A soft sigh came out in a gentle swirl of fog, and dark eyes watched as the mist swirled then disappeared in the inky night air.
   The white Christmas lights surrounded the house they were watching. Bathing the immaculate yard in innocence.
   Anger coursed through, such bitterness dwelled within now.

   "Come on, it's cold." Demanded a small voice beside him.
   Frowning, he shook his head of the thoughts. "Yeah." He murmured wearily, "Let's go, there's nothing here anymore."
   They trudged on in silence. The air turning colder and biting their faces with it's chill.
   "You can smell the pine real well now." His companion commented gently. "And the smell of firewood burning."
   He sniffed once, but didn't need to. The scents were strong on the crisp breeze. He nodded once.
   "She's not coming back, Ike. She's gone."
   Snapping his head up, Isaac glared at his brother. "She'll come back, Tay." He bit out sharply, announcing each word with care so that there could be no mistake. "She will."

   A muscle twitched in his jaw before Taylor walked off, Isaac slowly trailing behind him. A few feet down the slippery sidewalk, he spun around and shoved his brother as hard as he could into a pile of snow and slush.
   "Tay!" Isaac shouted in surprise. "What the hell?!"
   "Why can't you see that she's never coming back?!" He shouted angrily. "Why can't you see that you're killing our family because of her?!" He sucked in a breath of frost. "Why can't you see that she didn't love you enough to stay?!"
   Growling low in his throat, Isaac tackled his brother before standing upright. "Don't you dare say she didn't love me enough!" He barked out harshly. "She loved me, damnit! Me!"
   Taylor got up and threw himself at Isaac. Knocking them both back down into the snow. They rolled and threw punches until their hands ached, and their lungs burned.

   Isaac felt as if his lungs were going to explode, and reluctantly sat up to keep the snow from freezing the back of his neck anymore. "For the first time, Tay… someone loved me and not you." He kept his eyes downcast, "Me. Plain old Isaac. Not blue-eyed Taylor."
   Slowly he looked up at his younger brother, and smiled bitterly at the shock. "I was never jealous of you, Tay." He confessed quietly, "But sometimes I wished for just one girl to love me over you. Just one. And Crystal did." He closed his eyes at her memory, to see her smiling face again.
   Slowly standing up, Taylor reached his hand out, and helped Isaac up. Together they walked down the block to their home. Was he supposed to tell his brother that Crystal was one of his few secret girlfriends?
   Looking over at him, Taylor shook his head and swore never to tell him.
   Sometimes some hopes and dreams were left unshattered.