Only You- (Robin Arellano x you)

Chapter 20 - Gone

Friday 16th October 1976

"Well kiddo it was good seeing you." Marcus said holding out his hand, I smiled at him and shook it "Stop kidnapping my brother" I say to them. They all laugh. "Never" Sam says. "Bye El" Colby says, the others follow in suite. I smile at them as they walk away, only leaving my brother standing in front of me.

I take a shaky breath in trying not to cry. Josh sees this and tilts his head, "Hey, hey its okay" He says holding onto my face. "Promise me you'll visit again soon" I say desperatley. "I'll be back for christmas, don't worry." He says giving me a sympathetic smile, kissing my forehead and bringing me into a hug that I gladly excepted, squeezing him as hard as I could.

When Josh left home it was the hardest thing ever. He got a Job that allowed him to travel to different places while being payed, he always bbrought something back from his travels to give to me, no matter how cringey it was. And I loved it everytime. Yet I was so undeniably jealous of him, he and Luke escaped, but I was still here drowing in misery. Luke had his wife and kids in Boston, Josh had his friends and job, they were their lifejackets, but where was mine? I was left in the water when I wasn't taught how to swim.

We broke away from the hug, Joshs thumbs wiping away the tears on my cheeks, smiling at me his own eyes glossed. He then glanced over at Mom and Frank. "If he touches you, you call me. Got it?" He says, I nod in response. "No one touches my little girl" He says quietly almost not loud enough for me to hear, almost like it was to himself, as he carresses my cheek once more.

I smiled at him sadly knowing I would never tell him, sure he understood, Frank had done the same thing to him for years, but if I told him everything it would break his heart, and I couldn't do that to him. I know he wants to protect me, but some forces of nature just fight back too hard. Frank would go back to his old ways once Josh was gone. He always did, Joshs threats were empty, he wasn't there to physically defend me, Frank knew I wouldn't tell a soul, so he took advantage of it. Everything that happened in the house stayed in the house.

"Chin up, little man" He says lifting my chin up and giving me a wink. A voice about his flight leaving in about 20mins went off. I look at him"Please" I whisper. "I'm sorry" He whispers back, leaning our foreheads against eachother as I held his hand. We break away once more. He smiles at me "I'll take pictures for you and send them, I'll phone you, keep in touch okay?" He says. I nod in response.

He smiles sadly at me, walking away as he lets go of my hand leetting it drop. "Bye" I whisper, the feeling of his warmth of his hand leave mine, replaced by a cold numbness which he always left in his absence. When he came back I would always re-kindle it, then the oxygen would go, extinguishing the flame.

And just like that in a number of minutes Josh was gone again. Leaving me alone. Everytime he left my heart would shred and I would have to go look for the pieces, and pick them up to patch them on, one by one. It hurt, no one stayed, and I couldn't persuade them to either, it had more become a dull ache to my soul now but I had excepted it. They would all leave eventually, whether I wanted them to or not.

(A/n Two chapters in One day, watch me go)

-Toby