A/N: This chapter was broken up into 3 or 4 chapters during editing. "Coming Up from Behind" was the name of the document and I guess it still kind-of works? I can't think of a satisfactory replacement title.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's unlikely and even frowned upon to name one of your beneficiaries as your executor. I'll continue to maintain that this fic runs on Soap Opera Logic. The stuff Cat and Annmarie thought about Terrance is speculation on Bex's end; it fits. Let me know in the comments if you want us to write a flashback to Terrance's funeral from Cat and Bethany's POV.

"Smirk" is used so often that, yes, I did feel compelled to clarify that Trent did it smugly. He is very much smirking like a jerk, and it's intentional.

The section concerning Rebecca and the horse was written entirely by Bex; I wrote some of Bethany's dialogue prior-to.

Chapter 26: Coming Up From Behind

The drive to the law firm was solemn, everyone lost in thought. When they got there, Bethany handed over the death certificate for Ms. Korbel to copy.

"Right then. Trent, your father named you executor of his estate. Please come with me to look over the documents."

Trent followed obediently. When she pulled the file and showed him the trust and the will, he scoffed.

"Is everything all right?" asked Ms. Korbel.

Trent smiled smoothly at her. "Of course. I will make all distributions as he requested, except one."

He went back out into the lobby to speak with his family, documents in hand.

"He left everything to my mother and me," Trent said bluntly. "Mom, you can do what you like with your share, but I don't need his guilt money. I'm signing my share over to you, Catherine. It's enough to go to graduate school anywhere in the world you want." Trent sniffled and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm sorry he held out on you. I never told you this, but even though I'm not happy that he cheated on my mom, that wasn't your fault. Anyway, biological sex is determined by the father, so if he'd stayed with my mother, you could have been my full sister. I wanted to keep the relationship between us professional when you grew up so your coworkers wouldn't accuse me of hiring you out of nepotism, but I think I've been colder to you than you deserved. That's not why I'm giving you the money and the property, though. You work so hard at everything you do, and you've always had to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously. You need the power to acquire bottomless resources without relying on me. I intend to be here for you whenever you need me, but that may not always be a possibility. You can work for me as long as you'd like, but I want you to have the freedom to travel, learn everything you want to, fall in love on your own terms and not just date the guys I pay you to keep an eye on, and of course, have the resources to keep an eye on anyone you need to. So you now own my half of our father's estate, which includes the house your mother lives in and the acreage it's on, the majority share of the zoo where we had lunch, and enough money to keep you and Little Bug— or whoever— comfortable and happy for a little while."

Cat couldn't believe what she was hearing! Her brother, was turning over his shares to her!? And the fact that her own father had not left her nor her mother a thing just cemented what she had suspected all along: Her father had cared only for the advancement of men. She had long tried not to let such things bother her. Trent being sent away to college, Trent getting the most whenever their father deemed himself fit to pay any sort of attention to either of them, Trent's indifference to her as she grew. For the longest time, she had sworn that her brother hated her, and had often wondered what it was she had done to make him think that way about her.

But now that he explained, she understood clearly. Hearing him affirm that she could pursue her dreams, she was flabbergasted and reacted instinctively. She threw herself into her brother's arms and hugged him tightly. Happy tears slowly trailed down her face, not because of what he had given her from their father's estate, but because he finally seemed to see her and actually showed he cared. Trent hugged her back without a thought.

"Thank you, Trent," Cat said as she slowly pulled back and looked up at him, wiping her face. "For the longest time, I—I thought you hated me, and I didn't know why. I have always looked up to you, even when we were younger… and it hurt, to see the look of indifference upon you every time we were around each other but… now I know why. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am so excited!"

"No, I didn't hate you," Trent said. "I'm so sorry. I resented our father and, when I was younger, I didn't understand, and I took it out on you. You're a good girl and you deserve every opportunity."

Annmarie was stunned and a little disbelieving. Terrance had left her… NOTHING?! No, it couldn't be true! He had promised to provide for her, even after his death. Anger and resentment flooded her. The very idea! Signing over his shares to their daughter, which meant Annmarie really did have nothing! Cat now owned her home and all the shares that were supposed to be HERS!

