Hooookay, so this is the first time I'm publishing in the Black Lagoon archive. So be nice, yes?

Safe and Sound

By: Jaylonni Love

"Rock!"

The Japanese businessman turned at the sound of his name being called by a very familiar voice only to be met with the barrel of a notorious Beretta.

"Fuckin' get down, dip shit!"

He didn't need to be told twice because soon after the order came, the unmistakable click followed by a bang alerted him that the gun had been fired. He dived out of the way, just narrowly missing having his ear shot clean off. It was a close call, too close for his liking. He also didn't appreciate the fact that blood was now dripping down on his favourite white shirt.

"You dumb ass," he heard the armed female scream as she took hold of his arm and pulled him to his feet before tugging him to the left as a body several feet away hit the pavement, hard. "Why the hell would you stand right fucking there knowing good and goddamn well you're in the line of fire?! Fucking idiot! I could've blown your fucking head off if you hadn't moved when you did, you know that?! And next time I will if you stand there looking like a fucking retard! I'm tired of bailing your sorry ass out, Rock. Now move your ass before you get left behind, Dutch and Benny are waiting for us on the boat."

"Revy I–" Rock started before the gunslinger waved her cutlass in his face to shut him up.

"Just move your ass and shut the hell up," the woman called Revy said still roughly tugging him along. She knew that the enemy was still alive. And the last thing she needed was this idiot getting himself shot and killed because he felt like he owed her some half assed apology. If he really wanted to apologize to her, he'd hurry the hell up and get to the boat so that they could book it back to Roanapur and make the drop then she could drink him under the table at the Yellow Flag as per usual.

"In case you haven't noticed, some of those pieces of shit are still alive. And they're after that lovely little disk you got tucked in the breast pocket of your shirt there." She accented the sentence by tapping said disk with the barrel of her gun as they continued. "So if they get their hands on you, we're all fucked. Now c'mon, Rock. Stop wasting time talking and let's get the fuck outta here."

"R-right," Rock said as he pushed himself to keep up with Revy's fast pace. She had to have been a track star in a past life or something because she sure knew how to haul ass whenever it was necessary.

It didn't take long to back to the docks where the boat was waiting. However, as they were preparing to climb on deck, shots rang out behind them. Acting on impulse, Rock pushed the plum haired gunslinger out of the way just in time for the bullet to miss hitting her square in her head only to have it run straight through his shoulder leaving a burning sensation behind, causing him to collapse.

"Rock! Rock stay the fuck awake dumb ass! Rock!" he heard Revy yell repeatedly as darkness began to cloud his vision; the sound of her Berretta being discharged on the fuckers that had managed to catch up to them filling his ears.

And then there was nothing but a sweet, dark, welcoming abyss and a sense of peace.

…

"Dutch! Dutch we have a fucking man down," Revy yelled over the gun fire as she pulled the unconscious Rock to the side all the while still firing her gun at the remaining enemy. "We gotta get him on the boat and get the fuck outta here. He's losing a lot of blood."

Dutch, a large African American man, looked over the deck of the boat; a tsk escaping his lips, "Fucking hell. How did he end up like this?"

"Fucking dumb ass was playing hero, now help me get him on the boat and let's get the fuck outta here," Revy snapped; repeating her earlier words as she aimed and fired once more; bringing another of the enemy to their knees. "He has the cargo and he's losing a shit ton of blood. We need to get him back to Roanapur, dump him at a hospital, and make the drop to collect our cash. Now fucking get down here and help me get this dead weight on the goddamn boat."

"Calm down Revy," Dutch murmured as he dropped to the ground; firing his own gun at a man that was stupid enough to try and charge at them. He then easily lifted the unconscious Japanese man over his shoulder; blood instantly seeping through his vest, and made his way back on the boat; a hand against his ear. "Fire up the engines Benny Boy, we got a man down and these stupid fucks just keep coming."

"Roger that Dutch," a male voice came over the speaker before the engines of the torpedo boat came to life.

"C'mon Revy," Dutch shouted to the gunslinger that was still shooting at the men who seemed to continue to multiply by the second. "It's no use trying to continue to fight them. We're outnumbered three to one."

