Fanfic - SPN: Not Running (PG-13, Gen: Jake)

[writingbyebonio]

Title: Not Running
Author: eboniorchid
Fandom: Supernatural
Characters: Jake, mentions of Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester
Word Count: ~270 words.
Rating: PG-13 for violence.
Warnings/Spoilers: Gen. Angst. Dark. Violence. Blood. Character study. Character death. Spoilers for "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I" (SPN 02x21).
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Really. Nothing.
Summary: Jake's not running. He's not that kind of guy.
Soundtrack: "Soldierman" by Sebastian Sturm from the This Change is Nice Album (lyrics).
Author's Notes: Written for spn_standstill.

Cash Advance

He's not running. He's no coward. He's a soldier. He's used to fighting, in wars that he doesn't understand, under leaders who he's not sure that he believes, and against enemies who might have just as easily been friends. He wishes sometimes that it didn't have to be this way, and he used to say that it was just his job, but now he says that it's just his destiny.

When it comes down to the final things, when he knows the stakes and what his opponents will and will not do, he knows that he's won, that he'll live to see another day, that he'll live to be what he was meant to be. There may be the weight of a blood-heavy knife in his hands this time and not the weight of a gun on his shoulder, but it's all the same. He protects what's his, because what other choice does he really have? If the question of life becomes him or the other guy, what kind of fool would choose the other guy? Not him. He's no fool.

So, as the knife sinks in and he angles it up, cutting through the vital organs that pull oxygen in and pump blood out, it doesn't matter that his opponent's backup has arrived, that one brother has to watch another die. The deed is done, the target utterly destroyed, and he knows that he's free of nothing but death, and only for now, but that's good enough.

He's a soldier, a decorated lone survivor who's achieved his mission's objective, and now? He's not running. He's making a strategic retreat.

Comments

[missyjack.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! hurty in many ways, but great to see inside Jakes head. Of coruse i hope he dies a very slow and painful death ;)

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm glad this seemed Jake-like and a little achey.

[xtinethepirate.livejournal.com]

OMG. This was so chilling, to hear Sam's death related in such a casual, clinical way. And of course that's exactly how Jake would view it - the necessary elimination of a taret in order to achieve his own ends.

I just.... wow. I have no words. I can't decide whether to love this guy or hate him.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah, Jake had to feel the need to be strategic in order to save his own ass. I kind of like him as a reluctant villain in a way like I like Sam as a reluctant hero. :D

[iluvroadrunner6.livejournal.com]

You know, I liked Jake for most of the episode, up until the point where he did that, and I loved the way you put the reader inside his head. Really nice job on this. Especially the lines about Dean, and watching his brother die.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! I definitely still kind of like him, even though I don't like wha the did to Sam. *sigh*

[tabularassa.livejournal.com]

Dude, I totally loved Jake before he fucking stabbed Sammy in the back but still...he fucking stabbed Sammy in the back! He did what he had to do...but still! LOL

Awesome depiction of inside his head.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Heh. Yeah, Jake did a bad bad thing. Thank you for commenting!

[overstreets.livejournal.com]

That was awesome. Very unique and believable piece.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Glad you found it believable!

[impalalove]

You know, this hurts because it's in such detail, but at the same time, it's wonderful to see it in his head. I hope someone gets him, though.

When I'm still a little annoyed at Jake, but I can see why he might have done it in that way.

Man, you're making me think.

♥

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I'm so glad this made you think! I definitely think Jake's a reluctant villain.

Thanks for the feedback!

[ewanspotter.livejournal.com]

Very short, but it packs a punch. Excellent look at this character. I think the great thing about Jake is that you really can't hate him. Okay, so stabbing the guy who just let you LIVE is pretty bad, but up until that point at least, he didn't know Sam from Adam.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And yeah, Jake really doesn't seem to be evil without reason or anything, he's kind of just stuck in a really rough situation and making very harsh decisions.

[deirdre-c.livejournal.com]

Great perspective, hon! I'm so sad Jake turned from ally to enemy. I loved the chemistry between him and Sam for most of the episode. :(

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was loving the chemistry myself there, but I still like Jake as a character, even if he played dirty in the end.

[meredevachon]

Thank you for this little look in Jake's head. It really fits with the bit of character we saw for him as well as his training. I think, under other circumstances, Jake would have gotten along well with Sam and Dean. But Sam wasn't ready to go there, and Jake was and did.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was such a tough situation, but Jake's personality and training pushed him to one conclusion and Sam's personality and training just pushed him in a different direction. I'm glad you enjoyed this little Jake exploration. Thanks for the feedback!

[lovetheguys.livejournal.com]

So cold, but this is how a soldier must think. If Sam had thought this way, he might still be alive, but Sam doesn't think the same way, and it resulted in his demise. (sob!) Excellent look inside Jake's head. Robin

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yeah, this is the only way I could see Jake coming to the conclusion that Sam's death was necessary. I'm glad you found it realistic. Thanks for the feedback!

[dendritejungle.livejournal.com]

*happy sigh* You ever get tired of me telling you how much I love your writing? Hell, now that I've dipped my foot in this whole fic thing, I've reached a whole other LEVEL of appreciation, both for your poetic way with words, and for your character insights. I dunno how you do it, but you do it WELL. *is in awe*

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Ummm ... no? XD And gosh, thank you so much, hun! It's awesome to hear that you found this poetic and insightful. As for how I do it, I don't really know either, actually, but I'm glad you think it's kinda neat. :D

I totally know what you mean about appreciating the craft more once you're in it, though. After I wrote my first few fics, I definitely fell down in awe at the feet of my favorite writers, thinking "OMG, how do they do this?!" It's one of the main hazard's of fandom. The people make you want to join the fun, but that only makes you realize all the more how amazing everyone in fandom is. As you get deeper in things, though, you'll find tons of people who think that you're as amazing as you think other fandom contributors are. Because ... you totally are. :)

[lostandalone22.livejournal.com]

This is wonderful. I love that you can grasp Jake's view, even though it's not one that we were allowed to see from. It shows your talent as an author. Very nicely done.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you! What awesome feedback! Thank you so much!

[albydarned.livejournal.com]

That is so chilling, but honestly I really think you captured what Jake is really all about here; he's not really a BAD guy, at least not in the sense that bad guys are bad. He's simply doing what he feels needs to be done, and he was eliminating his target accordingly. If you listen to his reasoning with Sam at the end of the episode, you just realize how cut-and-dry everything is with him. Haunting, but I liked it a lot.

[writingbyebonio.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I definitely think Jake's a reluctant villain, ya know? There wasn't joy in the act for him. And his personality definitely lent itself to a very black-and-white view of the world. I'm glad you liked this, even though it was chilling. Thanks for the feedback.