"I don't understand, they're going to arrest Ward now?" Lila asked as John B drug her out of the sheriffs station quickly, "They haven't done it yet?"

"It's happening now, right now." John B said as he let go of her hand to open the van doors.

"Oh, you found her." Pope said as he held Lila, "So glad you aren't dead."

"Not dead." Lila shook her head she she sat down. Multiple cop cars passed them and were speeding toward the Cameron house.

"Oh my god. Can you please hurry? I need to be there for Weezie." Sarah panicked as she held the side of the door.

"You think I wanna miss this?" John B spoke up, getting a look of disbelief.

"John B." Lila said from the back ad he glanced at her through the mirror, "Keep it to yourself."

"How was Rafe?" JJ mocked.

"JJ, not now." Kie scolded him as Lila rolled her eyes and looked out the window, the Twinkie pulling up behind the Cameron house quickly. They hurried to the recently washed wall, looking over it in hopes of being anything.

"Screw it. Im going over." John B announced as he jumped up on the wall and threw his legs over. The rest followed in no time, Lila waited for JJ to jump over last.

"Why are the police here again?" Wheezie asked as Sarah hugged her quickly, "Is that Lila? Is she back?"

"Hey, Wheez." Lila said gently as she walked over to hug her, "Why don't you just stay with Rose, okay? I'm gonna take care of Sarah."

"But what's happening?" Wheezie demanded to know as she looked at her and then her sister.

"Go inside. Don't come out." Sarah spoke to her with a sniffle.

"Cmon." Lila said as she grabbed Sarah's hand as the pair began hurrying with the others out toward the docks. When they made it there in no time, the six saw Ward on his boat, speaking down to Shoupe.

"Dad!" Sarah called out as she ran forward.

"Hey, hey, you gotta let us through." John B begged Shoupe as the deputies tried to hold them back.

"Thats Sarah Cameron, let her through!" Shoupe shouted as the deputies backed off, giving them time to come through and stand on the narrow dock, looking up at Ward.

"What are you doing here, Sarah?" Ward shouted, his voice cracking in sadness. Lila looked at Shoupe in worry as he gave her a similar look back.

"Dad! What are you doing?" Sarah called out to her father.

"Vic, you gotta get her outta here! She can't be here right now!" Ward shouted over the railing of the boat. Lila remembered it well, the two times she went on it. One, being when she hoped over the side and Rafe came and picked her up on the jet ski. And two when they took it out for the night.

"Just come on in, and you.. you.. you can talk to her!" Shoupe shouted up at him quickly, "It's your daughter Ward, you wanna be able to talk to your daughter!"

"Sarah, i'm so sorry, baby. I can't!" Ward called back, crying as he reached for something on the boat, the anchor coming up slowly. Lila grabbed JJ's hand quickly as she watched the deputies reach for their guns.

"What are you doing? Dad, no, no, no!" Sarah shouted in agony up at him.

"Ward, this ain't gonna end the way you want it to!" Shoupe called out to him quickly. Harbor patrol pulled up on one side of the boat, "You don't need her seeing this!"

Ward came down the latter quickly as Sarah shouted his way. "Dad, don't leave! Where are you going?"

"I love you!" Ward called, his eyes scanned them, "Lila, find Rafe."

"He's in jail!" Lila yelled back, "What the hell are you thinking?"

"He won't be." was all Ward said back to her, disappearing into the driving area.

"Turn it around and get back here!" Shoupe called out to him again.

"Please don't leave!" Sarah begged her father.

Lila gasped when the boat sudden had fire coming out of every area, exploding in the water with Ward inside. Lilas eyes were wide as she stared at it, everyones reaction so similar. Sarah began to sob suddenly, falling onto the dock.

It took Lila a second before she dropped down on the dock and wrapped her arms around Sarah, holding her still as Sarah cried on her shoulder, "It's okay, it's okay."

"Dad! Dad!" Sarah screamed as she sobbed in Lilas arms, "No! No!"

"Sarah, Sarah." Lila tried to comfort her as she held her, Sarah in her arms and fighting against her. Topper came running down the docks quickly, dropping down with them. Lila met his eye as he put his arms around both of them.

"Lila." Topper spoke up a moment later over Sarah's cries, "You need to get to Rafe."

Lila blinked her tears away, "Rafe, Rafe- yeah, oh my god."

"I've got her, you need to go." Topper said quickly as he nodded panicky.

"I'll be back, i'll be back." Lila kissed Sarah on the head before she stood up and took off in a sprint down the docks. Her friends watched her go, running as fast as she could and into the Cameron house. She knew where the keys were and only prayed they had still been there.

