Kathryn didn't feel any better in the morning, unsurprisingly. At least her mother can't be bailed out because she's in for murder, but still. It's hard to wrap her head around the fact that she's in for the murder of her father. There's no normal after this.
Neither is there after your best friend is also wanted for murder, but this time for one he didn't commit. Last night, before they went to sleep at the Wreck, it was decided – or more so realised – that John B would have to leave the island. At least until they clear his name.
They had been going through the motion for so long now, Kathryn didn't even realise that it would be the end goal. But getting the Phantom and everything, that's the point, isn't it? To get him far from this island enough so that he can leave. Be safe. Away from her.
He'll have Sarah with him. She trusts that out of the two, she has enough brain cells to keep them alive. At least, she hopes so. He won't be alone, she can tell herself that to make breathing a little bit easier. Still...
Besides, it's not like she's going to be okay by staying on the island herself. Ward is Caroline's best friend. If he knows that she put her in jail, chances are he might come for her. After almost sending Rafe to jail himself, clearly Ward should have a vendetta against her. If he doesn't, well, it makes no sense that he'd be friends with her mother.
Maybe she should leave too, she realises as she looks up at the ceiling. Make sure that John B knows what he's doing, give him some support. He'd have Sarah, yes, but if she wants to keep him safe she'd have to come. To make sure.
She convinced herself that this is the right choice. She has to keep John B safe. She wasn't able to keep Max safe, she wasn't there when Big John went missing, this is just making it up to him, to herself.
But does she have the guts to tell the Pogues? To tell JJ? She has to convince herself of that too, for her best friend's sake.
So, she stands up from where she was lying, and walks over to JJ, busy staring out in the distance from the Wreck's terrace. His brows are furrowed. He's worried.
She leans against the beam in front of him, crossing her arms. "You okay?" she asks softly.
He shakes his head, biting the inside of his cheek. "He's pinched for sure," he tells her, speaking about John B.
See? This is exactly why John B needs her. She's a rich kid, she can bail him out if anything happens. Hell, she can pay for everything he needs! She just has to tell JJ that.
"JJ, we heard sirens all night long," she tries to reassure him. "They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught him."
JJ nods, but there's still worry written all over his face. "Man, I have a bad feeling."
She licks her lips, looking out to the distance. "Yeah. Yeah, no, me too." She turns back to him, smiling softly. The smile that gets him choked up and stuttering. "But you know, someone said once that you can't kill John B."
His eyes darken. She can't keep smiling at him like that, it's just not fair.
She tilts her head to the side, and purses her lips. Fuck. "What?" she asks as if she doesn't know the effect she has on him.
He clears his throat. Friends. He promised. "Nothing."
She arches her brow. "No, really, what?"
"Nothing!"
"Don't make me choke it out of you."
"What makes you think I'd say no–"
"Guys," Pope groans, coming up to them. "It's too early for your sexual tension, please."
"You know," Kie speaks up, sitting up from her makeshift bed. "We were in that car. And even if Henry's alibi for us is going to work for a while, now they're probably looking for us, too."
Kathryn runs a hand on her face, sighing. This isn't going to get better, nothing is. There's no hoping that at the end of the day everyone will hug each other and shed happy tears.
This ends in heartbreak.
"Well," Pope says. "If we're gonna be outlaws, we might as well help John B."
She turns to him with a frown. His sentiment is right, but his voice is harsh and full of resentment. He lost his scholarship for this, after all. He's allowed to be pissed.
"So what, we get him off the island before they find him?" Kathryn asks, frowning. Pope ignores her, going through JJ's stuff and pulling out the motorcycle's keys. "Pope? I'm talking to you here, babe."
"Sorry, Kat–Yeah, that's the plan. Take the Phantom, and leave. You get the boat." He nods. "I'm gonna get gas for the boat."
He walks away, looking down. Kathryn wants to go after him and ask what's going on, but she's not sure they even have the time for that.
Kie walks out after him. "Hey, you be careful. Okay?"
