Sorry this chapter is later than normal. I was struggling with piecing this together. Good news is i have a good start for the next chapter so that one shouldn't be too far off.

I was shaking as we pulled into the docking area of Kildare. The dockhands that waited for us to pull into the Cameron's slip were so focused on tying the ropes off that by the time our feet left the vessel and touched the dock all they could do was stare. As we made our way down the dock towards the island, I could feel everyone staring at us. News travels fast on Kildare, which meant we were gonna be talked about by the whole island soon.

The attention didn't seem to bother the others, atleast not from what I could see. Kie walked at the front of the group while Pope and Cleo stayed in the middle. Behind me JJ took his time. When I looked back at him, he had a grim look on his face and kept glancing back at the boat as if he was about to run back and sail back out to sea. The thought had crossed my mind too as we pulled in. It would have been easy to just take the boat I had already stolen and just keep going, but when Pope and Kie had seen land, both started talking about their families, and I knew forcing them to run with me wasn't going to happen.

"Welcome to the Outer Banks Cleo." Pope said excitedly as he gestured to the island. He had been talking to Cleo since our pit stop about everything to expect when we got back. I was happy for him, despite the shit we had just been thrown into, he seemed happy with her.

"You're crazy Pope." Cleo laughed, shaking her head. "Your parents are not going to appreciate me shacking up."

"Nah, of course they will, are you kidding." Pope smiled, "Heyward might put you to work, but we could always use the help."

"If anyone was gonna take in a random girl that we met on a freighter while running from pirates... it would be the Heyward's." I added and Cleo looked over her shoulder at me as I shrugged. "They're good people, you'll like them."

"I don't know man," Cleo hesitated before turning back to Pope. I looked over my shoulder and watched as JJ wrung his hands together before anxiously running his hand through his hair. Pausing, I let the group get ahead of us and I leaned on the railing waiting for JJ. As he approached, he stopped in front of me, his hands moving to either side of me, so I was boxed between his arms. Looking up at him he seemed to be far away.

"You okay?" he asked as he leaned his head down to rest on mine.

"I should be asking you that Jay." she whispered, closing her eyes. "You are about ready to jump out of your own skin."

"It's this place Roe." he sighed pulling away a little to look back at the island and our friends as they finally got to land. "I didn't think we'd be coming back..."

"Are you two coming!" Pope yelled from the end of the dock and we both looked up at the group as they looked back at us confused. With a sigh I looked back at JJ and saw his jaw tense as we pulled away from the rail. Reaching my hand up I ran a finger over his jaw forcing him to relax.

"We'll get through this Jay." I said as he put his arm over my shoulder pulling me closer to him.

"Yeah." he breathed out as we started walking, but his tone didn't convey the strength I was hoping for. Slowly we followed the others away from the docks and towards the row of houses on the edge of the marsh. We had been gone a month and yet nothing looked different. The houses all looked the same, the people all seemed the same, nothing was out of place... except us.

Kie's house came into view as we walked slowly up the street and I saw her hesitate at the gate. We had been gone a month, there was no telling how her parents were going to react to her being back... how they would react to any of us being back. They already had a bad taste in their mouth with the Pogues and once they found out their daughter was kidnapped and stranded for a month... I'm sure their opinions won't have changed.

"This is me." Kie sighed looking up at the large house. "Home sweet home."

"Damn Kiara." Cleo blew out a breath as she marveled at the home. "You live here? This is like the White House man."

"How bad you think it's gonna be?" Pope asked as Kie placed her hands on the rail of the steps leading up to the porch.

"Scale of one to ten?" She replied looking back, "Twenty."

"Do you want us to hold up here?" Cleo offered sensing Kies hesitation.

"No, I... I gotta take this." Kie sighed before looking at me. "You wanna come up? They were worried when you didn't come back that night."

Looking down I shook my head. "The last thing I told your parents was they were shitty because they couldn't accept you for who you were... Not sure they are too worried about me right now." I looked up to her and gave her a small smile. "You need to see them first before they need to see me again."

