Disclaimer: Still don't own Mortal Kombat. Only my few OCs that make their appearances here and there.

Author's Note: So I've gotten a couple of reviews that asked about the other characters. Don't worry, they're going to make their entrances sooner or later. But with that said, also keep in mind that as far as this part goes, they're still revenants, so I'm trying to work them in through that as well. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

What Happens In Vegas

The friendship between the action star and the military major was a weird one. She'd get sent on missions with her teams while he'd be on a movie set local to him. When she came back from her deployment, he'd gallivant around the globe promoting said movie while she stayed on base finishing up reports. The only time they really talked was over the phone at the most inconvenient of times; however, it worked for them, as they had reoccurring nightmares of the tournament.

The next time they saw each other was the week of Halloween, six months after they'd met and approximately three months after they declared a "friendship" with each other. Johnny slaps a palm on his forehead when his phone's caller ID reads Anastasia Chambers. "Fuck, the Halloween party!" he cries in epiphany. Clearing his throat, he answers the phone with a smooth, "Johnny Cage."

"Hey Johnny! It's Stasi. Have you asked your guest about the party yet? I'm assuming that's why you haven't RSVP'd," she tells him politely.

He sighs. "You'd be right. But I have good reason. We've both been really busy."

"Course I understand," she responds. "Well, I just wanted to give you a heads up before you heard from someone else. Cindy is going to the party."

He narrows his eyes. "Cindy?" he balks.

"Oh Johnny honey," she starts to explain, "Please know that I wasn't the one to invite her. I don't want any drama at my shindig and I really wanted you to come. I hope this doesn't change things."

This changes everything he thinks bitterly to himself. "Nah, it's okay. I won't cause any trouble at your party. Unlike her, I'm able to be a mature adult."

He knows Stasi is frowning on the other side of the phone. "All right," she starts slowly. "Well, in any case, I hope to see you?"

"Yeah, I'll still go," he assures her with a frown on his face. They bid each other adieu and he throws his phone on the bed. He rubs his temples as his phone rings again. He slowly walks over to his phone to see the caller ID as Sonya Blade. His heart skips several beats and he clears his throat to quell the sudden quivering of his voice. "Johnny Cage."

"It's Major Blade," she greets, wasting no time with niceties.

"I'm aware," he reminds her.

"Right," she responds, shaking her head. "Anyways, I've just come back from my tour in Mexico."

"You went to Mexico without me, Blade?" he teases before sobering up.

"Yep, had a grand old time in MEH-he-coh," she replies, pronouncing the country the Spanish way. He hears the smile in her voice and his heart calms down a bit. "What are your plans for Halloween?"

He grins happily. "I'm so glad you asked, Sonya," he answers.

"Oh fuck," she mutters.

"I'm going to a party out in Vegas. Have you ever been there?"

"To Vegas?" she wonders. "Unfortunately I have."

"Great. So I was wondering if you'd like to come."

Sonya hums as she hears a knock on her office door. "What is it?" she commands the person at her door. It opens to reveal her new favorite (though she won't admit it) soldier, Sergeant Cassandra "Sandy" Pierson. "Come in, Pierson," she addresses the woman politely. "Hold a second, Cage."

Sandy enters her office, holding a file in her hand. "Sorry to bother you, Major. Colonel Blake wanted you to look over this file before your next mission," she tells her commanding officer.

Sonya nods, gesturing for her to rest the folder on top of her growing file. Sandy places it gently on top before the entire stack falls down with a plop. Papers are shuffled everywhere. "Mother fucking—"

"I'm sorry!" Sandy squeaks in fright.

Rubbing her forehead with the pads of her fingers, Sonya sighs. "It's all right, Sandy. I'll fix it later," she tells the younger girl gently. Had it been anyone else, Sonya would've screamed at them and assigned them to latrine duty. With her head ducked down, Sandy leaves the office. Picking her phone back up, Sonya asks, "You still there, Cage?"

"Yep, still here."

"I could use the break. I just need to get through all of this paperwork, but I'm sure I can delegate. When and where should I meet you?"

