Chapter Text
Liz whipped open the door as soon as she heard a knock. A very disgruntled Jackson stood on the other side. She snatched his arm, pulling him into the room, and closing the door behind them. Her hands gripped the wood too tight. She almost expected John to storm back in with a hoard of soldiers to take her away, strap her to a chair, and peel her skin off.
“What’s wrong?”
His voice made her head snap up. Jackson’s hair was disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes. His eyes curiously surveyed her face with concern. That wasn’t something that hasn't been present very often in her life recently. Who the hell around here gave a shit about her?
“He was here,” she muttered.
“Who? Jacob?”
“No,” she shook her head, “John…”
“What did he want?”
‘If you stray my brother further from his path, I will kill you. That is the will of the Father.’
A slight tremor crossed her hands. Her heart felt as if it would beat out her chest. She couldn’t shake the image of herself trapped deep in that bunker, strapped to a chair, with no possible chance of escape…
“What happened?” he asked again.
“John came here to threaten me…”
“What exactly did he say?”
Liz took a deep breath and recounted the visit with John. What he said, the way he walked, and that sick smile on his face ready to tear her apart. Her hands stayed glued to the wall, afraid to leave it. The silence hung in the air.
Slowly, Jackson took a step towards her. Her gaze perked up as he towered above her. He wasn’t as tall as Jacob, but still tall enough to make her neck craning. Sweat stained his forehead, making his blonde hair stick to the back of his neck. She could see the stubble that was beginning to grow on his chin. He was close… too close. But she had to admit, at least in secret, he was rather attractive. Or perhaps… what she used to find attractive.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“No.” She shook her head. She didn’t know the last time she was truly okay.
Jackson took another step closer, wedging her between him and the wall. A small smile crossed his face. Alarm bells started going off in her head. This was a bad idea… the worst. But when Jackson leaned in, she didn’t stop him. His hands moved to her waist, dragging her closer to him. She let her eyes flit closed as Jackson pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was soft, gentle. Not in the same way Faith had kissed her out of gentle desperation. Desperation to convince Liz of her lies. He wasn’t trying to devour her either, it just felt… wrong. Her hands shoved at his chest, trying to get him off. He didn’t budge. Jackson’s hands moved to her face, and his tongue slipped past her lips. She felt vile, violated. Her knee thrusted into his crotch. He grunted and stumbled back. She shoved past him.
“What the hell?” she said, wiping her mouth. She paced across the room, trying to get a sense of what the hell just happened.
Jackson let out a snort. Her gaze snapped up to meet his eye. His expression had grown cold and unreadable. It was like a mask had snapped into place. The boy that she'd grown to know wasn’t standing before her. It was someone else entirely.
“God forbid I misread the signs. If you weren’t interested why didn’t you just call your man, Liz ?”
It felt like the air left her lungs all at once. Her feet came to a halt in the middle of her office.
Liz.
“H-How do you know that?” she asked.
“You’re not nearly as smart as you think you are.”
Jackson took a step towards her. Her hands snapped towards her holster, drawing her weapon and aiming to kill. He didn’t even flinch. His gaze flitted down the barrel of the gun and then back to her.
“The Deputy sent you here to kill me.”
The gun slightly swayed under the tremor of her hands. It would be easy to end it right now and solve her problems. She’s done it before, with Andrea, with other Peggies. She should just do it right now, but she needs to hear it. She needs to know Dep’s half baked plan to take her out.
“No one sent me.”
“Then how the hell do you know my name?”
She’s tried to be careful around the Peggies. The wrong person finding out meant that she’s a dead woman. Ramirez had almost got her, Wilkens knew too much, and John was on to her. The last thing she needed was this shit. Jackson’s face dropped, the anger fading from his expression.
“How could I not? Just because you’ve got that scar,” he said, gesturing to her ear and her buzz cut, “doesn’t mean I don’t recognize you. Shit, we went to the same high school. I knew your brother!”
The gun that was ready to kill just a moment ago slowly lowered, threatening to fall from her grip. She tried not to think about David Jr. and whatever the hell might’ve happened to him.
“You knew my brother?”
“Yes.”
“And you were a Whitetail? You fought for Eli?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I’m here because I want to be, I know my purpose. Can you say the same?”
“This isn’t about me!”
He took another step forward. “Of course it is! Everything falling apart like this is on you! Not the Deputy, not the Whitetails, you!”
