Fanfiction: Start Spilling Our Sweat (And Not Our Blood) - Part Two: Chuck 2/2

[safaiagemwriting]

+++

Chuck didn't remember much after that. He remembered the police showing up and being dragged to the station to give a statement. He remembered feeling like someone was watching him everywhere he went and how he didn't feel safe. Chuck remembered standing in front of the faces of the UN as they promised to find out who tried to kidnap them but they were to continue their press tour. They didn't want the public to find out that someone was trying to hurt the saviors of the world and cause a panic. Chuck wasn't sure how that was okay because it meant the three of them were still at risk. He could also tell that there was no way arguing was going to make a difference. For now it was just best to nod along until he felt safe again. The three of them sat side by side in the back of the escort back to their hotel room. They declined going to the hospital and quickly made their way up to the room.

As soon as the door closed the three of them moved quickly. Chuck locked the door twice while Raleigh shoved a chair against the handle so the door couldn't open. Mako walked out of the bathroom with some towels and shoved them against the bottom of the door. They drew the curtains and locked the windows, unplugged the phone, and turned off the television. Chuck still didn't feel safe though and he hated that feeling. There was no way he was going to get any sleep tonight.

Alcohol," they all said at the same time. That was how Chuck started doing shots from the expansive mini bar. It wasn't long until the three of them were drunk and Chuck felt some of the tension seep out of his shoulders.

"Do you think these are the same people that sent the letters to the Shatterdome?" Mako asked. She had her head pillowed on Raleigh's stomach and her legs tangled with Chuck's. Raleigh was close enough that their arms were touching and Chuck wished the room would stop spinning for just a second. He doesn't know how they ended up like this but this is closer than they usually were even if they did sleep together.

"It would make sense if it was," Raleigh replied. "We're the reason they didn't get the rapture so now they're out for revenge."

"That means they're fueled by righteous fury," Chuck said as Raleigh and Mako looked at him. "It means they won't give up."

"That just means we'll have to be more alert," Mako said. "We'll have to look after each other even more than we already have." Chuck and Raleigh both nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. They didn't need to drink anymore but they were passing a whiskey bottle around anyway. Chuck was getting past the point of no return and needed to sit up or he was going to get sick. He rolled his shoulders to try and get some of the kinks out wouldn't go away. Chuck was about to complain about it when he felt two hands on his shoulders. Raleigh was sitting up and Mako had shifted up as well though she was mostly sitting on Chuck's legs now.

"You're tense," Raleigh said softly. There was something in his tone that made Chuck's stomach twist into a little knot.

"I think I have the right to be," Chuck replied. He wanted to look over his shoulder at Raleigh but Raleigh was already so close Chuck could feel Raleigh breath against the back of his neck. The massage was not helping. If anything it was making the room feel smaller. "I won't let them hurt you two." Someone must have cut the oxygen to the room because Chuck didn't mean to say that out loud.

He could feel Mako watching the two of them intensely and when Chuck caught a glimpse of her eyes her pupils were dilated. Raleigh placed a hand on Chuck's cheek and turned his head so they were looking at each other. They were so close and Chuck felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Raleigh smiled softly and closed the the distance between them.

Chuck's first kiss with Raleigh was not what he expected. In his private moments, when he allowed himself to think about this, he pictured Raleigh throwing him against the wall and attacking his mouth. This kiss was soft, gentle, and it felt like someone just kicked Chuck in the chest. He vaguely heard Mako gasped quietly but it was very hard to focus as he and Raleigh carefully explored each others mouths. They had to pull away to breath and Chuck immediately had a lap full of Mako. She turned his head and kissed him. It was like no time had passed between their drunken make out as teenager and this moment. She kissed him the same and moan gently when Chuck put his hands on her hips.

Raleigh shifted behind him and when Chuck and Mako had to break apart Raleigh was at Mako's back. They smiled at each other and Chuck watched them kiss. It was like watching two puzzle pieces falling into place. Raleigh and Mako were truly one half of a whole, they completed each other, and watching them kiss was like watching art. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Chuck wanted to watch them kiss but that didn't mean his self control was iron clad. He leaned forward and began to softly kiss Mako's neck. She gasped against Raleigh's lips and pulled Chuck closer so it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the next began. Chuck felt dizzy but he didn't want to stop. Not now and maybe not ever.

