AN: This is a long chapter, to make up for the long wait. Sorry about that, but I wanted to make sure I did the situation covered in this chapter justice. There were a lot of elements I wanted to cover in this chapter, such as the close relationship Emily had shared with Zack, and then the moments leading up to Zack's death, which had to be done just right.
Also, in this installment, there will be no returning to the present day, like there was in the previous flashback chapters, because I wanted readers to be left with the one moment at the end. On that note, read on, and enjoy.

New York: 1981

"Good. That's right. Keep your legs apart, just like that." Nana paused as she walked down the hall, and looked into the room her two charges were in. Zack was standing next to Emily, checking her stance, and slightly correcting the position of her arms. "Very good. Now, just like we practiced." Zack moved in front of Emily and extended an open hand, palm facing his sister. "Okay, now. Right there." Zack slapped his palm. "Right there, and mean it." Emily threw out a fist to punch her brother's open palm, but lost her balance in the process.

"Whoops!" Zack laughed in good nature as he helped Emily regain her balance. "Don't worry, Emily. I know you'll get the hang of it someday."

"Now, I know you aren't trying to turn her into a ruffian thug, Zachary Goodhall," Nana quipped.

"Of course not, Nana. But this is one of the largest cities in the world, and not everyone in it is a nice person. What kind of man would I be if I didn't make sure my baby sister could handle herself in a pinch?"

"Zack, I'm not a baby, anymore!" Emily stated, frowning.

"I know you're not, Cricket," Zack replied, while ruffling Emily's hair. "But you'll always be my little sister." Emily grinned broadly. Cricket. When she had been six, Nana had told her and Zack some old Chinese stories, explaining the symbolism in many of them. And the cricket was the symbol of a fighting spirit. Since hearing that, Zack made Cricket his special nickname for his sister, because that was what they had to have after the deaths of their parents: fighting spirits.

"Now, how's about getting your Nikon, the one you got for Christmas?" Zack continued. "We can head down to the park for some new shots." Emily's face suddenly fell.

"You don't think I'm wasting my time with taking pictures?"

"Where'd you get such a silly idea like that?" Emily shrugged.

"Some kids at school…."

"Is that St. John boy giving you grief again? Emily, don't give him the satisfaction of knowing what he says bothers you. Of course you're not wasting your time! It's who you are. It's Mom's blood shining through you. She showed the world the beauty of nature through the art of poetry. You're showing it through the art of photography. Be proud of your talents. Now, get your camera, and we'll be off." Emily marched off and returned a moment later, carrying a Nikon FM.

"I'm ready!" She announced.

"Okay, then. Let's go." Zack grinned as he pulled on a New York Yankees cap.

In the park, Zack sat back on a bench by Temperance Fountain, watching in amusement as Emily took pictures of anything that caught her eye, occasionally from strange angles. Zack remembered one notable incident when she had decided to create a portfolio of photographs that were all taken from an opossum's point of view. He had to hand it to his sister, she certainly didn't lack innovation. Although, he also wondered if the world was ready for her unusual camerawork.

"Zack?" Emily called, looking over at the fountain. "Do you think they'll ever make a good waterproof camera? I suddenly got an idea of taking a shot from the viewpoint of a coin in a fountain."

"Even if they do make one like that," Zack laughed in amusement, "you'll probably be arrested for trying to climb into the fountain anyway. Your brother loves you, Emily, but even I can't help you out of a situation like that." Emily grinned and began to take a series of shots of a lone ant dragging a dead wasp across the pavement instead.

"Good afternoon, Zack, Miss Goodhall." Zack and Emily looked up to see Officer Kurtz approaching.

"Hi, Uncle Kevin!" Emily waved, taking a short break from her photography to visit with her brother's partner.

"Likewise, Kevin," Zack nodded. "What's happening at the station?"

"The chief notified me five minutes ago. He wants us to monitor the activity of a Jacob Gauthier tonight. We have reason to suspect that he's deeply involved with the counterfeit money that's been circulating through the city."

