DISCLAIMER:

The Pretender and its characters belong to NBC. Touched By An Angel 
and its characters belong to CBS. Rated PG for a little violence and a few 
words.

In Dragon House', when the van blew up, I thought that was the end of 
Kyle. I couldn't see how he could have survived. But when Sydney 
told Jarod there was absolutely nothing left of Kyle, I began to wonder. 
Wouldn't there be the bits of metal associated with him that would 
have indicated that he was in the van when it burned. Metal supports 
in his shoes, the zipper, rivets, snaps on his pants, his belt buckle, 
change in his pockets, and fillings in his teeth should have been found. 
At the very least they should have found the gun. Here is my theory of 
what happens to Kyle.

                  
KYLE'S SECOND CHANCE
by Cindy Colwell a.k.a. Spotted Pony 

 Kyle knew it was to good to be true as he leaned against the floor of the 
over turned van. It was just to much to ask for to be rescued by his 
brother and be on his way to be reunited with their parents and to go 
home (wherever that was) and make a new life for himself. A happy 
life, free of the Centre and of Mr. Raines. But that wasn't going to 
happen. He felt his leg snap as he tumbled in the back of the van as it 
rolled. There would be no way Jarod and Harriet could get him away. 

Harriet recovered first. As she looked over the back of the seat, "Kyle," 
she said with concern in her voice as she saw the blood and pained 
expression on his face.

"Kyle," Jarod echoed in horror starring at the blood on Kyle's leg.

  "Hold still, let me look," Harriet said as she knelt by him.

"No. Go.  My leg's broken," Kyle told them.

"No. I'm not going to leave you here," Jarod replied.

Seeing the reluctance in his brother's eyes, he said, "Jarod, go and find 
our parents," as he put the metal their father had given him into 
Jarod's hand. "Don't tell them what I became."

"Come on Jarod," Harriet said fearfully as she tugged on his arm. 
"Come on Jarod, come on."

Harriet pulled Jarod away from the van and Kyle could hear their 
footsteps fading away. But not soon enough.  "Freeze.  FBI." Kyle heard 
an authoritative male voice command.

Kyle couldn't let Jarod be taken, not after he had risked his own 
freedom to get him from the Centre. Pulling out his gun, he recited to 
himself the phrase that had been his manta for these many years, I 
decide who lives or dies!' Firing six shots in the direction of the voice, I 
decide who lives or dies!'

A light touch on his shoulder startled him, and he found himself 
starring at a stunning young woman with long dark hair.

"No, Kyle, you do not decide who lives or dies," she told him in a 
beautiful lilting voice. "Only God decides who lives or dies. And it is 
not your time. You must come with me."

"Where did you come from?" Kyle asked in astonishment. "You've got 
to get out now, before a bullet hits the gas tank. The tank will explode. 
Please, get out before you get hurt!"

"Angel Girl, are you having trouble getting him out?" asked a no-
nonsense voice from outside the van.

"He's being stubborn, Tess," replied the young woman.

"Of course he's stubborn Monica," was the answer as a black woman 
climbed into the van with Monica. "His parents are stubborn, his sister 
is stubborn, and his brother is stubborn. Our Heavenly Father was very 
generous with this family when its comes to stubbornness. And when 
they are back together again, The Centre is going to have Hell to pay."

Angels,' Kyle thought, now in a panic.  I don't deserve heaven.' Just 
then the Angel Tess gave him such a loving look, he felt his knees 
buckle and his fears melt away.

"Now Monica, you take that arm and I'll take this arm and we'll get his 
boy out of harm's way," said Tess.

They exited the van in full view of the FBI agents, who appeared to be 
frozen in the act of firing at the van. To Kyle the whole scene had a 
hazy, dreamlike quality to it. The two Angels carried him past the FBI 
vehicle. The delicate Monica was stronger than she appeared. As they 
moved behind some bushes, pain shot up Kyle's leg causing him to 
drop the gun. As the world came back into sharp focus, he heard shots 
ring out and an explosion from a bullet hitting the gas tank. 

Kyle could hear Jarod's cry of anguish from across the road. As he lost 
consciousness he heard Tess say, "now to get him into safety's way."

Harriet hurried down the road toward the farm, occasionally glancing 
anxiously over her shoulder at the column of black smoke rising 
behind her.  It happened too quickly,' she thought.  If I would have had 
just a little time to think I could have stopped their pursuers and 
delayed them long enough for Jarod and Kyle to get away. After all, 
they were the sons of former tenants who wanted to see where their 
parents once lived. And it would have been the truth.' But now all she 
could do was pray for the safety of Jarod and his family and for Kyle's 
soul. She would get in touch with her friend Father Michael and have 
Masses said for Kyle. He deserved that much.

Pausing to get her breath, Harriet was about to move on when she 
heard a groan from the other side of the road. Going to investigate, she 
found a man in the ditch.

Harriet gasped in astonishment, "Kyle, how did you get here?" as she 
knelt beside him. The site of the crash was over two miles away.

