Later that night Tony looked at the mattress on the ground where Steve was asleep. Only some people knew that his childhood had been really bad. His mother had died when he was ten years old. His father became even more distant and didn't even bother to raise him anymore. He only spoke to his father when he had d one something really bad. It usually involved a rough spanking. In the end he did horrible things on purpose, just so his father would speak to him.
After a year somehow his mothers sister came to visit. He had heard about aunt Grace and Uncle Mark before, but he had never ever met them. They had a discussion with his father and when they came out of his fathers office she told him that he would live with them for a while.
He didn't question it, he just went upstairs to pack his bag and after having said goodbye to his father, who didn't respond, he was on his way to meet his new family.
Much to his surprise they lived in a small house in a nearby town. And when he opened the door he was greeted by 2 boys, a girl and a very happy puppy.
He had played talked and acted like a real kid. He was having the childhood he'd been missing for years. He got dirty, broke a window and felt sorry and on occasion he snuggled close to aunt Grace on the couch. There was no need to say that he was really happy.
But on a horrible day Uncle Mark came to tell that his holiday was nearly over and he had to return to his father. He had clamped himself to his uncles shirt, crying and begging. He would do anything just so he could stay. He didn't know that it had broke the hearts of his aunt and uncle to send him back.
After that vacation he would go to his surrogate family as much as he could. It was his change of being a real boy.
Steve had become his best friend, his brother. They had been hard to sepparate, but suddenly his father had send him to the military accademy. He had written letters to Aunt Grace and she had written him back. But after a few years it was down to a few cards a year.
They had been there in stead of his father when he became an offical cop, but he had never seen them after wards, and he felt ashamed. But he had convinced himself that it was for the best. With job there was always the possiblity he would die in the line of duty and he didn't want to put his family trough that.
But sitting there, almost 1 AM he knew that is was crap. He was afraid to love the people that had loved him, his image had became more importuned to him than he family. With a sigh he came out of his bed and walked to the living.
He picked up the phone and dialed the number he knew by heart.
"Aunt Grace? It's Tony..."