by Ruby Forrest
He moved through the bushes, Maria keeping her distance. He had asked her to stay back and out of sight and she planned to keep to that. After all, the guy they were trying to find did not need a second target, did not need to try and hurt her and distract Jack- Dean. She needed to be focused and he needed to have no one else to attack other than Jack- Dean, if it came to that. Besides, that would give Maria the element of surprise if she needed it and she welcomed that without hesitation welcomed the idea of ending him if it came to it.
Jack- Dean took a step forward, emerging from the clearing. Then she heard it.
"Jack- Dean, great of you to join me. I was worried that you would not be coming."
Chapter 9
Maria felt her whole body tense up at the sound of the voice coming from in front. She crouched down, trying her best to hide herself. She did not know if it would work, or if he could smell her, but she was doing her best to stay hidden, just as they had agreed on. Anything that made it harder on him was a definite win. But Maria hadn't expect this, hadn't expected to hear those words leave his mouth.
She had expected a bear and she had gotten a man. Maria swallowed and stared through the leaves and the plants, feeling worry ache inside of her chest. Jack- Dean was just there, so close and she was fearful for his safety. She gripped the tazer hard and deep, taking it all in with eyes that focused through the gaps and cracks of nature.
Her eyes fell on him and her breath caught in her throat. He was a big man. As big as Jack- Dean or even more so. His hair was dark, salt and pepper painted on at the corners, with facial hair dusting across his jawline. He wore dark clothes and his arms were folded over his chest. He was sitting and there was something incredibly confident about him, incredibly sure of himself.
He knew that he was going to win, and he wasn’t afraid to play with his food first. Maria shivered, her eyes flicking to Jack- Dean. He looked just as calm as the man in front, and he lowered his arms, adopting a relaxed stance, a non-threatening one.
"I just want to talk."
The man smiled, "Yes, like you talked before."
Jack- Dean frowned, darkness in his eyes, "You were attacking a human."
"Yes. Not you. You should have stayed out of it." The way he said it was so confident, so matter of fact that Maria felt anger rise inside of her. He did not care. He felt like it was his right to attack humans, and that Jack- Dean was the one at fault. He was a monster.
She itched to move forward, but she bit her tongue and repeated the plan to herself.
"Jack- Dean, Jack- Dean, you just do not get it..." His done was mocking, dark and Maria felt herself bristle.
"Who are you anyway?" Jack- Dean asked, his voice cool.
"Troy." He answered, shortly, "The one who gives a damn about shifters, and wants them to take their rightful places instead of being used and abused and treated like crap by humans. Instead of having to hide and cower in fear, pretend we do not exist and go about living a life with no freedom." He laughed, "Not only that but humans, seriously?" He shook his head, "They're worthless. Nothing to them, nothing more than their sad lived and sadder bodies. What does it matter if a few get hurt while we reclaim what is rightfully ours? What does it matter, Jack- Dean?"
Jack- Dean seemed to be struggling to control himself. He twisted his hands into tight fists and shook his head, "You do not get it, Troy. There is so much more to humans, to the balance of the world, and you do not see it. We're not here to rule, to hunt and hurt innocents. We're here to help and protect and to keep to ourselves. We must all live in balance and with respect." He sighed, "I know many humans who do not understand this, many humans who, too, have plenty to learn." He shook his head, "But we are here to help teach and guide, and eventually, we will get what we are searching for. We will get peace and a world where we can live together. That time will come, Troy. But killing humans is not the way to get there. Killing fellow shifters who do not agree with you...that is not the way to go. Violence is not the way to go."
There was passion in Jack- Dean's voice, a focus that Maria had not hear before. He believed in what he was saying, truly believed in what he was saying and doing. He wanted to make a difference and Maria found that, suddenly, she could not be prouder of him. It could not be easy hiding and trying to help people at the same time.
Suddenly, she was angry at anyone who had ever said he was cold or distant or unapproachable. He was doing everything he could to help, everything he could to fix things and he deserved respect and patience and care for it.
