In Chinatown…

Matthew Caine sat at the table his son used for a work area, contemplating something that was bothering him. Seeing his past brought back to life through the Old West exhibition made him realize just how old he was.

"Father, you seem…troubled. Is there a problem?" Caine asked as he entered the room.

"I am very glad to be able to spend time with you and Peter for this exhibition but it reminds of how old I am, my son. It troubles me that I could very well die and leave the Chalice of I-Ching unguarded," Matthew replied.

Caine paused before answering his father. The Shao-Lin in him knew that the body must indeed die so that the spirit could be reborn but the son in him did not want to contemplate his father's death. Especially not so soon after we have been reunited, he told himself.

"I do not believe that will happen, Father. There will always be a worthy guardian. You are feeling well?" Caine asked.

"Kwai Chang, I may be feeling old but I am not ready to go yet. Put yourself at ease," Matthew said, wanting to calm to concern he heard in his son's voice.

"Do you still wish to go to the hall with me, Father? I believe Peter will quite understand if you are not up to the task," Caine said.

"Of course I do, my son. Your lady friend is going to be picking us up soon, is she not?" Matthew asked, a twinkle in his eye.

At the exhibition hall…

Paul stopped parked the car in a space as far away from the building as possible. He looked over at Cricket. The young man had been asleep for pretty much the entire two-hour drive.

"Wake up, kid. We're here," Paul said as he tapped the boy's shoulder.

"Excuse me. I did not mean to fall asleep, Mr. Blaisdell," Cricket said as he straightened up.

It took a very great effort for Cricket to not gape in shock when he got out of the car. He stood there looking around at the big buildings and at the cars that drove by while Paul got his pack and coat out of the trunk.

"This is…this is even larger than San Francisco," he said softly.

"Not quite. These days Frisco is one of the major cities of California. It's much bigger than Sloanville," Paul told him, handing him his things.

Cricket craned his neck to look up at the exhibition hall and then shook his head, "That may be so, Mr. Blaisdell, but to me this is beyond description."

The two walked in silence toward the entrance. As they approached the entrance, Paul spotted someone he knew working the entrance booth. He approached the man quietly and stood behind him.

"Don't say anything, Donny," Paul whispered.

"Captain Blaisdell, that you?" the man asked.

"Who else would it be, Donny? Can you get me and my friend here inside without anyone seeing us?" Paul asked.

"Being the representative of the law enforcement establishment that you are, am I to assume there is nothing illegal going on?" Donny asked.

Paul glared at him before saying, "Of course not. It's a bit of a surprise."

"That's for sure. You go around the corner. Second door on the left is a loading entrance," Donny told him.

"Thanks, Donny, and just remember--you didn't see me," Paul said.

"This one's on me, Captain. Welcome back," Donny said as he waved back the twenty-dollar bill Paul held out.

Cricket found himself completely mystified by what he had just seen. He wondered why the strange man asked Paul about illegalities. He also wondered why he had called Paul 'captain'. He had plenty of questions and no answers but kept silent as he followed Paul around the corner and then through the exhibit hall's side door. Paul stopped at the end of the corridor and turned to face him.

"You ready for this, kid?" Paul asked.

"Since I do not know what lies beyond that door I cannot answer you truthfully," Cricket replied, giving one of those shrugs Paul found so familiar.

"Me neither, kid. Let's go," Paul stated.

As he stepped out into the main exhibit hall, Cricket felt his eyes grow wide in amazement. The room was swarming with people, many of them dressed like Paul Blaisdell and the man Paul had called Donny. The others looked so 'normal' to him. He saw that there were many different areas, each with its own theme, and they were the most familiar things he had seen since he entering Paul's cabin.

"You okay, kid? You look like you've seen a ghost," Paul said.

"What is this place?" Cricket asked slowly.

"I should have realized this would happen. This is an Old West exhibit although to you I guess it's like home. I should have warned you," Paul told him.

"That…might have been a good idea," Cricket replied.

"Stick with me, okay? I'm going to try and find my wife before anybody else spots me," Paul told him.

