They're all sitting in the studio, upstairs. Max and Henry are in the kitchen making pancakes for them, as a pick-me-up, as if they lost a football match and their best friend wasn't going to be on death row.

For a while, they're silent, just sitting or pacing in the room. Sarah and JJ are leaning against opposite walls. Billy is sitting next to Kathryn and Pope, on the couch. Kiara is on the chair next to them.

When Pope said they had cards left to play, Kathryn didn't think he really had any in mind, and just hoped for the best, considering that no one dares to speak first and say it. But it's not like she'll accept it. Besides, they may have the semblance of a card. Some stupid like, two of spades. The key that Limbrey wants – if by some trick of fate, they can manage to find it, then John B will be saved. Except they have no clue where to start.

Her dad might. She eyes the discarded journal on the shelf. She doesn't remember anything about a key, but she saw some stuff about visiting the Heywards. It wasn't out of the ordinary, as far as she knows, but given what she's learned... Best not to dwell on it.

Now that the shock has worn off, her ire is back. If Ward said she was poison, she'll be the corrosive kind and burn his eyebrow off.

Sarah bites her nails, and then shakes her head. "I'm gonna testify under oath. I was there. I just need to get a hold of my sister."

"Sister?" JJ repeats.

He's been antsy since they came back home. Keeps taking his hat off and putting it back on – backwards, as it is right now. Keeps pacing back and forth, fidgeting with whatever he can find. From Billy's honest point of view, she doesn't know which one is scarier; him, or the way Kathryn just sits there, eyes vacant, jaw set and murder on her mind.

Still, when Sarah approaches, she has the presence of mind to stop daydreaming about her father's death. "Kat, do you have your phone?"

She arches a brow as she hands it to her. "Why?"

"Wheezie is the only other person that knows Rafe wasn't home that day."

Her lip twitches. "Don't save her number, I'll use it to kidnap her and blackmail your father."

"...Noted."

"I don't want to be a Debby Downer," Billy winces a little as JJ repeats Sarah's little sister's name again. "I'm not sure that would hold all that well in court. Proving a teen wasn't at home virtually does nothing, even with your statement."

Kie huffs. "Why are you here again? To shoot us down?"

Billy, who doesn't like conflict, sinks back down on the couch. The movement reveals Kathryn' piercing brown eyes, settling on Kie. "Unless you graduated from Cambridge at sixteen, maybe you should pipe down, Kiara." The words are harsher than what she should be, but so is this situation. "She's just trying to help."

Kie rolls her lips into her mouth, and shakes her head as she crosses her arms. "My bad."

"I don't know what else to do," Sarah confesses. "I got us into this mess. I'm gonna do my best to get us out."

Sarah goes to the other side of the room, near the window, as Kathryn puts her head in her hands, closing her eyes for a moment. "It's not your fault, Sarah." It's Ward's. Entirely is. That's why she'd like him as her new carpet.

JJ, though, scoffs. "Wheezie? Yeah, that will work." He shakes his head. "Well, she's right about one thing. We gotta do something. Our boy is a PO-dub right now, okay?" What does that even mean?

Kathryn grits her teeth, to the point that it hurts her jaw. "This isn't a movie, JJ." It's hard not to say anything more scathing.

He scowls, taking his cap off again. "He's held captive by the enemy right now, maybe even scheduled for execution – are we just gonna sit here?"

Kie stands up, fed up with everything and everyone at this point. "What's the plan?" she asks, venomous. "We start by kidnapping Shoupe?"

JJ falls right into her trap. "Maybe. Like, that's not the worst idea actually."

She blinks. "Oh it's not?"

"No!"

Pope stares at him. "That is actually the worst idea I've ever heard."

"It's pretty bad," Sarah agrees, before leaving to Kathryn's room.

Kathryn sighs. "This isn't a race to see which one of us is going to join John B first."

"If it was, he's Lightning Mcqueen," Billy hums thoughtfully.

Immediately, JJ gestures angrily at her. "You know what? Please, just stay out of this."

Kathryn stands up, which makes Billy think that her staring into nothing wasn't actually all that intimidating. She knows how these kinds of situations usually go. She knows how mean she can be.

She steps forward until the tip of her shoes touch JJ's and he has no choice but to look her in the eyes. "At least she's doing something helpful. At least she's using her brain." She licks her lips, collecting herself before her words turn to weapons. "You need to calm down. You're going to get yourself in a cell, JJ. I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're too angry to think this through."

He chuckles in incredulity. "That's rich coming from you."

She bites down the urge to tell him that just because she was always the most angry out of the two, didn't absolve him from making bad decisions. "Yeah, that should tell you how much your plan is shit, my guy."

"Okay, KD, look, we've been doing everything your way, and how has that been working out?"

Kathryn stares at him for what can only be ten, awfully, drawn out seconds, before she steps back with a sardonic smile, crossing her arms. Billy knows that look. She knows common sense or any history between the people in the room and her are about to fly out the window if JJ pushes just a little bit more.

