Disclaimer: The following story is based on characters from the television series "Walker, Texas Ranger," of which I own no part. I may also reference various movies or songs, which I claim no ownership of. If you recognize anything, it does not belong to me. These chapters are written solely for my entertainment. I make no profit from them.

Author's Note: This is my version of Season 10, Episode 4. For those who reviewed my last story, please accept my sincerest thanks. I hope you enjoy this one as well. A big thank you goes to one of my best friends, Ann Stalnaker, who helped me with my Spanish.

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Title: "Reunion"

By: T.M. Hoagland

Chapter 1

The mid-day light shone through the window of the large bedroom and fell across the elderly woman who was stroking the arm of an old man lying in the bed. As he struggled to breathe, he reached for the hand of the man who sat in the chair beside him and gazed into the face that was so much like his own.

"Son," pleaded the old man, "please."

"Very well, Papa," said the man. His gray hair showed his years, and worry creased his brow. "We'll try," he went on, "but it may be too late." Then he released his father's hand and left the room. He went down the hall to the living room where he found another man waiting with two younger versions of himself.

"Robert," began the man who was a few years younger than him, "how's Papa?"

"It won't be long now, Steven," replied Robert. "But he's still insisting that he wants to see her."

"Dad, send me," put in the older of the two others. "I'll bring her back."

"Matt, she won't listen to you," returned his younger counterpart. "You never knew how to talk to her when she was around. I can just imagine how she would respond to your forcefulness now."

"Well, someone needs to teach her respect," retorted Matt. "She's always been too headstrong, and you never would stand up to her."

"Josh is right, Matt," chimed in Robert. "You two always clashed. But you're right, too. She has always had a mind of her own, but she must be made to understand the seriousness of the situation. I want you both to go. But, Josh, you are there to support your brother. He will be representing the family."

"Yes, sir," answered Josh cynically.

"We'll leave right away," added Matt. "We won't get there until tonight, but we'll look her up first thing in the morning."

"Tell her what's going on," put in Steven. "Persuade her, because you won't make her."

"Don't worry, Uncle Steven," responded Matt. "One way or another, I'll bring her back."

The two older men looked at each other and sighed as the two younger men left the house.

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"Let's take the Lexus," said a short, stocky man to his taller, bulky companion. They stood in an alcove of a parking garage in front of a door that led to the mall inside. Glancing carefully around, both men pulled their baseball caps low over their eyes before stepping out. Their eyes continued to dart furtively from side to side, neither raising their heads, as they quickly made their way to the car and jimmied the door open.

"Honey, are you sure she needs all this for her birthday?" a man's voice echoed across the garage from the door the two others had just left.

"She only turns three once, Nick," returned the lilting voice of the woman beside him. They both carried several bags containing new purchases.

"She's not going to remember this and she's going to outgrow most of what you bought in six months," replied the man with a laugh as they approached the same vehicle. Suddenly his eyes took in the would-be thieves next to the open door of his car. "HEY!" he shouted as his wife pulled out her cell phone to call for help. "Get away from my car!" He picked up his pace, dropping the parcels in his hands, and left his wife a few steps behind him as he moved to stop the men. He was met by a muzzle flash and report as the shorter man fired on him while his counterpart started the car.

"NICK!" screamed his wife as she ran to where he had fallen and pulled him into her lap, pressing her hand over his wound. She looked up to see the two assailants drive off, and noticed too late that the one who shot her husband was aiming at her. She saw another flash, heard another bang, and felt a burning in her chest just before everything went black.

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"Take it easy, Shorty," Gage called to his partner. He was careful to keep his hands up to guard himself, but he wore a pleased grin and his eyes shone with satisfaction as Sydney danced around the mat in front of him. "It's only been a week since the doc cleared you as 100 percent, and you're still pretty weak. I wouldn't want you to overdo it," he continued, trying to rile her.

"Weak?!" cried Syd in mock indignation. It was five and a half weeks since she had been shot, and her face radiated the pleasure she was getting out of being able to fully use her leg again as she sparred with Gage in a morning workout. "I'll show you weak!" she went on as she suddenly leapt into the air and wrapped her legs around his neck in a scissors hold. Then she spun and flipped, throwing him to the ground before popping up a few feet away. "That felt good!" she exclaimed with a bright grin as she continued to dance around.

"I forgot how good at that you are," stated Gage as he shook his head to clear it. Then he quickly swept his leg in a circle and knocked her feet out from under her. Before she could recover he pounced and pinned her to the mat, his side pressing across her torso as his hands grasped her wrists. "But you are out of practice," he finished with a grin.

They had been sparring for almost half an hour and both were breathing hard as they grinned at each other. To Gage's mild surprise Syd just laid there looking at him without attempting to break free, and he watched as her smile softened.

