─☼☼☼─

𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝘼𝙉 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙇𝙑𝙀 hours ago, the Cross of Santo Domingo had been one of the most beautiful things Charlotte Carrera had even seen. But now, looking down at the cross formed a pit of despair in her stomach, one that coiled through her entire body, gripping her in darkness.

Honestly, if not for Pope, she would have been keen to toss this thing in the ocean and never look back. That damn thing had caused too much turmoil in the short amount of time that they had known about its existence. 

JJ and Kiara did not share that sentiment, as the two were looking down at the cross like it was their newborn child. "Surf trip?" JJ wondered, a wicked grin on his face. 

Kiara let out a small laugh, the two of them engaging in a quick little handshake, smiling the entire time. 

"You're invited too, Charls." JJ assured, noting the uncomfortable look on the girl's face. 

She forced a smile, eyes trained on the cross. "Yeah...thanks, J."

Something sounded from up above, light creeping through the cracks as the roof above them began to open. Someone was coming. 

Charlotte froze, watching in fear as the section of the ship opened completely. 

But it wasn't Ward Cameron standing on the upper level, it was none other than Pope Heyward himself. 

He stared down at them, face determined as he focused on the cross. 

JJ and Kiara were letting out yells of excitement, prompting Pope to raise a fist in the air. "The time when people do shit to us and we just sit back and take it is over!"

Charlotte couldn't help but let a smile creep across her face, slowly, and then all encompassing. A small laugh tumbled from her lips at the sound of her sister and JJ's cheers. 

"That's what I'm talking about, baby!" JJ yelled, "Let's get this W!"

"Come on!" Kie urged in excited, "Let's tie it up."

Stealing a glance upwards, Charlotte noticed that Pope had disappeared. Turning to the other two, she rose her first concern. "I hate to be a downer...but what exactly is the plan here?"

Knowing what the hell was going on was probably an important part of the plan. 

In the midst of tying up the cross, JJ looked over at her. "John B's gone to find Sarah. We're gonna get this baby tied up, and Pope's gonna run the crane. We'll load it into the lifeboat, get our asses on there and Bob's your uncle."

About a million thing that could go wrong ran through Charlotte's mind as he spoke. The biggest one standing out to her right now was the fact that Pope was about to be running a large machine that he really had no business operating. 

"Shit." She muttered, already turning toward the ladder. 

"Where are you going!?" Kie called after her. 

Arriving at the top deck, Charlotte looked down at them. "To spot Pope!" She answered, squinting through the sunlight to watch as the crane fired up. "Lord help us all." She muttered. 

Glancing down at the cross and then back up at the crane, Charlotte spotted Pope in the cab of the crane. "Easy does it, Pope!" She yelled, waving him down. "Slowly!"

The hook crane lowered slowly, straying from its path a couple of times which forced Charlotte to all but dive for cover. 

After a couple of excruciating minutes, it had finally reached the lower deck. 

"Okay!" JJ called, "She's all hooked up. Take 'er up, Pope!"

Charlotte turned, giving Pope the thumbs up that signalled they were all good to go. 

The cross began to lift from the box, dangling unevenly as it made its way up. Cringing, Charlotte watched as it swung about, almost taking JJ out at one point. 

"Charls, tell him to bring it into the middle!" JJ called, his face wrought with concentration. 

"Pope!" Charlotte called, motioning with her hands. "Bring it into the middle!"

The cross jerked to the side, causing Kie and JJ to let out yells of protest. "That's good! That's good!"

"Easy, Pope!" Charlotte yelled, taking a couple of steps back as the cross slowly rose, being freed from the lower decks. 

They were one quarter of their way through the plan, and so far, nothing had gone wrong. Charlotte didn't think that they were going to get off that lucky. 

"Charley, we're gonna go find John B and help him load the lifeboat. You stay here with Pope!" Kiara called from down below. 

Ducking out of the way of the swinging cross, Charlotte sent her sister and JJ a thumbs up. "Got it! Be safe!"

She hated them running through the ship, because she knew Rafe was out there somewhere...Ward too. 