Pope shoots her a dirty look, before turning towards two very confused JJ and Kathryn. "Meet me at the dock at three. Don't be late."
Kathryn looks at JJ before giving Pope a weirded out thumbs up. Kie is not having any of this, and she follows him to JJ's bike.
"Okay, what is your problem?" Kie screams at him, following him towards the bike.
"No problem, officer, I'm just doing my job," he answers, not looking back, not stopping. He's doing a great job, that's totally believable. Kathryn a hundred percent does not want to sit him down and question him.
Kie catches up to him as he reaches the bike and sits on it. Kathryn and JJ stop at the small wooden balcony, not wanting to be a part of this, but also kind of wanting to watch it happen.
"Look, I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings," she says, but he revs his engine, swallowing her voice.
"What was that?" he sarcastically asks.
"Look, I didn't mean to." He revs again.
"Sorry, I can't hear you. What was that?"
"Pope, I'm being serious–" she stops when he revs again, and begins to scream. "I'm trying to talk to you!"
Pope rides off, not caring enough to answer. Kie stands there for a while, taken aback, before walking back into the restaurant. He's being an asshole right now.
As they were going to go back inside and ask what that was all about, they hear a whirring sound above them.
They look up. It's a helicopter, with a bright yellow 'SBI' written on the side.
"Who the hell is that?" JJ asks.
"Feds," Kathryn answers. "To find John B. This is officially a manhunt."
Dread fills her stomach. John B really needs her to come with him, and she needs to tell JJ and Kie, and Pope.
But not for now. Not now, she can't. Instead, she focuses on Kie, on how she can help her.
"What was that, with Pope?" she asks as they go back inside.
She doesn't look back. "Just... come to the back kitchen."
JJ and Kathryn follow her, silent, not wanting to add to her inner turmoil. Kie sighs a little to herself as she gets things out of the cupboard. They start to collect supplies for John B, trying to prepare in advance for what he's going to need.
They don't know where he's going – where they're going, but Kathryn trusts JJ to find a solution. He always has an escape plan, somehow. This, she can try to delegate, at least.
"Pope told me he loved me."
She looks back up at Kie, bewildered. "He actually did?"
"What did you say?" JJ asks.
Kie sighs. "I rejected him. No Pogues on Pogues macking."
Kathryn frowns. "Yeah, better then to say you love Sarah, I guess."
Her friend stares at her, blushing. "What?"
She stares at her, confused. "We weren't supposed to know...?"
"No, you weren't supposed to know!" she cries out. "I barely know it myself, I... don't know."
There's a short silence, JJ and Kathryn trying to decide what to say. "That's fine, Kie," JJ settles on. "I mean, I guess Sarah's pretty..."
"But you're into brunettes, I know," Kie says, rolling her eyes a little. "Kat's hot, I don't blame you."
Kathryn glares at her, before sighing. "You know what, I'm not gonna say anything."
JJ snorts. "That's a first."
"I'll kill you."
"I'll be into it." He turns back to Kie. "You sure he wasn't just being weird Pope?"
Kie ignores the blatant flirting that sends Kathryn in a frenzy of stutters and blushes, "It wasn't really the kind of thing that needed interpretation."
Kathryn clears her throat. "Yes, well, at least there's no doubt, you know."
They focus back on the food, putting bread and some cans in the bags. Kathryn gulps. It's now or never. Preferably never, but you know.
"I think it'd be safer if I went with John B," she says, so low that they're not sure they heard her.
But they definitely did, because Kie sharply looks up, and JJ drops the bread.
"What?"
"Why?"
JJ seems absolutely floored, but Kie looks mostly confused. She inhales sharply. "Listen, it makes sense, okay? JB's not exactly the best at being discreet or staying focused, he's going to need someone with money to bail him out or at least to get him out of trouble."
"No, no way," JJ immediately says, not even considering the idea.
Kie, though, thinks about it. John B has brilliant ideas, from time to time, but he doesn't know the first thing about running from the cops. Then again, why would he? Kathryn literally lived with a cop and has enough money to help him with everything he needs.
