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THE SUN HAD begun to rise over the Outer Banks, bringing to light the destruction that was left from the night before.

It looked a lot worse in the daylight, Charlotte thought to herself, as they roamed the main street, still looking for any sign of JJ.

It had been close to six hours since he'd taken off from Zeasy's office. Six hours since Pope had been arrested and thrown into a jail cell for the night. And six hours that the remaining four of them had been desperately searching for their best friend.

Cleo had taken off to see what she could do for Pope, and Charlotte had sent Rafe home just after midnight. She knew there was nothing he could do, and he was only making everyone else uneasy, which is the last thing they needed. She knew it was only a matter of time before the arguing started between him and Kiara or him and John B, and she didn't have it in her to mediate.

"Oof, this place is trashed," John B commented the obvious, his eyes surveying the main street. "But it looks like JJ is long gone...we should get out of here."

Charlotte winced as the blister that had formed over the past few hours rubbed against her shoe again. "And go where?" She wondered through gritted teeth.

"Charley's right," Kiara agreed. "They've probably already started bulldozing Poguelandia."

John B nodded with an exhale, "Which means JJ's probably slashing tires."

"That's actually pretty likely," Kiara muttered.

Sarah, who had been unusually quiet for the past little bit fell behind the group, a conflicted look covering her features. "Hey," John B said softly, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Sarah nodded, a tight smile coming to her lips. "I just have to--" She motioned toward the store closest to them, a pharmacy, "--you know." Her eyes swivelled to Charlotte. "Char, wanna come with me?"

Although slightly confused, Charlotte nodded. "Sure," she agreed, wincing over her blister again. "I could use a bandaid anyway."

"We'll wait here," John B called after them, his eyes already zoning in on the immediate damage around them.

"God," Charlotte commented as the two girls stepped through the broken window of the pharmacy, there being no use for the door, "This looks like right out of an episode of The Walking Dead."

Sarah shot her a raised brow expression as their sneakers crunched on the broken glass. Although the outside of the pharmacy was worse for wear, the inside remained rather intact.

"I'm going to go find a bandaid and some Polysporin," Charlotte declared, already scanning the shelves. "Bathroom's that way." She pointed toward the back of the store where the sign hung.

"Right," Sarah nodded, her voice uneasy. It looked like she wanted to say something else, but nothing else left her mouth before she quickly turned on her heal and disappeared into one of the aisles.

Furrowing her brows, Charlotte couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Sarah. She'd been off since the previous morning, and Charlotte wasn't sure if it was because of her conversation with her brother, or if there was something else happening.

Grabbing the bandages as fast as she could, Charlotte pulled a crumpled up bill from her pocket and threw it on the counter. The business didn't need to lose anymore money than they clearly already had.

"Sarah?" She called, rounding one of the corners. "Are you good--"

She stopped in her tracks, almost running into the sheepish blonde who hadn't even made it into the bathroom yet. Charlotte's eyes studied Sarah for a moment before shifting toward the products she was looking at. Sarah's face had gone beet red for a moment, an almost embarrassed look covering her features.

There were a million thoughts running through Charlotte's head, but she knew none of them were important in that moment.

"This one's good," she said softly, picking up the box of pregnancy tests. "Early detection, and digital."

The relief on Sarah's face was visible, her shoulders relaxing when she realized she wasn't about to receive a lecture from the girl she considered her big sister. "Thank you," she breathed, taking the box into her hands. She stared down at it for a moment before looking back up at Charlotte. "Can you come in with me? I don't want to...I don't want to take it alone."

Charlotte gave her a comforting smile. "Of course."

The two girls stepped into the small bathroom, Charlotte locking the door behind them for good measure. "Do you know how to do it?" The older girl questioned.

Sarah shrugged, "Kinda...I guess?"

Charlotte gave her a small smile before reciting the instructions. She could feel Sarah's anxiety from a mile away, and she knew that in the next three minutes everything could change.

"How long do we wait?" Sarah wondered, setting the test down on the counter as she re-buttoned her shorts.

"Three minutes," Charlotte answered, already setting the timer on her phone.

When she glanced up, Sarah was looking at her with a quizical expression.

"What?"

