Absence Is To Love
By: Olivia
John's heart was racing. He had never driven on the streets of D.C. this fast before. But every second counted. Every second brought him closer to the situation. Every second gave him an extra moment where he might be able to make a difference. He prayed with every fiber of his soul that he wasn't too late.
He hadn't believed Skinner when he had called him with the news. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why was this happening? Why hadn't he seen this coming? What could he have done differently? Why? It made no sense to him. But that didn't make a damn bit of difference. It was happening. And that was all that mattered right now.
Finally, finally, he reached the Bureau. He pulled up in his SUV and jumped out his badge in his hand flashing it as a D.C. cop held up the yellow tape to let him through. The cop pushed back the gathering crowd that had come to watch the horror unfold. John mentally cursed them, but he didn't have time to dwell on them.
John glanced up once at the rooftop to see the figure standing so dangerously close to the edge. He picked up his pace even more, moving faster than he was already going. His mind didn't even registered the sound of the paramedics and fire fighters preparing for the worst below, trying in some vain attempt to stop this from happening. John raced into the building and got into the elevator going up to the roof, a direction John was unaccustomed to going in.
After what seemed like eternity, he reached the top. He ran to the roof top door and burst through it. His gaze immediately focused on her as soon as he saw her standing there precariously on the edge, her back to the sky.
John started to run towards her as Scully's and Skinner's hands grabbed him, holding him back from her. He could hear them talking, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. John's attention, his energy, was solely focused on Monica standing there on the ledge.
The FBI negotiator/counselor was talking to her, trying to convince here to come down off the ledge, that whatever had driven her to this point wasn't that bad. The negotiator was close to Monica, but not close enough to grab her if she decided to fall backwards.
Monica was mumbling something to herself. Her gaze was unfixed until John had entered the scene. Now she fixed her gaze upon him. Their eyes locked. He saw a sadness there so deep it made his heart break standing there, so close yet so far away from her. He hadn't seen a sadness there that deep since they had found his son dead all those years ago.
John finally threw off Scully's and Skinner's grasp never taking his eyes off Monica. "I have to talk to her!"
John slowly walked to the negotiator. When John reached him, John said quietly, "I need to talk to her. She'll talk to me."
The negotiator nodded and backed away a few feet, letting John take over. "Okay, but just be careful."
After the negotiator had moved away, John began talking. "Monica," he said gently.
A tear fell down Monica's face. "I didn't want you to see this."
"Hey, it's okay, Monica," John's voice was becoming thick with emotion. He needed to save her. He needed to find the words, the words to save her. "Why don't ya...why don't ya come down from there and we can talk about it? There's nothing that bad we can't talk about, that we can't fix."
More tears started to spill down Monica's face. "I need help, John."
"I know. I know," said John desperately. If only the words, the words to save her would come to him. "I'm here now. I can help you, Monica. Whatever it is, I can help you."
"I love you, John." And with that Monica pushed herself backwards and fell off the roof.
"Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled John as he rushed forward and tried to grab her. He missed.
End Chapter 1
By: Olivia
John's heart was racing. He had never driven on the streets of D.C. this fast before. But every second counted. Every second brought him closer to the situation. Every second gave him an extra moment where he might be able to make a difference. He prayed with every fiber of his soul that he wasn't too late.
He hadn't believed Skinner when he had called him with the news. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. Why was this happening? Why hadn't he seen this coming? What could he have done differently? Why? It made no sense to him. But that didn't make a damn bit of difference. It was happening. And that was all that mattered right now.
Finally, finally, he reached the Bureau. He pulled up in his SUV and jumped out his badge in his hand flashing it as a D.C. cop held up the yellow tape to let him through. The cop pushed back the gathering crowd that had come to watch the horror unfold. John mentally cursed them, but he didn't have time to dwell on them.
John glanced up once at the rooftop to see the figure standing so dangerously close to the edge. He picked up his pace even more, moving faster than he was already going. His mind didn't even registered the sound of the paramedics and fire fighters preparing for the worst below, trying in some vain attempt to stop this from happening. John raced into the building and got into the elevator going up to the roof, a direction John was unaccustomed to going in.
After what seemed like eternity, he reached the top. He ran to the roof top door and burst through it. His gaze immediately focused on her as soon as he saw her standing there precariously on the edge, her back to the sky.
John started to run towards her as Scully's and Skinner's hands grabbed him, holding him back from her. He could hear them talking, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. John's attention, his energy, was solely focused on Monica standing there on the ledge.
The FBI negotiator/counselor was talking to her, trying to convince here to come down off the ledge, that whatever had driven her to this point wasn't that bad. The negotiator was close to Monica, but not close enough to grab her if she decided to fall backwards.
Monica was mumbling something to herself. Her gaze was unfixed until John had entered the scene. Now she fixed her gaze upon him. Their eyes locked. He saw a sadness there so deep it made his heart break standing there, so close yet so far away from her. He hadn't seen a sadness there that deep since they had found his son dead all those years ago.
John finally threw off Scully's and Skinner's grasp never taking his eyes off Monica. "I have to talk to her!"
John slowly walked to the negotiator. When John reached him, John said quietly, "I need to talk to her. She'll talk to me."
The negotiator nodded and backed away a few feet, letting John take over. "Okay, but just be careful."
After the negotiator had moved away, John began talking. "Monica," he said gently.
A tear fell down Monica's face. "I didn't want you to see this."
"Hey, it's okay, Monica," John's voice was becoming thick with emotion. He needed to save her. He needed to find the words, the words to save her. "Why don't ya...why don't ya come down from there and we can talk about it? There's nothing that bad we can't talk about, that we can't fix."
More tears started to spill down Monica's face. "I need help, John."
"I know. I know," said John desperately. If only the words, the words to save her would come to him. "I'm here now. I can help you, Monica. Whatever it is, I can help you."
"I love you, John." And with that Monica pushed herself backwards and fell off the roof.
"Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled John as he rushed forward and tried to grab her. He missed.
End Chapter 1
