--
"You don't look too happy, Don," Colby observed as he came into the bullpen with a box.
Don roused himself and looked bleary-eyed at Colby. "Hey, Colby. What are you doing here? David's gone for the day. Hot date with Claudia."
Colby laughed, "Did he finally ask her out? Good for him." He lifted the box, "I just brought these back. Some things that belong to the FBI. Kevlar vest and some other things that were still in my car."
"Thanks, man, really appreciate that. The budget's tight." Don rubbed his eyes and stretched. He watched as Colby set the box down on his desk. "Colby." Don paused, as though he was trying to decide what to say.
Colby raised an eyebrow and waited. Then he sat when Don indicated a chair close to his desk.
"I've been wanting to ask you," Don said slowly. "What made you decide to join the DDFS? Megan seemed to think you didn't have a choice." He met Colby's eyes, "She wouldn't tell me any more about it."
"Why are you asking?" Colby asked, a faint smile on his lips.
Don shrugged, "Just trying to understand your actions. I'm pissed that it all went down the way it did. I find myself second-guessing everything, my decisions, other people's responses, you name it. I guess I'd be more inclined to be forgiving if you were coerced into it."
Colby gazed intently at Don for a minute, noting that Don met his gaze with a challenge. "Do you love your Dad?"
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Don frowned at the non sequitur. "Of course I do!"
"I loved my father, and I would have done anything for him." Colby settled back in his chair and chose his words carefully. He wanted to make Don understand but there was a lot he couldn't tell him. "He was in the army, fairly high rank, but then he was a lifer. Something happened and he was dishonorably discharged. It was a huge disgrace for a family with generations of soldiers. Then he died." Colby took a deep breath. It still hurts to think about it. "I never believed that the death was accidental. I tried to prove that and I tried to clear his name. I dug and dug and the more I dug, the more incriminating the evidence became. My commanding officer caught wind of what I was doing and things went downhill from there. My assignments went from bad to worse, and I all but died on a suicide mission."
Expression bleak, Colby looked at Don, who had sat up and was now leaning forward and listening intently. "I don't know why Steele was there, but he pulled me out, and we struck a deal. He would help me clear my father's name if I helped him nail my commanding officer. It took almost a year, but we both got what we wanted out of the deal. I got more, because in the process, Steele cleared my name too."
"I could find out who you are with the information you provided me, you know that."
Colby shook his head, "I don't think so. First of all, I don't think you will. Also, you could try, but I doubt you'll find anything. Not before Steele got wind of it anyway." Then in a softer voice, "Besides, no one would believe you, because the man you'll find is dead."
"Hm." Don looked non-committal. "So you decided to continue working for him."
"It's as good a job as any. I trusted him by then." And it had taken me the entire year to learn to trust him.
"How long had you been working the Chinese angle before you joined the FBI?"
"About a year."
Don looked at Colby with curiosity. Colby had been with the FBI for two years. "That means you had been undercover on that case for three years?"
Colby shrugged, "It happens."
They were both quiet for a minute. Then Colby indicated the papers on Don's desk, "Who's transferring?" He recognized the transfer forms.
Don sighed, "Liz." He glared balefully at Colby who held up his hands in a placating manner.
"I don't have any control over him, Don."
"Damn you, Granger," Don said resentfully, "I hated losing you. And I hate all this turmoil every time I see you, wondering if there's a different agenda when you work with us." He tossed his pen on the transfer form in disgust. "And I can't seem to get my personal life right."
"You can't lay that last thing at my door," Colby said mildly. I'm sorry it worked out this way. I hated having to leave the FBI too. But he didn't say anymore.
Don huffed a sardonic laugh, "Why not? I blame everything on you these days."
The silence stretched uncomfortably between them, till Colby decided it was time to leave. "Tell Megan and David I said hi."
Just as Colby reached the elevator, he heard Don say, "I would do anything to protect my father. I'm just glad I haven't had to."
--
Colby found the conversation with Don disquieting and it preyed on his mind for the rest of the evening.
"You're a little distracted," Steele commented dryly, when he had to repeat his question to Colby three times.
"I'm sorry," Colby apologized and told Steele about the conversation.
"Eppes will come to terms with you in due time, Colby," Steele's tone was almost gentle. "Sean's actions on the other hand," Steele sighed wearily, "Perhaps it's a good thing he'll be leaving tomorrow on an assignment. He'll be gone for a few days."
