When Genji, Angela, and Hanzo had gone, Jesse returned to his drinking but somewhat slowed. The music was little more than hushed whispers, the patrons slowly getting up and leaving with staggering steps as he sipped away at the glass in his hand, paying little attention to the world around him. Wordlessly, he was struggling. To tell Sarah or not? He tilted the glass to one side and watched how the soft light changed the darkness of the liquid with the tilt.
If I do, we'll finally be reunited. True.
He tilted it the other way and watched the liquid slide and change with his thoughts.
But if I do, then Reaper could find her. He'll aim for her like an Achilles' heel…I'll put her in danger. She could get killed. Seems just like him, the twisted bastard.
Jesse sighed heavily, tilting the glass to himself, the liquor threatening to spill onto the bar; kissing the rim of the glass.
I could try and protect her, but what kinda life would it be to get her killed—or to see her happy and die. She'd blame herself if I kicked the bucket. I wouldn't want her to go through the rest of her life thinking she got me killed…not when she already thinks I'm dead.
Jesse sighed heavily and took the shot before putting the glass on the wooden bar before crossing his arms and nestling his head into them like a pillow. The lights on the bottles made them shine dully but were fuzzy to Jesse's eyes as she slowly closed.
When Jesse's eyes opened, he was laying alone, curled up on his side in a large bed with an old quilt wrapped around him. He felt around the bed and felt the faint leftover warmth of a second body; something inside him registered that it had been Rosa laying beside him when he fell asleep—then it caused him to panic. Where was she?
Jesse rolled over the other direction, throwing himself to his feet and stood up, the quilt falling to the floor as he stumbled around the corner of the bed; looking out the window frantically. He could hear voices then, soft and muttering like they didn't want to be overheard. Jesse strained, he could vaguely tell it was Gabriel speaking but to who was still unknown as he jogged through the doorway and turned into the kitchen.
Gabriel was standing at the end of the table with a map spread out on its surface. Jack was on one side and Ana on the other, Genji to one far corner with his arms crossed. No one looked up at first, to busy speaking softly and observing the map. Gabe was laying out a plan when Jesse interrupted.
"Where are the girls?" The adults looked up, seeming surprised that Jesse was awake. When no one answered right away, he repeated himself. "The bed is still warm," He pointed back into the other room, "Where is she? And Ami?"
"They were hungry, Jack took them into town to get some food, and they wanted to do a little shopping…" Ana explained, giving him a gentle-mother like smile. "Don't fret Jesse, she is safe."
"She wouldn't leave your side," Genji said with a hint of jealousy. "You were out for two whole days."
"She's very…" Jack searched for the word, rubbing his mouth to hide a smile. "Diligent. She put on your medicine for your cuts and burns. Haven't you noticed?" He put his knuckles against his head and propped up his head as he nodded to Jesse's chest. Jesse looked down at his arms and stomach to see most of the light cuts and burns had healed—almost as if they hadn't happened. "She listened to Ana and put the medkit to use. You should be good as new."
"Other than the large cut," Gabe pointed out as Jesse took note of the somewhat large slice down his forearm where he had removed a piece of glass in a hurry. "They're going to their hotel this afternoon. We're moving in on the Lobo job tonight, those trackers you set worked like a charm cowpoke." He gave a curt nod. "You just stay put here in the cabin until the jobs done."
"Which hotel are they staying at?" Jesse asked, going to stand by the table and look at the map. Figures in the shape of soldiers were placed around where the warehouse would be.
"Santana's," Ana answered, "They mentioned something about going home soon."
"Tomorrow," Genji added as he left the room.
"Tomorrow?!" Jesse barked at him, "What do you mean tomorrow!" Jesse could feel his heart picking up in speed.
"I took the boy to the local police station and had him shipped back home, there is a restraining order in the works in their town, but the girls need to go in and sign some papers to get it into effect. Their stay is almost over anyway," Jack explained, looking down at the map. "I'd say by…" He shook his head gently, "Noon tomorrow—everyone will be packed up and on their way home. The girls, and us, Jesse. The job will be done, and it'll be time to go back to Switzerland."
