Present Day: Trixie's POV

"What do you mean you knew I'd feel this way?"

Trixie Frayne watched as her brother Brian threw his hands up and spun away from his oldest son Matt. The boy had been sent to her office to wait for his father who had been called to Ten Acres Academy to address the issue of the teen hitting another student during lunch.

"Of course I'm upset, Matt. This isn't like you." The older man stopped walking around the room and turned back to his son. "I know what Brandon said wasn't right, but you can't just lose your cool like this and not expect some punishment."

"But it's a big game, Dad! Uncle Jim said he'd think about still letting me play Friday night if you agreed to it. Look, I'm sorry, okay. I'll go to in-school suspension for the rest of the week. I promise. And…you can ground me. Please, I have to play in that game!"

"No, Matthew. I don't think that would be fair. You know the rules. No fighting or you sit out a game."

Matt's face fell, and he stared down at his hands. It was as if not playing football was worse than death.

"Our guys don't stand a chance now. With Daniel and me both gone…"

Trixie had to look away to keep from feeling sorry for the young man. She knew this was very difficult for him. Before she could stop herself from giving in to the temptation, she leaned down beside her nephew and gave him a quick wink.

"Oh, don't feel so bad, Matt. I happen to know that your father once lost his cool in a pretty bad way."

Without even looking up at him, she could feel Brian's stare telling her to keep quiet.

But, Trixie wasn't known for doing what others expected of her.

"Want to know what happened?" She asked her nephew with a small laugh.

"You wouldn't dare!" Brian barked out quickly.

Matt's eyes suddenly sparkled with intrigue.

"Is this about that time when you all were kids and Dad tried to make Uncle Martin run away and join the military?"

"Oh, yeah. I'd forgotten about that one. Who told you that story?"

"Uncle Mart, of course."

Brian stepped closer to the both of them and flashed a serious look that made the boy and his aunt stop their chuckles quickly.

"Come on, Trix," he said softly, "this is serious. What if he'd really hurt that boy?"

Trixie knew her older brother was right. After all, what kind of assistant principal would she be if she didn't impress upon Matt the severity of his actions. But, at the same time, all her years of dealing with children and teens had taught her that mercy could sometimes be just as effective as reproach.

She knew by the look on Matt's face he'd never do anything like this again.

"Oh, I think Matt's learned his lesson, Brian." Trixie said with her business voice. She stepped behind her desk and picked up the discipline referral form the cafeteria worker filled out about the incident. "But, just in case he needs another reminder, I think it best for me to take Matthew up on his offer to serve in-school suspension for the rest of the week."

She heard the teen groan under his breath.

"Now, if you keep your end of the deal and make sure you don't punch out your friends anymore, I'll tell you about the time your father socked Regan in the face."

Later that evening…(Brian's POV)

An unusually cold autumn wind blew through the screens on the upstairs windows and made an eerie noise that permeated throughout the Belden family's extravagantly large townhouse. Before saying goodnight, Doctor Brian Belden sat on the edge of his son's bed and waited for the question he knew the boy was bound to ask him, now that they were alone.

"So, Aunt Trixie said it was because you caught him and Hallie kissing, but I know there had to be more to it than that. You two always seemed close to me. Why did you really hit Uncle Bill?" Matt looked up at his father and searched his face.

The reason hadn't been spoken out loud to many people before, and Brian still wasn't sure he wanted to go through with this. But, somehow, he knew Matt needed the answer. He needed to know that he wasn't the only one who'd felt like his cousin depended on him to set some things straight.

Will Hallie hate me if I share this?

Brian knew Matt wasn't the type to go and tell, but he also knew this was something Hallie hadn't ever even told Dan. He bit the bullet and started spilling the details before he could think twice about it.

"Once, when Dan was still alive, Hallie confided in me that she'd… lost her virginity… to someone who'd…well, kind of…hurt her. And it wasn't Dan. She wouldn't… tell me who it was, but she said she was terrified of Dan finding out… because she said it was… someone he knew."

Matt squirmed uncomfortably on his bed.

"What do you mean by…he…hurt her? Do you mean…um…rape?"

Brian wished he hadn't started this conversation.

"Honestly, Matt, she never would go into too much detail. That's what I assume, but…I still don't know the whole story."

"And you…thought it must have been Regan when you saw them kissing? But, why?"

"I don't know. At that moment, it had…sort of…made sense. The way she…tried so hard to keep it from Dan…I don't know. Looking back now, I realize how stupid that was. Regan would never have done something like that. I mean, he probably never even looked twice at Hallie until after Dan died. "

"Then, who do you think it was?"

"Luke." Brian said quickly.

Matt seemed to shudder at the name. He'd been told stories about the violent leader of The Cowhands, Dan's old gang. Brian didn't think he needed to say anything more.

After a short while of silence, Brian reached over and patted his son on the arm. "What's in the past is past," he said pointedly. "No more fights for either of us, okay?"

But, before he could rise to leave, Brian felt Matt grab his arm and bid him to stay.

"Dad, I…I won't say anything about this. Not even to Daniel."

"Thank you, son. I knew I could trust you."

"And, about Ashley…you know…Daniel's girlfriend…"

Brian felt his stomach churn. He held up his hand to stop Matt mid-sentence.

"I understand why you didn't tell us about that, too. It's okay."

Brian wanted to quickly end this discussion and leave before he lost his composure. He couldn't ever remember his own father becoming an emotional wreck in his presence, and he wasn't about to do such a thing in front of his own son.

