Hello again!

A word of advice, try not to time your vacations so you get back only a few days before a new term starts at school. (It kinda makes you head spin for a day or two, give or take a week.)

Anyway, this chapter is a bit short because I honestly couldn't figure out where to make it longer.

A big thanks to Lalene Brooks for her beta work and support.

Enjoy ...

Chapter 6

Colby pulled up to the craftsman, making note of the second SUV parking across the street. Until they found the killers, Don wasn't taking any chances with this kid's safety.

"Those are your guys, right?"

This very observant kid's safety.

"I hope you like babysitters," he commented, climbing out of the car.

Doing one last perimeter scan, Colby led the way up to the porch, his hand causally draped across Ari's shoulders. This wasn't his first body guard assignment, but this was the youngest charge he had ever had and nothing was going to happen to the boy on his watch. Satisfied that the area was clear, he knocked.

"Hey, Colby," Alan greeted, opening the front door. "Come on in."

"Don tell you we were coming?" the agent asked, ushering Ari inside and closing the door behind him.

"Yeah, and he said to have you call him back."

"Thanks," Colby replied, before looking down at his charge. "Ari this is Alan, he's Don and Charlie's dad."

"Hello Ari," Alan smiled. "You hungry."

"I had a doughnut."

"That's hardly breakfast."

"It's what Don had."

"Oh really," the father raised an eyebrow. "Well, why don't we see if we can't find you something better."

With a quick glance at Colby, who gave his nod of approval, Alan ushered the boy into the kitchen. Taking advantage of the distraction, the agent flipped out his phone and called his boss. It only took two rings before he got an answer.

"Eppes."

"Hey Don, your dad told me to call."

"Yeah. The DOD was just here. They want to talk to Ari."

"And by talk to you mean interrogate," Colby responded grimly.

He glanced back at the kitchen, as if he could see the boy on the other side. The DOD wasn't known for their tact and sensitivity. Any interaction with them would probably cause Ari to shut down even more, which was the last thing they needed. Lucky for Colby, his boss agreed.

"Well, that's not going to happen. Robin is already doing what she can to keep him in FBI protection, at least for the duration of the case."

"What about after?"

"You let me worry about that. For now, though, I don't want anyone getting near Ari without my direct permission."

"Got it. I'll pass word on to the team outside."

"You do that," Don said, pausing for a moment. "How's he doing?"

"Your dad's getting him breakfast."

"Good. I should be there sometime this afternoon. Just keep an eye out and let me know if he opens up about anything."

"Will do."

Colby hung up just as Alan and Ari emerged from the kitchen, the smaller one carrying a stack of plates while the other held a pan of scrambled eggs and bacon. He knew there was a reason he liked working security at the craftsman.

After breakfast, Ari settled down with a book while Alan did the dishes and Charlie and Amita went to a meeting at CalSci. Knowing he needed to stick with Ari, and not really in the mood to read, Colby tried instead to find something good on daytime tv. For lack of a better option, he settled on a game show. Of course watching housewives win blenders could only do so much to keep one entertained. In fact, after only a coupe of minutes, he found Ari and his book far more interesting.

"What are you reading?"

"The Great Physicists from Galileo to Einstein."

"Sounds like a real page tuner."

"It was my dad's."

Colby fell silent, mentally kicking himself for reminding the kid what he lost. He turned back to the tv in time to see the prize girls unveil a new car and fought the urge to zone out. It was times like this he wished David had never transferred to Washington. Of course, he was thrilled that his friend had been recognized and put in such a great position, but the waiting game wasn't as much fun without the banter of a partner.

"Are you okay, Colby?"

"I'm fine," he replied, giving the concerned little boy a smile. "I was just thinking about a friend of mine."

"Did he die?"

"No, David just moved away. What about you? Do you have any friends?"

"A few colleges of my parents," Ari shrugged, closing the book. "I wouldn't really count them as friends though. I don't know them very well."

Suddenly much more interested in his conversation than who won the car, Colby switched the tv off and turned towards Ari. If Dr. Twersky had colleges there was a possibility that one of them might have an idea what he was up too, maybe even be the leak that got him killed.

"Had he talked to any lately?"

"Um …" Ari bit his lib, his face calculating. "I think he met with a couple in the last week or so, I'm not sure though. Why? Do you think … do you think they helped kill my dad?"

