#jericho bill koehler

[blazzium]

Casually sees a TV show that hasn't aired in almost 20 years, who's story got cancelled by the company they were being backed by, and my brain immediately goes:

"HYPERFIXATE AND TURN IT INTO A FANTASY AU NOW"

And I'm honestly along for the ride.

Let me know if y'all wanna hear my dumb, completely insane idea

[perplexedflower]

Laws Of Love - Chapter 5: A Band-Aid For Your Heart

Fandom: Jericho.

Category: F/M.

Relationship: Bill Koehler x Female Reader.

Type: 5-chapter fanfiction.

Summary: Having to deal with the end of the world is not easy. But it gets even worse when you also have to start dealing with your own feelings. Bill Koehler’s life takes a changing turn when a newcomer arrives in Jericho, and he soon comes to realize the day she walked into his home also marked the day the bomb in his heart went off.

Chronology: Season 1.

~~~~~~~~~~

Alone in the living room, I sat down on the couch with my mug in hand. With a sigh, I bitterly stared down at the coffee flowing inside my cup; I had woken up to the sight of an empty house, Bill having left early without waiting for me, or even bothering to wake me up. This went against the routine we had set in place and had been sharing for weeks, a routine that had become so dear to my heart. It upset me deeply to see him behaving in such a way, although I could understand the reasoning behind his actions: after what had happened the day before, and the cold mood that had set between the two of us ever since, we had left each other on bad terms.

He probably hasn't forgiven me for our argument at City Hall, and he must have felt forced when I asked him to give up the explosives for us to blow up the bridge. I know he wasn't fully on board with our idea...

I rubbed my eyes and took a sip of my coffee before shaking my head slowly.

I was finally starting to feel like the two of us really had something... But of course, it had to fall apart.

I lost myself deeper into my thoughts, remaining on the couch for a few more minutes, after which I got ready for the day, the sounds of my lone footsteps echoing through the house. I took my own car to drive to City Hall, but felt a knot in my stomach during all of the ride as I kept on asking myself what I could say to Bill once I would see him down at the police station. But before I could come up with anything to tell him, I had already arrived in town and the knot in my stomach tightened as I saw his car missing from his usual parking spot, which was right next to mine. I quickly made my way into the building and immediately went up to see Jimmy, chatting about reports with other law enforcers.

"Jimmy, have you seen Bill? Do you know where he is?"

"Oh, good morning, [Y/N]." He smiled as he turned to me. "Bill came by here earlier than usual this morning to let me know that he'd spend the day patrolling one of the border checkpoints."

I was instantly taken by surprise.

The border checkpoints have been established by Gray to control who wishes to enter Jericho... I've not once seen Bill take that job up... Why would he—

I stopped myself dead in my thoughts and my expression changed as I came to a dawning realization.

He must have decided to go to the border to get away from me...

"Oh, God..." I whispered to myself.

I felt even more upset than before and felt my thoughts swirl around my mind.

I never would've imagined he'd go to such lengths... Is this really how bad our situation has become?

"Do you want to join him at the border checkpoint?" Jimmy suddenly asked me.

I looked up at him before shaking my head.

"No... Someone needs to stay behind the front desk." I answered in a slightly bitter tone.

And so, I spent the entire morning at the police station, doing my usual work. But I could never get Bill out of my mind, no matter how much I tried to chase my thoughts about him away. But luckily for me, City Hall was not bustling with activity as much as it usually did: this was partially thanks to Jake, who had come up with the idea of trying and putting in place a group of Rangers for the town to have a real security force to protect life and property. He had thus decided to train some of the town citizens, and although the training had only just started, it already occupied a part of town, leading the police force to be slightly less busy than usual.

Near midday, as things were somewhat quiet at the station, I unexpectedly heard the sound of the front door suddenly opening.

"[Y/N]!" I heard a deep voice call out to me before I could even turn my head to see who had stepped in.

I looked in its direction and saw Gray, looking somewhat uneasy. I quickly understood something important had occurred, so I left my post and followed him outside. Before I could ask Gray what the matter was, I had arrived next to his car and was shown Bill, lying in the backseat, seemingly unconscious.

"Oh my—"

My expression instantly changed and I was filled with nothing but extreme worry as a myriad of questions came flying through my mind.

"I came to see you right away since I know you're familiar with where he lives." Gray said, a hint of unease in his voice.

I looked up at him, slightly puzzled.

"Well, he's unconscious and has been injured." He followed. "But it's not important enough to bring him down to the hospital, so home care should suffice."

He marked a short break, after which he took a step closer to me.

"Look, [Y/N], I found him—"

"You'll tell me on the way." I cut him off. "Let's go."

We both climbed into his car, Gray behind the wheel, and me in the passenger's seat.

"I'll need you to give me directions." He said as he turned on the engine.

"Yeah, you got it."

With a swift turn, we drove off and started to make our way out of town; I told Gray which route to take, then I turned around and as I looked at Bill, I felt my heart ache.

"So what happened?" I asked Gray while still looking behind me.

"Well... Since the border checkpoints were my idea and I was the one to have put them in place, I regularly go check on them, to make sure everything is running smoothly. Earlier today, as I was pulling up to the checkpoint Bill was guarding, I saw two suspicious-looking guys, running through the border to try to get into Jericho. I arrived on time to fend them off and make them leave, but..."

As I was listening to him closely, Gray marked a pause before sighing.

"Bill had already been injured by them. When I found him, he was lying on the floor, unconscious, with a few bruises and a large cut on his right arm, although it doesn't seem too deep. I picked him up in my car and drove to City Hall to look for you."

He briefly turned his head to me before looking back on the road.

"I don't know the whole story, but that's as much as I can tell you."

After Gray had finished his story, I gulped while nodding my head very slightly, and gave Bill one more worried look from behind me. After having successfully guided Gray, we finally pulled up to the house and parked up front. We both got out and opened the backseat doors, before steadily grabbing hold of Bill; we carried him to the front door, which I unlocked, then got him inside.

"Set him down on the couch in the living room." I told Gray with a sign of the head.

Following my lead, he helped me lie him down very carefully, after which I set a pillow or two under his head. With Bill now set, Gray started making his way out of the house.

"I'm counting on you to take good care of him." He told me in a gentle voice I had rarely heard from him. "I'll be heading back to town to let the others at City Hall know you'll both be absent for the rest of the day due to what happened to Bill."

"Alright." I nodded. "Thank you very much, Gray."

Nodding back at me, he stepped through the front door and I was left alone with Bill. I sat down on the couch next to him and looked at him with heartbroken eyes. My eyes fell upon his hands, resting on his chest, and I confidently yet gently grabbed one of them, feeling the warmth of his palm against mine.

"Gray doesn't have to worry, I'll take care of you." I whispered in a softly-spoken voice.

I held his hand tighter as I shook my head slowly.

"All of this is my fault... I'm so sorry..."

Finding comfort in his touch, I began rubbing my thumb against his fingers.

"I care so much for you... And you don't even have a clue..."

I looked into his closed eyes and tilted my head just a little.

"Bill, I—"

But before I could speak any further, his body twitched and he started to wake up. I immediately stopped talking and stared at him with worried eyes.

"Bill. Bill, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Without giving me an answer, he tried to sit up straight, but I could see it was more effort than his body could handle.

"Hey, don't try to move too much." I told him while holding him gently.

I helped him readjust his position, my hands on both of his arms, and felt a pain in my soul as I saw the state he was in.

"Thanks..." He lowly said while looking down at his lap.

I smiled tenderly before resting a hand on one of his shoulders.

"It's okay... Don't move from the couch, I'm going to go grab you a glass of water from the kitchen."

I stood up and quickly walked to the kitchen: finding a clean glass lying around, I filled it up with water and proceeded back to Bill. Sitting back down next to him, I gave him the glass, from which he immediately started drinking. Watching him empty half of his cup, I stared into his eyes which were slowly regaining their spark.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him again gently.

"Much better now that I've had something to drink." He answered while switching his glance from his glass to me.

I let out a sigh of relief as I smiled at him.

"That's good to hear. But you'll be feeling even better after I'll have taken care of your wounds."

Bill stared at me silently for a few seconds, and I could read a deep note of affection in them; still without talking, he finally nodded and swallowed down the rest of his drink. I grabbed the glass from his hands after he had finished drinking it and put it down on the living room table. Turning back to him, I set a delicate hand on his arm.

