Wherever The River May Run.

Discovering More Than Animals.

Sang's POV:

We walked around the zoo for hours, making sure to stop at every single exhibit as well as a few kiosks that were selling snacks and souvenirs making purchases and taking plenty of pictures. My favorites had been the baby hippo and the wolf exhibits, but River had absolutely loved the Lions, he always has and I didn't think that was going to change anytime soon.

We decided to have lunch here before checking out the last few exhibits and then heading home for a while so I could do some things around the house, and for a much needed nap, which may or may not be fore the both of us.

We were eating at Park Place Café when I heard a strangely familiar voice coming from behind me where the doors to the café were. I couldn't quite place where I'd heard it from, but I knew I had heard this person before but I shrugged it off and continued eating.

"I told you this place was amazing. Did you see all the animal exhibits they have here. Way better than the zoo back home." The voice enthusiastically stated and I smiled at the child like tone that was used.

"Yeah yeah, you were fu- uh fudging right. It's better. Now let's eat so I can go grab some more of those hoodies and a couple other things from the shops." Another strangely familiar voice replied and I was starting to feel a little uneasy. I knew these voices, but I was too scared to turn around.

"Mama? You okay?" River asked me as he looked at me in concern. I smiled tightly and nodded.

"Yeah baby, just tired. I think mama needs a nap too. Finish your nuggets and we'll go home okay hun?" I reassured him and he pursed his lips bit nodded and went back to eating anyways. I was just about to turn around and see who these voices belonged to when someone else spoke up and I stiffened.

"Luke, quit fucking goofing off. You wanted to come to the zoo so we came. Now get some food so we can feed the others, and don't get any fucking sugar right now." Grumbled a growly, scowly voice I was all to familiar with.

North.

Oh god and he said the others...

My eyes went wide and it took everything in me not to turn around and look at them or snatch Ruger out of his seat and get the hell out of here. I looked up and River was staring behind me with wide eyes, and for a split second I thought he'd recognized North as well but I remembered he'd never seen them before. Only heard stories. He turned his eyes back to me and pointed at North.

"Mama did you hear that potty mouth. He needs to put money in his swear jar now doesn't he?" River asked with his child like innocence and my jaw dropped.

I sat there gaping at him for a moment before I could feel someone step up behind me. I looked down allowing my hair to fall into my face like some sort of curtain and prayed to the gods that North and the guys wouldn't recognize me.

"Hey buddy, I'm sorry. Your right, and so is your Mama. I shouldn't be talking like that, heres a dillar for your swear jar. Now you listen to your mama and be good. Alright, little buddy?" Norths growly voice filtered across the table as he spoke to our son and handed him a dollar.

"Yes, sir." River nodded with a small smile and accepted the money.

"I'm sorry about that ma'am, good kid you've got there. I'm North." North said and held out a hand for me to shake and I cursed the gods.

Apparently they weren't answering prayers today...

I slowly extended my hand and shook his before raising my gaze to his. My hair fell back into place and he jumped, pulling his hand back like I had burnt him.

"B-baby?" He whispered in disbelief before he pulled me up out of my chair and into his arms. I wanted to melt in his embrace but pull away at the same time.

So I did, I pushed him back and looked at his shocked and hurt expression. My eyes watered but I refused to let myself cry. They had been the cause of enough of my tears in the past, they destroyed me and I wasn't going to let them destroy me again.

"Hey, don't touch my mama Mr." River growled out and Noth's eyes snapped to River who had stepped in front of me and was currently glaring at him.

"Your...He...You...Me." North stuttered out as his eyes flew River to me and back. I grabbed a confused River's hand and tugged him gently behind me.

"Trouble?" Gabriel practically whimpered my name as his eyes looked between me and River pleadingly, he was begging me to tell him what was going on but he didn't deserve an explanation. None of them did. Not after what they accused four years ago. Not after basically asking me to kill my child or give him away.

"River, let's go." I ordered him sternly and he nodded quickly, snatched his last nugget off his plate and popped it into his mouth before picking up his hoodie and slipping it on.

"Cupcake?" Luke whispered from behind me and I spun around but he had his hands up in a surrendering position. I shook my head grabbed my purse threw a $50 on the table and started walking away with River in tow.

"Sang, we need to talk about this." North roared bit I ignored him and kept walking.

"Sang, We deserve to know. I deserve to know." He bellowed as he followed me out of the café and grabbed my arm but I quickly yanked myself out if his hold and spun on him pushing him roughly by the chest, causing him to step back.

"No, you don't! You all decided where you stood with me being pregnant four years ago. I don't owe you anything except maybe a good slap across the face. Do you remember what you asked Dr. Green that night, North? Do you? Well I do. And as far as my son or I am concerned you all made that same decision. Now, don't touch me again or I'll call security and don't follow us!" I barked out at him. I was seething at this point and with every word I spoke he grew more and more pale. I spun back around and marched strait out of the zoo with River, ignoring the desperate pleas from behind me from the other two boys as North stood frozen watching us.

I quickly strapped River into his car seat and got into my Jeep Cherokee and drove off, catching a glimpse at the nine boys in my rearview mirror that I'd left in my past running out of the zoo before I turned the corner leaving them behind again and sped home.

The whole way thinking that all of that was certainly more than I'd wished to discover at the zoo today.