Sleeping in the studio is never a good idea. It's already bad when Kathryn is alone, the sofa digging into the back of her neck, making her stiff in the morning, but it's worse with JJ asleep on top of her, snoring softly. His face is in the crook of her neck, blowing breaths fanning against her skin. He has an arm around her waist, hot fingers digging in the flesh in his sleep, holding her tightly. Kathryn's arms are around him, one hand settling on his shoulder, the other around his bicep. They're both sleeping soundly, for once.

Billy, who woke up early in the morning, found them cute if she wasn't dwelling on all the complaining her friend will spew when she wakes up. 'Argh, my neck!', 'My back!'... maybe just get a room next time? However, it's all a little worth it when Billy remembers the peaceful look on her face when she fell asleep last night – the first one to. Her head was resting against JJ's shoulder, laid back on the couch, too shy to hold her there but too loving to think about moving an inch. How they ended up in that position in the morning, well, Billy can only blame it on buried feelings and adoring instincts.

Besides, compared to Kie and Pope who fell asleep on armchairs, they might be in a better position. At least she passed out on the rocking chair... Somewhere along the speech of stealing a car to get to Charleston (a wonder Kathryn was asleep by then, otherwise she would've put the fear of god into JJ.) Kie did tear him a new on – they'd just gotten back from rescuing him from his debatably suicidal mission.

All this to say, Billy is the first awake, and she's rummaging on her own. Her brother is making pancakes in the kitchen, but is wholly too engrossed in his boyfriend to actually make them. Disgusting.

There's a knock on the door. Billy didn't know they were expecting anyone, but considering what happened the day before, she half-expects the cops to show up. If not for JJ, for Henry, who punched Ward in the face. Which is still one of her favourite moments.

"I'll get it," she says. The only thing answering her are giggles. See previous comment about her brother and his boyfriend.

She saunters to the front door, downing her orange juice in one go. She plasters a smile on her face, and opens up.

"What the fuck?"

John B, who was grinning too, frowns. "Uh, hi?"

She seems familiar – he thinks he's seen her at his hearing. She was with Kat. Still, not exactly who he expected to open the door.

Billy's stare doesn't waver. She wasn't expecting him either, and her reasons are better for it. "You should be in jail. You – did JJ actually manage to break you out of there?"

"No." He doesn't blink. "Who are you?"

"Billy Donovan," she answers in a breath. "I'm... Max's sister – sorry, why are you here? How are you here?"

"They dropped the charges. Is Kat here?"

A lightbulb turns on in Billy's mind. "Oh, she's going to freak. Henry!"

Henry comes running at her tone, he too thinking that it could very well be the cops, but no. When his eyes fall on the teenager, with his cap backwards and a stupid smile on his face, he can't help but feel his throat closing up.

"John Booker Routledge, you almost gave me a heart attack."

John B winces. "Ouch. Not the government name."

Behind him, Max gasps, tears rising in his eyes. "Kid, you have no idea how worried we were."

The teenager is bewildered when Henry hugs him, but he lets him. Max pats his back awkwardly when they part. He hadn't realised he would be missed by so many people, especially not adults, who always seemed to disappoint.

Of course, Max and Henry had yet to.

"I'm so glad I made pancakes," Max says, and it just reinforces his point.

Billy snorts. "'Make pancakes', is that what old men call making out these days?"

"Shut up, gnome."

She glowers. "Just because you're a freak–"

"Hey, um..." John B interrupts shyly. "D'you know where the Pogues are? They weren't at the Château."

"Oh right, yeah, of course. Figured you're not here to see us. Not that we would mind. I'll stop talking now. They're upstairs, in the studio," Henry rambles. "I think they're sleeping, but I'm sure they'll forgive us for waking them up."

Henry starts for the stairs, his fiancé behind him. When John B goes to follow, Billy holds him back.

"Hey, I know you don't know me."

Terrible way to end a sentence. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I saw you with Kat the hearing..."

"Yes, yes. Very cathartic moment. We have bigger fish to fry. Look, you've been friends with JJ and Kat since forever, right?"

He narrows his eyes at her. "...Yes?"

"So you know how annoying they are." Slowly, he nods. She grins. "Take my advice. Stand back and watch."

He seems suspicious, but does as she says, hanging back as the adults walk to the studio. Henry is the one to open the door.