"Get comfortable while I go grab you some band-aids, cotton pads, and antiseptic from the bathroom, alright?"

Once more, I got up from the couch and this time headed upstairs. I quickly gathered everything I needed then went back down into the living room. I again sat next to him and set everything on my lap, but kept silent at first, before awkwardly looking at Bill.

"Hum... you're gonna need to remove your jacket and your shirt for me to clean the wound on your arm." I gulped slightly as my eyes left his face. "... Besides, your clothes have been stained with blood, so you'll have to get changed afterward."

"Sure." He accepted, not without feeling a little awkward himself.

With me watching him, he began undressing but soon winced in pain from his arm.

"Agh— Son of a bitch—"

I quickly set aside the health supplies I had gathered and leaned closer to him.

"Here, let me help you."

I sat nearer to him and started to help him undress, grabbing hold of his jacket and unbuttoning it. I felt my cheeks start to flush as my fingers went over each button, and I could not bring myself to look at him. Neither of us spoke as I opened his jacket and helped him take it off, letting sexual tension fill up the air around us. With the jacket removed, my hands advanced to the bottom of Bill's shirt and grabbed it; I could now feel my cheeks burn as I helped him lift it up above his head, the tip of my fingers gently brushing against his skin, until it was removed completely. Once both clothes had been taken off, I put them in a pile and set them on the living room table, next to his glass. While setting them down, I closed my eyes and took a breath in; after having managed to cool down my body temperature by a little, I then turned back around and went to sit back down next to him. Grabbing a cotton pad and dabbing some antiseptic onto it, I began taking care of his arm. Bill lightly groaned at the contact of the ointment against his opened-up wound and I looked at him with sorry eyes.

"What happened...?" I asked myself aloud while staring at his cut.

"Right, I guess I owe you an explanation."

I looked up into his eyes as my hand still brushed over his arm.

"So, I was at the southeast border checkpoint, and two men came up to me and told me they wanted to get into Jericho. I found them suspicious, so I asked them some questions and realized they were from Jonah's gang. Before I could start asking them to leave, they started attacking me, and during the fight, one of them drew out a pocket knife and cut my arm."

Tightly hanging on his words, I felt a deep sense of anger within myself, but tried chasing it away for the time being.

Taking care of Bill is what's important right now.

"What did these guys want?" I asked. "Why did they try to get inside Jericho?"

"... Stealing from us, spying on us, reporting our activity to Jonah...?" He replied with a shrug.

I gave him a slightly worried look and he sent it back to me, until his expression changed, replaced by one of confusion.

"But, wait..." Bill asked, an eyebrow raised. "I passed out, right?"

I answered him with a simple and silent nod.

"So, how did I even make it back here?"

"Oh, that's thanks to Gray." I scoffed. "Fortunately for you, he was just on his way to check up on how you were doing when he saw the whole thing happen. Well, it technically had already happened, since you were already unconscious when he found you. But he did manage to stop Jonah's men from entering the town, and he brought you to me while I was at City Hall."

"Huh, Gray, who would've thought?" He said as he slowly nodded his head. "I'll have to thank him the next time I come across him."

I chuckled lowly as I finished tending to his arm, after which I applied a large band-aid on his wound.

"Alright, your arm's all done." I told him with a loving smile. "Now I'll move on to your face."

For me to clean his face properly, I had to get yet even closer to him; as I stared into his champagne-colored eyes, I could feel my cheeks were sprinkled with blush, as much as his were with bruises. Sexual tension kept rising between the two of us as the room got quiet and the atmosphere heavy, making us understand we both were a little bashful. Letting a few drops of antiseptic fall on a cotton pad, I approached a hand to his temple and dabbed gently on it, all while avoiding his gaze. After a moment of intense silence, I gathered up the courage to speak about what the both of us had been thinking about this whole time.

"Bill, I have to know..." I started, slightly anxious. "Why were you avoiding me this morning? And why haven't you talked to me since yesterday?"

He looked down at his lap and silence followed for a few seconds.

"... I was afraid you were still upset at me from yesterday, so I thought giving you some space away from me would help you." He confessed. "I didn't want to see you angry at me, and if what it took for you to feel better was for me to leave for some time, then I was willing to do it."

I furrowed my eyebrows as my heart began to ache, feeling sad hearing him say such things.

"Bill, I..." I started while shaking my head slowly, my eyes closed. "I'm no longer mad at you, I-I never really was..."

And me who thought he was the one to feel resentment... This whole time, our reasonings were actually the opposite of each other.

"If that's true, then why didn't you tell me you were going back home, last night?" He asked, sounding somewhat disappointed. "I know I decided to stick around City Hall a little longer, but I saw no sign of you when I left."

I scoffed lightly while looking down.

"I couldn't stick around much longer, all this talk between Gray and Mayor Green... I just didn't feel like registering all that last night."

I shyly rose my head to look into his eyes while feeling embarrassment flow through me.

"And... I thought you were the one who was mad at me... I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me, so I left without telling you."

Silence ensued, leaving the both of us to our respective thoughts.

"You know, I still don't know why you changed your mind in the end yesterday." I let out as I looked down at my hands pulling the cotton out of the pad I was holding. "Why you decided to give me and the rest of our group the explosives, despite arguing against it in front of me at first."

"It was because of Jake." He answered without an ounce of hesitation.

I was taken aback by his answer.

"Jake?"

Bill marked another pause before sighing.

"I was afraid that if I didn't give up the explosives for you, you'd find comfort in Jake and that this would drag you away from me, and closer to him."

I opened my mouth slightly but did not speak a word, too moved to talk.

"... I know the two of you have known each other for some time, longer than we have..."

I gently bit my bottom lip as I furrowed my eyebrows in desolation.

"I acted out of jealousy and fear." He lastly admitted as he stared deep into my eyes.

"How..." I started in a whisper.

I slowly approached a hand to his skin as I leaned closer to him, and delicately rested it in-between his shoulder and his neck.

"... How can you be thinking such things?" I shook my head slowly.

Ever so gracefully, Bill rested a hand over mine, pressing it gently against his skin but just hard enough for his heartbeat to be felt through my palm.

"Because I'm in love with you, [Y/N]." He softly spoke. "I have been since the first time I laid my eyes on you. And since that day, it hasn't changed one bit."

I felt my own racing heartbeat mix with his as we silently stared into each other's eyes, for what felt like a thousand years. His hand left mine and found its way to my left cheek, cupping it gently; bringing me closer to him, I closed my eyes as his lips kissed mine tenderly. It felt like a miracle, like the world had stopped, like I had forgotten everything else occupying my mind, and I was amazed by how incredibly warm and soft his lips were. The hand I had rested on him moved down to his chest, and he grabbed my waist as we pulled our bodies closer to each other. As the kiss got comfortable and we fastened up a bit, my body started to melt. Feeling his hands hold me tight, I sensed he wanted it to last, and I circled his neck with my arms to make him understand I agreed. I craved for making it last longer, but we were forced to pull away after both of us had run out of breath. I gently pressed my forehead against his as I felt his panting breath bounce off mine.

"I love you too, Bill." I whispered as I caressed his face. "And no end of the world will ever take that away from me."

[elmith-art]

The human with glasses is me, Erwin/Elm

The plushies in the arms correspond to 6 of my favorite characters played by one of my 4 favorite actors, Richard Speight Jr.

Lex (The Agency)

Sam (3 Blind Saint)

Warren Muck ( Band of Brothers)

Bill Koehler (Jericho)

Gabriel ✨👀 (Supernatural)

Roger (Driven)

The French and American flags, because I'm French and he's an American actor.

Anyway, this is a drawing to talk about and say thank you to this actor for being who he is and making me laugh at every video post or role he plays. It really helps me when I'm having a hard time.

Ibis paint X

August 2024

[ldrmas]

I’ll add the other parts from him in Jericho s1e11 but I feel this is the most important gif to add right now. I feel this is his most adorable line and have not once seen a gif for it. I hope you all enjoy and reblog. 

[archangelsanonymous]

My second Speight Series peice doesn't have anything to do with the prompts today for #rsjweek2020 but oh well.

This one is dedicated to my bestie, @ihaveallthesefeelsokay. <3

[shaylybaby2032]

Thank you @samshine-and-lollipops it's beautiful and I'm absolutely in love with it!!!! 😘💖😊

[tricksters-pride]

[perplexedflower]

Laws Of Love - Chapter 4: Together Apart

Fandom: Jericho.

Category: F/M.

Relationship: Bill Koehler x Female Reader.

Type: 5-chapter fanfiction.

Summary: Having to deal with the end of the world is not easy. But it gets even worse when you also have to start dealing with your own feelings. Bill Koehler’s life takes a changing turn when a newcomer arrives in Jericho, and he soon comes to realize the day she walked into his home also marked the day the bomb in his heart went off.

Chronology: Season 1.

