This starts at episode seven's hot tub scene and then continues past episode ten. Kiara and Pope never kissed.
"Guys, I'm sorry but I gotta go," Pope murmured, slowly pulling away from his friends, "My dad will kill me if I'm don't come home soon." JJ didn't react, still clinging to Kiara as though his life depended on it. Kiara just nodded, still running a comforting hand over JJ's back. He knew then that whatever feelings he had for her, she didn't feel the same. While Pope and Kiara had always been friendly, and she'd always supported him, she hadn't ever been there for him like she was for JJ. Hell, even John B paled in comparison to the blond when it came to who Kiara turned to first. It hurt to know and it hurt even more to see. Because of that hurt, he convinced himself that he wasn't being a bad friend when he didn't stay, consequences be damned. He walked off, knowing that, whether they became a couple or not, things were forever changed between JJ and Kiara.
In all fairness, Kiara knew it too. She'd known it as she got into the hot tub and taken JJ into her arms. She knew it as she slowly maneuvered them to sit down, even if it soaked her clothes. He was drunk and just as emotionally wounded as he was physically bruised. In a weird way, Kiara found herself being so very proud of him. He was resilient, strong in the face of adversity, someone who was always there to offer support to his friends even when his own life was in shambles. All she could do was hold the pieces together, whispering words of comfort as he sobbed, gut-wrenching sounds that tore from deep within him. She vowed to herself then, that whenever he needed her, however he needed her, she'd be there for him.
A couple of days later, after a blow out with Pope, their positions switched. JJ had just dropped off their enraged friend at Heyward's and was about to ask Kiara if she wanted to hang out for a while when she shattered. Not that it was too obvious that she did. But he could tell. The tremble of her lip and the shuddering breaths were enough. Pope had known exactly which buttons to push and JJ was left to deal with it. In the middle of the marsh, he stopped the boat and took her into his arms. The second she was wrapped tightly against him, she lost it almost as bad as he had. Crying, whispering her regrets into his chest. He knew she regretted it, that going full Kook for a year was the one mistake she would never forgive herself for. "It's okay, Kie," JJ whispered reassuringly, "We don't blame you, I promise."
Technically, he wasn't supposed to take sides. But Pope's words had been a slap in the face Kiara hadn't done anything to deserve. JJ agreed with her on the fact that it was far more important to stop John B from committing murder than preparing for some scholarship interview. Hell, ever since it all started, with John B's obsession with the treasure and finding out what had happened to Big John, the entire group dynamic had been strained. Kiara did her best to be there for all of them but she was just one person, damnit. "C'mon, let's go home," he murmured, guiding her over so he could steer the boat while still holding her, "We'll figure it out." He kissed the top of her head as she nodded weakly against his chest, silently promising to help her through it.
When John B and Sarah went missing, Kiara worried that JJ would go off the rails and convinced him to stay with her at the Chateau. The decision hadn't gone over well with her parents, who she hadn't spoken to since that night. Instead, she focused on helping JJ cope. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, hands resting over his rapidly beating heart. They were sat on the front steps at the Chateau, JJ on the lower step, Kiara behind him on the porch. Not even a full day had passed and the storm was showing no signs of letting up, whether it be their internal one or the one raging outside. Though JJ wasn't crying, Kiara knew that her presence, her touch, helped him. He'd all but admitted it just the night before. She kept him away from the drugs, the alcohol, stopped him from heading down the same path as his dad.
Her strength could only last so long. When three days passed without any kind of word from John B and Sarah, Kiara finally lost her composure. JJ had expected it though, not that he'd tell her that. He knew she had been spending so much time supporting him that she forgot to grieve too. She had lost friends just as much as he had and as time passed with no sign of her trying to work through it, he grew genuinely frustrated. But as he woke up on the fourth day, the skies were finally clear and Kiara was crying softly beside him. Neither said a word as he sat up and pulled her into him. Her tears fell silently, dripping onto the sheets covering them. After a while, once she'd stopped crying and he'd made sure she wouldn't spiral, they laid back down again. Together.
It took nearly two weeks of cajoling for Kiara to convince JJ to let her come with him to the house he grew up in to get his things. Even though they'd agreed to move into the Chateau together, she knew he was reluctant to let her see the entirety of his life. It's common knowledge all across the Outer Banks that JJ's dad was an asshole to beat his son to near-death far too regularly but Kiara had never actually met the man. She knew the blond didn't want her to go with him, didn't want to expose her to the reality of how he'd lived, she refused to back down. And while it did take two weeks, she eventually won that argument.
