As always, I don't own 'em…wish I did…but whatever.

"SHRINK WRAPPED"

Charlie waited near the elevator as Don stood by the receptionists' desk, setting up his next appointment, he guessed. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other, not sure what was expected of him now that the session was over. Would Don want to continue where they left off? Or would he want to keep it all behind closed doors with Dr. Bradford there to referee? Oh, to be all-knowing. The younger man finally decided. He'd throw caution to the wind and see where it landed. "Want to go get something to eat?" he blurted out as Don approached.

Don sighed and checked his watch. "I don't know Charlie…"

"Never mind. It's OK." Charlie broke in. He knew where this was heading. He tried to disguise the lump in his throat, hoping that Don wouldn't notice. "I'm sure you've got stuff to do."

"That's not it, Charlie…" Don hesitated. Did he really want to get into this now??? Finally, he flashed the faintest hint of a smile. "I've got a date."

"Liz?"

"How'd you know?"

Charlie snorted. "We did just finish discussing for an hour that I'm a genius, right?"

"Alright, geek." Don ruffled Charlie's hair, knowing no easier way to irritate the hell out of his little brother. He'd been doing it to him all his life, and Charlie still never managed to see it coming. "I just thought maybe Colby or David…" Don didn't finish, realizing his mistake immediately.

"You told David and Colby? Before me and Dad?" There was no hiding the hurt in Charlie's voice. He thought back to the night when Don showed up at the house very late and delivered the news that he and Robin were no longer seeing each other. After the way that he and Alan had supported Don that evening, this really hurt.

"I'm not in high school, Charlie. I'm not in the habit of putting a note on the refrigerator every time I get a girlfriend." A pang of guilt slammed into Don's head. That was a pretty cheap shot. He remembered sitting at the Craftsman one day listening to Alan retelling one of his favorite little 'cute Charlie' stories. Okay…so that one 'was' pretty cute.

"Charlie…look…it's not what you think, OK??? It was just earlier today. Liz and I were both at the office…Colby and David…they were…well, they were getting suspicious so it just seemed like the time to come clean." Don rubbed the back of his neck. "Hell…I didn't even tell Liz I was going to say anything."

"…ok…" Charlie nodded, his voice soft. "So…we'll get together some other time."

Something in Charlie's eyes made Don reconsider his earlier response.

"Look, Charlie, I've got time for a quick bite. How about we hit that sub shop around the corner?"

Charlie shook his head. "No. You'd better get going. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

It was the unspoken 'again' that made Don insist. "Charlie…Charlie…" and Don waited until he had his brother's full attention before he finished. "…I want to do this, OK?"

"You're sure?" Charlie smiled.

"Yeah, definitely sure." Don emphasized, smiling himself when he noticed that crooked little grin of Charlie's appearing and feeling great that he'd been the one able to put it there this time. He threw his arm around Charlie's shoulders as they stepped into the elevator. "Let's do it."

They parted ways in the garage and headed for their cars. Don pulled his cell phone out as he slid into his SUV, telling Liz he'd be a little late. He stressed the fact that he thought he and Charlie needed a little de-briefing time after their session.

As they slid into the booth at the sub shop, Charlie spoke first. "Dr. Bradford seems really good for you."

"Think so?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's been…what???...22 years since the camping trip???...and he got you to admit right off that it sucked and you were pissed." Charlie chuckled.

"Not exactly a news flash there, Charlie." Don took the wrapper off his sandwich and took a sip of soda. "Now…this deal about you leaving…now 'that's' news."

Charlie made sure he was staring at his sandwich and not his brother when he said "Yeah, well…I decided it was time you knew that I was pissed, too."

"What did you have to be pissed about?" Don sputtered, coming close to spitting lettuce across the room. "It was 'my' birthday!"

"Why was I pissed?" Charlie looked at Don in disbelief and counted off on his fingers. "Let's see…I didn't want to go…you didn't want me to go…your friends 'obviously' didn't want me to go. It was another one of mom and dad's attempts to get me out of my 'bubble' as you call it."

It was the comment about Don's friends that got his attention. "Wait…did someone…"

"…no…"

But Charlie's answer came out way too fast to suit Don.

Don grabbed Charlie's wrist. "Buddy???"

"You had some really creepy, demented friends back then Don."

Don suddenly felt sick. The sight of his sandwich turned his stomach. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Well…not really nothing. I…I mean…they just scared me…you know. They shoved me around a little. That's all." Charlie pulled his hand away. "Please don't take this on, too…OK?"

Don's face suddenly had that look that Charlie had seen so many times before. It was Don's patented older-brother look.

"Don…really…it's OK. They just kind of stressed the fact that you didn't want me there, which I already knew." Charlie's eyes seemed to cloud at the memory. "I guess they thought maybe their little intervention would make me stick close to Dad and leave you alone. I just figured I'd save everyone the trouble…and go home."

Don felt like he could throttle his brother. "Charlie…you were eight years old!"

"I knew how old I was, Don. But I was pretty smart. Besides, since when did age ever set any limits in regards to me?"

No truer words were ever spoken, but Don still found himself saying "I would think you were smart enough to realize that an eight year old kid didn't have any business being out in the middle of nowhere by himself. I would think you were smart enough to go to Dad. And…why the hell didn't you come to me?"

Charlie just stared at the table. "They were 'your friends', Don."

"And you're my brother." Don stressed.

"Yeah…well…"

Don seemed puzzled. "Charlie??"

"I figured you'd prefer me gone." Charlie whispered. "It was my present to you."