~~~~~~~~~~

One month. By now, it had been one month since the bombings had happened. And despite how chaotic this past month had been, after everything that had happened, I thought I had seen it all, and could no longer be surprised by anything. That was, until I heard the name 'Ravenwood' from Jake, when Bill and I arrived at City Hall one morning; given my shared history with Jake, I had already run into Ravenwood in the past, and knew what these guys were capable of. And with a simple look we exchanged, I could feel that Jake shared my anxiety. As Bill was ordered to go fetch as much weaponry and explosives as possible across town, an armed checkpoint was arranged by Jake, Gray, as well as Robert Hawkins.

And before my mind could even begin to process what kind of a mess we were getting the town into, I found myself with the rest of Jake's group, holding position against the missionaries at the bridge. I looked at the town citizens reinforcing the checkpoint with blockades of cars, shaking my head slowly.

"Ravenwood..." I whispered under my breath.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Jake walking up to me, and exchanged a look with him as he stood still to my left; my arms crossed on my chest and a glimpse of bitterness in my eyes, I knew him well enough to know he could read exactly what was going through my mind.

"What exactly happened in Rogue River?" I asked him. "Since you and Eric have come back from there, I haven't really had the time to talk to you and catch up with what happened to you two."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that."

"No, no, don't be. It's alright."

Jake scoffed lightly as he sent a smile my way, before looking up and starting to scan the area around the bridge, making sure everything was in place.

"Well, if you want the short version of the story, Eric and I traveled to Rogue River, but the first thing we discovered when we arrived there was that FEMA had evacuated the town. We managed to get inside the hospital but met with this doctor, Kenchy, who told us that our good friends over at Ravenwood had been tasked with transporting the patients at the hospital, but instead ended up killing them, before looting the place. When they returned, Eric and I ambushed them and we were able to return to Jericho."

Jake marked a pause, during which he rubbed his eyes with his right hand.

"But Eric accidentally left his wallet behind at the hospital, and now here we are." He sighed.

Upon hearing his story, I shook my head once more; but before our conversation could continue any further, we saw the Ravenwood mercenaries arrive, and I soon began helping him and Robert gather everyone behind the blockade of cars. As we had all expected, a tense confrontation occurred, and a minor firefight erupted when a town citizen nervously fired a shot. Although no one was hurt, the leader of the mercenaries gave us an ultimatum: we had to clear the bridge in four hours, otherwise they would force their way through. Hearing such a demand, Jake and I exchanged a nervous look, and I knew him well enough to understand right away what his next plan of action would be.

We rapidly made our way back to City Hall to warn and tell the others we were intending on destroying the bridge. But, unexpectedly, when stepping into the station, I ran into Bill, arms full of weapons, and who had also just walked in.

"Hey." I smiled at him. "How did the looting go?"

Gripping tight the box he was holding, he tilted it slightly to show me all the ammunition and explosives he had gathered.

"Pretty good." He smiled back at me. "How did you guys get along at the bridge?"

"Not so pretty good."

Just as the words escaped my lips, Bill and I saw Jake, Eric, Gray, Robert, and Jimmy gather around, before walking inside the nearby office in a hurry, and we headed in as well after having looked at each other with concern. Entering the room, it did not take me long to figure out what subject was being debated.

"No way, we're not doing it." Eric stated decisively.

"Think about it: with the bridge gone, we can't be overrun." Argued Jake.

"Until Ravenwood turns around and comes at us from another direction."

"Not before they pass New Bern, or some other town." Gray said. "Better them than us."

"This will buy us time." Robert added. "Then we focus our manpower and resources on securing the other roads, and—"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Eric interrupted him, putting his hands on his hips. "If we destroy that bridge, it is gone forever. Do you think we can do without it? I mean, what about the farms on the other side, access to food for winter?"

"There are farms closer to town." Gray fired back.

"Okay, what about the homes you'll isolate?" Eric said as he turned to his brother. "Jake, that means cutting off Stanley."

"He'll have to come over." Jake replied bitterly.

"Look, there has to be a better way." Eric addressed the group with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Ravenwood is coming back right now." Gray declared gravely. "We've got no time, what do you suggest?"

"We can get more men. Pull them off the outposts if we have to."

"Send more men out there, you're gonna get more men killed." Jake counterargued.

The room fell silent for a few seconds as Jake and Eric stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"Bill... lock up the explosives." Eric finally ordered coldly.