"I've missed this," she said quietly.

"Me, too," he replied. Then he slowly leaned toward her, bringing their faces close together.

"Sydney," called Walker from the door just before Gage's lips reached hers. Their heads jerked his direction in surprise. "You need to come upstairs," he finished as he grinned at them with a shake of his head before turning to go.

"He always did have impeccable timing," Gage growled out sarcastically, eliciting a laugh from Sydney as they both stood up. After a quick peck they headed for their individual locker rooms.

It wasn't long before they were entering the door of the offices, laughing together as they teased each other. They called greetings across the room to Trivette and Max before Sydney turned to go to Walker's desk. As she did, she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye sitting in the chair next to her desk. Her smile disappeared, her body stiffened, and she stood as tall as she could when she realized why Walker had summoned her. Gage sensed her reaction and immediately went on guard.

In the chair sat a man in his mid thirties. He had brown hair and eyes and a dark complexion. He stood up as Sydney approached him, revealing that he was seven or eight inches taller than her. "Hello, Sydney," he began in a familiar, though strained, tone. "It's been awhile."

"Matt," Syd returned. "It has." They stood there for a moment, staring at each other. Sydney saw Matt look behind her to where Gage stood. "Gage," Syd went on, "this is Matt, my cousin. Matt, this is my partner and fiancé, Gage." The two men shook hands somewhat awkwardly.

"Syd, I'm going to go see what Walker has planned for today," Gage said just before walking away, sensing that they needed a modicum of privacy. Sydney and Matt watched him go then turned back to each other.

"Why are you here, Matt?" questioned Syd as she looked around at her colleagues, feeling that their attention was indirectly on her and noticing that Gage was watching them.

"You need to come home," claimed Matt sternly.

Fire rose in Syd's eyes as she snorted in disgust. "You're going to have to do better than that," she retorted.

"You're summoned," he went on in the same domineering tone. "You're wanted back home. What more do you need to know?"

"Dallas is my home," returned Syd icily. "And this is where my family is," she continued pointedly.

"Well, I can see you finally got a man to take care of you," he stated, and immediately felt her bristle. "But you have prior obligations that have long gone unfulfilled. It's time you remember who you are."

Syd glared at him and took a step closer then pointed one finger at his chest before saying, "The only person in this room who doesn't know who I am is you. You never have and you never wanted to. I'm not going anywhere if you can't show me some respect and give me a better reason than 'you're summoned.' So unless you want to do that, we have nothing further to discuss."

"You always were stubborn," replied Matt forcefully as he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her just a bit closer, "but for once in your life you will do as you're told."

Gage saw the movement and took a step to intervene until he felt Walker's hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"She can handle this, Gage, and she needs to," Walker quietly intoned. "He needs to be put in his place by her." The two men glanced at each other and then noticed that all eyes in the room were on Syd and Matt.

Sydney looked from her cousins eyes to where his hand gripped her arm and then back again. Before he knew what happened she grasped his hand, twisted it behind his back, and forced him to the floor, pinning him there with one knee in his back. Then she leaned down close to him before she spoke plainly for the benefit of everyone in the room.

"Let me make something clear," she began, her tone hard and her words drawn out slowly. "I'm not some chiquitita that you can come in here and manhandle or order around. I am a Texas Ranger. Now since you're my cousin, I'm going to assume you didn't realize what you were doing. But if you ever lay a hand on me again, I will kick your ass before I throw it in jail for assaulting an officer. Now I suggest you leave, and don't come back unless you can show me the dignity I deserve." With that she stood and pulled him up, arm still behind his back, and then led him to the door. Once he was gone she took a deep breath before approaching Walker's desk.

"Everything alright?" questioned Walker quietly.

"Fine," Sydney said tersely. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

Walker eyed her for a moment before beginning and signaled for Jimmy and Max to join them. "We need to see if we can make any headway about the recent string of car thefts. Trivette, what are the most recent stats?"

"Five since Wednesday," stated Jimmy. "And this is only Friday morning. They're all high end cars taken from public garages or lots."

"Brazen," put in Syd. "Most of those places have security cameras."

"Well, hopefully that means we'll get lucky," added Gage. "Any witnesses?"

"There weren't until last night," continued Trivette. "Apparently an unfortunate couple came across the thieves trying to steal their car from the parking garage of Northpark Center." Jimmy consulted his notes. "Nick and Melissa Cox. Each was shot once and they are both in critical condition at St. Matthews right now. They'd both be dead, except Melissa got a call out before she was shot and help was already on the way. Also, someone inside, Buddy Philips, heard the shots and ran to help."

