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It had been two months since the madness of Hassan and Graves.
Task Force 141 had been mostly separated for that time, each taking some well-deserved time off from the field and focusing on recon. Ghost had joined Soap in Scotland. The two had mostly spent their free time relaxing in Soap’s apartment, occasionally going out for hikes or short camping trips.
They had settled into a routine, one of them usually being called up for help with recon, usually being gone for a day or two, and then returning home. It was strange having a place to call home. Ghost had spent long just living on base or renting small apartments with cash for a few days when he was forced to take any leave. Now, he had a toothbrush at Soaps, his own drawer for clothes and his assigned spot on the couch. It terrified him at first, worrying that he was overstepping or moving too fast in their relationship, but Soap would assure him constantly that it was okay, and that he wanted him there.
Now, Ghost would have Soap’s coffee ready for him when he woke up, they would cook dinner together and now they were talking about moving further South so Price and Gaz could visit them more often. It was a security Ghost never expected to have but now that he did, he never wanted to let go.
The mission was taking them back to Las Almas, back to Alejandro and Rodolfo. Laswell had explained how since they were in the city, chaos had ensued. Graves had created serious tensions between the military and the local population after his house raids and less than ethical behaviour. Alejandro and Rudy had been working hard to rebuild the trust within the communities again but it had been hard. Not to mention Valeria and the cartel had grown bolder since the Shadows were removed. They were more present on every street, even instigating more fights with Los Vaqueros.
Of course, the 141 agreed without hesitation. Alejandro and Rodolfo had been there for them when they needed it, the least they could do was return the favour.
They arrived in Las Almas two days later and chaos was an understatement. Soap thought when they first arrived it was bad, kids mixing with the cartel, balloons with a side of gun and ice-cream, threatening messages on most street corners. Now, it was a ruin. The further in the city they 141 got, the destruction and chaos became much more evident. Buildings were crumbling as a result of fires and bombs during the Shadows time in the city. There were roadblocks on nearly every street and the number of masked people roaming the city was alarming. Americans truly did fuck up everything they touched.
The 141 arrived at Alejandro's base and were instantly greeted with his bright smile and warm hugs, "Bienvenido de nuevo! It is great to see you all again!"
Alejandro stood in front of Soap for a moment, giving him a mischievous smirk that Soap returned before pulling the other man into a hug. Alejandro turned to Ghost and offered his first to be bumped which Ghost did happily, nodding his head in acknowledgement. Alejandro walked them inside, giving them the breakdown on what was happening and what intel they had.
It wasn't a lot.
Valeria had brought anarchy to the city. She had sent her men on to every street, making sure she was constantly two steps ahead of Los Vaqueros and up until now she was. Alejandro had received information from inside her camp about her next hideout. She had been changing location every day, making sure that she was never around when Los Vaqueros came knocking. They had less than six hours to get to the far side of the city to an abandoned warehouse, where Valeria was due to get an arms shipment.
They were splitting into two teams. Alejandro, Rodolfo and Gaz in team one. They were providing cover fire while Soap, Price and Ghost took to the ground and entered the warehouse on foot. Once team two was in, the other Los Vaqueros would surround and enter the building.
Soap was with Gaz getting geared up when Ghost found him. The two men were laughing at something, Gaz on the verge of tears as he rested his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths to try and calm each other down. Soap wasn't much better. He was lying down on a bench, hands covering his face as he laughed uncontrollably. Ghost watched for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, "Get it together lads, we move in five."
Both men instantly straightened up, Soap nearly falling over as he stumbled onto his feet. He gave a quick glance to Gaz with a small smile before turning to Ghost, his smile shifting into something more smug. Ghost bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to roll his eyes, "Can I have you for a moment, Soap?"
Ghost turned to walk out of the room when he heard Gaz mutter something and Soap let out a laugh before the other man caught up to him. He walked beside Ghost for a few moments, looking up at him the whole time. Ghost finally looked back at him and sighed, "You all ready for this?"
“Aye, I’m all set,” Soap stared at Ghost for a moment, his smile dropping a little as he bumped Ghost with his fist, “Is that all you wanted to talk about?”
