Brother's Keeper

by Nubiangeek63

Charlie falls for a very mysterious woman.

Title: My Brother's Keeper

Author: Nubiangeek

Summary: Charlie falls for a very mysterious woman.

Pairing: Charlie/other

Rating: T

Vivian came downstairs that morning heading straight for the coffee maker. It wasn't until after she had prepared the coffee and turned on the machine, when she noticed that she was not alone. She nearly jumped a mile into the air.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh come on, can't a guy visit his big sis without a big dissertation?" it was Eddie's way of slamming her because she went to college and he barely made it out of high school. It was his own fault that he didn't make the grades to be able to go to college, but he always blamed their parents. They never supported Eddie as they did Vivian.

"Of course I'm glad to see you Eddie, but trouble usually follows you." She had gotten him back for his comment. This was the way it was with their relationship. It consisted of a myriad of barbs aimed and thrown. They could barely stand each another.

Now that their parents were dead, she felt guilty if she didn't welcome him into her home. Her parents, even though they knew all of his faults, would want her to be nice to him. She remembered the times that he had stolen money and other things to sell from their house and hers. Needless to say, she was not very happy to see him.

"What do you want Eddie?" she said as she set about feeding the dog and preparing er coffee.

He had to do this delicately. He had almost blown it, so he would have to pull back a bit so that she wouldn't be suspicious.

"Oh, I'm just passing through. I have a job in Colorado."

The word 'job' caught her attention. He had held several jobs in his life, but none of them seemed to last very long. He would be late, or not show up, but he would blame it on the boss. So, it didn't really surprise her that he had yet another job that would, more than likely, end the same way that the others did.

"I just need a place to crash for a day or so." He said.

Before she said okay, she quickly took inventory of any valuables that she had in her house with her mind to make sure that there was nothing for him to steal. The only thing that she had of value was her laptop, which was locked in the trunk o her car.

"Okay." She said as she answered his question.

Eddie already had a key, as evidenced by his early morning arrival. She was sure that she had taken back her key the last time he stole something from her. She was sure that he had made a duplicate.

"I've gotta go to work." She said as she filled her thermos and headed out the door.

"Chance Meetings"

She was going to be late. The sight of her brother had really rattled her. She had ten minutes before she had to be standing in front of her class. She liked to be there early, and it didn't help that she was always admonishing them for being late.

She quickly put her stuff down in her office and checked the mirror behind the door to make sure her wavy brown hair was in place. After all she didn't want to scare her students.

Charlie hurried down the hallway with his arms piled high with books and papers. He was late, as usual. He had been distracted by something and lost track of time.

Before he knew it, he had run into someone, and his papers and books had gone flying in every direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry . . . " There came a beautiful voice from out of the fog. Then, the face appeared. Her skin was flawless, and was the color of toasted almonds. Her eyes were a golden brown color, like toffee, and Charlie suddenly found that he was very hungry. The eyes were huge, and they were staring at him. Charlie's heart began to beat very quickly.

"Uh, no it was my fault." He stammered.

Vivian helped Charlie gather all of his belongings, and helped him put them in order so that they would be easier to carry.

"Thank you." He managed. He had tried to avoid looking directly into those eyes, but it couldn't be helped. Now, he was staring. As they looked at each other, they each wanted to say something more, but social conventions were not their thing. Instead, they each mumbled something about being late for class, and they hurried on their way. Charlie was still thinking of the beautiful woman when he made his way to class.

Vivian had seen him around campus, but had no idea who he was. She figured that he was somehow connected to the math department, because the times that she had seen him, he was mostly in that department. She herself only used the math department as a shortcut. She smiled deviously as she decided that she would use this shortcut more often.

She wouldn't miss it, he thought to himself as he laughed. His family had never given him anything, he thought, and now this would make up for things. His parents had always given her everything, or so it seemed in his mind. If they had supported him like he needed them to, maybe he would have done better. He was gone before Vivian returned from work.

Charlie could hardly concentrate on his calculations.

"Uh, Charles, I notice that you seem to be a little off-balance." Larry said.

"What?" Charlie hadn't heard him.

"You seem to be a little distracted." Larry repeated. This time, he said it a little louder as if that were the problem.

"I met this woman . . . " Charlie began. Larry nodded as if he knew all along that it was about a woman.

"So, who is she?" Larry asked. He was suddenly very interested.

"I ran into her, literally, in the hallway." Charlie explained.

"And . . . " Larry wanted further details.

"And, nothing else." Larry laughed, much to Charlie's disdain.

