Preconceptions

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews. I truly appreciate them.

Chapter 7:

Don returned Charlie's solemn gaze and felt as if he was about to lose his best friend. He had never really told his brother how much he enjoyed working with him; he'd just taken it for granted that he knew it….now it was too late. Don hardened his heart, refusing to use that knowledge to get Charlie to change his mind and waited for his brother to give him an answer.

"It didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know." Charlie said softly. "As long as I continue to consult for the FBI or other law enforcement agencies the odds that I will be injured, killed or run into someone else like Posner again increases exponentially."

Don swallowed hard and glanced away; his heart sinking with every word his brother had uttered. He should be happy; he had lost track of how many times that he had wanted Charlie to stop consulting for them because of the danger involved and yet, now that it was happening, he realized how much he was going to miss working with him. Still, he tried to be strong for Charlie's sake and forced himself to smile when he turned back to face him.

"So, you're going to give it up." He said; his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Finally move on to something better."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up in surprise and disappeared beneath his curls. "I didn't say that I was going to give up consulting."

Don titled his head to the side, clearly puzzled by his brother's surprising statement. "But you just said…."

"I told you what the result of the risk analysis was but I didn't say that I was going to quit." Charlie interrupted, his brown eyes lighting up mischievously. "Besides, the results of the reward analysis were much higher."

"How so?"

Charlie's eyes drifted downward to the pond and he followed the movements of the fish as he spoke.

"I thought about all of the people that Posner had killed and how many more lives that he would have destroyed if he hadn't been caught and that alone was enough to make the risk worthwhile. Then when I factored in all of the other cases where we were able to prevent terrorist attacks and save lives…well, let's just say that the graph went off the chart."

"Really?" Don asked quietly; feeling as if his heart had suddenly sprouted wings and was threatening to take flight.

Charlie lifted his head and gazed at him; moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes as he said softly. "Don, what really put it over the top was something that I didn't even have to figure into my analysis. The simple fact is that I like working with you and it doesn't matter how many Posners that we may encounter along the way because that fact is a constant…it isn't going to change. "

"I like working with you too buddy but are you sure that this is what you really want?" Don asked in a voice thick with emotion. "Working for the FBI brings you into contact with the worst of humanity, and I have to tell you that Posner is as bad as they come; that man gave me chills today." His eyes flickered to the side and then back again. "I never wanted this life for you Charlie; I never meant to bring you into contact with people like him."

"I know that Don and it's not your fault." He shook his head and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. "You really have to stop blaming yourself when something like this happens. I think you tend to forget that I also consult for other law enforcement agencies, not just the FBI, and something like this could happen while I'm consulting for one of them."

"I realize that Charlie, it's just that sometimes I feel you should be doing something more…..something greater."

Charlie could never hide his feelings from Don and as he looked into his brother's's expressive eyes his heart spread its wings.

"I don't know what the future is going to bring….that whole "destiny" thing may come into play someday and take me "who knows where?" Charlie said thickly. "But for now, my life is right where I want it to be…..working side by side with my brother."

Don smiled broadly; his eyes crinkling at the corners as his heart truly took flight this time. "Mine too buddy, mine too."

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Alan shifted the grocery bag to his other arm as he opened the door and stepped across the threshold. He was surprised to find the house so quiet since both of his son's cars were parked out front. Don had ridden in with his younger brother that morning so seeing Charlie's car there he had fully expected to find Don on the couch watching a sports game; Charlie, no doubt, would be in the garage working on an equation.

"Don, Charlie." He called out but only silence greeted him. Maybe they were both in the garage, he thought, as he made his way to the foyer and set his bag down. Sighing wearily he shrugged out of his jacket but before he had a chance to hang it up he was startled by a loud rapping noise on the front door.

"I'm coming." He yelled, and tossed his jacket on the table top. He strode rapidly toward the door and yanked it open just as David Sinclair was preparing to knock again.

"David." He said, and nodded to the rest of Don's team standing behind the agent, all of them loaded with bags of take out food and several six-packs of beer.

"I'm sorry Alan….ah...I know we probably should have called first but we were in Altadena….and uh…we thought we would just drop by…..and…ah…."

