Kathryn is at least thankful that she was knocked out for most of the plane ride. She never went to South America, before, and she didn't mind not seeing it from above. She neither trusted herself to calm down on her own, or her father to even try and comfort her. The only thing she found solace in was the fact that neither JJ or Billy were here. Considering who her father was apparently best buds with...

There's not much else to be thankful for, considering she sits in an empty bedroom, waiting for Singh to, what? Come threaten her into translating the idol? Kathryn would just pretend like she doesn't care what happens to her body. It doesn't belong to her.

Well, whether this was truth or comfort, how was she to know?

Edward opens the door, and finds her glaring back at him. It seems she has been stuck like this for some time now, glaring and glaring because who was that man in front of her? All the things he had done to her, to JJ, they all rewrote the myth of him. She didn't recognise him.

"What do you want?" she spits out. "Trying to test my tolerance to kidnapping? Because it's waning."

Edward sighs, a plaintive little sound. "I wanted to apologize."

She hums. "Okay. You can go now."

He doesn't go. In fact, he goes as far as to sit down in front of her, on a sofa that's got to be flea-ridden from the looks of it. Or maybe the fleas came from him, who's to say.

"I'm not leaving until you understand my side of things, Kat."

She flattens her lips together, scoffing softly. "Fine by me, you'll be dead before I am."

"Kitten–"

"No, no, you don't get to tell me anything, you don't get to call me anything but my name," she orders, voice firm. "You put me in this mess, and I'll be fucking damned if I let you take charge of it, too."

He winces, but she doesn't care. Kathryn was like that. Edward not only lost her trust, but her love, and there was no coming back from it. She wouldn't mourn it, either, she would treat it as a fact.

For the first time, in what might be years, Kathryn was glad to be Caroline Bennet's daughter. Fire so easily turned to ice in her veins.

Edward takes a deep breath. "I can gather what Caroline must have said about me, the broad strokes of it." She barely acknowledges him. "And... And I wish I didn't have to use you, like I do. Because I do love you. You're my kid. And you deserved a better dad, Kat."

"I have one," she tells him. "I forgot, for a moment there, blinded as I was by your fucking ghost, but I have a better dad. I'm Henry's kid. And you betrayed him too."

He bows his head at the mention of his older brother. "If... if you have any questions, about my motivations, or..."

"I do, actually." Kathryn raises her chin. "What did you tell JJ?"

He goes still. Then, he frowns. "Of all the things your mother must have told you, that's what you want clarification on?"

"Yep. What did you tell him? What did you say, that got into his brain and ingrained the idea that I didn't deserve him, or that he didn't deserve us? Because I have a feeling it's going to make me hate you much easier."

He still stares at her, and she has to admit that she dislikes how stupid he makes her feel, with that single glare. Like he expected something different, something more than what she asked, like he has the whole situation in his hands, and she's just playing his game.

Much like he did when he mentioned JJ. He knew she would lose her calm, that she would walk up to him. The slap might have surprised him, but that was it. Kathryn had gotten close enough for him to push the chloroform on her nose, just like he knew she would.

"Kat, you do realise that... I mean, Caroline must have told you that I was never the man you thought me to be. That you've lied to yourself your whole life, and the lie just fell through, and you're asking me what I did to hurt your boyfriend's feelings?"

She shrugs. "Yeah, that about sums it up."

Not that she didn't care, that her father was a lying cunt. Of course she did. But oh, she should have known, and the only anger towards this knowledge was directed at her, and the lie she told herself, of who he was.

If she hadn't idolised him like she did, maybe none of this would have happened, and this, this was on her.

What he did to JJ, now, that was a different matter. A driving force, really. Everytime she faltered, and found herself feeling for the man in front of her, she reminded herself of the broken look on JJ's face as he told he loved her, as she told him that it wasn't worth anything. Had her father said the same thing to him? The whole thing made her sick.

"This is exactly why I had to force you two apart, do you realize?" She sets her jaw, eyes blazing. "You were too... emotional."

Her face stretches in a grin. "I'm sorry?"

"My life was on the line, Kat," he tells her, whining. "Singh was threatening me, telling me to translate an idol I didn't understand, and you were my only hope. And I learned that you were fawning over the same boy, as what, five years ago? I panicked."

"Right, you panicked, but I was the emotional one," she casually repeats to him. "Go on, I'm sure I'm going to like where this is going."

