I love Saints Row, and it was a while ago that I decided I would do a one-shot for every thing that I liked, and this is me fulfilling that promise for Saints Row. This one-shot is about Shaundi and the Boss having a heart to heart about Johnny's death on the night that the Boss is elected President.
For reference, my Boss was: overweight, completely bald, Hispanic, always wore shades, and had a British accent.
Shaundi remained silent despite the celebration that was going on just inside the penthouse due to the news that the Boss had won the presidential election, and at that moment just breathed in the chilling Steelport air and took a sip of her beer as she leaned against the penthouse's balcony. The city was more quiet than she had ever remembered it being back when the Syndicate had tried to take them out, had succeeded in taking out Johnny, and she wondered if perhaps it was out of respect for the next President of the United States, or if it was maybe one of those once in a lifetime coincidences that she always seemed to hear about. She shrugged it off, it not being important, and Shaundi remained in her spot of staring out into the city even as she heard a glass door open and close right behind her.
"Thought I'd find you out here, Love." the Boss shivered as he walked to Shaundi's side, clearly not prepared for how cold it was that night. Still, even though he would have preferred to be living it up inside, partying as only a world leader could, it didn't feel right when one of his own was out on the balcony staring out into the city, no doubt reminiscing on sad memories that she only blamed herself for.
Shaundi grunted as her only response, but tilted her head to the side as she looked over at the Boss. He was now leaning on the balcony just as she was, although he was doing so with much more care no doubt due in large part to his weight. It was a fact that Shaundi had always been unsure what to think about, how the Boss was as large and weighed as much as he did, and at the same time he was athletic enough to jump out of an airplane without a parachute from thousands of feet up in the air, and yet always be able to find a safe way to land. She smiled slightly, though it wasn't as happy as her smiles used to be back in Stilwater.
She would never say it out loud, or at least in his presence because she knew it would only go to inflate his ego, but the Boss was capable of doing anything. If taking out the Syndicate wasn't enough, or avenging the deaths of friends who fell to the likes of said Syndicate or the Brotherhood, then winning the Presidency proved that point beyond anything else. It was amazing really, exactly what she expected from whatever the Boss did, especially considering that she didn't even know if he was really an American on account of the thick British accent.
"Fuck me," the Boss laughed at the fact that even now Shaundi failed to actually greet him, "I just became the President of the United States. I figure that's worth at least a congratulations."
Shaundi snorted and shook her head for a moment as she raised her bottle to the Boss' victory. "God bless America." her smile grew just the tiniest bit more, "It has no fucking idea what exactly it just did."
The Boss considered protesting to instead talk about how he was the only logical choice for people to vote for, and to mention all the great things that he was going to do for the country now, but he actually just ended up laughing and shrugging, seeing that Shaundi had a point now that the American people had just voted in a known gang leader as its head of state. Without another thought he clinked his own bottle of beer against Shaundi's, almost everything being right in the world at that moment.
It wasn't perfect of course, it never would be without Johnny being right around the corner just as he was ever since the Boss was first canonized, but he would do right by his best friend. The Boss didn't even have to ask to know that the reason that Shaundi was out there at the moment, away from all their friends, was because she was probably thinking about Johnny. Hell, he did the same thing on most nights when he was alone, the same thoughts and self-blame that went through her mind being something that he struggled through as well.
"You know," the Boss began once more after taking a chug of his beer, "some folks on the internet think that the moment I get sworn it, that I'm gonna go over to those blokes in England and go, 'Hey, Wankers! Here are the colonies back!' Crazy, eh?"
Having become accustomed to the more ridiculous facets of the Boss over the years, Shaundi only raised an eyebrow as she also gave the guy a smirk. "I honestly wouldn't put it passed you."
The Boss shrugged again, happy to be actually getting something of a response out of Shaundi. "No worries, I'm just waiting on the Queen's orders." he laughed once more as he said it despite the fact that it wasn't actually that funny, before he sighed and gently nudged Shaundi with his shoulder. He never liked to be the kind of person who would up and kill the mood, but sometimes there was no other way to reach out to a friend who needed it. "But in all seriousness, Shaundi, I gotta ask why you're out here right now? We're your friends, you know, your mates. What better way to spend our time together than to party our asses off?"
The smirk on Shaundi's face disappeared before she sighed just like the Boss had, and began once more to stare out into the city. She considered brushing it off and just telling the Boss that she was out there for no particular reason, but she figured that he would know that was a lie. He had never seemed to be particularly intelligent, hell he was one of the most crass people that she had ever known, but if there was one thing that the Boss had learned ever since the trouble with Julius, it was the ability to be able to tell when someone was lying.
