AU where Sarah is friends with the Pogues but the adventure never happened.

"Stupid, useless, son of a bitch!"

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get away. Blow after blow, bruising and damaging. Over and over. He tried to fight back, tried to get the upper hand, only to be knocked back down every time. He couldn't breathe. Someone was gripping his throat. There was no way for him to scream, call out for help.

"You'll wind up dead in a ditch somewhere!"

Spitting blood, he did his best to crawl away, but the chains around his wrists and ankles held him back. Everything hurt. He was dying, slowly and painfully. There was no one there. No one to save him, no one there to stop the suffering. He was alone.

With a shout, JJ shot up in bed. Breathing heavily, he tried to regain his bearings and blink the images of his nightmare away from behind his eyelids. It took him a minute to remember that he was at John B's, at the Chateau. His dad wasn't there and he was safe. The softest of touches, a small hand between his shoulder blades, reminded him that he wasn't alone. Swallowing thickly, he turned his head, meeting Kiara's worried eyes over his shoulder. His vision was blurry, tears threatening to spill over, but he could feel the mattress shift with her movements. The hand on his back moved to settle on the side of his neck, her other hand grasping his upper arm as she kneeled behind him. He lifted a hand to wrap around hers on his arm, managing a weak smile as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I'm okay," he rasped, clearing his throat, "Go back to sleep."

"Not until you do," Kiara replied, "You know that."

JJ nodded, familiar with the routine. "C'mere," he murmured. Without even a second's hesitation, Kiara moved to straddle him. He burrowed his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of passionfruit and guava as her hands slid into his hair. The feeling of her massaging his scalp, her nearness, had him relaxing little by little as the last of the images from his mind faded away. He wasn't at peace, not by a long shot. But he was safe and he was calm, wrapped in the embrace of the girl he loved. "Thank you," he whispered against her skin, hands squeezing her hips lightly, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied, running her fingers through his hair, "I've got you." Kiara felt him tremble. She knew he hated being vulnerable, especially when the guys could catch them. But they had time. Outside, the sky was just barely beginning to regain its color as the sun slowly rose. JJ's breath tickled her skin and she hugged him to her, pressing several small kisses wherever she could. His breathing had evened out and for a moment, she thought he'd fallen asleep. However, a heavy sigh let her know that he was still very much awake.

Pulling in a shaky breath, JJ looked up at her. "I can't do it, Kie," he whispered, trying to keep his tears at bay, "I can't get him out of my fucking head." He was fighting a losing battle, feeling his cheeks grow wet as he lost hold of his emotions. It was exhausting, all the anger and pain. He was so sick of waking up in the middle of the night, unable to breathe as he was forced to relive the cracked ribs, the vice-like grip around his throat. "It's not fucking fair," he sobbed, resting his forehead against Kiara's collarbone, "I can't get out, Kie." Some days he wondered if he would ever get the chance to even try before his dad snapped for the final time.

"You can," she replied tearfully, holding him tight, "You will." He looked up at her hopelessly and her heart broke just that much more. Couldn't he see that he had people who would help him? Didn't he understand the lengths she was willing to go just to make sure he could get out? Kiara grasped his chin, guiding his gaze to hers. "We'll find a way," she promised, wiping his tears away, "You know why?" JJ shook his head, despair filling his eyes. Pulling him in for a kiss, she tried to pour all her love for him into that one moment. "Because one day, you and I will be living together in Figure Eight," she told him, giving him a watery smile, "We'll have at least two kids and we'll go to Midsommers every year even though we both hate it."

Laughing in spite of his tears, JJ nodded. "The kids will hate it too," he continued for her, proud of the beaming smile it brought to her lips, "So, one year, we'll take them fishing instead of going to the party." Kiara kissed him again.

"That's right," she said as she pulled away, "That is completely right." Swiping the remnants of his tears off his cheeks, Kiara pressed her lips to his chastely before looking him deeply in the eyes. There was a spark there, one she would make it her mission to brighten. "You deserve good things, JJ," she reminded him, keeping one hand on his cheek to keep him from looking away, "You deserve everything you want and so much more." There was still uncertainty in his baby blue's as he smiled weakly at her.

"What if I want you?"

Kiara smiled warmly at him. "Well, that's just wasting your wish," she retorted, "You already have me." He brought her in for a deep kiss, running his hands along her sides. She squeaked in surprise when he lay back down without warning, still kissing her passionately. They continued their embrace for some time, only pulling apart once breathing became necessary again. Kiara stretched out, lying on top of him. "What else do you want," she asked, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looked down at him, "I promise I'll try my best to give it to you."

"Marry me," he whispered, enjoying the surprised look on her face, "Marry me and we'll have that life in Figure Eight." Kiara nodded, tears reappearing in the corners of her eyes. JJ could tell they were happy tears though, the smile on her face lighting up his whole world. "We'll make Pope officiate," he continued, making her laugh, "It's too ironic to pass up."

Running a thumb along his jawline, she furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Think we can share John B," she asked, grinning as he stared at her bemusedly, "Well, I want him as my maid of honor and you probably want him as your best man, right?"

"As long as you make him wear a dress, you can keep him," JJ replied, drumming his fingers along her back teasingly, "Sarah can be my best man, she'll probably look better in a suit than JB ever will in a dress." The visual had them both fighting the loud laughter that was likely to wake the rest of the house. While the sun was peeking over the trees, it was still too early for the others to be up. Hell, it was still too early for them to be up. "Thank you," he whispered, looking up at her with a slight smile, "For everything."

Kissing him softly, Kiara smiled back. "I'm here, JJ," she vowed, "Whenever and however you need me." He nodded, stroking her cheek gently. It was a mutual thing, after all. He'd stop at nothing to make her happy and keep her safe, just as she would never stop being there for him when his demons tried to overpower him. "Think we have time to get some more sleep before the others wake up?"

"It's worth a try."

With that, they settled down to catch up on some sleep before they were inevitably pulled into an eventful day with their friends. As Kiara's breaths evened out, JJ looked down at her. He didn't want to dwell on what life without her could look like. But he swore to never take her for granted. She kept him from losing his mind, her love the only thing helping him cope with the nightmares. Closing his eyes, he tightened his hold on her as he fell into a dreamless sleep.