A/N: Howdy! As promised in my update of A Walk To Remember, here is the update to Rising From The Ashes. Honestly I lost my muse for a while until it occurred to me I was listening to the wrong kind of music then I found it easier to write again - thank heavens. I know I apologized in my Walk To Remember update for the delay in posting, I've been running around like chicken little runs around screaming that the sky is falling trying to prepare for winter and we've been having quite the season. Forest fires that ate up over half the state, drought followed by occasional torrential rains, earthquakes and now snow...yes my state experiences the four seasons in the span of what seems like a day in between.

Anyway, enjoy and please be warned that I do not have a beta, nor do I really want one. All mistakes are my own and since I had to meet my self imposed deadline there may be some mistakes that I missed in my proofread. Flames are not accepted and I'd appreciate that if anyone reads my stories and doesn't like them that they'd put any comments in the form of constructive criticism.

Alan wobbled precariously as he braced himself against the parallel bars in the physical therapy room. He couldn't blink the sweat that had been dripping from his brow into his eyes out enough. Lindsey was standing at the end of the parallel bars coaching Alan through another grueling round and while Alan wasn't about to give up, he'd give just about anything to take a breather. When he looked to his left and his right though, he was given a burst of strength from the eyes shining with pride. Gordon and Virgil were quietly reminding Alan that he could do it if he put his all into it. But…wasn't that what he was doing?

The step Alan had been struggling to take was the straw that broke the camel's back and Alan couldn't go on. His knees which had been shaking from exertion collapsed beneath Alan's weight and the teen dropped like a lead weight to the floor. He decided to hide his shame by covering his face with his arms and keeping his head down. Suddenly Alan found himself surrounded by two of his brothers and his physical therapist and they all were showing concern for Alan after his fall.

"Alan, are you okay?" Virgil inquired, concern making his voice rise in alarm.

"Dude, it's okay…just relax. Rome wasn't built in a day." Gordon said when he barely dodged the fist Alan pounded to the ground in a fit of frustration.

"Damnit!" Alan growled before pounding a fist to the ground once more. Tears of frustration were welling in Alan's eyes but he refused to let them fall. "Just once I'd like to get it right!"

"Alan, Alan, stop! It's okay. These things happen, you can't let these little setbacks throw you off your game." Lacey said while reaching out to clasp onto Alan's fist when he'd raised it again to hit the floor. She lowered it down before she rubbed the abused hand where it'd turned red from the force of the blows Alan was raining down onto the padded flooring. "You can't let these things get to you Alan, it's not going to happen all at once."

"But we've been at this for over a month now and I'm not getting any better!" Alan cried, voice breaking as emotion clogged his throat.

"Kiddo, it's not a race. You'll get there when you get there." Virgil said, scooting closer so that Alan could have somebody near. He wasn't expecting Alan to push him away.

"No! You don't understand! I'm NOT getting better! I'll never get better!" Alan was upset and though Virgil knew Alan would lose his temper from time to time, he wasn't expecting his kid brother to take it out on him.

Gordon knew Alan was simply frustrated, they'd been having therapy sessions every day, even upping the sessions in a day to two sessions every day seven days a week. He wasn't ignorant, he'd been in Alan's shoes before. He knew how disappointing it could become every time you thought you failed at something.

When Alan struggled to lift himself up only to faceplant into the padded floor mat Gordon knew he needed to get control of the situation. He knew what his little brother was doing and it wasn't worth it to hurt his physical recovery because he couldn't seem to save face. Gordon discretely sent a text to Virgil sighing lightly in relief when there wasn't a chime or beep signaling that Virgil got a message from anybody. Virgil watched him text so he looked at his phone without bringing much attention to it.

Virgil leaned away from Alan to catch Lacey's attention and he gestured for her to follow him, leaving Gordon alone with Alan if only for a few precious minutes. Once they were alone, Gordon laid on his stomach beside Alan and supported himself on his elbows.

"You want to tell me why you don't think you're recovering?" Gordon inquired softly, dipping his head to meet Alan's eyes.

