Broken
Written for fanfic100 prompt: Broken
Title: Broken
Character(s)/Pairings: Emily/Don
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Her best friend was broken...
Author’s Notes: Emily and Callie have been best friends for more years than most people have even known each other. They are more like sisters than friends and this outlines the struggles that they would go through when faced with being helpless to stop their friend from hurting.
Spoilers: End of season 4 beginning of season 5
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them close as she rested her chin on her knees. She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath as she tried to stop her mind from whirling.
Broken. Her best friend was broken. It was an understatement to say that her heart was broken -- no, the light was gone from her eyes, the fire gone from her soul.
Never in all the time that she'd known her, had she even imagined that Callie could be this way. Much to the chagrin of her new husband, Emily had made herself readily available -- ever on call, just as any best friend -- any sister would have done.
Emily spent the bulk of her time happily doing whatever she could to distract Callie from thinking of Colby and his betrayal both to the team and to her. They went shopping, had lunch, had girl's nights -- anything that Emily could think of and yet it wasn't enough. She knew that her gestures were appreciated, but that underneath it all, Callie was mourning.
Her stomach clenched and she knew that this time she wasn't going to be able to stop it. Emotion washed over her, her own heart breaking, knowing that Callie was going through so much pain and she was helpless to stop it. She felt the sting at the backs of her eyes and with her next intake of breath, her body quaked. A sound escaped her that was foreign even to her own ears and then came the uncontrollable fit of wracking sobs.
She'd been so strong -- had to be strong for Callie. She'd tried to be her rock, the anchor she so desperately needed in the relentless storm that was so carelessly tossing her about. She cried so hard and with such force that she nearly made herself sick before she finally forced herself to take a shower and then without even drying her hair, she crawled into bed.
It was late afternoon, but she didn't care. She had exhausted herself and could find no way at present to ease the pain her best friend was going through and sleep was her only refuge these days.
She next awakened when Don got home and gently urged her to open her eyes so that he could check on her. She wanted desperately to take comfort in his strong arms, to talk to him about how her own heart was breaking a little more each day -- how her very soul seemed to be eroding.
How could she though? How could she live in marital bliss when Callie was suffering so? Surely she would see it in her eyes, or sense it immediately and she refused to put her friend through that.
As was the norm for her these days, Emily got out of bed and as if on autopilot, made dinner and watched tv next to Don in silence as the hours passed by. They were getting ready to go to bed and Emily had just emerged from the bathroom when she heard Don's voice, "Em?"
God, she loved when he called her that. "Yeah?"
He hesitated, "Can I talk to you about Callie?"
Emily regarded him a little suspiciously before she replied, "All right. What is it?"
He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly before sighing, "Well, you know how Callie gets and I was thinking that since you're her best friend...that maybe you could talk some sense into her."
Emily bristled. That sounded like a rather inconsiderate thing to say. If anyone else knew what Callie was going through, it was Don. She crossed her arms and asked, "Talk some sense into her about what?"
Don hadn't seemed to notice the change in her voice as he casually continued, "Well, it seems that things worked out with Colby and so he's coming back to the team. I told Callie today and..."
Emily silenced him, "Wait. Stop. Let me make sure I heard correctly. Colby Granger is coming back to the team?"
Don nodded and started to continue on with his story, but Emily spoke up once again, "You're letting him come back to the team? Don, you can't do that."
Don scowled as he groaned, "Not you too..."
He then took the tone that she'd heard him take with Charlie countless times over the years, "Look, you don't know the whole story..."
Emily felt anger rising in her then...slowly boiling to the surface. Her eyes changed to a stormy shade of near gray, quite a contrast from their normal brighter color, "Apparently you don't either, or maybe you just don't care about what Callie's been through."
Don raised his voice, "Listen, I understand where Callie's coming from...I do. But, she needs to understand that this is the way that things are going to be."
Without thought, Emily slapped him, "You inconsiderate bastard. You don't have any idea what she's been going through...what I've been going through."
Tears were stinging her eyes and her hand was stinging from the impact of her blow. She whirled around and felt Don grab her arm. She wrenched herself out of his grasp and hissed, "Don't...touch me!"
She then grabbed his pillow and threw it at him before grabbing a blanket and thrusting it into his arms. "You of all people should know how much he hurt her. How dare you ask me to betray her too."
She then closed the door to the bedroom and fought to regulate her heartbeat as pain and anger rushed through her. She wanted to call Callie to check on her, to see how she was handling this news, but she didn't want to risk it. She hadn't been sleeping at all and so if there was a chance that she might be asleep, Emily didn't want to disturb her.
She knew sleep wouldn't come to her that night...no, there was too much to think about. Callie's world was once again changing drastically and for the first time ever, she and Don had fought. God, she'd slapped him. He hadn't even said anything, but then again she hadn't given him the chance. As she tossed and turned, she cried for her friend and wondered if she'd just pushed her husband away for good.
