A/N: This is the final installment for this story. Hope all you that have since followed, favorited or reviewed this story liked it. I've recently begun to rediscover Rising from the Ashes, Rescue Me and several other older stories as well as new material I've been working on. Hopefully I can pick back up where I'd left off.

All mistakes are mine, reviews and constructive criticism appreciated.

Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010

Later that night after everyone had gone to bed, Alan stirred. He'd gone to bed far earlier than the rest of the household as his return from the hospital combined with a homecoming party was busy work. Alan lightly called John who as promised, was asleep beneath a pile of blankets on the floor beside the bed. When John woke up, he climbed from his makeshift bed to sit on the side of his mattress to see why Alan wanted to wake him up.

"I've got to go to the bathroom, and I can't get up." Alan murmured as he tried to get up, but only successfully looking like a turtle stuck upside down on his shell to his brother. John schooled his features so Alan wouldn't get his feelings hurt if John laughed. John put one hand on Alan's hip and the other in Alan's hand to swing him up into a sitting position beside himself.

John helped Alan to the bathroom, the older hadn't realized he lay so close to the bed that Alan would trip over him if he'd tried to go on his own. He moved his makeshift bed a smidge upon return and then he tucked his kid brother in to return to sleep. Just before sleep could claim either boy though, Alan asked a question.

"Hey Johnny?" Alan asked, keeping his voice soft.

"Yeah, Munchie?" John asked as he dropped to his knees on the pile of blankets.

"How come you sounded so mad?" Alan questioned, innocently.

John paused, unsure of when Alan thought he came across as mad. He started wracking his brain and for the life of him couldn't recall.

"When do you mean kiddo?" John asked, needing more information than that.

"When…you said I didn't have your permission." Alan said which made John freeze. The older blonde looked at his youngest brother in shock. "What?"

"You heard that?" John questioned back, surprise making the blood drain from his face.

"Yeah, but why did you say that? Mom promised there'd be no more pain." Alan said to which John hurriedly stood and went to Alan's side, eyes welling up

"Because, if you went with mom…we'd never ever get to see you again. You'd never get to play with Bane again or see your friends at school. You'd be buried beside mom." John said, trying not to let his voice waver at the thought of losing Alan. "We came so close to losing you and we'd never be the same without you. That's why I said you couldn't go."

"Knowing how bad I'm hurt though…do you wish I had?" Alan asked, voice small and eyes suspiciously wet. John couldn't contain his tears and he lay next to Alan, hugging his brother fiercely but gently.

"No! Absolutely not! I meant what I said! I'm so glad you didn't go with mom! She can't have you yet." John whispered as he peppered Alan's face with kisses. "I know the guys and I sometimes gripe about how annoying you are, but I'd never, ever in a million and one years wish you hadn't survived and for that matter, neither would they. These last eleven years have been some of the best and it's because of you. I could never trade that!"

"But maybe if I hadn't been born, you'd still have mom." Alan whispered brokenly.

"Say that one more time and I'll thump you into the next century. You are not the reason mom died and I never want to hear you say that ever again. Do you understand me? I don't care if dad left after Scott graduated, we've got each other and that's all that matters. I love you and I don't care if I had to relive mom's death a thousand times, I'd never want you to never exist."

"Okay." Alan whispered, his tears spilling over and mingling with the tears spilt by John as he tried to comfort his brother as well as himself. "I love you."

"And I love you. Thank you." John whispered in return as he pulled the blankets up over, he and Alan. John figured he might as well get comfortable where he lay, Alan was hugging on to him so tightly that he could probably rival the strength of a fully grown octopus.

~.~.~.~.~

Alan stretched up onto his tiptoes to grab the saddle horn on Juniper's saddle. The eleven-year-old had figured out the best strategy for himself to get into the tall horse's saddle and it didn't consist of the usual method of putting his foot in the stirrup. He was too short to get his foot up that high without falling over, so he typically held onto the saddle horn and jumped, pulling himself up and over with practiced ease. His brothers may still laugh a little at his methods, but they worked for him.

Getting situated atop Juniper's saddle, Alan gave the reigns a light snap and Juniper started to walk. Alan loved riding Juniper. She was a very easygoing horse and was a rescue and Alan's grandma had her for many years already. She was rescued from a bad situation and Ruth had nursed her back to optimal health.

"Come on girl, you want to run a little bit?" Alan asked, nudging the horse with his heel after they'd walked out into the field for around ten minutes. The cows were visible in the far-off field. Alan made sure to stay away from them, it was the designated breeding season for his grandma's cattle and Alan had been warned to stay away from the cattle due to possibilities of aggression. Alan didn't know much about breeding, his brother Scott had coughed and said he'd explain when Alan was a little older when he'd asked.

Feeling safe in the couple miles distance from the herd of cattle, Alan coaxed Juniper to run a little, just for a couple minutes before Alan slowed their progress back to a walk. They meandered along, Alan talking to the horse about his classes and the new students he'd met after advancing to the sixth grade just after Christmas break. Alan smiled as he continually talked to Juniper until she suddenly came to a halt.