"Decided to bring dinner?" Alan asked, looking pointedly at the multiple 'El Pollo Guapo' bags they were carrying.

"Unless you guys have other plans Alan. "Colby said, leaning around his partner with an apologetic grin on his face as he came to David's rescue.

"Just say the word and were out of here." Liz called from the back of the group.

"Nonsense." Alan replied with a grin." I'm happy anytime that I don't have to cook but I'm not sure if the boys have any plans." He stepped aside and waved them in. "Come on in and we'll find out."

"Where are Don and Charlie?" Liz asked as she closed the door.

Alan picked up his grocery bag and headed for the kitchen with the foursome trailing behind him. "I don't know. I just got in myself but I suspect that they are either in the garage or out back." He quickly emptied his grocery back and grabbed a stack of paper plates and napkins. "Let's go outside and enjoy your gracious meal. I have a sneaky suspicion that we will find my sons soaking up the warm sunshine."

Sure enough, when they rounded the corner of the house, Don and Charlie looked up in surprise as the small group laughingly greeted them and began setting the food on the picnic table.

"Don, Charlie, look what I just found on our front doorstep." Alan called out with a wave of his hand. He felt a little awkward because he got the sense that his sons were not expecting company.

Charlie arched a questioning eyebrow at his brother.

"Hey, don't look at me; I didn't know they were coming." Don mumbled as the brothers rose to their feet and strolled over to join their friends.

"What's up guys?" Don asked, as he accepted a beer from Colby and slid into his seat.

"Wait." Alan said, grabbing his forearm. "Should you be having any alcohol?"

"Relax Dad." Don said with a grin. "I only have to take the medication if I really need it and today I haven't taken any at all so I can enjoy this beer."

"Okay, if you say so." Alan said with a harrumph and took a sip of his own beer.

"I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth guys, but what's the occasion?" Don asked as he accepted a container of fries from Liz.

Don's team exchanged furtive glances and an uncomfortable silence descended over the small group.

"I know we should have called first…..but we were in the neighborhood and thought we would just surprise you." Liz apologized as a blush rose in her cheeks.

Nikki shifted uncomfortably and tried to explain further. "Yeah…ah...we're here to celebrate the end of the case."

"You caught the guy!" Alan exclaimed and held his bottle of beer up in a toast. "Now that is a cause for celebration."

The four agents eagerly joined Alan's toast and seized on the opportunity to change the subject by passing around the rest of the chicken and fries.

Charlie quietly accepted his meal and popped a fry into his mouth. "Hmmm, these are good….not soggy yet. "

"We just picked them up Charlie." Colby remarked; digging into his own meal with gusto.

"I didn't realize how hungry I was." Don said around a mouthful of chicken. "Thanks guys."

Charlie swallowed a piece of chicken and washed it down with a sip of beer before adding his thanks as well.

They devoured the meal rather quickly and sat around making small talk; the warm sunshine and relaxing atmosphere seemed to push away the chilling experience they had shared earlier in the day. As the laughter and good natured banter flowed around the close knit group, they became more at ease and for a while they actually managed to forget about Posner. It was as if there was an unspoken agreement by all of them to keep the conversation purposely away from the case; Alan was the exception, of course, he was still unaware of the day's events.

A series of high-pitched rings suddenly resonated around the small backyard and with an apologetic glance at his friends; Charlie quickly snagged his cell phone from his pocket and glanced at the caller's I.D. "Sorry guys, I've got to take this call."

"Did you find it?" He asked anxiously, rubbing his temple nervously as he listened to what turned out to be a rather lengthy explanation until the caller said the one thing that he didn't want to hear.

"What do mean that you haven't found it yet?" Charlie exclaimed; phone glued tightly to his ear. "How hard can it be to find something with a leg span of 15 to 18 cm?" His voice took on a tone of urgency as he tossed his napkin down and stood up; pacing the length of the table and then back again as he listened to the caller.

Although the group tried not to listen to the one-side conversation, the Professor's questions and his growing apprehension drew their attention and curiosity.

Alan nudged Don's arm and whispered. "What's he talking about?"

"Don't look at me pal." Don replied softly, keeping a close eye on Charlie's proximity. "You know as much as I do."

In a barely audible voice, David leaned forward and asked."What do you think he's looking for?"

Don raised his hands in an 'I don't know' gesture and mumbled. "No idea."

Colby turned a questioning gaze to Charlie and then back to the group. "Did he say 15 to 18cm?"

"Yeah, that's what he said." Nikki confirmed and added. "Why?"

"That's 6 to 7 inches, right?" Colby asked; his eyes drifting from face to face.

"That's right." Alan mumbled in agreement.

Colby glanced sideways at Charlie before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "What would have a 6 to 7 inch leg span?"

Hunched shoulders and blank stares were the only answers forthcoming as all heads swiveled around to follow Charlie's conversation and movements.

The young professor was becoming quite animated with one arm gesturing wildly as he talked. "I don't care how many boxes there are Mr. Wenton, you're 'pet' is there somewhere….find it!" He paused in mid-step as he listened to the caller's response and suddenly shook his head vigorously; curls flying in all directions.

"No!" Charlie exclaimed emphatically. "That is not acceptable, do you understand? I want that…" he glanced at the picnic table and confirmed his suspicions that everyone was listening to his call and quickly changed his next word, "Brachypelma smithi out of my office tonight and I further suggest that you leave your pet in your room from now on instead of carrying it around in your backpack."

"Braci…pima something…what did he say?" Colby asked; his forehead wrinkling in confusion.

"No, it sounded more like this." Liz said trying to sound it out. "braa-kee-pel-muh smithi."

"What the hell is a Braa-kee-pel-muh thingy anyway?" David mumbled.

Don eyed his brother as he took a sip of beer. "It's the scientific name for something that Charlie is trying to keep hidden from us. Apparently he doesn't want us to know what he is talking about." He rubbed his chin and turned to his father. "I've heard that name before, haven't you?"

"Not me." Alan replied, gazing at his youngest. "But whatever it is, your brother sure doesn't want it in his office."

"Pet?" Nikki whispered in surprise. "What kind of pet can you carry in your backpack?"

"Doesn't sound like a puppy dog to me." Colby snickered; prompting hushed giggles and hands suddenly covering mouths when Charlie turned around and a high-pitched whine could be heard emanating from his phone.

"There is only one solution Mr. Wenton and you already know what that is. Need I remind you of the consequences if you fail?" Charlie smirked at the response. "Good…now get to it!"

He pushed the end button and jammed the phone back in his jeans pocket before returning to his place at the table. Charlie took a long drink of his beer and as he set the bottle down he noticed that everyone was staring at him with open curiosity.

"What?" He asked, suddenly on the defensive.

Alan pushed his glasses back in place and glared at his youngest son. "You can't leave us like this…..what did your student put in your office?"

"You know Dad; someone once told me that it was impolite to listen to another person's conversation." He replied, pointedly looking at his father and deliberately took another sip of beer. Charlie didn't want to admit to his friends, and especially his brother, that his student's pet made him very uncomfortable.

"Come on Charlie." Liz implored. "We're dying to know…you've got to tell us."

Colby leaned back and crossed his arms; a smug look crossing his features. "All we have to do is look it up Charlie. Where's your laptop anyway?"

"Off limits." Charlie retorted.

"Well, mine isn't." Alan huffed and started to push away from the table.

Don patted his father on the shoulder. "Hold up Dad, you don't have to go anywhere, I already know what it is."

Wide eyed, Charlie twisted around to stare at his brother. "How would you know what it is?"

"Come on Chuck." Don answered, grinning. "You of all people should know the answer to that question?"

Charlie eyes narrowed as he studied his brother and then he replied with a groan. "Albuquerque."

Don nodded his head; his grin broadening. "That's right Chuck, Albuquerque."

"Don't call me Chuck." Charlie grumbled good-naturedly; knowing defeat was at hand he waved his beer bottle at him dismissively. "Go ahead, tell them."

Alan looked impatiently from son to son. "Well….would one of you care to share?"

"Yeah, come on boss, spill the beans." Nikki said. "I'm dying of curiosity here."

