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Chapter Text

LOU

Lou rubbed her gloved hands together and looked out over Silver Lake's misty waters. Fish jumped, creating ripples in the otherwise peaceful waters. The morning was cold, and the usually pink and purple sky was a dull but light gray. Her line wasn't in the water today, but she stood at the shore nonetheless. Her radio crackled, reminding her that her patrol started soon. As she made her way to the squad car, she caught sight of the Whitetails and smiled to herself. She whistled for Fenrir, a ways down the little rocky beach. He looked even bigger from where she stood, like a great black shadow. He was a terrifying beast of a dog, but a happy one. He wagged his tail as he approached and she let him back into the cabin. His black fur looked extra shiny in the morning light, and she was reminded of when she first saw him. 

She had seen a post about how Fenrir, the wolf malamute hybrid, was going to be put down in two day's time if he wasn't adopted. She had spent a good deal of her childhood at the Milwaukee Zoo with her zookeeper mom, and got to know her mom's wolves like they were her own siblings. As a result, she felt obligated to help him. And like every wolf she'd ever met, he was much bigger than she'd anticipated. But also much gentler. In a year's time she'd never seen him growl. He was her constant companion now, except at work. She gave him a last scritch before climbing into her squad car and heading into the Whitetails.

The car radio crackled. "Hey Miller, you on the road yet?" Pratt's voice sounded rougher than usual. 

"Just crossed the bridge...why, you need me to take part of your side?" She teased. Her partner was silent for a moment. 

"Yeah...I...shit. I let Drubman and Boshaw talk me into a drinking contest last night." She laughed out loud at this. "Don't ask me how it happened, I swear I don't remember. But if Hudson finds out I'm running late she'll never let me hear the end of it." 

"Yeah, I've got it. But you owe me one." She said. 

"You're a lifesaver." He fizzled out and she turned toward his part of the Whitetails. Hudson and Rook had Holland Valley today and the Sheriff himself was in the Henbane area. 

Things were very quiet all morning and into the afternoon until she neared the Whitetail Park Visitor Center. A young woman with dark hair walked along the road barefoot and in a daze. She wore a long dress with the Eden's gate symbol sprayed on it near her hip. She slowed and rolled down her window. 

"Excuse me, Miss? Are you lost?"

The young woman turned her head towards her. 

"I'm not lost anymore. I know the Father and I am found." She said dreamily.

"Well that's... that's great. Listen, it's awfully cold this morning to be out without shoes on. Is there somewhere I can give you a ride to?" The woman said nothing so she continued. "Where are you headed? Back to the Father? I can take you to Eden's Gate Compound." She offered. 

"Oh, yes!" She said, and climbed into the passenger seat. Lou cranked the heat. 

"What's your name?" she asked the girl. 

"Maisie." She said.

"Ok, well, you hungry Maisie? We can pick up some food on the way. My treat." Lou said. Maisie's eyes were red rimmed and she looked pale and thin. It looked like she was coming down off something. Lou didn't necessarily want to give her back to Eden's Gate, but she couldn't send the girl to a treatment center without her permission and no evidence. Still, she could get her some food and some warmer clothes. She stopped by a gas station on the way back to the compound and brought her a gas station chicken sandwich, a fry basket, and a sprite. She gave her socks, shoes, and a sweater from her gym bag as well. 

Maisie happily munched on the food, wrapped up in the warmer clothes. Lou dug out a card and gave it to her as well. 

"Listen...if you ever need anything, you can call me. My cell is on that card." She said. 

"I won't need anything...but thank you. You should come to our services. Then you won't need anything either. It feels good to let that sinful life go." Maisie said. Lou smiled and shook her head. 

"Maybe sometime. At the moment I work every Sunday." She was approaching the Compound now. Her heart pounded as she pulled in slowly. 

The fences rose on all sides, tall and oppressive with barbed wire on top. She could hear angry dogs in the distance, and she felt glares on her from all around. People with rifles came closer, and she pulled the squad car to a stop. She stepped out to help Maisie with her food. 

"Thank you!" Maisie said. "Come on Sunday...you won't regret it." She said. 

Lou mustered up a smile at her. The crowd was growing thicker, and she felt a fear she hadn't felt in over a year return. 

Maisie squealed excitedly. "It's the Father!" Lou turned as the sea of angry and unwashed people parted to let a tall man through. She'd seen enough of Hope County to know that was the Father himself, Joseph Seed. 

He held up his hands dramatically and everyone quieted down. 

"Why have you come?" He addressed her with a hint of ice in his voice. His eyes were wary behind his yellow glasses. He came much closer now, putting a hand on Maisie's shoulder. Maisie beamed up at him.

"I found Maisie here up in the Whitetails. She wasn't wearing any shoes or a coat so I was concerned she'd catch a cold. She was coming here so I gave her a ride to make sure she got here safely, Father." Lou said; she could hear her heart in her ears. This felt like the warzone all over again and she felt panic and bile rising in her throat. She needed to leave. He watched her, his gaze unreadable.

"Since she's here safely, I'll be going now." Lou said. "You folks have a nice day." She added. 

"Drive safely, Deputy." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. The crowd moved to let her back her squad car up and drive it out of there. She texted Pratt, telling him her stomach was acting up. She'd already done half their area so he was happy to take over for her. 

Later that night, Lou had realized she was out of milk. She was on her way back in her Jeep with Fenrir in the backseat when a deer came out of the woods. She slammed her brakes, Jeep skidding to a halt as the doe leapt by. She was watching her leave when she felt the impact that sent her head into her door window. A second doe slammed into the front of the Jeep and Fenrir barked. 

"Shhh, Fenn." She said, and carefully stepped out to examine the damage. It was bad. The front end smoked and about half of it was crumpled. She wasn't driving it from here. She sighed turning back towards the road. A glow in the distance gave her pause. It was the Eden's Gate Compound. Her breath caught in her throat. She heard a vehicle behind her and turned. The headlights blinded her as a truck pulled to a stop. Fear lit up inside of her like a flame. She dimly registered Fenrir's barking as a figure climbed out of the truck. 

"You need some help, Deputy?" The gravelly voice sent a chill down her spine as he stepped in front of the headlights. A flash of red confirmed it was the eldest brother, Jacob Seed. If the rumors around Hope County were to be believed, he was the scariest of all. 

"I'm fine, thank you, Mr. Seed." She forced her voice to be calm. He came up beside her. 

"You're bleeding. Why don't you and your dog come inside a moment and we'll look at your head? You'll need to be towed anyways." Jacob suggested. His tone was amiable enough, but his eyes glinted like a predator's in the headlights. 

"I don't live too far away. Fenn and I can walk the rest." She said. "But thank you." 

"I really must insist, Deputy. It's cold and anything could happen with you bleeding in the woods like that." He said. His tone left no room for argument, and she was unarmed. She let Fenn out, and he followed her like the good boy he was. 

Jacob let them both into his truck and drove them the few feet to the compound. Lou was tense as they pulled right up to the church. He opened her door for her and she stepped out delicately. Fenn pressed his nose into her palm, sensing her discomfort. She followed Jacob into a small building beside the church. 

It actually looked like a dwelling when they got inside, and she wondered if it was actually meant to be a house. The furnishings were simple and quaint. 

"Deputy." The Father crossed the room to her. "What happened?" He touched her head gently, looking at her temple where the pain was focused. 

"Hit a deer." Jacob supplied. 

"Actually, the deer hit me." She said. Jacob cracked a small smile at her clarification. 

"Let's get you cleaned up." Joseph said. "Faith will get you an aspirin for the pain." 

"I appreciate it, but...I can honestly just call a tow and wait." She said. 

"You helped Maisie earlier. Let us help you. As a thank you." Joseph smiled at her. He led her down the hall to a bathroom and washed the wound gently. As promised, Faith appeared with some pills and a cup of water. They didn't look like aspirins. 

"I'm not in much pain, but thank you." 

"Just the water then?" Faith suggested. 

"Sure." She could tell they weren't going to let it go otherwise. So she sipped from the cup. Her head swam and she saw little sparkles. She stumbled and Fenrir started barking again. She pushed past Faith, her fight or flight kicking in. She launched herself towards the door but ran face first into Jacob. 

"Easy there, Deputy."He said. She heard Fenrir snarl and then whimper, and her knees gave out.

"Fenn…" She mumbled.

 Jacob braced her as she felt her eyes roll back in her head. 

"Tie her up and prepare her for John. God gave her to us for a reason. She's meant to help us with the Lamb." Joseph's voice was distant, and then gone as everything winked out.

Chapter Text

EVA

If you had asked Eva to describe John Seed a week ago, psychotic would have been the furthest word from her mind. Intelligent, yes. Charismatic, sure. Sexy, abso-fuckin-lutely. But not crazy. Never crazy. Yet here she was, looking the devil in the eye as he ran his fingertip over a very sharp-looking knife.

“You will confess, Eva,” he said smoothly, “And you will atone.”

Eva remained silent. She didn’t trust her words, and her voice was certain to shake. Not with fear. No, Eva was not afraid of this man. Okay...she was a little afraid. But more than anything, she was angry. She was furious. Eva was supposed to be packing her shit and leaving Hope County for good, not sitting in a dimly-lit, bloodstained room with her wrists bound to an old office chair.

“Alright then,” John purred with an unnerving amount of levity in his tone, “Shall we start with pride?”

The man twirled the knife against his finger, looking at Eva with a contemplative expression. Then, before she could blink, John whipped the knife forward and sliced through the top half of Eva’s shirt. He pressed the blade against her chest, directly over her heart. A drop of blood trickled from the shallow cut as John pulled the knife away. He turned toward the nearby table and began checking the settings on his tattoo gun. Eva shook her long, blonde hair over her shoulder, trying for what little modesty it could provide. She didn’t need to give John Seed an eyeful of her tits. He didn’t fucking deserve it.

When John turned back to her, he smirked at her little attempt at defiance. He gently pulled the golden locks out of his way and gathered them into a bun at the base of her skull. His grip turned rough as he clenched his fist and jerked her head back against the top of the chair. Eva tensed as he brought the tattoo needle to her skin, just above the cut. She let out a hiss as it stung her skin. Eventually, though, the buzzing of the tattoo gun filled her head and she found herself relaxing into the uncomfortable chair. Her mind wandered in the short time it took to complete the word pride. John’s next words were a distant hum in the background as Eva drifted into her recent memories.

Eva’s heart jumped to her throat as her father’s footsteps thundered up the stairs after her. She had just told him, none too kindly, about her plans to move out, and he was livid. He shouted about how she had already strayed too far from the path of God while she was in school. How her filthy whore of a roommate was corrupting her. That was the last straw. Kiesha was a good person, and she didn’t deserve that kind of bullshit. Eva told him to shove his God up his ass and raced to her room to grab what little she had managed to pack before her parents had returned home early from church.

She didn’t expect her dad to break down the door. Nor did she expect him to pin her to the wall and shout for her mother to bring some zip ties. It would turn out that Eva’s evening was full of surprises - her mother bound her wrists with little empathy. This was God’s will, she assured Eva. He would take care of her now. Eva kicked and screamed all the way to the quaint, white church that her parents had been dragging her to for years. This was the first time the dragging was literal though.

Faith Seed answered the door - thank God! Eva and Faith had been friends once, back when she was still Rachel. Surely, she would put an end to this nonsense. They had fallen out of touch in high school, but Faith didn’t hold a grudge over that. Did she?

“Mr. and Mrs. McCain! Whatever is the matter?” she asked, ignoring Eva altogether.

“Please, Sister Faith,” Mrs. McCain begged, “Our daughter is trying to leave the path forever. Please, help her see the truth before her sin consumes her!”

“Oh my, that is troubling news. I’ll get John right away,” Faith replied, turning on her heel and skipping back into the church.

Eva’s blood ran cold.

Snapping fingers mere centimeters from her face brought Eva back to reality with a start. John noted her confusion with amusement. He had puzzled over her faroff expression for a moment before deciding to regain her attention. It wasn’t uncommon for sinners to hide away in their minds, trying to escape the world around them. However, they weren’t usually so calm leading up to it. No matter. Now that he had her attention again, John continued to preach about the importance of confession and atonement.

When the baptist asked her, again, if she had anything she wished to confess, Eva just shook her head with a shit-eating grin on her face. Her parents would just love that, wouldn’t they? They would be over the moon to have her join their little cult. Not a fucking chance!

John sighed and shook his head. “Have it your way.”

All things considered, John didn’t rough her up as badly as he normally would have. Cuts and bruises littered her body, but they would all heal within a week’s time. Each wound seemed to add fuel to the fire inside her. If John were to be honest with himself, he found this one to be intriguing. Eva never stood out much at Sunday service. He’d only noticed her over the last few years due to her prolonged absences, and even then, he’d only noticed her in passing. She had always been quiet and subdued - nothing like the nihilistic little spitfire that had emerged in his confessional. John chuckled quietly as he walked away from her room. He was going to enjoy breaking her.

The days passed by in a blur of monotony. Nothing changed in her little cell. Time was meaningless when the world outside was blocked by steel and cement. Every so often (Eva guessed about twice a day) a small tray of food was shoved through an opening at the bottom of her door. The food, if you could call it that, was thoroughly unappetizing - usually some form of cold, canned beans or chili. One time, the mystery slop was still can-shaped when it came through the door.

Eva was bored. She had already poked at prodded at every part of the room she could reach. At one point, she managed to find a loose screw, which she used to etch a litany of rude words into the wall. Unfortunately, a guard heard the scratching and took it away. Asshole.

John called for her again somewhere around Slop Delivery #15 - maybe a week since they'd last met. It was confession time. Eva entertained the idea of talking to him, if only to escape the boredom he'd inflicted upon her. The guard escorting her to the confessional (possibly the same one that had stolen her screw) refused to answer any of her thousand pointless questions, and threatened to shoot her if she didn't shut up. Eva was almost relieved to make it to John's creepy torture room. At least she'd finally have something nice to look at. And John would probably talk to her. He was certain to talk at her, which was close enough.

"My darling Eva," John greeted her with a cheery smile, "I've been looking forward to seeing you again!"

"Awww, I missed you too, boo," she chirped.

John's eyes lit up at the fact that she was actually talking this time. Perhaps her week in solitary confinement had done her some good.

"I'm glad to hear it! Please, sit down."

The baptist beckoned to a dilapidated office chair that looked like a chiropractor's worst nightmare. When Eva didn't move, the guard moved her . He grabbed the back of her neck and walked her to the chair, pushing her down into it and taping her wrists to the arms. Eva shot the guard a dirty look and told him to fuck off. John shook his head condescendingly at the display.

"My, my, such wrath in you today," he sighed.

John smirked that obnoxiously-seductive smirk that Eva wanted to either slap or kiss off his face. She would have to decide later. Whistling an upbeat tune, John grabbed the back of Eva's chair and spun her around to face the wall. He dragged her under the eerie red light, the chair's squeaky wheels protesting all the way. John spun Eva back to face him and leaned in close. Cupping her face in his hands, John told her how excited he was to get her confession today - as though Eva had already agreed to spill her deepest, darkest secrets to him.

So, Eva followed the most obvious course of action and licked a stripe up his cheek. John reeled back, almost stumbling as he moved away from her. He stared at her, aghast, before slowly wiping his cheek. Eva leaned back in her chair - but not too far, lest the plywood on wheels topple over - and gauged the man's reaction. Even if it was just for a moment, she'd thrown him off his game, and that was fascinating. Sadly, the moment came to an end, and John carefully tucked his shock back under his mask of geniality.

"Well then, let's get started," he said with a smile. John picked up a knife and sauntered towards Eva. He gently ran the blade along her jawline. "But let's keep our tongues to ourselves from now on, yes?"

"No promises," Eva replied.

"Hmmm, so lust as well as wrath," John murmured, "You, my dear, are so terribly filled with sin. Allow me to free you from your vices."

John cut away the duct tape around Eva's wrists. She jumped up to make a run for it, but was stopped by the cold kiss of steel on her throat. Eva put her hands up to show her surrender and allowed John to maneuver her over to the table in the center of the room. He slid the knife away from her vulnerable throat, but not before leaving a small warning cut. John pushed Eva down so she was bent over the table and sliced up the back of her shirt.

"Shouldn't we come up with a safe word before we start all this kinky shit?" Eva quipped. She couldn't run, what with the threat of a red smile hanging in the air, but she could at least be annoying. "Gotta say, preacher, I'm impressed. I figured you'd be all vanilla."

"Stop talking," John hissed, losing some of his composure as unbidden, lustful thoughts began to surface. He pushed the fabric of her shirt out of his way and grabbed his tattoo gun. "Now, confess your sins so that you may atone."

Eva was silent for a moment, before replying, "but you just told me to stop talking."

The tattoo gun buzzed to life, and John pushed a little harder than was strictly necessary. Eva jumped when the needle hit her skin, but quickly relaxed with a contented sigh. John puzzled over her reaction as he inked the word 'wrath' between her shoulder blades. Most people struggled during this part of confession, but this blonde little hellion seemed to be enjoying it.

After he finished 'wrath', John decided he might as well officially add lust to the list, given Eva's earlier comments. He contemplated where to put it, and, with a snicker, decided to place it on her lower back. If Eva was going to talk like a tramp, it seemed only appropriate that he stamp lust into the traditional spot.

While he was marking her up, John noticed the letter n peeking out from under Eva's tattered shirt. John crossed the t on 'lust' and set his tattoo gun down. He pushed the fabric aside to see a word emblazoned in black around her hip. John pulled Eva up off the table and removed what was left of her shirt so he could read what it said. 'HEATHEN.' John couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" Eva frowned, crossing her arms under her chest.

"It seems you already know what you are, my dear," John purred, "But don't worry. I'm going to pull every last sin out of your body."

"...Again...this seems like a good time to suggest a safe word."

Chapter Text

LOU

When Lou awoke, her vision still swam, and she blinked to clear it. She was in a dark room, lit only by an ominous red light. A strange chandelier swung from above, jagged looking and made of antlers. She blinked again, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. A blonde woman was strapped to a chair across from her. She was naked from the waist up, save for a bra, and she had a piece of duct tape over her mouth. The woman's face was twisted into an angry scowl. Lou looked down, and realized she was also bound to a chair. Her breath caught in her throat. It hadn't been an office chair before, but it had been a crappy chair. 

"Ahhh, Deputy, you've returned to us. Good morning, Sunshine." A bearded man with slicked back hair and a silk shirt had entered the room as well. John Seed. 

"Mhmmfmm!" The blonde woman uttered an angry grunt in his direction. 

He clicked his tongue. "Oh Eva, I forgot you were here. Are you ready to confess your sins?" 

An angry grunt answered him. He tutted again. 

"Well we'll give you a little bit. Just a moment, Deputy." He wheeled her out of the room and Lou felt some panic return as Eva shook violently against her restraints. 

As he left with her, and she turned back to the room, the dimly lit walls were made of rock now. She felt her toes in sand. She heard shouting in a language she didn't understand. She felt hands in her hair. She whimpered, feeling the familiar press of a blade against her neck.

"Beg." A rough voice said. Distantly, she supposed she remembered this was just a flashback. But the voice was so real. "Beg! Beg for forgiveness. For you and your filthy country!" 

"I'm sorry." She choked on her breath as she struggled to speak. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Forgive me, please. Please! Forgive me and forgive the US! Please!" She begged. She felt her shirt tear, and screamed. 

"Deputy. Deputy Miller." There was another voice. Distinctly American. She sobbed, and shook.

"Forgive me." She whimpered. 

"Lou." A hand gripped her chin. She thought she saw someone, but then the voice was back, demanding she beg harder, so she did. 

She felt faint again. Her vision swam and the sparkles returned. She slumped forward against something. 

When she awoke again, she was in a cell. She wasn't tied up this time, and she sat up slowly on the cot. John Seed paced angrily outside her cell. She watched him, trying to remember what had happened. 

"You will confess to me." He snapped. 

He stopped in front of the bars and curled his tattooed fingers around them. He leered in at her. She felt her stomach drop. She remembered having a flashback now. 

Her damn PTSD would get her killed at this rate, she thought. Panic welled up again and she tried to will it down. She shrank back from him, a small squeak escaping her. 

He took a deep breath, watching her. She dug her fingers into the scratchy blanket, trying to focus on the feeling of her fingers aching and the fabric. She forced herself to take deep breaths, closing her eyes a moment. She needed to stay here. Going back to Afghanistan was not an option if she wanted to survive. She was supposed to be a soldier, not a coward, she tried to tell herself. Unfortunately she was a human. A human with deep, raw, wounds.

She heard a click and her eyes flew open. The door to her cell had been unlocked and John Seed was coming inside. She whimpered, bringing her hands up to protect herself. She felt so small. 

"Louisa." His voice was much softer now. "Shhh…" He gripped her arms gently and brought them back down. "It's definitely not an act." He said.

"Why would it be an act?" A voice across the hall snapped. Eva. 

"Ignore her." He said. "Let's go somewhere a little bit quieter." He guided her to her feet. 

She stumbled and he braced her. He steadied her and kept an arm around her as he led her through some kind of bunker. They stopped at a smaller room and a couple men with him let them in. He helped her sit on a couch. The couch was leather, and plush. She sank into it, forcing herself to control her breathing. 

"Deep breaths, dear. You're safe. I won't hurt you." He said. He grabbed a blanket from somewhere and tucked it around her. 

She finally felt calmer. She met his gaze. 

"Ok, we're just going to talk. Can you tell me what happened?" He seemed calmer now too. 

"I...I have PTSD." She said softly. "I...I get these flashbacks." 

"I see. So...you had a flashback then?" He asked. 

"Yes. I haven't had one like that in a while. I'm sorry…" She gripped the blanket. 

"It's ok, dear. I saw a scar you had. I didn't get a good look before, but will you let me see it? I won't hurt you, I promise." 

 Lou nodded, and stood, slowly removing her shirt. She set it on the couch, and he pushed her long reddish curls back to see better. His hands were gentle, ghosting over her until he found what he was looking for. 

"Infidel." He read it with an odd sort of reverence and then frowned. "This was...they cut you deep." 

She nodded, tears welling back up again. It was still a very pink mark. 

"I...I was captured by these men in Afghanistan. I was separated from my unit when one of the humvees got too close to a car bomb. I have a scar on my hip from the explosion. They took me in the confusion. They...they tortured me." She bit back a sob. 

"How long ago was this?" He asked. 

"About a year ago." She wiped at her eyes, her hands trembling. He pulled her into an unexpected hug. 

"I'm sorry, dear." He smoothed her hair, and she buried her face in his silky shirt. She was afraid of him, but he was warm. 

"Did you get shot?" He looked at her still healing shoulder. 

"Yeah...I...it was bad." 

"It still looks pretty bad, honey." He sighed. 

"It still hurts." She agreed. "But I'm used to it." 

He pushed her back lightly to look at her. He touched her neck and she swallowed. 

"They slit my throat... not enough to kill me but…"

"Jesus." He murmured. 

"I... when they shot me in the shoulder. I fell to the ground, and one of them knelt down beside me. His thigh holster was within reach, and...I flicked off the safety and I didn't even hesitate. I...well...they raped me...and tortured me...so I killed them. And I crawled out of that cave." She shook her head. 

"I...well that's one of my sins. I...I killed people during the war. Most of them...I felt bad. They were somebody's son...or dad...or...brother. I don't know, but them? I felt nothing. I...I still kind of hate myself for feeling...feeling nothing. Even at taking their lives." She confessed. He hugged her again. 

"I guess you could call it wrath. And...they raped me so I'm not exactly pure anymore." She choked on this.

"Shhh...you protected yourself. I won't fault you for that. Don't feel guilty because they raped you. My dear, they hurt you. That isn't your sin. You may have shown your wrath in other parts of the war, but it's not as though you tortured them back."  

"I...to be honest I wasn't pure before that either. I...I slept with a couple guys I met during the war. Three in fact. But...after the rapes...I felt so…disgusting; They treated me worse than an animal." She shook her head. 

"What about before the war?" He asked, rubbing her back. 

"I guess you could say I just took care of myself. I...I didn't want to disappoint my parents. I never shoplifted or anything for the same reason." She gave a watery laugh. "I guess I was mostly a good girl until then... sans masturbation. I lied to them a few times though, but I didn't party or anything like that."

"Mm? So what do you think your biggest sin is?"

"Honestly? Probably lust. Maybe wrath. I don't know if you can be a soldier without some wrath and pride in your heart. I...I don't think I was generally very greedy. I...I never cared about money. I guess I can be a little gluttonous sometimes. Especially after the war. I just wanted to forget."

"So all of them a little bit?" He teased. 

"I guess so. Except greed. Although it feels prideful to say I'm not greedy." He laughed again. 

"Well we'll start with Pride then. I'll tattoo it on you tomorrow. I think you've had enough today. But you did well."

"I'm sorry. I know this... I'm not…"

"Shh...we can take it slowly. Especially if you keep behaving." He kissed the top of her head and she blinked at him in surprise. "Keep the better blanket. I still have a lot to do today so we'll take you back."

She slipped her shirt back on and brought the blanket as he guided her back to her cell. 

Chapter Text

EVA

John was late. Eva was bored. The guard was annoyed. He slapped some duct tape over her mouth to shut her up. Now Eva was annoyed too. Her tattoos itched - she'd earned three new ones, her litany of sins nearly complete. Gluttony spanned her left hip, mirroring the heathen on her right. Envy stained her left forearm and greed marred her right. Sloth was the one sin John had yet to accuse her of, and was probably the only area in which she was innocent. Eva had too much energy for sloth.

