First off, I'd like to apologize for the confusion I caused earlier this week. I made a small adjustment to chapter 25, but deleted the chapter by accident and had to re-upload.

I've loved all the reviews and PM's. Thank you so much for all your kind words!

This chapter was difficult because they're all in the same place for pretty much the entire chapter, so it's always hard to keep track of everyone and make sure no one is overlooked. Also, it was a bit of a trip down memory lane to my own old school concerts, so I just may have gotten carried away a little…I apologize for that.

Chapter 26

"A-dam…"

Adam sighed. Guthrie's idea of whispering was not exactly acceptable while listening to a concert. He placed his finger against his lips, "ssh…"

"But Adam….when's Daniel gonna be on?"

"He'll be on in a little while, buddy," not that Adam really knew when, but it had to be soon, right? He wasn't sure how much more of this classical stuff he could take. Mr. Saunders' taste had not changed since Adam's high school days, that much was clear. And he sure didn't see the theme back in this program. The choir was in checkered shirts and cowboy hats, but the music didn't fit the costumes and the set. At least, Adam didn't see the connection.

"When's a little while?" Guthrie pressed.

"Daniel said they were in the second part of the show, after the intermission."

"That long?"

Guthrie's voice had risen so much that a few people around them were giving them looks and the woman right in front of them said to the man next to her, "Kids nowadays just don't have manners anymore."

"Just ignore it, dear."

"That's hard with all the talking…"

"A – dam? How come she can talk, but I can't?"

Brian had to bite the inside of his cheeks in order to avoid the snigger that was simply dying to escape his lips, but he couldn't hold it in completely, "He's got you there, big brother."

Adam threw Brian a glare that would have had the younger boys whither. In fact, Crane winced as he saw it. The young student had been sitting there quietly, grateful for the opportunity to be here, even if the music wasn't exactly their thing. But then, it was the usual program: before the intermission there was classical music and traditional Christmas carols, which they actually enjoyed, but they had to get through Bach and Händel and Mozart first. And then after the intermission they'd get the more popular part. Crane was sure the theme would match those songs much better.

"Well?" Brian insisted, "The boy asked you a question."

"None of us should be talking," Adam finally said and he could see the woman in front of him stiffen. Her back went absolutely rigid. Well, he hadn't made friends there.

Guthrie shrugged, "Kay…" He went back to swinging his legs. Unfortunately he was swinging them a little too wildly and every now and then his foot would kick the chair in front of him. Finally, the man in that particular seat couldn't take it anymore and turned around.

"Would you tell the boy to stop doing that!"

"Guthrie…"

"I'm sorry, Adam, I didn't mean to."

On stage Mr. Saunders favorite piece of music started. The man was directing like he was auditioning for the New York Philharmonic. Crane couldn't help rolling his eyes as he watched the man. He got more and more animated every year. When he looked sideways he found Ford leaning forward, seemingly engrossed in the music. Crane raised an eyebrow. It didn't seem like the kind of music a 12-year-old would be interested in.

But to Ford, it wasn't the music that appealed, it was the idea of singing in a choir. The boy loved to sing, but he was far too shy to stand on a stage and sing for an audience. In a choir, however, he figured he could do what he loved to do and still avoid the spotlights. He was seriously thinking about joining the choir when he got the chance. Maybe.

They were all so occupied with themselves and each other, that they missed the fact that Daniel was on stage as well. It wasn't until Ford nudged Crane that the older brother noticed Daniel. And he in turn gave Brian a poke.

"What?"

Crane nodded in the direction of the stage and whispered, "Look…Daniel…"

All of a sudden they were all listening to Händel with a different attitude. The only one who still remained indifferent, not to say bored, was Guthrie. Even the knowledge that his own brother was in this part of the concert wasn't enough to get him interested. The boy tried hard not to swing his legs and instead tried to find interesting things to look at in the room. The ceiling had all sorts of lights on them and he found the big spotlights interesting for a little while, especially the colored filters on some of them, but after a while those bored him too and he focused on the people sitting around them. He knew a few of them and tried to get their attention, but unlike him, they were listening to the music, or pretending to listen. The boy sighed. He'd been excited about this day, but from the moment he'd stepped into the high school auditorium almost an hour ago, his mood had quickly spiraled downwards. It had still been fun for all of 10 minutes when they met up with Chuck for the picture, but that had been the last of the fun, as far as Guthrie was concerned.

Finally, when Guthrie thought he really couldn't take another second there, it was intermission and he was the first on his feet and about to run off when Brian took hold of his collar. "You stay with us now, buddy. No running off."

"Aw but, Brian…."

"Oh no, you don't get to 'aw Brian' me," Although Brian knew that running off some energy might help Guthrie sit through the second part of the evening, he had no intention of having to track the 8-year-old down. "Intermission is only 15 minutes, bud, not enough time to play."

"Oh…" Guthrie looked disappointed for all of 5 seconds and then moved on to the next best thing, "Can we get a soda?"

Adam rolled his eyes, "I'm sure there's lemonade for the kids."

"Aw it's a special night, Adam."

"Come on, Guthrie," Ford shook his head and gave his little brother a push and then whispered, "they've got chocolate chip cookies over where the lemonade is."

That immediately perked Guthrie up. Not that he could possibly be hungry after having had dinner at Marie's diner. Marie had even spoiled him by giving him an extra big piece of cherry pie, too. So where the oldest three were still feeling full, Guthrie and Ford were stuffing their face with cookies They could only shake their heads.

"Did you see me?" Suddenly Daniel popped up behind them, startling them so much that Adam nearly spilled his coffee. "Well? Did you?"

"Sure did, Danny," Crane was the first to beam at his younger brother, "It was hard to miss you. You were the best there."

"Aw come off it, Crane, I was way in the back and there were about 50 kids on stage," Still, Crane's words caused a warmth to spread through the young teenager.

"That was fantastic," Adam agreed. "Best I've ever heard."

"That's cause you never listen to classical music," Brian couldn't resist teasing, but ruffled Daniel's hair, "You did great, kiddo."

"Thanks…I gotta go back. Gotta be there for the first song."

"Can't have you late…go and run!" Adam watched the boy run off and looked at the other two, "Well, that's one excited boy."

"I just hope the second half is a bit more entertaining," Brian sighed, "Or I swear, I just might fall asleep."

"You and me both, brother," Adam knew he couldn't take much more of this classical stuff.

"Well, I certainly won't be able to fall asleep," Crane groaned, "Those chairs are more uncomfortable than I remember."

Straight away, Adam felt guilt and concern flood through him, "Are you still…" to avoid embarrassment for Crane, Adam finished softly, "sore?"

Crane grinned, "Don't worry, Adam. I'm fine." Maybe he should have felt embarrassed at the implication but at that point in time he only saw the humor in Adam's unnecessary concern.

"Oh okay…" Adam wondered if he'd ever get used to the feelings of guilt after punishing one of his brothers. But then again, he didn't want to get used to it. "Well, I have to admit those chairs weren't made for sitting through concerts."

Just then the bell rang and Adam motioned the youngest two over to head back into the auditorium. As soon as the lights were turned down the opening notes of Santa Clause is Coming To Town rang through the large space and Guthrie started bouncing. It, too, may have been an old song, but for one, it wasn't quite as old as Messiah, but more importantly, it had recently been released by The Carpenters. Unfortunately for Adam, who quite liked Karen Carpenter, the version they had chosen was more of a rock version. Adam preferred the slower version of the Carpenters.

Brian didn't. Not that he had something against Karen Carpenter, far from it. If he'd had the chance he'd date her. But this version was much like Bruce Springsteen's and Brian was quickly becoming a fan. Okay, it wasn't country, but the man had style. Even if his brother disagreed.

The audience happily joined in with the lyrics whenever the senior boy singing the lead invited them to. It was clear to the McFadden's that Daniel thoroughly enjoyed singing the backing vocals with a few others. They all wore red velvet cowboy hats with a white furry trim and were sitting on hay bales as if it was a barn raising and not a Christmas concert. And at the word 'naughty' one of the guys would try to kiss one of the girls causing her to move to a different place.

