*Hey guys! Thank you all so much for your support for this fanfic. If you like this part, please give it a vote or/and comment. I would love to hear your feedback. This is published on January 4, 2020. The next episode will come out next weekend. Have a blessed day! Enjoy! Remember, the intro song will always be One Foot by Walk the Moon.*

Jeffrey curved up a smirk. "Never thought I would see you again, Guy."

Awkward...

Guy blinked in utter confusion while trembling to find the words to say to his younger brother, who's an assassin now. "Wait-Wait-Wait! Wait, what? Where have you been? How did you become the Ghost? What happened to you?!"

Jeffrey lost his smirk while glaring at Guy. "Why do you care? The only thing you ever did to me was push me away."

"No, I haven't--"

"Really? All you ever wanted was fame and popularity and all I wanted was my big brother back!"

Guy paused, taking in a moment to process what Jeffrey was telling him. "Jeffrey, I--"

"You told me to keep trying, Guy! And I have! But everything I've ever done was a failure! Whatever I tried to be like you, I failed and got bullied for it! I got shoved into worst places than that stupid locker!"

"Really, this is why you wanted to become a Ghost?!"

"They found me and cared for me when you or anyone else wouldn't! They trained me to kill and nothing else. This is something I'm good at. When they gave me the job to hunt you down, I knew it was my time to shine...although I was expecting to show my face to you when you're on your last breath...so you can see your little brother one last time. You didn't care about me...you never had."

The silence filled in the room, leaving Guy's lips quivering. "Jeffrey...you were dead wrong, I did care about you and still do. You ran away...I had to chase you out in that pouring rain!" Guy snapped at Jeffrey, his heart ached to see his little brother like this. "Just to get you back! I don't have any brunkels to get on that bus to get you back that night! I had to go back to our parents and...tell them that you ran away--!"

"Let me guess, they cared less of where I was going--.

"Wrong!" Guy barked, tears streaming down on his cheeks. "Dad had to find you! He's gone for a couple of months just to go looking for you! All of us hung up the posters with your face on it so that the people in StovePipe can help us find you!!! But you never came back!! Dad went back home empty-handed! I lost all the hope that day! I was devastated that year and years ever since then!"

Guy paused, calming himself down while gazing softly at his younger brother. "But then, I had some crazy idea that if I showed off my inventions, I would earn some brunkels or go to some big city for it to be a good start to find you. But every invention that I built exploded. I failed constantly and I lost all hope in my inventions. Do you think that you're the only one who failed at every turn? No...I know exactly how you feel...and...and I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you have to be like me so that you won't get bullied. I should've protected you...I should've stood up for you...I had no idea what I was thinking back in high school but I don't care about fame or popularity...those things aren't important to me anymore. I had a family and friends but they were small...and it's enough for me...but not enough without you in it. I'm sorry, Jeffrey."

Jeffrey didn't know what to think or feel...he half-expected Guy to be scared and begging for mercy or be angry and wanting to strangle his own brother. But he noticed that Guy's reaction was none of that. It was more grieving to watch him talk about what happened that day when he ran away...he thought that Guy just chased after him in the rain because he acted like he cared for his younger brother but later let him get bullied...but that crack in Guy's voice and those tears streaming down on his big brother's face showed him otherwise.

Jeffrey had his brow raised. "You--You are apologizing? Really, apologizing? Is this because you're afraid of me?"

"No, I'm not afraid of you. I-I don't know what or whoever told you that I never cared but, whatever it is, it's not true. If this is how you felt back then, why didn't you tell me?"

Jeffrey tried to hold back his tears. "I didn't think you would understand or care. As I said, all you ever cared about was fame and--"

Guy hugged his tied up brother, interrupting him. "Those things are not as important as you. And I'm sorry if I ever was putting them above you."

Guy broke away from Jeffrey, who had tears streaming down on his face. Guy wiped them away from his younger brother's face. "I wished I knew better."

Jeffrey had the sudden realization...maybe...maybe if he wasn't so emotionally stupid back then...maybe he wouldn't have to hunt his own brother down...why was he getting this feeling all of a sudden you asked? I guess there is some care left in his heart. And maybe...there's something that he also did wrong that he never admitted to either himself or anyone.

Jeffrey exhaled shakily while staring into Guy's soft eyes. "Guy, I also owe you an apology for what I put you through. I didn't realize that you were suffering back then. I thought you would pretend but I see now that I was dead wrong. And even trying to kill you, I actually hesitated. I thought I would get the job done. I thought that I would shrug off the fact that you were my closest brother and killed you anyway. But. I-I guess I was wrong all this time. Do you think you could ever forgive me?"

Guy smiled at while placing a hand on Jeffrey's shoulder. "We can forgive each other."

Jeffrey let all of his anger out on Guy...and he finally got it off of his chest but...what if that's not enough? What if there's more inside his heart? Well, there's only one way to find out...

"I've held a grudge against you for years. I held it in my own heart, letting it hardened; but now I just realized that I was wrong about you and our family. I don't know if they'll forgive me for what I put them through--"

"I'm sure they'll welcome you back with open arms."

