Sitting in the quiet hall, she listened to the muffled voices in the room and leaned back in her chair. Running her hand along her neck, she flexed a closed fist and took a deep breath. The door opened and she watched Grace step outside. The girl had a smile on her face for the first day in a long time and she wasn't going to change it.

"Doc is making him sleep. Said he needed the rest while he got another treatment."

Joe watched her sit down beside her and asked "How are you doing?"

Grace took a deep breath and said "Better since Will is going to be okay."

The child looked up at her and caught her hand. Joe squeezed it and kissed her brow. She glanced down the hall and saw the man approaching. He removed his hat as he drew closer and Grace looked over at him.

He stopped in front of them and said "It's been a long time Joey."

"Can I help you?"

"Ran into your brothers outside while on business and thought I'd drop in and say hi."

She let go of Grace's hand and stood up. The girl remained in her chair and had grown tense at the badge on the man's shirt.

"Is there something you want?"

Mike chuckled and said "You don't remember me I take it. I'm not surprised."

He raked a hand through his hair and looked down at Grace. The child looked at him with cautious eyes and he turned back to Joe.

"Is that Grace Lawrence?"

"No. Her name is Grace Andrews."

Mike frowned and asked "How long she been with you? We've been searching for her since the accident."

Joe felt Grace move next to her and she focused her attention on Mike. The man was studying Grace and she didn't like the look in his eye.

"She was adopted six months after the accident. Her relatives know and they approved."

Mike looked back at her and asked "She's yours then?"

"Yes."

He chuckled and said "I never saw you as a mom. Always figured you would stay wild and carefree or hook up with a wild man."

"Is there a reason why you are here?"

"Actually wanted a chance to tell you I want to settle the score. Had to beat your bodyguard here."

Her eyes narrowed and he laughed. Cliff came around the corner and the laughing stopped. Mike turned to the approaching man and pulled his gun out.

"Hold it."

"Get away from them."

Mike smirked and said "We're just catching up. Talking isn't a crime."

Cliff walked past the man and stood next to his sister. She caught his gaze and then looked back at Mike.

"If Grace weren't here it would be just like that night in college. Wouldn't you say so, Joe?"

Her eyes narrowed and he started laughing again. Cliff watched the hand on the holster and heard the door open behind them. The doctor stepped out of the room and looked at the scene before him.

"Marshall, something I can do for you?"

Mike shook his head and said "Just wanted to stop by and catch up with Joe."

The doctor looked at her and said "Will's awake if you want to talk."

She met Cliff's gaze and he nodded. He led Grace into the room with the doctor and the door shut. Mike watched her wait a moment and then turn burning brown eyes on him.

"You need to leave."

The man smirked and asked "Who's Will?"

"None of your business."

"Oh I'd say it is. Anyone associated with you I need to know about."

"Why? So you can try and attack them to better your image?"

He frowned and his hand tightened on his gun. She held her ground and watched his eyes change expression quickly.

"Remove your hand and step back."

Joe looked past Mike and saw Reese with another man beside him. Mike let go of the holster and turned toward the man.

"I see our trust issues are appearing again."

Reese looked at Greg and the man said "Let's go Mike."

The man stared back at Greg and didn't move. Amber eyes shot past him and met with the brown observing eyes. She watched him grab the man by the arm and walk him down the hall. He stopped out of hearing range and met Mike's gaze.

"Stay away from them. Final warning."

Shoving the man down the hall, Mike stumbled until Greg caught him and led him out of the hospital. Sighing, Reese turned around and found Joe gone. Walking down the hall, he entered Will's room and found the family waiting with the doctor. The man cleared his throat and Cliff took Grace out into the hall. Reese took a seat by the bed and the doctor prepped for the treatment.

Joe lingered by the door and watched the second blood transfusion take place. Her eyes remained on Reese and wore past his hard shell. He glanced up at her but remained silent. They waited in silence as the doctor took Will's vitals and end the treatment. Will watched the doctor patch up Reese's arm and take the equipment from the room.

