A simple question had been on Jess's mind ever since she saw Nathan bring Faith with him to the Hope County Jail. And that was why? Why did he keep her alive?

Jess remembered the excitement she felt that day. She had two cold beers waiting for them and was ready to relax with her friend, god knew they rarely got the chance. When he arrived from what was supposed to be Faith's well deserved demise, instead of his usual awkward, friendly smile she was met with a "Jess, can you help me carry her?"

She should've said no, she should've fucking said no... Once they got her from the infirmary to her new room, Nathan retreated to hiswith Jess hot on his heels. Ready to question him about his little decision.

She couldn't believe the nerve, no scratch that, the balls on Nathan to keep Faith alive and bring her here no less. Jess stayed at least an hour up in his room that day to confront him about why he was being such a dumbass. He told her everything that happened during the fight. About how she was just 17 when Joseph took her in, how her parents treated her worse than a dog but Jess's mind could only register one thing:

Nathan had really fallen for that pathetic life story.

So fucking what if her parents treated her like dirt? Stupid bitch probably deserved it for being such a liar. Jess's life wasn't perfect either but you didn't see her moaning about it to gain sympathy. It was because of Faith's little 'family' that she lost everything close to her. First it was her family then Nathan. Could they not suffice with taking her family, they had to take her best friend too?

In a matter of a few weeks Faith had managed to sever apart the connection Jess had with Nathan, and Jess had a feeling she knew it. Jess had to watch as Nathan became friendlier with Faith day after day. The bitch kept getting bolder with how she acted around him. Everytime Jess brought it up he would keep reminding her of Faith's past, like a call for sympathy. There was no changing his mind, he was set on keeping her alive and safe. Jess couldn't believe how stupid Nathan was to believe that would be the end of it. What fantasy world was he living in?

Then it all came to an end that fateful day

It had been Tracey's and a couple of pissed off Cougars idea originally to barge into Faith's cell with the intent to kill. Of course Nathan didn't allow it so he was given an ultimatum: It was either Faith or the both of them, with everyone expecting him to give her up and keep his position as "leader". Of course his goody two shoes moral code chose neither. Deputy Good Guy just had to save Faith didn't he?

She still remembered the look in Nathan's eyes as he confronted the mob in front of him. The hurt in his eyes as he stared directly at her, one hand holding the keyring and the other tightly holding his gun. Jess had never ever felt remorse in the time she had been fighting against the cult but seeing Nathan looking defeated behind the brave facade he had on, it made her feel bad but she knew it was for the best. They needed to get Faith out of the way before she influenced him further.

The Cougars had given him an hour to think of an answer but by then Jess already knew, anyone who didn't had to be an idiot. Nathan had grabbed one of their own, placed a gun on his head and used him as a shield to keep the others at bay. All the while Faith was cowering behind him like the coward she was. They made it out of the jail and sprinted the fuck out into the woods, not before he knocked out the man. Why no one bothered to take a shot at Faith was beyond her, maybe they were all in shock at seeing their hero suddenly turn on them. The majority still tolerated him at least, but seeing him knock the crap out of that guy really changed their minds quick.

Any remorse she felt was quickly thrown out the window and replaced by anger. Not entirely directed at Nathan, but at the little whore he called a "friend". Faith Seed, the "sister" of that sick fuck Jacob. She manipulated Nathan and used him to escape the Jail, she just knew it. That had to be it. There just was no way Nathan would personally screw his own life over for the sake of hers. He was a nice dude but he couldn't be that stupid could he?

Jess had made it very clear to Faith when she got there to either cut the shit or she'd die. Apparently that well placed punch to her cheek as a threat to stay in line didn't work.

She played the innocent, sweet Faith act very well Jess had to give it to her. They didn't call her a manipulator for nothing. Why else would she laugh at Nathan's shitty jokes, no one else ever did. All the subtle signs Jess caught on. Lightly holding his hands as they talked, laughing like a little school girl when they played one of the board games and stuff like that. All played out to maker her seem like she truly was this innocent girl that wouldn't harm a fly. She soon had Nathan wrapped around her finger and he didn't even know it.

