Everything
Title: Everything
Author: FlamingWildflow
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Slash
Pairings: Don Eppes/Ian Edgerton (Minor)
Characters: Don Eppes, Charlie Eppes, Megan Reeves, David Sinclair, Colby Granger, Ian Edgerton, Billy Cooper, Original Male Character
Disclaimer: Don't own the show. Shame really...the emotional damage I could do :)
Warnings: Ambiguous ending. Possible character death.
Word count: 2,632
A/N: Hi! I'm very new to posting on LJ and I'm very nervous about this. I'm also not ever sure if the community is still around but hey! There's no harm in trying. I might post the rest of my stories that I've written for other sites here, but that will be a problem for future me.
Also, If I can be honest, I liked this ending but I don't like what I did with the rest...I keep thinking I can do better but I've been stuck. So you know what? I'm just gonna post this and then maybe change it later. Have a nice day!
“So Agent Eppes”, the man spoke, looking at him with an amused expression on his face. He was sitting on a chair, a white table in front of him. “Do you know why you’re here?”. The man gestured towards the people behind him. His team, along with Ian, Billy, and Charlie were held at gunpoint by this person’s men. Their faces ranged from visibly terrified to extremely furious.
Don looked at the man in the eye, a calm expression on his face. “I have an idea,” he said.
“I see you’ve connected the dots”
Don let out an almost hysterical laugh. “It wasn’t even that hard. Once you started talking about yourself, everything fell into place.”
“I wasn’t trying to be subtle, I was trying to prove a point” the man said. Then he made a gesture. The goons on Don’s side grabbed him and pushed him towards the table.
Once Don reached the table, the man pulled out a disassembled glock that’s placed in a box and set it on the table. Then he took a knife from his belt, and placed that on the table as well. The man leaned back, smiling at him. Don wanted to punch that smile off his face.
“Well then, who do you choose?”. The man pointed at the gun, “You?”, then he pointed to the knife “or your team?”
Don took a deep breath, and reached out.
“What do we have here?” Don asked, looking around the crime scene.
David came up to him, looking grim. “Five NSA agents were taken from various locations. They were also part of a team. Out of those five, only one survived. The rest were stabbed to death” David said, looking back at the building.
“I see,” Don muttered. He rubbed his face, the exhaustion seeping into his bones. They both walked to the crime scene, dodging the people who were running about.
“This is the third one this week here. That’s more than what they’ve done in other places,” Megan said, looking up at them. “They’re starting to escalate”.
“What can you tell me about this one?” Don asked.
“Well, same as before really. They take entire teams of law enforcement and kill them off, leaving the leader alive. Whoever is behind this probably has a problem with authority figures.”
“Right, that explains why they’re killing off the subordinates. They’re trying to show that they have absolute power and that there’s nothing these figures of authority can do about it” Don replied.
“But that doesn’t explain the condition that we find these people in,” David said. “The LAPD’s chief of homicide was practically untouched. That team from the DEA, their leader was hurt, but still awake. And with this case, their lead agent was unharmed, but knocked unconscious.”
“Maybe it depends on whether they cooperate or not,” Megan replied. “These people have different reputations. The LAPD’s chief was known to be calm and rational, so he didn’t struggle much. The DEA agent was known to be outspoken and mouthy. He probably said something that pissed off these people, so they beat him up. And the NSA agent was known to be a fighter. Judging by the marks on his wrist, he did struggle against the bonds. So that’s why they knocked him out.”
“That’s our working theory at least” Colby said, coming up to them. “Just got on the phone with the hospital, they said he’s been moved to a room. Although, he might not remember what happened.”
“Figured that might happen,” Megan said. She looked at Don, “So…what do you suggest we do?”
“Right now? Call Charlie and have him run some numbers. David, you call the NSA and have them compile a list of cases that they were working on, see if any of them line up with our other teams. Colby, go to the hospital and monitor the agent’s condition. If he wakes up, question him. I’m going to call up the local warehouses, see if there’s any places that this person might use for future killings.”
They all nodded at him and went their separate ways.
Don rushed into the office, a stack of papers in his hand. Looking around, he noticed that Charlie was already there, scribbling away at the plastic board in the war room. He was about to go in when an arm on his shoulder stopped him. Turning around, he realized who it was.
“Coop, Ian! What are you doing here?” he grinned, putting his hand out to shake theirs. Billy grasped his hand and slapped him on the shoulder, smiling. Ian on the other hand decided to take his hand and place a gentle kiss on it, causing Don’s face to turn a bright shade of red.