Liz wasn’t important to this. She was just a pawn in this clusterfuck of a county. She was only alive because of her last name. Jacob was the only reason she was still alive…
“Jacob’s distracted, he’s sloppy. He should’ve fucking killed Rook by now! And because of what? Some stupid little girl who should’ve died ages ago.”
No, Jacob wasn’t the reason. She was still here because she was a survivor. It wasn’t him or even the Whitetails, it was her. Liz’s footsteps thundered across the office. She snatched Jackson by the collar and shoved him into the nearest wall. A thud echoed in the room. The cold metal of her gun jammed into his throat. Jackson didn’t jump or make a move to stop her, he simply just took it.
“Now, unless you want your brains scattered all over this office, you’re going to tell me… everything.”
“Liz…”
She shoved the gun further into his throat. Jackson’s hands slowly lowered.
“Talk.”
“Alright-alright. I recognized you the moment I saw you, and talking with Minkler only confirmed it…”
Jackson gave her the spiel. He grew up in Hope County, went to the same high school as her, used to sell weed to her brother. He knew anyone and everyone around Hope County and fought for Eli when the shit first went down.
“I didn’t believe in the nonsense not at first…” he said, “but I was nothing but an addict, and the Father… Jacob got me clean. Jacob’s full of bullshit but he keeps me straight. And Joseph well… being here is easy, being with the Whitetails is hell.”
She knew all about that. With the Whitetails there were expectations, you had to hate the cult, you had to hide. The Whitetails lived in their shit bunker with shit food and shit ideals. They live in fear of Jacob, in fear of everything. If she would’ve stayed with them any longer she would’ve suffocated.
“Nothing wrong with choosing the winning side,” he said.
Jackson’s breath was hot on her face. His hand stayed wrapped around her hips. They didn’t move, just stayed there with the barrel of her gun jammed into the soft column of his throat. He looked as if he had no intention of leaving.
“Then why the hell are you bothering with me, huh? Why not just keep your head down?”
“Because you don’t belong here. You’re not cut out for this.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know that Jacob’s screwing with your fucking head. He’s drugging you.”
She thought back to all the needles Wilkens had stuck in her. The night she can’t remember… Wilkens sure as shit wasn’t to be trusted, but Jacob, she thought they were past that. Jacob wouldn’t go through hell for her only to try to turn her into some fucking angel.
“No, you’re wrong. Jacob wouldn’t do that.”
“Of course he would! You know you’re in way too deep. But I can help you. I can get you out of here.”
“I don’t want out of here,” she said, voice cracking. Almost as if she didn’t believe it herself. The gun in her hand trembled slightly against his neck.
Eden’s Gate made her strong, they gave her purpose. She was nothing before she met Jacob. But now, she’s strong, she knows her purpose. Liz snatched him by the collar and slung him off her. The cold barrel of the gun raised at him once again. The only look on his face was one of disappointment.
“I want you to get out of here. Go tell Eli that his niece is dead… and tell the Deputy that he’ll get what’s coming to him.”
“Liz…”
She gritted her teeth. “Go… If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you.”
Jackson lingered in her office, shuffling his feet. His hands never moved to his gun. After what felt like forever, he gave her a curt nod. His feet were heavy on the wood flooring, the sliding door slammed closed behind him. The breath Liz was holding in slowly slipped past her lips. Her hands went to her head. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. Her knees felt weak. She slowly stumbled to her desk, collapsing into the chair. Her face stayed buried in her hands for what felt like forever. She truly couldn’t trust anyone, not even her own men.
Liz finally perked up and took another deep breath to steady her. Her eyes flitted to the opened letter on her desk. Now what the hell did Faith have to tell her that was so important?
She read the note again and again but she couldn’t believe what she was reading… Her eyes scanned the letter one more time just to be sure. The Deputy and Faith. Faith and the Deputy. This prick thought he had the right to judge her when he climbed into bed with a Seed long before she did?
The letter fell from her hands. The room became a blur as she sprinted out of the room, as fast as her feet could carry her. She’s such an idiot, a fucking idiot. There were few chosen out tonight, and those out stared her way as she sprinted across the grounds. Her chest heaved in the cool night air. Leaves crunched under her boots.
It’s worse than she feared. The cage that once held Jess Black was opened… with no one inside. Her hands clenched into fists.
“Fuck.”