Lies that Destroy

Disclaimer: I do not own Good Luck Charlie

A/N:

Chapter 10 (PJ's Investigation)

PJ stared, frozen, at the library computer. His hand trembled over the mouse and his stomach tightened. This was all too much to bear, all too much. Although he'd already suspected something was off about Bob and Amy, already been researching for some time ever since Gabe started complaining of the nightmares, he hadn't quite been prepared for the gravity of this situation. He hadn't known just what he'd find, and it was indeed shocking. He'd been at the library for hours now, researching, and finally he stumbled on the truth, through the public database. Both of his parents were in it. In 1991, Amy Duncan burglarized a gas station. In 1990, Bob Duncan took a joyride in a cop car and punched out a police officer. Amy only took jail time for two years while Bob only got fined.

The thing that was shocking about it was, how in the hell could she have gotten impregnated with him? The amount of time she spent in prison meant she certainly wasn't having sex with Bob. Not at the prison she was at, they didn't allow those types of visits. Although the question of his birth was not the only thing coming to mind. There was the issue of the various scrapes with the law that Bob had running in a wide range from the early '80s, and continuing on to '08. The earliest offense was in '78 when he took cocaine to high school.

These were things he never knew about his parents. He'd even stepped out of the library to talk to his grandmother, who complained about already being called on by Teddy. She told him everything about Bob and Amy's high school experiences. Now, he was just dumbfounded. Sure there was good reason to keep these from your children, but was it necessary to hide all the facts? His father punching out an officer, believable. The man had started many fights, and in all honesty, Bob's own father was an aggressive man who believed in battles as well.

He called that man up as well after having talked to his grandmother, and the man still didn't know his name. It was evidenced when he started carrying on about how he wasn't Bob's son, and how Amy never got pregnant. These only stirred up more questions that he'd been asking himself for an extremely long time. Such as, if Bob and Amy were not his parents, who were his true parents? More research was required, but he honestly had his doubts.

His phone began to vibrate and he groaned in exhaustion, he was tired of running back and forth with the device. Just as sure as the librarians were tired of it. He grabbed the phone and ran outside, answering it. It was not the man he wanted to hear from.

"PJ, are you still at the library?" Bob asked with a rapid voice. "Just making sure."

"Yes..."

"You might want to stay there for a little while." He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. He put his hand to his waist and sighed as the wind blew past him.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Nothing. Just stay there. You can come home during supper. Also, if you hear from your sister, we'd like her to come home."

"Teddy? Is she okay?"

"She went to a friend's house, but left her phone here." Right. Her phone. He tried to call her earlier, but it went directly to voicemail. He pulled his phone from his head and looked to it, he had a missed call from Gabe. It was fine, he would talk to him when he did get back home. Of course, the incessant beeping now was from Emmett.

"Okay. I need to let you go, Emmett's calling me." Bob started to say something, but he switched calls over. Just hearing the man's voice was, for some reason, annoying and agitating. "Emmett? What's up man?"

"I don't know what it is, but Ivy's not answering her phone! Is she mad at me or something? Her parents aren't answering, she's not answering, what's going on man? Maybe they'll answer for you?" His brow furrowed and a very suspicious feeling came over him. "Look dude, if you do hear from her, tell her I'm sorry I forgot to pick her up from the restaurant the other day. Sorry I made her have to walk."

"Oh right…" Ivy had been stuck at some restaurant a few days ago with no ride, as her current ride had abandoned her. Teddy was on a date with Spencer, so she called up Emmett, who got caught up playing the drums when he said he needed 'five minutes' to finish some song he was working on. That five minutes turned into ten, which turned into thirty, and then two hours. "Don't worry I'll tell her, and I'm sure it's nothing man. Look, I'm finishing up some research, can I talk to you in a little while?"

"Sure bro." PJ parted and hung up his phone. He was full of concern for Ivy now, but he didn't really think there was anything to worry about. He had other matters he needed to finish up on. As he walked inside, his mind went to Teddy and Gabe, he hoped they were okay.

PJ entered the quiet home and slowly lifted a cell phone from the arm of the couch. It was Gabe's phone, or so he thought it was. When he turned it over, he found the image of a dog pasted to the back. "Who's phone is this?"

"Oh that's mine!" A voice called out. He turned his eyes to the kitchen to see Gabe walking out with Charlie following her.

"Not Gabe!" Charlie said while pointing. PJ raised an eyebrow and watched Denise remove her hat. His jaw fell and his eyes started to grow. He moved his mouth to speak, but no words came out, he was too stunned for them. This whole day had been very revealing to him, and now, he was even more concerned.