Alan thought Juniper was acting odd at that point. Juniper's ears had laid back and she stamped a hoof, taking to backing up a couple steps. Throwing her head around, Juniper began snorting and stamped a hoof again. She reared up, making Alan grab tightly to her reigns and saddle horn. It honestly terrified Alan to know he was in this position. He'd never feared riding Juniper before, but she was acting differently. A growl from just behind a bush made Alan draw up short. Juniper backed up, releasing an ear-piercing squeal. Soon the growl from the bushes increased and what came from the cover were a couple of mangy looking dogs. The bigger one barked, lunging at Juniper and by proxy Alan. The boy was already petrified of dogs, and he froze up. How he managed to stay on Juniper was amazing in and of itself.

Juniper seemed to sense the danger and she released a scream, one like Alan had never heard before. She reared up again, kicking out with her front hooves at the dogs that had her surrounded. She managed to catch the shoulder of one of the dogs with her hoof and it took off with a yelp. However, that didn't deter the four other dogs in the pack. Juniper, once all four hooves were on the ground, kicked off the ground mightily. Alan and Juniper sped off, the horse panting heavily as she tried to run from the danger. The dogs gave chase, but Alan wasn't watching where they were going. He was still focused solely on the dogs that were chasing him and Juniper and soon they were speeding past some cows. Alan had his eyes clamped closed, so he didn't see Lucifer throw his head back with a bellow and charge him and Juniper until it was too late.

Alan's eyes opened, his gaze locking with Lucifer's dark gaze and then Alan was flying. Juniper herself wallowed on the ground after being charged by Lucifer and being hit with his horns, she gave a scream before she stood and bucked at Lucifer, making a couple connections with her hooves against the bull. Alan lost consciousness for a few moments; his head having collided with a decent sized rock. When he did come to, he staggered to his feet, seeing Juniper facing off against Lucifer. After another attempt at charging the horse, she took off and left Alan to fend for himself. Alan looked right at Lucifer and couldn't look away as the bull ran at him, head lowered, and horns aimed directly at Alan. Distantly Alan could hear a dog's frantic barking but that was the least of Alan's concerns as Lucifer hit Alan head on. Alan barely recalled being flipped into the air, or his meeting with the ground. He remembered Lucifer running back in his direction then just pain. It hurt to breathe, it hurt to move, it hurt too simply be. Everything just hurt.

Alan was shaken gently, an urgent voice whispering at him

"Alan! Wake up!" Alan's eyes widened, his chest felt tight, and he couldn't stop gulping in air. A hand caressed the side of his cheek and Alan flinched at the touch until it came back. "It's okay sweetheart. Calm down, you're okay." It was grandma.

Alan looked around the room, not understanding why he felt so hot or so wet and then it occurred to him that he'd been sweating. John was sitting beside Alan, having been trying to wake Alan for several minutes when the boy began panting in his sleep and groaning. Scott had heard Alan from down the hall, and he'd hurried to get their grandma when John couldn't wake their brother up. She'd come in with her oldest grandson and her cool touch had been what Alan needed to be brought round. The soft palms rubbed Alan's cheeks, wiping away the errant tears that leaked out from his night terror.

"You are okay sweetheart; it was just a bad dream." Grandma murmured lovingly before she lifted the blanket that covered Alan so he could cool down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Alan carefully shook his head, not wanting to relive the memory like it was another lifetime. His brothers John and Scott though could see that this was going to keep Alan up and they intervened.

"Grandma, would it be okay if we broke the rules and made some cocoa? Maybe it will help Alan go back to sleep." Scott asked, as he grinned hopefully at his grandmother. True he was an adult and shouldn't have to ask, but his grandmother ultimately was Alan's guardian and so Scott figured he'd ask for Alan's sake.

"Oh alright. Do you boys have this covered? I was going to head back to bed unless you wanted me to stay up with you." Grandma said as she looked between her two oldest and youngest grandchildren.

"I'm fine grandma." Alan whispered, not wanting his grandma in that moment. He just wanted the comfort of his brothers, of Scott primarily. The oldest son had taken over the parental role for Alan and he knew best how to help Alan with his nightmares. John was helpful too and so Alan preferred their help.

"Okay. I love you baby." Grandma said as she leaned down to kiss Alan's sweaty cheek. With that she took her leave and that left Scott and John with Alan.

Once their grandma had departed the room, Scott stooped to scoop Alan up into his arms. Alan held onto his brother's shoulders. He was perched on Scott's arm which supported his weight and carried from the bedroom with John keeping a careful hand on Alan's hip. When they made it down the hall, Scott carried Alan into the kitchen and set him on the counter, so he was almost eye level with his two older brothers.

