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In a Mirror, Darkly

Chapter 28

Notes:

I dedicate this chapter and the entire fic to ALEO (on fanfiction.net or aleo_70 over on livejournal) who helped edit most of this fic but whom is sadly no longer with us. I do still recommend her Numb3rs fic as it was amazing and her brother has kindly left her accounts online rather than taking them all down.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Monday, 07:14
Hospital Room, UCLA Medical Center

 

Billy was relieved to find only Robin at Don's beside when he entered the room, especially seeing as his former partner seemed to still be asleep. He'd managed to avoid Alan Eppes since Saturday afternoon and he had no idea whether the older man would still be as angry with him or not.

"Morning," Robin said, smiling as she turned to look at him.

"Good morning," Billy replied, moving towards the empty chair on the other side of the bed. "How are you?"

Although Donny had mentioned his girlfriend to him before, Billy hadn't had a chance to meet her until she'd shown up at the hospital. Maybe it was the sharp contrast in how she treated him when compared to the Eppes', but so far he really liked her and he could totally understand what his former partner saw in her. That she worked in the law enforcement environment was also a great bonus as it meant she'd be able to understand the stress Don could be under when working a case.

"Better," Robin smiled. "The doctors are talking of releasing Don tomorrow morning if all goes well today."

"Good, that's very good. I take it he hasn't shown any of the feared side effects from the drugs then?"

"Thankfully not."

"Want me to come help you wrangle him?"

Robin laughed softly. "That would be appreciated as I fear he might try to act tough otherwise and with his ribs still so fragile..."

Yeah, Billy totally got that. Luckily after all the time they'd spent on the road together relying on just each other, they'd long since gotten past any temptation to lie or pretend when it came to injuries and how it affected them. They simply couldn't afford to not know exactly how their backup felt when chasing a fugitive.

"Just let me know when and I'll be here," Billy said before he frowned. "Where are you going? Charlie's?"

"No, we thought it best if we stayed at mine, at least initially," Robin replied.

That was probably for the best. It would be quieter there and Don was less likely to be pestered about what had happened or why he was reacting the way he was to certain things. Although...

"I don't suppose Alan mentioned what happened on Saturday?"

"Oh, yes."

Billy winced though he was glad he saw no similar accusation in Robin's eyes to what he had in Alan's.

"Don't worry, Dr. Bradford came by yesterday to speak with Don about it and they already have a few further sessions booked as well," Robin reassured. "He'll even make some home visits which he normally doesn't do."

"He that therapist Don's been seeing?"

"Yes."

"And he came in on a Sunday?"

Robin shrugged. "I think he works certain weekends to make it easier to see everyone as he works mainly within the LEO community."

Still, between that and dropping by the hospital or making home visits... well Don must have either made an impression or the doc felt that he really could help. Billy hoped he could as he didn't want to see his old partner retired for something like this.

"Now," Billy began, pulling a sharpie from his pocket. "For something a little more light hearted."

"He's going to kill you if you're not careful," Robin stated though it was clear she was trying not to laugh.

"He can try."

Carefully, Billy leaned forward towards where Don's left hand lay on the bed in it's pristine white cast. He'd given quite some thought to what he wanted to write or draw and in the end he'd decided to go with something Donny would understand but no one else was likely to. He didn't need the stink à la Alan Eppes, nor did he want to get his former partner in trouble with his boss. He doubted whoever that was would be able to deal with it as Jennings used to.

"Is that a racoon?" Robin inquired, craning her neck to see.

"Yep," Billy grinned.

"I'm missing something."

Instead of replying he threw her a wicked grin. "Call me if you can't get it out of him and I'll glady tell you. Or you know what, just call me after he does and I'll correct all the amendments he made to the story."

Robin shook her head as she smiled, settling back in her seat and taking Donny's right hand as Billy finished his racoon.

"I hate seeing all of those small scabs," Robin finally broke the silence after he'd finished, a finger running over one of them.

A lot of the bandages had been removed now the cuts had started healing properly, making the cuts very easy to see. Billy imagined it must have been quite a shock to her and anyone else who hadn't seen Don before he'd gotten to the hospital.

"I know, but in some ways they're what saved him," Billy replied before continuing at her frown. "Much as I hate to say it, the fact that Blakely and Keane decided to pull Frazer in was a mixed blessing. Yes, what he did was horrible, but he's also the reason I was able to find Don, I knew his habits and vices and was able to use them to track him down. Without that..."

Robin swallowed hard, but she was nodding her head. "Yes, I see. I hadn't thought of it like that but you're absolutely right. They could have chosen anyone who'd ever expressed a grudge against Don."

It was a thought which had kept Billy up the past few nights, ever since he'd found his former partner in that godforsaken basement. As horrible as Frazer had been and for all the pain he'd put Don through, in the end the fugitive had also saved Don's life.

He'd found an e-mail in his inbox this morning from Granger passing along a file the Detroit office had started about an incident with a certain cop. In some ways he was amazed at how quickly they'd managed to put the information together based on what Keane had told Don, but then it was somewhere Donny had worked, so perhaps they'd taken it personally. Regardless, the information made it quite clear that Blakely and Keane were perfectly able to mask their involvement in a situation and leave nothing but a trail of bodies in their wake.

"I'm not sure if I've thanked you for saving Don yet," Robin continued, drawing Billy from his thoughts. "There was so much going on before and all."

It wasn't until just now that Billy realized no one had said anything of that yet. Not that he had expected any thanks, but it stood out seeing as he had interacted with Don's- the victim's essentially- family.

"Your welcome," he replied simply, knowing she would understand him. "I only wish I'd not been busy when they first broke Frazer out, because then I'd have been able to warn him ahead of time."

"We can't live in alternate universes, much as we might like to sometimes."

Billy could really start to see why Donny liked this one so much. He hoped it all worked out between them as he knew his former partner had always wanted a family and kids of his own and he'd make a fantastic father.

Almost as if he knew he was being watched, Don made a small sound even as his eyelids fluttered.

"Hey, Don, can you hear me?" Robin inquired, leaning closer.

To give the two a little privacy, Billy rose and moved towards the window. They were a few stories up so he had a good view of the surrounding area which already seemed to be baking in the sun. Much as he didn't mind heat in general, he'd long since learned that he much preferred it outside of the city where the air could at least move and breathe. Baking in a concrete jungle was just not for him and he was surprised his former partner liked it enough to live here. Though he had grown up here, so perhaps that trumped anything else Don might otherwise feel for the city of angels.

Billy was just following the path of a seagull across the sky when the murmur of voices behind him changed pitch and he tuned back in just in time to hear his former partner's exclamation.

"Damnit Cooper!"

He laughed as he turned back to face the room, finding Don scowling down at his cast.

"What? It's neither vulgar nor likely to get you into trouble with your boss."

Rather than reply, Donny glared at him.

"I have heard there is a story behind it," Robin said sweetly, smile unphased when she became his former partner's next target.

"It's a very good story," Billy laughed.

"I hate you both," Don declared. "And I should have known you'd gang up on me."

"Speaking of which, I do have a guest room if you should find yourself in need of a place to stay," Robin offered, looking back him.

Oh, yes, she was a keeper. He'd need to make sure Donny realized just how lucky he'd gotten.

"So far the Bureau has put me up as I was helping Sinclair finish the case, but I was thinking of taking a few days off to spend in LA," Billy stated. "A room would be fantastic."

"Me and my big mouth," Don muttered.

"Yes, dear," Robin agreed. "But think, you can use his presence as an excuse to avoid constantly visiting Charlie's if you're not feeling up to it."

Billy snorted even as he knew just what Alan would think of that. "I want at least one sampling of this lasagna I've been told about if you're going to do that."

"Of course you do," Don shook his head but there was a reluctant grin on his face now. "You really don't mind, Robin?"

"He saved your life, and besides, my mind will be more at ease when I have to go into the office knowing there's someone else around," Robin responded.

"Ha! It's not often I'm considered the responsible one," Billy mused.

Don merely rolled his eyes at this, but was prevented from commenting when the door to the room opened and an orderly entered with a breakfast tray. It took a few minutes to get everything sorted and Billy tried not to make a face when he saw the so called food. He didn't know why it was so hard for hospitals across the country to get it right. Well, unless it was all part of some tactic to get patients out the door as quickly as possible.

