Title: Good deeds
Fandom: Numb3rs
Genre: Gen, with some het musings (Colby/OFC)
Rating: PG
Characters: Colby, David, Amita, Charlie, OCs.
Spoilers: season 2
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not being paid.
Word count: 969
A/N: Thank you to Cha Oseye Tempest Thrain for the beta and fixing my oftentimes awkward sentences. Based somewhat on a real event. Proof that I can write something other than hurt Don.
Summary: Colby and David help out with a student's broken down car.
"Oh, wow. That's pathetic."
"What?" Colby asked, glancing ahead on the road. There was a surprising amount of traffic heading into the CalSci campus considering the fact that it was summer break.
"There, at the entrance," David replied, a look of bemusement on his face.
Colby finally saw what he was referring to. There was a broken down car in the turn to the entrance and three girls trying to push it up the slope and out of the way where the road widened. Every single car that was faced with the unmoving vehicle skirted around it and drove into CalSci or continued along the road past the campus, the occupants choosing to ignore what they'd seen.
"That is pathetic," Colby agreed. By the looks of it the car was slowly moving, but an extra one or two people, or just one extra guy who had some muscle would have it out of the way in no time. Colby turned on the indicator and pulled over to the side of the road. "Blue tank top is kinda cute."
"Two words for you: jail bait." They both pulled off their seat belts and opened their doors.
"She's at college, she can't be that young," Colby disagreed. He put a hand up when David opened his mouth, realising exactly what he'd walked in to. "And who do we know that went to college at thirteen? Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jail bait."
One of the girls had noticed their presence, pointing back towards them before turning and helping to push the car again.
"Ladies, can we help?" Colby asked rhetorically as they walked up, before putting his hands on the back of the car and adding his weight to the push. It quickly started moving faster and in moments David had taken the place of the two girls at the back, leaving the third at the driver's-side door turning the wheel to guide the car. Another twenty seconds and the car was finally up in the entrance and out of the way.
The driver reached in, pulled on the handbrake and shifted the car into park. "Thank you all so much," she gushed when she turned back. "I didn't think anyone was going to help."
"Yeah, well, funny how it wasn't until three girls were pushing it that anybody did bother stopping," the girl in the blue tank top said dryly. "And even then, you wouldn't believe how many cars went past."
They stayed to make sure that the driver had roadside assistance and could get through on her cell, before walking back to their own vehicle. Colby couldn't help but note that the girl in the blue tank top was going into the campus.
"Not jail bait," David said, noticing his attention. "She looked in her twenties."
"Yeah, anyway, the chances of us ever seeing her again? Pretty low," Colby replied as he turned the engine back on.
It was much easier parking on campus during summer break. While on occasion they'd had to park illegally during the semester, today there were plenty of spaces to choose from.
As they started walking towards Charlie's building, David nudged him. "Hey, man." David gestured subtly to the girl in a blue tank top approaching from their side. "What did you say about seeing her again?" He raised his voice as they got to the entrance of the building. "Fancy meeting you here."
The girl almost visibly started, turning her head to look at them.
"Oh, hey." She smiled and it ramped up Colby's interest. "Let me guess, seeing Professor Eppes?"
"Yeah, actually," Colby replied, trying to sound casual. "And you?"
She sighed, an obviously put on sound. "Me, I'm a lowly PhD student in the physics department. I share an office in here."
"What are you working on?" Colby asked, hoping that the years of hanging out with Charlie, Amita and Larry would give him some vague idea of what her reply meant.
"I work in quantum computing. Believe me, that's as deep as you want me to go in explanation. And this is me." She stopped at her office door. "Nice meeting you." She smiled and opened the door, stepping inside.
"You too," Colby replied as they continued walking past.
"Very smooth," David commented. "You didn't even get her name."
Colby shrugged. "How many female PhD students can there be in quantum computing?" He knocked at Charlie's open door before stepping in the room. "Charlie, how's it going? Amita." He nodded to her and she smiled back.
Charlie looked up from his computer. "Colby, David. Some more work from Don?"
"Ah, yeah," David replied. "Hey, do you know any of the PhD students in the physics department?"
"I do," Amita said. "Anybody in particular?"
At that David raised an eyebrow at Colby and grinned.
"All right, all right," Colby muttered. "She's in quantum computing, around five seven, long, curly, dark-brown hair..."
"I think you mean Tanya. And I think she's seeing someone, Josh, one of the math PhD students. Sorry." Amita gave a sad grimace.
"Just my luck," Colby replied with a wry grin.
"However, I think Nicole isn't seeing anyone." There was a speculative look on Amita's face.
"No, that's okay, I'm fine," Colby said hastily, wanting to close the potential can of worms he'd just opened. He did not want Amita to make it a mission to set him up with someone. There was only so many blind dates you could go through in your life. "Can we get back to why we're actually here?"
"I thought Josh was dating Rebecca," Charlie said, clearly puzzled.
"Oh, they broke up six months ago. He started dating Tanya about two months ago, I think. But Nicole is nice, Colby. Really nice..."
Oh, yeah, this wasn't going to end well.
--FIN--
A/N: If only there had been some cute FBI agents around when I helped out in a similar situation a few years ago...all we ended up with was a lovely truckie.