Misconception

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs or any of the characters. I'd love to, but I don't.

R & R. I'd love to know what you think. Thanks. :)

A/N: Unbeta'd for now. Two chapters only. Last chapter will be longer.

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Don Eppes couldn't help closing his eyes when he felt the pressure of the gun against his head. He was on his knees at the man's mercy.

The media had simply called this man 'the cop killer'. It had seemed like an accurate description even if Don had never liked media inventions. He and his team had called him by his real name from the very beginning, Arthur Bellows.

Multiple things flashed through his head. He decided he really didn't want to be at a man's mercy like this, but more than anything else, he thought about Charlie and his dad. For a moment he wondered what would happen to them if this man pulled the trigger. It wouldn't be long now. He could feel Bellows tightening his grip on the gun. The pressure on his head only increased.

"You're coming with me," the man suddenly announced, "get up."

Don obeyed, but couldn't stop himself from telling Arthur Bellows something he believed to be true. "You're not going to get very far."

"Shut up, I didn't ask for your professional opinion."

"I'm giving it to you anyway. Think about it."

The killer placed his left hand on Don's left shoulder and started pushing him forward. The muzzle of the gun was still firmly placed against the right side of Don's head.

It was Colby who interrupted the man's getaway. The agent drew his weapon and aimed. "FBI," he identified himself, "lower your weapon." It was an order Don could only hope the man would obey.

There wasn't much Don could do to stop the man. His hands were cuffed behind his back. He'd been ordered to use his own cuffs to limit his movements and Bellows had enjoyed the irony of Don's predicament.

He tried his best to hide it, but he still couldn't help worrying about the outcome of the situation he found himself in, even though he really trusted Colby to get him out of this. It was weird, a contradiction even.

"You're going to let us pass or I'll drive a bullet through your partner's skull."

Technically Don was still Colby's boss, but who cared about hierarchy? Certainly not the man wielding the gun.

"Can't do that," Colby shot back, "There's nothing keeping you from pulling that trigger if I let you go." The agent tightened his grip on the gun.

"Then there's only one way out."

Colby saw the desperate look which crossed the man's face. If the agent hesitated now he would certainly lose his boss. Colby didn't wait when their cop killer changed direction, he fired. Two bullets flew through the alley.

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"Dad!"

"Can it wait, Charlie? I'm preparing dinner," Alan yelled back from the kitchen.

When Charlie didn't respond, Alan gave in and moved to the living room where he found his youngest son in front of the television set, staring at the screen with a look of pure dread on his face.

"The FBI has not commented on the loss of the agent leading this investigation. Our sources say that Arthur Bellows, better known as the cop killer, was injured and taken to hospital."

Alan now understood his son's unresponsiveness.

"That's Donnie's case," the older man managed to whisper.

tbc