Fic: Permission To Launch, Chapter 1/3 (Numb3rs, Don, Colby, Megan, David / Ian)
Title: Permission To Launch, Chapter 1/3
Pair: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger,
Don Eppes / Martin Fridegord,
David Sinclair / Ian Edgerton
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
David knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped out of the elevator. Colby and Megan were waiting for him in the bullpen, both of them standing side by side and waiting for David to arrive.
“Morning.” David started carefully. “New case?”
“We got a new gig, not you.” Colby responded and walked to David’s left side. He placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “We’re supposed to escort you to the interrogation room.”
“This is nothing personal.” Megan took the other side and gave David a little push forward to guide him down the hallway. “Although I think we’re all a bit hurt you didn’t talk to us about this beforehand and we had to find out about it like this.”
“About what?” David tried to balance his coffee cup and his backbag while two sets of hands pushed him into a badly lit corridor. “Is this about that stack of paper I took from the copy room? Everyone does it-”
“No, it’s not about paper.” Megan sighed and shoved him into one of the observation rooms.
“Markers? Folders?” David tried desperately to think about things he might have taken from the office. “Paperclips?”
“I’ll hold that for you.” Megan snatched the take-away cup from him while Colby grabbed his backbag. “Get in before Don really explodes.”
“And remember…” Colby continued. “…the whole room is sound proof, so you can scream all you want and no one will hear you.” He opened the door and shoved David inside.
The door was slammed shut behind him and David had to blink rapidly, trying to get his eyes accustomed to the dimness of the room. The lights were off except the table lamp, that was pointed at him, leaving the man sitting behind the table completely in the dark.
“Don?”
“Sit down, Sinclair.” Don’s voice sounded forced and David knew what the tone meant. Don was trying to stay calm. David sat down on the other side and Don aimed the light at his eyes.
“Is this about those hubcaps last month? Because we had to leave the car out on the street when we went in-”
“This is not about bureau cars.” Don pushed a sheet of paper across the table. “Explain this to me.”
David read the first few lines of the letter. He leaned his elbows against the desk and draw in a deep breath.
“I was gonna tell you about that.”
“Were you?”
“Yeah-”
“When? Before or after you leave the state?”
“It wasn’t-”
“Sinclair.” Don practically growled. “I got a very simple question for you and I expect a straight answer: Why a member of my team applied for another position within the bureau and didn’t even tell me about it?”
“I didn’t realise they would process the applications so fast, I was going to tell you when I know what my chances are.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Don leaned back in his chair. “Why do you want out? If you want out of the team, then say it to my face and I’ll get you reassigned to another team.”
“It’s not about the team.” David swallowed down the lump in his throat and continued. “It’s personal.”
“What’s personal about DC?”
“Ian got a job offer from DC.”
“So what? He’s been all over the map for years.”
“It’s for over a year. Most of his gigs last few weeks, tops. This one’s a steady thing.”
“That’s why you’re applying for a transfer?”
“Yeah. We’ve… He said he could go there alone and come back for weekends and we could go there, but… I’m alone with the kid often enough as it is. If I get the DC position I would be doing the same job, but... Ian really has to take that job.” He looked up and he could feel blood rushing up to his face. “His freelance jobs pay well, but they’re kinda drying up. He can’t exactly afford to say no to a steady pay.”
“Who can?” Don grunted reluctantly. “How long have you known about this?”
“Not that long, I was gonna keep it under wraps until I know if I got it. And I kinda tried not to think about it.”
“It didn’t occur to you that they would ask my recommendations?”
“No.” David admitted. “I mean… leaving L.A. is a big thing, and I didn’t really wanna tell anyone, it’s…”
“Are you even sure you want to leave?”
“It’s not about…” David stopped to take a deep calming breath. “I don’t wanna live in different states for a year. Something’s gotta give and this time it’s this.”
“You mean you.” Don summarised. “Can’t Ian do any compromises?”
“Not with this. Last night when he got back from a job…” David bit his bottom lip and mentally rewinded over the X-rated parts of the evening. “Caroline was at her friends home for a slumber party so we had the place to ourselves.”
“I got the picture, so nothing graphic.”
“He sent me a text message before he got home, and I was waiting… And I blocked it out of my mind, the whole thing about DC. It`s hard enough to be apart as much as we are now." He let out a deep sigh. "If it`s like this when he goes away for short jobs, I don’t wanna know what it would be like if he lived permanently in a different state.”
Don pulled back the paper and shoved it back into the folder it had arrived in.
“I expect your reports to be at my desk before I clock out today, and same goes for Granger. You’re both late with them.”
“Don, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you-”
“Your reports, Sinclair.” Don glared over the table.
David hesitated, but got up from his chair. He went to the door, and Colby let him out. David followed the fellow agent out of the room.
“Don?” Megan stepped in, closing the door behind her. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“What’s to talk about?” Don countered. “My own agent doesn’t trust me to understand his reasons, so he went behind my back.”
“But like you said he has his reasons. I know you can understand how hard it can be, to be working far away from your family.”
“I stayed away for my own reasons, David’s doing it for Ian’s reasons.”
“And Ian’s reasons are obviously important to him.” Megan stated. “He didn’t tell any of us, and I must admit it hurts, but I can understand the logic behind it.” She looked down at the crumpled paper on the table. “Are you going to recommend him?”
“I don’t know.” Don rubbed his face with his palms and sighed tiredly. “He’s a good agent, no question about that.”
“Maybe you should talk it out with him before you make any decisions-”
“No.”
“Then someone else-”
“I already know what everyone would say. Colby would try to get me to keep him, Martin would tell me to let him go if he wants to go, Fritz would be angling for David`s job and Charlie… Well, I don’t know how, but he would just make it all about math.”
Chapter 2/3