In the end she figured that it wouldn't hurt to just be honest about why she felt content to be alone out on that balcony, and Shaundi took another drink of her beer before she replied the Boss. "I'm happy that you won, I really am, but I just can't help but sit here and wonder about what would Johnny think if he were here?"
The Boss nodded in understanding, knowing exactly the position that Shaundi was in. He leaned in towards her, closer than either one of them would have gotten to the other on a more carefree and less sober night, and he spoke forcefully with all the authority that he could muster just so she would know without a shadow of a doubt that his words were completely sincere. "You're not responsible for what happened to Johnny." his voice remaining strong even though for second he thought it was going to crack, "No one ever blamed you."
Shaundi said nothing at first, knowing full well that if she disputed that fact, even though she felt that it was true from the deepest pit in her heart, that the Boss would endlessly argue with her otherwise. Oddly enough, it was a more tender side of the Boss than most people saw, which was actually quite the difference considering that he was known as the butcher of Stilwater once upon a time, and she glanced away from the dazzling lights of Steelport to look the Boss in the face again. There were times where it was actually difficult to tell what the Boss was thinking, especially due to the shades that he wore even in the middle of the night, so instead of arguing, instead of staring the Boss straight in the face and waiting only for him to try to ease her guilt, she decided to ask a question that had also haunted her thoughts throughout the years.
Shaundi took in a deep breath, but her eyes were steadfast and remained locked on the Boss. "Why did you come after me? You could have gotten Killbane. You could have made him pay for what he did to Johnny."
"I killed Loren." the Boss offered after a moment of thought as he scratched his bald head with the hand that wasn't holding onto his beer.
She only shook her head, not accepting that as an answer. "But that gigantic luchadore fuck is still out there. Johnny's blood is on all of their hands."
The Boss gripped onto his beer a bit tighter than he had, taking the time to let Shaundi's words sink in. As far as he was concerned, Killbane was dead the moment that he had unmasked him, had forever taken his honor, but he couldn't say with complete certainty that that was an answer that Shaundi would accept. He decided not to go that route though, and instead wondered if perhaps it was time to drop down some barriers that he had set up years ago when the first of his friends had died because of his own shortcomings. After all, it didn't take a second thought when he found out that he had to choose between murdering Killbane and saving Shaundi.
"I've already buried so many friends in my lifetime, Shaundi." the Boss' voice finally cracked as he performed the rare act of removing his sunglasses so that she could see his eyes that glistened from the same regrets and the same moments of shame that hers did, "I couldn't bury you too."
Shaundi had seen the Boss show many different kinds of emotions, from the joy on his face when it was announced that he had won the election, to the tranquil fury he had when he slew Veteran Child all those years ago to save her life, but never once had she ever seen tears in his eyes. Her face softened as she remembered the stories of all their fellow Saints and allies who had fallen over time, and it was then that she realized that she wasn't the only one who blamed themselves for the death of Johnny Gat.
She raised her beer one final time, and then began to pour some out over the balcony in remembrance of those who had left them. "To Johnny, Carlos, Lin, and Aisha."
"To anyone who has ever worn purple." the Boss added after he too poured out some alcohol to honor the memory of friends who had touched his life.
It was an act far more sentimental than either was used to or actually thought could even happen, but somehow in that moment out on the balcony of the penthouse, in that night filled with the odd combination of sorrow from the past and excitement for the future, there were few other ways that Shaundi and the Boss would have preferred to end the evening.
"What do you think they would say?" Shaundi asked to break the silence, herself finally being able to really smile as she looked straight into the night sky, "You know, about a couple of punk kids from Stilwater ending up in the White House."
The Boss too smiled before he donned his famous sunglasses once more and joined Shaundi in staring up at the stars, or at least the few stars they could see in a city as bright and busy as Steelport. "How about we ask them when we see them in Heaven?"
Shaundi couldn't help but snort at that. "We're gangsters, Boss. You really think that we're gonna make it into Heaven?"
The Boss smirked, and figured that Shaundi could use a reminder as to who exactly she was talking to. "All the Saints together? God doesn't have the balls to keep us out."
Neither one of them said anything else after that, instead both deciding to just silently enjoy each others company. It was a thought that each of them had as they stared intently at the stars, but at that moment the two of them felt as if maybe Johnny was smiling down at them.
Well, that's it for this story. Now, time to go finish Saints Row IV.