Mako broke her kiss with Raleigh and pulled Chuck up to meet her lips again. This wasn't like their soft kisses they had traded thus far. This one was hard and wet and Chuck let himself get lost in the sensation. He trailed his fingertips down Mako's side until he felt Raleigh's thigh. Their knees were nearly touching and Chuck had to touch him as well. Raleigh was kissing the back of Mako's neck and along her exposed shoulders from her tank top.

"I want to see it again," Mako said against Chuck's lips and he was momentarily distracted when Raleigh's fingers tangled in his. She sounded breathless and her words were slurred together from the alcohol and Chuck had no idea what she was talking about. She kissed him again and broke away. "I want to see the two of you together again." Chuck's brain managed to catch up with the situation and he realized that Mako wanted to see him and Raleigh kiss again. She broke their kiss and eased out of Chuck's lap.

Raleigh was there in seconds and they must have opened the cut on Raleigh's lip again because Chuck tasted the faint tang of blood. It made them moan against each others lips and this was the type of kiss Chuck expected from Raleigh. It was like they were fighting in the kwoon all over again, the push and pull for dominance, and who was going to win. Raleigh's fingers threaded through Chuck's hair and he felt a warm body move to his back. Mako touched his waist and slid up his shirt to get to bare skin.

The harsh knocking on the door made all three of them jump.

All three of them were so out of breath that it sounded like they had just gone a round in the kwoon together. The sudden knock was enough that they all broke apart and stared at each other like they couldn't believe that just happened. Chuck knew he was still drunk but his head felt a little clearer now. This was a bad idea, such a bad idea, because Raleigh and Mako were the two most important people in his life now. He wasn't going to risk that for a drunken hook up even if he really needed to get laid.

"Excuse me?" a voice called from outside. "I'm sorry to disturb you but one of your neighbors called in and complained about a dog barking. Is everything okay?" Chuck blinked and realized in his haste to get drunk he forgot that Max was locked in the bathroom. Now that he felt considerably more sober he heard the barking and crying.

"I'll take care of it. I'm sorry," Chuck said and he mentally gave himself a pat on the back for how steady his voice was.

"No problem sir." Chuck climbed out of the bed and let Max out of the bathroom. He jumped around the room and generally looked happy to be out and about. Chuck knelt down to pet him and when he looked up Mako and Raleigh were sitting on the edge of the bed with a good two feet between them.

"We were scared," Mako said softly.

"We were drunk," Raleigh said.

"And it shouldn't have happened," Chuck finished. It was the right decision to make. This press tour wasn't over yet and there was still the issue of someone trying to hurt them. They couldn't lose focus now, not when they were in danger, and what had just happened between them was the definition of losing focus. None of them heard Max barking and this was a distraction they didn't need. There was too much at risk.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Raleigh said and he sounded relieved almost.

“We need to focus on this tour and staying safe,” Mako said. It almost seemed like she was implying that maybe they could revisit this when the tour ended but Chuck knew that was a bad idea still. Mako and Raleigh were soulmates, he knew that the second he saw them kiss, and he wasn’t about to get in the way of that. As soon as they wanted space Chuck was ready to give it to them. He wanted them to be happy and if that meant he had to learn to sleep alone again then he would. For now they climbed into bed together but despite the fact that Chuck was locked in a room with Mako and Raleigh in his bed he didn't feel safe. Chuck didn't fall asleep for a long time.

+++

Chuck had never experienced being embarrassed right away but it was almost instantaneous when he opened his eyes and remember what had happened the night before. He wanted to kick himself for giving in to the urges he had tried to bury so hard. There wasn't a chance he could let this happen. There was too much at stake at least right now. Chuck knew he couldn't make it through the rest of this press tour without some help from Raleigh and Mako. That meant that things couldn't happen between any of them. Something would go wrong and Chuck couldn't stand the idea of that happening. He sat up in bed and looked around; he wasn't surprised to see that Mako and Raleigh were awake as well.

No one mentioned the night before. He guessed that this meant they weren't going to address it further than that and as far as Chuck was concerned he was okay with that. They didn't need to make this even worse. There was just another attempt on their lives and they were afraid. There wasn't any need to make it any worse. Chuck nodded, mostly to himself, and climbed out of bed. Mako and Raleigh followed a few minutes later; they couldn't stay locked in the hotel room. They still had their orders and they still had to follow them.