But, after Trent's outburst at the hospital, she only glowered at the happy couple and then turned that look on her simpering sister, who seemed to think this was all so sweet! It made her SICK! She wasn't done though, oh no! Not by a long shot. If she could just get Rebecca alone, then she'd be sorry she ever laid her eyes on Trent and shoved her way into this family!

Trent threw a small, almost indecipherable smug smirk in Annmarie's direction. Rebecca smiled to herself as she watched the scene unfold. She caught the look Annmarie had upon her face out of the corner of her eye at hearing the will read out. Terrance had left her nothing? Good! Rebecca was happy that Trent and Cat seemed to have made up completely, and that Cat now had a future where she could make her own choices and not have to rely on her brother for work.

"Oh, and we won't be staying for the funeral," Trent continued. "I have nothing kind to say about that man, and I don't want to cause more of a scene than I already have." He sat down next to Rebecca and began filling out paperwork.

"Hey," he told her, "when we're married, I'll consult with you about estate planning, but this one time, I had to make a stand on my own. He robbed Catherine in life, and he was planning to do the same in death. You understand, right? Besides, we both earn plenty at work; we should have enough to raise a family."

Rebecca nodded. "Of course I understand, babe. That was a very sweet thing for you to do. Cat is your sister, and it wasn't fair of your father to snub her." She beamed and rested her hand atop his for a moment. "I am proud of you, and you're right. We make more than enough at our own jobs to start a family. I'm not worried about that." She giggled and winked, then let Trent finish up with what he had to do.

Trent smiled and held Rebecca's hand. "I love you so much, babygirl. I knew you'd understand. From now on I will check in with you, though."

"I love you too, Trent. Always and forever." Rebecca smiled up at him as they stood.

"Mother, sister, Ms. Bowles. Rebecca and I will be taking our leave now." Trent hugged his mother goodbye. Rebecca, too, gave Trent's mother a big hug, and thanked her for everything, saying that they would need to get together again, when they both had more time to catch up. She really liked Bethany, who was warm, friendly and so charming. She could see where Trent got a lot of his mannerisms. He took so much after her.

"Cat, are you coming with us?" Trent asked.

"Naw. You two go have fun. Show her the town, Trent. First time in Iowa, right? Take her riding or something." Cat checked her phone. She had promised to text Nate back. "I got plans myself and will see you all later."

Trent cast an uncertain look to Rebecca. She smiled over at Cat, who positively glowed. "Maybe next time," Trent said. He didn't want to share that she was afraid of horses in case she didn't want them to know. "I think we'll just go back home and buy return tickets for tomorrow morning. I do want Rebecca to see where I grew up."

Rebecca had gone still at the mention of riding, but if Trent could face his fears of water with her, then she would try to face her fears of horses with him. Still, the idea of being around those big, strong, animals made her shiver inside. But seeing Trent lightly side-step the suggestion made her smile faintly at him as they took their leave.

Trent picked up their shopping bags and headed out. He handed them to Rebecca as he got on his rented hog. "Hold onto these and hold onto me," he instructed.

xoxo

It had been a long, boring day at work and Nathaniel was ready to go home. He texted George to meet him there, grabbed his box and left.

When he got home, he sorted and put away his toys. The ones he suspected were just for him went in his bedroom; the ones for him and friends went in the massage room. He saw a few other goodies while he was unpacking that he hadn't noticed before.

"Vibrating cock ring?" he asked aloud in amazement. "Why is it blue?"

George had gotten Nathaniel's text and smirked to himself. So Nathaniel wanted him to come over? George pondered it a moment, before he decided that it couldn't hurt to see what the man had to say and see what would happen.

He texted: [I am on my way. Do you need or want anything? Have you eaten yet?]

Then he dropped his phone into his pocket and went to shower and get dressed. This just might turn out to be an interesting night indeed!

Nathaniel smirked at his phone. Honestly.

[Just bring yourself], he wrote back. [I want your opinion on something a friend said ;)]

George wasted no time. Once he was showered, he dressed for both business and pleasure: a relaxed set of jeans and a flowy button-down green shirt. It fit him just right and it was one of his favorites.

