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swingandswirlTitle: Not Their Battle, Still Their War
Rating: PG-13 for implied violence
Words: 4x100
Prompts: 154 Mind, 125 Research, 133 Evidence, 009 Future
Characters: Colby, OFC Lori Granger, David, Nikki, Charlie, Don
Spoilers: 5.11 Arrow Of Time
Summary: A brutal attack on Colby has consequences on his team-mates as well... Next part in the Tainted Love universe.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. Wish I did, though...
Not Their Battle, Still Their War
Mind
Nikki glares at the punching bag, her mind imprinting Lori Granger's features onto the shapeless black leather.
Colby curled on the floor, hands raised to shield his face.
Roundhouse kick, uppercut, knee to the groin.
David pleading with his partner to hold on, white carpet slowly turning red.
One-two cross, high kick, eye gouge, 360 scissor.
Lori smiling at her, nothing but arrogant malice in her empty blue eyes.
Crescent kick, jab to the stomach, front snap kick.
Don's told her to consider therapy, even given her William Bradford's phone number.
He doesn't get it.
This is Nikki's therapy.
Evidence
Don watches the tapes, over and over.
Snatches of video from the office, Colby’s engagement party, his wedding day, the various times someone wielded a camera at a team outing.
On the table next to him are photos, some Colby’s taken, some from the extensive file they’ve built on Lori Granger.
Play. Stop. Rewind.
Don hits the same buttons over and over again, eyes fixed on the screen, hunting for evidence.
He couldn’t stop this woman from hurting his agent, his friend.
The least he can do now is ensure she never comes within ten feet of Colby ever again.
Research
The equations are inscribed on the boards, scrawled in notebooks, typed into the computer.
Lines of math about survival rates and recovery times. Calculations on the odds of a conviction, the length of a potential sentence, the chances of prison violence. He doesn’t tell his Dad about them, doesn’t show them to Don.
He knows that they got there in time, that the evidence against Lori Granger is solid, the case watertight. She’s going away, for a good long while. But that doesn’t stop him from running the numbers.
Because right now, Charlie Eppes doesn’t want justice.
He wants revenge.
Future
In. Out.
David watches the slow rise and fall of Colby’s chest, uncomfortably reminded of another ICU, another time a machine pushed air through his partner’s lungs, another long, painful vigil as Colby clawed his way back from the jaws of death.
But this time it wasn’t a spy who’d damn near killed Colby; it was the woman he loved, the one he’d planned to share his future with.
In. Out.
David runs his eyes over his best friend’s body, takes in the injuries Lori Granger has left Colby with, and hopes she hasn’t robbed him of a future entirely.
Rating: PG-13 for implied violence
Words: 4x100
Prompts: 154 Mind, 125 Research, 133 Evidence, 009 Future
Characters: Colby, OFC Lori Granger, David, Nikki, Charlie, Don
Spoilers: 5.11 Arrow Of Time
Summary: A brutal attack on Colby has consequences on his team-mates as well... Next part in the Tainted Love universe.
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own. Wish I did, though...
Not Their Battle, Still Their War
Mind
Nikki glares at the punching bag, her mind imprinting Lori Granger's features onto the shapeless black leather.
Colby curled on the floor, hands raised to shield his face.
Roundhouse kick, uppercut, knee to the groin.
David pleading with his partner to hold on, white carpet slowly turning red.
One-two cross, high kick, eye gouge, 360 scissor.
Lori smiling at her, nothing but arrogant malice in her empty blue eyes.
Crescent kick, jab to the stomach, front snap kick.
Don's told her to consider therapy, even given her William Bradford's phone number.
He doesn't get it.
This is Nikki's therapy.
Evidence
Don watches the tapes, over and over.
Snatches of video from the office, Colby’s engagement party, his wedding day, the various times someone wielded a camera at a team outing.
On the table next to him are photos, some Colby’s taken, some from the extensive file they’ve built on Lori Granger.
Play. Stop. Rewind.
Don hits the same buttons over and over again, eyes fixed on the screen, hunting for evidence.
