A/N: Another story in the "Jim Wentworth" AU. Hope you like.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Forever
Michael carefully arranged a scrapbook, a pair of scissors and a glue stick on the table before he opened his copy of the local Glasgow newspaper.
He had been in witness protection now for the better part of ten years and he was more or less comfortable with his new life. He did, however, allow himself one indulgence and that was the Glasgow newspaper. Ostensibly he read it to 'keep abreast of the news back home' but he really scoured the paper for any mention of those he had left behind.
Any references he found were then cut out and carefully pasted into his scrapbook. The newspaper was how he kept track of their cases and how he had found out about the promotion that placed Robbie in charge of the team as DCI and Jackie and Stuart's promotions to DI and DS respectively.
What greeted his eyes this particular morning, however, was as unwelcome as it was unexpected: Top Detective Killed in Raid Gone Wrong.
The photograph that accompanied the headline was Jackie's.
Michael felt the world shift around him as he suddenly went cold. He continued to stare numbly at the article, trying to make sense of how the words 'killed' and 'Jackie Reid' could possibly be in the same sentence.
He felt sick.
He got shakily to his feet and made his way to the bathroom, where he was violently ill.
Eventually he returned, still numb, to the table; hoping that it was all some terrible mistake and he'd somehow read the article wrong. His hope proved to be in vain and the words and what they meant finally sunk in: she was gone.
And he was still stuck in this limbo of an existence, only retaining his sanity through the knowledge that she was still out there somewhere and the hope of one day seeing her again.
That hope was gone.
The worst of it was that he wouldn't even be able to go to her funeral, to pay his last respects...to say good bye.
He felt anger bubble up inside of him; grabbing hold of the scrapbook he sent it sprawling across the room, closely followed by the scissors and the glue. Next he overturned the kitchen table, before he began moving around the room, sending objects flying and generally taking his anger out on anything in his path.
In a surge of pure rage he overturned the couch before his anger left him and he sank to his knees, sobbing.
She was gone, forever.
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A/N: I know it's a funny place to end, but it just seemed to finish there...well, for me anyway. Depending on what people think I may have an idea for more in this universe...so please review to let me know :) Thanks for all your support xo