I know this is an old show and a small fandom, but I thought I'd write something anyways. And since I did, why not share?
There'll be a second part to this, featuring Marla on the day Stephen brought John home with him, and maybe a third in which Cara feels guilty for throwing him out. Just some missing scenes type stuff.
If I get to it, I might also write a SHIELD crossover, but we shall see.
Always happy to hear from anyone reading this!
…
The loud metallic bangs of the shots ring in his ears as he teleports them out of harm's way. They're already airborne, neither quite here nor there, when he feels it.
The searing sensation of hot metal going into his body, a pain that shouldn't be familiar, but is.
He has to materialize them quicker than he thought, he can't get her out of here. Not now. Not yet.
They tumble out of teleportation and he slumps on the ground, hard.
Shit.
At least he got the girl to safety. Astrid. Stephen's pretty bestie.
He takes a shuddering breath as he lifts himself up, barely hearing what she says. Poor girl is very obviously in shock and he would like to give her a hug or a pat on the back and some encouraging words or something. Scratch that, he would have liked to just get her the hell out of here and back to the safety of the Lair, but that ain't gonna happen now.
He swallows, feeling his strength seep out of him along with his blood. His autopilot takes over as he scans the room - supply room had been a good choice at least - and carefully manages to pull himself up on a table.
Poor Astrid doesn't know it yet, but she'll have to step up and doctor him a bit.
…
Astrid feels like the floor is ripped from under her. This was supposed to be a fun experience, an exciting one. Her audition. She had had so many hopes attached to it, she had pictured all the scenarios.
And none of them had included an attempt on her life and a guy - even a cute handsome guy - to take a bullet for her. She is Astrid Finch, for goodness sake, just a senior in high school, and not a most wanted criminal or something. She hasn't accomplished anything in life yet, certainly nothing that would warrant these people's interest in her.
"John?"
He's talking to her, telling her what to do. He's still the calm one, the one in control, even though he got freaking shot, and how does he do it? How…
This is not as new to him as it is to her. The realization hits her hard, and she feels momentarily stunned and terribly sad for him.
...
The sadness only grows later. When she tells him of her bucket list. Carnegie Hall, Tokyo, surfing, kids. She thinks her list is ridiculous, embarrassing, but when he says he's never even thought of a life like that for himself, an ache spreads inside of her that makes her gently smile down on him. Her hand on him, reddened by his blood, she sits with him, hoping against hope that he will gain that strength that he says he needs to teleport.
But the strength never comes back. The pain grows too strong.
She sees him drift away, and all she can do is sing to try and give him something else to focus on.
Until even that is not enough anymore.
…
How come that he still isn't used to the pain more? He should have built up tremendous tolerance by now, shouldn't he? After everything he's been through?
He swallows, the motion taking too much effort. His mouth is too dry and he wants to ask for something to drink, but he is so goddamn weak and he can't even form the words anymore.
Poor Astrid. He clenches his jaw as he fights to stay conscious, for her benefit more than for himself, but it isn't going so well.
There's a spiral opening up, dark and black and it's dragging him down, the pain taking over and…
"I… I will be queen, and you, you will be king…"
What a beautiful voice she has…
They really shouldn't get involved with humans. She'll have to pay, just like. .
"John. John?!"
…
He feels her fingers in his side, feels her tug and pull at the bullet, hears her talk to someone… Cara?
~ You'll be okay, John. ~
He can't respond to her telepathically. She's too far away, or maybe he is. Maybe he is really just too weak still. But he can hear her…
Everything is so hazy. Except for the pain. It's too much.
…
When Cara pops up, Astrid is ridiculously relieved. Everything is going to be okay.
But then the girl can't teleport them all out and the panic is back. For herself but also for…
"John."
He can't die here. Or be captured. Not because of her. Not because of her…
She races with Cara regardlessly, because he tells them to take Astrid, and they are not going to argue with him now. There is no time.
…
While they try to escape, she asks Cara why she can't teleport them both out, and Cara gives her a strange look before she replies.
"He's too weak."
Astrid frowns. Wielding that horrible weapon and following Stephen's tough looking crush or friend or whatever the other girl is, she tries to understand.
"I know he is too weak to teleport, but I thought you were gonna—"
"Usually when we teleport in larger numbers, the others have to help out with their own powers."
"Powers," Astrid repeats drily, not understanding.
Cara glares as they rush through the corridors. She is clearly not in the mood for explanations, but for some reason she makes an effort. Astrid suspects it's because the girl is trying to make her feel calmer.
"You're human, so I have to take on all of your weight, and since John can't help me, I can't bring him along."
"But why not teleport me out of the supply room and come straight back for him?"
"They know a Tomorrow Person came to your rescue. If I had teleported out of that room, they would have been on him instantly. This way, we have a better chance to get him out, too…" She trails off as if she suddenly caught herself saying too much.
"Oh god," Astrid breathes. "He's not going to die, is he? They're not going to kill him if they find him? He came to help me…"
Cara sighs. "Honestly? He has a better chance of surviving an encounter with them than you. They want to kill you. Him, they want alive…"
Astrid swallows at the news, stunned at how little she really knows about Stephen and his crazy new group of… Yeah, what are they? His friends?
