A HAND pressed gently against Scarlett's shoulder and she looked up to see JJ. He looked too as if he had been crying. Scarlett wouldn't blame him if he had been- they'd just lost one third of their original trio. Without speaking, JJ pulled her off the floor, wrapping an unfamiliar coat around he shoulders. "You're dad brought it." JJ explained, noticing her confusion.
"My dad?" Scarlett questioned. "I don't think he cares that much about me to travel over here."
JJ shook his head. "No, your other dad. Your real one."
Scarlett looked up at him, her vision slightly blurred from the mixture of her tears and the rain. "He's here?"
"Yeah." JJ nodded. "So's your sister. She's with that British Kook and her son. Luke, I think?"
If it was possible, Scarlett's face paled even more. "No, no. Maisie can't be here. This is too much for her too see right now." She pulled away from JJ's arms, rushing back to the tent. She came to a stop, shocked to see her birth father and his family, along with Olivia Fields. Ignoring them, she crouched down, wrapping her arms around Maisie.
"We brought you a coat. Figured you might need it." Sebastian Hale spoke. "Look, we thought you deserved an explanation. And then we saw you and your friends on the news."
Scarlett looked up at him. "What do you want?" Her words came out harsher than she meant them too. But she lost all ability to care. She handed Maisie to JJ- who had followed her into the tent- and stood up.
"As your father, I wanted to be here for you." Sebastian told her. "I know what you're going though isn't easy-"
Scarlett shook her head at him, trying to hold back her anger. "How could you know what I'm going through? Huh? In the span of nine months I've lost almost everything! My mom went missing at sea with the only man who treated me like a daughter. Only for them to end up dead. And tonight I lost two of my friends. My oldest friend and closet friend. Someone I thought of as my brother." She paused, collecting her thoughts. "But I guess you can understand that, yeah? I'm not like you. 'Dad'." She air-quoted around the last word. "You've been absent for literally almost every part of my life and now you suddenly care?" She shook her head. "I don't buy it." She turned away, walking towards the tent's exit. "I'm going home. Wherever that is nowadays."
❤❤❤
Without realising it, Scarlett had made her way to the Château. She was drenched head to toe from the rain, her new coat not doing much to shield her. Hesitantly, Scarlett made her way up to the front door. It felt strange and empty, and her heart shattered when she realised John B wasn't going to be in there like he had been every other time she gone to his house for comfort. She stepped through the door, throwing her coat onto the back of a chair. Fresh tears trailed down her face as she looked round at the room. It was still messy, having not been cleared up since the last time the Pogues had all hung out there.
Scarlett's feet led her to John B's room, where she curled up on the bed. She cried into her knees, hugging one of John B's old jumpers close to her face. "I'm gonna be so lost without you, JB." She whispered. She heard footsteps enter the room and felt the bed sink next to her. But she knew it was JJ, they'd been friends long enough for her to just know. "I've seen dark before, but this is different. Losing John B feels different to anything else. I always followed him everywhere, and I know it probably annoyed him sometimes." She paused, reaching up and wiping away the stray tears that scattered her face. "But now, he's gone. And, I don't know how to exist without him, JJ. He's been there since forever. And..." She shook her head softly. "I can't. I don't know how to be without him. Nothing will ever be the same without him."
JJ laid himself down next to her, pulling her back against his chest. "We'll figure it out, Red." He brushed his fingers gently through her hair. "I promise you, we will. That's what Pogues do. We figure shit out." They fell into a silence, broken only by Scarlett's sniffs. JJ continued to trail his fingers through her hair, the two of them eventually falling into a grief ridden sleep.
Images of John B and Sarah swirled in Scarlett's mind. Her dreams were a mix of what could've been and what she actually witnessed. John B was gone, she knew that. But she couldn't help but hope that he was still out there somewhere, laying in waiting until his name could be cleared.
❤❤❤
Scarlett awoke the next morning, finding herself still curled up in JJ's arms. His grip was tight, even though he was asleep. It was as if he was scared that by letting Scarlett go, he would lose her too. And it was a feeling that Scarlett understood completely.
She laid there for a while longer, unable to fall back to sleep. She nestled her face into the crook of JJ's neck, taking in the soft smell of weed mixed with whatever the blonde used as a cologne- Scarlett was yet to find out. But it was a pleasant scent. At least, it was to the brunette. She found it comforting and it never failed to make her feel at home.
