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When they finally arrived back in the OBX it was early morning. Sarah Cameron had split fast, heading to the Chateau in hopes of finding John B. The others docked the boat and started to walk to their own homes.
"Your parents are not going to appreciate me shacking up," Cleo told Pope again as they walked down the dock.
He shook his head, "Of course they will. Are you kidding? Heyward might put you to work, but we could always use the help."
"I don't know, man. You sure?"
"They're good people," Callie stepped in, hoping that two voices would hold more weight. "You saved our lives, they won't just toss you aside."
The first stop, given that it was the closest, was Kiara's house. They all walked up the path, following the girl through the familiar gate. "Home sweet home," she mumbled as the door got closer and closer.
It didn't feel real to Callie that they were home yet. She was waiting to wake up back on the Poguelandia beach, cold and alone. She needed to see her family - until she did, she wouldn't really believe that she was home.
"Damn, Kiara," Cleo said in shock. "You live here? This is like the White House, man."
"how bad do you think it's gonna be?" Pope asked the girl.
"Scale of one to ten?" she suggested, stopping at the bottom of the stairs. "Twenty."
"Do you want us to hold up here?" Cleo offered.
Kiara shook her head, "No, I. . . I gotta take this. Thanks for walking me."
"You know we've got your back," Callie reminded her.
The girl was about to walk up the steps when she turned around and threw her arms around the other girl. "Thank you again for what you did. I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."
"I'm okay," Callie assured her. "I'll talk to you later?"
Kiara nodded as she drew herself back. Taking a deep breath, she went upstairs. As she knocked on the door, the others turned and left.
The next stop on the welcome home tour was Heywards. Callie hugged both Pope and Cleo, wishing them luck. Once they were gone, that only left Callie and JJ.
They walked down the street together, a strange silence sitting between them. When Callie reached out to take his hand there was a slight second where JJ hesitated. He was quick to catch himself on it, catching her hand in his before she could pull away.
"Sorry," he said quietly.
"You don't have to be sorry," she assured him. "This is new. For both of us."