"Okay..." she nodded before looking over everyone. "Thanks for walking me." Kie ascended the stairs slowly and we started to walk away from the house. I had to force myself to keep my head forward. I wanted to turn around and make sure Kie was okay, after everything in the last few days, Kie and I had gotten closer, and I wasn't sure what she was walking into when she got in that house.

Eventually we got to Heyward's store and Pope stopped and turned to look at JJ and I. "You two are welcome to stay you know, I know Mom and Pops wouldn't mind."

"No way man." JJ shook his head stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Thats your old man, you go be with him, we'll stop by later."

"Later Cleo." I said quietly before turning to walk down the road.

"Now where to?" JJ asked me after we walked a ways in silence.

"Probably head to the motel, see if my shit's still there I guess." I shrugged, "You gonna come with or head home?"

"Think I'm gonna head home, see if it's still standing." he said quietly. I didn't like how far away he seemed right now, but I knew being back here was a lot and he had to adjust to it, whether he did that with or without me, I couldn't control.

"I'll come over once I change." I sighed, trying not to sound disappointed.

"You don't have to you know..." he started but I cut him off, grabbing his arm to keep him from walking away. I turned him towards me and brought my hands around the back of his head, linking my fingers behind his neck. He scowled and looked down at me like he was trying to understand, trying to figure out what I was thinking.

"I don't want to be back here J," I said quietly, "But if I have to be back... I want to be back with you. Don't push me away just yet." Touching my lips to his gently I felt his arms wrap around my back and hold me close before finally letting me go. "I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"Yeah." he nodded, giving me a small smile and brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. "Okay."

I didn't like leaving and separating from him. From any of them really. In the last year we have been separated so many times, and every time has ended in disaster. I didn't want to think about what was going to happen now that we were back, what that meant for the Pogues, so for the time being I focused on going back to the Summer Winds Inn. The key to my room was long gone, somewhere between finding the cross and being stranded it had been lost, plus I wasn't sure it was even my room anymore. I slowly opened the main reception area door, the bell over it rang out loudly in the nearly empty room.

"What can I..." A lady in her early to late sixties came out from the backroom and paused when she saw me. Her face seemed to be confused, blinking a few times making sure I was actually there. "Well, I'll be, Rowyn Daniels." she smiled.

"Hey Maggie." I gave her a warm smile. Regardless of the circumstances at the beginning of the summer. Maggie had never let my dad's reputation or my connection to 'possible police killer John B' affect how she saw or spoke to me. She was warm and inviting...even while asking me to work extra shifts or clean rooms.

"Heard a rumor you were back but wasn't sure if it was true." she said coming around the desk and giving me a gently hug. "You look like you've been through the ringer."

"Wow, word travels fast." I breathed out as she pulled back. "Yeah, it's been a rough couple weeks."

"Weeks... sweetheart, you've been gone a month." she scowled, and I just shrugged.

"So, uh, I don't suppose my room is still there?" I asked awkwardly, quickly looking at my feet and clearing my throat.

"Oh, honey." the older woman gave me a pitiful look and shook her head. That was answer enough... I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to at least try. "I couldn't hold it any longer, with no word where you were, or payments... I had to rent it out."

"I figured." I nodded and leaned on the counter. "I don't suppose you have any open rooms?"

"Unfortunately, we still have damages from the hurricane that we are repairing... all my rooms that are livable are booked."

"It's okay Maggie, I just thought I would ask." I sighed but smiled at her.

"Oh, but I did keep your stuff just in case you did come back." She said disappearing to the back and coming out with a trash bag, as well as handing me a room key. "Current occupant is at work until five, go ahead and get yourself cleaned up."

"Thanks Maggie." I smiled appreciatively.

"I'm sorry it couldn't be more." she sighed.

"It's not like I could pay for it right now anyway." I shrugged. "I'll figure something out."

"Heard your mom's fixing up your old place on Figure Eight, trying to make it a vacation home or something like that."

"What?" I turned quickly scowling. "My mom is still on the island?"

