FIC: In the Arms of the Wicked, 17 (Charlie/Colby, Don, Amita, Megan, McGowan, PG-13)
Title: "Think ahead"
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 17/?
Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don, Amita, Megan, McGowan.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: Season 5.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Charlie's not thinking ahead. Don tries to make him come to his senses and protect him at the same time.
Feedback: Yes, please. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m and the great lillyg.
Previous chapters: Click here.
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Part 17: "Think ahead"
Colby’s arm accidentally brushed Charlie’s shoulder, making him giggle.
“What was that?”
“Ah, I don’t know…”
Feeling a little bit amused, Charlie turned around from the table and watched the way the soft light highlighted the best features of his lover’s fine body. “You don’t know.”
“Well, I actually have an idea,” Colby responded, smiling widely. His fingers started flipping the pages of a file.
“Does it have something to do with our… first date?” Charlie wanted to know. He turned to his laptop again and started another search on the Horus eye-fractions. “Are you nervous?”
For a moment, there was no answer. But suddenly Colby’s voice whispered into Charlie’s ear, “More than our real first date, when we ate pizza at your house and you told me you liked me?” He was leaning over the other man’s back suggestively. “Probably.”
Charlie smiled, thinking that from the outside of the war room, no one would take the gesture as more than a guy trying to see the data on the screen of the laptop. “I am… I wonder how it’s going to turn out.”
“Me, too… But I think it’s going to be great, no matter what we do.”
“Hmmm. I would kiss you right now if I could,” Charlie whispered - Colby’s lips a few centimeters from his now. They curved in a sweet smile, which turned into a grin.
“Charlie… There are people out there.”
“Maybe when EAD Cameron listens to those tapes, we won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Maybe… but we should also be ready for the bad consequences.”
Charlie didn’t reply, instead returned to focusing on the screen. Numbers were running, trying to find a pattern. He didn’t even want to think about what people would say about him being gay. He didn’t even know how he’d react, he didn’t know how much such a revelation would affect his job and his life. In a way, he knew that he should think ahead and make plans for each possible scenario. He always did it, his math always worked. But since Colby had become a variable of his life equation, Charlie had realized that things weren’t that simple. His lover had introduced factors he’d never considered, he’d changed the way his rationality worked.
Of course, Charlie felt proud that he had thrown his calculations out of the window when he’d started their relationship, even knowing that they had only 5 percent chance of success. But he had to admit that without math and logic, he felt slightly lost.
Not that being with Colby didn’t help him to forget about it most of the time.
“Did you find anything?” the green-eyed agent asked, interrupting Charlie’s train of thought.
“No… Nothing I can tie to the case, at least… So far, all I think could be relevant is that the addition of the fractions turns out to be 63/64, which is pretty close to a unity.” Tired, Charlie rubbed his eyes. “Ah, it seems that this isn’t going anywhere. We don’t even have all the data on this cult. Those people steal Egyptian antiques and bury them...”
Colby pointed at the numbers analysis Charlie was running. “And according to your program, locations are random. There’s not premeditation when it comes to where to put those statues for LAPD or the FBI to find them.”
“Exactly. It’s so frustrating…” As he shook his head, Charlie felt a hand caressing his shoulder, barely brushing the curls in the back of his head. “I know. I gotta calm down.”
“Yep. You know that we’re going to figure it out eventually.” Colby took a deep breath and sat at another computer. Two minutes later, he called Charlie.
“What? What do you have?” He looked at the displayed data. “Symbolism and numerology?”
“It’s a cult after all, isn’t it? They gotta have some very strong beliefs. The key could be here.”
“It’s like the Clay Porter case…” When Charlie said those words, he realized that Colby’s eyes got darker. All his energy seemed to be gone.
“Besides representing the unit, the Eye of Horus means protection against spells and curses coming from an enemy. Maybe the message means ‘Protect yourself’ or something along those lines.”
“Hmmm… That makes sense. But you’re right about this numbers having a meaning for them. We should take a closer look at it. I’m going to ask Larry to help you while I talk to Don.”
When Charlie started walking towards the door, he heard his lover’s voice saying, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just need some fresh air…” the mathematician answered as he left the room feeling frustrated that not even his own math could help solve the case. Besides not being useful for the FBI, it wasn’t useful to his personal life, either, and that was one of the things that frightened him the most.
XxX
He’s always there. When does he go for coffee? Does the man ever leave his office?
“Don?” Megan’s voice said.
Startled, Don stopped staring at his watch and looked up. “Yeah, what did you want to tell me?”