"Right," Zack replied seriously. I'll be down as soon as I drop Emily back home."

"Zack! Nana's birthday dinner's tonight!" Emily reminded. "You gotta be there! You promised!"

"I know, Emily," Zack sighed. "And I'll be there. But Officer Kurtz and I need to take care of this first. It won't be that late."

"How late?"

"About two hours."

"One hour, Zack."

"Two hours."

"One!" Emily insisted sternly

"Two!" Zack half-groaned at his sister's stubbornness. The two siblings mock-glared at each other before, in a non-verbal agreement, engaged in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Zack laughed in good nature when Emily proudly 'smashed' his scissors with her rock. "All right, one hour," he gave in. "Until then, you enjoy yourself at the party, okay?"

"Yeah, right. It's Nana's party, so the majority of guests will smell like moth balls." Zack laughed and ruffled Emily's hair.

"Aw, I'm sorry Emily. But who knows? Maybe one of them will bring a grandchild who's your age, so you'll be able to suffer together."

That night, Emily sat alone in Nana's apartment, watching the group of elderly woman talking about nothing in particular. Zack's prediction of a kid her own age being at the party had proved to be false, so she was bored out of her skull. Glancing up at the clock, she saw that Zack would be due to arrive any moment, and decided to go out to meet him outside, taking her Nikon FM camera with her. It was a clear night, and Emily knew that if the street lamps didn't block them out, then she would have had a perfect view of the stars.

Emily looked up and down the street. There was no sign of Zack yet. However, something else caught her eye. There, at the beginning of an alleyway, between the brick wall and a garbage can, a spider was spinning a web. Emily crouched down and started to take a picture of the spider working. At that moment, a series of noises in the alley made her pause. Curiosity getting the better of her, Emily inched out from behind the trash can and peered into the alley. A lone man was in the middle of an augment with a group of other men.

"I don't care what you do! I'm not helping you find anyone!"

"There's no need to be worried about the welfare of them, buddy. We're not looking to shed blood. But we will if we have to."

"Why should I believe you? Do what you want with me. You won't get any help from me, even if I knew who you were looking for." As soon as this was said, a glint of silver flashed, and the hapless individual was suddenly clutching at a fresh bleeding wound, complements of the switch blade, which continued to pierce his body relentlessly. Emily started to back away slowly but her conscience got in the way. That man was going to get killed. How could she turn her head the other way and let it happen? But what could she do? The men outnumbered her greatly. Should she stay or run? However, fate decided for her, and she backed up into the trashcan, knocking it over with a crash. Instantly, she was dragged into the alley.

"We got a pint-sized spy, boys!"

"Hey! She's got a photo camera! Little brat might have been taking pictures!" One of the men tore the Nikon FM from Emily's hands and threw in against the ally wall, where it broke in two.

"Wait just one moment," another man looked closely at Emily. "Those are Zeke's eyes. I'd know them anywhere."

"Dad…?" Emily spoke without thinking.

"Wait. Dad? This… you hear that? This is Zeke's little brat!"

"Well, how about that? We didn't have to bother with that deadbeat. The whelp comes to us! Ethan should have been as lucky." Emily froze as she started to understand. These men were aligned with the same men who killed her parents almost ten years ago.

"What do you want?" Emily whispered.

"Not much. Just the formula, kid."

"I… I don't know anything about a formula." The man who had stabbed the group's victim earlier thrust the switchblade into the ally wall, just a few inches from Emily's head.

"I think you do."

"I'm telling you, I don't even know what formula you're talking about."

"Boys? How about jogging her memory a bit?" Emily's fear doubled once she realized that the other men were now all coming toward her, some holding switchblades of their own, others with broken bottles in their hands.

'Come on, Emily, think! Zack was just talking about situations like this today!' Seconds before the first man struck, Emily lashed out with a fist, hitting him square in the gut. She immediately turned to run, but someone grabbed her hair from behind, tugging hard. Emily could feel the pain-induced tears forming instantly as she was pinned to the ally wall, a switchblade dangerously close to her face. She squeezed her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable, too scared to even scream.

