FIC: Taken, Colby/Charlie, PG-13, Cassy27 and Chymom
Title: Taken
Authors: Cassy27 / Chymom
Words: 1898
Characters/parings: Colby/Charlie, Don, Megan, Liz, David
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Numb3rs!
Warnings: None in this post
Spoilers: Not any in this post
Summary: Just now that everything was going okay again between Charlie and Colby, something horrible happens and nobody knows what is going on. Will Charlie be safe again?
Chapter 1
Colby kept his eyes open for all movement on the parking lot. Only when he recognized Don's car pulling in, he moved away from his own car, impatiently waiting for Don to park besides him and step out.
“Colby, what is it?” Don asked as soon as he walked up to the younger agent. He had heard the distress in his voice when he had called him before, but he hadn't gotten the chance to ask him what was going.
“You should follow me.” Colby simply said. Not that he wanted Don to become more anxious as he didn't want to tell him what was going on, he just knew that words weren't enough to describe what he had seen.
They walked through the halls and Colby cautiously followed Don's every movement as they closed in on Charlie's office. Seeing his face fill with shock as they entered made Colby wonder if that had been the way he had looked like when first seeing this.
“Oh, Colby.” Don sighed, not finding the right words to express anything more than shock. He slowly turned around to face him when his eyes caught Colby's name written on the wall. His eyes widened, his mouth popped open a little as he needed to inhale deeply in order to stay at least a little bit calm.
“That's blood,” Don said in a disgusted tone as he neared the writing, “Charlie's blood?”
“I don't know,” Colby answered, closing in on that wall as well, “let's hope it's not.”
Having alarmed a csi team, they came after what seemed to have taken them longer than half an hour. Once the team had started digging through possible evidence, David Megan and Liz arrived.
"What's going on?" David asked, approaching his partner who looked anything but happy. When he gotten that phone call from Don not too long ago, he had sensed something was wrong, he had heard in his voice. But as far as ha knew, Charlie and Colby had a date tonight, a date that Colby was past ready for, so he thought that was why he was mad. It didn't cross his mind that something might have happened to Charlie.
"Charlie's keys are in his car, his office is a mess more so then usual and his cell phone is somewhere in the office floor."Colby told them.
Liz and Megan didn't know what to say and David was at a lose as well. When they watched Don approach them, they noticed the look of dread on his face. Don was still a few feet away when his cell rang.
Everybody watched how Don was talking, his face appearing more and more stressed. After what appeared to have taken so long, Don slammed his phone shut and continued walking over to them.
“The director wants to talk to me,” Don nearly hissed through his teeth, obviously not wanting to leave this place right now, needing to know what progress was being made, “he wants you guys to be there too.”
“What about this place?” Colby asked, his voice high as he was feeling the exact same way as Don was feeling right now, “Charlie is gone and we have to go to a meeting?”
“I assure you, Colby, that it has to do with Charlie.”
Everybody looked at Don with a questioning look. How did the Director already know about this situation or what did this mean exactly? More questions kept filling their minds, but they all know they would have to wait to get answers to them.
“Let's just hurry over there so we can start looking for my brother.” Don said, his face serious as he demanded everyone's attention.
The team quickly set out to see the Director of the FBI. Don had met him only once when he had been out with Charlie one time, but the rest of the team had no idea what to expect with this man they were all going to see other than he was very to the point and getting the job done.
"Don, we will find him." Liz told him, trying to comfort him the best she could. David was doing the same for Colby in the other car. They arrived at the FBI office a short time later and quickly made their way into his office.
“I first want to speak to Special Agent Eppes alone,” the Director said as he exited his office, showing Don the way. As Don entered the office, all the rest remained silent. More and more questions started to erupt in Colby's mind. He felt like he shouldn't even be here, he should be out there and try find Charlie, he should be at his office and find some clues or useful information. But in stead, he had to wait here and feel useless.
It seemed like Don was in there forever, but eventually, he and the director came out, both looking distressed but somehow pleased as well. Everybody now wanted to know what was going on.
“Don?” Colby was the first to ask, “what's happening?”
