Kathryn wakes up with a sore neck and a numb leg. She ended up falling asleep at the foot of John B's bed – like everyone else, really. Guess old habits die hard. She stands up begrudgingly and, as no one is there, she can't help but sigh.

They didn't get caught, she thinks. Otherwise, Henry would have woken her up, surely. And that's good, because she didn't feel like listening to yet another 'the Pogues were good for you when your dad died, maybe you should bring the band back together.' Thanks, but no thanks. No one gets to know her like that anymore.

She takes a quick shower, gets dressed, puts on her jean shorts and a blue blouse, tying it at her waist. She's wearing a white bikini underneath – it's her favourite, lately. She doesn't bother to put make-up on considering where they're going today, but quickly braids her hair in two.

Once she's done, she runs down the stairs. When she nears the ground floor, she smells pancakes, and her stomach growls. She didn't exactly eat, last night, with everything. And Max's pancakes are, to put it lightly, heavenly. She enters the room.

"Hey Max–" She stops dead in her tracks, staring. "Uh, hey John B?"

John B, sitting on one of their stools, turns around, mouth full with pancakes. "Mhey Kat." He almost spits out everything.

She makes a face at him and the crumbs on the counter, before slowly making her way and sitting down next to him. He has a black eye, courtesy of Topper.

"I like your new look."

He points at his eye. "What, this? You should see the other guy."

"I've seen the other guy. The other guy has literally not a single bruise."

He huffs. "Yeah you're not looking so well yourself. 'Hit me', how did that go for you?" he asks, gesturing to her jaw.

It's slightly bruised, nothing major. Topper went easy on her, something he'll probably tell Sarah.

She plasters on a sickly sweet smile. "I think it compliments my skin, you don't think so?"

"No, no, I like it."

"Hi kids!" Max walks in, with a smile that makes her think he was listening all along. It crinkles his soft blue eyes, and his nose scrunches up. It's like his entire face is morphed and struggles to contain the happiness.

However, when he notices Kathryn's blooming bruise, his face falls, and she regrets everything that happened.

"What happened to your face?" he asks.

Kathryn waves him off, as if absent-mindedly. "Bah, I just fell down in the courtyard yesterday. It was dark, there were branches everywhere."

He seems dubious, nodding slowly. "And what happened to you, John?"

John B ducks his head, focusing on his plates. "Same, same."

Max sighs. "Next time, instead of sneaking someone in, just ask. You know we'll say yes."

Kathryn doesn't answer for a moment. Both him and Henry are a bit too happy that the Pogues made it here. "Will do, Max."

He huffs a little, before smiling again. All is well. He hands her a plate of pancakes. "Henry went to work, but he told me to tell you to say hi to JJ."

Bastards. John B seems to find it really funny. Kathryn doesn't. He hides from her murderous glance. "Thanks. I'll make sure to tell him, won't I?"

Max, unaware of her frustration, just nods thoughtfully. "Oh, and you know the closed marsh?" The teenagers look up at him intently, waiting for him to go on. "We found a dead body there."

"Who's?" she immediately asks, earning a glance from Max. "In a non-morbid and very thoughtful way."

"Scooter Grubbs'," John B answers for him.

"Yes. Poor guy. He'd just scored a brand new Grady-White – everyone's looking for it."

Kathryn can't help but look back at John B, who stuffs his face with pancakes to avoid her gaze. "That's strange," he grumbles for himself.

"I have to get to work too," Max adds. "Have a nice day Kat."

"You too."

"Bye John!"

"Have a good day sir!"

He waves at Kathryn, aware that she wouldn't like to be kissed goodbye, and leaves.

She immediately turns to John B. "You found Scooter's boat?"

He almost chokes on his mouthful. "As if you didn't know."

"I didn't," she tells him. "JJ lied and said that you guys had no idea who's boat it was." She has to hold back a smirk when she speaks; "He still does this thing, when he lies, he..."

"He bites his tongue, yeah, I've noticed."

She slowly nods. "Yeah." Kathryn takes a bite of her pancakes, munching thoughtfully. "So what's the plan? Besides exploring the boat."

"The plan is actually exploring the boat. Scooter could never afford a Grady-White, and with the gun and the cash we found..." He huffs. "I want to know what's inside that boat, don't you?"

Kathryn considers him. "I was right. You really need someone to stop the cops from arresting you."

"Good thing you're here. Now, we can be pirates in peace."

She nods, but doesn't say anything.

The silence isn't comfortable. That's what happens when you leave without a word. Especially after what he went through with his dad. She can relate to an extent. She can't believe they managed to go in the same way.

She inhales sharply. "I'm sorry about your father."

John B stiffens. "Yeah." He stares off in the distance, out the window. "I do that thing you did when Darcy went missing. I just wait at the docks for him to come back."

Kathryn doesn't say anything, but she doesn't need to. Somehow, he knows. He knows how the hope of seeing her dad come back kept her going for that year; and even if he didn't come back, that doesn't mean his father won't. He knows that out of all them, she might understand it the most.

