Promise from the heart

Chapter 11

Everything happened so quickly after that. It felt like Charlie barely had time to blink before they had moved out of Lucas's house and into Ariel's apartment. He was excited to spend time with his aunt, of course, but too many things had changed in too little a time and Charlie felt he could barely keep up. One more thing and he would lose his footing completely.

At age 12 he had lost two sets of parents and a sibling. Charlie tried his best to hang on, to hold his head above the surface. He had his aunt now, and he tried focusing on that. But it was hard, so hard, when he missed Lucas so much it felt like his chest was full of glass shards wrecking havoc on his heart every time he moved. His biological father could rot in jail for all he cared, as he didn't even remember his face anymore. But Luke? He was not ready to let him go. He didn't want to lose him, even though a part of him knew that he already had.

Last Friday was when they were to move from Lucas's place to Ariel's new apartment. They had been quiet all day, and the little ones had clung to Lucas as much as they could, not even allowing him to go to the bathroom alone. They could feel that something was up. As the eldest, Charlie didn't feel he had the right to do that, but he knew that he wanted to, more than anything.

At 4 pm, Ariel came to the house to pick them up. The kiddies had met her a few times before, but they were still real shy around her. Julian would not let go of Charlie's hand for even a moment, and Brooklyn hid his face in the crook of Charlie's neck. Ezra was apprehensive, but as the little daredevil he was, he at least walked up to Ariel and allowed her to hold his new car. Lucas had bought it for him. He didn't say so, but Charlie knew it was a gift goodbye.

The little ones were young and they might not remember Lucas for long, but while they did, Lucas preferred if he was remembered fondly. It may seem silly, but he figured a toy car might be able to help with that. While he knew it was the right thing for the children, Lucas felt horrible. He felt that he had not only betrayed the promise he gave to the children, Charlie especially, but that he also had betrayed his late wife. He knew that she would be livid if she knew he was leaving them to someone else. Wherever she was, he prayed she wasn't watching. Not now. Not this.

Julian and Lucas said their goodbyes in their own way. Jules wasn't much for talking, so they listened to Lucas talk while they held hands, and then they hugged. It wasn't a long hug, but it was longer than Julian usually hugged anyone. Lucas was special, just like Charlie, to them.

Then it was the little ones turn.

Brooklyn sobbed in Lucas's arms and got tears and snot all over his shirt, but Lucas was so distracted by child's heartbreak, and his own, that he didn't even notice. And even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. Brooklyn was too little to understand they were leaving for good, but the fact that they were leaving Lucas, for any period of time, was enough to break his little heart. He held onto him until he cried himself asleep. It didn't take long, as Brooklyn had been in the same heartbreaking mood for days.

Lucas squeezed the warm child in his arms, memorising the weight of him snug as a bug and sleeping against his chest. Tears escaped his eyes, but he didn't care. It was a sad day, and it was okay to cry. He kissed Brooklyn's forehead, cheeks and hands and before he passed his sleeping frame over to Ariel, he whispered in his ear, "Daddy will always love you." Ariel accepted Brooklyn into her arms and smiled sadly over at Lucas. Lucas nodded and his lips twitched slightly, but that was as much of a smile he could muster in that moment.

Ezra jumped into his arms after that. First he just spoke to Lucas and babbled about his car and made vroom sounds. Lucas could see that whatever made Brooklyn cry, Ezra evidently thought it didn't apply to him. That was the only reason he wasn't sobbing as well.