Lead Me Home, Numb3rs, Part 7/84
Don't own; don't sue.
AN: A little shorter bit than I've been posting. Not entirely happy with it. The scene is SO clear in my head, not sure it is on paper.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
When Colby entered the kitchen a few minutes after he hung up with Charlie, it was to find Keith playing solitaire at the table. Jason was no where to be seen.
“Hey! You skunk the big bro so bad he had to go pout in the barn?”
Keith laughed. “Nah. He took the boys out to see the lambs.”
“The boys…” Colby looked out the window to see three sets of tracks headed towards the barns. “Maybe I should go out and see them. I haven’t seen Jamie since he was 2 and Josh was just a newborn.”
“They’ve been out there awhile. They’ll be in soon.”
Colby whirled around to look at the speaker. “Sarah.”
Sarah Greenwaldt was Colby’s sister-in-law in all but name and living arrangement. She’d been Jason’s girlfriend on and off since they were in high school and the mother of his two boys.
“It’s great to see you, Colb.”
“You, too.” Colby took in Sarah as he stepped closer. She was still a slim, despite two kids. Her brown hair was much longer than when he’d seen her last. Her blue eyes were exactly the same though, sparkling with love and mischief. Her 5’7” figure just seemed to glow. “You got my brother to put a ring on your finger, yet?”
Laughing, Sarah shook her head and stepped into his hug.
“Hoping for a girl this time?” Colby whispered in her ear.
She pulled back to look at his face. “How did you-?”
“You’re glowing.”
“We haven’t told anyone yet.”
“Okay.”
Keith cleared his throat. “That hug gets any longer and I might have to tell Jason.”
Sarah laughed and smacked the back of his head. “I can hug Colby as long as I want. He’s my favorite Granger boy.”
“Oh, now I’m definitely telling Jase.”
“Just go back to your cheating at solitaire.”
Colby laughed and shook his head. This was why he loved his family.
“You and the boys staying for dinner?” he asked as he checked to see that someone had put in dinner. He then opened the dishwasher and started putting the clean dishes away.
“We’re here until after the holiday.”
“How did you get Christmas weekend off? I thought you had lowest seniority at the paper.”
Sarah smiled and took a stack of plates from him. “I told ‘em I’d quit if I didn’t. And considering they’d only have Irma the drunk to cover my stories….”
Colby nodded. Ever since Old Lady Smith had retired from the crime beat, they’d had a hell of a time replacing her. Sarah was the best they had but she only wanted part-time so she could be with the boys.
“Things been pretty quiet, otherwise?”
Sarah shrugged. “Fewer of the usual stuff, more of the weird, so about the same.”
“Weird how?”
“Oh no. No,” Keith turned around on his chair to look at the two of them. “You are not working.”
“I’m just making small talk, Keith. I have no intentions of using my badge while at home.”
“You brought your badge with you?”
“Well, yeah, it and my gun go everywhere with me.”
Sarah gasped and Colby turned to reassure her. “Don’t worry; I all ready locked the gun in the lockbox in my room. The boys shouldn’t get into it.”
“Good, but you’d better not let Mom find out you brought either of them home with you.”
Colby frowned. “I thought Mom was proud of me being in the FBI.”
“She is, but…” Keith shrugged instead of finishing his sentence.
“Colb, she was really worried about you. I mean really worried. She wants you to… She wants… She thinks you need a perfect time while at home with no stress.”
“Like that’s gonna happen.”
“What’s that mean?”
Colby sighed. “I know everyone’s curious and all, but I don’t want to talk about this fall. And not talking about what people want to talk about is stressful.”
Keith pursed his lips for a moment. “We just… we just want to make sure that you’re dealing with everything. That you’re… okay.”
“The bureau’s making me see a shrink.”
“Yes, but is it helping?”
Colby shrugged. “I dunno. I just want to get back to my life. Working crazy cases with a great team and…”
“And?”
“And maybe do some things I couldn’t do before.”
“Like?”
“Like date or go away for the weekend when I have one off instead of sitting home in case something came up or pursue those friendships I was avoiding because I was too busy spying. My life’s good but it could be better. Why not go for it?”
