Rescuer 13/13 (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard)
Title: Rescuer
Genre: Gen, Slash, Het
Bands: Bon Jovi, Def Leppard
Main Characters: David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell
Adult Content: No
Words: 1775
Chapter: 13/13
Summary: Smart-mouthed nine-breasted Venusian women, bouncy and naive Earth men, tough-talking asshole Charonite pilots, friendly space pirates, and a deep-seated revenge plot that goes back decades - just another work week for Jon Bon Jovi, Interplanetary Secretary of Transportation.
Teaser: It was a solemn group that gathered in the hospital lobby, steeling themselves for what they might find in Richie's room. Gyl hadn't bothered updating anyone, and at the moment all they really knew was he hadn't died yet.
Gyl finally managed to tow Richie's ship back to the surface of Charon, practically flying out of her own to assess the damage.
The hull looked like a big brick of charcoal, but was otherwise unharmed. No holes or big dents or - the gun was gone. But that was it.
Steeling herself for what she knew she might find inside, she let herself in, almost surprised the charred door opened so easily.
"Hey there."
Richie was pale. Really, really pale. Not really a good sign.
"Gyl, I need you to stay really fucking calm right now, okay? One of those shots took out my gun, and the ammo...fell."
"Fell?"
"Brace yourself." Richie shifted in his chair, and his right leg came into view.
Roasted chicken.
That was the first thing that came to Gyl's mind - roasted chicken. Almost the entire leg of his pants had burned away, and the skin underneath was dark red and purple and white and in some places black and there was blood. Jesus Christ.
"I need you to get me to a hospital. Right fucking now."
"Holy shit, Richie."
"Gyl, you can freak out later. Right now, you need to get me up and into your ship before this becomes an even bigger fucking problem."
He was forcing his words out from gritted teeth, the tendons in his neck standing out a little. Trying not to pass out, probably. Holy shit.
"Right, right. Sorry, I just...shit. Sorry." She crouched and helped him up, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"All Neptunians this tall?"
"Half. And yeah," she answered, and slowly walked him to her ship.
"I think I'm gonna pass out now. Please don't let me hit the floor, okay?"
He did.
And she didn't.
----------
Rick wiggled his headset off, sighing and running his fingers through his hair. He needed a long, long nap. Possibly preceded by a stiff drink. He glanced out through his view screen - and saw what was left of the fleet hovering in their pre-battle places.
He snorted. Gyl had really gotten it into their head about following orders.
"Stand down. Head back to Charon, we're done here. Nicely done, all of you," he said, holding just the microphone of the headset to his mouth and switching the signal off as soon as the last word was out.
"Incoming call from Command Central."
So much for his few minutes of peace and quiet.
"Yeah?"
"We need you to get up here and disable Nq'wupyn's gun so he can't reload and fire on us. We're too close to try and shoot it out."
"Alright. On my way."
"How's Richie?"
"No idea. Gyl got his ship, so I suppose I'll know when she calls me. Oh, and what the Hell was that explosion up there?"
Joe sighed. "Tico's ship."
"Oh my God, Phil and - "
"Aww, isn't that cute? He's worried about us."
"Phil, shut up. As you can hear, they were fine. It - Tico was - "
"Oh no."
"Yeah."
"Shit. Someone's gotta tell Gyl."
"Let her worry about Richie, for now."
"Right. Anyway, I'm just about there. I'll let you know when it's disabled."
----------
It was a solemn group that gathered in the hospital lobby, steeling themselves for what they might find in Richie's room. Gyl hadn't bothered updating anyone, and at the moment all they really knew was he hadn't died yet.
They could hear Gyl as soon as they turned the corner and started down the corridor to Richie's room, her words getting clearer as they got close.
"Richie, stop pinching - aah! Stop that, dammit."
Rick snorted. "Oh God, he must be fine. You know, they were flirting through the whole fucking battle."
They turned into the room just as Gyl smacked Richie's arm.
"If you don't stop with the pinching, I'm leaving."
"You are not."
"Am too. Hey, guys."
"Hi. How're you doing, Rich?"
"My leg's fucked. They don't have to amputate, but apparently I'm always gonna have a pretty bad limp. They've got me nice and full of painkillers. You all better have brought me flowers and candy."
"Nope. Just good news, and...some bad news," Jon said.
"Oh?"
"THe good is, we've got Nq'wupyn. He's being held in the military prison with a pretty heavy watch on him. Kelly's on the phone with MWU Headquarters right now, explaining what's going on and pushing for a trial."
"Awesome. And the bad?"
Jon sighed. "Gyl, sit down."