+++

The rest of the European press tour went well. The journalist seemed to realize that there were certain questions they weren't going to get a chance to ask and stopped trying. It made Chuck relax a little in that sense but there was an itch on the back of his neck that wouldn't go away. Chuck knew what it was too; he didn't feel safe. The UN didn't seem too worried about the kidnapping attempt and made sure that there were more bodyguards following them around. That didn't help ease Chuck's mind at all though. The people that were trying to hurt them had so far made it clear that they were willing to try different things to get what they want. Mako and Raleigh seemed on edge as well but Chuck was the one who couldn't sleep.

He stared at the ceiling and listened to Mako and Raleigh slowly breathing. They were warm presences in the bed with him but even that wasn't enough to quiet his mind. Chuck kept running scenario after scenario through his mind about what could happen if someone wasn't looking out for them. That wasn't something he was willing to just let go either. He knew it was bothering Mako and Raleigh as well but at least they were sleeping. Chuck was lucky if he got a few quick hours here and there. It made him feel sluggish and exhausted which just made him feel even more vulnerable out in front of people. He began to regard everyone around him as a threat and he didn't apologize the first time he snapped at someone to stay away from him.

"We're okay," Mako said that night. "Chuck, look at me." Chuck turned his gaze up and met her eyes. "We're okay."

"Are we?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," she replied. There was a time in his life where Mako's certainty would be enough to keep him going but this moment wasn't it.

"Yeah, it's been three weeks and nothing has happened," Raleigh said. "They did up the security just like they promised that they would. They would have to be stupid to try and kidnap us with half of the local police following our every move."

Mako and Raleigh weren't pilots during the end days though, they didn't know about the kidnapping threats Chuck and his father received on a near weekly basis, because those didn't happen until after Raleigh left. Mako was an engineer and the extremist didn't bother with those. He wanted to believe them more than anything but there wasn't a chance he could let his guard down. Chuck nodded because it was a lot easier to lie to them than it was to accept that there wasn't much he could do if extremist really wanted to hurt them. Mako kissed his cheek and Raleigh pulled Chuck into a one armed hug.

That night, once Chuck was sure they were asleep, he carefully crawled out of bed and went out into the hallway. It was four in the morning local but it was the late evening for who he wanted to call.

"Baby Hansen, why are you awake?" Tendo asked by way of greeting.

"Don't call me that," Chuck said automatically. "What can you tell me about the attempts on us?"

"I've been looking into them since you called me," Tendo replied and Chuck was thankful that Tendo didn't call him out on the fact that he didn't answer why he was awake at this terrible time of night. "I lurked around some of the old websites where people would post things and see if anyone was mentioning anything."

"And?"

"And no one is taking credit. It could be a more extreme offshoot of BuenaKai but since there isn’t a rigorous belief and it varries depending on location we have no way of knowing. There are a few whispers about the letters and the kidnapping but mostly it's just other people asking the same questions we are. Whoever is coming after you three isn't making themselves known." Tendo paused and Chuck waited. "If they aren't taking public credit then they aren't going for basic terrorism."

"For something to be an act of terrorism there needs to be someone to fear," Chuck said. This was something that he had rolled around in his head after all of this had happened. "The UN has made sure that the general public doesn't know about the attacks. You can't instill fear in people if they don't know what's happening."

"That could mean that this is more personal then," Tendo said. "And that's even worse. They've mentioned God and how you three ruined their chance at Heaven. BuenaKai always said that the Kaiju were this generation's flood. They were meant to clear the Earth of the sinners and leave a new one for the believers. To them, when we closed the breach, we just stopped the flood. That seems like something that would make someone angry in a very personal way."

"They're not trying to terrorize people; they're trying to get revenge," Chuck said softly. That was so much worse than some nut jobs going around and saying how they wished the world was still ending.

"Look, Chuck," Tendo said. "If these people have made it personal then they aren't going to just stop. In their eyes the PPDC and the jaegers took away their salvation. They're going to attack again. You guys aren't safe."

"The UN won't listen." Chuck hit his head against the wall of the hotel room hallway gently. "They think this press tour is more important. They think if they throw enough security at us everything will be okay." Tendo didn't say anything but Chuck could hear him breathing on the other end of the line. There were other voices in the background, Alison and Jensen, and they sounded happy. "I don't want you to look into this anymore."

"Come again?" Tendo didn't sound very happy at that suggestion but Chuck couldn't protect everyone.

"You were a commander in the PPDC. You were there and helped guide us to the breach. I don't want them to come after you or your family too. Do you still have Gottileb and Geiszler's contact information?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, of course, but Chuck--"

"Get in touch with them as well. Who knows what these crazy people will do if they find out that our K Science division Drifted with their agents of god. They need to make sure they stay safe and so do you. You have a family that you need to look after," Chuck said.

