15"Long Lost Love"
Chapter 2
Disclaimer- I don't own Numb3rs. And this is a rewrite. Also, this is a very looooonngggg Chapter. I had to make myself stop writing and post it…or it would still be going.
"Your brother?" she said in shock.
"Yes, my younger brother. He is a mathematician and does some great work for us," he responded.
"I guess you learn something new every day. I would have never thought that you could use math to help solve crimes," she said glancing over at him before directing her attention back out the window.
"So why transfer to LA after being in DC? DC is the home office after all," Don asked as he took the ramp to get on the highway.
"I needed a change of scenery and my parents live in Riverside," she began. "I also grew up near here and my best friend is not too far away."
"You grew up here? What high school did you attend?" he asked glancing over at her.
"I went to Pasadena High. It was so close to my house I could walk there," she said.
"That is where I graduated from!" he responded excitedly.
"What year?" she said in shock.
"Class of '85. I also grew up in Pasadena. Which is where we are heading," he said as he took the exit for it.
"Wait you graduated in '85?" she said starring at him. "How do I not know you then?" she said leaning forward looking at him.
"You graduated in 85? How? I mean, I read your file. You are 34 correct?" he asked.
"I am. I skipped a few grades and graduated 3 years early," she said softly, turning away.
"I remember my brother being the youngest of our class, but I don't remember another younger classmate," he said matter-of-factly.
"Wait your brother was in our class?" she said startled. "He was the youngest?" she said trying to remember.
"Yes," Don said. "He was 13 when we graduated."
"I went to prom with a kid 2 years younger than me. He was quite a genius. He helped me with calculous so much. I wonder whatever became of him," she said still thinking. 'What was his name?' she thought to herself.
"Wait!" Don said causing her to jump as he stopped at a red light. "You are that Lily Turner?! The Lily Turner who my brother had a huge crush on and asked to prom senior year and had a long distant relationship for a little bit. That Lily Turner?!" He said staring at her in disbelief.
"Yes, that would be…. wait…Who is your brother?" she asked looking at him.
"Charlie Eppes," he responded.
"Wait, Don?! As in the athlete jock Don Eppes from high school?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes, that would be me," he said as he continued to drive.
"I always figured you would be a professional ballplayer," she said.
"Well, I tried. What about you? We all thought you would end up some famous singer or actor," he asked.
"It wasn't for me. I decided I wanted to help people. After college, I was contacted by an FBI recruiter and I signed up for the academy that day. My parents weren't a hundred percent pleased but they supported me," she said glancing out the window.
"Whatever ended up happening between you and Charlie?" he asked as he turned on to Charlie's street.
"Long story short, we tried long distance for a little bit. But you know your brother, the numbers were more important, and we grew apart," she said as they pulled into the driveway. "I heard about your mom from Vanessa. Don, I am so sorry."
"It was a long time ago but thank you. Here we are," he said as he put the car in park and took the key out of the ignition. "Wait till my dad sees you."
"Don, I thought you said Charlie bought a house. This is your dad's house," she said slightly confused as she opened the door to exit the vehicle.
"I know. Charlie bought it," Don said exiting the vehicle and closing the door. Lily glanced up the street and could see her parents' house in the distance. "You coming?" Don called from the front porch.
"Yea," she said taking a deep breath before walking to the front porch.
"Dad!" Don called as he walked through the front door.
"Be there in a second!" Alan's voice came from the kitchen.
"Is Charlie here?" Don called back.
"Yes, he is in the garage!" Alan called back.
"Make yourself at home," Don said pointing towards the sofa and Lily couldn't help but smirk. "What?"
"This place hasn't changed, and clearly neither has your brother," she said with a small laugh.
"Is that a woman's voice I hear?" Alan said walking out from the kitchen wiping his hands with a towel.
"Good to see you again Mr. Eppes," Lily said with a small smile.
"I am sorry, have we met?" he asked with a puzzled look.
"Dad, this is Agent Lily Turner," Don said with a laugh.
"Nice to meet you, Agent Turner," Alan said with a smile, extending his hand.
"Please just call me Lily," she said shaking his hand.
"O you are the agent from DC that might be staying with us for a bit. Lucky none of your things had arrived at that apartment," Alan said with a smile.
"I had shipped everything to my parents' house not far from here. They moved to Riverside a few years ago and currently have renters living at their old house. The lease is up soon so I was only renting that apartment short term," she answered back with a smile.
"O you grew up around here? What school do you graduate from?" Alan asked gesturing for her to sit on the sofa.
"I did. Pasadena High class of '85," she said sitting on the sofa with a smile.
"Pasadena is a good high school. Isn't it Don? That is where you went," he said glancing over at Don.
"Yes, it is. I graduated in '85. I am going to go grab Charlie," he said before exiting the living room through the kitchen.
"That's right you and Charlie graduated in…" he started but cut himself off. "Wait a minute, you went to high school with my boys?" Alan said.
"I did sir and I grew up about half a block away," she responded.
"Did you know Don and Charlie in school?" he asked.
"I did indeed sir. Charlie and I even kept in touch for a bit after graduation," she responded smiling.
"You grew up down the block?" he said deep in thought.
"Yes, sir. You can see my house from your driveway," she answered.
"Hm, I thought I knew all the kids around Don's age on the neighborhood," he said leaning back in his chair.
"I am between the boys in age. I skipped a few grades in school," she said leaning back on the sofa.
"Hold on!" he said leaning forward rather quickly. "Lily Turner! Harold and Jean's daughter?"
"Yes sir," she said with a wide smile. "It is good to see you again sir. I was very sorry to hear about your wife's passing and regret not making the trip back."
"I appreciate that. Your parents were a great help during that time. It was a sad day when they moved out to Riverside," he said looking at her. "It sounds like the boys are coming in."
"Don, why do I have to meet her? I told you I was fine with it. I am working on a complex problem," Charlie's voice came from the kitchen. Lily's heart started to race and she took a few deep breaths.
"Just meet her Charlie. Trust me," Don responded.
"Charlie don't be rude! You offered your house to this lovely agent now come meet her," Alan yelled from his chair.
"Fine," Charlie responded before exiting the kitchen into the living room.
"Hello Charlie," Lily said standing.
"Nice to meet you Agent..." he started extending his hand.
"Turner. Agent Lily Turner, but please just call me Lily," she said accepting his hand and feeling a pang of hurt from him not recognizing her.
"Do you not recognize her Charlie?" Alan asked.
"Should I?" Charlie asked looking confused.
"Well you tutored me for years in math, which I won't lie, I still am not great at," she said with a small laugh. Charlie just stared at her confused, as if his brain could not process what he was just told. "We also stayed in touch after high school..." she started trying to lead him to the correct path of thought.
"Lily?" he said staring at her in disbelief. "I thought you were getting your Master's in music?"
"I did. After college, I wanted to help people, I was approached by a recruiter and I signed up for the academy that day. I moved to DC and the rest is history," she said. "Charlie, can I have my hand back?"
"O yes. Sorry," he said quickly releasing her hand.
"Ok, there is plenty of time to play catch up later. Dad, why don't you help me grab her bags from the back of my car so that we can get to the office," Don said breaking the very awkward silence that had fallen in the room.
"Great idea," Alan said getting up from his chair and walking out the front door with Don.
"So," Charlie started as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"Charlie, it is ok. You don't have to be weird around me and if you don't want me to stay here, I will understand," she said standing and crossing over to him.
"O no! You can stay! You can stay as long as you need. I just…. I just never thought I would see you again. I mean, you have never visited," he said avoiding her gaze.
