Fic: Lies in the Locker Room.
So this is a little bit of un-beta'd fic. My first in the LOMiverse. Please don't hurt me, people from other fandoms who are waiting for other fics...it's not my fault, it's the muses. And Ray beat everyone else up cos he wanted a turn.
Title: Lies in the Locker Room
Author: Elf
Rating: PG
Word Count: 700
Pairing: Gen, with feelings ;)
Notes: It's a messed up bunny with random POV. It jumped me, I wrote it. Ray's happy. Un-beta'd, because no one wants to argue with Ray - yet. Once it's beta'd, I shall post it a bit more freely. If, in the meantime, you notice that I can't spell, or have been a dumbass in some other way, please inform me asap. Or point and laugh - either way's okay by me.
Annie pushed open the door to the locker room, then stopped dead. The room was in disarray – there were two smashed mugs on the floor next to the table, newspapers strewn on the ground. A locker was also on the ground, and the bench was pushed askew. And then she saw something else. A familiar figure sitting on the floor, arms resting on his knees, head bowed, leaning back against the lockers that were still standing.
Annie looked around, not sure what to do. She wondered for a second if she should turn around and leave, pretend she’d never been there, but then Ray looked up, and she froze.
“Oh my goodness, what happened to you?”
Blood was running down Ray’s face from a gash on his forehead, the glistening bright red a sharp contrast to his skin in the gloom of the room.
Annie pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket and knelt in front of Ray. “You should see a doctor – you might need a stitch in this,” she said, gently wiping away the blood. Then she suddenly realised what she was doing, one hand was touching Ray’s cheek, holding his head steady as she tended to the injury.
“Sir, oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, flustered, pulling her hand away. She didn’t even really like Ray – Detective Sergeant Carling, she mentally corrected, he’d always been so…rude, always playing up to the other men with some smart comment to make her feel stupid. But the tough sergeant looked quite different now – as if the life had been drained out of him. His bright blue eyes held a look of sadness.
“He got it,” Ray said, breaking the silence and looking away.
“He? Got…oh.” Annie looked up and saw that her locker door was slightly open – and had a dent in it at about head height.
She sat down heavily, although careful to pull her skirt down neatly. After all, DS Carling had something of a reputation.
Ray looked surprised as she carefully leant back on the locker beside him and he wondered if he was imagining that her eyes were moist with unshed tears. He quickly looked away, not wanting to be witness to a plonk turning on the waterworks. He reached into his pocket for his cigarettes, then glanced across at Annie. Seeing that she’d gathered herself a bit he put two cigarettes in his mouth and lit them both, then held one out to Annie.
She smiled, taking it and holding it delicately. “I…I should have thrown it away,” she said softly.
Ray shrugged. “No point crying over it now.” He immediately regretted his choice of words.
“But we’ll…Sam won’t let this go. He’ll make them punish us. I love this job, and now…one stupid mistake and…” She almost dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, until she noticed the bloodstains that now marked it.
Ray noticed her dilemma and reached into his own pocket, wincing as bruised knuckles caught on the cloth of his trousers. He handed her the handkerchief and she smiled, embarrassed that he’d noticed how upset she was. He smiled back, then reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, giving her what he hoped she’d realise was a friendly and supportive hug, nothing more.
“Just tell ‘em it were my doing. You don’t need to say anything else.”
Annie turned to look at him. “But they’ll ask what Sam asked. Why didn’t I call for the doctor? Why did I try to cover it up?”
Ray shook his head. “Just say that I ordered you not to. If they push then tell them you were scared of me, of what would happen if you didn’t do as I said. Say you didn’t want to disobey a superior officer.”
Annie shook her head. “No, we should tell the truth now – we should stick together, all of us.”
Ray snorted a stream of smoke out. “What’s the point? All of us getting punished won’t bring him back. All the evidence just points to me, there’s no need for anyone to know anything else. If you admit to something that means that young Chris has to own up too, and Phyllis.”
“But they’ll…you’ll be in trouble, you’ll lose your job – maybe even go to prison!” Annie protested.
“In’t it better that one of us does, than all of us?” Ray replied. “How’s it going to help if there’s no coppers left on the streets? No one would have done wrong if it hadn’t been for me, so I’ll be the one who takes the blame.”
Annie couldn’t think of a way to answer, but hope flared inside her, hope that maybe she could keep the job she’d fought so hard for.
It was the door being pushed open violently that broke the long silence.
Sam stopped dead, the door smacking closed behind him. He stared at Annie, and at Ray’s arm very obviously around her shoulders, holding her close. He could see she’d been crying, could see the handkerchief that was obviously Ray’s clutched in her hand.
“In the CID office, now. Annie, find Phyllis,” he ordered, his voice sounding strange even to him, as if his emotions were trying to strangle him.
Ray didn’t break eye contact with him, and gave the smallest of smiles, barely a twitch of the lips, but Sam saw it, and saw the smug look in the other man’s eyes, and he knew exactly what it meant.
Annie jumped up, brushing past Sam as she went in search of Phyllis, but she didn’t look at him, keeping her head down.
Ray pushed himself to his feet and walked across the room, slowing as he reached the other man. “It’s true what they say. Every cloud does have a silver lining,” he said, barely audibly, then pushed past Sam with his shoulder. He knew that Sam would jump to all the wrong conclusions, and his words were calculated to hurt. Even in defeat, Ray Carling wasn't going to go down easily.
Sam stood in the wrecked room, alone. He clenched his fists by his sides. Why, when he knew he was doing the right thing, was he being punished? He turned, slamming his hand into the locker. There was only one thing for it, Ray Carling was going to lose everything, and he was going to make sure of it, whatever the cost.
