A/N: Apologies for the delay...! Thanks for sticking with me and for the reviews.

Thank you to the wonderful starfishyeti!

The stalker

by elessar73

*** 27. chapter : Step by step ***

Don crossed the few yards to the waiting room. The moment he got in he was immediately surrounded by four people staring at him curiously.

"Don," Colby called out. "How's Charlie?"

Surprised by the assault the older agent took a step back, stunned and unable to talk at all. Megan stepped closer and rubbed Don's forearm in a soothing manner.

"What happened Don?" Her voice was soft but held a special kind of undertone forcing him talk. Don grinned inwardly. 'Megan never failed. She always knew which trigger to pull.'

Don glanced around. He noticed Colby and David standing close by, almost in front of him, staring at him questioningly. Larry stood a little aside his blue eyes were pools of fears and his hands were pressed against his cheeks. "Oh my Lord, oh my Lord," the physicist whispered these words like a mantra.

With a start Don came to his senses, realizing that his friends were thinking the worst. He had to explain.

"Charlie is better," he declared out of the blue.

Four pairs of eyes immediately focused on him waiting for further explanations and a collective sigh of relief filled the room.

A small smile formed around the corners of Don's mouth and that finally broke the block.

"What does that mean Don?" Megan was the first to ask.

"Well, we still have to wait for confirmation, but Dr. Osbourne just told me that there was nothing in Charlie's blood despite his pain meds and," he lifted a finger to underline the importance of what was to come, "traces of a laxative."

"What?" David shook his head in disbelief. "That made sense, kind of."

"What are you talking about, David?" Don stared a little puzzled. " What kind of sense can you find there?" Don was eager to learn more about it.

The agent cleared his throat preparing himself to break the news. "Well we found a box of charcoal tablets in front of Charlie's office. We couldn't make much sense out of it and thought that maybe someone had lost it there. We didn´t even think about a connection to the assault against Charlie in first place, but now?"

Don rubbed at his forehead. "The doctor said something about a conflict between the medicines, but we have to wait until the last results come in," Don sighed in frustration." That doesn't make sense at all. But however Charlie has woken up -well, he was awake for a few minutes." Don beamed at his friends.

"That's good," Megan clapped her SAC's shoulder. The adrenaline that had flooded her body since she had arrived at CalSci and had taken a first look at Charlie started to leave her body. She felt exhausted and a little shakey. She sat down on the nearest chair. Don looked at her with concern.

"You okay, Megan?"

"Yeah I'm just glad."

"Charlie´ll be okay then?" Colby named their greatest fear.

"Dr. Osbourne is pretty sure about it. He's still in pain and it'll take some time till the medicine leaves his body, but he'll get through it."

"That's real good news." Colby felt happy for his boss.

"So tell me what did you find out about the woman?" Don walked over to Megan and sat down beside her ready to be briefed.

"Yeah, there are some interesting things," Colby took the lead. "First of all her name is Mary Clark, 27 years old. She's a professional cook and she has no criminal record. We're still running different data base searches and hope that we can come up with something. She lives in an apartment across campus with a perfect view over the CalSci parking lot and parts of campus. An ideal position for observation. We searched her home and found some kind of a shrine. Forensics is still there collecting evidence."

Don was listening intently. At once he was on high alert. "What do you mean? What kind of shrine?" He looked from one of his agents to the other and noticed the hint of horror in their eyes. He shuddered afraid of what was to come. Finally his view fell on Larry. The physicist stood silently in a corner of the room his face changing from relief to fear. 'Maybe I should send him out.' But Don's plan was left undone when David cleared his throat and continued. "We found the identity cards of our two victims together with their wallets and some clothes in the wood-room. Clark had pinned every item on the wall and painted parts of the faces with a red color."

Don frowned." How do we know these are our victims´ IDs?"

"CSI was able to clean them. Clark used some water unresistant color."

"I see." Don nodded. "So she is the killer?" He stared at David waiting for the agent to carry on. David pressed the fingertips of his hands against each other. The next part would be the hardest to say. He looked for help but no other agent seemed willing to help him here. Megan's view was focused on the floor and Colby looked degrading to the side. 'Thanks friends.'

"Yeah, the evidence stands for itself though they're still a lot of open questions, but I'm sure we get the answers and can finally close the cases."

