Author's Note: This story has been, by far, my most favourite to write, and it has to be my best one yet. Well, at least that's what I think! Let me know! But please please leave a review for this story. It would mean alot to me.

Thank yous: I want to dedicate this story to all the members of the Joey Wheeler Fan Club, particularly Seph, unloved, and Rikku. It was fun while it lasted guys, but it all had to end somewhere. Keep in touch.

More Than Broken

Joey closed his eyes and tried to shut out the sound of an argument echoing around the house. Shouting, breaking of china, heavy footsteps on the floor. He cringed as the sound of something else breaking sounded from downstairs, and held his sister closer.

Serenity was shivering with fear. "Joey? What are mommy and daddy doing?" she whispered. She might not understand what was going on, but she knew enough to make her feel afraid.

Joey looked up cautiously and he glanced around his room from the corner in which they were crouched. There had been a moment's silence from the argument downstairs. He heard more footsteps, then the sound of the front door slamming.

He's gone, Joey thought.

Joey carefully pulled himself away from Serenity's grip and started to stand up, but his sister grabbed his hand. "What's happening now, big brother?"

Joey looked down at his little sister, who was gazing up at him with her puppy-dog eyes. She was holding his hand tightly, as if her life depended on it.

Joey looked towards the door as the sound of his mother crying echoed up the stairs.

Serenity pulled herself up, still holding her brother's hand, looking towards the bedroom door too. "What's wrong with mommy? Has she hurt herself?" Serenity was still whispering.

Joey shook his head slightly, his eyes still on the door. He took a small step forward and began to creep towards the doorway, Serenity still gripping his hand and following him reluctantly.

They reached the top of the stairs and stopped, listening to their mother's sobs coming from the kitchen.

Joey took a step down and looked back to Serenity, who did the same. As they tiptoed to the bottom of the stairs, they saw glass and water all over the floor in the hall. Serenity's eyes welled up with tears as she saw the mess and her little head filled with nasty images and terrible thoughts. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and tried to forget everything. She took the last step down the stairs and followed Joey's lead to the kitchen door, where they both stopped and peeped around the doorframe.

Joey gulped as he saw his mother sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor, all the glass and water surrounding her. She was crying into her hands, her back to the children.

Serenity's eyes filled with tears once again, and, before Joey could stop her, she ran to her mother's side and wrapped her arms around her. "Don't worry, mommy, Joey and I will fix it; it just needs some glue." Serenity whispered into her mother's ear, casting her eyes over the best china in pieces across the floor.

Joey stood in the doorway, looking around the room fearfully, trying not to look at his mother who was now holding Serenity, crying into her shoulder. He could see the cuts and bruises over his mother's face and arms. He looked away, tears of anger in his eyes. Anger for his father. Joey hated his dad for ruining it all. The Wheeler family were just starting to find their feet. Joey's mother and father had both got jobs and earned lots of money to buy the house they now lived in. They were always together, always on family outings, and they were all so close. They were the perfect family. Well, that's how it had been up until recently, when their father lost his job and began drinking and gambling all the family's money away. Now they hardly had anything. And not just that, but Joey had overheard his parents talking one night about Serenity. He knew her eyesight was bad, but the doctors say it's getting worse and she might even go blind.

Joey screwed up his face and fought against tears. He bent his head and looked down to the floor. He saw his reflection in the puddles on the floorboards. Why couldn't he help his sister? Why couldn't he stop her losing her sight? Why couldn't he stand up for his mother? Why couldn't he help his father get a new job? Why couldn't he be a better son, a better brother?

He felt a tear roll down his cheek and ran off, back up to his room, kicking his pathetic reflection in the water as he went.

Joey ran upstairs, into his room and slammed the door behind him, sitting down with his back against it. He leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, tears falling from his cheeks and on to the floor.

Why did everything have to go wrong now? Joey felt so much hate towards himself. He should have looked after his sister better, than maybe she wouldn't be sick. He should have gone downstairs and stopped his father from hitting his mother. Instead he sat cowering in the corner like a wimp, crying and being useless, as usual.

"Joey?" he heard Serenity calling him softly from outside the door. "Joey, it's me. I think mommy's feeling a lot better now, she's –"

Serenity stopped mid-sentence as her brother opened his door and pulled her into a tight hug. She smiled and looked at Joey with her innocent face as he pulled away. "It's going to be okay, Joey. Daddy will be back soon."

Joey looked away. Yeah, he'd be back soon...even more drunk than he already was. Joey felt ashamed of himself. He made a silent promise that he would never be useless again. Ever. He was going to help Serenity see perfectly again. He was going to stop his father drinking and gambling and hitting his mother. He was going to make his mother happy again. He was going to put the whole family life back to the way it was. He was going to be the best son and big brother anyone could want.

"C'mon, Serenity, I think it's your bedtime now." Joey smiled as best he could and stood up, taking Serenity's hand and leading her into her bedroom.