My Beautiful Doll
Warning: NON CONSENSUAL TOUCHING! Violence, threats at mutilation, Don being a mouthy dumbass and making everything worse for himself (the usual)
A/N: Heyyyy! I'm honestly a bit impatient to post these next few chapters because they're going to get dark real fast and it was a blast to write them. But I'm going to hold on until my actual birthday to post an extra chapter on that day (which is happening sometime this week so look out for that!). I'm still a bit sick but I am getting better which is great because I don't want to hear my roommates complaining about me about turning the AC on when it's nearly winter (I need the cold and moving air). Anyways, that's all from me, have a nice day!
Ian watched as Alan along with Megan and Amita rushed out after Charlie, clearly concerned by his reaction. Not that he could blame them. This entire thing was disturbing, even for an experienced agent like him. It also didn't help that this was about Don, the man he loved more than anything in the world. The man he was willing to open his heart to and admit that yes, he is capable of love. To see him get treated like he was nothing but an object made Ian's blood boil, especially when Baker kept blaming Don for everything that was happening. Don was an idiot, no one would deny that, but none of this was his fault.
"Should we wait?" David asked, worried.
"No," Ian replied, "Don doesn't have time. We need to look over this fast." Then he pointed his chin at the direction that Charlie went out. "He'll come back soon anyways."
David nodded. But before he was able to play the video again, Megan walked in. "Alan's and Amita are him right now," she said. Then she sat down, waving her hand at David. "Play the video."
"Alright…" Then proceeded to press play again.
After that disgusting display, Baker continued, slowly leaving shallow cuts throughout Don's body, spewing comments that made everyone uncomfortable, ones that dug under their skin and made them itch for a shower. Ian felt his disgust and rage rise with every statement, his need to drive a bullet into the man's skull growing with each second that passed.
"There you go," Baker spoke lovingly before harshly gripping Don's face, forcing him to turn his head. "I figured that you'd look pretty covered in red" the man said as he gently ran his thumb back and forth over Don's cheek. "But I know that you would look even prettier covered in white" he grinned widely, the slow seductive drawl in his tone made it clear for everyone who heard him what he was talking about. Ian clenched his fist in anger, frustrated at his inability to stop his partner from suffering even further.
Don let out a muffled sound as he jerked his head away from the hand, then he aggressively got into Baker's face as best as he could, pulling at the handcuffs that were restraining him, his threat clear. I'm never going down so you better stop before you do something you'll regret. Even without looking at his full expression, Ian could tell that everyone knew what Don was trying to say.
"Alright, alright," Baker said, smiling, walking in front of Don, his back facing the camera, clearly ignoring the threat. "I'll take the tape off." As he muttered something about Don being spoiled under his breath, he carefully peeled it off. Ian would've been surprised at the gentleness if he didn't already know the fact that this man was about as manipulative as the average politician. As of now, they all tensed up, waiting for the ball to drop right on top of Don's head. "There you go. How is it?"
"Would've been nicer if I could see," Don spat out, sounding annoyed. "Then again, I'd have to see your face and well…I think death is a much nicer fate than that" he muttered under his breath. Ian almost snorted at that. Leave it to Don to have a sarcastic comment under the worst circumstances. Looking around, Ian could see a small smile on Billy along with the team's faces, torn between being worried and pissed or amused, a feeling that happens far too often when Don is involved.
"Still insisting on playing hard to get?" Baker said, his tone unamused.
"Considering everything? I'd say I'm letting you off easy," Don shot back, unwilling to back down.
"Damnit Donnie, shut the fuck up," Cooper hissed, recognizing the change in Baker's attitude. His body was tense, like a spring that threatened to bounce out of its confines and take out an eye at any second. For once, Ian had to agree with him.
For once, Baker was still. He wasn't tense, nor was he relaxed. He just stood there, towering over Don, his back to the camera. They couldn't see his face, which worried them. They couldn't tell what was going on in his head. All they could do was watch helplessly as they waited for something to happen.
Seconds felt like minutes as the video continued, Baker standing as still as a statue while Don waited, tense. Ian was about to ask David to fast forward the video before suddenly, Baker moved.
SLAP!
The sound of skin against skin reverberated throughout the room, making everyone jump in surprise. There, Baker stood coolly as he held his position, his right palm open. Don's head snapped to the right, the side of his face red due to the force.
