, don’t let that trouble you," Joe said off-handedly. "If you and Adam keep this up, I suppose Hoss and I will have to adopt you."
David narrowed his eyes at him. "That’s sounds like a bit more than a truce."
"I know," Joe agreed. "Don’t take it as a compliment—it’s just for Adam’s sake."
David grinned and turned to see how Adam was taking this. He had said himself that he wanted his relationship with David to continue when they returned home, so hopefully he didn’t mind Joe’s words about ‘keeping this up.’
As it happened, Adam didn’t look like he minded at all. He was regarding Joe with a warm, grateful look.
"Thank you, Joe," he said softly.
Joe smiled as he pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes. "Don’t mention it," he said.
LINK TO PART SEVENTY-FOUR
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