Title: Love Me For Who I Am.
Fandom: Numb3rs.
Author: Aiden.
Pairing: Don/Ian, Don/Ian/Colby.
Chapters: (2/?)
Ratings: FRAO..
Warnings: Slash, hurt/comfort, language, Colby still being a jerk.
Disclaimer: I don't own them.
Beta: SRS/Silvia *hugs* As always thanks a bunches girl.
Summary: After losing his legs in an accident Don returns as leader of the Violent Crime Squad, not everybody is happy with that. But what if Ian wants that somebody to join him and Don? *snickers*
Author's note: Yeah another one of those. I know but it stuck in my head and it needed to come out.

Don was sitting at his desk, reading from the stack of files before him. Sighing, he looked at his desk and wondered why the mountain of paper never got smaller despite how much he read and signed.

"Don?" Megan called out, approaching his desk. "We have the father in the interrogation room. Do you want a shot at him?"

Looking up, he groaned as he stretched. "Yeah, thanks." He backed his chair away from his desk and followed Megan out of the room.

When Don entered the room, he saw the surprised look on the suspect's face. "I'm Special Agent Don Eppes," Don introduced himself.

The burly, rumpled suspect snorted "You're an agent?" he said rudely.

Don ignored the man's question. "Do you know why you're here, Mr. Williams?"

This murder case was hard enough to handle without adding stupid ignorance to the mix. And the case had been heartbreaking; a young teenage girl found dead in an alley, and no clear suspects - until now.

There was a knock on the door and Colby entered. "We got the address," the blond said. Ignoring Don, Colby handed the piece of paper to Megan instead.

Megan glared at Colby, before handing the paper to Don.

Ignoring the slight, Don read the note. "Okay, Colby, I want you and David to go and check it out."

Not moving, Colby glared at Don.

"Now," Don ordered sharply, staring down the petulant blond.

The young agent snorted, "Yes, sir." He saluted crudely and walked out of the room.

Megan saw Don grip the wheels of his chair hard, knuckles going white. "Okay, Mr. Williams, where were you last Wednesday between 10:30 and 11:00 pm?" Megan questioned the man.

"Like I said before, I was at work," Mr. Williams said, rubbing a hand through his greasy, limp hair.

Looking at the man, Don tried to relax and appear nonchalant. "Can anyone vouch for you?"

"No, I was at the store by myself. Angela doesn't start 'til midnight, but you already knew that," the man said snidely, using his shirtsleeve to wipe his nose.

"So, you have no alibi?" Don said, shrugging carelessly.

Williams didn't like Don and Megan's casual attitude; he knew that they were trying and convicting him as they sat there. "I didn't kill my daughter," Mr. Williams fired back, his voice rising.

Megan looked at him coolly. "You have no alibi for that time, and your neighbor saw you arguing with your daughter an hour before she was killed. You look guilty to me…"

"The coroner also found some old fractures," Don skimmed through the file in front of him. "Her leg had been broken twice, the fingers on her right hand, and she had a hairline fracture on her skull. Do you have an explanation for that?"

"She was clumsy," he fired back desperately. "It's not my fault she fell from the stairs and broke her leg. Then she broke it again in a skiing accident," Mr. Williams rushed through his explanation.

To Megan and Don, William's account sounded rehearsed and flimsy at best. Both agents had interviewed their share of abusive parents in the past; they recognized the signs.

"You realize that we're going to check this out," Don said skeptically.

"What?!" he said slamming his hands on the table, "you think I beat her too?" the man was quickly becoming agitated.

Megan looked for any sign of discomfort the suspect would display, confronted with the fact that he was accused of killing his daughter. He was either telling the truth or he was a hell of an actor. "What was the argument about?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Mr. Williams mumbled, making a visible effort to get himself under control.

Don raised his eyebrow. "Your neighbor told us that you where yelling at her. That doesn't sound like nothing to me."

"Did it have something to do with her boyfriend?" Megan asked. "We talked to Dillon and he told us that you didn't approve of their relationship."

"He was a bum," Williams spat. "He wasn't good enough for Angela. Maybe he did it. Did you ever thought about that?"

"He has a solid alibi," Don said.

Megan looked at the suspect. "What happened after the argument? You followed her into the alley and beat her? You couldn't help yourself?" she was trying to get some honest responses from him while Don poked and prodded; typical good cop/bad cop. "I'm sure you had a very good reason for what you did. Some children can be so ungrateful."

"She always got me so angry," he snarled, as he picked up Megan's rant, "never listened to anything I said."

Megan nodded sympathetically. "And Dillon was the last straw? Is that what the argument was about?"

"When she told me that she was seeing that no good low life bum, I lost it. I tried to talk some sense into her but she just wouldn't listen," Williams yelled.

"So, you followed her into that alley and then…?" Megan prompted.

"I don't know. It just… it just happened," Williams rationalized, begging Megan to understand his position. "I…I wrapped my hands…until she passed out." Suddenly, his face changed completely, anger flashed in his eyes. "She deserved it," he shouted, banging his fists against the table, "she wasn't any better than her boyfriend! I'm glad I did it!"

Megan and Don had backed away from the table when Williams had begun to hit the table. Don laid his hand subtly on his side arm.

Shaking his head, Don said softly. "No one deserves to die, Mr. William, especially not a young girl with her whole life ahead of her." Sighing tiredly at the unfathomable cruelty, he backed away and turned towards Megan. "Do you mind taking his statement?"

