'Obstacles are

put in your way

to see if what

you want is

really worth

fighting for.'

- Unknown

. . .

"What now?" JJ asked, stood on the deck of the Pogue as the group stared out at the lit up mansion that was the Cameron estate. "We just go up to the front door and ask, 'Hey, have you seen John B?'"

"Look, he lives at Tannyhill now. It's plausible." Kie reasoned. "Look, we can play dumb."

"Play dumb?" JJ repeated as though it was the most ridiculous idea in the world.

"It's pretty late." Pope reminded.

"I've got to admit, I don't think playing dumb will work in this scenario." Rip pointed out. She was lying back against the side of the Pogue, Noah nestled in the crook of her arm sleeping.

Kie frowned at her, the dull glow of the lantern they'd turned on casting shadows about her face. "Well do you have any better ideas?" She turned to Pope. "Look, I've never seen John B like that. We should honestly be going to the cops."

"The cops – yeah, and say what, Kie? We're worried about our friend 'cause he's gone off on a rampage 'cause Ward Cameron killed Big John? Like, they're not gonna believe us!" JJ said, exasperated.

"Yeah, believe me, I know cops." Rip interjected. "They go for the easiest explanation first. If we went to the cops with this, especially after everything John B's already got himself into and then he goes and blows Ward Cameron's face off, they're just gonna think he's lost his nut."

"Hey, I see Ward." Pope said from the stern of the boat, a pair of binoculars in hand.

Kie walked the few steps over to him and held out a hand. "Let me see."

She brought the binoculars to her eyes and Pope shrugged.

"Doesn't look dead to me. Let's go home."

"Wait." JJ murmured.

"What?" Kie whirled on him.

"Uh . . . okay. Obviously, Mr Cameron is fine," Pope explained, "and even if John B was here, he isn't now, okay?" Kie pulled a face at JJ. "Plus, I have the biggest, most important moment of my life in six hours."

"Yeah, well, our friend is in trouble."

"I'm in trouble." Pope snapped. "Guys, I haven't been home in three days. My dad's probably put all my shit on the street by now."

"Okay, so that's it?" Kie questioned, a look of upset on her face. "In a time of need, you're just gonna bail? You're just gonna walk away?"

JJ glanced over at Rip and Noah, the former trying to ensure the latter didn't wake up from the voices that were getting raised by the second. "Okay, yo, guys, can we not do this right now?"

Only he was ignored by the pair of them.

"Hey, I have a scholarship interview in the morning. I can't –"

"Okay, well, what about John B?" Kie snapped.

But Pope seemed to have reached the end of his tether. Tension in his shoulders and a fire lighting in eyes that were usually so calm. "Why is it always about John B?"

JJ sat down on the rim of the boat by Rip and Noah and sighed, shaking his head.

It wasn't hard for Rip to guess just what was going through JJ's mind. Shit was about to hit the proverbial fan.

"It's not always about John B. You're so stupid." Kie hissed. "It would be any of you in this situation."

"Oh, bullshit!" Pope sneered.

"Guys –" JJ tried.

"This is about friendship." Kie snapped.

JJ sighed again, speaking in a low register. "Bring it down."

Kie turned on him and it was then that Rip noticed the sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. "Look, this is about Pogues for life."

"What about forensic pathology, huh?"

"Forensic pathology?" Kie choked a laugh, through the emotion.

"It's my life. Everything I've worked for!" And Rip had to admit, she understood where Pope was coming from. She'd dedicated her life to her brothers and when she lost Finn, words couldn't describe the pain she'd felt.

But that was perhaps something Kie – through no fault of her own – didn't quite understand.

"That's your priority?"

Pope's face twisted. "Stop the moral high ground bullshit!"

"Pope. Come on." JJ warned.

He turned to him, that fire in his dark eyes only growing. "No."

JJ raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"No, no. She has no room to talk."

"Check yourself, Pope." Rip said gently. "Before you say something you'll regret."

