Chapter nine

Christian winced under the weight of Jason, dragging him through the busy, dusty streets. The sun was going down at last but with it brought a chill and the loss of light because the City's power was out. They'd passed dozens of mourners carrying the bodies of loved ones, screaming women, angry men. In the distance explosions and gunshots echoed from the city centre as the militant group continued their assault.

Ryan was walking ahead, rifle in hands, using basic Arabic to keep people from approaching. Every so often he would stop and communicate vaguely with a local, asking for directions, asking if it was safe to go the way they were going, asking if they had a working telephone. It was remarkable watching the young man work, his freckles and Boy Scout mannerisms making him look like the most unassuming trained killer. At least Jason looked like a marine. Ryan just looked like a fresh faced college freshman.

"How you doing, Boss?" Ryan called over his shoulder as they approached the city suburbs after hours of walking. It took Christian a minute to realise that he was actually speaking to Jason, the bear like man the boss to the other staff.

"Agony," Jason huffed with energy which he didn't honestly have. He was exhausted and had lost a lot of blood from the gash in his lower side, the metal still embedded but not bothering him overly considering. Ryan and Jason had decided that, for Jason to even be alive this long with the metal still in his side, they doubted he'd damaged anything vital. They couldn't be sure but they were almost certain. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere you can lie down," Ryan said, all three men jumping when another explosion sounded, the rebellion on going behind them. Christian turned to look and saw the sky was indeed red with burning back at the city centre.

"Fuck sake," Christian winced, feeling Jason shaking under him.

"Now you understand why I don't like fireworks," Jason tried to joke.

"PTSD?" Christian asked as he followed Ryan.

"No. Never diagnosed," Jason winced, the echoes of gunshots going off now.

"You weigh too much," Christian cursed, adjusting his hold on Jason.

"You complain too much," Jason mumbled, pulling his trousers back up. They were ripped by the waistband and heavy with his blood that they kept falling off his hip at the side, "Fuck this hurts."

"Almost out of the city, Boss," Ryan promised, "There's bound to be a barn or something we can hide in. Hay would be warm."

"Hay?" Christian said in shock.

"The desert gets freezing. You'll be glad for hay," Ryan explained with that adorable smile, leading then forward in silence now, keeping his eyes peeled for a shack or a barn they could commandeer.

.

After a few hours of walking in the blistering sun...

"Mmmm!" Jason moaned into Christian Grey's belt, biting the leather hard.

"Almost done," Ryan promised almost sweetly, doing his best to stitch the wound on Jason's stomach without pain relief. Christian could do nothing but stare on, holding a rifle and covering the two men.

They'd walked as quickly and as discreetly out of the city as they could, entering the suburbs and then eventually making their way out into a more rural area. Jason was struggling with where his injury was so they'd been in luck when they found an old barn, Ryan scouting it out before all three of them entered the building. Once there, Ryan had stripped Jason for him and dug out the medical kit from the rucksack on Christian's back.

Christian had offered up his belt so Jason didn't grind his teeth to the gum whilst Ryan cleaned him up with a little of their precious water and studied the gash; a five inch long, deep open wound which ran in a diagonal from the side of his stomach to his pubic hair, a chunk of metal embedded at the top. The whole thing had needed stitched, Ryan having to shave Jason with a hunting knife so he could see the wound edges more clearly; the bastard had obviously never heard of manscaping.

Pulling out the mental had been risky but had needed done, both Ryan and Jason sure nothing vital had been damaged. Ryan was able to quickly clean then stitch the wound as best he could, given the limited first aid survival kit he'd packed in the rucksack.

"You're a lucky bastard," Christian scoffed, looking down at Jason lying with his ruined jeans hanging off his knee caps. The barn they'd commandeered was freezing cold even with the door closed. Christian could see his breathe which was such a striking contrast from the blistering heat through the day. He could tell his face was burnt, as was Jason's, the course of being fair haired men. Ryan, at least, had tanned.

Christian had been in a desert before but never at night and out with a hotel compound. He felt his teeth chattering as he stood watch over Jason and Ryan. He'd no idea how to shoot an assault rifle but he felt better having it in his hands. If someone approached, he'd at least be able to shoot it and buy time until the other two men could grab guns and take control of the situation. Really, keeping Jason alive was Christian's best bet on getting home to his wife and kids. Not that that was the only reason he wanted Jason alive; he loved the man dearly.

"Ow!" Jason snapped, looking down at the stitched wound, "Fucking Hell. Two more inches and you'd be stitching up my cock. Before I've even had my honeymoon."

