"Good grief! You don't have to protect me, you know. I am a big girl."

Eighteen year old Trixie Belden put her hands on her hips in mock frustration as she narrowed her eyes teasingly at her best friend Honey Wheeler. The two of them were playing a game of Scrimshee on the veranda of Manor House, and Honey was doing everything she could to avoid landing on Trixie's game pieces.

"Well, I've played this a lot more than you have," Honey said quietly. "I just didn't want to be unfair. It's the only thing I was good at when I went to boarding school."

"Hey, you just give me time to practice, and you won't feel the need to let me win." Trixie promised. "I'll get the hang of it."

"Okay, in that case…" Honey reached across the patio table and made a final move to win the game. She could tell by Trixie's facial expression that the petite blonde had no idea why she had just lost.

"I win." The taller girl said evenly.

"What?" Trixie was genuinely confused but started laughing at the irony of the moment. "Okay, so maybe I need a lot of time to practice."

The two girls laughed together.

Trixie shook her curls in disbelief and then started helping her friend put the game away. "You weren't kidding when you said you were good at this."

Despite the trivial nature of the success, Honey couldn't help but beam proudly. She didn't often get the opportunity to enjoy a victory over her quick-witted friend. Of course, it would have been against her nature to gloat; certainly, she was tempted. Instead, she settled for sending the other girl a big grin and a look that said, "I told you so."

"Do you want to go back inside?" Honey asked.

"Nah, I like it outside. It's really not too hot. Wow, I can't believe it's June, and we can still sit out here without sweating to death. The breeze is good." Trixie flopped down on a chaise lounge and started rapping her fingers on the armrest. "Honey, where did you say Jim went this morning?"

"He went to the post office. Said he had some paperwork to send off about his classes for fall semester. You know, with Dan finding out about his cancer and all, I'm really glad Jim decided to come home for the summer. Dan needs us."

"Absolutely." Trixie said with a slap of her hand on the white chair. "I know Brian would've wanted to be home, but he can't afford to take any time off. Not if he's gonna get into medical school."

She gave her friend a sympathetic look, and Honey knew exactly what Trixie was about to say.

"Personally, I think he works too hard. You know what I mean?"

Honey did know. Brian Belden was definitely a workaholic.

"He's determined, alright" Honey said with a sigh. She tried to act casual and not show her disappointment in Brian's decision to stay away at school, but she knew Trixie would easily pick up on her mood.

"Hey, don't get down, Honey. I know for a fact he's coming back in a few weeks. There's…um… something very special he's gotta do."

"Oh, really?" Honey asked. She didn't want to sound too eager, but she hoped that Brian's plans included asking her to his school's fall formal. It was the social event of the year at the university where he attended classes. She wanted to go with him badly, and she had even seen the perfect dress for the occasion in a store in White Plains.

"Mmm Hmmm." Trixie said with a wink. "He didn't give me too many details, but I think it's something you're gonna like."

Honey gripped the arms of her chair to keep from jumping up and down with excitement. She knew it wouldn't be very ladylike. Her heart was suddenly doing flips and she couldn't stop her mouth from smiling ear to ear.

"Oh Trixie!" She gasped. "You're not going to tell me what it is, are you?"

The freckled faced girl simply nodded her head side to side and folded her arms over her chest to show that she couldn't be persuaded to spill her older brother's secret.

"Just know that you will deem it to be 'perfectly perfect' when it happens."

"I think I'll die if I have to wait until then!" The girl giggled at the use of her friend's favorite phrase.

They were both giddy and silly with excitement at the prospect of Honey attending the dance with Brian when Trixie suddenly froze in her position and made a sour face. Honey turned to see what could have made the girl react in such a way. She soon realized that her friend had spied her cousin, Hallie Belden, coming towards them from a distance.

"Oh no." Trixie groaned. "I don't want to deal with her, now."

"I thought you two were getting along really well." Honey said with confusion. "You seemed happy to see her the other day when she first got here."

"Yeah, well, that was before we started getting on each other's nerves again."

"Wow, two days and you are already fighting, huh?" Honey had to stifle a laugh because she knew the real reason why Trixie and Hallie couldn't get along. They were too much alike.

