WARNING: I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO REALLY EDIT THIS ONE – IT'S CHOPPY AND SUCH – ONLY HAVE ACCESS TO COMPUTER FOR A SHORT TIME TODAY AND WANTED TO UPLOAD SOMETHING – CHARACTERS AREN'T MINE - ENJOY

Present Day: Trixie's POV

Oh yes, it's going to be a long night, Trixie Frayne thought to herself.

She looked out the window of her kitchen, out across the courtyard that separated her family's private residence from their place of work, and she marveled at the autumn moon shining brightly over the rooftops of the Ten Acres Children's Home. It was all she could do keep from worrying about the new set of twins she and her husband had taken into care there earlier in the day.

They probably won't sleep a wink.

She tried in vain to stop herself from conjuring up mental images of the toddlers' small faces looking nervously around the sleeping room, their small, pudgy arms clinging to the night staff, their tiny ears only half listening to the bedtime stories. She knew she couldn't take them all home with her at the end of the day, but it didn't make it any easier to leave them. Especially when they were new.

They'll adjust. Children are so resilient, she told herself.

The petite blonde took her coffee and quietly padded to the cozy living room. Her husband Jim and her daughter Emily were already asleep for the night, and she was waiting up for her oldest daughter, Katie.

A soft mewing made the woman pause before sitting down in the recliner. It was the family cat, Sherlock. He was rolling playfully on his back on the sofa, trying to get his owner's attention, and it was obvious that he did not want Trixie to sit so far away from him.

"Oh Sherl," Trixie laughed, "Of course I'll sit with you and give you a good scratch." She took the fat feline into her lap while scooting onto the couch.

As she sat and rubbed her hands through her pet's soft fur, the late night stillness put Trixie in a pensive mood; she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. She thought about the current supply needs of the children's home and the private academy. She mused over the events of the staff meeting that morning. She began to analyze a conversation she had with her husband at lunch. All sorts of ideas ran rampant through her mind.

And then, the hushed moment reminded her of another night when her cousin had arrived very late to Crabapple Farm. It was the same day Trixie and Hallie had fought publicly while their friend Dan Mangan had been going through chemotherapy. It was the very day Trixie had vowed that she would never fight with her cousin again.

(Flashback)*****

"Hallie, where have you been?" Trixie sat up quickly in her bed and questioned her cousin as the dark haired girl was quietly slipping into her room. "My parents have been worried sick. Did they talk to you downstairs?"

"Look, unlike you, everyone else in this house seems to understand that I've had a pretty long day – a day that started at about four o'clock this morning," she checked her watch, "…let me rephrase that…four o'clock yesterday morning, and ended up with me watching my boyfriend fighting for his life in some second rate hospital where I was sexually harassed by some sperm clinic sleazebag and I was called a whore by my cousin and…"

"That is not what I said!" Trixie huffed. "Why do you always twist my words around?"

"Whatever. The point is…I don't want to talk right now. I'm sorry you have to share your room with me, alright? If it makes you feel any better, I'll go stay with Di tomorrow. Let's just get some sleep."

Trixie was fuming, but she saw the other girl's exhaustion and knew it was no time to fan the flames. She slid over in the bed to make room for the other teen while Hallie went quietly to her bag to fetch her toothbrush. After the taller girl had finished her preparations for bed and had climbed in beside her cousin, she surprised Trixie by being the first to apologize.

"I'm sorry, Trix. I didn't mean to yell at you. I've just really had a rough day."

"I know. I'm…I'm sorry, too. And I wasn't trying to call you a…you know. That's not what I said at all."

Hallie rolled over to face her.

"But, that's how it felt. It was bad enough the way that Mike Colby looked at me when he talked about Dan's 'sexual history,' but to have you say I was bringing shame on our family…"

"I said I was sorry. You know, you should really watch what you say, Hallie."

Trixie thought of all the times she, herself, had said things that were rude or bold; however, she knew that vulgarity was not something anyone could accuse her of. Sometimes, she thought Hallie just said such things for shock value.

"I guess maybe you're right about me." Hallie pressed her lips together and shut her eyes tightly to avoid shedding the tears that threatened to spill out. "Maybe…maybe I really am just a whore."

