Waking up with a start Alan looked around. He wasn't in the fire. He was safe in his hospital room. Turning sleepy eyes upward, Alan slowly rolled over, hissing slightly when he rolled over the bed sores – scratch that – staph infection. Looking forward Alan noticed the time. It was six in the morning. He'd gotten well over nine hours of sleep and surprisingly he felt good. Giving a healthy yawn, Alan slowly rubbed at his eyes.

"Wow, Josh was right." Alan mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. He felt fully rested for a change, not scared half to death like he'd felt recently. Looking towards his laptop, Alan wondered if Josh was awake yet. Shaking his head, Alan grabbed his laptop to watch a movie instead. Utilizing the search and destroy method, Alan logged into his laptop and went to the movie library accounts that his brothers created. They didn't ever get the luxury of traveling from the island to go see a movie in theatres that often so they had a tendency to rent them online from an online rental library.

Looking through the movie library, Alan finally chose a movie he felt he'd probably regret watching as it did involve fire…but his therapist suggested he try to ease back in so he wouldn't fear fire. Of course Virgil would have a sappy romance film in his video library. Always was a film with Richard Dreyfuss and John Goodman with Holly Hunter…it documented a fire which was supposed to have taken place in Colorado. Pressing play, Alan settled in to watch the film.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Jeff woke up with a deep inhale, he still felt so tired. He hadn't really gone to bed the night before until well after midnight and even when he was on the island he still made himself go to bed at a reasonable hour. Last night was not reasonable by any means. Glancing at the clock, Jeff groaned when he saw the time. He'd gotten barely seven hours of sleep and he was wide awake.

'Oh well, might as well get a head start and go see if I can make it to the hospital before Alan wakes up.' Jeff pushed back his blankets, groaning softly as he felt the clicks in his joints as they moved after his resting period. Standing up to his full height, Jeff quietly gathered his clothes, not wanting to disturb Brains who was still sleeping soundly in the other bed. Slipping silently into the bathroom, Jeff ran through the shower before dressing quickly and quietly.

Writing a short note for Brains, Jeff grabbed his room key, jacket, and rental car keys before leaving the hotel room. He'd made his way down to the restaurant in the hotel and grabbed a coffee and bagel before going to warm the car. As he sat in the car waiting for it to warm, Jeff couldn't help but to think back to the therapist session with Alan. The therapist talked with Alan over his fears concerning the fire. Discussed the nightmares that had been plaguing him and assured him that if he kept a dream journal on his computer or did the imagery rehearsal the dreams would lessen over time.

Seeing the look of relief crossing Alan's face had been unexpected, but Jeff was thankful. The talk with the therapist was almost cathartic for Alan, he'd talked about things he'd been uncomfortable with before. Like his feelings. Alan himself couldn't stand discussing his feelings, crying in front of any of his family or saying three simples words like 'I love you' without fear of teasing from his brothers. The therapist had reassured Alan that that was normal for a growing boy such as himself and it'd get better with time.

Alan had revealed to the therapist how he'd felt ashamed for being victimized by Robert, how he feared mentioning it to his family because he didn't like the thought of being teased by his brothers for being weak. His Therapist had told Alan that he shouldn't have been ashamed and told him again how normal that was. Victims always felt like they'd brought it on themselves. It was fallacious, but Alan had felt just like the numbers of people who were victimized.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Jeff backed out of the spot he'd parked at the night prior and drove to the hospital to go see Alan. He should still be asleep; of course he could be awake. Alan's sleep schedule was all messed up due to the hospital schedule. He slept at all hours of the day so sometimes he'd wake up and stay up for hours doing nothing but watching movies on his laptop or talking to one of his brothers or friends via laptop connection.

Driving to the hospital, Jeff wondered if the imagery rehearsal had worked. ALan had been sound asleep when Jeff had left the night prior, showing no sign that he was going to have a nightmare at all. Alan did show when he was going to have a nightmare, it was rare if his family picked up on it, but you could usually tell by watching Alan as he slept. If after he fell asleep, he became restless right off the bat, chances were that you'd be waking Alan up from whatever dreadful memory decided to haunt him that night. If he stayed still, occasionally rolling over or mumbling in his sleep, the chances that Alan was going to have a nightmare were 25 percent that a nightmare would occur.