"Because I'm not! Can't you see that? I can barely walk a few feet without embarrassing myself and falling down like a little baby that's just learning to walk." Alan wouldn't look at Gordon, too ashamed to see the disappointment that he just knew was written on his brother's face.

"Alan, look at me." Gordon spoke sternly with his little brother and finally got the younger to look him in the eye. "You are indeed getting better, I don't know how many times I need to say that to you before you begin to believe it."

Alan once more refused to meet Gordon's eyes, choosing instead to bite his lip and look away. When it looked to Gordon like Alan was about to punch the floor mat again, he reached out and grabbed Alan's balled up fist.

"Quit beating yourself up over things you can't change. So it's taking a little longer than you expected to recover, it doesn't mean you're not recovering." Gordon said before he propped up on his knees to pull Alan up by his shoulders and sitting him up opposite himself against the parallel bars. The two brothers sat in silence for a few moments before Gordon gently nudged Alan's hip with his foot. "I thought you did pretty damn well today kiddo. I mean, in case you haven't noticed, you walked ten more laps than you did two days ago."

Alan now less of a mess from his perceived failure, graced his older brother with a timid smile.

"I guess I did…didn't I?" Alan asked shyly.

"You guess? Alan, you need a lesson from Gordon Cooper Tracy on an increase in confidence…maybe then that'll give your self-esteem a boost." Gordon said trying to cheer Alan up more.

"I think the last thing Alan needs is yet another lesson from Gordon Cooper Tracy, your lessons always have a way of backfiring." Virgil said after he came in to check on Alan. He asked Lacey to give him, Gordon and Alan a few more minutes alone to diffuse whatever attitude Alan had brewing. "How's Gordo treating you kiddo, he making a fool out of himself yet?"

Alan snickered but covered his mouth to hide the smile that threatened to burst forth.

"You too Alan?" Gordon asked, knowing that Virgil didn't really mean anything by it. He was just throwing him under the bus to cheer Alan up.

"I'm sorry Gordo, but Virge is right. Every time you try to have a meaningful conversation it does seem to backfire." Alan said, impish smile visible despite being hidden behind his hand.

Virgil knelt in front of Alan and he smiled at his kid brother.

"Hey Al, everything okay?" Virgil asked softly, taking the hand Alan had been using to pummel the floor mat with to inspect it for injury. The skin was red, but thankfully no blood was drawn. Virgil still smiled at his kid brother reassuringly. "You're going to be fine kiddo."

Alan could read the double meaning behind Virgil's words and while they reassured him, those same words still made Alan wonder if Virgil was telling the truth or if it was just a white lie meant to cheer him up. Alan knew Virgil was on the up and up with him, but he couldn't help the doubt. It'd been several months since he'd set foot outside without needing to be escorted by a medical professional and Alan just wanted a bit of freedom. The little bit of freedom that was awarded to Alan every time Fermat left his walker accessible was now gone and that bummed Alan out. It was the reason Lacey increased his physical therapy sessions.

"I know, I guess it just…rubbed me the wrong way." Alan said, meaning his fall. He thought he'd been doing well, having lost count of the laps he'd completed and he'd been rudely awakened from his internal diatribe when his body met the floor.

"Well, do you think you can continue your session or do you want to call it? Lacey told me she doesn't mind cutting your session short if you're too tired to continue. She doesn't want you to hurt yourself." Virgil said having been talking in the hall with Lacey when they'd stepped out to talk to one another.

"I don't want to stop!" Alan said, taking both of his brothers by surprise. When Virgil motioned for Lacey to return, she entered with a smile before helping Alan up and handing him forearm crutches.

"You know, I think these might be of more use to you right now as opposed to a walker." Lacey helped Alan with them, adjusting them so they'd be of help instead of a hindrance. "Go ahead and give them a try."

Alan looked unsure about using the new devices that he'd seen other kids in the ward using, but he took a step with them and was surprised at how much easier it was to walk without the walker to push on.