"Sleep tight, and don't worry about anything else night."

He started to rise again.

"But, I can't help but worry." Matt's strangled voice stopped him. The boy swallowed hard and reached out to touch his father's arm again before continuing.

"Dad, I never realized how close to death we all are until Daniel got hurt. I mean…he really could have died out there if Uncle Mart and Uncle Bobby hadn't…"

"Matt, it's okay. You're tired, you've had a very eventful day, and everything seems worse when you're…"

"No, it's not because of that! Dad, what's Daniel gonna do if Ashley dies? Huh? What's he gonna do? He's crazy about her! I see you and Mom…heck… our whole family… freak out about Dan all the time, but…it was never really real to me until now. I mean, I didn't know him, so…it didn't hurt…until…oh my Gosh! Dad, he was Daniel's father, and now he's dead. I just…I guess it never hit me until now. What are we gonna do if Ashley dies? Daniel's tough, but I don't think he could take that."

The boy fought back his tears furiously, and Brian had to bite down his own emotion to be what his son needed him to be at that moment.

"I know that you worry about Daniel, but don't. He's got enough of his father…and his great uncle… in him to survive anything."

"I…I don't know…"

"Well, I do. Look, did he ever…tell you about the treasure hunt Dan set up for Bobby?"

Matt looked stunned.

"How did you know about that?"

"Bobby showed a few of the letters to me once. I take it Daniel told you about how he recently helped Bobby find the last one?"

Matt fingered the edge of his blanket and chewed his lip. The boy's action was so reminiscent of his mother that it made Brian feel warm inside.

"Yeah, and I got to see some of the other letters, too. I was at the cabin helping out with patrol one day when Uncle Bobby gave Daniel a few of the things his dad left behind…I guess he thought he should have them. Stuff like his grandfather's old tin soldiers. It really meant something to Daniel."

Brian was beginning to understand what Matt's fears were all about, and he decided that his original plan to use the concept of the letters to comfort his son was not going to work.

"Did it scare you a little to see them? To know that the person who wrote them was about your age? And now, he's dead?"

Matt looked up at his father and nodded mutely.

"It's always a shock the first time you realize that everyone dies. Believe me, I know how you feel, Matt. I was about your age when it hit me."

"And now, you see a lot of death at work, don't you?" Matt asked quietly.

"Well, it's different with my patients, because they are older. Most of them are ready to go. You know, Matt, when the elderly die of natural causes they usually see things…like visions I guess. Sometimes, it's familiar places or items from their youth. If they can still communicate, some talk about bright colors or animals. A lot of them say they see people coming for them…you know… near the end. And, they always want to go with that person, too. It's really comforting."

"Was it like that with Dan?" Matt almost seemed afraid to ask.

Brian had to force himself to keep the reality of that memory from surfacing in his face. He knew Matt would be able to see how much that event had affected him, and he couldn't let himself be that vulnerable. He closed his eyes briefly.

"No, Matt. It was quiet and peaceful for Dan, but honestly…there wasn't much comfort in it. Hallie went nuts and Regan…he…he wasn't even there. Trixie and I didn't even have time to process what happened. We were too busy trying to keep Hallie together. She'd made herself be brave for too long, and I think maybe … it finally caught up with her."

Why am I telling him all this? He'll never get to sleep, now! What kind of father am I? Brian chastised himself.

Surprisingly, the candid revelation appeared to have given Matt some small moment of peace from his fears.

"I never knew your cousin had so many bad things happen to her." Matt said in awe. "I guess that's why Daniel is so tough, huh?"

"I guess so," Brian said with a smile. He looked at his son lovingly and saw a hint of his own father's face. He suddenly wanted to go call the man and seek his wisdom about all of this.

Did I do this the same why Dad would have done with me?

After a few minutes of silence, Matt's voice interrupted his father's thoughts.

"Do you think Daniel's wrong to go out with Ashley? I did…um…try to talk him out of it."

"I think that's something he needs to talk to his parents about."

"Are you gonna tell them? Or, do you think Uncle Jim already did?"

Brian let out a sigh and patted his son's hand.

"I think after today, Daniel will tell them himself."

"What if he doesn't?"

The older man had to shake his head and laugh. His son was a worrier just like he was.

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," he said gently.

The good doctor stood and switched off the bedside lamp with a quiet click and then stooped to kiss his oldest child on the top of the head.

"I love you, Matthew. That's why I tell all of you that every day. Because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow."

"I love you, too, Dad."

As Brian stepped down the hall to bid goodnight to his other two children, he began to imagine what sorts of questions they might have for him about what happened at school that day. He took a deep breath and tried to psych himself up for more difficult parenting.

It's going to be a long night, he thought to himself.

I'm feeling more and more like Dan…trying to send out my own "messages" before time runs out – to answer many questions, I'm not necessarily from any one place (part Brit – part other stuff –all American, now)– I travel – a lot. Soon, I'm to be in a location where I won't have access to a computer, and I want to get all of this out before I go – in case I can't get back for a really long time (it's a long story – again, sounds like Dan – but my going is a good thing – will help many people – can't quite disclose nature of trips)

Anyway, if I don't get it all out there, forgive me and stay tuned…some of you really have encouraged me to keep editing and posting – even when gaining access to do so has been VERY difficult.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll try to keep the torch burning a bit longer…