"Okay, good work." Don rose to his feet, he had heard enough for now. He just wanted to go back to Charlie.

David reached out his hand and held Don back. "Wait, I'm not finished yet."

"O-okay," Don stammered a little. "So go a head. What else?"

"We also found several pictures of Charlie, decorated with roses and lavender, his books and some of his published articles."

Don's mouth dropped open. He sank back onto the chair. From the beginning he had felt that Charlie was the initial target, but getting proof first hand was another thing. He nodded his head. "Just like I thought."

"But Don, one of the pictures was colored in red," David whispered. The agent felt tears shoot to his eyes. "Charlie´s in danger till we find Clark."

Don bent his head helplessly. "I know."

Megan was startled out of her numbness by the helpless view of her boss and joined the agents in the middle of the room. Don was shaking slightly. "We have to find her." He set his jaw stubbornly and was back in charge. "I want an agent in front of Charlie's room and a surveillance team outside the hospital. She won't slip by us, good god." Don had clenched his good hand into a fist ready to fight every battle he had to in order to keep his brother safe." Something more I need to know?"

They agents shared a glance.

"Not really, just something about her intentions." Now it was Megan's turn again. "I think Mary Clark wanted to be Charlie's hero."

Don peered skeptically at the female agent. "You mean first she hurts him and then she saves him?"

"Not exactly Don, she hurts him to save him," Megan explained in her best psychological manner. "She gave him the laxative and then ran to him to help him. She couldn't have foreseen Charlie's reaction to it. That may have pushed her over the edge."

"You mean she's even more dangerous now because her plan hadn't work out?"

Megan shrugged her shoulders. "Possible."

Don inhaled sharply. `It just gets better and better.'

"We also found a note informing Charlie that Mary Clark is kind of obsessed with him."

"Who wrote that letter?" Don asked into the group.

"It's an anonymous note, but Mary's boss, a Paul Hold, is missing and kitchen employees told us that he and Mary had had some kind of argument. We have an APB out on him too." Colby was back in the game. "She's a maniac."

Megan took a deep breath. 'That was the last thing Don needed to hear.' And her intuition was right. The SAC paled visibly holding his breath.

"Sorry Don," Colby tried to soothe him. "I didn´t meant to.."

"Forget it. I'm fine and obviously you're right."

The younger agent bowed his head ashamed of his behavior. Don reacted instinctively and clapped Colby's shoulder. He was still the team leader. "Don't worry." He swallowed hard. "I want you all to go back to the office and drive the investigation on. I want to know everything about that woman and I want her behind bars."

The agents silently agreed.

"For now I´m staying with Charlie, at least till the protection team is in place. I have to take care of Alan and of Larry too, I think." He glared at the slumped person in the back of the room who had finally sat down.

"Okay Boss," David answered for them all. "Don't worry, we'll get her."

The agents left with best wishes for Charlie and Alan and Don found time to talk to Larry. He sunk to his knees in front of the scientist.

"Hey Larry, are you alright?"

"I think so," Larry murmured. "It's just a little scary to hear that a woman is stalking your best friend and ready to plan his death."

"Yeah, that's indeed scary." For the first time in a while Don smiled. "So do you want to see Charlie?"

Larry looked at him with big eyes surprised by the question. "I guess I better go home now and come back tomorrow. He'll be better then and…"

"But Larry you're family, you're Charlie's best friend."

Larry laid a hand on Don's and the agent winced in pain. "Ouch! "

Larry pulled his hand back and stared shocked at Don. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Not your fault Larry, I just bruised my fist."

"Just bruised?" Larry asked ironically. He knew enough about Don's temper to make sense out of that statement. "Well then," Larry rose to his feet. "I appreciate that you call me family but I still believe it's best for me to go home."

Don was up in the next second. "It's your choice."

The physicist nodded. "Give my best wishes to Charles and Alan and tell them that my thoughts are with them."

"I'll do that."

Don laid his arm around Larry's small shoulders and together they walked out of the waiting room. Don accompanied Larry to the elevator and watched as the door closed behind him. Don leaned against the closed door. He closed his eyes and tried to find the logic in everything that had just happened. Everything was so screwed up but there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Don smiled. His little brother was still with him and he would be fine. Don vowed to do everything to keep it that way.

It was time to go back to Charlie.

TBC