"Are you sure?"

Guy smiled and gazed into his brother's eyes softly. "I'm sure."

Jeffrey smiled at Guy. "I forgive you. But if I wasn't stupid back then-"

"Stop, stop, stop. We're teenagers back then. Back then, we were stupid. We've grown up now. I forgive you too, Jeffrey. Let's leave all this behind now."

Jeffrey nodded in agreement. "Right."

Guy untied Jeffrey immediately and Jeffrey zoomed over to him to embrace him tightly. Guy hugged him back, squeezing him.

"I love you, Jeffy."

"I love you too, big brother."

Michael tearfully gazed at them from the distance. "This is so touching."

Both Guy and Jeffrey broke apart while having a moment of warm smiles at each other. A sudden gunshot was heard from behind Jeffrey. Guy slowly widened his eyes in horror while noticing Jeffrey trembling a bit, the droplets of blood staining on his dark coat. Jeffrey collapsed on his knees while holding his chest.

"Jeffrey?!" Guy shouted while holding onto his younger brother's arm. "Jeffrey!"

Jeffrey slipped out a mysterious photograph quickly to Guy. "Guy...t-take it! Take it now!"

Guy snatched the photograph without hesitation while helping his brother up.

Michael glanced up for a quick moment to notice there's another hooded figure...similar to Jeffrey but the identity was hidden. Michael immediately tackled the hooded figure against the wall while the figure was loading his pistol. Guy whipped his gaze up at Michael in concern as he helped his brother up on his feet.

Michael waved his hand to tell Guy and Jeffrey to run. "Go! Go! Before he gets both of you!"

Guy nodded and put Jeffrey's arm over the back of his neck and strutted quickly towards the door. The figure shoved Michael out of the way and took another shot at Jeffrey in the back.

Jeffrey yelped in pain while Guy pushed the door open quickly and closed it.

"Guy...I'm only going to slow you down."

Guy didn't listen to Jeffrey's warning as they ambled in the dirt road outside of the hole and slid into the tiny bedded of grass...behind the bushes. Jeffrey groaned in pain while losing more blood. Guy ripped a huge leaf off of a low branched tree next to him while he put pressure on Jeffrey's wound. They heard more gunshots in the hole while Guy pushed into Jeffrey's wound.

"Hold that there," Guy commanded softly while hearing sirens coming towards Michael's fox hole. Jeffrey did as he told him to. Guy was about to bolt towards the police about his injured brother but Jeffrey gripped around his arm tightly.

Jeffrey's breathing became heavy and ragged while tears edged out of his eyes. "Guy...don't."

"Why?"

"Wait! You got the wrong guy!" They heard Michael pleading. Guy whipped his focus on Michael, who had handcuffs behind his back while having that caged trap around his snout.

"Officers! Please, I'm not a murderer! You got the wrong---"

The cops carelessly shoved Michael into the back of the cop car. The cop cars zoomed out of the place without further inspection in Michael's hole.

Jeffrey hissed while clenching his teeth together and putting pressure on his own wound. "Guy-"

Guy turned to his younger brother to stare at Jeffrey's bleeding wound on his chest. "Jeffrey, you--you're going to be okay."

"No." Jeffrey shook his head while grunting to scooch next to Guy. "I only will slow you down."

"No, you won't...we need to get you to a hospital and--"

"Please...don't...he's going to kill you."

"Who's going to kill me, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey moved his eyes at the photograph Guy was holding. "I can't say his name out loud...you-you can't either."

Jeffrey coughed up a bit of blood on his lips, tears edging out of his eyes but he cornered a faint smile to not let Guy worry too much. "Huh...that's funny. I used to not be afraid of dying...thinking that I have nothing to live for...but--but I-I final--finally found a reason to live...and now...I'm afraid of dying."

Guy raised his brow while looking into his brother's pale eyes. "What is the reason, Jeffrey?"

Jeffrey sniffled while whimpering in pain. "Y-You. I-It took me years to realize that...but--"

"No, stop. We're going to get you help."

"Okay."

"Just hang on...okay, hang on, Jeffy," Guy said this as he immediately stepped out of the bushes and searched the hole across from them for a phone.

While Guy was trying to look for a phone, everything began to go dark. Jeffrey clutched his chest while relaxing his head in the bed of grass. Before Jeffrey can close his eyes, Guy hopped over the bushes to check on him...but...he couldn't even hear Guy's words.

~.~

"Jeffrey!" Guy screamed, his voice strained. "Jeffrey! Come on, stay awake! The ambulance is on its way! Come on, stay with me!"

Jeffrey rested his head on Guy's hand, finding it to be softer than the bed of grass. "I-I'm only going to-to slow you down."

"No, I lost you once! I'm not losing you again like this!" Guy cried out, tears stretching down his cheeks.

Guy heard sirens blaring through the dirt street, immediately putting the photograph on top of his head and his hat to guard it. The paramedics found Jeffrey becoming pale with Guy holding him. The paramedics were able to lift Jeffrey up onto the hospital bed and rolled him into the back of the ambulance. Guy, of course, volunteered to ride in the back with Jeffrey. Jeffrey stared up at Guy, trying to stay awake.