"Charlie," she started, placing her hand on his arm. "I have wanted to so many times. When Vanessa told me about your mom, it took everything in me to not hop on a plane and fly back here for you, regardless if I would have lost my position at the Bureau, but I had some things happen around the same time and I was unable to travel. I am so sorry about your mom, Charlie. I am so sorry I couldn't be here. Its one of my many regrets when it comes to you," she said before turning her head to try and hold back tears.
"Hey," he said grabbing her hand. "It is ok. Things happen and your parents were a huge help. I don't blame you, Lily. We grew apart and a majority of that was my fault," he said looking her in the eye. "Now don't cry. Don will think I was being rude." Lily didn't answer, she just looked at him in disbelief. He had grown up.
"Thank you, Charlie," she said before kissing him on the cheek. "I wish we had never grown apart and there is a lot of things I want to tell you, but later. Don and your dad are coming in with my bags and we are dangerously close."
"O, right!" Charlie said with a nervous laugh as he took a step back. He hadn't realized that when she kissed him on the cheek, he had kept his grip on her hand to keep her close to him.
"Here are your bags," Alan said as he and Don walked through the front door. Charlie quickly let go of her hand and stepped back a little bit more.
"Thank you, Mr. Eppes. I could carry them upstairs. I am assuming Don's room is the one open?" she asked crossing the living room floor to them.
"I was thinking we should let you have the master. I can easily move to my old room," Charlie said crossing to grab one of her bags.
"Charlie, I couldn't possibly take over your bedroom," she said staring at him.
"Nonsense!" Alan said in agreement. "The master has a private bath. That way you won't have to share a bathroom with either of us men."
"Agreed!" Charlie jumped in quickly. "I can take your bags up. Why don't you and Don head to the office? I am sure you are late" he added on.
"That we are," Don said looking at his watch.
"Will you be joining us for dinner, Don?" Alan asked.
"Of course! I will see you later. Coming Lily?" Don said from the doorway.
"Yes. Thank you again, Charlie," she said before briefly locking eyes with him and exiting the front door behind Don.
"Shall we?" Don said as they both entered the vehicle.
"We shall," she said looking through the window at Charlie who was staring back at her. If she had known that seeing him just once would make everything flood back in, she probably never would have come back.
For most of the drive to the office, she stared out the window. She would answer Don's few attempts at small talk here and there, but he could tell she was deep in thought.
"We are here," he said after a while.
"Wow! This is bigger than I thought it would be," she said looking out the window at the building.
"Well, let us get in there. I did leave you backpack in here. I assumed you would need it," Don said as he exited the vehicle.
"You thought correctly," she responded as she grabbed her bag from the backseat and exited the vehicle. She stood in awe for a moment until she heard Don shouting her name from across the parking lot. He had already reached the door and was waiting for her.
"Sorry," she said as she caught up to him. They both clipped their badges on and walked over to security. Being new meant there was paperwork to complete.
After completing the necessary paperwork, they made their way to the elevators and the floor Don's team was on.
"It is ok to be nervous," Don said breaking the silence in the elevator.
"What is there to be nervous about?" she asked. "It isn't like I uprooted my whole adult life and moved to the opposite side of the country to join what just happens to be my ex-boyfriend from high school's brother..."
"Lily, breath," he said grabbing her shoulders. "The team is going to love you," he said with a smile.
"I can do this," she said matter-of-factly as the elevator doors opened and they exited onto the floor.
"Here is your desk," Don said as they reached closer to the middle of the floor. "Why don't you get situated, login, check your emails, and I will come back to check on you?"
"Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Don," she said placing her bag on the desk. She took her sidearm off and placed it in the top drawer to the left of her chair.
She logged into the desktop and opened her email to begin loading it.
"Hello!" a voice came making her jump. She looked up and saw a woman standing there with two men.
"My name is Megan. I am part of Don's team," she said extending her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Megan. I am Lily Turner," Lily said shaking her hand.
"And this is David and Colby," she said gesturing to the two men behind her. "They are also a part of Don's team."
"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Lily said shaking both of their hands.
"I apologize in advance for Colby's workspace. I am trying to make him clean it up," David said with a laugh.
"There is nothing wrong with my workspace," Colby said defensively.
"Ignore them. They bicker like a married couple," Megan said quietly with a smile. "So, transferred from DC?"
"Yes, I needed a change of scenery and a change of pace," Lily responded with a smile.
"Well you will get that here," she said with a laugh. "Well, we will let you get to it. It looks like you have a few emails to go through. I just wanted to say welcome first," she said before crossing to sit at her desk.
"Thank you," Lily responded before turning back to her computer.
Most of the emails were trash. Emails regarding closed cases in DC and departmental memos for her old office. She had just about finished sorting when she received a new email with a photo attachment from an address she didn't recognize. She double-clicked to open the email and almost jumped out of her seat when she saw that the photo in the body of the image was of her, getting off the plane at LAX and talking to Don. There was no wording in the email, even the subject line was empty. She quickly glanced around before pulling out her cell phone and opening a new text message without looking at her phone. She knew she was being watched and she needed to be extra careful. She quickly typed a text to Vanessa, "I think the heat is on here because it is very hot. How is your mother? Tell her I love her, and we should visit soon. XO Lil."
"How is everything?" Don's voice came making her jump.
"Great! Everyone seems very nice," she said as she quickly hit send on the text and exited the email.
"Good! Everyone is in the conference room. We are working on a case I would like your input on, and Charlie is almost here to help us with his math skills," he said with a smile.
"Sounds great. I am also glad he has math skills cause personally, I suck at it," Lily said with a laugh.
"You did not suck at it," Charlie's voice came from behind her. "You just always made it more complicated than it was," he said as she turned to face him.
"I feel like that is a nice way of saying I was horrible at math?" she said with a laugh.
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. The world may never know," he responded.
"Ready?" Don asked.
"Yes, let's go," Lily said standing up. All three walked quietly to the conference room where the rest of the team was waiting.
"Hello Charlie," Megan said with a smile.
"Hello Everyone!" Charlie said with a smile.
"I see you have met our new Agent Turner," Megan said smiling at Lily.
"We met in high school. She graduated with Don and me," Charlie said as he took a seat and placed his folders down.
"O I bet you have some great stories," David said looking at her.
"Well, we are going to save those for another time, because I like my job and would rather not lose it the first day," she said with a laugh.
"Good idea. You can all talk about the fact that her and Charlie dated on a different day," Don said with a small smile. "Now down to business..."
"Hold on Don. You cannot just drop the fact that our new agent is Charlie's ex and not expect us to have questions," Colby interjected.
"Well, I just did. We need to get back to this case," Don said seriously. "Ok, Megan what do we know about the fire that was set at Lily's new apartment complex?"
"We know it wasn't accidental. Police found a body in the basement covered with a chemical accelerant. It looks like someone was attempting to cover up a crime. The ME is performing the autopsy now. We should know more about the victim soon," Megan responded.
"Have the police given us jurisdiction?" Don asked.
"Yes, they gave it to us on the scene and said they would assist if we need anything," Megan answered.
"Good. Was anything else at the scene?" Don asked.
"It looks like there may have been a bed of some kind down there. It also looked like the frame previously had something tied around it. We are thinking either passion play gone wrong or someone is raping and killing women for fun," David responded.
"Have we found other cases similar?" Don asked worriedly.
"We have found a few similar rape reports. The victim is usually knocked unconscious and wakes up tied down to a bed. They are assaulted multiple times and then he knocks them out again and they wake up either outside their house or at a hospital," Colby added on. "None of those ended in a fire though and they are all over the map.