The room remained silent and Will looked between the two adults. Their gazes remained on each other but not a sound was made. He cleared his throat and finally broke through their mental game.

"I'm actually kinda hungry. Think I can go eat somewhere else besides here?"

Joe kept her gaze on Reese while he looked at Will and said "Only if the doctor thinks you're up to it."

He frowned and looked up at Reese. The man had his eyes back on her and he sighed. He knew something was brewing from the look on his mom's face but he wasn't sure how it involved Reese. The man wasn't backing down and he wasn't sure if he actually admired the guy for it.

"Can we talk outside?"

Joe remained silent as he rose from the chair and crossed the room. Will watched him leave and finally met her gaze.

"Don't kill him."

She smirked and left the room. Reese was walking down the hall and she caught Cliff's gaze as she followed. The man went back into the room with Grace and she made her way out of the hospital. When she stepped outside, she found Reese watching the marshalls load the coach. Silently she joined him and noticed the tense jawline and shoulders.

When the coach finally left town she looked back at him and found him less tense. He took a deep breath and turned his amber eyes on her.

"Get it over with."

His tone was neutral and a bit surprising. She had been expecting him to be defense but he must have been preparing for this moment a while now.

"When where you going to tell me?"

"Didn't plan on it."

"I deserved to know. So does Will."

Reese looked down the street and she knew the topic was over. Feeling a little annoyed, she walked back into the hospital and he let out a sigh. He crossed the street and walked into the stable. Champ called to him as he walked to the stall and he ran his hand over the horse's face. He needed a run but right now it wasn't an option. His system was still recovering from the second treatment and sooner or later he was going to have to put something into his system and rest.

"She's just worried Will won't have you in his life much longer."

He looked over his shoulder and found Billy leaning against the stable doors. The man was actually relaxed while he felt like everything was still in an iron fist.

"I know what I'm doing."

"Do you? By not telling us what you've been doing when you weren't running the place or riding, you make us question whether you have a death wish or something."

Reese turned his gaze on the man and said "At one time that would have been correct."

He checked the sunlight and gathered Champ's tack. Billy watched him quickly saddle the stallion and bring him out of the stall.

"Where are you going?"

He walked past Billy and said "Out."

Swinging up into the saddle, he turned Champ down the road and let the stallion trot away. Billy watched them soon gallop out of sight and shook his head. The man had always been seclusive with everyone, everyone that was except Joe. Now he was keeping his actions and decisions in the shadows but Billy understood why. Reese was doing everything possible to be the support Joe needed but he couldn't let himself watch her slip through his grip again.

They hadn't spoke about the relationship between them but Billy and the rest of the family saw it. The quiet moments they spent talking and the small but simple signs of affection. He didn't like his sister getting that close to the man again but he couldn't stop it. He didn't want to stop it either. Joe had walked away from their first relationship for the family and put her own life on hold to take care of them and her reward was a disease that was killing her faster each day.

Billy knew when Reese found it he would take it personally and the man did. The difference between that man and the family was that when he took responsibility onto his shoulders, he kept it solely on his and didn't ask for help. He had known what would cure Will from the moment he got here but he hadn't mentioned it to any of them, seeing how they felt. Joe had been annoyed but quiet when she had woken up this morning without Reese sticking around and Billy got it. She needed him to be there when she woke up to give her the strength to hold herself together again but he hadn't been there.

Instead he was already starting Will on the path to recovery and taking the consequences without a word. It was hard to look at the man and realize he was the same punk that had caused a crap load of trouble with his sister when they were kids. He wasn't even the same guy that had proposed to her in secret and planned on stealing her for himself. The man that had entered their lives again was a man of discipline and responsibilites, nothing else, and it worried him. He wasn't sure how Reese is going to handle it when Joe does crash for the last time.

