Author note: spoilers for 02x10: One Wrong Move. End of the episode, so yes, spoilers. And I am using dialogue from the episode. This story is the thirteenth in the Magical Flashpoint series. It follows "Wait on the Sun".
Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.
Sapphire narrowed from its hiding place right near the last of three bombs. Any other day, any other event and tragedy would have struck before he even knew about the trouble, but not this day. Even Toronto's magical school had been put on alert and gossip, always swift, flew at practically the speed of light today. A quiet word to his sister and she covered for him, letting him slip away. But time was short, far too short, and he prayed Lou would get Spike to leave.
Yes! Spike was leaving, taking that infernal bomb with him. Now, it was his turn. He crept forward, letting his magic reach out to check for any mines Spike had missed. He could hear Lou talking to his father, tears just on the edge; a man saying good-bye. I won't let it happen, not today, not ever.
When Lou hung up, the boy knew he had only moments. Lou keyed his radio, visibly fighting back tears. "Spike?"
Lance was close enough to hear Spike's, "Yeah, buddy? Lou?"
"It's going to be okay," Lou choked out.
Then Lance's hands came down on the taller man's shoulders, pushing down firmly – with a touch of magic – enough that Lou couldn't physically jump. "Don't," the boy breathed.
Lou twisted, trying to look, trying to see him. "What the heck are you doing, Lance? Get out of here," he hissed.
"No one dies today," Lance growled. "Ásetath ús op eaxlgesteallan (1)."
Wind whipped, roaring around the pair; Lance heard, distantly, Spike's cry of despair. Then they landed, behind the trucks as the boy had planned. The explosion was still echoing as they landed, both of them staggering into the nearby truck. Lou was trembling with the aftermath of fear, adrenaline, and nearly dying to a land mine. Lance, whose Disillusionment Charm had dropped as soon as he cast the transport spell, was trying not to seethe too much. If he ever got his hands on the pond scum who'd planted land mines, never mind the blasted bomb, anywhere near Team One, he'd show them exactly why it was a bad idea to cross a Calvin.
Sam stared at the Boss, at the wailing, grieving Spike, at where Lou had been, his fists clenching. Ed's face was stoic, Jules wept into Wordy's shoulder, Wordy looking just as devastated. He couldn't, couldn't stay here. He turned on his heel to walk away, to get somewhere else so he could scream and yell, maybe even throw things. At first what he saw didn't make sense. Lou, leaning against the side of the truck, panting for breath and clearly shocky, with Lance right beside him, looking both royally ticked off and smugly delighted. Sam's eyes widened; he struggled to make sense of it. Lou was dead; he was standing right there; but he was dead; no, he was standing right there.
"Boss?" he croaked, the words coming out raspy soft. Then his mind finally caught up and he turned back, his grin splitting his face in half. "Boss! Get Spike over here!"
The trio behind Sam turned first, their gasps audible even from a good meter away. Wordy's jaw dropped; Jules ended her gasp with her hands to her mouth. Ed gaped a moment, then darted around the front of the truck to help the Boss haul a nearly unresponsive Spike back behind the trucks. Sam looked back at Lou, who was regaining his balance enough to stand up straight again. Lance's grin was just as wide as Sam's, clearly triumphant. Well, kid deserved to be smug and triumphant after pulling off a miracle like this.
Boss and Ed finally got Spike around the truck; Boss's jaw dropped, his eyes just about bugging out. Spike's face, twisted in raw misery, twisted into something else when he saw Lou. He actually pulled back, gasping something in Italian; the Boss shook his head and murmured something back, pushing Spike towards his best friend. Both men ended up on the ground as Spike physically launched himself at Lou, taking them down. Lance was laughing; he'd gotten out of the way, as had Sam.
"Lancelot Artorius Calvin," the Boss managed, trying to look stern and failing miserably. Lance came over to his uncle, smile fading a touch as Parker choked back tears. "What did you think you were doing?" he demanded, folding the teenager into a hug. "You could have been killed; we could have lost both of you."
"Couldn't just stand there, Uncle Greg," Lance replied, quietly, except the Team One members hovering around the pair heard every word. "We're Calvins, first in every desperate attack, last in every desperate retreat." When Greg's – and everyone else's – eyebrows rose at this statement, Lance looked a trifle sheepish, but did not elaborate.
Instead he looked over at the joyful reunion going on nearby, smiling a little. "When we were little and something was hard, so hard Alanna and I wanted to give up, Dad wouldn't let us. 'Never give up; never back down; never lose faith.' If I hadn't done anything, Uncle Lou wouldn't have made it." Sapphire eyes met the Boss's brown ones, Sam pulling in a startled breath at how alike the two managed to look in those few moments. "Whatever the consequences are, sir, it's worth it."
"Come on, Sarge," Wordy started, only to fall silent as the Boss held up a hand.
Parker leaned down so he and his nephew were face to face and on the same level. "Do you know why I punished both you and Alanna after she protected Sam and Jules?"
Lance tilted his head, a tiny grin tugging at his mouth. "Same reason she did it, Uncle Greg. You don't want to lose us."
Spike and Lou, finally done checking each other over, straggled over. Sam politely ignored the tear streaks both men sported. The Boss didn't look up at them; he nodded to his nephew. "So, what do you think I should do?" he asked.
Lance straightened, shoulders back, chin up. "I should get the same punishment Alanna did, sir."
"And why do you think that?" Spike looked about to protest; Lou shushed him.
"I deliberately left a safe place and put myself in danger," Lance replied.
Parker straightened up, still giving his nephew that gentle glare. "Did Alanna help you?"
Lance steeled himself, nodded once. "Yes, sir."
"All right then, both of you are grounded for a month, just like last time, and you lose your game system for two months." Lance inclined his head, accepting the punishment without argument. "And Lance?" The boy cocked his head at his uncle.
Boss gave him a smile. "Good job."
~ Fin
[1] Old English for 'Transport us to friends.' Website used is: oldenglishtranslator which is a co dot uk site
Author note: Yes, just a oneshot story, the first oneshot in the 'main' storyline so to speak, but since Lance only stepped in right at the end, I couldn't justify running through the whole dang episode. As a plug for my own stories (shameless, yes, I know), I do have a Flashpoint/Quantum Leap crossover that does cover the whole episode. It doesn't twist nearly as much as my Magical Flashpoint episode twisters do, but, in my defense, it was my first Flashpoint fanfiction.
At any rate, please stay tuned in the main Flashpoint archive as, next week, Tuesday July 11th, 2017, we start "Secrets and Families". And hold onto your hats, folks, it's gonna be one wild ride!
Update as of August 1st, 2017: Please redirect your attention to the Flashpoint/Merlin crossover archive for "Secrets and Families".