SMOKE SIGNALS / OUTERBANKS
ੈ✩‧₊˚ written by catie . . . © vqnillascented
chapter thirty four ━━  ' couples that spy together, stay together '

ALEX COULDN'T WIPE THE SMILE OFF OF her face, as she and JJ walked down the boardwalk, fingers intertwined, hearts and stomachs full. The air was sticky, but a light breeze wafted through the air, creating the perfect cooling effect.

They passed shop after shop, sneaking glances through the windows, commenting on the items for sale as if they had any money to buy them in the first place.

It felt good to pretend. To pretend that they hadn't hit another dead end, to pretend that they hadn't gotten bested by Kooks yet again.

It felt nice to put that all to the back of their mind, to just be happy.

They came up on the Marina, and just as JJ was telling her a story about how he used to work there and would steal rich people's lunches, Alex saw it.

Rafe's boat.

Parked back in the Marina where it always was. He must've found it, and brought it back.

She swallowed, an uneasy feeling twisting in her gut as she remembered that day. Pulling the gun on him, stealing his property. If he told anybody what she had done, she would be promptly thrown in jail.

Not what they needed right now.

"Damn, come on, Country Club!"

Barry's unmistakable voice carried through the marina, freezing both Alex and JJ in their tracks.

"Is that...?" JJ shaded his eyes from the sun to get a better look at Rafe's boat.

Barry's voice came again. "How are you gonna have this and not tell me! You got a whole damn YMCA up on this bitch, dude."

"Barry!" When Rafe yelled back, Alex was able to spot the two of them. They were on the top deck, shielded from the sun by the awning. "Time to think. We need to make a move."

JJ and Alex exchanged a glance, the same thought ringing in both of their heads.

Spying time.

They ducked behind one of the fences, creeping along, closer and closer to Rafe's boat, listening intently to the conversation onboard.

Barry scoffed. "We been making moves."

"Yeah, well," Rafe replied. "We don't have much time." He began to descend the staircase leading to the lower deck, disappearing from sight. "Come down here, you're not gonna believe this shit."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" JJ's voice startled Alex out of her intense focus.

She shifted her eyes to meet his. "The cross. He's got the cross."

He nodded, brief and solemn. "There's only one way to find out, though." He reached down, starting to fumble with his shoelaces.

"You taking a dip?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "Also, what happened to 'those babies have seen everything?'" She nodded at his boots, remembering their banter on the island.

Flinging the shoes aside, letting them clatter against the dock, JJ replied, "First of all, it seemed to bother you the first time, so I'm taking them off. Second, we gotta get closer to make sure we're not just jumping to conclusions."

"I really don't think that we are." Alex narrowed her eyes at him, but he was already on a knee in front of her, slipping the bows of her own boots undone. She swatted his hands away, doing the task herself.

Hand in hand, they leapt into the bay, water splashing into their noses, burning their eyes. They made the swim over to Rafe's boat, coming up underneath the keel, pressing against the sides so they could focus on listening.

Barry and Rafe's conversation was distant, the lapping water overtaking some parts.

"Don't be touching the shit, put it back." Rafe.

"So paranoid, bro." Barry scoffed at him.

"I don't care about the cross." Rafe said. "I'm trying to make money."

Alex's breath caught in her throat. She was afraid to breathe too hard, splash too loud, in case they were found out.

"I told you," Barry said. "My aunt, she got some contacts. She gonna help us move these little bitches."

"Bitches?" Alex hissed, water running down her cheeks. "Plural bitches?"

JJ shrugged, bringing a splash with the movement.

Barry went on, "The gems, the nuggets, the while damn melted enchilada."

Melted. Alex's treading stuttered, and her head bobbed under as shock hit her veins. Rafe had melted the cross. Their cross, their last hope; gone. Liquified down into a golden ooze, formed into bars and nuggets from the sounds of it.

Why would he have done that? Wasn't it much more priceless as the original? Was it to spite them? To spite Ward?

She felt a pang of regret. Maybe if she had worked nicer with him, he wouldn't have done it. Maybe Pope would have his family inheritance, maybe they would've finally won.

"Those gens are mint, man." Rafe emphasized. "The gold's million. We're selling it in bars, I'm not gonna deal with some half-assed Pogue shit with some reject from the Zales, bro."

"Watch how your speaking on my auntie, dog." Barry said, offended.

Alex flinched when JJ brought his arm down against the water next to her, a frustrated huff leaving him.

"We gotta go tell Pope." She whispered, unable to even be angry at this point. She was just so tired of being disappointed. Again.

JJ nodded, his nostrils still flared, still seething as Barry and Rafe chattered above.

She took his hand under the surface, and with a mutual, comforting squeeze, the two pushed off the boat, heading back towards their shoes.

Cleo and Pope were out back at Heyward's, sweeping up after the lunch crowd. JJ and Alex were out of breath and still dripping wet when they reached them, having to lean against a table for a moment before breaking the news.

