Back from North Carolina... LCpl. Shawn is home in one piece and I will post the beautiful reunion picture of he and his wife as soon as I can get them downloaded. Anywho, Chapter 4, hope you like. I have a lot of ideas as to where to go with this and I even have other thoughts of stories to write! Read/ Review! Thanks for everything:-) Hope ya like!!

Chapter 4

Tom slowly started up the stairs from the living room. As he climbed he noticed a wedding picture hanging on the wall. He stopped as someone standing next to the groom caught his eye. "No way… couldn't be." The officer let out a muffled laugh as he realized the man standing next to Dean was none other than Captain Adam Fuller, afro, ruffled cumber bund and all.

"Tommy!" A sweet voice broke into his thoughts.

"Coming!" He answered back. He glanced one more time at the photo wondering when it was taken. He noted how "Aunt Angie" looked amazing. Her lightly curled auburn hair brushed the milky skin of her freckled shoulders while her veil covered her wavy locks. She was a breathtaking, beautiful woman standing next to a dashing, young looking Dean Miller.

Tom rounded the corner up the next incline of the staircase when a pillow came out of nowhere and crashed into his head.

"Who the…" Hanson watched as the guilty party stood over the edge staring back at him laughing. Angela stared down over the railing laughing next to Booker and Penhall. Tom grabbed the pillow in his free hand and ran up the remaining steps to the top chasing the trio down the hall.

"HEY!" Came the voice from downstairs. "Keep it down up there… you too Angie!" Dean's voice carried up the stairwell.

"Yes Boss!" Angela laughed back. "Come on Tom, you three pretty much have the run of the upstairs." She continued walking to the end of the hallway. "This is your room. Doug and Dennis are on either side of you." She smiled at him as he carried his bag inside. The room was nice sized decorated using soft yellow and green hues. There were two paintings on the wall behind the double bed. One was of ducks landing gracefully on a pond, the other of two deer, a buck and a doe standing in a field covered in winter snow. There was a very large window with a black steamer trunk with a white cloth runner along the middle. It was decorated on top with a large antique lantern.

"Thanks." Tom answered glancing back at his hostess.

"The bathroom is at the end of the hall and the towels are in the closet." She looked up at him hers dancing as she treated him like she were his favorite Aunt. "Set your bag down and come into Doug's room with me."

Tom did as she asked and followed her to the next room. The three officers were gathered into the bed room. Penhall lay quietly on his bed. Tom plopped down onto the window seat that over looked a giant oak tree in the back yard. Looking out the window Hanson noted the slight slope to the ground and the clear blue sky reminding him, they were not in the city anymore. Angie sat down on the edge of Penhall's bed while Booker lay down on the floor feet propped up on the desk.

"I hope I didn't scare you boys too badly." She glanced around the room. All eyes were focused on her. "Dean has been working long and hard on this case. It is almost consuming him. These are good kids being attacked; I guess they are calling the attacks 'hazing'. One kid was only fourteen years old; they burned him on the arms with cigarettes. These kids are so scared that they will not talk to anyone about this, not even Dean. It was a miracle Adam was able to spare you three for a while." She stated

"Angie," Dennis began, "when did all this start happening?"

"I don't know, maybe a month ago. Dean will have to give you the exact dates, but it became a problem this last time around. Kirk Davis, Officer Shawn Davis's son, was found tied to a fence post with barbed wire. He had been beaten nearly to death. He is in a coma at Waylon Memorial. That is when Dean went to Adam. Kirk is seventeen, and they're not sure he is ever going to wake up. Kirk… he's Dean's godson." Angie looked down at the floor as Doug sat up on the bed putting his arm around Angie. Angie lifted her hands to her face covering up the tears that were running from her eyes.

Standing she turned and looked at the officers "I'm sorry… this has been so hard on all of us, including the town. He was the town's pride you know. He was going to Kingston State on a full football scholarship. Anyway, nobody knows who you boys are, not even the other officers at the station. Just Dean and I, that way you're safe. So… that is just a little bit of what is going on here. Just be careful, I am not in any hurry to see my new nephews get hurt! So, who's up for meat loaf?" With that Angie turned around headed out the door and down the hallway.

The officers all looked at each other.

"Dennis, Doug… I don't know about you but my stomach has been growling since we walked in and I can't even remember the last time I had homemade meatloaf. I think I am going to go eat." Tom stated.

"Right behind ya!" Dennis exclaimed as he raced Tom to the door. Doug looked up after the two men heading out the door and realized he was going to be late for dinner. He could'nt even remember the last time that had happened.

So tell me what you think! Chapter 5 will be along soon...