This is my very first fanfic! So please be nice… English is not my native language and I don't have a beta reader, so if there are spelling or grammar mistakes… I'm sorry! But if you want to apply for the job as my beta reader… Be my guest!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the characters of "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman"… One Beth Sullivan does… But I do own the character of Jonas "John" Kerrigan!

Rating: I don't know anything about these ratings, but let's say T or PG-13. Just to be safe...

Warnings: Nothing graphic, but there are references to child abuse! Oh, and I really suck at the towns geography. So I apologize to all the fans who do know exactly what Colorado Springs looks like and where which building is standing… Because I really don't, so I made up some things… So maybe this story is slightly AU… : )

Summary: A stranger visits Colorado Springs. Not everyone is happy to see him…

Wow, I feel so flattered! Lovely reviews! Thank you! And yes Maritza, you were right all along! Very good guess… : )

Chapter 7

"Your stepfather?" Sully asked a little surprised. He eyed Hank curiously who was looking at him a little nervously. "Yeah… he married my mother a year after my father died… I never liked him… He never liked me either…" Sully could tell that it was difficult for Hank to talk about this. Something really bad must have happened between these two, Sully thought. "If he never liked you, then why is he here to visit ya?" Sully asked Hank. Hank closed his eyes for a moment and then sighed. "To take revenge…" he said softly. "Revenge?" Sully replied, "Why?" Hank looked Sully in the eye. Sully could see that the man was real tired. But he could also see the desperate need in Hank's eyes to tell his story to someone… Anyone… Even if that someone was him. "It's a long story…" Hank said, a little uncertain. "I have time…" Sully said, encouraging him to tell more. Hank had to chuckle at the comment. "I figured ya'd say that…" Sully smiled back at him and waited for Hank to finally tell his story.

"When I was twelve years old my father died. I think Michaela would call it a heart attack… I never had a great relationship with my father, but I did miss him after he was gone… A year later, my mom remarried… She married Jonas… He already had two kids, from a previous marriage; a son and a daughter. I liked having them around… My two older brothers had already left home, so it was just me and my mom after dad died… I didn't have a good relationship with my mother either, so… It was fun to have some kids around that were about my age… Thomas was thirteen… Suzanna was eleven." Hank had to smile as he said her name. "Believe it or not, but I adored her…" He was silent for a moment, thinking of how to continue his tale.

"Anyway… they got to live with us and from that moment things changed… I found out Jonas really wasn't as nice as he looked… That he showed his affection for his kids with his fists… He beat them… He could just jump out of his skin over the silliest things…" Sully could see Hank clenching his fists as he said it. Sully felt anger building up inside of him as well. He just couldn't understand that a father could hurt his own children. He knew he would never do that. He controlled his anger however, not wanting Hank to be disturbed by it. Hank continued. "One day, the three of us had done it again… don't ask me what it was, 'cause I really can't remember… He got so mad…"

"What in hell did you think you were doing? What is it with you brats! Do I really have to watch every move you make? It's about time that I'll teach you three a lesson… Get here!" Jonas grabbed his daughter by the arm and dragged her with him. The two boys followed him silently. "Where are you taking us daddy?" Suzanna asked him innocently. She had never seen her father this angry and it scared her. "Shut up!" he snapped at her, "Did I say you could speak? You only talk when I say so, you understand?" She nodded and looked at her brother nervously. Thomas however lowered his head. He was scared too, but didn't want to show it to his sister.

They walked towards the barn which was situated near the woods, about a hundred yards from the house. Inside the barn John walked towards the trapdoor in the floor and opened it. They all looked down at the hole in the floor and they could see that there was some kind of a room there. A room underground… It looked like it had been part of a cave once. The walls were made of big rocks and it was cold and damp inside. "Get in here!" Jonas ordered the three children as he pointed at the stairs that were leading to the little cavy room underground. The boys did what Jonas asked them and climbed down the stairs. Suzanna followed them slowly. "I'm scared daddy!" she cried but her father showed her no mercy. "Well, let's hope you'll think twice next time you decide to ruin some of my stuff… You're going to stay in here until I get you out!" he yelled and then slammed the trapdoor shut.

