FIC: The Other Side of Midnight (Family Secrets)
Title: The Other Side of Midnight
Series: Family Secrets
Author: Valerie Vancollie (valeriev84 [at] hotmail.com)
Characters: Don, Billy Cooper
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Don tries to process what he witnessed, while Billy worries about his partner's reactions to the situation.
Note: Takes place right after Exposed.
Spoilers: Man Hunt
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Numb3rs characters, items or situations. I only lay claim to the original aspects of the fic.
Don tossed Billy his spare clothes before moving past him to get a closer look at the naked corpse of their fugitive. The bullet hole in his chest indicated that at least one of his two shots hadn't been as wild as he'd thought, not that it seemed to have slowed the... fugitive any. In fact, he'd hardly seemed to notice it, not flinching or altering his attack in the slightest. It was almost a pity there would be no autopsy as he'd really like to know how that was possible, but an autopsy was out of the question, he didn't need Coop to tell him that one. Milnok's throat had been ripped clear out and not only would they be hard pressed to explain that away, but the autopsy was bound to reveal it had been done by canine teeth.
Or at least that's what the ME would most likely identify it as. Canine. Although, Don mused, that was probably technically correct. After all, a... a...
"Donny?" Billy's voice was hesitant and Don had known his partner long enough to be able to detect traces of fear and uncertainty in it.
Neither of which really surprised him given what he'd just witnessed. On some level, Don was worried by how calmly he was accepting this, especially with the adrenaline that still coursed through his veins from the attack. Was he in shock? It seemed to be the only explanation that made sense, the only reason why he could stand here and so calmly try to analyze his reaction to witnessing the impossible. It just wasn't normal.
"Are you hurt?" Billy demanded, appearing at his side, worry now the only emotion discernable in his voice. "Did he scratch or bite you?"
Don blinked and turned to face his partner as Billy tugged at his shirt, lifting it to check for wounds. The concern and worry he saw in those blue eyes was so markedly different from the snarling wolf he'd seen fighting their fugitive earlier that if he hadn't seen it himself, he'd never have believed it. Glancing at the corpse, his attention was drawn back to Milnok's bloody neck once more.
"You ripped his throat out," Don said, his voice devoid of any emotion, merely making an observation.
Billy stiffened noticeably beside him and Don returned his attention to his partner once more. They were standing quite close together, Coop having invaded his personal space to check for wounds and the man seemed frozen in place now, blue eyes glued to his face. The wariness and apprehension he saw there threw Don slightly as did the intense observation he was under, but it suddenly dawned on him that Billy was looking for any signs of fear or horror. Coop was deliberately making himself as little of a threat as possible as though he were dealing with a jumpy animal.
The image of the two wolves snarling and biting flashed before Don once more and his eyes were involuntarily drawn back to the corpse at their feet and the gaping hole where his throat should be. From there he looked back at Coop once more, his eyes dropping briefly to glance at his mouth before indignation won out and he shoved his partner back a step.
"Cut it out."
Billy stared in shock for a moment, clearly caught off-guard before he gestured at Milnok. "As you said, I ripped out his throat and you're telling me not to worry about how you're going to react?"
"Yeah," Don confirmed, though he was once again wondering at his own reactions and sanity. Had he lost it? "You saved my life."
"You..." Billy began but stopped to shake his head in disbelief before he ran a hand over his face. "I- You're bleeding."
"What? No, I'm not," Don replied, his hands coming up to check his arms and chest for any unnoticed wounds.
"Yeah you are, I can smell it," Billy countered, the concern suddenly back in his voice.
"Smell it?" Don repeated, startled as his partner stepped close once more before grabbing his chin and turning his head sideways. "Ouch!" he exclaimed as Coop's fingers brushed a rapidly forming egg at the back of his head.
"You must have hit your head as you went down."
"You think? Stop touching it."
"I need to check how bad it is," Billy argued, gently probing the wound and drawing a hiss from the other man.