The song had changed the entire energy in the audience. No one could fall asleep through this song. What followed was all more upbeat and fun for the younger people in the audience. Even Adam softly hummed along with some of the songs, until Brian motioned for him to be quite. Yes, this was more his style. Adam could tell the younger boys were enjoying this part much more as well. And Crane was just beaming, watching Daniel enjoying himself on stage, singing backing vocals or small parts. As was common with Mr. Saunders, only seniors and juniors got true leads.

Suddenly Adam sat up straight as he watched Emily Morgan enter the stage. She was carrying a guitar and seated herself on a stool behind the microphone. Adam's heart skipped a couple of beats as she started playing. Macarthur Park was on the radio a lot, but he didn't care much for Donna Summer's disco rendition of the beautiful song. It seemed Emily agreed as her simple version of the song took his breath away. She had a captivating voice and he found himself mesmerized. He also couldn't dismiss the feeling that she was singing this for him. Normally, he wouldn't be one to really think much of metaphors in lyrics. Not that he wasn't smart enough, but he just didn't think about things that way. He'd always had more with numbers. Normally, he'd call the lyrics nonsense. But not today. Today they made sense to him. He couldn't help shake the feeling that she felt she had put their love in the rain and could never get him back. He shook his head to try and rid himself of that conceded thought. It was just a song right? Right? But she looked so sad. Her voice almost broke when she sang she'd "never have that recipe again". Adam swallowed against a lump in his own throat.

Crane had looked sideways a few times. The perceptive teenager could tell this was somehow affecting his oldest brother in a way he couldn't remember having seen before. Having been away at school he'd missed the dates and the fateful lunch at the ranch. Daniel had spoken about it, but mostly from his own perspective. 'Adam's dating my teacher!' But Daniel had never mentioned her name. Still, it didn't take a genius to know that this was the teacher. And you also didn't have to be a rocket scientist to know that the man still had strong feelings for her. He wondered what had happened. Daniel definitely hadn't told him the entire story. Or maybe he hadn't been listening with everything that was going on at Davis? It wasn't like him to tune his brother out, but he'd clearly proven that he was capable of doing things that were out of character. At least, he hoped they were out of character.

Crane glanced at Adam again and then at the young woman on stage. She was pretty. And she, too, looked sad. And although she let her eyes sweep through the entire room, never did her eyes rest on Adam, clearly avoiding looking at him. Okay, so there were feelings there too. Maybe his big brother needed a bit of a push here? Nooooooo, he mentally chided himself. He'd done enough meddling. His gaze crossed Brian's and at that point he knew that he didn't have to do any meddling. Brian would do it for him. Or maybe the man was already on it. That was a big possibility.

Emily got a standing ovation. It made her blush shyly and after a quick nod she hastily left the stage making place for three juniors. Behind stage she leaned against the wall as emotions overwhelmed her. She still hadn't talked to Adam, but after this song she knew she'd have to. She knew he'd wonder whether it was about him. And truth was, it was. But could she admit that? She knew Brian was right, but actually talking to Adam wasn't easy. She heard the show on stage go on, but she was glad this was the only thing she had to do. She knew she couldn't do anything else.

On stage the final song was coming to an end and Mr. Saunders had to admit it had been a good evening. He always preferred the first half, but the second part had been fun too. He wasn't that old that he didn't enjoy a little rock. He was about to step on stage to thank everyone for their contributions when Patrick, one of his seniors took the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for being here and for your enthusiasm. You're an amazing audience! And because you're so amazing, we feel we owe you something extra." Benjamin Saunders felt his face go pale at Patrick's words. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was the loss of control. He did not like surprises. He tried to hold up his hand and stop the 17-year-old, but was faced with a dilemma. You did not interrupt a performance. You did not show the audience something wasn't going according to plan. That was simply against the rules of the theatre. The show always had to go on. And so the poor man was stuck as he listened. "As most of you will know, we've been working on tonight's show for a few months now and we've all enjoyed every minute of it."

From his seat in the 6th row, Crane watched the boy he knew so well. They hadn't been in the same class, of course, but Crane had always been involved in the shows as well, as guitarist in the band mostly. And more importantly, Patrick's brother Ross used to be one of his best friends in school. Patrick was well known for being a fun-loving guy and easy to hang around, very popular. But he was also known for his pranks. Crane couldn't help but wonder if this was leading up to one of those pranks.

