JONES → JJ MAYBANK

038.ward cameron

Mackenzie felt the air in her lungs get sucked in as sh held back the urge to cry, again. All night and morning she had been fighting the growing feeling to curl up in a ball and cry, or disappear, or perhaps both.

She knew that she hadn't been the kindest person to her friends through out everything. But she had gone through something traumatic and held on to the hope of once she returned her friends would be there.

Of course, when she returned there where her parents waiting to pull her back into there world. It didn't help that she was under constant observance and couldn't sneak away to see her friends, but once she finally did, they seemed happier with out her.

Kie and Pope where laughing, and they actually looked like a couple. JJ looked healthy and his smile was wider than Mackenzie ever remembered seeing. She felt her heart break once her eyes landed on Magnolia Von-Cameron.

For the two weeks she had been at home under strict observation the only connection to someone she had was Magnolia. For two weeks Magnolia gushed about this boy she had meet and never once mentioned his name, nor did Mackenzie ever expect it to be the boy she dreamed about running to once she got out of the wilderness camp.

"Mackenzie," Sutton said as he softly knocked on the door of his guest room, getting her attention. "Somethings happening at the docks, I think we should go."

"Why does that involve me?"

"It's Ward Cameron," Sutton said as he glanced down at his phone, "He's taking the blame for everything."

Mackenzie knew that Sutton was smarter than he looked, especially after finding out his military and special forces rank. Having Ward arrested meant they where one step closer to detaining there father, the main target, Alexander Jones.

And both of the Jones kid's wanted to be front a centre when everything happens.

. . .

From the Docks, behind the police tape, Mackenzie and Sutton watched the scene unfold. Other than a brief nod from a knowing an SBI agent, Sutton looked like any other standbys.

"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 Alexander Jones that he'd come down with the call,though he was shocked to see Sutton and Mackenzie stood on the dock too. The secret of the children's well-being was never a secret to the cops.

"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 Mackenzie and he frowned. She looked so much like them.

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

"Come back,Ward, we can figure it out together." Alexander shouted up and for the first time Mackenzie actually heard her Father lie in front of a crowed. He always lied behind closed doors, but his word to the people kept him in power.

"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, "They can't be here right now!"

"Just come on in, and you- you can talk to her! Talk to all of them, 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.

Mackenzie and Sutton had made there way to Sarah's side, both of them frozen on one side of her. Mackenzie reached out to hold her hand and she allowed her fingers to thread them together. Sutton stood on other side of 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! Mackenzie, i'm sorry I kept the lie." 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.

As Sarah fell to the ground, Mackenzie frantically turned around looking for someone to answer her question. "What did he mean? What lie?"

. . .

Mackenzie knew that the family was estranged and that there were secrets even she didn't know but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Melanie not being her biological Mother.

When Rose Cameron requested her presence at Ward's final video viewing, it added onto her feeling of something larger coming out.

"A great man once said that if you're born poor, that's not your fault, but if you die poor well, that's on you." Ward's voice spoke coming up through the computer as it sat propped up on the table.

Wheezie was laid out on the table in front of the computer whereas Rafe was pacing behind her. Sarah flashed Mackenzie a glance she was quiet and reserved as was the girl so there was next to no conversation.

"I think, in the end, it was my fear of going back, of losing everything I have that made me lose sight of everything I am and everything I wanted to be." Ward spoke before taking a deep breath, "I killed Big John Routledge. I murdered Sheriff Peterkin. I shot Gavin Barnstead. I know there's nothing I can do to ease the pain I've caused."

Rafe was shaking his head and Mackenzie was quick to pick up on it, the boy knew that his father had taken the blame for him.

"Many will say I took the easy way out. But I leave this world with the terrible pain of knowing that I leave behind my family, shattered by grief, broken by my sins." Ward continued on, "I don't expect you to forgive me for leaving you this way. I just pray that you understand that I can't go on ruining your lives anymore. This has to end. To my four children, I leave my estate, to be divided equally and I leave a love deeper than I could ever express. Take care of each other."

The screen went black as Ward reached forward and ended the video recording and everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

"Four children?" Rafe snapped.

Rafe walked out of the house downing a glass of whiskey similar to the one that Ward had been drinking on the druthers. Sarah followed afterwards and Mackenzie watched her through the window as she aggressively grabbed her bike and started to cycle away.

Rose looked at Mackenzie with sorrow in her eyes, "I am so sorry, Mackenzie, I-i didn't know until last week."

"How." Mackenzie croaked,  her voice breaking as she struggled to hold herself together.

"I don't know who your Mother is, i'm sorry. Ward never told me. He-he just said that it isn't fair that he went down with out you knowing the truth."

"What truth."

"He's your biological father."