In the Blink of an Eye
Written for the fanfic100 prompt: Death
Title: In the Blink of an Eye
Character(s)/Pairings: Emily, Craig & Molly James, Gary Walker
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How quickly life can change...
Author’s Notes: The entire James family was created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily smiled as she smoothed her hair and then her dress. She and her parents were on their way to see a play, as was their usual activity together for the weekend. They had always tried to do things as a family, even when Emily was off to college and old enough to be on her own. Family was important to all of them and tonight was a night they had all been looking forward to. After a long week, they loved getting together and laughing and talking and acting as though they all didn't talk at least once a day, every day.
Craig James smiled at his daughter as he looked back at her via the rear view mirror. "Dougie Carter was asking about you again today."
Emily rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Dad! I am not going to date Dougie Carter."
He grinned, "Why not? That poor boy has been in love with you since elementary school."
She replied, "My point exactly. If I were interested, I would have had plenty of opportunities by now to date him."
He looked over at his wife before he shook his head and sighed, "At least go on a date with the poor boy."
Emily gasped, "Dad! I am not going to go on a pity date with someone. How do you think that would make him feel? That's not fair to either one of us. What if mom had gone on a date with you just because she felt sorry for you."
He reached over and squeezed Molly's hand as he grinned, "How do you know that she didn't?"
Molly turned to give her daughter the same questioning look as Emily stated, "Because I know mom and she may be soft-hearted, but we women talk about these things and I know that the moment she met you, she saw her future for the first time..."
Molly smiled warmly over at Craig as she sighed, "Spoken like a true writer..."
Emily beamed at this comment. She was currently torn. She had a bit of both of her parents in her and both were steering her towards their respective careers. She had already taken the FBI qualifying exams and had passed everything and was ready to go into the Academy if she so chose. However, she was also a writer at heart and this kept her close to her mother and the library that her mother owned and so loved.
Her thoughts were broken when she heard her mother call out her father's name and then there was darkness.
She'd been whisked to the hospital, closely escorted by some of her father's closest friends, including Gary Walker. She had a concussion and was pretty banged up, but other than that -- physically she was fine. When she had finally awakened, it was Gary who was in her room with her and he took her hand as she looked around the room, dazed. He gave her a moment to figure out where she was and to recall what she last remembered before he spoke, "Em..."
Her eyes widened when she saw a look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "What happened," she croaked.
He regarded her for a moment before he decided that it was best to just tell her and get it over with. Emotion laced his voice as he spoke, "Your vehicle was struck head on by a drunk driver who came over into the wrong lane and lost control."
Emily took this in, remembering now the impact and realizing this explained why her head pounded and her ribs protested with every breath she took. Even though she was sure that she knew of the answer if Gary was here with her, she closed her eyes and asked, "Mom and Dad?"
Gary moved in closer to the bed then and his grip on her hand tightened as he placed his other hand over hers as well. He took a moment to answer before he nearly whispered, "I'm sorry Em. Craig and Molly..."
He cleared his throat and swallowed hard, trying to be strong for her as he continued, "They were killed instantly. I'm so sorry, Em..."
Even though she had known that it was coming, she felt as if she were suddenly pinned to the bed and a ton of bricks were thrust upon her chest. She felt tears welling up and though her entire body was wracked with pain at her movement, she began to shake uncontrollably. Gary stayed with her until she finally exhausted herself and the nurse came in to give her something to help her sleep.
As she recovered, first came the shock...then the grief...then the numbness. No one who had been present at the crime scene could understand how she'd managed to come out with so few injuries and had called it a miracle. But how could it be, if her parents were gone?
After the funeral and in the coming weeks, she made the decision to steer away from the FBI and take over her mother's library until she figured out what to do with everything...including her life. That was when she had decided to become a writer. It was a great outlet for her and she was able to express things in the written word that she couldn't have possibly said otherwise. It was just what she needed in order to get through everything and find peace within herself once again.
Life changes people...but death changes the way you see life...the way you live from then on. Both of her parents had instilled strength and pride within her. She'd gathered herself together, picked up the pieces, and was determined to make her mark on the world. She finished college with honors and set to work on her first novel, the story of how her parents met and fell in love disguised within.
