Lillian was in the kitchen when she heard the running feet come into the house. She paused in cutting the biscuits out of the sheet of dough, about to call out a reminder not to run in the house when she heard Vincent call out.

"Miss Lillian, something is wrong with Mountie Gabe!"

"All I did was take hold of his hand," Christian added, panic in his voice. "We just wanted to show him the chickens."

Leaving the circular cutter in the dough, Lillian headed for the front door. Her heart beat quickly in her chest in concern for her husband. She paused only briefly to lay a reassuring hand on each of the boys' shoulders, murmuring a brief assurance to them as she headed outside.

Rushing out onto the porch, Lillian spotted Gabriel immediately. He was kneeling on the ground, one hand near his throat and his head bowed. Brian was kneeling next to him, a hand on Gabriel's back. The younger Mountie looked up as Lillian heard the door closing behind her. She had a feeling the two boys had followed her back outside but she did not bother looking back to confirm that. As she started across the yard toward the two Mounties though, Lillian did wonder where Billy was. He had been with the other two boys when they had come home from school.

Before she could ask about the boy though, Brian spoke.

"Billy ran toward the barn," Brain called to her, motioning toward the structure with the hand not on Gabriel's back. "You should go check on him. I will stay with Gabriel."

Lillian nodded even as she changed the direction of her hurried steps. As much as she wanted to go to Gabriel, she knew her husband was in good hands. She was sure that Brian knew how to handle a panic attack and from what Christian had said and what little she had seen, Lillian had a feeling that was what was going on.

Billy was probably as worried as Christian and Vincent had been. Lillian knew that Gabriel would want her to go to the boy in this situation, especially as he had Brian at his side.

Hoping that Billy had gone into the barn and had not kept running, Lillian stepped inside the barn. She paused just inside the door, giving her eyes time to adjust to the dimmer light. She heard the boy's sobs before she saw him. As her eyes adjusted, Lillian started toward the sound. She found Billy in Apollo's stall, his arms around the horse's neck. Apollo was standing patiently, clearly willing to let the boy seek comfort from him.

"Billy," Lillian said softly as she entered the stall. She closed the door softly behind her, not wanting to startle the boy or the horse. "What is wrong?" she asked, figuring the best way to proceed was to know what was going through the lad's head.

"I didn't mean to hurt, Gabe. Honest I didn't," Billy said, not lifting his head from the side of Apollo's neck.

"I know that, Billy," Lillian said softly. "So does, your Dad," she added, using the paternal reference for Gabriel despite Billy's use of his first name. She wasn't sure if it Billy's use of Gabe was intentional or just slipped out because he was upset but she thought it best not drawn attention to it. Reaching out, she rested a hand on his shoulder. "And you did not hurt him," she added.

"I did. I know I did, but all I did was take his hand," Billy said, finally turning to face Lillian. "Honestly, that is all I did, just like plenty of others times. This time he went stiff and I think he was having trouble breathing."

Lillian nodded and she knelt down in front of the boy. "It is called a panic attack. It is brought on by past traumas, just like your nightmares were," she told him, speaking quietly and softly as she reached out for Billy's hand. "Constable Peterson is out there helping him through it, and everything is going to be all right. It was scary though, wasn't it?"

Billy nodded. "So, he won't be mad? He will still let me call him Dad?"

Lillian's heart hurt at the questions. "It was not your fault, Billy. We didn't know about this trigger, just like I did not know about the trigger that caused your Dad to have a panic attack about a week ago. He did not blame me and he will not blame you."

"You promise?" Billy asked in a shaky voice.

"I promise," Lillian said without hesitation as she reached out to pull the boy into an embrace. Billy went into her arm willingly.

Lillian held the boy close, giving him the comfort that he needed. She knew that Billy needed this reassurance even though she wanted to go out and check on Gabriel. She wasn't sure how long they had been there when she felt a hand on her back.

Looking up, Lillian watched as a tired looking Gabriel knelt down next to both of them.

"I am sorry, I scared you, Billy," Gabriel said softly, placing his other hand on Billy's back.

Billy looked up at Gabriel. "I did not mean to upset you," he told Gabriel.

"I know you didn't," Gabriel assured him as Billy let go of Lillian and turned to embrace Gabriel. "None of you boys did anything wrong," he assured him. "I know you were just excited to show me something and I cannot explain why I had the reaction that I did, but we will figure it out," Gabriel promised him.

"You still want to be my Dad."

"Yes, Billy. Nothing is going to change the fact that I want to be your Dad," Gabriel told him.

Lillian blinked away tears. She was not sure which one to be more concerned about. Billy, who was scared that any little thing he did wrong might cause him to lose what he had found or her husband who had suffered a panic attack because two boys had taken his hands.

What Lillian was sure of was that Gabriel looked exhausted. At the very least she wanted to get him inside the house where he could relax on the settee. She had no illusion that she would get Gabriel to lie down and rest if he thought Billy needed him, but she was determined to at least get him inside. She knew the key to that was simply to get Billy to head inside.

