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Looking for Love	By : IrenaAdler Category: M through R > NUMB3RS Views: 2208 -:- 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
- 22
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Part 23 � Meeting the family

Don came over to Will�s house the next night after
work.� They made love, ate dinner,
watched a ballgame, made love again, and slept in each other�s arms.

The next night it was Don�s apartment, then
a few nights of late work for Don, then Will�s place again.� They quickly settled into a pattern and
devised a series of short coded text messages to send to each other that meant anything
from �Working late� to �7pm at my apartment� to �Pick up something to eat� to �Gonna
fuck you over the kitchen table�. �At
first, perversely, Don tried to shock Will with the daily horrors of his job,
but Will always had something to match the horror.� Don stopped trying to shock, just told Will
what he needed to � not in terms of job requirements or secrecy, but what Don needed
to share with someone he loved in order to unburden his soul, banish the
darkness.� Will did the same with him and
Don listened and understood.�

Will�s specialty was undercover work, among the most dangerous
people in LA.� He could be put on a case
at any time where he could disappear for weeks.�� Don wasn�t looking forward to that, and felt
the first stirrings of what he knew would be long-term and constant anxiety for
Will�s safety.� He knew that Will felt the same anxiety for him, so they felt no need to
discuss it.� They just enjoyed the time
they had and didn�t plan anything too far in advance.

On a Wednesday night, about two and a half weeks after that
fateful baseball game, Don came over to Will�s house.� The house was quiet and Don let himself in
with his key.� He had his shoes off and a
beer in hand when Will got home.

�Hey, babe,� Will said, coming through the door and dropping
his stuff off on the kitchen table.�
Thumbing through the mail, Will came and sat next to Don.� �Hard day?� he asked mildly.

�Aren�t they all?� Don said, reaching over to rest his hand
on Will�s thigh.� �But Charlie came
through for us like always.�

Will smiled.� �So when
am I going to meet this family of yours?�

Don went cold and his hand tightened on Will�s thigh.� His heart pounded.� No,
it�s too soon, not yet �

Will raised his eyebrows at the expression that must be on
Don�s face, but he continued, �I�d like to meet Charlie in particular.�

Don clenched his teeth.�
I won�t survive it this time.� He said harshly, �I don�t want you to
meet my brother.�

Will frowned, �Why not?� Are you still ashamed ��

Don put his head down.�
He and Will had vowed truth in their relationship - the good, the bad,
and the ugly.� Finally, he mumbled, �I
don�t want to lose you.�

There was a shocked silence then Will said, �I�m not into
skinny little boys, no matter how smart they are.�

Don laughed bitterly.�
�That�s what people say until they meet him and then it�s �he�s
adorable� and �he�s irresistible� and �he�s the sweetest fuck.��

Will shook his head sadly and lifted Don�s chin.� �He�s not gonna take me away from you.�� He added with a smile, �I�ve already put too
much work into you.�

Don pressed his lips together and tried to believe
Will.� But years of isolation and disillusionment
got in the way.� Fighting a tightness in his throat, Don did the only thing he could
think of and kissed Will hard.

Will drew back and looked at him.� �I can see I�m going to need to meet your
family very soon.�

�No, they�re busy this weekend and��

�Very soon,� Will said firmly.� �And show you that I can resist your siren of
a little brother.�

Don winced.� It did
sound silly, but he�d seen it happen.� First David then Colby.�
Maybe he was just every man�s stepping stone to
his little brother.� His hand clenched
around Will�s thigh.�

�How about tonight?�� Will said.�
�We can go over for dinner.�

�No, Charlie�s busy and � I�m sure my dad is too.�

�Don,� Will snapped, �I am a trained investigator and you�re
not lying very well.� I�ll bet your dad
has already invited you over for supper tonight.�

Don closed his eyes and tried to think rationally, but the
pain of Colby�s loss and his downward spiral that followed was still too fresh
of a memory.� Don�s feelings about Colby
had been a candle flame next to the blazing sun of his feelings for Will.� If he lost Will �

�And if you�re so goddamned sure I�m gonna jump ship,� Will
continued, growing angrier with each word, �Then we better find out now.�� He pushed Don away and stood up.� �Get your shoes.�

Don put on his shoes and they walked to Don�s car in tense
silence.� They drove in that silence for
a long while, then Don suddenly turned into a parking
lot and switched off the car.� He looked
at his hands, white-knuckled on the steering wheel.� �I�m sorry,� he said at last.� �I�m just �� He trailed off,
unable to complete the sentence with scared
as hell.