He's pretty sure a vein pops in his brain. He stares at the scene for a few seconds, wondering when he died and got to hell.

The next seconds, he's screaming. "Stand up from my niece, right now!"

Kathryn is startled awake, JJ barely even stirs. When she catches a glimpse of Henry at the door, she pushes him off of her. He lands on the ground with a groan. Pope and Kie open their eyes to enjoy the mess this is going to be.

Behind Henry, John B turns to the teenage girl. "I think I like you very much, Billy Donovan."

"Henry–" Kathryn tries.

JJ grunts. "I think I broke my neck."

"You didn't," Max tells him.

"This isn't what it looks like," his niece says.

"Really?" he cries out, every thought about the kid who got out of prison gone. "'Cause it looks like the ninth circle of hell."

"Okay, that's dramatic."

"Why on god's green Earth were you in that position?" he still cries out.

Kathryn glances at JJ, who gave up on standing up and is just lying on the floor, on his back. "I'm..." She fumbles for an excuse, and for someone who's been deemed the best liar of the group, she fails miserably. "Well, you know I'm autistic."

This might be the blankest stare she's ever received. "And?"

"He's my weighted blanket."

"I'm your what?"

"Don't speak."

Kie and Pope stare at each other from their chairs. "I wish I had something to eat."

Pope shakes his head. "I wish I had a rope to hang myself with."

Kathryn glowers at them, before sighing and turning back to Henry. "Just... What is it? What's going on?"

Henry stands there, face pale, mouth dry. Max rolls his eyes and pushes him out of the way. The atmosphere shifts in the blink of an eye.

The room immediately explodes in a concert of screams of joy.

JJ jumps on his feet. "Hold on–"

"Are you serious?"

"Mate, what?"

"Am I dreaming?"

John B cracks a smile, walking in. "Guess who's out the clink, boy!"

Kathryn rushes to throw her arms around his neck, the others joining in until they form an awkward group hug, jumping around the room. This feels like Charleston, minus the white supremacists. Though, she thinks she'd trade them for Henry right now.

Billy hangs back, observing the scene with a sly smile. This is a win they deserve, for all the shit they just went through. And she's also relieved that this was done legally.

"How'd you do it?" JJ asks. "You bust out?"

John B shakes his head. "Uh, they dropped the charges."

Kathryn stares at him. "You're joking."

"Dude, that's phenomenal," Kie says.

"You're telling me I did all that work for nothing?"

"That wasn't work, Jay, that was a weed-induced shit show."

"The most elaborate plan of all time?" Pope asks.

"'Foolproof'," Kie recalls, with air-quotes.

"Yeah, it was, actually!"

"Before or after the part where you burst out of a stolen ambulance?"

Billy makes a face, looking at her brother. "You probably shouldn't be here for that."

"We shouldn't be here," Max repeats.

"I wanna hear," Henry counters. "Hey, what's that about a stolen vehicle? Also, why were you sleeping on my niece?"

JJ looks at Kathryn. "I think he's going to kill me."

"I'm still debating on being the one to do it," she answers.

"Wait." They turn to John B, who looks worried. "Where's Sarah?"

Kathryn immediately glances at Kie. They haven't seen Sarah since the hearing, since she said she was going to ask Wheezie to testify. They all kind of figured that she stayed over with Wheezie, and left it at that. They were busy trying to exonerate John B, and stealing ambulances.

Still, Kathryn feels bad that she completely slipped her mind. Sarah is her friend, too. Maybe she needed time alone.

"No, no, no," John B breathes out. "Where... Where–where's Sarah?"

The answer comes from Billy, which makes Kie stiffens, but a look from Kathryn is enough to shut her up. "She went to meet Wheezie last night. She didn't come back."

John B is out of the room in a flash. The others follow after him – Kathryn grabs her glasses on her way out, shooting a glare at her uncles, staying in the room.

JJ awkwardly walks past Henry. "Bye mister H."

"I'll strangle you with your own dick if I catch you like that again. No offence though, you're a nice kid."

JJ almost runs out of the room. Max stares at his fiancé, as his sister follows her new friends. "That was a bit much."

Henry shudders. "I think I'm gonna barf."

"Okay."

Outside, the five teenagers are following John B wherever he's going, Kathryn eyeing the busted up Twinkie as she passes it. She needs a fixup.

