A/N: Okay, I've only seen the movie, but I'm hoping to get the comics (well the books with the comics condensed anyway). Even then I'll still keep all the changes I've made to the fandom. And there is one that I'm going to point out before the story: Aisha is shot by Roque when Clay first orders it, she isn't able to talk herself out of it.
Also, there are mentions of slash. It's not between major characters but if you don't like it either ignore it or don't read.
Umm…last thing is this is Cougar/OC, Clay/OC and will be a little slow. Yes it is mainly going to be romance but also humor and just because of something that happens in this chapter doesn't mean they'll stop taking missions. It's who they are, why should I stop them?
That's about it; ENJOY!
Chapter One
This wasn't how the plan was supposed to go; Tori and I were to find Pooch, get him state side safely and if necessary drag him kicking and screaming back to Jolene.
We didn't factor in his team, how they always seemed to attract trouble, or a way to approach them without getting shot.
We were able to track him though, through a satellite feed he had focused on Jolene, back to a boat in the Port of San Francisco.
We didn't make it until the early hours of the morning, arriving just in time to see Pooch and his team rounded up.
Which leaves me and Tori where we are now, hidden on a boat near the boys.
"Please tell me you have at least two bombs on you," Tori asks' from her position at the window.
Shooting her a queer look, I roll my eyes, "I've got about five on me right now." Pausing for a second in thought, I grab my brace and start rapping it around my left thigh, "I take it you have a plan."
Turning and placing the binoculars she was using down, she starts strapping on her guns, the slight manic look in her eyes making me pause for a brief second, "I take it I'm also going to like this plan."
"Well it involves you blowing up a couple shipping containers, granted you'll need to turn your grappling gun into a launcher for the bombs," at my blank look she rolls her eyes, "Right, you can do that easily. We'll need to signal to the guys that Jo sent use so we don't get shot in the crossfire, then just get in and help them."
Nodding, I strap my handguns to my thighs, tossing my rifle and shotgun on my shoulders and strapping my throwing knives onto my upper arms, leaving my grappling gear out.
"Jesus Nat, you'd think you were the weapons specialist between the two of us with all the guns and knives you carry."
Laughing, I get to work rigging a couple smaller bombs to the grappling hook, making sure the ropes are not attached, "Yea, but what people won't realize is that you carry twice as much only hidden."
Nodding, she glances back out the window, "True. How much longer till you have that ready? The suns starting to come up and we still need to sneak in."
Taping the fuse down, I double check the attachments before nodding, "We can leave now. Aim to kill or incapacitate completely. We don't want these bastards getting back up."
"Let's go then."
Climbing up the side of the containers behind Tori, I blow my dark hair out of my face, "Next time we go into a hot zone remind me to tie my hair back. It's gonna be a bitch washing out the blood."
Snorting, she pulls herself onto the top of the container before turning around to take the grappling gun, "Well would have rather me let that bastard choke you?"
Rolling my eyes, I hand her the gun before pulling myself up beside her, "I had it under control," ignoring her mumbled 'yeah right,' I turn towards where the guards are leading Pooch and two other men, "Ahh shit. Pooch is gonna get himself shot before we can save him. Jo's gonna kill us."
At the sound of two gun shots, Tori looks down at the guys as well, "Damn your right, he just had to be a stubborn ass didn't he," standing at the ready, poised to light the bomb, she nods, "Signal the guys, let 'em know we're on their side."
Nodding, I look back to the group, catching the one in the hats eyes (I think Jo said that was Cougar); I use my reading glasses to sign out to him: 'Jolene sent us to find Pooch. We're here to help.' At his answering nod, I turn to Tori.
"Show time."
While she lights and aims the bomb, I tie to ropes to the side of the containers, giving us a quick route to the ground. Tossing a rope to Tori, we pull our guns and start down the side of the containers, making it past one before the bombs go off.
Running across the shipyard, we shoot two of the men holding the guys, Tori turns and starts running backwards to cover our backs as we come up on the boys.
"Hey Pooch," leaning over the wounded man, I smile, "Your wife's pissed that you didn't get home and you getting shot just guaranteed that Jo's gonna ream me out for not finding you sooner."
Blinking in surprise, Pooch quirks an eyebrow, "Nat? How'd you find us? And for that matter what the hell are you doing here?"
"Can you walk?"
Turning to face the blond, both Pooch and I raise our eyebrows in disbelief, "He was shot in both legs. It's kind of hard to walk that way."
"What she said."
"Well then help blondie carry him Nat. Sheesh it ain't that hard of a concept. Me and Hat boy here will cover you."
Glaring at Tori, I move to Pooches right, "If my leg gives out, I'm making you carry me woman."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get going ya gimp."
Hearing a crash, we look over toward a black van as we move quickly to take cover. Smirking, I chance a glance at Pooch and blondie, "I take it that's your team leader?"
"Yeah that would be Clay," blondie nods, "You already know Pooch, but I'm Jensen and he's Cougar," smirking as we move in between two containers and put Pooch down, he bounces on the balls of his feet a little, "What was that that you guys shot? It didn't look like a rocket launcher and it didn't explode on contact."