"Hopefully, it'll all blow over when he gets back," Colby murmured.
"One can only hope." But Steele didn't look too positive about it. He looked intently at Colby, "Luke has been waxing poetic about your lady's lasagna. About her in general, in fact."
Colby looked astonished, "Luke has? Our Luke? The assassin?"
Steele laughed, "My reaction exactly. But yes. Thank her for me, will you please? He'd become too withdrawn. It's good to see him take an interest in his surroundings again."
"As long as he realizes she's mine," Colby muttered darkly.
A little wistfully, Steele replied, "I don't think you'll have anything to worry about there."
Once again, Colby wondered whom Luke had lost his heart to. He would wager that Steele knew all about it.
"Alright, that's it for the day," Steele said briskly. "I will see you tomorrow. Introduce you to the recruits you'll be training." He smiled warmly at Colby, "Enjoy your time with your lady."
--
"What is it?" Colby asked suspiciously. Hannah's eyes were brimming with amusement.
"Well, first Sean called, then Luke did," she said solemnly. Then she couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into giggles.
"They know my cell number, why didn't they call it?" Colby was mystified.
"They didn't want to talk to you, they wanted to talk to me." It took a few more minutes but Hannah finally got her giggles under control. "They wanted to stop by. Have dinner with us." She still looked amused.
Colby chuckled, "Steele mentioned that Luke had been waxing poetic about you. He wanted to thank you for drawing Luke out of his shell."
Hannah pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"What?" The look intrigued him.
But she only shook her head, "Anyway, they're bringing dinner. I offered to cook but they didn't want to impose."
"They just want to avoid eating alone in an empty apartment," Colby said sympathetically, remembering the months without her.
"I thought it might have been something like that, so I didn't object." Hannah slid her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "You don't mind, do you?"
"As long as they leave sometime," Colby murmured against her lips.
"They're at it again, Luke," Sean called out to Luke who was still at his car.
Colby raised his head and scowled in Sean's direction. "Don't you ever knock?"
Sean grinned, "Not like it's anything I haven't seen before. Come on, Luke and I need your help."
That made Colby curious, "Help with what? What kind of takeout did you get?"
"I made the mistake of letting Luke decide. I would've picked Pizza Hut," Sean said wryly as they went back down the front steps.
Hannah followed but stopped at the door. She laughed as Luke began to pull packages out of the trunk. A seemingly never-ending array of packages. She recognized the logo on those packages. Luke had brought dinner from a very exclusive gourmet restaurant. She wondered how he'd managed it, that particular restaurant didn't normally do takeout.
"Don't just manhandle them," Luke said indignantly when both Colby and Sean started grabbing packages. "You'll spill the contents, and mess up the designs."
Colby could hear Hannah giggling from the front door while he and Sean stared at Luke in astonishment. "Um, okay," he said, while he carefully put some of the packages back down. "I guess we're taking one package in each hand?" He could see that Sean's open-mouthed astonishment was about to turn into full-fledged laughter. "Ah, Sean, why don't you get those bottles of wine to Hannah?"
"Oh, Sean," Hannah chided him gently when he reached her, "Behave."
He grinned, "Alright, but only for you."
After many trips to the car for all four of them, they finally got all the packages into the house. It had taken all of Sean's self-control to keep his promise to Hannah. Luke had fussed over every detail, hovering like an anxious mother hen as the food was unpacked and carefully served.
Even Sean had to admit that it had been a feast fit for a king, and the wine had been exquisite and perfectly paired with their meals. And even Luke had finally begun to relax as they enjoyed the rest of the wine.
"You always seem so relaxed, Luke," Sean said lazily, "Who knew you were such a demanding gourmand?"
"It's a good thing I'm generally amused by you, Sean, or you wouldn't last very long." But there was no heat in the words. Luke was far too relaxed now to be annoyed. He had enjoyed both the dinner and the company. A rare combination for him. "No, no," he protested when Hannah started to clear the table. "Sean and I will get it."
"We will?" Sean's eyebrows shot up. "I don't remember volunteering for KP duty."
"I'll help too," Colby jumped in before Luke could say anything to Sean. "C'mon, don't be lazy," he said sternly to Sean.
"Well, let me at least serve dessert to the lovely lady before I slave away at cleaning up."
Luke shook his head with a sigh. Sean always managed to be charming. He wished he could learn the skill. He almost choked in surprise when Hannah kissed him on his cheek.
