DISCLAIMER: The characters herein are used without permission. No infringement intended.
SPOILERS: Season One, Episode Fifteen: Queen Sacrifice.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
THANKS: To Ann for the beta.
Sending a Message
By ralst
Janis closed her eyes and tried to forget the image of Marcie's bloated and lifeless body. A death in custody, especially of a disgraced FBI officer, was a bureaucratic nightmare, but it was the personal cost that ate away at Janis' soul. She and Marcie had been friends, maybe not close but they'd shared meals and office gossip before the truth had been revealed and Janis had brought her down.
It had been Janis who first pointed the finger of suspicion in Marcie's direction. Janis who thwarted her escape and ensured she'd be taken into custody. Her death, although not by Janis' hand, was a direct result of her actions, and there was no escape from the guilt her death evoked.
The body beneath Janis' was warm and pliant. She didn't remember the woman's name, not even sure if she'd asked, but she would always remember the way lust had turned to fear, as the woman's hands tightened around her neck. For a moment, she imagined Marcie's face looming down on her, anger and betrayal in those hazel eyes, as she deprived Janis of the very air she breathed.
Darkness clouded Janis' thoughts as the alcohol and guilt robbed her struggles of strength and left her at the mercy of the unknown. All the lies and secrets faded into the abyss as she felt her grasp on life slip away and the darkness take hold.
With a gasp, Janis' eyes flew open, and she struggled to sit up, searching the gloom for any sign of the woman. The room was empty. Even Marcie's ghost had disappeared into the mists of reality, and it was only the bruises around her neck that forced Janis to admit the truth of her attack.
She laid back, her eyes closed, as if daring the world to take another shot, her voice coarse as she whispered, "Message received."
The End