Disclaimer- If I owned NUMB3RS... why would I be here? I'd be writing plots for the show, not you people. (Although I wouldn't mind owning Charlie!)

How long has it been?, Don wondered, How long have we been trapped here?

, Don wondered,

He strained to turn his head to find Charlie. The space was small and cramped and just barely afforded room for the two men. Not that Don could see Charlie very well. It was very dark, and Don felt dizzy from the pain in his shoulder. Having a dislocated shoulder was bad enough, but he had to reset it himself. However, his little brother was what worried him the most. Charlie had not said a word since the incident, and Don had no idea what kind of injuries his baby brother had.

I don't even know if he's still alive…

His vision was going; he was tired. He knew he shouldn't even shut his eyes, but couldn't help it. They fluttered shut.

Flashback

Don was walking into the old building, Charlie and the team close behind. Strange music floated through the air, followed by a sinister which giggled maniacally, then said, "Bye-bye, FBI!" Don bellowed for everyone to get out, then ran for Charlie (who was on the other side of the room). He was too late; he heard it above.

The ceiling crashed around them from the explosions above their heads. He vaguely heard Charlie's cry of pain right beside him. He and his brother crouched on the floor, clutching each other for dear life as the wood crashed around them. That was at three o'clock. Suddenly, Charlie went limp in his arms, and Don soon followed.

He awoke what felt a short time later to severe pain in his shoulder, and he could tell it was dislocated; he'd done it once before. He called Charlie's name and received no answer.

Great, he thought, I'll have to put it back myself.

He let out a scream as it popped back into place, half hoping it prompt Charlie to speak. Don panted heavily while he waited for the other man's voice, but it never came. Now, he had no idea how long he and his brother had been in this dark, cramped hole. He wasn't even sure if Charlie was still alive…

Charlie's PoV

Charlie wasn't quite sure what was going on when the evil voice spoke over the intercom. One second, he heard the voice, then Don was bellowing for everyone to get out. He spun around to find his older brother running toward him as an explosion rocked the ceiling. Don grabbed Charlie and pulled him close as the ceiling caved in. A piece of debris hit his back; he let out a cry of pain. The two were forced into a crouch as the building collapsed about them. Suddenly, Charlie felt immense pain in his head, and everything went black.

When he awoke, he assumed it was hours later. His head throbbed, and when he tried to move, he let out a quick scream; hi leg was killing him. Don's voice came out of the darkness.

"Charlie! Charlie, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"Over here. My leg hurts real bad. It might be broken."

He heard Don crawling over to him, then felt his hand on his own. Don fumbled through his pockets (at least Charlie thought he did) and pulled out a tiny flashlight. It lit up the tiny space and almost blinded Charlie. Each brother's breathing was ragged. Don shone the flashlight all around their tiny refuge, resting it on Charlie's injured leg.; he gave a small gasp.

"Charlie… your… your leg's a mess. It's all bloody," he whispered.

Charlie, who was on his back, pushed himself into a sitting position, gritting his teeth against the pain.

"How long have we been down here?" he asked.

He watched as Don turned the light on his watch and swallowed. Don was silent.

"Well… how long?"

"It's… uh… it's been six hours."

Charlie's heart sank. Six hours. He'd have thought Don's team would dig through the debris themselves to find the brothers, but they'd been in the hole for a quarter of a day. He groped in his pocket for his cell phone and flipped it open only to see that he didn't have service. Yet he stared at the screen until it went black, stared into the eyes of the picture of Amita. Tears started to blur his vision, and his throat burned.

Don's PoV

"Don… will someone come for us? To save us?"

He looked at his little brother incredulously.

"Of course. The team'll come back for us. Don't worry."

"I don't wanna die, Don. I… I wanna see Amita again, and Dad, and Larry, and everyone else. I d-don't wanna d-die. Donnie…"

Charlie broke down and cried. Don put his good arm around him and let him cry into his shoulder. He felt so helpless that it was all he could do. He couldn't make any promises or make sure he could get his team there to help him. He could only comfort Charlie as he sobbed. He gently touched his brother's face to find it was colder than normal. When Charlie stopped crying, Don whispered, "Charlie… buddy… I need to look at your leg. Okay? Just be still."

He very gently pushed up Charlie's right pantleg; Charlie whimpered. Don fought back a gasp when he looked at Charlie's leg. It was clearly broken, something white peeking through the skin, the wound seeping blood.

No wonder he's colder than normal, Don thought, He's been slowly losing blood since the collapse. I wish you guys would hurry up and get here. We have less time than you think.

Don had no idea as to how much time they had, but he knew Charlie had less time.