Author's Note: When Walker talks it is through sign language.

Two Months Later

Most kids would love the change in weather, but for Jaxon his mind was still obsessed with finding his missing uncle. He would spend hours and hours on his computer searching for anything that could help break the case. Unfortunately with his mind on his uncle it caused his school studies to slack which in turn put his scholarship at risk. Thankfully he was able to disguise his poor grades by hacking into the school's computer. But there will come a day when his parents would be called in by the principle.

He began to type away once again not even turning around when the bedroom door opened. Judging by the footsteps it was only Tavon anyway who had learned very quickly on not to interfere with whatever Jaxon was doing. Sure enough, Tavon went to his bed and Jaxon could hear the springs creak as his brother sat down.

"Dad isn't going to like what you're doing." Tavon said from across the room. "You know he will find out, especially with your grades slipping like they are."

"My grades are fine." Jaxon rotated his neck then pulled open a drawer in the desk. "It's frustrating that I can't find anything else." He flipped open a thick journal full of newspaper clippings and made a note on the last page. "Where's mom and dad?"

Tavon shrugged. "Dad is with Mr. Carter and mom is downstairs getting dinner ready."

"Dad is always gone now." Jaxon's voice showed bitterness. "So, what is new?"

"He said he'll come home for dinner…."

Jaxon threw the journal back into the drawer then slammed it closed. "I would really like to see that."

Tavon went up to the desk with a heavy sigh and leaned against it. "You should go outside and play baseball with me. It's really nice out there."

"Sports is more your thing, not mine." Jaxon bit his lower lip as all his attention went into hacking his school's database. "If you stay up here it will look a bit suspicious." Both of the boys heads snapped up as they heard the front door open. "Wonder who that is?"

"I bet it's dad!" Tavon excitedly said. "Told you he was coming home for dinner!"

Jaxon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right." His voice faded when he heard footsteps on the hardwood floor just outside their room. "No, he can't come home." He quickly closed the hacking program, shut his laptop then opened up his math textbook just in time for the door to open.

Their father walked into the room, his face showing Jaxon he had another long day at work. "Hey boys. Why are you two doing indoors?"

Tavon quickly went to their father, gave him a hug then grabbed his baseball mitt. "Do you want to play catch?"

"Sure, we can play catch." Their father went to Jaxon with a huge smile on his face. "Mom has told me your getting all As in school. I take it you really like it there?"

"It's okay." He began to play with a pen cap, twirling it around in his fingers. "Why are you home?"

A bigger smile spread across their father's face, however Jaxon could still see sadness in his eyes. "What's the matter Jaxon? I thought you would be happy?"

Jaxon shrugged as he threw the pen cap down. "Yeah, guess I'm happy." He pushed his chair back then stretched his arms. "Can I join you two?"

"But you don't like baseball." Tavon said, his voice showing his confusion. "You prefer to sit in her all day, messing around on your computer." His voice faded as his eyes got real big. "Let's go dad. Dinner will be ready soon…."

Their father raised his hand to stop Tavon from talking. "What does he mean by messing around on your computer?"

Jaxon took a deep breath before opening up his laptop. "I've been working on some calculations for my robot." He gave his father a fake smile. "Don't worry, dad. I'm not hacking anymore, I'm letting Brodie do that."

"Okay." Their father seemed a bit hesitant, but nodded his head anyway. "Come on. Let's play some catch outside."

Walker Ranch

The Palomino knew his way around the ranch so well all Angela needed to do was gently guide him on occasion. She had only been on a horse four times in the last five years, but thankfully Raptor was a gentle horse and allowed her to make small mistakes. Hopefully, with practice she can become an expert rider like her father.

Raptor made his way through the massive property, his head held high as though proud of what he was doing. Soon they came upon the small creek that ran the back edge of the ranch and Angela allowed the horse to get some water. As Raptor drank Angela took in the beautiful scenery, amazed she has only come here a few times in her life.

Once the horse was through drinking Angela gently pulled on the reins and guided Raptor back to the barn. She loved Texas in February, the weather wasn't too cold nor was it warm. Wonder if it was nice where her father was?

Angela took a deep breath, quickly wiped her eyes then gently nudged Raptor into a trot. She had to keep her mind on other things, if she didn't she probably couldn't function from day to day. After all she didn't want to end up like poor Jaxon who as of late has turned finding Angela's father into an obsession.

As she approached the fence line boarding the backyard she could see her mother sitting on the back porch. Angela's poor mother, everyday she would sit out here as though the act would help bring her husband back. And even though her mother went back to work, Angela could tell she had problems concentrating on cases.

"Hey Angie!" Her mother waved then quickly got to her feet. "Didn't know you were riding Raptor." She leaned against the wooden fence, a mug in her hands. "How was your day?"

"It was good." Angela guided Raptor to the fence then jumped down from the saddle. "I need to put Raptor back in the barn. Got Taekwondo class in two hours…."

Her mother shook her head. "Why don't you spend the weekend at home?"