Nathaniel got to the bottom of the package. The reason he'd missed the ring before was because it had been set on a familiar piece of blue cloth. His breath hitched in his throat. It was the blue button-down he had wanted to keep.

He sent a text to Trent: [Just a tip: Friends don't send friends sex toys, especially at work.]

His phone pinged back with a GIF of Tia Dalma from that Pirates movie: [If you don't want it, give it back.]

Nathaniel sighed. [I'll keep them. Just this once. And thank you for the shirt.]

xoxo

Cat started tapping away to Nate and giggled to herself.

[Hey Handsome! Guess what! My father left me absolutely nothing in his will, but that's ok, cause Trent signed me over all of his! Now I am practically as wealthy as you are. lol lol I am so excited cause I really wanted to go to college out of state, but there is so much now that I have to think about and wanted to discuss it all with you, first though. Call me when you can, kay? Hope you are having a good time and not to lonely without me. lol lol See you soon. xx]

Then she gave her Aunt Bethany a hug and nodded coolly to her mother and walked out to go enjoy herself, feeling free and happy!

Nathaniel smiled at Catherine's innocence. She had no idea how much the Plimpton fortune was, and he had no notion to correct her. He called and said, without preamble, "I'm glad Trent came through for you. See, I told Greg he's a nice person, but Greg doesn't believe me. Maybe I should talk to him. How are you doing?" he asked. He still had a couple minutes before George got here.

Cat sounded incredibly brighter than the last time Nate and her had talked. "He is, and he even apologized for how he has treated me as we grew up. He realized my birth wasn't my fault, and he finally made peace with all that, I guess. It has been a lot better since this morning." She smiled as she took a seat in a nearby fast-food place and ordered something off the menu.

Nate made a face at Cat's fast-food order. She ate that junk and still looked so fit? It was a slippery slope, but she'd been through a lot, and even Nate and White Josh sometimes ate junk food. "That was big of him," Nate said sincerely. "I'm glad you're getting along."

Cat giggled. "You know, I normally don't eat burgers and stuff like this but once in a blue moon, and today, I am eating my feelings for a little bit. You should try it sometime. The cheese fries here are soooooo good." She smirked even though she knew he couldn't see her. "I'll be good by the end of the day, promise."

Nate laughed. "It's your body," he said. "But trust me, what you eat when you're 21 hits different by the time you're 30."

"Yeah, I know. It's only for the day." Cat grinned. "And yeah, maybe you should talk to Greg. He might be mad or confused still, but try and be patient with him. Cause, you're right, he doesn't know Trent like we do. He will come around though, don't worry."

Nathaniel sighed. He knew he would have to talk to Greg eventually and tell him everything. Greg would probably understand that Nathaniel wasn't being deliberately obtuse, he just had had a lot to process.

Cat took a bite of her burger. When she'd swallowed, she said, "So listen, when I get back…wanna try horseback riding again? Or something before the beach? Just…something to unwind so we can reconnect….ya know?" She sounded a little shy at the end, but her smile could have been heard through the phone.

"Cat, I will ride with you anytime," he said. "We can even ride on the beach if you want to. Just outside the surf."

She took a sip of her drink and nodded. "I would love that! It sounds like a lot of fun." It felt good to relax away from the drama her mom had caused, and Cat knew she would have to keep her eye on her mom while they all were still there. "So what do you have planned for the night? I might go see a movie and then go find a coffee shop and catch up on some reading. Or maybe even go to a museum. It's been a while since I have done that."

xoxo

It didn't take George long to reach Nat's home and he knocked, even though he still had a key to the place. Manners first. He would wait for Nathaniel to invite him in.

Nathaniel said, "I'm actually meeting George. He should— oh, there's the knock. I'm going to let you go. Let's talk tomorrow? Or at least, text tomorrow. I know we've got that hotel merger. They're bringing in Trent's tech company too, so that should be interesting."