"Please stop saying that." Trixie begged quietly. She hated that word. "We all know you and Dan haven't done anything. You just said all those things to shut that Colby creep up. It's okay. Let's…just forget about it."

Trixie was surprised at the overwhelming emotions her cousin seemed to be fighting at the moment, and she wished the troubled girl would finally let herself break down and deal with them.

"No, Trix, you don't understand," Hallie said softly. She slipped out of the bed and stood with her arms folded across her chest, her back to her cousin, and her head lifted defiantly to the wall as if in protest to some unseen force that threatened to make her cry.

"I'm really not a nice girl," she said in a strangled voice. "I've…been with someone. That way."

Trixie felt herself gasp, and Hallie whirled around with a violent spin.

"Oh, don't act like you're shocked. You are so naïve! I tried to tell you that day when you and Honey were bugging me about that song I was learning on the guitar. Don't you get it! I slept with Luke, okay? There. Now you know!"

"Hallie, what are you talking about? Did he hurt you?"

"No, it wasn't like that."

Trixie could tell she was lying. She may have done it willingly to save Dan or to gain Luke's protection from the other guys in the gang, but she could tell by the way Hallie said it that he'd still hurt her.

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Trixie could hear the hurt in her own voice as she asked it.

"I told you. It wasn't like he raped me or anything. I let him. You were right about me, okay. I guess I am a shame to our family, after all. Can we just forget the whole thing and go to sleep, now?"

The way Hallie wouldn't even look Trixie in the eye made the blonde feel as if she had been slapped. She couldn't believe what her cousin was telling her. How had she kept this a secret for so long? Did Dan know?

As if Hallie could read Trixie's mind, she gave a low sound from her throat and practically growled out a threat.

"And, if you ever tell Dan, I promise I will never…NEVER…forgive you. It would kill him."

Trixie knew she was right.

"No…I would never…I…I promise."

"Good. Now, go to sleep and forget about it."

But, Trixie couldn't forget about it. She couldn't stop herself from wondering how horrible it had been for her cousin to carry this secret for the last few years. So many things suddenly made sense to her. The way Hallie responded to Mike Colby. The way she seemed to resent it when Trixie complained about Jim's lack of physical affection toward her. The way she would never go near the Glen Road Inn. Trixie couldn't blame her. She wouldn't judge her. She wished she could take this horrible memory from her.

And, suddenly, any desire Trixie ever had to win an argument against her cousin vanished into thin air. Gone was the competitive spirit that made the young girl want to be champion over her family member. No more would she let their differences come between them. For, Trixie now understood what dominated her cousin's heart: the need to protect those she loved. She was a stabilizer and a protector. No wonder they argued. Trixie hated to be protected. She didn't want to be balanced. Her need to solve problems and fix things went against Hallie's drive to sacrifice herself and take on the problems of others. It all became clear to Trixie.

As she later stared at Hallie's profile on the pillow beside her, Trixie's mind recalled images of one of the girl's Nez Perce ancestors, the great Chief Joseph. She wore the same proud look upon her face. She had the same resolve to sacrifice for the greater good of others. Trixie thought about the famous words of that incredible man, and she decided it best to apply them to her relationship with Hallie. She looked at the girl beside her and silently declared, "I will fight no more, forever."

(End Flashback)*****

Present Day

Trixie closed the book she wasn't really reading, laid her head back, and sighed heavily. She knew her cousin had long ago made her peace with God in relation to the broken deal she'd made with Him about not dating Dan. And she knew Hallie, with Regan's love, had long since vanquished her memories about the bargain she'd made with Luke, too. But, the woman couldn't stop herself from worrying about how recent events were affecting Hallie.

How is she taking everything about Daniel and his new girlfriend? She pondered.

She silently prayed her cousin wouldn't do anything drastic to try to protect her son the way she'd done for his father all those years ago.

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO OF THIS – HOW DOES HALLIE FEEL ABOUT DANIEL'S GIRLFRIEND? PLUS, MORE HALLIE/REGAN ROMANCE FLASHBACKS TO COME