Reminder: This book talks about sensitive and mature content. Please stop readings if you are easily triggered by unsettling topics or are underage. 

Taehyung had told Jungkook and Charlie that the Hellhounds were fostering siblings: a 9 year old boy named Tucker and a 13 year old girl, Alice. Charlie had to clasp her own hands together to steady the way they shook uncontrollably when the words left his mouth. Jungkook had noticed how tense she was and reached for her hands, intertwining one of his with hers as he tried his best to comfort her, just like how he had done for years now.

That night, they decided that they would follow the two siblings to and from school, trying to gauge their demeanor when they weren't in that house, looking for any familiar signs that would implicate the Hellhounds as unfit guardians. Thankfully, their schools were connected, so Jungkook and Charlie stuck together every afternoon. They started to post up outside the house late at night as well when they saw how dejected the two young children looked while at school. They also noticed the way that the young boy would cling to his sister every afternoon when they would return to that damn house, both of them nervously walking up the steps.

The energy in the Bangtan house had completely changed over the last week. Both Jungkook and Charlie were barely home since they spent most of their time monitoring the house. Knowing that the Hellhounds were fostering again, Jungkook and Charlie agreed that they weren't going to sit back. No, this time, they were going to take action and make sure that those kids had a hell of a better chance than they ever did.

Yoongi had allowed them to do their own thing for now, at least until he needed them, and they were thankful for that. He understood, maybe more than anyone else in the house, that their past would continue to haunt them until something was done about it.

He recalled when he first took over Bangtan years ago. A 21-year-old, running a gang? To many associates of Bantan, it was quite laughable: the scrawny kid who couldn't even take down his sparring opponent because it was his best friend was now someone they had to answer to? No. Even if he was the heir to the empire, that didn't mean shit, and his father's old underboss made sure to bring that up all the time. Initially, Yoongi let the comments slide and brushed it off, but when the old man tried to actually take out a hit on Yoongi, that's when he knew that he had to show everyone he wasn't that scrawny kid anymore. He was a force to be reckoned with, and he made sure everyone knew it by killing the man who was trying to take away what was rightfully his.

Yes, the past definitely had a way of biting you in the ass if you didn't handle things the right way, so it was better to handle the situation than to risk history repeating itself.

Charlie's cold and stoic attitude over the last week did not go unnoticed either by the rest of the guys. Even Taehyung couldn't get her to smile, something that made everyone else worry even more about the whole situation. Jimin had also asked Jungkook several times if they were doing ok, to which Jungkook always responded with: "We're fine." Everyone made sure to give them their space after that.

The house members couldn't do much to help, so they sat back, anxiously watching the two youngest members and hoping that things would sort themselves out. They silently observed the pair as they would come home late, typically heading straight to Charlie's room for the night. They noticed how the two became inseparable yet again, just like the first few months they had joined. It felt like they were slowly starting to build up those walls again, the ones that made it feel like it was them against the rest of the world. Sure, the guys all knew that their old foster family had new kids, hell, they were just as worried about the kids as Jungkook and Charlie were, but with both of their behavior lately, it felt as if there was more to the story than the two let on.

Yoongi still insisted that they keep training, so they made sure to utilize the free time they had when both the kids were in school. Jungkook liked the change in his day as he continued to work with Hoseok on difficult shots and getting his reaction time to improve while Charlie continued to work on combat. Jimin told Yoongi that he needed to help Charlie with some new techniques he had read about it, but in reality, he just wanted the chance to talk to her.

"Toe pointed," Jimin said as Charlie held her kick in the air. Jimin walked closer to her and pressed on her stomach. "Abs tight." He then tried to push her leg down and she faltered. "Leg strong. Again," he insisted, noticing the frustration on her face. He could tell she wasn't in it, but didn't say anything as he took a step back and watched her spin around and kick. He shook his head when he noticed her make the same mistake.

"Charlie, you did it again," he said as Charlie gave him a blank look. "Come on." Jimin motioned for her to follow him, causing her to huff before complying. He walked back upstairs and grabbed a couple bottles of water from the fridge, handing one to her before proceeding to walk outside.

The house had a nice sized backyard with a couple chairs on their pavement patio, a space they rarely used since they were always busy either training or out on missions. Jimin sat down in one of the chairs with Charlie doing the same.

"Want to tell me what's on your mind?" Jimin asked as he took a drink of water. Charlie stared at the bottle in her own hands, not knowing exactly what to say. "I know that both you and Jungkook have been occupied with other things lately, but I feel like there is something more bothering you," he added, causing Charlie to finally meet his gaze.

