A/N: Again, the show, not the movie! I loved the episode 'Brian Finch's Black Op', but they totally blew it on the ending! Brian has been played as too much of an innocent good guy for that not to have effected him at all after it was over. I mean, unlike Senator Eddie in the movie, he doesn't even use it to get laid... No way it didn't get to him. So here's my fix.
A/N2: So, I finally got some reviews that liked my last story, so here is the new one as a thanks!
Disclaimer: Totally not my characters. If they were, Sands would die a horrible death, This whole recent thing with his dad wanting to "rescue" him would never have happened, and the friendship between him and Rebecca would get deeper (but not ever more than close friendship!)
The cry startled Rebecca awake, and she fought briefly with the old quilt she was covered up with while trying to place the unfamiliar surroundings. When she finally untangled herself, the events came flooding back to her. She was at Brian's parents' house. They had been watching that movie, Ferris Beuller, that Brian had been going on about ever since...
The rest of the past few days hit her then. Brian kidnapped, forced to witness and participate in things that could break a veteran agent. Searching the woods. Finding him, delirious and with blood splatter on his face. Not sleeping for two days... No wonder she fell asleep during the movie!
Suddenly she remembered what had woken her, and hurried in the direction of the cry. The hallway had three doors, but only one was open with a bedside lamp on. Only one had her friend/partner sitting up in bed, pale as a ghost, sweat pouring off him, gasping for breath. His eyes were wide as saucers, hurriedly scanning the room for whatever threat his unconscious mind was tormenting him with. And of course, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were...
"Brian?" She said softly, trying to snap him out of it without startling him worse. "Are you OK?"
Her voice seemed to bring him back. "Rebecca?"
"It's ok," she said, slowly taking a seat on the bed beside him on top of the antique quilt. "It was just a dream. You're safe."
As his color slowly returned and the adrenaline trickled out of his tensed muscles, she smiled, hoping it didn't look too much like the smile she gave hurt kids. "Was it-" she began.
"Frogs!" He exclaimed, still catching his breath but his eyes hitting just left of her. He winced as he realized just how lame that was, but it was too late to come up with a better story. "Really, really big ones. And... Uh... I... I have a frog phobia. It's called...uh...kermit-a-phobia..."
It possibly the worst and most pathetic lie he had ever told. She knew he was lying. He knew that she knew he was lying. But pride wouldn't let him back down, and compassion wouldn't let her call him on it. Finally, his eyes sought hers, pleading for mercy.
He got it as she smiled warmly, putting her hand on his shoulder. It was warm through the chill of his sweat-dampened white T-shirt. The muscles that had remained tense loosened, allowing him to lean forward into her grounding touch. They stayed that way for a few minutes, him slumping over against her shoulder. As his mental strength returned, he sat back up and gave her his trademark reckless grin he used to cover pretty much any emotion. "I guess you think I'm being a baby. I mean, someone like you, who deals with... Frogs... A lot..." He looked away again and straightened his spine.
It twisted something inside her she wasn't even sure she knew existed before then. How could he even think that? "Brian, look at me."
It took a few seconds for his expressive blue eyes to meet hers, and there was no covering the fear and shame he felt for what he saw as a childish reaction to what in reality was a seriously traumatic event. "You know frogs are creepy, right?"
His expression turned slightly puzzled. "You think so? I mean someone like you, you've been around so many... Frogs..."
She put her hand back on his shoulder, and she wasn't sure when it had become such a natural gesture when dealing with this innocent, annoying man-child. "I may deal with certain unappetizing creatures on a regular basis. But some things you just can't really get used to. These..."
"Frogs," he supplied.
Rebecca cleared her throat and smiled. "These frogs, Brian, they never get any less scary. You can be more prepared, more trained, but they never stop being scary."
He gave her a half-smile. "Never?"
She shook her head adamantly. "Never."
He nodded, both to her and as an affirmation to himself. Then his full, teasing smile broke out, lighting up the dim room. "Good to know. 'Cause, ya know, with the whole warts thing..."
"Right," she replied. "And some having poison in their skin and all."
He nudged her shoulder with his playfully then let out a jaw-cracking yawn. She smiled and stood up, guiding him back under the covers. "Try to rest, ok?"
He nodded and yawned, pulling the quilt back up to his chin. "Ok boss lady, if you insist."
She was halfway out the door before she stopped and turned back to face him. "Brian, I just want you to know that I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't there. And I can't promise you won't ever be in a scary situation again, we both know that would be a lie in this line of work. But I can promise that I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never again have to deal with... Frogs... On your own again."
Brian heard her, but was already on that plane between awake and asleep. His words slurred badly as he replied. "Right. You and me, taking on all the frogs of the world. Like the Crocodile Hunter, except with frogs! We can take them on..."
Whatever else he might have said was lost in the sleepy slush as he left the waking world with the speed and ease of a child. She smiled, and had to refrain from smoothing down his hair. His innocence was still intact. And she would do whatever she had to in order to protect it. And him.