A/N: One of my bonus stories I meant to finish a long time ago. My file says this was for BtB chapter 240. Yikes. I'm sorry for the delay, and there will probably be more to come in the weeks to follow as I get caught back up in everything.
The temple. A place that John Morrison's come to call home. After being a bit of a free spirit since leaving WWE, he's happy to have a place to turn to regularly. Not to mention that, since he'd signed here, he'd managed to remind the world of just what he could do when not micromanaged by shortsighted suits. He'd also found Star, who brings a smile to his face every time he thinks about her.
She makes him proud and happy, the language barrier between them barely a problem anymore. Looks, touches, tone of voice help them to communicate whenever words aren't enough and he's pretty sure he's in love with her. Considering his history, it's hard to trust enough to take that step but she's so calm and loving that he's sure he'd had without realizing a long time ago.
As he ponders this, the fragility of human emotion, he realizes that he hasn't heard from her yet today. Checking his phone, he frowns upon finding not even a tweet from her waiting. She tweets a lot, or texts him cute little messages through the day but here... now... absolutely nothing.
Dialing her number, he taps his fingers against the balcony railing, waiting to hear her voice... but when he does, it's merely the voicemail recording, and his eyes widen. She rarely, if ever, ignores her phone to the point where it goes to voicemail. "Star, hey, it's Johnny. Call me back when you get this, I miss your voice."
"Hey, Star, are you busy? This isn't like you. Please call me back."
"Star, I'm going to start losing it if you don't call me back. It's been three hours. Come on, did I do something to make you mad?"
"Are you ok?"
After another call goes by unanswered, he stares at his phone. Taps his fingers against the screen. Ponders what to do. Tries to remember if Star had said anything about her plans for today. "Gym, lunch with her mom, and..." He checks the clock, shaking his head. That lunch date would've been hours ago, and he doesn't even have Star's mom's number to check in on her. "Dammit..."
He tosses the phone away and paces around his apartment, finally scooping up his keys and running out. Out to his car, where he proceeds to drive around, checking all of Star's favorite places. Her favorite restuarant, where they had their first official date at a few months ago. Her preferred gym. A park where she goes to run when she just needs to think. Even the beach, where he'd kissed her for the first time. Sitting down in the sand, where he thinks he can still see her footsteps, he slumps against the ground and shakes his head. "Where are you, Star?"
There are a number of shifty individuals in the temple, any one of them could've done something to her, intimidated or just plainly angry at the thought of a woman being able to outmatch most of them on any given day. His next thought is to go to the temple, see if anyone's lurking around there, but it's empty and quiet outside and in, so he reluctantly gets back in his car and drives away, stopping outside of Star's apartment. Nothing's changed but he gets out of the car anyway and walks up the stairs to her floor, sitting outside of her door and staring at the wall, trying to sense anything off. His meditation brings him to a different level sometimes, allows him to observe things beyond most mortals.
He's still sitting there when it happens, he feels a sharp pain stabbing down his arm as the sensation of it being wrenched out of socket rocks through him and he collapses onto his side, gripping his perfectly healthy appendage. "Shit!" he gasps, the moment of lucidity failing him as he returns to reality. "Star, oh my God." He grits his teeth and makes it to his feet, shaking at the realization of what this means. "Pentagon Jr. I will kill you..."
Considering Pentagon is so mysterious that no one knows his face, much less how to find him or his master, John goes to the next best option. The man in charge of hiring them all, making them be around whenever he has the urge to announce one of his unique opportunities. Dario Cueto himself. He lives in a rich, pretentious neighborhood in the outskirts of Los Angeles that makes John's teeth hurt as soon as he steps into it, but he forces through it, finding the man's house easily enough.
The secretary at Dario's office had been easy to sway, his good looks and charm encouraging her to give him Dario's contact information because, he claimed with a small smile, that he had merely wanted to send the man a thank you note for hiring him. Despite the fact that he had hired him, reluctantly, months ago by now. She hadn't batted an eye before handing out the delicate information, which had sent him on his way. Of course Dario has an impressive security system, John huffing at the gate separating him from his goal. He idles outside of it for a moment before peering at the fence posts leading past the gate. "Aha..."
