Chapter 4-Turning Out to be Alright
The crew was back in the office working on how to find Jackson Granger. Marissa sat watching quietly, they sure were working fast.
"Charlie get anything from the NSA?" Liz asked. Don shook his head.
"His clearance doesn't extend that far; they say there is no Jackson Granger in the system." Don groaned. This was harder than they thought it would be.
"Do you have a picture of him we could run through the system Marissa?" Megan asked. Marissa nodded quickly and went in her purse. Out came everything imaginable; hair brush, lipstick, mascara- that was all normal- but then there was a tooth brush, a walkie-talkie, a Ziploc bag filled with paperclips, an empty Coke can, a deflated beach ball, a key chain with a million key's on it, and finally, a wallet. Marissa pullet a small photo out of the coin pocket and handed it to Megan.
"Thanks," Megan said. She scanned the picture through and hit enter, than sat back, letting a single tear slip down her face.
"You okay Reeves?" David asked.
"This is all so surreal," Megan admitted. She sat up when the computer in front of her made a pleasing sound. "Marissa, is this Jackson?" Megan asked hopefully. Marissa walked up behind her and nodded.
"Yea, that's Jack," Marissa confirmed. Don, David, and Liz all crowded around the screen.
"His name is Jackson Pettigrew, he's worked for the NSA for 2 years," Megan read off. "He's on a case now, damn. How are we going to get him in for questioning?" everybody shook their heads, but they had smiles on their faces.
They got him.
Don had decided that they should head home and rest for a while, and for once, no one argued. But, surprisingly, they all ended up at Charlie's house. Liz had wanted to stay with Don, Don wanted to be with his family and invited Liz (for the first time) to join him. Megan wanted to be with Larry, who was working with Charlie on his latest project. And David…well David just didn't want to be alone.
So Alan bought a couple packs of beers, turned on the game, and grabbed a bag of chips, and they had their own "Thank-God-Colby-isn't-a-traitor" party.
Once the food was gone, and the beer was consumed, everyone had taken a place in the living room to sleep, not wanting to be too far from each other and not legally able to drive themselves home.
Around 3:30 a.m. Don sat up straight, slightly sweating and breathing heavily. He had no idea what the nightmare was about, he never remembered, just that it had been going on for a while now. He looked around from his spot in a reclining chair and finally calmed down when he felt Liz asleep next to him, her hand lying gracefully on his chest over his heart. Don kissed her palm before slowly standing up, not wanting to wake her. He then hopped over Charlie and Amita who were asleep in the doorway, and walked out the back door to the koi pond. There, he sat and brought his knees to his chest.
"A rare moment here folks," a sweet voice said behind him, "Don Eppes deep in thought," Liz chuckled at her joke and took a seat next to Don. For a long time, he merely looked at her, taking in her beauty. The moonlight and the reflection from the pond shimmering on her sleek features made Don feel relaxed and content; all memories of the earlier nightmare had disappeared.
Liz took Don's hand in her's and curled up into his side, leaning her head on his chest and listening to the ever comforting sound of his heart beat. "How are you doing?" Liz asked softly.
"I'm not sure," Don admitted softly. He let his free hand absent-mindedly play with long brown strands of her ponytail. "I'm glad that Colby is on our side, I really am, and I can't wait to get my hands on Jackson…"
"But…" Liz added more than asked.
"But…" Don shook his head. "I don't know, Liz. Something's missing, something big. This whole thing can't be this easy." He took a deep breath and held both her hands. "Thank you," he whispered.
"For what?" Liz asked, leaning her head back and looking up at him.
"For being here, for being you," Don said. "I don't think I would have made it the last few months if you weren't a part of my life." Don then slowly bent down and kissed Liz gently. "I love you," he said softly, realizing that this was the first time he told her this.
"I love you too, Don" Liz smiled. Don grinned widely and kissed her again.
Everything seemed to be turning out all right.