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Title: Do Not Go Gentle (2/13)
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Fandom: Jericho
Pairing: Eventual Jake/Heather
Rated: PG-13 for violence and language
Genre: Angst, drama, romance
Author’s Note: This is an alternate universe version of “Casus Belli.” Some of the dialogue is from the episode. The rest is mine.
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | The Conclusion
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
--Dylan Thomas
Do Not Go Gentle (Part Two)
Jake’s hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His jaw was clenched almost as tightly as he stopped his car and rolled down the window. In the passenger seat, Hawkins did the same.
“Proof of residence,” said a man holding a shotgun.
“We don’t live here. We’re here to see Eric Green.”
“Sorry. We’re not letting anyone in but residents.”
“I’m here to see Eric Green,” Jake repeated evenly. “He’s my brother.”
“Turn your car around and leave.”
He was quickly losing his patience. “My brother came here to work as part of the deal you people made with Jericho, and I’m not leaving until I see him!”
“Jake,” Hawkins cautioned, his voice low.
“Step out of the car,” the man commanded.
“Hell no,” Jake retorted, staring straight ahead.
“Step out of the car!”
Tensing, he pointed his gun toward the man, though he kept it in his coat and out of sight.
“Wait.” Another authoritative figure, this one in full-on law enforcement gear peered into the car. “This is Johnston Green’s son. Let him in. I’ll escort him to see Sheriff Constantino.”
Jake eyed the men and slowly tucked his gun away once more.
Hawkins glanced at him sideways, nodding very slightly.
They were in.
* * *
She’d almost forgotten how painful broken ribs were. As the second or third--hell maybe even the fourth--blow landed to her ribcage, something altered and her mind shifted between her current, conscious reality and her past, unconscious memories.
“Mom,” she whispered, blinking rapidly to make out her mother’s figure standing a few feet away from her, at the top of the staircase.
“We can fix this,” she whispered, backing away from the other figure.
“It’s too fucking late for that!”
“It’s never too late, John.”
“Sometimes it is.”
A loud bang made her gasp for breath and she pressed a hand to her stomach.
“She’s never going to talk. Take her back to the cells,” an angry voice snapped.
Distantly she felt her world tilt as she was yanked to her feet. But her body was numb.
And then everything was suddenly, blissfully dark.
* * *
“You’re the mayor and the sheriff. Don’t tell me there’s nothing else you can do,” Jake said, glaring at Constantino.
“Hey.” His voice was sharp, and held a hint of warning. “A lot of people in New Bern are pretty upset with your town. All the rumors that are flying around--”
“What rumors?” Hawkins interrupted.
“That you knew Ravenwood was coming here next.”
Jake’s heart sank. If the people in New Bern truly believed that, what hope was there that Eric and Heather were even still alive? He swallowed hard to try and rid the bile from throat.
“We didn’t know that. We barely managed to get rid of them ourselves. How were we supposed to know where they were going?” Hawkins shook his head.
“Look, we’ve done what we could. The truth is your brother could be anywhere. He could be on a binge, or lying in a ditch somewhere--”
Jake’s eyes narrowed and he lunged toward the deputy but Hawkins pulled him back. “I wanna see Heather Lisinski. Now.”
Something dark passed over Constantino’s eyes. “Who?”
“Heather Lisinski,” he repeated, taking a step toward the older man.
The deputy glanced at Constantino sideways. “I know who he’s talking about. Pretty brunette. Real smart.”
A flicker of a smile settled on his lips. “Right. Of course. We’ll take you to her.”
Hawkins glanced sideways at Jake. “I’m gonna head back to Jericho.”
Jake held his gaze. “I’ll see you back there.” He tossed him the keys to his car.
Then he turned and followed Constantino and the deputy toward City Hall.
* * *
“Get your hands off me!” Jake commanded the deputy as the man seized his arms as soon as they were in City Hall. “Where’s Eric? Where’s Heather?”
“Keep your voice down,” Constantino ordered, drawing a gun on him.
He glared at them with barely contained disgust. “I think you know exactly where they are.”
“Well, you’re half right.” The deputy shoved him down the corridor, then waited til Constantino unlocked the next one, revealing a room with jail cells.
“Get in there.”
Jake’s jaw clenched as he stepped into the cell that Constantino held open.
“Sorry it had to come to this, Jake. I like your father. He’s a good man. But we have to do what we have to do, you know?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Constantino shut the cell door and locked it again, not replying. He and the deputy turned and headed down the corridor.
“Great,” Jake mumbled. “That’s just great.”
“What are you complaining about?”
He turned to see an older man slumped on one of the benches.
“You’re a hell of a lot better off than some of us.”
Jake followed the man’s gaze to the far side of the jail cell, where a small figure lay curled up toward the wall, unmoving.
“Hey, is she all right?” His protective instincts kicked in and he quickly moved over to her, dropping to his knees.
“Hasn’t moved since they brought her in a few hours ago.”
Jake winced at the bruises and cuts that marked the woman’s arms. “Miss, can you hear me?”
When she didn’t respond, Jake hesitantly swept some of the dark hair off her pale face.
His own face drained of color as realization slammed into him like a mack truck. “Oh my God. Heather,” he whispered.
