Wake of the Dead | Two

Chapter Twenty-Seven | Jasper & Killian

It took a bit of effort to ignore the pain in his arm as Jasper tossed Jackson onto the living room floor. The rest of the group had already been gathered. Jasper guessed that Harley and Sam told them he was injured, but not to the extent that he was. He must have looked absolutely horrid with the blood on his face and arms, his expression of unhidden rage. Holding his tire iron, Jasper loomed over Jackson. The satisfaction he felt when he saw the fear in the other man's eyes was disturbing to him, but he didn't let that get in the way. Jackson was a danger to him and the group. He'd deal with it one way or the other.

As soon as Killian spotted him, his eyes widened and he clumsily limped over, frustrated with his bad leg. "Jasper, love," He said, "Don't hurt him, please don't hurt him." His voice shook, hazel eyes wide with shock as he stepped in front of Jackson.

Clenching his hand tighter around his tire iron, Jasper glared past Killian to Jackson, laying on the wooden floor, being held back by Tom as he struggled in a feeble attempt at escape. Swallowing back a sharp retort, Jasper knew Killian didn't deserve to be at the other end of his anger and frustration. Instead he took a shuddering, deep breath. "Okay," He said softly. His nose wrinkled with disgust, "But do you see what he did to me, Killian?" Despite his aggressive words, Jasper could feel his anger slowly dissolving.

"I do," Killian said, "And he'll pay for it eventually. But right now, we need to get you cleaned up and your wounds dealt with. Okay?" His voice was patient but stern, eyes narrowed determinedly. Jasper knew Killian wouldn't budge on his decision, but Jasper was reluctant to make any sort of compromise when it came to Jackson. "Hey, look at me." Tearing his eyes away from Jackson, he looked down at his partner. "Let's go to the den. I'll warm up a cloth for you and we'll clean that blood off your face. You can question him later."

Biting back another harsh response, Jasper finally relented and let Killian lead him away from the living room. He heard a bit of scuffling as Jackson was lead away elsewhere, presumably a more controlled and confined area where somebody could guard him. The thing that concerned him the most out of anybody was how Killian felt about all of this. Although the young man held a stoic expression, Jasper knew he often hid his emotions better than anybody else in the group. He longed to know what Killian was really thinking. As he sat down on the makeshift medical bay he nodded to Cohen, "Jackson's injured too. He'll need assistance soon as well--Casimir put an arrow in his shoulder."

With a nod Cohen said, "I know, I'm heading over there now. I trust Killian can tend to you until I get back. It shouldn't take long, but I need to get over there before he can somehow injured himself any further."

With the doctor gone from the room, Jasper was now left alone with Killian. It was something he'd looked forwards to all day, but he didn't imagine it'd happen like this. Killian briefly set a cloth over a fireplace after dampening it with water from a bottle. Crossing the room again, he set the warm fabric on Jasper's face, gently dabbing away at the blood. Wincing, Jasper clenched the corners of the makeshift medical table, barely holding back a harsh cursing. The pain stung. It wasn't an immense pain he hadn't felt before--he'd felt much worse in his day--but that didn't diminish the fact that it hurt.   

After a long few moments of silence Jasper managed, "What are you thinking?"

Killian had to get up on the table next to him to clean up the deep gashes on his face. "It's hard to see him like that," Killian admitted, pressing the warm cloth against Jasper's forehead. "But it's even harder seeing you like this. Jackson isn't a good person. I know that. It doesn't mean I don't love him as my family, but I know he has to be taken care of for what he's done." The matter-of-fact way Killian delivered his response surprised Jasper. It sounded as if he'd thought about and decided that long ago, even before this whole mess.