The firefighters arrived a short time later, an ambulance following along close behind. While the paramedics took care of checking over both Geri and Gale then after much persistence, Cordell too, the firefighters worked hard to control the blaze and extinguish the fire. The fire had begun to spread across the paddock and towards Walker ranch but with the hard efforts of the fire crew, the grass fire started by the barn had been contained before it could do too much damage.

The barn however was already a lost cause before the firefighters arrived and by the time that morning came, the rising sun rose over a smoldering pile of charred timbers and burnt hay bales. There was hardly anything left of the barn after the fire, even the stacks of timber closest to the barn had been destroyed as well.

As the firefighters began packing up, police officers arrived along with the forensics department and Cordell went to go speak with them and arrange things that needed to be sorted. Maddie stayed back with Geri, the two of them seated on the tailgate of Cordell's truck to watch things unfold.

The sound of a vehicle approaching caught Maddie's attention and she looked over to see that it was Dan's truck, Denise and Colton getting out along with him once he'd brought it to a stop. Denise hurried over to the ambulance where her mother was still being seen too, Colton jogging over towards her.

'Maddie...'

'I'm okay, I'm okay.' She told him as he threw his arms around her, holding her tight and she held him tight back. 'We're all okay.'

'Thank god...' Colton said as he finally let her go, taking a look over his shoulder at the burnt barn, Geri leaving to let them have a moment alone. 'What-what happened?'

'I don't know.' Maddie replied softly. 'I-I think there was a lantern and it got knocked over, that's what I could hear from Aunt Geri telling Dad.'

He shook his head. 'Damn lanterns. Why didn't they just take a flashlight or an electric lantern instead?'

Maddie shrugged. 'I have no idea.' Climbing up onto the tailgate with her, Colton placed his arm around her and she smiled sadly at him as she snuggled into his hold, watching the firefighters and the police while they worked over at the barn. 'Thanks.'

They sat there, another truck coming up the track a short while later. The rest of the Walker family piled out and made a beeline for Cordell, Abeline the first to reach him. 'Cordi-'

'I-I'm okay Mama.' Cordell told her as she hugged him and he hugged her back. 'We-we're all okay.'

'Thank god.' She squeezed him tightly for a moment, breathing his presence in. 'I was so worried when we got the call this morning.'

'We-we're okay.' He repeated as she pulled back, Stella and August coming over to give him a hug too. 'We-we all made it out.'

'We were so worried Dad.' Stella said as she looked up at him. 'You sure you're ok?'

'The paramedics checked me over, they say I'm fine.'

August held his dad tight for a moment then stepped back as Stella let him go too. 'What happened?'

'We-we're still trying to figure that out but it seems Gale took a lantern in and it got knocked over. There-there was paint and stuff stored inside and that-that seems to be what caused it.'

'You all right?' Bonham questioned as Stella wandered off to go check on her sister, looking at his son with concern.

'Yeah, yeah Daddy. You know, this whole time, I-I thought, I thought I did this,' He motioned to the smoldering remains of the barn behind him. 'thought it was my fault. My memory made me think that-that I caused Marv to come in and-and save my life. To-to save Denise and me. But I wasn't even there. I wasn't even- I wasn't even here. It-it was Gale. She-she was the one... The one who started the fire.'

'How could she take you guys to court like that?' August questioned, his arms folded across his chest.

'Augie...'

'Like, why'd she think she'd ever get away with it?'

'Cause we didn't know the truth.' Bonham replied to his grandson. 'We only knew what we tried to do that night. What we failed to do. And Cordell was just a kid.'

'Uh, yeah...'

'And it hung over you your whole life.' Abeline said as she stepped back over to her eldest son, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Cordell took her hand in his, holding it tight.

'Well, it's over.' Liam spoke with a sigh of relief. 'Maybe it's finally over.'

'It's over.' He repeated with a nod. 'Yeah.' Looking over his shoulder he saw that Gale was still sitting over in the back of the ambulance, a couple of police officers standing guard on her. 'Be right back. All right? Augie?'

August nodded, the family making their way over to Maddie and Colton as Cordell went over to Gale. Abeline looked over at them for a moment and hesitated before following after Cordell, stopping a distance back from her son to keep an eye on Gale.

