CHAPTER FORTY-NINE:
TASTE OF FREEDOM
(episode six: my druthers)

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RUNNING ON A MERE two hours of sleep, Haven had to wonder if her eyes were playing tricks on her when she opened the front door to find John B Routledge smiling on her porch. His eyes were bright, like he hadn't just spent several days locked up with Kildare County's worst criminals. What's more, he was no longer wearing that god awful orange jumpsuit; rather, he had his own clothes back, his classic bandana tied loosely around his neck. There were fresh bruises around the bandana that hadn't been there before, but Haven didn't stop to look at them as she flung her arms around him with a squeal.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed into his shoulder, grinning as he laughed and squeezed her tight. "How.... is this really happening?"

"No," John B deadpanned, pulling back to meet her eyes. "I'm a part of your imagination, Havey."

"No lie, it wouldn't surprise me if you were," she said with a tired sigh.

Almost instinctively, John B frowned. "What's wrong?"

Haven's heart dropped, and for a moment, she hesitated. She couldn't tell him. It wasn't fair to ruin his mood, to bring him down just because she was feeling anxious. Haven was the one who decided to tell her mother everything, who didn't follow her when she fled the house and left both her car and mobile phone behind. Haven was the one who chose not to sleep, to wait up even when Liam and Arden disappeared again, hoping in vain that Melinda would creep in when she thought her daughter was sleeping. So she smiled and shook her head, gently shrugging his hands away from her shoulders.

"Nothing's wrong," she declared despite his disbelieving stare. "Just tired."

"Too tired to slum it with the pogues?"

Haven laughed. "Never."

"Then let's go," he exclaimed cheerfully, reaching out to tug her towards the waiting Volkswagen. Haven's heart panged at the sight of it. She hadn't seen the Twinkie in what seemed like years.

"Whoa, wait a second, buddy," she deadpanned, forcing him to stop and turn around to face her. "I need to get changed first."

At that, John B frowned. "But you look good?"

The smallest of smiles curved the corners of her mouth. Suddenly, the loose sweats that hung from her hips and the shirt he'd let her borrow that night at the Chateau (the one she never gave back and had no intentions to either) made her feel dressed to the nines. But she wasn't about to admit that to him. So she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You flatter me, but I'm still changing."

John B groaned with impatience but followed her inside anyway, making himself comfortable on the couch as Haven disappeared into her room. It didn't take long to change. She'd already showered earlier and her hair was pushed back with a black headband. She simply switched her sweats with black jeans cuffed at the ankles and tucked John B's shirt into the belt. But by the time she ventured out into the living room, slipping her socked feet into sneakers as she went, you'd think several hours had passed.

"Finally," John B quickly stood up. "Now come on. We're going to be late."

"Have you even told the others you're free?" she asked, pausing to lock the house behind them before jogging down the drive towards the van. "And how are you even here right now? You break out or something?"

"I swear, you and JJ are the same person," he scoffed but was soon distracted by the Twinkie roaring to life. At the sound of the humming engine, he flashed his teeth in a giddy smile, pushing his foot down on the breaks to rev it even louder.

"Are you trying to wake my neighbours?" she hissed, but found herself smiling all the same.

Haven had missed this, the familiarity of John B and his van, the sun beating in through the dingy windows as they cruised through the open roads, the faint scent of weed and incense clinging to the seats, swallowing them whole. It didn't take long to realise that others had missed it, too. Signs were tagged with demands to free John B. Kids from their school cheered and waved as the boy in question poked his head out to beam at them. At long last, John B Routledge had people backing him, and the devil was paying his dues.

"Man, I can't wait to see Ward's face behind bars," Haven breathed out as they pulled into the Chateau driveway. Any moment now, the pogues and Haven would be reunited again, hopefully for good this time.

"Me too," agreed John B right before blasting the horn all the way down to the shed. Out the front sat JJ, Kie and Pope, no Arden or Sarah in sight. But Haven didn't have time to dwell on their absences as the other three ran towards them in pure glee, John B rushing to join them with a shout of, "Guess who's out the clink, boy!"

"My boy's out of the can," JJ cried before throwing his arms around him like Haven had only twenty minutes earlier. Kie and Pope were quick to push into the hug, holding on tight as John B laughed and leant into them. At first, Haven hung back, not wanting to interrupt what she knew was such a big moment for them. But almost as soon as she thought that, John B's eyes met hers, and he held out his arm around Kie to tug Haven into the circle. Much to Haven's surprise, Kie was quick to bury her head against her shoulder, sniffling as the group murmured fond words into the tight space between them.

