And this is the shocker of the century—two updates in less than a week! It's a miracle! And now, I shall let you read.
Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own it. (Sigh)
Dedication: This is both a dedication and a warning. I'm dedicating this chapter of my story to Alisha, my best friend and confidante. This was a rough week for me, and through it all, she kept me smiling by "revising" my story, which I write during school in a spiral-bound notebook. During classes, she would take it away and change things here or there so that by the time I got it back, it was hardly recognizable...and I had to type it up through the mess and re-edit it back to what it was before. And, for some reason, bathroom humor is her favorite subject, so if the words "toilet" or "poo" come up where they shouldn't, you have only her to thank. I love you, Lisha!
Chapter 9
Back to the Beginning
Within an hour, Terry's small hotel room was crammed with people. Don was propped up in bed, determined to run his unit. Terry sat beside him, freshly dressed in a crisp navy blue suit. Scattered around the room were various FBI personnel, police officers, and several other law-enforcement people that no one had really bothered to notice.
Don had just filled everyone in on Donna Baxter's news. "Terry, I want you to talk to everyone who might have had access to Mrs. Baxter's purse. Her husband, her son, her friends--anyone who would be interested in Chrissie or her family."
"Right." Terry said distractedly, her pencil moving over the pad in her lap.
"Thanks." He turned to David, who stood at his other side, "David, you take Charlie and a few officers and head to Mrs. Baxters. See if she or anyone in her family recognizes the sketch. That's going to be your area for the next couple of days. It's the only lead we have right now."
"Will do." David agreed.
"First thing in the morning." He nodded at David, then glanced down at the agent who stood at the foot of his bed, arms crossed beneath her chest. "Would you folks run the family background checks--I haven't seen them yet, so would you please make sure I get a copy?"
The young woman, who had a long mane of fiery red hair and an attitude to match, nodded. She was Jess Smith, the agent in charge of Pittsburgh's FBI. "Our pleasure, Agent Eppes. We'll have it to you by morning." She promised, winding a red curl around her finger as she talked.
"Thank you. I'll see you then." Don shook the woman's hand, gave her a smile, and she and her team left. The few police officers and the rest filtered out soon after.
When the door closed behind the last one, Terry dropped her head to her hands with a sigh. "What a night."
"What a week." Alan corrected with a small chuckle, and the rest nodded their agreement.
"Get some sleep, everyone." Don offered after a few moments of silence. "There's really nothing else we can do for tonight. Good job."
Alan moved to his son's side, ready to help him move to the other room, but Terry stopped them. "No, stay here, Don. I'll sleep in the other bed."
"But--"
"It's fine, really. If you're uncomfortable, we can leave the dividing door open." She offered.
He studied her for a moment, then agreed. "Thanks, Terry."
"Anytime." She grinned, wished Alan, Charlie, and David a good night, and ducked into the bathroom to change back into her pajamas. By the time she emerged, Don was already asleep. She smiled at him, snapped off the light, and slipped between the sheets of the spare bed.
When Don awoke the next morning, the late-March sun was filling the large hotel room and Terry's bed was empty, the sheets and blankets tussled but her pajamas folded neatly on the pillow. A glance at the digital clock on his cell phone told him that it was just a few minutes before eleven. He sighed and flopped back onto his pillows. Why hadn't anyone woken him? He had so much to catch up on! Paperwork, evidence, reports...
He rolled over as far as his casted ankle would allow and was met with a folded sheet of hotel stationary. Curious, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and unfolded it—a short note written in Terry's recognizable scrawl.
Don:
Good morning--I hope you slept well. I'm out interviewing the Baxters and their friends. David and Charlie are at the Baxters' then headed to the FBI here in town to pick up your reports. Call us when you wake up.
Talk to you soon,
Me
P.S. Your dad went to run some errands--I guess he kind of forgot to pack a bag when he raced out here; he's been wearing the same clothes for three days. So he's out shopping; he said not to worry and insisted on going without an officer to watch out for him. He's stubborn that way. We'll call and check in on him every half hour or so. Take care!
Irritation swelled in his chest. Terry had just left him to sleep? She, of all people--she knew the stakes of this case, and she was wasting time letting him sleep? Agitated, he crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash can by the door. He sighed again and decided to call for some breakfast. He might as well eat while he worked.
By the time he'd ordered, received, and eaten his pancakes, he was almost three-quarters of the way through the voluminous stack of paperwork, which Terry had thoughtfully left within his reach.