"Angels," mumbled a half conscious Kyle, as he reached for her with 
hands that looked as if they had been burned.

 It had to be Angels,' Harriet thought as she helped Kyle to sit up 
against a fence post.  "Kyle, the farm is just a little further. I'll get the 
car and be back for you, OK?" 

"Yes," Kyle answered weakly. "Thank you."

Harriet hurried down the road thinking, Father Michael will know just 
what to do with Kyle.'

A few months later, at Faith In The Mountains Monastery in New 
York.

After being directed by one of the monks, Harriet approached the 
young man in civilian clothes' sitting on a bench. "Kyle," she called to 
him, "how are you?"

"Harriet," he said, putting aside his sketching materials as he rose to 
greet her. "I'm fine. It's good to see you again." 

"Is this what you're working on now?" Harriet asked as she picked up 
the sketch book Kyle had been working on. The unfinished drawing 
was of a peaceful pastoral scene. "Oh, this is going to be lovely. I've 
seen your artwork on the order's web page. Your work is very 
inspirational."

"Thank you," Kyle blushed, as he invited her to sit. "Bringing me here 
was the best thing you could have done for me. Father Michael and 
Brother Andrew have done a lot toward helping me get my head on 
straight. The infection in my leg helped too. I couldn't get out of bed at 
all and so I had to listen to Brother Andrew."

"Father Michael said you would be leaving soon," Harriet said. "Where 
will you go and what will you do?"

"Brother Andrew, Brother Charles, and I'll be going on the art festival 
circuit," Kyle replied. "We'll be selling the artwork produced here at 
the monastery. Note cards, prints, illuminations, the same stuff 
they've been selling on the web site. And I get a cut of the profits from 
my artwork."

"That's wonderful, Kyle," Harriet told him. "I was worried about how 
you would get along without an income."

"Yes, and Brother Andrew thinks it's a good way for me to get back into 
the world'. No pretending for me until he's sure I can handle myself 
properly, no more of the sociopath stuff Mr. Raines force fed me. And 
when I go home, it'll be as someone my parents can be proud of," Kyle 
said. "Would you pass on a message to them and Jarod? Let them 
know I'm still alive and I love them."

"I'm sorry Kyle, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that," Harriet told 
him. "My contact with your parents will not have anything to do with 
me now."

"But why?" Kyle asked, the pain in his voice evident.

"Apparently The Centre somehow found out about the meeting and 
tried to capture Jarod there," she replied. "My contact doesn't want to 
risk your parents and sister again by arranging another meeting. I'm so 
sorry."

"What happened? Did Jarod get away? Did anyone get hurt?" 

"Jarod recognized someone there from The Centre and was able to 
warn your mother before escaping himself. The only one hurt was 
someone from The Centre whose oxygen tank exploded. I was told he 
was burned quite severely."

Kyle was stunned. As he thoughtfully looked at his hands he said, "all 
the trouble you went to with us and still. . . ."

"But now you know your parents are alive," she told him. "And they 
know Jarod is alive. Hopefully Jarod will get back in touch with me and 
I can put him in touch with you. Why don't I give you my E-mail 
address and you give me yours. When Jarod checks in with me, I'll 
pass it on to him."

Kyle said with a sad smile, "that's probably the best thing to do. 
Although if he hasn't been in touch yet. . . ."

"Don't worry," she told him firmly as she handed him a card with her 
E-mail address. "He will. I'll be praying for him and your family."

As Kyle wrote down his E-mail address, Harriet noticed something odd 
about his right hand. Grabbing his hand to examine more closely, she 
said, "Kyle what happened to the burn scar on your hand?"

"Another amazing thing," Kyle replied. "You know when you brought 
me here, my hands were swollen and inflamed. About a week later, the 
swelling went down and the scar just peeled off. I still can't believe it. I 
thought I'd have that scar for the rest of my life."

"That is amazing," Harriet said. "Now the FBI will have trouble 
matching you to John Doe' without the scar."

"That's if I come to the attention of the FBI," Kyle said. "I'm going to 
make very sure that I don't."

Giving his hand a squeeze as she stood up, Harriet said, "I believe 
you'll be all right Kyle. Good luck. Keep in touch."

"Thank you Harriet," Kyle said as he stood and embraced her. "Thank 
you so much."

The two Angels watched as they finished their goodbys and parted.  
"Well Tess," Monica said to her companion, "I think Kyle is going to be 
fine. Your idea for removing his scar and changing his fingerprints will 
make the most difference to him I think."

"So do I," replied Tess. "But it's not going to be easy for him. But we'll 
be checking in on him every now and then, and with a word in 
Brother Andrew's ear if needed. But now we must get on with our next 
assignment."

"Something challenging, I hope?" asked Monica.

"Oh a great challenge," Tess told her. "A Child of God who has strayed 
far from the path God intended for him. A former doctor, William 
Raines."

"Oh my," gasped Monica. "Kyle's Mr. Raines."

"Yes indeed."

"This assignment is definitely going to be a challenge."

 Finish 
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