The Deputy woke up in a familiar bed. Her head was pounding, causing her to keep her eyes shut. Then she heard it.

Beep, beep, beep.

     The gentle beeping of the heart rate monitor in the clinic. Instantly her eyes shot open. The Deputy looked around at the room she was in, it was the clinic room she fought to get out of so desperately. She tried to rub her face but something blocked her hand from lifting. She looked down and saw that her hands were hand cuffed to the edge of the clinic bed.

     She tried to remember what happened and how she got to the clinic. She remembered shooting with Grace and the walk back to the church but after that it got dark. Panic suddenly grabbed hold as she went down the list of what could have happened. What if she heard 'Only You' and hurt Grace? What if she hurt Nick or Kim or even worse, Carmina? The Deputy struggled against the handcuffs, desperately trying to find someone to tell her what happened.

     Hearing the Deputy struggle, the doctor walked in to check on her.

     "Good, you're awake." She greeted in a kind voice and pulled out a clipboard.

     "What happened? Did I hurt anybody? Why am I handcuffed?" The words stumbled out of the Deputy's mouth quicker than she could sit up.

     "Everything is fine, you just gave your friends a good scare. You were shot with a Bliss Bullet but thankfully Grace was able to get you out of harms way before any Peggies got their hands on you. As for your handcuffs those are just precautionary to make sure you don't hurt yourself or yank out an IV." Relief from the doctor's words instantly made the Deputy relax. She leaned back into the bed, not straining against her holds. "All of the Bliss should be out of your system by now." The Doctor said and checked an IV she had hooked up to the Deputy.

     "How long do I have to stay here?" The Deputy asked as the doctor unlocked her handcuffs.

     "I can discharge you now, but you have to use your crutch. And have you been taking your pills?" The doctor asked and the Deputy nodded while rubbing her wrists.

     "Everyday at the 8 am and again at 8pm." The Deputy informed her and the doctor nodded.

     She scribbled a note on her clipboard before she looked down at the Deputy. Her face told the Deputy exactly what she was going to say before she even said it. "What did I say about gunfights?" She asked.

     "I didn't even do anything this time! I was just walking with Grace and I got shot." The Deputy defended herself and the doctor nodded.

     "Look, I get it. You don't like taking a break, you want to get back out there and protect people but your health has to come first." The doctor lectured her and the Deputy pushed her hair out of her face.

     "I understand but I can't just take a break. People die if I take a break, my friends die if I take a break." The Deputy argued and the doctor held up her hands defensively, she didn't want to get the Deputy too upset.

     "While you heal a little more just help people in a different way, maybe you can deliver food to people or help plant a garden? Just something that doesn't get you put in harms way. You got lucky this time, Deputy. Your reaction to the Bliss didn't cause you to re-injure  yourself, but I don't know if that kind of luck will last. I'm discharging you but you still need to be back for that two week check up." The doctor's words were firm and the Deputy knew there would be no swaying her mind.

     But the Deputy was an adult and she could make her own decisions, even if they were the wrong ones so the Deputy just agreed to whatever the doctor told her to do so that she could stop fussing even if she knew she would ignore the doctor. The Deputy got discharged and left the clinic, happy to be out of that place.

     She found her truck sitting in the driveway, that must have been what Grace drove her to the clinic in. The Deputy got in and drove back to Nick and Kim's house to apologize for scaring them.

     When she pulled up to the house Nick was working on his truck in the front driveway. "Hey Nick." The Deputy greeted and got out of her truck.

     Nick was bent over the hood, fiddling with something in engine. When he heard the truck pull up he glanced back to see who it was. When he saw the Deputy get out of the truck he backed out of the hood and turned to face her.

     "Hey Dep, how are ya feeling?" He asked and immediately the Deputy noticed he had a black eye.

     "What happened to your eye?" The Deputy ignored his question.

      "It's nothing." Nick turned back to look at the truck, he always did that when he was deflecting.

      "Did I do that to you?" The Deputy asked, her tone softened with concern.

     Nick turned back around to face the Deputy, his head angled toward the dirt. "Kinda, well not really, but yeah..."

     The Deputy rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "Did I hurt anyone else?"

     "No, me and Grace held you down before you could hurt anybody." He admitted and the Deputy let out a deep sigh.