"Knock it off," Don complained, slapping away the offending hands.
"Eppes."
"I'm fine."
"You hit your head, you know how tricky those types of injuries can be. We really should take you to a hospital, you could have a concussion."
"And tell them what? That I was attacked by a fugitive who happened to be a wolf at the time?" Don snapped, the events of the past half-hour combined with the pain finally starting to penetrate the fog clouding his mind. "Oh, that will go over well I'm sure. Perhaps you even want to take along Milnok's body as proof, so I don't end up in the psych ward?"
"No," Billy said calmly, but Don could see the sudden tension in him. "But we can say he attacked you and knocked you down."
Don opened his mouth to argue, but closed it as he recognized the look of stubborn determination on his friend's face. This was one argument he wasn't going to win; neither of them messed around when it came to the other's health. Besides, a concussion might just account for his strange reactions to what was happening... unless, of course, it was responsible for what he'd seen. A quick glance at Milnok's corpse nixed that idea as his throat was still nothing but a gaping hole. Billy was also still hovering at his side, a strange mixture of apprehension, concern and nervousness fairly radiating from him for someone who knew him well to see. Well, at least he'd assumed he knew Coop well, he wasn't so sure about that right now.
"Donny?"
"Okay, fine," Don agreed, wondering whether it would please his partner or only serve to worry him even more.
He turned back in the direction of the car and started the five minute trek. He'd only gone a few paces before he was struck by a wave of dizziness. Don staggered towards a tree to remain upright, but Billy reached him first.
"Yeah, definitely a concussion," Don stated, feeling the effects of the adrenaline wearing off.
"Ya think?" Billy retorted, slinging one of Don's arms over his shoulder and using his strength to keep him upright as they continued towards the car. "Damnit, Eppes, you just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"
"Hey! This is so not my fault," Don protested, keeping his eyes on the ground so he wouldn't stumble.
It wasn't lost on Don just how much of his weight Coop was supporting. He was no lightweight and Billy should be showing far more strain doing so than he was. He'd never seemed so strong before. The thought had him going back and searching his interactions with his partner, looking for any signs of what he was.
"Where'd you put the keys?" Billy inquired as they reached the pickup.
Don pulled them out of his pocket and handed them over, getting into the passenger seat as soon as the door was open.
"Seatbelt," Billy reminded with a frown as he got in himself and started the engine.
It took a few tries, but Don managed to buckle the belt himself, sending a wobbly smile at his partner's concerned look. "Adrenaline's wearing off."
"I noticed."
Since he couldn't lean his head back against the seat rest while looking forwards, Don choose to look at Billy instead of out of the window. He was still running through memories but wasn't finding anything. He kept getting distracted by the jostling of the car as they'd left the paved road a while back and the dirt road was anything but smooth. He was forced to grab the dashboard to prevent himself from moving too much.
Even with the distractions, Don realized that Billy had probably managed to keep any little slip-ups to a minimum as he'd never had any suspicions. Not that he'd ever have guessed the truth if he had noticed anything. But was he sure what he'd seen was real and not merely some concussion induced hallucination? Could concussions even produce hallucinations? He'd never heard of it before and he'd had several. Without Milnok's body to look at, though, the whole thing started to take on a surreal feel, almost like a bad dream.
"You still with me, Eppes?" Billy asked, not liking the spaced out look in his friend's eyes as he quickly glanced over at him.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah," Don replied, refocusing on Coop.
It was mind boggling to think of him transforming into a wolf. Did it hurt? Don wasn't sure that question would be received well, so he kept it to himself as he studied his partner. He started with the fingers wrapped tightly around the wheel and then his hands, lower and upper arms up to his shoulders. There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary to be found there, they were neither particularly hairy nor abnormally shaped. Indeed, of the two of them, he was the more hairy. Nor was Billy any more muscular than the majority of the agents working Fugitive Recovery, especially not given the strength he'd felt earlier.