The confessional door screeched open and a very blissed-out redhead was dragged in and dropped into a chair. She began to stir after a few minutes, and looked around in a panic. It was only then that John's fine ass finally made an appearance. The baptist approached the terrified woman in the other chair, and Eva shouted at him as best she could through the tape, berating him for his tardiness and also 'leave that poor girl alone!'

"Oh Eva, I forgot you were here. Are you ready to confess to your sins?" 

Fucker. John began to wheel Eva out of the room as she struggled against the tape binding her to the chair. She wanted to mess up his pretty face. Okay, she really didn't. Eva liked his pretty face. But she was also sick and tired of being kept in a bunker for what was now entering into her sixth week. Six weeks and six sins. Though technically wrath and lust were a two-fer. But then John had stood her up last week, so it evened out.

John froze in the hallway as a whimpered apology echoed out of the confessional. It quickly turned to sobs and begging for forgiveness for both herself and her country. John looked confused. Eva looked horrified. She knew exactly what was going on in the other room, and it was not good. Rushing into the room, John went to investigate. He returned with an unconscious woman a few minutes later. For once, Eva didn't struggle as he dragged them back to the cell block.

"And the Voice spoke to me of precious Saints, brought forth by the Father and his Heralds, born unto the Heathen and the Infidel."

John spoke softly as he gazed at Eva with a strange amount of reverence.

"The Prophecy of the Saints," she stated, meeting his eyes with a frown.

"You know it?" John replied, a bit surprised.

"My parents made me memorize all the prophecies in that book."

"Interesting."

A moment of silence passed between them before Eva spoke again, "It's not me."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Your heathen...it's not me. I know what you're thinking, and it's awful coincidental that someone showed up with the word 'infidel' cut into them, but that doesn't mean Joseph's prophecy is coming true."

John's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He never mentioned Louisa's scar. How could Eva possibly know about it? She simply called it an educated guess when he voiced that question aloud.

"I believe you are. You're special, Eva," John said in the same soft tone he'd used to recite the prophecy, "You and Louisa both."

"No," Eva snapped. Sky struck ocean as she stared John down with a harsh glare, "I don't give a shit what you do to me, but you leave that poor woman out of it. She's clearly been through hell, and she doesn't need this too."

"Her past wounds are indeed deep," John agreed, "But we will help her to heal."

"You can't help her, John!" Eva insisted, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice, "That woman clearly has PTSD! She needs a doctor, not a lawyer. For Christ's sake, she at least needs her medication!"

"I hadn't considered that," John hummed, "I'll have to send someone to collect her meds."

"Or you could let her go," Eva snipped.

John just smiled and shook his head. "We need her, Eva. We need both of you. You're destined to become part of our family."

"I'm not gonna be your fucking broodmare," Eva spat, "And I'm sure as shit not gonna let you force that woman into this either."

"Why are you so protective of her?" John asked, genuinely curious, "You haven't been the slightest bit concerned about any of our other guests."

"I…" Eva didn't have an answer to that.

"I think it's because you know, deep down, that this is meant to be," John walked over to the fuming woman and knelt in front of her, taking one of her hands in his, "Please, just give us a chance to show you that."

"Go fuck yourself."

Sighing, John rose to his feet. A look of disappointment flittered across his face before he was all smiles again.

"You'll change your mind," he assured her, "And there's no better way to bring you into our family than with a family dinner."

John hushed Eva's protests and ushered her to his personal quarters in the bunker. She squirmed, but acquiesced at the promise of a shower. That didn't stop her from attempting to trip the baptist a few times along the way. When Eva exited the bathroom half an hour later, she was practically glowing. The only thing keeping her from looking positively angelic was the angry scowl on her face as she jabbed an accusatory finger at John. She didn't like the white gossamer dress he'd chosen for her. John decidedly did not share her opinion as he felt desire burning within him.

"I look like a fucking sacrificial virgin!"

LOU

Lou was terribly bored, but it was also a bit of a relief. She tried to think about anything but Fenn. She doubted they'd let him live, but the thought of him being gone too was unbearable. She watched the people come and go, until John himself arrived. 

"Hello, Louisa." He seemed to be in a good mood today. "Today is a special day, my dear. The whole family will be visiting for dinner." 

"Oh, well that sounds nice." 

"Good, because that includes you. We'll be going to the ranch today, and if you keep being good, I might let you stay there instead. The ranch guest rooms are quite a bit nicer." He flashed her a grin as he was let in. 

"This is quite an honor. Thank you." She took his outstretched arm delicately as he escorted her through the bunker. 

 "We should get you something nicer to wear for the occasion." He mused. He guided her back towards what was presumably his area because it suddenly was a lot better decorated and furnished.

"How about you take a nice shower and I'll find you something nice to wear?" He offered. 

  "Sure, thank you." She was wary of why she would be included in such a thing, but a hot shower was too enticing to pass up. Her best bet for now was to cooperate as well. She knew full well John would hurt her if she didn't. 

His shower was fantastic. It bore two heads and had a marble version of the Eden's gate symbol that jutted out just slightly from the metal wall. She didn't want to take too long, but it felt so good. 

"I almost forgot something." He called out from just outside the door. "I brought you something for your hair. I know my shampoos will ruin your curls, so I brought you yours." He stepped inside, careful not to peek, and set her own partially used curl-safe products on the toilet before leaving. It was both thoughtful and creepy, but she washed her hair anyway. She realized he hadn't grabbed anything else and decided she'd just have to smell like a rich man and used his body wash.

She stepped out of the shower and gently patted her hair dry with one of his towels. As promised, he'd left her some fresh clothes as well. A soft gray velveteen wrap dress sat next to a pair of panties, hose, and a bra. She recognized the patterns on the bra and panties, realizing he must have taken more from her house. She did not recognize the dress, however, and it still had a tag on it. It did fit, though. She dressed quickly and stepped out. 

"You look lovely." He said. He offered her a pair of heels and a coat. She slid both on and looked up at him, waiting to see what he would ask next. Someone called his name from the hallway and he sighed, heading into the hallway after them. She waited for him and examined his book shelves. Surprisingly, one of them was "What to Expect When You're Expecting." 

"Sorry about that. It seems I have to do everything." John said. 

"Sorry, I was just curious about your books." She said. She backed away on instinct but he closed the distance between them and cupped her cheek. 

"No need to be sorry, dear." He said. He slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her forward to kiss her forehead. "You've been so good for me, thank you. Especially compared to some people."

He stroked her wet hair behind her ear, and offered his arm again. John led her out of the bunker and into a vehicle. 

"My Chosen will take you to the ranch. Joseph is waiting for you there. I'll be along shortly though, don't worry. Keep behaving as you have been and you will have nothing to be afraid of, ok?" He turned to the Chosen. "You will treat our special guest well." He gave her a little pat on the arm before heading back into the bunker. 

The car ride wasn't too bad, and Joseph actually waited just outside of the huge house to greet her. She stepped out of the truck and approached him cautiously. He held his arms open in a gesture of welcome. 

"Hello, Louisa." He greeted her. He met her halfway and wrapped his arms around her. He was wearing a shirt and blazer this time, and he was so blissfully warm. She tentatively wrapped her arms around him too. Her hair was still wet and she shivered from the cold air. 

"Come inside." He kept an arm around her as he led her into John's huge ranch house. 

"You can call me Lou, if you like." She said. Louisa was what her parents called her when they were angry. 

"Do you prefer it?" He asked. 

"Ah well... it's fine either way. My friends all call me Lou, but Louisa is ok too." She was nervous. 

"Lou it is then." He smiled warmly. "Come, the others will be along after a bit, but I thought we could sit together while we wait. John tells me it's been noisy near your room, so feel free to nap if you feel tired." 

She took off her coat and hung it where he pointed, and he led her to a large leather sofa. She sat and he offered her a fuzzy blanket. There was plenty of room to lay down, and Joseph set a pillow next to him. It all felt very strange, given she barely knew the man, but she laid down beside his lap anyways. 

"I haven't had the chance to listen to your confession yet, but I thought that I should tell you about why you're here with us today. All of this must seem pretty confusing to you."

"I'm honored to be invited to your family dinner." She spoke carefully and he tucked the blanket over her to make sure she'd be warm. 

"I know you're scared and you're tired. God has shown me His plan for you. You are special, Lou. You are meant to walk among me and my Heralds as part of our family. We are meant to love you as one of our own. I know that seems scary right now, but you are safe. You are safe and loved. And when the Collapse comes, you will stay that way."

"Can I ask you something, Father?"

"Yes, sweet one, anything." He stroked her damp hair. 

"Is my dog...dead?" She swallowed.

"The one you came to the Compound with? No. We knocked him out but he's fine now. Jacob's been looking after him." She felt her shoulders sag a little in relief. 

"Would you like to see him? John tells me you've been very good. I wouldn't mind arranging a visit for you." He petted her and she almost cried.

"Really?" She asked. 

"Really." He said.

"Thank you. I would really like to see him." She didn't add that he made her feel so much safer and better at any given moment. 

"I'll talk to John and we'll make some arrangements." 

A Chosen brought him an old tape deck and some headphones, and he settled in to listen to whatever tape was in it. She closed her eyes, relaxing beside him. She dared not sleep, but she did rest.

Chapter Text

LOU

"Hello, Jacob." Joseph said suddenly. Lou kept her eyes closed and just listened from her place on the sofa. 

"So the deputy is one of them? Are you sure?" Jacob asked. 

"She has the word 'infidel' carved into her flesh. What with Eva having 'heathen' there's no doubt. This is them." Joseph said. 

"Well...I brought her medication from her cabin anyways." Jacob said. 

"Medication?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah she's got pain pills and pills for PTSD. I looked them up. Her therapist called. We'll need to have her call the woman back or she might call for a wellness check. Sheriff called too. He didn't believe the letter we sent. He'll want to hear it from her mouth." Jacob sighed. 

"Well... isn't our dear infidel well loved?" She felt sick to her stomach at that nickname. She felt so trapped. Fenn was all she had left. If she didn't do as they said, they'd kill her dog and she'd be all alone again. Her eyes welled up and spilled over. 

"Are you awake, sweet one?" Joseph asked, stroking her cheek. She opened her eyes reluctantly. 

She was still licking her wounds from the last time she'd been held against her will. She felt a crushing sense of defeat that she had barely gone a year before it had happened again. She struggled to control herself, sitting up. She'd fought so hard. 

She remembered waking up in that base. Her superior officer stood over her bed. His face was so grim she thought she'd lost her arm. What she'd lost was much worse than that. She could still hear his voice in her head.

"Miller...I... I'm so sorry. While you were MIA, we received word that your family...well...there was a house fire. None of them made it. I'm sorry, Lou. There won't be anyone to welcome you home. I...I called some people local. I'm so sorry."

She felt her throat constrict. 

"I can't. I...I can't do this. I...Please let me go. I... I'm not strong enough. I...I can't…" She couldn't breathe. She started gasping.  She needed air. She could see a door leading to the outside. She leapt for it, ducking under Jacob's arm and pushing out onto the porch. Her chest heaved and she sank to her knees. There were guards everywhere, and they'd shoot her dog. They'd shoot her dog. The words echoed and panic consumed her. Her heart hammered, aching from the force of it. 

"Lou." Jacob's voice was behind her. "Breathe, Pup. Don't think about anything else." He knelt by her side and moved to her front. 

She brought her hands to her head.

"Hey, look at me." He said. "Pup... it's ok. No one is angry with you, just focus on breathing. You're safe. Your dog is safe." She realized she must have said the last part out loud. 

"I'm sorry." She whimpered.

"I need you to focus, Lou. You know how." He said. His voice was firm, but not angry. She touched the rough wood of the porch, and looked around. Trees, rocks, some large alarm towers. She counted the things she could see. Her breathing evened out. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She listened to the sounds around them and he waited for her. She felt much calmer now. She opened her eyes and he was sitting cross legged. 

"Do you feel better?" He asked.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. 

"Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked. "Or do you want to go back inside?"

She didn't want to face Joseph. She'd seen the viral video of him digging his thumbs into some poor man's eyes. She felt a small pulse of fear. 

"I...a walk sounds nice." Her voice came out so small and he smiled. He stood up, and offered her a hand. She let him pull her up.

He gave her some space as he started off towards a small trail behind the house. She followed. 

"Oh, I have your medication. I know what it's like to miss some doses. Makes everything worse, yeah?" His voice was neutral. 

"Worse than it was before I took it. I was... kind of numb before. I...you heard my conversation with John... didn't you? Joseph said something about a recording…" She looked at her shoes. It was cold and the air was crisp. But her hair had dried and it felt cleansing, even if it was cold. 

"I heard it. All about them taking you." He said. 

"When I woke up in the hospital they told me my family died. There was a house fire, so everything was gone. I...I never got to say goodbye...or even see them buried. I just...my old life had burned to the ground. I...I didn't know what to feel. I still don't. It just doesn't feel real." She stumbled trying to ease herself down a hill in heels and he lifted her with one arm to help her down to the flatter ground.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make this a pity party." She gave a small laugh. 

"You said you weren't strong enough." He said. "But you freed yourself. You built yourself a new life here. When I came back from the war, Joseph was there to pick up the pieces. John too. But you've had to go it alone. You might not feel very strong right now, but that isn't a small feat, Pup. You're a survivor." He helped her down the last part to a spot by the riverbank.

"I used to keep going just so they wouldn't win. I couldn't bear the thought that they broke me. But... I'm tired. And now I'm all alone, except for a dog. But even he's in danger now, because of me." She sighed, looking out over the river. It was a lovely spot. He put a hand on her back. 

"See that's the thing, Pup. Joseph has seen that you become a part of our family. You wouldn't be alone anymore. I know you don't want this yet, and you have no reason to trust us. But we won't hurt you or your dog." She turned back towards him. 

"I'm not sure taking someone against their will is the way to win their affections. As flattered as I am by all of your desire to make me a part of your family." She said. She was scared, but she felt oddly comfortable with him. 

"Not the way I would have preferred to do it," he agreed. 

Now that her nerves had calmed, she began to feel the winter chill seep in. Her shoulder ached too. She brought up a hand to it, and he brushed her curls to the front and peeled back the small frilly sleeve of the velvet dress. His fingers were calloused but his touch was soft. 

"We need to clean this for you. It's mostly healed, but it shouldn't be this swollen." He slid her dress back into place and shrugged off his camo. He helped her into it, and reached into the pocket. 

"Thank you." She said.

"Of course John wouldn't give you anything practical." Jacob muttered. He pulled out some dog tags. "These were with your wallet. Do you want them back?"

She took them in her hand, running her thumb over the bumps that formed her name. She'd tried to take them off a few times but she'd felt weird without them. This time she'd barely noticed them missing. 

"They don't really matter anymore." She said. "But thank you." She held them, trying to decide what to do with them. 

"Don't want them anymore?" He asked. 

"I'm not sure." He held out his hand. He slid them on with his.

"I'll keep them for you. Someone should. You wore them proudly once, so I'll wear them for you."

She teared up at this.

Jacob lifted her chin. He watched her face and pulled her into a hug. 

"Let's get you back. You'll feel better when you have a decent meal." He rumbled. 

Chapter Text

EVA

Eva was only vaguely aware of John's rambling as they drove south from the bunker. It had been almost two months since she'd last seen the outside world, and it was breathtakingly beautiful compared to the slate gray bunker walls. The sunset painted the horizon in brilliant shades of orange and pink as the sky overhead purpled with the coming night.

"Eva? Eva, are you listening?" John prodded.

"Nnnnnnnope," Eva replied, popping the 'p.'

The baptist sighed, "Eva, I really need you on your best behavior tonight. Can you do that for me?"

She repeated her previous response.

John frowned and tried to bargain, "Tell you what, if you behave yourself tonight, you don't have to go back to the bunker until tomorrow morning."

"Wait...for serious?" Eva was stunned.

Rolling his eyes at her verbiage, John answered, "Yes, for serious ."

"OHMYGODTHANKYOU!!" Eva squealed, launching herself over the center console to throw her arms around him.

The car veered sharply to the left. John swore and swerved back onto the road, narrowly avoiding the ditch. Eva was still latched onto him, nuzzling her face into his shoulder, but John wasn't about to complain. Eva looked up at him, suddenly self-conscious of her actions. She could swear John's cheeks were tinted pink, but she blamed it on the sunset. It definitely wasn't because she hugged him...right?

Eva let go and placed her hands in her lap. She flushed and looked out the window again. What kind of Stockholm Syndrome bullshit had possessed her to hug John fucking Seed? He was bribing her with a night out in exchange for good behavior. She should not be so goddamn giddy about it. The whole situation confused the hell out of Eva, but there was one thing she knew for certain. If being a good girl was the key to her freedom, she would be a fucking angel.

When the car rolled into the driveway of the Seed Ranch, Eva couldn't believe her eyes. She'd heard rumors of the preacher's McMansion, but had never given them much credence. Eva figured it was just a normal house, just newer than any of the others in the valley. Apparently, Eva was wrong about a lot of things when it came to John Seed.

John smirked when he saw her gaping at his house, "Like what you see?"

"How many people did you rip off in court to afford this place?" she blurted.

Eva realised what she was saying a second too late, and it was out of her mouth before she could stop it. She snapped her mouth shut so quickly her teeth clacked together. John raised an eyebrow, but he was clearly amused in spite of trying to appear otherwise.

"I-I mean, um," Eva floundered, "pretty!"

Smooth.

John burst out laughing at her failed amendment. "I said you had to behave yourself. I didn't say anything about being a ditz."

"Rude!"

Placing his hand on her lower back, dangerously close to her lust tattoo, John guided Eva through the front doors of the ranch. She was too enraptured by the McMansion to make any snarky comments about the hillbilly chic decor. John had a weird obsession with antler chandeliers. 

"John, Eva, welcome!" Joseph greeted, smiling warmly at them.

"Good evening, Father Seed," Eva replied with a smile faker than Kim Kardashian, "How are you?"

John slipped away from the conversation to retreat to the kitchen to finish preparing dinner. The duck sous vide had been cooking almost an hour and a half and was crisping to perfection. Jacob had managed to shoot a couple big ones for him, so there was plenty of meat to go around. John set the second oven to heat up, and began chopping vegetables to roast. The next half hour passed quickly for him as he scurried around the kitchen, preparing various side dishes for his family to eat. Faith showed up to help him, for which he was immensely grateful.

In the living room, however, an awkward tension filled the air as time slowed to a halt. Joseph was all kindness and smiles, but neither showed in his eyes. Eva had never managed to get used to the Father's intensity, and being in such close proximity to him put her on edge. Joseph wrapped her in a hug that lasted much too long before he motioned for her to take a seat on one of the plush couches. Eva did as he asked, if only to put some distance between them.

Joseph's uncomfortable attempts at smalltalk were blessedly interrupted by Jacob and Lou's return. Eva quickly jumped to her feet and snatched up Lou's arm, dragging her off to a quiet corner. She was acutely aware of Joseph's ever-present gaze on her back. Even as he spoke with Jacob in hushed tones, his eyes never left the two women - his prophesied Mothers of Eden.

"Hey, are you okay?" Eva whispered to Lou. She hadn't seen the poor woman since her mental breakdown in the cellblock.

"I-I think so...I don't know," Lou replied, casting an uncertain glance towards the other occupants of the room.

"Did that prissy bastard do anything to you? Because if he did, I'll-" Eva's hissed threat was cut short.

"No!" Lou yelped, drawing the Seed brothers' attention. She quickly lowered her voice, blushing furiously. "No, he didn't - he was...he was actually really nice to me."

"Oh…" Eva was at a bit of a loss for words, "Well...um... that's good then."

A beat of tense silence passed before Lou spoke up again, "You're Eva, right? I'm Lou."

"Yeah, that's me," Eva laughed, realizing they'd never actually been properly introduced, "I'm the resident pain in Johnny-boy's ass."

Lou smiled for what felt like the first time since this whole ordeal had begun. Eva seemed surprisingly upbeat for someone who was clearly a prisoner. Though she had to admit, it was strange to see her again - and in the Seed Ranch of all places.

"Do they host a dinner for everyone who confesses?" Lou asked nervously.

"Not that I know of," Eva shrugged, "Besides, I haven't told him shit so I wouldn't be invited."

"Then why-?"

Faith poked her head out of the kitchen door to announce that dinner was ready. Eva was grateful for the distraction. She didn't want to scare Lou with what she knew about the bullshit prophecy, but she didn't want to lie either.

A decadent meal was laid out before them, making Eva's mouth water. She could not even begin to express how much she despised the canned slop they served in the bunker. Joseph, of course, sat at the head of the table, with Jacob on his left and John on his right. Hesitating a moment, Eva reluctantly took the open seat next to John. Jacob had always intimidated her and she didn't want Joseph staring her down all night. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.

John smiled and held his hand out to her. Eva stared at his proffered hand for a moment, before looking at him like he'd grown a second head. She knew what he wanted, but did he really think she was going to treat this like a normal family dinner? The whole thing reeked of ulterior motive, especially in light of the prophecy stating that she'd be carrying his little Seedlings.

Eva flushed at the thought. The prophecy never specified they'd be his . She just assumed. John raised an eyebrow as we watched her expressions shift alongside her thought process. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but he would kill to find out. When Eva refused to take his hand, John mouthed 'behave.' Eva glared at him, but finally did as she was told. She looked away from him with a huff, cheeks still burning from the unholy scenes her imagination had conjured. As Joseph said grace, Eva decided that she was going to Hell without a doubt.

Several glasses of wine later, Eva was pleasantly warm and tingly. She wasn't normally a fan of dry reds, but the alcoholic buzz was a nice distraction from her current situation. Some faceless, no-name cultists floated by to clear the table, and Eva excused herself to go sit by the fire. Her head spun as she rose, and it was all she could do to stay upright as she stumbled into the living room. Eva collapsed into a cushy chair by the fireplace and clutched her head in her hands. She hadn't drunk that much, had she?

Lou and the Seeds joined her shortly. John looked at her with some concern, which she pointedly ignored, casting her gaze into the roaring flames beside her. Conversations drifted by, but Eva couldn't quite keep her attention on them. Was it just her, or was the room much too hot? The blonde pressed her palms to her cheeks, attempting to cool them.

"Eva?"

The girl shrieked and jumped out of the chair as John's voice sounded in her ear. When had he gotten so close? Why hadn't she noticed? She was supposed to be avoiding him for fuck's sake! Eva glanced around to see five pairs of eyes on her, three of which were such a piercing blue that she had to look away.

"Are you alright, darling?" John asked, reaching out to steady her.

"I...uh...Igottapee," Eva sputtered and dashed up the stairs to what she assumed were the McMansion's living quarters. She didn't care how stupid she looked or sounded. She had to get away. She just had to get away . Otherwise she was going to drown in those ocean eyes.

Running down the hall, Eva wrenched open the first door she came across and flung herself into the room. Chest heaving, she leaned against the rich mahogany and tried to catch her breath. What was wrong with her? Why did she feel so flighty? Like John's touch might burn her alive?

Eva's lips trembled as she finally had the sense to look around the room she'd invaded. It was some sort of study. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls on either side of her. A dark wooden desk sat in the middle of the room, backlit by the large bay windows on the far wall. The whole area had an air of foreboding around it and a strong sense that she should not be there.

With shaking hands, Eva opened the door again and slipped back into the hallway. The next door she tried led to a lavish bedroom. She didn't have to guess at who it belonged to. Everything about the room screamed John Seed. Against her better judgement, Eva decided to snoop. She wondered what kind of illicit goodies she might find, and made a beeline for the nightstand. Eva had a sneaking suspicion that John was not as pious as he would like the world to believe.

Unfortunately, her troublemaking was cut short when she heard the door open behind her. Whirling around, Eva came face-to-face with John Seed, himself.  She yelped in surprise and stumbled back, falling onto the bed. Did this man have fucking silk sheets?

"I do, yes," John replied with his signature smirk.

"Fuck, I said that out loud, didn't I?" Eva grumbled to herself.

"You did, yes." The baptist laughed at Eva's expense.

"What are you even doing here, sneaking up on me like that?!" Eva snapped.

"Last time I checked, this was my bedroom, Eva," John answered, "The better question is why you are here."

"Because fuck you, that's why!" Her response was, admittedly, petulant, but Eva couldn't find it in herself to care.

John kicked the door shut with a sly smile on his stupidly-fuckable face. His eyes were dark with desire as he approached her.

"My dearest heathen," he purred, "I would love nothing more."

Chapter Text

LOU

The duck was delicious, and after her ordeal Lou felt as though nothing had ever tasted so good. John was a much better chef than she expected. Eva left to go sit by the fire and Lou hesitantly stood as well. 

She felt dizzy, and hot, despite nursing only about two glasses of wine. She felt a kind of throbbing between her legs, and began to feel distantly alarmed. It was like part of her had the sense to be afraid, but that part was tucked away behind a haze of blissful unawareness. 

"Lou?" Joseph spoke softly. His voice was rich and warm. She turned toward him, swaying slightly. His hands were gentle as he brought her closer to him. 

"I feel...strange…" She said. The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop them. 

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Joseph said. He guided her upstairs towards another room. One with a bed. She was so warm, she felt like she was in a sauna. It was honestly unpleasant now, despite the tingly sensations dancing across her skin. 

"'m hot…"She said, wiping her brow.

"Let's get this off then." Joseph untied her wrap dress and she felt cold air brush against her belly. She sighed with some relief, and he ran his hands over her skin. His touch felt amazing and she groaned quietly in appreciation. He chuckled lightly.

"And the Voice spoke to me of precious Saints, brought forth by the Father and his Heralds, born unto the Heathen and the Infidel." He preached. Lou didn't register his words, entranced by his hands as they carefully slid the heels from her feet. He leaned down and trailed kisses up her legs, murmuring odd verses in between gentle pecks. He kissed his way up her belly until he reached her lips. 

