Dileure
by Lise

Epilogue

Franklin wiped his forehead with a rag, resting the piece of scorched wood he was carrying on the ground. Rich jogged past, and paused, grinning. "Too much for you, Franklin?"

He threw the rag at Rich. "Never, m'boy."

"Come on, then." Franklin followed him down the path, carrying his piece of wall for the new bar. It was the first building Nate wanted finished, and even though the bar was technically just a square of earth right now, in an hour or so, there'd be liquor flowing again. Especially if Nate had his way.

All around him, Franklin could see people trying to salvage whatever they could, sorting out what could be saved, reused, from the stuff that was too badly burned or warped. Everywhere he looked, the piles to save was pitifully small, but people kept searching anyway.

Domino directed him to put his piece of wood down, and had someone nail it in place. She motioned for him to take a seat, and chuckled. "Why don't you watch for a while?"

He sat, and watched as the last wall was put into place, and then as Nur held the roof up while Nate and Patrick secured it. He murmured, "Just like magic."

Kitty came up, and said to Domino, "Bobby. Um." She glanced at Franklin. "Bobby's having another episode."

He gulped. "I don't have time--"

Kitty cut him off. "No, I know, no one has time right now." She picked up some beams, and wandered away.

Domino took Franklin's hand, interrupting his thoughts. She said, "Come on and buy me a drink."

"Do we have anything to drink?"

She pulled him inside, where people were already setting up makeshift tables and chairs. The bar and cabinet itself had, miraculously, survived -- or maybe not so miraculously, thanks to Nate -- and Franklin poured them both cups. He held one out to Domino.

She took it, and said, "A toast?"

He pressed his lips together. Shadows filled his eyes. "Maybe, not this time."

Domino slung her glass back, and looked out the new -- window was a relative term, since there was half the wall missing, still, because of a shortage of building supplies. She expected a rainbow, stretching from the barn roof, across the fake sky, and down towards the house. There wasn't one, of course, but it was only because Franklin had never read the Bible.

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