Ryan laughed, "Gail wouldn't be happy with you, that's for sure." He pulled out a bottle of antibacterial spray and looked at Jason's wound, "Cover your little marine."

Jason winced and reached down to cup himself, no shame about being bollock naked whilst he'd been getting stitched up. He had to look away now from Ryan, not wanting to see the stinging spray cleaning up the wound.

"Oh fuck," Jason hissed.

"Right, you're good," Ryan nodded, packing his little first aid box away into the rucksack once more.

Christian watched Jason slowly pull up his ripped and bloodied jeans, sitting up gingerly.

"We'll take it in turns to sleep," Jason said, watching Christian now.

"I can do the first shift," Christian offered.

"I'll do it next," Ryan nodded, "I would recommend that you sleep for as long as you need, Jason. We did have to perform CPR on you earlier. You hit your head pretty bad."

"I can do my share," Jason said firmly, Ryan knowing not to undermine him as he nodded in agreement. He leant into the rucksack and pulled a bottle of water out and took a deep sip quickly. They didn't have much left, they had to ration it evenly between them. He threw Ryan the bottle of water after he'd had his share then Christian got the bottle himself. He'd a splitting headache from dehydration but even just that few gulps had done wonders to take the sting off.

.

A few hours later…

Jason looked over at Christian who was laying down beside him, exhausted now that the adrenaline had worn off and shivering from the cold. The businessman had done exceptional for a man who never relinquished control of a situation. He'd understood that his was not the wisest mind in this situation and instead had done every single thing Jason had asked him to do, exactly when he'd been asked. He'd done fantastically to maintain his speed throughout the day too. The guy was exceptionally fit but there was a difference between athleticism on a track in Seattle and athleticism in a warzone being shot at. Not everyone kept that pace but Grey had and Jason was incredibly proud of him.

Ryan was on shift but they were almost certain that neither of them could really sleep; they were so wired. Even Jason was struggling to nod off and he had needed resuscitated. Christ, Gail wasn't going to be happy when she heard that. Slowly, not wanting to aggravate his stitches, he pulled the Good Luck gem stone he'd stolen from Gail and rubbed it with his thumb.

This trip had had him on edge since Mr Grey had informed him of his need to go. He'd convinced Gail to come with him to City Hall and be registered a couple, Luke and Reynolds their witnesses. The soul reason behind it was that Jason had left his entire estate to Sophie and he was worried Dolly, his abusive ex-wife, would worm her way into being the actual benefactor of his will. As his wife, Gail would be in total control and he trusted her completely to ensure Sophie would always be provided for. One his safe return, they would have a ceremony and reception to celebrate. Heck, he was going to need a weekend bender of a Stag Do, the mere thought of a cold pint right now was enough to give him a semi.

"Either of you awake enough to let me go outside for a few minutes?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Jason nodded and sat up, "Just make sure you take a gun with you. I'm not coming out there to save your ass with your jeans round your ankles."

"Watch your stitches," Christian pointed out, sitting up too.

"It'll be fine. We're safe out here in the middle of nowhere," Jason shrugged, "We've struck lucky. Five minutes top, Ryan. Or I'll come out there looking for you."

"Five minutes, boss," Ryan smiled, picking up his hand gun and opening the wooden door slowly. He crept outside.

"It's twelve am," Christian mumbled, pressing the light on his watch and studying the screen, "What do we do next?"

"Get food," Jason chuckled, "What I wouldn't give for Gail's lasagne right now."

Christian bit his lip and, rightfully so, Jason's wife made lasagne that was better than sex. The thought of a pint had Jason at a semi, imagining a mouthful of his wife's lasagne had him hard as a rock.

"Gail's cinnamon buns," Christian added.

"Steak," Jason mumbled, biting his lip, "Steak, steamed vegetables and chunky chips."

"Pork chops," Christian added, "or Gammon steak."

"Bacon," they both said in unison then laughed.

"How are we going to get home?" Christian asked Jason then, "What do we do? We're being hunted."

"We stick together and survive," Jason shrugged, honestly no idea what to tell him. He'd no set plan as of yet, "Worst case scenario, we steal someone's car or some horses and try and get to the boarder or at least to a part of the country where there's telecommunications."

"I'm sorry I never listened to you and dragged you out here," Christian told him then before looking at his watch, "Ryan's taking his time."

"Probably shitting," Jason shrugged, then looked at Christian's horrified face, "Do you need to go?"

"I'll wait till we find working toilets," Christian grunted.

"I can't promise when that will be so you'd better get used to relieving yourself under the stars," Jason informed him then looked up when Ryan finally showed his face again, "Where the fuck were you?"

