A/N: Hey everyone, thanks so much for the comments, i wish there was a reply button because i'd reply to every single one. You(MC) is still confused but finally takes som initiative with John B this chapter, i hope you enjoy!

Chapter 7

When the Twinkie came to a stop, JJ opened the back sliding door and hopped out, everyone in the back followed, so you opened the passenger door and followed behind, smiling softly when John B was walking next to you a moment later. You all stopped and looked up at the big lighthouse, wondering what answers it would give you, if it'd just be another dead end, if it'd bring you one step closer to the treasure, or maybe more importantly, closure for John B.

You knew well by now that JB was the unofficial leader of the gang, which is why it didn't surprise you when, a second later, he took the lead, handing out directions. He walked next to JJ and pointed at him, "Right, here's what's going to happen, you're going to post up here and keep a lookout for bogeys, okay?"

JJ sounded confused and even a little hurt when he asked, "Wait, why me?"

"Because you're not coming," Pope answered succinctly.

"Why?!"

You held in a laugh because even only being with your friends for a week or so now, you knew exactly why JJ would not be the best choice for this mission. You were smart enough not to say anything, though.

"Because there are independent and there are dependent variables. And you're an independent variable…"

"Shut up!"

"…we don't know what you're going to do." Pope continued after being rudely cut off.

"Just shut up!" JJ was not enjoying this.

John B was frustratedly adjusting his hat, clearly thinking this conversation was a waste of time. He took a deep breath, then turned back to JJ and spoke loudly over everyone else, "Just listen to me for a second! Just listen. Pope, Kie, you stay on lookout with JJ, okay? If we get split up, we'll meet back at JJ's house."

You couldn't deny, at least to yourself, that you found it wildly attractive when he took charge like that. You hoped your voice didn't sound as swoony as you felt when you said, "Works for me."

The double take and small smirk he gave you made you think you weren't hiding it as well as you hoped. "Great."

"Wait, why did we all come if you were only going to take one person in there with you? You don't need three people on lookout." Kie asked, annoyed.

"Well, Kie, forgive me for not wanting to leave any of my friends at the house that was just ransacked by square groupers with scary guns."

She sighed, "Fair."

"Good, we'll be back." He said, turning from your friends, taking you with him with a light hold of your arm. You heard your friends starting up conversation again, wondering how they'd keep a lookout if one was writing an essay and the other two were already focused on each other, deep in a conversation that really just sounded like flirting masked as bickering. You stopped thinking about your friends completely when you felt John B's hands on your waist. You looked at him confused, maybe a little blush on your face, but you realized he was helping you over the fence. You had the thought that he had a way of keeping his hands on you while still managing to stay respectful about the fact that you said you wanted to slow down and stay just friends back when you kissed.

The walk up to the lighthouse was filled with a comfortable silence, with small glances and smiles exchanged between you two. Still, you could see the closer you got, the less carefree John B became, and the more he turned into the serious guy you've seen on a few occasions, the one whose only focus was finding the gold and his father. You remembered when he said his dad was obsessed with finding it, too, and wondered if he was acting like his father did when he was in deep search for the gold.

"What are we looking for?" You couldn't help but ask.

"We'll know it when we see it."

"Hmm, okay." You said and tried to hide the doubt in your tone.

Walking up the spiral stairs inside the lighthouse was somehow both cool and creepy. You could tell this wasn't a place that a lot of people frequented. There was a constant dripping sound coming from somewhere, and other than that, your footsteps were the only sounds in the place. You made it all the way to the top only to find a locked door; John B gave you an unsure look before lifting his hand up and knocking three times.

There was silence for a solid five seconds before he looked at you again, this time with disappointment in his eyes, "Nobody home."

You could see the reluctance in his steps as he started to walk away from the door, but when he made it to you, you both stopped at the creak of the locked door opening. You both look at the door and see a middle-aged man with glasses standing on the other side of it, looking at. You questioningly, slightly annoyed to be interrupted. He didn't say anything; he just continued to stare at you two.

