Warnings: None yet, but there will be violence, memories of abuse, and maybe some other things that make this a definite R rating (I guess it's M here) for content. The post-apocalyptic world isn't a nice one--but it's not the stuff of Hollywood, either. I have no idea where this is going, but I do know that I have good, non-MarySue intentions for a few new characters. Assume nothing.
No particular 'ship; Jonah-centric, simply because he's so badly used…
Yes, this is AU, mostly because there was some *incredibly* awful writing early on that alienated (and then booted) one of the most interesting characters in the series…not to insult the writers, but there was so much wonderful, wonderful opportunity here that was outright quashed. And please, Johnston not recognizing the devil he knows? Since when???
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Jonah looked over at the girl on the other side of the car. She had more than a bit of nerve, but that was to be expected. He'd had a hand in raising her, after all.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, on a sigh. It had barely been three days since the bombs and here she was, demanding he get in her car and go with her to see Mayor Johnston Green. "What could you possibly want with me? You know he's just going to get irritated--maybe even throw me in jail." Again. It'd been a long while since he'd gone back into town openly. Johnston had finally gotten sick of him, and there were precious few people that Jonah didn't want to cross. Johnston was at the top of that short list. For all the man was older and more out of shape, he'd been in worse places longer than Jonah.
"Because--" she started. Then she stopped. "Do you want the truth, Jonah, or do you want me to lie to you?"
"Lie to me, kid," he said, grinning at her. How had she always managed to do this to him? She had instituted a policy of absolute honesty with him years ago--even when he didn't want to hear or speak truth. But they managed it. And so far, they were still speaking.
"Fine. I want him to leave Gail and run away with me. Dammit, the woman is twice my age! What could he possibly see in her?" A mock pout completed the picture and Jonah choked on his laughter.
"Good luck with that one, kid." He chuckled again at the image of this little spitfire in a fight with Gail Green for the mayor.
"But…but…but…I NEEEEED HIM!" she wailed, making Jonah laugh again. She kept up her monologue about her insane passion for a man almost twice her age all the way into town. It took an extreme act of will for Jonah to pull on his customary badass face and forget the images of this girl with Johnston. He couldn't help the way his mouth twitched when he picture them glaring at each other over some ridiculous argument. He wasn't sure who would win.
Aylah Wilson looked over at Jonah as he pulled on his usual gruff, rough manner. It was a familiar face, and one she knew as well as her own. She parked next to Jericho Town Hall and slowly climbed out of the car. Jonah, she knew, was doing the same on his side, though he added the casual deposit of his sunglasses to the dash. That she was the one getting out of the driver's side was enough to get attention from the people on the street. They walked inside, unconsciously falling into step as they jogged up the steps.
Johnston Green was in his office, talking to Jake and Eric.
"The power's not back on yet, and we don't know how long it will be. We need to check on the gen--" He stopped speaking and his eyes flashed fire. "Jonah." The word was soft, almost a hiss. It certainly got the attention of the younger Greens.
"Johnston," Jonah replied, the gravel of his voice almost caressing the vowels. It spurred on the pure devilishness of the outlaw to bait the man. What would Johnston do if he pushed too far one day? There was always the temptation to find out. "Eric." A crisp, clean dismissal. He saw the uncertainty in Eric's eyes, the flash of fire in Johnston's. "Jake," he nearly purred, watching the same flash of defiance enter those dark eyes. Jake had pushed slightly ahead of Eric, as though he were guarding his older brother from Jonah.
"Jonah," Jake replied, his voice even. There was an emotionless quality to it that Jonah didn't recognize. Jake would have to be watched. He knew a great deal and he knew, perhaps, too much. Yes, Jake had changed from the half-wild, half-kid who'd driven and flown for him so many years ago. Before Chris… Jonah stopped that line of thought with a vengance.
"Checking the generators is fine," Aylah said, dismissing the posturing that somehow always took place when Jonah entered a room with other males in it, "but I'd plan for an extended blackout. The power plant is in Rogue River, and who knows how long it'll keep running, especially since it has to have the fuel replenished at least twice a month. It's still a fossil-fuel plant, but I can't remember which it burns."
"I'll keep that in mind," Johnston said, not taking his eyes from Jonah.
Aylay's eyes narrowed. "You'd better. The diesel generators in town can be converted to biodiesel, but it'll take a while to do that and more corn than we've got."
That got Johnston's gaze away from the unwanted man from outside of town and it fell on a young woman, about Jake's age, that looked oddly familiar. "If you don't mind me askin', miss, what is your name?"
"I'm--" she began.
"Silence," Jake said, eyes growing wide with recognition. He'd completely forgotten about this girl.
"I prefer Aylah," she replied, her tone dry rather than the cold Jonah had expected. "I'm surprised you remember, Jake." She waited for a response. She hadn't been exactly memorable in school. In fact, there were many days when everyone had overlooked her, and that had been just fine.