Cricket followed Paul through the aisles of displays and exhibits without comment. He managed a smile when he passed an Indian couple displaying beads and leather work. Although they did not look Cheyenne to him, the work that they were doing was familiar. He remembered being taught how to do the beadwork one summer when one of his maternal great-uncles visited him and his father in Montana. You taught me well, Shaking Thunder, Cricket thought as he absently ran his hand over the beaded design on his medicine bag.

Just as Cricket heard Paul call a woman's name, he spotted someone he never expected to see again. Memories of himself as a twelve-year-old boy being given a gift sprang up unbidden. A cold chill had passed through him then as his father told him it was a gift of great importance. The same sort of chill passed through the young man now as he stood in the exhibit hall. As Paul rushed toward a blonde woman holding onto the arm of a young man, Cricket turned around and headed toward a recreated railroad workers' camp.

At the railroad camp…

Lo Si looked up from his campstool to see a very tall young man approaching him. He waited expectantly until the young man stopped directly in front of him and stared down at him.

When Cricket spotted the old man from across several aisles, he thought his imagination must have been playing tricks on him. The old one looked unchanged. But now Cricket realized it was the same old man. He bowed to him respectfully then, with a calm he certainly did not feel, he sat in front of the old one. He looked up into a pair of bright, ageless eyes.

"It is about time you arrived. I have been waiting for you," Lo Si told him.

Caught completely off guard, Cricket blinked in surprise. Even though he had many questions stored up, he found himself unable to speak for a few moments.

"With all due respect, Master, why?" Cricket finally managed to ask.

Lo Si looked at Cricket curiously, "Why what, young one?"

"How is it possible that you are here? When we first met, I was twelve years old. If I am to believe the man who brought me here, and I do, then that was one hundred-," Cricket began.

The old man clapped a firm hand over Cricket's mouth and looked straight into his eyes. "Silence," Lo Si hissed, "we may not speak of these things here."

Cricket nodded his understanding, gingerly rubbed his mouth. This one may look frail but his grip is like iron, Cricket noted.

"But, Master, how can this all be?" Cricket asked carefully, not wanting to be silenced again.

Having asked the question, Cricket did not move. His dark-eyed gaze was locked steadily on Lo Si. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, or for an eternity, before Lo Si nodded, as if he had made a decision. He got to his feet slowly and gestured for Cricket to do the same.

"Come. We will go elsewhere to discuss this," Lo Si told the young man.

Cricket nodded in acquiescence and followed as the old man headed for the exit.

Elsewhere in the hall…

Paul did know what it would be like to see his beloved Annie again after so long and, for a long time, he just held her in a tight embrace, ignoring the stares of curious passers-by. When he finally stepped back from her arms, Paul found himself wrapped in a bear hug from Peter.

"I'm so glad you're back," Peter finally managed to say in an emotion-choked voice.

"So am I, son, so am I," Paul replied gruffly.

"I guess the same thing still holds--no questions?" Peter asked.

Paul nodded grimly, knowing Peter's fondness for wanting answers to everything, and said," No, Peter, no questions and no answers. I did make Annie a promise though."

"That's right. No more…trips--ever. He's home for good," Annie stated, possessively holding onto her husband's arm.

"Right. I may sneak out to go fishing every now and then though," Paul added with a smile.

"You know, Pop's going to be glad to see you too," Peter told him.

"Where is your father, Peter? There's someone I'd like for him to--oh now where did he go?" Paul asked as he turned his head, looking around.

"Where did who go?" Peter asked, looking in the same direction Paul had been looking.

"The kid that was right behind me," Paul replied, surveying the crowd, trying to spot Cricket.

"Um, there wasn't anyone behind you," Peter said.

"Damn it! We have to find this kid," Paul said," Come on, Peter."

As Annie stood there, shaking her head in amazement, Paul grabbed Peter's elbow and started to pull him up the aisle. Slightly bewildered by Paul's behavior, Peter stopped short.

"Paul, just who is it we're looking for and what does he look like?" Peter asked, "A description usually helps."

"Ordinarily I'd say you couldn't miss this kid but in here…here he'd blend right in. His name's Cricket, twenty years old, about six-two maybe six-three, long black hair, and either Asian or Indian," Paul said, carefully leaving out Cricket's actual name and the other details.

Peter nodded and began his search. He did not have any idea who this person was but he seemed to be important to Paul. The details can wait for later, Peter said to himself as he went into detective mode.

