Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. I so appreciate them all.

There have been a few requests from guests, for outtakes on some of the memories I hint at, and for a new story starting when their parents die. I won't say I'll never write outtakes, or turn one of those tidbits into a full story, but no promises either. I'm already thinking about a sequel to this story (which will end with Christmas day) and there are only so many hours in the day.

A prequel story to this is harder for me, for personal reasons. Not sure if I can write about their loss being that fresh and raw. It's not that long that I lost my own mom and I'm afraid that would be too hard to do. But then again, it might be therapeutic. But again, no promises. Maybe someday. Maybe never.

For now….hope you'll enjoy finding out what the phone call was about. Don't think any of the characters did.

Chapter 21

Brian watched in silence as his older brother lowered himself on the sofa, the receiver still in his hand. The call had ended, but Adam hadn't recovered yet. Brian wasn't surprised. He still didn't know what had happened, but he'd heard enough to put some of the pieces together. Slowly he took the receiver from the man and put it back where it belonged. Then he sat in the comfortable chair opposite of Adam and leaned forward with his lower arms on his knees.

"Care to tell me exactly why the dean of UC Davis calls you here?" Adam's face worried him.

It took Adam a few more moments to pull himself out of his daze. "He wants to see me."

"He wants to see you? Why on earth?"

"Crane."

"Well, that much I gathered. It's a bit early for a meeting about Guthrie." Brian tried to make it sound like a joke, but wasn't completely able to hide the sarcasm.

"Okay, okay, I know. It's just…I don't know exactly why. You heard me ask."

"Yeah…he didn't answer?" It had been quiet after Adam had asked the man on the other end of the line, so Brian had figured Adam knew by now.

"No," Adam shook his head. He picked the coffee mug on the table up and downed the remainder of the coffee before realizing it was stone cold. "Damn! Bleh!" He pulled a face and Brian took the mug from him.

"I'll get you fresh hot coffee….but you're going to have to tell me a bit more than this." He headed for the kitchen and started making a fresh pot of coffee.

"Well, for starters, I'm going to need a full thermos."

Brian didn't ask, but added more coffee.

Adam followed him and leaned in the doorway, his eyes more clear now and looking at his brother, "I'm gonna have to head out there as soon as that's done. It'll take me at least two hours to get there and I don't want to push it."

"He wants to see you today?" Brian sounded alarmed.

"Yeah, at 11:00. He said he tried to call Crane this morning, but he had probably left for his exam already, so he left a message at the facilities and they'll tell him to get over to the office right afterwards."

"So Crane's okay."

"Yeah, no hospital or anything like that," Adam's tone didn't match the relief Brian felt. "but it's serious. His words were he wanted to talk to me and Crane before making a decision on whether or not to involve the police."

"The POLICE?!" Brian turned sharply on his heels. "What the hell did he do?"

"He didn't say. He said we'd talk about that when I got there." Adam pulled a hand through his hair in frustration, "I can't believe he'd do something that'd get the police involved. He's smart for crying out loud!"

"Yeah," Brian could, actually. He wasn't sure why, but he could believe it. "It's probably got something to do with that teacher being fired."

"No kidding, Sherlock," Adam's sarcasm didn't touch Brian this time.

"He promised me he'd be careful. He willingly and openly promised me that."

"Well, if the dean's involved he must not have been careful enough. I told him to stay out of it completely! He sure didn't do that." Adam was completely out of his shocked daze now and started getting angrier with each drip of water through the coffee filter. "I swear I'm gonna kill him!"

Brian held up his hand, "Don't draw conclusions and don't start thinking about killing until you've got the facts. There's no sense working yourself up when you've no idea what's going on. For all you know Crane's the victim of something that might involve bringing charges against someone else." He didn't want an angry Adam on the road by himself for two hours.

"You're right, but I have a feeling the dean would have said more if that had been the case," Adam wasn't easily convinced.

"Maybe, but you don't know," Brian insisted before offering, "Maybe I should come with you."

But Adam shook his head. Much as he would have liked his brother there, if only to keep him from literally losing his mind, it wasn't practical. "I've no idea how long it will take. You promised you'd pick up the kids after their extra time in town today. And even if we only did the bare minimum of work today, there's still hours of work to do. If I'm not here to help, it's gonna take longer than normal. It's just not practical."

"I know, just wanted to offer," Brian studied Adam's face and warned, "You be careful, you hear!"

A small smirk broke through Adam's thunderous face, "Yes, sir."