"And what about you?" Tendo asked incredulously.

"I'll worry about me. I won't be contacting you again Tendo and don't call me either. Stop looking around those websites so you don't paint a target on your back." Chuck didn't wait for Tendo to respond because he was sure it was going to be a fight to end all fights. Tendo never took a Ranger talking down to him well and there was no way he would back off that easily. Chuck didn't want to think about these crazy people going after people who actually had family left. He was alone in the world. Chuck climbed to his feet and crept back into the room. Raleigh and Mako didn't stir when he got back into bed.

Chuck still couldn't sleep and now he was trying to come up with a way to turn the focus away from those who still had something to lose. If he could get them to focus entirely on him then he could keep Raleigh, Mako, Tendo, he could keep them all safe. That was why he joined the PPDC in the first place, to keep people safe, so no one would have to go through what he went through when he lost his mother.

Chuck closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It never came and he watched the sun rise through the hotel room windows.

+++

Chuck should have known that America was going to be hard on Raleigh in the same way that Australia was hard on him and Japan was hard on Mako. They all had their baggage but Raleigh was the one who probably had the most in the way of unresolved issues. Raleigh talked about Yancy now but he never mentioned Knifehead or the sensation of having his co-pilot ripped out of his head. They had talked about it briefly when they were healing in the Shatterdome before the press tour but Chuck never pressed the issue. He was just thankful, at least at the time, that someone understood what it was like to lose a co-pilot. Now Chuck was kind of regretting that they didn't deal with this a little better before now. It was like Raleigh was a different person the moment they landed on American soil. Mako noticed as well and held Raleigh's hand as they walked through the airport. Chuck made sure that he was close and brushed his shoulder against Raleigh's at every moment he could.

They were in New York at the moment but the next morning they would be on their way to Alaska for the day and then to California to have a conference San Francisco. The Alaska detour was Raleigh's idea but judging by the way he looked a little sick he was regretting it now. They were going to Yancy's grave to pay their respects. Chuck thought it was a good idea at the time but as he watched Raleigh withdraw he took back that assumption. There was no way this was a good idea.

That night Raleigh didn't sleep either and somehow the two of them ended up out on the balcony of their hotel room watching the city.

"I haven't been back East in a long time," Raleigh said. "There wasn't much of a point. The problem wasn't in the Atlantic Ocean but the Pacific. Why would jaeger pilots go to New York outside of talk show appearances?"

"The same reason we're here now," Chuck said shrugging. "I imagine people here were just as worried as people on the coast."

"They were but not in the same way," Raleigh said as he pulled at a loose thread on his sweater. "I liked coming back here before. It was nice to look out at the ocean and not worry about what was going to come out of it. The Atlantic was still safe or at least it felt safe at the time."

"Just like the wall felt safe to some people," Chuck said. "Until we found out that those fuckers could fly. I don't think I've ever seen people more shocked than when Otachi spawned wings out of nowhere." Raleigh hummed in agreement but didn’t look any closer to being tired enough to sleep. Chuck wasn’t going to leave him alone when he was in this state of mind and he wasn’t feeling sleep either. They sat together in total silence for over an hour until Raleigh finally broke it.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Raleigh asked.

“Must be jetlag,” Chuck lied.

“No, you haven’t been sleeping for weeks, why?” Raleigh said.

“I’m fine,” Chuck said probably a little harder than he needed to. Raleigh shrugged and acted like it wasn’t a big deal that Chuck was lying to him. Raleigh didn’t call him on it though and they sat together until the sky began to lighten.

+++

Of the many things that Chuck hated about this trip it was this moment that he was looking forward to the least. The Shatterdome in Anchorage loomed over them like some sort of relic from a forgotten age. There was rust everywhere and the Alaskan wilderness seemed to be consuming the structure as the ocean slowly beat it down until, someday, it would erode and fall into the ocean. Chuck almost wished he could make it happen now so he wouldn’t have to look at these places anymore. There were certainly still belongings and parts in there.

Somewhere in that abandoned Shatterdome were small parts from fallen jaegers and bunks from fallen soldiers that no one ever bothered to clean out. For some reason that made Chuck even angrier because his fellow soldiers deserved better than that. He wondered if anyone had a key that could let him in. He’d carry those personal items out himself and mail them back to families on his own time and with his own money if he had to. Idly Chuck wondered if he could convince Raleigh and Mako to help him. Raleigh would probably need the distraction.

