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umbralilliumTitle: Strength
Author: Dani (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dollydani)
Fandom and Pairing: Numb3rs, Charlie Eppes/Colby Granger, implied Don Eppes/OFC
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: 003. Angst
Warnings: implied m/m slash, character death
Notes: I expanded a little on the first part of Everything. Written mainly from Colby’s POV, but still 3rd person.
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
wordclaim50
Claimed word: 'Watch'
Summary: Colby must be strong for Charlie.
Previous stories: Everything. My other Charlie/Colby fics can be found here
Strength
Colby was standing with David, Megan, Terry, Billy Cooper, and Edgerton behind Alan, watching as the rabbi prayed over the casket in Hebrew. Charlie was conspicuously absent. Colby had heard more than one person grumbling that the youngest of the three Eppes wasn’t there to see his brother laid to rest. It took all of Colby’s restraint to keep from tearing those people to pieces.
Colby’s attention shifted from the rabbi to Cassandra, who was standing beside Alan, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. In her right hand, she clutched a worn tissue while her left thumb twisted the ring on her left ring finger unconsciously. Colby ducked his head to hide a slight smile as he thought of the simple ring Charlie wore on his right hand, but the smile disappeared as he wondered if Charlie would want to keep the wedding date they had set not long after Don had proposed to Cassandra. Colby’s heart ached for Cassandra; she and Don had been engaged barely two weeks when Don was killed.
Colby squeezed his eyes shut as flashes of that day played in his mind.
Standing beside Don, slipping into the Kevlar vests that were supposed to protect them.
Two feet behind and slightly to the right of Don as Don shouted the order for the suspect to come out with his hands up.
The front door of the suspect’s home slowly swinging open on creaking hinges.
A single rifle shot then a flurry of shots from 9mm’s.
Don lying on the ground, a bullet between the eyes, those same eyes staring sightlessly up at the cloudless sky.
Charlie’s harsh shout of denial.
Alan’s stunned silence.
Colby came back to himself when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at David before turning and heading for his car.
24*19*26*9*25*2
Somehow the drive back to the house seemed both too long and too short. Too long in that he wanted to be near Charlie, too short in that he didn’t have any time to compose himself.
With a weary sigh, he climbed out of the car and made his way towards the garage, where Charlie had been sequestered for the past week. Colby had watched over him silently for the past week, watching him grow thinner by the day, barely touching the food Colby or Alan or even Cassandra brought to him. A bite or two then he was back in front of the chalkboards, working and reworking the equation that no one could solve.
Colby stepped into silence. He frowned; the harsh tickswish of chalk over a chalkboard had been an almost constant noise in the garage for the past week. It was odd to hear silence. He paused and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, his brow furrowed even further when he saw Charlie crouching on the floor with his hands clamped over his ears as though trying to block all sound. Colby glanced around trying to figure out what Charlie was trying to block, but it was just the two of them in the room. His gaze turned compassionate as he thought about where his own thoughts had gone during the funeral.
Colby walked over to kneel next to Charlie; gently, he laid a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Charlie,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Charlie’s thin body and buried his face in the soft, dark curls.
“I miss him. I want him here with me.” Charlie whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse.
“I know, Charlie. I miss him, too.” Colby said softly against Charlie’s neck.
Colby shifted slightly so he was sitting cross-legged on the cold concrete and gently settled Charlie in his lap. A week ago, it would have taken a lot more effort on Colby’s part to move Charlie, now… Colby squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that threatened. It had hurt to watch Charlie fall apart, almost as much as losing Don hurt. "You need to rest, Charlie." Colby whispered.
"I-I-I can't." Charlie whispered back, tears in his voice. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him laying there. Just staring at the sky, but not see-seeing it." Charlie's voice cracked with emotion.
Colby felt the tears trickle down his cheeks. "I know."
Charlie fairly exploded from Colby's arms, his brown eyes snapping with anger. "What do you know? How do you know what it's like to lose your best friend in the whole world? Your brother." Charlie snapped.
Colby looked up at Charlie with tear-filled green eyes. "Him being your brother made him my brother, too, Charlie." Colby's voice shook with grief as he spoke. "I was there, I saw that bastard pull the trigger, I saw Don fall." Colby’s voice cracked over the last word as the tears finally fell.
Charlie collapsed into Colby's arms, sobbing, as the emotions he'd been holding back for the past week finally broke free.
The two lovers held onto each other as tight as they could as they rode the maelstrom of emotions that raged through them.
Neither knew how long they sat holding each other, but Colby figured it had been at least three hours, since it was full dark when they finally rose. When they headed for the door, Charlie stumbled slightly, but Colby caught him. “Whoa, easy, Charlie.” Colby cautioned as he steadied his lover.
“I-I feel so dizzy. Wh-what’s wrong with me, Colb?” Charlie whispered.
“You’ve barely eaten anything for the past week, Charlie.” Colby replied as he wrapped a steadying arm around Charlie’s waist and gently guided him towards the door.
Charlie blinked up at Colby. “Oh.”