"Uhh, hi, I'm new to town and have always had an interest in lighthouses. I'd love to take a tour." You said, unsure why you did, unsure if you helped or hurt. JB's quick look back at you with his lips ticked up made you think you did the right thing.

Unfortunately, you were both proven wrong when the man started to shut the door in your face, not before croaking out in his gruff voice and thick accent, "The lighthouse is closed."

"Um…" You said, trying in vain to get him to stop. You and John B shared a look before he sighed and knocked on the door again.

"Actually, we… we aren't here about the lighthouse. We're here about the um…" He looked back at you as if in need of support before continuing, "The Royal Merchant."

A few seconds later, you both heard the sound of the locks unlocking and breathed a sigh of relief. The man had his head tilted down and looked at you above the top of his glasses, "Then you've come to the right place."

He leads you through the formally locked room and past another door, bringing you to the outside of the top of the lighthouse, "I know more… watch your step here…" The metal was so rusted there were holes in it, making you worry about how Safe it was to be walking up there, "I know more about the Royal Merchant than anyone else in Kildare county.

"Holy shit," John B whispered at the view from the top of the lighthouse.

"Wow…" you concurred.

"Come on," the guy led you. "Now the Merchant disappeared in the graveyard of the Atlantic in 1829."

"With 400 million…"

"Correct." He rested his hand on JB's shoulder with a sly smile, "You're a bit of a Merchanteer yourself, aren't you?"

"Uhh… something like that."

You couldn't help but feel a little creeped out at the way he was smiling, but didn't protest because he seemed harmless.

"Well, follow me. I'm gonna show you somethin'." His creepy chuckle had you second-guessing yourself. Still, you continued to follow him as he walked around, "I've been working here thirty years, the views never changed until two days ago." He pointed over to a point on the beach, "The point's almost gone, one more storm like that, and it'll take the lighthouse. I'll go with her."

"That's depressing." You mumble without meaning to. Thankfully, he was already walking away on his next thought, so he didn't hear, but JB did, and he nodded at you before following the man.

"Now, the trick to knowing where the Merchant is…is knowing if she's on the north end or the South end of the eye of the storm. Now, most experts believe that she was in the South. Now, if she's on the south end, the bands from the hurricane would have pushed her back out to sea." He leaned in close to JB, way past society's opinion of a polite personal bubble. "Now, I don't believe that. Nuh-uh. I think she was on the North end of the eye. Which means the bands would have pushed her…"

"Closer to shore." JB finished.

"That's right. Now, by my calculations, the Royal Merchant is about ten miles thataway." He said, pointing up and a little out from the coast. You and John B share another look, this time more relaxed, it seems like you might have finally got a piece of information that might actually bring you closer to the treasure.

It seemed he had more to say because he interrupted your stare off and led you back inside, "Come on, come on."

After getting a better look at the interior, you couldn't help but think it looked a lot like the office in JB's house that his dad used for his treasure hunting. He walked you over to a map of the area and pointed to it. "See this? Right here is where the point used to be. My calculations say the Merchant's right about there, down about a thousand feet."

You're surprised when JB said, "That's what my dad used to say."

"Yup."

"I—I know this is weird, alright?" JB studdered out, "But do you know anything about this?"

He pulled out the compass. The man's demeanor changed immediately; he looked at both of you, frightened almost. JB continued, "Look, it—it says Redfield in the back, in my dad's handwriting. Yeah, I don't know why I'm here, but I feel like I'm supposed to be, I think he wanted me to come here. Do— do you have anything to give me… or to show me?…. where are you going?"

In the middle of John B's words, the man sped-walked away from you. He climbed up even more stairs that you didn't notice at first and opened an above-head door, climbing through to get away from you, but JB was hot on his trail right behind him. You followed behind without even realizing it, "Wait a minute, look… look, man, I know this is weird. I just thought, hoped, maybe you would know something about this, all right?"

At this point, you were in the light part of the lighthouse, glass windows surrounding you completely with a huge light in the center of the room. "Sir, you won't believe what he's been through in the last 24 hours. This isn't just some whim, this is important our lives are at stake. We need answers". I mean, he's been shot at, threatened, his home invaded."

