Numb3rs fic
I guess I'll concentrate on a single fic at a time. Here's the next bit.
Chapter 2
Colby- Sorry to make my first email to you so depressing, but I need to tell someone that isn’t involved. My mom had a doctor’s appointment while I was with you guys, a biopsy. She only has about 6 months to live. My brother’s moving back to LA for the duration. -Charlie
Charlie- Damn that sucks. I know it doesn’t help much, but I send my best of luck to her, that she gets a miracle. -Colby
RE- If you want to talk to someone about astronomy, my former faculty advisor, and my good friend, Larry, is a cosmologist. His email’s below. By the way, don’t listen to his stories about my undergrad days. Remember, I was going through puberty at the time… -Brainiac
Charlie- Go to the damn reunion. I know your HS experience wasn’t exactly normal, but that makes this even more important. You’ll have a chance to see the bullies as peers. Maybe you can even get something back. I mean, Don and your friend Val, the doctor, are very successful in their given fields, but I severely doubt that there’s anyone that measures up in terms of prestige. -Colby
Colby- I heard from RE via Larry that there’s been an accident, are you OK? -Char
Char- I’m fine. Dwayne got burned pulling me out, but I’m OK. -Col
Col- I just finished sitting Shiva for my mom. If you can wrangle it with Rabbit Ears, I’d like to talk with you for a bit. If need be, drop my name. -Char
When Charlie’s face showed up on the screen, red-eyed, Colby did the instinctual thing, he reached out to touch him. Of course, it didn’t work, but it made Charlie smile faintly.
“I know it sounds stupid, but how are you?”
“I’m not sure, kinda numb, and Don and Dad are angry with me. They don’t seem to realize that I said good-bye to my mom before Don even came home, so they’re angry I didn’t visit her those last 3 weeks.”
“Try telling them that. It couldn’t hurt.”
“What about you? Were you burned in the accident?”
“I told you at the time, a bit, but none will scar. You can still admire my sculpted arms,” Colby said, jokingly.
Charlie started laughing, “And they are so handsome…” he faux-flirted. “Thanks for doing this, did you have to bring up the mental health of a national asset?”
“Sort of. I’m technically doing this on the sly. It must be great to have friends in low places. Once Eddie heard who it was for and why, he set it up. It’s the middle of the night here, with no duty until 1500, so no worries. Now go talk to your family. They need to hear some of this stuff too. Hear from you soon.”
“Bye, Col,” He put his hand against the screen, Colby meeting it.
Colby- I hate that you’re right, but it was nice to see how far I’ve come. Especially as I missed my 10 year reunion; I was in England at the time. The 6 year difference has now halved in significance, and I was the envy of all the jocks with their middle age spread starting, and me not yet 30 and in good shape. Thanks for making me go. -Charlie
Colby- U Michigan won their last game. The final touchdown was beautiful. Are you still going to take the FBI entrance exam when you rotate back? -CEE
Char- Not sure, I know I’ll be spending about 6 weeks doing quarantine and debriefings. I’m still thinking about it. As for news of camp, Smith got the Colonel good with a water bucket prank the other day, though now he’s having to go through a disciplinary hearing, as he caught a visiting 2-star in the process. Eeep! CG
Char- I’m back in the States. If you’re going to be in DC or the vicinity in the next few weeks, let me know and we’ll meet up. If you have a free evening, we could go out for dinner and drinks. -CG
Col- I’m presenting at GW for a conference the 15th through the 19th, but the evening and morning sessions 16th-17th are complete crocks. I’m staying at the Hilton on 21st, see you at 8 for dinner on the 16th? I’ll make the reservations. Charlie
“Hey, Cheez-Whiz, ready to go?”
“Sure, Col. Head on Pennsylvania toward M, I got 8:30 reservations at Zed’s.”
“So, have you decided yet if you’ll take the entrance examination?”
“Yeah, I take it next week. It should be pretty simple, I’ve been doing a lot of the same things for the last 8 years now. How are your classes? You’re coming up for a performance review soon, right?”
“I’m having a peer shadow about 2 weeks into the new semester, so in about a month. If it goes well, I’ll be a full professor.”
“Wow. What’s this I heard from Eddie about you getting another doctorate? Doesn’t that make three?”
“I was kind of hoping that you wouldn’t hear about that, most of the work was to keep my mind off Mom.”
