Alternative Ending and New Epilogue

A/N A tissue might still be handy, but not because of any Barkley death. For anyone who only wishes to read the part that changed…go clear down to where Shaun starts to lead Heath towards the veil. From there on I changed things.

Heath opened his eyes and then stood, confused, at the sight that met his eyes. He was standing against the wall of Catalina's room. There was a brown chest of drawers, a dollhouse, a few dolls and a bed all arranged in an orderly fashion and a silver, oval mirror hung on the wall. The walls were also dotted with pictures and a couple of plaques with sayings on them. His three year old niece was sitting on her bed talking to Heath's five year old daughter. The two were talking about their fathers. It broke Heath's heart as Victoria Ann cried that she was scared. Though, he had to smile just a little as Catalina knelt beside her cousin, wrapped her arms around the young girl and assured her that 'if your daddy goes away, I'll share mine with you."

"She blames herself."

Heath jumped when Shaun Callahan spoke up from behind him and stepped up next to him; the man was dressed all in white-from head to toe. "I told her different; your brother did too." Shaun turned his face and looked at Heath, who was staring at Nick's friend.

"You told her…" Heath was confused more than ever. However, before he could say anything more, Shaun was explaining everything. By the time he was through, Heath felt as if his jaw had fallen off.

"So, I'm not hallucinating? I died too?" Heath asked with a ray of mixed emotions.

"Not yet," Shaun, who had found another angel willing to keep Zach occupied, shrugged his shoulders. "When that gun of yours went off, I figured your time was up and I'd be talking to you before Nick had a chance to get you home." He pointed to Catalina who was now watching her cousin, who had curled up on the bed, sleep. "Go talk to her. She's refusing to let go of the guilty feelings she has in spite of what her father and I have told her. She needs to hear from you what happened was not her fault."

Heath hesitated, unsure of what to think when it came to his niece being able to see an angel like Shaun and; maybe, someone in his state. Then slowly he walked towards her. The moment he did that, Catalina turned her head and her eyes widened. She would have screamed out in excitement only she could see Shaun behind her uncle. Her eyes once again filled with tears and she began shaking her head vigorously.

"No! No! You can't go! You can't!" Catalina cried out even as Heath knelt down in front of her. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt and die!

Heath wanted to take her into his arms, but he found himself unable to. Shaun spoke up from behind and told him it was because he hadn't actually crossed over. It hurt like nothing else Heath ever felt. However, Shaun quickly moved, picked up the small child and placed her on his lap, facing her uncle so Heath could still talk to her. "This isn't your fault, Catalina. You didn't do this to me. Please, don't blame yourself for another person's choice." He repeated what Shaun had already told her about 'tomorrows', along with backing up everything that her father had said. Heath then gave her the best crooked smile he could muster and added, "I haven't quite crossed over yet. However, I don't want to go without telling you the only regret I have is leaving the family behind…and everyone who leaves this life feels like that. The thing is they are excited too, because it means seeing those they care about-the ones who went ahead of them." He went on to surprise her by thanking her for what she'd said to her cousin. "That's another reason I can go on." Heath explained as his eyes turned to his young daughter- his heart ached at the thought of not being able to help raise her. He then turned his attention back to his exceptional niece. "I know she has a good cousin like you, and aunts and uncles-along with a grandmother who will be there for your Aunt Brydie and your cousins." He could say that because he and Brydie had talked about the 'what ifs' that could happen in life shortly before they married-and a couple of times afterwards. Both had agreed that, should something happen to one of them, the surviving spouse would stay and raise the children on the ranch…or at least near it.

Heath fell silent as he kept his eyes on Catalina, wondering if he'd gotten through to her. When the child spoke again, it was to tug at his heart strings once more. "I l..love y..ou, U..uncle H..eath." She wiped the tears from her eyes-even as she turned her head and looked at Shaun…her eyes screaming 'I'll think about forgiving you'.

"I love you too and, if I can, I'll come back and visit you, along with the rest of the family." He stood up even as an invisible force seemed to begin pulling him out of the room where his daughter and niece were and into the room where his mortal body lay.

"NO! Don't you dare!" Nick, who returned to Heath's room only to find Brydie crying out as Heath's chest stopped moving, began thumping on his brother's chest. He'd seen both Eugene and Dr. Merar do such a thing on a couple of patients before his youngest brother had moved away. "You can't leave us now!"

Heath looked to see if Shaun was still with him; he was.

"Go talk to them." Shaun, who had followed Heath into the room, was more than frustrated at his own failure to stop what was happening, told Heath as he felt himself going back into his body.

When Heath's chest moved again and he opened his eyes, Nick thought they'd won 'that round' only to look into his brother's eyes and see a tired look in them that shook him to the core. "Let it be, Nick. Just let it be."

"How?" Nick asked in a broken voice. "I…we don't want to lose you."

"You're not losing me. I'm just going on ahead." Heath then turned his eyes to Brydie. "Do you know how much I love you? Do you know I wouldn't go back and change a thing if I could?"