He barely clenches his jaw at her remark. "And then you walked in with that boy, and you told me everything that happened to you, I thought you'd be strong. Those experiences should have made you strong, but you clinged to that boy." He tsks. "How could I not think that my sacrifice wasn't in vain? You were weak. You seemed at peace, and I needed you at war."

Kathryn stares at him. Seems like they were two to tell the truth when pushed too hard. Edward so casually revealed what he thought of his daughter, once she'd angered him, that it was almost laughable, if the words didn't feed a fire that never died out, never will, and she was grateful for it.

Because Kathryn didn't care, that she had moments of vulnerability, that she was weak, and that was something her father would never understand. It was something that Henry had wanted for her. To be soft. It came with a cost, and she'd pay it twice over to escape the numbness that was her life before coming back to the Outer Banks.

"I can't believe you're giving me the worst fucking 'love makes you weak' speech I've ever heard," she says, laughing to herself a little. "I don't think you understand the kind of strength it takes me to be gentle. But that's fine, because you're a big man, and women with emotions mean weakness, right?

"You want to know what I did, while being in love with JJ, and so, so weak? We figured out where the Royal Merchant was, where the gold was, we found the Cross of Santo Domingo and Cecilia Tanny's grave. That's not a bad record, I should think.

"And where were you again? Oh, that's right. Sitting on your lazy arse waiting for me to do your job."

A muscle trembles in Edward's jaw, but to be fair, she doesn't care. "I had to protect myself."

"Yeah, like a pussy."

She revelled in the look of pure frustration on her dad's face. She had no time to spare him, if he was going to spew this type of nonsense, instead of just answering her questions.

She leans forward, all smiles. "But don't worry. I'll translate your idol. And then I'll get home, I'll tell Henry about you, and I'll never see you again. Dad."

He hesitates, between the anger he feels for her, and the fact that she just presented him with El Dorado on a silver platter. Kathryn knew what her dad would choose, in the end. After all, she was better used, right? And it's not like it mattered, what he'd do with her, move her body from one spot to the other. It didn't belong to her, after all.

This became less and less like a truth and more like a comfort, as it was so often robbed from her. The less she had control over her body, of what people did with it, with her, the more Kathryn realised, this was her. Those people were using her.

She was the only one who dissociated with her bones.

It hurt more that her own father was the one who forced her to realise it. Her own disregard of herself had brought her here. Everyone wanted a piece of her, she'd said. She never mentioned how she let them.

Not anymore.

🍓

Kathryn hugs Big John close to her. The older man pats her back, and squeezes her in return, engulfing her completely. At the very least, she's glad that he's alive. A shame that she got to him before any of the others, though.

"Bee was worried sick about you," she tells him.

"I know, I'm sorry," he gruffly responds. "It's my own damn fault, too."

She wants to ask, but Singh is in the room, watching them, circling them. Her dad is god knows where, but she's happy he isn't here right now. Now's not the time, and it won't be the time ever again, she figures. She doesn't plan on staying here, one way or another.

"There she is, our intrepid translator," he greets her. "Miss Darcy and Mister Routledge, leading the charge on the road to El Dorado."

She would almost be proud of that title, if it wasn't for the men walking in with him. Armed. Kathryn swallows thickly. Singh is not an easy man to escape, this, she remembers.

"Look, Carlos," Big John starts, "it's not like we're translating French, all right?"

"Ah bah ça, c'est sûr," Kathryn hums.

"Even with Kat's help, we need more time," he asks.

Kathryn isn't exactly up to date, with the deadline, or the stakes, or the threats Singh undoubtedly threw his way, but going by how worried Big John looks, it can't be good.

Sing scoffs. "Of course, of course. You have a few hours. Prove to me the kid is worth keeping alive, John."

Well, at least, now she knows.

They leave the pair together for a couple of hours, Kathryn cramming every sigil she remembers, not touching the idol that sits so prettily on the table, that she's afraid to break, or something. Her own life is on the line, but...

When the third hour starts, Big John throws his glasses on the table.

"It'd help if we knew which order to read it with."

"Yeah, um, they didn't exactly leave us indications..." She licks her lips. "When Singh said he'd kill me, he was joking, right? We might as well be the only ones who can translate this thing."

Big John stands up, and walks to the window. Locked. And by that, Kathryn means with an actual padlock. "Kat, once we translate it, they'll kill you, and me."

Her heart hammers in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her. "Right. Right, cool."

