Blood is Thick, But Love is Thicker

Author's Note:

I am a huge Jiara fan (they will definitely be together later in this fiction). However, it made me sad to think that JJ would be the only one of the Pogues that never had the unconditional love of at least one parent. This made me think of the One Tree Hill storyline where Brooke is essentially a foster parent to Samantha in season six. JJ and (young) Brooke have many parallels: fierce loyalty to friends, great dimples, absentee parents who are abusive when they are around (in Brooke's case it's emotional abuse and in JJ's it's physical and emotional), sensitive natures, and the ability to execute a perfect wink. I saw this as a solid mother/son pairing through adoption.

Since there was a story line about John B going into foster care, I thought it would be a good fit if Brooke and Julian were John B's foster parents. Shortly after that, an incidence happens with Luke that makes the Department of Child Services place JJ in their care as well.

This fiction does not have anything to do with The O.C. But if you are an O.C. fan, you may notice Brooke and Julian are very much modeled on one of the best TV dads, Sandy Cohen. Brooke will use Sandy's famous line, "You could do worse." Which of course is a blatant rip-off.

I do not own One Tree Hill or Outer Banks.

Context:

This fiction will be much more focused on the world and characters of Outer Banks than OTH.

Brook and Julian do not have Jude and Davis. They are 32 (Brooke) and 34 (Julian) years old (17 and 19 years older than John B and JJ) and were married at 26. When the fiction starts, they are living in Tree Hill, NC, but move to Kildare Island about eight months after becoming John B and JJ's foster parents.

The relationship between Brooke's and her quasi-foster daughter, Samantha, is canon until the end of season six. However, in this fiction Samantha kept in close contact with Brooke after leaving to live with her birth mother.

Instead of being 16 when his dad disappeared, John B. is 14 and in ninth grade.

The events with Hurricane Agatha and the subsequent treasure hunt, take place on the same timeline (when the Pouges are 16). However, because JJ and John B do not have a supervision-free home, the treasure hunt plays out differently.

Chapter 1:

It was a sunny morning. Brooke Baker was sitting on her deck sketching designs for Clothes Over Bros, when she heard her cell phone ring. Frowning, Brooke picked up the phone.

"Hello, may I speak with Brooke Baker, please?"

"Speaking."

"Hello, Ms. Baker. My name is Cheryl Jones. I'm a social worker with North Carolina's Department of Children's Services. I saw that you and your husband became licensed foster parents two months ago."

"Yes, that's correct. Please call me Brooke."

"I'm calling to see if you would be willing to accept placement of a 14-year-old boy named John B Routledge?"

"Uhmmm…wow…sorry this is surreal, please continue."

"John currently lives on the Outer Banks, Kildare Island to be more specific. Until two months ago, John lived with his biological father. Unfortunately, his father went missing at sea and is presumed dead. Although a body was never found. His biological mother left the family when John was three and her whereabouts are unknown. He has an uncle who was staying with him after his father went missing. However on the last three visits I conducted, his uncle wasn't there. I found out today that his uncle is currently working at a casino in Mississippi, so it's important that we place him with a family tonight. Before his dad disappeared, John was a good student. Now he rarely attends school, and is failing most of his classes. Clearly, John is going through a lot right now, but he is a bright kid."

"Oh, that's awful. Does his file have any more information we should know about? Any history of fights or violence? My husband and I are relatively new to this and don't want to get in over our heads."

"Totally understandable, Brooke. No, John, has no history of fights. I have only known him since I was assigned to his case two months ago, but my read on him is that he is a sweet kid. He's very charismatic and witty. He is well-liked around the island and has a close-knit group of friends. But, I will warn you, since his father went missing, he seems angry. He is fighting going into foster care and has tried to convince me his uncle is living with him. He also refuses to believe his father has died."

"I can't say I blame him," Brooke said letting out a deep breath. "You mentioned John has close friends. Would it be better if he could stay on Kildare Island, that way he doesn't have to change schools? Obviously, we can make it so that he can stay in touch with his friends, but is there a foster family on the island?"

"Unfortunately, there isn't and if we can't get a foster home in the next few days, I'm afraid John will have to go into a group home until we can find a foster home. Besides, Tree Hill is quite a bit closer than most parts of the state."

"O.k. thanks for all the information, Ms. Jones."

"Please call me Cheryl."

"Can I discuss this with my husband and get back to you in thirty minutes?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Cheryl."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Brooke began pacing. She knew she wanted to say yes to the placement. Get it together B. Davis, Brooke thought as she picked up the phone and hoped Julian would feel the same way. As it turns out, she didn't need to worry.

