Outfits Link:

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Day One

Dawn - For Sale House - Outside

It was nearly dawn, as Isa, John B, Kie, Lia and Sarah were running along. Isa, Kie, Lia and Sarah hadn't had time to change their clothes yet, but John B was wearing the clothes that Topper had given him.

Lia and Sarah led Isa, Kie and John B to a house for sale.

"We can hide in here," Sarah told them.

"You sure this place is empty?" John B asked.

"Yeah, it's Rose's listing," Sarah answered.

They ran up to the door, which had a box which held the key to the house, but it was locked by a combination.

Lia put in the combination. "Zero, two, one, five. Our dad's birthday."

Lia opened the box, pulling out the house key, using the key to unlock the door.

They heard one of the deputies somewhere in the neighborhood. "Let's check this street. They can't be far."

Lia opened the door, leading the way in. "Come on."

⚓️

Inside - Foyer

Isa, Kie and Lia sat in hiding on one side of the door, while Sarah and John B sat in hiding on the other side of the door.

They heard a deputy outside. "Check the porch. I got this one. You go check next door."

Isa put a finger to her lips. "Shh."

After the officer checked the door to make sure that it was locked, which scared the five teens into thinking that they were busted, the officer walked away, leaving the house alone, believing that it was empty, causing them to sigh in relief.

"Let's go," Kie told them.

Sarah nodded. "Let's go. Come on. Let's go upstairs."

⚓️

Upstairs Room

Lia and Sarah looked out the window.

They saw Rafe leading a search party. "Hurry up! This way!"

Sarah looked numb. "I can't believe that's our brother."

Lia gazed off. "You and me both. Even after everything he's done."

Outside, Rafe looked at Kelce. "They're probably headed to the Cut. Let's go down Banks Road."

John B pointed to a bedroom, looking at Isa, Kie and Lia. "Sarah and I both need some sleep, and so do you three. We'll..."

"We'll handle it, John B," Isa told him. "Promise. You, me, the Pogues. Lia and Sarah."

Lia and Sarah nodded.

"Okay," John B agreed. "Isa, Lia, Kie, stay close."

Isa, Kie and Lia nodded in agreement.

⚓️

Bedroom

Isa, Kie and Lia walked into one of the bedrooms of the abandoned home, glad to have a moment of hiding and recovering amidst the chaos that their lives had erupted into.

Lia put her bag down, taking out some clothes, looking at Isa. "You need to ditch the clothes you're in because that's how you're gonna get found and caught again. I brought some clothes of mine for you. And an extra pair for me and Kie, so..."

Kie raised her eyebrows. "That's some forward thinking, since I didn't think to grab clothes when you picked me up."

"Exactly," Lia agreed. "I thought ahead for all of us."

Isa sighed in relief. "Thank God. Thank you, Lia."

"Yeah," Lia agreed. "I just... I won't let John B go down for something my brother did, Isa. And I won't let you go down for defending yourself against my father. The last thing I wanted was for you or Kie or anyone else to get hurt."

Isa took Lia's hands. "Hey. I know. It's okay. None of this is your fault. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. After seeing the way you were drugged on that runway... what Rafe and Ward did to you and Sarah..."

Lia had glassy eyes, looking down. "I'm trying not to think about that right now."

Isa and Kie nodded in understanding, and with Lia's hands still in hers, she brought her hands up to her lips and kissed them.

Kie wrapped an arm around both Isa and Lia in comfort as the three girls took comfort and strength from each other's presence, leaning into each other's hold. They all managed a small smile that didn't quite reach their eyes, but expressed their hope and belief that they could make it through this together.

Kie took a deep breath. "We need a plan. I know that you and John B need to leave Outer Banks to protect yourselves, Isa. But that's not the only thing we're on the run from. You two, I mean. From the cops, from Barry, from the rest of Lia's family."

Lia sniffled as she nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it feels like we're on the run from the entire world right now."

Isa scoffed in acknowledgement. "Yeah."

Lia swallowed. "But you're right, Kie. We need a plan. When the sun comes up, I'm gonna try and get us some more clothes. You two said Kaylee, Pope and JJ could handle the food and the getaway boat."

"I'm gonna help them tomorrow if I can," Kie explained. "I need to get back to them and tell them that we found you guys and that you're okay, anyway."

Isa and Lia nodded in agreement - they knew they couldn't just call their friends given the cellphone towers were still down from the hurricane, so Kie going to tell Kaylee, JJ and Pope was the best option they had.

"You're getting food from the Wreck?" Isa asked.

"Yeah," Kie answered. "And if Kaylee and I have to deal with our parents because of it, then that's what we'll do."

"Okay," Lia agreed. "And Sarah and I were gonna try and tell the police what really happened. But if that doesn't work, then... on the run it is."

Isa looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you wanna come with me and John B? I know Sarah does, but..."

"I can't stay with my family after everything they've done," Lia pointed out. "They could literally destroy me. And I need to find a way to get Wheezie out of there, and I hate having to wait for that, but I can't take care of Wheezie the way we are now. Barely holding it together mentally and on the run. I have to be able to set up somewhere and be safe first. And then with my family chasing me, either gonna lock me up in my room again, or my dad sending me to some church camp or something worse because he things that the fact that I like girls is something that needs to be fixed, not to mention the fact, my father and brother are both psychos, and my stepmother drugged me, and there is a drug dealer who killed one of my best friends who now wants to kill me and anyone who helps me try to get justice for Robbie..."

Isa nodded in understanding, concern, brushing back Lia's hair. "Yeah. Now that you put it like that, it doesn't sound like you have much of a choice."

Lia shook her head. "No, I don't. But I'm gonna be with Sarah, I'm gonna find a way to get Wheezie out of there, and I'll be with you. And we'll figure things out, right Kie?"

"Yes," Kie answered. "I can't leave like you guys can. I can't leave my family. Kaylee, our parents. I have to settle things first."

Lia and Isa both took Kie by the hand, their free hands clasping together as well.

"We know," Isa murmured. "I don't expect you to follow us on the run. Not when you're leaving your family behind."

Kie swallowed. "But we have a plan, remember? Kaylee, JJ, Pope and I will meet you guys in a month max. We just have to deal with things here first with our families."

Lia and Isa nodded in agreement.

Lia's lips trembled slightly. "I actually have real friends with you two, John B, Kaylee, JJ and Pope. Even if it hasn't been for that long, you guys have been the best to me, and to Sarah."

Isa kissed Lia's head. "You deserve the best. Nothing less." She kissed Kie's head. "Both of you."

Lia managed a small smile and pulled Isa and Kie into her arms so they could embrace, holding each other close. They all sat down, and Isa groaned in pain, holding her hands to her shoulder and side, where her wounds from the gaff hook were.

Kie looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Just hurt like a bitch," Isa answered. "I was lucky I didn't pull any stitches with all the running I've been doing."

Lia nodded in understanding. "When I head out with Sarah after sunrise, I'm gonna see if I can find a first aid kit. Clean your wounds and get fresh bandages. We need to take care of those so they don't get infected."

"You two don't have to do all this for me, for us," Isa pointed out. "I don't deserve it."

Lia placed a hand on Isa's cheek, using her words against her. "You deserve the best."

"Nothing less," Kie finished.

Isa managed a small smile in return.

Kie tenderly cupped Isa's cheek, brushing her hair back. After a moment of looking at each other, Kie leaned in to kiss Isa tenderly and comfortingly. Isa melted into the kiss, her hand resting on the back of Kie's head, and her other going to Lia's neck, pulling them both closer. Once they pulled away, Kie reached for Lia's chin, pulling her closer. Kie and Lia met halfway in a passionate but gentle kiss for a moment, seeking both strength and comfort from each other. When they parted, Lia put her finger underneath Isa's chin, coaxing her head up as she wiped a tear from Isa's cheek. Lia and Isa finished with a kiss that showed equal measure of love and understanding and emotion that all three girls had for each other.

Kie, Isa and Lia laid down together on the bed, arms around each other protectively.

Lia swallowed. "Can we talk about anything else before we sleep?"

"Like what?" Isa murmured, trailing her hand through Lia's hair, her other arm wrapped around Kie.

"Anything that won't give me nightmares like the rest of our lives right now," Lia answered.

Kie thought for a moment, looking at Lia with a gentle smile. "Do you remember the first day we met? And we went to the beach to save the hatch? Helped all the baby turtles back to the sea?"

Lia smiled contently at the memory, nodding. "It was the best day of my life."

Kie was surprised by the admission, given that she had told Kaylee that it was the best day of her life, too. "Mine too."

Isa smiled softly at the two of them. "I love how much both of you care about the world. Nature and saving turtles and dolphins. I always wanted to do something to help with that."

"Maybe we can, together, eventually," Lia murmured. "If we ever actually find a way to win the gold back, we could do anything you two want."

Kie nodded gently, nuzzling further into Isa's side, both of her hands tracing designs in Isa and Lia's arms. "Isa and I talked about what we would do with the gold before. I wanted to make music and do what I could to save the creatures out there just like we're talking about."

"I just wanted to find out what happened to my dad," Isa admitted, a haunted look in her eyes, as Kie and Lia looked at her sadly. Isa took a deep breath. "And I wanted to find a way to give back to the Cut. So that other kids like me and the others didn't have to struggle so much. And helping with the environment like that definitely counts, right?"

Lia smiled softly. "It counts."

Kie stroked her fingers through Isa's hair. "It means more than you realize. And before you ask again, yeah. I think after all of this, I'm definitely making an entire album of songs dedicated to the two of you."

Isa and Lia couldn't help their slight grins, and Kie smiled at cheering them up.

"What would you do, Lia?" Kie asked softly. "I know you said you didn't care about the gold before, but now you need it to survive. Against your family and Barry."

Lia gazed off in thought. "I'd find a way to get back at Barry and get justice for Robbie. Stop him from hurting anyone else. And get Rafe help before he loses himself anymore than he already has. He doesn't believe he needs it because of our dad, but he does." She had tears in her eyes. "And I know I probably shouldn't care after everything that he and Ward have done, but they're still my brother and father. I can hate Ward, but I can't... I can't with Rafe, not when I know that he's been drowning since we were kids and no one's helped him. I've tried, but I couldn't save him. I can't just leave him like this."

Isa kissed Lia's head. "I know."

Kie looked at Lia in sadness. "He's your brother, Lia. And he's sick. We get it."

Isa hoped to cheer Lia up, running her hand through her hair gently, coaxing Lia to calmness. "What else would you do?"

Lia took a deep breath to steady herself. "Get my little sister Wheezie away from them. I can't let them turn her life into a living hell too. Dad and Rose already did that with me, Sarah and Rafe. I can't let them do it to Wheeze."

Kie stroked Lia's arm. "Like you said, that'll take a while. Until we have money, we're not on the run, and you're... better."

Lia nodded shakily. "I know. But I won't stop until I am better and I can take care of her."

"We'll help you," Isa whispered.

"Always," Kie agreed.

Lia looked at them gratefully. "Thank you."

Kie and Isa nodded.

"Now, what about you?" Kie asked. "You keep saying what you'll do for everyone else. What would you do for you?"

Lia thought about that for a long moment. "Obviously I want to help you guys save the environment, give back. But I also love history and writing. And our lives are basically a novel waiting to be written."

Kie and Isa smiled in acknowledgement.

"You'd write about our Pogue adventures?" Isa teased.

"All that and more," Lia answered. "People deserve to know the truth of all that happens, whatever that truth is. They might not believe us now, but if I can eventually write about it, and spread the word, maybe then they'll start to believe."

Isa and Kie looked at Lia with soft smiles, touched by her desire to tell their story and reveal the truth, awed by her passion and determination. Even in the midst of chaos, Lia's desire to seek justice shone through.

"I'd read that book," Kie murmured, her fingers tracing gentle patterns on Lia's arm. "The great Pogue adventure, written by Lia Cameron."

Lia chuckled softly. "Maybe I'll change my name for the book. Distance myself from the Cameron legacy a bit."

"Lia Maybank has a nice ring to it," Isa teased. "JJ definitely took you under his wing as his adoptive little sister especially after all the teasing he did to get us together."

Lia smiled.

"Or Lia Carrera," Kie added with a grin.

"How about Lia Routledge?" Isa suggested.

They all laughed quietly, the tension easing from their bodies as they finally released the necessary emotions that could let them ease to sleep, all three of them exhausted.

"It's beautiful, Lia," Kie murmured. "I think you'd be amazing at writing our story."

Isa nodded in agreement. "And maybe someday, when all of this is over, you can publish it and show the world what really happened."

Lia's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely," Isa assured her, pressing a gentle kiss to Lia's forehead. "Your words are powerful. I've seen how you can move people with them."

Kie reached over to squeeze Lia's hand. "And we'll be right there with you every step of the way."

Lia smiled gratefully at both of them. "Thank you."

The three girls settled into a comfortable silence, their bodies intertwined on the bed. The room was dark save for the faint dawn light filtering through the dusty windows, casting long shadows across the floor. Outside, the wind whistled softly through the trees, a gentle reminder of the world beyond their temporary sanctuary.

Isa lay in the middle, her arms wrapped protectively around both Kie and Lia. She could feel the steady rise and fall of their chests against her sides, their warmth seeping into her bones, chasing away the chill of fear and uncertainty that had been her constant companion for days.

Kie nuzzled closer, her head resting in the crook of Isa's neck. Lia's head rested on Isa's other shoulder, her arm draped over Isa's waist. Kie's fingers interlaced with Lia's across Isa's stomach, the fingers of her other hand tracing lazy patterns on Isa's stomach, while her thumb grazed Lia's hand in repetitive motions. Kie's designs traced into their skin provided a soothing metronome for the other two girls, as all three of them drifted closer to sleep within their embraceuntil they finally succumbed to darkness.

⚓️

Other Bedroom

John B and Sarah were laying in bed, looking up at the ceiling.

John B shone his flashlight at the ceiling, revealing the ceiling was designed like the night sky, complete with constellations. "Wow."

"Sweet, right?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," John B answered. "Hey, did you know the, uh, the bottom two stars in the Little Dipper point to the North--"

Sarah smiled as she finished, since she explained this once to Topper, but she was happy that John B already knew this and cared about things like that. "The North Star. Yeah. That's the center point. What everything else spins around." When they heard search hounds outside howling, John B jumped, gasping. Sarah eased John B back to laying down, soothing. "Shh, shh, shh. It's okay, it's okay. It's okay. I've got you."

They relaxed in each other's arms.

John B had his eyes closed. "Could you remind me of the happy ending?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. We're gonna meet the crew at the dock tomorrow. Then they're gonna have the getaway boat."

"Then we go to Mexico," John B whispered.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "And you're gonna be a fishing instructor."

"You're damn right," John B mused.

Sarah smiled. "And I'm gonna have a sandwich shop. Lia can fully delve into her history buff-ness, and Isa can do whatever she wants. They'll probably find a way to save up enough money to have Kie with them whenever they can. And you and I are gonna have a house on a beach... and a dog and a boat. We'll remake the HMS Pogue. And everything's gonna be okay."

Sarah noticed that John B fell asleep, laying her head on his shoulder.

⚓️

The sun was starting to rise as the dawn turned from dark to bright day.

⚓️

The Pogue Nest - Third Floor

Kaylee and JJ were laying in Kaylee's bed in her room.

Through the archway into the lounge couch, Pope was sleeping.

Kaylee, JJ and Pope all were able to get a change of clothes since they all had some stashed in the Pogue Nest for nights over like this.

JJ woke up first, looking at Kaylee next to him, deciding to let her sleep since she was up most of the night worrying, standing, walking out toward the gap in the wall that created a makeshift window in the treehouse.

Pope was now awake, walking closer to JJ.

JJ was worried about Isa and John B. "They're pinched for sure, man."

Pope shook his head. "No. They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught them."

JJ looked at Pope. "Let's hope."

Kaylee was both waking up, looking over at JJ and Pope, standing, walking closer.

Pope sighed. "You know, we were in that car. They're probably looking for us, too."

Kaylee stood. "I don't care. We're gonna do something about this. Our friends need our help, and we're gonna help them."

JJ and Pope nodded in agreement.

"Well, if we're gonna be outlaws, we might as well help Isa and John B," Pope agreed, walking over to grab the keys to JJ's bike.

"So, find them before the cops do?" JJ asked. Pope was already climbing down the steps as Kaylee and JJ followed. "Pope?"

"I'm gonna get gas for the boat," Pope explained.

"Hey, you be careful," Kaylee told him worriedly. "Okay?"

"I will," Pope assured, looking between the two. "Meet me at the dock at three. Don't be late."

⚓️

Outside

Pope drove away on JJ's dirt bike.

Kaylee and JJ walked outside, and they heard the sound of a helicopter whirring above them, looking up to the sky to look at the helicopter that was flying lower to the ground, getting ready to make its landing on the island.

"Who the hell is that?" JJ asked.

Kaylee sighed heavily. "No clue, but it can't be good."

Kie ran up to the Pogue Nest after just returning. "Kaylee! JJ!"

Kaylee ran toward her sister. "Kie, thank God."

Kaylee and Kie met halfway in an embrace.

JJ walked closer in concern. "Did you sleep in the house?"

Kie shook her head as she and Kaylee pulled away. "No, Lia and Sarah got released last night by their little sister Wheezie and they picked me up after you guys fell asleep. We found Isa and John B. They're safe."

Kaylee and JJ sighed heavily in relief as they hung their heads.

"What the hell happened last night?" Kaylee asked intensely in worry.

"I'll explain it all on the way to The Wreck," Kie assured. "Right now, we need to get enough food for Isa, John B, Lia and Sarah for the trip out."

"Lia and Sarah are for sure going?" JJ asked, concerned.

"Lia has to after Barry declared he wants to kill her before she can find a way to take him down for what he did to Robbie," Kie answered. "Sarah of course won't let her go alone, especially after what happened with their family."

Kaylee and JJ nodded in understanding.

"All right, then," Kaylee agreed. "Let's get enough food for all of them."

Kie and Kaylee started to walk away.

JJ ran after them, taking Kaylee's hand as they walked. "I'm going with."

They managed small smiles as they walked.

⚓️ Worlds Colliding (Outer Banks) ⚓️

Field

The helicopter came in to land nearby Shoupe and the other deputies.

An SBI agent stepped off the helicopter.

"Officers, this is Agent Bratcher," Shoupe explained. "How we doing?"

"Good," Bratcher answered. "Special Agent Bratcher. SBI. Sorry to hear about Sheriff Peterkin."

Shoupe nodded, looking down. "Yeah, thank you. She was a special lady. I'm Sheriff Victor Shoupe." He led Bratcher over to Plumb. "Deputy Plumb."

Plumb waved. "Hi."

Bratcher looked at Shoupe. "Look, I just wanted to let you know, we're not here to step on any local toes, but from my reading of the situation, we have two homicidal individuals on the loose, and the entire island population is at risk until they're apprehended. We'll set up a marine cordon for containment. We start from the top down, we move systematically block by block."

"Let's do it," Shoupe agreed.

They walked toward a car, getting inside, driving off with other cops.

In the distance, small storm clouds seemed to be gathering, which would turn into a much bigger storm.

⚓️

Tannyhill Estate - Porch

Ward was pacing. "All I know is Isa and John B are gonna get caught. They're gonna find them, and they'll tell them everything."

Rose was sitting down. "Okay. They catch them, it's your word against theirs. Yes, it is."

"What about the ex-cons I took care of?" Ward asked. "What about them?"

"The ones who tried to blackmail and assault you?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Ward answered.

"Well, they're not talking to anybody," Rose pointed out.

Ward sighed. "Okay."

