Riley is incredibly worried about Jo going home for Christmas break. He doesn't want Jo being there with Sean around. He told her to call him if anything happened or if she just wanted to talk.

She's grateful.

Right now, Jo is in the middle of helping her mother move furniture around for the upcoming holidays.

She's telling her about college and her roommate, leaving out the very big detail that Riley is a boy and not a girl.

Lucy loves having her baby girl home again. She missed her so much and with her son out of the house and married with a baby on the way, the house is kind of lonely with just her and her husband.

Lucy and Jo flop on the couch, laughing the same laugh. "I missed you." Jo says, her head on her Mama's shoulder.

Lucy smiles, wrapping her hand around Jo's upper arm. "I invited Sean to supper tomorrow."

Jo rolls her lips into her mouth. The only person who knows about what he did to Jo is Riley.

"Okay."

"He's such a nice boy, that Sean. I'm so glad that y'all stayed together." Lucy rests her cheek on top of Jo's head.

She's nervous to see Sean. She hasn't seen him since thanksgiving or talked to him in a couple days.

But Sean said that he wouldn't lay a hand on her again so she trusts him.

+++

She laughs, her head on Sean's shoulder. Jo's had a little more wine than she was expecting but she feels pretty good.

Sean's working on his third beer and he's starting to feel a little mischievous. He not-so-subtly kisses that spot on his girlfriend's neck and she pulls away slightly. She wants to visit with her family, she hasn't seen all of them since probably June.

Sean grips her knee and kisses her neck again, applying a little bit of suction to her skin. She nudges him away. He huffs and stands, pulling her hand.

He practically drags her up to her bedroom and closes the door behind them. "We- we're missin' the party." She whispers, her fingers twisting in his shirt.

"We ain't missin' much." He mutters back, his hand slipping up her sweater. She pushes him away slightly, not really in the mood. "Cmon, Jo. Stop bein' such a prude."

She shakes her head and pulls away, reaching for the doorknob but she stumbles back when Sean grabs her arm. "No, Sean-" He says nothing as he starts working on her belt buckle. "Stop." He's silent, pushing her jeans down. "C'mon." She pushes his hands away.

She's starting to get worked up. "Stop it!" She shouts, forcefully pushing him away. He stumbles in his boots, gripping her dresser before staggering his way back to her, putting his hands on her more aggressively.

Jo gets the courage to smack him. His head jerks to the side with a small grunt. He glares back at her and his eyes go dark. She swallows hard but stays tall. He reaches for her again and she swings on him, connecting with his gut.

Sean swings back, hitting her in the mouth.

Jo stumbles and licks her lips, her mouth filling with blood. He swings again and connects with her eye and cheekbone. She finagles her way around him and locks herself in the bathroom, shakily calling the only boy who's made her feel safe.

Riley picks up in a split second. "Hey Joey. What's up?"

She chokes on the blood in her mouth. She leans over the sink and gags then spits out what's filling her mouth. "I'm sorry, I- I shouldn't have called-"

"You okay? You's breathin' real hard."

"No." She admits, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm not."

She hears a door close on his end. "What's wrong?"

She muffles a sob, sniffling weakly. "Sean."

"Where are you?"

"My parent's house, Newburgh."

"I'm comin' to get you, okay?"

"What? N- No, Ri. I'm like six hours away."

"I'm on my way up." He states then hangs up.

Jo looks at her reflection and winces. She snags a washcloth and starts cleaning herself up, wincing at the swelling in her lips. She gently runs her fingers across her cheekbone, wincing again at the pain.

She shoots Lip a text, asking him to come up to the bathroom. He knocks on the door. "You okay?"

"Is Sean still here?"

"Uh, I think he left. I can check-"

"No, if he's still here, kick him out." He doesn't ask any questions.

She hears some shouting from the living room then footsteps on the stairs. "He left." Lip says, leaning against the doorframe. "Wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

Jo cracks the door open and forces herself to make eye contact with her brother. He clenches his jaw. "Did he do that?" Jo looks away and pushes past him, closing herself in her bedroom.

+++

There's a soft knock on her bedroom door. Jo groans softly, pulling her bedsheets over her head.

Riley lets himself into her bedroom and sits behind her on her bed. He rests his hand on her shoulder and his chin on his hand. He gently pulls the sheets away from her face and his stomach drops at the sight of a black bruise across her cheekbone and her swollen lips. She refuses to make eye contact with him.

He kicks his boots off and lays behind her, his arm coming up to wrap around her middle. A choked sob falls from her busted lips and Riley's sure he can hear his heart break. He kisses her shoulder comfortingly and she scoots back against him, pulling his arm tighter around her.

She feels safe with his arm around her.

Hell, she feels safe just being around him.

Jo's sobs finally go silent and her chest starts rising and falling in a steady pace. Riley keeps her close, his arm anchored around her waist. She turns on her other side, her head resting on his chest and he smiles, his fingers running through her hair as his chin rests on the top of her head.

+++

Jo's sore eyes flutter open. She hums as she presses her face and body further against what she's laying on. What is she laying on? She lifts her head and furrows her brows when she sees Riley sleeping peacefully beneath her. She quickly turns on her other side when he starts to stir.

Riley looks over at Jo. He rubs her back gently and she hums, reaching back for his hand. She pulls on it slightly, signaling she wants him to spoon her again.

He does and Jo internally squeals. She missed this so much. Sean didn't want to 'waste his time' by holding her.

She feels so unlovable.

She feels like a piece of shit.

Riley mumbles something against her neck. She didn't hear him but she scoots back against him, her ass pressed right up against his crotch. He bites his lip.

He doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by making a move on her, she just went through everything with Sean. It'd be a shitty thing to do.

But,

The way she's laying makes it seem like she wants him to make a move.

He slowly moves his hand to her hip. She links her fingers with his and pulls his hand up to her chest, holding it tight against her so he has to cuddle into her more. She starts to move his hand down her torso, stopping at the waistband of the panties she slept in but she stops when she hears Riley take in a sharp breath.

"Is this okay?" She asks in a soft voice, making sure that she isn't overstepping some boundary. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable." He doesn't say anything but he answers by slipping his hand between her thighs.

Jo turns on her back and Riley leans up on his elbow, looking down at her in the pale pink light coming from the sunrise through the sheer curtains. He uses his free hand to push her baggy- his baggy sweatshirt up to expose her bare chest.

He leans down and presses a not so innocent kiss to her lips, loosely gripping her jaw. She follows him up when he pulls away, her fingers twisting in his growing curls. He gets to his knees so he can pull his t-shirt off quickly, lips reconnecting with lips.

"Do you wanna do this?" Riley asks, breathing hard. "We don't gotta go all the way if you don't wanna."

Her hands go to his bare chest. "Yeah." She nods, her leg hooking over his hip. His rough hand slides down her thigh to her hip, his fingers hooking in the panty waistband. He tugs them down her long, smooth legs, pressing hot kisses down the middle of her torso.

"We gotta be quiet." Jo whispers, reaching over for a condom from the back of her nightstand drawer. "Thin walls."

Riley takes the condom from her and nods, pushing his shorts down then rolls it on, slowly pushing into her. She gasps.

This is nothing like when her and Sean have sex.

Jo wraps her arm around his shoulders, her jaw dropping. A few minutes into this and she's already a whimpering mess. Riley drops his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

He keeps his hands on her hips as he throws himself backwards, keeping her on top of him. She presses her hands against his chest, rocking her hips slowly. He moans sharply and Jo immediately covers his mouth with her hand, laughing quietly at the look he gives her.