Spring
Author: Lazerwolf314
Fandom: Sam Braddock
Claim: Flashpoint
Taking deep breath, Sam Braddock closed his eyes and let the smells of spring fill his lungs.
Behind him, the city of Toronto continued on its daily bustle and moan, horns beeping, sirens wailing, people yelling. But the sounds of organized chaos fell quiet as he stood at the edge of the woodland. Greenery was exploding all around him, bursting from the trees and ground, bright splashes of color against the drab mud and snow that had filled every person's vision for months now.
Nature was finally coming back to herself.
It pleased him to see the darkness edged away the brilliance. A little bit of the cold that had enveloped him ever since last April chipped away.
Beside him, a gravestone marked the place his love was buried.
"If you were here Jules, you wouldn't let me just stand around would you? We'd already be working outside, finishing up the patio and putting in the fire pit, am I right?"
In the emptiness that followed, the wind whistled lowly.
Ducking his head, Sam whispered, "Damn you Julianna, why did you have to try and save everyone?" Fists clenching in reflex against the wave of pain that rose as he recalled watching her fall from the bullet that had torn through her skull, Sam exhaled a shuddering breath. That bullet had been meant for him.
He would never forgive her for that.
He could never forget her.
Resting his hand on the cold stone, Sam felt his knees crumple. Landing in a squelch of mud, he heard the remaining members of Team One shift in anxiousness. But none approached. And for that, Sam was grateful. He wouldn't be able to deal with sympathy; he couldn't deal with sympathy. Not today.
He stayed hunched like that for a long while, simply remembering and battling with wounds threatening to reopen. It was only when the cold water and mud from under him seeped into his senses, did he struggle back to his feet.
Sam looked down at the square of granite one last time, the words embossed on it before turning and walking back to where his team waited for him. Instinctively, his thumb began to run over the gold band encircling his fourth finger. Halfway across the stretch of ground, he stopped when a robin landed directly in front of him. It eyed him with beady eyes, watching the gaunt man in front of it for a long moment until it took to the air once again, flitting away into the forest.
Shocked only for a second, Sam continued on his way and clambered into the back of Wordy's minivan, ignoring the pitying looks and the prickle at the back of his neck. It was time.
Staring out the window at the bursting of new life and color as they drove away, Sam rested his head against the window and closed his eyes. His hands trembled once in his lap and then stilled.
"Goodbye Jules."
Julianna Callahan
July 12, 1973 – April 26, 2013
Friend, Wife, Warrior.