guardian angel saved half of your face

TW: MENTIONS OF PHYSICAL ASSAULT // CHILD ABUSE, BLOOD && GORE.
VIEWERS' DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

"YOU'RE LIKE A LITTLE ROCK IN MY SHOE. I shake my foot, I think I've gotten it out," Peterkin shuts the door behind her as she waltzes to her desk, dropping the file with a harsh slap. Her eyes lock with JJ's, his thumping knee doesn't go unnoticed by the experienced detective. "Then dang, there it is again."

"Maybe watch where you're steppin'," he says, tilting his chair back as his hands rest behind his head. His eyes cascade over to the window, the little cracks of the blinds not giving him enough view of who's out there. I hope baby McFly's alright.

"That little rock on the back of my heel makes me want to crush it," Sheriff spits, her voice coarse and her eyes a bit glossy as if she's been crying. Which she has, especially after interviewing Martha Holland. She clears her throat, sitting down in her chair as she opens his hefty file.

"Unlawful discharge of a firearm," she reads, her eyes flickering up to the blond teenager. He simply crosses his arms and displays the best smug face she could ever ask for. "Trespass on protected habitat. Felony destruction of property. All in the last two weeks. You're on a roll, chief."

"If you think I'm gonna rat anybody out, you got the wrong idea," JJ speaks up, tired of this shit. He bites his bottom lip, hoping that if he tears it open again Martha can fix it like she did last night.

"I know your little teen brain doesn't like to think ahead, but I want you to come with me to uncharted territory," Peterkin says, upping the ancy a little bit. Giving him an offer he can't refuse.

He looks up at her, suspicious of what she has to say.

"The future. How you gonna feel six months from now, sittin' in juvenile prison in Wadesboro? While your girlfriend, if y'all even last that long, is being ripped to shreds by the media because she was brave enough to say something about Rafe Cameron's vile behavior?"

JJ looks down, shifting in his seat as his worries take over. "Is she okay?"

She smiles shortly at him, appreciating his concern. "Yes, she's with her family."

JJ nods, his eyes —once again— flickering to the windows. He wants to see her. He needs to see her again. 

Peterkin sighs, collecting a few sheets of paper with photos on them. She displays them out in front of JJ. "You know these two?" Mugshots of the guys who ransacked John B's house in front of him.

He hesitates to say anything, but she can tell he wants to. So, she pestered him for more, "my question was, do you know these two?" She walks around her desk, pointing down at the pieces of paper, her stare deadly.

He swallows before finally divulging. "They..." he looks up at her for a quick moment and turns his head back down... "they broke into John B's house, and then they chased us through the marsh. Shot at us too." He visibly shakes as he speaks, he's easier to read than his girlfriend. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, proudly and unbothered. "Other than that, I have no idea."

"Here's a more recent photo," Peterkin sighs, placing down another set of photos. This time, they are dead. JJ's eyes bulge at the sight, his hand racing to his mouth as he stares at the guts and gore. "Somebody gaffed them, then used them for chum. Whatcha think? Bullshark?"

JJ retches, his eyes shutting quickly as he doesn't want to look any longer.

"Here's the bad news, chief," Sheriff Peterkin sits down on the table, brushing the papers away. "Whoever killed these two men is still out there, and I got reason to believe that their next target is a friend of yours... John B. Maybe they'll target his cousin, the closest he has to an actual family right now." Her voice veers off as she nods to him, her unspoken words telling him exactly who she is thinking of.

He looks up to her, his eyebrows contorting as his anger builds inside him. "But Martha has nothin' to do with—"

"—You kids don't think you're the only ones after the Royal Merchant now, do you? And, yeah. I know about that too."

JJ shuts his mouth, his jaw clenching as he thinks. Peterkin walks back to her desk, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Okay, Sheriff Peterkin, I can promise you he's not— they're not on it anymore."

"So you say. I'm just tryin' to keep him safe," she replies quickly. Her file slaps closed as she drops it back into her drawer. "I want you to tell John B to come in and talk to me. And as for Martha, she has a lot on her plate right now, I don't wanna add another thing for the poor girl. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nods, slightly taken back by her serious demeanor.

"Good. Now, since you're here. I'm gonna make you an offer: you answer some questions, you won't go to Wadesboro." She sits down, her hands flying to another file as she flips it open to an Eyewitness Report page.

"I thought I already answered some questions."

She shakes her head, pulling out a pen from her writing utensil cup. "It's called multitasking Mr. Maybank, I suspect you keep up." She clicks on her pen. "Martha told me everything. She said you comforted her in the following days since Rafe assaulted her. Is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am. I met her a few hours prior, uh- John B introduced me to her. I liked her instantly. The following day, the pogues and I, saw her walking home. She said she was walking from Nickolette's, but knowing what I know now, she lied. She was walking home from the Cameron's. She had a really bad limp, bruising around her neck, her eyes were puffy and red, her mesh shirt was torn. She actually yelled at me, for good reason, cause I'll admit it —sometimes I'm an asshole."

