Little Secrets

It was a strange thing to say out loud. For the past two years he'd kept his daughter and her mother a secret in a bid to protect them. Protect them from people that were hunting him, law and outlaw alike. Protect them from the consequences that could arise from having a father like him. If there was a single innocent in any of his past, it was that little girl. She hadn't asked for this, or to be brought in to a world with two outlaws for parents. But here she was, and she deserved to live a safe and happy life away from all of this.

He supposed it had been a thinly veiled hope. After all, things had a habit of always catching up to you, he should have known that.

Under the weight of Isabella's gaze, he briefly dips his eyes to the grassy ground beneath their feet and answers her first with a small nod.

He can practically hear the cogs in Isabella's mind turning.

"How old is she?"

"Almost two." He finally speaks, doing the math in his head at the same time as she processed timelines in hers. "A year and eight months. Give or take." He clarifies and stuffs his hands in to the pockets of the smarter pair of jeans he'd put on beneath leather chaps.

Isabella spreads a little more hay and pauses beside Whisper, one of the heavier horses that sometimes pulled their carts. She rests her hand on the mares soft shoulder, giving her a little pet. "So.. after."

"I didn't cheat on Sara." He answers the question he knows she wants to ask and their eyes meet, an old guilt wordlessly passed between them. "It was after. The night before I killed Alexander. Just sorta.. happened. Guess we figured we'd never see each other again and the moment got away from us."

"I didn't mean.. I just.." Isabella flounders, suddenly awkward. "Why didn't you tell me? You mentioned Mia but.. not this."

"Because I wanted to keep 'em safe." He answers with a shrug of his shoulders. "I got half the world chasin' after me. Law, the old gang. I didn't want her to have to be a part of that. For all the good it did." Looking at his feet again, he kicks a small rock with his heavy boot. "Just wanted em to have a peaceful life. For Mia to escape all that."

"But things have a habit of catching up to you." Isabella finishes the thought swirling around in his head and he nods his quiet agreement.

"That, and you were so hell bent on takin' down everyone that had been a part of Kilgrave's gang. I dunno..."

Horrified, Isabella's jaw drops. "You think I'd go after a child?"

"No. Her Mother, maybe." He offers.

Huffing, Izzy turns away and gets back to work. Forking more hay out in to piles for their collection of horses. After a few moments of tense silence, she finally speaks again. "Sounds like Mia was as much a victim of Kilgrave as anyone. I wouldn't have gone after her."

Jake simply nods. "I'm sorry. I just thought it was better if nobody knew at all. Less chance of their whereabouts ever slippin' out. Again.. for all the good it did."

"What happened?" Izzy asks over her shoulder.

"They were tucked away down south but.. wrong place, wrong time. Someone recognized her. She just picked up Lizzie and ran."

"Lizzie? That's her name?"

"Elizabeth Eve." Jake answers with a proud smile.

The frost on Isabella finally thaws. "That's a real pretty name."

Jake chuckles. "I take no credit."

"Were you there when she was born?" She asks curiously.

He offers her a wistful smile. "No. I ain't been there nearly enough. Guess I just wanted to protect em and.. tough to be safe when you got a father like me." he sighs and scratches the back of his neck.

Isabella scoffs. "Are you kidding? Can't think of anything safer."

Jake snorts, looking at her like she grew a second head.

She leans on her pitchfork. "A little girl with Jake Torres for a father? God help anybody that hurt her."

A small smile flickers over his face at that thought. Maybe he could do a better job protecting them beside them than he could hiding them away. But the idea conflicted with the knowledge that just being around him put you in danger. You weren't in any danger if you didn't get involved.

"I think you'll be a great father." Izzy adds.

Jake blinks, a strange feeling in his chest that felt like his heart jumping or missing a beat or something. He just smiles. "I'll certainly try."

Their conversation is interrupted shortly afterward as Leon leads Mia over to them, the little girl perched on his hip and wrapped in his large arm. Jake's eyebrow lifts and to his side, Isabella melts.

"Gave Mia the grand tour." Leon announces with a light laugh.

"All five seconds of it?" Jake asks, hands going to his hips as they approach.

"Quite the place you have here." Mia smiles, "not really what I expected."

"What did you expect?" He asks curiously.

She looks thoughtful, "I don't know actually. A cave maybe, you in a loincloth living off the land by your wits."

Amused, Jake simply nods and before he can respond little Lizzie shouts something about 'bun-buns' and wriggles to get down. Leon sets her on the grass obligingly and they watch as she staggers unevenly on tiny legs, pointing after a hopping bunny.

"You be careful, lil'lady." Leon drawls in that accent of his after.

Jake smirks, watching his daughter wobble and discover the world. It was a feeling like no other. Strange and surreal and wonderful all at once. He can't help the warm smile he turns to Mia. Or the swell of hope that everything would turn out okay.

Until his gaze drifts across their little patch of land to the sight of Michael. Returned and sitting astride his black horse, watching them. It's strange, the slight shiver that runs up his spine as they lock eyes across that distance.

Clearing his throat, Jake quietly excuses himself and crosses the gap between them. As he draws closer, he can smell the stench of alcohol all over him. It causes both concern for his welfare and worry for the rest of them as he reaches him.

"Where have you been?" he asks.

Michael arches a brow. "Could ask you the same thing."

Jake nods in defeat. "Was something I had to take care of."

"Clearly. Who's our new guests?" Michael nods toward Mia as she scoops up Lizzie and is shown to the campfire and supply wagons by Leon and Isabella.

Jake grits his teeth, looking back to his.. what was he now? Lover? Ex? Friend? Partner? It was hard to know. "They're a long story. One I'd rather not get in to when you're drunk."

Michael drops down from his horse and sighs. "I'm hungover, theres a difference."

"Well when you're clear enough to hear it." Jake argues.

"This ain't just your place, Jake." Michael glowers.

Sighing, Jake nods. "I know that."

"Then I'd like to know who else we're sheltering." He snaps. "Bad enough we've got all these kids running around, we gotta protect a fucking toddler now?"

"She's my daughter." Jake fires back, and Michael's mouth snaps shut. Eyes searching his. He glances over his shoulder, looking at the redhead holding the baby in her arms and laughing at something Isabella said.

"Daughter?" He mutters the question.

"Like I said, it's a long story." Jake murmurs in return.

Michael's gaze returns to him and his eyes are accusatory. "Who's the mother?"

"That's Mia. She's.. she used to ride with us. Kilgrave.. she was his girl, I suppose."

Michael snorts. "You fucked Kilgraves girl? And you wonder why he killed yours?"

Jake punches him. A flat out crack to the jaw that sends him staggering and echoes like a thunderclap around the ranch, stopping everyone in their tracks.

Rubbing his jaw, Michael adjusts it and glowers back to Jake.

"You get that one for free, I owe you that much." Michael says, blandly.

Jake shakes his fist off and sneers. "This what we are now? I ask you for some time to deal with all this shit between us and you're sayin' shit like that to me? Fuck you, Michael."

"Any more secrets you want to share?" Michael retorts.

Jake just laughs. "Don't talk to me about secrets, you arrogant prick."

That said, he pushes past him and stalks toward the cabin.

Michael stays put, rubbing his jaw and sighing heavily. His eyes flick to Yuliy nearby, frozen as he watches. The kid instantly gets back to his chores.

An hour later, Jake finishes moving his things out of the cabin.