#reachertv

[shane-west]

REACHER 2.02: What Happens in Atlantic City

[readingandwritingandreading]

Some Hearts ~ Part 3

My Blurb: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I had an ovarian cyst rupture and it was not pleasant. The pain meds I have been on for the last week have not been super conducive to writing so if parts of this are wonky, I'm blaming that! I hope you enjoy! 

Disclaimer:  Alas, I own nothing but my ideas. I do not give permission for my writing to be shared anywhere without my consent. 

Summary: Reacher never needed anyone, he was a lone wolf and preferred it that way. But when he finds his mate beaten and bruised one night, she and the rest of the 110th show Reacher the benefits of being in a pack. Fated Mates, Shifter AU

Pairing: Jack Reacher x OFC Morgan Stone

Warnings: There are some darker things in this fic. Morgan is a rape and abuse survivor. Nothing is explicitly detailed but be advised. Your media consumption is your responsibility. This is a fated mates, wolf shifter AU and will contain claming, biting, mating and other wolf pack related things. 

Tagging: @pioched | @ashes-writing | @titty-teetee2 | @may85

Add yourself to my taglist HERE

Read First: Some Hearts Masterlist

Also Check Out: Main Masterlist

Rock Hill Village Hospital, New York

Reacher’s eyes don’t leave Morgan but he still senses the surprised looks from his friends. No one called him Jack, not his family when he was young, not his superiors in the military and not his friends now. He had always preferred Reacher but when she had asked for his name he wanted her to call him Jack. He wanted to hear the way it sounded when she said it. Her calling him anything else seemed like it would cause the tugging in his chest to rip open. 

He had already inspected the star shaped mark that had burned itself into the skin above his heart, a physical representation of the tether that bound them together. She hadn’t seemed to notice hers but Roscoe had said she was on some high pain killers. If she felt it she probably thought it was part of her other injuries and she hadn’t been awake long enough to see the matching mark on her own chest.

The door clicked close behind him but she didn't seem to notice. She was staring at him, her brown eyes wide, a look of shock and fear on her face. Shock he was expecting, he had delivered the news abruptly, but the fear concerned him. 

“My fated mate?” her voice had a slight tremor to it. “How is that possible?” 

Reacher shrugged, “O’Donnell tells me you can’t fight the Moon Goddess.” 

“No, I mean…” she took a deep breath before continuing, “There was a bonding ceremony. My father made sure it was all legitimate. And after…the claiming…” her good arm wrapped around her torso and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “There's no way he told anyone he messed it up. It was too important to his dad and mine. He will do whatever it takes to find me. If he found out about you…I can’t drag anyone down with me.” She’s rambling, looking around the room in a panic.

“Morgan” He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, quieting her movements. She looked so small and lost sitting on the bed and the tugging in his chest grew stronger. His wolf was pacing, not liking the anxiety and fear coming off their mate in waves. “I know you’re scared, but this is real.” He lifted his shirt up until his right pec was visible, showing her the mark. “I’m your fated mate, we will sort out whatever that entails but you are mine to protect.”

She studied the mark before shyly peeking down the top of her hospital gown. He knew she saw it when she bit her lip and slowly met his eyes again. “You don’t even know me,” There was still a slight tremor in her voice but she didn’t look like she was ready to bolt anymore. 

“I know you’re brave and you’re smart. I served in the army for 13 years and there weren’t many that would do what you did, especially without a wolf. Going two weeks undetected while big men hunt you down. I'd like to get to know you more but right now you should rest.” He pulled the blanket over her legs and moved back to the chair beside her bed while she laid back. 

She looked like she wanted to protest but a yawn hit her as soon as she laid her head on the pillow. He eased himself back into the chair beside her bed and within minutes her breathing evened out and she was asleep again. 

He watched her for a while, thinking about the story she had told and her clear fear of being discovered by the other pack. A soft knock drew his attention to the door where Neagley had poked her head through and she nodded for him to follow her. 

Once in the hallway she handed him a folder, “Everything Sanchez and Orozco have found so far. Finlay is going to do some digging also. Her story checks out, there's an article about the ceremony, even some pictures.” She pointed him to a page that looked like a scan of a newspaper. There was Morgan in a fancy green dress, she was smiling but it looked forced and didn’t reach her eyes. The man who stood next to her was slim but athletic looking. He had a square jaw and was smirking at the camera, his arm locked firmly around Morgan. 

“What about her escape?” Reacher flipped through the file, noting her birthday from her passport. 

“There hasn’t been a single mention of her since the article about the ceremony. Sanchez said it looks like they are playing it close to their chest. The Kliner pack is making it seem like they are on their honeymoon and that’s why no one has seen them.” She raised an eyebrow when Reacher clenched his fist. “You ok big guy? Emotions aren’t really your thing.”

Reacher closed the folder before looking at his friend. “She’s been through alot, and fate shackled her with me. Hardly seems fair to her.” He paused, “Thank you for the information, I don’t want to take up more of your resources than I already have.” 

