"I'll meet you in the front. Go, go." John B rushed Layla away, the Winters girl sprinting across the boat. She wondered if anyone would see her, try to hurt her. She didn't care, knowing there was a big chance Sarah was in danger. Layla looked in rooms, pulling on each door and searching for the blonde. Layla ran up a flight of stairs, skipping each one as she made it to the top railing.

Ward had his hands wrapped around Sarah's neck, half her body nearly falling off the side of the boat. For just half a second, just half, Layla froze in fear and panic. Sarah, her Sarah, was right there, right infront of her. But for half a second, she just couldn't move. But half a second wasn't anything for what was to come, far from it.

"Leave her alone!" Layla yelled, tackling Ward with all her strength, which ended up being quite a lot. His body fell, Layla going with him as they hit the boat floors. Sarah coughed and gasped for air behind them. Layla pushed the back of Wards head harshly, making him face plant the floor again.

"Sarah, hey, Sarah." Layla stood up quickly, reaching for the blonde, who was already reaching out for her, "Hey, hi there. You're all right, you're okay. I got you. I promise."

Sarah held Laylas face, leaning her forehead against hers as she managed to catch her breath again. Layla gasped as she felt a tight hold around her neck this time, Wards arms around her and lifting her off the ground, yanking her back.

"No!" Sarah yelled, trying to get her dad away from Layla.

"It's your fault! It's your fault!" Ward shouted. Layla threw her hand back, her fist colliding with his nose, knocking him off for a second. Ward came back at her, much angrier as he shoved onto her head. Layla upper cut him, sending Wards head flying backwards as blood flew from his, now, missing bottom tooth. He fell backwards, head hitting the end of the boat.

Sarah checked on Layla with a hand on her arm. Layla looked down at Ward, "Is this how you killed big John? Or did you convince someone to lock him in a sauna room, like you did me? Maybe stage a suicide, sorta like my moms? John B never got to say goodbye, he never gets to see his father again because of you. You say it's my fault when you're the cause to all of this. John B, me, Big John, Sarah, Rafe, my father, all of us are on you, you did all this to us."

Layla stood up, staring down at Ward as she faced Sarah again, "We have to get out of here."

"I have the life boat." Sarah took her hand, wrapping an arm around Layla as she lead them toward the side of the boat. The life boat had floated off, "No, no, no, it unlatched."

Layla panicked, seeing how far off it was now. Her eyes danced around the boat before realization hit, grabbing Sarah's hand and yanking her off toward the opposite direction quickly. Sarah followed, not bothering to ask because she knew they'd make it. Layla stopped infront of the crowd of expensive cars, looking at Sarah as the pair shared a look.

Layla got toward the end of the line, finding a grey audi with keys still inside. The pair got inside, the Winters girl starting it up as the engine roared. Sarah looked over at Layla, "This isn't the twinkie."

Layla took a deep breath, "Listen for my que."

Sarah gripped the handle tightly as Layla put the car in reverse, taking a steady breath herself before slamming her foot down on the gas. The car flew backwards, speeding off and flying through the air. Layla let the wheel go, "Jump out! Jump out!"

The pair jumped out of the doors immediately, jumping as far away from the car as possibly. Layla hit the water, crashing under as she sunk quite a few feet before kicking her legs to the surface. As she came out of the water, gasped for air before seeing the life boat near her now, grabbing the handle and pulling herself up in it. She stood up quickly, "Sarah!"

A second passed, "Layla!"

She sighed in relief when she saw a waving hand from the other side of the sinking car. Layla started up the life boat, driving it over her way. Sarah reached up when Layla paused before her, latching onto her girlfriends hand as she pulled her inside, "Oh my god, I can't believe you did that. Oh my god, that was the most impulsive thing you've ever done."

"Are you okay?" Layla had to laugh as she held Sarah's face, "Are you good? Yes?"

"I'm okay, yeah." Sarah laughed as she stared at her, "I can't believe you did that."

