Work Text
The explosion had blown in the windows and sent Alan stumbling. He rested against the wall, dazed, before looking up to see the inferno blazing outside.'Don!' his mind screamed, propelling him out the front door only to freeze on the steps, staring in horror at the burning wreckage of the SUV."Don!" Alan attempted to get to the vehicle only to be rebuffed by the intense heat. "Don!"Hands followed cries of horror, pulling him back. Away from the blaze, away from the danger, away from whatever may be left of his eldest."Don!" Alan cried, collapsing, soul screaming.Pain.It was the first thought to penetrate Don's addled mind. He hurt. His neck, his shoulders, his... blood. It raced through his veins like liquid fire, scorching and consuming everything in its path."Welcome back, Agent Eppes, I thought that I had hit you too hard there. Spoiled the fun before it truly began."The voice drifted into his mind, briefly penetrating the haze of fiery agony. "Just hang there and enjoy."A touch on his arm, the feel of cool metal sliding in and then a new inferno sprang to life, burning him alive from within.Don screamed."Dad?" Don questioned, opening his eyes to find his father staring at a bland hospital wall, frowning."Donny, you're awake," Alan said, smiling as he looked at his eldest's bruised face. "How are you feeling? Should I call a nurse?""No," Don whispered, voice still hoarse, as he turned his head toward his father's questing and cool hand."Well, your fever seems to be coming down.""Mmmm," Don mumbled, already fading out again to the sensation of the hand running through his hair and the familiar voice washing over him.The peaceful expression on Don's face soothed Alan's fretting soul. 16 June 2007
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Defect - to switch sides, abandon, or to be lacking
Defecting - to be switching sides, abandoning
Defected - to have switched sides, abandoned
Defection - the process of switching sides, abandoning, or to be lacking
Defector - the one doing the defecting
Defective - to be broken and flawed, in need of replacement
Don stared at his hastily scribbled notes, the result of a quick after school chat with his friends. Their English teacher thought they'd learn their vocab words better if they were introduced slowly, a few words each week. While he definitely liked the slow part, it was the fact that they needed to know all the variations of the core word that he hated. He wasn't sure that what he had was right or even a complete list.Once his mother would have helped him. She used to sit with him at the dining room table when he got home and go through the words with him, making sure that he knew them all.Once. Used to.But not anymore.As Don looked over to where his mother was going over possible tutors for Calculus BC with Charlie, he wondered just when he had become defective. 2 November, 2007
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Alan stared in disbelief. It couldn't be! It was impossible; not after all the girls Don had dated during high school.Yet there was his eldest, sitting at the bar, in an intimate embrace with a man. Just when he'd recovered enough to form coherent thoughts, the redhead laughed with the bartender before turning and kissing Don.It was all Alan could do to remain upright long enough to collapse into a booth. The shock of running into his son in Chicago and then seeing... this, was simply too much. Last he'd heard, Don was chasing a fugitive in Texas. Though that was over a month ago.How the hell was this possible?It wasn't that he was homophobic, no, Alan shoved the thought aside violently, it was just- well, Val and Julie and Andrea and Cassandra and...Don's intense gaze was riveted on the man's face as they separated and it tore at Alan's heart. There was a hundred times more emotion in his eldest's eyes now than he'd seen directed at Margaret, Charlie or himself in a long time. Before he could ponder the thought, Don shifted and their eyes met.Shock, horror and fear flickered across his son's face before they were wiped away and Don leaned closer to the redhead once more, whispering in his ear though the now guarded gaze never left him.Alan swallowed, forcing the tension from his throat. He had to do something. He had to sort this out before the situation became any worse then it already was. Perhaps this was why Don had been so distant lately? Was he afraid to tell them? The thought almost seemed ludicrous; Don, afraid.Just as Alan steeled his resolve, the door burst open and in stormed several armed and armored men."FBI, freeze!" November 2007
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"We find the defendant guilty as charged."Charlie staggered back as if stricken and fell, stunned, into his seat as the courtroom reacted to the foreman's announcement.This couldn't be happening! This could not be happening! When he'd sent the e-mail he'd known he would be arrested, knew he'd be tried and knew that he could lose his security clearance. Yet, despite all that, he'd never thought that he'd actually be convicted!It was harmless.All he'd done was send vital scientific information to fellow scientists working desperately to save starving people. It wasn't like he'd leaked top-secret weapons files to a hostile government hell bent on destroying the United States."What- ... I mean... I don't... Phil-" Charlie stuttered, looking desperately at his attorney for an explanation.Phil had been found not guilty just a week ago! So why wasn't he? He'd done the exact same thing."I was afraid of this.""I don't understand," Charlie whispered, the realization of exactly what was happening sinking in."Sanjrani made an honest mistake. He sent his work to Pakistani scientists not realizing that it was forbidden. You, however, knew. You knew that it was illegal and yet you did it anyway." 