…
John is going under. As if waves are crashing above his head, or an avalanche is rolling over him, he is being dragged deeper down. Is this really it?
He licks his dry lips, waiting. For Jedikiah, that man that he can't stop loving like a freaking father when he should hate him, hate him with everything he got.
Or for his agents, who will surely roughly pull him up, making the pain explode into a million tiny shock waves, before hurling him in to Ultra to be patched up and then tortured. There'll never be an end to the pain, will there?
A tear escapes his eye, but before he can even completely give up and give in to unconsciousness, Cara is back, just like she promised.
He smiles weakly. She shouldn't have come… He won't be able to walk anywhere, and…
With a whoosh they're gone, and just in time. The bullets don't catch up with them, if barely.
…
They fall in a heap, Cara half landing on top of him, and he isn't going to pick himself up this time, no effort will work. He simply can't.
The darkness envelops him yet again, and he is dimly aware of how a shocked looking Astrid rushes over alongside a slightly panicky Russell, who then helps Cara pull him up unceremoniously and together, they carry him over to the couch.
"We need medical supplies, stat," Cara yells out to one of the other fearful looking Lair inhabitants, and Russell nods to the kid then jerks his head in the direction of Tim's room.
"Already got everything from the list Tim gave us," he explains, "It's on the table."
The other kid nods and is off, then back in just a minute. By then, Cara has already pushed John's shirt up to examine the wound Astrid stitched up haphazardly before, and her forehead wrinkles with concern when she sees just how soaked with blood everything is.
"Oh John," she breathes, acutely aware of Stephen's friend hovering behind her, and when the girl whispers a small, "I did everything you said…" she has to close her eyes for a bit to rein in the unjustified urge to yell at the girl. None of this is her fault, of course. It's just… Cara can't lose John. He was the one to pick her up when she was at her lowest, he is the one constant in her life, and she can't be without him.
"I know," she therefore gently acknowledges, before getting to work, dousing the wound with antiseptic until John's groans and thrashing become too much.
"Someone hold him down," she orders, then, leaning down until her mouth almost touches his ear, one hand gently stroking his cheek, she whispers, "I'm sorry, John. It's almost over. We just gotta make sure you don't get an infection…"
He chuckles weakly before it turns into a cough, then a wince, but he nods at her, and says, "I know…"
…
He tries to swallow and can't. Closing his eyes against the pain, he groans to stifle a yell that is threatening to erupt out of him, but then he can't fight it anymore, because, goddammit, Cara is pouring and tugging and doing who knows what to patch him up, and he has already had one woman's fingers in his abdomen, he can't suffer through it again.
But then it's finally over, or, at least the worst of it, and when he looks up, he sees Cara's gentle smile that he tries to reciprocate.
"Can't take no for an answer, can you?"
She wiggles her eyebrows and her smile widens, but he can feel her again, he can feel how scared she was there for a moment.
~ I'm not gonna die that easily, Cara. ~
~ You better not. ~
Despite his words to her, he's finally drifting off again, and Cara places a gentle kiss on his brow.
~ Rest, John. ~
Eventually, she gets up slowly and leaves him.
He moves a little to try and get comfortable as he hears Russell say a few words, hears others clean up and leave. He vaguely notices that his arm is awkwardly dangling off the couch, and he tries to pick it up but fails miserably, huffing when he notices it. But then he feels someone tug at his hand and gently place it across his abdomen for him. Looking up, he sees Astrid.
"Hey…" She smiles, then lifts up a shirt she's holding. "Russell thought you might wanna change into something a little less… bloody."
He tries to chuckle but it doesn't make it past his lips. Astrid doesn't seem to mind.
"Thank you," he rasps. "Doubt I'll be able to… uh…"
She smiles again, a mesmerizing smile, but before she can say anything, Cara is back, out of nowhere.
"Thanks. I take it from here," she tells the other girl and holds out her hands for the shirt.
…
Astrid hands the piece of clothing over quickly, nods, then lingers awkwardly while Cara has already turned away, leaning over John, whispering something before carefully lifting him up. Another groan escapes him and Astrid feel so… lost and guilty that she turns around and leaves just as Cara pushes John's shirt higher, then over his head, allowing him to lean heavily against her.
"Almost there," she coos, and Astrid suddenly has the feeling she is intruding, that this is not her place anymore, but when she looks at the two one last time before heading out, she notices John casting a glance in her direction, finally managing to smile again.
He'll be fine. And so will she. She has to believe it.
They have a strange bond now, his blood is on her fingers, or was, it's probably still under her fingernails, and she can barely breathe at the thought, but her mind is muddled now anyways, and she can't think clearly and all she sees is his smile, his blood, his hand dangling off the couch, now Cara taking care of him.
She has to get out of there. She can't wait for Stephen to come and get her; he better be quick, because if he isn't, she is going to break down and with John out of commission, she doubts there's anyone else down here that could or would do what that man has done for her.
Wasn't there some Chinese proverb or something where you owe someone your life when they saved yours? Where you are responsible for them as much as they are for you?
Who knows, maybe she'll be able to one day repay him. Somehow. Strangely she really wants to believe it's true.
Wants to believe she has a connection to this man now. Because she does.