He thinks about it for a second. "You can meet me at the airport," he ultimately tells her, giving her instructions on where and when to meet him. When they finish their conversation, he hangs up the phone. After lying on his bed for a while, Johnny muses to himself, "I need a costume."

"Dammit, I need a costume," Sonya mutters when she begins packing for her overnight trip to Vegas, which she leaves for the next day. In her small apartment near the base, she looks through her closet to see if she can scrounge something together. Finding nothing but her multiple fatigues, she growls. "Dammit Cage," she scowls.

A few minutes later, she finds herself at the local costume shop, her hair in a braid and her sunglasses plastered to her face. "Hi, need help finding a costume?" the sales woman asks Sonya politely.

"No, thank you," she responds just as graciously as she browses through the sections. If Mr. Johnny Cage thinks she's going to show more skin than necessary, he has another thing coming. So she looks through the women's section and sees a gypsy princess costume with a long cobalt blue skirt with gold chains draped across the top, a white cropped long sleeve petticoat and a matching head tie.

Staring at the costume curiously, she tries to imagine herself wearing it. Satisfied with her internal vision, she searches for a small and finds it quickly. "All right. This'll have to do," she mumbles to herself. She's about to go to the register to pay until she realizes she may need some makeup. With an eye roll, she searches for some costume makeup and jewelry. Finally content, she stands on the line patiently and ultimately purchases her items.

On the men's side of the shop, Johnny mutters in disgust, unable to find a suitable costume for himself. "Jesus," he mumbles for the umpteenth time.

"Need help sir?" the store clerk asks him.

He's about to turn down the help until he takes a moment to contemplate. With a growing smirk, Johnny wonders, "Where are your pirate costumes for men?"

"Just over there," he responds, pointing to the back section.

"Nice. Thanks kid." The store clerk raises his eyebrow at Johnny but leaves him to his own devices. When he finds the perfect one, he pumps his fist triumphantly. He stands on the line awaiting his turn when he sees a familiar blonde on the line in front of him. His first instinct is to skip the line to pester her, but he fights the urge to do so and leaves the woman in peace. It's not even her, you idiot he chides himself. Plus, he further reasons with himself, he was going to see her at the airport tomorrow, so his feelings could wait.

Finally arriving back home, he starts throwing random items into his suitcase; toiletries, his favorite light blue Terry cloth robe with his name engraved on the chest, some money, two towels, three extra shirts, and two pairs of jeans find their way into his luggage, albeit sloppily. After a moment of thought, an eye patch flies into his suitcase as well before he walks over to his bed and closes it with some difficulty. "Well," he muses, "I guess that's everything."

At the airport the next day, Sonya stands by their gate, relaying instructions to her team over the phone. She sees Johnny approaching and briefly acknowledges him before turning back to her conversation. "Make sure the reports from San Cabo Lucas gets on Blake's desk by Monday at 10 am the latest," she instructs the person on the other line. With a final nod, she says, "Good. Blade out." She frowns at her phone. "Goodbye, Sandy."

If he's not mistaken, Johnny can see the tinge of a blush forming on her face as she hangs up the phone. Smirking, he teases, "Ready for me, Sonya?"

"God no," she tells him. His face falls until he sees her smirking at him. "Yeah, I'm ready to be stuck to you all weekend."

He throws a playfully offended hand to his heart dramatically. "Aww Sonya, you wound me. It won't be that bad being stuck to me."

She blinks at him. "Right," she stresses skeptically. Johnny hands Sonya her boarding pass and they walk to the waiting area together. She observes her ticket and notices her seat is a window seat. "Let me see your ticket," she demands, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers.

"You sure are bossy in the morning, aren't ya?" he laughs but gives it to her. "I hope you don't mind us sitting next to each other. These were the last two tickets available and I hate the window seat."

She nods as she still looks at their boarding passes, going back and forth between the two. "This is fine," she tells him as she gives him back his pass. She sighs as she slips on her sunglasses.

He glances over at her after hearing her. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," she answers, frowning behind her glasses. She hears the airport attendants announce boarding for first class to Vegas. When she sees him walking she lightly grabs his arm and ask, "Where are you going?"