The graveyard for the PPDC was close enough that the shadow of the Shatterdome shrouded the entire site in darkness. Chuck had been to enough of these graveyards to know that most of those graves were empty. After Knifehead and Kaiju began to go for the pilots it was less and less likely they would find a body. Yancy was one of the few that had a body in the grave though judging from the pictures Chuck saw right before the funeral maybe it would have been better if he’d been lost at sea. Yancy died with an expression of terror frozen on his face from the icy Alaskan water. The fishing boat that Raleigh and Yancy saved were the ones that found the body. According to official records the entire crew attended the funeral.

Unlike when Mako visited the memorial in Tokyo or when Chuck swung by his Dad’s grave in Australia there wasn’t anyone here to bother them. Raleigh knelt in front of the stone and bowed his head. Mako let him sit there alone for all of fifteen seconds before she sat down next to him. She was saying something but Chuck couldn’t hear what it was. Chuck made no move to join them; it was his job to make sure that they wasn’t interrupted. They stayed long enough that Chuck’s fingers and toes were going numb but he ignored it. There were more important things.

"Oh my god he's alive," a voice said. Chuck turned around and saw an old man standing near the edge of the graveyard. He had one small flower in his hand and he was staring at Raleigh like he had just seen a ghost. There was a young man nearby, a kid maybe ten or eleven, nearly hiding behind the man. Chuck didn't want to take the chance of someone having a fan moment while Raleigh was busy but he also didn't feel like yelling at someone who looked like someone's grandfather.

"We're a little busy right now, any chance you could come back later?" Chuck asked. The man blinked and stared at Chuck.

"We thought the worst when we didn't see or hear about him again," the old man said.

"What are you talking about?" Chuck said.

"We were out on the beach when Gipsy walked back to land by herself after Knifehead. I stayed with Ranger Becket to make sure that he was alive while my grandson here went to go and get help. He wasn't coherent by the time help got here and we never heard about him again. We assumed the worst had happened," the man explained.

"Knifehead was heading for Alaska," the boy said softly. "When we found out what pilot died saving us we decided that we should pay our respects."

"Thank you for that," Raleigh said softly. Chuck glanced over his shoulder and saw Raleigh and Mako joining them. Raleigh didn't look like he was about to have a meltdown but Chuck was having a hard time reading him. Raleigh offered his hand to the man and boy and introduced himself properly. A lot of people had thanked Raleigh for his services but for some reason the fact that this man thanked Raleigh for joining in the first place and coming back seemed to affect him a lot more. They didn't stay long and when Raleigh offered to sign something for them they both declined. They said that what Raleigh, and by extension Chuck and Mako, had done was enough. The old man and boy walked over to Yancy's grave and left the flower on the stone.

"With all of the leeches in the press I think we sometimes forget that there are people out there who are just happy to be alive," Mako said. Raleigh didn't say anything but he did nod. They paid their respects to their fallen comrades and left as the sun was beginning to set. Raleigh was very quiet during dinner but Mako and Chuck didn't push him to have a conversation. The three of them all dealt with losing family in vastly different ways and this was Raleigh's. Chuck still made a mental note about finding out if they could help clean out anything left behind in the Shatterdome if only to keep busy after the press tour ended.

Raleigh and Mako usually joined Chuck on his nightly walk with Max but they both declined this time. Chuck wasn't surprised and he spent his time walking around the block lost in his own head. He couldn't shake the bad feeling that had settled into his gut. Ever since someone had tried to kill and kidnap them Chuck hadn't felt safe but now it felt like something was about to happen. He had no idea if it was something good or bad but whatever it was set his nerves on edge. The hotel staff smiled brightly when Chuck walked Max back inside and Max waited patiently at Chuck's feet as they rode the elevator up. Max was getting up there in age and he tended not to bound ahead in hotels because there was no telling how someone could react. Chuck unlocked the door to their hotel room, turned a corner to look into the suit, and froze.

Raleigh had his head cradled in his hands and looked like he was having trouble catching his breath. Mako was sitting on the table in front of him as she tried to talk him down. Chuck could barely hear what they were saying but he did hear Raleigh chanting Yancy's name. The visit to the grave must have triggered a flashback to Knifehead. The right thing to do would be to walk further into the room and try to comfort Raleigh but something made him stop. Mako forced Raleigh to look her in the eye and put his hand on her chest.