Colby smiled sadly. “Yeah.” He replied as they stepped out into the moonlight. Colby noticed that Charlie didn’t look over at the ‘basketball court,’ but kept his gaze on either Colby or the kitchen door.
By the time they walked the few feet to the kitchen door, Colby was the only thing keeping Charlie on his feet. Colby was sorely tempted to sweep Charlie up into his arms and carry him upstairs, but he knew the Charlie would want to at least be on his feet, if not walking under his own power, in front of the people Colby knew were in the kitchen.
The pair stepped into the kitchen, capturing the attention of the small group seated at the kitchen table. David, Megan, Terry, and Coop stared in shock as Colby guided Charlie across the room towards the stairs off the living room, while Alan and Cassandra looked on, worry and sorrow in their eyes. Colby spared a small reassuring smile while Charlie remained silent, focused on putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how much he would like to fall asleep.
At the foot of the stairs, and out of view of the others, Colby stopped and looked down at Charlie. “Think you can manage the stairs, Charlie?” He asked softly.
Charlie looked up at the seemingly endless flight of stairs and sighed as he shook his head.
“Alright then.” Colby said as he gently lifted Charlie into his arms and carried him up the stairs.
By the time they reached Charlie’s room, Charlie was asleep, his body giving into the exhaustion of a week without more than an hour’s worth of sleep and barely any food or water.
Colby gently laid his lover on the double bed then went to work, taking off his shoes, socks, jeans, and t-shirt, leaving him in his boxers. Colby eased the blanket and sheet out from underneath Charlie’s slumbering form. When Charlie murmured and snuggled down into the soft pillow, Colby smiled gently and brushed a few lank curls from Charlie’s forehead before quietly leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Colby leaned back against the door with a tired sigh as his eyes drifted shut, his own exhaustion weighing down on him.
“You need to rest, too, you know.” Cassandra’s soft voice chided from the top of the stairs.
“I know.” Colby sighed.
“Uh-huh. And?” She replied sternly.
Colby cracked an eye and peered at Cassandra. She returned his stare stalwartly, her entire posture screaming ‘mother hen.’
Colby lips twitched as a smile tried to form. With a small nod, he opened the door, slipped into the room, and quietly closed the door.
He quickly stripped down to his boxers before slipping into the bed beside Charlie. With a tired sigh, he drew Charlie into his arms and drifted off to sleep.
End.
Author: Dani (
dollydani)Fandom and Pairing: Numb3rs, Charlie Eppes/Colby Granger, implied Don Eppes/OFC
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: 003. Angst
Warnings: implied m/m slash, character death
Notes: I expanded a little on the first part of Everything. Written mainly from Colby’s POV, but still 3rd person.
Written for
wordclaim50Claimed word: 'Watch'
Summary: Colby must be strong for Charlie.
Previous stories: Everything. My other Charlie/Colby fics can be found here
Colby was standing with David, Megan, Terry, Billy Cooper, and Edgerton behind Alan, watching as the rabbi prayed over the casket in Hebrew. Charlie was conspicuously absent. Colby had heard more than one person grumbling that the youngest of the three Eppes wasn’t there to see his brother laid to rest. It took all of Colby’s restraint to keep from tearing those people to pieces.
Colby’s attention shifted from the rabbi to Cassandra, who was standing beside Alan, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. In her right hand, she clutched a worn tissue while her left thumb twisted the ring on her left ring finger unconsciously. Colby ducked his head to hide a slight smile as he thought of the simple ring Charlie wore on his right hand, but the smile disappeared as he wondered if Charlie would want to keep the wedding date they had set not long after Don had proposed to Cassandra. Colby’s heart ached for Cassandra; she and Don had been engaged barely two weeks when Don was killed.
Colby squeezed his eyes shut as flashes of that day played in his mind.
Standing beside Don, slipping into the Kevlar vests that were supposed to protect them.
Two feet behind and slightly to the right of Don as Don shouted the order for the suspect to come out with his hands up.
The front door of the suspect’s home slowly swinging open on creaking hinges.
A single rifle shot then a flurry of shots from 9mm’s.
Don lying on the ground, a bullet between the eyes, those same eyes staring sightlessly up at the cloudless sky.
Charlie’s harsh shout of denial.
Alan’s stunned silence.
Colby came back to himself when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at David before turning and heading for his car.
Somehow the drive back to the house seemed both too long and too short. Too long in that he wanted to be near Charlie, too short in that he didn’t have any time to compose himself.
With a weary sigh, he climbed out of the car and made his way towards the garage, where Charlie had been sequestered for the past week. Colby had watched over him silently for the past week, watching him grow thinner by the day, barely touching the food Colby or Alan or even Cassandra brought to him. A bite or two then he was back in front of the chalkboards, working and reworking the equation that no one could solve.
Colby stepped into silence. He frowned; the harsh tickswish of chalk over a chalkboard had been an almost constant noise in the garage for the past week. It was odd to hear silence. He paused and waited for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, his brow furrowed even further when he saw Charlie crouching on the floor with his hands clamped over his ears as though trying to block all sound. Colby glanced around trying to figure out what Charlie was trying to block, but it was just the two of them in the room. His gaze turned compassionate as he thought about where his own thoughts had gone during the funeral.
