(no subject)
story Title: There but for the grace of - go I
author: Keenir
story Summary: Minus one person, some things change and some things never change, and maybe some only need a chance.
part one: gravitas
summary: In the beginning, literally and otherwise.
______________________________________________________________
TIME: Don's childhood:
"No? But I thought..." little Don said. "You said I was gonna be a big brother."
Alan nods. "The doctor thought so," Alan says finally, coming to a decision. "He made a mistake."
"So who are we gonna play catch with?"
"Well there's Val down the road."
Alan can pretty well read his son's face: a girl?
______
TIME: early s5:
"So?" David asked, just the three of them in the bullpen; Don and everyone else were out right now.
"What?" Larry asked.
"C'mon man," Colby said. "Don't play dumb."
"I harbor serious doubts that I could do more than a passable impression thereof."
"You know what we mean," David said. "The only times you come up here without your protege, are when you're going to ask Megan out on a date."
Larry ducked his head, knowing when he'd been sussed out.
"That's what's weird," Colby said. "I mean, is there some air of mystery you like holding over your students, or something?"
"Former student," Larry said. "And no, there's no mystery. I just...I..." and frowned. "You know, you're right, I didn't even realize I was doing it."
"Ha!" Colby said, a little cheer of victory, of having guessed correctly.
"No, I speak of Agent Sinclair's observations."
David grinned. "Pay up," he told Colby.
"Man," Granger said, forking over the five dollars. "Next time, we bet with pizza."
"Already forgotten what happened the last time we did that?" he asked Granger.
Colby shuddered. "No tomatoes," which meant that, yes, he did remember. "And next time, Amita will be here to watch the master work the field?"
"I'm perfectly happy with one tree," Larry replied, deliberately misunderstanding the question - and the expressions on the other two, suggests that his response has had exactly the effect he'd planned for: Colby's mock-shocked that the master isn't a Granger, and David's amused that Colby was thwarted.
"What are you going to tell Megan?" David asks. "I mean you usually start out with an analogy or a direct comparison."
"So help me," Colby tells David, "if he says he loves her gravitas, I may be sick."
"I would never do that," Larry objects.
"Never do what?" Megan asked, her and Liz having just now succeeded in sneaking up on the three guys.
"I would never say I love your gravitas," Larry said.
Megan raised an eyebrow, the gesture saying continue, hombre and you got some 'splaining to do.
Liz chuckled. "You don't like the fact she can boss you around?" Liz teased. "Speaking of which, where's your shadow?"
"Professor Ramanujan is working late," Larry said.
"To admire your gravitas to the degree implicit in love," Larry said to Megan, "would be to say that I would only have feelings for you when you hold positions of authority."
"Good save," David said.
Megan nodded her agreement just before her cell rang and, when she clapped it shut at the call's end, "Don wants boots on the ground," he wants backup, as she headed back toward the elevator.
"On it," David said as he, Granger, and Warner tossed on their jackets en route to join her.
"What's the plural of gravity?" Colby asked, almost a parting shot.
"Gravities," Larry said, puzzled by the question, suspecting that, were it not for that call to duty, there'd be another shoe dropping.
"Gravities," Colby repeated, this time with an accent that made it sound like gravitas.
___________
When they come inside the lab's control room, Liz can't help but spare a look across the glass partition into the lab itself, thinking how much Ian would love the design of these machines, with their guns-firing-into-guns-into-guns.
Colby and David split from the group to question lab employees. Megan splits off next to review logs and records.
When Liz comes up to where he's standing, taking it all in, Don nods to her. "How's he doing?" Don asks Liz.
"Stable," Liz says, appreciating the concern.
Don reads her eyes, knows that stable means no change and still in that coma. "You know what, why don't you go talk to the guy they've got wrapped up in the blankets over there," touchlessly redirecting her towards the lab's door beside the partition.
"You don't want to handle him?" Liz asks, feeling that she should at least try to put up some resistance or banter.
"The kid scares me," Don admitted.
Great, Liz thinks to herself. Thanks, Don.
There's only one half-hearted attempt to stop her from heading into the next room, and even that much is quashed when Liz flashes her FBI badge at the guy with way too many pocket protectors.
The tousled-haired young man looks up at the nearing sound of Liz's feet, and from under a mop of overcurly hair kept trimmed to the limits of his skull. "Hey Liz," Charlie says.
