Hey, everyone!
Okaaay, vacations are over (sadly) and just as I promised, here's the next chapter! Which, by the way, came out a little differently than I had planned and I'll explain why after it.. Two weeks, like I said..It's not like you haven't waited that long before, although I felt a little bad for the cliffhanger! Let's hope that this makes up for it!
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing and I don't own Numb3rs or the characters…
Enjoy!
"Colby, DON'T," Don Eppes screamed, as he broke the door down. The picture in front of him made his heart stop momentarily. Colby was standing with his body stiff, his gun drawn and his eyes cold as ice in front of a man, who Don identified as John Mercer. For a moment no one moved and every racing heartbeat in the room was perfectly audible. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Nikki, Liz and Tim King broke in with their guns raised, followed closely by three members of the SWAT squad. They all started shouting at once.
"Colby, please…."
"Don't do anything…."
"Granger, lower your…."
"SHUT UP, all of you," Don ordered, his eyes following Colby's every move. "Everyone will lower their guns and calm down," he continued, his voice making sure that the subject wasn't up for discussion. He glanced at his team quickly, nodding once and then turned his attention back to Colby, who, as expected, hadn't moved an inch. A few agonizing seconds later the agents were standing down, lowering their weapons slowly, ready, non the less, to use them instantly.
Calmer, now that there weren't six guns pointing at his friend, Don took a deep breath, sent a quick prayer to whoever was listening and spoke.
"Colby," he said in a low, slightly pleading voice. The young agent hadn't moved since the FBI arrived. He was staring directly in Mercer's eyes, his gun resting against the man's forehead, ready to end his life. He didn't look at Don, he didn't even acknowledge his existence. It was like the rest of the world wasn't there, like the only thing that mattered right now was the man sitting in front of him.
But Don wasn't one to give up easily. He knew what was at stake here and he finally understood his place. Everything that they've been through, every difficulty they had to overcome made sense now. It had led them here. And Don had perfect knowledge of the fact that this was it. So he tried again.
"Colby, please, listen to me," he spoke the words slowly. "Just hear me out for a while. All I want is to talk. And then if you still want to….go through with this," he paused, clearly uncomfortable with the possibility, "we'll leave," he said simply, completely ignoring the stares he received from his team. "A few minutes is all I'm asking for. I just wanna talk."
"What is there to talk about, Don?" the voice was hoarse, as if it hadn't been used for hours, and completely steady. Years and years of interrogations and Don was certain that he hadn't heard Colby using that voice before. It was low, utterly calm and stripped of emotions. And it scared Don more than anything he had ever heard.
He answered the rhetorical question, trying to hide his fear. "You don't think we'll find something, Col? Cause, I have many ideas."
"Nothing I'm interested in hearing right now. Sorry, Don," the ex soldier replied, still refusing to divert his eyes from the man in front of him.
"Maybe you don't wanna hear anything, but I have plenty to say."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can guess. Something like: "You can't do this". Right?"
"I don't think it's a matter of can or can't, Col. Cause we both know that you can. I'm asking you not to do this. Please…."
"Why not?" Colby asked, making clear that he wasn't actually considering the possibility.
"Because it won't change anything," Don offered simply.
"You're right about that. He's killed seven people, seven Federal Agents. He's dead anyway, no court will let him live. I'm just speeding things up."
Don's heart sank. He could feel his friend drifting further and further away from him. If he didn't do something soon, it would be too late.
"It's what he deserves, I know that," he half shouted desperately. "That doesn't make it right. You can't do this, Colby."
"I thought we already agreed on that part. It doesn't matter anyway. You wanted me to hear you out and I did. It's time for you to go, Don."
The senior agent just stood there looking at the man he knew for almost five years. Colby was one of his closest friends, a member of his team, someone he was responsible for. He didn't know what would happen but he knew what he had to do, what he wanted to do. When he spoke again his voice was steady and confident.
"Everybody out," he said, not bothering to look at his team. He couldn't focus on them right now, he had other priorities.
"Don, we….," Nikki started to object.
