It had taken Whitehorse a little while to get everyone on board with the peace treaty plan but mostly everyone agreed. Adelaide, Sharky, and Hurk were the most fired up about blowing the Peggies sky high but the others helped talk them down long enough for them to coordinate a plan for the meeting. They quickly realized how important the Deputy was to the whole meeting going well and hated it.

"She needs to rest." They all agreed but they also all agreed that she was the one who managed to convince Jacob Seed to agree to a temporary peace treaty. If she could just tell them what to say before they went in for the meeting then maybe they could do it.

After a while of deliberating, everybody agreed they would meet somewhere in Peggie territory as a show of good faith but somewhere open so that they can avoid snipers easier. Although uncomfortable, the only option they could come up with was a field near Johns ranch. If he agreed to it.

After the mini meeting, everyone went back to their own region to coordinate with the leaders of the Resistance. Grace and Nick went to talk to Mary May and Pastor Jerome and Jess took the information they'd figured out to Eli at the Wolf's Den. The others spread the word about peace with the Peggies, giving specific instructions not to fight with them while Sheriff Whitehorse tried to figure out a way to tell Faith and John. Jacob has already agreed to a temporary truce but they didn't know if the eldest Seed had spoken with his siblings yet.

Jacob drove down a dirt road on his was to go talk to John at his ranch. Since he technically didn't need protection he just got two of his men to follow him in a truck, leaving him space to drive and think. That dream he'd had...it was unsettling. After having a few hours to think about it he decided that he wouldn't believe the Deputy was dead until he saw a body, then he could deal with his emotions.

Nobody had heard any chatter about the Deputy's health on any radios or anything, it was almost like nobody knew she was hurt. Maybe that was a good thing, maybe they would be talking more about it if she was dead? He couldn't help but feel anxiety bubbling up inside of him and tried to write it off as fear of the Project getting blamed for the Deputy's death, if she was dead.

     It was good to drive alone for some time but he couldn't relax. Every turn he made he was expecting an ambush, something from the Resistance to prove they weren't going to let Jacob off that easy. But it never came. Nope, it was a completely normal and quiet drive right down to John's ranch. There wasn't so much as kids throwing rocks or anything, just quiet. It would have been nice if it wasn't so unsettling.

     When Jacob pulled up to John's ranch, he and Joseph were already standing on the porch waiting for him. Jacob's feet had barely touched the driveway when John practically jumped him.

     "What's going on, Jacob? That pastor down at Falls End sent me a letter today about a peace treaty that you agreed to? Were you going to ask us about this? Were you going to include us in your frolicking around in the woods with the Deputy?" John demanded, obviously upset about not being involved with peace talks.

     Joseph tried to calm down his younger brother as Jacob responded. "What was I supposed to do? The Deputy sent me a message telling me to meet with her, honestly I thought she wanted to kill me but that 'frolicking' took a different turn." He approached John, showing him his full stature as he stared down on him. "And you may want to remember who you're talking to next time you start getting cocky with me, brother."

     John wasn't as cocky anymore, but he didn't back away. Joseph but his hand on both his brothers shoulders, effectively separating them even by just a little room. "Stop this, we have a bigger issue at hand. Jacob, you shouldn't have agreed to this peace treaty without consulting us." Joseph told him and didn't take his hands away from his brothers' shoulders.

     John didn't stop staring at Jacob, almost as if he were weighing his options in a fight. Joseph was doing good by keeping them apart but he wanted them to have some more space between them so he gave John's shoulder a gentle nudge, making him take a step back. John wanted to argue with Joseph but the expression on Jacob's face made him back down, not wanting to be on the losing side of this fight.

"Let's go inside." John said sharply and turned around to walk inside the ranch, pulling away from Jospeh's hand as he did.

Jospeh and Jacob took a moment before going inside. Jacob knew that Joseph didn't actually kill the Deputy but after that dream he had he couldn't look Joseph in the eye without seeing that horrific scene.

Joseph stepped in front of Jacob so that he blocked his path before he could walk inside. "John is upset, but I'm sure you have your reasons for agreeing to the Resistance's terms." He said, there wasn't any anger or threat in his words but it was the way he said it, the way Joseph stared into his brothers eyes with that righteous, all-knowing stare that told Jacob he was disappointed with what had happened.

     Jospeh turned around and walked into John's ranch house. Jacob took a moment to realize how nervous he was with being confronted by  John and Joseph. Part of him wondered if him defending the Deputy's peace treaty, or even just agreeing to it, would make his brothers suspicious of him. He just assured himself that if he stuck to his 'I was thinking about the safety of the Project' front then he'd be able to snuff out any suspicions they might have about anything strange happening between him and the Deputy.

     When Jacob walked into the main house, John and Joseph were standing around the main table. "Faith still needs to arrive so we'll wait for her to begin discussions." Joseph said and John didn't look up from the large maps laid out across the table.