"Alrighty, handsome," Cat agreed. "You two have fun. I will text you in the morning then and let you know when I am on my way home. And I heard, that should be fun to discuss when we get back too. Speak soon Nate. Much loves!" She hung up and headed to just for a walk around town a bit to let her food settle. Then she decided to head to the museum, to walk around for a bit.

xoxo

Trent took Rebeca on a grand tour through the city. He rode past his old high school and past some of his schoolmates' houses. Several female teachers and peers stopped to stare; he was riding slowly enough that he could be recognized, but more importantly, he was showing off his lady love. Hanging onto him, she took in the sights, listening as he showed her his hometown and told her about where he went to school and where he played as a boy. Seeing a few people stop and give them curious looks had her blushing, but she nodded politely to those whose eyes she caught. This really was a beautiful place. Maybe, if they ever wanted a change of scene once their busy lives slowed down, being in a place like this wouldn't be so bad. She'd have to talk to Trent to see what his thoughts were.

"I do have a pet horse," he told her. "Paladin. She's the sweetest, gentlest creature to ever exist, though, and she's very trusting. Maybe you can meet her and decide whether she scares you. And then there are my pigs, named Pork, Bacon, and Ham. Bacon's a handsome boar, you'll see. I used to threaten to feed my middle school classmates to him when they bullied me."

Arriving at his home, she smiled as she heard the way he talked with such passion about his pets. Pigs she didn't have a problem with, as she had raised a little sow once for a county fair when she had been small. Horses, however….

When they rode up, though, the pigpen was full, but the stable was empty. Bethany was waiting for them with a sad expression. "Honey, in all the hubbub, I didn't get a chance to tell you. Your father had Paladin sent away."

"What?" Trent dismounted. "My Paladin?"

"He wanted to have Catherine race her in show, but she hurt her leg. I tried to talk him out of it, really, I did."

Trent's heart broke into a million pieces as he sank to his knees. "Paladin wasn't a racehorse. I mean, she wasn't just a racehorse. She was my pet and my best friend. How could he— if he wasn't dead— that heartless—"

Rebecca's heart dropped. His own father had done—what?! What a horrible thing to do to your own child without so much a by your leave! Granted, Trent wasn't a child anymore, but still! He obviously had cared deeply about the horse and Rebecca felt for him as he fell to his knees and wept. Bethany knelt beside her son and hugged him tightly.

Rebecca roughly knew what that felt like, having grown very attached to a puppy once when she had been small. She had found it lost in the side alleys and had brought it home, fed it, bathed it, loved it. Her parents had let her keep it for three weeks till it tore up a pair of her mother's expensive shoes. That day, Rebecca had had to be restrained as her beloved puppy was taken away to the pound! So she felt for her beloved, she really did.

Going to sit near to both Trent and Bethany, she cast his mother a sad, understanding look as she gently reached out to rub Trent's back, seeking to console him as well. She couldn't even imagine… why would his father do such a thing? Unforgivable!

Bethany and Rebecca tried console Trent and learned exactly when Terrance had sold Paladin. Giving her beloved a kiss on his cheek, Rebecca turned and gave Bethany a look as she moved to grab her phone and walked a few feet away.

"Cat? Yeah…I need a favor. Where are you?"

xoxo

Cat had been walking the museums for quite a while when her phone rang, and upon seeing Rebecca calling, she answered. "I'm at a museum downtown. Why? What's wrong?"

"I have to do go do something that is very important to Trent and right now he is terribly upset. I need your and Bethany's help keeping him occupied while I go run this… errand really fast." She kept her voice low so Trent wouldn't hear her talking to his sister. "Terrance sold his horse…I am going to find her."

"What? Can you do that? It was 6 months ago!" Cat asked excitedly. "Sure! I am on my way home! I'll tell Bethany, so you can get back as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Cat. Means a lot." Rebecca smiled and hung up her phone and went back to sit with Trent and Bethany. She had already looked up the place where Terrance had sold the horse from and had gotten in contact, through text and email, with the slaughter pens who had bought her. It was a long shot, but if she moved fast, she might be able to bring Trent's beloved horse home.