"Any DNA from those kits?" Lily asked, her mind racing
"None, but all the women reported that he did not wear a condom, and some reported him saying that he wanted them to get pregnant and have his child, He must have cleaned them somehow while they were unconscious because no foreign DNA was found on any victim," Megan said looking at one of the reports.
"So, he probably knows procedures for a rape kit," Don said putting his head in his hand. "Charlie, do you think you do anything with numbers? Maybe that water droplet thing?"
"I'm not sure, Don. It depends on where the rapes all occurred and how far back." Charlie answered as he flipped through one of the files between him and Megan. "How has no one caught this guy? How far do these go back?"
"There is a case file we cannot get a full copy of. It is from DC. A young woman was raped similarly but her name is redacted from the file. Most of the file is redacted," Megan said.
"How long ago was it?" Lily asked, but she knew the answer. It was four years ago, roughly.
"About four years ago," Megan said reading the file. "Do you know what agent it was?"
"The higher-ups kept it pretty much hush hush. From what I heard she made the complaint and it went nowhere. It was suspected that it may have been another agent," Lily said not trying to give to much away. She did not want to relive everything today and she did not need her new team to think she was instable.
"FBI would explain knowing procedures and why no foreign DNA was found on any victim. Also, why wouldn't a woman trust a man with a badge, they are supposed to protect people not harm them," Megan added on?
"OK, Megan and David, you go to the ME's office and see what we found out from the autopsy. Lily, can you help Charlie go through these files and see if he can work number magic? Colby, you are with me. We are going to go interview some of these victims from around LA," Don said as he looked around the room. "Meet back here around three pm. Is that good for everyone?" he asked. "Ok then let's move."
It was a whirlwind, everyone grabbed their stuff and ran to the elevator to complete their assignments. Lily stayed in her chair and grabbed the stack of files that Megan had left.
"First things first, we need to find the similarities between these women," Charlie said as he began writing an equation on the whiteboard.
"Well, the similarities I have already found. They all have auburn hair, are about 5 foot 4 inches, green eyes, and small build," she said looking at the victims' pictures.
"You went through all those photos that fast?" he asked turning to look at her.
"No, I have gone through about a third of them and they are all the same," she said as she continued to open the folders.
"We also don't know what the first victim looked like," he said as he continued to write. "Or what this most recent victim looked like."
"If all of these are the same," she said gesturing to the folders, "I can guarantee you what the most recent victim and the first victim looked like. It seems the first victim was his obsession and now that he is cut off from her, he is moving on to women that look like her," she said as she looked at the table of opened files. "Charlie, look." He turned to look at the table and it was as if the same woman was staring up from each file. Charlie looked from the table to Lily and then back.
"Lily, why did you leave DC?" Charlie asked looking at her concerned.
"Something tells me that brilliant brain of yours has already figured it out," she said crossing over to the window.
"Tell me, Lil. Please?' Charlie said from his spot.
Lily went to speak but her phone rang. "One second Charlie," she said pulling her phone from her pocket. "Agent Turner," she said as she answered the phone.
"Excuse yourself from the room and go back to your desk," a man's voice came from the other end. Lily tensed up for a moment but then played it off. "Yes, give me one moment," she said into the phone. "Sorry Charlie, I need to take this and the information in my bag. I will be back in a moment," she said before leaving the conference room and heading back to her desk.
"Ok, Derek. I did as you asked now what you want?" she spit through the phone.
"Now now, that isn't very nice. We wouldn't want what happened last night to happen again now, would we? You know how I get when I lose my temper," he sneered through the phone.
"No, we wouldn't. Now what do you want?' she asked quickly.
"Open the email I just sent you." She double clicked on the new email in her inbox and saw a phot of her and Charlie from moments ago. "I do not like this professor of yours and should he interfere I will make him disappear. As you can tell it would be easy for me to take him out."
"What do you want?" she asked through her gritted teeth.
"I want you to keep your mouth shut. If you tell them you were victim one, it will ruin all my fun. You know how I like games," he laughed through the phone.
"I am not yours anymore and I cannot impede a Federal investigation. I am a Federal Agent," she said back quickly.
"And I used to be one! Before you destroyed my career!" he yelled back.
"I didn't destroy you. You did that all fine by yourself. Now get out of my life," she snipped back.
"Let me tell you something you little bitch, if you tell anyone, I will slowly start hurting maybe even murdering those that you hold dear. Do you understand?" he yelled.
"Yes," she said softly.
"Yes what?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she said through gritted teeth.
"Good Girl. I will call again soon," he said before hanging up the phone. She stared at her phone in disbelief and then pulled up Charlie's number. The chance that he had not changed is number in years was slim, but she had to try. She picked up her desk phone and dialed his number. Lily watched from her desk as he pulled out his phone and debated on answering it.
"Hello," he said answering his phone.
"Hello, this is Agent Turner from the FBI. We had briefly discussed a case not too long ago and I was wondering if there was somewhere private that we could meet to discuss it further," Lily said into the phone. He looked at her confused, but as soon as he made out the panic on her face, he played along.
"Why yes, Agent. Why don't we meet at my office? There are a few places we could meet to discuss. Meet me there in about 30 minutes?" he said looking at his watch.
"That sounds perfect. Thank you," she said before hanging up the phone. She watched as Charlie quickly gathered the files and grabbed his bag before exiting the conference room. He crossed to her desk, deep in thought.
"Everything ok Charlie?" she asked calmly.
"Uh yes, issue with one of my classes. I am heading over to CalSci," he said quickly.
"Why don't I go with? I can look for more similarities while you handle the issue," she said grabbing her gun from the drawer and attaching it to her side.
"That would be great," he said with a smile.
"Besides, I don't have a vehicle yet," she said with a small laugh as she grabbed her bag, "And there is someone I need to meet near there about the case."
"Sounds like we are both heading in the same direction," he said smiling. "Shall we?"
"We shall," she said as they headed towards the elevator. Lily hit the button and they stood in silence until the elevator came. As the doors closed, Charlie went to say something.
"Not here," Lily whispered into her shoulder before pretending to cough. They walked in silence to Charlie's car. Lily tossed her bag into the back seat as Charlie placed his bag in the back with the case files.
"How far is CalSci?" she asked as he got in the driver's seat.
"Not too far. Maybe 15 minutes," he said starting the car.
"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" she asked as they pulled off the parking lot.
"Of course, he said with a smile before turning the radio on and turning it up. "Lil, what is going on?" he asked quietly.
"Where is your phone?" she asked quietly.
"Right pocket of my jacket. Why?" he said glancing over at her concerned.
"We need to text Don from your phone and tell him to meet us at CalSci. I am going to reach over and grab your phone once we start moving again," she said as she changed the radio station. As soon as the light turned green and Charlie began to move, Lily moved her hand and grabbed his phone from his jacket pocket. She held the phone down and quickly sent a text to Don, "Meet us in Charlie's office at CalSci in 20 minutes. Be descrete. Don't call or text back. We are being followed. Blue Saturn California Plate 2DGF736 -Lily"
"Charlie, who can meet us in the parking lot of CalSci? A colleague, someone that you trust," she said as she carefully placed the phone in the center console between them.
"Larry, he's an old friend," Charlie said reaching for his phone.
"Not yet, play along," she said looking at him with a smile. "So, Charlie, are there any other geniuses at CalSci that help with FBI case work? I could use some help with these files," she said as she turned the radio down.
"An old friend of mine, Larry. He is a professor at CalSci too. I can give him a call and see if he is free. That way he can also show you the campus while I am in class," Charlie responded after a beat.
"Sounds perfect. Why don't you give him a call," she responded smiling at him. Charlie grabbed his cell and quickly dialed Larry's number.
"Larry it is Charlie. Can you meet me in the parking lot? I would like to introduce you to the newest member of Don's team…. Yes, the one that will be staying with me for a bit…. Larry, we could use your help. We will be there in a few minutes. Thank you, Larry," Charlie said through the phone before hanging it up. "Well he is excited to meet you and will meet us in the parking lot."
"Fantastic," she said with a smile. "Also, did he call you Charles?"
"Yes, he does prefer to call me Charles," he said as she let out a small laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. I just…I know how much you hated being called Charles in high school," she said suppressing her laughter.
"Yes, and you were the only one that called me that and only when you were annoyed with me," he said glancing over at her as he turned into the parking lot of CalSci.
"Well, you did make it easy to be annoyed with you. You were always correcting my math," she said looking at him with a soft smile.
"And you were always correcting my grammar," he said as he parked the car in his assigned spot.
"You even get your own parking spot, how fancy," she said with smirk.
"Are you making fun of me, Agent Turner?" Charlie said feigning hurt.
"Me?" she said with a small laugh. "I would never Dr. Eppes." They stared at each other for a few moments.
"Lil," he started but was cut off by a knock on the window and a voice shouting, "Charles!"
"Larry!" Charlie exclaimed as they both jumped. "You startled us," he said as they stepped out of the vehicle.
"It looked like I was interrupting something," Larry whispered to him.
"You must be Larry," Lily said approaching him with her bag thrown over her shoulder.
"I am, and you are?" he said extending his hand.
"Agent Lily Turner, FBI. I am the new agent on Don's team," she said shaking his hand.
"Wait didn't you briefly date a Lily Turner back in college?" Larry said looking at Charlie, who averted his gaze away from Larry.
"I am that Lily Turner. I graduated with both Eppes brothers. I even grew up down the street from them," she said with a smile.
"I bet you have some stories," Larry said.
"O, I do," she said with a smile. "And I am sure you have some stories about Charlie in college. Why don't we walk and talk?"
"Why yes, that is a brilliant idea. Why don't we head to Charles' office?" Larry asked softly.
"That is a brilliant idea. Lead the way," she said gesturing for him to go ahead. They began to walk when she realized Charlie wasn't with them. She turned quickly and saw him still by his car looking around. "Charlie!" she called. "Are you coming?"
"Yes! Sorry," he yelled back before grabbing the case files and his bag from his back seat and jogging slightly to catch up to them. Lily noticed his hand moved to rest on the small of her back when he caught up, but he moved his hand back to his side before he touched her.
"So, Larry. What was Charlie like in college?" Lily asked breaking the silence.
"I am afraid not much different then he is now," Larry answered.
"No party stories? No acting out?" Lily asked in disbelief.
"Well there was that one party," Larry started.
"Does it involve the math department?" Lily asked.
"Why yes it does," Larry answered.
"It can't have been too crazy," she said with a small smile.
"O you would be surprised," Larry said with a laugh.
"Let's not discuss my college days," Charlie said quickly.
"Aw, why not?" Lily asked giving him a sad look.
"We have a lot to discuss about the case and we have reached my office," he said seriously. "After you Larry, we will be inside in a moment," he said motioning towards the door. "Lil wait a second. Come in here," he said motioning to an empty room nearby.
"What is wrong Charlie?" she said as he closed the door behind them.
"Why didn't you tell me we were being followed?" he said seriously.
"I didn't want you to worry, and had we been in immediate danger, I would have," she said calmly.
"How do you know that?" He asked leaning against a desk.
"Charlie," she started crossing over to him. "I would never let any harm come to you. I would do everything in my power to prevent it. If I thought we were in immediate danger, we would have never gotten in your car," she said placing her hand on his arms. "I will always protect you."
"But you shouldn't have to," he said seriously as he looked away from her.
"Charlie, I put my life on the line every day for the safety of others. It is my job," she said trying to make eye contact with him.
"I know that but," he started but stopped himself.
"But what Charlie?" she asked.
"I want to be able to keep you safe, not have you making sure I am safe," he said snapping his head to face her.
"Why?" she asked. "We haven't seen each other in 12 years, Charlie. It isn't like old times."
"Because I never stopped," he said softly.
"Never stopped what?" she asked.
"I never stopped thinking about you!" he shouted. "I went to everyone of your parents' parties. I went to holidays. I even occasionally stopped in to chat with them just to see if you were ever going to visit but you never came. Don't you see? I never got over you. I was kicking myself for a long time after we broke up. I hated myself. I should have never let you walk away that day 12 years ago. I should have chased after you and told you not to go. I should have given you a reason to stay."
"Charlie, we were kids then. You were only 20 years old and it was unfair of my to ever put you that position," she said calmly.
"Is that all you can say?" he asked looking at her hurt.
"What do you want me to say Charlie? That I never came home because I didn't want to see you. That I wish you would have stopped me or called even once. That so much has happened since that day and I can't blame for you for a single bit of it. Or that I was afraid to move back home on the chance that you still lived in the same house and that the moment I saw you I knew everything would come flooding back, every feeling, the pain, everything, because I never once went a day without thinking about you. Do you know how many times I went to pick up my phone and call you? I would stare at your contact information for hours debating what today, especially when everything happened! Because I never stopped loving you!" she exclaimed as tears slid down her face.
"What?" Charlie said taken back.
"You heard me," she said wiping tears from her face.
"Lily," he said crossing to her. "I never stopped loving you either," he said holding her face in his hands.
"Charlie," she started but her breath caught as she looked him in the eyes. Their faces were inches apart and both were staring at each other. "Charlie, I.." she started but he cut her off but closing the distance and kissing her, taking her by surprise. Her surprise lasted for a moment and then she let herself melt. When they broke apart, they stayed still for a moment with their foreheads touching, both breathing heavily.
"Lily, what happened?" He asked. She took a moment to collect herself, but her cell phone rang before she could answer.
"Agent Turner," she said as she answered her phone, gesturing for Charlie to give her a minute.
"Lily! Where are you and Charlie?" Don's voice came from the other end.
"We are in a classroom next to his office. We wanted to spread out with the case files," she lied quickly, glancing over at Charlie who took the que and began spreading the files out on the table by the chalk board.
"Oh, we will head over and tell Charlie that Larry had a class so he will come by later to help," Don said quickly before hanging up.
"Don is on his way over with Colby. Larry said he would come by later to assist, he has a class," Lily said as she hung up her phone. She turned to notice that Charlie had dove into the math. The board was already partially covered, and he was feverishly writing. "Charlie," she said as she crossed to him and grabbed his hand. "We need to discuss this," she said holding his hand in hers.
"We will discuss it later this evening. Don will be here any moment," he said before kissing her hand. "And if I don't have some semblance of numbers on this board, he will ask questions."
"Charlie, what I am about to tell you and Don is going to be really hard not only for me to tell but for you to hear," she said holding his hand tighter. "But I need you to promise that you won't hate me and that you won't blame yourself."
"Why would I ever..." he started to ask but she cut him off, "Just promise Charlie."
"Ok, I promise," he said quickly as the door opened.
"Hey, how are things going in here?" Don asked as him and Coby walked through the door.
"Good," Lily said looking up from her file. "We have figured out that all the victims share the same body type, hair color and eye color. The first victim is this guy's obsession. So, he is attacking women that remind him of her."
"You found at that out from these files?" Colby asked picking one up.
"Actually, I need to tell you guys something," Lily said putting the file in her hand down and picking up the first victims.
"What's going on?" Don asked looking at her concerned.
"You guys might want to sit down for this. Charlie, can you help me put these up?" she said as she pulled out the photos from the file.
"Sure," he said as he took some of them and began placing them on the board.