Don felt an aneurysm coming on. What kind of genius is this stupid??? "Yeah. That would have been some kind of present, huh, Charlie? Finding you dead somewhere on my birthday. Yeah…Happy Freaking Birthday!"

"I just wanted to go home." Charlie looked up at Don. "I knew that Mom loved me…"

"And Dad and I didn't?"

"Not like Mom."

Don slumped down in the booth. "You were some crazy little kid…I'll give you that."

"Yeah…well you were some mean big kid…" Charlie sat up a little straighter on his side of the table.

Don eyed his brother. Did he hear that right? "Mean?"

"All I ever wanted was to hang around with you. You were everything I wanted to be." Charlie's eyes closed as he remembered so many things about his past. Things that even though they happened over twenty years ago seemed like just yesterday.

"Donnie…you were…"

Charlie shook his head. No. That wasn't right. "You 'are'…my big brother."

Charlie shook his head again. He wanted to get this right the first time. He certainly didn't want to have to say it again. "You're an FBI agent for Christ sake. Don't you guys like…figure stuff out? Surely you know that all little brothers look up to their big brothers…right? So how come all of this is so hard for you to see, Donnie??? I just wanted to be with you…and…" Charlie swallowed the feeling of bile rising up his throat "…and you hated me."

Don felt as if he'd just been slapped. "Hated you!!" He could hardly say the words. "Don't say that. Charlie. I never…ever…hated you."

Charlie looked up incredulously at his big brother. "Well then you need to 'thank the Academy' because you were sure a great actor."

Don knew he had to set the record straight here and now. How long had his little brother truly believed that he hated him? Hated him! "Charlie…"

"Donnie…it wasn't my fault I was five years younger. It wasn't my fault mom and dad made you take me places you didn't want me. It wasn't my fault they made you keep an eye on me…"

Take a breath, kid.

"Charlie…" Don needed to get his brother calmed down.

"It wasn't my fault I couldn't be a good enough little brother to make you love me…"

Oh, God!

Don reached across the booth and grabbed Charlie's shoulders. "Stop it!"

"Sorry." Charlie took in a large gulp of air, wheezing. "It's just that whenever you talk about when we were kids, all I ever hear is how you got cheated and I took up everyone's time."

"Charlie…all I'm saying is…I don't think you realize what it was like being your older brother."

"Probably a lot like being your younger brother."

Don threw his hands up. "Look…maybe we should just agree to disagree on the whole childhood scene."

Charlie shook his head. "No. If that's what you wanted to do, you never would have asked me to come with you to see Dr. Bradford. You know, Don, I never, ever asked you to take care of me, or protect me, or watch over me. Not once."

"You didn't have to, buddy. I just did it."

"Why?"

"Why?" Don smiled. "Why do you think?"

"Humor me." Charlie laughed. "Tell me why."

"Because, Charlie, I'm the big brother."

"So what? You're born first and that makes you all-seeing and all-knowing? I come along later and I'm helpless and dependent?"

"Charlie, you were a little kid…small for your age within your own age group…and thrown into situations that made you seem…"

"Extra small??"

"Vulnerable…wise-ass" Don cuffed Charlie on the head. "You were this cute little curly haired kid that loved learning and had the world at his feet."

Charlie sighed. "I'm sensing a 'but' here somewhere."

"But…" Don stressed "…you needed someone to watch out for you, Charlie…"

"Needed." Charlie jumped in. "As in the past. When we were kids."

"Well…yeah." Don agreed. "I mean, you were pretty clueless sometimes. You just needed someone to watch your back."

"And now?" Charlie asked.

Don was confused. "Now?"

"Yeah. Now." Charlie was getting into full professor-mode. "Is there some reason that you're still doing it? Watching my back, I mean."

"Charlie…"

"No. I want to know." Charlie insisted. "Is there some reason that you still think you have to baby-sit me? Because if you do, at this point in my life, then there's no hope for me to ever become your equal."

Don nearly choked. "My equal?"

"Equal. As in…equivalent…one and the same…peer…"

"Cut the crap, Charlie. I know what it means! You know you passed me by years ago."

Charlie just shook his head. "You don't get it, do you?

"Get what, Charlie?"

"That I can never be the man you are."

"Charlie…"

"Everyone thinks I'm still some 4 year old kid multiplying numbers in his head. Some kid that's so wrapped up his head that he can't be trusted to cross the street by himself. Some kid that's just liable to 'snap' at any moment, so watch out for him...!"

Jesus, does this kid ever breathe???

"Buddy…I don't think that." Don suddenly reconsidered. "Well…maybe some of it…you do still get pretty focused sometimes…" then Don had to laugh "…and the whole driving thing scares the crap out of me…but you're an amazing guy."

Charlie sprang in for clarification. "Amazing as in 'pulls an algorithm out of his butt' kind of guy?"

"No…" Don stressed, as if talking to a two-year-old. "Amazing as in…respected for his intelligence…and respected even more so for his character and loyalty. If that's not a man, Charlie, I don't know what is."

"Respected by…"

"Me." Don jumped in. "Respected by me, buddy."

Charlie's throat tightened up he could barely get out "Don…"

"Charlie. No matter how old you get, I'll always be older than you. No matter how dumb you get, you'll still be smarter than me. It's just the way it is, buddy."

"So…we…just…" Charlie whispered.

"We just 'get over ourselves'…I guess."

Charlie smirked an impish little grin. "I guess I should apologize for that line, huh?"

"You think???"