“Is your shoulder, okay? You haven’t worn your gear in a while…” Ghost muttered, reaching forward and fixing the strap on Soap’s tactical vest.
Soap rolled his eyes back a little, “It’s alright Simon. I’ve been doing the exercise the doctor gave me and it hasn’t hurt in a few weeks now.” Soap assured him, his smile dropping and a more serious look settling on his face. Ghost took in a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. He didn't expect it to be this hard to separate his personal life from work. It wasn't so bad in the beginning, but after Shepherd's betrayal, Ghost had been on edge constantly. He was mad at himself for not seeing it coming. He and the rest of the 141 had been played for fools by Graves and Shepherd. It hurt. He had trusted them. Foolishly.
“Is there anything else bothering you? You’re somehow quieter than usual,” Soap teased, testing the water. Ghost let out a small sigh and raised his shoulders a little, trying to find the words to explain the knots that were forming in his stomach, "Just don't want you getting hurt again."
Soap let out a small laugh, "I think we both know that's impossible. I stubbed my toe just trying to put my boots on," Soap joked and Ghost couldn't stop the tired sigh that escaped his lips, but he still smiled. He reached out, resting his hand on Soap's shoulder, stroking the exposed skin above Soap's collar.
"Just try to think before you do anything, okay?" Ghost all but begged. Soap moved a little closer, reaching out to fix Ghost's collar with a small smile, "Just like you, Lt."
Ghost brushed him off, but he was starting to feel warm under his mask, "I thought we agreed you were going to be better than me?”
“Thought we agreed I already am?” Soap shot back with a cheeky grin and Ghost just shook his head.
"Come on, the quicker we get Valeria, the quicker we go home."
"Home, yeah? I like the sound of that," Soap smiled, nudging Ghost and they both walked towards the trucks to head out.
Their first mistake was assuming they had gotten a foot ahead of Valeria.
They had walked straight into a trap, Team Two barely making it in the door of the warehouse before shots were fired and all hell broke loose. Team One provided cover fire the best they could but the cartel had been smart enough to use smoke bombs to mask the windows. Outside, Los Vaqueros fought hand to hand with the cartel, empty crates and old cars being used to try and hide from the endless fire coming from either side. It was a shit show.
Ghost, Price, and Soap were trapped in the far corner of the warehouse with no exit and team one currently unable to get to them. On top of it all, comms went down so they were completely in the dark trying to fend off waves of cartel members.
“We can make a run to the office and hold out there,” Price shouted. Ghost didn’t look over at him but nodded his head, eager to get to a more secure position they could hold while they waited for backup. At the moment they were sitting ducks, the crates they had been hiding behind now a pile of chipped wood.
“Soap and I will move to secure it, make sure there’s no hostiles. You okay to provide cover fire?” Ghost yelled back, sparing a glance to Price who agreed, “Be quick, these bastards won’t stop coming.”
Ghost patted Soap on the back and nudged him towards the office door the far side of the warehouse. Ghost stayed mostly silent while Soap muttered beside him, largely insulting and complaining about the number of cartel members. They were a few steps away from the office when Ghost stopped and held position, “You open the door, Johnny and I’ll take point.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” He muttered, giving Ghost a cheeky grin before moving towards the door. Ghost took aim and waited for Soap to open the door, giving Price the heads up they had arrived before they pushed forward.
This was their second mistake.
The door had been rigged with a grenade, it exploding as soon as Soap pushed open the door. Ghost got sent flying back, his head hitting off the dirty concrete floor. Ghost wasn’t sure if it was seconds or hours that passed, but everything around him seemed to be moving in slow motion. His vision was blurred, and his ears were ringing.
Ghost tried to sit up but fell back down, a sharp pain shooting up his arm. He slowly started to gain focus and then his heart dropped.
Ghost began to look around for Soap, but his vision was betraying him. He finally was able to sit up when Price suddenly came running up to him, helping him stand slowly. Ghost watched his lips move but was only hearing parts of what Price was saying.