"Well, we have to check out all the options. Do you think any of them might have known where your dad hid the codes?"

"No," Ari stated firmly, shaking his head. "He would never trust anyone with that."

"Except you."

Ari dropped his gaze, fingering the corner of his book, and Colby moved to sit next to him. He wasn't sure how much he could do, the kid wouldn't even open up to Charlie. Still, there was one thing they had in common and, if Colby played his cards right, it just might lead to finding out where Twersky's codes were hidden.

"You know, a few years back, I got arrested for keeping a secret."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was caught passing secrets to the Chinese, but what I was really doing was spying on the spies to find a leak in the DOJ. Only my handler knew what was really going on."

"So what did you do?" Ari asked, looking up at him with wide green eyes.

"Not much I could do without blowing the whole case," Colby shrugged. "But after I lost touch with my handler, I knew I was in trouble."

"Did you blow your case?"

"Nope, I just called the one person I knew, one hundred percent, that I could trust. I told him what was going on and he managed to save my life and catch all the bad guys. Do you know who that guy was?"

"David?"

Colby gave the boy a sad smile at the memory. His best friend had felt betrayed and angry, not someone who was ready to believe a single word that came out of his mouth. They managed to get their friendship back on track, but at the time he went to someone else.

"No; it was Don."

If Ari was surprised by the answer, he didn't show it. He just looked down at his book, thoughtfully running his finger along the binding. Colby couldn't help but wonder what was going through his mind, or more importantly if he was getting through to him. One thing he did know was, if those killers found the codes before they did, no place would be safe.

A couple hours later he was standing in the backyard watching Ari feed the koi. The kid had barely said a word since their talk and Colby was starting to get worried that he had made things worse instead of better. Movement in the house caught his attention and he looked over to see Charlie bringing out a couple of sodas.

"Any luck?" the professor asked quietly, holding out one of the cans.

"Nope," Colby sighed, accepting the drink.

"Mind if I try?"

Colby gestured his friend to give it a go and Charlie approached the boy and took a seat in the grass next to him. Ari didn't react with anything more than a quick glance, leaving Charlie to sit in awkward silence for a few seconds before he held out the second can.

"I brought you something to drink."

"Thank you," Ari responded in a voice just above a whisper.

He took the soda and set it on the ground, then tossed a handful of food into the pond. Charlie followed his gaze and relaxed, absorbed into the movements of the koi. It was almost unbelievable how long the silence lasted as they watched them swim around the small pond. What was with these smart people and fish?

"When is Don coming?" Ari asked suddenly.

"Oh, um," Charlie glanced at his watch. "A couple hours, maybe. Why?"

"No real reason," Ari shrugged. "I like it when he's around."

"Yeah, me too."

And with that the two were once again lost to the world of the koi. There was no awkwardness this time, just companionable silence. Colby was starting to wonder if the water put people of a certain intelligence under some kind of trance when Charlie pointed across the water.

"You know, each koi has it's own unique path that you can see if you watch them long enough."

"I've heard that," Ari replied. "How long do you have to watch them to find it?"

"Oh, it took me months to chart each one, but I can show you my notes."

"That would be cool."

And again silence reined. Glancing at his watch, Colby resisted the urge to let out a frustrated sigh. It had been almost ten minutes since Charlie had joined them in the backyard.

"Did you know my IQ is only two points lower than yours," Ari remarked a minute later.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

As the pair went quiet once again Colby looked up to the sky, remembering why his grandmother told him never to pray for patience. This was getting ridiculous. Still, if it made Ari open up than it was worth it. But as another couple of minutes went by, the agent was about ready to call in one of his back ups to watch them while he got himself a snack. Who knows, he might even be able to prepare and eat an entire meal before these two got around to something important.

"You play chess?" Charlie wondered.

"Who doesn't."

"How about we play a few games while we wait for Don?"

"Okay."

The pair got to their feet and headed inside with Colby right behind them, praying his boss showed up soon. If it took them twenty minutes to contemplate koi, he was not looking forward to watching them play chess. Sometimes he hated guard duty.

What do you think? Anyone feel sorry for Colby?

One of my friends reminded me of my new years resolution to finish all my active stories, so I will try to get the next part up as soon as possible.