All this wasn't fair for Jess either. After all they went through Nathan discarded her and the Resistance. All the secrets they shared between each other, stuff no one knew about her and him. Did it all mean nothing to him? Nathan knew how hard it was for her to make friends (Mostly because she didn't like people) and when she agreed to be his, she had expected him to be loyal just like she had. But you couldn't do that could you Nate? She laughed bitterly. Nathan didn't like being called Nate, he only tolerated it because Hurk was to stupid to get mad at and because Jess was his best friend. You could call him Nathan, Rook or Deputy but not Nate. Now everyone called him traitor.

Jess tried, god knows she tried, to make him see the truth. Faith was not his friend and she was only using him for her own gain but his thick skull was having none of it. In the end, Faith won. She took Nathan with her and were probably out in the middle of the woods fucking like rabbits. With how much of a manipulative cunt she was, Jess knew there had to be another reason as to why Faith would keep Nathan around and not just as her boy toy. Would she try to rebuild her part of the cult? Nah, it would take much more than just one man to recreate all she lost.

Faith would more than likely bring Nathan to the Father and parade him, probably smug as shit that in the end she did it without resorting to violence. All just to make up for doing a shit job at stopping him when Nathan was raising all sorts of hell in the Henbane. They could then just trigger the classical conditioning and let him run loose. Probably wipe out something like Falls End easily before someone brought him down, if they even could. Jess had seen first hand the effects of the conditioning, it was fucking terrifying..

Not to mention the fact that Hope County was a massive peice of land, they could be hiding anywhere.

Jess wasn't one to just quit though. No sir. Jess Black was the biggest badass in Hope County. Her grandmother didn't raise a fucking bitch. Fuck that.

She knew the area like the back of her hand. She was going to find them, slit Faith's throat, and bring Nathan back to the right path. And that was a fucking promise to herself and to him.

Her radio started going off. She groaned, not really in the mood to talk with anyone.

"Jess here, what's up?" She kept her cool, not wanting to go off on whoever it was. Unless it was Hurk asking if she wanted to join him for a drink. Fuck no... For a guy very clearly terrified of her, he sure was insistent

"Jess, it's me Jerome. Where are you?" He sounded like he was in a hurry.

"I'm in the Whitetails why? Something up?" Jess figured it must be important.

"They spotted our friend entering the valley. I need you back here as soon as possible. I would send search parties but they'd probably end up fighting him and the last thing we want is to further anger the people here." Jess had to agree on that. Nathan would have to respond if some of the crazy hicks decided to take justice to their own hands, which they were technically already doing.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few hours, but uh... How am I supposed to cover all of Holland Valley's ground? It'd take me days to do so and by then Nathan would probably already be gone." Jess wasn't stupid, she knew if Nathan was truly of sane mind when he left with Faith, then he would be trying to escape the county. It was the only way he'd ever keep Faith safe. They weren't leaving though, not if she had anything to say about it.

"Nick's gonna do a few trips around the valley, see if he catches glimpse of them. I've asked him to notify you on case he does. Just... Don't engage in any way with her Jess. We don't want to anger Nathan and have him turn on us permanently." Jerome pleaded.

Jess nearly scoffed. She was counting on angering Nathan, she was itching to kick his ass, but the Pastor didn't need to know that.

"Yeah, sure I get it. I won't lay a finger on her..." She swore. Maybe not a finger but definitely a fucking arrow or two. Jerome didn't sound too convinced.

"Jess we're trying to help Nathan. Antagonizing Faith will only drive him further away. We need to be better than the people at Eden's Gate are." Better than they are? They weren't kidnapping and fucking murdering innocents, that already made them a million times better than them! Regardless, Jess knew to keep her mouth shut. The Pastor was one of the only people to be very vocal with his opinion on what happened at the jail. Very few listened of course, but it was the thought that counted. She admired that despite the toxic fucking hostility the Resistance had towards Nathan, Jerome was still willing to put himself at risk.

"Yeah, fine. I don't care about her right now, I need to get to Nathan." Jess had her priorities set in stone. Find Nathan. Kill Faith. They were simple really, and nothing was going to change them...

"Alright, contact me once you get here." And with that he closed off the channel. Jess walked over to the camp she had made and gathered her bow. Some peggies were getting pretty ballsy in the Valley so she'd need to stop back at the mill to resupply on arrows.

"Well Nate, looks like you and I are in much need of a reunion don't you think?"