After talking to Cheryl again, Brooke learned Cheryl was going to pick up John B from his house after school and then bring him to Tree Hill. Brooke countered that she and Julian could meet them at John B's house so he did not have to feel anxious for the car and ferry ride. Cheryl thanked them, but said it was not the normal protocol.

Three hours before Cheryl and John B were due to arrive, Brooke saw Cheryl's name pop up on her cell. Shooting a nervous look at Julian, Brooke picked up the phone, "Hi, Cheryl."

"Hello, Brooke. I'm sorry to inform you we had a bit of a problem; John escaped from the car and attempted to run away. My deputy and I were able to apprehend him after he ran into a moving car."

"Oh my god! Is he hurt?"

"We don't think so. We are at St. Olive's Hospital right now just to make sure."

"Ok, ummm…that's good. How did he escape from the car?"

"Well, John was holding a picture of his father and it flew out the window. He told us it was the only picture he had, so I had the deputy who works with juveniles for the sheriff's department get out of the car and look for it. John complained he was not looking carefully and asked if he could help him look. Once John left the car, he ran. In attempting to escape…"

"He ran into a car," Brooke clarified.

"Yes. If this is more than you feel you signed up for, I understand."

Brooke sighed, "No, we still very much want to do this. Maybe he ran because of the reputation some foster parents have. I know you said it's not the normal protocol, but could we come to the hospital? Maybe if we meet him when he is not expecting it he will be less nervous."

Cheryl let out a sigh and said in a somewhat clipped tone, "How soon can you be here?"

"It depends on how long it takes us to get on the ferry, but it should be about two hours."

"Ok, it will probably be at least that long until he is discharged. See you then, Brooke."

After filling Julian in on the details, Brooke and Julian raced to the ferry. Once on board, they had an impromptu strategy session. Sitting outside on a bench, Brooke looked out at the ocean. "Is it normal to have a juvenile deputy help transport a kid to a foster home?" Brooke asked.

"I don't think that's generally the norm," Julian responded.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. God, I wish Chery had just let us meet John at his home in the first place," Brooke sighed. "So, I was thinking when we get to the hospital, both of should probably not go into his hospital room at the same time. He might feel overwhelmed."

"I agree. But now the question is, who should go?"

"You should go talk to him first. He might feel more comfortable with you because you're a guy. I know we have to maintain a cordial relationship with Cheryl, but I did not get a great vibe from her. So, maybe he might transfer his feelings about Cheryl onto me. I don't know are we over thinking this?"

"I don't know, Brooke. I have complete faith in your ability to do this, but I'm not sure about my own," Julian sighed.

"Are you saying you changed your mind?"

"Hell, no, because I'm doing it with you. But I just don't know if I'm cut out for this. I mean, we don't even know if they're going to press charges for his attempted escape," Julian said.

"Shit…your right. I'm going to call Clothes Over Bros' head lawyer and ask for a referral," Brooke said. Brooke pulled out her phone and within a few minutes she was scribbling down information on the back of an old receipt.

"Anything?" Julian asked.

"I have two attorneys who specialize in juvenile defense. After we finish this conversation, I will call and get them on retainer."

"Conversation over, Brooke Davis. We're doing this, and you should be the first one to talk to him," Julian said, kissing her.

Outside of John B's hospital room, Brooke took a deep breath and smiled at Julian before knocking.

Cheryl opened the door and shook Brooke's hand. Then turning to John B, Cheryl said, "John B. this is Ms. Baker. She and her husband are going to be your foster parents."

"Thanks, DCS Cheryl. Hello, Foster Parent Ms. Baker," John B said in a clipped tone with a mock salute.

Brooke saluted him back. In her trademark Brooke Davis cheery tone she responded, "Hello, foster son, John. You can call me Brooke or Foster Parent Brooke. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, like I just yeeted full speed into a black Range Rover being driven by some fake blond who was texting while driving."

"Fair point. Well, the doctors should be done with your discharge papers in forty minutes. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No," John B responded.

"Brooke," Cheryl said, "now that you're here, do you mind if I run to the restroom?"

"Not at all," Brooke responded. She sat down in the armchair and waited a few moments before saying to John B, "So, I know this is weird and that you have no reason to trust me, yet, but I wanted you to know that my husband, Julian, and I are nice, normal people. We live in Tree Hill, it's about two hours North of Wilmington."

John B raised his eyebrows at Brooke, "That sounds like something a nice, normal person would say." Hearing the door open, both John B and Brooke look over to see Deputy Thomas. "Officer no neck, good to see you again, man," John B says.

Deputy Thomas gives him a look of contempt. "I'm going to have to handcuff you to the bed," Deputy Thomas said pulling out his handcuffs with a quick smile before replacing it with a neutral expression.