"I-Is it just me or-or is the room getting...dark?" Jeffrey croaked, panting.

Guy bulged his eyes out while shaking his head. "They-They are going to help you, Jeffrey."

The ambulance arrived at the hospital finally as the paramedics rushed Jeffrey into the emergency room. Guy wanted to go with them but they instructed him to wait in the waiting room. Guy sat there...waiting and waiting. He rocked back and forth a little with anxiety and rubbed his hand nervously. He kept darting his gaze between his feet on the floor and the hallway where he saw his younger brother go into. He couldn't sit anymore. He paced back and forth in front of his seat, muttering to himself.

Guy noticed a nurse coming to approach him with a gentle smile on her face. He sighed in relief while bombarding her with questions about Jeffrey being okay. That's when the nurse lost her gentle smile and took him over to sit down in his seat. She sat next to him and told him everything. Everything about his brother gently and caring but that only made Guy's heart sank to the bottom. Jeffrey's dead. It was too late to save him from those wounds. Guy held in his tears while shaking his fists, having the urge to curse at himself. The nurse gently rubbed Guy's fist, trying to assure him that his brother was in a better place now.

But that didn't stop Guy from bursting into tears. The nurse put her arms around Guy and hugged him and he hugged her back. She apologized for what happened to Jeffrey and offered for Guy to see him one last time.

Guy nodded his head and strolled with the nurse to the room where Jeffrey laid on the hospital bed peacefully.

The nurse left the room to give Guy some alone time while he sauntered across the room and sat next to Jeffrey on the chair next to the hospital bed.

"Jeffrey," Guy called quietly, tears streaming down his cheeks while putting his hand on Jeffrey's. "I-I don't know what to say...without crying. I thought that I can tough this one out...but...here I am. I love you, Jeffy...and I want you to know that first and foremost."

There's silence in the room while Guy whimpered and held onto Jeremy's warm hand tightly, "What am I going to tell our parents, Jeffrey? What am I going to say to them? I want all of us to be reunited. I want them to see you again and welcome you back, in the same way, they welcomed me in when I first returned home after so many years but-but you're gone again...and it wasn't even your doing."

Guy let out more tears while resting his head on Jeffrey's shoulder. "Please, Jeffrey...wake up, please. Don't die...not yet...not yet...please."

Jeffrey didn't respond, his body laid on the bed lifelessly. 

Guy wiped the tears away while gazing into his brother's face with swollen eyes. He caressed his hand over Jeffrey's cheek. "You know, I lost you once and I found you. I lost you again...I-I failed everything...I failed you as a brother...I won't ever get a second chance to fix my mistakes. If only...if only...if only I chased after you when you ran out of the school...if only I defended you from bullies instead of just passing by and ignoring you...or made it as if it's not that big of a deal. If only I hadn't focused so much about being liked by other people. I-I would've been a better brother."

This is not your fault, Guy...none of this is your fault.

Guy couldn't utter a word while rubbing his head to leave his brother in peace. The doctors and the nurses watched Guy sauntered out of the room and down the hallway, dragging his feet. With his head hung low, Guy's dried and tired eyes leaked continuously. He couldn't look up to the people around him, who were staring at him with concern. However, they rubbed it off to mind their own business...as they should. Guy gloomily strolled into the lone room where no one was there to hear him. With the sign stating about the soundproof door behind him, Guy let out a painful wail. He shook his head and fists while thrusting himself against the wall. He sat down on the cold floor and folded his arms around his legs to curl himself up and cry.

"Why? Why?" was all Guy could ask himself while sobbing. He felt something on his head while he lifted his old hat off and drew out a picture Jeffrey gave him and it tore into him more. The picture revealed that both Guy and Jeffrey were both kids and they were building their own treehouse. Their parents were there, cheering them on.

Guy sighed again while wiping away his tears from his dried eyes. "What am I going to tell them, Jeffrey?"

He heard the television going off while getting up to his feet and exiting out of the isolated room. Guy strolled in gloomily while staring at the television in the waiting room. 

"Breaking News," A news anchorman spoke up inside the television. "Murders have happened nearby a fox hole where a fox was arrested for the crime he claimed he had not committed." 

Guy noticed a clip that showed Michael struggling in the grips of the policemen while going into the courthouse.

"I'm innocent!" screamed Michael, his body rattling against the policemen's hold. "I'm telling you, I'm innocent!!" 

Guy sighed while staring at the picture. He flipped over the picture but this time, it stopped him from his thoughts, those depressing thoughts. Nothing to bring joy...nothing to bring sadness...but what it did bring was rage. It wasn't Jeffrey who Guy was angry with...it's the name that was written on the back of the photo.

Jeckles Abbot.

Guy suddenly knew what he had to do while staring back at the television. He saw the judges proclaiming Michael guilty but deep down he knew Michael was innocent. 

To Be Continued...

*The outro song will always be Whispers in the Dark by Skillet.*

https://youtu.be/chrPjWPG-nk