"We're just really worried about them, the kids," she admitted, letting out a heavy sigh. "They are a lot younger than Jungkook and I were." She fiddled with the water bottle in her hand as she could feel herself start to shake again. She tightly held onto the plastic, desperately trying to stop the tremors. Everytime she thought about it, she started to feel sick to her stomach. She had debated several times running into that house and taking the kids away herself, but Jungkook always brought her back to reality. He reminded her that their own lifestyle was no place for kids either, and currently, they weren't even sure if the same shit was happening. They needed actual proof, not just assumptions and speculations.

"How old were you when it started?" Jimin asked quietly. He was too nervous to ask, but he really wanted to understand Charlie better so that he could help her. Charlie took a deep breath as she thought back to when she was first placed in the home, and when everything started.

"I was placed there when I was about 10... and everything started around the time I was 13," she said, keeping her gaze on the small cracks that had started to form on the concrete. She instinctively reached up and started grabbing her ear, but with no earring in, she settled for pulling on her earlobe instead.

"I'm really sorry about what happened to you and Kook. No kid should be treated like that." Jimin reached towards Charlie and placed his hand on hers. She looked up and gave him a sad smile, squeezing his hand to let him know she appreciated his kindness.

"That's why Kook and I are making sure that it doesn't happen to them, but hey, if our foster family had been so perfect, I don't know if we would have gotten so close," she admitted, trying to lighten the mood but Jimin saw right through her. She was hiding her pain behind the humor, a tactic he used often as well.

"I guess that's true," Jimin said, not wanting to push Charlie to talk about it any further since he could tell she was already uncomfortable. "I know you have Jungkook and you're pretty close to Tae as well, but I hope you know that you can always come to me if you need anything."

Charlie looked over to her sparring partner, appreciative of the man who had actually become a close friend of hers over the past couple months they had lived together. She was so thankful that her original impression of him was so wrong because she truly enjoyed his company.

"I know Jimin, thank you." Charlie smiled at him and watched as he stood up, opening his arms wide. She stood up and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly as he cradled her head in one hand while the other wrapped around her back. Charlie recalled when she used to hate his touch on her, but after getting to know him and with how often they sparred, physical contact and affection with Jimin was something that Charlie had grown accustomed to, and even welcomed. She felt comfortable in his arms and snuggled further into his chest, grateful for his friendship.

Their small moment was interrupted when Taehyung burst in through the back door, breathing heavily while Jungkook was right behind him. Taehyung tried to catch his breath before looking up at Charlie, his eyes wide while Jungkook waited anxiously for him to speak since he wasn't given much detail about whatever was so dire to share, but was told to follow him as he frantically ran through the house searching for Charlie.

"It's Tucker," he breathed out, glancing between Jungkook and Charlie. "I just got an alert, he's been admitted to the hospital."

~☾~

Charlie sat in the car as she waited for all the students to exit the school. She knew that Alice was usually one of the last students to leave class, and today was not any different. Charlie watched as the young girl walked in the direction of her home, head down, and headphones in. She looked upset, but that was to be expected since her younger brother was currently in the hospital. Charlie put the car in drive and started driving towards her old home, trying not to be obvious to the young girl that she was following her.

Jungkook decided to spend time at the hospital today, trying to get as much information as he could about Tucker from the doctors by posing as an old friend of the family. Since Jungkook wasn't watching the house, Charlie was on her own tonight.

Just as she was about to turn onto the street where her old house was, she saw Alice turn the other way. Confused, Charlie slowly followed for a couple blocks when she noticed her walking towards a small convenience store. She quickly parked the car and walked in, looking through the aisles until she spotted the young teenager.

Charlie tried to be as inconspicuous as possible when she walked down the same aisle and passed Alice, trying to figure out what she was looking at. The girl quickly grabbed the box from the shelf and shoved it under her shirt before briskly walking towards the exit. Charlie walked back down the aisle to get a better look at what the girl just stole.

Charlie started to shake as she stared at the emergency contraceptive box, hoping she was misreading the situation. She clenched her jaw to keep the tears from falling as she picked up her pace so she could catch up to the young girl.

"Hey!" Charlie called after Alice once she was outside, getting her to stop and look back. She walked up to her and noticed how frightened she looked. "I saw what you took," Charlie said and the young girl's eyes went wide.

"It's for a f-friend and she, umm, d-didn't give me enough money. I-I can go put it back," she quickly muttered, clearly intimidated by Charlie.

"Look, don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in, but I do need the truth. Who is it really for?" she asked. Charlie watched as tears started to fall down the girl's cheeks. "Was it your boyfriend?" Secretly, Charlie wanted this situation to be different and was begging for this to be a mistake two kids made.