"Who are you?" she asks.
author: Keenir
story Summary: Minus one person, some things change and some things never change, and maybe some only need a chance.
part one: gravitas
summary: In the beginning, literally and otherwise.
______________________________________________________________
TIME: Don's childhood:
"No? But I thought..." little Don said. "You said I was gonna be a big brother."
Alan nods. "The doctor thought so," Alan says finally, coming to a decision. "He made a mistake."
"So who are we gonna play catch with?"
"Well there's Val down the road."
Alan can pretty well read his son's face: a girl?
______
TIME: early s5:
"So?" David asked, just the three of them in the bullpen; Don and everyone else were out right now.
"What?" Larry asked.
"C'mon man," Colby said. "Don't play dumb."
"I harbor serious doubts that I could do more than a passable impression thereof."
"You know what we mean," David said. "The only times you come up here without your protege, are when you're going to ask Megan out on a date."
Larry ducked his head, knowing when he'd been sussed out.
"That's what's weird," Colby said. "I mean, is there some air of mystery you like holding over your students, or something?"
"Former student," Larry said. "And no, there's no mystery. I just...I..." and frowned. "You know, you're right, I didn't even realize I was doing it."
"Ha!" Colby said, a little cheer of victory, of having guessed correctly.
"No, I speak of Agent Sinclair's observations."
David grinned. "Pay up," he told Colby.
"Man," Granger said, forking over the five dollars. "Next time, we bet with pizza."
"Already forgotten what happened the last time we did that?" he asked Granger.
Colby shuddered. "No tomatoes," which meant that, yes, he did remember. "And next time, Amita will be here to watch the master work the field?"
"I'm perfectly happy with one tree," Larry replied, deliberately misunderstanding the question - and the expressions on the other two, suggests that his response has had exactly the effect he'd planned for: Colby's mock-shocked that the master isn't a Granger, and David's amused that Colby was thwarted.
"What are you going to tell Megan?" David asks. "I mean you usually start out with an analogy or a direct comparison."
"So help me," Colby tells David, "if he says he loves her gravitas, I may be sick."
"I would never do that," Larry objects.
"Never do what?" Megan asked, her and Liz having just now succeeded in sneaking up on the three guys.
"I would never say I love your gravitas," Larry said.
Megan raised an eyebrow, the gesture saying continue, hombre and you got some 'splaining to do.
Liz chuckled. "You don't like the fact she can boss you around?" Liz teased. "Speaking of which, where's your shadow?"
"Professor Ramanujan is working late," Larry said.
"To admire your gravitas to the degree implicit in love," Larry said to Megan, "would be to say that I would only have feelings for you when you hold positions of authority."
"Good save," David said.
Megan nodded her agreement just before her cell rang and, when she clapped it shut at the call's end, "Don wants boots on the ground," he wants backup, as she headed back toward the elevator.
"On it," David said as he, Granger, and Warner tossed on their jackets en route to join her.
"What's the plural of gravity?" Colby asked, almost a parting shot.
"Gravities," Larry said, puzzled by the question, suspecting that, were it not for that call to duty, there'd be another shoe dropping.
"Gravities," Colby repeated, this time with an accent that made it sound like gravitas.
___________
When they come inside the lab's control room, Liz can't help but spare a look across the glass partition into the lab itself, thinking how much Ian would love the design of these machines, with their guns-firing-into-guns-into-guns.
Colby and David split from the group to question lab employees. Megan splits off next to review logs and records.
When Liz comes up to where he's standing, taking it all in, Don nods to her. "How's he doing?" Don asks Liz.
"Stable," Liz says, appreciating the concern.
Don reads her eyes, knows that stable means no change and still in that coma. "You know what, why don't you go talk to the guy they've got wrapped up in the blankets over there," touchlessly redirecting her towards the lab's door beside the partition.
"You don't want to handle him?" Liz asks, feeling that she should at least try to put up some resistance or banter.
"The kid scares me," Don admitted.
Great, Liz thinks to herself. Thanks, Don.
There's only one half-hearted attempt to stop her from heading into the next room, and even that much is quashed when Liz flashes her FBI badge at the guy with way too many pocket protectors.
The tousled-haired young man looks up at the nearing sound of Liz's feet, and from under a mop of overcurly hair kept trimmed to the limits of his skull. "Hey Liz," Charlie says.
"Who are you?" she asks.