New Numb3rs Fic which I hate
Title: Spring Break ‘08
Fandom: Numb3rs
Characters: Alan, Charlie, Don Eppes and Millie Finch (Alan/Millie)
Prompt: #62 Spring
Word Count: 1115
Rating: T
Summary: This is Spring Break. There is no thinking during Spring Break.
Author's Notes: See Assertion
Sliding one hand into the curls at the base of his scalp, she wrapped her other arm around one of his, while she perched her chin on his shoulder. “An hour ago, you were the happiest guy in San Diego, now you look like a little boy who just had his balloon burst.”
“Nice turn of phrase,” his chuckle was low, but sincere.
“Well, I did take a couple of English courses in my 30 years of education.” She nudged her chin into his shoulder, “Come on, what’s the matter?”
Alan sighed as he turned his head to look at Millie, “I was just thinking…”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Millie interrupted, pulling away from him slightly as she shook her head. “This is Spring Break. There is no thinking during Spring Break.”
His laugh was finally full bodied as he pulled her into his arms and twisted them so that he was leaning against the railing and she was leaning against him. “I keep telling you, I’m not a professor.”
“Could be, though. I’ve got connections, don’t cha know.”
Alan shook his head and rolled his eyes. Sometimes she was too much, but other times she was just right. “I really think two professors is enough in this family. Thank you very much.”
“Two? Did Charlie run off and marry Amita without telling me,” Millie looked decidedly confused.
Alan sighed, “I meant you, you ninny. This is a family vacation. You’re with us on the vacation. Ergo, you are part of the family.”
“Oh!” The sheer look of joy that passed over her face vanished quickly, “Is that what you were thinking about? When you looked so sad, where you thinking about the fact that Margaret wasn’t here to be a part of the family and the fun.”
Alan wouldn’t lie to her, “Yes, that is part of it. I always miss Margaret and it’s more intense when the boys are… well, are being boys, but it’s more than that. Did you see the look on their faces just now?”
“You mean, when the Professor and the Special Agent turned into five year olds when they found out that they could explore a submarine?”
“Yeah, that would be the look,” Alan laughed as he pushed a piece of hair that was being whipped in the sea breeze behind Millie’s ear. “The shame of it is that I so rarely saw that look when they were boys. The few family vacations that we were able to take never seemed to work out that well. The boys would fight. Charlie would be bored or Don would be bored or something would happen. Mostly though, we wouldn’t be able to even go away cause of Charlie’s tutoring schedule or Donnie’s sports schedule. Then by the time Charlie could have started really enjoying camping and fishing he was on his way to Princeton. Sometimes I just think my boys were both forced to grow up too fast. I feel a little like we all got cheated out of their childhood.”
Millie frowned, but was unsure about what to say. Instead, she just turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. They stayed that way for several long moments, Millie starring at the Star of India and Alan watching the cars zip along Harbor Drive.
“Oh, yuck, they’re hugging.”
Charlie’s voice made them look towards the ramp leading up from the submarine just in time to see Don lightly shove his brother.
“Better than watching you sticking your tongue down Amita’s throat,” Don laughed.
“We don’t do that,” Charlie complained as he hopped up to sit on the railing that Alan was leaning against.
“Yes, you do,” the other three voices agreed in harmony.
Charlie sighed as he rested a hand on Alan’s shoulder, “Okay, we do. We try to do it privately, but you guys keep walking in on us.”
“Then you should do it in your office.”
“Or in the living room.”
“Or in the war room.”
Alan and Millie stared at Don, before Alan spoke, “They’ve done that at the FBI offices?”
Charlie swatted at Don, “Can we talk about something else?”
“How was the submarine,” Millie asked, smiling pointedly at Charlie.
“It was awesome,” Don rocked on his heels. “Though, I got to admit being in that thing for half an hour I can get how Larry was an a little… more Larry like when he got back. Sure the ISS is bigger than that, but four months in something like that and I think I’d be looking for wide open spaces, too.”
Alan patted Don’s shoulder when he blushed suddenly at his own words, “That some very nice insight there, son.”
“Yeah,” Don ducked his head for a moment. Looking up, he smacked his brother’s shoulder, “Tell Pop what that guide down there told us, Chuck.”
Charlie kicked his brother for the use of the hated nickname, “Oh, yeah, this guy was telling us about the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla. He was telling us that they offer tandem flights for both paragliding and hang gliding. We thought maybe we could do that tomorrow morning. It sounds really cool.”
“You want to jump off a cliff,” Alan stated in disbelief.
Don laughed, “We don’t want to jump off a cliff, Dad. We want to go paragliding.”
“Yeah, Dad, as long as the prevailing wind conditions are good, then the therm…”
Don clasped a hand over his brother’s mouth, “Do not turn something fun into a Physic lesson, geek.”
Charlie licked his brother’s hand, which made Don pull it back and rub it clean on Charlie’s shirt. “Jerk.”
Patting Alan’s chest, Millie laughed, “Charlie’s right, Alan. It is a relatively safe sport and the gliderport has an excellent record. But, I have an idea. Why don’t we go to the zoo in the morning and then the boys can go paragliding in the late afternoon? Sunset is amazing over the cliffs in that area.”
“Oh, that would be a great idea,” Charlie jumped off the railing. “The thermal uplifts should be…”
Don growled, “Run, Charlie, run.”
With a yelp, Charlie took off in a dead run towards the parking lot. His brother was close on his heal.
Alan rolled his eyes and took Millie’s hand, “We better get to the car before they kill each other.”
“You know, Don and Charlie may have missed out on their childhood, but they certainly are enjoying their second childhood,” Millie winked at him.
Alan looked at where Don had Charlie in a fireman’s hold and was trotting towards the car. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe Millie was right. A smile bloomed across his face.