They didn't talk about it but they had watched the stress eat away at her faster than ever, leaving her exhausted and fragile. She hadn't been that bad since her first crash after Will was born. Today she seemed better but they knew it was just a matter of time before she lost control and they lost her.

"Going to stand there all night?"

He cleared his head and looked outside. Joe was standing next to him and he pushed the last of the thoughts away from the front of his mind.

"Reese went for a ride."

"I figured."

He watched her lean against the building and asked "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

He studied her expression and found her usual disguise back in place. If she was breaking inside she was hiding it well.

"I hope this cure works for you too."

She shook her head and said "It won't but at least Will will be cured. That's all that matters."

"How do you know?"

A ghost of a smirk caught her face and she said "My strand is so mutated that it won't respond to it. The doctor took a sample just to confirm it."

Billy let out a curse and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head.

"It's out there somewhere, Joe. We'll find it."

"Maybe, but I'm okay if we don't."

He looked down at her and met her brown eyes. Her words echoed the look on her face and he hated that she had taught herself to accept the end so soon.

"If Reese has a cure for Will there has to be one for you."

She smirked and said "It's only because he lived through the disease when he was young. Will wouldn't be recovering otherwise."

He felt her pull away and take a deep breath. She glanced down the street and looked back at him.

"The doctor is letting us take Will down the street to eat at the diner."

"I'll get us a section reserved."

"Thanks."

She watched her brother walk down to the diner and crossed the street. The receptionist smiled as she walked past and returned to Will's room. He was sitting on the bed in regular clothes and ready to leave. She watched him hop down onto his feet and wabble before catching his balance. Cliff opened the door for them and they walked down the hall.

Grace walked on Will's left with Joe and Cliff right behind them incase he stumbled. They left the hospital at dusk and made their way down the street to the diner. When they stepped inside, they found Billy sitting in a closed off area and joined him. Will sat by the window and looked over the menu.

"Anything sounds better than the crap I've been eating."

"Don't push yourself."

He caught her gaze and sighed "I'm just so tired of that kind of food."

Joe smirked and Grace said "We should get the sandwich special."

The two looked over the details for the order and she leaned back in the booth. Billy glanced at her from across the table and she forced a smirk. Cliff caught the waitress's attention and she came to take their order. With the order placed, the woman left and Will looked around the place.

"Where's Reese?"

Billy caught the brown gaze leaving the window and said "He went for a ride. He'll be back before you need to get some sleep."

The boy looked at his mom and she nodded. He looked out the window and they waited for their food to arrive. When the waitress brought their drinks, Will chugged down his glass of water and Grace laughed at his expression of bliss.

"You look like you're dying of thirst."

"I am."

They laughed and Joe listened to it as her thoughts drifted back out the window. The food soon arrived and simple conversation began passing around the table. When the food was gone, they climbed out of the booth and she walked up to the counter to pay.

The waitress smiled and said "It's covered."

She caught the woman's gaze and slowly nodded. Leaving the diner, she took Will back to the hospital and settled him in bed for the night. He leaned into his pillow and closed his eyes.

"Tired?"

He nodded and said "It was worth it."

She smiled and kissed his brow. He looked up at her briefly before drifting to sleep and she slid her fingers through his blonde hair. Watching him sleep, she left the room and shut the door quietly. Billy was waiting for his night turn and stood up when he saw her.

"He asleep?"

She nodded and heard "Jeff just got in."

He hugged her before going into the room and she quietly walked down the hall. Stepping outside, she found the sun finally gone and crossed the street. Entering the stable, she found him settling his horse in for the night and approached the stall door. He left the stall and locked the door before turning to her.

"How's Will doing?"

"He's better."

Jeff stopped walking and looked back at her. She could already hear his disapproval to what she was about to tell him.

"Reese had a cure and Will has received two treatments."

"And that would be be what?"

They reached the stable doors and she said "Blood transfusion."

As she expected, he let out a groan and looked down at her. His objections stopped on the tip of his tongue and he let out a sigh.