"Hey!"

Charlotte jumped at the voice, not recognizing it as one of their own. Turning in a hurry, she noted the girl that was running toward her, waving her arm at Pope. 

Panic surged through Charlotte as she searched for anything that could be used as a weapon to defend herself and Pope. 

But when she glanced up at the crane, Pope didn't look at all concerned. In fact, he was waving back at the girl, relief clouding his features. 

Looking between the two, Charlotte furrowed her brow, still on edge as the girl approached her. 

"Who are you?" Charlotte demanded, her voice sounding harsher than she had meant it to. 

Instead of responding with the same amount of hostility, the girl let out a quick laugh. "You must be Charlotte. Heard a lot about you in the past hour."

Still utterly confused, Charlotte looked back up to Pope as if she was going to find her answer there. 

"I'm Cleo." The girl introduced herself, a thick Caribbean accent coating her words. 

Something clicked in Charlotte's brain at the name...no, there's no way that─

Cleo wore a small grin. "I'm a friend of John B and Sarah's."

So there was a way. 

John B and Sarah had recounted stories of a girl named Cleo who helped them flee the Bahamas. Charlotte just never would have imagined in a million years that any of them would ever meet her.

"I know." Cleo remarked, noting the look on Charlotte's face as she grabbed a hold of the ropes, securing the cross. "Small world."

"Cleo! Any sign of John B or Sarah?" Pope yelled, still focused on directing the cross. 

Cleo tossed one of the ropes to Charlotte as she shook her head. "Didn't see them!"

Gripping onto the rope, Charlotte tried to push down the dark feeling that felt like they were crawling up her throat. She knew things were not going to end the way they wanted them to. 

"Pope, bring it over!" Cleo called, pulling Charlotte from her thoughts. "Slowly!"

"I'm trying!" Pope yelled back, a determined look on his face. 

Glancing over her shoulder, Charlotte checked to see if anyone was coming toward them─friend or foe─but there was no one..yet.

"Bring it over the water!" Charlotte advised. "So it's ready as soon as they get here!"

Because they had to get here...they had to. 

Pope moved the crane, leaving the cross dangling over the waves below. The only thing holding it in place were the ropes that both Cleo and Charlotte were holding onto. "Perfect!" Charlotte called, wincing slightly as the rope dug into her palms. "Leave it right─"

Her words were cut off by the sound of a gun. 

Instinctively, her and Cleo ducked, hearts hammering against their chests as they looked to each other with wide eyes. 

But it wasn't them who were being shot at. 

One of the crew members had stationed himself at the bottom of the crane, and had resorted to firing shots up the ladder, into the cab where Pope was. 

"Pope, get outta there!" Cleo ordered, looking to Charlotte with a look of concern. "Now!"

Pope looked down at the man with the gun, and then back to the girls. Something seemed to shift, as if he came to a realization. 

"Let go of the line!"

Both Cleo and Charlotte faltered, neither of them sure that they had heard them correctly. 

"What?" Charlotte yelled, her arms burning as she held onto the rope for dear life. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" Pope called, nervous eyes darting around. "Just let go!"

Cleo looked to Charlotte, giving her a small shrug. "Guess we do what he says."

Charlotte wasn't going to argue. If Pope wanted to get rid of the cross, then she wasn't going to argue. 

The minute the rope fell from their hands, the cross swayed slightly, skewing the rope across the deck. 

"No!"

The scream tore from somewhere in the shadows, but Charlotte would have known that voice anywhere. 

She hadn't seen Rafe since he left her at the hull. But now, as he emerged from the left of her, he wasn't focused on Charlotte at all. 

He dove across the deck, reaching out for the rope as if it were his lifeline. 

"Lottie!" He called, finally shifting his eyes toward her. "Help me!"

Charlotte fixed him with an incredulous expression. If he thought she was about to help him reclaim that cross, he was absolutely out of his mind. 

"You know him?" Cleo wondered, looking to Charlotte in shock. 

Glancing back at Pope to ensure he was still okay, Charlotte let out a small sigh. "Unfortunately, I do."