Troy stood up slowly, rising to his feet. The smile was gone from his face, "Seems like there is no reasoning with you, Jack- Dean." He shook his head, "Pity. You could have been useful. You could have made a difference in this fight. You could have saved many shifters."
"Same goes for you." Jack- Dean shifted, "Last chance. We do not have to fight. We can both walk away from this."
Troy just smiled. He didn’t give Jack- Dean another moment to decide, another moment to say a word.
He leapt at him with a roar, an almighty sound that cut through the air like a knife that boomed through the ground like a cannon. Maria bit her lip and tried not to scream, tried not to make a sound. She shuddered as the sound echoed around her and she crouched down further, trying to stop him from seeing her.
Jack- Dean grunted as he was slammed to the ground. He braced himself, pushing against Troy and trying to regain his footing. Troy had not changed get, but she could see traces of it starting to show, the huge fangs that elongated from his mouth, the way his hands seemed like paws, clawing and gripping and ripping at Jack- Dean and his clothes. With an almighty shout, Jack- Dean pushed troy off him and sent him sprawling to the ground. He leapt up quickly, moving in a way that spoke of years of practice, years of fighting, even if it was just in a friendly way. It didn’t matter, did not matte, all the mattered was the fact that Alex was fighting and he was fighting well. He was hitting back and Maria bit back a cheer, bit back a sound of excitement. The fear and excitement were coursing through her, burning in her veins and making her dizzy from the feeling. Jack- Dean could do it, she knew that he could.
Troy hit back, as vicious as ever and she saw the transformation in him coming on quickly, fueled by anger. She did not get a chance to see it happen to Jack- Dean. Before she knew what she was looking at Jack- Dean had transformed and he was slamming into Troy, slamming him with every inch of his body weight, every towering moment of strength, ever intense second. He hit Troy with everything that he had and then some, hit him with everything that he possessed and more. It was breathtaking. Maria was trying not to scream at the force, as Troy and Jack- Dean hit the ground together in a tangle, as they slammed into the ground and made the whole damn forest shake, made the whole forest tremble with the force, shudder with the strength. It was incredible and it was frightening and it was everything in between.
This fight was so important, this fight meant so much to so many people.
Maria couldn't believe that it would all be decided here, here in the middle of the woods, with no one ever knowing what it took to end all of this, all of the death that was happening in this forest, all of the hate that was leaking out, that would hit everyone around with the same death and pain.
Jack- Dean was giving it his all and she knew that so much was resting on him succeeding, so much was resting on him getting it right. But Troy was not about to back down. He roared as he was slammed into the ground, pushing himself back up, bucking so that Jack- Dean was thrown to the ground. Then Troy turned and sank his teeth into Jack- Dean's arms, burning him with the vicious fangs that Maria had seen, sinking his fangs all the way in until they must have hit bone. Jack- Dean howled and Maria could hear the pain in his voice, rolling off him in waves. Troy must have sensed it too, because he used the time to slam Jack- Dean down into the ground with a powerful thud. Maria squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the tazer so tight, willing him to just get back up! He needed to get back up so that he could win
this. He needed to get back up so that Troy wouldn't beat him, troy wouldn't win and send everything plunging into chaos. He needed to win this. Maria felt the ache of horror inside of her heart as Troy approached Jack- Dean, as he got closer and closer and closer. He was seconds away from him. Maria leapt up, gripping the tazer tightly, ready to charge in, and ready to do whatever it took. Then Jack- Dean pushed himself up, twisting so that he slammed Troy back into the ground. There was blood soaking his fur, dripping onto the ground, but Maria did not care. He was alive! They could deal with the rest later, as long as he was alive! She did not sit back down, tazer gripped tightly in her hand.
Maria hated violence and she hated killing, but she was deep in this now and if it meant keeping herself, the others and Jack- Dean safe, she would do what she needed to do, no hesitation, no reluctance. It was important and she was not about to let that slip away because of a moment of hesitation. No way. She was in this. She repeated it to herself over and over, trying to reassure herself that she was okay, that she was doing the right thing by staying back.