"Thank you for dinner, Luke," she murmured as she patted him on his arm. Then she left them to it. After all, the Cardinals game was on TV.
"Hey! What am I? Chopped liver?" Sean turned indignantly to Colby.
Colby held a finger to his lips and tilted his head towards Luke. Sean turned to look. Both their expressions softened into kindness at the stunned expression on Luke's face. Silently, they turned to start on the dishes. A few minutes later, they heard him carefully folding the paper bags before putting them into a larger trash bag.
"Why don't you get some dessert and join Hannah in the living room, Luke? We have this under control," Colby said over his shoulder.
"Thank you. I will." Luke's voice was quiet and contemplative as he left. He sat down in an armchair, smiling at Hannah's animated expression as the Cardinals slugger hit a grand slam to tie the score up. "How did you even become such a baseball fan?"
She grinned at him, "I don't know, osmosis, I think. One day, it all made sense, and it all mattered."
He was a little mystified by the answer but he let it go. It was just a game to him. He knew the rules, but he didn't get all worked up about it.
"Who was she?"
"What?" His eyes focused sharply on Hannah.
She turned to him with guileless eyes, "The woman who hurt you so badly. What was her name?"
His eyes narrowed and his voice chilled to sub-zero, "Why?"
"Because she deserves to have her eyes gouged out and her liver fed to the the crows."
That startled a laugh out of Luke. He looked at her in befuddlement and said slowly, "I didn't expect that."
"That's my Hannah. Expect the unexpected," Colby said wryly as he settled on the couch next to her, cradling her hand in his. His heart had frozen in his throat when he heard Luke's cold tone. What Colby had always called his killer tone. Both he and Sean had dropped everything when they'd heard it. The dishes could wait.
Sean dropped into a sprawl on the floor on the other side of her.
"I could never hurt Hannah now, you know that, don't you? Both of you?" Luke said quietly. But he was looking directly at Colby.
"I didn't know that. But thank you." Still, Colby tightened his hold on her hand.
They watched the game for a few minutes. Even Sean was quiet.
"Delilah."
"You're kidding." Sean couldn't stop himself.
Luke sighed, "I wish I was. It's not her real name, of course, but I didn't know that. I still don't know what her real name is. I fell completely and utterly in love with her. And botched the job. Almost got myself and Steele killed."
"So you've known each other a while then?" Colby asked curiously.
A smile curved Luke's lips, "I'm not that far gone." And got a smile in return from both Sean and Colby. It was a game for all of them, to figure out each other's pasts from clues in their conversations. Luke turned back to Hannah, "I apologize, Hannah, for my rudeness."
She shook her head, "No need to apologize. I'm so very sorry she hurt you." The three men fascinated her. There was something dangerous about Colby that excited her, yet she trusted him, and loved him with all her heart. That same air of danger hovered about the other two men, but somehow she felt protective of them all. She glanced at Sean, apparently absorbed in the game, but she knew, despite his devil-may-care attitude, that he was hurting from Liz's rejection. There was a slight bitter twist to his lips when he mentioned her.
"I hate to leave, but I have a early flight to catch in the morning," Sean said later. It was only the seventh inning, though they had been there for over two hours.
"I'll help you clean up, Colby, then I'm going to leave too," Luke murmured as he got up. He smiled at Hannah and kissed her on her cheek. "I'll check back with you when Sean gets back. He can buy dinner next time."
Colby groaned, "That just means Pizza Hut. I'll take care of it."
Sean grinned, "Works every time." He smacked a kiss on Hannah's other cheek, making her laugh as he did so, and left with a jaunty wave.
--
"Donnie," Alan hesitated when he noted the weary lines on his eldest son's face.
"What's wrong, Dad?" Perhaps it was the conversation he'd had earlier with Colby, but he was trying to pay more attention to his father tonight.
Alan shook his head slightly, "I'm not sure. I just feel like I'm being followed. And little things, like my watch wasn't in the middle of the dresser where I always leave it."
"Where was it then?" Don didn't like the sound of it.
"Over on the right side." Alan paused, and shook his head, "Maybe I'm just imagining things. Getting forgetful with old age."
I hope that's all it is, Don thought. "Are you sure Charlie didn't move it, Dad?"
"Move what?" Charlie asked as he came through the front door.
"Dad's watch."
"Why would I do that?" Charlie looked surprised.
"No, no, I'm sure I'm just misremembering where I place things."
