Chapter Text
Jackson paced the living room waiting for Mac to come home. He really needed to speak with his husband, but was scared to death to do so. He knew, however, that it must be done soon because Don was starting to get a bit impatient. Earlier, after they'd made love and were lying in Don's bed, Don asked if Jackson had mentioned anything to Mac yet. When Jackson said he hadn't, Don got irritated and asked what was taking Jackson so long to do so. Jackson tried to tell Don that it was difficult to talk to Mac about certain things because he was what Jackson termed “emotionally constipated”. That made Don laugh and the tense moment passed. Don took Jackson in his arms, kissed him, and asked that he please try to talk to Mac as soon as he could. Jackson promised he would and began to get dressed. When Don walked Jackson to the elevator, he pushed the 'down' button and gave Jackson a passionate kiss, and just as Jackson started to get into the elevator, Don winked and said; “Love ya, babe.....”
Jackson was brought out of his reverie by the sound of Mac's key in the door. He felt like he was gonna puke, but managed to get himself under control......
“Hey, Mac.....”
“Jackson.....”
“Rough day?”
“No more than usual......”
“Mac, I really need to talk to you.....”
“Sounds serious...... what's on your mind?”
“There's really no easy way to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it: I want a divorce.....”
“What did you just say?”
“I said I want a divorce......”
“What brought this on?”
“Don't act so surprised, Mac. You know damn well that things haven't been that great between us lately, and before you ask, yes, I've found someone else.....”
“You mind if I ask who he is?”
“It's Don Flack.....”
Mac started laughing and sat down on the sofa. Jackson wanted to know why that was so damn funny.......
“It's funny because I've been seeing Danny Messer for the past six months!”
Jackson was shocked at Mac's admission. He honestly had no idea that Mac was seeing someone, much less Danny Messer. This made things messier than Jackson thought they would be because Danny just happened to be married to Don......
“How long have you been seeing Don?”
“About three months.....”
“You had no idea, did you?”
“Honestly I didn't.... I guess I was too wrapped up in Don to notice.....”
“So how do you want to handle this? Do you want to file, or do you want me to?”
“I'll file for the divorce, with the provision that it be uncontested......”
“Done!”
Jackson went to the spare room, closed and locked the door. He felt more relieved than anything. He wished he could talk to Don, but knew that Don couldn't talk freely if Danny in the room. He decided to try and get in touch with him in the morning. As he lay there waiting for sleep, he felt more at ease than he'd felt in quite a while knowing there might be a chance that he and Don could be together.
Meanwhile, at the Flack/Messer household, Don and Danny were arguing. This was a common occurrence, but things were a bit different this go-around. Danny had suspected that Don was cheating, and was trying to figure out who it was. Danny knew deep down that he was being a hypocrite, but he was also trying to save face at the same time. Don did not deny he was having an affair, he was just being stubborn by not telling Danny who it was. He didn't want Danny to go after Jackson because Danny could be quite vicious. Don had listened to Danny all he was going to, so he got up, went to the spare room, shut and locked the door. He wished he could talk to Jackson, but knew he couldn't. He would try to call his little guy when he got to work.
The next morning found Jackson trying to call Don. He answered on the first ring, and when Jackson heard his voice, tears filled his eyes.....
“Is this a good time?”
“For you babe, always.....”
“I told Mac about wanting a divorce last night.....”
“Good for you..... how did he take it?”
“He had a surprise of his own...”
“Oh yeah? What's that?”
“He's been seeing Danny for the last six months.....”
“Come again.....”
“You heard me.... he asked me who I was seeing and I told him about us.....”
“How well did that go over?”
“Telling him about us is how I found out about him and Danny.....”
“So is he going to give you a divorce?”
“He said he would, and that it would be uncontested.....”
“That's a good thing, right?”
“Yeah.... Don, you do realize that Mac is gonna tell Danny about us.....”
“I don't give a damn about that, babe. It'll just make things easier......”
“Are you sure about that, Don?”
“As sure as I can be, babe...... tell ya what, I'll stop by Pressman's and we can talk at the shop, okay?”
“That would be great...... I'll see you when you get here.....”
“Bye, babe.....”