"Besides, it's not a crime to defend yourself," Rose told him.

Ward sighed. "What I did to them, that was a crime, believe me. And Isa has the wounds I gave her from the gaff hook, which proves that she was defending herself when she cut me with the bottle."

Rose tried to twist it around to make it seem that Ward was defending himself against her. "Or you used the hook to cut her when she attacked you with the bottle." 

"Lia knows that I knew about Robbie being murdered this entire time, and that is aiding and abetting a murderer and letting him free," Ward added. "If she turns the cops onto that, onto me and Barry--"

"What proof does she have?" Rose asked. "If she had any proof, she would have used it by now. You already convinced the cops before not to listen to her because she was grieving and in need of therapy, help and medication. You just say that she's off her medications, which at this point, is true, even if she never needed them in the first place. It was just you trying to keep her under control so she didn't go off and try to get her own justice or vengeance and get herself killed in the process. Yes, it caused Rafe and his friends and all the other teenagers to treat her like she was crazy, and everything else, but that wasn't the point. It was just collateral damage."

Ward nodded. "She called it making her life a living hell. That's collateral damage." He shook his head. "There are just too many loose threads. She's out there with Sarah. For all I know, they're at the police station now."

"If Lia or Sarah were talking to the police, don't you think they would be here right now?" Rose asked.

Ward closed his eyes, turning away. "Okay, okay."

"It's fine," Rose told him.

Ward turned to face Rose. "What you don't understand is this. All of this is my fault. Rafe is falling apart, okay?"

"Yeah, I know," Rose told him.

Ward had wide eyes. "What he did was because of me."

Rose shook her head. "No." She caught his hand. "Ward, no. Look at me. You do not bear responsibility for what Rafe did."

Ward sat down. "Goddamn it, Rose. I bear responsibility... for all of it. And I don't know how to fix it. I'm out of moves."

"Okay, then we just gotta go," Rose told him, standing, walking closer, kneeling in front of Ward to look him in the eyes. "Come on. We can go to the Caribbean. We can go to the Bahamas. The gold is there. Let's go. We can go to Nassau. We'll get out. Yes, we have to."

Ward stood. "I cannot. I can't run right now! If I run right now, it looks like I'm guilty. And I cannot leave without Sarah and Lia. I'm not leaving without my little girls, okay? I won't."

Rose realized something. "No, that's it, Ward. Oh, my God. No. You're... you're the concerned father, right?"

Ward realized that she finally had a point. "I'm the worried father."

Rose nodded. "Yeah. Your daughters are missing."

"They're out with two fugitives, and they..." Ward trailed off. "What do I say if they ask questions?"

"All you know is your daughters are missing, one is off her medication, and you have to get them back," Rose told him. "Sell. Baby, it's what you do. Just sell."

Ward nodded, starting to walk away. "I'll be back."

Rafe walked outside toward his bike, speaking to no one in particular, clearly high off of coke and losing it. "I'll mess you up, man. You know, I said I'd do it. I said--Didn't I say I would? Huh? I said I'd mess you up. I warned you. Okay. Goddamn. Come on." He gave himself a light hit on the cheek. "Listen. Hey, listen. I take care of business. Okay? Every day I do that. It's all right, all right? It's all right. Yeah, it's all right. Oh, my God."

Rafe slammed his motorcycle helmet on the ground, before picking it up, getting onto his bike, driving away.

⚓️

For Sale House - Living Room

Isa had changed into the clothes that Lia had brought for her.

John B walked downstairs, wearing Topper's clothes still. "Hey. Where did Kie, Lia and Sarah go?"

"Lia and Sarah went to try and get some clothes for all of us for on the run, and trying to set the truth straight to try and save us, so we don't have to go on the run," Isa answered. "But I wouldn't hold my breath on that." John B nodded in agreement. "And, uh, Lia said she was gonna get a first aid kit so we can clean my wounds and put on new bandages."

John B nodded in understanding. "All right."

"Kie went to tell Kaylee, JJ and Pope that we're okay so that they can get food from The Wreck for our trip," Isa added. "Kie can't come with us yet because of her family, but she's going to settle things first before she comes out with the others."

John B acknowledged that with a nod.

They heard noises from outside, walking toward the window to look outside, but ducked immediately when they saw a police boat on the water searching for them.

⚓️

Police Tent

An entire police tent had been set up for the investigation, with computers and tech everywhere as well as cops.

Lia and Sarah were walking up to the police tent, intent to explain what really happened to save Isa and John B.

Bratcher was giving a speech. "We have a blanket warrant on all residences assumed to be empty. We have checkpoints on the bridges to limit mobility. Coast guard has eyes on the water. We have some weather coming in, but we've asked our nautical units to remain in position while we conduct our search of the island."

Lia looked at Sarah. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can do it."

Sarah nodded. "I hate doing this to Rafe. But it's the right thing to do. And John B and Isa don't deserve this. Lia? Are you okay?"

Lia looked down. "Even after everything Rafe did, and Dad, I don't like doing this, Sarah. But it's like you said. Right thing. Isa and John B. Everything. And Rafe... he needs help. He needs to get help before he's too far gone, and before someone else gets hurt. I just hate that we're betraying them."

"They betrayed us first," Sarah reminded her, calming Lia's nerves, reaching out to take Lia's hand. "And I know you want to help Rafe. I do too. This is the only way we can do it while making sure no one else gets hurt. Let's do it."

Lia and Sarah held hands and walked up to the tent entrance.

"Excuse me?" an officer asked. "I'm sorry, only authorized personnel at this point."

"Is this all for Isa and John B?" Sarah asked.

"Official orders are for locals to shelter and report sightings to law enforcement," the officer explained.

Lia shook her head. "They're not armed. I promise, they're not armed, and they're not dangerous. We just need to give a statement, please. We need to talk to someone in charge. I promise you, you're going after the wrong people."

Two officers held Lia and Sarah back from going into the tent.

"Girls, relax," the officer told them.

"We just want to talk to someone," Sarah told them. "No, you don't understand. Let go of us!"

"You need to calm down," the officer told them.

"We are calm," Lia replied. "You're just not listening."

Sarah saw Bratcher walk outside. "Excuse me! SBI guy!"

The officer looked at Bratcher. "Sorry. They won't stop."

"Hi, my name is Sarah Cameron," Sarah told him. "This is my sister Lia.  We were on the tarmac with Sheriff Peterkin. We know what happened. We were there!"

"Relax!" Officer 2 snapped.

Lia tried to pull free from him. "Please, we just want to talk. Please."

Bratcher walked closer. "All right, all right. It's fine."

The two officers let Lia and Sarah go.

Lia sighed. "Thank you."

"How can I help you girls?" Bratcher asked.

Sarah was so emotional she was trying not to cry. "I'm sorry."

Before they could explain what happened, Ward walked through the tent toward his daughters. "There you are!" Lia and Sarah looked at their father in shock. "Oh, my God. I've been looking everywhere for you, sweethearts. Listen." Ward reached toward Lia and Sarah. "We gotta let these people do their jobs."

Lia backed away from him. "No, no. Don't touch me."

Ward looked at Bratcher. "I'm very sorry."

Ward tried to pull Lia and Sarah away, but this time, Lia could pull free with relative ease since she wasn't drugged.

Sarah pulled free as well. "No! John B didn't shoot Peterkin, and Isa acted in self-defense!"

"Sarah!' Ward warned. "Lia!" He looked at Bratcher. "I can tell you that is not true. I gave a sworn deposition to the Sheriff's department. They weren't there. They don't know. Lia is supposed to be on medication, and she is currently off of them. I don't know why Sarah's following through with this delusion, but--"

Lia stepped away from Ward when he tried to grab her, pushing him off of her. "Liar! No! That's a lie! Everything he's saying is a lie!"

Ward sighed in frustration. "Fine! Fine. Who did it, then, girls?" Lia and Sarah both looked at him, as if to see if he was testing them. "Who killed Sheriff Peterkin?"

Sarah was crying, sobbing, when she answered. "Rafe."

Lia swallowed, tears in her eyes, in pain and conflict. "Rafe."

Ward closed his eyes. "Jesus. God."

Sarah looked at Bratcher. "Our brother Rafe shot Sheriff Peterkin. We saw it. He had the gun."

Ward shook his head. "He was home. My wife can attest to that. I apologize."

Ward tried to grab Sarah and Lia.

Lia pushed Ward off of them. "No! No! You attacked Isa and John B on My Druthers. You stabbed Isa with a gaff hook and she has wounds to prove it. Your cut was just her acting in self-defense. It's a scrape, it's nothing compared to what you did to her. You tried to kill them."

Ward shook his head desperately. "Please, sweeties. Quiet. Stop."

"What is wrong with you?" Sarah demanded. "How long have you been lying to us? You made everyone think that Lia was crazy for believing that her friend could be murdered. You kept her locked away and isolated and drugged and you knew the whole time that she was right. You knew who killed Robbie and you said nothing. Who are you?"

Lia looked at Bratcher desperately. "Please, you have to believe us. Rafe, he thought that Sheriff Peterkin was going to kill our dad when she was arresting him because he killed Isa and John B's father. Rafe was just trying to protect our dad, and he's been hearing voices in his head and seeing things and he's not okay. He needs help, he doesn't need to be hunted down. Please."

Ward was incredibly worried about the truth coming out like this, but he was determined to not let anyone believe it, turning to Bratcher. "Officer, can I have a moment in private with you?"

Bratcher nodded, looking at Lia and Sarah. "Um, my officers are gonna take really good care of you, all right? They'll keep you here until your dad can take you both home."

The two officers from before walked forward to grab Lia and Sarah and pull them away.

Sarah shook her head desperately. "No. No!"

Lia tried to pull free. "Let go!"

Sarah tried to stop Bratcher. "No, no, no. Don't go! Listen!"

"I'll be right back," Ward told them.

Lia was trying not to cry as she was struggling. "Don't let him take us again! Everything he's saying is a lie! Liar!"

The two officers pulled Lia and Sarah aside toward where they had to wait for Ward to come get them, where he could take them home.

Ward walked outside with Bratcher, turning to face him. "I appreciate this, officer. As you can see, this has been hell for us. Lia lost a friend of hers earlier this year. A teenage druggie from the south side of the island. He committed suicide, and she had to find his body. She was convinced this entire time it was murder because his drug dealer threatened her and her friend Robbie shortly before he died, but there was no evidence of murder. She started to fall apart, and I had to get her the help she needed, including medications, and doctors and therapy, yes, but it wasn't as bad as they were saying."

Bratcher crossed his arms, seeming a little skeptical of Ward's words.

Ward sighed. "This drug dealer has found Lia again and threatened her and got it into her head that there was something more that happened and it caused her to spiral. Now she's off her medications, and she and Sarah have both been involved with Isa and John B. Lia is 15 and Sarah is 16, and they're..."

Bratcher glanced down. "Protecting them."

Ward nodded. "Yes. Yes, absolutely. I can't even tell you the number that these two killers have done on them. They have my daughters so brainwashed, they don't even see them for who they are, and that is very bad people. I know they use drugs. They were involved in an assault with a weapon, all right? More recently, Isa slit me in the stomach with a beer bottle, and she and her brother have convinced my daughters that it is because I attacked them and tried to kill them because I killed their father, and that Isa has wounds to prove that scenario and that she acted in self-defense. But those wounds could have been self-inflicted, or John B inflicted those wounds to make it look like I did it. And that is the assault that Sheriff Peterkin came to the airport to discuss with me. And while we were talking, they show up... and John B shoots her. And it's breaking my daughters. So, I guess what I'm asking here is if maybe I can just take my daughters home and let them calm down and let Lia get her medication and just... be safe, you know?"

Bratcher nodded barely. "Yeah."

"Thank you," Ward told him.

"I'm just gonna talk to them first," Bratcher told him. "They may have some information that can help us get these guys. You hang in there."

Bratcher walked toward the tent.

Ward was not happy that he wanted to talk to them first, walking to the tent, intent on taking his daughters home sooner rather than later.

Lia, seeing Ward coming, kneed the officer restraining her in the gut, making him double over and let her go, pushing him into the officer restraining Sarah, making him let Sarah go.

Lia and Sarah both took off running.

"Agent Bratcher!" Officer 1 called.

"Shit, man, you okay?" Officer 2 asked.

Bratcher and Ward ran closer.

"I'm sorry, sir," Officer 1 apologized. "She kneed me and pushed me into him."

Ward looked around in denial. "You lost my daughters?"

Bratcher put a hand on Officer 1's shoulder. "Let's get him a medic. With me."

⚓️

Barry's Trailer

Barry was sitting in his trailer, doing a line of coke.

Rafe stormed in. "Barry! I need cocaine."

Barry sat back. "Well, I'm all out, man. That was my last line right there. Everybody done came and done a run on me. Everybody stockin' up for this storm."

Rafe started to go through Barry's things. "Oh, I know you got it in here, bro."

"No, I don't got anything in here," Barry replied. "I'm all out, man."

Rafe slammed two cabinet doors closed. "Bullshit, man! You're full of shit."

Barry rolled his eyes. "People got to do something." Rafe walked back to Barry's room. Barry stood. "Rafe! What did I say, bitch? I'm out!" He walked into his room, grabbing Rafe, pushing him toward the door. "I'm out, bitch! Get out of here, man! Get out of my room!"

Rafe was going off the deep end, gasping, looking around. "Where is it? I know you got some."

"What the hell done got into you?" Barry asked.

They walked out onto the patio.

Rafe fell to his knees, turning to sit down, crying, sobbing. "Because I... some..."

Barry sighed. "Oh, shit, man. Hey. Hey, look, dog." He sat in a chair in front of Rafe, his chest against the back of the chair. "Hey, Rafe. You're good, you're good. You're good, you're good. Breathe."

Rafe took several deep breaths. "Have you ever, uh... have you ever done something... that you never thought you would? Like something... something bad?"

"Uh, what you done, Country Club?" Barry asked. "Was you late to a tea time? Huh? You can talk to me, man. Just--just tell me whatever the hell you done, 'cause I can promise you, whatever it was, I done worse, bro. I was in the army. And you know I killed your little sister's little friend."

Rafe hesitated, crying. "I did, uh... something. And now I'm--I'm fucked, man, like, totally. Like a hundred percent, I'm fucked. Like, for life, man. There's--there's no way out of this, bro."

"Don't be comin' on my porch sayin' there ain't no way out," Barry told him. "I'mma tell you right now, there's a way out, a'ight? What you need to do is you need to nut up. If you've got a problem, only thing you can do is fix it."

Rafe frowned, Ward's words about "manning up" and taking responsibility filling his head as Barry's "advice" brought all of that back, seeming to trigger a darker part of him while he was drugged out of his mind and fiending for more to try and shut out all of the pain, confusion and conflict.

"I got a problem right now," Barry told him. "I got a damn big problem right now. You see me in my damn room, cryin' about that shit?" He mimicked crying and whining. "No. I was going to fix it when you pulled up. Your little sisters and all their friends, they still got my cabbage. And you ain't brought it to me yet. You haven't even told me if Little Lia is under control and whether or not she has anything on me."

"Lia's out of control," Rafe stated. "And Sarah. But no, she doesn't got nothing on you. She's not a threat to you, Barry."

Barry scoffed. "Oh, yes, she is. She does have something, which i found out after coming home after I told you to get her to back down or I would kill her. She took a necklace from this place when the Pogues decided to crash. Robbie's cross necklace. I know the only one that would take that is Lia. It's not definitive proof, but I'm not in the mood to take chances because that little spitfire of a sister you got, she surprised me the first night I saw her, saying that she was no one's bitch and telling me no. Never happened to me before. And if I let her slide, she might take us all by surprise. I'm gonna get my money. And that hammer's comin' down on Lia and them Pogues."

Rafe hesitated for a long moment. He didn't want Barry to hurt Lia - despite his mentality continuing to spiral, he still wanted to keep her out of harm's way, especially after what happened on the tarmac. But he knew that Isa and John B could turn him in if they found a way to prove that Rafe killed Peterkin, and he had to get them to stop one way or another before he could lose his life because of what happened.

He needed help to get to Isa and John B, and Barry was willing to help Rafe if he helped him get to Lia. Rafe knew that Barry was manipulating him, using his insanity spiral to try and kill his sister, and it almost worked in his fragile state. But Rafe was sure that he could play Barry, by using his help to get to Isa and John B but keeping him away from Lia.

Rafe tried to pull himself together. "Isa and John B have something on me that could put me away too. I don't want them to do that. And they have a friend who took that 25K from you. JJ, he's the craziest one out of the bunch, the type to pull that stunt."

"That's the point I'm talkin' about, Country Club," Barry told him. "See, how quick you think it's gonna take Little Lia to go to the cops, huh? And when she does, she's gonna start snitchin'. Mm-hmm. On me, on my operation, about the robbery, about Robbie, all that shit. It's gonna be a lose-lose for me, homey. Unless you wanna tell me where your little sis is. I want that girl, and I want my money."

Rafe shook his head. "I have no idea where Lia is. She and Sarah took off to help Isa and John B. But I'll help you get your money, if you help me get to the Routledges. I might know where Kaylee, JJ, Kiara and Pope could be, and they can lead us to them."

Barry nodded. "So, what do you say we go get them?"

Rafe nodded in agreement.

Soon enough, Barry and Rafe were both racing off on their motorcycles, helmets over their heads.

⚓️

For Sale House - Upstairs Hallway

Isa and John B were getting worried about Lia and Sarah not being here. When they heard something downstairs, they looked downstairs, seeing Lia and Sarah slowly walk upstairs, with some (only a little bit of) clothes and a first aid kit that they promised to get.

"Sarah?" John B asked in relief. Sarah was shaken up, crying. John B pulled Sarah into his arms. "Hey. Hey, it's okay. It's okay. I got you. I got you."

Lia gazed off numbly, looking down.

Isa walked toward Lia worriedly. "What happened?"

"Dad was there when we tried to tell the cops," Lia answered. "He made them think I was off my meds and crazier than ever. And that you two brainwashed us. They were gonna let him take us so we had to take off."

Isa wrapped her arms around Lia. "Shh. It's okay."

Lia looked between John B and Isa sadly. "I'm so sorry. We tried."

Isa brushed back Lia's hair. "It's okay. That's all that matters. That you tried. Of course Ward would try to stop both of you and do all that shit."

Sarah sobbed. "It's getting really bad out there."

Lia sat down with Isa so that she could use the first aid kit and bandages to change out Isa's bandages on her side and shoulder. "Isa, sit. I need to do this before your wounds get infected."

Isa sat down, knowing she was right. They took off the bandages, and Lia used disinfectant to clean the stitches that were done by Kaylee and Pope, which had luckily still stayed together even after all the activity lately, and once that was done, Lia and Sarah helped put the bandages on Isa's shoulders, while John B helped tape the bandages down.

"Thanks, guys," Isa told them.

Lia took Isa's hand, kissing it, nodding. "Of course."

When they heard sirens outside, they looked outside to see two cop cars outside, gasping and ducking into hiding.

"Shit!" Isa whispered.

"We gotta go," John B told them. "Okay?"

Sarah nodded. "Okay."

Taking their stuff, they walked downstairs.

By the time two cops came inside to check the house, they were gone.

⚓️

Outside

Isa, John B, Lia and Sarah were using surfboards on the water to get away from the house, with their bags over their backs.

⚓️

Heyward's Shop

Pope parked JJ's dirt bike outside, getting gas, bringing it over to the gasoline pump to fill two tanks of gas. He saw the oncoming storm.

Heyward walked outside. "Look at you. Like some damn street hood out here stealing gas from me. My own blood."

Pope picked up the gas tanks. "I'm not stealing."