"I can't, sorry." Angela leaned over and gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry. This is good for me." She clicked her tongue. "Let's go, Raptor."

After she made sure Raptor was secure in his stable, Angela made her way back to the ranch house. She followed her father's warn path back to the house, her mind going to her belt test next Friday. It had almost been a year since she'd walked into a dojo and now she will have to evaluate to see where she stood in her current school.

"Angie!" A familiar male voice shouted from the driveway. "It's Jackson!"

Angela's heart began to flutter at Jackson's voice and her pace quickened. "Jackson!" She ran up to her friend with a huge smile on her face. "What are you doing here? Classes are two hours away…."

Jackson gave her a friendly hug then led her to the front porch. "My dad was wondering if you wanted to come in early to work on a few forms and techniques?"

"He would do that for me?"

"Well, yeah." Jackson sat on the swing and patted the wood next to him. "Angela, I want to ask you something."

Angela sat down next to her friend, her heart now thumping so loud she thought Jackson would hear. Ever since she started Taekwondo classes at his father's school she had an instant crush on Jackson. He was sixteen years old, an all around athlete and did well in school. In fact Jackson seemed too perfect, he had to have a flaw somewhere.

He cleared his throat while shifting his weight nervously on the swing. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out for some ice cream? You know, after class."

A lopsided smile spread across Angela's face as her cheeks started to flush a bright pink. "I would love to, Jackson."

Jackson cleared his throat then reached for her hand. "Do you want to make it a date?"

Angela slowly nodded her head. "Yeah, I would love that."

Montana

The cabin was nearly quiet when Walker stepped in after lunch and he paused to hear who had finished their chores. He heard Zadok, Conner and Lee in the den so he headed that way wondering what they were up to. As he approached the room he heard Conner chuckle then a chair sliding on the hardwood.

"Nobody beats me at chess except for Nate!" He came out of the den with a huge smile on his face. "Nate! Want to get a game of chess going?"

Walker patted the man on the shoulder as he made his way into the den. "Sure, why not."

He made his way into the den to see Zadok sitting on the couch drinking a glass of water. In the last few months he and Zadok have become good friends which helped in keeping both men sane. Having somebody to watch your back in this place was always a good thing, especially since some of the guards were as corrupt as the fighters.

Conner sat down on one side of the TV tray then waved his hand at the other chair. "Hopefully I can beat you this time, Nate."

"Do you want me to go easy on you?"

"Nah, that would be cheating." Conner gave Walker a wink and started to set up the chess board. "Hey Nate, been meaning to ask you something." He pointed at Walker's hair. "What is with the Mohawk?"

Walker shook his head as his hand ran across the buzzed Mohawk. "Forced to have it this way." He pointed to his goatee. "Along with this."

"Ouch." Conner shook his head. "Crazy to think you guys with the tattoos have less privileges than us." He took a deep breath as he checked the clock on the wall. "Are you ready to fight tonight?"

"As ready as I can be." Walker made the first move then leaned back into his chair. "Hopefully I can win more perks for the cabin."

Conner laughed. "I still have problems believing how good of a fighter you are. Guess it throws people off with you being small." He made his move and Walker quickly took over Conner's rook with a knight. "What I'm also amazed at is how quick you picked up sign. It seems you've spoken it all of your life."

"Learned sign several years ago, just needed some practice." The front door opened and in walked two guards, both of whom have a reputation of being brutal. "Great." Walker signed while rolling his eyes.

The smaller guard went up to Walker with a smirk on his face. "Hey, 0535 you ready for your fight tonight?" When Walker didn't respond he roughly nudged his shoulder. "Come on you mute, speak now!" Walker ignored the man and kept his attention on the chessboard. "Hey I'm talking to you!"

Walker glanced up at the guard then shrugged. "I think I'm ready." Conner spoke for him as he signed.

The other guard smacked Walker's head. "He said speak, 0535."

Conner shook his head. "He can't talk."

"He'll talk if we make him." The smaller guard took hold of Walker's arm. "Disobeying a guard's orders is ten lashes." Walker remained quiet causing the man to violently pull him to his feet. "Let's go!"

Walker stumbled forward causing the guards to laugh and mock him. This caused his anger to boil, but he knew fighting back could kill his family. The larger guard told Walker to strip off his shirt and once he did the guards shoved him through the front door. Walker instantly began to shake as the freezing winter air whipped around his bare torso.

"Come on! This way!" The bigger guard led him towards the small stables. "You will remain out here for an hour. That should get you to think twice."

Once at the stables, thick shackles were placed around Walker's wrists then he was led to a wooden pole. Here, the chain between Walker's hands was threaded through a hook leaving his arms stretched up above his head. He rested his forehead against the wood then grabbed hold of the chain for support knowing the pain he was about to endure would be excruciating.

The first hit took his breath away and it took all Walker had not to scream out. He tried to control his breathing as the whip hit his back again and again. So far that was three hits, only seven more to go. He gritted his teeth, but the lashes didn't come.