Brooke quickly walked in front of the bed and put out her hand for Deputy Thomas to shake. "Hello sir, I'm Brooke Baker, John's foster parent. Is handcuffing him to the bed necessary? I will remain here the entire time."

"Yes ma'am, it is," deputy Thomas said with a firm nod, as he brought his hand up to Brooke's shoulder to push her out of the way.

Brooke put her left hand up to keep him from touching her. "John has been here for a bit over two hours," Brooke said pausing to look at her watch for dramatic effect, "so it seems if you were worried about John running away you would have been here sooner," Brooke saw the anger flash in deputy Thomas' eyes and realized she went too far.

"Ms. Baker," Deputy Thomas practically growled, "you have not signed any of the paperwork, as far as the law is concerned you have no jurisdiction. In fact, even if you were legally his foster parent, it would not make a difference."

Brooke gave Deputy Thomas a warm smile and put both hands up to indicate that she was in the wrong. "You're right, Deputy Thomas," Brooke said smiling. "I didn't mean to tell you how to do your job, but I can assure you I won't leave the room."

Deputy Thomas looked passed Brooke and over to John B. "I'm going to be standing right outside of this door," he said firmly while glaring at John B.

John B sighed and looked out the window. While Brooke sat back down in the chair and muttered under her breath, "that guy needs to learn some de-escalation techniques."

A moment later, Julian walked in with a bag of food and glanced at Brooke who shrugged back indicating she was at a loss for what to do. "John, this is my husband, Julian."

"It's nice to meet you, John," Julian said smiling as he walked over to Brooke and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I have three plain bagels with cream cheese," Julian said as he handed one to Brooke and placed another on the nightstand of John B's hospital bed.

An hour later, John B. is discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health and two new legal guardians. As Brooke, Julian, and John made their way through the hospital parking lot, Brooke took out her key fob and clicked.

John B scoffed when he saw the black Range Rover responding via lights and beeps.

"I never text and drive and I'm a natural brunette," Brooke said giving John B her signature Brooke Davis wink. For a split second, John B looked bemused before catching himself and scowling.

Brooke turned on the engine and then faced John B who was in the back. "It's pretty late. Would you rather if we went to your house that way you could get some more of your things. Tomorrow is Saturday, maybe you could show us around the Outer Banks, and we can leave early Sunday morning."

"Uh, yeah, that sounds good. Thank you," John B responded, thinking this development greatly improved his odds for escape. He and JJ were currently texting about different possibilities.

"Ok sounds like a plan on one condition," Brooke said waiting for John B to stop texting and give her his full attention. When he did, Brooke said, "You can't make a break for it."

"Of course," John B responded.

Julian noticed John B's attitude shift and capitalized on it. "You know, Tree Hill is about two hours away, we could make sure you get to come back once or twice a month on the weekends. We know you have close friends here; they could come to Tree Hill to visit."

John B, committed to lulling his new guardians into a sense of complacency, said "That would be cool, thanks."

"All I ate today was that bagel; I'm starving. What do you guys think about getting some dinner?" Julian asked.

"I'm in. What about you John," Brooke questioned.

"Sounds good," John B replied.

"Know any good places?" Julian asked.

"There is a taco stand not far from here," John B responded.

"Perfect. Do you want to invite whoever it is you have been texting?" Brooke asked.

"Sure," John B responded looking a bit surprised. "It's my friend JJ. He is actually at my house right now."

"Perfect, then I don't even have to change the address in my phone," Brooke said.

A few minutes after picking JJ up from the chateau, JJ and John B were seated at a picnic table, talking about how John B would make his escape, while Brooke and Julian waited in line to order.

"Bro, I have been planning our escape to Yucatan for years now. No more of this kookie school bullshit, set up shop as surf instructors, and…," JJ whispered.

"Oh, boy! JJ, I love the enthusiasm, but how are we supposed to get down there? The HMS Pogue can't make it to the bottom of Mexico," John B said as he leaned in closer.

"Ok…I am a genius. A few months ago, my dad did legs on a tramp freighter. I think he said it went down to Haiti or something. It had all kinds of illegal contraband and shit."

"Dude, and I'm the one with a social worker up my ass," John B said.

"Focus, John B," JJ said snapping his fingers in front of his friend's face. "I bet if we get enough oranges and vitamins and crap to prevent scurvy, and bring enough water and provisions, we can slip into a shipping container and get out at whatever port they land at. They don't publish ports beforehand, so we won't know where we will land. But bro, we will roll with it. Obviously, we will tell Pope before we go."

"Dude, they want to leave OBX on Sunday morning. How are we…shit their coming back…act normal."