It takes a lot of balance and more than a little patience as he moves along the cement blocks, leaping from one to the next, avoiding the posts waiting to stab him should he fall. Once free of the gate, he leaps onto the grass and rolls, hiding behind a bush and holding his breath. No sign comes that he'd been seen, though he expects Dario to have security cameras that will have someone on him before long. Getting to his feet, he dashes to the mansion and stands at the door, staring up at a camera as it aims right at him. "I know you know I'm here, Dario," he calls out. "I'm not leaving, and if you tell me what I need to know, I won't hurt you either. But if you don't, I'll rain so much shit down on your temple, you'll never be able to dig yourself out."
Dario's sneer is ugly and infuriating when he comes to the door, eyebrows lifted curiously. "What could you possibly find so important to come to my home to discuss with me personally, Mundo?"
"Star is missing and I'm sure Pentagon Jr. has her. You're going to tell me where his hideout is. Whatever could be considered his home." Dario merely stares at him, infuriating John more. "Tell me! Now!"
"Star," Dario murmurs. "Star... oh yes, Sexy Star. What a delicious mamacita, hm? She is yours?" He clicks his tongue. "What an unfortunate waste..." His smirk grows more and more smarmy and it's taking everything in John not to punch it clear off of his face. He looks like he's about to turn and shut the door in John's face, John preparing to leap forward and pound answers out of him, when he stops and stares down at John coolly. "I have at times found Pentagon Jr. in the caves by the sea. Have fun." He laughs cruelly before disappearing into his house, John glaring at the thick wood for only a second before racing back towards the gate to get to his car, this being the best lead he thinks he's going to have for now.
He knows of some caves that Dario may be talking about but there's no way he's going to attempt it alone, so instead he heads deeper into the city, towards Mike's house. He almost feels bad dragging Mike in this, but he can't think of anyone else he trusts for this, so he knocks on the front door and waits impatiently until the door's answered. "Hey, John, what's up?"
John swallows and stares at him. "I need your help. Star... Star's missing. I couldn't get in contact with her, her apartment's abandoned, and none of her family or friends know where she's at."
Mike immediately steps outside and pats his arm. "What do you need me to do?"
"I need help finding her. I went to Dario Ceuto to force information out of him and he directed me towards the caves by the sea, claiming that's where Pentagon Jr.'s been in the past for their business dealings. It's not a great lead, but it's the only lead I've got. If you want to help me, thank you, but if not I understand. I don't want to drag you into a dangerous situation. And this may be as dangerous as it can get."
Mike stares at him for a long moment before turning back to the door. "AJ's out doing errands, I'm going to leave a note for her and then we'll go." All John can do is watched, amazed, as his best friend goes inside and does just that, returning with his keys and some water. "Here. It's not coconut, but it'll do. You look like you haven't ate or drank anything in ages."
"Thanks," John mumbles, downing half of the first bottle before following him to his car. Mike's just pulled out of the driveway when John looks over at him. "Thank you."
"Anytime, man. You know I'm always here for you." The drive towards the sea is long, quiet. Both men are lost in thought, considering what to do when they arrive at Pentagon Jr.'s cave. Finally Mike pulls as close to the caves as he dares, while being out of sight. "Does this look alright?"
"Yeah," John says quietly. He can't stop looking at the cave even when Mike gets out of the car and leans against it, pondering. Finally John gets out and joins him, staring up at the caves.
"Where do we begin?" Mike wonders.
"Anywhere," John says, his impatient already winning out. "Split up, I'll go left, you go right and we search. If you see anything, yell for me because I don't think cell reception is great out here."
"Sure," Mike agrees. Following his suggestions, Mike goes from cave to cave, hesitant. He's not sure what might live in these caves, wildlife or ... someone as crazy, if not more so, than Pentagon Jr. But every cave he peeks in is empty, dark, lifeless. By the fifth one, he's more comfortable, confident in his own safety. He's just checked a sixth when he pauses and looks back to the other side of the cliff. "Hopefully John's having as uneventful a search as I am," he mutters. Though that too would be bad because it'd mean neither of them are any closer to finding Star...
