Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the show Numb3rs, though I do own a sweatshirt that says 'FBI'.
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Friday the thirteenth. The day of the trial had arrived, and now Don was sitting in the courtroom, Charlie sitting next to him. Their father was sitting a few rows back, and Don could only imagine the worry and concern on his face. Each Eppes brother was wearing his best business suit; Don's being navy blue, and Charlie's was a light brown.
Don had already wiped his brow free of sweat several times during the trial already, and he moved to repeat his action again when the prosecution stood up. Charlie had just been up to give his testimony, and now it was Don's turn.
"The prosecution would like to call Special Agent Donald Eppes up to the stand."
Shaking, Don stood up and walked over to the witness stand.
After taking the oath, Don sat down and mentally prepared himself for the questions. Looking over to the defense's bench, he saw George Kalkan, his ex-lawyer for this exact charge. It was astonishing how fast this case had turned around for him. They had yet to find the person who murdered the other five girls, but the fact that they had caught the guy who had brought so much trouble into his life, and into Charlie's, brought much relief to Don.
"Agent Eppes," the attorney started. "Can you describe exactly how you know the defendant?"
"He was my lawyer when I was a suspect for this case."
The attorney continued to ask questions, but Don couldn't fully remember them. The nods from Charlie were all that gave him the only assurance he had, and all that he need to know he wasn't screwing up.
Before he knew it, the attorney was sitting down, and Mr. Kalkan's defense lawyer was standing up.
"Agent Eppes, you said that you were originally a suspect on this case?"
"That is correct, but I was cleared of all charges." Finally, Don's mind seemed to clear, and he was able to focus. It was a good thing, too, because it was obvious this lawyer wanted to pin the charge on him again, as he had done with Charlie.
"But you were at the scene of the kidnapping of Stephanie Broker, were you not?"
"I was, as well as hundreds of other people."
"How is it, then, that you are not on trial for this case as my client is? Even if he was there as well, why is it he accused and you are not?"
"Objection, Your Honor. Badgering the witness," the prosecution lawyer called out.
"Sustained. Mr. Dagenwoods, the agent is not on trial here; do not act as though he is," the judge addressed the defense lawyer.
Mr. Dagenwoods continued with his questions. "Did you ever see my client at the scene of the kidnapping?"
"No, I did not." Don's response apparently had the effect that Mr. Dagenwoods had hoped for.
"Then how do you, as an agent for the FBI, know that my client committed the kidnapping of Miss Stephanie Broker?"
"As I was not working on the case, I do not know that he kidnapped her, being an FBI agent. However, the way he acted in the interrogation room clued me in, and I trust that the other agents did their job."
The cross examination continued, and several more questions were sustained because of the lawyers badgering. Finally, Don's testimony was finished, and he headed back to his seat, glad to be one step closer to having the episode be over.
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The jury filed back into the room, having come to their agreement.
"Has the jury reached its decision?" the judge asked.
"We have, Your Honor," the representative replied.
"Will the defendant please rise?" The Mr. Kalkan and his lawyer both responded to the judge's request and waited to hear the decision.
Don held his breath, and he could hear Charlie suck in his as well. Everything was on the line now. Whatever issued out of the mouth of the jury representative would either make the case start over at the beginning, or end the entire ordeal.
"On the charge of the kidnapping of Miss Stephanie Broker, we, the jury, find the defendant…guilty. On the charge of the murder of Miss Stephanie Broker, we find the defendant…guilty."
"We will meet again to decide the defendant's punishment in one week's time. Until then, court is adjourned." The pounding of the hammer rang through the courtroom, the decision final.
As Charlie and Don stood up, Don sighed in relief. Perhaps Friday the thirteenth wasn't so bad. Finally, everything would be returning to normal for the brothers.
----
The family went out to dinner that night to celebrate the end of the case. Don found it was almost weird to be eating dinner with his family without worrying about a case, whether it was one he was working on or one that he was a suspect for. Perhaps he had grown used to the worry and the stress that came with his job, and could no longer feel as free as he did just then. Or maybe because he was used to that stress that truly relaxing felt that much more refreshing.