“Damn, sorry to bring that up. Let’s find a new topic, one that’s not as depressing. I know, did I tell you about the weird stuff that Larry has Eddie doing? I’m kind of sorry you introduced them. Right before I left, Rabbit had three telescopes hooked up to his computer. He also almost got away with hacking one of the CommSats to point away from Earth toward Jupiter. Unluckily, for him anyway, the Colonel found out when he missed a call from one of his superiors. I’m a bit surprised he wasn’t Court-Martialed for that stunt.”
They chatted, and finally decided to forgo a club and go to a student-sponsored free concert at GW that Charlie saw posters for while at the conference. They parted with a hug at 1am, Charlie wishing Colby good luck on the exam.
CE- I started training yesterday. It seems to be a breeze so far, as many of the investigation and raid tactics are the same. Therefore, I somehow was made a group leader for maneuvers practice. Col
Charlie
Why didn’t you warn me that you have a scary friend that’s an instructor? Agent Morgan ran the hand-to-hand class today, and I got clobbered. He demonstrated defense stuff on me, then had all the women practice submission techniques using me as their dummy. Messed up pressure point usage actually hurt more than correct ones, I found. I see the use, especially if he wants to watch for mistakes, but I actually had to use a whole tube of Tiger Balm and 4 ‘candies’ to go to sleep. Col
Poor baby. I’ll mock-scold him, see what his reaction is.
Col- I know we’ve been dancing around this whole thing for a while now, and I’d hate to ruin our friendship over this…Ah, fuck it, I need to stop dithering, I’m sounding like Larry, and that’s never a good sign. I hate to do this in an email and not face-to-face, but would you be willing to try a long-distance relationship as other than platonic? Charlie
Charlie was helping his father with some minor renovations when his cell rang. Looking at the display, he saw it was from Virginia. Hoping it wasn’t some emergency from FBI or CIA, he answered it while walking outside toward the Koi pond.
“Eppes.”
“Char, its Colby, and I’d love to. I don’t really like sounding like such a girl, but I’m so glad you took the initiative. Can you come to my ‘graduation’ on June 6th?”
“Yeah, I can. I even have a reason to be in the area that Dad can’t question. Spencer called a few days ago, a BAU case I consulted on requires me to come testify on the 3rd. I’ll see you then, Col.”
“See ya, Char.”
“So how’s civilian life treating you?’
“It’s weird after the Army, though Quantico has, in a way, served as a good transition.”
“Any clue where you’re being sent?”
“They’ll send me a letter in a week or two, but from what I can tell, they’re sending me west.’
“Maybe you’ll end up in Las Vegas or San Jose, that way I can visit some weekends.”
Char- I’m coming to LA! I don’t know what team yet, but I’ll see you soon. -Col
“Granger”
“Col, you know it’s me, I’m on my cell. So, where are you going to live?”
“I know. I’m just practicing so I’m less likely to answer with name, rank, and serial number. I did that the other day, to an instructor’s amusement. As for postings, I don’t know yet. I’m staying in one of the FBI-owned condos for 2 weeks so I can go apartment hunting. So far, it looks like I’ll be in Central Pasadena, I think it’s even one of the complexes your dad designed.”
“Nice. How weird is it that you’ll be my brother’s colleague, you’re going to live in one of my dad’s buildings…”
“It is a bit odd, but imagine if I ended up on Don’s team.”
“It would be kind of nice, as I’d see you often, but it would also mean I’d have to actually tell Don about you. I think Dad has his suspicions already, but Donnie…”
‘We’ll work it out. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Char- I’m in LA. I just met with AD Merrick. I’m on Don’s team, but don’t start for two weeks. I guess you’ll need to break the news soon.
Meet me at HQ tomorrow at 7pm? More paperwork to do. Col
“Drek!”
Amita, a bit shocked, asked what was going on.
“Its really nothing, just something I need to talk to Don about this evening.”
“Oh, its not case-related?”
“No, just something to do with his new team member.”
“Donnie, have you heard more about that new team member?” Alan asked.
“Yeah, he’s starting in 2 weeks…Chuck, what’s wrong, you look sick.”
“I’m fine. It’s…I know your new team-mate. I found out today. He’s someone I met on a consulting trip a while ago.”
“OK. Does this friend have a name?”
“Colby Granger, former-Captain, US Army CID.”
“Cool. Sounds like a competent guy. Is it classified, or can you tell me where and what he was doing?”