Cordell walked over to Gale and stopped in front of her, the woman looking up to see who had come over. 'Hi.'

Gale let out a long sigh seeing that it was the ranger. 'You don't have to worry. I will confess to everything. It just feels so insignificant to say I'm sorry.' She paused for a moment then motioned towards the barn. 'Thank you for getting me out of there. You didn't have to do that.'

'No, I did.' Cordell stated firmly. 'It's the only way we move forward.'

Gale nodded. 'Through it.'

Lingering for a moment longer he turned to the two policemen on guard. 'Um, no cuffs.'

The senior officer nodded. 'Yes, sir.'

Looking back at Gale the two of them exchanged sad smiles then Cordell left, going over to speak with Denise who had taken a step back, watching what was happening. 'Denise.'

'Cordi.' She replied softly, her voice breaking. 'I should have known. I should have known it was never your fault.'

'Yeah, well...' Cordell glanced back at the barn then back at Denise. 'I think we both just started believing our own nightmares.'

Denise nodded. 'Yeah.'

'You lost your father. You all lost a lot.'

While Cordell spoke to Denise, Abeline stepped up to Gale. 'You didn't actually say it.' She pointed out as she stopped in front of her. 'That you were sorry.'

Gale nodded, taking a deep breath and a moment to swallow the lump in her throat before she replied to her. 'You know, when we-when we came back here... I-I saw a chance to get back everything that we lost. And we did, pretty much.' She paused for a moment. 'But I was awful. And prideful. I think I just had to go so far over that way because sitting in the truth it was... It was too much.'

'When Marv told me, no matter what I thought of you, I was furious for you.' Abeline told her after a moment. 'I didn't know if you knew. I didn't know if I should tell you myself. Then the trial. And how Cordell fell apart.'

'What we do for children.' Gale paused again. 'I never hated you. I just hated that I wasn't you.' She bit her lip, trying hard not to let her emotions get the better of her. 'Anyway,' She looked over at the police officers as she climbed down from the back of the vehicle. 'I-I'm ready.' She told them. 'And I am.' She said as she turned back to Abeline for a moment, stray tears rolling down her cheeks. 'I'm so sorry.'

Maddie and Colton watched as Gale was escorted over to one of the nearby police cars, Denise looking on as her mother was taken away. 'We can leave if you want.' She told Colton softly. 'We don't have to watch this.'

'Oh, it's okay. It feels like we should see it, you know? The end?' He replied, turning back to Maddie. 'But Maddie, not for us, right?'

Maddie took his hand in hers. 'There's no way. We've known since day one, we aren't defined by them.'

'Except in the ways that we totally are.' He replied softly, watching as the police car with his grandmother inside started down the drive.

Denise walked over to Dan, her husband standing in front of their truck looking on. 'I feel like I'm waking up from a long nightmare.' She said as she stopped in front of him. 'My opinions, my grudges, the kind of marriage that I modeled us after, I-I... I don't even know what's real anymore.'

Dan nodded in understanding. 'Just-just give yourself a moment.'

'Hey.' Maddie turned back to Colton, motioning for him to go join his parents. 'Go.'

'Okay.' Squeezing her knee gently he jumped down from the tailgate and headed over.

'Honey, I'm so sorry.' Denise started, Dan stepping back to let Colton join them. Looking at her husband he gave her a nod of encouragement and she took a deep breath. 'I-I did it. I cut the saddle that day. I sabotaged the horses, gave them the moldy feed.' She told him and continued on. 'After everything that's happened, I can't let all of this stuff between our families keep hanging over your head anymore.'

'I-I just don't get it, Mom.' Colton replied with bewilderment. 'Why would you do something like that?'

'I was so angry.'

'At-at what?' He questioned, trying to make sense of it all.

'I...'

'It's okay,' Dan interrupted softly. 'I can walk him through it.'

'No.' Denise replied firmly. 'You have put up with more than I have ever given you credit for. Uh, Colton,' She turned back to her son, Maddie still seated on the tailgate overhearing the whole exchange. 'that lantern. I needed the Walkers to be robbed of something, the same way that we were with Daddy, and... If you hate me, then I understand. But I just...'

'No, mom.' Colton shook his head. 'I... I don't want to do that anymore. Okay?'

