Act 3

Chapter 35 – His Sacrifice

"The deputy just took off with the Ryes plane".

John slammed his fist down on the dashboard, "For fucks sake", Randy slowed the truck, avoiding his gaze as they made their way back in to the valley from Henbane, John grabbed for the radio and pulled it towards him, its lead fraying at the end, "Shoot it down", he let it go and it pulled itself back with a clunk.

It was only then that he realised that they'd stopped, he turned to Randy, this terrifyingly calm look on his face that made Randy start the truck up again.

His meeting with Joseph hadn't gone as well as he'd hoped. Now, Joseph, like Jacob, wanted Laurie to go to the mountains, thought she'd be safer, that she'd progress further. She'd done all she could with John – that's what he'd said, as if she was just going to be passed around like some… John took a deep breath and put his head back. This was the reason, this feeling, this thing; if the Deputy didn't kill him, this would. One way or another.

"John" Dom came over the radio, John pressed the button,

"What" he doubted they'd shot him down yet,

"Laurie…" he trailed off, some background noise came through, some small soothing voices before something sounded like it fell, "She's…",

"Dom" John grabbed the radio,

"She's been shot" Dom said, "And Ads… Ads is dead".

Joseph had been right.

He was always right.

"Is she…",

"She's alive, she's just…" Dom breathed out,

"I'll be there soon".

John walked in to the hall. He'd seen the bodies covered by white sheets outside, one of them was Ads; dead in the name of the father... Just like all those other martyrs. The ultimate sacrifice.

Laurie was sat on the sofa, staring at the fire as Dom wrapped a bandage around her shoulder. Markus and Ed were stood near them, Markus had his leg up on the sofa as he leaned in, waving his hand in front of Laurie's face only for Dom to swat him away,

"Laurie" the men around her, around John, scattered, leaving them alone in the hall. John reached out to her as he got close, but she flinched away, he could just about understand the saddened, angry words that came next,

"If you'd just killed him. Ads would still be alive… If you weren't playing your stupid little games" it hurt to talk,

"Laurie, it is not that simple",

"It never is" she took a deep breath as she let her head hang, "Not with you; not with this place",

"Laurie" John sat down next to her, but she pushed up,

"Stop" there was a sob in her throat,

"Ads death was in the name of-" Laurie swung around, her hand out ready to slap him, but John caught it,

"Don't give me that shit. Just" she pulled her hand away from him and collapsed on to her knees. Her head hurt, the pain in her shoulder, it felt like she'd been shot forty times instead of one. She felt sorry for Tom...

At least she could say she'd tried though, right? She'd tried and all she'd got was nothing. What else was she supposed to do.

John knelt next to her and Laurie attempted to get up, she wanted to, but she stopped when he leant his forehead on hers. This fucking pull between them, this thing, she was doubting that it was even real anymore, that it was just something she wanted, hell, she had no fucking idea...

"I'm sorry" the words came out so smoothly, so sincerely, Laurie almost felt as if she choked for him,

"Are you, are you rea-" John shushed her, she swallowed back another sob, the anger. It was almost as if the wrath had given up as well. Laurie closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she let herself lean on him, but then...

"Joseph thinks it's best if you go to the mountains" Laurie flinched, she didn't know what she expected him to say, but it wasn't that. It was nothing like that. Her fingers grabbed at his collar, at his face,

"No, please" she sounded so pitiful, but she just couldn't believe it. John closed his eyes, felt her hand trail down the side of his cheek, her fingers pull at his coats collar, he took a deep breath, taking it in before he opened his eyes again. Laurie so wanted him to say no,

"I think…" Laurie trailed her fingers down his neck, just like he'd done to her so many times before, she was sure she even saw him flinch, just a little, that small intake of breath, but it wasn't changing his mind - "I think he's right".

Laurie wasn't safe here. The deputy was on his last nerve, he couldn't stop it. Couldn't stop the path he was tumbling down. Could he… John put his head back, whatever happened, it would all be over soon. And Laurie, Laurie couldn't be there to see it.