"I did the same when you left," he adds, and guilt stifles her.

"John B..."

"It's okay. I get it if you don't want to say anything." She's not sure she even knows what to say to that. "I mean, am I curious? Fuck yeah. I want to know everything."

She clenches her jaw, tensing. "I don't get it," she admits through her teeth. "Everyone else is pissed. Like, at my throat, and I get that, but why aren't you?"

John B looks at her, for a second. Like JJ, he realises that the girl in front of him has nothing to do with his childhood friend. There's something... broken about her. She wasn't always happy, even as a child, but this is different. His stomach tightens, and he just shrugs.

"I tried. Leaving without a word sucked." Guilt weighs on her. "But it's okay."

"That's not fair," she can't help but let out, frowning in confusion. "You should be angry." God knows she always is.

He laughs, and it soothes her. "Jesus, only you would be upset that I'm not." He puts a hand on her shoulder. She resists the urge to shrug it off. He takes it off without her even asking. "Whatever it was, I get it." But he doesn't. He never will. "And even if I don't, it's still okay." He smiles at her. "I missed my best friend too much to be angry."

She bristles, but holds her composure. This forgiveness without any strings attached leaves a bad after taste in her mouth, like she's waiting for the other shoe to drop, but there's nothing else to it. John B just missed her. After losing a dad, he wouldn't lose a best friend.

She clears her throat. "We should head to the Château now. I can drive you."

He shakes his head. "You don't have to..."

"I want to. You guys let me in on this, take it as my way to thank you."

"You also went and got Topper away from me."

"What do you want me to say, I'm a nice fucking person."

John B laughs. That snark is familiar. Finally, something he can tie to the old Kathryn. "Some things never change."

She stops in her tracks and swallows down the urge to tell him that things changed. People change, and there's nothing they can do about it. Time is a killer; her old self is its victim.

John B frowns. She zones out a lot. It worries him, a little. Even if he doesn't know what happened to her, he's not an idiot. He sees how she acts. And he's not sure he wants to know.

"Chop chop," she says, clapping her hands. "You comin' or what?"

He nods, getting off the stool. He turns towards Kathryn's plate. It's half full. "You're gonna eat that?

She stares, dumbfounded. "We... just take the plate if you want to."

The pancakes don't make it until the end of the road. When they arrive at John B's house, they're gone.

Kathryn hits the brakes and frowns when she sees the sheriff's car in front of the Chateau.

"Is Peterkin here for the DCS?" Peterkin is the sheriff. Max speaks highly of her – as highly as he can. She takes his word for it, but she's not sure this will have a good outcome.

John B frowns too. "No idea. Go and find the others okay?"

She debates, for a second, because she doesn't see a universe where this ends well. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry."

She nods as he gets out of the car, and immediately drives off to find the Pogues.

🫧

THE POGUES ARE all reunited in a matter of minutes after Kathryn's panicked arrival. Peterkin is long gone when they arrive, but John B's is clearly distraught to say the least.

Long story short about how they got there – Kie jumped in when Kathryn mentioned John B, Pope was already intrigued that she would show up here, and JJ threw a hissy fit.

Kathryn, sitting next to Kie playing the bongos, and in front of Pope reading a book on the porch of the Chateau, is biting her thumb's nail nervously. Every once in a while, she glances at JJ, sitting on a table in the garden and throwing rocks in the water. John B is pacing with a broom in his hands.

He has yet to talk, which makes her incredibly nervous, to say the least. This is still very new to her, she struggles to get most of it. But she thinks that if Peterkin showed up here, it must be something.

"Look, I'm callin' it off. All right?" Ah, well. Their treasure hunt was sweet and short. "Peterkin said, if I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS," he adds.

That's fantastic, Kathryn can't lie. John B needs all the help he can get right now. Even if it's from the sheriff – help means he gets to stay home. The Cut without John B? She dreads to picture it.

Not everyone seems to like the idea. "And you believed her?" JJ asks, obviously not pleased with the idea of quitting.

"Yes, I believe her, JJ," John B lets out, almost tiredly.

"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop."

Kathryn hates cops too. Deeply. Max being a cop doesn't stop that fact. And he's quitting anyway. "It's not like she asked him for cash," she lets out. Pope nods in agreement, and gets a look from Kie.

"All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days," John B goes on, "and she'll help me out." He throws the broom. "It doesn't help that your ass was the one shooting a gun."

"You know what I should have done? Just let Topper kill her ass."

She scoffs. "Right, so now Topper was gonna kill me?"

"Sure looked like it," JJ answers, stepping towards her. "I mean have you looked in the mirror?" He's angry. He's not sure at who anymore, but he is.

The fire burns in her as she stands up, walking to him. He can't just blame her for his own stupidity. Did she have it under control? No, but that's beside the point. "You know so much, don't you?" she lets out. "Makes it worse that you assessed the situation and used a gun you found illegally in front of everyone."

