It had been hours since Jacob visited Eden and she could still hear his voice, echoing in her head.

     I wish you could see things from my eyes, then maybe you'd realize how similar you and I are.

     It kept her up at night thinking about it.

     Of course the Deputy had noticed the similarities between her and Jacob. They were both considered the 'protectors' of their families, they were both so stubborn it hurt, but other than that Eden couldn't think about why Jacob would say that.

     Was it possible that was all he meant? That they were both stubborn protectors? Knowing Jacob, Eden doubted that was it. She wanted to ask him but didn't think it was appropriate to approach him after the meetings so instead, she just wondered to herself what he meant.

     She didn't tell anyone else about her and Jacob's personal meeting, so she didn't have anyone else to bounce ideas off. But she was used to that with her Jacob problems. And the Deputy's had her fair share of Jacob conundrums she had to deal with on her own.

     Something that did help with her Jacob problem was how civil they could be with each other. Still, even though they both knew that the other wouldn't hurt them, there was a sort of tension between them that Eden couldn't quite put her finger on. She didn't think it was violent but honestly she couldn't really tell. Everytime they were alone together, there was something that seemed to be different.

     Jacob would never approach someone else with the same propositions as he did with her. He said it himself, not to anyone. What did that mean?

     Eden spent the precious hours of the night/morning when she was supposed to be getting sleep thinking about Jacob's odd behavior.

     Why would he go as far as meeting her in the middle of the night to try and convince her to live at the Veteran's Center? It didn't make any sense in Eden's head, no matter what way she looked at it. Then she had a random intrusive thought.

     Maybe he's got a crush on you. The thought teased.

     It almost made the Deputy chuckle. Jacob, Jacob Seed, being attracted to her? No way.

     ...right?

     Eden took a moment to think. Jacob had never showed any signs of liking her, if anything he always appeared to hate her. Stringing her along on painkillers after his men beat her, sending his hunters and helicopters and Judges after her, always staring at her with that cold, shielded stare. Everything added up to him being annoyed by her, maybe even loathing her. But when he walked up to her house and offered her a place to stay...that complicated things.

     Adelaide and Sharky had joked in the past about John being attracted to her, but never Jacob. Honestly, Eden didn't think Jacob was capable of having something as silly as a crush. She always assumed that even if he could, he would bury it deep inside until it went away. Certainly he would never act on it.

     Jacob sat alone in his office. Another meeting, another day of squabbling between the Project and the Resistance. It made his headache, he's always hated the administrative side of the Project and now it seemed like that was all his days were made up of. That was always more of John's thing, you know, the lawyer side of it. Jacob was the brawn, John was the brain, Joseph was the heart, that was how it always was.

     Not that Jacob didn't like the agreement Eden came up with, but it was really starting to annoy him. Joseph could feel it, so everytime they were getting ready to start another tense meeting Joseph would remind Jacob that once they are able to separate themselves from the people of Hope County then they wouldn't have to stay in contact with any of them.

     For some reason that didn't comfort Jacob the way Joseph thought it would. And Jacob wouldn't tell him why, he would just shrug his brother off and tell him he wasn't worried. But even though he assured Joseph that he was fine, Jacob was worried. He didn't really know how this was going to end, but he knew he wouldn't like.

     He spent a lot of time thinking about Eden, especially after offering her a place to stay at the Veterans Center. When he thought of the way he offered it, the way he got angry at her, the way he made her cry, it all made him angry at himself. He found that he was thinking about it a lot when he was supposed to be sleeping, everytime getting hit with a rush of regret for his actions. Yeah, he got his feelings out there and told Eden how he felt about her living alone but the way he did it. It made him cringe.

     Jacob was tired of being stuck in this weird whirlpool of emotions, the anger, the guilt, the regret. He wished there wasn't so much red tape to work through, he wished that Eden would just accept his offer and then he could monitor her health without fear of judgement from the Project or the Resistance. It was very frustrating to a man that was used to just getting things done. You want trained men? You got it. You want a group of trained wolves to defend the Project members? Already done. You want to sit through meeting after meeting to solve problems that could very easily be solved if both sides just listened to each other? You've lost Jacob.

