Disclaimer: Any character seen in J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series belongs to her.  The characters you've never seen before and the plot belong to me.

Author's notes: Hey I just wanted to say thanks to my reviewers.  I also just want to say that if you've left me suggestions in your reviews and I don't use them – it's not because I'm a horrible snobby pretentious person who writes better than the world.  It's more likely because with this story it's been very aggressive in the direction it wants to go.  So even if I don't have it already written out I already have the whole plot in my head.  I have tried to find ways to adapt certain ideas given to me to fit in the story line so that there's some of the stuff the readers like.  Oh and Maikafuiniel glad to see you've stuck around so far… I'm trying to find a plot hole where I could put a letter like that in because then the rest of the family won't be able to think he's dead… maybe I'll have him finally send a predated letter because that's a good idea.  I also know what you're getting at with the whole brothers say that all the time thing (I should know my brother says it enough) but I tried to gear it more toward this:  It had been happening for 3 weeks so they were both really edgy, they're not used to fighting and they're really close (like the same person) and so when he heard Fred say that, he had to get away from there for a while (which is why he only took a few changes of clothes) and then once he left he started thinking that maybe it was for the better that he was gone and didn't know how to go back.   I promise I tried to explain it better in this chapter. 

I hope you readers like this chapter.  I also hope you like where the story will finally go.  I'm kind of nervous about the ending I've already got it mapped out in my head.  I don't know how long it's going to take me to get there, but George still has to get into some stuff with his new "family" and he has to stop being so cheerful about being away from home (that starts this chapter).  Did anyone else notice I had him really happy for the first few days even after being beaten unconscious? Aside from the occasional pessimistic thought, he hid his sadness pretty well!  Also Fred has to return to Hogwarts alone… 

Also: I've had a few comments on the quickness of moving George's stuff out of the room and giving up on him.  First, I never said that they weren't looking for George anymore but they're no longer looking for him night and day, they're waiting for information.  He's been gone a month and the family is preparing for the news that he's no longer alive.  They didn't get rid of George's things just put them in storage.  Mrs. Weasley couldn't look at them and Fred was starting to wallow so they moved them.  The next Fred chapter might explain it better.  However, Yes things are moving quite quickly but I really only about a six-month timeline… before I start bringing things to a close.  Hope you like the story regardless of the flaws, it's something I'll be sure to watch for in further stories I write but this one is writing itself, I really have no control over the content of each chapter. I write what I'm compelled to write.  Sorry for such a long author's note.   

Hope you stay on for the ride.  I love to hear from the reviewers.  Enjoy the chapter. ~J-mie

When you're gone chapter 7

"Come on man, we're gunna miss the party," and agitated voice sounded from the door.  George looked up to see Flame bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Go ahead man, I'll catch up!"  George replied.

"You sure Trix?  I mean, I'll stay longer man, I don't mind."

George looked at his friend doubtfully.  Flame had the sense to look sheepish.  "It's cool."  George reassured him.  Flame nodded and disappeared before George could blink, an echo of, "don't be long Trix," floating down the hallway in his wake.

George shook his head; he had been in the compound for a month now and was slowly becoming accustomed to the Muggle way of life.  The lack of magic was something that George still couldn't adjust to.  Sure, they had some neat energy sources, but they were rather primitive creatures.  George shook his head, angry at the way his thoughts were going, 'These are my friends!  Not animals in a zoo.'  George didn't know why he had started feeling superior to muggles, he had never felt that Muggle-borns were beneath him.  'That's because they can do magic though isn't it?'  His mind taunted him.  It wasn't as though he disliked muggles, quite the opposite – they had taken him in and helped him survive; he just felt that he was somewhat above them.