     "I'm really sorry, Nick. It won't ever happen again." The Deputy kept apologizing, shame and fear evident in her voice.

      "Hey Dep it's ok, I know it wasn't directed towards me. It's fine now anyway right?" Nick asked and the Deputy shook her head.

     "I shouldn't be here, I'm putting you and Kim and Carmina at risk especially with John looking for me." The Deputy told Nick and he looked to the ground.

      "As much as I hate it, I think that's true. I'm sorry Dep, you know you're welcome anytime but maybe you should stay somewhere safer, just till things die down a little bit." He suggested and the Deputy nodded.

     "I'm gonna go stay with Sharky for a while ok? Just until things blow over some. I have to go grab my crutch and my jacket." The Deputy wasn't angry with Nick's suggestion, actually she was happy about it. Now she didn't have to worry about taking advantage of Nick and Kim or about John's men coming in in the middle of the night for her.

     Nick nodded and let her go to the house. "Kim isn't here, just so you know. She took Carmina over to a friends house." Nick advised the Deputy.

     "Got it, thanks." The Deputy walked up the front steps and made short work of finding her crutch and jacket. It looked like it was in the middle of being mended. Kim has stitched up numerous holes and the frayed hem of her sleeve. The Deputy didn't remember asking her to do that but it was heart warming.

     Honestly the Deputy didn't know why she'd even come there other than Kim's wishes. She was putting everyone in that home in danger just by being near it, she was putting Carmina in danger. The thought of something happening to any of them because of her made the Deputy's stomach turn.

     Before she left the Deputy found a piece of paper and wrote a note to Nick and Kim thanking them for letting her stay with them. She set the note on the coffee table and grabbed her jacket and crutch and left the house. She said one final goodbye to Nick and drove off.

While she drove the Deputy felt around in the pockets of her jeans until she found what she was looking for. It was a small paper note that she'd peeled off the Bliss bullet when it first shot her. Now she unfolded the tiny note and read what it said.

Come home, soldier.

It was Jacob, he'd found her.

The Deputy fumed while she drove. Jacob fucking Seed was the one that shot her, or at least he sent one of his men to shoot her. Everything added up to him being there though. There was no capture party, there were no hunters, nobody to pick her up. He just shot her with a Bliss bullet to fuck with her head, not to kidnap her.

The Deputy muttered curses to herself (and Jacob) while she watched the scenery around her change from the warm sunny fields of Holland Valley to the tall pines and old cabins of the Whitetail Mountains. She may have told Nick that she was going to spend sometime with Sharky but she changed her mind. She had some revenge to take.

She'd already called Jess on the radio and asked her to meet her at the lumbar mill. Jess was more than happy to agree, especially after hearing the vengeful tone in her voice. When she pulled up to the lumbar mill Jess was already standing out front, her bow ready in her hands. The Deputy didn't get out of the truck, just stopped and let Jess get in.

"Where are we going?" Jess asked while she hopped in the passenger seat.

"I don't know but it might get messy." The Deputy warned as she backed out the way she came.

They drove in silence for a while, not even listening to the radio. Jess glanced over at the Deputy. "Not that I don't love this new vengeful side of you but I gotta ask, where is it coming from?" She asked as the Deputy pulled down a random dirt road.

"You know how they say 'it's all fun and games till you kick the hornets' nest'?" The Deputy asked and slowed the truck to a halt.

"I don't think anyone says that but I get the point." Jess admitted and looked over at the Deputy while she put the truck in park.

"Well Jacob Seed has officially kicked this hornet's nest." The Deputy shut off the truck and hopped out. Jess followed her as she marched into the woods.

"Alright! Now we can have some real fun!" Jess exclaimed and hefted her bow. "What are we gonna do to him?"

"We're pretty close to the Veterans Centre, aren't we?" The Deputy asked and Jess nodded. "We're going to send Jacob a little surprise." The dark tone in the Deputy's voice was making Jess uncomfortable. Yes that is Jess as in the trash-talking, scary Jess. So her being uncomfortable meant a lot.

"What are you planning?" She asked hesitantly. She of course wanted to fuck with Jacob but she didn't know how far the Deputy was willing to go.