21 May 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Sir, are you absolutely sure you want to handle the situation in this manner?""Yes, of course." A pause, the tone turning dangerous. "You disapprove?""No, of course not! I am merely surprised that you want it to be so quick.""I do not want it to be quick, I want it to succeed.""Sir?""Agent Eppes is a very dangerous and resourceful man.""Yes, but he's still one man.""One man who has nearly single handedly taken apart my organization despite every attempt you have made to prevent it.""There have been other agents-""Agents led by Eppes. Without him their investigation will stall. Without him we can survive. As long as he is alive, however...""I still don't see why you want it done this way.""Because it leaves nothing to chance. Agent Eppes' most dangerous weapon is his mind. Other ways may be more satisfying, but they ultimately leave him room to maneuver; room to turn the table on us. This doesn't."Don barely had time to register the sudden squeal of tires and turn away from the Craftsman towards the road before the first of several bullets caught him in the chest, killing him instantly. 7 June 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Don groaned as his partner of three months exited the store and came back to the car. He shifted the drying cloth against his eye, wondering if he could pretend to have fallen asleep."Well, they didn't have any icepacks," Billy stated. "So I got the next best thing."Don looked up to see him holding out a can of beer, slick with condensation. "Thanks."Billy winced at the darkening bruise. "Piece of advice: I don't care if you were raised never to hit a woman, if your hand is your weapon when you find a female fugitive, use it." June 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You should probably take it easy.""I'm fine!""I really think you'd better wait," Don repeated as he watched his partner struggle, a smile spreading across his face. "The doctor said you had a concussion.""Not funny!" Coop snarled, falling back against the pillows."Actually it is; an FBI agent... taken out by a stuffed animal.""How the hell was I supposed to know he'd put weights in it?""Be prepared for the unexpected," Don parroted back Billy's favorite line."Whose side are you on?"Don merely looked at him, not deigning to answer.A moan. "Teddy bear from hell!" 17 June 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Three strikes and you're out!" the umpire yelled.Don's fist clenched tightly around the wooden handle of the bat in frustration as he watched the ball land outside the field.There he went again. It was the bottom of the ninth and he'd just blown the Rangers' last real chance of winning this game. Slowly, he turned and walked back to the dugout, being careful not to meet any of his teammates' eyes along the way."Bad luck, man," Chris said as he dropped onto the bench.But it wasn't; wasn't bad luck. Don knew that when he was honest with himself. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't great either. It had slowly become apparent to him that he wasn't the right material for the majors and he knew he didn't want to stay with the minors forever either.He'd thought it over very carefully the past several months and today merely confirmed his growing suspicions. As he watched Lacey hit a fastball, Don's resolve strengthened. He simply would not remain where he could be merely okay, not when he was sure there was something he could be great at.He would mail the already completed application to Quantico tonight. June 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Charlie threw the chalk at the board in frustration. He should be able to do something with the data! There had to be an algorithm he could apply, or one he could create. Why, after weeks of asking, demanding and begging to be allowed to help was he so utterly unable to do anything?Why couldn't he help his brother, now of all times?He refused to believe that the FBI had finally granted him access to the relevant files only for his efforts to be as fruitless as that of Colby, David and Liz. There had to be something here; some mathematical trace of what had happened to his older brother.People didn't just vanish without a trace.Don couldn't simply disappear forever without a single sign of what had happened to him.Of where he currently was.Charlie outright refused to consider the darker possibilities. If only he wasn't alone in that regard! He had heard various agents at the office, speculating. They hadn't known he was listening in on their conversation as they discussed what they assumed. That Don had been taken out, driven to an isolated spot and executed, his body left to rot.That wasn't what had happened. It couldn't be what had happened. Not to his older brother, not to Don. Don deserved better than that. He couldn't have fought so long and hard for justice simply to be slain in such a manner, alone but for one who hated him.He wasn't going to give up and neither would Don's team. And yet, despite the combined efforts of the FBI, LAPD and their consultants, not a single trace of Don had been found. It was as if he had simply vanished off the face of the Earth, leaving nothing but memories and pain. 3 July 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Not guilty."Don's jaw clenched at the foreman's words.Silently cursing, he kept his face expressionless, just waiting. Not even a minute later, as she pulled out of a congratulatory hug with her