Numb3rs fic: "112358: the breaking point" (David, Alice)
this was supposed to be a drabble!
Title: 112358: The breaking point.
Author: Keenir
Dedicated to: Mustangcandi, who asked for more of the pairing. And to Melissima, who is tirelessly helping (particularly with plot bunnies)
Character: Alice Chen/David Sinclair.
Prompt 229: Break
Rating: M
Word Count:
Spoilers: Trouble in Chinatown, Janus List, Trust Metric, any episode where David is showing how much he loves the rules.
Author's note: I once wrote a drabble series wherein Alice Chen is in an established relationship during Janus List. In *this* drabble, however, it is David/Alice. (hence the dedication)
Summary: Colby has been found guilty of treason and sent to prison - one would not think that this would bring David's love life to an abrupt halt, but one would be wrong.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. Seriously, if you think any of them are mine, let me tell you about this fine oceanfront property in Arizona...
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There were no cell calls in the car, no notes left on the table in the apartment to greet him when he got home. Just a frozen pizza sitting in an oven that hadn't been turned on. David accepted this, given what Alice had been through today, and started dinner himself.
It was during dinner that she said what he had been expecting: "Two and a half hours, David," Alice said.
"I did what I could," David said, thankful that she wasn't angry enough to address him as 'Mr Sinclair.' Even so, there would be no touching of knuckles or any other part of the hand this evening. "They wanted to hold you longer."
Alice made a rude sound out her nostrils. "Your people held me for two and a half hours. Mine questioned me for considerably longer."
Her people: immigration control. "You're not guilty," David said. "It's the truth. I know it, you know it." Granger knows it - has he ever said who he was working with? Not yet, I'd think.
"Do you know what the whiff of suspicion does?" Alice asked. "The idea that an ICE agent is working for a foreign state - you have no idea."
David had a very good idea: Alice prided herself on having a long familiy line of American citizens, nearly all of them Chinese. The merest accusation of a Chen being a traitor ran counter to tradition...to say nothing of the stain it was on the family honor. "They'll clear you," David said, trying to reassure her.
"Why would they do that? All the circumstantial evidence adds up - such as how you and Granger are good friends, good enough that he and I are at many of the same office barbeques and other get-togethers. One, one, two, three, five, eight," Alice said.
Fibannochi Sequence, David knew. The last two numbers add up to give you the next number, and so on...even if it doesn't look like anything nonrandom when you write it out. "Except that - and Charlie'll agree - they're seeing a pattern that's not there. There's nothing tying you and Colby."
"Six degrees of separation," Alice said. "We both know you."
Which goes back to what you were suggesting before - you know each other because of me. "What do you want me to say? Colby Granger's guilty of spying -"
"For one of the Chinese governments," Alice interjected.
"- but it was just him and that buddy of his, Dwayne Carter, doing it. Nobody else was involved."
She just looked at David, the pizza getting cold on her plate.
"What?" he asked.
"'Nobody else was involved' - Two and a half hours argues otherwise. They were looking for someone."
"They were just being thorough, making sure nobody slipped through the cracks."
"Well, I wouldn't want to slip through the cracks now."
"You know what I mean."
"No," Alice said, standing up. "I don't," and left the table, heading for their apartment door.
"Alcie," David said, turning around and starting to get up to go after her - stopping cold when he heard the door close. Dammit, Granger!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Title: 112358: The breaking point.
Author: Keenir
Dedicated to: Mustangcandi, who asked for more of the pairing. And to Melissima, who is tirelessly helping (particularly with plot bunnies)
Character: Alice Chen/David Sinclair.
Prompt 229: Break
Rating: M
Word Count:
Spoilers: Trouble in Chinatown, Janus List, Trust Metric, any episode where David is showing how much he loves the rules.
Author's note: I once wrote a drabble series wherein Alice Chen is in an established relationship during Janus List. In *this* drabble, however, it is David/Alice. (hence the dedication)
Summary: Colby has been found guilty of treason and sent to prison - one would not think that this would bring David's love life to an abrupt halt, but one would be wrong.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. Seriously, if you think any of them are mine, let me tell you about this fine oceanfront property in Arizona...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There were no cell calls in the car, no notes left on the table in the apartment to greet him when he got home. Just a frozen pizza sitting in an oven that hadn't been turned on. David accepted this, given what Alice had been through today, and started dinner himself.
It was during dinner that she said what he had been expecting: "Two and a half hours, David," Alice said.
"I did what I could," David said, thankful that she wasn't angry enough to address him as 'Mr Sinclair.' Even so, there would be no touching of knuckles or any other part of the hand this evening. "They wanted to hold you longer."
Alice made a rude sound out her nostrils. "Your people held me for two and a half hours. Mine questioned me for considerably longer."
Her people: immigration control. "You're not guilty," David said. "It's the truth. I know it, you know it." Granger knows it - has he ever said who he was working with? Not yet, I'd think.
"Do you know what the whiff of suspicion does?" Alice asked. "The idea that an ICE agent is working for a foreign state - you have no idea."
David had a very good idea: Alice prided herself on having a long familiy line of American citizens, nearly all of them Chinese. The merest accusation of a Chen being a traitor ran counter to tradition...to say nothing of the stain it was on the family honor. "They'll clear you," David said, trying to reassure her.
"Why would they do that? All the circumstantial evidence adds up - such as how you and Granger are good friends, good enough that he and I are at many of the same office barbeques and other get-togethers. One, one, two, three, five, eight," Alice said.
Fibannochi Sequence, David knew. The last two numbers add up to give you the next number, and so on...even if it doesn't look like anything nonrandom when you write it out. "Except that - and Charlie'll agree - they're seeing a pattern that's not there. There's nothing tying you and Colby."
"Six degrees of separation," Alice said. "We both know you."
Which goes back to what you were suggesting before - you know each other because of me. "What do you want me to say? Colby Granger's guilty of spying -"
"For one of the Chinese governments," Alice interjected.
"- but it was just him and that buddy of his, Dwayne Carter, doing it. Nobody else was involved."
She just looked at David, the pizza getting cold on her plate.
"What?" he asked.
"'Nobody else was involved' - Two and a half hours argues otherwise. They were looking for someone."
"They were just being thorough, making sure nobody slipped through the cracks."
"Well, I wouldn't want to slip through the cracks now."
"You know what I mean."
"No," Alice said, standing up. "I don't," and left the table, heading for their apartment door.
"Alcie," David said, turning around and starting to get up to go after her - stopping cold when he heard the door close. Dammit, Granger!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End