“Where’s Soap?” He yelled, or at least he thinks he yelled. Ghost’s stomach knotted when Price’s face fell, and he was suddenly avoiding eye contact with Ghost. Ghost pushed him a little and repeated the question, Price looking back at the office. The door had been completely blown out, exposing the whole interior. Ghost was able to focus his eyes on the open door and trail of blood that led out the office.
Everything seemed to come into focus at that moment. The ringing off his ears was now replaced by the beating of his own heart, his eyes unable to look away from the bloody mess amongst the rubble in the office.
"Where is he, John?" Ghost asked through gritted teeth. He clenched his fists as he took a step towards Price. Price held him back, his other arm still offering support as Ghost wobbled a little, "He's gone."
"Where is he gone?" Ghost asks, his eyes quickly scanning back over the rubble, seeing if he could spot Johnny’s mohawk or his tattoo. Was he there? Ghost was spun back around with Price grabbing his arm, "The cartel have him, Simon."
Ghost stumbled back a little, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Fuck!"
He kicked a pile of pallets, his whole body tensing and his mind racing. Soap was gone. He was captured. Johnny was fucking gone. Ghost paced back and forth, everything seemed to be closing in around him. How could he let this happen? He should have stopped it, but how could he? Ghost had been just as blindsided as Soap. It didn't stop the guilt and fear from creeping up on Ghost as he began to think of all the things that could be happening to Soap at this very moment. Hell, who to say he was even still with them.
"Ghost? Simon!?" Price was stood in front of him, gripping Ghost's arms and shaking him gently. Ghost stared at him, "We have to get him back."
"We will, but we need to plan first, Simon. We'll do him no good running in headfirst again," Price reasoned with him.
"We're getting him back," Ghost insisted. Price nodded, patting Ghost's arm with a weak smile, "Damn right we are."
Ghost had spent the best half of an hour pacing around his small room at Alejandro's base. They had absolutely no leads on where Soap is or why he was taken. They were at a complete dead end, and it was driving Ghost crazy. He was getting restless. Anything could have happened to Ghost in the last few hours. What if he thought the team had abandoned him? It was ridiculous, that would never happen, but crazy things happen to the brain when you're scared and hurt. That was another issue, what if he was hurt? Soap was a walking health hazard, what if he was just left alone in some cellar with cuts, what if they got infected and couldn't be treated?
Ghost cursed himself and moved to grab his gear, he couldn't wait anymore. Price had instructed that they wait until Laswell could get them any surveillance footage from the area and track Soap from there, but it was useless. He tugged his tactical vest over his torso and grunted as he tried to strap it back on. Soap had done it for him earlier, he had been doing it for a while now that Ghost thought about it. It had just become part of their routine; Ghost didn't even realise how much he did with Soap until now.
Now that Soap wasn't here with him.
He shook his head and tugged on his straps the best as he could, his hands shaking as he checked his holsters and satchels. He stood in front of the mirror, finding it increasingly hard to look at himself. He sighed and turned away, rubbing his wrist as he made his way towards the window.
"I'm surprised you haven't left already," Ghost spun around and saw Gaz standing in the door. The younger man was dressed in his full gear as well, a bandage poking out from under his sleeve. Ghost glared at him, not trusting himself to speak. Gaz stepped forward, smiling at the Lieutenant, "I'm coming with you."
"No," Ghost responded quickly. Gaz shook his head, "You think you're the only one worried?"
"Sergeant, don't," Ghost warned, but Gaz let out a bitter laugh and stepped further into the room, "We're all worried about him, Ghost.”
“But what do you think he would say if he found out you ran headfirst into danger, with no intel or comms to try and get him?” Gaz asked.
Ghost didn't reply, he just glared at Gaz and fought the urge to snap at him. Gaz shook his head, "You know he would call you a fool, or a bawbag, or some other made-up Scottish bullshit. Because the last thing he would want is for you to get hurt looking for him." Gaz finished, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
Ghost took a deep breath and fell back onto one of the benches with a deep sigh, burying his face in his hands, "I need to do something, Gaz."
He heard Gaz approach him slowly, his footsteps stopping just in front of him and suddenly there was a hand resting on his shoulder, "We'll get him back soon, Lieutenant... Laswell just arrived to help.”
