Majesty Castle

Johnny was coming down the stairs when he caught sight of Etta in the foyer talking with Zakk. He moved as fast as his body would allow him to move down the rest of the stairs and across the foyer.

“Jeanetta,” he said her name nervously. She looked just as nervous as he did.

“Well, I’ll leave you kids alone.” Zakk excused himself and exited the foyer to give them some privacy.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Was having a bad dream and when you touched me, I –I – I just reacted. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

Etta looked at him sympathetically. “It’s ok, I probably shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.”

Johnny smiled and took her hand. “You still like me?”

Etta laughed softly and squeezed his hand. “Yes, I do still like you.”

Johnny stepped forward and kissed her and then spun her around in his arms. When he let her go she was a little dizzy, but managed to regain her balance quickly. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to work with you for a while though.”

“Why not? I said I was sorry.”

“And I believe you. Your father filled me in on what happed with Allegra so I offered my services as a nurse.”

“Thanks, I’m sure Matt would appreciate that.”

Etta smiled and let go of Johnny’s hand. “I should go see what I can do, but maybe we could have lunch later or something.”

“I’d like that,” he nodded.

“See you later then.” Etta walked past him towards the staircase and Johnny stood there smiling to himself.

Zacky said hello to Etta as he passed her on his way down the stairs. “Well, there’s a happy man.”

Johnny shrugged and smiled. Zacky put his arm around Johnny shoulder and led him in the direction of the dining room. “Lets you and I have a little heart to heart over breakfast.”

Johnny wasn’t sure what Zacky was going to say to him, but he knew he was probably going to get reamed for punching Luke.

The two men made their plates from the breakfast buffet that Pippa set up in the dining room and sat down at the table across from each other.

“So,” Zacky said peering over his coffee cup at Johnny. “That was quite a punch you threw at Luke, knocked out one of his teeth. Impressive. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

That was far from what Johnny was expecting to hear come out of Zacky’s mouth. “You’re not mad?”

“Not in the slightest.” Zacky set his coffee cup down and picked up his fork. “I am curious as to why you did it though. Luke said you punched him for no reason.”

“Liar,” Johnny whispered and pushed his plate away.

Zacky continued to eat his bacon and French toast while waiting for an explanation of that statement.

“He hurt me.”

Zacky’s fork stopped in mid air as he looked over at Johnny. “Last night?”

“No,” Johnny shook his head. “About two and a half years ago.”

“Is that why you wouldn’t speak for so long?”

Johnny nodded in response.

“What could he have done that was so bad that you would stop speaking for so long?”

“He said if I spoke a word about it, harm would come to you.”

Zacky slammed his fork down on the table and shook his head. “That motherfucker. What did he do? Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“Really? You can’t? Well what if I told you that he was behind Allegra’s accident yesterday? And what if I told you he was the one who set up Nikki and Fawn and has contracted someone to kill my wife and unborn child. Only we can’t prove any of it. Would you tell me now?”

Johnny sat back in his chair utterly stunned. “It’s my fault,” he whispered. “It’s all my fault.”

“Johnny, how can this be your fault?”

Johnny’s eyes were locked on the tablecloth. “I should have said something, none of this would have happened if I would have just said something.” He shook his head and looked back at Zacky with a face full of remorse.

“What the hell did he do to you?”

Johnny picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. “You remember the day I stopped speaking?”

“Yeah.”

“The night before was your birthday party.”

“Yes,” Zacky nodded in agreement.

“Well, after Fawn got sick and you left to go see that she was rested, I stayed behind in the study to finish my drink. Luke stayed behind as well. I told him that you weren’t coming back down and he should probably leave, but he refused.”

“What happened next?”

“He called me jealous.” Johnny was staring down at the tablecloth as he spoke almost as if he was recalling the memory in his mind. “Whispered it in my ear and I told him in not so many words to back off.”

“Did he?”

“No. He pinned me against the desk and didn’t let me up.”

Zacky couldn’t help but notice the pained expression on Johnny’s face. “What happened next?”

Johnny met Zacky’s eyes with his own. “The kind of violation that no one should ever have to experience.”

“Are you telling me what I think you’re telling me?”

Johnny didn’t answer. The look he gave Zacky was all the answer Zacky needed. “Fuck, I don’t know what to say. I feel like throwing up right now.”

“Now you know, so what happens now?”

Over the course of the next hour, Zacky proceeded to fill Johnny in on what’s been happening with Luke and Rosalie and how the ball is just a cover to catch them. Johnny agreed to play along and was promised that Luke would pay for what he did.

When Johnny left the dining room, Zacky went straight up to Matthew’s room. He knocked on the door softly and waited for someone to answer. After the door opened Zacky caught sight of Allegra and breathed in a shocked gasp.

“What do you want?” Matthew asked. It was clear that he hadn’t slept yet. He looked exhausted.

“We need to talk. It can’t wait. Can you come down to Brian’s room?”

Matthew looked back at his wife debating whether or not to leave her. “I can stay with her,” Etta offered.

“Alright, lets go,” Matthew said as he stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him. He walked silently down the hall to Brian’s room with Zacky and waited while Zacky knocked on Brian’s door.

He answered half dressed and looked like he just got out of bed. “What’s going on?”

“We need to talk,” Zacky pushed past him and walked into the room. After recognizing the sleeping figure in Brian’s bed he turned back around before Matthew could walk in. “Maybe we should do this another time.”

“Time is the one thing I don’t have,” Matthew said walking into the room. “We do this now…. WHAT THE FUCK?”

“Quiet, you’ll wake her,” Brian said as if it was no big deal that Simone was sleeping with only a sheet covering her bare body in his bed.

“Lets go to my room. Fawn is taking a walk with Nina and Jimmy, so we’ll have privacy.
Zacky walked back through the door hoping to prevent the inevitable fistfight between Matthew and Brian. Brian followed and Matthew smacked him in the back of the head, but Brian just laughed.

Not even a minute later the boys were in Zacky’s room. Brian and Matthew were both wondering what caused this last minute meeting. It was hard for him to do, but he retold them both the story that Johnny had told him down stairs in the dining room. By the time he finished, Matthew and Brian couldn’t find the words to speak.

“Is that why he was so angry with me? Because I wasn’t here to save him?” Matthew asked pained by the thought of what happened to his friend.

“Yeah,” Zacky nodded.

“My God, I’ve let all the people closest to me suffer because of my own selfishness.”

“It’s not your fault,” Brian offered, but that didn’t seem to ease Matthew’s mind.

“What are we going to do about this?” Zacky asked.

The three of them quietly discussed how they were going to handle the situation. It didn’t take long for a plan to formulate and part one of that plan was going to happen very soon.

Brian and Matthew left Zacky in his room and stepped out into the hall. “Don’t think I forgot about the fact that my sister is sleeping naked in your bed.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” Brian said smugly. “Just like I don’t need to remind you that the whole time she’s been naked in my bed, she hasn’t exactly been sleeping either.”

Matthew took a step towards Brian with clenched fists and Brian took off down the hall laughing all the way back to his room.