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Deputy Kat Graves smirked over at her partner-in-cult-ass-kicking as he drove them up the narrow mountain road. “Sharky, man, just use your sun visor. That’s what it’s there for. Or take my sunglasses.
“Nah, I like it when the sun is in my eyes. ‘Sides, we need your sharp-shooting for killin’ Peggies.”
“Shark, that’s bullshit.” Kat rolled her eyes before continuing, “no one likes when the sun is in their eyes. Just put your visor down before you crash and we die a fiery death.”
“Shorty, I’m good, really.” Sharky’s tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he navigated the rocky terrain up the mountain towards their next mission. Kat was glad Sharky always drove. She still wasn’t
confident on the dirt roads typical of Hope County, Montana, having grown up in Billings with, you know, pavement.
“Wait, is there something up there you don’t want me to see? Been holding out on me?” Kat kept looking over at Sharky from the passenger seat and wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Old flame? Celebrity crush? Oooh, is it a nude up there?
“Kat..”
“So it is a nude? You never call me Kat, only Dep or Shorty or popo or some other nickname. Dude, this is what best friends do, rib each other about partners and shit.” Kat had never seen Sharky look this exasperated by her antics. If anything, he usually fed into whatever tale she was spinning.
Sharky groaned, “Kat, the visor is broken. I basically had to glue it up there to keep it out of the way, so don’t try anything.”
“Alright, Shark, I won’t. Scouts honor, pinky promise, whatever you want. Coulda just said it was broken, man. Didn’t realize you were that touchy about it being broke.” Kat held up a salute.
Sharky breathed a sigh of relief, and continued driving up the road.
“I do have to piss though.”
“Alright, I’ll find somewhere to pull over.”
Kat did her business and started walking back to the car on the driver's side of the car. As she was walking back, however, she noticed that Sharky had his visor down and glimpsed a photo he must not want her to see. It looked an awful lot like her official portrait in her deputy uniform, but there’s no way he’d be able to get that unless he talked to Whitehorse. Kat shook it off as a figment of her imagination.
That night, the pair found an abandoned cabin to spend the night in. Both Sharky and Kat were silent as they checked out the property, making sure there’s no one around and no traps waiting to be sprung. When they were both satisfied that no Peggies were waiting for them, they settled into the living room of the old cabin and ate some dinner, although calling half a can of cold chili “dinner” might be generous, depending on your definition of the meal.
After eating, Kat offered to take the first watch so Sharky could get some shut eye. Sharky tried to disagree, fighting sleep despite his drooping eyelids and bobbing head, but gave in after his chin hit his chest for the fourth time in as many minutes. The cabin proved to be a nice, quiet spot for the pair, with Kat only hearing some scratching on the ceiling that’s much too faint to be a peggie coming to kill them.
The biggest commotion was caused by Sharky himself, who rolled over halfway through Kat’s shift. Shivering in the frigid Montana night, he mumbled to himself something that Kat couldn’t exactly understand. She was, however, pretty sure she heard the phrases “fuck off, John” and “stop hurting her,” so she sat down next to Sharky on the thin mattress.
“Sharky. Sharky, it’s okay.”
“Don’t touch her, fucker,” Sharky muttered, very much still asleep.
Kay looked around for a blanket to toss over the pyromaniac, spotting a quilt in a basket next to the bedroom door. Sharky kept mumbling as Kat got up and grabbed the blanket, but woke up slightly when she sat back down next to him.
“Kat?”
“Shhhh, shhh, go back to sleep, Shark. I’m right here.”
“Oh thank God, I thought they gotch ya again. Can’t let them getch you again, can’t let them take my best friend.” Sharky had grabbed her hand and was shaking it for emphasis, still bleary-eyed with sleep.
“First off, Shark, you didn’t let the cult do anything, you were wounded and passed out when they grabbed me last time. You couldn’t’ve done anything more, they would've killed you. Second off, you’re my best friend, too. Now go back to sleep. Please.”
Sharky nodded sleepily, and drifted off to sleep. Kat stayed in the bedroom and watched over him as he slept, until it was time for him to take over the watch. Kat laid down in the same spot Sharky had slept in, and told Sharky to keep the quilt so he wouldn’t freeze.
A couple nights later, the pair found another cabin to sleep in. This one wasn’t as nice as the other cabin they had slept in a few nights ago- one wall and part of the ceiling were caving in and there was a strong mildew smell- but at least it had four (mostly standing) walls and a roof over their heads. Tonight was Sharky's turn to take the first watch, so after another dinner of canned meat, Sharky started setting up for watch and Kat got ready to sleep.
Kat, not quite ready to go to sleep, asked “What do you miss the most from before the cult, Shark,” as she laid down in the bed.