On the way to Chinatown…

Cricket walked along side Lo Si as they made their way to Chinatown. The young man made note of the many strange things he saw along the way. Most of them were beyond his comprehension. The smell of the fumes from all the passing vehicles made him cough and wrinkle his nose in distaste.

He wondered where the old man was leading him. After several blocks, Cricket noticed a change in the buildings and people. There were signs in Chinese and more Chinese people as they walked along. He realized they were in this city's Chinatown. Uncle Danny had once told him that most major cities had a Chinatown. Many of the people they passed stopped to greet Lo Si respectfully. He is a part of the heart of this place, Cricket realized. A question struck him as they walked and he hoped the old man would answer it without silencing him.

"Master, may I ask a question?" he asked.

"One can always ask," Lo Si replied.

"Your name. I have heard many people address you as Lo Si…" Cricket began.

"In a lifetime, one has many names and when you are Ancient like me, there are even more names. Do you not have more than one name?" Lo Si asked as they walked.

"Yes. My father named me Kwai Chang Daniel Caine and my mother's people named me Sun In Shadows but most people call me Cricket," Cricket replied.

"A most appropriate choice of nicknames. Come, young Cricket, we are here," Lo Si said as he started up the steps of a red brick building.

It was a modest home, not unlike the row houses Cricket had seen in San Francisco. Once inside, Lo Si took Cricket's coat and hat and hung them up with his own in the closet. Cricket followed him into the kitchen and he watched as the old man put water on to make tea.

"Master Lo Si, please let me do that," Cricket said, realizing that good manners would not allow him to sit while his elders served him.

Lo Si stepped back and nodded with approval. He watched as the young man carefully chose herbs from what was there in the kitchen and put them in the tea pot to steep. When Cricket judged the tea to be ready, he offered the first cup to the old man with a respectful bow.

At the exhibition hall…

Paul and Peter had searched the entire hall with out luck. During the search they ran into several of the detectives from the 101^st. After welcoming their prodigal captain home, Blake, Strenlich, and Jody joined in on the search.

"You know, Peter, I just saw your father and grandfather come in with Mary Margaret," Jody said before going to find Cricket.

"Grandfather? I thought he was dead--disappeared in the Himalayas or something like that," Paul said as he and Peter headed toward the entrance.

"Yeah. You kind of missed some interesting stuff while you were gone, Paul. Me and Pop went to France to help out some friend of his. It turned out that Grandfather had been living just outside the village of Ste. Adele for the last forty years. It's a really long story," Peter explained.

"I'll bet," Paul commented.

Both Caine and Mary Margaret broke into wide smiles at the sight of Paul Blaisdell.

"Welcome home, sir," Mary Margaret said with a quick hug.

"Good to see you, Skalaney. You too, Caine," Paul stated.

"It pleases me to see you again, Paul Blaisdell. I too wish to welcome you home," Caine said.

Paul watched as Peter gently took the elbow of the elderly man standing next to Caine and led him over. Paul noticed the man's resemblance to Caine immediately. That could be him in thirty or forty years, he thought to himself.

"Paul, I'd like you to meet my grandfather, Matthew Caine," Peter said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Paul said as Matthew gave him a slight bow.

"I have heard much about you, Paul Blaisdell. Thank you for caring for my grandson when we could not," Matthew stated.

"Caine, can I talk to you for a moment?" Paul asked.

Caine followed Paul a few feet away and waited expectantly to hear what he had to say.

"If I told this to anybody else they'd probably throw me in the loony bin and throw away the key," Paul began, his voice a rough whisper.

"I do sense that you are mystified by something you clearly believe is true. What troubles you, my friend?" Caine asked.

"I don't know why I actually believe this but I came here with a young man who claims to have been born in 1880," Paul told him.

Caine raised an eyebrow, absorbing what he was told, "That is…most unusual."

"To put it mildly. That isn't the only thing though. This kid's name is Caine too," Paul stated.

"And where is this…young man?" Caine asked, his curiosity peaked.

Caine felt that the mysterious young man had to be the presence they had all sensed of late. It was imperative, he realized, that this young visitor be spoken to.

"That's the problem. He came in here with me and now he's disappeared. We've been looking all over," Paul replied.