“It will still be classified for a few more months.”
Chapter 2
Colby- Sorry to make my first email to you so depressing, but I need to tell someone that isn’t involved. My mom had a doctor’s appointment while I was with you guys, a biopsy. She only has about 6 months to live. My brother’s moving back to LA for the duration. -Charlie
Charlie- Damn that sucks. I know it doesn’t help much, but I send my best of luck to her, that she gets a miracle. -Colby
RE- If you want to talk to someone about astronomy, my former faculty advisor, and my good friend, Larry, is a cosmologist. His email’s below. By the way, don’t listen to his stories about my undergrad days. Remember, I was going through puberty at the time… -Brainiac
Charlie- Go to the damn reunion. I know your HS experience wasn’t exactly normal, but that makes this even more important. You’ll have a chance to see the bullies as peers. Maybe you can even get something back. I mean, Don and your friend Val, the doctor, are very successful in their given fields, but I severely doubt that there’s anyone that measures up in terms of prestige. -Colby
Colby- I heard from RE via Larry that there’s been an accident, are you OK? -Char
Char- I’m fine. Dwayne got burned pulling me out, but I’m OK. -Col
Col- I just finished sitting Shiva for my mom. If you can wrangle it with Rabbit Ears, I’d like to talk with you for a bit. If need be, drop my name. -Char
When Charlie’s face showed up on the screen, red-eyed, Colby did the instinctual thing, he reached out to touch him. Of course, it didn’t work, but it made Charlie smile faintly.
“I know it sounds stupid, but how are you?”
“I’m not sure, kinda numb, and Don and Dad are angry with me. They don’t seem to realize that I said good-bye to my mom before Don even came home, so they’re angry I didn’t visit her those last 3 weeks.”
“Try telling them that. It couldn’t hurt.”
“What about you? Were you burned in the accident?”
“I told you at the time, a bit, but none will scar. You can still admire my sculpted arms,” Colby said, jokingly.
Charlie started laughing, “And they are so handsome…” he faux-flirted. “Thanks for doing this, did you have to bring up the mental health of a national asset?”
“Sort of. I’m technically doing this on the sly. It must be great to have friends in low places. Once Eddie heard who it was for and why, he set it up. It’s the middle of the night here, with no duty until 1500, so no worries. Now go talk to your family. They need to hear some of this stuff too. Hear from you soon.”
“Bye, Col,” He put his hand against the screen, Colby meeting it.
Colby- I hate that you’re right, but it was nice to see how far I’ve come. Especially as I missed my 10 year reunion; I was in England at the time. The 6 year difference has now halved in significance, and I was the envy of all the jocks with their middle age spread starting, and me not yet 30 and in good shape. Thanks for making me go. -Charlie
Colby- U Michigan won their last game. The final touchdown was beautiful. Are you still going to take the FBI entrance exam when you rotate back? -CEE
Char- Not sure, I know I’ll be spending about 6 weeks doing quarantine and debriefings. I’m still thinking about it. As for news of camp, Smith got the Colonel good with a water bucket prank the other day, though now he’s having to go through a disciplinary hearing, as he caught a visiting 2-star in the process. Eeep! CG
Char- I’m back in the States. If you’re going to be in DC or the vicinity in the next few weeks, let me know and we’ll meet up. If you have a free evening, we could go out for dinner and drinks. -CG
Col- I’m presenting at GW for a conference the 15th through the 19th, but the evening and morning sessions 16th-17th are complete crocks. I’m staying at the Hilton on 21st, see you at 8 for dinner on the 16th? I’ll make the reservations. Charlie
“Hey, Cheez-Whiz, ready to go?”
“Sure, Col. Head on Pennsylvania toward M, I got 8:30 reservations at Zed’s.”
“So, have you decided yet if you’ll take the entrance examination?”
“Yeah, I take it next week. It should be pretty simple, I’ve been doing a lot of the same things for the last 8 years now. How are your classes? You’re coming up for a performance review soon, right?”
“I’m having a peer shadow about 2 weeks into the new semester, so in about a month. If it goes well, I’ll be a full professor.”
“Wow. What’s this I heard from Eddie about you getting another doctorate? Doesn’t that make three?”
“I was kind of hoping that you wouldn’t hear about that, most of the work was to keep my mind off Mom.”