"Match by breathing, feel the rise and fall of my chest, and count my heartbeats," she said just loud enough for Chuck to hear. It took a minute or so but the tension in Raleigh's shoulders began to slowly ease. They didn't move away from each other though and Chuck didn't make his presence known. It wasn't right to intrude on something like this but he couldn't help himself. For some reason it felt extremely important that he stay and see what was going to happen. Raleigh and Mako stared at each other and when they closed the distance to kiss Chuck felt his hands turn into fists.

It was just like the night the three of them got drunk all over again. Raleigh and Mako fit like two puzzle pieces in a way that Chuck knew he didn't. There was something incredibly special between the two of them, something that came naturally to people that were meant to be together forever, which meant that he was the one preventing that from happening. Raleigh and Mako moved at the same time as Raleigh eased her onto the couch and deepened their kiss. Chuck looked away from them because as beautiful as the two of them were together he was many things but a voyeur was not one of them. Chuck eased Max out of the room and closed the door behind him. He felt a little light headed and Chuck was having a hard time catching his breath.

He didn't entirely remember the ride back down to the lobby but the next thing Chuck realized was that he was standing in front of the night manager of the hotel.

"How can I help you, Mr. Hansen?" she asked with a bright smile on her face.

"We need another room," Chuck said though his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. It was like he couldn't quite form a coherent thought quite yet.

"Oh, of course, we were informed that you only needed one but I'd be more than happy to get you another one," the manager said as she typed on her computer. "Across the hallway from your current room okay? It's a single though."

"A single is exactly what we need," Chuck replied. The manager nodded and typed a few more things on the computer. She handed Chuck two extra keycards and smiled brightly.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked.

"If you could have room service send up a bottle of whiskey that would be great," Chuck said. She nodded and picked up a phone which Chuck took as his cue to leave. Max followed Chuck down the hallway back toward the hotel room and looked extremely confused when Chuck didn't go into the old room. "Over here." Max huffed like Chuck was the worst in the world and waddled into the room. It was significantly smaller than the old room and the single bed looked almost intimidating but it wasn't like Chuck was sleeping at all. He fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Max made a displeased noise and Chuck picked him up so they were both on the bed. A few minutes later room service arrived with the whiskey and Chuck took a few pulls straight from the bottle.

"It was bound to happen eventually," Chuck said out loud because he needed to talk to someone and it wasn't like he was completely alone; Max was there. "I should have seen it coming a long time ago so this is almost expected really." Max huffed like he didn't believe a word Chuck was saying. Chuck wasn't sure he believed it himself. "Look, the two of them deserve this and I'm not about to get in the way of that. I'll just have to give them the space they deserve. It's as simple as that. It's not like I've been sleeping when I'm with them anyway so really this doesn't make that much of a difference." Chuck felt like his dog was judging him which was probably not a good sign for his mental health at the moment but he decided that now was not the time to deal with that. He drank some more of the whiskey and fell back on the comfortable pillows. Max curled up at his hip like he knew Chuck needed someone nearby but it wasn't quite the same.

"I've can't become dependent on them," Chuck whispered as he scratched Max behind the ear. "I mean what did I think was going to happen when the press tour ended?" Now that he asked the question out loud Chuck really wasn't sure what he thought was going to happen at the end of the tour. He'd been so focused on keeping everyone safe that he forgot he needed to protect himself as well. "This is for the best." Max huffed again and Chuck didn't blame him for thinking Chuck wasn't being honest. As he closed his eyes Chuck wasn't sure who he was even trying to convince.

+++

Chuck didn’t sleep at all and when the wake up call for their flight came he snapped at the person on the other end of the line. He felt a little bad about it but not enough to stop him from slamming the phone back down on the receiver. Chuck had slept in his clothes from the day before and his bag was in the room with Raleigh and Mako. That just made him crankier because he really didn’t want to deal with this right now. He just wanted to finish this stupid press tour and go lock himself in a house somewhere away from the ocean. Chuck squared his shoulders and opened the door to walk across the hallway to the other room.

“Missing something?” Mako said. She pushed his bag at him a little harder than necessary. She looked deeply unimpressed, maybe even a little angry, while Raleigh stood behind her and looked like a kicked puppy.

“I was,” Chuck replied carefully.

“Imagine our surprise when we had to call the lobby and find out you got your own room without saying anything to either of us. It’s not like we’ve had attempts on our lives or anything like that,” Mako snapped and Chuck winced.

“Why did you get your own room?” Raleigh asked.

