"We lost them."
--☆--☆--☆--
None of the pogues knew what to say now that John B was gone. They all knew it had to be this way, that he had to get off the island, but none of them realized just how much it would hurt to see him leave.
JJ stepped away from the dock with Emerson following close behind him. She was probably the only one who didn't feel like she had gotten punched in the gut when the Phantom drove away. She was sad to see John B leave but she also hadn't known him as long as the rest of the pogues did, she was still the new kid in the group.
They could hear the sound of sirens slowly growing louder as Shoupe and his crew got closer, thinking they were on the verge of apprehending John B. Emerson reached forward putting her hand on JJ's shoulder. He turned to look at her and she could see the tears forming in his eyes.
"JJ..."
"I can't lose him," was all JJ could bring himself to say. "He's my brother."
Emerson didn't know what to say. She couldn't promise that they'd see John B again, she couldn't promise that everything will be okay. So instead of trying to say something she just wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm sorry," He whispered into her ear.
"For what?" She asked.
"That I couldn't protect you," He answered as his hands lightly brushed against where Rafe's hand had been. "I should've protected you."
"You don't have to protect me," She told him.
"Yes, I do. You're supposed to protect the people you lo-" JJ stopped mid sentence but they both knew what he was about to say. While Emerson had a small smile on her face, JJ looked completely terrified.
"JJ-"
The brunette was cut off when the sound of the sirens got progressively louder. JJ turned around, just in time to see Kiara pulling away from Pope.
"About time," Emerson whispered to herself.
"Hey, guys," JJ called out when the sirens got louder, "I'm sorry to ruin the party, but, uh, we gotta go right now." Kiara and Pope both turned around and the four of them were ready to make a run for it. "Come on!"
Unfortunately before they were able to leave Shoupe and the SBI pulled up with their guns drawn. Emerson and Kiara were the first to put their hands up while JJ and Pope seemed a little resistant.
"Move!" One of the SBI men yelled.
"JJ," Emerson said, hoping he'd put his hands up.
The SBI men walked closer to the four teenagers, guns still drawn. "Move! Hands up! Hands up!"
"Pope, hands," Kiara called out.
"We're too late. He's gone," Shoupe realized. "God damn it!" He yelled as the SBI man walked over to Kiara and Emerson. "Bratcher, have your men stand down. Let me talk to these kids." Shoupe walked up to them as Bratcher walked past the girls hoping he'd see John B somewhere out on the water. "All right, where the hell is he? Where the hell is he?" He asked but none of the kids answered. "JJ? I see you're livin' up to your name. Pope, how about you? This isn't a fucking game!" You can do the right thing now! Where'd he go!"
"Suspect has just left Station 26 in a small boat. Need marine patrol to respond," Bratcher said into his walkie talkie.
"What about you Ms. Rhodes?" Shoupe asked, looking in the direction of the former kook. "You're parents are probably wonderin' where you are," He said and she scoffed at the statement.
"My dad left us and my mom kicked me out, I doubt they're out lookin' for me," Emerson informed him.
"Get in the car," Shoupe said walking over to his car, "all of you. Let's go!" He yelled at the four teenagers then they all started walking towards the car. "You two," he pointed to Pope and JJ, "over there!" He put them into one of the cars then led Kiara and Emerson to another car.
"Hey, hey," Kiara snapped when one of the cops tried pushing her into the backseat of the car. "I can walk, I have legs," she told them. The cop took a small step back then let her get into the car, Emerson followed close behind sliding into the seat next to Kiara.
They were both quiet as Shoupe got into the driver's seat. From the window they could see the boy's car driving away but Shoupe turned around to look at them before starting the car.
"This is your last chance girls," He told them, "tell me where John B is headed." Emerson looked over at Kiara who just crossed her arms over her chest refusing to say anything to him. "This isn't a game. We need to know where he is."
"We don't know," Emerson lied, her voice remaining steady as she spoke.
Shoupe sighed then turned back around, starting the car and driving towards their command center. He knew it wouldn't be that easy to make a teenager turn against their friends, but Shoupe knew everyone on the island and he could easily tell there was one person in this group that was different from the others.
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
By the time they got to the command center it was dark out. Night had taken over and with the power still out they couldn't see much outside of the few tents the SBI officers had set up.
"Follow Plumb to that tent," Shoupe told Emerson once she exited the car. "Hold on. Wait for your friends," He added then soon enough Kiara, JJ, and Pope were by her side.
"This way. Come on," Plumb instructed them.
All four of them were stunned seeing all the tents that had been set up for John B. There were reporters taking pictures of them and reporting the story live. The sound of their voices all talking over each other made Emerson feel disoriented as she followed Plumb to the tent.
"To your left here," Shoupe pointed to a couple seats lined up against the wall.
"Right here."