“Damn, sorry to bring that up. Let’s find a new topic, one that’s not as depressing. I know, did I tell you about the weird stuff that Larry has Eddie doing? I’m kind of sorry you introduced them. Right before I left, Rabbit had three telescopes hooked up to his computer. He also almost got away with hacking one of the CommSats to point away from Earth toward Jupiter. Unluckily, for him anyway, the Colonel found out when he missed a call from one of his superiors. I’m a bit surprised he wasn’t Court-Martialed for that stunt.”
They chatted, and finally decided to forgo a club and go to a student-sponsored free concert at GW that Charlie saw posters for while at the conference. They parted with a hug at 1am, Charlie wishing Colby good luck on the exam.
CE- I started training yesterday. It seems to be a breeze so far, as many of the investigation and raid tactics are the same. Therefore, I somehow was made a group leader for maneuvers practice. Col
Charlie
Why didn’t you warn me that you have a scary friend that’s an instructor? Agent Morgan ran the hand-to-hand class today, and I got clobbered. He demonstrated defense stuff on me, then had all the women practice submission techniques using me as their dummy. Messed up pressure point usage actually hurt more than correct ones, I found. I see the use, especially if he wants to watch for mistakes, but I actually had to use a whole tube of Tiger Balm and 4 ‘candies’ to go to sleep. Col
Poor baby. I’ll mock-scold him, see what his reaction is.
Col- I know we’ve been dancing around this whole thing for a while now, and I’d hate to ruin our friendship over this…Ah, fuck it, I need to stop dithering, I’m sounding like Larry, and that’s never a good sign. I hate to do this in an email and not face-to-face, but would you be willing to try a long-distance relationship as other than platonic? Charlie
Charlie was helping his father with some minor renovations when his cell rang. Looking at the display, he saw it was from Virginia. Hoping it wasn’t some emergency from FBI or CIA, he answered it while walking outside toward the Koi pond.
“Eppes.”
“Char, its Colby, and I’d love to. I don’t really like sounding like such a girl, but I’m so glad you took the initiative. Can you come to my ‘graduation’ on June 6th?”
“Yeah, I can. I even have a reason to be in the area that Dad can’t question. Spencer called a few days ago, a BAU case I consulted on requires me to come testify on the 3rd. I’ll see you then, Col.”
“See ya, Char.”
“So how’s civilian life treating you?’
“It’s weird after the Army, though Quantico has, in a way, served as a good transition.”
“Any clue where you’re being sent?”
“They’ll send me a letter in a week or two, but from what I can tell, they’re sending me west.’
“Maybe you’ll end up in Las Vegas or San Jose, that way I can visit some weekends.”
Char- I’m coming to LA! I don’t know what team yet, but I’ll see you soon. -Col
“Granger”
“Col, you know it’s me, I’m on my cell. So, where are you going to live?”
“I know. I’m just practicing so I’m less likely to answer with name, rank, and serial number. I did that the other day, to an instructor’s amusement. As for postings, I don’t know yet. I’m staying in one of the FBI-owned condos for 2 weeks so I can go apartment hunting. So far, it looks like I’ll be in Central Pasadena, I think it’s even one of the complexes your dad designed.”
“Nice. How weird is it that you’ll be my brother’s colleague, you’re going to live in one of my dad’s buildings…”
“It is a bit odd, but imagine if I ended up on Don’s team.”
“It would be kind of nice, as I’d see you often, but it would also mean I’d have to actually tell Don about you. I think Dad has his suspicions already, but Donnie…”
‘We’ll work it out. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Char- I’m in LA. I just met with AD Merrick. I’m on Don’s team, but don’t start for two weeks. I guess you’ll need to break the news soon.
Meet me at HQ tomorrow at 7pm? More paperwork to do. Col
“Drek!”
Amita, a bit shocked, asked what was going on.
“Its really nothing, just something I need to talk to Don about this evening.”
“Oh, its not case-related?”
“No, just something to do with his new team member.”
“Donnie, have you heard more about that new team member?” Alan asked.
“Yeah, he’s starting in 2 weeks…Chuck, what’s wrong, you look sick.”
“I’m fine. It’s…I know your new team-mate. I found out today. He’s someone I met on a consulting trip a while ago.”
“OK. Does this friend have a name?”
“Colby Granger, former-Captain, US Army CID.”
“Cool. Sounds like a competent guy. Is it classified, or can you tell me where and what he was doing?”
“It will still be classified for a few more months.”