“I didn’t want to get in the way,” Chuck said. “It’s fine, I get it, and I appreciate what you’ve both done for me but I’m good now.”

“What are you talking about?” Raleigh asked but Chuck wasn’t going to be deterred. This was like ripping off a band aid; he needed to do it fast and then move away from people who could see how much it actually hurt.

“I’ll have my own room for the rest of the press tour and then I’ll be out of the way. Until then I’m going to give you guys some space and that’s the end of it.” Chuck didn’t want them to ask any more questions so closed he the door. There were two more big press tours and then all of this would be over. Max barked and Chuck glared at him. “No one asked your opinion.”

+++

Raleigh and Mako kept looking at him and it was beginning to irritate Chuck to absolutely no end. They wanted to ask him about the room and why he was giving them space but Chuck had absolutely no desire to talk about it. Instead he focused on the airport and then the view outside the plane. He had made a phone call to the woman who was Pentecost’s second in command at Anchorage. She confirmed that there probably were some personal items left inside the bunks of the Shatterdome. When Chuck expressed interest in helping clean those out she seemed surprised but pleased. He promised to call her back once the press tour was over. It was a good feeling to have something planned, something to focus on, to get through these last few publicity stunts.

California looked completely different from the place that Chuck had seen from before K-Day. The beautiful cities were barren wastelands from the nuclear weapons. No one lived near the ocean, just miles of desert between the coastline and where the city inland. It was safe to go back to San Francisco now but no one seemed to. By the time the radiation levels were safe the second Kaiju attack happened and then no one bothered to rebuild. There were other things, more important things, to focus on.

As they drove down the various streets to get to where the event was taking place Chuck noted that this felt a little different from some of the other press calls they've done. Everything seemed a little more melancholy and people were less inclined to chase them down. Chuck almost hoped that people would leave them alone more. Raleigh still looked a little haunted from the scene back in Alaska and Mako kept shifting her glances between the two of them. Chuck wanted to tell her that he was fine and didn't need anyone worrying about him but he had a feeling that might get him hit. That wasn't something he was really looking forward to, since it was bound to happen eventually, and Chuck was even preparing himself for it. They hadn't discussed what they would be doing when this tour ended but Chuck had a feeling that Mako and Raleigh were not going to be happy that he wanted to go off on his own.

It was warm enough that everyone was meeting outside for the first time. There was a barrier that lead to the conference and the police kept people from trying to get closer.

"We should let them in," Mako said. "This tour is about giving people back their hope and keeping them behind a police barrier isn't going to give them hope."

"No, it won't," Raleigh said. "But it's also safer."

"At least they can keep things relatively under control if they limit the amount of people that are going to be there," Chuck said. As far as Chuck knew no one else had been targeted and there hadn't been any new information on who was claiming credit for the kidnapping and attempts on their lives.

"We were willing to go against the Kaiju to save people," Mako said as they climbed out of the car. "Shouldn't we be willing to put our lives on the line again to give people hope?"

"I'm not risking you two," Chuck said without thinking. Raleigh and Mako stared at him but Chuck refused to look at both of them. He didn't need to explain himself to them. There were more journalists than usual at this event but it was also the first one they were holding in America so he wasn't too surprised. Something set Chuck's teeth on edge and he couldn't kick the feeling. Whatever it was it wasn't right and the feeling would not leave despite the amount of police and military personnel he saw walking around.

The cameras were just starting to roll as they walked up to the stage to take their places. There would be a short speech, an introduction, and then there would be a question and answer time. Chuck took his seat and looked out into the crowd. A few people were snapping pictures, taking notes, it looked like every other conference yet something didn't feel right. Chuck reached down and scratched Max behind the ears but even that didn't make him feel better.

The current governor of California crossed the stage but paused right in front of them when he dropped his papers. He knelt down to pick them up and a crack rang out. Chuck reacted without thinking; he pushed Mako and Raleigh down to the ground, shoved Max between himself and Raleigh, and shielded them with his body. Another shot rang out and the bullet was close enough to them that Chuck felt it. There were people screaming around them and the governor was staring at them with dead eyes and a bullet hole through his head. If he hadn't paused to pick up the speech he had dropped that bullet would have hit Raleigh.

There was chaos all around them as people fled in different directions and various police and military officers tried to grab the person that had taken the shot.

"Come with me, hurry!" their driver, a commander in the PPDC, screamed. Chuck did his best to keep himself between Raleigh, Mako, and Max as they kept their heads down and made their way behind the stage for cover.