Don savored the moment before answering; it wasn't that often that he got the opportunity to upstage his brother. "Brachypelma smithi is the scientific name for the tarantula or more specifically the Mexican redknee tarantula." He grinned at their reactions and paused to take a sip of his beer. "I learned all about them when I lived in New Mexico." He patted his brother on the arm. "Relax Chuck, although they do get quite large they are very docile and are not poisonous to humans."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Charlie muttered dryly.

"Eeew!" Liz said disgustedly and commiserated with Charlie. "I wouldn't want that thing in my office either."

Nikki grimaced. "Why did your student have it in his backpack anyway?" She shivered. "Gives me chills just to think about it?"

Charlie leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs before answering. "Perry said he had just bought it from another student and didn't have time to take it back to his dorm before our meeting."

"It didn't occur to him that it might crawl out of his bag?" David asked in disbelief

"Apparently it was in a container with air holes but he must have jostled the lid open." The young professor chuckled. "What is amazing is that he didn't squish the thing." He went on to explain how full the backpack had been and suddenly took on a distant look. "Actually, I was thinking of suggesting that the "knapsack problem" might help him resolve that issue." Noticing the questioning looks on his friend's faces he started to explain it to them. "That's a problem that we use…"

"Charlie." Don deadpanned, attempting to halt his brother before he went into lecture mode but it was too late, Charlie was already in the zone and didn't hear him.

"in combinatorial optimization: Given a set of items, each with a weight and a value, determine the number of each item to include in a collection so that the total weight is less than a given limit and the total value is as large as possible. It derives its name from the problem faced by someone who is constrained by a fixed-sized knapsack and must fill it with the most useful items."

"Charlie!" Don tried again when his brother paused to catch his breath.

The young professor looked around in surprise and grinned sheepishly at the blank stares around him. "Oh…..sorry. I guess I got carried away."

"No problem." David said with a smile.

Don nudged his brother with his beer bottle. "I don't understand why you didn't want us to know about the spider?"

"So….the professor's afraid of spiders." Colby mused out loud. "Now that is some information to file away for another time."

Charlie sighed heavily and turned around to face his brother. "That's why."

Don mouthed the word "oh" and looked away before Charlie could see the smile that he shared with his Dad.

"Now I understand too Charlie." David chuckled with a sideways glance at his partner. "That type of knowledge is a dangerous thing in Colby's hands."

"David, how could you say that about me?" Colby said putting his hand over his heart. He tried to look innocent but the smirk on his face gave him away and they all burst into laughter.

"I'm sure your student will find it Charlie." Alan said as the noise subsided. "Besides, Don said that it wasn't poisonous."

Charlie leaned around his brother to catch Alan's eye."I don't believe that you just said that. Aren't you the one that is constantly complaining about spider webs?" He waved his hand at him and added. "I quite clearly recall when you once told me, and this is a direct quote. You said "I'm just an angry renter waiting for my landlord to call the spider people."

"Well, that's because they were in the house, I don't mind them as long as they are outside." Alan replied defensively.

"Precisely my point. " Charlie retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh…..point taken." Alan agreed, slightly embarrassed, as more laughter erupted around the table.

Charlie's phone rang again and everyone watched as the young man's anxious expression was replaced by one of relief.

"That s good news Perry. Make sure that you lock the door when you leave. Bye." He ran his fingers through his curls and exhaled a big sigh of relief. "You'll never guess where he found it?" Charlie said, looking around. "It had crawled beneath a pile of papers on my desk."

"Now there's an image." Don chortled. "Can't you just imagine Chuck's face tomorrow morning when he picked up that piece of paper and saw what was beneath it?"

"Funny Donald….funny." Charlie said dryly. "I'm just glad that he found it."

Amid more laughter Don entertained them with a few stories about some of his experiences while he lived in New Mexico; several of them involving "close-encounters" with the large spiders.

Alan leaned back and surveyed the small group around the table; something was different, there was an underlying current of uneasiness and a sense of melancholy about them …..he could feel it beneath the laughter and bantering. Puzzled, he studied the faces of Don's team and thought that he detected a sense of guilt and doubt in their eyes. More than once he had caught each one them casting furtive glances in Charlie's direction. One thing that had always impressed him about Don's team was the confidence they had in their abilities but he had the distinct feeling that something had happened to change that.

