Hi everyone! This an AU where Ethan never arrived with Cal in S28(?), and was in fact, not with Cal for most of his life (for something that will be explained later on). This is a relatively dark fic, so be careful. Other than that, enjoy!

Cal sat in the staff room, a smirk playing on his face as Max and Lofty argued over who would get the last digestive. Unbeknownst to them, Robyn had snuck past them, and managed to craftily gobble it up, infuriating the two young men. The joking atmosphere dissipated as Lily walked in. Cal's smirk remained, but he hopped up, following his three friends, while Lily began making a mug of tea.

"Dr Knight, you have crumbs on your shirt," Lily commented without missing a beat, her eyes not leaving the mug "best not look unprofessional in front of Ms. Beauchamp." Cal's eyes immediately descended to his chest, where the crumbs sat. Blushing, and thanking Lily, he ran his hand over his shirt, while Max sniggered at her comment. A quick swipe to the back of Max's head quelled the laughter, but Max still had a smile on his face.

Cal walked towards the cubicles, his face now impassive, where he was dealing with a boy with a broken arm. As he approached the bed, he saw the woman placing a hand on her somewhat rounded stomach, showing she was pregnant, while the little boy was on the verge of tears, clutching his leg.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Knight, and who're you," Cal asked gently, bending down to examine the boy's leg "ooh, that's looks sore! How did this happen?" The boy shied away, frightened, but the mother smiled in an apologetic fashion.

"Sorry, he was playing out in the road, and I backed into him," the mother confessed, somewhat ashamed "I didn't see him of course!" Cal merely smiled, and his eyes descended from the woman's thin face to her protruding stomach.

"So how far along are you," Cal asked with a smile, and the woman's eyes widened, her mouth agape, and Cal's grin fell within seconds "oh no, I'm so sorry-"

"I'm only pullin' your leg," the woman cackled, and Cal felt relief flood his system, and the young boy giggled at his mother's antics "I'm five and a half months. Feel terrible, but that's what comes with it." Cal nodded, his fingers gently prodding the boys legs.

"Do you have any kids," the woman inquired "you're a good lookin' bloke, I'm sure you could find a pretty wife if you want." Cal smiled at her compliments, while her son's face contorted in pain at the sensation in his leg.

"No, no kids," Cal shrugged "not at that point yet!"

"What about siblings? Brothers or sisters," the woman asked curiously, and Cal's face immediately turned impassive, and his jaw clenched. He looked down, a feeling of guilt building in his gut.

"Um..no, no siblings," Cal said, a layer of sweat now settling on his forehead, feeling as though he was being interrogated by the woman, and he stood up abruptly "I-I'm sorry, I need to take a minute." He rushed away, quickly sending Robyn to deal with the mother and son, who looked shocked at this development.

Cal walked into an isolated hallway, covering his face with his hands, breathing heavily into his hands. It had been 15 years, why was he so worked up over this? He should be over it by now.

And yet, he wasn't.

Quickly storming out of the hallway, and barging his way into the staff room, much to the surprise and irritation of Mrs. Beauchamp. He ignored her demands, and grabbed his coat, striding towards the doors, everyone questioning him. He didn't care about their inquiries, he instead continued on his way.

Getting in his car, he sped out of the hospital, secretively glad he didn't accidentally run into an ambulance. He had gone through this routine a million times, but every time he did, weight always pressed down on his chest, almost as if someone was sitting on his chest.

"Just turn back," Cal whispered to himself, yet his body did the opposite, as he pressed down on the accelerator "just turn back..." He knew he had no will to do as he said, and resigned himself to go to where he was headed anyway. In the distance, the building started to materialise, almost an eyesore in the middle of the picturesque countryside.

As he parked in the space, he noted the lack of cars. He shouldn't be shocked, many people had abandoned their family after doing something abhorrent, but something of this scale didn't match up at all. Cal however, knew he had an obligation after what he had done.

He went through the formalities, the pat downs, everything, before he was given the all clear, and led to a small room, devoid of other human presence. It was cold, and didn't give the impression of being cared for. The corners of the room were homes of dust piles, and cobwebs populated the upper corners.

Suddenly, the door behind the partition in front of Cal opened, and his brother walked in. His little brother, Ethan, who didn't look at home at all. The orange jumpsuit clung to his thin frame, his face void of any kind of warmth, and his eyes were emotionless. He glared at Cal, but sat down, and grabbed the phone beside him, Cal doing the same.

"Hi Ethan," Cak immediately spoke, trying to convey as much feeling as he could into his few words "figured I hadn't seen you in a while.."

"Four months, Cal," Ethan spat, no innocence left in his tone "four months, that you couldn't bother to see me-"

"It wasn't like that-"

"Then what was it," Ethan growled, and when the guard started, stepping forward, Ethan waved his hand to deter the guard "what was so important that you forgot about me? Your only family left? Am I not important enough? You got a bimbo at home to cater to?" Cal felt his blood boil, but quashed his feelings.

"Cal," Ethan began a new sentence, which was now filled with vulnerability "I'm getting out. In a week." Cal's eyes widened slightly, and his heart began beating quickly, his brain beginning to panic.

"B-But you got twenty years," Cal stuttered, shaking his head "someone died Ethan!"

"No, the fire killed someone," Ethan spat "I just started it...apparently."

"B-But how are you getting out early," Cal demanded, and the guard gave him an acidic look, causing Cal to quell his anger instantly "you still have a five years!"

"Good behaviour," Ethan shrugged, and then stood up, but then leaned over the counter "be here; next Thursday, 2:00. Don't forget about me this time." And with those words, Ethan left Cal sitting there in shock.

Cal felt like he was in a waking coma as he exited the prison, almost falling over due to his crazily palpatating heart. As he fell into his car, he placed his elbow on the steering wheel, and placed his face in his hands. He remembered how the fire happened..although some details might've gotten twisted.

"Ethan, your food will be ready in a few minutes, stop asking," an eighteen year old Cal yelled, while a thirteen year old Ethan sighed "just go to your room or something!" Ethan, rolling his eyes, stormed upstairs while Cal contained his anger.

Cal simply stirred the boiling pot, trying to find something to end his boredom. Luckily, that came in the form of a text from a girl, which snatched Cal's attention instantly. Dropping the spoon in the pot, knowing it would only take a minute, grabbed his phone and sat down on the table, grinning as he read over the text.

However, it only took a couple of moments, before flames started to erupt from the stove.