Title: That's What You Get
By: Jaxson K.
Pairing: Don/Jackson & Danny/Mac
Rating: strong R
Summary: ".....God help you if I find out you lied!"-Jackson

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Jackson knew something was going on. He had that twinge in his gut that he always got when something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it, but knew he would eventually. What he DID know was that it had to do with Don. He didn't know if something was going on with work, or what. He knew that it couldn't have to do with home because he was hardly here anymore, and when he was, his mind was a million miles away.

That having been said, it must have something to do with Danny Messer. He and Don had been spending a lot of time together lately since Danny had hit a rough patch with Mac Taylor. As long as Don and Danny had been friends, it seemed only natural to turn to your best friend for a shoulder to cry on or just to get advice from. Jackson didn't mind a bit at first because he knew Danny and the two men had discussed things many times. After a while, Danny stopped discussing things with Jackson and his whole demeanor changed toward him.

Jackson put all of this out of his mind for the moment so he could make dinner plans. He hoped that he could have Donnie all to himself so he could try to find out what was bothering his lover and try to make it right. After making reservations, he called Don to let him know they were supposed to be going out that night. He and Don talked , but Don said that they were waiting for a break in a case, and that it may be late before he got home. He promised to call Jackson if he was going to be late. Jackson swallowed his disappointment and ended the call.

Don sat at his desk staring at his cell. He wanted to snatch it up, call Jackson, and apologize. Before he could do anything, Danny walked by his desk on his way to the interrogation rooms and winked. Just seeing his best friend and new lover was enough for Don to forget all about tearing Jackson's world to shreds.

That night when Don got home, he was surprised to find Jackson waiting up for him. That was a bit unusual because Don sometimes stayed out until after midnight. He knew something must be wrong if Jackson was up.....

"Hey, babe.....what are you doing up?"

"I'm waiting for my partner to come home....."

"You didn't have to do that....."

"Oh, but I did, Don! There is something on my mind, and we really need to talk about it....."

"Babe, can it wait until morning? I'm tired and I'd like to take a shower and go to bed....."

"Unbelievable! It's fine if you have something on your mind. I'm just expected to drop everything and listen. But the shoe goes on the other foot when I have something on my mind. But, that's fine! Go wash Danny's stink off of you and go to bed. That's just fine!"

"Wait a minute.....what's this about Danny's stink?"

"You know damn well what I mean! I can smell you from here. You've been fucking at some point tonight and didn't even have the decency to wash up before you came home!"

"Jackson, you're wrong....."

"The hell I am! You can spin this any way you want, but I know better. Donnie, I'm only gonna say this once: God help you if I find out you've lied to me!"

With that, Jackson turned and went into the guest room. Don cringed when he heard the door slam and lock. He went to the kitchen for a beer and thought about the situation. On the one hand, he wanted to repair and keep what he had with Jackson. They had been together a long time, and had been through a lot together. Also, there was the fact that he was betraying Mac. He still wasn't sure how it all started, but one thing he was sure about was that it had, and he still wasn't sure what to think about it all. Now that Jackson was suspicious, he had two options: 1. Tell Jackson the truth and face the consequences. 2. Tell Danny that they needed to cool it for a while, or 3. Talk Danny into leaving Mac so they could be together. He wasn't sure which option to choose so he decided to go to bed. As he passed the guest room door he thought about knocking but didn't know what to say. He went into the master bath, took a quick shower and went to bed.

The next morning found Jackson still a bit angry. He showered and dressed for work in a hurry because he really didn't want to face Don after last night. He left early because he had an errand he wanted to take care of before he went to work. He knew that Danny always stopped at Pressman's Deli every morning, so he decided to be there when Danny stopped in. He got there right before Danny did and the double-take Danny did when he saw Jackson was priceless. Jackson waved him over to the table so he got his coffee and sat down.....

"Jackson! What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, Danny....."

"To me? What about?"

"I think you already know the answer to that....."

Danny paled at that statement. He knew exactly what Jackson was referring to. It was about him and Don. Danny started to panic on the inside, but looked calm on the outside.....

"This has something to do with Don, doesn't it?"

"It does indeed..... the two of you have been spending way too much time together, Don's coming home reeking of sex, and he defends you at every turn. I'm going to ask you one time: are you and Don fucking around?"

"No!!! It's not like that...."

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Don....."

"What did you tell him?"

"God help you if I find out you've lied....."

Jackson got up from the table and left the deli. He didn't look back, but if he had done so, he would have seen a very nervous Danny Messer trying to get in touch with Don on his cell. When Don picked up, Danny frantically told him about his conversation with Jackson. Don told him to stay calm and that he would see him later that evening.

When Jackson got to his shop, he couldn't concentrate worth a damn. He accidentally over-charged a customer, he put the wrong prices on some of the merchandise, and to top it all off, he dropped a box of records and broke them all to pieces. His assistant Lisa noticed all of this and while she was helping him clean up the broken records, she asked if he wanted to talk about it.....

"There's not much to talk about, Lisa.....I'm just having some problems with Don is all."

"What's the deal?"

