Title: Rockin' Robin
Author: loozy
Pairing/Characters: Don Eppes, Robin Brooks; Don/ Robin
Rating: K+
Summary: Sometimes, Don Eppes can be so dense that she wants to rip his head off and feed him to the lions. Or smack him upside the head, put his brain back into place. Or hug him because his denseness comes from hiding too many of his emotions.
And sometimes, she is in luck and he knows exactly the right thing to do.
Word Count: 2373
Spoilers: up until and including 5x18
Notes/Warnings: Had the worst week of my life so far, decided to cheer myself up by posting this fic...
Prompt/Challenge (if applicable): none
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic. Numb3rs and everybody associated with it belongs to Cheryl Heuton & Nick Fallucci and CBS. The lyrics to the amazing song by Mirah are not mine either. I do not intend to make any money off this fic. I'm just having fun.
Feedback: Yes, please. I love all criticism, as long as it is constructed and helpful.

Oh oh I really wanted that thing
I just want to sing
I love you baby
Won't you bring
All the flowers you
Find out in the garden
Don't tell me the truth
That your heart has hardened

But you don't want me anymore
How can it be
Look what you've done to me

Oh oh
Oh oh the bee does quickly sting
I was wondering
If you could maybe darling
Think? I'd give everything
If you'd grant my love a pardon
And all the fruits
Again would fill the garden

But you don't want me anymore
How can it be?
Look what you've done to me

*The Garden by Mirah*

Numb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rsNumb3rs

She's lying in his bed, him beside her, both of them reading, her engrossed in the files of her latest case, him in a crime novel.

He's lying with his head pillowed in her lap, her papers kind of lying on top of his head, her hands brushing through it occasionally, tangling in the almost curls, and he sighs appreciatively from time to time.

The lights on their bedside tables are casting dim shadows around the room, illuminating only the bed, the tangled covers and its occupants. There is a kind of familiarity in their togetherness now that was missing in their first attempt.

She keeps getting distracted from her work by it and after losing her train of thought and the line she was reading, she gives up on the effort altogether, and simply lets her thoughts run wild. Her hands start an unconscious stroking rhythm on his head now, and she knows he loves it, and that it is one of the few things that will put him completely at ease and relax him to the bone.

She loves that she knows these kind of things about him now, and that he in turns knows her comfort weaknesses, too. Their relationship is so much different now, it is a proper relationship.

Maybe it is because they are more sure of each other this time. Maybe it is because they already did it the wrong way the first time round and now know how to avoid what makes both of them run away from a serious relationship. When she was in Miami and was alone and regretting the break- up, she came to realize that they would have broken up either way, that it would have been Don and not her eventually. They both have grown up since then, they both have gotten over the hurt of failure, and they are now more in sync with each other than they were ever with anybody else.

And they are in love, even if no- one has said it yet. Maybe they never will, verbally, anyways, but they show their love in how they act and behave, what they do, how they will shift their priorities, change schedules. Work is still at the top of both of their lists, they are consumed by it, workaholics to the bone, and unless she becomes pregnant, neither of them will give it up, but after that, they are each other's next priority, and family. Only her family is on the East Coast, and Don's is right here, and she is coming over to the Craftsman house more often after finishing up with her work, to have a late dinner, or just picking up Don or something or other, like an invitation for brunch on a Sunday, or usually it is actually dinner, since they don't make it out of bed early enough and then have to rush so that Don gets to Temple on time and she can do laundry at her house.

They probably should just move in together. Not her house, they are never there anyways, but not his apartment either, it is too small for the long haul. For now it would work, yes. They could use his spare room as an office, let her books join his, deposit stuff that she won't need. The clothes might be a bit problematic. Don's closet has a fairly good size, but the man has also a huge amount of clothes. Not that she minds, since she loves him in the clothes, and also out of them, but her wardrobe is not small, either. They could always buy a second closet and put it into the spare room and have a certain amount of clothes there, or just a certain kind of clothes, like casual or work clothes.

Don would appreciate it, surely, since it would speak to his sense of order.

Or she should just get her own closet.

She mentally shakes her head at herself.

Get a grip, Brooks!

Thinking about moving in together when she still is not too sure where they actually stand. Oh, sure, they are going steady, and how high school- ish does that sound?, but is there a future? She knows that she can see herself growing old with Don, but the man himself? His history with relationship is not the best one, but it has to mean something that he is making the effort now, right?

Liz Warner told her, in a moment of companionship, probably, that when Don was with her, he never was as open as he is now with Robin, and that he was not as relaxed, still guarded. Don tells Robin stuff that he does not even tell his father. Well, okay, so he does not come straight out and actually put voice to what is going on inside his head, but she has become quite able to read between the lines, more so than Alan and Charlie, since she is seeing more or what Don sees every day. She can relate to him better than before, and she can see that sometimes he is still unsure of them, and it makes her glad that she is not the only one, that behind all the bravado that he swaggers around with, behind the facade he is still gauging how far he can push her, testing out the limits, just as she is, in an effort to reassure himself that she is here with him for good.

And vice versa.

She was not sure in the first weeks following the break- up if she had done the right thing, but when they got back together again, the place where they are now, she can pat herself on the back, congratulate, as stupid as it sounds, herself for doing this. It put things into perspective for both of them, and made them both so much more aware of the emotions that are in play on either side. And it also made them realize how much they truly mean to each other. Both of them had partners during their separation, but they did not work out, because it was not who they were meant to be with, each other.

Oh boy, when did Robin Brooks, AUSA extraordinaire, fierce power ranger, as she had been called at Harvard, turn into such a woman?