He chuckles under his breath, continuing. "She didn't want to go home, so we let her tag along with us the whole day until I had to give her a ride home. I called her stupid because she was insistent on walking home alone, and she broke down crying. Instinctively, I hugged her back. I didn't exactly know why she was so upset but I really pieced it together a week later. McFly and Rafe had gotten into a verbal altercation at my job, he called her a whore, and I gladly punched him in the face. A few hours later she confirmed my thoughts." He nodded as he finished.

He's never been so honest with authority before. Marty McFly what have you done to me?

"Describe your relationship to me. Is it sexual?"

He looks at her. Oh shit.

"You better tell me now, cause if his defense attorney found out you lied about this, they will use it against her."

"Yes. But we both made sure we were okay with everything. I swear. I swear on my mother. I would never want to be the one who hurts her. I want to be there to protect her. She's everything to me."

"Thank you for being honest, I think I can keep you outta Wadesboro." Peterkin smiles at him. It is refreshing, especially after being thrown into a jail cell earlier. She clicks off her pen, closing the folder before quickly standing up, folding the file underneath her arm. "She told me the same thing, by the way."

➵ ➵ ➵

"YOU, HIS GUARDIAN?" The officer asks Luke as she rummages through some paper forms. JJ can already tell, he's drunk mad out of his mind. What else is fucking new? His father sighs at him as JJ peeks over, his head tilted downward.

"Sorry to say, I'm his father," disappointment dripped from his lips. He emphasized the word 'father' as if he was embarrassed to even be related to the young kid.

"Well, the hearing will be in two weeks. If you fail to show up, you will forfeit your bail. The restitution will be based on the average of three outside estimates of the cost of the damaged article."

"Restitution?" Luke asks, his voice becoming more furious as his movements become more agitated.

"Pay for what he broke. It's part of the plea," she looks up at him but his head is already turned and his eyes are throwing daggers at his son. "Don't worry though, half of it has been paid off already."

"By who?" This snapped both Maybanks toward the direction of the officer.

"Uh, an anonymous person who goes by the name of.." she looks down at her papers... "Teddy Bear. Just sign here please."

JJ smirks, knowing exactly who that is.

"Well, thank God for that," Luke mumbles, eyeing JJ's smirk as he harshly grabs the pen out of the lady's hand and scribbles down his signature. "Let's go. Go now!"

JJ quickly walks out of the building, his head hanging low.

"You fuckin' lucky as shit, you know that? 'Am I your guardian?' Unfortunately, yes. But, apparently, you have a fuckin' guardian angel that can spend money on a 2019 Malibu." Luke rants next to his son, pulling out his keys.

"I'll pay it off dad, I swear. All of it."

"Shit. 15K? When are you gonna clear that, big guy?" He spits at him, aiming for his perfect blue eyes. "When all you do is smoke weed and hang out on the south side?" JJ doesn't say anything, growing silent as they reach his father's truck.

"Huh? Get in the car," Luke points, his key stabbing into his hand, getting it ready to wield. "Let's go."

JJ hesitates, biting his lip as he savors his last moments in the public eye, in the safety of the warm sun.

Marty, I hope you become a nurse because I need you tonight. If you thought my lip was bad, just wait. Oh fuck. Why don't I just run away? He's slow, he won't run after me. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck-fuck.

He grabs onto the door handle, pulling it open and bracing himself for what comes next as he lowers himself into the passenger seat.

Tension grows thick as silence succumbs them.

"Dad," his voice quivering in fear. "I swear—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. He was never allowed to talk back, so the possibility of finishing his sentence was another anomaly. Luke punches him in the face, his lip tearing back open simultaneously. Blood splattering on the dirty window as Luke punches over and over again. JJ groans, spitting out words, as he tries to defend himself, but he knows that'll just make it worse. He lifts his arms, trying to block the sharp edge of the key from coming too close to his face. It slices up his arms. Luke yells at him, grabbing the boy by his shirt and shoving his head into the window. Hard. Again and again.

"No! Fifteen thousand dollars!" Luke yells, pulling back and smashing JJ back into the window. Blood smearing in his hair and on the glass. "Do you know what you did to me?! Damn—" He slaps him across the face. The key in his fist cuts JJ's eyebrow.

"Dad! Stop! I'm sor—" JJ pleads but it's no use. Luke uppercuts him, bruising his cheek. Blood spits out of his mouth, dripping from his lips and down his nice white shirt.