It caused Brian to roll his eyes, "I mean it, big brother. Between the snow here, the traffic there and your worries and anger…you've got a recipe of disaster."

"I promise I'll be careful," Adam replied seriously now, "And I always keep my promises."

"I know." Good or bad, Adam always did. "And don't kill our brother."

"That I can't promise."

"He's your brother and you love him."

It was Adam's turn to roll his eyes, "Yeah yeah…" but the oldest McFadden wasn't making any promises, Brian noted. Brian couldn't help feeling a little murderous himself, it did sound like Crane had broken his promise to him and that, Brian did not appreciate.

But Brian had to wait a while to find out what had happened. Patience was not one of his stronger points, but fortunately there was a lot of work to cover while Adam was away. After he watched Adam drive off, he made his way over to the barn to fix the door. The livestock and business always came first on the ranch. The furnace would have to wait until the work in there was done. He hoped the hard work would keep his mind off what was happening at Davis, but deep down he knew he wouldn't stop worrying until he knew what was going on.

With ten minutes to spare Crane put his pen down. He had managed to answer every question carefully and completely, and read it through one more time to make sure he hadn't made a mistake in reading the questions. Misreading questions led to wrong answers, Crane had learned that early on. His quick mind would sometimes skip to answers before he'd read the complete question and get it wrong because of it. Of course, it didn't happen as often as it did when he was younger. After all, he was a quick study, even when it came to this. He closed the paper and turned it over, not wanting to look at it and start second-guessing himself. That was something he was more prone to, still. He might be bright, but he was also insecure at times, especially when it came to his own abilities.

Looking around he noticed most people were still frantically writing down their last answers and he was glad he wasn't one of them. June, however, was ready too and she threw him a wink before quickly looking away again. It made Crane blush a little. With difficulty he'd pushed the previous night to the back of his mind. It had been highly embarrassing having to sneak out of not just her room, but the entire building, unseen. He'd managed, but had felt more in violation of rules than he'd felt during their entire criminal expedition the previous weekend.

Thinking about last Saturday he knew they had another important deadline that afternoon. Getting the evidence was pointless if they didn't use it. They had to set the final part of their plan in motion. It was time.

At that moment it was time in the room as well. One of the supervisors called out and everyone put down their pens, some more reluctantly than others. They had been told beforehand to remain seated until all the exams had been collected and so Crane stayed where he was. When his paper was collected another piece of paper was put down and he looked up, startled, as he picked it up.

"It's a message from the dean. Your presence is required for a meeting. I'd hurry, if I were you," The young woman spoke, "You have to be there in 15 minutes."

"But…why…" Crane started, but she shrugged and walked on, leaving Crane to read the note, which said the same thing she'd just told him. He was expected at the dean's office.

As he exited the room June caught up with him.

"What was that about?"

He shook his head, "I don't know. The dean wants to see me. Pretty much now. So I gotta go."

"But why?"

"The note doesn't say. I've really no idea."

"You think it could be about the…well, the letter?" June suddenly developed a stomach ache.

"I don't see how it could. I mean, if we'd been seen he would have summoned me sooner."

"And I'd have been summoned too," June agreed, relaxing slightly.

"So I really don't see how it could be about that…unless…"

"Unless what?"

"No, that's silly…" Crane shook his head as if trying to clear it.

"Tell me!" She insisted.

"Well, I never did get back to my room so haven't looked for my wallet yet…what if…" He almost didn't dare voice the words.

She relaxed again, "Oh that IS silly. How on earth could you have lost it there of all places? That would have been extreme bad luck. I'm sure it's just in your dorm."

Crane wasn't completely convinced. He knew first hand just how much bad luck a person could have. Still, he didn't contradict her, "I'm sure you're right."

"I could come with you. We were going to…anyway…"

He smiled at her and briefly touched her hand, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. It won't work if we do it now. Alex won't be there now. Let's stick to our plan. Okay?"

"I'm not worried. I promise," it was a lie if ever she told one. But then, Crane knew.

"Good! Well, I'd better run or I'll be late. That won't go over well." He hesitated one second and then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before jumping on his bicycle. "I'll see you at lunch."

"See you…" She watched until he was completely out of sight and then slumped against the wall, covering her face in her hands. Despite her reassuring words, she was afraid it was exactly what the dean wanted to talk about. She wished she could have gone with him, but Crane was right. Insisting might have made him more nervous than he already was and they couldn't talk to the dean yet, they needed Alex around and Alex was taking another exam.

