Archive of Our Own

Title: Equilateral -- A Love Story in Three Parts Part 3
Rating: Green Cortina (PG-13 for language)
Pairing: Sam/Gene/OFC (Cynthia Baxter)
Summary: Three people's views of the same marriage. Written for the lovely ladygrey as part of the help_nz auction. She's graciously allowed me to share it here.
Warnings: This is in Gene's POV and it's A2A quasicompliant. All the way through series 3 compliant. But I just changed the circumstances for some people

The Bloody Neanderthals You Love

He wasn’t on his game in the beginning. He blamed the shock of being in a coma for most of his mistakes. It was a ruddy coma after all. After being hit by a rust covered throwback from the worst part of the 80’s. And Gene kept him distracted. Even through Annie at him to keep him away from the forensics department.

If he’d have just seen Cynthia then he’d have figured it all out sooner. Which was a lie but you’ll never get him to admit the truth. He’d have still thought she was a figment of his imagination. Some part of his subconscious peering into his skull. 

He should have suspected something when she wouldn’t return his calls after he woke up. The story that she’d suddenly retired to Spain hadn’t made sense, even in his anti-depressant addled state. He’d tried to talk to her daughter, otherwise known as Janine the prickly bitch, but she’d been more than evasive. If he’d have been able to find a body she’d have been his first suspect.

If he was being honest the first time he realized it was the day before they got married. It was the ring, winking up at him from the jeweler’s case that caused it to all make sense. 3 carat, princess cut, 2 mm platinum band. Its twin was packed away in a box at his mothers.

Everything had made sense after that. The way she’d always acted around him. Loving but distant. As if she’d always known they were out of synch in each other’s time line. The way Gene had been anxious, waiting, and then one day had just stopped.

They were three parts of the same triangle. Unbalanced without the others to keep them locked into place.