-x
John doesn't bother looking into caves. He has no interest in riling up bats and other wild creatures he can sense on this side of the ridge. He'd purposely sent Mike to the other side because it was empty, peaceful. All danger and darkness resides on this side, his connection with nature telling him all he needs to know. Animals and such things are in the first four caves, and the final seven... but the fifth cave... within its depths lies what he craves, the person he'd slowly fallen in love with the last few months.
Calling back on his parkour abilities, he scales along the rocks and dirt until he reaches the mouth of the cave he's not been able to take his eyes off of. The darkness inside is overwhelming, smothering. He hesitates for a moment, resting a hand on the cool rocks surrounding it, before finally entering. He can feel her almost immediately, her spirit soothing his, encouraging him on. "Star! I'm here, I'm going to rescue you."
Barely have the words left his mouth when a faint, menacing laugh echoes through the darkness, seizes his soul. But Star is in there and he can't leave her to suffer all alone. So he braces himself and continues walking, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and until so, using his other senses to make his way through the cave. "I'm coming, Star, please hold on. I'm so sorry it's taken-"
His words die as a gust of wind forewarns him and he ducks aside, listening as a fist slices through thin air over his head. There's another attempt but he dodges it too, able to make out a tall, menacing form. Pentagon Jr., long accustomed to the darkness and thus having no such weakness... Johnny lunges at him and tackles his knees, sending him crashing into the wall where he slides down before slashing out, his gloved fists striking John in the face and chest. For a moment, John wheezes and curls in on himself, the air forced from his lungs, but Star... he can feel her, her fear, her determination to be strong, to survive, and it helps him up to his feet once more.
He kicks out and lands a solid blow to Pentagon Jr's stomach, then another to his face, and he just continues on and on, kicking and punching what he can. This isn't a wrestling match, it's not flashy. He's here to hurt, to maim, and he does so again and again until Pentagon Jr. is twitching at his feet. Now he realizes he can see, well enough, and he's just found a decent sized rock, holding it over Pentagon Jr's skull, about to finish the job. "No one will ever be hurt or kidnapped by you again," he vows quietly, lifting it up high to bring it down and smash Pentagon's skull, when something sharp and impossibly hard impacts with his skull and sends him to the ground.
"Maestro, ¡Socorro!" Pentagon Jr says, the first and last thing Johnny hears him say before darkness claims him.
He wakes up with a gasp, struggling against arms trying to hold him down. "No! No, no-"
"Hey, hey, it's just me!" It's Mike, he's trying to help him, feel for any injuries, or anything else-
But it still doesn't matter, only one thing's on John's mind. "Star!" he cries out, lurching to his feet and staring around through the darkness for her.
Mike is trying to say something, do something, but then- "Johnny..."
His knees sag in desperation and he stumbles towards her voice, finding her and burying his hands in her long blonde hair, finding her lips and kissing her. He can taste blood in her mouth and it pisses him off but she kisses him back with no lack of strength and he quickly loses himself in her, bracing her with a warm hand on her lower back. She moans softly into him and he lifts her up, resting her on his lap as he continues to kiss her, his hands tracing along the curves of her body, searching for any sort of injury. But everything seems to be in order, even her arm is untouched, so he slowly, reluctantly pulls away from her and rests his forehead against hers. "Let's get out of here."
She nods and he slowly helps her walk out of the darkness, into the light, and she sighs as the sun pours down upon her dirt-stained skin, neither of them patient enough to wait until returning home. Leaving Mike on the beach, he guides her into the sea and she stands in the swelling waves as the water washes her off, cleaning away all that Pentagon Jr. and his master had tried to do to her. She wraps her arms around his neck and stares into his dark eyes with a small smile. "Gracias, mi amor," she breathes out before kissing him once more.
He traces his hands up and down her sides before nodding. "If I hadn't found you in time, ..." His words drift, fade in the wind and she leans forward, kissing him and stopping this train of thought.
"I am fine, thanks to you," she tells him softly. "You found me." She strokes the small smudge of blood along his temple and smiles up at him. "I love you."
His eyes sparkle in the setting sun as he lifts her up and she wraps her legs around his waist, the two of them falling into the surf together with a laugh. "I love you too, Star," he breathes against her skin.