Jess hopped on the ATV and started it up. Despite what it seemed like, she was only angry at Nathan, not hell-bent on killing him like the "Resistance". So much for standing up for one of your own huh Tracey? Oh, and who could forget Tammy! All that cow ever did was bitch and moan to Eli.

Was she being a hypocrite? Maybe, but Jess heavily disliked both women. Tracey because of her clear resentment towards Jess and Nathan. Only reason she listened to her that day was because they both wanted Faith dead more than anything. Tammy she hated because of her inability to do anything for herself. Calls herself a part of the militia, can't be fucking bothered to go fight in the front lines...

But there was no one at the moment that she loathed more than Faith. Jess abso-fucking-lutely despised her. She promised once she got her hands on her...

Well, she would let her imagination do all the work for now...

.

Nathan woke up very early in the morning, it seemed that not even in sleep could he escape his troubles. His dreams had quickly shifted from relieving fond memories of friends and family to the recent events that led up to him being on the run. He decided to go outside and get some fresh air, not wanting to go on a guilt trip again. I've had enough of feeling sorry for myself...

He walked down the hallway to the back door, he wasn't gonna hang around the dirt road in front. And risk being spotted by any patrols driving by? No thanks...

Quickly glancing at the room Faith was in he saw her fast asleep. At least one of us gets to sleep peacefully. Nathan continued down to the door, unlocked it and stepped outside.

It wasn't exactly dark but the sun had not yet risen. Nathan could still see though and glancing at his wristwatch he saw it was five in the morning. He sat down in a chair next to him. There was a slight breeze that felt refreshing but it would soon be replaced by the ever present summer heat. Of course not that it mattered, it wasn't like he was going to be outside the rest of the day. He was done with the walking for a while.

Hopefully there was something to do that didn't involve watching the horrendous catalog of movies or the ever present TV static. Radio can only do so much before Wheaty decides to play garbage.

It was situations like these that really made him miss his phone. He lost it in the helicopter crash and even though there wasn't any service, he still had a game or two there to entertain him. Whatever, would've still lost it here anyways. Along with everything else I've lost...

He tried to clear his mind of all the negative things that were going on in life. And man, were there many...

Instead focussing on the positive memories like that time he took his mother to that Four Seasons concert two years ago for her birthday. She had been so happy, singing along and swooning over Frankie Valli's falsetto. All the times he would hang around with Nick at the Spread Eagle and just cut class with a couple of beers, arguing over which who was the best at the old arcade machine. Or when he would just aimlessly travel with Boomer across Hope County, damn I miss that dog... Last time he had seen him was when he left him at the Jailhouse. People there seemed to like him though, so he was sure he was fine. Probably enjoying all the belly rubs the Cougars gave him.

Those memories were a part of his past that was nice to think about but he didn't want to dwell on them too much, because then he'd be back to feeling bad about himself. Nathan made his decisions and he had to live with the consequences.

He stayed outside for another hour before heading back inside. It felt nice not to be in any immediate danger. Being with Faith was a nice change of pace to the frantic lifestyle he had to adapt to in Hope County. He could live without all the death, rifle discharges every ten seconds, the ear splitting grenade explosions and the almost never ending screaming he heard when in a firefight. How some Resistance members could be beyond excited to fight constantly was beyond him. Once they hit the Whitetails, he had a feeling he'd be hearing all that all over again, this time directed mostly at him. Nathan was sure he'd go deaf so he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while he could.

To his surprise he saw Faith seated in the couch. She looked up at him with what looked like maybe relief? She patted the space next to her and he complied.

"Where were you?" Faith asked.

"I was outside getting some air. Would've stayed longer were it not for the incoming heat. I'm surprised you're up this early with how tired you were yesterday." Nathan had expected to wake up at least till mid day. Faith shook her head and sighed.

"I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep." So maybe the both of us can't sleep in peace. Nathan knew nightmares would be a regular occurrence for the both of them.

"Want to talk about it? Might help." He offered. Nathan really wasn't good at comforting but he could listen. Faith shook her head again, this time a bit faster. "It's fine, just a nightmare. Not much to it."

Nathan caught on to her abruptness but he'd have to take her word. If she didn't want to talk about it who was he to try and force her?

"So what are we going to do now that we're here?" Faith wondered. It was bound to be boring but she'd honestly take boring over walking for hours.

