CHAPTER SIXTY:
AS IT WAS
(episode ten: the coastal venture)

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SLICK WITH SWEAT AND feeling suffocated, Haven Murphy was having a terrible time. Really, she was beginning to regret her decision to follow after the pogues. Maybe it was the morally right thing to do, but personally for her? Being stuck in a shipping container hotter than Satan's ass crack was not where she had expected to end up. And to make matters just that bit worse? They were stuck in the middle of the freaking ocean, with the only escape blocked by a billion henchman of Sarah's murderous family.

For the love of God, Haven was so screwed.

"I've been thinking," JJ commented from where he was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with his cousin. He could've chosen anywhere, there were only three of them in there, but of course he decided it was a good idea to share the same shipping crate as her. Talk about sweat. "When this is all over, and we're just... rolling in the dough, I'm gonna get a new board and deck it out―"

"The Cat's Ass 2.0?" a bleary-eyed Haven asked him as she leaned her head against the wall.

JJ smiled fondly. "Hell yeah. I'm gonna take her on a surf trip. I don't know where but, like, the world's calling." He was silent for a moment. His words struck something in Haven, who sat forward as he turned to Kie and said, "I don't know, name a place."

"Hmm... Spain."

"Then after Spain... South America or South Africa!"

"You're gonna go to South Africa?"

JJ shrugged almost desperately. "I don't know. Just one of the South places. And then Micronesia, maybe, and then... and just ride... Wherever the wave takes you, you know?"

"So that's the plan? If we get a ton of cash?" Kie asked, eyes catching Haven's, both of them thinking the same thing. "That's the dream? A surf trip..."

"Ripping jungle break all day long," JJ confirmed with a grin. "Bamboo hut, cooking a fish on a fire, and after that, you go back out and just hit the waves again. That's the dream."

But something still didn't feel right to Haven. "And where do Arden and Logan fit into this dream?" she asked, her voice not quite soft but something. Careful. Like approaching a wounded animal.

JJ went quiet then, the smile melting from his face. He looked away, refusing to say anything when Haven murmured his name and Kie echoed her. Eventually, Haven reached out and nudged his arm, grimacing at the slick feeling of his heated skin. "JJ. Where do they fit into your dream?"

"I'm not so sure if they do anymore," he admitted, to which both girls almost immediately frowned. Before they could question him about it, he reached over for his jacket and shuffled around in his pockets. Quickly yanking out a scrunched-up piece of paper, he shoved it into Haven's hands and sat back, still refusing to look at her. "See for yourself."

It took Haven a second to realise what she was reading. "JJ..." she breathed out, gaze lingering on the signature at the bottom. It was convincing, but not quite right. "She wouldn't..."

"She said it was her mother," he blurted, then huffed out a laugh that sounded almost like a sob. A cry of hurt. Of defeat. Of crushing acceptance. "But I don't know. Maybe Eun-Cha actually had the right idea for once."

"Hey, don't say that," Haven grumbled as Kie murmured their names in confusion. Without a word, she handed the other girl the adoption papers with Logan Maybank's name on them, watching as Kie gasped in sheer disbelief.

"Arden would not do this," she was quick to disagree, brandishing the name Rafe Cameron for both Maybanks to see. "This was some sick, twisted idea that Rafe and Eun-Cha's equally sick and twisted brains plotted together. Arden... she loves you, JJ, and Logan... way to much―"

"Then where is she?" Haven didn't like the look on his face. Like he was psyching himself out before he could let himself have hope. "I asked her to stay, to come with us. You know what she said? She said 'I can't. Logan needs me.' Guys, I didn't even think of Logan, and she's my freaking kid. My first thought was Sarah, and the gold, and literally everything else."

"JJ, you've been a father for all of three months," Kie argued, but JJ wasn't having it. She sent a helpless look towards Haven, who nudged JJ's arm again. He shoved her away and stood up with his back to them.

"I'm too much like my dad."

Haven almost didn't hear him. Almost.

"Did Arden say that?" she demanded, jaw clenching at just the thought. "J, that's not true―"

"She didn't have to say it."

Finally, he met her eyes. Perhaps part of him really did believe what he was saying, but Haven didn't see that part. She saw a teenager, a kid himself, struggling to realise that another human being let alone his daughter could possibly possess an unconditional kind of love for him. That children weren't born hating their parents. That a few bumps in the roads didn't automatically lead to failure. It broke Haven's heart.