"Stop lyin'," Heyward told him. "I just saw it in your damn hand."

"My friends are in trouble, and I need to help them," Pope told him. "Isa and John B did not kill or try to kill anybody."

Heyward scoffed. "Says who?"

"Says me," Pope answered.

"And I'm supposed to believe you?" Heyward asked. "After you ran out on your interview?" He tried to take the gas tanks from him. "Shit, boy, get in the house."

Pope backed away, keeping the gas tanks in hand. "No."

"Oh, you man now, huh?" Heyward asked. "You wanna have a go at it with me? Is that it?"

Pope just gave him a cold look. "I'm walking out of here with these damn cans. You not gettin' in my way."

"Oh, I'm gettin' in your way," Heyward replied. "And one day, you might be able to whoop my ass, but it ain't today."

Heyward pushed Pope back, making him drop the gas cans.

Pope pushed Heyward back. "That right?"

Heyward pushed Pope. "Yeah." Pope punched Heyward in the face. "Oh, yeah! It's gonna take a little more than that. Try again." Pope brought up his fists, breathing heavily. "Come on. You wanna hit your daddy? Try again. You wanna hit me?"

Pope backed off, picking up the gas cans. "I don't got time for this. I gotta help my friends."

Pope walked away toward the bike, tears in his eyes.

Heyward watched him go. "Yeah, yeah, you just go ahead. Yeah, you take everything, son. You already have!" Pope started to cry. "You're an ungrateful son of a bitch, Pope."

⚓️

The Wreck

Kaylee, Kie and JJ were getting food for the fugitives.

Kaylee looked at Kie in concern. "Did you plan things out with Isa and Lia?"

"Yeah," Kie answered. "Lia's getting a first aid kit and clothes for Isa and John B while we get them food and the boat to get the hell out of here." She swallowed. "I just can't believe that they have to run from the cops and drug dealers and psycho families. We just got to a place where we were starting to figure things out, and now they have to run, and I can't go with them, because I can't leave you, Kay. I'm not gonna leave Mom and Dad yet."

"We'll meet Isa, Lia, John B and Sarah in two months in Mexico," JJ reassured. "Two months isn't that long, right?"

Kie scoffed. "It feels like a lifetime after all of this."

Kaylee and JJ looked at Kie sadly in understanding.

Kie looked around, sighing. "Is that gonna be enough food for them?"

JJ shrugged. "I mean, for a couple of weeks, and that's all they need, so..."

Kaylee nodded. "Yeah, it'll be fine for a weak or two."

"Do you think we should be worried about Pope?" Kie asked. "He's been so dark and edgy today. Yesterday too. Ever since we lost the gold."

"I feel bad for not being able to help Pope," Kaylee admitted.

JJ shook his head. "Look, don't beat yourselves up too much. He's completely changed his feels. The past 24 hours have been like Jekyll and Hyde."

Kaylee sighed. "I hate to admit it, but I miss the old Pope."

"Me too," Kie agreed. "At least I knew what to expect from him."

⚓️

Outside

Kaylee, Kie and JJ walked outside toward the Carrera car with the food.

Anna walked closer, looking at her daughters in exasperation. "Where you been?"

"Uh, we're fine," Kie told her. "I forgot to tell you that we were staying in the Pogue Nest last night."

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "Not that it took a genius to figure out. We're always back there, and you hate the treehouse, so you never care to check there."

"Don't start with that, Kaylee," Anna warned.

Kaylee gestured to the restaurant behind them. "We just needed to come here, and..."

JJ loaded the food into the back of the car.

Anna shook her head. "We were up half the night, scared to death, looking for you. Were you even gonna tell us?"

"Well, we're telling you right now," Kaylee told her. "And you didn't look hard enough because we were right there in the backyard."

Anna gave Kaylee a cold look. "Don't push me right now, Kaylee." JJ looked at Kaylee, as Kaylee looked away barely. "All right, what the hell are you three up to?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Anna, we just gotta go," JJ told her.

"Sorry," Kie told her.

"I'm sorry," Kaylee said.

Anna shook her head. "No. Absolutely not. Have you heard what's going on?"

"Mom, we'll explain later," Kie pleaded.

Kie and Kaylee walked past Anna toward the car.

Anna followed in an attempt to stop them. "Girls. Have you seen the storm? This is not safe for you to do."

"I'm sorry, Mom, but we have to go," Kaylee told her, opening the driver's side door, getting in.

JJ had gotten into the passenger's side. Kie got into the backseat behind Kaylee.

Anna was outside, yelling at them. "Kaylee! Kiara! These cops are armed. You're gonna get shot."

"We have to go," Kaylee told her, putting the key in the ignition and starting the car.

Anna put both hands on the car. "I am not letting you do this!"

"Isa and John B need us, Mom!" Kie cried out. "Lia and Sarah need us."

Anna shook her head. "You need to stay here."

"We understand, we'll be careful," Kie assured. "Sorry!"

"Kaylee, you open this door right now!" Anna yelled. "Kiara!" When they didn't answer right away, Anna snapped, glaring at Kaylee through her window, blaming her for everything as Anna and Mike usually did. "This is the last straw with you, Kaylee! Look what you've turned your sister into! This is your fault! I hope that damn storm destroys that stupid treehouse, and then where will you be? Out on the streets!"

Kaylee had tears in her eyes, trying not to let this get to her, knowing that her parents had been on the verge of disowning her for a while now and she knew that this may or may not be the thing that makes them go through with it.

JJ looked at Kaylee and Kie in sadness and sympathy, taking Kaylee's hand.

Kaylee looked at Anna desperately. "I'm sorry."

"Stop it right now," Anna demanded. "Right now, Kaylee! This is not safe! Stop! Kiara!" Kaylee had to push her feelings aside, starting the car, driving away, keeping her eyes on the road, refusing to look at her mother. "Stop! Kaylee! Kiara!"

Anna gave up, watching as the car sped off.

The car ride was silent as Kaylee drove recklessly down the gravel road, tears in her eyes from the fight with her mother, wiping away a stray tear that fell before situating one of her hands on the steering wheel, the other one falling to the center council for some form of stability. JJ reached over for Kaylee's hand that was gripping the center consul a little too harshly, taking her hand, interlacing their fingers together for some form of comfort. Kaylee looked over to JJ and gave a small, closed smile to reassure that she was fine. JJ returned the small smile, bringing Kaylee's hand up to his lips to press a kiss on them before resting their joint hands into his own lap.

⚓️

Ocean

Isa, Lia, Sarah and John B were still on the surfboards with their bags on their bags.

"You girls okay?" John B asked.

"Yeah, fine," Isa answered.

"Do you really think they'll be able to steal the boat?" Sarah asked.

"Well, Kaylee and JJ are involved, so yeah," John B answered.

They continued on their way.

"Where you guys going?" Lia asked. "The boat ramp's this way."

John B looked down. "Sarah, Lia, look. Isa and I were talking while you were gone, and we've gotta go home."

"What?" Lia asked. "No. There'll be cops crawling all over there."

They sat up on their surfboards.

"Yeah, that's okay," Isa told them. "Look, we--we don't want you to come. It--"

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked.

"The gold from Crain's house, it's at the Chateau," Isa explained. "It might be the only way we can afford anything on the run. And our dad's been looking for that for years. It's all we have left of him. We gotta get it. And we're gonna need the money."

"You'll get caught," Sarah told them worriedly.

"Not likely with both of us looking out for each other like always," John B told them. "Listen to me, please. We need you two to go to the boat dock in an hour."

Lia shook her head. "No, we're coming with you."

"You're not," Isa disagreed. "Lia, I'm serious. It's too dangerous. Go to the boat dock. We'll see you in an hour. If we don't have money, we can't go anywhere."

Lia and Sarah knew they were right, but they were worried, as Isa and John B swam away.

⚓️

Maybank Trailer - Outside

Kaylee drove up to the Maybank trailer, knowing that this next part was going to be emotional for JJ too, feeling sick that JJ had to go inside to his abuser for something they needed, looking at JJ, taking his hand, bringing his hand up to her lips to place a kiss on his hand, just as he had done for her just moments before. JJ had tears in his eyes, and Kaylee leaned closer to kiss his cheek.

JJ attempted a sad joke. "Home sweet home."

"Do you want me to come?" Kaylee offered. "'Cause I'll come."

JJ removed his hat, running his fingers through his messy blond hair. "No. This will only take a second."

JJ got out of the car, sliding his backpack over his shoulders, looking back to Kaylee and Kie as the two gave him an encouraging, assuring smile. Kaylee watched nervously and worriedly with concern as JJ walked into the house that destroyed him.

⚓️

Inside

JJ walked in. "Dad?" He found Luke passed out cold on the couch, walking closer. "Dad, I need the keys to the Phantom. Dad?"

Luke remained asleep. JJ saw a prescription bottle on the table, which held the pills that Luke had been taking, before putting them down. JJ noticed the necklace that Luke was wearing had a couple of keys on it, slowly lifting up the necklace, letting out a shaky breath. He grabbed a pencil and pen, preparing to take the key that he needed off the necklace in an attempt not to wake Luke up.

However, Luke was already starting to wake up before JJ could even start to try and get the key from his necklace, completely high and out of it. "I didn't expect to see you. You're back."

JJ stood, backing away. "Yeah, no, I just..." Luke pushed himself up, taking a drink of beer. "Just checkin' in."

Luke put his beer down. "School out already?"

"What?" JJ asked.

"Did you ditch?" Luke asked. "It's all right, you can tell me."

JJ nodded. "Yeah. I hit the break, you know."

Luke chuckled. "I hated school too. My boy!" He stood. "Hey, you know what? Listen, hey." He put his hands on JJ's shoulders. "Hey, look. I know I'm hard on you sometimes. But sometimes, I see--I see your mother in you, and it gets me a little tweaked, you know? You're a good boy. And I love you, son." JJ was shocked by this never-before-seen talk and action. "Come here." Luke pulled him into a hug. "I love you. I love you, son. I love you."

JJ wrapped his arms around Luke, crying. "Love you too, Dad. I'm sorry."

Luke was already back on the verge of passing out. "Ain't got nothin' to be sorry for." JJ laid Luke down on the couch. "You a good boy."

JJ let out a shaky breath, ripping off Luke's necklace with the keys, walking away.

⚓️

Outside

When JJ stormed out of his house, Kaylee started the car immediately, relieved to see that JJ appeared to be fine, no marks from his dad. JJ looked incredibly somber, eyes glued to the ground as he walked over to the car, getting into the car.

"How'd it go?" Kie asked.

Kaylee looked at JJ in concern and worry. JJ held his hand up, the keys dangling from a chain that was wrapped around his fingers, giving a sad smile. Kaylee placed a comforting hand on his arm. JJ grabbed her hand, squeezing three times. Kaylee backed out of the driveway quickly as they made their way to the garage where the boat was held.

⚓️

Ocean

Isa and John B were still using their surfboards to swim toward the Chateau, as hidden as they could be with their bags over their backs and heads.

⚓️

The Chateau

Shoupe and Thomas were looking through the Chateau.

"Hey, did you know their father?" Thomas asked.

"Sure, I knew him," Shoupe answered. "I liked him. He was a good man."

"That's what I hear," Thomas told him. "Shame what happened to him." Shoupe was going through anything and everything of Big John, John B or Isa's that could lead him to find the two siblings. "Hey, Shoupe? You're gonna wanna take a look at this."

Shoupe walked closer. "What you got?" Thomas put the chunk of gold on the table. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah," Thomas answered.

Shoupe picked up the gold, weighing it in his hands. "Holy Jesus. Wouldn't wanna drop that on your foot."

"What are you thinking?" Thomas asked.

"I'm thinking these kids might have finished what their old man started," Shoupe answered. "Which means... tag that as evidence. From now on, we tag everything."

Thomas nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir, Sheriff."

"I think we're looking at something bigger, Thomas," Shoupe told him. "Something a lot bigger."

⚓️

On the Road

Kaylee was still driving. JJ was in the passenger seat. Kie laid back in her seat, resting her head against the side of the car as the window on her side was rolled down, her hair whipping in the breeze as Kaylee sped down the road. Kie rested her chin on her arms and watched the trees and houses blurred past.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and the faint sound of police sirens filled them with hope that they hadn't caught Isa and John B yet.

Kaylee was looking around nervously.

JJ noticed. "It'll be fine. It'll be fine with the Phantom. She'll get out of here quick." They had to stop at a stop sign. "Whoa, whoa, whoa."

They saw three police cars drive by with their sirens blaring and lights flashing, ducking down to remain out of sight until they passed. Kaylee kept her hands steady on the wheel.

"They're still looking," Kaylee pointed out. "It's a good sign."

⚓️

Ocean

Lia and Sarah were swimming on their surfboards.

Three men and two women saw them from a boat.

"Whoa, whoa!" Man 1 said. "Hey, is that... is that Lia and Sarah Cameron?"

"Girls, what are you doing out here?" Woman 1 asked.

"Hi, people," Sarah greeted.

"What are you doing out here, sweeties?" Woman 2 asked.

"We're just taking a nice ride on our surfboards," Lia stated.

Man 2 handed them two water bottles. "You sure? Here's some water."

"Girls, there's a storm headed right for us," Woman 1 told them.

"Yeah, you can't stay out," Man 3 agreed.

Lia looked between them uneasily. "What storm?"

"You don't know about the storm?" Man 1 asked.

"Get in," Woman 2 told them. "Rose would never forgive me if we left you two. Get in. I insist."

Sarah shook her head worriedly. "No, please do not tell Rose you saw us."

"Please, don't tell Rose or our dad or brother," Lia told them.

"Just get in the boat," Woman 1 told them.

"Get in, we insist," Man 2 told them.

"No," Sarah denied. "We're meeting people."

"No, you don't have a choice," Woman 1 told them. "Get in the boat."

⚓️

Street

Barry and Rafe were sitting on their bikes in the middle of the road, watching cop cars pass while searching for Isa and John B.

"Shit, man, they're after them bad," Barry remarked.

"Hey, you know if we get them dead or alive, there's a 50K reward, right?" Rafe asked. "25K each."

"Yeah, obviously, brother," Barry answered. "That's the first thing I thought of. Helping you go after Isa and John B is just helping me with my money situation. Though the one who took it for real is gonna pay the price. You said that Kaylee and JJ were the craziest ones out of the bunch, but Kaylee's a rich girl, right?"

"On the verge of getting kicked out on the street," Rafe answered. "But yeah."

"So that leaves JJ," Barry told him. "And you think that Kaylee, JJ, Kiara and Pope know where Isa and John B are."

Rafe nodded. "Yeah. Kiara has a thing with Lia and Isa, and Kaylee and JJ are Isa and John B's best friends, so... if anyone knows, they do."

Rafe looked down with conflict - he hadn't seen Kaylee since Midsummers, as he had wanted to give her time to calm down from the events that happened at the movie and the fancy event with Tod. He hadn't even told her that he threatened Tod's life in an effort to exile him from the island to protect Kaylee after Tod hurt her one too many times.

And now, Rafe was a killer. He killed Sheriff Peterkin, and his father framed Kaylee's best friends Isa and John B to protect him. And now, Rafe was going after her, and her boyfriend JJ and her sister Kie, in an attempt to find Isa and John B so that they couldn't turn Rafe in.

Rafe didn't want to hurt Kaylee, but he didn't even trust himself these days. He still wanted her like he did before, to be with him, at his side, releasing her own inner darkness. He still believed they were the same. The only difference was that Kaylee had the Pogues to help her keep control. Rafe didn't have that.

He knew that the only time he felt alive or even emotionally okay was when he was around Kaylee, and he didn't want to go after her. But he had to prioritize his well-being and the well-being of his father over everything. In his drugged and out-of-control mind state, Rafe didn't know how far he was willing to go, and that terrified him, but he couldn't stop now.

Barry noticed Rafe's conflict, raising an eyebrow. "You into this Kaylee chick or something?"

Rafe snapped out of his daze. "We have history. She's hot and feisty. She's like me, even if she tries to deny it. Her violence and pyromania proves that. She's like a drug that I can't get enough of."

Barry smirked knowingly.

As if their conversation conjured them, the Carrera SUV passed Rafe and Barry by, and Rafe noticed that Kaylee was driving, with JJ and Kie in the car with her.

Rafe scoffed in disbelief at the coincidence. "Speak of the fucking devils."

"What?" Barry asked.

"That was Kaylee driving," Rafe answered.

Barry smiled at their luck. "There go that little bitch-ass, right there."

Barry and Rafe put their helmets on, started their bikes, and followed the SUV.

⚓️

Flashback 1 - Kook Year

Day - Ballroom Building

Tull had sent a group text to the debutantes, announcing a shift from the spacious studio to the ballroom for future practices. This move aimed to familiarize them with the space, integrate the fathers into the routine, and perfect the opening dance. Tull emphasized the importance of the ladies practicing in the heels they would wear on the night of the ball and reminded the dance escorts to bring black dress shoes. The preparations were intensifying as the ball approached.

Upon entering, Kaylee and Kie noticed the group, accompanied by dance escorts and fathers, waiting at the hall's main entrance, which remained closed with Tull overseeing it. Tull engaged the fathers in conversation about their expectations and roles.

Kaylee eyed the towering, pointed heels Anna had chosen for her daughters. "She's trying to kill us with these."

"Don't be so dramatic," Kie responded.

Kaylee retorted, "I'm going to break my ankle in these heels."

"Then don't wear them," Kie suggested.

With a skeptical tilt of her head, Kaylee replied, "Sure, like that's going to be easy."

Kie, spotting Lia in the distance, said, "Oh, there Lia is. I'm going to say hi."

"Yeah, sure," Kaylee replied.

Kie offered a noncommittal wave to Kaylee before heading towards Lia. "Hey."

Lia observed Kie in the sundress that Anna had persuaded her to wear, offering a small smile. "Look at you. You look fantastic."

Kie responded with a shy, nervous smile, performing an exaggerated curtsy. "Why, thank you, kind lady. It only took an hour."

Lia's smile widened. "An hour is quite modest." Kie's grin broadened in response. "You seem uncomfortable, though. Anna's choice?"

"Is it that obvious?" Kie inquired.

Lia gave a nonchalant shrug. "I prefer it when you're just being yourself."

Hearing this, Kie laughed, relieved. "Yeah. Me too."

Kaylee could confidently say that Lia, and even Sarah, were the only two Kooks she genuinely liked, mainly because they stood out from the rest. Lia, the Outcast, in particular.

Tod snuck up behind Kaylee, covering her eyes, and chuckled softly into her ear. "Guess who?"

Taken aback, Kaylee hesitated. "Mm...?"

Tod released her, and Kaylee cautiously faced him, startled as she had, admittedly, forgotten his presence.

Tod stepped back. "You look good, as expected." Kaylee offered an awkward smile, nodding skeptically before looking away. "Tull wants us to partner up again. The ball is coming up. Are you excited?"

Kaylee gave a slight shake of her head. "Not really, no. Yet, it seems like it's not quickly enough. I just want to get it over with."

Nearby, Rafe, alongside Amber, overheard and nodded in agreement, equally disinterested in being there as Kaylee.

Tod snorted but offered no reply or gesture of agreement. "Okay then."

"What have you been up to?" Kaylee inquired tensely, having barely spoken to him since their 'date'.

Tod exhaled sharply, his annoyance evident. "I lost my spot on the lacrosse team. Rafe took the position I wanted."

Kaylee nodded faintly, unsurprised and indifferent. "Oh."

At this, Rafe smirked, arching his eyebrows. "Should've played better."

Tod shot Rafe a glare.