"Having a wank," Ryan said honestly, taking his seat again and smiling adorably. His smile fell when he obviously saw Christian and Jason's shocked expressions, "What?"

"You…huh?" Jason coughed, lost for words, "You went outside and jerked yourself off?"

"I'm wired, Boss," Ryan admitted, "I was jumpy and anxious."

"So you masturbated," Jason echoed, "In the desert."

"Well, yeah," Ryan nodded, "Have you never done that in a stressful situation? It's natural."

"He's right," Christian said, "I've had a few quiet moments in my bathroom between meetings. Keeps the mind sharp."

"See," Ryan smiled again, "It's just a little stress relief. I'm a little tired now but it's a lot better than how I felt before. I can focus better."

"Oh for fuck sake," Jason mumbled, slouching down again and rubbing his aching head, "Whatever."

He settled back down and attempted to nap again but he was too fucking wired which pissed him off because, damn it, having a wank sounded fine right about now. He would rather take Gail though. Gail bent over the kitchen counter in her work uniform, as he stormed into the cottage, angry and frustrated with work, needing to let of steam. God that would just be so fucking perfect right now.

"I miss Ana," Christian yawned, taking Jason away from his perverted thoughts, apparently unable to sleep either. Ryan looked up from his position holding the rifle, staring at Jason and Christian curiously, "I can't believe I'm stuck in a hay barn with you both when I could be in bed with my beautiful pregnant wife."

"It was your idea to come here," Jason pointed out boldly, wanting to remind Christian that he'd made his opinion clear earlier about coming to this volatile dump, "It was my recommendation that we stay at home until the baby arrived. Believe me, I would rather be at home with my beautiful wife in bed."

Christian just nodded, sitting up now and shuffling closer to Jason's side for warmth. He didn't say he wanted to cuddle up but he certainly didn't complain when Jason wrapped his arm around his shoulders. Sharing body heat would be crucial to surviving.

"Yeah," Ryan quipped in, putting the rifle down for a moment and working out his frozen fingers, "I miss my girlfriend too."

"You've a girlfriend?" Jason asked with scepticism, his eyebrow raised, "Who?"

Ryan looked at the ground, "Uh...Ana-Gail. Abigail. She's an accountant in the east of the city."

Even Christian's interest was sparked then, both him and Jason sharing a look before gazing back at Ryan, the young and oddly innocent man. He was good at what he did and was exceptionally intelligent but there was something really nerdy about him that no one could place their finger on. He was the only one of them who understood what Barney was saying half the time which was why Jason liked keeping him around; for all his lack of social skills, he was exceptionally intelligent.

"What's she like?" Christian asked then, wrapping his own arm around Jason to get more heat going between them.

"Like a normal woman," Ryan pointed out vaguely, squirming a little with the rifle in his hands. Jason saw he was blushing now, "She's got, uh, blue eyes? And blonde hair," Ryan said with a firm nod, "A nice body. Dresses well. She's a Scorpio."

"Boobs." Jason said bluntly, then saw Ryan's expression so had to explain for the Kid, "When guys ask 'what's she like?' they really want to know about her assets, son. Not her birthstone."

That saw Ryan blush red, embarrassed that he'd misunderstood guy code.

"She's got big boobs. Big butt too. Um, she's got," Ryan said, scratching his brown hair. It was almost painful to watch, Jason thought. But he could see Grey in the corner of his eye smirking at Ryan's discomfort, the sick fucker. "She's got a big...labia majora? And a clitoris. And-"

"Oh my god," Jason grumbled, flopping back on the hay, stitches be damned. This was getting too much, too embarrassing. The poor Kid had no fucking idea what he was talking about, no idea that Christian was deliberately asking him questions to catch him out.

What was Ryan even talking about? "She's got a big...labia majora?" Fucking know it all ass. Yeah, Jason liked women, but he couldn't name the individual aspects of the female organs, just the good bits, the basics he'd come to love; clit, vagina, anus.

He could draw one he reckoned but he had never had an aptitude for biology so he doubted that he'd be able to individually label anything. Of course, Ryan could though. The guy had one of those freaky photographic memories. He just knew things that none of the other guys did.

'Did you know that cranberries have antibiotic properties and were used by Native Americans to treat wounds?'

'No I didn't, Ryan, but thanks for that,'

Christian, however, was encouraging the car crash that was Ryan's girlfriend-story. The bastard was enjoying watching the younger guard squirm maybe a little too much, Jason thought, "She sounds beautiful, Ryan," he commented, "You're a lucky guy. What does she do for a living?"

