"Wait 'til later, and you'll tell me all about it? Are you kidding me? You know I have absolutely no patience, Bobby Belden." Trixie Frayne gave her youngest brother a light smack on the shoulder. "Just tell me, now!"

"Not here," Bobby mumbled under his breath at her. The young man tugged self-consciously at his college sweatshirt and looked around the room to see if anyone else was listening to their conversation. He had every intention of giving his sister a satisfactory answer to her question, but not in front of their entire family.

"Just tell me if you even liked her or not," Trixie persisted, "Di seems to think she's perfect for you."

"Good grief, Trix, will you please just drop it? I said I'd tell you everything, and I will." He wound his way through several people, trying to lose her in the crowded living room of Crabapple Farm, but eventually found himself coming face to face with his big sister again as he neared the entrance to the kitchen.

"Did you ask her out for a second date?" She pestered him once more.

Bobby let out an exasperated groan and pushed past her. He could hear her giggling behind him as he made his way into the sanctuary of the next room alone.

Why is my love life suddenly so interesting to everyone? He pondered.

Of course, he did have to admit that his sister-in-law Diana had been right about one thing. Isabella Pierce was the perfect girl for him. And, it had only taken one date for Bobby to see it, too. Still, he didn't want to rush into anything. And he definitely didn't want the whole house full of guests to give him grief about the blind date he'd been on the night before. He decided the best way to avoid any more questions was to step out the back door for a minute to get some fresh air.

However, he hadn't been out on the porch long before he realized that he wasn't completely alone in the darkness.

"So, the noise finally got to you, too, huh?" A deep voice asked from the shadows.

"What? Oh…uh…Regan, what are you doing out here?" Bobby had known instantly who the speaker was. The timber of his words sounded so joltingly similar to Dan Mangan's, and yet so heartbreakingly different.

"Same as you, kid. Just trying to find some peace and quiet. Hey…don't get me wrong; I love it when Cap and Sue come to town and we all cram into your folks' place to see them. But…well…this old farmhouse wasn't meant to hold so many people, and…I …I guess I'm not one for large crowds."

Bobby could certainly respect that. He knew the orphaned Bill Regan didn't grow up in a big family the way he did. But, he thought the older man should have gotten used to it by now. After all, it had been over seven years since Bill married Bobby's cousin Hallie.

"I guess it wasn't the noise in there that bothered me so much," Bobby said in response to the man's first question. "It was the constant stream of females bugging me about my date last night that drove me out here."

He could hear Regan snickering from where he leaned against the far railing.

"Oh, yes. Those nosey Belden women," he snorted. "They don't let up, do they?"

"Not a one of them."

"So, how did it go, then? You're date, I mean?"

"Now, don't you start in on me, too," Bobby pretended to complain. He was secretly glad that the older man cared enough to ask, but he still didn't feel like sharing a lot of private information with him. In an effort to keep the conversation moving, he shrugged his shoulders and feigned boredom with the topic. "Honestly, Regan, the date was fine. No big deal. Di set me up with a nice girl, and…I think we're gonna go out again on Friday."

"That's good," Regan said simply.

The understatement was appreciated, and Bobby took the opportunity to change the subject.

"So…um…did you see what I did to Mr. Maypenny's shed last week? The new extension to the roof is going to keep more of his firewood dry for the winter. Actually, I've been meaning to do it for a few months, but…I got busy with my classes at school."

"That was really nice of you, Bobby. I'm sure Mr. Maypenny is grateful for all the things you've been doing for him, lately."

"Yeah…well…it's not like he's getting any younger," Bobby murmured regretfully. "I wish I could do more for him. I've got one semester left before I'm done with my program, and then I'll come home and really give him a hand."

"You know…you don't have to do that," Bill's voice sounded tired. "There are plenty of us around here to take care of Mr. Maypenny. You should…go and do the things you want to do after college."

"But…that is what I want to do," Bobby insisted.

"Why? Because you think it's what Dan would want?"

Such a direct statement wasn't what Bobby expected from Bill at that moment. Hallie's no-nonsense way of speaking was clearly rubbing off on him.

