"Come on, Missy Coopa', you need to eat something right now, Missy Coopa, Hop Sing think you no like his cooking." Hop Sing was getting extremely frustrated with her, but she would not give in. "I tell Mista' Adam when he get back and he be no happy about it."

"I'm sorry, Hop Sing, I'm just not hungry," Adrien answered.

"I know, you no like Hop Sing's cooking," the cook declared.

"You know that that's not true."

"You need eat. You no be strong when Missy Becca come home," he reasoned.

"Let's see how I feel at supper, Ho Sing, maybe then I'll feel up to it," he picked up her tray and left the room. A few minutes later, Ben came up and sat down by the bed.

"It's been three days, Miss Cooper, you need to keep your strength up. You could have a tough road ahead of you."

"Maybe I would be stronger if someone would let me go look for my daughter." she answered almost in a haze.

"Miss Cooper, you know that we're just trying to keep you safe too," Ben chastised.

"Why do you keep up the Miss Coopers? Why don't you just call me Adrien? We aren't just acquaintances anymore"

"I guess I can, if you'd like," he answered, slightly surprised. "You have given me a grandchild after all anyway." He chuckled quietly.

"Don't worry, if we find her, we'll be gone in no time. The last thing I want to do is embarrass decent people."

"What are you talking about? We're not going to let you leave."

"So, you want all the talk and the gossip?" she asked, sitting up in bed for the first time in a while.

"Why should I care about it? It'll die out away," he answered, "You shouldn't worry."

"But my job, I have no way of providing for myself now, and definitely not her." Adrien realized.

"Don't worry, Adrien, your job's not in danger." He assured her. "And even if it was, we couldn't let you two leave. It would break my son's heart."

"Yeah, I wish she'd have gotten more time with him, now thanks to my father…"

"That girl has plenty of time to know her father… and her grandfather."

"How are you so sure?" she asked.

"No matter how much a person is eaten up with evil. No one could ever hurt that girl."

"I hope you're right."

" I know I am, and you do too, so act like you do."

"I think I'll just stay here," she laid back down on the bed.

"No, you won't."

"I know where Adam gets his stubbornness from," she quipped.

"Adam's going to be home tonight, and if he sees you like this, you'll only dishearten him. He loves you…almost too much."

" I know," she answered. "But, he won't be back for a while, I have time."

"No, he only took three days supplies. He'll be back tonight."

"Oh, well."

"Why don't you get yourself cleaned up? Maybe you'll feel better after a hot bath, and some fresh clothes." Ben insisted.

"Maybe you're right." She gave in.

"Good, I'll have Hop Sing come in and get you when he gets it drawn."

"Adrien, you look wonderful. Do you feel better or is this just for me?" Adam asked finding Adrien reading in her room. She got up and hugged him close without a word. "I'm home for the night."

"Good."

"Roy put a posse together. They're continuing the trail for me," Adam told her.

"Good, hopefully we'll find her body sooner that way."

"Don't say that," Adam hugged her closely again. "We'll find her, I promise."

"Adam, you're home, I'm glad." Ben said entering the room. "How are things going?"

"I think I'm gaining on him, but there is one thing that worries me." Adam answered.

"And what is that?" Ben asked.

"The trail leads back into the Ponderosa," Adam looked down at the floor.

"We need to put our men on it then," Ben suggested.

"I already have everyone on it."

"Good, son, good," Ben patted his son on the back and left the room, "I think I'll go out and see if there's anything I can find."

"Adrien, we're going to get her back," Adam assured.

"I hope you're right, Adam," she answered with a crack in her voice, "I really hope you're right."

She started to cry again, but this time she had Adam to comfort her. She fell asleep in Adam's arms that night, just like she had so many times in Boston. She was beautiful in her sleep, and almost peaceful, but even closed; the pain could still be seen in her eyes.

"You never looked so beautiful. I love you. I never thought I'd ever love a person this much. God, I love you. I can't believe it. I'll always love you and look what you've given me. How can I ever repay you for that? I promise, I'll give you everything you could ever want, and her too. You both are wrapped around my finger so tight, I'll never be able to leave the room without you. I'll never leave without you anyway. I love you, I'll always love you…both of you"

He slipped into the bed beside her.

"You're so beautiful. How in the world did I ever end up with you? What star fell and made me such a lucky man? I can't picture my life without you. How did I live without you in my life before? When we get home we'll sell your share of the pub and I'll build you the biggest house in Boston, and you'll dance, you'll dance and you'll be more beautiful that ever. And then, we'll travel the world together, just the three of us, it maybe more by then…"

"We'll see." She whispered. "We'll see."

He jerked back in surprise.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I think I am, everything is perfect. Don't pinch me, I don't want it to end." She looked up at him and smiled. "I love you so much."

"Are you happy darling?"

"I couldn't be happier."

"That's all that matters to me" He held her close. "That's all that matters."

The baby cooed contentedly in the bassinet.

"What are we going to name her darling?" she asked.

"I don't know, what could we?"

"I can't believe you of all people haven't thought of this."

"I'm sorry."

"Well, think for me, I'm too tired to."

