BJ2 - We are getting closer; only a couple more chapters now. And the reunion is coming soon. :)

Areader - Cliff? Me?! Of course not! ;) Heehee, yeah I don't know how I would even end a chapter if it wasn't a cliffhanger actually. Thanks so much for the review!

cma - The boys' condition is brought to light a bit in this chapter. ;) And thank you for thinking me prolific, but the truth is this is an older story I wrote some time ago, but I'm redoing some of it as I go along, so that's why the pace has been so breakneck.

BettHT - The end game is definitely in sight at this point and the boys come back in this chapter. As to what Travis's part will be in it all, wait and see. ;)

~CHAPTER 23~

Ben's palms were tingling as he shifted his position nervously, waiting for the signal to come. Every minute felt like an eternity. Since he hadn't known the time for days, it was hard to judge the passage of it. After Travis had gone, a few men had come in every so often to check on him, and each time he had been grateful that he hadn't given in to his instinctual yearning to release himself from his bonds too early. The whole plan could have been ruined if they'd found him with the ropes cut, and as it was, he'd slid the knife up his sleeve to ensure that it wasn't found. So it went on, for just how long he couldn't tell, constantly waiting and listening...

It felt like hours since he'd left Cartwright. Every time he saw someone go into the left storeroom, he couldn't help but hold his breathe and hope that Cartwright had done what he'd asked of him and was staying put until the right time. He had second-guessed giving him the knife ever since he'd left it with him, worried that a man in his dire position would choose not to wait, but try and reach his sons by himself. He tried keeping busy in the barn, but stopped when odd looks were thrown his way. Lying back down in his cot, he tilted his hat over his eyes, feigning sleep, while running back over what he had to do again and again in his mind. Any number of things could go wrong. What if the Cartwrights made noise? What if someone went to check on them before they were away? The Sheriff's lingering words re-echoed in his head... If the Cartwrights get hurt in any way, I'll hunt you down and see you hang... hunt you down... see you hang... A shudder rippled through him.

"Travis," Hank called across the room. "Loft lookout." Travis's heart skipped a beat, but he remained motionless until the call came again. "Travis! Lookout!" Hank called louder as he came over and kicked at his foot, thinking the young man was asleep. Travis slowly brought his hat back and blinked blearily a few times before picking himself up off the floor and heading for the loft ladder. After waiting for the man who had been up there to come down, he started up. This was it...

Ben's head shot up as he heard one of the men shout out the order to Travis. He listened, waiting for it to be repeated, and when it was his heart picked up its pace even more. "Give me five minutes to get to the loft before you free yourself ..." Ben heard the men changing positions as he waited, slowly counting away the seconds into minutes until they hit five. While keeping a constant watch on the door, he carefully slid the knife from his sleeve. Not able to see the long sharp blade, he came close to cutting himself a few times before finally situating the edge against the ropes and starting the tedious task of cutting through the ties. Long before he was done, sweat stood out on his forehead as his muscles ached from the constant pressure and unusual position. He worked as quickly as he could, the fear of being discovered constantly with him. Ben's impatience to get to his boys caused his hand to slip once, sending a quick cut into his thumb, but the pain barely even registered, and once he'd set the knife right again, pressed on.

Although it took him only a quarter of an hour to saw through the ropes, it seemed like several hours to Ben. With one last mighty heave the rope finally frayed and broke, causing Ben to sigh with relief. His hands felt like rubber, and he rubbed them briskly trying to revive them as quickly as possible before picking up the knife again and setting it to work on the ropes at his feet. They came free in a few minutes and using the beam he'd leaned against for so long, he pulled himself upward, groaning at the pain in his abused limbs. The burning sensation of moving blood pulsed up and down his legs making them wobbly and barely able to hold him. After a moment, however, he forced them rigid; he had to get moving.

Turning behind him, he went to the corner that Travis had indicated and moved aside old bales of hay to reveal a ladder leading up into the loft. Sliding the knife into his boot and kneading his thighs with his fists one more time, he grasped the bottom rung and started to climb. Some of the steps were old and splintering, making every step he took a slow and cautious one. When he was about halfway up, his foot slipped as one of the boards started to give way under him. All movement stopped as his ears strained for any sign that he'd been detected. Hearing nothing, he slowly finished his climb to the top. Reaching it, he began pulling himself up the rest of the way when a hand caught him just below his wrist to assist him. Looking up, Travis's relieved eyes met his as he was pulled into the loft.

"So far, so good," he whispered. "The storeroom is on the other side," he said, pointing across to the opposite side of the loft. "Your sons are there. Try'n be as quick as you can. I'll stay up here and try'n warn you if I see anybody comin' your way. Once you get back up here, I'll letcha out the loft door. Your Sheriff friend'll be waitin' for you just inside the tree line. If anything goes wrong, he'll be in here right quick."

