Forsaken Family

Generally, harvest season in Propwash Junction ended by at least mid-November, which gave everyone plenty of time to sell their crops and then prepare for Thanksgiving. At least half of the residents went to visit relatives outside of the county or state, but the relatives coming into Propwash to visit made up for the lost population. Dusty and Sky found something new to appreciate with the coming of November: the end of fire season. Dusty gave in to Sky's request that they hold off on racing until after the holidays so he didn't stress his "better than new" gearbox before they had a chance to see what it could really do. But Sky gave in to Dusty's request to at least go back to practicing with Skipper until then. She had to admit, it was nice to go back to a normal routine and not have to worry about falling out of the sky again. Dusty even called Maru to tell him how great the gearbox worked. Maru laughed, but really he was just hiding his pride at a job well done.

Now, with Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, it was time for everyone to prepare for their celebrations.

"Should we have gravy with our mashed potatoes this year?" Sparky asked as Sky helped him clean the kitchen.

"Every time one of us tried to make gravy, it never ends well." Sky reminded him. "Besides, Skipper says you're a disaster at making gravy."

"I am not!" Sparky huffed.

"Thanksgiving of 1964?" Skipper called from the other room.

"For the last time, I didn't know the pot was boiling over!" Sparky complained.

"Who leaves something on the stove and then walks away?" Skipper countered.

Sky giggled. "You know, I've been thinking. What if we extended our dinner plans?"

"How so?" Sparky asked as they moved into the main room with Skipper.

"Well, it's Spot Fire's first Thanksgiving with us." Sky shrugged. "I was thinking we could have a larger family dinner and invite her and Mayday over. It's not like Mayday ever goes anywhere for the holidays."

"That's true." Skipper agreed, dipping a wing so Sky could hop up and sit down. "I know he hates it when we fuss over him, but I think he gets kinda lonely in that firehouse by himself."

"At least now he has Spot Fire." Sparky shrugged. "But you got a point. Anyone else we should invite?"

"Let me see." Sky thought for a moment. "Dottie and her dad went to visit family in her old hometown. Chug will be with his family. I dunno. Wait, what about Dusty? What are his plans for Thanksgiving?"

"I don't think he has any." Sparky said. "But I think his folks are coming."

"You think?" Sky asked, confused.

"Well, I don't know for sure." Sparky shrugged his tines. "He hasn't mentioned anything."

"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met Dusty's parents, much less seen them." Skipper noted. Sky and Sparky realized Skipper was right. In all the time they had known Dusty, not once had they really seen his parents. He didn't even talk about them.

"They have to be coming, or he has to go see them, right?" Sky asked.

"Why don't you ask him tomorrow?" Skipper suggested. "Then at least we'll know for sure."

Sky did what Skipper suggested and asked Dusty about his Thanksgiving plans and his parents. His response kind of confused her.

"No, I don't really have any plans." Dusty said, hanging out with Sky and Chug at the Fill N' Fly.

"What about your parents?" Sky asked. "Aren't they coming?"

"Nope." Dusty said.

"Are you going to visit them?" Sky asked.

"Not exactly an option for me." Dusty replied.

"Why not?" Sky asked.

"Why are you asking?" Dusty raised an eye frame at her.

"I just don't want you to be alone on Thanksgiving, or Christmas for that matter." Sky said. "You ought to be with your family."

"It's fine, really." Dusty assured.

Sky wouldn't settle for that answer. "Well, if you don't have any plans, how about you come have Thanksgiving with me, Dad, and Sparky? We're inviting Mayday and Spot Fire too."

"Thanks, but I'm good." Dusty said. "You guys enjoy on your own."

"Then come over and have dinner with my family." Chug offered. "You know you're always welcome in my house."

"Yeah, thanks, Chug." Dusty said appreciatively. "But I don't want to bother anyone."

"You're not bothering anyone if we're offering." Chug said.

"Guys, I really don't want to talk about this, okay?" Dusty said. "I, uh, gotta go. I'll see ya around." He turned and rolled off before Chug or Sky could protest.

"Did we touch a sensitive subject?" Chug asked.

Sky sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I think we did. But why won't he talk about his parents?"

"I dunno." Chug shrugged.

"Have you ever met them?" Sky asked. "I mean, you knew him longer."

"Yeah, but I was always inviting him over to my house." Chug said. "Never really went to his place that often, and I never met his folks."

"Come on, Chug." Sky said. "You had to have met his mom or dad at least once."

Chug thought about it. "Nope. Not once."

"Do you remember when he moved here?" Sky asked.

"Not really." Chug murmured. "But you know who would know? Mayday."

"Mayday?" Sky followed Chug as he began driving off.

"Yeah. He and Max used to look out for Dusty a lot when we were kids." Chug said. "He must know something about Dusty's parents."

Sky couldn't argue with that, so she kept alongside Chug as they journeyed to the firehouse. The building had some decorations to be festive, but not so many that it posed a fire hazard. Mayday and Spot Fire lounged inside, but Spot Fire immediately ran over to greet Chug and Sky when they appeared.

"Hey there, you two." Mayday greeted. "Sky, Sparky recently stopped by and asked if I could come over for Thanksgiving. I told him I could."

"Great." Sky said, scratching Spot Fire behind the ears. "It'll be an awesome dinner. Say, can we ask you something?"