“I…” she sat down next to him and left a file on his desk with trembling hands. “I don’t feel very good… I was wondering if I could go home earlier today. I know that David left a while ago, too, but Larry, Charlie and Colby will probably stay and…”
Her speech was becoming long and random, even after all the coffee she had drunk. It wasn’t a good sign, as she was always so focused. Don observed the way her eyes looked exhausted; her face was tense and she kept biting her lip. There was no way she was feeling all right.
“Sure, sure… You can go home, I’ll stay here with the others and let you know if we have something,” he ended up saying. "Get some rest.”
She looked into his eyes, as if her mind was far away. “Thank you,” Megan finally whispered. Clumsily, she got up and went to grab her coat and her stuff. Watching her
made Don get very worried about her. He’d have to talk to Larry about what was going on with her.
Thinking that everything was falling apart, Don found his attention being driven towards his plans one more time. When will he leave? Doesn’t he have other responsibilities but keeping an eye on us? He got up from his desk and walked towards the corridor as if nothing weird was happening. Yawning, he leaned on the wall and looked both ways; the man hadn’t left his office yet.
Don felt a little bit discouraged and nervous. Trying to calm himself down, he took out his cell phone and ran his thumb over the keys, not dialing any number. Will she answer my call? She better do it. If she ever loved Charlie, that’s the last thing she…
“Hey.”
The familiar voice startled Don, and when he turned around, there was Charlie in front of him. “Oh, hey. I’m sorry. I’m having trouble keeping focused.”
“Don’t worry about it… Are you expecting a call?”
Surprised by the question, Don remembered that his phone was still in his hands. “Well… You know, someone could call eventually and tell us something really big about the Eye of Horus,” he excused himself. He rapidly put his cell phone inside his pocket. “Did you get anything useful?”
“Not really, but Colby wants to work on the literal Egyptian meaning of it.”
“From the look on your face, I can tell you don’t like that.”
Charlie shook his head. “You know that to me, numbers are numbers. There’s no underlying significance. Figures don’t keep secrets from us, they are what they are and that’s it. It’s like us being brothers, we’re supposed to tell each other everything.”
Or maybe almost everything. Don tried to control his expressions as he’d been doing the entire day, but this time, Charlie caught his nervousness.
“Is everything all right?”
Strangely, his brother didn’t seem really curious. From the way he looked at Don, he seemed to have an idea of what might be going on. Please, don’t ask me about the tapes. Please, don’t. “Yeah…”
“Um…” Charlie fixed his eyes on the floor for a moment, and then looked up again. “Could we talk for a moment? In private?”
God. “Yeah, sure, buddy.” Damn it. “Why don’t we get in there?” He pointed at one of the empty offices that were near them.
They both walked into the room, and nearly sweating, Don closed the door. He rubbed his palms and refused to sit down. Charlie didn’t take a seat either; he stared back at his brother as a table kept them apart and silence felt endless.
“Don…”
“Yeah?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Don repeated, smiling and feeling the guilt of having a secret plan. “Nothing.”
“Something has to be bothering you.”
“Charlie, you know me. If there was anything to talk about, I’d tell you.”
“Would you?” Charlie asked. His eyes were full of doubt.
Don swallowed before answering, “Of course.”
For a moment, no word was spoken.
Until Charlie broke the silence again. “What about the tapes Cameron has?”
“What about them? There’s nothing to say about that issue, but I promise that I’ll try and talk to him…”
“Talk to him?” Charlie shook his head. “You were planning on doing that and you didn’t tell me?”
“No, I…” Fix this, Don. Don’t screw up this time.
“See? I knew it. We'd have to talk about this eventually.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but it won’t be right now. There’s a lot of work to do.”
“What if we do it at home, when…?”
“No, forget it. I don’t want to get into a fight with you in front of Dad. His heart’s still delicate…”
“A fight? So I was right, then.” Charlie immediately folded his arms.
Yes, you were! So what? “What do you want me say, Charlie? Yes! But I don’t want to talk about it!”
“You’re obviously mad! You’re yelling at me!”
Okay, that’s it. You asked for it. “Well, that’s what you deserve!”
“For what? What did I do now? You know, it’s not my fault that those tapes are back and that you’re so overprotective!”
“What?” Don snapped.
Charlie put his hands on the table. “I keep telling you not to mess things up by trying to fix everything by yourself! And you don’t get it, Don! You don’t get it!”
“So I’m the one who doesn’t get it now.”
“Yeah! You keep thinking you’re like an extra dad to me, assuming that I’m not an adult and that I can’t deal with things!”
“Really? Maybe it’s because you still act like a kid!” You do and you don’t even notice!
Overwhelmed by the discussion he didn’t want to have, Don turned around and took a few steps. He ran his hands over his forehead, trying to calm down, but he could still hear Charlie’s voice behind him. His brother wasn’t done yet.
“I’m beyond thirty years old, Don. Protecting me isn’t your task!”
“It is, Charlie. Especially when you’re not using your head.”
“Ha. I’m not… using…”
You’re so… “You’re not thinking ahead, Charlie!”
“I am!”
“No, you’re not! You’re too naïve, you don’t know how things work here at the FBI!” Don turned around, facing his brother. “If those tapes come out, you can’t expect people to just understand you and accept the fact that you have a boyfriend!”
“I’m not expecting that! Of course I know that there will be stuff for me and Colby to get through!”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I think you’re too busy with Colby to actually start planning what the hell you’re going to do when everybody discovers what's going on between you and him!”
“Colby? You’re blaming him?”
Don tried to calm down and not to yell. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Charlie was out of control. “God, I thought we were way passed that, but it seems that you still have to deal with the fact that your brother is gay and there’s nothing you can do about it!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands to the air. “What happened to that speech you gave me a few months ago in front of dad and Colby, huh? I came home with the broken picture of mom, ready to face everyone there, and you said, ‘I don’t have the right to judge you. I’m sorry, Charlie.’ It was obviously a lie.”
“It wasn’t, damn it!” Don said, hitting the table.
“I’m trying to regain what I had with the person I like… It’s so hard with the Amita situation and what she did to him, and your way to help is throwing all this crap at me?” Charlie’s hands trembled as he spoke. “And trust me, I’m scared to death of what might happen when those tapes come out. But no one, not even you, is going to ruin this thing I have with Colby. It’s not like it used to be, Don. I don’t depend on you anymore.”
“Oh, really.”
“Yes. You know what? I think you’re jealous.”
Astonished, Don didn’t like the meaning of that. “Jealous? That’s ridiculous.” He watched Charlie walk towards him.
“Are you going to tell me that you’ve never thought how lucky Colby and I are? Are you going to swear to me that you’ve never wished you had someone as important in your life?”
Don tried to give him an answer, but words got caught in his throat. He had no idea what that was. “I… I…”
“Save it,” his brother said. “And I don’t need your help. I don’t want it.”
“Charlie…”
“No, no. And let me say this once again, Don. Neither you, nor anyone is going to stand between Colby and me, do you understand me?”
He turned around, and Don knew that he’d find a surprise at the door. Charlie’s eyes widen when he saw Colby there, looking at him in confusion. He’d obviously caught part of the conversation.
“I huh… Larry had an interesting idea and I came here to…” Colby took a breath, looking at Charlie and then at Don as he held a handful of papers. “Never mind.”
Charlie passed him by, putting a hand on his arm as he passed by. “We have a date. Let’s not worry about this,” he said before storming out of the room.
However, Colby remained, looking into Don’s eyes across the room. He didn’t say anything, obviously on Charlie’s side.
“Colby…” Don muttered, but Colby had left the room with a sad expression on his face. Don grabbed his head. “Jeez!” Why can’t you say what you really mean without screwing up?
XxX
Playing with a pen turned out to be a very interesting thing to do. It actually helped clear Don’s mind, in a way. He kept going through each one of Charlie’s words. Some of them hurt… a lot. Maybe because they were true.
He threw the pen to the table. His brother was screaming inside his head… Scenes from their fight were coming together in flashes… Don put a hand over his eyes as he went back to them.
“You know, it’s not my fault that those tapes are back and that you’re so overprotective!”
I’m a good brother. I’m doing what it takes to protect him, I’m not trying to take over his life.
“I keep telling you not to mess things up by trying to fix everything by yourself! And you don’t get it, Don! You don’t get it!”
I do get it. That’s why I’m doing this.
You’re too naïve, you don’t know how things work here at the FBI!”
I’ve been here for a long time. Things are not the way they’re written in the manual. Not really.
“Colby? You’re blaming him?”
Stressed, Don rubbed his eyes.
“I came home with the broken picture of mom, ready to face everyone there, and you said, ‘I don’t have the right to judge you. I’m sorry, Charlie.’ It was obviously a lie.”
“It wasn’t, damn it!” Don said, hitting the table.
His fingers tapped the table in a frenetic rhythm. Either playing the piano or playing with that pen soothed Don’s soul to the level he’d been able to discover just now. It wasn’t a lie. I’m just… I don’t know how I feel.
“But no one, not even you, is going to ruin this thing I have with Colby.”
He took a deep breath. I don’t want to ruin anything!
“It’s not like it used to be, Don. I don’t depend on you anymore.”
That’s true, you don’t depend on me. But that won’t keep me from helping you anyway. It’ll take you a while to see it, and then you’ll thank me… someday… if you ever notice.
“You know what? I think you’re jealous.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Are you going to tell me that you’ve never thought how lucky Colby and I are? Are you going to swear to me that you’ve never wished you had someone as important in your life?”
Just like it’d happened before, no words escaped Don’s lips. Not even in his mind he could figure out an answer. The scariest part was that in a way he did envy what Charlie and Colby had. Worried, he caressed his chin and took a deep breath again. Let’s hope this works…If is doesn’t, I don’t…
The door suddenly opened with a rough sound. A breathless Larry entered the office. “Don, you have to come with me. Now.”
Don jumped out of his chair and followed him until they were near their desks, in front of a TV. “Oh my God… This is serious,” he muttered when he saw Farrow’s jet on fire.
Larry talked fast and awkwardly. “I’ve called Charlie, Colby, David and Megan.”
“Thanks. I guess we’re going to work here all night.” Maybe I’ll get my chance... When he saw Carl coming towards them with a worried look on his face, he knew it was the right moment to perform his plan. Finally, he’s out.
XxX
The news about the jet explosion spread over the office very fast, and in half an hour, everyone was already analyzing the possible causes of the fire and the direct attack to Farrow. Don kept giving orders, since none of his agents had arrived yet and Larry had locked himself in the war room, trying to find a definite answer.
By his side, Carl was as bossy as him, but his tone of voice was a bit pleased. Every time he said Farrow’s name, a crooked smile came to his face. It wasn’t a surprise, and the thrill of the hunt would be beneficial to Don.
When Carl wasn’t paying attention to him and his eyes were fixed on the flames on the screen, Don escaped to the corridor and confidently walked through it. He made it look like he was looking inside Carl’s office and then he stood by the door, resting his back on the wall, looking at his watch. Agents passed him by talking to each other, never even looking at him. C’mon… C’mon…
And for a few seconds, the corridor was empty. Don got into the office and crawled towards the desk, making a good use of the shadows that filled most of the room. He waited there for a while, looking at the door and the corridor, making himself sure he was safe. No one came nor tried to look inside. He thanked that Carl had always refused to keep security cameras in his office, even if Don had always thought it was a way to keep some of his most inappropriate interrogations away from his superior’s eyes.
Do it.
Carl’s computer was on and running and Don took out his cell phone. He couldn’t sit on the chair nor let his head pop out from behind the desk, just in case he caught someone’s attention. He put the cell phone against his ear, hearing it ring… Pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up.
“Don?” Amita finally said.
“Yes,” he whispered. He could imagine her swallow before she spoke.
“What do you need?”
“I want information on someone who’s basically unreachable.”
“You mean… classified data.” Her voice was shaky and almost unrecognizable.
“Something like that.” Don tried to calm himself down; adrenaline was getting to him. “Listen to me. You entered the DOJ database by yourself using your computer techniques. That’s how you found Bob Berenson’s deepest background and worked with cross references. I want you to tell me how to do that.”
“It’s not that easy, because I don’t know what you’re working with.... It could not work. It’s been weeks since I…”
“I don’t care about that, Amita. All you have to do is talk. I’m at a computer. Guide me and I’ll take care of the rest.” On alert, he waited for her answer. You better start singing or…
“Okay...”
Don balanced his cell phone against his ear with his shoulder as he reached for the keyboard. “Go.”
“The first thing you have to do… is type the code I’m going to give you… when you try to access the database.”
She was sobbing on the other side of the line. Trying to be as fast as possible, Don followed her instructions and even took a few pictures of the screen for Amita to know what she was dealing with. He whispered to her what the menus and codes said, he typed in every number and symbol she said. He did everything she told him to do, believing that she was being honest and that she wouldn’t make him screw up.
From time to time, when someone passed by the office, he hid behind the desk, feeling his heart pound hard inside his chest. But when it was clear again, he came back to the computer and did his best to get what he wanted and get the hell out of there.
Hurry up. Damn it.
“Open the search… Enter the name.”
Don held his breath as his fingers danced over the keyboard.
Noah Cameron.
A complete profile was displayed in front of Don’s eyes and he rapidly read the most important data. Noah Jeremiah Cameron… He works for the Security Clearance Investigations Program... He went into Protective Custody? No wonder why he’s so hard to find. “Done,” he said. “How do I get out of here without leaving a trail?”
“You have to… Oh, no.” Don noticed Amita’s breathing going faster and faster and the sound of a second voice on the other side of the line. Then she was talking to someone… Someone who was asking her where she’d gotten the cell phone. “I… I…”
The call was over. Don relied only on hope that no one would find he’d been stealing data from Carl’s computer, but that didn’t seem that important right now. Breathing hard, he took in the words that were displayed on Carl’s screen.
There they were - the address and cell phone of Noah Cameron - the ghost.
Series: In the Arms of the Wicked, Part 17/?
Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don, Amita, Megan, McGowan.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: Season 5.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Charlie's not thinking ahead. Don tries to make him come to his senses and protect him at the same time.
Feedback: Yes, please. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything (characters, situations, etcetera) except my OCs.
Beta: The fantastic twins_m0m and the great lillyg.
Previous chapters: Click here.
Previous chapter
Next chapter
Part 17: "Think ahead"
Colby’s arm accidentally brushed Charlie’s shoulder, making him giggle.
“What was that?”
“Ah, I don’t know…”
Feeling a little bit amused, Charlie turned around from the table and watched the way the soft light highlighted the best features of his lover’s fine body. “You don’t know.”
“Well, I actually have an idea,” Colby responded, smiling widely. His fingers started flipping the pages of a file.
“Does it have something to do with our… first date?” Charlie wanted to know. He turned to his laptop again and started another search on the Horus eye-fractions. “Are you nervous?”
For a moment, there was no answer. But suddenly Colby’s voice whispered into Charlie’s ear, “More than our real first date, when we ate pizza at your house and you told me you liked me?” He was leaning over the other man’s back suggestively. “Probably.”
Charlie smiled, thinking that from the outside of the war room, no one would take the gesture as more than a guy trying to see the data on the screen of the laptop. “I am… I wonder how it’s going to turn out.”
“Me, too… But I think it’s going to be great, no matter what we do.”
“Hmmm. I would kiss you right now if I could,” Charlie whispered - Colby’s lips a few centimeters from his now. They curved in a sweet smile, which turned into a grin.
“Charlie… There are people out there.”
“Maybe when EAD Cameron listens to those tapes, we won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Maybe… but we should also be ready for the bad consequences.”
Charlie didn’t reply, instead returned to focusing on the screen. Numbers were running, trying to find a pattern. He didn’t even want to think about what people would say about him being gay. He didn’t even know how he’d react, he didn’t know how much such a revelation would affect his job and his life. In a way, he knew that he should think ahead and make plans for each possible scenario. He always did it, his math always worked. But since Colby had become a variable of his life equation, Charlie had realized that things weren’t that simple. His lover had introduced factors he’d never considered, he’d changed the way his rationality worked.
Of course, Charlie felt proud that he had thrown his calculations out of the window when he’d started their relationship, even knowing that they had only 5 percent chance of success. But he had to admit that without math and logic, he felt slightly lost.
Not that being with Colby didn’t help him to forget about it most of the time.
“Did you find anything?” the green-eyed agent asked, interrupting Charlie’s train of thought.
“No… Nothing I can tie to the case, at least… So far, all I think could be relevant is that the addition of the fractions turns out to be 63/64, which is pretty close to a unity.” Tired, Charlie rubbed his eyes. “Ah, it seems that this isn’t going anywhere. We don’t even have all the data on this cult. Those people steal Egyptian antiques and bury them...”
Colby pointed at the numbers analysis Charlie was running. “And according to your program, locations are random. There’s not premeditation when it comes to where to put those statues for LAPD or the FBI to find them.”
“Exactly. It’s so frustrating…” As he shook his head, Charlie felt a hand caressing his shoulder, barely brushing the curls in the back of his head. “I know. I gotta calm down.”
“Yep. You know that we’re going to figure it out eventually.” Colby took a deep breath and sat at another computer. Two minutes later, he called Charlie.
“What? What do you have?” He looked at the displayed data. “Symbolism and numerology?”
“It’s a cult after all, isn’t it? They gotta have some very strong beliefs. The key could be here.”
“It’s like the Clay Porter case…” When Charlie said those words, he realized that Colby’s eyes got darker. All his energy seemed to be gone.
“Besides representing the unit, the Eye of Horus means protection against spells and curses coming from an enemy. Maybe the message means ‘Protect yourself’ or something along those lines.”
“Hmmm… That makes sense. But you’re right about this numbers having a meaning for them. We should take a closer look at it. I’m going to ask Larry to help you while I talk to Don.”
When Charlie started walking towards the door, he heard his lover’s voice saying, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just need some fresh air…” the mathematician answered as he left the room feeling frustrated that not even his own math could help solve the case. Besides not being useful for the FBI, it wasn’t useful to his personal life, either, and that was one of the things that frightened him the most.
XxX
He’s always there. When does he go for coffee? Does the man ever leave his office?
“Don?” Megan’s voice said.
Startled, Don stopped staring at his watch and looked up. “Yeah, what did you want to tell me?”
“I…” she sat down next to him and left a file on his desk with trembling hands. “I don’t feel very good… I was wondering if I could go home earlier today. I know that David left a while ago, too, but Larry, Charlie and Colby will probably stay and…”
Her speech was becoming long and random, even after all the coffee she had drunk. It wasn’t a good sign, as she was always so focused. Don observed the way her eyes looked exhausted; her face was tense and she kept biting her lip. There was no way she was feeling all right.
“Sure, sure… You can go home, I’ll stay here with the others and let you know if we have something,” he ended up saying. "Get some rest.”
She looked into his eyes, as if her mind was far away. “Thank you,” Megan finally whispered. Clumsily, she got up and went to grab her coat and her stuff. Watching her
made Don get very worried about her. He’d have to talk to Larry about what was going on with her.
Thinking that everything was falling apart, Don found his attention being driven towards his plans one more time. When will he leave? Doesn’t he have other responsibilities but keeping an eye on us? He got up from his desk and walked towards the corridor as if nothing weird was happening. Yawning, he leaned on the wall and looked both ways; the man hadn’t left his office yet.
Don felt a little bit discouraged and nervous. Trying to calm himself down, he took out his cell phone and ran his thumb over the keys, not dialing any number. Will she answer my call? She better do it. If she ever loved Charlie, that’s the last thing she…
“Hey.”
The familiar voice startled Don, and when he turned around, there was Charlie in front of him. “Oh, hey. I’m sorry. I’m having trouble keeping focused.”
“Don’t worry about it… Are you expecting a call?”
Surprised by the question, Don remembered that his phone was still in his hands. “Well… You know, someone could call eventually and tell us something really big about the Eye of Horus,” he excused himself. He rapidly put his cell phone inside his pocket. “Did you get anything useful?”
“Not really, but Colby wants to work on the literal Egyptian meaning of it.”
“From the look on your face, I can tell you don’t like that.”
Charlie shook his head. “You know that to me, numbers are numbers. There’s no underlying significance. Figures don’t keep secrets from us, they are what they are and that’s it. It’s like us being brothers, we’re supposed to tell each other everything.”
Or maybe almost everything. Don tried to control his expressions as he’d been doing the entire day, but this time, Charlie caught his nervousness.
“Is everything all right?”
Strangely, his brother didn’t seem really curious. From the way he looked at Don, he seemed to have an idea of what might be going on. Please, don’t ask me about the tapes. Please, don’t. “Yeah…”
“Um…” Charlie fixed his eyes on the floor for a moment, and then looked up again. “Could we talk for a moment? In private?”
God. “Yeah, sure, buddy.” Damn it. “Why don’t we get in there?” He pointed at one of the empty offices that were near them.
They both walked into the room, and nearly sweating, Don closed the door. He rubbed his palms and refused to sit down. Charlie didn’t take a seat either; he stared back at his brother as a table kept them apart and silence felt endless.
“Don…”
“Yeah?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Don repeated, smiling and feeling the guilt of having a secret plan. “Nothing.”
“Something has to be bothering you.”
“Charlie, you know me. If there was anything to talk about, I’d tell you.”
“Would you?” Charlie asked. His eyes were full of doubt.
Don swallowed before answering, “Of course.”
For a moment, no word was spoken.
Until Charlie broke the silence again. “What about the tapes Cameron has?”
“What about them? There’s nothing to say about that issue, but I promise that I’ll try and talk to him…”
“Talk to him?” Charlie shook his head. “You were planning on doing that and you didn’t tell me?”
“No, I…” Fix this, Don. Don’t screw up this time.
“See? I knew it. We'd have to talk about this eventually.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but it won’t be right now. There’s a lot of work to do.”
“What if we do it at home, when…?”
“No, forget it. I don’t want to get into a fight with you in front of Dad. His heart’s still delicate…”
“A fight? So I was right, then.” Charlie immediately folded his arms.
Yes, you were! So what? “What do you want me say, Charlie? Yes! But I don’t want to talk about it!”
“You’re obviously mad! You’re yelling at me!”
Okay, that’s it. You asked for it. “Well, that’s what you deserve!”
“For what? What did I do now? You know, it’s not my fault that those tapes are back and that you’re so overprotective!”
“What?” Don snapped.
Charlie put his hands on the table. “I keep telling you not to mess things up by trying to fix everything by yourself! And you don’t get it, Don! You don’t get it!”
“So I’m the one who doesn’t get it now.”
“Yeah! You keep thinking you’re like an extra dad to me, assuming that I’m not an adult and that I can’t deal with things!”
“Really? Maybe it’s because you still act like a kid!” You do and you don’t even notice!
Overwhelmed by the discussion he didn’t want to have, Don turned around and took a few steps. He ran his hands over his forehead, trying to calm down, but he could still hear Charlie’s voice behind him. His brother wasn’t done yet.
“I’m beyond thirty years old, Don. Protecting me isn’t your task!”