John heated some milk on the stovetop, pouring it evenly in three mugs before he mixed in cocoa powder. He added a splash of cold milk to cool Alan's mug a little before he served them to his brothers. Scott helped Alan down from the counter and took him to the living room. Alan sat snuggly between Scott and John on the couch and Alan noticed his brother's feet fully touched the ground, meanwhile Alan's didn't. It bothered him. Maybe if he'd been bigger or even older…he wouldn't have been hurt by Lucifer.

"Okay Al, you want to talk?" Scott asked, as he set his mug on the coffee table after he took a sip.

Alan shook his head, losing whatever courage he'd had after awaking from his nightmare. He didn't want to relive it.

"Alan, it's not going to get better if you hide from it." John advised, his jaw ticking as he suggested the same advice, he'd gotten in a round about way from his other family after his meltdown at the hospital. "Talk to us."

"Lu-lucifer…he…he" Alan started, his voice choking up at the mere mentions of the bull's name. Scott and John shared a look over top of Alan's head. Alan immediately bowed his head, covering his eyes with his hands. "He…I can't…I can't…please don't…don't make me…talk about it."

John and Scott immediately hugged Alan close, both brothers doing their very best to comfort their crying little brother. Neither of them really knew how to help Alan in that moment, but they knew this was a healthy release for him. Alan hadn't so much as cried at the mentions of his attack, sure other subjects revolving around the attack… but not the attack itself.

"It's okay kiddo, it's okay." Scott whispered, attempts to shush his youngest brother failing. "Let it out, it's okay. We're here."

Alan cried for several more long minutes and then he grew quieter. His chest heaved after his crying subsided and he gave a pained groan. His chest and back still smarted badly if he did too much. Apparently crying was on the list of 'too much' right up there next to climbing the stairs and walking.

"Calm down kiddo, just breathe." John urged, keeping his voice soft.

Having cried himself out, Alan took in as deep a breath as he could manage and began to explain. Again.

"Lu-Lucifer attacked me and Juniper…"

"Juniper and I Sprout…" John corrected, glaring at Scott when the older pinched him with a look that stressed quiet.

"Juniper and I…" Alan continued, seemingly unaffected by John's interruption. "We were trying to outrun some dogs. They kept trying to nip at Juniper's feet before we started running."

John flared his nostrils in silent anger. He knew those mutts that his grandmother warned him about played a role in this. He'd had that inclination which made him retrieve his grandfather's shotgun. But when he and Gordon got out there to the field, the dogs were gone.

"Juniper, she was running so fast, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. We ran towards the outer fields." Alan continued softly. "When I opened my eyes, we were running through the cattle and then Lucifer was on top of us."

Alan's chin wobbled as he continued his tale and Scott closed his eyes. Now he understood, Lucifer hadn't just attacked Alan and Juniper for the hell of it. It was the height of their cattle's breeding season and bulls were known to display aggression to establish a pecking order especially in amongst the herd. Lucifer must have mistaken Alan and Juniper as a threat to the herd and took to protective measures.

"Sprout, did you take Bane with you on that ride?" Scott interrupted. At Alan's shake of his head, Scott went silent.

"Bane hadn't come over yet. When I woke up after Lucifer attacked us, Bane was there."

John and Scott shared another look. Somehow the dog was attuned to the fact that Alan was in horrific trouble and acted accordingly. They could only imagine if what Mr. Carlson said was true as well. Bane woke up from his impromptu nap, sensing the danger and jumped into action, tearing off to defeat that who threatened his boy. John felt a knot form in his throat at the imagined scenario.

Bane running full tilt to the field where Alan and Juniper were under attack. Potentially taking down a couple stray dogs that meant to do harm to Alan and Juniper then to begin squaring off with a fully grown 1,000-pound black angus bull. Alan, Juniper, and Bane were fortunate to have not been killed.

Hugging Alan carefully, John buried his nose into Alan's hair and inhaled the scent of his shampoo. Alan was here and he was okay. In a relative sense of the word.

Alan began to slump over, having tired himself out while crying and he had finished his hot cocoa. Scott could see that Alan was going to fall asleep soon.

"Alright kiddo, I think it's time you went back to sleep." Scott stood up and lifted his sleepy baby brother into his arms. "Let's get you back to bed. Healing little boys need their rest."

John followed Scott and Alan, helpfully tucking Alan in when he was placed back down on the mattress. Alan was asleep before long, and Scott took his leave. He had to work a little later and would need to get some sleep. John lay down on his makeshift bed and stared at his ceiling. Bane truly was a hero in every sense of the word. He'd gone to Alan in his time of need and stayed by his side. Smiling to himself, John figured he'd run to the store…or butcher's shop come morning. That dog earned himself the biggest, juiciest steak that money could buy. But no amount of thanks could ever repay the debt owed. No, Alan's life was priceless. John chuckled quietly to himself. Alan was alive today because the German Shepard had been the bane of that bull's existence. Bane was a good, good boy.

END