Neagley snorted, folding her arms across her chest. “You can pretend all you want that you aren’t a part of this pack Racher. But this is your home, and we are your family. Which makes that little wolf in there our family also.” She nodded towards Morgan’s room. “We protect our family.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s real, Franz witnessed the whole thing.” I jumped at the sound of Charlie’s voice echoing in the little bathroom. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, just have to make sure you didn’t black out on us, plus Reacher’s getting antsy out there. 

I rolled my eyes at her while pulling the top of my hospital gown back up to cover the star shaped mark I had been inspecting. After talking with Jack, I slept another ten hours. My usual nightmares about my father and KJ finding me had been interrupted by the appearance of a large gray wolf who chased them away before sitting at my feet. After that I slept peacefully. It was the best sleep I'd gotten in years and I had awoken to find Jack asleep in the chair beside my bed. I studied him for a couple minutes noticing that even in sleep he still looked strong and firm. I shifted slightly and his eyes sprung open searching the room before finding me and relaxing. The tether between us hummed and I raised my hand to the mark on my chest.

A nurse appeared with food, breaking the tension. Then it was a whirlwind of x-rays and tests before Dr. Roscoe appeared and told me I could be released but she wanted to follow up with me in a week. My IV had been removed and Charlie had gone in search of some scrubs I could wear while I escaped to the bathroom. Jack had never strayed further than the hallway throughout the procedures and I needed a minute to figure out my plan without him bombarding my senses. 

Even with my exhausted mind, my hormones had paid more attention to his abs when he lifted the shirt last night than the mark he had shown me, but studying mine, it did seem like they matched. Charlie’s intrusion had pulled me out of a worry spiral that was threatening to send me escaping through another window. 

“You seem pretty close to my size, so these should fit you. I can bring some other stuff over to Reacher’s place tonight until you get your wardrobe figured out.” Charlie continued, placing a pair of green scrubs on the counter. 

“Thank you…wait, Reacher’s house?” I swung around to face her. 

She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “Yes, Reacher’s house. Where you will be staying. You didn’t know that?” 

“No, I thought I could go to a motel or…although I guess I can’t pay for a motel but I could get a job or I could just…” My rambling was cut off by Charlie giggling. “Why are you laughing!” 

“He has lived in your hospital room since you came in.” She tried to stop another round of giggles. “Oh my gosh, I have to tell Neagley, she will die. You staying in a hotel on the other side of the village” 

“Charlie!” My screech sobered her but I heard Jack moving in the other room and the pull in my chest tugged a little causing me to reach my hand up and rub it. 

“You’re already tuned to each other.” Charlie smiled, rubbing a spot on her chest. “I’m sorry I laughed. If you want to stay in the hotel instead of his place, that’s fine. But be prepared for a roommate or a tent pitched outside your door. Reacher is a good man, he has helped my mate out more than once and always when he didn’t have to. You are safe with him.” She nodded her head towards the scrubs before retreating out the door. 

Changing into the scrubs with my one good arm proved challenging and by the time I had accomplished it I was sweating and wanted to sleep for another 10 hours but with a deep breath I steeled myself as I walked back into my room. 

As expected, Jack turned away from Charlie immediately, looking me over like he was checking for new injuries. I tried not to focus on the gaze that lingered on my chest making me hyper aware that I didn’t have a bra on.

Charlie broke the tension by bringing me a stack of papers. “These are your discharge instructions along with a note of everything we did or gave you while you were here. Roscoe already went over everything with Reacher but feel free to reach out. Are you feeling ok?” 

“Ya, just a little worn out from wrestling my clothes on with one hand.” I chuckled. 

“Reacher, why don’t you go pull the truck around. I’ll bring Morgan out in a minute.” She waved Jack off with an eyebrow raise when he didn’t immediately leave. Once he left she turned to me, her face serious, “If you want, when I drop the clothes off later, I can help you shower and get changed. I know you aren’t ready for him to help.” 

I nodded, heat climbing my cheeks, “I would appreciate that Charlie, thank you.” 

She grinned in response before turning us towards the door. I followed her into the hallway and then onto an elevator that opened into a lobby. The people we passed along the way were all friendly, greeting Charlie and smiling politely at me. I gasped when we stepped outside. The storm had shielded the beauty of the valley on the night I arrived. The clear view of the mountains and trees surrounding the village was a picturesque backdrop to the cabins and buildings on either side of the hospital. My gaze spun around before landing on Jack standing by a blue Ford pickup. He opened the passenger side and gestured for me.

“I’ll see you in a bit.” Charlie gave my hand an encouraging squeeze and I smiled before sliding into the passenger seat. 

I fiddled with my fingers as Jack rounded the truck and hopped in the driver's seat. Forcing myself to not watch him I looked out the window and at the hospital we were pulling away from. It was a large building, much larger than I would expect for a pack in the middle of nowhere. “Jack, how big is this pack?” 

“103 currently, growing though, now that the members have settled and started having kids.” He shrugged, turning onto a road that looked like it was part of a town square. 

