A/N: hey all! Thank you for the reviews...I hope that everyone like the story so far! Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Flashpoint or any of the characters besides Joe and Elizabeth
Chapter 3
Elizabeth rubbed her sore shoulder as she stood and exited the conference room. The team had finished the debriefing and they were given half an hour to clean up before they needed to do inventory. Elizabeth couldn't wait to stand under the warm spray of water and wash away the aches of the day. Her hip had stiffened from sitting for so long and she was hoping that the shower would make it possible for her to walk more convincingly. She had seen a couple of teammates suspiciously eying her apparent lack of grace.
The debrief has been decidedly uncomfortable for Elizabeth. It seemed that the general consensus of the team was in Elizabeth's favor. However, she still had the lingering feeling that there was the idea that she had been trying to show off. Elizabeth had decided that she needed to keep her head down and try to integrate with the team as much as possible. She already had an idea about a tribute to the fallen member she had replaced.
Then there had been the uncomfortable moment when Sam had called out Greg for putting Elizabeth in danger. Elizabeth had tried to shrink back into the chair as eyes fell upon her. She carefully fixed her mask so no one could see how this was affecting her. She appreciated Sam's support, but she wanted to deck him. She didn't need another reason to be a scapegoat. Furthermore, she could take care of herself. She may be female and small, but she was just as capable and qualified as everyone else on the team. Luckily the situation was diffused when Jules seconded the Sergeant and his intentions. Sam backed down and all sides seemed appeased.
Sighing, Elizabeth grabbed her shower supplies and headed to wash off. Spike had accosted her outside the women's locker room and her mind was in a flurry trying to analyze the situation.
Hey body was forcibly turned when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. The hand was holding tightly enough that Elizabeth was sure it would bruise further. Elizabeth barely stifled a groan when the fingers squeezed tightly over her bruised flesh. Despite muffling her groan, she had let out an involuntary gasp of air. Elizabeth found herself face to face with an irate Spike.
"Hey! Don't you dare talk about Lou" Elizabeth took in Spike's demeanor. His entire body was poised and filled with anger. Rage seemed to billow out of him. "Don't talk about him at all under any circumstances".
"I don't know what you're-"Elizabeth began slowly, trying to figure out the problem. She was slowly trying to inch her way back. Again, she wondered why this case reminded the entire team of their fallen comrade.
"Don't lie to me. Rule 1 of negotiating. Don't lie to the subject. Oh what? Nothing to say now? Huh?"
Spike had lost Elizabeth. She thought back to what she had said and couldn't recall saying anything false or remotely related to Lou. She was fairly confident that she had been completely honest, brutally so, but about her past, not Lou's.
"I didn't lie, Spike. What are you talking about?"
"What…what am...I? What" Spike spluttered, rage apparently temporarily rendering him at a loss for words.
"You didn't know Lou. Don't talk about his death like you had any feelings for him" Spike finally managed to growl out.
Elizabeth took a step back. She was in awe of the audacity at Spike had shown. She couldn't believe he had the gull to accuse her of faking her loss. She knew he was hurting but this was far below the belt. Fury filled her, electrifying her body and making her advance back towards Spike. Elizabeth's body locked down, her eyes becoming cold and deadly as her movements became calculated. Spike had taken an involuntary step back at her advancement. Elizabeth continued forward, her face murderous.
Barely controlling her voice, Elizabeth began speaking, "I'm sorry for your loss".
Spike opened his mouth to interrupt but Elizabeth cut him off, raising her voice.
"I said, I'm sorry. But don't you for one second think that I would pull a stunt like that. I had a life before this team. A life that you know nothing about. You aren't the only one who's lost someone. I loved my parents more than anything. Don't ever question that." Elizabeth practically spit out the last part, so mad she couldn't see straight.
Spike's eyes had widened dramatically and all the anger had left him. Normally Elizabeth would be able to see the remorse in her teammate but she was too far gone to see anything but red.
He opened his mouth again, and again, Elizabeth cut him off "You don't know me. Don't talk about my past like you have any idea" Elizabeth took Spike's earlier words and twisted them, throwing the barb back. Spike winced, clearly hurt by what Elizabeth had said.
Elizabeth turned and started to stalk away. She halted and looked back, Spike had remained rooted in position. She wanted to throw more barbs and hurl insults until the pain vanished. But she knew that nothing would make her feel better right now. The only thing she would do was to make someone else as miserable as she was now. Shaking her head, she walked away, missing the whispered sorry sent like a plea at her back.
Elizabeth stalked past a shocked looking Wordy. Before he could even open his mouth to say anything she spit out "Ask Officer Scarlatti. I'm sure he will fill you in".
Twenty minutes later she finished braiding her wet hair back. She felt like a new person after the brief shower. She had managed to cool off from her argument with Spike earlier.
"Those are some nasty bruises," Jules voice rang out, startling Elizabeth. "I saw them when you got dressed," Jules explained when Elizabeth glanced at her.