"Now wait a minute—" Gray started.

Up until this moment, Bill and I had been standing back from the group, watching them in silence. But the second Eric ordered him to lock up the explosives, he followed his orders right away and I opened my mouth in shock as he walked out of the room. Looking somewhat dissatisfied, I watched Eric leave the office, followed closely by the others, and I ran after Bill to catch up to him.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, slightly confused.

"Following orders."

"Bill, you can't..."

Determined to seal the gun locker, he reached out for the padlock.

"Bill, listen to me—"

Although he refused to look at me, I did not give up and kept on trying to convince him.

"Look, Bill... I understand Eric's perspective, I can see where his arguments come from. I agree with him."

I shook my head as I closed my eyes sadly.

"But I'm still siding with Jake, here... This is the only way we could slow Ravenwood down successively, and... we have no other solution."

"I won't go against Eric." Bill argued back, finally looking at me. "Even less against Stanley, one of my closest friends who's still on the other side of that bridge."

"Bill..." I started with a sigh. "I understand how you feel, it's normal for you to think of others in this situation, but I'm asking you to be reasonable."

He kept quiet and I leaned closer to him.

"I was at the bridge with the others, Bill." I spoke in a low voice. "I was face-to-face with these guys. You don't know them, you don't know what they're capable of."

I marked a pause as I recalled the events from barely an hour ago.

"They were ready to shoot us. And they'll be just as ready in less than four hours, no matter what it takes them."

An uneasy silence followed, tension floating around us; I rested a gentle hand on his arm, but he instantly pulled it back slightly, avoiding my gaze. I took a deep breath before nodding slightly.

"Fine. It's fine if you don't wanna help us. In the end, it doesn't make a difference."

I began to take a step back from him as a cocktail of sorrow and determination was mixing within my eyes.

"I know Jake, Bill. And I know that he always finds a way to get his hands on what he needs."

I looked into Bill's eyes as he looked up at me.

"If he doesn't get access to this dynamite, he'll make his own explosives."

With that, I turned around and walked away, leaving the police station and Bill.

I'm sorry...

Once outside, I searched for the rest of the group and saw Jake and Gray talking, and as I joined them, Jake started going on his own.

"Jake, wait up!" I called out as I followed after him.

Turning around, Jake slowed down.

"What's our next move?" I asked him.

"Well, we're planning on making improvised explosives. We don't have any other solution."

Hearing his idea, I could not help but chuckle lowly.

"You on board?" He turned to me.

"Yeah."

"Alright." He said as he patted me on the back. "I'll go warn the people on the other side of the bridge to come over."

"You got it. I'll be heading for the bridge directly to help with the explosives and set everything in place. I'll meet you back over there once you're finished."

Jake and I nodded in unison, after which we went our separate ways. While on the way to the bridge, I could not help but think of Bill, and of that argument we had had; although it had not been that long of a time since we had first met each other, this had been our very first big disagreement, to the point where one of us would have to walk away from the other. But despite how much my mind wanted to focus on him, I had to get my thoughts straight as I approached the bridge, joining everyone who was already there.

I spent the following couple of hours setting in place explosives under the bridge, when I suddenly heard footsteps walking up to me from behind.

"For you, Miss."

I turned around and saw Gray, setting down a box on the ground. I looked at the crate beside my feet and realized it was full of dynamite; the dynamite from the mines, the dynamite that had been locked up inside City Hall.

"How did you get it...?" I asked Gray, slightly shocked.

"I got a call from Bill to tell me he was on board with us and he told me I could come to pick up the explosives at City Hall."

I stared at Gray speaking while inhaling deeply.

"Take care of these for me, Jimmy." I told the deputy with a sign of the hand.

I walked back up the hill and onto the bridge: looking in the direction of the blockade, I saw Bill helping set things up, and watched him from where I was, not moving a muscle. After a short minute, he looked up from what he was doing and noticed me. Once our eyes had met, we both stood still and looked at each other from afar, our eyes so distant yet so close. But just as I was about to take a step in his direction, the flare signal was fired, and similarly to a few hours earlier, I helped round up everyone behind the cars.

"C'mon!" I loudly ordered them. "Go! Go! Go!"

I retrieved last and was about to join the others when I turned around and saw Jake, staying in the middle of the bridge.

"Jake!"

I felt a hand tucking on my jacket sleeve and was pulled away behind the cars.

"What is he doing...?" I whispered, my eyes still fixated on Jake.

I looked at Jake a little longer, before looking to my right, and saw Bill, looking back at me while crouching down. I breathed in and crouched down next to him; for what felt like an eternity, Jake talked with the leader of the missionaries, while the rest of us were standing back. I shyly glanced over at Bill before clearing my throat.

"... So, what made you change your mind?"

"Now's not the time to talk about this." He replied in a firm whisper.

"Alright, fine."

As we both turned our attention back to Ravenwood, our guns ready, a shot was suddenly heard: the Ravenwood sniper had been killed, and everyone around us began asking themselves what had happened.

Could that be Hawkins...?

Just as I was wondering who had fired the shot, all the mercenaries walked out of their cars and aligned in front of us. I took a deep breath while cocking my gun in unison with everyone else.

"Here we go."

But as I was ready to fire, a batch of cars came from behind the Ravenwood squad, and I came to realize it was Eric and Jonah with his crew. For a minute no one moved, but Ravenwood was inevitably led to surrender for now, and climbed back into their cars before taking off. Seeing them retreat, I put down my weapon and inhaled deeply, before standing back up. Once they had left, Bill and I went with Jake, Gray, and Jimmy to meet up with Eric and Jonah.

"Next time you wanna destroy my route into town, I'd appreciate a heads up." Jonah said to all of us.

Silence followed, but I could see Jake was hesitating to say something.

"You're welcome." Jonah added.

Jake sighed as I scoffed lightly.

"Really, don't mention it."

Jonah began walking away with the rest of his crew, but he suddenly stopped, before turning back around.

"Can I make a suggestion?"

Silence still reigning between us, we all stared at him.

"Start figuring out how to fight for yourselves. If Eric hadn't come to get me, you'd all be burying Jake in a shoebox tomorrow."

Seeing him walk away for good this time, I shook my head slowly.

"God, I hate that guy's guts." I said in a whisper.

As Eric walked past us, Robert made his way back to us, and he exchanged a deep look with Jake.

"Thanks." I spoke up after a few seconds of silence.

He turned to me with a short smile, understanding why I was thanking him without having to ask. After everyone had left the bridge, an evening meeting was organized inside City Hall, but to no one's surprise, it quickly got out of hand. Jake and Eric were faced with the rest of the town, led by Gray, asking to take the bridge out anyway, but the two brothers refused.

"What happens if they come back?" Gray asked them aggressively.

The town immediately supported his question, as everyone rose their fists high up in the air.

"We've got armed sentries posted." Eric replied, trying to calm him down.

"And if it comes to it, the bridge is still wired." Jake added.

Standing back from the crowd, I was standing next to Bill, but neither of us spoke a word to the other. Not really knowing what to think of the situation, I rubbed my temple in a sigh as there was a short moment of silence, which undoubtedly did not last long.

"I still say we take it out now." Gray exclaimed.