Revy, after firing another shot, nodded, "You got it, Boss Man."

Another shot rang through the area as she quickly boarded the boat before it sped off; Dutch and Revy making their way inside where he could put Rock down.

They came upon the first empty cabin instantly; Revy unceremoniously kicking the door in before gesturing to the large man to enter. He did; carefully placing the smaller male on a cot before he turned to leave, "Dam his hemorrhaging Revy; I'm going to take over control of the boat and get us back to Roanapur as fast as possible."

"Why the hell do I have to be the one to babysit the dumb ass," Revy asked; an annoyed bite to her tone. "Why can't Benny do it?"

"Because you were the one who insisted we get him back to Roanapur," Dutch answered as he left the room; closing the door behind him.

Grumbling to herself; Revy snatched the nearest piece of cloth; which coincidently happened to be Dutch's favourite sheet, and pressed it hard against Rock's wound.

"Fucking dumb ass," Revy murmured as she pressed down harder-[ on the wound. "I told you about trying to be a fucking hero. Now look what happened to you. You goddamn idiot."

She shook her head; deciding that the wall was more interesting to look at. The idiot was trying to save her and wound up getting himself shot instead then went into shock. It was stupid really, putting oneself in harm's way for someone else. But she appreciated the fact that he had saved her life. She wasn't ready to go yet. Not that she would admit it out loud.

"If you survive this," she whispered; still choosing to look elsewhere, "And you try something so fucking stupid again; I'll shoot you myself. Goddamn moron."

…

He didn't know when he had fallen asleep. He didn't even know when he had gotten to what appeared to be a hospital. He wasn't even sure why he was there to be completely honest. But what he was sure of was the burning sensation in his shoulder and that the last person he expected to see by his bedside was there; her head resting between her arms on the edge of the bed.

Revy? What's she doing here? Rock silently wondered to himself. He would have expected to see Benny there; hell maybe even Dutch. But never in a million years did he think he would see Revy resting by his bedside. What the hell happened?

He placed a hand to his forehead as he thought back to how he had managed to get in this predicament. He remembered them being on a job before he woke up in the hospital. They were picking up some kind of disk for Balalaika from some gang. After they got hold of it though, they were attacked. He remembered Revy shooting and screaming at him. Something about not bailing him out the next time he almost accidentally got shot by her.

He reached up to touch his ear, noticing the bandage on his right ear.

That's right, he had gotten nicked by the bullet when it flew past him before lodging in the skull of the man she had been aiming at. Then she had roughly pulled him back to the boat. That's when she had almost been shot in the head until he pushed her out the way and took the bullet himself.

Glancing down at his shoulder, he saw the red stained gauze that was wrapped around his left shoulder and pectoral. So that's what happened…

"You awake dumb ass," the voice of his partner cut through his reverie.

He turned his head to see that she had sat up; most likely while he was trying to figure out what happened, and was in the process of lighting a cigarette that hung between her lips.

"Yeah," he said slowly as he tried to sit up only to give up when the stinging sensation in his left shoulder was too much to bare. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days," Revy answered, taking a long drag of the cigarette before removing it as a plum of white smoke escaped her lips as she looked over at him. "Have a nice nap Sleeping Beauty?"

"Two days," Rock repeated; almost sounding like a question. He had been unconscious for two whole days? "Did we succeed in getting the disk to Balalaika?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that Rock," Revy murmured; slinging one of her long legs over the arm of the chair as she leaned back, taking another drag of the smoke. "The Sis got what she asked for. We've been paid. Your cut's waitin' for you back at the office."

"Good," Rock said quietly as he looked up at the ceiling above.

A pregnant silence hung over the two before Revy finally spoke again. "Rock, after you get out of this hospital, you need to pack your shit and get the fuck out of Roanapur. You don't have a place amongst the Walking Dead; you never have. This last job proves that."

"Revy," Rock questioned as he turned to look at her, "Where is all this coming from? I'm perfectly fine right here. I'm safe so long as I have you around. You have my back no matter what the situation is. You're my gun, and I'm the bullet, remember? So I don't see why now all of a sudden you're telling me to go home again."

