June sat on a seat on the boat, her knees pulled to her chest and her head leaned against them, the girl trying to get over the unbearable pain in her chest that came from feeling cheated. After some conspiring with Tyler, and multiple conversations about whether or not it was the right decision, she had retired to a spot as they stopped at the dock, her mind exhausted from worry.

Before she could really delve into the depths of her mind and the fact that one of her biggest fears was coming true,  on top of the fact that she had been kidnapped, witnessed a murder, possibly committed one, and placed into one of the most strenuous  circumstances as of late, she felt a hand drop onto her back, her head lifting to see who it was. She fully expected Tyler, but was surprised when the hand connected to her shoulder was none other than JJs.

Her face fell, JJ looking down at her with worried eyes. They held each others gaze, Junes eyes searching his for some kind of indication of where this was going to go. He pulled his hand back, sliding it down her arm and to her hand, the boy kneeling in front of her. June felt a ache in her chest, unsure of what he was going to say. The nervousness in his eyes led her to believe that he was going to admit what he had done, and they could possibly move on. He looked down at her legs and then back up at her, his lips parting as she watched him with uncertainty.

"Baby, I'm sorry for earlier." Her eyebrows furrowed, and she thought of words to test him.

"Okay." Was all she could manage. JJ looked at her, trying to gather his next words as he worked on his own test. Did she or did she not know? "For what exactly?"

There it was.

JJ sucked in a breath, seeing two options in front of him. He could come clean about everything, they could have a crucial conversation, and maybe they could solve some problems. But he had already been ridiculed one to many times today, and he wasn't sure if he felt like defending himself again. The other option was to assume she didn't know, assume that Pope was only threatening and he didn't actually tell her because at the end of the day he would never do that to JJ and he was crazy for thinking he would. The decision was clear.

"For trying to start an argument." June bit the inside of her cheek, the steps of her plan starting to culminate in her head.  He looked at her, waiting to see her reaction. The anticipation of it all made his heartbeat pound in his chest, and he wasn't sure which way this was going to go. 

June nodded only slightly, her eyebrows twitching together and then a smile crossing her lips. The smile was like a flag waving him towards the finish line, he may actually get away with this apology. She brought her hand up, running her fingers over his hair and then smiling a little wider.

"It's okay. I forgive you." The words brought ease to him, and he felt his heartbeat slow as she pulled him into a hug. His head pressed against her stomach and he let out a sigh of relief, Junes jaw clenching as she held his head to her stomach. Tears pricked at her eyes and she hurried to blink them away, not quite wanting to make it obvious. He had had the chance to come clean, to tell her...he had chosen not to. And she wouldn't forget that.  She sucked in a few breaths to keep herself from losing her cool, JJ feeling the guilt press into him. But June just had to hold on until they got back to the Outer Banks. That was the first part of the plan. Solid ground. There was nothing she could do while in the middle of the ocean.

June pulled her arms back, using her hands to detach JJ from her. He looked up at her with sad eyes and she didn't smile like she usually did, instead standing up and almost making him fall. His eyebrows furrowed as she took a few steps away, turning to look at him and speaking.

"I've gotta go to the bathroom." She didn't wait for his reply or even to see what his reaction was, the girl taking off towards the cabin. She got inside and she closed the door to the bathroom, sitting on the seat  and closing her eyes.

She dropped her face into her hands, taking deep breaths to try and stay calm. The reality of the situation had hit her now...JJ had almost cheated on her, and he couldn't even admit it. He couldn't even apologize.  The damage to her heart was substantial, and she tried not to cry, she didn't want to cry. She should be happy, she was going home. She was finally going to make it home.

June wondered  if this was some sort of karma, it had to be. To find the right one after all the wrong ones,  fall so ridiculously hard, and then have him screw her over. She felt a new sympathy for Zach and she couldn't help but blame herself heavily for this happening. They hadn't kissed, but they didn't have to kiss for it to be a problem. The problem began when he started to  see Kiara in the way that he saw June. The problem began when Kiara was a contender for his heart. Her fingers knitted into her hair and she balled her fist, pulling at the roots as she felt one of the only good things in her life surely slipping away.

"I can't do this."