"Why?" She blinked. "Wait. Where's my dad?"
Richie arched an eyebrow, and Rick nodded.
"Guys, where's my dad?"
They all looked at each other, each one wishing someone else would say it first.
"Mom? Where the fuck is he?"
Lqnar ducked her head. Gyl's eyes darted from person to person, her body tensing in the chair she'd pulled up next to Richie's bed.
"Your dad - Tico - he..." Jon started, and faltered.
"The explosion, the big one, it - that was his ship," Rick said.
"But those two guys were flying his ship, not him. So where the zaj is he? Someone better tell me right fucking now."
"He's gone, Gyl," David said, from the back of the group, voice hoarse and strained. "He's dead."
Gyl's face turned gray, and for a minute they all thought she was going to be sick. Richie swore and straightened up a little in the bed, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her close as the profane badass disappeared and she started to cry.
----------
Lqnar's house was really designed for two people to live in comfortably, and that turned out to be a good thing, as the chaos of finding everyone places to sleep - Lqnar refused to let them go sleep on the ship, and no one wanted to argue with a seven-foot-tall woman bent on hospitality - kept their minds off everything for a little while.
Kelly arrived just as everyone got organized, and the whole thing started over again.
The hospital kept Richie overnight for observation, and Gyl had asked to stay with him, only moving from her place curled against his side when dcotors came to examine him. No one wanted to argue that.
David ended up in Gyl's room, almost every surface full of frames containing pictures of her parents. Mostly Tico.
"David?" Lqnar knocked on the door frame and poked her head in. "Tea? Or ginsmere? I have both."
David just shook his head, and Lqnar pushed inside, setting her tray down and sitting next to him on the bed.
"Tico is - was - is -" she sighed. "I hate English. Was the sort of person you give up everything for. You know that, look where you are and where you would be had you never met him. We only dated a month, and I let him move me across the solar system, and I never looked back."
Her voice was soft and musical, and it almost felt to David like she was wrapping him in a blanket when she spoke. It was a worn blanket, with rough spots where she stumbled over words, but those were usually the best kind.
"And the wonderful thing about him is if you do that, if you give everything for him, he will give just as much back. And that had to be what he did today, David."
"It was stupid."
"Very few war deaths aren't. But he saw what he needed to do to save the ones he loved, and he did it. Maybe there were other options. But I know him, and you and I both know if he did not do what he felt needed to be done, and something happened to Gyl'cklbn, or to you, he would never have been able to live with himself."
"I'd just gotten back, though." David sighed and flopped back on the bed. "If I hadn't left, we - "
"If you hadn't left, we would not know what we know about Nq'wupyn, and many more would have died today." Lqnar patted his knee. "It is hard, when the wound is this fresh, to think about the greater good. But I know you understand."
David just nodded. Lqnar smiled and stood up.
"Now, I am going to go finish playing good hostess. I would like to talk a little more, perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, get some sleep."
"Yes, mom," David said, and was left with the musical sound of her laughter as she gathered her tray and left the room.
----------
"Galactic President Stevenson is sending a special force to transport Nq'wupyn back to Mars for trial," Kelly told them over breakfast. "He says we have plenty of evidence to make him stand trial, and chances are 'extremely good' he'll be convicted."
"Excellent," Jon said.
"We have to stand trial, too. You, me, and David."
David blinked. "Wait. Why?"
"We stole cargo, disobeyed direct orders, conspired against a government official, and incited a war."
"But - "
"Don't worry, we won't get in any trouble. Kelly knew what Nq'wupyn wanted to do before we acted on anything, and she did nothing wrong to get that information," Jon said.
David sighed and nodded. "I wasn't planning on going back."
"You - really?"
"I wanna stay here. Here-Charon, not here-Lqnar's."
"And you can. These are important trials, they'll happen quickly, and then you can come right back," Kelly told him.
Jon just leaned forward in his chair, hugging David tight.
----------
"You will be careful, right?"
"Of course we will, love," Joe assured her, pulling her into a hug. "Regulation speeds, no wars, all that."
David poked his head out of the ship. "Are we ready?"
"Waiting on Richie," Rick said.
As if on cue, Richie hobbled out of the house, leaning heavily on a crutch, Gyl right beside him.
"I'm coming back after I testify at the trials. I think I need to stay in one place for a little bit."
"You better, or I'll hunt you down," she replied.
Richie kissed her on the cheek, pinched her ass, and let Joe and Rick help him into the ship.
"Well, then, I guess we're off," Rick said, and pulled Lqnar into a hug. "Thank you for everything."
"Thank you for everything."
Rick grinned and climbed into the ship, and the men and women who had saved an entire race vanished into the stars.