He ran his hands over her bra, giving her a gentle squeeze. She ran her own hands over his scars and tattoos. She felt in a daze, but a pleasant one.

He caressed her as he brought his hands behind her and freed her breasts from their confines. He brought his mouth down over her and she shuddered against him. He gave a small chuckle, as he paid each peak it's own special attention. He sat back a moment and she crawled onto his lap. She felt drunk on him, and while she knew she'd most certainly been drugged she couldn't bring herself to stop.

She kissed him hungrily, and ground her hips into his. He let out his own soft grunt of surprise at this, and brought his hands to her hips. A thin barrier of her panties separated her from his jeans, and the rough texture was intoxicating all on its own. She gasped as he rubbed against her, and held on to his shoulders. 

He brought his mouth back to her breasts as she reached for his buckle. He helped her remove his belt, and slid her off of his lap before taking his own pants off. Shockingly he wore nothing else beneath them, aside from some boots he kicked off, along with some socks. 

He pushed her down and leaned over her. He kissed his way back down to her navel, bringing his hands up to her panties. Delicately he slipped them off and brought his mouth to her center. She moaned as he dragged his tongue over her first. 

He took his time and she began to lose control over the noises she was making. Especially when he began to suck on her nub. He held her hips down in place and she felt her eyes roll back in her head. He paused, pulling back to admire her for a moment. She knew she was probably a mess, all flushed and her hair spread out behind her in a mess of curls. He kissed her lips, murmuring against them. 

"You are so beautiful. And we are so blessed." 

He slid a finger down to rub over her as he continued to kiss her. Then he slipped it inside and she moaned into his kisses. He laughed and added a second, thrusting them in and out and increasing the pace based on the sounds she was making. When she came unraveled, he took his fingers out and licked them clean. She flushed again at this, and he closed his eyes, savoring her for a moment.

Then he lined his member up with her entrance, carefully dragging himself along her lips. It felt amazing, and she squirmed from the delicious friction. Then he pressed his tip against her, and slowly pushed inside. He was careful, wanting to make sure it didn't hurt. He brushed her hair out of her face tenderly as he finally seated himself all the way in. 

He kissed her again as he started moving slowly. She felt like her whole body tingled again. 

"I'm ok...you can go faster and harder." She told him breathlessly, and he complied, pressing his forehead to hers as he picked up the pace. Then he picked her up so she sat in his lap, holding her close to his chest as he rolled his hips up into hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, enjoying the closeness. He grunted slightly when she moved her own hips. He kissed her again and then moved down to her jaw. She rolled her head back as he found a nipple again and nibbled on it. 

Then, as he broke away, he pulled them down so that she was on top, but collapsed against his chest. He pumped into her with everything he had and she held on for dear life. It quickly became too much, as he rubbed against the right spot inside, and she came apart again, trembling against his chest. He held her hips as he thrust one last time into her, as deep as he could go, and filled her up. His spend was hot, and she gasped from the sensation. He smoothed her hair and held her as both of their panting subsided. 

She heard the door open and looked up in alarm to find Jacob watching them recover. Joseph smiled at his brother. 

"I think we should give her a moment." He told Jacob, who nodded. Lou felt a feeling of unease creep up on her, as the Bliss finally began to wear off as well. 

Chapter Text

EVA

“Because fuck you, that’s why!”

“My dearest heathen, I would love nothing more.”

It took Eva a minute to process what he had just said. It didn’t quite register until she heard the lock click. John sauntered across the room, a confident smile gracing his features. Eva’s heart lurched as she jumped to her feet. This couldn’t really be happening. There was no way. John closed the distance between them and gently brushed a loose lock of hair behind Eva’s ear.

“John, I-”

“Shhhh,” he cut her off and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

John smoothed his thumb over her bottom lip and leaned in until his forehead rested against hers. It was a strangely intimate gesture that sent a shock of heat through Eva. It started at her lips and shot to her core where it settled, suddenly making Eva uncomfortably sensitive. Her heart pounded a raucous beat in her ears, drowning out whatever it was that John said next. Pressing her thighs together, Eva shifted as she tried to ease the building pressure between them.

Time stopped as she felt her lips connect to John’s. It hadn’t taken much. They were so close that the slightest tilt of her head brought them together. John smiled into the kiss and cupped her cheek, gently running his thumb over Eva’s soft features. His other arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer until her body was flush against his. As she broke away to catch her breath, Eva had a fleeting thought that she shouldn’t be doing this, but John quickly silenced her inner turmoil with another kiss. This one was deeper, more passionate. Eva sighed softly as she ran her hand up his muscled chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. He kissed her tenderly, as though he thought she might break or try to run. Eva had no intention of doing either. And though John’s gentleness was a pleasant surprise, it wasn’t what Eva wanted. She had a sneaking suspicion that the feeling was mutual.

So Eva did what seemed to come so naturally to her - pushing John’s buttons. She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled. John gasped. He hadn’t expected Eva to start making things rough. He wasn’t even sure if she liked that sort of thing. Eva took advantage of his momentary shock and slipped her tongue into his mouth, initiating a battle for dominance that John inevitably won. Revelling in his victory, John walked her backwards a few steps until Eva’s knees hit the bed and gave out. John followed her down, never allowing the kiss to break for more than a moment.

Placing a hand on Eva’s shoulder, John pushed her flush against the mattress. He planted his knee between her legs before she could close them again and began to trail kisses down her neck. Eva groaned when he reached a particularly sensitive spot at the hollow of her throat. She felt John’s smirk as he pressed another kiss against her skin. He nipped and sucked at her collarbone and neck, intent on leaving as many marks as he could. He might have to share with Jacob and Joseph, but he would make sure they  knew who she belonged to. Eva tried to pull him back up, but John snatched her wrists and pinned them above her head.

“Stay,” he growled and kissed her roughly before returning his attention to her chest.

Eva grumbled about being told what to do, but obeyed anyway. She arched her back as John slid his hands beneath her to find her zipper, tugging it down once he located it. Eva began to sit up so she could take the dress off, but John pressed her back into the mattress with a rough kiss.

"I said stay ."

His voice sent a pleasant shiver down her spine, and John definitely noticed. He chuckled darkly against her lips as his hands slipped under the loose fabric of her dress. John traced his tattooed fingers over the soft curves of her hips and stomach until they brushed against the swell of her breasts. He gave them an appreciative squeeze, which drew an unexpected moan from Eva. She flushed and refused to meet his amused gaze.

"You like that, huh?" John crooned, rolling his thumbs over her nipples.

"I plead the fifth," Eva squeaked as he took one of them into his mouth.

John hummed around her sensitive peak, eliciting another moan. "I think you're incriminating yourself anyway, love."

Once John had his fill of teasing Eva, he finally moved to where she wanted him most. Kneeling on the floor, he dipped his head under her skirt and peppered kisses up the inside of her thigh. Eva whimpered as he dragged his tongue over her clothed core. He hooked his fingers under the elastic band of her panties and very nearly tore them off. John tossed the now-useless undergarment behind him without missing a beat.

His hot breath fanned across her sex as John lifted Eva's legs to rest on his shoulders. He took his damn sweet time running his hands up and down her thighs, ignoring her throbbing cunt entirely. Eva held his silk sheets in a death grip, trying to keep from shoving him into the floor and riding his stupid, sexy face into oblivion.

As if sensing her impatience, John suddenly clamped his hands down to keep Eva from moving and finally closed the distance between them. Eva cried out profanities as he dragged his tongue over her heat and sucked at her clit. Her climax crashed over her embarrassingly quickly. Moaning his name, Eva rolled her hips against John's mouth. She nearly screamed when he pulled away.

John towered over her, admiring her flushed face and heaving chest. Eva was a mess, and he loved it. Her trademark defiance had completely vanished and was replaced with need. She needed him, and John wasn't about to let her forget it. She would beg for him to fuck her, and he wouldn't let her stop until their bodies gave out.

"Say it, Eva," John purred, "Say it and I'll give you what you want."

"S-say what? " Eva whimpered, trying to rub against him to get some friction between her legs. She may have come, but she was far from satisfied.

"Say yes ," he replied, smirking down at her.

"Seriously?" Eva blinked a few times in confusion.

"I could always leave." John stood up and stepped away from the bed to emphasize that he would follow through with his threat.

"No, fuck, don't do that," Eva responded quickly, "Ok, yes, you crazy, evil fuck. Yes! "

John laughed. He genuinely laughed for what felt like the first time in a long time. Even desperate, Eva tried to defy him in her own, small way.

"Oh, you're going to have to do better than that, little heathen."

"Yes! Fuck! Yes, John! Please!"

"That's better."

Returning to his previous place on the floor, John hooked Eva's legs over his shoulders again and pushed her skirt up over her hips. John easily slipped two fingers into her core as his mouth wrought havoc on her clit. He pumped his fingers into her roughly, seeking out her most intimately sensitive places. Eva's knuckles were white as she gripped the silky sheets for dear life. Her moaned words quickly devolved to gibberish. The only intelligible things she could say were yes, John, and fuck. And John intended to keep it that way.

When he pushed Eva over the edge again, John refused to let up. He added a third finger and continued pounding into her overstimulated core. Eva's body shook from the relentless pleasure as John pushed her towards another high. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she dug her heels into his back. She was past the point of being able to form words.

John slipped his free hand into his pants in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure building there. He pumped his hand over his throbbing shaft in time with the one pounding into Eva. John groaned and rested his head against her thigh, panting as he pleasured himself. His movements grew faster and rougher as he neared his end. Eva came undone around him mere seconds before John spilled his seed over his hand.

" Fuck ," he moaned, pressing a kiss into Eva's thigh. She was too lost in bliss to respond. John took advantage of the moment to regain his composure.

Pressing to his feet, John began working at the buttons of his vest. He mentally cursed himself for his choice of outfit as the clothes refused to cooperate. John always dressed to impress, but for once he wished he hadn't. Eva's slender fingers joined his as she helped him out of his vest and shirt.

John finally allowed her to touch him. He enjoyed the view of Eva kissing his scars and tattoos. Her hands ran over his abs and hips a few times before dropping to his belt, which she unbuckled with ease. Eva tugged his pants and boxers down in one swift movement, but she didn't get a chance to admire what lay beneath them. John kicked off his pants and pulled Eva's dress up over her head.

John's lips crashed against Eva's in a hungry kiss that she returned with just as much fire. She slowly shifted so that she was more fully on the bed, and John followed. He planted his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. Eva ran her hands over his chest and down his stomach.

"Ready?" John asked softly.

Eva tried not to let her surprise show as she met his gaze. John's eyes were blown out with lust, but there was a warmth in them she hadn't expected. She smiled softly and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"Yes."

The tender moment didn't last long. John buried his length inside of her as soon as Eva voiced her consent. He didn't give her a chance to adjust, pulling out almost completely before thrusting in again. Eva arched into him and dug her nails into his back. John gripped her hips hard as he roughly pounded into her core. She was certain to have bruises in the morning, and that suited Eva just fine. Moving in time with him, Eva shifted to take John deeper, moaning when he brushed against her g-spot.

John drove in harder, hitting her sensitive walls over and over. Heat coursed through the both of them as they chased their earlier highs. Their bodies fit together perfectly, like adjacent pieces of a puzzle. Neither of them had expected it, and neither wanted it to end. No words were needed as they moved together in a sinful dance, driving one another closer to the edge.

Eva fell first, clamping her legs around John's hips and clawing up his back. Her walls fluttered around his cock as they tried to pull him in deeper still. John moaned and only managed a few more erratic thrusts before Eva pulled him down with her. His hot seed filled her as John rutted shallowly inside her, riding out the rest of his climax. John rested his forehead against Eva's in that same intimate gesture from earlier. Eva pressed soft kisses against his lips and jaw. She gasped when she felt John twitch inside her.

John chuckled quietly. "You didn't think we were done, did you?"

Eva shivered at the promise in his words. She wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight, and that was perfectly fine by her.

Chapter Text

LOU

Joseph untangled them, and stepped into the adjoining bathroom. Lou felt her stomach drop, and a cold feeling of dread settle over her. She still felt an uncomfortable pressure between her thighs, but her head no longer swam. Joseph returned to clean her up, but she scooted away from him out of reflex. She felt a bit sick, thinking about it.  

“Lou? I just want to clean you up.” He said, his voice calm and soothing. 

“I um...I can do it.” She said. 

He looked as though he might protest, but Jacob spoke up. 

“Faith was missing you. I can help her clean up.” 

“Very well. Jacob will take good care of you, love.” Joseph kissed her forehead like nothing was wrong, and left, fully nude, to go and find Faith.  Jacob rolled his eyes a moment, before snagging the Father’s pants off the floor and laying them over the railing on the second floor. When he returned, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She felt oddly filthy, even though she knew it wasn’t really her fault. She’d enjoyed it too, and not all of that had been the drugs. She wondered what Jacob must think of her. 

“You want to take a shower?” He suggested. “I’ll wait for you.” 

“Um...yeah.” She rose slowly, realizing this wasn’t over. Clearly Joseph meant for her to sleep with at least him and Jacob. She wondered if John was meant to be included in this as well. She realized she was going to be passed around and felt that feeling of sickness return. 

“Pup?” Jacob touched her shoulder lightly, like he didn’t want to upset her. 

“I...I’m sorry. Right. Shower.” She took a deep breath to steel herself.

“Wait. I...I’m not going to make you do anything.” He sounded a little unsure of himself. “So you don’t have to worry. We can just sit together for a bit once you’ve cleaned up.” 

“You...won’t?” She looked up at him. 

“No. I’m not…” He ran a hand through his hair. He clearly didn’t like talking about his emotions. “I know they drugged you for this. Hell Joseph suggested I give you even more wine to make this ‘easier’.” He scowled. “But I don’t need drugs to get a woman into my bed. And while you will be mine someday, it’ll be because you want to. None of that Bliss shit will be involved.” He gave her a wry grin. 

“Thank you.” She smiled back, and finally stepped into the bathroom. As she closed the door, she couldn’t resist remarking, “You seem awfully sure of that.” 

“Oh, I am.” He laughed. “It's a prophecy, you know?” He almost made it sound like a joke. 

She turned the shower on. “So you believe God decided all this?” She scrubbed quickly. 

He laughed again, remaining outside the door. “Who knows? The world is definitely ending, that much I do know. Even if he’s wrong about some of it, Joe’s the only one with a plan. The more you think about it, the less crazy it all sounds. But even if you don’t believe all that... if you think I can’t win you over to me, you’re wrong. You will want me by the time this is all done.” 

She reached for the shampoo as she pondered his words. It was the same brand as the shampoo that John had brought her from home. She shuddered. 

“Pup?” He asked. 

“What makes you want me so badly? Like...why is it me?” She asked. 

“For the prophecy or for myself?”

“Both.” She shut the water off and started to dry off. 

“Well, the prophecy is because you have the word ‘infidel’ on you. As for me...well…”

“I mean, you don’t even know me. Aside from knowing I’m a mess.” She sighed. She finished drying and then realized her clothes were all out there. Luckily, John seemed to have a thing for luxurious robes because a large one hung on a hook just inside. She slipped it on, grateful for some cover, and stepped out to join him. He was waiting on the bed, but he was still fully dressed. He patted the spot next to him and she sat. 

“Well aside from the whole fate thing, I’ve learned a few things about you. You’re a survivor, we’ve talked about that a bit. But it’s not just about the war, right? You had hunting gear in your cabin. It was all a little worn, but well cared for. You clearly like to hunt, or at least do it regularly. You had your own packed meat in your fridge. It was fresh, and dated. You prefer to hunt your own, and you butcher it yourself too, at least for most of it. You fish too. Almost all of it was fish, which tells me you probably like the quiet. Plus work got in the way, right? Not as much time to skin it yourself, so smaller stuff was better. Besides, you’re close to the lake, so it was an easy walk for you. Might even be why you picked that spot. You clearly love your dog, and you treat him like family. But it’s not about image with you. You didn’t have any dumb sweaters or ‘cutesy’ things for him. You fix your Jeep yourself when it breaks down. I could see where you kept parts and tools in your garage. I get the feeling you don’t like relying on other people. Just a hunch.” 

She stared at him. It was both creepy and oddly touching that he’d paid such close attention to her home. 

“You can clearly cook fairly well too. I smelled the deer chili you made in your fridge.” He added. 

“You...um…” She didn’t know what to say. 

“Am I wrong?” He asked.

“No.” She looked at her hands. 

“What I mean to say, is I prefer the same kinds of things. I hunt my own food as much as I can, and I like to fix my own things. I can’t cook as well as you clearly can though. I haven’t fished much around here yet, but I used to enjoy it. I forgot how peaceful it is.” 

“My dad used to take me fishing a lot. My brother never liked it much, or hunting, so my dad used to joke that I was his eldest son.” She laughed at the memory. “Fishing still reminds me of him. We used to go on these trips, and just forget the rest of the world existed for a bit. It was the best.”

“Sounds nice. Where’d you go?” He was clearly trying to help her relax, but she appreciated it. 

“Canada mostly. Beautiful country up there, and unbelievable fish. I hear we’ve got some monsters lurking in the lakes here, if the Drubmans are to be believed. I’m not one for contests, but I wouldn’t mind catching some big ones. I’d probably let them go though. If they’re that big, it seems a shame to eat them.” She said.

“Probably don’t taste as good if they’re that old either.” He said. 

“Yeah, probably not.” She giggled. “I mean, who wants to eat the grandpa fish?” 

“The Drubmans, apparently.” He said. She relaxed against him for a moment, and he caressed her shoulder. “Hey, I wasn’t going to bring you wine, but do you want some water?” 

“Honestly...that didn’t go so well for me last time.” She said.

“Well, I promise it’ll just be water.” He said. “I’ll even sip first if it makes you feel better.”

“Well if you’re willing to risk it too, then, I accept.” He left to go get the water for them, and she realized she was starting to feel a little hot again. 

He came back in, and frowned. 

“You ok, Pup?” He set the glass on the end table. 

“Yeah just...um...hot again.” She said. 

“Shit...well…maybe the water will help.” He took a swig before offering her the glass. She drank gratefully, and it was blessedly cold. 

“I still feel…” She flushed. 

“I won’t make you do anything...but maybe I can help you? It felt better after you came before, right?” He asked bluntly. 

“Yeah it...um...it was definitely better after that.” She agreed. 

“Well I can just try getting you off, then?” He suggested. “Or we can try to wait it out...or you can help yourself...whatever is most comfortable, Pup.” 

She was probably crazy, but she decided to trust him. “You can help me.” 

“You can change your mind at any time.” He promised, shifting on the bed so he was between her legs. She pulled the robe open, and off. He leaned over her and kissed her. He pressed both hands to either side of her head, holding her as he deepened the kiss. She brought her hands up to his hair, running her hands over the shaved sides. 

He slid his hands down, cupping her chest. He kissed her neck, biting lightly, and she gasped. He worked a trail of his hands, and then his mouth down her body. He nipped at her, lightly biting a nipple and she had to fight a moan that rose up in her mouth. 

“Let me hear you.” He murmured. “No one will care.” He palmed her sex and she whimpered at how good it felt. He was careful not to give her exactly what she wanted, which was both amazing and infuriating. 

He sucked one of her nipples into his mouth and she cried out. He chuckled against her, and brought his mouth down to her center. He lapped at her clit at last, and she dug her fingers into the bedspread. He pushed her legs further apart for better access and slid his tongue inside. He thumbed her now wet clit, and each pass felt heavenly. She whimpered as the combined sensations began to build into something more. He switched places, sliding two fingers inside. Then he sucked on her clit and it was over. She felt a convulsion come over her and came on his fingers. 

He lifted his head, and smirked, as he drove his fingers in her furiously. He had found her g spot, and he abused it aggressively.  She came again, crying out, and he didn’t let up. He watched her face as he kept going. Her hips bucked and she shook from the force of it. Finally, he slowed his pace, using his other hand to help soothe her as her body still shook from him. He kissed her again, and she tasted herself on his tongue. He sat back and slid his fingers into her mouth. 

She sucked on them and he grinned. “That’s my good girl.” He praised. She felt hot all over again, and he slid his hand back down. He was back at it again, his fingers filling her up, and she saw white this time. She was pretty sure she screamed. He kissed her again, sliding a third finger in. After he got her off one last time, he used his clean hand to unbuckle himself. She wasn’t sure if she could take anymore, and her eyes widened as he slid himself out of his pants. 

He saw her expression, and paused a moment. “It’s ok, Pup. I promised I wouldn’t.” He instead took the hand wet with her juices and stroked himself. It was unbelievably hot. Her body felt like jelly, but she was compelled to sit up and take him into her mouth. He groaned.

“You don’t have to do this.” He said. 

She paused. “I know...but...I want to.” He swore as she worked to get him off. He moved her hair out of the way as she worked her tongue over him. He held her hair firmly, but gently. 

“Pup.” He warned. “I’m close.” 

Some of it was probably the drug, but she was determined to keep going. He practically growled as he came, and she struggled to swallow it at the angle she was at. He helped her off of him, and handed her the glass of water.

“I’ll get you some more. Goddamn, Pup.” He laughed. He cleaned her up and brought her more water. She cuddled against him, feeling a lot safer than she should have. He just rubbed small circles onto her back and let her rest, shaking his head in amazement. 

Chapter Text

JOHN

The soft morning sunlight poured through the windows of the Seed Ranch, illuminating a rare, peaceful moment for John. For the first time in a long time, he woke up warm, content, and feeling like things were working in his favor for once. Maybe God was finally smiling upon him. John felt Eva shift beside him. She carelessly threw an arm over his chest and snuggled up against his side. A small smile crept onto John’s face as he ran his fingers through her messy blonde hair. Eva was still sound asleep, and John couldn’t be happier that she subconsciously clung to him. He knew she wouldn’t be caught dead in such a position if she were awake. Not yet, at least. John rolled onto his side and pulled Eva closer, praying for a few more minutes of bliss.

Unfortunately, all things must end. His phone’s shrill ringtone sounded, shattering the stillness of the morning. John lurched out of the bed and snatched up the offending device, checking the caller ID. It was one of his Chosen, and he didn’t feel the least bit sorry about sending him to voicemail. John’s eyes darted back to Eva and was thankful to find her still asleep, curled around his pillow in his absence. Letting out a relieved sigh, John quietly dressed for the day and slipped into the hallway. He cast one last, longing look at his bed before he closed the door.

EVA

Eva awoke roughly thirty minutes later to a cold bed and a feeling of dread. Everything was sore and her senses were working on overdrive. The sun seared her eyes as it shone through the balcony doors. Every sound in the house seemed so much louder than it should have. Eva had been hungover before, but this was different. This was so much worse. 

Groaning, she sat up, but immediately regretted the decision as pain lanced through her core. Eva swore and flopped back onto the bed. She lay there for a moment, trying to process the events of the previous day. John had dragged her to some awkward family dinner that she wanted no part of. Then came the warm, fuzzy feeling, and then... Eva’s heart skipped a beat. She had fucked John Seed. Not only that, but she had done it very, very willingly. It dawned on her that she had been drugged, but her mind couldn’t properly register the information through the shock.

When it finally did hit, Eva felt bile creep up her throat. She stumbled to the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before throwing up. Once the sickness died down, Eva sat back and rested her head against the wall. She had been ashamed of herself before, but now she was disgusted. Eva forced herself to her feet and stepped into John’s luxurious shower, where she cranked the heat up as high as she could stand and scrubbed her skin raw. She wanted to remove every trace of John Seed from her body.

Eventually, she begrudgingly turned the water off and dried herself with a fluffy blue towel. Eva still felt filthy, but knew she couldn’t spend too much time in the bathroom. She needed to escape, and she couldn’t do that if John walked in on her. Stealing a pair of black jeans and a white cashmere sweater, Eva quietly slipped out onto the balcony and made her way down the stairs. She instantly regretted not stealing some socks as well. The winter air mercilessly bit her exposed skin, but she didn’t dare turn around. The fear of being caught spurred her onward down the stairs and across the drive. As luck would have it, there was a church ATV parked next to a battered white van.

Eva crept between the vehicles and dropped to the ground. She stuck her head under the ATV and began searching for the wires connected to the ignition. The church’s vehicle was a similar model to her own, so it didn’t take long to find the wires she needed. Eva had drunkenly lost her keys enough times in high school that hotwiring ATVs became second nature. She unplugged the striped ground wire and connected the black and red wires near it. Scurrying out from under the vehicle, she pressed the ignition button and grinned when the engine roared to life. The tires squealed in protest as she tore down the driveway, drifting around the curves and spraying gravel onto the manicured lawn. Eva was on the road to town before anyone realized she was gone.

JOHN

When John returned to his bedroom to fetch Eva for breakfast, he was met with silence and emptiness. Eva was nowhere to be seen, and someone had clearly rifled through his drawers. John prayed that she was still somewhere in the house, but could find no trace of her anywhere on the second floor. He raced downstairs, catching the attention of his brothers, who were both nursing mugs of coffee in the living room.

“Have you seen Eva?” he asked, trying not to let his panic show.

This was the only way to get to the first floor from inside the house. If Eva had come this way while he was preoccupied in the kitchen, his brothers would have seen her. Jacob shook his head and grunted a negative response. Joseph raised a slender eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you’ve misplaced our heathen, John.” His tone was light and teasing, but John could read between the lines. Joseph was smiling, but he had a dangerous look in his eyes.

Scowling, John turned on his heel and strode out the front door. Eva wasn’t on the balcony or in the yard. He checked the garage and hangar, but they were both still locked. When he made his way back to the front of the house, he stumbled upon three members of the church in his driveway. Two were arguing amongst themselves while the other stared, dumbfounded, at one specific stretch of gravel.

