Numb3rs Fic: Want Take Have
Posted to numb3rs_slash
Title: Want Take Have
Pairing/Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Judgment Call
Summary: One violent moment changes a relationship but not forever
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
Don turned hard left, knuckles pale as he clenched the steering wheel, tires screeching as he made the last turn to get to the Craftsman.
"Come on, come on. Answer! Damn it!" he muttered into his Bluetooth headset, his body taut, on edge from anxious dread.
'Hi, you've reached Dr. Charles Eppes…'
Don ended the call, frustrated, as he sped the final quarter mile to the house. He'd racked up the voicemails on the way over, praying Charlie would pick up, that he'd get the news about Colby and get away, hide until it was all over and Colby was safely locked away.
He didn't want to believe Colby would ever hurt Charlie, but this wasn't Colby. The crazed look in his eye just before he'd bolted was so foreign to Don it gave him chills. The duty and honor good guy Colby he knew wasn't in there.
He pulled into the driveway behind an unfamiliar car with the engine still running, door ajar.
Colby had beat him here.
Frantic, Don dashed through the open front door - a quick scan telling him the downstairs was empty so he ran up the stairs by threes, armed and ready.
He burst into Charlie's room then halted, stunned by the tableau before him. Charlie sat huddled in the corner, his shirt half torn off, clutching a taser whose twin leads were draped across the floor to the still form of Colby, face down on the carpet.
Charlie's cell phone lay askew a few feet away, still playing his voicemail and Don heard his own voice talking.
'Charlie! Damn it, why aren't you picking up? Listen, if you're at home, get out of the house now! Colby got a lungful of drugs on a bust and went nuts. I'm afraid he's headed for the house so go somewhere he can't find you, anywhere, and call me to let me know you're okay!'
Don slapped his cuffs on Colby's limp wrists then gently extricated the taser from Charlie's death grip.
"Do you think he'll forgive me?" Charlie whispered breathlessly, unable to take his eyes off Colby's motionless form.
"I think he'll thank you," Don said, keeping his voice low and soothing as he helped Charlie rise, edging him out of the room and away from Colby. "It's himself he's going to have a hard time forgiving."
+
When Don walked into the hospital room Colby turned his face away.
"You can't hide from him forever," Don told him, standing over where Colby lay, padded cuffs still binding him to the bed even after his painful detox process had been completed.
"I can't face him," Colby intoned, clearly tired of having this discussion every day. "Not after what I did to him."
"You didn't do anything," Don protested, scowling.
"Just tell him I can't see him," Colby said, his voice pained. "Tell him I'm sorry."
"You know what? You tell him yourself," Don retorted. "One of the downsides to being cuffed?" He waited until Colby turned to look at him, horror-stricken with understanding at what Don was planning. "You can't stop me from letting him in here."
He turned to open the door only to have Colby call out to him.
"Don't do this to me!"
Don turned, looking thoughtful. "This isn't about what you want, Col. It's about what Charlie needs."
He opened the door and let Charlie inside, watching as Charlie slowly approached Colby's bedside, Colby defiantly turning his face away and shutting his eyes.
Charlie laid his hand on Colby's arm and Don watched him flinch at the gentle touch.
Undeterred, Charlie leaned down and pressed a kiss to Colby's temple.
"I forgive you."
As Colby turned to face Charlie - tears already beginning to stream down his cheeks - Don closed the door behind him, a little smile gracing his face.
He could have lost both of them. Now they just needed to find each other again.
=
Title: Want Take Have
Pairing/Characters: Charlie/Colby, Don
Rating: PG13
Spoilers: Judgment Call
Summary: One violent moment changes a relationship but not forever
Notes/Warnings: Read the disclaimer on my LJ
Don turned hard left, knuckles pale as he clenched the steering wheel, tires screeching as he made the last turn to get to the Craftsman.
"Come on, come on. Answer! Damn it!" he muttered into his Bluetooth headset, his body taut, on edge from anxious dread.
'Hi, you've reached Dr. Charles Eppes…'
Don ended the call, frustrated, as he sped the final quarter mile to the house. He'd racked up the voicemails on the way over, praying Charlie would pick up, that he'd get the news about Colby and get away, hide until it was all over and Colby was safely locked away.
He didn't want to believe Colby would ever hurt Charlie, but this wasn't Colby. The crazed look in his eye just before he'd bolted was so foreign to Don it gave him chills. The duty and honor good guy Colby he knew wasn't in there.
He pulled into the driveway behind an unfamiliar car with the engine still running, door ajar.
Colby had beat him here.
Frantic, Don dashed through the open front door - a quick scan telling him the downstairs was empty so he ran up the stairs by threes, armed and ready.
He burst into Charlie's room then halted, stunned by the tableau before him. Charlie sat huddled in the corner, his shirt half torn off, clutching a taser whose twin leads were draped across the floor to the still form of Colby, face down on the carpet.
Charlie's cell phone lay askew a few feet away, still playing his voicemail and Don heard his own voice talking.
'Charlie! Damn it, why aren't you picking up? Listen, if you're at home, get out of the house now! Colby got a lungful of drugs on a bust and went nuts. I'm afraid he's headed for the house so go somewhere he can't find you, anywhere, and call me to let me know you're okay!'
Don slapped his cuffs on Colby's limp wrists then gently extricated the taser from Charlie's death grip.
"Do you think he'll forgive me?" Charlie whispered breathlessly, unable to take his eyes off Colby's motionless form.
"I think he'll thank you," Don said, keeping his voice low and soothing as he helped Charlie rise, edging him out of the room and away from Colby. "It's himself he's going to have a hard time forgiving."
+
When Don walked into the hospital room Colby turned his face away.
"You can't hide from him forever," Don told him, standing over where Colby lay, padded cuffs still binding him to the bed even after his painful detox process had been completed.
"I can't face him," Colby intoned, clearly tired of having this discussion every day. "Not after what I did to him."
"You didn't do anything," Don protested, scowling.
"Just tell him I can't see him," Colby said, his voice pained. "Tell him I'm sorry."
"You know what? You tell him yourself," Don retorted. "One of the downsides to being cuffed?" He waited until Colby turned to look at him, horror-stricken with understanding at what Don was planning. "You can't stop me from letting him in here."
He turned to open the door only to have Colby call out to him.
"Don't do this to me!"
Don turned, looking thoughtful. "This isn't about what you want, Col. It's about what Charlie needs."
He opened the door and let Charlie inside, watching as Charlie slowly approached Colby's bedside, Colby defiantly turning his face away and shutting his eyes.
Charlie laid his hand on Colby's arm and Don watched him flinch at the gentle touch.
Undeterred, Charlie leaned down and pressed a kiss to Colby's temple.
"I forgive you."
As Colby turned to face Charlie - tears already beginning to stream down his cheeks - Don closed the door behind him, a little smile gracing his face.
He could have lost both of them. Now they just needed to find each other again.
=