--: Author's POV: --
The adrenaline that had fueled the night was beginning to rot into a bone-deep fatigue. The main hall of the Fernandez mansion was no longer a home; it was a graveyard of memories and marble. Rain began to drizzle through the shattered skylights, mixing with the dust and the metallic scent of spent ammunition.
The standoff between the F4 and Section E felt like a second war waiting to ignite. Two different breeds of lions were guarding the same pride, and the friction was electric.
--: Keifer's POV: --
I looked at the wreckage—the blood on the floor, the smoke clinging to the curtains, and the way Keiran and Keigan were staring blankly at nothing. This place was tainted. It was no longer a sanctuary; it was a crime scene.
I looked at Angelo, my jaw set. "This place is finished for tonight. Everyone is coming with me. We're going to my house—the Watson House."
I then turned a sharp, icy gaze toward the four strangers in designer coats. "Not you four. You've done enough 'escorting' for one night. Jay Jay is safe with her brothers and me. You can find a five-star hotel; I'm sure your 'empires' can afford it."
Thyme let out a short, mocking laugh, taking a step forward until he was inches from my face. "You think we traveled across an ocean to leave her in a house we haven't vetted? We aren't going anywhere. Where she goes, we go."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
"Stop it... please," I whispered. My voice was small, but the raw exhaustion in it made everyone freeze.
I looked at Keifer. I could see the tension in his shoulders and the way he was trying to be the shield for all of us. I reached out and took his hand, looking up at him with the widest, most tired puppy eyes I could muster. My bottom lip trembled just a little, and I let a stray tear track through the soot on my cheek.
"Keifer... please?" I murmured. "I know you're tired. Everyone is hurt. I don't want to be separated from them tonight, but I don't want to leave you either. Can't they just stay? Just for tonight? Your house is big... and I'll feel so much better if I know everyone is in the same place."
I squeezed his hand, leaning my head slightly against his arm. "You're so strong for taking us all in... please don't be mad at them. I just want peace."
Keifer's expression softened instantly. The "King of Section E" was completely defenseless against that look. He let out a long, frustrated sigh, his grip on my hand tightening affectionately. "Fine. If it makes you feel safer, Jay... they can come."
Then, I turned my gaze toward Thyme. He was still glaring at Keifer, his chest puffed out like he was ready for a round of boxing. I let go of Keifer's hand and stepped toward Thyme, looking up at him with that same heartbreaking, innocent expression—the one that used to get me out of trouble when I broke his favorite things in Thailand.
"Thyme... you too," I whispered, my voice sounding like a soft plea. "You've been so brave, coming all this way and to save me. You're always my hero. Butplease... don't start a fight with Keifer and the others. They are the one who kept me safe while you were gone. For me? Can you be the 'Great Thyme' and just be the bigger person tonight? We're all so tired..."
--: Author's POV: --
The transformation was almost comical. Thyme, who had been ready to tear the mansion down five minutes ago, froze. His aggressive posture deflated, his shoulders slumped, and a faint, awkward flush crept up his neck. He looked away, huffing and crossing his arms to hide the fact that he was completely defeated by Jay Jay's "puppy" eyes.
MJ smirked, nudging Kavin with his elbow as they watched their supposedly "unshakeable" leader crumble. "Look at that," MJ whispered, his voice dripping with amusement. "One look from her and the 'King of Thailand' turns into a literal house pet. Some things never change."
Kavin let out a quiet, sophisticated chuckle, adjusting his glasses. "It's her only true superpower, MJ. She's the only person on this planet who can make Thyme Paramaanantra actually behave."
Ren, who had been watching the exchange with a serene, knowing smile, spoke up softly. "Well... she used to be the only person," he mused, his eyes flicking toward Thyme with a hint of mischief. "Now, we have one more person back home who can tame the beast."
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
I blinked, my "puppy eyes" faltering for a second as a wave of confusion hit me. I looked at Ren, then back at Thyme, who suddenly looked very interested in a piece of rubble on the floor, his ears turning even redder.
"One more?" I asked, my voice tilting up. "Who? Since when does Thyme listen to anyone?"
The F4 exchanged a secret, amused look—the kind that told me I had missed a massive chapter of their lives while I was away. Thyme just grunted, waving a hand dismissively.
"Don't listen to him, Jay. He's talking nonsense," Thyme snapped, though the lack of conviction in his voice was glaring. "Focus! We're moving to the Watson house or not?"
--: Keifer's POV: --
I narrowed my eyes. I didn't like the "inside jokes" or the history I wasn't part of, but for the sake of Jay Jay's peace, I swallowed my pride.
"Fine," I grumbled.
--: Author's POV: --
The Watson House was silent, but it wasn't the silence of peace; it was the heavy, suffocating quiet of a fortress under siege. During the tense drive from the ruins of the Fernandez estate, Keifer had already made the calls. By the time the convoy arrived, fresh clothes—expensive, comfortable, and neatly pressed—had been laid out in the guest wing.
The group had taken turns freshening up, washing away the soot and blood of the battle. Now, dressed in clean clothes that smelled of cedar and expensive cotton, they gathered in the sprawling living room. But even the fresh attire couldn't hide the shadows under their eyes. Keifer, Thyme, Ren, Kavin, and MJ stood in a tight circle around Jay Jay, who sat swallowed by an oversized hoodie Keifer had given her.