“What’s going on?” John interrogated them immediately. His sharp tone scared the three of them to attention.

The stunned man answered first, explaining that he was certain he’d parked his ATV right next to the van, but it was nowhere to be found. Pulling out a small, silver key, he told John that no one could have taken it because he had the key. The man and women that had been arguing piped up next. The woman was certain the driver had simply parked somewhere else and forgot while the man defended him. John waived away their disagreement and told them to figure it out. As he stalked back into the house, his heart nearly stopped. What if Eva had stolen the ATV?

When John voiced his concern aloud, Jacob confirmed hearing a small vehicle leave roughly ten minutes ago. Joseph expressed his doubt that Eva was capable of hotwiring a vehicle, but John wasn’t so sure. He had no other explanation for her disappearance, and he knew for a fact that she’d had an ATV of her own. Her parents had donated it to the church after leaving their daughter in his care. John’s worried frown encouraged Joseph to speak up.

“If she did leave, we will find her, John,” he reassured his younger brother.

“Yes, Joseph, of course,” John replied automatically with a hollow smile.

“And when we do,” Joseph continued, “I think it would be best for her to stay with me for a while.”

“ What?! ” John hissed, “Why?!”

“She ran for a reason, John,” Joseph explained, nonplussed by his brother’s ire, “Perhaps it was because you were too greedy with her.”

Something snapped inside John. How dare Joseph insinuate that this was his fault?! Clenching his teeth, John tried to rein in the rage burning inside him before he punched his brother. It wouldn’t do him any good to strike Joseph, no matter how much he wanted to. John hadn’t done anything wrong! Eva had clearly chosen him as her partner for the evening. So how was he being greedy? John was about to say as much when he saw it.

John had a keen eye for spotting sin. He had carefully cultivated his ability to read people for years, and even Joseph was an open book. His brother had jealousy written all over his face. Joseph hid his emotions well from most, but he couldn’t hide from John. The youngest of the Seed brothers laughed derisively as he felt his anger melt away.

John wore a smug smirk as he said, “Envy is an ugly sin, dear brother.”

Chapter Text

LOU

Lou had been allowed to indulge with a nice long hot shower. She enjoyed the feeling of the hot water on her skin and savored it. 

She heard shouting, down below, and she wasn't sure which brother was yelling at which, but a familiar feeling of fear began to creep up her throat. 

"No." She told herself out loud. She stopped the shower and the shouting volume increased. She couldn't quite make out what they were arguing about, but the tightness in her throat made her dry quickly. She pulled the robe back on, and realized she wouldn't be able to hear them from the balcony. 

She stepped into the cold air, but closed the door behind her and appreciated the abrupt decrease in noise. There was actually a blanket draped over a chair, which she immediately donned as well, and sat in. The blanket was a little damp from frost, but not enough to not help. 

Looking out over the wooded area near the ranch, she felt a feeling of peace settle over her. For the moment, all was quiet. 

It didn't last long. The door to the balcony opened and John stepped out yelling, "Don't you dare." 

She stared at him a moment, her peace quickly forgotten as a cold feeling of dread replaced it. 

"I just wanted a little quiet." She said in a small voice. "I'm sorry." She rose, dumping the blanket, and stepped towards him. 

He stared at her for a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"I'm sorry, dear. I thought you might be out here attempting to leave. Which would have been a very bad idea. Don't come out onto the balcony without one of us with you, do you understand?"

"Y-yes sir." She felt her hands tremble, but she clenched them at her sides.  He opened the door, and she headed past him, back inside. He laid a hand across her back as he guided her back into the room. She looked at the bedroom door, gripping the handle, but he stopped her. 

"I'm not angry with you." He said softly. "No one is angry with you." 

She felt oddly angry. They'd taken her freedom, her body, and any sense of safety she'd possessed after the war. The idea that they could have the audacity to be angry with her was infuriating. The tremble left her as anger warmed the chill of fear. She swallowed it down and nodded. 

John looked at her for a moment.

"Let's get you something proper to wear." He opened the drawers and to her horror, her own clothes were neatly folded and put away. "Pick anything you like. I will turn around while you change." 

She picked a very sturdy pair of black jeans, warm wool socks, a gray t-shirt, and a green plaid, sherpa lined, button up shirt with a hood. She shook out her curls. 

"I'm decent." She mumbled. He turned around, and led her back down to the others. 

Joseph pressed his forehead to hers and she recoiled, backing into John. 

"I won't hurt you." Joseph promised. Lou held her tongue and nodded stiffly. Jacob watched her, but made no move to come any closer. 

Joseph sighed. "Well since we're sure our infidel is with us, I think she should come with me for safekeeping." 

"No." Lou snapped before she could stop herself. Jacob's eyebrows raised, but he didn't look angry. Joseph's face darkened and she felt the icy feeling of panic start to return.

She backed further into John without thinking. He steadied her. 

"Please...I…"She wasn't sure how to fix this. She brought her hand up to grip his sleeve, holding onto him like a lifeline. "I...just want to stay with John." She knew John the best, and the familiar was definitely better. Joseph looked furious. Her heart leapt to her throat. 

"Joseph." Jacob said. "She felt comfortable enough with John to confess. She doesn't know us as well yet." 

"We can't risk John losing her too." Joseph snarled. She realized then that Eva was gone. That's why they were angry. She remembered what anger meant. 

"I didn't lose her." John yelled back. "None of this was my fault. You were all here too! And our Chosen didn't notice someone stealing an ATV in broad daylight! So don't you blame this on me! I can't be expected to do everything!!" His fingers dug unintentionally into her arms and Lou felt sand at her feet again. She could hear the other shouting in conjunction with theirs. She could see the other angry men standing in front of her and in front of Joseph. She could feel their spit on her face. She trembled as one of them pulled out a gun. 

It isn't real. They aren't here. She reminded herself. She felt like her lungs were burning and realized she'd been holding her breath. She took a deep breath, and another. She wasn't sure if anyone was talking to her anymore, but she met the eyes of one of the men from Afghanistan. He put the gun to her forehead and cocked it. She felt a whimper die in her throat as he lowered it to her shoulder. 

Suddenly Jacob held her face with both hands. 

"Pup." He said. 

She couldn't bring herself to speak yet. She felt the cold press of metal in her shoulder. It felt so real. His thumbs caressed both of her cheeks.

"You still with us?" John's hands gentled too.

She heard the gunshot and flinched, bringing her hands up to her head.

"We need the dog." John said. "I think he's actually a service dog."

"No, he's a wolf dog. He wouldn't be trained, but I think he helps." Jacob agreed. He took a deep breath and looked at John.

"Take care of her. I'll go get him." He grabbed his jacket off a chair and left. John turned her around and embraced her. She realized she was trembling. 

"I'll make her some tea." Joseph's voice was soft. "She... doesn't trust me yet. So... do what you can." 

She buried her face in John's shirt. She took deep breaths, breathing in his strong cologne smell. The men in Afghanistan had not smelled like that. His silky shirt was all different too. She focused on it. He rubbed her back.

Her breathing finally calmed. Joseph set a mug on a coffee table. John scooped her up to sit on the couch. Joseph fetched a blanket as well, and draped it over her and John. He stroked her curls out of her face. 

"I'm sorry we frightened you." Joseph said. "Jacob is bringing your dog." 

"Thank you." She said. He offered the mug and she took it gingerly. She dared not drink it, so she just held it, letting it warm her hands. 

Suddenly a phone rang. Joseph sighed, and pulled out a very old looking flip phone. He answered it and stepped out. 

She looked up at John. 

"How old is Joseph...exactly?" She asked. 

He looked at her for a moment, confused. 

"I thought he couldn't be older than 45 at the most but…" She frowned.

John realized she meant the phone and laughed. 

"He's 42, but you're right, it's an embarrassment." 

"Do you feel better?" He asked. 

"Yes, thank you." She pulled back to climb off his lap and he held her in place a moment. 

"You can stay if you want." John watched her face. "But I won't make you." He added quickly. She leaned to set the mug down and he helped her. 

"I thought you liked tea." he remarked as she elected to remain in the temporary safety of him and the blanket. 

"I do, I just...um...I don't want that." She said. 

Joseph interrupted them. "There is some business Faith and I must handle. I'm trusting you, John." He kissed the top of Lou's hair before leaving. She felt a sense of relief as he finally left.

John looked relieved as well, and she leaned her head against his chest. She felt sorry for him, despite herself. Joseph seemed to expect the most out of him. 

He stroked her curls with his beautifully tattooed hand. 

"Jacob will be a bit yet. Do you want to go back upstairs and lay down for a bit? Or are you hungry?" 

"I'm fine." She said. He sighed softly, as his own commotion died down.

"Why would she leave?" He murmured, mostly to himself.

"Why would she stay?" Lou asked. She tensed, realizing she probably shouldn't have said that out loud. But John just kept rubbing small circles into her back, his other hand lightly resting in her hair, scritching her head. 

"I thought she'd changed her mind." He said. 

You can't drug someone to make them do what you want and expect them to like it. She thought. She remained silent, remembering the fury on both of their faces earlier. Lou didn't dare press her luck. 

John glanced at his own clearly new iPhone and sighed again. He gently untangled them and stepped out to make a call. She stretched out on his couch in his absence. It wasn't very late in the day yet, but she felt exhausted. 

He came back from the kitchen, looking angry again. His eyes fell on her and she swallowed. He crawled over her. 

"Joseph thinks you're his, but he's wrong. He can call me and yell at me all he wants." He said, inches from her face. "You chose me." 

She was afraid he might hurt her, but he kissed her lightly. He stroked her face, dragging his thumb over her lip. 

"Tell me you want me." He whispered against her lips. "Say yes." 

His eyes glittered dangerously. She didn't think he'd hurt her if she refused, but she honestly wasn't sure. He slid his hand down over her throat and squeezed. Not hard, more like he liked to feel her pulse under his fingers. He kissed her jaw. 

"Say yes, Lou." He said, biting the space where her shoulder and neck met. 

"Y-yes." His hand loosened, moving to the buttons on her outer layer, pulling it off. He slid her shirt up and her bra with it. He dragged his tongue through the space between her breasts and she shivered. 

He smirked, kissing and nipping her exposed skin where he pleased, she flinched when he kissed the word infidel and he paused. 

"Are you alright?" He asked, stroking her cheek again. 

"Yes...just…um…"

"Not there?" He supplied.

She nodded. He kissed her lips again. 

"Understood." He said. "Anything else you want me to avoid, sweetheart?" 

"I don't think so." She blushed. 

"Ok." He moved back to her breasts with his mouth while he moved his hands down to her pants. He unbuttoned her swiftly, and pulled them down with her panties in tow. He brought his mouth down to her core, dragging his tongue over her slit, and swirling it over her clit. 

It was very clear he knew what he was doing. He dragged his fingers over her slowly, savoring the way her breath hitched. He slid them home and stroked slowly, building up the pressure as his mouth worked on her clit. He began to increase his pace on both accounts, until he felt her begin to tighten on his fingers. 

"Not yet. I want to feel you from the inside." He said. He slid her pants off the rest of the way before he unbuttoned his pants and produced his member. He was already standing at attention as he stroked himself and lined up with her. He rubbed his cock over her, gathering up her slick before he slid himself inside. 

The both grunted as he did so. He kissed her again, tweaking a nipple. She gasped. 

"You like that?" He chuckled. He pinched her other nipple as he began thrusting. She moaned into his mouth and he bent his mouth down to her nipple and bit it lightly. She clenched down on him and squirmed. He groaned. 

He settled for sucking on it so he could pick up the pace. The drag of him against her walls felt so good. She clenched his shirt, wrapping her legs around his waist in spite of herself. 

"You are a treat." John praised. "I can see why Joseph wants you so badly. Too bad it's my dick in you and not his." He grinned, pounding a little harder. 

"Tell me, do you belong to Joseph?" He ground against her g spot and she whimpered. 

"N-no." He kept at it. 

"Who then? Who does this pussy belong to?"

Me. She thought. "Y-fuck-you. It belongs to you." Whatever kept him from stopping. He was way too good at finding the spots that made her shake. 

"Good. Good girl." He reached his hand down to stroke her clit, picking up the pace again, and it was over. She felt her orgasm crash over her like a wave. He kept going, dragging it out, and she lost the ability to form coherent thoughts or words. 

She let out a wordless scream as she fell deeper into it than she thought possible. He stilled as well, and spilled inside with a grunt of his own. He stroked her hair away from her sweaty face and kissed her tenderly. 

She panted. Feeling a bit head rushed, she brought the back of her hand to her forehead and he looked concerned. 

"You ok?"

"Yes…" She let her hand drop. "Just um...wow." 

He laughed again, the sound rich. There was the unmistakable sound of claws on hardwood and she froze. A cold wet nose brushed against her and she met the happy face of Fenn, his tongue lolling and his tail wagging. The last face she wanted to see with a dick buried inside of her. 

"Well." Jacob said from the doorway. He looked amused, thankfully. "I take it she's feeling better?"

Chapter Text

Lou bid Fenn to sit, and carefully untangled herself from John, blushing profusely. When she'd at least put some panties on, she slid to her knees and buried her face in Fenn's fluff.

As she did this, he practically wagged his whole butt and pressed his nose into her ear. She giggled, pushing him back gently and telling him over and over again that he was the best boy while showering him with scritches. 

She felt a lot of the tension leave her body in Fenn's presence. Jacob returned with a metal bowl of water and John sighed as the dog immediately laid down on one of his nice fur rugs. She looked back at him apologetically but he crooked a half smile at how happy she looked. 

"I had them set up a kennel so you can let him out easier." Jacob said. "He might like a stretch after the car ride." She called out to Fenn and he followed obediently. Jacob had had the Chosen put up a dog run for him. 

"Thank you." She said. She realized she stood out without any pants on and made a move to cover herself. Jacob noticed and smirked, pushing her up against the side of the house. He kissed her hard, his hand pushing her shirt slightly up on her belly. 

She shivered from his touch and the cold air, and he slid his hand up to her still covered breast. He gripped her bra hard, yanking the cup down. He nipped at her peak through her shirt and she gave a small whimper of surprise.

He came back up to her neck and bit hard. She gripped his shirt as she felt a jolt of pleasure head straight for her core. 

"I'm getting really tired of walking in on my brother's dicks in you. I'll show them who you really belong to." He growled. 

His hand snaked up and grabbed her throat. He squeezed hard, but not hard enough to hurt her. She let out a little gurgle of surprise, and he eased his grip on her throat. 

"You alright, Pup?" He kissed her throat gently, his fingers and lips soothing the skin he'd aggressively attacked moments before.

"Yes."

"Good. Now, yes what?" His voice deepened again.

"Yes...sir?" She ventured.

"Good girl." She felt another quiver of excitement rush through her at his praise. 

"She'll freeze out here, Jacob." John leaned in the doorway, amused. 

Jacob backed off to let her back in the house. John kissed her as she stepped back in. His eyes challenged Jacob to disagree. 

"Upstairs." Jacob suggested. "Let the dog run outside for a bit."

He lifted her up bridal style and carried her up the stairs quickly, forcing John to half jog to keep up. He rolled his eyes at his brother's antics. 

"My room." John said quickly. Jacob turned and led them into John's room. He dropped her on the bed, making quick work of her shirt, bra,and panties. John dug in his drawers, producing a Hitachi. Jacob went to work, marking her flesh with his teeth. Periodically, he looked up, making sure she still seemed to be enjoying herself. 

John kissed her from above, upside down and spiderman style. Jacob would not be ignored, rubbing himself against her lower lips. He tugged her away from his brother and she dragged her tongue over the length of him. John grumbled at Jacob stealing her mouth away and rubbed himself as his brother thrust into her mouth. Her eyes watered as she struggled to take him down her throat. 

He slowed. "Relax, Pup. Like you're yawning." He coaxed. John gently held her hair back as Jacob slid in deep. She tried to do as he said. Jacob spoke to her softly, his voice a low rumble. She focused on the sound of his voice, too distracted to really hear what he was saying. She felt some more involuntary tears and he gave her a reprieve. 

"Good girl, you did well, Pup." He kissed her. John grunted in impatience. She took him in her mouth, sucking on him and working back up to taking him in her throat. It was hard and overwhelming, but she felt like it was unfair otherwise. John chuckled and eased her off. 

"It's ok, Sweet." He said. He kissed her as Jacob slid his fingers inside of her. He stroked upward with his fingers quickly. She gasped against John's mouth as the most obscene wet sounds came from her. 

John flipped her onto her belly and lined her mouth back up with his member and she teased him with her mouth. He grunted, content for the moment with the feel of her tongue on him. Jacob quickened his pace and she squeaked on John's dick and she gushed on his fingers. 

"Oh now that's hot." John praised. Jacob slid his fingers out, and rubbed himself against her again, until he was coated. He slid inside slowly, and she moaned softly around John. John liked the vibration from this, and moved to thrusting shallowly into her mouth. The tip of him occasionally grazed the back of her throat and she felt her eyes water again. 

They both showered her with soft praises, until Jacob picked up the Hitachi and John slid out of her mouth. Jacob flipped her back onto her back and switched the wand on, pressing it to the junction between their legs. She gasped and bucked up into him. 

"Oh that's it." Jacob grunted as she tightened around him. He held the vibrator steady and John cradled her head. Jacob increased his pace and she whimpered. He clicked a button on the wand and the vibration increased. She felt her eyes roll back in her head as she came hard on him. He praised the feeling of her as he kept going. She whimpered again as it kept her orgasm going. She clenched down on him, crying out. Jacob kept thrusting and kept the Hitachi firmly pressed against her clit. Obscenities fell from her lips as she felt wave after wave of pleasure overtake her. John laughed softly at her distress, holding her steady for Jacob.

Jacob finally came himself, spilling into her with a firm grunt. He towered over her, panting. 

"Fuck." She choked out, a numbness settling over her. Jacob had finally switched off the vibrator, carefully pulling out of her. He kissed her hard, before turning her around. John held the Hitachi now, rubbing himself and lining up with her entrance. She realized it was far from over.

"Oh fuck." She said. John kissed her as he slid inside. Oversensitive, she whined against his mouth. He pumped in and out slowly. 

"You're so tight, sweetness." He said. "Fuck…"

Jacob ran his fingers through her sweaty hair as John picked up the pace. He turned the vibrator back on and she practically screamed. 

"Oh God that's good." John said and Jacob laughed. 

Lou's back arched as John brought her back over the edge again. Jacob played with her boobs, slapping one. She came hard, stars filling her eyes. John wasn't done yet, so he kept going and she dug her fingers into the sheets as it almost hurt. She squirmed but they held her still. She swore again. It did hurt now and she pleaded with them. 

"Shhhh it'll be good in just a moment." Jacob promised. He brushed his thumbs lightly over her nipples and as promised, pain melted into pleasure and she came hard. John made a strangled sound as she clamped down on him. He came only seconds later, and she felt so unbelievably hot. 

They turned off the Hitachi, but Jacob was already hard again. 

"N-no I can't do it." She begged. 

"Yes you can, Pup. One last time." Jacob eased inside. She groaned as it did feel good. He moved slowly and she panted, John peppered her with little kisses as his brother took his sweet time, enjoying the feeling of them coming together. 

The sensation of him rubbing against her insides was so good. Then he snapped his hips against hers and she choked on her breath again. He gripped her hips and plunged in deep and fast again. He grunted from the effort, chasing his own high. She closed her eyes as she felt hot again. John took one of her nipples in his mouth and sucked, just as Jacob began to thrust with reckless abandon and she let out a soundless scream. He growled as he pulsed inside her. He pressed it as deep as it would go, bucking into her lightly as he did. She felt faint and dizzy. She felt her eyes close as her chest heaved. 

A pair of cool wet cloths moved over her body. One wiped at her face while the other cleaned her. 

"Lou? Sweetheart? I know that was a lot. You did so well. You good, good, girl." John said. He was the one washing her face. She blinked and he petted her hair. He was so gentle now. He rose slowly, letting Jacob climb up closer. John disappeared for a bit while Jacob drew her into his arms, cradling her as she leaned into his warmth, utterly exhausted and sore. 

John returned with fresh clothes and bottled water. Jacob opened it for her and let her drink as John eased a pair of panties back on her. Finally with help from both of them she was dressed. John promised them some food, and headed back to the kitchen while Jacob told her he'd go and fetch Fenn. John helped her back into her room as Jacob returned and she curled up with Fenn and Jacob, dozing while John cooked for the three of them. For the moment at least, she felt at peace. 

Chapter Text

EVA

Eva’s great escape turned pathetic as the ATV sputtered and died a little ways down the road. She blinked stupidly at the machine and flicked the power switch a couple times. Nothing. Sighing heavily, she flopped onto the frosty road to check the wires. They were still connected, so that wasn’t the issue. Was it possible that some stupid fucker had actually driven it out to the middle of nowhere on fumes ? Eva swore and kicked a muddy tire. She was grateful that her toes were frozen solid, because damn did that hurt!

Hopping on one foot, Eva tried to rub the pain out of her stubbed toe. It helped a little, but not much. The sound of gravel crunching underneath distant tires tore Eva’s attention away from her injury. She whipped her head left and right, but didn’t see any cars coming. She wasn’t about to press her luck, though, and slid down an icy patch of grass into the nearby ditch. Eva scrambled up the other side and bolted across an open field. Stalks of long-dead crops poked through the dirt like spears, slicing and stabbing at Eva’s feet as she ran. But she didn’t stop, not even when she tripped over the barbed wire fence at the edge of the property.

Blood trickled from the cuts in her feet, staining the frozen earth red. Eva gasped for breath and stumbled onward toward the small collection of buildings in the distance. As she drew closer, she could make out a house and some kind of garage. There was nothing to indicate an affiliation with Eden’s Gate, and that thought alone filled her with hope. These people might help her. Collapsing against the back door, Eva weakly smacked her hand against the wood. Some of the peeling white paint stuck to her sweaty palm and ripped away from the door.

“Help,” Eva gasped, “Please, somebody help!”

She heard a small commotion inside. Two sets of footsteps approached the door. One of the people sped up and planted themselves between the door and whoever else was inside. Muffled voices argued about whether or not they should let Eva in. A man’s voice said it was too dangerous. A woman said they had to help anyway. The woman won without much of a fight and nudged the man aside to open the door. Eva fell on her face the second her support disappeared.

The man swore and helped her to her feet. Eva swayed dangerously, the exhaustion and hangover hitting her hard. Strong arms scooped her up and carried her further into the warm house. The woman darted ahead to gather some blankets. Eva managed a weak word of thanks before passing out on their couch.

Eva woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. She groggily opened her eyes to see a dark-haired woman leaning over her. The woman stepped back and offered her a bowl of soup.

“Here, sweetheart, you look like you could use this,” the woman said.

“Thank you,” Eva croaked, tears welling up at the strangers’ kindness, “Thank you so much. You...you have no idea…”

“It’s okay,” the woman replied, “You don’t have to talk about it now.”

“What do you mean, she don’t have to talk about it?” the man snapped, “We don’t even know where she came from, Kim!”

“Nick, she’s clearly been through a lot! Give her a minute!” the woman, Kim, responded, giving him a hard look.

Nick flushed and backed off in a hurry, sputtering an apology. Eva couldn’t help but crack a smile at his antics. He seemed like a nice guy. Kim definitely wore the pants in their relationship, and it was kind of adorable. Eva realized who these people were - Nick and Kim Rye. Everyone knew of the Ryes and their famous summer barbeques. Eva had never really met them, but she'd been to a few of the parties.

“My name’s Kim, sweetie. What’s yours?” Kim asked, sitting down on the other couch.

“Eva. And I, uh, I don’t really mind explaining why I suddenly passed out on your doorstep,” Eva said sheepishly, “Seems only fair, since you’ve been so nice to me.”

“See! She gets it!” Nick piped up with a grin. He hopped over the back of the couch to plop down next to Kim, “So what’s your story, kid?”

“‘Kay, so first of all, I’m not a kid . I’m 24, thank you very much!” Eva laughed at Nick’s shocked expression, “And, well shit I’m not totally sure where to start. Ya’ll heard of Eden’s Gate?”

“Those cult freaks? You ain’t one of ‘em are ya? Like some kind of crazy Jehovah’s Witness person?” Nick gave her a wary look.

“Nick!” Kim chastised and elbowed him in the ribs, “Even if she-”

“Nah, it’s good.” Eva interrupted, “And to answer your question Nick - fuck no! I actually just got away from those assholes.”

 “Got away? They kidnap you or something?” Nick frowned, looking worried. He was certainly an animated talker.

“Or something,” Eva sighed, “Point is I got away. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get very far because some idiot forgot to gas up their ATV before I stole it. So I ran ‘til I ended up here.” Eva leaned back into the couch and sipped at the soup. “Did I mention I really appreciate you guys for helping me?”

“A couple times,” Kim replied with a smile, “Where are you headed, exactly? Maybe we could give you a ride.”

“I’d appreciate that. I…” Eva paused. She wasn’t really sure where to go. Missoula was her first thought, but that was probably the first place the cult would look for her. Assuming they were looking. They probably were, since they thought she was important thanks to an impulsive tattoo she’d gotten at 18 for the express purpose of disappointing her parents. “I don’t know where to go, actually.”

“Where are you from?”

“Pleasantview. It’s up in the Whitetails. But I can’t really go back there.”

“Bad home life?”

“Something like that.”

“Why don’t you stay here?” Nick finally rejoined the conversation.

“Seriously?” Eva was stunned. These people were too nice.

“Why not? We got a guest room we ain’t using yet.” Nick gave her a reassuring smile.

“Yet?”

“Well, we gotta turn it into a nursery eventually, but we got some time before Nick Jr. comes around.” The man was positively beaming now.

