FIC: "To be in control" - Part 5/5 (Colby, Gen, PG-13)
Title: "To be in control" - Part 5/5 (last of this series!)
Characters: Colby, David.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: References to seasons 3 and 4.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Colby's free day gets to its end.
Author's note: This was written for the "All About Colby" challenge at savecolby.
Feedback: I love feedback. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one, it's been hunting me for ages. *g*
Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or anything related to it. But I do own the original ideas and any OCs.
Beta: The great quirky_circe. Thank so much for all your help, hon!
Previous chapter: "To be in control" - Part 4/5 (Colby, Gen, PG-13)
To be in control - Part 5/5
It was eight p.m. when Colby arrived home. He had left his motorcycle, his beloved Jenny, at a rented garage; no more journeys today.
He had also bought a pizza on the way back. After all, he had already cooked today, and he was so tired that anything edible looked good at the moment.
After changing into a comfortable white t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he went to the fridge and pulled out a beer and the tray of brownies he had left there that morning. He bit one of the brownies and told himself that it was too cold; he didn’t like it that way, the low temperature somehow made the brownie lose some of its flavor.
As it was summer, the heat of the apartment would probably warm up the brownies; he could eat them as dessert. So he took the pizza and the beer to the living room and put them on his coffee table. Finally, he sat on his favorite big sofa and turned on the TV.
It was hard for him not to watch war movies, because they always brought memories about Dwayne and his old friends from the Army. It was also hard not to stare at the images of a car chase in a reality show, because it was obviously related to Colby’s job. But he managed to avoid thinking about work and pain and murders. He started flipping channels and smiled when he found a Travis Tritt concert that had taken place a couple of months ago.
He hadn’t seen that one yet, but of course, he knew all the lyrics. Happily, he hummed the melodies one by one while he ate the pizza. Most of the portions were soon gone, and maybe the great feeling the music brought to his heart were the reason why he was now craving something sweet and tasty.
Something like mint chocolate brownies, because eating them while watching the concert was a great end to his day. The only thing that was left was maybe a friend to talk to for a minute, even if Colby was happy that his team had left him spend his free day on his own.
Maybe I could… Without hesitation, he took his cell phone and dialed a number. “David?”
“Oh… hi, Colby…”
“Am I bothering you?” Colby teased, knowing already what had surprised David.
“No, no… It’s just that you like to spend your free day alone, and now all of a sudden you’re calling me…”
“Ha, that’s true…,” the green-eyed agent had to admit. He rubbed the back of his neck, while he thought of an excuse. “I don’t know. I guess I felt a little alone and just wanted to hear a familiar voice…”
“Oh…”
“Sorry to bother you. I guess you guys must be very busy there, huh?”
David seemed to be more relaxed now. He was actually laughing a little bit when he said, “Yeah, we are…”
“Do you need me to go there, give you a hand or something?” Colby asked, getting up and taking a look at his living room, looking for his pants while he waited for David’s answer.
“Nah, we can handle it, don’t worry. Enjoy your free day. You deserve it.”
Laughing, Colby stopped looking for his clothes and stood in his place, one hand on his hip. “Yeah… I guess I do, after jumping onto moving vehicles, throwing myself at rivers and climbing houses, don’t I?”
He could hear David’s laughter on the other side of the line. “Probably.”
“Ok… so you really have it all covered?”
“Colby, please. Just rest. End your day well. You’ll have to work for the next six days, so relax now, when you actually can,” David firmly stated.
Overwhelmed by how his friend asked him to take things easy, Colby took a deep breath and sat on the sofa again. “I’ll try. Thanks, man.”
“Enjoy the rest of the evening. See you tomorrow.”
“See you soon.”
Slowly, the agent closed his phone and stared at it for half a minute. They’re fine. They’re there for me. They will always be, if I don’t let them down again.
He was finally able to leave his cell phone on the coffee table, and then he reached for another brownie. When he took a bite, it seemed to be more delicious than the ones he had eaten before. It must be the joy. Yeah, it has to be it.
The concert hadn’t ended yet. Now, the singer of the band was asking the public to howl at the moon like old wolfs who felt alone and knew they had made mistakes, but were trying to do what they thought was better.
So Colby howled. While people in the crowed did it on screen, he mimicked them inside his empty apartment. Confidently, he raised hit beer as if he was making a toast and howled.
There was nothing he could do to recover what he used to have but try his best. Emotionally speaking, it still would be hell from time to time, but it would also be so worthy. So be it. My friends are trying, and that is more than enough for me to try, too.