“Laswell?”
“Price called her after the raid. She flew straight here from D.C., said she wanted to speak with you whenever you’re ready,” Gaz explained. Ghost let out a deep sigh.
He walked to the main hall with Gaz, all eyes falling on him as soon as he entered the meeting room. Laswell rose from her seat and greeted Ghost with a sad smile, stopping him from walking to the main table were everyone was currently standing.
“Come, I want to talk to you for a moment.”
Ghost bit down hard on the inside of his cheek as he followed Laswell into the hall and into a different room. She moved slowly and sat down, her eyes following Ghost as he sat across from her.
“How are you doing?” She asked, trying to break the barrier that was between them. Ghost shrugged his shoulders, “I feel better once we have Johnny back.”
Ghost watched as Laswell shifted in her seat, her gaze dropping to her own wedding band, and she sighed. Fuck.
“I have full faith we will get him back, Lieutenant, but I just want to be prepared in case,” She explained, her hands shaking as she spoke. Ghost felt himself sinking into his seat a little.
“You don’t have to spell it out for me. I know, Kate,” Ghost replied through gritted teeth.
They both sat in silence for a moment, Ghost trying to process the avalanche of emotions that were currently sweeping over him. He didn’t know whether to cry, scream, shout or do all three. It felt like the walls were slowly beginning to crumble around him, his mask almost choking him as his breaths grew shorter and shallower. It all seemed surreal. Like this should just be another one of his nightmares but it wasn’t. It was very much real. Soap was M.I.A. and Ghost was currently useless.
Ghost pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. He needed to get his head straight he was going to be of any help to Soap. When he opened his eyes there was an envelope in front of him. He turned to Kate, her whole-body tense and radiating a nervous energy Ghost had never seen or felt before.
“Soap gave this to me a while ago. He said that if anything happened to him, I was to give this to you.”
With that, Laswell squeezed Ghost's arm and walked away, leaving him alone with the letter. Ghost picked it up, running his fingers along the edges. He chuckled a little seeing the battered corners and a small coffee stain near the seal. Trust Soap to somehow make an envelope messy.
Ghost held it in his hands for a moment, debating whether or not to open it. If he opened it, read it and then found Soap safe and well, how would it affect their relationship? But if he didn’t read it, would Soap be upset or angry at him? What if he didn’t read it and they didn’t find Soap, ever?
His hands were shaking, and his stomach was churning as he opened the envelope slowly, it felt like his heart was about to explode out of his chest. He pulled out the folded sheet, holding it in his hands. If he read this, it would be an acknowledgement that he might not see Johnny again. Ghost rubbed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths before he focused back on the letter.
He slowly opened it, revealing a page of barely legible writing and a series of small stars drawn in the margin of the page. He ran his fingers over one, cursing as some of the paint from his eyes smudged over it. He sighs as he wiped his hand on his jeans, looking back at the letter. There were several lines scribbled out, the pen smudging slightly and even a few rips where Soap no doubt pressed the pen too hard. He traced his thumb over Johnny’s signature at the bottom, repeating the motion a few times before he began to read the letter.
Hey, Simon.
It is strange writing a letter to you knowing that if you ever read it, it means I’m not around. I have tried a few times to try write this and every single time I feel like I fall short of what I want to say but also what I need you to hear. First and most importantly is that it is not your fault. No matter what mental gymnastics you’re no doubt doing at the moment, whatever happened to me is not your fault.
Don’t you dare try to blame yourself. We both know what we signed up for joining the military.
I know you think that every bad thing that has ever happened is somehow your fault, but it isn’t Simon. No matter what you tell yourself, you’re only human. You act cold and distant but you’re one of the most caring people I know. But because of this you blame yourself too much, you take on the burden of every bad thing that happens to the team and try to deal with it alone. So don’t shut yourself off when I’m gone. You can’t do everything alone.
I’m writing this while you’re asleep beside me in bed and it’s terrifying. Right now, you look completely at peace. You don’t have your usual frown lines from complaining about the weather or that tense frown you do when you get lost in your thoughts, you’re just here and it is incredible. It seems strange that one day could be my last ever seeing you like this, and I wouldn’t even know.
