For disclaimers, warnings and etc., you must see the prologue/chapter one.

Essence of Colby – NaNo 2009 – Day Sixteen

Colby knew something was wrong the moment he 'landed' in a hospital corridor. Feeling the significantly reduced tug, he followed it to an isolated corner room where an agent he didn't recognize on sight, stood guard in front of the door. Continuing to follow the pull, Colby moved right through the wood, like something you'd see a ghost in a movie do.

What he saw on the other side was enough to make him grab at the doorjamb to keep him from going to his knees.

The man restrained to the bed was Ian, even though he was bloodied and bruised and seemed almost completely unconscious.

The man that was just finishing pounding into Colby's dark haired lover, back arching, ass clenching in release, was… Don?

But not a Don Eppes that Colby had ever had the fortune of seeing or meeting.

"Ah, Edgerton. You've no stamina. I would have thought, with your reputation, that you would have held up much better." Don sighed dramatically before moving himself off the semi-conscious body of the sniper. "I know how much Colby used to work out. I bet, as soon as he finished with you, he'd have to go find somebody else for another couple of rounds to finish himself, huh?"

Not getting a response, Don punched the other agent in his wounded side once more. Ian tried to gasp in a breath but the gag made it incredibly hard as Don's double chuckled with delight.

Colby realized that Don had blood on him, but it was obviously not his.

The former soldier couldn't comprehend what he was seeing and, for another moment, he couldn't move due to his shock.

"Maybe I should have ordered the hit on you and not him. Although, with as sloppy as they did it, you taking two bullets, I guess I should be lucky that you both didn't die."

At that, Ian moved a bit but it was clear that he didn't have the strength to do anything right now, but Ian's eyes were cold as they looked to Don.

Colby blinked. Don had ordered the assassination of him? Ian had been shot?! Twice? Why hadn't he seen that the last time they were together?

Don shook his head, looking at his watch. Making a tisking noise, Eppes continued, "I hate to think that's all you've got Edgerton. We've only been at this for about five and a half hours."

Eppes reached down into the bag that had held so much innocent looking equipment and Ian let out a small groan that only Colby seemed to hear. Standing up, Don took the cap off the prefilled hypodermic needle, "Can't have you telling anyone anything, of course." Ian didn't even move when the needle pierced his skin and the lead agent injected the contents directly into the sniper's arm.

Don shook his head, "Although, considering how out of it you already are, I hope that sedative doesn't kill you."

As Colby staggered to the bedside, completely speechless, Don moved into the bathroom. A moment later, he heard the shower come on and then touched Ian's molted face. The sniper's eyes barely flickered before he gave into the darkness.

****

"Ian!" Colby called out his lover's name, reaching him just as the man stumbled and fell to his knees.

They were, once again, at the camping spot they'd been to all those months ago but Colby wasn't interested in anything around him except for Ian. Colby gathered the man up in his arms and held him as tightly, yet gently, as he could while the sniper sagged in his embrace.

"Colby… miss you… love you… so tired…." Ian was struggling to keep his eyes open and Colby knew, he just knew, that if Ian fell asleep right now, he'd never wake up.

The blonde struggled with all he'd seen and heard, trying to wrap his mind around everything, trying to come up with something coherent to get Ian to respond to. He had to keep him awake!

"Ian… what the hell?" It wasn't what he'd intended but it was what came out of his mouth.

Ian chuckled, hoarsely and brokenly, "You and… me both… Cole."

"God, I love you and miss you too, Ian." Colby placed a kiss on Ian's brow. "Why didn't I know you'd been shot? I mean… we were naked and there wasn't …." Colby trailed off, shaking his head. He had been going to say 'a mark on you,' but Ian had lots of marks on him.

The sniper made as if to shrug and then stopped, "It's how… visions work some… times." He looked like he wanted to say more but that it was too much for him.

"Visions. What's the difference between visions and dreams?" Colby asked, not only because he was curious and wanted to know, but to keep Ian conscious.

"Visions usually come… from the spirit… world. It's how the… dea…" Ian's voice broke but Colby didn't think it was due to his injuries, before continuing, "the dead… communicate with the living."

"Dead. You think I'm dead?" Colby gripped his lover a little harder than he intended and Ian groaned. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Ian."

Ian nodded his head once. "… You're dead, Colby. I was in… ICU too. I … felt your… it was like… that night in… the hotel. I just… felt that you… needed me. And then… then you were gone. They had… to restrain and … sedate… me… I was fighting… so hard to … get to you. Tore my … stitches open."

Colby closed his eyes, unwanted images of what Ian said, flickering into his mind. Oh God, what Ian must have been going through. He'd been shot, he'd been in the ICU when Colby's heart had failed and then gone into respiratory arrest and then the 'undercover' nurse had slipped Granger the medicine to essentially put him in a medically induced coma… on top of all that… what Don had been doing to him!

When the blonde opened his eyes, he found tears running down Ian's temples and into his hair, eyes closed.

"Oh God, Ian, I'm not dead, I swear!" Colby said, the lump in his throat making his voice low and harsh.

His black haired lover opened his eyes, sadness swamping whatever hope may have been in them.

"Ian, I swear. I'm in a coma, but I'm being taken care of in a safe house by the DIA. I swear it, Ian. I would never lie to you about something like this! I am alive." Colby had to make Ian believe this, he had to. Colby needed Ian to be alive and… Ian had to be alive when Colby recovered. Or it just wasn't worth going back.

"DIA? They say… you're a… traitor." Colby recalled some of the things Ian had said to him during the first two times he'd seen him and shook his head hard.

"I've been working for DIA for about a year and a half. Carter, you remember him, the one from the humvee?" Colby waited to see Ian nod before continuing, "He … he was a spy, for the Chinese. He approached me – thought he could turn me. I reported it but the DIA asked the CID if I could go in undercover to see if I could find Carter's superior/handler. I found a lot more than they bargained for. The night I was shot, I was going to meet with my own handler to pass on my latest report."

Ian appeared to be following what he was saying and sensing they didn't have much time, Colby continued.

"Ian, you've got to get my laptop to Michael Kirkland at DIA. He's my boss there; he's Director of Section Three. If that laptop doesn't get to them, all this work is gonna be for nothing." Colby's eyes widened, just now figuring out some more of his mission's puzzle.

"And you have to tell Michael that Don is the sleeper agent!"

Ian nodded his head, swallowing, his eyes opening wider as well. "If they'll let me see you, see that you aren't dead, I'll do whatever you need me to do, Colby."

Colby swallowed, his own emotions threatening to choke him. Gently lifting his lover up, he placed a gentle yet loving kiss to Ian's lips and then moved up to his forehead and repeated the gesture before fading away.

Word Statistics

Pages – 3
Paragraphs – 40
Lines – 127
Words – 1400 (exactly!)
Characters – 6120
Characters w/spaces – 7542
NaNo Day Total – 1400
NaNo Total – 25909
Actual story – 31645

Creative artistic license on the visions thing :) 'cause I did not research this tonight – OMG!