"You'll see." The Deputy assured her and snuck through the trees. They walked in silence until they could hear the sound of the Veterans Centre, the men training and Judges howling, the trucks driving in and out. It was bustling. The Deputy and Jess managed to avoid every guard that Jacob had stationed around the place as a perimeter.

They got pretty close to the Veterans Centre, perched up on the same hill that Jess was shooting the guards from when they got the Deputy back. The Deputy looked into the Centre with her binoculars.

"What are we doing?" Jess whispered to her friend.

"I need you to shoot one of those guards with your bow."

"Sounds easy."

"And I want you to tie this on your arrow." The Deputy handed Jess a small note. Jess unfolded it and read it.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you do this?" Jess asked as the Deputy went back to counting guards with her binoculars.

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Can you do it?" She asked and Jess, of course, nodded.

Jess refolded the note and tied it to an arrow. "Who do you want me to hit?"

The Deputy found a guard standing on the front step that seemed perfect. He was in clear view of most everyone there and besides, how perfect would it be to send Jacob a message right to his front door? "The one on the front step." She said and Jess nodded.

It was a pretty far shot but Jess knew she could make it. She pulled the arrow back in her bow, aiming for the perfect arch to hit the guard. She took a deep breath and let the arrow fly. Immediately they both ducked down to prevent getting spotted and the Deputy peaked in at the scene of chaos through her binoculars.

The arrow hit dead on in the guards neck, causing him to crumble immediately. As quick as he fell the entire Centre erupted like an anthill. People rushed and grabbed guns, preparing for an attack. "That's our queue." The Deputy nodded to Jess and they both turned and slid down the hill further into the forest and away from the Veterans Centre.

It wouldn't take long for Jacob's men to radio the guards around the perimeter to be on high alert so the Deputy and Jess had to make it past the guards first. They made their escape with only the one casualty, not killing a single other guard or hunter or anything.

When they made it to the Deputy's truck she couldn't help but grin. She knew for sure that that was going to get Jacob's attention. Now all she had to do was wait.

It was a quiet day for Jacob. He was back at the Veterans Centre after taking a 'hunting trip' to Holland Valley. He knew that he wasn't really supposed to butt in on what was happening over in John's region but he had to do something. He'd gotten word that the Deputy was spotted in Holland Valley in a truck with Kim Rye and it was just too perfect.

So he told his people he was going on a quick hunting trip and took a Bliss bullet with him. He had followed the Deputy's truck to Nick and Kim Rye's house, waiting patiently for her to leave like he knew she would. If he knew anything about the Deputy it was that she couldn't sit in one place for too long.

When she went to meet up with Grace Armstrong he kept his distance. He knew Grace was a good sniper but he was better at hiding. It was a pretty easy shot, the Deputy's neck was exposed and she was walking pretty slowly. Jacob smirked at her comfort. She had gotten relaxed, too relaxed. He had to send her a message and a Bliss bullet was the perfect one.

When he hit her, Jacob watched through his scope as the Deputy fell to the ground. He was careful to hide his scope and gun barrel when Grace scanned the area. He watched Grace as she practically carried the Deputy to her truck. It was amusing to say the least, watching the Deputy be so fragile with the people that 'cared' about her.

He still wasn't convinced that the people of Hope County cared about the Deputy the way she'd convinced herself they did. She was a weapon to them, a tool they used to help better the Resistance. But as soon as she breaks beyond fixing they'll toss her aside and find someone new, and that's when Eden's Gate will be there to pick her up.

Jacob didn't know why he cared, it wasn't like the Deputy had ever treated him with kindness. Except in that cabin... but that must have been her plan, to feed him lies and tend his wounds, make him feel bad for her and her past. God, what was wrong with him? The Deputy wasn't capable of something that cruel, that manipulative...was she?

Jacob doubted it. He'd watched her in the trials and on his cameras, if she ever felt like being cruel she would just outright be cruel. She would kill his hunters and Judges but she was straightforward about it, she didn't play mind games. It was annoying to spend so much time obsessing over the Deputy's behaviour but Jacob couldn't stop, it was too intriguing.

Everyone he'd encountered in Hope County was fighting for something or someone, but the Deputy had no connection to this place. She didn't grow up here, she didn't have family or a house that she had to protect, she just fought them because she was asked to. It was a respectable way of acting, if only she wasn't on the opposite side. Jacob could only imagine what he could get done if he had the Deputy fighting for him. She'd be unstoppable, probably to a fault, to her death.