"No, of course not," she said. Following her boss to the door, she asked, "You're okay?"

Don nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked over at the suspect one last time before he wheeled out of the room.

He headed for his office and closed the door. He would never understand what drove someone so far over the edge that he would kill his own flesh and blood. Looking down at his desk, Don tried to concentrate on the paperwork in front of him.

An hour later, David knocked on the office door and poked his head in. Don waved him in.

"Don," David walked up to him. "We found the gun in the house."

"Good," Don said, they were getting closer in closing the Hanson's case, too. Taking a bottle of pills out of his desk drawer. Popping two in his mouth, he swallowed them dry.

"What are those for?" Megan asked curiously, walking into his office.

Don looked up and smiled at Megan. "Just painkillers."

"You're in that much pain?" she asked as she watched Don wincing in pain when he shifted in his desk chair.

Don tried to relax by leaning back in his chair. "Stress can do that to you."

"This is about Colby, isn't it? I'm sorry about how he's behaving towards you," Megan said, frowning as she sat down across from him. "I'm not sure why he's acting this way."

Don shrugged his shoulders. "I know. He won't accept me as his boss because I'm in a wheelchair and not able to work in the field anymore. So, in his eyes, I'm not man enough to order him around."

"That is plain stupid," Megan said scathingly.

"He can't see past the chair," he said, shrugging, "I'm used to it. When I was teaching at Quantico during my rehab, my first class of recruits requested a new teacher. They didn't think I could teach them anything about field work," Don told her.

Megan frowned. "What happened?"

Don shrugged his shoulders. "I walked them through the Connors case," he grinned. "They shaped up after that. I made good friends in that class. I still get emails from some of them, keeping me updated about what they are doing," he said, smiling warmly.

"Nice, that was a big case back then." Smiling, Megan stood up and walked to the door.

Don nodded. "I've got to finish this report and head home."

"Okay, "I'll see you tomorrow," Megan said. "You know - maybe you should tell Colby what you told your students."

"I want him to respect me for my actions, not because of something I did a lifetime ago," Don said.

Megan nodded. "I hear you. Later."

~.~

Hearing Don enter the house, Ian walked out of the kitchen with a big grin on his face. The smile faded quickly when he saw his lover's grim face. "Don, is everything okay?"

"Colby," Don growled.

Ian moved towards him, leaning forward and kissed him hard. "I'm sorry," he said sympathetically. "I had hoped he would come around once you started working with him."

Don snorted. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."

Ian watched Don wheel towards their bedroom, shoulders tense and wincing as if he was in pain. Time for some much-needed distraction.

He followed Don into the bedroom, and leaned against the doorframe as he watched his lover transfer from his chair onto the bed. Undressing, his muscles moved beautifully under the tanned skin. Licking his lips, Ian walked in and stripped in seconds.

"Ian, what are you doing? I'm not in the mood," Don sighed, moving of off the bed and hand walked towards the bathroom. When he came out a few minutes later, Ian was already on the bed, waiting for him.

Moving onto the bed, he laid down while Ian crawled towards him, straddling his hips. He leaned forward, moving his tongue over Don's cheek. "Relax," he whispered in his lover's ear. "Let me take care of you."

"Ian, I…," Don started to say but stopped when Ian placed a finger on his lips.

"I'll make you forget about Colby Granger for tonight." Ian moved his hands up and down his lover's strong chest. He knew this wasn't the time for teasing; he needed to get Colby out of his lover's head. For tonight, anyway. Don needed to relax before the pain got too bad.

He put a pillow under Don's hips so he had easier access to his lover, and grabbed the lube from the nightstand. He put some on his fingers and inserted two into Don's still stretched hole. Smiling, Ian remembered the quick fuck they had that morning before Don had gone to work.

He pulled out his fingers and slicked his already hard, throbbing cock with the lube. Positioning himself, he pushed in slowly, burying himself inside Don completely. He started to move in and out at a steady pace, smiling when he heard Don moan and cry out.

"Oh…fuck…Ian," Don panted, pushing up his hips.

Ian grabbed his hips and lifted Don's ass of off the bed. Moving harder and faster, Ian pounded him into the mattress. Closing his eyes, he threw his head back, feeling himself reaching the edge.

Don moaned every time Ian hit his prostate. "God…shit…" His brain stopped functioning and he wasn't able to form any coherent thought. Grabbing his own hard, leaking cock, Don started to pump it hard. In seconds, he came all over his hands.

Ian yelled, "Don!" and came inside his lover. Collapsing on top of Don, he panted. "Shit…that was..."

Don was still in a daze, a smile on his face.

It took Ian some minutes before he had the strength to pull himself up and out of Don. Lying down next to Don, he took his lover in his arms. "So did it work?"

Don nodded, he felt completely relaxed. "Mmhmm," was all he said.

Ian snickered. "I'm glad it did. I love you." He kissed Don's forehead.

"Love you, too," Don mumbled already dosing off.

Ian looked down and saw that Don had fallen asleep. He was awake for a while, an idea forming in his head. It was time that he showed this Colby Granger that no one messed with what was his, especially not with Don.

Yawning, he let his eyes wandering over his lover. He realized how close he had come losing him back then. He thanked God every day that he'd gotten a second chance.

Smiling, he closed his eyes and let sleep take over.

TBC.