“You’re having a baby? Congrats!” Eva was genuinely happy for them, “But isn’t the mama the one that’s supposed to be glowing, not the daddy?”

“Can’t it be both?”

That got a chuckle from both women in the room. The atmosphere was so much more relaxed, and Eva really felt at home with the welcoming couple. She offered to help them pack things up and convert the guest room into a nursery in exchange for staying with them until she had a game plan. The Ryes both said it wasn’t necessary, but Eva insisted. They had already done more for her than she would have expected of anyone, and she refused to be a burden. Besides, she doubted John would expect her to be hiding so close to his home, so it seemed like as good of a hiding place as any.

Chapter Text

EVA

A week passed quickly in the Rye household. Nick gave flying lessons and aerial tours most days, while Kim managed the business finances and kept up with the housework. Eva helped where she could - mostly with the housework. She didn’t know a damn thing about planes, but Nick had taken it upon himself to teach her after hours. Apparently, everyone under his roof needed to know their way around a plane, or they weren’t a true Rye. Eva smiled and didn’t bother to remind him that they’d only known each other a few days and that she was, in fact, not a Rye. It was painfully sweet how they just sort of adopted her into their family.

The trio - or was quartet more appropriate? - headed into town over the weekend to pick up some supplies and meet some of the Ryes' friends. Shopping for parts took much longer than it should have, because Nick just had to show Eva every little thing and how it worked. She did her best to keep up, she really did, but it was just too much information to absorb on an empty stomach. Kim finally dragged her husband away from a colorful display rack. Nick sighed and stared longingly at the multi tool he'd been playing with. Eva tried not to laugh as she assured him the tool would be waiting for him after lunch.

The Ryes and co. talked animatedly as they made their way down the street to what Nick claimed was the best place to eat in all of Hope county. Eva raised an eyebrow at the gaudy neon sign of the main bar in town - the Spread Eagle - that was apparently their destination. She glanced at Kim, then back at the bar. Nick threw open the doors with a hoot and a holler.

"Hey there, Mary May, long time no see!" he cheered.

"Nick Rye, you son of a gun, where you been?" the blonde behind the bar greeted. "Kim with you today?"

"Right here," Kim answered, perching on a vacant barstool near her husband.

"And who's this?" Mary May asked, looking Eva over.

"That there's Eva. She's a good friend of ours." Nick grinned and waved her over, "Eva, this is Mary May Fairgrave, also known as the best bartender in Falls End."

"Nice to meet you." Eva smiled at the introduction. A good friend, huh? The Ryes were too damn precious for this world.

"Pleasure's all mine. What's your poison?"

Eva ordered a hard cider and joined her friends. It felt like ages since she'd been out socializing. It was nice. She sighed and felt her apprehension melt away. She hummed along with the country song playing over the speakers while Kim and Mary May gushed over the baby. Nick swapped fishing stories with Casey, which were almost certainly exaggerated - as is tradition. Holland Valley had some big fish, but everyone knew the real monsters were further north. When Eva chimed in with that tidbit, Nick pouted at her and Casey bellowed a hearty laugh. Mary May grinned and clapped her on the shoulder.

"You're alright, kid," the bartender commended.

"Uh, thanks," Eva smiled and tried to ignore the heat rising to her cheeks. Mary May was real pretty up close, but Eva hadn't been paying attention before.

"Aw c'mon!" Nick whined, "How come she can call you kid an' get away with it?"

"Cuz she's hot," Eva replied with a shrug. She gave up on not blushing at that point as everyone stared at her. "What? I call it like I see it."

Mary May laughed and, mercifully, broke the tension. "I'm flattered, darlin', but I don't swing that way."

"Worth a shot."

A shot glass of Patrón appeared on the bartop in front of Eva. Mary May grinned and held up a shot of her own. "I'll drink to that!"

The blondes tapped their glasses together and downed the tequila in one gulp. Eva blanched. Nick choked on his whiskey at the sight of her appalled expression. He was about to give her shit for not being able to handle "grown up" drinks, but the front door slammed open and shattered the peaceful afternoon.

A man with dark skin and a greasy, black mullet tromped into the bar with an angry scowl. He glared at the small group inside and cocked a shotgun. Eva's blood turned to ice in her veins. The world seemed to grind to a halt as he barked orders at Mary May to surrender all the alcohol on the premises. The Father did not approve of her establishment and the pervasive sin surrounding it. A cleansing was in order.

Eva's body moved before her brain could catch up. Jumping to her feet, she threw herself between Kim and the cultist. She held her arms out to either side in a feeble attempt to protect the others as well. All sense of self-preservation was gone. After everything the Ryes had done for her, Eva would not let Eden's Gate get their hands on them.

"You need to leave," Eva stated coldly, "Right. Now."

"And just who do you think you are, sweetheart, " the man sneered.

"I think I'm the last person in this bar you wanna be pointing that gun at, sweetheart ," Eva spat back with just as much venom.

The cultist took a menacing step forward, but Eva didn't budge. Nick and Casey rose to defend the women, and Mary May reached for the shotgun she kept under the bar.

"Move, and I shoot," the cultist snarled, never taking his eyes off Eva.

A few other men bearing Joseph's cross stepped into the building. One was dirty, bald, and welding a baseball bat. The other had stringy, dark hair and an AR-C. Apparently showering was as taboo at Eden's Gate as sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. The men didn't take Eva's quip about their hygiene too lightly. Mullet pressed the barrel of his gun against her sternum.

"Listen, bitch-" he started.

"No you listen, bitch ," Eva cut him off, "You shoot me, and it'll be the last mistake you ever make. Now, unless you wanna die a very painful death, I suggest you call your boss."

"And why would I do that?" he hissed.

Eva shrugged, "Do or don't. It's your funeral."

Her heart raced in anticipation. Was this how she died? She'd never seen herself going out in a blaze of glory - Eva always figured she would have a heart attack at the ripe old age of 60, just before she could properly enjoy her retirement. Kim and Nick Jr. were well worth the sacrifice. There weren't many people left in Hope County that she could consider a friend, and she wasn't about to lose one of them to some Joseph-fellating, trigger-happy redneck with a superiority complex.

The bald bruiser and the greaseball looked at each other, uncertain what to do. Neither of them knew who this woman was, but she seemed pretty sure of her words. They came to the unspoken consensus that they should probably get someone higher up the food chain to handle this. Greaseball came forward to join Mullet, aiming his rifle at Casey and Nick - the greatest perceived threats. Meanwhile, Bruiser made a call.

"Brother John?" he asked timidly.

There was a tense pause before John Seed's voice crackled over the radio. "What is it?"

"There's, uh, there's a sinner here that wants a word with you."

Eva could practically hear John's exasperated sigh. Her body relaxed in spite of the dire situation. The mere thought of inconveniencing John brought a small smile to her face. That, and for all that she hated him for what he did to her, Eva found that his voice still had a hypnotic effect on her. Charismatic bastard.

"I don't have time to speak with every sinner in the county," John replied, straining to keep his voice steady. He wanted to yell at the idiot for bothering him when he had much more pressing issues to attend to, but he knew he had to keep his composure as best he could.

"Sorry, sir. It's just...well she seemed pretty adamant that she speak with you."

"Fine," John grumbled, "but tell her to make it quick."

"Yessir."

Bruiser strode up to Eva and thrust the radio into her open palm. "He said-"

"I heard what he said," Eva snapped.

They stared each other down for a moment before Bruiser backed off. Eva raised the walkie talkie to her lips with a smirk.

"'Sup, bitch?"

Mullet's jaw went slack and his grip on his shotgun loosened. Bruiser went white as a sheet. Greaseball was distracted by a fly circling his head.

"...Eva?" John sounded as shocked as Mullet looked.

"Awww, you remember my name," Eva cooed sarcastically, "That's adorable."

"Where are you?!" John demanded to know, ignoring her previous statement.

"Doesn't matter. What does matter, though, is the fact that your little, mulleted gremlin here very rudely stuck a gun in my face. Oddly enough, that's not nearly as fun as it sounds." Eva replied, smiling through gritted teeth.

"He what ?! Stand down, you idiot!" John snarled.

Mullet leapt back as if he'd been burned, dropping his weapon in the process.

"Ahhh, much better," Eva sighed, "Now, I'd like to make a deal."

"You're in no position to make demands, Eva."

"I think I am, actually." She examined her fingernails nonchalantly. "I mean I could always off myself, and then you'll be short a heathen for  your little apocalyptic circle jerk. I'm sure Joseph would just love that!"

John's rage was nearly palpable in the short silence that followed her threat. "Talk."

"Your cronies are bothering my friends. I need you to tell them to fuck off."

"I thought you said this was a deal. What's in it for me?"

"Me."

"Is that right?"

"I'll turn myself in. No muss, no fuss."

"..."

"It's a solid deal, John."

"Is it? I could always order them to take you."

"And wouldn't it just be a shame if I got shot in the process?"

"..."

"Just say yes , John," Eva simpered, spitting his rhetoric back in his face, "It's just one little word."

"Fuck you, Eva."

"Hard pass. Now, deal or no deal?"

"Fine. Deal. Get your ass back here."

"Oh John, you know just what to say to make a woman swoon."

The baptist didn't answer her final taunt, so Eva handed the radio back to Bruiser and held her hands up in surrender. Greaseball, having finally tuned back into the conversation, zip tied her wrists behind her back and put a hand on her shoulder to lead her out of the building. Mullet retrieved his gun from the floor and cast a final, disgusted glance at the bar staff and patrons before trudging out the door.

Eva smiled apologetically at her newfound friends before she was pushed out the door behind Mullet. She was going to miss them. The freedom was nice while it lasted, but it was a small price to pay compared to what was at stake. Eva held onto that thought as she was shoved into a rusty truck and delivered to the devil on a silver platter. Eva was headed straight back into Hell, but at least her friends were safe.

Chapter Text

LOU

Lou spent the next couple days at John’s Ranch with the two of them. During that time she’d let John tattoo her sins on her. He’d written “pride” on her left upper arm,  “wrath” near her elbow on her left arm, “lust” on her right thigh, and “gluttony” on her left. She’d also called her therapist and cancelled future appointments. Her therapist insisted that it wasn’t a good idea, and in her heart, Lou wholeheartedly agreed. But she didn’t want to risk her therapist’s safety. 

The Sheriff was just as hard to convince. Part of her still wanted his help, even if she was afraid of what Eden’s Gate might do. Earlier that morning, she’d caught John washing blood off his hands in the sink. Jacob often had a splatter or two he’d forgotten about as well. She needed to keep her head. Reluctantly she’d ended up arguing with him to try to seem convincing. 

“I understand your opinion, but I am quitting this job. It’s not the end of the world, Sheriff. I know it’ll be quite a project to replace me. I know that there are a lot of bad apples nearby, and you might not find a large crop of applicants, but I believe in you. I wish I could help you more but my hands are tied. I wish you the best.” She hung up with that. She’d tried to clue him in as casually as possible. Worse yet, Joseph was coming over again and Jacob was busy that afternoon. 

John seemed to notice her apprehension. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing his lips to her shoulder. He was a little bit clingy with Eva still missing. She felt a little more relaxed in his arms and stopped herself. She needed to remember she was still his hostage. 

Fenn pawed her leg and she smiled in spite of herself. John let her bend to pet him. Then she heard the door. She tensed. Joseph hadn’t spoken to her about her choice to remain with John, but she knew he wasn’t happy about it. Jacob had continued to calm him and John had continued to deal with his wrathful calls. She didn’t want them to hurt on her behalf either, even though she knew she shouldn’t feel sorry for any of her captors.

She straightened but kept her hand tangled in Fenn’s fur. He sat patiently with her while she watched Joseph approach. 

“Hello, Lou.” He smiled and she smiled back, trying not to let her tension enter her face. 

She knew he held all of the strings. Behind those yellow lenses, all of the power of Eden’s Gate watched her. 

“Hello Father.” She said. 

“You can call me Joseph, if you like.” He cupped her face and pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, trying to seem sincerely happy to see him. 

“I thought you might like a little trip.” He told her. 

“Oh?” This was surprising. They’d barely let her outside on the property surrounding the ranch, let alone anywhere off of it. 

“Yes. Jacob tells me you enjoy the outdoors. It’s a nice day, so I thought we could enjoy it for a little while. You can bring Fenn too.” He appeared amicable, although she had to wonder at his intentions. Still, if she were ever going to escape, this was undoubtedly the best way to do it. 

“I’ll get his leash.” She said. She fetched it from a hook John had installed for it, and hooked him up. It was generally unnecessary, but he tended to unnerve people without it. 

Joseph led her to a modest white Eden's Gate truck, in a little bit of better condition than most of them were, and much to her surprise, he drove them himself. She hadn’t thought the Father did anything on his own. He drove them up into the Whitetails a short way, turning off for Langford Lake. She could see in the side view mirror that a couple other white Eden’s Gate trucks accompanied them at a distance. That wasn’t surprising. They passed the large elk statue indicating Elk Lodge, and the parking lot for the Widow’s Creek Trail. A couple of deer darted away from the road, and she envied them their freedom. 

He pulled them off into a remote spot and opened the door for her and Fenn. The trucks kept a respectful distance to afford them some privacy, but to continue monitoring them. He led her to a spot where two chairs and fishing rods waited. 

She stopped and looked at him in confusion. 

“You enjoy fishing, yes?” He asked.

“Yes I do. Um, thank you.” The lake was positively serene. The air was crisp and fresh, and it danced lightly through the pines lining the waterfront. Soft splashes showed her where the fish hid, and she took a moment just to breathe it in. 

She paused to admire the mountains. It was something she never tired of.

“It’s truly beautiful here, isn’t it?” He said. “Every morning I’m amazed by them all over again.”

“You didn’t grow up in Hope County right? The folks around here often talk about how the c-Eden’s Gate just moved in one day.” She caught herself. 

If he noticed her slipup, he politely ignored it. “That is correct. I grew up in Georgia. John and Jacob too.” 

“The winter here must have been a bit of a shock.” She said. She stepped up to the chair, taking a moment to adjust the fishing pole. 

He took the other seat and laughed lightly. “Yes, you should have heard John during the first snow. He doesn’t like being cold, but he’ll put up with it to look nice. Jacob loved it. I swear he was born somewhere cold and we just didn’t know it.” 

“He does seem very at home in the mountains.” She agreed. “What about you?” 

“Well...it snows some in Georgia, but not like here. Still, I suppose I don’t mind it too much when it’s coupled with the mountains.” She baited her line as he spoke, rising to cast it with a practiced ease. 

“You came from Wisconsin, yes?” He asked. 

“Yeah, Milwaukee.” She agreed. She eased the line into a good position. 

“Is your family still there?” He asked, casting his own line.

“They um...yeah they technically are. My parents and my little brother died in a house fire before I returned from the war. Everything else is gone, but they have graves there. I left because it was too hard being there without them. Too familiar. Still...sometimes I feel like I cast them aside too.” She sat with the pole in her lap and Fenn curled up at her feet. 

“It sounds like you were close to them.” He had turned his powerful gaze back on her again. His eyes were gentle and sincere. 

“I was.” She choked a tiny bit on her words and coughed. “I was lucky. Not everyone gets to have a good family like I did.” She had never read his book, but she’d heard some about the Seeds’ rough background.

A fish tugged on her line and she coaxed it out. The key to fishing was patience and perseverance. She smiled as she reeled the little trout in. A golden trout wriggled in her fingers. She gently untangled it from the hook. 

"What a cute little guy." She remarked, before kneeling and releasing him.

"Not interested in keeping it?" Joseph joked.

"Not much point. If I wanted to catch something bigger, then he'd be a good size. But otherwise he's barely a snack for Fenn." She scritched the dog's head.

Joseph offered his hand for Fenn to sniff. He was rewarded with a small lap at his palm from the dog's tongue.

"He's a gentle giant, isn't he?" Joseph petted him.

"I've never seen him growl except the one time he thought I'd be hurt." She said. She baited another hook, and cast again. They each pulled a few more trout and a couple small basses. The lake wasn't one for large fish. Joseph had teased her that they'd starve, so she kept one of the trout and sent him back, letting the line drop to the bottom of the lake. Then she got a big tug on the line.

This one was a much bigger fight, but she wouldn't let Joseph help. With much fighting and effort, she brought in a much larger chinook salmon. It was probably one of the biggest fish in that small lake. Joseph produced a small cooler from behind his chair. When he looked impressed, she brought two more in with two more little trout he caught.

"I stand corrected." He said. "I need to tell you...part of the reason I brought you out here with me is because John is going to be much busier for a bit soon. He won't be able to look after you and focus on his work. Jacob either. You'll still see plenty of them, but they need a little extra time. Fenn will be with you, but you'll be staying with me for a bit."

Lou was frightened then that she'd spend the next however long in a bliss-filled haze. She felt her heartbeat quicken, and Fenn pressed his nose into her palm.

Joseph seemed to notice her distress. He frowned slightly, more out of concern than anger.

"What is it, sweet one?" He stepped closer and she clenched her jaw, forcing herself to hold her ground. "Tell me what you're afraid of." Seeing her flinch, he froze.

"I…" She faltered. "You... every time I've seen you...you...drugged me." She barely managed to squeak out the last part, and Fenn whined softly.

His eyes widened in surprise a moment. He thought about it.

"I... losing control over myself is scary." She said, praying that he wouldn't get angry. "I-I don't feel safe when I'm like that. I'm sorry...I just... I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. Hmm…well. I will make you a promise. So long as you obey us, stand at our side as you are meant to, then I will not force your exposure to the Bliss. It is meant to be a tool, meant to help us see more clearly. But it is not my wish to frighten you. It is not my wish to harm you." He held out his arms. "I give you my word. So long as you keep yours, then I shall keep mine."

Lou hesitated, and he offered an arm instead. She took that and he snagged the cooler with his other. He led them back to his truck and popped the cooler in the bed. Lou opened the door to let Fenn in, and he picked up a large branch. 

"No buddy...you can't bring the stick." She admonished, taking it. Joseph came around to her side to help her and she felt a jolt. Of course. Fenn had given her the solution. 

She turned towards the Father, stick in hand, and hit him swiftly on the head. He fell back, stunned, and she ushered Fenn in the truck. She climbed in and started it up with the keys Joseph had left in the ignition. She floored it and peeled out towards the road, hearing shouts and shots behind her as she left them in the dust. Onward, she thought, to Missoula.

Chapter Text

EVA

The ride back to the Seed Ranch was decidedly one of the most uncomfortable car trips of Eva’s life. Greaseball and Mullet had squished her into the middle “seat” of the truck. She had to straddle the gearshift, and would shoot Greaseball a dark look whenever he attempted to change gears - damn the cult for driving manual instead of automatic.

Eva wrinkled her nose and tried her best not to breathe. The unwashed men smelled worse in a cramped truck. Of course, the drive took twice as long as it should have, since they were basically stuck in first gear the whole way. If Greaseball tried to shift to second - or god forbid, third - he would be so far up in Eva’s business that she would shoot him herself before John had the chance. Greaseball wasn’t sure who he should be more afraid of: the Inquisitor or the woman who had the balls to call him a bitch.

Bruiser was stuck in the bed of the truck with his spiked bat. What, exactly, he planned to do with said bat was unclear. It wasn’t like he could smack people from the moving truck. Well, he could but he would probably end up falling out of the truck in the process. Eva hoped for that outcome. It would be funny, if nothing else. And they were going slow enough that he probably wouldn’t die. Probably.

After what felt like hours of self-inflicted suffocation, the Seed Ranch blessedly loomed on the horizon.  Eva all too eagerly barrelled out of the Truck of Eternal Stench, scrambling over Mullet and "accidentally" kneeing him in the dick along the way. She lost her balance and collapsed into the gravel driveway, making no effort to stop her fall as she gulped down deep breaths of clean(er) air. Honestly, everything in the Valley kinda smelled like cow shit. Eva missed the mountains.

Footsteps approached the truck at a leisurely pace. Gravel crunched loudly under someone's boots. Eva was fairly certain that someone was John, but she didn't bother looking in his direction to find out. A shadow fell over Eva's face as the footsteps came to a halt. John towered over her prone form, arms crossed and expression irritated. Eva met his gaze with a blank stare. 

"Get up," John ordered after a moment of tense silence.

"Nah."

"I said get up!"

"Nah."

"Eva-!"

"Sir," Greaseball interrupted nervously, holding out a radio, "There's a call for you."

John swiped it from the man's hand. He was ready to throw it across the yard when a frantic voice crackled through the speaker.

"Brother John, this is Dr. Richardson, please this is urgent!"

Sighing heavily, John lowered the radio and answered, "What is it?"

"The Father's been injured and the Infidel has escaped."

"WHAT?!" John roared, "Where is he?!"

"He's at his home now. I'm treating his wounds as we speak."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"But, that's at least a 20 minute drive…" Eva deadpanned.

John's attention snapped back to the blonde menace on the ground. His eyes narrowed as he reached behind him for his gun holster. Eva jumped to her feet as John. Leveled a pistol at her.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait, what the fuck?!" Eva yelped, waving her hands in front of her, "John what are you-?!"

BANG!!

Pain blossomed in Eva's side where the bullet struck. She screamed and clutched at her ribs, falling to her knees in the dirt. John rolled his eyes and grabbed her forearm, hauling her back to her feet. Eva's head spun and the world was enveloped in a glittering fog. It had no business being that sparkly.

John ordered his men out of the truck and shoved a giggling Eva into the passenger seat. He had to fasten her seatbelt when he realized she was too Blissed out to do it herself. John froze in place when he felt Eva's hands in his hair. She combed her fingers through the dark locks, utterly ruining his hairstyle.

"There!" she chirped, "Better!"

Sighing heavily, John shook his bangs out of his face and slammed the door. He caught his reflection in the rearview mirror and scowled. He looked terrible - like he just rolled out of bed. How was this better ? He glanced over at Eva, who just smiled dreamily at him, pain completely forgotten. What was he going to do with this woman?

JOSEPH

Joseph's head throbbed from his injury. He wasn't angry, so much as animated, driven by a nervous energy to find her. He hadn't expected the more obedient of the two to attempt escape. But then his thoughts wandered to their still missing Heathen. In some ways he supposed it was her fault. Their Infidel may not have been bold enough to attempt this without her having left.

This left a taste of wrath in his heart. He stopped himself, pressing his fingers into the bridge of his nose and thinking. This had to be a test. The Voice's instructions to him on the Heathen and Infidel had been somewhat unclear, but he knew they would need them to continue the Seed family. His Heathen still had a very holy purpose to fulfill.

The last time he'd worried the Infidel would escape, she'd been in a state of disarray herself. Jacob had gone after her then, only to discover she'd never intended to stray far. He thought about her face when she'd hefted the branch. He'd seen her eyes when she was haunted by visions only she could see, this time her eyes had been clear. She'd meant to leave them.

He paced until his unwanted but necessary phone rang. He answered it hastily.

"Father?" The voice on the other line was unfamiliar, although clearly one of his followers. 

"This is he." He said, allowing his tone to bring some comfort to the man.

"I pulled over someone in one of your trucks. You'd called the department to let us know that you were looking for the driver of a stolen truck?" The man asked. 

"Yes. Do not harm her. Have her brought to the Compound. She must be treated gently. Do not harm her dog either. Bliss him if you must, but do not hurt him. Do not bliss her unless absolutely necessary." He shouldn't have intended to keep his promise, but he did want her to trust him more.

"Understood, Father." The man said. The line disconnected and Joseph sighed. He supposed it was her distrust of him that had led her to attempt this escape. Certainly she'd made no move to flee John or Jacob. He would make her see, he reasoned. He would make her understand his love.

JOHN

"Jooooohn Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, his name is my name toooo," Eva sang obnoxiously.

John had just gotten off the phone with his oldest brother. Jacob would be overseeing some of John's duties while he checked on Joseph and dealt with Eva. Apparently hearing their names so close together got that stupid song stuck in Eva's head. It had been the bane of John's existence as a child. He heard it every time he and his brothers were introduced to other children - back when that actually still happened.

"Pick a different song, Eva," he growled. She had a nice voice, and he didn't want her to stop singing. But he would rather stick a screwdriver into his ears that listen to that fucking song.

"You right, you right, I've left someone out," Eva acknowledged with a nod.

"What?"

"JOOOOOHN JACOB FATHER JOSEPH SEED-!!"

"EVA, I SWEAR TO GOD!!"

" Fine ," she sighed, trying and failing to sound put out. Pouting, she tried to think of another song to piss John off. She grinned. She had just the one.

"Every John is just the same. I'm sick of their city games!" John's eye twitched at the subtle insult. "I crave a real wild man! I'm strung out on John Wayne!"

"Really?"

"What? There are literally no other songs with your name in them!" Eva protested.

"There are plenty of songs with my name in them," John argued back.

"Yeah?" Eva challenged, "Name one!"

As it would turn out, he didn't have to. Oh, John came on the radio, so he simply turned up the volume. Eva blinked and glared at the offending speakers.

"This sounds made up," she grumbled petulantly.

"It's on the radio ."

"Still sounds made up."

" All songs are made up, Eva. Some just get more popular than others."

"So your made up song is unpopular. Good for you."

John ground his teeth and gripped the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. He would not throw her out of the truck. He would not throw her out of the truck. He would not-

"Oh shit, this is my jam! Turn it up!" Eva cheered, cranking the volume up so loud the truck rattled as the opening chords Set the Sinners Free began to play.

He was throwing her out of the fucking truck.

EVA

The world still sparkled and spun as the rusty, white truck squealed to a halt in front of the Church of Eden's Gate. John threw his door open and stormed out of the truck. He didn't bother closing it again as he stomped around to Eva's side. The blonde in question just smiled as he wrenched the passenger door open.

