SO IT GOES

𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐀 𝐉𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒

full name: Emma Jones gender & pronouns: cis woman & she/her  age & date of birth: 42, August 28, 1980  where do they live: Downtown time living in lockwood springs: 32 years occupation: retired singer, receptionist at the Spring Resort & Spa, ranch hand at Blue River Ranch affiliation: keepers rank: n/a positive traits: creative, free-thinking, vocal negative traits: bitter, blunt, careless  sister to @ethanjxnes & @junebeckett & jason (rip), aunt to @spencejones, @tammie--jones, @elijahxjones and @noraxjones​

Wolf laughs, waving his hands to gesture to himself now that he is finally back in the flesh to terrorize and adore his usual friendships. “Just today. Great, isn’t it? Five years goes by kind of fast when you think about it.” he’s jovial and excited just to be there, feeling the fresh air and life even if Neon Boots is stuffy with business this evening. His frosted eyes move to her drink and then to the clock, as if it will indicate the day of the week but Wolf laughs again. “Well, you’re not drinking alone anymore.” he declares, joining the seat beside her at the bar and waiting patiently for their turn to be served. He’s giving an interested smile as she speaks about Vi. “She was just three when I got locked up, right? I’m gonna have to come over to say hi properly. Is everyone keeping good?” Then Wolf remembers the news and he gently touches Emma’s shoulder. “I heard about Jason. I’m sorry, but I know it won’t be long until we will be hanging the bastard up in a Blood Eagle to show everyone to leave us alone.” Wolf states passionately. Some may call him a fantasist until they realize he has potential to make the dreams a reality, even the sordid and strange ones. He taps the cash as soon as she does and laughs. “What you mean? He dropped it.” he chuckles, finally placing their order and then quickly getting rid of the money that’s not his. “You think those places are built for people to change in, anyways? If I reform, half of them would be out of a job. I’m technically…doing the community a service.”

•

“First day out and you’re back at Boots?” Emma laughs, “some things really don’t change. At all.” Said with no judgment but a hint of amusement. Wolf’s easy-going nature contrasts his brothers like night and day. There’s no bitterness in his voice as he talks about being out, no lamentation for missed time, just joy in the face of freedom. It’s refreshing in it’s own way. “I guess I’m not. Thanks, Wolf. And yeah she was. Now she’s talking and walking and running and it takes all of us to make sure she’s not jumping off fences or into bales of hay,” Emma grins because it’s a Jones right of passage to be a menace on the ranch and to take care of each other. Vivian is nothing short of loved. The mention of her brother threatens to sober her up for a minute but she shakes her head. “I appreciate it…we all do. Time helps?” she says half-heartedly, studying her glass before glancing at him, “but that would help more.” Finding who did it and making them pay. “Oh, right, I’m sure. People only come to Neon Boots who have money to spare,” she grins, though, honestly glad for the friendly face, scoffing at his response. “They should’ve given you a ribbon or something, least reformed, keeping jobs open and food on tables.” She could picture him wearing it proudly too. “So, day one, huh? You catch your brothers yet? Were they happy or disappointed to see you?” Emma prods with a slight teasing tone, taking a sip of her new drink. 

Emma has imagined a million scenarios over the years where she sees Cody again. A million scenarios in which she does everything from scream and yell at him to kicking him in the balls to chasing him with a knife to screaming some more to flat out ignoring him to laughing in his face to running away. In the end, it’s not like any of those. Emma gets home from her morning shift at the spa, turns off her engine and only as she’s approaching the front steps of her small ranch house does she see who’s standing there. There’s a second of stunned silence when she’s frozen at the bottom of the steps, looking up at her ex-husband in disbelief that he’s even there. It’s followed by rapid movement as Emma holds up her hand and turns on her heels. “No, you don’t do this to me.” She shakes her head, already walking back towards her car. She feels an urgent desire to pick up her daughter from school early and hold her close. “You can’t just show up like this, Cody.” Emma feels a knot of anger she thought had long since been untangled tightening in the pit of her stomach at the idea that he thought he could just waltz on up to her home. What if Vivi was around? No. He doesn’t get to do this. Not to Emma. Not to her daughter. @cody-madden​ 

