Paternal Bonds Shattered

Disclaimer: Do I need to say it? I don't own iCarly

A/N:

Chapter 12 (Father and Son)

Jonah sighed as he walked through the large house that his Granddad owned. George Bryant tended to stay away from everyone, and for good reason. He was one hundred years old and honestly believed he could handle himself. He did have a nurse that came to check on him regularly, but once Jonah and his family arrived, he had no need for that anymore. He didn't expect to be taking in his granddaughter's family, he thought he was done with them when Denise passed on. At least, they hadn't visited him often anymore.

Jonah found George in the viewing room. His house had a perfect view of the mountains, they were everywhere. "Hey Granddad, how are you?" Jonah asked as he walked up to the man. He learned that he shouldn't sneak up on George, things could end very badly if he did that. George looked at him and smiled slightly.

"Look at that view. This place has never seen anything less than peace." Jonah stared out the window and breathed in. He was relieved that they could be safe here, that they could be peaceful. "You do know that I am happy to have you guys here."

"And I'm eternally grateful for that, Granddad." It had been late into the night when he was awakened by his phone blaring out four weeks ago. Michael called him up and said that they needed to stay with him and weren't sure how long. They were also bringing along Michael's father, Ryan. Something had happened to Jonah and he said the family wasn't safe, that George's home was the only safe place around. What had happened to Jonah had been somehow connected to what happened to Gibby, Jeremy, and Nevel, along with their families.

"Your father sounded frantic in that phone call." Jonah smiled slightly and slowly nodded his head. Outside, he could see his dad playing in the yard with Olivia. They were playing catch with Ryan, who was just about as youthful as everyone else. "I hadn't heard from him in three years." Denise passed away five years earlier, from cancer, it made her 'see' many things. "I almost said no, but then I thought of what my granddaughter had told me before she died."

"What was that?" Jonah frowned as George closed his eyes and breathed in.

"She told me to be careful, to not get too close to many people and that one day your father was going to call me for help and I was not to turn him down. She said she was having visions of annihilation. She had visions of you lying in a pool of blood, visions of her daughter drowning in blood and other vile things…and of your father seeing hell before death." Jonah frowned and closed his eyes, he didn't want to tell George what had really been going on, he didn't want to tell him that maybe as crazy as Denise had become in those years, she wasn't so crazy after all.

"You know, you did save us…" George slowly nodded as Jonah leaned up against a wall. "Dad might not have told you much, but my family was in danger."

"Yes, he said that. He told me you told him to grab everything and leave." Jonah nodded and watched as his sister tackled Michael to the ground. They were laughing. Ryan crossed his arms and smiled as he watched the two. Jonah didn't know what he would do if he had lost them. He didn't have the heart to tell them how serious the danger they were in was, but he had a feeling they knew. He didn't know if Sam had been found by Jeremy or not, but when he went to the police about it, they said they weren't working on her case anymore. Basically, he was talking to a brick wall. It was horrible, he couldn't go to anybody anymore. How could he get Valerie and Sam out of captivity? How could he rescue them? Maybe people would listen to an actress, who knows. "Jonah, I also get a feeling…it is good that you survived, because there are a number of people who will need you."

"I know, there's a lot that I have to take care of." Jonah would never stop thinking of a way to get Valerie out of there, nor would he stop at anything to help Sam free. However, right now the best he could do was talk to Valerie on the radio whenever they got a chance. He had to rely on her to contact him, because his contacting her could severely put them in jeopardy. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her. George looked up at Freddie and frowned, he could see the pained look in his eyes.

"I know that look." Jonah blinked and shook his head in confusion, George had just brought him back into reality. He raised an eyebrow and stared at his Granddad. "That look is for a girl, isn't it?" He wasn't sure how to respond to the question, but surely he didn't know of Valerie. "You know, there's a lot of spiritual sense in these mountains. Just pray that the spirits that be will protect your lady and keep her well from harm." Jonah smiled weakly and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah Granddad, I've been praying that as many chances as I've had. That look was for a girl…and I'm concerned about her safety, and for her family." George nodded and his lips creased into a frown.