"She's a teacher," Ryan said then cursed straight away when he realised he'd been caught lying. Christian grinned triumphantly, raising an eyebrow at him whilst Jason just covered his eyes so he didn't have to endure this pain any longer. "Right, okay. So I don't have a girlfriend. I lied."

"There's no shame in that," Jason mumbled as he sat back up eventually, "You don't have to lie to impress us, Ryan. Luke doesn't have a girlfriend. No one honestly cares."

"It's not that, boss," Ryan said to Jason, sheepish suddenly. He scratched his stubbly jaw and then shrugged, "I am a little ashamed. I've never had a girlfriend before so, um...I'm uh, I'm kind of a virgin."

Jesus fucking Christ; why me? Jason thought.

He was so fucking hopeless at this sensitive crap. He was so bottled up himself that he couldn't sanely offer advice to anyone. Gail was good at sitting with the men and talking about their feelings and lives. She'd sat with Reynolds for hours talking about his sexuality, she'd cradled Sawyer when he'd found out his mom's cancer was back and sobbed on their sofa, when Ryan had the flu she'd let him stay with them till his fever was down, cleaning his soiled sheets. She was a natural mother which was one of her finest qualities. Jason didn't possess such qualities so what was he supposed to say to the kid?

"'kind of a virgin'?" Grey echoed, sitting straight now. Apparently the cold wasn't bothering him now, Ryan's blush heating the whole bloody barn.

"I've touched a girl's backside before," Ryan said, as polite as ever, "That's about it."

"That's all?" Jason exclaimed suddenly, then saw what his shock did for Ryan's confidence. The Kid looked up to him, so Jason cursed himself.

"There's a virtue to that," Christian observed, trying to fix it for Jason, "It's rather honourable that you've waited this long to have sex. I mean, you're how old?"

"Twenty-eight, sir," Ryan admitted, than coughed, "God, I'm nearly a thirty year old virgin."

"I think the world forgets that men want their first time memorable too," Christian said with a shrug, "I was fifteen, nearly sixteen, when I, uh, first had sex and I wasn't ready at all. I would be devastated if Teddy's first time was anything like mine. As a father to a son, I want him to be ready. Be with someone special, you know?"

Ryan smiled at that, nodding in agreement. He then looked at Jason with those big hopeful brown eyes. The wrong comment would destroy his self-esteem, Jason had to think carefully before uttering a word. "Well," he started, "It's what it is."

Jason cursed himself for that, seeing Ryan's confusion as well as Christian's.

"What I mean is, you're doing what's right for you and that's a good thing," Jason explained and saw Ryan's smile again, "I mean, I was thirteen when I first had sex. Started puberty at eleven so when my classmates were still collecting baseball cards I was a horny little brat chasing pus-" he stopped quickly when he realised he wasn't just speaking to one of his men but rather in the presence of his boss, "I mean, I was interested in sex at a young age. So for me, it was right to get it out of my system. That doesn't mean my experience was the right one, or Reynolds or Luke-."

"Luke waited till he was eighteen," Ryan interjected.

"Well, that was right for him. I guess, huh," Jason grumbled, this whole mess making his head hurt, "No one cares, Ryan. I think that's what I want to say. You don't have to lie about it. It is what it is."

"It just never happened for me," Ryan admitted, "I'm a twin. He's the good looking one, the successful big shot lawyer. I was the dopey twin who went to the army. I was just never that confident around women because, well, I'm sorta living under my brother's shadow."

"Good women don't see that," Christian said now. Who'd have thought the bastard was capable of being polite and caring?

"Ryan," Jason said firmly, "If we get out of this shitty country I promise you that I will make sure I have a Stag Do and you'll be the first to get a lap dance. Get you to at least get you to second base."

Ryan laughed at that, shaking his head with that adorable smile. He was about to speak when the barn door opened, his expression changing to that of a trained killer. Jason rolled over Christian's body, grabbing his own gun and pointing it towards a young woman dressed in a traditional dress and veil.

She screamed when she came face to face with their guns, dropping…bottles of water?

"Stand down," Jason ordered, glad Grey was staying out of sight. Christian was worth more than both Ryan and Jason combined, it was a load of Jason's mind that his boss was hiding. With a lot of effort he stood. Ryan kept his gun up as Jason approached, hands up, "English?"

"American?" the girl asked instead, her own hands up. Her eyes drifted to Jason's blood soaked trouser leg, "Hurt?"

"Yes," Jason said, slowly lifting up his shirt to show her his wound. He then cleared his throat and nodded, placing his hand across his chest and bowing slightly to greet her as best he could, "Hal tatahaddath alanjlyzy?"

