Little Red (Jacob Seed)

19. Always Going to Happen This Way

It's been two weeks and Pratt's conditioning is practically complete, the Deputy was still running around Faith's region but he is getting closer and closer to taking her down. Jacob pretty much had Pratt working for him now, insisting that he also does anything that Rieka asks of him. Pratt had almost become a robot, only taking orders, that is until he is with Rieka. She doesn't hurt him, she fixes any wounds that Jacob inflicts on him, Pratt didn't need to be told to follow her orders. He owed her.

Jacob had brought Pratt back to the cabin. As soon as they stepped through the front door, Rieka was there like always. Wrapping her arms around Jacob's neck, her feet no where near touching her floor. Jacob embraced her back before placing her down. "Oh, I didn't realise that you had company" Rieka commented, furrowing her brow as she looked around the soldier to see Pratt. He was, once again, staring at the pair with wide eyes.

"I've been very busy recently with Peaches here, so I thought that I would treat you" Jacob explained blankly. It's true, Jacob had been busy. Spending so much time at the bunker, at the cages, with Pratt.

"What do you mean?" Rieka asked curiously. Jacob pointed towards the kitchen and Pratt nodded before hurrying to disappear into the room.

"I thought that I would treat you to a decent meal,  can't cook but I think Peaches can" he explained with the worlds smallest smile.

"You never fail to amaze me, Jake" she smiled up at him before standing on her toes and grabbing his dog tags, pulling him down to meet her lips. He bent down and kissed her some what gently, it was gentle to Jacob anyway. He held her by the waist while she laced her fingers together behind his neck. She was the only one who calls him 'Jake', she is the only one allowed to. And it makes him melt every time.

They broke apart when they heard a crashing sound coming from the kitchen, it sounded like a plate smashing. "He is fucking useless" Jacob groaned and rested his forehead on Rieka's.

"Take it easy on him" she smiled, stroking his cheek and running her fingers through his beard. She lent up and quickly kissed him before pulling away from him, allowing Jacob to go and scold Pratt.

Pratt cursed to himself after dropping the plate, only dropping it out of shock when he saw Jacob and Rieka kissing through the doorway. He had thought that they were in a relationship but he still found it hard to believe, now he knew and he was amazed that somebody could care so deeply about Jacob.

Jacob stood in the door way and watched as Pratt cleaned up, apologising repeatedly to the soldier. They heard the phone ring and then the sound of voices coming from the other room, Rieka must've answered the phone.

They heard the phone being slammed down before the sound of someone moving around a little frantically. "Jacob! I have to go!" Rieka shouted from the other room as she tugged her coat on and grabbed her heavy duty medical bag.

"What? Why?" Jacob asked sternly, turning to her, she was already half way out of the door.

"It's an emergency" she spoke quickly, barely able to find the words to answer him.

"Stay safe!" he called out to her as she walked out of the door.

"You too! Don't kill Pratt!" She shouted back before slamming the door shut and then Jacob listened to the truck speeding away.

"Fucking hell" Jacob growled to himself as he walked into the kitchen and sat at the table, running a hand over his face. "Beer, now" he ordered Pratt roughly. The dark haired man had a beer down on the table in front of him in seconds, Jacob was almost as quick to drink it. Pratt looked at him for a moment...did he miss her?

Jacob did miss Rieka. She wasn't the only one who was getting frustrated with having no alone time, it was driving Jacob insane. Not being about to see her, not being about to touch her. He cursed the Deputy for that.

Rieka sped through Hope County until she was entering Faith's region, she kept driving past members of the cult and members of the resistance. A group of cultists on the side of the road jumped into their truck and followed hers when they saw Rieka alone. They had to protect her. Jacob's orders.

All Rieka could focus on was the task at hand, she soon pulled up by the river where a group of cultists where kneeling around a body. She jumped out of the truck and grabbed her bag, rushing over to the group. They instantly scrambled to their feet and moved out of her way. She knelt down beside Faith's body, her white dress sticking to her as it was completely soaked, her hair sticking to her face and covered in dirt.

"It's alright Faith, I've got you" Rieka assured her as she lowered her hood and opened her bag, her eyes fixated on the gunshot wound in Faith's side.

"It was always going to happen this way..." Faith told her, placing a weak bloody hand on her cheek. Her hand fell as she coughed, leaving a bloody and dirty hand print on Rieka's cheek.

"A bullet to the side, like this, can lead to a slow and painful death...but we can bring you back from it. I promise"  Rieka smiled, fighting away her tears and she pulled out a pair of surgical tweezers. "This is going to hurt" she warned before carefully searching for the bullet and pulling it out. She had o get two members of the cult to hold Faith down as she began trashing and crying out in pain.

Rieka cleaned the wound, and stitched it up. "You are going to be alright, we will take you to Joseph and he will get you to a hospital...or something. You will be fine" she assured the woman, knowing that there isn't anything more she can do here.

"Take her to Joseph...tell him what happened, warn John...the Deputy might be going after him next" Rieka sighed. The cultists nodded and carefully carried Faith to one of their cars, leaving Red on her knees by the river.

She didn't know the likely hood of Faith surviving...She couldn't let her family die. Rieka found the strength to climb to her feet and picked up her bag, wandering over to her truck and climbing in. She rested her forehead against the steering wheel before taking a breath and driving away, returning home.

On the drive home Rieka thought back to how this all began. A stupid crush on the eldest Seed brother, who she occasionally saw in town. Patching up his wound, moving in with him and becoming his medic. Meeting his family. How did she end up here? "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away" she never really thought about Joseph's words but now she understands them. Rieka was given Jacob, given a family, and now it might all be taken away from her.

Rieka pulled up outside of the cabin and climbed out of her truck, carrying her bag up to the front door and walking in. This time Jacob was waiting for her and as soon as he heard the door open and close he jumped to his feet and walked towards her. He froze when he saw the bloody hand print on her face. "What happened?" he asked, taking in her sorrowful expression.

She dropped her heavy bag by her feet and walked up to Jacob, wrapping her arms around his waist and began to silently cry into his chest. The soldier was shocked and didn't know how to react, he wrapped his arms around her and held her against him tightly. Refusing to let her go. "What happened?" he asked again and pulled away, cupping her face.

"The Deputy...he got to Faith...almost killed her..." She cried, finding it hard to find the breath or the words to speak.

"But you got there in time?" Jacob asked, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"Yeah, just about. But what if he gets to John and I don't make it in time...what if he gets to you?" She asked, this time letting out a small sob. The thought of loosing Jacob killed her.

"He won't...I won't let him" Jacob assured her and wrapped his arms around the small woman. Pulling her into his chest and letting her cry, he knew that she just had to let it all out. He reminded himself that she isn't a soldier, she isn't used to so much violence. She had no family, she only had them...her new family, and she couldn't loose them as well.

Pratt watched from the doorway, making sure that he wasn't seen. Rook got to Faith? But she isn't dead? He watched as the woman cried into the soldier's chest, clinging to his jacket as if it was her life. He knew in that moment that if either of them lost the other, they would be lost as well...