"You seem to know a lot about these tests," Sarah pointed out, brows raised.

A laugh bubbled from Charlotte's lips. "Sophomore year," she stated. "I was convinced I was pregnant. I called Rafe in tears and forced him to go buy me a test. He showed up at my house with five different kinds of tests." She snorted, recalling a frazzled sixteen year old Rafe bursting into her bathroom and pouring out the five boxes of pregnancy tests as she sat sobbing on the bathroom floor. "I got my period two days later."

Sarah's laugh melded with Charlotte's. "Wait! I remember that. Rafe asked Rose which test was the best to get."

That was news to Charlotte. "Oh God," she muttered, dropping her face into her hands. "No he did not."

"Sure did," Sarah laughed, unable to control her fit of laughter for a moment. "God, I think my dad almost killed him when he found out."

Charlotte's face was heated up in retroactive embarrassment. "Glad to know everyone knew about it."

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but the shrill ringing of Charlotte's phone timer cut her off. Just like that, a vice had settled across the room. Neither of them said anything for a moment as Charlotte reached over and turned it off.

"Sare...whatever it says, just know I've got you," Charlotte finally broke the silence, sensing the nerves coming from the closest thing she had to another sister. "No matter what."

A shaky breath fell from Sarah's lips as she gave a small nod. Silently, she reached out for the test.

It's funny really, how such a small little object can mean one of the biggest changes in anyone's life.

Charlotte didn't even realize she was holding her breath until Sarah flipped the test and revealed those two little lines...the lines that changed everything.

Holy shit.

No words left Charlotte's mouth for a moment as she tried to gauge Sarah's reaction. The blonde girl stared down at the test, her hands shaking as she let out a deep breath.

"Holy shit," Sarah whispered, reflecting Charlotte's internal sentiments.

"Are you...okay?" Charlotte wondered, realizing she had no idea what else to say in a moment like that.

Sarah set the test down on the counter, bracing her hands on either side of the sink as she stared at herself in the mirror. "Holy shit." She spun to face Charlotte. "Two lines means positive right?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Charlotte answered, voice soft. "Two means positive."

"Oh God," Sarah whispered, covering her face with her hands. Her body shook for a moment, and Charlotte's heart dropped.

"Hey, it's--" Charlotte cut herself off when Sarah lifted her head, because much to her surprise, she wasn't crying, but laughing.

"This is the worst timing ever." Sarah laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "We're literally homeless."

Some of Charlotte's anxiety flooded away at Sarah's reaction. "Could be worse."

Sarah shot her a look. "Really?"

Charlotte let out a laugh. "Not really."

Sarah broke into another fit of laughter, and soon enough Charlotte joined. Maybe that was the only way they knew how to cope with the shitstorm that was brewing.

When the laughter ceased, the two girls were back where they started, staring at that damn test.

"You know you're going to be an amazing mom, right?" Charlotte whispered, pulling her eyes up to meet Sarah's. "I don't think I've ever met someone who loves as fiercely as you." She fell silent for a moment, trying to decide how to best phrase the next part of her sentence. "But I also want you to know you have options...and I'll support you in whatever you decide. And if you decide this isn't what you want to do, and you decide you never want to tell John B, then I'll be there to do everything with you. Either way, you have me no matter what."

Tears had gathered in Sarah's eyes, lip quivering as she pulled Charlotte into a tight embrace. "I love you, Char." She whispered, squeezing even tighter. "Auntie Char." She corrected as she pulled back slightly, confirming her desire to keep this child.

"Wow, that makes me feel--"

Charlotte was cut off by a banging at the bathroom door. The two girls stepped apart from each other, each of them turning toward it.

"Are you guys in there?" Kiara questioned from the other side, slight urgency to her tone. "I think I know where JJ went! I can explain on the way--"

Sarah pulled open the door in a frazzled manner, almost hitting Charlotte with it as she stepped in front of Kie. "Okay," She agreed, her voice an octave higher than usual. "Sounds good."

Wincing internally at Sarah's attempt to be nonchalant, Charlotte did her best to block the state of the bathroom.

Kiara furrowed her brows, looking between her sister and friend. "What are you guys doing?"