"About what?" Mayday asked.

"About Dusty." Sky answered.

"Oh?" Mayday mused.

"Well, more specifically, about Dusty's parents." Chug added.

Mayday's smile fell to a look almost of surprise. "Oh…."

Sky's eyebrows furrowed. "We just want to know if you've ever met them."

"Never." Mayday said. "I always thought Dusty didn't have parents."

Chug and Sky stared in surprise. "Didn't have parents?" Sky repeated. "What?"

"Well, he never talked about them." Mayday said. "Max and I had asked a couple times, but he always avoided the question. Kinda acted the way you used to on the subject before you were adopted."

"But if Dusty doesn't have parents, how did he come here?" Sky asked. "Chug, you said you and Dusty have known each other since you were toddlers."

Mayday chuckled. "If you count ten years old as 'toddler' age."

Chug smiled sheepishly. "Well, it felt like we had known each other since we were younger than that."

Sky shook her head, but became serious once more. "So how and when did Dusty move to Propwash Junction anyway?"

"I'm not sure he would want me to discuss it." Mayday said uncertainly. "Even I don't know the full story."

"Come on, Mayday. Please?" Sky practically begged. "If Dusty doesn't have people to be with, then I want him to be with us and our family. He deserves that."

Mayday chuckled softly. "You have a good heart, Sky. I'm sure Dusty appreciates that." He sighed. "All right. Come on in." Chug and Sky followed Mayday into the firehouse, and he shut the door to give them some privacy. They made themselves comfortable as Mayday began the story. "It was a normal day in Propwash Junction. At least I had thought so. Max and I were just doing our rounds when a very interesting surprise quite literally fell from the sky…."

Max and Mayday liked to take walks around Propwash Junction. They hated the feeling of being cooped up in the firehouse, and it was nice to check in on everybody and see how life treated them.

Max took a deep inhale. "Best thing about being in a small town: the clean, fresh air."

"Unless you work with Leadbottom." Mayday joked, causing laughter between the two. "I myself enjoy being so close to nature. Look at that bird flying up there. So beautiful."

Max looked, and his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "That's not a bird. It's a plane."

"Is it Superman?" Mayday teased.

Max's eyes widened. "No, it's a kid!"

"Oh." Mayday nodded. His eyes widened. "What?!" He and Max looked up, and they saw Max was right: a small plane flew unsteadily through the skies, so small it had to have been a child. The boy yelped and shouted in distress, coming straight for the runway for what would surely be a rough landing. Mayday looked down the runway. "Tell that kid to hit his brakes when he hits the runway!" He ordered. "I'll catch him!"

"Right!" Max nodded, jogging some ways down the runway while Mayday sped off the other direction. Max stopped halfway down the runway just as the small plane's wheels hit the asphalt. He shouted in fear as he sped down the runway. "Your brakes, kid! Hit your brakes!" Max shouted.

The plane whimpered, but did as he was told and tried to apply his brakes. His tires screeched across the asphalt. Mayday stopped right in the plane's path, perpendicular to the track, and braced himself for impact. Thankfully, the young plane managed to stop his momentum enough to only lightly ram into Mayday's side and come to a complete halt.

"Oh gee!" the plane hopped back. "I'm sorry!"

"No worries. Didn't hurt at all." Mayday assured. "Come along, now. Off the runway." He herded the little plane off to one side, taking into account the boy's make and model. He seemed to be an Air Tractor mixed with a couple other models' traits, with a sky blue paintjob and a black stripe on either side of his body that ran from his tri-blade propeller to his tail. He had eyes as blue as the ocean.

"Hey! You got him!" Max cheered.

"Sorry again." The boy said sheepishly.

"Was that your first time flying?" Mayday asked.

"No. Just my first time landing." The boy replied.

Mayday and Max shared a look and chuckled. The young plane had probably only recently mastered basic flight mechanics. Young planes tended to start their lessons around nine or ten years old. Normally, they wouldn't be allowed to fly unaccompanied until they earned their flying license at eighteen.

"What were you flying around like that for?" Max asked.

"No reason." The boy said, not looking to the men. "Just travelin'. But I think I ran outta gas."

"We can help with that." Mayday assured. "No vehicle should go around with an empty tank. Come on." The boy followed Mayday and Max towards the Fill N' Fly, still rather embarrassed by his rough landing.

"What's the name, kid?" Max asked.

The boy hesitated shyly. "It's Dust…y. Dusty."

"And your last name?" Max asked. "It's okay. You can trust us."

"Um, it's Crop…hopper. Crophopper." The boy said. "The name's Dusty Crophopper."

"Dusty Crophopper." Mayday repeated. "Nice name."

Dusty looked down shyly. "I guess."

"Well, I'm Mayday." Mayday introduced. "This is my partner, Max."

"Hi." Dusty greeted with a small smile. "Where am I, anyway?"

"Propwash Junction, Minnesota." Mayday said. "Welcome."

"Thanks." Dusty looked around, his smile growing at the sight of the quaint little town. They finally arrived at the Fill N' Fly, where two fuel trucks waited for any potential customers. They were nearly identical, save for the fact that one was much smaller than the other. The smaller truck had hazel eyes while the larger one had dark brown eyes.

"Hey there, Max, Mayday!" the larger fuel truck greeted.