JJ is smiling despite his clenched jaw. He leans in, and his proximity makes Kathryn's mouth go dry. They look at each other much too long for her taste. And apparently all the other Pogues, since they are looking away. Just leave them to kill the other, that'll end well.

He finally backs away from Kathryn's face, and she realises that she stopped breathing along the way. "Fine, you win." He scoffs. "You always win, don't you?" He looks back at the others. "Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win!"

Somehow, it always boils down to that. Kathryn keeps her mouth shut.

"Look, it's okay!" Kie says, trying to calm him down.

"No, it's not okay! It is not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh. That means there's something valuable down there, and you know it man," he goes on, pointing at John B. "I know you do." He looks at Pope. "And I understand why you don't wanna go. You're the golden boy. You got way too much to risk. "You–" he says to Kie. "I mean, you're already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother?" She huffs as he turns to Kathryn. "KD, I think you're only doing it to piss me off, but we're not going there right now."

She looks at her nails, thoughtfully. "I am actually." He wants to throw a hissy fit and risk his best friend's life? Sure, but she won't play in his game.

He breathes in shakily, before looking back to John B. "You and me, man, we got nothin' to lose! We really don't, all right? And I know it didn't used to be that way for you."

Kathryn's eyes blow wide and she purses her lips. "Right, so let's not get into my motives, but let's talk about John B's dad, that makes sense." Even Kie hums in agreement.

"I don't want to talk about this," John B says, stepping towards JJ before he can answer Kathryn. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So that's it?"

He pushes him away to step into the garden. "Just get out of my way, bro."

It doesn't stop JJ. "John B, listen to me. I have a plan. KD told us Ward had scuba gear. You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?"

Both of them are turning their backs on the rest of the group, but Kathryn can see that John B understood where JJ was going from how tensed up he gets. "No, JJ."

"We borrow the scuba gear, and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's gonna save you, man. You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"

Her blood boils. "Dude!" Kathryn almost screams. "What's wrong with you? We don't use his situation against him."

JJ turns around, looking at her with a 'what are you gonna do about it' look on his face. "You're not, I am."

"And that's how you're convincing us that it's okay?"

"Shut up, JJ," Kie groans. "She's right."

"Low blow, man," adds Pope.

JJ inhales sharply. "Can you please stop turning your backs on me for her?"

Kathryn opens her mouth, but Kie is quicker. "Jesus, JJ, we're not turning our backs on you," Kie says, getting angry. "It's not our fault you're acting like a complete idiot."

"So you're siding with the Kook who left us? Seriously."

"Sh–"

"Shut up, JJ." Kathryn looks at John B in surprise. "Besides, they're right." He shakes his head. "Look, yeah, Kat left, and it sucked, but she's back and helping, that's gotta count for something." He turns to her, and smiles. "I trust her."

Kathryn stifles the burn of guilt in her stomach, and allows herself a sense of relief. She doesn't deserve that treatment, she knows it deep down, but still.

She realises that she missed John B too. More than she allowed herself. She remembers the toothy grin he gave her when they shared her meals – her dad always packed too much anyway. It looks exactly like the one he's giving her.

"It'd be nice to have someone with brain cells," Pope remarks.

Kie huffs. "Excuse you?" Then, after a moment, she sighs and turns to Kathryn. "Thanks for helping us. Sorry for being hard on you."

Kathryn is almost too dazed to answer. She begs for them to be angry again. Forgiveness is harder to choke on. "You don't have to apologise."

"No, we don't, because you bailed," JJ reminds her, pointing at her accusingly. "And I don't know about you, but I still haven't heard an explanation."

For a split second, she wonders why JJ is the hardest to convince that she's not against them. And then, she feels a tug. A want to explain. To put this behind them, because then, maybe, JJ would forgive her too. Because now that she knows how it feels, she wants nothing more than for him to forget about all of this. He was her best friend. He held her hand when they stitched her forehead. He fought off anyone who'd dare to try and be mean to her. She held him when his mom vanished. And she understands why JJ took it the hardest.

She left just like his mom did.

She knew that this was always leading up to her telling them, but not yet. Not yet, she can't. She can't. Because she was right. People change, and there's nothing they can do about it.

So Kathryn arms herself with her snark, and smirks. "I didn't hear a 'pretty please'."

Before he can say anything back – and she can see that he wants to – John B steps in, arms crossed. "Fine," he says. "We're exploring the boat, but after that, we're done." JJ ignores him. "Okay?"

He grumbles his assent. "But when she screws us over, don't come crying."

Kathryn rolls her eyes at him. "Why would they cry?" She sends John B a genuine smirk. "They get to be pirates."

Author's Note: Yes uh, John B and Kat's friendship is gonna be amazing okay

Editor's Note: AND I'VE BEEN MEANING TO TELL YOU I THINK YOUR HOUSE IS HAUNTED YOUR [MOM] IS ALWAYS MAD AND THAT MUST BE WHY, AND I THINK YOU SHOULD COME LIVE WITH ME AND WE CAN BE PIRATES THEN YOU WON'T HAVE TO CRY