Author: X_tremeroswellian
Fandom: Jericho
Pairing: Eventual Jake/Heather
Rated: PG-13 for violence and language
Genre: Angst, drama, romance
Author’s Note: This is an alternate universe version of “Casus Belli.” Some of the dialogue is from the episode. The rest is mine.
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | The Conclusion
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
--Dylan Thomas
Do Not Go Gentle (Part Two)
Jake’s hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. His jaw was clenched almost as tightly as he stopped his car and rolled down the window. In the passenger seat, Hawkins did the same.
“Proof of residence,” said a man holding a shotgun.
“We don’t live here. We’re here to see Eric Green.”
“Sorry. We’re not letting anyone in but residents.”
“I’m here to see Eric Green,” Jake repeated evenly. “He’s my brother.”
“Turn your car around and leave.”
He was quickly losing his patience. “My brother came here to work as part of the deal you people made with Jericho, and I’m not leaving until I see him!”
“Jake,” Hawkins cautioned, his voice low.
“Step out of the car,” the man commanded.
“Hell no,” Jake retorted, staring straight ahead.
“Step out of the car!”
Tensing, he pointed his gun toward the man, though he kept it in his coat and out of sight.
“Wait.” Another authoritative figure, this one in full-on law enforcement gear peered into the car. “This is Johnston Green’s son. Let him in. I’ll escort him to see Sheriff Constantino.”
Jake eyed the men and slowly tucked his gun away once more.
Hawkins glanced at him sideways, nodding very slightly.
They were in.
* * *
She’d almost forgotten how painful broken ribs were. As the second or third--hell maybe even the fourth--blow landed to her ribcage, something altered and her mind shifted between her current, conscious reality and her past, unconscious memories.
“Mom,” she whispered, blinking rapidly to make out her mother’s figure standing a few feet away from her, at the top of the staircase.
“We can fix this,” she whispered, backing away from the other figure.
“It’s too fucking late for that!”
“It’s never too late, John.”
“Sometimes it is.”
A loud bang made her gasp for breath and she pressed a hand to her stomach.
“She’s never going to talk. Take her back to the cells,” an angry voice snapped.
Distantly she felt her world tilt as she was yanked to her feet. But her body was numb.
And then everything was suddenly, blissfully dark.
* * *
“You’re the mayor and the sheriff. Don’t tell me there’s nothing else you can do,” Jake said, glaring at Constantino.
“Hey.” His voice was sharp, and held a hint of warning. “A lot of people in New Bern are pretty upset with your town. All the rumors that are flying around--”
“What rumors?” Hawkins interrupted.
“That you knew Ravenwood was coming here next.”
Jake’s heart sank. If the people in New Bern truly believed that, what hope was there that Eric and Heather were even still alive? He swallowed hard to try and rid the bile from throat.
“We didn’t know that. We barely managed to get rid of them ourselves. How were we supposed to know where they were going?” Hawkins shook his head.
“Look, we’ve done what we could. The truth is your brother could be anywhere. He could be on a binge, or lying in a ditch somewhere--”
Jake’s eyes narrowed and he lunged toward the deputy but Hawkins pulled him back. “I wanna see Heather Lisinski. Now.”
Something dark passed over Constantino’s eyes. “Who?”
“Heather Lisinski,” he repeated, taking a step toward the older man.
The deputy glanced at Constantino sideways. “I know who he’s talking about. Pretty brunette. Real smart.”
A flicker of a smile settled on his lips. “Right. Of course. We’ll take you to her.”
Hawkins glanced sideways at Jake. “I’m gonna head back to Jericho.”
Jake held his gaze. “I’ll see you back there.” He tossed him the keys to his car.
Then he turned and followed Constantino and the deputy toward City Hall.
* * *
“Get your hands off me!” Jake commanded the deputy as the man seized his arms as soon as they were in City Hall. “Where’s Eric? Where’s Heather?”
“Keep your voice down,” Constantino ordered, drawing a gun on him.
He glared at them with barely contained disgust. “I think you know exactly where they are.”
“Well, you’re half right.” The deputy shoved him down the corridor, then waited til Constantino unlocked the next one, revealing a room with jail cells.
“Get in there.”
Jake’s jaw clenched as he stepped into the cell that Constantino held open.
“Sorry it had to come to this, Jake. I like your father. He’s a good man. But we have to do what we have to do, you know?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Constantino shut the cell door and locked it again, not replying. He and the deputy turned and headed down the corridor.
“Great,” Jake mumbled. “That’s just great.”
“What are you complaining about?”
He turned to see an older man slumped on one of the benches.
“You’re a hell of a lot better off than some of us.”
Jake followed the man’s gaze to the far side of the jail cell, where a small figure lay curled up toward the wall, unmoving.
“Hey, is she all right?” His protective instincts kicked in and he quickly moved over to her, dropping to his knees.
“Hasn’t moved since they brought her in a few hours ago.”
Jake winced at the bruises and cuts that marked the woman’s arms. “Miss, can you hear me?”
When she didn’t respond, Jake hesitantly swept some of the dark hair off her pale face.
His own face drained of color as realization slammed into him like a mack truck. “Oh my God. Heather,” he whispered.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 07:44 pm (UTC)Hope there is more soon!!!
Fina
no subject
Date: 2008-01-21 10:41 pm (UTC)I love it!