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Unavoidable Truths	By : ataraxis Category: M through R > NUMB3RS Views: 6483 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own NUMB3RS, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
A/N: Lovely thanks goes to Separatrix not only for beta reading, but also contributing a fair bit of the last quarter of this chapter. Your letting me bounce ideas off you is wonderful, and I appreciate everything you do.
Unavoidable Truths - Chapter 10
Friday came slowly for Don and Charlie. They'd been home from the hospital since Thursday morning and Don was staying at the Eppes' house, so as to make it easier on their father in looking after them. It hadn't taken any arm twisting on Alan or Charlie's part to get Don to agree. He honestly hadn't wanted to go back to his small apartment by himself. He already spent a large portion of his free time hanging out at his childhood home, especially in the evenings for dinner and watching television. He enjoyed the company of his family, even when they spent endless amounts of time ribbing him about his love life or lack thereof.
As she had promised Wednesday afternoon, Amita had come by Thursday evening to chat with Charlie and tell him about the plans for their date Friday night, and even though she had brought her laptop to go over the cold case Megan and David had left Charlie to work on, Charlie had begged off claiming to be too tired. Amita had looked slightly put out with Charlie and had decided then that it was time to leave. But she had perked up again as she enthused about the date once more as Charlie walked her to her car. Don hadn't been able see what was going on outside on the driveway, and had been peeved with himself for caring -- that he shouldn't dwell on the possibility of Charlie kissing her good night, and that he wished to be in Amita's place. He had paid careful attention to Charlie when he'd walked back into the house moments later. The expression on his younger brother's face had given nothing away and Don had huffed and then lay back down to get comfortable; the throbbing in his leg was no longer present due to the help of the pain medication he'd taken. Don had heard the sounds of a whispered good night and then footsteps ascending the stairs, by the time Charlie had reached the top, Don had fallen asleep.
Don had spent the better portion of the morning laying on the couch that he was temporarily calling his bed, as he couldn't tackle the stairs with his injured leg, thinking about everything that had happened in the last week. What kept playing in his mind were the events predominately from Monday night and Tuesday morning. Don had been holding off having the discussion with Charlie about his interference in the FBI operation in the hostage situation on Tuesday, but now that they were home and had had a good night of relatively undisturbed sleep, he felt it was time. Charlie would be preparing for his night out with Amita soon, and Don had the ultimate goal of using the upcoming argument to push Charlie away and into the arms of Amita. Or at least to make him more receptive to a romance with her. It tore at his heart, but he knew the sacrifice was worth it, especially for his sanity and the sake of his father's well-being, who would have a stroke to know that one son was in love with the other.
The sound of footsteps hitting the treads of the stairwell jolted Don back to the here and now. He had rehearsed his speech repeatedly inside his own head and knew that all the points he was going to outline were valid. But the moment Don saw the pain etched around Charlie's eyes, he knew in his heart that he couldn't go through with it. Because for all his arguments, Charlie had the most solid of all -- his brotherly love and concern. When it came down to it, no matter what the situation, if one brother was in trouble and in need, the other would go out of their way to help and protect. Don sighed and rolled his head to release the tension that had suddenly built up in his neck. He hated it when emotions got in the way of obligations and logistics. He always tried to think with a clear head and keep his eye on the goal -- saving and protecting the innocent and bringing down the scumbags who put them in danger. He knew though that his walking directly into the hallway, without a visible weapon and wearing only a vest and not even a shatter proof visor and helmet had been truly careless on his part and due more to his haste in reaching his brother. His own heedless actions spoke just as much as Charlie's rush to help him.
Don thought for a moment of having the argument anyway, just so that his true goal could be reached, but decided against it when the pain on Charlie's face and the tension in his body became more noticeable.
"Charlie, have you taken your medication yet today?" Don wanted to swing his leg off the couch and make room for Charlie to sit down so they could talk more intimately, but instead settled for patting the chair sitting close by, in the hopes of encouraging a conversation.
Charlie sank down slowly into the chair, being careful not to jar his arm. He leaned back against the chair with an almost exaggerated sigh, but Don knew that Charlie really was thankful to be resting. "Charlie, you've been working haven't you?" Without waiting for the positive reply he knew he'd get after several minutes of hemming and hawing, he continued on, "You know the doctor told you...told us, to rest and not to tackle anything too strenuous. For you that means, no calculations, no formulas and no number crunching." Don sighed. "You were working on the cold case, weren't you?"
Charlie spoke softly, "Yeah, I know I shouldn't have, but I felt guilty for not having accomplished anything yesterday, especially after Amita had come over to help. I thought I should try and make some in-roads into deciding on what calculations to use for narrowing down where to look and who to look for. I'd also been hoping that Megan or David would have come up with additional possible case files that matched the base criteria I'd given them on Monday."
Don laughed softly, knowing his team as well as he did. "Charlie, I think maybe you might need to remind them again. They've probably gotten sidetracked with what happened to us on Tuesday. Tracking down and making sure the case is air tight with the actions we took, and that Internal Affairs can't point the blame for the deaths of the hostage takers at me or them."