Alan eyes drifted to his sons faces and he studied them over the rim of his glasses; they both appeared to be relaxed and at ease but he saw a tightness around their eyes and a slight stiffness to their movements. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully; clearly something bad had happened…. something that they had both experienced and were still trying to deal with.

The elder man shifted his gaze back to the other four agents, noting the slump of their shoulders, the way they were constantly glancing downward and despite the laughter there was a tinge of sadness in their voices. It was obvious to him that the disturbing event his sons had experienced had also been shared by Don's team; having grown close to David, Colby, Liz and Nikki he found it distressing to see them this way. It wasn't Alan's way to pussyfoot around things, so he scratched his beard thoughtfully for a few more minutes while he observed them and then "jumped in" with both feet.

"One thing I learned from being a City Planner was how to tell when someone had something on their mind."

Six heads swiveled in his direction and waited for him to continue.

Alan cleared his throat. "You four," he said, pointing to Don's team, "didn't come here just to have dinner. You came here because there's something eating at you that you need to get off your chests." He blushed and looked at the girls. "Ah…..no offense ladies."

"None taken Alan." Liz and Nikki said simultaneously; both grinning from ear to ear.

Don opened his mouth to admonish his Dad but the guilty looks on his team's faces made him decide to wait and see what developed.

The four agents exchanged looks and then David licked his lips and looked away; running his hand nervously over his bald head before turning back to face Alan.

"That's ah…very astute of you Alan….and you're right, we did have another reason for coming here this evening." His head swiveled toward Charlie. "I …ah...let you down Charlie and I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too Charlie. " Colby admitted softly. "I should have been more open- minded when you first mentioned the pattern that you had found."

Liz tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and added sadly. "I should have believed you when I doubted you and I'm sorry for that."

"Might as well make that a foursome." Nikki added with a loud sigh. "I'm sorry too."

Charlie's eyebrows shot up in surprise just as Don and Alan turned to him for an explanation but all he could do was shake his head and shrug his shoulders; he didn't know what was going on either.

"Ah….uhmm. You guys are going to have to help me out here." He said, facing the four agents. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

David glanced at his friends and shifted uncomfortably in his chair before meeting Charlie's eye. "We've worked together for five years now and I should have taken you more seriously when you first told me about your serial killer theory." He glanced away and shook his head. "I couldn't see any pattern in what you showed me so I assumed that you were just overreacting to Don's injury like you did that time with the bank robbery."

"No offense Charlie, but at the time it just seemed to make more sense to us that you were overacting than to believe that you had found a serial killer." Colby explained.

"It's alright, I understand Colby." Charlie said earnestly. "The killer's different m.o's made the deaths look unrelated so I know it was hard to believe at first."

"The truth is Charlie; I should have trusted your analysis." David's eyes shifted to Don. "I made the wrong call Don and if you hadn't intervened when you did, then the consequences would have been devastating."

Don shifted around in his chair; his eyes flickering momentarily toward his brother. David was right, his mistake in this case would have been unbearable had the outcome been any different and Don wasn't sure that he could be so forgiving if things had worked out differently. But luck had been on their side this time so he could afford to let a few things slide.

"You can't second guess your decision David, that's one of the hardest things to learn when you are in command. You will make mistakes, like this one, but you will also learn from them." He glanced at Charlie and smiled. "One thing that I learned when I started working with my brother is that I had to change my way of looking at things and start thinking "out of the box" like he does."

David swallowed hard and looked away before meeting Don's eye again. "Yeah." He agreed. "I sort of learned that one the hard way."

"You have to admit Charlie that finding a serial killer by using the same method that SETI uses to look for life on other planets would look a little strange to us?" Nikki asked, trying to explain their point of view at the time.

"As I told David and Colby, it's not as out there as it sounds." Charlie retorted, feeling a need to defend his work. "We've had this discussion before, don't you remember?" Seeing the blank stares he went into more detail. "It's the figure ground effect on perceptual organization…..remember? How we look at things is determined by our predisposition. Our perception is influenced by our thinking."