Title: In the Blink of an Eye
Character(s)/Pairings: Emily, Craig & Molly James, Gary Walker
Rating: PG-13
Summary: How quickly life can change...
Author’s Notes: The entire James family was created by me.
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
Emily smiled as she smoothed her hair and then her dress. She and her parents were on their way to see a play, as was their usual activity together for the weekend. They had always tried to do things as a family, even when Emily was off to college and old enough to be on her own. Family was important to all of them and tonight was a night they had all been looking forward to. After a long week, they loved getting together and laughing and talking and acting as though they all didn't talk at least once a day, every day.
Craig James smiled at his daughter as he looked back at her via the rear view mirror. "Dougie Carter was asking about you again today."
Emily rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Dad! I am not going to date Dougie Carter."
He grinned, "Why not? That poor boy has been in love with you since elementary school."
She replied, "My point exactly. If I were interested, I would have had plenty of opportunities by now to date him."
He looked over at his wife before he shook his head and sighed, "At least go on a date with the poor boy."
Emily gasped, "Dad! I am not going to go on a pity date with someone. How do you think that would make him feel? That's not fair to either one of us. What if mom had gone on a date with you just because she felt sorry for you."
He reached over and squeezed Molly's hand as he grinned, "How do you know that she didn't?"
Molly turned to give her daughter the same questioning look as Emily stated, "Because I know mom and she may be soft-hearted, but we women talk about these things and I know that the moment she met you, she saw her future for the first time..."
Molly smiled warmly over at Craig as she sighed, "Spoken like a true writer..."
Emily beamed at this comment. She was currently torn. She had a bit of both of her parents in her and both were steering her towards their respective careers. She had already taken the FBI qualifying exams and had passed everything and was ready to go into the Academy if she so chose. However, she was also a writer at heart and this kept her close to her mother and the library that her mother owned and so loved.
Her thoughts were broken when she heard her mother call out her father's name and then there was darkness.
She'd been whisked to the hospital, closely escorted by some of her father's closest friends, including Gary Walker. She had a concussion and was pretty banged up, but other than that -- physically she was fine. When she had finally awakened, it was Gary who was in her room with her and he took her hand as she looked around the room, dazed. He gave her a moment to figure out where she was and to recall what she last remembered before he spoke, "Em..."
Her eyes widened when she saw a look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. "What happened," she croaked.
He regarded her for a moment before he decided that it was best to just tell her and get it over with. Emotion laced his voice as he spoke, "Your vehicle was struck head on by a drunk driver who came over into the wrong lane and lost control."
Emily took this in, remembering now the impact and realizing this explained why her head pounded and her ribs protested with every breath she took. Even though she was sure that she knew of the answer if Gary was here with her, she closed her eyes and asked, "Mom and Dad?"
Gary moved in closer to the bed then and his grip on her hand tightened as he placed his other hand over hers as well. He took a moment to answer before he nearly whispered, "I'm sorry Em. Craig and Molly..."
He cleared his throat and swallowed hard, trying to be strong for her as he continued, "They were killed instantly. I'm so sorry, Em..."
Even though she had known that it was coming, she felt as if she were suddenly pinned to the bed and a ton of bricks were thrust upon her chest. She felt tears welling up and though her entire body was wracked with pain at her movement, she began to shake uncontrollably. Gary stayed with her until she finally exhausted herself and the nurse came in to give her something to help her sleep.
As she recovered, first came the shock...then the grief...then the numbness. No one who had been present at the crime scene could understand how she'd managed to come out with so few injuries and had called it a miracle. But how could it be, if her parents were gone?
After the funeral and in the coming weeks, she made the decision to steer away from the FBI and take over her mother's library until she figured out what to do with everything...including her life. That was when she had decided to become a writer. It was a great outlet for her and she was able to express things in the written word that she couldn't have possibly said otherwise. It was just what she needed in order to get through everything and find peace within herself once again.
Life changes people...but death changes the way you see life...the way you live from then on. Both of her parents had instilled strength and pride within her. She'd gathered herself together, picked up the pieces, and was determined to make her mark on the world. She finished college with honors and set to work on her first novel, the story of how her parents met and fell in love disguised within.