Thinking about magic inevitably led George's thoughts towards home, he knew how rash he'd been in leaving.  He hadn't even expected to be gone for more than a few days.  Just long enough to hurt Fred as much as he had been hurt.  That had been the plan, but George should have known better.  Gred and Forge's plans never worked out; why would they work better now that he was alone?  Therefore, the plan had failed, George had found, that when he left, the pain had eased slightly.  He decided that if he felt better, the same must be true about Fred.  Wouldn't Fred be happier with him gone; the rest of the family too?  George didn't want to be gone anymore; at first it had been anger keeping him in the muggle world.  Now it was fear; fear that his family was happier without him and wouldn't want him back.  That would be too much for George, he'd rather stay here, where he could pretend they missed him.

George started when he heard a clanging noises and a soft whooshing sound.  Immediately alert, George took up a defensive stance.  His past month of gang wars had increased his guard considerably.  Cocking his head to the side, he tracked the movement of the noise's source.  It was coming down the hallway, quickly, in a straight path.  George tightened his fists; he would have visual contact in a few seconds.

A tawny owl turned the corner, looking up, it hooted softly.  George relaxed for a moment, 'It's just an owl.  Nothing for me to worry about.  Wait a minute…' George caught sight of the envelope it carried.  This was a wizard's owl!  His heart leapt – maybe it was from his family.  The owl dropped the letter onto George's lap and settled down to await further instructions.  George turned the envelope over and ran his hand over the Hogwarts seal.  'School letter,' George thought, disappointment rushing through him.  George looked over to the resting owl and was struck with inspiration.  'SCHOOL!  That could be my way back!  Fred and I were always happy there.'  George's mind flashed to a letter he had written, that day in Laura's diner.  He had never had a chance to send it, now he could!  If Fred replied – maybe he could assess the situation at home and determine if it was okay for him to go home.

"Wait here, I've got a letter."  George told the owl, turning to rummage through his things.  The owl startled when he cried out triumphantly, holding the letter high.  George stroked its ruffled feathers soothingly, and placed the letter on the bird's leg with a strip of rawhide. 

"Now take this to Fred Weasley for me."

The owl hooted its understanding and took off.

'Well it's a good thing Flame didn't wait for me!  How would I explain that?  Wait…' George groaned and scrambled to his feet, remembering the reason Flame had been there earlier.  'Tag is going to kill me.'  George sighed inwardly as he pulled on his studded gloves, 'I hope I'm not too late.'

George was missing a big fight, tonight they were going after Preston and his boys for encroaching on Tag's territory.  Even after a month of similar battles, George wasn't particularly fond of fighting; but it was the least he could do for Tag's sake – Tag did look out for him after all.  As George got closer to the location where the meeting was supposed to take place, he prayed he hadn't missed much.  'I can't be too late,' George reasoned, 'Flame was still at the compound.'  Flame was notoriously scrappy.  He loved fights and was usually the first to throw a punch or instigate a conflict.  This trait had gotten George and Flame into numerous awkward situations when they left the compound alone.

The sounds of fighting became audible as George neared the docks. "Shit!"  He growled as he broke into a run.  The negotiations had obviously gone poorly, as indicated by the brawl before him.  George's eyes scanned the scene for Tag, taking in the positions of his fellow members.  George chuckled as he saw Flame, surrounded by three of Preston's men, obviously taunting them.  Knowing Flame could hold his own, George launched into the fray next to Owl.

"Finally made it the Trix."  Owl teased, sparing George a quick glance. 

"Shut up."  George growled playfully, moving to defend Owl's exposed back.  George like being around the pale redhead, it gave him a sense of security by pulling forth memories of his family and his previous look. 

"Tag's waiting for you by the pier don't worry about me – I've got the situation under control."  Owl told him as he effortlessly returned the blows the boy in front of him was throwing.

George nodded and left Owl to his own devices as he headed towards the indicated pier.  Hearing a sharp yell of pain to his left, George turned and saw Jigsaw fall to his knees in front of two large boys.  As George ran towards his fallen friend, he could hear the racist jokes being flung at Jigsaw's lowered head.  George reached the trio just as Jigsaw slumped to the ground after a heavy blow to the ribs.  After a quick glance to make sure the boy was still breathing, George attacked the first of the two large boys.

