Title: O is for Orange Sky
Author:DreamBrother
Summary:(Summer Alphabet Challenge 2007) Role reversal of V is for Vanilla Sky
Disclaimer:I do not, nor will I ever, own Numb3rs.
Author's Note:Title taken from an Alexi Murdoch song. I think I'm becoming a very Equal Opportunity writer. If Charlie was this way, how would Don would have been? And so on and so forth. And the title was too good an opportunity to link the fics and use it, since I love the song.
Don awoke with a groan, his right hand immediately going to his head, the source of his discomfort, before he had even opened his eyes. The feel of a sticky substance where hand met head led to his eyes snapping open, bringing an unfamiliar ceiling in view, along with the feel of an unfamiliar floor beneath him in an unfamiliar room. Not making any more movements, Don tuned his senses to judge his surroundings, the lack of any sound telling him he was alone in the room, wherever it was. Slowly rising, using one hand to push him up, the other still having a steadying hold on his head, Don sat up against the wall, opposite the only door in the room.
"Before you even think of checking it, it's locked," said a voice, causing Don to jump and then groan as the action ignited another round of pain in his head.
"Jesus Charlie, you scared me. What are you doing here? Why didn't I notice you?" asked Don, shooting his brother an appraising glance to make sure he was in one piece and unhurt before closing his eyes against the pain, willing it to subside.
"That's a nasty head wound you got there, bro, don't think you're firing all cylinders in the observation front at the moment. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone how jumpy you are," smirked Charlie.
"Are you ok? Why are we here, how did we get here and who exactly got us here?" asked Don, attempting to assess the situation.
"I'm fine, bro, don't worry about me. And as to your other questions, the answers are: Kidnapped, white van and a bunch of guys in ski masks," said Charlie succinctly.
"What do they want and why do I have a rock concert playing in my head?" asked Don, shooting his brother a brief glare at his too brief responses.
"I don't think they want anything from you personally, they must know that the SOP when an agent is compromised is to change all his access codes and passwords, so they must want to use you as a means of getting something else," said Charlie before continuing, "and the reason your head is now a lovely shade of black and blue and red is because you decided to put up a fight when all they wanted you was to chloroform you nicely and whisk you away. But no, my big bad FBI agent of a brother doesn't like making things easy for people so one guy bonked you on the head," finished Charlie, sarcasm entering his voice near the end.
"I can't believe you're telling me off for resisting!" Don commented incredulously, before moving his hand to give his brother a shove, eyes widening in shock when his hand passed through his brother's body.
Charlie simply looked at him and said, "Oops," and when Don slowly moved his hand to poke his brother Charlie, "Don't do that. I might have forgotten to add a little detail."
"What detail? How hard did they hit me? I could have sworn my hand passed through you but that's just crazy," Don said, staring at his brother.
"Yeah, about that, you're not crazy. I'm just not… 'Charlie' Charlie. I'm the Charlie of your head," and when Don didn't look like any wiser to Charlie's hints, he continued, "You're hallucinating bro, the real me is probably writing away at the whiteboard in your office helping your team find you."
"Ok, now I'm not crazy, you're the one who's crazy. What kind of drugs did they give you while I was unconscious?" asked Don, his pounding head forgotten at the idea of a cuckoo brother.
"Hey, I resent being called cuckoo!" Charlie protested before he could help it, and before Don could freak at the thought of his mind reading abilities he rushed to assure his sibling, "Neither of us are crazy Don, and I'm reasonably certain no drugs are involved. I'm not really here, which is why you can't feel me. You're hallucinating, which can be caused by many things, maybe your head wound, and it's nothing that can't be fixed."
Mulling over the idea of having an imaginary companion to keep him company, Don said, "That's good, that means Charlie's safe. But why are you here?"
"Because you miss me?" suggested Charlie, smiling goofily.
"Dream on, bro" scoffed Don.
"No need, Don. I'm a part of your head, I can know all your deepest, darkest secrets, all your subconscious desires if I choose to," warned Charlie.
"Well I advise you not to, I might not be able to kick your hallucinogenic ass but the real you will suffer the consequences," advised Don.
"I can see through your bluff bro, it won't work with me here," retorted Charlie before continuing on a serious tone, "The real reason could be that you didn't want to be alone here and you wanted me to keep you company. Admitting that won't make you weak, bro, like you think. Just human."
"I think you've seen enough of my human weaknesses lately, Charlie, no need to add more to the equation," Don said quietly.
"How do you figure that? Dad must have told you a thousand times how much I look up to you. You still don't believe it?"
"I might have believed it before, on some level, but it's not the same anymore, is it? Past three years, you've discovered that I once put an innocent man in jail, allowed a suspect to be tortured for information, covered for an agent who compromised an open investigation, that I always take the first shot and I'm in therapy because I can't fight my demons on my own. I'm not exactly the kind of brother to look up to, Charlie, and you're too smart to not be aware of that fact."
Charlie thought quietly for a few seconds before responding, "How about we make a deal? When you get out of here, you ask me, subtly or not subtly, your choice, the answer to whether I look up to you or not, and in return, while you're here, I won't give you another headache by reciting some math lecture. How's that?
