Last Sugar & Spice for tonight
Title: A Promise To Aiden
Author: venetia-sassy
Pairing: Aiden/Lindsay
Prompt:csi50 Theme Set #1, Theme #033 regret, stagesoflove Five Wrongs
Rating: G
Word Count: 493
Disclaimer: I own my imagination, nothing else.
Warnings: Angst, character death.
Author's Notes: Mac POV, post-'Heroes'. I thought the way Aiden left the lab was lousy and that Mac should have helped her before she reached the point of desperation where she considered planting evidence.
A Promise To Aiden
It had been raining for the past few days and he could smell the damp earth. A chill breeze was blowing, making him shiver in his thin jacket, but the sky above was clear now, vividly, almost obscenely, blue. Mac crouched down by the newest grave and spoke the name engraved on the simple headstone out loud. “Aiden Carmel Burn. Hello, Aiden.”
He bent his head, stared at his hands as he tried to find the words. “I don’t know if you can hear this, Aiden. I hope so. I hope there’s more to this life than what we see.” He swallowed hard, thinking of all those he had farewelled over the years. “Maybe I’m just trying to salve my conscience, hoping you can hear this. But I need to say it.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry Aiden. I’m sorry. I should have done more. I should have looked out for you. I was your boss, I was responsible for you and I wasn’t there when you needed help. And I wasn’t there for you afterwards. I didn’t do right by you and you deserved better.” He reached out, almost tentatively, to touch the cool stone. Aiden Burn had never been cool. She was fiery, passionate. She had always lived up to her name.
“We got him, Aiden. Thanks to you. Got him for what he did to you and more. Little after the fact, I guess, but he won’t be hurting any more women.” Mac broke off, wincing, thinking of Lindsay, thinking of her pain, the raw agony of grief that was turning to a heavy, dull sorrow he knew all too well. He took another deep breath, looked back at the headstone. “I’ll look out for Lindsay. We all will. We’ll take care of her, Aiden, she won’t be alone. I’ll do better by her, Aiden. I promise. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Mac laid the small spray of vivid pink orchids on the damp earth and straightened, slowly. He looked down at the headstone that gave the date of birth and the date of death, too close together. He looked at the grave that held the charred, blackened remains of a woman he had once called ‘friend’. He wasn’t going to remember her like that. He was going to remember her as the woman who had laughed with him in the lab, who had joked with Danny, harassed Flack, teased Sheldon, shared secret girl talk with Stella. He was going to remember the woman who had put that dreamy look in Lindsay’s eyes. And he was going to do all he could to honour her memory. Starting by taking better care of those she had loved. Mac turned and began to walk slowly from the cemetery. He was joining Stella, Flack and Lindsay at Lindsay and Aiden’s place for dinner, something he wouldn’t have done a few months ago.
“I’ll look out for them, I promise. Goodbye Aiden.”
Author: venetia-sassy
Pairing: Aiden/Lindsay
Prompt:csi50 Theme Set #1, Theme #033 regret, stagesoflove Five Wrongs
Rating: G
Word Count: 493
Disclaimer: I own my imagination, nothing else.
Warnings: Angst, character death.
Author's Notes: Mac POV, post-'Heroes'. I thought the way Aiden left the lab was lousy and that Mac should have helped her before she reached the point of desperation where she considered planting evidence.
A Promise To Aiden
It had been raining for the past few days and he could smell the damp earth. A chill breeze was blowing, making him shiver in his thin jacket, but the sky above was clear now, vividly, almost obscenely, blue. Mac crouched down by the newest grave and spoke the name engraved on the simple headstone out loud. “Aiden Carmel Burn. Hello, Aiden.”
He bent his head, stared at his hands as he tried to find the words. “I don’t know if you can hear this, Aiden. I hope so. I hope there’s more to this life than what we see.” He swallowed hard, thinking of all those he had farewelled over the years. “Maybe I’m just trying to salve my conscience, hoping you can hear this. But I need to say it.” He took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry Aiden. I’m sorry. I should have done more. I should have looked out for you. I was your boss, I was responsible for you and I wasn’t there when you needed help. And I wasn’t there for you afterwards. I didn’t do right by you and you deserved better.” He reached out, almost tentatively, to touch the cool stone. Aiden Burn had never been cool. She was fiery, passionate. She had always lived up to her name.
“We got him, Aiden. Thanks to you. Got him for what he did to you and more. Little after the fact, I guess, but he won’t be hurting any more women.” Mac broke off, wincing, thinking of Lindsay, thinking of her pain, the raw agony of grief that was turning to a heavy, dull sorrow he knew all too well. He took another deep breath, looked back at the headstone. “I’ll look out for Lindsay. We all will. We’ll take care of her, Aiden, she won’t be alone. I’ll do better by her, Aiden. I promise. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Mac laid the small spray of vivid pink orchids on the damp earth and straightened, slowly. He looked down at the headstone that gave the date of birth and the date of death, too close together. He looked at the grave that held the charred, blackened remains of a woman he had once called ‘friend’. He wasn’t going to remember her like that. He was going to remember her as the woman who had laughed with him in the lab, who had joked with Danny, harassed Flack, teased Sheldon, shared secret girl talk with Stella. He was going to remember the woman who had put that dreamy look in Lindsay’s eyes. And he was going to do all he could to honour her memory. Starting by taking better care of those she had loved. Mac turned and began to walk slowly from the cemetery. He was joining Stella, Flack and Lindsay at Lindsay and Aiden’s place for dinner, something he wouldn’t have done a few months ago.
“I’ll look out for them, I promise. Goodbye Aiden.”