'I'm so sorry.' She apologized again as Colton held her and she hugged him back in return. 'I'm sorry.'

The arrival of another vehicle interrupted Maddie, the teen looking over as Cassie pulled up behind the Captain's truck. James was standing nearby, speaking to a couple of the firefighters as Cassie stepped out of her SUV. 'Excellent work. I'm gonna catch up with your boss later. Okay? Think I'm gonna be here for a while, though.

The firefighter in charge nodded. 'All right.'

'So we'll talk.'

Cassie jogged over to James. 'Cap.'

'Hey.' James greeted, turning to her as the two firefighters went to finish packing away their gear. 'Not really sure where to start catching you up, but...'

'Walker okay?' She questioned, looking around for him for a moment until she finally spotted him standing with his family in front of the remains of the barn.

'Walker's- Walker's okay, yeah.'

'Okay, good. I had a bad feeling. I still have a bad feeling.' She replied as she turned her attention fully back to her captain. 'Now. My date last night was a recon.'

'What?' He questioned with surprise.

'Yeah. Something else is coming.' She paused for a moment to take a deep breath. 'You know what you've all done by bringing me in, right? So whatever it is, you know I'll go down fighting.' James nodded and she looked back over at Cordell. 'Excuse me for a moment...'

'How are you holding up?' Abeline questioned, Maddie turning to her grandmother as she joined her at Cordell's truck.

'I'm okay.' Maddie replied with a tired smile, Abeline climbing onto the tailgate to take a seat with her. 'Last night...' She let out a sigh. 'I'm just glad it's over now.'

'Yeah...' After a moment she placed her arm around the girl, Maddie snuggling up to her. 'We should be getting you home, you must be exhausted.'

'Just slightly.' She looked back over at Colton where he stood still talking with his parents. 'I-I want to wait to speak with Colton though before we leave.'

Abeline nodded in understanding.

Silence fell, Maddie watching smoldering fires still sending smoke into the air as her grandmother sat with her, her arm still wrapped around her shoulders.

It had been close. Too close.

Seeing her father carrying Gale out of that burning barn wasn't an image she would be forgetting anytime soon.

Maybe now though, finally, it would be over.

It would all be over.

When Cordell finally finished speaking with the fire captain, the police and his captain, he looked around for Geri. Geri was standing in front of the doorway of the barn, looking at the smoldering remains as he walked over to her. 'Ger.'

Geri turned around at his soft calling. 'Hey.'

'Hey...' He took her into his arms, holding her tight as he rested his chin on her head, closing his eyes as he breathed her presence in.

Geri let out a long sigh as she pulled back, looking up at him.

'Seems like there should be some kind of feeling of relief.'

'Yeah.' She agreed with him.

'Yeah.'

'But there's not.' Geri pointed out.

'Nope.'

'Cordi, it was too soon.'

Cordell frowned, trying to figure out what she meant. 'Uh, too soon for-for... For what? For us?'

'For us, for-for you, for me.' She replied sadly. 'Both of us, to be two separate people ready to be with each other. You know what I mean?' After a moment, Cordell nodded. 'We just skipped too many steps. I mean, I don't know, we thought we deserved it somehow.' She paused again, Cordell nodding with her once more. Silence fell, Geri taking a look around and saw Stella off on her own watching everything unfolding from her vantage point on the only stack of un-burnt timber. 'Stella Blue is graduating.' She said, returning her attention to Cordell. 'And Maddie, Maddie is starting the rest of her treatment in a few days.'

Cordell looked over and saw Stella then spied Maddie sitting with his mother on the back of his truck. 'Yeah...'

'Just focus on that, okay?' She questioned as she took his hand, squeezing it gently.

'Yeah, yeah, of course.' He replied, watching Geri as she walked away.

After all this, there wasn't a feeling of relief.

While the truth might have been found it wasn't what any of them had been expecting.

He lingered there, Geri exchanging a quiet goodbye with his family before she got into her car and left, Cordell turning to look at the barn once more.

They all had been so damn lucky.

Maddie waited for Colton, Abeline leaving after a time to go join the rest of their family. When Colton finally finished speaking with his parents he started back over to her, Maddie offering him a sad smile. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, yeah, I'm okay.' He replied softly, jumping up on the tailgate beside her. 'We um... We'll start moving our things out this afternoon. Your family can move back into the ranch in a couple days.'

