Disclaimer:I disclaim fervently.
A/N: Reference made to the Pilot, Uncertainty Principle, Sniper Zero, Man Hunt, Soft Target, Dark Matter and Under Pressure.
Yup, this chapter is finally here. Extremely sorry for the long delay; there are no excuses. The chapter was done but I procrastinated horribly with some changes. On the bright side, I'm done with History (woohoo!) and… I've got mid-terms coming up. Darn.
Big thank you to Shaolingrrl for beta-ing this and making it a better chapter than it previously was.
Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been?
Chapter VIII
"So this is your office," said Don as he walked through the door.
"This is my office," confirmed Charlie as he dumped his bag and keys on the desk in front of the blackboard.
"It doesn't look like an office," commented Don dubiously as he took in all the toys and gizmos scattered around; i.e., the chaos known as Dr. Eppes' office.
"It's still my office," argued back Charlie.
"Tell me again what I'm doing here?" Don asked as he wandered about the spacious room.
"Familiar surroundings," replied Charlie. "What, you don't relish the fact that you're out of the house?"
"Are you kidding? Feels like a field trip," replied Don. "You said familiar surroundings. I come here often?"
"Relatively. You drop by once in a while, sometimes with data for a case, sometimes just to have lunch together. You looking for something?" Charlie asked when he noticed the frown on his brother's face and his odd behaviour.
"Don't know…don't you have a dartboard or something?" Don asked as he carefully scanned the room's walls.
"Why do you ask?" Charlie questioned. He didn't want to get his hopes up based on something as minimal as Don remembering that he had a dartboard. For all he knew, the darts were lying around in plain sight, and Don, having spotted them, would obviously look for the dartboard.
Don shrugged. "Dunno…just felt like playing darts, thought you might have a board." Don shrugged again, this time looking a bit sheepish, and unknowingly staring at the wall that had once been adorned by the dartboard. "Forget about it, it's no big deal."
"No, no, I did have a dartboard. The hook that was holding it came off a few days ago; I haven't had the time to replace it. I've probably kept it around here somewhere." Charlie waved his hands about. "Ah, there it is. Told you it was around here," Charlie said as Don shifted two heavy tomes to the side and lifted up the dartboard, an eyebrow raised at Charlie's scatter-brained placing.
"Don't you have a class to teach? I mean, you already took a day or two off when I was laid up in hospital, right? Slacking off, are we?" Don teased.
"Wouldn't dream of it," retorted Charlie. "Nah, today's a light day. One lecture followed by office hours. And since it's early in the semester, I don't expect many students to show up. They tend to freak out in the week before finals and then there's a stampede."
"I guess I'll explore the campus while you're lecturing," said Don, flipping through some of the books piled on top of the shelves.
"Actually," began Charlie a bit hesitantly, "the lecture I'm giving is for my 'Math for Non-Mathematicians' class. It's nothing fancy, and it's directed towards people like you, and Dad, he attends them sometimes. So you could sit in. If you want, that is."
"Sure," said Don. "Have I attended any before?"
"You caught the tail end of one lecture about two years ago," replied Charlie.
"That's it?"
Charlie shrugged. "You're busy with your work, Don, just like I am with mine."
"You find the time to consult with the FBI on a semi-regular basis," pointed out Don. "Shouldn't I return the favour by at least taking an interest in your work?"
"Who says you don't take an interest? And any lecture I give for the non-mathematicians class, who do you think has to sit through the practise run at home?" Charlie grinned. "Besides, I never said I was consulting as a favour for you. Not only do I get a nice pay check signed by the US government, a lot of the math I do for a case gets published as articles showcasing the practical side of math."
"Ahhh, I see."
"Oh, you do, do you?" mocked Charlie and got a piece of renegade chalk chucked at him for his troubles. He was prevented from retaliating by a knock at one of the doors as Amita poked her head in.
"Hey Charlie, you in here?"Amita called out. Upon spotting Don, she looked startled and said, "Oh. Hey Don. I didn't know you'd be here."
Charlie quickly sprang in to do some damage control. "Yeah, it was a last minute thing. Don, this is my girlfriend and colleague, Amita Ramanujan. She helps me with my FBI cases quite a bit as well."
As Charlie finished speaking and stood silently for Don's reaction, Amita took the initiative and stuck out her right hand:
"Hey, Don. It's good to see you up and around. How're you feeling?"
Don gave a half smile as he shook hands, and shrugged in response to her question. Instead he asked, "You came to see Charlie, right? I'll let you guys have some privacy." He began to move towards the door but was stopped by both Charlie and Amita saying "No!" at the same time.
Exchanging a bemused look with her boyfriend, Amita continued, "Please, don't. I lent Charlie my flash drive and I just came to see if I could have it back."
"Yeah, yeah, it's right here," Charlie replied. Making his way to his bag, he opened the pocket in the front, took out the tiny device, and handed it to Amita, trying not to notice that his big brother was doing a poor job of trying to blend into the background.
