River heard the sliding glass door open downstairs. Had Meadow walked out or had his father walked in? Dreading of the latter, he quickly took the stairs two at a time. When he reached the front hall he could hear his mother sobbing. Turning the corner, he found her all alone.

Part of him was relieved that their father had not come down the hill from the wood lot just yet. And part of him was angry at Meadow for leaving their mother in such a state. River couldn't ever remember their mother so undone as this. He'd seen her angry a time or two, when he or Forrest had done stupid or dangerous things. He'd also seen her cry a few times over the years, but never knew why. He hadn't been the source of her tears, and she hadn't confided in him what was wrong at the time. But, he had never seen her crumpled on the floor in a sobbing mess.

She was on her hands and knees, sweeping up the jumble of photographs that Meadow had dumped on her, and weeping as if she had just been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her eyes were bright red and nearly swollen shut from the excessive force of the crying. Her face was streaked with tears and her nose was running unchecked because she was too preoccupied with the discarded photos to stop long enough to wipe her eyes or her nose. She was a total wreck and the sight of her this way choked River up.

Kneeling beside her, he kindly took hold of her arm and said, "Leave those to me. Let me help you sit down somewhere Mom."

She nodded even as she cried, and he got her too her feet without protest. With firm but gentle pressure, he guided her to the dinning room table. He didn't dare take her to the couch where she would be forced to stare at either the ruined family portrait or the decimated gallery of family frames she had so painstakingly put together. Meadow had made a mess of it, and now there wasn't a single picture of her to be found anywhere among the family. River knew his mother would be devastated if she spent any time looking at the empty or missing frames.

Once seated, Noora turned to her son, and through her tears asked, "Please bring them to me."

River nodded before picking his way across the room and gathering the pictures up. It only took him a few minutes to sweep them into a single stack and deliver them to his mother. He set the photos down on the table near her and dug out his phone while he watched her begin to place them in chronological order.

Where the hell was Forrest? He was suppose to meet River at the house as soon as he'd put the dogs away. But, that was ages ago. His phone showed there were no missed calls or texts from Forrest. River sighed audibly. He had to be on his way. River only hoped he wasn't taking his sweet old time because he wanted to avoid the family conflict. It was too late for that. River was sure the real drama hadn't even begun.

For a moment, he left his mother's side and stepped over to the glass door. Meadow was standing at the burn barrel, one hand casually placed on her hip as the other poked the inside of the barrel with a metal rod. She looked entirely at ease. Anyone who saw her, would think she was merely burning household waste. 

But River was still having a hard time believing she'd burnt everything of hers. He knew how attached she was to her old bedroom, her old things, her old memories. She was the sentimental kind. Everything had meaning. Even the silliest little things. And here she'd gone and destroyed it all. It was alarming to say the least.

The sound of Taffy's barking out front caught River's attention. He was relieved. It probably meant Forrest had finally pulled up into the yard. Having Forrest thee wouldn't change anything. After all, Forrest wasn't even remotely good at diffusing tense family situations. It was just that River didn't want to do this alone - navigate whatever crisis was unfolding in real time in the Rask family home. It was like the old adage said, there was strength in numbers.

But, if Taffy was out there announcing Forrest's arrival, that meant their father and Eddie must have come down from the hill. River checked the time. It was twenty after five. He looked around the kitchen, dinning and living space that were completely pulled apart and frowned. His father was going to have a fit of rage over this. But, there wasn't enough time to clean up - not even a little. River let out a pent up breath and clenched and unclenched his fingers. He was nervous knowing the worse was yet to come. 

He never breathed a word of his fears to his mother, who had just managed to get her sobbing under control. Instead, he offered her a quiet warning of sorts as he said, "Taffy's in the yard. Dad must be back."

Noora nodded and then slowly got up from her chair. She left Eddie's pictures there as she crossed into the living room and came to stand in front of the fireplace looking up at the mutilated family portrait. Meadow had cut herself out of the picture, out of the family, and Noora knew it was all Niko's doing. Yes, she and the boys had certainly contributed to the problem by keeping his secrets, by bending over backwards to make him happy, but he was the central reason why she felt desperate enough to destroy the house, burn her things and ruin every precious picture anyone had ever taken of her. 

Noora had been angry with her husband on many occasions. She'd been disappointed in him more times than she could count or remember. She'd shed tears because of his unrelenting attitude towards Meadow. But, she had never hated him. Not once. Not until now. Not until she looked at the family portrait and thought to herself Meadow would have been better off cutting him out of it. He was the problem. Not her precious Darling girl.

While his mother had headed for the living room, River tried to carefully but swiftly pick his way through the mess of pots, pans and cookware strewn about the kitchen floor. He hoped to intercept Forest at the front door, give him a heads up about what Meadow had been up to all afternoon, and then quickly brainstorm with him about what to do next - before their father arrived. But there was no time. When he flung the front door open, he was greeted by his Father's smiling face.

