Family Line

Chapter One: Just like his father

JJ sat on the sofa, staring off into space and fiddling with a loose thread on his t-shirt, snapping it off and sighing quietly. Shaking his head a little he rubbed at his eyes, forcing back a yawn as sleep tried to claim him, but he couldn't fall asleep, not yet anyway, not until he'd showered - he smelt something awful. 

He glanced up when Kiara entered the room, dressed in short shorts and a flowy shirt, hair held up in a towel and looking a lot better than she had been before leaving for the bathroom. 

JJ smiled gently at her. "Hey," He murmured, his voice soft, barely above a whisper. 

"Hey," Kiara breathed in reply, joining him on the sofa without another word. 

"You feeling any better?" JJ asked this question carefully, for Kiara had been an emotional wreck since the moment they had gone to see her parents.

Kiara's welcome home had been anything but like the previous time, and both her and JJ had gotten an earful from Mike who most certainly did not agree with their new relationship. 

Kiara had tried so hard to defend JJ, but Mike had had none of it, and warned Kiara time after time that JJ was not someone she should be hanging around with let alone dating, that he was bad news, a liar, a thief and just like his father.

JJ remained silent whilst the three had talked, or shouted was more like it, and hadn't even said anything when Mike backed him into a corner, cursing him and telling him to stay away from his daughter.

It was Anna that convinced Mike not to press charges over the whole rescue from Kitty Hawk, and JJ had to say he was extremely grateful for that, there was no way he could be dealing with cops at that precise moment in time.

The meeting had ended with Kiara deciding to keep her distance for the time being, and the two had returned to Sarah's condo, exhausted both physically and mentally, and very much wishing for a bed to lay down in, but after their adventures in South America, showers were very much at the top of their priority lists. 

With Pope and Cleo back at home, it was just JJ, Kiara, Sarah and John B in the condo, neither having anywhere else to stay. John B's house was burnt to the ground, there was still a chance Rafe could be at Tannyhill so Sarah did not want to return there. Kiara was certainly not going home after her shouting match with her parents at the Wreck, and JJ felt way more comfortable with his friends in the condo than he ever would back at the Shack, despite him having at least a week before he was officially kicked out. 

Sarah and John B had showered already and had gone to bed, and JJ had let Kiara shower first, but he would admit, finally having his turn felt great.

"As better as I'll ever be." Kiara breathed in reply to JJ's question. "You should probably go shower, then we can head to bed, you look like you could fall asleep here right now."

JJ smiled a little. "I almost did." He breathed, hesitating a little.

Kiara stared at him, nodding a little in response to the silent question her friend was asking...

Friend?

Or more than that now?

JJ swallowed hard, before placing a quick kiss on her cheek and disappearing into the bathroom. 

Once he'd locked the door he immediately turned the shower on, waiting for it to warm up before undressing and hopping in, the warm water extremely welcome as it washed away all the mud and grime stuck to his body. 

As he stood under the water, he couldn't help but think about that night at Kitty Hawk, that night when Kiara had actually kissed him. 

Kiara had kissed him.