"Come over here Alan." Lacey said after she walked across the room and gestured for Alan to come to her. Alan once again looked unsure about the distance, but he didn't let his fear stop him. He steadied his previous precarious gait with the crutches and walked across the room without barely a stumble. When he turned to lean against the wall, he received applause from his brothers.

"Awesome job Al!" Gordon said striding across the room to pat Alan on the back.

Virgil took a note from Gordon's book and he hurried over to congratulate Alan on a job well done. The teen took a seat on a stack of mats, accepting the cup of water when Lacey came over with it from the cooler. While Alan sat, Lacey took advantage of Alan's moment of relaxation and she began stretching Alan's legs and gently rubbing the muscles in his calf when she found a knot or a tight muscle. By the time the teen felt he had drank his weight in water and Lacey had finished Alan's cool down, they were ready to call the end to the appointment and Alan was dreading having to get in the wheelchair. He was pleasantly surprised when the wheelchair didn't make an appearance.

"I thought we could walk back to your room." Lacey said with a smile which made Alan more than happy.

"Great!" Alan eagerly stood up with his forearm crutches and he walked between his brothers that were framing him. Lacey walked a few steps ahead of them, choosing instead to stop periodically to monitor Alan's progress.

Alan was all smiles as he was led back to his hospital room which thankfully wasn't that far of a walk. He felt like he finally had more freedom and it felt good. This was more than he'd had in a long time and it felt like more progress than he'd made using the parallel bars. Sure, he was sweating bullets, but he felt like it was worth the discomfort. It was temporary at most.

When they'd made it back to his room Alan tried to walk in with his head held high. It had been expected to see the curtain around Fermat's bed pulled to as his father was expected to visit. It came as more of a surprise when Alan flanked by Lacey, Virgil and Gordon caught both the island resident geniuses by surprise because the curtain was open instead of closed.

"Alan! Y-You're walking!" Fermat cried happily as he sat up fast like lightening. Brains was beaming at Alan much like a proud father would seeing their child win a first-place ribbon in a contest which wasn't far from the truth. Brains was a lot like a second father to Alan and his brothers.

Brains stood up and stopped at the foot of Alan's bed, ready to help Alan if he needed a hand. Alan appreciated it, but he was hoping to make it to his own bed under his own steam. When Brains made to reach out a hand when Alan's arms began shaking, Alan grunted a refusal.

"No, let me." Alan said before he readjusted his grip on the forearm crutch handles and took another step. He was very much aware that Virgil and Gordon were assuming their mother hen tendencies by crowding behind him and he didn't want them to help him. He wanted to prove to himself that the burns as well as his recovery wasn't a death sentence to the rest of his livelihood.

When he made it to his bed, Alan was left for the briefest of moments with the query of how he was supposed get back in bed when he hadn't quite mastered backing up with his forearm crutches. Lacey squeezed between Virgil and Gordon before she helped to physically turn Alan and help ease him back down onto the mattress. It wasn't until he was sitting down that Alan let what he'd just done wash over him. He smiled triumphantly at his older brothers who glammed onto him and praised him with breath stealing hugs and hair-tangling tousles.

"Way to go kiddo!" Virgil said excitedly as he congratulated his little brother on his recovery milestone. "I'm so proud of you!"

Alan was blushing at the praise and he accepted Virgil's admiration before being bombarded by Gordon and his exuberant approbation of what Alan had accomplished. "You were awesome kiddo!" Gordon said, barely remembering not to pat Alan too hard on the back. Alan beamed proudly before he looked back at Lacey.

"How'd I do?" Alan asked, hoping to hear some good news.

"Well, I know you want to walk a little more than just in therapy…so how would you like to hang on to these? Keep them safe for me?" Lacey asked, knowing she made the right decision.

She felt it was safer if Alan had his own aids when it came to moving around on his own time. She worried what his family as well as Fermat's father would say if Alan accidently damaged Fermat's walker. Those tools didn't come cheap and she would feel bad if it or one of the boys got hurt because of using improperly adjusted walking aides.

