A/N: I know it's rude to have my first real fic on my return from 'maternity leave' be not any of the WIPs I left hanging, but rather a second POV by an OC of an old story. I hope to return to the WIPs soon. I also hope that pigs will fly and my baby boys will sleep through the night.
Placement: Watson 'verse, during chapters 23 & 24 of Looking for Love (a story which is not posted on FF due to being rated NC-17)
If you're not familiar with Watson 'verse, what you need to know for this story: Don and Colby had a secret relationship. That ended when Charlie and Colby got kidnapped together and acknowledged their feelings for each other. This sent Don into a severe depression where he did some dumb things which almost cost him his job and his life. He was rescued by Will (OMC), who had helped Don find Colby & Charlie's kidnappers and had kept an eye on him since.
Then you came in like the lightnin' from the sky
Pickin' up the pieces in the middle of the night
I cried 'oh baby, I'm broken
There's a price you're gonna pay'
And you jumped in the fire and you saved me anyway
Kasey Chambers, "Sign on the Door"
Part 1 – Will Makes a Casual Request
When Will turned onto his street, he got a little thrill of anticipation. Don's car was parked in his driveway. Don was already home and waiting for him. Don was waiting for him. Will didn't try to resist the smile splitting his face. It was incredible the happiness that little thought gave him. Just two weeks ago Will had been alone, working on his pitching with the faint hope of seeing Don again. Now Don was here, at his house, and they'd spent the last two and a half weeks together, in every sense of the word. Will was starting to lose track of how many times Don had told him that he loved him, and that was a good thing. Maybe someday soon, Will could actually believe it.
Will pulled into the driveway beside Don's car and a line from a Kasey Chambers song came to him, 'I got a sign on the door, that says lonely don't live here anymore'. The rest of the song was pretty appropriate, too – something about being broken but his lover jumping in the fire and saving him anyway.
Will grabbed the mail from the mailbox and unlocked the door. He opened up the door and smiled again to see Don sitting on the couch, his shoes off and a beer already in his hand. The man does like his beer.
"Hey babe," Will said, dropping his stuff on a side table. He went and sat next to Don while he looked through his mail. Bills, junk, junk, junk. "Hard day?"
"Aren't they all?" Don said, resting his hand on Will's thigh in a comfortable, casual way that warmed Will's heart. "But Charlie came through for us like always."
Ah yes, your amazing brother. Will smiled, remembering that scene in the bottom of the pit, when Don had found his brother alive. He had no doubt that Don loved his brother, and that kind of family might be worth knowing. Unlike his own. "So when am I going to meet this family of yours?"
Don's hand clenched on Will's thigh and Will looked up in surprise. Don looked frozen. Will slowly added, "I'd like to meet Charlie in particular."
Don's jaw bunched and his face went blotchy. He snapped, "I don't want you to meet my brother."
Baffled, Will asked, "Why not?" Maybe Don wasn't as ready to come out as a couple as Will had hoped. "Are you still ashamed …?"
Don hung his head, not looking at Will. Finally, he mumbled, "I don't want to lose you."
Will stared at him, trying to comprehend what Don was saying. He thought that his brother was competition? It was true that Charlie had taken Colby away from Don, but that was Colby's problem. "I'm not into skinny little boys, no matter how smart they are."
Don gave a bitter laugh that hurt to hear. "That's what people say until they meet him and then it's 'he's adorable' and 'he's irresistible' and 'he's the sweetest lay'."
Will shook his head. Don was so wonderful that Will forgot that he had a serious inferiority complex in relation to his genius brother. Will gently lifted up Don's chin so that he could look into his eyes. "He's not gonna take me away from you. I've already put too much work into you."
Don's eyes were dark with despair and he pressed his lips together, as if holding back tears. He leaned forward and kissed Will, hard and desperately.
Will pulled back and stared at Don. It didn't look like words were going to make Don believe. He needed to nip this in the bud. "I can see I'm going to need to meet your family very soon."
Don's eyes widened in panic. "No, they're busy this weekend and—"
"Very soon," Will said firmly. "And show you that I can resist your siren of a little brother."
Don grimaced and his hand clenched around Will's thigh.
"How about tonight?" Will said. "We can go over for dinner."
"No, Charlie's busy and … I'm sure my dad is too."
"Don," Will snapped, "I am a trained investigator and you're not lying very well. I'll bet your dad has already invited you over for supper tonight."
Don closed his eyes, pain written across his face. Will sympathized, but … Did Don think so little of him that he thought Will would go for the next pretty boy to come along? Hadn't he proved that he loved Don yet? Or did Don think that Will fell out of love as easily as he had fallen into it? Don had no idea how many men Will had searched through before he'd found Don. And now Don thought he was going to dump him for his skinny, selfish little brother.
Suddenly angry, Will pushed Don's hand away. "And if you're so goddamned sure I'm gonna jump ship, then we better find out now." He stood up, his jaw clenched. "Get your shoes."
Following Don, Will walked out of the house in a very different mood than when he'd arrived minutes before. They got into Don's car and drove for a few moments in tense silence. Abruptly, Don turned into a parking lot and switched off the car. He kept his eyes on the steering wheel and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry. I'm just …"
Will waited, but Don seemed unable to finish the sentence. Just what? Just an idiot for thinking that I'd be more interested in Charlie? Will's dark humor suddenly bubbled up and he began to laugh. It was so absurd. The shocked expression on Don's face only made him laugh harder.
He tried to explain that to the glaring Don. "I always thought … that if a boyfriend … would be afraid to take me home to meet his family …" He gulped for air. "That it would be because he's gay and doesn't … know how his parents will react … to him bringing home a man. Not because … he was afraid his … gay brother would ... snatch me up." He gave Don a big smile, willing him to see the oddness of the situation.
Slowly, Don began to smile in response. He shrugged. "My family has never been normal."
"No, no, I'd say not," Will said, wiping his eyes.
Don took a moment and put an obvious effort into shaking off his mood. He reached over to Will. "Come on. Let's go show my family what a gorgeous guy I netted."
Will's smile slipped a little as he was reminded of how he'd carried Don's bloody body out of the Chamber wrapped in towels. "I seem to recall that it was me doing the netting."
"Maybe so," Don said, cheerfully enough so that Will knew Don wasn't thinking of that night. "But it was me who had the great good sense to allow myself to get caught."
There was no response to that but for Will to roll his eyes. Don smiled and turned the car back on.
Back on the road, Don looked more relaxed. Will put his hand on Don's shoulder, wanting to keep Don that way. Tension would only make the upcoming meeting worse.
Now that Don had calmed down a little, Will could focus his attention on the imminent family introduction. He began to mentally review all that he knew about Alan and Charlie Eppes, looking for weaknesses, angles of attack. He ran through scenarios, calculated responses, and sorted through strategies until he came up with a battle plan. This was one fight he couldn't afford to lose.