"EMILY!" A voice shouted, echoing throughout the ally. Emily's eyes snapped open as she saw her captor being torn away from her by Zack, who delivered a savage punch to the man's face.

"Zack?" Emily gasped, hardly believing her brother's incredible timing.

"Kevin, get her out of here!" Zack ordered Officer Kurtz, who was standing nearby. Officer Kurtz immediately dragged Emily out of the alley.

"Miss Goodhall, get inside, now!" Officer Kurtz demanded.

"But Zack…"

"GO!" Emily quickly ran inside as Officer Kurtz radioed for backup before returning to aid Zack in the alley.

Emily watched from the window as some of the assailants were pushed into individual squad cars. Most of the men got away, but the police squadron had managed to round a few up, and was now taking them in for questioning. As she watched, Zack emerged from the alley, supporting the man who had been stabbed before the group of men had discovered Emily.

"Come on," Zack spoke to the badly injured man gently, helping him make his way to a nearly ambulance, paying no attention to the fact that the wounded man's blood was flowing down to Zack's own knife wound in his arm. "I know a doctor personally. He'll have you checked out in no time." Emily was so occupied with what was going on outside with her brother, who was also being brought down to the hospital to have his wounds checked out, she didn't notice Nana come up behind her.

"Well," Nana stated, trying to lighten the mood. "It certainly has been an eventful night."

"It's my fault," Emily whispered, as the ambulance Zack was in drove off. "I'm such an idiot. My stupid photography caused this whole mess."

"Emily, if you hadn't gone out when you did, that poor man might have died for sure," Nana tried to reason, but to no avail.

"I could have gotten Zack killed. I'll never take another stinking picture again."

Zack and Emily sat at the table in the kitchenette, hovering over a pair of handcuffs. It had been a few days since that terrible night in the alley. The men who had been brought in that night had told everything eventually. In an attempt to recover the formula Zeke had taken long ago, the drug ring had merged with a group of thugs and pickpockets, becoming a full-blown street gang in the process. A street gang known as the Rat Fang Gang. On that night, they had been looking for Zack and Emily, under the assumption that they had known about the formula. However, since many members of the Rat Fang Gang were still at large, and would most likely try to find Zack and Emily again, Officer Kurtz, and other cops in the NYPD had tried to convince the Goodhalls to move to a safer location. Zack had turned down the option, stating that he didn't get where he was today by running from opposition. As an option two, most of the force was out looking for the Rat Fang Gang nearly every day. Zack took up an active part in the search, and made sure Emily and Nana were kept up to speed on any new leads and information.

The man who had been seriously wounded in the skirmish had died from his injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. Zack's wound, on the other hand, hadn't been that serious, and had only needed a few stitches. The siblings both had a mutual, unspoken agreement to not discuss the incident if they could help it. However, Zack was concerned with Emily's new attitude. Ever since that night, she had refused to even look at a camera, obviously blaming what had happened on her love of photography. He remained hopeful that this was only a phase, and that it would pass eventually.

"Okay, Cricket," Zack announced, pushing the handcuffs towards Emily. "Your turn." Emily picked up the bent bobby pin and began to try and pick the lock, succeeding after three minutes. "Good. That's a definite improvement," Zack complemented. "Pretty soon, you'll manage to pick the lock in less then a minute." Emily smiled widely at the praise.

"Hey, your stitches came out today, didn't they?" Emily asked, remembering. "How's your wound?" Zack rolled up his sleeve, revealing the knife wound had become the beginnings of a scar. Upon seeing the look of admiration appearing on Emily's face, Zack couldn't help but laugh.

"It's just a scar, Emily!"

"Yeah, right! 'Just a scar' my foot! That scar proves I've got the bravest brother ever!" At that moment, the phone rang, and Zack went over to answer it.