Eventually, she felt JJ shift as he woke up. They exchanged "good mornings" before laying in a peaceful silence for a while longer. The events of the previous day were still fresh in their minds- not that they would be able to forget it, even if they wanted to.
"How you feeling this morning?" JJ asked, his voice still groggy with sleep.
Scarlett shrugged. "Angry, heartbroken. The usual grief emotions." She answered, turning to lay on her back and staring up at John B's ceiling. "What about you? I mean, I know its a stupid question. John B was your best friend too."
JJ nodded. "Yeah, feeling similar to how you are, Red." He paused, running his fingers through the ends of her brown hair. "How'd you get through this when it was your mom?" He asked. He didn't mean to bring up the subject of Charlotte Woods, knowing it was still a touchy subject for Scarlett. But he knew that Scarlett had dealt with these feelings before through that particular situation and he wondered how she had managed to process it all.
Scarlett sighed. "Well, I had you guys who I could spend time with and distract me from feeling the feelings. And then, I had John B who was going through the same thing. We could talk about our feelings together because we both were going through it together." She paused, taking a breath. "I guess, it's good in a way to know someone else is going through what you are. You know?"
JJ nodded his head slightly. "Yeah. I get what you mean."
"I think," Scarlett continued. "I think we need to stick together. You and I, Kie and Pope. Because that's the only way we're gonna get through this."
Nodding his head again, JJ leaned down and placed a kiss on Scarlett's forehead. "Don't worry, we'll stick together." They fell into another silence for a few minutes until JJ broke it. "Red, can you promise me something?"
Scarlett hummed, shifting so she could look up at his freckled face. "What do you want me to promise?" She asked.
"Promise me that you'll at least see your dad? Apart from each other, family's all we got right now." He told her. "And I know that neither of us have great family lives. But now you've got a chance to change that."
"JJ-" Scarlett started.
"I know you don't want to see them." JJ cut her off. "I get that, I really do. But you deserve an explanation, and they want to give that to you."
Scarlett sighed, considering what the blonde had said. "Will you stay with me if I go see them?"
"You know I will, Scar."
"Good. Because I'm not gonna listen to them if you're not there with me." Scarlett continued. "I need you with me JJ."
"I'll be there. I promise."
❤❤❤
That afternoon, JJ pulled up outside the Hale household on his motorbike- Scarlett sitting behind him. Neither of the pair wanted to take the Twinkie as it was John B's van, and they didn't want to disturb it. Plus, the police were currently in possession of it so they couldn't drive it even if they wanted to. JJ looked over his shoulder at Scarlett, noting how nervous she looked. "You okay? We don't have to do this right now. Just when you're ready."
Scarlett shook her head. "No, I want to do this now. Get it over and done with."
"And if you don't want to, you don't have to speak to them after today." JJ told her. "You know that, right?"
Scarlett nodded, tearing her gaze away from the house. "Yeah, I know. I know." She hopped off the bike, holding her hand out for the blonde boy. JJ climbed off the bike, making sure to shut off the engine. He grabbed her hand, giving it a small squeeze as the pair made there way to the front door. JJ pressed the doorbell, knowing that Scarlett was too nervous to. A few minutes went by before the door swung open. "I'm here to listen." Scarlett announced bluntly, getting straight to the point.
"Come in then." Sebastian spoke, opening the door wider and stepping to the side.
"But I'll only listen if JJ can stay with me." Scarlett added, nodding her head towards the blonde.
"Of course, of course." Sebastian agreed, waving them in. He led the two teens through to the living room. "Can I get you anything to drink? Or eat?"
Scarlett shook her head. "Can we just get to the point. Yesterday you said you wanted to explain to me. So, go ahead." She sat down next to JJ on the couch, gesturing for the man to speak.
Looking slightly taken aback by the brunette's Blunt attitude, Sebastian took a seat on the other couch. "You remind me so much of your mother. Though, your hair is different. You had blonde hair when you were little, I always remember that."
"I dyed it." Scarlett stated. "After mom went missing. My dad, well I guess he's my step-dad, said I looked to much like her. Things at home got worse." She waved her hand. "But we're not here to talk about me."