Genre: Gen, Slash, Het
Bands: Bon Jovi, Def Leppard
Main Characters: David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell
Adult Content: No
Words: 1775
Chapter: 13/13
Summary: Smart-mouthed nine-breasted Venusian women, bouncy and naive Earth men, tough-talking asshole Charonite pilots, friendly space pirates, and a deep-seated revenge plot that goes back decades - just another work week for Jon Bon Jovi, Interplanetary Secretary of Transportation.
Teaser: It was a solemn group that gathered in the hospital lobby, steeling themselves for what they might find in Richie's room. Gyl hadn't bothered updating anyone, and at the moment all they really knew was he hadn't died yet.
Gyl finally managed to tow Richie's ship back to the surface of Charon, practically flying out of her own to assess the damage.
The hull looked like a big brick of charcoal, but was otherwise unharmed. No holes or big dents or - the gun was gone. But that was it.
Steeling herself for what she knew she might find inside, she let herself in, almost surprised the charred door opened so easily.
"Hey there."
Richie was pale. Really, really pale. Not really a good sign.
"Gyl, I need you to stay really fucking calm right now, okay? One of those shots took out my gun, and the ammo...fell."
"Fell?"
"Brace yourself." Richie shifted in his chair, and his right leg came into view.
Roasted chicken.
That was the first thing that came to Gyl's mind - roasted chicken. Almost the entire leg of his pants had burned away, and the skin underneath was dark red and purple and white and in some places black and there was blood. Jesus Christ.
"I need you to get me to a hospital. Right fucking now."
"Holy shit, Richie."
"Gyl, you can freak out later. Right now, you need to get me up and into your ship before this becomes an even bigger fucking problem."
He was forcing his words out from gritted teeth, the tendons in his neck standing out a little. Trying not to pass out, probably. Holy shit.
"Right, right. Sorry, I just...shit. Sorry." She crouched and helped him up, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"All Neptunians this tall?"
"Half. And yeah," she answered, and slowly walked him to her ship.
"I think I'm gonna pass out now. Please don't let me hit the floor, okay?"
He did.
And she didn't.
----------
Rick wiggled his headset off, sighing and running his fingers through his hair. He needed a long, long nap. Possibly preceded by a stiff drink. He glanced out through his view screen - and saw what was left of the fleet hovering in their pre-battle places.
He snorted. Gyl had really gotten it into their head about following orders.
"Stand down. Head back to Charon, we're done here. Nicely done, all of you," he said, holding just the microphone of the headset to his mouth and switching the signal off as soon as the last word was out.
"Incoming call from Command Central."
So much for his few minutes of peace and quiet.
"Yeah?"
"We need you to get up here and disable Nq'wupyn's gun so he can't reload and fire on us. We're too close to try and shoot it out."
"Alright. On my way."
"How's Richie?"
"No idea. Gyl got his ship, so I suppose I'll know when she calls me. Oh, and what the Hell was that explosion up there?"
Joe sighed. "Tico's ship."
"Oh my God, Phil and - "
"Aww, isn't that cute? He's worried about us."
"Phil, shut up. As you can hear, they were fine. It - Tico was - "
"Oh no."
"Yeah."
"Shit. Someone's gotta tell Gyl."
"Let her worry about Richie, for now."
"Right. Anyway, I'm just about there. I'll let you know when it's disabled."
----------
It was a solemn group that gathered in the hospital lobby, steeling themselves for what they might find in Richie's room. Gyl hadn't bothered updating anyone, and at the moment all they really knew was he hadn't died yet.
They could hear Gyl as soon as they turned the corner and started down the corridor to Richie's room, her words getting clearer as they got close.
"Richie, stop pinching - aah! Stop that, dammit."
Rick snorted. "Oh God, he must be fine. You know, they were flirting through the whole fucking battle."
They turned into the room just as Gyl smacked Richie's arm.
"If you don't stop with the pinching, I'm leaving."
"You are not."
"Am too. Hey, guys."
"Hi. How're you doing, Rich?"
"My leg's fucked. They don't have to amputate, but apparently I'm always gonna have a pretty bad limp. They've got me nice and full of painkillers. You all better have brought me flowers and candy."
"Nope. Just good news, and...some bad news," Jon said.
"Oh?"
"THe good is, we've got Nq'wupyn. He's being held in the military prison with a pretty heavy watch on him. Kelly's on the phone with MWU Headquarters right now, explaining what's going on and pushing for a trial."
"Awesome. And the bad?"
Jon sighed. "Gyl, sit down."
"Why?" She blinked. "Wait. Where's my dad?"