"Billy, how about we all head inside. You, Christian and Vincent can tell Gabriel about your day while I finish dinner," Lillian suggested. "Then perhaps after dinner you can show Gabriel the chickens."

Billy released his hold on Gabriel as he took a step back. "All right," the boy replied to Lillian's suggestion though he was looking at Gabriel. "Though we can show you the chickens some other time."

"I want to see the chickens," Gabriel assured the boy, getting to his feet. He held out a hand to the lad and Billy tentatively reached out for it.

Lillian found herself holding her breath. Would the action trigger another attack? Thankfully, nothing happened. Whatever had caused the panic attack earlier, did not seem to be present this time.

As they left the stall, Lillian made sure the stall door was secured behind her. When Gabriel reached out for her with his other arm, she willingly but tentatively, let him pull her close. Like Billy, Lillian was worried about causing another panic attack. Thankfully, as the three of them left the barn, Gabriel seemed fine other than being tired. All the same, she was relieved to have Brian nearby, the other Mountie having waited by the barn entrance. He fell in step behind the trio as they headed toward the house.

The room was dark. Outlines of familiar shapes were the only thing that could be seen. Nothing seemed out of place until his arms were grabbed. He struggled to free himself but the hands gripping his held tightly. He could feel fingers digging into his skin. Something looped around his neck. He tried to call out but his words were cut off as the rough material looped around his neck tightened.

Gabriel struggled, trying to reach up to loosen whatever was around his neck. He couldn't break free. He couldn't loosen the material. He couldn't breathe. His vision started to blur.

Then the pressure was gone. Gabriel took in a desperate gasp of air.

"We were not going to hurt him. This was not the plan."

Gabriel looked up to see Walter and Randy in front of him. In front of the two of them were Lillian and Billy. The two were kneeling on the ground in front of Randy, wrists bound in front of them, cleave gags in their mouths.

"I am done with the plan," Randy replied, idly lifting his gun and shooting Walter. The teenager fell to the ground. Gabriel jumped at the sound. Recovering he was about to ask for Lillian and Billy to be let go when the material looped around his neck tightened again. Gabriel struggled futilely to break free of whatever or whoever held his arms. Before him, he saw the panicked expressions of Lillian and Billy even as his vision started to blur again.

Gabriel came awake with a gasp. Even as he put one hand to his throat searching for the invisible noose, he became aware of a weight on his left shoulder. Glancing that way, he saw the wavy outline of Lillian's hair as she lay next to him. So far, it seemed his nightmare had not disturbed her.

Gabriel rubbed his throat absently. He could still feel the rough material around his neck despite the fact that it was never really there.

The nightmare had changed. Gabriel had a feeling the panic attack from the afternoon had causedthose changes. He hated that he had scared the boys. Billy and Christian's panic was a sight that he did not think he could forget any time soon. Both boys had apologized numerous times. Gabriel hoped he had managed to assure them that it wasn't their fault. Though he was not sure what had caused the attack he had asked the boys to be aware of more than one of them grabbing his hands for the time being. He had yet to have an issue with one child taking his hand but this was the first, time two of them had. All three boys had promised with solemn tones to be careful.

Gabriel sighed. He hated that this was not only affecting him but Lillian and the children as well.

Afraid that if he remained in the bed he would wake Lillian, Gabriel carefully slipped his arm from underneath Lillian's head. Carefully, he settled his wife's head on her pillow. A strand of hair had fallen across her face, and Gabriel reached out and brushed it aside. Lillian made a little sigh in her sleep but did not open her eyes.

Slipping from the bed, Gabriel made sure Lillian was properly covered before turning for his robe. Slipping it on, he put his feet into his house slippers and quietly left the room. He did not think he was falling back asleep anytime soon but he did not want to wake Lillian. There was no need for them both to be awake.

Padding down the hallway, Gabriel peeked into the boys' room. With Brian in Billy's room, Billy was using the bed that Fred use to sleep in. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, Gabriel could see the outline of all three sleeping boys. He may have scared them but at least the incident didn't seem to be disrupting their sleep.

Gabriel made his way downstairs and slipped outside. The fresh air, though on the cold side, felt refreshing. Sitting down in one of the chairs on the porch, Gabriel sat down, crossing his arms so that he could tuck his hands between the sleeves and the main part of the bathrobe to keep them warm.

Looking out over the darkened landscape, Gabriel found his thoughts drifting to Walter. Where was he and the men he was hanging out with? Had the group committed another robbery or were they still making it by on what they had taken from the Royal Brookfield? Were they still in Canada? Was Walter all right? Though Charlie had seemed protective of his brother, Randy at least had seemed more annoyed by Walter's presence. Gabriel had a feeling that if it was up to him, Walter would not even be with them.

As he had yet to hear any news pertaining to the Mounties' search for the group, Gabriel assumed that there were no developments on that front. Not for the first time, Gabriel wondered what the best scenario would be for Walter. On one hand, the whole group belonged behind bars, Walter included. Perhaps if he was arrested and served the time then Walter would be able to start over. On the other hand, finding the group was one thing. Apprehending them was something else. People could get hurt during that and Gabriel couldn't help but think that Walter was the mostly likely to be hurt giving his age and inexperience.