attorney, Jessica turned and looked right at him. Their eyes locked, brown clashing with gray, and Don could detect the smug satisfaction in their depths.For the briefest of moments, her eyebrow rose and a superior smile appeared. Don's eyes narrowed at the challenge, but she merely turned to face the judge.Don forced himself to his feet and made his way to the exit. There was nothing he could do here now, but that didn't mean he'd let this go. He knew she'd killed her ex in cold blood and not self-defense. The string of accidents and disappearances of her previous boyfriends only strengthened his belief.The worst part was that she wouldn't stop. He didn't need Terry's assessment to tell him that; he'd seen enough serial killers to recognize the drive.Don put on his sunglasses before taking a final look back. Jessica was once again touching her lawyer and he knew that she was sleeping with him. Ironically, he'd probably be her next victim. 5 July 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Coop had long since lost track of the number of times he'd cursed Eppes today, but he did it again for good measure. Not only had he abandoned him, but he'd had to do it just before this case!With a supreme effort, Billy managed to smile at his new partner as the queue moved forwards. He hated the orchestra and he hated the theatre so he was bound to hate this performance. Unfortunately their fugitive loved both and there was no way he'd miss this show, not while in New York."Oh quit being such an uncultured lout," Thompson hissed as she adjusted his tie. "This is a world renowned company, you should be grateful for the opportunity."She wasn't going to last, not in Fugitive Recovery. Coop had known that right away, not with her attitude and obsessive cleanliness. Fugitive Recovery was dirty work with long hours in the car and in filthy motels. He could just imagine her shock if she'd seen the last place he and Don had stayed.Almost unconsciously, Billy's hand reached up to loosen his tie. He glared at Thompson as she moved to adjust it.He really was going to kill Eppes! 21 July 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Megan shivered, her eyes locked on the space where the Twin Towers had once stood. It was hard to believe that it had been years ago now; the horror and shock of it still felt new. She wondered if she'd still be with the Bureau if that day had never happened. Without September 11, there would be no Guantanamo Bay, no 'interrogations' of suspected terrorists and no special assignment.Would she still be with the FBI?It wasn't just her assignment that had caused her to leave, but it had been the trigger. Cases like Cleary's had played a role in it as well; ones that clearly showed the system wasn't perfect.Then there was Don.Megan almost shied away from the thought. That he didn't always play by the rules had been obvious from the start, but for the most part she'd admired it. He wasn't afraid to try new methods. When she'd been kidnapped it had been a comfort to know he would do everything to get her back. It wasn't until later that she'd discovered exactly what everything meant.Even now Megan felt uneasy remembering. Yes, she was grateful for being rescued, but at what cost? She knew it wasn't the first time Don had tread down that dark path, but every foray counted. Each was another chance to get lost. Just like with Meechum; he'd been right, but what if he hadn't?Megan was afraid that one day Don would go too far down that path and lose his way. The fact that he was doing it more and more truly concerned her. So far it had always been for good reasons, but where did it end? Where would he draw the line? It shouldn't be flexible to begin with; it wasn't his right to decide. 21 July 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Megan felt the strangest sense of déjà vu as she followed Roland into the bullpen. Although she'd never been in this particular FBI office, it was eerily reminiscent of the LA bullpen. Roland, the agent who'd appeared so unexpectedly on her doorstep, led her into a conference room."I thought you said you had some questions," Megan said as she saw the teleconference equipment."I don't, but Agent McGowan does.""McGowan? Carl McGowan?""You know him?""Of him," Megan replied. She'd not really known the man but had never liked him very much despite Don's good opinion; there was something sneaky about him."Good," Roland stated, activating the equipment."Miss Reeves," McGowan said as he appeared on screen. "Please, sit.""What is this about?" Megan asked uneasily."I merely have a few questions about your resignation and the causes for it.""I explained my reasons in my letter to the ADIC.""I know, I was hoping perhaps you now felt safe enough to elaborate.""What?" Something wasn't right here."I need to know exactly what role Eppes' actions had in your decision.""Excuse me?""Come now, Reeves, you no longer work for him and need not worry about his reprisals." 14 October 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Megan felt all her frustration melt away as she unlocked the door to her office and caught sight of her desk. Placed in the middle of it was a simple vase holding a bouquet of aromatic tuberoses, white as usual. Next to it was a present wrapped in white and silver paper, a box she recognized as their favorite white chocolates and an envelope with her name written on it in Larry's familiar handwriting.In the blink of an eye, Megan's day brightened like the world after a solar eclipse. A huge smile formed as the wonderful fragrance of the roses washed over her. Oh, the memories associated with that sweet smell! Dropping her things, she touched one of the tuberoses before her hand dropped down to the letter. She wondered how Larry had managed to accomplish this. She knew he was still in California and only a few people had the key to the office. Herself, the department chair and Dr. Cox.Though, now that she thought about it, she had seen Cox with one of the physics professors, James Baird she believed his name was.Well, clearly what Larry had said was true.Academia was a small world. October 2008