"She didn't ask me to stay. So I didn't. I'm not what either of them need, and even if it wasn't Arden's plan, she knows it deep down. I'm going on my surf trip. Maybe Logan will hate me for it, but at least she'll have what she really needs."

Haven and Kie said nothing, not as JJ hastily wiped away tears before sitting back down beside Haven, his head hung low. He sniffled once, twice, then sat up smiling like Kie wasn't still holding an adoption certificate with his daughter's name on it. Like Haven wasn't expecting him to break at any second. Like nothing had changed for them.

"Got room for one more?" Kie asked, in that soft voice JJ needed. "On that surf trip of yours?"

Surprised, JJ met her eyes, half-expecting her to make a joke out of it. When she didn't, he said, "You got your passport?"

"You don't have a passport," Kie scoffed.

Haven let out a laugh. "I do. You mind if I tag along?"

"Like you even need to ask," JJ grinned before deadpanning, "Does JB have to come, though? 'Cause I'm kinda getting tired of you two macking where I can see you―"

Haven scowled, face flushing pink when Kie smirked at her. Fully prepared to retort, her heart almost fell out of her chest when a sharp bang reverberated behind her head. She instinctively reached for JJ's hand, latching onto his wrist as the three of them waited with bated breath.

"Hey," an annoyingly familiar voice hissed through the grate. Fucking Pope Heyward. Was he trying to give Haven a heart attack? It sure felt like it. "Open it."

"Could you find a better way to announce yourself next time?" Haven scowled at him as she and JJ lowered the grate away from the window. "I almost shit myself, dude."

"She did," JJ snickered, then nudged her aside to help Pope and John B climb through. "It was funny."

"What was that you said earlier, JJ?" she raised an eyebrow when he frowned in confusion. The second John B reached her side, she reached up and pressed a kiss to his lips, snickering against his mouth when JJ literally gagged in disgust. "Yeah. Tease me again and see what happens, Maybank."

"I'm literally going to be sick," he deadpanned despite Pope's impatient glare on the side of his head. "How dare you?"

"Would you two stop?" Pope hissed in evident impatience. When Kie sighed and went to take the grate from JJ's hands, Pope stopped her. "Hey, wait, don't put it back yet."

"Why―" she was promptly cut off by an unfamiliar girl scrambling through the window.

Pausing for a moment, the stranger took in the three other stowaways before rounding on John B furiously. "Jesus Christ! I kill you, John B," she hissed at him. Haven liked her already.

"Uh, who is this?"

"Just relax," John B insisted, not at all answering Kie's question. "I did tell you I had a surprise, right?"

But Kie wasn't amused. "Who is she? What's going on? John B―"

"Remember I told you about the girl we met in the Bahamas that saved us?"

For a moment, Haven struggled to recall her name. What she did remember, though, through the haze of memories from the first night back at the Chateau, was Arden and Harlow making a joke about mermaids.

"Oh, my god," she let out a gasp. "You're Cleo."

"No one's ever been so excited to see me," Cleo raised a sceptical eyebrow at her, to which Haven smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. Harlow once made a joke about you being like Cleo from that one mermaid show, and that's how I've remembered you."

"Huh," Cleo blinked, then, despite the other's gaping incredulously at them. "I've never seen this 'mermaid show' before. Is it―"

"Is now really the time to be talking about mermaids?" Kie hissed, still suspicious despite John B's trust in her. "What's the plan, John B?"

"She's gonna help us," he said, at which the flicker of amusement in Cleo's eyes switched to a glower.

"Next time," she snapped in warning. "Ask me."

"Alright, someone tell us what happened," Kie demanded, quickly deeming John B a lost cause and instead turning to Pope. "And for the love of God, what is the plan?"

The second Haven heard John B and attacked in the same sentence, the rest of their recount went in one ear and out the other. Subconsciously, Haven's worried eyes searched John B for any injuries. When she found nothing, she gave a sigh of relief, squeezing his hand so hard that John B frowned. Once he noticed the look on her face, his eyes went soft. Despite JJ's grumblings, he didn't hesitate to bring her hand up to his lips, pecking her knuckles once before letting their arms fall back again.