Staring blankly at Jensen for a few seconds, I blink in confusion before turning to Tori, "Did you understand a word of what he said?"
Smirking she nods, "Yeah he was asking about the home made rocket launcher." At my questioning look her smirk widens, "You talk just as fast when you're in your writing mode."
Blushing, I glare at her, "Shush you, you know I don't like people to know about my books."
"Anyone wanna tell me why we have two tag-alongs."
Jumping in shock, Jensen, Tori and I all turn to see Clay standing with Cougar.
Putting her hands on her hips, Tori quirks her eyebrow in question, "Well considering Jolene asked Nat and me to come find her husband, I think we have a legitimate reason for being here and saving your asses."
Slapping my forehead, I grumble under my breath, "Tori not now. Can we get out of here before you start the flirting, Jesus."
Glaring at me out of the corner of her eye, she whips out her hand gun and shoots the three guards sneaking up on Cougar and Clay.
"Well that's a good first impression," Jensen mumbles out, blinking at the dead guards owlishly.
"Enough fooling around," Clay barks, "Wade said boat so that means we're at the docks." Turning to Pooch he continues, "Pooch can you stand?"
Looking up at Clay in disbelief he starts ranting, "Oh. Oh, this is stupid question day. This is stupid question day and nobody decided to tell me. No, that's cool. That's awesome."
Rolling my eyes I pull my rifle off my back, watching as Jensen and Cougar help him up before Jensen picks him up onto his shoulder, "Come on legless Pooch, I gotcha."
Snorting in amusement, I raise my rifle and head out in front of Jensen, the limp due to my left leg barely noticeable.
"Alright let's move," glancing back at Clay when he trails off, I catch him looking at me with a calculating look. Cursing in my head, I glare at him while I jog, easily keeping up with the group despite my ancient injury.
Waiting until he's near me, I hiss at him low enough so only he can hear, "I can work just fine you know."
"We'll see about that," he whispers right back.
Glaring, I run ahead to their van and slide open the back so Jensen can get Pooch in quickly, before hopping in last.
Peeling out, Cougar heads toward the waterline while Tori and Clay patch up Pooch. Leaving me, Jensen and Pooch to load up the weapons the guy's acquired.
Standing at the back doors of the van, I wait till Clay gives the okay, ignoring the sound of bullets hitting the front of the vehicle.
At his nod, I kick open the doors and start shooting, once in the clear and everyone is out of the van Clay glances toward the sound of a plane.
"I've got Roque. Rest of you get Wade. Cougar, run point."
"Legless Pooch, Tori and I are on it," ignoring Tori's eye roll, he grabs one side of Pooch and starts off, "Come on buddy."
Starting off down the other side of the van, Cougar and I head toward a high vantage point. Shooting out cover fire, we run over to the closet shipping containers. "Go! I've got them, get to a vantage point."
Nodding, Cougar heads out to find a high enough spot with a clear view. Letting my rifle fall against my back, I grab my hand guns before turning around the edge and shooting at the men, managing to kill the two men with Wade.
Cursing when he runs off, I take off after him, staying as close as possible. Ducking behind a container as he hops on a motorcycle and speeds past, I don't bother to shoot after him, but instead follow the man walking in the opposite direction.
"Stop right there!"
Holding my right gun level at his head, I put the left one back in its holster, freeing up my left hand.
"Turn around slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them."
As he turns around, I can see that hes holding something in his left hand, internally cursning when I see it's a remote pressure trigger, I keep my face calm.
"Alright." Quirking an eyebrow he looks me up and down, "Hmm, now who would you be?"
Ignoring his question, I walk slowly closer to him, eyes tracking his every twitch, "That's no consequence to you, but I take it your Max; the reason why I was sent here to find the boys."
"Mmm, well if you were able to track everyone here, then you must know what this is," at my small nod, he continues, "I release this btton for ten seconds and everything goes boom."
Ignoring the actualy boom of an explosion in the background and the sound of people running not far behind me, I stare at him stonily.
"So, since you can't shoot me," here he trails off as I slowly let a malicious grin form.
"Who said I could'not shoot you?"
Leveling the gun at his head, I pull the trigger, diving toward the trigger as soon as the bullet connects; I catch it seconds before it (and consequently myself) hit the ground, pushing down on the top securely.
Sitting up, I grin at Jensen, Pooch and Tori, "Anyone got any duct tape? We need to make sure this isn't let up until whatever this goes to is disabled."
As Tori helps me up, we share a look once seeing the Pooch and Jensen are gaping.
"What?" She asks.
"You just killed the man who tried to kill us in Bolivia."
Glancing at each other, then at the dead body of Max, Tori and I nod, "Good. Now why don't we go back to that container and disarm the thing that this," here I wave the detonator, "goes to."
Sighing, I stand with Jensen and Tori as we check the perimeter around the hospital. Why Pooch couldn't just go in the front door like a sane person is beyond me at this point.