The citizens cheered once again.

"Well, you're not calling the shots, Gray." Johnston's voice suddenly rose within the crowd.

The room went dead quiet as he made his entrance, and he and Gray exchanged a deep look.

"I'm glad to see you up on your feet, Johnston." He told him.

"Mayor." Johnston clarified in a harsh tone.

In silence, he walked closer to his sons, before ending up in-between them.

"Now, maybe one of you would like to tell me just exactly who you think is in charge here."

Knowing full well the answer, the room fell quiet again.

"If we're hit from the other side, that bridge might be our only line of retreat. Help is on the other side of that bridge. Our people, the whole world, is on the other side of that bridge."

Murmurs started to be heard across the room as Johnston tried his best to convince the crowd.

"We destroy that bridge, we've already lost."

"Everyone here wants this to happen." Gray stepped up. "Including your son."

"No, not everyone." Stanley suddenly stated. "You guys come up with a real plan to protect this town, you let me know."

An awkward silence filled the room as we all watched Stanley and Bonnie leave, followed by Mimi.

"Dad, I think you should—"

"You, hold your tongue." Johnston cut Jake coldly. "I'm the only one here who was elected. I will not do this. It is as simple as that."

"Maybe it's time we let the people decide if they still want you making their decisions." Gray fired back in a threatening voice.

I don't like where this is going, I thought with a deep exhale.

Not willing to expose myself much longer to such migraine-inducing debates, I walked out of City Hall and decided to head back home. The ride should have felt quiet and peaceful, but with all the thoughts occupying my mind, I could not catch a single second of serenity. Once back home, I went straight to the kitchen and grabbed myself a bite to eat; while searching through the cupboards, I found a bottle of alcohol with a scratched-off label, rendering it possible to know what it contained. I stared at the bottle in my hands and popped it open with a sigh.

What the hell, I thought to myself as I poured the liquid into a glass.

I sat down at the dining table and drank in silence, although my head was buzzing with noise; with only the moonlight shining through the kitchen windows, I drank until I had swallowed the last drop resting at the bottom of my glass. I left it on the table, along with the bottle, and made my way upstairs. Stepping into my room, I went right to bed and found solace in the comfortable mattress and pillows; thankfully, it did not take me long before I fell asleep. Between two troubled dreams, I heard the sounds of someone downstairs taking a seat in the kitchen, before pouring themselves a drink, following the same sorrowful pattern I had done before them.

[warlockwriter]

Bill Koehler from Jericho (26/?)

Not a happy deputy

[ldrmas]

Bill Koehler Gifs (1/?)

[trickster-archangel]

well....shame on you @warlockwriter for never having giffed this before  🤣

Bill shooting from a tank, is the next best thing after Gabriel burning Asmodeus.

The kid owns an insane passion for fire....

[lp-collins]

Because these two keep my mind busy 24/7 anyway... Based on the prompt ordering takeout for dinner for @easypeasybreezy‘s drabble exchange

~~~

Comfortably browsing through a magazine on the couch, Sam hardly noticed when the front door opened. In fact, it wasn’t until Bill entered the living room that he quickly glanced up, a little smile playing around his lips at the sight of the deputy.

A smile that Bill definitely didn’t share as he looked around and into the kitchen before his eyes finally landed on Sam. “You didn’t cook.”

It was true. Sam was terrible at cooking, he didn’t like doing it, and he really hadn’t felt like it today, even though Bill had a late shift and wouldn’t be up for it either.

“No,” he admitted with what he hoped was an apologizing expression on his face.

Bill let out a desperate sigh and dropped down on one of the chairs at their dinner table. “Dammit Sam, you knew I was gonna be late! I told you this morning we didn’t have any leftovers, and if I have to start now, it’ll be another hour before we get to eat.”

Okay, now he felt guilty. He put aside the magazine before walking towards the chair, and went to straddle Bill’s lap to get his undivided attention. And also just because he liked doing it. Pissed or not, the other man automatically placed his hands on Sam’s thighs to hold him in place, and his thumbs even started to slightly rub up and down. Sam couldn’t help but smile at the affectionate gesture and lazily threw his arms around Bill’s neck.

“I’m sorry,” he genuinely said as he looked into those golden eyes. “Why don’t we just go and eat out instead?”

Bill frowned, which wasn’t that big a surprise since Sam knew perfectly well how stubborn he could be. “It’s been a long day, okay? I don’t really feel like going out anymore. I wanted to have a quiet night, just the two of us.”

“Takeout then,” Sam suggested with a shrug. When Bill still didn’t seem convinced, he added, “Your pick.”

It took a couple of seconds, but then that finally seemed to do it. “Burgers,” Bill simply said.

Sam grinned at his small victory and pecked him on the lips. “See, that wasn’t too hard, was it?”

“But not at some fast food restaurant. Ones from a decent place,” his boyfriend demanded.

“Sounds reasonable,” Sam agreed with a nod.

“And you’re ordering.”

He laughed at that and already stood up from the chair to make the call. Bill’s hands seemed unenthusiastic to let him go though, which he took as a silent message that he was forgiven.

“But the next time you pull that, I’m dumping you,” Bill warned him as he went to grab his phone.

He wouldn’t and they both knew it, but Sam decided he’d better not say that out loud. Enjoying the way Bill’s eyes followed him around the room, he searched the phone number of a local diner the deputy liked and dialed it.

Before his phone connected, he quickly promised Bill, “I’ll let you lick the ketchup off of me, and then we’re even.”

[shaylybaby2032]

Still the One: Chapter 1

Title: Still the One

Fandom: Jericho

Paring: Bill Koehler/OFC

Warnings: Eventual smut, mutual pining, lots of angst, more warnings/tags on Ao3 page

Summary: The war was over and the good guys had won. When Jake and Hawkins return to Jericho after the war they bring with them someone from Bill's past that he thought he would never see again. Will they be able to work through past mistakes and find happiness with each other? Or are their wounds just to deep to mend?

A/N: As always, thank you to my amazing beta @datajana

Ao3 Link to Chapter 1

[thewhiterabbit42]

Summary:  Her mother used to say, “No matter what our plans may be or where our lives take us, all roads lead back to the people we love."  When Wil’s life takes a turn for the worst, she finds out just how true that is.

Pairings: eventual Bill x Wil (OFC)

Chapter Warnings/Tags:  angst, implied cheating, divorce, hurt/comfort if you squint

Series Warnings/Tags:  Smut, friends with benefits, friends to lovers, fluff, angst, oral sex, vaginal sex, additional tags tbd

Word Count: 3709

A/N: This story is intended to be a hybrid of an ABC project / series to help fill my multi-fandom kink bingo card.

Bill Squad: @shaylybaby2032 @idabbleincrazy

[perplexedflower]

Laws Of Love - Chapter 3: Trick Or Treat Me

Fandom: Jericho.

Category: F/M.

Relationship: Bill Koehler x Female Reader.

Type: 5-chapter fanfiction.

Summary: Having to deal with the end of the world is not easy. But it gets even worse when you also have to start dealing with your own feelings. Bill Koehler’s life takes a changing turn when a newcomer arrives in Jericho, and he soon comes to realize the day she walked into his home also marked the day the bomb in his heart went off.

Chronology: Season 1.

