Changes and Choices

Author: Dragon's Daughter 1980

Spoilers: Just to be safe, I'm going to say "Dirty Bomb" through "Manhunt"

Pairing: Don/Terry

Disclaimer: CBS owns Numb3rs. I don't.

Author's Note: I am shocked to hear that Sabrina Lloyd has left Numb3rs. She will be missed. Good luck, Ms. Lloyd, in whatever endeavors you chose to take on. (But I really, really hope you come back… please?)

This piece wrote itself I was reading the news about Ms. Lloyd's departure. I couldn't find some pieces of information, so a few details in here might be wrong. If they are, please leave a review so I can make corrections. Thanks!

Given the early hour of the evening, the normally bustling FBI field office was unusually silent. It was a drastic change from the organized chaos of a few hours before as the Los Angeles team tracked down a wanted man on the Top Ten list. After the arrest had been made, most of the office had taken the rest of the day off, something that Don felt that they deserved after nearly four days of nonstop work. He was alone in the office as he finished up some paperwork. The McDowd case had generated an enormous amount of documentation, especially for the arresting agents. Since Bill had left town, the duty had fallen mainly on his shoulders.

Don glanced across the way to Terry's desk, feeling a small pang of longing. She had been gone for nearly a month now. Quantico had asked her to lead a class on profiling for the Academy and she had accepted. He leaned back in his chair, taking a break from the official forms.

"Don, can we talk?" asked Terry, standing next to his desk. They were wrapping up the domestic terrorism case. The representative from the Department of Energy was in hot water over his failure to promptly notify the FBI of the hijacking. The hijackers were all in custody. The nuclear waste was already disposed of. Don was left to organize a debriefing schedule for the whole office so that the Attorney General's staff could gather the testimony and documentation it needed to proceed with filing charges against the men. There had to be guards on constant duty at the hospital to make sure none of the exposed prisoners escaped. And then there was the paperwork.

"Sure," he replied, looking up from the case file in front of him. She seemed a little…nervous, which was unusual for her. Terry was one of the calmest people he knew. She didn't panic easily. Don braced himself for bad news.

"I... Well, I received a letter from Quantico a week ago." She looked down at his desk, not meeting his eyes. "They want me to go back East for about a month to teach a profiling course at the Academy."

"That's great Terry," said Don, truly happy that her expertise was being officially recognized.

"I'm thinking about accepting," she told him.

"Sure," he nodded, "if that's what you want. I'm sure we can spare you for a month. Anyway, David needs some time in the field."

Terry raised her head and smiled, something that put butterflies in his stomach, "Thanks."

Don missed her…in a decidedly unprofessional manner. He strove hard not to let anyone else see it, but he was fairly sure that David had some knowledge of what was going on. The young man was new to the office, but he was a fast learner in all aspects of law enforcement life and that included being able to read people. He knew something was up between Don and Terry, but he hadn't given any indication of broaching that subject. David had just taken everything in stride, learning about field work with an open mind.

Don leaned against her cubical wall, watching her as she signed her name on a report. Today was her last day at the office. Terry looked up as she closed the file and she smiled.

"What?" she asked. Terry put the manila folder on the stack of finished reports and pushed her chair back from the desk.

"Nothing," he replied, "I was just wondering if you wanted a ride to the airport tomorrow?"

"No," she said, "It's an early flight so I'm going to take a cab. Don't worry about it." She stood up and put on her coat. "Any plans tonight?"

"No," he replied, "I'm hoping to drop by the house, see how Charlie and Dad are."

"Say goodbye to them for me?"

"Sure. Walk you out?" he asked, walking over to his chair and grabbing his suit jacket. Both of them tidied up their workspaces. She put the stack of reports in her out box and locked her desk while he straightened a family portrait on his and put away his important files. Don put aside the on-going Hoke investigation without a qualm. The man was already dead; the case could wait for a night. He would deal with it tomorrow.

"Sure, why not?" replied Terry as she tucked her desk key in her pocket. 'Is she flirting with me?' Don wondered before quickly pushing that thought away. It could lead to trouble. The two of them walked side-by-side through the emptying office. Out of habit, Don held the security door open for her. She smiled slightly as she walked through and it caused butterflies to rise up in his stomach again. When they were in the elevator, she startled him by saying unexpectedly, "Don, while I'm gone…you will be careful?"