Kaylee cast a puzzled look over her shoulder at Rafe, sensing the tension between the two boys was about more than lacrosse; though she wouldn't suspect it also stemmed from their attraction to her.

Tod gave Kaylee a darker look, angered by her avoidance after his rejection and public humiliation when she exposed his actions to the other girls and escorts. He maintained a facade of niceness, seeking proximity to her again, plotting revenge against both her and Rafe.

Kaylee felt uneasy under his gaze, unaware of the consequences it would later entail.

Tull outlined the day's proceedings. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, the real fun begins. Inside, you'll find a rough outline of what to expect on the day of the performance, marked temporarily with black tape as visual cues for movements. I'll be off to the side, microphone in hand."

Tull demonstrated, turning on the microphone, testing it with a blow, its echo reverberating from the inner chamber's speaker, then switched it off.

Tull went on. "Follow my instructions, dance passionately, as if it's your last. The fathers may face minor issues; your role is simple: present your daughter, or daughters, to her suitor, then retire to the common area to avoid distractions during the performance. Is that clear to everyone?" Tull searched for nods, gesturing for verbal acknowledgment when none came, and expressed satisfaction when finally acknowledged. "Without further ado, I present the grand ballroom, graced by your presence."

Tull gently nudged the slightly open doors, unveiling the stunningly adorned ballroom.

The group entered at a leisurely pace, and Kie and Lia conceded that, despite their indifference to the Kook lifestyle's glitz and glamour, they were as captivated as their classmates.

Sarah marveled at the resplendent crystal chandelier cascading from the ceiling's center, complemented by smaller ones trailing along the sides.

Countless pristine white roses adorned the tabletops, each with satin chair covers neatly arranged. The tables designated for the girls and their escorts boasted garlands of baby's breath, and place cards for each attendee, penned in elegant calligraphy. The floor below shone with the reflections of the students, its freshly waxed surface gleaming. The sole drawback? Its slickness required cautious steps to avoid slipping due to the smoothness and lack of traction on their shoes' soles.

Kaylee, unimpressed, rolled her eyes and muttered. "Jesus."

Rafe caught this and allowed himself a smirk, equally unimpressed by the grandeur.

Tull quickly directed them, "Alright, lovelies. Don't be too distracted. Ladies, please line up alphabetically, and let's not have me sort you by the alphabet." He gestured for the escorts to come with him. "Fathers, please locate your daughters and stand by them while I arrange the young men at the front."

The group divided, with the girls heading towards the door just beyond the black tape, whispering quietly about directions and the sequence of letters.

Kaylee, rolling her eyes, made her way to the front where Lia, Sarah, and Kie stood in line in the C section, in that order.

Approaching Lia, Sarah, and Kie, Kaylee found herself positioned between Kie and Sarah, just as their names fell in the alphabet.

Kaylee tucked a braided lock of hair behind her ear, casting a glance towards the escorts. Rafe caught her eye, giving her a scrutinizing look before abruptly turning to Tull, who nudged him towards his place.

Lia, Sarah, and Kie had been watching for such an interaction and exchanged looks with Kaylee.

Feeling their eyes on her, Kaylee averted her gaze.

"Have you been avoiding us, Kaylee?" Sarah inquired, a hint of amusement in her voice.

With a sigh, Kaylee braced for the impending conversation. "Why would I do that?"

"You've been pretty quiet since movie night at our house and the concert," Sarah pointed out.

Kaylee pressed her lips together, looking away sheepishly. She felt awkward and embarrassed to admit that was because of her moments with Rafe - where they first kissed on their movie night and when Rafe asked her to give them a chance as a couple after the concert. To her relief, Rafe had honored his word about giving her space to think about her answer given the conflict passing through her given their families and friends.

"And what about Tod?" Sarah pressed.

"What about him?" Kaylee replied. "There's no 'me and Tod'. Tull just assigned him as my escort again and wanted Rafe to dance with Amber."

"Tod didn't try to kiss you again, did he?" Kie inquired, concerned.

"No," Kaylee responded. "To be honest, I had completely forgotten about his existence until I saw him today."

Kaylee didn't admit that she had forgotten about Tod because she had been too preoccupied with Rafe, their kiss and his offer of them together.

Lia nodded. "Exactly, because in the last few practices, you've been dancing with our brother, not Tod. It led everyone to believe you were changing escorts until today."

Kaylee rolled her eyes. "That's not the case, especially if Tull has anything to say about it."

Sarah gave a sarcastic nod. "Which I don't get, since Tull even said that you and Rafe mastered the dance because of the 'sheer passion' between you two."

Kaylee flushed as she looked away. "Is this leading anywhere?"

"Maybe," Sarah answered. "You didn't enjoy Tod's kiss. And perhaps, just maybe, you wished it had been someone else? Just by chance?"

"Who might that be?" Kaylee asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sarah, a terrible actress, struggled to dismiss it with a snort, a shrug of one shoulder, and a forced chuckle. "Nobody in particular. It was a silly question."

Kaylee shook her head and turned away, snorting. "Sure, okay."

Kie and Lia raised their eyebrows at Sarah, noting that in a rare form of a sibling bond with her and Rafe, Sarah was trying to set Kaylee and Rafe up.

Sarah shrugged.

Tull assumed control after arranging the men and escorts correctly. The next step involved announcing the extensive list of names in formation, with each individual being accompanied by their respective father and handed over to the escort. Several fathers became visibly emotional and teary-eyed.

As the Cameron sisters were introduced, Lia's name came first, paired with Timothee as her escort, prompting her to step forward. Following this, Sarah's name was announced alongside Topper as her escort. Ward then led both daughters, one on each arm, to Timothee and Topper, before withdrawing to let the couples join the rest of the dancers on the floor.

The same held for the Carrera sisters. Kaylee was called first, with Tod announced as her dance escort, prompting her to step forward. Next, Kiara's name echoed through the room, with Kelce as her escort. Mike proudly walked both daughters to Tod and Kelce, one on each arm, then gracefully withdrew, leaving the couples to merge with the dancers on the floor.

As Tod guided Kaylee onto the dance floor, her gaze drifted again.

Rafe, dancing with Amber close to Kaylee and Tod, seemed to be deliberately catching Kaylee's attention. He snickered, looking down at Amber with an expression of odd amusement at whatever she whispered behind her hand.

Kaylee rolled her eyes at Rafe's attempt to incite jealousy, noticing how tightly he gripped Amber's waist.

Rafe caught Kaylee's eye and smirked at her evident annoyance - he could tell that despite her best efforts, she was slightly jealous.

The dance began shortly after, with couples pairing up and taking their positions.

The dance proceeded smoothly for a while until Tod yanked Kaylee's hands too forcefully, causing her heel to slide across the parquet floor. She stumbled forward, her ankle twisting into an unnatural position.

Tod remained eerily composed, as if the mishap was expected, or perhaps intended. He quickly helped Kaylee to her feet, but it barely eased the sharp pain radiating from the straps tightening around her swelling ankle.

Tod raised his hand to signal Tull about the incident.

Tull turned off the music and hurried over, concerned. "Can you stand on it, Kaylee?"

Rafe, Kie, Lia, and Sarah glanced over upon hearing that Kaylee had 'fallen'. Since no one witnessed the actual event, the truth remained unknown.

Tod was overly willing to support Kaylee, his arm snugly encircling her waist. "How can I help?"

"Let go," Kaylee demanded, annoyed by Tod's attempt to get closer under the guise of help. "You yanked my hands, Tod."

"It was an accident," Tod insisted. "Do you think I'd purposely hurt you?"

Rafe's gaze hardened on Tod and Kaylee as he moved closer.

Topper and Kelce each placed a hand on Rafe to restrain him.

"Not here," Topper cautioned.

Rafe acknowledged their point but continued to glare at Tod.

Kie hastened over, her heels clicking rapidly, to assess the situation. "Oh no, this can't be happening. Kay, please say you can stand."

Lia and Sarah approached cautiously, concerned.

Kaylee felt overwhelmed by the attention and concern directed at her. All she wanted was to remove her uncomfortable heels forever. She winced in pain, struggling to free herself from Tod's grasp to stand on her own, but her efforts were futile. Her foot gave way, and under the intense pressure on her ankle, she reached out for the nearest person, Kie, nearly causing both to tumble. However, Lia and Sarah quickly intervened to stabilize Kaylee and Kie, preventing a fall, though they nearly lost their own balance in the process.

Trying to downplay her discomfort, Kaylee remarked. "It could be worse."

Annoyed and with an angry look, Tod moved closer. "Let me help."

"Stay away from me," Kaylee retorted sharply, suspecting his intentions.

"Tod, step back," Tull suggested, uncertain of the situation.

Rafe, Kie, Lia, and Sarah shot Tod glares, siding with Kaylee.

Observing the near mishap, Rafe advanced, exchanging glances with Kie, Lia, and Sarah, who all showed surprise. Yet, understanding his gesture, they gradually released Kaylee, shifting aside to allow Rafe to support her.

Rafe carefully slid one arm behind Kaylee's back and the other under her knees, lifting her effortlessly. Kaylee let out a small gasp of surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around Rafe's neck for stability.

"I've got you," Rafe murmured, his voice low enough for only Kaylee to hear.

Kaylee felt a flutter in her stomach at his words and the gentle way he held her, so different from his usual brash demeanor. She could feel the strength in his arms as he carried her, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but feel safe in his embrace.

Tull cleared his throat. "Mr. Cameron, please take Miss Carrera to the first aid station. The rest of you, back to your positions. We'll continue without them for now."

As Rafe carried Kaylee toward the door, Tod watched them go with a scoff, displeased with how his plan turned out.

Topper and Kelce watched Rafe carry Kaylee away, their raised eyebrows betraying their growing suspicion that Rafe's intentions with Kaylee were different from his usual pursuits.

Kie, Lia, and Sarah showed an eagerness to follow Kaylee and Rafe.

Tull intervened. "Girls, she'll be alright. Return to the dance."

Kie, Lia, and Sarah glanced at Kaylee, who nodded, signaling it was fine for them to continue, so they reluctantly rejoined Kelce, Timothee, and Topper.

Tull turned to Tod. "Mr. Laurent, you're dancing with Miss Anderson." Both Tod and Amber, frustrated at not partnering with Kaylee and Rafe again, complied nonetheless. "Time is short, everyone. Please resume your positions and let's start from the top."

⚓️

First Aid Station

Rafe carried Kaylee into a room meant for incidents like this, placing her down at a table.

Kaylee suppressed a hiss of pain from her throbbing ankle, her cheeks flushed from the effort. She only exhaled once Rafe gently set her down.

Rafe, unsurprised with Kaylee's stoic facade, took a seat beside her. "There's no need to play the hero. I know it fucking hurts. Just let it out."

Kaylee's head thrashed wildly in a headshake, leaning back in the chair as she looked up at the ceiling, face contorted in restrained pain. Rafe's hand suddenly gripped her ankle, his touch surprisingly delicate as he held it tenderly in his lap. He stared at her with a mixture of concern and amusement, his dark eyes assessing her every movement.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kaylee gasped between gritted teeth.

Rafe lifted his hands in defense, but there was a glint of mischief and humor in his eyes. "Now that's the smartass I know. I'm just trying to get you out of this bear trap." Kaylee couldn't focus on anything except the pain shooting through her trapped foot, squirming and attempting to take back her ankle, but Rafe's firm hand kept her still. "What did I say, Carrera? Just breathe."

Kaylee conceded, sighing. As Rafe's fingers ghosted along her skin, his dark eyes smoothing over the skin of her foot and up toward the strap that kept her in place, easily pulling at the fastenings to release her from the heel's captivity, Kaylee couldn't help but watch intently. Instead of letting go, he rested her foot gently in his lap.

Pain shot through Kaylee's ankle as Rafe examined it, muttering under his breath as he applied gentle pressure. Kaylee bit back a noise of pain as she looked up at Rafe.

Rafe met her gaze. "Just a sprain, nothing that a few days off it won't fix."

Rafe's touch was surprisingly gentle as he continued to massage Kaylee's injured ankle, maintaining eye contact with Kaylee, which softened as Kaylee began to relax.

Kaylee gave a humorless chuckle as she rested one elbow on the table. "I guess I should thank you."

Rafe hummed in amusement. "It would be unlike you." He dragged the blunt end of his nail lightly across the top of her foot. "But I can think of some good ways to thank me for my... heroic deed."

Kaylee couldn't help the wiggle of her toes at the ticklish sensation of his nail, scoffing. "Yeah, right. There's nothing better to do, so humor me. What are your so-called 'good ways'?"

Kaylee used air quotes.

Instead of a sarcastic retort, or even a suggestive comment like Kaylee was expecting, Rafe sat there contemplatively. When Kaylee chanced a glance in his direction, his gaze was concentrated solely on the patterns he created on her swollen foot.

Rafe was murmuring beneath his breath once more, chuckling lightly as he raised his head evenly to meet her gaze. "You could start by saying my name."

Kaylee raised an eyebrow skeptically at this, chuckling unintentionally. Rafe's expression didn't change, not even slightly.

Kaylee frowned. "You're serious? Why does that even matter?"

Rafe's expression remained earnest and unwavering, his voice surprisingly soft. "It matters to me."

"Why?" Kaylee pressed, startled by the unexpected sincerity in his words.

Rafe traced a path along the sensitive skin of Kaylee's foot with his forefinger, dragging his blunt nail up and down in a rhythmic motion that sent electric shocks through her entire body. She let out a low hiss as her toes curled tightly, unable to control her reaction to the intense sensation.

A smug smirk crossed Rafe's face as he repeated the action, eliciting the same reaction from her, reveling in the power he held over Kaylee. "For the same reason you say everyone else's name. To feel like a human being instead of a villain."

Kaylee's frown deepened, speechless at this unexpected admission from Rafe. She knew it was something personal he had been holding onto, always on the tip of his tongue but never spoken aloud until now with her.

Rafe's fingers continued their static-like journey along Kaylee's skin until they found her ankle again, exerting noticeable pressure that left Kaylee gasping for air. As he made his way towards the center of her sole, Kaylee could only writhe and squirm under his touch.

"I can't do this with you, Rafe," Kaylee finally managed to say, feeling overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through her.

Closing his eyes, Rafe let out a wistful sigh and continued his exploration, enjoying the effect he had on Kaylee, fingers like static electricity dancing across her skin until they found her ankle once more. He applied more pressure there, leaving Kaylee gasping at the unexpected sensation.

Rafe's eyes remained closed as he worked his way around to press down on the center of her sole. "I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do, Kaylee."

Kaylee's throat felt tight as she swallowed hard, her toes curling inwardly in anticipation. "Rafe..."

Meeting her gaze, Rafe held it steadily with an unreadable expression on his face. Kaylee couldn't ignore the intensity of his gaze, feeling like she was drowning in his dark eyes, unable to escape whatever this connection between them was. Kaylee had no idea how to process this moment between them, this strange mix of intimacy and tension that left her feeling both vulnerable and powerful at the same time.

Kaylee's breath caught in her throat as she held Rafe's intense gaze. The air between them felt charged with electricity, crackling with unspoken tension and desire. For a moment, Kaylee forgot about her throbbing ankle, lost in the depths of Rafe's dark eyes.

Rafe's fingers stilled on her foot, his touch feather-light but sending sparks through her entire body.

"Kaylee," Rafe murmured, his voice low and husky. "I meant what I said before. This isn't a game to me."

Kaylee's heart raced at his words, a mix of excitement and apprehension coursing through her. She wanted to believe him, to give in to the undeniable pull between them. But doubts still lingered in the back of her mind. She knew she should pull away, put some distance between them, but she found herself frozen in place, unable to break the connection.

Kaylee's voice was barely above a whisper. "What are we even doing?"

Rafe's fingers stilled on her ankle, but he didn't pull away. "I don't know. But I can't seem to stay away from you."

Kaylee's heart raced at his words. The other part of her held back, wary of getting hurt.

Kaylee shook her head barely. "This is crazy. We barely know each other. And there's so much complicated history between our friends..."

"They don't matter right now, do they?" Rafe replied. "And I think your friends would understand if you did something for yourself, for once. If it's what you wanted."

Since this was before tensions between Pogues and Kooks reached an all time high, Kaylee knew that Rafe had a point. Yet at the same time, she still held back.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Kaylee murmured.

Rafe's eyes softened at Kaylee's question. "You don't. Not yet." He gently took her hand in his, his thumb tracing circles on her palm. "I know I haven't given you many reasons to trust me. But I'm asking you to take a chance on me. On us."

Kaylee felt her resolve weakening as she looked into Rafe's earnest eyes. She could see the vulnerability there, so different from his usual cocky demeanor.

"I'm scared," Kaylee whispered, her voice barely audible.

Rafe nodded, understanding in his gaze. "Me too. But I think this could be something special, if we let it."

Kaylee's heart raced as Rafe leaned in closer, his breath warm on her cheek. She knew she was at a crossroads - she could pull away now and maintain the safe distance between them, or she could take a leap of faith and see where this unexpected connection might lead.

For a moment, Kaylee hesitated, her mind racing with all the reasons this was a bad idea. But as she looked into Rafe's eyes, seeing the vulnerability and sincerity there, she felt her walls starting to crumble.

"Okay," Kaylee whispered, her voice barely audible. "Let's give this a chance."

A smile spread across Rafe's face, genuine and unguarded in a way Kaylee had never seen before. He cupped her cheek gently, his thumb brushing across her skin.

"Thank you," Rafe murmured.

Rafe leaned in slowly, giving Kaylee time to pull away if she wanted. But she remained still, her heart racing as his lips met hers in a surprisingly gentle kiss. It was different from their first kiss - less urgent, more exploratory.

Kaylee's eyes fluttered closed as she melted into the kiss, her hand coming up to rest on Rafe's chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her palm, matching the rapid beat of her own.

When they finally pulled apart, both were slightly breathless. Rafe rested his forehead against Kaylee's, a soft smile playing on his lips.

"Was that okay?" Rafe asked softly.

Kaylee nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "More than okay."

Rafe grinned, brushing a strand of hair behind Kaylee's ear. "Good. Because I plan on doing that a lot more."

Kaylee laughed softly, still nervous, but filled with a strange mix of excitement and exhilaration.

After a moment, Kaylee sighed, though she made no move to leave. "We should probably get back. Practice ends soon, and my dad and Kie are going to be waiting for me."

Rafe nodded reluctantly. "My dad and sisters too." His thumb traced small circles on her ankle, sending tingles up her leg. "You sure you can walk on that?"

Kaylee bit her lip, shrugging. "I'll manage. I always do." With a sigh, Rafe gently lowered her foot to the ground. Kaylee tested her weight gingerly. "It's not as bad now."

Kaylee stood carefully, wincing slightly as she put pressure on her ankle. Rafe rose with her, hovering close as if ready to catch her if she stumbled.

"I'm fine," Kaylee insisted, taking a tentative step.

Rafe arched an eyebrow. "At least let me help you to the car."

Kaylee tilted her head curiously as Rafe offered his arm for support. Kaylee paused for a moment before accepting it, having to get used to this, chuckling as she leaned into him slightly as they made their way out of the room.

⚓️

Hallway

The hallway outside was empty, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

Kaylee was acutely aware of Rafe's warmth beside her, the solid strength of his arm as he supported her weight. She snuck a glance at his profile, noting the tightness in his jaw.

"You okay?" Kaylee asked quietly.

Rafe's eyes flicked to hers briefly before returning to the path ahead. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Kaylee shrugged. "You seem tense."

A wry smile tugged at Rafe's lips. "Just thinking about how I'd like to punch Tod for hurting you."

Kaylee set her jaw, both of them knowing that Tod did this on purpose. "I can handle myself."