I know we’re both not the best when it comes to vocally expressing how we feel but I care for you so much Simon it hurts sometimes.
All my happiest memories are with you.
Whenever I’m alone on a mission or away from you, I think about the first time you stayed over at mine. How you were worried about taking off your shoes coming in, the way you constantly apologised for doing anything or even how you fell off the bed because you worried you were taking up too much space. But then I think about how your shoes are now always beside mine at the door whenever I go to leave, or how you insist on folding all the socks into pairs after every watch. You’re everywhere I look now; a permanent part of my life and I wouldn’t trade that for the world.
If you ever read this, I want you to know that the time I have spent with you has been the best moments in my life. And I’m not talking about the mad missions we get sent on or the crazy things we have done with the 141. I’m talking about your stupid jokes during dinner, or how you constantly put your jumper on backwards, or the way your hair sticks up whenever you take off your mask. The small moments that you have let me see, just us. They are what I would miss most. But they’re also the most important things to me. Everything bad and fucked in this world seems a little less bad when I’m with you, Simon.
I never thought I would have this type of life, and I’m glad it was with you.
Love, Johnny.
Ghost folded the letter and placed it back on the table, leaning back in the chair. He bit down hard on his lip, his vision blurring as a warm tear rolled down his face. He clenched his fist, trying focus on his breathing. He was mad at himself. He felt like he had wasted the precious time he had with Johnny. So much time wasted because he was afraid of the commitment and opening up to someone. It was pathetic. Now, he was silently mourning his partner with nothing but bitterness and anger bubbling inside him because of what he didn’t do.
“Fuck,” Ghost cursed, pushing his chair away from the table and standing up. He began to pace back on forth, dozens of his thoughts racing through his mind. He had to go. He needed to get on that plane and find Soap.
Ghost took the letter off the table, folding it up further and putting it in his vest pocket. He moved towards the door, opening it and was instantly greeted with Gaz and Price stepping back a little. Both men looked him up and down and Ghost felt himself becoming irrationally angry. He knew they were worried for him while also worrying over their friends as well. Yet, he hated the way they were looking at him. With the pitiful sad stare and sympathetic smile that everyone did when they didn’t know what to say to someone who they knew had just gotten bad news.
They stared at each other for a moment before Price spoke, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Ghost shook his head, moving towards the main meeting room, Price and Gaz following behind him, “I just want to get him back.”
Price gave him a firm nod, “Let’s go get him then.” He patted Ghost’s arm as he caught up to him. Gaz gave a small holler, patting Ghost on the back as he reached forward to open the door.
As soon as he walked in, he suddenly felt like a prize pony at a horse show. He wanted to sink away instantly and just look for Soap by himself. He hated the feeling of everyone looking at him, knowing they pitied him. It was frustrating. Ghost didn't need pity, he needed action. Still, Ghost pushed forward to the main table where Alejandro, Rodolfo and Laswell had gathered. Rodolfo was pointing out different positions on a map while Laswell spoke. Ghost stood at the end of the table, Gaz and Price moving across from him and both offering him a reassuring look.
"We have managed to track the car Soap was into the city centre, there it starts to get a bit messy," Price explained for Ghost, pointing back to the map. Alejandro continued, "the cartel took control of this area after the Shadows, we have no footage from inside here, but we have strong reason to believe they're holding him here."
Ghost nodded his head, his eyes scanning the large red area marked out on the map. Beside it was a photo of the car Soap must've been taken in. Ghost reached out and pulled the photo towards him, holding his breath as he noticed Soap in the back seat, his head leaning against the window. He must've been knocked out. That probably meant some head trauma they had to account for now.
"So, what's the plan?" Ghost asked, looking up at the others.
"We're going to split up again but take a quieter approach. We don't know what house they might have Soap in so we need to move in quickly and efficiently between them to cover the most ground and make sure we don't get caught by any of the cartel," Alejandro began, pointing at the most eastern point of the map, "Because of that, Gaz and Price are going to start here, on the far side it is going to be you and me, Ghost.”
