RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

NINETY THREE

UNEXPECTED

While Pope was talking to his Mee-maw River got an unexpected call from her grandfather. He said he needed her urgently which obviously worried the girl a lot, she couldn't think about anything she'd exactly done wrong but on the drive back she had one thousand reasons he could need her back.

When John B pulled her up to the outside of the large house she sent him a small thankful wave, she caught a glimpse of JJ and how broken he looked watching her leave but she couldn't let herself believe what she wanted him to act like.

"Good luck, R.C." John B smiled through the car window that was rolled down, he sent the girl a salute which she smiled back at even though she felt awfully anxious.

The walk to the house seemed delayed on Rivers part, she felt like something was wrong and she didn't want to be faced with it so as long as she could keep herself away she was going to try.

When she opened the front door Reggie stood up from the front room with a straight back to greet her, which wasn't the weirdest part about the whole interaction because her eyes flickered to the sofa across from him.

"Georgia? Sean?" She questioned more confused.

Georgia seemed happy to see her which was extremely weird she hadn't been that happy to see her since she'd waved her off. She gave River a timid wave, a proper mom one that made the girl cringe.

"Come in." Reggie urged he was speaking a lot with his eyes and River still couldn't figure out what everything was about, "Take a seat, Pumpkin." He pressured pointing at the large chair that stood apart from her family.

The small blonde took an anxious step towards the chair and scowled specifically at Sean and then gulping down once he sat back sternly. He was pissed but she didn't know why and her heart was thumping.

"Do you know why we're all here, River?" Sean asked which was such a foreign feeling because she hadn't known of him for years.

"Respectfully, No." she spoke giving a sharp glance from her grandfather to her parents.

"I'll let Reggie speak first." Sean spoke pointing at her grandfather and sitting back angrily in disbelief giving the girl a disapproving facial expression that River swore he wasn't entitled to use.

Reggie opened his mouth but was completely cut off by a phone call, he excused himself and picked it up from the couch threading his brows together at the ID and answering it immediately.

River couldn't help but feel relieved that the phone call had cut the awkwardness but she was still waiting with baited breath to know what was so wrong.

"We'll have to do this another time." Reggie stated standing up strongly he looked directly at Georgia, "That was Shoupe. It's your brother, he's in trouble. We need to go now."

River at this point was so confused she stood up in sync with Georgia and they shared a glance that neither of them understood. The family as if just going on a regular trip headed for Reggie's Range Rover and swung themselves in not muttering a word until they parked at the dock.

"What the fuck is going on?" River shouted towards Silas as they all jumped out of the van and her family left her behind to look at the Pogue's.

"Shits about to go down, Angelica." Silas whispered placing a soft and guiding hand on her back, he felt guilty for missing an opportunity to tell her about the pregnancy so he was being overly sweet.

"Ward!" Shoupe yelled across the water towards Ward who was stood on the druthers. "Why don't you just come on in?" He asked in a shout.

"Ahh come on, Vic. A good captain goes down with his ship! You know that." Wards replied he was drinking from a glass that looked to be whiskey "They're sure as hell gonna make you sheriff now, though." Ward laughed raising his glass to Shoupe.

"Yeah." Shoupe sighed as he licked his lips he turned to look at Reggie glad that he'd come down with the call, though he was shocked to see Georgia and Sean stood on the dock too.

"You deserve it!" He called out, "You caught my ass fair and square cause I did it. Did all of it. Trying to protect my family, you know? Look at us now." Ward continued on.

"Dad!" Sarah shouted and he looked in shock towards Sarah, he hadn't expected her to be there at all, his eyes flickered to River and scowled realising how much she looked like his sister, her mother.

"What are you doing here?" Ward shouted looking from his family and then towards his daughter.

"Come back, Son, we can figure it out together." Reggie shouted up and for the first time River actually heard the similarity's between their voices.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Sarah shouted she was walking onto the dock with her hands in surrender, as did the rest of the Pogue's.

"Vic, you gotta get them out of here!" Ward called out, he didn't like River at all but he still didn't want her or his daughter to watch him blow. He didn't even want his father despite disowning him and his sister being emotionally void towards him seeing it, "They can't be here right now!"

"Just come on in, and you- you can talk to her! Talk to all of them, your father- your sister- your daughter." Shoupe explained but Ward shook his head and started up the druthers buttons, it raised the anchor.

"What are you doing? Dad, no, no, no!" Sarah screamed watching everything as it took place. River had frozen on one side of her, she reached out to hold her hand and she allowed her fingers to thread them together. Silas took a stand next to Sarah ready to catch her when she inevitably fell.

"Ward, this ain't gonna end the way you want it to!" Shoupe called out as the sirens continued to squeal getting closer towards the druthers.

"I love you!" Ward shouted walking down the steps of the boat and disappearing into it seconds before the druthers blew up and the boat disappeared with a lick of flames.

wrote by lucidgravity