"I doubt you did that badly!" David's voice made her look up.

"Oh I don't know…." She wasn't about to tell him why she was upset.

"It's behind you now. I'm sure you did well. So let's celebrate. Where's Crane?" David looked around. He was certain he'd seen Crane leave the room. He'd expected him to be with June.

"He had to do something…I'm meeting up with him for lunch."

"Oh..okay…well, let's get some coffee."

While David and June found a spot at the coffee house, Crane reached the administrative office. He hesitated for a moment, but didn't want to be late, so after taking a deep breath he opened the door and walked over to the receptionist. It was the same girl he'd flirted with the previous week. The look on her face told him she remembered his face. He'd made an impression even if it hadn't worked.

"Hi," He smiled a little, "Crane McFadden to see Mr. Brocket."

The smile disappeared from her face and made place for one that he'd almost describe as reproachful. "He's expecting you. One moment," She pressed a button and leaned forward a little, "Mr. Crane McFadden is here."

"Let him in, please, Janet." The voice sounded a bit choppy through the speaker, but clear enough and she nodded at Crane.

"Go right in. That door."

The change in her demeanor was unsettling, but Crane tried one more smile, "Thank you." The smile was not returned. With a sigh he walked over to the door he'd slipped through a few days earlier and knocked before opening it. "Mr. Brock…" he stopped speaking. In front of the desk sat a familiar figure. "Adam?"

The man turned around and scowled at Crane unnerving the 18-year-old. "Crane.."

"Mr. McFadden," the dean called his attention and both brothers looked in his direction. When he did, Crane's eyes fell on the item lying on the desk and he felt all color leave his face.

"Ah…," Mr. Brocket nodded, "I see you recognize your personal belonging."

Crane didn't think he could speak. His mouth was too dry. But he managed a nod and a croaky, "Yes, sir."

"It's your wallet." Crane nodded again. "Would you like to guess where it was found?"

'Okay, pull yourself together, man,' Crane told himself. After all, they weren't planning on staying anonymous like the writer of the letter, anyway. And the missing wallet had been nagging at him since yesterday afternoon. He'd known this was what he had been called to the dean for. What else could it have been? It was simply too much of a coincidence. "I don't think I have to guess, sir. Considering the fact I'm here and Adam is here."

"Then you admit you broke into this very office."

"Technically," Crane managed to keep his voice calmer than he felt. "it wasn't breaking in, sir. I used a key." He was very glad June hadn't insisted so he could do anything in his power to protect her. His words did nothing to calm down the other two men though.

Up to that moment, Adam had been trying to give Crane the benefit of the doubt. The fact that the wallet had been found underneath the dean's desk was very incriminating and would probably get Crane convicted if it came to that, but part of him didn't want to believe his brother would go this far. Hearing Crane quip about technicalities caused his temper to rise, "I can't believe you!"

Mr. Brocket held his hand up to calm Adam down, "I've got this, Mr. McFadden. Crane, do you honestly think technicalities are going to save you here? You took the key without permission, you stole it from the office when no one was looking. And you came into my office after hours, again without permission, and stole something that was in a locked drawer in my desk."

"That I did do. Yes." Crane admitted.

"I suggest you sit down so we can discuss the consequences of your actions." Mr. Brocket pointed at the second chair, right next to Adam's.

"I think we do have quite a bit to discuss, sir," Crane nodded, "Unlawful dismissal, for starters. Giving into blackmail, second."

"The man told you to sit!" Adam snapped and Crane swallowed hard at the angry tone. He sat.

"Thank you," Mr. Brocket nodded. "Let's not beat around the bush. You came in to find proof and you found it."

"Yes, sir," Crane nodded. Before he could continue Adam interrupted again.

"You promised me not to!"

"Technically, I didn't."

"Again with the technicalities?" Adam was furious. The only thing stopping him from pulling Crane up and shaking him, was the fact they were on campus, in the dean's office. "I told you to stay out of it. I told you I would hold you to your trick-promise. So don't you start about technicalities!"

Crane had the decency to study his hands for a moment. He definitely hadn't liked deceiving Adam the way he had, it went against everything he believed in. And he also clearly remembered his promise to Brian. He sure hadn't been careful enough. "I'm sorry, Adam, sir," He glanced up again. "I couldn't let it go. I just couldn't. It's not right to fire someone for being gay. Even if it wasn't against the law now, which it is, it's not right."

"I agree, young man," Deep down, Mr. Brocket liked the young man in front of him. He always liked it when people used their own moral compass instead of simply accepting what they were being told. But Crane had put him in a more difficult position than the boy knew. And he'd broken the law on top of that.