"This is our first victim from about four years ago," Lily said as they finished putting the pictures up.
"Yes, all we know is that she was an agent. We don't even know if she still is," Colby said.
"Correct," Lily started. "Here is what I know. Female Victim born August 1970, was 30 years old at the time of the assault."
"So, she would be 34 today," Don said.
"Yes. She knew her assailant. He was her ex-boyfriend, who had alienated her from her friends and the rest of her family. Classic narcissist. Prior to the assault, she had reported that her boyfriend, who was also an agent, was beating her. Being that she was a junior agent and he was not, it was buried and she broke things off and requested a separate team or transfer. But things only escalated. There were multiple incidents reported at work from him stalking her to causing physical harm in the work place. He was reprimanded privately and transferred from the DC office," she added.
"How do you know all this?" Charlie asked looking at her concerned.
"Female victim was of small build, 5 foot 4 inches in height, auburn hair and green eyes. She had no chance against an almost 6 foot heavily trained agent," she said before taking a deep breathe to calm herself and continuing on. "On the night of the attack, he was in town for trial on a case he had closed previously. He stalked her from work to a nearby bar that she was meeting a friend at. She left her friend unattended for a moment to use the restroom but when she returned her friend handed her a drink saying a man at the bar had bought it for her prior to leaving. Against her better judgement, she drank it."
"It was drugged?" Charlie half asked.
"Yes. He had drugged it. She had no recollection of getting home. The next thing she knew, she was waking up tied to a bed with him over top of her. I think we all know what happened next," she said.
"Look at these photos, though. It looks like she put up on hell of a fight. I can't imagine some of these injuries didn't scar," Colby said as he looked at the pictures on the board. Lily wasn't listening though she was subconsciously rubbing her wrist and ignoring Charlie's gaze. "Hey, she has a tattoo, on her left wrist. Looks like it might be a music note," Colby said pulling a photo from the board and passing it to Don.
"I have seen this tattoo before on an agent," Don said glancing at the photo then over to Lily.
"Yes, you have. You were there when it was done," she said removing her watch to reveal the tattoo beneath its band.
"Lil," Charlie said as both him and Don stepped towards her.
"Don't. It has taken years to deal with what happened, but this is the first time I have discussed it with anyone who didn't already know," she said taking a step back and holding her hands up.
"I don't understand," Colby said from where he was standing.
"I am the first victim," she said softly as tears slid down her face.
"Lily," Charlie said before grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Don said as he placed his hand on her back.
"That isn't everything, but we need to get the rest of the team here," she said as Charlie released her.
"What more could there possibly be?" Colby asked.
"Remember what some of the victims reported he said?" she asked looking at Don, who looked confused at her for a moment.
"He wanted them to have his children," Charlie said looking at her with a somber expression.
"Yea but what does that have to do with anything?" Don asked.
"How old and where?" Charlie asked looking at her.
"She is three and lives with Vanessa's mom," she said not breaking his gaze. "It is one of the reasons I transferred to LA."
"Wait, let me catch up here. You got pregnant had a baby girl and then moved her across the country from you?" Don asked seriously.
"Sort of. I got pregnant and I hid it. The only people that knew were my direct supervisor, my parents and Vanessa. He does not know she exists," she answered calmly.
"How does he not though? I mean he stalked you how did he not realize you were pregnant," Colby asked.
"I was put on desk duty and then given administrative leave once I actually started showing," she started but then looked at Charlie while she finished her statement. "I flew back to LA before I could no longer travel and finished out my pregnancy and maternity leave here. There is no hospital record of Maggie's birth and her birth certificate is sealed."
"Excuse me for a moment," Charlie said before leaving the room.
"Charlie!" Lily called after him.
"Let him go Lily," Don said grabbing her arm. "He watched out the window for years waiting for you to visit. He needs to process everything you just told us." Lily nodded her head and walked over to one of the chairs and sat down in it, placing her head in her hands.
"Colby, call the rest of the team. Get them here, we need to fill them in," Don said glancing over at Colby.
"On it boss," Colby said before crossing to the door.
"Colby don't tell them why. We don't know where this guy is or if he is listening," Don added. Colby nodded his head and then left the room.
"Lily, you need to tell me his name," Don said with his back still facing her.
"Derek Thomas, last I heard he was working from some office in the Midwest," she said glancing up at him. "But his record won't show anything except that he is a brilliant agent. He has someone who is covering for him and I do not know who it is."
"Don?" Lily said after a few minutes of silence.
"Yes?" he responded glancing at her.
"Can you go check on Charlie please? He had been gone for a bit and I am worried," she said looking down at her hands.
"Yes, I will," he said before crossing to the door. "O and Lily," he said before opening the door. "He still loves you. You know, that right? You were the one he could never get out of his head no matter how hard he tried."
"I know, Don. And he was the one I could never get out of mine. Derek was a huge mistake in my life. I let him control me and alienate me from those I love. I honestly think he saw Charlie as a threat and knew if I saw him, even for a moment, that things would have changed drastically," she said with a sad smile.
"I will be right back," he said before shutting the door behind him.
She sat there in the quiet for a moment but after a few seconds she let herself begin to cry. She slid off the chair she was sitting in and pulled her legs up to her chest and softly cried. Everything was flooding back. All the memories and every detail. It was like she was reliving it all again.
F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K
"Knock it off, Derek," she said from her spot in the conference room. She was trying to work on a case, but he was starting to get handsy.
"Why? We could just close the blinds and do what we won't. No one will come in," he said as he walked over and closed the blinds.
"We agreed we wouldn't do anything at work like that. We agreed to be professionals," she answered still looking at the file in her hand.
"O come on baby," he said as he walked over to her and spun her chair to face him.
"No, Derek. No means no," she said placing her hand on his chest and trying to push him away.
"Don't push me," he said grabbing her wrist tightly.
"Ow, you are hurting me," she said wincing.
"O don't be so fragile," he said squeezing it tighter.
"Derek! You are going to break my wrist!" she screamed at him attempting to free her wrist from his grasp.
"I don't care. What did I tell you before, don't talk back to me," he said as he raised his other hand and struck her across the face.
"I am sorry," she said as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I told you, I am all that you need. No one else wants you. You are used and damaged goods. You are lucky that I want you. You are lucky that any wants you," he said getting close to her face.
"Derek, let go of my wrist," she said through the tears.
"You mean this wrist?" he said as he pulled her up hard by her wrist. She could feel the bone fracturing and she tried to hold in the pain by biting her lip. "I am sorry does that hurt?"
"No," she answered after taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"O well then, I guess you haven't learned your less yet," he said as he squeezed harder. "Should I just break it? Maybe that pain will make you remember."
"Derek, please no," she pleaded as he twisted her wrist, forcing her to her knees.
"Pleading is not very attractive on you my dear. Remember that the next time you want to back talk," he said in her face before he gave one hard squeeze and twist. She heard the snap and herself scream in pain, as he released her, and she crumpled to the floor. He casually walked to the door and opened it, smiling at her before turning to shout, "Someone call 911! Lily tripped and I think she broke her wrist!"
When she arrived at the hospital, a nurse who had seen her on occasions before came into her room and shut the door.
"Miss Turner, this is the third time this month you have been in this hospital. Care to explain how you get so many injuries?" the nurse asked.
"I am a little clumsy," Lily lied.
"You are an FBI agent and licensed to carry a fire weapon. I highly doubt that you are that clumsy," she responded. "You can tell me dear. I promise it won't leave this room.
Lily found herself telling the nurse everything, every hit, every bruise, sobbing with each word.
"It is ok dear, but I have to ask. Do you want to press charges?" the nurse said with her arm around her.
