Disclaimer: Standard still applies.
A/N: Curtisbrothersfan! Oh! I love the name you gave me! Everyone will be able to look forward to the next story in this series, "Gone to Be Forgotten"
And I'm sorry to say that I think there will be one more chapter after this one. But I could be wrong with that.

Don rushed after Charlie. He had to make sure that his brother was alright when he saw the garage.

He opened the door and saw Charlie just standing staring at everything.

"Donnie ... It's all gone." Charlie voice was heart breaking.

Don looked around the room and saw how all the chalkboards had fallen over. "How is it all gone?" He stepped forward and picked up a blackboard. The writing was still on it, a little smudged in places, but there.

Charlie turned and stared at Don. "It's all gone..." His voice wasn't strong at all.

"What's all gone?" Don asked, blinking, "Charlie, your blackboards are still the way you left them." He paused, "Except that they are on the floor ..."

"Don, it's got nothing to do with math." Charlie voice was uneven as he stated this.

Don walked up to Charlie, "What? Then what's all gone?"

"Donnie ..." Charlie sighed, "I can't." He shook his head, "I just can't."

"Can't what?"

"Take this anymore." His voice was soft and quiet. Don almost didn't hear it.

Don was worried now more than ever. Charlie just said that he couldn't take it. What was his brother going through? Was Charlie going to be alright? "Charlie. We're all here for you. We can help you."

"Sorry I broke our promise. I just couldn't keep it anymore." Charlie sighed.

Don blinked for a moment, unsure what to say, "What promise?"

"The promise that I'd stay strong."

"Charlie. You are strong." Don said with force, "You are still strong. You are one of the strongest people I know."

Charlie shook his head, "No. I'm not." He picked up and overturned chair and sat down on it, "I am not strong. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying, Buddy. I'm telling the truth." Don said, sitting beside his younger brother, "If I had been through what you have I know I would have been committed long ago."

"Maybe I should be commi-"

Don thrust his hand over Charlie's mouth, "Don't you dare say it. You do not need to be committed."

"But Don, all my strength is gone. At the moment you may not think so, but soon it will be apparent."

"No it won't. Because you are not weak, Charlie." Don sighed, "You still have strength to go on."

"No I don't. There is nothing you can do or say that will bring my strength back." Charlie muttered.

Don stared at him. "You don't know that. Trust me, you have strength. In fact, you so much strength that it flows through you and gives me my strength to keep going."

"Liar."

Don shook his head, "I'm not lying. When you had been kidnapped - that was the worst for me. I had become weak during that time. But when we found you, my strength was found again. After seeing that you still had some."

"I did not."

"Did too."

"Fine. Say that what you said it true." Charlie began, "That's all great. But I don't have the strength to fight it anymore. That strength has depleted."

"What are you fighting, Charlie?"

"Everything. Nothing. Does it matter?"

"I guess it doesn't. What matters is that you know that you can borrow some of my strength and replenish your depleted supply."

"Really?"

"Always. Whenever you need help with something, Buddy. All you have to do is call and I'll be there."

Charlie stood up, and talking with a excitement in his voice said, "Alright then. Let's get to work."

"Wait. What?" Don was thrown by the sudden change.

"Getting all my blackboards where they should be." Charlie answered as if he was talking to an idiot.

Don shook his head happily, "Alright. Let's do that."

Alan was glad to see his two son's come in joking with each other.

"I will not eat that."

Charlie chuckled, "You already have."

Don stopped in his steps, "What? When?"

Charlie thought about it, "Two months ago?"

"What the hell? You are lying. Fess up, right now."

"Not lying, Don." Charlie smirked, "I got you to eat spinach without you knowing it."

Alan smiled and laughed. Don had always hated spinach and Charlie had always tried to get Don to eat some. Not because he himself liked it, he just wanted to torture his older brother with the thought of eating some.

Nancy walked up to Don and hugged him, "Aw, come on. Spinach is good for you. Haven't you ever seen any Popeye?"

"Yeah!" Charlie cheered, "A good FBI Agent needs to eat his spinach everyday to stay nice and strong. So that he can defeat Bluto and win the love of Olive."

Don hugged Nancy back, "I've already won the love my Olive."

Charlie laughed and looked around the house. Alan and Nancy seemed to have picked up the place as near as they could. He looked at the wall, where the picture of his mother always stood. He stared at the space, confused. A picture of her was there. It wasn't the same picture though. He had never seen it before. She looked for beautiful than before. He walked up to it in a daze.

Alan watched his youngest with a smile. He soon joined Charlie by the picture of his wife. "I thought I should replace the picture of her."

