Fic: A Calculating Mind (1/? of Getting Here) Charlie/Colby, PG by radfiction
Title: A Calculating Mind (Chapter 1 of ?? of Getting Here) PG
Author/Artist: radfiction
Pairing(s): Charlie/Colby
Rating: PG
Summary: Colby reminisces and assesses his situation - and Charlie's.
Notes/Warnings: Set in Season 3 between The Mole and The Janus List. Spoilers through Trust Metric
This is my first fan fic piece - please give feedback!!!!!
Colby lay silent, listening to the slow and steady breathing of his lover, who lay spent and sated at his side, trying to assess just how bad the situation was. Usually this came easily to him: assessing, analyzing, calculating. He chuckled to himself at that word. 'Calculating!' He couldn't help but smile and glance over at the head of dark curls on the next pillow.
Stop! He forced himself back to assessing the situation. How bad was it? Pretty bad... He was in bed with his lover. Lover! Not a trick, not a mark, but a lover in every sense. He's not supposed to be in love. At least not now, not with the man laying beside him. Not because he was a man, though that did surprise him a little. Colby always prided himself on being open to new experiences, and sex with men was just another experience, one he found he enjoyed. Yet, he always thought of himself as more mainstream than not. So, yeah, sure, he had thought that when he finally felt this, it would be with a woman.
But, that's not what bothered him. What bothered him is that he's working - on the job. This was no time to be in love - his job is dangerous. Correction, his jobs are dangerous. The edges of his lips curled, just a bit. He actually liked that - the danger part. You kind of have to like danger if you're going to be any sort of agent, and it applied threefold, maybe ninefold, or even 27-fold, if you were a triple agent. But the danger increased even more if he was distracted.
This time what crossed his lips was more of a smirk than a smile. More danger suited him just fine. So, no, it wasn't the increased danger from the distraction that bothered him - it was the danger to the distraction that was keeping him awake. When this all started, he wasn't supposed to fall in love -- wasn't supposed to be sitting up nights worrying about what might happen to his lover.
How did it come to this? How did he, Colby Granger - triple agent, self-styled American 007 - come to be lying here in bed calculating just how much danger he was bringing into the life of the man he loved. This was definitely not in the plan.
The smile returned to his lips. The Colby people knew didn't have plans. But, there was more to Colby than people knew. In point of fact, Colby Granger had plans all his life and excelled at bringing them to fruition. And if no one actually knew that what came to pass was, in fact, what he had planned, all the better.
Colby had realized early on that he was more than people thought he was. He was blessed in many ways, and he placed being consistently underestimated high on his list of blessings. Up there with his good looks, which he had found opened a lot of doors. Well, his looks and that trademark smile. Unlike the looks, though, the smile was only a blessing when it came naturally. Frequently, it was something he earned. How long had he worked on perfecting that smile so he could flash it on command?
And, of course, there was his body. Granted, some of that was the result of effort rather than blessing, too - but not as much as people probably thought. Sure he hit the gym, exercised, the whole routine, but, really, he ate junk and spent less time on his body that most guys he knew. Yet, his body was still in great shape. He didn't have exactly the same build he had when wrestling in college, but the pounds that had found their way on his frame since then were clearly added muscle.
Good genes, he mused to himself, then added, And farm life. Working the farm toned his body when he was young, and sports kept it trained through school. Then, of course, his military training kept his body and metabolism well-tuned. So, no, he didn't live in the gym. His body was well trained and, while it took some effort to maintain it, it did not occupy his life. But if people thought he spent hours obsessing over his body at the gym, it just meant he had a readily available alibi or excuse when he needed to tend to other things - things for his other jobs.
Plus, keeping his body in shape also kept the jock image in the forefront of people's minds, and that worked for him, too. People saw what they wanted, what was easy. Forget that he specialized in interrogation techniques, it was just easier to see the grunt. Not that people thought he was dumb, but they never knew the depth of him.
Colby knew he was no genius. He never really thought he was, and now he knew what genius really was. But he learned early on that he had a gift for analysis - he could assess a situation, see contingencies and options that others missed, and knew how to get the outcome he wanted. He intuitively understood the long term consequences of his actions, of everyone's actions...of all the different possible combination of everyone's action.
