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Part Twenty-Four

"Who's the other one?" Elijah asked out of the blue, eager for a quick response. "The boy."

"Dunno. He hasn't spoken a word since I first saw him, but Sam's parents are super protective over him. Maybe they took him in or something at Jamie's?"

"Or maybe Sam has a brother!" Elijah squealed, accidentally kicking Leo in the stomach and apologizing with heartfelt puppy eyes afterwards.

"Wouldn't Sam know if he had a brother?"

"Not if they gave birth while they were separated!"

"Eli..."

Both Skip and Leo stared at him, waiting for the gears to turn enough for Elijah to understand that in the event Sam did have a brother who was conceived the minute his parents were gone, he would be Four years old, if not younger. It didn't seem to click at all. Having nothing left to say out of pure astonishment, the group remained quiet in their heads for the rest of the lasting minutes.

"Times up," Leo called out, pushing Eli's feet off his lap and standing up to stretch his sore limbs. The sweatshirt he always adorned on his body was comfortable, sure, but staying worried about Sam did a number on his aching joints.

When the three boys made it back to the table, confusion settled amongst ever single one of their faces.

Sitting directly in the middle, with no other borrower in the nearby radius, was Sam. He fiddled with his tail the same as Leo would, and looked down before he heard familiar thuds entering the dining room.

"Sam? Why are you alone?" Leo asked, gauging a reaction of out of him to figure out what might have happened. Did his parents abandon him for befriending a pair of humans?

"Hi, Guys," Sam perked up, but still remained visibly upset with ears that drooped down a considerable amount.

"What's wrong? Where are your parents?"

"They sort of...went home..." He trailed off, looking over his shoulder at an outlet in the wall.

"And why didn't you go with them?"

"I told them I would follow in a bit," Sam said, refusing to meet anyone's eyes with a guilty conscious. "After I said goodbye."

"Why are you saying goodbye?"

"My family asked me to come back inside the walls. For now, until they're able to get everything sorted out."

"And what happens then?"

"I don't know..." Sam whispered, his tail like a limp tree branch in between his anxious hands. "We might go somewhere else."

"Somewhere else," Skip narrowed his eyes into Sam's figure. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"They didn't tell me. But if we go somewhere, it's permanent."

"So, what you're saying is that you're leaving us?"

"Skip," Leo warned, but refused to take his eyes off of His little friend.

"Yeah." Instead of a common rebuttal, Sam agreed with a half-hearted nod. As if he had just had the news broken to him, and was still processing it himself.

"And we won't get to see you anymore?" Asked Elijah from the side, looking on with glazed-over eyes.

Once again, Sam whispered a quick 'I don't know' in response, and the three humans were at a loss of what to say next.

For Leo, who was quick to assess the situation and yet still incapable of believing it, everything was going by far too fast. It hadn't even been a week, he realized in the spur of the moment. Leo met Sam, officially, four days ago. Four days to make memories, to show Sam how much he was missing out when he stuck inside the walls and hid from Leo for the past year that they had lived together. Everything they were able to accomplish, including the relationship as a whole, couldn't only amount for four days. And to Leo, it didn't feel quite right. As if he was watering a hole in his chest that would expand with every new droplet, and truth be told, Leo felt empty inside. Hollowed out at the new information, because taking it all in at once and then having to come to terms with it was a nightmare.

Four days to be with Sam, and he didn't know until now. There was such a short period of time, and although he made the most of it, one more week would've been enough. Even one more day with Sam would work, but he was leaving now. And he wouldn't be back, unless-

"Do you think you can convince your parents?" Leo asked, sitting up a little quicker. "Introduce us to them. Let them know it's okay to live here!"

"I would," Sam told the group with tired eyes. "But they have a new borrower with them. And you saw how he reacted with Eli just saying hi to him. Convincing them won't do a thing when they're too scared for him living here."

"Then introduce me to that one," Elijah beamed, the ever present smile back on his face at the thought of becoming friends with another borrower.

"He had a panic attack the last time you tried that," Skip pointed out. Both the humans in the room looked visibly upset at Skip for telling the truth.

"If Sam was the one to bring him out-"

"I'm sorry," Sam said. "I don't think that's gonna work."

"You still have your phone, don't you? Why can't we keep in contact with that?"

"I won't be able to bring it with me when I leave. Even if I can, it's not the same as staying here."

"I get it," Leo announced. "At least your parents let you come say goodbye."

"Yeah..."

   Leo figured that, if he were in Sam's place, the best thing to do was to go back to his family. They were, after all, his blood, and Sam was only right in wanting them back. Even if it cost a great deal to the rest of the group.

The four boys stayed right where they were in silence at the dining room table. Nothing could've been so impending as much as the cloud of anxiety and tension was, hanging over their heads like a storm. To hell with a knife, it would've taken a drill to cut through.

"Go back to your family, Sam," Leo said with sincerity. "We'll be okay."

"I'll try to stay in contact."

"We know."

"...can you help me down?" Sam asked, causing a laugh to escape Leo's upset mood.

"Sure, Bud," Leo reached a hand and let Sam crawl on, watching him sit in the center and wait for the following movements. Though, instead of lowering Sam to the ground, Leo brought him closer to his chest and squeezed as gently as he could. Sam wasn't afraid to let a tear break through his shell at the contact.

No words were shared amongst the group, but it was all agreed simultaneously that Sam was passed on to Elijah next. And once pressed against his cheek to stimulate a hug, Sam went to Skip.

"Skip?" Sam asked, looking up from his calloused hands.

"Hm?"

"Thank you for bringing my family back."

"Anytime," Skip smiled. A rare, warm smile that shook both Elijah and Leo from their stupor.

After Skip placed him directly underneath the small outlet in the wall and stepped away, he went right back to his spot behind Leo.

The borrower turned around, taking a mental picture with his sharp eyes. Leo in the center, sitting down and urging him to go forward with a grin that didn't look real enough to believe.
Elijah over his shoulder, who only looked excited about Sam being able to see his family again, trying his very best to hide the fact that his lips trembled with a lost and final goodbye.
And then Skip, positioned over Leo, but not in a way that intimidated him. Sam swore he never saw Skip look so relaxed in his life, even if his jaw remained hard set and his eyebrows furrowed down to the bone. And when it finally hit Sam that he wasn't relaxed at all, but attempting to cover up any emotions he felt, Sam let go the tears he held in all at once.

".um...I love you, guys," He said, and then he rushed to leave them behind.
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A/N: The End!

Jk, there's still a lot more. So much happened in this update, but my favorite piece to write by far was getting to see Elijah and Axel's first meeting. No spoilers yet, I just love them 🥺.

   Thank you for reading! Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think, or what your favorite part was. I love seeing all of your responses, so don't hesitate! ❤️