The pogues had been reunited, somewhat.

"So," JJ stammered, the first to pull back. His eyes were teary but no one said anything, too caught up in the boy before them. "How'd you do it? Did you bust out?"

"Uh, they dropped the charges."

"They dropped the charges?" Pope frowned, confused, but Kie was too ecstatic to question it as she exclaimed, "Dude, that's phenomenal."

"Phenomenal," Haven repeated with a grin. "That's a big word, Kie."

"You sound like JJ," the dark-haired girl laughed.

"Hey," JJ pouted at her before realisation seemed to hit and his face dropped. "Hold up a sec. So you're telling me I did all that work for nothing?"

Pope scoffed. "Oh, you mean the most elaborate escape plan of all time?"

"Say what now?" Haven frowned, sharing a wary glance with Kie, who just let out a sigh and shook her head in an 'I'll tell you later' gesture as she quoted, verbatim, "You called it 'foolproof,' JJ."

"Yeah, it was, if he just―"

"Wait," John B cut in suddenly, face dropping. "Where's Sarah?"

For a long moment, no one answered. The other three exchanged one tense look, seemingly communicating a thousand words in an instant, but not one was said aloud. It made Haven uneasy. Just how much had she missed by waiting around for Melinda?

"Guys, come on," John B prompted with a hint of panic. "Where's Sarah?'

In the end, it was Kie who decided to bite the bullet. "She went to go meet Wheezie last night," she told him. "And she didn't come back..."

Evident displeasure crossed John B's face, but in a blink, it was gone. Without another word, he separated from the group and marched down the jetty, leaving awkward silence in his wake.

No one knew what to say, especially not Haven. Deep down, it frustrated her that Sarah had gone to her family, again. Hadn't John B's capture proven that Ward would never be the father she wanted him to be? He sold her out, again and again, for Rafe and yet she walked back into the line of fire for no good reason? What could Wheezie, a prepubescent teen, do to free John B from murder charges? Had Ward managed to wriggle his way under her skin again, taking hold of her heart in a fatal swoop? And if she did come back, how much time would pass before something happened and she ended up back in the lion's den?

"Should we give him a minute, or...?" JJ trailed off unsurely.

Kie just shrugged. "Let's go see."

And so the group followed after him, gathering around even when he did nothing to acknowledge their presence. At long last, he pushed away from the jetty railing, frowning down at the group with frustration. "So Sarah just dips and doesn't call?"

"Yeah, man." It was Pope who answered this time, attempting to sound nonchalant. "She just left her bag, didn't tell anybody, not even Arden."

"Where even is Arden?" Haven cut in before John B had a chance to retort.

At that, JJ frowned at her. "I thought she was at your house with Liam and Lo?"

"She was for a while but then they disappeared too," she said, then winced at the worry that took hold of his features. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it. "I'm sure she's fine, J. They didn't seem hurt or anything."

Which was the truth. Logan had slept peacefully in her mother's arms as she and Liam took over the Murphys' living room. But what Haven didn't mention was the worry, the pure concern breathed out with every panicked murmur. Haven hadn't heard what they were discussing, but whatever it was, it had Arden at her wits end and Liam not far behind.

She wouldn't tell JJ, though. Not yet. He'd just gotten John B back. He didn't need to stress about something else the second he found some peace.

"Guys, I really think Ward's gotten to Sarah," John B said after a moment. "I mean, the dude tried to have me killed in jail."

Now, he hadn't told Haven that. His answers in the van had been vague; somehow, the charges had been dropped and evidence had come forward to pin Ward and Rafe for Peterkin's murder. She wasn't aware of anything else. Almost immediately, she felt her heart seize in panic.

"What the fuck?" she exclaimed, a sentiment that was quick to echo through the rest of the group as they snapped their heads around to gape at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "He sent somebody to the prison who yoked me up and almost killed me."

"Do we know who this dude was?" JJ asked with a clenched jaw.

"No, I've got no idea."

Haven couldn't believe it. If Ward's hitman had succeeded, John B would be dead. The pogues would've never reunited. It was a harrowing thought, one that made her want to reach out and never let John B, or any of them, go.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, shuffling closer to the boy as he dropped down onto the jetty, growing tired of pacing back and forth.

"I don't know," he sighed. "But I swear to God; one day, I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch."

"And end up in prison again?"

"At least I would've actually committed the crime I'll be in there for."

"Dude, it's okay," Kie cut in, eyes drifting over John B and Haven's heads to look at the water behind them.

John B frowned at her. "No, Kie, it's not okay. We've gotta find Sarah."