"Hey Freddy!" Max greeted. "This little guy needs a refill."

"Can I do it, Dad? Huh? Can I?" the smaller fuel truck pleaded.

Freddy chuckled. "Go ahead, sport."

The smaller fuel truck cheered, driving up to the plane. "Hi! I'm Chug! I'm working with my dad today!"

"I'm Dusty." Dusty introduced. "I don't need much fuel. I'm saving my money."

"We'll take care of it." Max assured. "No worries."

"Are you sure?" Dusty asked nervously.

"Don't worry about it." Mayday assured, giving Chug the all-clear to start filling Dusty's tank. "Come to think of it, was your tank full when you started flying?"

Dusty looked down again. "Uh….yes…."

"I see." Mayday shared another look with Max. They could tell the size of Dusty's fuel tank just by looking at the size of the plane, and they knew that much gas could take a boy pretty far if he conserved it well.

After getting refueled, Dusty asked if there was a place to get some food, where Max and Mayday decided to try and get some more answers out of the boy.

"So where did you come from, anyway?" Max asked.

"I don't really remember the name of the town. But's it's far away from here." Dusty answered.

"Where are your parents?" Mayday asked.

Dusty looked down. He didn't speak.

"Do you have parents?" Max asked.

"Well, everybody's got parents, right?" Dusty went up and down on his landing gear in his best shrug.

Mayday and Max didn't speak for a moment. "You ran away from home, didn't you?" Mayday guessed.

Dusty frowned. "Wouldn't really call it home. Felt more like a prison." He finished the rest of his food. "Thank you for your help. Really. I think I better keep going."

"You sure?" Max asked. "I'll bet you're tired from your trip. Maybe you should stick around."

"You can stay in the firehouse with us, if you like." Mayday offered.

"No!" Dusty shook his nose. "I mean, I don't wanna be any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all." Mayday assured. "I wouldn't feel comfortable letting you fly off without proper rest."

"Stick around." Max shrugged. "You never know. Maybe you'll like it around here."

Dusty thought about it for a while. "Well, okay. I guess I can stay until tomorrow."

Mayday pushed a picture towards Chug and Sky. The image showed Max, Mayday, and Dusty at the Corn Fest, all smiling broadly. Sky almost didn't recognize Dusty with his sky blue paintjob. "He stayed well after that." Mayday finished his story. "Max and I looked after him, trying to figure out what to do. But we soon realized he didn't want to go back to where he came from. Based on how he reacted whenever we asked about his parents, we just assumed they were dead. He and Chug really hit off. Eventually, Max and I decided Dusty ought to stick around. I called in a buddy of mine to give us legal claim over him. He sort of became a ward of Propwash Junction. Max and I kept looking out for him. You know, act like surrogate fathers when he needed it. We never asked him about his parents or his past again after that."

Sky stared at the picture. "Dusty…."

"Sky, maybe you should talk to him." Chug suggested.

"I'm not so sure, Chug." Sky said. "I mean, these kinds of topics don't make for the best conversations. Whenever I get involved, it usually results in shouting."

"Maybe." Chug agreed. "But let's face it: you're kind of the expert in these situations."

"If Dusty really is an orphan, then you're the only one who can see eye-to-eye with him." Mayday added.

Sky stared at the picture, focusing on the young Dusty. She rubbed the picture frame with her thumb. "Okay."

Sky waited until tomorrow to approach Dusty. She walked up to his hanger, hesitating slightly before knocking on the door. She stepped back when the doors opened.

"Oh. Hey Sky." Dusty greeted, reversing so Sky could step inside. He shut the door after her. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you about something." Sky said. She wrung her fingers a little. "See, I talked to Mayday about how you came to Propwash Junction."

Dusty's smile fell. "Oh…..what did he tell you?"

"He told me how you apparently ran away from home." Sky said. "And he and Max managed to convince you to stay in town instead of flying off again. And how you never talk about your parents because they might be dead. But I don't think that's the full story."

Dusty looked down. "Oh really?"

"Honestly, I'm afraid that you were abused, Dusty." Sky said. "I'm just concerned for you. There are a lot of things you can do alone, but holidays are a time to be with family. If you've been away from your biological family all this time—if you've really spent every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween, and even Fourth of July alone—well, I want that to stop now." She stepped forward and placed a hand on Dusty's nose. "I don't want you to feel alone."

Dusty didn't speak for a moment. Inside, he felt touched that Sky worried about him so much over something that really wasn't that important in his eyes. After all, he hadn't thought about his time before Propwash in so long. But if Sky could trust him with her painful past, then he could trust her with his.

"Okay." Dusty nodded. "Well, the truth is I actually came from a nice home. A big farm far, far away from here, near a town called Lexus Landing."

"Lexus Landing." Sky repeated, paying close attention to Dusty's story.

"Yeah." Dusty affirmed. "Lots of wide open space, a good house to live in, and parents who loved me. Well…..at least I thought they loved me. Ever since I was a kid, I had dreamed of being a racer. I wasn't satisfied with just being a crop duster. But when I told my parents, they just told me what everyone used to tell me: that I wasn't built to race. Not only that, they told me things like 'you'll never be good enough' or 'you don't have the strength for it.' Every chance they got, they took a shot at me to destroy my dreams. They even forced me to start working on the crops the minute I was old enough. But I wouldn't let them take away my dream. So I saved up my chore money and I flew away from home when I was ten."