"Nothing I can't handle," Elizabeth said shortly.
"Of course not. But trust me, from personal experience, an ice bath is the best way to go. It hurts for the minutes you're in it but your body will be thanking you tomorrow. You do bruise pretty spectacularly, I don't think I've ever seen that shade of blue before,"
Elizabeth had to chuckle at the last comment. As she laughed, the tension ran out of her shoulders, relaxing them. She was sure that Jules was going to tell Ed or the Sarge that she was injured. From the look on her face, Jules seemed to guess what Elizabeth was thinking.
"Don't worry, I wasn't going to tell the boss about a few bruises. I know you can handle yourself. You have to get banged up a lot more before I go running to boss," Jules smiled again but her face turned serious. "Although, I did see a…pattern there on your shoulder. It kinda looked like a hand. Is there something I need to know about?"
Elizabeth grimaced. Dammit Spike, he had bruised her shoulder. "No, no, just a misunderstanding" Elizabeth said.
Jules merely raised a brow.
"I know how that sounds, but trust me, it's truly nothing. I can guarantee that it will never happen again" Elizabeth said with conviction.
This seemed to win Jules over. She still had lingering traces of doubt in her eyes, but she didn't question Elizabeth any more. Instead she said, "For what it's worth, I don't know your story. But I know what it feels like to lose family too soon. That kind of pain never really dulls over time. I'm sorry for your loss".
Elizabeth could feel her eyes filling with tears. She couldn't remember the last time that someone offered unsolicited support without asking any questions about her past.
"Thank you, Jules. That means a lot," Elizabeth muttered, her checks darkening from embarrassment over the tears.
"Nothing to thank me for, we are family now. Welcome to Team 1," Jules said with a final smile before leaving.
Elizabeth was grateful for the kindness Jules had displayed. She was incredibly humbled by the pure goodness that seemed to radiate from the petite woman. Elizabeth was confident that she wanted to get to know Jules better.
Exiting the locker room, Elizabeth ran into Sam and Wordy heading to do inventory.
"Hey there Cadden, how's the shoulder?" Wordy asked. His tone led her to believe that he was talking about more than just her shoulder. However, Elizabeth was determined not to have that conversation.
Seeing Elizabeth's look, he expanded. "I was watching through the binoculars, looked like a pretty hard hit you took there, I'm still amazed you managed to hang onto the subject when you hit like that". Thankfully, Elizabeth seemed to have conveyed her desire and Wordy was silently honoring it. He met her gaze and gave a barely perceptible nod.
"It's a little sore, nothing I haven't felt before. I'm feeling sorry for Hilary. Her poor wrists must be pretty sore. I was squeezing pretty tight near the end there" Elizabeth answered evenly, the corners of her mouth turning up at the end of her sentence.
"It must be a record—I don't think a rookie has ever gone over the rails like that before on their first day!" Sam exclaimed laughing, clueless of Elizabeth and Wordy's silent exchange. "That's a hell of a way to start your career with us".
Elizabeth and Wordy both laughed.
"That it is," Elizabeth responded. "I'm almost a little afraid for what tomorrow brings if this is how you break in the new guy".
"We only reserve the flying special for the outstanding candidates," Wordy chuckled, "Not everyone gets that experience. You should feel honored".
Laughing, the group entered the lockers to count and inspect all elements of their gear. Ed was already there and assigned everyone a task. The group bantered lightheartedly as the afternoon wore on. Spike was noticeably quiet, but he interjected occasionally when directly prompted. Elizabeth studiously ignored every look that was shot her way. She couldn't tell if it was Wordy or Spike looking. As far as she was concerned, their conversation from earlier was over and the matter closed. There was no need to rehash.
The afternoon came to a close and everything was counted and placed in its proper position. Ed congratulated everyone on a job well done and the team broke up to grab their things and go home.
Elizabeth was glad the day had ended. It was nice to already have a successful call under her belt, but she was sore as hell and definitely could use a hot soak this evening. She also needed sometime alone to think the events of the day through. Elizabeth had long accepted the death of her parents. It had happened over 15 years ago now. Despite all the time, she still missed them terribly. There were some holes that Joe couldn't fill.
The team had invited her for drinks at a local bar. Elizabeth wasn't particularly in the mood to go out, but she knew that bonding was especially important when she was new. She would still be able to do her job successfully if the team didn't like her. However, she wasn't very into the idea of working with people who mistrusted and disliked her. Elizabeth had already served her time with that.
Reaching the bar, the Goose the team had called it, Elizabeth took a deep breath and went in. She surveyed the patrons, looking for any sign of her new teammates. Seeing Wordy, Ed, and Spike beckoning towards her from a corner she waved and headed their way.
"Long time no see guys" Elizabeth greeted them.
"How you feeling after your first official day?" Wordy asked.
"Like I could use a beer" Elizabeth laughingly answered.