Sebastian's face fell. He didn't realise how bad Scarlett's home life was. If he had known, he would've reached out a lot earlier. "Well," he cleared his throat. "What exactly do you want to know?"
"Everything." Scarlett answered. "Why you left and never got in contact. Absolutely everything."
Sebastian nodded. "Before I start, I just want you to know that I never wanted to leave you and your mother. Charlotte- she was the love of my life."
Scarlett cocked an eyebrow at him. "Then why leave? You didn't want to. But you did."
"Becuase my father forced me to." Sebastian sighed. "It was a business deal. He wanted to expand his business to England, and the only way was if I married Isobel. She's his partner's daughter, you see."
"You could've said no." Scarlett deadpanned. "You loved my mother. I mean, you said you did."
The man shook his head. "I wish I could've. But my father was a difficult man to reason with. Especially when it came to his business. That was his life's work, he built it up from the ground. Began it when he was in his twenties."
"You're diverting." Scarlett pointed out.
Sebastian nodded. "You're right. I was just giving you some information so you knew why it wasn't as easy as just saying no to leaving your mother." Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Look, your mother and I met when we were your age. And from there our relationship grew. We got engaged and soon after, you were born. Those three years were some of the best of my life, being with you and your mom."
"But you left." Scarlett pointed out. "And you got married to someone else. I never saw you again."
A frown formed on the man's face. "I've always regretted that. And then you grew up, and I figured you wouldn't want to see me." Scarlett rolled her eyes again. "I wasn't wrong though, was I?"
Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "Well, you abandoned me. And until this week, I didn't know we were related. I mean, I've delivered groceries to you with my friend Pope. But that's the most contact I've had with you until now. So, yes. Part of me doesn't want to see you. But I made a promise to JJ, and I intend to keep it."
"It was your mother's decision to not tell you. Unless you remembered and asked her about me." He explained. "I guess you didn't."
"Obviously." Scarlett mumbled.
"So, I married Isobel and we adopted Luke Hale. I kept paying your mother child support money. That was our agreement." Sebastian continued to explain. "And then, when you began to get into more serious trouble, I'd pay your bail money."
Scarlett's mouth opened slightly in shock. "But, how? Why?" She'd been arrested so many times by now, she was sure her bail money would've bankrupted him.
"Charlie would ring me after you called her from the police station."
Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek. "On the subject of bail. I owe 30K in restitution."
Sebastian nodded. "I heard. And I can pay it for you." He looked over at JJ. "For both of you."
"You don't have to, Sir." JJ protested.
"I don't mind, honestly." Sebastian insisted. "I know you'll struggle getting the money. I knew your father, JJ. And I want to help, both of you."
"Do you know Olivia Fields?" Scarlett asked, rather suddenly.
"Yes. She's your mother's mother." Sebastian told her. "Though, I hadn't seen her until this week."
"You saw her at Midsummers."
Sebastian nodded. "Yes, we reconnected a little after the commotion you two and your friends caused."
Scarlett shared a look with JJ, her face paling considerably. She'd met the man during the party- granted she was already quite drunk at that point- and she hadn't given off the greatest first impression. But for her father to see her behaving the way that she did with the Pogues... she dreaded to wonder what he might think of her. She felt even worse when she realised her grandmother would have also seen her in that state, and if it was possible, she paled even more.
As if reading her thoughts, Sebastian spoke again. "No need to worry. I totally understand what being a teenager is like. Going out, getting drunk, running off into the night."
Scarlett gulped, knowing that that particular evening was about more than just being a regular teenager. "Yeah. So... we're all caught up now?" She didn't wait for Sebastian to give her an answer. "Right then. Guess we'll go." She stood up, pulling JJ along with her. She made it to the door before Sebastian called after her.
"I want you to know, Scarlett, that you can always stay here if things get too bad." He told her.
Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek, looking back at the tall man. "No one calls me Scarlett. Its Lottie." With that, she walked out of the room, making her way down the long hallway towards the front door. "You've been quiet." She observed, pausing by the door to look at JJ. "I don't think I've ever known you to be this quiet."
"I just didn't want to interrupt your time with your dad." He watched as Scarlett twisted the lock open, the door swinging open in the breeze. "Red, I know you dislike him right now but don't be so harsh towards him. He's trying to give you a second chance. Your step-dad and my dad would never do that."