"You flew away from home when you were ten?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"You ran away from the orphanage when you were ten." Dusty pointed out.

Sky frowned a little. "Touché."

"I couldn't stand the way my parents talked about my dream, talked about my potential. I felt like I was worthless." Dusty continued. "I took the first chance I got and flew as far as my tank let me. I landed here in Propwash Junction. It was so far away from the farm, so secluded, I figured my parents would never find me here. When Mayday and Max said I could stay, I jumped at the opportunity. I got a job with Leadbottom when I was old enough so I could have money for rent and food, and I taught myself how to race. I even had my name legally changed. My real name used to be 'Dustin Cropper Jr.' Named after my dad, apparently."

Sky stared at Dusty. "So, let me get this straight. You had a house to live in, a family to look out for you, and a place to call home; and yet you decided to just fly away?"

"Never looked back, either." Dusty added in a bitter tone.

"You had a family and you just abandoned them?" Sky snapped.

"Abandoned?" Dusty scoffed.

"Yeah, abandoned." Sky retorted. "That's what this story is sounding like, Dusty."

"What do you know about—" Dusty paused, his eyes going a little wide when he realized what he almost said. "I'm not going to finish that sentence."

"Good choice." Sky growled.

Dusty shook his nose. "Look, I was unhappy. My parents treated my dreams like they were nothing, but my dream of being a racer meant the world to me."

"At least they cared." Sky protested. "For all you know, they were just concerned for you."

"No. I know for sure they didn't put down that dream just because they were worried about me." Dusty assured. "If I hadn't succeeded at racing, I would've gone back to work on the farm."

"I doubt that, but did you even mention that to your parents?" Sky demanded.

"Yeah." Dusty huffed. "They still refused to let me have anything to do with racing."

"At least they didn't leave you behind just because of your dream."

"I almost wish my parents had done that. Would've been a nice, clean break."

"You think I'm glad my parents dropped me out of their lives?"

"You should be happy that you didn't have to watch them sign the paperwork. And think about what's happened now. You have a better family. You have Skipper and Sparky. You got an entire freaking town who'd back you up if you need it. You got me, Sky."

Sky sighed through her nose. "You know I'll always be thankful for that, Dusty. But I only know what it's like to be a victim of abandonment. For the rest of my life, I will only be able to wonder what my parents were thinking, wonder if they knew how much they hurt me. Did you ever think about how your parents reacted when you left home?"

Dusty looked down, going silent. "No. I kinda left and didn't look back. I haven't talked to my parents since I left."

"Maybe you should get in touch with them." Sky suggested. "It couldn't hurt to reach out and connect, especially with the holidays coming up."

"I dunno, Sky." Dusty sighed. "I haven't seen them in so long. I don't think they even came to look for me. What if they just forgot all about me?"

"It's worth a shot to try, right?" Sky shrugged. Dusty didn't answer, and Sky sighed. "I just…I don't want you to lose out on the chance to reconnect with a family you might still have."

"I have a family here in Propwash Junction." Dusty said.

"And there's no reason you can't expand on that family." Sky countered.

Dusty thought about it. He hadn't seen his parents in so long. But what if Sky was right? What if they worried about him after he left? What if they watched his races and figured out who he really was? What if…..what if they missed him? "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Sky giggled. "Nope."

Dusty gave a sideways grin. "Okay. I'll do it. But only if you and Skipper come with me. I wouldn't mind a little backup."

"Deal." Sky nodded.

Dusty told his story to Skipper, and the Corsair immediately agreed to journey with Dusty and Sky to find Dusty's parents. Surprisingly enough, a look through the most recent Lexus Landing phonebook revealed that Dusty's parents still lived on the same farm where Dusty used to live. Dusty led the way as he and Skipper flew over to the town, Sky riding Dusty the whole way there. She wasn't sure what to expect, but Sky knew she had to be prepared for anything even if it all ended well.

She highly doubted it would, though.

Lexus Landing had a small airstrip, and Dusty and Skipper had to taxi down the highway the rest of the way to the farm. They passed a few cars and a herd of tractors or two, but it still took about half an hour to reach the farm. A mailbox at the gate had the name "Cropper" painted on either side. Fields of corn, wheat, and sunflowers stretched out around the property, and a barn and a henhouse rested off to one side. The house was small, painted red with white shutters and a black roof, and the three Propwash Junction residents went right up to the door.

Dusty knocked. "I hope you're right about this, Sky."

"Me too." Sky admitted.

The door opened a minute later, and a young crop duster plane appeared in the doorway. She looked very similar to Dusty, only smaller in build and colored dark green where Dusty was red. She had the same color eyes as Dusty. She smiled warmly. "Hello! Can I help you?"

Dusty shook off his shock. "Uh, is this the Cropper residence?"

"Uh-huh!" the crop duster nodded. Then, her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. You're Dusty. Dusty Crophopper."

"Uh, yeah." Dusty confirmed.

The little plane gasped in her joy, her eyes sparkling like sapphires. "You're here! You came! Oh, I knew you'd come!" She looked to Skipper and Sky. "And who are these guys? Friends of yours?"