His jaw clenched a look of betrayal flitting across his face. "No, you should be with me on this." Rip blinked in confusion as he turned back to Kie, the space between them diminishing as the tension rose to a high. "Where were you when Big John went missing?" Only silence filled the air. "You weren't there. You weren't there for John B. You weren't there for any of us. Remember your Kook year?"

"Dude." JJ chided in a despairing voice.

But Pope was on a roll and there wasn't anything that would stop him from cutting Kie deep. "Yeah, you forgot about us. Even Rip who defended you against Rafe. Now you feel guilty."

Kie shoved him away, her voice thick with emotion. "Give me a break."

"JJ." Rip said, wanting to get up and intervene but not wanting to rouse her brother from some much needed sleep.

"Hey!" JJ snapped, getting to his feet as the pair began pushing and shoving each other.

"That what you need?" Kie hissed.

"Come on." Pope growled shoving her back.

"You need a break? Move." Kie snapped, returning the favour.

"Hey!" JJ snapped pushing his way between them and pushing them apart. "Yo, cut it out, all right? If I'm the one mediating, we've hit rock bottom."

Rip's lips twitched in amusement. He did have a point, after all.

He stared Pope down before pointing at the opposite end of the rather small boat. "Bow, now. Go!"

Pope like an animal that had just been kicked, stalked to the end of the boat and dropped to the ground. And even though the pair were at opposite ends of the boat, the tension lay as thick as curdled milk.

"Pope, I'll drop you off." JJ said, starting the Pogue's engine.

Rip had to admit, she was proud of him. Usually it was them having to talk him down when he'd become blinded by his anger but this time, he took point. He stepped up to be the responsible one even though Rip knew just how uncomfortable it might have made him feel. JJ started fights or joined in on them more than he stopped them.

And despite what had just happened between two of her friends, Rip found herself with a small secret smile pulling at her mouth. Because as much as JJ believed and was scared of the fact that he was like his dad he couldn't see just how much that wasn't the truth.

. . .

Rip tilted her head back against the wooden post she was leaning against, not too far from JJ, and found that that heavy numbness had creeped its way into her chest and settled once again. It wasn't the same as how it was when she had found out that Finn had died. Before that numbness had settled in it was explosive and violent, burning and ripping away any emotion she had been feeling. She had collapsed and shattered and the world around her slowed.

This numbness came in slow, like the creep of a rising tide. Not necessarily washing away her emotions but dulling them. She knew that they were there and she could feel them somewhat but the full force of them didn't hit the same.

Noah was sat between her legs, messing around with a couple of twigs and branches he'd snagged on the way over to the dock. He seemed blissfully unaware of the sombre mood that had settled over the four older kids but Rip knew better. After all he kept his playing quiet, whatever dialogue she knew usually happened when he was playing kept to himself.

"You sure he got everything?" Kie asked John B, who was lying on the dock much more sedate than the last time they'd seen him.

"Every bar." John B sighed. "The whole enchilada."

He let out a hiss as he pulled off his cast and flexed his fingers before letting his head fall back onto the buoy he was using as a headrest. Responsible Rip would've advised him against it, but by this point she'd locked responsible Rip in a trunk and thrown away the key.

John B tossed the cast aside. "It's not like I expected a happy ending or some shit."

Rip wasn't either but she was hoping for something a slight better than all their hard work being for nothing. She internally shook herself silly, scolding herself for being naïve enough to allow herself to hope.

She'd decided a long time ago that hope was a bastard.

"John B –"

"What, Kie?" John B rolled his eyes. "It's a hairline fracture. Who cares?"

"You should care." She pointed out but the usual sternness was lacking in her voice. "Your arm's gonna be messed up for life."

Kie might not have wanted to admit it but she'd lost as much hope as the rest of them. That happened when you were to found out that the same bastard that had killed your best friends father had also looted the gold you'd worked so hard to find.

"It's fine. See?" John B held his arm up and wiggled his fingers.

"Guys!"

Rip looked over the docking to see Pope running for them like a bat out of hell, sweat dripping all down his smart shirt front.

"Oh! Oh! Oh, God. I ran all the way here." He panted as he stumbled to a stop, bracing his hands against his knees. He glanced over at John B. "You all right?"