'I hope the imagery rehearsal worked okay, I'd like to see that Alan got a full night's sleep by the time I get there.' Jeff smiled hopefully as he drove into the parking lot of the hospital. He'd remained hopeful that everything would get better from here on out. One could hope right?

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Alan watched the film, clutching his blanket like a little kid hiding from the boogie man as he watched the flames lick at the plane's underbelly. He heard the character played by Richard Dreyfuss whistling that hauntingly eerie tune as he tried to help his lover navigate the plane.

"Come on! Come on!" Alan spoke aloud as he watched, practically on the edge of his seat as the plane started to catch on fire. Alan felt his breathing quicken but for a whole other reason. The movie was suspenseful at that moment in time and Alan found himself hoping that Holly Hunter's charter would be okay. She had her lover watching over her from a place that was like heaven. 'Could this be how it happened with me and Fermat? Is it possible that my mom was with me and Fermat like Pete is with Dorinda? Protecting her, making her feel safe and loved despite the fear and knowledge that she could very well die?'

Alan was so enthralled in the movie, he didn't notice that someone had entered the room and sat in a seat beside him. Staring unblinkingly at the screen, Alan continued to watch the film until the credits rolled by.

"It's a good movie isn't it?"

Alan jumped when he heard the voice and his head whipped around to see his father sitting in the chair beside him.

"It wasn't that good." Alan covered.

"You can admit you liked it. You had that look on your face; I've even had that look on my face before." Jeff grinned and Alan could see the twinkle in his dad's eye. Looking down embarrassedly, Alan nodded.

"I guess it was good." Alan replied shyly.

"The fire didn't bother you?" Jeff asked, knowing that Always had some scenes which involved close encounters with fire and he knew that might have disturbed Alan, since he'd developed a fear of fire.

"No, but I focused on the song Pete whistled a lot." Alan admitted.

"That's so good Alan. That's like your therapist suggested wasn't it?" Jeff asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yeah, try to focus on something when encountering the object of your fear. Don't concentrate on your fear but the object you are focusing on." Alan said, recalling what his therapist said the night prior.

"How did the song go?" Jeff asked, curious to see if Alan remembered the melody.

"It went like…" Alan pursed his lips and whistled the tune of a doomed man. Jeff sat and listened in stunned silence. Alan never knew how to whistle, ever growing up. He couldn't figure out how to hold his tongue and he'd been tongue tied as a child so whistling hadn't been easy for him.

"That's really good Alan." Jeff praised when Alan quit whistling.

"Thanks." Alan blushed at the compliment, looking anywhere but at his father's eyes.

"So how did you sleep last night son?" Jeff asked, hoping that the lack of dark circles beneath Alan's eyes meant that he'd gotten plenty of restful sleep. The kid certainly deserved it.

"Good, I uh…started to have a nightmare, but I was able to change it." Alan admitted, prompting his dad to smile big enough that the smile could be seen from behind the hospital mask. Ruffling Alan's hair, Jeff hugged his son.

"That's wonderful son!" Jeff hugged Alan warmly; he was proud that his baby was able to actually consciously change his dream. While he wanted to know how the dream turned out, he'd let Alan broach the subject. He wouldn't force the boy to discuss it if he didn't want to.

"What are you doing here so early?" Alan asked as he glanced up at the clock. His dad was extremely early. He wouldn't get breakfast for another hour at least.

"What? Is it wrong for me to visit my baby?" Jeff asked teasingly.

"No, of course it's not. It's just I know you don't normally wake up this early is all." Alan asked as he relaxed in his father's warm embrace. As old as he got, he'd always love his dad's hugs.

"I couldn't stay asleep, so I figured I'd come here so you wouldn't wake up to an empty room. Imagine my surprise to come in and see you sucked into a movie." Jeff replied, gently rubbing Alan's arm as he spoke. "So what do you want to do?"