"How DARE you?" Baker growled, his voice low and dangerous, sending bright red warning signals for everyone in the room. "I gave you everything you could ever have, and this is how you act?"
"If by give you mean ALMOST KILLING ME three times then KIDNAPPING me? Then yes, I'd say this is exactly how I should act."
"Don I swear to god, shut the FUCK up," Ian couldn't help but shout out at the screen even though he knew it was hopeless. He just had to hope and pray that they weren't going to witness Don's execution.
"Didn't you listen to what I said? I did it all for you!" Baker was close to shouting, waving his hands around wildly.
"Well I didn't need any of this! I had everything I wanted! You're the one who ripped me away from it!" Don shouted as he accused his captor, tugging ferociously at the cuffs. "If you truly wanted me to be happy, you should've let me be."
Baker then surged forward, grabbing Don by the collar of his shirt and yanking Don towards him. "Were you? Were you actually happy with them?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Of course I was!" Don replied, outraged.
"Really? Did they know your problems? Your insecurities? Your troubles? Could you freely talk to them or did you have to hide everything behind a mask?" Baker snarled, "Did they even bother to dig deeper whenever you say 'I'm fine' or do they leave it alone because they can't deal with the fact that their pillar needed help. Do they even care about you or are they just around because of your genius brother? Do they even see you as a competent agent?"
Ian fought not to throw the nearest chair into the wall as Baker threw accusation after accusation, questions geared towards the exact problems and doubts that Don had. They were clearly designed to break him down, make him question everything that he's ever known. And the problem was… he was right. In a way, none of them had ever truly pushed Don to talk about his feelings because they were all under the impression that he had it all under control. Not only that, ever since Charlie was brought on board, they've all been relying on his math even more, making the traditional way of solving crime seem meaningless. No doubt, Don felt useless because he had to rely on his younger brother to do the job that he had been doing for years. Ian couldn't help but shove his fists into his pockets, secretly afraid to see Don give in.
"So?" Baker sounded annoyingly smug as he asked that, taking Don's silence as agreement. "Now you see, they never cared for you. I, on the other hand, will always love you no matter what." Baker's hand released its grip on his shirt collar and went up to gently trail a finger down Don's face. "You could truly have everything you ever wanted, all you have to do is just stop fighting it and let me love you."
There was a beat of silence before Don answered. "I'd rather break all of my bones fighting you than give in," he growled.
"What?"
"My team and family might not be perfect, but they're trying," Don replied aggressively, steamrolling over Baker. "First, you forgot to take into account that I would never, ever want anyone to know how I truly feel. No one needs to know what's going on inside my head and that includes you. Second, you might not see it, but they all have different ways of showing me that they care. So to say that they don't just shows how little you know about me and my life. And lastly, so what? If they're only here for my brother, then so be it. At least one of us is competent," he ended that with a hollow laugh, as if he actually believes in that last sentiment.
We are going to talk when you get home, Ian thought to himself.
Baker looked increasingly frustrated, angrily running a hand through his hair. As if he sensed Baker's growing annoyance and confusion, Don spoke again. "You should know by now that I'm stubborn. Especially when it comes to something I'm confident about." Don then turned to the camera, somehow managing to smile brightly despite his condition. "And I've always been more confident in them than I have ever been in myself."
Looking around, Ian could see that everyone was taken aback at that statement. Especially Charlie, who had come back from the bathroom sometime earlier. The pride and love that Don somehow managed to convey during such a stressful situation was something that Ian didn't know they needed. This was clearly Don's way of calming everyone down, to help them get through this torturous video without him being there to physically help them. Dammit you idiot, Ian thought to himself, shaking his head, think about yourself for once.
"Are you sure about that?" Baker was now calm, his tone lifeless.
Don tensed, but still raised his chin up in confidence, "Yes."
"Do you want to test that?"
Don looked confused. "What the hell do you mean by-". But before he could finish his sentence, Baker landed a vicious kick onto Don's broken leg without warning. Don screamed, his agonized voice ringing through Ian's ears. He could hear a bunch of angry yells, death threats, and worried cries coming from the people in the room. Ian took some deep breaths, trying to draw that infamous calm that he was known for.
Don then slumped forward, his body weak. Suddenly, Baker grabbed onto Don's hair and yanked it back. Don opened his mouth to cry out before he froze again, afraid of making the situation he was in even worse. Everyone in the room froze along with him, Charlie's soft gasp being the only sound inside the room.