"No doubt about that," Rafe replied. "Doesn't mean you should have to."

Kaylee glanced at Rafe, unsure of how to react to that, as she normally had to deal with things like this on her own.

"You know, you didn't have to do all this," Kaylee said quietly as they approached the exit.

Rafe glanced down at her, his expression softening. "I know. I wanted to."

They paused at the doors, and Kaylee found herself reluctant to let go of his steadying arm. "Thank you. I guess you're not always a complete asshole after all."

A hint of a smirk played at Rafe's lips. "Don't go spreading that around. I've got a reputation to maintain."

Kaylee rolled her eyes teasingly. "Besides, I think the soft side's only reserved for a special few, right?"

Rafe nodded slightly, amused. "Including you. The list's short."

Kaylee chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to be on it."

Rafe smiled slightly in return.

As Kaylee reached for the door handle, Rafe's hand covered hers, stopping her movement. She looked up at him questioningly.

"Kaylee," Rafe said softly, his dark eyes intense as they locked onto hers. "Be careful, okay? Tod... I don't trust him."

Kaylee swallowed hard, feeling the warmth of Rafe's hand on hers. "I can handle Tod."

"I know you can," Rafe replied, his thumb brushing lightly over her knuckles. "But you don't have to do it alone. Especially if you're serious about giving this, us, a real chance."

Kaylee felt a flutter in her stomach at Rafe's words. The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch. She wasn't used to someone being so protective of her, especially not Rafe Cameron of all people. Part of her wanted to bristle at the implication that she needed protection, but a larger part felt touched by his concern.

"I'll be careful," Kaylee said softly. "And... I am serious about giving us a chance."

A smile tugged at Rafe's lips, softer than his usual smirk. He leaned in slowly, giving Kaylee time to pull away if she wanted. But she remained still, her heart racing as Rafe pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Good," Rafe murmured as he pulled back. "Because I'm not letting you go that easily. And if Tod does anything like this again, he'll have me to deal with."

Kaylee felt her cheeks flush at his words. "I can take care of myself, you know."

A soft smile played on Rafe's lips. "I know. But you know that I'll take care of you, too."

Kaylee felt a mix of emotions as she and Rafe stepped outside. Part of her was elated at this new development between them, but another part remained cautious.

⚓️

Outside

As Kaylee and Rafe approached the parking lot, she could see her father and Kie waiting by the car, along with Ward and the Cameron sisters.

Rafe seemed to sense her hesitation. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before releasing it, understanding that she might not be ready for their families to know about this new development yet.

"You good from here?" Rafe asked quietly.

Kaylee nodded, offering him a small smile. "Yeah, I've got it. Thanks."

Kie, Lia and Sarah were relieved to see Kaylee.

"There you are!" Kie called out. "We were getting worried."

As they approached the group, Mike's eyes narrowed at the sight of Rafe helping Kaylee walk.

"What happened?" Mike demanded.

"Just a little mishap during practice," Kaylee explained.

"Tod intentionally hurting you on the dance floor is not what I would call a 'little mishap'," Lia replied.

Kaylee reluctantly let go of Rafe's arm as they approached their families. "I'm fine, just a minor sprain."

Mike's expression was a mix of concern and annoyance, his eyes narrowing as he looked between Kaylee and Rafe. "Right. Well, get in. We need to get home."

Lia, Sarah and Rafe were stunned by the utter lack of regard Mike showed Kaylee after hearing that Tod intentionally hurt her on the dance floor - he didn't believe anyone could target his daughter like that.

Even Ward looked incredulous - he was far from the best father, but he was always invested in their status, for good and for bad.

Kie looked at Mike, not shocked by their father's reaction, but upset that he would treat her sister like that. "Dad!"

Mike gave Kaylee and Kie both a look, warning them to not cause a scene in front of the Camerons.

Rafe's jaw clenched as he watched Mike's dismissive reaction to Kaylee's injury. He looked at Kaylee, seeing the hurt in her eyes at her father's attitude.

Rafe opened his mouth to say something, but Kaylee subtly shook her head, silently pleading with him not to make a scene. She knew she was already on thin ice at home. A few more mishaps and she would be kicked out and forced to live in her treehouse permanently, if her parents didn't take that from her too and leave her out on the street.

Kie looked torn between wanting to defend her sister and not wanting to upset their father further. She settled for wrapping an arm around Kaylee's shoulders.

"Thank you for helping Kaylee, Rafe," Kie said pointedly, her eyes flickering to their father.

Mike seemed to realize he was coming across poorly in front of Camerons - the most prestigious family on their island.

Mike cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to backtrack. "Yes, thank you, Rafe. We appreciate you looking after Kaylee."

Raf's jaw was clenched as he nodded stiffly, taking all of his willpower not to say anything, his eyes never leaving Kaylee. "Of course. Anytime."

Lia and Sarah shared a concerned look, but they were relieved that Rafe had helped Kaylee when she needed it.

Ward stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "Mike, if Kaylee's ankle is injured, perhaps she should have it looked at by a doctor. We have an excellent orthopedist on call if you'd like a referral."

Mike waved off Ward's concern. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure it's nothing serious. Kaylee's always been prone to exaggeration."

Kaylee flinched at her father's dismissive words, averting her gaze to the ground. Rafe's fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tight as he struggled to keep his temper in check.

"Dad," Kie protested softly. "She wasn't even exaggerating. She was downplaying what happened, if anything, because she knew you'd act like this. Maybe we should-"

"Enough," Mike cut her off sharply. "We're going home. Now."

Ward and the Cameron siblings exchanged uncomfortable glances as Mike ushered Kie and Kaylee to his truck.

Lia opened her mouth to say something in defense, but Ward raised a hand to silence her in warning, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

Sarah swallowed as she looked down.

Mike walked around the truck to get into the driver's seat.

Kie climbed into the truck, as Kaylee attempted to climb into the backseat on her own, her ankle protesting in pain. As she stumbled, she barely caught herself on the truck doorframe.

Rafe quickly stepped forward to help Kaylee, ignoring Mike's gaze on him as he did.

Rafe gently supported Kaylee's elbow as she struggled to climb into the truck. His touch was light but steady, helping her balance as she navigated the step up.

"Easy," Rafe murmured, his voice low enough that only Kaylee could hear. "I've got you."

Kaylee shot him a grateful look as she finally managed to settle into the backseat. Rafe's hand lingered on her arm for a moment longer than necessary, his dark eyes searching hers with concern.

"Thanks," Kaylee whispered, offering him a small smile, her eyes conveying more than just gratitude for the physical assistance.

Rafe nodded, his jaw still tight with barely contained anger at Mike's dismissive attitude. He wanted nothing more than to tell Mike off, to demand that he take Kaylee's injury seriously. But he knew that would only make things worse for Kaylee at home. He barely reigned himself in, using all of his willpower to not snap.

Rafe spoke quietly, so only Kaylee could hear. "Text me later, okay? Let me know you're alright."

Kaylee gave a slight nod, touched by his concern. As Rafe stepped back, closing the truck door, Kaylee caught a glimpse of the worried expressions on Lia and Sarah's faces as they gazed at her and Kie through the truck windows.

Kaylee and Kie managed to send Lia and Sarah small smiles that were meant to be reassuring.

Mike started the engine, seemingly oblivious to or deliberately ignoring the tension surrounding them. As they pulled away, Kaylee's gaze fell on Rafe as their eyes locked for as long as they could until the truck drove away, leaving the Camerons behind.

Rafe watched the truck go tensely, letting out a deep, angry sigh.

Lia turned to Rafe in concern. "Are you okay?"

Rafe's jaw clenched as he watched the Carrera's truck disappear from view. He could still feel the lingering warmth of Kaylee's skin beneath his fingers, could still see the mixture of gratitude and resignation in her eyes as she climbed into the truck. The memory of Mike's dismissive attitude made his blood boil.

Rafe ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident in his tense posture. "No, I'm not okay, Lia. Did you see how her father just dismissed her injury like that? And the way Kaylee just accepted it, like she's used to being treated that way?"

Lia nodded, her expression troubled. "I noticed. It was awful."

Sarah stepped closer, placing a hand on Rafe's arm. "What happened in there with Kaylee? Is she really okay?"

Rafe shook his head, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Tod intentionally yanked her hands during the dance. Made her twist her ankle. It's definitely sprained, maybe worse."

Lia's eyes widened. "And her dad's just... ignored it."

Sarah frowned. "Do you think we should do something? Tell someone?"

Ward placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "It's a delicate situation. We can't interfere in another family's affairs without concrete evidence of abuse."

Rafe scoffed, his anger barely contained. "Evidence? Did you not see how he treated her just now?"

"Rafe," Ward warned, his tone sharp. "I understand you're upset, but unless Kaylee or Kiara explicably tell you three that there's something wrong in their home, our hands are tied. You don't want to get involved unless they ask, because then you could ruin things for them and their family even more."

As the Camerons watched the Carreras' truck disappear from view, a heavy silence fell over them. Rafe's jaw was clenched tight, his hands balled into fists at his sides as he struggled to contain his anger. He knew Ward had a point, but the memory of Kaylee's resigned expression as she climbed into the truck haunted him.

He had proof now that the way her parents treated Kaylee was the same way Ward and Rose treated him. And that similarity was all too haunting and angering. Rafe only had Lia to defend him in situations like this, while Sarah stayed silent like she intended to do with what they just saw. Rafe noticed that Lia had wanted to say something to Mike as well before Ward cut her off to keep it from getting worse for Kaylee. Seeing how Kie could barely defend Kaylee as well without upsetting their father further was another nail driven in that tormented both Lia and Rafe with their powerlessness.

"This isn't right," Rafe muttered, more to himself than the others. "Her dad just... dismissed it like it was nothing. Like she was nothing."

Lia placed a comforting hand on his arm. "I know. But we have to be careful. The last thing we want is to make things worse for Kaylee and Kie."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "Maybe we can just... keep a closer eye on them? Be there if they need us?"

Ward sighed, his expression softening slightly as he looked at his children. He knew it was rare for all three of them to care about something this much, equally, causing all of them to get along for the first time in a long time. Most of the time, that was all he wanted - a united family.

"That's a good idea," Ward said softly. "You three can continue to be friends with the Carrera girls, offer support if they need it. But remember, you can't get involved. Not unless they say they want you to."

Rafe, Lia and Sarah hated the powerlessness but they knew Ward was right, nodding in agreement.

⚓️

Now

Day - The Chateau - Outside

Isa and John B snuck up to the Chateau, in hiding as they watched Shoupe and Thomas walk outside.

"Historical fact, it was 400 million in British government gold bars," Shoupe explained. "They got a little, uh, replica down at the museum."

Thomas nodded. "Oh, yeah, I heard about that."

The two cops put boxes into Shoupe's cop car truck.

"You ought to check it out, if you get a chance," Shoupe suggested, putting the gold in his glove department. "They got all kinds of cool nautical shit in there."

The two cops walked away from the car.

Isa snuck around the side of the Chateau, picking up a large branch, throwing it into the backyard of the Chateau, making it make a clang, and causing the two cops to run into the backyard to see if they could find what caused the noise. Giving Isa and John B enough time to run to the truck and get inside.

Isa checked the glove department box, pulling the gold out of it. "Got it." She put the gold into her bag, and they both sighed in relief. "Let's go."

John B pressed the start/stop button of the cop car, but it wouldn't stop since the key remote was too far out of range, since Shoupe was in the backyard. "Shit." He got an idea, grabbing the radio in the car that would act as a megaphone, looking at Isa. "Trust me."

"Okay," Isa agreed. "Hope this works."

John B spoke into the radio. "Shoupe, you there, buddy? I think you know who it is. Come on over. Nice and easy."

Shoupe and Thomas walked around the house, slowly and cautiously, toward the car, but were still too far out of range.

Isa held up her hands. "Wait, wait, wait, don't shoot!"

John B held up his hands. "We just want to talk."

"All right, take it easy," Shoupe warned. "Isa. John B."

"You gotta listen," Isa told him. "We didn't do it, Shoupe."

"Calm down," Shoupe told them. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em, all right?" Isa and John B nodded. "Now, I'm gonna approach the vehicle, and you don't run, and I won't chase. Okay?"

"Okay," John B replied.

Shoupe slowly stepped closer. "I wanna talk to you, kids. I'm comin' over."

"Hey, listen," Isa pleaded. "Listen. Listen. We didn't do it."

"Okay, I'm listenin'," Shoupe told them.

"It's not what you think, okay?" John B asked. He pointed to the cops. "Take your hands off your guns. Both of you. Please." Shoupe did, but Thomas didn't. "Tell him to take his hand off."

Shoupe gave Thomas a look. "Get your hand off your weapon." Thomas did as told. "All right. So, we're gonna talk, right?"

Isa and John B nodded. "Yeah."

Shoupe stepped closer. "Yeah?"

"Yes," John B said.

"Okay," Shoupe said, stepping closer still.

"We wanna tell you everything, okay?" Isa asked.

When Shoupe was close enough, John B pressed the engine start button, powering up the car.

"Hey, don't!" Shoupe warned. Thomas pulled out his gun to fire, but Shoupe stopped him. "Holster your weapon!"

"The car!" Thomas exclaimed.

John B drove the car away with Isa as fast as he could.

Isa couldn't help but start laughing. "Dude, did we really just pull off stealing a police car?"

John B and Isa both laughed, high fiving.

They heard Shoupe's embarrassed and chagrined voice on the radio. "Command, this is Shoupe at the suspects' residence. We just had a confirmed sighting. Suspects are currently headed north on Middle Road... in a Kildare County Sheriff's vehicle."

Isa and John B couldn't help but smile and snicker at how embarrassed Shoupe sounded as he finished.

⚓️

Boat Shack

JJ, Kaylee and Kie finally made it to the metal warehouse where Luke kept the Phantom. JJ got out of the car, with Kaylee and Kie following close behind him.

JJ made his way over to the large door, sliding it open. "There she be." Kaylee and Kie both gave JJ a look over his amazement about the boat, following him into the garage. "Hey, girl. A 1983 Formula 402 SR1." JJ pulled off the tarp that was covering the front of the boat. "The Phantom."

JJ stood back, looking at it with a slight smile, clicking his tongue, looking over to Kaylee and Kie.

Kaylee found it amusing to see JJ so happy and interested about the boat, nodding, encouraging him to go on with a hum. "Mm-hmm."

"The first boat to make the run to Bermuda in under 16 hours, ladies," JJ told them, walking over to the boat, running his hand over its surface. "40 years old! 40. And still the fastest thing that Kildare's ever seen."

Kie shrugged. "It's kind of a junker."

JJ turned to give her a look. "Really? She's right here, Kie. She can hear you." Kaylee couldn't help but smile, tilting her head. "You would not be smoking weed right now if she never existed, okay?"

"I'm sure we'd find another way," Kaylee replied, winking at JJ.

JJ smirked.

"I just hope it runs," Kie told them.

They moved to the back of Kaylee/Kie's car, getting the hitch ready to hook the boat up to the car.

"Oh, no, she'll run, all right," JJ assured. "She's faster than any of the cutters the boys in blue got."

JJ wound up the rope in his hands.

They heard a motorcycle approaching, turning toward the door. Kaylee and Kie shared a small smile, relieved at the thought that Pope was back with the gas.

Kie smiled. "Pope, finally."

Kaylee jumped over the bar connected to the hitch.

Rafe walked out from behind the boat. "Hey, there. What's going on?"

Kaylee's smile immediately shattered at the sight of Rafe. The boy who had once been her friend, even her secret boyfriend, now consumed by a dangerous obsession with her. A twisted game that left both her and JJ wounded, manipulated by Rafe and Tod. Rafe might have saved her from Tod, repeatedly, but he was just as culpable in man of his acts.

Now, Rafe was a murderer responsible for Sheriff Peterkin. Kaylee knew from Kie that in Rafe's delusional mind, he believed Peterkin was going to kill his father, so he killed her to protect his father, and allowed his father to frame her best friends Isa and John B, sending them on the run.

As she stared at Rafe with mixed emotions of anger and pain, Kaylee couldn't believe that this was the same boy she had used to be with, who won her over with charming gestures and defended her against Tod and even her father. Now he was a psychopath terrorizing her friends and causing immense grief for her loved ones.

Rafe didn't want to hurt Kaylee, but he thought he had no choice but to confront the Pogues to protect himself and his father. And despite it all, his fixation and addiction on Kaylee, his obsession, made him believe that he could still have it all with her, even if it took time.

"Kaylee, how are you doing?" Rafe's tone was soft but laced with insanity.

Kaylee glared at him, taking all of her strength to keep from lashing out at him. "Is that really all you have to say?"

"Kaylee..." Rafe trailed off.

Kaylee scoffed, trying to mask her inner turmoil with humor. "Didn't like the free nose job last time, Rafe? Well, I can do it again for half price."

Rafe smirked, amused by her fiery reactions even in the midst of chaos, biting his lip, tilting his head in response.

Interrupting, Barry walked closer from the other side, cornering them from that side, whistling, clearing his throat at what Kaylee said to Rafe. "Whoo-hoo! Well, well. I see why you like her so much, Rafe. Feisty little thing. Quite the firecracker, huh, Kaylee?"

Rafe scoffed a laugh. "You have no idea. She nearly set me and my friends on fire once."

Kaylee glared at Rafe. "Oh, please. You deserved it then, and you deserve it now."

Rafe wasn't bothered by her words. He was pleased by them, seeing the dark side of her again. He took it as proof that they were the same and that she could come around eventually despite everything he had done.

Kie, Kaylee and JJ looked from Rafe in front of them to Barry behind them.

In a desperate attempt to defend themselves, Kaylee looked for her bag containing her lighter and hairspray to use her makeshift flamethrower again, but Barry was blocking the way to the Carrera car, which had Kaylee's bag inside.

Rafe noticed what Kaylee was looking at, realizing her intention. "What you thinking about doing, Kaylee? Let me guess. Lighter and that spray are in the car. Bro, keep her away from the car unless you want her to set our asses on fire."

Barry smirked, putting a hand on the Carrera car. "Don't worry, she won't be able to touch it."

Kaylee and JJ backed toward Kie, the three of them caught in the middle of the building now.

Kaylee forced a smile. "You know, we'd love to chat and all, but--"

Barry pulled out a gun, aiming it at them, cocking it.

Kie instantly put her hands up nervously.

Kaylee held up her hands in annoyance. "Fuck's sake."

JJ stepped in front of Kaylee and Kie protectively, putting his hands up in surrender.

Barry glared at them. "See, don't think I forgot about me and you on the other side of the road. I'm here because I want my motherfucking money."

Barry pushed JJ to the ground.

Kaylee ran closer, heart pounding in her chest. "JJ!"

Before she could reach him, Rafe's arms constricted around Kaylee's waist, pulling her away from JJ and Barry.

Kaylee struggled against Rafe with all of her might, kicking and thrashing as he held her tightly. "Let me go, Rafe! You sick fuck!"

Kaylee kicked and thrashed, trying to get herself out of his grip.

Rafe only tightened his grip on Kaylee. "Stop struggling!"

With each passing second, Kaylee felt more helpless and panicked, conflicted as Rafe held her back from getting into the fight, as if he was protecting her from getting hurt by Barry.

Kie stood there in shock, unsure of what to do as she watched her sister being restrained by the madman who had killed the sheriff and helped destroy everything for Isa, John B and Lia. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a plan to save them.

Barry shouted in JJ's face, relishing in his power over the boy. "That's what I'm here for!"

Kaylee continued to kick and claw at Rafe, desperate to break free. She couldn't believe this was happening, with Rafe spiraling into insanity, drugged out of his mind, and completely unpredictable.