"Then I shall join the search," Caine stated calmly.

In the basement…

Soon after finishing the tea, Lo Si lead Cricket downstairs to the basement. While Lo Si was rummaging through a tall wooden cabinet, Cricket looked around. To him the basement was oddly reminiscent of the shop in San Francisco where he had first encountered the old man. He even thought that some of the items were the same. He was looking up at the ceiling when he realized that Lo Si was standing in front of him.

"What do you see up there, young Cricket?" Lo Si asked, following his gaze.

Cricket shook his head, "Nothing, Master, nothing but a memory."

"It must be a good one. You are finally smiling," Lo Si stated.

"This place looks almost the same as that shop in San Francisco," Cricket said, still looking around.

"One collects many things over the years," Lo Si replied.

"Somehow it seems smaller though. I do not recall the ceiling being so close to my head," Cricket told him, a grin finally showing.

"So you have grown in more ways than one. Come, now it is time," Lo Si said as he opened the book he held in his hands.

Cricket was still blinking his eyes to clear them from the blinding white flash when he realized they were no longer in the basement. He looked around at the white stone walls and the silk wall hangings. It seemed to him that everything glowed with a life of its own. He recognized the place even though he had never been there before. He looked expectantly at Lo Si.

"Many years ago the Masters of this place wrote that what once was shall never be," Lo Si said as he started walking.

"And does this refer to me, Master? I walked through my world in the dead of winter and saw no one. It is gone and I know that I can never return," Cricket said, his voice filled with sadness.

Lo Si nodded, "You are wise for your years, young Cricket."

"But, Master, if my world is gone, why am I still here?" Cricket asked.

"You have come to the heart of the matter. Look at this," Lo Si said.

Cricket looked to where the old man was pointing. Before him was what looked to be a huge floor map that spread as far as the eye could see. Although most of it was shrouded in mist, Cricket could see two bright lines shining through.

"On this map, you can see all that was and all that will be. Do you see the two lines? One is yours and the other is the present," Lo Si explained.

Cricket knelt down to see the map more clearly. The two lines started from the same point then diverged and continued running parallel until his just abruptly ended. Closer inspection allowed him to see that the line for his life showed all the events from his past. He could not see the events of the other parallel line.

"Master, I do not understand something. Why is the line of my lifetime ended and not the other? Surely here you can answer that question," Cricket asked, still looking at the map.

"Because the one that continued is the one that was of the Tao. It was the one that assured the continuation of the world as it needs to be," Lo Si replied.

Cricket stared out into the mists, not really seeing them. He knew that the Masters of Shambhala had great wisdom and great power. He would not argue or disagree with them. That did not make him happy though and it did not answer his questions. He thought a long while before asking his next question.

"Then why am I still here, Master? I understand what you have said but why is it that I am here in 'what needs to be' if my line is ended?" Cricket asked.

"A very good question. I will not answer that here though. We will return to my house and wait for the others," Lo Si said as he began walking across the hall.

Cricket stood up and began following the old man. Something in what Lo Si said struck him as very curious and he increased his stride to catch up with the old one.

"What others, Master? Who are we waiting for?" Cricket asked as he caught up.

"You ask a lot of questions. You must learn to wait for answers instead of asking for them," Lo Si told him.

At the exhibition hall…

Just after he joined the search for Paul's mysterious young friend, Caine realized that the Ancient was gone as well and he knew instantly that the two were together. He was not concerned for the safety of either of them but he did want to find out what was going on. He felt certain that the young man, who had a most fortunate nickname and who shared his own last name, was important.

Peter met up with his father at the railroad camp. Caine stood next to the Ancient's campstool, arms crossed over his chest, and he was staring into the space where Lo Si would have been sitting.

"Pop? Hey, Pop, any luck?" Peter asked as he approached.

Slowly, Caine turned to face his son. Peter suddenly got the feeling that he had just interrupted a conversation.

"The young man is with the Ancient," Caine told Peter matter-of-factly.

"How did you--never mind, don't answer that. What were you just doing? It looked like you were talking to some one," Peter said.

"I was. I must leave immediately. Please bring your grandfather to the Ancient's home," Caine said.

"What do I tell Paul and the others?" Peter asked, feeling slightly bewildered.