"You bet!" Alan said feeling infinitely happy that he seemed to be moving along faster than he had been at Massachusetts's General.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

The next time that Robert saw the inside of Judge Somers courtroom, he wasn't dressed to the nines like he had been on the day the verdict was read. Instead he was dressed in his fluorescent orange jumpsuit, complete with his handcuffs and his ankle cuffs. He was escorted in by an armed guard that was none too gentle with pushing him down to sit in the chair situated directly to the left of the Judge's podium. The judge entered not long after when Robert was forced to stand once more when she entered the room.

When he was finally allowed to sit once more, Robert looked straight ahead. Judge Somers picked up a file folder of papers and she shuffled through them for a few moments. Robert refused to acknowledge any of the people in the room, not even glancing at the other side's lawyer when he began talking. He didn't see any point in offering any form of attention to them.

"Young man…hey!" Judge Somers said sharply making Robert look up at her from where she sat. "Eyes forward and pay attention."

Robert rolled his eyes but looked forward none the less as the other sides lawyer continued blabbering. He wasn't at all pleased with being present in the room as that guy.

And because of his inattention, it came as a surprise to him when he heard Judge Somers say something about prison and being tried as an adult. He came to attention suddenly and he assumed that Judge Somers had only been muttering about what she should do…not that he'd actually be going to prison. He was in for a rude awakening, that much was certain. He zoned in on his lawyer to see she was looking like she'd swallowed a bitter pill. She nodded nonetheless and then he paid closer attention to everything the judge and his lawyer said.

"Do you understand what this means young man?" Judge Somers asked as she looked down the bridge of her nose, peering over her glasses to eye the boy standing in her courtroom.

"No ma'am." Robert replied knowing he'd screwed up but not caring enough to want to apologize for the terrible things he'd done.

"What this means for you is that by the end of the month, you will be transferred to the Suffolk County Jail, and due to your age you'll be locked in solitary confinement until your eighteenth birthday at which time you'll be released from confinement and integrated with the other inmates." Judge Somers said, enlightening Robert to his fate. And if Robert's face paled exorbitantly, Judge Somers didn't care to comment. "Do you understand young man?"

"Yes ma'am…" Robert's shoulders sagged and he listened further to what the judge had to say.

"Furthermore, the jury refused to provide leniency based on your age. They'd advised the maximum and you are hereby sentenced to twenty-one years for the attempted murder of Mr. Alan Tracy and Fermat Hackenbacker as well as an additional seven years per the four students that were injured during your little stunt. In total, I've sentenced you to seventy years in jail without possibility of parole. You will serve your time and when you've paid your debt to society, you may go. But I must urge you to consider that in seventy years, you'll need to let go of your contempt and leave sleeping dogs lie. You will not seek either Alan Tracy, Fermat Hackenbacker nor any of their families for any reason at all." Judge Somers picked up the papers on her desk and shuffled them before laying them back on the desktop. "You are dismissed."

She hammered her gavel before she gave a brief flick of her wrist, proving to Robert that she wanted no further interactions with him from this point on. He stood when the guard came forward and he lowered his head as he was led from the courtroom. While he was walking with the guard, Robert couldn't help but to wonder how it all had come to this?

It was quite possibly one of the first times that Robert acknowledged that he'd done anything truly wrong, not that he was admitting it to anyone but himself. Nobody needed to know that he seemed to carry some regret over his actions nor did he think they'd care.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Fermat rolled over, dragging his eyes open after being woken up from a sound sleep. He picked up his glasses on the bedside table, donning the lenses so he could see the clock across the room. It occurred to him after a few moments that Alan's bed was oddly vacant at two in the morning and he briefly wondered where his friend was when he heard Alan groaning in frustration in the bathroom.

Fermat grabbed his walker and pulled it closer to him before he climbed from his bed and walked over to the bathroom. Peering in, he was surprised to find his friend sitting on the floor, head leaned against the wall.

"A-Alan, you d-doing okay?" Fermat asked, visually assessing his best friend and not seeing anything wrong with him other than the fact that he was sitting on the floor.