How could someone she had once trusted and liked become so twisted and dangerous? She knew that he needed professional help, but all she could think right now was she desperately needed to protect her boyfriend and her sister from Rafe and Barry as they fought for their survival, not knowing if they could end up killing them or not.

Rafe tightened his hold on Kaylee so she didn't break free, but he was doing his damndest not to hurt her. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Kaylee. Stop!"

Kaylee's heart pounded as she struggled against Rafe's iron grip. Despite his words, she knew she couldn't trust him - not after everything he'd done. Her eyes darted frantically between JJ on the ground and Kie frozen in shock.

"Let me go!" Kaylee snarled, twisting violently in Rafe's arms. "I swear to God, Rafe, if you don't let me go right now--"

"Shh," Rafe hushed, his breath hot against her ear. "Just calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."

Barry kicked JJ in the stomach, leaving him laying on the ground and hunched over in pain, laughing triumphantly. "Stay down, boy! Phew."

Through gritted teeth, Kaylee glared at Barry and shook her head. "Don't you ever fucking do that again."

Rafe pulled her further back. "It's not you want, Kaylee. Where are Isa and John B?"

"And where's Little Lia?" Barry chimed in, still holding JJ down. "I still have unfinished business with her."

Rafe glanced at Barry silently - he still had no intention of helping Barry actually finding Lia.

"We don't know!" Kie shouted back.

"Where are Isa and John B?" Rafe demanded, getting more aggressive.

Kie raised her voice, trying to sound firm and confident. "We don't know!"

Frustrated, Kaylee threw her head back into Rafe, aiming for a headbutt, then elbowed him hard in the ribs. The sudden release of pressure made Rafe groan in pain and loosen his grip on her waist, giving her enough room to turn and face him. And without hesitation, she slapped him across the face with all of the anger and hatred she had pent up inside.

But instead of being taken aback by her actions like most people would be, Rafe chuckled darkly. "Ooh, feisty." He turned his face back to look at Kaylee with an unsettling calmness. "There she is. The real Kaylee. You gonna show me some more?"

Kaylee swallowed nervously as she realized that she had given into her own dark and violent impulses. It was a way to survive, but it was also giving Rafe exactly what he wanted - seeing her in a way that related to the chaos, rage and violence inside him.

Kaylee stared at Rafe, her chest heaving with anger and fear. She knew she had played right into his hands by lashing out violently, but she couldn't help it - the rage and pain were overwhelming.

"You don't know me," Kaylee spat, trying to back away from him, only for Rafe to seize her by the arms. Kaylee's breath hitched. "Let me go, Rafe." She knew she couldn't win a real fight against him, and she couldn't risk pushing him over the edge and seeing what he would do if she caused him to snap, trying to talk him down, which would lead to less chances of someone being hurt. "This isn't you."

Rafe's grip tightened, his eyes wild. "This is exactly who I am, Kaylee. Who we both are. Why can't you see that?"

Meanwhile, JJ was still on the ground, groaning in pain from Barry's kick. Kie looked between her sister and JJ, torn on how to help.

"Please," Kie pleaded, her voice shaking. "We really don't know where Isa and John B are. Just let us go."

Barry laughed. "Not likely. Not until we get what we came for."

Kie was desperately trying to find a way to distract both Rafe and Barry to help Kaylee and JJ break free by revealing their knowledge of his secrets. "Rafe! We know what you did."

Rafe paused as his grip on Kaylee's arms loosened slightly. "What? What did I do?"

"You murdered Peterkin!" Kie yelled.

Kie ran closer to push Rafe with all of her might, helping Kaylee break free of his hold, hitting him repeatedly.

"Kie, don't!" Kaylee told her sister, worried about what Rafe would do in his state. "Rafe!"

Rafe grabbed Kie's hands to stop her, suddenly grabbing her throat, strangling her. "Don't you ever say those fucking words again. Understand?"

"Rafe!" Kie gasped as she struggled to break free.

Meanwhile, Barry gripped JJ by the throat, punching him in the face, throwing him to the ground. "Where are Lia, Isa and John B?"

"We already told you, we don't know!" Kaylee shouted back defiantly, trying to protect their friends even in the face of danger.

Kaylee's primal instinct kicked in as she grabbed Rafe by the shoulder and violently pulled him off her sister, causing Kie to fall to the floor.

Gasping for breath, Kie struggled to regain her composure.

Kaylee turned Rafe around and delivered a ruthless punch to his nose, breaking it and sending blood gushing down his face. "Told you I'd give you another nose job."

Despite that, Rafe smiled with blood streaming over his lips and staining his teeth, absolutely pleased to see Kaylee like this. In his mind, he was proving to her that he was right about them being the same - that they belonged together, not her and JJ.

Rafe's bloody grin sent a chill down Kaylee's spine. She knew she had played right into his hands again, giving him exactly what he wanted by reacting violently. But seeing him hurt Kie had pushed her over the edge.

Rafe wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand, his eyes gleaming with a mix of pain and exhilaration. "There she is. The real Kaylee. The one who's not afraid to embrace the darkness."

Kaylee's chest heaved as she stared at Rafe, her fists clenched at her sides. "You're wrong about me, Rafe. This isn't who I am."

But even as she said the words, doubt crept in. The rush of adrenaline, the satisfaction she felt at hurting him - it scared her how good it felt.

"Isn't it?" Rafe challenged, seeing the doubt in her eyes, taking a step closer. "I've seen it in you for years, Kaylee. The fire, the rage, the need for chaos. You can pretend all you want, but deep down, you know we're the same."

Kaylee shook her head vehemently, terrified that there could be truth to his words. "We are nothing alike. I'm not a murderer."

JJ struggled to his feet, wiping blood from his split lip. "Kaylee, don't listen to him!"

Barry punched JJ in the face, kicking him in the stomach, making him fall once again. "I said stay down, bitch!"

Kie used the distraction Kaylee provided to hit Rafe over the head with a pipe, making him double over in pain as he groaned.

Kaylee was snapped out of her daze, shaking, overwhelmed for so many reasons.

Rafe pushed himself up in anger as he glared at Kie.

Kaylee moved to stand in front of Kie instantly, making them both back away, glaring at Rafe - she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but anyone else was fair game now. "Don't you dare, Rafe."

With Kaylee standing in front of Kie, Rafe paused.

It gave Pope, who had just arrived to see the fight, the time to jump into the brawl, swinging another pipe at Rafe from behind to divert his attention away from the girls. "Get away from them!"

Adjusting to the sudden attack, Rafe punched Pope in the jaw, knocking him back. The metal pole clattered to the floor and the two began throwing punches at each other.

Barry cocked his gun, stepping over JJ as he aimed his gun at Pope. "Rafe!"

Seeing Pope in danger, Kaylee and JJ both launched into action, while JJ was still on the floor.

Kaylee grabbed the pipe from Kie behind her, swinging it up at Barry to hit him in the gut before he could fire the gun, making him stumble back toward JJ. JJ grabbed Barry's legs and tripped him, making him fall to the ground, both of them making Barry drop the gun.

JJ saw the gun on the ground. "Kaylee! Gun!"

Barry launched up to try and grab the gun. Kaylee used her foot to kick it toward herself the same time she punched Barry in the face hard enough to send him reeling back so she could grab the gun before Barry could.

As Kaylee's fingers closed around the cold metal of the gun, a sense of relief washed over her. For a brief moment, she felt like they might actually have a chance to escape this nightmare. But that fleeting hope was shattered in an instant.

With a primal roar, Barry lunged at Kaylee, his massive frame barreling into her like a freight train. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of her lungs as they both went crashing to the ground. Kaylee's world spun as she hit the concrete hard, the gun flying from her grasp and skittering across the floor, her head snapping back and connecting with the ground with a sickening thud that sent stars exploding across her vision.

Barry's full weight came down on top of Kaylee, crushing her smaller frame beneath him. As they hit the ground, Kaylee's left arm was trapped, twisted unnaturally beneath her body. There was a horrifying crack as the bone snapped under the pressure.

Additionally, Kaylee's muscle injury was reignited, as her side and stomach from Tod's earlier attack flared from the force of Barry's attack. White-hot pain exploded through Kaylee's body, stealing her breath and clouding her vision. She could feel the bone shift and grind in a way that made her stomach churn. She cried out in agony as she tried to suppress a scream, unwilling to let Barry see any form of weakness.

Kaylee's agonized cry pierced the air, cutting through the chaos of the fight. JJ's head snapped towards her, his eyes widening in horror as he saw her pinned beneath Barry's massive frame.

"Kaylee!" JJ shouted, scrambling to his feet despite his own injuries.

Rafe, who had been grappling with Pope, froze at the sound of Kaylee's pain. For a moment, his drug-addled mind cleared, and a flicker of the boy he used to be shone through. "Kaylee?"

Barry, oblivious to the shift in the room, kept Kaylee pinned as he searched frantically for the gun. His knee dug into her injured side, eliciting another choked cry of pain from her.

Ignoring his own injuries, JJ launched himself at Barry, tackling him off of Kaylee with a roar of fury, making them both crash to the ground.

As they tumbled to the side, JJ caught a glimpse of Kaylee's face contorted in pain, her left arm bent at an unnatural angle.

Kie rushed to her sister's side, her eyes wide with panic. "Kaylee! Oh, my God, are you okay?"

Kaylee gritted her teeth, trying to push herself up with her good arm. "I'm fine."

Kaylee gasped, the pallor of her face and the sweat beading on her forehead telling a different story than the lie she gave her sister.

Rafe tried to step toward Kaylee, horror washing over his face when he realized she was hurt badly in the chaos. However, Pope had lost himself to his own anger and violence, as he tackled Rafe into the wall before he could do anything, and continued to pummel the older boy - Rafe stopped fighting back after he realized Kaylee was hurt because of him and Barry

As Barry tried to get up, JJ furiously slammed him against the side of the boat, kneeing him in the face, sending him to the ground.

JJ and Kie instantly lunged forward to pin Barry to the ground before he could reach for his gun.

Kaylee crawled instantly toward the gun on the floor, cradling her left arm against her chest, picking the gun up with her right hand. She aimed the gun at Barry as she rose to her feet unsteadily, in so much pain, but still looking strong, fierce and full of rage. "Stay down, bitch."

Kaylee's own darkness almost took hold as her hand shook as she aimed the gun at Barry. Her hand shook as if she struggled not to retaliate for what Barry did to her and did to JJ, and Lia and Robbie. It took all of her willpower not to do something insane... like pull the trigger.

Kaylee's hand trembled as she aimed the gun at Barry, her finger hovering dangerously close to the trigger. The rage and pain coursing through her body made her vision blur, threatening to overwhelm her self-control. Every instinct screamed at her to pull the trigger, to make Barry pay for hurting her, for hurting JJ, for everything he'd done to Lia and Robbie. It was so tempting to give in, to stop Barry from hurting anyone else ever again.

"Kaylee," JJ's voice cut through the haze of her anger. "Kaylee, look at me."

Kaylee turned her head slightly, meeting JJ's concerned gaze. His eyes were pleading, grounding her back to reality.

"You don't want to do this," JJ said softly. "This isn't you."

Kaylee's breath hitched, tears stinging her eyes as she fought against the urge to pull the trigger. "He deserves it."

Kie looked at Kaylee with a fearful and concerned look, pleading with her. "I know he does, but you don't deserve to throw your life away because of him. If you do this, there's no coming back. You'd be proving Rafe right about you. Put the gun down!"

Kaylee's hand trembled as she kept the gun aimed at Barry, torn between her rage and the pleading voices of JJ and Kie. Her finger hovered over the trigger, the temptation to end Barry's threat forever warring with her conscience.

"He deserves it," Kaylee repeated, her voice shaking. "After everything he's done... Lia... Robbie... here... all of this is because of him."

JJ took a cautious step closer. "I know, Kay. Trust me, I know. But this isn't the way. You're better than this."

Kie's voice was soft but urgent. "Please, Kaylee. Don't let him turn you into something you're not."

Kaylee's gaze flickered between Barry's terrified face and her friends. The gun felt impossibly heavy in her hand. She could feel herself teetering on the edge of a precipice, knowing that if she pulled the trigger, she was just like Rafe.

She knew that Rafe believed wholeheartedly that shooting Peterkin was the only way to protect his father. And now Kaylee was on the same edge to protect her sister and friends.

Across the way, Pope was punching Rafe repeatedly over and over again, viciously and never endingly, losing control, blinded by rage. Rafe wasn't fighting back, just looking toward the others as Kaylee struggled with the same edge he had fallen off of. Kaylee caught his gaze even in the midst of Pope's fists raining down on him without Rafe fighting back, his attention solely on Kaylee's struggle before him.

The look between Kaylee and Rafe snapped her out of her haze of rage and pain. In that moment, she saw a reflection of herself in Rafe's eyes - the struggle, the temptation, the precipice of no return. It was like looking into a dark mirror, showing her what she could become if she gave in to her worst impulses.

Kaylee's breath caught in her throat as the realization hit her like a physical blow. This was exactly what Rafe had been talking about - the darkness he claimed they shared. The violence that simmered just beneath the surface, waiting for a moment of weakness to break free.

With a shuddering exhale, Kaylee lowered the gun, her hand still trembling from both pain and adrenaline. She could feel JJ and Kie's eyes on her, their concern and fear palpable in the tense air of the boathouse.

Kaylee looked at Barry still pinned beneath JJ and Kie.

Barry laughed slightly, as if he hadn't been terrified for his life. "I knew you couldn't do it, bitch."

JJ and Kie glared at him.

Kaylee's rage roared inside, yet this time, she was able to control it and channel it. Instead of something that could kill him and ruin her life, Kaylee used most of her strength to kick Barry in the head, snapping it against the wall, making him hit the floor in a heap beneath her, JJ and Kie.

Barry was left dazed and reeling, unable to see straight as he gasped for breath in pain. It was at least a concussion, but it was far better than what Kaylee had almost done.

JJ and Kie stood, looking at Kaylee to make sure she was okay as they both glared down at Barry as well, making sure that he wasn't getting back up.

As JJ, Kie and Kaylee looked across the way, they saw that Pope was still raining hell on Rafe, as Rafe didn't fight back. The trio realized that Pope was lost in his own haze of rage and could easily kill Rafe if not stopped.

"Pope!" Kie cried. "Okay, Pope. Pope!"

"Hey, Pope!" JJ called.

"Pope, that's good!" Kaylee told him. "Stop."

"Hey!" JJ said. "He's had enough, dude."

Pope threw Rafe to the ground.

Kaylee's voice was shaky. "He's good."

Pope wrapped a hose around Rafe's neck, pulling him back up, choking him with it.

JJ snapped his fingers. "Snap out of it, dude!"

Rafe was on his knees, grabbing at the hose that was choking him as blood was coming out of his mouth, as blood had already been coming out of his noise and over his lips from Kaylee breaking his nose.

"Pope, that's too much!" Kie shouted.

Kaylee had enough. "Pope! Stop, dude!"

Fury and desperation fueled Kaylee's actions as she raised the gun, her finger trembling on the trigger. While she couldn't follow through on killing Barry, she had to release a shot in order to get both herself and Pope under control.

As Kaylee aimed the gun at the ceiling, the gun went off with a deafening blast, the bullet tearing through the ceiling and piercing the sky outside.

The sudden noise jolted everyone from their daze, Pope included. He snapped out of his trance, his features twisted with rage and stress.

Pope looked up at Kaylee as she lowered the gun, finally dropping Rafe, hyperventilating.

Rafe fell to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth as he stared up at Kaylee in shock. Despite everything he had done, and what he just saw happen to her, she still saved his life. It was a harsh reminder of how far he had fallen, while she had barely maintained her own stance.

Kaylee's tear-filled eyes bore into Rafe's as he struggled to breathe. She couldn't believe that this was the same person she used to know, so consumed by darkness and violence. Worse, she couldn't believe that she had almost been consumed just as he had been. If it hadn't been for JJ and Kie, she would have. A harsh reminder that Rafe wasn't wrong about her, which scared her more than anything. She feared herself more than she feared him.

JJ was speechless, caught between disbelief and fear, looking between Kaylee and Pope. "Shit. Oh, shit."

Kie tried to calm everyone down, but the tension hung heavy in the air. "It's okay."

As Rafe coughed and wheezed on the ground, Pope stared at his shaking hands in horror. He couldn't believe what he had just done.

"We have to go," Kaylee urged them urgently, her voice wavering with emotion.

Pope knelt beside Rafe, repeating the words that Rafe had said after beating him with a golf club on Figure 8. "Stay off the Cut."

Meanwhile, JJ took matters into his own hands and punched Rafe and Barry both in the face with all his might, his anger and protectiveness for Kaylee fueling his actions. "If you ever touch Kaylee... no, if you ever fucking even glance in her direction again, I will fucking kill both of you."

Pointing the gun between Barry and Rafe, Kaylee stood tall and unyielding, despite her injuries. Despite her turmoil, she managed to mock them. "Now, now, now, Rafe. Barry. This is what happens when you mess with us. You two must be tired of getting your asses handed to you by the Pogues." Her words were laced with a deadly warning as she glared down at Rafe and Barry. "I wouldn't try it again."

"Kaylee," Kie called worriedly.

Kie and Pope walked toward the car.

JJ wrapped his arm around Kaylee, helping her to the car. "I've got you, Kaylee. I've got you."

Limping, Kaylee winced in pain from her fight, grateful for JJ's support.

Kie got into the driver's seat. Pope got into the passenger seat.

JJ helped Kaylee get into the backseat before getting in with her.

Kaylee's body throbbed from her injuries as they drove away, but she knew they had made the right decision. To stand up for themselves and protect each other, no matter the cost. Yet the fear still coursed through her system that she had almost killed someone, had almost become like Rafe. And that was the last thing she wanted.

⚓️

On the Road

Kie drove them away as quickly as possible.

"Kaylee, you all right?" Pope asked worriedly. "Kay?"

Kaylee was breathing heavily, breathing hurting. "Ask me later."

"We need to get you to the hospital," Kie told her.

"We're five minutes away from the dock, Kie," Kaylee reminded her. "Isa and John B are already there, or will be soon, I know it. Lia and Sarah, too. We're going there first. No arguments."

They knew Kaylee wouldn't go to the hospital in this situation unless they dragged her, and she was right about them being minutes away from the dock, so Kie sighed, giving in, driving them to the dock.

⚓️

Dock

Kie and Pope got out of the car, and JJ helped Kaylee out of the car.

JJ led Kaylee to the dock, gesturing to the railing. "Will you at least sit down?" Kaylee tilted her head. JJ gave her a look. "Kay."

Kaylee chuckled, knowing that he was just worried about her, sitting down, still holding Barry's gun with her good arm, giving a cute salute to JJ with the gun still in hand. "Yes, sir."

Kaylee then threw Barry's gun into the ocean.

Kie gave Kaylee a thankful look. "Thank you!" She gave JJ a look. "At least one of you knows what to do with a shady gun we get from shady people."

JJ gave a sarcastic smile and middle finger, which caused Kaylee to smirk in amusement.

Kaylee sighed. "I still got my lighter and hairspray. If they hadn't been blocking off the car where my bag was, I could've set those motherfuckers' asses on fire, but what can we do?"

Kie and JJ cast a concerned glance to Pope and Kaylee after what happened.

"Don't go too far there, Kay," Kie told her.

Pope and JJ detached the boat from the car, getting it into the water, prepping it so that Isa and John B would be able to make a quick getaway.

Kie paced up and down the wooden boards of the dock as the sun was preparing to set. "Guys, where are they?"

"Give them a second," Pope replied. "They'll be here."