Caine shrugged, "Tell them not to worry."

Before Peter could open his mouth to say anything else, Caine was gone. Peter stood there a moment, shaking his head in amazement, before going to meet up with the others.

"I hate it when he does this," the young detective muttered.

In Chinatown…

By the time Peter had turned around, Caine was walking up the front steps of the Ancient's home. As always, the front door was unlocked and he stepped inside. The door to the basement was open and he could hear the old man moving around downstairs. He was about to go down the stairs when his finely-trained sense of smell detected medicinal herbs steeping in hot water, the sort of mixture whose steam one would inhale for breathing difficulties.

Caine followed the smell of the herbs to the Ancient's kitchen. He stopped short at the doorway. A young man sat at the table, his back to Caine, leaning over a bowl of hot water, taking slow deep breaths of the vapors being given off by the herbs.

Cricket heard approaching footsteps and looked up from the table. He was stunned. He could not move as he looked at the man who stood in the doorway. His common sense and the knowledge he had recently gained on his trip with Lo Si told him it was not possible, but at that moment he could have sworn the man was his father. He got to his feet very slowly, the steaming herbs forgotten, never once taking his eyes off the man.

Caine looked at the young man curiously. Remembering Paul's description, Caine realized that this was the young man that they had been looking for. The two were still staring at each other when Lo Si approached. He looked from one to the other before speaking.

"I see you have met," the old man said.

"Not…quite," Caine replied.

"Kwai Chang Caine, son of Matthew Caine, this is Kwai Chang Daniel Caine, the son of the first Kwai Chang Caine," Lo Si stated.

The two Caines looked at each other, then at Lo Si, then back at each other. On top of Lo Si's introduction, Cricket sensed the man before him was also Shao-Lin. That, if nothing else, commanded respect and deference. He made a fist with his right hand, folded his left hand over it, and offered Caine a respectful bow.

"Whatever the circumstances, you are welcome here," Caine said as he returned the bow.

Caine had sensed Cricket's momentary confusion upon first seeing him and understood it. He knew that the resemblance between him and his grandfather was very strong. So strong, in fact, that Peter had not realized that his great-grandfather had once gone forward in time so that Caine could take his place and save his own father. Caine knew that a warm welcome was no substitute for one's family but he did hope it would help set the young man at ease.

"Thank you," Cricket murmured.

"Now, young Cricket, you will sit back down while I explain to Kwai Chang what is going on," Lo Si said to the young man, motioning him back to the hot water.

Caine raised an eyebrow at the nickname, to which Cricket replied with a shrug, "It is a nickname I have had since childhood."

"Ah. You are not feeling well?" Caine asked, indicating the herbs.

"Only some trouble breathing from the pollution in the air. It used to happen whenever I visited San Francisco too," Cricket replied.

Cricket listened quietly while Lo Si described Cricket's journey to Caine, including the trip to Shambhala.

"Why did you leave the exhibition hall? Would it not have been simpler to wait?" Caine asked.

Lo Si pointed at Cricket and said, "This young one's mind is sharp and he talks too much."

Cricket looked up from the steaming herbs at that and carefully moved out of the old man's reach before saying, "Begging the Master's pardon, but all I did was ask a question."

Caine laughed as Lo Si took a swing at Cricket much in the same way he himself often 'pushed in the lesson' with Peter. It was going to be fascinating to talk to this young man and learn what his life had been like, Caine thought. He could see some of Matthew's traits, especially the dry sense of humor, in the young man.

"When Peter and Matthew arrive, we will discuss why this disrespectful young boy is still with us," Lo Si said, mockingly shaking a finger at Cricket.

"We are here already," Matthew said from the doorway.

Lo Si, Cricket, and Caine looked up as one. Cricket realized that the younger man must be Caine's son. He then looked very curiously at Matthew and then turned to Caine.

"Cricket, this is my son Peter and my father Matthew," Caine said in answer to the unasked question.

"Cricket? You're the one Paul was looking for?" Peter asked.

"Paul? Oh…Mr. Blaisdell. I did not mean to cause him any concern," Cricket stated.

"I'll explain it to him later," Peter said.

Cutting off any more questions from Peter, Caine said, "Peter- Father, this young man is Kwai Chang Daniel Caine."