"She has been coming by every other weekend since you left, been staying at your house with your dad MIA and all." Maggie explained as she went back around the counter. "Asked about you at first, even went around with the Carrera's to put up posters."

"Freaking great." I groaned waiving to her as I headed to the temporarily vacant room with the trash bag that held my life in it. Taking a shower after the day I was stuck in the storm drain was amazing... but after being stranded for a month and then kidnapped, the shower I took felt like heaven. Sitting on the bed wrapped in a towel I dumped the bag onto the bed and rummaged through it. Finding a t-shirt and shorts I quickly changed and dried my hair. Stuffing the rest of the stuff into the backpack that I had used for school, I quickly left the room and walked away from the Inn.

The Maybank home still stood on the edge of the marsh, still stood with ripped screens and chipped paint, the only difference was the grass was longer, browner, the junk in the yard was more rusted, and there wasn't a drunk Luke stumbling around. Making my way around the home I scowled at the yellow tape across the door and the letter posted to the side. NOTICE OF EVICTION.

"Shit." I whispered brushing my fingers over the notice before continuing to walk along the porch until I found the window to the living room, and a familiar head of blonde hair visible just above the couch. JJ was sitting with his back to the window looking aimlessly around the messy house. Kiara and Pope both came home to families that missed them, that wanted them, and JJ, this is what he came home to. It made my chest ache for him as I thought about him alone here, finding the house empty, no one around. Leaning down I placed my arms on the windowsill and reached one hand in flicking him on the top of the head.

He jumped up, turning quickly, one fist clenched ready to fight whatever intruder was behind him. It made me laugh and shake my head as his expression quickly softened when he saw me. Dropping the bag, I was carrying I ducked through the window pushing empty cans and bottles out of the way. Halfway through I felt JJ's hands reach around and help me the rest of the way through until I was seated next to him, and his arm was draped over my shoulder lazily.

"How was the Inn?" he asked.

"Maggie packed my shit up and already bummed out my room." I sighed.

"Shit, I'm sorry Roe." he mumbled, and I shrugged reaching around to my back pocket. I could feel his eyes watch me as I pulled out an old Marlboro carton and opened it. Inside I had a lighter, a small baggie and a rolled joint.

"She didn't toss my shit, so I guess I can't complain." I smiled pulling out the Jay and putting it to my lips before lighting it and taking a long drag. Letting the smoke fill my lungs I slowly let it out and passed the joint to JJ, who took it greedily with a big smile. "So, what's with the new art on the front door?"

"Apparently you still have to pay bills when your away for a month on some deserted island." he scoffed, taking another long drag.

"What are you gonna do?" I questioned.

"Nothing. Gotta be out in three weeks; guess I'll figure it out then." We fell into silence after that, passing the joint between us, letting the sound of the marsh filter through to the house.

"I wish we were still on the island." I finally said quietly. "I mean we ate coconut way too much, it got cold at night, and I got sand in way too many places... but it was still easier than all this, and we were together. No parents, no evictions, no bills..."

"Yeah." he breathed out. "Come here." he instructed, his arm that had been around my shoulder went behind my back and pulled me towards him, his other arm lifting me, so I was straddling his lap. He moved his hands to hold my face, his thumb brushing my cheek softly as he stared up at me. He smiled up at me slowly pulling my face down until our lips were touching. The kiss was gentle at first before his hands slid under my shirt at my hips and his tongue slipped between my lips. I smiled against his lips, pulling away for a second to meet his ocean blue eyes, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. He let out a hearty chuckle before tightening his grip around my back and turning us, so I was lying on the couch, and he was over top of me. He grinned down at me before kissing me again.

It didn't matter if I was on the beach, on a pool table, or on an old couch surrounded by empty beer cans, waking up wrapped in JJ's arms was always my favorite place to be. The sun woke us up slowly the next morning, and we slowly made our way out to the yard, where JJ pulled his dirt bike around to work on. He didn't say much when we woke up and he was forcing himself to focus on his bike. I could see what being back here was doing to him, I didn't know how to help him, make him see he wasn't alone.

