Chapter One
2005
Albuquerque
Don smiled as he came home, as he saw that Kim already arrived at home, as he knew she was getting some time off after only her third case with the Secret Service, as she had mentioned that they took down a major group involved with all kinds of fraud, which made him really proud of her.
Like his wife, his office had just wrapped up a major case, though as the head of the office, he didn't have to do too much leg work, but it was still quite a bit of paperwork, but it was worth it.
'Whatever it takes to make the world safer for Jack and Lacy and other children like them.' Don thought with determination.
His smile grew bigger when he saw his little ones playing in the living room, oblivious to his arrival and he just had to chuckle at how big the twins were getting and found himself hoping they didn't grow up too fast.
"Daddy! Come check out what we found in the garden!" Lacy excitedly said as Jack showed a small rock that they thought was funny looking
"Great find, guys, let me go find your Mom so that I can t we are doing for dinner and I'll join in the fun." He said smiling as he walked to his wife's office.
He ignored the part of him wishing that his parents actually even knew about the kids, when Charlie was the only one who knew anything, as the kids finally noticed him and ran into his waiting arms, glad that he could enjoy the little things, especially with his job.
He knocked on the door and he noticed his wife lying on the couch, clearly still tired from work.
"Hey, honey, how are you doing?" He asked, concerned
"Tired, the case was just a bit brutal." Kim answered quietly
"I'm sure, so I was wondering if you wanted me to order pizza for dinner, if that's okay with you?" Don asked, still concerned about his wife
"Sure, I have no energy to go anywhere right now and I just want to spend some time with the kids when I am able." Kim answered
"Sure, rest right now and I'll let you know when the pie comes." Don said before leading Kim to their room and going back to check on the kids
Don had noticed that Kim seemed more tired than usual lately but he has figured that it was more due to the case she was working on.
Or that phone call relating to her father, who he heard over the phone arguing with last week, which she refuses to talk to him about, which he understood, as they both have things they don't want to talk about, though he knew they probably should.
'Still, I just can't believe that man found the number, as they haven't even spoken for years.' Don thought before pushing it aside as he went to the living room to see that his kids had resumed playing so he made the quick call and joined his little ones in their little games, still ignoring the distant thoughts about his and Kim's family problems.
Same time
Pasadena
Alan was annoyed, as Stan was still going on about their competition, when they knew very well that their business could be competitive. Still, he could admit the newest ones, Sarah Lane and John Mercer, were just plain irritating.
The two were new to the business but they acted like they knew everything and the few times that they had met with them, Alan had to keep Stan from saying anything and he sometimes worried that his business partner would get into a fight with them. It also didn't help that both of them were from wealthy families and they thought they deserved whatever success they got without much work.
John, in particular, was particularly arrogant, as he reminded Alan of a kid named Andrew that Don knew, who would constantly brag about how he great he was without providing any proof, and would get angry whenever someone challenged him, particularly Don, who on the same baseball team as him and Andrew tried to fight him a couple times whenever he lost to the older kid.
The thought of Don gave Alan some pause when he thought of the memory and it immediately made him think of the last time he saw his oldest son.
Not for the first time, he really regretted what he said to Don, as he was now very much aware that while the FBI had their problems, there were still good people there. He just wished he knew where his son was, as he had no idea if he was still even in Fugitive recovery, as he just stopped talking to them after that night.
He suspected that Charlie was in contact with him, especially a couple years ago as Charlie looked excited over something but never told him or Margaret what it was and she just chalked it up about something to do with work but he was never really convinced but didn't push since he didn't want to lose contact with another son.
Stan got his attention again when he mentioned a possible project they could consult on and Alan was ready to agree, as it looked like a project they could give their experience, even though it was a big one and it could bring their business up a notch.
The client was Ron Erickson, a businessman who recently started setting up shop in LA and was needing some help in search of a building that fit his needs. He wants to see some potential building designs and he has some ideas of his own.
"Sure, Stan, we could meet with Ron tomorrow, I just need to let my family know, just in case the meeting runs long."
"Actually Alan, Ron wants to meet with us in an hour, sorry about the short notice, I just found out a short while ago, so do you want to or just reschedule?" Stan answered
Alan blinked briefly but decided that Ron must be really busy if he was only able to meet in an hour, though he wished he got more time to prep, though he supposed he knew enough to get with this guy.
He then remembered that due to being in court all day, Margaret wouldn't be back for a while so he had some time before she got back.
"Sure, just let me write a note just in case Margaret comes back before we do and we can head out."