:::

Junes leg was bouncing on the floor of the boat, her stomach turning and her nerves wracking her. They were in the Outer Banks. Everything here was familiar. Her fingers were gripping Sarah's, the Cameron girl unsure of what she would do when they got to the dock. But June couldn't stop imagining the look on her parents faces, the happiness that would flood her and fill the empty void in her soul that being taken away had left.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go back with me? I'm sure my parents won't care if you come over to my—" June offered to Sarah, her face contorted into one of sorrow as she looked at her friend. She had nowhere to go, and June was more than willing to let her stay.

"No no...it's fine. I'm gonna go see if John B is back yet."  Sarah said, closing her other hand over their intertwined ones. June gave her a single nod, her face filled with worry as she  thought of leaving Sarah alone. This would be a hard transition for her...her family was gone. She was technically homeless.

"Okay." June said as they pulled up to the dock outside the Chateau. It hit her finally as they stopped, Sarah getting off and waving at the others as she started to walk away. June felt like she could hear the chords of some beautiful background music as the sun began to rise, her home glistening in the gleam of it. She could taste it in the air that this was where she belonged, it felt like something had been  pulling her to the end of the line for so long, and she was finally there.

She was silent for the rest of the ride, the melodious music in her head playing a beautiful tune that helped her appreciate the things she hadn't been able to appreciate before. She becoming instantly restless when she saw town, she couldn't wait to step foot in familiar land...she thought she could even kiss the ground. Being forcefully taken from her home gave it a new meaning, a desperate yearning.

The moment that they docked the boat June was off of it. She stretched her legs, waiting in anticipation as the others got off. Pope was the only one who really genuinely looked like he wanted to be there, Tyler probably being the second most excited.  They petitioned to walk everyone home but June couldn't wait, the breath in her lungs burning to breathe in the air of her home.

"Tyler. Tyler!" She said in a rushed tone, the boy turning his head to look at her as they waited on the others. "Have—have JJ tell you where my house is. I cant...I cant wait I gotta go okay? I gotta go!"

Before he could even answer June took off, JJ watching after her as she began to sprint down the road. They had landed near Figure Eight which she was rather relieved about, her stomach turning as she ran. The breeze whipped through her hair and she struggled to breathe, but she had no option but to get home as fast as she could. Before she could even comprehend it she was in her front yard, the familiar home making tears spring to her eyes. For a moment everything that had happened in the past few months diminished to nothing, and she was overcome with joy and anticipation. Sweet relief was just moment away as she hurried up the porch, her hand hovering over the door as she prepared to knock.

She let out tired and shaky breaths, her body fighting tremors as she felt fear bite at her for the first time. However she had spent over a month waiting for this exact moment, her knuckles dropping on the door and sounding through the house. The first round was rather quiet, and it was rather early in the morning, Junes heart swelling as she got the terrible notion that no one would answer.

Not a moment later she heard footsteps on the other side, her hand  stopping in midair as the door opened. Her breath caught and she looked up at who had answered, tears immediately bursting from her eyes.

"June? June! Oh my god!"  Her father pulled her into his arms immediately, a relieved gasp coming from his lips as he pulled her inside. "Oh my god! My baby I thought I'd never see you again...I thought—"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Her cheek was pressed against his chest and she squeezed him as tight as she could, feeling safe for the first time since she had met the Pogues. For the first time ever she had felt stable.

"It's okay. It's okay baby, I love you. Heather! Heather!" Her dad called for her mom and she sobbed into his shirt, letting him squeeze her as hard as he wanted to. For a moment she could breathe easier, her body wracked with sobs as  everything that had happened came rushing back.

"June!" June was soon being held by her mother, the older woman's tears mixing with her daughters and her husbands. June watched from her mothers arms as her dad thanked the sky, his hands clasped in front of him. The patter of feet down the stairs alerted her to the fact that Adam had been woken up, the boy running the sleep from his eyes as he entered the room.

His eyes fell on his sister and his mouth dropped open, the boy unsure if it was a dream or not. He hadn't imagined to see her back here, at least not this soon.

"Adam." She gasped out, the boy hurrying across the room and to his mothers arms where his sister was being held. They all hugged and their father rejoined,  all of them exclaiming and crying and together again. The empty void slowly started to fill, the reunion proving to be exactly what she had hoped. Fulfilling.