"Don't have a boyfriend," the girl whispered, starting to sob as Charlie wrapped her arms around her, giving her some comfort. She then knelt down, keeping her hands on her shoulders.

"Tell me who sweetheart," Charlie insisted.

"I can't! If I do, he said I would never see my little brother again." Alice was shaking as her whole face turned red and tears kept pouring from her eyes. Charlie gave her a small smile as she tried to wipe the tear from her cheeks.

"Hey, I will get you and your brother out of that house, I promise you." Charlie looked right into her eyes, hoping Alice would realize that she was serious about her vow.

Alice slowly nodded her head and started to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Do you know where I live?" Alice asked as she sniffled. Charlie moved her hands from Alice's shoulders to her hands, holding them tightly.

"I do. Hold on just a little bit longer, ok?" Alice nodded her head and Charlie once again embraced her and planted a soft kiss on her head. "Get back safely Alice," she whispered before quickly letting go of her, nervously watching as Alice turned and walked away.

Once Charlie lost sight of the 13 year old, she found her way towards her car. Her steps were slow, suddenly it seemed that all her energy was drained. All the wounds from her past, all the memories flashed through her eyes. It hurt her so much: her body, her mind... Everything came crashing back down on her and she didn't know how to deal with it. She finally made it to her car as she pulled the door open and quickly sat inside. Hot tears brimmed down her cheeks and she wiped them with the back of her hands.

"No. No no no, not now," she said as she clenched her jaw, but her tears wouldn't obey. It's all over now, no one can hurt you now, she thought, but the memory still replayed.

Charlie knew that she had a small window when she heard Jungkook in the bathroom. She quickly walked to his room and to his window, opening it as quietly as she could, putting one foot into the cool night air.

"Where are you going?" Jungkook asked as he stood in his doorway.

Shit, busted. "Out. I thought you were going to shower?" Charlie sat on the windowsill, hoping he would leave.

"I was, but I forgot my new razor. I can take one later though, let's go." Jungkook closed his door and grabbed a sweatshirt.

"You're not coming," Charlie said as she continued to place her other leg outside. Before she could fully get outside, Jungkook grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving.

"Like hell I'm not. Come on Char, we haven't gone out in so long," he pleaded, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Fine, but you do not ask me any questions, got it?" Charlie was stern with him and Jungkook was a little confused, but he didn't question it since he was just happy to get out of the house for a bit.

"Deal," he said as he followed out of the window and away from their supposed home.

Jungkook followed her in silence since he could tell that she did not want to talk. He knew that she needed time to just be with her thoughts, to process things. Eventually, when she was ready, she would talk to him. They reached a nearby convenience store and Charlie didn't hesitate to walk in.

"Umm, why don't you go find some snacks," Charlie said while Jungkook nodded.

He walked up and down a couple of the aisles, picking out some of his favorite snacks along with some that he knew Charlie liked. He made his way to the register and found Charlie already there waiting for him. He placed everything on the counter and looked over as Charlie placed a small box on the counter. His eyes went wide as he stared at her, but she avoided his gaze.

She quickly paid and grabbed the bag, pushing past him as she headed to the back of the store. Jungkook followed and anxiously waited outside the small bathroom door until Charlie finally came out, walking right past him as she rushed out of the store.

"Charlie, wait," Jungkook called, but she kept walking.

They reached a nearby park that they came to often, and Charlie started pacing as Jungkook watched his nervous friend. Her phone alarm went off and Charlie reached into her back pocket, pulling out the pregnancy test and looking at the result. She let out a deep breath as she walked towards the trash can, a relieved smile on her face.

"So... are you going to tell me who you're dating?" Jungkook asked, following her.

"I'm not dating anyone," Charlie mumbled as she tossed the stick into the trash, thankful she only saw one line.

"Ok... Well, who are you sleeping with then? Someone we go to school with?" Jungkook thought he knew everything about Charlie. He would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit upset that she was keeping something like this from him.

Charlie continued to walk away from Jungkook, ignoring him.

"Char!" Jungkook yelled after her.

"I said no fucking questions!" she yelled, abruptly stopping to turn and face him. Jungkook had never seen Charlie this upset before.

"I thought we were friends! You can tell me." He softened his voice, wanting to let her know that he was always there for her. "I just... I want to make sure you're ok, and see if I need to threaten anyone."