"You're not real Charlie, the only math you know is what I know which isn't much," rebutted Don.
"You'd be surprised to know how much information our mind stores, even if we haven't figured out how to access it all. We only use a small percentage of our brains. And you've known me for 30 years, that's a lot of math-talk. And didn't I tell you last year that I've got you thinking like a mathematician?
"Yeah, I remember. Scariest moment of my life," said Don.
Charlie glared at him for a second, "Joker,"
"Nerd,"
"A nerd who's helping your team find you," defended Charlie.
"A joker who's… I'm drawing a blank here. Eh… head wound," blamed Don, pointing to his head.
"Fine, I'll let your loss slide this time," said Charlie, "Don't get used to it though." A glance at his brother made him ask, "What's bugging you now?"
"Just thinking… All the cases you've consulted on, helped me out, and I've basically started living at your house… What have I done for you in turn?" asked Don thoughtfully, a frown creasing his features, combining with the blood and bruises already present to give a darker look.
"Don, man, don't do this. You're asking questions to which I cannot give a justified answer to simply because those answers don't exist in your head! You have to ask the real me this. Don't add this to a list of things to feel guilty about," chided Charlie, a frown of his own on his face. "You're just asking for a math lecture!"
Don laughed at the petulant tone to Charlie's voice, "Man, I don't care how many awards you win or how many doctorates you earn, you can still act like a total kid at times,"
"Yeah, but at least now I don't hide behind you every time a lady falls for my hair and my adorability and wants to pinch my cheeks," said Charlie, both brothers, both real and imagined, remembering the part of their childhood when a smaller, cuter, crazier-haired Charlie used to hide behind his big brother's taller form whenever they went somewhere that had their parent's friends melt at the sight of Charlie, with one eye peeking out from behind his brother to watch the antics.
Don laughed and added, "Yeah, now you get anonymous love letters and invitations to bed and breakfasts. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as I did when Dad told me. And to think Larry said the math department was the least libidinous place on campus,"
"Not to forget, math also helped Dad pick out a perfect birthday present for the caterer," said Charlie.
Both brothers turned their head towards the door and the situation at hand when the sound of a small explosion and gunshots reached their ears. To Don, veteran of many raids and rescue operations, the sounds were recognizable and welcome, and he remarked, "Looks like the cavalry has arrived." Turning his head to look at the hallucination of his brother, he saw that Charlie had disappeared, empty space where he once sat. "How rude, Chuck, you didn't even say bye."
Soon the door to his room burst open and the room was blooded with light, Don bringing up his hand to cover his eyes from the harsh glare of the flashlights, "Will you guys be less enthusiastic with the flashlights? No wonder the people we rescue look dazed. We've blinded them as we come in,"
Two forms knelt by him, each on one side, Don recognizing Colby to his right as he spoke, "Always with the jokes, boss. You'd think this was a funky game of hide-and-seek we were playing,"
"Don't know about that, Colby, I never had someone like Charlie on my side when I played as a kid," replied David to Don's left as he tried to assess his friend and colleague's head wound before Don swotted his hand away.
"Hey, no getting touchy-feely here, I don't care how much you guys missed me. Help me up, I'm tired of this place," said Don, and his team members complied.
"Aye aye Captain," replied Colby, "We've got plenty of people who want to see you, can't hog you all to ourselves now can we?"
Don barely noticed his surroundings as he walked out of his temporary place of residence, slightly swaying on his feet but with the support of at least one team member on his arm. He was led to a waiting ambulance which was parked next to an SUV, having barely reached there before a whirl of black and yellow launched himself at him. Both Colby and David had to move quickly to support their boss to prevent him from falling back as Charlie threw his arms around his big brother.
Don tightened his own arms around the corporeal form his brother after recognizing him from the mass of curls in his line of vision, "Charlie? What the hell are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here," chided Don, fear of what danger Charlie could have been if the situation had gotten out of hand.
Charlie was saved from answering as David said, "I don't know how you two managed not to kill each other, growing up, with both of you being so stubborn. Charlie wouldn't take no for an answer, so we made a deal. He wears a vest and stays in the SUV until we give the all-clear."
Don gently pulled his brother away from him and looked him up and down, not able to suppress a laugh at the sight of his mathematician brother clad in a Kevlar vest with the FBI stamped across it in bold yellow letters, "Liking the look bro, but don't get used to it."
"Forget about that, are you OK? Your head…" asked Charlie, looking at the bruising and dried blood in concern.
"I'm fine bro, had you to keep me company all the while, it was just a change of setting."
Khatum (The End)
And there you have it. I recommed a listen of the song, btw, it's awesome. And something tells me I should be paid for all the advertisement of songs and musicians and movies that I do. A girl needs to earn a living somehow...
So, any preferences of the hallucinations? I promise I'll stop with the Skies now, don't want to turn the alphabet challenge into a colours of the rainbow challenge.
Hope you liked. Thanks for all the reviews of the last one. Now review this one? ;)