“That’s very specific.” I smiled, “Does the hospital serve another pack? It seems bigger than needed” 

“Details matter” he waved at a couple walking on the sidewalk, “and at least half the pack are ex-military. The influx of kids combined with living out here keeps Roscoe busy.” 

I nodded, watching out the window as we made our way across the village. It wasn’t huge but from what I could see it was homey, clean and well maintained. A few people stared as we drove by but they all waved at Jack. “Everyone seems so…nice.” 

Jack chuckled, turning the truck onto a small road that curved between some trees. “Neagley is pretty strict about who she lets join. It also helps…or hurts…that everyone is connected. The starting members were from my old army unit. They brought in their families and it grew from there. O’Donnel knew Roscoe’s husband, Roscoe knew Charlie and so on and so forth.” 

“So the pack really is a big family?” Even I heard the wistfulness in my voice and I blushed when he glanced over at me but I had already spilled enough of my story to answer the question in his expression. 

“Here we are” he gestured out the windshield as a cabin came into view.

My jaw dropped as I took in the beautiful two story cabin with a wrap around porch and a chimney that had a curl of smoke coming out.  “This is your house? It’s beautiful.” 

“Technically. I paid for it but Neagley and Dixon did all the work. I keep telling them to let someone else move in but they said I would need it someday. Turns out they were right.” He put the truck in park and jogged around to my side before I could open the door. 

He watched me as I followed him into the house and took in the decor. It was simple and masculine. The same cedar wood was on the interior of the open floor plan. Soft brown leather sofas faced a fireplace that provided a comfortable glow into the rest of the house. A kitchen table sat near a large bay window that showcased another stunning view of the forest and mountains. The kitchen had stainless steel appliances and an island outfitted with barstools and the whole thing was overlooked by an upstairs loft. 

“Bathroom, laundry room and an office through there.” Jack pointed to a hallway off the kitchen. He stood back as I peeked into each area before gesturing to the stairs. “Bedrooms are up here.” The comforting colors continued upstairs. Jack pointed out another bathroom and his bedroom before opening a third door. “This can be your room.”

“Thank you,” I replied, stepping into the room. It wasn’t huge but it was cozy and the bed looked soft. There was a closet on one end and a dresser on the other. The nightstands matched the dresser and sported lamps with light blue shades. “This is beautiful.” 

“This is your space, you can make whatever changes you want. Just let me know.” I turned to find Jack standing in the doorway and that hum appeared in the tether again as we looked at each other. 

Before I could reply the doorbell rang and he went down to answer it. I stayed in the room a few minutes longer, running my hand over the comforter that matched the lamp shades and smiling to myself. Stepping onto the landing I heard Jack and another male voice. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you Mr. Mosley, you didn’t have to do this.” Reacher smiled at the older man as he put the food in the fridge and handed him a bottle of water. 

“You know my lady wouldn’t allow that to happen.” He replied with a chuckle, settling himself onto one of the barstools. “She would have come herself but her hip is acting up again after the storm.” 

Morgan timidly made her way down the staircase and he could almost feel the worry rolling off her. She was nervous to stay with him but hadn’t put up a fight like he had been worried she would. He wouldn’t have blamed her, all of the information they had dug up on her past pointed towards a rightful apprehension towards men. 

“Mr. Mosley, this is Morgan.” Reacher gestured for her to come in before continuing. “Morgan, this is Mr. Mosley. He and his wife run the pack grocery and hardware store. He brought us some dinner.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mosley, thank you for the food.” Morgan smiled and shook the older man's hand. 

“The pleasure is all mine my dear, when we heard the big guy had found a pretty little mate and that she was injured, my wife started cooking. If you hadn’t gotten released when you did we would be out of fridge space. And I had to bring it over to make sure he saved some for you.” 

Morgan laughed softly at his words, visibly relaxing. “Jack has been very kind.” 

“Oh? Jack is it?” Mosley raised an eyebrow at Reacher who just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You really must be his mate to have that honor.” He stage whispered to Morgan, causing her to giggle. 

Catching sight of Charlie’s car pulling in, he moved to the door to let her in. “So far so good?” She asked when she reached the door, a duffle bag in hand. 

“Ya, Mosley showed up at the end of the tour with food in tow. She seems relaxed.” Reacher placed the bag on the stairs, pausing to see the grin light up Morgan’s face when she saw Charlie. Mosley was trying to send food home with her when he rejoined the group.

“I’m good, Paul is making dinner. I just stopped by to bring Morgan some cast friendly clothes and help her get cleaned up and then I’ll head home.” Charlie smiled kindly at him. 

“I haven’t had a shower since before I fell and” Morgan held up her cast, “I discovered earlier that only having one good arm makes things like that difficult.” A happy hum vibrated through their tether and Reacher smiled to himself. 

“You ladies go ahead, I’ll help Reacher get supper ready and then head back to the misses. Don’t be a stranger, Morgan.” Mosley called as Morgan led Charlie up the stairs not missing the way Reacher watched his little mate until she was out of sight. 

[quizrain-net]

Which 'Reacher' Character Are You?

Which 'Reacher' Character Are You? #Reacher #ReacherTV #quiz