“So what did you do when they said they wanted to do something but refused to go?” Emma asks Ethan as they do one last round about the ranch. She thinks if anyone will have solid advice it’d be her brother who’d raised four kids practically on his own. “Vivi wants to try everything and I feel bad saying no but she loses interest so easily,” she sighs, picking up a stray bucket off the grass, carrying it back with her. “I don’t want her to resent me for not letting her try things though...” She hadn’t had as many opportunities as her daughter would growing up but she never held it against anyone. That was life. She had, however, sought to make a way for herself and while she’d ended up Vivian (and wouldn’t trade her for the world), those years away had cost Emma. @ethanjxnes​

                        June followed along the best she could, nodding and then furrowing her brow, nodding again and humming. “No!” she gasped in-between her sister’s retelling of events. “So the younger Sullivan held a torch for Tammie this whole time? Well, we all kinda thought something was going on but then we figured it was just…us being hopeful she’d leave Ryan for him.” June rambled and she’d never say any of this to Tammie, not wanting to upset her. “Beau does not seem the time to run anybody outta town, but then again, there’s something about the Sullivans, you know?” June shrugged. “If I was 15 years younger and didn’t love Wyatt with my whole heart. They’re good men, or seemed it. Just shows you don’t know what the hell anybody is like.” June sighed, looking down at Cooper and giving him a little kiss on the top of his head as he struggled with a yogurt pot. “I’m guessing neither of them would be dumb enough to go to Boots any time soon, right?” June smiled a little cheekily to her sister. “So you know, maybe we should do a few nights at Boots just to…make sure they’re not dumb?”

•

Emma watches as Vivi moves from the slide to the sandbox, sighing because she’ll have sand in the house for weeks. She nods at June’s questions. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean…I think he should’ve said something but also, you know,” she makes a face, as though to say that Tammie was Tammie. “So it probably would’ve gone similarly. Except maybe if he had, she wouldn’t feel like they’d been friends for no reason?” She shrugs, uncertain of the situation. Her niece reminded her of herself: stubborn and strong willed and with a heart that felt and loved fearsomely. “He doesn’t. He’s always been nice from what I’ve seen.” Emma snorts at her sister’s words, twisting a piece of hair at the thought of the Sullivans, “mm, yeah, the older one too. Wouldn’t mind him rescuing me sometime,” she says with an eyebrow waggle and a laugh. Emma helps Sawyer again with the goldfish and snickers at her older sister’s suggestion. “Juney, are you saying we should get front row seats to this show? Because yes…yes we definitely should drop in. To make sure they’re not dumb,” she repeats her sister’s words with  a knowing smile.

“Urgh, Vivi and her pesky skills. She always beats me.” Tammie played along, fighting back her own laughter so she didn’t give her and her aunts game away. It was moments like this that cemented Blue River Ranch as a magical place to grow up on, the land never feeling right if even one of them ventured too far. Which was why Emma returning had felt like fate, life restoring itself to where it should be but also why the loss of Jason could be felt in the wind. She nodded to Emma, swooping up the closest twin to her as they stomped in time round each side of the truck. In unison, Aunt, Niece and little twins all appeared either side of Vivi who squealed with laughter. “Gotcha!” Tammie exclaimed, using her free hand to playfully grab Vivi’s arm closest to her. “You almost had us but you know your mom basically knows everything, right? That’s why you gotta listen to her.”

•

Emma can’t help the warm smile that fills her face as her niece plays along. She loves her family but there’s a particular bond between her and Tammie that she cherishes. Maybe it’s because she sees a bit of herself in her, or maybe it’s because she can tell how much love her niece has for Vivian, her young daughter following her big cousin like a small shadow. “Hmm, she always beats me too! Maybe we need to play a different game next time,” she grins, following around the other way before they surprise her daughter who descends into a fit of giggles. She lifts up one of the twins and rushes towards the trio dramatically, “bear hug!” Emma exclaims, pulling Tammie, Sawyer and Vivian into a hug with her and Cooper. 

It’s enough momentum to topple them over into a small pile, Emma careful to land with the twins on top of her (though based on how she’s seen them roughhouse with their father, this is a piece of cake). “See!” she presses a kiss to Vivi’s cheek, sitting up “Tammie says it so it’s true.” She winks at her niece and wiggles a brow, indicating a game they’ve played before. “The sky is green, and the grass is pink and we’re all jellybeans, isn’t that true, Tammie?” Emma says as Vivian laughs at her absurd statements, head swiveling to Tammie, as though to confirm what Emma’s saying is fact or fiction.