"Yo, bombshell." JJ panted, hands raised, ready to drop the bomb, but Alex laid a hand on his arm.

She glanced between Pope and Cleo's solemn faces, the surrounding air tense and heavy. "What's going on? Did something happen."

With a deep breath, Cleo told her, "Pope's quitting school."

Alex's eyes immediately snapped to him, but he was staring down at the floor. "Tell me you're not being serious right now."

JJ shrugged. "Being a coroner's kind of weird anyway."

Alex was just refraining from elbowing him in the stomach, when Pope mumbled, "Shut up, wrench dick."

"This is definitely not the time for this," JJ sighed. "Oh, shit."

"What?" Cleo threw her hands up, already annoyed.

"We were down at the Marina, right, just taking a stroll," JJ explained, while Alex remained silent, eyes glued on Pope. She knew that this news wouldn't go over well, but she was bracing for disaster now.

"Rafe's boat was there, and he was on it, with Barry. We snuck over to hear what they were talking about. Pope, he has the cross. And he..." JJ paused, swallowing hard. "He melted it down."

Pope's eyes fluttered closed, his chin dropping to his chest.

"I'm really sorry." Alex whispered, her chest tight as she watched him stand.

He approached the railing, squeezing it under her hands until his knuckles turned white, cursing into the wind.

"I know, I know." JJ said, tugging at his hair.

"Of course it was Rafe." Pope seethed, whipping back around to the others. "The Cross of Santa Domingo, desecrated! For money? God!"

"I think we need to stay calm, and make a plan." JJ said, nodding to himself. "But we really have go to stay ━ "

Pope was already swinging the broom down over his head, grunting as the wood splintered against the ground.

"━ Calm." JJ's eyes were wide.

"This is messed up, man!" Pope exclaimed, his voice strained. "Even for them. And they're just going to keep getting away with it! They're gonna keep winning!"

"Is that news to you?" JJ asked.

Pope's anger quieted down, and he stopped pacing, stop seething. "No. It's not." His gaze darkened. "But I'm sick of being the good guy."

With this, he took off in the opposite direction, heading into town. Cleo called after him, but even she couldn't stop him.

"Shit." Alex breathed, running a hand through her damp hair.

Everything was really falling apart now.

JJ and Alex stayed at Heyward's with Cleo, waiting for Pope's return. When hours started to go by, the sun dipping behind the horizon, with still no sign of him, they made themselves busy by helping with some cleaning and some chores.

JJ scrubbed down the outdoor tables, while Alex picked up the pieces of the shattered broom, dumping them into the trash. Cleo brought out fresh table settings and placemats for dinner.

"I appreciate the help, you guys." Mrs. Heyward said, standing in front of the grill, watching them work with an impressed look on your face. She had a pair of tongs in hand, chicken sizzling in front of her.

"Well, I ain't missing your cooking, ma'am." JJ said, flashing her a grin.

"I knew you weren't doing this out of the goodness of your heart." She shook her head at him, while Alex laughed into her dust pan.

Mrs. Heyward sighed, "But at least you're doing it at all. Unlike my derelict son. He's usually here by now."

Alex and JJ exchanged a worried glance. Cleo gave Mrs. Heyward a confident smile, contrary to how they were all feeling about Pope's whereabouts. "I'm sure he'll be back any second."

JJ finished wiping down the table, attempting to sneakily snatch a bite from the grill, but he promptly got his hand swat away by a pair of hot tongs.

Heyward came out from the kitchen, eyes wild. "None of y'all kids moved the pistol from in there? The one I keep under the register?"

Alex froze, mid dustpan-emptying. Cleo and JJ had a similar reaction, their chests stilling and eyes widening.

"JJ?" Heyward turned to him.

He raised his hands in innocence. "Whoa, I didn't touch it, I swear."

"Yeah, well, somebody did. Cause it's gone!"

"Wasn't me." JJ repeated, but he was staring right at Alex, the same person on their minds.

Pope.

"He's going after Rafe." Cleo hissed, once the adults had disappeared back inside, arguing loudly as they looked again for the weapon.

"Yeah, definitely." Alex nodded. "We'll check Tanneyhill. You check the marina."

Cleo nodded firmly, and then the three dispersed, on a mission to find Pope, before he could do anything that he would regret.

When they couldn't find Pope at Tanneyhill, JJ and Alex made a panicked trek back to the Chateau, finding it empty there as well. They couldn't stop their pacing and racing minds until the call from Cleo came in.

"I got him." She said, and that was all it took for their anxiety to ease.

"He's okay?" Alex asked, slumping down into the back porch couch next to JJ, their heartbeats slowing.

"Yeah. He's okay. He didn't do anything." Cleo said. "I'll sit with him tonight, then we'll catch up in the morning."

"Yeah, okay, good idea." Alex nodded, ending the call after goodbyes were exchanged.

"He's okay. He didn't do anything stupid. They're gonna go back to his and try to sleep, then we'll meet in the morning." Alex explained to JJ, who nodded and let relief wash over him.

