You're Not In This Alone

GERARD'S POV

After Ruby comes back to say goodnight and leaves again Frank comes over and climbs into my lap, nuzzling his face in my neck and pressing soft kisses to my skin. "Baby, we can trust him right?" I sigh before saying "I really fucking hope so. He's a good kid from what I've seen and he seems to really like her, you saw the way he was earlier, always letting everything be on her terms." "Yeah but he's a twenty year old boy, we both know what that's like." "Yeah but I love seeing her smile and she hasn't smiled so much in a long time." We fall into silence after that, just cuddling together while we finish the movie. Once it's over I switch the tv off and in the sudden silence we hear a faint noise that almost sounds like a groan and Frank jumps out of my lap, racing out of the room and down the hallway. I run after him, grabbing him before he can barge into Ruby's room and hiss in his ear "Don't you dare go in there. If it's not what you're thinking you could do more damage than good." "But what if he's..." "Just take a moment ok, just listen. If she's in trouble she'll let us know." We stand in the hallway outside her door listening, feeling like the biggest perverts in the world but needing to know our little girl is safe. A minute later another faint moan sounds from the room and it's distinctly Ruby's voice and I turn to Frank and whisper "She seems to be ok. Come on, let her be a teenager for fuck sake." I walk away, tugging a reluctant Frank behind me, going into our bedroom and Frank groans out before saying "Gee fuck come on we can't really let this happen." "Frankie you heard it, whatever is happening in there is clearly consensual on her part. Just please stay away from them unless she calls for help." Frank sighs before climbing into bed with me and we cuddle up together, turning the lamp off and sharing soft kisses in the dark until we fall asleep.

I'm woken at three in the morning by Ruby screaming over and over again and I jump out of bed, running towards her room with Frank on my heels. I shove the door open and flick the light on, seeing Ruby laying on the bed thrashing around screaming out "No, stop no" and Ryan is leaning over her touching her arm and Frank shoves past me, grabbing Ryan and pulling him off the bed, throwing him to the floor and when he pulls himself up Frank slams him back into the wall, his hands fisted in the front of his shirt as he yells "What the fuck did you do?" Ryan stutters out "Nnnnnothing" as I cross the room and pull Ruby into my arms, her sobs escalating and she pushes me away, rushing across the room and swinging at Frank, punching him in the side of the jaw while screaming "Let him go" but Frank is too far gone inside his head and he drops his grip on Ryan and backhands her in the face, dropping her to the floor as she screams in pain. Ryan immediately drops down next to her and I rush across the room wrapping my arms around Franks chest and tugging him away from them but he turns and shoves me off, swinging and hitting me in the face. I stumble back, clutching my nose and Frank screams before charging at me and I whimper as I back away but he tackles me to the floor and hits me again. "No" I hear Ruby scream as I try to fight Frank off and suddenly he's knocked off me and I sit up, seeing Ruby and Ryan struggling to hold him down, Frank screaming and swearing, thrashing around and as I drag myself off the floor to help them he goes still. Ruby and Ryan back away from him and Ruby whimpers in pain when Ryan reaches out and touches her busted lip. "Baby girl" I choke out and Ruby snaps her head over to look at me, pulling herself out of Ryan's arms and crawling over to me. "Pa" she sobs and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her into my chest. "Shh it's alright" I tell her softly, extremely shaken up and Ryan walks over and kneels beside us. "Ruby are you ok?" He asks and she pulls her face out of my neck and turns to face him. "Ry" she sobs out, reaching out to grab his hand. "I'm sorry." "Hey it's alright" he tells her, sliding closer to us and she slides out of my lap and into his. "Please don't hate me" she sobs out and Ryan shushes her, telling her not to be silly. Frank pulls himself off the floor looking horrified before fleeing from the room and I sit with Ruby and Ryan until she's settled down, making sure they're ok before getting up and leaving too, going into the bathroom and cleaning up the blood from my nose before getting a warm wet washcloth and taking it back to Ruby's room, helping clean up her lip. "I'm sorry baby girl" I choke out and she shakes her head at me but doesn't say anything. Just as I'm about to leave the room Ryan says "Maybe I should go home?" "No please, don't leave me" Ruby begs as she starts to cry again. "Baby it's ok just, maybe you and your dad's need to sort this out, without my interference. I'll call you in the morning ok?" He grabs his bag and leaves the room, leaving Ruby sobbing on the floor and I try to pull her into my arms but she resists and when the sound of the front door closing rings out in the apartment she launches herself off the floor, running from the room and I follow her, running down the hall into my bedroom where she's tackled Frank onto the bed and is kneeling over him punching him repeatedly while screaming "I fucking hate you.....I hate you.....I hate you" inbetween sobs. I rush over and grab her around the waist, pulling her off him and he sits up, his nose now bleeding and tears streaming down his face. "Ruby, baby I...." "No, I fucking hate your guts. Never come near me again" she screams at him, pulling herself from my arms and running from the room, her lip bleeding again and mixing with the tears streaming down her face. A few seconds later a door slams and everything goes silent. "Frankie" I say softly and he looks up at me, tears streaming down his face and as I open my mouth to speak again a loud crash sounds followed by the sound of something shattering. I run from the room, running to Ruby's room and opening the door, finding her standing there throwing all her stuff around the room, her beside table flipped over and her full length mirror smashed, the lamp laying broken in the middle of the broken glass. "Baby stop" I plead and she hesitates, her hand which is holding the lamp off her desk dangling by her side. "Daddy, he left and he's not coming..." She starts but suddenly her face grows angry and she hurls the lamp across the room, where it flies past me
and hits the wall, smashing and when I turn Frank is standing right next to where it hit, him being the intended target. "Get out" she screams and he chokes out "Baby I'm s..." "Get out" she screams again and he backs out of the room, Ruby calming down a little instantly. "Baby girl" I start, picking my way across the floor to her, careful not to step on any broken glass. "Come on it's gonna be ok" I tell her as I pull her into my arms and she slumps into my chest sobbing as she says "He's not coming back daddy. I could see it in his eyes." "Ruby..." "No he ruined everything. Why can't I just be happy for a change?" "Oh baby I'm so sorry" I tell her, guiding her over to her bed and laying her down, laying with her and I cradle her to my chest while she cries herself to sleep before closing my own eyes.

Notes