A small Warning: This chapter contains some violence. Just so you know it, but nothing too brutal.

An announcment: A big hurray for LouAnnPetersen who was the HUNDREDTH REVIEWER!

And annother hurray for gaben who corrected this chapter.

Lies and Remorse

Sara spotted her father in the doorframe with a raised eyebrow. Then her emotions getting the better of her; a mixture of fear and shame, she made a beeline for him and wrapped her arms around his legs sobbing into his stomach.

Adam bent down so they were at the same eye level and she immediately tried to snuggle close to him. He first tried to keep her at a distance to talk to her, but once he realized she wouldn't be able to speak soon he opened his arms. Sara used the chance and wrapped her arms around his neck. He supported her behind with one arm when she wrapped her legs around his waist and stood up steading her with a hand on her back.

"What has happened?" Adam asked with a small sigh. He hadn't expected to meet his daughter crying in the classroom.

Lorraine Evans really felt for the child, but she was doing to Sara no good, if she let child's deception go on. "I think Sara has been cheating."

Adam stiffened, ready to challenge the teacher, regarding the bluntness of her statement.

"Please Mr Cartwright let me finish. Yes it is not a nice word, but there few synonyms that would clearly define what Sara' has been doing. Her homework has always been a hundred percent correct, but in today's exam she had only three correct answers out of twenty. However, I don't know if she copied the first two answers as well." Adam nodded while he still rubbed Sara's back. "She needs to calm down a bit, before we can talk to her." Adam said and turned his attention to the crying bundle in his arms. "Hush sweetheart. We're going to solve this together."

The reassuring voice and the rocking movements eventually reduced her crying to sporadic sniffling. Adam gently but firmly released himself out of her grip and sat her down on the ground.

"Sara would like to explain what Mrs Evans is talking about?"

"I…. Kylie helped me with the homework." She mumbled softly.

What do you mean; help?"

"Well… uh… She helped me solve the problems, daddy!" Sara explained, squirming under his stern gaze.

"Did she solve the problems and then you wrote up her answers?" He suggested while lifting her chin and tilting her head up, so she had to look at him.

"Uhm… yes sir." She admitted, then added "But I tried to help her! That's the truth!"

"Did she "help" you with the test today, also?"

"No, I jist copied the first answer. I solved the rest on my own." Sara objected meekly, "That's the truth daddy, honest." She insisted when she saw the frown deepen on her father's face.

"I believe you. But, how long has Kylie been helping you with your school work?"

"Sinceistarted." She mumbled barely audible and running the words together.

"Speak up!" Adam reprimanded, slowly losing his patience with her. He had expected her to run happy out of the school to meet him, not finding out she had gotten in such a mess of trouble.

"Since I started, but…"

Adam bent down and picked her up. Sara let out a surprised squeal and reached with both hands back to protect her behind. However, she misjudged her father's intentions. She was sat down on a desk top, then her father trapped her in with one arm placed on each side of her.

"Now I want you to listen good, young lady. Kylie did help you cheat at a test and that's a very naughty thing to do. You have also cheated with your school work, since you started, and look where it brought you. You're nearly as far behind as your peers as you were before. And to top of it I'm sure you've lied to me and you're Grandfather on several occasions about your homework, haven't you?"

"Yes." Sara had started to cry again.

"Why did you do such a thing?"

"It's… jist because I'm stupid and now you're mad because of the F." After that the child started to cry in earnest again. With a small sigh, Adam picked her up again and sat down on the table.

"Hey, I don't want to hear you saying such a thing. You're not stupid. You're a very bright little girl. You learned you ABC and the numbers in two months."

"I…. I…. I can't solve stuff Kylie can solve. And I got an F too." She sobbed and buried her face in his shirt. Adam gently stroked the back of her head and looked over to Lorraine. She was standing at his side looking down at the child with a sympathetic smile on her lips.

"Sara." She said gently. "You've learnt to read and do maths faster than any student I've ever met before, but you're still behind your classmates, because you didn't grow up in a home like them. I'm sure you have a lot of other skills, which were essential for your survival. Do you remember that incident with the snake in Garrett's desk?"

Adam frowned. What was she up to? He didn't want her to encourage his girl to pull another prank like this. However, he hoped that she was about to make a good point, so he stayed quiet.
Sara calmed down somewhat and turned her head towards her teacher.

"Yes." She mumbled meekly.

"That day you told me the snake wasn't poison, because you had eaten one of them. How many children do you think would have known that?"

"I dunno."

"I can tell you. No one would have known that. Even I didn't know that it wasn't poisonous. So you even taught me something that day." She added, coaxing out a teary eyed smile from the girl.

"For real?"

"Yep! And I'm sure you know a lot of other things that the other children don't know."

"I can shoot. I bet no one of the other kids can do that and I'm really good at stealing too." Sara was getting excited by now. "And… and… I can find food in garbage. Some other kid on the street told me that." Then she got quiet and tucked herself closer to her father. Adam gave her a tight squeeze. Sara rarely talked about what she had done in her past. He respected that and accepted her as she was. He was sure she would talk about it when she was ready.