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," said Walker, "Gage and Sydney, go get any security tapes you can from the crime scenes. Max, see if you can find any connection between the cars that have been taken and whether this might be a single organization. Trivette, come with me to talk to Philips and the Cox's." With that they all went to their assigned tasks.

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An hour and a half later Walker and Trivette reentered the offices followed by Gage and Sydney.

"Max, what have you got?" called Walker.

"It doesn't look like they're targeting any certain make or model," responded Max. "The only connection is that all the cars are high end luxury or sport models. And none of them have turned up anywhere else."

"Sounds like they're building a collection for a sale," stated Walker.

"The question is," put in Trivette, "who are they planning to sell to, and for what?"

"We picked up the security tapes and got them to Dan Johnson," contributed Gage. "He's going to see if he can find anything useful. Were you able to get any information from Philips or the Cox's?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Cox were both sedated," answered Trivette. "They were in recovery from surgery, but they're both stable now. The doctor says they're very lucky. If either one had been hit just inches closer to center they wouldn't have made it. And Philips didn't know anything."

Just then Sydney's phone rang on her desk. She exchanged a concerned look with Gage before going to answer it.

"Texas Rangers Company B, Ranger Cooke speaking."

"Sydney, it's Josh," came the reply.

Sydney sighed in exasperation. "Are you in Dallas, too?" she questioned. "I saw your brother this morning."

"Yeah, I heard about that," he replied with a chuckle. "Sydney, I'll come to the point. I would like to meet with you and discuss some things that are going on back home. You know me. I won't try any strong-arm tactics with you, I just want to talk. Can we do that?"

Syd paused for a moment and closed her eyes in thought. "Alright, Josh, on one condition."

"Name it."

"Come alone."

"That was the plan," he returned. "Where can we meet and how soon? What I have to tell you is kind of urgent."

"Let's make it C.D.'s Bar and Grill in thirty minutes," she said.

"I'll see you there," finished Josh before they hung up.

Sydney replaced the receiver in the cradle and stood still a moment before returning to Walker's desk. "Walker, I'm sorry. A family situation has come up. I need to go meet my cousin."

"Matt?" asked Gage. "The guy here this morning?"

"No," Syd answered. "Josh, Matt's younger brother. If they're both in town it must be serious. I told him I'd meet him at C.D.'s in thirty."

"Is everything alright?" queried Walker.

"I don't know," returned Syd with irritation. "I can't imagine why they would be here wanting to talk to me. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of this quickly and get back."

"Alright," continued Walker. "You and Gage take an early lunch and go see your cousin. When you're through there stop by the hospital and see if you can speak with the Cox's since we weren't able to this morning. Trivette and Max, start compiling a list of anyone who's been known to deal in stolen vehicles. I'm going to go talk to Dan and see if he's found anything yet that might help narrow down the list."

"Thanks, Walker," stated Syd as she and Gage turned to go.

"And, Syd," called Walker before they walked away, "I hope everything is alright with your family."

Sydney gave a half smile and nodded her head in response. Then she and Gage headed out the door.

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Sam stood behind the bar putting away clean glasses when Syd and Gage came into C.D.'s and moved to their table.

"Well this is a pleasant surprise," started Sam. "What brings y'all in this early? You're not usually here for another hour. Can I expect anyone else?"

Syd and Gage exchanged a smile and a knowing look at the last remark before Syd replied with, "Max is working on a case with Walker and Jimmy. They may come in later. Right now we're here for an impromptu meeting."

"Oh?" questioned Sam, her curiosity piqued. "With who?"

Just then the door opened and they all turned to see a man enter. Gage noticed that he looked much like Matt only was a few inches shorter. His eyes scanned the room quickly until they fell on Syd, then he broke out in a wide grin.

"Prima!" he called out as he approached her with his arms out.

"Your cousin?" inquired Sam with a questioning look at Syd, causing her and Gage to look at her in surprise.

"Yes," Syd answered Sam with an inquisitive glance. Then she turned to the man who now stood before her. "Josh, this is my partner and fiancé, Gage, and this is our friend Sam Dawson," she continued in introduction.

"It's very nice to meet you," Josh said as he extended his hand to both of them with a courteous smile. "Syd, it's good to see you again. By the way, thanks for giving Matt what he has sorely needed for years," he went on with a grin as the three of them sat down at the table.

"Can I get y'all anything?" asked Sam from behind the bar. They all told her what they would like and she turned to get it.

"So, Josh," Syd opened the conversation, "what's important enough for you and Matt to come all the way up here to try and drag me back."

"Syd, I would never try to drag you anywhere," returned Josh in all seriousness. "And after what you did to Matt, I think it'll be awhile before he tries that again."

