*~*Later that night*~*

Julie buzzed opened the front gates since Jon was in with Sammy making sure their youngest was sound asleep. She stood in the fresh air, front door ajar, waiting for their friends to arrive. She shuddered involuntarily as the car pulled up.

She wasn't sure if it was the feel of eyes on her back knowing Ari was lurking nearby, from the cool evening breeze or the sense of foreboding that washed over her ahead of tonight's confrontation.

Leesha stepped from the car first and wandered over to Julie, putting her arm around her friend's shoulder. "Whatever happens tonight, we'll get through it," Leesha said in Julie's ear, "Okay?"

"Did I look that bad?" Julie chuckled wryly, as Ethan's brushed past them and into Ari's waiting hug. She had to smile at Leesha's pointed look at her question.

David joined his wife's side, "C'mon ladies, let's get this over and done with, huh?"

"Hey!" Julie nodded and turned before stopping the kids when they started for the stairs, "Lounge room. Now!" She stood pointing, brooking no argument. David followed the kids while Leesha went to the kitchen and pulled two glasses from the cabinets before opening a bottle of wine.

"Jesus, can they roll their eyes any harder?" she said to no one in particular. She glanced up to see Jon on the landing, "Everything okay, Rockstar?"

"Sammy's asleep," Jon made his way down the stairs, "I closed her door too. She doesn't need to know about any of this." He pulled Julie into a tight embrace, resting his forehead against hers, losing himself in her eyes before kissing her. "You ready, baby?"

"No, but it needs to happen," Julie sighed and pulled a face as he led her into the lounge.

Leesha had brought the wine in and was sitting with David on one settee, Ari and Ethan together in the middle one which left the last for Julie and Jon. Jon poured a whiskey for himself and David before he sat down.

There was a long silence as the women sipped their wine and the men nursing their drinks. "Babe, why don't you start?" Leesha asked David.

"I think Jon should," David brushed off quickly, blushing and sipped his whiskey. "He technically called the meeting and it's his house..."

"Thanks a bunch, asshole," Jon said, "I called this family meeting because I think these two have some explaining to do. Ari...you received a message while I had your phone today. Do you want to know who it was from?"

"Umm, obviously not, Daddy," Ari replied, playing dumb with an innocent smile.

Jon sighed, disappointed, and flicked a look over to David then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bright pink phone. David held his hand out for Leesha to give him Ethan's phone. She handed over the metallic silver and black iPhone to her husband. Each of the men unlocked the phones and pulled up the messages between their offspring.

Ari squirmed and crossed her legs when Jon and David put the cell phones on the coffee table, giving them both a look of contempt. On Ethan's phone was a photo of Ari naked on the Master bed belonging to Leesha and David, and on Ari's phone was a picture of Ethan naked in the shower at the beach house.

Ethan flopped backward onto the sofa and groaned, resting one arm behind Ari and scratching her back with his nails. Leesha stared at her son's phone, her hands shaking. "What in the name of G-d and all that is holy possessed you to get into our bed?" She asked the kids then looked at her husband. "Did you know?"

"Not until earlier today when our son was smart enough to send another dick pic," David answered.

"And you didn't bother to tell me?" Leesha retorted. "Goddamnit." She drained her wine glass and refilled it. "This is gonna be a long fucking night."

The room was silent again until David leaned forward, elbows on his knees and fingers running through his hair. He glanced over at Leesha and felt her eyes bore into his, her arms wrapped around his in a tight bond and her body pressed against him.

"When did this all start? And don't lie to me, Ethan. I've seen the videos and photos," David started.

Ari blushed and hid her face "Oh god...why did you have to watch them??"

"I thought we agreed that we'd talk about this before...before this step..." Julie said, trying hard to keep her voice calm and eyeing Jon cautiously. His forehead crinkled and he was trying desperately not to look at Ethan.

"Things changed, mom. A lot of things have changed," Ari replied, exchanging smiles with Ethan.