"Hello? … Oh, Dr. Jordan! ... The man who was killed in that fight with the Rat Fangs? Yes, I remember. Why?" Zack placed a hand to the mouthpiece, his brow slightly furrowed. "Hey, Emily. How about we take a break from this, and go out for lunch? Sound good?"

"Yeah!"

"Great. Get your coat." Once Emily was out of earshot, Zack returned his attention back to the phone "Okay, Dr. Jordan. Continue: what do you mean 'um'? I don't like hearing doctors and school principals saying 'um'."

Zack came down to join Emily a few moments later.

"Emily, do you mind if I take a quick stop to see Dr. Jordan before lunch?"

"No, of course not. What does he want?"

"Nothing worth mentioning." Zack replied hastily. He… just wants to ask me some questions, concerning that man who was killed…"

"Oh. You mean when I almost got you killed?"

"Don't go on blaming yourself for that, Emily," Zack instructed as they left their apartment. "I don't. It was the Rat Fangs who were at fault. Not you." Emily just shrugged.

One Week Later

Zack stood alone, gazing aimlessly into the flames crackling in the hearth. It had been pouring all day, and he had built the fire to keep warm. Tearing his eyes from the blaze, he glanced down at the sheet of paper in his hand, skimming over it once more, just to be sure he'd read it right.

Why wasn't this news affecting him as much as it should? This was among the most serious thing that could happen to a person. Yet, he felt oddly calm. His one and only thought was of Emily. What was going to happen to her, once she was on her own? Who'd be there to protect her, to care for her?

"Hey, Zack!" Emily, almost as if she had been called telepathically, poked her head into the room. Zack quickly hid the paper behind his back, thankful that she didn't seem to notice. "You okay, Brother? Nana said you've been in here for five whole minutes!"

"I'm fine," Zack grinned. "Emily, how's about getting your coat? There's a good-looking movie down at the cinema. We haven't been there in ages, have we?"

"No! We haven't!" Emily stated in excitement. "Hold up! I'll get an umbrella, too!" Zack chuckled to himself, and, before going off after his sister, gave the paper one last glance before tossing it into the fire, where the flames licked the edges until the test results was nothing more then a pile of ash.

'She can't know.' he thought to himself. 'There's no way I can tell her this. Not now.'

New York: 1982

Emily was bustling around the kitchenette in the small apartment she and Zack shared. She was so busy, she didn't even realize Zack had walked in until she had turned around to place a plate on the table.

"Morning, Zack!" Emily greeted cheerfully. "Hurry and take a seat! Blueberry pancakes will be up in half a minute!"

"Thanks, Cricket," Zack smiled weakly. "I'm not really hungry this morning."

"Well, force yourself to eat!" Emily ordered, failing to notice how Zack was using the wall to hold himself up. "You gotta eat more. You've been getting way too thin lately. It's not healthy. People will start thinking you got an eating disorder or something like that."

"Am I really getting thin?" Zack looked up in surprise. Emily, to Zack's relief, did not seem to notice the fear in his voice.

"Well, let me put it this way, Big Brother," Emily grinned broadly. "In another week, you might even be thinner then the school's flagpole!" Zack forced a chuckle at Emily's joke, wishing that his sister's statement wouldn't prove to be right, even though he knew that he might have very little say in the matter.

"Speaking of school, Emily," Zack replied, all too eager to change the subject," You better hurry, or you'll be late."

"Don't worry, Zack, I'm leaving now," Emily smiled, quickly kissing her brother's cheek. "You better enjoy those pancakes, though. I put my heart and soul into them! Then, maybe you should take a nap. You need rest."

"Why? I don't have to go into work, today. It's my day off"

"Look at you, Zack! Not only do you clearly need to eat more, but if your eyes got any droopier, we'll have to hold them open with scotch tape!"