"Home invaded?"

"My rooster was killed…" He said, looking down at his feet. "Look, man, my dad wanted me to talk to you, okay? So if there's anything you can think of that would help us, please, just tell us, okay?" He was yelling at this point. You saw the man wasn't reacting well to the screaming, so you walked over to JB and rested your hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him down a little.

It didn't work, he took a step forward and grabbed the man by his collar, "Look! Please! Anything, tell us anything."

Unfortunately, the man brought his radio to his mouth, and you knew this was going to turn bad. "Wanda, I got two kids on drugs up here at the lighthouse. Call the police."

You didn't know how to react when JB grabbed the guy's arm, trying to get the radio from him. He was clearly panicking now, and you weren't much better, "No, no, no, no!"

He somehow managed to smash the man's hand into the window, he cried out in pain but held tight to his radio.

"John B, what are you doing?" When it seemed like he wasn't listening, you touched him again, "Hey, look at me, please. He isn't going to tell us anything; we have to go!"

He looked at you almost vacantly for a few moments. You grabbed the hand that wasn't still holding onto the man and interlaced your fingers in his before starting downstairs. He fought to stay for a second before following you. You both ran as fast as you could down the stairs, and you heard him repeat over and over again, "It was an accident."

You heard the man talking into his radio, "Wanda, I'm bleeding I've been assaulted." And the sound of his footsteps behind you, trying to catch you. Thankfully, he wasn't in the best shape, and you were able to gain distance from him.

You didn't hear the sirens until you made it outside the lighthouse, and somehow, you weren't surprised to notice the Twinkie and all your friends had already left. "Seriously? shit."

You didn't know your way around the island nearly enough to know where to go. You did figure getting in the trees was a safe idea, the cars couldn't drive through, so if they wanted to follow, they'd have to get on foot, and it would be a lot easier to hide from them. JB had the same idea, he took the lead and started running, still holding your hand. Thankfully, you lost them easily enough after a few minutes; it was quiet for a while as you made your way.

You were pulled out of your thoughts when he spoke, "Look, you gotta admit, that was promising. I mean, my dad, the Royal Merchant. The ranger, the Royal Merchant. I mean, coincidence? I don't— I don't think so."

"Yeah, I mean maybe, on one hand, it's his job to know about shipwrecks… "

"Okay, okay, but the Royal Merchant?"

You ignored him, speaking louder, "On the other hand, he definitely knew more than the basic amount that someone would know so they could give decent tours. And the compass meant something to him. He didn't get all scared and shifty until you brought it out. In fact, it seemed like he would be happy if we stayed there all afternoon so he could keep talking, but as soon as you showed it to him, he wanted us out."

"Yeah, yeah! I mean, I don't know why he sent us out there, maybe we missed something, maybe we should go back."

You were all for being supportive, but there was no way it was a good idea to head back to that lighthouse, you shook your head, "Are there any other places with the name Redfield?"

"Well, yeah, probably. It is one of the most popular names in the county." You sighed and looked away over the water, realizing that made things a lot harder. You wanted to help but didn't know how. His sad, almost desperate voice made your eyes shoot back to him, "You believe me, right?"

You squeezed his hand that you only now realized you were still holding and smiled, hoping it looked sincere. "I know it all sounds crazy, but too many weird things keep happening, too many bad people are on the same track as us. There has to be at least some truth to it. Look, JB, you know your dad better than anyone, if you think he's leaving you clues, well, then I believe it."

He smiled, happy to be validated, and before you knew it, he wrapped you in his arms and kissed you. You were shocked for a second before deciding to return the kiss. You let yourself fall into it, feeling stupid for pushing him away all this time when this is what you could have been doing. A second later, he pulled away, looking embarrassed.

"Uh, sorry, I shouldn't have done that, I promised I wouldn't push you." Even though his mouth said the words, his eyes kept flicking between your eyes and your lips, his hands were still holding your hips, squeezing them lightly. You weren't even sure when they got there in the first place, but being honest with yourself, you didn't mind.

