Winter Carnival
This was written for the "Holidays Past" challenge at savecolby
Title: Winter Carnival
Character(s)/Pairings: Colby/OFC-Callie
Rating: PG
Summary: Where it all began...
Author’s Notes: This is an AU of sorts that I started when writing for the Birthday Challenge at savecolby. That post actually takes place after this one, so if you would like to read it, you can find it here: Just Another Day. Callie Walker was created by mustangcandi.
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
This was the first Christmas that Colby had even considered going to the Winter Carnival. Social events like that didn’t usually interest him, but he’d overheard Callie Walker saying that she was going to go and that changed his mind. She’d started at his high school this year and he’d been completely enamored with her since the first moment he’d seen her.
He said hello to her in the hallway and tried to sit next to her in class whenever he could, but he never really worked up the nerve to have a real conversation with her or to ask to sit with her at lunch.
He smiled as he looked down at the small box that he was carrying and easily slipped it into his pocket before bringing out his ticket and showing it to his English teacher, Mrs. Flynn. Her eyes lit up with surprise and she gasped, “Colby Granger! Well, if this isn’t a surprise I don’t know what is! Glad to finally see you at a school function. Enjoy yourself!”
Colby smiled politely, but wished that he could just disappear as people around him began to take notice. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began moving across the fairgrounds, keeping his eyes peeled for that fiery red hair that he’d come to know and love.
There were games everywhere and the air was filled with the smell of popcorn and funnel cakes. His classmates were carrying around giant stuffed animals that they had won and he chuckled as a group of girls screamed to the top of their lungs on one of the rides.
He rounded the next corner and his breath caught when he saw her on the carousel. The lights that shone around her only caused her to look more angelic than ever and he couldn’t keep from smiling as he noticed that she was bundled up twice as much as any of the other girls here.
She was laughing and the sound seemed to penetrate his heart and fill it with a light like he’d never known. She was wearing a knit cap and mittens and bless her, her nose was as red as Rudolph’s from the cold that she was so unaccustomed to. He found this incredibly adorable and was slightly disappointed when she ducked her head to cover her face with her scarf.
He watched as she went around and then would disappear and was surprised to find that his heart lurched every time she once again reappeared. All too soon, the carousel came to a stop and everyone began piling off. His heart pounded, both because he knew that now was when he had to make his move, and also because he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd.
Luckily for him, girls traveled in packs and when one of them wanted to stop - they all did. One of Callie’s friends insisted on getting some cotton candy and so the rest of them were chatting happily as they waited in line. Colby took a deep breath and with weak knees, he approached them. None of them took notice as he drew nearer and finally when he was standing right behind them, he found his voice and rasped, “Hey, Callie.”
Upon hearing her name, she whirled around and his heart melted when she smiled at him brilliantly. “Oh, hey Colby.”
She looked unsure as to what to say next and so Colby politely nodded to her friends before rubbing the back of his neck nervously and asking, “Can I…uh…can I talk to you for a minute?”
Her friends suddenly stopped talking and looked at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. She simply beamed, “Hey guys…I’ll catch up with you, ok?”
He didn’t think in a million years that it would be that easy to get Callie alone for a moment and so he suddenly felt completely unprepared for it. She stepped towards him and with a smile, he started walking, with her in step with him until they were out of earshot of her friends.
He asked, “Are you warm enough?”
She chuckled, “Actually, I am not sure that it will even be warm enough for me here in the summertime. But, I’ll live.”
He looked at her, “Where did you move here from?”
She replied, “Georgia.”
Colby smiled, “Ahh…the land of long, hot summers and the best sweet tea in the South.”
Her eyes brightened, “You’ve been there?”
He shook his head, “No, but I’ve always wanted to. I’m not sure why though.”
She grinned, “You should definitely see it at some point. Maybe head down there in the fall when it starts getting cold here. I’m not sure you’d make it in the dead of summer.”
Colby laughed before asking, “Would you like to ride the ferris wheel with me?”
Callie glanced up at the ride before them and met his gaze as she nodded, “I’d love to.”
He bought them each a ticket and as they stood in line, Colby asked, “So, are you ready for Christmas?”
She shrugged, “Almost. I have a couple more things to get. This is my first white Christmas though, so it’s definitely been a new experience all around.”
Colby sighed, “I imagine it must be hard moving to a new place and leaving all your friends. Not to mention the fact that you didn’t even get to ease in to the idea of snow, you just got bombarded with it.”
Callie looked at him and smiled, “Well, it’s not all that bad. The snow, I could definitely do without, but there are some things about Winchester, Idaho that I find appealing.”
She held his gaze longer than he expected and his heart started to race once more. Her eyes were like emeralds and though he’d been captivated, he wasn’t prepared for just how lost he could get in those deep pools of green until now.
