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Conversations	By : IrenaAdler Category: M through R > NUMB3RS Views: 1770 -:- 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
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Section 2 �
�Go to him�
(Colby POV, Charlie � After finding out about Don�s
injuries.)
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 16]

The cell phone started ringing, playing �Black Math� by the
White Stripes, and Colby grabbed for it.�
Dammit, I hoped I could be there �

�Charlie?�� Colby said
into the phone.

�Cole?�� Charlie�s
voice was small and wobbly.

�I�m just five minutes away, angel, okay?� I�ll come by the house and pick you up.�

�But Don ��

�I know, I know.� Just
hang on.� I�ll be there soon, okay?�

�Okay,� Charlie said distantly and hung up.

Colby swore again � at himself, at the traffic, at Don, at
life � and raced towards Charlie.

He pulled up alongside Charlie�s house � more openly than he
ever had before � and Charlie was just standing there on the sidewalk, looking
completely lost.

Colby got out of the car, bundled Charlie into his passenger
seat, and took off.� There was a park
less than two minutes away and he yanked the car into a parking space and got
out.� He opened the door to the back seat
then Charlie�s door and half-dragged Charlie to sit in the back.� He shut the front door then crawled in to sit
next to Charlie.

Before the back door was even shut, Charlie was in Colby�s
arms, sobbing.

Colby held him tight, stroking his hair and rocking
him.� Charlie buried his head into
Colby�s shoulder and cried, �Why?� Why why why why?�

�Shh,� Colby said soothingly, though his own throat ached
with unreleased tears.� �I�m here,
angel.� I�m here.�

Charlie sobbed into Colby�s shoulder for a long while until
his shudders became gasps.� He sniffled
for another moment then lifted his head.

Colby bit his lip and wiped Charlie�s tear-stained face.� Charlie was not someone who looked attractive
when he cried.� His eyes were red and his
nose running, his hair plastered to his wet cheeks.� Colby�s heart broke for the second time that
day.

Charlie stared at Colby, his lower lip still trembling.� �Cole, why?� How could he hate himself that much?�

�He�s � hurting,� Colby said softly.

�I know, I saw.�

�I mean he�s hurting inside.�� Colby said, pushing Charlie�s damp curls from
his face.� �He�s scared.�

�Don�s never scared,� Charlie stated stubbornly.� �He�s never scared.�

�Everybody gets scared,� Colby said.� �It�s normal.�
Don just doesn�t let anybody know he�s scared.�

�What is he scared of?�

�I�m not really sure, but I think himself.�

�Huh?�

Colby cleared his throat.�
�I think Don�s scared that he � might like men.�

�Don?�� Charlie
blinked.� �But I thought it was just
fun.�

�That�s probably what Don believed at first too.�

�But � it�s not?�

�I don�t know,� Colby said, stroking Charlie�s cheek. �But
that�s my best guess.�

�Oh.�� Charlie frowned
down at his hands.� �But why would he
hurt himself like that?�

�Megan said,� Colby grimaced, remembering Megan�s very valid
anger.� �She said that Don found someone
who encouraged all of his fear and confusion until Don believed that he
deserved being beaten up and burned and stuff.�

�But �� Charlie said, struggling.� �It�s Don.�
Don wouldn�t � Don never � it�s Don.�

�I know, angel,� Colby said softly.� To Charlie, Don had always been the strong
one, the in-control one.� It must be
frightening to see his invulnerable brother fall apart.� Maybe that sort of hero-worship had even fed
into Don�s downfall, not feeling like he could talk to anyone and ruin their
perceptions of him.� Colby pulled Charlie
close and stroked his hair.�

�What do I do?��
Charlie asked against Colby�s shoulder.

�Well,� Colby said, trying to frame his thoughts.� He�d never been good at giving advice,
especially not about relationships.� �I
think you need to talk to your dad.�

�Don said Dad knows.�

�Okay, good.� But you
still need to talk to him.� Your dad is a
really wise man.�

�Yeah.�

Colby sighed.�
�Otherwise, just be there for Don.�
Just make sure he realizes that you still love him even though he�s � not
Superman.� If you still
do.�

Sitting up, Charlie glared at Colby.� �Of course I do!�

�It�s gonna be hard for him to believe that,� Colby said
quietly.� �I don�t think he feels at all
worthy of love at the moment.�

�But he�s Don, the best big brother ever.�

�Tell him that, show him that, over and over until he
believes you.�

Charlie nodded slowly.�
�Okay.� I�ve never been very good
at � I�ll try.�

�Good boy,� Colby smiled.�
�You�ve got tons of love in you, I know.�

Charlie lay back against Colby�s shoulder and they sat there
for a while, just holding each other.�
Charlie wasn�t the only one who�d seen one of his heroes fall
today.� In just the short time Colby had
known Don, he�d developed an intense respect for him.� Don hadn�t lost that respect, just � changed
it a little.� What courage it took for Don to admit to us what happened.� He could have gone on like nothing was wrong,
putting us all in danger.� Colby
would also try to do his part to show Don that he still cared for him, as a
co-worker and a friend.

�Cole?� �Charlie said
quietly.�

�Hmm?�

�Take me home.�

Colby sighed and started to pull away.� �Okay, we�re just a few blocks away.�

�No,� Charlie said, grabbing Colby�s shirt.� �Take me to our home, your apartment.� I want to � I need to ��

Nodding, Colby took Charlie�s hand and kissed it.� �Me too.�

Colby slid out of the car and opened up the passenger door
for Charlie.� He went around to his side
of the car and got in.� As he buckled up
his seatbelt, he looked over at Charlie.��
Charlie�s hands were clutched together, his face pinched.� Colby felt a flash of anger at Don for
putting Charlie through this, then it was gone,
replaced by sadness.�

Tonight Charlie and Colby�s love-making would be slow and
gentle and tender, as Colby tried to begin to rebalance Charlie�s world which
had suddenly gone wobbly and unstable.�
To Charlie it must seem that one of his main supports had crumbled.� A part of his foundation that had always felt
rock-solid and constant had turned out to be � human.

Biting his lip against another surge of sadness, Colby put
the car into gear and drove to their sanctuary.
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