Title: Broken
Character(s)/Pairings: Emily/Don
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Her best friend was broken...
Author’s Notes: Emily and Callie have been best friends for more years than most people have even known each other. They are more like sisters than friends and this outlines the struggles that they would go through when faced with being helpless to stop their friend from hurting.
Spoilers: End of season 4 beginning of season 5
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them close as she rested her chin on her knees. She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath as she tried to stop her mind from whirling.
Broken. Her best friend was broken. It was an understatement to say that her heart was broken -- no, the light was gone from her eyes, the fire gone from her soul.
Never in all the time that she'd known her, had she even imagined that Callie could be this way. Much to the chagrin of her new husband, Emily had made herself readily available -- ever on call, just as any best friend -- any sister would have done.
Emily spent the bulk of her time happily doing whatever she could to distract Callie from thinking of Colby and his betrayal both to the team and to her. They went shopping, had lunch, had girl's nights -- anything that Emily could think of and yet it wasn't enough. She knew that her gestures were appreciated, but that underneath it all, Callie was mourning.
Her stomach clenched and she knew that this time she wasn't going to be able to stop it. Emotion washed over her, her own heart breaking, knowing that Callie was going through so much pain and she was helpless to stop it. She felt the sting at the backs of her eyes and with her next intake of breath, her body quaked. A sound escaped her that was foreign even to her own ears and then came the uncontrollable fit of wracking sobs.
She'd been so strong -- had to be strong for Callie. She'd tried to be her rock, the anchor she so desperately needed in the relentless storm that was so carelessly tossing her about. She cried so hard and with such force that she nearly made herself sick before she finally forced herself to take a shower and then without even drying her hair, she crawled into bed.
It was late afternoon, but she didn't care. She had exhausted herself and could find no way at present to ease the pain her best friend was going through and sleep was her only refuge these days.
She next awakened when Don got home and gently urged her to open her eyes so that he could check on her. She wanted desperately to take comfort in his strong arms, to talk to him about how her own heart was breaking a little more each day -- how her very soul seemed to be eroding.
How could she though? How could she live in marital bliss when Callie was suffering so? Surely she would see it in her eyes, or sense it immediately and she refused to put her friend through that.
As was the norm for her these days, Emily got out of bed and as if on autopilot, made dinner and watched tv next to Don in silence as the hours passed by. They were getting ready to go to bed and Emily had just emerged from the bathroom when she heard Don's voice, "Em?"
God, she loved when he called her that. "Yeah?"
He hesitated, "Can I talk to you about Callie?"
Emily regarded him a little suspiciously before she replied, "All right. What is it?"
He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly before sighing, "Well, you know how Callie gets and I was thinking that since you're her best friend...that maybe you could talk some sense into her."
Emily bristled. That sounded like a rather inconsiderate thing to say. If anyone else knew what Callie was going through, it was Don. She crossed her arms and asked, "Talk some sense into her about what?"
Don hadn't seemed to notice the change in her voice as he casually continued, "Well, it seems that things worked out with Colby and so he's coming back to the team. I told Callie today and..."
Emily silenced him, "Wait. Stop. Let me make sure I heard correctly. Colby Granger is coming back to the team?"
Don nodded and started to continue on with his story, but Emily spoke up once again, "You're letting him come back to the team? Don, you can't do that."
Don scowled as he groaned, "Not you too..."
He then took the tone that she'd heard him take with Charlie countless times over the years, "Look, you don't know the whole story..."
Emily felt anger rising in her then...slowly boiling to the surface. Her eyes changed to a stormy shade of near gray, quite a contrast from their normal brighter color, "Apparently you don't either, or maybe you just don't care about what Callie's been through."
Don raised his voice, "Listen, I understand where Callie's coming from...I do. But, she needs to understand that this is the way that things are going to be."
Without thought, Emily slapped him, "You inconsiderate bastard. You don't have any idea what she's been going through...what I've been going through."
Tears were stinging her eyes and her hand was stinging from the impact of her blow. She whirled around and felt Don grab her arm. She wrenched herself out of his grasp and hissed, "Don't...touch me!"
She then grabbed his pillow and threw it at him before grabbing a blanket and thrusting it into his arms. "You of all people should know how much he hurt her. How dare you ask me to betray her too."
She then closed the door to the bedroom and fought to regulate her heartbeat as pain and anger rushed through her. She wanted to call Callie to check on her, to see how she was handling this news, but she didn't want to risk it. She hadn't been sleeping at all and so if there was a chance that she might be asleep, Emily didn't want to disturb her.
She knew sleep wouldn't come to her that night...no, there was too much to think about. Callie's world was once again changing drastically and for the first time ever, she and Don had fought. God, she'd slapped him. He hadn't even said anything, but then again she hadn't given him the chance. As she tossed and turned, she cried for her friend and wondered if she'd just pushed her husband away for good.