In high school he picked up chess, and started winning - easily. He could see the game unfold, and knew how to respond to any move. But he quickly realized, after a couple raised eyebrows, that winning threatened his images as a jock and, more importantly, revealed more about himself than he wanted revealed. There were many advantages to being stereotyped a jock, and he had no desire to forfeit them for a couple games of chess.
And so, he shifted his focus to wrestling. Like chess, wrestling involved assessing the situation - predicting how your opponent would respond to your move. Yet, most people thought it was only about strength and speed. He had those too, but he excelled because he could anticipate. He could predict his opponents' moves, and used that to his advantage. But people didn't see that - they saw the jock, not the calculating mind behind his trophies and titles. And he was just fine with that. He wrestled because it engaged him fully - mind and body - yet still let him come off as the typical jock, not letting others see the full measure of him.
His super power, or perhaps his secret identity, was safe. Superheroes need to protect their identities and he had always wanted to be a superhero - to make a difference and use the many gifts he was given for something more meaningful than his own personal gain.
That's why he became a soldier, and then an agent, and eventually a triple-agent. When Dwayne approached him in training, it was almost as if destined - here was a chance to really serve his country, and he believed answering that call to service was a responsibility that came with being so blessed. He remembered seeing how it would unfold back then. That he would find himself at this point eventually. Dwayne out of the picture making him the key player in an operation that would make a real and significant difference to his country. He had become a one-man sleeper cell. He also knew that it would require all his patience to wait for the right opportunity to close this case, to finish this job, to get the super-villain.
Sure some details were different than he originally thought, but mostly they were deliberate modifications to his plans. He'd improvised, improved, and innovated. He had originally expected to stay in a military capacity, but when he saw the opportunity and realized access to the FBI would make him more valuable to the Chinese, he brought it to them as an option - making him appear more loyal to them so he could worm his way further into their operation, better able to strike a fatal blow right at his enemy's heart. So, no, he was not surprised to find himself here waiting for the next move to become clear. It was just about waiting now. But, the longer he waited, the deeper he fell for Charlie.
Charlie Eppes. A true genius. And, as it turns out, the love of his life. Charlie was not a plan. Well, at least not the plan. And so, Colby set his calculating mind to the work again review the situation.
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Author/Artist: radfiction
Pairing(s): Charlie/Colby
Rating: PG
Summary: Colby reminisces and assesses his situation - and Charlie's.
Notes/Warnings: Set in Season 3 between The Mole and The Janus List. Spoilers through Trust Metric
This is my first fan fic piece - please give feedback!!!!!
Colby lay silent, listening to the slow and steady breathing of his lover, who lay spent and sated at his side, trying to assess just how bad the situation was. Usually this came easily to him: assessing, analyzing, calculating. He chuckled to himself at that word. 'Calculating!' He couldn't help but smile and glance over at the head of dark curls on the next pillow.
Stop! He forced himself back to assessing the situation. How bad was it? Pretty bad... He was in bed with his lover. Lover! Not a trick, not a mark, but a lover in every sense. He's not supposed to be in love. At least not now, not with the man laying beside him. Not because he was a man, though that did surprise him a little. Colby always prided himself on being open to new experiences, and sex with men was just another experience, one he found he enjoyed. Yet, he always thought of himself as more mainstream than not. So, yeah, sure, he had thought that when he finally felt this, it would be with a woman.
But, that's not what bothered him. What bothered him is that he's working - on the job. This was no time to be in love - his job is dangerous. Correction, his jobs are dangerous. The edges of his lips curled, just a bit. He actually liked that - the danger part. You kind of have to like danger if you're going to be any sort of agent, and it applied threefold, maybe ninefold, or even 27-fold, if you were a triple agent. But the danger increased even more if he was distracted.
This time what crossed his lips was more of a smirk than a smile. More danger suited him just fine. So, no, it wasn't the increased danger from the distraction that bothered him - it was the danger to the distraction that was keeping him awake. When this all started, he wasn't supposed to fall in love -- wasn't supposed to be sitting up nights worrying about what might happen to his lover.
How did it come to this? How did he, Colby Granger - triple agent, self-styled American 007 - come to be lying here in bed calculating just how much danger he was bringing into the life of the man he loved. This was definitely not in the plan.
