"Well I do not believe my eyes - Helen Matthews, where the hell did you come from?!" Helen was grinning from ear to ear as she dismounted from her horse.
She met John in a tight hug, sighing in relief. "It's good to see one of you made it out," she said quietly, pulling away. "How did you know I was here?" John asked. "I built myself a cabin in the woods over there. I came to get rid of those damn squatters when I saw you."
A second figure exited the shack, and Helen's excitement deflated a little. "Hi, Uncle," she greeted. The old man gasped in shock, his hands up in surprise.
"Little Helen Matthews! You're alive!" he said enthusiastically. Just be friendly. Helen glanced over at the tree-line, spotting Boaz's head poking out. "I, uh...I'm not alone, either."
Both men followed her gaze eagerly, and she waved Javier down. He rode out into the open, stopping next to Erin before dismounting. "Helen, what the hell?" John hissed, immediately hostile.
"Please, John, just...just hear him out." Javier approached cautiously, sticking close to Helen's side. "Uh...hi John, Uncle," he greeted awkwardly. "I think...the four of us need to talk."
~~~~
By the time the discussion had finished, it was nearing dawn of the next day. Voices were raised, arguments had started, but Uncle and Helen acted as the mediators of the situation.
John and Javier were staring each other down by the time the sun came up, but there was no hostility in their eyes. "You're gonna have to work hard to gain my trust again, Javier. If Helen can forgive you...then so can I," John finally said.
Javier couldn't help but smile, taking his hat off politely. "Thank you, John. Truly," he replied sincerely. "Don't thank me, thank her." John then stood up, looking ready to head to sleep when Uncle got to his feet. "Well, now that that's over, we gotta go!" he announced, hurrying to his horse.
"Go where?" Javier called, helping Helen up. "To Saint Denis! Helen, you should know - Charles Smith is alive!" It seemed that time itself had stopped as soon as the words left Uncle's mouth. Helen stood there, frozen in place as she stared at the old man with wide eyes.
Charles...is alive? "That's...not possible," Javier spoke up, placing his hand on Helen's shoulder. "We ran into an army group a little while back, bragging about killin' the fleeing Natives. You must have heard wrong, Uncle," he explained gently.
"No, no, I swear it! He's in Saint Denis!" Uncle insisted. Alive...in Saint Denis? Helen finally snapped out of her trance and whistled for her horse, prompting the men to do the same.
"Let's ride!"
~~~~
The reunion is imminent, gents! Honestly writing these past few chapters without mentioning Charles at all felt strange lol but fear not, for he will soon return!
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Family in Shambles
FanfictionShe had been going it alone for three years, since her mother had passed away. She had been learning to survive and doing what she NEEDED to do to survive, no matter the consequences. She knew how to lie low and hide from the law, and she became a v...