"There you are. You have many talents that other children don't have. That tells me that you are very smart, and that you will learn all the things the other children have already learnt, but it will take time. I'm also not sure if your father would be happy if he found you playing with a gun or stealing sweets from a store." She added winking at her student.

Sara smiled back, but it quickly turned into a pout, "Yep, he said he would spank me if I would touch a gun ever again and I'm sure he wouldn't be happy ifin I was stealin'. He's really bossy sometimes Miss Evans."

Lorraine giggled when she saw Adam's indignant expression. Named person lifted Sara off his lap and added a smack to her little bottom. The girl let out a small yelp and reached back to protect her behind in case any further attacks were planned.

"Back to the point now." Adam declared, "Sara, I also want to clarify that I'm not angry at you for getting a bad mark, nor will I ever be. I'm disappointed, because you cheated and lied, but I will never be disappointed if you try your best in a test, no matter what the result of it is."

"Okay, daddy."

"Then there's just one last thing. When did Kylie start to solve all of your homework? Because I can clearly remember that you have asked me for help a lot of times."

"Uhm…" Sara squirmed uncomfortably, when she spotted that the frown had reappeared on her daddy's face she quickly rambled on, "Two or three days ago daddy, just when you went up to the lumber camp."

"Hmm, I don't think your grandpa is going to be happy about that, do you?"

"No; s'ppose not."

"I know that he will not be happy about it, little lady and I think I will leave your punishment up to him." He continued quickly when Sara opened her mouth to protest, "Miss Evans? May I ask you for a favour?"

"Sure."

"Would you mind giving Sara private lessons after school until she has caught up with the other students?"

"Depends; which day would you have in mind, Mr Cartwright?"

"The day you have the most time available."

"In that case; Wednesday."

"Perfect!" Adam clapped his hands, then hesitated for a few seconds. There was another thing he wanted to ask her, but he wasn't sure how to formulate it. "Then there's just one more thing…" He felt a slight blush appear on his cheeks and felt suddenly very nervous. "Would you like to accompany me to this Saturday's Dance?"

Lorraine felt her heart flutter, then blushed into a deep red feeling like a complete fool. "It would be my pleasure, Mr Cartwright."

"Adam, call me Adam…Lorraine."

"Yes very well Adam, but now you have to go. I have…. I have a lot of tests to correct." She said and shooed them out trying to hide her red cheeks.

Adam however didn't miss her blush and had to stifle a chuckle which threatened to escape. Sara had watched the scene with interest, but as her father marched out of the school with her still secured on one arm holding her schoolbooks in the other hand she realized that she just might be still in trouble. Her worries were confirmed when Adam sat her down on her own feet and took her hand firmly in his.

"Now we're going to visit your friend and you will tell Mister O'Brien exactly everything that has happened." He stated.

"But daddy, Mister O'Brien says that helping to cheat is nearly as bad as cheating itself." Sara objected and dug her heels into the ground.

"I know." Adam simply replied, then swatted her backside. "Now quit your dawdling."

Sara scuttled and reached back to rub away some of the sting. She gave her father a reproachful look and a pout formed on her face. Unmoved by his daughter's puppy-eyes, Adam led her over to Cormac's house.

"Hello Adam! I saw you riding into town. Are you already finished up at the lumber camp?"

"Nearly. Little Joe and two ranch hands came up to help us. Thanks to them we finished most of the hard work. Little Joe stayed up there and will finish the rest tomorrow. But, Mr O'Brien I'm here on a personal matter."

Cormac raised his eyebrows as Adam continued. "My daughter has something to tell you."

Adam guided Sara to the front and once she saw the frown build on the large smith's face, the courage she had gathered on the way to the house disappeared. "I… uh… Kylie helped me cheat on a test and I talked her into doing my homework. And… and I wanted to say I'm sorry." She stuttered.

"Kylie Mary O'Brien! Come here!" Cormac bellowed.

Meanwhile back at the Ponderosa

Rhys was rolling from side to side in the bed. His leg was hurting, but he had no wish to take the medicine the doc had left him. The last time he had a nightmare about the first day of the Battle of Manassas. He reached up and scratched the left part of his face. The scars were itching and inside the cavity, where his eye had been, the feeling was even worse. However he knew this was a good sign that he was healing.

Hoss entered the room, once he heard the noises of Rhys tossing. "Ya should take some of the medicine. It will help ya with the pain." He spoke soothingly. He immediately saw that Rhys' was feeling worse. His eyes were wide open and full of fear, making him look even younger than he was. The man reminded him of a frightened wounded animal.

"No, Ah won't take anymore of that. Ya'll have no idea of the images which are haunting me. The medicine makes them come back. Jist give me some whiskey." He pleaded.

"You take some of the medicine and I'll get you something to drink." Hoss said gently and opened the bottle with the medicine. "Just one spoon and then I will go down and fetch somethin' for you."