"NOW!" he barked the order, interrupting her.
Slowly, with uncertain moves the agents exited the house, leaving the three men alone.
"You too, Don. Get out of here," Colby half ordered, sounding slightly startled and confused. He wasn't expecting this.
"Sorry, bud," the senior agent replied, "you don't call the shots around here. If you decide to do this, you're gonna do it with me standing right here."
"My, my, such loyalty," Mercer spoke for the first time. "It's a rare quality to find these days."
"Shut it!" Don snapped, looking fearfully as Colby pressed the gun harder on the man's forehead and applied pressure to the trigger. "Suit yourself, Don," he whispered.
"NO, Colby, please. Don't do it. Please."
"Why NOT?" the young agent shouted, losing control. "He's a murderer, he killed Da….," he chocked, unable to form the name and Don suddenly realized that he had never heard Colby saying his best friend's name. He opened his mouth to offer some comforting words, but Colby spoke again.
"Wouldn't you do it, if you had the chance?" he asked, looking at Don for the first time. "You of all people should understand. It's not like you haven't done something like this before."
Don closed his eyes tightly, running his hand through his hair. They just stood there for a few minutes, not talking, not even moving. Finally, Don opened his eyes and looked at his agent steadily.
"Yes," he breathed the word out. "I shot Crystal Hoyle. I told everyone that I did it because she was a danger to all of us and that's true…partly. I hated her for what she did to Megan, I wanted revenge. So when I had the chance,I killed her," he said simply. "Just like I would have killed Lancer, if I could," he added.
Colby stared, too shocked to talk and Don continued. "I wanted to kill him for what he did to you, Colby. For what he put you through. And you're right. I do want to make him pay," he pointed at Mercer with his head. "But it's wrong. And I want you to be better than me. Please, Colby."
"It's what he deserves," the young agent repeated, but his hand trembled slightly. "I'm not better than you, Don. I have to do this."
"You have to! Why?"
"Because it hurts too much," Colby shouted, his voice braking. "It's not gonna get better any other way."
"Killing him won't fix anything," Don took a step forward. "Trust me, it won't help. You're not a murderer, Colby. Give me the gun, please."
"I can't. You would do it, Don. And so will I."
It was over. There wouldn't be a way back after that and Don knew it. He watched as Colby locked eyes with Mercer and desperation filled his being. There was nothing he could do. He was aware of what was coming as he spoke.
"David wouldn't do this. He wouldn't have wanted this," he whispered.
Pain exploded in Colby's chest and the air was knocked out of his lungs. David's voice rang as clearly as a bell in his ears and his heart contracted painfully.
"I hate him," David Sinclair said in a low voice.
"Who?" Colby asked, surprised by his friend's words.
They hadn't done this in a very long time. They were out at a bar, drinking and laughing for the first time in months. For the first time since Colby's involvement with the Chinese, since the younger agent almost died.
David turned to face his friend before answering. "Carter."
"David…," Colby sighed and lowered his head.
"I'm sorry, but we agreed to tell each other everything from now on. No lies, no secrets."
"We did, it's just that Dwayne is…was my friend. I know that it's hard for you to understand, but he meant something for me."
"You're wrong. I do understand and that's why I hate him."
Colby looked at his partner, confusion evident on his face. "What do you mean?"
"I know that you cared for him and despite what I idiotically believed a while ago, I do know you. So I know that you didn't get involved in all of this just because it was right. You did it for him, cause you wanted to help him, you wanted to save him. And he used that."
"He didn't…," Colby began, but was interrupted.
"Yeah, he did. He came to you and wanted to make you something you're not. He wanted to make you like him. A traitor." David was getting angry.
"He died trying to save me." Colby whispered. "I didn't help him, I couldn't," his voice was chocked and his hand tightened around the glass he was holding.
"Look at me," David said forcefully and waited until Colby met his eyes. "None of this is your fault. You did the best you could. Dwayne chose his own fate, there was nothing you could have done."
They sat silently for a while when David spoke again. "I want to ask something from you."
Colby didn't hesitate. "Sure, man, whatever you want."