Sydney sat looking at him and just waited for him to go on. She watched as he hung his head for a moment before looking back up at her.

"Abuelo is dying," he stated and then watched her response. He saw her mouth open slightly as her brows drew together while she processed this information.

"Who?" questioned Gage as he looked between them.

"My grandfather," Syd said as Sam brought them their orders. "Josh, forgive my confusion, but I still don't understand why you came for me. When I graduated college and left to enter the DPS Academy after my mom died, he virtually disowned me. He said I was abandoning the family and if I was so keen to be gone I should just stay that way. I haven't heard from any of you for more than three years. Why now?"

"He's dying, Syd," replied Josh with a shrug of his shoulders. "And he wants to see you before he does. He won't tell anyone why."

Gage could see the turmoil Syd was going through in her eyes and the way she pursed her lips. He began to gently rub her shoulders in a show of support.

"Josh," Syd retorted, "I don't know that I want to see him. He's never caused anything but grief for me. And whatever his reasons may be for suddenly wanting to include me in his life, I can't help but feel like it's too little too late." Everyone heard the resignation in her voice, though she spoke calmly and evenly.

Josh nodded his head before he replied. "I had a feeling you might feel that way. And I told you I wouldn't force you to do anything. Matt and I will be leaving this afternoon to go home. If you decide to join us, feel free to give me a call. If you want to come later, you will be welcome to stay at my house. Oh, and if you fly down, I have a spare car you can use. And, Syd, if you don't come at all, I want you to know I understand." With that he stood up and pulled out a card. "This has my numbers and address on it. Whatever you decide, I would like to stay in touch. Families shouldn't be kept apart." After that he pulled out some money to pay for his meal, said goodbye, and left.

Syd sat staring after her cousin, silent and pensive. Her mind was playing over the memories from her childhood. As Gage watched her he could tell that what she was thinking about was upsetting her. Neither one looked up as Sam took a seat at the table with them.

"Sydney," Sam began, "I couldn't help but overhear. I'm sorry about your abuelo."

Syd sighed as she replied, "Thank you. I'm sure you heard the rest, too?"

"I did." There was a heavy pause in the conversation before Sam continued. "By the way, may I ask why you refer to him with the Spanish title?"

Sydney smiled slightly at that. "My grandfather is the son of Scottish immigrants. They settled here in Texas, and he married a woman from Mexico. She taught her kids and grandkids to speak Spanish, so I grew up bilingual. My mother and some of my aunts are also of Mexican decent. How did you learn Spanish?"

Sam paused and looked at the floor as fond remembrances passed through her mind. Her eyes twinkled as she glanced between them before simply saying, "Cesar's mama taught me." Then she looked seriously at Sydney and asked, "So what are you going to do?"

Syd gave a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "I don't know, Sam. A piece of me just rebels at the thought of going back there. I have no idea why he would want to see me except maybe to give me one final rebuke about how I'm not behaving the way a lady should. I don't need or want to hear that from him again, and I see no reason why I should give him the chance to say it one more time."

"That might not be it, Syd," put in Gage. "And even if it is, you will have the chance to stand up for yourself and show them all that you have risen above their petty stereotypes and made something of yourself."

"So you're saying I should go?" questioned Syd incredulously. "I thought you would be more on my side."

"I am, Sweetheart," Gage went on appeasingly. "I'm not telling you what to do. I just think this may be the perfect opportunity to get some closure to this chapter of your life. I'd even be willing to go with you for moral support."

"I don't need closure! I got that when I finally got out of there. And now you want me to go back," declared Syd angrily before getting up and storming away from the table. She went to the window and stared out into the street.

"Oh, yeah," remarked Gage facetiously to Sam under his breath, "she's got closure. Sure, she does." He shook his head sadly as he watched his fiancée.

Sam got up and walked over to her. "So where is this place you grew up?" she queried nonchalantly as she looked out the window beside Syd.

Syd turned and for a moment studied her friend as she would someone she was interrogating. She had a feeling where this might be going. "I grew up in Del Rio, down near the Mexican border. Why?"

"Your cousin said you could fly there," continued Sam. "If you decide to go I can talk to my brother, see if he can take you there. It would be faster to fly. If you decide to go." Her tone and expression exhibited deferment to Sydney's decision. "Think about it and let me know." With that she made her way back behind the bar.

Syd went back to the table and collected her things. "You ready to go, Gage?" she asked as he stood next to her. At his affirmative nod they both said goodbye to Sam.

"So what do you want to do, Shorty?" queried Gage as they moved toward the door.

"I don't want to talk about it right now, Gage," she responded decisively.

"Alright, Syd. But you have to keep in mind—," was the last thing Sam heard Gage say before the door shut behind them.

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To be continued….