Maddie nodded and smiled again sadly as he took her hand in his.

'Maddie, I'm sorry for all the hurt my family has caused yours.'

'Colton, none of this is your fault.' She replied softly, sincerely. 'You aren't responsible for your family's actions.'

'I guess...'

'You know it's the truth, Colt.'

After a moment, he nodded. 'I just... I'm so sorry. You lost Skylar because of what my mom did. I know what that horse meant to you.'

With him bringing up Skylar, Maddie let out a long sigh. 'Skylar was something special...' She finally said, watching as Dan and Denise got into their truck to leave. 'Maybe it's over now.'

'Well, I sure hope it is.' Colton paused for a moment then turned to her. 'Maddie, I-I don't know if I'm gonna attend Grad. I've just... I've got a lot to deal with right now.'

Maddie nodded in understanding.

'I um... I better go... My folks are waiting on me.'

'Alright.' She squeezed his hand gently as he climbed down, smiling sadly as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. 'We'll talk later.'

'We will.'

Colton left, Maddie watching him leave with his family. The sound of someone walking over to her caught her attention and she turned to see it was her father. 'Dad...'

'Baby girl...' She held her arms out to invite him for a hug and he accepted her embrace, placing a kiss on her head. 'You okay?'

'I'm okay.' Maddie looked up at him, her father's face still dirty with soot and his clothes smelling thickly of smoke. Her eyes began to mist with tears as she looked into his eyes, bringing her hand to touch his cheek. 'What about you? How are you doing?'

'I-I'm fine sweetheart.' He took her hand, placing a kiss on it gently. 'Thank you... For last night. For ringing for help and-and helping with Geri and Gale.'

She nodded, swallowing back the lump in her throat. 'Colton... Colton said they'll start moving their things out this afternoon. We can go home in a couple days.'

'Well, sounds like we've got some packing of our own to do then if we're gonna be back home before Stella's graduation.'

'Yeah. Guess it's a good thing most of our stuff is still at those self-storage units.'

'Yeah, yeah.' Cordell looked around, his family speaking with James and Cassie. 'I uh-I gotta stay back here for awhile but Dad and Mama, they're gonna take you back to the rental so you can get some rest.'

'That sounds like a great idea. I could use a sleep.' Her father chuckled softly as she stifled a yawn. 'What about you though? No offense Dad but you look like the walking dead.'

Cordell laughed. 'Gees, thanks baby girl. Kick a guy while he's down.'

Maddie smiled cheekily. 'You'll live.'

'I suppose so.' He gave her another hug, pressing one last kiss to her head. 'You get some rest darlin, we're gonna have a big week ahead of us.'

Only one chapter left to go now folks till this story is wrapped up with a nice pretty bow (And cliff-hanger don't take it up with me, take it up with Jared and the rest of producers/writers lol)

Can't believe we have come to the end of this story now.

I've had so much fun writing this for y'all and I sure hope you guys will stick around to read the third installment when I begin posting it.

So far I'm thinking of titling it Walker: Surrender
but we'll see. Maybe I might come up with a better title.

The next book is going to be considerably darker (hello, S3 story lines) but I promise there will be something for everyone. Hurt/comfort and angst are my favorite writing tropes and I can't wait to sink my teeth into the goldmine of angst that is season 3. After all, this is a DRAMA folks, so yeah... Buckle up your seat belts, it's gonna be a wild ride.

I have also been experimenting with a new writing style for this new book (trying to incorporate more Walker characters) and also having shorter scenes which I think will hopefully improve the quality of the next book. I'm intending to take a bit of a step away from Maddie (she's still going to be a vital part of the story) but I am hoping to use more Walker characters and story lines from the episodes. I want to try balancing things a bit more between all the characters instead of Maddie being the only POV I'm writing from.

Anyway, a huge thank you to all of you for your support. Please don't forget to vote and comment, I've missed reading the comments lately as there haven't been a lot for awhile 😓 it's your feedback that encourages me to keep writing and to bring you more chapters so please, comment, comment, comment!

(No, I'm not trying to sound desperate by any means )

See you all again next week for the final chapter!