A/N Here are just some things you might wanna know.

Nigel- 62, has heart problems

Marianne-61

Debbie- 41, Married, lives in Wyoming, has three children; Chloe (17), Sophie (14), Nigel(10)

Eliza- 37, Married, lives in Wyoming, has one daughter; Annie (16)

Donnie-30, Married, lives in Borneo studying Orangutans like his birth parents, has two children; Micheal (4), Lisa (2)

25 years Later.

Near Yellowstone Park, Wyoming

'Eliza!' Darwin screamed as her hand slipped from the ledge of the cliff. She could feel herself falling into the river and the Shamen standing on the bank.

'I gave you this gift for a reason Eliza, use it well'

Elizabeth Thornberry-Mulligan woke up with a start, wiping the cold sweat off her forehead she sat up in bed, trying to figure out her surroundings.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Her husband Mark whispered, sitting up.

"Nothing. Just a dream." Elizabeth told him, laying back down and staring at the ceiling. She remembered that day as if it happened yesterday. They'd been in Africa, while her parents were searching for the Wildebeest, she snuck off with Darwin to see the cheetah she'd met almost three years before and play with the cubs, but one of them was taken by poachers and she'd almost died getting him back and she'd almost died while saving the forest elephants the poachers were also after too.

She could still talk to animals, but after Darwin died, she just couldn't bear it anymore. She loved animals, and loved traveling and filming, following in her fathers footsteps had always been her dream. She'd fell in love and had the best three years of her life with her husband while they were traveling. They'd started their family while on the road and had their first daughter, Annie. Darwin had gotten sick when she turned two and passed shortly after. She couldn't go on after that, so they moved back to Wyoming. She hadn't spoken to her family for years, because her parents and Donnie still traveled the world, she'd left her life with them and started over with Mark and Annie, not wanting anything to do with traveling or filming or animals. But, she never could shake the feeling of emptiness in her heart.

Elizabeth got up from bed and walked into her living room. Toys were scattered all over from the night before. Debbie and her family had visited them for Christmas. She started gathering them up, recalling the conversation she and her sister had had in the kitchen while their husbands watched football and their children played outside.

"Eliza, come on. You have to go see Mom and Dad sometime." Debbie told her.

"Deb, I can't. My life is here now, we can't just pack up and leave everything to go halfway around the world."

Debbie sighed, "Eliza, Dad's not doing to well. His heart problems are getting really bad, and he can't do his show alone any more. If not for you, do it for him. I know you miss it."

"I can't." Elizabeth said again.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain monkey would it?" Debbie asked her.

Elizabeth felt her cheeks redden, "Chimp, Debbie. He was a Chimp, and no it doesn't. I told you, we can't just pack up and leave." Elizabeth told her sister, "and besides, Annie doesn't even have a passport anymore." She lied.

Debbie saw right through her, " Eliza, I seriously doubt that she doesn't have one, because if I know you, and I do. You've renewed it. But, you know what? I can't make you do anything, I just hope that you do the right thing and go see Mom and Dad and realize that you miss them and your job. What would Darwin say to you if he knew that this is what had become of you. Hiding away in the states, not facing and honoring his memory. I know you miss him, but he's been gone for 14 years Eliza. I think it's time to realize that this isn't where you belong." Debbie told her, getting up and walking out into the living room.

Elizabeth put down the toys and sat down on the sofa and pulled out one the scrapbooks from under the coffee table. She'd hid it from Annie, not wanting to answer the questions that she knew she'd ask.

She opened it to the last page, and let the tears roll down her cheeks as she stared down at the picture of Darwin and Annie, right after she was born.

"Liz, what are you doing up?" Mark asked her, coming into the living room and sitting next to her,"You miss him don't you?" he added.

Elizabeth nodded, "Debbie said my Dads not doing well, and he can't do the show by himself anymore."

Mark took her in his arms, "Should I start packing then?"

Elizabeth looked up at him, "Mark, I never said that I was even thinking about it.-"

"But, I know you were, because every time you start thinking about them, you start looking at this." He said, pointing to the scrapbook.

"Mark, we can't just up and leave."

"Yes we can. Call your parents, see where they are and I'll get the plane tickets while you talk to Annie and then we can start packing." Mark told her, kissing her forehead and going back into the bed room.

Elizabeth go up and walked upstairs to the attic where her old short wave was kept, and turned it on.

"Thornberry two to Thornberry one, do you come in?"

