A/N: Just to let everyone know I'm going to try to update once a week if R/L doesn't get in the way… Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Numb3rs!
Word Count: 1,911 words
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Don sighed as he threw the pen he had been writing with across his desk. He looked up and saw Terry, David, and Ian looking at him. "We're getting nowhere right now, so unless we get a call out at some point tonight, I'm calling it a night for us. We need to take a break and get a good night's sleep. Anyone up to going out for a drink?"
David and Terry both agreed but Ian said, "I actually have plans this evening with a friend. I'll be here at eight in the morning. Eppes, you know my number if you get a call out tonight."
Don looked at Ian in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "Going anywhere good, Edgerton?"
Ian shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. My friend first texted me that we were going to eat at a Greek restaurant that they know, but I just got a text about twenty minutes ago telling me they changed their mind and we're eating Italian tonight. I really don't mind either way since I plan on hopefully being able to go out to dinner with them again."
Don laughed. "Greek and Italian are both good choices. I won't call you unless I get a call about another sniper shooting. Enjoy your time with your friend since you probably don't get to see the person that often due to your job."
Ian smirked. "This will be my first time out with my friend, so I'm hoping that there will be more times after this one. I'll have my cell on me. You three have fun this evening and don't drink too much!"
Don rolled his eyes. "We won't be having more than one or two drinks so no worry there. I'll see you in the morning, Ian, so have fun."
Ian nodded and left. He was excited about going out to dinner with Charlie and then giving him a shooting lesson. He headed to his hotel so that he could shower and change clothes. Once in his hotel room he took a quick shower and changed into a pair of black slacks and a light blue polo shirt. He had some questions that only the Professor could answer and he was very much looking forward to those answers. He looked at the clock and saw that it was twenty to seven and decided that it was the perfect time to leave to head to get Charlie. He grabbed up his gun that was in its side holster, wallet, keys, and hotel room key and walked out of his hotel room. He made sure that the door to his room locked and then headed to his car for his drive to CalSci.
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Charlie sat back with a sigh in his office chair. Since Ian had dropped him off three hours ago, he had been hard at work grading and trying to work on the Sniper problem. He still had about an hour before Ian would be there to pick him up. He had decided that he wanted to do Italian instead of Greek so he let Ian know that he had changed his mind and got a response back telling him that, that was fine with the older man. He could admit even if only to himself that he was nervous about going out to dinner with the Sniper, but it was a good kind of nervous.
He stood up from his chair and stretched the kinks out of his back and shoulders that he was starting to feel. He walked over to his office door and locked it so that he could change without anyone trying to walk in on him. He grabbed the slacks and shirt that he had in his office and made quick work of changing into them. He was just glad that he had a pair of black slacks and a forest green shirt in his office because he normally didn't keep a spare change of clothes on hand.
Once he was satisfied that his clothes wasn't wrinkled he unlocked his office door and walked back to his desk and sat down. He figured that he might as well do some more work so that he just wouldn't be sitting around worrying about how tonight was going to go with him and Ian. He looked up when he heard his office door open and grinned when he saw Larry standing in the doorway. "What can I do for you, Larry?"
Larry walked into Charlie's office and stood in front of his friend's desk. "You are wearing a different outfit, Charles. Why are you wearing a different outfit?"
Charlie groaned because of course Larry would notice that he had changed clothes. "I have plans this evening, Larry, so I decided to change out of the clothes I wore today. Is there something that you need my help with?"
Larry shook his head and narrowed his eyes as he saw that his best friend was blushing lightly. "You have a date tonight, Charles! I was just coming to see how you were coming along with the work you were doing to help your brother."
Charlie shook his head. "I can't seem to get the equation right for some reason. There is something that I'm not seeing because it isn't adding up to give me a definite answer."
Larry nodded. "You really should try firing a gun or something, my friend. You need to be able to equate the human element into your equation if you want to find the answer that you are seeking. Not everything is just about scientific or mathematic variables."