"I uh…" Alan shrugged as he didn't know what he wanted to do.

"Want to watch another movie?" Jeff asked as he watched the credits quit rolling across the screen.

"Sure." Alan beamed at his dad, happy that he'd get to spend time with his dad. He'd get his father's undivided attention and that was a dime a dozen for Alan. He felt like the luckiest boy in the world.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Kolby sat in his cell, staring ahead at the wall. He was counting down to the days that he'd have to sit in the courthouse and be on trial. Sure he felt bad for having done what he'd done to Alan, Fermat and the rest of their friends. He'd been stupid and there was no excuse for that. Glancing up at the calendar outside his cell by the guard's desk, he counted down to the day that he'd also be going to the prison. His public defender told him they'd let him stay in the correctional facility until the day after his birthday, but then he'd be locked up for the next five years – not including the length of time that he'd be locked up after the case of the fire. Five years was just for the assault.

"Hey! You've got a visitor!" Kolby looked up when the guard banged on the bars of his cell. Standing up, Kolby walked over to the cell door and waited for the guard to unlock his door.

"Who is it?" Kolby looked towards the guard with a questioning look.

"Your father, he wanted to stop in to visit for a few moments." The guard replied before handcuffing Kolby and leading him through the cell block.

"My dad? What's he doing here?" Kolby was surprised, his dad lived in London running his veterinarian practice.

"No clue." The guard said as he brought Kolby before the visitors room. Kolby gazed in and saw his father. He looked like he always had. Humble, barely scraping by. He looked rough.

When the guard opened the door, the middle aged man looked up with a gentle smile. Kolby's handcuffs were undone as he was granted the permission to embrace his father.

"Dad! What are you doing here?!" Kolby hugged his dad tightly. Despite his and Mason's mother and father leaving he and his brother in the care of their aunt and uncle, he deeply missed their parents.

"I've come to see you for your birthday son. I know it's early, but this was the best time to come see you."

"Why?" Kolby hugged his father again, feeling like a human again. Being locked up in a cell 24x7 had the potential to drive a guy crazy.

"Because." Kolby's father pulled back from his son and looked at him carefully. "I'm sorry son."

"Why?" Kolby asked, afraid his dad was severely disappointed in him and his little brother for their screw up.

"Your mother and I were wrong to leave you and your brother in the care of your aunt and uncle. If we'd brought you two along with us neither of you might be in this mess. For that I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault dad. Mason and I – we were the ones that screwed up. You and mom raised us better and we both were blinded by peer pressure to do what we did. Mason and I should be the ones that are sorry dad." Kolby said as he looked at his father with a hint of a smile.

"I'm still disappointed in your mother and I…we're your parents and we couldn't stop this from happening."

"You couldn't have stopped it dad. We were in too deep." Kolby said as he basically forgave his father for leaving him and his brother with their aunt and uncle to pursue a career in London.

"I'm still sorry though son."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Scott sat up with a stretch. He certainly had better sleep, that was for sure. He hadn't gone to bed until one that morning and now it was almost ten. Running his fingers through his hair, Scott stretched again with a groan as he felt his joints pop. Rubbing at his eyes, Scott gazed at the foot of his bed to see John and Gordon with his laptop, sharing earbud headsets as they watched a video.

Tossing back his blankets, Scott stood up with another stretch. They just felt so satisfying. Heading to the bathroom, Scott ignored his brothers for the moment. When he left the bathroom a few moments later, he came out feeling just a little bit more awake. He'd splashed some cold water in his face and it had certainly felt good to wake up a little bit. Not feel so damn groggy.

"Good morning sunshine!" Gordon sang annoyingly.

"Morning to you too." Scott greeted as he grabbed the blankets from his bed and crawled beneath them, with his head at the foot of the bed. "What are you two watching?"

"Another video of Alan and his friends goofing off at Wharton's." John said with a grin. "It shouldn't be funny, but it's hilarious."

"What's it about?" Scott glanced over top of his brother's head to watch the video.

"Alan got caught being goofy again, this time by Fermat." Gordon replied as he rewound the video. "Watch this Alan knows how to cut a rug."