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Larry asked. Charlie just looked at him. He had no idea how to even start.

"Are you going to ask her out?" Larry asked.

"It's not . . . " Charlie didn't know how to explain that the situation wasn't to the point where he felt comfortable to ask her out.

"I don't even know her name." Charlie explained.

"Oh." Larry said. That was definitely going to be a problem.

When Vivian returned home, she expected to see all of the furniture gone. The only thing that she found gone was Eddie. She quickly looked to make sure nothing was missing.

"Oh well, I guess he couldn't take my nagging. Darn." She said sarcastically.

AS she heated up a frozen dinner, Vivian thought about the guy in the math department. She'd have to find out who he was.

The next day, Charlie had to admit that he was looking for her. He stood in the hallway pretending to look at a bulletin board.

Then, he saw her. She seemed to be moving in slow motion like they do on TV when a beautiful woman is walking. She was wearing a red dress that clung in all the right places. Her long wavy hair was flowing freely, and her beautiful brown eyes took his breath away. He dropped his papers again.

Vivian's attention went straight to Charlie, as their eyes met. Vivian bent to pick up the dropped papers.

"This seems to be a habit for you." She said cheerily. Rarely did she ever flirt, but she was giving it her all now.

He couldn't find words. He was now standing face to face with this beautiful woman, and he couldn't find the words.

"My name is Vivian Graves." She said as she extended her hand. Charlie did manage to shake her hand.

"M-My name is Charlie – Eppes." Vivian smiled because she finally knew his name. Charlie felt that her smile was absolutely perfect.

"What are you doing for lunch, Charlie Eppes?" Vivian asked.

The Date

They went to a little diner around he corner from the college. After a little bit, Charlie loosened up. They did not talk about math, and Charlie felt good about this. They talked about music, books and movies, and the time passed.

One of the things that Charlie discovered was that Vivian was not a math student or professor. She taught English in the Humanities Department. During the school year, she taught at an inner city school, but in the summer, she taught at the college. Before either of them knew it, they had been in the diner for two and a half hours.

"Oh no!" Charlie exclaimed.

They began to get ready to leave. Then, Charlie stopped.

"I want to see you again." Charlie said.

"I'd like that." Vivian answered.

The two exchanged telephone numbers and Charlie said that he would call Vivian the following day.

In the meantime, Eddie Graves was in Vegas. He was no stranger there. He had to be in disguise because he didn't want to be recognized.And, now that he had Vivian's calculations, everything would be perfect.

When Charlie arrived home the next day, the first thing that he did was to call Vivian.

"Hi, Charlie. I was hoping you would call." She said.

Charlie paused for a moment, thinking about the fact that she had been waiting on his call.

"Do you want to go and see a movie?" he asked before he lost his nerve.

"Sure, that sounds great."

After the movie, Vivian invited Charlie back to her house. Charlie was extremely nervous. He knew that he wanted to kiss her. He had thought about this when they were snuggled together in the movie theater.

When Vivian opened the door, she was greeted by the boundless energy of her year old beagle husky, Maxx. He was very happy to see her home.

"Just give me a minute to put Maxx to bed." She said, as she showed Charlie where the couch was.

After Vivian came back from putting Maxx away, she began preparing coffee for them. Charlie looked around at her house. The decor in the living room was very feminine, and reminded him of Vivian. It was feminine but not girly, he decided. There were pictures on the mantel of what he assumed to be family members. He was looking at these pictures when Vivian returned with the coffee.

Vivian had put on some light jazz and the soft tones of the music and candlelight filtered through out the room.

Charlie was looking at Vivian as she served the coffee. Between the smell of the coffee, the music, the candlelight, and this amazingly beautiful woman standing before him, he was overwhelmed.

"Do you take sugar and cream?" Charlie was brought back to reality by the sound of Vivian's voice.

"Uh, yes, please.. ." He answered.

After taking a sip, Charlie said, "I like your pictures."

Charlie was trying hard to find words to say.

"My family and I are very close. My parents are gone now." Vivian said as she took a sip of coffee.

"My mom died, too." Charlie said quietly. Vivian touched Charlie's hand, in order to show comfort. It was all that needed to be done. They quietly changed the subject and went on to talk about other things.

A few minutes later, their nervous conversation ceased. Charlie put his cup down, then he took her cup and put it down on the table. He was staring into her eyes as he took her face into his hands. Vivian smiled which gave him the courage that he needed. Charlie leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. He didn't know what being struck by lightening was like, but he had to believe that it was pretty darn close to this. Charlie groaned as he deepened the kiss and pulled Vivian closer. Vivian's hands went immediately to Charlie's hair, and she ran her fingers through it. She had wanted to do this since the moment she met him.