Charlie smirked slightly. "I did think about that myself without having to have it pointed out to me for once, Larry. Actually, I'll be shooting a gun later tonight, but you are not to tell anyone because I don't need my dad or brother freaking out about the fact that I'm learning how to shoot a gun. I love my dad and Don, but they are way too overprotective of me when it comes to this stuff."
Larry narrowed his eyes and the he laughed as he shook his head. "The only way Don wouldn't know about you learning to shoot a gun is if you went to someone not on his team for lessons. Charles, you went to the sniper expert and asked him to teach you how to shoot a gun. I don't know whether to be shocked or laugh at your sneakiness. I have forgotten that you know how to be sneaky and evasive when you want to be. Very well, I shall leave you on your own for now and I'll see you tomorrow. I will expect a report from you on how well it went for you tonight, Charles."
Charlies rolled his eyes but smiled at his friend and mentor. "I'll be sure to let you know how things went tonight come tomorrow, Larry." He watched his friend leave and then sat back in seat with a chuckle escaping his lips. He had forgotten that Larry would be able to read him like an open book and just how supportive his friend and mentor could be when it came to something that he wanted to learn on his own.
He looked at the clock on his desk and realized that it was almost quarter til seven and knew that Ian would be there soon to pick him up for dinner. He packed everything up that he wanted to take home with him and just finished when a throat was cleared from his office doorway. He turned his head and smiled when he saw Ian standing there. He had to bite his tongue for a second to keep from blurting out that he thought Ian looked hot in the black slacks and sky-blue shirt that the older man was wearing. "Good evening, Ian. If you give me just one minute if that I'll be ready to go."
Ian walked further into Charlie's office and smiled at the younger man. "That is fine, Professor. I know that I'm a few minutes early." He looked around the office and couldn't help but laugh because it was pretty much just what he had pictured Charlie's office would look like in his mind. He looked at Charlie when he felt the other man tap him on the shoulder. "Are you ready, Professor?"
Charlie blushed and nodded. He followed Ian out of his office and then out of CalSci to the man's car all the while trying to get his heartrate back to normal range. There was just something about the way the older man called him Professor that made his thoughts go to places they shouldn't go especially on a first date. Once in the car he looked at Ian with a smirk. "I made reservations for us at Il Fornaio – Cucina Italiana in Beverly Hills. I could have chosen the Pasadena location, but knowing my luck my brother or father would show up there since they do like Italian food. And please call me Charlie like I told you before."
Ian laughed and then smirked. "I could picture that happening, Charlie. I'll try to remember to call you Charlie, but I have to admit that I like calling you Professor. Il Fornaio does have good food so it was a good choice of restaurant. I have eaten there with some of my extended family members in Las Vegas."
Charlie sighed in relief. "I'm glad that I picked a restaurant that you wouldn't mind eating at, Ian. I went through several choices before I decided on Il Fornaio and I chose them because I've eaten there several times with some friends and knew that their food and service was above board."
Ian nodded as he made his way to Beverly Hills. Luckily for him he knew where that particular restaurant was located having drove by it several times in the many times he had been in L.A. "I don't blame you for checking them out before eating and/or after eating there. It is always a good thing to make sure that everything is alright with a particular favorite place to go so that you know you will be safe and/or at least in a familiar place."
Charlie huffed out a laugh. "I got into the habit in college on checking places out if I knew it was going to be a place that I would frequent. It never hurts to vary the way a person does things, but if a person doesn't vary things then it is a good thing to know about a location and things like that."
Ian bit back what he wanted to say because he thought it would be better to talk about over dinner. "I do believe that our dinner conversation will be fun and enlightening, Professor."
Charlie knew exactly what Ian was thinking about and said, "I have to agree with you there, Ian. I'm sure that we both have a lot of questions and observations about one another."
Ian nodded just as he pulled in and parked at the restaurant. "That is true, Charlie."
Charlie laughed and opened up the car door once Ian had shut the car off. He got out and met Ian at the back of the car. He took the hand Ian was holding out to him and let the older man lead him into the restaurant. He couldn't wait for their dinner conversation.
A/N 2: *snickers* Sorry, but I decided to have the dinner in the next chapter because I didn't want anything to detract from it... Click the button and let me know when you think!