"You do?"

"It might surprise you, but yes, I do."

"Then why did you fire John?" Crane pushed, totally confused now. "All because you were afraid of being blackmailed? Of losing students?"

"I suggest you stop jumping to conclusions, young man," Carl Brocket's tone had turned very stern. He knew he could make students shake in their boots when he wanted to and right now, he felt this boy could use a healthy dose of fear. "John Lawry was not fired. He resigned."

"Why would he resign?" Crane was subdued by the tone, but it wasn't in his character to back down when he thought the cause was right.

"You really think I owe you an explanation at this point?" Carl raised his eyebrows. "I don't owe thieves anything. Or were you about to blackmail me as well?"

Crane's head shot up, but he had to admit that stealing made you a thief. It just sounded very bad and the anger coming off of his older brother was enough to make him shiver. "Maybe you don't owe me anything, but, Mr. Brocket," he reached into his pocket retrieving the infamous letter, "this letter demands his dismissal and he is gone."

"You watch your tone, boy!" Adam warned him, "The man's told you what happened and he doesn't owe you anything."

"Thank you, Mr. McFadden," Carl nodded at the eldest McFadden. It didn't escape his attention that Crane bristled a bit against the word 'boy', but was respectful enough not to protest. It was an interesting relationship between these two brothers. He had enjoyed his earlier talk with the oldest McFadden. "I do not owe Crane anything. But I'd like to know what he was planning to do with this 'evidence' he has."

"So would I," Adam agreed, "and the truth, Crane."

"Well," Crane chose his words carefully. He didn't want to say anything that would drag June into this, "at first, I just wanted the proof. But then, having evidence still means nothing if justice is not served. It was harder to decide what to do than it was to find this, actually. I thought of going to the press…" a gasp from a corner behind him caused him to look around.

"Oh God!"

"Mr. Lawry…." Crane was shocked to see the man standing in the far corner of the room. He'd missed him there when he came in, but now he realized the man had been there the entire time.

"Don't you realize what that would have done to me?" John's distraught face cut through the 18-year-old like a knife even if he didn't realize why the man was this distraught over someone helping him. Or trying to help, anyway.

"You'd have your job back."

"You'd have outed me to the entire world! To my family…my parents…"

"They don't know?" Crane was surprised and shocked and suddenly he didn't know what to think anymore.

"No, they don't. They're very religious people and would disown me."

"But that's not right…parents don't...shouldn't…" Crane insisted. Having lost his parents at the tender age of twelve he couldn't imagine parents disowning their children. He missed his own terribly, still, but he'd known unconditional love and knew there was nothing he could have done to lose that love, not even breaking into the dean's office. He glanced at Adam for a moment and wondered if Adam felt the same his parents did. Probably, but he wasn't 100% sure. After all, parents were different, weren't they? This was the first time he'd heard of a lack of unconditional love on the part of parents, but he knew a few instances of siblings not talking to each other anymore. John was already replying, though, and Crane listened.

"Maybe not, but it's how things are."

"You should tell them. You should be who you are."

"Maybe, but don't you think that should be MY decision, not yours?" John had come forward and stood next to the desk, looking at Crane. Carl Brocket, having orchestrated the entire session, watched realization dawn unto the boy in the chair on the other side of the desk. He almost felt sorry for the strong young man with a clear sense of justice.

"Yeah…you're right…I just never realized…" Crane stammered.

"You didn't realize," John nodded. "Please tell me you didn't go to the press…"

"I didn't. Honest. I'd decided to request a meeting with Mr. Brocket this afternoon and confront him. Not that that matters now. Just know that this is all there is, no copy, nothing," Crane held out the letter and John took it, relief visible in his entire body. "I'm sorry…but it's still not fair."

"No, it's not fair. But it's my decision. Now do you see why I resigned? I love my parents. I love teaching. At least, now I can find a job at another college, be a little bit more careful and still do what I love and be with those I love. I don't want to jeopardize that. And that is my choice. My decision. Not yours."

"And that," Mr. Brocket finally spoke up, "Is why I spoke to the person affected by this blackmail letter before doing anything else. The world is not always a fair place and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't do more damage by ignoring this blackmail attempt. See, that is what sensible people do when faced with injustice: they speak to the victims, they collect all the facts, before acting."

All fight had left Crane. The boy looked the picture of misery as he slumped in his chair, "I'm sorry."