You smiled at him and reached your hand up, resting it on his cheek, hoping to calm him down. You smiled brighter when it worked, "Hey, it's okay, I'm not mad. We just got caught up in the heat of the moment. No sweat."

You could tell he was disappointed by the dismissal of yet another moment between you two, but he didn't question it. Instead, he gave you a small smile as his hands left your hips, and one reached to grab yours. He started leading you down the beach, "Come on, they must be waiting for us."

You two had barely taken two steps before you heard the telltale sound of a car pulling up. Somehow, something inside you knew it was someone bad before you even turned around, the tension that showed up in JB made you think he felt the same. Unfortunately, your intuition was proved right when you saw it was a cop car. The cop got out of the car; you cringed when he knew John B by name.

"Routledge! I got you, son. Now, why don't you just be chill and not make me chase you."

You walked around JB and turned around so that he was in front of you. As if it were scripted, he reached behind and pulled the compass out of his back pocket, handing it to you as stealthily as possible. "Hands where I can see them!"

You stuffed it in your bra, thankful he was covering you from the cop. JB put his hands up; you were sure he was going to try to make a run for it. Then again, the two knew each other, if he ran and got away, the cop would just drive to his house. So you stepped back and waited to see if it was both of you or just JB getting taken in.

They took you in, too, unfortunately. You thought for sure they were going to search you and find the compass, but for some reason, they just sat you at a desk while they treated him completely differently, frisking him, then taking him in to see the sheriff, shutting the door behind him. You were worried about JB, were they going to call CPS? What was going to happen to him? Foster care?

"So, I haven't seen you around here before."

Fuck. You were so worried about him that you didn't have time to worry about yourself. You got arrested again. God, now you were going to have to call Rose. Wait, maybe Sarah had enough money to bail you out? "Yeah, I'm pretty new to town."

"On the cut?" The cop guessed, probably because of the company.

"No, I think it's called Figure Eight."

His eyebrows rose up. "How'd you meet a no good like that one then?"

You took a deep breath, you knew yelling at the asshole would do neither of you any good. "I met him and his friends my first day here. They're nice, just because they don't have a lot of money doesn't change that." You left out the fact that you don't have any money either, it's all your aunt's and her new family's.

He cleared his throat, maybe even a little chastised. "So, you're family is new to town? Usually, we know when one of the big houses gets filled up."

"Oh, no. I moved in with my aunt and uncle. Uh, Rose and Ward Cameron." You cringe again, god, Rose is going to get so mad that you're expecting at least an hour-long lecture.

The officer's eyes widened, you're unsure why, though he clears it up quickly enough. "You're a Cameron?"

"Uhh, yeah, I guess. Well, through marriage."

He stared at you for a long time. "Huh, well, I think we can let this slide just this once. You don't seem the type to get into trouble."

"I'm not!" You lied. You've been arrested a time or two. As someone who had to steal to eat, there was a learning curve that ended quite a few times in the same position you were now. Sitting in front of a cop, trying to look as nice and innocent as possible. Normally, you still got charged, though; this is the first time they ever just said, 'Forget about it.' It seemed the Cameron last name was a literal get out of jail free card.

"Good, just make sure you don't end up here again, alright? I wouldn't want to have to call Rose."

"Is there any way our good name could be used to help my friend out?"

All pleasantness was wiped off his face. "No."

You sighed, "Okay, well, can I call Ward? I'm not leaving here without him. He won't leave John B in jail, he works for my uncle and knows we're friends." You lied. You still hadn't gotten around to telling Rose and Ward about your friendship with the Pogues, but you were learning your family held a lot of weight in the town, so you were trying to use it for good.

He stared at you for a long while, thinking. Eventually, he stood up from his chair and started to walk away, only giving you a kirt, "Wait here."

