Author's Notes: Read 'Promise Me' and 'Another Promise' first, please! No warnings.
BROKEN PROMISES,
written by Whipper
"Please..." Blue eyes were begging the Tony to let it go. "I don't have a choice, okay?"
"Yes, you do! You have the choice to take care of yourself. The choice not to do this to yourself, not to let anyone hurt you. You have all those choices but, for some fucked up reason, you're instead choosing to break your promise to me."
As he spoke Tony became more and more angry. It wasn't just that Lucas was breaking his promise but it was the fact that his friend thought so little of himself that he was prepared, packed and ready to go actually, to return to his father, a man who had abused him for years. It reminded the dark-haired young man too much of how his favorite Aunt had left her two crying children at her sister's, Tony's mother's, home just to then walk back to the dark blue Sedan that stood waiting for her outside. It was the last time his cousins had seen their mother and Tony could still remember how one of the little girls, Angela, a few later had asked him why her mother hadn't stayed with her children instead of going back to an abusive husband just to become a part of the statistics.
He turned around and faced Lucas with an angry look on his face.
"I'd like to know why, Lucas! I'd like to know what you're telling those frightened, little voices in your head that keeps asking you to keep yourself safe... what are you telling them? That you deserve the beatings that asshole gives you? Or is it "he won't do it again"? Did daddy promise not hurt you again?" He felt like the scum of the earth as he saw Lucas flinch and look down at his feet, too ashamed to meet the older man's eyes. But Tony couldn't help it, if he didn't keep talking he'd begin to cry. The half-Italian was caught up in his past as well as scared witless for his young friend. "Let me tell you something, Wolenczak! When somebody breaks your ribs and gives you a fucking black eye we don't say thank you and we sure as hell don't doll out second chances to them! You want to know why? Because they don't deserve it! He doesn't deserve it, Lucas. He doesn't deserve you."
"Tony, please-"
"Are you gonna tell that you're not going?"
"No," Lucas told him quietly, still keeping his eyes aimed at the floor. "I can't. What you're saying... it sounds nice and everything, but it's not true. I don't have a choice."
"If you're not gonna tell me that you've changed your mind then don't don't bother to tell me anything at all, okay?" Tony knew he was being hard, harsh even, but, he kept telling himself, it was necessary. He couldn't let Lucas spend his week off at the Wolenczak household. He was going to stop Lucas from being hurt again even if the teenager ended up hating him for it. "Save your explanations for Bridger, okay?"
"What? No!" Lucas was on his feet, looking at him with huge, betrayed eyes. "You can't do that, Tony! Please, don't. I don't want him to know. He can't know. I-"
"Sure, I can. You're about to break your promise so I'll break mine," Tony said, ignoring the pain that spread through his body as he met Lucas hurt eyes. He took a deep breath before continuing; "I'm telling Bridger."
***
"Tell me again why you're spending the night here instead of in yours and Lucas quarters?""Lucas needed some space, okay? And that's all you need to know about it," Tony answered, hoping on the communication officer would find the answer too rude to want to continue talking. The young man didn't feel like talking any more, feeling as if he had done nothing but talk that day. Bridger had, as expected, asked him a thousands questions. How long had he known? How had he found out? Why hadn't he told anyone before? Didn't he understand that Lucas needed help? Had Lucas given him any details?
He'd told the man as much as he could, leaving out only his own meeting with the good Dr. Wolenczak. When Bridger asked him the final question; "why did Lucas never tell me?" Tony had respectfully suggested that the Captain speak with Lucas himself.
With a small sigh, the half-Italian curled up on the small bunk and closed his eyes. It was out of his hands now. Bridger would have to take care of Lucas from now on, cause Tony seriously doubted that the teenager would be willing to speak to him again in the near future.