Disclaimer: Numb3rs and its characters don't belong to me. It's okay. I stopped crying about that yesterday already.
A/N: I wrote this little two-shot some time ago and it's even some time that it has been betaed, but somehow it got lost on my computer. Well, here it is, I just have to go through chapter two a second time. And I warn you: it's a kidfic. And its plot isn't even created by myself, but by the story-writers of Numb3rs. It's taken from 3-23 Money for Nothing.
Thanks to: MarieThea, who corrected this story. Thank you a lot! And thanks to all who read this little story until its end.
CONGRATULATIONS
"Everyone belted? Then let's go!"
Alan Eppes started the borrowed van with seven seats. In the trunk, there were two tents, a small one for him and his youngest, Charlie, and a bigger one for Don and his four friends. For the big boys.
Alan sighed a little. Don was growing up. Of course, he was still prowling around with his friends. But he was by no means a child anymore. And it was time that he started to learn assume responsibility.
Alan could exactly recall Don's first attempts at walking, how his eldest had learned riding a bike, the baseball games… And today he was already thirteen! It was unbelievable how quickly time had passed.
Alan smiled benignly. If his youngest could hear his thoughts – he and the boys would probably hear nothing but Einstein's theory of relativity for the rest of the trip. Einstein, currently the biggest idol of the pet of the family. Well, the second, Alan corrected his thoughts. The biggest will probably always remain the same.
A father's pride wanted to surge up in Alan when he glanced at Don on the front passenger's seat, but the feeling got lost on the way. His eldest was glaring out of the window silently and apparently displeased. Not at all becoming for a birthday boy.
Alan frowned, but already few seconds later it became clear to him what was depressing Don, namely in the very moment when he paid attention to the conversation on the back seats.
"And what's 928 multiplied by 3957?" one of Donnie's friends, Rodney, just wanted to know.
"Three-million-six-hundred-seventy-two-thousand-ninety-six," Charlie answered nearly immediately and quick like a shot.
"That's crazy!" Joey called and Matt exclaimed: "That's weird!"
It was not until now that Alan stretched, glancing in the rear-view mirror. Charlie was sitting in the middle of the three seats directly behind them, because he was the smallest of them. Around him, there were Don's four friends who seemed to be playing with his mathematical gift.
"Hey, can you do percentages?" Jeff suddenly wanted to know excitedly. Alan knew at once the lay of the land. He hadn't missed Don having had some problems with his math homework – with percentages.
"That's what you're doing in school right now, don't you, Donnie?" Charlie asked his big brother, but Don only retorted an indefinable grunting.
"Did you already help Don at it?" Joey asked eagerly.
"Uh…" Charlie glanced nervously at Alan who pretended not to notice. "No. Uh… Donnie did everything on his own… generally."
Alan hoped that it would always be thus easily to discover in the future when Charlie stretched the truth.
"But you could do it, couldn't you?"
"'…course, sure…"
"Do you do my homework for me?" Matt finally burst out.
Before Charlie could answer, the three others had already piped up.
"'Kay, why not," the nearly eight-year-old boy replied, shrugging, and an elation burst out in the back.
"Hey, you've really got a cool bro', Don!" Rodney called, and Jeff added: "Yeah, man. I wished I had some like 'm, too."
Another glance sideways told Alan that Don's look hardened even further while Charlie smiled shyly in the rear-view mirror. Alan decided to change the subject. As an educator, Alan should have forbidden the boys from making Charlie do their homework instead of doing it themselves, of course. However, Alan knew that they would do it somehow or other, if not with permission, then in the shadows. And as long as they did so in the open, he had still the opportunity to keep an eye on them and to intervene if necessary.
Besides, he didn't want Donnie to be excluded on his birthday. A change of topic seemed very appropriate. "We're nearly there!" he called backwards and hoped that it would be enough.
And indeed: the conversation turned towards their upcoming camping trip. Don especially seemed to be eager to change the subject. "Did you bring the tri-tips for the barbecue?"
Alan smiled benignly. "Of course." It was a fact that Don had already assured himself two times at home and had recalled him not to forget the tri-tips by any means. And it was another fact that his oldest had watched thoroughly when Alan had packed the meat in the trunk.
8 ~ 1 ~ 16 ~ 16 ~ 25 ~ 2 ~ 9 ~ 18 ~ 20 ~ 8 ~ 4 ~ 1 ~ 25 ~ 20 ~ 15 ~ 25 ~ 15 ~ 21
Alan got out of the car, stretched and inhaled the fresh, flavorsome wooden air of the Angeles National Forest. It was simply wonderful here. They were in a small clearing, on whose side there ran a narrow, barely used dirt road. All around them, there was mixed forest. There was also a BBQ area and above that an area to pitch some tents. Around evening, they were going to make a fire. It would become a beautiful evening and hopefully a wonderful experience for the boys.
Alan stepped to the trunk to make the barbeque ready for use. The big guys were already going to reconnoiter the area. Before it was time for it, however, Alan had still to settle a very important matter. "Wait a second, Donnie!"
Don grimaced in almost physical pain, running back to his father. He hated that nickname to be used in front of his friends. He was Don, Don the mighty one, the mighty thirteen-year-old boy, the teenager. No Donnie-Boy any more. He was no longer a small child like Charlie.
"What's up?" Don asked impatiently. Now that he had an opportunity to give Charlie a wide berth and most notably to keep him away from his friends – from his friends – he didn't want to run any risk of not joining the others as soon as possible.
"Keep an eye on Charlie, will you?"
Don stared at him. That wasn't really happening, right?