Baker had shoved the knife inside Don's mouth and currently had the blade pressed to the inside of his cheek, sharp side out.
"What would happen if I actually cut your pretty face open?" he asked coolly. The true intent of his question lingered in the air. Ian growled, itching to jump into the screen and slaughter the bastard with his bare hands.
Despite the blindfold, Ian could feel the glare that Don had leveled at the man. "I'd say you'd have a lot of blood on your hands," Don replied, slightly muffled due to the knife.
"Are you confident that they would still love you like that?"
"More than I've ever been in my entire life."
Baker then gave them a chilling smile, "Then you won't mind if I…" then visibly pushed the blade further into Don's cheek, his threat clear.
Ian could see Don struggling internally, torn between giving in or fighting. Fear and anger waging war against pride and his stubborn need to be strong. For once in your life, just give in. Ian wasn't the type to go down easy either, but even he knew when to stop.
"Go ahead and try," he growled.
"DON NO!" Charlie's voice cried out as he covered his eyes, afraid of seeing his brother get mutilated. Amita held onto him, burying her face in his shoulder, also terrified.
Alan whispered something under his breath that sounded like "God please no…" as he looked away, bracing for the inevitable. Megan reached out and held onto Larry, gripping his hand tightly as she tried to control her emotions. David looked physically horrified, gripping the remote like it was the only thing that was keeping him anchored to this reality. Colby and Cooper both looked furious, faces blazing with fiery hate. But beneath that, Ian could also detect worry and even fear, something that Ian could sympathize with. Ian knew he looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, it was like a hurricane of emotions. Everything ranging from anger, to fear, to concern, to hate all whirling within him, fighting for control.
Ian dug his fingers even further into his palms, not caring about the blood that started to trickle down. The pain that he's experiencing now meant nothing compared to what Don went through, to what he's going to go through. He tensed up, bunching his shoulders as he waited for the inevitable swipe of the knife to do something irreversible.
That never happened.
Instead, after a few tense seconds of silence, Baker let out an annoyed sigh and slowly took the knife out before carelessly tossing it onto the metal table, the loud sound making Don flinch. "Clearly you're still too attached to your old life," he said.
"No shit," Don muttered underneath his breath.
Baker rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath, the smile now back on his face. "That's alright. No marriage is without its ups and downs. I'll just have to be patient and chip at you. Bit. By. Bit." He growled out those last few words. "I just want you to know that I've been quite lenient towards you, hoping that you'll eventually see. But you still decided to be stubborn. You only have yourself to blame. This could've been quick and painless for you, but you're the one who decided to be difficult," the man admonished, going behind Don again before pulling at the collar around his neck, causing Don to let out a strangled cry. "I am going to break you," he said calmly, "destroy every single connection you've ever had to your past life until there's nothing left."
Despite clearly struggling to talk due to the pressure on his throat, Don somehow managed to give the man a cocky smile. "Do your worst, I dare you."
Baker let out a laugh before kissing Don's cheek, "My pretty little doll…I'll make you regret that statement." Then he let go of the collar, brushing off imaginary dust from his shirt, not caring about the blood that's smeared all over him. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but as you can see, I have some work to do," he said to the camera, exasperated. "But that's okay. Because in the end, I know he'll be mine." Baker then gave them a smug smile, "It's just a matter of time." Then he reached out and the recording died, along with any hope that they have of finding Don intact.
"God…" Ian breathed out as he slumped over a chair, not caring about how emotional he looked. A part of him wanted to look away when Don declared that he was confident in his team. Judging by everyone's faces, they all felt like they didn't deserve it.
"We can do this," Charlie spoke up, trying to boost everyone's mood. "We can find him, and then we can mother him to death…right?"
For once, none of them could answer that. Even a small lie felt like a monumental task. Charlie turned to Ian, his eyes brimming with tears. "He's going to be okay, right?"
Ian swallowed saliva. For once, he despised his straightforward nature. Gritting his teeth, he gave Charlie the best answer he had. "I hope so."
I don't know what I'd do with myself if I fail…
A/N: Yeesh, things are not looking up for any of them. And before anyone wonders, yes, Don was 100% mentally freaking out when Baker stuffed the knife in his mouth and would've just panicked right then and there if it weren't for the fact that he knew that everyone would be watching the tape. Gotta keep up the tough guy mask even when kidnapped (the dumbass).