Before Don could say anything, they were all asked to come in and close the door behind them.
Once they were all in the room the director began to speak
"I know you are all close to Charlie Eppes. Some of you more than others." He said the last part looking directly at Colby. Although it wasn't going to get him fired for being with Charlie, it wasn't well liked at the higher levels yet, but that was not the concern at the moment.
"I have talked with NSA, CIA and a handful of others that Charlie has worked with in the past. I will tell you this. Charlie will be found. This team, minus Don and Colby, will be working on the case. We have one week until some of the other agents come in and take over. One week is the best I could do." He told them as Don and Colby turned to leave, followed by the others. The director then said something that made them all stop in there tracks.
“Agent Sinclair,” the director called his attention, “you're in charge of this case from now on.”
“I'm going to lead the search for Charlie?” David had no doubt in his qualities as a leader, but this was different, the case was different. If Charlie wasn't found, that responsibility rested on his shoulders. Gazing at Colby and Don, David couldn't help but swallow. If he failed somehow, not only would one friend lose his lover, another one would lose his friend.
And then he took in a deep breath, preparing himself to take this case upon him as he was sure everybody in this room had confidence in his ability to find Charlie and so would trust in himself.
“Thank you, Sir.”
And then they all exited the office, prepared to start this search.
As soon as the door closed, David went into action. The director had told Don to go home and that he would be notified by phone when any new leads were found. But of course Don had protested and the director had said that if he and Colby could stay out of the way and not contaminate anything because they were influenced by their personal feelings, they could both stay, but the fist sign that either one was in the way, they were both gone.
Don had agreed and once David set into work, Don pulled Colby in the war room.
“Colby,” Don said, carefully closing the door behind him and ignoring the questioning looks of the rest who now stood outside, “I know this is going to be hard, for both of us, but we can only watch from the sideline, do you understand?”
“Charlie is gone and we're supposed to keep a low profile?” Colby already knew that was an impossible job to do.
“Look, in the end, when we have whoever that did this in custody, and they find out we screwed up because we're too involved, that person is going to walk free and Charlie might again be in danger.” Don paused for a moment, giving Colby some time to let it all sink in. “Look at the bigger picture, Colby, you understand now that we need to keep a clear mind? David is well capable of handling this, he will do anything within his power to get Charlie home.”
“I know, Don,”Colby said, accepting his words and comprehending now that he should listen to them, “but he's gone. Charlie could be anywhere by now. What if he's hurt?”
“Relax,” Don warned him, seeing how the younger agent started breathing uncontrolled, “breathe because remember, if the Director sees you hyperventilating, he'll take you off the case before you can even blink.”
Colby watched how Don smiled at him, trying to stay positive or strong, it didn't make any difference right now.
“Okay,” Colby said after taking in a deep slow breathe, “let's get Charlie home.”
When Colby and Don exited the room, nobody asked them what they had talked about as it had been obvious when they had seen Colby nearly hyperventilate.
“Don?” this time, it was Liz who wanted to speak to him in a private room.
"How is he?" Liz was looking at it from a co-worker and a friends view.
“His boyfriend is missing and he is feeling helpless in the search for him.” Don told her. The thought that ran through his mind was that he would be doing the same if it were him in this place but he hoped he would never have to find out.
"Things will get better when Charlie is back with him and when he knows where he is." Don pulled her into his arms. It was mostly to comfort, but Liz didn't know whether it was to comfort her or himself more. It shocked her mostly because Don didn't show much emotion at work. The most she got even after the team knew about them was a quick hug and or a touch to her hand when the others were already gone.
Yet here she was in his arms at work. It was then she felt the quick almost kiss to her neck. Liz was frozen in place as Don let go and walked out the door to his desk. It hit her then that Colby nor Don were going to help in officially on this case. She didn't know why it was surprising her. True, Colby's lover was possibly hurt out there some were, but so was Don's brother and for Don to willing take the back seat meant that something was going on. She just didn't know what yet. Right now, she didn't have time to think about it. She had to find Charlie and fast or not only would the team lose one's lover and the other his brother, they would all lose a dear and trusted friend.