Author's note - Quick one shot. Based on the spoilers, and the fact I know Eastenders hate us and won't give us a Joey/Lauren goodbye because they are mean ;P

So here's my goodbye from them :) x

He never thought hearing his sister call up the stairs to him would lead to this. He had heard the door go but ignored it, caught up in his own thoughts and knowing Al would get it. He knew things were bad, worse than he'd thought possibly. But he never thought he'd end up saying goodbye, not to her. Not after everything.

She'd gotten upset saying goodbye to Alice, his sister getting teary too but they both knew it would be worse for them. Her goodbyes with Al just prolonging the inevitable and by the looks he was getting from her parents, he needed to hurry it up.

He didn't want to though. At all. But he did, knowing it was for the best.

"You look after yourself, you hear." He spoke, trying not to sound emotional. "You do whatever it is you need to do to make you happy babe." His words made tears spring to her eyes though.

"I'll try." He hugged her, squeezing her tight and breathing her scent in, he counted to 10 before letting go. He couldn't help but ask, although he was dreading the answer.

"I'll see you when you get back I guess?" She nodded, him letting out a sigh of relief. Alice walked away, leaving them to it, throwing a comment over her shoulder how much she loved Lauren, and how thankful she was to have had a year getting to know her.

"A year ay?" God, is that seriously all it's been. "Lots has happened I guess." She replied, staring at her feet. He only realised it was to hide her tears, when she let out a broken sob she'd been holding in.

"It's just.." she sobbed again. "We fought so hard Joe. For this." her hands moved between the two of them, him wanting to hold her but not being able to anymore.

"I fought the way I felt. Then gave in" he chuckled a little, remembering the day she gave in, changing them both.

"Then we fought for us." They did. Prepared to leave together, to throw everything away for the other and the love they shared.

"Then I fought you for us." She did. After his hate for his father blinded his love for her.

"Then we fought together against everyone" they did. Wanted to be together, sod people's opinions.

"Now after it all, it's just done?" the tears streamed down her face. "I leave and you can be with her." He made a sound of protest, he and Lucy was never going to happen.

"Probably should have expected it. Happiness don't come easily for Branning's." That was part of the reason she needed to go. She was so unhappy, so much had happened and she hadn't dealt with any of it, other than by drinking. She needed to learn to be happy.

"It all feels so unfair Joe" she finished, and he couldn't disagree with her. He pulled her into his arms, she went easily like a doll. He ignored her father's glance at them.

"it's not done babe." he tipped her head to look at him. "it's just on pause." she looked so heartbroken and confused.

He wanted to just kiss the pain away, to make her happy. But he knew she needed more than him right now.

"We can't rewind and undo, we just can't" he moved his hands across her back trying to offer her comfort. To show to his uncles he was dealing with this, to keep them away so they could have their goodbye.

"But we can change what happens next." she looked up to him. "Yeah?" he nodded.

"well you can" she looked at him blankly, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Once you are good again, and if you still feel the same?" she nodded, couldn't imagine her feelings for him changing. He chuckled, feeling the same way, and did the thing she never thought he'd do with her again, he tucked her hair back.

Pressing her face into his hand, his thumb brushed away her tears. "Well if that happens" Her being sober and good, still feeling the same was all he wanted at this point.

"Then you won't be able to keep yourself away will you?." his smirk and words reminded her of something he said to her before, her glance flickering to her dad meaning she missed catching the heartbroken look in his eyes though.

Her mum stood at the bottom of the steps of their house, her dad further down the road closest to her. Neither meeting the others glances. Her parents were giving each other up, for good, for her.

"I don't wanna be like them" she said quietly as she leant in for the last bit of comfort Joey would offer her in a while.

He wrapped his arms around her, voice as low as hers when he finally spoke. "So don't be." she laughed lightly. So simple in Joey's world sometimes.

"Only person who can decide how you end up is you babe." She didn't want to answer that so stayed quiet in his embrace. "think your dads telling me you gotta go" he mumbled against the top of her head where he was resting it.

She ignored him. Just a little while longer. "I wish you could have been the one to fix me." she mumbled into his chest. More to herself than him but he heard anyway.

Stepping away from her, calling Max's name to show they were, he didn't meet her gaze. "I do too. More than you think." He mumbled but she caught it. He ran his hand down his face, controlling his emotions. "You should go."

"Yeah I should." She realised maybe he wasn't coping with this as well as she thought. Same as Abi. She felt terrible again, for all she'd put them though.

"I'm going to make it up to you." She said, a flicker of her old confidence shining through. "When I'm back." He managed a smirk for her, with a eyebrow raise. Almost challenging her to do so. "Going to make everything right." He smiled at that.

"Good." He was leaning against the doorframe. "I'll be seeing you then." Leaning to brush a kiss to the corner of her mouth, before turning her to make her leave. "Look after you Lauren, then come find me."

"This ain't a goodbye" she said, repeating the same words she'd heard her Dad use with Oscar before, "just a see you later." He forced a laugh.

"See you later then babe." He shut the door, he'd managed until that point but he couldn't watch her walk away from him.