“It is, Charlie. Especially when you’re not using your head.”
“Ha. I’m not… using…”
You’re so… “You’re not thinking ahead, Charlie!”
“I am!”
“No, you’re not! You’re too naïve, you don’t know how things work here at the FBI!” Don turned around, facing his brother. “If those tapes come out, you can’t expect people to just understand you and accept the fact that you have a boyfriend!”
“I’m not expecting that! Of course I know that there will be stuff for me and Colby to get through!”
“I don’t think so. In fact, I think you’re too busy with Colby to actually start planning what the hell you’re going to do when everybody discovers what's going on between you and him!”
“Colby? You’re blaming him?”
Don tried to calm down and not to yell. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Charlie was out of control. “God, I thought we were way passed that, but it seems that you still have to deal with the fact that your brother is gay and there’s nothing you can do about it!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands to the air. “What happened to that speech you gave me a few months ago in front of dad and Colby, huh? I came home with the broken picture of mom, ready to face everyone there, and you said, ‘I don’t have the right to judge you. I’m sorry, Charlie.’ It was obviously a lie.”
“It wasn’t, damn it!” Don said, hitting the table.
“I’m trying to regain what I had with the person I like… It’s so hard with the Amita situation and what she did to him, and your way to help is throwing all this crap at me?” Charlie’s hands trembled as he spoke. “And trust me, I’m scared to death of what might happen when those tapes come out. But no one, not even you, is going to ruin this thing I have with Colby. It’s not like it used to be, Don. I don’t depend on you anymore.”
“Oh, really.”
“Yes. You know what? I think you’re jealous.”
Astonished, Don didn’t like the meaning of that. “Jealous? That’s ridiculous.” He watched Charlie walk towards him.
“Are you going to tell me that you’ve never thought how lucky Colby and I are? Are you going to swear to me that you’ve never wished you had someone as important in your life?”
Don tried to give him an answer, but words got caught in his throat. He had no idea what that was. “I… I…”
“Save it,” his brother said. “And I don’t need your help. I don’t want it.”
“Charlie…”
“No, no. And let me say this once again, Don. Neither you, nor anyone is going to stand between Colby and me, do you understand me?”
He turned around, and Don knew that he’d find a surprise at the door. Charlie’s eyes widen when he saw Colby there, looking at him in confusion. He’d obviously caught part of the conversation.
“I huh… Larry had an interesting idea and I came here to…” Colby took a breath, looking at Charlie and then at Don as he held a handful of papers. “Never mind.”
Charlie passed him by, putting a hand on his arm as he passed by. “We have a date. Let’s not worry about this,” he said before storming out of the room.
However, Colby remained, looking into Don’s eyes across the room. He didn’t say anything, obviously on Charlie’s side.
“Colby…” Don muttered, but Colby had left the room with a sad expression on his face. Don grabbed his head. “Jeez!” Why can’t you say what you really mean without screwing up?
XxX
Playing with a pen turned out to be a very interesting thing to do. It actually helped clear Don’s mind, in a way. He kept going through each one of Charlie’s words. Some of them hurt… a lot. Maybe because they were true.
He threw the pen to the table. His brother was screaming inside his head… Scenes from their fight were coming together in flashes… Don put a hand over his eyes as he went back to them.
“You know, it’s not my fault that those tapes are back and that you’re so overprotective!”
I’m a good brother. I’m doing what it takes to protect him, I’m not trying to take over his life.
“I keep telling you not to mess things up by trying to fix everything by yourself! And you don’t get it, Don! You don’t get it!”
I do get it. That’s why I’m doing this.
You’re too naïve, you don’t know how things work here at the FBI!”
I’ve been here for a long time. Things are not the way they’re written in the manual. Not really.
“Colby? You’re blaming him?”
Stressed, Don rubbed his eyes.
“I came home with the broken picture of mom, ready to face everyone there, and you said, ‘I don’t have the right to judge you. I’m sorry, Charlie.’ It was obviously a lie.”
“It wasn’t, damn it!” Don said, hitting the table.
His fingers tapped the table in a frenetic rhythm. Either playing the piano or playing with that pen soothed Don’s soul to the level he’d been able to discover just now. It wasn’t a lie. I’m just… I don’t know how I feel.
“But no one, not even you, is going to ruin this thing I have with Colby.”
He took a deep breath. I don’t want to ruin anything!
“It’s not like it used to be, Don. I don’t depend on you anymore.”
That’s true, you don’t depend on me. But that won’t keep me from helping you anyway. It’ll take you a while to see it, and then you’ll thank me… someday… if you ever notice.
“You know what? I think you’re jealous.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Are you going to tell me that you’ve never thought how lucky Colby and I are? Are you going to swear to me that you’ve never wished you had someone as important in your life?”
