Lost But Not Forgotten (Frank/Open)

[The Fearless Sausage Cook]

Frank read her words with a frown. While he had no real love for his dad he was sad to see his parents relationship going down the tubes, if only because that meant that Emma was in the crossfire. That they were blaming her for their own problems. While he had a little more sympathy for Mom, that much had been all but erased when he figured out that Emma wasn't getting the letters and packages he had been sending to her. While he couldn't give too much of a damn for their personal happiness at this point there was a sense of a desire for one for Emma. So she could be in a loving family, the family she deserved. The one that once upon a time they had. The one that had seemingly died when he walked out the front door. A regret that now he wasn't sure if he could overcome. While he acknowledged that it wasn't one hundred percent his fault, he surely felt like it was. And that wasn't to absolve him from any responsibility either. He could only utter, "I'm sorry that the family has seemed to fall apart for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

As Frank told her about his take on the surgery and her not having to have it if she didn't want to he had to admit he was almost impatient to hear her answer. Not because he wanted to rush her or anything, he just wanted to hear what she thought. It didn't have anything to do with her writing either, just one of those things that made him a little anxious he guessed. But the welfare of his little sister? How could it not? Really. But when she finally gave him his answer he would simply nod. It was an answer that calmed his impatience, even if it was a "i will think about it". He honestly hadn't expected her to come up with an answer one way or another.

When she started writing again Frank would notice the shaking of her hand as she did so, causing him to wonder what exactly it was that she was writing. Knowing that it had to be something important or she wouldn't be so nervous. But when she finally did turn it around for him to read Frank would give a guilty sigh and look at her apologetically, "No, Emma, you didn't make me mad that day. It wasn't because of you I left. Nothing you did made me leave Emma. I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you, when Dad kicked me out I was shooed so fast I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Dad kicked me out because I didn't want to take over the family business. I didn't want to work in a construction company my whole life. I wanted to cook. Dad didn't take it too well that I was vehemently opposed to living the life he laid out for me. Knowing I'd get kicked out I enlisted, a way to cook, see the world and get paid, i just never thought Dad would tell me I wasn't his son anymore, or that he'd keep me from staying in touch. I'm sorry it all blew back on you, really I am."

Frank looked down at his feet in shame. He was the older brother. It was his job to protect her, and he failed, on so many levels. It was quite astounding to him really. But the main point was, it wasn't her fault. Only his. He should have tried harder. Should have found a way but he failed...

[Emma Anderson]

Emma "listened" to his story intently. She hung on every word for that matter. She wanted to believe him and on this, she did. Tears streaking down her face, she would watch him rather intently, her tongue slowly brushing along her lips as she sniffled and tried to keep her nose from running. Those first few words, they were probably the best words she had ever seen. She felt like a weight, a weight she had carried around with her for the past eleven years, was lifted and like she could breath a lot more easily.

Eventually, she would smile, though it was short lived as the story was laid out for her, and she was informed about what the fight had been about. She had never thought that Dad would say something like that to Frank, not when she remembered so well how he used to be so proud of her older brother. But she could see in his eyes, at least this time, that he wasn't lying. The whole thing only providing her with more information to work over in her mind and to try and make sense of.

She wasn't sure what to think, but she did know that she was so happy that he was here. So happy that he was back in her life. She only hoped that it would stay that way. She didn't want to lose him again.

When he apologized, she would simply shake her head and give a little smile. Telling him it was okay without writing it down. A single step forward, intent upon wrapping her arms about him once more, though about that time, a loud, booming voice would echo from somewhere off to the side of where they were. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!"

Emma of course didn't hear it, and she saw nothing just yet to make her stop and look around. No, she just saw him, and what was in her line of sight, and so she would finish what she set out to do, wrapping her arms about him and pressing her head into his chest. But no sooner had she done such, than a hand would grab her arm about the bicep, jerking her away from Frank so hard that she stumbled and nearly fell.

In fact, she would have, yet the grip wretched her arm so tightly, that it held her upward, twisting her arm in a rather harsh manner and drawing a small yelp of pain from her as she struggled to regain her footing. Only when she did this, did those bright emerald hues fall upon the figure who had quite easily terrified her by this point.

Their Father.

The breeze that blew between them quickly making it clear that he was drunk, the scent of liquor on his breath catching her nose as she tried to jerk away, tried to use her free hand to sign to him that she was okay, that she wasn't hurt, or that she didn't want to leave Frank. But she couldn't, and he was pulling her away to quickly before stopping and releasing her to point at her stuff, GET IT NOW!

[/b]

The force with which he spoke, she couldn't read what he was saying, and a look of fear and confusion filled her eyes as she tried to tell him she didn't understand...though he didn't pay attention once again, and would simply scoop down and jerk up the bag and everything else that he knew to be hers, shoving her hearing device into her hand as she moved to get between him and Frank, her worry being that he might do something to her brother, since she honestly didn't know what to think.

