[CW: likely references to child neglect, alcoholism and violence]

For what would probably be the first time during his sentence, Eugene would be led out of his cell with the announcement that he had a visitor. He wasn’t even taken to the usual place for prison visits: a dark room with cold, dark grey stone walls, bars separating the prisoner’s side from that of the visitors, and no chairs to make either party comfortable. Instead, he was led to the room where the doctor checked his patients: a room with no bars, apart from those in front of the high windows, a room with a table and chairs, a room where only the few fortunate inmates with family members wealthy enough to bribe the staff received their visitors.
 
But the elegant young lady who sat waiting in a chair with her back straight and her hands folded in her lap could surely not be family. Surely no Longbottom had ever worn such a fashionable pink dress, with slightly puffed sleeves and lace over the shoulders and down along the front, or such a smart wide, crème coloured hat with decorative ruby and rose coloured flowers, or such good quality, high-heeled boots of white leather. Surely Eugene had never seen his any of his sisters with diamond earrings dangling from their earlobes or a pearl choker necklace around their necks. No sister of his had clean and oiled black curls pinned up at the back of her head in the latest fashion, with just a careful few curly strands loose to frame her face.  
 
Indeed, this elegant young lady looked nothing like the Ruth Longbottom Eugene probably remembered: a scrawny, barefooted child, who wore dirty clothes and whose arms, legs, and or face were always cut or bruised in one way or another because she fought other children and grown ups alike to get what she wanted; a waif whose black curls were unwashed and uncombed and whose nails were black to the point that teachers would sent her home frequently with the order to come back looking less ‘feral’ and nobody would hire her once she was out of school; an unruly girl with a quick tongue and even quicker hands, who could run faster and spit further than most of the boys, and punched back harder too. Nothing of that young wildling could be recognized in this fine young lady – except, perhaps, in the hardness in her eyes, as she kept glancing up at the door, a look of ‘I’ll cut you before you cut me’, and in the way she pulled her upper lip between her teeth the way he would have seen her do as a child, when she was nervous and calculating her next move.
 
Nervous she was.

Eugene lay in his cell. He had gotten comfy on his bunk and was trying to catch up on some sleep he'd missed from the night before after two of the inmates had been shouting or screaming most of the night. Not only that but the screws had also been shouting to keep the noise down. But still only a few more weeks and he'd be out of here.

His breathing had slowed down. His thoughts drifting almost to sleep when one of the hall screws had knocked on the door and shouted "longbottom......you've got a visitor" he slung his feet round before muttering "who the fucks come to see me!" He said as his feet hit the floor sliding from his top bunk.

He grabbed his sweater and followed the gaurd. Quickly getting it on as the main hall was like an ice block all year. He followed him down a flight of stairs & through to infirmary. Why the hell was He going there? Perhaps the doctor had come back to check his ribs or his nose.

He caught a glimpse of someone through the door. Perhaps it was a lawyer. He looked again.......surely it couldn't be? After all this time?

He walked through the door before speaking.........."Ruth?"

Ruth had been so anxious she had almost decided not to go. Would he be angry with her for not visiting him all these years? Would he even still care to see her? She had been arguing with him in her head, preparing herself mentally for a fight. The bastard! If he had a big mouth, she’d be ready for him!

But when he stepped in and she saw him, her defences dropped and she was wounded. She had not thought about him for a long time. When he had been ripped from her life overnight, she had felt disoriented. But when it became clear that he would go to jail and was not coming back, it had been easier to just forget him and focus on the challenges she faced in his absence. Now it all came back to her, the missing, the anger, the hurt. He had been her closest sibling. He had always looked out for her, protected her, tried to cheer her up when things were hard, and told her off when she did something stupid. He hadn’t been gentle with her and she had often been rude to him, but in the chaotic world they had shared, he had built for her a small oasis of safety. Then one day he was gone, and there had only been chaos. Ruth felt sorry.

She had risen to her feet when he entered, but it took a moment to find her voice. “Aye… It’s me…” she said, in a quieter tone than she wanted. He had been a teenage boy then. Now he was a man, in age and face at least. He looked older than his age, in a sense, weary, haggard even. And battered. Were those bruises? But his body was so thin that it still looked like that of a teenager. “You look like shit,” she blurted out nervously.

Eugene sighed at the comment of his sister and then laughed "yeah well, this ain't the ritz! It's a bloody prison!" He smiled and despite the chains. Was able to hug his sister before looking back towards the screws in the corner. Who'd probably pass a comment later about screwing his sister when he was locked up to fuck with his head.

He sat down at the wooden table resting both hands ok the table. The cuffs dug in. Would he ever get used to them? Probably not but he was counting the moments until his release. He wanted away from this hell more than anything but he would carry the scars forever.

