Dutch Courage

Category: Angst/Hurt Comfort

Pairing: Datch, Dutch Soldier & Hints of John/Pawter

Summary: After leaving Lucy to give John and Dutch space, D'avin tries to make up for his mistakes by gong after Khlyen... but the cost might be more than any of them bargained for.

Warnings: Minor language and spoilers up to Ep08 'Come the Rain'.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing. Well I own three wardrobes full of clothes but I feel like that won't help me here...

Authors Notes: Attempting a multi-chapter Killjoys fic! It started off as canon based on the end of Ep08 'Come the Rain' but I get the feeling it will run AU once the next episode airs ;) Feedback is always welcome xx

John rolled down his shirt throwing Pawter a smile as she set her instruments back on the table. She was still going through withdrawal symptoms but she was weaning herself off, getting stronger by the day and he brushed her arm as she stepped closer, "hey... forget about me for a second. How are you doing?"

"You mean aside from the headaches, mood-swings, cold sweats and the general feeling of wanting to die?" Her lips curved into a forced smile but she was genuinely grateful for his support. If her own family had cared more about her mental state rather than their reputation she might have had a fighting chance at kicking the drug habit years ago. "I'm okay, pushing through... you on the other-hand John Jaqobis are officially cleared for active duty."

He scrubbed a hand back through his hair breathing out a sigh of relief. It had been a long three week, made even longer by the fact his brother had jumped ship and his best friend was trying to appease her guilt by smothering him with niceties. It was off-putting as well as unnecessary and he was hoping a fresh warrant would bring a sense of normality back to their routine. He loved her but his bed really wasn't big enough to accommodate the increase in spontaneous sleepovers and he wasn't going to hold his breath waiting for D'avin to fix all his fuck ups.

An instant jolt of regret rushed through him and he tensed letting his hand fall down to the bed. The blame didn't lie solely with his brother. It had been a shitty time to lash out over years worth of accumulated frustration and he honestly felt bad about it but until he knew for sure that Dutch was okay, he'd decided that maybe some time apart would do them all some good. Which had all been going to plan until Pree mentioned D'avin hadn't been in for a drink in over three days. "Listen-" he hesitated, curling his fingers around the edge of the mattress, "I know things have been a bit weird lately... but you haven't heard from D'av have you?"

Pawter drew her lips into a thin line as she turned to busy herself. She was an excellent liar but she liked John. He was genuine, compassionate and honest... the complete opposite compared to what she knew about his brother and she threw the response over her shoulder hoping he wouldn't pick up on the awkward reply, "no, nope... haven't seen him, sorry..."

"Okay." He tilted his head curiously, "want to try that again?"

She stopped what she was doing and braced her arms against the steel-top counter. She'd promised she wouldn't say anything but John had risked his life for her during the black rain fiasco and if she had to pick a side it was an easy choice. "There's something I need to tell you."

He recognized the note of warning in her tone and jumped down off the bed letting his feet propel him forward, "Pawter... what is it, what's going on?"

"I don't know exactly." She turned, her eyes conveying a closeted but sincere apology. D'avin had come to her asking for help and even though she'd been reluctant to get involved she'd caved the moment she'd realized just how desperate he was. She'd agreed to track down a name but the information had brought up ten times more red flags than Doctor Jaeger's had and even though she'd tried to warn him off he'd been adamant about continuing the search with the contacts they'd found. He'd then demanded she have nothing more to do with it and had sworn her to secrecy, taking off before she could stop him.

In her mind she'd kept the promise long enough to give him a head-start but now it was time to come clean. "He showed up here with a name asking for my help... said it was the only way he could make things right."

John felt a wave of unease knot in his stomach as he took a step closer. Part of him was almost reluctant to ask but he needed to know and he reached out curling his fingers loosely around her arm, "what name? Please tell me he wasn't looking for-"

"Khlyen." She confirmed the fact, watching his eyes fill with a tense uncertainty. From what they'd managed to uncover it seemed like he had every right to be worried and she felt a stab of guilt as she watched fear creep tighten his expression. "I'm sorry. It was only after we started digging that I realized he was getting in way over his head. I tried to warn him off but he wouldn't listen."

"What did you find?" There was no option for sugarcoating. The information he had about Khlyen was limited but the bastard had done a number on Dutch and that was all he need to know to draw to the conclusion that the man was extremely dangerous. "I need you to tell me everything."

"There wasn't much..." she admitted, breathing out everything she could remember, "whispers in the black market about some kind of bio-weapon tech linked back to a rouge buyer. It was a dead end but believe it or not we got lucky. One of my contacts ran the name Khlyen and found an encrypted transaction receipt. He got us the info but it was useless without a key so D'avin went underground to see if he could find someone to crack it."

"Damn it." John scrubbed his hand back over his face as he started pacing the length of the floor. His brother was a boneheaded moron. He'd probably get himself killed before getting anywhere near Khlyen and even if he somehow managed to make it out of everything unscathed then Dutch was going to beat the shit out of him. Either way his brother was royally screwed. "This isn't good. This is so very not good."

"John..." Pawted approached him cautiously, placing a hand on his shoulder to still the momentum. When he stopped she offered him a sympathetic smile in return, "he's doing this for you. When I tried to get him to back off he said it was nothing compared to what he owed you."

A frustrated groan tore from the back of his throat. It was his fault. He'd told D'avin to fix his mistakes and this was the result; a black and white -albeit noble- gesture that was somehow going to make up for everything that had gone wrong in their family. Even though they were related sometimes it felt like they were worlds apart and the only rational conclusion he could think of was that one of them had to be adopted. "He's is an idiot."

Pawter lifted up her hands in mock surrender, "hey... no arguments here."

"Yeah." A bitter laugh escaped as he turned back to the bed to grab his jacket. Dutch was going to be pissed but no matter what had transpired between her and his brother he knew she still cared. In fact he suspected that was largely part of the problem.

"Thanks," he blew out a sigh as he approached the doctor, "you didn't have to tell me but for what it's worth, you did the right thing." She dropped her head and he knew she still had doubts but that didn't deter him. Even though it wasn't his place to pass judgment the more time he spent with her the more protective he felt and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out to brush her cheek. "For the record you could do a lot better than him."

She glanced up, drawing his hand away with a curios smile, "is that an offer Jaqobis?"

He let got of her fingers though there was still a serious undertone to his answer, "you know what, I think it just might be." He stepped away from her not quite ready to take their flirting to the next level, at least not yet. D'avin was in trouble and that was his number one priority but when thing settled down maybe... just maybe, he'd allow himself entertain the idea.