It ends with you (Rafe Cameron)

𝚡𝚒𝚒𝚒. 𝚊 𝚗𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚖

Being stuck between two rivaling parts of town sucked.

For real.

Rue spent her days switching between hanging with the Pogues on John B's boat and drinking cheap beer, and riding her bike and walking down the beach with Rafe. She enjoyed both and refused to give one up for the other, but it was tiring. After two weeks of going back and forth, while also trying to spend some time with her parents and unboxing the remainder of her stuff, she felt wrecked.   

Rue leaned against the wall, staring at JJ's bare back as he changed shirts. She studied the way his muscles flexed as he pulled the wet shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. 

"Seriously man, the laundry bin is right there," Kie pointed out. She'd just changed out of her own wet clothes. 

"What are you? My mom?" he returned mockingly, rummaging through a pile of clothes in search of a clean shirt. He pulled out a white and blue striped button-down.

"Hey, Rafe has the same shirt," Rue noted as JJ threw the only clean piece of clothing he had over his shoulders. He looked at her, looked at the shirt, and quickly took it off again. 

"And there goes another one," he mumbled, tossing the shirt to the trash.

"Don't be fucking ridiculous, J." Rue rolled her eyes. 

"I'd rather burn in the fiery pits of hell than wear the same clothes as a kook." He shuddered as if somehow being a Kook was a bacteria that could've transferred onto him from the shirt. 

John B walked from his own room into the shared space they'd all huddled up in, handing Rue one of his large t-shirts. "This is all I could find," he said with a smile. 

"It will do." Rue smiled back at him, changed out of her wet clothes, and put John B's shirt over her head.

The storm had come from nowhere. The rain had fallen down on them, soaking them to the bone within seconds, and had chased them from their relaxing afternoon on the HMS Pogue to the Chateau. It had cut out the power, their cell service, and a nasty wind was wreaking havoc in John B's backyard. 

Sarah had resorted to lightening candles while Pope pulled out some board games. Kie was cleaning up after JJ, with a scowl on her face.

"Alright, I better get going," Rue announced, stuffing her wet clothes in her backpack and heading outside. JJ cut her off before she could get to the door.

"Woah-woah, where are you going?" 

"I promised Rafe I'd meet up with him tonight."

"Are you insane? You're not going out in that storm," JJ firmly said.

"Look, my phone isn't working so I can't let him know that I won't be able to make it. He'll be worried sick if I don't get there tonight."

"You wanna know how we'll feel when we let you go out in that storm and you can't let us now you got to Figure Eight safe?" JJ returned. 

"He's right, Rue. It would be irresponsible letting you go," Kie added with a soft smile. 

"Guys, I'll be fine," she reassured them. "But I gotta leave now before this storm picks up and becomes a real pain in the ass." 

"Are you so desperate for his dick, you gonna risk your own life?" JJ spat in a burst of anger, confusion, and maybe even a bit of jealousy. 

Rue just sighed, rolled her eyes, and pushed past him. "I got no time for this childish behavior of yours," she grumbled. 

It took one second for the rain to completely soak her wet clothes again. 

It took two for JJ to run after her apologizing. "I'm sorry Rue! Just, please, come back inside." 

"JJ, will you just let me fucking leave? I'll see you tomorrow alright." 

"You're gonna drive yourself to death, you think I-- Watch out!" He jumped forward, grabbing her arm to pull her to the ground, but she felt a heavy impact hit her head nonetheless. Her hand shot out to the stinging throb in her head. "Fuck Rue, you're bleeding." She looked at her scarlet-stained fingers. "Alright, you're coming inside." He scooped her up from the ground and she allowed him to, a terrible headache sneaking its way into her skull.

"Omg, what happened?" Sarah breathed as JJ pushed them through the door. 

"A branch broke off, nearly crushed her. Where's the first aid kit," he quickly asked.

"My room!" John B jumped from the couch and hurried to open the door to his bedroom. JJ carried Rue inside, placing her down on John B's bed and sitting down next to her. He carefully brushed her hair aside, revealing a large wound on her forehead. 

"It's just a scratch," she mumbled, but she felt the impact a lot more than she'd thought at first, a wave of unpleasant electricity coursing through her head. 

"And you say I'm fucking stubborn."

Kiara handed him a medical kit, some damp cloth, and another shirt. He helped Rue out of her wet clothes first, lifting the fabric over her head and dabbing her dry with a towel. She let him, allowed him to help her. He then put the damp cloth to her head, dabbing it onto the open wound at her right temple. 

They didn't hear the arguing voices that came from the other side of the room, they didn't expect the door to be kicked open. 

"What the fuck did you do?" A low voice groaned, laced with seething anger. JJ snapped his head to the side. Rafe had walked into the Chateau, his eyes fixated on the girl sat between JJ's legs, blood dripping from her head.

"Rafe?" His name left her lips in a tremble, her mind woozy from the blow she'd just gotten. She tried to focus her attention on the frame of JJ's posture, but her vision had become blurry. She saw flashes of color as JJ's body was pulled from her view. She heard the sound of bone slamming against wood as Rafe pinned JJ against the wall. 

"What did you do to her?" Rafe demanded again. 

"Rafe, calm down, it's not--" Sarah tried but her brother cut her off.

"Shut up!" 

"Get your hands off me, man," JJ ordered. Rue blinked a few times, and she could see him wriggling in Rafe's grip. "You think I fucking did that to her? Are you mentally deficient? Oh never mind, I already know the fucking answer to that." 

Bone cracking. The sound of fucking bone cracking made her stomach turn but her head was too busy with forming a concussion she couldn't get herself to stand up. 

"Stop!" She heard someone yell. Sarah, maybe Kie. 

"You wanna go for round two?" JJ, definitely JJ. Rafe stayed silent, and even though she couldn't comprehend what she saw, she knew that wasn't good. 

"Your..." Talking hurt. She needed to lie down for a bit, needed to close her eyes for a second. "Rafe," her words were quiet, barely a whisper. "Your soul and mine, Rafe." 

And everything turned quiet. She dropped her head in the pillow, it felt like a warm hug. She allowed her eyes a little bit of rest, mumbling the words again. 

"I got you, Rue." His voice. His beautiful voice. His hands tracing along her jaw. 

"Your soul..." she couldn't finish the words, her mind too heavy with everything. 

"...and mine, destined to intertwine." He finished for her and she could feel herself smile.

"What kinda fairytale bullshit is that?" She could hear JJ say and then there was nothing. No sounds, no flashes of color, no pain jabbing at her temple. 

There was darkness and peace and the lingering sensation of his hands on her skin and the sound of his voice.