"Are you two all right?" Chuck asked and he winced at panicked he sounded.

"Yes," Raleigh said though there was blood from the governor in his hair and on his sweater. They were so lucky and the thought of Raleigh being the one dead on the stage simultaneously made Chuck so scared he couldn't catch a breath and so angry he couldn't see straight.

"You're hurt," Mako said. She took Chuck's arm and sure enough he was bleeding. The second shot must had grazed him and he didn't even notice.

"I'm fine. I've had worse from sparring with one of you two," Chuck said dismissively. Mako didn't look convinced, neither did Raleigh, and Chuck inwardly groaned because it was going to be impossible to have any alone time now. Their driver's phone rang and he answered it.

"They have the suspect in custody," he said.

"Alive?" Raleigh asked and the driver nodded. "I want to see this person. I want to know who is trying to hurt us." Mako hummed in agreement but Chuck was more inclined to break fingers until this suspect talked. He had a feeling that wouldn't go over too well.

"I'm not sure that's--"

"We insist," Mako said in a tone that barred no argument. The driver hesitated and lead the three of them back to the car. As they drove to the police station Mako pulled out a bandage from a first aid kit that was in the glove compartment and wrapped Chuck's arm despite his protests. The second time he insisted he was fine she stomped on his toe while Raleigh smacked him upside the head. Chuck let them wrap the stupid cut and tried to will his hands to stop shaking.

+++

It was chaotic by the time they got to the police station. Various members of the local police and the military were running around and barely paid them any attention. The police commissioner, Adin Burchman, walked over and shook all of their hands.

"I'd like to apologize that we were unable to keep you safe," he said solemnly.

"What can you tell us about this guy?" Raleigh asked as they walked to a room with a one way mirror. There was a young man, probably in his early twenties, hand cuffed to the table. His lip was bleeding and he already had a very impressive black eye. He also was staring at them like he knew that they were watching.

"When you interfere with God's work then you will pay the price," the would be assassin said loudly. "You took away our chance at Paradise and now you must go to Hell."

"His name is James Tamor," Commissioner Burchman said. "He's twenty one years old and he was reported missing over a year ago by his parents. They said that he met some new friends and one day he drained his bank account and vanished. I guess you could say we know what kind of people he was hanging around."

"Has he said what faction of BuenaKai he's with?" Mako asked.

"No, not yet, he just keeps ranting about getting revenge and taking care of the people that got in the way of God's work. We have him on three counts of attempted murder and one count of murder so he's not going anywhere. We're hoping to get more information out of him but you know how these people can be," Commissioner Burchman said. Raleigh, Mako, and Burchman continued to talk but Chuck tuned them out. He was staring at this kid, James, who tried to kill the only two people he had left in the world. Chuck clenched his fists because James was smiling like he knew that the people he had attempted to kill were just beyond the door talking about him. Raleigh, Mako, and Burchman walked out of the room talking. Chuck followed but turned a different direction. This kid wasn't going to talk to the police but maybe he'd talk to one of the people that he was trying to kill.

It was frighteningly easy for Chuck to distract the officer at the door long enough to slip into the interrogation room. All he needed to do was shake a few hands and ask for something to drink. The officer nearly jumped at the chance to help him. Chuck knew that this was probably going to get him in trouble but he didn't care. He wanted answers.

"Interesting," James said when Chuck walked in. "I'm not surprised that one of you came in here though. If it was going to be anyone it was going to be you."

"Why are you trying to kill us?" Chuck asked as he sat down across from James. They were the same age and this kid was about to go to prison for the rest of his life.

"You took away our chance at Paradise." James folded his hands and leaned forward on the table. "I'm not going to tell those idiots out there a word but I will share one bit of information with you because you're not going to be alive much longer anyway. We will never stop coming for you."

"You aren't going to hurt them," Chuck snapped and James grinned like he just heard the best joke of his life.

"'Them' not 'us' Mr. Hansen? Well that's interesting. I have to say it was pretty funny to watch you throw yourself over Mori and Becket like that. What are they to you? What are you willing to do for them?" James asked.

"I'd die for them," Chuck said and then snapped his mouth shut. It hadn't even occurred to him that he was willing to die for Mako and Raleigh yet here he was admitting it. He would have taken that bullet for Raleigh in a heartbeat, he wouldn't have hesitated for even a second, and that surprised Chuck. James, however, grinned like he just got the best news of his life.