Title: Luck
Genre: Gen
Rating: PG-13
Characters: David, Don
Spoilers: 5.20 The Fifth Man, 6.16 Cause and Effect
Warnings: None
Prompt: 13 Luck for lj comm numb3rs100
Word count: 300
Disclaimer: Own nothing, not being paid

A/N: Thank you to pixie_on_acid for the beta. Another attempt to get back into writing. I have two uncooperative longer stories going. Sigh.

Summary: Even if it's not your fault, you're still responsible. You're the boss.


The first time that Don put David in charge, Don got stabbed and Nikki knocked out. In the minutes and hours and days after David and Colby had found Nikki unconscious and Don bleeding out, David had a thousand 'what if's running through his head. What if he and Colby had gone around the back instead? Would anything have changed or would one of them have been stabbed instead? Would they have cleared the guest house? What could they have done to stop it happening? Were they too cocky?

David had forced down the worry and guilt he was feeling—it was his decision, he'd been the boss—and found the man who was responsible. Once that had happened, it had crashed over him. Don, even as drugged up as he was, had known that David wasn't okay. Don had gone through this before, David remembered.

It doesn't get any easier, Don had said. But this wasn't your fault. Every day we take the risk of not coming home. We all know that. But, even if it's not your fault, you're still responsible. You're the boss. You have to live with it. This time you were lucky. Next time...

Sitting in his chair, head resting in his hands, guilt and horror trying to overwhelm him, David's luck had run out. An agent had lost her life on his watch. She had been funny, and a good agent. David took a deep breath, forcing his composure back into place, and looked up at his team. It had hit them all hard, but David knew that he couldn't let them fall apart. He couldn't fall apart.

"Okay," he said resolutely, rubbing a hand over his chin. "Okay. Let's find him. What have we got?"

Don was right. It didn't get any easier.

-FIN-