Stockholm Syndrome (John Seed x Deputy OC)

1 - Deputy Harlow Fox

'Morning Dep!' My buddy Nick, walked over to me as I lay next to the heap of brown fur that was Cheeseburger. Scratching his tummy lightly with my fingernails, I breathed in a deep gulp of fresh air.

'Feeling better after getting away from the Bliss huh?' He took a seat beside me, splaying his legs out and crossing his ankles. Cheeseburger huffed at being ignored and Nick chuckled, reaching over and rubbing his hand on the bear's chest.

'Oh hell yeah. I still can't decide who was worse, Jacob or Faith...' A shudder cascaded down my spine. Having endured Jacob's gruelling trials to be thrown straight into Faith's hallucinogenic gardens had really done a number on my mind. It was refreshing to sit back and enjoy the Montana sun for a while.

'Hey, only one to go right!' He grinned at me and I knew his eyes were beaming behind his aviators.

'Exactly.' Taking in another deep slow breath, I turned my head from my flattened position to look at the pilot next to me. 'I'm sorry I got dragged off to the Whitetail Mountains without really tackling any of the problems here. Dutch told me that Eli-' His name caught in my throat as I remembered what I'd done. Brow furrowing, I fought back against the tears that I could feel building behind my eyes.

'It's fine Dep. We're a tough bunch down here in Holland Valley! And you're here now, that's what matters right?' His rough hand gave my knee a squeeze of encouragement and I simply nodded in response. The immense pressure to liberate the entire county of the Seed's presence had been weighing heavily on my shoulders for some time. It felt good to kick back if only for a few hours and enjoy the small things. Mary May approached, Boomer trotting at her heels and barking excitedly as she carried a stick.

'Go get it boy!' She smiled, throwing it across the grass that we lounged on behind the church. Her gaze fell onto me and she gave a long low whistle. 'A little birdie told me you were back in town but I had to come see for myself. How are you doing Deputy?' Boomer collided excitedly into the back of her legs and she almost toppled over. Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I squinted up at her and gave a wry smile.

'Ready to kick some Peggie ass.' Mary May threw her arm out to me and I obliged, allowing her to pull me up. Cheeseburger gave a disgruntled sigh and heaved himself upright, disappointed that the tummy pats had stopped.  Nick also got up and I placed my arms over the shoulders of my two buddies as we headed to the Spread Eagle. Walking in time with one another, we strode inside to be met with the welcoming face of Pastor Jerome.

'Mary May, is it really wise to let that grizzly bear in here?' He asked as Cheeseburger blundered in behind us, immediately heading for the kitchen.

'Oh come on Jerome, he's a sweetheart!' She cooed, watching him trying to raid the fridge.

'Make sure he doesn't eat too much, I don't want his diabetes to flair up.' I instructed before walking over to the Pastor and giving him a much needed hug.

'Good to have you back Deputy. John's been trying wreck havoc over the valley but we've held off as much as we can. Your liberation of most of the cult outposts before you left for the mountains definitely helped.' I'd missed Jerome's encouraging tones and sat across from him as he unfolded a map. 'But there's a new camp being set up. We could do with someone to go take it out.' His index finger tapped a spot close to the Flatiron Stockyards. Eyeing it carefully, I swiftly memorised the way that I needed to go and gave him a confident yet curt nod.

'You can count on me.' My steady assurance seemed to bring new hope to my friends. Pushing the chair out from behind me and rising, Nick placed his hand on my shoulder.

'I'm definitely coming. Been too long since Carmina shot down some crazy cultists!' Rolling my eyes playfully, we made our way to the door.

'C'mon Cheeseburger, we gotta go.' I called to the bear, Boomer whining and flattening his ears. I crouched down to the grey dappled dog and scratched behind his floppy black ear. 'Sorry buddy but you gotta stay here. You can keep an eye on Peaches for me.'

'Who the hell is Peaches?' Jerome asked confusion etched on his face. As if on cue, the cougar stealthily leapt down from the upstairs bannister and stretched. Her back arched and her tongue curled, claws unfurling from her beige paws. 'For goodness sake! It's like a damn zoo in here!' The Pastor squealed, a little too high pitched. I snorted, pushing the door open and leaving it swinging behind me. Mounting my quadbike, I followed Nick who soared through the sky whilst Cheeseburger ran alongside me.

'Hey Nick, how's Carmina?' I asked over my radio as we drove.

'Oh she's great! I gave her a fresh lick of paint last week and-' He bragged.

'I meant my godchild better known as your daughter asshat. Not the plane.' I chuckled, relishing the feeling of the wind ruffling through my hair.

'Oh! Yeah she's great, a right little trooper. Who knew such a tiny human could scream so fucking loud. Kim's taking it all in her stride though.' He spoke so fondly of his little family and it warmed my heart. I couldn't deny that I saw Nick as a brother. We had formed a pretty tight friendship since the moment I'd stepped into Hope county. 'Ease up. We're coming up to the place now.' His change of tone pulled me back into work mode. Killing the engine of my quad, I ditched it in a nearby trench. Hoisting myself up to an overlook, I pulled out my binoculars and scouted the area.

It was eerily quiet, just a large abandoned building standing tall amongst crates and an empty looking shed. 'Was Jerome sure about this place?' I mused, scouring the ground for any signs of life.

'Positive, we've seen convoys coming here for the past few days.' Nick mused, flying his plane over the buildings. 'It seems pretty dead though.'

'Maybe they already left?' Something smelt fishy but the curiosity bubbling in my stomach made me act irrationally. 'I'm gonna take a look around.' Whispering into my radio, I took quiet, furtive steps onto the compound. Cheeseburger's nose snuffled around behind me trying to pick up a scent trail. Holding my M60 machine gun to my chest, I poked my head around corners. 'It's empty Nick, there's nobody here.' My gloved hands trailed across the top of wooden crates, fumbling with left over pieces of paper. Cheeseburger's nose was now pressed up fervently against the locked doors of the large abandoned barn. He growled and sniffed, scratching at the door.

'Looks like teddy bear's found something!' Nick commented, Carmina's propellor whirring above me. My eyes looked up at an open window and I grinned devilishly. Mustering strength I leapt up and grabbed onto the ledge, my fingers digging into the splintering wood. Hoisting my weight up, I pulled myself into the building. Wobbling to my feet, I found I was stood atop a pile of strategically organised boxes.

'Weird...' Thinking nothing of it, I used the boxes as steps and climbed down the floor. Peering around, I couldn't see anyone and immediately made my way to the chained door to let the snuffling bear inside. Before my hands could even begin to pick the lock, a bullet tore through my radio. 'Huh-' Calloused hands forced my arms behind my back and I grunted in pain.

'So you're the deputy whose been killing my siblings.' A sickeningly charming voice filled my ear, beard hairs grazing against my right cheek. John Seed. Gritting my teeth, I struggled against him but my wriggling was reminiscent of a pinned salmon under Cheeseburger's claws after he'd been fishing; minimal and pointless. 'I thought you were meant to be smart but you walked straight into my trap like a fucking braindead deer.' He chuckled softly, frisking me and removing my weapons. I could hear my furry friend's insistent grunts from the other side of the door that I was pinned up against. Gunshots rung out above us and a convoy of propellors raced over the roof. 'Nobody can save you now, Deputy.' John sneered, throwing a Bliss ladened bag over my head which sent me into a trance. Before I knew it, I was unconscious.