'Fermat walked into the cafeteria, his camera hidden as the video was sideways. Obviously Wharton's had a policy that everyone was required to help clean the cafeteria.

"So, w-what you're a-about to see is A-Alan…dancing while h-he cleans the c-cafeteria. He's not i-in trouble or anything. T-The students, we're a-all just required to r-rotate shifts and h-help clean the cafeteria and k-kitchen." Fermat looked off screen and gave a chuckle. "Alan doesn't k-know that I've been standing here, b-but he just started playing m-music on his phone. Oh h-he's doing it."

Fermat pointed his camera in the cafeteria and Alan was dancing around and lip syncing along. He picked up his broom and pretended to sing into the broomstick.'

"How much do you think he watched that video to copy their choreography?" Scott was smiling and was quite amused to see his little brother dancing around to the tune of Tearin' up my Heart

"I don't know, but he is brilliant." John chuckled. "Is he really singing?"

"I think he is…" Gordon watched with his mouth agape. "His music isn't up that loud."

"If he's really singing, he sure can belt it out." Scott said as he watched the video, he was impressed. He figured his little brother, what with his long and gangly limbs would always and forever be the klutz in their family. But Alan just proved in this video that he's actually got some pretty slick moves. "Wow, maybe when he's better we'll have to catch him dancing some time."

"That'd be awesome." Gordon replied as they prepared to watch another clip. "If that's him really singing, he should have a record deal."

"I'm with you there bro." Scott said as John gave a so-so hum. "Okay let's watch this."

"Where did they get the balloons?" John asked as Alan and a few friends were sat in lawn chairs outside on what appeared to be a patio.

"I have no…what are they doing?" Scott asked as he watched Alan put the balloon to his mouth and the balloon deflates just a little.

"Hello, my name is Todd. So today we're doing valley girl impersonations because we're bored and we have all these balloons here. By the way, Happy Birthday Alan." Todd leaned in on camera. "Alan here as the guys like to call him…Mayhem will be starting us off since he's the birthday boy. Take it away Alan."

Alan chuckled when his balloons gave a high pitched squeal, before closing off the little hole he'd made in the balloon.

"Oh my god, did you see that guy at the mall today? He was so totally hot." Alan said while trying not to laugh. "I wonder if I should give him my phone number."

His friends began laughing at Alan's valley girl impersonation. Josh sucked in a little helium and began singing a song from the movie classic, Wizard of Oz.

"Oh we're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!"

Alan and his friends began laughing as they all sucked in helium and joined Josh singing the song.'

"I can't believe that they are actually sucking helium." Scott said. He'd tried it once and he'd become dizzy afterward, he'd told Alan and his brothers never to do it…but watching it was possibly the most hilarious thing he'd ever seen.

"We'll have to get Alan some balloons and make him say some really zany things. I bet it'd be hysterical." Gordon said as he stifled a laugh.

'Hey, let's imitate Alvin and the chipmunks.' Jem suggested.

"Or Woody the woodpecker." Eddy said as he inhaled a bit of helium. He began doing a chuckle sound and soon everyone was practically rolling on the ground at the Woody the woodpecker impersonation.

It just about made Scott, John and Gordon bust a gut laughing because the boys still had the squeaky helium voices.

"Hey Jem, What do you call a seagull that flies over the bay?" Alan asked as he waited for his young friend to inhale a bit of helium himself.

"I don't know Dodger, what do you call a seagull that flies over the bay?" Jem shrugged, honestly not knowing the punchline of the joke.

"A bagel!" Alan replied, having taken in more helium and therefore sounding higher pitched than Theodore – Alvin's little chipmunk brother.

Everyone laughed good naturedly before Josh waved at everyone to quiet down.

"Okay everyone, here's one." Josh said as he raised his balloon to take another inhale. "What do you call an alligator in a vest?"

"I don't know, what do you call an alligator in a vest?" Eddy asked, his voice gradually getting deeper as the small bit of helium he'd inhaled began to wear off.