Amita was just about to turn and leave, flash drive in hand, when Larry walked through the door and immediately threw himself in a chair, scrubbing his cheeks with his palms.
"Excellent, you two are here." Upon spotting Don, he said, "Oh, hello Don." Turning back to Amita and Charlie, Larry continued his tirade. "I need refuge! Or better yet, a good reason why I cannot provide refuge. My Aunt Louisa's dwelling is being repainted and she wishes to stay at my residence until the smell goes away. I already have her invading my dreams; imagine what would happen to me if she were to live with me, even if only for a few days!"
Charlie's eyes flicked nervously towards his brother who stood rooted to the spot, looking at Larry who had his back to him. Deciding it would perhaps be best to keep Larry's attention focused on Amita and himself, Charlie replied as though nothing was wrong:
"Well, Larry, have you considered telling your Aunt that you no longer own a house and were recently occupying the steam tunnels on campus?"
"There is that, but I fear it may lead to an invitation to share my Aunt's hou- Don!" With that sudden exclamation, Larry was on his feet and approaching Don with his hand outstretched. "I didn't remember that you didn't remember. My apologies. Lawrence Fleinhardt, at your service."
Don, who had taken a step back at Larry's sudden actions but had found a bookshelf blocking his path, had to smile at the man's eccentricities. He shook Larry's hand, murmuring, "Hey."
"You know, I always thought it to be a fascinating topic of discussion, the fact that we remember the past, but not the future. Of course, seeing as how you don't remember either…." Larry trailed off.
"Hey, Larry," Amita interrupted, "Why don't we go get a cup of coffee and I'll help you come up with a solution to your aunt problem?" Without waiting for an answer, she steered the physicist towards the door and left with a parting wave.
Turning to his brother, Don asked: "So…. Anybody else I should expect to meet on campus?"
Charlie smiled nervously, unsure of how Don felt about the sudden introductions of two of his closest friends. "Well…there's Professor Osaki whom I might have introduced you to but no worries about her, she's always holed up in her lab. And she's not a close friend, she just helped me out once for a case. Oh, and Oswald, he's a student here. But the worst is over, I think."
Don nodded, before taking a look at his watch. "What time is your lecture?"
"Erm… now. Ready to go, bro?"
"Lead the way."
NUMB3RSnumb3rsNUMB3RSnumb3rs
"Well, that was interesting," commented Don, as he and Charlie left the small lecture hall after all the attendees had departed.
"Sarcasm?" asked Charlie, as they made their way towards the small eating place on campus which Charlie favoured.
"Sincerity," replied Don. "Although explain to me why we haven't seen you as a contestant on a few game shows. It would be nice to have a sports car or two parked in the driveway, and some all-expenses-paid vacations."
"Considering I lost my first driver's license due to speeding and only got it back a year ago, a sports car would not be a good idea."
Don paused in his step, turning to look directly at his brother. "I knew there was a reason I felt nervous sitting in the car with you driving."
"Hey, I am an excellent driver!" Charlie protested.
"That's what they all say," replied Don. "For the emotional trauma you've caused, you can buy me lunch."
"If that's the way it works, then you owe me a sports car," Charlie replied a bit thoughtlessly, immediately regretting it when Don looked at him sharply.
"What do you mean?"
Charlie hurried to backtrack, although he knew it'd be fruitless. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."
"I've forgotten enough as it is. Tell me what you meant," demanded Don.
Charlie sighed, internally cursing his carelessness. "You have a job which puts your life at risk almost every day. It's not easy to ignore, Don."
As Don registered this, he unconsciously began to rub his left arm, just below the elbow. Charlie, who remembered very clearly, even if Don didn't, a time when that arm had been wrapped in white gauze stained with red, pushed back the emotions that arose whenever he thought of those few days when the Charm School Boys were wreaking havoc on the two Eppes' lives.
Nothing more was said between them as they placed their orders and found a spot to sit, trays in hand.
"You're keeping something back. I get the feeling that you weren't just talking about my job."
Charlie fought down the wave of panic. As difficult as his childhood might have been for him, Charlie knew it hadn't exactly been easy on Don either, and if he could prevent his brother from remembering this, especially the guilt he felt about his actions during high school, then he would do what he could.
"There are things I wouldn't mind forgetting," began Charlie. "And there are things I would prefer you didn't remember. But I wouldn't change anything in our past, because it's made us into who we are today. Can we leave it at that for now? Please?"
Don was never one to deny his little brother much, especially when it mattered, such as this time. Nodding his head to show his acquiescence, he saw his brother visibly relax and begin to eat.
He wasn't foolish; he knew that somewhere in the past the he didn't remember, there were skeletons in his closet. This conversation simply provided confirmation, and for a second Don hoped that his memory never came back, so he could live on in blissful ignorance.
TBC
The last bit is still a bit funky, but I needed to get this posted or else Chapter 9 will never see the light of day. However, I need to get back on track with the story, so in the meantime I might do a short Jam fic if I'm feeling a bit touched in the head.
Thank you to all those who reviewed, esp the anon. ones I can't thank through email.