"Dwayne approached you and asked from you to betray your country, to become a traitor. But you didn't. You chose to become a spy. Either way, you changed for him. As I said before, you became something you were not, because you cared for Dwayne."
He stopped and Colby waited for him to continue.
"I need to know that you'll never do that again," David said at last. " For anyone. And especially not for me."
"No! I would do anything for you."
"I know you would and that's something we have in common, trust me. The difference between us, is that you have no limits."
Colby wasn't speaking, he was simply staring at his partner.
"So promise me. Promise me that you won't become something you're not for my sake. Because then, I would probably hate you too. And that's something I can't live with."
Colby looked at him for a few seconds. "I promise," he said simply.
"Thank you, brother."
You're not a murderer, Colby.
Promise me that you won't become something you're not for my sake.
A loud noise broke the silence as the gun fell to the ground. Colby backed away and collapsed against the wall behind him, burying his face in his hands.
Releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding Don spoke through his earpiece. "We're clear," he informed his team. "Nikki, Liz, get in here."
"Get him out of here," he told them five seconds later, as the two women came running through the door. He pointed at Mercer, who was sitting there, breathing hard, shocked by the fact that he was still alive.
Nikki approached him without hesitation and pulled him on his feet. "Let's go," she growled, pushing him hard, as they disappeared out of the house. Liz glanced at Colby and took a step toward him, but Don stopped her and gave her a small nudge. Understanding, the young woman nodded and with a last look at the two men followed her partner outside.
It's over, Don thought as he approached Colby. It's finally over, he repeated, trying to convince himself.
He kneeled in front of his agent and placed a hand on his lap. He spoke the words out loud. "It's over, Col."
Colby was shaking hard and his face was still hidden. Don stroked him lightly and tried again. "Colby, please, look at me."
He waited for a few minutes, as Colby tried desperately to calm himself. When he raised his head, his eyes were wet. He looked at his boss and whispered: "I'm sorry."
Holding the eye contact Don replied. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You did good. Don't worry about it now, it's all over," he said once more, his voice soothing, as if he was talking to a frightened child.
"Do you think it's gonna get better?" Colby asked after a while. "Do you think it'll ever stop hurting?"
"No, I don't think it will stop hurting," Don replied honestly. "But I do believe that it will get better with time. But think about it, Col. Pain isn't necessarily a bad thing. It helps us to remember how much he," he paused and then rephrased, "how much David meant for us, how much he meant for you."
"I can't get through this, man. It's too hard," Colby sounded more tired than Don had ever heard him.
"You won't have to do it alone. We're all here to help. I told you before, buddy: We need each other. We're a family."
The young agent looked at his boss and something shined in his eyes. He smiled faintly and took a deep breath. "Let's get out of here," he said, his voice a little louder.
Don stood up, offered his hand, pulled Colby to his feet and for a moment he just held on. Taking a step back, he looked at his friend and smiled.
"Yeah, let's get out of here."
He followed Colby out of house, where the rest of the team was waiting for them. He stood by the door, watching as Nikki and Liz quickly approached his friend. He watched them becoming a team once again. A smile full of hope appeared on his face and he watched at the sky, where the stars were starting to shine brightly.
I promise you I'll take care of him. I'll take care of all of them.
"Are you coming, Don?" a voice called.
He lowered his gaze and saw Colby looking at him with a curious expression. He reached his friend and rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah," he said, "let's go home."
Soooo?
I have to admit, that I'm happy with the chapter (and that doesn't happen often), mostly because, as I said, it didn't go according to plan and I like it better this way! The flashback wasn't originally in the chapter, but I wanted to write something between Colby and David, cause that's where it all starts! So, I came up with that…and I don't really remember how! Anyway, I hope I made the right choice..
Now, there's one more chapter left, but the "action" part is basically over. The next one is an epilogue, something small to make us all feel better after all this angst! And I'll probably post it in a few days..
Thanks for reading! Now I have to go and review all these chapters that I missed! It's the best thing in the world, to open your e-mail and find soo many chapters waiting for you!
: )
