All That Glitters

Aurora Borealis

To say things did not go as planned would be an understatement.

Not only did Sarah manage to wake up her father while trying to neutralize him, John B and Kie were not on the same page when it came to their distraction. John B had taken JJ's dirt bike to the front lawn, running strips of upturned grass from every direction which attracted several onlookers from the neighborhood. And Kie, well, let's just say Kie had a way with words. Vibrant cusses sounding from her petite frame all the way from the start of their driveway directed at Rafe Cameron who upon further investigation wasn't even home. Needless to say, their little fiasco brought in more attention then they had meant.

It resulted with John B in handcuffs face down on the gravel driveway with Deputy Shoupe listing off all the things he could be tried for. Mainly property damage and trespassing. But since that morning Ward had gone straight to the police after what happened on the Druthers, John B was a wanted man anyway.

Pope and JJ were holed up a few blocks away watching this all unfold with their teeth chattering.

"Pope, he can't get arrested. Ward's gonna kill him."

"I know." Pope responded. His eyes were blown wide. "I'm thinking of something." He whispered.

"Well...think faster." JJ's voice wavered with frantic worry.

JJ peeked his eyes above the trashcan they were hiding behind, spotting Ward running out of the house with Sarah in his grasp. She clearly wasn't excited to see her father again. Yelling for him to let go and fuck off . A shaky exhale brought him back to his body for a second.

" Fuck ." JJ strained his hearing. Trying to figure out what Shoupe and Ward were saying to each other. "They're uh... shit. He's not pressing charges. But uh..." he closed his eyes for a second, turning his ear toward the manor. "He— Pope, he's taking him inside. Kie's fled already I think. We gotta—" He abruptly rose to his feet, feeling the stitches in his side pull slightly with the sudden movement. He clamped his teeth together to stifle the groan that threatened to rise from his throat.

Pope slid his hand against JJ's chest, yanking him back down. "Hey, no. Stop. I got another plan. We're gonna get him. Don't worry." He tried to make himself sound more genuine but the thought of lying to JJ felt like his whole body was rejecting an organ. Not that either one of them could tell how shaken he was over each of their respective heartbeats.

"Fine. Fine. What's your plan?"

—

Pope's hand was clasped around JJ's mouth as they were crouched stark still against the flush Tannyhill walls. They were both breathing heavily. JJ more so than Pope.

JJ whipped his head back as another wave of trembling wracked his spine. Pope's hand grazed the outline of his lips, which at the moment were sewn so tight he could feel JJ's cheeks quivering.

"You're okay." Pope spoke softly. Running his free hand through JJ's tangled mess of blond hair. He only got a pained squeak in response as JJ's entire abdomen tensed under him.

They'd only been inside for ten minutes.

"JJ, you're okay." He consoled him again. Cooing softly into his ear as they both heard Ward's footsteps thumping across the floors upstairs. JJ squirmed under Pope's grip, turning to face him with sweat sticking his hair to his forehead.

A shrill scream from deep inside the manor's second floor startled the pair of them. They both gave each other a look of knowing fear.

And then Pope was on the floor, JJ's hand firmly pressed against his shoulder with the same trembles he'd been fighting not ten seconds before. Clearly he was still stifling the changes if only to not accidentally scratch Pope with his unnaturally sharp claws.