"Uh… it's time for us to get on the plane?" he answers slowly. Her eyes widen and she rips off her glasses to stare at him. "What?"

"First class?!" He nods. "I… okay."

He gives her a tiny smile. "You've never been in first class, have you?"

"… No," she tells him, looking away from him awkwardly.

He wraps an arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her towards him. "Welcome to my life, baby."

She shoves his arm off her shoulder. "Do not call me your baby, Cage," she orders him.

"All right fine, I won't call you baby, honey," he teases her as they walk to the ticket counter and hand over their passes to be scanned. He yelps as she pinches him. "Aww c'mon, I'm only teasing you."

"Jesus, help us both," she mutters. He grins at her. She rolls her eyes at him.

Sonya frowns at the bright lights of McCarran Airport, slipping her sunglasses on again. Sitting next to Johnny almost turned into a nightmare for her. For one, he was an armrest hog. Every time she tried to lay her head on the rest, his sleeping form shoved her closer to the window. Also, he was a victim of sporadic snoring; Sonya had to pinch the bridge of his nose several times before she got some relief. Unfortunately, it was right before they had to land, so she was exhausted by the time they picked up their luggage.

Luckily, Johnny senses her ill mood and decides to leave her alone, only directing her to their airport shuttle to get to the MGM Grand. "Hello there darling," he drawls at the front desk receptionist, causing the young woman to blush. Sonya scoffs behind him. "I have a room booked for the weekend? The name's Carlton. John Carlton."

The woman giggles. No problem, let me just get your credit card and ID," she tells him. He hands her the information and she enters it into her computer. "All right, Mr. Carlton, you're all set. Enjoy your weekend here."

"Will do," he replies with a wink. When Sonya tries to go up to the woman, Johnny pulls her gently. "Come Sonya, everything is already set."

She narrows her eyes at him. "What?! We're sharing a room?!" she asks him incredulously. He gives her a smirk. "Goddammit Cage!"

"Easy Sonya, easy," he coaxed her, "the room has two separate beds. You'll like it, I promise." With an annoyed grunt, she follows him to the elevator and he presses the button 23. "My bed is big enough to share though."

"Shut up, Cage," she grits at him. He holds up a hand in defense.

When she gets up to their suite, she ceases to be amazed or shocked at his grandiose spending and immediately makes a beeline for the first bed she sees. She all but jumps on the bed, bouncing around before grabbing a pillow. "Thank God," she muffles into the pillow, breathing in the scent of fresh laundry. Exhaustion seeping into her bones, she begins falling asleep.

"Sonya? Uh… that's my bed," he tells her.

"Not anymore," she responds with a deep breath. She feels him climbing into the bed next to her.

"I'm sorry I was such a horrible flight mate."

She slowly lifts her head to face him. "If you let me have my nap, all will be forgiven," she bargains with him.

"Deal, because truth be told, I didn't have a good sleep either."

She turns to her left side to face him. "Oh?" she wonders, her features turning concerned. "How come?"

He sighs and takes off his glasses, throwing them haphazardly on the night stand. "Every time I try to close my eyes at night, the last thing I see is Liu Liu's charred body on the floor and the look of horror on Raiden's face." He swallows uneasily. "I'm used to seeing that kind of stuff in my movies, you know? But it's not real. Not on screen. At times I can still smell the burned flesh and it just…" He turns to his right side so he's facing her. "I don't know how you do it, Sonya. I do it in movies. After the director calls cut, I get to go home and have a beer or something. But you do it every day. How do you cope with that?"

She takes a deep breath and fiddles with her ponytail. "Honestly? I don't know. I just do, you know?"

"You must've seen a lot in your days, huh?"

"Yeah," she gulps. Clearing her throat, she continues, "Whenever I think about how much I've been through, I take a step back and tell myself that I signed up for this. It doesn't get easier to watch people you've grown close to die in your arms. The minute it does get easier is the minute I retire. And that's not going to happen anytime soon, unfortunately."