She looked away then as the line started moving and Colby was jerked back into reality so suddenly that he almost felt stunned. He felt Callie take his hand and pull him along until they were being ushered into one of the cars. The man operating the ride made sure that they were securely locked in and then they started moving backwards.
Callie took a deep breath and then just loud enough that he could hear her, sighed, “So, I’ve noticed that you’re a jock, but at the same time, you’re not the typical football hero who lets that go to his head.”
Colby looked down at his hands as he shrugged, “I play football and I’m into wrestling, but I’m not really into all that stereotypical stuff that goes along with it. I don’t really care about being popular or being a star of the school. I play because I like the sport.”
Callie nodded, “You’re good too. I’ve watched you in the games. You can tell that your heart is in it.”
Colby looked at her, “You came to the games?”
She winked, “What else is there to do?”
He laughed out loud, “Good point.”
As they got nearer to the top, both were quiet, seemingly lost in their own thoughts as they looked around at the scene below them. Finally, Colby reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box. He took a deep breath before handing it to her.
Her eyes widened, “What’s this?”
He cleared this throat nervously, “It’s uh…it’s just something that I wanted to give you for Christmas. It’s actually something that you can just give back to me if you don’t want it…I won’t be offended or anything.”
She narrowed her eyes at him curiously before reaching into her own pocket. “I was actually hoping that you’d finally talk to me tonight. So, I brought you something too.”
Colby was sure that the surprise was more than evident in his eyes as he took the package from her. They looked at one another for a moment and then the car rocked as they moved once again. They now sat at the very top and encouraged the other to open their gift.
As he tore the paper, Colby watched as Callie eagerly opened his gift. When she pulled out the small box and opened it, she looked at him, her eyes wide. She pulled out his class ring and studied it for a moment, taking in all that this meant before she beamed, “If you want my answer, you’re going to have to finish opening yours.”
Colby was tense with anticipation and could feel his stomach tightening as she kept him in suspense as to her answer. Would she be his girlfriend, even though they didn’t really even know one another? He almost couldn’t believe that he’d actually gone through with this. He awkwardly worked at opening the box and when he saw what was inside, he smiled brightly.
He held up the plastic replica of a plant and sighed, “Mistletoe…why didn’t I think of that?”
Callie moved closer to him now and grinned, “It doesn’t matter who thought of it…it’s tradition. Do you want your answer, or not?”
Colby quickly moved to hold the mistletoe over his head and as Callie’s soft lips touched his, he knew that this was by far, the best Christmas he’d ever had.
Title: Winter Carnival
Character(s)/Pairings: Colby/OFC-Callie
Rating: PG
Summary: Where it all began...
Author’s Notes: This is an AU of sorts that I started when writing for the Birthday Challenge at savecolby. That post actually takes place after this one, so if you would like to read it, you can find it here: Just Another Day. Callie Walker was created by mustangcandi.
Spoilers: none
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Numb3rs...sad.
This was the first Christmas that Colby had even considered going to the Winter Carnival. Social events like that didn’t usually interest him, but he’d overheard Callie Walker saying that she was going to go and that changed his mind. She’d started at his high school this year and he’d been completely enamored with her since the first moment he’d seen her.
He said hello to her in the hallway and tried to sit next to her in class whenever he could, but he never really worked up the nerve to have a real conversation with her or to ask to sit with her at lunch.
He smiled as he looked down at the small box that he was carrying and easily slipped it into his pocket before bringing out his ticket and showing it to his English teacher, Mrs. Flynn. Her eyes lit up with surprise and she gasped, “Colby Granger! Well, if this isn’t a surprise I don’t know what is! Glad to finally see you at a school function. Enjoy yourself!”
Colby smiled politely, but wished that he could just disappear as people around him began to take notice. He shoved his hands into his pockets and began moving across the fairgrounds, keeping his eyes peeled for that fiery red hair that he’d come to know and love.
There were games everywhere and the air was filled with the smell of popcorn and funnel cakes. His classmates were carrying around giant stuffed animals that they had won and he chuckled as a group of girls screamed to the top of their lungs on one of the rides.
He rounded the next corner and his breath caught when he saw her on the carousel. The lights that shone around her only caused her to look more angelic than ever and he couldn’t keep from smiling as he noticed that she was bundled up twice as much as any of the other girls here.
She was laughing and the sound seemed to penetrate his heart and fill it with a light like he’d never known. She was wearing a knit cap and mittens and bless her, her nose was as red as Rudolph’s from the cold that she was so unaccustomed to. He found this incredibly adorable and was slightly disappointed when she ducked her head to cover her face with her scarf.
He watched as she went around and then would disappear and was surprised to find that his heart lurched every time she once again reappeared. All too soon, the carousel came to a stop and everyone began piling off. His heart pounded, both because he knew that now was when he had to make his move, and also because he didn’t want to lose her in the crowd.