Soon, Colby fell asleep. A few minutes later, the change of music made him wake up; Travis Tritt wasn’t on TV anymore, so he turned it off. Suddenly, he could see that his place was a little bit of a mess, but he was so tired that all he could do was thank that he had bought food to go. The only thing he had to do was throw the rest of the pizza, its box and the beer bottles to the trash, and put the rest of the brownies in the fridge again.
He was able to brush his teeth and wash his face without falling asleep. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stepped into his dark bedroom and went towards his bed. It was a little bit cold, but that was good. It was summer and he loved to wrap the fresh sheets around, hold his pillow while resting his head on it. No naked sleeping tonight. Free day’s over.
Not being able to stay awake any longer, Colby got into his favorite sleeping position and yawned. But he didn’t close his eyes yet.
He took a look at the room that surrounded him. Everything was pretty much in the same place it had been when he had woken up that morning, simply because he had been at the apartment only for a few hours. And still, everything looked so different.
There was something wonderful about this feeling, the one that he used to get every time he went to sleep in his free day. The sounds of the city were still there, reminding him that he lived in L.A. and that he wasn’t an Idaho guy anymore, he was an FBI Agent who had to risk his life all the time in order to save others.
But even if it was dangerous, it was OK. He had everything he needed not to back out because of how ashamed he felt for his past actions.
You have your favorite band on TV, you have a job you love… you have friends. You’ve got the life you chose… A life, no matter how unusual or different it is from the one others have.
And maybe you don’t have everything you want, but you have everything you need.
That will give you the courage to live the way you know it’s right. You’ll make decisions and transform them into actions. You’ll take your convictions and base every single step on them.
You’re not so far from getting back what’s really important. Happiness is not that far away anymore. Not if you stay in control.
Slowly, everything started to turn darker and darker… Colby could feel the way his body was losing its energy, the way his eyes couldn’t stay open anymore…
He could feel the fabric of the pillow brushing his fingertips. His body felt heavy, like it was being glued to the bed and the sheets were dragging him even closer to the mattress.
Colby knew he was about to fall asleep again. And when he let himself do it, the last thing he saw was the barely open window and the moonlight flooding part of the carpet.
He’d have almost a week to get worried about criminals and how crazy the world was. But now, he was at peace with himself, and that was all that mattered at the end of his free day.
THE END
If you'd like to know what song inspired me (it's the one Colby was listening to),
watch this video.
Characters: Colby, David.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: References to seasons 3 and 4.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Colby's free day gets to its end.
Author's note: This was written for the "All About Colby" challenge at savecolby.
Feedback: I love feedback. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one, it's been hunting me for ages. *g*
Disclaimer: I do not own Numb3rs or anything related to it. But I do own the original ideas and any OCs.
Beta: The great quirky_circe. Thank so much for all your help, hon!
Previous chapter: "To be in control" - Part 4/5 (Colby, Gen, PG-13)
To be in control - Part 5/5
It was eight p.m. when Colby arrived home. He had left his motorcycle, his beloved Jenny, at a rented garage; no more journeys today.
He had also bought a pizza on the way back. After all, he had already cooked today, and he was so tired that anything edible looked good at the moment.
After changing into a comfortable white t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he went to the fridge and pulled out a beer and the tray of brownies he had left there that morning. He bit one of the brownies and told himself that it was too cold; he didn’t like it that way, the low temperature somehow made the brownie lose some of its flavor.
As it was summer, the heat of the apartment would probably warm up the brownies; he could eat them as dessert. So he took the pizza and the beer to the living room and put them on his coffee table. Finally, he sat on his favorite big sofa and turned on the TV.
It was hard for him not to watch war movies, because they always brought memories about Dwayne and his old friends from the Army. It was also hard not to stare at the images of a car chase in a reality show, because it was obviously related to Colby’s job. But he managed to avoid thinking about work and pain and murders. He started flipping channels and smiled when he found a Travis Tritt concert that had taken place a couple of months ago.
He hadn’t seen that one yet, but of course, he knew all the lyrics. Happily, he hummed the melodies one by one while he ate the pizza. Most of the portions were soon gone, and maybe the great feeling the music brought to his heart were the reason why he was now craving something sweet and tasty.
Something like mint chocolate brownies, because eating them while watching the concert was a great end to his day. The only thing that was left was maybe a friend to talk to for a minute, even if Colby was happy that his team had left him spend his free day on his own.
Maybe I could… Without hesitation, he took his cell phone and dialed a number. “David?”
“Oh… hi, Colby…”
“Am I bothering you?” Colby teased, knowing already what had surprised David.