"Well, we'd like to do a little encore that we've been rehearsing…Tom! Hit it!"

Tom used his drum sticks to count off and the band started playing Stayin' Alive. Benjamin Saunders closed his eyes. He hated disco music. Absolutely loathed it. And he knew many parents felt the same way. But the kids…oh the kids….he didn't need to look to know that they were dancing. And not just dancing. It was those lewd hip movements that seemed to go with this type of music. He groaned, but there was nothing he could do right now. He simply could not bring himself to interfere with the show. That would ruin everything.

All the kids involved in the popular part of the show were on stage swinging, but not just them. The kids in the orchestra had put their instruments down and they, too, were swinging as the group of seniors performed their favorite song of the moment. Even those that worked backstage were now visible next to the stage as they were partying it out to the tunes of the Bee Gees.

"See?" Guthrie bounced up and down as he took Brian's arm, "I told you it was in the show. I told you!"

"Yeah you did," Brian didn't look happy though. He glanced at Adam. His older brother was definitely not a fan of disco either, but he didn't seem too bothered by this. Of course, that made sense as Daniel had not convinced Adam that the song wasn't in the show. No, he'd told Brian that particular lie. Not that it had been a lie at the time, but Brian didn't know that. Crane's dishonesty had left him a little sensitive.

In his enthusiasm Daniel had moved closer to Patrick and the other seniors and was just having fun, completely unaware that his older brother was fuming, thinking he'd been lied to. All of a sudden a microphone was pushed into his hand and one of the juniors, Kevin, whispered in his ear, "Sing, kid, you've got the best voice for this."

Daniel wasn't sure he agreed with Kevin, but he had the microphone and was already singing. All he had to do was bring the microphone up to his mouth. His voice was changing, but tonight it seemed to behave and do exactly as he expected it to. With his still young voice it was easy for him to imitate Barry Gibb's voice and it made him the perfect addition to the harmonies the older boys were singing.

The song was the perfect finale to the evening and left most of the audience dancing in the aisles. And for the small part of the audience that didn't like disco, it was a joy to see others enjoy themselves. The only ones absolutely fuming were Brian McFadden and Benjamin Saunders, both for very different reasons. But both bit their tongues for the time being and fumed in silence. Mr. Saunders was occupying himself by planning the most horrible punishments, at least for the popular seniors who had clearly instigated this mutiny. His ideas went from expulsion to suspension and strong corporal discipline, but he realized that even detention would be a stretch considering the fact that the principal was dancing as much as the kids were. Finally, he settled on the only thing that was still in his power: banning them from participating in the spring concert. He didn't care how popular these guys were, he would not let his students get away with this. He could only imagine what they would do next if no action followed this stunt. Or what others would do if they got away with it this time. No, he'd make them pay. Having decided on a course of action made him feel much better.

Brian, on the other hand, found that nothing could make him feel better. The more he thought about it, the more disappointed and angry he got. Also unlike Mr. Saunders, Brian had no strategy. He was allowing his emotions to overtake him. And although his brothers noticed that Brian wasn't exactly enjoying the finale, none of them realized just how angry he was.

Completely oblivious to his brother's feelings Daniel beamed as he bowed along with his friends. Evan, too, was beaming, even if the set designers didn't get to take a bow. And as soon as the show was over both boys made a dash for their family.

"Oh my gosh, that was just amazing!" Daniel shouted as he was close enough.

"Absolutely fantastic!" Evan was as excited as Guthrie had been on Christmas morning the previous year. "I wanna do it again!"

No one saw Brian move, but they all saw him grab Daniel by the arm and shake him, hard.

"Oww…" the boy yelped in shock, but before he had time to say anything else, the man launched into a verbal attack.

"You lied to me, mister!"

"L-lied?" Daniel was stunned, not that Brian expected him to say something as he ranted on.

"It's not going to be in the show, Brian. Honest, Brian. We just played it during a break, Brian. Remember those words? Huh? Do you? I don't appreciate being lied to!"

"I didn't lie…I promise…"

"I've had it with promises!" Another shake that rattled Daniel's head, "Too many promises turn out to be lies."

