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"JJ... if you love my daughter like I think you love my daughter, then you will turn that boat around and come back. Please, I will make it right, I promise you. Come back."
JJ has learned the past week not to listen to any of Ward's blatant lies, but what he hears now from the boat's radio isn't the master manipulator that killed his dad. This is a desperate father wanting his daughter safe.
He looks at Sarah desperately clinging to his side. In such a short period of time, she became everything to him. He never had anything to lose, not until her. It's all his fault. It’s because of him that she's here running away from their home, driving straight into the storm. He got her into this mess, and he sure as hell isn't going to let her get hurt.
He firmly puts his hands on the steering wheel, despite Sarah trying to push them away.
"Sarah..."
"No, don't listen to him. He's a liar."
Oh, he damn well knows he is. But that's not his concern right now. It's obvious Ward's promise of making things right when he goes back is a bluff. That's the least of his worries right now.
"JJ, think of her and turn around." The radio is now just barely playing Ward's next plea.
He almost doesn't hear it, with the loud storm and his brain going crazy. "If you love my daughter like I think you love my daughter, then you will turn that boat around." Ward said earlier, and dammit, looking at her right now, he knows. He loves her, and he can't let anything happen to her.
"What would you do if I wasn't here?"
"It doesn't matter; you are here! I'm not letting you die because of me."
"I'd rather die than be without you."
"Jesus, princess... don't say that."
"It's true!"
Jesus Christ, he was always sure Sarah Cameron was going to be the death of him one day, but he never assumed it would be because she cares about him so much. All he can do is chuckle in disbelief and put his hands on her face.
"You've gone insane, you know that?"
"You're insane for even considering going back!"
"Oh, I'm not considering; I'm doing it."
He ignores all her pleas and struggles to stop, and makes a sharp turn. The storm around them is so wild it has them soaking from head to toe, but he can still register the tears streaming down her face when he looks her way after turning around. It hurts his heart when he tries to wipe them off her cheek, but she swats his hand away. He knows it's not what she wants, and neither does he! There's only one way this is going to end: Ward will take Sarah back home, and the police will wait until she's out of eye range to arrest him. But he'll take it. He was always bound to end up in jail anyway. Not so bad when it's in exchange for his girl being safe.
He picks up the radio focusing on avoiding the storm.
"We're coming back."
Sarah takes the radio from his hand and turns it off. He hates how much he likes her temper even now.
"They're going to arrest you. Do you realize that?!"
"I know."
"And you don't care?!"
"I'll figure it out; I always figure something out." He shrugs and does his best to sound confident. The truth is, for the first time in a long time, JJ Maybank... doesn't have a plan. No solution.
"WE will... We'll figure it out together."
"What's that? You don't completely hate me?" He knows how it must annoy her to smirk in such a situation. But there's no telling when he will get to do this with her again, so he tries to treasure it.
"I do."
"Oh, you do? And here I thought you'd rather die than be without me."
"This is not funny!"
She scolds him while pushing at him, but as much as he loves bantering with her, the shore is getting closer and closer. So he grabs her face and brings her in for a kiss. It's much different than all their kisses; this one feels almost final, like a goodbye. He makes sure to put everything he feels that he cannot say out loud into it.
Their final tender moment is interrupted when they finally reach the shore and the various police lights are on their faces.
"Don't stay at Tannyhill; go to the Chateau. Stay away from them."
She nods frantically, words stuck in her throat as the tears won't stop coming out.
"C’mon princess, don't cry so much for a damn pogue." He teases her one more time, luckily getting her to smile a bit.
As the boat comes to stop at the dock, he quickly kisses her cheek one more time before guiding her out of the boat. The moment her feet are on land, Ward runs up to her and hugs her. He's crying and hugging her, thanking God. Sure, yeah, thank god like he had anything to do with it.
Sarah doesn't hug him back, but she doesn't struggle when he walks her away either. All she can do is look back at JJ, still standing by the boat, surrounded by the cops. He's fighting like hell to keep up the brave face for her; he playfully salutes her. The gesture once a joke between them now turned bittersweet.
She doesn't salute back.