Eager that he was allowed to finally get a drink Rhys agreed and swallowed his dose. "Get it now, please." Then he sunk back into the bed and fell asleep.

Hoss watched the young man with a heavy heart. He had barely been able to sleep last night and today the boy had barely an hour's rest. .

"What have you been through?" Hoss whispered, but he received no answer. Rhys was already fast asleep and trapped in his memories.

Flashback

Rhys frantically reloaded his gun, then aimed over the rails and fired blindly. The thick smoke of the gunpowder was hanging in the air as he suddenly heard screams and the sound of steel clashing close to his left. He reloaded his musket, then looked around. A corporal was waving to him and his men yelling something, but he wasn't able to hear it through the sound of the shooting.

Suddenly someone appeared behind the man and stabbed him in the back with the bayonet. The tip of the blade came out of the chest and the man sunk to the ground without another word. Rhys screamed towards his companions and pointed towards the enemy. They had once again broken through their lines. He aimed at the man who had just killed the sergeant and pulled the trigger. The bullet missed, but before the man could react three other bullets entered his body and he sagged across the sergeant he just had killed.

More men, in blue uniforms appeared out of the veil of smoke and fired their guns. Most bullets missed, but a few hit their targets and a new choir of screams echoed through the air. Rhys drew his bayonet trying to fasten it on his musket, but the enemy didn't leave him enough time. They charged screaming towards them. The first man to reach Rhys was a short, thin person with a small moustache. His eyes were widened in panic as he tried to stab Rhys in the stomach. The young man dodged the stab, grabbed the barrel of the gun and burrowed his own bayonet in the man's throat. With a gurgling sound the man's hands went up to his throat trying to stop the blood flow with his hands.

Rhys was now standing with an enemy gun in his hands. For a moment he was too astonished to move. He could never have imagined that he wold kill a man like this, a single coldblooded stab in the throat. However he didn't have more time to think over what he had done. The next enemy attacked him. He tried to hit Rhys in the face with the rifle butt. Rhys ducked under the blow drew his weapon back then stabbed the man in the chest. With a crunching sound the blade entered the man's ribcage through the breast bone and the man fell backwards yanking the weapon out of Rhys' hands. Now he was suddenly standing unarmed in the middle of the battle.

It was then the young officer appeared. Screaming wildly he swung his sabre against Rhys, who stumbled back to get away. The blade missed his throat within an inch. All of sudden the man stumbled over a corpse and nearly lost his footing. Rhys jumped forward, grabbed the man's sword-arm and stared straight into his face. He was young, maybe just a year older than him. He had brown eyes and short black hair. A small scar cleaved one of his eyebrows. They were about the same height, but Rhys had broader shoulders and right now he was using all his strength to hold away the sabre from his body.

Suddenly he spotted that the officer was fumbling around at his belt. He glanced down and spotted the dagger just as the other man's fingers found the handle. Rhys let go of the man's sword-arm with one hand, then punched him hard in the face. For a second the man's body went limp and that was all the time Rhys needed. He grabbed the handle of the dagger, drew the weapon just to stab it back into the officer's body. His eyes went wide of the shock and the sudden pain. Rhys wrestled the sword from the man's hand and pushed him back. Without a word the officer fell backwards, gasping for air. The knife had punctured the poor man's lung. In the next second a bayonet sunk into Rhys' leg.

Screaming of pain he swung the sabre and hit something soft. Blood spattered his face and he closed his eyes out of reflex. Something heavy fell against him and he tumbled to the ground. The bayonet twisted in his leg and his eyes shot open with pain. He stared right into his stepfather's face.

End Flashback

Rhys woke up with a scream that echoed through the house and startled everyone in the surrounding place. Hoss who had just been chopping wood, was close to hit the axe into his foot. The scream faded off slowly, but then turned into deep sobs. Hoss dropped the axe onto the chopping block and ran up to the guestroom.

"I DIDN'T KILL YOU! YOU DIED IN THE FIRE!" Rhys cried just as Hoss entered the room. "It wasn't my fault! Not my fault! I just wanted to save Armelle then get you!" His voice died of in a whimper. Hoss sat carefully down on the bed and put a hand on Rhys' forehead. Startled by the sudden touch Rhys tried to hit him, but Ben's son just grabbed his hand then drew him close and captured him in a hug.

"It was just a bad dream. Nothing more; just a bad dream." Hoss soothed, holding him tightly.

"I didn't want to kill any of them." Rhys whispered then he fell back asleep.

"I know you didn't."

So here's the next update. I hope you liked it.

I hope everything was clear and you understood everything. If you don't remember. Here's a short recap: Rhys didn't kill his stepfather. He died in a fire, which also killed Rhys mom. Rhys saved Armelle out of the fire, but it was too late to go back in and get his parents.

I did not want to put this at the beginning, because then I thought I would tell you too much what the chapter would be about. The next update will take a bit longer, because I have to finish my final assignment. I hope that was the right word. So you have to be patient. Sorry for that.