Just as Charlie was trying to figure out where this might lead, Vivian's phone began to ring. They continued kissing as Vivian's answering machine picked up.

"Viv, pick up. I'm in a jam and I need your help. Where the hell are you?" The voice on the other end sounded very angry. Vivian tensed up, and Charlie backed off.

"What's wrong? Who was that?" Charlie asked. His voice was still thick from all of the kissing. Vivian was suddenly very agitated.

"It was nobody." She lied. For some reason, she didn't want Charlie to know about her brother.

"Look, I'm really tired. Why don't we call it a night. I'll take you home." Charlie resented being dismissed like a coworker. He couldn't figure out what went wrong. To him, everything was going well- - more than well. It was perfect. He was getting upset.

"I'll just take a cab home." He said as he stood to leave. Why couldn't she just tell him what was wrong, he thought.

Vivian was angry with herself. Why couldn't she tell him the truth about her brother, and other things. She wanted him to think that she came from a close, loving family, like his. As she watched him walk down the sidewalk, she said softly, "Be careful." Then she thought, I may never see him again.

Love on the Rocks

"I don't know what happened." Charlie said. They sat around drinking hot chocolate even though it was the middle of the summer. Charlie was relating the details of his evening.

"So, you were kissing her and what?" Alan asked. He was focusing way too much on the kissing.

"She got a phone call from a guy that called her Viv."

They could tell that the usually docile Charlie was extremely angry.

"Do you think she has a boyfriend?" Don asked. This seemed to make Charlie angrier.

"Was she a good kisser?" Alan asked. Charlie only glared at him.

"What am I going to do?" Charlie asked as he sat with his head in his hands.

"Maybe she'll come 'round and tell you who this guy is." Don said. Charlie still couldn't get over why Vivian wouldn't tell him who the guy was.

She wasn't home, and he was a dead man. The men that he owed money to were not happy. The calculations that he was giving them in exchange were not complete, and they either wanted their money, or they wanted the complete calculations. Well, he sure as hell couldn't pay them.

"I can't believe she's doing this to me." He said aloud as he slammed the phone down.

The phone rang again, and she unplugged it. Why did she let herself get mixed up with her brother.

"Maybe I'm just a bad person." She thought. And now, he could have potentially ruined things between she and Charlie.

The next day, Vivian was sure that Charlie didn't want to have anything to do with her. She had cried most of the night, and this morning, her eyes were puffy as proof of this.

It was Saturday, but Vivian reluctantly got up. She began her usual Saturday chore which was cleaning. She stripped her bed, and gathered her towels, and headed for the laundry room. Her dog Maxx was walking close by, and almost tripped her going down the stairs. After putting the load in the washer, she went into the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

He called, but all he got was a busy signal. He had time to think about things, and he realized that he wasn't as mad as he had, at first, thought. But now, he couldn't get through to her.

Charlie grabbed his coat and headed out the door. By the time Charlie got to Vivian's house, she was in full cleaning mode. She had put on some fast, upbeat music, and was now vacuuming the living room.

When Charlie rang the doorbell, he realized that Vivian was vacuuming and that she couldn't hear him. He looked through the window and saw her with pink sweats on and great big fuzzy pink slippers. He had never seen anything so adorable before in his life.

Finally, when she finished, he rang the bell. Vivian panicked. She immediately thought that it was Eddie. She cautiously looked through the peephole, then opened the door.

"Hi." Vivian said. She was so happy to see him. She wanted to run into his arms. He could tell that she had been crying.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

She suddenly realized that she didn't want to let him in, but that was far from the truth.

"We need to talk." Charlie began. Vivian was afraid of this, but also welcomed it. They went and sat down on the same couch that they had been kissing on just the night before. She tried not to think about that.

Charlie must have practiced his speech, she thought, because he went right into it.

"I really like you, and I had a really good time with you."

"Me, too." Vivian added. She was on the verge of more tears. She thought that he was going to tell her that they shouldn't see each other anymore.

"There's something you're not telling me, and that bothers me." Charlie said.

She looked at this beautiful man and she wondered if she could trust him enough to tell him about her past. She took Charlie's hands in hers, and looked into his eyes.

"The guy on the phone was my brother, Eddie." Charlie thought about this as Vivian continued.

