Alright, alright! I give in… (holding hands up in defense) Some of my fans are scaring me… Just kidding! Here is the first chapter of the sequel… I hope you all like it!

English is not my native language and I'm still looking for a beta reader, so if there are spelling or grammar mistakes… I'm sorry! But if you want to apply for the job as my beta reader… Be my guest!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the characters of "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman"… One Beth Sullivan does… But I do own the character of Jonas "John" Kerrigan!

Rating: I don't know anything about these ratings, but let's say T or PG-13. Just to be safe...

Warnings: This is NOT a very happy story! So, don't like… don't read... This story is the sequel to "Past Fears". If you haven't read that story I suggest you do that first. Otherwise this story won't make a lot of sense… I think…

Summary: Hank and Sully are traveling to Denver to make sure Zack is save from John Kerrigan. But will Zack really be safe?

Chapter 1

It had been a long journey to Denver… at least Sully thought so. Sully knew he wasn't a talker himself, but Hank had spoken even less! Sully had felt uncomfortable during these long silences, however, a part of him understood why Hank didn't feel like talking. Having a maniac threatening your son must keep your mind real occupied. Sully had been relieved as they had finally arrived in Denver, a town that reminded him a lot of Boston. It was a lively place, much bigger than Colorado Springs, with huge buildings made of stone. Like in Boston, the population of the town could be divided into two groups: wealthy and poor. The differences were clearly visible, which saddened Sully. He wondered how it could be possible that in a town like this people could still be poor.

However, he didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it as Hank, who had delivered their horses at a stable, immediately went off in the direction of the art school. Sully had no choice but to follow him. He wondered what went through Hank's mind. He could only imagine what it would be like to know that your son was in great danger. He thought about the last two weeks; about what had happened. He thought back to the story Hank had told him. A story about Hank's past… A story about John Kerrigan. A man who had seemed so nice, but who had turned out to be dangerous and untrustworthy. A man who was now after Hank's son. At least, that was what he had made everyone believe. Sully wondered about what they would find at the art school. Would it be too late? Or would Zack be alright? He sighed. He couldn't help but to feel a little nervous. He looked at Hank and noticed the man was tense. His facial expression was normal though. That was just like Hank, not letting the outside world know what he truly felt.

They approached a huge building with an even bigger yard around it. At the gate there was a sign which said "Denver Art School". They were at the right place. "Can I help you sir?" a man in uniform asked Hank. "I'm here to visit my son," Hank answered, "His name is Zack Lawson." The man nodded and opened the gate. As they walked in the direction of the building Sully felt the man's eyes on him. Of course the man thought he looked funny; a white man in Indian clothes, in a city no less! Sully couldn't care less about it. He watched the man in front of him who seemed to get more tense with every step he took. After a couple of minutes they finally reached the entrance of the enormous building. Hank looked at Sully briefly before opening the door and inhaled deeply. Sully gave him a quick nod and then Hank opened the door.

They immediately got reminded of the fact that they were inside of a school as children of various ages were walking around chattering to each other about all kinds of things. Sully couldn't help but smile. The sound was like music to his ears, especially after the long uncomfortable silences he had experienced during his journey with Hank. "Gentlemen," a woman called to them. She walked towards them. She was tall, not thin, but not fat either. She had long dark brown hair that flowed beautifully over her shoulders. Her eyes were big, dark and sparkling and even though Hank had other things on his mind right now, he couldn't help but to stare at her in amazement. She was beautiful! "Sir?" the woman asked again. Sully gave Hank a little pat on his arm which brought Hank out of his trance. "Oh… eh…" he started, not knowing what else to say. Zack! He thought suddenly which brought him back to reality. "I'm looking for my son," he stated. She looked at him questioningly. "And what is his name?" she asked. "Zack Lawson," Hank answered, "Can ya tell me where I can find him?" She nodded and gave him a flashing smile. Hank smiled back, but he had his mind on other things. Maybe later… he thought, when I'm sure that Zack is alright… "Follow me," she said and walked away from the two men. As they followed her, Sully asked: "Have you seen him?" The woman shook her head. "No, not today, but usually he's in his room," she said and for the first time both men noticed that the woman spoke with a Spanish accent. "Do you know if anyone else has visited him in the last few days?" Sully asked. Hank's head jerked up as Sully asked the question. Hank had thought about asking the question, but had decided not to because he was afraid of what the answer would be. "I don't know," the woman said, "there are so many children at this school, I can't keep up with who visits who." They had to climb up a few stairs and then got into a long hallway with at least 20 doors. "He's in room 74," the beautiful woman said. "Thank you, Miss…" Sully said wanting to know her name. "Elena," she said with a smile and then turned around and walked away.