Though he had a feeling he would not find any answers to those questions tonight, Gabriel continued to stare out into the night. Pondering things was more appealing than closing his eyes and letting the nightmare return.

Lillian opened her eyes, sensing something was wrong. As she let her eyes focus in the darkness, she listened. No unusual sounds reached her ears, though she realized her head was on her pillow and not Gabriel's shoulder. Turning her head to the right, she realized her husband's side of the bed was empty. Reaching a hand out, she discovered the sheet was cold to the touch. Wherever he was, he had been up for a while.

Though she felt concern, she was not alarmed. If Gabriel had been called out, not only did she feel like any knock at the door would have woken her, but she was confident that Gabriel would not go out without telling her. Fully expecting to find her husband somewhere downstairs, Lillian threw back the blankets and slipped from the bed. Like Gabriel hours earlier, she slipped her feet into her slippers and grabbed her bathrobe. As she went downstairs, Lillian tied the sash.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Lillian could tell that the diningroom was empty. As no light came from either direction, she had no indication of where Gabriel might be. She checked in the kitchen first. It was as empty like the dining room. Walking softly back through the dining room, Lillian stepped into the sitting room hoping to see Gabriel sitting somewhere in the room. However, even in the dim light of the moonlight, Lillian saw no outline of a person in the room.

Now feeling a little worried, Lillian headed for the front door. Realizing that it was unlocked, she wondered why Gabriel would have gone outside. Opening the door, she stepped out onto the porch.

"Looking for me?" a quiet voice asked.

Lillian looked to her left to see Gabriel sitting in the closest chair.

"I was," Lillian told him pulling the door shut. "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep and the fresh air was appealing," Gabriel told her.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Lillian asked.

"Yes," Gabriel admitted.

"The same one?" Lillian asked, having heard about the nightmare that had haunted Gabriel since his abduction involving Walter and Randy.

"More or less," Gabriel told her, having shared the dream of Randy shooting Walter and then watching him suffocate.

Lillian sensed a hesitation in her husband. She knew the more or less meant that there was something different about this dream. Lillian also knew that she was not about to let this moment to get him to open up slide. She was not sure how long Gabriel had been sitting out here in the dark, but she knew it had been long enough for his side of the bed to cool. That, coupled with the panic attack earlier in the afternoon was enough for her to want to try to get Gabriel to share with her. He might not want her to help him with getting over the panic attacks but she fully intended to be there for him.

Walking over to the chair, Lillian sat in her husband's lap. Without hesitation, Gabriel wrapped his arms around her as she slipped one arm across his shoulders. Reaching up, she placed her other hand against his cheek.

"Did the change to the dream involve me or any of the children?" Lillian asked, looking into Gabriel's eyes. In the dim light she couldn't read the emotion in his expression or in his eyes but she could feel the connection between them.

Lillian waited patiently for Gabriel to answer, not wanting to rush him but knowing that she was not going to let this go. She would sit here with him as long as it took to get him to open up.

"Yes," Gabriel finally admitted, as he reached up with one hand to take the hand she had against his cheek. Looking down, he placed a soft kiss to the back of her hand even as he continued talking. "Most of the elements are still the same. I am being restrained. There is something around my neck, and Randy shoots Walter. The difference is, you and Billy are there to, on your knees, in front of Randy. I can see the panic on both of your faces as I am struggling to breathe. Just like I saw the panic on those boys' faces yesterday afternoon. I hated that I was scaring them but I couldn't do anything to comfort them. What if Billy had run off? It would have been my fault."

Lillian shook her head. "It would not have been your fault. You went through a traumatic experience, Gabriel. It is understandable that you are dealing with emotional issues from that experience and I am here for you. Just like we will both be there for those boys to help with any emotional issues this causes them. We are a family and what happens to one of us affects all us. That is the way family works."

"I took Billy in to protect him, Lillian, not put him through more."

"This is not like what Billy went through before, Gabriel," Lillian told him. She pulled her hand from his grasp and placed her fingers under Gabriel's chin, gently lifting his gaze to hers again. "The other adults in Billy's life hurt him intentionally or because they just did not care. You care about that boy and he cares about you. That is why he was frightened this afternoon but think about where he ran too. He ran to Apollo. He ran to your horse because though Billy did not know what to do for you, he wanted to be close to you."

"I am just sorry I am putting you and the kids through this."

"Please, do not be sorry," Lillian told him, moving her hand to his cheek again. "We do not need your apologies in this. We just need you, panic attacks and all. Just do not shut us out and we'll all get through this."

Gabriel nodded in response, unable to reply due to the emotions welling up inside him. Lillian felt his hold on her tighten and she willingly let him hold her close, sliding her hand to the back of his head as she rested her cheek against his.

Lillian was not sure what helping her husband through this was going to look like but she was determined to show him that he would not go through this alone.