Title: Home Is Where The Heart Is.
Fandom: CSI/Numb3rs.
Pairing: Don/Charlie.
Author: Aiden.
Chapters: (6/?)
Ratings: FRT 13.
Warnings: Mention of abuse, language.
Summary: Don meets the other alpha.
Beta: SRS/Silvia *hugs* Thanks a bunches for all the help.
The next morning, Don walked into the office with a big grin on his face. Everything was finally okay with the world.
"Good morning, Don," Megan greeted her boss.
"Good morning," he replied, a tad too cheerfully.
Megan grinned when she took in Don's unusually sunny disposition. "You're in a good mood this morning," she teased.
"Why, yes, I am.. I got some good news," he said vaguely.
"Nice," Megan smiled at him, letting herself relax. It was not often that she let her guard down, but everything she was learning at Don Eppes made her a little less… weary… when she was around him. It was a relief to find someone with power who wasn't cruel and vindictive.
Minutes later, Colby and David walked into the bullpen. "Good morning, Don, Megan," they greeted them.
"Morning, guys. So, any luck on that address?" Don asked them, looking up from the file in front of him.
Grimacing, David shook his head. "No, sorry, dead end."
"Well, it was a long shot anyway," Don sighed, rubbing his neck in frustration.
Megan and David looked at each other briefly. When Megan nodded, David approached Don casually. "Don, can I talk to you later?" he said quietly.
"Yeah, sure," Don said absently, "come by my office later."
"Good morning," Charlie said, walking up to them and standing close to his mate.
"Good morning Charlie," Megan said, smiling. "Okay, I'm off to talk to the mother."
"Okay, take David with you," Don retorted, focused on his mate's presence next to him.
Megan nodded. "Let's go, David."
"Right behind you." David grabbed his jacket and trailed after the enforcer.
~.~
"I wished Gabriel was like Don," David said, breaking the silence in the car.
Megan sighed. "Yeah, me, too. I wonder why Gabriel wants to talk to him. Usually, he sees every alpha as a threat. This is the first time he's wanted to meet one face to face."
"Do you think if it comes to a fight that Don could beat him?" David asked her, concern for his loved ones evident. There was nothing David wanted more than to get rid of Gabriel, but he couldn't do anything… not while.. David sighed at the direction of his thoughts. He was tired of wracking his brain, looking for a solution. Damn, he felt powerless.
"I have no idea," Megan said quietly. "Gabriel is strong and has the advantage of being much older than Don," Megan explained, remembering when Charlie had mentioned the five-year age difference the brothers had.
David nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Gabriel has more experience then Don." He remained quiet for a few minutes. "You think he is a born-were?"
"Who, Don? I don't know." Megan shrugged her shoulders. "If he is, that's one advantage he'll have over Gabriel." She wondered if that would be enough to save Don if the situation got dangerous.
"God, I hope so. It's time for someone to put Gabriel at his place," David growled, curling his hands into fists.
Megan looked at the beta and her best friend. He hadn't had an easy life as a beta under Gabriel. And fighting the alpha for his place was out of the question since he had David's family threatened. She knew that David was right to be afraid; members of their pack had disappeared before. Usually, those who defied the alpha.
~.~
It wasn't until late afternoon that David had a chance to talk to Don. He knocked on the office door, and waited for Don to answer.
"Come in."
"David, sit down," Don said, gesturing to the chair across his desk. "What can I do for you?"
Uncharacteristically, David fidgeted in his chair. He knew he had to follow his alpha's instructions, but he couldn't help but regret dragging Don into his pack's troubles. There was no way Gabriel had good intentions towards Don, and David felt like a traitor for being the messenger. "Uhm…my alpha…he wants to invite you," David stammered.
Don leaned back into his chair and looked at the beta. "Why?" Don knew that an alpha never invited another alpha into his territory without a good reason. And the reasons weren't always in the name of settling on a truce. He had witnessed first-handed how bad something like that could turn out. Rubbing his jaw, he remembered when his father had killed an alpha who had threatened his pack; he had been seven at the time.
"He told me to tell you that he just wanted to talk to you, learn more about the new alpha in his city," David said, his voice monotone, like he was struggling to keep it even.
Shaking his head at the unavoidable pissing contest, Don nodded. "Fine. When?"
"Tonight. You are invited to come with us after work," David answered. "He's planning a small dinner. Your mate is invited, too."
If Don hadn't been suspicious before, inviting his mate into the territory of unknown alpha was like a fire alarm screeching in his ear. "I'll ask him. It's his decision."
"Of course," David nodded.
"Is that all?" Don asked curtly.
David nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, that's all."
"Okay," Don stood. "Let's get back to the case, shall we?" He walked out of his office, followed by the beta.
~.~
Walking into the mansion, Don stayed close to Charlie, ready to defend him. He hadn't wanted to bring Charlie to the dinner, but his mate had put up one hell of a fight to be there.
"Welcome to my house."
Don watched a man about his height approach them.
"I am Gabriel. I'm so glad you could come," he said nicely.
Don looked at him, inhaling his scent, trying to determine if he was nervous. Finally, Don smiled when he caught the distinct smell of nervousness and fear that surrounded the other alpha. This man was afraid of him, saw him as a threat. If the need arouse, Don could use that fear to defeat him in a fight.