David scowled at the two and his eye twitched. "Do you two have any idea what could have happened if your phones fell into the wrong hands? Ari's face shows in almost all the photos and videos!"

"Plus you're 17! 17!" Jon exclaimed, "Way too young!"

"Well..."

Jon's eyes shot over to Leesha. "Well, what?"

Leesha took a deep breath and said, "I'm not saying that I'm pleased with either of you right now, but...DB...J...are you both forgetting that you first had sex at 13 and 14?"

"Really Dad? And 17 is too young? Hypocrite!" Ari gawped at her Dad and Uncle. She jumped from the couch and started to storm from the room. "Dad, let me go!" Jon had grabbed her wrist and dragged her back in, throwing her down next to Julie. "You're such a fucking asshole, Dad!"

"Arielle Bongiovi, you will apologize to your father this instant!" Julie yelled.

Ethan stood and took two steps towards Ari, freezing when he heard his Mom's southern accent growl, "Boy, sit your ass down."

"Or what? You gonna hurt me like you hurt Dad?" Ethan asked with a snort of derision.

"Ethan Alexander, what on earth are you talking about? I wouldn't hurt your Dad," Leesha replied.

Ethan shook his head and his lips tightened, confessing, "I heard you both the night of the fight after I came downstairs looking for Dad. I heard him screaming. You were hurting him!"

Leesha and David stared at each other, their expressions going from slightly upset to worried. "That's not the point of tonight," David stuttered.

"But it is part of the problem, Uncle Lema. Ethan needed someone to talk to and someone who wouldn't tell us that it's not appropriate or that we're too young to understand," Ari explained, gripping Ethan's knee with her hand and squeezing gently.

"If we tell you about Daddy and I, you two need to reciprocate and tell us what the hell is going on between you," Leesha said, her eyes swiveling between the two kids, husband, and friends. Ethan and Ari shared a look and nodded.

David hesitated but held steady at his wife's touch. "You two understand the range of emotions we're all capable of? Sadness? Happiness? Anger?" Both kids rolled their eyes and nodded. "18 years ago, my anger could get out of hand very quickly. I..I had...um..." David's voice caught in his throat and he hung his head.

"Your daddy had some problems. An addiction that nearly destroyed him. It also caused him to have a very short violent fuse," Leesha supplied, rubbing David's back and entwined their fingers.

"Physically and mentally, your mom was taught how to help me control those emotions. Ethan, anything she does, it's because I agreed to it," David explained, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. "Not only through the voice you heard from her that night, but she controls and physically restrains me in different ways. And when the situation calls for it, inflicts the pain that I require to force myself back to reality."

Ethan's eyes flickered down to his mom's hand holding tight to David's arm and how she pressed herself to him, kissing his upper arm and her hand trailing to his shoulder. "Like she's doing now? C'mon, Dad, I'm not blind. Mom's focus is completely on you," he pointed out.

"Yes, like now," Leesha confirmed. "Sweetie, I need you to understand that daddy and I love each other more than life itself. Everything I do with him, he directly asks me to do and we've both consented to it. I wouldn't do it otherwise."

Ari turned to Julie with wide eyes and asked, "Mama?"

Julie shook her head in response and looked over at Jon. "No, honey. It's not something daddy and I do, but we've known about it since day one. What someone does with love in their own home is up to them. No judgment."

"No judgment? That's the pot calling the kettle black," Ari snorted with derision.

"One more snide word out of you, Arielle," Jon spat out, "and I swear I'm dragging you to the bathroom to wash your mouth out. I've just about had it with you tonight."

"Quiet, Jon," Leesha snapped. "Okay, we've told you what you want, now...when did everything start?"

Ethan looked at Ari and steadied himself. "Things...changed the night of Ellie's Bar Mitzvah. Remember how we were coming out of the bar and saw us? We'd spent a while talking and I was basically spilling my guts to the girl, and somehow she didn't run away."

