Jericho Fic: Do Not Go Gentle (9/14)
Title: Do Not Go Gentle (9/14)
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.
Thanks to my awesome beta skyrose!
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
Do Not Go Gentle (Part Nine)
Jake walked into the hospital room, startled to find Heatherin the process of pulling a jacket on. "Whoa, what are you doing?"
Heather turned at the sound of Jake's surprised voice. His expression was one of concern and anger.
"What's it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you'd better get back into that bed to get some rest," he retorted.
"Well, forget it. We've got bigger things to worry about now, Jake."
He stared at her.
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. New Bern's getting ready to attack and we have to figure out what to do."
"And we will, but you--"
"Know more about New Bern and their plans than anyone else." She gazed at him. "Face it, Jake. You need me. This town needs me."
He looked down at the floor.
She felt her heart contract at his lack of response. "Just tell me where we're meeting."
"Bailey's. One hour."
"I'll be there." She moved past him and out the door. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them back rapidly.
She hadn't cried when Constantino's men had tortured her. She sure as hell wouldn't cry over a rejection from someone.
Not even Jake Green.
* * *
There was a murmur of panic from the crowd in Bailey's Tavern as Jake walked inside. He spotted his parents and Eric immediately, his eyes seeking out Emily and Heather next.
Emily stood not far from his mother, Roger beside her, while Heather appeared to be AWOL. Instantly his stomach knotted as he searched the sea of familiar faces but didn't see her.
Dread settled upon him like a heavy cloud and just as he was about to take off looking for her, he turned to see her step inside the bar, looking upset and uncertain.
He slowly moved toward her, only to be cut off by Gray Anderson.
"What the hell is going on, Jake?" he demanded. "Eric said New Bern's planning to attack us!"
"Heather and Eric are going to explain what's going on to everyone," he said, stepping around him and moving toward Heather once more, gritting his teeth in frustration when he saw she was surrounded by a group of teachers from the school.
"Jake?" Stanley was suddenly in front of him, with Mimi, Bonnie and Sean in tow.
"I know." He nodded, meeting his oldest friend's eyes.
"How bad is it?" Mimi asked, almost inaudibly.
Jake looked at her wordlessly and she reached out and grasped Stanley's arm.
"All right, everyone, listen up!" Gray stood on top of the bar and looked out over the crowd. "We have new information on the situation with New Bern."
Jake glanced at Eric and Heather, his body tense.
Gray looked expectantly at Eric, who stepped forward. There was a cut down the side of his face, but he'd clearly fared better than Heather had. "New Bern has converted part of their factory into a weapons refinery. They've been making mortars," he began.
“New Bern has converted part of their brake assembly plant into a weapons factory.
The crowd began talking nervously amongst themselves. Eric continued, talkign louder to be heard of the crowd. "They're planning to take over Jericho by force if necessary. They have detailed maps of this town and all of our resources."
"What are we gonna do?" someone called out.
"We have to pack up and leave. There's too many of them!" someone else yelled.
"Now hold up just a minute," Johnston spoke up, looking over the crowd. "Do you really wanna hand over this town--all your homes--to a man like Phil Constantino?"
The crowd fell silent.
"If we all make a stand together--every one of us--then we have a chance."
"New Bern's three times the size of Jericho," Gray said, shaking his head. "And God only knows how many mortars they have."
The anxious chatter started up again.
"Thirty. Forty, tops."
Jake turned to see someone helping Heather up onto the bar. Her grimace of pain didn't go unnoticed.
"What?" Another person yelled.
Heather spoke up, "Thirty, maybe forty mortars. There were more but Eric and I managed to destroy the others."
Gray stared at her. "That's still more than we have."
"I saw how they were made, Mayor Anderson."
"What are you saying, that--"
"I'm saying I know how to make them. I just need supplies and some people to help me. And something to launch them out of." Heather yelled, trying to be heard over the crowd.
Jake walked up to the bar, took Heather’s hand and looked up and met to meet her gaze. "Got you covered there. Already got something to shoot them out of.”
She gazed back at him, then looked at Johnston. "We can do this."
Johnston nodded slowly. "You just tell us what you need."
"I'll help," Stanley offered.
"Me too," Jake said, looking at the crowd as several others raised their hands.
Heather smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Then we better get busy."