"Well how about you, Emily?" Zack called as Emily headed for the door, grabbing her book bag. "How about taking care of yourself instead of concentrating solely on me? You haven't eaten, and there's your…"

"No problem: I already had my morning insulin shot, and I'll have Uncle Kevin stop at the corner bakery to grab a bagel on the way." After Zack had told Officer Kurtz about their personal history with the Rat Fangs, the older man had decided that, with the street gang on the loose, it would be wise if he escorted Emily to and from school, for safety's sake. "See you tonight!" With that, Emily was out the door. Smiling, Zack went to the cabinet to get a glass for orange juice. However, no sooner was the glass in his hand, that he was seized by a fresh wave of racking coughs. Zack bent over the kitchen sink, trying to regain composure, gasping for breath once the coughs had subsided. He was thankful Emily had left already. If she hadn't, she would have realized that something truly was wrong. Zack couldn't let that happen. It was not her job to look after him. He was the older brother. He was the one who looked after her, not the other way around. The weakening young man looked up at the mirror hanging above the sink, taking in his appearance. His cheeks had lost their color sometime ago, and his face looked terribly shrunken in. Emily was right. He was getting much too thin, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a week.

"Man, Zack," he hissed at himself, filling his glass with water and taking a long sip. "You're not gonna be able to hide this from her much longer."

Emily cheerfully talked with Officer Kurtz as the policeman drove her home in his squad car.

"So Emily," Officer Kurtz began. "Zack told me you were scheduled to have a test in health class today. How'd you like it?"

"Looooved it!" Emily replied, drawing out her words while grinning widely. "Especially question ten: List the symptoms of someone with Diabetes Mellitus. Absolutely perfect."

"Oh, do you think you remembered them all?" Officer Kurtz gasped in mock concern.

"I think I managed," Emily shrugged before the two laughed at their joke. "Who'd have thought that living with a disorder could actually be useful? What a concept! Hey, Nana wants to know!" Emily changed the subject. "You and your wife, Beverly, are stopping by next Friday for my birthday dinner, right? I'm turning fourteen this year, you know."

"No worries! That's a tradition we never miss. By the way. I have another hour before I need to start my shift. Want to stop at the electronics store to look at the cameras? You never replaced your old one."

"Thanks, Uncle Kevin, but I gotta check up on Zack," Emily replied quickly. "He's been really tired lately. I think he's getting stressed about that street gang, the Rat Fangs, again. And you know Zack, once he gets his mind set on something, almost nothing can distract him." The cop shook his head sadly. Emily apparently still hadn't forgiven herself for what happened a year ago, when her photography had led her into danger.

"Okay, see you later, then. Bye!" Officer Kurtz stopped in front of the Goodhall's apartment to drop Emily off, not driving off until she was indoors.

"Hey, Zack, I'm home!" Emily called, walking through the door. Her smile suddenly disappeared at the sight waiting for her. Zack was sprawled out on the floor, unmoving. Broken glass and orange juice stained the kitchen tiles next to him. "ZACK?" Emily dropped her things on a nearby stool and hurried over to her brother's body. "Zack, this isn't funny!"

Nana stood outside the hospital room, looking in on Emily, who was sitting rigidly next to Zack's bed, her eyes never leaving her brother. Zack was still unconscious, and with the heart monitors and IV bags he was hooked up to, the young man was not looking very good. Officer Kurtz was also in the room, but giving Emily a respectful distance.

"Are you quite sure your tests were right?" Nana asked, turning to Dr. Jordan, who she had been speaking with privately.

"We did the test twice, to make sure, but there's definitely no question of it now," Dr. Jordan replied. "The extreme weight and energy loss, shortness of breath, the high fever, and our recent tests show that Mr. Goodhall has also been experiencing severe diarrhea. I can tell you one thing, Mrs. Chang. He's not the first young man we've had with this condition, and I have a feeling he won't be the last." Nana cast a dark look into the room, where Emily was still sitting by Zack's side. She had not moved an inch.

Days passed. Zack's condition got worse each day. Emily only left Zack's room when her brother would insist she attend school, telling her that he'd rest easier knowing she wasn't risking her attendance and grades. However, Emily would head straight to the hospital room immediately after school and do the homework there. When Friday came around, Emily stopped by after school, as always, with Nana and Officer Kurtz accompanying her.