"He just left us there…" Hank said quietly. He looked at Sully briefly, then his thoughts wandered back again to the events of that particular day. "He left us in that weird cavy room under the ground…" he continued, "He locked the door above us… We couldn't get out… I thought he would just leave us there for an hour or so, but after three hours he still hadn't shown up. And that wasn't even the worst part…"

"Is it just me or is this place filling up with water?" Thomas asked who felt his shoes and socks getting wet. Hank shook his head. "It's not just you…" he replied, "There is water getting in here… That's the thing with these little caves… there's water everywhere… between the rocks and the walls… And don't forget we're near a river here… This place always fills up with when the river's water level is high…"

"How bad?" Thomas asked a little worried. Hank looked at him. "What'd ya mean?" he asked Thomas. "Well, how much water usually gets in here then?" Hank sighed and thought back to the few times he had been there with his own father. "I once saw it completely filled…" he said, "But that was a long time ago… And my dad used to say that it rarely happens!" He tried to reassure his two friends but he wasn't succeeding. "Well, it happened then!" Thomas answered loudly. He saw his sister jump at the harsh tone of his voice and he immediately regretted the way his words had come out. "I'm scared…" Suzanna said quietly. Thomas looked at Hank and then at his little sister. "Me too…" he said softly.

An hour went by as water kept flowing into the little room. The three children screamed over and over for Jonas to get them out, but it was of no avail. Within a few hours the water had risen to their chins, except for Hank, who was a bit taller. But the worst part was that the water was freezing.

"I-I can't swim," Suzanna said. She shivered from the cold and looked at her brother fearfully.

"W-Why isn't h-he coming? Why doesn't h-he let us out?" She started to panic. "Don't worry sis, I'll protect you… We'll get out of this, I promise!" her older brother tried to assure her. "Yeah, me too," Hank said. He swam to her and raised her a little bit. "We just have to hang in there, okay? We can do it!" he encouraged her. The water however was cold, and it just kept rising. After a while Thomas started to shiver as well and gulped as he realized the water was almost up to his nose. He had to tread water to keep himself afloat. Hank was still holding Suzanna, but he felt himself getting weaker. He could still stand however.

"I..I..I c-c-can't h-h-hold on m-much longer, H-h-hank," Thomas said. Signs of hypothermia were setting in. "I'm s-s-s-so t-t-tired…" Hank held on to Suzanna, who didn't say much either. Her lips were turning blue and her eyes were closed. "N-no!" he yelled, looking at the small figure in his arms and at Thomas who was struggling to keep his head above water. "Y-you have to h-h-hold on! Y-you have to! Suzanna!" he shook the small, still body in his arms. He looked at Thomas desperately, who was just staring back at him, helplessly. Hank thought he saw tears falling from Thomas' eyes, but then again… it could also be water. Then he saw Thomas give up the fight as the boy let himself sank under the water. Instinctively Hank let go of Suzanna and dived after his friend; his brother. He grabbed him by the collar and brought him back up.

"Please T-Thomas! Come on! W-Wake up!" he screamed as he held the boy's face above the surface. He patted his face, but there was no reaction. Then he turned around and saw that there was no sign of Suzanna… she had sunk to the bottom… Again Hank dived to the bottom where he searched frantically until his fingers found cloth. He grabbed her body and dragged them both back up to the surface, only to find Thomas' body gone. He looked at Suzanna's face and started to panic. For the first time he realized that it was too late for them. They were dead… His brother and sister were dead… He tightened his grip on Suzanna and started to cry. His body shook heavily from the sobs, not to mention the cold. For the first time in his life he felt totally helpless… and really, really scared…

Sully stared at Hank in horror. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He couldn't believe a father could do this to his own children. "I'm so sorry Hank…" was all he could say and leaned back in his chair, being at a loss for words. Hank smiled grimly and swallowed. "Yeah… me too…" he said and sighed. "They practically died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save them…" He sounded sad. Sully could tell that Hank was feeling guilty over this, which, of course, was absolutely ridiculous. "It wasn't your fault Hank," he tried to assure him. Hank looked up at Sully and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't ya think I know that!" he called out angrily. "Of course it wasn't my fault! But that's not what he thinks…"

