Painkiller
By Katianna
She'd walked in on him with a glass in one hand and the remote in the other. There hadn't been anything on the TV, so she'd switched it off so that they could talk. He'd complained. She'd laughed when she saw that there was a half empty bottle of vodka on the table. Told him it was unhealthy. He'd picked the bottle up and refilled his glass. Then she'd shown him what she'd been carrying – her own bottle. He'd laughed then.
He drank quickly to get drunk fast, she didn't need to, her metabolism doing it for her. But she found she sobered up too quickly and so it became an endurance race. One drink every few minutes to keep her where she wanted to be. She didn't remember Brennan joining them, but he must have, and he must have brought drinks with him because there were a lot more empty bottles on the table than she remembered. There was a glow in the doorway – illuminating a figure - and the light was enough that her feral eyes faded. The figure there laughed softly and she smiled.
"Hey Emma, come join us. We're having a party." She called, softly, so as not to wake the men.
"I think the party's over Shal." Came the reply. "Did you have fun?" Shalimar looked down at herself. She was splayed across the floor – or more accurately across Jesse and Brennan, mind fuzzy with alcohol and sleep, a handful of each man's shirt clasped tightly in her hands. She couldn't remember why but it seemed important that she didn't let go.
The figure moved into the room and even as she did a headache announced itself. There was something wrong about the whole thing. Her mind was prodding her as she sobered. Then the scent reached her, almost striking her. She tensed, shifting away from Jesse and Brennan.
"You're not Emma." She hissed. "What are you doing here?"
"Emma's gone Shalimar." The figure snapped. "Adam too. You'll remember when you sober up. For now you just have to deal with it." Shalimar slumped back to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. Jesse was stirring, and Brennan slept on.
"NO!" She leapt up, confronting the woman. "They can't be gone. We're a team. They can't leave…"
"Emma died Shalimar." The voice was softer now, soothing. The slightest hint of fear crept into the woman. "She didn't leave you on purpose. I'm sure Adam has a good reason for… doing whatever he's doing." Uncertainty. Shalimar wobbled and used the back of the sofa to guide herself back to the floor.
Jesse's head peeped over Brennan at her. "Hey Shal, come back. I'm getting cold." He managed before slumping back to the floor. Shalimar crawled back over to them, laying back down beside them.
"What happens when alcohol doesn't work anymore Shalimar?" Lexa asked. "What will you do then."
"By then we'll know it's time to let go." She replied, yawning. "For now I think we'll stay like this." And with that she fell back asleep. Lexa watched them for a moment, an outsider to their moment of pain. Then she stood and left them.
A team broken.
But not yet lost.
~ I haven't actually seen any of Season Three. I just thought of this while listening to my flat-mates get very very drunk this weekend as they have for the last four weeks… Isn't Uni great!?! Plus I'm in brain-fry after 'for want' so I just had to get SOMETHING down ~
Review if you can be bothered