Brooke and Julian returned carrying a huge platter of tacos. "We didn't know what you guys liked, so we got a bit of everything," Brooke said.

"So, first family dinner." JJ said. John B glared at him from across the table. "Sorry, bad joke," JJ replied.

"How long have you guys been friends?" Brook inquired.

Brooke was pleasantly surprised when John B answered with a genuine smile, "We've been best friends since the third grade," John B said reaching across the table and slapping JJ on the arm.

JJ looked pleased but did not say anything. Brooke figured having consistent dinner conversation would largely fall to her and Julian and stated, "That's great, my friend Peyton and I became best friends in the third grade too. We knew each other since kindergarten, but third grade was the year we became very close."

"And they still are best friends. Peyton even named her first child after her," Julian said.

"Well, not exactly, technically her daughter's name is Sawyer Brooke," Brooke clarified.

"Hmmm…John B, maybe you should name your first child after me: little JJ or little Jayjetta. And none of this middle name bullshit," JJ said. Then, realizing what he said, JJ looked over at a grinning Brooke. "Uh…I mean no offence, Brooke."

"Hey…none taken, JJ," Brooke said holding up her hands. Then switching her attention to John B she said, "I noticed JJ calls you John B too. I thought it was just something DCS Cheryl did. Would you like us to call you John B as well?"

"Whatever," John B replied.

"Speaking of names, you could get JJ for a girl with the first and middle names starting with J. Like, uhhh, give me a minute… Jennifer Juniper," Julian supplied.

"Why does that sound familiar?" asked Brooke.

"It was a song in the 1960s by Donovan. It was really popular in the UK and pretty popular in America as well. The last stanza is sung in French. Want me to sing it?" Julian asked.

"God no," John B said.

"Ditto," Brooke agreed.

"JJ?" Julian asked.

"Double ditto," JJ responded.

"Jennifer Juniper lives upon the hill. Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still. Is she sleeping? I don't think so. Is she breathing? Yes, very low," Julian sang.

"Whoooa, this is actually happening," JJ said with a grin.

"That did, in fact, just happen. Delightful was it not?" Brooke said directing her question to John B.

"It was really fucking lame," John B said as he walked off.

Brooke sighed and leaned forward resting her head in her left hand for a second. "I think it's best we give him a moment, but considering what happened earlier, I'm afraid we can't"?

"You're right, I'll go," Julian said walking briskly after John B.

"Remember the echo effect and the de-escalation techniques," Brooke called.

"Echo effect?" JJ questioned.

"It's a technique we learned in our classes to become licensed as foster parents. Basically, you repeat the last few words a person said back to them. Supposedly, it encourages them to keep talking without putting words in their mouths and helps them open up."

"Don't you think the person would find that kind of, I don't know…"

"Contrived," Brooke supplied with a smile.

"Maybe, if I had any idea what contrived meant," JJ shrugged.

"Artificial or forced. And I guess we will discover if John B finds it contrived," Brooke said with a wink. "But my initial thought was the same as yours JJ."

"What other jedi mind tricks did you learn?" JJ asked.

"Another one was called 'wish fulfillment.' Even if you have to say no to the listener's request, you talk in detail about how much you want to fulfil their wish and ask them specifics about why they want it. Then you discuss what it would be like when they have it. For example, ask me for a million dollars?"

"Can I have a million dollars?"

"I'm so sorry JJ, that's not in the budget right now, but I wish I could give you a million dollars. Say," Brooke said in an excessively cherry manner, "what would you do if I did give you a million dollars?
So," Brooke asked switching back to her normal voice, "as a typical teenager what do your Spidey senses say about the 'wish fulfillment' method? More BS?"

"BS adjacent for sure."

Brooke smirked and nodded. "That's what I thought. Well, you never know maybe it's working."

Meanwhile, Julian caught up with John B who was pacing behind the restaurant.

"Hey, I'm sorry if my impromptu concert was a bit over the top," Julian said.

"Really that's what you are fucking apologizing for. Not showing up here to take me to the mainland, when I have a perfectly fine living situation here. And then sticking that social worker and her attack dog, office big head, on me."

"When you say office big head, do you mean his head is literally big or do you mean he is a braggart?" Julian questioned.

John B scoffed, "glad to see you are taking my plight seriously."

"I was asking because, I honestly could not believe the size of that guy's head, it's easily in the top 98th percentile. But then, he also seemed like an asshole," Julian said. "But we do understand how hard this is for you."

"Look, man. I get that I have to be part of your little system and I have no choice. You don't have to act like you give a shit and crack lame jokes to bond with me. Let's just get this meal over with," John B said. Then he kicked a recycling bin for good measure before stalking back to the table.