"Bee," she calls as he walks to the docks. "Sarah's resourceful, okay? I'm sure she's fine."

He leans forward against the wooden rail, but doesn't answer. She sits down, legs dangling over the planks.

Pope sighs, going to sit on the HMS Pogue that they parked here the day before. He's joined by JJ, who looks back at his best friend. "Hey, big guy, no offence but... Why? Why were the charges dropped?"

John B temporarily snaps out of his worried husband mode. "Well, um... They're going after Rafe."

Kathryn doesn't look up to see the others looking back at her. The information worms its way to her brain. She wants to be the bigger person and say that she's sorry for his family, but she'd be lying.

Something that feels a lot like satisfaction blooms in her chest. Retribution. Not for everything he's done, but at least it could be enough.

At least, that twelve years old crying in her room may yet find some peace.

"I hope he rots in there," Billy says, sitting next to Kathryn.

The latter can't help but snort. "That's a lot of negative emotion for you."

"Can't exactly blame her," Kie says, sitting opposite her with her back on the railing. "Can't exactly disagree either."

"If you two found common ground, I gotta agree too."

Pope shakes his head. "No one's going to disagree here, I think."

It's JJ, who notices the way Kathryn answers – robotic, well-rehearsed sentences – that leans forward to catch her gaze. She holds it, trying to decide which colours she could possibly mix together to get the exact shade of his eyes. Something clear, something blue and light, a billion lightyears away from the dark crimson coating her skin still, after all this time. The kind that will stain him.

Peace is a little way away, still. A wild fire stands between them.

JJ knows that everytime Rafe's name is said, she's brought back to that night. "Let's talk about something else."

She nods, grateful. "Yeah."

There's silence for a moment, before John B breaks it, changing the subject swiftly. "So, Sarah just dips and doesn't call?"

This is going to be an equally long and tortuous talk, but at least Kathryn can bottle up her feelings for later.

"Yeah, man," Pope tells him. "She just left her bag. Didn't tell anybody."

"Didn't seem like she wanted to talk too," Billy adds. "I think it was hard on her." She remembers the look on the girl's face.

"Okay, you're right, I... I really think Ward got to her." He huffs. "I mean, the dude tried to have me killed in jail."

Kathryn gapes, braincells frying. She almost snaps her neck looking back up at John B. That's not a change of subject; that's grounds for murder. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah. He sent somebody to the prison who yoked me up and almost killed me." He mimes getting strangled, which doesn't help.

"You serious?" Kie cries out.

Billy winces. "Please don't start planning murders."

"Who?" Kathryn ignores her completely, eye twitching. Whoever it was should fear the day he hears her pretty heels click down the corridor, when she comes for him.

"I have no idea," John B says. "Dude, I just swear to god, one day I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."

She scoffs. "Me first."

"We could take turns," JJ adds, nudging her knee, and she finds promises of murder the tiniest bit cute. She blows out a breath, trying to shove down her anger.

"Look, it's okay." Kathryn wonders if Kie lost her mind for a second.

"No, Kie, it's not okay," John B immediately counters. "We gotta find Sarah."

Billy leans forward. "No, I think she means that she's right there."

She likes Sarah Cameron, from what she's heard of her and seen in that short time. However, that new-found feeling quickly dims when she sees Topper driving the boat she's on.

She looks back at Kathryn. "That's... his friend, right? The frosted tips one?"

"Yeah," she answers, frowning.

JJ holds back a laugh. "You actually call him frosted tips?"

"His name's Topper, I think I'm doing him a favour."

"I think we have bigger issues, guys," Pope says as John B awkwardly looks away from Sarah.

"Yeah, like, why is she with Topper?" Kie adds.

Billy remembers that they dated when Kathryn first arrived in Outer Banks. Though, she isn't sure who's looking the worst right now, Kie, or John B? She doesn't say anything else on that matter.

And Kathryn, well, she's just glad she found a way to redirect her anger and not let it die out. Not right now. Burning is still second nature, even if she feels it scar her flesh now.

"John B?" Sarah cries out, a grin splitting her face, heart swelling in her chest. "Oh my god, he's out."

Her ex boy-toy doesn't seem to share the feeling. "There he is..." he lets out. Kathryn could rip his stupid chiselled chin right off his face.