Sarah shook her head, still miserably failing at being coy. "N-nothing?"

"Going to the bathroom...obviously." Charlotte added.

Looking at the two of them for a moment, Kiara craned her neck, trying to see past them. Despite Sarah and Charlotte's best efforts, she succeeded. "What is that?" She questioned, eyes on the test.

She knew what it was.

"Is that yours?"

When she asked the question this time, her eyes were only focused on her older sister, and she looked terrified at the prospect that it could potentially be Rafe's child.

Charlotte was slightly offended that Kiara thought she'd slept with Rafe again when she'd made it very clear that that was not something she was going to do (yet). But nonetheless, she gave her head a small shake. "...No."

That left Kiara's attention swinging to Sarah. "It's yours?"

Sarah shrugged. "Yeah...I mean..."

"I'm gonna go check on John B." Charlotte announced, making the split second decision to leave the two girls to talk. She didn't need to be there for that.

Kiara shot her a look as she stepped past her and out of the bathroom. "Grab a water on your way out," Charlotte instructed Sarah. "And maybe something to eat."

She hoped Sarah was ready for nine months of Charlotte fussing over her, because this was only the beginning.

Sarah and Kiara's conversation turned to distant murmurs as Charlotte made her way back through the pharmacy, her feet once again crunching on the broken glass that littered the floor. She didn't realize how fast her heart was beating until she paused by the window, giving herself a second to breathe before facing John B.

It was only then hitting her how big of a deal this was. This would change everything, no matter how hard they all tried to pretend it wouldn't. But if this was what Sarah wanted, then Charlotte would support her no matter what.

Only when Charlotte heard another voice along with John B's did she snap out of her momentary panic. Every ounce of worry was replaced with sheer loathing as she stepped back onto the street, eyes landing on Topper Thornton.

"Fucking cockroach," she muttered as she began to make her way toward them, not at all in the mood for Topper's bullshit.

"Great piece of real estate," Topper provoked, taunting John B over the loss of Poguelandia. "I can't wait to tear down all the jerry-rigged bullshit."

"Careful you don't get a splinter," Charlotte called, weaving through the debris on the sidewalk. "Or break a nail...wouldn't want that now would we, Topper?"

The look of disdain was hard to miss on Topper's face. "Charlotte," he gritted out in greeting. "Not surprised to see you here."

Charlotte shot him a sickly sweet smile as she stopped next to John B. "You know me." She mocked.

John B scoffed, still focused on Topper. "So you burn down my house and now you want to destroy my business?"

Topper shrugged, "Someone had to do it. It was only a matter of time. But at the end of the day, John B, Kildare is for the Kooks."

Tension settled in between the three of them. John B looked like he was ready to kill, Topper was smug as the day is long, and Charlotte couldn't help but clench her hands at her side. "Careful Topper," Charlotte mocked, bringing his attention back to her and away from John B. "Or I really wouldn't mind sending you home with a broken so you and Ruthie can match."

"Is that a threat?" Topper gaped, eyes wild as he took a small step forward.

Charlotte smirked, loving the fact that she could get a reaction out of him. "Just an offer," she responded, the sweet smile back on her lips.

"Watch it, Charlotte." Topper warned, glaring down at her. "Rafe isn't here to protect you this time. Wonder how tough you are without him."

Charlotte couldn't help but let a laugh tumble from her lips, John B lightly pulling her back so he was face to face with Topper. "You're right, he's not here. But I am. So back the fuck up, Topper."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kiara exclaimed, her and Sarah flying out of the store. "What's going on here."

Topper sent a final disgusted glare in Charlotte and John B's direction before looking past them to the two girls. "Oh, hey, Kie. Hey, Sarah. Looking good."

"Not the time," Kiara snapped at John B and Charlotte, grabbing both of them and pulling them away from Topper.

"Looking good?" John B mocked. "The lamest thing you've ever said."

"She's not gonna pick you, bro." Charlotte added, throwing up a middle finger in Topper's direction before Kiara yanked her down the street.

The furious expression on Topper Thornton's face was enough to make Charlotte Carrera's day. It really is the little things.

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-an-

char and sarah are my fav underrated duo <3