He knocked twice on the room JB was taken into, and you saw that he called over the cop who was talking to him. He whispered something to her, and she shot her eyes at you, looking at you appraisingly before looking back at John B. She looked back at the other officer, and you saw her shoulders slump, maybe in resignation. A second later, she said something to JB, and he sat up straight, looking at her confusedly before she pointed at you through the window. Your eyes widened, feeling like you were under a microscope with all of them staring at you. You smiled awkwardly and gave a small wave. JB stood up, saying something to them over his shoulder before walking to you with a big smile.

"How the fuck did you manage that, Peaches? Not only did they not call CPS, they're not charging me for anything either."

You smiled and stood up, immediately making your way to the exit, not wanting to be in there a moment longer than necessary. "I guess I'm just realizing how big my uncle is in this town. I mean, I knew he was rich, but control the police rich?"

He laughed, slinging an arm around your shoulder. In a friendly way, you told yourself so you didn't have to take it off. "Oh yeah, Ward owns half the town. That doesn't explain how I got outta there Scott-free, though. I knew you wouldn't be charged because of them."

"Ohh, I was wondering why you gave me the compass when we were both getting arrested. I might have mentioned having to call Ward for bail money, how he'd never let you stay locked up because we're such good friends and you're his favorite employee."

He laughed again, and you felt his lips brush the top of your head, "I knew you were a good one."

You rolled your eyes but felt a blush all the same. You walked together in comfortable silence for a few minutes until you realized he was leading you back to the Cut, you stopped walking, albeit reluctantly, "It's about time I head home. I probably should check in, see if word about the cops got back to them yet, I have a feeling gossip travels fast around here."

"Understatement of the century."

"Will I see you soon?" You asked shyly.

He scoffed, "Course. We still have a treasure to find. Unless you're planning on quitting on me." He sounded a little nervous, as if he thought you actually might.

"Never."

"Good," He said more seriously. He turned so you two were facing each other, and you noticed his slightly leaned in. You didn't pull away or lean in, your head and heart screaming different things. He smiled and pulled back, "Plus, I got work tomorrow. I gotta say, having a beautiful girl keeping me company would make my shift go a lot faster."

"Oh, so you're using me now, are you JB?"

"Never."

"I might be able to manage that."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart."

You smiled, "Bye, John B."

He stared at you for one more long second, a soft look in his eyes, before saluting you and turning away. You took a long look around before figuring out the quickest way home. You were pretty sure you were lost. You've been walking for 45 minutes, and even though all the houses were big, and you were positive you were on Figure Eight, none of the houses looked familiar. You took out your phone to call Sarah, but there was no signal. Still, most of the island was without electricity and cell signal, so it wasn't too surprising. You weren't sure if you were happy or nervous when a big truck came up the road and slowed down to a stop when they made it to you. The window slowly rolled down to show Rafe. You breathed a sigh of relief, hoping he was the same Rafe from earlier today.

"What are you doing out here by yourself, you're like a mile away from the house." There was genuine worry in his tone that made you feel better, and when you leaned forward, it looked like the truck was full, a beautiful lady in the front and two guys in the second row.

"I might have gotten lost," you reluctantly admitted, a little embarrassed.

His smile made you feel a little better, especially because it was the soft smile you remembered from before, not the dark, manic ones you had seen since you moved in. It seemed like he was on the way to wherever he was partying tonight instead of on the way home. You weren't positive, but you had a feeling his erratic behavior had something to do with that powder he sometimes didn't clear out of his nose. "Why am I not surprised? Get in, I'll drop you off."

"Oh, you can just give me directions, I don't want to make you late for whatever you're doing."

"It's fine; it'll be a two-minute ride or a half-hour walk, assuming you don't get lost again."

You shrugged, you couldn't fight that logic. You went to his side, thinking he'd let you in the back, but were surprised when he said, "Karri, get in the back seat."

"What?" You and the girl said at the same time.

"You heard me." He said to her plainly. Apparently, that was enough to convince her because she climbed into the back, not before giving you a dirty look. You shrugged again, whatever. You hopped, or more like climbed, in the truck, it was huge and turned to Rafe.

"Thanks."

"It's cool; it's not really out of the way."

"Awesome."

"Or, you can come with us." Rafe suggested and one of the guys in the back made an enthusiastic sound of agreement.