"An investigator…get it?" Josh asked as his friends guffawed at the joke.

"Okay, we need to tone it down a little. I'm getting a headache." Alan said as he released his balloons to cradle his head. The balloons made a pffft noise as it floated away.

"It's p-probably all the h-helium." Fermat said, his stutter just making his helium voice sound all the funnier.

"No duh." Scott said as he knew that inhaling too much helium could give you a headache because you weren't breathing oxygen.

"Ssh." John hissed as he continued watching the video.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Alan!"

Scott, John and Gordon all gasped silently as they heard a couple older voices begin singing. Alan looked up behind the camera and his face lit up with a smile that could be akin to an excitable school child in a toy store.

A cake was set in Alan's lap and a goofy looking birthday hat was placed on Alan's head. An elderly hand reached out and brushed a lock of hair out of Alan's eyes before they were heard.

"Make a wish Alan and blow out your candles."

Alan hunched his shoulders as he closed his eyes as if in deep thought while thinking of a good birthday wish before he opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, Alan blew out the fourteen individual candles on the cake. Applause was heard and Alan was jostled as he received pats on the back from everyone.

"Thank you grandma Elsie." Alan said as an elderly woman leaned into the frame to hug Alan.

"You're welcome darling. Happy birthday."

"So that's what Elsie sounded like?" Gordon asked as he recalled there being a picture of Alan with the elderly couple and his friends. He'd kind of always wondered what she sounded like and thought she sounded a little bit like their grandma Ruth.

"I guess so." John replied as they continued to watch the video.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

"That was a good movie dad." Alan said as he relaxed back against his father's chest. The two of them had just finished watching Inception and Alan had really liked it. It was a thinker film. Made you think and try to figure out the puzzle.

"I thought so too. I didn't know if I'd like it." Jeff said with a smile happy that he'd gotten to spend several hours with Alan so far. It was nice just being able to spend time with Alan and not have any interruptions. The only time anyone had come in the room so far was to give Alan his breakfast and a med check then later he'd have his dressing changed. Alan wasn't complaining of the sores, so Jeff hoped that meant good news.

"I thought you'd have watched it already to make sure it was appropriate for me to watch?" Alan looked with surprise at his father. Usually his dad would have watched or had one of his brothers watch a movie to give a play by play so he'd know if he'd need to hit mute or cover Alan's ears at all during the film. But neither nor his sons had watched it yet and Jeff was pleased to say that it wasn't too overly adult. There was some language, but nothing Alan didn't already hear occasionally around the villa.

"I've done this with your brothers before…consider it a rite of passage." Jeff said with an obvious smile. "Your brothers always would beg to watch a movie for themselves without it being censored; so I'd purposely watch a film with them neither of us had seen so I couldn't mute it if a questionable scene was about to come on."

"That's awesome dad." Alan said with his own big grin.

Jeff gently ruffled Alan's hair, counting his lucky stars probably for the millionth time since the fire that he'd been given another chance with Alan, to apologize after that horrendous fight they'd had the night before the fire. Alan very well could have been lost. The smoke inhalation had been so bad that after he'd been given the opportunity to see Alan the doctor had pulled him aside and told him that Alan was very lucky to be alive and not just because of the burns.

The smoke inhalation had scorched Alan's throat and lungs. The doctor had been unsure how Alan would recover. Sure his voice was considerably softer, but the smoke had also partially damaged his vocal cords.

"Knock-knock!" Alan and Jeff looked over at the familiar call and both smiled as Dr. Andreessen entered the room. "It's just me."

"Hi me, how are you today?" Alan asked with a cheeky grin.

"Hardy-har-har Alan. I'm good though." Dr. Andreessen nodded in greeting at Alan and Jeff. "I guess I deserve that response."

"No, I just felt like being a smart aleck." Alan said as he winked at the doctor.

"Well you seem to be in a better mood today." Dr. Andreessen came closer to Alan to get a better look at Alan. "What's different?"

"I actually got some decent sleep last night and it was wonderful." Alan replied cheerfully.

