A/N: Here you go. I thought that maybe Adam in his early years, just back from collage, would have don' something like that.
Sometimes Adam guessed his choice to come back home after collage. Right know it was one of those moments. Hoss and Pa were in San Francisco and he was left in charge of Ponderosa and his little brother Joe. Maybe Joe was right, he didn't belong anymore to Ponderosa, maybe he really had given up his right to be part of this ranch when he had gone to collage. It was time to move on, he wasn't needed here.
His Pa and Hoss will be home day after tomorrow and Hop Sing was there to watch over Joe. It was Perfect time to leave and never come back. He went upstairs to pack.
"What are you doing, Adam?" Joe's question starter him, he looked over his shoulder and saw, his ten year old baby brother standing in the doorway.
"Packing like you can see."
"Why are you packing?"
"Because I'm leaving,"
"Are you leaving, because what I said today?" Adam didn't say a word and kept packing, "Adam, I didn't mean any of it, you belong to Ponderosa and to this family, I don't hate you, I love you, you're my older brother. Please don't go. I'll do anything you want, I promise to follow every your order."
"Don't give promises you can't keep."
"Okay, I'll promise to try follow every your order, but please don't go." Adam turned to his brother who was standing in the door way crying, first time in four years and two months could see the little brother he had left behind, the boy who Adam had saw Joe let out with Hoss and pa but never with him.
"Come here little buddy." Joe didn't need anything else, he stepped towards Adam and was surrounded by his brothers strong arms, the brotherly hug he had so missed, "Please, Adam, don't go."
"I won't little buddy, I'll never leave you."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep."