My Darling Sweetheart
Warning: Nothing, it's a safe chapter.
A/N: Not many life updates, it's just that I had to deal with two weeks of no wifi because the guy who contracted with for the pocket wifi made a mistake and accidentally put in 100gb instead of the 200gb that I paid for and we only found out about that after we ran out so...that was fun. That coupled with the fact that I was on my last one or two gigs of data before the month was up and you got a recipe for boredom. On the bright side, I was able to finish watching Now You See Me 1 and 2 along with Rush Hour 1 until 3 so that was fun. But now, it's time to get back in the game! Anyways, that's all from me, have a nice day!
Don had just finished his story when Xander handed him a glass of alcohol, concern written clear on his face. "Take it, you've more than deserve it." Don looked at the glass for a moment, contemplating on turning it down in favour of keeping a sound mind but he knew that this would be the last time he'll have the opportunity to rest. Better make the most of it.
"Thanks" he said, chugging the contents in one gulp. He winced as he felt the fiery liquid burn down his throat before settling nicely within his stomach, his nerves relaxing just a fraction.
"So…what's your next move?"
He traced the rim of the glass with his finger, thinking. "I need to look into his past even more, find out who he was."
"You thinking that Rick Baker is an alias?"
Don nodded. "Before this, his record was completely clean. He had nothing there that could be a catalyst for his change in behaviour."
Xander nodded, understanding where he's getting from. "People like that don't come from out of the blue, there has to be something. That's why you think it's an alias."
"Yeah. I find his true identity, I might be able to find the reason why he's so obsessed with me."
"You thinking that you reminded him of someone in his past?"
"Something like that," Don shrugged. "Makes sense with everything we have so far. I'm sure I've never seen him before but he's clearly seen me. Maybe there must've been something that I missed…"
Xander got up, stretching his arms. "That's not outside the realm of possibility Donnie. You haven't gotten the time to take a break, haven't you?"
Don shook his head. "I have no time. My team, they'll be following the same trail of breadcrumbs I'm following. Sooner or later, we're going to meet if I'm not careful."
"So, you're trying to get to the answers before they do?"
"More or less" he shrugged.
Xander shook his head fondly at that. "You know I was right about you when we first met."
"Which part? You said plenty of things in those first few days" he teased.
"The very first part. When you and Johnson walked up to me and he told me that you'd be my partner despite being fresh outta Quantico. It only took me one look know…"
"That I was going to be trouble" Don finished, remembering those first few moments. "I remember I tried to deny it, but you wouldn't take it. Instead you said-"
"Don't worry about it, wrangling trouble is always half of the fun" Xander replied, grinning. "And lo and behold, I was right. I always have the best time when I'm around you."
"Well, you're not the first person to say that," he replied, wincing at the memory. "Although the other guy who said that, I don't think he'll be saying complimentary anytime soon. I think that uh…he's probably more than a little pissed with me for this stunt."
Xander reached over and ruffled his hair in a teasing manner, causing Don to swat his hand away. "Well…you've always been particularly good at pissing people off." Then without a word, the man got up and disappeared to his room, causing Don to open his notebook while he waited. There were more than a few ideas scribbled around, but none of them hold that much water.
Maybe I should look into his work history, see where he was. Maybe our paths crossed when we were on duty. Don took note of when the killings happened and when he started to work for the FBI, a possible timeframe. He didn't have time to read Baker's information just yet, but that would be first on his list once he was sure he wasn't at risk of having SWAT break down the front door.
"Here, I got the information you needed," Xander said as he tossed a small notebook at him. Don caught it and proceeded to rifle through the pages, impressed at the amount of information that the man managed to get in a short time. "Those are all of my safe contacts just in case. I asked around for a 'Rick Baker' and didn't get much information on him, at least from the surrounding area."
"I'm not surprised. He wasn't really stationed in LA from what I've seen. I'll look into it a bit more" he said, putting the notebook in his pocket. "Once I know where he's been, I'll let you know."
