you're on your own, kid... obx

075. truth or lie

JJ is driving towards Goat Island while Zack stands by him.

"So are we just gonna wait to talk about it?" Zack asks.

"We're on our way to talk about it." JJ says.

"I know. No, I know. But, like... what do you think is true?" Zack asks.

"I don't fucking know, Zack. If I knew, I'd probably be a tad calmer right now, okay?!" JJ exclaims.

"Yeah. Yeah, fair enough." Zack mumbles, nodding.

"Look, it just--" JJ starts, but stops. Zack frowns at him before following his gaze. He frowns when he spots a boat heading their way. Once it's close enough, Zack recognizes Rafe driving it.

"What the fuck is he doing out here?" Zack asks.

"Nothing good." JJ mumbles.

+++

The twins make their way up to the house, still limping. They get up to the door and JJ pounds on it. Zack pounds on one of the windows.

"Groff!" JJ shouts, kicking the door. "Groff! Let us in!" He screams.

"Groff, open the fucking door!" Zack shouts.

"Open the damn door!" JJ sneers.

"Who is it? Who's there?" Groff calls out.

"It's JJ and Zack Maybank." JJ calls back. "Can we just talk to you? We need to talk to you."

After a moment, the door opens and Groff is there.

"Oh, it's you two." He says.

"Yeah." JJ says.

"Come in. Come... come in." He urges, the twins walking in. "Look at you." He chuckles at their soaked states from the thunderstorm. "What a night, huh? Let's, uh... let's get you two some towels." He walks off.

"I don't feel good about this." Zack whispers.

"Come on." JJ mumbles, the two following Groff.

"Is there news?" Groff asks as he leads them to the same room they were in the other day. Zack uses the dries his hair with the towel Groff gave him.

"Wh-what?" JJ asks.

"They found the amulet, I assume? Too late for Wes, I'm afraid." Groff says.

"No, it's actually not about that. It's..." JJ stops when he looks at the portrait of Larissa. Zack stops right behind him, looking at the same portrait. He sees the resemblance clear as day now... or at least his mind makes him see it. JJ's practically her spitting image. "It's actually about you."

"Me?" Groff asks.

"Yeah." JJ whispers. "Okay. I just... yeah. I frickin'... I... okay, I don't know how to ask this, really, but... are we, um... are you our father?"

Groff lets out a soft scoff.

"Your father?" He asks, glancing between them. "Uh... what a thing to ask."

"Yeah." JJ looks down. "I guess you're right. It is odd. But, uh, okay. Um... I got this letter, and I ca-- and Wes Genrette wrote it, and we couldn't make any sense o--"

"Wes wrote you a letter?" Groff asks. "Wow, he really..." He scoffs. "He really wasn't there in the end, was he? Look, JJ, Zack, you seem like fine young men. I'd be... I'd be lucky. But... don't you already have a father?"

"If you wanna call him that, I guess." Zack scoffs. "Plus, you know, there's this thing called adoption." He adds.

"Luke." JJ says. "Except he was the one that told us... after I got the letter from Wes, he told me that you gave us to him after Larissa died."