"No, literally, it's okay," she reached up to point at something. "She's right there."

Quickly, John B spun around, eyes brightening and dimming just as quickly as he spotted her. For at her side was Topper, looking smug as ever but trying to save face as he pulled his boat up alongside the jetty. Haven heard Kie questioning the duo in confusion, and she had to agree. If Sarah had supposedly dipped out on the pogues to visit her sister, why was she with her ex-boyfriend wearing a shirt that was obviously his? She didn't blame John B for looking so sour. It didn't give off a good feeling, no matter how many polite smiles Topper tried to give.

Haven stepped back as the two reunited, looking past the beaming blonde in John B's arms to Rafe's right hand man. Or was he? From what she'd noticed around town, Topper had essentially isolated himself from the eldest Cameron sibling. There was nothing of the boy on his instagram, not even a liked photo or a comment. JJ said he hadn't seen them hanging around the Country Club anymore. He still spoke to Kelce, which was shit, but it seemed Topper Thornton had enough of a moral compass that he knew associating with a psychopathic murderer was too much, even for him.

"I'm a free man," Haven heard John B exclaim, at which her attention snapped back to him. Almost as soon as her eyes met his, she looked away, for Sarah had thrown her arms back around his neck with a cheer. Behind her, Topper's face crumbled for just a second with hurt that only Haven seemed to notice. He was still in love with her. And whatever had happened between them that had them showing up at the Chateau together definitely didn't help evade the all-consuming feeling of having Sarah Cameron's attention.

"Sarah, listen," John B muttered. "They're coming after Rafe."

At that, Sarah sighed with relief. "Good. He's completely unhinged. He jumped me last night."

"What?"

"That's why I didn't come back," she explained to the group of suddenly concerned teens.

"What did he―"

Before she could get the words out, Haven was interrupted by Topper. "Yeah, man, Rafe has lost his mind. Literally almost drowned his own sister. Thankfully, I got there... got there just in time."

"Yeah, he did," Sarah confirmed with a small smile that John B was quick to notice.

Swallowing thickly, he forced the fakest look of appreciation on his face that Haven had ever seen. It was hard to smother the laugh that threatened to bubble over. "Uh, well, I guess I owe you one, Topper... don't I?"

But Topper just waved him off like it was nothing. Which, Haven supposed, it wasn't in his mind. "Ah, it's all good. I mean, somebody had to rescue your girlfriend, right?'

Just when Haven Murphy thought she was seeing a whole new side to the boy, he just had to throw in an insult to get under their skin. John B's face darkened in warning, prompting the rest of the pogues to quickly intervene, with Kie and Pope laughing nervously to themselves while JJ got up to stand face-to-face with the boy.

"Okay, I think it's time you go."

"Yeah, it's about that time."

"Topper!" Sarah exclaimed before the boy could so much as move back behind the wheel of his boat. With a hopeful glint in his eyes that none of the group missed, he turned back to her. Haven had a feeling he always would, even if one day down the line, John B and Sarah patched up the clearly forming splinters of their relationship and went as far as to marry each other. Topper Thornton would always be waiting in vain for a moment that would probably never come. But for the time being, he'd take whatever scraps she'd give him, even if that was just a lingering hug and a murmured 'thank you.'

"Yeah, of course," he whispered into her hair, that bit loud enough that Haven could hear from her place behind John B. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Not soon enough, his new boat had turned around and sped off back to his cushy home in Figure Eight. Haven caught Sarah watching him go, eyes lingering on his back before he became nothing but a spot in the distance. She couldn't shake the weird feeling in her stomach, like she was about to witness a car crash and burn, pure destruction in the making.

But for now, she pushed it aside.

They had bigger things to worry about then. Like the fact that Mr Heyward had just been bashed in his own store.

Not even ten minutes had gone by since Topper left. John B and Sarah had made themselves comfortable out on the hammock, though Haven caught them angrily whispering to each other before John B stormed inside and Sarah disappeared back down to the jetty. Kie and Pope were in the shed also sharing what seemed to be a personal conversation, leaving Haven to chase off JJ as he convinced her to shotgun a beer with him 'in the name of John B's freedom.' Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it) he forgot about it when Arden called him.

"Hey, baby, where are you?" he exclaimed happily down the line the moment he answered. "Look, you've gotta get back to the Chateau, Ardy, JB's out--"

But whatever else he was about to say died on his tongue, face dropping at whatever Arden responded with. "Wait, what?" he exclaimed, panicked eyes meeting Haven's before he gestured frantically towards the shed. Thankfully, she caught the hint, quickly following as he jogged over to it. "Okay, we'll be right there. Just hold on."