"But!" Jesse tried to object, but Gabriel cut him short.
"No buts McCree. You knew what this was before you got it started. Downtime only. And your downtime is up." Jesse pressed his lips into a line, trying his best not to argue. He had told Gabe that he understood, and that work came first. Yet here was an instance where Jesse wanted to put that part of his life aside so he could see her again. Jesse thought he saw a bit of sympathy in the Blackwatch Commander as he turned away and put his hands on the sink. "If all goes well….maybe…" Jesse gripped the door, stopping himself as he had turned to leave. "You can see her off—once our end of the job is done." He raised a finger, "But ONLY if I say so—I mean it brat." Jesse didn't say thank you or even turn to look Gabe's way. He stormed back into the main room of the cabin and grabbed the small clock that he'd brought with him and saw that it was nearly six in the afternoon. It would be a few hours before everyone left, so Jesse set the alarm for nine, and went back to bed.
When the alarm blared, it was dark in the cabin. Jesse had only been half asleep—aware of everything that was going on around him as he rested. Gabe had ordered everyone to pack up and leave no trace of their stay—Ana had asked about Jesse and Jack had left a note telling him the same on the door in the form of a sticky note. He could hear the two vehicles leave—the darkened jeep and the black car that Ana had gotten sometime while Jesse had been asleep the first time. He got to his feet after shutting off the alarm and began gathering his things as Gabe had ordered, if he left anything behind then it would be there forever because Gabe wouldn't let him come back for it.
He grabbed his pack from under his bed and yanked it open to be surprised. His things were already packed away neatly and with care, Jesse took it all out and did a quick count—sure enough—every piece of clothing aside from the shirt he lost in the fire, was accounted for; rolled into a neat fold along with a pair of pants, underwear and his vest. He thought back, he hadn't heard anyone say anything about packing away his things.
As he was putting them back in the way he had found them he realized—the fold wasn't the military style he and the others had been taught, this was different. He left out a shirt and pulled it over his head, noting how soft and fresh smelling it was, despite the shirt being unworn and stuffed in a bag. When the bag was filled, he kneeled by the bed and grabbed his holster where Peacekeeper was sitting in waiting under it, as it cleared the bed, his hat appeared.
I put your hat and vest in with my things.
He heard her voice in the back of his mind, and his heart swelled, it had been her who had put his things away. She busied herself by taking care of him while he was out. Cleaning and putting away his clothes, tending to his wounds, tucking him in to keep him warm—staying by his side. He picked up his hat and kissed the rim before putting it on his head and standing. He glanced around the room and made sure nothing was left behind before walking around the cabin to double check that no one else had left any orders behind for him.
When he had made his round, put his bag on the bed and left, heading for the hotel. It was dark out, the stars starting to dot the sky with their light, the moon full and bright like a sole spectator as Jesse kept to the wooded parts of the road—the last thing he needed was for Lobo, or Gabe, to find him out wandering around at night. The sounds of summer made the travel a little more relaxed, there were cicadas singing, music was playing from somewhere unseen and a train horn blaring out in the woods.
He snuck around the back of the hotel rooms, peeking around the corner as he heard two female voices speaking above him. He looked up and caught sight of Ami with her bright blue hair pulled up into a ponytail and Rosa standing beside her, smiling as Ami laughed at something. He grinned and winked up at the moon, someone was watching out for them. Ami said something and left Rosa standing alone against the railing as she looked out over the field toward the tree. He waited, watching her for a bit before he whistled a low country tune that caught her attention. She looked around on the same level before scanning the ground with a confused look, Jesse walked around the corner, still whistling before finishing up the tune with a wolf whistle.