"You already threatened them Kook, and they've left me alone now, so it's fine." Charlie walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

"Wait, I did?" Jungkook questioned as he joined his friend on the bench. His mind started to go through all the men he had threatened in regards to Charlie and he couldn't think of anyone except... "I have only ever yelled at The Hellhounds." He was still confused as to what she meant.

Charlie briefly glanced at him, giving him a sad smile as he sunk down next to her on the bench. Her elbows met her knees as she rested her head in her hands, letting her hair hide her face as she tried to avoid this entire conversation.

Jungkook paused as he processed everything. His stomach dropped as the realization hit him, and he so badly wanted his assumption to be false. "It wasn't just physical abuse was it?" he asked in a hushed tone, hoping that she would tell him he was wrong, but when he witnessed her shake her head, confirming what he thought, he immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him.

His mind reeled with all the memories they shared and how he should have seen it sooner. He recalled the night he threatened to expose their foster parents, the first night he slept in Charlie's room. He slept on the floor, in front of the door and he found it strange then how his foster father had tried to come into her room in the middle of the night, but now, he knew what he was there to do and Jungkook felt disgusted. He felt Charlie start to shake and he only held her tighter.

"He can't hurt you anymore. I won't let anyone hurt you," Jungkook whispered as he felt her tears on his arm while his own cheek was stained with fresh tears.

When Charlie arrived back at their base, she went straight to her room and was thankful that she didn't run into anyone else. She had texted Jungkook to meet her at home as soon as he could, not giving him much detail, which caused his anxiety to spike as he rushed home. Charlie paced back and forth, waiting for Jungkook to arrive. It wasn't long before her door flung open, a very frazzled Jungkook standing in the doorway.

"What happened?" he asked, worry written all over his face.

Charlie thought she would be able to tell him calmly, she thought she had cried it out in the car, but seeing how worried he was only reminded her of the night he found out the whole truth about their foster father and she started to cry again.

Jungkook quickly closed the door and walked over to her, encasing her in his arms as she held on tightly to his shirt and just cried. Charlie rarely ever cried, so his worry only increased. She finally pulled away just enough for Jungkook to get a look at her. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked completely broken. He knew that she would tell him what happened, she just needed a little time so held onto her until she let go of him.

"He's doing it again," Charlie said, her voice raspy and fragile as she walked over to her bed and sat down.

"Doing what exactly?" Jungkook asked, following her as he sat right next to her.

"Exactly what he did to me! I saw her go to the store to get emergency contraception Jungkook! I confronted her about it and she was terrified! She started crying and I..." Charlie buried her face in her hands as Jungkook put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"I could have stopped this, I should have stopped this," Charlie uttered through her sobs.

"What are you talking about Char?" Jungkook asked as he continued to hold her.

"I shouldn't have waited until another victim walked right into their home! I should have dealt with them months ago," she admitted. Charlie was starting to get angry as the tears finally stopped, but the pit in her stomach grew. She felt so guilty for letting this happen to another young girl. This time, she was going to make sure this never happened again. Jungkook pulled away and grasped her face, forcing Charlie to look at him.

"This is not your fault. He's a sick fuck, and that's all on him." He moved his thumbs to wipe the tear stains from her face. "We will get those kids out of there, I promise you that," he stated while Charlie gave him a small nod.

"I want him to suffer. I want him dead," she whispered as Jungkook pulled her closer, holding her tightly while she wrapped her arms around his frame, holding onto him.

"Okay," he whispered, his hand holding onto her head as he vowed to make things right.

~☾~

It was pretty early in the evening, but Charlie had practically fallen asleep in Jungkook's arms. He moved her under her blanket and stayed with her until he was sure she was asleep. When he heard her light snores, he carefully removed his arm from around her and pulled the blanket over her shoulder. He tiptoed to the door and closed it quietly before proceeding downstairs straight to Yoongi's office. He knocked on the open door when he saw his leader sitting at his desk.

"Oh, hey Kook, come in," Yoongi said as he took off a pair of glasses and set them on his desk, giving his full attention to the young man in front of him.

Jungkook walked in and closed the door behind him, trying to maintain his composure as he turned to face his elder. Yoongi could see the serious look on his face and stood up from his desk, the slight worry swirling behind his neutral expression.

He noticed how Jungkook's fists were clenched at his side and how tense his posture was, indicating that something was clearly going on. He waited patiently as Jungkook took a deep breath before locking his eyes with Yoongi's.

"I need a favor."

A/N: What do you think the favor it??  Charlie's entire past has now been revealed, but will she ever tell the entire house?

Let us know your thoughts!! ---------->

If you have had something traumatic happen to you, please reach out and just talk to someone, find yourself a Jungkook! If you don't know of anyone, message me :)