Jackson tried to concentrate on work, but his mind was on Don, and the situation they were in. Jackson knew things were going to get very messy, but he felt that Don was worth it. He'd never felt this way about any man before Don came along. Jackson had to admit that he had cared for Mac in the beginning, but whatever he'd felt was long gone. Don had been a good friend to him when he was feeling low, and before Jackson knew it, he realized that he was starting to have feelings for his friend. At first he tried to tell himself that he was just grateful to have someone sympathetic to listen to him from time to time, but as his feelings grew stronger and deeper, he had to admit to himself that he had fallen head-over-heels for his best friend's husband. Jackson tried his level best not to let it show, but Don was no dummy. He knew Jackson had feelings for him, but what Jackson didn't know was that Don felt the same. One night, Jackson and Mac had a party at their apartment. They had invited some of Mac's team, and a few people who worked for Jackson.
The party was going well, and Jackson had stepped out onto the balcony for a smoke. He had no idea he wasn't alone until Don spoke to him from the shadows.....
“Needed a break,huh?”
“Yeah..... what about you?”
“Just enjoying the view.....”
Jackson noticed that Don was looking directly at him when he made the remark about the view, but he let it pass. Don walked over to Jackson and took him by the hand. He knew what he was about to do was very risky, but he didn't care at the moment. He took Jackson in his arms and gave him one semi-innocent kiss on the lips. Before Jackson could sufficiently recover, Don walked back into the apartment. When Jackson finally got himself together, he went back inside to look for Don, only to be informed that he and Danny had left. Jackson told Mac that he was going to lay down because he had a headache, went to the bedroom, and shut the door. As he lay there in the darkness, he thought about the kiss, and Don, and it dawned on him that Don possibly knew how he felt, and was letting him know. All Jackson knew for sure was that he was going to have to talk to Don very soon.
The opportunity to talk to Don never came. Everyone seemed to be going in several directions, and there was no time for anything except work, food, and sleep. When down time finally came,everyone tried to catch up on some much-needed rest. Mac asked Jackson to invite Don and Danny over for dinner to celebrate the successful end to the case. Don was more than willing to accept because , to him, it was a chance to see Jackson. The kiss he'd given him at the party had stayed on his mind, mostly because he felt more alive in those few seconds than he had in quite a while. Jackson was brought out of his reverie by Lisa's voice telling him that Don Flack was there to see him. He told her to let him in, and told her she could go to lunch early if she wanted. Don soon stuck his head in the office door, flashing his million-dollar smile.......
“Hey!”
“Hey, yourself! Come on in......”
“Where was Lisa headed?”
“I told her she could go to lunch early. That way we could have some privacy......”
“Come here, baby....”
Don opened his arms, and Jackson went to him with no hesitation. He enjoyed the feel of Don's strong arms around him as he held him close. The two stood there for a few moments. Don sat down on the edge of Jackson's desk and asked him the question that was on his mind.....
“What do we do now, babe?”
“I got the ball rolling this morning. I spoke with Bill Thomas, and he explained that since Mac wasn't going to contest the divorce, it should go through fairly quickly.”
“I still need to face Danny about this.....”
“You think he'll be a problem?”
“I don't see how he can be because he's been doing the same thing longer than we have.....”
“Don, I have to admit I'm scared.....”
“I know, babe..... just have some faith, and remember that we're in this together, okay?”
“Don, you know Danny and I have to face each other sooner or later, right?”
“I know that, babe....”
“I'm afraid it won't end well....”
“Yes, it will..... he won't do anything to make himself look bad.....”
“I hope not..... Donnie, please hold me.......”
Don held Jackson in his arms and whispered reassuring words. Jackson could stay there all day because Don made Jackson feel like he could take on the world. Jackson luxuriated in Don's arms for a bit , then told him he needed to go so he wouldn't be late getting back to work. Don looked as sad as Jackson felt and said he didn't want to go. Jackson laughed and said the Don needed to go catch some bad guys. Don reluctantly agreed, and gave Jackson a kiss to tide him over until he saw him again.
Later that afternoon when Don arrived home, he found Danny packing boxes. He didn't say anything and went to the kitchen for the beer. He sat down at the kitchen table, and when Danny ca
me through with another box, Don asked; “Going somewhere, Danny?” Danny glared at Don and replied; “What do you think?”
“So I take it that Mac talked to you?”
“He did......”
“So how do you want to handle this?”
“I'm going to file for a divorce...... how the hell did you think I was going to handle this?”
“I didn't know. That's why I was asking. By the way, there's no use in playing the put upon husband act. I know you've been seeing Mac longer than I've been seeing Jackson....”
