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𝙍𝘼𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙍𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉 around the Chateau as the sound of the boys celebrating Ward Cameron's imminent arrest flowed from inside. 

John B had finally turned in the tape to Shoupe who had acknowledge that John B had been set up, which only meant that they were headed after Ward next. With Rafe already in jail, his arrest was the last step in the route to justice.

But while the mood inside was full of excitement and glee, the one outside held a more melancholy tone. 

Sarah and Charlotte were seated on one of the couches, Kiara on the recliner across from them. The latter wore a slightly amused face, the other two wore expressions that were told in a different story in their eyes. 

Both the Cameron girl and the eldest Carrera were clearly conflicted. Ward and Rafe were facing the justice they deserved, they had all achieved what they had worked so hard toward for the past few weeks, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. 

Sarah loved her father, and Charlotte loved Rafe. No matter how badly the Cameron men had hurt either girl, their arrests weren't anything to necessarily outwardly celebrate. 

"Do you regret it?" Kiara's voice carried toward the two girls, but her eyes were focused on Sarah. 

"No." Sarah's answer was instantaneous. "He deserves all of it and I know that."

Kiara nodded, a sympathetic look covering her face, "He's your dad, I get it. I'm sure it sucks to be in the middle." 

The chiming of Sarah's phone caused her to pause, looking down at the screen. From where Charlotte sat next to her, she could see Topper's name flash across the display. 

Glancing inside for a moment, Sarah stood up and face the Carrera girls. "Sorry." She whispered, stepping around the corner before answering the call. 

When it was just the two of them, Kiara looked toward her sister. The two of them had very seldom been alone in the past few days, never having a chance to discuss all the was happening in their lives.

"I know it must suck for you too." She announced, reluctance in her tone, "I mean with Rafe getting arrested."

Giving a small nod, Charlotte pulled her knees up to her chest. "How'd we end up here, Kie? How'd it all get so fucked."

Her younger sister let out a sigh, shaking her head. "You know what mom would say."

Charlotte couldn't hide the smile that covered her face as she sat up, ready to imitate their mother, "'It's those damn boys...they're always getting you into trouble.'" 

Kiara let out a loud laugh at her sister's attempt of mocking their mother's voice, it was actually pretty spot on. She was then quiet for a moment, eyes falling downward. "Has mom said anything about letting me come home?"

"Not yet." Charlotte admitted. "But I'm working on it."

Nodding, Kiara wore a saddened expression, and Charlotte couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now. Between her breakup with Pope and getting kicked out, it probably felt like she was completely on her own.

"I'm on your side." Charlotte promised. "You always have me."

Kiara smiled a sad but gratfeul smile. "I know. Thanks Charley."

"Guys!" Sarah hurried back around the corner, her eyes wild with her phone still gripped in her hands. "I need to go."

Charlotte stood up, panic rising in her at the sight of Sarah's expression. "What's going on?" She wondered, catching the younger girl as she tried to rush past. 

Sarah held onto Charlotte's forearms, trying to calm her breathing. "It's my dad...they're on their way to arrest him. I need-- Wheezie can't be alone."

Her words had gathered the attention of the boys who had ceased their celebration long enough to join the girls outside. 

Glancing over at John B, Charlotte gave Sarah a small nod. "Okay. Okay, let's go."

"I'll drive!" John B called, already on his way to the Twinkie. Charlotte knew he was less worried about Sarah being there for Wheezie and more concerned with seeing Ward get the handcuffs slapped on him. Charlotte knew that this was about to be messy. 

A mixture of excitement and a nervous anxiety filled the van as they all piled in, barrelling down the road toward the Figure 8. 

Sarah was silent, nervously gripping onto the dashboard as John B stepped on the gas. If every police cruiser on the island wasn't on its way to Tannyhill, they might have been pulled over. 

"Shit." Kiara murmured, watching as at least a dozen cruisers flew down the road perpendicular to them, sirens blaring.

"Can you please hurry?" Sarah pleaded with John B. "I need to be there for Wheezie."

He glanced over at her, his eyes lacking any sympathy. "Do you think I want to miss this?"

Charlotte let out a deep breath, glancing out the window as they pulled up in front of the Cameron home. Everyone's faces told different stories. A few of them looked excitement, one of them looked terrified, and the others just looked on-edge. At the end of the day, this was huge. 

As John B shifted the van into park, they six of them were already piling out of it, making their way toward the wall. 

They all shoved each other, trying to get the best view. 

"JJ, I can't see!" Charlotte snapped, trying to push him out of her way. She could just barely see Shoupe and his officers running away from the house, toward the pier. 

He shoved her back, "Well now I can't see!"

"Screw it." John B muttered, mounting his hands on the top of the wall. "I'm going over."

JJ nodded, "Right behind you." He pressed his back to the wall, connecting his hands to create a lift. "Come on Charls, you first."

Charlotte stepped into his hands, pulling herself up and over the wall after John B. "Thanks, J."

Once she was over, she turned, helping Kiara and Sarah down. When the other two boys had made it over, the six of them took off toward the house, Sarah letting out a gasp as she spotted her sister.