He couldn’t stop this woman from hurting his agent, his friend.
The least he can do now is ensure she never comes within ten feet of Colby ever again.
Research
The equations are inscribed on the boards, scrawled in notebooks, typed into the computer.
Lines of math about survival rates and recovery times. Calculations on the odds of a conviction, the length of a potential sentence, the chances of prison violence. He doesn’t tell his Dad about them, doesn’t show them to Don.
He knows that they got there in time, that the evidence against Lori Granger is solid, the case watertight. She’s going away, for a good long while. But that doesn’t stop him from running the numbers.
Because right now, Charlie Eppes doesn’t want justice.
He wants revenge.
Future
In. Out.
David watches the slow rise and fall of Colby’s chest, uncomfortably reminded of another ICU, another time a machine pushed air through his partner’s lungs, another long, painful vigil as Colby clawed his way back from the jaws of death.
But this time it wasn’t a spy who’d damn near killed Colby; it was the woman he loved, the one he’d planned to share his future with.
In. Out.
David runs his eyes over his best friend’s body, takes in the injuries Lori Granger has left Colby with, and hopes she hasn’t robbed him of a future entirely.
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Notes and Confessions
Date: 2009-10-15 05:17 pm (UTC)I thought about the reactions very carefully, and I think I've managed to keep each one in character. I had the most trouble with Charlie, with justifying the direction his mind went, until I finally realized that math is his weapon just as much as Nikki's are her fists or Ian his sniper's rifle; underneath all the math and logic he is still a man, one whose friend damn near died at the hands of a monster.
The title comes from the idea that although Colby is the one who is the direct victim of abuse, those he loves are also affected by virtue of how much they care for him.
Colby's still got a long, hard road to travel. But luckily for him, he has friends who will gladly walk with him every step of the way.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 04:34 pm (UTC)Nikki may tease Colby and David to death, but heaven help the poor bastard who *actually* lays a finger on them,
Thanks for the comment, hon!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 07:06 pm (UTC)PS: I would like so much to see Nikki kick Lori's ugly ass into next year... No! Next decade!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 04:42 pm (UTC)Well... as much as Nikki would like to (and the rest of the team would like to join her) I'm afraid professional ethics forbid it. So they'll just have to settle for punching bags or the gun range instead...
Thanks for the comment, hon! I'm glad you liked!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 02:22 am (UTC)*blames her chest cold*
Another great addition to a very moving series. I really enjoyed the different views of Colby's friends. Nikki's was my favorite... I think you nailed her. (Plus, I won't lie... I totally have a girl crush on her and the thought of her sweaty and beating the crap out of a punching bag made me drool.) LOL.
I hope that there is more to this series... we must see Colby's recovery.
Also, thanks for posting this to savecolby. I hope you don't mind but I included it in our free for all challenge this month. :)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 04:44 pm (UTC)Thanks! I'm glad you liked everyone's view and that Nikki worked for you. And yeah, I can totally see her demolishing that poor punching bag.
Sure! I had originally intended to write something else for it but given my schedule and weird-ass internet I'm not sure I'll be able to get it done.
Thanks for the comment, hon!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 06:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 05:37 pm (UTC)Thanks for taking the time to comment!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-29 05:16 pm (UTC)...
...
no subject
Date: 2009-10-30 12:35 pm (UTC)Thanks, hon.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-24 07:22 pm (UTC)Rereading it again, I came to the 'Research' part, where Charlie's doing his 'voodoo' and was struck with...
'Lines of math about survival rates and recovery times. Calculations on the odds of a conviction, the length of a potential sentence, the chances of prison violence. He doesn’t tell his Dad about them, doesn’t show them to Don. ... Because right now, Charlie Eppes doesn’t want justice. ... He wants revenge.'
... At this point in time, I'd think that Ian Edgerton would be someone that Charlie would consider a 'resource' if not a friend. Filling him in on what happened to Colby, I also can imagine Charlie sharing all his research with the man and, in a round about way, asking Ian to double check his findings.
I'm guess that as soon as Lori Granger ended up behind bars, she wouldn't be in this world much longer.
...