     It just wasn't how Jacob functioned. He didn't like listening to both sides and desperately trying to come up with an agreement that made everyone happy. He liked making a boundary line and then going to go build a fence on that line.

     Surprisingly, it didn't seem to Eden's cup of tea either.

     At every meeting she looked both bored and completely occupied. Jacob tried to dial back the staring, but nobody else was as interesting to watch. It was actually pretty funny, him and Eden were the 'catalysts' for the meetings and they both hated them. Jacob considered trying to make a joke to her about it after one of the meetings but decided against it.

     Eden spent a lot of the meeting struggling to pay attention to what was being said, but it was hard to concentrate with the pain pills she was on. She mostly relied on the notes being taken to know what was discussed that day but even still, she was mostly there to keep the meetings on track, making sure they stayed focused on the future instead of the past. That was surprisingly hard to do considering the chip that most people were keeping on their shoulders.

     Eden's favourite times were the ones she spent with Carmina. She spent a lot of time over at Nick and Kim's house, especially since there wasn't a threat of the Project coming to find Eden anymore. Kim always wanted to make sure Eden wasn't overdoing it so she kept an extra close eye on her whenever she could. Even though it sounds ironic, it was tiring being looked after so much. Eden wasn't used to the attention or the worry from her friends and she didn't like it.

     She was supposed to be looking after them, making sure that everybody was happy and they were getting what they wanted out of the Agreements but that was hard to do when everybody just wanted to make her happy and see her get rest.

     Rest... With all the rest she was getting, Eden should have felt like she could run a mile, but she didn't. She was still exhausted, but now she remembered to take her pain pills and Boomer wouldn't let her forget. Still, Eden was tired of being tired.

     It was a normal meeting day. Both sides bickered for a while about the new Eden's Gate territory would be. That was their major hang up. Both sides were insisting that every place that was being picked wasn't right. They were having a hard time deciding between John, Faith, or Jacob's region to put the homebase for Eden's Gate. Everywhere that was being picked was considered both sides territory, especially with how many residences and businesses were located in the perfect places to mess up the land dividing.

     Many members of the Resistance didn't want to give up their real estate, accusing the Project of trying to pull exactly what happened when they first came in. The meeting didn't end satisfyingly but because of the rule that their meetings couldn't extend past 5:30 in the afternoon they had to stop.

     Eden was exhausted from the meeting and feeling pretty defeated so she put off her meeting with Whitehorse, Jerome, and Eli until the next week and just went back to her house. She was finally able to drive again, she'd bargained with the doctor to let her, but even Eden had to agree that it took quite the toll on her. It was overstimulating, paying attention to the road and the gas and the brakes and her surroundings, but she really needed to be alone for a while.

     Jacob noticed how tired Eden was and how quickly after the meeting she left. Of course he noticed, he always did. One reason why Eden left so quick was to avoid conversations with people like him, or just anyone in general.

     But after repeating their last conversation over and over again in his head Jacob was ready to apologize for getting upset. So, after he cleared up something with John and Faith, he decided to drive to go talk to Eden.

     It wasn't a long drive to Eden's house but it was over an hour since she'd probably gotten home. Jacob just hoped she wasn't asleep so they could actually talk. When he pulled up to her house Boomer wasn't outside again, which Jacob was a little relieved at. It was embarrassing when he had to try to shush that damn mutt last time.

     Jacob waited in his truck for a minute, debating whether or not to go up and try to talk to Eden. On one hand she looked pretty tired and there was a possibility that she wouldn't want to talk to him, but on the other hand, maybe her being tired would somehow help her understand where Jacob was coming from? The smoke pouring out of her chimney showed Jacob that she was actually home, so he couldn't sneak off an pretend he didn't see her truck. Finally, Jacob just decided to stop wussing out and just walked up to her front door.

     He knocked on the front door and waited for a moment. When there was no answer Jacob knocked again.