"So it's not just the watch?" Don really didn't like this. "I'm going to send someone around to put in a surveillance camera, okay?"
"Yes. Yes, if you don't mind. I'm really uneasy about it." Alan looked relieved, he'd been afraid that Don would laugh at him.
"Alright, I'll sleep here tonight, Dad."
"Thanks, Donnie, I'll feel better about it." Alan settled into his armchair and started reading his paper.
Charlie looked worried now. "What do you think is going on?"
Don shrugged, "I don't know. We'll see what we get with the camera, okay? Don't get too worried, it might be nothing."
"Don, I know you. If you didn't think it was something, you wouldn't be putting the camera in. You'd joke that it was Mom moving things around, or something."
He patted Charlie on the back, "I don't know anything, Charlie. There's no sense in worrying about it until we know something." It was a lot easier to say it than to do it though.
--
A few days later, a grim Don reviewed the surveillance footage. And he got grimmer by the minute. He couldn't tell who it was but someone was definitely getting into the house.
"He, she, this… person, is not taking anything," Charlie couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Just picking things up and putting them back down! What does that accomplish?"
"Signs of a stalker," Megan said from the doorway. She came in and took a closer look at the video. "Is that your house, Charlie? Whose things are they?"
"Dad's," both men said, worry evident in their voices.
"Oh, that's not good," she sat down and watched the footage with them. "How many days worth?"
"Just three," Don said quietly. He met Megan's worried eyes. No, it wasn't good. The stalker was getting into the house and getting close to his father by getting close to his things. It was beyond creepy.
"What are you going to do?" Megan asked.
"Put some people on it, what do you think?" Don answered tersely. Neither Charlie nor Megan said anything. They knew to leave him alone when he was in that mood.
--
A day later he came back into the bullpen looking like a thundercloud.
"What's wrong, Don?" Megan asked cautiously.
"Someone put the kibosh on my efforts to protect my Dad," he said. His voice was quiet, but his entire body quivered with anger.
"What reason did they give, Don?" Liz asked with worry. The transfer had been signed but wouldn't happen for another week. In any case, she'd liked Don's father.
"That the request went to the Director of the FBI. I am deploying FBI resources for personal use," Don slammed a pen onto his desk.
There was a tense silence in the bullpen. Then David said tentatively, "If you like, I could give Colby a call, see what he could do."
Don looked at him and scowled.
"Okay, maybe not," David muttered as he went back to his own work.
"What's his number?" Charlie asked as he came in.
"Charlie!" Don spun around in fury.
"I don't have a problem begging, Don. This is Dad we're talking about here. There is nothing my math can do to protect him." Charlie was close to tears.
"How do you know Colby didn't have anything to do with this to begin with?" Don almost shouted.
"Listen to yourself, Don! I could explain to you why that would be highly improbable, but does it matter? This is Dad! Colby liked Dad, and why would he stop you from finding Dad's stalker? Nothing Dad does is remotely related to national security!"
Don sighed. Then reluctantly, "You're right. This is for Dad." And I had once claimed I would do anything to protect him.
--
Steele raised an eyebrow when Colby explained that he needed the time off to protect Don Eppes' father and try to figure out who was stalking him. "Did Eppes call you and ask for your help?"
Colby nodded, still surprised at having received the call, "At his brother's insistence, but yes. He called."
"Alright. Help him, but don't worry about the time. I'll approve it."
"Just like that?" Colby looked at Steele skeptically. "What about the trainees?"
"They've had a few days with you, they can be split up and sent out with other agents." Steele looked thoughtful. "I'll put some feelers out, see if I can find out why the FBI cracked down on him in particular. It's hardly out of the ordinary." He tapped his lips with a forefinger. "If you need help, call Sean. He's back from his last assignment. Or Luke. Both, if necessary. I don't much like the sound of this."
"Thank you." Colby wondered why Steele was doing this for Don, but he decided not to ask and left.
When Colby closed the door behind him, Steele picked up the phone and began to call in favors.
--
Alan watched as Colby prowled through the house. He couldn't stand it anymore when they got to his bedroom. "What are you looking for?"
"Hidden cameras, bugs, that sort of thing. Then I want to see if I can figure out how she's getting in." Colby looked up and smiled at Alan. "I'm sure that Don's already done all that. I just wanted to see for myself, make sure nothing was added."
"She. You're sure it's a woman?" Alan was momentarily distracted by Colby's use of the pronoun.
