(A/N - This whole chapter is a flashback to a few months ago, but it's still in Race's POV. Enjoy!)

I crept down the stairs to the kitchen, careful to keep our old creaky stairs quiet. When I got to the bottom, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. The door was closed, so I walked up and listened.

"How coukd you do this to me Jack? To your brothers?" Katherine demanded.

"It's a calling, Ace. I need to go." Jack said.

"You 'need' to leave us?" She exclaimed. I could tell she was crying.

"I need to serve!" Jack said, raising his voice.

"Jack, I love you and your brothers. So much. But what your asking..." She trailed off. "This is a lot to take on. I'm just getting started in my career, and I need time to work on that."

"I know, Ace. And I wouldn't ask you if I didn't have to, but... we have no one else. When our parents died... they didn't have any siblings. All four of our grandparents were already dead. Your all we have, Ace." Jack explained.

"Jack, your asking me to move here. To take care of your brothers while you go join the Air Force and live in some war zone. For months!" She choked.

"Is it true?" I demanded, storming into the kitchen to find Jack standing in the corner and Katherine sitting at the table. "Are you leaving?"

"Race, I..." Jack started.

"Is it true?" I demanded again.

He sighed. "Yes. It is. I'm joining the Air Force. But Katherine will be here, and..." Thats all I heard before I stormed out.

~

"Hey, babe." Spot said as I climbed into his car the next morning. "What's up?"

"Jack is joining the Air Force. He's leaving." I said, and tears started to flow down my face.

"What?" He asked, dumbfounded. "When did he tell you?"

"I overheard him and Katherine talking last night." I cried. "I went to get a drink of water from the kitchen, and they were talking about it when I get down there."

"How long will he be gone?" Spot asked, grabbing me and pulling me as close as he could with the console in the way.

"A few months. I don't know how many." I said, feeling a little bit better in my boyfriends embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Race. I know how much you love your brother." He comforted.

"I'm gonna miss him so much." I cried.

"I know." He said, climbing up to sit on the console so he could pull me into his arms. "I know."

"I can't imagine my life without him." I sniffed, trying to keep more tears from flowing.

"Let's put this in perspective." Spot suggested.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Well, he's only going to be gone for a few months, and then he'll be back, and you'll get to see him every day again." Spot said.

"Yeah." I said. "I guess."

"Look, Race." He started. "I know this is really hard for you. I do, really. But, I promise that it will all be ok. He'll leave, and then he'll come back again a few months later, and it will all be ok."

"You think so?" I asked.

"I know so." He said, stroking my hair. "Now, for God's sake, go apologize and make nice with your brother before he leaves." He sat back in the drivers seat.

"But what about school?" I asked, wiping the last tears off my face.

"We'll be late. Who cares. We'll tell them we were doing it in the car." He laughed, and I laughed, too.

I took a deep breath, got out of the car, and walked up the walk to my house. I opened the door to the house to see Jack sitting on the couch, laptop in his lap.

"Hey, buddy. Did you forget something?" He asked.

"Yeah. I need to apologize." I started, walking over to sit next to him on the couch.

"For what?" He asked, putting his laptop on the side table next to the couch.

"For being a bitch." I replied.

"Language." He reprimanded, though I know he uses worlds way worse than that all the time.

"Sorry. Anyway, I was really mean last night." I said. "I'm happy for you. I really am." I said, trying to think of something else to say that would let him know I really am sorry.

"You don't have to..." He started, but I cut him off.

"Jack, I really am so sorry for what I did last night. I want you to be happy. I really do. And Katherine is like the sister we never had, and..." I rambled.

"Race, stop." He said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I'm happy that your supportive. I really am. And I'm happy you love Katherine. I do, too."

"We hear exactly how much you love her at night." I murmured to myself.

"Stop!" He exclaimed jokingly, messing up my hair, then pulling me into a hug

"So, do you need a ride to school?" He asked, ending the embrace.

"Nah. Spot is waiting outside in the car." I said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Thank you for apologizing, but don't do this again. Being late to school is a hard habit to break." He informed, walking me to the door and opening it.

"Ok." I said, running out the door and back to Spot's car.

"How did it go?" Spot asked when I got back into his car.

"He took it really well." I smiled. "He wasn't even mad to begin with."

"Well that's great." He said, shifting the car into gear and and starting to drive to school.

(A/N - Aww! I love this chapter! It was so much fun to write! Don't forget to review!)