"Well," Mr. Brocket sighed, "being sorry doesn't really help here, does it?"

"No, sir," the boy didn't look up, too ashamed now, too aware of the damage he could have done.

John took pity on him, "I wish everyone thought like you, Crane. Maybe there's hope for the future, but for now, I choose my own path. However…" he placed a hand on Crane's shoulder causing the boy to look up, "I know you meant well. And that means a lot to me. So…thanks."

Crane swallowed hard. He didn't deserve to be thanked, "I did mean well…I'm really very sorry."

"Which brings us to the consequences, Mr. McFadden," Mr. Brocket turned to the matter at hand.

"Yes," Crane scraped his throat. "What happens now?" He swallowed hard, "are you going to…contact the police?" Instead of coming into the office demanding answers and justice, he was there to be interrogated and sentenced. Things certainly had changed in a matter of minutes. Suddenly, he had visions of being excluded from college or worse, going to jail. He'd accepted that earlier, as a price to pay for righting a wrong, but now it felt stupid and scary.

"That, young man," Mr. Brocket looked troubled, "Is the problem. And it's the reason your brother is here."

"I understand," Crane said. Even though he, technically, wasn't a minor anymore, he understood why the school would get the parents there in case a student was arrested. Not that he really knew how the school handled such an instance.

"I'm not sure you do, sir," Mr. Brocket said calmly, "I can see you're feeling very ashamed and apprehensive. You thought you were doing the right thing and would have accepted the consequences for that…" he smiled as he noted Crane's surprised reaction to his understanding, "You're easy to read, young man. But what you don't understand is the difficult position this puts me in. You still don't see the full picture."

Crane glanced at John and suddenly he knew, "You can't," Crane said softly, "you can't call the police because that would end up ruining Mr. Lawry after all."

Mr. Brocket nodded slowly, noting that Crane had needed less time to put two and two together than his older brother, "I can see why you got a scholarship. You're smart. And you're right. I can't call the police without damaging Mr. Lawry. And that is something that is not fair to him, is it?"

"No, sir, it's not," Crane agreed and looked at the professor again. "So I'll be asked to leave." It wasn't a question, but it should have been.

A wry smile appeared on the dean's face, "I can't do that either."

"I don't understand," Crane admitted.

"That's understandable. Smart as you are you've never had to deal with college protocol and administration before. If I expel you, and don't for a moment think I shouldn't or couldn't…but if I did that, I'd have to follow protocol. And protocol states you get a defense. Protocol states I have to give a reason."

"But the reason is clear," Crane stammered. It wasn't that he wanted to be kicked out, but he didn't understand the leniency that was threatening to be extended to him. "I mean…I would rather not...but…"

"No, I'm sure you'd prefer to stay in school," Carl said almost amused.

"Giving a reason and allowing you a defense, is also a threat to me," John spoke softly. "I'm sorry, Carl. I had hoped my resignation was the end of this. I never thought one of my students would resort to this."

"Not your fault, John," Carl reassured, not for the first time that morning. "That is why I called Mr. Adam McFadden as Crane's guardian, even though Crane is 18 and we'd normally deal with the student in case of problems. I needed to have a different strategy this time." The turned his attention to Crane, "Your brother and I have had an interesting conversation this morning, Crane." Crane dared a glance at Adam. The man may look calm, but the boy could feel the anger simmering beneath the surface. He could only imagine what his brother and the dean had talked about. "And we have come to an agreement. I will release you, as the police would say, to his custody, and he will ensure this will never happen again."

"Damn right I will." Adam couldn't care less if Crane was embarrassed by him talking discipline with the dean. As far as he was concerned, his brother had given up the right to be embarrassed when he broke into the office, not to mention disobeyed him.

"Since this was your final exam, you will go home with your brother today."

"Yes, sir," Crane kept his eyes down. He was a mess of emotions right now. His fall from his righteous attitude had been too quick and too hard. He'd been so convinced he was right that he never even considered another side to things. But there was a small sense of relief too. There'd be no police involvement and he would remain at Davis, from the sound of things.

"I will rely on his ability to set you straight and your own ability to learn from all this. Having such a sense of justice is commendable, but unless you do something about your fact-finding qualities, it won't get you far. Never rely on the gossip of those only too eager to spread the results of their wrong-doing. Don't look so surprised, I know very well who left this note and I know whose gossip you listened to."

"Yet, he gets away with his actions," Crane couldn't help feeling bitter.