"Uh, yeah." Dusty said, a little flabbergasted by the girl's reaction to him. "This is Skylar Riley, my racing partner. And this is Skipper Riley, her dad and our coach."

"Oh of course!" the girl laughed. "I should've known! I've watched you race!"

"Really?" Sky asked.

"Yes!" the girl squealed. She shook her nose. "But where are my manners? Come in, come in!" She hurriedly ushered them inside the house, either not noticing their surprised looks or ignoring them. "It's so good to finally meet you. And your friends look nice, too."

"The pleasure is ours." Skipper chuckled.

The little plane giggled. "My name's Desiree, by the way. Desiree Cropper."

"So, you're Dustin and Ryeli Cropper's daughter." Dusty realized.

"Uh-huh!" Desiree nodded enthusiastically. "My parents—I mean, our parents aren't home right now. They'll be back soon."

"Wait, you know I'm your brother?" Dusty asked.

"Yeah!" Desiree suddenly nuzzled Dusty lovingly. "I've been watching you race and I waited so long to finally meet you. Now I have! It's like Christmas came early!"

Dusty, Sky, and Skipper felt like their brains spun around from the confusion. Dusty rolled closer to Desiree. "Hey, Desiree—"

"Oh, you can call me 'Desi' if you like." Desiree said.

"Uh, right." Dusty nodded dismissively. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve!" Desiree said with an air of pride in her voice. "I'm gonna be thirteen in March!"

Dusty stared. "Oh…..I see….."

It only took a quick calculation for Skipper and Sky to realize that Dusty and Desiree had about a ten year age gap between them. This meant one of two things: Dusty's mother was already pregnant when Dusty left, or Dusty's parents immediately tried for another child after their first one disappeared. Already, Sky could see this encounter going downhill.

Then, the door opened. "Desiree, honey!" a woman called. "We're home!"

"Mom! Dad!" Desiree called back, hurrying to her parents. "You won't believe it! Dusty's here! Dusty's here!"

"Dusty?" the woman laughed. "What on earth are you—"

Two planes rounded the corner, and they froze when they saw the guests in their house. But they focused fully on Dusty, who could only stare at the two planes. One of them was an Air Tractor 502, colored royal blue with black stripe decals on his sides. He had blue eyes like his paintjob. The other plane was a Cessna, white with sky blue stripe decals. She had blue eyes a similar shade to Desiree's and Dusty's eyes.

Dustin and Ryeli Cropper, Dusty's and Desiree's parents.

"Hey…." Dusty wasn't sure what to call them. Mom and Dad? Mr. and Mrs. Cropper? Dustin and Ryeli? His words got caught in his throat, so he just left it at "hey".

"Dustin….." Ryeli breathed, staring at her son. "Is that really you?"

Dusty almost cringed at hearing his old name. He cleared his throat. "Uh, this is Skylar and her dad Commander Riley. They're friends of mine."

Dustin and Ryeli looked to them, and Sky waved awkwardly. "Hello." Skipper only gave a nod in greeting, already hostile.

"See? Dusty came!" Desiree said excitedly. "I told you we'd get to see him again! He's not too famous to visit his family!"

"So it would seem." Dustin said, staring at Dusty with a mix of shock and some irritation.

Skipper rolled forward and closer to Dusty, as though aiming to protect him. He could tell from the look in Dustin's eyes that this was not a warm welcome. But Dusty noticed Skipper's movement. "Uh, listen, can we talk alone?"

Dustin didn't look too excited about that, but Ryeli spoke up before he could. "Sure. Of course. Um, Desiree, sweetie? Why don't you show Commander Riley and his daughter around the farm?"

"But I wanna talk to Dusty." Desiree complained.

"You'll have plenty of time to do that later." Ryeli assured. "Go on."

"Oh okay." Desiree sighed. "But can they stay for dinner? Please?"

Ryeli cast a glance to Dusty, then to Skipper and Sky. "I don't see why not."

"Ryeli." Dustin's tone clearly conveyed how much he disagreed with that idea.

"We wouldn't want to be a bother." Sky piped up.

"No, no, not at all." Ryeli assured. "We'd love to have you over. For now, Desi, why don't you give a tour of the farm while we talk, okay?"

"Okay!" Desiree nodded. "Come on!"

Dusty nodded to Sky, encouraging her to follow Desiree. Skipper followed behind Sky, but he glared at Dustin. The Air Tractor returned the glare, but quickly looked away out of intimidation. He couldn't exactly say much to the huge Corsair who had freaking guns.

Desiree brought Skipper and Sky around the farm, showing them the area. She chatted away a mile a minute, describing the fields she helped dust with her father, the barn where they kept some livestock, and the henhouse where she liked to chase the chickens. Skipper and Sky didn't reply much except for a few comments and nods, but they already began feeling more relaxed around Desiree. Her pleasant, bubbly personality sort of reminded them of Dusty, and they began taking a liking to her.

"And all out there is our property too!" Desiree said, stopping at a fence and looking out to a wide pasture. "Our land stretches really far!"

"Amazing." Sky breathed.

"Nice patch of land you got here." Skipper admitted.

"Uh-huh!" Desiree nodded. "I love working on the farm. It can be hard, but I make it fun. And guess what? Mom and Dad said that someday all of it will be mine!"

"Oh yeah?" Sky asked, smiling.