"Did anything more happen in that bar?"

Ethan shrunk a little under his mother's gaze. "No. I promise it was just talking," he replied.

Jon groaned beside Julie, seeing the stars in his daughter's eyes. "So that led to the bright idea of texting shit like this?" He indicated the two phones on the table.

"That...um...I had sent a pic of my cute new bikini to my friend's group," Ari said, "All the girls were loving and gushing over the pink and black...then...Ethan texted me...privately."

Jon's famous stink-eye was aimed firmly at David when he said, "I knew your kid started this..."

"Shut it, Jon, and don't make me tell you again," Leesha snapped back, "Continue please and pray I can keep your daddies at bay."

Jon grumbled under his breath and stared pointedly at his daughter. "Ethan...he just asked me for more pics," Ari continued after glancing at both fathers, "Said the bikini looked really nice on me."

"Well, it did. I was just being honest," Ethan shrugged with a soft smile to Ari who returned it and inclined her head towards him.

"Hey!" Jon yelled at Ethan drawing his attention back to the conversation, "Did you or did you not ask for what I've found on her phone?"

"What difference would that make, Daddy?" Ari asked, "I chose to send them. What's it matter who asked?"

Ethan perked his eyebrow like his Dad and said, "To be fair she did ask for dick pics in return." He chuckled when Ari gently elbowed him.

"Take that as a yes..." David said under his breath and scrubbed his hand across his face.

"So I know who to be more disappointed in, Arielle!" Jon stood and started pacing, "Because right now, it's a hard choice to make."

"I asked if he wanted to see more...or less. He said less, much much less," Ari replied defiantly, " And he asked if I wanted to see more...I said yes. Did that clear it up for you enough, Dad?"

"You'll definitely get more from my offspring," David said, the touch of smugness shined brightly in his words.

Leesha rolled her eyes at her husband, "Not helping, D, but not untrue. Ethan, what happened at the boardwalk and Bay Head?"

Ethan nodded to his mother. "We went to the Jersey Shore boardwalk with friends just like we told you. Haunted House...Pigged out on deep-fried Oreos...I won her a pink unicorn she was drooling over..."

"Oh my god, I was not drooling."

"You could have filled up the water shooting game," Ethan laughed, playfully kissing her cheek.

"Ass," Ari giggled and stuck out her tongue. "So yeah...he won me the unicorn and when I went to hug him, he kissed me. It was perfect...almost magical..." Ari's eyes shifted out of focus as she remembered that night.

Ethan chuckled, "Then Ms. Scooby wanted to be brave and go on the Ferris wheel but ended up whimpering the whole time."

"He made me feel like I was flying as I came...down," Ari smirked and shifted on the sofa, ducking her head as a blush worked itself over her face.

David drained his glass and leaned into Leesha. "And you two sneaking out and stealing my car to go to the beach? What the hell happened there?"

"Shaggy took me to heaven...a couple of times, in fact," Ari answered simply and Ethan looked down to his lap, biting his lip and trying not to grin.

"Well, the smell of heaven costs me a bit to have removed," David grumbled.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Arielle!" Jon yelled at his daughter.

"Jon, baby, calm down just a little...Ari, disappointed doesn't even cover what I'm feeling right now. That goes for you too Ethan," Julie said, holding her hand out to Jon.

"What's the difference, Auntie J? You four met and fucked in the same night. At least Scooby and I have known each other since birth," Ethan argued.

Julie inhaled sharply at his words and tone. "This difference is that we were at least 10 years older than what you two are."

"Age didn't matter when we undressed each other at Uncle Lema's beach house. I was perfectly within my right when I spread my legs that night and gave myself to him," Ari spit back at her mother, her aunt and uncle staring at her open-mouthed and speechless.

Julie was stunned and could only stare at her daughter for a moment before standing and taking one step, slapped her daughter and rushed from the room with an "Oh Ari..."