As Sarah hugs and kisses John B, who whispers that he's 'so glad' she's okay, his friends stare Topper down, daring him to even try to take a step off his boat and onto the Darcys' dock.

John B explains to Sarah that they dropped the charges, and they kiss and hug some more, Billy staring at the couple with a dumb smile. She loves that. It's the happiest thing she's seen all morning. That, and Kat and JJ when they were sleeping, but she has a feeling this will never be spoken off again.

Kie watches her from the corner of her eyes. She looks like a puppy dog being offered a bone. It's... She looks away.

"Listen, Sarah," John B tells her, slowly coming down from his little cloud. "They're coming after Rafe."

Not a single emotion passes on the girl's face. "Good. He's completely unhinged." She thinks of how to say her next words, carefully. "He jumped me last night."

All eyes converge to her – except blue ones, who gauge someone's reaction.

"What?"

"So last night was just a fever dream for everyone?"

"That's why I didn't come back," Sarah continues.

Kathryn swears under her breath, reaching up to touch the blonde's hand. "I'm sorry. We should have insisted – we should have called." She is the very figure of guilt.

Sarah offers her dimpled-smile. "It's okay. I don't hold it against you guys."

She can't imagine what she's going through. If John B was to attack her, to be fair, she would probably deserve it, and she'd probably let him, which is another can of worms that doesn't need to be opened right now.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," she says, sincere.

"Yeah, man." Topper's voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard. "Rafe has lost his mind. Literally almost drowned his own sister. Thankfully I got there... got there just in time."

The silence that follows is awkward, and tense. Kathryn lets go of Sarah, and frowns at Topper behind her glasses. "If only someone had warned you that he was a psycho before, right? I'm sure you would've saved the day then."

Billy rolls her lips in her mouth, making the mistake of crossing JJ's eyes, who tries his best to not look like a proud mom.

A small smirk plays on John B's mouth at her dig. "Uh, well, I guess I owe you one, Topper, don't I?"

Topper scoffs. "It's all good. I mean, somebody had to rescue your girlfriend, right?"

Kathryn runs her tongue on her teeth, turning to the others. "I'm going to bleach his dick."

"Then we'll have to call him frosted tip," JJ lets out under his breath, and she chokes on her saliva.

Next to them, Kie chortles. Pope hides behind him, and Billy hides her red face in her arms.

"Uh, that's funny because she's not actually my girlfriend, right?" A chill runs up Kathryn's spine. Oh god. Oh that's going to be awful.

Topper laughs again. "Uh... What is she then?"

John B shrugs. "Tell him."

Sarah smiles awkwardly, looking back and forth between her husband and her ex. "I'm... I'm with him."

Kathryn closes her eyes. "I'll get the bath running."

"I'll get the toaster," Billy completes.

"Gotcha," Topper chuckles. "You're with him. Okay, yeah. I just, like, needed a little clarity there." He gestures to the Pogues. "You guys clear on that?"

Kathryn stares him down. "Look away."

"I think it's clear you gotta go now," JJ tells him.

He nods. "Think I'll head out. It's about time."

"Oh it's well past time," Kathryn adds.

Still, Sarah walks back to him. "Topper. Thank you."

She hugs him. "Yeah, of course. I'm just glad you're okay." It'd be cute and truthful, if he wasn't looking at John B the entire time.

He drives off after letting her go.

"Come back to my house again and I'll use your skin as a doormat!" she calls out after him.

"Pleasure seeing you, Kat!"

"They use your face for pro-choice adverts!" She huffs out a breath, looking back at John B. "He's a cunt, don't pay attention to him."

John B nods. "Yeah, no, you're right." But the way he looks at Sarah tells her another story. If he's a free man, he seems pretty trapped in his own thoughts. This is going to come back to bite them in the ass, isn't it?

Just like Rafe is. He won't go down without a fight, she knows that much. This day has been too calm. Knowing them, it's bound to go to shit at some point.

Which is why, in the awkward silence that follows, JJ claps his hands. "How about we celebrate that freedom at the Château? Where Henry won't kill me, preferably."

Sarah frowns. "Why would–"

"Don't ask," Kathryn grumbles, standing up. "Let's just go. It's still early, and the world hasn't screwed us over yet."

Yet.

Author's Note: I'm soooorry for the lack of updates, turns out masters degree are demanding???? I have to work? Disgusting. I write scenes of Kat and JJ sleeping to cope.