"Michelle, let go. Come on, Michelle." He tried to pick Michelle up but her muscles were limp, a dead weight in his arms. Dylan's eyes pleaded with Alex for help.

"I think it would be best if we leave her for now, sir. I don't think she realizes that he's passed. Listen to her," Alex said.

Dylan resettled Michelle on the ground and his hand lingered on Aaron's cheek. The older man leaned over and placed his lips against his old friend's forehead. Alex saw his lips move but the words were too soft to be heard.

Michelle heard them, though and her head flew up, the expression on her face that of a haunted soul. "Don't say that! He's not gone! He wouldn't leave me!" She turned back to the empty body in her arms. "Aaron, Aaron, Aaron -" she repeated over and over again, the mantra accompanied once more by her rocking.

Alex couldn't stand to see his love like this, so empty and lost. It was as though she had released her mind with her godfather's soul. The tears in Alex's eyes were as much for that as the passing life.

With firm arms, he lifted Michelle away from the cowhand and cradled her in against his chest, repeating his own words. "Michelle, my love. It's okay. Please, Michelle. Michelle, my love." He shook her and ran his hands through her hair.

At first, she struggled against his confines but then she just clung to him, digging furrows in his arms with her nails. She still had not shed one tear and for this lack of emotion, Alex was worried. If she didn't accept Aaron's death, it would eat her up inside. So he just held her, trying to broadcast a sympathetic aura to her traumatized spirit.

Dylan was still kneeling by Aaron's body, mourning on his own. Absently Alex wondered where Tallia was. Shouldn't she be here comforting her kin? Shouldn't she be here helping her daughter in her time of need?

Then Tallia was there, wrapping her husband in her arms, offering him her strength. Dylan's shoulders shook with silent weeping and Tallia's eyes, too, were red rimmed and moist. They shared each other's grief and in their pain, gave each other comfort.

Johnny was still in the door way, a completely lost look on his face. He took one hesitant step to where Alex held Michelle and then paused. Alex watched as the boy looked to Mike for a clue as to what to do but Mike had already gone to spread the tragic news of Aaron's death among his fellow hands.

Once more, he moved towards Michelle and once more, he stopped. Alex caught his eye and motioned him over. Johnny slowly approached and then stood awkwardly over Michelle. The girl was unaware of his presence, unaware even of Alex it seemed.

His voice a whisper, Johnny asked, "What's going on, Alex? Wasn't that old man just a ranch hand?"

Alex felt his body go stiff with offense but his reaction was nothing compared to Michelle's.

"What?!" she snarled. Her body twisted in Alex's arms and she turned to look squarely at Johnny. "What did you just say about him? How could you call him 'just a ranch hand?' How dare you presume to know him!" Michelle moved toward Johnny, her hands clenched in fists at her side.

Johnny shook his head in confusion and backed away, his hands raised in a mollifying gesture. "Wait, I don't underst-"

"Michelle, he doesn't know who Aaron is," interjected Alex. "You've never told him, so how could he possibly know?" With a restraining hand, Alex blocked Michelle's way. "Michelle-"

Her face became expressionless and she turned away from both boys. "You're right. He doesn't know. He could never know how much more than a ranch hand Aaron is - was. . ." The last was a barely audible whisper and the first tear of this whole ordeal leaked from Michelle's eye.

"So who was he?" demanded Johnny.

When no answer came from Michelle, Alex drew Johnny away from the grieving family. "That man you see everyone mourning was Michelle's godfather and practically her grandfather. He helped raise her and her brother and Michelle loved him more than life itself." Alex glanced at Michelle and shook his head.

The look on Johnny's face was that of unspeakable surprise. "He was her godfather?" Alex watched as the pieces finally clicked into place in Johnny's mind. "That explains so much. The way she looked up to him, how much she took after him, the way she acted around him even!" Alex simply nodded and began to walk away but Johnny grabbed his arm.

"But Alex, why didn't she tell me? And why him? He was just a ranch-"

Alex's lips curled in disgust. "Just why she said. You can't understand that someone's position in life isn't a reflection on who that person is. It's a concept that she knew you couldn't accept so she simply didn't tell you.

"And as for why him. . . Why not? He was a friend of Dylan's father and Dylan grew up with him. Aaron helped get this ranch going but refused his part of the land when the old man died, instead leaving it to the Valentine heirs." Alex looked Johnny up and down and then walked to offer Michelle his warm embrace once more.

Johnny, at a complete loss, silently left the shed and kept Windy at a quick clip on the way back to his stead. He would tell his father what had happened and then come back as a family to pay his respects. He kicked himself for his words, but they could not be taken back. Hopefully, they could be forgiven.

The next day it could be seen in town many a teary eye in the older generation. They were heard to say to each other, "What a loss. He was one of the last," and "Poor Dylan! That boy was partly raised by ol' Aaron." To the younger generation it was just another obituary to be skimmed over and forgotten.

The funeral was held on a beautiful, Montana morning, the earth's rejoicing out of place at so mournful a time. He was laid to rest beside the family that he had dutifully served for so many years at both his and the Valentine's request.