--: Keifer's POV: --
I sat on the edge of the sofa, watching Jay Jay. She looked so small, her hands trembling as she held a glass of water. And then there was Thyme. He didn't sit. He paced my living room like a tiger in a cage.
"I remember this," Ren said softly, standing by the window. "The way you clench your jaw when you're trying not to cry. You did that the night your stepfather threw your drawings into the Chao Phraya River."
My heart lurched. I sat next to Jay Jay, taking her hand. "Jay... talk to me. Kavin said you don't remember. What did he mean?"
--: Jay Jay's POV: --
The warmth of the Watson House felt like a spotlight. I looked at the four boys I had once called my brothers.
"I remember the fun times," I whispered. "But... there are big, dark holes, Keifer. Every time I try to remember the end of that year—how I got back here—it's just... black."
"Because your mind is trying to protect you from what that monster did," Thyme snarled. He looked at me, his eyes burning with a fury that wasn't directed at me, but at the shadows of my past. "You don't remember the hospital, Jay? Or the fact that we had to burn half of Thailand's underworld just to find where he'd hidden you?"
I flinched, a cold shiver racing down my spine. I saw Thyme look at Kavin and Ren. A heavy, sickening silence passed between them—a look of shared, dark history that made my stomach churn. There was a wall in their eyes, a barrier holding back something far more vile than the beatings I barely recalled. I didn't know then that they were guarding a secret that my own mind had deleted to keep me sane. To me, it was just a "black hole," a void of nothingness; but for the F4, it was a scar they lived with every single day.
--: Author's POV: --
The revelation hit the room like a physical blow. Angelo stood by the fireplace, his face turning a terrifying shade of pale. "He did what?"
"He didn't just 'send her back," Kavin said, his voice cold and clinical. "He discarded her. We were the ones who put her on that plane and wiped the records so that man could never touch her again."
Keifer gripped Jay Jay's hand so tight his knuckles turned white. For the first time, his jealousy was replaced by a soul-crushing realization. These four hadn't just been her friends; they had been her last line of defense.
"So you're here to take her back?" Keifer asked, his voice shaking.
Thyme walked over, standing directly in front of the sofa. "We're here because we failed once. We aren't asking for permission anymore. If anyone hurts her again... we will end their world."
Angelo stepped in, his voice weary but firm. "Everyone is exhausted. We can't settle this while we're half-dead. Everyone, go to sleep. Now."
But as Jay Jay stood up, her legs gave way. She began to tremble so violently that her teeth chattered. Seeing her like that, the protective walls went up instantly. Keifer and the F4 refused to move.
"I'm not leaving her side," Keifer growled.
"Neither are we" Thyme countered.
Recognizing the futility of the argument, Angelo sighed. "Fine. But you stay in the guest wing. No funny business."
Keifer didn't wait; he simply leaned down and swept Jay Jay into a bridal carry.
"I can walk..." she murmured, her eyes half-closed.
"Not tonight, Jay" Keifer whispered, holding her close as if she might vanish. He simply tucked her head against his shoulder.
The F4 followed closely behind as Keifer carried her to the guest room.
When they reached her room, she looked at the five of them.
"You don't have to stay," she murmured sleepily.
"Go to sleep, Jay," Ren whispered, pulling the blanket over her.
She eventually drifted off, her small hand tightly gripping the hem of Keifer's shirt. For an hour, the five boys sat in total silence, watching her sleep.
--: Keifer's POV: --
After an hour, her grip finally loosened. I stood up slowly, nodding to the four men in the room. "My room. Next door. Now."
We stepped into my room, and I slammed the door shut, locking it. I wanted answers, and I wanted them without waking her. "Tell me the rest. No more riddles. What happened to her in Thailand?"
MJ sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "Her stepfather was a monster. He'd beat her for anything—a spilled glass, a wrong word. He'd take her drawings, things she spent weeks on, and throw them into the river or the pond just to watch her scream."
"And that's not even the worst part," Kavin added, his voice trembling with rage. "He used to trap her in rooms. He tried to—"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A blood-curdling scream ripped through the wall—a sound so primal and full of agony that my blood turned to ice.
--: Author's POV: --
They practically burst through the door to get back to Jay Jay's room. She was thrashing on the bed, her eyes wide with a blind, panicked terror.
"DON'T! DON'T TOUCH ME! PLEASE!" she shrieked, her voice raw. "I won't make a mistake! I'll be good! Please don't do that! I don't like it! STOP IT!"
"Mom! Thyme! Ren! Kavin! MJ! HELP ME!"
The screams shattered the silence of the entire house. Within seconds, the doorway was flooded. Angelo, Aries, Percy, Keiran, Keigan, Yuri, and the entire Section E burst in, thinking the enemy had returned. Instead, they found Jay Jay crumbling.
Keifer lunged onto the bed, pinning her hands down so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Jay! Jay, look at me! It's Keifer! You're safe! I've got you!"
Thyme was on her other side, his face contorted. "We're here, Jay! No one is going to touch you!"
It took several agonizing minutes before her eyes finally focused. She blinked, seeing the sea of faces—Keifer, her brothers, her Section E family, and her Thai protectors all surrounding her. The realization of where she was hit her. Without a word, she lunged forward and buried her face in Keifer's chest, sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to him for dear life.
Angelo stood at the back, his heart shattering. He realized then that the "black holes" in her memory were the only thing keeping her sane.