But then, he had her arm again, a glare cast over her shoulder to her brother as he began to harshly jerk her away and toward the parking lot once more, again gripping her so tightly that she could not help but release an involuntary sound of pain and fear. Tears washing down her face.

"You! If you had kept your fucking pants on none of this would be happening! Stay the hell away from Emilia!" A growl in the mans words, though when she tried to read what he was saying she couldn't, only leaving her that much more confused as she hurried to try and keep up and prevent herself from being dragged along...yet managing to cast a look back over her shoulder toward her brother as she did, her free hand coming up and signing out a single phrase, though she knew that he wouldn't know what she was saying. I love you.

Despite everything, he was still her big brother and no matter what had happened, she still loved him. She just, couldn't tell him....and in that moment, she wished more than anything she could talk and hear like normal people. Still, once she had signed that, she would turn away and hurry along with her Father once more, no other real option in the matter. Too terrified and confused right now to really do anything else. [/blockquote][/font]

[The Fearless Sausage Cook]

Frank couldn't help but let out a small smile as he watched that weight lift from her chest is seemed. When he told her that he wasn't mad at her, that she had nothing to do with why he left. He was glad for that. That at least she didn't think that he left because of her. Specifically to walk out on her. No, that was the later part of the story, the part where his little smile faded away at her short lived smile. Genuinely sorry that he kept shattering perceptions of the family today. Though when it was all said and done he had to admit that he was happy. Especially as she told him, without saying it that he didn't need to apologize through that bright smile.

Frank's arms widened as she stepped forward for a hug, though his attention was ripped to his side at that booming voice. That voice was all too familiar. As her arms wrapped around him and his her Frank would watch their father jerk her away from him. Already angry Frank was in attack mode and for once he had every right. His Father was on school property where he wasn't allowed and could be considered harassing one of his students. Oh goodie the technicalities. What fun this would be, especially as Emma's yelp of pain caused Frank to take a step forward. As the breeze pushed the man's scent towards him he was clearly drunk. Another strike against him as the man screamed at Emma to get her stuff, only doing it himself when she couldn't understand him.

Unfortunately Emma decided to get between him and his father. Disappointing because Frank was not about to shove her out of the way to get to him. That just wasn't the type of person that he was. Not with her. Though when that next jerk on her arm caused her to yelp out in pain he would take a few steps in the man's direction, only to be stopped by his words. Kept it in his pants? What the fuck did that mean? None of this would have happened? The accident? What the hell was this drunk saying? Though Frank wanted to dismiss it as ramblings of a drunk man, for whatever reason he couldn't.

It would have stopped him, and he would have watched them walk of, until Emma signed that thing to him. What he didn't understand. It was sad though, longing. And that snapped him out of it enough to know that his sister was being carried off by a drunk. This gave him cause to walk towards them, quickly catching up with them, grabbing the pinky and ring finger of hand holding onto Emma and ripping the fingers back without a second thought to free his grip, whether it be of his father's own will or fingers breaking. And with that his hand would slide to the man's wrist, grabbing it and twisting his arm behind his back ans slamming his father into a wall, holding him there. All of this quite effortless. Though he'd growl out first, "What the fuck did you mean, keep it in your pants?"

His first question now that he knew Emma was safe...

[Emma Anderson]

Emma was trying to tug on her Father's hand, to try and get his attention so that she could figure out what was going on. But before she had the chance, there was a flurry of movement and she stumbled back, watching as Frank grabbed their father and pinned him. She gave a soft cry, her entire body trembling as even more confusion seemed to wash over her.

She could see they were talking, but the angle that they were at, prevented her from being able to read their lips and so she didn't know or understand anything that was happening. Instead, she would just run forward and grab hold of her brother's arm, trying to pull him back and away from their Father, to stop this before it got any worse than it already was. She didn't want to lose him again and with this, she would be lucky if her parents ever let her come back to this school or if they didn't pack up and move her away.

Whimpering softly, she would tug on him once more as the man he had pinned spoke up in a grunted, angered tone. "You dumbass..."

[/color] Laughing a bit through his drunken slur as he tried his best to shake his head.

By this point, Emma had given up trying to pull Frank away, and the more she saw them talking, and the less she understood, the more mad and frustrated she became. Enough so that she would grab up her backpack which had fallen on the ground during that little scuffle, tuck that hearing device into the side pocket and turn around to run off. Though she didn't head back to school, but instead out of the main gates and out of sight all together. She was going home, of course, because that was all she knew and right now, it was the only place that made sense.

Eventually, seeing his daughter run off, their Father would jerk away and stumble back away from his son, looking at him through a haze and narrowed eyes. "She is adopted huh? Ever stop to wonder why the fuck she looks like you then!?"[/b] Staggering back and toward the car, he didn't give Frank a second thought. No, now all he wanted was to get home and wait for Emma so he could apologize or at least so he could make sure she made it home safe. Getting into his car and within moments peeling out of the parking lot and out of sight.

The only thing left behind, the art book that Emma had been using to write down her words to Frank, and the picture of the two which must have fallen out of her wallet in the midst of all the commotion. [/blockquote][/font]