Luckily for him, girls traveled in packs and when one of them wanted to stop - they all did. One of Callie’s friends insisted on getting some cotton candy and so the rest of them were chatting happily as they waited in line. Colby took a deep breath and with weak knees, he approached them. None of them took notice as he drew nearer and finally when he was standing right behind them, he found his voice and rasped, “Hey, Callie.”
Upon hearing her name, she whirled around and his heart melted when she smiled at him brilliantly. “Oh, hey Colby.”
She looked unsure as to what to say next and so Colby politely nodded to her friends before rubbing the back of his neck nervously and asking, “Can I…uh…can I talk to you for a minute?”
Her friends suddenly stopped talking and looked at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. She simply beamed, “Hey guys…I’ll catch up with you, ok?”
He didn’t think in a million years that it would be that easy to get Callie alone for a moment and so he suddenly felt completely unprepared for it. She stepped towards him and with a smile, he started walking, with her in step with him until they were out of earshot of her friends.
He asked, “Are you warm enough?”
She chuckled, “Actually, I am not sure that it will even be warm enough for me here in the summertime. But, I’ll live.”
He looked at her, “Where did you move here from?”
She replied, “Georgia.”
Colby smiled, “Ahh…the land of long, hot summers and the best sweet tea in the South.”
Her eyes brightened, “You’ve been there?”
He shook his head, “No, but I’ve always wanted to. I’m not sure why though.”
She grinned, “You should definitely see it at some point. Maybe head down there in the fall when it starts getting cold here. I’m not sure you’d make it in the dead of summer.”
Colby laughed before asking, “Would you like to ride the ferris wheel with me?”
Callie glanced up at the ride before them and met his gaze as she nodded, “I’d love to.”
He bought them each a ticket and as they stood in line, Colby asked, “So, are you ready for Christmas?”
She shrugged, “Almost. I have a couple more things to get. This is my first white Christmas though, so it’s definitely been a new experience all around.”
Colby sighed, “I imagine it must be hard moving to a new place and leaving all your friends. Not to mention the fact that you didn’t even get to ease in to the idea of snow, you just got bombarded with it.”
Callie looked at him and smiled, “Well, it’s not all that bad. The snow, I could definitely do without, but there are some things about Winchester, Idaho that I find appealing.”
She held his gaze longer than he expected and his heart started to race once more. Her eyes were like emeralds and though he’d been captivated, he wasn’t prepared for just how lost he could get in those deep pools of green until now.
She looked away then as the line started moving and Colby was jerked back into reality so suddenly that he almost felt stunned. He felt Callie take his hand and pull him along until they were being ushered into one of the cars. The man operating the ride made sure that they were securely locked in and then they started moving backwards.
Callie took a deep breath and then just loud enough that he could hear her, sighed, “So, I’ve noticed that you’re a jock, but at the same time, you’re not the typical football hero who lets that go to his head.”
Colby looked down at his hands as he shrugged, “I play football and I’m into wrestling, but I’m not really into all that stereotypical stuff that goes along with it. I don’t really care about being popular or being a star of the school. I play because I like the sport.”
Callie nodded, “You’re good too. I’ve watched you in the games. You can tell that your heart is in it.”
Colby looked at her, “You came to the games?”
She winked, “What else is there to do?”
He laughed out loud, “Good point.”
As they got nearer to the top, both were quiet, seemingly lost in their own thoughts as they looked around at the scene below them. Finally, Colby reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box. He took a deep breath before handing it to her.
Her eyes widened, “What’s this?”
He cleared this throat nervously, “It’s uh…it’s just something that I wanted to give you for Christmas. It’s actually something that you can just give back to me if you don’t want it…I won’t be offended or anything.”
She narrowed her eyes at him curiously before reaching into her own pocket. “I was actually hoping that you’d finally talk to me tonight. So, I brought you something too.”
Colby was sure that the surprise was more than evident in his eyes as he took the package from her. They looked at one another for a moment and then the car rocked as they moved once again. They now sat at the very top and encouraged the other to open their gift.
As he tore the paper, Colby watched as Callie eagerly opened his gift. When she pulled out the small box and opened it, she looked at him, her eyes wide. She pulled out his class ring and studied it for a moment, taking in all that this meant before she beamed, “If you want my answer, you’re going to have to finish opening yours.”
Colby was tense with anticipation and could feel his stomach tightening as she kept him in suspense as to her answer. Would she be his girlfriend, even though they didn’t really even know one another? He almost couldn’t believe that he’d actually gone through with this. He awkwardly worked at opening the box and when he saw what was inside, he smiled brightly.
He held up the plastic replica of a plant and sighed, “Mistletoe…why didn’t I think of that?”
Callie moved closer to him now and grinned, “It doesn’t matter who thought of it…it’s tradition. Do you want your answer, or not?”
Colby quickly moved to hold the mistletoe over his head and as Callie’s soft lips touched his, he knew that this was by far, the best Christmas he’d ever had.