"Don't look so damn pleased with yourself," John growled, reaching over her to undo the seatbelt.

"I can't help it," Eva giggled, "I won!"

"And what exactly do you think you've won?" he snapped.

Eva kissed the tip of his nose as John pulled away, leaving the Baptist utterly baffled. She hopped out of the truck, landing shakily, and hugged him tightly.

"I kept you distracted so you wouldn't worry about Joseph, silly," she chirped, smiling warmly up at him.

John's anger melted away in an instant. She was infuriating, but she was right. He hadn't been nearly as distressed about his brother's injury as he normally would have been. John met Eva's smile with a small one of his own. As he began to close the distance between them, John heard the doctor call out his name. He bit back a curse and acknowledged him with a wave. Eva stepped away, but wrapped her arms around one of John's, tugging him along after the doctor.

"Come on, let's go see your brother!"

Chapter Text

EVA

Eva dragged John into a small, simple house near the church.  They stepped into a sparsely-decorated living room that contained a hand-carved bookshelf, a couch, and a few plush chairs.  The doctor pulled John aside to discuss Joseph's condition - which wasn't nearly as severe as he had made it sound over the radio. Lou had hit him with a branch, leaving some dark bruising and a large, but fairly shallow cut. The doctor's only real concern was a concussion, and he instructed John to watch for any signs of one.

While they talked, Eva wandered into the narrow hallway that led to the house's master bedroom. She cracked the door open as quietly as she could and peered through the small opening. Unfortunately, she really couldn't see anything. So, she opened the door a bit more. Still nothing. Eva was about to widen the crack another fraction before the door was yanked open. Eva stumbled into the bedroom - balance virtually non-existent thanks to the Bliss - and dropped to the floor.

Joseph looked down at her with a shocked expression. She was certainly the last person he'd expected to see. Eva smiled and gave him a small wave as a greeting. A look of horror quickly replaced the carefree one she'd worn a moment earlier as Eva noticed the blood on Joseph's cheek. It had clotted in his beard and stained his neck with thin rivulets of red . The doctor had cleaned and bandaged the injury, but Joseph had insisted on doing the rest himself - he just never got around to it.

"Joseph, what happened?" Eva gasped, jumping up with an impressive amount of speed for someone as high as she was, "Who did this to you?!"

Smiling, Joseph gently took her hands in his, entwining their fingers has he did so. "I'm alright, Eva."

"You need me to slap a bitch?" Eva offered, "Cuz I will!"

That got an honest-to-goodness  laugh out of Joseph. With all the stress she and Lou had caused for him, it felt nice to let some of it go. Joseph pressed a kiss to Eva's forehead in lieu of a reply. For the moment, at least, he was content.

John rapped his knuckles against the doorframe. He hadn't wanted to interrupt his brother with Eva, but at the same time, their closeness nettled him. However, John was going to pretend that he was purely concerned about his brother's well-being and not at all trying to separate Joseph from his Eva.

"John," Joseph greeted his brother with the usual smile and head bump. "You didn't have to come all this way!"

Eva wriggled away from the brothers and pranced across the hall to the bathroom. John cast her a sharp warning glance, but she ignored it. Eva plucked the hand towel off the edge of the sink and filled the basin with warm, soapy water. John and Joseph spoke in muted tones about something - Eva couldn't be bothered to eavesdrop. Humming quietly, she dunked the towel into the water and wrung it out before easily slipping back between the brothers. She gently dabbed at the blood on Joseph's cheek, completely engrossed in her new task and conveniently pretending she hadn't just interrupted their conversation.

"Did you Bliss her?" Joseph asked, affectionately tucking a lock of Eva's hair behind her ear.

"I didn't have time to talk sense into her," John answered with a sigh.

"You sound exhausted, John," Joseph noted, "You should go home and get some rest."

"But-" the youngest Seed brother protested.

"Eva has everything under control here," said Joseph, "Don't you, dear?"

"Mmhmm," Eva hummed dreamily, only partially listening.

John wanted to argue, but backed off as he usually did. He didn't like fighting with Joseph to begin with, and the look on his brother's face clearly stated that he was finished discussing the matter. With a final glance at Eva, John excused himself to head home. As much as he wanted to drag her back with him, this was the will of the Father. He would grin and bear it for now, but John would be stealing Eva back sooner rather than later.

Joseph closed his eyes with a contented sigh after his brother left. Eva's gentle touch felt divine as she tended to him. He allowed her to fuss over him a little longer before covering her hand with his own. Eva looked up at him with a mix of confusion and worry. Joseph dipped his head down and pulled her into a soft kiss. Eva dropped the bloodied towel in favor of wrapping her arms around Joseph's neck and kissing him back.

Eva slowly trailed her fingers up through Joseph's hair. She toyed with a few loose strands before tugging his hair free of his bun. Joseph groaned and deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue over Eva's bottom lip. She opened her mouth for him with a contented sigh. As his tongue explored Eva's mouth, Joseph's hands began to explore her body. His soft, languid caresses sent a shiver through Eva's entire being.

When his hand came to rest lightly on her breast, Eva unconsciously arched her back to press against him. Joseph squeezed lightly and rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. His free hand ventured down to grab her ass. He squeezed that a bit harder, eliciting a quiet, surprised squeak from Eva.

Breaking the kiss, Eva took a step back. Joseph frowned, disappointed. Eva just smiled coyly and slowly pulled her shirt over her head. Joseph watched with rapt attention as her pants followed. Both garments were carelessly tossed to the other side of the room as Eva closed the distance between them again. Joseph crushed his lips against hers, hungry and wanting. He tried to slip his hand under the waistband of Eva's panties, but she stopped him.

"Let me take care of you," she whispered breathlessly.

Eva nipped at Joseph's earlobe and kissed her way down his neck. She peppered kisses over his shoulders and collarbone. Joseph sighed and craned his head back to give Eva more access to his skin. She dragged her tongue back up his neck and nibbled along his jawline. Grinding his hips against hers, Joseph tugged Eva closer and resumed running his hands up and down her sides.

After a moment, Eva started to fall to her knees as slowly as she could, trailing kisses as she went. When she finally hit the floor, Eva was face-to-face (or face-to-dick, rather) with the very prominent bulge in Joseph's pants. She licked it cheekily through the fabric before catching the zipper in her teeth. Some very unpreacherlike words came out of Joseph's mouth when Eva tugged it down. She unbuttoned him quickly, throwing whatever dignity she had left to the wind. Normally, she would have laughed at the thought of Joseph cussing  over a blowjob, but she was much too horny and he was much too enticing.

Eva gently pulled Joseph's throbbing erection out of its confines and helped him step out of his jeans, which quickly joined Eva's in the growing pile of discarded clothing. Biting her lip, Eva hesitated a moment and glanced up at Joseph. What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Joseph's normally bright blue eyes were nearly black from lust. His pupils had swallowed all but a sliver of cerulean. Somehow, his gaze was even more intense than normal, and it heated Eva's body in ways she hadn't thought possible.

Without breaking eye contact, Eva leaned forward and slowly dragged her tongue up his cock from base to tip. She couldn't have looked away even if she wanted to. Eva kept teasing despite the feverish sensation, swirling her tongue over his head and pressing burning kisses into every sensitive spot she could find. Joseph's hands came to rest in her hair, softly at first, but his grip on her blonde locks tightened more the longer Eva played with him. Joseph rolled his hips impatiently, smearing a wet trail of precum along her cheek.

Smirking, Eva made a show of taking him into her mouth. Just the tip a first, then a little more, before pulling off him with a lewd pop . Eva licked her lips as desperation clouded Joseph's expression. Flattening her tongue against the bottom of his shaft, Eva sealed her lips over Joseph again. This time, though, he was done with her teasing and pushed himself deeper until he touched the back of her throat. Eva groaned at the sudden intrusion and braced her hands on his thighs. Blinking away the tears that had formed, Eva shifted to a better angle.

Joseph pulled back, muttering an apology when he saw a teardrop roll down her cheek. He brushed it away with the pad of his thumb, seeming uncertain of what he should do next. Eva hummed and smoothed her hands around his thighs to grab his ass. Joseph shuddered as she bobbed her head up and down his cock, taking him a little deeper each time. He began to move with her, trying not to be too rough when Eva eased him into her throat. His thrusts got more frantic as Eva pushed him closer to the edge. A quiet grunt of the "fuck" word was the only warning Joseph gave before spilling into her mouth. Eva choked it down as best she could, but some still trickled down her chin. That may well have been the prettiest thing Joseph had seen all week.

Chapter Text

LOU

 Lou wasn't buckled in like she should have been. She rolled, cuffed and annoyed in the back of the cruiser. Another cruiser carried Fenn behind hers. They'd blissed her poor dog again. She'd received the same training as the asshole driving, so she knew exactly what he'd be facing for the violations. If he wasn't Joseph's lap dog. Or lap pig, she supposed.

When they arrived after the longest three hours of her life, Lou's arms ached terribly. She felt the car stop, and the door opened behind her. They hauled her out like a rolled up tent and slung her over a shoulder. She contemplated kicking him out of spite, but she couldn't guarantee they wouldn't shoot her or her dog for her audacity. She turned her head from side to side, realizing she was in The Compound. They took her into the same building she'd had her head treated in and unceremoniously dumped her on the floor.

She felt a bruise forming on her cheek from the impact. There was chatter of finding the Father, and then the men she was with were told he was currently in another room in the back. It was decided a "VIP" should answer, as he may be "indisposed." Then there was talk about the Heathen being in there with him, and wonderment that the saints might be born soon. Lou's stomach churned at the thought. Or perhaps that was a lack of food for the last several hours.

Within a couple minutes she was hauled up and brought into another room. Joseph stood in front of a bed that Eva sprawled out on. She giggled distantly and Lou knew she had to be blissed. She was wearing almost nothing, and she realized they must have indeed been "indisposed." Joseph stepped forward and cupped her cheeks. 

"Welcome home." He said simply. "I'm glad you're safe." She noted a bandage on his temple that was undoubtedly her doing. She felt no pity at the thought. 

Joseph nodded at a man behind her, and she was finally uncuffed. She brought her angry red wrists around to her front and flexed her hands. Her arms were both grateful and agitated by their newfound freedom.

"It's a party now!" Eva announced happily from the bed. "A seeeeexy paaaaartayyy." She laughed at her own observation and Lou felt a vague sense of horror at how out of it she was. And sadness too. She'd almost been freed. Joseph waved the others out. Lou turned back to him. He was, after all, the dangerous one here.

His hands touched her arms, gliding down to her wrists. He took one wrist, and gently rubbed the place where the cuffs had hurt her. He did the same on the other side and she waited for him to explain what he wanted. He pressed a soft kiss to the inside of her forearm and she stepped back, unsure.

"Drugs are so goooood." Eva said from the bed. "Do you want some Lou? Lou-who?? It makes everything easier."

"No thank you." Lou said quietly. She doubted she'd have a choice in a moment. Joseph noticed her concern.

"I promised I wouldn't." He said. He stroked her curls back away from her neck and placed his warm hand where it met her shoulder."But it may ease any pain you have. If you did want some."

"I'll manage. Thank you." She said.

"I can see you're tense...perhaps you'll at least let me help you with the shoulder pain from the cuffs? No Bliss." He said. She'd expected him to be angry.

"Ok." She agreed. She doubted she should push her luck. She laid across the bed as he gestured. Eva traced patterns in the air out of the corner of her eye. Joseph smiled affectionately in her direction, like she was a small and curious child, and not an adult woman clearly hallucinating.

She closed her eyes, wondering if he was tricking her; if he meant to hurt her after all. He slid her shirt off slowly, bringing it up and over her head. He traced her spine lightly with his fingertips and she shivered. Then his hands came to her shoulders as he'd said. He kneaded her muscles there, actually bringing her some relief. She was afraid at any moment this might change.

"Aren't you angry with me? I hurt you." She mumbled into the sheets. To her great relief they smelled of cheap laundry soap and nothing else.

"I will heal in a couple days at the most." Joseph replied. His fingers were a bit magical as they targeted knots under her skin and soothed them. "I have an oil form of Bliss that is applied topically. If you'll let me, it's good for muscle pain. It's a lot less potent, so you won't feel it outside of your muscles relaxing." He offered. His voice was close to her ears.

"Alright." She noted he hadn't addressed whether or not he was angry. He reached around and unbuttoned her pants, drawing them down her body.

"I'm sure your legs are sore as well." He said. He used the oil and he was right. Her pain faded quickly. The fear that weighed like lead in her stomach wouldn't let her forget he ought to be upset with her. She drew in a shaky breath and he paused.

"No need to be worried. I've already forgiven you, Lou." He spoke close to her ear. For now, surprisingly Eva seemed content to be left alone. She'd begun singing an odd stream of ABBA as Joseph returned his attention to Lou's muscles. He stopped again, finished now, and pressed a kiss to the middle of her back. Lou rolled over, unsure what to do now.

Eva sat up, and eagerly kissed him. He slid his hands over her bra-covered breasts. Lou watched, confused as to what she was meant to do. Joseph lightly bit Eva, making his mark over old and faded ones. She sighed in delight. Joseph unclasped the bra, and sucked on Eva's breast and she moaned in response.

Lou felt both unsettled and a bit aroused. Lou sat up, backing into the headboard. Joseph's hand dipped under Eva's panties and he began to establish a kind of rhythm. Lou turned her head away, flushing a bit at watching her friend become debauched by a self-professed holy man.

"Watch." Joseph ordered, his voice low and soft. Lou turned her head back in their direction. Eva quickly fell apart, the Bliss making things far more overwhelming for her, Lou guessed. Eva bucked into his palm, and Joseph kissed her as she panted against his mouth.

He turned back towards Lou, and crawled over her. She met his eyes, made no less intense by the yellow shades. He traced a finger over her own panties and she realized she'd become wet from watching them. She flushed again and he grinned. He slid her panties down her hips and tossed them into a corner of the room. He traced his finger over her bare slit now, and she felt a whimper rise up in her throat.

He slid a single digit in slowly, pumping in and out. He tugged her hips closer to Eva's and spread Eva's legs and hers. He hooked one of Eva's legs over his shoulder and brought his mouth down to her core. He slid two fingers into Lou and moved them in and out rhythmically as he pleasured Eva.

Lou bit her lip. There was no denying it felt good, despite the odd circumstances. Eva didn't notice anything amiss, and moaned loudly. Then he switched to having his mouth over Lou and his fingers deep in Eva. He explored her with his mouth, and she couldn't help some small whimpers that escaped. Joseph switched back and forth for a while, and Lou shivered from the extended pleasant sensations. He'd almost been careful not to let them cum.

Finally he sat back and admired them. Lou sat up slowly. He pumped himself, and she knelt, taking him in her mouth and hoping to end this torture early. He gave a soft grunt as she worked on him, and he brought his fingers back to Eva again. Lou put all of her focus into trying to make him cum, until he gently pushed her head back.

Then he bid her to lay back down and on her stomach this time. Lou obeyed, and suddenly he slid inside, all the way to the hilt. She gasped as he set a brutal pace, pressing her down into the mattress. It felt amazing. He went hard and fast, and she was very nearly there when Eva pouted that she wanted her turn. Joseph grinned, just a touch of evil in his smile, and switched.

Lou buried her face in a pillow, her sex throbbing with need. Was this Joseph's idea of punishment? Eva was a bit loud, driven by the Bliss-induced haze, and she made her feelings known as Joseph sunk back into Lou.

"You fucking dick!" Eva cried out, with feeling. Joseph grunted and gripped Lou's hips hard, ignoring Eva's admonishments. Lou felt it build again and the idea he wouldn't let it happen this time was devastating.

"Father, please let me cum!" She begged. "Please, please, please!" She hoped her pleas would not fall on deaf ears.

"Very well. You first then." Joseph agreed, his voice close to her ear again. "Cum for me, my child." Lou would have been utterly disgusted with herself for cumming at those words, but unfortunately she wanted it so badly it didn't really matter what he said exactly. She came, hard, and he groaned in his approval. He brought his hands up to her shoulders.

"Good girl." He said. "I'm going to fill you up. I'm going to fulfill God's will, and fill you to the brim." He pushed inside, deep, and released himself. She gasped at the sensation, not yet done with her own orgasm. She shuddered under him. He stayed for a moment, holding them together, before slowly pulling himself out. He kissed her, bringing his hand down to himself and rubbing himself hard again. With that, he turned to Eva.

EVA

Whining, Eva desperately rubbed her clit as she watched Joseph fuck Lou to climax. She'd wanted to ride his dick from the moment she put it in her mouth, but Joseph wasn't letting her. It was only fair that he got to tease her with how much she'd teased him. Eva couldn't deny that logic, but the wait was torture. It didn't help that every time she got close, Joseph would pull away to pay attention to Lou.

A familiar heat washed over Eva as she swirled her fingers. So close. Nearly there. Her back arched and her breath came in short gasps. Joseph grabbed her hand and slammed it into the pillow above her head. Eva could have screamed. She reached down with her other hand, but he snatched that one away too. Frustrated, desperate tears spilled down her cheeks as she squirmed beneath him.

Joseph shifted her arms so he could pin them both with one hand while the other squeezed and massaged her breast. Eva whimpered and Joseph soothed her with a rough kiss. He pinched a nipple between his fingers and pulled lightly. Moaning into his mouth, Eva ground her hips up against his. She needed him back inside her. Her walls were clenching around nothing and she hated it.

Releasing her wrists suddenly, Joseph hooked his hands under her knees and pulled both of Eva's legs up over his shoulders. He plunged into her without warning, and Eva yelped when he buried himself deep within her. It felt so good . She needed more. Harder. Deeper. Faster. Stronger. More . Eva struggled to breathe properly as Joseph leaned forward to kiss her, practically folding her in half in the process. Even in the uncomfortable position, she wriggled her hips as best she could to keep up with his pace.

Sitting back, Joseph allowed Eva’s legs to fall to either side of him. With a relieved gasp, she sat up before Joseph put her non-existent yoga skills back to the test. Eva dug her nails into Joseph’s shoulders and pulled herself up into his lap without breaking stride. She locked her lips with his and ground down onto his cock, earning a loud groan from the supposed holy man beneath her. Eva shivered at the sound. God, she wanted to ruin him.

Eva was done waiting for him to finish playing his games. She may have been a tease, but at least she fucking finished him. Joseph pressed his fingertips against her stomach, trying to coax her back onto the mattress without being too demanding. Nope. Not today. Eva smirked and pushed hard on his shoulders. Joseph’s eyes flew open as he fell backwards. Bitch had his chance. Swiping his stupid glasses off his face, Eva tossed them to the side, careful to make sure they landed on a pillow or something else soft. That soft thing ended up being Lou. Oops.

Joseph raised an eyebrow at Eva’s boldness. He certainly didn’t mind, but it seemed out of character for the normally-quiet girl. Of course, Joseph had only ever seen Eva on her best behavior. He had no idea what a menace she really was, but he was about to learn.  Joseph propped himself up on his elbows to see what she would do next, but Eva placed a firm hand on his chest and pressed him back down. She crawled up over him and straddled his shoulders.

Before Eva had a chance to say anything, Joseph grabbed her ass with both hands and tugged her forward. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out what she wanted. Eva squeaked as Joseph slowly dragged his tongue through her folds. She tangled her fingers into his hair and struggled to stay upright as Joseph ate her out like a starved man. She ground herself against his tongue and whimpered when he sealed his lips around her clit. Everything was so obscenely sensitive. Eva set the pace she wanted - quick and dirty. Joseph was all too happy to oblige. She came hard and collapsed off to the side, too shaky to support herself anymore.

Joseph rolled over and grabbed her hips, dragging Eva back against him. He moved fast, chasing his own release now that Eva had gotten hers. She was still reeling from the combination of Bliss and oxytocin, and allowed Joseph to press her into whatever position he wanted without protest. Joseph murmured something in Eva's ear. His tone was seductive, but she couldn't decipher what he'd actually said. Suddenly Joseph clamped his hands around Eva's thighs and spilled into her as deep as he could. Oh. Joseph's words finally registered.

"Now you'll finally be mine."

Chapter Text

JOSEPH

Joseph stroked Lou and Eva's hair, idly, and thought about their escape attempts. Neither one had paid any kind of penance for their actions, which seemed wrong now. Eva, having just been re-dosed with bliss to keep her complacent, would not remember the experience, he mused. Or at least not well enough for it to mean anything. Lou, however, would.

Eva rolled away from him, dozing from the Bliss. He turned back towards Lou and gently shook her. Her eyes fluttered, she may not have been blissed, he thought, but she was exhausted. He stroked her ginger curls out of her face.

"Let's get you cleaned up, hmm? Then I'll help Eva." She nodded, sliding carefully out of the bed and he joined her. He helped her into the bathroom and into the tub.

She leaned back against the tub and he smiled affectionately. He knew he'd need some help, so he stepped into the hallway and chose two men, Harold and Benson, whom he knew would be discreet and would not attempt to harm her themselves.

Harold provided the knife. Lou opened her eyes as they returned and they widened in horror.

"This is God's plan, Sweet One. I don't enjoy having to do this, but you must be punished. Don't worry, I'll be quick about it. They're just here to keep you still."

He opened the hunting knife and Harold bent her forward over the tub. Benson stepped in from behind, and held her other arm down so Joseph could have access. She thrashed.

"N-no, please don't do this!" She begged. 

"I have to." he repeated. "You must be punished."

He needed to be resolute. He brought the knife to her shoulder, and sliced. He was careful to cut shallowly, even as she struggled. She whimpered like a whipped horse. He sighed. He was only at the "H".

"I need you to breathe, Lou." He said. She didn't seem to register. Or if she did, she didn't reply.

She gripped the tub, her knuckles turning white. He cut the "U" and she jerked, pulling out of the men's hands and slipping on the porcelain tub surface. They grabbed her again, giving her a slam into the tub to steady her. She made a choking sound.

"No!" She screamed as the knife bit her again. There were tears in her eyes and her whole body started shaking. She'd gotten blood on herself, and it had started to smear as it ran down her freckled flesh. "No! No! No, no, no, no, no, please!" He ignored her cries, even as he felt a twinge of guilt at her pain. She deserved this. She needed this.

The "B" was done. He placed a palm across her back. She was making this bloody work with all of her protests. She wouldn't stop trembling either. He stroked her with his thumb, trying to offer a little consolation. It didn't work.

She thrashed again and the men brought their knees into forcing her down. She was stronger than she looked. "R" was next. 

"Just kill me. Please. Please just kill me. I just want to die. Oh God, please...just let me die." She sobbed. "Just let me die!" He gritted his teeth as he finished the "R".

He tried to calm her some.

"You're almost done, Love." He said. He patted her head lightly, trying to bring some comfort.

She babbled incoherently as he drew a line for "I".

"Last one." She sort of collapsed against the tub now. Her body still shook, but her eyes stared distantly at the doorway. The tears hadn't stopped. He drew the "S" and she didn't fight anymore. She was going into shock. He sent the two men away, worried.

He set the knife down.

"I'm sorry I had to hurt you. Lou, dear one, come back to me." He rubbed her back, further away from the mark, then touched her cheeks. He stroked her curls away from her face, tucking her long hair away from the wound.

"Lou." He said. "Lou, look at me. Come back. Lou... I'm sorry. Come back to me." He tilted her head to look at him, but her gaze wouldn't focus on him.

Her jaw was clenched and the muscles in her neck were tight. Her whole body was tense. She wouldn't stop crying, even though the tears were silent now.

He rubbed her lower back, and spoke softly some more. He needed to bring some calm back to her. She was miles away, feeling an old hurt in the place of this one. He teared up himself. He leaned his head back. He knew shattering her was necessary. So much depended on him.

But the pain in her face gave him pause. Surely there had been another way. A pair of tears slid down his own cheeks before he tightened his resolve. He needed to care for her now, coax her back into the present moment.

LOU

Lou realized Joseph was speaking softly to her, apologizing for the hurt he'd caused. Her shoulder blade burned from where he'd marked her, and her lungs burned from her panic. She wasn't sure if he'd meant to mark her where a wing would be, but he'd picked the opposite side from her exit wound from her previous injury. That alone had been enough to send her reeling.

Something wet pressed by her spine, near where he'd carved into her. He'd begun to wash the wound he made. She sat in his bathtub, blood streaking the sides from their hands.

He hummed as he worked. Her breathing and heart calmed but were replaced by the cold and empty feeling of hopelessness. Her tears wouldn't stop, however. She felt them come and go in steady streams.

"Shh, sweet one, your dog is safe as well. We blissed him, but he's safely in Jacob's care. You frightened me. I thought we'd lost you." He murmured, smoothing her curls. He pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, and she tried not to flinch. 

"It's done now. The punishment is over." Joseph said. "And we'll reunite you with Fenn sooner rather than later. I haven't cooked your fish yet, we should eat them tonight." He placed a bandage on her over the spot on her back carefully and with precision.

She stared at a bloody handprint she'd left behind. It was oddly fascinating now. She felt a little light headed from all that had happened.

"Lou?" He gently tried to coax her attention. "Lou?"

She looked at him but had no words. She wasn't sorry. Not really. But then she saw him pick up the knife again and panic spurned her into action. She was more afraid of the memory of the first pain than the pain itself he'd inflict now. At least in the present she could control herself.

"I'm sorry!" It came out a whimper. "Please... I'm sorry." She jerked backwards and hit her shoulders hard.

He held up his palms. "I had merely meant to wash it." He set it aside. She felt fresh pain course through her other shoulder. She felt herself slide a bit and realized she must have reopened her old wound literally this time. The new one wouldn't have bled through the bandage.