"Yep!" Desiree nodded again, so hard her propeller might've fallen off. "When I inherit the farm, I want to raise horses, too. They'll live right in this pasture where they can run around as much as they like."

"I love horses!" Sky gasped.

"Me too!" Desiree squealed.

Skipper chuckled. Such a sweet kid. She and Dusty would get along well. His smile faltered. But then what's so different about Desiree that her parents treated her differently? Why did they seem to support her more than Dusty? Because of the farm?

Back in the house, Dustin and Ryeli settled down in their living room with Dusty in front of them. Ryeli poured iced tea for everyone, but nobody drank it. A tense silence hung in the air for a minute.

"So how's the racing life treating you?" Ryeli finally asked. "Desiree loves to watch your races. You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself."

"Yeah." Dusty shrugged. "I, uh, became a firefighter too."

"Really?" Ryeli gasped. "Incredible."

"So now you're putting your life in danger on multiple levels." Dustin droned, uninterested.

"Dustin!" Ryeli scolded. Dusty looked down with a frown and a glare.

Silence returned.

"Why did you come back?" Dustin finally asked.

"I was convinced to come back and check in after all these years." Dusty replied simply. "I didn't want to, but my friend talked me into it."

"So what do you expect to gain from this?" Dustin demanded.

"I'm not really sure." Dusty admitted. "Already, I'm starting to wish I had never come."

Silence.

"Dustin…..I mean, Dusty, why did you run away?" Ryeli asked.

Dusty stared at her. "Why couldn't you accept my dream to be a racer?"

"Being a racer isn't exactly a great career choice." Dustin chided. "What kind of a foolish dream was that?"

"Dustin, that's enough." Ryeli snapped. "Listen, we're all adults here. I think we can stand to tell Dusty the full story."

Dustin sighed. "Fine."

Ryeli nodded in satisfaction, looking back to Dusty. "The reason we couldn't accept your dream was because it wasn't supposed to be part of your life."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dusty demanded.

"Generations ago, when our farm was first established, our family created the deed to the property from scratch." Ryeli explained. "From what your father was told from his father, it took quite a bit of talking with the bank to settle on the terms. One of the most important was this: our claim on the farm only holds as long as we have an heir who can take over for us when we're gone. That's why we had you."

"But then you started talking about becoming a racer." Dustin continued. "All that talk made it seem like you were really serious, and that jeopardized the plan. So we did what we could to dissuade you from becoming a racer. Your dream was supposed to stay on the farm, so you could inherit it when the time came. But the last thing we expected was you running away."

Dusty didn't answer. He very clearly remembered the night he packed a small bag, snuck out of the house, and taxied about a mile down the highway before taking off into the skies.

"Of course, we were devastated when we found out." Dustin said. "We went out to search for you. But after a week, we were beginning to lose hope. And the bank had found out about you going missing. We were desperate to ensure our claim on the farm. So we left the search to the police while we worked on securing an heir. Lo and behold, we got Desiree. And she actually wants to work on the farm, thank Ford."

Ryeli looked down. "We never did hear from you again. The police gave up after a few months."

Dusty glared at the two planes. They looked mildly guilty over the incident, but it only made him angrier. "When did you hear I had become a racer?"

"The Wings Around the Globe Rally." Ryeli answered. "Desiree loves to watch racing, and when we saw you, there was something so familiar. We kept watching your races, and soon it clicked: you were our son."

"So why didn't you come get me?" Dusty demanded. "Why didn't you reach out to me? I was in Minnesota this entire time, and you gave up searching after you barely started!"

"We searched as far as Marshall!" Ryeli snapped. "Forgive us if we thought you were dead!"

"Besides, when we saw you had actually succeeded at being a racer, we thought you were doing well for yourself." Dustin said. "We agreed it was best to just leave you as you were."

"Why?" Dusty scoffed. "Because you didn't need me anymore? Because you had a new child who would do what you want? Follow the dream you set up for her?"

"Dusty, you were never supposed to be a racer." Dustin said. "That wasn't in your destiny."

Dusty's eyes blazed with fury. "Who are you to decide my 'destiny'? I am proud of who I am now. I became who I am now because I have people who actually care about me and supported me!"

"What'd you do?" Dustin scoffed. "Run away to find a new family?"

Dusty's glare deepened. "You better believe it." He turned and rolled off to the door, slamming it shut behind him. The loud sound made Skipper, Sky, and Desiree jump, the three of them standing in the pathway leading to the front gate. "Sky! Skipper! Come on. We're leaving."

"But I wanna talk to you too!" Desiree protested as Dusty pushed past her.

"Well I don't want to talk to you!" Dusty snapped. "It's your fault my parents didn't come looking for me! It's all your fault!" He didn't look back, continuing right out to the highway.

Sky and Skipper stared in shock. "He….he doesn't mean that, I'm sure." Sky told Desiree. "I think he's just mad."

"That's okay." Desiree nodded. "I still think he's an amazing brother."

"Well, we're sorry to cut the tour short." Skipper said. "But we better follow him."

"Okay." Desiree said. "I'm gonna go talk to Mom and Dad. Come back whenever you'd like!"

Skipper and Sky weren't sure if they would/could, but they thanked Desiree and bid her goodbye as they hurried after Dusty.

It was a good thing they left when they did.