Sully heard Hank inhale deeply again before he decided to search for his son's room. Hank was unbelievably nervous. He felt his heart beating in his throat and he broke into a cold sweat. Sully also had a bad feeling and felt a knot of fear in his throat. Again they were silent as they walked passed the doors. 63, 64, 65… Hank swallowed as they got closer and closer… 68, 69, 70… He clenched his fists as he approached the room he was looking for… 72, 73, 74… Both men stood still before room 74. Hank looked at Sully with fear in his eyes. He didn't bother to hide it now. Sully laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. Hank finally raised his hand an knocked on the door. They waited for someone to answer it, however, the door stayed closed. Hank knocked at the door again, louder this time. Again there was no answer.

Hank hesitated before grabbing the doorknob and opened the door slowly. Both men entered the room and looked around. There were a lot of drawings and painting hanging on the wall. Many of them were of people he knew. He saw one of himself and one of Dr. Mike and even one of Myra. Hank had to smile when he saw that drawing. If she only knew how she had stolen the hearts of TWO Lawson-men. "He's not here," Sully said. Hank nodded, but again didn't say a word. His eyes had found a drawing which took his breath away. Sully followed Hank's gaze and then saw what Hank was looking at. It was a drawing of Hank and Clarice with their son. Hank and Clarice held each other closely, but they both had one hand on Zack's shoulder. Hank bowed his head. He would give anything to give Zack a proper family again; to give Zack a mother again. "It's beautiful," Sully said softly. "Yeah…" Hank said and looked at Sully briefly and then walked passed him.

Hank was about to open the door again as he heard a little noise on the other side of the door. He looked at Sully who was searching for a heavy object to lash out at whoever was coming through. Hank stood behind the door and tried not to make a sound. The door finally opened… Hank didn't hesitate for a moment and grabbed the person who entered the room from behind and put his hand over the person's mouth. Sully, who had finally found something heavy enough to strike with, looked at the little person in Hank's arms and smiled. Hank noticed Sully's change in facial expression and let go of the person in front of him. The person turned around to take a good look at his captor. "Pa…"

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Elena was outside ordering the children to go inside. It was getting dark and dinner would be served in a couple of minutes. "Dinner time!" she called, "Everyone inside, or you'll have no food at all!" She smiled as the children waved at her and went inside as she had asked. She waited until the last child had gone inside before going inside as well. She was about to close the door when she felt someone pushing against it from the other side. She opened the door again and saw a man standing there. It was a fine looking man, decent and well-groomed. And even though the man looked old enough to be her father, she thought he was very handsome. "Good evening," she said, "what can I do for you?" The man smiled gently at her. "I'm the new teacher," the man said, "haven't they told you I'd be coming in today?" Elena shook her head. "I'm John Wilson, the new English teacher," he said and offered her his hand. She gave him a flashing smile. "I'm Elena," she said, "I'm not a teacher around here, but I try to take care of the children… Make them feel at home." She took his hand and shook it gently. "I'm sure you're doing a good job," he said, "Do you have a room for me where I can put my things?" Elena nodded. "Of course! Follow me!" She walked down the hallway in the direction of the stairs. John couldn't help but stare at her as he followed her exotic movements with his eyes. Then he walked into the same direction. I think I'm going to like it here! Not just the Lawson boy within my reach but also a beautiful woman... He smiled at the thought. But first things first… I'm here for Zack Lawson… First I'll take care of him… After that there will be plenty of time to get acquainted with the beautiful lady…

TBC

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