7

V's muscles were still recovering from the four month long coma and ached when he woke up. Normally he would stretch them but Kerry was still resting peacefully next to him, his head resting on V's chest.

Unable to move much, he stared at the ceiling of his tent, his mind wandering back to the conversations he would have with Johnny after they'd broken into Kerry's mansion.

Johnny would tease him about the way he'd get butterflies any time the rockerboy called. V would deny it, but they both knew he was lying. There was no keeping secrets from someone you share a brain with.

He carefully reached behind the photo on his nightstand and grabbed the necklace Misty had given him the day he learned about Johnny. Holding it up, he admired it. The small bullet suspended in it had been the best and worst thing to happen to him.

It caused the Relic to activate, releasing Johnny on his mind. Thus, dooming him to a slow, painful descent into madness and eventual death. But he never would have met all the amazing people he'd come to see as family - Panam, Mitch, Carol, and all the other Aldecaldos.

He also wouldn't have met Kerry face-to-face. Of course, at the time, he had no idea how important he would become to V.

"You ok, V?" Kerry's voice was soft and V looked at him. Without realizing it, he'd been gently running his fingers through the other's hair.

With a smile he gave Kerry a squeeze. "Never better, Ker. You sleep alright?"

The rockerboy nodded, his focus shifting to the necklace in V's hand. "What's that?"

"It's the reason we met." He gave it to Kerry and he looked at it more closely.

"A bullet?" Confusion was written on his face and V couldn't help but chuckle.

"Vik pulled that out of my skull after Johnny's engram brought me back to life. It's the reason the Relic activated in the first place."

Kerry was quiet for a long moment, turning the pendent over in his hands. "Who would have thought this little thing would have caused so much trouble." He handed it back to V, who set it back behind the photo.

"Trouble or not, a lot of good things came out of it. For one, I met you."

They both smiled and Kerry shifted himself until his face was even with V's.

He opened his mouth to say something, but V reached up and kissed him. Soft and slow.

V smiled as Kerry curled his fingers into his hair. He slowly rolled onto his back and the rockerboy moved to straddle him, never once breaking the kiss.

Just as things were starting to get hot and heavy, Kerry's phone rang. V was tempted to tell him to ignore it, but remembered that he was supposed to be leaving to go back to Night City today.

"Better answer it, Ker. Might be your agent."

The rockerboy frowned and sat up, answering the call through his optic HUD instead of grabbing his phone.

"Yeah?... Mhm… Alright." Kerry rolled his eyes, a look of frustration crossing his face. "Sure… uh huh… Sure, k, bye." He laid back down next to V. "Damn label."

"Your flight?"

Kerry nodded, absently brushing his fingers across V's chest. He shivered under the attention before pulling the other into a hug.

"Unfortunately, it's about an hour drive to get to the airport."

"And my flight leaves in two and a half," the rockerboy sat up with a sigh. "Guess we should get ready to go then."

V followed suit. "Yeah. I'll have to go talk to Panam. The only vehicle I have here is my Arch. Everything else is back in NC."

Kerry stayed in the tent when V went to talk to Panam about driving her Thorn to the airport. He layed back on the bed. As uncomfortable as it was, he did get a good night's sleep. Though he suspected that had more to do with V being there.

After a few minutes, he started to regret not staying by V's side. His mind was starting to wander and the very question he dreaded was burning at the front of his mind. What happens now?

A rustling at the doorway brought his attention back. V was studying him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"She say no? Heard she's kind of protective of that truck." Kerry quipped as he sat up. Though, he secretly hoped that Panam had refused. Then he wouldn't have to leave.

V smiled but it failed to reach his eyes. "Nah, she just told me if I wreck it, she'll have to kill me. Your bags are already loaded. You ready?"

Reaching for his outstretched hand, the mercenary pulled him to his feet and into an embrace.

"You really gotta ask, V?" Kerry whispered.