"What will that achieve? He is an agent," she answered through her tears.
"Why don't we send your records to you supervisor and you can use them to make a formal complaint," the nurse said softly.
"I can try, but I am not sure what good it will do," she answered back.
Before the nurse could speak there was a knock on the door and Derek's head popped through the door.
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"Are you immediate family?" the nurse asked not taking her eyes off Lily who was frozen in fear.
"No, I am her boyfriend," Derek said with a charming smile.
"Then no. I am sorry only immediate family is allowed in ER rooms. Please have a seat in the waiting room sir. I can show you where it is," the nurse said rising from her seat and crossing to the door. "Miss Turner, the doctor will be in shortly to put a cast on your wrist. It is indeed broken," the nurse said turning to face her with a soft smile before exiting the door and leading Derek away.
E-N-D F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K
A lot of good filing a complaint did. He is still an agent and nothing ever came of it. The only thing that happened was that he was forced to transfer.
"Lily? Are you in here?" a voice came.
"Charlie?" she said popping up from the floor wiping away her tears but she froze in her spot when she saw the man behind the voice.
"O dear, what did I tell you about crying? You are such an ugly crier," the voice sneered.
"Derek," she said bitterly. "What brings you to LA?"
"Why what else of course, you," he said with a twisted smile.
"Nothing you could ever say could make me come back to you." She said as she rested her hand on her gun.
"Tsk, tsk. What are you going to do Lily? Shoot me? What would you tell poor little Maggie happened to her father?" he said with a smirk.
"How do you know about her?" she half yelled with shock written all over her face.
"Your text to Vanessa. I figured you were hiding something from me, so I had a friend check why you went on administrative leave for so long after out little encounter," he said stepping towards her.
"Don't take another step!" she said drawing her gun and pointing it at him. "As for Maggie, you have no rights to her. There is no father listed on her birth certificate. She is a product of rape. That is why her certificated was sealed from any prying eyes."
"Rape? Is that what they are calling it these days? I thought we simply had sexual relations and then you regretted it?" he said feigning hurt.
"You drugged me and tied me to a bed," she said as tears slid down her face.
"Did I? I thought you liked being tied up?" he asked taking another step.
"Stop moving," she said firmly.
"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" he asked with a laugh. "Shots fired on a college campus? That won't end well."
"Lily, I am sorry," Charlie said as he walked back into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw he with her gun out.
"Charlie, go get Don and Colby please," she said not taking her gaze off Derek.
"Charlie, my old friend," Derek said turning to face him. "How are you?"
"Derek," Charlie said taken back. "I haven't seen you since you stopped working at that restaurant near Princeton," he said.
"Charlie, do you know him?" Lily asked taken a back, staring at the pair in disbelief.
"We met while I was in college at Princeton. He worked at a restaurant nearby as a waiter. We used to go to it all the time. I haven't seen him since we had a falling out after an incident," Charlie said moving to position himself between them.
"Ah Charlie, I must thank you," Derek said with a twisted smile.
"Thank me for what?" He asked.
"Why if it wasn't for you consistently talking about Lily, I would not have gone looking for her. I mean the way you described her, I just had to find out for myself if all the stories were true. And then I finally met her, I was captivated by her and I had to have her for myself. I just need to break her first, like a trainer breaks a horse. I mean she is way to strong willed and ridiculously hard headed. I mean come on, Lil, think of everything that could have been avoided if you would have just done as you were asked," he said smirking from his spot.
"You mean to tell me that you went looking for her because of how I talked about her after we broke up?" Charlie said walking towards him.
"Yes, I did. Didn't take me long either since you had told me exactly where she went to college. I mean, not a smart move Charlie. You know how I treat women," he responded as Charlie got closer.
"I do know how you treat women, which is why we were never friends," Charlie said back with his fists clenched. Derek just smiled a twisted smile back at him.
"Get on your knees Derek. You are under arrest for the rape and murder," Lily said as she stepped towards him.
"Not at this time Lil Bear. I am afraid it won't be coming that easy," he said before punching Charlie in the face.
"CHARLIE!" Lily screamed as he fell to the ground. She ran over to him and kneeled down beside him. "Charlie, wake up," she said holding his head in between her hands.
"Just remember," Derek said as he walked over to her and yanked her head back by her hair causing her to let out a small scream. "This is all your fault. If you had only done what you were told none of this would have happened." He released her hair and grabbed one of the photos off the board and crossed over to the window, as she held her head in pain. "Till next time Lil Bear. I will think about you often. Think about what I said," he said before breaking the window and disappearing out of it.
"Don!" She screamed as she held Charlie in her arms. "Charlie please wake up." Tears slid down her face and she yelled again for anyone that could hear.
"Is everything ok in here I heard shouting?" a woman's voice came as she peaked her head through the door. "O my god, Charlie!" she exclaimed as she ran into the room leaving the door open.
"Do you know who his brother is?" Lily said looking at her.
"Yes, I do. He is in Charlie's office right now on the phone," she said glancing around the room nervously.
"What is your name?" Lily asked looking up at her.
"My name is Amita. Charlie was my thesis advisor and is now a colleague and close friend," she responded.
"Hello Amita. I am Agent Lily Turner. I can introduce myself a little more later. Could you please go to Charlie's office and fetch Don, immediately. It is urgent. Please tell him Charlie has been knocked unconscious," Lily asked not taking her eyes off Charlie.
"Right away," Amita answered before disappearing.
"Charlie, please wake up. Please, I am so sorry this is all my fault," she said quietly as tears slid down her face. She rested her forehead against his and just kept mumbling how sorry she was.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," his voice came.
"Charlie!" she exclaimed as pulled him into a hug.
"Ouch," he said softly.
"I am sorry," she said releasing him.
"It is ok. Stop apologizing. I should be the one apologizing to you," he said placing his hand on her cheek. "If it wasn't for me, none of this would have happened."
"Charlie, it isn't your fault," she said, placing her hand on top of his.
"But," he said trying to get up.
"No, stay laying down. He hit you pretty hard," she said softly as she pushed him down gently.
"Charlie! Lily!" Don said as he burst through the door.
"We are ok Don. He is awake, but he should get checked out. Derek hit him pretty hard," Lily said calmly. "Where is Colby?"
"Right here," Colby said as he appeared.
"Derek jumped out that window about 3 minutes ago. Think you can catch up to him?" Lily asked.
"I can try, but I don't have a vehicle," he said as he walked over to the window.
"Here," Lily said tossing him Charlie's keys. "Here are the keys to Charlie's car."
"Just try not to total it," Charlie said with a smile.
"Got it," Colby said before jumping out the window and running in the direction Derek went.
"Charlie, are you ok?" Amita asked as she ran to Charlie's side.
"Amita!" Charlie exclaimed. "I am ok. I just have a headache."
"You need to get checked out Charlie. You could have a concussion," Lily said, her face written with concern.
"I am ok," he said slowly sitting up. "Just help me stand up."
"Charlie, I agree with Lily. You could have a concussion," Amita said taking his arm and helping him stand.
"I see you two have met," Charlie said softly.
"She went to get Don while you were unconscious," Lily responded.
"Ok, now that everyone is acquainted, can someone tell me what happened?" Don said loudly. Charlie and Lily looked at each other and then both started talking at the same time.
"One at a time," Don said holding his hand up.
"I'll start," Lily said looking over at Charlie. "Amita, can you pull over that chair over there?"
"Sure!" she responded as she let go of Charlie and grabbed the nearest chair. "Here Charlie, sit down."
"Ok," Lily said taking a deep breath. She felt Charlie grab her hand and squeeze it. She gave him a soft smile and told Don everything that had happened.