"Yeah, I just can't get up." Alan said, gesturing at his feet and legs. "I got up to go to the bathroom and my legs fell asleep. I figured maybe my legs just are tired from all the activity from today."

"So y-you're n-not hurt?" Fermat asked as he continued to assess his friend. "Do I n-need to c-call a nurse?"

"I don't think I need a nurse…I just need my feet and legs to wake up." Alan said before he gave his legs a little jiggle in hopes of waking them up. "Think you can give me a hand?"

"L-Let's give i-it a try." Fermat said before making his way into the bathroom and setting his walker aside for a moment before he limped over in front of Alan and offered his hands to the older boy on the floor. "On t-three."

"One." Alan started, indicating that he was ready before he and Fermat attempted to get Alan off the floor.

"T-Two." Fermat continued, bracing his feet as best he could in preparation of helping Alan.

"Three." Alan and Fermat said simultaneously before Alan attempted to stand. Fermat could feel himself about to lose face and fall forward before Alan stood and leaned back against the wall to keep from sinking back to the floor.

"Thanks Ferm." Alan said, thankful for Fermat's help. "Let's get back to bed before a nurse checks on us."

"Y-You're welcome a-and yes…l-let's." Fermat said, grateful for the chance to go back to bed.

Fermat grabbed his walker and made his way back to his bed with Alan following him using his crutches. They both climbed into their beds respectively and rolled onto their sides so they could whisper to the other.

"Thanks again for helping me. I didn't really want to call for a nurse." Alan said softly as he nestled his head into his pillows.

"No p-problem…just h-how long w-were you t-there though?" Fermat asked as he took off his glasses and placing them carefully on the bedside table once more. He couldn't see his surroundings, being as blind as a bat without his glasses. Alan never got used to seeing his friend without his glasses and still found it bizarre when he saw his friend at one of his most vulnerable times.

"About ten minutes. When my legs and feet went to sleep, I figured I'd best sit down before I fell down and then I couldn't get back up." Alan said before he pulled his blankets up higher. "I'd tried to get back up a couple times and kept slipping back down so I just figured I'd stay there until a nurse came to check on us."

"Y-You know next time y-you should y-yell for m-me…I'll g-gladly go and h-help you b-back up." Fermat said before yawned. "I'm b-beat…g-g'night."

"Night Fermat…thanks." Alan said before he closed his eyes and tried earnestly to go back to sleep.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Over the next few days, Alan was challenged by Lacey to increase his level of mobility. Gordon and Virgil were constants in the fitness room and they were always there with him to give their youngest brother a boost in confidence. The brothers talked it over amongst themselves before the decided they wanted to let someone else in on the secret. Virgil and Gordon felt bad that Alan couldn't exactly surprise their dad because he was privy to the knowledge that they were helping Alan rehabilitate, but they were pleased to let Scott and John take their place for a day so they could be surprised at what Alan could do.

At first Alan was worried of how his two oldest brothers would feel knowing that they hadn't been around to help Alan during his beginning attempts at rehabilitation, but his fears were soon assuaged when said brothers opened Alan's hospital room door. Alan had talked it over with Lacey prior to his oldest brother's arrivals and she'd agreed to take Alan's forearm crutches to the fitness room. They were going to play an incredibly minor prank on his older brothers, Alan was planning on using his wheelchair that was getting incredibly minimal use here lately and Alan was trying hard to play the part that he couldn't walk well yet. It's not as if he was completely healed yet, he was still having difficulty walking but once he was up he was typically usually loping around.

When Scott and John were told that Alan wanted them to come in for his rehab appointment, they did so with a little trepidation. They were equal parts worried that Alan wouldn't walk with ease, though they were also eager to find out how Alan would do with his appointment. They entered Alan and Fermat's hospital room with a barely there knock and they still smiled when Alan propelled himself forward in his wheelchair.

"Hey there kiddo, looks like you're getting around pretty well in your chair." Scott said, hoping that Alan wouldn't need the chair long term.

"Yeah, it's quickly becoming like a spare limb for me." Alan said, knowing he was pulling his brother's legs but not being able to not poke a little fun at his brothers. It was the first time in a long time that he actually felt up to playing a prank no matter how big or little. So he considered it to be a step in the right direction.

