CLICK
by Gunman
Disclaimer: I do not own John Wick or its characters.
Summary: An alternate take on my last chapter.
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Chapter 2
Alternate Ending
John Wick stared hard at the Italian man as he sat in the lounge of the Continental. John was bloodied, bruised, haggard and limping just a little. Gun in hand, he stared down the man who had used him and then betrayed him.
"Duck fat. Makes all the difference." Santino D'Antonio said as he sat at the private table.
"Jonathan..." Winston, the manager and owner of the Continental said to Wick.
"Have you seen the menu here? Lot of options." Santino said, somewhat smugly.
"Jonathan, listen to me..." Winston said again, trying to get John's attention.
"A man can stay here a long time and never eat the same meal twice." Santino said.
"Jonathan, just walk away." Winston said, more urgency in his voice.
"Yeah, Jonathan. Walk a..."
John slid the chamber back on the gun, the bullet ejecting without incident. He quickly turned the gun on Santino and pulled the trigger.
CLICK.
The few people in the lounge, including Winston and Santino, let out a breath.
"Do you know the last thing your sister said to me? She asked me... if I believed in damnation. You know what I said? I said 'yes'. Because I know, the second I die, I'll never see my beloved Helen again. I have no illusions about that." John said as he turned around and walked over to the bar.
The bartender looked at John, as if waiting for him to make his order.
"Bourbon. Neat." John said as he stood by the bar, his rage boiling over in his body.
Winston just looked at John as he stood beside him. He could see John's hands shaking.
"I have to admit, Jonathan, I actually thought you would shoot him. Here." Winston stated.
"I still want to." John said as the bartender brought him his drink.
"You know, of course, the repercussions of such an action." Winston said.
"I do." he said as he guzzled down his drink.
John then placed two gold coins down on the bar.
"What's that for?" Winston asked.
"Dinner reservation." he said.
At hearing those words, Winston tensed up, thinking that John was going to kill Santino anyway.
"John, you know better." Winston warned as the bartender refilled his drink.
"But I also know that I have no other way out." he said.
Winston looked at John, slightly puzzled.
"They'll never stop hunting me. He'll never cancel the price on my head. And I can't touch him without bringing hell down upon myself." John said as he downed his drink again. "I'll be hunted no matter where I go."
Winston kept silent.
"Tell Charon to take care of my dog." John said as he slid the bullet back into the chamber of his gun.
"John..." Winston said, getting nervous now.
"And tell Aurelio, he can have my car." John added as he gripped the handle of the gun.
Winston was not liking where this was going.
"Jonathan... don't." Winston said, now realizing what was about to happen.
He'd hoped he was wrong, but now...
"I'll never be free. Even in a nice refuge." he said as he looked up at the ceiling.
"There are other ways of handling this." Winston said. "To live, when others want you dead, is in itself, a great victory."
"I tried to live. I tried to quit. I tried to be happy. And now... I'm tired. I'm just so tired."
"Then take a rest, Jonathan." he suggested.
"An eternal rest."
"Don't do this." he said, knowing full well that a man of Focus, even in his waning moments, could not be swayed.
"I'm sorry about the carpet, Winston."
"Jonathan..."
The gun slid neatly underneath his chin, his eyes closed as he muttered three words.
"Helen... forgive me." he said, right before he pulled the trigger.
BANG!
His body fell to the ground, the gun still clutched tightly in his hand as the blood stained the fine, and recently cleaned, carpet.
Winston said nothing, and motioned for Santino to say nothing either.
He was not in the mood.
Winston hoped, he truly hoped, that John Wick, in some way, found peace. He knew it was a fools hope, considering Johns life, but maybe, just maybe, a merciful god would grant this poor man something.
Santino said nothing as he walked out of the hotel, a satisfied smile on his face.
He was outside the Continental Hotel of New York, right on the street, and was about to hail a taxi to take him back to his own private residence, when he heard the unmistakable sound of hammer being cocked back.
CLICK!
Santino slowly turned around and half-expected to see John Wick standing before him.
He was instead shocked to see Cassian standing before him, gun in hand.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Cassian." Santino said.
"You know why I'm here." Cassian said.
"I thought... to kill John Wick."
"Wick killed your sister, my ward, Gianna, because of a marker. Held by you." he explained.
"Oh. So... you're here to avenge her?" Santino asked.
"I would have settled for Wick, but I heard he just offed himself." Cassian stated.
"Yes. Rather pathetic, if you ask me." he said as he looked at the dark-skinned man. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in a job?"
"For you?" Cassian asked, his face straight as ever.
"I have my sisters seat in Camorra. What is hers, is now mine. So... technically, you already work for me." Santino said with a smug smile.
"True. However, there's one little problem with that." Cassian said in a low tone.
"And that is?" the Italian crime boss asked.
"I don't like you."
BANG!
Santino gasped as the bullet hit him in the chest.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Santino's breath caught him in his throat, as blood filled his lungs. He fell to his knees and just stared up at Cassian, right before he fell forward and face-planted into the street.
Winston looked indifferently at Cassian, but there was a twinkle in his eye as he did.
"I thank you for not conducting your business on Continental grounds." Winston said to the former bodyguard.
"This was more on your doorstep." Cassian said as he walked over to Winston.
"Which technically ends at the sidewalk." Winston said.
Cassian shrugged his shoulders. Seems that it didn't make much difference to him. Now, anyway.
"Camorra will come for you now." Winston said as Cassian stood before him.
"Good. I could use the rest." he said as he put his hand into his pocket.
He handed Winston a gold coin and turned to walk away, leaving the Continental owner to sigh. He looked at the body lying in front of the Continental, and was relieved to see Charlie and his boys pulling up in their van. The older, and somewhat shorter, man stepped out of the van and looked at the owner of the Continental.
"I was told there was a dinner reservation here at the Continental?" Charlie asked.
"Yes. Two, in fact." Winston said as he handed man the coin that Cassian left him, and motioned towards the body in the street.
"Of course." Charlie said as he and his boys went to work.
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Authors Notes:
Hope everyone enjoyed this alternate take on this story. I've got more ideas. One of which, involves John surviving and killing Santino himself.
Please read and review.