I left this chapter open in many areas for a reason. Hope you all have enjoyed the story. :D

Three Months Later

Sleep hasn't come easy for Gage and he wondered if the nightmares would ever end. He rubbed his face then gradually swung his legs over the bed's side. Next to him Sydney stirred, but didn't wake up. Thankfully Miles was now sleeping through the night giving Sydney much needed rest. He rubbed his face once more then slowly stood, the bare wood cool against his feet.

He slowly made his way to Miles' bassinet to see him sleeping soundly. "Morning, Miles." His voice was hushed so as not to wake up Sydney or his son. "Daddy will come in to kiss you good-bye before he leaves."

After a quick shower, Gage got dressed for work which meant wearing tan slacks, a button up shirt and his tan cowboy hat. When it came time to pin on the Captain badge, he hesitated wishing he received it some other way. His fingers ran along the leaves as they always did while memories flashed before his eyes. Why was he Captain? Did he really deserve the position once held by his dear friend?

"Gage…."

Gage's head snapped up at hearing the faint male voice. "Hello?" He took a step into the hallway to see nobody there. "Huh, must be hearing things."

He pinned the badge on his shirt then made his way into the kitchen to make a quick breakfast. As he sat down with two slices of toast, an orange and a glass of milk his cell phone began to vibrate against the table top.

"Better be important." Gage picked up the phone and flipped it open. "Yeah, Zeigler."

"Gage, we have a serious situation. Three members of the Latinos locked themselves in a house. They have two hostages with them; one is an uncle and the other is a sister. We need you, Gage."

"Right, I'll be right there."

Gage flipped his phone closed, finished his meal then got a large mug of coffee to go. He made his way to the bedroom, kissed his wife and son good-bye then ran out of the house to his car. He was mid-way through the lawn when he felt a presence behind him.

"Sydney?" He turned and saw nobody behind him. "Hello? Who's there!" When he didn't get a response he got inside his car and shook his head. "Gage, you're loosing. Gotta keep it together." His hands were shaking so badly he couldn't put the keys in the ignition. "Okay, I need to calm down. Maybe Sydney is right, maybe I should take a few weeks off."

After several minutes of driving, Gage finally found himself parked behind police lines next to an unmarked SUV. All around him is what appeared to be chaos to an average citizen, but to his trained mind he could see all the separate areas designated for each team. He got out and headed towards his left where he quickly spotted Zeigler talking to a SWAT officer.

Zeigler looked up and shook his head. "Gage, it's pretty hairy. Talking about anti-machine guns and rumors of grenades." He tapped a piece of paper that was laid out on the hood of his car. "Small bungalow style house. Built the exact same way as the neighbor's, so unless they did some serious remodeling it should be the same lay out."

"Okay, whose the SWAT officer in charge?"

"That guy over there," Zeigler pointed to a small man about a hundred yards away. "Wants us Rangers to be on alert in case the negotiator can't get through." He put his hands on his hips. "Apparently this is a lovers quarrel gone horribly wrong."

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Gage smiled then nodded his head. "All right, suit up. Vest, helmet and jacket. Man the bean bag rifle and I'll cover with my sidearm."

Zeigler nodded his head. "Got it. Hope this all goes smoothly."

An hour passed with no end in sight for the hostage situation which really troubled Gage. The negotiator was going nowhere and Gage could tell most of the officers around him were beginning to tense up. Something didn't feel right about this, but what could it be? He glanced at the house to see the blinds move in the living room window. This little bit of movement brought everybody's weapons up, including Gage's and Zeigler's.

The SWAT van's back door suddenly banged open and out stormed several men in riot gear. Gage's heart began to bang hard against his chest as his eyes expertly moved around hoping to spot any sudden movement from the house. Zeigler had inched his way behind a squad car where he knelt with the bean bag rifle ready at his side.

Zeigler turned his head to Gage then frantically waved for him to take cover. Gage didn't hesitate, he dove behind the squad car and squatted next to his friend. Something wasn't right, not right at all. Thought Gage as he flexed his hands around his pistol's grip.

The front door opened up and out walked a male with his hands laced on top of his head. Two SWAT officers motioned for the man to come towards them which he did without any hesitation. As a precaution the officers put handcuffs on the man then escorted him to a waiting unit.

An officer ran up to Gage's side and shook his head. "Harry, our negotiator finally got through, but the sister is still a hostage."

"Any word if she's injured?"

"Don't know, sir." He patted Gage's shoulder and pointed to the living room window. "The blinds are moving….."

Gunfire erupted from the house causing most of the officers to duck behind units or unmarked cars. This was the first fire fight Gage has been in since Walker's death and he could feel the nerves jitter his body. He glanced around the bumper of the squad car to see one of the suspects standing near the front door, a young girl cowering on the porch by his feet. He knew he was a crack shot, knew he could injure the suspect, but his arms wouldn't lift his pistol.

"Gage! Are you all right? Have you been hit!" Zeigler's voice seemed to be shouting to Gage through a thin tunnel. "Gage!"

Gage's hands dropped his pistol and he shook his head. "I can't….Walker…."

"Gage…." It was the male voice once again and Gage quickly glanced around hoping to see who the voice belonged to. "It's me…."

"Walker…." Tears streamed down Gage's voice as all gun battle sounds faded from his mind. "I can't do this….I can't fire my weapon." He shook his head. "I'm not cut out for this…."

A hand fell upon Gage's shoulders, comforting him almost instantly. "It wasn't your fault. Your bullet didn't kill me…." It was Walker's quiet voice. "You did well that day, Gage. I'm very proud of you…."

The sounds of the firefight came back and Gage knew now what he had to do. He picked his pistol up and held it out in front of him, using the bumper to steady his arms. If he didn't do this now, he might as well retire. He took a deep breath, aimed at the suspect's hand and fired a shot. The suspect screamed then dropped to his knees, his weapon clattering to the porch.

"GO! GO! GO!" Shouted the SWAT leader as he waved for his men to raid the house. "Get the female to safety!"

Zeigler snapped his head around to face Gage, a look of disbelief on his face. "Didn't know you were that good of a marksman."

"Neither did I." Gage shook his head as he kept an eye on the house. "Sorry about earlier. Think I'll be better now."

Five Years Later

The high school halls were crowded as usual as Angela Walker made her way towards her locker. The day went by relatively slow for her, but she had to remind herself to keep fighting through the boredom. At sixteen she had a grade 4.5 average, working her way through two college courses, and was the valedictorian of her class. She will be graduating with the seniors this year and will be going to college in the fall. Thankfully she had already been excepted to Mississippi State University where she will hopefully get a masters degree in criminal justice and a major in sociology. And once out of college she will attend the police academy and move up till she eventually became a Texas Ranger like her father.

"Hey Angie, in your own world again?"

Angela snapped her head to the right to see her long time friend, Meaghan Monroe smiling at her. "Oh, Meg sorry about that. Just thinking." She took a deep breath then smiled at her friend. "I can't hang out tonight, gotta get ready for the ceremony."

A look of confusion swept over Meaghan's face till her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, I forgot about that!" She shook her head. "Can't believe it took this long for your father to be inducted into the hall of fame."

"Unfortunately his name had to be cleared first." Angela's voice was quiet as emotions came to the surface. "It's been a battle to prove that my father had nothing to do with the death of those officers that night." She cleared her throat and quickly wiped her eyes. "I gotta go. I'll call you Meaghan."

Angela waved good-bye to her dear friend and briskly walked to her locker knowing she will have to get home soon in order to get ready for the ceremony. Tonight would get a lot of weight off her mom's shoulders who has carried a burden for far too long. It has seemed that everybody in the state of Texas thought that Angela's father was still guilty all thanks to Mrs. Gibson's testimony to many reporters. But tonight that will hopefully all change.

"Hey, Angie." Joey Staples approached with a smile on his face. "Still need a date for tonight?"

"Definitely, thank you." Angela made it to her locker, opened it up and swung her bag around to take out the books she did not need for homework. "I really appreciate this Joey."

Joey shrugged. "Not a problem, what are friends for?" He leaned against the lockers by Angela and started to play with his backpack straps. "Will I have to wear a suit?"

"Of course." Angela chuckled at her friend as she closed the locker door. "So, what will you do once I graduate this year?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably hide out in a few lockers, hoping the jocks don't find me." He pushed away from the lockers and shook his head. "All I ask is that you don't forget about me."

"How could I?" Angela walked down the hall till she reached the exit. "You just want to ride with me back to the ranch?"

Joey nodded. "Sure, but before we go, can we get a quick bite to eat. I'm starving."

Fort Worth, Texas

The late afternoon sun shone brightly in between the trees as Gage made his way down the very familiar path towards Walker's grave site. It has been quiet awhile since his last visit here and he now started to feel guilty. He will have to try to come out here more often when he had the free time to do so. Currently in his life he was juggling many things, including another child, Landon born two years ago. Then, his career was gaining momentum and there were rumors he could become Headquarters Captain.

When he reached the grave site Gage saw it had been freshly cleaned up. The only items left today was a yellow rose and what appeared to be a war medallion. Gage took out a small Texas Ranger pin then placed it on the yellow rose.

"Hey Walker." He took off his cowboy hat and started to turn it around in his hands. "You're finally getting into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. Just wish it would have come sooner, but we had to clear your name first." He took a deep breath then smiled. "Miles wants to change his name to Walker." He laughed. "I have a feeling he'll do it when he gets old enough. Landon is amazing. He's spunky like his mom."

He stood there for several minutes in silence then put his hat back on. After a few more minutes he went back to his car so he could head to C.D.'s for a quick get together with Trivette and Zeigler. The awards ceremony is in four hours which gave him plenty of time to get something to eat and change into his suit. Let's just hope things remain calm he would hate to miss out on the big event tonight.

He smiled and looked up to the sky. "Congrats, Walker. You're name has finally been cleared."