He scowled at the paper in his lap, downing the rest of his orange juice with the hand not occupied with a sling. It was a report of Chrissie Baxter's courses. It looked rather mundane, several freshman courses and some surprisingly advanced math classes, but at the bottom was one out-of-place class—Advanced Art with Professor Barton. He made a note to check up on that. Just as he reached for the next page in the stack, his door opened, admitting an exhausted-looking Terry.
"Hey, you're awake." She smiled at him. "Did you get my note? You didn't call."
"Neither did you." He pointed out coolly, turning back to his paperwork.
"I was letting you rest. You needed it." She said, surprised at his tone.
"I figured that." In his peripheral vision, he watched her chest heave in a silent sigh of frustration.
"Did you find anything?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Nothing of importance." He said shortly.
"Look, Don, I'm sorry you're upset, okay?"
"But you're not sorry you didn't wake me up." It was a statement, not a question.
"No, I'm not."
"Dammit, Terry!" He exploded. "You know how important this case is to me!"
She stood her ground, crossing her arms. "I do. But you can't keep the pace you were keeping before the kidnapping. You need to recuperate; you need to rest."
His jaw was set. "What does it matter to you if I--"
"It matters, Don!" Her soft voice was rising. "It matters to your father, your brother, to me!"
"Why?" He wasn't sure why he was pressing the issue, but he didn't stop.
"Because it does." She snarled.
"Now there's a good reason to make me lose my job. Because." He repeated, glaring at her.
"Why you are...what are you..." Any other woman would have either burst into tears or fled at this point--but Terry Lake wasn't any woman. Instead, she settled her hands on her hips and matched Don's glare. "Because I love—"
A knock at the door and a timid, "Excuse me?" stopped her. "I'm sorry, are we interrupting? We can come back later." Charlie's dark head poked through the door.
"No, no, Charlie, come on in. What did you find out?" Don waved him in, relieved at the interruption.
"Well, we went and talked to Mr. and Mrs. Baxter, both of them recognize the picture." Charlie sidled into the room and took a seat in the chair next to the door. "It was definitely the one from Mrs. Baxter's photo album." Here, David took up the story.
"And this. We went to talk to the brother next, but he wasn't home. The roommate said he hadn't heard from the guy in two days." The handsome dark-skinned agent pulled a thin notebook, emblazoned with the FBI crest, from his pocket. "He had this to say: 'Dude, I dunno know where he is. Probably out drunk or getting laid. Tell him when he gets home that he owes me f'ing rent money, okay?' End quote." David shrugged.
"Do you think he's involved in this? Or that he's been kidnapped as well? A family target?" Were it not for the pink flush in her cheeks, no one would have known of the argument they'd just been holding.
"I'd say kidnapped--I really don't think he's much the type to be involved in this type of thing."
"What makes you say that? It isn't really our kidnapper's MO to not make contact." David pointed out.
"Maybe something forced him to change it. Maybe--maybe Johnnie's already dead and there's no point in making contact." Don countered.
"Or maybe Johnnie's the kidnapper, and he flew." Terry suggested.
"Yeah, he almost seemed bright enough to pull off the kidnapping of a federal agent, not to mention the wiring of all those bombs and trailing all of us and--" Don prattled.
"Okay, point taken. Maybe he had help." Terry added.
"It's possible, but not probable." Charlie shrugged. "He would have had to have a lot of help."
"Yes, I see. So, for now, we're assuming a kidnapping, for Johnnie's safety." Don said, tracing the bedcovers with a thoughtful finger.
"Well, his roommate could be right. He is in college, after all, and we're really going to look stupid if he's been out partying at his girlfriend's house all weekend and we raise the Amber alert." David raised an eyebrow.
"Until we have something definitive, we'll look, but we'll be cautious." Don instructed. "Good job, you two. Charlie, could you stick around for a minute? I need to talk to you. David and Terry, would you head over to FBI and tell them? Tell them...tell them to spend the afternoon checking this out and that if we hear nothing by five o'clock to raise the alert. We don't have time to lose if Johnnie really is in the hands of a kidnapper."
Terry and David both nodded and left quickly, latching the door behind them.
"What's up?" Charlie asked, folding his hands over his knees and surveying his brother carefully.
"First, the case. Anything new on the math end?"
"I've been working on some stuff...I have a few ideas, but nothing certain yet. I'll let you know."
"Appreciate that." Don studied his brother for a long moment. "How are you doing, Charlie?"
"I've been worse."
"You're not sleeping well." The tell-tale signs were all there--the slightly limp curls, the darker-than-normal eyes, the strange, nervous way he played with his hands. They were all the marks of a Charlie who wasn't getting his sleep.
"It's been hard." The younger Eppes brother confessed.
"Amita called for you today." Don said, trying to make Charlie feel better.
Dark eyes brightened immediately. "Really?"
"Yes. You really should take your cell phone with you wherever you go, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. How'd you know it was Amita?"
"It was on the display--you left your cell in my briefcase, for some strange reason. Have you asked her out yet?"
It took Charlie a moment to process the change in direction in the conversation, and then his cheeks went pink. "Not yet."
"Why not?" A small smile tugged at the corner of Don's lips.
"How come you haven't asked Terry out yet?" Charlie shot back, faster than Don would have thought possible for his little brother to retort.
Don's jaw dropped. "What!"
"Oh, come on, Don." Charlie rose and began to pace, threading his fingers through his dark curls.
"Is it that obvious?" His brother asked, dumbfounded.
"Only because I know you as well as I do. What are you waiting for?" Charlie asked quietly, returning to his seat.
"It's...complicated."
"What's complicated about it? It's simple, really. I'm sure she likes you, too."
"This isn't high school, Charlie!"
"What's that got to do with it?"
Don dragged a frustrated hand down his face. "Every day, we're out on the field...and anytime we're on the field, she could get hurt--even die. I already care about her...I can't even imagine what it would do to me if I let myself fall in love with her again and something like that happens." The thought made his heart turn, and he studied his hands to avoid Charlie's dark eyes.
"Don, you can't let that stop you." Charlie stood again. "Think about it. Please. You can't throw away a chance like this. Even I know that. 'Scuse me, I've got a phone call to make." He smiled at his brother as he retrieved his cell phone from Don's bedside table. The dividing door closed softly behind Charlie as he left, leaving Don alone with his thoughts.
By the time the March sky darkened that night, they'd had no leads on Johnnie's whereabouts. His apartment had been searched, revealing that no clothes or money had been taken. He was now declared an official missing person, and the twenty-eight-year-old's face was plastered all over every TV station in the state, and even a few in the surrounding states. The Amber Alert had been raised; his name, age, height, weight, hair color, and eye color scrolling across every traffic ticker in Western Pennsylvania. A hotline had been set up at the FBI headquarters and calls were pouring in from as far as NYC and Cleveland. David was there, jotting down every lead that seemed pertinent and calling it back to Don.
The dark-skinned agent thankfully accepted a coffee cup painted with cheerful blue balloons on a saucer of red-and-orange flowers from a young blonde attendant. Two creamers lay on the saucer, but no sugar was visible. He was hunting for some sugar packets when his cell phone rang. Though juggling the coffee, notepad, pen, and phone was no easy task, he managed to bring the phone to his ear. "Sinclair."
"David?" Static laced the signal, but Terry's voice was as strong and confident as ever.
"Hey, Terry. What can I do for you?"
"I'm on Second Street, outside Johnnie's apartment. His roommate just called. He was going through his closet and found out that--" Her soft voice was cut off by a loud crack—a gunshot—and then silence.
"Terry? Terry, answer me!" He cursed, slapped the phone shut, and shouted over the din in the room, "We've got an agent in trouble!"
EEK…don't kill me! I'm sorry about this, but I haven't done a cliffhanger in a long, long, long time, and the reactions to this should be very fun. For me, anyway. (angel face)
REVIEW REPLIES!
EclecticTrekker: Hey, it's okay if you don't review all the time. If I know people are reading it, I shall continue to write. And, since people seem to be enjoying it, on it plods. I'm glad you trust me…and your trust shall be rewarded. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, I know there were some inconsistencies, so I'm really glad it all came together to make it your favorite chapter. That made me smile. I'm still stunned to think that Terry won't be there next season. We need a support group. Don/Terry Obsessees Anonymous or something. It sucks. I'm so glad you have faith in me (and you totally rock yourself!). Prom was awesome—in a few days I'll have pictures up at my homepage if you're at all interested. Thanks for the fun review!
MissCongeniality: Thanks, I'm so glad you liked it. And I bet you're falling off your chair in shock right now…if not for the close-together updates then certainly for what I'm doing to our 'ship. Have faith, my friend. I will keep the flame burning! As I told ET, we're just going to have to form a support group or something. (Sniffles) I can't believe it. And wow, what a name. (Blinks) And I have a hard time spelling your name now. (Only because I'm such a sucky speller, lol!) The pink thing…I have no idea where it came from, but it's definitely here to stay. You'll see it popping up in several of the new stories I'm plotting. Next chapter is chalk-full of fluff, and you'll love me for it. (If Terry lives, that is…(angel face)) I hope the ending comes out as good as it seems to be coming, and I hope you like it. Awe, honey, you don't gab, I love your reviews. :) Keep writing them as long as you like, I'll always love to read them. When I saw that you were my 100, it made me grin. No surprise from my #1 fan! (hugs) Later, girl!
