Gone

25.

The next few months go by quickly and Amoura gets more and more comfortable where she is and she's not sure if that's good or bad.

"Hey Stone? What exactly are we here for?" Luna asks her as Amoura and Lee get off in the towns small parking lot. "I need more hygiene stuff and new bras mine are useless and old." They walk around town in no rush to return to the compound.

Six stores later and one too many things Stone heads to the truck to leave her bags. Amoura catches someone staring at her in the reflection of the truck window. "Alphonse?"

Stone turns but he's gone, she takes off running trying to catch up to him. Just as she's about to give up searching she catches his scent and follows it to a back alley.

"Alphonse." He turns to look at her and breaks into a sad smile. "You've changed," she stares at him, "so have you, the Alphonse I know wouldn't let me chase him around a town." He walks up to her and touches her check.

"For some reason being near you only makes me miss my brother more." Stone squeezes his hand, "I'm sorry about Alexander. It's my fault he's dead," the sad smile returns, "you never wrote back after that letter I sent you. I almost believed you never received it." Stone lets his hands go.

"I didn't know what to say, he died helping a pack I left." Alphonse grabs her hand and raises her jacket, "you left your parents pack." Stone nods.

"I felt guilty, he died protecting them, when if he had stayed to his coven he'd be alive, I'm sorry." Alphonse squeezes her hand, "don't be we both know he would do anything for you."

"I didn't want him to die for me," Alphonse hugs Amoura as if she could bring him comfort.

"You alright Alphonse?" He stays quiet and Amoura returns the hug, "you'll be okay Alphonse, you will, it going to take time but the day will come."

He lets her go and hands her a letter, "here, he was writing this to you when he died." He leaves the envelope in her hands before caressing her cheek again, "my brother and I always did have similar taste." He kisses her forehead before vanishing.

Amoura holds onto the letter as she walks back to the car dumbfound, did he come all this way just for this? To give his brother peace? Maybe it was to give himself peace of mind.

"Stone! Where did you go? You left the truck door wide open!" Lee snaps Amoura from her thoughts. "Sorry I thought I saw someone watching me," She tucks the letter away in her pocket and joins Luna and Lee for lunch before heading back to the compound.

Amoura makes her way to her room and unpacks the things she got.

"Here," She hands Jural a bag, "whats this?" He asks as he digs into the bag, "a compromise, you can still be naked, just covered. They're aprons. Long ones." He smiles and takes them out of the bags, after all these months Jural still refuses to put on pants so Amoura sleeps in just to avoid seeing him naked.

"Alright, you hungry, I can try an apron on right now." Amoura wasn't in the mood to joke around, "I just ate, I'm gonna go to bed." Amoura heads to her room only to sit on her bed and stare at the envelope, unsure of what to do next.

"Hey, what's wrong? I've lived with you long enough to know something is up." Jural walks in after her.

"I bumped into an old friend today. He was my fiances' brother and he gave me the last letter Alexander wrote and I'm afraid to open it, mainly cause it's not even closed." Amoura slides her fingers across it as if its glass, "I stopped talking to him when he told me he sided with my parents when they decided to enlist me in the S.I.D.O."

"What are you afraid of?" Jural asks as he sits on the floor in front of her, "I'm afraid he wrote that he understood why I was angry. I'm afraid that he wrote that he's upset that he didn't see why I got mad. I'm afraid of having to say goodbye all over again." I stare at the letter.

After all this time I'm afraid of feeling like I betrayed him. It's been two and a half years, I shouldn't be afraid of anything. But I'm scared for some insane reason." She sets it down beside her, "do you want me to read it for you?" Amoura nods viciously, so he picks it up and opens it.

"Amoura, you're parents are fine, in case a part of you still wonders about them. You're sisters ask about your well being, but your younger brothers just ask who you are, for they were to young when you left to remember you. Even though you're probably thinking you didn't leave they threw you away.

I know you've painted them as these people who sent you away to die, but I honestly believe you don't wish that were true, so talk to them Amoura. Because it's not true. It's just a bad misunderstanding, please do you honestly want to live without your parents?

Your birthday is this week so in case my next letter doesn't get to you in time, Happy twentieth birthday. Alphonse is lost somewhere in the Caribbeans, says he's having a blast. Though I can't image how, it's hot over there, but I'm happy for him. Alphonse wants to live up his last few years of freedom for when you return and we get married he'll be taking over.

At least I'm still hoping we're still getting married, I'm hoping you found yourself and finally saw why it was your parent's enlisted you in the first place, I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner that I agreed with your parents in wanting to help you see the world on your own, they were hoping the S.I.D.O would give you the independents you've always wanted, they just didn't know how to explain it.

Honestly I'm still surprised he agreed to take over so you and I can be together, but I guess overall it's your happiness he cares about. Regardless of why he's doing it, I'm glad we'll get to spend our lives the way we want. I hope we get to see the northern lights, we can lay on the snow and watch them all night like you've

"I'm sorry Stone that's all of it. Can I ask what happened with your parents?" She tells him what they did, "Stone what if he's right and it's just a misunderstanding?"

Amoura looks at her hands, "you don't send your child to war to help her mature, you send her to a college away from home, or let her travel the world," Stone takes back the letter and stuffs it in her duffle bag.

"There's nothing left for me there," Jural slides over and sits next to us, "it's always when we can't go home that we wish we could." Jural squeezes her hands, "you still have a chance Stone."