"I would help her family if I could, but I don't have any more room." Jonah and his family took up the guest bedrooms in the house. George hadn't seen his house so cluttered when they all moved in, bringing all their belongings with them. Finally they had unpacked and cleaned up the house, restoring the order the way it needed to be. "You must stay strong, Jonah. Always stay strong."

"I plan on it." Jonah smiled as he watched his family run back inside the house. He and George turned around a few minutes later to see Olivia rushing inside. She hugged her big brother and inspected his body. "What's wrong, Olivia?"

"I still have nightmares…" Jonah smiled sadly and rubbed Olivia's head, he hated the way things had taken place and wished things could have been different. He felt a massive amount of guilt for everything that was going on. Had he said no to Jeremy, had he and Valerie not have gotten involved, then maybe things would have been different. Maybe their families wouldn't be in danger. "Do you have scars?"

"Nothing physical, no…"

"Where is Valerie? Why aren't you two together?" Tears started to escape her eyes as she closed them and buried her head into his shirt. She was so young, she didn't deserve all that was going on. "I miss playing with Veronica, and Vixen." Jonah's eyes widened and he looked up, he realized he still needed to get back to Valerie's family. They would be in as much danger as his family had been. He sighed softly and knelt down, taking his little sister in a hug.

"Olivia, there are some things in this world you don't need to hear right now. I know you want answers, and I know you're scared, but don't be. We're safe with Granddad, nothing is going to happen to us. As far as Valerie, she is…she's going to be okay." Jonah slowly stood up and closed his eyes. He didn't know what to say about her nightmares, he just knew she needed comfort. "I'm going to see if I can get you to see your friends again, okay?" He knew he owed it to Valerie's family to get them out of the eye of danger. They must surely be fearful, since it looked like something happened to the families of every one of the youths that had disappeared. If this were the case, then surely they had to be next.

"When are you going to tell us what happened?" Jonah's father's voice ran through his ears and he looked up to see his father in the room. "Olivia, won't you go talk to Grandpa?"

"Okay Daddy," Olivia replied. She bounded out of the room and Michael smiled as she ran off. He sighed and closed his eyes, shutting the door and leaning against the wall.

"I just moved the entire family here on a hunch, and out of fear because you came home nearly dead. Even I'm having nightmares. Don't you think you owe us an explanation?" Jonah's hands closed and he slowly nodded his head, but it was all too painful for him to talk about right now. Not only that, but he had to take matters into his own hands. No one was safe anymore.

"Dad, I love you very much, and I appreciate everything you've done for this family." Michael raised his eyebrow as Jonah walked over to him and gave him a hug. He was very confused about why his son was acting this way. "There are some fathers in this world that are monsters. I was watching you play outside with Olivia and I was happy because I knew what I always have, that you will never ever let anything bad happen to her. You would never hurt your own children."

"Of course I wouldn't, you two are my children, I need to take care of you. I wouldn't want anything to happen to either one of you." Michael was right, they deserved the best explanation possible. He didn't know how to say it, but he needed to say it either way.

"I've taken things in my own hands. There isn't anything I can do right now, though." Jonah knew if he were a father, he would make sure to take great care of his children. He always looked up to his father, no matter how it seemed otherwise. "The man that took Sam away…it was a group of people…" Michael's eyebrows rose as he slowly sat down in a chair, he had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he was hearing. "They beat me, they broke me, but my spirit isn't out yet. I'm strong, just like you, my father." Jonah slowly closed his hands and looked towards the door. "They have Valerie too, and they're forcing her to do their bidding. If she talks, and even if I talk, her family pays the price."

"Oh my god." Michael froze with fear as he recalled what he'd seen in the papers, so that is what it could have come to had he not followed his son's suggestion. He felt a dark chill come over him and he closed his eyes, cringing in disgust and fear. What would have happened had they not left? "And you've gone to the police?"

"They're not doing anything, they refuse to look at it and say I don't know what I'm talking about. Hell, the damn people at that hospital wanted to put me in the damn mental ward because I kept shouting in my sleep. I was having nightmares!"

"You know, you never tell us about those…"

"They're just dreams." Jonah closed his eyes and sighed. He was working to get past everything that happened. He couldn't handle loud noises very well, he'd have to get used to the sound of banging. That was hard enough, since his grandfather usually closed the door a bit too hard. "I had a number of freakish dreams. For instance, there was this girl that was trapped with them…she looked like Valerie, but she was a little kid." Michael chuckled and crossed his arms.