Ghost nodded his head, straightening up his posture and composing himself. This was it, he shot to get Soap in and out, safe and quick. Alejandro smiled at him and nodded before pointing at his map, "We have very limited intel from inside this area. From what we have gathered, this building here is their main office. Our guess is that if they are holding Soap anywhere, it will be here. Checking the other buildings is just a precaution."
"Time is off the essence, if we can get Soap back before any ransom demands, we can level the playing field again," Laswell added, reaching out and patting Ghost's hand on the table as she spoke. Ghost just sighed and pulled his hand away, holding it behind his back as he stared at the buildings marked on the map, trying to memorise the street view as best he could.
"When do we set out?" Ghost asked.
"A soon as," Price responded, shifting to rest his hand on the hilt of his gun.
"Then what are we waiting for, let’s fucking go,” The team cheered around him and they all set off to get back Soap.
The drive to the cartel zone was one of the longest rides Ghost has ever had to endure in his life. The first few hours were the worst. Gaz, Price and Alejandro were uncertain on how to talk to Ghost, none of them wanting to risk upsetting him or even setting him off. Gaz had been the one to break the tension, telling a stupid story about him and Soap fishing for the first time with Price. Ghost had laughed and with that there seemed to be a wave of calm that swept over them as they all exchanged their favourite stories about Soap.
Price had spoken about the first time he met Soap. Ghost listened with a small smile as Price talked about how he wasn’t aware Soap was a sniper, yet the young lad had shot off Price’s hat during a mission after they had a small argument over comms. Ghost could imagine the baby-faced Soap getting worked up easily and trying to prove himself.
“He’s the best sniper I know,” Price mumbled, a fond smile on his face. Gaz scoffed a little, but Price just nudged him.
The ride seemed to pass a little quicker with them exchanging stories, Ghost even fell asleep for an hour before some bad turbulence woke him. Then he was left alone with his thoughts. As they approached their destination, Ghost could feel his fears and anxieties build up again. There could be a chance they had flown over here to collect a body rather than find Soap. Ghost tried his best to push down his emotions as they stopped, everyone exiting the car and staring at the dozens of houses in front of them. Soap could be anywhere here.
"Everything from here on out is hostile territory," Alejandro began, pacing in front of them as he stared over at the houses, "Ghost and I will leave you two here and circle around and meet you two at the storage facility in the middle. There shouldn't be to many cartel members but don't let your guard down. We know what they're capable off. We ready?"
"Lets go get our boy back," Price finished, patting Ghost and Alejandro before him and Gaz moved towards the first street of houses.
Ghost watched them for a few moments before moving with Alejandro to the far side of the housing block. They both moved in silence, Ghost lost in his thoughts as they made their way to through their first few houses. He kept trying to remind himself he needed to focus for Soap but he couldn't stop his mind wondering to every worse case scenario. Every room they entered, every closet they check, he saw flashes of Johnny injured on the floor, hurt or sometimes worse.
They had moved through six houses by the time Alejandro had finally broken the silence, "I know what you are going through, Ghost."
Ghost didn't respond, opening a bedroom door and examining the room. Alejandro walked in behind him, letting out a deep sigh, "It was Rudy, five years ago."
Ghost looked up at him, waiting for Alejandro to continue, "It was one of our final missions with the Army. We were in Guatemala, it was an extraction mission for a wanted suspect for the U.S. military...They somehow got tipped we were coming and split our forces, Rudy and I were separated. Rudy got lost in the crossfire, we found him two days later in a town miles away from our mission. But, for two, miserable days, I thought I lost him."
"How did you deal with it?" Ghost whispered.
"Terribly. We hadn't told anyone in the squad about us, I didn't even have Valeria to talk to anymore at this stage, it was suffocating."
Ghost stared at him in disbelief for a moment before Alejandro turned to him with a small smile, "But you're not alone, are you hermano?"
Ghost nodded his head, walking out of the room and back out of the house, Alejandro close behind them as they moved to the last house on this strip, the storage facility now visible.
"I'm not saying you have to talk about it, but if it would help..." Alejandro muttered, pushing forward into the kitchen, sighing when the house was clear. Ghost stood at the front door for a moment, before taking a deep breath, "I'm worried we won't get him back."
