CHAPTER ELEVEN:
RUIN AND RISING
(episode three: the forbidden zone | trigger warning: mentions of abuse)

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WHEN HAVEN AND JJ arrived back at the Twinkie, the others were already waiting for them. Kie and Arden had taken off in Kie's car to return the HMS Pogue to the Chateau before heading over to The Wreck where they'd agreed to meet the others afterwards. This left Pope and John B to wait around in worry that the cousins had been caught, and while they were relieved to see them emerging without handcuffs around their wrists, there was room for concern in the way Haven was crying and JJ looked ready to join her.

"I feel like I'm asking you this all the time, but are you alright?" Pope murmured as Haven joined him in the back and JJ took up residence in the passenger seat. "Why are you crying?"

"JJ told the security guard we were here for Luke," she admitted, making sure the boy in question couldn't hear them as he argued with John B about a song he wanted to play on the radio. "He said that Luke threatened to hit him again, and it was too fucking real."

"Jesus," Pope cursed under his breath, looping an arm around Haven's shoulders to pull her in close as another wave of tears pooled in her eyes. "Hey, I know that was hard, but it's okay. You're both out of there now."

"But we're not, not really," she shook her head.

"Haven, I know you want to help him," he sighed. "Trust me, we've all wanted to. But there isn't much we can do."

"I'm his family," she insisted, turning to look at JJ as he cheered in victory after convincing John B. "If there's anything that can be done, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

Pope just pursed his lips in response, but there was a new light in his eyes that hadn't been there before as he stared at Haven Murphy. It was like he was seeing her completely differently, as if she was someone he wasn't slowly beginning to know, just a mere stranger. But there was admiration there, the beginning of a never-ending fall, his heart in her hands.

Neither of them moved the whole way to The Wreck, entirely wrapped up in each other. JJ and John B immediately took to teasing Pope as Haven lead the way into the restaurant, both of them noticing just how close the two were actually becoming. As Arden would say, they had joined her on board the Hope (Pope + Haven for life) ship and there was no going back. Haven heard them mentioning her name and sped up to join Kie and Arden at the counter, fighting off the blush on her face as she focused on the two trying their best to convince Mr Carrera to provide them with dinner.

"You haven't even tried to make friends at the Kook Academy," he was saying as Kie defended the three rambunctious boys now waiting at a nearby table. It wasn't exactly a secret that he didn't like his daughter's friends, he viewed them as a distraction and in some ways Haven couldn't blame him. But they made her happy, so surely that counted for something? Besides, befriending Kooks was overrated.

"Mr Carrera, hi," Arden beamed as she wrapped her arm around Kie's shoulder. When she spied Haven beside them, she reached out to hold her hand too. "I'm sure you remember me. My mum's Lee Eun-Cha and my father was Seojun Kim. Kiara and I go to school together at the Academy."

"I remember you," he nodded, not-so-subtly glancing down at where her bump would be with pursed lips.

"Right," she mumbled, not oblivious but deciding now wasn't the best time to call her friend's father out for his judgemental stares. "Well, Kie told me about the food here and how good it was, so I'm sure you've seen me on the odd day. I have to say, I've got such a craving for your food that I just keep coming back." Again, when he just said nothing, she rolled her eyes and dumped ten fifty dollar notes onto the counter like they were nothing. Kie gasped while Haven's eyes went wide. "Surely, this should be enough to cover us. If it's not, please let me know and I can pay you more."

"N-no," he stuttered, quickly swiping the cash into the register. "That's plenty."

"Brilliant," she chirped before turning to her still shocked friends and giggling. "Come on, my lovelies, I'm starving."

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Haven breathed out as she took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, Ard, you didn't have to do that," Kie added.

Arden just shrugged, a modest smile on her face. "I wanted to... plus, I wasn't kidding, little bean does love this place."

"We good to go then?" JJ cut her off mid-sentence. "I could eat a horse right now."

"Patience, cousin," Haven chuckled as Arden released her. "The banquet is on its way. Arden just paid five hundred bucks, so you better savour every bite."

The boys all chattered excitedly, though they quickly went quiet as the food arrived and they all dug in. They ate like they hadn't seen food in days, clearing the table after a few minutes before sitting back content with full bellies. The restaurant was empty apart from them, Mr Carrera somewhere in the back while he sent the rest of his workers home. Kie took this as an opportunity to turn on some music, trying and failing to drag Haven onto her feet before giving in and catching John B by the arm.

"Aye, work it, JB," Arden cheered, pulling out her phone to record the moment.

"Fuck off, Ard," he grumbled and attempted to swipe the device from her hands.

Arden just giggled and leapt away from him, zooming in on his face as he caught her by the arm and began to spin her around. "John B, you dickhead," she groaned as she dizzily dropped her phone right into his waiting hands. He let out an amused laugh before deleting the video and safely tucking it into his pocket, sitting back to watch as Kie grabbed Arden's hands instead of his.