NUMB3RSchic: Hey, I've updated, and I'm really glad you like it. Keep reading, it'll get pretty good. I promise. Thanks for the review, hon!
Teyla Sheppard: TABBY! (huggles) Hey, honey! I'm so glad you like my story, and I really hope it stays as good as you think it is. One of the best! You're making me blush! (Seriously!) Hey, let me know as soon as you set a fic up, I'd love to read it. You hope he tells her he loves her and kisses her? Well…let's just say, if Terry lives through this, you just might get your wish. Heck, you might get the "I love you" even if she dies. Feel free to IM me anytime, I'd love that. We'll always have our D/T in stories, right. DON/TERRY FOREVER! Thanks again for your awesome review, I always love to hear from you!
ollie-xox: (Nervously) Good mongoose…nice mongoose…don't eat Kass's fingers, please…LOL! Yeah, what kind of a "good idea" kills ships just like that? I demand a…I don't know what I demand, but I demand something! I'm glad you're with us, we're forming a support group. It's just such depressing news. I've never had a 'ship die in the first season! (sniff) We'll have our Don/Terry relationship forever, no matter what those meanies try to do to us. LONG LIVE DON/TERRY SHIPPERS! All those little kids better stay out of our way! Don and Terry kissing…mmm…I've thought about it. ;) Just keep reading, I don't want to give too much away. Long reviews are good. I love long reviews. Hey, I like your idea for CBS removing Terry…I could live with that. Thanks again, hon!
Jill: Uh…no kiss this chapter, either. (Ducks whatever Jill is threatening to throw at her) I heart you, Jill, don't kill me! EEP! Oh, man, I'd kill to meet your brother, LOL. DK is major hott, I'm telling you. Your brother's name is Pup? How cute. I love it. DON/TERRY RULES! KEEP THE SHIP ALIVE, PEOPLE! Thanks for the sweet review, and don't hurt me too much, Jill!
CityGirl928: Oh, ye of little faith. I'm glad you were awaiting my update, and here's a new one…and the next should be out within a week or so. I'm glad you think my chapter was interesting, it was a royal pain to write. A gift for capturing a person's character? Awe, you're making me blush. I'm so glad it comes across so well. I'm writing, the next chapter is ½ way done! I promise! Thanks for your review, darlin', you make me smile.
Randa: Hee hee…that "well, if I lose my job…" line wasn't in the original chapter, but I couldn't resist. I could just imagine the look on Terry's face. Doesn't it just make your heart flutter:D Glad you like it, and thanks for the review!
Lime: You got your point across, and it makes me really happy to see that you're enjoying it enough to want more. You made me laugh out loud in computer class…my teacher now thinks I've lost my mind. :D Thanks for the review, and I hope you don't kill me for this chapter. Bad cliffies! Bad!
SD: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. And, look, I wrote more! I hope you liked this one as well…though the end might not be so great…(cowers) thanks for the review!
MissCongeniality: Hey again, hon! Did the finale irk you as much as it did me? Good, I'm not alone. (Growls at TV screen) All around, it was a good episode, but I MISS OUR TERRY! I'm doing my best to keep D/T going. (Sighs) This is the second time in a year they've done this to me…last year it was the "firings" on CSI. I swear, they're trying to kill off all my ships at once so I have no more reason to watch my blasted TELEVISION! (Sobs) A change of heart would be awesome. I would love that woman forever if she came back to the show. And there better be DVDs coming. I'll treasure these episodes forever, so in season 6, when all the youngin's know nothing about Terry, I can take out my tapes/DVDs and show them. Educate them. TEACH THEM WHAT A REAL SHIP IS! GRRR! Okay, I'm cool now. I'm cool.
MC: I hope you don't mind me shortening your name, hon. ;) You're never a pain in my neck, I love to hear from you. Prom went wonderfully, and I'll probably have some pictures up on my site soon, if you're interested. I hope next year you and I are still chatting so you can tell me how your prom went. Take care of yourself, girl!
Piccolo Chic: I'm so glad you love it. Wow, I can't believe you're sitting there reading the whole mess in one night. I'm really honored. I hope you like the rest of it as well as you liked that first part. School sure sucks, doesn't it? I'm glad you like it so well! Really…I love to hear stuff like that from people. Take care, hon, and thank you so much for the great review!
Wow, so many awesome reviews this time, I'm really flattered. Next chapter is ½ way done and as soon as I finish and revise it, I'll have it up, I promise. I know I left off at a really bad place…I just couldn't help it! (ducks rotten fruit and vegetables) I love you all, take good care of yourselves. I'm out! Sila