My Darling Sweetheart
Warning: Nothing.
A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the slightly late upload. Inspiration's been running pretty low on my end so unfortunately, I'm not as on top of my fics as I'd like to be. I usually have a few chapters already written down beforehand but this time, I'm writing on the day I'm posting which is why my upload schedule is kinda wack. Hopefully though, this will improve by the end of the week so I don't feel like I'm half-assing things. So, if this chapter seems lackluster, then that's why. I'm praying that inspiration hits soon because this sucks. Anyways, that's all from me, have a nice day!
Don didn't know how long he spent just driving around the familiar streets, trying to get lost in the scenery. "It's not him…it's probably just another crazed maniac with a thing for Grimm's fairy tales. It was just a coincidence that the bastard had called me Snow White and now a crime scene with Snow White imagery pops out." He's been thinking about that line over and over in his mind, trying to make sure that the damn thing sticks. Unfortunately it seems like his mind understands the situation too much to be fooled.
He parked underneath a tree where he knew it would be okay to park and slammed his head backwards, closing his eyes. "Shit…who am I kidding…" he muttered underneath his breath. "I can barely lie to my family, let alone myself." He couldn't delude himself any longer. He knew within his heart that this was a calling card for him, something that the man had done in order to get his attention.
"Well…you certainly have my attention now bastard" he growled to himself, feeling like all of this was his fault once more. If it weren't for Baker's obsession over him, that agent would still be alive. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of responsibility. As much as he hated to admit it, he was running away from his problems, too afraid to face them head on. Everyone might've thought that he was trying to heal, but in reality, he was just hiding from what happened.
God…you're such a coward…he scoffed to himself, feeling worse with each passing moment. If only everyone knew you were trying to run away instead of trying to be better. His grip tightened on the steering wheel, his teeth gnashing together in a weak attempt to calm himself down. "C'mon…keep your head in the game Eppes, thinking about it won't do you any good." He sighed as he tried to shake himself out of his miserable thoughts. "First, I need to make sure that he's actually here."
Don decided that the best course of action was to look into the places that's been setting off his instincts the most, starting from the spot near the café. So, he got out of the calming shade of the tree and back into reality, pressing on the gas lightly as he backtracked to where he was just this morning. He had thrown his phone into the backseat and it was completely buzzing like mad. He ignored it, knowing that whatever it was, his team would be able to deal with it. He needed to make sure that his instincts were wrong.
It wasn't long before he reached the area, parking his car nearby, grabbing his phone from the backseat and stepping out, observing his surroundings from behind his sunglasses. The feeling that someone was watching him isn't there right now which unfortunately strengthened his suspicion. Alright…where would that bastard be hiding…
Don closed his eyes, recalling those first few days when the feeling came around. He remembered feeling like he was being constantly watched despite seeing no one around. But after that, that feeling stopped following him around. It was still there, but it was only on a few hotspots. Best case scenario, Baker didn't want to risk it by stalking him too much so he decided to watch Don being as close as he possibly could. Considering that the area was within line of sight of the FBI building, it wouldn't be surprising to think that Baker would hole up here.
He looked over at the café, noting its location. Then. his eyes traced invisible lines in the air, trying to determine which place would be the best to watch someone. Thankfully, unlike sniping, he didn't need to factor extra things like wind resistance. What he needed to consider was line of sight and finding out which spot was the best place to keep an eye on him, whether he was at the café or walking around the exterior of the FBI building. That and the ability to stay at that place for long periods of time without getting suspicious.
He turned his body around, making sure that he sees every possible option before he spots it, the perfect hiding place nestled right in the middle of various other establishments. While the outside building was unassuming, the fact that it was close to a decently sized parking lot that was for private use only told him that this building was more than meets the eye.
Feeling a renewed sense of confidence, he walked up to the building and swung the door open, looking around as he did. Just as he suspected, the building seems to be renting out rooms if the receptionist up front and the rows of keys being hung behind them was anything to go by. Don took off his sunglasses and placed them in his pocket, walking confidently up to the bored caretaker. "Good morning, I'm Special Agent Don Eppes from the FBI" he greeted as he leaned over the counter, flashing his badge at the older woman. "Are you the owner of this place?"
The woman eyed him suspiciously. "Yes, I own this place. Do you have any issues with that?"
Don gave her a sweet disarming smile, one that he knew worked especially well on older women with maternal instincts. "No issues ma'am" he replied softly, "unless of course, you don't have a permit or your building's not up to code." He made a show of looking around the place which, admittedly, was not that bad. "But, considering how orderly this place looks right now, I have a feeling that you run a tight ship over here." He didn't need to mention the fact that the FBI wasn't in charge of building violations and things like that. What he needed was to get the woman on his side. He knocked the wood lightly, secretly surprised to feel that it was a solid and high quality wood. "Real maple wood too? Not many apartment rentals would shill out money for this kind of quality, even for the receptionist. Something about this place means something to you, doesn't it?" He made sure that his tone was inquisitive and not prodding, tilting his head slightly to the side to sell that innocently curious tone even more.
As soon as he said those words, the woman's face morphed into something softer and more welcoming. "It does. This entire building belonged to my late husband. We used to have a restaurant here but ever since he passed, I changed it into an apartment building" she said. Bingo. Don thanked his Dad for constantly dragging him to Home Depot for house renovations or else he'll never be able to tell what kind of wood the tables were made from. "Didn't know I was in the presence of a charmer, Agent Eppes."
Don chuckled slightly, feeling his face flush at the compliment. "You're too kind. I'm just saying what I see, a business owner with a passion for their work and a strong sense of morals." At the woman's questioning glance, he pointed his chin at a card that was stuck onto a cork board behind her, one that was about a support group for people who were victims of abuse. "It's nice to know that there's still some good people in this world. Sometimes, in my line of work, we need a reminder or two about why we still do what we do despite everything we see."
The woman's gaze softened even more, smiling gently as she looked back at Don. Her expression was one of compassion and understanding. "Well, I'm glad to remind you of the light that's still around us," she replied, her tone much warmer than the curt greeting that he got earlier. "So, how can I help you, Agent Eppes?"
Don looked down at his phone and pulled out a picture of Baker. He was thankful that he had the foresight to snap a picture of Baker from his files. "Have you seen this man around?"
The woman squinted for a moment before nodding. "Yes, he's currently renting a room here. Although, he stepped out a few hours ago."
Don felt his heart leap in his throat at the admission, but forced himself to look neutral. "Can you tell me what time?"
The woman replied, telling him details of Baker along the way. His schedule, his attitude, even the identification he gave her. Don did the calculations in his head and almost cursed out loud at the results. Baker's arrival here slides in neatly with the appearance of that odd feeling that Don has been having all this time. Not only that, Baker's departure from the building overlaps with the possible timeline for the victim. Fuck… I can't ignore the signs any longer…
"-nt Eppes? Are you okay?"
Don blinked for a second before smiling, nodding his head. "Yes, I'm fine." Then he looked around the empty room for a second before making up his mind, whispering something into the woman's ear. The woman looked confused at first, but she nodded in agreement. "Alright, thank you for your help" he said gratefully.
"Thank you for coming around," she replied, waving her hand. Don then turned around and left, burying his notebook deep within the pocket of his jacket. He grit his teeth as he walked back to his car, his mind swirling with emotions. The biggest one was, should I tell them? The obvious answer was yes, he definitely should. After the last time where everything blew up in his face, he saw how useful working as a team was, especially in cases like this. Until this day, Don was still kicking himself in the face at the fact that he missed such obvious signs in hindsight, signs that other people would've noticed if he just brought them in.
Don couldn't help but slam his head onto his steering wheel once more once he was inside the car, groaning in annoyance. "Damnit, can't believe I'm actually doing this…" he growled. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed his team with him. "At least they'll be proud of my growth" he said sarcastically, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He winced as he saw the many…many missed calls from Megan and to his surprise, both his father and brother. The sight of those three calls made him worry, a small chill slowly crawling up his spine despite the warm weather. He decided to call Charlie first, thinking that his little brother was the least likely person to murder him for missing his calls.
Don took a deep breath and pressed the call button, putting the phone to his ear. The first ring barely made it through before it suddenly stopped, his brother seeming like he picked his phone up so abruptly that Don could feel it. "DON! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"
Don had to lean back from his brother's shouting voice, wincing at the slight ringing in his ears. So much for not murdering me. "I was driving around earlier, thought I had a possible lead. What's up? Is there something-" but before he managed to finish his sentence, he heard Charlie's background noise. He could hear crying, sniffling, things being wheeled around, voices on speakers calling people by numbers and someone shouting what suspiciously sounds like the word Doctor. "Charlie…are you at the hospital?"
He could hear his brother let out a sigh, one that sent a jolt of panic straight through his heart. "We've been trying to call you for the past hour man. You need to come to the hospital right now."
"What? Why? Is Dad okay?"
"Dad's fine" his brother replied, which helped calm him down significantly. But then, Charlie's next words caused a chasm to rip open underneath Don's feet, threatening to send him hurtling down to the dark uncertain void below.
"But the team...they got into a car wreck on their way back from the scene."
A/N: Well shit, looks like things aren't looking up for anyone. Now buckle up people, it's all going downhill from here.
