A Time to Remember Author's

Note: AU doesn't have the Barkleys rushing to the Sample farm fire that witnessed by Audra, Heath, and the sheriff as they are leaving Stockton.

A/N I can't remember which chapter I put this note; however, I stating once again that, if someone is talking to Tom they will say Dusty. Other than that...I'm typing Tom.

A cold wind was blowing through the ranch as Victoria-wearing a winter coat, stood on the verandah. Off in the distance she could see Heath and Nick branding some cattle. Tom could be seen near the barn, sitting in a chair next to a table that had been set up a few hours before. He was mending a harness. Tom and Heath had been working on the ranch for four months, and had proven to be very hardworking and trustworthy…not that she had been surprised. If anything, she'd been grateful to see that-in spite of his amnesia-Tom's integrity had not only remained intact, but Heath had taken on the same trait as he'd grown into a man. Turning around, Victoria made her way through the house and out then out a side door and towards Tom…her mind on the day she, Nick and Jarrod had arrived home and the subsequent talk with Audra and Gene.

Audra and Gene sat on the sofa dumbfounded at what they'd just heard. Like their uncle Tom, they had a lot of questions…and Jarrod, who had been asked by Victoria to answer them, answered the best he could. "Unless they say different, Dusty Thomson is Mr. Thomson to you. Heath has said to simply call him Heath, for the same reason Nick and I call have others call us by our first names….no one has to guess who they're speaking too. Question now is, will you remain silent for all our sakes. This has turned everyone's world upside down."

Gene shrugged his shoulders. "It's weird to think your father's alive, and I can't even call him uncle. However, if it's what you, Mother and Nick want, I can live with it. I'll be back in school by the time they get here anyway. By the time I come home again, I'll have had time to adjust to this."

All eyes turned to Audra. The young woman, who had heard so much about 'the late Tom Barkley', didn't know what to think. Still, she respected her mother. "Gene's right. This is all weird only I'll remain silent."

Gene and Audra had remained silent, as had McColl and Fred once they'd been told everything. The only other person who knew the truth was Silas. Victoria had cornered their long time butler and confessed everything the moment he'd returned home from visiting some friends. It had made it so the last four months had gone fairly smoothly as they all got to know Tom and Heath.

"Something wrong?" Tom quit his work and straightened up when Victoria leaned against one of the poles in front of the barn.

"Jarrod talk to you this morning?" She looked at Tom, her eyes saying she didn't want to tell him something he'd already been told.

"Yes," Tom sighed and put his tools on the table. "Railroad's making trouble again. They want the farmers' land." He paused and then asked, "Did you come out to ask me if I'm going to get involved?"

Victoria felt a huge struggle going on inside her. Over the past four months, she had found herself slowly falling in love with Tom all over again-what name he was using didn't matter to her anymore. Only, now with more trouble coming their way, she could once again see Jim's lifeless body being brought home by Jarrod and Nick. With that she had to admit she was afraid of losing Tom a second time. "Yes, I'd like to know."

Tom had thought long on hard on the matter. A part of him didn't want to push his luck only the other part-the larger part-knew he couldn't just sit by and do nothing. The farmers needed all the support they could get. "There's not much I can do with those." Tom gestured towards his nearby canes that were propped up against the table. "However; if push comes to shove, I can still sit inside a house near a window with a rifle in my hands, or even lean against the wall next to the doorway. I've told that much to the boys."

Victoria knew when Tom said 'boys' he was meaning everyone from Jarrod down to Gene-who had only just returned home from Berkley a few days ago. "You might be killed."

Tom was stunned to look into her eyes and realize it wasn't just concern for a friend that motivated her words. He was also caught by surprise when he had to admit what he'd been struggling to deny the past few weeks…he had fallen in love with her as well. "Maybe," Tom stood up, leaning against the table as he did so. Holding onto the table with one hand, he held out his hand and took a hold of Victoria's hand…a gesture she did not fight. He pulled her gently towards him-another thing she did not fight. In no time at all, he had his arms around Victoria. "The boys have already talked it out. If push comes to shove, they'll fight alongside the farmers. Are you asking me to stand aside and do nothing?"

Victoria wasn't blind. She could see the struggle going on inside of Tom. She knew how hard it was, at times, to do what a person needed to do. She also knew she would only make it harder for him and 'the boys'-as he was always saying – if she didn't back them up. "No, of course not. I just…" for the first time in years, Victoria struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

Tom smiled as he removed his hands from her and placed them on each side of her face. "I don't have to remember my past to admit I love you too." Before Victoria had time to say anything, Tom was kissing her, an action that caused her to wrap her arms around him…gladly returning the lingering kiss.

While Tom and Victoria did not know it, Nick, Heath and Jarrod were watching from a distance. None of them were surprised-as they'd 'seen this coming' for quite a while. Still, neither Jarrod nor Heath were surprised by the mixed feelings they saw in Nick's eyes.

"You going to be able to support them?" Jarrod asked while Heath's eyes asked the same thing.

After a moment, Nick surprised both his brothers when the appearance of a man in turmoil disappeared and one of slight amusement replaced it. "Guess I should at least call him Dusty. I mean, as much as a part of me thinks different, I can't see him switching his name. I mean, he's been Dustin Thomson almost as long as he was Tom Barkley." He then turned his horse around. "We best go talk to Frank, see if what we heard in town was right or not. If it's right, we can tell Dusty everything later. Think he's a bit too busy to go with us at the moment."

Jarrod and Heath both chuckled at the comment before they exchanged glances. When it came to the name their father used, they agreed with what Nick had just said. Silently they sighed and followed Nick. As they did so, each could hear the word spoken by McColl when they were in town. 'Railroad's got an order to evict the Samples from their farm. Frank says he's not giving up without a fight. I hear they're having a meeting to discuss the matter. I'm going to check it out. You should too.'

"If it comes down to another fight," Jarrod shot a look upwards, "Don't take him away a second time, please."