* * *
Making the mortars took hours, a lot of Hawkins' personal weaponry supplies, and Heather was looking more and more exhausted with every passing moment. So much so, she wasn't even attempting to hide the fact she was in pain.
Stanley caught the worried look in Jake’s eyes and looked at Heather and announced, "I think we could all use a short break."
Jake nodded his agreement. "Yeah, and I'm sure we could get a team to take our place."
Heather was so focused on what she was doing, she didn't even look up.
Jake and Stanley exchanged another look, then Jake rose to his feet. "Heather."
She started and looked up at him blankly. "What?"
"Time for a break," he said in a quiet, firm tone.
"I'm good." She shifted her attention once more.
"Heather." There was a hint of exasperation in his tone.
"Jake, I said I'm fine!" One of the mortars she'd been working on rolled off the table and clattered loudly to the floor, causing everyone in the room to fall silent.
"Yeah, you're real fine."
Stanley grimaced and rose to his feet. "I'm gonna get some air," he said, heading out of the room.
"What is your problem?"
Jake stared at her. "My problem is you were tortured for three days, haven't slept, have broken bones, and you won't even take a break. You need to go home and rest."
Her face was a mask of neutrality. "I don't have a home to go back to."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
She looked away. "My house is gone, Jake."
"I don't--"
"It burned down the same day Eric's did." She didn't look at him.
He stared at her. "Then where were you staying before you left for New Bern?"
Heather avoided his eyes. "I was renting a room from Mr. Brightman."
"Mr. Brightman? Larry Brightman? That guy's a jerk."
She didn't respond.
"Why didn't you say you needed a place to stay? We had room."
Heather looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I wasn't going to beg your family for a place to stay when I had a huge crush on--" She cut herself off, her cheeks turning pink.
"Beg?" His voice grew a little softer. "You wouldn't have had to beg. You could've had my room, Heather. I would've taken the couch."
She dropped her gaze again. "Jake, New Bern's going to attack Jericho. It's just a matter of when. We don't have much time."
"We have twenty of these already, plus a tank. You're hurt and you need sleep, Heather. Let me take you home," he pleaded.
"I don't have one," she said softly.
Jake gazed at her. "You do now."
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.
Thanks to my awesome beta skyrose!
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
Do Not Go Gentle (Part Nine)
Jake walked into the hospital room, startled to find Heatherin the process of pulling a jacket on. "Whoa, what are you doing?"
Heather turned at the sound of Jake's surprised voice. His expression was one of concern and anger.
"What's it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you'd better get back into that bed to get some rest," he retorted.
"Well, forget it. We've got bigger things to worry about now, Jake."
He stared at her.
"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. New Bern's getting ready to attack and we have to figure out what to do."
"And we will, but you--"
"Know more about New Bern and their plans than anyone else." She gazed at him. "Face it, Jake. You need me. This town needs me."
He looked down at the floor.
She felt her heart contract at his lack of response. "Just tell me where we're meeting."
"Bailey's. One hour."
"I'll be there." She moved past him and out the door. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she blinked them back rapidly.
She hadn't cried when Constantino's men had tortured her. She sure as hell wouldn't cry over a rejection from someone.
Not even Jake Green.
* * *
There was a murmur of panic from the crowd in Bailey's Tavern as Jake walked inside. He spotted his parents and Eric immediately, his eyes seeking out Emily and Heather next.
Emily stood not far from his mother, Roger beside her, while Heather appeared to be AWOL. Instantly his stomach knotted as he searched the sea of familiar faces but didn't see her.
Dread settled upon him like a heavy cloud and just as he was about to take off looking for her, he turned to see her step inside the bar, looking upset and uncertain.
He slowly moved toward her, only to be cut off by Gray Anderson.
"What the hell is going on, Jake?" he demanded. "Eric said New Bern's planning to attack us!"
"Heather and Eric are going to explain what's going on to everyone," he said, stepping around him and moving toward Heather once more, gritting his teeth in frustration when he saw she was surrounded by a group of teachers from the school.
"Jake?" Stanley was suddenly in front of him, with Mimi, Bonnie and Sean in tow.
"I know." He nodded, meeting his oldest friend's eyes.
"How bad is it?" Mimi asked, almost inaudibly.
Jake looked at her wordlessly and she reached out and grasped Stanley's arm.