Standing, the three of us, and Cougar who was watching the upper walkway for Pooch to get by, head out to meet up with Clay.
"Why couldn't he have used the front doors again?"
Rolling his eyes, Jensen waves his hand back and forth, "Because where would be the fun in that. Plus this way he doesn't get held up by the nurses and he can surprise Jolene at the same time."
Giving him blank looks, Tori and I shake our heads, "How's it a surprise when me and Tori called her on the way up here letting her know that Pooch was safe and homebound?"
Whining, Jensen looks at the two of us, "You called and told her? What's the fun in that?"
Shaking with silent laughter Cougar walks ahead of the three of us, to stand by Clay.
"The fun was not having to deal with a pissed off friend who just so happens to have the mom stare down pat, that and she would have told my brother and as much as I love him, he would keep me from bringing guys home while him and Erick have sex as often as possible."
Glaring at the snickering Tori, I sigh, "You know she would have punished you too." Giving the guys a sad look, I shake my head, "Honestly, it was nice getting to meet you guys, but I don't know how alive I'll be once Jo finds out that Pooch got hurt after we found him."
Rolling their eyes, the guys just grin.
"It's a boy. It's a boy guys!"
Smiling widely, Clay answers back a, "Congrats," before opening up the bottle of Champain.
"Let's get out of here and get a good night's sleep."
Grinning as we pass the bottle around on the walk to the car, I turn to Jensen when he slings his arms around mine and Tori's shoulders, "Would you two lovely ladies like to come to my niece's soccer match in a couple days? It'd be nice to have two new friends there."
Quickly looking to Tori, I nod, "We'd love to Jensen, but how about we talk about it tomorrow. We can all meet up somewhere to talk."
"Alright! Let's get to a nice warm bed!"
Laughing at Jensen's enthusiasm, I slow down a bit, the ache in my leg starting up worse with the cold from the rain.
"So," trailing off, Clay stares at me hard, like he's trying to find out why I'd come looking for them considering my gimp leg.
Rolling my eyes, I climb into the back of the van. Letting out a deep sigh when he sits closest to me, I close my eyes annoyed. "Pooch and Tori know about my leg, and so does Jolene. If she didn't think I'd be safe when she asked me and Tori to find him she wouldn't have asked." When his look doesn't waver, I maneuver so that Cougar and Jensen can hear as well, "Since you three are the only ones who don't know and since Clay seems to want to know," here I glare at him slightly, "I figure why not just tell you on the ride back. We've got about 45 minutes until we get to our houses anyway," when they go to interrupt Tori holds up her hand.
"You guys are staying with me, end of discussion. You have no money and with Natalie's spare room being where her brother and his boyfriend live, she doesn't have the room. I do, so no arguing. Jensen you can go to your sisters tomorrow if you like but it's late and you need sleep."
Ignoring Jensen's pouting I continue where I left off, "Exactly. Anyway, basically I used to work for the CIA like you, only I did field and lab work. I was the bomb specialist. I look at a few smoldering pieces of metal and can tell you the exact type, its components and if it has a signature maker, who that person was," sighing, I stretch my left leg out a little, rubbing the sensitive scaring through my jeans, "One day I was sent out to disable a car bomb, it was pressure trigger, the trigger being in the front seat. There was a kid on the trigger, couldn't have been older than nine, ten maybe. It was one of the easier to make bombs, granted you couldn't just snip a wire and it be disabled, someone had rigged it so that it had to blow.
"So, I reported that it couldn't be disabled, that I could possible delay it enough to get the kid safe, but there was no guarantee. My supervisor told me to just tell the kid that everything was fine and he could move. He wanted me to let that kid die. I wouldn't do it. I went against orders and delayed the bomb as much as possible before grabbing that kid and tossing him to one of the closest officers. I didn't have time to get completely behind the blast shields and ended up with a piece of the radiator buried into my thigh and cuts all over my left side from the glass.
"In the end, they had to remove a small section of the muscle, a risky procedure, and they forced a retirement on me. Stating in the official reports that my injury hindered my performance in the field where I was needed most."
Snorting in disgust at the memories, I turn and give Clay a flat look, "Are you happy now? Yeah, I have a gimp now, but I can function just fine and hardly limp anymore. So what's it matter when it doesn't hinder my performance in a live fire situation?"
Glancing out the window, I sit up, grabbing the duffel bag that has everything I'd packed with me, "Jensen, pull in to the third on your right," waiting till the vehicle comes to a stop, I open the back door and hop out. Looking back at them, I give Clay a steady look before smiling at Cougar, Jensen and Tori, "See you guys tomorrow, have fun with the house guests Tori."
With that I close the door of the van and head in the house, egger to talk to Michael and Erick, and sleep in my own bed again.
Later, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind flashes through images of the dark eyes and quiet grace of Cougar, making me groan and dread the morning.
Hope to have the second chapter out soon. This is taking up root rather quickly and it doesn't want to leave so hopefully I'll be able to update regularly.
Review if you want, or like, but I'm not asking for them. I'd be happy if I see a story alert, because that means you guys liked it :)