     "Eden? It's me, Jacob, look I know you don't want to talk to me but I wanted to...apologize. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you, I just wanted you to understand." Jacob glanced around sheepishly. Apologizing was not something he was used to, but he really needed to apologize to Eden.

     Still, even after his apology, Eden didn't say anything. Suspicious of why she wouldn't answer, Jacob walked over to one of her windows. He peeked through the window and saw her living room, but no Eden. Boomer was standing in the living room when he noticed Jacob in the window. Instantly he erupted in barking and rushed up to the window.

     Jacob looked through the window trying to find Eden and went back to the front door. Boomers barking didn't subside as Jacob tried the doorknob. Maybe trying to open her door and walk into her home wasn't his best move but Jacob had a bad feeling. The door opened, shockingly, and Boomer kept barking at him.

     "Where's Eden?" Jacob asked Boomer, even if he didn't understand or respect Jacob, he hoped Boomer would go to find Eden. As soon as Jacob stepped through the door, his nose was confronted with the stench of alcohol. Great, he thought to himself, she decided to get drunk. This should be fun to deal with.

     Boomer barked and walked out the front door, running around to behind the house.

     Curious, Jacob followed Boomer around the back of the house and found what he was looking for. Eden was sitting on the ground outside her house, looking at the river. A large bottle of vodka was sitting in the dirt next to her.

     When Boomer saw Eden he trotted over to her and licked her hand. Eden glanced down at the dog and gave him a small head pat. Jacob was hesitant to approach her, not knowing whether or not he should talk to her. But he quickly put away those hesitations when Eden said something.

     "I heard you." She said and turned around to glance at him. She motioned for him to come over and sit down next to her. 

     Jacob was a little shocked by how level her voice was, shouldn't it be more you know...drunk sounding? Regardless, he walked over to her and sat down on the dirt. He eyed the bottle of vodka next to her but didn't say anything. 

     "I didn't drink any." Eden said as if reading his mind. Jacob looked at her and caught her gaze. "I dropped the bottle on the kitchen floor, that's why you smelled it. I cleaned it up but it got all over the floor." She chuckled to herself, a chuckle that elicited a hard cough. 

      Eden pulled out her handkerchief and coughed into it. Boomer whined and laid down next to Eden, resting his head in her lap. 

      Jacob tried to ignore her cough. "So why are you out here? It's almost dark you know." He asked her and she shrugged. 

      "Just wanted some space to think." She said simply. "And I wanted to throw that bottle against a tree but it's surprisingly strong." She remarked and nudged the bottle with her hand. 

     That made Jacob chuckle, which surprised Eden. She'd forgotten that Jacob could laugh honestly. 

     "I wish our last conversation could have gone differently." Jacob admitted. 

     "It was yesterday Jacob, I've obviously had time to go through the five stages of grief." Eden teased and Jacob forced down a grin. 

     He liked getting to talk with Eden in a more lighthearted fashion. All of their meetings had been tense and they felt like they were on the verge of biting each others heads off, so joking around actually felt pretty good. Still, he didn't want to seem like he was enjoying himself too much. 

     Eden knew he was relaxed, she could see that his shoulders weren't as tense as they usually are, but she kept the thought to herself. "I accept your apology though. Thank you." She said and Jacob glanced over at her. 

     "I meant it. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that." He reiterated and Eden blinked, giving her head a small shake. 

     "Did I hear that right? Jacob Seed is sorry for being angry?" She cracked a small grin and Jacob shook his head. 

     "Don't you let that get to your head, Deputy." He chided her and she let out a small laugh. 

     "I won't, I just feel like enjoying this moment. If you told me months ago that I'd be sitting in my backyard with Jacob Seed after he apologized to me, I'd probably tell you that you were crazy." Eden admitted and Jacob nodded. 

     "Yeah I definitely wouldn't have believed you." He mused and glanced down at the vodka bottle. "Is it empty?" He asked and Eden shrugged. 

     "I don't know, I just put the cap on it and stormed out here to throw it at a tree I didn't really check." She admitted and Jacob grabbed it.

