A/N: Hello fellow Shaleb Trashcans! This is my first adventure into writing for a new fandom and I'm very excited about it; but I'm also very nervous. I'm hoping my characterization will be on par with the show and not feel too out of character, but if it ever does please kindly(emphasis on kind) leave me a comment and let me know how I can do better.
This is going to be a One-Shot compilation based on prompts from tumblr and crazy headcanons from…. well, my head. If you'd like to check out more Shaleb fanfiction, please check out .com. A bunch of us will be posting prompts there as we get them done, (theres like 25 prompts right now so be patient!) Also I am open to prompts on my personal tumblr, twitter, and in comments/PM here on . :)
Prompt #1: Please write me a heartbreaking fic of Caleb trying to commit suicide and Shelby trying to save him.
*TW TW TW* I need to obviously put a large trigger warning on this, as it gets very dark and pretty graphic as well. I've had this prompt for a very long time(like 2 months, yikes me) I had to go to a pretty dark place to get certain parts done though, so eh. I tried my best to make this as genuine and in character as I could, but the situation to me was a little OOC so I did what I could. Hopefully y'all won't hate me by the end. This one shot is named after 'Paralyzed' by NF, please listen to it, it's a great song. Most of the one shots here will be inspired by really nice music :)
Without further ado, turn in your weapons(so you don't use them on me,obviously), grab some tissues, and of course, Enjoy!
Shelby sighed deeply, wringing her hands impatiently as her eyes found the clock. Twenty three minutes and 15 seconds she had been standing in the same position, her back rigid and unmoving. Her gaze wandered over the small group of her peers that stood outside Liam's office, listening helplessly to the Executive Assistant Director of the FBI, who also happened to be Caleb's father, mercilessly rip Caleb a new asshole. They had been in the middle of a real life training exercise when one of the other NATs made a dumb childish decision that caused it to go sideways, resulting in an injured civilian. Caleb decided to take the blame for the mishap, and now he was being subjected to the most brutal scolding that Shelby had ever had the displeasure of overhearing. It took every cell inside her not to bust into that office and pull Caleb to safety.
Finally Caleb surfaced out of the office, defeat written all over his face. The slamming door echoed through the hallway for what felt like forever. He diverted his eyes from any of his worried peers and took off down the hallway. Shelby pushed off the wall immediately, ready to run after him. Just then, Clayton Haas stepped out of the office and right into Shelby's path.
"Can I help you?" Shelby snapped, hands firmly placed on her hips.
"You're next, Wyatt. Let's go." He ordered, his large frame looming over her.
"Like hell I am. Get out of my way." She spat, eyes burning with disdain. "There are ten other people that can go before me, so move." Shelby pushed past him, but was halted as a vice grip landed around her arm.
"If you want to keep that arm, I suggest you let go of me." She warned fiercely. "Now."
Ten minutes later Shelby hadn't found Caleb. After checking every place she could think of, she was fresh out of ideas. She stood on the pathway that overlooked the empty pool as she racked her brain for ideas about where to find him. Finally a lightbulb went off in her head - the roof.
The last time his dad came to the Academy, Caleb had went to the roof to get some air, and Shelby had followed him. She calmed him down and they stayed up there until well after dark. They maybe, sort of, may have had a teenage make out session under the stars.
She took off in a sprint, weaving through the hallways. Endurance had never been her strong suit, but somehow her heart was pushing her faster than she had ever run before. She was deeply worried about Caleb's state of mind after the vile shit that had spewed from his father's mouth. How could any parent feel that kind of hatred and lack of empathy for their kid? He's his father-
"Shit," Shelby said breathlessly when she came face to face with five flights of stairs. She cracked her neck, and with a deep breath she took the stairs two at a time. When she reached the top she swung the door open and let it slam behind her as she made her way onto the roof. When she rounded the corner, what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Caleb," Shelby breathed as the air rushed out of her lungs. "What are you doing?" Her heart was beating a million miles a minute and she had to forcefully will herself not to throw up.
In front of her she saw the broken shell of the man she loved. Caleb had his back to her, his hands stuffed in his pockets. His feet were firmly planted on the ledge of the roof, toes hanging over the edge slightly.
Shelby swallowed the lump in her throat and moved toward him slowly, not wanting to spook him.
"Caleb?" She said softly.
He took a jagged deep breath, "Go away Shelby."
"Caleb, what are you doing up there?" Please talk to me." She pleaded desperately. "Please."
"He's right," He says flatly. "About everything."
Shelby could almost feel her heart physically break in her chest. Her pulse throbbed in her head with both heartache and anger. He actually believed the depraved shit that had come out of his father's mouth. Calling him a mistake and a burden; hammering into his head that he was unworthy and worst of all, unloved.
"Caleb…" She begged, "You have to know that you are none of the things that Clayton says. I know he's pounded it into your head that those things are true, but I promise you they aren't. Not even close."
He doesn't respond, instead he stared blankly ahead as the 'wise' words of his father played on a loop in his head. They drown out Shelby's pleas and they repeat over, and over, and over. He wanted to scream but he knew if he opened his mouth nothing would come out.
Shelby moved closer and carefully hoisted herself up to sit on the ledge. It scared the shit out of her, having the open air to her back; But she wouldn't give up on Caleb, not when everyone else he'd ever loved had done exactly that.
"You know how I know that?" She asked lightly, looking up at him. "Because you have every right to be an agent. You earned it, all by yourself." She scooted closer to him as she continued. "You're smart, smarter than most of us; You're an analyst and an agent all rolled into one. You're going to be a huge asset to the bureau."
He looked down at her reluctantly but avoided connecting his eyes with hers. It was really hard to believe that when the Executive Assitant Director was telling him otherwise.
