Enclosed Space Challenge, by Loz
Title: Private Universe
Author: Loz/lozenger8
Rating: White Cortina
Word Count: 725 words.
Notes: Sam/Annie, set very shortly after episode four of the second series. Spoilers for the whole of the second series so far. Written for both the “enclosed space” challenge and justbreathe80's "Less is More" challenge. Title from the Crowded House song.
The lift got stuck halfway between floors two and three. It wouldn’t have been too bad, but the warm press of muggy Manchester heat made Sam’s shirt stick to his back and no amount of head tilting or shoulder flexing created a gap between skin and material wide enough. He stretched his arms for the fifth time in four minutes and eventually sat on the floor next to Annie, who was gazing up at him none-too-secretly and fanning herself with the collar of her shirt. The still-cool metal of the lift provided some relief. Sam pushed his head back and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in the sensation.
“Can I ask you something?” Annie asked, her voice taking on the metallic edge of the walls surrounding them.
“You could try. Whether or not I’ll answer you is another matter entirely.”
“Do you ever think to yourself that today will be that day?”
Sam opened an eye, turning a fraction to look at Annie. “How d’you mean?”
“Today will be that day I stop talking about being from the future.”
Sam turned back away, squeezing his eyes tighter together.
“No. I don’t. Just like I expect you don’t think to yourself ‘today will be the day I stop trying to fit in and be one of the boys’.”
Annie’s indignation manifested itself in a quick hit to Sam’s forearm. “I don’t try to be one of the boys!”
“Oh really?” Sam asked. The next part he delivered with a sing-song lilt. “Anything you can do?”
“I can do better. See? Not one of the boys. More than one of the boys.”
Sam let a long sigh escape his throat. His fingers found their way to his neck and he undid his top two buttons. His St Christopher’s medallion glinted in the emergency lighting.
“You used to believe me, Annie.”
“No, I didn’t, Sam. You know I didn’t. Didn’t believe you then, don’t believe you now.”
“Well, you used to trust me, at least.”
“Hard to trust a man who’ll have a sane man sent to a lunatic asylum.”
Sam opened his eyes wide and gazed at Annie. She quickly looked away, her usually buoyant hair swirling in tendrils that clung to her neck. Sam stared at the hollow of her throat and his eyes travelled downwards, focussing on curves. He willed himself to concentrate on his frustration at her comment, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by other frustrations. He coughed quietly, crossing his arms and staring resolutely at the lift door.
“Annie. After everything I’ve done for you…”
“Oh, you think I owe you now, is that it?”
“No. I don’t mean that, I just mean-“
“I don’t want to hear it, Sir.”
Sam got up onto his knees, dragging the centre of his body forward and positioning himself so that he was right in front of Annie, Cuban heels pressed to the door. His heart thumped steadily in his chest as he brought his hand to her jaw to force her to look into his eyes.
“Annie, I am stuck here for better or worse,” Sam said, voice so low it didn’t reverberate against the walls. “Just like you, I want to make it better. I want to make it more.”
Annie’s mouth parted, her tongue darting out and licking her lower lip. Sam watched it, his eyes intense and his posture rigid. Annie moved forward gently, her face half an inch from Sam’s. He felt her warm breath brush against the fine hairs of his cheek. He concentrated on her eyelashes as they swept down to conceal any emotion. Annie rearranged her legs underneath her body until she was also kneeling. She placed her hand in the crook of Sam’s neck and pushed, giving herself leverage to stand.
“Sometimes, Sam, we need to make do with what we’ve got.”
Sam frowned and then heard the grinding of the lift mechanism as it kicked into gear. The emergency lighting flicked off and they were in darkness for several seconds. Sam stood, reaching his hand out and connecting with what he thought was Annie’s elbow.
“And do I have you?”
“Whatever do you mean, DI Tyler?”
“As a friend,” Sam said, fingers skimming from Annie’s elbow to her wrist as the lights came on. “Do I have you as a friend?”
