Rogue. (IN REVISION)

25

Fallon had come down for dinner, sitting down seeing an extra hunk of deer meat upon her plate. She looked up at her father thankfully before stopping to stare at her food again, "Maybe I shouldn't have left him-"

"He will be fine." Leo placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from leaving the table.

"I just don't want him waking up and he-"

"He is asleep, there's nothing to worry about. So how about you take care of you, Fallon." Hawk took his place next to her. They all started eating, the large group of people immersing themselves in conversation as they ate. Fallon felt a little guilty at the fact that she was eating instead of the one person who needed nourishment. She ate her food, grateful that her father was looking out for her and her health. A shuffling sound could be heard in the distance, and she turned to see the one person she didn't want to see that night. She shook her head and sprang up from the table, wielding her knife.

"Fallon-" Leo jumped up to defend his daughter as she advanced on the tall and bulky man.

"Well, look at that. How sweet, you have found your family." Benedict crossed his arms, looking at the two of them. "Little Fallon gets her happy ever after." He snarled.

"What the hell do you want?" Leo growled.

"My business is with Fallon, not you." Benedict replied, pure wrath in his voice.

Leo took out his knife, advancing on the man who matched his height. "Your business is with me, now! Don't you dare put a hand on my child ever again!" He lunged to stab him, but Fallon had grabbed her father by the waist, "Stop!" Leo dropped his weapon, in fear of hurting her and looked down to see her big green eyes.

"This is not the place for such a fight, Benedict. Get out of here." She scolded. "Just admit just once that you can't get what you want and leave!"

"I want that device, Fallon. Do you realize how much money I could make with that thing? Do you understand how much control I could have in Elysium?"

"It's always about you, isn't it?" Fallon snapped. "You ever think of the repercussions of what would happen if that device reached the public?"

"All I know is that I have stuck my neck out for you for years and you owe me!" He shouted.

"I owe you?" Fallon's grip on her knife tightened. "I owe you? you left me for dead when I retrieved Trip for you to peddle your drugs. You stole from me after you paid me for it! You have left me in The Kuni while you went out to make a business deal."

"You were fine-"

"They were tearing me apart because they knew I sold the drug! They were ripping at my clothes and doing anything they could to get me to give them anything! And I owe you?!" She threw her knife, the weapon swooshing just past his face and into a wall nearby. "I don't owe you anything!" She spat.

Leo stepped in again and stood between them, "Leave, and I won't have an excuse to kill you."

"Benedict!" Pilot came running up to him, seeing Fallon and Leo standing with his good friend. "I see everyone has met." He spoke.

"Pilot, get him out of here, please." Fallon gave him a saddened look. The expression made him upset at Benedict for even bothering her again. "Benedict, let's go."

"No." He stared at Leo murderously. "How about I make Fallon an orphan all over again?" Suddenly a knife was lurched against his throat, the cold metal threatening to cut his Adam's apple. "Don't ever make that threat again unless you want your bloodline to end." The familiar voice from behind him seethed. Fallon sighed in a mix of relief and concern, Venner had woken up.

"Venner Stagg, I think you're out of your jurisdiction."

"Shut up." The knife pressing harder. Pilot tried to keep the peace and calm everyone down. "We will go, I promise. Please don't hurt him." He pleaded.

Venner followed Leo who led the two men out the gate, Venner's knife still tightly held to his neck. He kicked Benedict in the back, sending him landing on his hands and knees back out into the wilderness with his comrade. "See what you've done. You've pissed off the natives."

"Shut up, you idiot!"

The gates closed and Venner turned back to Fallon who was surprised he was awake. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I should be asking you that question." She said surprised.

"I'm okay. Just a little hungry is all." He placed a hand on his growling stomach. Fallon smiled and led him back to the table, "Here, you can have my seat. Eat up, you'll need to eat as much as you can to get that drug out of you."

She placed a heaping plate of food in front of him, carrots, potatoes, and a slab of meat. She took her seat next to him, squished in between Venner and Hawk. "Fallon is a good caretaker. She watched over you the whole time." Hawk piped up.

"You did?" Venner looked at her blushing face. She was clearly humiliated at the fact that her brother had put her on the spot like that. "Yeah, I did. Father helped as well."

"Thank you." He gave her a grateful look before returning to his food. The night ended slowly, everyone returning to their little shacks for homes. Venner walked up the steps to Leo's home and looked around, "Where did Fallon run off to?" He asked Hawk who was laying down in his bed. "The roof."

He headed up to the roof to see Fallon sitting down on the ledge, watching the sunrise. He quietly approached her and sat down next to her, "You should be in bed." She told him.

"So should you." He replied with a chuckle. "What are you doing so high up?"

"I couldn't sleep so I came up here. Looking up at the sky helps me relax."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow, looking up at the innumerable stars that dotted the dark blue sky. "I can see why its relaxing." He gazed up at the slowly fading white burning orbs of light.

"I don't understand it." She shook her head. "All this...suffering and nature still dares to be beautiful."

"Why shouldn't she be?" He asked. "Mother nature can't help that she's stunning."

Fallon chuckled at his words, "In the midst of people dying?"

"People have been dying well before The Divide, Fallon."

"You know what I mean." She looked at him.

"I do." He thought a moment, "A Lion Rock Prophet once said-"

"Oh, not you too." She scoffed. "I have heard enough of the Lion Rock Gospels today. What are they of use for any how?"

"Hope." He told her. "The Gospels are there for our hope to never die."

"Too late."

(re Revised.)