"I'm Denise…" Denise put her hat back on and walked to the couch, sighing heavily. "I figured I may as well reveal myself, no one is home…" He expected someone to be there, as he came home earlier than Bob told him to. He did this with the intention of finding out what he was up to. He did drive by the Wentz house. Their car was in the drive, but nobody was home.

"D-Denise? You…Okay, what's going on? I know something's up." He walked to the couch and took a seat. Gabe had a twin, that much was certain. Only thing was, how could he have a twin when he wasn't even adopted? Then again, everything had already started coming together for him. When he found out what his father had been up to in his past, he put that with the things Rodney told him when he was a kid, the fact that Amy hadn't ever been pregnant, and finally what his grandparents told him, he knew. He knew Gabe wasn't a part of the family, he couldn't have been. He was abducted, and likely that's what he was trying to tell him when PJ missed his call.

Then there was the question of Jasmine "Jazzy" Booth, the woman his grandmother told him about, claiming Teddy asked about her as well. When he investigated, he saw the missing child in 1993 had an identical birthday. When he examined the age progressed photo, of himself, he had to push away those doubts and the denials. The same ones that he just knew Teddy would likely freak out over if this was happening to her.

I have to be the strong one. I can't freak. I'm the oldest, I must be strong in the eyes of deception and darkness. I cannot waver, I must hold my stance, I must be powerful and protect.

However he couldn't deny the feelings of loss, of mistrust, of betrayal. He'd informed Skyler and had booked an immediate flight to New York. Assuming his parents could tell him something that made him realize he wasn't one of the abducted ones, then he would stay. However if they told him the truth, that he was, or if they blatantly lied again, he was out.

"So am I to think everything's true, Denise? Gabe was stolen?" Denise pulled her papers from her pocket and showed him, nodding firmly.

"Yes. So were you." In his haste, he paid and made the flight for one person. He couldn't change it, though, or else he'd have to wait. He didn't know if Teddy might have the same parents, but right now, he only wanted to get to Skyler. She and her parents were going to help him, whether or not he could find his own father. He still wasn't certain he was going to look. Once in New York, he wasn't going to abandon his baby sister, but he had no way to locate her now. "Teddy left in a rush, her phone's busted…"

"Okay…" Ivy wasn't answering and Spencer said he hadn't seen Teddy, however PJ was going to keep close communication with him. He told Spencer simply, if he sees Teddy, to tell her immediately to call him and get on a flight to New York, he would only explain to her. There was no need to involve anyone else in this, it could risk that person's safety if Bob and Amy found out they knew.

He gazed at the photos and tried to stomach them, he'd managed to force down the urge to vomit all this time, and now he was still fighting that urge. Eighteen years. He had spent many hours just contemplating the truth, trying hard to deny it, but as much as he wanted to, he couldn't.

A car engine moved into the driveway and PJ quickly glanced at the door. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, he had to maintain control of this situation. If he didn't, he was as good as dead. Or at least, for all he knew given Bob's record of aggressiveness, it could be a literal thing too. "Okay just stay quiet Denise, I need to ask them a few questions…I need to be sure, if there's any chance of them being redeemed…"

"You think they're redeemable? I'm not too sure about that." Denise pushed her phone into her pocket and pulled out a small tape recorder. He was surprised to see she'd been doing an investigation of her own. "It won't be worth anything in court, but at least it'll help my dad. I've recorded everything."

"Amazing…" He was tempted to listen to that instead, but no, he wanted to hear it from the source itself. "You honestly pulled on quite an investigation?"

"My dad being a cop means I've got knowledge about how the field works, yes. Unfortunately it means I might have a tendency to get myself caught in places I really shouldn't be." She chuckled nervously and he gently shook his head. He'd have to keep her safe too, now. Maybe after this, he would take her to her own family. The twins had to at least be reunited, and at the very least, he could contact Gave and found out where he was.

"You know how dangerous Bob is? Or at least, the things I've found out…"

"I have an idea…so yes, I know he could potentially be dangerous."

"And you still came here? Are you insane?" She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her head. Why was he bothering with the question? She was related to Gabe, after all, so she must have some craziness inside her. Even if that meant getting herself into loads of trouble. "So you're going to get into some serious trouble when you get home, you do know that right?"

"Well. If it means seeing my brother, then it's a risk I'm willing to take. I have to see him, I can't go any longer without him."

"Sibling bond, huh? I know the feeling…" He slid his hands along his jeans and sighed. What was taking Bob and Amy so damn long? He was just getting eager to find out if they could admit to the truth. This confrontation was going to happen, whether they wanted it to or not.

PJ's personality inherited from his birth father truly shines through in this and upcoming chapters (especially that next chapter). Hard nosed, in command, no-nonesense and will get the job done. Let's see. What did everyone think of the events in this chapter?