     He gave it a small shake and felt that it was empty. "Damn you really did spill all of it huh?" 

     Eden chuckled. "I told you. That's why I got mad, do you know how hard it is to find good vodka here?" 

     "I'm more of a whiskey man myself." Jacob mumbled and set the empty bottle down. 

     "Oh really? I would have thought that you didn't drink, you know because of the abstinence." Eden said and Jacob shook his head. 

     "I have a small stash." He told her. "Can you even drink with those pills you're on?" He asked and Eden sighed. 

     "It's frowned upon, but I never drink." Eden said and looked down at Boomer's head on her lap. "I'm almost glad I spilled that vodka." She muttered under her breath. 

     "What was that?" Jacob asked her. He had heard her before but he was curious as to why she'd want to spill the vodka. 

     "I said that I'm glad I dropped the vodka. Then I couldn't drink it and...well, I'm just glad I didn't drink the vodka." She didn't look back at Jacob, which proved to him that she was hiding something. Jacob was of course curious but didn't pry, he was enjoying the quiet time with Eden too much. 

     The sun threatened to dip below the mountains surrounding the valley, turning the sky all orange and gold. 

     "We should probably go inside now, the sun's about to set." Jacob remarked and Eden shook her head. 

     "When was the last time you actually watched a sunset Jacob?" Eden asked him and Jacob looked down at the ground, pondering that question. 

     "I don't know, I don't really watch sunsets." He said and Eden's jaw dropped. 

    "You don't?" She asked almost rhetorically. "Well how about we watch tonight's sunset?" She offered and Jacob glanced over at her. 

     "Really? No offence but I don't know if that's a good idea." 

     "What could happen? It won't hurt to take a breather you know Jacob." Eden suggested and Jacob sighed. 

     "Fine." He gave it and Eden held back a smile. Jacob looked around and noticed that there wasn't really a good spot to watch the sky from. "I have an idea, come on." He said and stood up, brushing dirt off of his jeans. 

     Eden struggled to get her feet under her and used her hands to push herself up. Jacob noticed her struggling and extended his hand to help her to her feet. Eden glanced at his hand and accepted his help. 

     Jacob was glad that Eden was paying more attention to standing up and brushing the dirt off of her pants than his face as he felt himself blushing. Her hand was so small and delicate, but rough and calloused, calluses that rivalled his. But her hands weren't as hardened as his were, they had a gentle touch to them that he'd never known. They didn't stay touching for very long, just until Eden got to her feet but as soon as she pulled her hand away Jacob wanted to hold it again. 

     Eden thanked him for helping her up but to be honest Jacob didn't really hear what she said. 

      "So what's your idea?" She asked and that made Jacob focus again. She looked down at Boomer who barked and wagged his tail. 

      "Uh, it's around the front of the house. You go first." He said and motioned for Eden to lead. 

      Eden was hesitant but she walked around to the front of the house. Jacob followed behind her, not close enough to be in her personal space but just close enough to grab her if necessary. She walked around to the front of the house and Jacob looked around. 

     "Do you have a ladder?" He asked her and Eden turned around to look at him. 

     "Uh yes I do actually, it should be over in that shed right next to the truck." Eden said and pointed to a tiny shed placed perfectly between two trees, her red truck was parked next to it as well. 

     Jacob didn't say anything and walked over to the shed. He found the ladder and brought it back to where Eden was standing with her arms folded. There was something in her body posture that seemed nervous, but Jacob couldn't quite place it. 

      He rested the ladder against the edge of her roof and put his weight on it to test its sturdiness. "There we go, now we can see over the trees." He said and turned back to Eden. 

     Her nervous expression had turned to one of confusion. "You mean...the roof?" She asked and pointed up to the roof. 

     "Just so that we can actually see over the trees, come on, what could happen?" He threw her own words back at her and she stifled a chuckle. 

     "Ok..." She walked over to the ladder cautiously and Jacob stepped to the side of it, letting her go up first. 

