"Are you sure you're up for this?" Alex asked Sean as they approached the van with the casings. From Michael picking up a lead on a new op to rushing out to Germany to meet with a corrupt general, the team had been non-stop. It felt like a mad rush to complete the mission before Division came along and fucked everything up. They simply wanted everything to finally end. That mission could be their way to do so. Though, instead of remaining strictly defensive in their war and operations, the team should become offensive- directly attack Division for a change. If they get ahead of the fight, it'd be over.
As important as that was to consider for the immediate future, Alex's mind was elsewhere. Sean had tagged along with her on the mission. Ryan and Nikita were posing as buyers to con the North Korean general out of the casings. Michael and Birkhoff were back at the safehouse, running interference and securing hacks. And Sean and Alex were supplying backup and ensured the perimeter stayed clear. The young woman believed she could've done it alone, however. Not that she didn't want a partner, she really appreciated the Seal's presence. But it was too soon for him to be back in the field.
His mom had just died. Even if he had been spending time with his sisters and their family, he couldn't have processed the loss that quickly. Alex knew that from her own horrific experience; she knew that far too well. Sean hadn't healed from the pain and trauma. He shouldn't push himself or rush ahead. He was allowed to take care of himself. The team could handle another mission without him. Yet he wouldn't admit to that. He'd rather be stubborn, "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
"After everything you've been through?" Alex wouldn't let him off the hook that easily. It was only fair that she finally flipped the script on him. Sean hadn't left her alone as she fought her addiction and figured out how to be a real person, no matter how many times she tried to push him away. She wouldn't let him ignore the pain of losing a parent. It wasn't as though he hadn't lost a family member before. His dad had died years before he had ever met Alex. But he didn't lose him as violently and suddenly as his mother. That kind of ache was different. It was the type of pain she was used to.
"Hey, you miss your mom too," Shrugging, Sean tried to avoid the subject entirely. His gaze was set on the van, and his attention attempted to refocus on the mission. Ryan and Nikita were closing the deal with the general. He and Alex just had to confirm the casings were real, and they'd be good to go. They could screw Percy over again, then attack him head on. Honestly, that plan was more therapeutic than talking about his grief. It was something active he could apply himself to. The act of vengeance always seemed like the best kind of medicine. It definitely got his mind off the pain.
"It's different. One day I'm going to see her again," Pulling Sean back to slow his steps, Alex countered. As she continued helping the team fight Division, she kept her distance from her mother. Katya didn't deserve to be in danger anymore. She could restart her life in Greece, and her daughter would join her once she could. The two remained in contact, assuring that they were still there for one another. They had lost each other once; they couldn't lose one another again. Unfortunately, distance had to be involved to ensure that happened. But at least they'd be together again someday. That sadly wasn't the same for the Pierces.
"I know. Sitting around grieving isn't going to help. Beating Percy's ass will. That's what we're here for, right?" Sean resumed his quick pace, closing the last few paces to the van full of casings. He was aware he should talk, especially to Alex. She was the best person to process all of his complex emotions with. His sisters helped as well, yet they couldn't know the full truth. At least not yet anyway. Though, he wasn't certain if he ever wanted them to know the truth. Jill and Sandy were smart and capable enough to handle it, but he didn't want to put them through that.
Alex simply stared at him and he sighed. Alright, he'd talk- just after the mission. The journey back to the safehouse should give Sean the time to seek comfort with his girlfriend. She had helped him before, of course she'd help him again. His need to go it alone was stupid, especially since he'd say that to Alex or anyone else on the team. Revenge had just helped him after the loss of his Seal partner, he thought it could extend to losing his mother. He had to admit the situations were completely different, however. His heart had been broken into a million more pieces. It'd take time and effort to heal.
"We get these off the market, Division's gonna have one hell of a time trying to find more of them," Smiling softly, Alex nodded in determination. She and Sean would talk after their current operation. It was a fair deal. Besides, the mission seemed to be coming to a close. They had the casings. Nikita and Ryan were initiating the fake money transfer. It appeared as though the team was about to pull off another mission they would cripple Division. However, just as things were going great, the rug got ripped out from underneath them.
Gunshots echoed through the air. The guards showing Sean and Alex the casings dropped lifeless to the ground. The two rogues barely had to glance behind them to see who was responsible. Division had arrived on the scene. It didn't matter how they had gotten there, just that they did and they were killing anyone in sight. The team had to bail. Alex and Sean instantly ran for cover behind parked cars. They fired their own weapons, yet they were seriously outnumbered. Nikita and Ryan had to get out there immediately, "Nikita, abort! Division's here."