"Wow…um…maybe that's part of it," he said slowly with uncertainty. "But…I don't think it's too much to ask of me in the way of honoring him."

"Don't you think he would want you to feel free to pursue your own life?"

It was a challenge to everything the young blonde had been so sure of a few moments before, and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but…don't worry, okay? I'm not putting my future on hold, and I'm not doing all this just because of Dan. I actually like working with Maypenny. And, environmental science is exactly what I'm interested in. So…relax, alright? I really want to be a gamekeeper."

"Hey, no problem. Just looking out for you; that's all." Regan moved a few steps toward the younger man, allowing his face to be seen more clearly, and Bobby detected a mixture of sadness and worry in his expression. "I…guess…I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you since Hallie and I told everyone about the new baby, huh?"

Bobby didn't answer him. The topic of Hallie currently being pregnant with Dan's child was another popular conversation thread he'd been trying to avoid when he was inside.

"Does the idea…um…scare you as much as it does me?" Regan asked quietly.

Bobby was stunned.

Scared? He's scared? Why in the world would he agree to this, if he's scared?

"Well…I wouldn't exactly say I was…scared by the whole thing, but…it's…not something I have a solid grip on quite yet," Bobby answered him slowly. He wondered of Regan was having second thoughts about what they'd done.

"Yeah, I guess it's probably a difficult thing to accept at first," Bill nodded. "Of course…I know it's what Dan would have wanted us to do." He gave a lopsided grin as he repeated Bobby's own words back to him. "And, I don't think it's too much to ask of us in the way of honoring him."

"Then, why does it scare you so much?" The younger man grimaced after voicing the question. He'd been thinking it to himself and had not intended to speak it out loud.

The smile on the redhead vanished, and Regan took a long, weary breath, blowing it out slowly before speaking again.

"I think the reason why this whole thing scares me is because… I wish Dan could be here in my place. And … I'm afraid his child will grow up to wish it, too."

If anyone else in the world had said this to Bobby, he wouldn't have understood a word of it, nor would he have been so entirely moved. However, coming from Bill Regan, the large, hard-looking man who often appeared as if he could turn back a tornado by simply staring angrily at it, this sentiment struck deep into the heart of all the hurts Bobby had been shoving down and glossing over for more than a decade.

Oh my God, he's right! It's guilt. I'm just as scared as he is, and… it's…it's because of guilt.

The younger man had to turn his face aside to hide the tears that were suddenly welling up.

"Hey, Bobby. I didn't mean to upset you…" Bill started.

"It's okay," Bobby sniffled like a child. And, for the first time in many years, it was okay. "I…I guess I totally understand what you're saying. But, I think…for me…it's about being afraid that I won't be able to pass on to this kid all the wise advise Dan gave me, because…I…I…" he forced out the last few words as he swallowed down his sobs, "…I haven't followed it for myself."

A deep sense of release followed his own confession, surprising Bobby, and he found himself feeling grateful that he was having this conversation with Regan.

Who knew? The one person I wanted to talk about this with the least has helped me out the most.

"I think I know what you mean, kid," Bill's words interrupted his thoughts. "But, hey, you have to believe me when I say that Dan would be very proud of you, right now. Whether you've followed his advice or not. He'd …he'd still be… very proud of you."

The strain in the older man's voice as it died away indicated to Bobby that he was also growing emotional.

"Thanks, Regan," Bobby whispered. "That means a lot to me."

When he felt strong enough to speak without crying, he decided he should return the favor and try to assuage Regan's fears, too.

"And, for what it's worth…I know Dan's kid will see how lucky he is to have you for a father, even after he grows up and learns about Dan. After all, Dan always said that you were the one man he looked up to the most."

Now, it was Regan's turn to sniff back tears.

"Wow. Thanks, kid." The redhead coughed to hide his sob. "I…um…thanks."

"No problem."

Both men stood silently staring out over the darkened backyard of Crabapple Farms for a while longer, taking control of their sadness and gaining strength from the revelations they had shared with one another. It wasn't too long before the younger man felt the need to get the conversation going once again.

"Have you and Hallie…thought about some names, yet?" Bobby asked casually.