Jon glared at Ari with abhorrence before following Julie, his voice faded with a loud, "Jules! Hold on!"

Ari rubbed her cheek with quiet tears and Ethan wrapped his arm around her. "I'm here, sweetheart," he whispered and kissed the top of her head. She broke away from Ethan's embrace and took off upstairs sobbing. He took a deep breath and looked over at his parents. "Mom...Dad...I know you two aren't happy but why are you being this calm?"

Leesha glanced at her son and he flinched at her eyes, nearly black as the night. "Oh trust me, Ethan Alexander, I'm not calm. But...same as Daddy has his temper under control, so do I. And nothing...I mean nothing...would give me greater pleasure right now than to walk over there and beat your lying, man-whore ass right now," she said with a forced smile. "But you know why I'm not?"

Ethan blinked rapidly and asked, "Why is that?"

"Witnesses," she whispered menacingly. "Disappointment and anger are understatements to how I'm feeling. You've broken not only our trust," Leesha nodded to David, "But both of you have broken all of our hearts. Leesha stood and disappeared into the kitchen for more wine.

David looked at his son and quietly handed his phone back. "Go. I'll handle your mother," he whispered and gestured upstairs with his eyes. Ethan gave his Dad a small smile and slipped up the staircase.

He knocked and poked his head into Ari's room, locking the door and sitting on the bed with her. "I'm done. I'm just done. Done with this house, done with being treated like a child and done being unhappy," Ari cried in Ethan's arms.

"Runaway with me?" Ethan asked, rubbing Ari's back soothingly

She looked up at him, bewildered and blinked the tears from her eyes. "What?"

"I asked you to run away with me. We could leave tonight and go to California or Vegas. Far from Jersey. We've known each other since birth and I don't want anyone else," Ethan whispered. He stood and reached in his pocket.

"Shaggy, what are you doing?" Ari gasped as he lowered himself to one knee, took out his class ring on a long gold necklace and held it out to her.

Ethan took a deep breath and said, "Arielle Caroline...I know we've only been a couple for three months, but you're my best friend. The one I took my first steps with. The one I went on my first camping trip with. The one I traveled the world with. Now, I want you to be The One I wake up to each morning and The One I see before going to sleep. Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will, Shaggy," Ari cried with a small smile. "But what about our parents? You know they won't agree to it."

Ethan hooked the necklace around Ari and kissed her sweetly, wiping away her tears. "Just wait a couple days and I'll organize everything. I promise. Now, go splash some water on this beautiful face. Take a minute to calm yourself and I'll be downstairs, okay?"

"Yeah...I'll be right down," Ari nodded and disappeared into her bathroom to wash her face. With a deep sigh, Ethan headed back downstairs, smiling ear to ear.

Jon was coming out of his office after making sure Julie was okay when he saw Ethan coming down from upstairs and grabbed him by the collar, shoving him into the wall. "Just because you're my buddy's kid, don't think I won't take you out if you touch Ari again..."

Ethan smirked at Jon and said, "With what body part?"

Jon growled, his pulse pounding in his head, "Don't even breathe on her."

"Too late, Uncle Jon," Ethan sneered cockily at the older man.

Jon saw red and punched Ethan square on the nose, blood, and mucus covering his face, just as David walked in from the living room to see what the fracas was about.

"Get your hands off my kid!" David yelled, rushing up and pushing Jon away. "Who the fuck are you to beat my son up? Huh?!" He shoved Jon in the chest. "If you wanna get tough, Johnny, face me instead. My kid didn't do anything that your daughter didn't ask for."

"The fuck you say!" Jon snarled, his lip curling menacingly, "She wouldn't have done any of this if he hadn't asked for more."

'No! Jon!" Julie exclaimed as she rushed from down the hallway after hearing the men yelling at each other. "Jon, please, don't make this any worse," Julie tried to pull Jon back by dragging on his arm but he shook her off easily from the adrenaline-fueled anger coursing through him.