When Rebecca left his side, Trent gave one last sniffle and then composed himself. He grabbed their shopping bags and brought them to his bedroom, which was just as it had been when he was a teenager. Titanic merchandise littered one wall; it had been his favorite movie growing up, and he'd bought the soundtrack as well as every Celine Dion CD ever produced, including one where her greatest hits were played on panpipes. He also had Celine Dion and Backstreet Boys posters on another wall. His sheets and blankets were soft greens and blues. The whole effect was quite feminine, but as he had never had a guest in his room—other than Sebastian, who had practically lived in it when they were younger—it didn't matter to him. Social pressure to conform only went so far, and no one could take his pop bands away from him.

He set the things he and Rebecca had bought down on the bed and curled up, hugging his pillow. It was powder blue, the same shade as the shirt he had given Nathaniel.

Nathaniel. Little bug. Trent wondered how he was doing. Listlessly, he took out his phone and texted:

[I don't know if Catherine told you, but my father passed today. He left everything to my mother and me, can you believe that? I don't care that he's dead, it's for the greater good actually, but poor Catherine. She should have meant more to him. So should my mother and me.]

He didn't expect a response.

xoxo

Very quickly, in as much breath as she could muster, Rebecca explained her plan to Bethany while she waited for Cat to arrive. Having heard of a few stock pens nearby while researching Iowa before their trip, she was fairly certain she could pinpoint the one where Trent's beloved Paladin had been sold. Bethany only confirmed it for her by seeming surprised that Rebecca would try to do such a thing.

"He has done so much for me, Ms. Maddock. Honestly, I never felt as if I truly deserved your son, for he is caring and giving and gentle and loving. He does everything for me, and I want, just this once, to do something for him." She meant it, every single thing she said. Trent did so much for her, made her happier than she had ever been, and she never really knew how she could make him feel special and appreciated like he made her feel. She loved him, and if she could do this for him, she would. No questions asked.

Bethany considered what she'd just heard. So, Rebecca had never felt as if she deserved Trent, and perhaps that was subconsciously why she had pushed him away at first. It could be hard to have someone suddenly show up and spoil you when you were used to emotional neglect. Bethany didn't hold it against Rebecca at all, merely nodded her understanding.

"You know, you can call me Mom, when you feel comfortable," she said gently. "As far as I'm concerned, you're already part of the family. I know that may be jumping the gun a little, considering your last wedding, but… I have a good feeling about this one. About Paladin, you are a very resourceful young lady. I wonder why I didn't think of just letting him sell the horse and then tracking her down later. It's exactly the sort of thing Trent would have done if he had known. I understand how you feel, but believe me, you don't need to feel as though you owe him. It is good and kind of you to do this, and it will make for a wonderful engagement present, but let me tell you, Trent is not as complicated as one might think. The fact that you've accepted him, that you've given your heart to him and chosen him over all the other boys chasing you, that you love him and are faithful to him…. He'll be over the moon about that forever. Mark me, my dear, Trent will never take you for granted. All he has ever wanted was to find an everlasting love, and… Perhaps that was my fault, raising him the way I did, but simply being with you makes him so ecstatic. You yourself are the best gift you could ever offer to him."

Rebecca flushed. It was true, on some small level, that she never felt worthy of Trent's attention and was stuck on those who weren't good for her and to messed up to see the good person he was before it was almost too late for them both. But she wasn't doing this because she felt she owed Trent. No. She loved him, with a passion that both terrified and excited her, and she knew that feeling could not be described with words, for no words were ever needed between Trent and her. But love makes you do stupid things sometimes, and while this might fail…she at least wanted to try. He made her so incredibly happy and spoiled her often, and she had wanted to make him feel loved and appreciated as well. She knew the pain of losing something you truly loved. She didn't want that for the man she loved with everything she was.

Cat rolled up a few moments later, out of breath as she had jogged back to her car and nodded at her Aunt and Rebecca. "So? What's the plan? How we doing this?"

Rebecca looked between both women. "I need you to distract Trent for me, for an hour, maybe two. Your aunt has given me a starting point. I just need to go there, ask around and see if Paladin is still there. Just…not a word to Trent about it cause I don't want his hopes getting up if I fail. Please. I will be back as soon as I can." She fidgeted from one foot to the other. "I really hate leaving him when he is like this, but this is time sensitive…."

"Go, girl! We got this! Right, Aunt Bethany?" Cat smiled at her aunt and tackle-hugged Rebecca in return. "I knew Trent made the right choice when he chose you. Now, go! Shoo! We will keep him busy somehow."