"Well…obviously, if it's a boy, we'll name him Daniel. I guess we figured because Will is my namesake, and this baby will be Dan's…you get it."

"Sure. I get it. And, I guess if it's a girl, you'll probably, name her Danielle, right?"

A startling snort suddenly escaped Bill's nostrils at the question.

"I wish! You're cousin has it in her head that we should name the baby Rose if it's a girl. I'm sorry, but…Rose just sounds like an old person's name. I don't think I could name her that."

"Okay…so, you don't like Rose," Bobby held up his hands in mock surrender. "What other name would you want to name her, if the baby turned out to be a girl?"

Regan smiled.

"I like the name Fiona. It was my grandmother's name and my sister's middle name. Seeing that this will be my sister's grandchild, I think it would make sense to name it after her."

"Yeah, I can see that. And, it sounds a lot better than Rose, I think."

Suddenly, Regan moved closer to Bobby, reaching into his breast pocket to pull out something in a secretive sort of way.

"I'm hoping I won't have even to worry about coming up with a girl name, now that I've got this in my pocket," the horseman said with a laugh.

"What is that?" Bobby squinted in the dark to get a closer look at the small, blue object being held up in Regan's big hand.

"It's…kind of…a good luck charm."

"Looks like a baby sock to me."

"Well…it is, but…it's worked before…"

Bobby shook his head and laughed. "Oh, I see. You carried that thing around in your pocket for nine months, and Will turned out to be a boy. So…you just naturally assumed it would work for this baby, too? Wow! I thought Catholics didn't believe in luck. Just patron saints and stuff like that."

Regan looked hurt.

"First of all, not all Irish are Catholic, Bobby. And, I don't exactly believe in luck, either…it's more like…tradition."

"Tradition? Come on, Will's only three years old. You mean you're looking to start a tradition, not carry on a tradition."

Again, frustration showed on Bill's freckled face.

"I wasn't the one who started it. Tim Mangan was. This is Dan's baby sock. See?"

A quiet sense of awe immediately silenced Bobby as he slowly moved closer to view the tiny blue fabric. Clearly, it was faded and not of a contemporary style.

Suddenly, Bobby did see.

"Oh. So…um…if that was Dan's sock…and you didn't know him when he was a baby, then, how'd you get it?"

"It was in Dan's baby book. My sister had given it to him before she passed away, and he brought it with him to Sleepyside when he moved here. Hallie and I went looking through it after Will was born, to get some ideas about starting his baby book, and…well…we found the sock in the book. Apparently, Tim had carried a pair in his pocket, but only one of them was saved."

Again, all that Bobby could muster was a quiet, "Oh."

"You think it's stupid, don't you?" Regan asked, crossing his arms defensively.

"No! Oh, no! I don't think it's stupid at all! I just…I don't know what else to say."

"Well…maybe it is stupid," the big man mumbled as he pocketed his family treasure again. He turned away as if he were about to go back inside, but Bobby reached out to stop him.

"No. Please don't go away mad. I think it's a great tradition. I do. You just…caught me off guard, that's all. It still smarts to… to think about him…sometimes. You know?"

Regan turned back, but he didn't say anything. He just nodded quietly to indicate his agreement and to show that there were no hard feelings.

"Yeah…um…" Bobby continued, feeling somewhat awkward now, "so…uh…if I ever have a kid of my own someday…then, uh…maybe I could even…borrow the sock? Or do you think if would even work for me…since, I'm not technically family…"

"Of course you're family!" The big man suddenly laughed out loud again. "And, you're absolutely welcome to use it, when the time is right." He reached over and gave a playful rub of his knuckles on the top of Bobby's head, reminiscent of Dan's old way of teasing him. The unexpected gesture made the younger man feel surprisingly light of heart, despite the weight of the earlier conversation.

"But, you know…" Regan continued as the two men turned to walk into the warm light of the Crapapple Farm kitchen. "If we're gonna do this whole tradition thing right, you've gotta take good care of this sock when it's your turn to carry it. Daniel's going to need it when he becomes a father, someday."

The two men shared a special smile, causing Bobby to feel secure enough to tease his cousin's husband once more.

"You mean…Rose is going to need it."

"Not funny," Regan smirked.