Losing All But The Fight. (complete) updated.

Chapter 22.

Chapter 22.

I rung my hands in my lap in the front seat of the car as I waited for Josh to hang up the pay phone. Rain pelted against the windshield and cried a hollow sound off the hood, causing me to sink into my own feelings of emptiness, loss.

Josh rushed back and threw open the drivers door, brushing water drops from his hair he wiped his eyes and turned up the defrost for the windows. Despite my dull expression and his damp state he smirked at me, making me feel a little lighter. "Vance is grabbing the stuff in your closet for you and will be there by the time we get there. I'm supposed to tell you that women are supposed to shop for shoes not guns." I laughed picturing Vance's signature duh expression. Smart ass. "His words not mine." Josh let out a deep warming chuckle that dulled the rain as he started the car.

An hour later Josh broke the silence. "What are you thinking about, Kitten?" He asked softly. I don't know when he started calling me kitten? It didn't bother me though. Vance started calling me Ally Cat a long time ago after catching me in a scuffle behind the bar. Really it started as a joke, a way to tease each other. Somewhere along the road though it became an endearment, Josh seemed to make it his own though. I smiled to myself.

"Josh?"

"Hmm?" He glanced at me.

"What does your father do? Why him?" The idea of pulling their entire family into my problems freaked me out. I hoped he wasn't wrong about his father like I once was mine. My views changed rather young. How close were they?

"He's retired." He stated grabbing my attention more. "Kind of. He's bad at being retired. Can't slow down." He laughed. "Vance and I don't know all of his job history but he used to be a navy seal and when we got older he took a position with the sheriffs department so he could stay close. Him leaving on a minutes notice was hard on our mom." He took his eyes off the road to squeeze my hand. "He's a very capable man if that's what your wondering? I think you'll like him."

I nodded. "So you're close?" I was trying to understand.

"Yeah. We're very close." Josh cleared his throat after a moment. "You will be too, kitten. My father's a good man. Smart. Doesn't miss much of anything."

"Like you?" I whispered.

Josh chuckled. "No. I don't." He paused but I avoided the look he gave me by averting my eyes out the window. "Vance is like mom. She's a fun person."

The car grew silent again and after another twenty minutes Josh's voice broke through my wandering mind. "Kitten, you've been pretty quiet the past few week. Is it something else?"

I took his hand and pulled it into my lap, threading my fingers through his calloused warm ones, keeping my face turned out the window. 

Five long gravel roads and a few muddy puddles later we came along a mass of trees with a driveway running through its undergrowth. Josh veered the car right and we crossed a few bumps. It seemed like we were in the middle of nowhere but I wasn't sure. Looks can be deceiving and it's not like I had a map.

We pulled into a clearing that revealed a large red farm house with white shudders and what looked like a greenhouse built off the side of the kitchen, the property seemed littered with several buildings and a large fence that spilled from the main lot and off beyond the trees and fields. This place was amazing. Hidden and it still seemed open except there wasn't another house in site.

I hesitated to get out of the car and Josh cut the engine off, letting out a breath taking in the property on his own. "It's been a while but it never changes." He whispered an smiled taking in my wide eyed expression.

"How are we going to get the boxes through the rain?" I didn't want to leave them out here but I still wasn't sold on bringing them in. Really, I was stalling.

The front door opened and out ran Vance with a few umbrellas, sporting his own. I laughed. "That's settled." Josh smirked and opened his door ignoring the rain. At least it wasn't dumping buckets anymore.

Cracking my door I gave up on my hesitation and stepped out into the rain. Vance ran around to my side and covered me with his own umbrella while he handed me my own. "Hey, Ally Cat." He pulled me into a warm hug. You wouldn't believe it but I hated to be touched. I wasn't used to it before but I needed it from Vance and Josh now. I blamed Vance.

"You miss me?" I asked in an amused tone. Despite my down mood Vance made me feel a little better and I held on tight.

Vance pulled away and looked me over and with another hug he knew I needed spoke. "Mom got you a room set up upstairs. I put your shoes up in the closet." He frowned at me and tried for disapproving. I rolled my eyes and moved to the trunk with Josh.

"Fine." I called to Vance. "Come help me with my weekend shoes." Josh bust out laughing and Vance shook his head grabbing one end of the trunk while I shielded the boxes from the rain and put them on top. Walking with them we made it to the cover of the porch that stretched across the face of the red farm house and the boys set down the case.

Vance dropped his end a little to hard and I scowled. "What?" He asked.

"I don't know what kind of shoes are in there. Careful." I whispered, he paled and I added. "If it were that bad I would know. Just...careful."

Vance opened the door and him and Josh deposited the case inside much gentler. Josh said he would put them up in the room and Vance walked me into the open kitchen area. I dragged behind him and paused as a thin older woman rounded the counter with a mug in her hand. She stuck out her other and I shook it.

"You must be Ally? You can call me Dawn." She spoke in a light musical voice. I smiled and nodded a greeting and eyed her cup. "Oh, dear! Vance she must be freezing." She gave him a pointed look.

"Josh's fault not mine."

"I'll make you fresh coffee." She told me. "Have the boys find you something warm to wear and show you your room. If you need the shower to warm up there are towels in the closet. Are you hungry?" She didn't let me answer and shooed us off up the stairs. "Doesn't matter. You'll eat. I'll make spaghetti."

"Chilli?" I asked with a hopeful expression though I just met the woman.

Vance laughed and Dawn's eyes lit up as she nodded her head in compliance. "Oh you're just like the boys. Of course." She smiled. I wasn't sure what that meant but if I got chili out of the deal...

"Hey." I strolled down the hall to find Josh in the room next to mine. I leaned against the door frame as he shuffled through the back of the closet.

He came out in cotton jogging pants and a white undershirt with a few sweatshirts in his hand. He tossed them on the bed beside me. "Those should fit you. They used to be mine in high school." He laughed. "I don't think mom will ever change these rooms. Seems like its all where I left it just more organized. She wants us to go through our stuff but she always finds a way to distract us when we're here. I think she does it on purpose."

I threw on a clean sweatshirt and pulled my hair free. "She seems sweet."

Josh smiled and held his hand out to help me off the bed where I sat and waited for him. "I smell coffee. You?"

When we reached the bottom of the stairs I paused at the sound of another full voice I didn't recognize echoing through the kitchen and out to us. "It's only dad." He whispered and grabbed my hand again to pull me forward. I hung back a step but stopped dead as I took in the back of another tall form.

The room went silent when Vance and Josh noticed my frozen stature. Dawn noticed and tapped her husbands shoulder to take his attention away from fussing over the pot on the stove. "Sweetheart?" She nodded to me and he turned.

Everything seemed to spin for a moment and my ears began to ring. The eyes. "The eyes." I whispered to myself and looked between Josh and his father. "Jonah..?" I whisper again and the older man stepped forward. His mouth moved frantically and his brows creased in worry as he shouted orders at his sons. My ears rung louder as my world spun.

I felt warm hands guide me to the ground and looked up at Josh. His lips moved but I couldn't hear past the ringing. "The eyes." I mumbled as my vision clouded. "That's why I stopped."

Blackness.