The breath of relief JJ let out when they realized that the house was empty wasn't lost on Kiara. She took his hand and followed him quietly as he led her inside. Most of the living room was littered with bottles of either alcohol or pills, most of them empty. His room, while free of addictive substances, was just as much of a mess. Kiara didn't comment though, she knew from staying with him that he wasn't a slob. The way the bed was torn apart told her that it was anger that had caused it, not lack of care. She helped him pack what was left of his clothes and belongings, keeping an eye on him the whole time.
When they got back to the Chateau, his hands were trembling. It wasn't rage, his entire body shook when he was angry. But it wasn't sadness either, it couldn't be considering the incredulous look on his face. Freedom, she realized, he was finally experiencing true freedom. It made her smile, the wonder apparent in his eyes. Without warning, she tugged him down into a hug. He cried then but, for the first time in years, they were tears of joy.
For all her talk about getting closure, Kiara wasn't very good at it. JJ had to pester her for a month, a full month before she agreed to talk to her parents. She hadn't spoken to them, hadn't acknowledged their existence in nearly seven weeks. According to her, she wouldn't speak to them until they accepted that she'd be staying at the Chateau with him. To which JJ pointedly wondered aloud how they were supposed to understand if she didn't talk to them. She'd spent that entire day sulking, while he gave her space to think by going out to fish. He'd come back home to find her waiting for him by the front door. "Go get the car started," he stated, smirking at her, "I gotta put away this stuff first."
Which was how they found themselves sitting in the bus outside the Wreck. Or rather, Kiara was sitting in the bus while JJ tried to convince her to get out. After her fourth consecutive groan, he gave up on encouraging her. She squeaked in surprise when he suddenly got out, tore the driver's side door open, and tossed her over his shoulder. He politely ignored the obscenities she was shouting as she punched and kicked, trying to get him to set her down. When he did set her back on her own two feet, it was in front of her parents, who stared at them in shock. "Just talk to them, Kie," he muttered, kissing her nose, "I'll be back in two hours."
"What do you mean—"
He dove into the bus and drove off before she could finish her sentence, leaving her stranded with her parents. While he waited, he was going to look for a job. While they probably could live off the fish he brought home, there was only so much they could take before it got tiring. If Kiara figured things out with her folks, they'd have one source of income there, but to cover rent and bills, they'd need more than what she made working at the Wreck. What he found was just posh enough that he'd make a decent sum, while still suited for his lifestyle. He'd be instructing Kooks on how to surf. That he'd get to watch them fall and make fools of themselves was just an added bonus.
As the two-hour mark got close, he drove back to the Wreck. He half-grinned for himself as he found Kiara sitting at the bar, still talking to her parents. All three of them looked up as he cleared his throat. With a slight wave, Kiara invited him over and happily told him that they'd reached an agreement. On the condition that she continued working at the Wreck and that they both stayed for dinner at least once a week, her parents would not only let her stay with him at the Chateau, they'd give her a raise to help cover the costs.
That night, as they got ready for bed, JJ told her about getting a job. "It's not too fancy," he stated, pulling his shirt over his head, "But it'll help." Her proud smile made him feel like he'd accomplished something. Her kiss though. Her kiss made him feel like he'd conquered the world. Helping each other out of their remaining clothing, they tumbled into bed together.
With his dad, her parents, and establishing their relationship out of the way, they only had one problem left to take care of before they could fully begin the process of moving on from everything that had happened. Pope. Since John B and Sarah disappeared, neither Kiara nor JJ had talked to him. Or even seen him. He'd stopped by at the Chateau once, flown into a rage about not being included in their decision to move in together, and left. It bothered them both. He was their friend, had been for years. His absence hurt, especially considering how recently they'd lost John B. So when Kiara suggested that they should try to reach out to him, JJ was quick to agree. The next day, two and a half months after their friends vanished, they drove into town.
Though Heyward had always been clear on not liking his son's friends, he let them come inside when they knocked. Pope looked up at them, eyes wide in shock as they hesitantly shuffled farther into his living room. Behind them, his dad rolled his eyes exasperatedly before walking back outside. Glancing back at the pile of essays he was working on, he slowly put his pencil down. "What're you guys doing here," he asked quietly, "How are you?"
"We're good," JJ replied dryly, "Mostly, we just wanted to know what happened to our friend." He raised his eyebrows pointedly, leaning back against the nearest wall while Kiara walked closer to Pope. They both missed him, though that didn't mean they were about to just let it pass that he'd ignored them for a long time. "Where've you been, man?"
Pope felt his cheeks heat up. Honestly, he'd been jealous. Jealous of the fact that he hadn't been included when they moved in together, jealous of the way they were looking at each other when he wanted Kiara to look at him like she looked at JJ. In hindsight, he felt ridiculous. Who was he to deny his closest friends their happiness? JJ needed it more than anyone he knew and if Kiara made him happy, Pope could live with that. He just wished he'd realized that sooner. "I'm sorry, guys," he said sheepishly, "I guess I just felt like you were leaving me behind, even if it was just me who didn't want to move forward."