"Who the hell took that shot of her in a skimpy bikini? Sure as fuck wasn't Ethan! Who took the photos of her in the shower and spreading her legs?" David asked, baring his teeth like a hungry lion. "Face it, Johnny...your daughter wanted Ethan and it only took one smile to make it happen...just like Julie."

Jon stared daggers at David and snarled, pouncing on him and both men tumbling over a small table and crashing to the floor. Jon straddled David as Leesha raced from the room and Jon started punching his best friend, the latter fighting his hands through to Jon's face.

The two wrestled on the floor and Ari's soft cries could be heard from the top of the staircase. "Dad, get off Uncle Lema," she called out then saw Ethan nursing his broken nose. Ari flew down the stairs and knelt beside him, Ethan turning her away from the fight.

"Knock it off," Leesha said in a commanding voice as she entered the foyer, a leather bullwhip in her hand. When neither of the men ceased the fighting, Leesha cracked the whip in the air. David and Jon flew off each other, Ari screamed and stared at her Aunt in shock. "I've had enough! Both of you pathetic little fuckers...on your knees!" She snapped her fingers and pointed to the floor in front of her.

David crawled to his knees at Leesha's feet and bowed his head. Jon, however, fell against the wall panting and nursing his cut-up hand. "Yeah keep your husband under control," he snarled.

Leesha stalked over to Jon and grabbed him by the hair, dragging him over to David. "You think that didn't include you, Rockstar? You're just as embarrassing and disgusting as David is," she growled, slapping Jon across the face. "Vile and repulsive excuse for a man. Now...kneel."

"Not what you said the other night, baby," Jon retorted.

Leesha grinned and cracked the whip over his back, making Ethan and Ari jump. "Mom! Stop her!" Ari yelled as Jon's back arched with another lashing.

"Leesha! The kids!" Julie reminded her friend with a shout.

With Jon panting and David silent, Leesha dropped her arm and glanced back at Ethan. "Fuck...David, car now. Jon, office. Don't fight, just...go," she said shaking, the whip falling from her hand and tears spilling over for the first time that evening.

"Ari, go to your room, we'll talk about this in a minute," Julie told her daughter before rounding on Ethan, "Go to the car with your father. I'm sure you all have a lot to discuss too. Go!"

Julie went to Leesha and wrapped her in her arms as both women wept. "It's okay, Leesh," Julie murmured, "Go home. Talk to Ethan. It'll be okay. We'll work it out." She indicated to Ethan behind Leesha's back to come get his mother.

Leesha looked over when she felt a hand around her wrist. Ethan pulled his mother towards him, letting her slump against him. "I'm here, Mom," he whispered and led her out to the car. He glanced up towards the second floor and saw Ari staring out at them, blowing her a kiss and climbing into the backseat.

Julie turned back to Jon and the whip lying on the floor. "Why, baby?" Julie sighed and picked up the whip, hiding it in the cloakroom away from Sammy, "Why did you have to provoke Leesha?"

Jon rose from off the floor with a wince and a groan. "I'd had enough of her. She can be an emotionless bitch sometimes," Jon sneered, "She needed to be brought down for a change. I'm just sorry the kids had to see it though."

"I'm going to check on Ari," Julie said coldly, "Hope the couch is still comfortable in the office, Rockstar." She killed the lights leaving Jon standing in the foyer in the dark as she walked tearfully up the stairs and down the hallway.

Julie knocked on Ari's door, asking "Sweetheart, can I come in?" She was afraid of not being able to mend the pieces of shattered trust between them.

Ari opened the door and fell into her mother's arms, her face awash with tears. Julie gently guided them inside and closed the door. "Oh my sweet baby," Julie soothed the young woman, holding her close while the tears poured from them both. When they finally started to subside into hiccups, Julie led Ari to her bed and pulled the covers down and climbed in with her. She reached over and turned off the light.

