JJ woke up to find the bed empty. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she got up and made her way to the kitchen. Not finding John B there, she stepped outside and noticed that the HMS Pogue was gone. After a moment of recollection, she remembered that John B had to return the scuba equipment.

She decided to take a shower while she brainstormed something to do to pass the time. After finishing her shower and wrapping herself in a towel, she walked into the guest room to change, only to realize she was short on clean clothes.

"Guess I'll clean today," she decided, determined to make use of her time. She managed to find clean undergarments but had to borrow one of John B's button-down shirts, opting not to bother with pants. Turning on an old battery-operated radio at full volume, she began gathering the laundry, including John B's, and set it next to the washer for when the power returned. Then she busied herself with collecting trash from around the house.

2 hours earlier

John B had just pulled up alongside the Druthers and transferred the scuba gear into the larger boat. As he entered the cabin, he froze at the sight of Sarah Cameron inside, fast asleep.

"Shit," he muttered under his breath. He crept inside, trying his best to be quiet, but the floorboards creaked under his weight, and the scuba equipment clanked with every step.

"Wheezie, shut up," Sarah grumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.

Clang!

One of the tanks hit the wall, and John B winced as Sarah startled awake and opened her eyes. "You're not Wheezie," she remarked, blinking in surprise.

Busted. John B sighed. "Correct. Yeah. I'm sorry."

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked, closing her eyes again, clearly not fully awake.

"Uh... I'm just dropping off some scuba gear," he answered, trying to sound casual and hoping she wouldn't find anything suspicious in his response. "What are—what are you doing here?"

He mentally slapped himself for sounding so nervous, hoping he hadn't given away more than he intended.

"It's our boat," Sarah said matter-of-factly, giving him a look that implied 'duh.' "It's also the only place with air conditioning."

"Right," John B replied dumbly, feeling a bit flustered.

"Did you, uh, top off the tanks?" she asked, sitting up.

"Uh... no," he struggled for a response. "No, the power's down, so the compressors were off."

"So you're sneaking onto our boat at 5:00 am to drop off empty tanks?" Sarah asked skeptically, her tone making it clear she found the explanation implausible. "I'll make sure to tell Ward."

"Okay, okay," John B shrugged, though he knew it was far from okay. "Cool, cool." He turned and set the equipment down on the floor. "Just drop these off..."

"Yeah, yeah, the middle of the room is fine," Sarah muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah, this is pretty much what he told me to do," John B replied, feeling like he was digging himself into a deeper hole as he started to leave.

"Bye," Sarah waved dismissively. John B internally groaned, realizing he couldn't just leave it at that.

He turned around. "Actually, you know, what—what exactly were you gonna tell your dad?" he asked, chuckling nervously.

"Nothing much," Sarah replied casually, as if discussing the weather. "Just that you poached our scuba gear."

"Okay, fuck. I borrowed it for a few hours, okay? And then I brought it back intact and unharmed," John B explained, hoping she would cut him some slack now that the truth was out in the open.

"Without air," she added, making her point clear.

"Look, please don't tell him," John B pleaded earnestly. "Okay? He'll fire me. I really need this job."

"What are you gonna do? Pull a gun on me?" Sarah retorted.

"I didn't know JJ was gonna do that," he defended.

"That's convenient to believe," Sarah scoffed. "Maybe you should get better friends."

John B narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you should get a better boyfriend."

"Like one who doesn't poach?" Sarah bit back, clearly enjoying riling him up.

Fed up with the back and forth, John B pleaded once more. "Look, please, just don't tell him. Okay?"

"Relax. I'm not gonna tell him anything. Your secret's safe with me, John B," Sarah said with a smile, surprising him.

"Okay, you can leave now," she added, indicating he was free to go.

"Right. Yeah. Uh..." John B turned to leave, still processing the fact that Sarah Cameron, the kook princess, had agreed to keep his secret. "I'll leave... I'll leave that right there." He gestured awkwardly to the scuba gear he had set down earlier before heading out.

"Bye," Sarah chirped as she settled back down to sleep, turning away from John B.

