Author's Note: I'm posting the last two chapters together and I'm FINALLY done! Thanks to everyone who read my story despite lengthy delays in posting and special thanks to those who took the time to review.

Chapter 12

Don reached up to scrub away a tear with the back of his hand. And continued to roar with laughter.

After Charlie failed to find Don and Terry on the back porch, he'd followed the sound of Don's laughter into the backyard. He found them in the garden, sitting on an old wooden bench Alan had built as a gift for his wife years ago. There weren't any lights back here, but there was enough moonlight for Charlie to make out their shapes. They sat side-by-side, facing away from the house and gazing up into the night sky. As Charlie drew closer, Don got his laughter under control enough to gasp out, "'How tall am I now?' Beautiful!"

Terry coolly informed him, "Out of all my old boyfriends, and there have been a fair number, you are my least favorite."

Don chuckled and cheerfully replied, "Hey, I'm just happy to have made the cut."

Charlie wasn't close enough to hear her muttered reply, but he could see her reach out with one hand and give Don a hard shove.

Don playfully allowed himself to be pushed away. When he settled back down next to her again, he stretched an arm out along the back of the bench and resumed his original topic. "No, I mean it. It was classic! Completely worth the foul."

Charlie didn't need to see her expression. There was no mistaking the disappointment in her voice as she asked, "You sure about that?"

Don's shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Sure, I'm sure. Why not?"

"Crushing defeat?" she prompted.

"Well, hey, I wouldn't say crushing," Don protested as he shifted his arm to gently grip her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Besides, that's Charlie's fault."

Charlie, who'd just opened his mouth to call out a greeting, froze.

Unaware of their audience, Don grumbled something that ended with, "…didn't even bother to show up."

Charlie was horrified. He thought Don understood. He hadn't seemed upset or angry when they'd talked on the phone. But Don was good at hiding his feelings. Maybe…

Charlie's thoughts were interrupted by Terry's quick laugh. "Oh, please! You're so proud you could bust."

"That's a terrible thing to say. Take it back."

"You kept humming 'Secret Agent Man' all day today."

Don chuckled softly, but didn't say anything to deny it.

Terry continued, "You do understand that he consults for the NSA, not MI6. They probably lock him up in a room with a lot of classified data. I doubt they've given him a license to kill."

Don's mumbled reply was too low for Charlie to hear, but whatever it was made Terry laugh.

Charlie found himself drifting closer it an attempt to hear better. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he stopped. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but that's exactly what he was doing. He decided he needed to either make his presence known now or turn around and leave.

Charlie realized that their conversation had moved on while he'd been considering his situation. Good. Maybe now…

Don's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Yeah? So what really happened that night at the bar? Are you telling me you tried to get information out of Charlie and he didn't crack?"

Charlie held his breath waiting for her reply. The truth was, he'd come uncomfortably close to caving that night.

But Terry simply said, "He's very loyal to you." Only the fear of discovery kept Charlie from sighing in relief.

"Nah," Don's drawled. "Another five minutes and you'd have cracked him like a walnut."

Charlie forgot his qualms about eavesdropping in light of his brother's insult. His face burned and he had to fight the urge to vehemently deny the accusation.

Don continued, "Face it. The Eppes men are helpless against your charms. Look how fast my Dad gave up his recipe for brownies. You know, I've got an aunt who's been trying to pry that out of him for years. The truth is, we're powerless to resist you."

"Would that be all of the Eppes men?"

Don nodded.

"Prove it."

Don hesitated for a long moment. Tilting his head back, he took in a deep breath and let it out as a low, "Oh, man."

Don looked back at Terry and confessed in a rush, "I said you were a decent shooter, okay? I said a lot of other good, complementary things. I said you were a good player. And that's a fact. Ask Charlie. But… I did… I called your shooting 'decent'. There. It's out."

There was a pause. When Terry finally spoke, her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Uh-huh. Well, that's fascinating, Don. But it's not exactly what I had in mind."

Charlie was already quietly retreating back toward the house. When Don's delighted, "No?" reached his ears, Charlie shook his head in disgust. And people thought he was bad at picking up signals.

Charlie chanced a glance back over his shoulder to reassure himself that Don had finally figured out Terry's true intentions. Terry tugged on the front of Don's shirt and slowly drew him into a kiss. He came willingly, trusting his partner and following her lead. But his hands hovered around Terry far away from her body. He was clearly being cautious – waiting for a trick or a laugh at his expense if this was a joke.

Apparently, Terry didn't appreciate his hesitancy because suddenly Don hissed and wrenched away to stare at her. He sat back, clearly confused and waiting for an explanation, but Terry only sweetly cooed, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

Charlie stood rooted to the spot, waiting for Don to explode. To push Terry away and demand to know what kind of game she was playing.

Instead, there was a smile in Don's voice as he pretended to ponder her question, "I don't know... Do it again."

Terry moved in to kiss him again and this time Don responded. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight against him.

Charlie promptly resumed his escape back to the house. His back was to them and he moved as quickly as he could without making noise. Unfortunately, he couldn't block out Don's low voice behind him. A raspy mix of passion and mirth as he teasingly repeated between passionate kisses, "Yeah… It hurt... Do it again..."

Charlie sagged against the door with relief when he finally made it back into the house without being detected. It hadn't been his intention to spy on such an intimate moment. He shuddered in horror at the memory. Dad was right. He could talk with Don tomorrow.