She planted her palms to push herself back up and felt a nauseating wave of pain. She slipped again as her arms refused to hold her.

"Let me help you." He said. He kept his voice very soft, using the most gentle voice of the preacher at his disposal. She let him lift her against him. He brushed her curls to the side and sighed at her shoulder. He washed that as well.

"This I should have Jacob look at. It may need to be stitched again." He called out into the hallway and ordered them to call for Jacob. By some miracle, he was actually nearby.

He took one look at her, and the blood, and then at his brother.

"Joseph." He said quietly. "What did you do?"

She looked up too, and found Joseph looking at his brother with something akin to a teenager being caught with drugs.

"It was necessary." He said, but he didn't sound that sure of himself, for once.

"...Let me handle this." Jacob said. He didn't yell. He didn't have to. He knelt beside the tub and Joseph eased her against the side before leaving the bathroom a little too quickly.

She could see the fury still darkening his gaze as he looked over her wounds. She shut her eyes, trying not to quiver from pain and fear. She needed to be stronger than this.

"Looks like no need for stitches. It bled pretty good but not as deep as it looks." He took a white washcloth and wet it. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before swinging his legs over the tub beside her. She opened her eyes as his boots clunked against the porcelain.

He eased himself in, pulling her onto his lap. He pressed a warm and flat palm against the small of her back.

"I've got you, Pup." He said. She looked up at him and he gave her a lopsided grin. She didn't protest as he cleaned it and applied a salve. Then he put another bandage over it. He eased the other one off of her and she watched him scowl.

"What a bunch of bullshit." He grumbled. "Greedy bullshit. He didn't need to do this. You did exactly what he should have expected you to do."

"I'm sorry." She teared up again. The thought of Jacob being angry with her was somehow more painful.

"No need for that. You did what any of us would have done." He said. "He forgets that."

 She buried her face in his shirt. He smelled like pine, sweat, and woodsmoke. She wanted to wrap her arms around him but she knew it would reopen things and hurt. Instead she curled her fingers into his shirt. He held her, careful to mind her shoulder. She felt something brush against her and her fingers tangled lightly in two necklace chains. He still wore both of their dog tags she realized. She leaned back delicately to see better and ran her thumb pad over his name. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before using one hand to lift it over his head.

"You keep them for a while." He pressed them into her palm. "Joseph will want you to stay here for a bit longer, but you can keep a little piece of me with you." He said.

"You can't stay?" She asked him. She didn't want to be needy.

"I can for tonight...but not for long." He sighed. She slid the tags over her head.

"Thank you." She breathed into his chest.

"I'll keep you safe." He promised.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Frozen Peas and Tylenol

LOU

     Lou awoke, curled up against Jacob's side in a full sized bed. They barely fit but Jacob had crammed himself against a wall to share it with her. She untangled herself carefully, not wanting to wake him. He seemed a bit tired these days, like something big was coming.

     His scarred face looked so peaceful as he slept, and she couldn't help admiring the strong lines that made up his chin. He was very handsome in his own way. She resisted the urge to touch his face, instead letting her eyes trace the lines her fingers could not. His steely gray-blue eyes were contained in his sleep, but she felt her lips twitch into a small smile as she admired his pale lashes. They seemed so delicate compared to the rest of him. 

      He had small hairs beginning to grow back on the sides of his head from the last time he'd shaved it. His beard seemed a little thicker than the time she'd seen him last as well. She wondered what kept him so busy these days. Secrets upon secrets, she supposed. She bit back a sigh. None of it could be good. The urge to pee overwhelmed the urge to admire him so she eased herself out of the bed and across the floor. She grabbed Jacob's army shirt, tossed over a chair, and put it on for added warmth, and perhaps courage.

      Once outside the door, she padded towards the now hated bathroom. She wouldn't let them give her Bliss for the pain. If they wanted her to take pain pills they'd have to give her sealed Tylenol. She felt an overwhelming trust for Jacob but she didn't trust him to deny Joseph. She hoped his head hurt as she took care of her business. She leaned back against the toilet by mistake and winced.  

        Her shoulders throbbed and her eyes teared over from the pain. She leaned away, flushed, and washed her hands, trying to ignore the horrible throbbing. Once washed, she leaned on the sink and took some deep breaths. 

      "You're still in pain." Joseph's voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. He steadied her. "I'm sorry." He said. She wasn't sure if he meant for hurting her or scaring her. She looked down at the sink, not wanting to look at him. 

     "You're meant to stay with us. Our family is to be the reward for all of our struggles. When the Collapse comes--" 

     She cut him off, "I'm not a reward, Joseph. I'm a person. Even if you're right and God brought us together for a reason, you would do well to remember it." She looked up at him in the mirror, seething. Joseph looked a little bit surprised, and perhaps a little hurt. She couldn't bring herself to care about his feelings.

He took a deep breath, and his face humbled. 

      "You're right. I... I'm sorry that I hurt you. I believed that punishing you would make you see. But I only hurt you. I didn't make you understand your importance." He retreated and she unclenched her hands from the sink. She felt a little sick. She splashed some cool water on her face and let out a small trembling breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. 

       Joseph returned. He held a water bottle, a small pill bottle, and a bag of frozen peas. 

      "It's Tylenol. Not Bliss. I thought I may have had some still hiding around here and luckily it's still good. I thought an ice pack might help a little with the pain and swelling as well." He kept his voice soft, like a peace offer. She took the pill bottle first and examined it. They did look like proper Tylenols. She took four and he didn't question it. She accepted the water next to wash it down. Then finally the peas. 

     "A bit makeshift." He explained with a very small smile. She tried to press it to her back and winced as she raised her arms. 

    "I can do it for you." He offered. She nodded and he pressed it to her shoulder delicately, not wanting to make the pain worse. She flinched anyways from the cold and the pain. But then it began to help a bit. 

     "Would you like two? I should have thought of your other shoulder." He said. She nodded again and he helped her down the stairs. 

      "I'll grab it and then you can rest on the sofa while I hold them for you." He suggested. He left for the kitchen and returned with a second bag of peas.

      "Ok." She agreed.  She laid down and he held them for her as promised. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply to help the pain go away. 

     "You know, you could have tried to get to know me the normal way. All of you. You all wonder why people don't trust Eden's Gate, but you just decide for them." She knew the pain brought the bite to her words. 

     "We have tried. For years. We've held community events, and tried to offer guidance to those lost. The Faithful who are here all came of their own free will. Despite the rumors." Joseph didn't sound angry, to his credit. 

     "Well you didn't try with me. You just took me. Like an object. Just like they did in Afghanistan. I was injured, and they used it to their advantage. They took me, they hurt me, and they used me. How is this any different?" 

     "We love you, Dearest." Joseph murmured.

     "You love the idea of me." Lou snapped. "You don't even know me. You just want to own me." 

     "I don't blame you for being angry with me. With all of us. If I could have had all of the time in the world to give to you, I would have. I know you probably don't believe me yet, but the end of this world is coming. I don't have the luxury of knowing exactly when it's coming, I just know it is soon. Still...my haste has made me impatient. I pushed you in ways I shouldn't have. The future I've seen for all of us is too precious to me to risk. All of us, together, loving and caring for one another, safe and happy. I want to see you safe and happy. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I do care about how you feel."

      "I was finally doing better. Then you took me and all of that changed." She sighed.

      "I'm sorry. I can't let you go, but I am sorry I caused you pain." He said. "Truly. If there's anything else that might help, please let me know." He smoothed her hair. 

      "I know your prophecy refers to me as the," she swallowed, "infidel, but...please stop calling me that. The men in Afghanistan named me that before they tortured and raped me. They carved it into me as an act of pure hate. I...I hate that word. I hate that they put it on my skin. A scar is bad enough...but...I feel that pain over and over again when I see and hear it. The people from the village that helped me never called me that. None of the other people I met there ever did. Only the people who wanted to hurt me." The hated word left a bitter taste of bile in her mouth. 

       "I hadn't considered this. I won't use the word any longer. It is my intention to explain it to the Flock...but I will think of a way to tell them not to call you that either. Without going into any details. You deserve to be able to let go of that hurt, dear one. I'm sorry we've reminded you of it." He rubbed a soothing circle into her lower back, not wanting to disrupt her shoulder. 

     "Pup?" Jacob had woken up alone, and now searched for her. 

    "In here, Jacob. I'll let you take her back to bed. If you're feeling better, Lou?" He asked. 

    "The Tylenol kicked in." She said, letting Joseph remove the peas and sitting up. 

     "Good." Joseph gave her one last pat before he almost fled from his brother. Jacob glared in his wake, but he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her when she stood up. 

    "I'll kick his ass if he even thinks about laying another finger on you." Jacob said. "I don't care if he's the next damn Messiah or whatever." She pressed her face into his shirt and breathed in his scent. 

    "Let's just go back to sleep." She said into the fabric. 

     "Sounds good to me." He led her back upstairs and into the still warm covers. She let the comfort he offered sink into her bones.

EVA

A horrible sense of déjà vu washed over Eva as the harsh sunlight seared her tired eyes. The pounding in her skull kept her from moving a single muscle. Her mouth felt like it was full of cotton and her body ached. It was all too familiar. The same thing had happened after the family dinner. Eva was sick to her stomach, but couldn't even muster the energy to roll over and crawl out of bed. It happened again. It fucking happened again!

Something shifted off to Eva's left, and her heart leapt to her throat. Joseph was still there. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Finally, Eva's eyes flew open. This wasn't happening! She wriggled her tired, sore limbs in an attempt to get free of Joseph's grasp, but it only caused him to hold her tighter.

"Joseph, let go," Eva growled. The man in question mumbled something incomprehensible and nuzzled the back of her neck. Eva struggled more urgently, realizing that she had more than one reason to escape. "Joseph I'm gonna fuckin' pee on you if you don't let me go."

That seemed to finally get the sleeping man's attention. He raised his arm just enough to let her up and murmured a sleepy "good morning." Eva ignored his greeting in favor of racing to the bathroom. However the sight that greeted her inside chilled her to her core. A knife covered in dried blood rested on the edge of the sink and several stained washcloths were draped over the edge of the tub. Someone had tried to rinse them out, but had not succeeded. There were traces of blood in the tub and what looked like a smudged handprint on the shower wall.

Eva slowly backed out of the small room, utterly horrified. She didn't make it far before bumping into a solid wall of muscle. Whirling around, she saw none other than Jacob Seed, who glanced past her into the mess that was the bathroom. With an exasperated sigh, he motioned for Eva to follow him into the second bedroom. She shook her head frantically as her eyes darted around, trying to find an escape route.

"I'm not gonna do anything," Jacob quietly did his best to reassure her, "But I can't have ya running off either."

"Are you gonna hurt me too?" Eva whimpered.

Jacob's expression darkened, "Of course not. That, " he spat the word, "was Joseph's doing."

"What…?"

"He cut Lou. Bad. Stupid-" Jacob stopped himself from cussing his brother out only because he didn't want to risk raising his voice and waking up said brother (or worse, Lou).

Eva's heart began to race as her fight or flight instincts kicked in. She spun on her heel and bolted toward the front door. Jacob swore under his breath and hurried after her, still trying not to disturb the quiet. Eva reached the door first, and tried to pull it open, but of course it was locked. By the time she flipped the deadbolt and wrenched the heavy door open, Jacob had caught up to her. He grabbed Eva's bicep with one massive hand, and stopped the door with the other. It struck his palm with a dull thud.

Jacob gently, but firmly, pulled Eva out of the entryway and stepped between her and her escape route. He locked the door behind him, trapping her in the house once again. Eva frantically looked around for anything that she could use as a weapon. All she found was the Book of Joseph. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. The soldier noticed her not-so-subtle glance at the time and chuckled.

"Before you do something stupid," he spoke up with a smirk, "You might want to take a quick look at yourself."

He looked her up and down to emphasize his point. Eva looked puzzled and glanced downward. Her cheeks burned as she finally realized that Joseph hadn't bothered to dress her at all after he was done with her. She had almost run out into the church compound completely naked.

"Now, if you wanna calm down for a second, I can get you some clothes," Jacob offered, "Stay put."

"I'm not a dog," Eva grumbled.

"Stay."

Eva flipped Jacob off for his command, but the bastard didn't seem to care. She crept up to the small window near the door and peeked outside. Several armed men were staring in her direction, confused about the flurry of movement they'd seen by the Father's front door. Eva swore and planted herself on the couch. She clearly wasn't sneaking out that way.

Jacob returned after a moment with a long-sleeved sweater dress and a pair of gray leggings, which Eva tugged on gratefully. As the pair stepped out into the cold winter morning, they were greeted by a few of the guards on duty. Eva pointedly ignored them as Jacob waved them off. Her sore legs screamed in protest as she jogged to keep up with her giant ginger companion.

"So...uh...where are we going, exactly?" Eva asked, panting slightly.

"There's something I gotta do quick," Jacob replied.

"Gee thanks for that ever-so-helpful answer." Eva rolled her eyes.

"Welcome." Jacob smirked.

Eva gasped, "so you do have a sense of humor!"

Jacob didn't bother to think of a comeback. They had reached their destination - the kennels - and he was busy searching them for a very specific animal. Fortunately, Fenn stood out from the pitbull mixes that Eden's Gate seemed to favor, and the gentle giant trotted up to the fence to greet them. He stuck his large muzzle through the chain link to get a better sniff at them.

"Hey, Fenn," Jacob scratched the dog's snout, "Let's get you home."

Eva squealed in delight as the dogs jumped up for attention the second she entered the run. They left muddy paw prints all over her white dress, which brought her a certain level of petty joy. She tried her best to give them all enough head pats and scritches, but she only had two hands.

Jacob shook his head, a small, amused smile on his face, as he grabbed a leash and clipped it to Fenn's collar. He led the fluffy mountain of a dog to a nearby pickup and let him into the back seat. Jacob turned to fetch Eva, only to find that she'd disappeared. He bolted back to the kennels and yanked open the door to the pen she'd been in. The dogs were all gathered around the spot where Eva once stood, keenly interested in whatever was on the ground.

"Shit," Jacob thought, "The fucking dogs ate her."

LOU

      Lou awoke alone this time, feeling a bit chilly since she'd taken Jacob's army shirt off. She stretched a moment before softly swearing to herself as her shoulders hurt from the motion. 

     She eased herself out of bed, and headed down the stairs. No sign of Jacob or Joseph. The pain was getting bad again. She didn't know what Joseph had done with the Tylenol. The peas she guessed would be back in the freezer, so she went looking for the kitchen. 

     It wasn't a big house, so she found it easily. She opened the freezer just as she heard the front door open. Footsteps approached as she looked for peas. 

     "Lou?" John's voice interrupted her search. "Darling, you're bleeding." His fingers ghosted very gently over her shoulder. 

     "Oh...I guess the bandage must have slipped in my sleep." Lou said. That explained the sudden spike in pain. 

      John pulled a medkit out from under the sink.  He had her sit backwards in a chair, so he could easily access her shoulders. He took her shirt off carefully, and delicately peeled the rest of the bandage off. 

      He paused, looking at the word. She couldn't see his face. 

      "John?" She asked. 

      "Sorry, dear." He began to clean her wounds. "Your tattoos are healing nicely." He remarked. 

     "Oh um, yeah. Barely itch anymore." She said. 

     "Good." He resettled a bandage on each side. He leaned in and kissed her on the shoulder close to her neck and well away from the wounds. 

      He wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her. 

     "I should find you something else to wear. I know Joseph arranged for something." John sighed.

      "I don't know where anyone else is." She said. "I haven't seen Eva since last night...but John...she was...she might be hungover." 

      "I know." He sighed a second time. He kissed her again in the same spot and let her go. She stood up and he took off his famous coat to give her some cover while he guided her back upstairs. He opened the closet in the room she and Jacob had slept in. She picked up Jacob's shirt while John searched and held it up to her face. 

      John turned around with a midlength lacy white number and smiled at her holding his brother's shirt. 

      "How about this one?" He offered. 

      "You sure people won't start calling me 'Faith' in that?" She asked. 

      He laughed. "Fair enough." 

      He turned back to the closet and found a billowy dress with slightly puffed long sleeves that gathered at her wrists. It had a high neckline, and a small ribbon around the waist that separated three layered pieces of white tulle. 

    "That's probably the best we'll get. Did he get me any fresh underwear do you think?" She asked. 

    "Probably. Although he can be a little absent minded at times. Comes with hearing the Voice." John said. He dug into a dresser in the corner and found a pair of panties. He dug around for a bra and she leaned in. 

    "John?" She interrupted him.

    "Hmm?" 

    "You don't know my size." She said. 

    "Sure I do. I wrote it down when I had your clothes moved. I figured we'd need to order you more." He said nonchalantly.

    "John Seed." She said. "You are a creep." She held her composure as he looked at her in surprise. 

    "What? No...I…" 

    She giggled, in spite of herself as his cool composure dropped and he actually spluttered trying to explain himself.

    "You definitely are, but...I guess I should be grateful." She laughed. 

     He shook his head. "I am just detail-oriented." He mumbled. 

     She hugged him. "It's ok, you make up for it by being nice." 

     "Well ok then." He said, kissing the top of her head. "I'll let you get dressed, dear. I'm going to go looking for the rest. Joseph is probably at the church already, which I'm sure is a bit of a relief. But Jacob and Eva will be in here somewhere." He said. 

    "Thank you, John." she said. 

    "Anytime, honey." He said, closing the door for her behind him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Snap Like a Bowstring

EVA

Jacob made Eva ride in the bed of the truck after digging her out of the dog pile. She was covered in mud, and Jacob refused to make the leather seats suffer because of her bad decisions. They dropped Fenn off at a small house not too far from the island compound. Eva was made to wait in the truck as Jacob took the dog inside.

Eva thought about trying to run, she really did, but her aching body made a good argument about why she should take a nap instead. It wasn't long before the truck was rumbling along the gravel roads back to Eden's Gate and the horror that awaited her. Jacob made her change out of the mud-soaked outfit into a blue dress that matched John's shirt of choice a little too well. Before she had a chance to complain about being stuffed into an outfit that did not include pants, Eva found herself being dragged toward the church, which looked suspiciously cleaner than usual.

Fuming in the front row, Eva leveled her glare directly at Joseph Seed as he emphatically preached to his congregation about his visions for the future. The preacher was either oblivious or immune to it, because he flashed a dazzling smile at the three women seated in the pew reserved for the Seed family. Eva had been intentionally squeezed into the middle of the wooden bench between a stoic Jacob and a nervous and confused Lou. Faith perched next to the aisle, cutting off that escape route, and John was by the wall near the back door of the chapel. Eva was trapped, and Eva was livid.

Eva was also very petty when the situation called for it. She pointedly ignored Joseph's sermon as she eviscerated him in her imagination. Unfortunately, the universe seldom sided with Eva, and she was jolted back to reality as Jacob pulled her up from her seat. Faith was giddily tugging on Lou's arm, leading her to the dais where John had already joined Joseph. Both men smiled brightly and held their arms out in a welcoming gesture towards their "family."

The Seeds were up to something, and it didn't bode well for young women that were suddenly spun around to face the congregation. Eva had been right to be suspicious. She slapped a plastic smile on her face out of habit - her true personality was never to show itself at the Church of Eden's Gate. This, she had been taught since the church first appeared in Hope County.

Joseph clasped his hands around Eva's shoulders and pulled her flush against his chest. The blonde's soul left her body at that precise moment and everything went cold. Her vision tunnelled on the double doors leading to freedom. Joseph proclaimed his wonderful news that a prophecy had come true. God had delivered the Heathen and the Infidel to them.

Eva was vaguely aware of Joseph kissing her cheek and looping his arm around her waist to lead her down the aisle. John's voice sounded muffled behind her as he announced something about a celebration. Faith faded in and out of her view like a sprite as she danced ahead of them and threw open the doors to reveal an array of tables covered in pristine white cloths and glowing candles. Fairy lights twinkled in the trees above, creating a galaxy of stars among the skeletal branches. It looked like some kind of twisted wedding reception.

Wine and champagne flowed throughout the evening - an exception to the alcohol ban that the Seeds (or John, at the very least) tended to ignore anyway. Eva and Lou declined every offer of libations. Lou ate at Jacob's insistence, but Eva couldn't process those orders when given to her. Nothing registered. All she could do was keep breathing and keep smiling. She would murder Joseph later. She couldn't do it in public like this. The congregation wouldn't let her.

A saccharine voice called Eva's name, and she rose out of reflex. A woman crushed her into a hug - her mother, Eva realized. Her father embraced her next. They were positively beaming, thrilled to be the parents of a Mother of Eden and grandparents to Joseph's Saints.

"Oh honey, we're so proud of you," Mrs. McCain sobbed, hugging her daughter again, "When is the baby due?"

With that, Eva's tenuous grasp on her sanity snapped.  Manic giggles bubbled up in her chest and poured out into the cold night air. Eva put a hand over her mouth to try to stop them, but it was useless. She cackled like a madwoman while tears welled up in her eyes.

"Eva?" her father asked, looking almost...almost scared. And he should be scared.

"Sorry, sorry," Eva laughed, "you're just so goddamn funny! "

"Wha-?"

"Fuckin' hilarious, really," Eva babbled, "You're proud of me, huh? Is that some kind of joke ?!"

"Eva, darling, are you okay?" her mother placed a hand on Eva's arm.

The Seeds were staring. Hell, the whole damn church was staring. Eva probably should have been concerned, but she was so far beyond caring. She lashed out at the woman before her, backhanding her across the cheek and sending her tumbling to the ground. The manic laughter was gone, replaced by cold fury.

"Don't pretend to care about me now , mother dearest," Eva hissed in a low, icy tone, "You've never been proud of me once in my god-forsaken life. Oh, but now that I'm supposed to be slutting it up with the Seeds, now you're proud? You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

"Evangeline!" Mr. McCain snapped, roughly grabbing his daughter's arm.

"Oh no no no," Eva chirped, " I'm talking now! Which means you. Don't. Say. SHIT!" Eva accentuated her last few words with a shove, the last of which sent her father tumbling to the ground. "What kinda father are you, anyway ?" Eva seethed, her voice raising an octave in her rage, "Who sells their daughter off like some kind of whore ?! And to the preacher no less?! That's fucked up."

John was the first to actually react to Eva's meltdown, everyone else watching in shock or fascination. He stood up so quickly his chair crashed to the ground and hurried around the table to reach the rampaging blonde. Before he had a chance to say anything, Mrs. McCain clambered back to her feet and began berating Eva for speaking to them so disrespectfully and embarrassing them in front of the church. Her lecture sent Eva into another giggle fit.

"Ya know, if I were doing anyone else and his brothers, you'd be calling me a sinful slut destined for Hell. What makes them so special, huh? Some bullshit prophecy?" Eva countered, "Ha! Gimme a break! You sold me to the devil to save your wounded pride."

John gently laid his hand on Eva's shoulder. She sharply shrugged it off and glared at him. John frowned. He had meant to be supportive, but all he'd managed was to antagonize her more. For her part, Eva didn't have time to be pissed at John. All her pent up resentment for her parents had reached its breaking point, and there was no stopping it now that it had been unleashed.

Turning back to the McCains, Eva snarled,  "You're going to burn in Hell for what you did to me. But don't worry, I'll be sure to get front row seats to the bonfire."

For the first time since the tirade had begun, Eva's parents seemed to realize that they were fighting a losing battle. Mr. McCain stood up and led his wife away, who began sobbing dramatically. Eva spat on the ground behind them.

Joseph rose from his seat, rage darkening his usually friendly demeanor. He grabbed Eva's arm and whirled her around to face him. Gripping her chin hard enough to bruise, the Father leaned in close and ordered her to behave. Eva's eyes narrowed to slits and before anyone could make a move to stop her, she hauled her fist back and slammed it into Joseph's cheek. It connected with a satisfying crack , though Eva wasn't sure if the sound came from Joseph's face or her knuckles. Joseph stumbled back, caught off-guard and trying to regain his balance.

Eva spun on her heel and stormed off toward the parking lot. John glanced back at his family for a moment before following her. He arrived just in time to see Eva sucker punch a member of the church and steal his dropped keys.

The blonde hopped into a beat up truck and swerved away from the small church. Swearing, John bolted to his Mercedes and peeled out after her. He followed her closely as Eva turned the truck into Holland Valley. Where the hell was she going?  

LOU

        Lou longed to take Jacob's hand as she was led to the church in the compound. Her shoulders throbbed faintly and she was a bit grateful for the pain as it centered her. Faith guided them up to the front of the church directing her to join her and sandwiching Eva between her and Jacob. The blonde's lips were drawn in a tight, furious smile. 

        "Welcome, children." Joseph began. "How it warms my heart to see so many of you here. The time has come when I am finally able to share my joy with all of you. As the Collapse comes ever closer, our family grows. The number of people who have come to see the truth grows. All of you are working so hard, and I am so grateful. Your efforts will be paid off, when the world is born anew. Your devotion is not unnoticed. As the world is born anew, so are we, freed from sin in our garden. What could be more worth fighting for?" Joseph raised his open arms in emphasis. 

        Cheers erupted and Joseph paused to let the flock quiet down. A smile touched his lips before he continued. Lou felt a chill. He enjoyed their reveling in him and his words. 

        "It is easy to forget what we are really doing all of this for. Who all of this is for. While we ourselves have toiled and cleansed, it is all for those who come after. The children we are protecting." His eyes fell upon Lou. She flinched just a tiny bit even as Faith beamed at her. 

      "Some time ago, I told you that God had shown me another gift." 

        He paused for emphasis again. 

        "And the Voice spoke to me of precious Saints, brought forth by the Father and his Heralds, born unto the Heathen and the Infidel." 

         "The heathen and the infidel have been found." He said and the crowd roared again. 