"You might as well dance with me now," she cheered before spinning her, albeit a whole lot slower than John B had.

They danced the rest of the night away, Haven eventually allowing John B and JJ to drag her out of her chair to form a three-person circle. It was fun, and it gave Haven a moment to breathe after the heaviness of their afternoon in the Salvage Yard. But like most of her problems, everything came rushing back when it was time to head home. Kie stayed at The Wreck with her father and Arden, waving goodbye to the other four as they hopped back into the Twinkie for John B to drive them home. They dropped off Pope first, and then it was Haven's turn.

"Thanks for driving us, JB," she murmured as she pushed open the back door.

"Us?" he frowned, sharing a confused look with JJ.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "Me and JJ."

"Haven, you don't have to—" he sighed, but he was quickly cut off by one of her stern glares. "Alright, jesus."

"You're staying here?" John B raised an eyebrow at him as he moved to join his cousin on the sidewalk.

"You think she'll give me a choice?" he scoffed, though there was fondness in his eyes now as he watched Haven tap her foot impatiently. "I'll see you tomorrow, dude."

With one last hesitant goodbye, John B reversed away from them and disappeared down the street. JJ waited at the end of the driveway until he was out of sight before slowly following Haven up to the door. She was already on the porch when he joined her, searching her backpack for her house keys.

"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked as she huffed in victory after finding them.

"Of course it is."

"But your mum," he pointed out. "I know she doesn't like me."

"She can put her feelings aside for now," she insisted. "Just, trust me, alright?"

Just trust me. JJ had said the same thing to her when Bobby first found them in the Salvage Yard. Trust was not something he was familiar with, and yet he found himself stepping through the front door anyway, a seed of hope settled in his chest. To someone like JJ Maybank, hope was like water. Somehow, it always found its way in. Even if it only did more harm than good in the end.

"Haven, is that you?" Melinda called out as she heard the front door opening and closing.

"Yeah," Haven called back as she slipped off her shoes and kicked them aside. "I've got a guest with me."

"A guest?" came her mother's confused voice as she appeared in the living room. She stopped abruptly at the sight of JJ lingering at her daughter's side. "Oh."

"Hey again, Aunt Melinda," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly under the heat of her distrustful gaze. "I hope you don't mind me staying here—"

"Haven, a word?" Melinda cut him off with a scowl.

Haven just sighed, offering JJ her best reassuring smile as she followed her mother into the master bedroom. She knew JJ could still hear them, there was only a thin wall separating her mother's room and the living room, but she supposed it was some sort of reprieve to be away from familiar speculating eyes.

"He's not staying here."

"Mum, are we really doing this again—"

"No, Haven," she interrupted with a raise of her hand. "He's not staying here."

"Fine," Haven said simply.

"Fine," Melinda repeated with a hint of triumph to her voice. It was too easy. "So we have an understanding."

"Sure we do," she shrugged. "But if he goes, so do I."

That stunned her into silence. For a moment, both Murphy women just stood on either side of Melinda's bed, unable to tear their eyes from each other. Melinda was staring at her like she was some sort of stranger, and Haven the same. The woman in front of her looked like her mother, but she wasn't the person who raised her. Haven didn't know if she'd ever be able to love this new version.

"You're not serious."

"Oh, I am," she spat. "If you send your nephew back to his abuser, I'll never forgive you."

"A-Abuser?" Melinda repeated in surprise.

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "As if you didn't have your suspicions."

She at least had the decency to look ashamed. "Haven, look, I know you want to help—"

"I'm going to help," she corrected her sharply. "You didn't see him, mum. JJ treats his father's behaviour like love, like it's something he's supposed to endure. That's not fucking fair—"

"Language," Melinda half-heartedly interrupted, though she went ignored as Haven narrowed her eyes into a glare.

"You might not trust him yet, mum, but you can't just send him to a home that's going to kill him," she insisted. "You and I both know that's not what dad would want. He'd be ashamed you're even considering it."

Another long moment of silence. Melinda eventually sat down on the edge of her bed, reaching into the drawer beside it for a photo frame she'd taken off the wall when they first moved into the house. It was another picture of Luke and their parents. He and Melinda were both teenagers quite obviously forced into a photo beside each other, but Melinda still looked over at her brother with admiration. She hadn't seen the harsh side of him just yet, but she would in time.

"Please, mum," Haven repeated as she came to sit beside her. "JJ just needs a chance."

"Fine. He can stay."

That was all Haven needed. She was up on her feet in an instant, wrapping her mother up in a quick hug before bounding out to the living room to tell JJ the news. He was perched awkwardly on the edge of the lounge with Haven's dog sitting at his feet, running a hand over Rosie's back as she purred happily.

"She's cute," he said as Haven made her presence known. "Nothing like her owner."

"Oi," she jokingly scowled. "Good news. Mum said you can stay."

"I know," he said. 'I heard."