For a moment, it felt like V was chuckling. But when Kerry kissed him, V's cheek was damp. Pulling back to look him in the face, his heart clenched. Tears were streaming down the mercenary's face.

"Talk to me, V." He pulled him back in close.

"I don't- I- Fuck-" V buried his face into Kerry's shoulder.

The rockerboy softly stroked his hair, "it's ok, V. Breathe."

V took several deep breaths before trying to speak again. "It might sound selfish, childish even. But I don't want you to go, Ker. I'm scared."

The last word caught him off guard. "Scared, V? What are you afraid of?"

He curled his fingers against Kerry's vest, clenching the fabric.

"I'm hooked, Ker. I don't want to lose you again. But…" His arms went slack. "I can't leave the clan. Not right now anyway."

Kerry's heart twisted at the sadness in the other's voice. "It's ok, V. You're not going to lose me. I'm yours. Try as I might have, I never got over you. And I'm so glad you're alive and that you came back to me."

He could feel V smile against him and return the embrace again. "Thanks, Ker."

The rockerboy was about to say more but V cut him off, pulling him into a deep kiss before speaking. "We should really get going though. It's a decent drive to the airport. And your label will be pretty pissed if you miss the flight."

V nibbled on Kerry's neck and he groaned. "Don't tempt me, V. I couldn't give a shit less about the label right now."

"Maybe not," V smirked. "But their pocketbook cares about you."

They both laughed and walked out to Panam's truck.

Aside from the music on the radio, the ride to the airport was mostly quiet. A knot sat uncomfortably in the pit of V's stomach. Kerry had a reputation to uphold and being seen with an Aldecaldo certainly wouldn't do him any favors.

He jumped a little when Kerry took his hand, entwining their fingers. "Relax, V. It's gonna be alright."

Unsure of his ability to respond without crying again, he just gave the other's hand a squeeze.

Slowly the landscape started to change. The small shrubs and trees were replaced by more urban features and traffic increased.

Before long, V took the exit for the airport. His heart was pounding as he pulled into the departure area.

They sat in silence for a long moment before V worked up the courage to speak.

"Kerry, I'm… I'm going to come back to Night City. Not today, but soon."

The rockerboy seemed taken aback, "but you love it out here, don't you?"

"For the most part. But it's been complicated with more than a few of the clan. A lot of them blame me directly for Saul's death. And it's created a lot of tension. When I get back I'm going to sit down with Panam and talk to her about it."

Kerry nodded and kissed V's knuckles. "I'm sure it'll work out, V. You're a good-" the shrill sound of Kerry's holophone interrupted him. Irritation crossed his face as he checked the ID. "Ugh, fucking label again."

"Better answer, I'll get your stuff." V opened the door and slid out. A strange feeling of unease washed over him as he walked around the back of the truck. He couldn't help but notice a few Raffen Shiv in a car nearby.

Keeping his head low, V scanned the area. Nothing else seemed out of place. The passenger door snapped shut and he dropped the tailgate.

"Need help getting your bags in?" He asked, still watching the Raffen in his peripherals.

A hand on his cheek startled him, his attention snapping fully back to the man in front of him.

"You ok, V? You seem even more distracted than before." Kerry's voice was soft, his eyes filled with concern.

V nodded, "yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"I'll call you when I land, alright?" The rockerboy leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'll be waiting, Ker," V turned away quickly, hoping to hide the tears that were threatening to spill over again. There was the scrapping of suitcase wheels against the pavement and the hiss of a door. V looked back and Kerry was gone.

With a huff, he mindlessly adjusted his Aldecaldo jacket before getting back in Panam's truck. Even with the radio chattering away an uncomfortable silence filled the space around him. He shook his head and pulled away from the curb, relieved when the Raffen vehicle didn't follow.