"My family isn't like your family. Eddie is the black sheep of the family." There was a slight smirk on her face. The smirk soon faded, and she was serious again.

"I was the one who tried to keep everything together. I hated hearing the fighting. We had a huge dining room table, and I would hide underneath with my ears plugged."

She had her ears plugged now, as she reminisced. Charlie couldn't imagine being a child in a home like that. He gently took her hands down and took her into his arms, and held her tightly as she sobbed.

"Come on Fifi. Get out of there. What are you doing?" The woman went into the bushes to retrieve her dog. Soon after, there was a scream. There lay Eddie Graves in a pool of blood.

After composing herself somewhat, Vivian was able to conveniently change the subject so that she would not have to tell the whole story.

Somehow, he really knew that she hadn't told him everything. He knew that, with everything she had been through, she had to take things a little at a time.

They decided to stay in and fix dinner there at Vivian's house. Vivian made pasta and sauce, while Charlie shredded lettuce and chopped veggies for a salad. They were laughing as they ate, and the dark cloud that had covered them earlier had now lifted. Vivian had lively Caribbean music playing, and the two of them seemed to be very comfortable with one another. That was until the phone rang. Vivian hesitated, and then picked it up. She couldn't run from Eddie forever, and now she felt even stronger with Charlie there.

"What? Oh no..." Vivian said as she let the phone drop from her hand. Charlie picked it up and listened as the person on the other end reported that Eddie Graves was dead.

Vivian was very upset, and she asked Charlie to stay with her. After some time of them just sitting with Charlie holding her, Vivian said, "I feel so alone now. I'm the only one left."

They sat some more, and then Vivian got up to go and take a shower. While Vivian was in the shower, Charlie called home to tell Alan what had happened, and to tell him that he would be staying at Vivian's that night.

"Is she okay?" Alan asked.

"I don't know. She was crying more before she got the news. I'm worried, Dad."

"You stay with her Charlie. She needs you."

When Vivian got out of the shower, she had on a big fluffy robe. Charlie couldn't help but wonder what she had on underneath.

Charlie had planned on putting Vivian into bed and then sleeping on the couch.

"Please Charlie, will you stay with me?" Charlie doubted the wisdom of the decision, but he did it anyway.

Different thoughts were going through his head. He saw the night gown that she had changed into. He was also thinking about how he didn't think that the news had truly hit her yet. She should be more upset than this, he thought. He took his mind off of this by working several mathematical calculations in his head.

He held her in bed. And whispered things in her ear as he kissed her lovingly.

She turned and began kissing him . Charlie was taken completely off guard, but kissed her back. At first, his mind tried to work out the ethics of his actions, but , at some point, all thoughts left his mind. They made love. Afterwards, Charlie whispered, "I really care about you, hon. I really wish you would trust me."

She pretended to be asleep, but she heard every word that he spoke.

Now that Eddie was dead, the group of men that he owed money to were still not satisfied. Yes, they had the satisfaction of killing him, but they still didn't have what they wanted.

"Hey Hal, what was the name of the sister?"

The next morning, Charlie awoke to find Vivian sleeping in his arms. Charlie thought for a moment what it would be like to have this every morning. Vivian began to stir, and then her eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning..." She said as she stretched. Then, she gave Charlie that beautiful smile.

"You've made me really happy." Charlie said quietly. She could tell from his voice that it was not something that he said often. She believed him to be sincere. He kissed her on the forehead and held her. There was still so much between them, and at that point, Charlie didn't care. He knew that he was falling in love with her. Like trying to stop a speeding train, he knew that there was no way to stop this now. He just prayed that Vivian wasn't in trouble, although, deep down, he knew that she was. He held her tight and squeezed his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. Although, Vivian couldn't see his face at that point, she knew that she was hurting him. She would have to tell him, and soon.

Charlie decided to invite Vivian to his house for a family dinner. He wanted to make her feel like she belonged. He didn't know if it was the right time to be doing this, but he did think that she needed to be around people.

"It's all set. They're expecting us." he saw the look of fear on her face.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked as he took her face into his hands.

"H-Have you told them about me?" Vivian asked.

"You mean, about your brother?" Charlie asked.

He was so sweet. The fact that he didn't immediately think about it, made her feel better.

"No silly, about me being black. I don't want to replay a scene from 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?'"

Charlie smiled. Of course, he was aware that she was black, but as things progressed, he hadn't thought about it at all. There had been times when, even in this day and age, that people gave them a second look, but he thought that it was merely because they were looking at how beautiful she was. He knew that his family would not have a problem. He had seen no reason to tell them that she was black.