The transition from exuberance to being falsely accused was too much for the boy. To his disgust Daniel felt hot, salty tears fill his eyes.

To Crane the words were like daggers. And Daniel's tears the salt in the wounds the daggers had caused. No, he mentally corrected himself: the wounds he himself had caused. Had caused in his older brother. Because that was why Brian was so upset. That was why the man wouldn't even listen to his younger brother. "Brian…I'm sure he didn't…"

Before Brian could snap at Crane a shaken Evan intervened, "Brian, it wasn't supposed to be in the show. I swear! The guys only decided that today, this afternoon. We didn't even know because I was not one of the singers and Daniel was singing with the choir when they spread the news. We knew something was going on, but not what. Daniel didn't lie."

While Evan pleaded with Brian Adam had put a hand on Brian's shoulder, "Bri…look at them…you know them. They didn't lie. Come on, man, let him go."

Slowly Brian did just that and as he did he noticed the crestfallen, almost frightened looks on the faces of those he'd always consider the little ones. He also noticed Crane's guilt-ridden face. And he was instantly filled with remorse. "Oh God…"

"It was such a great evening," Daniel said softly.

"Oh kid…I shouldn't have yelled. this is the second time within 24 hours I lose my temper with one of you boys." He could kick himself. In fact, if it was physically possible, he would.

"It's because of me," Crane swallowed painfully. His stomach was hurting and he wished he could crawl under a rock and never come out.

"Okay," Adam knew he had to put an end to this or things would get out of hand, emotionally. He found his firm voice, "There'll be no more of that talk. Crane, no beating yourself up. Brian, Daniel didn't lie. Daniel, Brian's sorry, he pulled an Adam and jumped to conclusions. You boys did great tonight. That was one of the best Christmas concerts Bret Harte ever put on, even with Mr. Saunders choice of music. I even enjoyed that Hallelujah part and that says a lot coming from me."

A small smile broke through Daniel's tearful face, "That does mean a lot." He glanced at Brian, "If I'd known I really would have told you. You have to believe me."

Brian closed his eyes for a moment and then hugged his brother, not caring about the crowd around them, who had missed most of what had happened anyway, "I believe you, kiddo. I'm sorry. Honesty is a bit of a sore point for me. But I should have given you a chance to tell me what happened before accusing you. I could have avoided hurting you, and could have avoided feeling like a total idiot myself. Cause I am. A real chump."

Daniel wasn't quite ready to forgive completely, but Brian's use of the teenage lingo for fool was hard to ignore. He couldn't help the chuckle escaping his lips, "Yeah."

"Didn't have to agree there, buddy."

"Your words, not mine."

Brian tousled Daniel's hair and before they knew it they were laughing again. To make sure the good mood stayed this way, Adam bought a round of sodas. He also pulled Crane over to the side while the others drank their soft drinks, "Come on, kiddo, have some Pepsi."

"I'm more of a coca cola man," Crane shrugged.

"Yeah yeah…our big coke tasting event," Adam remembered, "they don't have Coca cola, I've asked. So make do with Pepsi."

Crane took the bottle and gulped some of the liquid down. He pulled a face, "Still too sweet."

"You know it's not your fault Brian blew up, right?"

"It is."

"No, our mistakes are our own. You made yours. He made his."

"But if I had been honest and open with you two, he would never have jumped to conclusions like this."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Adam smiled, "I know I'm the one most known for it, but we all have a temper. Yes, kid, even you. You just need a lot more pushing than I do. Brian has a temper that he usually manages to keep in check when it comes to you boys. But today he didn't. And that was his mistake. Not yours. And Brian and Daniel have worked it out. So let it go."

Crane wasn't completely convinced. "I still think he'd have managed if yesterday hadn't happened."

"You need to trust me on this, kiddo," He threw the teenager a mock-stern look, "Or do we need to have another 'talk' about trust?"

Crane couldn't help the wince, "No thanks."

Adam smiled, "I see I made an impression." But he continued more seriously, "Then trust me and let go."

"Okay…" it was hard, but Crane did his best.