~~~~~~~~~~

A series of knocks on my bedroom door woke me up, making me pull on the sheets and bury my face in them.

"Five more minutes..." I weakly let out.

"The town can't wait five more minutes, [Y/N]." The masculine voice replied from the other side.

I sighed and kept my eyes closed for a few more seconds, before kicking the sheets away with a yawn. I sat on the bed and sleepily rubbed my eyes; it had now been around two weeks since I had started to work as a deputy alongside Bill, following his daily schedule, and that meant waking up early, at the same time as him. During these past couple of weeks, the town's situation had degraded, and the police force had been overwhelmed with complaints since the EMP had hit: it ranged from everyday trespassing to that one time we had to fix the broken water main on Ash Street that flooded a property. But despite all the work it required, I was glad to have integrated the force, to be able to help the town rebuild itself, especially with someone such as Bill by my side to help me.

I got up and walked to my door while half-asleep, still in my pajamas; stepping out into the hallway, I saw him walk out of the bathroom, looking just as sleepy as me. Taking a sidelong glance at him, I could not help but pick up on his sleepwear; at first, it was weird for me to see him without his uniform, but I came to get used to it over time. I had always believed in this myth that one never gets to see policemen without their uniforms, since they represent this figure of authority and power. But seeing Bill in a plain t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants took all of that away, and instead made him look soft.

Just as was I getting lost in thought, I saw him yawn and turn his head to me.

"Good morning." He greeted me with a smile.

"Good morning." I replied as I felt myself blush.

I waited for him to go back into his bedroom to make my way to the bathroom, after which I closed the door behind me. Since I had become an unofficial deputy, Bill and I had developed a common morning routine, which mainly consisted in me copying his. But as much as I enjoyed adopting his lifestyle, I could not ignore the fact it had been over two weeks since I had been living with him in his house, although it was originally supposed to be temporary, only until he would find me a truly suitable place to stay. I looked at myself in the mirror and shook my head as a part of me felt dumb.

I should have expected this case scenario to happen, considering how busy he's been lately, even more since Mitchell Cafferty has come back in town and caused a ruckus.

Pouring water into the palms of my hands I had cupped together, I washed my face, feeling the cold water waking me up.

I'm sure I must be bothering him at times... But he probably just never tells me about it.

I grabbed a towel hung on the wall and gently dabbed it on my face.

... I'll bring up the subject again with him when both of us will have time to talk about it, I told myself while staring at my reflection with determination.

Walking out of the bathroom, I made my way downstairs and joined Bill in the kitchen, who had already started to eat his breakfast. Pouring myself a bowl of cereal, I sat down in front of him and was about to bring the spoon up to my mouth when yet another yawn escaped my lips.

"Still feeling sleepy?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I suppose so." I replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Well, today's your lucky day to feel tired. Since the town will be busy preparing to celebrate Halloween, the workflow at the police station should be slightly calmer and easier to handle than usual."

I suddenly stopped eating and looked at him with surprise.

"I had completely forgotten today was Halloween..."

Hearing the news, a part of me began to feel excited; I had stopped counting how many years I had not had the chance to celebrate it, and spending it with the people of Jericho sounded like a good plan to me. With that thought in mind, I finished my breakfast and went back upstairs to finish getting ready. Once both Bill and I were ready to leave, we headed out and drove to City Hall. During the ride, I looked out the window and saw all the townsfolk preparing for the celebration, all over town: driving past decorated backyards and storefronts, the streets were looking the liveliest they had been since the bombings had happened.

A few minutes later, we arrived at City Hall and parked at our usual spot. As he walked up the stairs to the entrance, I looked around me, before turning to him.

"Bill, wait." I called out.

About to step inside, he turned around and sent me a questioning look.

"... Can I spend the day outside and help decorate the town and prepare for Halloween?" I asked bashfully, a shy smile on my face.

Following my question, I heard him chuckle lowly.

"You said yourself today should be calmer than usual." I quickly added. "And if you need me at any point for any reason, you can reach out to me, and I'll get to you right away."

Shaking his head slowly, he sent a smile my way.

"Sure, go have fun."

"Thanks a lot." I happily replied. "I promise I'll stay available if you need me."

Not wanting to waste any time, I headed off into town while waving to Bill. And so, I spent the day helping mostly everyone set everything up, going from one place to another: I eventually decided to go see Stanley and Bonnie, to check on them and see if they needed help with anything. But once I got there, I noticed Stanley was not on the farm, so I made my way to his sister; I approached Bonnie, but before I could ask her where Stanley had gone off to, she signed to me that they needed my help with something. She added that only a few minutes before I had arrived, Stanley had gone down to the station to ask for help there; chuckling, I signed to her that he went to town for nothing, since I was now here. We exchanged smiles and I helped her with her issue, after which I drove back to town and kept on helping others, all while running errands left and right, mixing work and leisure.

By the end of the afternoon, a few folks invited me to a pumpkin carving session, and I happily accepted their offer; carrying the pumpkin I had neatly carved, I brought it back to my car and put it in the backseat, saving it for later. I took a look at my watch as I closed the door, then looked up and around me: with nearly all the preparations in town wrapped up, the streets had emptied, given most of the citizens had gone back to their houses to either finish some preparations or to get changed into their costumes.

I should do the same, I thought as a smile took shape on my lips, after all, Bill hasn't contacted me in a while, so he's probably not drowning under work.

I took my car and drove back to his house to see if I could put something together with my clothes. But once back home, I went through my wardrobe and had to admit to myself that I had nothing that came close to a costume.

"I should've known..." I spoke sadly. "Even with all the clothes I had with me that burned down I couldn't have been able to put something together."

I got up and sighed.

"Hell, I don't even know what I'd dress up as..."

Hearing these words come out of my mouth, I suddenly came to think of an idea.

"I can dress up as an actual deputy sheriff, with the full attire." I thought aloud, a smile on my face. "It'd fit me, considering the job I've been doing for the past couple of weeks."

But my smile quickly shortened, as I realized something: the only way for me to bring my idea to life was to borrow one of Bill's outfits, and that meant entering his room and going through his things.

"... He probably wouldn't mind." I concluded after having given it some thought.

I stepped inside his bedroom and began going through his closet; as I had assumed, I saw multiple duplicates of his outfit and unhooked one of them. I carried it all the way to my bedroom and changed there, leaving my clothes on my bed. The second I was done putting it on, I could not help but laugh out loud at the fact that it fit me in the same way as it fit him, since I was about the same height and weight as him.

It suits me well, I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror, smiling at my reflection.

After I had slipped into my costume and was finished putting the last touches on it, I went back to town and parked near City Hall. I got out of my car and grabbed my pumpkin, putting it under my arm like a basketball: seeing the town had gathered in the streets and in front of the building, I made my way there.

"Oh, [Y/N]!" I heard Gracie call for me.

I turned in the direction of her voice and saw her walking toward me at a fast pace.

"You've finally been promoted to be an actual deputy! Congratulations!" She exclaimed while shaking my hand. "You know, I'm happy you've joined the force, this field of work really fits you well, sweetie."

