Family Line

Chapter four: Secrets

JJ and Sarah shared a frown when they heard the front door open, and Sarah's grip around her brothers shoulders suddenly got a little tighter.

The two sat there and listened for a second, hearing the door close again, followed by footsteps.

Swallowing hard, JJ put his finger to his lips, signaling Sarah to keep quiet, before he carefully stood and made his way to the bedroom door.

Sarah followed, but stayed behind JJ, her heart pounding as they heard someone rummaging around in the living room.

JJ's arm was out behind him as if to protect Sarah as he made his way around into the living room, but when he saw just who was in the house, his heart dropped into his stomach and he choked.

Luke froze when he caught sight of JJ and Sarah, but only for a moment before he smirked, standing up straight and turning slightly so he was facing them. "Well look who we have here." He breathed. "Hey son."

JJ took a deep, shaky breath. "D - Dad." He choked out. "What?"

Luke chuckled. "Don't look so pleased to see me." He said sarcastically.

JJ shook his head a little, forcing back the sudden shock seeing his Dad had caused. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "You - You're supposed to be in Yucatan!"

Luke shrugged at this. "Ran into a little trouble, had nowhere else to go." He replied.

JJ seemed to of relaxed a little after noticing his Dad was no threat right at that moment, but he still made sure he was stood in front of Sarah, just in case things went south.

He couldn't help but snort at his Dad's reasoning, not really surprised. "Of course you did." He breathed.

"You know me son." Luke said with a grin.

JJ hesitated. "I actually don't, turns out." He said slowly, and he heard Sarah take a shaky breath behind him.

Luke stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean by that?" He asked, a small frown having made its way across his face.

"There's a lot of things about you I didn't know that I do now," JJ told him, unsure where he was finding the sudden courage. "Like apparently you're the type of guy to sleep with a married woman."

Luke's face dropped, and his eyes flicked to Sarah for a second before he looked back at JJ.

"Yeah," JJ almost laughed. "Did you honestly think you could keep it a secret forever? Were you ever going to tell me that Sarah is my half sister?"

Luke was quiet for a while. "How did you find out?" He snapped.

JJ shrugged. "Sarah saw a picture of my  Mum, who is apparently her Mum too." He said. "So admit it Dad, you slept with Ward Camerons wife, and I was the accident that was never meant to happen."

Luke looked angry now. "I always told you you were a mistake and yet you never listened." He hissed. "Now do you believe me when I say your Mum was never around? She spent one night with me and the only times I saw her after that was when she popped round to spend time with you. Believe me when I tell you your mother was nothing more than a slut and I'm glad she left."

JJ took a step forward. "Don't you dare." He growled, almost sensing Sarah's sudden anger too.

Luke laughed in amusement. "There's no way you're sticking up for her?" He breathed. "Remarkable. Truly. You were a mistake JJ, you weren't meant to happen, and the sooner you realise how much of a terrible person your Mum was the better."

"At least she loved me." JJ shot back. "You telling me she came to see me just proves that. You on the other hand, you've never loved me, you made my entire life hell just because I wasn't planned."

"I never wanted you in the first place," Luke spat. "But of course your mother couldn't have her precious Kook husband finding out about you, so you were left with me, you ruined my life, you ruined my relationship with her, who knows what it could've become if we hadn't had you."

"She was married!" JJ cried.

"Unhappily married." Luke argued. "If she was happy in her marriage she wouldn't of come running to me would she?"

JJ swallowed hard. "You never should've come back here." He muttered. "You're not welcome."

Luke laughed. "Oh don't worry, I'm not staying." He said. "We're leaving, now."

JJ's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean we?" He asked slowly.

"I have no money," Luke began to explain. "And I know you have savings. Yeah, I know about those, figured out you weren't handing over your entire wage packet didn't I? Well, now you're gonna help me leave the OBX for good this time."

JJ slowly shook his head. "I'm not helping you," He murmured. "Not again, not this time."

Luke let out a long sigh. "See that's where you're wrong." He told him. "You're handing over the money you have and you're getting me on the next flight out of here or I swear I will make the rest of your life a living hell."

JJ took a deep breath. "I'm not going to let you push me around anymore." He said as firmly as he could. "You can't make me."

"You are seventeen years old and I am your father," Luke said with a smirk. "I can make you do anything I want. Now which is it gonna be Jay? The easy way, or the hard way?"

JJ's heart was pounding. He was not just going to hand over his money to his Dad. If he was honest though, this wasn't about the money, after all, he had plenty of that now, this was more about not letting his Dad get everything he wanted after the way he treated JJ his entire life.

"Why-" JJ swallowed hard. "Why should I help you after everything you put me through?"

"Oh come of it." Luke hissed.

"No!" JJ cried, his voice cracking as tears sprung to his eyes. "I still have scars you gave me Dad! I still even now sleep on my stomach out of habit because my brain thinks you're gonna attack me in my sleep! You beat me up at every chance you got and you expect me to help you now?"

He suddenly felt Sarah's hand land on his shoulder, and flinched a little when it caught him off guard, but she didn't let go, and he was gratful for it.

"You want another beating boy?" Luke warned. "Because trust me, you're not too old."

Despite everything, JJ took a small step back, the fear he was all too familiar with hitting him like a ton of bricks at the threat, and in all honesty, he was ashamed, but when Sarah squeezed his shoulder in what could only be understanding, he calmed down a little.

"I - I won't help you Luke." JJ choked out, noticing his Dad's eye twitch in anger when he used his name. "You don't deserve it."

That's when things did indeed go south.

JJ saw Luke run at him, and quickly pushed Sarah out the way, gasping when his Dad's hands found their way around his neck and he was shoved against the wall.

Sarah hit the floor a little way off, taking a moment to gather herself before standing and turning, only to watch Luke remove one hand from JJ's neck and use it to start continuously punching his stomach.

"JJ!" Sarah cried, heart breaking when her brother tried to struggle but didn't get very far.

She ran at Luke, trying to get him off of JJ, but Luke backhanded her, sending her to the ground again where she hit her head and was knocked out cold in seconds.

This gave JJ the strength he needed to fight back, managing to land his fist against Luke's cheek and push him away.

Luke wasn't away for long though.

He grabbed an empty beer bottle, and smashed it against the back of JJ's head, knocking him out quicker than he'd knocked Sarah out. 

JJ landed in a heap beside his sister, and Luke huffed.

"The hard way it is then." He hissed at an unconscious JJ, before grabbing his ankle and dragging him towards the front door.

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