"Oh, young Alex Tanner will find his own consequences quite unpleasant, believe me. He'll never know I know what he did, but he won't get away with it." Crane was curious, but had the good sense not to ask any more questions. At least Alex would face consequences as well. "See? You're learning already…I wish you'd trusted me enough to come talk to me when you heard this news."

"Or me," John added. "I would have happily talked to you and set your straight."

"I'm sorry," Crane repeated. "I really am."

"Mr. McFadden?" Carl got up and held his hand out to Adam, who took it, "Thank you for coming all the way here to see me. You have saved us a lot of trouble."

Adam grimly shook the man's hand, "No problem, Mr. Brocket, I should be thanking you! I'm just sorry Crane caused this much trouble. You can be assured that will be dealt with." Crane blushed to his roots, but kept his head down.

"I have complete trust in you, Mr. McFadden. And Crane?" Carl turned his attention to Crane now, handing the young man his wallet back, "You may be allowed back after Christmas, but I've got my eye on you from now on. Any sign of trouble and I'll come down on you like a ton of bricks. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," Crane forced himself to look up at the dean, "Crystal clear. But it won't come to that." He had a feeling Adam would ensure it wouldn't. He wasn't sure exactly what Adam was going to do, but it was clear the man was more than a little upset with him.

"I hope not. Because I honestly think you've got the potential of growing into a fine young man with a great future." To Carl, the meeting was over, "Now, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I've got more work to do."

"Of course," Adam said curtly and pretty much pulled Crane to his feet. The boy felt himself propelled towards the door, but then Adam's strong hand wrapped itself around his bicep and he was quickly marched out of the building. Knowing that the receptionist saw how he was treated, cured Crane of all ideas of flirting with her again. In fact, he hoped he'd never have to see her again.

Outside, Adam released Crane's arm, "Get your bike."

Rubbing his arm Crane cautiously glanced at Adam, "I'm sorry, Adam, I really…"

"I told you to get your bike. I suggest you do as you're told."

Wordlessly, Crane walked over to his bike and took off the chain. Not exactly knowing what he was supposed to do next and not wanting to do anything to anger his brother even more, he looked in Adam's direction again, only to find the man was walking off. What did that mean? Did Adam expect him to follow him? Did he expect him to go to his dorm and meet Adam there?

"Ain't got all day, boy," Adam didn't even look around as he spoke, but Crane got the message and quickly caught up with him.

As they turned two corners and he saw the truck parked behind a wall, Crane realized he had been purposely kept in the dark of Adam's presence at the meeting. For some reason he found that upsetting, even if it shouldn't.

"Put it in the back," Adam nodded at the bike and again, Crane did as he was told, lifting the bike in the back of the truck while Adam got behind the wheel.

As soon as Crane stepped into the truck as well and closed the door, Adam drove off. The direction was clear and by car it didn't take them long to get to Crane's dorm room. When Adam got out, so did Crane, as quickly as possible. He didn't want to be dragged up to his room the way Adam had dragged him out of the office. It would have been even more embarrassing here. But Adam just walked in in long strides.

"Pack your bag. Books too."

The short orders were getting to Crane. It would have been better if Adam would just yelled at him. Punched him. Not that his brother had ever punched him. But anything would have been better that this. As he packed he realized June would wonder where he'd gone to. What if she went to the dean? What if she said the wrong things? He had to warn her. Had to let her know what had happened. "Adam…can I just call one of my friends to let them know where I am?"

"Leave a note. They can read, I'm sure."

"But they won't come here. I was supposed to meet them….Adam please…"

His answer was a glare and Adam throwing some books from the desk in Crane's bag. Problem was, they weren't his.

"Those are Martin's." He took them out and placed them back on the desk.

"Oh so when it comes to your friends you do know not to take what's not yours."

Crane flinched, unable to come up with a defense. "Adam, I…" Adam turned around and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Finish packing. Leave a note if you must. We're NOT discussing this here. I can't. I'm too mad right now. You have 5 minutes." And with that he left the room and waited outside in the hall, leaving the door open. He was too afraid he'd say or do something he'd regret for the rest of his life.

Packing didn't take long, but finding the right words to write a note that said enough, yet not too much, was more difficult. He struggled for a minute and then settled on asking Martin to excuse him to June for missing lunch, saying he was called home suddenly. It wasn't a real lie, he figured. He could only pray June wouldn't do anything to put herself in the same position he was in now.

As it was, he was spared that worry. When he threw his bag in the truck June just came around the corner.