Sipping on a warm beer I had found in the Maybank fridge and looking out at the marsh, the sun moving over it and bouncing off the water making it sparkle.

"You okay?" JJ asked and I turned to see him kneeling by his bike, but looking at me, squinting against the sun.

"Yeah, why?" I scowled walking towards him, taking a seat on an old crate beside him.

"Because you had that look on your face." He grunted, leaning back over the bike tools in hand to fix it.

"What look?"

"The one you get when you are about to overthink, or when you start to take on everything..."

"Says the guy who's barely said two words to me this morning and has been quiet since we got back." I mumbled rolling my eyes. I turned away not wanting to see if he heard me, but the clang of tools and the crunch of footsteps on the dry grass indicated he had. He stopped in front of me and took the beer from my hand, taking a big swig of it ignoring my annoyed expression, before he dropped it to the ground and pulled me up to stand in front of him.

His hand brushed down my arm and his eyes followed, slowly moving up to meet my eyes. He reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear before sighing and closing his eyes.

"I woke up this morning, looked around and saw a trashed house, and then there you were..." he said, and I scowled.

"If you didn't want me to stay..."

"No... that's not..." he stumbled over the words before running a hand through his hair. "I can't... you deserve..."

"Don't start that shit again." I groaned, taking a step away from him to turn and look at the old house behind us. "I could care less where I wake up, as long as its beside you." I watched as he rolled his eyes and walked a few steps away. Grabbing his arm, I pulled him back and put my hands on either side of his face, forcing him to look at me. "I lived on figure eight my entire life, and I wouldn't call it living. I have stayed at the Chateau more times than I can count, I lived in a motel for months alone barely making a living, and I was stranded on the same island you were. You may think I 'deserve' certain things, based on where I come from, but what I deserve and what I want are two things. You make me happy, whether we sleep on an old couch or on some beach... if you're so worried about what I deserve, then I deserve to be happy, not some material shit that could blow away in the next hurricane."

He seemed to struggle to understand what I was saying, so I pulled him towards me and pressed my lips to his at a bruising pace. There wasn't any hesitation, he pulled me to him flush against him one hand around my back the other through my hair. A whistle behind us startled us apart and we both turned, still tangled around each other to see Kie walking towards us.

"Fuck..." JJ groaned quietly leaning his forehead to mine before placing one more kiss to my lips and turning back to his bike.

"Hey Kie." I laughed, nodding to the girl and returning to the crate I had been sitting on earlier.

"Hey." she smiled eyeing the house before pointing to the door, "What's with the sign."

"Eviction notice." JJ answered without looking up from his tools. "For like non-payment or whatever. Doesn't matter, this place sucks anyway."

"It's great to be back." I stated, sarcastically rolling my eyes and looking at Kie giving her a shrug.

"Yeah, um... so get this." She scowled at JJ before changing the subject. "I, uh, had an email waiting for me when I got home... John B. actually found Big John, he's alive." I knew my eyes got wider and my mouth fell open as soon as Kie spoke. Looking up, she had a smile on her face and nodded at me. I turned towards JJ, who had paused what he was doing and there was a small smirk on his face.

"Yeah," Kie said. "He's at the Chateau."

"So, he's alive... all those nights John B. tried to convince us he was still out there, and we just told him what he wanted to hear... the old man was actually alive?" I stood up walking around to stand closer to Kie. "Where was he this whole time?"

"Didn't say."

"Damn." JJ chuckled going back to working on his bike.

"Yeah, he thinks we're close to the same treasure Singh was talking about." She explained and I scowled.

"El Dorado?" I questioned, and she nodded. The silence that followed was uncomfortable. The only sound aside from the birds in the marsh was JJ working on his bike. I watched Kie fidget with her bracelet and shift her stance from foot to foot, unsure what to do or say.

"My parents didn't even wanna let me out of the house." she finally said with a big sigh.

"Can you blame them?" I asked. "I mean gone for a month and then kidnapped..."

