Chapter Title: Larger Than Life

Series Title: Unlikely Brothers

Ages in this chapter: Tanner (53), Dashen (59), River (29)

POV: Dashen

Chapter Summary: The death of Virgil Colton.


As news went, this absolutely sucked. I mean, it literally sucked the life out of me to where I couldn't catch my breath for a time.

In my heart, I knew it was coming. In my head, I fought against what the heart was trying so hard to say.

Virgil Colton was dying. The man who had pulled me out of the sewer of despair with the simple reaching out of a hand to say, come on, kid, let me help you.

Colton was an old man now. He'd lived a good long life. No regrets. No cards left on the table. This was a man who ran his own private criminal empire (much, much smaller than an actual empire), but took time out of that schedule to help raise two boys to which he held no relation. Once we'd achieved our own independence, he'd joined with his lifelong best friend and partner-in-life, Nyssa Kor. She was basically the female version of Colton. And she was perfect for him. They lived out their years together enjoying what every good and decent person deserves.

He'd been sick this last year. Tests revealed a lot of confusion, until they didn't. Colton had known. Had felt his time in this life was concluding soon. I think maybe Tanner had an inkling as well. Neither mentioned it to me, but it wasn't a surprise when the healers gave him the finality of the news. Tests no longer confused, but confirmed.

All of this explained events happening these last weeks. A flurry of activity. Sydenious had taken almost complete control of the business a number of years ago, but signing it over to him officially… that came last week. Sy himself wasn't a young man, but he had a few on Colton. Sy's daughter, Kishel would be the one truly taking command. She knew her crap and she was as decent a person as Colton ever had under his command. His legacy (and eventually the house and estate) would be well cared for.

For me, I didn't think I could face the man without falling apart. Been there done that. But I had to. As the only person to pay any mind to a long-suffering soul-broken kid way back when, he had found light in me that I was all but certain had been swallowed by darkness.

"Just gonna go and die on me, aren't you, Colt?" That was me, trying to keep up the facade of being okay, when I was anything but.

Colton sat upright on his giant couch. The one Tanner and me had hardly ever been allowed to even look at when we'd lived here. Sure, it had been replaced several times in those decades gone by, it was still the most comfortable and expensive thing my butt ever had the honor to visit.

I sat down next to my dear friend.

His voice was weakened, long gone was the deep authoritative one I'd come to know so well. "It's been a good life, kid. No regrets, right?"

My shoulders shrugged automatically. "I have plenty of them," I responded, "Taking your hand that pulled me out of the gutter, was not one of them. All of this around me… Tanner, River… even Corym - his wife, his love. She is so perfect for him. She's rounding out his life and will give him that family he wishes for so badly. You, Colt, you made that possible."

"No… Dash. You'd have made it out. As I've told you so many times, you are so much stronger than you ever let yourself believe. That's just fact, kid."

I ached at the affectionate kid moniker. How long had he called me that? Seemed forever. I clung to it. "Maybe, Colt, but no. I'd not have made it. You and only you gave me that chance. So, do me this one favor, just accept my thank you and don't fight with me, you stupid big blond softie."

The wrinkles on his worn face creased when he smiled at me. The blond hair long ago turned gray, but the sea-blue eyes still held that spark. Fierce and demanding on the surface. Underneath? Kind. Decent.

His aged voice was rough and almost whisper-like when he spoke these days. "Anyone who works their way into your life, Dashen, they should be grateful. I was. I can admit that now. You're still an idiot. The biggest one I've known, but you're an idiot of immense strength and stubbornness. It's always done you well. Just… keep your head straight. Continue to be the one that holds the family together. That… that has always been you, Dashen. Always."

Using all my powers of that aforementioned strength and stubbornness, I tried my best to not cry. Foolish me. My right hand set atop Colton's and I squeezed gently. "I will keep us together, Colt. I will keep our family going. I won't let you down."

"You never have, kid."

The old moniker got me again. Colton called me kid so much when I was younger, at times I had seriously given thought to having my name changed. It was a simple thing - kid - but to a teenager who at that time had lost every damn thing in his life that he ever cared about, it told me that someone actually still cared about me.