The prospect of dying to Singh, though she has felt it before, isn't exactly all that joyful, not to mention her best friend's dad is with her now. Whether she translates it or not, she's dead, if the situation doesn't change.

Her body is hers. She'd hate to lose it again.

She watches with worry as the old man runs around, before picking up a small, metal piece, twisting it around. "Big John, I feel like what you're doing is just speeding up the process."

"Nah..." He inserts the piece in the padlock. "It's just like old times back in the old Pogues days, hey."

With a grunt, he unlocks it, and gestures for her to come closer. Kathryn can't believe this is as easy as it is. She stands up.

A man hurls past her, grabbing Big John by the shoulders, and yanking him back.

"Big John!"

They thrash around the room, until a second man joins in, holding Big John back, and the only thing Kathryn can do is watch and scream and pray that they won't kill him now, because they need more time to escape, and–

"Let him go you stupid fucking cunts! Morons! You weird arse products of incest, just let him go!"

It doesn't help much, but it's the only thing she can do, until he's reduced to a coughing mess on the floor, and the window is closed again.

They shove past her, forcing the two to sit on the bed. One man leaves, but the other stays, still a gun in his hand. Kathryn's heart is in her throat. Once upon a time, she would be completely frozen.

Now, she couldn't stop, she had to fight to live.

"We're meant to translate the damn thing, how do we do that while sitting on your crusty bed?"

"You should've thought of that before," the man tells her.

Not very helpful.

Something goes off in the other room, like a gunshot. Then more, until a dozen ring in her ears. He shoots up, tells them not to move, and leaves the room.

Way more helpful.

"What's going on?" Kathryn asks, watching Big John rush to a window.

"Those were fireworks," he tells her. He looks out. "I'll be damned."

"What?" She joins him. "Oh."

Running around like an idiot on ecstasy with a ladder under his arm, John B is there, in all his teenage glory. The fireworks have got to be from him. The moron.

He looks the exact same he did, when she chased him around with a bee.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Kathryn asks, entranced at the prospect of being able to leave this god forsaken place.

Big John gestures at her to stay back. "Sit on the bed. When someone gets in, we'll knock him out." He fumbles around for some lamp. "With this. You, you open the window, okay?"

Kathryn stares at him. "That sounds like one of JJ's plans."

"Do they ever fail?"

"Yes. Yes, quite a lot actually."

Still, it's what they do. The whole ordeal is so fast, Kathryn barely has time to stand up from the bed before Singh's man is thrashing on the floor, Big John over him.

Even quicker, the man picks up his gun, and aims it at him.

"Sit down. Sit down!"

But Kathryn wants to leave, she wants to get out, and her body and her mind are hers and she can use both for her own benefits, and so she slams herself into the man, effectively sending the gun flying to the ground.

And the man out the window, for that matter.

Big John stares at her for a second. Then out. Then back at her. "God damn, kid."

Kathryn just hopes she broke a few bones without actually killing the man.

Big John lunges for the window, clearly scared that more men are coming, skipping the ladder that is so conveniently there, and jumping down, with god knows what athleticism lesson he took.

Kathryn swallows down her fear of heights, and puts a foot on the ladder. The rest of her descent is quickened by two arms grabbing her waist, and lifting her before putting her down.

She whirls around, a scream lodged in her throat. Then, she grins. Kathryn has never been more happy to see John B in her entire life.

"Bee!" she blurts out, hugging him close to her.

"Bug, what the hell are you doing here?"

Sarah smiles behind him. "Hi."

"Hi, Sarah," Big John greets.

Kathryn leans back. "Where's JJ?"

There's no time to answer, someone is already crying out to go after them.

"We gotta go, we gotta go."

"No, we know that!"

She doesn't think about leaving her dad behind twice. Whatever is waiting for him, he had it coming, and Kathryn deserved to get away. Whatever happens to him, it's not on her. It's not her fault, it's the consequences of his own actions. And she was always the one who left, wasn't she? Maybe she deserved to leave.

Kathryn is done making excuses for men who used her.

Author's Note: I finally have how I want this book to end PINNED DOWN oooOOOOOOOOOOO

Yeah I'm sobbing over Kat's development whatever. Starting the book using her body because she felt like it wasn't hers and deserved to be kidnapped? Ending it with her coming to terms with the fact that it does belong to her and she puts herself through shit she didn't deserve? AHHAHAHAHHAHA

I'm so normal btw if you're wondering.