My beta is back and I'm back on track.

Enjoy!

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Don arrived at the scene thirty minutes after his conversation with Charlie, his concerns for his brother hidden in a corner of his mind that would be reawakened once his job was done.

He took in the scene around him as he stepped into the office of Dr. Lorelei Roberts. The room was tidy, with three computer screens at a working table to his right and an office desk in front of the door. On the floor laid the body of a short, redheaded woman he knew to be Lorelei Roberts. She was dressed casually, like someone who did not entertain many people in her office. People in Air Force uniforms sat in front of Lorelei's computers. It seemed like an odd coincidence that he was meeting AF men for the second time today, but Don tried not to dwell on it. His immediate reaction was to ask David why they were touching the evidence.

"Dr. Roberts has been working on classified data, and the Air Force doesn't want us to go over it until they make sure we have clearance," David explained.

"Ok, I can understand that, but don't let them touch it."

"Excuse me." An officer approached Don. "I'm Colonel Harrison, United States Air Force. I'm in charge of this project. And you are?"

Colonel Harrison was a tall, light haired man with striking blue eyes who was exuding authority from every pore in his body.

"I'm Agent Don Eppes, FBI." Neither Don nor David missed the surprised expression on Colonel Harrison's face. "What?"

"Eppes? As in Charles Eppes?"

"Yeah, he's my brother. How do you know him?" Don's every instinct told him he wasn't going to be happy with the answer.

Harrison didn't respond immediately. Instead he called over to a Staff Sergeant who was giving a statement to one of Don's men. This time it was Don's turn to be surprised as he saw the same man who had awakened him last night.

"Staff Sergeant Cruz," the Colonel barely looked at the Staff Sergeant who was also slightly surprised to see Don. "Is Lt. House back yet?"

"Probably, sir. She said she would try and keep Dr. Eppes away from Dr. Roberts' office, so she might be outside."

"Thank you, Staff Sergeant." The Colonel dismissed the young man and faced the FBI agents, "I know you probably have some questions. May I suggest we do it somewhere else?"

Don nodded and motioned for the Colonel and agent Sinclair to step outside. It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit chilly, and the three men enjoyed the light touch of the sun as they stepped outside the small building. The entrance to the building was closed to the public and was filled with a significant number of LAPD officers, AF officers and FBI agents. Don spotted his little brother the second he existed the building. Charlie was sitting on the curb; only a few feet to his left, obviously distraught. Behind him stood a well built, dark haired Lieutenant, completely alert to her surroundings. Don realized she was functioning as a bodyguard for his brother. The very notion of Charlie needing a bodyguard sent shivers down Don's spine.

Don stared at the Colonel as realization suddenly hit him. His brother hadn't been tired when he asked him for help earlier today; he had already known about this murder. Every instinct he had as an FBI agent told him to talk to the Colonel and get to the bottom of this, yet every instinct he had as Don, Charlie's big brother, told him to get to his brother as soon as possible. Thomas Harrison seemed to understand that right away.

"Dr. Roberts and Dr. Eppes worked together on a project for us along with a number of other people. We're assuming Dr. Roberts' death had something to do with her work, and we're protecting everyone who even touched this project. I will make sure you have clearance as soon as I can; then I'll give you access to the data you need. Until then, I hope you can work with what you have." Colonel Harrison sighed lightly and looked at Don, speaking in a quieter, gentler tone, "Maybe you should talk with him. I don't think he's doing too well."

Don didn't need to be told twice. He knew his brother's track record with death. He thanked the Colonel with a soft nod and walked over to where Charlie was, once again, staring into space.

"You okay, buddy?" Don sat next to Charlie on the sidewalk.

"No." It was nothing more than a whisper, but Don heard it.

"What are you thinking?"

Charlie closed his bloodshot eyes. Slowly, he looked up to his brother, wondering if he could ever understand. "Trying not to think about P vs. NP."

Don could see all the sorrow that went into saying that sentence, all the regret over what happened when their mother was sick. "I never understood that."

"I know." There was no disappointment in Charlie's reply, only acknowledgment of what they both knew to be true.

"You knew her well?" Charlie flinched slightly when Don used past tense.

"Not well, but we've known each other for a long time."

"I'm sorry, Charlie."

"I know." Again, only an acknowledgement.

"You were working on this project with her," Don half asked, half stated.

"Yeah."

"Charlie," Don paused, waiting for Charlie to look at him, "I need to know. Are you in danger?"

Charlie could see the fear and hesitation in his brother's eyes. He only wished he could tell him there was no danger. "I don't know. I don't know why anyone would... anyone would do this." He looked away from his big brother as his voice cracked, doing his best to compose himself.

"Alright. It's okay. We'll figure this out."

"It's not okay." Charlie seemed to have aged twenty years in the short second it took Don to finish his sentence. "It's not okay, because she was a computer programmer and I'm a mathematician and this kind of thing is not supposed to happen to people like us."

"Dr. Eppes," Colonel Harrison seemed to hesitate before continuing. "One of our controllers in NORAD got a note saying they'd stop us from improving Kalman's filter and prevent another catastrophe. It's a declaration of war and we need your help to fight it." Harrison knelt down to be at the same eye level with both of the Eppes men. "I know this is hard, but I need you to work with the other programmers and controllers and help us fix this." The Colonel used his best commanding voice to try and get a reaction from the younger Eppes.

Charlie looked down at the pebbles on the side of the road, refusing to look the Colonel in the eyes. "I can't help you anymore. I just can't focus on this right now. I'm sorry."

He sounded like he was about to crack. It reminded Don of the last time Charlie closed down and worked on P vs. NP. When Don confronted him regarding his work, Charlie sounded like a wounded animal. He had seen Charlie do this once or twice before and did not want to see him being pushed into something that was too much for him. He was getting scared for his brother's mental health.

Don put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, trying to convey his thoughts. "I don't think Charlie should be here right now," he looked pointedly at Harrison. "He should go home and get some sleep. Whatever this is, it can wait a day."

Colonel Harrison gave Don a short nod, "You should keep an agent on him."

As they all got up to leave, Don leaned close to Harrison and said quietly enough for it to stay private, "I know, Colonel."

Don was having a bad day, and he didn't like Harrison's attitude one bit.

"Agent Grant," Don called out to the young agent. Agent Grant walked over to his boss, his long legs carrying him quickly through the distance. "I want you to take Charlie home. He's going to go to sleep and spend the day in the house. We have reason to suspect he might be in danger, so keep your eyes open."

Charlie stood quietly next to Don. He never met Adam Grant before and didn't give him much notice now. His mind was in Lorelei's office. He couldn't help wondering how she was killed.

"Yes, sir." Agent Grant nodded to Don and walked to his car, giving the brothers a minute together.

"Get some sleep, Charlie. I'll get to the bottom of this and I'll see you soon."

Charlie simply nodded and walked away, barely looking at his brother. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore.

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Please R&R