When she sees him hug Sam, it stops her in her tracks. She feels a brick wall thud against her chest, hears a door slam, and the grating of a key turning in a rusty lock. None of this is real of course, not really, but she can hear it, she can feel it as clearly as she tastes the metal of bitterness on her tongue.
It's irrational, and she has no right, and yet here it is, this heaviness in her stomach, this grief, this frustration, this loss.
It stings that it's Sam she's lost him to. There's nothing wrong with her, not really, but she's always rubbed Natalia the wrong way.
'You have no right' she tells herself, and she doesn't, not really, much as she wishes she does, and it's only in this moment she admits to herself the depth of her affection for the man currently hugging the beautiful new CSI.
And suddenly, she can't look anymore, can't see anymore through the veil of tears she only now notices as she whirls around and walks away. Far away from him. And her.
There's nothing else she can do; not really.
Thank you for reading. This was just a little something that came into my head last night after watching the episode for the first time and I figured posting it was a good way to introduce myself to this fandom and pairing, even if it's not my best. I have another, longer piece for this pairing I have been working on for a while and really like. Hopefully I will find a beta to help me with it, and it will get posted eventually.
If you happen to know anyone with an emphasis on keeping characters in character, please drop me a line.
Thank you, and again thanks for your time in reading. I hope you enjoyed it!