Coming Home
Throughout the rest of the week, Terry avoided Don and did it quite well. She holed herself up with paperwork and didn't get back to the apartment until the latest possible hour where she just collapsed, asleep. Her ribs had slowly stopped being painful and she could do everything almost as if they were never bruised. He knew he had to do something. She was leaving the next day.
Around five he approached her, settling his hands gently on her tense shoulders.
"Come on, Terry. You've been finished that stuff for a few days. I want to spend my best friend's last night with her." Terry looked up, startled. They both knew she had no reason to refuse. Slowly, she placed the papers back in their folders and settled them comfortably on her temporary desk. Taking a deep breath she met his eyes.
"Okay."
They ordered Chinese delivery and he broke out a bottle of wine. They talked amicably and Terry pushed her worries to the back of her mind. After all, with the charm he was pouring on tonight, it was going to take all of her willpower to keep her desire at bay. The night continued in the same vein, though they had watched a movie or two and she ended up cuddled against his side. Finally, Terry deemed it was about time for bed. He stayed behind on the couch but called out to her before she made it to the hallway.
"Don't go back to Washington." The statement was made so forcefully Terry spun around to face him.
"What?"
"Don't go back to Washington. Stay here." She made her way to the end of the couch slowly, her mind racing over his words. She couldn't come up with a suitable response.
"Why?" Her heart was pounding as she looked at him, half of her hoping this was the moment she'd been waiting for since he re-entered her life in LA and half of her just tired of this. He looked at the coffee table, picking up his beer and starting to tear at the label. She moved and gently settled her hand over his, settling beside him and bringing his attention back to hers.
"Why shouldn't I go back to Washington?" Her eyes searched his though he stayed silent. She didn't remove her hand over his. Finally his eyes hardened in determination and she braced herself.
"Stay here with me." She expected some excuse, something about being his best friend and he needed her to be within walking distance for a while, but definitely not this. This was a new revelation.
"Pardon me?" Her voice made it a surprised statement rather than an offended one.
"Stay here with me," he repeated, dropping the beer label and grasping her hand in his.
"My plane leaves tomorrow and you spring this now?"
"I can't… You can't leave." Terry rolled her eyes, pulling her hand away and standing again.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush with you Eppes. Say it straight out because I'm getting tired of your game." He looked up at her, eyes pleading her not to make him expose himself.
"There's no one here but me," she said softly. When he still didn't say anything her shoulders sagged in defeat and she walked back towards the bedroom. When he finally figured out exactly what he wanted to say, she was already asleep and he didn't have the heart to wake her.
Terry awoke beside Don, still in her pyjamas. With a sigh, she stood and prepared herself for the day, calling Caleb while Don continued to sleep. She wanted to leave as quickly as possible, though she left him fresh coffee and some pancake mix already stirred up in the fridge. Caleb took her suitcase from her hands and loaded it into the back seat of the SUV.
"There's a few things I have to finish up at the office before I go," she said softly. He could hear the sadness in her voice as he placed a gentle hand on hers in her lap.
"I'm sorry, Terry." She gave him a small smile.
"You can't do anything, so don't try. I promise I won't cry on you." They continued the ride in virtual silence as Terry just looked out the window, watching the passing LA landscape. They even walked into the building and rode up the elevator in silence.
"Let me know if I can do anything, huh?" he requested when they stepped off.
"I will. Thanks. Let me just drop this stuff off with Merrick and we'll head to the airport." Caleb tried one last time.
"You sure you don't want Eppes to drive you?" The slump of her shoulders told him he'd crossed the line.
"I'm sure," she said, her voice tiny.
"Okay. I'll wait here for you." She smiled as she went off, the files in her arms. She dropped them off for filing before continuing to the director's office.
"Sir," she said as she knocked.
"Agent Lake, come on in." Terry didn't bother to sit down, hoping this meeting could be short.
"I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to take the case," she said sincerely. Merrick nodded before flipping open a file in front of him.
"Townsend's retiring," he said, as if it was any normal day. Terry didn't understand why he was telling her this.
"That's too bad, sir."
"I'm going to need someone good to run the team now." Then she had an inkling of where he was going.
"Haynsworth would be a brilliant leader," she tried but Merrick didn't seem to hear her.
"I called your director, asked if he'd mind you transferring back." Her mind spun. It sounded as if everything was already arranged.
"Sir?" Terry had to sit down. This was getting slightly overwhelming.
