A Jaws Retelling

All of Us to Blame

It was a good thing that Ruth and Brody had stopped to get some rest, because as they rushed around the dock, trying to stop the idiot amateur fishermen going after the man-eater for Mrs. Kintner's bounty on it, both realized how much they needed it.

"Hendricks, they're your people, talk to them!" Brody called to the Deputy in exasperation, as a group drastically overcrowding a boat gave Martin a hard time when he tried to stop them from leaving the dock. Martin turned to another group of boaters. "What is that?"

"Dynamite, Chief."

"Oh no, no way, no how." Brody held out his hand for the dynamite and with a roll of their eyes it was given to him. Ruth, not much of a people person and lacking the authority that Chief Brody had, was having a rough time coaxing the boaters out of the wharf. Brody was desperate for backup, and Ruth watched him disappear into the boathouse situated in the middle of the docks, looking frazzled as ever.

Shortly after Brody went into the boathouse, a young man walked onto the docks, scanning the area. He had a curly mop of chestnut hair nestled beneath a beanie, with glasses wider than Brody's and a bit of facial hair. Ruth was temporarily distracted from her bang-up job of banishing the amateurs from the docks as she stared at the man. He was certainly cute, she thought. Ruth wondered what he was doing here, and who he was - especially as she watched him ask Hendricks from something, before the deputy pointed to the boathouse where the chief was.

The man disappeared into the boathouse as well, and just as Ruth was about to follow, a passing boat caught her eye. 'Orca' was painted on the side in big letters, and the boat wasn't too large, yet looked professional and tricked out with traditional fisherman gear. Atop the boat sat Quint, once again strangely amused as he watched the amateurs prepare to blindly and unpreparedly go after a man-eater. Ruth locked eyes with him and sighed exasperatedly with a shake of her head. Quint laughed at this, and for the first time in a little while, Ruth smiled.

Quint disappeared down into the room beneath the deck of his boat, and Ruth was able to then pull away from her task at hand to enter the boathouse with Brody and the new man. She debated on whether she should knock or just enter, and she decided the latter was more polite. Brody promptly answered, smiling when he saw Ruth- probably because it was her and not somebody there to bother him when he really didn't need it.

"You don't need to knock, Ruth." He said, chuckling lightly. "Come in, there's someone I want you to meet. Hendricks can handle those morons for a while." Ruth looked back at Hendricks like she wasn't so sure he could, but entered anyway. The man she had seen come in earlier was standing there, and his expression faltered for a minute before he gave Ruth a small smile.

"Mr. Hooper, this is my friend Ruth, she witnessed the first attack and she's been helping me deal with everything pertaining to the shark. Ruth, this is Matt Hooper, he's the oceanographer we sent for." Hooper stuck his hand out with another smile, blue eyes sparkling beneath the curls that spilled out from under his wool cap. Ruth took his hand, feeling a small amount of heat creep up her cheeks as she shook it, feeling a wonderful balance of soft and calloused skin as she did so.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hooper," she said politely.

"Pleasure is mine, Miss...?"

"Ruth. Just Ruth," she said, quieter.

"Just...?"

Brody cleared his throat, and a confused Hooper looked between Ruth and him. "She's lost most of her memory. I found her the morning after the first shark attack, she had been in a boat accident before and had witnessed the whole Watkins thing...she doesn't remember who she is. We call her 'Ruth' because of what was painted on some boat scraps." Hooper looked quite taken aback by the whole thing. Ruth nodded in confirmation.