"I think he's running around on me......"

"No shit? Really? With who?"

"I think it's Danny Messer....."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, when Mac and Danny started having problems, Danny started spending a lot a time with me and Don. Danny and I talked a lot about his situation and he and Don did as well. Everything was okay and the Danny started acting weird around me, and Don started spending more time with him without me around. Last night, I made plans for Don and I to have dinner, but he told me they were waiting on a break in a case and that it would be late when he got home. That bothered me, but I didn't say anything. The more I thought about it, though, the madder I got. I waited up for Don and it was after midnight when he got home. He was surprised to find me up, and I told him that there was something on my mind I wanted to talk to him about. He said he was tired and that he wanted to take a shower and go to bed. We argued a bit and I told him to go wash Danny's stink off of him...."

"Danny's stink? What the hell is that?"

"Don't be an ass, Lisa! They had been fucking, and Don didn't wash up before he came home. I could smell it on him! He denied it, and I told him he could spin this any way he wanted, but God help him if I caught him lying to me. I told Danny the same thing at Pressman's Deli this morning on my way here.....

"This is serious business..... do you have a plan?"

"Not yet, but I figure if my instincts are right, I won't need one!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, girl, it's pretty simple.....I figure that now they both know I'm suspicious one of two things might happen. They will either end it, or they'll slip up trying to lay low for a while, and when they slip up I'll catch 'em in the act."

"You thing that will work?"

"Sure I do! How do you think I caught Nick?"

The two went back to their work and at lunchtime, Lisa asked Jackson if he wanted to have lunch. He declined, saying that he needed to go by the apartment and pick up some papers to drop off at the accountant's office.

On his way to the apartment, Jackson got an idea. He stopped at his friend Mike's shop and asked if he could do him a favor. Mike asked what the favor was, and the two men went into the office to discuss what Jackson had in mind. Mike said he could get everything set up in about twenty minutes. The two went to the apartment and Mike got to work. All the equipment was tested and was in good working order. Jackson paid Mike and dropped him off at his shop on his way back to Groovy Gold.

That evening Jackson had picked up some take-out for dinner fully expecting to be eating alone. He was a bit surprised to find Don on the sofa watching TV when he arrived home. The two men ate dinner and while Jackson was doing the dishes Don eased up behind him and began kissing his neck. Jackson was still pissed at Don about Danny, but didn't want to fight right then. Don led Jackson to the bedroom and did his best to erase any doubts in his husband's mind about his infidelity.

The next morning, it was business as usual. Don and Jackson got up and got started on their day. Before he left, Jackson mentioned that he was going to be busy all day Saturday shooting an ad for the shop. He stated that he didn't know how long it would take, but he was planning on being there most of the day. He told Don that they would talk more about it that evening.

As soon as Don got to the precinct, he called Danny to tell him that Jackson would be busy all day on Saturday and that they could spend the whole day together if he could find a way to get around Mac. Danny said that would be no problem and asked Don where they were going to meet. Don told him to meet him at his place. He told Danny that he would call and let him know what time. The two ended the call, and Danny smiled at the thought of spending the day with his best friend and new lover!

While Don and Danny were making plans for Saturday, Jackson was in his office at the shop thinking about what he'd set in motion. If everything went like he thought it might, he would have the proof he needed that Don was lying to him about Danny. The thought of Don being a liar and a cheat hurt Jackson deeply. He knew he'd been a good partner to Don and had never once given him a reason to doubt him, but there must have been something lacking if Don had to turn to someone else. Jackson put it all out of his mind and got to work.

Friday night found Don attentive and semi-caring. It was all Jackson could do to keep from laughing in his face. Before Don could get too amorous, Jackson reminded him that he had to be up early the next morning to be on the set for his commercial. Don told him to get some sleep and he would see him when he got home. Jackson asked him what he had planned, and he said that he was going to play basketball with some of the guys. Jackson told him to have fun and went to bed.

Don waited until he thought Jackson was asleep and called Danny and told him to be at the apartment around 8 A.M. Danny said he couldn't wait and ended the call. Pleased with himself, Don grabbed a beer from the fridge and stepped out onto the fire escape for a smoke. His mind was on Danny and everything he wanted to do the next day.

Jackson got out of bed when the alarm went off and quietly left the bedroom. He went through the motions of getting ready and before he left the apartment, he opened the coat closet and pushed the buttons Nick had shown him to push. He hoped everything worked like it was supposed to. He closed the door and left. He headed to New Jersey for a day of shopping while Don was going to be ending their marriage.

When Jackson got home that evening, Don was nowhere to be found so Jackson figured he was out somewhere with Danny. He noticed that the sheets had been changed on the bed and that Don had gone to the trouble to make it looked as though he had spent part of the day cleaning. Jackson smiled to himself at the thought, and went to call Nick. He answered on the second ring and told Jackson that everything had gone according to plan and he had nearly six hours of footage. Jackson felt his heart drop to his shoes when Nick told him that the situation was exactly what he thought it would be. Jackson thanked Nick and told him he would pick up the DVD on Monday. He ended the call, got ready for bed and cried himself to sleep.