He grabs a pillow and cradles it close to his body. "I know you and Major Briggs were close friends, so it can't be easy to deal with that. I know I keep saying it, but I am really sorry."

"It's fine. I've had to make peace with it. It's not easy, but Jax would've hated me moping around. I'm more worried about his wife… widow." She heaves a forlorn sigh. "Is it bad that I still wish there was a way to bring them back?"

He shakes his head. "It's not a healthy thought, but I understand," he tells her gently. Her eyes begin drooping unbeknownst to Johnny, so she grunts at him when he calls her softly. "I was gonna ask if you wanted to explore a little, but you seem tired, so I'll let you rest."

"Thanks," she tells him before closing her eyes once more.

When Sonya wakes up later in the evening, Johnny is walking around their room shirtless, something she rolls her eyes at. "Will you put on a shirt?" she berates him.

He throws a wink in her direction. "Get used to it. You're lucky I'm not in the buff like I usually am."

"Ugh," she responds with an eye roll. Getting up from the bed, she goes into her duffle bag and takes out a white frilly button down and a pair of jeans. "I'm going to shower."

"Aww, too bad I already had one. I'd ask to join you."

"You're such an ass," she groans, grabbing a towel from the cabinet. He blows her a kiss and she flips him off before closing the door behind her. Sinking down to the floor she buries her head in her hands and lets out a quiet sob. Tears leaked from her eyes and down her face as she remembered sharing similar banter with her ex partner. She couldn't help but notice the similarities between him and Johnny. And it made her feel weird inside.

"You okay in there, Sonya?" his voice breaks through her reverie.

Sniffing, she wipes her eyes and stands up. "I'm fine," she answers. With a long sigh, she turns on the water and adjusts the water to her liking, feeling the need for a long hot shower.

Meanwhile, Johnny is flicking through the channels trying to find something decent to watch while he kills time waiting for Sonya to finish her shower. He suddenly finds one of his movies airing on HBO and smirks. When she emerges from the bathroom in her new clothes, she eyes him suspiciously. "What?"

"Why do you look like that?" she questions him.

"Like what?" he counters innocently.

"Like you're the bad cat who ate the canary…" she replies. He simply pats the space next to him and she begrudgingly complies, shifting to the other side of the bed. "Oh no… is this one of your movies?"

"Ninja Mime," he responds. She shakes her head at him and tries to pay attention to the film, pointedly ignoring the steadily climbing thumps of her heart. After about an hour, she grabs the remote and presses the power button repeatedly, accidently turning the TV off and on again. "Easy on the remote, Sonya," he tells her gently, easing the remote control from her hands. "That bad?"

She blinks at the television. "What… in the actual fuck… was that shit?"

She's expecting him to brag about the success he's had with the movie. So in a rare moment, her jaw becomes unhinged when he responds with, "My worst movie to date." He frowns at her. "What? I'm able to admit when something of mines is horrible."

Unable to say a word, Sonya continues to stare at Johnny wide eyed and open mouthed. "Wow," she finally says after a long pause.

"Yeah. The worst idea my agent has ever came up with," he explains.

"I mean… a ninja is supposed to be silent and deadly. A mime is also supposed to be quiet. The fact that the damn ninja mime was anything but is just… what the fuck."

He shrugs but gives her a grin. "Apparent it was a hit in France though, so that's something." They lie in bed in stillness, looking at everything in the room but each other. Then, "Wanna see an Elvis impersonator tonight?"

She chuckles. "Sure, why not?" she answers with a noncommittal shrug. They both roll off the bed and she walks over the bureau to dab on some lip gloss while he goes to the bathroom to fix his hair. A few minutes later as he's closing the door, she asks, "You have the room key?"

"Mmm hmm," he replies as he hands her a copy. "You have your copy in case you feel like exploring on your own."

"Eh, I'll stick with you, but thanks." She smiles at him and it's hard for him to stop the upward tugging of his own lips. This ought to be fun, he thinks to himself as she loops an arm through his.

A/N: Part two is coming up next time. Meanwhile, I'll try to get an update ready for my other fic. Please review as per usual.