"You don't want to know the insane day I had. I'm ready to get home, take a long bubble bath in your amazing bathroom, and climb into bed."

He nodded, looking straight ahead at the road as he was driving, "We're still on for tomorrow, right?"

Shit, you forgot about that, you promised John B you'd hang out with him while he worked. Still, you could probably manage both, "Sure. What are we doing?"

"Beach party, the Kook way. None of those dirty Pogues this time." The people in the back cheered.

You stayed quiet, he already knew they were your friends, so it was kind of an asshole thing to say. Eventually, you nodded, your friends talked shit about him and Kooks all the time, fair was fair. Rafe pulled all the way into the long parking lot and stopped in front of the door. "Sounds good. Thanks for the ride, Rafe, bye everyone."

One guy in the back, in a flirtatious tone, said, "Nice to finally meet you!"

And the other one, just as flirty, said, "Can't wait to get to know you much better tomorrow."

You walked into the front door, ready to do exactly what you told Rafe you were going to, but you stopped in your tracks when Ward walked in the back door, looking at you more seriously than you'd ever seen pointed your way. "Follow me."

"Uh, sure." You agreed, what other choice did you have?

He walked out back, past the pool, through the yard, up the dock, and onto The Druthers. It was lit up with the nighttime lights. It was beautiful, almost beautiful enough to calm the tension that Ward's tone brought out of you. You froze when you noticed that John B was sitting there, looking just as out of place and confused as you did.

"Have a seat, sweetheart." He said, pointing to the seat next to JB, you did. He turned his attention to your not-quite-more-than-friend, "Where'd you get that shiner, John?"

"Uhh, surfing accident."

"You've had a hard year, John, a really hard year, and I think I've done what I can to help you. Would you agree with that?"

"Y-yes, sir."

"I told you you could always come to me if you ever needed anything, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I mean, you said you'd help me with my DCS case." You looked at JB with your eyebrows raised, surprised; you never heard this before. You were also starting to feel a little out of place, not knowing why you were here for whatever this was. Then again, you wanted to be there for JB because even though you didn't know what this was about, you knew a scolding when you heard one. You moved your hand under the table and rested your hand on his knee, hoping to show you were there for him. A second later, his hand rested over yours, interlacing your fingers and squeezing once.

Ward finally stopped messing with the fishing stuff and sat down across from you, making eye contact with both of you, "Here's the thing. You're not the only one who's had a hard year. As I'm sure you know by now, Peach lost her only parent, too. She's always been a good kid and family to us, so when Rose wanted to bring her into the house, we didn't think twice. I've taken her in as one of my own now; she's like a daughter to me."

"Uncle…."

"Let me finish, darlin'." You simply nodded, properly chastised. "She's not gotten into trouble before, except for a few times, but those were life or death, so no one holds it against her. But, you see, I got a call today. Apparently, she got arrested with none other than you, John B Routledge for breaking into the lighthouse and assaulting its ranger. Tell me, was this a life or death thing, John, did she break the law to keep you safe, help you?"

You couldn't help but think he was asking something deeper than the surface question, but you had no idea what else it could be. You also knew that, yes, this whole thing could very well be life or death, and you're not just thinking about the danger you were in, no, his father could need help, the treasure could really exist, then he'd never have to worry about where his next meal was coming from again. Hell, the same went for you. But you also knew you couldn't say that, and if you had doubts, the hard grip on your hand told you everything, Ward wasn't a Pogue, he didn't get to know. Still, you opened your mouth to try to defuse whatever this situation was turning into, but another sharp look from Ward caused you to snap your mouth shut.

"Uh, it was a misunderstanding, sir. You see, I was showing Peaches around and took her to the lighthouse. The Ranger was giving us a tour, and then…"

"I don't want to hear excuses, John. You got my niece arrested after only knowing her for a week. Not only that, I heard from the grapevine you got her to lie to us, her family, so you could use my scuba gear."

This time, you couldn't keep quiet, "What are you talking about, Uncle Ward? I thought you said I could use it whenever I wanted as long as I was safe. I met John B the day I moved here and found out he worked for you. I figured he was the best choice to help me."

