Numb3rs Fic- The War Within (Colby Granger)
Title: The War Within
Author: 1000traenen
Summary: It’s always a struggle, but somehow he manages to keep it hidden…until something makes the memories come back.
Rating: FRT
Claim: Numb3rs- Colby Granger
Prompt: #3- when everything’s made to be broken
Disclaimer: Since you don’t see stuff like this on TV, suffice it to say that they aren’t mine.
Spoilers: 2x21 “Rampage”
A/N: For the 2x5obsessions comm. Link to my table. Not beta’d, so all mistakes are mine.
---
They give you your discharge, send you home, go back to your own life. You just think the war’s over. But man, it’s always inside of you, just waiting to come out when something reminds you.
-Colby Granger “Rampage”
---
Everything was over and done with, even the paperwork. Colby was cleared, and all he needed to do was get clearance from the department psychiatrist to return to field duty. So when it came to leaving, Colby was making up excuses to stay, saying that he’d forgotten to do something…anything to avoid going home to an empty apartment. Megan was the first to notice the avoidance behavior and mention it…to David. She knew that Colby was more likely to talk to David than to her or Don since the two worked together so much.
David only nodded, then said something about having an idea, and that he’d be back in a few for Colby. And while Charlie helped Don decompress, David did the same with Colby. Except for Colby, it took more than spaghetti, and David was prepared.
So as they sat on the trunk of David’s car, both men silently drank their beers. Colby was the first done by a longshot, and David automatically handed his younger partner another. It wasn’t a comfortable silence, but it wasn’t wholly uncomfortable either.
Once Colby had made some progress on his second beer, David decided that they’ve had enough silence and so was the first to speak.
“How do you do it?” David asked as they stared out into the night.
“Do what?”
“Live it with it all,” David answered.
At first, Colby didn’t move. In the limited light available, David could see that Colby’s grip on the bottle was solid, probably white.
“I try like Hell to keep it buried,” Colby finally answered, then took a swig of beer.
“Does it work?”
“Not often enough. I just don’t know what else to do.”
“You know, you don’t have to handle it alone now,” David told him, and Colby nodded.
“I’ve gotten used to having to deal with alone,” Colby admitted. “My family…they don’t want to hear about it. They don’t want to know what happened over there. It’s history and that’s where they want it to stay. It’s just not that easy for me.”
David nodded solemnly, having already figured out that Colby wasn’t that close to his family. It was another few minutes of silence that David had to break. And in the meantime, he’d thought about what Megan had mentioned about intense events.
“Did this…remind you of something, Colby?” David dared ask, looking at Colby from the corner of his eye.
“Huh?” Colby asked quizzically.
“You were the only one who didn’t seem happy that you’re going to be cleared by the shooting team. In fact, it was like you just shut down…”
Colby took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then said, “This wasn’t the first time something like that happened…”
David’s eyes widen for a second, then he prodded, “What happened?”
And so Colby told him, and David got another new insight into the head of Colby Granger. And although he was sure there was more, David didn’t press any further. Colby was tough, and although there may be a crack or two, he was in no danger of falling apart. And David would make sure he stayed like that.
FIN
Author: 1000traenen
Summary: It’s always a struggle, but somehow he manages to keep it hidden…until something makes the memories come back.
Rating: FRT
Claim: Numb3rs- Colby Granger
Prompt: #3- when everything’s made to be broken
Disclaimer: Since you don’t see stuff like this on TV, suffice it to say that they aren’t mine.
Spoilers: 2x21 “Rampage”
A/N: For the 2x5obsessions comm. Link to my table. Not beta’d, so all mistakes are mine.
---
They give you your discharge, send you home, go back to your own life. You just think the war’s over. But man, it’s always inside of you, just waiting to come out when something reminds you.
-Colby Granger “Rampage”
---
Everything was over and done with, even the paperwork. Colby was cleared, and all he needed to do was get clearance from the department psychiatrist to return to field duty. So when it came to leaving, Colby was making up excuses to stay, saying that he’d forgotten to do something…anything to avoid going home to an empty apartment. Megan was the first to notice the avoidance behavior and mention it…to David. She knew that Colby was more likely to talk to David than to her or Don since the two worked together so much.
David only nodded, then said something about having an idea, and that he’d be back in a few for Colby. And while Charlie helped Don decompress, David did the same with Colby. Except for Colby, it took more than spaghetti, and David was prepared.
So as they sat on the trunk of David’s car, both men silently drank their beers. Colby was the first done by a longshot, and David automatically handed his younger partner another. It wasn’t a comfortable silence, but it wasn’t wholly uncomfortable either.
Once Colby had made some progress on his second beer, David decided that they’ve had enough silence and so was the first to speak.
“How do you do it?” David asked as they stared out into the night.
“Do what?”
“Live it with it all,” David answered.
At first, Colby didn’t move. In the limited light available, David could see that Colby’s grip on the bottle was solid, probably white.
“I try like Hell to keep it buried,” Colby finally answered, then took a swig of beer.
“Does it work?”
“Not often enough. I just don’t know what else to do.”
“You know, you don’t have to handle it alone now,” David told him, and Colby nodded.
“I’ve gotten used to having to deal with alone,” Colby admitted. “My family…they don’t want to hear about it. They don’t want to know what happened over there. It’s history and that’s where they want it to stay. It’s just not that easy for me.”
David nodded solemnly, having already figured out that Colby wasn’t that close to his family. It was another few minutes of silence that David had to break. And in the meantime, he’d thought about what Megan had mentioned about intense events.
“Did this…remind you of something, Colby?” David dared ask, looking at Colby from the corner of his eye.
“Huh?” Colby asked quizzically.
“You were the only one who didn’t seem happy that you’re going to be cleared by the shooting team. In fact, it was like you just shut down…”
Colby took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then said, “This wasn’t the first time something like that happened…”
David’s eyes widen for a second, then he prodded, “What happened?”
And so Colby told him, and David got another new insight into the head of Colby Granger. And although he was sure there was more, David didn’t press any further. Colby was tough, and although there may be a crack or two, he was in no danger of falling apart. And David would make sure he stayed like that.
FIN