"We'll start the paperwork to get you back," he continued and she realized this time he was appealing to her. Terry thought about it for a moment. Her own team? Back in LA? She couldn't believe the possibilities. Of course, that also meant being around Don every day again, living in the same city as him. Could she handle that?
"With all due respect, can I sleep on it?" It was too much all at once. Her emotions were going haywire.
"Of course. I'll let Ginnever know you're thinking about it." She left, her mind spinning. Caleb was still sitting in the chair she'd left him in.
"Hey, you look stunned."
"They offered me a team leader position. Townsend's retiring." Caleb's face lit up.
"My team? That's awesome Terry!" She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.
"I… I told him I'd have to think about it," she said. Caleb nodded, though the smile didn't leave his face. She sighed.
"Let's go," she whispered, looking out over the bullpen as the elevator doors closed.
As Don woke up, he reached out instinctively for Terry, surprise and shocked into wakefulness when she wasn't there. He shot up in bed and searched the apartment not seeing her suitcase or any of her belongings. He found her note on the counter.
Good morning, sleepyhead.
Caleb's giving me a ride to the airport so don't worry about it. I had to stop off and finish a few things with Merrick before I went.
He could tell by the dots on the page just beside the next words she'd pondered long and hard about what to write.
Thank you for letting me stay with you. I'm glad I could help get Charlie back to you guys. Don't lose him again, Don. I may not be able to fix all the pieces again.
Good luck
TerryPS: Pancake mix is in the fridge, you just have to fry it up.
He growled as he rushed back into his bedroom, checking the time on his alarm clock as he did. Her plane was leaving in an hour and half. He swore as he raced around his apartment to get ready and rush to the airport, hopefully before she'd even checked in. He made it just as she was getting out of the check in line. She looked up, startled.
"Don, what are you doing here?" She'd said goodbye to Caleb before she'd checked in. He'd already left.
"You can't go." She sighed and he could suddenly see how tired she was.
"You've mentioned that," she answered, trying to brush past him, he caught her arm and pulled her around the corner. She tried, though not hard, to pull her arm out of his grip. When she gave up, she sagged against the wall.
"I can't do this, Don." He gently settled his hands around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.
"I need you here, Terry." She tried to fight back the tears that flooded her eyes and was thankful he had his head on hers, burying her face in his throat. Unfortunately for her, it meant he could feel the salty liquid when it spilled down her cheeks. He pulled away to look at her face his emotions bared to her.
"I need you here with me." She wanted that to be enough for her, enough to make her accept Merrick's offer and stay in LA with Don, but she needed more. She couldn't sit on the sidelines as the best friend and see him every day.
"Why?" His hands were brushing the tears off her cheeks and she tried to focus on him and not the gentleness of his hands.
"I can't be without you." Her breath hitched in her throat.
"I need you beside me, Terry, now and forever." The tears started flowing down her cheeks in earnest as her body shook with suppressed sobs.
"I love you." She flung her arms around his neck and started sobbing into his shoulder while he clung to her, holding her tight. When she finally settled down after a few minutes he pulled back to look at her.
"Does that mean you'll stay?"
"I have to go back to Washington and clean up some loose ends," she answered cryptically as she grinned.
"Loose ends?"
"Oh, and I'll have to call Merrick and tell him, too…" she was babbling happily and he didn't have the heart to really stop her. Wiping her eyes with her hands, she pulled away fully, picking up the carry on bag she'd dropped when she'd launched herself at him.
"I have to catch my flight," she said, her eyes sparkling.
"Stay."
"I wish I could, Don. Loose ends, remember?"
"Are you always going to be this vague?" She only smiled and slipped out of his arms towards security. Suddenly she stopped and strode purposely back to him, grabbing his neck in one hand and pulling her lips down to his. He responded fervently to her kiss, stunned when she pulled away, licking her lips happily.
"If that's not incentive to return, I don't know what is," she said blissfully. "I'll call you when I land in Dulles." He could only stand stunned as she stepped into the security line. He watched until she was out of sight before he dazedly turned back to his car. He was half way back to the office when his phone rang.
"Eppes."
"Caller display," she said, the taunt much more good-natured. He couldn't help the smile at her voice.
"What can I do for you?" He asked, totally prepared to pull a u-turn to head back to the airport.
"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I love you," she said breezily. He chuckled.
"With that goodbye, I certainly hope so," he responded already assuming she would be on a flight to LA in two weeks.
"I'll call you when I'm in Dulles," she promised again. He could hear the smile in her voice and one blossomed over his face to match.
"Okay. Have a safe flight."
"I'll try. Love you.
"Love you too."