"What is it?" Haven asked the second he hung up.

"Pope," the blonde called out, catching the boy in question's attention as he pulled away from hugging Kie. "Pope, I just got a call from Arden. Something happened to your pops."

They got to Heyward's as quickly as they could. The silence in the van was tense between John B and Sarah but no one bothered to mention it as Pope urged John B to drive faster, wanting to make sure his dad was safe. At last, they pulled up outside the shop, Pope leading the charge to where Arden was kneeling in front of Mr Heyward, the man in question groaning as he clutched a bloody wound on his temple.

"Dad," the boy exclaimed, voice sharp but lowering upon noticing the man's wince at the sound. "Dad, what happened?"

"Let's fix him up first," Arden suggested before the man could respond. Pope went to protest but Arden stood up, soothing hands planted on his shoulders in comfort. "I promise you, we'll talk it out. But first, that wound needs to be bandaged. I wanted to do it earlier but he insisted I wait for you."

"Okay," Pope nodded breathlessly. "Okay, uh, the first aid kit's inside..."

"I can get it," Haven volunteered, knowing where they kept it from when she used to work there. When no one argued, she booked it inside, ignoring the confused looks of customers as she ducked behind the counter and all but sprinted back out.

Sarah was quick to take over Arden's job, allowing the girl a moment to breathe in the comfort of JJ's arms. Sarah's hands were shaky as they cleaned the wound then reached for the band-aid that Haven held out. "Let me know if I'm hurting you," she warned before delicately covering the cut.

Mr Heyward winced but tried his best to hide it. "You're doing fine. Thank you."

The second Sarah stepped back, Pope took her place. "Pops, tell me what happened."

"Oh, I should've known better," he tried to wave him off but Pope remained there, stubborn and expectant. "He came in just as Arden and I were about to lock up. Caught us by surprise. Once he had me down, he put his knee in my chest, and asked me about that ― that key from that drawing you showed me. And in case you're wondering, I ain't told him nothing, and neither did Arden. She was out back, only came out as he went."

Limbrey. Had she seriously gone to so much effort just for a key? It didn't make any sense to Haven. But Pope... his eyes had darkened with understanding, and guilt thick as blood twisted his features. His dad had been beaten up because of him. No matter how unphased Mr Heyward seemed, he would always blame himself for this.

"Well," the man in question prompted with an air of impatience. "Did you track it down?"

Slowly, Pope brought the brass key from his pocket and passed it over. "I found it in Mee-maw's old apartment above the pharmacy just like you said."

"Shit, boy, you should've gave this to me. I wouldn't have had to take a beating. I mean, what's the big deal? It ain't worth anything. Why they want it so bad?"

"I don't know," Pope sighed, sitting down beside him. "First, I get this letter telling me that I need to go to Charleston. And then I meet a rich lady who wants me to give her a key that I didn't even know was in my family."

"None of it makes any sense," Kie added in frustration.

At that, Mr Heyward's eyes met hers, bright and determined. It reminded Haven a lot of Pope. "Well, don't y'all just sit here whining about it. Figure it out."

"No," Pope scoffed, gaping at his head wound in disbelief. "Look, I'm just gonna give the key to that lady. It's definitely not worth this―"

"No, no, no," Mr Heyward cut him off with a stubborn wave of his hand. "Did I raise you to back down from a fight, boy?" When Pope just shook his head, confused and defeated, the man continued on, looking around at each of them in turn. "Now, I didn't think about it before, I admit that. But now? Now, I'm interested. Did they say why they wanted it?"

"Something about an old cross. I think it might be some kind of lost treasure."

For an instant, nothing was said, the group shrouded in silence. Haven lingered uncomfortably on the bench between John B and JJ, feeling like an intruder on the conversation between the father and son. But if Pope or Mr Heyward didn't want the pogues there, they wouldn't be. So she waited, listening closely as Heyward handed the key back to his son, almost like a sign of permission to pursue an answer.

"You know who you should talk to?" he said. "Your great-grandmother. Mee-maw."

And so it was decided. Next stop; the Heyward matriarch.

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A/N: I'm so excited for the next three episodes. You guys have no idea just how much I have planned. As you can see, I've decided to write out the 'we're married' storyline between John B and Sarah. That shit is just so weird to me. They're seventeen and going around saying they're married? At least try to be somewhat realistic in your relationships, Outer Banks. But yeah, for the collab storyline, we chose to not include it, both for realism and other reasons that I'm hoping you guys are catching onto. Have you noticed yet? Let me know your theories! Thank you for reading :)