"We struggled with moving on too," Kiara assured him, pulling him into a brief hug, "Until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't talked to my mom and dad since that night." Pope stared at her and she ducked her head, blushing. "JJ helped," she muttered, "Wouldn't leave it the fuck alone."
Behind her, JJ snorted indelicately. "Yeah, like you were so goddamn accommodating about my dad," he pointed out, rolling his eyes when she stuck her tongue out at him, "She fucking refused to let me deal with it on my own." He pushed away from the wall, kissing Kiara on the forehead as he sidled up with her. All jokes aside, he was grateful for all the times she'd supported him, especially when it came to his dad. "We've been picking each other up," he admitted, smiling down at her, "We thought you might need it too."
Pope thought back to everything that had happened. Finding the wreckage and the compass, learning that the gold was real and that Big John had been murdered for it. John B going on the run and disappearing at sea with Sarah. "Yeah," he finally breathed, "That'd be nice." His friends embraced him, squishing him between them, and he felt all the tension that he'd been carrying around leave his body.
Ten years later found Kiara and JJ still living at the Chateau. They'd had to work hard for it but, eventually, the property became officially theirs. Neither could fathom leaving it. It was where all their best memories had taken place. But they weren't living alone anymore. A four-year-old son and a two-month-old daughter lived there with them. JJ had asked her to marry him on the anniversary of John B and Sarah's disappearance, as a way of including their friends even if they weren't with them anymore. When Kiara told him that she was pregnant just after his twenty-first birthday, he had panicked, plagued by thoughts of becoming like his own father. She had sat with him, murmuring reassurances and words of comfort.
While they were still very young when John was born, they had their lives figured out. Kiara's parents retired, leaving her to take over the still flourishing restaurant. JJ worked part-time at the Wreck, while still giving surfing lessons to the rich kids. They were happy, even more so when little Sarah was born four years after her brother.
"Hey, babe," JJ called dropping his bag by the door, "Where you at?" He knew she hated it when he was being anxious, but since she was doing the whole pregnancy thing, he thought it was only fair that he do the worrying. Plus, he liked getting her riled up. "I got that pineapple ice cream you wanted," he continued, smirking as he heard a shuffling from the bathroom, "I'll leave it in the kitchen, okay?" Grabbing a bowl from the cabinet she had never been able to reach, he set it on the counter next to the ice cream. Laughter drew his attention outside, where his son was happily splashing about in what little water was left in the kiddie pool. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted, "You have a good day with mama?"
John nodded, reaching up to hug his dad. "Mama said to say she wants tacos."
"Oh, really," JJ asked, looking mock-seriously at him, "Do you think we should make it for her?" The boy nodded enthusiastically, clambering out of the pool to run toward the kitchen. Kiara, holding Sarah in her arms, intercepted him. She was smiling softly, handing him a towel. JJ walked up to them, taking Sarah from her. "Hey," he greeted with a soft kiss to her lips, "I'll take her for a while, you should rest."
Kiara rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, JJ," she reassured him, "I'm only two months along, you should know by now that I'll tell you if I need help." She crouched in front of John, ignoring JJ's mutterings, and helped their son dry off. As she looked over his head, out over the water, she spotted a boat. She frowned, studying the people aboard. They looked a little like… "JJ, do you see that?" Her husband joined her, looking in the direction she was pointing. Do you think it's them?"
"What the—" he squinted at the figures, who he realized were watching them too— "It could be." And it really could. There was an awful lot of similarities between their long lost friends and the people on the boat. It certainly looked the same mop of unruly, brown hair beside the pin-straight blonde head. Clearing his throat, JJ looked down at his son. "C'mon, kid," he said warmly, "Let's get you changed so we can cook for mama, okay?" Still holding Sarah with one arm, he used his other to take his son's hand and lead him inside. When Kiara didn't follow, he looked over his shoulder at her. "Even if it is them, Kie, they've moved on," he reminded her gently, "So have we."
Smiling to herself, Kiara nodded. "Yeah, you're right," she acknowledged, walking inside after him, "I just wish the kids got to meet them."
From the water, John B and Sarah watched as their friends walked inside the house he'd once called home. When they'd come back to the Outer Banks, they'd only meant to make sure that their friends were okay and that the Chateau wasn't falling apart. Never did they think they'd see JJ and Kiara living there, much less as a family with two kids. John B was glad the place hadn't fallen into the hands of strangers though, and they left the Outer Banks for good, knowing that the people living in his old house loved it as much as he did.