Fandom: Numb3rs
Characters: Alan, Charlie, Don Eppes and Millie Finch (Alan/Millie)
Prompt: #62 Spring
Word Count: 1115
Rating: T
Summary: This is Spring Break. There is no thinking during Spring Break.
Author's Notes: See Assertion
Sliding one hand into the curls at the base of his scalp, she wrapped her other arm around one of his, while she perched her chin on his shoulder. “An hour ago, you were the happiest guy in San Diego, now you look like a little boy who just had his balloon burst.”
“Nice turn of phrase,” his chuckle was low, but sincere.
“Well, I did take a couple of English courses in my 30 years of education.” She nudged her chin into his shoulder, “Come on, what’s the matter?”
Alan sighed as he turned his head to look at Millie, “I was just thinking…”
“Oh, no, no, no,” Millie interrupted, pulling away from him slightly as she shook her head. “This is Spring Break. There is no thinking during Spring Break.”
His laugh was finally full bodied as he pulled her into his arms and twisted them so that he was leaning against the railing and she was leaning against him. “I keep telling you, I’m not a professor.”
“Could be, though. I’ve got connections, don’t cha know.”
Alan shook his head and rolled his eyes. Sometimes she was too much, but other times she was just right. “I really think two professors is enough in this family. Thank you very much.”
“Two? Did Charlie run off and marry Amita without telling me,” Millie looked decidedly confused.
Alan sighed, “I meant you, you ninny. This is a family vacation. You’re with us on the vacation. Ergo, you are part of the family.”
“Oh!” The sheer look of joy that passed over her face vanished quickly, “Is that what you were thinking about? When you looked so sad, where you thinking about the fact that Margaret wasn’t here to be a part of the family and the fun.”
Alan wouldn’t lie to her, “Yes, that is part of it. I always miss Margaret and it’s more intense when the boys are… well, are being boys, but it’s more than that. Did you see the look on their faces just now?”
“You mean, when the Professor and the Special Agent turned into five year olds when they found out that they could explore a submarine?”
“Yeah, that would be the look,” Alan laughed as he pushed a piece of hair that was being whipped in the sea breeze behind Millie’s ear. “The shame of it is that I so rarely saw that look when they were boys. The few family vacations that we were able to take never seemed to work out that well. The boys would fight. Charlie would be bored or Don would be bored or something would happen. Mostly though, we wouldn’t be able to even go away cause of Charlie’s tutoring schedule or Donnie’s sports schedule. Then by the time Charlie could have started really enjoying camping and fishing he was on his way to Princeton. Sometimes I just think my boys were both forced to grow up too fast. I feel a little like we all got cheated out of their childhood.”
Millie frowned, but was unsure about what to say. Instead, she just turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his waist. They stayed that way for several long moments, Millie starring at the Star of India and Alan watching the cars zip along Harbor Drive.
“Oh, yuck, they’re hugging.”
Charlie’s voice made them look towards the ramp leading up from the submarine just in time to see Don lightly shove his brother.
“Better than watching you sticking your tongue down Amita’s throat,” Don laughed.
“We don’t do that,” Charlie complained as he hopped up to sit on the railing that Alan was leaning against.
“Yes, you do,” the other three voices agreed in harmony.
Charlie sighed as he rested a hand on Alan’s shoulder, “Okay, we do. We try to do it privately, but you guys keep walking in on us.”
“Then you should do it in your office.”
“Or in the living room.”
“Or in the war room.”
Alan and Millie stared at Don, before Alan spoke, “They’ve done that at the FBI offices?”
Charlie swatted at Don, “Can we talk about something else?”
“How was the submarine,” Millie asked, smiling pointedly at Charlie.
“It was awesome,” Don rocked on his heels. “Though, I got to admit being in that thing for half an hour I can get how Larry was an a little… more Larry like when he got back. Sure the ISS is bigger than that, but four months in something like that and I think I’d be looking for wide open spaces, too.”
Alan patted Don’s shoulder when he blushed suddenly at his own words, “That some very nice insight there, son.”
“Yeah,” Don ducked his head for a moment. Looking up, he smacked his brother’s shoulder, “Tell Pop what that guide down there told us, Chuck.”
Charlie kicked his brother for the use of the hated nickname, “Oh, yeah, this guy was telling us about the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla. He was telling us that they offer tandem flights for both paragliding and hang gliding. We thought maybe we could do that tomorrow morning. It sounds really cool.”
“You want to jump off a cliff,” Alan stated in disbelief.
Don laughed, “We don’t want to jump off a cliff, Dad. We want to go paragliding.”
“Yeah, Dad, as long as the prevailing wind conditions are good, then the therm…”
Don clasped a hand over his brother’s mouth, “Do not turn something fun into a Physic lesson, geek.”
Charlie licked his brother’s hand, which made Don pull it back and rub it clean on Charlie’s shirt. “Jerk.”
Patting Alan’s chest, Millie laughed, “Charlie’s right, Alan. It is a relatively safe sport and the gliderport has an excellent record. But, I have an idea. Why don’t we go to the zoo in the morning and then the boys can go paragliding in the late afternoon? Sunset is amazing over the cliffs in that area.”
“Oh, that would be a great idea,” Charlie jumped off the railing. “The thermal uplifts should be…”
Don growled, “Run, Charlie, run.”
With a yelp, Charlie took off in a dead run towards the parking lot. His brother was close on his heal.
Alan rolled his eyes and took Millie’s hand, “We better get to the car before they kill each other.”
“You know, Don and Charlie may have missed out on their childhood, but they certainly are enjoying their second childhood,” Millie winked at him.
Alan looked at where Don had Charlie in a fireman’s hold and was trotting towards the car. He couldn’t help thinking that maybe Millie was right. A smile bloomed across his face.