Scarlett looked up at him, her eyes locking with his. "J, I promise that I'll think about it. Okay? I know staying at Kie's isn't a long term solution, so... I'll think about it."
JJ smiled at her, leading her through the front door and across the front lawn to his bike. "Where do you wanna go now? The Château?"
Scarlett shook her head. "I've got one more stop before we go back there. I want answers from my Grandmother and I'm gonna get them. I wanna know why she disappeared on me and mom too."
"Know where she lives?" The blonde asked, climbing onto his motorbike.
"No. But Kie will."
❤❤❤
Kiara had texted Scarlett Olivia Fields' address and- after giving directions to JJ- the two pulled up outside her house. According to Kiara, the older woman had a lot of money- more so than the average Kook. The house, Scarlett observed, was more like a mansion. It astounded the girl that her whole life her grandmother was one of the richest people on the island- though she had left and only recently returned- while she grew up watching her mother work two jobs and still struggling to make rent.
"Never thought your grandma would be a Kook." JJ mused.
With a sigh, Scarlett agreed. "I don't think it's fair. She's got all this money and yet she left my mother and I living in the dirt." She turned to the boy, her eyes tracing over his face. His blue eyes stared back at her, seeming to do the same. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She grinned. "Being a Pogue is the best shit to happen to me."
JJ grinned back at her. "Pogue for life."
"Pogue for life." Scarlett nodded. She wasn't looking forward to seeing her so-called Grandmother, but she wanted an explanation. And she was determined to understand why the woman left her and her mother. Stepping up to the front door, she heavily banged her fist against it and knocked loudly.
They only had to wait a few minutes before the door swung open to reveal Olivia Fields, a glass of wine in her hands. Her face seemed to drop slightly at the sight of the teens. "Ah, Scarlett is it? I see you've brought a friend."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well I'm visiting all of my unknown relatives today. Anymore I should know about?" Her voice was bitter as she spoke, as of she was trying to get rid of a bad taste from her mouth.
Olivia shook her head. "No..." She paused, taking a sip of her wine. "Well-"
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Well what? Do I have siblings I never knew about? Or an aunt or uncle my mom failed to mention?"
"I assume you're here for a reason, Scarlett?" Olivia asked, obviously changing the subject.
A frown formed on her face at the use of her proper name. "You'd be correct. I want answers."
Olivia nodded. "I suppose you'd be wanting to come in then."
"We can do this here, if you want. I know you don't want us Pogues wrecking your oh-so lovely house." Scarlett's voice dripped with sarcasm, along off the fact that she knew people like her Grandmother didn't like people like herself and her friends.
"No, no. Come in, you are family after all." Olivia waved her granddaughter in the house, her face scrunching up when JJ stepped in after her.
Upon noticing her grandmother's reaction to seeing her boyfriend, Scarlett spoke up. "Grandmother, this is JJ. My boyfriend." She knew that it would piss the women off even more to introduce him like that. "He stays with me, or you'll never see me again."
Olivia sighed. "Fine, fine." She shut the front door and led them through the seemingly maze of hallways until they reached the back door. The older woman slid it open, leading the two teens into the large expanse of land that was he garden. "We can sit out here and talk. The weather's lovely today."
Scarlett scoffed. The weather was indeed nice out, but she knew the real reason her grandmother had led them outside. The woman didn't want them- two kids from the cut- dirtying the inside of her house. She sat down at the small garden table Olivia had led them to, JJ taking a seat next to her.
"So, what is it you came here to talk about?" Olivia asked, sipping on the wine she still held in her hand.
Scarlett folded her hands on the table top and leant forward slightly. She lowered her sunglasses over her eyes, blocking out the sun that had been blinding her. "You." She answered. "I came here to talk about why you disappeared on my mom. Why you never came to visit or help her. You do know she struggled? Working two jobs, researching the Royal Merchant, looking after me and Maisie." She paused, taking in how calm and un-phased Olivia seemed to be. "But you knew. Didn't you? You just don't have a heart to care about her. Or us." Scarlett accused.
Scarlett smirked slightly as Olivia choked on her beverage. The woman looked taken aback at the accusation. "How dare you! How dare you accuse me of such things! Of course I cared for your mother. That's why I left."
"You left because you cared about my mother?" Scarlett questioned, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. "That's such bullshit."