Sarah smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Why not, indeed?”
Next
AN: A little shorter bit than I've been posting. Not entirely happy with it. The scene is SO clear in my head, not sure it is on paper.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
When Colby entered the kitchen a few minutes after he hung up with Charlie, it was to find Keith playing solitaire at the table. Jason was no where to be seen.
“Hey! You skunk the big bro so bad he had to go pout in the barn?”
Keith laughed. “Nah. He took the boys out to see the lambs.”
“The boys…” Colby looked out the window to see three sets of tracks headed towards the barns. “Maybe I should go out and see them. I haven’t seen Jamie since he was 2 and Josh was just a newborn.”
“They’ve been out there awhile. They’ll be in soon.”
Colby whirled around to look at the speaker. “Sarah.”
Sarah Greenwaldt was Colby’s sister-in-law in all but name and living arrangement. She’d been Jason’s girlfriend on and off since they were in high school and the mother of his two boys.
“It’s great to see you, Colb.”
“You, too.” Colby took in Sarah as he stepped closer. She was still a slim, despite two kids. Her brown hair was much longer than when he’d seen her last. Her blue eyes were exactly the same though, sparkling with love and mischief. Her 5’7” figure just seemed to glow. “You got my brother to put a ring on your finger, yet?”
Laughing, Sarah shook her head and stepped into his hug.
“Hoping for a girl this time?” Colby whispered in her ear.
She pulled back to look at his face. “How did you-?”
“You’re glowing.”
“We haven’t told anyone yet.”
“Okay.”
Keith cleared his throat. “That hug gets any longer and I might have to tell Jason.”
Sarah laughed and smacked the back of his head. “I can hug Colby as long as I want. He’s my favorite Granger boy.”
“Oh, now I’m definitely telling Jase.”
“Just go back to your cheating at solitaire.”
Colby laughed and shook his head. This was why he loved his family.
“You and the boys staying for dinner?” he asked as he checked to see that someone had put in dinner. He then opened the dishwasher and started putting the clean dishes away.
“We’re here until after the holiday.”
“How did you get Christmas weekend off? I thought you had lowest seniority at the paper.”
Sarah smiled and took a stack of plates from him. “I told ‘em I’d quit if I didn’t. And considering they’d only have Irma the drunk to cover my stories….”
Colby nodded. Ever since Old Lady Smith had retired from the crime beat, they’d had a hell of a time replacing her. Sarah was the best they had but she only wanted part-time so she could be with the boys.
“Things been pretty quiet, otherwise?”
Sarah shrugged. “Fewer of the usual stuff, more of the weird, so about the same.”
“Weird how?”
“Oh no. No,” Keith turned around on his chair to look at the two of them. “You are not working.”
“I’m just making small talk, Keith. I have no intentions of using my badge while at home.”
“You brought your badge with you?”
“Well, yeah, it and my gun go everywhere with me.”
Sarah gasped and Colby turned to reassure her. “Don’t worry; I all ready locked the gun in the lockbox in my room. The boys shouldn’t get into it.”
“Good, but you’d better not let Mom find out you brought either of them home with you.”
Colby frowned. “I thought Mom was proud of me being in the FBI.”
“She is, but…” Keith shrugged instead of finishing his sentence.
“Colb, she was really worried about you. I mean really worried. She wants you to… She wants… She thinks you need a perfect time while at home with no stress.”
“Like that’s gonna happen.”
“What’s that mean?”
Colby sighed. “I know everyone’s curious and all, but I don’t want to talk about this fall. And not talking about what people want to talk about is stressful.”
Keith pursed his lips for a moment. “We just… we just want to make sure that you’re dealing with everything. That you’re… okay.”
“The bureau’s making me see a shrink.”
“Yes, but is it helping?”
Colby shrugged. “I dunno. I just want to get back to my life. Working crazy cases with a great team and…”
“And?”
“And maybe do some things I couldn’t do before.”
“Like?”
“Like date or go away for the weekend when I have one off instead of sitting home in case something came up or pursue those friendships I was avoiding because I was too busy spying. My life’s good but it could be better. Why not go for it?”
Sarah smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Why not, indeed?”
Next