Rosa broke into a shy smile, her face flushing with blush as she shook her head, crossing her arms and leaning on them as Jesse put his hands in his back pockets and smiled up at her. They stayed silent and just watched one another until Jesse jerked his head behind the hotel, he watched her look over her shoulder and back at him. He put a finger to his lips and winked before making a 'come here' motion and turning toward the way he came. She gave one more look before nodding at him and pointing to the stairs behind her, then she disappeared. He didn't have to wait long for her to come jogging around the corner, and she didn't hesitate to take his outstretched hand—nor did she ask any questions when he lead her around the back and toward the sleepy part of downtown.
Shops were still open; the streets were lit with lanterns that had been left up from the last holiday. They spoke in whispers as they walked, fingers interlaced as Jesse took her on his own personal tour. They came to a large, decorative fountain in the shape of a large vase with three precisely placed holes in the bottom half of the stone carving. The cool water made a comfortable mist where Jesse sat her down on the fountains edge and felt his heart sink a little. She was grinning from ear to ear, and her face had stayed flushed pink since he called her down.
"Where are we?" She asked, looking around and taking in the sights, "Its beautiful."
"My favorite little place," Jesse explained, "It's right in the middle a' downtown. Lots of pretty shops, ma' n 'pa places you know? Family owned…" He nodded around to a few where the lights were still on, "Got beautiful stuff here, and it's a beautiful place." He squeezed her hand as he sat down beside her, his knee resting against her bare leg from the shorts she was wearing, "You…headin' out tomorrow?"
"Yeah," The smile faltered, it was sad now rather than blissfully happy. "We have to…uh…"
"Yeah, for the jackass." Jesse nodded and looked down, "Heard Gabe talkin about it…Rosa, we're headin' out tomorrow too. I'm going back home."
"Oh, your job is done?" She seemed happy, but Jesse tilted his head to the side.
"Their wrappin' it up now." He peeked up around his hat and smiled at her. "I w—needed to come see ya 'gin for we took off…" He took out his phone and waved it gently. "Not gonna work in Switzerland and I dunno when I'll be getting another…so I thought I could bring you here and we could uh…tell our real names so, you know…" He dipped his head again, feeling his cheeks and ears heat up in embarrassment. He wasn't used to not having a line ready in waiting for a situation, and the finality of the moment was clouding his wit.
"Cowboy~" A voice called loudly, sending a cold wave of panic through Jesse, making him jerk his head up and scan the surroundings quickly. He knew that voice, and the tone was not a friendly one. "Where are you, pendejo~?"
"Fuck. Me." Jesse hissed, jumping to his feet and scanning again, he couldn't see the speaker, but he could tell they were getting closer. "C'mon!" He pulled on her hand and ran to the first open shop he could find. It was a clothing shop, hand-made clothes in different styles lined the walls and souvenirs on round racks across the floor. He took her into one corner by a mirror for customers to look at themselves in, hearing the voice call back out for Jesse to show himself.
"Thief whats wrong? Your pale as a sheet!" Rosa turned to look over Jesse's shoulder, but he grabbed her head and made her look him in the eyes, shushing her into silence.
"Someone's lookin' for me. Real bad dude sweetheart okay, I can't let him know you're with me, or he'll hurt you to get at me, get it?" He swallowed hard, looking down at her feet before looking back up at her as the voice called again. "He's from that job…I did…I guess things didn't go over well…" He gave a dry, dark laugh and then looked up at the ceiling to blink back a rush of tears born of gut-wrenching fear and anxiety. He looked back down at her and gave her a hard look. "Things are gonna get loud, and hairy. Best you stay put, you hear?" It was small, barely noticeable but she nodded.
Jesse tilted her head down and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her tight. He took in a deep breath and scanned the room through the mirror, there were a few gang members run past the open door and reflected in the glass.
"Your hearts pounding." He heard her say into his chest, "I can feel it." He felt her wiggle her head free as she looked up at him, "Please tell me you're going to be alright?" He felt her wrap her arms around him and give him a squeeze in return, "You've…been in worse right?" She sounded so hopeful and Jesse wished he could reassure her, but the truth of the matter was that he was pretty far up shit creek and without a paddle.
