The Reason Behind the Smile
A/N: This piece of brotherly moments has been with me since the last snow storm of 2016. During which I had a mini Numb3rs marathon. I held on to it and then decided to let it go. Enjoy (I hope). Thank you to my beta Waikiki23. (Chapter 1/5).
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Numb3rs related. Well maybe the DVD's but that's it. I swear.
Chapter 1
For over a year Professor Charles Eppes had engaged in a one-man mission to persuade the current Committee Chair of the Mathematics Department to retitle his "The Art of Counting" undergraduate course. All Charlie wanted was for the course to bear a far less "Easy A" sounding name. He had inherited the course after his much older predecessor (and originator of the course) died in his sleep. Charlie had initially been told that a new professor would be hired in a matter "of weeks." At the start of the second semester Charlie gave up waiting to be replaced and claimed the course as his own.
Charlie had revamped the course's lackluster syllabus. The barely attended course under his tutelage became a class that incoming students fought tooth and nail over in order to grab one of its limited seats. Charlie had taken a subpar course and made it exceptional. The Professor honestly felt that his simple request should have been honored months ago.
Dissatisfied with what he had just read; Charlie deleted the latest email sent from the Chair of the Math Department. The author of the brief message declared in bold face type that "indisputably and unequivocally there would be no changes made to #101M The Art of Counting in the universities catalogue, registration material, printed or visual material pertaining to said course." Having kept all his requests to the Department Chair professional in nature, Charlie felt hugely disrespected. He angrily declared the senior administrator "a pretentious paper pusher."
Larry, seated on the opposite side of his friend's paper strewn desk, looked up from the heavy file on his lap and tactfully suggested that perhaps Charlie had already wasted far too much intellectual energy attempting to move and unmovable object. The pragmatic physicist took no umbrage to the dark smoldering look the younger man aimed his way. It was a typical reaction seeing how Charlie has always worn his heart on his sleeve. Professor Fleinhardt had watched Charlie Eppes evolve from an introverted boy genius who often got lost in the simplistic beauty of his numbers to an exceptional teacher and an idealistic young man who hoped that sharing his extraordinary talent with the FBI would help right some of the world's wrongs.
Right now one of the world's wrongs, at least in Charlie's eyes, currently held the title of Department Chair.
Larry closed the bulging file that required his immediate attention and tried again to reason with his visibly upset friend. "Charles there comes a time in every seemingly unending battle where one simply has to acknowledge the fact that they have done all they could to fight the good fight." He held up his hand to silence his disenchanted looking colleague. "I truly believe that this is such a moment. Please tell me that you will give serious consideration to putting an end to this time consuming year-long disagreement with Malcolm Livery Dupree."
The older man waited for the giggle that always escaped from the mathematician's mouth whenever Charlie heard the Chair's full name. The delightful (certainly to Larry though definitely not to the Chair) habit began on the first day of the Chair's tenure when Mildred Finch introduced her replacement and asked everyone present to welcome Malcolm Lively Dupree as the newest member of the CalSci family. Charlie, as luck would have it, happened to be standing right next to, Mildred Finch, the outgoing chair and tried without success to suppress a giggle. The sound of Charlie's amusement was picked up on the open mic as it was passed over to the newest Chair of the Math Department. The engaging sound floated over the heads of the gathered faculty member and several thoroughly bored audience members (despite their best intentions) added their own chuckles and snickers and the combined sounds seemed to fill every inch of the open courtyard.
Malcolm Dupree made it clear to anyone who would listen that he believed that Charlie had deliberately ruined his ceremony due to a case of jealousy.
It took everything in Larry not to laugh at the cherished memory.
"Charlie," Larry shook his head slightly and returned to the present. "Perhaps if you would simply stop laughing at the poor man's name…"
"Oh come on Larry!" The amused looking younger man interrupted. "Don't tell me that you don't see linen suits, straw hats, porch swings and mint julips whenever you hear that name."
"Charlie while many on this campus continue to find your habit charming, you have to agree that it has not helped you create a cohesive working relationship with Dr. Dupree." Larry knew better than to repeat Dupree's full name again.
Larry conceded that he was not going to be successful at getting his favorite mathematician to refocus his attention back on their joint research project anytime soon. That hope ended the moment Charlie started complaining about Dupree and his email.
"Seriously Flienhardt!" Charlie started to complain. "You want me to concede defeat to that rumor monger. The same person who spread that outrageous lie that I expect that one day the math buildings will be renamed "The Eppes Complex." Charlie stood hands on hips and waited for his oldest friend and mentor to see the error of his way.
"Charles, my dearest friend, we've been over this at least a thousand times this year." Larry knew the mathematician's reply before the younger man even opened his mouth
"Actually Larry we have discussed this subject exactly eighty six times not a thousand." Charlie replied as if he were stating a universally known fact. He plopped his body down into his well-worn leather office chair.
"It felt like a thousand times." Larry mumbled to the file folder still balanced on his lap.
The room fell into an uneasy silence as Charlie stared off into a far corner of his office while Larry absent-mindlessly flipped through some papers. The physicist looked up now and observed an intent look make its way onto his colleague's face.
It was a good two minutes before Larry heard Charlie speak again.
"I'm going to do it!" Charlie excitedly shouted.
"Do what?" A suddenly worried Larry inquired.
"I'm going to inform the Dean and The Board of Trustees that I'm ready to take on the responsibilities of the Chair position. I'm going to replace Dupree once his contract expires on December 27, 2016." The sparkle in the mathematician's expressive eyes illuminated the fact that as far as Charlie was concerned his future appointment was a done deal. The Board of Trustees had long considered him the "heir apparent" for the Chair position but Charlie had repeatedly refused year after year to even entertain the idea despite also being offered a constantly growing list of incentives.
Charlie had another amazing thought. There was nothing stopping the Board from voting to oust Dupree, pay off the remainder of the good doctor's contract, and announce that that their very own world-renown mathematician would become his replacement. Charlie had a big grin on his face as he looked across the desk for words of congratulations.
The physicist, however, opted instead to impart some stellar words of wisdom on his overly confident colleague.
"You know Charles I think at this juncture it would be best to remember that true power "attracts the worst and corrupts the best."
It took Charlie a nanosecond to realize that Larry was less than over-joyed with his announcement. He watched as the older man rose from his chair and headed for the office door.
"Oh come on Larry. It could be my stepping stone to the Presidency of the United States." Charlie joking informed the retreating form.
Larry turned back to look at the bemused younger man and offered one more pearl of wisdom. "The greatest power is often simple patience." Without another word Larry headed out of the cluttered office. As he closed the office door Larry heard Charlie call out again.
"Well then if that's how you really feel Larry I'm taking your name off my short list of future running mate. Your name was right behind Don's. Okay then no potential Vice Presidential perks for you my friend."
Larry smiled. He knew from Charlie's sarcastic remark that the young man would eventually come to see that he was right. There was no way a mind as great as Charles Edward Eppes would ever want to become a pretentious paper pusher.
"I bid you adieu future President Eppes." Larry called over his shoulder. The sound of Charlie's laughter accompanied him down the hallway.