My Darling Sweetheart
Warning: Nothing, unless you need a warning for Don making questionable decisions.
A/N: Heyyyy! I don't really have much of an update today except for the fact that my wifi is still off…BUT! Good news, I should be getting a pocket wifi tomorrow so at least I'll have something instead of trying to live off of the measly data I have. Anyways, that's all I have for now, have a nice day!
Ian and Billy were around two steps away from killing each other when Ian's phone rang, causing them to relax just a fraction while Ian went to get it. Everyone in the vicinity let out a small sigh of relief at that, their shoulders collectively slumping over at the fact that they wouldn't need to get in between of two powerhouses in fugitive recovery. It was like getting in the middle of two wildcats fighting, the only one who would end up losing would be the person who decided to get in the middle.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to put Ian and Billy on the same team would meet the business end of Ian's rifle, he would make sure of it.
Just because we're both dating the same man doesn't mean we're buddy buddy now Ian thought. Hell, even Don couldn't stand having the both of them in the same room sometimes and the man was dating them both. Although, in Don's case, both he and Billy try to tone down the fighting for his sake.
Key word being try.
Currently though, Ian was too busy trying to get the phone out of his pocket to care. Who would be calling me? His question was answered three seconds later when he read the caller ID. "Hey Coop, it's Don calling."
Billy's head shot up, his expression confused. "Answer it, see what he wants."
Ian had to bite back an annoyed sigh before answering. "Missed us already Don? Even when you were the one who kicked us out?"
"You two were getting on my nerves, of course I needed to kick you out" Don retorted, although the tone of his voice was odd. It didn't sound like how Don would usually joke around. In fact, it sounded far too bright compared to Don's usual tone. "Hold on! Did you say us?"
"Yeah, Coop is with me…unfortunately" he muttered.
"Hey Donnie, how are you?" Billy greeted cheerfully after Ian put them on speaker, everyone else leaving them to have their clearly private conversation. Ian expected Don to answer that, but to both of their surprise, Don didn't. There was nothing but eerie silence on the other line.
"Don…?" Ian called out, trying to not sound too worried.
"I'm fine" Don replied, but this time, Ian's senses were blaring. Don's voice sounded weak and tired, shaking just slightly at the last word. Don sounded like he was forcing himself to stay neutral, which ended up with him being too toneless.
"Donnie…" Billy said, his tone was a clear warning. "What is it?"
There was silence once more before Don started to speak again. "You guys know I love you two so much, right?"
That caused both Ian and Billy to freeze, eyes wide as they heard that. They tend to not throw around the word "love" lightly considering their backgrounds, only saying that in serious situations or emotional ones. So to hear Don say that caused even more warning signs to blare. "Of course, we love you too. What is it Don?" Billy said, his tone gentle now. While Ian could do gentle for Don, Billy was a bit better at it than he was.
They heard a shuddering breath as Don tried to calm himself down, something that they've unfortunately heard before. "If anything happens to me, will you two be able to move on?"
Ian felt his heart stop for a second at that question. "Don, what the hell? Why are you asking that?"
"Just answer the damn question" Don shot back, sounding angry but also desperate.
"I know I can't" Billy spoke up, staring at the phone like it had personally offended him. "You're the best damn partner I've ever had and will have. You know me, know my thought process and can cover my faults like no one else. You work around my drawbacks instead of giving up or forcing me to bend."
"Same here" Ian replied. "You understand me better than anyone else, tolerate me and my faults and instead of running away, you stayed. If I lost you, I don't think I would ever date anyone again, not after I know what it's like to be loved by you."
Ian felt his grip tightened on the phone as he heard the tell tale signs that Don was silently crying on the other end of the phone. The sound of hitched breaths followed by soft sniffles were the only things they could hear. "Dammit…don't make this hard for me. Just say you could easily leave me and we can be done."
"Don, what the hell is happening? Are you okay? Is someone threatening you?" It didn't make sense. Don wouldn't cry if someone threatened him. Instead, much to everyone's dismay, Don tends to run at those threats at full speed. His calm, confident, sarcastic attitude that he employs whenever he is faced with someone dangerous or whenever he is in mortal danger almost never falls. In fact, when an infamous hitman targeted him, Don had spent those days being calm, not telling anyone about the deal he made. Even when Don was sure he was about to die, he wouldn't cry. Not like this.
Something was wrong.
"Donnie, tell us" Billy tried to coax the answer out of Don, but that only caused the man to break even more as they heard a loud bang, signaling that he dropped the phone as a dull thud followed suit.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" the apologies spilled out of Don like a mantra, causing a chill to creep up Ian's spine.
"Don, talk to us" Ian hissed, the concern building up with each second.
"God…I don't want to do this…but I have to. Please, tell everyone I love them."
That's when Ian felt like he was doused in cold water, his entire system going into shock. This was the tone of a desperate man, a desperate man on a suicide mission that he was too scared to go through. Don, what's going on?
"Tell them that yourself, you dick. Why the hell do you sound like you're going to die on us?" Coop hissed, grabbing Ian's phone angrily. For once, Ian didn't care, his mind running on the possibilities of what was happening.
Don didn't answer his question. Instead, he whispered "I love you…and I'm so sorry…" before the line cuts off.
"Don…DON!" Coop shouted at the phone, fear and anger flashing through his blue eyes. He pressed the redial on Ian's phone, but this time, Don didn't answer. "Answer us…fucking answer us goddamnit!" Billy growled, desperately pressing the redial button again and again.
"Give me your phone Coop, I'm going to call Megan" Ian said, holding his hand out. Billy said nothing as he gave Ian his phone, the red-head still busy trying to get into contact with Don again. Once he had Billy's phone, Ian searched for Megan's phone number, his nerves feeling like they were on fire for once. Once he found her phone number, he pressed the call button, pacing as he waited for her to pick up the call.
Don, what the fuck do you think you're doing?
If Megan thought she was anxious before, she felt like she was very close to having a full blown panic attack right now. Alan had come to visit them with some disturbing news, someone had sent him pictures of everyone's houses. That had sent the entire team on alert because none of them had requested for those pictures to be taken. Not to mention, what would those pictures be for? The fact that it was addressed to Don made everything so much worse. It seems that no matter what, her boss was always in the middle of something dangerous.
Not only that, Alan noted Don's odd behaviour. The man was notorious for being somewhat emotionally stunted, having difficulty expressing affection. So to hear that Don outright said "I love you" to Alan, for initiating that expression caused something to curl in Megan's gut.
"What do you think got to him?" David asked, cocking his head to the side.
"Not sure, he just said that it was a rough case. Nothing more" Alan replied. "Are you guys looking into particularly difficult cases right now?"
"Just one of a fellow officer, but even then, we don't know him" Colby shrugged. But before anyone could speak, Megan's phone rang. The conversation between her and the agent on the other side was quick, but it didn't manage to stop that worry and anxiety from growing within her.
Charlie looked up from his notebook, seeing her worried face, he visibly grew worried as well. "Who was that?"
"Agent Anderson. He said that Don was acting strangely at the office."
"Strange? How strange are we talking about here?" Colby asked.
"He was standing in front of a package with an empty shell shocked look on his face. They said that he almost looked scared. Then, he started to scream before suddenly snapping at him" She replied, causing everyone to straighten. They all remembered those first few months of Don's recovery. It was hell on both sides, Don's and theirs. Don would be flighty, flinch, snap, and stare hollowly, gripping his head roughly to stop his own mind from rebelling against him. But over time, Don had gotten better. Now, he barely showed any signs or symptoms except for the occasional thousand yard stare that would take over his face for a second or sudden flashes of memory.
"You don't think…" Charlie said, now looking worried for his brother.
"Don's been acting off since this morning and I intend to find out why" she said, getting off of the bed.
David looked concerned as she got off the bed. "Uh Megan…are you recovered enough to-"
"You two are still wrapped up like mummies" she shot at them, pointing her chin at their bandages. "My worst injuries are a sprained wrist and bruised ribs. I'll be fine." Then, as an afterthought, she added "plus, I'm not Don. I know when to take a break." That earned a lighthearted chuckle from everyone, lighting up the atmosphere. She walked towards the bathroom and changed her clothes, grateful that her injuries weren't so bad that this task would be impossible alone.
"Call us when you get something" Colby spoke up when she emerged from the bathroom, fully changed.
"Don't forget, be careful" Alan called out as she walked out the door.
"I will."
After solidly arguing with the nurses about discharging her, she managed to hail a cab, surprised at the fact that no one was on protection duty for them. If there was anyone in the world that took the safety of others seriously, it was Don. He must really be bothered, she thought nervously.
The trip to the FBI office was surprisingly fast, probably because she paid the taxi driver extra to go as fast as he legally could get away with. But, as soon as she got there, she had the distinct feeling that it would've been too late anyways. Rushing into the room definitely didn't help, since as soon as she walked in, everyone looked away from her.
She ignored everyone's looks and instead opted to walk up to the one who called her earlier. "Agent Anderson, where's Agent Eppes?"
The agent looked up at her and she almost stepped back at how pale his face was. "Agent Anderson, is everything okay? Where's Don?"
"Agent…agent Eppes left a few minutes ago…" the man replied, looking nervous. "He stormed out as soon as he opened the package."
"Why didn't you stop him?"
"We wanted to, but he gave us a look that told us that he would fight anyone who tried to stop him." Megan couldn't help but sympathize with that. While she never saw that expression on Don, she has seen Don's terrifyingly determined expression, which almost says the same thing albeit with less promise of violence. "We're very sorry, Agent Reeves."
"It's fine" she replied, "you did what you could and Don can get intimidating when he wants to be. Do you guys at least know where the package is?"
The agent nodded and pointed at the drawers on Don's desk. "He threw it inside, I think it was the second drawer from the bottom."
"Thank you Agent Anderson" she replied before calling David's cell, knowing that they would like to know the details.
"Megan, you got something?" Colby's voice rang out, most likely because David put them on speakerphone.
"Close. Don left the package on his desk so I'm looking for it right now." She opened up the drawer and started rummaging around, trying to find something out of the ordinary. Her fingers brushed upon something soft, almost velvety that caused her to grab it and take it out. "I found something," she announced, putting the black box on the desk. There was a silver ribbon that pooled around it. Most likely it was used to wrap around the box before Don opened it earlier.
"What's inside?" Charlie's voice rang out.
Megan had no qualms opening the box, her eyebrows raising in confusion as she saw what was inside. "There's…an apple piece?"
"A what?" Alan sounded lost and confused.
"Alan, didn't you say that you were sent a picture of an apple along with pictures of our houses earlier?" Colby asked.
"Yes…but what does this have to do with anything?"
"Wasn't there a bitten off apple in the crime scene earlier today?" David said, "The one that was on the desk, near the victim. That along with the passage from the Grimm version of Snow White?"
"You think it's connected?" She replied, "do you think that Don was contacted by our killer?"
"Could be, but that still doesn't explain his behaviour. Don's been contacted by killers before and he's never reacted like this" David sounded confused at that, probably recalling all the times they've worked together in the past. Out of the three of them, David's the one that's been with Don the longest.
"Don's been WHAT?" Alan almost shouted, the thump telling her that he jumped up from his seat. "Why didn't he tell me any of this?"
"With all due respect Alan, that's probably why" Colby said dryly.
"Fair enough" he grumbled, "still would've been nice to know."
"Oh no…" Megan felt her heart drop as she examined the box even more, her heart picking up speed.
"That doesn't sound good…" Colby spoke up, his tone now worried. "What did you find?"
Megan ignored them in favour of asking any available agents for backup. As soon as she got a handful of people as backup and to guard the hospital room that everyone else was in, she rushed to grab her own car from the parking lot. Once she stepped into the vehicle, David spoke once more.
"Megan, what did you find?"
"I think I know who's behind this. And if I'm right, then Don's in so much more danger than we first thought" she growled, turning on the sirens in her car as she stepped on the gas.
"Who?" Charlie asked, sounding extremely worried. But before Megan could answer, her phone rang again, signaling that someone else was calling her.
"Hold on" she said before answering. "Reeves."
"Megan, something's wrong with Don." the voice of Ian Edgerton appeared from the speakers. "He called us earlier, sounding stressed."
"He said he loved us and asked us questions. Then after that, he started crying, apologizing over and over again. Now he won't answer the phone. What the hell is going on?" This time, Billy's voice spoke out, sounding both angry and worried.
"I'm not sure but I have my suspicions," she said.
"And? What are they?"
"I'll tell you in a bit. Why don't you call Colby's cell, that way everyone is in" she said.
"Alright. Coop will try to call Don too" Ian said before the line went dead. Megan went back to try and dial David's number, this time getting an instant answer.
"Has Ian contacted you?"
"They're right here," Colby said.
"Alright Reeves, will you tell us what the hell is going on? Cause none of this sounds good at all" Billy's voice sounds muffled from the poor attempt at playing telephone, but he was audible nonetheless.
Megan took a deep breath as she turned the steering wheel, careful of civilians. "I think Baker's back."
That earned a collective "WHAT?" Along with rounds of swearing.
"Are you sure?" Charlie sounded scared this time, and it was obvious why. Even Megan could feel the chill creeping up her spine.
"Ninety percent sure," she replied. "Baker is the only explanation as to why Don's acting like this. You guys know him better than anyone, he wouldn't react like this when threatened." Unless of course you hurt him in the way that Baker had.
"Damnit Don…I had a feeling this was happening" Ian said, sounding torn between worry and anger.
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"Don…the way he spoke, he sounded like someone who knows they won't be coming back…"
There was a sharp inhale, followed by sounds of feet as they ran out a door. "Charlie! I'm going to chase after him. Will you keep me updated?"
"Of course Alan" she replied, gripping the steering wheel tightly. The rest of the car ride was done in silence with Megan thinking about the possibilities of this happening. Please…tell me I'm wrong.
It wasn't long before she reached Don's apartment, pulling up near the front, the screeching tired behind her telling her that backup was not far behind. Megan clipped her phone to her belt and walked inside, gun drawn as some of the agents followed behind her. She signaled for them to follow behind her as they all made their way up towards Don's room, each step feeling like eternity. Her hands were damp and she could feel the thundering in her heart, afraid of what she might find behind the door. She prayed with every fiber of her being that Don was going to be behind that door, alive and well. Please…let him be okay.
After what felt like forever, they all finally reached Don's room with Megan in front. "Hold on" she whispered as they all stood back. Then, she rang the doorbell. "Hey Don…you home?" She called out.
No answer.
She rang again, this time, knocking the door simultaneously. "Hey Don, you ran out the office earlier. Is everything okay?"
Still no answer.
Oh god…even if Don was asleep, he would've woken up at that. He was one of the lightest sleepers on the team, even including Colby who used to be in the military. Even after a full week of nonstop work, he would still jump up at the slightest sound. Megan pressed her ear against the door, hoping to hear some activity going on inside, anything that indicated that Don was inside.
Nothing…it was all dead silent.
"I'm sorry Don" she whispered before nodding to an agent beside her who was ready to kick down the door.
"One…" her heart started to race, beating so loudly within her chest that she was certain everyone else could hear it.
"Two…" she braced herself, holding her gun tighter as she took a sharp breath, mentally preparing for what was inside.
"THREE! FBI OPEN UP!" She screamed as the door went down and they all crowded the small space, guns ready. The agents around her instantly dispersed as Megan started to surround the scene, looking for any indication that the owner was home.
"Clear" an agent said, emerging from the bedroom. "No ones there. But by the looks of the closet, it seems like they left in a hurry."
Left…oh god.
"Agent Reeves, over here!" Another agent called out to her from the living room. She ran towards the voice, her blood going cold as soon as she saw what was there. Pictures were scattered across the floor, ones of the team, of Don's family, and of Don himself. But, it wasn't those pictures that got her heart to race even more. No, there was a picture that looked like it was from the top of the pile, one of her, Colby, and David, all injured and passed out from the crash earlier.
"Guys…the crash from this morning was definitely deliberate" she said, taking her phone and putting it up to her ear.
"What did you find?" David asked.
"There were a bunch of pictures scattered on the floor, looks like Don dropped them when he saw them. One of them was a picture of us after the crash, before the EMTs came."
"Damn…looks like everything is connected after all" Colby cursed. "How do we know its from Baker though?"
"Agent Reeves, you might want to see this" another officer called out, this time from the dining room. She instantly went towards the voice, her eyes zeroing on the ringing phone on the table. Looking closely, her heart dropped as she read the words "Ian Edgerton" on the caller ID. "Ian, are you guys still trying to call him?"
"Yeah, still nothing."
She swallowed down her fear and worry as she took in the state of the table. Don's phone was left ringing on the table along with two framed pictures. One was of Don's mother and the other was a picture that they all took not too long ago. On the frame was an envelope, one that said "I'm sorry" on it. Don…what the hell were you thinking? But that wasn't the worst one. The worst one was a piece of paper that was left on the desk, one that also had Don's handwriting on it, but less neater than earlier. This one read:
If you want me, come and get me.
- Don
And, to Megan's worry, there was another line that was written on the paper but this time, it looked different from Don's. This one was clearly written by someone else, someone whose handwriting she recognized from the hours she spent reading letters from him. This one said:
You're on.
- B
"Goddamnit Don!" Megan hissed, angrily throwing her hands up in the air as she turned around, unable to look at the scene any longer.
"Megan? What's going on? Where's my brother?"
Megan took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself to say it out loud. "Charlie, Alan…I'm so sorry but…we're too late" she trailed off, her throat closing up from the worry and anger as she tried to put everything to words.
"Don left."
A/N: We'll…looks like we're step one into Don's monumentally stupid plan. And yes, Don did take off after double dog dare-ing Baker to come after him as well. Not his wisest move but when has Don ever made any wise moves throughout this series? Don's one hell of an intelligent agent but as soon as his loved ones are threatened, all logic and sense goes out the window to make room for "PROTECT EVERYONE" mode which of course, doesn't include himself. Especially since this time, his team got hurt in the crossfire as well. Don's feeling guilty and well…he's going to do everything he can to make sure that everyone's safe.
Don: I have two options, either Baker goes out in a body bag or we both go out in body bags.
Everyone: How about NEITHER option?!