"Absolutely." He lied, forcing a grin. "Look," He grabbed a hat off a peg and held it up to her. "How 'bout we get you, your own hat hm?" He put the cowboy style hat on her head and pressed it down so it was secure. "So I can find ya when I'm done?" He winked and turned her around so she looked into the mirror. "There, now ain't you a purty southern rose?" He primped her hair so it laid neatly around her shoulders and wrapped his hands around her waist, putting his chin on her shoulder. "Beautiful."
"You're leaving?" She asked, sounding scared as she looked at him in the mirror, putting her hands over his.
"Just for a bit darlin'," Jesse told her, swaying a little to the music that he realized was drifting in through some hidden speakers. "I get this done, I come get ya, and we'll go dancin' what you say? One last dance with your thief before we part?"
"COWBOY!" The voice bellowed angrily, a gunshot rang out from nearby, and it made Rosa jump in Jesse's arms. "WHERE ARE YOU!"
"Don't you worry sugar," Jesse whispered in her ear as he eased up his hold on her and tipped the hat down over her eyes. "Just stay right here, don't leave this shop until I come back hear? I'll let you know its safe. I'll give ya a code word, if I don't say that word-it ain't safe. Repeat it back." He ordered as he kept his hand on the hat and took one step away from her.
"You're going to give me a word, if I don't hear you say it, then it's not safe. I stay here, you're going out there to—" Gunshots made Rosa bite her lip and tense up. "And when…" Her voice was shaking with fear, "you get back…we're going dancing."
"That's right darlin." Jesse took another step back, "We'll go dancing."
"Thief?" Jesse stopped in the middle of the shop, he cringed at the fear and desperation in her voice. It was a plea to not leave, a cry for help and safety. He swallowed the lump in his throat and asked her what. A few seconds passed before she asked, "Whats the word?"
Jesse took a few more steps, pulling Peacekeeper from its holster and checking to make sure he was fully loaded. He closed it and took another step toward the door, thinking hard about what he was going to do once he got outside the shop. He had to lead him away from the shop—no doubt shots would get fired, he couldn't risk one going through a wall and hurting her.
"You'll know it darlin'," He took in a deep breath and held up Peacekeeper in a ready to fire position, he looked back over his shoulder, and he could feel his lips move, but he couldn't hear what he said. Someone was shaking him and saying his name over and over in his ear.
"McCree! Yo McCree!"
Jesse lifted his head and peeled his eyes open slowly, giving an annoyed 'huh' as he looked up into the face of a young woman.
"You know how Tiny feels about you sleepin' in her bar McCree." The girl smiled, "You might be the only one she likes of her regulars, but she doesn't need a drunk old man running off her business. You ain't gotta go home, but if you wanna stay; you gotta stay awake."
"Time is it Honey?" He asked, rubbing his face before eyeing the girl's nametag on her shirt, he couldn't read it, but the curls around it was easily recognizable in the drunken haze of sleep.
"Early," She snickered, "I let you snooze for a while now, you seemed pretty…I dunno. Down? Ain't like you cowboy. Somethin on your mind?" The girl was a honey blonde color, thus the fake name: Honey. But it suited her. She smiled sweetly as Jesse picked up the bottle—realized it was empty and groaned.
"Lot's o shit." He sighed and propped his head up, "how early is early?"
"Seven am?" She looked over her shoulder and read the clock that was still to fuzzy for Jesse to make out. "What's 'lots o shit'?" When Jesse grunted and fumbled for a cigar and his lighter she rolled her eyes and took a paper from the counter and put it in front of him. "Looks like your thing, thought I'd tell you, was a young girl in here earlier. I think she liked you." Jesse paused as he pulled out a box of matches since he couldn't find his lighter and cocked a bushy brow. "brown color hair…green eyes…kinda hot." She shrugged as Jesse's cigar tipped down and his eyes floated across the top of the bar, trying to wrack his brain. "Anyway she dropped this off and said if anyone was interested," Honey tapped the paper and it pulled Jesse's eyes back to it. "And she said that while looking at your drooling, drunken ass, to show 'em that."