"I left you two alone for ten minutes and all this happens," Don said after a few moments of silence. "But let me get this straight. Derek, who is our perp, is an ex-friend of Charlie from college. Who went searching for Lily because he become obsessed with her after you two broke up," Don said as he tried to wrap his mind around everything.
"Essentially," Charlie said from his seat.
"So, you two dated?" Amita asked from next to Charlie.
"Yes, for a little bit," Lily answered glancing over at her. She could read the look in Amita's face. It was a look of surprise and hurt all in the same time. A look Lily knew all too well.
"Ok. Lily, we need to go brief the rest of the team. Amita, can you take Charlie to the hospital?" Don said as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. Lily opened her mouth to disagree, but Charlie cut her off.
"Don, I don't need to go to the hospital I am fine. We can just head back to the office," Charlie started.
"No!" they all said in unison.
"Ok, I will go to the hospital," he said holding his hands up in defeat. "Can I talk to Lily alone for a moment?" he asked glancing over at Don.
"We will give you a minute. Amita, why don't you go grab your car and we will meet you at the end of the walkway in a few minutes?" Don said glancing at her.
"Sure. I will see you in a few minutes?" she said glancing at Charlie. He nodded in response and Amita left the room after taking one last glance at Lily.
"I am waiting outside the door this time," Don said as he shut the door behind him.
"Lily," Charlie said after a few seconds.
"So Amita. Is she your girlfriend?" Lily asked with her back to him.
"No, she isn't. But I cannot lie to you Lil. We have some kind of connection. We have for a few years now but neither of us have ever acted upon it," Charlie said after a breath.
"Charlie, we kissed. We admitted everything to each other. If you want to continue this conversation at all, then you need to be honest with yourself and with Amita. You need to figure out what you want because I won't be part of a triangle Charlie. It is to cliché," she said glancing over at him. She moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.
"Lil, I have always wanted you, ever since we were teens. You have always had my heart. I don't know what attraction is between Amita and I, but it is nowhere near what I feel for you. I will be honest with her," he said as he stood up. "I don't care about the threats from Derek. I want you and only you," he said as he pulled her in passionate kiss. She left herself melt for a moment. It was as if time stood still.
"Ahem," a voice came, breaking them a part. They both looked to see Don.
"Amita is waiting for you," he said with a small smile.
"Come on. Let us get you checked out," she said grabbing Charlie's arm.
"I can walk you know. He punched me in the face. He did not break my leg," Charlie said with a smile.
"I know, but this way, you can lean on me for help, for once," she said with soft smile. They slowly made their way out of the room and down the walk way to where Amita's car was sitting.
"Be careful with who you trust. We don't know who is working with Derek," she said as she gently placed him in the passenger seat of Amita's car.
"I will," he said with a soft smile as he squeezed her hand.
"Amita, go straight to the hospital. If anyone claiming to be an FBI agent, that you do not already know, approaches you, call one of us for help and we will get there as fast as we can. Do not go anywhere private with them and do not leave Charlie's side," Lily said through the passenger window.
"Small chance of that happening, but I will," she said with a final look at Lily before pulling away.
"Come back to me safe," Lily said softly as she watched the vehicle until it was out of sight.
"So, you and Charlie," Don said after a few minutes.
"Don, don't," Lily said as they walked back towards the parking lot.
"Ok," Don responded before walking in silence for a few moments. "Ok, I need to know. Are you two back together?"
"I don't know Don. Things are a little complicated right now," Lily answered with a sad expression.
"What ever did happen between you?" Don asked as they reached his SUV. "I mean, why did you break up?"
"It is a rather long story. I am surprised he never told you," she answered as they both climbed into the vehicle.
"We have a little bit of time as we drive back to the office," Don said as he pulled out of the parking lot.
"Well, let us just say we couldn't agree on a very serious matter," she said softly. "If you want to know Don, you should ask Charlie."
"I will," he answered.
F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K
"Charlie! Don't walk away from me. This is serious!" Lily shouted as she followed him into the garage.
"I don't want to discuss this Lily. I don't have the time. I am working on something very important," he said as he started to write on his chalkboard.
"And this isn't important?" she said with tears in her eyes.
"That isn't what I meant Lil," he said as he stopped writing.
"Really? Because that is what it sounded like," she said looking at the floor.
"I just...I don't know what to do. I am scared," he said turning to look at her.
"Your scared? Charlie, we are both in graduate programs and you want to get your doctorate and I don't know if I even want to pursue a career in music," she said before sinking into a nearby chair.
"What do you mean you don't know? Lily you are a gifted person when it comes to music. Why wouldn't you want a career in it?" he asked.
"Because I want to help people Charlie. Really help people not just teach them music," she said with tears in her eyes.
"Hey," he said crossing to her and pulling her into a hug. "We will figure this out."
"How Charlie?" she said as she cried on his shoulder.
"Maybe we could talk to my mom or Don," he suggested softly.
"No. No one can know yet Charlie. I am serious. You have to promise me, we need to figure this out," she said as she looked up at him.
"Ok, I promise I won't tell anyone yet. Did you at least go to the doctors?" he asked.
"I have an appointment tomorrow. Please go with me?" she asked gently.
"I…Ok Lil. I will go," he said softly. "We still need to discuss what we are going to do about it though." He gently placed her hand on her stomach.
"I know we do. Let us just get through tomorrow first and we can go from there," she said as she placed her hand on top of his.
But there would be no plan. They would attend the doctor's appointment only to find out that the baby had no heartbeat. She was miscarrying and she blamed herself and Charlie blamed himself. It became the one thing they never could talk about and the one thing that drove them a part.
E-N-D F-L-A-S-H-B-A-C-K
"Lily?" Don said calmly. "We are back at the office." They walked in silence together until they reached the elevator.
"Don," Lily said softly.
"Yes," he said as they stepped into the elevator.
"How am I going to do this? I just met these people and now they are about to know my entire life story after I left LA," she said as she ran her hand through her hair.
"You can do this Lily. You are one of the strongest and brightest women I know," Don said softly from beside her. "Except for the whole falling for my brother thing. I never understood that."
"Don! Be serious," she said as she looked over at him.
"I am Lil. You can do this. Now let's go get this bastard," Don said as the elevator doors opened, and they stepped out. Lily could see everyone in the conference room as they crossed over there.
"Hello everyone," Lily said as they walked into the conference room.
"What is going on Don?" David asked.
"Where is Colby and Charlie?" Megan asked.
"Colby is on his way back in Charlie's car and," Don started.
"Amita is taking Charlie to the hospital to be checked for a concussion," Lily added quickly.
"What?! Is he ok?" Megan asked looking from Don to Lily and back.
"He will be ok. Why doesn't everyone sit down, and I can fill everyone in. Colby won't miss much since he has already heard this story," Lily said as she closed the exterior blinds. She looked around the room at every one and took a deep breath.
"You can do this Lil," Don said softly from beside her.
She gave him a soft smile and looked at everyone else. "I am the first victim," she said as she gripped the back of one of the chairs.
"Wait, what?" David said from his seat.
"That isn't everything David," Lily said looking over at him.
"I figured you were," Megan said after being silent for a few minutes.
"How did you figure it out?" Lily asked her.
"When we first met this morning, I had a feeling that something had happen that made you come back to LA. As we talked a little this morning when you first got here, and you set up your desk, I profiled you. You had a trouble passed, either recent or childhood. You placed your gun in the top drawer for easy access, which meant you fear someone coming to hurt you, even here, and you visually noted every exit around your desk. When we came in to talk about the case, you asked questions and you weren't surprised by any of the answers. I also saw you =r music note tattoo on your wrist that you hide with your watch. But the thing that finally convinced me was when David and I were at the ME's office. They pulled up a photo of the victim and she could have been your doppelgänger. Then Don called and told us to get back here as soon as possible," Megan responded as she crossed to her. "Lily, I am so sorry that any of this happened to you," she said before giving her a hug.
