Fic: Falling (part 1)
Title:Falling
Genre:Slash (implied), AU (slight)
Fandom:Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Characters:Derek Reese, Charley Dixon
Summary:Derek finds a pleasant surprise waiting for him after a close encounter with death...
Author's Notes:My first SCC fic. This is a little bit harder, as the characters are somewhat new.
The tinkling piano grew louder as the dilapidated wooden door creaked open into the darkness before him. Fear and curiosity fought to claim his feet, but their decision was made for them by the insistent pressure on his shoulder. The Metal behind him gave him an uncharacteristically light shove into the dark room--
And he was falling. His breath caught in his throat, a piercing flash of pain lanced through his shoulder. His body felt as if it were plummeting into the very fires of hell. The agony turned seconds into hours and inches into miles, threatening to tear his sanity out through the pores of his skin.
An eternity later, Derek Reese felt his descent begin to slow. His lungs filled with warm, buoyant air and impossibly faint color fled his gaze in the darkness. Fire on his skin gave way to gripping strength, and he fought it with every fleeting ounce of energy he could muster. His lips tingled and his heart seared, his head aching beyond reason.
Slowly, he regained consciousness and his vision began to clear. He stopped fighting the grip on his wrist and shoulder, sensing no malice in it. When the ache in his head had throbbed itself down to a dull drone, he forced his eyes open. His heart almost stopped beating when he saw his brother Kyle standing above him. Am I dead? he thought with a mixture of worry and relief--but as the last shrouds of color fell from his eyes, he realized that the man standing above him with a wary expression on his face was not his brother... though his strong features and caring eyes were just as remarkable.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His lungs were still completely empty. With a gasp, he consumed the first lungful of air in his entire life, cherishing every subtle chill it left behind in his mouth and on his chapped lips.
A mild coughing fit later, he found his voice.
"Did you..." he struggled, "did you just save my life?"
The man above him visibly relaxed, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Relax. You'll be fine. I've removed the bullet from your shoulder, but you went into shock and your heart stopped beating." He punctuated the statement with a light squeeze, reinforcing the calm and reassurance of his vaguely breathy reply. The voice, more than the words, warmed a place inside him which had been cold for far, far too long and before he knew it he was smiling mischievously.
---
"Wait, did you just give me C.P.R?" the man from the future asked with a slight hint of amusement, his fingers feeling the moisture on his lips. He began to sit up. Knowing this was not good for a man with a bullet hole in his chest, Charlie Dixon reached a hand out to stop him--which was promptly hit away, with a look of contempt.
"Hey, I've suffered worse than this and made it," he said in between breaths as he slouched into a sitting position on the edge of the table. Charlie watched with interest as the resistance fighter tried to keep the pain from showing on his face.
"This time, you wouldn't have unless I'd been here, and I'd like to keep it that way," Charlie said quietly, placing two hands firmly on Reese's shoulders and guiding him gently back down onto the table. He was only mildly surprised when the man's hand reached across his chest and took Charlie's gently.
"I do have you to thank for that, doc," the man said quietly, looking into the EMT's eyes with genuine gratitude.
Charlie's surprise was much more profound when the hand which had been holding his was suddenly sliding behind his neck gently, soothingly, cupping the side of his head. He hadn't even registered it when their hands broke contact.
"It's Charlie," he said, trying to keep his words casual while knowing full well where this was going. "And it's my job, you don't have to--"
"Thank you," Reese whispered. To Charlie, the voice was barely audible over the beating of his own heart. He hadn't felt his heart beat like this since the first time he slept with Sarah... Not even on his wedding night. The battle-hardened man lying before him shared the same quiet confidence as his nephew's mother... and Charlie was just as powerless to resist.
Read Part 2
Comments and criticism are much appreciated!
The tinkling piano grew louder as the dilapidated wooden door creaked open into the darkness before him. Fear and curiosity fought to claim his feet, but their decision was made for them by the insistent pressure on his shoulder. The Metal behind him gave him an uncharacteristically light shove into the dark room--
And he was falling. His breath caught in his throat, a piercing flash of pain lanced through his shoulder. His body felt as if it were plummeting into the very fires of hell. The agony turned seconds into hours and inches into miles, threatening to tear his sanity out through the pores of his skin.
An eternity later, Derek Reese felt his descent begin to slow. His lungs filled with warm, buoyant air and impossibly faint color fled his gaze in the darkness. Fire on his skin gave way to gripping strength, and he fought it with every fleeting ounce of energy he could muster. His lips tingled and his heart seared, his head aching beyond reason.
Slowly, he regained consciousness and his vision began to clear. He stopped fighting the grip on his wrist and shoulder, sensing no malice in it. When the ache in his head had throbbed itself down to a dull drone, he forced his eyes open. His heart almost stopped beating when he saw his brother Kyle standing above him. Am I dead? he thought with a mixture of worry and relief--but as the last shrouds of color fell from his eyes, he realized that the man standing above him with a wary expression on his face was not his brother... though his strong features and caring eyes were just as remarkable.
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His lungs were still completely empty. With a gasp, he consumed the first lungful of air in his entire life, cherishing every subtle chill it left behind in his mouth and on his chapped lips.
A mild coughing fit later, he found his voice.
"Did you..." he struggled, "did you just save my life?"
The man above him visibly relaxed, and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Relax. You'll be fine. I've removed the bullet from your shoulder, but you went into shock and your heart stopped beating." He punctuated the statement with a light squeeze, reinforcing the calm and reassurance of his vaguely breathy reply. The voice, more than the words, warmed a place inside him which had been cold for far, far too long and before he knew it he was smiling mischievously.
---
"Wait, did you just give me C.P.R?" the man from the future asked with a slight hint of amusement, his fingers feeling the moisture on his lips. He began to sit up. Knowing this was not good for a man with a bullet hole in his chest, Charlie Dixon reached a hand out to stop him--which was promptly hit away, with a look of contempt.
"Hey, I've suffered worse than this and made it," he said in between breaths as he slouched into a sitting position on the edge of the table. Charlie watched with interest as the resistance fighter tried to keep the pain from showing on his face.
"This time, you wouldn't have unless I'd been here, and I'd like to keep it that way," Charlie said quietly, placing two hands firmly on Reese's shoulders and guiding him gently back down onto the table. He was only mildly surprised when the man's hand reached across his chest and took Charlie's gently.
"I do have you to thank for that, doc," the man said quietly, looking into the EMT's eyes with genuine gratitude.
Charlie's surprise was much more profound when the hand which had been holding his was suddenly sliding behind his neck gently, soothingly, cupping the side of his head. He hadn't even registered it when their hands broke contact.
"It's Charlie," he said, trying to keep his words casual while knowing full well where this was going. "And it's my job, you don't have to--"
"Thank you," Reese whispered. To Charlie, the voice was barely audible over the beating of his own heart. He hadn't felt his heart beat like this since the first time he slept with Sarah... Not even on his wedding night. The battle-hardened man lying before him shared the same quiet confidence as his nephew's mother... and Charlie was just as powerless to resist.
Read Part 2
Comments and criticism are much appreciated!