Episode: 1.15

--- Jericho ---

He considered whatever gratitude Damico had fully repaid as he kept Rook from following, though less so when he didn’t stop Sienna as well.

(Damn it, Damico…)

“I…” Sienna started, only to stop as she followed him up a flight of stairs and back to the toy store from earlier. “Jericho…”

He ignored her, less out of spite, and more because he was even more reluctant to have this conversation than she was.

(Already gone… can’t say I wasn’t expecting it though.)

He sighed, making his way past where he’d tied the warp-anomaly earlier, and started looking over the shelves to figure out what the hell normal kids liked, (because I sincerely doubt their parents want me giving the kids knives to play with.)

The fact that Sienna was silently watching him, wasn’t helping his search at all.

“You know… we were all worried about you.” Sienna began, finally deciding to break the silence.

“I can handle myself.” He knew he sounded terse, but even I they were friends, Sienna was always closer to Aly-

He shook his head, before those memories could even begin to form.

(Don’t think about it.)

“I know…” Sienna sighed, hugging herself. “You were always the one taking care of everyone… and when you needed us…”

“Don’t.” He growled, the mad beast slamming against its cage. “What happened, happened. None of you are to blame.”

Sienna went back to watching him as he grabbed a number of stuffed animals, all similar to the one he’d put a radio inside of, and began walking out of the store.

Rather than walking back down the stairs, he walked to the edge of the floor and looked down, “Rook!” He waited until Rook was looking up at him, before tossing all of the stuffed animals over the ledge with a shout of, “Catch!”

He took a moment, to watch her scramble to catch a few of the bears, before glaring up at him. He knew she’d make him pay for that later, but she’d had a long day even before the bombs and everything, and he figured giving the kids toys might cheer her up.

He turned around and made his way back to the toy store. Technically what he’d thrown down was enough for whichever kids wanted one, but he also knew he needed to convince Sienna not to tell everyone she’d seen him, because that was a can of worms, he definitely was not ready to deal with.

Inside the store Sienna had decided to pull a number of toys off the shelves.

“Figured, you’d have trouble picking out toys kids actually want.” She explained, holding up some odd action figure.

“Right… you’re a mom now.”

“Mm-hm, Mick and I found out around the time you… disappeared.”

(That’s one way of putting it.)

“So, she’s about… four, five years old then?” He asked taking a couple more toys.

“Mm-hm.” Sienna nodded, before stopping as she seemed to think about something. “We named her Alyss.”

He froze.

Sienna watched him for a moment. “You know Cassidy never blamed you.”

He knew what she was doing.

(Hell, she picked it up from me.)

“I’ve kept tabs on her…” He admitted. “she’s better off without me.”

Sienna turned a glare on him, one that hadn’t been directed on him in nearly a decade. “How do you think so?”

“She’s a hero, and me…” He idly glanced at a Superion poster he’d covered in dicks earlier. “Well, I’m not.”

“We both know that is bullshit!” Sienna snapped.

“The truth is perspective.” He shrugged.

Sienna watched him for a moment, visibly forcing herself to calm down. “Why are you running from everyone? The real reason Jericho.”

(The scent of death…)

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(The laughter of madness…)

(The taste of blood…)

“I’m not a good person.”

“No one is a good person. All that matters, is that you try to be a better person.” Sienna told him, throwing back words nearly a decade old at him.

He rolled his eyes, leaning against the wall. “Being a school bully isn’t that big of a deal.”

“No, it isn’t, but damn near killing the girl who was like a sister to me, is.”

“At least you didn’t actually kill her.”

Sienna nearly struck him, he could see it in her eyes, but before she did her shoulders suddenly lost all tension.

“You blame yourself for Alyss…”

He refused to respond to that. Which was its own response, he supposed.

“You’re scared you’ll hurt Cass the same way.”

He pulled out one of his knives and started playing with it as slid down the wall.

“What about that Rook girl you’re with?” Sienna asked sitting next to him, completely unperturbed by the display.

He ran a hand down his face. “I’m not scared of hurting anyone… at least not in the way you’re thinking.”

“Then what way are you thinking?”

He held his knife in just the right way to catch his reflection, before quietly admitting, “I’m broken.”

“You’ve been broken longer than any of us have known you.” Sienna scoffed, before giving him a kind smile. “Doesn’t mean we were willing to abandon you then, nor now.”

“No… I mean…”

(A man in a grinning mask.)

He closed his eyes at the memory, trying to escape it, just as hard as his heart was trying to escape him.

(A laugh of madness crawling out his throat.)

His nails bit into his skin, as his breath began leaving him in shaky bursts, each offering less air than the last.

(A thousand faces, bound in bleeding black briar.)