"Jesus Christ." He sighed. "I've never seen Pope get like that before."

"Me either." Alex nodded in agreement. "I can't really blame him though."

"Nope."

There was a moment of silence, filled only by the occasional creaking of a floorboard or gust of wind against a window in the empty house.

"She's good for him." Alex mumbled.

"What?"

"Cleo."

"What?" He repeated, sitting up to look her in the eye.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed." Alex laughed at his confusion. "They're in looove." She sang the last word theatrically, which made JJ snort.

"Oh God, Pope in love is a dangerous man."

That made Alex giggle. "Yeah, well, Cleo is not Kiara."

"And thank God for that."

Once their laughter had settled, silence ruled over them for another moment, as they focused on the sound of the crickets and gentle lapping of the water against the dock in the distance.

JJ was the one to break the quiet this time. "John B is out on another mission with his dad. Sarah is God knows where, Kiara is at her place, Cleo is with Pope. So...we've got the place to ourselves tonight, huh?"

Alex couldn't help but to smile as she rolled her head to the side to stare up at him. "Yeah, we do."

"Interesting." He ducked down to kiss her, his hair falling against her forehead at their sudden closeness.

Pulling away for a moment, still feeling his breath against her cheek, Alex whispered, "Did you have any idea for how we should pass the time?"

His dimples poking through as he smiled, he whispered back, "I have so many ideas."

Her hands laced through his hair, fingers cupping the back of his head, they pressed together once again, kissing more frantically, more hungrily than before.

Without pulling away once, his hands found her waist, guiding her onto his lap with a strong hold. She had a leg on either side of his waist, knees pressing into the couch, her heaving chest flush with his.

There hadn't been a moment for this, a moment to even think about this for that matter, not since the boat, not with all the chaos that had ensued since.

But all of that tension melted away with their bodies pressed together on that couch. Suddenly, none of their problems even existed. Nothing existed, nothing except for the two of them.

Alex wasted no time fumbling with the bottom hem of his shirt, tugging on it until he gave in and let her pull it over his shoulders. She was surprised to find that her hands were trembling as she ran them alone his exposed chest, realizing that she was a lot more nervous than she ever had been in this situation before.

This wasn't just some guy she took home after a party that she would never see again, this wasn't her high school boyfriend back in Charleston who she had barely been able to tolerate even for those short two months.

This was JJ. Her JJ. And he meant so much more that anybody ever had before.

Moving slowly, and with care, she bent her head and began trailing kissing down his chest. She felt his breath stall behind his ribs, felt his heart thumping vigorously, anxiously.

"Are you freaking out as much as I am right now?" She murmured, leaning back a bit to look him in the eye.

"Yeah, I'm freaking out." He confirmed.

Admitting it out loud made both of their nerves ease a bit, just from knowing they were in the same boat. They laughed together for a moment, finding the absurdity of it all very funny.

"We are so weird." Alex covered her face with her hands, muffling her giggles.

"Has it really taken you this long to realize that?"

His words broke up the last of her worries. He's right, their connection had always been different. Weird at times, and beautiful at others. She had never felt seen, understood, *known* by anybody else before. They had both

There was nothing intimidating about doing this with him. If anything, she should've been more freaked out with the other guys, because it wasn't right.

They hadn't loved her, hadn't been there for her, hadn't known her. Not the real her anyway, with all the shadows that she preferred to keep hidden, the secrets that she never wanted anybody to know.

JJ had seen all of that, had seen her best and worst days, and he was still here, still loved her after it all. She had seen him break down, make dumb decisions, blow up and try to self sabotage, and still, she had never loved anybody more.

So, she was right to feel that this was different, but only because this was right.

They were right.

She might be unsure about a lot of shit, but she was sure of that.

She kissed him first this time, guiding his hands up to her stomach, looped his fingers under the hem of her crop top. He stared at her, his gaze not wavering. "You sure?"

Smiling softly, she nodded. "Hell yeah."

He grinned at this, peeling her tiny, blue tank top over her head, his touch careful as he held her around her waist. "You're so beautiful, Jesus." He murmured, his thumbs pressing into her ribcage.

Her heart melted. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said, without hesitation. He cupped her face and lowered her chin so he could kiss her again.

That night was perfect.

catie speaks!

if somebody asked me why this chapter took so long to come out...i wouldn't have an answer. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED YOU GUYS RHE HOLIDAY SEASON IS KICKING MY ASS.

despite how long it took, i hope you guys enjoyed, and i also hope to be back to fairly regular posting. 🤞🤞

did y'all catch that reference in the title?? 🤭 can you believe that was 15 CHAPTERS AGO???

kinda just a cutesy, plot furthering chapter, but next chapter there will be some DRAMMAAAA

any thoughts? theories?

thank you so much for reading! i hope you liked it!! please vote and comment if you enjoyed, and follow to be notified when i update! love you alllll 🫶

virtual hugs,
catie!