"Well, I told them I had to come check on you guys." she said quietly, there was a look of sadness, maybe pity, as she looked at us and then the house.

"Well, it's not me you have to worry about." JJ said. The wall was back up as he tried to pretend that none of this bugged him, that he wasn't affected by his childhood home being foreclosed on, or having nothing, and I was sure seeing Kie all cleaned up wasn't helping.

"What's going on?" she asked concerned as she looked at me and I just shook my head. "I'm just... I was worried... after everything..."

"Jay she is just looking out for you, Pogues... we stick by each other..."

"Look at you," he gestured to Kie. "You got your new threads on... and look at me, what do I got, this... this piece of shit?" He grabbed the beer can I had been drinking from earlier and threw it at the house. I listened and cringed as the object hit something that shattered. "Getting kicked out of this place in three weeks, anyway, shit I don't even got parents right now... why would you care Kie?"

Kie just stood there confused looking at me for some explanation, but I couldn't help her, I wasn't sure where the outburst had come from... we had just been talking about this and he seemed to be coming around but as soon as Kie came around he flipped again.

"Why would you care... like I'm some loser that..."

"Whoa!" I stated, interrupting him and moving in front of him. "No one was calling you a loser, what the hell JJ?"

"JJ." Kie pleaded, her voice quiet. "I do care."

"No!" JJ shook his head stepping around me and I looked up at the sky taking a deep breath before turning back around to watch the train wreck in front of me. "You got parent that live in Figure Eight, you know..."

"That's not her fault JJ." I shook my head looking at Kie, who looked to be on the verge of tears, completely confused by the guy in front of her that was one of her best friends.

"Thats her future... hell that's your future." He turned motioning to me, and I scowled at him taken back by his comment. "I mean I don't even know why you stick around, or why you're even here." He looked at me and then Kie.

"You don't know why I'm here?" I asked with a scowl, and I could see him flinch as I repeated the words to him.

"Look, if you need us... we're gonna help you..." Kie started, and I closed my eyes in dread as she spoke. I knew JJ, maybe better than he knew himself... and pity, handouts... that was a quick way to set him off. I looked at Kie as she opened her mouth to continue, "I'll help."

"Its... It's that right there okay!" JJ exclaimed pacing towards her, "like it's so easy for you to say that... you know why..."

"JJ she just wants to help," I tried but he turned quickly towards me and the frustration in his eyes seemed to make them dark.

"You're a Kook Kiara... you're a Kook and you know how to use it." He said his eyes were still on me and he took a deep breath giving me a pained look. "And so are you Roe, you're a Kook, you paid my restitution, you bought groceries for the Chat, paid rent for us, bills... hell you were gonna pay for a plane ticket out of here for John B. It's so easy for you... for both of you."

"Yeah, we're Kooks..." Kie pursed her lips coming up beside me. I was confused, stunned and frozen in spot as JJ lashed out. I knew he didn't mean it, not to hurt me, but there was a part of him that did, a part of him that felt like I had bought my way through life. "We were such Kooks, when we were living in a cave with you for months, soaking in that Kook life."

"That's not what I'm talking about..." JJ scoffed turning to me and his features softened with remorse before he turned towards his bike. "God!" He quickly got on the bike and kicked it into gear, the engine roaring to life.

"JJ don't leave!" Kie called over the rumble of the bike, but JJ didn't hesitate as he picked his foot up and pushed down on the throttle, the bike shooting forward. "JJ what the hell!"

"He just needs to cool down." I sighed, turning to pick up the tools he had left scattered around.

"What his deal?" she asked.

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at her, and she just shrugged. "It's this place, being back here... you can't expect him to be excited to come back here when he didn't have anything or anyone waiting for him. He got to watch you and Pope talk nonstop about your families and... it's just... he didn't want to come back... not to this."

"I didn't realize..." she sighed. "I want to help."

"He doesn't want help." I shook my head. "Thats part of the problem. I know you didn't mean it as an insult but you coming over basically telling him you'd give him money... you mean well, but for him... everyone else is doing well, and he's... he's not and he doesn't want to admit that."

