One Shots

Sides

She couldn't even remember what they were fighting about. All she knew is that the entire car ride back form the hospital they had been screaming back and forth at each other. They both seemed extremely on edge that day. Maybe it was because Amelia had lost two patients or because Owen had spent his day in a board meeting trying to pick the next best candidate for Chief. As soon as the sliding glass doors shut behind them, suddenly they each blew up and the only one in the way to absorb it was the other.

Amelia exited the truck and slammed the door with frustration.

"Really Amelia? Very mature!" Owen screamed, disgusted.

"You want to see immature? I'll show you immature!" She unlocked the trailer and stepped inside, slamming and locking the door behind her.

"Amelia let me in MY trailer!" Owen pounded on the door and gripping the handle. He tried to force the metal open but it wouldn't budge.

"No, I'm immature remember? I don't know how to unlock the door!" She taunted him and watched the door rattle from it's hinges.

"Amelia, I swear to god-" He stopped midsentence. In Owen's fit of rage he completely forgot that he had his own set of keys.

"Ha!" He excitedly stepped into his trailer to find Amelia on the couch, just watching him.

"Wow good job, Owen! You remembered that you had your own keys! It took you long enough!" She put her feet on the pillow, a habit that she knew drove him crazy. She did it for no other reason than just to spite him.

"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't tried to lock me out of my own house!" He yelled, eyeing her feet atop the pillow.

"You call this a house? Its more like a tin box in the middle of nowhere," She laughed, spinning her legs off the pillow and standing, making a wide gesture with her arms.

"If I remember, it was your idea to live together!" Owen took a step forward and stood close. He could feel Amelia's hot and angry breath against his chest.

"Yeah well maybe it was a stupid idea!" She retorted, taking a retreat away from him. He was a good six inches taller than her, a fact that she always found intimidating.

"Feel free to leave anytime you want!" Owen yelled out of anger.

"If you want me to go so bad then fine! I'm leaving!" Amelia screamed back at him, pointing a finger at his chest. She grabbed her purse and turned to go.

"I just want to know, who did this to you?" Owen asked as she was opening the door. "Who screwed you up so bad, emotionally and mentally, that you completely shut down anyone who loves you? You don't talk about your feelings and push me away when I try to help you! You refuse to open up to someone who loves and cares about you. Who the hell did this to you?!"

Owen watched as the anger left Amelia's eyes and was replaced with utter despair. Her blue irises flashed in the dim lighting of the trailer. Owen knew, in that moment, that he had hit a soft spot and wasn't sure how to react. Worse, he didn't know how Amelia would react. He sat down on the couch that Amelia had just been occupying and rested his hands on his knees. Amelia stood completely frozen in the doorway, her fingers still wrapped around the metal handle. She was unmoving, almost unbreathing, as if she was stopped in time. Owen watched for any sign of life but it was as if she was stuck, a glitch in the program. 


"Amelia please, say something," He waited but received no response. She remained at her perch by the door, hand still gripping the metal.

"Anything," Owen pleaded and as she robotically removed her fingers from the handle. He watched as she walked back towards him, as if in a trance, and sat down next to him.

"Everyone I love either leaves or dies," she spoke in a monotone and distant voice. It was almost as if she was speaking from somewhere else. Owen thought she sounded dead.

"Everyone..." She trailed off. Turning to look at him, her face was ghastly pale, even more so than usual. The color had completely drained from her cheeks. Her eyes were a different shade of blue; icy cold and dark. No expression played on her lips that were pursed into a thin line. Owen thought he had seen every side of her. This side was brand new.

He reached over and pulled one of her delicate hands into his. Her's were as cold as ice. He didn't know what to do with this side of Amelia so Owen played his cards conservatively. He waited for her to open up but had no idea if she would ever be. Would she ever talk? Would she ever answer his questions? Would he really know everything about Amelia Shepherd? No, he would not. She was a woman of many sides and he would only see a few. Because if he saw all of them, he would run like a bat out of hell. But Owen was different. Would he really run? Amelia didn't know. He always held her when she cried and caressed her body when she needed him too, often without saying anything. It was as if they were on an entirely different plane from the rest of the world. Their plane was much higher than any other. It was a place where their thoughts were connected in a way she never imagined possible. They were held up by the most powerful force in the world - love. But would love be enough for them and the universe?

"Run," She spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Run far away from me."

"What? Amelia I'm not going to-" Owen started.

She stood straight up and pointed towards the door. "Damn it, Owen! I said run! Go far away and escape while you still can!"

"Where is this coming from?" He stood to meet her eyes. They were wet and filled with tears from a thousand fights past.

"You need to run away from me. If you stay you'll end up dead," Amelia all but screamed as the water spilled over from her eyes dragging black shadows of mascara onto her cheeks.

"i'm not going to die, Amelia," Owen said bluntly.

"Oh but you will! Maybe it'll be a drug overdose, although you don't do drugs. Hell, that's what we all say. Or maybe, you'll get shot! That seems to be a popular choice. Or even better, you'll get hit by a truck. A freaking truck and then have a crappy surgeon who can't save you and you'll die. Maybe, it'll be a whole new way that hasn't happened yet, but trust me Owen. If you stick around, you'll die!" She was screaming now in an entirely different way. Not filled with anger, but filled with desperation. She loved him, and she knew it was enough for her; but not the universe. Somewhere along the way she had screwed over the universe and now it was determined to screw her over back. It would kill Owen in some horrible, maniacal, way. Amelia wanted more for him. Way more.

She was shaking physically; her body rattling around in the middle of his trailer in fits of spasms. Owen watched as she yelled at him more to "go away" or to "leave her alone" or "you're going to die, I know it!" She even tried to threaten him, but they were left open ended. The woman he loved was falling apart right in front of him and he was standing there like his feet were bolted to the floor.

"AMELIA!" Owen screamed as loud as he could and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her out of whatever fit she was in. The shakes stopped and were overcome by horrific sobs. She clutched to his arms and collapsed in them. Owen had to catch her body to prevent it from dropping onto the cold hard floor. He held her head in his chest and stroked her hair as the tears kept flowing from her beautiful blue eyes. The cries came and were followed by screams so horrible they sounded as if they were released by the devil himself. The pain of all the years Amelia Shepherd had experienced were being released onto his army tee shirt.

"I'm not going anywhere and I love you," He whispered as her cries dulled to soft sniffles. He kept repeating those words, I'm not going anywhere and I love you, until her tears ended all together. Once she finally pulled back, Owen noticed the huge wet mark that remained against his shirt. Her hair was a disheveled mess. Her face was red from crying and blotched in places from black mascara.

"You're not going anywhere?" She questioned as if not believed the repetitive statements just uttered. Her blue eyes, bright as ever, locked onto his.

"I'm not going anywhere," He said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"And I love you."