Closed RP with [immaculates]

[make_it_hurt]

From here.

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James smiled. "You will be able to, I promise you that. We'll get you both out and you'll be safe." He clutched her tightly to his chest, stroking her hair gently.  "You and Thomas will be safe from him, I promise." And he couldn't do anything less than promise. He had to. He had to get her and Thomas out, and keep them safe, and make sure he would never be able to hurt them again.

Comments

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded. He had just managed to get Becky into clean pants and stood, slinging the bag over his shoulder and her onto his hip. She whined sleepily. "How about a juice box, Beck? We'll get one for Thomas, too."

He headed for the kitchen, retrieved two juice boxes from the ridge he had helped Ella shop for two years ago and gave one to Becky. He settled in the back seat next to Amanda, Becky in his lap. He stared out the window for a few moments, closed his eyes, and sighed, "Let's go."

[immaculates]

Kevan just nodded since they were only waiting for them, before starting the car and starting to drive away, not wanting to dwell more than they should on what they were leaving behind and there was a strange sense of déjà vu here, since they had done this before when they had first picked them up and left Amanda to what now turned out to be quite an awful life, which explained his silence as he pondered on that.

“James, you know we won’t be able to go with you once we get to the station, since we are going in another direction.” Ella bit her lip then. “So do you think you will be able to handle everything at the station once we drop you off, at least till Amanda wakes up and takes over for the rest of your trip?”

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded then asked, "Will I be able to do anything there? I'm not a human, I..." They were going to Germany, where pets had full human rights, but until they got there... He would still be less than human, not even a person. "We should be able to wait in the car until she wakes up, right? The kids'll just go right back to sleep." He poked a straw into the first juice box and gave it to Thomas with a smile, then took Becky's, gave it the same treatment, then passed it back, wrapping her hands around it gently.

She started to drink happily.

[immaculates]

“James, the quicker you’re both out of here the better, do you really think she won’t try to find a way to try to slip away and do whatever she wanted to do?” Kevan’s voice was maybe a bit to firm, but he didn’t thought he was that off the mark and it wouldn’t help she was going to be so pissed at James once she was up. “We will help you to get her in the train, we will come up with something and then I think it should be fine, you have a compartment to yourselves and you might just need to hand the tickets.”

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded, a bit hesitantly. He stroked his fingers through Becky's hair. He hoped Amanda wouldn't be too mad and if she was she wouldn't fight with him while with the kids in the same compartment. "Alright..." He sighed and leaned his head back. "I'm going to try to nap..."

[immaculates]

There was a small nod because that was the best that could be done at the moment. There was no more talk in the car after that, which was probably for the best and the silence was only broken when Ella had to wake up James. “We’re here now, Kevan is taking care of your things and we need to move, since you’re due to leave in…twenty minutes or so.”

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded. "Take Becky and Thomas..." He carefully passed Becky off then made a few signs at Thomas before pointing at Ella. Thomas nodded with a hesitant looked towards Amanda.

James was careful as he picked Amanda up and carried her onto the train, following Kevan to their compartment. He settled her down then helped store the luggage.

Becky whined unhappily at the new scents and all the noises and clinged to Ella, but was only too happy to be released back to James's arms.

He took the tickets then said, "Thank you, for everything... We'll try and get in contact as soon as we can..." James hugged each of the carefully with his one free arm.

[immaculates]

Once she had given Becky back to James, she carefully let Thomas down and he didn’t wasted time to go where his mother was laid down and scrambling to climb up to get to her. Ella smiled a bit before she helped him and watched him settle comfortably against her.

“Nonsense you don’t need to thank us.” She handed James a small traveler bag. “All your papers are there and some money, just in case, our number for our new place as well once you’re settled. Also once she wakes up, make sure to explain things to her and…try to get her to not be that angry alright.”

Kevan just snorted a bit. “She’s going to be angry, but this is for the best. We…we wish you the best of luck and call once you’re settled, we need to go now. Take care.”