“Ah, I don’t know, Shorty, it was pretty lonely before you started hangin' around.”
“Even with Hurk and Addy around? You didn’t have anyone special?”
“Hurk’s been workin' on his daddy’s campaign, and Addy’s been busy fuckin' what’s his name. And nah, I had some flings, but nothin' long term. ”
“Sure, makes sense.”
“What do you miss, Dep?”
“Well I was gonna say my meds, but Feeney was my pharmacist, so maybe it’s not a bad thing I’m off ‘em right now.”
Sharky snorts at that.
“But, Shark? I’m glad this fuckery brought us together.”
“Me too, shorty. Me too.” Sharky sighed, then continued, “now go to sleep, Dep.”
“Good night, Shark,” Kat murmured, grinning sleepily.
“Good night, Kat.”
As she drifted off, Kat swore she heard something like “Love you” from Sharky’s direction, but figured it was the blankets rustling. Just in case though, she mumbled “love you too” into the cold air of the cabin, hoping Sharky heard.
Suddenly, Kat was watching as first John “baptized” Sharky in the river over and over again until he went limp, his sweatshirt dripping river water over the floor of what was suddenly the St Francis Veterans Center. Jacob sent Sharky to undergo the conditioning that she had gone through twice already, and at the end Faith forced Bliss water down Sharky’s throat until his eyes glossed over and Joseph shot Sharky in front of Kat.
With a scream, Kat flung herself up in the bed, trying to slow her breathing and reorient herself. When she couldn’t see Sharky anywhere in the cabin, her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, and she started calling for him.
Sharky came running in from outside and only paused when he was next to the bed. Kat could only look at Sharky with wide eyes and tears running down her face.
“Kat, I’m right here, it’s okay, you’re okay.”
“Are you okay? Are you really here? They didn’t get you?” Kat was gulping air at this point as she reached up and took Sharky’s face between her hands. She pulled him towards her until their foreheads met, searching his eyes.
Sharky grabbed Kat’s forearms and rubbed circles on her skin with his thumbs as he sat down next to her on the bed.
“M’okay, I’m right here, they didn’t get me.”
Kat’s eyes slid shut, and more tears streamed down her cheeks.
“It was just a nightmare. I had a nightmare. Oh my God, thank you. You’re here, you’re okay. They didn’t get you. It’s okay.” Kat took a couple deep breaths to calm herself down. “You’re okay.”
“I’m okay, you’re okay, we’re okay. Try to get back to sleep, Dep.” Sharky shifted like he was standing up, but Kat grabbed his wrist to keep him near, her eyes wide.
“Please don’t go. Just stay with me until I fall asleep, please, Shark.”
“Chica, I’m not goin’ anywhere, but I would like to be more comfortable. Unless you wanna try fallin’ asleep sittin’ up, holdin’ my face?”
“Right, no, of course.” Kat let go of Sharky to lay back down, but grabbed his hand as soon as they were both comfortable.
The pair was quiet, breathing deeply to relieve the adrenaline. Kat kept hold of Sharky’s hand as she laid with her eyes closed. After a few minutes, Sharky was fairly sure she was asleep. He tested letting go of Kat’s hand, shifting lightly to get up. When she didn’t stir, Sharky pressed a light kiss to her forehead and walked to the door. A sudden mumble from the bed made him pause and turn.
“I can’t do this without you, Shark.”
“You won’t have to, Kat. Ride or die, ‘member?”
Adrenaline was still racing through their veins as they drove away from Deep North Water Treatment Plant a week later towards Boshaw Mansion. Kat, Sharky, and Peaches had just finished liberating the plant, managing to free the property with no alarms set. Sharky was driving with Kat in the front seat, watching out for more Peggies that might fuck with them. Peaches had been loaded unceremoniously into the back of the truck, much to her chagrin.
“That should go a long way towards getting the cult outta here.”
“Hopefully the lakes and river aren’t too fucked up from all the Bliss.” Kat didn’t want to think about what a Blissed-out fish would be like.
“Think there’s a Judge Fish swimmin’ around out there?”
Kat looked at Sharky with an expression of awe and amusement and snorted.
“What? It’s a legit worry!”
“No, no, you’re right, it’s just.. I swear we have the same brain sometimes. I was just thinking about a Blissed-out fish.”
The pair looked at each other and burst out laughing. The laughter got them most of the way back to Sharky’s trailer, but the deputy sobered up when she got a whiff of herself.
“Jesus, we’re going to have to burn these clothes. I didn’t realize how much I reek,” Kat groaned, then glanced in the back of the truck. “Fuck. I must of left my go-bag at the Wolf Den. Shark, do you have any clothes I could borrow until I can get to a shop? I’ve gotta get outta these clothes, I’m starting to itch.”