"But… Dad!" he protested. "It's my birthday! I don't want to look out for Charlie today!"
"We're not in Pasadena here, Donnie," Alan declared decidedly. "There can happen a lot up here. I will take care of your friends, but you're responsible for Charlie."
"But dad! Can't I take care of my friends and you of Charlie?"
Alan laughed. "By no means."
"And why not?"
"Because that would probably end with a large-area forest fire. And that's something we don't want – where else should we camp then?"
He gave his son a nudge on the nose and left him standing there, to attend to the barbeque.
Don had hardly vanished when his other son popped up, plucking at the hem of his shirt. "Dad?"
"What is it, son?"
"Can I help you, Dad?"
"No, no, I'll do it myself. Go get to the boys."
Charlie glanced a bit nervously at the teenagers on the border of the wood. "You sure?" He wasn't sure at all that he was welcome.
"Yes, I'm sure. And now get going. And be careful that you won't lose the others; stay always with Donnie!"
And then Charlie was running over the meadow towards the others.
Alan inhaled the fresh, spicy air, and smiled. That was certainly going to be a great birthday for Donnie.
8 ~ 1 ~ 16 ~ 16 ~ 25 ~ 2 ~ 9 ~ 18 ~ 20 ~ 8 ~ 4 ~ 1 ~ 25 ~ 20 ~ 15 ~ 25 ~ 15 ~ 21
"And what did you get for – oh." Joey had interrupted himself and stared at a point above Don's shoulder. With a slight foreshadow of what his friend was seeing there, Don turned around and spotted – what else? – his little brother who seemed to appear every time when you had no use for him at all.
"What do you want?" Don greeted him crossly when Charlie had barely reached the little group.
"Dad said-"
"I know what dad said." He hesitated and wondered if he should really vocalize the following word, but then it had already happened. "So?"
"But-"
"So you always listen to the things mommy and daddy tell you, don't you?" Matt intervened, looking sneeringly down at the snip.
"No, I don't!" Charlie affirmed heavily, turning towards his brother, searching for help. "Tell 'em that that's not true, Donnie!"
Don first looked down at his little brother, arched an eyebrow and then turned towards his friends. "No, that's a lie," he said, sensing Charlie's relief before he continued: "It's true; he listens to them every time."
He earned laughter and grinned. Eventually, their roles were distributed properly again.
"And what are we doing now?" Jeff wanted to know at length.
There was a brief silence. "Hide-and-seek?" Rodney finally proposed.
Don already wanted to disagree; in actual fact, they were already too old for something like that. The others seemed to have nothing against it, though, and he was also excited by the nature… the wilderness. This was different from playing hide-and-seek in the park or the neighborhood. Up here, you had to be able to sneak up like an Indian…
"Okay," he agreed. "Who's counting first?"
No volunteers.
"Okay, then we're gonna count off. Come over here." They stood in a circle and Don was surprised when a second, a human shadow was following him in addition to his natural one, taking a stand beside him in the circle. "What are you doing, Charlie? You're not going to play with us!"
"But I wanna! And dad said-"
"Oh, break off with dad! You're too small for this!"
"Then I'll tell dad that you won't let me play with you!"
The brother stared at each other gloomily. After few seconds, Charlie turned starting to walk towards Alan, but Don held him back at his T-shirt.
"You won't do that," he hissed. How the hell Charlie always managed to ruin everything?
"Okay, you can play with us," he decided quite displeased. "But then you have to count, too. Come on!" he demanded, leading them all a bit deeper in the woods. Although Don had fully respected his father's wish he didn't want him to see Charlie standing on a tree, alone and with eyes being kept shut, while the rest of the lot had disappeared.
"Here!" Don decided, pointing at tree standing slightly isolated on a small knoll, presumably a burrow. "Counting until 100 and then find us. Whoever is caught before touching the tree has to count next. If you don't catch anyone, it's your turn again. Everything clear?"
Everyone nodded and it got started.
The first time, Don was the first one at the tree and Charlie didn't manage to catch any of the boys. He couldn't deny that they were simply faster than him. In this area full of obstacles, however, he might have a chance. While he was counting for the second time, he thought of a strategy: if he veered away from the pine spirally the odds of catching somebody would have to be better. And chance or not, this time he got Jeff, who accepted his destiny in equanimity and started counting.
At once, Rodney, Joey, Matt and Don spread in several directions. Charlie didn't know where to go and so ran, following an instinct, after his big brother. Don had barely heard the sounds behind him when he stood abruptly, turning. "Charlie!" he hissed. "What are you doing? Don't run after me! Look for a hiding-place yourself!"
"That's what I wanted to!"
"And why don't you do it, then? Stop chasing me and get lost!"
He ran back, past Charlie, headed in nearly the same direction where he had come from. Charlie was standing a bit indecisively when he noticed from far away Jeff's shape between the trees, turning around the own axis and eventually catching sight of Charlie.
Jeff ran towards him and was thereby directly running into Don. The two of them landed on the ground and Jeff's gasping was nearly lost amidst it. "Gotcha! Your turn, Don!"
Don glanced gloomily at Charlie, while Jeff and he were brushing the dust off their clothes. That's all your fault, it meant.
As soon as the others had reached the pine, the game went on and the group scattered. And this time Charlie knew very exactly and less than before where he should go.
8 ~ 1 ~ 16 ~ 16 ~ 25 ~ 2 ~ 9 ~ 18 ~ 20 ~ 8 ~ 4 ~ 1 ~ 25 ~ 20 ~ 15 ~ 25 ~ 15 ~ 21
2nd (and last) part coming soon
