"It has been too long," Jason said as he paced the grounds in front of the car lot. He was extremely worried at this point because it was now 8:30pm. His mother would be home around ten and he really did not want to worry her either. Chris was sitting in Adam's car with the seat laid back. He was staring through the T-tops looking at the stars starting to appear in the sky.

"Is that the Big Dipper?" Chris asked as he smacked his gum.

Jason ignored the question. He was becoming very irritated with Chris's "no worries" attitude.

Another five minutes passed, but no sign of Adam. By then, Jason could not contain himself. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not even notice that Chris had made himself comfortable on the hood of Adam's beloved Trans Am.

"We are going to go and find him," Jason said as he fished for the keys to the Trans Am. Adam had given him a set as a spare for emergencies. He did not want to risk Chris seeing the papers that he had copied in the van so he opted for the Trans Am.

"We? He is your brother?" Chris said in a lazy tone. It was then that Jason noticed that Chris was on his brother's car.

"GET OFF HIS CAR YOU MORON!" Jason yelled, but Chris did not move fast enough. Jason reached over and jerked Chris off the car. Chris tumbled to the ground and looked up at the eighteen year old Kramer boy. He was going to make a move to gain revenge, but seeing that Jason as not in the mood, he backed down. "Besides aren't you worried about your car?"

"It is just a common car," Chris snorted back. "Not too much of a loss compared to our other inventories."

"Well you are going with me to help find him. You know where the meeting point was so get in the car," Jason commanded with a stern voice.

"Fine. He probably just broke down somewhere anyway so I don't know why you are getting so hyper," Chris whined, getting into the passenger side of the car. "It is not like you are his mother." "I am his older brother and that is enough of a reason," Jason fired back. He reached over to adjust the radio station to calm his nerves, but the knob was not there. He then chose to turn the radio of instead of listening to the hard rock station that his brother had doomed him to on Sunday. The second thing that he was going to get after getting his brother was the knob for that radio. He looked over at Chris who was sulking. He had to feel a little sad for Chris who obviously did not share the same type of relationship that he had with Adam. At least the one that he hoped that he did still share with Adam after their argument. He still could not believe that he hit his brother like that and he planned to never do it again. He just hoped that he had that second chance because he still had that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that something had gone terribly wrong.

When Adam came to his senses, he struggled to figure out what had happened. He looked out the windshield and saw a huge black pine three the engulfed the hood of the little sports car. Adam tried to get his brain to work, but things were still moving slowly. He unlatched his seatbelt and slowly stumbled out of the car. Sitting down beside the car, we thought back to what had happened when it dawned on his that he had wrecked on of the stolen cars. "Oh Great, now I have really blown it. Our first case since the accident and I blow it," Adam thought to himself as he put both of his hands up to his head in frustration. He then thought of his brother, who was probably about ready to kill him by now. He tried to see the time on his watch, but his eyes were still fuzzy. However, judging by the darkness of the sky, he knew it was late. He then felt his way over to the side of the car by going around the back of it. Expecting to see major damage, he was surprised when he saw a small dent on the one side fender and the side mirror missing. He had just missed hitting the tree head on by only a few centimeters. However, he still feared Rod's reaction to the accident. He then thought back to the cause of the accident. Did he black out? What did happen? He then remembered his blurry vision and then the numbness. Then he recalled feeling the same way when he was trying to start his father's car in the barn. Something was definitely wrong with him, but if he said something he knew that he would be put right back onto the hospital. Then he would not be able to finish the case. There was no way that was going to happen. Adam then felt a ping of guilt. He promised his brother that if it happened again that they would get the matter checked out, but Adam wanted to solve this case more than anything in the world. It was no longer a pledge to rid his community of a thief, but a promise to finish what he started.

"Okay, I will get through this case and then tell him. In the meantime I just won't drive so I will not be endangering anyone," Adam said to himself. "But I can at least get this car back on to the road."