"You've got it wrong, Mrs. Leigh." I explained to her with a laugh. "It's very kind of you to say that, but this is simply one of his Bill's outfits that I borrowed. It's my costume for the night."

"Oh, alright, then." Gracie nodded with a short smile.

To my surprise, it did not take long before I started receiving more comments about my costume, whether to tease me, compliment me on how clever it was, or tell me how well it suited me. After having chatted with mostly everyone, I walked up to Stanley, who was running a stand with Bonnie.

"Well, it's a nice pumpkin you got there..." He started, a playful note in his voice.

He leaned closer to my chest to read the name on my jacket, preparing to call me 'deputy [Y/L/N]'. But instead, he looked up at me with eyes expressing both amusement and confusion.

"... Mrs. Koehler?"

I gently hit him with my elbow as I smiled shyly.

"This is Bill's outfit, alright? That's all." I said while blushing and looking elsewhere.

"Right." He said unconvinced while nodding slowly.

I looked around me, turning my head from left to right.

"Speaking of which, have you seen him anywhere? I thought I'd find him out there with you guys, but... I haven't come across him since I got here."

"Hmm... Now that you mention it, no, I haven't."

I nodded my head gently as I took one last look around me.

"Alright, thanks anyway, Stan."

Leaving Stanley behind with a wave of the hand, I made my way to the stairs of City Hall and clutched my pumpkin closer as I stepped inside. Greeted by party noises, I started looking for him among the crowd that had gathered there: but when I realized he was nowhere to be found, I went up to Jimmy, who I spotted chatting with other people.

"Hey, Jimmy." I called out to him. "Do you know where Bill is?"

Jimmy replied to me by pointing to the door of the police station with his thumb.

"Alright, thanks."

Following Jimmy's indication, I took a few steps and looked inside the station through the glass door, and indeed saw him at the front desk, visibly working on paperwork, his usual coffee cup in hand and using only a lantern as a source of light. I opened the door very gently, trying to make as little noise as possible: walking inside, I began imitating ghost sounds as I played around with my pumpkin, but broke into laughter seeing the expression his face was shifting into. The moment he heard my voice, he looked up from the pile of paper in front of him, and I could read he was surprised to see me dressed in a deputy outfit, even more so his. I looked down at myself and smiled at him while blushing.

"What do you think of this ultra-realistic costume?"

Still standing behind the desk, he put his mug down.

"You dressed up as me." He said with his mouth slightly open, a smile transpiring through.

"No, I dressed up as myself." I chuckled. "I figured I'd make this deputy thing official. At least for one night."

Shaking his head gently, Bill began to laugh as well, before scanning me up and down.

"So, are we gonna play 'good cop, bad cop'?" He asked as he leaned against the counter.

"I'm down for it." I giggled lightly.

"Well, which one are you?"

"Which one do you want me to be?"

My words echoing through the empty room, we silently looked at each other in the eyes, but I could not help but look away after a few seconds. My eyes fell upon the pumpkin I was still holding in my hands, and I looked back up at him while raising it.

"And look who I brought with me!"

I set the pumpkin on the counter next to his lantern and he looked at it while laughing.

"I carved it this afternoon, and I figured I'd offer it to you to give you a bit of company in this big empty station."

I joined him in his laughter, but I also felt the tone of my voice changing a little; looking down at my feet, I looked back up at him a second later with slightly sad eyes.

"What are you even doing here all by yourself anyway? I was expecting to see you partying with the others when I stepped in... Aren't you gonna join them?"

He looked down as his smile shortened.

"Well... It may be Halloween, but it doesn't mean the pumpkins will do the paperwork for me."

I cracked a short smile, but it soon vanished, replaced with a more serious expression.

"Bill..." I started in a low voice, avoiding making eye contact with him. "Now that I've been in your shoes for over two weeks, I know what it's like being overworked and having little time to yourself."

I gulped as I could feel his eyes on me.

"You're a hardworking man, who gets things done, and you love your job, I know you do. But I also know you've been more tired than usual recently..."

I shyly looked up at him and instantly met his gaze.

"... And that's why I was thinking tonight's celebration was the perfect occasion for the both of us to unwind, and relax..."

Lowering my eyes, I felt a blush spread across my cheeks.

"... Together..." I whispered as I lowered my voice.

Silence reigned between the two of us, for what felt like an eternity, until I heard Bill clear his throat.

"Alright. You're right, I'll allow myself to finish work early tonight."

I looked back up at him with a warm smile.

"Give me just..."

He gently brought my right wrist closer to him to read the time on my watch.

"15 minutes, to finish this one paper, and I'll join you."

"You got it." I nodded, still smiling.

I started making my way back to the door but turned around, a hand on the knob.

"But no more than 15 minutes, alright Mr. Koehler?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied as we exchanged smiles.

I left the room and went back outside to go see the others again while I waited for Bill to finish. However, once the 15 minutes had passed, I saw no sign of him, and this time felt upset.

I'm sure he thought to himself 'one more paper' after he was finished with what was supposed to be the last one.

I made my way back inside the station and walked in by pushing the door wide open.

"I can't believe—..."

I suddenly stopped my lecture as I saw he was no longer behind the front desk, and all that was left was his stuff. I took a step closer, raising an eyebrow.

"Bill?"

"[Y/N]?" I suddenly heard his voice calling out for me.

I followed the direction of his voice, seemingly coming from the back of the room, and saw the prison cell at the end of the hallway, before realizing he had been locked inside. I quickly made my way to him with a worried expression.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"It's Mitch." He replied angrily.

Once close to the cell, I searched for the keys and found them on a stool nearby.

"Some of his guys came to bail him out." He continued as I was unlocking the door. "Gray went after him."

Before I could add anything else, he pushed the door open and made his way out of the room at a quick pace.

"I have to go see where they went and if they managed to catch him."

I had no other choice but to follow him, feeling my usual smile fade away. Once outside, we both spotted Jake and Gray further down the street, and Bill went to see them while I decided to stay behind in front of the building. I could not help but bite my bottom lip repeatedly while crossing my arms on my chest and continually tapping the heel of one of my feet on the ground. I stared at him from a distance, watching him talk, until he made his way back, looking more appeased.

"Things haven't gotten too outta hands, that's the good news." He started with a sigh. "Apparently, Gray had caught up with Mitch and his two friends, and was ready to take a shot at them, but Jake stopped him before he could fire, and told him the last thing Jericho needs in these times of crisis is a gang war we wouldn't want to be a part of."

He scoffed while shaking his head.

"And, frankly, I agree with Jake's decision, he made the right call."

Once he was done talking, I nodded my head rapidly.

"Alright. Well, we should head on back home." I spoke at a fast pace.

Not waiting for him to answer, I started to get in motion, taking a step forward, ready to walk away. But before I could take another step, he grabbed my wrist, making me turn around.

"Hey, what's the rush?"

I could see in his eyes that he knew I was not feeling good, looking down at my lips, bearing no smile.

"Bill, you..."

He got closer to me and let go of my wrist.

"Why leave now? You said you wanted us to enjoy the party together. So let's."

"But are you gonna be okay?" I asked as I looked up into his eyes with a hint of worry.

"I was only put inside a cell, [Y/N]." He scoffed while raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't hurt."