“Always.”
Author: Loz/lozenger8
Rating: White Cortina
Word Count: 725 words.
Notes: Sam/Annie, set very shortly after episode four of the second series. Spoilers for the whole of the second series so far. Written for both the “enclosed space” challenge and justbreathe80's "Less is More" challenge. Title from the Crowded House song.
The lift got stuck halfway between floors two and three. It wouldn’t have been too bad, but the warm press of muggy Manchester heat made Sam’s shirt stick to his back and no amount of head tilting or shoulder flexing created a gap between skin and material wide enough. He stretched his arms for the fifth time in four minutes and eventually sat on the floor next to Annie, who was gazing up at him none-too-secretly and fanning herself with the collar of her shirt. The still-cool metal of the lift provided some relief. Sam pushed his head back and closed his eyes for a moment, revelling in the sensation.
“Can I ask you something?” Annie asked, her voice taking on the metallic edge of the walls surrounding them.
“You could try. Whether or not I’ll answer you is another matter entirely.”
“Do you ever think to yourself that today will be that day?”
Sam opened an eye, turning a fraction to look at Annie. “How d’you mean?”
“Today will be that day I stop talking about being from the future.”
Sam turned back away, squeezing his eyes tighter together.
“No. I don’t. Just like I expect you don’t think to yourself ‘today will be the day I stop trying to fit in and be one of the boys’.”
Annie’s indignation manifested itself in a quick hit to Sam’s forearm. “I don’t try to be one of the boys!”
“Oh really?” Sam asked. The next part he delivered with a sing-song lilt. “Anything you can do?”
“I can do better. See? Not one of the boys. More than one of the boys.”
Sam let a long sigh escape his throat. His fingers found their way to his neck and he undid his top two buttons. His St Christopher’s medallion glinted in the emergency lighting.
“You used to believe me, Annie.”
“No, I didn’t, Sam. You know I didn’t. Didn’t believe you then, don’t believe you now.”
“Well, you used to trust me, at least.”
“Hard to trust a man who’ll have a sane man sent to a lunatic asylum.”
Sam opened his eyes wide and gazed at Annie. She quickly looked away, her usually buoyant hair swirling in tendrils that clung to her neck. Sam stared at the hollow of her throat and his eyes travelled downwards, focussing on curves. He willed himself to concentrate on his frustration at her comment, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by other frustrations. He coughed quietly, crossing his arms and staring resolutely at the lift door.
“Annie. After everything I’ve done for you…”
“Oh, you think I owe you now, is that it?”
“No. I don’t mean that, I just mean-“
“I don’t want to hear it, Sir.”
Sam got up onto his knees, dragging the centre of his body forward and positioning himself so that he was right in front of Annie, Cuban heels pressed to the door. His heart thumped steadily in his chest as he brought his hand to her jaw to force her to look into his eyes.
“Annie, I am stuck here for better or worse,” Sam said, voice so low it didn’t reverberate against the walls. “Just like you, I want to make it better. I want to make it more.”
Annie’s mouth parted, her tongue darting out and licking her lower lip. Sam watched it, his eyes intense and his posture rigid. Annie moved forward gently, her face half an inch from Sam’s. He felt her warm breath brush against the fine hairs of his cheek. He concentrated on her eyelashes as they swept down to conceal any emotion. Annie rearranged her legs underneath her body until she was also kneeling. She placed her hand in the crook of Sam’s neck and pushed, giving herself leverage to stand.
“Sometimes, Sam, we need to make do with what we’ve got.”
Sam frowned and then heard the grinding of the lift mechanism as it kicked into gear. The emergency lighting flicked off and they were in darkness for several seconds. Sam stood, reaching his hand out and connecting with what he thought was Annie’s elbow.
“And do I have you?”
“Whatever do you mean, DI Tyler?”
“As a friend,” Sam said, fingers skimming from Annie’s elbow to her wrist as the lights came on. “Do I have you as a friend?”
“Always.”