Tears spilled off Brydie's cheeks, as they did Nick's, Jarrod's and Victoria's cheeks …the latter two had hurried down the hallway when they'd heard Nick start to yell. "I know, neither would I." She clasped his hands in hers.

Heath looked up at Nick. "Got more than I bargained for that day I let my temper get the best of me in the barn, and I couldn't be more grateful. You, Jarrod and Gene are the best brothers a man could ask for, and that brother in law of ours got a fine deal the day he married Audra." His voice started to fade as he looked past Nick and Brydie. The moment his eyes met Jarrod's and Victoria's, who hurried to the side of the bed Heath said, "Thanks for everything, Jarrod."

Jarrod struggled to find his voice. He finally shook his head. "No, thank you."

Heath then looked at Victoria. He could feel a force begin to pull on him once again. Still, he managed to tell Victoria how much he loved her and asked his brothers in a subdued whisper, "Did you know we have one very fine lady for a mother?" Silence fell into the room and spread from one end to another.

"I'm sorry." Shaun turned to Heath, who was once again standing next to the angel of death, though his focus was on his family who was now embracing each other and crying. "I didn't want this to happen. I tried everything I knew to make it so you could stay." He pointed upwards. "I guess they're disgusted with the way I lost control over my emotions and chose to handle Zach Morton my way. Though, I won't say I'm sorry for it because I'm not. He should have given up when I gave him the chance. Now he'll have me or one of my friends making sure he always has a companion." He was surprised when Heath started chuckling.

"You sure you and Nick aren't related?" Heath asked.

"We could be." Shaun grinned, turned around and, putting his hand on Heath's upper arm, started guiding him out of the room and towards a what appeared to be a thin, see though veil.

"Will they be okay?" Heath gestured behind him.

"They'll be fine. I've been…" Shaun started to answer only to be interrupted by a voice, belonging to a being Heath could not see. Actually, he couldn't understand what was being said either. Though, he was as curious as could be when Shaun's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "You're kidding me!" The voice spoke again, a bit sharper than before.

"Yes, sir!" Shaun turned beaming as he turned around and pushed Heath back towards his mortal shell.

"What..." Heath got only the one word out before he found himself sitting straight up and gasping for air. An action that had his family jumping to his aid.

Epilogue

Heath stood in the graveyard looking at the newest headstone in the graveyard. RUFUS MORTON September 10, 1820 – June 1, 1887. Heath was still trying to wrap his mind around what Shaun had told him when Shaun had come back one last time. Nick's old friend explained why Heath's life had been spared and told Heath it was okay if he told his family everything… as long as Heath and the rest of the Barkleys didn't repeat the story to anyone.

"When I had you send JR back to his father, I thought the old man needed one sane son around to help him. I didn't know that the old man had been praying with everything he had in him that if anyone's tomorrows ran out, his would. He was also praying for a few other things. Those things were; one, that Zach be stopped no matter what the cost to the Morton family was; two, that he be given time to make peace-real peace-with JR and; three, that if -for reasons only HE knows-a life was to be taken, that HE allow Rufus Morton to pass away instead of any of member of your family." He had then asked if Heath would please extend his friendship to JR-and to talk to the rest of the Barkleys about doing the same. "He, like his father, has changed. Only thing is, he'll need good, solid friends to help make those changes stick."

Heath came out of his thoughts when he heard and felt someone step up beside him. He turned expecting to see Nick or Jarrod, only to find JR standing next to him. Then, as if to read his mind, JR gave Heath a huge smile. "Don't blame yourself. He wanted it this way." He then took a deep breath and thanked Heath.

"For what?" Heath was confused. Never having repeated anything about Shaun's true identity, or what he'd told Heath, the blonde haired cowboy could see nothing that JR would have to thank him for.

"For sending me back that night," JR turned his gaze to the headstone. "Those last few days, before Father had that massive heart attack and died, they were the best we ever had. We talked, cried and laughed like we never had before. And, wrong as it may be," JR shrugged his shoulders. "I hope Zach never gets out of Napa State. He's crazier than I ever imagined."

There was a few moments of silence before Heath turned away from Mr. Morton's grave. When he spoke, it was to invite JR to lunch at the café with Heath, Nick and their families. Nick and both families were waiting for Heath outside the graveyard fence. However, Heath had to hide a chuckle when the brown haired, thirty-six year old Mariah Simpson and her four children drove up in their wagon…and JR thanked him but declined. "You were right about the Widow Simpson and those children of hers. They're something else. I sort of promised to take them fishing. You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," Heath laughed as he and JR walked out of the graveyard, "but if anything comes of it, I'll have plenty of rice to throw." That only served him to get a playful punch in the arm as JR headed for the Simpon's wagon, and Heath walked towards his family. He didn't know when his tomorrows would run out only; for now, he was simply going to appreciate every 'today' he was given.