On the Move, Calling for Backup, and Where Fault Sits (#310 Protect, #127 Spy, #292 Insomnia)
Title: On the Move, Calling for Backup, and Where Fault Sits
Prompt: #310 Protect, #127 Spy, #292 Insomnia
Author: ladygray99
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: Charlie, Colby, Don, Ian
Word count: 3x300
Warnings/Spoilers: Talk of Domestic Violence
Summary:Colby gets Charlie someplace safe and starts putting plans into action.
Notes: Written for numb3rs100. This is a continuation of what I’m now calling the Blood Poisoning series.
Beta: none
On the Move (#310 Protect)
Colby waited for Don to pick up before sending the pictures.
“Colby? Whose phone are you on?”
“It’s a burner phone so you can’t track me.”
“What?”
“I just sent you some pictures. Look at them. I’ll wait.”
Colby pulled out the battery on Charlie’s phone and his work phone. He heard Don curse. “What the fuck are these? Where’s Charlie? Where’s Ada?”
“They’re with me,” Colby calmly answered. Slipping back into covert mode was proving to be quite easy. “And what you are seeing in blood poisoning. Lethal in third world countries. Shouldn’t even exist here except Charlie is being abused by his wife.”
There was a long stretch of silence. “Colby, put Charlie on the phone.”
“No.” Colby peeked through the motel window into the room that he had only rented for a few hours. “He’s feeding Ada then I’m moving him of a safe house.”
“Put Charlie on the phone!” Don snapped.
“No,” Colby repeated. “You failed Don. Those are lethally infected scratched, layers of bruising. She’s been beating him with something that’s leaving those parallel marks and you missed it. Fortunately Ada seems to be okay but they’re staying with me until Amita has been dealt with.”
“This is kidnapping.”
Colby went into the motel room and held the phone up to Charlie’s ear. He was sure Don was tracing the call and they didn’t have long.
“Chuck, when’s mom’s birthday?” Colby heard.
Charlie squeezed his eyes shut. “September,” he whispered.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I need to keep Ada safe,” Charlie sobbed.
Colby took the phone away. “Don, it’s not that I don’t trust you, I don’t trust Amita.” He hung up.
“September is our safe word. Any other month and I’m in trouble.”
“You are in trouble, but I’ll fix it.”
Calling for Backup (#127 Spy)
Colby was glad he had kept his spy days escape plan in place. An untraceable car. Safe houses. Burner phones. Cash.
Colby knew the shit had to be hitting the fan at the FBI, but his first priority was to get Charlie and Ada settled. Charlie looked half dead as he collapsed onto the narrow bed. He had been quietly crying most of the drive. Colby couldn’t imagine what kind of hell Charlie had been living. He was sure the only reason Ada was unharmed was because Charlie was taking the full brunt of everything.
Colby had sent messages and images out to a few other people before calling Don. The first had been to Charlie’s lawyer. If there was ever a time for a quickie divorce this was it.
Colby check his new burner phone. The second set of messages had gone out to someone he knew was interested in Charlie’s wellbeing. Edgerton.
After a case and more than a few drinks Ian had confessed that he had a thing for Charlie. Colby doubted that Charlie returned the feelings but Colby knew that Ian would take one look at those photos and come.
The phone vibrated and Colby stepped into the other room to pick up. “Hello.”
“Granger, where the hell are you?” Ian asked.
“Safe house.”
“Good. I’ll be in LA by morning.” Ian’s voice was cold.
“Ian. We can’t kill her.” Colby thought it best to get that out of the way.
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Any leverage we can get. I haven’t talked Charlie into pressing charges yet and technically we just kidnapped an infant so I’m going to need eyes in the field.”
“No problem. If she’s got any other bad habits I’ll find them.”
“I know you will.”
Where Fault Sits (#292 Insomnia)
It was 3AM and Charlie had managed to get Ada back to sleep but seemed unready to sleep himself.
“What happened?” Colby asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Charlie replied sinking into a cheap kitchen chair. “I’ve been trying to trace it all day. It’s like bits of my mind are just blank and I’m so tired, but I also feel like I’m just waking up.”
Colby went to brush away a bit of hair that had fallen into Charlie’s face. Charlie flinched. Colby dropped his hand.
“She used to give me little shoves but Don used to do that. Little shoves or sometimes a good shake. Get Charlie’s head back into the real world.” Charlie closed his eyes. “I don’t know where it went wrong.” His voice cracked. “There must have been a tipping point. I must have done something to push her over but I can’t figure out what.”
Colby took Charlie’s hands trying to keep his own from shaking. Those were almost the exact words his sister had uttered before Colby walked out of the house, down to the bar and knocked his brother-in-law’s teeth in.
“Charlie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You’re going to hear this a lot over the next few months. It might take you a while to believe it but none of this is your fault. None of it. Not a moment.”
Charlie opened his mouth to object.
“No. No one asks for this. No one drives someone else to this. There are no excuses. None. Not a single one in the world. Amita is responsible for her own actions and she will have to pay for what she has done to you and maybe someday you’ll understand and believe that but for now you should just try to sleep.