Niko's smile faded as he asked River in an annoyed voice, "What the hell has she been out back burning all afternoon? Eddie and I have been watching a steady stream of black smoke trailing up into the sky for the past few hours."

River choked. He didn't know what to say to his father. He didn't know how to explain the state of the house or the state he was going to find his wife in when he stepped over the threshold. River's eyes darted to Eddie, who was right behind their father, and then to Forrest who was coming up the stairs. Both brothers only gave him puzzled looks.

Annoyed to be kept standing at the door, Niko pushed his son out of the way saying, " Don't just stand there River. Let us in."

River stepped aside and let his father pass, but he grabbed both Eddie and Forrest's arms, as they followed the older Rask in, preventing them from going further than the entryway.

While they stood there, Niko exploded, "What the hell has Meadow done?"

River cringed and looked to his brothers whose faces were a mixture of curiosity and shock.

Noora began to wail and scream at Niko, "You did this! You! Not her! You drove her too it! You've driven us all to it!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she picked up scattered picture frames and flung them at him with all her might.

Quietly, while Noora was yelling and throwing things at their father, something none of them had ever witnessed before, River leaned toward Eddie saying, "Meadow found out about you today quite by accident." Then to Forrest he explained, "She came here, had a polite conversation with Dad, whatever that means, and afterwards, she tore the house apart."

"She confronted him about me?"Eddie asked with grave surprise.

"I thinks so," River replied. "I'm not sure. She was vague about it." He sighed loudly. "Gawd, what do we do?"

"Dad never said a thing to me about it when he came up to the lot," Eddie confided. "He looked angry, but when I asked him about it he told me it was nothing. It would blow over. Is this what he was talking about? Meadow finding out?"

Both Forrest and River shrugged their shoulders. Who knew?

"Do you think she hates me?" Eddie asked seriously. His countenance darkened. "I should have told her. I should have said something to her the other day. She was right there. Eating with me. I mean, it was a perfect time to say, 'Hey, by the the way, I'm your half brother'. I've really screwed up," he upbraided himself.

Forrest was quick to say, "No way. Meadow is very forgiving. She's put up with Dad for years," he replied confidently.

But River shook his head and let out another deep sigh. "I don't know what she thinks about you Eddie, but we all screwed up. Not just you." To Forrest he confided his fears, "I don't think she's going to forgive Dad this time, and she may not forgive us either."

"Us?" Forrest repeated anxiously.

River nodded solemnly. "Wait till you see what's she's done. Then you'll understand," he explained.

Forrest, very bravely, peered into the kitchen and dinning area. He avoided looking toward the living room where his mother was screaming and shouting at their father still. When he saw the state of the house he let out a low whistle and turned back to Eddie and River. "Why did she tare the house apart?" he asked with wide incredulous eyes. She wasn't the violent or vindictive type. It seemed totally out of character for her. Forrest felt bewildered and very concerned for her well being. Something wasn't right.

River swallowed hard and looked up the stairwell thinking of her old room, which was wiped clean of every trace of her. "She's spent the afternoon burning everything in the house that once was hers, I guess. Along with every picture of her too. There's nothing left. Not a single reminder that she ever lived here or was part of the family. She burnt everything."

Forrest cursed under his breath. "What do we do?"

River shook his head. He had no idea how to proceed. He didn't know what was going to happen when Meadow came back in the house and found everyone there. It wasn't going to be pretty.

"Stop! Stop, Noora!" they heard their father shouting desperately. Worried for him, the three boys came quickly into the room.

"My baby cut her self out of the family portrait because of you! What did you say to her? What did you do to her this afternoon?" Noora roared at him.

He had his hands up and was trying to slowly make his way through broken glass and scattered belongings to get to her.

"Nothing NuNu," he protested. NuNu was his private pet name for Noora, and he only used it when he was being extra sweet or extra amorous. Now he used it to try sooth the angry, violent woman in front of him who he did not recognize. 

"Ohh, not nothing, Dad," Meadow chided playfully from where she stood leaning against the frame of the sliding glass door.

Her voice was light and jovial. Every eye zeroed in on her with surprise and expectancy. She just grinned, stepped into the room and closed the door behind her gently. When she caught sight of everyone staring at her, she waved and said a cheery, "Hey! Look, the gang's all here."

Forrest grabbed River's arm and whispered in his ear, "What the hell is going on? Is she high?"

River shook his head. He didn't know what you would call this behaviour, but he was pretty sure she wasn't high or intoxicated. At the end of her rope? Yes. At the end of herself? Most likely. And he didn't know whether to brace for a full on assault or a complete meltdown from her. She couldn't possibly keep up the cheerful facade much more - not now when she was face to face with their father and Eddie. Something had to give any minute.