When did she start waxing lyrics about commitment and companionship and eternity and love of all things?

Probably at the same time that Don Eppes became serious about her, and they unconsciously moved forward in their usual dating pattern, breaking it, tearing it apart. However, they did not move at a breakneck speed, they took things in their own time. It was just that they could skip all the awkwardness from before. Been there, done that, got the drawer. She simply reclaimed that drawer, that apparently had been empty since she had broken up with him, and not even Liz Warner had used it. Or maybe she had, but Robin liked to fool herself into thinking that-

Actually, she could just ask him. Now that she had wandered onto this topic, she really wanted to know.

"Say, Eppes?"

She can hear the amusement in his voice, knows without looking at him that his lips are curled up slightly, as they always do when she starts off a conversation like this.

"What you want, Brooks?"

Don always gives back as good as he gets.

"Did Liz Warner ever use my drawer?"

Her attempt to use sneaky psychology by always saying the other woman's name fully and emphasizing 'my' does not go past Don if his smirk is any indication.

"Nope. Never."

Okay. Wow.

"Why?"

"'Cuz I still thought of it as your drawer."

Simple like that, and one of the most romantic things she has ever heard Don Eppes say. She is floored.

"Wow."

And that certainly should not have come out like this.

"Why?"

She can not say this out loud, voice her insecurities. This is not her, Robin Brooks does not just come out and say things, she functions by implying what she means in how she cadences her voice, if her tone of voice is sharp or soft. It is the small details with her that usually speak for themselves. It is usually an indicator of how well her partner knows her that he can read her by hearing her speak.

Don is different. Oh, it is not because he cannot read between the lines, he knows her better that way than anyone else before him, yet he sometimes asks inane questions like this to challenge her, to force her to speak things out loud that go way beyond what she is usually capable of announcing without a bit of alcohol in her system.

But she is not exactly in a position to complain, as she does the same to him on a regular basis, too. Probably one more reason why they function so well together. They like to push each other beyond their comfort zone, in the knowledge that they will be there to catch them should the other fall.

But she cannot answer this question, this is too bold, this is... She cannot fathom saying this out loud.

"Oh, it's just... You know..."

"What would you have said if Liz had used that drawer? Would you have been upset?"

"No!"

Oops, too quick. Don's teasing grin widens, his eyes crinkle at the corners, his teeth shine in the darkness of the bedroom.

"Right. Say, Brooks?"

Oh, how she hates that he can turn the tables on her that easily. And how she loves it at the same time.

"Yes, Eppes?"

"You jealous?"

She could play coy and say no. Or she could say yes and admit to the truth that there has always been a bit of a rivalry between her and Liz, until Liz moved on, and Don really became Robin's, but she cannot shake that feeling. Probably never will, no matter how well her and Liz are getting along now. It is just too weird for her. Warner and Don have a longer history, and for some reason Robin still feels somewhat threatened by it. Especially since the chemistry between Don and Liz was always more visible to her than her and Don's .

"Yes, I am."

"You know you don't have to be. Liz is doing this weird flirty- thing with Colby... And besides, I have you. What would I want with her?"

She just looks at him, hopes that he can read her insecurities and she does not have to put voice to her fear, her jealousy.

Sometimes, Don Eppes can be so dense that she wants to rip his head off and feed him to the lions. Or smack him upside the head, put his brain back into place. Or hug him because his denseness comes from hiding too many of his emotions.

And sometimes, she is in luck and he knows exactly the right thing to do.

During their first attempt, the former was more dominating, now it is the latter. Robin credits both their grown maturity and Bradford for the change.

And if she forces Don to talk to her about her feelings, to reassure her, he also has to open up about himself, which is always a good thing where Don Eppes is concerned.

"Robin, this is... I... I'm with you, I broke it off with her, because... Well because..."

There is something disarming about seeing a man, who is always so sure of himself, fumble around.

"She was not you. And this fantasy that I had, well, I cared about her, a lot, I still do. But not to the level that I do about you. There is no comparison. I could not stand to see her hurt, to see something happen to her, but with you..."

She strokes his hair, tangles her fingers in the strands that are fighting to break out into curls, a soft tugging motion that she has discovers soothes him to the extent that he can fall asleep to it.

"I'm with you. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. There is no other alternative. It is you or no- one else."

Robin can only stare at him at this.

This is not what she expected him to say. Never this clear, this stated, this sure. This is one of the few times that words fail her, that she cannot come up with a return fitting this situation, all she can do is look at him, unwaveringly, searching his face for the truth, for the slightest flicker of hesitation, but there is nothing to be found to contradict what he just said.

"Just like this?"

"Just like this."

"All you got?"

"Yes."

He exhales the word more than anything else, his posture taut underneath her, and she knows that her silence has unnerved him, that he is starting to doubt his boldness, and now does not know what to do with her, with her reaction, or lack thereof.

"Excellent."

She relaxes, and can feel his tense muscles give, too. What more is there left to say?

Only one more thing, because he has just paid her sweet compliments, shown her what she means to him, and it is only fair that she returns the favour.

"You do know that you rock my world, right?"

"Right back at'cha."

Pause.

"Rockin' Robin."

"Haven't heard that one before, but I take it."

Repeating his words to McGowan to him, and she can feel his laughter start in his belly, knows without looking at him that she has diffused the situation, that they are back in their place again, where they belong, where they can be each other, where they are everything to each other, and don't need word so express it. It is nice to be reminded from time to time, yes, but neither of them are the type for big declarations of love, and so they always revert back to their old pattern of teasing, arguing, touching, kissing, cuddling, loving. Being themselves.