At that, Matthew and Cricket regarded each other curiously. Cricket realized that the old man before him was who he could have become if his time line had not ended. He was surprised that meeting Matthew did not disturb him.

"You are his son," Matthew said to Cricket.

Cricket nodded gravely, "As you are too. My greetings to you…little brother."

As Caine and Lo Si smiled at Cricket's greeting to Matthew, Peter exclaimed, "Does everyone know what's going on here except me? What the hell does he mean- little brother?"

Before any of the older men could respond, Cricket said, " 'The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are'. Your…grandfather has seen me for who I am."

" Lao Tze?" Peter asked.

"Marcus Aurelius. A teacher friend of my father's made me read Roman classics," Cricket replied as he shook his head.

"Peter, there is a great deal of truth in that quote. We should have a seat. This explanation may…take a while," Caine stated.

A tale of the ages…

The five men settled themselves in Lo Si's living room. After Cricket seated himself on the floor and Lo Si set out tea, Matthew and Peter looked at the other three expectantly.

"Matthew Caine, you know this young one for what he is?" Lo Si asked.

"Like me, he is the son of Kwai Chang Caine. How is that possible?" Matthew asked.

Once again, Lo Si explained the story of the map in Shambhala and the two parallel lines.

"It sounds like one of those choose your own adventure stories gone haywire," Peter commented.

Cricket looked at Peter curiously, not understanding what he meant. He then turned to Lo Si and asked, "Master, now will you tell me why I am still here if my time has ended?"

"Yes, now I will tell all of you. At the same time that 'what once was shall never be' was written there was another line written in the Book of Shambhala. It says, 'Tien Lung shall step from the past to guard the future'" Lo Si said.

"Tien Lung?" Peter asked.

"He is the celestial dragon who guards the abode of the gods," Cricket supplied.

"Okay. Obviously 'step from the past' refers to Cricket here, but what about the part about 'guarding the future'?" Peter asked.

Before Lo Si had finished Cricket's story, Matthew realized, on his own, what the young man's presence in this time meant. It was, he thought, quite fitting really. He answered Peter's question before Lo Si could. "The Sacred Chalice of I-Ching," was all he said.

"When I was a child, my father told me that it was lost hundreds of years ago," Cricket said, looking up at Matthew from the floor.

"Can I tell him, Pop? I finally know more about what's going on here than someone else," Peter stated.

"Go ahead. After all, you were there," Caine replied.

"A while ago, someone my grandfather knew from the war came to my father for help in keeping the chalice safe. Grandfather had found the chalice during the war and told him about its powers. This guy had found out the chalice was in danger of being stolen and misused. The three of us had some run-ins with a bunch of Nazis wannabes who wanted the chalice for its power," Peter explained.

Cricket rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache forming. He had no idea what war Peter was talking about and he had no idea what a Nazi was. He did get the gist of the story though.

"Anyway, we got rid of the bad guys and Father Vachon, the caretaker of the church where the chalice is hidden, let us know that Grandfather was still alive," Peter finished.

Looking at Matthew curiously, Cricket asked, "They thought you were dead?"

"That is a long story for another time, child," Matthew replied serenely, gently patting the young man on the shoulder.

Cricket sat quietly, thinking over what had been said. He formed his next question carefully, "You are the guardian of the chalice, Matthew?"

"It has always been under Father Vachon's protection, waiting for the day a Shao-Lin could join him in the guardianship. I have been with him for the past forty years. In that time, the Masters of Shambhala and those that Father Vachon answers to decided that a worthy Shao-Lin must always share in the duty of guardianship," Matthew replied.

Cricket looked at Lo Si steadily and asked, "Is this the reason I am still here? To be the guardian of the chalice?"

"There is more power in the Sacred Chalice of I-Ching than anyone may imagine. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be a disaster--the end of the world. Like Tien Lung, the guardian safeguards the power of the heavens. It is most appropriate that its next guardian is a Shao-Lin born under the sign of the fire dragon," Lo Si explained.

To the surprise of the others, Cricket shook his head and very simply said," No."

"You do not wish to do this?" Caine asked.

"It is not a question of what I wish or do not wish," Cricket said as he rose to his feet and rolled his sleeves to his elbows, "I am not Shao-Lin."