"Good boy," it may have sounded condescending to some, but Crane didn't take it that way. Very briefly he leaned against Adam and allowed the man's energy to take his worries away. Then he noticed Daniel's pretty teacher standing nearby, looking at them. "I think someone wants to speak to you."

Adam looked up and his eyes locked on Emily's eyes. "Oh…yes, I guess she does."

It took a lot for Crane not to give advice, but simply ask, "Are you going to?"

"I don't know…"

"Adam?" Emily came nearer.

"Emily." Adam nodded at her and then motioned in Crane's direction. "I don't think you've met Crane, our college man."

"No, no I haven't," Emily forced herself to take her eyes off Adam and look at Crane, holding out her hand, "Emily Morgan. I'm Daniel's English Lit teacher."

Crane took her hand and gave it a warm squeeze, "Nice to meet you."

"First year in college?"

"Yes, freshman at Davis." Crane looked at Adam, "I'm going over to Daniel, okay?"

"Oh…" Adam wasn't sure he wanted to be alone with her and would have preferred Crane to stay with him, but he couldn't think of a single good reason to stop him from going. "Sure…"

"Again, nice to meet you, Miss Morgan. Till next time." And off Crane was, leaving two people desperate to talk to each other, but not knowing what to say.

"Hope you liked the show," Emily finally said at the same time Adam said, "That was a great show." They both laughed, albeit awkwardly.

"Ladies first," Adam said.

"Well, you answered my question," She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, "I had hoped…well…I would like…" She groaned softly, "I seem to turn into a preschooler when I'm around you."

"Hmm…well, I'm not feeling very eloquent either."

"Still you manage to get a full sentence out. One containing a big SAT word."

Adam shrugged, "Sorry, that one just came out without thinking. Maybe that's the trick: not to think too much about what you want to say."

"Maybe…in that case….I know this isn't the right time and place to talk, but I'd like the chance to talk. I don't want to feel awkward every time I have to see you and we will have to see and speak to each other. Also, I have a few things I need to tell you and I'm sure you'd like the chance to tell me exactly what you think of everything I said."

Adam felt himself blush at her bold words, "I wouldn't say that exactly…"

"Please? Could we talk soon? Maybe have a cup of coffee together and talk?"

Unable to resist the pleading green eyes Adam found himself agreeing, "Alright, tomorrow? After school maybe? Coffee and some pie at Marie's."

Relief and nerves battled within as she nodded, "That sounds fine! I'll leave you to your brothers now…see you tomorrow after school at Marie's."

But Adam had been raised a gentleman. His mother would never forgive him if he arranged to meet a lady at the restaurant instead of picking her up. Date or not. "I'll swing by school to pick you up."

"That's not necessary, really."

"Maybe not to you, but it is to me."

"Alright," she swallowed her pride and agreed. "My last class finishes at 2."

"And you don't have some function with your co-workers or cleaning up to do?"

"Oh we've got a small Christmas party planned, just drinks and a few snacks, but that's not until 5pm, so I have more than enough time. As long as you can also drop me back off at school."

"I can do that. Alright…" There was that awkward moment where neither of them knew what to do. A handshake was too formal, a kiss far, far too informal right now. But kissing is what both of them would like to do, if they were honest. Eventually, Adam settled for casually touching her arm for a moment, "See you tomorrow."

They still stood there facing each other for a few long seconds before they both walked off. Adam forced himself not to look over his shoulder and just walk over to where his brothers were. As he reached them, Brian was just saying goodbye to a man Adam didn't recognize. They'd been talking while Adam was talking to Emily. Maybe even before, but Adam hadn't noticed them earlier.

"What was that about?" Adam asked as soon as he could.

Brian seemed deep in thought, "Not sure. That was that DA who helped us back at the mall, remember that shopping trip?"

"What on earth was he doing here?"

"His nephew was in the concert…I think that's what he said."

"And what did he want?"

"Don't know yet. He asked if I could call him. He had some kind of proposition."

"Weird."

"Maybe…we'll see." He looked at the younger boys and made a decision, "It's time we get this bunch home. Guthrie's falling asleep on his feet."

"I'm not tired, Brian!" A big yawn betrayed the speaker.

"Sure you're not…come on, time to go home."