It was only after they had returned to Propwash Junction did Dusty tell Skipper and Sky what his parents told him. Skipper was so angry he wanted to go back and tear Dustin to shreds. But he quelled his anger when he witnessed Dusty locking himself in his hanger. Dusty didn't emerge for a few days, clearly irritated, angry, and hurt.

Sky went to talk to him the day before Thanksgiving. She stood in front of his hanger door, unsure how she would go about this. Taking in a breath and letting it out slowly, she raised her fist and knocked lightly.

"Hey Dusty? Can I come in?" Sky asked.

Dusty's soft reply came. "Sure."

Sky opened the door enough for her to slip in, and she shut the door behind her. Dusty parked himself by the window, staring out into the distance. Sky walked over and hopped up on his wing. The two of them sat in silence, each trying to figure out what to say.

Dusty spoke first. "I remember when we went to search for your birth parents. We stopped outside that amphitheater and you went inside. I wasn't sure what would happen when you came back, but I didn't think you would return so quickly and looking so angry. What did you see?"

Sky sighed. "Same thing as you saw the other day, I guess. I saw the reason my parents never came back for me. The reason they were able to move on. It only took me a few minutes to realize going to see them would've been stupid."

"What are you going to do if they come looking for you?" Dusty asked.

Sky scoffed. "They're never going to come looking for me, Dusty. They don't need me." Her head dipped in sadness. "They don't want me."

Dusty frowned. "Yeah? Then forget about them. You're wanted here, and nothing is going to change that."

"I know that, Dusty." Sky assured with a smile. "And I love the family I have now." She nudged him. "You're part of that family, you know. Never had siblings myself, but you're a pretty good brother…..for a doofus."

Dusty barked a laugh. "You think I'm a doofus, huh?"

"Yep!" Sky laughed. She yelped when Dusty suddenly dipped his wing and sent her tumbling to the ground. The two of them laughed.

"Well if I'm a doofus, you're a punk." Dusty smirked.

Sky stuck her tongue out at him, still smiling broadly as she stood. She noticed Dusty went back to staring out the window, but he had a grin on his lips. "Kinda weird, huh? We were both abandoned, even in your case, and now we're part of a new family."

"I dunno." Dusty shrugged. "Maybe that's why we get along so well. We understand each other." His smile grew. "I would never abandon you, Sky. I know what it's like to feel alone too."

Sky would never admit out loud how touched she felt when Dusty said that. "You know, my offer still stands. If you want to spend Thanksgiving with us, we'll have a lot of food." She turned and walked off. "Just think about it."

Dusty watched her go. He thought about her offer. On the one wing, he hadn't spent a Thanksgiving with a family in a long time. On the other wing, he didn't know if he would feel comfortable sitting in on someone else's celebration.

Then again, they were family.

Skipper had to open every door and window in the hanger to let the smoke out, and the smoke detector still didn't shut off for another minute or two. Sky held her fire extinguisher ready, just in case the flames returned. But all that remained was a pot filled with charred remains and retardant.

Sky glared at Sparky, the culprit of the fire. "That is the last time we try and make gravy. Ever."

Sparky sighed. "Deal."

"Knock knock!" Mayday called from the door, his greeting accompanied by Spot Fire's bark.

"Come on in, Mayday!" Skipper said. "The smoke should clear up in a second."

"Let's just be thankful Sparky and I cooked everything else before the gravy, or else we'd be having dinner at ten." Sky said, setting her fire extinguisher aside.

"Well, I did bring something to add to the table." Mayday lowered a basket of biscuits from his hood onto the table Sparky set up. "Thank you again for the invitation."

"We're happy to have ya here!" Sparky called from the kitchen. "Hey Sky, can you set out the plates and silverware?"

"You got it!" Sky nodded.

"Hurry it up!" Skipper called. "The turkey's getting cold!"

Soon, the windows and doors were shut and everyone parked themselves around the table to eat. Spot Fire even got a plate on the floor, where she sat next to Mayday.

Before anyone could eat, they heard another knock at the door. "I'll get it." Skipper offered, rolling over towards the hanger doors. He opened them and peered outside. Blinking in surprise, he discovered a familiar firefighting plane in front of him. "Hey there, Dusty."

Dusty smiled, albeit nervously. "Hey Skipper." He cleared his throat. "I, uh, brought some pumpkin muffins." He showed off the container of muffins on his wing. "I mean, they're just bought from the store, but I figured they would be nice." He cleared his throat again. "I just didn't want to show up without something to offer so I—"

"Dusty." Skipper interrupted gently, a smile on his lips. "Would you like to come in?"

Dusty grinned sheepishly. "Well, I mean, if you'll have me."

Skipper chuckled, moving aside. "Come on in, Dusty. Welcome."

"Thanks, Skip." Dusty said gratefully, taxiing into the hanger. Skipper kept his warm grin as he shut the door and followed Dusty back to the table.

"Hey Dusty!" Sky waved. "You made it!" Dusty gave a shrug of his wings, setting the muffins on the table and settling down between Skipper and Mayday. But Dusty could see the gratefulness in Sky's eyes. She was really happy he came. "Can we eat now?" Sky asked excitedly.

"In a minute." Skipper said. "What does the Riley family do before we eat every Thanksgiving?"