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Charlie cried out as the bookcase he was climbing swayed and started to topple forwards just as he reached his mother's crystal statue that had been creating the most interesting fractal patterns on the wall. He fell to the floor in a shower of books and knickknacks, screaming as pain exploded in his leg. He squeezed his eyes shut and cringed as the heavy bookcase rushed at him."Charlie? Don?" Margaret's voice rang out from upstairs, panicked.Slowly, Charlie opened his eyes, knowing the bookcase should have hit him already."Move!" Don hissed from where he stood not three steps away, his voice and face strained as he struggled to keep the bookcase from crushing the four-year-old.Charlie could only stare, wide-eyed, between his older brother and the shuddering bookcase hovering not even a foot above him. He cried out as he was suddenly jerked backwards by his father just as his mother came rushing down the stairs. He was thrust towards his mother before his father turned around and grabbed hold of the heavy bookcase."I've got it, you can let go now Donny," Alan said, his voice shaking with the shock he'd received.If Don hadn't been there... February 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
One minute Don was slowly moving forward, scanning the area as he went, and the next he was on his stomach on the floor, a fully armored sniper on top of him. The gunshot echoed in the deserted warehouse as glass from the window he'd been passing rained down around them."What was that?" Megan's voice demanded via their earpieces. "Is everyone alright?""We're fine," David replied, speaking for himself and Colby."Don? Ian?"The tightening of Edgerton's hand on his vest told Don all he needed to know about the precariousness of their present situation. Well, that and the fact the sniper had yet to move off of him. Carefully, he brought his free hand up to his mike and tapped it trice in rapid succession and then twice slowly, letting his team know they were still there but in a dangerous position."We're on our way," Colby promised.Don's grip on his Glock tightened as he suddenly felt Edgerton tense above him and he prepared to spring into action. He hated not knowing exactly what was going on, but he knew he could trust the other man to watch his back until David and Colby arrived with backup. February 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Don lay awake long after Robin had fallen asleep, his mind buzzing with the news and all of the emotions it churned up. Fear, excitement, terror, amazement, they were all mixed together. His hand drifted from where it lay on Robin's hip to her stomach.A father. He was going to be a father.He still couldn't believe it. Don gently moved his shoulder out from under Robin's head and he moved down the bed so he was level with her stomach.At this point it was still flat, not yet revealing the life growing inside."Hey there," Don whispered. 19 February 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The only thing keeping Don from leaping to his feet and pacing the room was the grip Robin had on his hand. He suspected that was precisely the reason why she gripped him so tightly."It'll be fine," Robin murmured.Don bit back a sharp retort that she couldn't possibly know that; it was her way of coping. Strangely enough, his involved holding onto her. Before he'd have done it alone, not telling anyone until the lab results were in. Yet, when his physician had first discovered the tumor, he'd felt the need to tell someone instead of keeping it all bottled up inside. Despite that, he hadn't been able to tell his father and brother, not after Mom.Robin, though, was different. Although he wanted to protect her, he'd found it harder and harder to keep things from her, both the desire to do so as well as the ability.His body fairly vibrated with tension as the time of the appointment approached and Don pulled Robin close, inhaling her scent as he sought to center himself."Agent Eppes?" a nurse called out and the next thing Don knew, he was standing before his physician.Dr. Holton smiled. "Benign." 19 February 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Alan could only stare in horror. The video had been in the mail and he'd put it on to see what it was.Now he couldn't stop watching it. Alan knew he shouldn't, that he should stop and call the FBI, but he couldn't. He could only watch the door being smashed off its hinges before a rush of heavily armored men. Despite the Kevlar and goggles, Don had been instantly recognizable.The first time, Alan could only see his son and the large firearm he held in his hands. He'd never seen Don geared up and holding a weapon like that before. That image alone would have been enough to give him nightmares, but it paled compared to what came next.One minute Don stood there, the next a man stepped into the picture, a gun in his hand. Without a second's hesitation, his son's gun swung left, firing several shots at close range, killing the man instantly. Then, instead of mourning what he'd done or even hesitating for a second, Don moved on, simply stepping over the body.The numbness and shock were starting to wear off as Alan hit rewind and watched it again. He'd always known that Don might have to kill as part of his job, but to see it was another thing entirely. The way Don did it, though, was what bothered him the most. He went about it as if it were nothing, as if he hadn't just taken a life. He did it like he'd done it often before and Alan was suddenly left wondering just how many men his son had killed.The sound of the front door opening startled Alan out of his reverie and he turned to see his eldest enter."Hey, Dad," Don greeted. "What are you watching?" 