Suddenly, the cross that had been support by the crane seemed to let go, sending the seven foot, solid gold, artifact plummeting toward the bottom of the ocean. 

Pope had truly given it up. 

But Rafe wasn't willing to let it go so easily. 

Grunt of pain tore from his lips as he held onto the rope with all of his might, being dragged forward toward the edge of the deck. 

Charlotte's heart jumped in her chest as she watched him inch closer and closer to the edge. 

"Rafe!" She screamed, taking a step toward him. "Rafe, just let go of it!"

He ignored her, his face reddening as he tried to pull the cross back toward him. 

He was going to kill himself for this damn cross. All so he could make his father happy. 

"Rafe, please!"

Her cries were falling on deaf ears, Rafe showing no sign that he had heard a single word she'd said. 

"Come on!" Pope called, dropping out of the cab to the crane, escaping the man with the gun. "We gotta go!"

"HELP ME!" Rafe screamed at the crew members that were beginning to swarm them. "Get over here and help!"

Charlotte's heart tugged in her chest, pulling her in two completely opposite directions. 

Either leave the boat and potentially never see Rafe again, or stay, and potentially never see her family or friends again. She was making a sacrifice either way, one she didn't want to make at all. 

The sound of the engine of the life boat sounded from down below, signalling that there was no more time for contemplation or hesitation. 

"Let's go!" Cleo prodded, her and Pope already making for the edge of the deck. "We gotta do this."

Stealing one more glance at Rafe, Charlotte felt like everything in her world was coming crashing down. She didn't want to make this decision. 

He wasn't looking at her, and maybe she was grateful for that. Because if he were, all of this would have been ten times more difficult. 

Forcing her feet to move, Charlotte took a couple of steps toward the edge of the deck where Pope and Cleo had just disappeared. 

She had to do this. 

If she ever wanted any freedom, she needed to get away from Ward...from Rafe. 

Being stuck with them on an island was a death sentence for her...she was sure of it. 

So, with one final vote of confidence, Charlotte took the final steps that neared her to the edge, prepared to jump into the waves below. 

But that's the thing...sometimes you aren't the one who makes the decisions about your own life. You aren't the one who dictates your own future. 

Because if it was up to Charlotte Carrera, she'd have been submerged in the ocean below, kicking her way back up to the surface...to safety. If it was up to her, she'd be joining her sister and friends in the lifeboat, prepared to leave all of this chaos behind.

However, as it seemed, it wasn't up to her. Not at all. 

No, instead, it was up to the man with the gun, the one who pulled the trigger. 

The shot sounded off, seeming to reverberate through the entire ship. For a brief second, everything seemed to pause. All the yelling, the waves, the chaos...everything...just gone.

But then it all came rushing in at full force. 

Charlotte stood frozen for a moment, her wide brown eyes searching for a pair of blue ones. 

He was already looking at her when she finally found his amidst the haze. His eyes had gone wild, his face crumpling as he released the rope, leaving it in the hands of the other crew members. 

But try as he might, he didn't reach her in time. 

She was already collapsed on the ground by the time he scrambled toward her, warm blood seeping from the wound in her torso. 

"Lottie!" The scream tore from his throat, mangled and terrified as he dropped to his knees next to her, his shaky hands hovering above the wound, as if not sure what to do. "Lottie, look at me."

She did as he said, her scared eyes meeting his own. 

"Rafe," She winced, her own hands shaking as she looked down at the blood that was covering her shirt. "Oh God."

"It's─you're gonna be okay." He assured, yet not sounding too convinced himself. "You're gonna be okay."

Charlotte let out a pained breath, trying to sit up. "We have to─" She cut herself off, pausing for a moment to try and calm her breathing. "We have to put pressure on the wound."

Nodding fervently, Rafe reached out with trembling hands, as if afraid he would hurt her more than she already was. 

"Rafe." Her voice was more forceful this time, yet still laced with pain. 

"O─okay." He forced out, finally managing to press his hands down on her stomach. 

