Day Eleven: You lost it. Well, we lost it.

Characters/Pairings: Jake/Rose; Lao Shi; Huntsman

Rating: T

Content warnings: family violence; verbal abuse

Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!

~TLL~

"Jake, please." Rose was hyperventilating. "He's going to kill me if I don't come back with this."

Jake looked away from her, down at the tome that they each had two hands on, ready to pull it from the other's grasp. Somewhere in this New York skyscraper were Gramps and the Huntsman and that just added to the pressure. They had precious few seconds to decide who was going to get away with the magical book.

"I can't just let the Huntsclan have this," Jake insisted. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"Please," Rose begged and it looked like tears were building in her eyes. "I've been failing too many missions recently and the Huntsman is starting to think I'm a liability and he does not keep liabilities around."

Jake shook his head but he could feel his resolve breaking.

"I've been failing all of those missions to help you," Rose reminded him. "I need this."

But, so did Fu. And Fu had been very clear just how dangerous this book would be in the hands of anyone, let alone the Huntsclan. It really could be their destruction.

"The next one, I promise," Jake said, but he didn't know if that could ever be entirely true. He had an entire people to protect and she was part of the organization that were trying to hurt them.

"I can't wait for the next one."

Rose pushed on the book and Jake stumbled backward in surprise. The second he was off balance, she tucked it under her arm and spun around, right into the face of Gramps. Rose didn't hesitate, swinging her Huntstaff wide.

"Out of the way, dragon," she ordered but Gramps didn't move.

Jake regained his footing to sneak up behind her. He knew that she would rather take her chances and fight him because Gramps didn't care about what she had done as a double agent; Gramps just cared that she still wore the mask. Gramps would hurt her and not care that he had done it. Rose seemed to sense his presence, turning so that she had both of them in her line of sight. Gramps wasn't in the mood to play games and he launched himself at her, breathing fire as he went. Rose was fighting one handed but she was still a formidable opponent.

"JAKE! Get in here!" Gramps shrieked.

Jake didn't know how. There was little room to move in on the battle between Gramps and Rose. Rose would gain a few steps and then Gramps would reclaim them. She finally made a misstep and Jake took the opportunity to catch her around the ankle with his tail. After all, he couldn't let Gramps think that he was going easy on her either. Rose hit the floor with a thud but didn't take the time to be winded, immediately trying to scrabble toward the door. Gramps lunged to be in her way but the door flew open a second before he could, revealing the Huntsman on the other side.

The Huntsman didn't hesitate. He drove his Huntstaff into Gramps' shoulder, sending Gramps flying into Jake. He grabbed Rose's hand, checked that she had the magical tome and, then, in a flash, they were gone.

Jake transformed into a human, finding it easier to untangle himself from Gramps when he didn't have a tail. He rubbed his head where it had hit the wall and stared at the place that Rose had vanished, cursing her for taking the book. He knew that she had to protect herself but she had no idea how much that Jake had to protect himself too. Not that Gramps would ever kill the American Dragon like the Huntsman would kill a Huntsgirl but when Jake knew he was going to get it, and get it bad, he wondered if there would ever come a day when Gramps lost his temper a little too much.

Gramps turned on Jake, rage in his eyes. "YOU LOST IT!"

"Well, we lost it," Jake squeaked, crab-walking backwards, even though he knew there was no way that he was getting out of this room.

"It was your responsibility."

Jake fought the urge to transform and fight back when Gramps' dragon paw landed the first blow on his chest, causing Jake to fall backwards. Gramps grabbed him by his hair, dragging him to his feet, just to punch him in the stomach again. Jake doubled over and Gramps tail whipped him in the ass so hard that Jake fell on his face, unable to catch himself properly. Jake winced and not just because he had whacked his cheekbone; Gramps was going to be so much more pissed now that Jake had a visible bruise.

"You're a failure!" Gramps shouted. "You should have been able to take her!"

"I know," Jake said to the ground trying to brace himself as Gramps' tail came down on him again and again.

"You should be better! Haley could have done this in her sleep! You were trained better than this and for what? Nothing!"

Sometimes, the words hurt more than the physical beatings.

"You are worthless as a dragon and as a grandson!"

Gramps flipped Jake over and grabbed him by the neck, backing him up against the wall. Jake tried not to struggle or cry. Struggling was weakness. Crying was weakness. He had to be a man. He had to shut up and take it because this was how Gramps made him better. Black spots started to appear in Jake's vision and he clenched his hands into fists until his nails forced his palms to bleed.

Gramps dropped Jake. "Get out of my sight."

Gladly.

Jake fled from the room, trying not to think about how Gramps would think that he was a coward for how fast he was moving. He ran out of the building and then transformed into a dragon, flying as fast and as high as he possibly could. In the air, where Gramps would have no idea where he was going, was where Jake was safest.

And Jake needed to be safe.