"Good to hear." Dr. Andreessen said as he donned a a second pair of rubber gloves. "If you don't mind I'd like to check one of the infected sites…is that okay Alan?"

The blonde made a noise of agreement before shivering as his hospital blanket was removed from his legs. Dr. Andreessen removed the bandages and looked carefully at the wounds before giving a nod of approval.

"Looking good Alan. I can already see a difference. The infection seems to be less red this morning." Dr. Andreessen said as he applied an antibiotic ointment to the infected site. "Let's take a look at your other burns while we're at it."

Alan looked at his dad nervously, but he hadn't a thing to worry about thus far. His dad was there and was being supportive, that's all Alan had to ask for.

"How are you feeling Alan? Any fever, aches or pains that is flu-like at all?" Dr. Andreessen asked as he continued to check over Alan's burns.

"No, I feel good. No pain outside of the occasional sting or smarting sensation I feel. Is that good?" Alan asked skeptically.

"Yes, it's very good in fact. It means your body is still agreeing with your brother's skin donation. As long as you're feeling good that's all that matters." Dr. Andreessen said as he rewound the bandages around Alan's feet and legs. "I think I've bothered you enough for now. I'll let myself out, you just have a good day with your dad."

Alan smiled at the doctor as he gathered the used bandages and medicine tubes before leaving the room. Heaving a sigh, Alan resettled in his father's arms. Jeff clasped his hands in front of Alan's chest as his son got comfortable once more.

"What do you say to having a father son movie marathon?" Jeff asked with a raised eyebrow. Alan looked up at him and nodded with a big grin. Jeff gestured at Alan to select the next movie since Jeff had chosen Inception for them to watch. Alan scrolled through the movie library, looking for a suitable movie to put on. Smiling at his dad with a good natured wink he selected Jurassic Park. Jeff groaned, Alan loved watching Jurassic Park when he'd been a little kid. He loved the dinosaurs and wasn't scared a bit by the T-Rex. Not to say that Jeff was scared, but he'd been Jurassic Park-ed out.

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Virgil sat up on the side of his hospital bed, glancing toward the door before hiking up his hospital gown just a bit. The nurses hadn't wanted to keep the grafting site to moist, so they'd only just begun leaving the surgical site open so it could scab over. It wasn't necessary to keep it wrapped tightly like it was with Alan's injuries. Gazing down at his legs, Virgil couldn't help but to wince. The surgical site, though not likely to scar looked painful. His legs were bruised in spots and he could see where the scabs had lifted slightly, allowing there to be some incredibly minor blood flow. Running a hand tentatively over his thigh, Virgil shivered at his leg feelings so bumpy and scabby. It felt gross even to the seasoned medic.

"I wonder how Alan is doing right now." Virgil wondered aloud to himself as he allowed his hospital gown to fall back down over his legs. Standing up slowly, Virgil walked around the room for a few minutes, wanting to just stretch his legs. Lying in bed was driving him crazy. He didn't know how Alan was handling it before he shook his head with a disgusted groan. Alan wasn't handling it as well as he and his family liked to believe. He was nearing his breaking point and at just that moment Virgil wondered about one of Gordon's fears just after the fire had occurred.

How would Alan be affected by the fire? Would he still be the same old Alan or would he be different? If he was in fact different, would it be for the better or for the worse? Virgil just didn't know and he decided not to dwell on it. For now Alan was doing just fine and everything would be taken care of in due time…it'd just be a little while longer.

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Mason sat in the living area at the juvenile correctional facility. He was going over a homework assignment that the Department of Juvenile Corrections had given him when he'd expressed wanting to get his GED. They'd gladly gotten him enrolled and Mason used the homework to distract him from being locked up. It was his mistake, his screw up and so he'd have to face his punishment.

A/N: So just a little update, while I am still sort of struggling in algebra - the semester is finally coming to an end so now it's just time to study,study,study.

I will be posting a wee Tracy story the week of Thanksgiving - I've been working on it for the past year and I've finally gotten it finished so be on the look out for The Polka-Dotted Pilgrims. I hope you've all enjoyed this two new chapters to Rising From The Ashes.

~Angel~