“I think I got some clean stuff you can borrow. You gonna need…,” Skarky whispered the next word, “underthings?”
Kat chuckled and replied, “S’not a bad idea. I did go swimming in the stuff.”
“Okay, well, I don’t have any women’s underwear, so you’ll have to deal with mine.”
“I did kinda figure that, Shark, but thanks for the heads up,” Kat said as they pulled into the trailer park. After Sharky had parked, Kat waited outside until Sharky had showered and found new clothes for her.
“Can you take care of burning the clothes while I shower?”
“Sure, Dep.” Sharky’s smile was soft.
“Perfect. Then turn around while I strip and get in the house.”
“Wait, what? You’re strippin’ out here?” Sharky looked at her with wide eyes.
“If I can avoid it, I’d rather not bring my filthy, Bliss soaked clothes into your house, Shark. It’s a nice, relatively Bliss-free spot.”
“Gotcha.. Well.. I’ll just… face this way.. until I hear the door.”
“Where’d you put the clean clothes?”
“Top of the toilet. You’ll see ‘em.”
“Awesome. Thanks, Shark!”
The shower felt amazing despite the water temperature being frigid. Sharky didn’t have any soap other than his 4-in-1 shampoo/ conditioner/ body wash/ face wash, but that was fine with Kat. Anything to get rid of the smell of Bliss would do the trick, and smelling like Sharky was just a bonus.
As she stepped out of the shower, Kat grabbed the towel and looked in the mirror. She grimaced at the fresh cuts on her torso, where John had carved “pride” and “wrath” into her skin. She shook her head as though that would clear her thoughts and reached behind her for the clothes Sharky had left her. It was one of his t-shirts, a pair of boxers, and some pajama shorts. As she pulled the clothes on, she could hear Sharky moving around in the kitchen, presumably finding them something to eat.
It was evident that Kat startled Sharky as she entered the kitchen, and she couldn’t help but smirk at Sharky’s expression when he saw her in his clothes.
“Finding anything you like?”
“Huh?” Sharky continued staring at Kat.
“To eat? Don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
Sharky shook himself in much the same manner that Kat had in the bathroom. “Right. I’m lookin, but all I can find is some bread. Toast okay with you?”
“Toast sounds great, Shark.”
Sharky grinned at Kat as he started breakfast, putting the bread in the toaster and grabbing orange juice from the fridge.
“So Kat, what made you wanna be a cop?”
Kat thought for a minute before replying. “Well, growing up I had a strong sense of justice and never could keep quiet when I thought something was unfair. When I got older, it seemed like a natural path to me, even though I heard about how corrupt the system is. I wanted to fix it from the inside, so I became a cop in Billings, where I grew up.
Then I started realizing all that shit was too much for one person to handle, but I kept reporting the other officers even though nothing was ever done about it. A couple months after I started, my supervisor told me I was being transferred to Hope County. I was honestly pissed, because I knew it was because they wanted me to stop ‘causin' a raucous.” Kat took a swig of her orange juice.
“But, Whitehorse is an honest guy who just wants to protect the citizens, and made me realize there’s a difference between bending the rules for personal gain and bending the rules for the good of the community.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You remember when Julie Sterling killed her husband? Back in Billings, I would’ve arrested her and she’d have gone to trial.”
“That ain’t right, she was protecting herself!”
“I know, Shark, but it’s still technically a murder until they can prove it was self defense. And women aren’t always believed, especially ‘cause Julie had never been to the hospital or counseling or anything. But Whitehorse let it go. That’s what I mean by bending the rules for the good of the community.”
Sharky was quiet for a few moments before continuing, “So you like it here?”
“Yeah, I do. I feel like I have a family here, and like I’m doing something worthwhile.”
“You gonna stay? Like, after the cult business?”
“‘Course I’m gonna stick around. I don’t think I know how to be a city girl anymore.”
“Right. Too country now to go back to Billings. Plus I don’t think they’d let you keep Peaches.”
“Ah, you wouldn’t keep her for me? I’m crushed,” Kat teased before draining the rest of her orange juice and placing the cup in the sink. She leaned against the sink and focused on the table, her smirk slipping a little from her face. “Not to mention,” she whispered, “it’d be kinda hard to be your ride or die from Billings.”
The moment, whatever kind of moment was happening, was interrupted by the smell of burning coming from the toaster.
“Damn it! Those were the last two pieces.” Sharky let out other curses as he pulled the charred bread out of the toaster before tossing it in the sink next to Kat’s cup. “Sorry Dep, looks like we’re not getting breakfast here.”