"I am Don Eppes and this is my mate, Charlie," Don introduced himself and his mate to the alpha.
Before the introductions were completed, Don noticed Megan and David kneeling in front of the alpha. Surprised, he wondered what was going on; there behavior was more than just being submissive and respectful towards your alpha. There was something off and diseased about this pack.
'I'm getting a really bad feeling about this,' Charlie sent to his mate.
Don squeezed his hand discretely, letting him know that he felt the same way, feeling his hackles rise. Something was definitely wrong here, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get involved. He'd come to LA looking for some peace and quiet with his mate, not more pack politics.
As they entered a dining room, Gabriel seated himself at the head of the table. Pointing at two empty chairs on his right, he said magnanimously. "Please sit down."
As he and Charlie walked up to the table and sat down, Don noticed that Megan and David kept their heads bowed as they sat on the alpha's left side. Once seated, the food was served by quiet, docile wolves.
"How do you like LA so far?" Gabriel asked between bites.
Don looked at the other man evenly. "It's a great city." The last thing Don was in the mood for was idle chitchat with the alpha.
"Mmhmm," Gabriel nodded. "And you work together with David and Megan?"
"He is our team leader," David said quietly.
Gabriel growled. "Did I give you permission to speak?"
"I thought you already knew that?" Don tried to get the alpha's attention.
Gabriel shifted his gaze to Don and shook his head. "No, Megan only mentioned that you worked with them."
Keeping up the conversation to draw the alpha's attention away from his agents, Don replied. "Well, they are good agents." Privately, Don thought they were great at their jobs, but he didn't think Gabriel would like to be outshined by the two.
Gabriel snorted derisively. "Well, I hope they are better agents than they are at being beta and enforcer of this pack."
Don looked at both his agents. For a second, he thought he had seen hatred in Megan's eyes. 'What is going on here?' he sent to Charlie.
'It's like they are afraid of their alpha. Not just respectful, actually terrified,' Charlie sent back, baffled by the agent's behavior. In all of their years of living and visiting other packs, neither Eppes brother had ever seen this level of fear and terror in any pack member. It was most disturbing.
Don looked at his mate pointedly. It was obvious that Gabriel had tyrannical control over his pack. It reminded Don when Lucian had taught him a valuable lesson on being an alpha. He'd just hit Charlie for not listening to him as they played 'alpha and beta'. The warrior had told him that it was wrong for an alpha to hit any wolf in the pack; that it was not the way an alpha controlled his pack. An alpha earned the respect and loyalty of his pack by his actions, not by beating and terror.
Don had never forgotten that lesson, and it had been driven further home when his dad had given him a good spanking for hitting his brother. He hadn't been able to sit for a whole week.
Looking around the table, it was easy to think that he didn't need to get involved; that with Amita out of the picture, he had the time to build a life with Charlie, and he didn't need to go borrowing trouble.
Was that why Megan had asked if he had a pack?
But he had a sinking feeling that nothing was going to go the way he wanted it to. Between Gabriel's plans for him and Megan's softly worded inquiries, Don knew he was going to find himself in the middle of this conflict sooner or later.
"So, your mate is also your brother?" Gabriel asked, snapping Don out of his thoughts.
Don nodded. "Yeah, he is." He saw the disgust on the alpha's face. Don shrugged it off. At least he wasn't a tyrant.
Taking the alpha's rude behavior as the perfect excuse to leave, Don stood up. "Charlie, we're going." He inclined his head to the alpha. "Thank you, for the food, but I have a feeling we are not welcome here anymore."
"You are not leaving here until I say you can," Gabriel snarled as he stood and shoved his chair back violently.
Don snorted at the other man's audacity. "What? You're going to beat me up, too?" he taunted. "Is that how you got the respect of your pack members, by beating them into submission?"
Megan and David looked at Don in shock. It hadn't taken their boss a long time to figure out the lay of the land.
"You know one of my father's warriors told me that an alpha got the respect and loyalty from his pack members by his actions, not by beating them," Don said, even though in the back of his mind he was wondering what the hell he was doing. He hadn't been planning to get involved, but he had too much sense of justice to let this situation go on. "It is obvious by the way your beta and enforcer react to you that you beat them. Hell, David is afraid of you – and no pack member should be afraid of his alpha."
Gabriel moved closer to Don and snorted. "You just made a big mistake." Raising his hand, he closed it into a fist and brought it to his heart; a challenge to the dead.
Great, Don thought, as he rolled his eyes. Why did it always have to come to the dramatic 'fight to the death' crap? Closing his own hand into a fist, he brought it to his heart and moved his fist down, a sign that he accepted the challenge offered.
Don looked at his mate, wondering how Charlie was taking all the high drama.
'You can do this,' Charlie sent him, his body vibrating with anger and rage at the abuse of the pack.
'I hope so,' Don sent back. He looked at David and Megan, and saw the look of naked relief on their faces. He hoped that he wouldn't disappoint them. Megan looked at him, and discretely mouthed, thank you.
Don inclined his head. 'Don't thank me until it's over,' he sent her.
TBC.