"You seriously didn't grab anything?" JJ sighed. "Not one single gun?"

"We tried, okay? But I got attacked―"

"This is why I should've gone with."

John B, Pope and Kie were quick to turn on him then, but Haven was too busy watching the varying emotions of anger, disbelief and terror flickering across Cleo's face. Eventually, she settled on annoyance, raising a hand to draw their attention towards her instead.

"So let me get this straight," she scoffed in that distinct accent of hers. "You five, with no weapons, decided you were gonna hijack this tramp steamer on your own? Do you have any idea who these people are? Eberhimi? If he catch you, he's gonna kill you. Dead. Cut off your fingers..."

"Okay, well what about waiting until we get to port?" Kie suggested. "At least then, if something goes wrong, we have a place to run."

"No," Pope stubbornly shook his head. "No, we can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because I've run this scenario over a thousand times in my head, and our best chances are on this ship. There's fifteen crew members and six of us. At least three-to-one odds, and that's the best it's gonna get. If we wait 'til we get there, they're gonna trap us."

"But we have no chance," Kie argued, looking at Haven desperately for support.

Haven sighed. "She does have a point, guys. We're in the freaking ocean. At least on land, we've got places to go. Like, fuck, I can't even get out of this shipping crate without breaking my hips in that tiny ass window or creating a ruckus with the door. We're gonna get caught here."

"Kie, Haven, there's something else," John B cut in grimly. "Ward and Eun-Cha... they're both alive. They're alive, and they're on this boat."

"What?"

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"Are you serious?"

Haven was shocked, so shocked that words failed her. Ward and Eun-Cha had put their children through so much. They'd already mourned them, and began to move on from the pain they'd caused, only for them to come back? Haven couldn't help thinking of Arden at home, thinking that maybe, she and her daughter finally had a chance to be safe. All of that would come crashing down when Eun-Cha made her grand return...

And not to mention John B. His father's killer returning from the dead? What a sick fucking joke.

"It was all a set-up. Blowing up the boat, Arden's childhood house, the confession to Shoupe. Just think about it. That was to clear Rafe's name. And he does what? Goes to the Druthers. And what's on the Druthers?"

"Scuba," Kie sighed.

"Bingo."

"So Ward's alive, huh?" JJ scoffed, hands clenching into trembling fists. "And he has the gold, and the cross, and Sarah."

"Thanks for rubbing that in."

"So he's just gonna get away with everything again, huh?" he continued like Kie hadn't spoken, like Haven wasn't shooting him a look of warning. "Yeah, not happening. We're not watching this movie again. Right, Pope?" Pope said nothing, just staring at him. "You said we need the win. "And with her―" He pointed to Cleo, who frowned. "We're going to the bridge, and we're gonna take it right now. You with me?"

"I'm with you," Pope nodded at last. "And I wanna be the one to take that bridge."

"That's what I'm talking about."

They were both quickly shot down in flames, though, when Cleo let out a cackle of a laugh.

"He's gonna take the bridge?" she gestured towards Pope. "He couldn't even take me."

"Okay, first of all, I was going easy on you―"

"Hey, I went easy on you," she corrected him, only to be shushed by a wide-eyed Kie wearily looking through the grate.

With reluctance, JJ lowered his voice, "If you're really with us," he said, then pointed to the knife Haven had only just noticed in Cleo's hands. "If we use that knife, we can go up into the bridge and hold it up against the captain's neck. Then we go to the intercom, and make him tell the rest of the crew to meet up in the forward hull. Once they're in the same place? Bam! We lock them in there, and we take back what's ours."

"I like it," Pope was quick to agree. "It could work."

"I'm impressed, J," Haven added with a proud nod. "Must be the Maybank brains. They skipped a generation for sure, but it looks like you've brought 'em back."

"Thank you, Havey," he grinned at her, then turned his stubborn-eyed stare towards Cleo again. "So. Are you with us, then?"

"No. This is stupid."

She barely got the words out before voices were heard in the distance.

"Fuck," Haven cursed, catching Kie's knowing eyes. "They're checking the containers."

Cleo didn't hesitate to pull the grate off the window, ignoring their panicked whispers as she hushed them before poking her head outside. Whatever she saw made her scramble outside just as the chains on the door began to clank.

"Macias!" Haven heard Cleo shout.