She felt the tension in her body peak, felt the insanity rise inside of her at the fight, at the aching fight in front of her that seemed to be the impossible, He was fighting so hard and she was just sitting on the sidelines! She tried to repeat her mantra again, to remind herself that she really needed to stay back, really needed to not do a damn thing until Jack- Dean needed her to, but she didn’t know if she could be that strong.
Jack- Dean roared and kicked, claws flailing in a way that was terrifying and amazing all at the same time. Troy was fighting back just as hard and she knew that this had become what Jack- Dean had feared it would, a fight to the death, a fight until the end, a fight where only one person would walk out alive and Maria could only pray that it would be Jack- Dean. She what do whatever she had to make sure that it was Jack- Dean that he lived through this.
She had never thought that her simple research trip would have taken her here, what should have been a simple academic study had turned into a horror show, love and lust, betrayal and bloodshed all twisting to make for something she never thought she would live through, never, ever thought that she would have to witness, could have witnessed. It was exhausting and she was frightened, frightened for Jack- Dean.
A roar brought her attention back to the fight, back to the agony in front of her, back to what was happening. Jack- Dean was pinned this time, and she panicked at the sight of Troy’s teeth around his neck. He was going to bite Jack- Dean, going to sink his teeth in and finish him off. Maria couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't let that happen.
She leapt up racing out from the bushes, not giving a damn about waiting and hiding, not anymore. Not caring about how much danger she had just put herself in by jumping into the fray, by racing in head first like this. She didn’t care. She flicked on the tazer, the electricity flicking and flickering in the air, crackling like a danger sign. Troy lifted his head, but it was too late. Maria leapt forward, jumping in and ramming the tazer straight into his side, into the sensitive flesh that lurked just beneath the fur. He roared, tumbling off Jack- Dean as his body seized up, shuddering and trembling with the force of the electricity running through him.
That was the only opening that Jack- Dean needed, the only moment that he needed to leap in and finish him.
He hauled himself up, grabbing Troy by the throat. Maria stepped back just as Jack- Dean ripped out his throat, a bite that was fierce and feral and dangerous. But there was no murder in Jack- Dean’s eyes, no hate, and no anger. There was only sadness, only a terrible regret at having to do this, only a terrible regret at having to inflict this kind of pain and, to Maria that made all of this difference that made all the difference in the world.
Jack- Dean pushed Troy’s body away, spitting blood. He looked at Maria, lingering for a moment, then he collapsed back. Maria raced to his side, to find that the bear was gone, leaving only Jack- Dean's battered body behind. His arm was torn to shreds and there was bleeding at his neck, bleeding that was terrifyingly bad. Maria felt real panic hit her, panic that was so much worse than her worries about the fight, so much worse than her worries about the animals, the bears, herself. This was different.
This was Jack- Dean bleeding out, miles away from any sort of help. This was Jack- Dean, passed out after he saved everyone, but there was no one who could save him. Horror pounding in her chest, Maria picked up the phone, fumbling for it from her pocket. She dialed the ranger station, her body pounding, her head aching at every second that passed.
"Hello?"
"Send help! Jack- Dean is bleeding out. Bear attack!" She screamed, "Trace my call, do whatever you have to. But get the paramedics, get a helicopter, get whoever you can. He's bleeding out and it is bad!"
Maria could hear the hysteria in her own voice. She threw the phone away, leaving it on so that the call could be traced. She tore off her shirt, leaving nothing but a slim undershirt on, and pressed it to his neck, trying to stem the bleeding. It was bleeding worse than his arm, but not by much. She checked his breathing, and was overwhelmed with relief that he was breathing at all, even if the gasps were weak and she did not know how long he could keep it up. At least he was breathing! It was the best that she could have hoped for and she was relieved, so relieved, that Jack- Dean still had a few moments, at least.