A hiss of pain came from Charlotte as she laid back, resting her head on the deck, trying to keep herself conscious. 

From somewhere down below, she could hear yelling. 

It was the Pogues...but they couldn't help her anymore, not if any of them wanted to make it out of here alive. 

Charlotte almost laughed at the irony of all of this. 

She hadn't wanted to leave Rafe...looks like she got her wish. 

"HEY!" Rafe screamed, startling Charlotte from her thoughts. "You!" His angry eyes were locked on the man who had fire the shot. "Go get a doctor, now before I fucking kill you myself."

Charlotte couldn't see the man from where she lay, but she could only imagine the look on his face at the sheer disgust behind Rafe's words...she was truly worried he might actually kill the guy. 

"Rafe." She muttered, forcing herself to look up at him despite the bright light of the sun droning down on them. "Don't...don't hurt him."

"Don't worry about him." Rafe maintained, his worried eyes falling to her stomach where the blood was pooling through his fingers...he couldn't stop the bleeding on his own. "Just stay with me, Lottie."

Giving him a sad smile, Charlotte welcomed the warmth that seemed to flood her body, the light that seemed to rim her eyes. "Tell me about this island." She whispered, eyes drooping in fatigue. 

A teary laugh fell from Rafe's lips as he shook his head. "You're gonna love it, baby. It's like─it's like the Bahamas, but better. We'll be together every day, and we can do whatever you want. We'll─we'll open that restaurant, like you always wanted. It'll be so great, Lottie."

Charlotte looked up at him, her heart clenching as she nodded. "Sounds like paradise." She mumbled, finding it more and more difficult to keep her eyes open. 

"Charlotte." Rafe demanded, "Charlotte, open your eyes."

Using the last of her energy, Charlotte did as he said, knowing that she wanted Rafe's eyes to be the last thing she ever saw. 

"I love you." She forced out, a warm tear slipping from her eye. "I hope you know that."

"I love you." Rafe asserted, tears pooling in his own eyes. "And I'll tell you that everyday for the rest of your life...you've just gotta stay with me."

"Get away from all of this." Charlotte pleaded, letting out a shaky sigh. "For me...please. You can do great things, you just have to free yourself first."

"Char─WHERE'S THE FUCKING DOCTOR!" Rafe screamed, looking over his shoulder at the crew who watched on in stunned silence. 

Reaching a shaky hand up, Charlotte wiped a tear that had escaped from Rafe's eyes. "Please tell my parents that I love them." She begged, tears blurring her vision. "And Kie...tell her─tell her that I'm proud of her."

"I'm not doing that." Rafe argued, "I'm not doing that because you're not gonna die on me. Do you hear me?"

If nothing but to please him, Charlotte nodded.

But her eyelids were becoming heavier, her breathing more shallow. 

Looking up at him one more time, Charlotte memorized every inch of his face, so she would never forget it. 

All of this...everything that had happened this summer had come to this. It was never supposed to end like this...but alas. 

Charlotte wasn't sad for herself, not in the slightest. 

She was sad for those she was leaving behind. 

Her parents; who had done everything for their two girls, only to have them ripped away over the duration of a summer. 

For her sister; who had always been her best friend no matter what they went through. 

For John B, Pope, and JJ; who had been her true friends since they were kids, who had welcomed her back this summer with little hesitation.

For Sarah and Wheezie; who had been the additional little sisters Charlotte had always wanted, who had embraced her into their family with open arms. 

And for Rafe; who had loved her since they were kids, who had helped her survive high school, who had taught her how to love. 

Letting out a shuddered breath, Charlotte smiled up at Rafe, admired the way the sun shone down around him. 

Charlotte Carrera had always imagined she would die in the arms of Rafe Cameron...she just never imagined it would have happened so soon. 

─☼☼☼─

-𝙖𝙣-

my bad...? 

guess we will have to wait until february to see what happens next hehehe 

in all seriousness, i may do a few flashback chapters just to fill the void until season 3

thank you all so much for your support thus far. i hope you're all enjoying <3

-mads xoxo