He wiped his face with the back of his hand. "Your the first family I've saw for years! I thought I was abandoned and forgotten here" he said as he held back the tears

A joke. A smile. They were good. She relaxed a little, only to freeze up again when he hugged her out of nowhere. She stood motionless in his embrace, her arms by her side. It was all she could do not to shove him away like she wanted to. His odour overpowered the floral fragrance she wore and clung to her even as he let go. He reeked of the squalor she had spent all her short life escaping. Her eyes narrowed on him as he pulled away. Why did she keep undermining herself like this? She should have let the past rest.

She wanted to leave. She’d go straight home and take a very long bath. Perhaps she’d just burn the dress. She couldn’t risk bringing some pest into the cottage. She’d never come back here. What good was he to her, this uncomfortable memory of a life she had resented? Oh yes, Ruth was ready dash for the door. But he sat down and looked ready to cry. His words told her as much. They equally disgusted her and pulled at her heartstrings. Once upon a time, she had cared about him.

She sighed and reluctantly sat down across from him, watching the cuffs on his wrists absent-minded. “What did you expect?” she commented quietly, trying to ignore the filth she could almost feel weighing on her skin. “Northallerton’s hardly around t’ corner, and it’s not like they remembered ye t’ mornin’ after they took ye away. And everyone had their shit to deal with. It wasn’t easier on me either when ye were gone, ye know?”

Eugene sighed "yeah I know ruth I know." He moved slightly on his chair which caused a shooting pain which caused him to wince. "It's been hard being locked up here for 5 years and no one made the effort to visit" he rubbed his wrists to relieve the pressure of the cuffs "or even write. I felt completely discarded"

He then rested both his hands on the table and laughed "yeah your probably right. Our parents probably haven't figured out i was taken. I didnt enjoy leaving you the way I did and I aint proud of what I did but I did what I had to to protect you and for us to survive"

He sighed "I've no idea how my release is gonna be taken by the family"

Five years. Why did it surprise her when he said it? Five years during which so much had happened that they were now strangers. She eyed him uncomfortably. He didn't even look like the Eugene she remembered. Perhaps it was for the better.

"Some protection that was," she scoffed, her resentment stirring. "We were all just tryin' to survive. 'specially me." After you left me to fend for myself, she added mentally. "And we'll all continue doin' so. Nobody's gonna care whether ye're in or out, and ye know it." Then, more hesitantly, she added: "When are ye gettin' out?"

Eugene sighed. "I know ruth. We all were. But I tried to protect you the most. Your my little sister and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you for the last 5 years"

He sighed "it was actually meant to be today but because i got in an altercation with a screw earlier this year they added 3 months to my sentence so I'll be out then." He rubbed his chin with his hand and tried to adjust the cuffs to make his wrists a little more comfortable "I spoke to some doctor who came up from Whitby. Wells I think his surname was." He pointed to his nose "he was up treating me for this, don't ask why, the screws never normally bother about broken bones. I said to him I didnt want to come back to this place. I want to make a fresh start"

She had wanted him to feel horrible and apologize for leaving her to fend for herself, but when it happened, she hated it. She glanced at one of the high windows. Her polished nails dug into her palm. Fuck him!

The news that he should have been released but had messed it up for himself drew her eyes back on him. "You big fuckin' idiot," she hissed, but she listened. "Well, ye'll definitely be back if ye keep goin' like that. What ye gonna do when they release ye? If ye're gonna to hang out in the pub and get into fights, you can fuck right off back to prison. I'll never visit ye again. Ye gotta be better than them."

Eugene slumped back into his chair and sighed "2 broken arms, one broken leg, 3 bruised ribs and a broken nose. All the injuries I've recieved in the last 5 years and 9 months. Numerous black eyes, missing teeth and God knows what else. I'm not looking for sympathy Ruth. I'm looking for you to understand. There's no way I'm coming back here. This wasn't because I struck out. Its cause I was quiet and wanted to come home. I wanted to keep my head down and get my sentence out the way so I could get back home to you. The screws would strike out just for fun to break you down!. You any idea how much it ripped me apart to be parted from you? Your my little sister and the one I'm closest to out of us all. I know you hate me for leaving you to fend for yourself and I'm sorry!"

He crossed his arms on the table in a position that he tried to be comfortable in. "There's no way I'm ever coming back here because if I do........I'll be coming out in a wooden box and you will be wearing black! You want that? It's not the first time I've thought about ending it in here!"

He thought for a moment "I had thought about going to the fishing boats when I get released but I've been offered to do a trade. They are offering me a 3 month workshop to train as a cobbler then try and get an apprenticeship" he sighed "yeah I fucked up ruth. I'm not proud of it but I did. I did what I had to to help us all and it got me in this fucking place!"