"She's gonna tell them," Pope sighed, head falling into his hands. "Shit, shit, shit―"

"Guys, she wouldn't..." But how was Haven supposed to know that? She had no idea who Cleo was.

"This one's clear, sir." Each of their heads snapped up in surprise. Haven listened with bated breath as the chains dropped.

"Are you sure?" a male voice questioned cautiously.

"Went through it inch-by-inch," Cleo confirmed. "Nothing but tubing and plastics in there."

"And what if the stowaway had been in there?"

"Well, he wasn't, so... come on, man! We have work to do."

When no other arguments were heard and Cleo retreated towards the window again, Pope gave a sigh of relief. He turned to smile at them. "She's on our side."

"I told you so," Haven couldn't resist commenting with a smirk.

"Yeah, whatever, Havey," JJ paused to glower before quickly directing his attention back to Pope. "Pope, you're up. We'll wait for your signal, okay?"

At that, Pope nodded and pushed the grate aside, crawling outside and leaving JJ and Kie to quickly cover the window again. The remaining pogues listened as Pope and Cleo's footsteps faded into the distance, leaving them with nothing to do but wait. Kie and JJ were quick to pick up the topic of the surf trip again, leaving Haven and John B to their own devices.

"Is this..." It took Haven a second to recognise the discarded paper he'd picked up. She scowled at it, snatching it and pocketing it before JJ could spot it and lose his smile.

"Don't bring it up with him," she muttered, meeting John B's horrified stare. "Not yet."

"He does know about it, though?" he checked. "Right?"

Reluctantly, Haven nodded. "Arden had it. She says it was Eun-Cha's plan, but I don't think he believes it."

"But Arden loves him."

"That's what we said," she sighed, glancing over her shoulder to where Kie was jokingly smacking JJ over the back of his head. "He thinks he's a shit father to Logan. I just wish he could see what we see, you know?" When she looked back at John B, he was watching her with this soft smile that had Haven's cheeks blooming red. "What is it?"

Using their moment alone to his advantage, John B kissed her. "You're a good cousin," he murmured, pushing her hair back from her face. "And a good girlfriend."

Haven grinned at that. "Well, I knew that already," she joked. "I suppose you're an okay boyfriend."

"Just okay?"

"More than okay," she corrected. "The best boyfriend I've had. Well, my only boyfriend."

"Pope doesn't count?"

"I was only with him for, like, a month," she shrugged, leaning into his touch as his arms circled her waist. "And for, like, three weeks and six days of that month, I didn't speak to him or see him. So, no, he doesn't count."

"Well, I'm honoured to be your first boyfriend," he whispered, closing the gap between their lips again.

"And as your girlfriend," she pulled back. "Tell me honestly. Are you okay? With Ward and everything..."

She didn't want to put a damper on his mood, but it had to be hard knowing Ward had weaselled his way out of the consequences of his actions, again. She wanted him to know she was there, that all of them were, that they wouldn't just give in.

But of course, John B didn't have the chance to respond and Haven didn't have the chance to actually tell him any of this, for go-time had come all too quickly.

"Attention all passengers and crew," the intercom crackled with the forced voice of the captain. "Report to the tween forward hull." Then, after a moment of silence, "Attention, all passengers, all crew, report to the tween forward hull. That's an order. I repeat, all passengers and all crew report to the tween forward hull immediately."

"They actually did it," Haven breathed out, catching JJ's eyes as he grinned. "They took the bridge..."

"That's our boy!" JJ exclaimed, then quickly rushed over to remove the grate from the window. "Alright, let's split up. Once they're in the hull, Haven and I will lock 'em inside."

"Kie and I will find Sarah and we'll get the lifeboat," John B added with a nod.

"Then we'll meet you, load up the cross and get outta here," Kie finished up.

Grinning nervously, Haven gestured towards the window. "So who's doing the honours? Whoever it is better know how to pick a lock."

"I've got it," JJ assured her, flashing his pocket knife. "Just wait at the door for me."

It took him a few minutes, despite his initial confidence, but soon enough, Haven was breathing in fresh air for the first time in over an hour. It smelled of salt and seaweed, pungent and hot, but at least it was cooler, more open for her to move.

"Okay, let's go," JJ said as John B and Kie took off in the opposite direction. "We don't have time to waste, Havey."