George sneered as he delivered a roundhouse kick to the burly boy's jaw.  An image of Fred in Jigsaw's place caused George to increase the intensity of his offensive attacks.  The second boy drew back at the onslaught of George's anger, and fled the battle.  George smirked, "You really shouldn't mess with family."  After the boy lost consciousness, George stepped over to Fred's fallen form.  'No!  Not Fred – Jigsaw.'  George shook his head, astounded that he could have forgotten who he was fighting with.  'Fred's not here, this isn't home.'  George thought regretfully, reaching down to offer Jigsaw his hand.  "You alright mate?"

Jigsaw grinned up at George and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.  "Never better!  Thanks Trix, I owe you big time."

"Don't worry about it.  Will you be good on your own?"  George questioned the still bleeding boy, "I have to talk to Tag – if I can still find him in all this shit."

"I think I'll manage," Jigsaw chuckled softly, "I'll just go find Flame and stick with him."

George smiled, Flame and Jigsaw were close; they did everything together even though they were opposite as night and day.  Once again, George's thoughts turned towards his twin.  A dull pain throbbed in his stomach.  Had George's letter arrived yet?  Had Fred read it?  Replied?  Cared?

His stomach a bundle of nerves; George continued to move towards his original destination.  Tag's head turned in his direction as he stepped onto the pier.  "So you finally got here?"  Tag grinned.

"I've been here a while, but I got a little side tracked a couple of times."  George settled himself on a crate opposite Tag.

"Owl?"  Tag asked knowingly.

"And Jigsaw."  George confirmed.

Tag shifted on the box he was using as a seat.  "You know George; you've changed a lot in these last four weeks.  The first day I met you, even after hearing what you had done to Preston's men, I didn't think you would hurt a fly unless provoked.  Now?  Now you are the second man into the fight and the best fighter we have.  Not to mention your other hidden talents…"

George nodded, signaling that he understood what Tag was referring too.  The second day of his life at the compound, Tag had noticed how few clothes he had and he'd organized an "outing".  It had been the first trip that had really exposed George to what his new world would be like.  Tag, George, Flame and Jigsaw had broken into a store to steal clothing items for the boys in the group.  At first, George had been apprehensive, but he had soon discovered that stealing clothes was similar to what he and Fred had done at school, to obtain special ingredients for their jokes.  The strong connection it had established with the memory of his brother had made it one of George's stronger skills.

George looked up, remembering that Tag had been looking for some kind of answer.  "I've got to survive here."  George said simply.

"It seems like you're changing yourself to prove that we need you," Tag started, "But Trix, you've got to realize that shit doesn't matter to us.  You're family, we're not going to kick you out unless you betray us.  The only way you're walking out that door is if it is your own decision."

"I'm fine really," George paused, "I could get used to less fighting… it's not really my style." George relented.

Tag smiled and held out his hand for George to shake, "Deal."

**********

That night George flopped down on his comforter and sighed.  It was getting hard for him to keep up his façade during the day.  He was happy that he would be doing less of the fighting.  That was his main problem.  He and Fred were mischievous and cunning, and sometimes slightly malicious with their pranks, and of course were beaters – but they weren't really brawlers.  Letting his new, tough guy, mask completely slip from his face, George's eyes filled with unshed tears as he flipped onto his side.

Thoughts and memories of his childhood with Fred assaulted George.  Summers when Bill and Charlie were still around, and they had spent countless hours being chased around for turning Charlie's dragon figurines into ballerinas, brought a smile to George's face.  George wondered what Fred was doing at that exact moment.  'Maybe he's replying to my letter.'  George curled in on himself as sharp pains knifed through his stomach.  George tried to focus on something other than the pain.  'The letter would have reached him hours ago, surely the reply would have gotten here by now?'  George tried to reason with himself that it was a Hogwarts owl, and it was probably very busy and had been late delivering the letter.  George felt confident, now that his brother had been given a chance to cool down, they could work out their differences.  Another pain cut through George causing him to double up further.  Beads of sweat collected on his forehead as George's breathing became labored.  Forcing his mind to clear, George focused on flushing the pain from his body, and after five minutes fell into an exhausted sleep.