Alejandro came out from the kitchen and took a took a moment to think before he replied, "I won't make empty guarantees, but I can promise you that we will never stop looking for him."
Ghost felt his chest tighten a little, but also a strange sense of relief. When his family had been killed, he was completely alone, he had no one. Neighbours avoided him, people glared at him in the streets, some shops even refused to serve him. It was soul crushing. Now, he had a strange network of oddballs to rely on. It was strange, and made him squirm thinking of being reliant on other people. Yet, there was a strange sense of comfort, that he knew there was all these people that would continue to help him and would never give up on Johnny, just as everyone else had given up on his family.
Ghost muttered a small thanks to Alejandro as he walked out past him, back onto the street, staring towards the storage facility. Ghost followed him, noticing Gaz and Price coming around the far side of the building and waving them over. Both men stuck to the shadows as they made their way over, all four men gazing up at the building once they were all together.
"This is it."
"There was no exits the far side of the building, all windows are boarded up. This door is the only way in or out so we don't have to worry about anyone escaping," Gaz explained, gesturing to the side of the building which had a huge mural of El Sin Nombre on the side. Ghost's lip curled in disgust. He couldn't wait to help Alejandro crush the cartel after this.
"Okay. Price, you take point, I will cover the back. Everyone ready?" Alejandro explained, raising a brow as he glanced around at everyone. Ghost cocked his gun and nodded. This was it.
Price forced open the door, rushing in with Ghost and Gaz behind him. There was two cartel members waiting at the door, but they were quickly neutralised by Gaz and Ghost. Ghost and Gaz swept the first floor while Price and Alejandro kept watch on the stairs but also the exit in case reinforcements showed up. They were in a ticking time bomb.
Ghost and Gaz came back to the main area and with that Price signaled for them to move upstairs. The first room the searched was empty, and Ghost was beginning to get nervous. What if they had moved Soap again? Maybe they had just used him as bait to get them here to finish them off. There was a lot of anger towards the British and Los Vaqueros after what happened two months ago. Retaliation was to be expected.
They moved towards the next door, Gaz pointing at the latch on the outside. Price pushed Ghost forward, "You take lead, he might be in here."
Ghost tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he put away his rifle, loosening the holster for his pistol. He reached for the latch and popped it open. His hand shook over the handle before he opened the door.
Gaz shone his torch in, illuminating the room. Ghost near stumbled forward as he saw Soap being held by a cartel member, a knife being held to his throat. Ghost's eyes scanned over his body, noting the cuts along his arm and neck, the wound on his head, but he was awake. Awake and pissed off.
"Just shoot the fucking wanker," He yelled, struggling against the man who was currently cursing him out in Spanish. Ghost raised his gun, walking forward with Price moving up right beside him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Alejandro moving to the far side of the room, getting another angle. The man began to wave the knife around frantically, the team circling closer to him. Ghost looked at Soap who just smiled at him. He nodded at him, before turning to Price and gesturing to the man with his eyes. Within seconds, Soap had pushed himself away from the man and Price had put a bullet between his eyes.
Soap stumbled forward towards Ghost. Ghost dropped his gun and reached forward, catching Soap before he fell to the floor. He helped him back up onto his feet and laughed a little as he cupped his face, examining the cuts closer and moving his head to the side, taking note of the bruise forming along his hairline. He hadn't even noticed Soap was talking to him until he wrapped his arms around him and Ghost suddenly froze.
"I'm okay, Simon," Soap muttered into his ear. Ghost didn't cry. But he didn't reply, instead pulled Soap closer to him and holding on to make sure he didn't disappear from him again.
Ghost didn't let Soap out of his sight for the next few hours. In medical, he stayed with him while he got a few stitches on a cut through his eyebrow and on a cut on his arm. He stayed beside him while he ate, glaring at everyone who came up to welcome Soap back and wish him a speedy recovery. He was even sat with Soap when he was speaking to Laswell about what happened.