She considered all the times her adopted brother Jim Frayne and their friend Dan Mangan disagreed about things. It almost seemed constant. But, she knew the reality was that the two of them had so much in common and were both so stubborn that they just couldn't win with each other. Even though it made her sad to see them argue, Honey found it almost comical to watch. At the times when the boys did decide to stop bickering, they were always fiercely protective of one other.

She knew the same thing was true for Trixie and Hallie.

Of course, with Hallie and Diana Lynch becoming closer friends lately, Honey wondered if Trixie's recent frustration with her cousin wasn't more about jealousy. Also, Dan, Hallie, Mart, and Di had already been on a double date since Hallie got into town, but Trixie's dating relationship with Jim just didn't seem to be getting off the ground very quickly.

Honey suddenly felt sorry for her friend.

Why can't Jim be clearer about his feelings? He knows Trixie's not too young to date, now.

She watched Hallie draw nearer and felt Trixie beginning to grow tense. A thought suddenly entered her mind.

"Trixie, has Dan told Hallie about…you know…the cancer?" Honey whispered.

"I should hope so. I mean, he waited until she got here so he could do it in person, and he took her off alone for a walk yesterday. I guess I haven't asked…"

With a quick look to indicate that Hallie might be close enough to hear them, Honey silenced her friend and then stood to wave the dark haired teen over.

"Hey, Hallie. Come on up here. We were just hanging out for a while."

"Oh yeah? Sounds fun." Hallie drawled. "I just left Di's place. Mart was helping her watch her little brothers and sisters. Boy, am I glad I'm the youngest in my family!"

"You said it!" Trixie said with a snort. "Those Lynch twins can be a handful. I mean, Bobby can test you, but those kids are wild!"

As Hallie stepped up onto the veranda and took a seat across from the two girls, Honey was glad to see that the ice had been broken and Trixie was relaxing once again. Maybe they wouldn't start an argument with each other, after all.

"Have either of you seen Dan?" Hallie asked, suddenly looking shy. "He told me to meet him at the barn this afternoon, but I haven't seen him…"

"Oh, Regan took him into town with him earlier." Honey said quickly. "They should be back soon."

Trixie and Honey exchanged looks. They both knew Dan had a doctor's appointment.

And Hallie noticed the silent communication.

"What was that all about?" Hallie asked. She had a way of being strikingly direct.

As if Hallie's words were a match thrown into a dry haystack, Trixie flamed up with irritation.

"Maybe it's not anything for you to worry about."

"Well, if it involves my boyfriend, then I think it is." Hallie shot back quickly.

"Okay, um, let's just calm down." Honey interjected gently.

Hallie jumped to her feet and acted like she had been scalded with hot water.

"I'm getting a little tired of the way everyone is being secretive when they talk about Dan." She said hotly. "He's even acting really strange. What's going on? I'm not stupid, you know. I see the looks and notice the whispering." She stepped closer to Trixie and her dark eyes seemed to plead with her cousin. "Is he seeing someone else?"

Honey noticed the usually tough Hallie swallowing hard, and she was afraid the girl was about to cry.

The dark skinned teen peered down at her fair cousin. Her voice took on an uncharacteristically soft tone.

"Is…is he trying to…to break up with me?"

"Hallie…" Trixie started.

"He sure acted like it yesterday, during our walk. I mean, he started to say something really heavy…you know? Then…he chickened out. I…I've never seen him do anything like that. What is it? Is there someone else?"

"No. Hallie, listen…" Trixie tried again.

"Because I can take it, if he's just not interested in keeping up this long distance thing. I can understand. But…you know…I am thinking about moving out here… and going to art school. That's something Di and I were just talking about…"

Honey's heart was breaking for the girl.

"Hallie, just stop!" Trixie finally shouted. She quickly stood up and grabbed her cousin by the shoulders. "He's crazy about you, and you know it. It's not that."

The sudden sound of an approaching vehicle made the three girls turn and take notice. In Honey's mind, it was a welcome distraction from the intensity of the present conversation; that is, until she realized that the truck making its way up the drive was none other than that belonging to Bill Regan.

