Title: A Rock And A Hard Place
Author: wildwordwomyn
Word Count: 357
Fandom: Flashpoint gen (pre-slash?)
Pairing: Greg Parker/Ed Lane, Sophie Lane
Rating: PG for angst
Author's Notes: I couldn't help it. That last scene killed me!
Disclaimers/Warnings: No own. No harm intended. Big spoilers for "I'd Do Anything".
Summary: Ed is stuck between a rock and a hard place. And this time Greg can't help.
"She's making me choose." he says quietly. The look on his face, the weariness in his eyes, tells the story. Whatever the choice is it's a bad one. Greg feels like he's walked into a conversation that started before he got there. And even though they're back at the S.R.U., which has always been a safe place to him, he still can't help feeling scared.
"Choose what?" Greg asks hesitantly, confused.
"Sophie says I have to choose between her and the kids or the job. The job, Greg. What am I supposed to do?"
Hearing the words out loud stuns Greg completely. As a result he has no idea how to respond. In all honesty if he had to make a guess the answer would be easy. The job comes first. Not because it's more important but because it's who Ed is. The man can't be anything other than a cop. It's hard-wired into his DNA. The thing is, he gets that. Why doesn't Sophie? That's what baffles him. She doesn't seem to understand that without the S.R.U., without the team, Ed wouldn't be Ed. Period.
He's mad. Jesus, he's so mad he could scream. He would literally have to walk away from her if the woman were standing in front of him, otherwise he'd break her neck with his bare hands. He blinks rapidly to rid himself of the thought so it won't find traction. He doesn't need it in his head. Neither does the man sitting next to him...
...But she knows, has to know, that without him, without this place, there will be no Ed worth loving, right? Right?
It's not until Ed looks away that Greg realizes they're holding hands. It doesn't occur to him to pull away. He only watches as Ed stares blankly at the wall across from them, breathing slowly, gaining strength from his touch, wondering why he's more familiar with the inner workings of Ed's mind than Ed's own wife of the last sixteen years. He hates to even think it because it sounds so damn hopeless but maybe there is no solution here. Not for Ed. Not anymore.
The End