“What? I can’t visit my boyfriend?” Ian teased. Don snatched his hand back, glaring at the man. He was slightly embarrassed at the PDA.
Billy laughed. “Calm down, we’re just here because we were done with a fugitive and decided to stop by”. Then he looked around, curious. “This place looks busier now, you in the middle of a case?”
Don nodded, feeling more tired than ever. “We have a serial killer on our hands. 3 entire teams of law enforcement were taken and killed. Only the person in charge was left alive.”
“Sounds like a tough case, do you need our help?” Ian asked, looking serious.
Don was about to open his mouth when Colby rushed in. “Don, the NSA Agent? He woke up a few hours ago. He said he remembers nothing.”
Don frowned. “Then we’re back to square one”.
“Don,” Charlie called out to him from the war room, “there’s something you need to see”. Don sighed and walked towards the room with Colby, Billy, and Ian in tow.
“What is it?”
“I’ve run some numbers and I found this”. Charlie turned on the projector and soon, a map of LA was on the screen. He then marked three areas with sticky notes, all with numbers on them. “These areas right here are the locations of our government buildings. The numbers represent the order in which they were targeted. See anything?”
Don leaned closer. “These targets, they’re done in order of location”. He pointed towards the LAPD office which was the furthest one. The nearest government building was the DEA’s and then the NSA’s. “So, you can predict which agency is the next target?”
Charlie nodded. “Not only that, I know when they’re going to start kidnapping people.”
“What do you mean by that?” Billy spoke up.
“While there isn’t an exact time frame on when these people get murdered, there is a pattern on when they start disappearing”. Charlie brought up some complicated math equation that definitely went over Don’s head. “By using building an equation using K-means-”
“Chuck, just skip past that, we don’t have time” Don said.
Charlie nodded, “Right, sorry”. “By looking at the data, I found that these people will start kidnapping people on the same day the bodies of the previous victims are discovered”.
They all looked surprised. “You’re sure about this?” Ian asked.
Charlie nodded. “Positive. I’ve looked into all the possibilities of them getting kidnapped on different days since some of them aren’t reported missing right away. But one thing I know for sure is that at least one person will be kidnapped on the day a previous body is discovered.”
Don stood up, “Which means we have until today to make sure no one gets taken,” he said.
“Don, that’s not all”
They all turned towards Charlie. He looked worried. Pulling up the map previously, Charlie stuck a different coloured post it note onto one of the buildings. “Is that the next target?” Billy asked, looking closely at the map.
Charlie nodded.
“But that’s the FBI building,” Colby stated, looking grim.
“That’s his next target,” Charlie said.
Don clenched his jaw. Then he walked out, shouting to everyone. “Alright! We have a serial killer that’s on the loose and he’s killing off entire teams and leaving the person in charge alive. We’ve determined that they’re going to target the FBI office next. Make sure every single one of you travels in pairs at least and keep tabs on each other. No one leaves without notifying someone”. The office instantly rushed to life. Agents ran around, texting each other and making sure the news reached everyone in the building.
Don glanced at his watch. “I’m going to take another crack at the LAPD chief. Something’s telling me that no one is being entirely truthful.”
“I’ll come with you,” Ian said.
Don nodded. He turned to Colby and Billy. “You guys find David and Megan. Also, bring my Dad here. These people haven’t targeted their families yet, but we don’t know if it’s going to stay that way.”
“Alright,” Colby said.
“Be careful Don” Charlie spoke up from behind, face worried.
“Don’t worry Chuck, everything will be fine” he smiled
Don knocked at the front door. The tired face of the LAPD’s chief, Captain Bryan Hunt greeted him when it opened. “Agent Eppes, here for more rounds of questioning?”
Don smiled apologetically. “I’m afraid so, Sir”. Then he motioned towards Ian. “This is Agent Ian Edgerton, he’s helping out with the case.”
“Alright then, come in”. They both walked inside. Don noted that the entire place was sparking clean, no dirt or dust in sight. Looking down, he realized that the chief’s hands were red, as if they were rubbed raw.
“What happened to your hands?” Don asked.
“Hmmm?” looking down, Hunt seemed to realize what Don was seeing. “Ah, just a little accident,” he said.
Don was a bit skeptical, so he decided to filter that one for later. “So, is there anything you could think of while you recovered?”
The man shook his head. “Unfortunately, nothing”.
“Mind if we look around Captain?” Ian asked.