JJ notices it. "No! We're not doing this."
"It could help John B!"
"He'd definitely have higher chances of survival," Kathryn adds.
He clenches his jaw. "What if someone needs you here?" he asks.
She just smiles, the way she does only for him. "You won't, Jay."
But she doesn't want to leave, she doesn't. She will, for John B, but if it was up to her, she wouldn't leave him again.
JJ tries to tell himself that this is to help his best friend since the third grade, the guy who's been there for him through thick and thin and that she's not just leaving for the hell of it.
It doesn't stop him from shoving the bread in the bag. "Spectacular," he says, before walking out.
Something fizzles in Kathryn as she watches him leave. She knew that he wasn't going to like that idea, why would he? She left once and didn't come back for four years, and now she was talking about leaving again. She really doesn't want to, not when she just got everything back.
But she had to fight to keep it, and that meant helping John B.
"He'll come around," Kie tells her as they go outside, where JJ is putting the bags in the trunk.
Kathryn has always been a pessimist. "No, he won't." She's going to fight the urge to try and make it better if she wants to help her friend.
He won't, she's right. Something perfidious in JJ keeps telling him that this is what happens when people get close. They leave. His mom, Kathryn, that's what they do. He can't have anything nice, like his dad says. He can't, because he ruins everything he touches, and even the girl he likes is trying to get away from him.
For someone's who's affection has always been rejected, it's easy to see the shortcut. Why try? Why give something a shot if people always leave?
"Come on, Kat," Kie maintains as they near him. "It's JJ, he's always going to forgive yo–"
"Where have you been?"
Kie's mom walks towards them, coming out of seemingly nowhere. JJ drops the bag in the trunk, Kathryn fiddling with her hands. Kie looks back at them for help – and she should, because her mom looks pissed.
"Uh–I'm fine," she begins. "I slept here."
"Well, we were up half the night, scared to death, lookin' for you," her mother tells her. "Were you even gonna tell us?"
"Well, I'm telling you right now..."
Anna Carrera looks back at the confused pair. "Alright, what the hell are you three up to?"
Kathryn clears her throat. "Sorry, Miss Carrera, but kind of don't have time for this."
"Sorry," Kie and JJ both add.
"No," she immediately stops. "I'm sorry? Absolutely not."
JJ and Kathryn slowly make their way inside the car, Kathryn sitting on the passenger seat and JJ behind her. They don't exactly want to get involved in this. Unless Kie asks them too, of course.
"Mom, I'll explain later," she promises, on the verge of tears.
She doesn't want to do this to her, not when she keeps looking at her like she's about to cry.
"Have you heard what's going on? Have you seen the storm coming? This is not safe."
Kie opens her door and sits on the driver's seat. "I'm sorry Mom, I have to go!"
"These cops are armed, Kiara," Miss Carrera tries again. "You're gonna get shot."
Kie starts the car. "I have to go!"
"I am not letting you do this!"
"Mom, John B needs me!"
"You need to stay right here."
"I understand. I'll be careful."
She shuts the door, leaving her mother outside, banging on the car.
"I'm sorry!" Kie sobs, a whirlwind of emotions overflowing.
"Kiara! Open this door! Stop it right now! Right now!"
"I'm sorry."
She drives off, tears in her voice. Leaving her mom behind. They all leave something behind, in the end. Max, Kie's mom, Pope's scholarship– the list goes on and on.
They were just teens on a stupid freaking gold hunt.
"Kie, I'm sorry," Kathryn whispers.
"It's fine," she says, drying her tears. "It's going to be fine."
Maybe it would have been, in some world. Maybe Kathryn would have kept John B safe, maybe they'd be in South America or something, and the Pogues were fine. But Kathryn said so herself...
This ends in heartbreak.
Author's Note: Kathryn thinks she's smooth dropping those hints to JJ but she's clearly not
Editor's Note: Kathryn in the first draft did not give a single fuck about her mom it was low-key hit