The small guard laughed. "Look, he doesn't talk!"

Another lash came followed by three more, bringing the count to seven. Even though it was freezing outside sweat began to bead on Walker's brow. The pain came intense waves, unfortunately he didn't get much of a break. The next hit came with such force Walker let out a gasp and he started to pull at his restraints.

"Look, he can barely take it anymore!" Shouted the larger guard as he moved in front of Walker. "0535, will you talk now?"

Walker shook his head. "I…I can't…." His voice barely made it above a whisper.

"Wow, and I thought he was bluffing this whole time." The guard slapped Walker's cheek then nodded at his partner. "Finish the job and take him back to the cabin."

The last two hits weren't as brutal, possibly because of shock or from the cold and the larger guard quickly unshackled Walker from the post. Walker collapsed in the snow, his body on the verge of giving up. He took several deep breaths hoping to control the pain that burned in his back.

"Come on, let's take you back to the cabin." The larger guard took hold of Walker's right arm and pulled. "You will be restricted to the cabin for two weeks. However, you will still fight tonight. If you win, we might just lift your sentence."

Walker slowly nodded his head and followed the guards back to the cabin. As he walked the pain in his back was barely noticeable but he knew once he warmed up, he will be in a world of hurt. He began to shiver violently as his body's core temperature dropped even more.

As they got closer to the cabin, Hound came running out of the front door. "What the hell you two!" He snapped his fingers at Walker. "0535, get inside now. Have Conner and Harvey clean you up and get you warm." He pointed his finger at the larger guard. "Tony, the man can't talk!"

Tony shrugged. "Yeah, we know that now." He shoved Walker forward. "You heard the man, get inside."

Walker obeyed without questions and once he got inside the warm interior of the cabin he collapsed. He could feel several hands taking hold of his arms then Conner's voice as he instructed the men on what to do.

"Hang in there, Nate. We'll get you warmed up." Conner's face appeared in Walker's vision. "How's the pain?" All Walker could do was shake his head. "Okay, we'll get your back cleaned up and hopefully the doc can get you some pain meds and antibiotics."

Dallas, Texas

Since his arrival back to Texas Gage has had a rough time adjusting and because of that still couldn't work. Currently he sat on his couch, a glass of water in one hand and the latest newspaper in the other. The front page story was about a local girl that had gone missing yesterday, possibly kidnapped by her father. Nowhere in the paper did it mention Walker or the other missing men.

He sipped at his water then put the glass down on the side table. It always frustrated him when people forgot about Walker and he wished the news could keep a constant update on the case. Unfortunately with no more leads the case was quickly loosing attention.

After reading the rest of the newspaper he turned on the television in time for the hourly update. He was about to flip the channel when a disturbing story caught his attention.

"Mark Puckett, one of the thirty men that had returned home from being held captive was found murdered in his suburban apartment." Said the female reporter. "Is there a possible connection of his death and the removal of the number tattoo on his arm? We will talk to Agent Quinn after the break."

Gage quickly glanced down at his right arm to see the numbers 0221 still emblazoned on his skin. So, Mr. Case was good on his word, which meant Gage is now stuck with the reminder of the most trying time in his life. For some reason this caused his anger to rise and he threw the remote down onto the coffee table.

He quickly got up, ran his hand through his short hair then went into the kitchen. Here he opened up the cabinet door above the stove and was disappointed to see that Sydney had cleaned out all the liquor. Frustrated he opened the refrigerator, saw a can of beer in the back and went digging for it.

"Gage! I'm home!"

Sydney's voice caused him to jerk his head and smack it against the top of the refrigerator. He let out a loud curse as he pulled the can of beer out from behind a carton of orange juice.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him then a gentle hand fell against his shoulder. "Do you really think you should be drinking?"

Gage gave her a shrug. "Why does it matter?" He pulled the tab and took a big drink. "Where are the kids?"

"At the Trivettes." She wrapped her arms around his waist then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Did you forget?"

"Forget what…." Gage's voice quickly faded as he shook his head. "Oh man, I'm sorry." He turned around and looked his wife in the eyes. "It's our wedding anniversary, isn't it?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, but don't worry your mind is on other things." She took the beer out of his hand, went to the sink and dumped it out. "Don't want to do anything special, just want a quiet time at home."

"I would like that." He gave her a smile then headed back into the living room. "Sorry that I've been so distant as of late."

"Don't apologize for something that you can't control." She sat down on the couch and patted the cushion next to her. "Gage, something has been troubling you. What is it?"

Gage bit his lower lip then slumped down next to his wife. "It's Walker." He took a deep breath as he began to play with a throw pillow. "The last time I saw him, I tried to kill him." He held his hand up when Sydney attempted to talk. "He said some mean things to me and I let my anger take over. Just wish I could have apologized to him."

"Oh Gage." Sydney gave him a big hug. "Don't worry he will come home. Agent Carter and Trivette haven't quit." She snuggled into his side. "Let's not talk about it right now. I just want to enjoy time with you."