I leaned over against Colton. Not nearly as giant and massive as he was in his prime. Weight lost along with a few inches of height, I didn't feel so small next to him as I used to. Still, even in my late fifties now, there remained that aura of awe that always overtook me at seeing Colton work his empire, his crew.

Bigger than life is what he was at his prime. He'd always remain so in my mind.

Tanner shuffled in. Sat himself right down on Colton's other side and leaned to him. No words. No unnecessary rambling. Just pure love of family. My little brother gave it off in waves with simple actions and gentle gestures.

We stayed that way for a time. Quiet. Relaxed. Inept at pushing back tears.

The three of us together, one more time.

It was Nyssa who finally came to free Colton from our emotional need to not let him go. Aged herself, but still in charge.

"It's time to go, boys."

Boys. She'd always called us that. No matter the age.

We didn't argue the point, though it would've been nice to stay longer. The healers gave him a few weeks before the disease claimed his body and mind. Tanner and I promised we'd see him again.

"Dashen. Tannerlin." Colton said to us, voice a little more robust than before. His hands gripped our own tightly before we left his side. "My idiots." Then a grin as he looked to each of us. "My boys. Thought I'd made a huge mistake taking you both in when I did. No. Not a mistake. Absolute best decision of my life. The absolute best. Watch out for each other, all right? For River. His family. For Nyssa. For Sy and Kishel. They'll do right by you as they did by me for all these years."

"We love you, Colt." Tanner said. I echoed it immediately after.

Colton responded back in the fashion and the words that had always been my way. That of Kossi and me. Of Tanner and me. River.

It was the first time ever hearing it from the man who had helped raise us.

"Love you back, boys."

And that was it. We each gave him an skin-clinging emotional hug and then Nyssa let us out.

That was the last time we saw Virgil Colton. Those few weeks reduced to eight days. The healers said that our friend had done all he needed to do. Wrapped up any last business. Said his thank you's and his farewells. That last visit with us appeared to be the catalyst pushing his mind to the point to where it was okay to finally let go.

Last time I remember crying so hard was when Kossi died. This was different, and I'd be able to pick myself up in a few weeks time and go on. Colton though, he deserved every last one of those tears. Mine. Tanner's. River's. His entire team.

We'd plan a celebration as he'd wanted. His wish, for us to stand up and move on, but to make sure we didn't lose each other. His crew. Our family. Always we would be connected. And when the celebration finally did happen, there'd be tears and smiles and stories and drinks. Most of all there would be love for a man that for Tanner and me was bigger than life. One who had voluntarily taken us in, saved us, protected us. He was tough on us when needed and he loved us when the galaxy weighed us down.

He did all of those things… and a million others.

A soul-broken teenager and an orphaned Jedi kid. What a pair Tanner and I made. But we never would've enjoyed the years we'd had without the larger than life magnate with with distinctive long blond hair and shoulders broad enough to hold a city together.

Larger than life. Yup, for Tanner and me, that perfectly summed up Virgil Colton.

Our friend.

No. Not just our friend. More a father to two desperate kids just needing a chance.

A chance that he offered even when the smart and sensible part of himself probably thought hard against it.

Smart and sensible had been overruled by dumb and foolish, but I was glad for it. He was our family. He always would be our family. We would have stories and tales to share long into the future. When River had a family of his own, they'd know all about Virgil Colton.

I knew for certain that he'd be in my thoughts every damn day. Right next to Kossi who still filled my head and my heart these decades after his death.

It just wasn't possible to forget Virgil Colton. It simply was not possible.

Larger than life, in life.

Larger than life, in death.

Our friend. Our family.

The one who offered a hand and allowed us to thrive.

The one who saved us and kept us safe.

Tanner and me… the others. His friends. His crew. Every single one us was a troubled soul or a misfit in some way. Every single one of us was broken or a reject. Every single one of us had faults and idiosyncrasies. And yet not once did Virgil Colton ever turn his back on any of us. Not once.

Larger than any life could ever be.

Colton. If you only knew how much we will miss you. If you only knew how large you will live in our hearts and minds. You meant so much to so many of us for so long.

Farewell, my protector, my father… my dearest of friends.

Goodbye.


END