He was still pondering the question when he glanced up and looked right into Billy's eyes. The other man glanced away quickly, but not before Don had seen the apprehension and worry. He frowned, knowing it was far more than just his injury, Coop seemed almost skittish in some ways, as if he expected Don to snap all of a sudden and attack him. For all of that, Coop had made no move to disarm him and he'd had ample opportunity to do so earlier.
"What day is it?" Billy asked suddenly, glancing back at him quickly.
"Thursday," Don replied before he realized why he was being asked. "The 6th of June '95. Or Friday the 7th, if it's past midnight already."
"Who's the President?"
"Bill Clinton."
"What's your sister's name?"
"I don't have a sister. Brother's name is Charlie."
"Good," Billy stated as he parked the car as near to the emergency room as he could. "Now, what happened?"
Don paused a moment, wondering if he was being give a chance to talk about what he'd seen before he realized where they were. "I was attacked, fell and hit my head."
/
The rest of the evening (or was it morning?) was a blur of light and pain for Don as first they sat in the waiting room and Billy kept poking him awake before a doctor was finally free to see him who then started poking and prodding Don himself. His mood deteriorated rapidly and he started snapping until he was told that although he had a concussion, it wasn't severe and he could go as long as Billy promised to wake him every two hours.
He must have fallen asleep on the ride back to the motel as it seemed like Billy was shaking him awake seconds after they'd gotten into the car.
"I'm not carrying your sorry ass inside," Billy stated.
"That's 'cause you're a lazy bastard," Don mumbled as he got out of the car and allowed himself to be guided up to their room.
"You're awake, right?" Billy questioned as Don collapsed onto the bed. "'Cause this'll be your first check."
"Yes, Thursday, 6th, or Friday, 7th, '95, Clinton, no, Charlie," Don said, remaining awake only long enough to hear Coop's laughter before darkness claimed him once more.
/
The next time Don woke, he could tell Billy was nearby as he'd recognize that tread anywhere. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find his partner pacing back and forth across the small space of the room they'd rented the day before. Taking advantage of the fact that his partner hadn't realized he was awake, he used the time to study Coop. The man seemed even tenser than before and was deep in thought. Don didn't think he'd ever seen such an apprehensive look on the man's face before and they'd been in a lot of tight spots during the months they'd worked together.
Now that his head felt somewhat clearer despite a low level headache, Don realized that his partner was worried about him and his reaction to what he'd seen. It still seemed like some bad dream despite the fact that Billy's behavior was a clear indicator that he'd actually seen what he thought he had, even if it was impossible. Briefly he wondered what Charlie would say if he were to tell him- he'd probably think his older brother was pulling his leg or was on drugs- before he shoved the thought aside. It was irrelevant and not going to get him any answers. Neither was pondering it on his own, not when he obviously had someone who had all the answers right in the same room as himself.
"You're going to wear a hole in the carpet if you keep that up," Don said softly, but the words caused Coop to start nonetheless, his head snapping up to look at him.
"You're awake."
"Yeah."
"You hungry? I got some food from one of those all night gas stations," Billy said, indicating some wrapped sandwiches on the desk.
"And you went and disposed of the body," Don stated.
"Uh-"
"What, you're going to try and deny it? That's going to last as long as it takes me to return to the office and hear that it was never collected and no one knew we'd killed Milnok. Besides, what I saw would hardly be considered mere fantasy if Milnok were examined by an ME. I get that the evidence doesn't come to light, I'm not stupid."
"No, you're not," Billy agreed, finally coming to sit on the bed, pinning Don with a penetrating gaze. "Though I have to say, I'm more than a little worried at how you're taking all of this."
"Yeah, that makes two of us."
"Are you going to say it?"
"What? Werewolf?"
"Yeah, that," Billy replied uncomfortably, glancing away.