The smile returned to his lips. The Colby people knew didn't have plans. But, there was more to Colby than people knew. In point of fact, Colby Granger had plans all his life and excelled at bringing them to fruition. And if no one actually knew that what came to pass was, in fact, what he had planned, all the better.
Colby had realized early on that he was more than people thought he was. He was blessed in many ways, and he placed being consistently underestimated high on his list of blessings. Up there with his good looks, which he had found opened a lot of doors. Well, his looks and that trademark smile. Unlike the looks, though, the smile was only a blessing when it came naturally. Frequently, it was something he earned. How long had he worked on perfecting that smile so he could flash it on command?
And, of course, there was his body. Granted, some of that was the result of effort rather than blessing, too - but not as much as people probably thought. Sure he hit the gym, exercised, the whole routine, but, really, he ate junk and spent less time on his body that most guys he knew. Yet, his body was still in great shape. He didn't have exactly the same build he had when wrestling in college, but the pounds that had found their way on his frame since then were clearly added muscle.
Good genes, he mused to himself, then added, And farm life. Working the farm toned his body when he was young, and sports kept it trained through school. Then, of course, his military training kept his body and metabolism well-tuned. So, no, he didn't live in the gym. His body was well trained and, while it took some effort to maintain it, it did not occupy his life. But if people thought he spent hours obsessing over his body at the gym, it just meant he had a readily available alibi or excuse when he needed to tend to other things - things for his other jobs.
Plus, keeping his body in shape also kept the jock image in the forefront of people's minds, and that worked for him, too. People saw what they wanted, what was easy. Forget that he specialized in interrogation techniques, it was just easier to see the grunt. Not that people thought he was dumb, but they never knew the depth of him.
Colby knew he was no genius. He never really thought he was, and now he knew what genius really was. But he learned early on that he had a gift for analysis - he could assess a situation, see contingencies and options that others missed, and knew how to get the outcome he wanted. He intuitively understood the long term consequences of his actions, of everyone's actions...of all the different possible combination of everyone's action.
In high school he picked up chess, and started winning - easily. He could see the game unfold, and knew how to respond to any move. But he quickly realized, after a couple raised eyebrows, that winning threatened his images as a jock and, more importantly, revealed more about himself than he wanted revealed. There were many advantages to being stereotyped a jock, and he had no desire to forfeit them for a couple games of chess.
And so, he shifted his focus to wrestling. Like chess, wrestling involved assessing the situation - predicting how your opponent would respond to your move. Yet, most people thought it was only about strength and speed. He had those too, but he excelled because he could anticipate. He could predict his opponents' moves, and used that to his advantage. But people didn't see that - they saw the jock, not the calculating mind behind his trophies and titles. And he was just fine with that. He wrestled because it engaged him fully - mind and body - yet still let him come off as the typical jock, not letting others see the full measure of him.
His super power, or perhaps his secret identity, was safe. Superheroes need to protect their identities and he had always wanted to be a superhero - to make a difference and use the many gifts he was given for something more meaningful than his own personal gain.
That's why he became a soldier, and then an agent, and eventually a triple-agent. When Dwayne approached him in training, it was almost as if destined - here was a chance to really serve his country, and he believed answering that call to service was a responsibility that came with being so blessed. He remembered seeing how it would unfold back then. That he would find himself at this point eventually. Dwayne out of the picture making him the key player in an operation that would make a real and significant difference to his country. He had become a one-man sleeper cell. He also knew that it would require all his patience to wait for the right opportunity to close this case, to finish this job, to get the super-villain.
Sure some details were different than he originally thought, but mostly they were deliberate modifications to his plans. He'd improvised, improved, and innovated. He had originally expected to stay in a military capacity, but when he saw the opportunity and realized access to the FBI would make him more valuable to the Chinese, he brought it to them as an option - making him appear more loyal to them so he could worm his way further into their operation, better able to strike a fatal blow right at his enemy's heart. So, no, he was not surprised to find himself here waiting for the next move to become clear. It was just about waiting now. But, the longer he waited, the deeper he fell for Charlie.
Charlie Eppes. A true genius. And, as it turns out, the love of his life. Charlie was not a plan. Well, at least not the plan. And so, Colby set his calculating mind to the work again review the situation.
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