"Maybe she has a kid." Jonah frowned and thought about the circumstances. What if his dream was a premonition, what if Hector or someone else hurt Valerie? No! He would die before he let that happen. "Which brings me to another subject, Jonah…"

"What?" Jonah was starting to pale, he hadn't really thought of the dangers that Valerie could be in. He thought about how scared she must be, but he didn't know what they might do to her in there.

"I'm not so sure you and Valerie haven't um…" Michael closed his eyes and Jonah swallowed, seeing where this was going. How would his dad know anything about what he and his girlfriend might have done? Then again, they always seemed to figure things out. "When I was cleaning your bedroom that night…before we moved up here, I found a pair of women's underwear beneath your bed." Michael smirked and closed his eyes as he got up and walked over to Jonah, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now you know that phrase, Father knows best? It applies in several situations."

"Uh." Jonah swallowed hard and beads of sweat began to form at his forehead. Shit, he thought, Valerie had been feeling a tad on the nauseous side not that long ago. She couldn't be pregnant though, no, it was impossible.

"Well see the underwear was a bit too large for Olivia, and I don't believe we've ever had to buy silky white underwear with lace on it for her. That means, you're either experimenting with some sort of lifestyle change, or more realistically, you and Valerie are having sex." Jonah twitched with annoyance at his father's snide joke, but he had to admit, his dad did often find places to put the oddest humor.

"Yes dad, we had sex…maybe once or twice, but that was it…" He wasn't going to lie to his father. He had more respect than that. Besides, his dad was a hard-working man and a very good father to both he and Olivia, so he deserved a lot more than lies. Michael frowned with disappointment, Jonah truly did hate that feeling, but at least Michael was proud that he'd told the truth.

"Why?"

"We…wanted to know what it felt like." Michael breathed in and closed his eyes, it was an honest answer. In today's world, everyone seemed like they were having sex, so it was normal for a couple of teenagers with raging hormones to want to know what it was like. "We liked it the first time, so we tried it a second time."

"You started getting addicted to it, didn't you?"

"Yeah…Should I be ashamed of it?" Michael shook his head and Jonah looked up into his eyes.

"No, you should never be ashamed of the feeling it brings, of the joy and of the love. However, you should know that it is such a joining, permanent act. It's comprised of the strongest feelings, the strongest emotion, the strongest passion. It isn't for everyone, it is only for two people who love each other and are destined to spend their life together, and for two people who know how powerful it is." Jonah slowly nodded as Michael continued to explain it. Jonah knew how special making love was, and understood his father was explaining just when the right time is. "You and Valerie should never feel ashamed for wanting to feel that emotion together, but you should be more aware…that it is not always the right time."

"She could end up pregnant. We're not ready for children."

"Exactly, but when you understand what it takes to be a father and how hard it is…that's when you start to become a man, and that's when you can be ready emotionally to have a child. When you are financially stable, that is also when you're ready financially to have one."

"I know what it takes, I've seen you all these years." Jonah smiled as Michael chuckled, flattered by the statement obviously. "Anyway, dad, as nice as it is to have this chat, I have something I need to do."

"What is that?"

` "Save Valerie's family." Michael raised his eyebrow and watched as his son walked out the door. He was always going to be proud of the man his son was growing to be. There was at least a couple hundred miles between where they were and Seattle, so he needed to stop his son from doing something on the spur of the moment and to plan.

"Uh Jonah!" He ran outside and Jonah looked at him from the kitchen table, smiling lightly.

"Don't worry pops, I got this. I know it's a long trip and there might be people watching Valerie's family unbeknownst to them…after all, they don't want the Williams escaping, right? I have to plan first, and to be discreet. You know something, dad? One day, I hope to be a good man like you, and to take care of my children just as well as you. You think I could do that?" Michael smiled once more as he sat down at the table, he would help Jonah to plan for Valerie's family to be safe.

"Yeah son, I think you'll make a great father someday."

Getting closer to the action, which starts in chapter 14. Chapter 13 then makes the most emotional chapter yet