“I’ll be fine, I’ll just grab somethin’ when we head out to the shop later. When do you wanna go?”
“We could head out now unless you wanna snooze for a few minutes.”
“I’ll grab some cash and my coat!”
The two set out for the jail, leaving Peaches at the trailer while they shop for ammo and new clothes. Kat was able to find new jeans and a new sweatshirt, but had trouble finding a shirt she liked. Sharky was maybe a little too willing to let her keep the shirt of his that she was wearing, but she certainly wasn’t going to find one she liked more.
A couple days later found Kat and Sharky balancing on a fence near the Gardenview Packing Facility. The pair had just finished liberating the facility, managing to wrench it from the cult after a hard fight that seemed to simultaneously last minutes and days. Kat let out a deep sigh and leaned her head on Sharky’s shoulder.
“Shark?” Kat glanced at his face before flicking her eyes to the grass and continued, “do you think all of this is worth it?”
“Which part?”
“All the fighting and killing and suffering and pain and all of it? Do you think we’re gonna be okay?”
“You’n’me? We’ll be good. Hope County? It’ll take work, but I think it is. Worth it, I mean. Ou- My family’s here.”
Kat was quiet, contemplative. For a second, it had sounded like Sharky was going to say something about “our” family, not his. She had been thinking about “their” family recently- Kat and Sharky and Peaches, and Addy and Hurk too. It was startling and more than a little comforting that Sharky had maybe been thinking about that too. Family gave her something to fight for in this war. She, however, didn’t say any of that and instead kept her head on his shoulder and her eyes on the grass as she fidgeted with her fingers. Sharky kept his eye on the tree line.
“Look!” Sharky whispered as he pointed with his free hand at a star streaking across the sky. Kat grinned and smiled softly. With her focus on her hands broken, Kat looked across the field at the trees. She narrowed her eyes and pointed at a spot across the field.
“Is that an owl? I think it is, hunting the field mice.” She glanced up at Sharky’s face, finding a look of awe on his face. “Haven’t you ever seen one?”
“Not that I remember. They’re so badass.”
Kat let out a silent huff of affection and amusement at the pyromaniac with a smile on her face. “I’m honored to be here for your first owl sighting, Shark.”
“You mean to tell me they’re not the most badass bird?”
“No, they are. I just think your enthusiasm for them is cute.”
“Oh, so you think I’m cute?”
“Maybe I do, Boshaw.”
Sharky looked a little frozen, and Kat could feel his heart beat a little faster through his sweatshirt. The deputy grinned at him as she laid her head back on his shoulder, staring across the field and rallying her will.
“Hey Shark?”
“Yeah Dep?”
“Is that picture… the one in your truck… is it a picture of me?” Kat could feel Sharky tense after she finished her question. “I- I glimpsed it on my way back to the truck one day, I didn’t go looking, promise. I jus- it looked like my head-shot from when I started in the department.”
“I, uh. Um-” Sharky swallowed. “Yeah, it’s you. The first time you got taken, I asked Whitehorse for a picture of you so I could ask around, and I just kept it after that. Keeps you with me.”
“Sharky, I-” Sharky must have mistook the soft look on her face as humoring him.
“I’ll give it back to him, you don’t that hangin’ over you, and I know it’s stupid to keep- if the Peggies ever found it, it could put you or me in danger, and you got more important things to worry ‘bout, and-” Kat could tell that Sharky was working himself up and spiraling, so she did the only thing she could think of and kissed him.
“Sharky, I keep you with me, too,” Kat whispered, holding onto Sharky’s face. “That picture I made you pose for with Peaches? It’s not just you keeping her still, I wanted a picture of both of you. At some point, I started thinking of the three of us as a little family, and I wanted to keep you both with me, no matter what. I will always worry about you, Sharky, I love you too much not to.”
Sharky’s smile lit up his face, and he kept his eyes on Kat as he hopped off the fence and moved to stand between her knees. Now that they were face to face, he wrapped his arms around her middle to bring them closer together. Still grinning, Sharky whispered against Kat’s lips. “I love you, too, chica.”
The next kiss was soft, slow and sweet, and continued until joyful yelling was heard in the background. Reinforcements for the resistance had arrived, and the pair could finally head onto their next mission, which was finding a spot to rest and a bite to eat.
“Whaddya say we head back to Boshaw Mansion and take a breather?” Sharky still had his arms wrapped around Kat as he asked.
“I say we have the same brain, Boshaw, cause I was just thinkin’ the same thing.” They loaded Peaches into the truck bed and drove off, Sharky driving and Kat keeping an eye out as usual. The hands held over the center console, however, were new.