On the way over to Charlie's house, she explained her reluctance.

"Once, this guy took me home to his family, and there was a huge scene. The guy hadn't told his family that I was black."

"If you want, I could call them right now and tell them." Charlie had a huge playful grin on his face which made Vivian laugh. HE couldn't see how anyone would have a problem with Vivian. She was a lovely person. Charlie was sure that his father and brother would feel the same.

When they reached the house, Charlie opened the door. Vivian took a deep breath as she went inside.

"Charlie, this must be Vivian - - welcome." Alan shook Vivian's hand as Charlie introduced them. They all went into the dining room where both Larry and Don were. When Larry found out that Charlie's girlfriend was coming for dinner, he couldn't resist inviting himself.

"Don, Larry, this is Charlie's um friend Vivian."

"It's girlfriend, Dad." Charlie corrected as he put his arm around Vivian. They all smiled. Vivian was starting to feel comfortable.

They all sat down to dinner. There was lots of laughter, and stories. Charlie kept a close eye on Vivian. She was trying very hard, but the happiness around the table only served to remind her that she had never had anything like this. Finally, it became too much for her and she excused herself and ran to the bathroom.

Charlie looked at them all, apologetically and followed her. He could hear her crying through the door, and it almost killed him.

"Vivian, please let me in."

He had tried the door, and it was locked. Charlie didn't know why, but he was scared.

"Please Vivian, I love you."

Charlie was almost in tears as the door opened.

"You love me?" She asked, as if she didn't believe that anyone could actually love her. He hadn't meant to say it, but it was the truth.

"Yes, I love you." Charlie said as he opened the door wider and took Vivian into his arms.

"Is everything okay, Charlie?" Alan asked.

"Yeah Dad, everything's fine." Charlie said as he held Vivian.

"I'm sorry I ruined your dinner." Vivian said to Alan.

"Oh no, that's all right. Stuff like that happens here all the time." Alan lied.

"Come on back for some dessert and coffee." Charlie mouthed the words 'thank you' as they followed him back into the dining room.

They finished the evening without incident, but Don was sure that he had seen Vivian somewhere before.

The next day, Don came into work, and seemed to have a one track mind.

"What's wrong, Don?" Terry asked, as they stood in the office.

He had hoped that he was wrong. Don had come in on Monday and called a buddy in Las Vegas to get the police report of Eddie's death. Hen, he remembered where he had seen Vivian's face.

Terry came over to see what Don was doing.

"She's pretty. Who is she?" Terry asked.

"Charlie's new girlfriend." Don answered.

Charlie was waiting outside Vivian's classroom when she was done for the day. She was still surprised when her heart leapt at seeing him.

"I thought I'd stop by and take you home." Charlie said.

Vivian smiled.

"Even though I'm driving?" She asked coyly. Charlie smiled sheepishly, and Vivian kissed him playfully on the cheek. They heard giggles as a couple of girls passed by. Charlie blushed.

When they arrived at Vivian's house, Vivian put her stuff down and headed for the kitchen.

"Do you want a coke?" she asked.

"Sure." Charlie answered.

Vivian opened the fridge and grabbed the cokes. She also grabbed a bag of chips on her way out.

"I'm going to go and change." She announced as Charlie dug into his snack. A few moments later, he heard Vivian scream. Charlie lost no time getting up the stairs. He made his way to the bathroom where he found Vivian leaning over Maxx who was lying on the floor. Vivian was hysterical, and there was blood on her hands.

"Why would someone want to hurt Maxx. He wouldn't even bark at a stranger." Vivian sobbed.

Maxx was rushed to the vet where he was immediately sent to surgery. In the meantime, Charlie took Vivian to his house. Charlie closed the bedroom door after tucking Vivian into his bed.

Charlie went back out into the living room where Don and Alan were waiting.

"How is she?" Alan asked.

"I finally got her to stop crying, the she went to sleep."

Don was unusually quiet, Charlie thought. Finally Don said, "Charlie, we have to talk."

Charlie sat down thinking that Don was going to talk to him about how to keep Vivian safe.

"I found something out about Vivian."

Charlie blinked several times. he could tell that he wasn't going to like what Don had to say.

"She was arrested nine years ago."

Charlie felt as if someone had hit him with a board.

"The charges were dropped, and she never served any time." Don said.

Charlie felt as if he couldn't breath.

"What was she arrested for?" Charlie asked softly.

"She and a bunch of math students tried to break Vegas based on calculations provided by Vivian." Don explained.