"Hey Crane!" She called out. There was surprise and worry in her voice, understandably.

Trying to ignore Adam's impatient glare Crane waved at her. "Hi."

She knew him well enough to know there was something wrong. "Are you leaving?" She got off her bike and threw a puzzled look in the direction of the car and the strange man who resembled her friend.

Crane nodded, "June, this is Adam, my oldest brother. Adam, this is June, my…friend." Friend sounded wrong considering what had happened, but girlfriend sounded presumptuous. Besides, he wasn't ready for Adam to delve into this part of his personal life.

"Hi," She held out her hand and Adam stiffly shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. And I apologize to have to cut this short, but, Crane…we have to get going."

Crane took a deep breath, "I have to go. I'll see you after Christmas, okay?"

"Okay…" She sounded unsure and wished he'd just tell her what was going on. But it was clear he couldn't with his brother there.

He gave her a hug, resisting the urge to kiss her. Instead he quickly whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry. Everything's okay. But please, don't do anything about the letter. It's important that you don't."

"Okay…I won't," she promised hesitantly.

Remembering that, unlike him, she had a phone in her room, he added, "I'll call and explain…but it will be late. After midnight. Until then, don't do anything."

"I promise," She wished she could say or do more, but it was clear that Adam's presence was holding Crane back and without talking to Crane she wasn't about to show they were more than friends. At least, she thought they were. God, she hoped he felt the same. What if he regretted what had happened? Without saying more she reluctantly released him. Keeping her voice upbeat for Adam's sake she said out loud, "Have a great Christmas. Again nice to meet you, Adam."

"You too," Crane got in the truck and she watched them drive off, her heart full of worries.

Crane wanted to keep his eyes on her, but instead he looked at Adam, "I really am sorry…"

Adam didn't acknowledge him and Crane tried again, "Honest, Adam, I never realized…I mean…if I'd known…"

"Crane, I'll only say this once: we'll talk about this when we get to the ranch. Until then, don't say a word. Not one word."

And Crane didn't. He slumped in the passenger seat and looked out the window at the changing landscape, trying to keep his emotions under control. It was going to be a long drive home.

Adam had hoped the long drive would calm him down, but it hadn't. He'd tried turning on the radio, but even John Denver's Country Roads had been no help. So he'd turned the radio off. It was clear to the man that his brother was getting more anxious by the minute, but he couldn't bring himself to reassure him. He figured Crane deserved to feel anxious. The boy could have landed himself in jail, of all places! He had not raised a thief! Well, technically, much to his chagrin, he had to admit he had.

That train of thought only increased his anger and so he told himself to think of something else. He tried to think about ranch business, chores that needed to be done. But that only brought to mind the fact that because of this, Brian had had to handle the ranch on his own for half a day, and that, too, made him angry. He slapped his hand against the steering wheel. It helped release some of the anger. Beside him, Crane jumped at the sound, but the boy stayed silent.

As soon as Brian heard the truck pull up to the house he was outside as well. Work had distracted him, but he had still be on pins and needles all morning, waiting for news. With worried eyes he watched Crane get out of the truck and get his bag out. The tension between the two brothers was palpable. Sometimes silence did speak volumes. That silence worried Brian more than yelling did.

He reached out to take Crane's bag only to be stopped by Adam's voice, "He can carry his own bag."

"I'm sure he can," Brian agreed. "Just trying to be nice here."

"It's okay, Brian," Crane's subdued tone was another big sign of trouble.

"Coffee's on the stove," Brian nodded in the direction of the kitchen. "I was just going in to get some myself, have been busy in the barn most of the morning."

"Thanks," Adam slammed the door closed and motioned Crane inside with his head, "I suggest you go up to your room and unpack."

"I will," Crane headed in the direction of the house and then turned, "Are you…I mean…after…"

"I'll call you."

Realizing he'd been effectively sent to his room Crane swallowed and slowly made his way inside and up the stairs to the relative safety of his room. As soon as he closed the door behind him he sank to the floor, his back to the door, and buried his head in his hands. So much had happened that he had to digest and there were so many things going through his mind, let alone all the emotions he was feeling. There was some anger and frustration over the fact that the world wasn't fair, wasn't just. There was worry over his immediate future, dread thinking of what Adam was going to say and do. There was the thought that he'd disappointed his parents. There were even thoughts of last night and June. But above all, there was this overwhelming sense of guilt. It was too much and all he could do was hug his knees to his body, rocking back and forth as he tried to make sense of everything.

