Changes and Choices
Disclaimer: CBS owns Numb3rs. I don't.
Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience, support, and enthusiasm as I wrote this piece. It was completely unexpected and is deeply appreciated. I would also like to include a special 'thank you' to MMarchand.
Hooray for the first complete season of Numb3rs! And now, onto the closing scenes…
His cell phone rang precisely at five o'clock on Friday night, as it always did now. Don, still at work, blindly reached for the ringing device. He didn't even glance at the display screen as he answered; he knew who was calling. Careful to keep his face impassive as his colleagues hurried about around him, he leaned back in his chair and allowed himself to take a break from his most recent case and the resultant pile of paperwork.
David, walking past his boss' cubicle, couldn't quite conceal the small grin he had on his face. The younger agent knew who was on the other end of the line, but he would never tell anyone else. He had too much respect for his two mentors to do that without their knowledge or permission. When they were ready, they would make their move. He went to pour himself a cup of coffee, and maybe then, spare a few minutes to call his fiancée.
"Eppes," said Don. On the other end of the line, he could hear soft music playing. It would be just like Terry. He could already guess that she was curled up on the couch, phone in one hand, a cup of hot chocolate in the other, a historical novel or the National Geographic in her lap, a few pillows bracing her back. Jasmine would either still be at the office or in the kitchen making dinner, having chased her friend out to rest some more after a day's work in the field.
"Hi, Don." He could see the sunny smile on her face as she greeted him.
"Hi, Terry," he murmured quietly, but just as pleased to hear her voice again. "How are you doing?"
"Good," she replied, "Meeker says I'll be cleared for travel soon." The unofficial couple had rejoiced privately when Terry had returned to light fieldwork duties a month ago. It meant that instead of being confined to the office and Academy grounds all day, she could go out onto secured crime scenes and interview witnesses; in other words, the only things she was forbidden to do were leading raids and chasing after suspects. Once the Bureau's own doctors gave her a clean bill of health, she could return to a normal life and career without restrictions.
Thankfully, her recovery had progressed rapidly without any complications and exceeded even Meeker's best hopes. Don kept in touch with Jasmine, who told him all the things that Terry wouldn't bring up in their weekly conversations, such as the fact that she still needed to stop and catch her breath occasionally or that her injuries tended to ache after she sat down for long periods of time. Because of her habit to downplay the fragility of her health, her Virginian colleagues watched her closely to prevent her from overexerting herself. Terry wasn't used to being protected by others; however, she was handling her colleagues' concerns with grace. But besides the little things, she was indeed fit for active duty as an FBI agent, something everyone was grateful for.
News of her reassignment to Los Angeles had reached Don's desk earlier in the week, along with the word that she would eventually become a team leader. The official promotion was postponed until she completed the necessary paperwork (which, as he recalled it, was a pain) and a mentoring period when an experienced team leader would help her out with any questions she might have in her new position. He wasn't assigned to her for this task, which meant that they were in the clear when it came to Bureau regulations dictating supervisor-subordinate relations. Both of them had agreed to wait about a week once she returned before they started making covert 'overtures' to each other at the office, being a little more playful, a little more relaxed, maybe even going so far as being seen leaving the office together, but arriving separately the next day.
But as she was still away, he hoped that none of his coworkers were listening to this private conversation. Don wasn't ashamed of his relationship with Terry, but he was fairly sure that Merrick would have a fit if he found out about it, not to mention about how it could possibly taint both of their careers. It was better to play it safe, for both their sakes. The last thing Don wanted was to get Terry fired or having her receive a reprimand for inappropriate behavior before being transferred to the middle of nowhere. He was sure that some people would find it difficult to believe that the romance and courtship had not started (officially) until after he was no longer her supervisor. Sometimes, the truth was hard to swallow.
There were times when he wondered how thick he was not to have noticed the way she tried, and failed, to distance herself from him at work. Or the way he misinterpreted her glances when they were doing paperwork, taking concern for him as irritation at the amount of paper-pushing they had to do. 'Granted, she's good at hiding her feelings.' But, for him, Terry's voice revealed more about her emotional state and thoughts than anything else. So when he heard a lack of finality to her last sentence, he knew that there was something bothering her. Don probed gently, "But…?"
"But the cases aren't wrapped up yet," she confessed quietly. While the original case that had called her to Virginia had taken up the majority of her time for the past four months since she was released from Benson Memorial, Terry had taken on several other cases to help ease the caseloads of her colleagues. As her recovery progressed, she had gradually cut back in preparation for reassignment, but she still had three active cases on her hands. "I really want to come back, Don. But I'm still in charge and…"
"I understand," he reassured her, and he did. Like him, she didn't like to leave unfinished business. He had accumulated a small drawer of cold cases from his career as an FBI agent that he still took out every year and reviewed, looking for clues he might have missed before or hints that could turn the cold trails hot again. "How did your testimony go today?"
"Good; the defense made a few unexpected moves, but Alverez doesn't have a case, not after Dunne showed them the security tape."
"How long, do you know?"
"Dunne says it'll end soon, within the next two weeks at the most. As soon as the verdict comes in, I'll start making arrangements."
"Hey," he said gently, "call me afterwards, okay? If you need to talk."
"Okay."
"Don't worry about the time," he tried to sweep away any thoughts that would prevent her from calling him when she needed his support the most.
"All right," she agreed before changing the topic to her replacement in the L.A. office. "So, how's Lin doing?"
"Not bad," he replied. "She's hardworking and thinks fast…but very quiet. It's hard to get her to talk sometimes. And she's focused… too focused."
"She blocks out her surroundings?" They both knew how dangerous the ability could be. It was great when trying to write a report in the middle of a busy, noisy office, but when out in the field, it became a hazardous liability. When a law enforcer stopped paying attention to what was going on around them, they risked being assaulted, or worse.
"Yeah," Don nodded, even though he knew Terry couldn't see. "It doesn't happen often when we're out in the field. But I'm worried that it might on an unsecured scene."
"How long has she been in L.A.? Two months?"
"Roughly."
"She's probably going through a lot of stress in her personal life right now. Learning to drive in L.A. is — well, you know why I don't drive. She's still settling down, right?"
He sighed, "Yeah, I've let it slide for a while. I'll give her another week or two to get her act together, then I'll talk with her."
"Maybe you should have David do it; from what you've said before, you might intimidate and stress her out more if you do it."
"All right…"
"How's Daisy?"
"Charlie and Amita are absolutely in love with her. It scares me sometimes to hear the two of them cooing over your cat."
"How's Charlie handling it?" He knew she was not referring to Charlie's role as pet-sitter.
"Pretty well," he answered. "There haven't been any major faux pas. Dad's the one who's nervous about the whole dating thing. First us, now Charlie and Amita. Dad, on the other hand…"
"I take it his date last week didn't go particularly well?" said Terry sympathetically.
"Well, if you're comparing it to the duck lady," replied Don to a peal of laughter from Terry, "it went superb. But I don't think Dad was really interested. He's not really into vintage motorcycles."
"Vintage motorcycles?" she echoed, surprised. There was a pause before she asked, "Don, where does your father meet these women?"
"I have no idea," he replied honestly, laughing quietly with her. He failed to notice the amused 'about-time' looks that several of his colleagues exchanged as they passed by his cubicle. As their chuckles faded, a comfortable silence fell on the conversation.
"Don?"
"Yeah?"
"I miss you."
"I miss you too."
"Agent Eppes!" someone in the office called for his attention. He looked up from his pen-tapping. From the way the agent was frantically waving a manila folder around in the air, there might finally be a break in the Uranus Securities fraud case. He would have to go.
"Terry, I —" Don began reluctantly.
"I know," he could hear her smile, "I heard. Sounds like Anderson's happy. Be careful."
"I will," he replied, repeating his promise, as he did every week now. "You too."
"I will," she answered and he knew she would be. Both of them knew how lucky they were last time and neither of them ever wanted to receive a phone call from a stranger — or worse, a visit from their supervisor — because one of them hadn't been careful.
"Love you," he mumbled quietly. Don heard Terry laugh happily before she replied, "I love you too. Now, go."
"Bye."
"Bye schoolboy," replied Terry, a teasing smile in her voice, before they ended the call. Don flipped his phone shut, unable to completely hide the happy grin on his face. He just hoped that his coworkers would attribute it to the news of an impending break in the case.
Two months later…
"— Flight 47 from Seattle is arriving at Gate 25—"
"British Airways Flight 281 for London is departing at 12:45—"
"—Ms. Lydia Carter, to the information desk."
"Welcome to LAX International Airport, please—"
Don waited patiently in the airport terminal, watching planes taxiing across the concourse. Passengers passing by him glanced at the FBI badge on his belt. Some exchanged nervous glances, questioning his presence. Others nodded and smiled at him, silently thanking him for his service to the public. More than a few women gave him appreciative looks. He ignored them; his attention was on searching for a petite blond-haired woman who was arriving in a few minutes. 'Six months…'
"Terry!" he called out when he spotted her in the crowd. A smile lit up her face when she saw him and her steps quickened. Weaving his way through the passengers until he was face-to-face with her, Don pulled her close and kissed her, hard. Her carry-on bag fell to the ground, utterly forgotten as she wrapped her arms around his neck and returned half a year's worth of suppressed passion.
"God, I've missed you," he said breathlessly when they finally broke apart. She laughed, "I noticed."
"I love you," he said quietly, looking down at her.
"I know," she smiled.
"Marry me?"
"One day, maybe, probably, yes," she replied, amusement in her voice. He grinned.
"Good," he said, picking up her dropped carry-on bag and wrapping his free arm around her waist. Content and happy, they headed for the airport exit. She was finally home and it was time to start exploring what they had.