Rafe walked outside of the sheriffs station, being let free when Shoupe saw the video of Ward confessing to killing Peterkin. He looked around the empty parking lot, hurting at the news of his dads death. He sat still a moment, not knowing what to do or how to contact anyone. The sound of a familiar dirk bike sounded.

His dirt bike to be exact.

Rafe watched it pull up, the helmet flying off as long, blonde locks fell. Rafe wanted to sigh in relief at the sight of Lila, he almost did. She hurried over to him, Rafe meeting her in the middle as he wrapped his arms around her. Lila held him tightly as she shut her eyes.

"Is it true?" he asked her through a broken tone, "Is my dad dead?"

Lila felt horrible guilt for having to breaks the news, "I'm so sorry, Rafe."

He took that as a yes, hiding his head into her neck as he stared to cry. Lila shhed him softly, sitting down on the steps and taking him with her. Rafes arms tightened around her waist as he cried into her neck, gripping on tighter every few seconds like she'd expected her to mist away or something. Lila rocked slightly, her hand placed on the back of his head as she gave gentle shhes to his sobs.

"It's gonna be okay, it's okay." She whispered, planting a kiss to Rafes forehead. Rafe moved to lay his head on her chest, sniffling as he cried again, loosing half his breathing. Lila rubbed the side of his head softly, waiting for him to finish this phase of grief before they would leave. However long that took.

What neither of them saw was the familiar blue car driving past and toward the Cameron house, an important message from Rose bringing them in.

"A great man once said if you're born poor, that's not your fault, but if you die poor, well, that's on you. 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, everything I wanted to be. I killed Big John Routledge. I murdered Sheriff Peterkin. I shot Gavin Barnstead. I know there is nothing I can do to ease the pain I caused. 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. I don't expect you to forgive me for leaving you this way. I just pray you understand that I can't go on ruining your lives anymore. This has to end." Ward spoke over the video, his family crying as they watched, "To all of you, I leave my estate to be divided equally. I leave the house to Lacey and Grace Griffin, to take care of my family for the time being. And I love a love deeper then I could ever express. Take care of each other."

Lacey and Grace shared a look as they stood in the kitchen with the Cameron's and Lila. Their daughter, holding Sarah's hand while Wheezie cried into her shoulder. Wards message was clear to them, to take care of Rose and the kids. Sarah slammed the computer shut suddenly.

"You'll stay?" Rose begged as she looked toward Lacey and Grace with tears in her eyes, "I can't do this alone."

"We'll stay." Lacey nodded as she hugged her friend. Lila looked over at her moms as they gave her a stern expression, indicating she was in deep shit but it hadn't been the time or place.

"I'm going to my room." Sarah spoke as she stood up with a sniffle.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Lila asked her with a sad look.

"I just need a minute." Sarah shook her head as she let go of Lilas hand and walked off.

"Lila." Lacey spoke when Sarah was gone, "Did someone talk to you?"

"About what?" Lila asked them, the pair sharing a look, "Who would talk to me? About Ward?"

"No, about you." Grace said. Rafe walked over, standing with Lila as her moms looked at her, "It's not the time. We'll explain-"

"No, tell her." Rose said as she whipped her eyes, "I'm tired of secrets being kept."

Rafe scoffed at her words, standing his ground with Lila.

"Look, sweetie, there's a reason we didn't want you coming back here. Why we took you back home so quick." Lacey explained in a gentle tone as she took a step toward her daughter, though Lila stepped back, "When your mother and I were looking for sperm donors for you and your brother, we happened to be here when we found one."

Lila felt sick suddenly, "Was it Ward?"

"No, no, no." Grace said quickly with wide eyes. Both Lila and Rafe sighed in relief at her words, "But we left because he came to us. He told us he wanted to be apart of your life. I guess seeing you was hard on him, i'm not sure. But your mother and I talked and we didn't want to keep it from you any longer. Especially with us staying here now."

Lila stared at them in disbelief, "Why didn't you tell me? Does he know about Logan?"

"He knows, he does." Lacey nodded, "He didn't tell you because we were scared."

"Scared of what?" Lila asked in disbelief as he voice rose, "Do I know him? Who is he?"

"We just want you to know that this doesn't c-" Grace began before she was cut off.

"Jesus christ, just tell her." Rafe cut in, siding with Lila when he saw the clear distress and annoyance building up in her eyes.

"His names Victor." Lacey spit out as she stared at Lila, "Victor Shoupe."

•

kylie speaks

bet y'all didn't see
that one coming.

next few chapters have
a lot of lila and rafe
but once we reach the
bonfire you'll get jj
back!