Open Case File [COMPLETED]

No Turning Back (Part 3)

"I'm going to get coffee," Mason said, leaving Donovan.

Whatever was about to happen, he might as well be well caffeinated for it. Somehow death would probably look better with a mug in his hand.

"Do you want a cup?" Mason asked as he heard Donovan follow him.

"Sure."

Mason poured out two mugs worth and slid one across the kitchen counter to Donovan. Was it a tactic to keep Donovan on one side of the kitchen island and Mason on the other? Well, work with Owens long enough you know when to use a natural barrier to your advantage.

"What are you here for?" Mason asked.

Donovan took a sip of his coffee and stared into the mug, his countenance not calm but not angry either.

It was the first time Mason faced Donovan since Carter had returned from being dead for the past two months.

Knowing his wife was alive, Mason expected Donovan to come out of his depression, but he hadn't.

Donovan had changed.

For as long as he'd known him, Donovan was this presence, this force that made people straighten up and take notice. He wasn't arrogant, which annoyed Mason because it made him more admirable. He simply held himself with a command that could be felt without realizing it.

But the man standing before Mason...

Donovan was no longer the Donovan Mason knew.

He seemed to have shrunk without changing in size. Something about him seemed... Lost... Broken.

Seeing that almost made Mason want to get punched in the face, it would be aligned with who Donovan had been.

Not that Mason relished the thought of a punch to the face but it would be better than seeing a man who had been shattered by the loss of his wife. That type of bond scared him. If Donovan, someone he knew as strong and dependable could break like this, what would ever happen to Mason if he lost Yvette?

Mason shoved the thought away, not his moment.

"Donovan?" Mason asked.

Donovan finally raised his head. "Was there another way?"

"No. There wasn't. Believe me, I tried to find one." Mason gripped his mug handle. "Faking her death..." Donovan closed his eyes for a moment as if the pain of it was still too rare. "It was the only way. We thought it would only have to be for two weeks."

"Two weeks?"

"Yeah, it was never supposed to be as long as it was. I tried... I tried to find who was the mole in the Bureau faster but..."

Donovan started at Mason as if even that small fact was completely new to him. How much had Carter shared and not shared? Knowing her, she probably wanted to erase the past couple of months and never think of it again. He knew that's what he wanted to do.

"I need you to tell me the whole story," Donovan said.

"Okay, but let's sit down for this."

Mason moved to the living room and took a seat in an armchair across from the couch from Donovan with a coffee table between them.

Though Donovan didn't look like he would leap across the table to surprise attack Mason with a punch, Mason decided at least the leap would give him a moment's notice before the blow landed.

After taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Mason laid out the story for Donovan, starting with the basic details of the O'Malley case then the threatening photos, the realization that the photos must have come from someone inside the FBI, the decision to fake Carter's death to protect everyone, their mission that followed and the process that took much longer than they realized.