"Don't speak such language under my roof." Olivia scolded. "A proper lady speaks eloquently."
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Why'd you leave? You're rich. You could've helped my mother out. But you didn't. You know, she told me you'd died. Said to me that that was the reason we never saw you. Because you were dead."
Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Charlotte told you I was dead?" She hummed. "Well, it's not like she ever tried to contact me."
"Why did you leave? She needed you. How could you just leave your own daughter?" Scarlett asked, desperate to get her answers and leave.
"I left because she met that new man of hers. Steven Woods." Olivia began to explain. "I told her, I told Charlotte that he wasn't a good man. I couldn't sense..." She clicked her fingers lightly. "What's the word? Ah, yes. Vibes. I never felt good vibes around him. I told your mother over and over again that marrying Steven was not the best thing for her and you." She shook her head. "But she didn't listen to me. And just looking at the bruises on your face, Scarlett, I can see I was right."
Astounded, Scarlett leaned back in her chair. "So you knew? You knew my step-dad was- is- an abusive asshole and you didn't ever do anything?" She was raging now. "Don't say you care about me or my mom when you so clearly don't! For years, I've had to put up with that man I called my dad verbally and physically abusing me. And this whole time you've known and don't absolutely nothing about it?!" She stood up so suddenly from her chair that it went flying backwards into the paving stones that lined the garden. "You just disappeared, did you? Because apparently that's all people do around here!"
Seeming to match the teens anger, Olivia also stood up. She pushed her chair behind her, slamming the wine glass onto the table. "I left because your mother wouldn't listen to me. I told her time and time again that Steven was not a good man. But she was blinded by heartbreak and a new sense of love." Olivia snapped at her granddaughter. "I had had enough. There's only so many times you can say something to someone. She wasn't listening to me. So, I told her one last time and said if she goes through with her decision to marry your step-father, that she would never see me again."
"But you knew!" Scarlett yelled, her anger rising. "You knew he's a horrible man and that's all you did!" Her breathing was heavy, and her eyes saw red. "You left us with him. And went off and became super rich. I don't think that's fair."
"If you must know, I went travelling." Olivia told her. "Your grandfather and I decided it would be best to leave the Outer Banks. So we went travelling with the little money we had saved." The older woman saw the teen open her mouth to ask a question, and she quickly cut her off. "Before you ask where he is, your grandfather died a few years ago."
Scarlett frowned, her face falling as she sunk back into her seat. "Oh." JJ reached over and interlocked their fingers. His thumb rubbed the skin on the back of her hand. Scarlett wished she could remember her grandfather. But she couldn't. Not even a faint image of his face would surface in her mind. Looking down, her gaze fell on the rings circling Olivia's fingers. "You re-married?"
Olivia nodded. "I did. That's why I own this house." She sat back down in her own chair, looking across the table to her granddaughter.
Scarlett threw her gaze around the garden, taking note of how pretty the older woman had made it. The edges were filled with rows upon rows of flowers, the colours seeming to blend together. "It's nice." The brunette stated, her voice significantly calmer than it had been moments earlier. "Why'd you come back?"
Olivia sighed, taking another sip of her drink. "I came back because my new husband- William- convinced me that I should at least try to patch things up with Charlotte. Once we moved into this house, I went and visited her. I made it clear I wanted to patch things up, be in her life again- and yours." She nodded at Scarlett. "But she wouldn't talk to me. I understand why. We've had many arguments over the years. So, I left her alone with the intent to go back and try again after a few months. But then...well, she died and I couldn't."
Scarlett nodded her head. "I think I remember the day you came to visit. We got back from surfing," She tilted her head towards JJ. "Mom looked really shaken. I asked Maisie what had happened, and she told me that some lady had visited them. That was you."
Olivia nodded. "Yes. It was me. I know it'll be hard, but I really want you to forgive me for leaving you and your mom. I've changed and I want to help you. I promise you Scarlett."
Having now heard the full story of her grandmother's disappearance, Scarlett wasn't as angry at her as she had been. She still held a slightly dislike towards the woman, but it was something that could be worked on. She wanted to get to know Olivia better, she really did. Taking a deep breath, Scarlett looked up at her grandmother and smiled. "You can call me Lottie."
❤❤❤
⁎⁎⁎
Edited: 16/08/2021