Logan had been walking for hours. His shirt was tied around his head, draped over his shoulders and his sleeveless tee shirt was soaked with sweat.

And still… No one came.

Logan walked, feeling the occasional trickle of sweat flowing down his face.

At least, he thought it was sweat. When he went to wipe at it he saw the color. His 'sweat' was blood red.

"Oh God." He swallowed nervously as he pressed his shirt to his head wound and felt it moisten at the pressure.

"No… You cant do it like this…" He laughed. "You just cant… God… Come on."

The desert spun lazily to the left and then folded itself at a ninety-degree angle to drop Logan Echolls to the desert floor.

He blinked against the harsh sunlight and fought to make shapes out of the inkblot blurs that dotted his vision.

I'm going to die… He thought lazily.

One trip to Me-hi-co too many… He reasoned.

One wrong turn and the next thing you know you're flying through the air away from a flaming convertible rent-a-wreck!

He laughed at the cartoonish quality of the memory.

Next time… I'll wear a cape!

He took two heavy breaths and pushed himself up, fighting slowly to his feet. No Veronica, no family…

"This would be a whole lot easier if I had something to live for!" Logan called out to the blistering sun overhead.

"Well then. It's a good thing I happened by." A voice said from over his shoulder.

"What?" Logan spun, startled and shuddered. "Aren't you... Thumper?"

"Yeah. That's right." Thumper smirked.

Logan took another few labored breaths and looked around again.

"Everyone… Everyone thinks you're dead." Logan told him. "No one's seen you since… Since…" But he trailed off. "How did you get here? I need help. I can pay you…"

Thumper nodded. "I am dead."

"No, really. I have money. Just get me to an ATM and a doctor and I'll…"

"Dead." Thumper insisted. "DEAD. Get it?"

Logan shook his head. "Why… Why…" He squinted at the sun.

"Hey, you!" Thumper snapped his fingers a few times. "Watch this."

And Thumper leaned down to a rattlesnake that just seemed to appear near Logan's feet.

"Here boy. Come on!" Thumper rolled up his sleeve and exposed his wrist to the snake while making kissing noises.

"Whoa! NO! Man! What are you doing?" Logan grabbed his head tightly in his hands. "Get away, come on man this isn't funny it's…"

But the snake leapt and struck… Or tried to.

Logan watched in awe as the snake passed right through Thumpers wrist and hit the dirt slithering.

"I'm dead." Thumper told him. "And I've got a message for you."

Logan swallowed and coughed at the ache it caused in his parched throat. "A message? I can't imaging it's good news then, hunh? I'm not about to hit the lottery or anything, am I?"

Thumper laughed. "No, it's not that but… I do have a bit of information that may brighten your day."

"Do you have any that could draw rain clouds?" Logan asked, shading his eyes from the sun to focus on Thumper.

"I've got one thing to say and one way to help." Thumper told him. "I'm going to tell you and then, in a few hours, a nice little family will find you out here and carry your rich but back to the road… But you wont live until then if you don't hold out hope for the future."

"What future?" He laughed. "Are you sure you're out here looking for me? Logan Echolls? Because I think there's another guy dying a few miles back over my shoulder there… I wouldn't want you to mix us up or anything."

Thumper looked down and considered his words carefully. "I'm not supposed to tell you this." He said plainly. "But your mom… She wants me to..."

"Don't you talk about her…" Logan fought to control his rage.

Thumper recoiled slightly but smiled. "It's what they call a… A sensitive subject. I can see that." He said as diplomatically as he could. "But you have to listen… I don't get a lot of chances to look good over here. Most people made up their minds, you know? But helping you helps me, so come on, let me help you out."

"How?" Logan demanded.

"Your mom, I wont mention her again… She wants you to find your brother."

"I tried. Veronica, her father… I got a phone number but…"

But Thumper was shaking his head. "She…" He shook his head. " Listen, come at it from a different angle. Remember when your dad got stabbed at the Christmas party?"

"Yeah." Logan blinked. "How did you know about that?"

"Well, do you remember why she stabbed him?" Thumper asked.

"Sure. He was banging her on the side and…"

Thumper was smiling and nodding. "Sure thing." He said.

"What?" Logan asked, shaking his head.

Thumper smiled. "You've got it." He said.

"All I know is that my Dad liked to bang the help!" He shouted. "How does that help me?"

Thumper smiled.

"Are you telling me to… To look at … The house staff? From… From back then?"

"She says you've got it now." Thumper smiled. "Now get ready… This might be a little rough."

"What might?" Logan shook his head. "What mi…"

But Thumper had raised his hand as though putting it on someone's shoulder. When he did a phantom figure seemed to appear, flickering and wavering in the desert heat it shifted and morphed until it snapped in to focus…

And it was too much for Logan Echolls to handle on top of everything else.

"Mom!" He smiled slyly and bit his lip. "You look great…"

She waved and mouthed the words "I love you!" Yet he could hear no sound. And a cool, smooth darkness was twinkling in around the edges of his vision.

"Me too…" He breathed almost as an after thought as his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell flat on his face.

"Thank you Thumper." Lynn smiled a wide and fabulous grin.

"No problem." He smiled wryly. "Anything to get out of the pit."

And Lynn looked down at her son. "Don't worry sweety… Help is coming." And she blew him a kiss and waved good-bye as the theme song began.

A long time ago…

We used to be friends…

But I …

Haven't thought…

Of you…

Lately at all…