At first the car would not turn over and it was hard for Adam to keep his foot on both pedals at the same time to start the engine. After the third try, the car revved to life. Adam was relieved that the car seemed to be fine mechanically. He pulled the car back onto the road and pulled it over to the shoulder. Trying to cover the accident, he slowly moved the car down the road about a mile. He did not want anyone to think that he had left the road and scraped a tree because then there would have to be a good explanation. After moving it into an area of the road that was between two fields, he pulled the car over. Adam did not know what was wrong with him, but he knew enough that he was not in any condition to drive. He saw driving as a privilege, not a right and felt that if he drove any further that he would be no better than a drunk driver. So Adam sat beside the car and waited for a passerby, hoping that they would buy his story and not bothering to check on the car.

It was about another fifteen minutes before Adam heard the sound of a car approaching and a set of headlights piercing the darkness. It was not until it got nearer that he realized that it was his own car. That meant that it had to be Jason since he was the only person who had a set of keys to the car besides his parents. Unless Chris decided to hotwire it and then he was prepared to kill. But to Adam's relief and horror at the same time, he recognized the familiar face of his brother and Chris. As they pulled up, Adam slowly got up to greet them. He had a sheepish grin on his face as his brother got out of the car and stopped at the sight of the car, which had only one working parking light due to the accident.

"What happened to the car!" Chris said as he realized that it was just not a breakdown.

"Yeah, what happened?" Jason chimed in as the group made their way to the side of the car. In the headlights of Adam's car, they could see the dent in the side fender and the broken headlight and parking light, not to mention the hanging side mirror.

"Well, I hit a deer. He just came out of the field and WHAM!" Adam said with a slight chuckle. "I am really sorry about the car. After the hit, it did not want to start so I just waited here."

"Are you all right?" Jason asked, eyeing his brother.

"Yeah, just a little shook up, tired and hungry," Adam said. He really was all three so he felt like he was not lying. "So I guess this means that we are history."

Chris was still examining the damage. He was silent for a moment and stood up to face Adam. "Nah, this happens sometimes. This is just a car, it is not like it is a REAL car like this sweet thing," Chris said patting the Trans Am on the hood gently. Adam shot him a "hands off " glance for which Chris understood immediately. "No problem, calm down buddy."

"Well, what happens in these events?" Jason asked. He was curious about that issue.

"We just fix the car, add the cost to the price and sell it," Chris said in a matter of fact way. "As long as the law is not involved and the fact that it is not one of the more expensive cars, we just fix it." I think we have a fender to fit this car at the lot."

"How are we going to get it back?" Jason asked. He knew that if they called the Paul, the Wrecker guy, that the sheriff would be called in too.

"Let me try it one more time. Maybe a sensor just got stuck or something," Adam said as he hopped into the car. He knew he had to make it look good so as he started the car, he let out on the clutch just as the car began to start. This caused the car to cough and sputter. Then he tried again, placing the clutch completely in and holding it until the car started. All of the boys displayed a smile when the car responded and Adam put it into neutral and applied the emergency brake. Adam got out of the car and walked over to the front of the car.

"Chris, do you mind driving the car back the rest of the way? I am really hungry and we need to make it home before our mother," Adam said, knowing it was late. "I just don't feel to well since I have not ate since this morning."

"ADAM!" Jason snorted. He could not believe that his brother would do that, especially after having the dizzy spells.

"I just didn't feel like eating," Adam retorted. He did not like being treated like he was a child, especially by his brother.

"Yeah, I will drive it back. It should be fine. Just report to work tomorrow after school. We will have a lot of work ahead of us," Chris said as he got into the Cavalier. "Besides with one headlight, I had better get going so that way I will miss Buzz on his usual patrol."

"You know about Buzz?" Adam asked. Buzz was a volunteer retired patrolman who relieved his glory days each night in the town of Emerald Beach. His favorite past time was giving young people a hard time. Chris just nodded.