"Sit down. Don't move. We've got a lot to talk about," Shoupe said as he began walking further into the tent. "Keep an eye on these kids," He instructed one of his officers.
"Blockade is up at the marsh and Masonboro and all other inlets from Shem creek to Breach Inlet," One of the SBI men announced as he stood up at the table. "I want eyes on all coastal points, people. Let's get this guy."
Emerson noticed when Pope reached his hand over putting it on top of Kiara's trying to comfort her. She glanced over JJ wanting him to do something, anything at all, but he wouldn't even look at her.
"JJ," She whispered, just quiet enough that he'd be the only one who could hear her. It took him a minute but he turned his head, looking over at his girlfriend. "Say something, please."
JJ wasn't a relationship guy, Emerson knew this. He wasn't the kind of guy who would hold onto someone and bring them comfort when they were feeling down. He was the guy you went to when you wanted to forget about your problems, he was a distraction guy. So when those words almost left his mouth Emerson knew how big of a deal it was. She could see that he was scared and she didn't want to push him, she just wanted him to know she wasn't leaving him.
"Just say something so I know you're okay, please," She asked him.
He looked over at her, with a small amount of hope in his eyes. He wanted to tell her everything, he wanted to tell her about all those terrifying feelings he's been keeping inside, but nothing came out. It was like the words were stuck in his throat. So instead of speaking, he reached his arm over, wrapping it around her shoulder pulling her close to him. It wasn't much, but for the moment it worked. And in all honesty JJ was glad to have his arm around her.
The four teenagers sat in silence for the next couple of minutes, waiting for Shoupe or some other officer to come tell them something. Nobody was telling them anything, they just let them sit there in silence, making them more anxious by the second.
"There he is!" An officer yelled, making all the pogues sit up.
"Looks like the Phantom!" Another voice yelled, causing all the pogues to exchange worried looks.
"What do we do?" Kiara whispered.
"Nothing, just be chill," Pope answered and they all nodded.
"What the hell is he doing here?" Emerson asked when she saw Ward walking into a tent with Shoupe. "Oh my god..."
"John B has Sarah," Kiara realized.
"Oh please let them make it," Emerson whispered to herself.
All of the officers got quiet again. Like the calm before the storm. It was far too quiet, Emerson hated it. She wanted to find Shoupe and demand to be told what was going on. The silence made her anxious and she couldn't stand it anymore.
But before she could do anything Shoupe and two of his officers walked in, wearing neon rain jackets. The four teenagers stood up, taking a couple steps over to the officers. Shoupe took his hood off and Emerson could tell from his expression that something wasn't right.
"Did you find them?" Pope asked.
Shoupe shook his head, "No."
"What do you mean?" Emerson asked. "Where are they?"
"Maybe they got away," Kiara suggested, even though she knew it was just wishful thinking at this point.
"We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry."
When those words left Shoupe's mouth the four teenagers all felt the life sucked out of them. They didn't want to believe it, they wanted to believe that John B and Sarah were able to escape safely just like they planned.
"You lost them?" Pope asked, being the only one in the group who could find their voice. "What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone? What are you talking about?"
"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope," Shoupe told him.
"So, they're dead?"
Shoupe paused, letting out a quiet sigh. "We don't know."
"You drove them straight through the storm, man!" JJ yelled, going straight to anger instead of sadness like the rest of his friends. "Are you kidding me? Come here!" JJ charged towards Shoupe trying to swing at him but the other officers held him back. "I'm gonna kill you!"
"JJ stop!" Kiara screamed.
"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"
"JJ!" Emerson yelled, even though she knew it wouldn't stop him.
"Hey!" One of the officers grabbed onto JJ pulling him away from the crowd before he could hurt anyone.
"He's dead because of you!" JJ yelled over everyone else.
"You killed him!" Pope yelled at Shoupe. "He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!"
"We're still looking for him, all right?"
"Tell me you're lying!" Emerson demanded as she looked right at Shoupe. "Tell me that you didn't kill my best friend!" She yelled a sob escaping her mouth as realization struck her.
"Pope, Pope, just stop, please," Kiara cried as she grabbed onto the boy. "Please stop." Kiara turned to see her mom and dad walk into the tent. Her parents walked over to her, immediately pulling their daughter into a hug.
Pope's mom and dad walked in a second later. Mrs. Hayward quickly walked over to her son, hugging him tightly while Pope had his eyes on his dad who was a few feet away. Heyward put his hand on JJ's shoulder before walking over to his son.
"I'm sorry," Pope cried, then Heyward wrapped his arms around his kid. "I'm sorry!"
JJ and Emerson stood back for a moment. Emerson had her eyes on the door to the tent but nobody walked in. JJ put his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him. The Maybank boy may not be the boyfriend type but he knew how to comfort his girlfriend in this moment.