Don tilted his head, studying his partner once more. It was clear the topic was making him nervous as hell, his complete inability to sit still would have alerted even those not familiar with him of that, but Billy was determined to address it nonetheless instead of merely trying to snow Don into forgetting it or writing it off as some concussion induced hallucination. Nor had Coop taken the route of trying to force him into silence by saying no one would believe him if he said anything- which they wouldn't- and thus to drop the matter.
"What?" Billy demanded as he turned back to face him and their eyes locked.
For a moment, Don remained silent, merely holding Coop's gaze, hating the uncertainty and apprehension he saw there. "I'm not going to use this against you or reveal your secret to anyone," he stated firmly, maintaining eye contact so there could be no misunderstanding.
"Donny?" Billy whispered, staring back in shock before he swallowed thickly.
"Hell, I'd be dead right now if it wasn't for what you are, do you really expect me to turn on you for that?"
"It's not that," Billy replied, finally dropping his eyes. "It's just... well..."
"I'm not the first one to find out, am I?" Don asked with sudden understanding, the hurt he'd been feeling at being so blatantly mistrusted vanishing only to be replaced with horror and anger at whatever and whoever had caused his partner to be so afraid of someone discovering what he was.
"No."
"And it didn't go so well."
"That's an understatement," Billy laughed, though there was no humor in it. "She... she thought it was cool at first, fascinating, which should have tipped me off right from the start, but I was young and stupid and naive and really wanted to believe it could be that easy. That I could have a normal human companion who understood me and knew what I was but treated me the same. Like the family stories I've heard since I was little of David, Anastasia or Michael.
"But she wasn't really interested in me as a person anymore, just in what I am. She kept asking me to transform and perform tricks for her. I wasn't human and that made me less in her eyes despite how much she enjoyed being with a werewolf. I think she saw me as a pet by the end of it, you know, one of those exotic ones people show off to all their friends."
Don swallowed back his anger, the absolutely emotionless tone Billy was using telling him all he needed to know about how deep those wounds still ran.
"I assume you left her?"
"Yeah, eventually I did. I would have done so sooner, but she kept threatening to expose what I was."
"No one would have believed her."
"I can see that now," Billy said, running a hand through his short hair. "But then I was worried; I didn't know how much damage she could do and I didn't want even a mad woman's werewolf delusions associated with me. You know, just in case I was ever forced to do something that would draw attention to myself."
"That's understandable. So what changed?"
"She went even more crazy," Billy stated, shuddering. "I think she got it into her head that she could be a pack leader or be the one who 'discovered' us and told the world of our existence. Between that and the fact that she was trying to find other werewolves to own, I finally came to my senses and high-tailed it out of there."
"I see," Don said, thinking about that for a moment.
He could easily see how after an experience like that, his partner would be wary of another... human learning of his secret. It didn't erase the pain of being mistrusted, but it justified Billy's reaction and Don could deal with the pain as he was still alive to do so. Despite what had happened with this woman, his partner had still chosen to reveal his secret in order to save his life. No matter how difficult this would make it to explain how they'd suddenly lost track of Milnok, he was determined not to let his partner's selflessness expose him to anyone else, even though it meant lying to his boss in particular and the Bureau in general.
Don couldn't help but wonder if the doctor hadn't been mistaken in his diagnosis given how easily he'd reached that decision. Just a few days ago, he'd have said he'd never lie to cover for a partner, especially when there was a body involved. The situation he currently found himself in, however, was unlike anything he could have imagined. The body in this case belonged to someone rightly, if unconventionally, killed during the course of their job. Milnok had assaulted a federal agent with the clear intention of killing him. As both his partner and another agent on scene, Coop had been more than justified in using lethal force in order to protect him.
If Milnok had been human and Billy had used a gun, the situation would have been documented, their statements taken and a report filed before the two of them were given a new assignment. It wasn't like anything illegal had been committed on their part, well, at least not until Billy had disposed of the body.