"Well, I guess we'll have to fix that then…won't we?" John asked as he skirted around behind Alan's wheelchair and started pushing Alan ahead of him.

"Yeah, I guess we will." Alan said, glad that they were headed towards the activity room. The plan was that Virgil and Gordon would pack swim trunks for their older brothers as well as sending the washed trunks for Alan so he could have something that fit when he did his exercises. The only thing that Alan hoped for was that his brothers wouldn't get mad at him for keeping all of this a secret.

"Are you ready Sprout?" Scott asked as he lightly squeezed Alan's shoulder.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess." Alan said under his breath. He was trying to keep up the ruse that he was dreading his appointment when in all actuality, he was looking forward to it.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

When they made it to the activity room, Alan greeted Lacey with a smile and a barely perceptible nod of the head before he motioned to Scott and John.

"These are my two oldest brothers, Scott and John." Alan gestured at the respectively to properly introduce them to his physical therapist.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you both." Lacey said before she extended her hand to both older brothers. Scott and John politely introduced themselves to Lacey before Scott being one of the more no-nonsense brothers turned to face both Alan and Lacey.

"Do we want to get this show on the road?" Scott asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah." Alan said, just a little nervous that he was about to show his brothers that he wasn't quite as wheelchair bound as he was claiming. Once more he hoped his brothers would be more understanding and not mad when they saw how far Alan had progressed since relocating to Blythedale.

"Okay, Alan…here are the crutches I want you to use." Lacey said before she handed Alan the forearm crutches that he'd been using as of late.

"Don't you want to start him off with a walker though?" John asked, perplexed that Lacey wanted to start Alan off with walking aids that didn't offer as much support as a walker might, especially for someone that hadn't walked much after a few months of complete bedrest.

"No, I'd like to try Alan on some different walking aids, he's a bit of a complex case with all the burns. Just wait, I think he'll surprise you." Lacey said with a smile before she helped Alan put the arm braces over Alan's forearms. "You ready kiddo?"

"Yeah." Alan said before he put the crutches on either side of his legs and pushed up so he was standing. He wobbled as he tried to gain his equilibrium back after sitting for an extended period of time. He wasn't expounding on his wobble, it was a natural wobble as he'd begun doing. Lacey said his wobble would lessen the more he got used to walking again and he hoped that was true. He was unable to shake the concern that his life would be well and truly ruined if when he was able to attend college or continue his life because of instability.

"Take your time kiddo." Lacey said reassuringly, though she knew Alan had gotten better at simply standing back up.

"Thanks Lacey." Alan said before he looked at his brothers and smiled at the big looks of shock on their faces. The coup de grace for Alan's little ruse was to walk with a bit of ease. The next time he looked at his brothers, he was pleased to note that John and Scott were standing against the wall and their jaws were slack. He did his best to hide a smile, but it was hard to do.

"Alan!" One of John's hands flew up to cover his smile.

"Oh my…" Scott said before a hand flew up to his forehead in disbelief. "Alan…you're…you're walking!"

To continue playing a game with Scott, Alan looked down at his legs and feet before coming back with a sarcastic remark. "Oh…yeah…I guess I am."

"You're walking…you're walking!" Scott continued, Alan rolling his eyes at Scott repetitive statements.

"Yes Scott, I know I'm walking…I know." Alan said as he followed Lacey's lead and turned so he could walk toward Scott and John. He stopped when he was within arm's reach of his brothers and they didn't disappoint. As soon as he was close enough, Scott and John both closed the distance and grappled onto Alan making him drop his crutches. They both supported him and Alan smiled happily as he was hugged tightly by his two oldest brothers. "Guys…I can't breathe."

"I can't believe you're walking! When did you start doing that again?" Scott asked as he looked at his youngest brother with emotionally misted eyes.

"I've been working at it awhile." Alan replied shyly. He was proud of the progress he made and it may not seem like much to some people…but as long as it meant something to his family, that was enough for him.