"You're a lot of things Caleb, but one of the best things about you is how selfless you are. You would die for the Bureau, and you would die to protect your friends. You wouldn't have gotten reprimanded if you weren't so damn selfless." She said with a ironic laugh.
"So fuck your father and what he thinks, because a lot of people need you Caleb." she swallowed tightly, "I need you."
Caleb brought a hand to his neck, rubbing relentlessly. He imagined how hurt Shelby would be if he did this; if she saw him do this. It made him feel even more worthless. He didn't want to cause her that kind of pain, but he was battling with his own pain. He was so tired of trying to live up to the impossible standards that were expected of him, he wanted it to all be over.
Seeing him lost in his thoughts, Shelby carefully held onto the ledge. She maneuvered herself into a squat and meticulously brought herself to her feet.
"Shelby…." Caleb said, his voice panicked.
She was faced toward him, her back turned on the world. She wrapped a hand around his arm, holding onto him for dear life. She locked eyes with him, and this time he held her tearful gaze.
"You aren't a burden. You aren't unworthy, and most of all, you are not unloved."
He stayed silent. His conflicting emotions were waging war inside him and he wasn't sure who to listen to.
"I love you Caleb," She said softly, her voice breaking. "I love everything about you."
His eyes examined her; standing beside him, refusing to give up. Tears flowed steadily from her eyes and he had to fight the urge to wipe them away.
"So," She said, running her hand down his arm until her fingers intertwined with his. "If you jump, you're just gonna have to take me with you."
Caleb shook his head frantically, "No, Shelby you have to get down."
"I'm not getting down unless you are too." She said simply
Carefully Caleb turns toward her to face her. He placed his hands on the side of her face, and his thumb stroked her cheek gently. He pressed his lips to hers, intending to kiss her quickly. But Shelby deepened the kiss, giving her words physical affirmation.
When they broke for air, his words echoed hers. "I love you too, believe me."
His hands traveled down to her shoulders, and gripping them tightly he lifted her small frame and set her back down on the safety of the roof.
"Caleb, what-"
"I'm so sorry," He said, his voice strangely devoid of feeling. "But really, It's better for everyone this way."
It took a good thirty seconds before she could even process what was happening. One second Caleb was standing in front of her, and the next he wasn't. Immediately, silent sobs wracked her body and her knees gave out from under her as she collapsed to the ground. Shelby opened her mouth to scream, but the only thing that came out was white noise.
In reality, Caleb wakes up to Shelby screaming bloody murder. She probably woke up their entire class, honestly.
"Shelby, hey," He grabs her thrashing body and pulls her into his lap. "Baby wake up, it's just a bad dream."
Shelby comes to gasping for air, panic bubbling in her lungs as a strong pair of arms close around her. Struggling to catch her breath, she also tries to orient herself with her surroundings before opening her eyes again. When she finally does, her eyes lock on a pair of cobalt blues. Instantly her shoulders start to shake as she sobs in both confusion and awe.
"Hey, Hey. It's okay, everything's okay." Caleb hugs her against his chest. "It was just a dream."
" ' ." She says into his shirt between sobs, her voice muffled.
"Tell me about it?" He asks softly.
"I- I- I don't know if I can honestly." She stammers, the images flashing behind her eyes rapidly, the soul crushing sound echoing in her head.
"I'm going to get you some water." He says pulling away from her. Getting out of bed he pulls on a pair of sweatpants and pads barefoot over to the mini fridge. He grabs a cold water bottle, popping off the top before throwing it behind him before handing it to her. "Here, drink."
She obeys, and downs almost half a bottle. Finally, she starts to catch her breath.
Caleb sits back down next to her, placing his hand on her knee. "So, tell me what it was about."
"Something had happened in a training exercise and you took the blame to save someone else's ass, and as a reward, your dad ripped you a new asshole." She explained.
"I see, very realistic." Caleb says lightly, all too familiar with that kind of situation.
"I guess it pushed you too far because I found you on the roof; standing on the edge." She takes a shaky deep breath. "I tried everything to convince you to get down, but you ended up jumping in the end. It was so realistic and surreal, I even heard the haunting sound of you hitting the pavement." She shakes her head fiercely and buries her face in her hands. "Oh my god."
Caleb reaches for her hand, "Hey, but it was just a dream. I'm right here, and I'd never do that to you. In fact, the only time I'd ever let you see me die is if I was taking a bullet for you." He promises. "Plus, Booth has taken what, two bullets now? So they can't even be that bad."
Shelby's lips curve upward but the smile doesn't quite make it to her eyes. Caleb can see her mind reeling behind.
"You have to promise me." She says quietly.
"Shelby I promise, I'm not going anywhere." He assures her, his hand rubbing patterns on her leg. "Hey," he says softly, lifting her chin with his finger. "I love you."
She launches herself at him, her arms latching onto his neck as her legs straddle his waist. Pushing him down onto the bed, she plants kisses all the way up his chest. Her hands find their way to his face just before her lips connect with his. "I love you too." Shelby replies, and she can feel his lips curve against hers happily.
Eventually they break the kiss and Shelby lays her head down on his chest. They lay there quietly, she draws light circles on his arm as he runs his hands through her hair. Slowly but surely, she is lulled back into a content sleep by the steady beating of his heart.
A/N: Yay first one is done! I hope you all enjoyed the way I ended it? I just couldn't see Caleb ever doing something that drastic, so I had to make it a dream of course(also the change in tense was intentional, so don't send me hate about it). Maybe it's totally unoriginal but it's literally the only way i could get this blasted prompt done. I have another headcanon of my own that is 3/4ths done and will most definitely be up in the next few days. It involves, Shaleb, angst, and an Elevator. Get excited ;) In the meantime please like/fave, send requests, and leave me some love. This writing stuff is hard. D: