Broken Promise: A Breaking Bad fan sequel

Letter from Skyler to Holly

Dear Holly,

I'm sorry that I never told you about your father, though I still don't think you were old enough to know. The problem was, it seems, you had to pay for something he did, and I'm sorry for that. I hope that one day this will all be okay, but I can't guarantee that it will.

Your father was a good man, Holly. He cared about you, about me, and about Flynn, and there was a time when I think he genuinely started cooking meth to protect us. But eventually, he did it for himself. Your father was someone to whom life had dealt a bad hand; your grandfather died when Dad was only 6, and your grandmother had to take care of him and the house. He did help co-found Gray Matter, like I told you, but he never said why he left, though I think it was because of his pride. Your dad was also a proud man, someone who found his calling in making meth. I don't defend what he did, but with the benefit of hindsight, I understand why.

Your dad was also a killer, Holly. I honestly don't know how many people he killed, and I don't care to know. There were times when he scared me, and the first thing I did when I found out was throw him out of the house. Part of me wishes I'd stuck by that, but I can't dwell on the past.

Right after Uncle Hank was killed, your father took you from us when Flynn and I wouldn't go with him, but he returned you to us, after deflecting the blame away. He still cared about us.

The last time you ever saw your father was just before he died, which he did by taking down the men who killed Uncle Hank. I saw in that moment, as he touched you one final time, that he was still that loving father; it was just that whatever demons he'd kept buried for a long time finally came to the surface when the cancer came up.

Your father was a complicated man, there's no getting around that, but he was also a smart one, and I saw that in you when you got Kaylee and Jesse out of there safely. You forgave her for what she did in a way I don't think I ever could, and I'm sure Jesse's grateful that he didn't get caught and go to prison. You were your father's daughter in that room, and I mean it in the best way; I couldn't be prouder of you.

However, I don't want you to define yourself based on this or anything else you have learned or will learn about your father. You are not him, Holly. You are your own person, and you get to decide who you will be, and from what I've already seen, I know that you'll succeed.

I'm also sorry that we have to move again, but we'll be okay. We always have been, and we always will be.

I love you,

Mom