Abruptly, Will started to laugh.� Don flinched and stared at him.�

�I always thought,� Will said between laughs, �that if a
boyfriend � would be afraid to take me home to meet his family �� He gulped for air.� �That it would be because he�s gay and
doesn�t � know how his parents will react � to him bringing home a man.� Not because � he was afraid his � gay brother
would .. snatch me up.�� He shook his head, still laughing.

Unwillingly, Don began to smile.� It was
quite ridiculous.� �My family has never
been normal,� he said with a shrug.�

�No, no, I�d say not,� Will said,
wiping his eyes.�

Don gave himself a shake and took a few deep breaths.� Then he reached over and squeezed Will�s
shoulder.� �Come on,� he said.� �Let�s go show my family what a gorgeous guy
I netted.�

Will smiled and put his hand over Don�s.� �I seem to recall that it was me doing the
netting.�

�Maybe so, but it was me who had the great good sense to
allow myself to get caught.�

Will rolled his eyes and Don smiled.

Feeling much lighter, Don pulled back out onto the
road.� Don had to take his hand back to
drive, but Will reached over and placed a warm hand on Don�s shoulder.� He left it there as Don drove through the
familiar streets of his childhood

They reached the driveway and Don took a few more deep
breaths.� He unbuckled his seatbelt and
said, �Here we go��

Don opened the door to the smell of lasagna.� �Dad?� Charlie?��
he called.

�Donnie!�� Alan said,
coming through the door from the kitchen, potholders on his hands.� �I thought you�� He halted when he saw Will standing
behind Don.� Alan recovered quickly and
said, �Hi.� I don�t think we�ve met.�

Don said, �Dad, this is Will, Will Stevens.� He�s my �� Don felt himself blushing but couldn�t
help it.� With Will, Don was learning how
to blush all over again.�

Will leaned around Don and said, ��Boyfriend� is the word
he�s looking for.�

�Yeah,� Don mumbled.

�Ah,� Alan said and looked appraisingly at Will.� Don could feel Will stiffening behind him, as
if he was bracing himself for a blow.� Instead,
Alan reached out his hand, took Will�s, and shook it.� �Nice to meet you,� he said. Will looked surprised.

�Dad, this is the friend from the DEA who � helped me when I
got into trouble.�

�Oh!�� Alan clasped
Will�s hand in both of his.� �Thank you.�

�Umm, you�re welcome,� Will said
faintly.

Don hid a smile at seeing the normally composed DEA agent so
nonplused.� Don walked inside, shut the
door behind Will, and started dumping his stuff on the usual side table.� With a groan about burning lasagna, Alan
hurried back into the kitchen,

�Hey, did I hear Don?� Charlie came bouncing down the stairs.� He stopped and stared at Will.� �Do I know you?�

It was Don�s turn to stiffen.� �No, Charlie, this is Will.�

�Hi,� Charlie said, looking at Will with frank curiosity.

�Charlie,� Will said, holding out his hand.� �I�ve heard so much about you.�

Charlie took the hand and shook it slowly, still studying
Will.� �I bet Don�s told you the most
embarrassing stories he knows,� he said.

�Not at all,� Will said, retrieving his hand.� �Everyone in LA envies the FBI their amazing
mathematician.�

�Oh?� Charlie said, brightening.�

Don smiled.� Trust Will to go right for Charlie�s big weakness � flattery.

�Where�s your boy tonight?��
Don asked.� He�d prefer Colby to
be here, since when he was around no one else existed for Charlie.