These were all things he mulled over as he backed into the woods, making his escape back to his own region. He didn't tell John about him being there, he didn't need the lecture about John being able to govern his own region without interference again. So he just found his truck again and got back the the Whitetail Mountains as quick as possible.

Jacob wanted to feel pleased with himself. He managed to get a swipe at the 'untouchable' Deputy, that was a major achievement. But still, his stomach churned at the thought of the Deputy being in the hands of those people. He knew Grace was smart enough to drive around the valley to get any potential followers off her trail so that meant the Deputy was probably slumped over in the back seat of some pickup truck, unable to react to anything or protect herself. It should have brought him pleasure, the thought of the Deputy incapacitated by his own hands, but instead it brought him worry. It was worry he didn't want so he tried to shrug it off and focus on his men's training.

Everything was quiet, the men were training, Jacob had just finished overviewing another trial, it was an average day. But while Jacob was sitting at his desk in his upstairs office he heard chaos erupt outside. His guards started yelling about an attack, causing Jacob to jump to his feet. He went to his window and looked down on the front yard. Guards and other trainees were running around in panic, their guns pointed all over the place.

Jacob rushed downstairs and realized what brought the chaos on. The guard on his front step had an arrow in his neck and was dead. Jacob barked and order to find whoever did this, even though he had a pretty good idea. If it was an arrow it must have been that Jess Black kid, she had a lot of gall antagonizing Jacob in his own home. Around the arrow was a paper note, now splattered with blood. Jacob untied the note from the arrow and quickly unfolded it to read it.

We need to talk. Now.
Meet me at the Flanagan cabin tomorrow at noon, alone. No guns, no weapons, just a talk.

-You know who

Jacob cursed and ordered his men to tighten the perimeter, the Deputy just taunted him and he didn't like it.

The Deputy drove down a dirt road and parked next to a tall tree. She was alone and was about to meet Jacob Seed for a talk. She just hoped he would show up and not blow her off. The Deputy knew that shooting one of his guards with an arrow that had a note on it telling him to go meet her in the woods was probably the least smart thing she could do but she was fuming the day before.

Before she could head up to the cabin, the Deputy remembered the rules she made and set her weapons in the passenger seat of her truck. She knew not to go into the woods completely unarmed though so she kept her knife and a pistol tucked into her waist band behind her back. She was a little nervous, the last time she was alone with Jacob was in that room after he forced her into another trial. Even so, she was filled with anger towards him so that helped a little bit.

After putting away her guns the Deputy started up the hill to the Flanagan cabin, praying that Jacob actually listened to the 'alone' part of her note. When she made it up the impossibly steep hill followed with a thirty minute hike through the forest she came upon a shocking discovery. The Flanagan cabin had been burnt down.

It wasn't too recent, the fire was probably a couple weeks before then. The Deputy didn't know who would burn it down or why but at least it was uninhabited.

She walked over to the driveway and waited, she checked her watch for the time. It was 11:57, Jacob should be there soon. The Deputy was uncomfortable to say the very least. In a show of good faith to her 'no weapons' rule she had also elected to leave her bulletproof vest in the truck. So now she only had a pistol and a hunting knife, no vest, no rifle, and she wasn't even fully convinced Jacob would show up alone, or even show up for that matter.

She decided to give it until 12 o'clock precisely for Jacob to show up, if he wasn't there by then she was going to get the hell out of there before she got trapped and kidnapped or something. She folded her arms over her chest, trying not to fidget incase Jacob was watching her.

While three minutes clicked by as slow as they possibly could, the Deputy rethought her whole plan. She didn't think Jacob would actually show up, she was also worried he would but that he would bring his whole damn army with him. Part of her wondered if this was his plan, doing something to provoke her then make her make him agree to a weapons free meeting so that he could take her without too much of a fight. It wasn't as unlikely as she hoped it would sound.

She looked at her watch and saw that it was 12:00. She scanned the woods for Jacob, her heart pounding in her ears while she tried to remain calm. She swore she saw something move in the tree line and stared, waiting to see if it was her imagination or if it was actually something. She watched intently but didn't see anything move. The Deputy kept scanning the tree line when she saw it. Jacob Seed came waltzing out of the trees, holding the still bloody arrow in his hands.