10 April 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hey Colb," Don called out and indicated for the younger agent to join him in the office he so rarely used, preferring instead to sit out with his team."What's up, Don?" Colby inquired, slightly nervous as Don closed the office door behind him."We need to talk.""About what? Oh, man, David gave me up, didn't he?""Don't blame him for it, he's just doing his job," Don stated, studying the younger man closely. "What happened?""What do you mean? I thought we were playing things differently, we misunderstood each other.""That's not what I meant. Remember nearly three years ago, when Megan was taken by Hoyle?""Yeah, of course.""Do you remember what you told me back then? When I left Edgerton alone with Winters?""I warned you against it," Colby replied, swallowing thickly."Yeah, exactly. You told me some things were hard to come back from once performed and you know what? You were right. So what's changed?" Don inquired, fearing that he knew the answer already. "Is it because of me? Because of what I've done and allowed others to do?""Don, I-""Because if it is, stop.""Don?""Everyone makes mistakes, Colb, don't repeat mine." 26 April 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Nikki looked at the file, still not quite believing it was real. It had caught her completely off-guard when she'd seen the name and recognized the photo. Despite her initial curiosity and surprise, she found herself unable to open it, her desire to read it tempered with the knowledge that her boss would be furious if he ever discovered that she'd gone snooping into his father's file.The memory of her shock and shame at being publicly chewed out by Don came back to her in a rush and she put the file back and walked away, not willing to disappoint him again. She really wanted to make it work here and this was not the way to do that."Why'd you put it back?"Nikki jumped despite herself at the unexpected interruption and whirled around. Across the room, at the edge of a pool of shadows stood her boss, his dark eyes locked on her."Don, I- I didn't know you were here," Nikki stated, stunned he'd managed to conceal his presence from her so completely, she'd had no clue she wasn't alone."Why didn't you read it?""I figured it was none of my business," Nikki explained, trying not to squirm under his heavy gaze.His face gave nothing away and Nikki was completely unable to tell if he was angry with her. Eppes suddenly seemed like a different person. He was dangerous, she realized with a start. Oh, she'd known he could be, like any federal agent, but this was something different, something far darker. She'd seen it in some cops and she suppressed a shiver even as her respect for him grew."Yeah, me too," Don finally stated, the mask and darkness melting away as he glanced at the cabinet where she'd put away the file. May 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Don had swept the other rooms, so the force that slammed into him from behind just as Kingsley dropped to his knees caught him completely by surprise. He went down with a cry, barely managing to keep hold of his Glock. Almost immediately the weight on his back shifted and he used the opportunity to roll over, already bringing his gun back up as he did so.The loud growl was the only warning Don received that his attacker wasn't human before agony shot through him as he felt sharp teeth sink into his arm. He cried out again and felt terror flood him as he caught sight of the Doberman. This thing could easily rip him apart if it wanted to and he knew he had to react quickly before it had the chance to do so.With his right arm disabled, Don grabbed the Glock with his left hand and used it as a club, smashing it down on the dog's head. Another flash of blinding pain shot through him as the action caused the dog's teeth to sink in further, but then it released his arm with snarl. He spun the gun in his grasp and fired rapidly, at point blank range, as the animal rushed at him again, aiming for his throat.He grunted as the large dog collapsed atop him before Don shoved it aside, panting. Briefly he just lay there, the pain radiating from his arm practically all consuming, before he slowly became aware of his surroundings. David's barked "Stay down!" followed the tail end of a struggle and he relaxed, knowing backup had arrived in time to prevent Kingsley from escaping.Then the door down the hall slammed open with a shout of "FBI!" followed by a worry filled "Don?""In here, Colby." 17 October 2009
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"This isn't funny!" Don snarled.Or at least he tried to; because of the throbbing of his head it came out as more of a whimper than anything else."Oh, come on Donny, you have to see the irony of this!" Billy replied, voice rife with amusement.Coop had been having far too much fun with this. At least ever since the doctors assured them that he'd be fine."What are you on about now?""Clue.""Huh?""You know, the game. In this case I'd say it was Mrs. White in the dining room with the candlestick.""I hate you." 3 May 2010