Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight characters…..

Summary: AU/AH Emmett the oldest of three brothers gets the call to go to war. His two younger brothers are at a loss, what are Edward and Jasper to do, when their hero is so far away.

The house was like a tomb,

I was hiding in my room

As my brother made his way on down the hall

Edward sat on the his bed, silent tears coursed down his face as he watched his older brother walk down the hall. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms. 'Please don't go…..' in his mind he screamed for his brother, screamed for him not to leave.

I didn't want to say good-bye

And I was trying to deny there was a war

And that he'd got the call

I watched him from my window

Walking down the drive

Then I ran down the stairway

Through the front door and I cried

Jasper locked himself in his room, he just sat on the window seat watching as the white van pulled up and his brother walked down the drive. As the van door opened Jasper ran out of his room, down the hall and out the door. He was half-way down the drive when he stopped. Loud sobs tore from his mouth as the tears made their way down a dirty face. He shouted the words, that his other brother could only think.

You come back you hear

And I let him see my tears,

I'll give you my rookie of DiMaggio

I'll do anything you want

Clean your room or wash your car

I'll do anything so long as you don't go

"You come back you hear! I'll give you my rookie of DiMaggio. I'll do anything you want!"

Emmett froze and turned back to look at his brother.

"I'll clean your room and wash your car I'll do anything, so long as you don't go."

"Jasper, you, and tell Edward too, This is what brothers are for."

But he said, this is what brothers are for

Each night after their homework the two sat down and wrote, one night, their homework was too write about your hero. Both of the boys knew exactly what they would put and their papers, while worded differently said basically the same thing.

My hero,

I have plenty of hero's, Spiderman, Superman, I even think that Batman is pretty awesome, oh and DiMaggio, wish I could hit like that. But my biggest hero, the one I love the most, taught me how to hunt and swing a bat…….

The boys sent copies of the homework with their letters that night. Edward wrote how he missed the pillow fights the three of them used to have, Jasper said I just wonder where you are big brother….

Well I have my hero's

But the one I love the most

Taught me how to hunt and swing a bat

And I wrote him every night

I said I miss our pillow fights

But lately I just wonder where you're at

Jasper overheard someone at school one day, the kid said that soldiers were stupid, and the war was pointless. After knocking him flat, with tears in his eyes he stated. "You know my brothers over there, and sometimes the things you take for granted. Your freedom makes it hard to live. When it takes things from you, that you don't want to give.

Sometimes freedom makes it hard to live,

When it takes things from you that you don't want to give

That night he wrote his brother, he told Emmett what had happened, and once again wrote, You come back you hear, I miss you being near, Laughing and fishing down in the maple grove, Emmett I'll do anything you want, there must be someone we can call, and just maybe they'll let you come back home. The letter was tear stained but the meaning was clear….come home.

I said you come back you hear,

I miss you being near

Laugh and fish down in the maple grove

I'll do anything you want

There must be someone I can call

And just maybe they'll let you come back home

When Emmett got the letter he too cried, but he wrote both of his brothers back, and stated, "This is what brothers are for…."

But he wrote, this is what brothers are for

Edward having been chosen to read his hero paper in front of class spoke the truth, and touched the hearts of all those who heard. "I may never have to face, the anger of those guns." Tears streamed down his face as he remembered the previous night, "Or lie cold and wounded in my blood. Me and you, we may never know the sacrifice, or what it must have cost. For him to love me and Jasper that much."

The night before they'd gotten the call…Emmett was wounded, they said he'd never walk again…it had been a year and a half since he left, now they were just waiting for him to come back home.

I may never have to face the anger of those guns

Or lie cold and wounded in my blood

Or know the sacrifice and what it must of cost

For him to love me that much

Two years after he left, Jasper and Edward walked from Emmett's old jeep to where Emmett had told them to go. A beach about a mile from the local airport. Both of them held back the tears when they saw him. He was sitting facing the shore with the ocean behind him in a wheel chair, looking much older than his 24 years.

Well It had been two years,

And I held back my tears,

When I saw him in that wheel-chair on the shore,

The two teenagers ran and held him tight, in a hug that seemed to go on for hours, but it was Emmett who was shedding silent tears when they pulled back, choking on his words he said, "I'm sorry that you have to push me home."

And as I ran and held him tight,

That's when he looked me in the eye

And said I'm sorry that you have to push me home

Edward smiled and simply stated, "I get it now, this is what brothers are for…"

And I said, hey, this is what brothers are for.