     They waited in silence, John studied the maps without saying a thing while Joseph and Jacob busied themselves with glancing out the windows for Faith to show up. After a while of waiting, John gave Jacob a small look. Not enough to tip off anyone of any of his true feelings but it did have a certain attitude to it.

     "Joseph, would you be so kind as you bring me that plan you brought with you from your truck?" John asked Joseph. He seemed a bit confused but Joseph agreed, leaving his brothers alone together.

     "What do want to talk about?" Jacob asked John, it was as if he could read John's mind.

     "I'm going to make this quick, what really happened in that meeting? Did you and the Deputy...do anything?" He asked, a certain undertone in his voice made Jacob want to squirm but he just folded his arms over his chest.

     "Excuse me? What exactly are you implying?" Jacob took a step closer to John, who stepped behind the table.

     "Jacob, I've see every type of bribery there is. Blackmail, abuse, money; none of its new to me, so I can see that there's more than you let me or Joseph know."

     "Are you saying you think the Deputy bribed me into agreeing to a temporary peace treaty?"

     "I'm suggesting that it's possible, the Deputy might have led you to believe she will agree to peace by some...means." John said, he could see that Jacob was getting angry but he held his ground.

     "You think the Deputy, what fucked me to get me to agree?" Jacob demanded, raising his voice.

      "I didn't say that, but yes. I think something happened that you're not telling us." John made his point, making sure not to look scared as his brother slowly walked around the table to face his brother.

     "You really think that I would do something like that with the Deputy? You really think I would risk everything we've been working towards for the Deputy? The Deputy offered me a temporary peace treaty and I agreed, there were a half dozen men present that can tell you exactly what happened." Jacob unfolded one hand from his chest so that he could point a finger at John.

     "Oh yeah? What did exactly happen?" John asked him, taking a bold step closer to his angered brother.

     "The Deputy made valid points, and my vision is clear. I know exactly what I'm doing, understand?" Jacob was towering over John now, his full anger showing as he pressed his finger into John's chest.

     Joseph stepped into the room as soon as he heard yelling and saw Jacob towering over John, shouting at him.

     "Stop, stop! What is happening?" Joseph demanded and rushed over to separate the two brothers.

     "John is accusing me of getting tricked by the Deputy into this peace treaty." Jacob said, his voice level again. He refolded his arms over his chest and didn't stop giving John his death stare until Joseph stepped in front of him.

     "John is just confused Jacob, and he's hurt that he wasn't included in this decision." Joseph tried to reason with Jacob.

     "It wasn't a hard decision, I didn't guarantee anything nor did I wiggle us into a place we couldn't back out of. This was as much a shock to me as it was for you to hear about it and the Deputy...well the Deputy seemed sincere. I'm not sure the Deputy knows how to lie." Jacob tried not to stay focused on the Deputy for too long, already knowing that John was onto him.

     The truth was, Jacob didn't really know why he agreed to that temporary peace treaty. Sure the Deputy made fair points but honestly, he could barely even remember them. Helping the Deputy instead of doing his usual act of watching her suffer from afar felt good, actively helping her instead of just saying how he'll make her strong felt good. But it was confusing and Jacob couldn't try to understand it until he got some more alone time.

Joseph looked like he was about to say something else when the front door opened and Faith walked in.

"Is everything ok?" She asked, seeing the tension filled room in front of her.

"We're just discussing this peace treaty Jacob agreed to enter with the Deputy." John informed Faith, while getting a small dig in at Jacob.

Joseph glanced at John and turned back to look at Jacob. "Brother, what exactly happened at that meeting? Why hasn't the Deputy come to discuss any of this peace treaty with us?"

Jacob let out a huff and walked around the table. "The Deputy sent me a letter telling me to meet her at the old Flanagan cabin, it was supposed to be a weapons free meeting but neither of us agreed. When I got there she told me how bad things were getting, and she was right. We are loosing soldiers, and land, and resources. She said something, that both sides of this wanted to piss each other off and that this fight wouldn't end in victory, it would end with the destruction of this county. Every one of her points were clear, and right.

     "Joseph you have to see it, this isn't going to go away. We are connected to this land and these regions but these people aren't going anywhere, we've been fighting like this for over a year now, all that's happened is arguing and we've lost more and more territory." Jacob explained and Joseph shook his head.

     "We are doing what God has asked of us, this is Gods plan. If Gods plan includes the destruction of this place then so be it, I've told you about my visions, about what the Voice has said. We are ready, we have our bunkers, we have our Chosen and we have been gathering our flock. The ones that lose the most are those that are misguided by their sins and their world, they cannot see our way and they will have no place in the new world when Gods wrath has been brought down on this world." Joseph assured Jacob who looked down at the map. His words echoed in Jacob's mind, Gods plan. That's exactly what Joseph has said in Jacob's dream.

     "This isn't going well, the Deputy is a major player for the Resistance and she's not giving up soon. She told me that if I didn't agree, then she'd be forced to fight against us even harder." Jacob told him, half lying. The truth was if the Deputy was giving up soon, it would be because she was dead. Everything that's happened to her has been a reason to give up, to cut her losses and walk away, but she hasn't. She's determined to see this through to the end.

