AU where things go wrong and right at the same time. Thanks to mashimoshi for helping me decide what to write next.

How the fuck JJ had managed to sneak into her house, past her parents, and into her room, Kiara wasn't entirely sure. Looking at the blond as he paced back and forth by the foot of her bed, she had to shrug. It was JJ after all, he would be the one in their crew that actually made it all the way without suspicions. Pope would just knock something over and John B usually managed to talk her parents into getting her rather than trying to find her. That didn't mean that she was any clearer on what exactly her morally gray friend was doing there at half-past ten in the evening. Scanning him up and down, she was relieved to note that he didn't seem injured. "JJ, what's going on?"

"I didn't mean to, Kie," he replied, tearing at his hair, "I couldn't take it anymore." Back and forth, back and forth. The guilt bubbling inside of him swirled with relief, a confusing and painful concoction that made him feel sick. It had been inevitable, yet he couldn't really believe that he'd actually… he swallowed thickly, stopping to look at Kiara through his tears. "He wouldn't get up," he whispered, "I didn't even push hard, I… he was supposed to get up." JJ sucked in a shuddering breath, still seeing the blood as it pooled around his dad's head. Tears rolled down his cheeks, dripping onto Kiara's carpet.

The girl in question didn't care. Still trying to wrap her head around what he was telling her, Kiara stood and pulled him close. Gently wiping away his tears, even as she tried to hold her own at bay, she tried to figure out what exactly had gone down. "What happened, JJ," she asked, voice trembling slightly, "Walk me through it, all of it." He nodded, breathing heavily as he started to explain.

Reluctantly pulling the door open, JJ stepped into his loathed, childhood home. A putrid stench of alcohol and vomit permeated the air, making him gag. Walking deeper into the house, he was relieved to find that he was alone. He wasn't planning on staying long though. All he needed was some clothes and then he'd be crashing at John B's for the rest of the week. Stuffing the clothing into his backpack, he tried to be as quick as possible. He didn't want to risk running into his dad.

The sound of the door opening and closing again, followed by a crash, told him that he was too late. Briefly, JJ considered fleeing out the window. But there was no way for him to wrench it open before his dad noticed him. Eyes closing, he threw on the backpack and braced himself before he walked out into the living room. As if he wasn't already on thin ice being in the same room as the man, his father was leaning against the wall far too closely for JJ to believe that he could slip past without some kind of reaction. Trying to move as quietly as possible to avoid startling his dad into punching him, JJ shuffled around the coffee table.

"Where're ya goin' boy?"

Inwardly cursing, JJ froze. Without turning around, he shrugged. "John B's." Even with a couple of feet between them, he could smell the liquor on his dad's breath, and he wondered just how drunk the man was. Chills shot down his spine as his dad grumbled out a laugh.

"So what, this place ain't good enough for ya anymore?"

"It never was," JJ muttered under his breath. He immediately regretted saying it out loud as his father tensed, turning to face him. Dodging the punch he's seen coming, JJ tried to step away and avoid the fight. His dad grabbed his arm before he could run, pulling him closer. The usually vice-like grip was looser than JJ had expected and he used it to his advantage before another punch could be thrown his way. Ripping his arm away, he pushed his dad away slightly, just enough to put the distance between them he needed to reach the door. He watched in horror as his dad's heel caught on the coffee table, sending him teetering backward before he hit the floor.

Panic seized him as his father remained on the floor, not moving. A pool of blood was forming and JJ bolted.

"It wasn't your fault," Kiara whispered, clutching the sobbing JJ to her as his story sunk in, "There's a law, it says you can use deadly force under reasonable circumstances." They needed to find Sheriff Peterkin and they needed to find her fast before anyone else could find Luke dead in his own living room. Everyone knew that JJ hated him. If they didn't take control of the situation, he'd be wanted for murder. "We'll find Sheriff Peterkin," she murmured, "We'll tell her what happened and she'll declare it self-defense."

JJ looked at her, gaze desperate. "What if she decides that I murdered him, Kie," he asked, "What happens then?"

"It won't," she replied, trying to reassure herself as much as him, "She knows that your dad beats… beat you, they all do." He didn't look any more confident than she felt. JJ was known for being trouble. His run-ins with the law were far too many to really guarantee that Sheriff Peterkin would help. Then there was the issue with child protective services. She didn't like the idea of JJ being taken away and she knew he'd sooner die than surrender to DCS. "So we leave," she stated, smiling weakly as he looked up in shock, "We'll head for California or something, stay there until we're eighteen."

Feeling as though his breath had been knocked out of him, JJ couldn't really believe what he was hearing. He knew that all three of his best friends would do almost anything to help him. To hear Kiara state, out loud, that she was willing to leave the Outer Banks and everything she had ever known just to help him get away… it felt unreal. So unreal that he had to kiss her, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. She kissed him back. "When do we leave," he breathed against her lips, "The sooner the better."

"I've got money saved," Kiara replied, moving to grab a bag to pack her stuff into, "We should lay low for a couple of days, just to see if they open an investigation." She could tell he wanted to protest, that he wanted to insist that they needed to leave as soon as possible. And they'd still leave. But leaving before Luke was found would only make them seem guilty. "We'll stay long enough to know if they decide to call it homicide or not," she assured him, kissing him again, "That'll give us enough time to get everything we need done before we leave."

JJ nodded reluctantly, setting down his backpack on the floor and shoving it under her bed. If he was going to be hiding out at her place, which frankly was the last place they would look, they didn't need her parents catching them. He climbed onto the bed, falling back against the pillows as he listened to Kiara as she packed her bags. Exhaustion soon won out and he fell asleep.

Three days and an anonymous phone call later, news spread around the Outer Banks that Luke had drunk himself to death. Listening in on a conversation between Deputies Shoupe and Plumb, Kiara learned that the coroner had concluded that the death had happened as a result of the disgusting excuse of a father passing out. Apparently, alcoholism could cause brittle-bone disease, and the fall had been enough to kill him. With Luke dead, half the police force was searching for JJ. Though their friends had called several times, neither Kiara nor JJ felt safe answering until they were well on their way to California.

That part of the plan had almost been too easy. JJ had a contact on the mainland that helped them get fake IDs and passports, stamping them as eighteen. Though Kiara pestered him, the blond refused to divulge just how he had gotten that particular contact. They paid cash for two tickets to LAX and before they knew it, they were on the first plane out of North Carolina.

"We'll be back soon," Kiara murmured, drawing his attention away from the view outside the plane window, "John B and Pope will understand." Her parents probably wouldn't but by the time she saw them again, there was nothing they would be able to do. They could disinherit her, sure, but if she could manage a year and a half on her own with JJ, she would be able to handle not receiving her inheritance.

Nodding, JJ wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. They'd be fine. So long as they stuck together and laid low, they were free to do whatever they wanted. In a way, if one discounted the circumstances, they were getting what they wanted. He knew Kiara had always dreamed of leaving and he'd always dreamed of her. They'd be fine.