You felt like a chastised kid from the look he gave you alone; you had to use all your willpower not to shrink back. "Listen, Mr. Cameron, I didn't mean any harm. I've got a lot of respect for you and Peaches; I don't want her to get in trouble, that wasn't my intention, I swear, sir."

Ward looked at him for a long time before talking, "You see, I have no problem believing that, what I have a problem believing is that she's going to stay out of trouble around you, no matter what your intentions."

"Uncle Ward, that's not fair."

"Maybe not, but I love you. I meant it when I said you're one of mine, and I'll do what I have to to keep mine safe." You were filled with a strong mix of emotions, both good and bad. As someone who didn't have a father figure, you felt warm, loved, and safe. As someone who knew John B, not just what the town thought of him, you felt angered, indignant, and defensive of the guy you were fast falling for, no matter what you tried to tell yourself. It seemed that your face gave that all away because a second later, Ward's face softened. "I know you're not a child, and I trust you to make your own decisions. But I will say this: if I hear one more story of you getting in trouble while you're with your new group of friends, I will do what I have to to keep you safe. I'm telling this to both of you so there's no confusion. Am I understood?"

"Ye-yes, sir." John B was clearly on edge.

"Of course," You agreed.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way. It's getting late, darlin', why don't you walk your friend out and get yourself to bed? John B., I'll see you bright and early tomorrow for your shift."

You both stood up quickly, ready to get out of that situation. You realized a moment too late that you were still holding hands, and you saw the moment Ward saw it. He didn't say anything about it, though, thankfully. He just called out a simple 'goodnight' as he walked back down the dock, and you walked to the end where the HMS Pogue was.

It was quiet for a long moment, both of you in shock and thinking over the last few minutes. Eventually, you broke the silence, "Well, that was unexpected."

He laughed, "You can say that again." He turned to you and rested his hand on your cheek, "What took you so long getting here? I made like three stops before coming and still waited in awkward silence with Ward for like 20 minutes waiting for you."

He looked you up and down as if belatedly looking for injuries. You turned your face away, embarrassed, "I might have gotten lost."

He stroked his thumb over your cheek, causing you to look back at him, "I was worried after everything that happened over the last few days."

"I was fine, nothing bad, no square groupers, just little old me with a terrible sense of direction. I'd have been a lot later if Rafe didn't happen to drive by on his way to whatever party he was going to."

"Rafe stopped the car to bring you home? He did a good deed? You willingly got in the car with him?" He sounded as if the information just did not compute for him.

You shrugged, "Yeah, we used to be pretty good friends when we were younger. I don't know what happened to him to make him change so much, but he is still nice every once in a while."

He shook his head, either in disbelief or to change the subject. His smile was back in a moment, and with his free hand, he pointed to where you were all sitting on The Druthers a few minutes ago, "you know what that was?"

"A scolding?"

He chuckled, "Well, yeah, but I think that was also Ward giving his conditional approval of me."

"What do you mean?"

He tried to look suave and confident, "He knows how into me you are and says he approves,"

You slap his chest, "You are so full of yourself."

"Am I wrong?" The confidence was gone, and his tone was hopeful.

Your voice was so low it was almost a whisper, "No."

"Good, at least I'm not the only one." He smiled.

For the first time, you were the one who leaned in and kissed him. You put your hands on his face to pull him closer and kiss him with all you had. You felt him sag into you, his hands lowering down your body until they were at your hips, pulling you in. It was just as amazing as your first kiss, maybe better, though you weren't sure that was possible. You just knew goosebumps were over every inch of your skin, and you somehow felt like every cell was on fire. He wasn't touching you anywhere inappropriately, but still, somehow, you had no choice but to moan into his mouth as soon as you felt his tongue licking your lips, asking for entrance.

You were done worrying about what was best for you. For now, anyway. Now you decided you were just going to let yourself feel, and every part of you felt for John B you were sure you were falling for him. You'd deal with the rest of those unwanted logical thoughts later, hopefully much later.