There was a plea in her voice, and Don stared at her for a few seconds, not quite understanding her request. In her eyes… she was a little scared. He didn't remember the last time he had seen her scared. Don didn't really understand why she was acting this way, but he did his best to soothe her. "Of course I will," he replied. "When haven't I been?"

She looked away. He winced. Maybe that hadn't been the right thing to say.

"Terry," he said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" What he really wanted to do was hug her and tell her everything would be all right, but they were coworkers and there were rules against fraternization, especially between boss and subordinate. Don knew that he would not endanger Terry's career, even if it meant putting his emotions on hold. 'Damn it,' he cursed silently to himself while he waited for Terry to reply, 'I've been putting my emotions on hold for ten years.'

"I just..."she said softly, "During the sniper shootings…when Charlie… I keep thinking that it could have been you. He was shooting blindly and I…"

"Terry, it could have been any of us." Don tried to comfort her while he thought, 'It could have been you.' The frightening thought hadn't occurred to him before. He had been too focused on Charlie. But Don didn't say it aloud. Instead, he said in half-jest, "Look, while you're gone, I promise I'll be as careful as I can." Seconds passed as she contemplated his words.

"All right," she finally turned to look at him. Don felt like he had to ease her mind completely. She knew him too well to just accept his word; she would want proof that he was all right.

"Look," he offered, "if you want to, you can call me every night to make sure that I've stayed out of the hospital."

She chuckled quietly, "How about every other night?"

"Fine with me," he replied with a smile. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open to reveal the parking lot. The two of them stood still for a moment, his hand still on her shoulder. Then the moment passed and Don reluctantly withdrew his hand. He walked her to her car. He stopped a little ways away as she walked on to unlock the door and paused.

"So…" she said slowly, "I guess I'll see you in a month."

He smiled for her sake, "We'll be waiting for you." Terry nodded as she turned away to open the door and then — it must have been on impulse — she turned around, took three steps, put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him gently on the lips. Don's mind, not thinking for a few blissful moments, allowed his emotions full reign. His hands, by their own volition, pulled her closer to him. The kiss deepened with repressed passions. Then as if by silent, mutual agreement, the two of them abruptly ended the moment, each taking one small step back from the other.

"I'm —" Terry stammered, her face blushing. Don cut her off, "I'm not sorry." There was a moment of silence when the two of them stared at each other, each trying to memorize the other's features.

"I have to go," she said suddenly, turning to walk back toward her car.

"Terry," he said urgently, suddenly realizing something, "promise me you'll be careful."

She turned back to look at him, one hand on her car door, "I will." She took a deep breath before she got into her car and drove away. He stood there for a few moments before he got in to his car and drove home to see his family. After dinner, his father and Charlie engaged him in a game of chess, but Don's heart wasn't in it. His thoughts were with a blond-haired woman who was leaving Los Angeles. That night was a sleepless one.

The next morning she had flown out to Quantico. That night, when she had called his cell phone at work, neither of them mentioned the kiss. She simply asked how he was and reassured him that her flight was uneventful. The two of them knew that to talk about that treasured moment now would put their careers in danger. So a silent agreement had been reached not to discuss it until the two of them could speak face-to-face, away from prying ears.

Since her departure, Terry had called his cell phone every other day at precisely five-thirty. They would chat idly for a few minutes before the calls ended. Don never mentioned to her how much he looked forward to these conversations or that David, should the two of them be in the middle of field work, would suddenly go deaf when she called. He contemplated the idea of taking the young agent aside for a private conversation before Terry returned and explain to him what was going on.

A phone rang, startling Don out of his thoughts. He glanced at the clock and then at his cell phone. It wasn't ringing. He looked at the flashing light on his desk phone. 'That's odd. Who would be calling my office at five?' Don thought as he picked up. 'I was thinking about joining Dad and Charlie for dinner.' He repressed a sigh at the thought of having to deal with another case and more paperwork.

"Eppes," he answered.

"Don Eppes?" asked the person on the other end of the line.

"Yes," his voice took on an edge of caution. Maybe giving the team the day off had been a bad idea. "Who is this?"

"I'm Jasmine Lewis," the woman said gently, "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you." At those words, Don's gut clenched with fear, had something happened to his father and brother? The woman's next words caused his world to tilt.

"I'm calling from Quantico. It's about Agent Lake."