Jesse lit the cigar and took a few puffs before rubbing his eyes and blinking down at the paper. He recognized the writing on the paper 'The One That Got Away.' Jesse groaned again and flipped the paper upside down and slid it back, shaking his head.
"Really~" Honey chuckled, sounding like she didn't believe him. "Sounds to me like there's someone there you'd rather not see." Jesse put his cigar in an ashtray she provided and propped his head up again, taking in a deep breath as Honey turned her back and filled a clean glass with water. When she put it down for Jesse to take she picked up the flier and looked at it. "This was the girl you know," She said, tapping the picture of Clover. "You robbing the cradle old man?"
"No," Jesse groaned, "I know her….Mom." It felt weird to call Ami 'mom' let alone, call himself a friend of someone's mother. "And her aunt…I guess you could call her, I mean…that's what she calls her…" He waved his hand and took the glass from the bar and guzzled it quickly. Honey's fair brows raised slowly and nodded, her full lips puckering up.
"So is it the mom? Or the Aunt? Your tryin' to avoid? Do they think your trying to…" She smirked as Jesse looked away at the word 'aunt'. "Ah, they always say the aunt's are the crazy ones." She laughed as Jesse inhaled and then groaned loud and long, slowly sinking down until he laid his head on the bar, one hand holding the now empty glass and the other his cigar. "Is she that bad? What did you do to piss her off?"
"I didn't….well…its complicated." Jesse tilted his head up and sighed heavily as he looked at the bottles on display behind Honey. "Honey if you got somebody you love, don't ever promise 'em anything about the future—you hear me?"
"Promised something you didn't deliver?" The blonde laughed.
"Yeah." Jesse lifted his metal arm, "I uh…got messed up and couldn't follow through on a promise. Then we got separated and I ain't seen her in like…twenty years."
"And this is the aunt?" Honey asked, her brows lifting in surprise, "Twenty years…you'd been a teen then or a younger adult yeah?" Jesse nodded once, taking more draws of his cigar. "Wow, a teen fling back in town and I'm guessing you're avoiding the aunt to avoid confrontation?" Jesse shook his head.
"Wish it was that simple, she's already seen me. She told me about that show," Jesse pointed to the paper, "She doesn't know who I am."
"Everyone's heard of Jesse McCree, the outlaw, that's why we aren't allowed to post bounties in here. It'd put a huge target on your back, and Tiny don't want her favorite drinker shooting up the bar when the only shots he should be taking are from a paid glass."
"We never exchanged names as teens," Jesse explained as he exhaled a large cloud of grey smoke. "So while she knows 'Jesse McCree' is a criminal," He shrugged. "She might not realize her long-lost Thief is the same criminal."
"Thief a nickname?" Honey asked, taking the glass and turning to refill it.
"Yeah, and she was my Southern Rose…Rosa…" Jesse murmured. "I had just decided to tell her today when I found out a…enemy of mine is nearby…ain't safe to tell her now…and I might not get a second chance…"
"Then you should tell her." Honey said simply, putting the glass down by Jesse's hand and leaning on the bar. "What if your enemy already knows who she is—could be more dangerous if they think she's hiding you somewhere. They could kill her for not cooperating." Jesse froze and his eyes widened, he hadn't thought of that possibility. If Reaper had located Rosa first, and recognized her or overheard her talking to anyone—like Jesse was doing now? He stood up quickly and tipped over the stool clumsily before bending down and setting it upright.
"Gimme that flier," Jesse demanded as he smashed out his cigar and grabbed the glass of water, chugging it to help clear his head before snatching the flier from Honey's hand and making for the door.