The thing was that in going along with what Coop wanted, Don was just protecting a secret. One he could understand the need for keeping quiet. If it became general knowledge that werewolves existed, things would get quite ugly. He'd seen, and experienced, more than enough situations to know what people could do to those who were different and in all of those cases it had still been humans hurting other humans. He didn't even want to contemplate what certain people could justify doing to 'non-humans.'
Which still left Don with one question. Given all that had happened to Billy in the past, why was he still so willing to let him in? True, they'd been partnered together for months now and had been in more than their fair share of tight spots where they'd had to put their lives in the other's hands, but this was something else entirely. It was almost like even in his distrust, Coop was trusting him; falling back on the partnership they'd managed to build despite a rocky start where he'd been all but foisted on Billy. Just like he'd done earlier in the evening, Don realized. Was their friendship that strong already? Or was there something else going on that he couldn't think of because he was human and not a werewolf?
"So why are you trusting me so much then?"
"You saw," Billy shrugged.
"I saw you transform," Don admitted, not planning on letting it go so easily. "I had undeniable proof you weren't norm- human, I also had enough information to make a good guess as to what you really are, but that's it."
"And?"
"And you have not only confirmed all of that, but given me more."
"No I haven't. Not the more part anyway."
"Yeah, you have," Don countered. "You've told me it's a family thing," he watched his partner move to deny it before he remembered exactly what he'd said and paled. "Coop, Billy, I meant what I said earlier, I have no intention of using this against you or your family. I was just wondering why you've been so forthcoming with me given what happened the last time you trusted a human."
"I don't know," Billy admitted, looking a little lost and far more vulnerable than Don had ever seen him.
It almost hurt for Don to look at his partner like this. Before he'd always been carefree, reckless and cocky, seeming to shrug off everything that happened to him as if it were nothing or couldn't affect him. It completely clashed with what he was seeing now, but he figured this hidden part of Coop was that which had always allowed him to be as tough as he'd been, but now his armor was stripped away and he was exposed in a way that had gotten him hurt in the past.
Don pushed down the urge to swear. He so wasn't any good at this emotional shit.
"There seems to be a lot of that going around tonight," Don said dryly, hoping he'd be able to convey what he wanted to but couldn't put into words.
It had worked well so far for their partnership, no reason for it to fail now. Billy looked him directly in the eyes, assessing him for several long minutes before nodding. Don knew his point had gotten across by the way Coop visibly relaxed. The issue was by no means resolved, but they were good for now. Only time would help now.
"What I can say is that when I saw Milnok on top of you, there was no hesitation; I just reacted," Billy said.
"And for that I'm grateful, as always."
"You'd have done the same if our positions were reversed, partner."
"Yeah," Don admitted, shifting experimentally before stilling as he realized his headache was still there.
"You okay?" Billy demanded, his sharp eyes catching the slight wince.
"All things considered, yeah. It could have been a hell of a lot worse," Don stated, memories of Milnok in wolf form flashing before his eyes.
He was sure he'd be seeing that in his dreams for a while to come. Well, that and the fight between Milnok and Coop as they sought to kill each other with claws and fangs. The thought abruptly brought back the image of Milnok sinking his teeth into the red-haired wolf's leg.
"What about you? Are you alright?"
"Me?" Billy inquired, puzzled.
"Yeah, you dragged me off to the hospital but didn't get yourself looked over. I know Milnok injured you, I assume you didn't want to explain the nature of the injuries to the doctor, but do I need to help you bandage or clean something?"
"Oh, no, that's not necessary."
"Damnit, Coop, I know he bit you, that could get infected!"
"I'm not pulling a macho act here, you do more than enough of that for the both of us."
"Hey!"
"I, we, that is to say werewolves, heal faster. By the day after tomorrow it'll be as if it never happened."
"Wow," Don said, as he looked closely at the wound as Coop pulled up his pant leg to demonstrate. "That why you've always tried to prevent me from looking after your injuries?"
"Yeah, I had to force the healing to slow down," Billy confirmed, a wry expression on his face.
"You can do that?"
"It's not easy, but it is something we can learn to control if we want to. Since I wanted to join the FBI, I knew it was a skill I would have to learn given the highly increased odds of getting injured on the job."
"I assume that was part of the reason you didn't want a partner."
"Yeah. Now, though, I'm grateful Jennings forced you on me."
"You apologizing for your behavior before?"
"Never."
"I didn't think so, you can be a right bastard when you want to be, you know that?"
"Course, it's another skill I worked hard to perfect."
"Asshole," Don retorted, hesitating before continuing; he didn't want to ruin the relaxed atmosphere, but he really did need to know. "Coop, is there anything else I need to know? I'm not asking for all kinds of information," he rushed to explain as the other man tensed. "I just need to know if there's anything I need to be aware of for when we're in the middle of a chase. Anything I should worry about or not worry about."
"You mean like whether silver affects me?" Billy asked, some of the tension leaving him as he saw the purely tactical side of the question.
"Yeah, or anything else where you differ from a human. Like Milnok didn't seem fazed by my shot."
"That's 'cause the bullet wasn't silver. As I said before, we heal far better than humans, so it generally takes more to slow or kill us."
"Except with silver."
"Exactly."
"Is it as bad as the movies make it out to be?"
"Depends on the movie," Billy replied, shaking his head in amusement. "Some are more accurate than others, but as regards to silver, I can touch or hold it, but it'll start to burn me within seconds. The real problems start when it gets into my bloodstream."
"Okay, so silver is bad, but I don't need to worry if you get shot. That's good to know, it means I can keep chasing our fugitive."
"Hoi! A little concern might be nice," Billy protested.
"You just said it probably wouldn't kill you."
"Doesn't mean it won't hurt like hell."
"What makes you think I care about that?"
"And you said I was the bastard."
"Well, you are. I'm a good little, innocent Jewish boy."
"Eppes, you haven't been good or innocent since you hit puberty."
"If that's another pathetic attempt to get information out of me regarding my first time, it won't work."
"You're no fun."
"I'm officially ill, concussed, remember?"
"Yeah, speaking of which, I called it in and we're on a week's downtime while you recover."
"Ah, hell."
"Not like we'd have been doing anything better if we had to pretend we were still chasing Milnok."
"So, what happened to her?" Don finally inquired after several minutes of silence.
"Who?"
"The woman you mentioned, the one who knew."
"She died."
"What happened?"
Billy looked at him in disbelief for a second before sniffing the air suspiciously, finally settling back with a startled and confused expression.
"What?" Don questioned, bewildered. "What'd I do now?"
"You're not afraid."
"Afraid? Of what? You?"
"Yeah."
"Why would I be?"
"It's just Sarah, well, she would have been."
"Afraid?" Don prodded before he realized where this was headed. "Wait, you mean if you'd told her that the last person who knew, and abused that knowledge, was dead?"
Billy nodded as he got up to get the sandwiches and coffee he'd collected earlier.
"I'm beginning to dislike being compared to her."
"Sorry."
"No, I understand, just know I'm not her."
"I know," Billy said, opening Don's sandwich and placing it in his hands, daring him to refuse it. "Go on, ask."
"What?"
"I can see you're holding yourself back."
"Well, a minute ago you sniffed the air."
"Yeah, I did, didn't I," Billy said with a sigh. "It's like now that you know, I'm suddenly unable to disguise my wolf side as much as before."
"You can smell fear," Don deduced.
"Yes."
"That also how you track so well?"
"Yeah."
"I see," Don said before biting into his sandwich.
It would take a while, but Don knew that this could work as well as, if not better than, before. There'd be an adjustment period for both of them, but now that the secret was out in the open, he felt their ability to work together could only improve.