     "I'll hold it." He said and Eden nodded. She gave him a quick look, maybe to study him a see if he was truly being this polite to her. She wanted to believe that this was just Jacob apologizing but she couldn't see it. She was shocked when he verbally apologized but now they were climbing onto her roof to watch the sunset, and that doesn't just happen. 

     Even though she was suspicious (of what she didn't know) Eden climbed the ladder up to her roof. Jacob followed after she got off the ladder and tried not to make eye contact as she sat up on the flat part of the roof over her porch. Because of the porch, there was a small shelf-like flat part that made the perfect spot to sit. 

     When she realized how perfect the spot was, Eden chided herself in her head for never noticing it before now. Jacob sat down next to her, putting about two feet of distance between them. Eden leaned her back against the slant of the roof and pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, holding them closer to her. Jacob knew she would be getting cold, she was only wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans. But he also knew she wouldn't admit she was cold. 

     They sat in silence as the pale white clouds turned to such a beautiful mix of all the tones and colors of gold it gave Eden goosebumps, or that could also be from the cold. Jacob wasn't used to just sitting around and not doing anything but he had to admit that watching the sunset was pretty nice. And he liked glancing over and seeing Eden fully enraptured by it. 

     She just stared at it, her eyes fluttered across the sky, almost as if it would disappear if she didn't commit every inch of it to her memory. There was a certain emotion on her face as she watched the gold turn to pink, something he couldn't quite place. She was staring at it like it was the last thing she'd ever see. 

     "I wish you could see this Jacob." She mumbled quietly. 

     "I can see it." Jacob told her a little confused. 

     Eden shook her head and bit her lower lip gently. "Not the way I do." She said breathlessly and blinked, not turning her gaze away from the sunset. She shivered and pulled her knees closer to her chest. Jacob stood up and walked over to Eden so that he was towering in front of her, and took off his army jacket. 

     "Here, don't need you getting sick." He grumbled under his breath and laid the jacket over Eden's shoulders. Eden looked over at him shocked and touched the collar of his jacket that rested against her neck. 

     "Who are you?" She asked in amazement and Jacob sat back down next to her, this time only one foot away from her. 

     "If you get sick you'll probably die. Your body is too weak to fight off an infection right now." Jacob said simply and looked back at the sunset. 

    That sounded more like the normal Jacob. But still, he wasn't acting like his normal self. Eden didn't really want to keep his jacket around her, it felt wrong to be wearing it, but it was warm and it blocked out the cool spring breeze. 

     Silence settled over them again and they watched the sun go fully behind the mountain. Casting a dark shadow over Holland Valley that crept closer to the Henbane River and the Whitetail Mountains. The pinkish-gold clouds that slowly crept across the sky turned back to a pale grey and slowly, stars began appearing in the darkening sky.

    Jacob looked over at Eden to ask her when she wanted to go inside and realized she had dozed off. Her back was against the roof slant, providing a proper backrest for her while she had folded her arms over her chest. 

     Jacob reached out to wake her up but stopped himself, not wanting to wake her up just yet. She looked more peaceful asleep than she ever did when she was awake. Her eyes had closed a long time ago, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in and out in a gentle pattern. She was still exhausted but sleeping. It shocked Jacob how bad he wanted to not wake her up, maybe just stay on that roof all night long, just watching the stars while she slept.

     After convincing himself to stay and wait a little longer before waking Eden up Jacob leaned back against the roof mirroring how Eden was laying. He quickly realized how she was able to fall asleep so fast; laying on the roof with nothing to do but watch the sky and listen to the soft babbling of the river was incredibly relaxing. 

    The chilly night air prickled at his bare arms but Jacob didn't mind. He was used to the cold and Eden was asleep in his jacket so he definitely wasn't getting that back until later. Everytime Jacob tried to make himself sit up and remember his responsibilities he just glanced over at how peaceful Eden was and it convinced him to stay another few minutes. Before long those minutes turned to half and hour, which turned into an hour, which turned into two. 

     Nothing but the sound of silence surrounded Jacob and Eden, it was very welcome.