He looked up at the impatient Deputy with her arms crossed. He let out a throaty chuckle. "Didn't think I'd make it?" He asked nonchalantly and continued to study the arrow in his hands.

"What makes you think that?" The Deputy fired back, but she knew she radiated a certain worried energy.

Jacob shrugged and looked up at her. He held the arrow up as if he needed to see it better in the sun. "So...you think shooting my guard is the best you can do?" Jacob slowly slinked towards her as if they weren't in a neutral area, as if she was tied down to his chair and waiting for him to pull out that music box.

"I do think it was one of my better revenge plans." The Deputy hissed. "Did you follow the rules? No weapons?" The Deputy asked and glanced down at his hip holster for his knife.

Jacob stopped approaching her when he was about 6-7 feet away from her. She could read his body language and tell that he was furious, even if he did do a good job at hiding it. "I was going to but you can never be too careful, can you, Deputy?" He said the word 'Deputy' as if it were poison. He motioned with the tip of the arrow to her belt holster for the Deputy's own hunting knife.

"So, are we alone?" The Deputy asked, trying to see if Jacob was too obviously lying.

"You're instructions were clear, alone. Did you follow the rules as well?" Jacob asked and the Deputy pursed her lips together.

Jacob's crystal blue eyes bored into the Deputy's as she reached down for her radio. She unhooked it from her belt and raised it to her mouth. "Stand down guys, it's ok." She said into the radio and waited for a response.

The radio was silent until it crackled to life. "Are you serious, Dep?" Grace's voice asked through the radio.

"Yes I am, Jacob and I are talking."

"Ok, but I'll be watching." Grace's tone sounded more like a threat than a reassurance. The Deputy hooked her radio back onto her belt while Jacob fought back a grin.

"The rule maker doesn't even follow her own rules, impressive." Jacob gloated and the Deputy refolded her arms.

"Now tell your guys to stand down, this talk is supposed to be peaceful." The Deputy spat and Jacob made a deep humming noise.

"Stand down men, me and the Deputy are having a talk." He said into his own radio and waited for an answer.

"Roger that, sir." An obedient voice returned on the radio. Jacob slid his radio back into his pocket and faced the Deputy again.

The tension in the air was so thick it could stop a bullet. The Deputy wanted to go first. "Ok, now that we're as good as alone, you and I need to chat."

"I'm waiting, Deputy, I don't have all day." Jacob informed her with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"You and I have been playing a serious game of cat and mouse since I've gotten here. You hit me, I hit you back, I hit you, you hit me back, it's just how it's always been. But look around you Jacob, neither of us are winning. I know you see it too. The Project and the Resistance are at each other's throats but both of us are going down, neither side is getting what they want.

"The land is suffering and the people are suffering, on both sides. How many people do you lose in a day? In a week? It's bloodshed, and I know you've seen bloodshed before. You've been to war, you know how dirty it can get, well we're there. Both sides of this war want nothing more than to piss off the other side and we're using people's lives to do that. This won't end in one side coming out on top of the other, this will end with this whole county burning while we squabble over the ashes." The Deputy glanced away from Jacob, biting her cheek.

"As much as I hate you for all that you've done, I don't think this fighting can continue." She finished. Every one of the Deputy's points was a fair and rational one, which infuriated Jacob because he couldn't debate them.

"What are you suggesting?" Jacob inquired but by the look on the Deputy's face he already knew what's she was going to say.

"I think that if we made a temporary peace treaty then it's possible we could work something out to where both sides can stop this incessant fighting." The words were like battery acid on the Deputy's tongue. She hated the idea of trying to work with Jacob on anything but right now she had to try and swallow her pride for the good of Hope County.

"A peace treaty? This isn't like you, Deputy. I thought that tattoo of yours said Wrath." Jacob taunted and the Deputy bit her tongue.

She took a breath and locked her jaw. "I'm not lying Jacob. This is the only way I can see this ending without this County getting destroyed."

"What if I say no?" Jacob questioned, tilting his head as if he were looking at a peculiar science experiment.