"I haven't seen the footage, but wouldn't you prefer a woman?" A mischievous smile teased at Colby's lips.
Alan sighed, "I'd rather not have a stalker at all."
"You're quite right," the smile disappeared, and Colby's mask took its place.
"I guess the more important question is why are you doing this?" Alan asked. His eyes were bright with curiosity. Don had stopped by to curtly explain what Colby was going to do. Then he'd left without another word. Alan surmised from Don's abrupt behavior that he still hadn't come to terms with the reasons for Colby's actions.
A slight frown puckered Colby's brows, and he reached up to poke at something in the air vent. "Hello," he said softly, "What do we have here? You're not on Don's list." Carefully, he unscrewed the vent and pulled out the camera. "Oh, not good." He disconnected it and slipped it into his pocket. "Wonder how many of you there are?"
By the time Colby was done searching Alan's bedroom, he'd found five cameras, covering the bedroom. "This is going to be one pissed-off stalker," Colby told Alan. "I'm going to call Don then I'm going to call in some reinforcements."
Shaken, Alan only nodded, but Colby didn't miss the trembling hands, and the fear and disgust in Alan's eyes as he collapsed into an armchair in the living room. Colby didn't have time to deal with that just yet, but he would.
"Can I get you a beer, Mr. Eppes? Or better yet, a brandy," Colby asked when he was done on the phone.
"There's some brandy in that cabinet over there. If you don't mind," Alan mumbled. "Glasses are in the kitchen." He waved a vague hand in the direction of the kitchen. He was still ashen when Colby came back with the brandy and two glasses.
"Here, drink all of that first," Colby insisted as he pressed a glass with about a finger's worth of brandy into Alan's trembling hands.
He obeyed, and spluttered a little. "Nasty. This has not aged well." But the warmth from the brandy was already coursing through his veins. He looked at his hands and noticed that Colby was gently chafing them, warming them.
"You okay now, Mr. Eppes?" Colby asked, relieved when he saw a little color come back into Alan's face. "Here, sip this next one."
Alan took a few moments to sip the brandy, "Guess it's an acquired taste," he said as he made a face.
Colby grinned. It wasn't a particularly good brand. It looked like it had been purchased for cooking purposes.
"Thank you, son," Alan said gratefully.
"No problem," but Colby's mind had latched on to one word. It had been a long time since anyone had called him son. "I'm doing this because I can't bear the thought of any father having to suffer. And I empathize with Don on this."
Now that simple declaration was fraught with emotion and a deeper meaning, Alan thought. "Thank you," he said simply. He decided he would not pry. Colby would tell him when he was good and ready, and if he didn't, it wouldn't matter, his kindness was real and appreciated. "What did Don say?"
"He was furious," and how, Colby remembered. "They weren't there when he did the sweep yesterday morning."
Alan sat up in shock at the implication. Then he shuddered. "Did Donnie find others?"
Colby looked uncomfortable.
"He did. And removed them. And there's more today." Alan dropped his face into his hands and shuddered again. "This is creepy. No, it's beyond creepy. When I think of the things I do on a daily basis..." he groaned.
Beyond creepy is right, Colby thought in disgust. He made his tone light as he said, "I have reinforcements coming. Sean will stay in here with you. I think you'll like him. Luke and I will be patrolling the grounds."
"FBI?" Alan asked curiously.
Don must not have told his father about the FBI curtailing his efforts. "No," Colby replied, "not FBI."
Alan gazed sharply at Colby, "Don knows about this?" He ignored Colby's raised eyebrow.
"Yes, he knows about it."
"Is he in trouble with the FBI?"
I shouldn't be surprised that he caught on. He's Don's father, after all. "Not that I know of," Colby said lightly, "But he doesn't exactly confide in me these days."
Alan smiled faintly.
Colby thought Alan probably recognized the evasion for what it was, he'd raised two sons. Don would probably be at the receiving end of that particular line of inquiry when Alan got hold of him that night. Colby thought with a grin. He was glad when Alan got up and spread blueprints on the dining table. Work would take his mind off his predicament. Colby continued to prowl the premises, checking his phone periodically to see if Steele had left any messages. He was relieved when he saw Sean pull into the driveway. "I'll be right back, Mr. Eppes," he called out as he went out the front door. He chuckled when he only got a grunt in reply.
"Where's Luke?" Colby asked when he got to Sean's car. "I don't see his car."
"He said he was going to remain hidden." Sean muttered as he rummaged around in the trunk of his car.