Charlie looked at Don as he lay there on the couch, in careful repose. He knew Don hated being inactive, but being hampered by a wounded leg and stuck reading and watching television for hours on end must be galling to his brother. "You don't think they'll come after you, do you, for not following procedure?"
"I followed procedure," Don said gruffly, though internally he flinched, knowing he was lying through his teeth.
Charlie laughed and then grunted with pain, as he cradled his arm closer to his body. "Yeah, walking into a hostage situation unarmed and without trying to negotiate first. You certainly followed procedure, Donnie."
"Wells hadn't really given me a lot of time to get myself and a plan together. One hour just barely let me find the plans to the building and have snipers set up at the windows to find a clear shot through the doors. " Then he spoke more softly, as if baring his soul was something not to be discussed at in normal tones, "I couldn't risk you Charlie, and you know damn well why. You mean too much to me, and I would have risked my life and every one of my team's lives as well to make sure you were safe and unharmed. You're right, I didn't follow procedure then, and I won't if something like this happens again."
Charlie sat in silence, as the words spoken penetrated his pain fogged mind, "But you would have followed procedure before... before... Well, just before. You shouldn't let how you feel change how you deal with FBI related issues." The for me was left unspoken, but clearly understood by both men.
"I'll try not to, but we all know what happens with good intentions." Don shuffled his butt down on the couch cushions, and tried for a more comfortable position. Then gave up and decided to just lay down all together. He thought that maybe a nap would do him some good. The conversation had already steered itself into waters he was uncomfortable navigating, and thought that a nap would be a good excuse for an evasion. "Hey, Charlie. Wake me up before you leave, would you? You'll probably need my input on your clothing before the date. You don't want Amita running away in fright from the tweed coat I'm sure you've already pulled out of your closet for the date tonight."
Charlie gave a small huff of laughter at the dig his brother got in on his wardrobe. "You're just too funny, Don. I'm not that bad at dressing, at least not for dates. Besides, Amita hasn't minded how I've dressed before." Charlie paused and wondered again if he and Amita could have a relationship if numbers was all they really shared in common. As much as they both loved them, was their passion for numbers enough to sustain a full-time, permanent relationship. Charlie had his doubts. The last time they had tried to go on a date, they'd agreed not to discuss anything related to their work, either at the University or with the FBI and the date had completely bombed. He didn't want to dwell on past mistakes and turned his attention back to the current conversation. "And anyway, what's wrong with my tweed coat? It's a classic."
Don thought about it. He tried to imagine Amita being turned on by the thought of that tweed coat, especially if she hadn't minded how his brother had dressed before. And then wondered again why he cared so much about what Amita wanted, and instead focused on his own wants. He wanted to be the one to clutch at that tweed coat and rip it off his brother's arms and back. He just realized how much he really hated that coat, and what better way to get rid of it than in a moment of passion. Not that he'd share that particular vision with his brother; instead, Don would continue to let Charlie wear it as more of a lust repellent. He really needed to stop having lustful thoughts about his brother. He yawned and stretched, trying to get comfortable on the family couch. "You're right," he admitted. "That tweed coat is so classic I'm surprised it doesn't smell like moth balls." He yawned again and hunkered down for a well-deserved nap.
Charlie looked through his closet again, and sighed. He hated that Don had placed a seed of doubt into his brain about what he should wear. He had never been concerned about his appearance before and now he was. He wanted to curse at Don loudly and long. "Why am I trying to please Don? I should be thinking about pleasing Amita," he spoke to the open closet before him in a soft voice. He decided to dress as casual and as comfortable as possible. Amita had picked out a small, intimate restaurant that wasn't expensive or pretentious, so he found his most comfortable jeans that were worn and faded in just the right spots from the chest of drawers next to the closet; then slid them on as well as he could one armed. He cursed out loud at how cumbersome dressing could be when you had an arm pinned to your side with a sling. Then he started flipping through the hanging shirts in the closet.
"No. No. God, definitely not that one." He tossed the one he out right rejected into the trash can by his bed. The negative responses to each shirt became more profuse and his frustration mounted. Until he came to the back of his closet and to his oldest shirts. He'd not worn them in years and he wasn't sure he could even fit into them any more. But one of them had been his favorite. Susan had often told him that the shirt had brought out the color of his eyes and set off his skin to perfection. He briefly stopped what he was doing, as he held the shirt in front of him and thought of his time with Susan. He missed her, and he sometimes thought of how he wished they'd not parted for separate sides of the world. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He shouldn't be thinking about an old girlfriend just as he was about to go out with a new one.
"What the hell! Let's see if I can still wear it." He looked from the polo shirt back to his arm and sighed. He was definitely going to need help with getting it on. He thought about getting Don to help him, but figured he would let his brother continue to have his nap. He instead went in search of his dad.