�He had to do laundry,� Charlie said grumpily. ��Said that if he didn�t, he was gonna have to
start showing up at work in a garbage bag.�

�Hmm,� Don said, picturing it.� Colby could probably make a garbage bag look
good.� Will shifted behind Don, catching
Charlie�s eyes again.

�Are you here for a case?� Charlie asked Will.

�Nope,� Will said, �Just
dinner.� And to meet
Don�s family.�

�Meet his �� Charlie�s eyebrows shot up.� �You and him?�

�Yeah,� Don said, reaching for Will�s hand.� �Me and him.�

�Wow!� Charlie said, his eyes growing wide.� �That�s weird but cool!�

Will looked surprised all over again.� �You do have an odd family,� he mumbled.

Charlie laughed and headed off to the kitchen.

As Charlie disappeared through the door to the kitchen, Will
squeezed Don�s hand.� �See that wasn�t so
bad.�

�Not yet,� Don grumbled.�
He�d seen the speculative admiration in Charlie�s eyes.

Will shook his head and put two fingers under Don�s
chin.� He tilted Don�s face up and gave
him a soft kiss.� Don returned it,
needing the reassurance.�

Will smiled then said, �It�s a nice house.�

�Yeah,� Don said, holding Will�s
hand while they walked towards the couch.�
�I grew up here.� Really strange that my brother now owns it.� But I still think of it as my parent�s
house.�

�Your mom?�� Will asked.

�She died a few years ago.�
Cancer.�

�I�m sorry,� Will said softly.

Don nodded and looked around.� Amazing how everything should look so much
the same when he felt so different.� He
sat down on the couch, Will beside him.

�I saw blueprints in the dining room, what are they
for?�� Will asked.

Don answered and they chatted idly for a few minutes, Don
with only half his mind on what he was saying.�
Will kept up both ends of the conversation to allow Don time to compose himself.�
Will put his arm around Don and Don leaned on his shoulder.� There was something magical about Will�s
arms, Don decided.� Why else would their
simple touch make him feel so safe?� Don
snuggled closer.

There was a clearing of the throat and Don jerked away from
Will, blushing furiously.�

Alan was standing in the doorway, a steaming dish of lasagna
in his hands.� Will just smiled and said,
�Got enough for an extra plate?�

�Are you kidding?� Alan said, �With this recipe, if my boys
don�t eat too, I�m drowning in lasagna for a week.�

Don and Will got to their feet and followed Alan to the
table.� Charlie bustled out of the
kitchen with two extra place settings.� Alan
set the lasagna down and went to get the garlic bread.�

�Sit!� Eat!� Charlie
said.� �Or else it�s lasagna leftovers
for me too.�

Don pulled out a chair and Will followed suit.

For a moment there was only the flurry of passing plates and
serving food and getting drinks.� When
all the plates and glasses were full and the first bites tasted and
complimented, Alan fixed Will with an intent look, �So tell us about yourself.�

Will blinked and looked surprised.� Don chuckled.

�What,� Alan said cheerfully, �you thought I was gonna be so
shocked that you were gonna get out of the customary quizzing?�

Smiling, Will shook his head and asked, �Where should I
start?�

�How about where you met my son?�

Will�s eyes flickered to Charlie and his smile faded.� �Actually, sir��

�Alan,� Don�s father interrupted.

�Actually, Alan,� Will said.�
�It was when your other son was kidnapped.�

Alan winced and reached out for Charlie�s hand.

Will continued, �You know that Don called in just about
everybody with a badge and that meant the DEA too.� I met Don there, in a way.� He was busy.�
I just sort of, umm, kept an eye out for him after that.�

�I�m glad you did,� Alan said quietly.

�You�re DEA?�� Charlie
asked.� �Not FBI?�

�Yeah, a Fed of a different color,� Will replied.

Alan let go of Charlie�s hand with a visible effort at
releasing the past.� He picked up his
fork and grumbled, �Another Fed.� Donnie,
couldn�t you have found a nice unemployed artist or street musician?�

That startled a laugh from Will and Don smiled.� �
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