“No, no… It’s just that you like to spend your free day alone, and now all of a sudden you’re calling me…”
“Ha, that’s true…,” the green-eyed agent had to admit. He rubbed the back of his neck, while he thought of an excuse. “I don’t know. I guess I felt a little alone and just wanted to hear a familiar voice…”
“Oh…”
“Sorry to bother you. I guess you guys must be very busy there, huh?”
David seemed to be more relaxed now. He was actually laughing a little bit when he said, “Yeah, we are…”
“Do you need me to go there, give you a hand or something?” Colby asked, getting up and taking a look at his living room, looking for his pants while he waited for David’s answer.
“Nah, we can handle it, don’t worry. Enjoy your free day. You deserve it.”
Laughing, Colby stopped looking for his clothes and stood in his place, one hand on his hip. “Yeah… I guess I do, after jumping onto moving vehicles, throwing myself at rivers and climbing houses, don’t I?”
He could hear David’s laughter on the other side of the line. “Probably.”
“Ok… so you really have it all covered?”
“Colby, please. Just rest. End your day well. You’ll have to work for the next six days, so relax now, when you actually can,” David firmly stated.
Overwhelmed by how his friend asked him to take things easy, Colby took a deep breath and sat on the sofa again. “I’ll try. Thanks, man.”
“Enjoy the rest of the evening. See you tomorrow.”
“See you soon.”
Slowly, the agent closed his phone and stared at it for half a minute. They’re fine. They’re there for me. They will always be, if I don’t let them down again.
He was finally able to leave his cell phone on the coffee table, and then he reached for another brownie. When he took a bite, it seemed to be more delicious than the ones he had eaten before. It must be the joy. Yeah, it has to be it.
The concert hadn’t ended yet. Now, the singer of the band was asking the public to howl at the moon like old wolfs who felt alone and knew they had made mistakes, but were trying to do what they thought was better.
So Colby howled. While people in the crowed did it on screen, he mimicked them inside his empty apartment. Confidently, he raised hit beer as if he was making a toast and howled.
There was nothing he could do to recover what he used to have but try his best. Emotionally speaking, it still would be hell from time to time, but it would also be so worthy. So be it. My friends are trying, and that is more than enough for me to try, too.
Soon, Colby fell asleep. A few minutes later, the change of music made him wake up; Travis Tritt wasn’t on TV anymore, so he turned it off. Suddenly, he could see that his place was a little bit of a mess, but he was so tired that all he could do was thank that he had bought food to go. The only thing he had to do was throw the rest of the pizza, its box and the beer bottles to the trash, and put the rest of the brownies in the fridge again.
He was able to brush his teeth and wash his face without falling asleep. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stepped into his dark bedroom and went towards his bed. It was a little bit cold, but that was good. It was summer and he loved to wrap the fresh sheets around, hold his pillow while resting his head on it. No naked sleeping tonight. Free day’s over.
Not being able to stay awake any longer, Colby got into his favorite sleeping position and yawned. But he didn’t close his eyes yet.
He took a look at the room that surrounded him. Everything was pretty much in the same place it had been when he had woken up that morning, simply because he had been at the apartment only for a few hours. And still, everything looked so different.
There was something wonderful about this feeling, the one that he used to get every time he went to sleep in his free day. The sounds of the city were still there, reminding him that he lived in L.A. and that he wasn’t an Idaho guy anymore, he was an FBI Agent who had to risk his life all the time in order to save others.
But even if it was dangerous, it was OK. He had everything he needed not to back out because of how ashamed he felt for his past actions.
You have your favorite band on TV, you have a job you love… you have friends. You’ve got the life you chose… A life, no matter how unusual or different it is from the one others have.
And maybe you don’t have everything you want, but you have everything you need.
That will give you the courage to live the way you know it’s right. You’ll make decisions and transform them into actions. You’ll take your convictions and base every single step on them.
You’re not so far from getting back what’s really important. Happiness is not that far away anymore. Not if you stay in control.
Slowly, everything started to turn darker and darker… Colby could feel the way his body was losing its energy, the way his eyes couldn’t stay open anymore…
He could feel the fabric of the pillow brushing his fingertips. His body felt heavy, like it was being glued to the bed and the sheets were dragging him even closer to the mattress.
Colby knew he was about to fall asleep again. And when he let himself do it, the last thing he saw was the barely open window and the moonlight flooding part of the carpet.
He’d have almost a week to get worried about criminals and how crazy the world was. But now, he was at peace with himself, and that was all that mattered at the end of his free day.
THE END
If you'd like to know what song inspired me (it's the one Colby was listening to),
watch this video.
Click to view