"All right, everyone, listen up!" Gray stood on top of the bar and looked out over the crowd. "We have new information on the situation with New Bern."
Jake glanced at Eric and Heather, his body tense.
Gray looked expectantly at Eric, who stepped forward. There was a cut down the side of his face, but he'd clearly fared better than Heather had. "New Bern has converted part of their factory into a weapons refinery. They've been making mortars," he began.
“New Bern has converted part of their brake assembly plant into a weapons factory.
The crowd began talking nervously amongst themselves. Eric continued, talkign louder to be heard of the crowd. "They're planning to take over Jericho by force if necessary. They have detailed maps of this town and all of our resources."
"What are we gonna do?" someone called out.
"We have to pack up and leave. There's too many of them!" someone else yelled.
"Now hold up just a minute," Johnston spoke up, looking over the crowd. "Do you really wanna hand over this town--all your homes--to a man like Phil Constantino?"
The crowd fell silent.
"If we all make a stand together--every one of us--then we have a chance."
"New Bern's three times the size of Jericho," Gray said, shaking his head. "And God only knows how many mortars they have."
The anxious chatter started up again.
"Thirty. Forty, tops."
Jake turned to see someone helping Heather up onto the bar. Her grimace of pain didn't go unnoticed.
"What?" Another person yelled.
Heather spoke up, "Thirty, maybe forty mortars. There were more but Eric and I managed to destroy the others."
Gray stared at her. "That's still more than we have."
"I saw how they were made, Mayor Anderson."
"What are you saying, that--"
"I'm saying I know how to make them. I just need supplies and some people to help me. And something to launch them out of." Heather yelled, trying to be heard over the crowd.
Jake walked up to the bar, took Heather’s hand and looked up and met to meet her gaze. "Got you covered there. Already got something to shoot them out of.”
She gazed back at him, then looked at Johnston. "We can do this."
Johnston nodded slowly. "You just tell us what you need."
"I'll help," Stanley offered.
"Me too," Jake said, looking at the crowd as several others raised their hands.
Heather smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Then we better get busy."
* * *
Making the mortars took hours, a lot of Hawkins' personal weaponry supplies, and Heather was looking more and more exhausted with every passing moment. So much so, she wasn't even attempting to hide the fact she was in pain.
Stanley caught the worried look in Jake’s eyes and looked at Heather and announced, "I think we could all use a short break."
Jake nodded his agreement. "Yeah, and I'm sure we could get a team to take our place."
Heather was so focused on what she was doing, she didn't even look up.
Jake and Stanley exchanged another look, then Jake rose to his feet. "Heather."
She started and looked up at him blankly. "What?"
"Time for a break," he said in a quiet, firm tone.
"I'm good." She shifted her attention once more.
"Heather." There was a hint of exasperation in his tone.
"Jake, I said I'm fine!" One of the mortars she'd been working on rolled off the table and clattered loudly to the floor, causing everyone in the room to fall silent.
"Yeah, you're real fine."
Stanley grimaced and rose to his feet. "I'm gonna get some air," he said, heading out of the room.
"What is your problem?"
Jake stared at her. "My problem is you were tortured for three days, haven't slept, have broken bones, and you won't even take a break. You need to go home and rest."
Her face was a mask of neutrality. "I don't have a home to go back to."
His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"
She looked away. "My house is gone, Jake."
"I don't--"
"It burned down the same day Eric's did." She didn't look at him.
He stared at her. "Then where were you staying before you left for New Bern?"
Heather avoided his eyes. "I was renting a room from Mr. Brightman."
"Mr. Brightman? Larry Brightman? That guy's a jerk."
She didn't respond.
"Why didn't you say you needed a place to stay? We had room."
Heather looked at him like he'd lost his mind. "I wasn't going to beg your family for a place to stay when I had a huge crush on--" She cut herself off, her cheeks turning pink.
"Beg?" His voice grew a little softer. "You wouldn't have had to beg. You could've had my room, Heather. I would've taken the couch."
She dropped her gaze again. "Jake, New Bern's going to attack Jericho. It's just a matter of when. We don't have much time."
"We have twenty of these already, plus a tank. You're hurt and you need sleep, Heather. Let me take you home," he pleaded.
"I don't have one," she said softly.
Jake gazed at her. "You do now."