Xander nodded. "Sounds like a plan. So…you're heading out now?"
Don nodded as well. "Yeah, I need to get far away from LA. Need to get as much distance for myself and the FBI as possible before I plan my next route."
"Any idea on where you're going?"
"Somewhere with a decently high population count so I can easily hide, but a place that's far from any FBI field offices for…obvious reasons."
Xander thought for a moment before answering. "Paradise should be a two hour drive away from here. Add up the two hours earlier that you spent coming here, there should be plenty of time for you to keep your distance with the added bonus of you being in a different state."
"Perfect. Thanks for all the help Xan, appreciate it" Don said, standing up to shake his mentor's hand.
"No problem. Out of all the rookies I've mentored, you have always been my favourite" he replied, grinning. "But be careful Donnie, your office has put out a warning for everyone."
"What?"
"If they see you, they have to detain you by any means necessary. They're calling you a 'rogue agent' for now, just so everyone has a reason to take you in."
Don winced as he heard that. "Can't say they're exactly wrong about that" he muttered.
"Here, you're going to need this by the way" Xan said as he threw a card at Don. He caught it and proceeded to raise an eyebrow.
"A fake ID? Since when do you keep these?"
"Since the beginning" he replied, grinning. "That should get you into most things for now. Don't want you leaving a trail behind."
"If I wasn't in trouble earlier, I surely am now" he grumbled, pocketing the fake ID.
"You're going to be in so much more trouble later down the line" Xander said. "Unless of course you plan on flashing your FBI badge around that has your name on it. A name that's on everyone's "dangerous person watch out" list. Surely it won't take a genius to put two and two together."
Don winced even more. Xander was right. If he was going to search for information, he can't use the usual avenues like phone calls or straight up going to the offices. That is one swift way of getting arrested. He had to act like he was a fugitive now, which means going down some…less than legal paths in order to get what he needed.
"Does anyone know about your…other skill set?"
Don let out an amused huff. "No. Didn't think that telling them all that would go over well. Goes against the whole 'crime is wrong' kind of thing we have going on."
"Well then, looks like you have another advantage going on for you" Xander said, clapping Don on the back. "And you said that it was useless."
Don rolled his eyes. "It wasn't useless, it was pointless. I didn't think I ever needed to use it considering my job. But it turns out, it was more useful than I'd like to admit."
"It's like I always say, learn from everyone because you never know what will come in handy."
"I don't think that the average person has a master thief in their contacts" Don replied wryly, remembering all those lessons. Were they illegal? Absolutely. Were they fun? Maybe. Were they useful? Considering the current situation? Yes.
"Eh…semantics" Xander shrugged, unconcerned with all the questionable contacts that he had.
"How you managed to stay in the FBI long enough to get your reputation is a mystery," Don said, shaking his head in amusement. Then he took a glance at his watch, surprised at how long he stayed. "Damn, I need to run soon."
"Alright, be careful. Keep me posted and tell me if there's anything you need, both legal and…less than legal."
Don let out a small snort at that. "Now you definitely wouldn't be able to say that if you were still in the FBI. And don't worry, I'll keep you updated as best I can."
"Good enough for me" Xander replied, getting up. "I'll put that SUV of yours in a safe spot for now. Be careful, Eppes, getting killed would do no one good."
Don had to hide his flinch. He didn't say that this plan would almost certainly end up with him in a ditch somewhere. That's why he's so willing to 'go the other route' so to say. He really had nothing left to lose. It was either him or them, Baker made his options very clear on that one.
And there was nothing in this world that he wouldn't give up to keep his loved ones safe.
A/N: Oooooooof, Don is deep into "Protect everyone" mode. Who knows what kinds of things a man with his skillset can do, especially if he thinks that he has nothing left to lose. As for the "secret skill", it's not an official skill that Don has, it's just a collection of skills that I think he would have considering his character. Anyways, Don's continuously digging a deeper hole for himself. Let's just hope everyone else finds him before that hole becomes a grave.