She didn't hesitate to follow him where they needed to go, ducking down low whenever someone ran past. It was just as hot below deck as it was in the shipping container, with lights flashing red in warning above their heads. Surprisingly, it didn't take them long to reach the hull, cautiously peering around each corner only to find the corridors eerily empty. At last, they reached an archway just to the right of the main doorway. JJ had to pull Haven back as voices came closer.

"Hey, what the hell is this all about?" she heard one man comment.

"This doesn't have anything to do with that stowaway, does it?" another asked.

"Guess we'll find out."

"How many?" JJ hissed in Haven's ear, ushering her closer to take a look.

She glared at him, but forced herself to look anyway, her heart in her throat. Beneath the blinking lights, three men marched down the opposite corridor, with Haven only just out of their sight. She jumped back just in time, holding up three fingers to answer JJ's question.

"It's got something to do with the cross," the first man insisted, his voice echoing towards them. "I'm telling you, it's cursed. We're making God angry."

Haven breathed a sigh of relief as they disappeared into the hull. Slowly, JJ began to count the crew off on his fingers, whispering the numbers beneath his breath. Haven braced herself on one side of the door, him on the other, fingers curling around the heavy metal in preparation. Once the door was closed, they'd have dozens of angry adults, mostly men, trying to break out.

"Where are we going, and where's dad?"

Wheezie's voice gave Haven the shock of her life. Whirling around, she was terrified to find Wheezie, Rose and Rafe heading down the corridor towards the door. Still hidden in the shadows, she felt paranoid that they'd somehow hear her pounding heart and their plan would be foiled. She grimaced as Rose snapped an answer to Wheezie's question, clenching her eyes shut until the three of them moved past her and JJ. Only then did she let herself feel a flicker of relief.

"That's all of the crew, right?" Haven turned to JJ.

She groaned when he shook his head. "Except Ward. We need Ward."

"JJ, if we wait any longer, they're going to get impatient and leave."

"But―"

"We have to."

Sighing, he nodded. It was time. Haven hesitated before forcing herself through the archway with JJ right behind her. Every step closed the distance between themselves and the door, between themselves and two dozen impatient people who'd overpower them at a moment's notice. They had to be careful, if they wanted things to go to plan.

It was Haven who grabbed the door. The heavy metal took its time as it swung shut with a shriek, allowing her to catch a glimpse of the wide-eyed crew staring back at her. They took off running at the sight of her and JJ, only just reaching the door when it slammed in their faces. They were quick to bash against the metal as Haven braced her shoulder against the middle, nearly forcing their way out had it not been for JJ slamming his palms on the edge where frantic fingers were trying to shove through.

"JJ..." she exclaimed nervously, letting out a cry when the metal put too much pressure on her shoulder. "JJ, the lock..."

"I know," he shouted back through a grimace. "I've got it, just give me a second."

When the lock clicked into place, Haven knew it was too good to be true. The bashing hands stopped almost immediately, allowing her to catch the ending echo of a man's voice inside.

"There's another door," JJ suddenly exclaimed. "Come on!"

Groaning to herself, Haven took off after him to a hatch she hadn't noticed before. JJ only just managed to swing it shut on the crew, leaving Haven to race up after him and scramble with the lock.

"Haven, we don't have all day," JJ warned, his body jolting against the metal as voices demanded to be let free.

With trembling fingers, she forced the lock to turn over. She half-expected the might of the crew to break it down, but it seemed to hold despite the ferocity of their anger. JJ took a step back, then Haven, just to be sure nothing was amiss.

"Are we good to go?" Haven checked in case.

JJ nodded, leading the way down to where he claimed Rafe would be keeping the cross. Much to Haven's surprise, it wasn't concealed beyond the box it was transported in, and a mere cloth to cover the shimmering gold upon first glance. She and JJ shoved it away, meeting each other's eyes with a smile.

"Oh, Pope's gonna lose his shit," Haven said, just as the boy in question opened the hatch above them. Blinding sunlight streamed in from the sky above, framing Pope's beaming face beneath the swinging arm of a crane when he spotted them hunched over the cross; his cross, back in their grasp once more. "Pope! You'll never guess what we just found!"

In response, Pope let out a scream of delight, with Haven and JJ quick to join in.

"The time where people do shit to us and we just sit back and take it, is over!"

Well, until it wasn't.

Again...