"So, what do we do?" she asked, looking towards the road JJ had left on.

"Give him time, let him cool off." I shrugged. "And then I smack him in the back of the head for calling us Kooks and tell him to get his head out of his ass." I added with a smiled and she came over and wrapped her arms around me giggling.

"What about you?"

"In regard to being back or JJ?"

"Both?" she offered with a small half smile.

"My room at the Inn was rented out and my mom is making my old house her vacation home now that my dad is missing, so I'm still trying to wrap my head around that... and I just wish this was all easier, before crosses, and treasures and lost dads." I answered sitting at the base of the tree I had placed the tools at and let my head lean back against it. "The last time JJ has said anything like that to me, was when I first met you guys and he didn't like that I was there. I didn't realize he still felt that way about me I guess."

"Girl, he doesn't." she said quickly sitting beside me. "It's his wall, or guard he puts up. He looks for the one thing that ... he is pushing you away, so you don't walk away first."

"I know." I said quietly nodding my head and laying it on her shoulder. We sat quietly together until her phone went off and she jumped. Pulling it from her shorts she looked at the message and scowled. "What?"

"It's Sarah." she answered. "Says she needs to talk like now."

"He's not coming back here any time soon," I said nodding at the house behind us as I pulled myself from the ground. She nodded and we started the walk to Kie's house to meet Sarah. As she went into her house to let her parents know she was home, I went around and down the dock where Sarah was sitting, her knee anxiously bouncing up and down.

"Well, this can't be good." I said as I walked up to her. Her head shot up as she heard me.

"No, it's good... or not... maybe... I'm not sure." she said walking towards me giving me a hug. "Kie coming?"

"Yeah, letting the parentals know she's back." I nodded looking over my shoulder just as Kie came out the back door and walked down the dock. Once we were all situated Sarah began telling her story about going back to Tannyhill.

"So, I went back to grab clothes and a phone and you're not gonna believe this." she said pacing in front of us. "Rafe is back."

My eyes widened as she spoke and I couldn't control the laugh that escaped and I looked at Kie, who looked surprised. "Of freaking course, he is." I sighed shaking my head. "Is it bad if I say I kind of hoped Singh would have found him, or he ended up in some Barbados prison?" Both girls giggled and I smiled at them, turning back to Sarah so she could continue.

"Well, I saw him at the house." she said, and I scowled opening my mouth to ask her if she was caught but she quickly shook her head. "I don't think he saw me, but I think the cross is coming back to Whelmington... tomorrow night."

"What?" Kie stated shocked.

"Are you kidding me?" I added.

"Yeah." Sarah breathed out.

"Does Pope know?" Kie asked.

"No, I was gonna tell him at the Chateau." Sarah shook her head.

"Can't, he's on lockdown at least until tomorrow morning." I said.

"Okay, um..." Sarah started to pace in front of us before she turned quickly, "Kie and I will hit up Pope and then maybe you go to the Chateau and tell John B. and JJ?"

"Yeah... I can do that." I sighed looking down at my feet. "I gotta talk to him anyway."

"You sure Roe?" Kie questioned nudging my arm.

"Yeah. He's gonna go to the Chat tonight anyway."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know JJ." I sighed looking up at her with a small smile.

"Wait... what's going on?" Sarah asked, looking between us. "Did I miss something."

"JJ is having a hard time being back." I answered, pushing myself off the rail and started following Kie and Sarah off the dock. "So, he's lashing out and pushing me away."

"Shit." She breathed out and I nodded.

"Look, just meet us with Pope and Cleo, at the Chateau tomorrow morning, we'll come up with a plan then." I smiled just before we reached the house and paused.

"Yeah, okay." Sarah agreed, looking at Kie who was nodding in agreement. I watched as the brunette looked up at her house and sighed shaking her head.

"My parents are gonna kill me." she said and then started giggling as Sarah and I hugged her.

Hope this wasn't too much of a train wreck.

Leave me comments and or suggestions if you have any.

Thanks for reading :)