"Thank you, Megan. But there is still more," Lily start but was cut-off by her cell phone ringing.
"Agent Turner," she said as she answered her phone.
"What did I tell you would happen if you didn't obey Lil Bear?" Derek's Voice came.
"Derek, where are you?" Lily said glancing at Don who picked up the nearest phone.
"Yes, this is Agent Don Eppes, I need a trace on the number that just called Agent Turner's phone as fast as possible," he said quickly before hanging up. He motioned to Lily to put the call on speaker phone and to keep him talking.
"What do you want Derek," she said as she hit the speaker button and placed it on the table.
"I told you what I wanted Lil Bear. I just want us to be a family, you, me and Maggie," he said through the phone. She could hear his sickening grin.
"You have no claim to her Derek. You are not her father according to the state of California," Lily said through the phone.
"I will get what I want you little bitch. If I must rape and murder every slut that looks like you across the United States until you comply. Or Maybe I should just go after something closer to home? You know Vanessa is looking mighty fine these days," he sneered into the phone.
"Don't you touch her!" Lily shouted. "She has nothing to do with this!"
"Now, now, what have I told you about your temper? It isn't very lady like. "Vanessa would be the obvious choice. What about Mom and Dad? They never liked me anyway. They disapproved how I treated their precious baby," he said with a laugh.
"Why are you doing this?" Lily asked, on the verge of tears.
"I am doing this to break you, Lil Bear. You just need to do as you are told," he said softly through the phone.
"You will never get away with this Derek. I will hunt you," Lily started to say but he cut her off.
"Or maybe I will just kill your dear professor," he sneered. "I mean it would be easy as pie. Amita doesn't look like she could put up much of a fight and Charlie? Well let's just say he has always been a weakling."
"Let me tell you something scumbag. You touch one hair on my brother's head, and it won't just be the FBI chasing you down. I will call every special force member that I am friends with, and we will hunt you to the ends of the earth if we have to," Don shouted from next to the other phone.
"O, Agent Donald Eppes. I was wondering what it would take to piss you off. I hope one day we get the chance to meet face to face," Derek said with a laugh through the phone.
"Yea, well that day will be the day I put you in handcuffs and throw you in jail. No one messes with my family or my team and gets away with it," Don said quickly, before returning to the phone he was on. He quickly grabbed a marker and wrote on the board, 'He is HERE'. Lily heard Don whisper in the phone instructions for the agent on the other end to lock down the building.
"I wouldn't worry about putting the building on lockdown Agent Eppes. I have already left the premise. Just know Lil Bear, that you are never safe from me. I can reach you anywhere, including a secure FBI office. I left a present for you on your desk. Good bye for now my love," Derek said twistedly before hanging up the phone. Lily didn't even process what he just said. The thing she was focused on was that everyone in her life, even people she had just met, were in danger because of her. Charlie was in danger because of her.
"Lily," Megan said softly, snapping her out of it.
"I am ok Megan," Lily said quickly wiping her tears away.
"Don wants you at your desk," she said softly giving her hand a squeeze.
"Ok," Lily said as she walked back to her desk deep in thought.
"Lily, we will catch him," David said as she walked past him.
"Thank you, David," Lily said with a forced smile.
"Lily," Don said snapping her out of her own head. "This is going to be hard to see, but just know, I will not let anything happen to you or to my family."
"What did he leave at my desk?" Lily said as she turned the corner into her desk. She gasped at what she saw and almost fell to her knees. Her desk was covered in photos. Photos of her meeting Don at the airport that morning. Photos of her and Charlie in his house when they almost kissed. Them arguing at CalSci and then kissing. Photos of them after Derek had broken out the window and Colby had gone after him. Then there were photos of the team as they were in the conference room discussing the case that morning.
"He's been watching everything the whole time. Every move I have made today he has been there," she said as she gripped onto her chair.
"Lily, is that your parents?" David asked as he pointed to a photo of an old couple sitting on a porch laughing.
"It is," Don said grimly. "Megan, call and have agents sent over there right away."
"Already on it Don," Megan responded already on the phone, but Lily was not listening. She was staring at the photo that was taped to her computer screen.
"Lily?" Don asked softly as he touched her arm and she jumped. "Lily, who is that photo of? Who is with Vanessa in that photo?" He knew the answer, but he needed her to confirm.
Lily looked at him with tears in her eyes and simply replied, "It is Maggie."
"Agents are on their way to your parents house," Megan said as she walked back over and put her arm around Lily. "You need to sit down before you pass out." Lily knew she was right. Everything around her was spinning. Megan helped her sit down as Don told David to pull all the tapes from the surveillance system so they can find out how he got into the building.
"Don," Lily said softly, but her did not hear her. "Don," she repeated a little louder until she finally shouted his name, "DON!"
"What is wrong Lily," he said walking over to her and having her sit back down.
"I need to go get Maggie. He is going after her. I need to keep her safe," she said looking him in the eyes.
"We will all go get her," he said quickly.
"No! I cannot ask you all to put yourselves in a dangerous position when most of you just met me," she said shaking her head.
"You didn't ask," Megan said.
"Precisely, we are volunteering," David added.
"Yea what they said," Colby said appearing out of nowhere.
"Nice of you to join us," Don said looking over at him.
"Well for some reason they would not let me in the building there Boss," he said saluting Don. "Now what are we volunteering for?" He asked as we walked around to join the team at her desk. "Wow! Crazy pants did all this?"
"Yes, he was in the building, but we think he is going after their daughter," Megan said quickly and quietly.
"We are going to pick her up," David added.
"Don, I need to get my daughter and leave far away," Lily said looking at him.
"Not going to happen Lily. We can figure out protection and child care if need be," he responded shacking his head.
"I cannot ask you all to babysit," she said with a frown.
"You aren't asking. We are volunteering," Megan said with a smile.
"Besides, you also have my dad, and Charlie and I am sure Larry and Amita won't mind," Don added on.
"Well…Amita might mind..." Lily added hesitantly as she glanced at the photo of her and Charlie kissing in the classroom.
"We will cross that bridge later," Don said quickly. "Let us get these down before anyone else sees them," he added as he pulled the photos of her and Charlie kissing off the wall.
"Sees what?" Charlie said from behind them, causing them all to jump. "Why is everyone so jumpy?"
"Derek was here," Lily said softly from behind Don.
"Wait, what?! Are you ok?" he said as he rushed over to her and placed his hands on both of her arms.
"I am shaken. Charlie, he is going after Maggie. He is going after my daughter." She said as she finally broke and began to cry.
"Then let us go get her," Charlie said as he pulled her into a hug.
"Charlie, I have no place to live. My parents' renters are still there," she said quickly.
"Well then I guess you will both have to stay at my place. I guess it is a good thing we agreed to give you the master bedroom," Charlier said with a small smile.
"Charlie, I could never impose on you like that," she said quickly.
"You aren't an imposition. Besides, I would like to meet your daughter," he said lifting her chin.
"Ok, but only for a little bit until I find something new," she said quickly.
"As long as you would like. I will even have an alarm system installed so you feel safer," he added before pulling her into a hug.
"How is your head?" she asked quietly.
"My head is fine. No concussion and Amita went home. We had a long talk on the way back," he said softly. "Now, enough about me. Let us go get your daughter and bring her home," he added with a smile.