Emerson turned around just as JJ wrapped his arms around her. They both lost their best friend that night, the person that turned their world was gone. Emerson sobbed into his chest as a couple of JJ's tears fell onto the top of Emerson's head.
Heyward turned around seeing the two teenagers with no one to hold them, and he held out his hand welcoming them in. JJ noticed the man first, as he pulled away from Emerson a little. They took a step towards the family but before they could someone shouting caught their attention.
"Em! Emerson!"
Emerson turned towards the door, a sigh escaping her lips when she saw Hayden walking into the tent. JJ watched as she stepped away from him, he knew better than to hold her back from her family so he didn't say anything as she walked away from him.
"Oh my god," Emerson gasped, running over to her younger brother. She quickly pulled him into a hug. "They didn't make it," She cried.
"I know, I'm sorry." He said hugging his sister tightly. Even though she had tears streaming down her face he felt nothing but relieved knowing that she was okay. "It's going to be okay," He told her, but they both knew it'd be a long time before she was okay again.
Sarah Cameron was her rock, her reason for living. There was no one Emerson depended on more, and now she was gone. Emerson didn't even get to say goodbye to her. The Rhodes girl never felt pain quite like this before. She had felt heartbreak, but this was different. She felt like her entire world had shattered and there was nobody left to put her back together.
Through everything Emerson had Sarah. Her love for the Cameron girl was stronger than anything else in the world. Nothing else mattered to her if she didn't have Sarah Cameron by her side.
"I can't... I can't breathe," Emerson said as she tried to calm herself. "I can't. I can't do this without her."
"I-" Hayden didn't know what to do, he'd never seen Emerson like this before. She had always been able to pull herself together, but now she couldn't. "I'm sorry, Em."
He just held onto her, knowing it was the only thing for her. His big sister was broken and there was nothing he could do. This wasn't supposed to happen to them. They were the Rhodes siblings, nothing was supposed to bring them down. It took her a long time to be able to calm down, and even when her tears stopped she knew this wasn't the end.
"Emerson?" A voice said from behind Hayden. Emerson knew this voice, but no, that wasn't possible. The Rhodes girl lifted her head and sure enough there he was, standing in front of her. With everything going on around her she didn't know how she was supposed to feel, but there he was.
"Nick?" For a split second a smile formed on her face as her ex-boyfriend pulled her into a tight hug. Even though everything around her seemed to be breaking Nick was there, he was actually there.
His grip around her body was tight but she didn't care, she just wanted to be held. She needed something to hold her so she wouldn't just slip away. Tears from Emerson's eyes fell onto Nick's shirt but it didn't bother him in the slightest. He looked up making eye contact with Kiara who was standing a few feet away. Even with tears in her eyes the Carrera girl nodded at him, she was glad that Emerson had someone to hold onto her, even if it was Nick Porter.
JJ looked over at his girlfriend, seeing another guy's arms wrapped around her. He knew the sight should make his blood boil but it didn't, it was almost like he was forcing himself not to care about her. JJ knew that the second he started to care about Emerson Rhodes his life would change, and it did. He never thought he'd be the guy to fall in love with a kook, but he did. Now everything around him was breaking and he couldn't help but think that Emerson would be better off without him in her life. For his entire life everyone told the Maybank boy he was headed for trouble and he swore in this moment that he'd never drag Emerson down with him.
Kiara held onto JJ's hand, pulling him out of his thoughts. The three pogues walked over to the Rhodes girl and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned away from Nick, looking at the three people she's gone to hell and back with. They all had red eyes and tear stains on their cheeks, but despite that they had each other. She pulled away from Nick and joined their hug.
Tears fell from all of their eyes, as quiet sniffles left their mouths. None of them said anything to each other, frankly none of them could bring themselves to speak. They had lost two of the most important people in their lives, that hole in their heart wouldn't be able to be filled for a long time.
The pogues were broken. Their leader and best friends were gone, they'd never see them again. Everything they were working towards was for nothing, they had nothing left.
Eventually they all started to leave, Kiara left first, Pope following soon after. They hardly said anything to them as they left, only nods and glances were exchanged amongst the remaining pogues. Everything was different now, nothing would ever be the same for any of them. The world pushed them to their breaking points, and now laughed as they tried to glue themselves back together. But the pogues knew one thing, they wanted revenge.
author's note: And that's a wrap on season one! Thank you to everyone has read this far and a special thanks to all of you who have been commenting and voting as you read. I am going to continue this story and will hopefully have new chapters coming out soon!
I left a few questions down below that you can answer (if you feel like it) and they will help me with writing season two.
Who should be endgame? (JJ, Rafe, Nick, Topper?)
Who is your favorite character?
Is there anything you want to see next season?
Any ideas for a face claim for Nick?
Again thank you so much for reading!! I love you all, I hope you enjoyed Bad Habits.