         She felt a cold sweat roll down her back, even as Joseph gestured for them to join him. Faith tugged her along and into his half hug. He pressed his lips to the top of her head briefly before turning to Eva and placing both hands on her shoulders. 

          Jacob came up behind Lou, his large hand warm on her shoulder. He slid it gently to her waist. Finally they were led out to a large reception.

         It was like a kind of wedding, and Lou was surprised to see them drinking and toasting with Champagne. Lou remembered the last alcohol she'd been given and touched none of it. Jacob seemed to sense her wariness and brought her a sealed water bottle. She offered him a tight, grateful smile, as a cold dread filled her. There was no doubt that they wanted to keep her and Eva. There was no escape route she could see. Not with the kind of guard they kept on her. 

         "You need to eat, Pup." Jacob said softly. She glanced up at him, and his blue eyes were gentle. He gave a warning glare to anyone who stayed a little too long to give their congratulations.

          In the midst of this chaos, she heard a manic giggle arise from the crowd. Eva had confronted her parents. All heads turned towards her as she finally lost it, even Jacob's. Lou turned, however, towards the parking lot. She rose, as the crowd surged forward to see Eva. Unguarded and uninhibited, she sprinted towards the grass lot. She ran with everything she had, loving the feel of the wind on her face. She slowed beside a truck with the windows rolled down. She'd never been able to hotwire a vehicle, but she spotted a rifle on the seat. She reached down and snagged it, slinging it over a shoulder and continuing her sprint. She knew that taking one of their trucks would be a mistake. 

         Spotting a motorcycle, she gripped the handlebar before she stilled. She didn't know where Fenn was. Her shoulder throbbed faintly under the rifle's strap. How far would she even get this time? What would they do to her, her dog, or even Eva? Sucking in a breath, she released the handlebar and ducked around the vehicles. She tried to think up an excuse as she snuck back towards the reception, cursing herself and her weakness. She heard another pair of vehicles speed out of the lot and swore again. Maybe it was too late. She was near the edge of the lot. Maybe she could claim sickness. She moved to drop the gun when she heard a soft, amused voice. 

        "Have a nice walk, Pup?" She had the gun up in an instant. Jacob stepped forward, the barrel pressing into his chest. 

         "Go ahead, honey." He said. He watched her. "If you pull that trigger, you better take these too." He pulled some keys out of his pocket. "The red one." 

         She watched him for a long moment before she lowered the gun. She couldn't shoot him. 

      She didn't know what to say, and he stepped forward, hand curling around the gun and pulling it to his side. She released it to him, and he curled his other hand around her waist, pressing his lips to hers. 

        "Jacob." Joseph said from behind him. Jacob slung the rifle she'd stolen over his own shoulder and turned to face him. 

        "Did Lou run as well?" Joseph asked, eyes flicking to her. Jacob shook his head. 

        "No, just needed some air. Told her to meet me out here." He said simply. "I'm sure John will fetch Eva back. I'm going to take Lou away from the commotion."

         Joseph pressed his forehead to Jacob's before caressing her cheek and nodding. Jacob kept his hand around her waist as he led her to the red truck. She fretted he'd be angry with her, as he gestured for her to get in. 

         Jacob drove them out of the lot, and down the street a ways. She felt a pang as her cabin came into view. Jacob slowed the truck before pulling off into the cabin's drive. 

         He drove them all the way to the house before parking. He let out a soft sigh. 

         "I can't let you go. I think you know that. I swore to give my life to Joseph, in whatever way he needs." Jacob said. "But I can give you a little normalcy sometimes." She turned to look at him and the corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards.

        "I know that's a shitty compromise." He added. "But it's what I can give you." 

        She nodded. "Thank you. And thank you for not telling him." She added. "I…" He held up a hand. 

       "You don't need to explain." He said. He turned off the truck. "Now...the plan is this: we're gonna get you changed into something comfortable, get some diner food, and spend the night here."

       She nodded, offering a small smile as she stepped out of the truck. He unlocked her door, which was admittedly a bit creepy, but when they stepped inside, a sense of relief washed over her. She drew in a deep breath, savoring it. Even as she heard barking in the back room. Jacob released Fenn from her bedroom and she embraced him, burying her face into his fur. When he began to wiggle she freed him and spent a moment lingering near her family photos. Her eyes filled as she touched the frames. 

       Jacob didn't rush her. Just waited patiently while she savored being in her home. In the bedroom, a good amount of her clothes were missing, but there was enough to dress into casual clothes. 

       She rejoined him, and dared a moment to carefully embrace him to avoid aggravating her injury. He wrapped his warm arms around her waist. She knew this was dangerous. She knew she probably only felt this way because of Stockholm Syndrome, but she couldn't help herself. 

Chapter Text

JOHN

John was stunned when he pulled onto the familiar drive that led to his ranch. Given how angry she was, he would have never suspected that Eva would come home. Smiling softly, John parked his car next to Eva's stolen truck. His heart felt warm and light as he caught sight of his lover leaning against the front door. Her eyes were on only him. She was glaring, but it's the thought that counts.

"Took you long enough," Eva snapped, "Hurry up and open the damn door."

"Patience, angel," John hummed, approaching her at a leisurely pace.

"God, you're the fucking worst ," she hissed when he finally reached her.

Before John had a chance to jam his key into the lock, Eva grabbed him by the collar and crushed her lips against his. John groaned and pressed her into the sturdy wood of the door. He hadn't expected this, but he wasn't complaining. Eva's kiss was frantic and heated. She dragged her nails down the back of his neck and around to his chest, leaving streaks of red in her wake. John gripped her hips hard and ground her into him.

" Fuck! " he gasped, breaking away for air.

Eva pulled him back before he had a chance to say anything else. Their tongues danced together before Eva caught John's bottom lip between her teeth. They tasted copper as she bit hard enough to draw blood. John hissed and wrapped his hand around her throat as a warning. He put a little pressure on her, but not enough to impair her breathing. Eva tore his shirt open in response. Buttons clattered against the boards of the veranda below. John stepped back, holding Eva by the neck at arm's length. She whined and reached out to try to coax him back again.

" That ," John hissed, "was Brioni ."

Eva had exactly zero fucks to give about John's fancy shirt and made the mistake of telling him so. John's expression darkened. He had been angry before, but now he was furious.

"You're going to pay for that," he growled.

"Good."

John paused and studied Eva for a moment. He still had every intention of punishing her for the shirt, but there was something he needed to know first.

"You're not okay," he stated, "You really wanna do this right now?"

"Yeah no shit I'm not okay," Eva snapped, "And yes, I would really like to have hate sex 'til I pass out. That good with you?"

John grinned, "I'm never gonna let you live this down."

"I'm already denying it ever happened."

EVA

John reached around Eva to unlock the front door and nearly dropped his keys when she started trailing kisses up his neck. He wrestled the door open only to be slammed into it the second they made it inside. Eva pressed kisses into old scars and tattoos as she ran her hands down his muscular abs. Grabbing her chin gently, John pulled her back up to his lips.

With a contented sigh, Eva wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him. John smoothed his hands down her back to cup her ass, which he gave an appreciative squeeze, before slipping one into his pocket to retrieve a knife. He skillfully flicked the blade open and trailed its dull edge up Eva's spine. She froze, eyes wide and face flushed. John paused to give her a chance to object, but was met with silence.

After a moment passed, Eva relaxed against John, allowing him to continue. He slipped the knife under the neckband of her halter-top dress and sliced through it in one swift motion. The soft white fabric pooled at her feet, baring Eva to John's hungry gaze. She breathed out a curse and kissed him softly. John slowly dragged the dull edge of the knife over her shoulder blade and down her side. He flipped it around as he traced it over her ribs, allowing the blade to leave a shallow cut. The lewd sound Eva made was music to his ears. Eva clutched John's ruined shirt for dear life as her knees threatened to buckle.

John smirked down at Eva. "I didn't know you had a knife kink, darling."

"Neither did I," Eva replied breathlessly. John's eyes lit up at the admission.

"I wonder what other dirty little secrets I'll uncover tonight," he mused.

John was determined to make Eva squirm. He wanted her writhing in pleasure beneath him. When he was done with her, Eva would never want his brothers the way she wanted him. With this goal in mind, John pressed the flat of the blade against her soft stomach. He captured her lips in a burning kiss and carefully ran the knife up her body, between her breasts, and to the hollow of her throat.

He left a few slices here and there to see how she reacted, and she did not disappoint. Eva's whole body trembled as John traced the blade along her jawline. He used the tip to push her chin up until her eyes met his.

"Last time we played with knives, I believe you suggested a safe word," he purred.

It took Eva a moment to remember what he was talking about. The days in the bunker felt like a lifetime ago. Swallowing harshly, Eva choked out a response, "C-cupcake." She had decided on it after that particular visit to the confessional, because it had sounded hilarious and ridiculous at the time. Now, not so much.

"Cupcake it is," he affirmed with an amused expression.

Suddenly he spun them around so Eva's back was pressed against the door and drove his knife into the wood near her face. Dizzy from the adrenaline coursing through her veins, Eva kissed and sucked at John's neck, but he wasn't having it. With the knife impaling the door, his hand was free to curl around her throat again.

He cut off her air supply with a squeeze and a kiss. His free hand dipped into her soaked panties and began stroking her sensitive core. Eva whined and ground herself against his palm. She was light-headed from the lack of oxygen, which only served to heighten the sensations between her legs. John flicked his fingers over her clit a few times and Eva came completely undone. When John released her neck, Eva sagged against the door and gasped for breath. The only thing that kept her from crumpling to the ground was John's steady hand on her hip.

"Oh my God," she groaned, lolling her head back against the door.

"Now, now, there's no need to be so formal," John chided playfully, "You can just call me John."

Eva swatted his shoulder, but laughed nonetheless. "That's blasphemy, John."

Rolling his eyes, John pushed Eva's legs apart and wrapped them around his hips. Yelping in surprise, Eva scrambled to grab onto John's shoulders and clamped her thighs around him. John pressed further into Eva, grinding his hips against hers. She whimpered as the rough texture of his jeans brushed over her still-sensitive lips, his pulsing need evident just beneath the surface.

From their new position, John had easy access to her chest, and wasted no time taking advantage. He squeezed, caressed, and sucked, working Eva back toward the brink before she'd even had a chance to recover from his previous actions. Eva whined and rolled her hips, needing more friction. More than that, she needed to be full .

She reached down and fumbled with John's belt buckle, struggling for a minute before John stepped back to help. He slipped his pants down and sheathed himself inside of her in one fluid movement. Eva's mouth fell open in a silent scream. She hadn't been expecting him to enter so suddenly and holy fuck did feel amazing. It hurt, she wouldn't deny that. But it hurt so good .

John didn't give Eva a chance to adjust to him, quickly pulling almost all the way out before pounding even deeper into her. He let gravity to a lot of the work for him as Eva sank onto his cock with every thrust. John hurtled towards his climax as he roughly fucked Eva into the door. He buried his face in the crook of her neck as his hips began to stutter. Biting and sucking at her exposed skin, John willed himself to last a little longer.

He failed. John moaned into Eva's neck and spilled his seed inside her. He slid his hand between their bodies and slipped his thumb between her wet folds to find her clit. Eva clamped her legs tightly around him as he swirled his finger around the sensitive bud. He rutted shallowly until he felt her walls flutter around him and pull him in. John sank into her and rode out Eva's climax with her. They leaned against each other, panting and trying to catch their breath.

"Christ, we didn't even make it to the couch!" John noted with a laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed and free.

"We should fix that," Eva teased as she tried to convince her legs to support her without wobbling.

"Yeah?" John grinned and scooped her up into his arms and carried her across the room, dropping her unceremoniously onto a leather cushion.

"No fair! How come you can walk?!" Eva pouted dramatically.

"Practice. Now turn around." John replied.

Eva raised an eyebrow but, for once, did as she was told. Grabbing her hips, John dragged her lower half over the arm of the sofa. Eva's question was cut off before she could even voice it. Her ass stung from where John had just slapped it. He hummed and smoothed his hand over the reddened skin, soothing the burning sensation for a moment. The softness only lasted a few seconds before he spanked her again. Eva shuddered and swore. That shouldn't have felt good. But it did.

"Knives and spanking?" John purred, "And here I thought pride was your defining sin."

A moan was the only answer his jab received. Another slap sounded. And another. And another. All the while, John hissed filthy nothings to her. She was a dirty, lustful sinner with no regard for others' personal property. John was still mildly annoyed about the shirt. Eva, on the other hand, vowed to destroy more of his nice things in the future, if this was what she got in return.

Stepping back, John took a moment to admire his work. Red ass and a used, wet pussy - it was the most obscenely-enticing thing John had seen in a long, long time. Fucking gorgeous.

Eva propped herself up on her elbows and looked back at him. She was horny as all hell and he was clearly rock hard, so what the hell was he waiting for ?! 

"Don't tell me you're worn out already ," Eva jabbed, "I know you're old but d-ACK!"

John had smacked her again. Eva probably deserved it. Before the sting had a chance to fade, John spread her open and buried himself as deep as he could. He could feel the heat radiating off her abused skin when his hips brushed against her backside. Planting his hands firmly on either cheek, he gave Eva only a second or two before he started pounding. Eva hissed and clawed at a nearby throw pillow so she had something to hold onto. She clutched it to her chest and bit into a corner to stay grounded.

"Must you?" John asked with an exaggerated sigh.

"I-I c-could maul y-yer couch in-instead," Eva choked out. Talking was hard when getting fucked into next week.

Narrowing his eyes, John pulled out fully to deliver another sharp slap. Eva squealed in pain and pressed her face into the pillow instead. Message received. Don't threaten John's nice things. Destroy them outright without warning. He spanked her again.

"I know what you're thinking," he growled, "No!"

"Fuck!" Eva gasped as he plunged back into her.

She had a snarky quip ready, but it quickly faded as John adjusted his angle. Eva's vision went white. John had found just the right spot inside her, and he thrust into it without mercy. He tangled his fingers into Eva's hair and yanked her head up from the pillow just in time to hear her scream.

The rest of the night floated by in a haze. Eva vaguely recalled the soft fur of the bearskin rug beneath her back and the heat of the roaring fire. She remembered curling up next to John and drifting off to the sound of his heartbeat. And then...there was nothing.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Shatter Me

EVA

Eva was surprised to wake up in a bed. She didn't remember a bed ever being involved in last night's escapade with the youngest Seed brother. Apparently, they were really quite unnecessary if you were horny enough. Eva pondered on her thought process, or rather lack thereof. She had been desperate to feel something other than the all-consuming rage that was burning her up inside. She hadn't been planning on hate sex - or any other kind of sex for that matter. Eva didn't regret it, but she was confused. She still hadn't fully come to terms with what had happened between her and John the last time she'd spent the night at his ranch.

Sitting up suddenly, Eva realized that she was waking up alone again. That was just rude . Inconsiderate , even. Eyes darting around the room, Eva attempted to find the man that was the bane of her existence. The door to the balcony was open just a crack, and she guessed he must be out there. Stealing a large, fur blanket off the bed, she decided that she may as well join him.

Quietly opening the door, Eva stepped out into the chilly night. A light snow had begun to fall, decorating the air with specks of shimmering white. John leaned against the railing, a lit cigarette smoldering in between his index and middle finger. He seemed to be lost in thought, staring out across his vast property without really seeing it. Eva lightly plucked the cigarette from his hand and brought it to her mouth.

"Smoking'll kill ya, you know," she teased as she inhaled a puff. The tobacco burned her lungs, but didn't stop her from taking another long draw from the cigarette.

John startled out of his daze and stared at Eva in wonder. "I didn't know you were awake."

"It's been known to happen," Eva joked, offering to return the cigarette.

John took it silently and placed it between his lips. He let out a smoky sigh of relief and shifted to face her properly. The man studied Eva's features for a moment, searching for the answer to a question he never asked. She just gazed back at him, unwilling to interrupt whatever was going on in his mind. Honestly, she had just as many questions and even fewer answers.

Finally making up his mind, John reached out for Eva. He paused, his fingers a hairsbreadth from her cheek. Eva puzzled over his conflicted expression. It wasn't like John to be unsure of anything. The man exuded confidence, so it was odd to see him hesitate.

"Am I still allowed to touch you?" he asked softly.

Eva was taken aback. After everything they had done, now he was asking for permission? John Seed was a strange man. Reaching up, Eva laced her fingers with his and pressed a gentle kiss into inked lines decorating the inside of his wrist. John let out a soft sigh and wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin atop her head. Eva returned his embrace, pulling him into the blanket burrito with her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Eva murmured into his chest.

"Why did you leave?" John asked after a moment, his voice almost a whisper.

Frowning, Eva pulled away and gaped at him in open bewilderment. "Are you serious?"

For a moment, he looked almost hurt, but he quickly tucked it away behind a mask of indifference.

"Don't do that," Eva said, "Don't slink off and hide like the coward we both know you're not. Talk to me."

"I don't understand. You changed your mind. Joseph said…" John trailed off, either unwilling or unable to finish his thought. His expression changed into something Eva couldn't quite describe. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't find the words.

"What did I say?" Eva asked, trying not to sound too harsh.

The wound wasn't nearly as raw as she thought it would be. Eva knew this conversation was coming eventually, and she had expected it to go much differently. There was supposed to be venom and fire and pain. She was supposed to hate him. She was supposed to hurt him as much as he had hurt her. Eva let all the things she "should" be doing rattle around in her skull for a while, before dismissing them entirely. She didn't care what she was "supposed" to be doing. She hadn't for quite some time. So instead of slapping John into next week, she cupped his face in her hands and made him look into her eyes.

"I never said it was okay. Not sober, anyway. You can't consent under the influence, John. You know that," she reprimanded gently.

"But-but you asked for the drugs!" John was quick to come to his own defense.

"Why would I do that?"

Broken. That was the expression she couldn't place. It looked so wrong on him, so foreign. It was a mix of horror, guilt, fear, and pain - all things that were so out of place on his face.  John Seed - the real John Seed - was the living embodiment of hedonism and sadistic pleasure. There was no room for self-doubt.

But it was there, clear as day. John didn't want to believe Eva, that much was obvious. If her version of the story was true, then he had something so vile and abhorrent that a special circle of Hell was reserved for people like him. He wanted to call her a liar, but the accusation died on his lips. Eva's heart was open and honest. It always had been. And she was telling the truth. John tore his hands away from her, dropping his cigarette over the railing in the process. He gripped his head as though he was in pain.

"No!" he hissed, "No! No! No!"

Eva tightened her grip on the fur blanket, as though it could shield her from whatever happened next. "You...you really thought that...that I…?"

"Why would Joseph lie? Especially about something like that?" His voice cracked from the strain of trying to keep calm.

"I don't know." She really didn't.

John turned and bent to lean on the railing once more. He buried his face in his arms and took a slow, deep breath. He'd fucked up, and now he knew it for certain.

"I'm sorry," he croaked, "I don't expect you to forgive me, but…"

Eva swallowed the lump in her throat. At least, she tried to. She couldn't believe her ears. She hadn't expected a sincere apology. In fact, she thought for sure that John would leap to his brother's defense. But instead, the chipped and cracked pieces of his soul fractured further as he realized what he'd done.

Without meaning to, or even realizing she was doing it, Eva found herself hugging John from behind and nuzzling her face into the dip between his shoulder blades. John jerked away from the railing, his spine ramrod straight. Eva sighed and snuggled closer. It was much easier to hold him at this angle.

"Why…?" he breathed.

"You were deceived by someone you trusted. That's not on you," Eva answered softly, "Besides, I, um, I appreciate you believing me. I kind of expected you to take Joseph's side."

"If it were anyone else, I probably would," John sighed.

"What makes me so special?" Eva inquired for what was probably the dozenth time since Joseph's little announcement at the church. Only this time, she asked it aloud. And this time, she actually got an answer.

"You have an honest soul," John replied, finally relaxing into her embrace, "I've never caught you in a lie, and I doubt I ever will. Most people tell me what they think I want to hear, but not you. You've been true to yourself from the start."

"Never really seen the point, I guess," Eva said softly, "I don't play those kinds of mind games. I leave that up to the lawyers." She smiled crookedly and John let out an airy laugh.

"You really are something else," he muttered, shaking his head.

"You don't know the half of it," Eva teased.

"So tell me," John replied as he slipped his hand between them to retrieve the pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. "What is it about you, Eva McCain, that makes you so delightfully infuriating?"

Chapter 24: The Dark of You

EVA

"So tell me," John replied as he slipped his hand between them to retrieve the pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. "What is it about you, Eva McCain, that makes you so delightfully infuriating?"

"I'm a stubborn bitch that thrives on spite?" she offered.

John shook his head and tapped the box of Camels on the railing. He shook a cigarette out of the box and offered it to Eva once he lit it. She stood up on her tiptoes and leaned over his shoulder to smoke it from his hand rather than holding it herself. She wasn't willing to sacrifice the warmth of the blanket cocoon just yet. John rolled his eyes and took a drag when she was done.

"I think we both know it's more than that," he pressed.

Eva pursed her lips, debating whether or not to delve deeper into her life. She hadn't given him any access thus far, letting him make assumptions and fabricate sins. Honestly, he wasn't far off from the truth with most of his guesses, and that alone was grating. Eva hated how well John managed to see through her. She meant it when she said she didn't see the point in lying. More specifically, she didn't see the point in lying to him. He would see through it in an instant.

Letting out a sigh, Eva decided to indulge his curiosity. "What do ya wanna know?"

JOHN

John's eyebrows shot to his hairline. That was as close to a "yes" as he would ever get from her. If Eva noticed his surprise, she didn't mention it. Millions of questions flooded John's mind, and it took him a moment to decide where to start.

"Where have you been hiding these last few years?" He settled on something fairly benign.

"Literally or metaphorically?" Eva asked without her usual hint of mockery.

"Both?"

"Literally: been away at college. Metaphorically: keeping my head down and pretending to be a mindless devotee. I just needed to survive for a little longer before I left Hope County in the dust."

John nodded. He knew a thing or two about forcing yourself to fit a specific mold.

"What did you study in college?"

More benign questioning. Unobtrusive. Better to be gentle and maintain this tenuous trust than to dig into her psyche like he normally would.

"Psychology."

Another surprise.

"What got you interested in psychology?"

"Honestly? You."

"Me?"

"Your whole family is a goddamn psychological spectacle. No offense."

"None taken."

"I just...I mean I read that chapter about your past - which, for the record, I think it was super fucked up to publish your unresolved childhood trauma for the world to read. Anyway, I know what you went through...or at least the parts you were willing to share...and I just couldn't wrap my head around how someone who was beaten and abused in the name of a god could grow up to worship that very same god."

John didn't have an answer to that. Honestly, it was something he tried not to think about. He took a long drag from the cigarette as he mulled over her words. One thing stuck out to him

"What do you mean by 'unresolved childhood trauma'?" John was fairly certain he'd come to terms with his past 

"Darlin', your obsession with 'the Power of Yes' just screams unhealed emotional scarring."

Oh...

"Does it?"

"If you know what to look for, it's really not that hard to see. Honestly, it kinda breaks my heart whenever you talk about it."

Silence met her confession, so Eva hugged him tighter and continued.

"I know you spin it as a positive, the way you're always looking for things to say 'yes' to. But it's not a good thing. It really isn't. I know it's a coping mechanism as much as my apparent Stockholm Syndrome is, and I don't blame you for it at all. It's just...it just means those monsters won. Because they made you believe that you were to blame for all the wrong in the world. Even when you were completely innocent, they twisted you up and turned you inside out so you would be just like them."

"You've clearly put a lot of thought into this." His voice wavered, barely there, so quiet Eva would have missed it if she weren't listening so intently.

"I asked a lot of questions in class. My teachers were fascinated by you and your family, not gonna lie." Eva bit out a wry laugh. "I had half a mind to write my thesis about you."

"Thesis? You were going to grad school?"

"I was supposed to start my PhD program this fall."

John whistled. "Impressive."

"Thank you."

They fell into a mildly-uncomfortable silence. Each wanting to say something more, but neither knowing what. John felt raw and exposed for the first time in a long time. He was used to inflicting that feeling on others as he pried all their secrets from them. Having the microscope turned on him was unpleasant, to say the least. Eva was worried she had gone too far, cut too deep. She had tried to be delicate, but she was pretty sure she failed. Eventually, John needed to drag himself away from the dark memories Eva had dredged up. He needed a change of subject.

"How did you know about Lou's scar?" he asked. He'd never been satisfied with her answer, and wanted to press the issue while she was willing to share.

"I've heard the story before - or one like it, at least. I took a class on defense mechanisms last spring. We spent like a whole month on PTSD alone. A couple guest speakers were Afghanistan vets and they both told stories about how they were made to beg for forgiveness for themselves and their country. One of them even had 'infidel' carved into his chest."

" Fuck ."

"No kidding."

This topic of conversation wasn't as distracting as he wanted it to be, so he steered it back to something harmless.

"So what's your deal with getting tattoos?"

John and Eva talked until the sun painted the horizon with pink and gold. They had eventually moved back inside, choosing to sit by the fireplace rather than continue to freeze on the balcony. John nursed a glass of brandy, but Eva had opted for a mug of hot cocoa. They swapped college stories and poked fun at each other. It was so oddly domestic, considering Eva was still technically a captive. But she had stormed into this prison on her own accord, and she would not be broken. Fortunately, it seemed John no longer had any interest in breaking her.

They fell asleep, tangled up in each other, as the dawn faded into day. The peace wouldn't last. They both knew it. Eva would have to face the consequences of her actions, and John would likely have to deal with Joseph's jealousy. But for now, for now, they would enjoy a blissful moment, because the next one was never guaranteed.