Wakko sat on his bed, listlessly fingering his hat as sadness weighed on him. Ever since he had woken up, he'd been thinking about his parents. He had been so young when they died, it was hard to remember what it was like. But now he knew, because he had experienced it all over again. He hadn't told his siblings about his dream yet… mainly because it was too hard to talk about it. But he knew he couldn't avoid it forever.

The middle Warner's thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound. He looked up to see Yakko sitting up as well.

"Wakko?" He immediately got up and walked over. "What are you doing up? Something hurt?"

Wakko managed a smile. He'd been doing his best to humor his brother, since it was obvious that he still felt bad about everything.

"A little, but it's not too bad."

But Yakko wasn't willing to let it go so easily.

"So what's wrong then?"

Wakko shifted uneasily. As much as he didn't want to make his siblings feel any worse, it felt just as wrong to keep lying to them. He weighed his options, then finally released a heavy sigh.

"It's just…" He bit his lip, then lowered his gaze. "I miss them."

It didn't take Yakko long to work out who he was talking about. With a sigh, he sat on the bed and pulled him into a gentle, one armed hug.

"Yeah, I know. Me too."

Wakko felt a sudden urge to tell him everything, but still he hesitated. His worries weren't for himself… he knew that he had scared his siblings pretty badly, and he hated to make them feel even worse. Finally, though, he just couldn't stop the words from tumbling out.

"I saw them."

He could hear the confusion in his brother's voice.

"What do you mean? When?"

"When I was… out," Wakko replied, a slight quiver in his voice. It still scared him thinking how close a call he'd had. "They said… I could go with them. And I wanted to."

He finally managed to look up, and his throat tightened at the look on Yakko's face.

"But at the same time I didn't," he rushed on. "I didn't want to leave you guys. And now, it just feels like… like I've lost them all over again, and I… I just…"

His voice caught, and he looked down again as tears spilled from his eyes. Before he could continue, he was pulled into another hug. Yakko's voice trembled with emotion.

"I know."

Wakko pressed closer, sniffling as his brother gently stroked his head. At the sound of soft footsteps, he turned to see Dot climbing up on the bed. She looked at him with wide, sad eyes and he knew she had heard everything. Scooting over, she wrapped her arms around him too.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked in a soft voice.

Wakko felt a painful hitch in his chest as he tried to suppress a sob and winced. He felt his siblings tense and quickly reassured them.

"I'm fine."

He bit his lip as he considered how to answer Dot's question.

"I… I was scared," he whispered finally. "I didn't want to… to make things worse, and…"

To his surprise, he felt a light bop on the back of his head.

"What did I tell you about thinking that way?" his sister scolded gently. Wakko couldn't hold back a watery chuckle.

"Sorry."

After a while, they drew back and Dot placed a hand on his arm.

"Can you tell us about it?"

Wakko shifted, still uneasy, but finally took a deep breath and began to talk. Once he had started, everything came tumbling out all at once. He kept his eyes down, only lifting them when he passed on his parents' last request. The looks on their faces struck him to the core, and he looked away again before he would start to cry. The silence dragged on for several moments, but then he felt both siblings press close in another hug.

"Thanks, sib," Yakko whispered. "For coming back."

A faint smile tugging at his face, Wakko lifted his arms to hug them back.

"I had to. All for one and one for all times three, right?"

There was a soft laugh from both his siblings.

"Right."

They sat like that for a very long time.

()()()()()()

"Okay, Wakko, take it easy."

Dot held back a giggle as her brother gave Yakko a half smile.

"Yeah, Yakko, I heard you the first time… and the five times you said it yesterday."

Yakko looked sheepish.

"Sorry."

He stepped back.

"Okay, go ahead."

Wakko started taking slow, careful steps across the room, then back again. He didn't show it, but Dot could tell that just this was wearing him out. She was proven right when he stumbled, then his legs gave out. She made a move to help, but Yakko beat her to it and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa, careful!"

Dot saw her brother's jaw clench with frustration, and she felt a pang of sympathy for him. She knew what it felt like to not be able to do much.

"You're doing better," she said reassuringly. "It'll just take a while."

Wakko looked up at her, then a slight smile crossed his face.

"Yeah."

He still sounded down, but Yakko grinned and patted his back.

"C'mon, sib. If there's one thing we know after all this, it's that you can do anything."

Wakko looked down, looking uneasy.

"You… really think so?"

Dot smiled and hopped down from her seat on the bed. She walked over and gave his head a gentle tap.

"Start using that rock hard head of yours. We always did."

Her smile widened when Wakko looked at her, then his face broke into his usual goofy grin. Yakko grinned too, then placed a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, you better sit down."

Wakko was silent for a few moments as his siblings helped him back to his bed.

"Hey, guys…" he said softly, then looked up and smiled again. "Thanks for not giving up on me."

Dot wrapped her arms around him while Yakko ruffled his hair.

"Like we ever would."

AN: Well, this may not be one of my best works, but it's an idea I've had for a long time and I decided to just give it a go. Anyone who read it, I hope you enjoyed it, and those who reviewed, thank you. God Bless!