Fight or Flight: Prologue.
A/N: My very first Lie to Me fic, after a full re-watch of all the episodes, this little idea popped into my head, and had to be done! Still majorly pissed that it was cancelled, but what can you do? That's why we have fanfiction! So, go easy on me guys! Hope you enjoy :)
Summary: Everyone is fallible, even Cal Lightman. When his mistakes have a disastrous effect, he is pushed to the edge, teetering on it. Does he run, or can he return from this?
Disclaimer: Not my characters, unfortunately! If they were, I definitely would not have cancelled them, but whatevs. Only the idea is mine.
Rating: K+ for now. May change as the story progresses.
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"Come on, come on Foster! Don't give up on me." His hands ripped the striped scarf from his neck, quickly scrunching it up and he pressed it tightly against the open wound on her stomach.
His hands were coated in her blood, warm and sticky against his now cold skin. He held it down tightly, as he looked around him wildly. They could be too late. They might not get here on time.
His eyes lingered for just a moment on the body behind him. Not moving, with a single trickle of blood pooling beneath his head, his eyes glassy staring blankly ahead.
He looked back to Gillian when her bloody hand grabbed his shirt, his breathing too fast for him to keep up with. He had never felt like this before. He was always in control, but not right now. Now, nothing here was in his control.
Her eyes were wild, searching for his, and once they found his, she tried to focus on him, but she couldn't quite seem to keep her focus. "It's all right, Gill. It'll be all right. The paramedics will be here soon, very soon. Just hold on, I promise. It'll be okay." It had to be okay. "I'm sorry. This is my fault."
"C-Cal.." She gargled, and what worried him was the small trail of blood that leaked out of the corner of her mouth. She was terrified. You didn't have to be an expert to read that.
He quickly reached out, and wiped the blood from her mouth, his own blood covered fingers only smearing it more, but he didn't seem to notice. His hand quickly returned to the other, and he pressed down harder than he had been in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.
"It'll be okay, darlin'. Trust me. I need you to hold on just a little bit longer, until help gets here." He struggled to keep his voice even, desperation seeping into it.
"T-t-tired Cal... So tired." Once more, blood trickled from her mouth. It was getting harder and harder for her to breathe, and with each breath she took, the slight gargling sound was unmistakable.
"Keep your eyes open, love. Let me see them. You know you've got beautiful eyes. don't close them. Just a little while longer, I promise." His hands were shaking, but he would not move them.
He sighed in relief when he heard the sirens in the distance. That was one of the best noises he had heard all evening. His eyes were locked on hers, searching desperately. "They're almost here. Almost here, Gillian. You can do this."
"Wake me when t-they get here.." She slurred, blinking heavily.
"No, no, no. Come on, stay with me, keep them open, Gill." He was begging her now.
"Tired, Cal.." She trailed off as her eyes closed.
"Bollocks." He spat as he pressed tighter, looking up to see the lights of the ambulance drawing closer, blinding him as they came to a stop, the sirens whirring in the background, drowned out by the hammering of his heart against his chest.
"Come on, what are you waiting for!" He shouted to the paramedics as they jogged over to him, not fast enough for Cal's liking.
"I'm sorry sir, I'm going to have to ask you to move so we can treat her." The first paramedic said as the second began checking vital signs, assessing the situation.
Cal hesitated for just a moment, his eyes flickering from the paramedics, to Gilian's closed ones, and he nodded, taking his hands away, and standing up on shaky feet. The first hurriedly took Cal's place, and they set to work, talking fast, but everything they said may as well have been in a different language.
His eyes were on her face. So white, to delicate, with dark, ugly red stains smeared across it in contrast. He blindly looked to his own hands, covered in her blood, and he tried his best to rub the blood off onto his already stained white shirt.
Her blood was on his hands. Literally. If anything happened to her. It was his fault. It was all his fault. He had gotten it wrong, and now it may have cost him his best friends life.
"Gillian... Do you love her?"
In the pause she had taken to ask the question after saying her name, he had figured where it was going, and tried not to act so surprised, like a deer in the headlights. He knew it would have only been a matter of time before she asked. "'Course I do, darlin'. 'Course I love her."
That wasn't a good enough answer for Emily. "No, I mean... Really love her."
He looked away from her, unable to hold her gaze. He had come to terms with it years ago, that yes, he loved Gillian, but he never admitted it, to her or to anyone else. He buried it, and she was is his best friend. That became his excuse, when she was hurt, he was worried because she was his best friend. When she was angry, he was angry because she was his best friend. When she was scared, he helped her, because she was his best friend. When she was in a relationship, he was jealous because she was his best friend.
He took a breath as he looked back to Emily. "Yeah.." He didn't know what else to say. There was so much spinning in his head right now.
Emily pulled his arm around her, and rested against his chest, and he placed his chin on her head. "Well... What are you waiting for?" She asked him softly.
He had no idea. He had thought of telling Gillian a thousand different times, but each time he backed out, and found himself with someone else, like Clara or Detective Wallowski. Substitutes. Poor substitutes. "I don't have an answer for that one, love."
He had his answer now. He had been terrified of loosing her. He would rather have her as a friend, his best friend, than nothing at all. Now, he might not even have that much.
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A/N: Just a short intro, hope you enjoyed, please let me know what you thought :) Next chapter coming up soon :) Wonder what exactly Cal got wrong, hmm? And how will Gillian be? We shall see.. Review!