"Layla! Sarah!" John B shouted from the railing of the boat, throwing himself over board quickly. Layla drove over toward him, "Hey, hey!"

"Are you okay?" Layla asked as the pair helped pull him into the boat, "Where's Rafe?"

"I got him for now, we have to hurry." John B said as he got into the side, "Florance is on the other side, I saw her run off!"

Layla steered the boat toward the west wing of the boat, seeing Florance running toward the railing, "Flo!"

"Layla!" she yelled down at her.

"You gotta jump!" Sarah called up to her.

"Hurry!" John B yelled as the redhead hesitated but launched herself off the side, hitting the water harshly as her pale skin went under. A few moments passed, she she swam upwards. John B reached a hand down to her, pulling her up into the life boat as she coughed slightly.

"JJ and Kie, I had to distract some people, I saw them run off toward the other side." Florence said, catching her breath from after how hard she'd hit the water. John B patted her back as Layla drove quickly, watching as Cleo and Pope jumped off on sync. The cross that Pope had dropped moments before, was being yanked up slowly by the rope connected to it.

"Pope!" John B yelled, the waved crashing as Layla steered clear of hitting them.

"Give me your hand!" Sarah called, leaning over the side, "Cleo. Holy shit."

"Jesus christ, what did I sign up for?" Florance took deep breaths.

"I got you." John B pulled Pope into the boat before Layla leaned over and kissed his head.

"JJ and Kie?" Layla gave a wide eyed looks to both Pope and Cleo, "Are they coming?"

"I thought they were with you." Pope said as Laylas heart nearly stopped, her hand grabbing hold of the motor, yanking it hard as the life boat jumped the waves as they speed around the large boat, yet again, searching for the two missing pogues.

"John B! Help!" Kids voice rung through the air.

"That's Kie!" Sarah yelled in confirmation.

"Where are they?" Pope called, Layla letting the moter go as she stood up, looking around the waves. Her eyes fell onto two figures, who appeared as one. It took her a second to realize what had happened.

"JJ!" Layla yelled in agony, John B grabbing the moter and speeding their way.

"Grab em, I have you, I have you." Florance spoke fast, holding onto Layla tightly as the Winters girl leaned, nearly all the way in the water.

"Oh my god! Kie, Kie, I got you, grab my hand." Layla yelled, reaching for the girls hand as Pope and Sarah pulled JJs limb body into the boat. Kie wrapped her hand around Laylas, being pulled out of the water extremely quick.

"JJ! Oh my god, move, JJ!" Layla panicked as she leaned over the blonde, "JJ, please wake up! Come on! Please!"

The moter stopped, making the life boat pause.

"We gotta go!" Kie yelled as John B tried to pull it again and again.

"I'm trying!" John B called back, Florance jumping in to help him quickly.

"He's pointed at us!" Pope yelled in fear as his eyes fell onto Rafe, pointing a gun their way from the railing of the boat.

"Please, wake up." Kie shook JJ.

"He's breathing." Layla confirmed as she listened to JJ's heart, "JJ, come on, open your eyes!"

"I got it! I got it!" Florance yelled as she gave a harsh, downward yank to the moter.

"Go! Go! Go!" Pope yelled as John B steered them away quickly.

"J! Please! Please! Get up!" Kie yelled at JJ again.

"You gotta get up." John B shook the blondes shoulder quickly.

"JJ, dude, we made it, come on!" Layla shook his shoulders, tapping his face. Water spilt from the boys mouth, coughing what was in his lungs up as his friends cheered and encouraged him on.

"Hey, buddy. There you go." Pope grinned as he rubbed his shoulder. JJ coughed on for a bit longer, looking around at his friends all gapping around him.

"Sup?" he hummed, earning laughter from around the life boat.

"Good, I wasn't sure what type of casket you wanted." Layla joked as she hugged JJ tightly, "You scared me to death, damn you."

JJ hugged her back, "What the hell happened?"

"The blunt end of a machete." Kie spoke, her own sighs of relief leaving her mouth.