"Well, Aylah, I'm sure that--" Johnston began, only to be interrupted by her again.
"But that's not why we're here," she interrupted Johnston without a trace of the shyness Jake had remembered and expected. "And this will take a while."
"Dad, I've got to check on April at the clinic. She said--" Eric stopped as Johnston held up his hand.
"Go ahead, son. Make sure your mother remembers to eat instead of just badgering April about it."
"Right." With that, Eric turned and left, not sure if he was grateful or irritated about leaving Jake and Johnston in a closed room with Jonah Prowse.
As soon as the door closed behind Eric, Aylah moved so that she could see Johnston and Jonah at the same time. She wasn't particularly worried about Jake. Later she would wonder about that assessment and reconsider her stance with the youngest Green boy.
"Look, I know you don't particularly want Jonah here, and I know you, Jonah, don't want to be here, but this is something we need to figure out." Aylah was getting tired of the density of the average, and some above-average, male brain. Why was it they always seemed to deal with their testosterone first and then think things through?
"What is?" Jake asked, staring at the girl who'd been so invisible in school that he knew few people even remembered she'd gone to Jericho Elementary. If it hadn't been for lunch detention, he wouldn't have known she even existed. In fact, he had doubted his memory after she disappeared from Jericho in seventh grade. Or was she a year ahead of him?
"Jonah's place in town--his gang's place in town."
"Aylah, I don't run a 'gang', per se…" Jonah began, objecting to her verbiage. Johnston had choked on his coffee and was busy clearing his throat. Jake was openly slack-jawed.
"Call it what it is, Jonah. Do you prefer mini-Mafia? Racket?" She gave him a long look while Jonah glared at her.
"Get to the point quickly, kid, or I walk." Jonah's tone was rougher than usual with her, but Aylah was stubborn. She'd had to be.
"Go ahead and start walkin'. I do not like the way this conversation is heading." Johnston's tone was soft from the coughing, but terse, his eyes less friendly than Jake could remember seeing them.
"There are a lot of things we don't have to like, but here's the question, Mayor Green: Which do you take, the devil you know, or the devil you haven't met yet?" She didn't back down, her eyes turning to and narrowing on a man that Jonah had always seemed to respect for his practicality and fair dealing. Now she wondered what Jonah had been taking when he spoke that way. Granted, it was always in private, but still.
"That's a stupid question--the one you know." Jake answered easily, preempting his father. He knew this answer; he knew this question too well. He'd lived it.
"Exactly," Aylah said, smiling at Jake. "And here he is," she motioned to Jonah, reminding Jake of a demonic Vannah White. "You can have Jonah in town, a type of payment for keeping an eye on the highways, or you can invite in whatever comes this way."
"You mean to trade for protection for this town? In all my years as mayor, I've never heard anything so patently ridiculous. This is America--" Johnston sat back in his chair, comfortable now with the direction this was heading. There was no way in this sweet Earth he'd let Jonah have free run in the town in exchange for some nebulous and easily exaggerated protection from out-of-towners that were no more than desperate women and children trying to get to safety.
"And this is the law of supply and demand," Aylah countered. God bless capitalism, she thought as she watched Johnston's eyes narrow while he considered that point. "So far, it's been pretty calm. So far, we haven't had anyone trying to come in and simply take. How long do you think that will last? The prison bus? Sheriff--was it still Reilly?" At Johnston's nod, she continued. He was thinking about it now, not just reacting. "How many others will it take before you decide that setting up some sort of border-control is necessary? More to the point, how much need will have to exist in town before the good people of Jericho decide to take matters into their own hands and start raiding travellers. It can happen; don't delude yourself." Another thinking point for Johnston. He knew well the lawlessness that came with chaos. "You need this--"
"And I'm not a commodity, kid," Jonah said, cutting her off. "You can't trade my services for me. I'm leaving in three minutes, with or without you." With that, he turned on his heel and stalked toward the door. His hand was on the knob when one word stopped him.
"Truth," she said softly. "The question you asked me? I'll give you the truth now." She walked up to him as he looked over his shoulder, then turned to face her. They were inches apart. "You're getting tired, Jonah. Your reflexes aren't as fast, you're nowhere near as angry, and you're riding on a reputation you built years ago as the local outlaw. There are nine men with you now, and three of them can take you at any time. One is getting hungry enough to try. You need this town as much as this town needs you. Don't try to tell me you don't."
Fire flashed in Jonah's eyes as he stared at her. She had finally pushed him. They both knew it would have to happen one day, but this time, Jonah tensed and prepared for her attack. He'd never start this fight for control, but he'd make sure he finished it. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kick your --"
Instead of attacking him, she leaned into him and put her arms around his waist. When she had her head on his shoulder she finally spoke. "Because you saved my life twenty years ago. It's time I returned the favour." With her eyes closed and breath ghosting over his neck, she waited.
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