Richie arched an eyebrow, and Rick nodded.
"Guys, where's my dad?"
They all looked at each other, each one wishing someone else would say it first.
"Mom? Where the fuck is he?"
Lqnar ducked her head. Gyl's eyes darted from person to person, her body tensing in the chair she'd pulled up next to Richie's bed.
"Your dad - Tico - he..." Jon started, and faltered.
"The explosion, the big one, it - that was his ship," Rick said.
"But those two guys were flying his ship, not him. So where the zaj is he? Someone better tell me right fucking now."
"He's gone, Gyl," David said, from the back of the group, voice hoarse and strained. "He's dead."
Gyl's face turned gray, and for a minute they all thought she was going to be sick. Richie swore and straightened up a little in the bed, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her close as the profane badass disappeared and she started to cry.
----------
Lqnar's house was really designed for two people to live in comfortably, and that turned out to be a good thing, as the chaos of finding everyone places to sleep - Lqnar refused to let them go sleep on the ship, and no one wanted to argue with a seven-foot-tall woman bent on hospitality - kept their minds off everything for a little while.
Kelly arrived just as everyone got organized, and the whole thing started over again.
The hospital kept Richie overnight for observation, and Gyl had asked to stay with him, only moving from her place curled against his side when dcotors came to examine him. No one wanted to argue that.
David ended up in Gyl's room, almost every surface full of frames containing pictures of her parents. Mostly Tico.
"David?" Lqnar knocked on the door frame and poked her head in. "Tea? Or ginsmere? I have both."
David just shook his head, and Lqnar pushed inside, setting her tray down and sitting next to him on the bed.
"Tico is - was - is -" she sighed. "I hate English. Was the sort of person you give up everything for. You know that, look where you are and where you would be had you never met him. We only dated a month, and I let him move me across the solar system, and I never looked back."
Her voice was soft and musical, and it almost felt to David like she was wrapping him in a blanket when she spoke. It was a worn blanket, with rough spots where she stumbled over words, but those were usually the best kind.
"And the wonderful thing about him is if you do that, if you give everything for him, he will give just as much back. And that had to be what he did today, David."
"It was stupid."
"Very few war deaths aren't. But he saw what he needed to do to save the ones he loved, and he did it. Maybe there were other options. But I know him, and you and I both know if he did not do what he felt needed to be done, and something happened to Gyl'cklbn, or to you, he would never have been able to live with himself."
"I'd just gotten back, though." David sighed and flopped back on the bed. "If I hadn't left, we - "
"If you hadn't left, we would not know what we know about Nq'wupyn, and many more would have died today." Lqnar patted his knee. "It is hard, when the wound is this fresh, to think about the greater good. But I know you understand."
David just nodded. Lqnar smiled and stood up.
"Now, I am going to go finish playing good hostess. I would like to talk a little more, perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, get some sleep."
"Yes, mom," David said, and was left with the musical sound of her laughter as she gathered her tray and left the room.
----------
"Galactic President Stevenson is sending a special force to transport Nq'wupyn back to Mars for trial," Kelly told them over breakfast. "He says we have plenty of evidence to make him stand trial, and chances are 'extremely good' he'll be convicted."
"Excellent," Jon said.
"We have to stand trial, too. You, me, and David."
David blinked. "Wait. Why?"
"We stole cargo, disobeyed direct orders, conspired against a government official, and incited a war."
"But - "
"Don't worry, we won't get in any trouble. Kelly knew what Nq'wupyn wanted to do before we acted on anything, and she did nothing wrong to get that information," Jon said.
David sighed and nodded. "I wasn't planning on going back."
"You - really?"
"I wanna stay here. Here-Charon, not here-Lqnar's."
"And you can. These are important trials, they'll happen quickly, and then you can come right back," Kelly told him.
Jon just leaned forward in his chair, hugging David tight.
----------
"You will be careful, right?"
"Of course we will, love," Joe assured her, pulling her into a hug. "Regulation speeds, no wars, all that."
David poked his head out of the ship. "Are we ready?"
"Waiting on Richie," Rick said.
As if on cue, Richie hobbled out of the house, leaning heavily on a crutch, Gyl right beside him.
"I'm coming back after I testify at the trials. I think I need to stay in one place for a little bit."
"You better, or I'll hunt you down," she replied.
Richie kissed her on the cheek, pinched her ass, and let Joe and Rick help him into the ship.
"Well, then, I guess we're off," Rick said, and pulled Lqnar into a hug. "Thank you for everything."
"Thank you for everything."
Rick grinned and climbed into the ship, and the men and women who had saved an entire race vanished into the stars.