"Mama?" Ari's whisper was barely heard in the dark, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I made you and daddy upset. But I love Ethan. I have for as long as I can remember."

"Oh baby," Julie sighed, "I know you have. You're just so young though, to be having this kind of relationship. You're both still children really." She stroked Ari's hair as she had done when she was a baby and needed comforting.

"Is...is daddy okay?" Ari asked after a long pause.

Julie sighed, "He will be."

Ari stirred and rolled to face her mother, "You told us you didn't do that stuff. I didn't hear daddy consent to it?"

Julie thought for a moment before answering, "This will all make more sense as you get older, but Daddy and Leesha have an agreement that dates back to around when we all met. Adults, married or not, can have an agreement to see and have certain relationships with other people."

"Do you and Uncle Lema have an agreement too?"

"Yes...yes we do. Also with Uncle Mookie," Julie decided it was time to be completely honest with Ari, "Rebecca knows and understands but doesn't participate."

"So...you and Uncle Lema have had...sex? Like you do with Daddy?"

"Oh baby, I love your daddy with every fiber of my being, don't ever forget that but," Julie said, "yes. There's sex which can be exciting and pleasurable, but when you're with the one you truly love...making love is two souls dancing. It's magical and terrifying, joyous and heartbreaking. Does that make sense?"

Ari nodded and whispered, "It was like that with Ethan, Mama."

Julie swallowed down her objection to that and kissed Ari's forehead, "I just wish you'd come to me first. Maybe Daddy would have taken it a bit better than finding those pictures. Do you even realize why Daddy's so upset?"

"Not really. They were private between me and Ethan."

"I know you think so but once something is online, it's there forever. When I first met your dad, Bon Jovi was one of the biggest bands in the world and that caused us a lot of problems with the paparazzi. The divorce from Dorothea, the fact that Leesha and I were fans that married Daddy and Uncle Lema, a fight that got out of control one night, photos of us on a holiday taken when we didn't know about it were all issues that raised their ugly heads in the papers and websites, not to mention the fans."

"What's wrong with that?" Ari asked.

"They used to stalk us. Most of the time they were nice, friendly but one, in particular, was a problem around the time you were born. She was obsessed with your dad. When you were only a couple of days old, she dressed as a nurse at the hospital and snatched you from the nursery one day while I was resting."

"Your dad came to visit with your sister and brothers but you were gone. He and I were frantic, out of our minds with worry. He called in the police and Uncle Matt with his men and the hospital was scoured from top to bottom. They found you with this woman in the stairwell. She thought you were hers and that Daddy had come for you both."

"You father managed to convince her to hand you to him and he would drive you both home. He led her straight out to the waiting police. He vowed to always protect you from that moment on."

"Why have I not heard this before?" Ari asked a little shocked, "What happened with that woman?"

Julie hesitated for a moment and stroked her daughter's hair. "She...ahh, she killed herself in custody. We didn't think it would ever become an issue...until now."

"Don't ever think your Daddy doesn't love your Ari," Julie whispered, "He loves you to distraction. All of you kids, but you...you just that little bit more. That's why he's being so hard on you. Does that make sense, baby?"

"It does but I still want to be with Ethan," Ari said, curling up tighter into her blanket. "I'm happy and I just want you and Daddy to support that, even if you don't like it."

"Personally, honey, I think it would be best if you and Ethan didn't see each other," Julie said.

Ari whimpered and looked into her mom's eyes. "That's not your decision to make, mama, and I've made up my mind. I'd like to go to sleep now." She dismissed her mother and rolled over.

"Ari, I....," Julie started to say something but changed her mind, "I love you, baby." She rose from the bed and kissed her daughter's cheek and left the darkened room. She went into Sammy's room and sat on the rocker that was still there from when Sammy was still a baby, picked up a stuff toyed and cried quietly into it before falling asleep.