My Darling Sweetheart

Warning: Not much. Just some creepy monologue from the resident murderer.

A/N: Heyyy! I'm just here to say that there's a 80% chance that I won't be uploading a chapter next Monday because once again, university is having a grand time kicking me in the face. So, if Monday rolls around and it turns out I haven't updated anything, that's why. But if I do, that means I've either finished or I decided to procrastinate again, depending on how frantic my author's notes will be later on (we'll see). But, do not fret, I will definitely be uploading after next week. Anyways, that's all from me, have a nice day!

"Hey Xan…"

"Donnie? What on earth?" A tired voice hissed through the microphone. Don winced at that. One look at the clock on the wall told him that it was far too late to be calling someone. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I'm well aware, Xan" he replied, feeling slightly sheepish. "And trust me, I wouldn't be calling you this late if it wasn't important."

There was an audible sigh on the other end of the line followed by the rustling of fabric which told him that Xander was most likely getting up. ""Alright…what is it?"

Don went on to explain everything to him, giving his old mentor his thought process. Once he was done, he let out a small huff of breath, barely realizing that he had been talking for a while. "So, what do you think?"

"I've gotta admit Donnie, you're right. Victims names, those things aren't even supposed to be confidential. Something's going on here."

Don smiled, grateful at the fact that his mentor was agreeing with him. "So, what now?"

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

"Maybe…" he trailed off, looking to the side. The files had the names listed in chronological order and since Baker committed his murders in one spot before moving on, it's easy to find the general location of where these people were murdered. "Can one of your guys find out who these names are?"

"We could, but it's risky. We could accidentally alert the FBI that someone's hacking into their system."

"Figured…" he muttered. "How about finding out who had these names redacted in the first place?"

"A bit more doable. Do you want me to look into that?"

"Yeah. I have a feeling that everything is connected here. There are a few locations that I'm suspicious of so I might have to go there to take a look."

"And by going there to take a look, you mean…"

"I mean what I say" he hissed, narrowing his eyes. "I'm not doing that just yet. That's only for when I'm backed to a corner."

"Alright…alright…calm down" Xander spoke softly, trying to placate him. Don let out a sigh, attempting to calm himself down for a moment. He knew that Xander wasn't trying to imply anything when he said that. But, if Don could be honest, those skills of his struck a bit of a nerve within him. He had spent years of his life upholding the law, striving to abide by the rules. So to have something within him that went against those morals, well…it made for an unfortunate thought experiment.

"Sorry, I just don't want to give them even more of a reason to arrest me if anything goes wrong" Don replied, tapping his fingers against the desk. "Which is strange considering the fact that earlier, I wasn't too bothered by the prospect of doing it. But now, when the possibility is much higher…"

"You're worried. You're not mentally prepared. I get it Donnie. Killing someone on the line of duty is horrible, but you know you would be backed up by the Bureau. Doing this though, that comes with a whole slew of risks"

"It feels like I'm betraying everyone and everything I have" he whispered, looking at the walls, the weight of the days crashing onto him like a pile of bricks.

"I'd like to say that they would understand, but I'm not sure they will. If you want to continue down this path of hunting him yourself, the best you can do is hope and pray that they get it. That they see your actions as one for survival rather than anything else. After all, they don't know everything that you've been through."

Don physically flinched at that last comment. Xander was right though. If Don hadn't gone through all those events, he wouldn't be doing this. He'd be back at home, working on this case with his team. He wouldn't feel the need to fight or flee, the need to face everything on his own, the need to hide all of his raw negative emotions behind a veil of calm composure. This is a trauma response his mind supplied, his whole body now feeling like it had been doused in ice water. "You're right," he said after a minute of silence. "I've never really told them anything. There's no way that they'll be able to interpret my actions as anything else other than malicious or for survival."

"If worse comes to worse, I'll still be around, Donnie. I'll try and help you as best I can."

"Thanks" he replied, feeling his throat close up slightly. To dispel the slight awkwardness, he decided to cough into his hand, hoping to change the subject. "I think my best course of action is to go to one of the locations tomorrow, find out all the information I can get."

"Text me if you need any extra help. I'll also be talking to my own contacts soon. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Don looked down at his notebook where he was scribbling down information. "I wrote down the list of all of Baker's previous stations. Think you can find out more?"

"Sure, I'll ask around."

"Alright, that's great. I think that's all I have for now" he said, looking through his notebook. "I'll text you everything."

"Alright. I'll look into it as soon as I can. Be careful Eppes, I have a feeling that things might start to get messy real soon."

"You're not the only one," he scoffed. "Same goes for you too. Better not die on me."

There was a light chuckle on the other end before Xander replied with "I won't" before closing the call, leaving Don to think about what just happened. He looked over at his luggage where he knew a small bag lay, one that served as a constant reminder about how dire his situation is. That bag was only there for emergency situations only, situations where he knew he wouldn't get the help of his family or the Bureau. Once I use it, there's not turning back. His safety net would be gone and his fate would, in a way, be decided by something as unreliable as a coin toss. God...please let me get out the other side intact at least. The unpredictability of his future was starting to scare him, causing him to overthink everything. And that was without putting into account the looming sense of danger from the resident serial killer.

"No use dwelling on this now" he said to himself as he went back to the bed, remembering to charge the phone. "I need to get as much sleep as I can." Then he laid on the bed and waited for sleep to come to him, running through his options as his eyelids started to droop slightly.

I hope it won't come to that…

"Should've known you'd react badly to my attention" he whispered, caressing the picture. He really should've thought the plan through. But, none of that mattered to him now. While it was unexpected at first, it did work nicely in his favour. Now, his angel was separated from the people who would try and get in between them and their love. "I've always forgotten how shy you could be sometimes."

He looked out the window, the empty rented house now in his disposal. As soon as he heard that his future husband had run off, he knew exactly where to go. He wasn't here to chase after his runaway FBI agent though. That would require information that he didn't have. As much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't skilled enough to track the man down. No, he was in this town for one purpose.

To wait until his precious sweetheart came to him.

He had a feeling that his little angel would try and track him down himself, determined to spare everyone from his wrath. It's quite cute how protective the man is of his family, even though they never deserved him in the first place. But, in the end, that need to find him will be his downfall. He knew that his man was smart and talented enough to uncover the truth, slowly following the trail of clues that would expose everything. It would be like killing two birds with one stone.

"I've always been a bit of a genius" he grinned, relishing in the fact that his new plan was coming together nicely. He had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before the trail would lead his precious angel right into his waiting arms. "I can't wait to have you here with me once again…"

And this time, I promise I'll never let you go.

A/N: Ooooooh...more mysteries. What does Don mean by "not doing that"? What does Baker mean by "truth"? What is in the damn bag? What has Don been through to get that as a trauma response? What the hell is going on?. So many questions, so little time. And yep, Baker is still as unhinged as usual. We won't be seeing him for some time so enjoy it while that lasts.