"Well in that case, you had better take the back way around Teens Run," Jason said to Chris as he made his way up to the driver's window. It was then that he noticed something by the windshield wipers. He reached over and picked up the mysterious matter, suspecting that it was deer fur. But it was not deer fur; it was a pine needle.

"What's wrong," Chris asked noticing Jason's facial expression.

"Nothing," Jason responded. He did not want to bring up anything in front of an audience. "Just deer fur. You need to take Teens Run Road around to Handley then to Cora Lane from the back way."

Chris had a big smile on his face at the mention of the road's name. "Teens Run. I bet I know how that road got its name." Then he rolled up the window and was on his way back t the lot. Jason stood there and looked back at his brother, who had slipped into the passenger seat and laid the seat back. Jason walked back to the car.

"Aren't you going to drive?" Jason asked, astonished that his brother was not in the driver's seat.

"I just don't feel too good," Adam said. He was still feeling the after effects of whatever had happened to him. "Just take me home."

"What about the van?"

"Could you please just ask Mom if she could not go and pick it up with you? I really just don't feel too great," Adam said, resting his head on the palm of his hand.

Jason was just still amazed, but did note that his brother was not looking to well. After agreeing to the request, Jason started the car and drove toward the Kramer house. The car was quiet for awhile. Neither brother knew how to approach the subject that needed to be discussed. Finally, Adam broke the silence.

"Jason, about the other day..." Adam started, but Jason interrupted him.

"Look Adam, I was totally in the wrong. I should have never hit you. I could have hurt you," Jason said, watching the road as he made their way home.

"I deserved it. I should not have raced Eric. I understand why you were mad at me," Adam said regretfully. "But, you need to remember that I want to live life. You have to let me live."

"But I thought that you regretted that," Jason shot back. That comment of the fight deeply hurt him.

"What?"

"I thought that you said that you regret living?"

Adam hesitated before answering his brother. "Honestly?"

"Yes, I want an honest answer."

"Sometimes I do when things get really hard or I see myself becoming a burden on my family and you," Adam said looking out the window at the passing scenery. "But then that would have been the easy way and I am not a quitter. God let me live for a reason and I need to find out why."

"Probably to punish me," Jason said with a smile. Adam shot him a side-glance, and then a smile.

"Well I seem to be doing a good job," Adam replied with a laugh. "I just want things to be okay again."

"Me too. I don't like fighting like this. We are brothers, not just best friends," Jason said holding his right hand out. Adam smiled and took his hand with his left. "No more fighting, at least for awhile."

"Right, no more fighting period. So do you want to hear what I found?" Jason said. Adam nodded and then listened as Jason told him about his "stash" in the van and his conversation with their Dad. Adam was very pleased. "Now we can go in for the kill. But I feel bad for Chris. He really is a good guy."

Then there was silence for awhile, that is until Adam broke the silence.

"You know Jason, do you want to know the last thing that I thought of before the crash?" Adam asked looking over at his brother.

"How you were going to explain this one?"

"No."

"What story you was going to have to make up to cover up for yourself?"

"Jason, get serious," Adam said, getting a little aggravated with his brother.

"Okay, tell me and then I have something to ask you."

"I wanted one more minute to say I was sorry to you," Adam said looking out the window. He did not want to sound sappy, but he did want to tell his brother that one thing.

Jason was taken back by this comment. He had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat as well. He knew then that they really needed to get their acts together because neither one would know when it might be the last time they even see each other. After the accident and the shooting incident with Bill, the brothers would have learned that already. But it was not made apparent until now, on their way home.

"Thank you Adam, I appreciate that," Jason finally replied.

"Now what was you going to ask me?" Adam asked.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. That must have been one prickly deer," Jason said, turning onto the road that led to the Kramer's house.

"Well, what do you mean by that? At least I did not kill it, even though the meat would have been a good donation to the church food bank," Adam responded.

"Well, now my precious little brother. I want you to level with me."

"I don't understand Jason?"