"When ... was this taken?"

"It's the first picture I took of her when we were going out." Alan smiled, remembering, "She hated me taking the picture and she claimed that she hated the way she looked in it. But I often caught her digging it out of the boxes and looking at it, remembering our first date."

"So she did like the picture." Charlie muttered to himself.

"I will take the other picture somewhere and try to get it fixed, if I can." Alan told Charlie. "So, how was the garage?"

"All the blackboards had fallen down, but other than that, not much damage." Charlie jumped when the phone rang.

Alan put a hand on Charlie's shoulder as he answered it, "Hello?" He listened and then turned to Charlie, "It's for you."

Charlie took the phone, "Hello?"

"Is this Dr. Charles Eppes?"

"Yes. May I ask who is calling?"

"I am Warden Jeff Quinn. And I am calling to give you news of Ben Tirry."

Charlie's mouth went dry. He sat down, suddenly pale. "Y-Yes?"

"I'd like to let you know that during the earthquake Mr. Tirry had been smashed by some debris and was killed while in his holding cell."

"Oh my God."

"I read his file and thought that you would like to know and find out over the phone and not from the TV or a newspaper."

"Yes. Th-Thank you Warden. Thank you for calling."

"It's not a problem Dr. Eppes. Goodbye."

"Bye." Charlie stared ahead and dropped the phone.

Don had watched Charlie when he was talking on the phone. He saw Charlie pale as his legs gave out. He heard Charlie's child-like voice as he replied. But what really got Don's attention was when Charlie said 'Warden'. He had got a call from a Warden. What if, during the earthquake Tirry had escaped and they just gave Charlie a heads-up? Don soon found himself next to Charlie, "Buddy?"

Charlie sighed unevenly, but when he spoke, his voice was firm and loud, "Ben Tirry was died from the earthquake."

That was not what Don had expected. "Wow." It was all he could say.

"The Warden wanted to let me know before I heard it from the media." Charlie paused, "I wonder if anyone else died."

For the first time in a while, Charlie felt safe. Or, more safe than before. It bothered him, knowing that the only reason he felt so safe was because a man died in a natural disaster. And what of all the other people who might have died during the earthquake? Did they have enemies who feel safer now? Was anyone else feeling the same way he was right now?

Charlie looked at his family and knew that there were other people who felt the same way. He read it on Alan and Don's faces. Relief. They were glad that Tirry was dead, just like he was. "I'm going to go to his funeral."

"What?" Alan asked, shocked, "Why?"

Charlie shrugged, "I don't know. I just need to go."

"I think it's a good idea." Nancy said with a small smile, "It should help you out a lot. A type of closure to it all."

The four of them sat in silence for while. Unsure what to say or do.

Until Don's cell rang.

"Eppes."

"Don?" David asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. The 'quake just scared us all."

"And who is 'us'?"

"Me, Charlie, Dad, and Nancy." Don paused, "And you?"

"Megan already checked in on Larry - he, Matt, and Ellen are all fine. And Colby and I are good."

Don nodded, "Alright. Well now we know that we are all good."

"Don," David started, "You are needed at the office right now. A bunch of Agents are being sent out to help with the aftermath."

Don shot a glance at Charlie and was worried about his aftermath. "Uh, I can't. I think I'm needed here more."

"Charlie? How's he holding up?"

"Pretty well considering he just got the news that Ben Tirry died during the 'quake."

The line was quiet for a moment, "What?"

"Yeah. Debris smashed him. We got the call not that long ago."

"Wow. Yeah, you can stay there and help out your family." David said, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yep, Tomorrow." Don hung up and turned to the others, "Well, everyone else is good."

"That's great." Alan said.

Don looked at Charlie who's hands were shaking. "Charlie?"

Charlie's head jerked up, he noted his hands, "I uh. I think I need my medication." He got up and started to move jerkily to the kitchen.

"Let me help." Don walked with his brother, "You alright?"

"J-Just got some big news." Charlie swallowed the pills that had been given to him, "This will change the nightmares I have tonight." He was hugging himself.

Don sighed, "Yeah. It probably will. But it's good news, right?"

"I don't know, Don. It doesn't feel right."

"What doesn't?" Don asked, genuinely confused.

"It doesn't feel right, being happy to hear that someone died."

"Oh, Charlie. In your case, it is the only correct feeling to have. Heck. I feel happy, knowing that Tirry can't hurt you anymore."

Charlie chuckled sadly, "He may not be alive anymore, Don. But that doesn't stop him from hurting me."