~Fin
Title: Lies in the Locker Room
Author: Elf
Rating: PG
Word Count: 700
Pairing: Gen, with feelings ;)
Notes: It's a messed up bunny with random POV. It jumped me, I wrote it. Ray's happy. Un-beta'd, because no one wants to argue with Ray - yet. Once it's beta'd, I shall post it a bit more freely. If, in the meantime, you notice that I can't spell, or have been a dumbass in some other way, please inform me asap. Or point and laugh - either way's okay by me.
Annie pushed open the door to the locker room, then stopped dead. The room was in disarray – there were two smashed mugs on the floor next to the table, newspapers strewn on the ground. A locker was also on the ground, and the bench was pushed askew. And then she saw something else. A familiar figure sitting on the floor, arms resting on his knees, head bowed, leaning back against the lockers that were still standing.
Annie looked around, not sure what to do. She wondered for a second if she should turn around and leave, pretend she’d never been there, but then Ray looked up, and she froze.
“Oh my goodness, what happened to you?”
Blood was running down Ray’s face from a gash on his forehead, the glistening bright red a sharp contrast to his skin in the gloom of the room.
Annie pulled a small handkerchief from her pocket and knelt in front of Ray. “You should see a doctor – you might need a stitch in this,” she said, gently wiping away the blood. Then she suddenly realised what she was doing, one hand was touching Ray’s cheek, holding his head steady as she tended to the injury.
“Sir, oh, I’m sorry,” she stammered, flustered, pulling her hand away. She didn’t even really like Ray – Detective Sergeant Carling, she mentally corrected, he’d always been so…rude, always playing up to the other men with some smart comment to make her feel stupid. But the tough sergeant looked quite different now – as if the life had been drained out of him. His bright blue eyes held a look of sadness.
“He got it,” Ray said, breaking the silence and looking away.
“He? Got…oh.” Annie looked up and saw that her locker door was slightly open – and had a dent in it at about head height.
She sat down heavily, although careful to pull her skirt down neatly. After all, DS Carling had something of a reputation.
Ray looked surprised as she carefully leant back on the locker beside him and he wondered if he was imagining that her eyes were moist with unshed tears. He quickly looked away, not wanting to be witness to a plonk turning on the waterworks. He reached into his pocket for his cigarettes, then glanced across at Annie. Seeing that she’d gathered herself a bit he put two cigarettes in his mouth and lit them both, then held one out to Annie.
She smiled, taking it and holding it delicately. “I…I should have thrown it away,” she said softly.
Ray shrugged. “No point crying over it now.” He immediately regretted his choice of words.
“But we’ll…Sam won’t let this go. He’ll make them punish us. I love this job, and now…one stupid mistake and…” She almost dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief, until she noticed the bloodstains that now marked it.
Ray noticed her dilemma and reached into his own pocket, wincing as bruised knuckles caught on the cloth of his trousers. He handed her the handkerchief and she smiled, embarrassed that he’d noticed how upset she was. He smiled back, then reached out and put his arm around her shoulders, giving her what he hoped she’d realise was a friendly and supportive hug, nothing more.
“Just tell ‘em it were my doing. You don’t need to say anything else.”
Annie turned to look at him. “But they’ll ask what Sam asked. Why didn’t I call for the doctor? Why did I try to cover it up?”
Ray shook his head. “Just say that I ordered you not to. If they push then tell them you were scared of me, of what would happen if you didn’t do as I said. Say you didn’t want to disobey a superior officer.”
Annie shook her head. “No, we should tell the truth now – we should stick together, all of us.”
Ray snorted a stream of smoke out. “What’s the point? All of us getting punished won’t bring him back. All the evidence just points to me, there’s no need for anyone to know anything else. If you admit to something that means that young Chris has to own up too, and Phyllis.”
“But they’ll…you’ll be in trouble, you’ll lose your job – maybe even go to prison!” Annie protested.
“In’t it better that one of us does, than all of us?” Ray replied. “How’s it going to help if there’s no coppers left on the streets? No one would have done wrong if it hadn’t been for me, so I’ll be the one who takes the blame.”
Annie couldn’t think of a way to answer, but hope flared inside her, hope that maybe she could keep the job she’d fought so hard for.
It was the door being pushed open violently that broke the long silence.
Sam stopped dead, the door smacking closed behind him. He stared at Annie, and at Ray’s arm very obviously around her shoulders, holding her close. He could see she’d been crying, could see the handkerchief that was obviously Ray’s clutched in her hand.
“In the CID office, now. Annie, find Phyllis,” he ordered, his voice sounding strange even to him, as if his emotions were trying to strangle him.
Ray didn’t break eye contact with him, and gave the smallest of smiles, barely a twitch of the lips, but Sam saw it, and saw the smug look in the other man’s eyes, and he knew exactly what it meant.
Annie jumped up, brushing past Sam as she went in search of Phyllis, but she didn’t look at him, keeping her head down.
Ray pushed himself to his feet and walked across the room, slowing as he reached the other man. “It’s true what they say. Every cloud does have a silver lining,” he said, barely audibly, then pushed past Sam with his shoulder. He knew that Sam would jump to all the wrong conclusions, and his words were calculated to hurt. Even in defeat, Ray Carling wasn't going to go down easily.
Sam stood in the wrecked room, alone. He clenched his fists by his sides. Why, when he knew he was doing the right thing, was he being punished? He turned, slamming his hand into the locker. There was only one thing for it, Ray Carling was going to lose everything, and he was going to make sure of it, whatever the cost.
~Fin