"Does it really matter?" Revy countered; amber eyes boring deep into his skull before she looked away again, shaking her head before taking another drag of her cigarette. "I knew it was a bad fucking idea to let you stick around here. We should have just left your ass on the docks that day. Or I should have just killed your ass myself. It doesn't matter who you're with; around here, no one is actually safe. You might think so but there's always a gun aiming to take your head clean off. Don't be so fucking delusional, Rock."

She tsked, standing from her seat so that she could leave. Her blood was beginning to boil having this conversation with him. He always knew how to make things difficult as hell. And just for once she wished he would have taken her advice instead of trying to figure everything out like it was that fucking simple.

"Revy, wait," Rock called out to her but she didn't stop.

She didn't even look back. She simply walked to the door; pausing with her hand on the knob. Another pregnant silence passed over them before she spoke again. "Just go home Rock. Go home to your perfect little world. Then… and only then can you truly be safe and sound."

Then she walked out the door; slamming it shut behind her.

…

For the few remaining days he spent in the hospital, Revy hadn't come around once. She hadn't even been there when he was discharged like he expected her to be. Dutch and Benny didn't miss the look of disappointment that crossed his features when he realized it was only the two of them in the car. The ride back to the Lagoon Company's office was a silent one; the two men up front deciding to leave Rock to his own devices.

When they arrived back at the office, Rock was once again disappointed to see that Revy was nowhere in sight. He figured she was avoiding him since she wasn't with the others to pick him up from the hospital and she wasn't in the office to welcome him back. She had even stopped taking his calls.

In the days that followed their argument, he had tried calling for her from the hospital to talk things out. But every time Dutch or Benny told her that it was him on the phone for her, she would scream to tell him she wasn't there when he could clearly hear her in the background. And since she wasn't here now, he figured she had to be in one of three places: her hotel room, the Yellow Flag, or the Rip-Off Church drinking with Eda.

"Here, Rock," Dutch said handing over an envelope which he assumed was his pay from the last job.

"Thanks," Rock murmured, stuffing the pristine white package in his pocket before he turned to leave, "I'll see you guys tomorrow. I think I need to go home and lie down for a little while. I'm still tired."

"That's fine by me, Rock," Dutch said, a knowing smile crossing his features. He knew Rock was expecting to see Revy when he got back from the hospital. And her not even being here had hurt his feelings more than a little bit. "We've got no jobs to do today and the doctors advised you to take your first few days back slow, right?"

"Right," Rock said as he slowly and dejectedly made his way out the door, sparing a wave over his shoulder to the other two men before it closed behind him.

"Whatever Revy said to him in that hospital room, really must have struck a nerve in Rock," Dutch mused aloud as he leaned back on the couch. "As long as he's been around us, I've never seen him like this before."

"You said it," Benny quickly agreed.

"Hopefully they figure their shit out before the next job," Dutch murmured allowing his feet to rest on the coffee table in front of him. "The last thing we need is a distraction and one or both of them ending up getting killed this time because they can't seem to focus on shit that's going on in front of them."

He shook his head, closing his eyes behind his shades as he folded his fingers behind his head.

…

Rock slowly and silently walked to his apartment complex, Revy's words from a few days ago ringing in his head like a buzzing bee.

"Just go home Rock. Go home to your perfect little world. Then… and only then can you truly be safe and sound."

Did she forget? He had already told her once before he could never go back to that place. He would never fit in there in the world of the living again. He had spent too much time in hell to even try. This life was all that he knew now. And it wasn't as easy as she tried to make it seem to just go back to the way things used to be almost three years prior.

Wiping perspiration that had gathered on his forehead from the Roanapur heat, he came upon the building he shared with Revy. He thought about going to see her and talk about this face to face since she hadn't accepted any of his phone calls if she was home. His room was only a few doors down from her own so it wasn't like it was going out of his way. And if she wasn't home now, he would just try again later. They needed to talk and he wasn't about to let this go until they did.