Colby nodded, he should have expected that. "What are you looking for?" Colby asked as he peered into the trunk. "Jeez, what a mess!"
"Found it!" Sean said triumphantly, slipping his find into a pocket in his duffle bag without letting Colby see it, then shot him a look of disdain. "The condition of my trunk is none of your business, and your editorial was not appreciated." He headed towards the open door. "Some protection you are, leaving the door open!"
Shaking his head at Sean, he picked up the pace and jogged back to the house. "Mr. Eppes," he said as they both entered the house. "This is Sean. He'll be spending the rest of the day with you."
"Pleased to meet you, Sean," Alan peered at him over his glasses. "I have to work on this, to meet a deadline. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. You don't have to entertain me, just let me know when you leave the room."
Not that Sean really needed to be told, Colby thought in amusement. He had sharp ears to go along with those eagle eyes. "I'm going to check the exterior of the house, Sean, before I head for a wider perimeter."
"Check for signs of how she got in?" Sean nodded and settled into an armchair with a view of the dining room table that Alan was working at.
--
Several hours later, Colby had followed signs from the stalker's likely entry point and found clearly visible tracks away from the house. He sighed in frustration when the tracks ended in a parking lot of a strip mall. Probably where the stalker parked her car.
"Granger," he said into his cell phone. He heard an amused chuckle at the other end of the line and grimaced.
It was Steele, but he didn't comment on Colby's continued use of the name. "I've found out why they curtailed Eppes' investigation. If you apprehend this stalker, bring her to our offices, or she'll just be released."
"Okay." Colby looked at his phone when all he heard was a dial tone. He shook his head. That was just like Steele. He was just returning the phone to his belt clip when it buzzed.
"I got a description from Steele and the stalker's headed towards the Eppes house. You'll have about forty minutes, tops." Luke's calm voice told him.
"Alright, warn Sean. Tell him it'll probably be the back attic window. I'll call Don and meet you there." He started the call, and began run back to the house.
--
Sean put his phone back on the belt clip and looked regretfully at his excellent hand. He'd talked Alan into a game of poker after he'd finished working on the blueprints.
"You have nothing, do you?" Alan crowed. "You were just bluffing!"
Sighing, he said, "Unfortunately, you'll never find out. I need you to get behind the couch, where you'll be safer. I need to get ready."
Alan's eyes widened when Sean handed him a kevlar vest out of the duffle he'd brought in with him. "Will I really need that?" he whispered.
"I sincerely hope not, but I'd rather be safe than sorry, if you know what I mean."
--
"C'mon, c'mon," Don fumed at the traffic. Finally, he gave up and put the sirens on.
Liz glanced at him, but didn't comment. She knew he was worried sick about his father, and their precious forty minutes were slowly and but surely dwindling. She looked in the rear-view mirror on the passenger side and noted that Megan and David were in an SUV right behind them, even though it wasn't an official case, and even though Don told them they shouldn't be involved.
Despite his best efforts, Don pulled onto the street in time to see Colby guide a handcuffed woman into the back of a car. He couldn't see the driver. "Where the hell is she going?" Don shouted at Colby as the car pulled away.
"To our offices. It's best this way, Don. Trust me." Colby said quietly. He held a hand up when Don drew another breath. "Charlie's in there with your dad."
Distracted now, Don ran into the house. He scowled to see Sean helping his father remove his kevlar vest. "What are you doing here?"
"Donnie! Is that any way to greet someone who's been protecting me all day?" Alan looked shocked.
"Not to mention losing money to you in poker," Sean said sadly. He started to gather up his playing cards.
"Oh, goodness! That's disgusting!" Liz said, coming up behind him. She smacked Sean on the back of the head.
"They really are," Charlie chuckled, a little hysterically. It was obvious he was trying to calm down.
"They're God's art," Sean said primly, as he put his playboy bunny card deck away in his duffle bag. "And don't smack me again unless you want to lose a hand," he muttered darkly to Liz, put out that she still hadn't called him.
Colby shook his head, and said under his breath as Sean passed him on the way out, "Please don't tell me that's what you were looking for in the trunk of your car."
"Alright, I won't." Sean strode out the door with his nose in the air.
"Is there anything at all we can do?" David asked. He and Megan stood around uncomfortably. "Help you clean up the mess?"
"No! The crime scene unit still needs to..." Don began.
"They won't be coming. We can't call them, Don." Colby said warily.