The Valentine family was the youngest there. Most of those who attended the service were friends of Aaron's when he was still working for the first generation of Valentines.

Michelle stood between her parents with Danny standing solemnly in front of her. Her father had spoken in the eulogy but Michelle had refused. She knew she should feel guilty for not speaking of her oldest friend but she just could not dredge up the energy to care.

Her apathy had all of those who loved her worried. Had she screamed and raged or just wept as any mourning girl would have in her place, they would have felt that she was reacting in a normal fashion. But this complete indifference, this refusal to accept Aaron's death was not healthy yet no one could break through the wall that Michelle had erected around her broken spirit.

In the week that had passed between that tragic day and the funeral, Michelle had spoken all of five words and those only because there was no way around it. She only left her room when her body could no longer be ignored and food was neither tasted nor desired. Alex and Danny had taken over her chores, including the working of Fancy. It was the latter that kept Alex up at night. At other times, Fancy was Michelle's refuge in the storm, someone to talk to and confide in. Yet now Michelle shunned the barn and any other place that triggered a memory of her beloved Aaron.

Dylan and Tallia had tried to get through to Michelle but when something was said in respect to Aaron's death her eyes grew blank and she would simply turn them off. It was the same when Alex tried to speak with her; it was as useful as trying to reason with a wall.

The girl hadn't cried nor laughed nor shown any other emotion. It was as though she felt as long as she didn't acknowledge Aaron's passing, he wasn't really gone. It finally grew too much for the others in the house to bear.

"Alex, please try to talk to her," pleaded Tallia. "We can't get through to her and-" she faltered. Dylan squeezed her arm in encouragement. "Alex, please. We just don't know what to do."

Alex's jaw clenched and he nodded shortly. The pain in both the adults' eyes was enough to pluck at the boy's heart strings. How could he refuse?

Tallia drew him into a grateful embrace and the relieved smile on Dylan's face was all the reward he needed. With heavy steps, Alex trudged up to Michelle's self-imposed room of despair and braced himself for the upcoming task before entering.

Out of respect, he knocked, knowing that he would receive no response. After a few moments he eased into the room and bit his lip to keep form crying. Michelle sat on her bed, staring blankly out her window. She had done nothing about her appearance in days, leaving her hair in greasy strands and the same clothes she wore to bed the ones she wore through the day. There was no remnant of the intelligent, lively girl in those flat, dull eyes that remained locked out the window. Her skin had grown sallow and from her lack of eating, her cheeks had sunken in. Alex turned his head away to keep from crying out in despair.

With a deep breath, he went to the bedside and sat in the only chair. He started to reach out to the lost girl in front of him but stopped inches short of her arm. His eyes narrowed. She had tensed just slightly, her shoulders drawing away ever so quickly. Alex pursed his lips and sat back in his chair. He leaned to the side and smiled sadly.

The faintest of tearstains were left on Michelle's cheeks. Her eyes had regained their light, although they were some what reddened from her crying. Still not speaking, Alex slipped next to Michelle on the bed and pulled her to his chest. He was pleased; she clung to him as if to a lifeline. She had finally come alive again.

Tallia and Dylan, ignorant of their daughter's awakening, sat at the kitchen table with a heavy silence reigning. Unbeknownst to them, they mirrored the couple upstairs, even down to the way that Tallia's head was nestled beneath Dylan's chin.

They were startled out of the mournful reverie by a timid knock at the front door. With desperate looks, their eyes met and then tears welled, expecting more callers about Aaron's passing. They moved in deliberate slowness, hoping to postpone the heart wrenching moment when they had to open the door.

Dylan's hand turned the knob and swung open the door. He momentarily closed his eyes but quickly reopened them when his wife rushed past him and squealed in delight.

"Oh, thank God you came when you did!" Tallia exclaimed. "We're at our wits' end."

"Poor Tallia. Come, come--" And Denise Rave pulled Tallia into a tight embrace. The woman had tears in her eyes for her friend's pain.

Eric Rave eased past the two clinging women and roughly embraced the still surprised Dylan. "Hey, Dylan. I'm really sorry to hear of your loss."

Still trying to collect his thoughts, Dylan returned the hold. The four adults traded welcomes and then proceeded to the living room, where no one sat down.

"We were under the impression that you wouldn't be in until the middle of next week," started Tallia, forgetting about her promise to Alex. "How did you-?"

Denise traded a wry smile with her husband and sat down, gesturing for Tallia and Dylan to do the same. "When Alex called us about what happened-"

"But when did he-?"

Denise smiled and stopped Dylan. "He didn't want to upset you so he called us on his own, asking that we have a packing company finish and send the rest out later." The woman's eyes flicked towards the second story. "Where are they?"

Her words were greeted by steps on the stairs and Tallia and Dylan both got to their feet, expectant looks on their faces. Eric caught his wife's eye and gave her a quizzical glance. She just shrugged, as lost as he.

Alex led a much altered Michelle down the stairs, not taking his eyes from her even to navigate the steps. A single gasp arose from the adults and Tallia's hand flew to her mouth to keep from crying. Her beautiful daughter. . .