On the boat, JJ nodded reassuringly. "They're coming. They'll be fine."

They heard sirens getting closer as the Kildare County Sheriff's car pulled up.

Kaylee pushed herself up to her feet worriedly. "Guys!"

"Hey, yeah," JJ said. "Get on the boat. Untie it."

Kie and Pope helped Kaylee onto the boat, as JJ was frantically trying to get it ready to take off.

Kie moved to untie the boat. "Shit."

Kie stopped when the sirens shut off and Isa and John B got out of the car.

"Wait," JJ said. "No way."

"No effing way," Pope commented.

Isa and John B walked closer as John B grinned.

Isa smiled, spreading her arms. "Sorry we're late."

Kaylee smiled. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"Shoupe let us take it for a spin," John B joked.

"Oh, that's believable," Kie said sarcastically. "I'll buy that for now."

Isa and Kie instantly embraced tightly, emotionally with tears in their eyes.

Kaylee, not caring that she was hurt, went to embrace John B, and John B smiled and returned the embrace.

Kaylee winced at the pain. "Careful, careful."

"What's wrong?" John B asked. "Kay?"

"Nothing," Kaylee lied, trying to stay turned away slightly so that Isa and John B didn't see her arm.

Isa and Kie pulled away.

JJ, Kie and Pope gave Kaylee a look but weren't surprised that she lied. Kaylee gave them a look in return.

John B gave her a serious look. "Kaylee."

Isa noticed the way that Kaylee was hiding her left side, walking closer in concern. "What the fuck happened?"

"We had another run in with Rafe and Barry, together," Kie answered. "They were looking for you and John B. Barry was also looking for Lia, but it didn't look like Rafe was looking for her. Barry hurt Kaylee really badly and broke her fucking arm."

Kaylee made a face, tilting her head, rolling her eyes.

Isa walked closer to her best friend instantly in worry. "What? Kaylee, what the hell are you doing here? You should be in the hospital."

"We were on our way here anyway, it was closer, and I needed to know that you would be safe, Isa," Kaylee told her. "I needed to know that you and John B and Lia and Sarah would be okay. That's what I cared about."

Isa wrapped her arms gently around Kaylee, careful not to hurt her. "And I love you for that, Kay, but you have to take care of yourself, too."

"I will," Kaylee replied, holding Isa close with her good arm. "Don't worry, Isa. Promise me you'll be safe."

"Promise you'll take care of yourself," Isa replied.

Isa and Kaylee pulled away, sharing a smile as they spoke together. "Can't make any promises."

John B, Kie, JJ and Pope smiled at this.

John B and Kie embraced, pulling away.

JJ tossed the keys to the boat over to John B who caught them effortlessly. "It wasn't easy, guys, but I got the Phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday. You ready to go?"

Isa and John B didn't look happy at all to be leaving because they wanted to be here with their friends, their family. Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope looked at them sadly.

John B looked around, realizing who was missing. "Where are Lia and Sarah?"

"They're not with you?" Kie asked, confused.

"No, we got separated in the swamp," Isa answered. "Lia said they were gonna meet us here."

Pope shook his head. "No, no, we haven't seen them, guys."

"Okay, well, I'm not leaving without Sarah," John B told them.

"And we can't leave Lia because of everything Barry, Rafe and Ward have done to her and will do to her if she stays," Isa pointed out. "You already said that Barry was looking for her too. He's gonna kill her if she stays. And Ward could send her to an asylum or conversion camp or whatever he wants to if he finds her."

Kaylee understood completely why they said they didn't want to leave without them, looking over to JJ.

JJ also understood, but they needed them to go be safe before the cops could show up, walking over to the edge of the boat, leaning down to look them in the eyes. "Isa, John B, look at me. I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot across the sound to Dismal Swamp, okay? Once you get there, lay low, all right? Hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at Brownsville, you got that?" JJ put a hand on both their shoulders. "Brownsville. You got that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Isa answered. "Brownsville."

John B nodded.

Thunder rumbled from the sky above.

Pope walked closer to give Isa a hug. "Isa."

Isa returned the embrace tightly. "See you soon, Pope."

Pope nodded in agreement. "See you soon."

John B and JJ hugged, patting each other's backs in a brotherly fashion.

"See you, JJ," John B told him.

JJ nodded. "Yeah. We will."

When Pope and John B went to hug, Isa ducked underneath their arms to walk over to JJ.

Meanwhile, Pope and John B hugged.

When Isa walked closer to JJ, he already had his arms open for a hug, and the two embraced immediately, as JJ lifted her up slightly before placing her down.

"Always like a brother, JJ," Isa told him.

JJ chuckled. "And you're like the little sister I never had, Isa."

Isa smiled.

Everyone was bittersweet because of all the hugs and goodbyes.

"Hey, wait--wait a second," John B said. "Tell Lia and Sarah we said goodbye, okay?"

Isa was so close to crying, putting a hand to her head. "And please look out for Lia, make sure Barry and Rafe can't hurt her again, or Ward can't throw her into a mental institution or something."

Pope, JJ, Kaylee and Kie all nodded in response, tears in their eyes.

"We will, Isa," Kie told her. "Look out for Lia, and Sarah."

"Thanks, Kie," Isa told her emotionally.

Just in time, Lia and Sarah ran down the dock. "Guys!"

Isa and Kie's breath caught in relief when they saw them. "Lia! Sarah!"

The others started to smile in relief.

Lia and Sarah ran the fast they could to the end of the dock.

"John B!" Sarah called. "John B!"

"Sarah!" John B called.

Lia and Sarah reached the Pogues at the end of the dock.

"Oh, my God," Kaylee sighed in relief. "You have no idea how good it is to see you two right now. Especially knowing you're okay, Lia."

Kie immediately pulled Lia into her arms, along with Isa into her other arm. "Seriously."

Sarah frowned in concern. "Why?"

"Rafe and Barry found Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope," Isa answered. "Barry was looking for Lia, and Rafe was looking for me and JB."

"What?" Lia asked worriedly. She turned to Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope instantly. "Are you guys okay?"

They were touched that the first thing Lia thought to ask was their well-being instead of focusing on the fact that the drug dealer who wanted her dead was looking for her.

"Kie, JJ and Pope are fine," John B answered. "Kaylee's..."

"Fine," Kaylee interceded, not wanting Lia or Sarah to feel bad about what happened.

"Not fine," JJ interjected.

"Not even close," Pope agreed.

"Barry broke her arm and irritated her muscle injuries from before," JJ explained. "It was bad."

Lia and Sarah were horrified as they both went to embrace their friend, careful not to hurt her.

"I'm so sorry, Kaylee," Sarah whispered.

Kaylee shook her head, returning the embrace as much as she could. "It's not your fault."

They pulled away gently as Sarah embraced Kie, who returned it.

Kie looked at Lia in concerned. "We were so worried they could've found you if you didn't make it here in time."

Lia shook her head reassuringly. "I'm right here."

"Right on time, too," Pope told them. "Isa and John B need to hit the water, like now."

"We were trying to get them to go when you showed up," JJ admitted.

Sarah put her arms around John B's neck. "You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye?" John B managed a small smile. Sarah chuckled lightly as the two embraced. "Don't ever leave me again."

The others smiled softly.

Isa and Lia knew that their goodbye was going to be so hard, knowing that Kie couldn't go with them as much as all three of them wanted her to.

As Sarah and John B embraced, Isa, Kie, and Lia turned to each other, the reality of their impending separation hitting them like a physical blow. The setting sun cast a golden glow over the dock, the light shimmering on the water's surface as if trying to offer one last moment of beauty before the darkness set in.

Isa reached out, taking both Kie and Lia's hands in hers. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked between the two girls who had become her whole world.

"I don't know how to say goodbye to you, Kie," Isa whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

Lia shook her head, tears in her eyes. "And I don't want to say goodbye to you again. Not when we just got each other back."

Kie squeezed Isa and Lia's hands, her own tears threatening to spill over. "Then don't. This isn't goodbye. It's just... see you later. I don't want to be separated agan either, but both of you have to go. It's the only way to keep you safe from the cops and from Barry and your family, Lia. And I'll be there with you guys as soon as I can."

"Two months seems so long," Lia whispered.

Kie nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I know. But it's not that long when you think about it. You guys need to be safe. We'll find each other again soon."

The three girls moved closer, their foreheads touching as they held onto each other. The sounds of the water lapped against the shore, providing a soothing sound for the three distressed girls.

"You need to stay safe too, Kie," Isa murmured. "All of you. Make sure that what happened today doesn't happen again."

Kie nodded in agreement. "We'll try."

Kie took a deep breath, her eyes roaming over Isa and Lia's faces as if trying to memorize every detail. The fading sunlight caught the tears clinging to their eyelashes, making them glitter like tiny diamonds. A gentle breeze off the water ruffled their hair, carrying with it the scent of salt and adventure.

With trembling hands, Kie cupped Isa's face, her thumbs gently brushing away the tears that had begun to fall. She leaned in slowly, pressing her lips to Isa's in a kiss that was both tender and desperate. It tasted of salt and sorrow, of promises and hope. Isa's hands came up to tangle in Kie's hair, pulling her closer as they poured every ounce of love and longing into the kiss.

When they finally parted, both girls were breathless. Kie reached out to cup Lia's face, her thumb brushing away a stray tear. She leaned in slowly, savoring every moment as she pressed her lips to Lia's in a tender, bittersweet kiss. It was soft and lingering, filled with all the words they couldn't say and promises they couldn't make. Lia cupped Kie's neck, every ounce of love and longing equal between the three girls.

As Kie kissed both of the girls she loved, she tried to memorize the feel of their lips against hers, the taste of salt from their mingled tears. She had no idea if something could happen that would keep them from reuniting, and the thought caused her to heart to ache. She had a lot of regrets with the way she handled things with both of them for the past year, but she wouldn't regret anything when it came to this goodbye. To their time together. It was the best thing that had happened to her, to all of them, and they longed for the reassurance that they would be able to be together like this in the future, together without anything separating them ever again.

But now, they had to part ways, and it broke each of their hearts after everything they had gone through to reach this point. They finally got to be happy together, only for a cruel twist of fate to tear them apart.

As Kie pulled back from her kiss with Lia, the three girls stood with their foreheads pressed together, arms wrapped around each other. They breathed each other in, trying to memorize every detail of this moment.

"I love you both," Kie whispered, her voice cracking. "So much."

"I love you too," Isa murmured, tightening her hold on both girls. "Both of you."

Lia sniffled, nodding against their foreheads. "I love you. God, I love you both more than I ever thought possible."

They stood there for a moment longer, drawing strength from each other's presence. The sound of sirens in the distance broke through their bubble, a stark reminder of the danger they were in.

Reluctantly, they pulled apart. Isa and Lia looked at each other, both knowing they had to leave.

Kie swallowed. "Be safe out there."

"Be safe here," Isa replied, trying to inject confidence into her voice. "Two months. We can do this."

Kie managed a watery smile. "You better believe it. And when we're back together, nothing will tear us apart again."

"We'll be counting down the days until we're together again," Lia added softly.

The other Pogues watched the three girls sadly in sympathy. They had all been so excited for them to be together and happy for the first time in so long, only for it to be ripped away by circumstances beyond their control.

JJ and Pope both patted Lia and Sarah on the shoulders as the Cameron sisters smiled sadly at them in appreciation.

JJ nodded to the boat. "All right, saddle her up, saltwater cowboy and cowgirls."

John B turned to Isa, Lia and Sarah, nodding reassuringly. "Let's do this. Yeah."

Isa, Lia, Sarah and John B shared a look with Kaylee, JJ, Kie and Pope, all of them hating to be ripped apart like this.

As the four fugitives walked toward the Phantom, John B helped the girls climb onto the boat.

JJ walked toward Kaylee, wrapping an arm around her. Kaylee pulled Kie in with her good arm as JJ pulled in Pope from the opposite side, the four of them sharing a side hug as they looked up at Isa, John B, Lia and Sarah on the boat.

John B moved down to the control center of the boat, but stopped, holding a hand to his mouth as he was about to cry. "Hey, hey. I'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."

"Me too," Isa agreed.

Isa and John B were both on the verge of tears.

Kaylee and Kie's tears escaped their own eyes.

Kaylee leaned into JJ's chest as he rested his head against hers in a comforting manner, tears in his eyes.

Kaylee managed to make a joke. "Hey, guys, we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?"

They all shared a sad bout of laughter.

"Yeah," Kie agreed.

"At least we did it together, though," Kaylee told them, smiling up at Pope and JJ on one side of her, to Kie on the other side of her, up to Isa and John B.

"Together," JJ agreed. "Pogue style."

Isa, John B and Kaylee all nodded, agreeing with JJ, since the four of them were the original four Pogues out of this group. "Pogue style."

Lia swallowed, tears flowing. "I just want to thank you guys. I never had friends. I was never accepted by the Kooks. But all of you, you showed me what real friends are like, what a real family could be like."

As Lia spoke, her voice thick with emotion, the other Pogues felt their hearts swell with affection for her. They had all come to care deeply for Lia and Sarah, welcoming them into their tight-knit group without hesitation.

"You don't have to thank us, Lia," Pope said softly. "You're one of us now. Sarah is, too. Always will be."

JJ nodded in agreement. "Once a Pogue, always a Pogue. No matter where you go."

Kie reached out to squeeze Lia's hand. "We love you, Lia. Both of you," she added, looking at Sarah. "You're family now."

Sarah wiped at her eyes, overwhelmed by the love and acceptance she felt from this group, whispering. "Thank you. For everything."

Sarah squeezed Lia's hand.

Isa looked at their friends on the dock, their family. "I love you guys."

"We love you too," Kie replied, her voice thick with emotion.

John B nodded in agreement, unable to speak past the lump in his throat.

The sound of sirens grew louder in the distance, a stark reminder of the danger they were in.

"You guys gotta go," Pope urged, though his voice was pained. "Now. We'll see you in two months, down in Mexico."

John B nodded, turning to start the boat's engine.

"We'll miss you every day," Kaylee assured. "Don't have too much fun without us."

Isa managed a watery laugh. "Not possible."

JJ waved to Isa, Lia, John B and Sarah - Isa and John B had always been like his siblings, but as Isa and Kie had pointed out, JJ had seemed to "adopt" Lia and Sarah as his little sisters ever since they began their immersion into their group. "Love you, brother and sisters."

The four of them shared a small smile.

Kaylee rested her head on JJ's shoulder. "Love you guys."

"Don't forget, cross the border at Brownsville, okay?" JJ reminded.

Pope, JJ, Kaylee and Kie held up their hands to salute Isa, Lia, Sarah and John B. Isa, Lia, Sarah and John B held up their hands to salute them in return, climbing down to the control panel. Isa was trying not to cry so hard, and John B wrapped his arm around Isa comfortingly, close to crying himself, kissing Isa on the head as she wrapped her arms around her brother. Lia and Sarah embraced as the two sisters held onto each other tightly.

Pope, JJ and Kie all leaned forward to push start the Phantom, backing up next to Kaylee. The four of them waved to Isa, Lia, Sarah and John B, who waved back. John B started the boat, which was very loud, as it started to drive off over the water as the rest of the Pogues watched them go.

⚓️

Warehouse - Outside

Rafe was sitting outside the garage near his bike, the blood dripping from his nose and over his lips from when Kaylee broke his nose, and the rest of the blood streaking on his mouth and cheeks and chin from Pope beating him, all dried up.

Barry walked closer, sitting next to Rafe, his mouth also bloody from both Kaylee and JJ. "Well, you were right about your girl. That little firecracker is just as insane as you, if the fact she almost killed me doesn't prove it."

Rafe stood abruptly, his fists clenched at his sides as he glared at Barry with unbridled fury. "Don't you ever talk about her like that again."

Barry raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his bloodied lips. "Whoa, easy there, tiger. I thought we were on the same side here."

Rafe took a menacing step forward. "We're not on any side. And Kaylee isn't 'my girl.' Not anymore."

Barry chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Rafe's anger. "Could've fooled me. The way you look at her, the way you talk about her... it's obvious you're still hung up on her."

Rafe's jaw clenched, his hands balling into fists so tight his knuckles turned white. "What the hell were you thinking? You could have killed her!"

Barry scoffed, wiping blood from his chin. "I thought the whole point was to get information about Isa and John B."

"Not like that!" Rafe shouted, his fists clenching at his sides. "We were supposed to scare them, not actually hurt them. Especially not Kaylee."

Barry's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "She might be born a Kook, but she chose the Pogues."

"She's chosen me before," Rafe retorted. "She can do it again. But not if you do something like that. If you ever hurt her again--"

Barry realized he overstepped and quickly reminded Rafe that he heard Kie call him out on killing Peterkin, using what he knew now to blackmail him into stopping before he could finish his threat or try to hurt him. "You'll kill me like you killed Sheriff Peterkin?" Rafe froze, his rage flickering briefly. Barry chuckled. "Better than I thought, Country Club. You'd better hope that you're a worth a hell of a lot more to me than that 25K reward."

Rafe's blood ran cold at Barry's words. He had been so caught up in his rage over Kaylee's injury that he'd forgotten Barry had overheard Kie's accusation. His mind raced, trying to find a way out of this new predicament.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Rafe growled, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his fear.

Barry's smirk widened, sensing he had the upper hand. "Oh, I think I do. Seems like little Miss Kaylee's sister Kiara spilled some pretty big secrets back there. Now, I'm not one to judge - we've all done things we're not proud of. But murder? That's a whole other level, man. I would know, given I killed your sister's best friend, after all. Looks like we both have some blackmail over each other's heads now, don't we, Country Club? Seems like we're at an impasse."

With Rafe frozen by the correctness of Barry's statement, Barry smirked, walking toward his bike, getting onto it. "That's right, Country Club. I own you now."

Barry drove his bike away, leaving Rafe alone.

Rafe was slowly coming undone now more than ever. He flashed back to shooting Peterkin, kidnapping his own sisters, Kaylee getting hurt by both Tod and Barry because Rafe brought them along - everything that led up to this.

Rafe was breathing heavier with anger, completely overwhelmed with each passing second, until he finally had to scream in rage, conflict and despair, unable to believe the monster that he had become.

⚓️

Dock

JJ led Kaylee down the dock, helping her toward the car, pulling her closely into his side as she had started crying not just from the goodbye, but from the pain that she was really in right now. They stopped once they reached the gravel.

JJ turned Kaylee to face him, caressing her cheek. "Now we are taking you to the hospital, okay, Kay?"

Kaylee leaned into his touch as his thumb brushed against her cheek, wiping the tears away. "Yeah."

JJ leaned forward to kiss Kaylee on the forehead.

Kie and Pope walked closer.

"I'll drive," Pope offered.

"You better not be high this time," Kaylee told him in a joking manner.

Pope smirked. "Not this time."

Kie and JJ helped Kaylee get into the car.

"Come on," Kie told her. "And I swear to God, Kay, if you fight us on the way there, I will kill you."

Kaylee waved her off with her good hand. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love you too, Kie."

But before Kie, JJ or Pope could even think about getting into the car, and before they Kaylee could even shut her car door, several police vehicles pulled up to the scene.

Kie immediately put her hands up, freezing in her steps. "Guys."

Shoupe and several other cops got out of their cars, guns in their hands and aimed at them.

JJ and Pope raised their hands.

Bratcher walked over to the dock with his weapon. "Move. Hands up, hands up!" Kaylee put her good hand up. "Both of them!"

"My other arm's broken, dumbass," Kaylee told him.

Kie gave Kaylee a look for talking that way to an agent, especially since Kie, Kaylee and Pope were already more of targets given the color of their skin. "Kaylee! Kay, try to, please."