Charlie was shocked.

"Vivian said that she wasn't good at math." Charlie said. He sounded as if he were in a trance. He still wasn't getting it.

"Charlie, Vivian's brother was killed in Las Vegas. He had been doing some gambling there."

Charlie tried to refocus past the statement that Vivian was a mathematician.

"You're not saying that Vivian was involved with her brother, are you?" Alan asked.

"I don't know , but it doesn't look good."

Charlie couldn't take it.

"This can't be happening." Charlie said as he struggled to breath. He was having a panic attack. Alan, seeing Charlie's distress, went over to offer his assistance.

"Dad... what am I going to do?" Charlie was desperate. Before he could answer, screams filled the air. Charlie immediately ran up the stairs. Vivian had had a nightmare, and was now crying.

"It's okay, I'm here." Charlie whispered.

"Donnie, is there any chance that Vivian's not involved in this?" Alan asked. Don looked skeptical.

"Like I said Dad, it doesn't look good."

Don contacted a friend in the field office in Las Vegas, and told him what was going on.

"Hey Mick, I'd really like to take care of this myself, if that's okay?" He listened to the response from the other end.

"Hey, thanks man, I owe you one."

They brought Vivian in for questioning, and Charlie insisted on being there.

"All right, but you have to wait out here."

Don was nervous about questioning Vivian. He knew that he needed to be the 'bad guy', but he didn't want to be the bad guy with Charlie there. He also knew that he couldn't let anyone else question her,

"Vivian, is it true that you were arrested nine years ago?"He asked.

Charlie was probably behind the glass, Vivian thought. She looked nervously in that direction.

"Yes, I was arrested, but the charges were dropped. I was part of a group of physics students that had worked out calculations that would predict where the ball would fall on a roulette wheel." She licked her lips nervously.

"So, what's happened recently?" Don asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said defensively.

"Your brother was going some gambling in Vegas before he was killed."

Vivian's mind was working out what Don was getting at.

"All I know is that my brother came to visit a few days ago. He was there in the morning, but was gone when I got home from work, thank god."

"So, you didn't give him the calculations for a cut in the winnings?" Vivian was surprised. It had just dawned on her that Don actually thought that she was part of this. Originally, she thought that he was going to ask her questions about the break in and it's possible connection to her brother's death.

"I don't even know where those calculations are. I mean, they're somewhere in my house." She tried to think of when she had last seen that notebook. But, the thought occurred to her that her brother had all day to look for the notebook.

"But, I don't understand. What we did was not against the law. We were originally arrested for disturbing the peace. Some of the kids got a little rowdy when they were caught. I think it was because they would much rather be arrested than have their kneecaps busted by the mob." IT made sense.

"We'd really wish you'd try to find those calculations." Don said, knowing that she wouldn't be able to. Vivian nodded 'okay'.

When Don opened the door, went out and straight into Charlie's arms. He held her for a moment, and then whispered, "Hey, I have a surprise for you."

They went back out into the open room where Terry held Maxx. When Maxx saw Vivian, he ran straight to her. She cried as she held him.

Yep, Charlie was sure now. He loved her.

"Charlie, you haven't said a whole lot." Vivian said hesitantly.

He hadn't meant to be so quiet. He had a lot on his mind.

"I'm sorry." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Do you think I'm guilty?" she asked desperately.

"No, I don't think you're guilty." Charlie said quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're a mathematician?" Charlie asked. This was what she was afraid of. She hadn't really meant to lie, she just left out that part about herself.

"I wanted to forget. That whole fiasco was the beginning of the end for my family. It was all my fault."

Charlie put his arm around her. He couldn't really understand how anyone could simply give up something that was so much a part of them. He began to realize how much math defined who he was. Could he give it up as easily? Charlie focused again on what Vivian was saying.

"I was ashamed. So, I put away all of my math stuff, including that notebook. I was so excited about developing a set of calculations that would break Vegas. It was about money. We weren't going to use it for criminal means. Just think of the world of probability we could open up and use calculations for. We were all powerful. We wanted to see if we could do it."

Charlie could see and recognize the gleam in her eye. He knew that he looked the same way when he solved a math equation.

"And your brother...?" Charlie asked.

"None of us had ever been to Vegas. We didn't know how to even begin. So, Eddie offered to do that for us. We were there because he needed one of us to work out the equation, and we wanted to see it happen. Unfortunately, Eddie drew too much attention to himself."

Charlie had already figured this part out. The part he didn't understand was what had happened recently. As if she had read his mind, Vivian continued.