She prayed that help would hurry, prayed for his life, and held on as tight as she could as the panic swirled around her head.
"Jack- Dean, come on!" She whispered, "You can’t leave me, you can't. You've done it. You stopped him and everyone is going to be safe. I can't take credit for that. You have to be here, you have to live through this. You can't die."
Maria felt the agony rise and fall in her chest, "Jack- Dean, I love you!" She whispered, feeling the tears build in her eyes, "Jack- Dean, I love you so much. You can't die. You just can't. Please do not die, please do not leave me." She swallowed the agony in her chest as she heard the swirling blades of a helicopter, "I need you so much."
With shaking limbs, Maria pushed herself up, waving and jumping frantically. Only when she was sure that the helicopter had seen her, did she collapse beside him, her whole body shaking, "Jack- Dean, stay with me. Help is here. I love you, Jack- Dean, I love you"
Epilogue
Maria felt like she had been at the hospital forever. She couldn't remember when she had entered those doors and she felt like she would never leave. She knew that, in reality, it had probably only been a few days, but it felt like an eternity. It felt like forever since she had looked into Jack- Dean's eyes and seen him look back. IT felt like forever since she had seen Jack- Dean smile, seen Jack- Dean look at her and reach out for her hand. She shuddered, feeling grief twist in her heart like a knife. She hurt. She hurt so badly at the thought of never seeing him again, the thought that, maybe, just maybe, she had messed up beyond repair, maybe, just maybe, and she would be stuck without him forever.
She had been too distracted, she had moved too slowly, she had left him to fight on his own when she really should have been by his side. The thoughts went round and round in circles in her head, strong and insisting, causing the pain and pressure in her chest to feel unending, to feel like an ache that she would never, ever be able to shake. She just wanted him to wake up and open his eyes. She just wanted him to look at her and tell her that it was going to be okay, that everything was going to be okay. Sue wanted him to look at her again and hold her hand, tell her that he loved her too and that she was silly for worrying.
She wanted him to wake up. She wanted to feel his hand grabbing hers, to know that he was okay. She shut her eyes tightly and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. The doctors had done everything that they could. They had said that his healing was incredible and that he was lucky to survive an attack like that.
But he hadn’t woken up yet and Maria was starting to lose hope that he would pull through this. She was starting to think, more and more, that maybe he hadn’t been as l
ucky as everyone thought. Maybe there was more to it, maybe he wasn’t coming back from this.
But no matter what, Maria refused to leave his side, refused to leave him even for a moment. She did not care if it was hopeless, if it was pointless, if it meant nothing at all. She did not care. She had to be there for him, she had to stay by his side like he has stayed by her side, like he had pushed on and pushed on and never let her go, never let her get hurt. She had to keep fighting, because he had kept fighting. He had never given up and she shouldn't be giving up either, shouldn't be leaving him, abandoning him just because things were getting hard, just because it did not look like things would turn around, just because it did not look like things would be better any time soon. She needed to stay with him no matter what, because she cared about him, cared about him more as each day went on. She hadn't realized how much she cared about him until he wasn’t there anymore, not really, she hadn’t realized, until she almost lost him that he meant the world to her, that he was important in her life, important in ways that she had never anticipated.
Maria swallowed and leaned back. Her father would be here tomorrow. He had promised to fly in as soon as he could. He had released to Maria that Jack- Dean was an old friend from time serving in the army. That had made a lot of sense to Maria, with the way that Jack- Dean had fought, strategies he had, the way he had made places to hide away an the way he was able to get up even after a near-fatal blow. Military training and a naturally great fighter’s body had been a strong combination.
And yet, he had chosen to help people, to protect and educate and do his best to talk before fighting, work it through. He was a good man, a very good man and she was so lucky to have been with him.
"Maria?" The voice that whispered her name was quiet, barely a breath in the wind, barely a murmur. She looked down, her heart skipping a beat, not daring to believe it, not daring to hope.