"Eliza!? Is that you?" Elizabeth heard her mother on the other end, and felt her heart throb.

"Yea Mom, it's me. Listen, I can't talk long, but I'm coming out with Mark and the girls to help you and Dad with the show. Where are you guys?"

"Oh Honey, I'm so happy to hear that. We're actually in Germany at the moment, but we're on our way to London."

"So, we should fly to London?"

"Yes."

"Okay Mom, I'll call you back when I know what time our flight gets in."

"Okay. And Eliza. I love you." Marianne told her.

"I love you too." Elizabeth told her turning off the short wave and walking out of the attic.

"Mom?" Annie whispered from her bedroom door. She was the spitting image of Elizabeth at that age, with bright red hair and a love for animals to match, but what her mother didn't know was that she had inherited her gift to talk to animals.
"Annie, what are you doing up? It's 3am."

"I heard you up in the attic. You weren't exactly quiet. Did you say we were going to London?" Annie asked her mother.

Elizabeth froze, she hadn't planned on telling her until the very last minute.

"Yea, honey we are and we may stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a while. Go pack while I talk to your Dad." Elizabeth told her, walking into her room.

Annie smiled to herself and walked back into her room and flicked the light switch on, looking around.

"Okay Nan, you can come out now." She whispered, looking over at her closet as the door opened.

"Annie, what's going on? I was coming by to see you and I heard a bunch of noise that hurt my ears." the wolf whispered back, jumping up on her bed.

"We're going to London, Nan." Annie told her.

"We? Annie, how can I go? Unless of course you tell your mother about me.." Nan said, she had told Annie, about her mother and the stories that her pack had been telling since before she was born.

"No, I..I'll figure something out. She can't know that I've been hiding this..and you for six years. She'll be furious." Annie said.

"Annie who-" Elizabeth walked into her daughters room when she heard voices and almost fainted when she saw the pure white wolf sitting on her daughters bed having a conversation with her.

She felt her cheeks go red with heat.

"Mom." Annie said getting up.

"The great Eliza Thornberry. It is an honor to meet you. My pack still speaks of you with great honor. I am Nan." Nan said, jumping off the bed and walking up to Eliza, and bowing before her.

Eliza's heart melted and she knelt before the wolf, "Nice to meet you Nan. Are you still with the Crystal Creek pack over at Yellowstone?"

"Yes, Motto is the leader now. But my father is getting ready to take over, since it is almost his time." Nan told her.

"Please go tell them what is going on so I can talk to Annie." Eliza told her, glancing at Annie from the corner of her eye.

Nan nodded and climbed out the window above Annie's bed.

"Mom, I-"

"Six years Annie? You kept this from me for six years! What else have you lied to me about? I told you that you could talk to me about anything that you ever needed or wanted to know. You could have come to me with this." Eliza said, fuming.

"And how was I supposed to tell you that Mom? Oh hi I can talk to animals now, and my wolf friend told me that you can too? You're mad at me for not telling you but you did the same thing. Can't you see that?" Annie told her.

"Annie it's not the same thing." Eliza said, "I never thought-"

"Thought what Mom? That I would be just like you? That I would be able to talk to animals?" Annie cut her off.

"Well, yes."

Annie's cheeks grew red and she went to her closet and started to pull out her clothes. Eliza walked out of the room and across the hall into her and Marks room.

"What?"

"I just walked in on our daughter talking to a wolf." Eliza told him, shutting the door.

"Are you sure?" Mark asked her.

"I'm positive Mark. I heard them. The wolf -Nan- came up to me and introduced herself to me. She's part of a pack that I met when I was twelve. Annie's known for six years."

"What do we do?"

"She won't talk to me now. So, just leave it be I guess. She's so angry that I didn't tell her."

"She'll come around Honey. Our flight leaves at seven out of Cheyenne."

"So we leave here at five-thirty?" Eliza said, taking out the suitcase she'd had since she was four. It had patches sewn in all over from all the countries they'd visited over the years. It was covered, one patch had Darwin's hand print on it.

"Yea." Mark answered, taking her in his arms, "I'm happy to be doing this again Eliza. To see that sparkle in your eyes come back. I haven't seen it in fourteen years."

Eliza stared up at her husband for a moment, "Did you just call me Eliza?" She asked him, he hadn't called her that since they'd come back to the States.

"Yes I did." He said, kissing her, and seeing a smile that he hadn't seen in a very long time.