"I haven't seen that notebook in nine years. My guess is that he took it when he came here the other day."

"It sounds like Eddie got in with some really rough people." Charlie said slowly. It was apparent that, now that Eddie was dead, someone was after Vivian.

"He said that he had a job, but I knew that he was lying."

"We know that Eddie Graves had contact with the Vitali crime family while he was in Vegas." Don said.

"The Vitali crime family runs The Diamond Casino where Eddie had been seen hours before his death." David added.

"I talked to people at The Star Palace. They said that he was there too." Terry said.

Don paced the room for a bit. He had to do this right. He knew that Charlie was in love with Vivian.

"I need to talk to Vivian Graves again." He said.

Don went to the University to talk to Vivian.

"Could Eddie use the calculations by himself?" Don asked.

"No, we ran the calculations based on variables that Eddie transmitted to us. We had about ten seconds to run the calculations and transmit the answer back to Eddie. There's no way he could run this by himself." Vivian couldn't believe that Eddie could be so stupid. She knew now that he had probably tried to run the scam by himself. Charlie put his hand on Vivian's shoulder.

"Eddie knew that you wouldn't help him, so he didn't ask." Charlie said, in an attempt to comfort her.

"It was just plain suicide for him to try to do this alone." Vivian added.

Don continued.

"Eddie owed money to the Vitali family. So, let's say he couldn't pay. What would he use to keep himself from getting killed?"

Don paced around the room.

"What if he was trying to use the calculations at the Star Palace?" Charlie asked.

"But, he didn't know how to use the calculations properly, so he couldn't win." Charlie finished.

"So, they killed him." Vivian said quietly.

"What do you think the mob will do now?" Charlie asked Don. The fact is, he already knew the answer.

"We'll protect her, Charlie, don't worry." Don said.

Vivian looked terrified, and Charlie didn't look much better.

Back at Vivian's house, Charlie looked out the window to see the familiar FBI agent parked across the street.

"Is he still out there?" Vivian asked as she brought the coffee tray in and set it down on the table.

"Yeah, he's still there." Charlie said as he came over and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Vivian had her arms folded as if she were cold. Charlie poured her a cup and handed it to her.

"So, do we just sit here and wait for them to come after me?" she was frightened, and Charlie didn't know what to do to calm her. He sat down in the chair across from her. He had decided to just let her vent. Picking up on this, Vivian continued.

"This is all my fault. If I didn't come up with those damn calculations..." He knew that she was mad, because she rarely cursed. He felt bad for her, but he knew that there wasn't anything he could do except be there for her. He regretted what he had to do next.

"Vivian, I have to go in. I have a class." Charlie stood and waited for her reaction.

Vivian's classes had been picked up by a graduate student, but they weren't going to go as far for Charlie by doing the same.

"I know..." Vivian said as she went over and wrapped her arms around him.

When Charlie's cab arrived at the University, he was having conflicting thoughts about Vivian and math. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he didn't notice the two men that crept out from the bushes.

"They've got Charlie. Do you understand what that means!" Don hit the table in front of Vivian, and she jumped with the force of it.

"I'm sorry. I know it's all my fault." She felt so guilty, and she was scared for Charlie.

Don, who was just letting off some steam, had already moved on coordinating the search efforts. No one saw when Vivian slipped out of the room.

"I want to make a deal with you Mr. Vitali." Vivian said nervously. Mr. Vitali looked amused.

"I'm sorry for laughing, but you are not in a position to make any deals. I have you, and I have your boyfriend."

Vivian could see the irony of her statement, but she held her ground.

"I can use the calculations to win the money that my brother owed you."

Mr. Vitali seemed to consider Vivian's offer.

Vivian knew that she was taking a big risk. This guy could kill her and Charlie without a backward glance.

Vitali out her in the room where they were holding Charlie.

"Vivian, how did you get here?" Charlie said as he jumped to his feet. She didn't want to tell him.

"I offered Vitali a deal to get you back." she began.

"What, are you crazy? Do you think he's going to just let us stroll out of here?" Charlie was angry that Vivian had put herself in danger, but, at the same time, he realized that she loved him, too.

"I'm going to use the calculations to gamble for him."

Charlie began to pace. He didn't like this idea at all.

"Wait a minute. Does Don know you're here?" Charlie asked.

"Uh no...but I'm sure he'll figure it out."

"Where did she go?" Don was furious. Terry tried to calm him down.

"Don, Vivian loves Charlie. What do you think she did?"