The carefree feeling lasted all throughout dinner, and Don could tell he wasn't the only one feeling it. Ten years seemed to be wiped away from his father's face as he laughed at Charlie's jokes. The jokes, to Charlie's credit, were not math-related, but silly jokes that college students would tell each other. Charlie seemed much more alive than usual, which surprised Don, as Charlie was almost always full of life.
About halfway through the meal, the laughter died down, and the three of them grew serious at a comment made by Charlie. "Don? You realize that the guy that kidnapped and killed the other five girls is still out there, right? And the agents spent all that time coming after us, which they only had some evidence against us for one person."
Don was taken aback at the comment. Yes, they had caught the killer of one person, and all that time was wasted interrogating the two of them. They could have been spending that time finding the real killer, not the copycat. Or did they really waste their time?
After a few moments of solemn thinking, Don replied. "Yes, I realize that the first guy is still out there, possibly laughing at us agents because we only got the copycat, not the real killer. And, yes, the team went after the two of us instead of going after that one guy." Don paused, partially for dramatic effect, but also to clear his thoughts a little before continuing. "But you know what? I'm not mad at them for what they put us through. They showed that they are not willing to bend the law, or ignore evidence, just because of who the suspect is. It reminds me what a great law system we have, although I may get frustrated with it occasionally when working on a case. Everybody is truly equal before the law. Those that work for the government are not exempt from it. And the law protects everyone just the same way. I mean, if we weren't allowed to have our own lawyer, and instead had a lawyer the agents assigned to our case, we might not have found the right guy. And, yes, just because we got to hire our own lawyer doesn't mean we automatically found the guy framing us. But if the agents had assigned a lawyer to us, they might not have believed that the lawyer was the killer in the first place, and the lawyer would have been working for them, not for us. So I'm coming away with no hard feelings towards the other agents. And don't worry, we'll catch the other person before long."
Their father seemed to take this all in faster than Charlie did. "And that's part of the reason I'm so proud that you are an agent, Donnie. Not everybody can go after people equally depending on the evidence, not on personal relations."
Charlie nodded, his dark curls bobbing up and down, before breaking out in a grin again. "So, Mr. Patriotic Guy, does that mean you're returning to the great, just office that is part of this nation's great, just government?"
Don laughed. "Nope. I think I'll enjoy the system from home for the weekend. No work until Monday."
Alan raised his hands above his head, and looked towards the ceiling. "Good God, it's a miracle! Donnie's taking a vacation from work!"
His sons joined in laughter again.
----
The weekend at home passed without incident, though Don found he had better rest than he had in a long time, almost since he joined the Bureau. Charlie was able to keep away from his chalkboards the entire time he was at the house, which suggested that something was up. However, Don couldn't care less at that point of time. Maybe he just wanted a break from work as much as Don did.
Monday came, and Don showed up to work in a better mood than the other agents. Don had to admit that coming back to work after a break was always hard, but why was he in such a better mod than everyone else? He never did figure it out, but he became serious about his work once again as Megan told him the news.
"Our killer is back again. Another student was kidnapped early this morning over at USC. It matches the pattern of our killer, but he was a bit sloppy. We may be able to catch him this time."
Don didn't know whether to be solemn at the news of another kidnapping, or pleased at the fact that he was about to lead the investigation again. As seriously as he could, he replied, "Okay, you know what that means. Let's head out."
Fin
How was that, you guys? Finally got this baby finished. Hmm, is that a sequel I see in the future? Well, I don't want to commit myself yet, but I'm thinking there might be. Maybe this summer? Who knows?
Thanks to all the support I got on this. All of the reviews you guys gave, all those people that made this story part of their favorites list or put on story alert, I am grateful to. I especially want to send a special shout-out to luvnumb3rs, who sent me a personal message that motivated me to finish this thing, and quickly.