“No, help yourself” the man said.
Don could see Ian going to the back, probably checking the bathroom or bedroom. Since Ian had the back covered, Don decided to step closer near the shelves of pictures. There, he found an old picture of Hunt in a military team. “You were in the army?”.
The man looked pleased. “Yep. Served a couple of tours” he said fondly. Then his face darkened, “that was until my captain sold us up to the enemy in exchange for his life”. The man gripped the picture, “We lost a lot of good men and women there, all because of that selfish bastard.”
Don stepped back, surprised at the sudden change in expression. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you,” Hunt said. Then he turned to look at Don, an intense expression on his face. “Tell me Agent Eppes, do you think what my captain did was wrong?”
Don’s instincts were on high alert. He subtly placed his hand on his gun, just in case. “Without a question. As a leader, it’s your job to take care of everyone and to make sure that your team arrives in one piece.”
Hunt looked happy. “I’m glad we agree”. Then he looked at something behind Don. Don looked back and was met with a gun in his face.
“What the hell is this?” he hissed. Multiple men appeared from the back area, all holding guns. Two of them held Ian at gunpoint, making sure he didn't try to fight.
“I’m just here to test if you really commit to what you preach,” Hunt said, smiling. “Every single person I’ve tested this on has done the same thing. I wonder if you’ll be the same as well”. Then he gestured towards the door. “Now, let’s bring you back to your team.”
Don had a sinking feeling that whatever dangers awaited him, it would be his last.
As soon as Don touched the gun, everyone erupted into furious screaming.
“DONNIE! DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE!”
“Eppes, I swear I will KICK your ass once we’re out”
“Don, think about what this will do to us. Don’t destroy us like this.”
“You better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking”
“Don, stop. Backup should be on the way. Just wait”
“Don, don’t…”
Don tuned them out. Focusing solely on the former Captain, he said “I’ve made my choice.”
“Are you willing to commit to it?”
Don nodded.
“Well then, show me”
Don reached in the box and started slowly assembling his own execution weapon. He could feel the icy claw of doom grip his heart, making it difficult to breathe. He knew he looked calm on the outside, but on the inside?
He was terrified.
His heart thumped loudly and he could feel the sweat dripping down his neck. He was clenching his jaw so hard he might crack a tooth. He was trying to prolong this as much as possible, hoping that Gary had found the message he sent before he was taken and was on his way with a rescue squad. He wanted to give the man a chance to find them before his team was forced to witness his brains splattering on the floor. He prayed to whatever deity was above that everyone would be able to get through this if worse comes to worse, especially Charlie. His little brother didn’t deserve to see him die, none of them did. He would never wish that upon anyone. Don would rather get himself killed while he was alone rather than with another person there to see it. He has seen it time and time again. Surviving an incident like this is sometimes a fate worse than dying. Survivor's guilt was a cruel feeling, one that would persist even years later. He just hoped that everyone would be able to forgive themselves.
Don swallowed bile as he finished, the gun weighing heavily in his hand. He looked up and saw his team, no- his family stare at him. They all had varying expressions on their faces, but there was one that was the same.
It was fear.
Don gripped the gun tightly. He promised to himself that he would do anything he could to protect his family and to never hurt them, at least intentionally. But now he was hurting them, all in order to protect them. Don hated this. He would willingly give his life for them, but not like this.
Never like this.
Don focused on Charlie. His little brother was looking at him, eyes wide, tears streaming down his face. No doubt he’s calculated the odds of Don surviving this. Don might not be a math genius, but even he knew that his chances were not on his side. Charlie shook his head, face desperate. Even with the distance, Don could hear his voice clearly.
“Don…please don’t” he begged, “We need you. I need you”.
Don shook his head. “No you don’t. Not anymore,” he whispered. He smiled, looking at his family with pride on his face. “I’m so proud of you. You guys have grown into good people. Far better than I’ll ever be.”
Don didn’t hear the protests that came after that. All of his focus was aimed at the traitor in front of him. Don looked him in the eye, still smiling. He was determined to keep his head high.
Hunt looked surprised. “You’re really willing to do this,” he said, astonished. “Come on, this must be a fluke.”
“It’s not a fluke,” Don replied. “I don’t know exactly what kind of boss you had. But I know that I will never put myself above everyone else.”
The man narrowed his eyes. “Tell me the truth. What are you actually willing to give up?”
“For them?” he said, loading the gun. Then he pointed it at his head, the smile never leaving his face.
“Everything”