“What's your point, Don?”
“My point is this: there's no use getting bent out of shape because we were doing the same thing to each other.”
“You're right, Don.......”
“Where are you going to stay?”
“I'll be staying at Mac's place. I talked to him this afternoon, and he said that Jackson had moved his things out of the apartment. You know anything about that?”
“I had lunch with him, but he never mentioned anything about moving out....”
“So you really don't know where he is?”
“No, I don't.....”
Danny looked at Don skeptically, but didn't say anything. He didn't want to argue with the man, so he continued his packing. When he was finished, he asked Don if he could store his things in the spare room and pick them up later. Don said that was fine with him, so Danny moved the few boxes and told Don he was leaving. Don didn't say anything as Danny grabbed his suitcase and headed to the door. Danny took his key to the apartment off his key ring and put it on the hook by the door. He looked back at Don and said; 'See ya in court.....”
As soon as Danny closed the door behind him, Don pulled out his cell and dialed Jackson's number. He answered on the second ring, and Don could tell he'd been crying.....
“Babe?”
“Yes, Don?”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really......”
“Where are you?”
“I'm at the shop trying to figure out what I'm going to do......”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“I don't know, Don......”
“Babe, I promised you that we were in this together, and I meant that. Let me come get you so we can talk.....”
“Okay.... take a cab because I have my car here.......”
“I'll see you soon!”
While Jackson waited for Don to show up, he started thinking about the situation. He'd already talked to his lawyer about the divorce. Don had said that Danny was filing for a divorce, so that was in the works. Soon it would be just lawyers and paperwork. Then everyone would be free to do as they wished. Jackson knew that he was going to try and make a go of it with Don because he loved the man too much not to. Jackson heard the chime over the door and looked up to see Don standing there. He walked around the counter and ran into his arms, tears flowing down his cheeks. Don hugged him tightly and said; “Babe, it's gonna be alright.....” Jackson gathered his things and locked up the shop. He and Don went back to Don's place, where Jackson promptly fell asleep on the sofa. Don covered the little guy with a blanket and went to get ready for bed himself. While Don was waiting for sleep, he thought about the future and all that lay ahead. He hoped the divorces wouldn't get messy, and were over quick because he had plans to ask Jackson to marry him as soon as possible. He didn't give a damn how it looked because someone like Jackson came around once in a lifetime, and Don was going to do his best to keep him, no matter what!
.
The next morning found Jackson a bit disoriented. He knew he was at Don's, he just didn't remember getting there. About that time, Don came down the hall and stopped at the sofa to give Jackson a kiss....
“Don, how did I get here?”
“You called me from the shop, I took a cab over, and we drove back here. You fell asleep as soon as you sat down, so I stretched you out and covered you with a blanket.....”
“I'm sorry, Don..... I guess I was just overwhelmed with everything happening like it did yesterday.....”
“I understand completely. I was a bit confused myself when I woke up and Danny wasn't in the spare room.....”
“So, are you working today?”
“I was supposed to, but I called in so I could spend some time with you.....”
“I'm sure that will give Mac and Danny something to talk about.....”
“So what! What we do is nobody's business but ours, or it will be when the divorces go through.....”
“Have you found a lawyer?”
“Danny said he was going to file....”
“But you still need a lawyer just in case he tries to play dirty.....”
“You think so?”
“It's better to be safe than sorry, Don.”
Don was in the middle of making coffee when the phone rang. He checked the caller ID and answered the call. It was Danny, calling to let Don know that he had spoken to his lawyer, and that he had set things in motion. Don asked Danny about the divorce being uncontested and Danny said he would agree to that because he was willing to do just about anything to get this over with. When Danny ended the call, Don sat at the table marveling at how anxious Danny was to get things over and done. It kinda hurt to think that could act as if the past five years didn't exist, not to mention the years before that they had been friends.
Don was brought out of his flashback by Jackson asking if he was okay......
“Yeah, babe, I'm alright. Danny just called to let me know he had set things in motion. It amazes me that he can act as if the five years we were together didn't happen, but what's even more disturbing is it's as if the years before that that we were friends didn't happen either......”
“Don, I can't say I know how you feel because I only knew Mac about a year before we got married, and we we've only been married two years......”
“It doesn't matter...... I'm anxious to get things done so I can spend the rest of my days making you happy......”
End, Chapter One...