     Joseph was quiet, calculating what he was going to say next. "How long is this temporary peace agreement?"

     "The letter said that a meeting is being held to discuss the terms of the agreement next Tuesday, that's 6 days from now." John said and handed the letter that he'd laid out on the table to Joseph.

     "Then we must prepare, we can listen to their side and hear what they propose for peace. If it's beneficial to us then we may be able to work something out, but listen well brothers and sister: now is not the time to waver in our faith, now is the time for action, and we are closer than ever to fully achieving our goal." Joseph preached firmly.

     The tension in the room didn't ease but Joseph assured them they would be reasonable at the meeting.

      The Deputy's chest hurt.

     And her head hurt. And her arms. Everything was throbbing with dull, overwhelming pain. She moved her arm and tried to shift her weight on her back when suddenly white hot pain shot through her core. The pain made her gasp and her arm fell back into the cot.

     "Hey careful! Careful you don't want to hurt yourself even worse." A familiar voice chided her and adjusted the blanket over her legs.

     "...Kim?" The Deputy groaned and tried to open her eyes to see. The pain in her chest wasn't as harsh anymore, slowing to a deep ache that still took the Deputy's breath away.

     Kim was sitting next to the Deputy's cot, holding Carmina in her lap. "How are you feeling, Deputy?" She asked and adjusted Carmina so that she was sitting on Kim's knee.

     "...not great." The Deputy admitted and closed her eyes. Closing her eyes blocked out the light but it didn't stop her head from pounding.

     "Dr. Lindsay said you might need a higher dose to help get rid of the pain. Want me to go get him for you?" Kim asked but the Deputy shook her head feebly.

     "We need to save...our supplies..." She wheezed and opened one eye to look over at Kim and Carmina. "You shouldn't...shouldn't be here...it's not safe." The Deputy tried to convince her but Kim just shook her head.

     "No I'm staying until dark, then I'll get Carmina back home and Grace will stay with you." Kim assured her, her tone made sure the Deputy had no room to argue with her. But honestly, the Deputy was too exhausted to try and argue with Kim.

     "Fine...how long...?"

     "You've been asleep for two days now, but it's ok. You just need to rest right now. Try to relax and get some sleep, you need it to heal." Kim said and gently grabbed the Deputy's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze before she rubbed her thumb along the Deputy's knuckles. Kim's touch was soothing but the Deputy had questions.

"What's happening now with...with the peace treaty?" She asked in a sloshy voice.

"You don't need to worry about that now, Sheriff and Pastor Jerome and Eli are taking care of that. There will be a meeting next Tuesday where they talk to the Seeds about peace. I still can't believe you managed to get Jacob Seed, of all people, to agree to this." Kim marvelled.

"I guess...I guess I'm just charming..." The Deputy tried her best to crack a joke but it flopped due to her exhausted tone and pained voice.

Kim gave her a concerned smile but tried her best to give her a laugh. "I guess so, you get some rest now, ok?" She let go of the Deputy's hand and let the Deputy sleep.

The Deputy was glad she didn't have to talk anymore, it took a lot of energy that she didn't really have. She just laid on the cot and tried to piece together what happened.

She remembered Jacob staring at her in a weird way, but then again he was always staring at her in silence. It was just how he existed, in tense silence. The Deputy remembered him agreeing to the temporary peace treaty, then of course she remembered Grace's radio call and getting a pain in her chest. She remembered being on the ground and Jacob's hands on her chest.

     Jacob yelled at someone else too, or was it a radio? The Deputy wasn't paying too much attention to that. She just remembered him shoving something against her chest to stop the bleeding and then him field dressing her wounds. Then she remembered him carrying her bridal style to the helicopter. Flashes of it kept popping up in her mind, feeling Jacob's arms under her legs and shoulder blades, looking up and seeing the blue sky and bits of Jacob's beard as she tried to stay awake.

     Thinking about it made her head hurt, but she wanted to know if it was real or if she'd just imagined most of it. She didn't want to ask someone before she figured out if it was real, if she wound up saying something that made it sound like she thought Jacob saved her then people might get the wrong idea about the peace treaty.

     Even while in chronic pain, the Deputy couldn't stop herself from thinking about what would happen if she wasn't at that meeting. But now with being shot in the chest, that put her recovery time even longer.

     Her head and body were throbbing from the pain, but after being in pain for so long from getting beaten and living with constant pain from fighting wounds the Deputy knew she could handle this. Even if her whole body wanted to give up, the Deputy had to keep fighting. She had a job to do, and she was going to finish it, no matter the cost.

Authors note: The gods of writing have really been fucking with my inspiration for this chapter sorry guys. And things have been crazy in real life haha, just enough for me to want to rediscover this awesome fandom and this game! I hope you enjoy the chapter! I don't know when the next one will be up but it will hopefully be soon!