"What's going on?" Wheezie questioned, her voice a mixture of confusion and frustration. "Why are the police here?"

Sarah rushed toward her, pulling her into a tight hug, "Wheeze, go inside. Go inside and don't come out."

Unlike Kiara would have if Charlotte had asked her, Wheezie didn't argue. Instead she pulled away from Sarah, giving a small nod before allowing Rose to usher her back inside. Charlotte's heart clenched for her. She was too young to be seeing her brother and father arrested within a day of one another. 

Once Wheezie was safely inside, the six of them headed toward the pier where they had seen Shoupe run off toward. That had to be where Ward was. 

"Wait." Charlotte announced, grabbing onto Sarah's arm to stop her from going any further. The Cameron girl looked at her with teary eyes, ones full of fear. 

"You don't have to see this." Charlotte declared, glancing back toward the house. "You can go inside with Wheezie."

Sarah let out a small cry as she shook her head. "No. I have to."

Reluctantly, Charlotte nodded, releasing her grip on the younger girl. "Okay."

"Guys," Kiara called from up ahead. "Come on!"

Giving a final look toward Sarah, Charlotte swallowed the lump in her throat and took off toward the others, Sarah right behind her. They caught up to them quickly, falling into step as they rushed down the pier. 

As they arrived, they could see all the officers lined up. SBI and Kildare County alike. Some of them were wielding weapons, others standing on edge, hands hovering over their guns. 

And at the centre of it all was Ward Cameron, standing atop the Druthers with a glass of scotch in hand...his favourite drink. But it didn't look like he had been caught off guard, he had been expecting this.

"Dad!" The way the words flew from Sarah's mouth caused Charlotte's heart to break. She sounded terrified. 

The officers bristled, turning toward the oncoming teenagers, prepared to stop them from coming any further.

"Let us through!" John B pleaded, the group of them already shoving their way through with hands raised in surrender.

Shoupe turned, his eyes widening slightly. "That's Sarah Cameron!" He called, "Let 'em through."

"What are you doing here, Sarah!?" Ward called, his voice breaking. He didn't want his daughter to see this, and for once, Charlotte agreed with him. 

"Dad!" She cried, coming to a stop, "What are you doing?"

The rest of them stopped behind her, hands still raised as they watched on with wide eyes. Charlotte could feel her heart against her ribcage, breathing becoming ragged. 

"Vic, you gotta get her out of here! She can't be here right now!" Ward pleaded, and the urgency in his tone caused Charlotte's heart to pound even harder. He was planning something...something big.

Nervousness seeped into Shoupe's tone as he addressed Ward. "Just-- just come on in and you can talk to her!"

Ward moved toward the control panel of the boat, flipping the switch to lift the anchor. "Sarah, I'm so sorry baby! I can't!"

Sarah stumbled slightly, bumping into the front of Charlotte who reached out to steady her. "What are you doing?!" She yelled, "Dad, no, no, no!"

Sirens sounded from out on the water as the police boats rolled in. Ward was surrounded in all directions. 

"Ward, this isn't gonna end the way you want it to!" Shoupe yelled, gripping onto the railing. He didn't want this to end in bloodshed, and it was clear that this was where it was headed. "You don't need her seeing this!"

Sarah shouldn't be here. Charlotte should have forced her to go into the house. She shouldn't have let her come. 

As Ward began to descend to the lower level of the boat, Sarah let out a cry. "No, dad! Don't leave! Where are you going?"

"I love you!" Ward called, still not stopping. 

Shoupe let out a curse. "Hey!" He screamed, "Damn it, Ward! Turn it around and get back in here!"

"Please don't leave!" Sarah cried, tears streaming down her face. "Dad!"

And then suddenly, it happened.

It was an explosion that cut through the chaos, shaking the ground around them as the Druthers went up in flames. 

A gasp flew from Charlotte's lips as she stumbled backwards, eyes wide as she watch another explosion overtake the ship. Everyone fell still for a moment, no one quite believing what they had just seen. 

And then, Sarah's sobs broke through the silence, causing Charlotte to feel physically ill. 

"No!" She screamed, hands shaking as she raised them to her mouth, "No! Dad!" 

She should not have been here. 

Another sob wracked her chest as she fell to her knees, Charlotte crouching down next to her, not even sure what to say at this point...what to do. 

Despite her hatred for Ward Cameron, tears stung at Charlotte's eyes. Tears for Sarah, and for Wheezie, tears for Rafe. Tears for those three kids who had just lost their father. 

She reached out, wrapping an arm around Sarah who leaned into her, her body still shaking with cries. 

The other four Pogues stood in shock, tears filling in Kiara's eyes as she looked down at her friend. Pope and JJ still hadn't seemed to have fully registered what just happened, and John B...John B stared ahead, an intensity in his eyes. 

But he didn't move to comfort Sarah, and when he didn't, someone else did. 

Topper Thornton arrived out of no where, giving Charlotte a quick nod before pulling Sarah away from her and into his embrace instead. 

Charlotte sat frozen, staring through blurry vision at the ship that was slowly burning, removing any trace of Ward Cameron. 

This didn't feel like a win...not at all.

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