ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗⁱᵐᵉˢ ʸᵒᵘ ᵍᵒᵗᵗᵃ ᵇˡᵉᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᵏⁿᵒʷ
ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘ'ʳᵉ ᵃˡⁱᵛᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ʰᵃᵛᵉ ᵃ ˢᵒᵘˡ

【 ♪ 】

ᵗøᵖ
ᵗᵉᵃʳ ⁱⁿ ᵐʸ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ

⭑━━"𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧"━━⭑

Isis didn't know she could've stayed even an hour without any news of JJ. And three hours passed.

When she had just made herbal tea to calm her nerves, she heard the sound of a distant engine. Glancing through the window, she saw a police car parked behind the trees. They were watching the Chateau.

"Shit," she sighed.

She took the set of keys, tied JJ's hoodie around her waist and slipped away by the back door. Quietly, she walked away on tiptoe. She wanted to reach the shed, where she knew John B had put her bike away.

"Isis!" hissed a voice.

She turned, frowning. She didn't see anything around.

"Peanut!" called the voice again.

"John B?!" she asked, surprised. "Where are you?"

"Right here! On your left!"

She turned around and narrowed her eyes. She distinguished two blurred figures waving at her from the marsh. She came closer. One of them stood on his feet and ran to hug her. Isis immediatly recognized JJ's smell, and her heart raced.

"What the fuck are you doing here??" she asked in a high-pitched tone with tears in her eyes.

"We weren't leaving you alone. We were trying to make out a plan to get you out of here."

She tightened her embrace around his shoulders, relieved to see him.

"Oh my God," she sobbed in his t-shirt. "You scared the shit out of me, you know that?"

"I'm sorry," he breathed.

"Don't be sorry, dumbass," she chortled, putting her hands around his face. "I'm so proud of you. You should be too."

He gave her a hint of a smile, and kissed her softly. Isis kissed him back, before dropping her lips on his cheek. They shared another hug.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" inquired John B, frowning at them.

Isis let out a giggle over JJ's shoulder. He then grabbed her hand and took her forward.

"We'll explain," he said patting John B's chest.

The latter raised his eyebrows, confused.

"Okay," he simply shrugged.

Isis followed JJ to the edge of the water.

"We need to get to the little dock" he warned her.

"Through the marsh?" asked Isis, pulling a disgusted face.

"I can carry you if you want," said JJ turning at her.

"Don't be stupid," she grumbled, walking forthright into the water. "Come on!"

They trailed behind her. Except, they were like 6'0" and 6'1", and she was 5'1". So, when they got water up to their thighs, she almost drowned.

She started to swim long before they did. She put the hoodie on the top of her head so she wouldn't get it soaked, and moved forward through the marsh. They finally got to the HMS Pogue. Isis hauled up onto the boat and helped the boys do the same. JJ untied the mooring rope and they all pushed on the dock in order to stray from it. John B started the engine.

"So... you two?" he asked when they were far enough.

"You seem surprised," teased Isis.

"I-- I'm not," assured John B with a smile. "It's just -don't get me wrong- but you took so much time I ended up thinking it would never happen. But I'm happy, just so you know."

"Thank you," smiled Isis.

"I'm almost hurt, JB," said JJ. "I see you have massively underestimated me. But it doesn't matter anymore. I have the most wonderful girlfriend."

Isis looked up at him, blushing. She was about to thank him, but her eyes landed on the bruises on his face. She frowned.

"JJ?" she called with a tensed voice.

"Yeah?"

She straightened and came up to his face.

"What's that?"

"...What's what?"

"Oh, please, JJ!" she let out a bit too loud. "I may be blind as a bat, but I still can see that! Who did this? Is it the police?!"

He didn't answer right away, and kept his head low. Isis realized she might have been too urging, and took his hand.

"Who did this, JJ?" she asked with the softer voice.

"... T-that's my dad."

She never thought she would hear these words come out of his mouth with such fear in them. She froze in shock.

"Again?" asked John B, upset.

Isis' heart broke into a thousand pieces.

Again. That meant it already happened before.

"Yeah, you know... nothing new under the sun."

Isis felt in his voice he wanted to avoid this discussion. She knew he didn't want her to know about that.

For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to say. For the one time she had to speak up, she couldn't find the right words. She had never been this sad, nor this angry. It upset her even more since she wanted to say so many things. But the words got stuck in her throat, so she ended wrapping her arms around JJ's neck, quietly sobbing in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she let out in a breath.

"No, it's okay. Trust me, I got this."

But she knew he didn't. He never did. And she felt guilty, mad, and utterly dejected about it, all at the same time.

"Don't worry," soothed JJ, kissing her head.

She didn't reply. Because she just realized how much she needed him. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to him. Her life would be meaningless without this boy by her side. She knew for sure. She couldn't even dare to imagine.

They covered some distance. Isis felt a little better by the time they stopped, but she wouldn't let go of JJ's hand.

They got out of the boat, and settled on some old ruins. Then, they told everything to John B. The incident at the outdoor cinema, Deputy Shoupe arresting Pope, and JJ taking the fall for him. Isis learned he now owed a lot of money to Topper's family.

JJ added that the two men that robbed Isis' and John B's houses had been found dead in the ocean. Isis felt a bit relieved hearing this.

"First, I almost get strangled to death by Kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 30 grand," resumed JJ. "We should just dip."

"Okay, where do you wanna go? Hm?" asked John B, annoyed.

JJ seemed to think for a second.

"Yucatan," he suggested.

"Yucatan," scoffed John B in disbelief.

"No, I- I'm dead serious right now," supported JJ. "Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands."

"You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat??"

"You didn't see the photos," replied JJ.

"Think about it, they're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there!"

"Have you lost your mind?!" yelled JJ, stepping forward to John B.

Isis started. She didn't like seeing them like that.

"One hundred years, man," resumed JJ. "One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you're gonna be the one that actually finds it?!"

John B clenched his teeth, letting a scoff out.

"When will you get it in your thick skull?? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!"

"I can't give up, JJ!" shouted John B, pushing him away as Isis stood up. "The last time I saw that dude, we got an argument."

"Guys, please..." tried Isis in a soft voice.

"... and then he took all of our rent money and dipped for this Royal Merchant!" he resumed without listening to her. "And then I told him he was a shit father... and you know how the rest of the story goes."

He turned away, running his hand in his hair nervously.

"JB, you don't have to feel guilty..." soothed Isis. "You didn't know..."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Izzy!" he snapped back looking at her. "I can't give up on the hunt! I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that??"

"Yes, of course, but..."

"But what?"

Isis looked up at him.

"But we're in this together. I still wanna help you, but you can't risk everything for this hunt."

"Iz, I told you--"

"No, listen to me!!" she shouted. "I love you, John B. A lot. But you're not on your own, okay? You can't just put on blinders and forget about everything that's going on around you!"

She paused and breathed in.

"We matter, John B. Okay? I already told you that I'll be with you 'til the end of the line, we made a deal, remember? I won't give up now. But you have to think about us too. I lost my dad, okay? I don't wanna lose anyone else."

Her voice broke on the last words. John B stared at her for some time, before he nodded gently.

"Together?" he asked then.

"Together," she smiled.

⭑━━━━⭑

i love this one 🥺

hope you liked it too!!

send you all my love

☀️💓