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Kathryn doesn't remember how this started. Hadn't she just come home from London, for a little vacation before going to Yale? A break, before she goes away again. A breather, for the life she almost lost. And then came the Pogues, the gold, the Merchant, Limbrey, the Cross, JJ.
She's not sure what happened to those well earned vacations she was promised. She's not sure she'd have it any other way. In all this time, she can't believe she managed to do what she came here for; heal. Not to sugarcoat it – there was still a surge in her blood, the uproar of fire in her words. There would always be. Sometimes, the hands that touch her will belong to Rafe. Sometimes, so does she.
But it doesn't define her anymore. She isn't Kathryn Elizabeth Darcy, monster in the shape of a girl, carving her way through life. She isn't Rafe's girl, she isn't Kook queen or whatever people call her. She could just be Kat Darcy. She could try to be, find out who it is. A weight lifted from her shoulder at the thought.
So, at the moment, Kat Darcy is helping JJ tie the Cross, as Pope climbs into the crane on the docks. Then, carefully – so messily they almost get a concussion twice – they hook the Cross to it and slowly raise it. The Cross is about halfway up when everything goes to shit.
Cleo – Kathryn guesses, as she's a stranger who isn't shooting at them. Brown skin, darker than hers, brown hair, a cap on, from afar, she can tell she's pretty – screams at Pope that he's almost got it. Pope asks where's John B and the lifeboat.
No one knows. Kathryn looks back at JJ.
"I'm sure he's fine," he says. She's heard that before. And then, John B drove into a tropical depression. She wouldn't risk his life on that sentence.
It was always like that with their gold hunts anyway, right? They get close to getting it... only to fail miserably and end up in an even worse situation than what they started with. Admittedly, with two of their friends presumed dead, it was a hard feat.
But it was better than all of them going missing.
"Let's go help John B load it up on the lifeboat," JJ says, and Kathryn nods, following as he runs out.