"We got you there bud", Sam answered coming up behind her with Jules in tow. Both of them carried bottles which they distributed to everyone.
"So Elizabeth, where are you from?" Sam asked, sitting back and sipping his beer.
"Well y'all probably know I'm not originally from Canada" Elizabeth smiled, purposefully throwing in the y'all for effect and adding a Southern twang.
"Yeah, we got that from your file. The U. S. sure does like doing everything different," Ed laughed. Elizabeth couldn't believe that Ed was joking with her. She quickly praised the gods that she had said yes to this.
"Yep, it's not the good ol' U. S. of A. if it isn't different!" Elizabeth laughed too. "I was born in Michigan but raised in Virginia—that's in the south" She explained. "Moved here with my dad when I was about 14 and fell in love with this beautiful country. Decided I needed to protect it and here I am".
"I'm surprised Joe managed to keep you so low profile," Sam commented, watching her face for a reaction. "My father is in the military and so was I and I had no idea the great Joe Cadden had a daughter. I ran with his team for a couple of ops. He never mentioned anything".
"Ahh you found out about that, did you? I'm not surprised Joe didn't say anything." Elizabeth grimaced. She wanted to keep her relationship to Joe private. Both of them preferred it that way. It was safer for her, keeping her out of the spot light, and she was determined to prove her own merit.
"It was pretty simple really" Spike said. "Took me about 2 minutes to get access to that information. I just don't think anyone has bothered to look before". Elizabeth was surprised Spike had contributed to the conversation. They had mutually avoided each other after the incident in the hallway. Although, she had sensed someone looking at her back periodically. Perhaps it had been Spike after all.
"I'm glad. Joe doesn't like people to know a lot about me. He's weirdly protective that way" Elizabeth easily responded. "You'd think he didn't know I'm all grown up now and everything. I think it's the hero complex" She smiled. One thing Joe had in spades was a hero complex.
"I get ya. He's made some serious enemies", Ed responded. "Parents will do anything for their kids".
Wordy nodded his head empathetically. Elizabeth noticed and asked Wordy about his family. This set Wordy off and before long pictures were being displayed by proud fathers and Spike was boasting about his nephew. The team was relaxed and talk was flowing easily. Good natured barbs were being tossed at Wordy for watching Hannah Montana and Jules for listening to Taylor Swift. Elizabeth was content. She had forgotten what it felt like to belong to a family. There were still gaping holes in her knowledge of the team. Bonds hadn't been formed. But she was being welcomed with open arms.
Slowly team members trickled away, begging off as the night grew later. Elizabeth bowed out after a two beers. She was tired and while she enjoyed the company, she wanted to get to bed.
Sighing, Elizabeth left the bar and ran a hand through her messy hair. It was going to be an early day tomorrow. The last thing she needed to was to seep too deeply into memories long gone. She had worked too hard to move forward with her life. She wasn't going to sacrifice everything because she was a little sad. Her mask provided her support in the field. However, it did little when Elizabeth was left to her own devices.
Elizabeth once again grabbed her phone and hit speed dial. She knew Joe wasn't going to answer but she planned on leaving a message. She hated going days without talking to her dad.
"Hey Joe" Elizabeth spoke into the phone, "Finished my first day. Saved a girl from jumping off her dorm. You would be proud…I miss you dad. Come home safe. Love you to the moon". Elizabeth hung up the phone with a sigh. Here she was 29 and still relying on Joe.
Elizabeth resolved to give herself an hour to decompress before heading to bed. She climbed out of her car and limped up the stair to her apartment. Her hip was so stiff from hitting the bridge, she was sure that it was a deep bruise, she hadn't taken a thorough look at it yet, having been focusing on the task at hand.
As Elizabeth entered her apartment she set her keys down on a side table by her front door. Closing and locking the door Elizabeth slumped against the heavy wood.
"Day 1 done" She muttered to herself.
Walking down the hall, Elizabeth glanced at a picture of a smiling man and woman with a child in their lap.
"I did it mom. I saved her," Elizabeth said quietly to the picture, tracing her fingers across the figures.
Sighing again, Elizabeth went to her bathroom and started filling the bath with water and pouring a generous amount of bubble bath. As she waited she stripped her clothes off and finally allowed herself to take inventory of the battered body. Her shoulder was speckled with blues and blacks. Her right side was impressively bruised with a black knot the size of a softball forming on the ball of her hip. Elizabeth realized it would be a few weeks for these to fade. Nothing was broken though, that's what mattered.
'Just another scar to add to the collection' she thought. Elizabeth glanced at the old scar tissue crisscrossing her back. She had long ago come to terms with how she earned those scars. She now saw them as badges of courage, of her strength.
Elizabeth sank into her bath, moaning in pleasure as the hot water soothed her sore muscles. The sight of the whip marks across her back faded from view as she leaned back against the tub and closed her eyes.