Just like it’d happened before, no words escaped Don’s lips. Not even in his mind he could figure out an answer. The scariest part was that in a way he did envy what Charlie and Colby had. Worried, he caressed his chin and took a deep breath again. Let’s hope this works…If is doesn’t, I don’t…
The door suddenly opened with a rough sound. A breathless Larry entered the office. “Don, you have to come with me. Now.”
Don jumped out of his chair and followed him until they were near their desks, in front of a TV. “Oh my God… This is serious,” he muttered when he saw Farrow’s jet on fire.
Larry talked fast and awkwardly. “I’ve called Charlie, Colby, David and Megan.”
“Thanks. I guess we’re going to work here all night.” Maybe I’ll get my chance... When he saw Carl coming towards them with a worried look on his face, he knew it was the right moment to perform his plan. Finally, he’s out.
XxX
The news about the jet explosion spread over the office very fast, and in half an hour, everyone was already analyzing the possible causes of the fire and the direct attack to Farrow. Don kept giving orders, since none of his agents had arrived yet and Larry had locked himself in the war room, trying to find a definite answer.
By his side, Carl was as bossy as him, but his tone of voice was a bit pleased. Every time he said Farrow’s name, a crooked smile came to his face. It wasn’t a surprise, and the thrill of the hunt would be beneficial to Don.
When Carl wasn’t paying attention to him and his eyes were fixed on the flames on the screen, Don escaped to the corridor and confidently walked through it. He made it look like he was looking inside Carl’s office and then he stood by the door, resting his back on the wall, looking at his watch. Agents passed him by talking to each other, never even looking at him. C’mon… C’mon…
And for a few seconds, the corridor was empty. Don got into the office and crawled towards the desk, making a good use of the shadows that filled most of the room. He waited there for a while, looking at the door and the corridor, making himself sure he was safe. No one came nor tried to look inside. He thanked that Carl had always refused to keep security cameras in his office, even if Don had always thought it was a way to keep some of his most inappropriate interrogations away from his superior’s eyes.
Do it.
Carl’s computer was on and running and Don took out his cell phone. He couldn’t sit on the chair nor let his head pop out from behind the desk, just in case he caught someone’s attention. He put the cell phone against his ear, hearing it ring… Pick up. Pick up, pick up, pick up.
“Don?” Amita finally said.
“Yes,” he whispered. He could imagine her swallow before she spoke.
“What do you need?”
“I want information on someone who’s basically unreachable.”
“You mean… classified data.” Her voice was shaky and almost unrecognizable.
“Something like that.” Don tried to calm himself down; adrenaline was getting to him. “Listen to me. You entered the DOJ database by yourself using your computer techniques. That’s how you found Bob Berenson’s deepest background and worked with cross references. I want you to tell me how to do that.”
“It’s not that easy, because I don’t know what you’re working with.... It could not work. It’s been weeks since I…”
“I don’t care about that, Amita. All you have to do is talk. I’m at a computer. Guide me and I’ll take care of the rest.” On alert, he waited for her answer. You better start singing or…
“Okay...”
Don balanced his cell phone against his ear with his shoulder as he reached for the keyboard. “Go.”
“The first thing you have to do… is type the code I’m going to give you… when you try to access the database.”
She was sobbing on the other side of the line. Trying to be as fast as possible, Don followed her instructions and even took a few pictures of the screen for Amita to know what she was dealing with. He whispered to her what the menus and codes said, he typed in every number and symbol she said. He did everything she told him to do, believing that she was being honest and that she wouldn’t make him screw up.
From time to time, when someone passed by the office, he hid behind the desk, feeling his heart pound hard inside his chest. But when it was clear again, he came back to the computer and did his best to get what he wanted and get the hell out of there.
Hurry up. Damn it.
“Open the search… Enter the name.”
Don held his breath as his fingers danced over the keyboard.
Noah Cameron.
A complete profile was displayed in front of Don’s eyes and he rapidly read the most important data. Noah Jeremiah Cameron… He works for the Security Clearance Investigations Program... He went into Protective Custody? No wonder why he’s so hard to find. “Done,” he said. “How do I get out of here without leaving a trail?”
“You have to… Oh, no.” Don noticed Amita’s breathing going faster and faster and the sound of a second voice on the other side of the line. Then she was talking to someone… Someone who was asking her where she’d gotten the cell phone. “I… I…”
The call was over. Don relied only on hope that no one would find he’d been stealing data from Carl’s computer, but that didn’t seem that important right now. Breathing hard, he took in the words that were displayed on Carl’s screen.
There they were - the address and cell phone of Noah Cameron - the ghost.