Colby walked over to kneel next to Charlie; gently, he laid a hand on Charlie’s shoulder. “Charlie,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around Charlie’s thin body and buried his face in the soft, dark curls.
“I miss him. I want him here with me.” Charlie whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse.
“I know, Charlie. I miss him, too.” Colby said softly against Charlie’s neck.
Colby shifted slightly so he was sitting cross-legged on the cold concrete and gently settled Charlie in his lap. A week ago, it would have taken a lot more effort on Colby’s part to move Charlie, now… Colby squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that threatened. It had hurt to watch Charlie fall apart, almost as much as losing Don hurt. "You need to rest, Charlie." Colby whispered.
"I-I-I can't." Charlie whispered back, tears in his voice. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him laying there. Just staring at the sky, but not see-seeing it." Charlie's voice cracked with emotion.
Colby felt the tears trickle down his cheeks. "I know."
Charlie fairly exploded from Colby's arms, his brown eyes snapping with anger. "What do you know? How do you know what it's like to lose your best friend in the whole world? Your brother." Charlie snapped.
Colby looked up at Charlie with tear-filled green eyes. "Him being your brother made him my brother, too, Charlie." Colby's voice shook with grief as he spoke. "I was there, I saw that bastard pull the trigger, I saw Don fall." Colby’s voice cracked over the last word as the tears finally fell.
Charlie collapsed into Colby's arms, sobbing, as the emotions he'd been holding back for the past week finally broke free.
The two lovers held onto each other as tight as they could as they rode the maelstrom of emotions that raged through them.
Neither knew how long they sat holding each other, but Colby figured it had been at least three hours, since it was full dark when they finally rose. When they headed for the door, Charlie stumbled slightly, but Colby caught him. “Whoa, easy, Charlie.” Colby cautioned as he steadied his lover.
“I-I feel so dizzy. Wh-what’s wrong with me, Colb?” Charlie whispered.
“You’ve barely eaten anything for the past week, Charlie.” Colby replied as he wrapped a steadying arm around Charlie’s waist and gently guided him towards the door.
Charlie blinked up at Colby. “Oh.”
Colby smiled sadly. “Yeah.” He replied as they stepped out into the moonlight. Colby noticed that Charlie didn’t look over at the ‘basketball court,’ but kept his gaze on either Colby or the kitchen door.
By the time they walked the few feet to the kitchen door, Colby was the only thing keeping Charlie on his feet. Colby was sorely tempted to sweep Charlie up into his arms and carry him upstairs, but he knew the Charlie would want to at least be on his feet, if not walking under his own power, in front of the people Colby knew were in the kitchen.
The pair stepped into the kitchen, capturing the attention of the small group seated at the kitchen table. David, Megan, Terry, and Coop stared in shock as Colby guided Charlie across the room towards the stairs off the living room, while Alan and Cassandra looked on, worry and sorrow in their eyes. Colby spared a small reassuring smile while Charlie remained silent, focused on putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how much he would like to fall asleep.
At the foot of the stairs, and out of view of the others, Colby stopped and looked down at Charlie. “Think you can manage the stairs, Charlie?” He asked softly.
Charlie looked up at the seemingly endless flight of stairs and sighed as he shook his head.
“Alright then.” Colby said as he gently lifted Charlie into his arms and carried him up the stairs.
By the time they reached Charlie’s room, Charlie was asleep, his body giving into the exhaustion of a week without more than an hour’s worth of sleep and barely any food or water.
Colby gently laid his lover on the double bed then went to work, taking off his shoes, socks, jeans, and t-shirt, leaving him in his boxers. Colby eased the blanket and sheet out from underneath Charlie’s slumbering form. When Charlie murmured and snuggled down into the soft pillow, Colby smiled gently and brushed a few lank curls from Charlie’s forehead before quietly leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
Colby leaned back against the door with a tired sigh as his eyes drifted shut, his own exhaustion weighing down on him.
“You need to rest, too, you know.” Cassandra’s soft voice chided from the top of the stairs.
“I know.” Colby sighed.
“Uh-huh. And?” She replied sternly.
Colby cracked an eye and peered at Cassandra. She returned his stare stalwartly, her entire posture screaming ‘mother hen.’
Colby lips twitched as a smile tried to form. With a small nod, he opened the door, slipped into the room, and quietly closed the door.
He quickly stripped down to his boxers before slipping into the bed beside Charlie. With a tired sigh, he drew Charlie into his arms and drifted off to sleep.
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-12 05:32 am (UTC)so so sad
stupid people at funeral grr
loved that scene with charlie holding his hands over his ears *sobs* and that colby carried him up the stairs n he fell asleep *sighhss*
no subject
Date: 2006-03-04 04:50 pm (UTC)Colby carrying Charlie up the stairs, aww. It's such a good thing Charlie has Colby.