"John, no" the desperation in her voice made her look back at her, and he knew what was about to happen, but just like before, he let it, savouring the feeling as she kissed him again. His hand came around the back of her head, his fingers eased themselves in to her hair. Laurie stopped, their noses touching for a moment before John kissed her back. He felt her heart do a thud inside of her chest as she grabbed for the back of his head, a mixture of shock, of sadness, of anger all coming out in one full swoop before he stopped, moving his mouth away, leaving her hanging again. John was silent for a moment, figuring out the words in his head before he looked at her again,

"This is why you have to go",

"John… please, I can…" Laurie let her hand fall from where it rested on his shoulder, the other still in his hair. She could stop it. All of it. For him.

"I know, but I can't" John said quietly. And he couldn't. Not anymore. He couldn't trust himself. It didn't matter if it was more than lust, or more than a need to be satisfied. He needed to give what he had of himself to the project, otherwise, he'd have nothing to give her once this was all done.

"John, you don't have to",

"I do",

"No, you don't, you don't need-",

"It won't be for long" he leant his forehead on hers again and he felt the whole weight of her lean on to him, as if she'd given up,

"If you go after him, you won't come back from it",

"Laurie, it's my purpose",

"To die" she pushed away from him, "No… You're wrong. Joseph is wrong", she knew it then, knew the path that Joseph wanted John to lead would end up with him dead, with them all dead, at the hands of the Deputy no less – whether Joseph knew it or not.

"Everything is happening the way it should",

"Really" Laurie asked. Everything was so fucked up. "I don't want you to die",

"I won't" even he didn't sound convinced, but he didn't sound scared either, which only made it hurt more,

"If you play the game, you will",

"No more games. I promise",

"John" she didn't believe him, she couldn't. Laurie took a deep breath and let hear head fall to his shoulder, "I love you John". He didn't move, didn't flinch, she almost thought he hadn't heard her – perhaps it was best he didn't, but then she felt his hand go through her hair, felt him move his head so he could say in to her ear,

"Now, now my little sheep. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves". Laurie almost wanted to laugh, but a sob escaped instead. John pulled her forehead to his again, shushing her quietly as he glanced over to the door, to Dom, "Laurie, you need to go", he felt her shake her head, the last ditch attempt to change his mind, "It won't be for long. We'll be back in the air before you know it" Laurie grabbed at his coat, stroked the small little aeroplanes.

Dom was stood behind her then, passing something to John. Laurie looked at the small pouch, even watched as he poured the white bit of powder in to his hands. Then, she watched as he blew it in to her face. She knew it was the bliss, knew by the little white flutters that surrounded her before she blacked out. Laurie said something inaudible, something she wouldn't even remember when she woke up and John picked her up in his arms as he stood up.

Dom took a few tentative steps towards them,

"She'll never forgive you if you die John" Dom said quietly, "Maybe this is-" John stopped him,

"If God wills it" Dom took a deep breath. He was gonna die anyway, might as well push it, right?

"No John" he stood in front of him, "You've heard that message as many times as I have, probably more" John looked over to the table where the answering machine sat, "Joseph said you need to let love-",

"Joseph told me to send her to the mountains" he didn't deny it, and that made Dom realise how far in to it he already was,

"Josephs wrong. He's wrong on this John". Dom expected something more than what he got, maybe the word traitor thrown around a little, but all John could say was -

"She'll be safe up there…".

But then, John also thought she was safer down here, but he couldn't hide what was about to happen. The things that were going to go down. She couldn't be there for any of them. Couldn't see what he was, what he could be. This way, he could leave her with some sort of memory that wasn't plagued by the collapse.

This was him not being selfish, this was his sacrifice and fuck, he hoped it was worth it. Hoped it was enough.

Maybe it was about time he started thinking about his next meeting with the Deputy. Maybe it was time he showed some mercy, just like Laurie did.

Or maybe he shouldn't doubt his brother and keep the promise he made to him all those years before...

Hi guys! Thanks for reading! Act Three has officially started and for the next chapter, maybe two, we're gonna stay with Johnny boy!