"How did you get out?" Sully asked. Hank sighed deeply before saying: "Ten minutes later he opened the trapdoor… If he had come a few minutes later I had probably died too… I'll never forget the look on his face when he opened the trapdoor. It was the only time I saw some humanity in his eyes… He was shocked… and sad, I think… He didn't say a word to me… He just grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out. I don't remember much after that, 'cause I passed out… When I woke up I was in a nice warm bed… my mother sitting next to me…"

"But John blames you for their deaths?" Sully asked, referring to Hank's earlier comment. "Yeah…" Hank said quietly, "He's furious that I survived and they didn't… According to him it should have been the other way around… And he takes every opportunity to tell me that… to rub it into my face… Ironically, I always thought it should have been him…" They were silent for a moment.

"What happened after that?" Sully asked suddenly. Hank hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted Sully to know what happened after Suzanna and Thomas died. What happened to him… He closed his eyes for a moment and then decided to finish his tale. "Well…" he started, "I became his main target… met the back of his hand many times… Among other things…" He looked at Sully nervously. He was afraid of what the man would think of him. That he would think that he was weak or that he just got what he deserved. However, as he looked into Sully's eyes he saw warmth, understanding and respect. "I'm sorry…" Sully said softly. "Don't be…" Hank answered, "You'd better be sorry for him… cause if he gets near me again, or gets near my son, I swear I'll hurt him more than he has ever hurt me…" he clenched his jaw, and then sighed. "I don't know why I'm tellin' ya all this…"

"You obviously had to let it out…" Sully said with a smile. "Just don't ya dare tell anyone!" Hank warned him and gave him a tough look. "You know that I won't…" Sully said, "I'm true to my word." Hank relaxed in his chair. "Yeah… I know," he said, sounding a bit tired. What was he thinking? Of course Sully wouldn't tell anyone; good Samatarian that he is…

"I may have to tell Michaela…" Sully said suddenly. Hank nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard him say it. "Well, ya know what she's like…" Sully tried to explain, "She'll find out anyway…" Hank eyed Sully dangerously. "She better shut up about it!" he warned. Sully had to chuckle. "That's her job Hank… she will…" he assured him. Hank shook his head. "I've never seen her shut up about anything…" he said annoyed, "That's the thing… she just keeps on rambling… and blurting things out…" Sully had to laugh at the comment, but he also felt the need to defend his woman. "She's a good woman you know… she means well…" Hank sighed once more. "Yeah… I know… And don't ya dare tell anyone I said that! I have an image to keep up…" Again Sully couldn't help but smile. The man was a mystery and full of surprises. But he did realize one thing: Hank wasn't as bad as he seemed to be… Underneath the rough exterior, there was a really nice and caring man, who had been through a lot in his live.

"Don't worry… I won't…" Sully answered, "But I do think that ya have to tell Jake about John… You don't have to tell him all the things that you've just told me, but he needs to know that the man is bad news… And that he has no interest in this town whatsoever." Hank wasn't convinced. "Maybe…" he said and shrugged his shoulders. "No Hank!" Sully said loudly and got up from his chair. "The people of this town are falling for promises that aren't going to be fulfilled. It's your duty as a good citizen to tell Jake this…" He was quiet for a moment, hoping that his words would make sense to Hank. "Go against your nature for once…" Sully teased. Hank looked at Sully incredulously. Was Sully making fun of him? Then he realized Sully was right.

"Fine…" Hank sighed. Then grinned back at Sully. "Thanks for listening," he said softly. "You're welcome," Sully said with a smile and sat down on his chair again. Who would have thought that? I'm bonding with Hank Lawson… Sully thought as he leaned back in his chair… He just couldn't help but smile at the thought…

TBC

Okay… It took a while, I know, but I've been really really busy! And I didn't want to rush it. I wanted to make the best of this chapter! So PLEASE, hit the review button and tell me what you think of it! Please? (Writer is down on her knees, putting on her sweatest smile...)