Nikita didn't have to be told twice. She and Ryan attacked the guards and general inside, then they sprinted to help the others. She had had the feeling that something bad was going to happen. Their mission was running just a bit too smoothly. Even the missions they succeeded easily at had hiccups here and there. But setting the meet, flying out to Germany, and dealing with the corrupt North Korean leader was far too easy. Division ruining everything made sense. At least the team had prepared for the black ops group. They knew to shoot first and figure out the rest later.
Sean and Alex managed to hold their own for a while. They picked off assailants from behind their covers, but they had to give up the casings in the van. It was difficult, if not impossible, to complete the mission and save themselves at the same time. Ryan and Nikita helped where they could; they just had guards and civilians to worry about. And Michael and Birkhoff were attempting to see what they could do from the safehouse. Except being in a completely different country wasn't useful. Things were slipping from their control.
That wasn't enough to make the team give up, however. They'd do anything to take out Division and save the day. They were so close. A couple more strikes and missions and it could all be over. They simply had to recover the casings. As he and Alex thinned out the Division agents, Sean thought he saw an opening to the van. If they leap-frogged over from behind the cars, they could still take the casings before the black ops group could. It was a bit of a desperate push, but they could do it, "I think we can make it to the van."
Nodding in determination once more, Alex agreed with Sean's plan. Just like his agreement to talk, he didn't have to say a word. She understood him completely. Nikita's jokes about her and Michael being perfect partners because they slept together was actually starting to make sense. Alex was certain that she and Sean wouldn't have been as spectacular out in the field together if they hadn't already expressed their hearts to one another. They could read each other's movements and minds better than anybody else. They flowed seamlessly together. Their enemies didn't know what hit them.
Only a few black ops agents were left standing. The young woman and the Seal were close to their goal. However, it still wasn't perfect. Their enemy was formidable, after all. And they could get in lucky shots. The bullet ripped through the air and struck Sean in the abdomen suddenly. He had just popped up from behind a car to provide cover for Alex. She was in the clear to sneak around and grab the casings. But her boyfriend shouted in pain and crumbled. Her attention snapped to him instantly. Once she saw the blood blooming across his abdomen, she crumbled as well.
"Sean!" Her voice didn't sound like her own. She rushed to his side, ripping off her scarf to desperately staunch the bleeding. Sean winced as Alex applied pressure, and she felt panic choke her heart. The sounds of gunfire and the sight of Ryan and Nikita joining their teammates went completely unnoticed. Everything was muted and blurred. She could only focus on her boyfriend bleeding out underneath her fingertips. That couldn't be happening. She couldn't let that happen. She had to do something to help him. Something better than freezing in her spot.
"Hey, Ryan! You miss Division?" That damn Division agent, Steven, taunted. With Sean down for the count and Alex's attention only on him, it looked like Division had won that round. They were closer to the van than Ryan and Nikita were. They also had more fire power. It'd be a miracle if the team could come out both victorious and alive. Over the coms Birkhoff and Michael were more focused on getting the Seal medical attention than the rest of the mission. It was time to cut their losses and focus on themselves.
"Not that time," Ryan just had to get off one more shot. He killed the last agent besides Steven, allowing Nikita to pop off multiple shots at the van. It didn't do much besides slow their enemy down as he drove off. She didn't give up, hoping to at least blow out the tires. They couldn't have lost when they were so close. Sean couldn't be seriously injured and Percy got everything he wanted. It wasn't fair. Maybe that was a childish and simplistic thought to have. War was never fair, after all. But it was so frustrating and heart wrenching to constantly be damaged when victory was so close.
Although she should've, Alex didn't care about anything else occurring around her. Nikita and Ryan could keep firing their guns and clinging to the chance of saving the mission. She just had to save Sean. He was shot in the abdomen. It could've missed his organs, and he could live. Or, like Carla, it could've nicked something and he would be gone far too soon. She couldn't lose him too. She had just gotten him. They had just gotten together and admitted their love. He couldn't leave her. She needed him. She needed everyone to stay in her life.
"Go! You gotta move. We're finding a doctor for you. Get out and we'll direct you," Michael's orders through the com seemed distant to Alex. She didn't quite register it. Sean didn't either, but he was fighting the pain to stay conscious. Nikita and Ryan had to step in to heft the Seal to his feet and help him to the car. Hopefully the doctor Birkhoff and Michael found them didn't ask too many questions. They could come up with some sort of cover story, but it might not be enough. Once Sean was healed he'd have to recover at the beach house. It was the safest place for him.
She continued to hover over her boyfriend, yet Alex didn't fight anyone on their decisions. She trusted them to help Sean and be far more rational than herself. No one would let anyone die on their missions. No one would let their teammates give their lives. There was enough death, loss, and heartbreak in their crusade. That had to end. The Seal needed to be the exception. His girlfriend needed him to be the exception. It was the only way the team could actually reach that victorious ending they prayed was near. They all had to be alive and happy. That was how it was all worth it.