"If it's working I can't justify getting upset about it."

She looked at him a little surprised and then a slow smirk caught her mouth. He looked down at her a little confused and she continued walking toward the hotel.

"Having a son of your own has changed you."

He scratched his head and said "I guess."

They climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked down to their joint rooms. They entered the family room and he put his pack on the floor by the bed.

"How's Dad?"

"He's worried about you and Will but he's doing fine. Bear looks good."

She looked back at him and asked "Is he healing?"

He nodded and said "Dad doesn't know how to explain it but Bear started making progress a couple of days ago."

"When Reese found out."

Jeff shrugged and sat down on the bed. He looked up at her and found her looking out the window. She had gotten some sleep, that was clearly evident, but she still looked extremely fragile.

"You holding up?"

"I'm fine."

Rolling his eyes, he stood up and crossed the room. He gave her a hug and she looked up at him.

"Billy and I can watch over Will tonight. Cliff has Grace duty tonight. Get some sleep."

She watched him leave and let out a sigh. Pulling out her room key, she walked to the joining door and let herself into the private room. Dropping the key onto a table, she crossed the room and stopped by the window. She watched her brother make his way into the hospital and made her way back into the family room. She dug through Jeff's pack until she found the reports from home and took them back into her room.

Sitting on the bed, she read over the books and progress reports of all their livestock. Mack provided a daily report on Bear and she read over all his notes. It took her deep into the night before she finished reading and she put the paperwork on the table. Rubbing her neck, she removed her boots and sat down on the bed. Curling up on her side, she looked up at the ceiling and held her hands up to her face.

She felt them shaking and held them up to study them. When she had something to keep them busy with the shaking wasn't noticable but now it was. Sitting up, she didn't expect to get any sleep and climbed to her feet. Walking into her bathroom, she turned the light on and turned on the faucet to the sink. Splashing some cool water on her face and neck, she looked into the mirror and felt the catch in her stomach.

Grabbing a towel she had bought after getting this room, she let the coughing spell take over and rinsed the towel out the best she could when it finally ended. Hanging the towel up, she left the room and returned to the bed. Climbing under the covers, she curled up on her side and tried to drift asleep. Her eyes lingered on the wall and she rubbed a throbbing pain in her temple. Slowly her eyes drifted shut and she lingered on the edge of sleep.

Reaching the barn, she drew Daemon to a hault and swung to the ground. Will came out of the barn and smiled when he saw her. She watched Grace appear as well and the two walked their ready mounts outside.

"Where's Reese?"

Will climbed into the saddle and said "He's in the office finishing up some paperwork."

She made sure they were secure and walked into the barn. Knocking on the office door, she found the blonde man leaning back in his chair lost in thought. His eyes snapped to her when she closed the door and he stood up.

"Interrupting?"

"No. Just thinking."

She met his gaze and said "I thought you promised not to do that."

He frowned and said "It's impossible not to."

She took a deep breath and asked "Everything go okay?"

He nodded and she turned the knob on the door. He came around his desk and caught her wrist. She looked up at him and he slid his hand through her hair. His amber eyes captured her gaze and he slid his hand along her neck to her chin.

"I'll be around to pick them up in a few weeks."

She slowly nodded and received the kiss he was tempting her with. His arm secured her to him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling the security slip through her, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slowly she stepped back and looked up at him. He opened the door for her and they walked outside.

She swung up into the saddle and heard Will say "Was wondering if we were going to be leaving any time soon."

She rolled her eyes and heard "Just stay out of trouble."

The boy nodded and they trotted down the driveway. She glanced back briefly and caught the slight smirk on his face before he disappeared into the barn.

Waking to a strong arm around her, she rolled onto her back and found him lying beside her. He hadn't made a sound when he entered and she wasn't sure how long he had been gone. Running her fingers through his blonde hair, she took a deep breath and rolled back over. Closing her eyes, she let his warmth and strength pull her back into a light sleep.