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Prompt: #310 Protect, #127 Spy, #292 Insomnia
Author: ladygray99
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: Charlie, Colby, Don, Ian
Word count: 3x300
Warnings/Spoilers: Talk of Domestic Violence
Summary:Colby gets Charlie someplace safe and starts putting plans into action.
Notes: Written for numb3rs100. This is a continuation of what I’m now calling the Blood Poisoning series.
Beta: none
On the Move (#310 Protect)
Colby waited for Don to pick up before sending the pictures.
“Colby? Whose phone are you on?”
“It’s a burner phone so you can’t track me.”
“What?”
“I just sent you some pictures. Look at them. I’ll wait.”
Colby pulled out the battery on Charlie’s phone and his work phone. He heard Don curse. “What the fuck are these? Where’s Charlie? Where’s Ada?”
“They’re with me,” Colby calmly answered. Slipping back into covert mode was proving to be quite easy. “And what you are seeing in blood poisoning. Lethal in third world countries. Shouldn’t even exist here except Charlie is being abused by his wife.”
There was a long stretch of silence. “Colby, put Charlie on the phone.”
“No.” Colby peeked through the motel window into the room that he had only rented for a few hours. “He’s feeding Ada then I’m moving him of a safe house.”
“Put Charlie on the phone!” Don snapped.
“No,” Colby repeated. “You failed Don. Those are lethally infected scratched, layers of bruising. She’s been beating him with something that’s leaving those parallel marks and you missed it. Fortunately Ada seems to be okay but they’re staying with me until Amita has been dealt with.”
“This is kidnapping.”
Colby went into the motel room and held the phone up to Charlie’s ear. He was sure Don was tracing the call and they didn’t have long.
“Chuck, when’s mom’s birthday?” Colby heard.
Charlie squeezed his eyes shut. “September,” he whispered.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I need to keep Ada safe,” Charlie sobbed.
Colby took the phone away. “Don, it’s not that I don’t trust you, I don’t trust Amita.” He hung up.
“September is our safe word. Any other month and I’m in trouble.”
“You are in trouble, but I’ll fix it.”
Calling for Backup (#127 Spy)
Colby was glad he had kept his spy days escape plan in place. An untraceable car. Safe houses. Burner phones. Cash.
Colby knew the shit had to be hitting the fan at the FBI, but his first priority was to get Charlie and Ada settled. Charlie looked half dead as he collapsed onto the narrow bed. He had been quietly crying most of the drive. Colby couldn’t imagine what kind of hell Charlie had been living. He was sure the only reason Ada was unharmed was because Charlie was taking the full brunt of everything.
Colby had sent messages and images out to a few other people before calling Don. The first had been to Charlie’s lawyer. If there was ever a time for a quickie divorce this was it.
Colby check his new burner phone. The second set of messages had gone out to someone he knew was interested in Charlie’s wellbeing. Edgerton.
After a case and more than a few drinks Ian had confessed that he had a thing for Charlie. Colby doubted that Charlie returned the feelings but Colby knew that Ian would take one look at those photos and come.
The phone vibrated and Colby stepped into the other room to pick up. “Hello.”
“Granger, where the hell are you?” Ian asked.
“Safe house.”
“Good. I’ll be in LA by morning.” Ian’s voice was cold.
“Ian. We can’t kill her.” Colby thought it best to get that out of the way.
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Then what do you want from me?”
“Any leverage we can get. I haven’t talked Charlie into pressing charges yet and technically we just kidnapped an infant so I’m going to need eyes in the field.”
“No problem. If she’s got any other bad habits I’ll find them.”
“I know you will.”
Where Fault Sits (#292 Insomnia)
It was 3AM and Charlie had managed to get Ada back to sleep but seemed unready to sleep himself.
“What happened?” Colby asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Charlie replied sinking into a cheap kitchen chair. “I’ve been trying to trace it all day. It’s like bits of my mind are just blank and I’m so tired, but I also feel like I’m just waking up.”
Colby went to brush away a bit of hair that had fallen into Charlie’s face. Charlie flinched. Colby dropped his hand.
“She used to give me little shoves but Don used to do that. Little shoves or sometimes a good shake. Get Charlie’s head back into the real world.” Charlie closed his eyes. “I don’t know where it went wrong.” His voice cracked. “There must have been a tipping point. I must have done something to push her over but I can’t figure out what.”
Colby took Charlie’s hands trying to keep his own from shaking. Those were almost the exact words his sister had uttered before Colby walked out of the house, down to the bar and knocked his brother-in-law’s teeth in.
“Charlie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You’re going to hear this a lot over the next few months. It might take you a while to believe it but none of this is your fault. None of it. Not a moment.”
Charlie opened his mouth to object.
“No. No one asks for this. No one drives someone else to this. There are no excuses. None. Not a single one in the world. Amita is responsible for her own actions and she will have to pay for what she has done to you and maybe someday you’ll understand and believe that but for now you should just try to sleep.
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