Ben nodded his understanding. "What about you?" he asked after he was done.

"What about me?"

"You can't stay here."

Travis gave a short snort. "Believe me, Mr. Cartwright, I haven't the slightest notion of stickin' around here. I'll be comin' down right behind you after I get you and your boys out."

Ben smiled weakly and nodded, clasping the young man's shoulder quickly. "Where are my sons?"

Travis stood up slowly and put a finger to his mouth, side-stepping both the hay chute and the ladder to the main room. His steps were as loud as he could make them without attracting unnecessary attention to cover any sound made by Ben's. Once on the other side, Travis directed him behind some barrels and to the way down into the second storeroom. He nodded towards Ben who carried on without delay, his longing to finally see his boys after all this time almost making him weak at the knees.

He knew the time for action had to come soon, yet no matter how hard he pulled and strained at his bonds, they held fast. The only comforting thought he had to dwell on was that all of them appeared to be alright aside from the mutual nagging headache that usually accompanies a blow to the head. He'd found Hoss and Joe finally awake when he'd regained consciousness too, and even though the gags quelled any words between them, the relief at seeing the other two brothers alive and near was evident in each of their eyes. Hoss and Joe had tested their ties as well and found them to be as fast as Adam's. The fact that all three were so close but still not able to reach out or talk to one another was maddening to say the least.

As much as he tried to push it from his mind and keep his thoughts on a means of escape, Adam still longed to ask his brothers if they had heard or seen their father when they were dragged into the barn. That cry echoing in his mind was a haunting reminder that he still wasn't even sure where his father was. It could've been someone else calling. And now the events of that time all seemed a distant and foggy nightmare to him, one which he was loathe to remember but one he dared not forget, as if by chance the next time he recalled it he would remember something he hadn't the many times before. Dwelling on thoughts was pretty much all he could do, though. He had given each of his brothers a good look to try and detect any other injuries, but they seemed to be faring just as well, or just as poorly, as he was.

Only one man had entered the room since they'd been left there. As the footsteps approached, all three gazed at the door, feeling helpless and unsure of what to do. Glancing back at his brothers, Adam simply laid his aching head back on the floor, indicating they should pretend to still be unconscious; the other two followed suit. Perhaps they would be left alone if thought ill enough. It worked. The man stood over each one of them, untied the gags and tried to rouse them by trickling water into their mouths. Although their thirst was great, they willed themselves not to swallow, trying to maintain the pretense. After refastening the gags and checking the ropes once more, the man scoffed before scuffling back out the door, leaving them alone again.

That had been a matter of hours ago, and no one had seen fit to check on them again. As he squirmed to take pressure off of already aching areas, Adam tested the ropes yet again and found them as unyielding as always. Testing the gag suddenly, not thinking to do so before, he realized the man who'd given them the drink must've done a poor job of retying it because it was somewhat loose. Without even thinking, he worked his already aching jaw for several minutes until he finally managed to push the dreaded piece of material past his teeth and down below his chin. Finally, he was able to take in great gulps of clean air that were no longer forced through the dirty cloth. Even though it did little to help them get free, it was a small victory when none other seemed to be in sight.

Just as Adam was about to whisper something to his brothers, a soft sound from inside the room made them all freeze. They couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, but suddenly toward the back of the storeroom a dusty boot appeared at the top of a ladder they hadn't noticed before. Adam kicked himself for being so foolish as to take the gag off, fearful of what they would do when they found it that way. Quickly, the three of them rested their heads back down on the floor as the man finished his descent which they noticed, for some reason, was very slow and quiet. Adam could hear the man's gentle footsteps on the floor as he approached, but he dared not open his eyes. To his surprise, he felt a hand graze his cheek before it moved behind his back and started untying his bonds. This was it... they were waiting no longer but something that now worked in his favor was the element of surprise. Just a few moments more... he could feel the rope start to slacken... felt the blood rush back into his hands. He had no more time to wait. Flinging himself upward, his head screaming at the pressure, he grabbed the man's jacket and wrapped his other hand into the tightest fist he could muster, ready to send it into his chin. As he took his first glance at the man's face, all movement froze as his breath caught in his throat. There in front of him was the face he thought he might never see again. His hand was touching a body he thought he'd never feel warmth from again. Slowly, with mouth agape and weary eyes wide, he took in each and every feature. He was definitely thinner, more gray than he remembered, more worry lines around the hollow eyes set deep in a far too pale face, but it was him. "Pa..."