Title: Debt
Author: loozy
Characters: Colby- pov; team- fic
Rating: PG- 13/ K
Summary: After the Janus- fiasco, Colby swears to himself that one day he will repay the debt he owes to the team, especially Don.
Word Count: 271
Spoilers: none
Notes/Warnings: Just yet another wee ficlet that came to mind...
Prompt/Challenge (if applicable): none
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic. Numb3rs and everybody associated with it belongs to Cheryl Heuton & Nick Fallucci and CBS. I'm just having fun.
Feedback: Yes, please. I love all criticism, as long as it is constructed and helpful.

After the Janus- fiasco, Colby swears to himself that one day he will repay the debt he owes to the team, especially Don.

He does not want to do so by doing something minor, no, he waits for the big opportunity to show that Don's faith in him was not misplaced. Oh, sure, he was cleared but he knows that Don still has trouble trusting him for the first couple of months, even after welcoming Colby back into the team. It is a distrust on another level than with David; it is more self- contained, hidden and locked away so far back that probably even Don has trouble finding it after a while.

So Colby bides his time and slowly everything falls back into place.

The return to normal is so subtle that none of them realize it, but when the reality sinks in, that they have overcome one of the biggest obstacle a group like theirs is ever likely to face, the collective sigh of relief is silent but palpable.

And Colby keeps on waiting for the moment when he can pay off the debt; even though he knows that Don could not care less one way or the other, he feels better for it.

He has time.

Besides, the longer it takes, the more it means that Don and the team are safe and unhurt and that is just fine with Colby.

Until that one day, night actually, that changes everything.

Colby pays off the debt he owes to the team and to Don, but he does not feel as relived as he had expected to.

Not at all.