Outside Brian looked at Adam. As soon as Crane was out of sight the man had leaned against the truck, bumping his head against the window over and over again. He'd let it go about three times, but finally spoke up, "Hurting yourself isn't going to help."

"Better than throttling that overgrown teenage delinquent upstairs." But the man did stop and looked at his younger brother, despair in his eyes, "I came this close," he held his fingers about a quarter of an inch apart.

"But you didn't."

"No, because as mad as I am at him, he's my kid brother and I love him."

"Just keep reminding yourself of that."

"I am. I promise." While talking Brian had led him to the porch and Adam sat down heavily on the bench.

"Good. Now…can you please tell me what's going on before I lose my mind too?!" Brian's patience had been wearing thin all morning and was about to completely dissolve. He leaned against the porch rail with his hands on the wood. Despite his impatient words ad internal worry, he was the picture of peace.

Adam took a deep breath, drawing calm energy from his brother, "In short? To find evidence of wrongful dismissal of that teacher, your brother broke into the dean's office with a stolen key and then stole the anonymous letter. And he had the gall to stand there and tell us he hadn't technically broken in as he had the key."

"He did WHAT?" Brian took a step back. "He promised me he'd be careful…."

"Well, he wasn't careful enough because he'd dropped his wallet on the floor and that told them everything they needed to know."

"He broke his promise," Brian still couldn't believe Crane had broken a promise. Strangely enough, he wasn't nearly as upset about the break-in as he was about that.

"Oh he broke more than one promise. And I'd told him to stay out of it. No excuses, just stay out of it. I can't believe he disobeyed. It's just not Crane."

Brian gave Adam a wry smile, "I think it is exactly Crane. We like to see the ideal child in him, the one who never gave us any trouble, or hardly any anyway, but you have to face it: he's always followed his own moral compass. He's as stubborn as I am and as moral as you are. Smarter than the two of us together. He will always fight for what he feels is right, the world be damned."

"Still…," Adam shook his head as if by doing so the entire thing would disappear. In a few words he told Brian everything that had been discussed in the meeting, including the precarious situation the dean had found himself in.

"Ah, well, can't say I'm not relieved he couldn't call the police," Brian slowly digested the news. "I think we need coffee. Strong coffee. And you need to calm down. You're in no shape to deal with him now. Or do you want me to talk to him?"

"No," Adam was adamant, "you've always co-parented with me, but it's my responsibility as guardian. And I made a promise to his dean to handle it myself. And Crane might get into the habit of breaking promises, I'm not about to."

"Well, you're not talking to him alone. We'll do it together. You're welcome to handle the final consequences, but I want him to know that this is coming from the both of us." Sometimes Brian was considered to be the easier 'parent' by the younger McFaddens, and although there was truth in that, as Brian's boundaries were wider, they were also firmer, and once crossed, there was no talking yourself out of trouble. Adam, on the other hand, had more narrow boundaries and was quick to anger, but he usually calmed down quickly and then could sometimes be reasoned with, especially if he knew his famous temper had caused him to overreact. In the very rare instances Crane had found himself near those limits, he had always profited from that fact.

"I don't even know how to deal with that, Brian," Adam looked up at Brian. "I mean, this is serious. We vowed never to use the strap, but…" His voice trailed off as he looked back down at his hands and Brian waited, "I don't want to use that blasted thing. I really don't."

"Then don't," to Brian it was an easy decision.

"I used the belt on him for that joint. How can this not be worse?" Adam shook his head. "Hell, this is the worst thing any one of us has ever done, I'm sure."

Suddenly Brian laughed, he really couldn't help it, "You have short memory, brother."

For a moment Adam wondered if Brian had literally lost his mind, "What?"

"I'm sure dad would say that the stunt you pulled in your senior year pretty much equals this." He had the satisfaction of watching Adam giving a little shiver, "Ah so you remember after all."

"How could I forget?" Adam shifted on the bench. "Dad made sure I'd never forget."

"And I happen to know he did it without that...blasted thing."

"No, he said I 'technically' didn't risk my life."

"There you have it," Brian nodded knowingly. "Adam, when you dissect it and look at it more objectively, this really wasn't so different from what you did. So take a leaf out of dad's book."

"I guess you've got a good point," Adam acquiesced, although there was a part of him that felt relief too.

"It happens every now and then, don't get used to it." Brian may have been teasing, but he was feeling pretty angry himself. "It will be a few hours before I have to pick up the boys…why don't we work off some of this anger. It won't hurt our criminal brother to stew for a while."