Rebecca nodded as Cat threw her the keys.

Said Bethany, "He's probably processing things in his room right now. I'll let him do that, but when he comes out, let's take him to some of the places he used to love as a child, hmm?"

Giving Bethany and Cat both a hug, Rebecca rushed to the car, started it and drove out of the drive and down the road, setting the GPS on her phone as she went. It didn't take her to long to get to the first stock pen and after a talk with the owner, he verified that they picked up a horse by that name from a Terrance Maddock, six months ago. Rebecca was free to look through the pens while they went to go find the paperwork, just in case she had been sold. So many came and went, it was hard to keep up.

She quickly texted Cat, asking for a picture of Paladin before she walked slowly through the pens. Being this close to horses absolutely terrified her! The smell, the sounds, how big they were, but as long as she was on one side of the gates and they were on the other, she could do this.

The owners eventually came back with notes on where they had sold her, and putting that place, another kill yard, into her GPS, she was once more on her way. She would not stop. Not till she either found Paladin, or had evidence that the horse was truly gone. She only hoped that Trent would be alright while she was away.

Arriving at the next stop, Rebecca got out of the car and froze! This place was huge! Bigger than the other stock yard by far, but it was the last one according to the owner of the last place. Next to these two places, all the other slaughter yards were small privately owned and it would take weeks to find a single horse who went into one of those places.

Inhaling deeply, she went to find the owner, who at first, thought she was joking. But seeing the look on her face and hearing the autocratic way that she spoke, he quickly perked up. Here was money in a dress! All he had to do was help her and, he was sure, she would reward him in some way. Suddenly eager to do as Rebecca asked, the owner fired up his computer and went through the files, dating back six months ago, one by one.

It took some time, but he got a hit, and confirmed the horses name and the owner he bought it from. Paladin, from a one T. Maddock. He printed out the file and handed to it Rebecca and called up a handler to help her and take her to the horse to see for herself if it was the right one.

Walking down the pens, her fear flared back up as this place's pens weren't exactly sturdy, and there were a few 'wild' ones in the bunch who seemed hell bent on escaping. Deep into the heart of the place, she was led, until she came to a stop in front of a smaller pen filled with 4 or 5 horses.

"Alright. She's in there, the dirty-looking one by the back gate. Go see if it's her," the handler said, to which Rebecca's eyes flew open wide. She would have to—!

She was terrified! But she made herself slip under the bars and stand there for a few moments, talking to herself to try and make herself let go of the railing. Her heart was thundering in her chest, and she swore she might pass out, but she closed her eyes and let go, taking a few steps into the corral.

"Good horsey….Nice horsey…," she cooed to herself, feeling entirely stupid. She froze as one horse turned and nudged her with its nose before nickering and turning away. She counted to three before she continued and slowly, but surely, she made her way to the back of the pen.

The horse that greeted her was tired-looking and filthy! But there seemed to be a spark still in its eyes as it lifted its head just a bit and looked at Rebecca. Gulping, Rebecca lifted her hand and lightly wiped away some of the dirt, just enough to see the color and pattern under all that filth. The horse snorted and she jerked back but held very still…not daring to breathe.

"Paladin?" she whispered and watched as the horse's ears flickered to her and snorted again. Reaching out a tentative hand, she held perfectly still as the horse closed the space and touched her hand with its soft nose. "There's a good girl," Rebecca whispered. "I'm taking you home. Want to see Trent?" She giggled softly when the horse seemed to perk up at Trent's name. "It's her!" she called back to the handler, who came with lead rope to lead her out.

"Go talk to the boss, we can hook you up with a trailer to take her back if need."

It took Rebecca nearly another hour to get the poor, skittish horse into the trailer and the trailer hooked up properly to the car she was driving. She peeked over the bars of the trailer and cooed softly to Paladin. "It's okay, girl. We are going home. This will never happen again." When the horse whickered, Rebecca nodded and got into the car and grabbed her phone and texted Cat.

[Took me a bit, but I FOUND HER! I am on the way home. Keep Trent busy till I get her back in the stables.]