Title: Never Second Best
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Carl Hickman/Louis Daniel
Fandom: Crossing Lines
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 500
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Carl Hickman or Louis Daniel, unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

Louis closed his eyes, listening intently. All was quiet.

How had he gotten himself into this? Why had he been stupid enough to insist on being sent on this undercover mission, rather than staying with his team?

He had been a fool to put himself in this position. He should have known that he would be found out. And he was here on his own, stranded, away from his team, with no one knowing of the precarious position he was in at the moment. They weren't aware of the danger.

Well, yes, they were -- but they didn't know that his identity had been discovered. There had been no way to get any kind of message to any of them, not even to Carl.

His boyfriend didn't know that his life was threatened.

What if he died here, away from Carl, without having seen the man he loved one last time and told him exactly how he felt? What if Carl didn't know just how much he was loved?

That was ridiculous, Louis told himself firmly, clutching his gun more tightly and debating if he should risk looking around he corner of the alley he was currently hiding in. Carl knew that he was loved. He shouldn't have any doubts about that. There was no reason for him to doubt.

But yet, Louis was here, and not with his lover. What if Carl felt that this mission had been more important to him than what the two of them shared?

What if Carl felt that he was somehow second best? That was the last thing Louis wanted him to feel, because it wasn't true. Carl came first. He always came first.

He wanted Carl to know that he would always come first, that he hadn't been somehow pushed aside because of Louis wanting to be the one who took on this mission. If the man he loved didn't realize that, then he had made a terrible mistake by being here.

It had been a mistake from the beginning, Louis thought, grimacing. He hadn't expected things to go this badly. He'd thought that he would get out unobserved.

Well, that wasn't possible now. He should have known better.

He could only hope that he would get out safely, and make his way back to Carl and to the team with minimal physical damage. That was the best he could do.

He'd thought that this would end so differently, with himself bringing down the criminals and the team coming in with the police to help take them away to jail. But somehow, he'd been found out, and now all he could do was run. There would be no victory. Not this time.

Louis was sure that he heard a sound at the end of the alley. Had they found his hiding place, then? He gripped his gun more tightly, prepared to shoot at the slightest provocation.

His only thought was to get home and assure Carl that he was never second best.

***