"Do I even want to guess what that's supposed to be?" he asked once they were alone once more.

"No," Don replied. "I had it yesterday as well and I still don't know what it is."

"Then it's a good thing I swung by Claire's this morning, isn't it?" Robin questioned, leaning down and picking up a tupperware Billy had failed to notice before.

From the way Donny's face brightened he could tell this Claire was quite good at cooking. Or baking apparently as the scent of fresh blueberry muffins reached him as soon as Robin opened the tupperware.

"I love your friend," Don said, eagerly taking two of the muffins.

Robin shook her head as she offered Billy the tupperware.

"Thanks," he said, taking one.

He'd had breakfast earlier but these smelled too good to pass up. He might also still have the Fugitive Recovery habit of eating whenever he could, even when on holiday. While on the job you didn't always know when your next meal might come as you could have to do a stakeout at a moment's notice if someone spotted your fugitive.

"So is this a special occasion or does your friend bake a lot?" Billy asked, trying his muffin. "Oh, this is good!"

"Claire just loves to bake, so all she needs is an excuse to do so," Robin replied. "We used to always have something in the office when she worked with us."

"Anything I should know about regarding the case?" Don questioned between muffins.

"Nothing urgent, no, but I do have something for you," Billy said as he reached into his coat pocket. He'd forgotten about it upon seeing his former partner was still asleep. "Sinclair asked me to give it to you."

As Frazer was dead and he seemed to have been the only one who'd handled Don's badge, they had been able to release it from evidence after it had been properly catalogued and imaged. It would merely be a passing mention in the overall case against Keane as they had more than enough proof that the man was aware Don was a federal agent before they'd kidnapped him.

It was odd how strange the badge felt in his hand and not just because he didn't handle his own as much as other agents like Don did. No, to Billy it was like it had a gravity all of its own, no doubt due to what he knew it meant not only to his former partner, but also to Frazer. For that bastard it had clearly been a trophy, so to be able to hand it back to its rightful owner was a blessing he would not take lightly.

Don's face stilled as he saw what it was he held and for a moment Billy thought he'd made a mistake in bringing it out now, but then his former partner was reaching out with his right hand for it. He handed it over and watched as Don immediately opened it to the badge itself. Someone had clearly taken the time to clean it as the metal gleamed as Donny slowly ran a finger over it. His former partner swallowed thickly, his fingers clenching around the badge and his eyes sliding shut and Billy could only imagine his friend was thinking of it being in Frazer's hands.

This badge was the physical representation of their power as federal agents and of everything that they were. To think of Frazer possessing it, however shortly, was like a punch to the gut, especially when Billy thought of how the man must have crowed over it. He'd appropriated it as a token to remember his victory and as a personal souvenir to either brag or boast about.

Billy had no doubt that if the man had been able to have his way that he would have seen it when Frazer had tracked him down. That and whatever other souvenir the bastard had wanted to claim from Don himself.

The thought sent a shudder through him and he tried to shrug it off.

"Hey, Donny," he said instead, drawing his friend's attention to him. "You're out of that basement and Frazer's dead. He'll never hurt you again."

"Yeah, I know," Don replied, nodding once. "I do, it just may take me a little time to catch up with that knowledge."

"Well seeing as you're really bad at taking holidays, you have plenty of time on the books to do so if needed," Robin said. "Though I do hope there may be some time left over after that to go on that trip you'd apparently planned."

Don laughed, looking between them. "I think the next few days may be quite interesting."

Notes:

Ta da! All done.

I have to admit there were times when I didn't think I'd ever get to say that. Yet when I reread this fic in it here, I couldn't figure out why I'd had so much trouble with Billy and Alan in the last chapter. It mostly wrote itself when I did finally sit down to do so almost a week ago now. Go figure.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the now completed fic, but do let me know whatever your thoughts. Even constructive criticism is always welcome.

For those of you who enjoy Loki and Marvel fic, I'll have one out shortly, just as soon as I get it back from my beta!