"Why not?" He turned on Colby, fury in every line of his body. "A crime was committed here!"
"And she'll bear the consequences of that crime, but not via the usual channels."
"Who is she?" Megan asked curiously.
Colby shook his head. "Don, you and Charlie should come with me to the DDFS offices, but I think it would be best if the rest of you didn't know anything about it. Safer anyway."
"Go with him, Donnie. I'm safe. I'm more than willing to accept help in cleaning all this up if your team is willing to stay, but they should probably go back to work." Alan touched Don on the arm to ease his mind.
"We'll stay and help your dad clean up, Don," Megan offered.
Chafing that he hadn't been there for his father, Don left with Colby and Charlie.
--
"She's John Breston's wife. John Breston, as in the Director of the FBI," Steele said to Don with a touch of sympathy. "This isn't the first time she's done something like this. Luckily for your father, she didn't hurt him. The last man she stalked landed in the hospital when she tried to kill him for not returning her feelings."
"Oh, no," Charlie moaned. He put his head down as he tried to alleviate the nausea.
"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Don struggled to absorb what Steele was saying. "You're just trying to sweep everything under the rug!"
Steele leaned back in his chair and steepled his hands. "On the contrary, but you don't have to believe anything I say. They're in the interrogation room right now. You're more than welcome to sit in, more than welcome to view the footage."
"Footage," Don said slowly as his gaze sharpened on Steele. "Leverage!" he hissed as the realization hit him.
"Call it what you will," Steele murmured. "But we cannot have a skeleton like this in the closet of someone like the Director of the FBI."
"The Director knew and he put a stop to my investigation, my efforts to protect my father?" Don looked around in disbelief, as the world he knew crumbled around him. His gaze stopped at Colby. He almost broke down at the sympathy in the younger man's face. "I want justice, and I want it by the book." His lips firmed with determination.
There was silence in the room.
"Don," Charlie said tentatively, "Maybe it's a good idea to let them..."
"No!" he turned on Charlie, and pain squeezed his heart when his brother backed away from him. "That's the difference between Colby and me. I cannot choose a path simply because it's expedient."
"That's not the difference between you and me," Colby's eyes were flat with fury. He stayed where he was only because Sean was holding him back. "The difference between you and me is that your father didn't die in your arms. That difference is what gives you the option to be a sanctimonious, self-righteous prick."
"What will it be, Eppes?" Steele said in clipped tones.
Don's head dropped into his hands, defeat written in the slumping shoulders. "I just want justice," he whispered. He straightened up, "Do what you want," he said wearily, "I'll shoulder whatever consequences you dole out. Just leave my father and brother out of it."
"There are no consequences. You don't owe us anything." Steele replied, his tone gentler. "Sean will show you to the interrogation room if you'd still like to listen in."
Don shook his head as he got up. "No. I'm done with this," the quiet voice was bitter. He met Colby's eyes, "I do understand. And I'm..." But he couldn't bring himself to apologize and walked out.
"Thank you, Colby," Charlie's voice caught in his throat.
"You know I'm there if you need me, whiz kid. Anytime." Colby said as he clapped a hand on Charlie's shoulder.
"I do know. And Don does too. He's just too upset to admit that, well, you're really kindred spirits." Charlie looked like he wanted to say more, but after a moment left as well.
"And too ashamed, more than likely. I'd hate to admit being kindred spirits with you," Sean murmured to Colby who promptly scowled at him.
"They don't owe us anything?" Luke murmured as he came in from another room where he'd been listening in. Steele had decided it would be prudent not to let Eppes know that Luke had been the liaison in the Silver Fox case. "Are you sick, Steele?" He chuckled at the baleful glare that Steele gave him.
"Out, all of you."
Surprised by the curt command, they exchanged glances but said nothing as they left.
Steele sighed and closed his eyes as he prepared himself to ruin his brother's life. A life of exemplary service to the FBI, ruined by a moment's decision to hide his wife's crime. His lips twisted bitterly. They had never got along, their different outlooks on justice had split them apart early in both their careers. This would destroy what little there was left of their relationship, and destroy it completely. Steele squared his shoulders and went to work.
--
A/N: As usual, I played fast and loose again with the procedures. And this time also with the analysis of stalker behavior. I just vaguely remember reading all that somewhere but I can't cite any sources. Still, I hope the story flowed well enough, and I hope you're enjoying this series. Thanks for reading!