"Listen baby brother. Soon... one day soon. I'm going to take you with me and we're going to escape this hellhole. No more depressed mum. No more harsh... brutal dad." Collin said with a large smile.

Cal looked at him hopefully, "Really, Collin? You'll do that?"

"Of course I'll do that little man. Once I'm eighteen and I can move you... you'll be my little kid... you won't be mum and dad's anymore. We can live together and actually have a good life."

Cal stared at him curiously. He was only thriteen. How could he make a promise like this? "I don't want to leave mum all alone, though." Cal protested.

"Mum doesn't love us anymore... Cal." Collina whispered painfully, "She's in her own world and eventually it's all going to come crashing down on her... and who know's what she'll do to us when that happens. We have to get away before she leans on us to make money for the family. Dad can figure things out. It'll be easier for him once we're gone."

"But what if dad hurts mum?" Cal asked innocently.

"He hurts US Cal. We need to get away!" Collin pushed.

"That's five years from now." Cal whispered.

"You're right. So good thing we have it planned now. I can start saving up some money. Don't worry, Cal. Things will be alright. I will save us both."

"Thanks Collin." Cal said, hugging his big brother.

.:.

Once they had the news about their mother, Collin had been the first to talk. At seventeen... he was close to making his promise for Cal. He was ready. He brought Cal back up into their room, "Hey baby brother."

"I'm not a baby anymore." Cal said in a deep voice that he had found during puberty.

"I forgot. You're a big boy now." Collin chuckled to himself, despite the harsh mood.

Their mother had just killed herself. She had problems. They knew it. She had gone off to a mental hospital. Then they found out she would be coming back to visit. And everyone was ecstatic. Even their dad. He'd showered and shaved and been sober for once in quite a few years.

Then she came. She smiled at them. And then ended it all.

She left them hanging there with their bastard of a father, who was never sober again after the ended her life.

Cal tightened his jaw and stared at Collin, 'What?"

"This whole suicide thing." Collin said.

"Yes..." Cal said, not really liking where this was going.

"No... I just want you to know that I'll never do this to you. I'll never kill myself and leave you. I love you bab- er, uh, Cal." Collin said, completely serious now. "And I WILL carry out my promise about leaving with you. I promise. That's why it's called a promise." He chuckled. "Really. Don't ever doubt me, because I'm here for you little man. We're going to escape next year. Really. We will."

.:.

Collin had broken both of those problems.

He'd left the day he turned eighteen and he never looked back to get Cal.

He never returned.

He never even came to see Cal on his birthday.

He was an empty thought at the edge of Cal's brain by the time two years passed.

Cal suspected the worst. He was dead. Maybe he'd killed himself. Because he broke the first promise... why not the second?

Cal had lived with his father for maybe a month after Collin left. Then he went and lived with Terry.

Terry saved his life. Rescued him from the horrific days of living with his father.

He was fourteen when he'd moved in with Terry.

He'd been twelve the first time they lived with Terry.

They stayed a couple months, but their father got mad. Pissed off his head.

They were forced to go back without a choice.

.:.

Cal was back at the hotel.

He didn't want to see Terry.

He didn't want to see Lisa.

He didn't want to see anybody at the moment.

All he could think about was all the broken promises from Collin.

Every promise that he had held in his hands and then cracked in half and just threw out into the big abyss of his past failed promises.

That's how it felt.

That's how it was.

Collin broke promises, and that's all that he was good for.

He couldn't keep them, that was for sure.

He couldn't keep a steady family.

Lisa didn't love him. She just wanted something familiar. Someone like Cal. And Collin was the closest thing to that. He'd stolen Cal's first love. But at least that was okay, because then Cal had met Zoe and made a beautiful Emily. And then he met Gillian and that was a whole different story.

He couldn't even keep a job. Too many times Collin had come running to Cal for a loan. And not once - not once! - did Collin ever pay him back. He was still heavy in debt, but it was a little late for that.

He'd promised to be there for Emily's third birthday. Since he'd missed the first two. He was an uncle for Pete's sake! He had a role in Emily's life and was never really there for her.

And when he was... he was drunk or high or poor and just a plain bastard that Cal didn't want his young daughter around.

Things had turned around... yes. But then apparently they fell apart again, because Collin mirrored their mother.

But when things were good. When Collin was a good person and his usually giddy self. Things hadn't just been good... they were great. Collin was a great person to have around, but only if he had his life together. A most of the time... he did not.

He was a good person... generally.

He'd held life together the best way that he could. Even if it meant leaning on his baby brother for assistance. His baby brother that had a life.

Had a family.

Had a daughter.

Had his own bloody business!

Had it really going for him.

Had a chance.

He came and he slowly pulled away at the threads that held Cal's life together until it was just a torn rag. Just a used towel. A wet, dirty, soggy towel that had been used one too many times.

That's what Cal's life was now. A wet, dirty, soggy towel.

He was falling apart.

He was scared of what would come.

He was scared of what might happen.

He worried that he might take his own life. That he might have inherited that poisonous trait.

Although he knew that would never happen. He had Emily in his life.

His mom hadn't really loved him or Collin, and Cal understood that. She was sick. It wasn't her fault. But she had nothing to live for. So she ended it.

Collin... he only had Lisa. And Lisa never really loved anybody. And he had Cal. But Collin didn't know that he had Cal with him. Although he had ditched Cal and left him to fend for himself... Cal was still there for him and still loved him.

But Cal had Emily. He had a loving daughter that he could never leave.

And Gillian, of course. He couldn't forget about her. He couldn't just leave her. Never. They were going to get married one of these days. And how would that be possible if he was dead?

He stood up and opened the door that split the two rooms of the hotel.

Gillian was sitting on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest as she read a book.

Emily was sleeping on the bed. It'd been a long day. She had conked out the second they got home after the funeral.

He walked over to the couch and sat down beside Gillian.

She pretended to not notice his presense, and just continued reading her book.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, needing the hug that she had so desperately wanted to give him.

She dropped the book and almost dove into his arms, burying her face in his chest, "I'm sorry Cal. I know that speech was hard for you and..." She didn't know what else to say, she just held him tighter.

He was solemn, of course, but he wasn't going to cry.

No reason to cry.

Collin was gone, and hopefully in a better place.

He rubbed her back and said, "Thank you for being a perfect friend."

"What?" She backed away, "How the hell was I a perfect friend."

"Because you didn't try to comfort me when I really didn't want to be comforted. You've been waiting patiently for this moment. Thank you." He kissed her forhead and she seemed to blush a little bit.

"I love you Cal."

"I love you too." He said, laying his kiss on her lips this time.

A/N: NOT the last chapter. I'll do going home and getting everything settled and all that. So... as I have stated on other storieszsssss... I am giving up updating and computer and all that for Lent! So I thought I'd throw a chapter into this jewel before I quit until Easter. Thanks for reading and reviewing!