"My way. Wow. So this one's on me, then." She steps forward again. "Let's hear it. What's the plan, tough guy? Storming a jail with what? A singular gun and brain cell in your tow and hope for the best?" She lets out a low laugh, and he just looks down. "Or–or do you want to 'crumble some herb' before you dive head first to your death? Because that can surely help right now."

His eyes flit to her, hard and steely. "Look, Kat, all I'm trying to get you to understand is they got our boy. Are we just gonna sit here and do nothing? No! We're gonna go get his ass. We're gonna do something about it!"

Behind her, Pope stands up. "JJ, we're not storming a jail. It's not happening."

JJ looks at him, then Kie, and then back at Kathryn, who's position hasn't changed, whose gaze is as set as it was and jaw is taunt. But JJ is standing his ground too, no matter if it's shaky and about to give out.

His brother, the one who's been through everything with him, who he's lived with on more than one occasion, might be going to die. Again. And KD, she should be the one to get it. Out of all of them, she should be the one to tell him that yeah, he should be angry, and she is too.

But no. No, instead, her dark eyes weigh on him like two Grady Whites.

Billy shyly rises to her feet. "Maybe we should all settle down, guys."

He spares her a glance, before he stares back at Kathryn. "You know, I'd get it from her, 'cause she's new to our shit, but you? Who are you right now?" She just stares and stares and stares. "Nah, it's fine. Sit in your comfy chair. Do nothing."

She wills herself to not care about his words. To convince herself that it's the anger talking, just like it does for her. It means nothing. But it does – and she does care.

And JJ won't stop. "I'm gonna see what I can do. Make something happen, even if I have to do it by myself."

"Here's an idea," she says, as softly as she can, which is not a lot given the situation. "Go home."

She didn't mean it like that. She didn't even think of it because to her – this is his home. Or the Château, whichever, it didn't matter, she just... she just needed to get him away from her. Anywhere but here.

She didn't mean to remind him that his home isn't one. But it does. And JJ is left with hurt on top of his frustration, which turns into anger directed at her. It's a deadly mix, and Kathryn, who's been drinking this cocktail, should know it.

He scoffs. He doesn't recognise the girl in front of him. She can't be the one who held his face in a drug dealer's house and told him to do whatever he wanted, so long as he was sure. What happened to that? Did she just not trust him anymore? Did she not like him anymore?

He knew it was too good to be true anyway. Might as well put a nail in the coffin and bury it altogether – then, he'll be free to do whatever he wants without the feeling of her eyes following him. It never would've worked. So he'll just have to prove himself right. Make sure he doesn't have a home to come back to. It's easy to spiral when nothing is going right in the first place.

Maybe that's why the words tumble out of his mouth, quicker than he can think them. And he should've, because then he would have realised how much of a mistake it is, and that he doesn't even believe what he's saying but–

"So what, you drive him into a storm and now you don't even want to save him?"

The room falls silent. The only thing Kathryn can hear is her heartbeat, and the echo of JJ's words in her head.

She blamed herself for weeks, and he listened. He was the one she'd go to. He was the one who told her that this wasn't her fault. That John B wouldn't want her to blame herself.

And she could have taken the blame from anyone. Max, Henry. Kie, or Pope. Billy. She could take it from John B himself. But not him. She's so taken aback that it snuffs out the anger, and she's left defenceless, arms falling to her sides, and mouth parted. No fury to protect her. No ire to fight back. Just her and the tears gathering in her eyes.

"Take it back," she asks him.

She never asks anything. Not forgiveness, not explanations, nothing. She never asked for him to wait. But this, she begs. Just take it back. Take the knife he just stabbed her with and throw it out the window, before she starts choking on her own blood. Before she takes it out herself, and him away in the same swift movement.

"You said they wouldn't take you too," she cries out. "You said you were a stupid fucking weasel, take it back or I'll never speak to you again."

He just stands there, because he can't say anything more. He was always going to fuck this up. It was written in the fucking stars or some shit. In the way he keeps ruining everything he has – even what he doesn't. What he can never have. She isn't his to lose.

"Take it back," she begs.

But he lost her either way.

The others watch, Billy already halfway to her, Pope looking at her with compassion, Kie looking at him with anger. Kathryn's eyes are still glued to him. He always admired that in her. How she never backs down, never looks away first. Even when unshed tears are stinging her eyes.

She can't stop him. He can't let her do that. Whatever is going to happen needs to be done. He needs to at least try to free John B. And Kathryn would have been the only one able to get him to back down.

There's too much at stake, and she's right. He's going to do something stupid, and it's easier to not care for the consequences if she doesn't suffer them. It's easier if she's out of his grasp, where he can't take her down with him.

He closes the door on his way out.

Author's Note: Maybe the real treasure are the excrutiating callbacks we made along the way