"Then I'll have no choice but to fight back, but if you say yes then I think this can work." The Deputy's voice wasn't masking any of her anger as she spoke but she was sincere, she really did want to see this fighting stop.

"Saying yes isn't my expertise." Jacob responded, hoping to keep this conversation adversarial.

"You can talk to your brothers. I can't get near them. If I step on a branch wrong in John's region he shoots me in the back and forces me to confess shit, Joseph won't listen to me because he's convinced I'm Hell incarnate, Faith would never even consider it if it came from me. So that leaves you. Believe me, if I thought I could go to any other sibling I would but I didn't, I came to talk to you." The Deputy made a fair point. Jacob knew that if she tried to walk in anywhere and talk peace then his siblings wouldn't blink before doing what they always do.

Joseph might listen but he was near impossible to get alone. Jacob knew why she came to him, that part he didn't need help with. Their relationship was more cat-and-mouse. Both of their moves against each other were calculated and not impulsive, they talked far more than any of his other siblings did with the Deputy, even if you ignore the time they spent in the cabin together.

Jacob studied her in silence for a minute, probably to see if she was truly being sincere. It was strange to see her in this light in person. Every time he's seen her outside of the Veterans Centre it's been through the cameras, but in real life you could really see the wear the fighting has had on her. Her gashed cheek was still healing, the weight she'd lost was evident in her face and neck only, since she kept the rest of herself covered. He could see the dark bags hanging under her eyes, weighing her whole face down with them.

Jacob remembered seeing her when she first entered the church last year. Her face was serious and stoic, her posture was stiff and yet her eyes told a different story. Even in the dark her eyes showed you right into her soul. When she hesitated before putting the cuffs on Joseph, Jacob just watched her. They were full of life even if they were serious, and her face was full and healthy, she looked like a real person and Jacob had to admit that she was an attractive person. John of course made a comment about her physical attractiveness later that made Jacob roll his eyes but he couldn't exactly deny it.

The Deputy standing in front of him now was not that first Deputy. This one was tired and in pain, and in that moment Jacob realized it. She was broken already. He had broken her because otherwise she would be cursing him out and spitting at his face. Her gaze was angry and full of fire but that fire was fading. He had watched her walk up through binoculars and noticed how bad her limp was.

Good God, she was falling apart right under his nose.

"So? Will you agree to talk to your brothers?" The Deputy was obviously uncomfortable with Jacob's staring.

Jacob realized he used his time to think about the Deputy instead of a peace treaty. "I will talk to Joseph, only if you get the Whitetails to agree to a temporary peace treaty as well." Jacob bargained and the Deputy fought to keep her relief off her face.

"I'll do that." The Deputy nodded. Jacob seemed satisfied with their discussion and turned to walk back into the woods.

"Hey Jacob?" The Deputy got his attention again. "This doesn't mean we're on the same side, this just means we aren't fighting each other right now." She clarified and Jacob gave her a nod.

"Understood." He was about to turn again and walk away when he heard the Deputy's radio crackle.

"Watch ou-" was all that Grace Armstrong could get out before the Deputy's chest heaved like she'd been punched. Jacob couldn't process what happened until he saw a growing spot of red on the Deputy's chest.

Her face was just as shocked as Jacob's was. She brought a hand up to feel her chest, pulling away a hand drenched in red blood. She fell to her knees, her hand still shaking in front of her. It was like all sound had shut off in Jacob's ears, he couldn't hear a thing except for the Deputy's shuddering gasp of pain. She'd been shot by a sniper.

His feet brought him to her side as she fell back into the dirt road. He grabbed a handkerchief out of his pocket and jammed it in her bullet hole, forcing a whine of pain from the Deputy. He placed a hand over her bullet hole and grabbed his radio. "Who the fuck fired that shot?" He shouted into his radio, his head looking around furiously as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"I said who the fuck fired that shot?" He demanded once more.

"It wasn't us sir! None of us have our safety off!" A panicked voice came across the radio.

"Then find the person that did! Now!" He dropped his radio and brought his other hand back to the Deputy's chest.

Blood was pouring out between his fingers while he cursed. "Don't you dare die right now Deputy. Not now, not here." Jacob threatened while pressing his weight into her chest.

"Get away from her now, Jacob!" A familiar voice shouted from behind him. Jess Black had her bow drawn and aimed right for his head.