"Please sit down, Lt.," Soap sighed, staring up at him from the bed. Ghost had been doing laps around their room, checking the locks on the window and door every time he passed them. He was still on edge. Soap went to get out of bed and Ghost was beside him within two seconds, pushing him back down on the bed, "Rest."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Simon, I'm okay!" Soap snapped, throwing his feet off the side of the bed and standing right back up. He was staring up at Ghost, his brows furrowed and worry lines etched into his forehead. They stared at each other for a few moments before Soap spoke again, "I know you're scared, worried, stressed but I'm here. I'm safe. We're in Alejandro's base. We are safe."
Ghost bit down hard on his bottom lip, a wave of exhaustion suddenly sweeping over him. Soap sniffled in front of him, and Ghost's eyes shot back to him. His eyes were red and there was a tear running down the side of his cheek. Soap sniffled again before he leaned forward and buried his face in Ghost's chest. Ghost guided him onto the bed, lying down so Soap was on top of him. Soap sniffled into his shirt, Ghost didn't say anything, instead stroked Soap's hair and waited patiently.
"I thought I would never see you again," Soap mumbled, finally looking back up at Ghost. A sharp pain went through his chest, seeing how broke and hurt Soap looked. He reached out and wiped a tear from Soap's cheek, "I will always find you."
Soap let out a small laugh, resting his head on Ghost's chest again. He traced small patterns on his arm, seemingly lost in thought.
"Laswell gave me your letter," Ghost muttered, causing Soap to shoot up suddenly. He flinched, holding his hand down on the stitches on his arm and staring at Ghost with wide eyes, "She what?"
Ghost climbed out of the bed and over to his vest that was hung up at the end of the bed and took the letter out from the pocket. He spun it around in his hand, watching the small, paper square spin before he held it in front of Soap as he sat back down on the bed. Soap pushed himself against the headboard, slowly reaching out and taking the letter from Ghost. He unfolded it and scrunched his face when he realised it was truly his letter. He folded it back again and held it in his hands for a moment.
"I meant it. Being with you makes everything better," He muttered.
Ghost smiled, looking down at his lap before he reached up and pulled off his mask. Soap let out a small tut beside him and soon there was a hand stroking his cheek. Ghost flinched, instinctively reaching his hand up to the now burning spot on his cheek, "Have you been checked at all?"
Ghost shook his head, pulling his hand away and looking at the small dots of blood on his hand.
"And you call me the walking disaster..." Soap teased, running his fingers through Ghost's greasy hair and sighing. Ghost shifted a little, wringing the mask in his hands, "I just wanted to get you back, I couldn't think or focus on anything else."
"Tomorrow you're going to medical before we leave," Soap instructed, lying back down on the bed. Ghost rolled his eyes but tried his best to lie down beside him. They were both currently trying to lie side-by-side on a single bed, Ghost mostly leaning off the bed. They shifted about for a few minutes, Ghost carefully trying to avoid aggravating any of Soaps injuries as he guided the other man to lie on top of him again.
"Are we okay?" Soap asked. Ghost furrowed his brows and stared at him, "What?"
Soap cleared his throat, "You read the letter."
What Soap was asking suddenly dawned over Ghost and he let out a small 'oh', his mind suddenly racing to think of a reply. He knew that Soap loved him, Soap always ended their calls with a love you, or sometimes said it before they went to sleep. It wasn't a sudden revelation. What he wrote, it was heavy. Of course, he hadn't expected Ghost to read it while he was still alive, so he was obviously anxious about how it might change their relationship.
"It made me think a little, you know," Ghost muttered, causing Ghost to look back up at him, "Yeah?"
"I know I'm not as vocal about my feelings as you, and I am trying, really...But, with you, I'm my best when I'm with you, and I care for you a lot, Johnny. Nothing can change that." Ghost smiled softly. Soap's lips quirked back up into a small smile as he reached up and lowered Ghost's head and gently kissed him.
"Thank you for getting me back," Ghost smiled, stroking his thumb across the scar on Soap's chin, "Don't ever make me do it again, Johnny, it was terrifying."
Soap just laughed, "I wasn't too fond of it myself."
Ghost just shook his head and held Soap close to his chest, still smiling knowing that he had found a home in a stupid little Scottish man, and he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.