They had to go and see Vitali. In the meantime, Vivian was in the casino. She was not the one who was doing the actual gambling, thank goodness, that job was left to one of Vitali's men that he had flown in so that he wouldn't be recognized. However, Charlie was also at the table. It was his job to feed approximate measurements of the wheel and to count the approximate number of spins before the ball dropped. Vivian would plug these numbers into her calculations, and give Vitali's man probabilities of where the ball would drop. It was not exact, but it would also make things less suspicious. Charlie would relay the information to Vivian through a clever device located in his shoe. He would , basically tap the information to Vivian and she would tap her information to Vitali's man using a code that they had come up with. But, because of the probability, they were sometimes wrong.

All of the transfer of information had to take place in seconds. Everything had to run like clockwork, and they couldn't look suspicious.

There were plenty of Vitali's men stationed around the casino in case Vivian or Charlie got the urge to run. Some of the men were Vitali's men from Vegas, and some not. The employees of The Star Palace knew something was up with Vitali's men being there, but, with their focus on these men, it kept the focus off of Vivian and Charlie.

"They're in there." David reported.

"But, we're going to have to go in easy. There are wise guys all over the place."

The last thing Don wanted was a gang war with Charlie in the middle of it. He also knew that once Vitali was done with Vivian and Charlie, he'd kill them.

So, how was he going to get them out without creating a bloodbath? The wheels of Don's brain started turning.

"Okay, I'm going in." He said, as he began pulling off his jacket and loosening his tie. He ruffled his hair, and once inside, he took a drink off of the tray of a waitress and splashed some of the contents on himself. He looked (and smelled) like a businessman who had been gambling for the past three days. He casually walked over to the table where Charlie was playing. The others, seeing what Don did, began doing the same. Terry made her way to the table where Vivian was, and the rest of them spread through out the rest of the room.

Charlie's eyebrow went up when he saw Don arrive at the table, but there wasn't any other indication that he even knew Don.

Don looked at Charlie to see if he could give him a signal without drawing attention to them. A few moments later, the local police burst in and yelled, "Freeze!"

At that moment, Don yelled, "Get down." and he made his way over to Charlie. Terry did the exact same thing with Vivian. Within minutes, the local police and the FBI had all of Vitali's men in custody.

As soon as the whole thing was over, Charlie stood up and began looking for Vivian. He spotted her as Terry was helping her up, and before Don could say anything, he ran to her.

"Are you all right?" He asked , as he took her into his arms. Vivian nodded, too overwhelmed to speak.

Charlie pulled away and looked at her seriously.

"Are there anymore secrets?" He asked.

"Well, unless you count a weakness for chocolate chip cookies." She said jokingly. But, she realized the seriousness of his question.

"Don't worry. I'll never keep anything from you again. I promise."

He could tell that she was telling the truth.

"I love you." Charlie ventured. Vivian smiled and kissed him.

"I love you, too, Charlie, and I always will."

Epilogue

"Where have you been?" Alan asked the three when they came over that night for dinner.

"Uh, we were in Vegas." Charlie spoke up, as he winked at Vivian.

"You were there, too?" Alan asked Don.

"Yup, I was there, too." Don was grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh wait, you two didn't..." Everyone was still smiling.

"No, no we didn't get married. We just did a little gambling." Charlie said. Alan was still in shock.

"Everybody's fine, Dad." Don said, as he patted Alan on the back.

They all sat down to dinner as Alan continued talking.

"Not that I would be opposed to you getting married, Charlie. It's just that I want to be there..."

When You Say You Love Me

Like the sound of silence calling,
I hear your voice and suddenly I'm falling
Lost in a dream.
Like the echoes of our souls are meeting,
You say those words and my heart stops beating.
I wonder what it means.
What could it be that comes over me?
At times I can't move.
At times I can't hardly breathe.

When you say you love me,
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me,
For a moment, there's no one else alive.

You're the one I've always thought of.
I don't know how, but I feel sheltered in your love.
You're where I belong.
And when you're with me if I close my eyes,
There are times I swear I feel like I can fly
For a moment in time.
Somewhere betweenThe Heavens and Earth ,
And frozen in time,
Oh when you say those words.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
For a moment there's no one else alive.

bridge:
And this journey that we're on.
How far we've come and I
Celebrate every moment.
And when you say you love me,
That's all you have to say.
I'll always feel this way.

When you say you love me
The world goes still, so still inside and
When you say you love me
In that moment I know why I'm alive

When you say you love me.
When you say you love me.
Do you know how I love you?