"A machete?" JJ gapped.

"The blunt end." she nodded on.

"Next time, duck." Cleo looked at the blonde with a shake of her head.

Sarah held Layla after she fell back, holding onto her tightly as Laylas back was against her chest.

They all looked out at the cross being heaved up onto the boat again, Pope sighing as the sun shined down on them, "This shit ain't over."

"No, it ain't." John B agreed with Pope.

"This is the lowest we can go." Pope nodded his head, looking out at the ocean, "We literally have nothing else to loose. The cross, gone."

"The gold, gone." Sarah huffed, next to Layla.

"Seriously, if we had a nickel for every time we got beat up, i'd say we're at a dollar fifty." JJ spoke up with a shake of his head, stabbing the tree.

"But, I mean, we've had some good stuff happen." John B spoke up with a faint grin.

"Name something." Pope suggested.

"I drove a fucking audi off the side of a boat." Layla spoke up with a raise of her eyebrows.

"That was one to remember, considering I nearly had a heart attack." Sarah agreed.

"Uh, the boiler room." John B turned his head toward Cleo and Pope, "If the boiler didn't explode I wouldn't have gotten away from Rafe. I couldn't have gotten to Sarah and Layla, I could have died."

"The wasn't luck." Cleo shook her head with a minor giggle, "That thing was gonna blow the second I stopped feeding it."

"Stealing my thunder, Cleo." John B shook his head.

"Oh, what about when JJ had that awesome idea of me distracting all those workers? Completely saved the day." Florence pointed out, shoving JJ's head slightly.

"Pope, you're related to Denmark Tanny." John B spoke toward the Hayward boy.

"And I lost all his inheritance." Pope pointed out his way.

"You know what?" John B asked as he stood to his feet, "Guys, this is it. This is the Pogue life. We are in the Caribbean. It's our own little slice of paradise. With my best friends, with my family. I don't know, I wouldn't wanna do it with anyone else."

"And we're skipping school." Layla added in, Sarah grabbing her hand.

"Look, while you guys were complaining about every little thing.. JJ." John B spoke up, nodding toward the blonde and pointing toward the ocean, "I was looking at those burly lefts."

"There's some slabs out there." JJ admitted, holding back a grin.

"Just a few." John B shrugged.

"Kie, you see that. I know you wanna get out there." John B said over to the Carrera girl.

"No boards." she said with a eyeroll.

"Well, we can bodysurf till we make some boards." John B rose his eyebrows at her before turning toward Layla, "Cmon, mother of ours, you know you wanna get out there and one, show us all up, and two, make sure we don't kill our selves."

Layla gave a squint, "I mean, it would be kinda depressing if one of you died."

"They do look pretty tasty." Pope admitted, "There's nobody around. We could squat here for a bit."

"Pogelandia." JJ announced as he stood.

"Oh boy." John B sighed.

"I claim thee Pogelandia. I like the ring of it." JJ nodded confidently as the wind blew his hair back, "I'm gonna make a flag. It's gonna have a chicken on it. With a coconut bra, smoking a J, in Crocs."

Layla stood with a smile, her rainbow shoe lace around her wrist hitting the sun perfectly as she reached down to Sarah, "To deeper then the oceans and brighter then the stars?"

Sarah grinned, grabbing her hand as her own rainbow shoe lace hit the light, "Deeper then the oceans and brighter then the stars."

"Pogue life." Layla smiled.

Sarah grabbed her face and laid a kiss to her lips, "Any life with you."

•

kylie speaks

i'm sad it's over but it's
been such a good run. i
loved laylas storyline this
season and y'all know i'll
be back for s3, even though it
hasn't been confirmed, we all
know we're getting a s3. thank
you so much for the endless
support you all have given
me on this books and it's so
moving to see all the people
in the comments relating to
laylas story, i want all of you
to know you are not alone. if
you ever feel like it, you always
have a safe space here with layla! i'll see you guys next
year xx