***********

In the morning, George awakened with an achy tired feeling clinging to his entire body.  A reminder of the odd pain he had experienced the night before.  Shrugging, George expertly maneuvered himself out of his bed and into the main kitchen without fully opening his eyes.  Jigsaw was the first to notice his entrance and acknowledged George by shoving a barstool away from the counter with his foot.  He motioned for George to sit.  George grumbled what he intended as a thank you and collapsed into the plush leather.

"That was some night last night eh Trix!"  Flame called from across the room.  He was seated on the counter near the toaster holding a box of poptarts, "We had fun eh?"

"Speak for yourself, that wasn't fun that was torture." George moaned. 

"A little sore from getting beaten up?" Key inquired, concern lacing his voice.

"Hardly, then I would understand it."  At the strange looks he was receiving, George elaborated, "I fell asleep with really weird stomach pains.  It was as if I was being cut into two pieces.  I had to fight to breathe."

Tag looked up from his toast, "it's probably stress."  He looked back to his breakfast before adding, "You should take it easy.  Maybe stay home tonight…"

George poured some cereal into the bowl placed in front of him.  Reaching for the milk, he glared over at Tag.  "I'll be fine tonight.  I'll take it easy at the next party."  George settled into his breakfast and Tag knew better than to argue.  Tonight was the one night of the week George looked forward to – it was shopping night.  Key needed a new watch and some lock picking supplies.  When Key had filed a request, items from all the boys had begun turning up on the list.  George, Jigsaw, Owl and Lopes were the crew chosen to go on this outing, because some of the stores were rather tricky to rob and they were the best.  Key would be going along, incase a door required his magic touch, but was going to hang back until there was a lock the others could not handle.

George was confident that Key would not have to do much this trip.  He and Fred had learned to pick locks the muggle way, and had grown good at the task.  At the thought of his brother, a dulled pain throbbed in his stomach.  It was less intense than the night before, so George shrugged it off as being a ghost pain and returned to his breakfast.

The day had passed quickly, with little significance.  George soon found himself emerging from the shadows of a side street to meet with the other members of the crew.  George's adrenaline was pumping, the four boys had split up on Oxford Street to cover the shops more quickly, and his heist had been flawless.  When Jigsaw, the final member, came to stand with them upon completion of the first half of their lists, they moved down the street towards the security shop.  The final things on their list were Key's locksmith and surveillance equipment. 

Raising his hand, George motioned for the group to stop as he approached the door.  Kneeling beside the handle, he inserted the skeleton key that Key had provided earlier.  They were unable to use their standard lock picks, because the security around the store had been rigged to activate unless opened by the correct key.  Hearing the soft click, George slowly inched the door open; when no alarms sounded, George skillfully tossed a beanbag onto the tiled floor.  Satisfied that no new alarms had been activated since their last job and the system was truly off, George turned to his crew.  "Five minutes tops, we want to be in and out before any secondary security alarms can go off."

The boys nodded and the four spread out, swiftly moving to opposite ends of the small shop.  Checking his watch as he grabbed two boxes of security flood lamps, the last item on his list, George saw that he had forty seconds to rendezvous with his companions.  Sprinting to the front of the store, he crossed the threshold third, followed by Lopes.  With ten seconds remaining, he shut the door and relocked it with the key.  Letting out a collective sigh, the boys headed back to the compound.  George climbed into bed the moment he stepped foot into the house.  Exhausted from the night on the town, George fell asleep without thinking of Fred or his family.

TBC this was a slow filler chapter, hope you didn't hate it too much, there's more to come!  Tata!