So, after steeling his resolve, he walked into the building, and headed straight for Revy's room, all the while praying that she would actually be there and he could make her listen. Like him, she was stubborn as hell and it was really hard to get her to listen most of the time. So hopefully, things would work out in his favour this time.

Stopping in front of the door, he swallowed thickly before knocking several times on the wooden barrier. It wasn't long before he heard a grunt of annoyance followed shortly by heavy footsteps heading his way. So she was home.

The door was snagged opened a moment later to reveal Revy in naught but a pair of underwear with a towel wrapped around her shoulders; shielding her nipples from his line of vision. A brow irked as the female gunslinger stared at her unexpected guest, debating on whether she wanted to slam the door in his face and go back to her nap (which she had rudely been awaked from by his loud knocking), or let him in because he was likely there to say goodbye.

Choosing to go with the latter, she stepped to the side; gesturing for him to come in, "Are you comin' in or not? You're letting out all the cool air."

Rock nodded, a bit surprised that she hadn't slammed the door in his face upon seeing that it was actually him at the door, before stepping inside. He glanced around, noticing that the place was cleaner than he remembered it being.

She must have stressed herself out so much worrying about me when I got shot that she went on a cleaning rampage.

"Is there something you need, Rock," she asked as she walked past him to get dressed. She would have liked to continue to lie around naked, but she knew Rock. He got flustered and could never look her straight in the eye (she hated that with a fiery, burning passion). And he had clearly stopped by to talk to her so if she didn't want him looking everywhere but at her, she'd have to don her shorts and tank top. "You don't just drop by for no reason."

Rock swallowed thickly once more as he took a seat on the bed, not daring to look directly at her. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you."

Revy snorted, pulling her shirt on over her head. She should have known that was coming, "If it's about what I told you in the hospital you can save it. I meant what I said, you need to get out of here before you really get yourself killed. You belong in the World of the Living, not with the Walking Dead."

"That's the thing though Revy," Rock said daring to glance over at her. He wished he hadn't. She still had yet to put her shorts on. But he couldn't look away, no matter how horrible he felt about watching her get dressed. "You keep insisting that I don't belong with the Walking Dead. Well… I don't belong in the World of the Living either!"

Revy turned at his outburst, momentarily forgetting about her shorts.

"I've been in hell for way too long, because of you no less. You're the one who dragged me into this life in the first place," Rock continued; calming just a bit to speak in a level tone. "I can never go back to the life I knew before. I wouldn't even try." He ran a hand through his hair, pulling his left knee up to his chest. "And so what if I die here. It's better than being thrown into a world that I don't even recognize anymore."

Discarding the shorts, Revy leaned against the refrigerator, arms folded over her chest, as she listened to her partner continue on.

"I won't go back because it'll never be like how it was before," Rock said quietly looking away from her again. "And nothing you say or do will make me do otherwise."

Revy blew out a heavy breath, shaking her head. If he wanted to stick around and get himself killed one of these days, who was she to stop him. He was a grown man and could do whatever the hell he wanted no matter who told the fool he wasn't made for this life. "Fine, if that's the way that you want it, stay here for all I care." She picked up her shorts again before pulling them on quickly. "Just don't expect me to save your dumb ass the next time you fuck around and get shot. That was a onetime deal and you've already cashed in on it."

"I didn't expect you to save me in the first place Revy," Rock said smiling lightly at her. "You did that on your own."

Revy clicked her tongue, looking away from him as her arms came to rest under her breast, "Whatever."

"Thank you, by the way," Rock said. "I never got the chance to say it before because you were so pissed at me after you told me to basically get lost at the hospital."

"Don't mention it," Revy said turning to look at him again. She glared when he opened his mouth to say something else, "Seriously, don't fucking mention it, Rock."

Rock simply shrugged, getting up from the bed to excuse himself. "See you around Revy."

Revy watched him walk out the door before quietly speaking, "Sure thing… partner."

I'm done. Finally! It took me forever to get this written because I kept getting stuck. Anyways, let me know how you guys liked it in a review. Until next time, ciao.