"But you could have been. They had a shotgun barrel directed right at you, Bill..."

"How do you even know they did that?"

"Because I know their type." I fired back. "And I know what they're capable of."

He stared at me, reading the worry and seriousness on my face, then looked down with a neutral expression before looking back up into my eyes with a short smile: I suddenly felt his hand on the top of my head, tousling my hair gently.

"I'm fine, [Y/N]. Don't worry about me."

My stern expression vanished as all I could now feel was his warm hand on my scalp, rubbing it tenderly; I gulped while blushing, then nodded at him. Smiling warmly at each other, we finally walked away from the building and went to join the others out on the streets. We did not have a proper dinner that evening, but since there were multiple and various food stands, we ate a bit of everything here and there throughout our stroll. We paid a visit to more or less everyone, and it warmed my heart to see Bill having fun and enjoying his night; as I was staring at him talking with Stanley and his sister, I felt a hand tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Jake and Heather, both smiling at me.

"Oh, hey guys." I smiled back at them.

"Good evening, deputy." Heather teased me.

"Do you have something to report to me?" I joked.

"No, nothing serious." She replied with a chuckle.

Heather suddenly stepped forward and grabbed both of my hands as the look in her eyes felt somewhat sad.

"But, I wanted to let you know, [Y/N]... I was driving through town earlier today, and I drove past the remains of your house... and I couldn't help but feel sorry for you, and how it must have been a traumatic experience."

Taken aback by her words, my surprise was however instantly replaced with laughter.

"It's very sweet of you, Heather, but don't worry about me, I'm no longer mad at that fire." I told her with a sign of the hand. "I suppose it was just the town's way to make sure I was given a warm welcome."

Everyone standing around us who had heard my joke laughed, and Bill and I walked away from them as we waved them goodbye. As we walked, I could feel him silently look at me, and eventually gathered the courage to look back at him.

"What's up?" I asked him with blushing cheeks. "What's on your mind?"

"I've never seen anyone who's able to keep such a cool head in the hardest of times." He confessed while staring straight into my eyes. "I'll admit it... I've been impressed by that trait of yours ever since I first met you in front of your house."

I felt the blush on my cheeks intensify and my eyes widen slightly.

"It's impressive how you never let things get to you." Bill added with a charming laugh.

Hearing him compliment me in such ways, I could not help but look away from his eyes, keeping quiet.

"... Thank you." I eventually told him while shrugging lightly, a shy smile displayed on my face.

Shortly after our conversation, we noticed the party was nearing its end, so we decided to head back home, for good this time; the first thing I did once we had made it back was to step into the kitchen and serve myself a glass of something fresh to drink, before taking it with me to the living room. I took a sip while fanning myself with my shirt, then set my glass down on the table as I looked at Bill standing up in between the kitchen and the living room.

"D'you ever get hot wearing your deputy outfit all day long?" I casually asked him with my head tilted.

"That is one question that cannot be answered with words."

Turning around slowly, he revealed to me the back of his jacket, covered with a wide circle of sweat, in addition to spots around his armpits. I covered my mouth a little while laughing and he turned around to me with a slightly awkward smile.

"Yeah, I'm sweating bullets."

"So am I." I reassured him. "Starting tomorrow, I'll go back to my usual t-shirts and shorts."

We chuckled together as he started to make his way to the staircase.

"Speaking of which, I'm heading for the shower right now..." He told me while grabbing the back of his neck. "I'll tell you when I'm done if you want to take one as well after I'm finished."

I smiled warmly and nodded, then followed him upstairs to enter my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and changed into my pajamas, leaving the deputy attire I wore in my wardrobe, after which I stepped back outside. Opening the door back, I found myself in the hallway and rested my shoulder against the wall. I looked over at the closed bathroom door and listened to the sound of water running, when I suddenly felt tears coming up. Taking a deep breath in, I went back downstairs and made my way to the living room while shedding a tear: I sat down on the couch and buried my face in my hands as I sobbed, ever so softly. I kept on crying for a few more minutes, until the sounds of footsteps on the creaking staircase came breaking the rhythm of my cries. I immediately sniffled, trying to swallow back my tears, and rubbed my eyes. But I knew Bill had already spotted me and noticed something was not right.

"[Y/N]?" He called out to me, in a worried yet gentle voice.

Without looking at him, I felt him walking closer and sitting down on the couch next to me.

"... Are you okay?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"I didn't want you to see me like this..." I shook my head as I tried to maintain a voice as neutral as possible. "I don't want anyone to see me like this..."

I looked down at the ground, my eyes tightly closed.

"All those things you said about me earlier, my ability to keep cool and not be affected by things... It's all just a façade, it's what I want people to see... What I want you to see."

He rested a hand on my shoulder, which finally made me look at him. I realized he was shirtless, wearing only sweatpants in addition to a short towel around his neck, and I guessed he had just come out of the shower.

"[Y/N], it's okay for you to feel things, to feel emotions, any emotions." He told me softly. "You're free to cry, scream, or complain if you want."

He paused for a second before speaking again.

"... Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling alright?"

"I don't want to be a burden you have to take care of, and I didn't want to distract your mind from your work, you already have important things—"

"Taking care of you is important." He cut me off in a firm tone before I could finish my sentence. "As much as anything else I'm doing."

Bill looked at me straight in the eyes and I could read sincerity and affection in them.

"... If not more."

Hearing those words, I broke into tears again, and he brought me into his embrace. We remained in the arms of each other for a good minute, neither of us saying anything; I rested my hands on his naked back and shivered lightly at the contact of some waterdrops still on his skin. Afterward, he pulled away and held me gently by the shoulders.

"Hey, why don't you go take a shower?" He suggested tenderly. "Warm or cool, whatever will make you feel better. That should help ease your mind."

I nodded in silence, then slowly got up from the couch: climbing up the stairs with me, Bill escorted me all the way to the bathroom, holding my lower back softly. Once inside, I undressed and turned the cold handle all the way, letting the water run down my face and refresh me. I did a series of breathing exercises while washing myself, then decided to stay under the stream a bit longer after I was done; turning the water off, I stepped back before drying myself and slipping into my pajamas again. I took a look at myself in the sink mirror and sighed while closing my eyes, telling myself how much of a mess I was. I then opened the bathroom door and took a step outside the room, when I suddenly saw Bill, standing up against a wall in the hallway. I was surprised to see he was not in his room, however, he had put a shirt on, so I deduced he had gone to his room before waiting in the hallway.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked me with tenderness.

I nodded while smiling softly at him.

"Thank you... For everything."

I looked down at my feet while blushing.

"You didn't have to wait for me, I'm fine... really."

"Well, seeing how you weren't fine 5 minutes ago, I wasn't about to let you off the hook that easily."

I chuckled and blushed just a little more: looking back up into his eyes, we exchanged smiles as we stood away from each other.

"Well, I hope you'll still be able to have a good night tonight." Bill said. "And if not, don't hesitate to come knocking on my door."

"I will, I promise." I answered him sincerely.

Although I knew deep down we meant what we had told each other, I could not help but feel a slight awkwardness in the air, leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth; as if some things had been left unsaid.

[warlockwriter]

Bill Koehler from Jericho (23/?)

Bill getting chewed out. :(