Kathryn is no JJ Maybank, when it comes to planning an escape. The best thing she can think of is to park the boat in the harbour, drop a pin to Portis' phone that is thankfully saved on this one, and add a text that would prove it's her.

It ends up just being 'Meet me at the pin at 6:15.' with an emoji of a bug, a fish, and a frying pan. She hopes the bug will sell it, but if it doesn't, maybe JJ will remember that she's his favourite fish to fry.

Waiting for time to pass is the worst thing. She gave them thirty minutes to get there, figuring that they couldn't have gone very far if they were, in fact, trying to get her out.

She also gets to thinking that maybe, between the moment she escaped and sent the text, Singh's men got to them. Now, she just has to hope that her friends' legendary luck to escape any shit situation will strike again. And that her friends still have the phone. And that they get the message and believe it's her, and not some sort of trap.

When the time rolls around, Kathryn's nerves are all over the place, she feels seconds away from crying, and her hands are shaking on the guardrail, scanning the docks for a familiar face. Her heart is in her throat, hammering, a metallic taste at the back of her mouth. What if their fight was actually the last she had seen of JJ, forever? And she waited to talk it out...

If she has a panic attack on that dock, she's going to be so pissed.

The only person on the dock is a moron with his back to her, wearing an honestly awful shirt with a maybe worse hat and a gun under his waistband. It takes half a second, as he turns to face her, for her to realise that it's her moron.

"I hope the gun wasn't for me," she can't help but breathe out, even if her voice is shaking.

JJ stares at her, pushing the hat off his face, starstruck, and it takes Kathryn a moment to realise that she's the only one of the group who's showered for the first time in forever, wearing clean clothes, and JJ is positive he's having revelations.

It hits Kathryn that for a few hours back there, JJ could have been dead and she never would have known. She kept it so far away from her mind, to keep going, to get herself out of the situation, that it comes back like a rubber band and hits right in her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her.

She runs across the docks, JJ meeting her halfway there, arms winding around her waist and across her back, holding her to him as tight as she does, hugging his shoulders. She feels something like a small sob escape her chest.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he whispers against her collarbone. "You really have to stop getting kidnapped."

A laugh tumbles out of her lips as she leans away, quickly wiping her face. "Next time I'll tell them my boyfriend's against it."

"Yeah, he really is," he nods along, sniffling, trying to hide the slight tears shining in his eyes.

She frames his face in her hands, chin suddenly wobbling. She takes every feature in, memorises them, paints JJ in her mind until the colours of him are the only things left. Bright blue eyes, albeit a bit red at the moment, straight nose over pouty lips that she's drawn in her dreams.

"Oh, god. The location JJ, why didn't you turn it off?" He seems bewildered, for a second, moreso when she takes him by the shoulders and starts shaking him. "They sent people after you! Military. I thought you were dead," she cries out.

A huge smile splits his face, reassuringly tugging at her arms to put them around him. "Yeah, but I'm here now. Okay? It's all right." When she can't see his face, it scrunches up in pain. For him, she could've been dead for days and he never would have known. "It's all right," he tells himself.

They stay in each other's arms for what seems like too long to their friends, who jog up to them, screaming and cheering at getting Kathryn back.

She lets go of with a teary grin as Cleo and Pope collide into her first, Sarah and Kie quickly taking over, Kathryn doing her best not to cry until John B takes her face in his large hands and brings her to his shoulder, leaning his cheek against the top of her head.

Soon enough, Kathryn is encompassed by the group and her tears are hidden, but happy.

She clears her throat. "I scored a boat, by the way."

They immediately part from her, her boyfriend blinking back at the huge yacht. "Are you kidding me? KD?"

"Is this you?" Pope cries out.

Sarah splutters a little, but Kathryn just shrugs, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "It's a long story, but I vote for splitting, right now."

They start walking – well, JJ skips a little – to the boat, Kathryn flipping her hair in pride every now and then. She gets to, she somehow got their ticket out of there and back to the Outer Banks. Or at least, closer to it.

She counts her friends like a mother hen, and turns back, screaming at John B to hurry. The place she chose is exposed, but it was the easiest one to hide a boat in plain sight. Which just means they really have to go.

They separate in small groups to get the boat ready, as fast as possible.

"Yeah, so I have just a couple of questions," JJ calls out after her as she walks up to the wheel, and he gets the bowline.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," she answers with a slight smirk.

"A Lagoon 6620 with twin 150 Volvos – you understand we can go anywhere with this thing, right?"

She makes a face at him, climbing down the stairs. "I'll let you drive if you behave."

She sees the bob of his throat. "Way to be discreet, by the way." She clicks her tongue in answer. "What did they want anyway? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

Something ticks in her cheek, suddenly remembering Rafe and the room they were locked in. She watches JJ untie the rope, and looking up at her with storms in his eyes. "Nah. They were just... Singh wanted Tanny's Diary."

JJ frowns. "Why?"

"Delusion, mostly. Like, the last stage. He was convinced it lead to this huge treasure that beats the Merchant," she explains as he climbs back on the boat, joining her.

There's a spark of interest in his blue eyes. "You're saying there's a bigger treasure?"

She grins. "If he's not totally deluded himself, I guess?"

"Then sign me up."

He quickly pecks her lips, before moving away. Kathryn links their fingers before he can go too far. He turns back to her, confused.

She licks her lips. "I, um... Look, I know we don't want the same things." His gaze softens. "We're different people. We know this. But that's never stopped us before, and I don't want it to stop us now."

JJ knows he has to say something, to explain his reaction, because he never wants Kathryn to believe that what she's offering him isn't everything he's ever needed.

"I'm sorry," are the first words fired out of his mouth. "I have this thing, in my head." He gestures to hit with his forefinger, as if it'd help his point. "Where I think you're like... going to leave me. The second you get home."

The look Kathryn gets should be enough of a reassurement. "Is that thing brain damage?"

He makes a face at her. "I'm serious."

"So am I. Deathly so. I'd never leave you, are you insane?" She looks everywhere but his face, cheeks burning. Arguing is easier than this, but not worth more. "You... I'm so bad at this."

A stupid smile stretches his lips. "You're not."

"Look," she cuts in, harshly, but soft. "OBX isn't home if you're not there, okay? So if you're wondering what's waiting for you back there, I am. I always will be." She looks back at him, sighing a little at his surprised face. "So tell your brain damage to fix itself, because your girlfriend really doesn't like it."

The grin is back on in a matter of seconds, tugging at their joint hands to get her closer, her fingers resting at the back of his neck as he holds the small of her back. "That's not how brain damage works."

She tuts. "That doesn't sound like you behaving, Maybank. Careful, I'll hide the keys to the boat."

He pouts. "You're mean."

"Kiss me about it."

He does, without so much as a complaint. She stands up on her toes to kiss his smirk, hands moving up to his hair to bring him closer to her, which he happily obliges, hungrily kissing back. She laughs in his mouth when he bends her back, nearly folding her in half.

"Hey, idiots!" Cleo calls out. "Stop kissing, we gotta go!"

JJ smirks at Kathryn and the dazed look in her eyes when he lets her go. She rolls her eyes and pushes his face away. "Idiot."

They walk back to the front of the boat, the others regrouping. They're about to leave, to go back home, and the thought is enough to make Kathryn buzz with excitement. She'll grovel at Henry's feet so he'll forgive her. She'll do anything, anything she can, because at least she'll be home. He can be mad. She'll still be home.

She's shocked out of her daze when John B comes barreling past her.

"Bee?" she calls after him, bewildered.

"I'll be right back!"

"You what?"

"I love you Sarah!"

He's running down the street already, back turned to them, not even sparing them a glance. ...Okay?

Pope turns back to Kathryn, blinking. "What the hell?"

"I'd like to know, yeah." She leans next to him. "In your own time to explain, Sarah Cameron!"

Sarah, still upstairs, laughs a little but doesn't say anything. Whatever. Kathryn just settles down on a cushion. He was always a little weird, maybe he forgot something, an errand to run. Somewhere to go. John B knows what kind of hurry they're in, so he'll be quick.

But he wasn't the quickest.

Thirty minutes go by, before Singh's men find them. A whole squad drives up the streets and straight to the docks, spotted from afar.

"Guys, incoming!" Kie cries out, staring in the distance.

Everyone jumps on their feet. Whatever they're about to do, they have to be quick about it, because Kathryn knows for a fact they don't stand a chance against Singh's men, not with the kind of ammunition he has.

John B is nowhere to be seen.

She feels her heart lurch. She runs to the stairs, where Sarah's coming down, as panicked as she is. "Where's John B?"

"He said he'd be back by now!" she cries back at her.

The brunette's hands go up to her hair, tugging, as if it'd help her think quicker. "Fucking... JJ, what do we do?"

JJ is already getting the gun. "We gotta make a stand. That's what we gotta do. That's the only option."

"Okay, forget I asked."

"Kat we're not splitting up again!" he stresses out, distress coming out of him in waves, each one hitting her harder.

Kathryn can't agree more, but every time she blinks, she remembers the gunshot that killed Jimmy Portis, and the satisfied look on his face. Those men are killers. She can't leave without John B, but if any other one of her friends, if JJ gets shot because of that, she'll die, too.

As if Kie could hear her, she shakes her head, voice loud. "Guys, Kat told us he killed Portis, we can't stay here!"

Instinct and clear thoughts fight themself in her brain. Leaving any other Pogue is enough to make her sick, leaving the one she thought... the one she drove away... That's another story.

"I know what I said." She stands next to JJ. "We can't leave John B."

"No Pogue left behind," Pope adds behind her.

"What are you gonna do?" Sarah screams out.

"They're here! They're getting closer!"

Singh's men are halfway across the dock when the Pogues are still screaming at each other. They're halfway to them, when Sarah stands up, ignoring everyone's shouting, going to the wheel.

Kathryn, against all better judgement, lunges for her. She doesn't think, not for a single second. It's all so quick, Kathryn just wants to hold her back.

She doesn't make it very far before Cleo holds her back. "We have to get John B, we can't just leave!"

Cleo forces her away. "We'll get him later!"

It's too late anyway, they're already leaving when cars and trucks full of Singh's men stop on each side of the shore, guns raised.

They shoot at the group, forcing them to get down, duck out of the fire. Kathryn feels the wind of the bullets and hears their whistle as they go right over her head, Cleo holding her down.

It stops as quick as it started, whoever decided the kids didn't need to die for this.

By the time the Darcy girl stumbles on her feet and looks back at the city, they're out and into the open sea.

All of it happened so fast, she's not even sure she can process it. Only that they're leaving, and they're all fine, but JJ reaches for her with the same disheartened look and Sarah is apologising to her boyfriend and John B isn't with them. He, too, was screaming that they couldn't leave their best friend.

He, too, can't forget what it felt like when John B was gone.

"He's such an idiot," she lets out, but even her words don't sound angry.

The sound of bells answers her. 

Author's Note: John B you are not the crispiest crisp I can tell you that right now...

(Days until I have the first draft of my thesis: - 13

Days until I hand in my thesis: -34

I am losing my mind.)