Chapter Two-Hundred and Forty-Six

John shook his head, pushing to pill back toward Dwain. "No thanks. Wisdom teeth hurt, but not as bad as rehab."

Jacob grabbed John's wrist, forcing him to stand and hauling him away from the couple. "Take it." He slurred, the whiskey and beer obviously built up in his system. "Take it, or so help me, your demon of a sister won't make it to morning."

John nodded, dropping his gaze as Jacob's face changed to kindness. "Yes, Sir."

Jacob smiled, patting his shoulder as they walked back to the table. "Good boy."

Dwain settled in to his chair as John picked up a guitar, smiling at Beverly when she finally returned from the bathroom. "Is everything alright, Love?" He asked, noticing that she seemed a little pale.

"Yeah, just a little tired is all." She brushed her fingers through Phoebe's hair, listening to John's voice waft through the room.

"A hundred days have made me older Since the last time that I saw your pretty face. A thousand lies have made me colder And I don't think I can look at this the same. All the miles that separate Disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face. I'm here without you baby But you're still on my lonely mind. I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time. I'm here without you baby But you're still with me in my dreams And tonight girl, it's only you and me. The miles just keep rollin' As the people leave their way to say hello I've heard this life is overrated But I hope that it gets better as we go. I'm here without you baby But you're still on my lonely mind. I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time. I'm here without you baby But you're still with me in my dreams And tonight, it's only you and me. Everything I know, and anywhere I go, It gets hard but it won't take away my love. And when the last one falls, when its all said and done. It gets hard but it won't take away my love. I'm here without you baby But you're still on my lonely mind. I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time. I'm here without you baby But you're still with me in my dreams And tonight, it's only you and me." His voice echoed through the restaurant, tears coming to his eyes as he thought of Claire. He'd written that song when he'd been stuck in rehab, it was a song of love so strong that it would break you if you didn't have your loved one close.

Cinthia smiled, placing a paper in front of Jacob. "Sign this, and you'll be getting royalties from his voice for the next twenty years."

Jacob smiled signing the paper, and handing it back to them. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Phoebe pulled her jacket tighter around her body, glancing back at the house they were being kept at. "I'll be back soon, John." She bit her lip, brushing her fingers over the kitchen knife she'd swiped from the drawer. "I won't leave you."

John stood, limping over to the little barred slit of a window he had to look out of. He reached his hand toward the moon, remembering the porcelain glow of Claire's skin in the moonlight. "Mi Estrella…" He whispered, listening to the chain around his ankle jingle as he moved. "Pronto estaremos juntos otra vez…" He jumped as the door flew open, paling at the sight of the ropes in Jacob's hand.

Jacob grabbed John's arms, tying the ropes around his wrists and hauling him out to the yard. "Time to teach you and that bitch a lesson." He tied one end of the ropes to the steel pipes use for the clothes line, making sure that John's arms were spread out like wings so that he couldn't run away. "This is what happens, when little girls get it into their heads to be heroes." He brandished a horse whip, sneering as Ben held Phoebe by the hair and forced her to watch. Jacob laid the first lash across John's back, stepping toward his son as blood dripped from the cut. He leaned forward, licking the blood from his son's skin. "Don't scream, or your sister will be next." He hissed, laying more lashes across his back.

Phoebe screamed as tears spilled down her cheeks. "PLEASE!" She sobbed, fighting to get to her brother as his body went limp and fell on his knees. "STOP!"

Jacob grabbed a bottle of rum, pouring it onto the raw bleeding skin of John's back. "If you ever run again, I won't stop when he loses consciousness." He sliced the ropes holding John's arms, letting him fall into the dirt. "Hans. Clean him up. I want him fighting by tomorrow night."

Hans nodded, gathering John's limp body into his arms, and carrying him inside. He laid him on his stomach on top of the counter. "Sick bastard…" He sighed, rubbing some salve onto John's ripped up back, smiling as Beverly stepped in to help. "How the hell did you end up with that dick-wad?"

Beverly shook her head, placing a hand over her stomach and kissing John's cheek as he slept. "I'm pregnant…" She whispered, looking up at Hans with tears in her eyes. "I can't let this one feel that pain…"

He nodded, draping a clean t-shirt over John's back to help the cream soak in. "I'm sure we can find something. Maybe John's foster family will take it in. They seem to be good folks."

She took a white bandage wrap from him, wrapping John's wrists and hands where the ropes had cut into him. "I just hope that they'd take her, they've already got so many…"

Hans smiled, picking up a razor and some soap before he began shaving John's jaw. "If they won't, doesn't Jake have a brother?"

"He's in prison."

"No, I mean the other one." He cleaned the razor off, moving John's head around slightly to get every hair. "Asher… right?"

She nodded, picking up some scissors and trimming up John's hair. "He might take her." She kissed John's head, picking Phoebe up as she cried. "Shh… he'll be okay… I promise…"

"It's my fault!" She sobbed, clutching at John's hand. "I didn't mean for this!"

Beverly kissed her daughter's head, rocking her on their seat. "He'll be okay…"