Promises

Summary: Sometimes the most comforting thing is knowing that some promises will never be broken.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show. ;)

A/N: I've been on a bit of a 'twin' roll lately I guess. This one goes along with "Forget Me Not" and will take place before an upcoming story called "With Each Sunrise." I guess you can call this the 'new' twin miniseries, but it's really not. They just inspired me lately. :D OH! I'd like to give a shout out and a huge thank you to Tami16. :) Your last review I received was so very sweet and really appreciated. I'm glad you liked the story and "Time Will Tell." I almost cried reading that, because it means a lot to me that my readers do like the writing I do. So thank you very much. And Luiz4200: Thanks! :D And James got the engagement rings: one from his mother and one from his father. ;) Hope that cleared things up. Anyway, onward we go!

They always say don't make promises you can't keep. Well, that's good advice, but there are promises that are worth making. A good example would be a promise James and Amber made when they were little and still holds true today…

*Flashback*

"Amber?" a much younger James, all of five years old, asked quietly as he crept into his sister's room one stormy night. He gazed around at all of her drawings she'd recently done, all tacked to her wall for preservation.

"Go away, James," little Amber responded weakly with a sniffle. She tugged her blankets closer, encasing herself within.

Naturally, James wasn't one to back down from a challenge, so he pondered for a moment before grinning and running to the other side of her bed, using her bedside table for leverage. Once he made it to the top, he smiled triumphantly. "I finally did it! Amber, look, I made it up here all by myself!"

The blonde girl sighed and lowered her covers, staring at the boy through teary eyes, her cheeks stained red from crying.

James blinked and crawled over to his sister, lying next to her. "What wrong, Amber?"

"I miss Mommy." With her last spoken word, her voice cracked and she lost herself to tears again.

"Amber…" He frowned. It had been four months since their mother had passed away. Everyone had done their best to keep the twins happy and preoccupied so they wouldn't think about it, and apparently it had worked for him. Amber was a different story. "Amber, look."

Stilling her tears, the little girl looked over to her brother and laughed a little, despite herself.

James had his arms wide open with a bright smile plastered on his face. "I love you this much, and probably more but my arms don't reach that far." He gasped as he fell backwards onto the bed after losing his balance. "I meant to do that."

Amber giggled at her twin's antics. He was always trying to cheer her up, and she appreciated it. She grabbed his hands and pulled him back into his sitting position. Then she hugged him. "I love you too, James."

The young prince smiled and returned her hug. "Hey, let's make each other a promise."

"Hmm?" She sat back, gazing at him. "What kind of promise?"

"Well, let's make a few. One: I promise to always be there for you."

She smiled and nodded. "Me too."

"Two: I promise to cheer you up if you're sad." He grinned when she smiled in approval and reciprocated the promise. "And three: I promise even if no one else thinks about it, I'll remember Mommy and keep her alive."

Amber blinked. "But…she's not alive, James."

James smiled gently and pointed to his chest. "In here. In our hearts." He then looked down and giggled. "But how she got in there, I don't know. Must be magic!" He gasped. "I bet Cedric did it."

The princess smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, James. Cedric put Mommy in your heart." She reached forward and hugged him again. "I like those promises."

The boy laughed as he hugged her back. "Me too."

*Current day*

"Cedric!"

Cedric gasped as he looked up from his book and saw a panting blonde boy at his door. "Um, Prince James?" he asked in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"It's Amber! She just started crying for no reason, and I can't get her to stop!"

The sorcerer pondered a few moments and held up his wand. "Maybe it's her potassium."

"What?"

"That was Baileywick's suggestion when Princess Sofia had random bursts of emotions." He chuckled. "Though it ended up being a spell, so…"

"No, Cedric, she's just crying. I don't know what to do. Do you have a 'happy' spell?"

Cedric blinked at him and folded his arms. "I'm sorry, Prince James. I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. If Princess Amber is sad for whatever reason, nothing I do will make her feel better. Sometimes it's best just to let people be sad for a while, and eventually they'll come around to being happy again." He tapped his wand against his arm. "You do not want me messing with emotions. I learned my lesson the hard way back in sorcery school."

James tilted his head. "What happened in sorcery school?"

He smirked. "Let's just say Greylock had a very hard time coping for a while…" He walked over to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder as he led him toward the exit. "Trust me, Prince James. If your sister is upset, it's best to let her deal with that feeling herself—not for me to interfere. Although sometimes, some reassurance from a family member might work just as well."

The prince nodded with a smile. "I think I see what you mean. Thanks, Cedric!" He took off running down the stairs as Cedric shut the door behind him.

Cedric glanced at Wormwood, who blinked. "I'm apparently a guidance counselor now, Wormy, on top of being a mentor, a teacher, a tutor, and just all around awesome." He grinned.

Wormwood rolled his eyes. "Oh, please…"

"Amber?" James asked quietly as he pushed the girl's door open and slipped inside, closing it behind him. He looked toward her bed and saw that she had her back to him. "Amber?"

"Go away, James," she sighed through an obviously teary voice.

This whole scene reminded him of when they were little, and he'd gotten her to smile then. Maybe he could try again. He moved to the opposite side of her bed and climbed up, scooting to the middle so he wouldn't fall off. He saw his sister's tired amber eyes—her namesake, he thought with an inward laugh—watching him carefully.

James lay next to her and took one of her hands. "What's wrong, Amber?"

"I miss her, James…" She held tighter to his hand as she closed her eyes. "Ever since Daddy had us do that treasure hunt, I…can't stop thinking about her." She glanced up at him. "And you know her birthday is in a few days."

"Oh, right…" Well, no wonder she was so sad. How could he make her happy again? He then smiled as a thought came to him. "Remember those three promises we made when we were little?"

She gazed at him thoughtfully before nodding.

"One, I promise to always be there for you."

Amber sniffled and sighed. "James…"

"Two, I promise to cheer you up if you're sad." He made a face of disapproval. "And you're too sad. Hmm." Knowing he was under her watchful gaze, he grinned and leaned over the bed, searching underneath it. "Ah-hah!"

The girl sat up, curious as to what he was doing. "James?"

He sat up again, face flushed from the previous position. "Here!" He had a stuffed bunny in his hand, and he playfully nuzzled it against her cheek, eliciting the first laugh he'd heard in a while.

"James!" She laughed again and reached up, taking the bunny from him. She smiled. "You really would do a lot to make me happy again."

"Of course! I have two sisters, but I only have one twin." He grinned. "We're kind of a package deal."

Amber rolled her eyes playfully and smiled at him, wiping away her tears and nodding. "I guess so."

"Oh, and promise number three." Seeing he had her full attention, he continued, "Even if no one else remembers to do so, I'll keep Mom's memory alive." He grinned. "And I know just how to do that."

She blinked. "You do?"

"Yep! But it's going to take me a little bit, and it's going to be a surprise. But if I want it to work, then I'd better get started…" He smiled. "You gonna be okay?"

She smiled lightly at him. "I will be."

James nodded and kissed her cheek playfully before sliding off the bed and hurrying around. "See ya, sis. Oh, Amber?"

Amber glanced toward him.

"I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too, James." She waved as he left in a giddy hurry, anxious to get started on his surprise. Amber leaned back against her pillows and pondered their promises before sighing in content.

True, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, but these were different. These promises meant something…and she was curious as to just how James planned to bring the third promise to life.

The end (and to be continued in "With Each Sunrise")