"Oh, right." Sky giggled. "We say what we're thankful for. It's your turn to start this year, Dad."

Skipper chuckled. "All right. Let me think. This year, I'm thankful that you and Dusty were able to pull through your last big crash at Piston Peak. Almost gave me an engine attack, but I'm happy just the same." Everyone laughed.

Sky thought for a minute. "I'm thankful that I found my Soul Connect partner, and that I was able to help him like he helped me."

Sparky was next. "I'm thankful we were able to reopen Propwash Junction's airport and everything worked out the way it did."

"I agree." Mayday said. "I'm thankful for good friends like you two." He smiled at Sky and Dusty. "What you did for me and the town was very selfless and kind."

Spot Fire barked and rubbed her head lovingly against Mayday's fender. It seemed she was thankful for finding a new family.

Now it was Dusty's turn. He thought for a second. "I'm thankful that I have a family to love and loves me too. And that I had a couple awesome firefighters looking out for me when I moved here." He and Mayday shared a smile.

"Amen to that." Sky giggled. "Can we eat now?"

Skipper laughed. "All right."

Dusty had to admit, Sky and Sparky could cook pretty well. He never considered Thanksgiving dinner so important, having spent the last several years alone during this time. But now, sitting with everyone and talking and laughing, he felt a new warmth inside him. Propwash Junction was his home, and the people he knew here were his family.

Boy am I lucky. Dusty thought. He sniffed the air. "Hey, is something burning?"

Sparky gasped. "My pie!" He sped off to the kitchen.

Sky rolled her eyes, picking up her fire extinguisher. "We'll be right back."

After Thanksgiving had passed, Dusty told Chug and Dottie about finding his parents and the whole fiasco with him running away. His two friends looked shocked, yet thankful he was able to get some closure. They didn't pester him about it, and they moved on from the subject. December arrived, and with it came the snow. Everyone began preparing for Christmas, and snowball fights were common. Skipper changed Dusty's and Sky's training routine, giving them a lighter load so they didn't run the risk of getting sick in the cold air.

One day, as they landed on the runway after a successful bout of training, Chug hurried up to them. "Hey Dusty! Dusty! You got a visitor!"

"A visitor?" Dusty repeated. "Who?"

"Dunno." Chug admitted. "Maybe a fan?"

Dusty, Sky, and Skipper exchanged looks, following Chug to the Fill N' Fly. But when they arrived, they were shocked to discover Desiree and Ryeli waiting there and talking to Sparky and Dottie.

"What are they doing here?" Sky wondered.

"Better them than the husband." Skipper muttered bitterly.

Dusty sighed. "Come on." They all approached the Fill N' Fly, and the sight of Dusty made Desiree and Ryeli pause in their conversation.

"Hi Dusty!" Desiree greeted cheerily.

"Hello Dusty." Ryeli greeted.

"Hey." Dusty greeted, trying to stay pleasant. "What brings you two to Propwash Junction?"

"I caught this one—" Ryeli gestured to a sheepish Desiree. "—trying to fly off to come and see you without an adult."

"I brought you a Christmas present!" Desiree said, showing off the box on her wing wrapped in green paper and a big red bow.

Ryeli motioned to one side, signaling to Dusty that she wanted to talk to him privately. Dusty nodded to his friends in reassurance, and he and Ryeli moved off to one side to talk. Ryeli sighed. "Listen, I do not expect you to forgive me and your father…er, my husband…..for what we did. You're right. We should've tried harder to look for you. We shouldn't have tried to put down your dreams." She looked around. "You have a good home here, it would seem. And I'm not going to try and interfere with that. But Desiree wants to get to know you. Do you think…..I don't know, maybe you could speak with her? At least just for today?"

Dusty stared at Ryeli for a moment, then glanced to Desiree. He exhaled softly. "You're right. I don't know if I can forgive and forget what happened." He let Ryeli's ashamed expression wash over him, and he didn't feel an ounce of regret at saying those words. They were somewhat hard to say, but he knew—deep down—it was the truth. He returned to everyone else, approaching Desiree.

The little crop duster had a mile-wide smile on her lips, but she frowned in concern when Dusty didn't smile back. "I'm sorry Mom and Dad didn't try hard enough to find you. When they told me I used to have a brother, they said you had died. That's why I was so happy when I found out you were alive. So, to make it up to you for what Mom and Dad did, I wanna be the best little sister in the world for you. Is that okay?"

Dusty stared at her for a moment, and then looked to his friends. "What do you guys think?"

"Your choice, Duster." Chug said.

"Yeah, she's supposed to be your little sister." Dottie added.

"Agreed." Sparky piped up. Skipper nodded.

Dusty looked to Sky, who shrugged. "Like they said, it's your choice. But if you want my opinion….." The anticipated look in Dusty's eyes confirmed this. "I think you should get to know her. She's innocent in this entire situation."

Dusty turned around and stared at Desiree. She gave a shy smile. Dusty finally smiled back. "Hey, lil' sis, you want a tour of where I live?"

Desiree's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Yes please!"

Dusty laughed. "Okay. Let's go!"

A/N: All right, folks. I got good news and I got bad news.

Bad news: this is my last oneshot for this story for the time being.

Good news: a sequel is coming to Into the Psyche!

I won't reveal any details, but the first chapter will come soon, so keep an eye out!