"Oh."

Neither of them said anything for a moment, just listening to Melinda shuffle around in her room and the dog at their feet snoring her little heart away. Then, in a rather unexpected gesture, JJ was leaning over to draw Haven into a hug. "I'm not good at this, but I... It means a lot to me, that you care."

"Of course I care," she chuckled and patted the back of his head. "This is your home now. For as long as you want it to be." When he made a sound of disapproval against her shoulder, she sighed and tugged his hair, earning a pout worthy of a toddler. "We can be your home, if you let us. And before you say it again, there's nothing 'too nice' about that. It's called loving your family."

"Love," he scoffed out the word incredulously. "Are you saying you love me, little Havey-Wavey?"

She rolled her eyes, rising to her feet quietly so as to not interrupt Rosie. "Don't make me regret it." She spent the next several minutes gathering up blankets and two spare pillows, eventually returning to the living room where JJ had sprawled across the couch. "Now, you might not need them, but here's a couple blankets in case it gets cold. Oh, and some pillows. Those throw cushions are uncomfortable to try and sleep on. Trust me, I've had some shit naps on those."

"Thanks," he chuckled as she began to straighten the blankets out for him. "You're such a mother hen, Kook Queen, has anyone ever told you that?"

Haven scowled at him, immediately taking a step back. "Can we move on from that nickname? It's a bit worn out now."

"Never," he shook his head. "It's stuck now, Kook Queen, so you better get used to it."

After making sure he was comfortable, Haven decided to retreat to her own room for the night. She was tired, and the thought of a good night's sleep in her own bed was more appealing than ever. Before she completely left him to his own devices, she made her way across the room to draw the blinds shut so that the light wouldn't wake him in the morning.

"Goodnight, JJ," she said into the darkness, just able to make out the outline of his feet awkwardly hanging off the end of the couch.

"Night, Haven," he whispered back, before cooing in a smirk that Haven could practically hear, "Love you, cousin."

"God, I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I?"

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HAVEN KNEW POPE HEYWARD was smart, but there was something impressive about the way he studied the drone's buttons with understanding in his eyes. It was the morning after, and Haven had been woken around lunch by JJ jumping on her bed like a toddler. They'd slept a lot later than either of them intended but they definitely needed it. Haven left for the Chateau feeling refreshed and ready to face the day — granted, she was annoyed by JJ chatting her ear off, but even he seemed to be in a brighter mood. The others had already started dissecting the drone by the time they arrived, John B and Kie swimming around in the water while Pope took over a section of the jetty with the equipment.

"About time you two showed up," he grinned as Haven sat down beside him with JJ right behind her.

"This one's a heavy sleeper," the blonde boy retorted as he poked her side. "I had to shout over her snores for her to hear me."

"You did not," she rolled her eyes before leaning in closer to get a better look at the screen of the drone's camera. "So what's happening?"

"Yeah, what's this right here?" JJ asked as he tried to press one of the buttons.

Pope scowled and swatted his hand away, "Don't touch that. I'm still trying to work out how to use it."

After a couple minutes of messing around, he smiled victoriously and moved the drone forward. Kie and John B cheered before diving beneath the surface, waving at the camera and pulling silly faces. JJ whistled appreciatively as Kie winked at the screen, earning a smack on the arm from Haven to which he just laughed.

"God bless geeks, Pope," he said. "Truly, man."

"You're a creep, JJ," Haven sighed, but she went ignored as he patted Pope on the shoulder, "What would we do without you to control the drones?"

"Technically, it's not a drone, it's an ROV."

"An ROV," Haven repeated, not having the slightest clue what he was on about. She was interested though, unlike JJ, who had made his way over to the railing to look down at Kie and John B, the two resurfacing to playfully splash at each other. "What's that?"

Pope smiled, happy that someone wanted to hear the logistics of it, but was cut off by John B wading over to the ladder to pull himself back onto the jetty. "Hey, once we get footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim."

"That's such bullshit," JJ grumbled. "Why do we have to do that?"

"Well, there is Maritime Salvage Law," Pope pointed out. "You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up."

"I know, but lawyers aren't cheap, bro."

"Oh, yeah," Haven nodded along. "We'll really struggle to find a lawyer worth less than four hundred million."

"Look, as soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a comp," John B declared knowingly. While the others looked confused and wary, he was confident in their plan. He'd heard his father say it time and time again, to the point that the words were ingrained in his brain. He'd find that gold even if it killed him.

"So, when are we doing this?" Haven asked, getting antsy in her spot next to the drone so she stood up to join JJ.

"Well, the tether is really long," Pope said in contemplation. "In the wrong weather, this thing could get pushed around."

"Then we'll go at dead calm."

Almost like a sign from above, the sky rumbled with incoming thunder. It was dark, and patches of rain could already be seen forming in the distance. If they needed slack tide, now was not a good time, no matter how eager they were.

"And today's not that day."