Will Dan be angry if comes over here and sees Trixie telling Hallie his news? Honey wondered.

Immediately, she didn't feel very good about the situation and couldn't think of any positive outcome for it. She stood in strained silence with the other two girls, watching Regan and Dan as they exited the truck and began walking towards them.

"Well, hello." Dan said with a grin. "What are you girls up to?"

"Um…we…" Trixie didn't know how to address the awkward moment he was walking into.

As if she had had suddenly decided that she was the only person brave enough to tackle the real issue at hand, Hallie took a deep breath and then quickly maneuvered between Trixie and Honey to step down from the veranda and stand firmly in front of her boyfriend.

"I want to know what's going on. And don't tell me 'nothing' is going on."

Honey could see the shocked expression on Regan's face as he took a step back from this scene. He clearly wished he wasn't watching this.

"Okay. I won't tell you it's nothing." Dan said quietly.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Hallie was direct again.

Dan surprised them all with a hearty laugh. He shook his head and tried to take Hallie's hands in his, but she pulled them away.

"No, Babe," he laughed again, "I couldn't make it without you. I'd be stupid to even think about such a thing."

"Then…what…" Hallie looked hurt and confused.

Honey saw a dark and rigid expression flash across Dan's face unlike any she had ever seen before. Like his laughter a moment earlier, it was completely unexpected.

But Hallie didn't seem as shocked by it as the others did.

She mirrored the same look and studied him cautiously, as if she knew exactly what was coming.

"Danny, say it straight." She pleaded.

"I'm sick." It was simply stated, but his words caused Hallie to physically stagger.

"That's why I didn't make it into the police academy. It's the same thing Mom had."

"Don't …okay…that's enough. I…don't think I can hear anymore." Hallie said, throwing up a hand and spinning around to walk stiffly away. Her face was stone and her movements were deliberate.

Dan quickly caught up to her and jumped in her path. He didn't touch her, and she didn't look up, but his presence made her stop walking.

"Don't you forget what you promised me." Hallie's voice sounded hollow and robotic as she spoke to the ground between her feet and Dan's.

"When Luke and his guys had us tied up at the Inn. I was scared to death, and you said that you couldn't promise me that we'd get out of there alive, but as long as you had breath, you would fight. You said you'd go down fighting. You promised. Do you remember that?" Hallie looked up then, and Honey was amazed that there were no tears. Only a blank stare.

"I remember." Dan said evenly.

"You promised. You said you'd fight to the end. You wouldn't give up. You promised me."

Honey felt her breath being choked by the lump rising in her throat, and she couldn't help but scan the faces of Regan and Trixie to see if Hallie's words were also ripping them apart.

What she saw was that Trixie had tears streaming down her face, but Regan had bowed his head and closed his eyes.

Is he praying or trying not to look? Honey wondered.

"Please…Danny…you promised me." Hallie breathed out desperately. "You promised me."

"I did. I did. Okay. I won't give up. We won't give up. It's alright. We'll fight it together." Dan's voice suddenly seemed void of all emotion as he pulled his girlfriend close to him and let her sink against his chest. There were no tears, no movements, just clinging and staring from both of them.

"Then…then it's gonna be alright." Hallie finally murmured into Dan's shirt. "It's gonna be fine. Either way. Right?"

"Right."

Honey wished Hallie would just cry and get it over with, but the stoic look on the girl's face wouldn't change. And Dan looked as if Hallie were the one facing a terrible disease.

"Either way, Babe. It's going to be fine." He whispered into her hair.

"Alright." Hallie said, decidedly. "Either way. Then, I'm gonna promise you something."

She stepped away from him and looked him deliberately in the face. Honey had never seen the girl look so intense.

"I promise I'll be here every chance I get. You won't fight alone. You know I mean it, too. Every chance I get."

"Good. Because I need you." Dan choked out.

"Good." Hallie mimicked. She threw herself in his arms again.

Honey marveled at Hallie's strength. Not a single tear did she shed, despite the fact that she was obviously blown away with emotion.

You're not made of steel! Honey wanted to shout at her.

But later, she was glad that Honey didn't fall apart that day, because she began to realize that a day of even greater shock and hurt was yet to come.