With one last look at them, they finally moved out and let them go out on their way, hoping for the best for the four of them.

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded and watched them go. He had never felt the same connection with them that he had had with Amanda, but they had been his family for three years, had given himself and Becky a safe place to stay, had made sure they were fed and healthy and stuck up for James's right to stay at Becky's bedside while she was in the hospital.

To see them go... It hurt. But this was all for the best. He clutched the bag to himself and watched them leave before closing and locking the compartment door then pulled shut the curtains.

He sat, scooped Becky into his lap, and waited for Amanda to wake up. If the train left on time, they would already be on their way before she woke up.

[immaculates]

When Amanda finally woke up, she felt a bit confused as to where she was and just a bit panicked because this wasn’t the first time she was waking up and not knowing what was happening. She was lying down that much she could tell and there was a slight rocking motion, which she couldn’t exactly explain or worse use that to know where she was.

And really it took her just a few seconds to remember what had happened, that he had drugged her and she frowned a bit while she moved to sit up, coming to the full realization she was on a train apparently. Feeling a light touch against her hand, she found Thomas looking at her and she couldn’t help but smile before sitting properly and picking him up to settle him against her lap.

Oh she was aware that James was there, she had seen him already, but she didn’t want to talk with him at the moment.

[make_it_hurt]

James had dozed off while waiting for Amanda to wake up, lulled by the movement of the train and also exhausted from being up all night and getting up early the previous morning.

He was woken up by Becky patting on his shoulder. She'd been awake and heard Amanda wake up.

James groaned and opened his eyes reluctantly before he sat up and looked across the compartment at Amanda.

He didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it.

Finally he said quietly, "We're heading to Germany. I'm sorry I drugged you."

[immaculates]

Amanda didn’t said anything to him, she just shrugged and let it be, she was too pissed off at him to be able to say something without just screaming at him and she didn’t wanted to scare Becky or Thomas with anything she might do or say.

Instead she just ran her fingers against Thomas hair and leaned against her seat, pondering on the information he had just given her. Germany was probably an adequate place to go, since he will have more freedom and rights there, but honestly what were they supposed to do once they got there? She will need to find a place to stay and they were whole unprepared for it.

[make_it_hurt]

James glanced between Becky and Amanda, keeping his ears tucked down against his head, a big ashamed.

"We have a hotel room set up already... Should be able to stay there long enough to find an apartment... Ella has friends over there, they already found me a job... It's not much, but it's something." He wouldn't have to stand all day and it wasn't manual labor - sorting and filing forms, mostly. "Ella said since you're fleeing an abusive relationship, you can probably get money from the government to help get you back on your feet..."

He kept his eyes down and his shoulders slumped. His entire body screamed 'submission' and he was careful to keep his hands out in the open and his teeth covered.

[immaculates]

Of course, Amanda should have figured it out, it looked that at the very least they had things ready for him and she had been a bit of a sudden anomaly that had showed up out of the blue, and really she could have not done so, she could have just called but she had wanted to honor whatever little promise she made and come meet him face to face for the last time and this had happened.

She finally turned to look at him. “Am I to expect more drugging in the future?” And yes okay, maybe she was feeling a bit vindictive and it was wrong for her to let it out on him, but she hadn’t liked that and it had triggered a whole can of memories she had done her best to block out.

[make_it_hurt]

James flinched at the question. "No, never," he said and lifted his eyes to look at her. "I'm sorry, I... It'll never happen again." He swallowed hard, reaching up to stroke Becky's back to reassure himself. "I promise." He wanted her forgiveness for doing what he had done, but he knew he would have to earn it. Amanda had every right to be mad at him for drugging her and taking her halfway across the country and onto a train that was going to take them to a completely different country.