Once he was free of the city's traffic, V put the truck on autopilot and rubbed his eyes. Over the last two days, he'd been the ringer both physically and emotionally. Seeing Kerry with someone else, somehow getting him back, surviving an AV crash, the list went on. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the car growing steadily closer in the rear-view mirror until it was too late.

The back window shattered and V moved just in time, a bullet grazing past his head and ripping into the dashboard.

"Fuck!" Wires sparked but the autopilot was still functional. Pulling Archangel from its holster his eyes flicked to the mirror. The Raffen vehicle from the airport was on his tail. Suddenly a hail of bullets tore through the truck. V ducked and managed to avoid it, or so he thought.

White hot pain was radiating from his shoulder but he did his best to ignore it. Checking the computer again he was glad to see autopilot was still holding. V struggled to pull his personal link with his injured arm but managed to jam it into the Thorn's port. Almost instantly there was the sensation of floating as his system synced with the turret mounted on top.

For a moment, nothing happened. V silently prayed that it wasn't jammed, fighting from a moving vehicle with nothing but a pistol was not something he enjoyed. Finally, the gun started to rotate and he put the Raffen vehicle squarely in the crosshairs.

Another barrage of bullets assaulted the truck, a couple grazing across his back. This time he returned fire. The large caliber bullets shredded through the car, killing the driver and engulfing the engine in a blaze of fire. It swerved sharply before hitting a guard rail and exploding.

V unplugged from the gun and felt the truck starting to drift. He shot up, grunting against the pain of his wounds. The computer was damaged and the autopilot disengaged.

Frowning, he put one hand on the wheel. He rummaged through the glove box with the other, looking for a MaxDoc hypo to staunch the bleeding from his shoulder. Eventually he found one. The relief was almost instantaneous. The screaming pain faded to an annoying ache and the bleeding slowed.

Readjusting in his seat he looked at the damage around him.

"Panam is gonna kill me." He frowned and dialed her up on the holo. It was unusual that she didn't answer. But his call went unanswered.

After a few minutes, V tried again. Something wasn't right, she still wasn't picking up.

"Alright," he huffed. Maybe Mitch knows what she's up to. But he didn't answer either.

By now, alarm bells were screaming in V's head. He slammed on the accelerator as he tore off the highway and onto the back roads near the camp.

Black smoke billowed up from behind a hill in the distance. The hill they'd set up camp near.

"Oh no, no, no!" He pushed the truck for everything it had, dirt and dust spewing up behind him.

He came to a screeching halt on the edge of camp. It was a scene out of a horror movie. The trailers were nothing but burnt out shells, some tents were still smoldering. Mangled bodies laid in the dirt. A few Aldecaldos were trying to extinguish some of the remaining flames.

A noise behind him made him turn. The Basilisk came to a stop a few hundred yards away. Panam and Mitch emerged amidst a cloud of smoke. Both coughing and cursing.

"Panam, Mitch!" V hobbled in their direction. The hypo had helped, but the bleeding hadn't fully stopped and he was starting to feel a bit light headed. "What the fuck happened?"

"V, Christ am I glad to-" She rushed up to him but stopped, her eyes landing on his blood-soaked coat. "Holy shit, are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What happened, Pan?"

"Raffen attacked not long after you left," Mitch answered. Panam still hadn't taken her eyes off V. "Here, V." Another hypo was thrust into his hands and he took it without question.

V looked back at the camp in complete disbelief. The level of destruction was unlike anything he'd seen in his time with the Aldecaldos.

"Something doesn't add up." V partially meant to keep the thought to himself, but it found its way out.

"How so?" Panam finally shook off her shock.

"There's no way they could have orchestrated all this in such a short amount of time. First the AV, now this? And they attacked me on my way back. Tailed me when I got outside the city." He turned to Panam and pointed to her truck. "Sorry about the damage, Pan."

She shook her head. "You're right, V. Something doesn't make sense. But let's help our people. Then we can speculate." She took off in the direction of the camp and the two men followed.