"Later," he called back, feeling a mixture of relief and lingering tension as he exited the cabin. Climbing back into the HMS Pogue, he resumed his journey, unaware of the small brown-haired girl who had been eavesdropping from her hiding spot on the stairs leading down to the lower cabin.

John B arrived back at the chateau feeling pretty good about how the morning had gone so far. He tied off the HMS Pogue to the pier and made his way toward the house, guided by the sound of music blasting from inside. He smiled to himself, thinking JJ must be up and about.

As he approached the porch, he noticed three full trash bags that hadn't been there when he left.

He opened the door to go inside and had one foot in when he abruptly stopped. All the blood in his body seemed to rush downwards at the sight before him.

JJ was facing away from him, her hips swaying as she wiped dust off a shelf with an old washcloth.

She's wearing one of his shirts and as his eyes move downwards he sees she's not wearing any pants. The shirt is long on her, coming down just under the curve of her ass. Her smooth slightly-tanned legs were on full display.

He had seen JJ in a swimsuit before, which showed even less clothing, and he had always acknowledged to himself that she was attractive. But seeing her in his clothes, acting domestic in his house, ignited a whole new level of feelings in him. He couldn't tear his gaze away.

Im fucked, he thought, feeling his brain malfunction as a surge of desire and possessiveness overwhelmed him. It took every ounce of willpower to resist the urge to walk up to her, spin her around, and claim what he felt was his.

That thought alone was disturbing as since when did he start referring to JJ as his? He groans internally. He is so fucked.

The door loudly shut behind him, causing JJ to turn around swiftly, startled. Her blue eyes widened in surprise, and her full lips were slightly parted.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile once she realized it was just him. The sight of her smile in that moment made things even more difficult for him.

"Hey," John B breathed huskily, mentally shaking himself to snap out of the intense attraction he felt. He looked around, needing to focus on anything other than JJ. "I see you've been busy."

"Yeah, I thought I'd kill some time. I ran out of clean clothes so I borrowed this. I hope you don't mind," JJ asked innocently, tugging at the shirt she had borrowed from him.

"I don't mind," John B assured her, still avoiding direct eye contact.

"Well, Kie's house has a generator, and she said I could do some laundry there, so... I'm gonna head over there," JJ informed him awkwardly, slipping on a pair of shorts from the basket.

He nodded with relief as JJ grabbed the basket and left the house. Feeling suddenly drained, he decided a nap would do him some good. John B laid down on the couch and soon drifted into a not-so-dreamless sleep.

A few hours later, he was abruptly awakened by a rapid knocking at his door. "DCS! I know you're in there!" boomed a deep voice that cracked on certain words.

John B sat up blearily, startled by the rapid knocking. Suddenly, JJ jumped down in front of the glass window behind him, slapping the glass.

"Whoa!" John B exclaimed, jumping in surprise.

JJ laughed. "Gotcha!"

Exasperated, John B fell back onto the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. JJ continued to laugh outside the window. "You should have seen your face!"

She stood up and joined John B inside, dropping the laundry basket in the middle of the room. John B quickly bent his legs up, trying to conceal the tent that had formed in his lap as he realized she was still wearing his shirt.

"So, I was thinking about going to see Mrs. Lana today," John B told her, invitation in his voice.

"I'm in," she agreed quickly, not wanting him to go alone.

"Great, Twinkie in 10, then," John B nodded, relieved that JJ agreed to accompany him. JJ carried the basket to his room to change into her own clothes, while he lay back and groaned into a pillow, chiding himself to get a grip.

Pulling himself together, John B grabbed the keys to start up the Twinkie. As he drove, he contemplated his growing feelings for his best friend, trying to pinpoint exactly when they had changed. He didn't have a clear answer and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind for now. There were other matters to attend to. He took his father's compass from his pocket and set it carefully on the dash, a comforting reminder of his ongoing quest.

He prayed Mrs. Lana had the answers he desperately needed. John B was determined to find out where his father was, no matter what. The presence of his father's compass felt like a sign, a guiding force pushing him forward. He believed there was a reason it had come into his possession; now, he just needed to unravel the mystery and uncover the truth.