"Uh.. I'm not sure honestly. The whole being on the run thing doesn't really offer much in the area of entertainment, unless of course getting chased is your idea of fun. Whoever lived here must've been a really lame individual" Nathan responded. Judging by the bunker outside, it was probably another prepper. At least there was food, plumbing obviously worked and the electricity as well. So we have all the basics covered, that's good.

"We could always talk of course, if you'd like that." Nathan felt this was the best he could offer. Faith nodded and asked. "What should we talk about?"

"Anything I guess. Like umm... What do you do for fun?" He felt stupid asking that question, but it was all he could think of. Faith looked pensive as she thought of an answer.

"I love to dance so there's that. I also used to write poetry." Dancing huh? Nathan decided he'd ask her about that.

"So did you learn to dance on your own or what?" Nathan was curious, he had seen her dance many times before whe she used to scare the shit out of him as a Bliss apparition. He would hate when she would do that when he travelled in the middle of the night. He grew used to it the more he spent time in the Henbane River though.

"Kind of, you see I used to take dance class in highschool but I've had a love for dancing since I was even younger." Were she talking with anyone else, Faith would've felt uncomfortable bringing up her past but she trusted Nathan. "It helps me relax and clear my mind."

So maybe there was something "real" about the Bliss, her love for dancing.

"So what about you, what do you like to do?" Jess's question caught Nathan a bit off guard, if only because he didn't exactly have an answer. What do I like to do? He could say hunting, though he ever only did that once when he was with Jess learning the basics of a compound bow, and even then all he managed to kill was an already injured deer. He didn't really do anything with any free time he had, just sleep and get ready for his next mission.

"I don't actually have anything particular that I like to do." Nathan felt embarrassed, but he couldn't lie. Has my life really been this boring?

In highschool he was part of the football team but that was just to find something to get along with his father, not something he really liked. He saw Faith tilt her head a little, looking at him funny.

"I find that a bit hard to believe. There has to be something you like to do. It could be anything!" But what? He liked to listen to music? Fuck it, it's better than nothing I guess...

"I like to listen to music..." Nathan didn't mean to say it so quietly. Thankfully Faith didn't notice it.

"Oh really, well what kind?" Well, Nathan definitely didn't have a preference there, but he liked the oldies playing on the radio so he'd go with that.

"Well, I like Sammy Davis and stuff like that, but I'll listen to anything of it's good." And that was true. Nathan loved to play that type of music while driving much to most of his friends dismay. Jess said she didn't listen to music, Hurk said he preferred 90's rock and if it wasn't disco, then Sharky didn't like it, Grace and Nick, well they enjoyed it so that was cool.

"So is that all you like to do? Nathan that's not very enticing is it?" Faith wondered if maybe they could do something together. Maybe they could dance, though she'd have to teach him. Nathan frowned slightly and ran his hand down the back of his neck.

"Hey, so maybe listening to music isn't as enjoyable to me as dancing is to you but it's what I like to do." Nathan defended. It wasn't his fault there wasn't much to do in Hope County outside of trying not to die. Faith laughed, she didn't expect him to get so defensive.

"I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that there might be other things you could be into that you just don't know. Maybe you and I could find something we can do together that we both enjoy." That got his interest. He'd love something like that, to keep away the ever present boredom but what?

"Yeah, but what? We have very different tastes don't we?" Nathan appreciated the offer, but they were vey different people with different preferences. Faith didn't seem deterred though

"Well, you like to listen to music and I like to dance. We could do both at the same time." Dancing? Nathan wasn't so sure, he didn't exactly know how to dance. "It'll just be simple swaying Nathan, nothing difficult at all."

Faith's reassurance helped a bit. Yeah, maybe we can do that, still bound to make myself look like an idiot somehow...

"Alright, sounds... It sounds fun. Thing is there's no space to do anything here and its uncomfortably hot outside." Nathan responded.

Faith smiled and said. " We can do it later at night if you want to. When it's no longer so hot." Nathan smiled back, she had an answer for everything it seemed. He wasn't gonna lie, he was curious to see if she could actually dance. Bliss and words weren't quite enough to convince him.

"Sure, I'd like that..." Who knows, maybe this could help him relieve some stress, for the both of them. As long as it was fun for her Nathan didn't mind.

Author's Note: So apparently the last part was cut off, at least for me. Had to recheck.