Don was slowly coming to from his nap when he heard Charlie and his dad come back down the steps. Don carefully set himself up and was just blinking the last remnants of sleep away when he saw the vision that was Charlie before him. With sheer will and amazing self control, Don didn't let his jaw drop at the sight before him. Charlie was dressed in skin hugging jeans that were worn at the crotch and knees and were faded to a wonderful soft blue. Charlie's top was equally skin tight and showed more upper chest definition that he thought his brother ever had. Charlie was drop dead gorgeous and fuckable. Don felt his groin tighten at the sight of Charlie and he groaned. God! Not now, Don's mind fervently whispered.
"Are you in pain, Don?" Charlie spoke, his voice laced with concern. He rushed over to his brother's side and knelt on the floor next to him. Don certainly appeared to be in pain, if the grimace on his face was anything to go by. "Can I do anything for you?"
Charlie was close enough for Don to inhale the scent of his cologne, and it was all he could do to keep his hands from reaching out to touch Charlie's face. Yes, you can do something for me... Don swallowed and closed his eyes in shame at the thoughts he was having about his little brother. He gripped the blankets so tightly in his hands that his knuckles turned white, and stifled another groan. "Charlie, I'm..."
"That's it! You must be feeling worse than you let on before." Charlie looked from Don to his father, and then back at Don, before standing up and heading for the telephone. "I'm going to call Amita and reschedule our date so I can stay here and help Dad take care of you. I'm sure she'll understand..." Charlie's words faded as he walked away, and Don's mind reeled.
"NO!" Don shouted in a panic, halting Charlie in his tracks. "No, Charlie. I'm fine, really. My leg's just a little stiff and sore after the nap, that's all. Nothing a little pain med won't fix. Please don't cancel your date on my account." Don pleaded.
Charlie turned to face his brother, scrutinizing him carefully. He had been certain that Don was in extreme pain, and the expression on his face seemed to confirm his suspicions, but there was something else in the way Don looked at him, in the way he had nearly begged Charlie not to cancel. It was almost like he didn't want Charlie around -- or maybe he did. He thought back to his brother's confession and wondered...But no, that certainly couldn't be it. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his conflicting thoughts. "Are you sure, Don? I really don't mind staying home if you need me."
Oh, Charlie, if you only knew how much I do need you. Don forced a calm expression onto his face; it was possibly the most difficult thing he had ever had to do. "I'm sure, Charlie. Please don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You go enjoy your date with Amita. When will she be picking you up again?" He had to get one more nudge in, that Amita would be there soon. He hoped.
Charlie sighed. Something was clearly bothering Don, and it made Charlie feel sick to his stomach that he might be upsetting his brother. But Don had been emphatic; Charlie was to go on his date and have a good time, so he pushed all thoughts of his brother from his mind. "In about fifteen minutes, but since she's almost always early, I'd say in about five."
"Well then, enjoy your dinner and the movie. What will you..." Don didn't get a chance to finish his question, for the doorbell rang. Apparently Charlie's estimate was off more than even he had thought. Charlie opened the door and he gaped for a moment when he saw how stylishly Amita was dressed. Then he cringed. He was under dressed for once and he wanted to kick himself.
"Amita, you look lovely. And here I am not dressed appropriately for the occasion. I'm sorry." Charlie thought briefly of going up to change, but the idea of taking the shirt off after removing the sling and redressing almost made him break out into a sweat. "If you want to wait a few minutes, I could run upstairs and change?"
Don watched Amita as she looked Charlie over, and he could hear the wolf whistles going off in her head just as clearly as they had gone off in his. "No, Charlie. You're dressed just fine. I had a meeting with the Dean of the Math department this afternoon to discuss my accepting a tenured position as a professor. It ran late and I didn't feel like I'd have time to go home and change and make it back here on time. If we leave now, we'll probably have to wait a bit at the restaurant. We might be able to get a seat in the bar, though if we go now."
Charlie nodded his head in agreement, and looked back at Don. "Oh, you were about to ask something just then. What did you want to know?"
"I hadn't quite caught the conversation you two were having last night when you were discussing your plans for this evening, so I was just curious about the movie you were planning on seeing. What is it? " Don had directed the question more at Amita than Charlie.
Amita smiled and bounced a little on her feet in excitement. "Fanaa. It's a Bollywood movie that's opening today. I've only heard tidbits about it from friends, so I'm not entirely sure what it is about."
The smile on Charlie's lips dimmed a bit. He hadn't been paying that much attention when Amita had been going on about their plans for the evening, and now that he knew about what movie they were seeing, he just hoped that the movie was either in English or decently subtitled. He didn't want to depend on Amita translating the entire dialogue for him. He really disliked foreign films. He had always hated English classes and movies that required deep thought. His mind just wasn't programmed for that kind of thing.
"Well don't let us keep you two. Amita, you do look lovely dear and I hope you have a good dinner and enjoy the movie," Alan ushered the couple out and then shut the door with a resounding click. Don sighed in relief.
"Are you alright, Don? Did you want me to get you some more water so you could take your pain medication?" Alan asked his son, as he moved to sit down in the chair Charlie had vacated hours ago.
"No, Pop. I'm okay, it was just mainly a muscle pulling tight," Don obfuscated. "So what's on the tube tonight? You staying in to keep me company?"
TBC
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Unavoidable Truths