[immaculates]

Normally Amanda would have felt bad when she saw the flinch, but right now she was angry enough to ignore it, to oversee it because she had quite valid reasons to be angry at him. “Is that so?” She gave him a bit of a blank look then. “Hopefully you will be better at keeping that promise.” Because this wasn’t the first time she had been promised that and while she knew she could believe James, it didn’t changed the fact she still felt a bit betrayed at what he had done to her.

[make_it_hurt]

He nodded. He would of course keep that promise. James turned and ruffled through the last bag Ella had given him and dug out a pamphlet. "Here's the hotel we're staying in. If you want another room, you should be able to get one." Ella had booked a room with two beds, but Amanda might not want to sleep in the same room as him, especially after all she had been through.

[immaculates]

She looked at him for a bit before moving, being mindful of Thomas, to accept the pamphlet and browse it a bit. Of course Thomas was a bit more interested on the brightly colored thing and the pretty pictures; she just took a cursory glance at it and then let her son carefully watch through it. And really she was so tempted to just get another room, but she needed to be careful with whatever money she had and couldn’t spend more than necessary, an extra room will do just that. “No, it’s okay.”

[make_it_hurt]

James nodded. "Are you hungry?" He went through the bag again - there were sandwiches and drinks in there, mostly for the kids, but there was stuff for them as well. He offered one to Amanda, hoping she would take it.

[immaculates]

Amanda gave him a bit of a blank look, did he really expected her to accept something from him after what happened last time? There was a slight narrow of her eyes before she looked away. "No, thank you."

[make_it_hurt]

James hesitated then nodded. "Beck, here, you hungry?" He pulled one half of the sandwich out of the bag and put it in her hands, then ate the other half himself. He kept his eyes down on Becky, finished his half in a few minutes then dug around a bit more before coming up with a few bills. He offered them to Amanda, "There's vending machines... I saw them a bit further up the train." He pointed in the right direction. "If you want something."

[immaculates]

Amanda took a deep breath and dared to draw the drapes from her side of the window to look outside, at the changing scenario, and given the reaction she got from Thomas he was more than happy she had done so since he was now close to being plastered against the window pane. She turned to look at James; she did consider the machines and then suddenly thought of something, looking down at her son and catching his attention to ask if he was hungry and wasn’t surprised when he said yes.

Carefully she set Thomas on the seat, and his attention was once again to looking out the window, before she picked up her purse clearly not going to accept the offered money. “Can you watch over him for a bit?”

[make_it_hurt]

James's ears flickered back, unsure. Something in her expression told him something was wrong, but he didn't know what. Finally he nodded. "Alright." He set Becky next to him then said, a pleading tone in his voice, "Don't do anything that will leave him alone. Please. He needs you, Amanda." He wasn't going to stop her, or confront her, and he knew she would always think of Thomas, but she would put her son first to the point of losing herself. And James couldn't stand even the thought.

[immaculates]

Amanda just gave him a bit of a startled look and looked confused for a few seconds. “...I’m not doing anything, James, where do you think I could go on a moving train anyway?” She shook her head a bit and moved to ruffle Thomas hair, before after a bit of pondering, she also gently petted Becky’s hair, which seemed to perk her up a bit. “I will be right back.”

She had to unlock the compartment door, before she finally left in search of said vending machines or anything else. Turned out she took longer than expected, when she returned she had a bit of a small thoughtful expression before sitting down and giving Thomas small pieces of an apple croissant. “We apparently have trolley service and access to the restaurant in the train since we apparently have first class tickets.”

[make_it_hurt]

James sat, tense and nervous, until Amanda came back. He didn't relax until she came back in and even then he relaxed only a fraction. He nodded slowly, knowing that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the restaurant or even buy food from the trolley. That was still a service only given to humans. Until they left the train in Germany, he was still a pet, still under Amanda. "I'm going to try to sleep," he said and started moving bags to the floor. He laid down, curling up with his back to Amanda, and closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to come.

It didn't, and he laid awake for a long, long time.