He shook his head, forcing the bad thoughts back into the darkest corners of his mind.

(Don’t think about it.)

“It’s different, and a lot worse.” He told her, refusing to open his eyes in case the shadows were still creeping.

Sienna was quiet for a moment, and he was tempted to open his eyes to see her expression, though the thought of what he might see kept them close.

“You don’t want Cass to see you… like this…”

He refused to respond to that… Which, (heh,) was its own response, he supposed…

“No,” Sienna shook her head, before giving him a sad expression. “You didn’t want any of us to see you like this…”

He gave her a half-smile. “You always were good at reading people…”

“Yeah…” Sienna leaned back against the wall. “It helps now that I’m the Saints’ manager.”

He knew she was changing the topic.

He couldn’t thank her enough for it.

“You always were the only one who could keep those four in check.”

Sienna gave a chuckle. “Hm, ironic how keeping them in line, kept me line too.”

He gave his own laugh. “Remind me to tell your kid a few stories when she’s older.”

“That her dad was an idiot, and her mother a criminal?”

He gave her a so-so gesture with his hand. “Eh, I’ll make you a cool criminal when I tell her.”

Sienna rolled her eyes. “Thanks for that.”

“Anytime.” He agreed, picking himself off the floor before offering his hand. “But speaking of kids, we’ve still got a few more presents to steal your kid.”

“A regular Saint Nick.” She commented letting him pull her to her feet.

“Patron saint of children, thieves, prostitutes, and the falsely accused.” He nodded, with a grin. “Sounds about right. In fact, let’s do this again for Christmas.”

Sienna covered her mouth to hide her laughter. “Oh god, I can actually see you doing it too.”

“Then I must!” He proclaimed lifting a teddy bear high into the air.

He’d admit it was good, being with one of his old friends, and pulling some insane stunt no one in their right mind would do, just because it made someone else smile. And as they handed out toys to the kids, he was more than glad to have another such simple moment, after the emotional highs and lows of the last few years.

Though, with his life, such simple moments tended not to last as long as he’d like.

“I know you don’t want me to tell anyone I saw you, so I won’t.” Sienna started as they tossed the last of the toys down to the first floor. “Just don’t forget our little crew was more a family to me than my own, and I still think that.”

He glanced at her from the side. “I thought you and Damico worked everything out?”

“We did, but…” Sienna sighed with a shake of her head. “That was more for Alyss than for me.”

He nodded, knowing grudges like that well enough.

“Still…” Sienna looked at him for a moment, before pulling him into a hug. “Don’t be a stranger, you are family.”

He tensed, his first instinct to stab her in the kidney, before forcing himself to relax and return the gesture.

“I’ll try, but don’t expect any miracles…”

Sienna snorted as she pulled away from him, and a smile on her lips. “You’re Jericho Fucking King, performing miracles is your fucking bread and butter.”

He laughed. “Madness, I was an arrogant prick in high school.”

“I don’t think it was arrogance, especially not since you always backed it up.”

“Didn’t keep Calloway from hating me.”

“You were actually his favorite.” Sienna stopped for a moment. “In the end anyway.”

He rolled his eyes. “Heh, is that an actual Rumor?”

“Yep.” Sienna nodded proudly. “First one I’ve given freely in quite a while.”

He blinked. “Huh.”

(Wasn’t expecting that.)

“In fact…” Sienna reached into her pocket and handed him a business card. “Usually I only give these out to others in the music business, but if you ever feel like hearing any Rumors feel free to give me a call, I’ll even give you a discount, if you stay in touch.”

He wasn’t sure if he could work up the nerve to call her, but… He still appreciated the sentiment.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Sienna shrugged. “I’m just glad my daughter’s first memory of her godfather is a good one.”

That… had him drawing a blank.

Something Sienna found highly amusing if her laugh was anything to go by.

“Like I said, don’t be a stranger Rat-boy.” She told him with a wave goodbye.

He stood there for a moment before sighing.

(Madness, that’s like seven god-kids now…)

He ran a hand down his face, before giving a half-hearted growl.

(People really need to quit doing that without asking. I mean it’s not like I’d say ‘no’ exactly, but still there has to be better options!)

He couldn’t help but shake his head at the idiocy of wanting him to raise a kid.

With another sigh, he found Rook before catching her attention with a wave and nodding towards the exit, because even with this city’s crap response times, he was pretty sure the cops would be there pretty soon.

“You okay?” Rook asked, once she caught up to him, seemingly in a much better mood than earlier.

He thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head and running a hand down his face. “It’s been a long day… and I could really use a gallon of soda and then a really long nap.”

“What about Sam’s suit?”

“Right, that’s why we were here today…”

He’d honestly forgotten after, well... everything.

“Remind me to punch him later.”