Jason knew Luke would be proud to hear him asking locals if they spoke English. His Arabic wasn't great but it was better than nothing.

The young girl apparently understood his attempts and nodded, "Yes. Little. Water?" she added, pointing to the bottles she'd brought to them, apparently. She must have seen Ryan sneaking out and back in. Of for the love of God Jason hoped she hadn't seen him masturbating in the desert.

Oh dear lord please….pleeeeeeease!

"Iismi, Jason." Jason said, smiling, watching the girl as he slowly crouched down and picked up the dropped water, careful of his stiches. He then stood, slowly pointing to Ryan, "Ryan."

"My name, Niesha," the girl, Niesha, said pointing at herself. She then pointed outside, "My mother. You come? Food."

"Niesha," Jason smiled and placed his hand across his chest again, "Shukraan, thank you. Shukraan."

"Jason, are you sure?" Ryan whispered.

"They know we're here and brought us water; they didn't phone the authorities," Jason whispered back, "Lets go. Worst case scenario," he said, subtly nodding to the gun, "we make a break of it. Best case scenario; they have a phone that works."

"Okay, boss," Ryan nodded, putting the gun on safety and standing. Niesha flinched when Ryan moved, so he copied Jason and laid his hand on his chest, "Shukraan."

Niesha smiled, then jumped when Grey stood out of the hay, brushing straw from his hair as he straightened up, "Luke Sawyer," he smiled, pointing to his chest then automatically put his hand out. After a mere millisecond he remembered he wasn't in the business world and instantly bowed his head and put his hand down like Jason and Ryan had done.

Jason had to smile at Grey; clever fucker, giving a fake name.

He put his arm around Christian's shoulder once more and walked with him, his stitches burning like a bitch. Niesha helped carry their water, leading them from the barn and towards a small house over a small hill.

"That smells good," Christian commented as they got closer, "I'm so excited to eat something."

"Just follow my lead," Jason reminded him, "And if I say 'run', you follow Ryan and you don't look back."

They entered the small home and were greeted by both warmth and the smell of something delicious being cooked. Niesha spoke in Arabic which Jason barely caught, Ryan staying close with the guns.

"My mother," Niesha introduced as a small veiled woman came through and looked at the three wary men. She ran her eye over Jason's bled on trousers then turned to Niesha and said something quickly, waving her away through the house. When she returned, she was carrying a pair of trousers, "My fathers. Dead."

"Shukraan," Jason said, placing his hand over his chest once more and smiling at the little older woman. The older woman was having none of it though and shooed Jason, Ryan and Christian through to a small seating area, shouting something in Arabic at them all.

"Dress here," Niesha translated for her mother, "We bring food. You sleep."

"Niesha?" Ryan asked, "Are we safe?"

"Safe?" Niesha repeated then nodded, "You safe."

"Do you have a phone? Hatif?" Jason asked hopefully, holding his hand up to his ear to gesture a mobile.

"No," Niesha shook her head and fixed him with an apologetic smile, "No phone, Jason."

"Thank you anyway," Jason said, giving her another smile of his own. Geez, he hadn't had to smile this much in a while. Language barriers were absolutely ridiculous.

Niesha made to leave again before Christian stopped her, "Niesha, uh, Ryan how do I say toilet?"

"Mirhad," Ryan said, then Niesha nodded and blushed a little. She waved at Christian and pointed outside towards a fucking outhouse. Jason had to laugh, seeing how happy Grey looked at the prospect of not having to shit or piss in a desert like Jason had told him would happen.

He fixed Jason a smug smile, winking before heading outside with Ryan guarding him.

.

Post chapter notes; I didn't want Roz in this story so I killed her off. I like her as a character but for the purpose of this fanfiction, I didn't want her to live so it was easier (and maybe a little lazy of me) to write her as a bit more nervous. Reality is that I wouldn't know how strong a strong person can remain in the face of explosions and bullets so yeah I played up her character as being terrified. Might not be totally true to the character but for the sake of not having another character to write about, I killed her off. Sorry if ya'll thought it was unbearably out of character!

I wanted Ryan to be the polar opposite to the other guards; sweeter haha. I like the idea that Jason is the leader and a bit of a grump, Luke is the playful narcissistic one, Reynolds is the 'get on with it' sort and Ryan is like the pup of them all; like a bodyguard version of the Spice Girls haha. Just how I fancied writing it, how I imagined it, plus it's fun to write about different people and I like having a little humour to keep the story a little funny. Whether it's funny to read is another kettle of fish, but it's fun to write for sure.

Next chapter will be Welch and footage of the Embassy explosion.