Fic: Now & Then, Chapter 5 (Numb3rs, Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger)
Title: Now & Then, Chapter 5
Fandom: Numb3rs
Pair: Charlie Eppes / Colby Granger
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Feedback: Always Welcome
NUMB3RS Main List
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
“So what time are you landing?”
“Around five, but we can take a cab from the airport.” Don said.
“I can come pick you up. You’re gonna have to come this way no matter how
you come here. Dad wants to see you for dinner.”
“At the house?”
“Yeah, he’s coming here to cook and Colby’s hunting the reindeer.”
“Can you repeat that?”
“Dad will be cooking and Colby’s hunting the reindeer.”
“That’s what I thought you said…. Reindeer?”
“He saw an for this little specialty shop that sells all kinda weird food.
He’s gonna check it out after work.”
“And we’ll be eating Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?”
“Keep an open mind, I talked to one scientist from Lapland couple years
ago and he said it’s delicious.”
“And what’s dad doing?”
“That chicken-vegetable-stew thing that mom made when she was too lazy
to cook anything really timely.”
“That…. Well, I didn’t pick up his calls for two weeks, I guess I deserve
a punishment.”
“What about the rest of us?”
“Try to look sympathetic.”
Charlie waited a minute. “How are you?”
“You mean….?”
“That.”
“Remember when I said we were taking little steps to that direction?”
“Yeah.”
“Last night, we got to the finishing line.”
“Slam Dunk?”
“Oh yeah….” Don couldn’t help laughing.
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“Where’s Colby?” Megan asked when she came back to the office.
“He left early, he had to go get something from the store. They close early.”
David explained and leaned back in his chair.
“What kind of a store closes this early?”
“Some kinda food place. He was looking for emu.”
“Emu?”
“Or something like that, I wasn’t really listening. They’re having a family
dinner. Don’s coming back today.”
“Is he coming back to work?”
“If the shrink clears him.”
“So, hopefully we’ll get back to normal. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Any plans for tonight?”
“Yeah, Ian’s giving me some private jujutsu lessons.”
“I see…”
“There’s nothing hinky about it.”
“Right….”
“Get that smirk off your face.” David grinned.
“Two men groping each other on a mat…. Sounds like a nice form of foreplay.”
“I think I liked you better when you were bitter from the months of celibacy.”
“You don’t like me when I’m not the only one who doesn’t get any?” Megan threw
a pen at him. “I still can’t believe I found one guy who didn’t ditch me for
my male co-workers.”
“That happened once, get over it.”
“Twice! But who counts.”
“So... How are you doing with Matthew?”
“It’s very satisfactory. We both want the same things from this thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Fun. It’s so simple with a younger guy. They don’t want a steady relationship
or commitment. We have fun together and that’s it.”
“Is it?”
“It is.”
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“We’re here!” Colby announced from the door.
“Who’s we?” Charlie asked. He was digging his keys and wallet from his coat
pocket.
“Me and Rudolph. Take a look.” Colby pulled a parcel from the grocery bag
and opened it.
Charlie looked at the pieces of meat. “It’s grey.”
“It’s supposed to be grey, it’s smoked.”
“And we’re gonna eat that?”
“Yep.”
“Okay…. Anyway, I’m heading to the airport. Helen’s been fed and she’s sleeping,
monitor’s on the table and dad’s in the kitchen.”
“Is he cooking already?”
“Yeah.”
“And we have to eat it?”
“Yeah.”
“Can explain this for me: The man can cook who knows how many delicious foods
and he just has to make the one that everyone hates.”
“I know. I think it reminds him of mom. He doesn’t even like it himself.”
“Really?”
“Really. And I gotta go.”
Charlie grabbed his keys, but paused to think. “I talked to Don.”
“How’s he doing?”
“Pretty good, but…. he’s not gonna tell dad about…. that. So you need to keep
quiet about it too.”
“Are you sure-”
“Colby.”
“I wont say anything.”
TBC