"How was the interview, Pope?" JJ asked, from his place on the railing.

Pope waved a limp hand, shaking his head. "Don't ask." He looked over to John B. "JB . . . look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything."

"It's fine."

"But – but I don't have a lot of time, and – and I have information that is tactically relevant." Rip looked over at her sweaty friend, her eyebrows drawn together. "So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the private airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane. Because it was too heavy, it needed a longer landing strip to take off. So, I'm there sittin' in my interview, thinkin' to myself, 'Hm. Why would Cameron need a longer airstrip to take off?'" John B sat up at the puzzle pieces sinking into place and Rip herself found her eyes widening at the realisation. "'What could be so heavy to weigh it down?'"

"Gold." Rip said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Pope started dancing a victory dance, arms and legs flailing about as he pointed at her. "Exactly! Guys, this is our chance, but it leaves tonight, and we have to go."

Kie slid off her perch a smile relit with hope. "We can't give up now."

"What's the plan, big man?" JJ grinned at John B.

"We're gonna steal that shit back." A slow smile spread across his face.

Rip made a tsking sound slapping her hands over Noah's ears. "Language."

The group burst out laughing, the thrill of returning hope dancing in their blood, as Noah looked at them completely oblivious to what had been going on.

And Rip could only ask that hope would stay for the rest of this song.

. . .

Pulling up by the fence to the private airstrip, the group wasted no time in piling out the van.

"What's the plan?" Kie asked, glancing at John B as she jogged up alongside Rip.

"I don't think we got that far."

Pope pressed his binoculars to his face, finding the gaps in the wire fencing. "They're loading up the gold.

John B snatched them away just as a black SUV pulled up on the runway. "There's Ward."

But as the passenger door swung open, John B pulled the binoculars away from his face a distraught look in his eyes.

"What?" Kie asked.

"It's Sarah."

"She's with him?" JJ frowned.

"Shit. That isn't good." Rip mumbled, not having to worry of Noah overhearing as he'd elected to stay in the van and play with some of Pope's action figures he'd found in there.

"Wait a minute." John B mumbled, the binoculars back over his eyes. "He's hurting her."

"What?" The rest of them chorused, looking over at their friend.

"They're fighting."

"Holy shit." JJ breathed.

Rip squinted through the bars trying to get a better view. "We need to get her out of there."

"Wait, so she – what? I had no –" JJ started, only to be cut off by Pope.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Rip looked around to see John B had disappeared but then she heard the engine of the van turn over and her heart nearly stopped in her chest.

"John B. Where are you going?" Kie asked, looking over at the van.

"John B! Noah's in there!" Rip shouted, running for the van.

But he didn't seem to hear her as he drove straight for them. Or rather the fence specifically.

"Hold on!" JJ snapped.

"Dude, stop!"

JJ grabbed Rip by the arms and pulled her out of the way of his mad friend and the oncoming van.

"Noah's in there, John B! Don't be a hero, dude!" JJ shouted as the van went hurtling passed straight for the fence.

The fence didn't stand a chance against a moving van with a mad man behind the wheel.

Anger lit itself like kerosene in her blood.

Her brother was in that van and her friend, so blinded by his desire to save Sarah and endangered him. She was going to kill him.

Rip tore free from JJ's grip and began hurtling after the van.

"Rip!" JJ yelled, running after her, the gun somehow having made its way into his hand. "Riptide! Com back!"

He ran his hands through his hair tugging the roots as he let out a growl of frustration.

. . .

John B, completely oblivious to the passenger he had in the back of the van, drove like a bat out of hell. Eyes trained on the plane picking up speed beside him, he willed his van with everything he had to give him a little more speed.

And when they got far enough ahead, he swerved hard.

Right. Into. The. Path. Of. The Plane.

There was a squeal from something in the back, and when John B looked back and saw Noah in the back, a small hand at a bloody gash on his head, an overwhelming dread rushed at him and gripped him tight.

Oh, God, what have I done?

He'd completely forgot that Noah was in the back.

A glance at the plane that was nearly on top of them had John B diving over the back of his seat.