Don quietly entered the apartment sometime before dawn Sunday morning. He was trying not to wake Jackson because he was still in a pretty good mood after having spent most of Saturday with Danny, and he didn't want his good mood spoiled by a bunch of questions and accusations. He supposed that if he were doing right, then Jackson wouldn't be on his case. The problem with that lay in the fact that being with Danny just felt right, and Don didn't really want to give him up. He slipped into the guest bedroom and got into bed not knowing that in less that 12 hours his world would be turned completely upside down......

Jackson woke to find Don's side of the bed empty. He wasn't really surprised, just a bit concerned. On his way to the kitchen he checked the guest room and found Don sleeping. He looked so innocent in slumber that Jackson could almost let all the negative go, but he knew the truth about Don's devious nature and he was going today to pick up the truth.

While he was waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, he called Nick and asked if the disc could be edited and picked up that day. Nick answered in the affirmative and asked what Jackson wanted the disc to show. Jackson told him what he wanted and Nick said he could pick the disc up by noon. Jackson said he would see him then and ended the call. While Jackson was cooking breakfast, Don came wandering into the kitchen in search of coffee. Jackson poured him a mug and he sat down at the table to wait for breakfast.

While they ate, Jackson and Don made small talk. Jackson asked where Don had been the night before, and he replied that he'd been called out on a case and it had been late when he got home. Jackson let the lie pass and Don asked him about the shooting of the video for the shop. Jackson replied that everything had gone really well and that he was going to pick up a rough copy later that morning. He told Don to call and invite Mac and Danny over so they could see it before it hit the airwaves later in the week. Don was taken aback at Jackson's request but made the call anyway.

Later that afternoon when Mac and Danny arrived, Danny was a bit cold toward Jackson, but only the two of them noticed. Mac and Jackson had a chance to catch up since it had been a while since they'd seen each other. Don and Danny were talking hockey, but Jackson could tell that's not what they really wanted to talk about.

After everyone had a beer and was settled, Jackson got the DVD ready to view. He was a bit anxious about what he was doing, but justified it to himself by taking a good look at his back-stabbing husband and his so-called best friend. He pushed 'Play' on the remote and stood back to watch everything fall apart.

There was a burst of static and then a scene of Don sitting on the couch fully nude with Danny on the floor between his legs. Thanks to Nick's editing, the scene shifted to the bedroom where the real action took place. Don looked at Jackson with anger in his eyes and asked him to turn the DVD off. Jackson told him no, and that's when Danny jumped up from his seat on the sofa and punched Jackson in the face.

Don jumped up to get between the two men but was shoved aside as the two men fought. Mac and Don finally got the two separated, and Jackson went to the bathroom to tend his wounds. He heard Danny yelling that this wasn't over, and he heard Mac tell Danny to get his ass in gear. Jackson heard the front door slam and heard Don's footsteps coming down the hall toward the bathroom. He knew there was going to be hell to pay, but figured it was worth it.....

"I hope you're satisfied with that little stunt you just pulled....."

"As a matter of fact, I am, you bastard!"

"Why did you do it? You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?"

"Why should I have left it alone, Don? So I could be made a fool of? So you and Danny wouldn't get caught? Fat chance, motherfucker! I warned you, but your stupid ass wouldn't listen....."

"Warned me about what?"

"YOU LIED TO ME, YOU DUMB SONOFABITCH!!!!! I said 'God help you if I find out you lied to me', and you did anyway. Now you have to deal with the consequences....."

"What fucking consequences?"

"The divorce, the fact that you broke up two homes, and THE FACT THAT YOU BROKE MY FUCKING HEART!!!!!"

Jackson pushed his way passed Don and went into the bedroom. He got a large suitcase from the closet and began randomly throwing Don's clothes and other belongings into it. Don stood in the doorway and when Jackson was finished, he shoved the suitcase toward Don and told him to go be with his whore. Don started to argue but the words died in his throat when he took a good look into his soon-to-be ex-husband's eyes. Jackson told him very quietly to please give him his key to the apartment, and Don did so. When Don left, Jackson made sure the door was locked before he let himself fall to pieces.

After a messy divorce and lots of arguing back and forth Jackson finally got free of Don. Mac and Danny's break-up was just as complicated, but Mac prevailed. Don was re-assigned to work elsewhere and Danny was assigned to Jo Danville's team. Mac and Jackson kept in touch and had a drink together from time to time. Mac began to realize that he was beginning to have feeling for Jackson, but didn't say anything because he knew how much Don's betrayal had hurt him.

One night, Mac and Jackson were having dinner at Mac's place when Mac brought up dating in the conversation. Jackson laughed and said it would be a long time before that happened. He noticed the look that crossed Mac's face and reached across the table to take Mac's hand.....

"Mac, you sweet, sweet man..... I know you have feelings for me, but I just can't ...... I hope you understand....."

"I do understand....."

"I'm sorry if I did something to make you think....."

"You didn't..... I just thought that given enough time you....."

"Maybe one day, Mac..... just not now....."

THE END

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