Kaylee sighed, hesitating but hurting to put her other hand up.

Shoupe was angry. "We're too late. They're gone. Goddamn it! Bratcher, have your guys stand down." He walked toward Bratcher, Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope. "Let me talk to these kids." He got in Pope's face first. "All right, where the hell are they?" Pope kept his mouth shut, hands raised. Shoupe raised his voice to a shout. "Where the hell are they, Pope?" Shoupe turned away from Pope to JJ. "JJ? I see you're living up to your name. And if Kaylee here has trouble putting both hands up because of a broken arm, that means she got into another fight and she's living up to her reputation." Kaylee glared at Shoupe. "Kiara, how about you? This isn't a fucking game! You can do the right thing now! Where'd they go?"

Bratcher reported into his radio. "Suspects have just left Station 26 in a small boat. Need marine patrol to respond."

After realizing that they weren't going to get any answers out of them, Thomas, Plumb and Bratcher grabbed JJ, Kie and Pope to take them over to the cop cars, putting them in cuffs just long enough to take them in.

Shoupe grabbed Kaylee's good arm, pulling her up, not being gentle. "Get up."

Kaylee winced in pain because of stumbling and the jostling of her arm which hit against her bad side. "Easy!"

JJ turned his head back to see what happened. "Hey, she's hurt, goddamn it! Don't do that! Shoupe!"

"JJ, don't," Kaylee told him, not wanting him to get in more trouble.

Shoupe put Kaylee in handcuffs despite the fact that it caused her arm much more pain, leading her along to the cop cars.

Plumb and Bratcher put Kie and Pope into one of the cop cars in the back.

Thomas and Shoupe put JJ and Kaylee into the back of another.

JJ looked at her in concern. "Kaylee, you okay?"

Kaylee shook her head. "Not really."

The officers transported them to the tents that they had set up to search for Isa and John B.

⚓️

Night - Police Tents

The cops pulled Kaylee, JJ, Kie and Pope out of the cars, taking the cuffs off of them.

Shoupe directed the four of them to his fellow officer. "Follow Plumb to that tent. There's a medic there, they can help Kaylee."

"Thanks so much for your consideration," Kaylee told him sarcastically, holding her arm in pain.

"This way, come on," Plumb instructed, walking toward the tents.

Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope looked around, the red and blue lights flashing brightly in their faces as they made their way through the crowd of people. Cameras were being shoved in their faces as people made comments about Isa and John B, which was hard to ignore as they walked through.

JJ was helping Kaylee as they walked, as Kie was making sure that she was okay.

"Right to your left here," Shoupe said.

Plumb pointed to a row of black foldable chairs. "Right here."

"Sit down," Shoupe instructed. "Don't move. We got a lot to talk about." They all sat down. Shoupe walked toward the medic to explain what happened to Kaylee and instructed what to do, before finishing off with: "Keep an eye on these kids."

Kaylee's leg bounced anxiously, and JJ put a hand on her leg, the touch warm and soothing as he rubbed circular motions onto her inner thigh with his thumb. Kaylee looked at JJ, but JJ was glaring at Shoupe for the way he manhandled Kaylee and hurt her just that much more. When Shoupe walked away, JJ turned his gaze to Kaylee. Kaylee gave him a reassuring smile.

The officers chattered loudly from the table to their left, talking about their plan to capture Isa and John B.

The medic walked over to apply a set to Kaylee's broken arm. Kaylee was wincing and groaning as he did, as Pope, Kie and JJ watched her anxiously with worry.

Kie looked up at the medic with a glare. "Easy."

The medic finished setting Kaylee's arm, and starting to make her cast out of stockinette, cotton and casting plaster.

"We done?" Kaylee asked in boredom.

"We're done," the medic answered. "You need to take 24 hours for the cast to dry completely. Wait a full day before considering it finished. Do not allow your cast to get wet, at all. It's not waterproof, because then it will get ruined. Make sure your cast is covered when you're outside in the rain, because it will be storming very soon."

"Thanks so much for the hospitality," Kaylee told him in a sassy tone.

"What about the other stuff?" JJ asked. "The last time Kaylee got into a serious fight, the prick that did it caused torn/strained oblique muscles and this other prick kept hitting where he did last time, so did it get insanely worse, or just effected an injury that was almost done finished healing? Because Kay--"

The medic nodded in understanding. "Let me check it out."

Kaylee rolled her eyes, but gave in, looking at Kie, Pope and JJ. "I'm gonna be fine. Promise."

Kie, Pope and JJ looked at her worriedly.

⚓️

Ocean

Out on the dark ocean, with the island's power mostly off, no one could see Isa, John B, Lia and Sarah on their boat as they looked toward the police tents.

"It's like the entire sheriff's department," Sarah stated. "Holy shit."

"We'll go dark and let the tide pull us out," John B explained. "Shh."

They were thankful that the power was out so they could remain in the dark and hidden while trying to let the tide take them away as to not alert them about where they were.

Back at the police tents, Bratcher was using binoculars to sense light and heat to try and see anything in the dark, but a struck of lightning prevented him from seeing the boat, as it caused the sight to go completely red.

"You seeing anything, sir?" Officer 1 asked.

"I thought I did, but now it's gone," Bratcher answered.

"Maybe it's lightning from the storm, sir," Officer 2 suggested.

"Let's get eyes on the other side of the Point," Bratcher ordered. "We need eyes on the other side of the Point. Go."

On the boat, Lia smiled. "We're gonna make it."

Isa nodded. "Yeah, we just gotta go north through the swamp."

"Then we just follow the--" John B started.

John B and Sarah finished together, "Follow the North Star."

Isa and Lia smirked at them teasingly.

Sarah looked back toward the island. "Guys. Look." They all looked toward the island, as one by one, the power started to turn back on. "No, no, no. Guys, the lights."

"Oh, no," Lia fretted. "They got power back."

They saw that even the lighthouse had power back, and the light was slowly turning toward them.

Isa shook her head in worried horror. "No, no. No. Shit!"

The light shone right over them.

"Get down, get down," John B urged.

They ducked down.

It was futile however, as the cops could see the boat because of the lighthouse.

"That's them!" Shoupe called. "There they are!"

John B tried to get the boat to start.

"Is it not turning over?" Isa asked worriedly.

"No, it's not," John B answered.

"What do we do?" Sarah asked. "What do we do?"

"Check the engine," Isa answered, running over to the engine.

"What are you looking for?" Lia asked, going over to help.

"The choke," Isa answered, finding it, squeezing the ball. "Got it."

Back at the police tent, Bratcher spoke into his radio. "Bogey spotted off the lighthouse, running lights out. I think it's them."

Several police boats started to go after the Phantom with the four teens on the boat.

"John B, go!" Sarah told him.

John B got the boat to turn over.

"Is it working?" Isa asked.

"Oh, here we go," John B answered. Isa and Lia ran over to John B and Sarah. "Sit down, sit down."

The girls sat down. John B drove the boat out over the water as the police boats were chasing them, though they saw that more boats were coming from in front of them.

"Shit!" Lia complained.

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," John B instructed. "Ready?"

It started to pour over them as the storm was starting.

"John B..." Sarah trailed off.

John B took a sharp turn to get away from the oncoming boats from either side of them. The boats coming from ahead of them and behind them turned to follow the boat.

"They're coming from around the Cut," Isa told them. "We've gotta go south, guys."

"Into the storm?" Lia asked.

"Yes, into the storm," John B answered, driving toward the storm.

The girls held on tight as the waves were more dangerous thrashing the boat around.

⚓️

Police Tent / Ocean

One of the police men radioed back to Bratcher and Shoupe. "Suspects are attempting to escape to the south. Our attempts to contact the vessel were unsuccessful. We're gettin' hammered here."

"Hold your position, captain," Bratcher told him.

"Roger that."

"I got one more card I think we can play," Bratcher admitted.

Ward sat down at the table, slowly picking up the radio. "John B? Isa?" On the Phantom, soaking wet, Isa, Lia, John B and Sarah exchanged a look. "Isa, John B, I know you're there. I know you can hear me, and if you love my daughters like I think you love my daughters, then you will turn that boat around and come back. You are going into a storm that you cannot survive. Isa, John B, please. I will make it right. I promise you. Come back."

Lia shook her head. "No, don't listen to him. He's a liar."

"Isa, John B, I am begging you," Ward told them. A wave of ocean came up and hit them on the boat, soaking them further. "Think of them and turn around."

John B picked up the radio.

"John B, what are you doing?" Sarah asked.

John B spoke through the radio. "Ward Cameron, do you hear me?"

"Yes," Ward answered. "Yes, son, I'm right here. I'm right here. Please bring them back, okay? We'll work it all out when you get home."

John B was getting emotional. "You killed our father. You tried to kill me and Isa. You slashed into her with a gaff hook and almost made her bleed out. That's why Isa fought back against you. And you framed me for a murder I didn't commit."

Isa spoke into the radio. "You made everyone believe that Lia was crazy when you knew all along that a drug dealer had killed her friend. And you abused her and isolated her and manipulated her and gaslighted her since. Your son, the same one that really killed the sheriff, worked with that drug dealer today to hurt our friends, and they were going to come after me and John B. And Barry was going to kill Lia if Rafe didn't control him. What do you think your son would have done to me and my brother?"

Lia was nearly crying at everything Ward and Rafe had done, wanting to hate them with every fiber of her being but unable to, the conflict inside her tearing her apart as she spoke into the radio to confront her father. "Rafe was working with Barry, the same guy that killed Robbie, to try and come after Isa and John B for the money and to protect Rafe's secret. They could have killed them. And Barry was going to kill me because he thought I could have something to prove he killed Robbie and put him away. Rafe might not have been willing to let him, but he was still working with the same guy that wants me dead. Kaylee got so hurt because of them. JJ, Kie and Pope were all in danger because of them. And so were we. All because you decided to ignore the fact that Rafe needed help, and tried to force me to get help that I didn't need. You drove both of us out of our fucking minds, Ward. All of this is your fault!"

Sarah wrapped her arms around Lia as she was crying, nowhere near the position Lia was in with their father and brother, but knowing the conflict of love/want-to-hate their family.

Bratcher and Shoupe exchanged a look, looking toward where Kaylee, Kie, JJ and Pope were sitting in the police tent across the way, where Kaylee had was finishing up getting treated, realizing that that was what the fight had been about that day, but not knowing fully what to believe just yet.

Ward was trying not to react to every true accusation.

"You took everything from us!" John B shouted. "You took everything from us. But we're still here. And I swear to God, Ward, we will come back one day and take what's ours. So you listen to me, all right? We're comin' for you."

Isa nodded in agreement, glaring off at nothing. "We're comin' for you."

John B put the radio down.

"What would you do if we weren't here?" Sarah asked.

"Look, I'd rather die than go to jail, guys," John B told them.

Isa nodded sadly in agreement. "So would I."

"I'd rather die than go back to that life and risk everything that Ward, Rafe and Barry could still do to me, to everyone I care about like today," Lia admitted.

Sarah took Lia and John B by the hands. "I'd rather die than be without you."

Lia and Sarah embraced.

Isa and John B embraced, crying in each other's arms.

Isa saw an extra strong, destructive wave coming right for them. "Hold on!"

The wave caused the boat to flip and capsize.

In the police tent, Ward was sitting, stunned in silence.

"We've lost their radio signal, sir," a technician explained.

Shoupe took the radio from Ward, putting it down, speaking through a mic. "Those are kids out there. Don't stop looking." He looked at Ward. "You don't go anywhere. We're gonna need to talk to you."

⚓️

Other Police Tent

Shoupe, Plumb and Thomas walked in, wearing yellow rain jackets.

Pope, Kie and JJ stood, while Kaylee stayed sitting down.

"Did you find them?" Pope asked.

Shoupe shook his head. "No."

"So they got away?" Kie asked hopefully.

The four of them looked between each other and back to Shoupe, expecting an answer or some sort of confirmation from the man.

Thunder crashed again.

Shoupe licked his lips, looking down. "We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry."

Pope, Kie, JJ and Kaylee didn't know what he meant until he looked away, realizing, in shock.

Kaylee was in denial. "You lost them?" She started to get angry and emotional, raising her voice. "What do you mean, you lost them? Like they're gone?"

Kaylee stood.

"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Kaylee," Shoupe told her.

Kie was in denial, refusing to believe this after she, Isa and Lia had just gotten to a good place where they were happy. She refuse to believe that the two girls she loved, John B and Sarah were gone. "So, they're dead?"

"We don't know," Shoupe admitted calmly.

Kaylee started to cry from anger and devastation, lunging at Shoupe, pointing at him. 

JJ put his arms around Kaylee's waist to pull her back and hold her up since she was still in a lot of pain. "Kaylee, don't. You're hurt." But he was just as angry and devastated, yelling at Shoupe. "You drove them straight through the storm, man!"

Kaylee pulled out of JJ's hold, falling back into her seat, crying, putting her good hand over her mouth as she cried over the loss of two childhood friends and two friends who were close to her last year, and were becoming close to her once again this year.

JJ lunged at Shoupe. "Are you kidding me? Come here! I'm gonna kill you!"

Thomas and Plumb stopped JJ, pulling him away from Shoupe.

"JJ, stop!" Kie begged, knowing that this was not going to make the situation any better, sitting down next to Kaylee, wrapping her arms around her as she cried at the devastation loss of Isa, Lia, John B and Sarah. "Kay..."

Kaylee wrapped her good arm around Kie, knowing it was even harder for Kie, holding her sister comfortingly as both sisters cried in devastation.

JJ trashed in the arms of Thomas and Plumb. "I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"

Pope got in Shoupe's face. "You killed them! They didn't kill anyone and you know it!"

Shoupe tried to calm them all down. "We're still looking for them, all right?"

Kie cried from next to Kaylee in their sisterly embrace. "Pope. Pope, just stop." Pope turned around, putting his hands on his head, tears in his eyes. Kie cried harder, her voice breaking. "Please stop."

Anna and Mike arrived for Kaylee and Kie, and even though both parents were furious with their daughters, and Anna had threatened that it was the last straw with Kaylee, as soon as they saw how badly Kaylee was hurt, and how devastated Kaylee and Kie both were, they walked toward their daughters instantly, embracing them.

"It's okay, girls," Anna told them.

Kie sobbed heartbreakingly. "They didn't make it, Mom."

"I know," Anna said.

Kaylee shook her head, breathing shakily, unable to breathe. "No, no, no."

Kie held Kaylee close, and Anna and Mike wrapped their arms around both of them.

Heyward and his wife arrived, walking closer.

Mrs. Heyward wrapped her arms around her son. "Pope! Pope..."

Heyward walked closer.

Pope cried in his mother's arms, looking at his father in guilt for their earlier fight. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Heyward wrapped his arms around Pope and his wife.

JJ managed to calm down, now looking more devastated than angry as he looked between Kaylee and Kie with their parents, and Pope with his.

Heyward pulled JJ into the embrace with him, Pope and Mrs. Heyward. "It's okay. It's okay."

After a moment, JJ pulled away, turning away, crying.

Kaylee pulled away from her family, seeing JJ standing alone, and walked closer. JJ walked over quickly, as the two wrapped their arms around each other. Kaylee cried as she pulled JJ into her tightly. JJ put a hand on the back of her head, running over her hair gently as his chin rested on top of her head, crying as well.

Pope and Kie walked over to Kaylee and JJ, and Kaylee and JJ both pulled Pope and Kie into the embrace with them, as the four of them held each other close, standing in the tent in the middle of the storm, embracing and crying.

⚓️

Day Two

Morning - Ocean - Middle of Nowhere

In the middle of the ocean, the Phantom was capsized but still floating.

John B was hanging onto the boat, coughing awake, a life jacket on. "Isa? Sarah? Lia? Guys? Guys?"

Isa was waking up with her life jacket up, coughing up a a mouthful of water. "John B?"

John B gasped in relief, swimming toward where he heard her voice. "Isa!"

Isa swam toward him. "JB!" Isa and John B embraced in relief even though the life jackets kept them from fully embracing. Isa looked around desperately for Lia and Sarah. "Lia? Sarah? Guys? Guys!"

Sarah woke up with her life jacket on, looking around. "Guys? Guys!" She saw the Routledge siblings as they swam closer. "Isa? John B?"

John B swam toward her, pulling Isa with him. "Sarah, hey. We're coming. Hey. It's all right. We're coming."

John B and Sarah embraced as much as they could with the life jackets on.

"Where's Lia?" Sarah asked.

Lia was waking up, floating on the water, with her life jacket on, looking around. "Guys? Sarah? Isa? John B?"

Sarah swam toward her sister in relief. "Lia!"

Lia turned around to see them, incredibly relieved, swimming closer. "Sarah!"

Lia and Sarah embraced as much as the life jackets would allow.

Isa sighed heavily in relief. "Oh, thank God."

Lia and Sarah made their way back to the capsized boat toward Isa and John B.

Lia embraced Isa as much as the life jackets would allow. "Isa."

Sarah looked off in the distance, seeing a freighter ship several miles away. "It's a boat!"

They all started to yell. "Hey! Hey! Help!"

Lia found the gold, getting an idea, holding the gold up in the air for the sunlight to glint off. "Help!"

"Guys, I'm sorry," John B told them. "I'm so sorry."

Lia was still holding up the gold for the sun to glint off.

The freighter honked its horn and flashed its light toward them.

Lia smiled in relief that her idea worked. "Yes!"

Sarah smiled emotionally. "Guys, they see us!"

Isa waved her arms. "Here! We're over here! Yes, yes!"

The four of them laughed emotionally in relief as the freighter started to sail toward them.

Once the freighter reached them, Isa, Lia and Sarah had been helped onto the ship by a woman named Cleo, a man named Stubbs, and another crew member, who wrapped blankets around their shoulders.

The captain, Terrance, helped John B up onto the ship. "Come on. I got you, big boy. Ah, come on, I got you. You all right? Oh, man, y'all lucky that we came through here." He put a blanket around John B, looking at the other crew member that had helped the girls. "Hey, Larry. Get some coffee on." Larry nodded, walking away to do as told. "Boy, if we wouldn't have saw, y'all, y'all'd have been a gone pecan." Terrance led the four teens up the stairs of the ship into an inside portion. "Anybody I can call, let 'em know that you're okay?"

John B shivered. "Don't really have anybody to call." Isa gave him a look. "Without putting them in danger."

Isa tilted her head in acknowledgement.

"Come on in, get warm," Terrance invited. "Yo, Larry, put some soup on, too!"

⚓️

Inside

(Song:) Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong

The song was playing on radio.

Terrance led the four teens inside. "Watch your step. Come on, get in here. Where you at, Larry?"

"I'm comin'!" Larry answered.

Terrance closed the door. "Have a seat, baby." The girls sat down, holding their blankets wrapped around them tightly. "You just made my day a whole lot more interesting."

Larry walked in to give coffee and soup to the four teens.

"Thank you," Lia told him.

"Thanks, Larry," Isa told him.

Larry walked away.

Terrance looked at the four teens. "Where in the hell was y'all trying to go?"

"Um, could you just drop us off at the next port?" Sarah asked. "It doesn't matter where."

Isa and Lia linked their arms and burrowed into each other for warmth.

John B wrapped his arm around Sarah, kissing her head.

Terrance looked between the four. "I was young and in love once. Turned into a goddamn disaster. It was fun while it lasted, though."

"Where'd you say you were going again?" John B asked.

"Nassau," Terrance answered, walking away.

Lia and Sarah gasped since that was where their family house was in... "The Bahamas."

John B gazed off. "The gold."

Isa nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

The four of them looked at each other in shock.