"Hi, Zack!" Emily greeted cheerfully. "Did the doctors say when you're gonna be allowed to come home?" Nana looked at Zack sharply. The expression on his face confirmed her suspicions. Zack had never told Emily how serious the situation was.

"Emily," Nana began. "I don't think you…"

"Nana," Zack shook his head slowly. The elderly woman stopped immediately. Changing the subject, Zack looked up Officer Kurtz. "Kevin, how are you doing tracking down the Rat Fangs?"

"We're… not so good, Zack." Officer Kurtz replied.

"Forget about it. You'll get them, sooner or later." Zack smiled at his partner confidently. "So, Emily." Zack turned to his sister. "Tell me. I lost track of the days. Today's your birthday, isn't it?" Zack gestured to the drawer on the bedside table. Emily opened it to reveal two brightly wrapped presents. "I asked Officer Kurtz and his wife, Beverly, to pick them up for you." Emily opened her birthday presents in silence. The first was a silver heart locket, which held a picture of her and Zack, taken the year before. The second gift made Emily's face fall slightly. It was a new Nikon camera. "The Nikon FM2," Zack announced. "Latest model. To replace the one that broke last year. It's time you stopped punishing yourself for what happened on that night, when the Rat Fangs almost got us again. Don't turn your back on photography, Cricket. It's a part of who you are."

"What happened to only one present a year?" Emily quipped. "Now I gotta get you two presents for your birthday." Zack shook his head sadly.

"I wanted to get you twice as much then I usually do for this birthday," Zack explained. "They're probably the last things I'll be able to get for you, so they really had to count."

"Aw, what are you talking about, Zack?" Emily sighed, as if talking to a three-year-old with a head cold, who was acting like they were at death's door. "You'll get better soon. It's like the ear infection I had when I was eleven. The medicine they gave me made me better. They'll get medicine for you, too."

"Emily," Zack took a rattling breath. "I'm sorry I kept this from you for so long. I've known for about a year now. I've never told you, because I didn't want you to worry. What I've got; there's no cure, or treatments. Not yet, anyway. I'm not going to get better. I can only get worse. Ask Dr. Jordan to tell you about it before you leave today."

"Zack, I… I don't understand." Emily, without understanding why, felt tears forming in her eyes. Nana, sensing that Zack wanted a private moment with Emily, stepped into the doorway, motioning for Officer Kurtz to join her. The falling young man took his sister's hand, and his eyes began to close.

"Listen closely, Emily. Whatever you do, don't stop taking pictures, and listen to Nana. Officer Kurtz has also agreed to check up on you for me, from time to time. Don't forget what I taught you, Cricket. Live on. Live on for me, and for Mom and Dad. All of us will always love you. Whatever happens, live strong, move forward, walk on your own. You've… got good strong legs, Emily. Get up and use them."

From the doorway, Nana found she could not watch anymore, and turned her head, just so she wouldn't have to see Zack's eyes close for the final time, or his grip on Emily's hand go limp as the heart monitor flat-lined.

Emily stood alone in front of Zack's grave, her brother's Yankees cap clutched in her hand. The service had ended about ten minutes ago, but she had not moved from the spot. She hardly even noticed it when Nana walked up behind her.

"Emily? I know there's nothing I can say to make things better for you," she began. "You've not only lost your parents, but now your brother as well. It is a terrible loss. It's cruel that you had to deal with things like this at your age. But you have to remember, it's not always going to hurt. You will always miss him, but the pain you're feeling now does go away. You must never forget that." Emily, instead of replying, glanced up at the cloudy sky.

"It's… going rain today," Emily stated, in a mater-of-fact tone.

"Yes. I suppose it is," Nana nodded. With a final glance at Zack's tombstone, Emily turned and walked off with Nana, pulling Zack's Yankees cap onto her head as she went.