"Right." David's eyes widened as the memory of the case that Charlie was referring to returned. "I remembered how you reacted five years ago when Don was hurt and assumed that you were behaving the same way again."

"Right." Charlie agreed as he scanned the faces of his friends gathered around the table. "Your prior knowledge of those events affected your perception in this case."

Liz leaned forward and squeezed his hand, regret lighting up her own eyes. "I'm so sorry Charlie; I assumed that your behavior was due to stress related to Don's injury. I thought you were showing signs of posttraumatic stress disorder. One of the symptoms is hyper vigilance; that's when a person is constantly looking for signs of danger but no one else can see it."

"We just couldn't see the pattern Charlie." Nikki added softly. "It looked to us like you were seeing something that wasn't really there."

"You made a classic logic error guys." Charlie said with a shrug of his shoulders. "You made the evidence fit your theory, not the other way around."

"I suppose we did Charlie but I know that I've learned my lesson." David said his voice full of regret. "I feel sick when I think of what might have happened if Don hadn't taken charge of the case."

"I'll admit that it was a scary situation but it all worked out in the end so let's not dwell on it …okay?"

"Thanks Charlie." David said softly and for the first time that day, he actually started to relax. "I'll need your notes on the case so that we can put all of the evidence together for the D.A."

"I have classes in the morning and a seminar in the afternoon, but I can drop my files off around six. Will that be okay?" Charlie asked as he took another sip of beer.

David swallowed a drink himself before answering. "That'll work out just fine Charlie."

A thought occurred to Charlie and he twisted around to face his brother. "I didn't tell you but exactly at five fifteen today my office door opened unexpectedly and I immediately thought of Posner." He laughed nervously. "I felt pretty silly when my visitor turned out to be Perry, returning to tell me about his missing spider."

"I don't think you should feel silly Charlie." Don said his voice thick with emotion. "I think it was a perfectly natural reaction considering the circumstances involved."

Charlie felt a wave of gratitude wash over him and he ducked his head, looking away for a moment before turning back to meet his brother's gaze. His warm, brown eyes were glistening with unshed tears as he smiled at Don.

"Thanks." He said quietly.

Don just nodded and returned his smile; his eyes reflecting the same emotions as his brothers.

Alan had been silent during their conversation; quietly observing them as they talked and he sensed that something horrendous had barely been averted, something that directly involved his sons, and now he wanted answers.

"I'm confused." The elder Eppes said; his eyes flitting from face to face. "There have been other cases where you were skeptical of Charlie's theories….. what makes this one so different?"

"I'm surprised to hear you say that Alan, especially since Charlie was Posner's next target." Nikki exclaimed in surprise.

Alarmed, Alan turned to Don firing questions so rapidly that his son didn't have a chance to answer.

"What? He was going after Charlie? How did he find out about Charlie? "He paused to catch a breath. "You did say that he was in jail, right?"

"You didn't tell him?" Nikki gasped in horror and winced when she saw the stony look in Don's eyes.

"We didn't have a chance." Don said, arching an eyebrow and speaking softly …..too softly.

"Listen boss….I...ah." She swallowed hard and broke eye contact with him. "Oh boy!"

"Oops! You're in trouble now girlfriend." Colby chuckled loudly.

"Shut up Idaho." Nikki mumbled irritably as she reached for her beer.

Alan crossed his arms and scowled at both sons. "Exactly when were you two going to share this little detail with me?"

"Ah….never." Charlie muttered under his breath as he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Oh…man." Don groaned and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

Finis

A/N: The next scene goes back to the original episode where Charlie, David, Liz, Colby, and Nikki are in one of the conference rooms. They are putting all of their notes and evidence into boxes while discussing how evil Posner is and how Charlie's logic put the man behind bars.

Originally, I had intended for this to be the end of the story, but during the course of writing it, new plotlines have developed so I am working on a sequel. It is tentatively titled "Preconceptions II – Extreme Consequences."

Like many other authors on this site, I have decided to continue to write stories for "NUMB3RS." Even though CBS has cancelled the show our favorite characters will live on in "our fanfiction realm."