"It's all right darling, go back to sleep." He stroked her hair for a couple minutes while she drifted back into her dream world. Then he rose and went to the bassinet and looked at the sleeping baby.

"You're so beautiful. But what will we name you, you need one that is just as beautiful as you." He sat in deep thought for a moment.

"I know, darling," He carefully lifted her from the bassinet. "You're my Rebecca, my darling Rebecca Lynn."

Adam left early the next morning to join the posse. Ben went with Hoss and Joe to ride the fence line and round up strays before they joined the other. Adrien spent the morning alone in the great room catching up on her reading. After a while, she began to feel weak from not eating for the last few days, so she went upstairs, and it was not long before she was asleep. She woke with a start to the sound of glass breaking downstairs and someone yelling, "Damn it."

It's just the men coming home; we all know how clumsy Hoss is, she thought, and then she tried to go back to sleep, but she could not. Then she heard someone bump into something again.

That's weird, she thought, Hoss might run into something once, but he never does twice.

She lay back down, but then she remembered that she'd promised Adam that she'd get out of bed today. So, she got up, pulled on a pair of trousers and a blouse, maybe with everyone gone she could go look on her own. She grabbed the pistol that Adam had left with her and tucked it in the waistband in the back of her pants. She then strapped the dirk her grandfather had given her to her ankle inside her boot. She went to the stairs, but something did not feel right. She heard someone curse again, the voice sounded familiar, but it definitely did not belong to a Cartwright.

She looked past the corner of the staircase; it was her father. She shifted her weight where she was; a board creaked.

"Mama!" She heard a little voice call. "Is that you?"

That voice was Rebecca's.

"Shut up, kid." She heard her father order Rebecca, and then a pop as he slapped her.

"Cooper, you better not lay a hand on her again." Adrien called revealing herself and coming down the stairs. Suddenly, a knife flew in her direction. She ducked. It stuck in the wall where her head would have been. She drew the pistol that she had hid behind her back.

"Cooper, let her go," she ordered.

He stepped into the light. His hand on the gun in its holster.

"Well, look who it is, my oldest and most rebellious," he antagonized, "I need to thank that man of yours, he led me straight here."

"What do you want?" she asked, her eyes dark with anger.

"I've come to quiet my accuser," he answered.

"Then what did Rebecca have to do with this?"

"Assurance that you'd still be here."

"Well, I'm here," she answered. "Let her go."

"Alright, she's worthless to me anyway now" He let go, and she ran to her mother. Adrien wrapped one arm around her daughter, but still kept the gun aimed at her own father.

"Go upstairs, sweetheart. Lock the door. Don't come out until I come and get you," she whispered softly. Rebecca obeyed, and not a word was said until a door was heard slamming upstairs.

"How dare you even touch my daughter?" she challenged. "Have you forgotten who you're dealing with?"

"I know exactly what I'm dealing with, that's why I'm here," he answered, his voice gruff and anger showing through.

"Then you know what you're up against." she said. "Now put the gun on the floor."

He hesitated. She cocked the gun. He dropped it on the floor.

"Not a hair on her head better be out of place or I'll kill you."

"Don't worry, I didn't touch her," he replied.

"Good, now, how do expect to quiet me?"

"Well," he began and took a step towards her, "I expected to catch you asleep, but…" He threw out a kick and tripped Adrien. The gun went flying. When it landed, it went off, the bullet shattering a window. Cooper pulled out his gun. Adrien went to the floor for hers, but the click of Cooper's hammer cocking back froze her. "…This is better." An evil grin spread across his face.

"Even if you do kill me Cooper you won't get away. Adam will come after you with even more of a vengeance," Adrien told him.

"I'll be gone before they ever find me."

"Don't be so sure," she challenged. She pulled the knife from her ankle.

"Don't forget who taught you how to use that thing."

"Don't worry," she answered, "I had some one teach me how to use it right."

She heard some horses ride up and to the hitching post, but Cooper did not. A small smirk came across her face.

"What do you think you're smilin' about, you little hussy." Cooper hissed.

"You just think you've gotten away with it, but you won't get far."

"Do you think that Adam Cartwright is gonna come and save you? I made sure that he's long gone for a little while."

Adrien shivered knowing that someone was near, but hoping they'd be there in time.

"I've heard about that man you've got," Cooper continued, "You think he cares. You think he might want to marry you. Just wait until he finds out about that girl, he'll hightail it outa' here so fast you won't even have time to tell him that you don't know who the daddy is."

"That's what you think, Cooper." A voice from behind called. The voice was Adam's.

Cooper turned slowly around. Adrien slid a few feet across the floor and reached for the gun.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the knight in shining armor," Cooper antagonized.

"If that's what you want to call it, fine, but you're not messing with this woman anymore." Adam retorted, his hand hovering above his gun, which was still in its holster. Cooper re-cocked his gun.

"What are you gonna do Cartwright?" He taunted.

"Leave him alone, Cooper," Adrien turned his attention back to her now that the gun was stuck into her jeans behind her back. "It's me you came for, go ahead, do it."

She stood up and held up her hands. "Go ahead. No one's stopping you. Adam will even let you get away."

"There's something I gotta' do to be sure," he answered.

Suddenly, Cooper turned, and aimed at Adam. A shot rang out.