I don't own Numb3rs. I miss the show greatly though. This is my pathetic attempt at a fanfic for the show. It's not exactly great but I had an inspiration. I'm still working through it too so reviews are a source of weather or not I should continue.
There won't be any pairing slash or otherwise in this. I know. I'm trying something different.
So enters an OC that I don't expect people to like. Call her a Mary Sue if you wish but let me tell you, she's not in any way wishfulfilling on this end of the computer.
Don Eppes stared at the CalSci Campus with stern eyes. Ian was sitting on the bumper of the car behind him, watching him carefully. It was almost becoming a natural thing, Ian never really leaving his side. He was getting used to it. It wasn't scaring him either. It was…almost comforting to know that he had at least one friend who was willing to kick him – literally – into shape if need be rather than try to give him space.
Speaking of space, the new recruit had no idea about it.
The young woman had an excellent record but that was at Quantico only. She had passed all her tests at the expected average – she was the highest average of her class in fact – and she had proven herself to be willing to do any sort of work thrown at her. Of course, the fact that she was so damned pleased to have been placed with his team had not made his day any brighter. He knew very well what kinds of stories floated about when it came to his team. He could have sworn he'd heard every one of them flow from her mouth the entire ride over. He was sure she was about to start repeating them as well.
The girl – that's all he could see her as and that was mainly to avoid letting his temper out on her – wasn't tall but she wasn't too short either. She wasn't very eye catching what with her small chest, flat looking body, and plain face with a small nose that looked invisible at certain angles, thin mouth, somewhat dull green eyes, and large forehead topped with a head of stringy looking sandy, blonde hair. If Bella Swan was blonde, she would have been his new recruit.
"Of course there was also the time your team took down the guy who was using that one MMORPG thing and killing off his opponents as he went," she babbled on as she paced around him in circles. It was easy to stare over the top of her head – she was shorter than Charlie after all. Don felt his teeth begin to grind again. She was repeating herself now, he was sure of it.
"That," she stated, stopping in front of him and pointing to nothing in particular, "that was amazing work." She was moving again. "I heard that one of your team – god who was it again? – nearly drowned when a dam or something was opened, flushed, whatever," she was waving her hands as she shook her head. "Is that true?"
"Yes," Ian muttered for him, his tone sounding grated and irritable. Good, Don thought. I'm not the only one getting annoyed around here.
"Who was it again?" she asked Don, like Ian wasn't the one who'd spoken. Don heard him shift on the car but didn't dare to turn around to see if he looked as irritated as Don thought he did. He didn't really want his belief to be proved correct though.
"Sinclair," Don lied, wondering if she'd pick up on it.
"David Sinclair? I thought it was Colby Granger?"
"Actually," Don muttered, letting his eyes fall to hers, "now that I think about it, it was Granger along with two civilian consultants." His eyes grew hard then. "One of those consultants was my little brother."
"His deceptively strong little brother," Ian added. Don heard him shift again only this time he wandered up to Don's side and glared down at the young woman. "Of whom we are still looking for in case you forgot," he hissed dangerously low. Don placed a hand on his friend's chest and pushed him back as the girl quaked in her shoes.
She looked like she wanted to reply but a sharp look from Don hushed her quickly. She began wringing her hands together, shuffling away from the two men, eyes wide with fear. All three lifted their heads when a marked cop car rounded a corner and parked itself next to the black SUV they had driven up in together. Gary Walker lifted himself from the marker car and slammed the door shut with a little more energy than was probably needed – the damned car shook – and stomped over to them.
"I take it, it wasn't productive?" Ian asked gently as Walker snatched his shades off his nose.
"Not really no," Walker muttered. "I think I met the house guest though."
"That's good though right?" Don asked as gently as he dared. "Who was he?"
"I didn't see much of him through the barely open door but I have a feeling I know from somewhere," Gary growled uncomfortably. His pale eyes slid to his right to catch a glimpse of Don's father Alan with Larry, Millie, and Penfield, all three marching slowly towards them, wrapped in some conversation of their own.
"One of your catches maybe?" the young recruit asked softly, timidly. Gary gave her strange look before turning a questioning eye – or two – to Don and Ian.
"Meet Mellissa Reynolds," Don muttered with an almost dismissive wave of his hand toward the girl. "She's the new transfer you heard about before going to the Rodriguez's."
Gary gave an understanding nod. Ian shuffled his feet impatiently as they waited for Alan and the rest to join them. Reynolds of course gave each of the new arrivals confused looks before sending a look to Don that clearly said, 'There's a reason for this right…Sir?' Don ignored her.
"Hey Dad," he stated to Alan as he forced a smile onto his face. Alan greeted him back, his smile a little more genuine. The two hugged and Don gave his father a worried look as if to ask 'You alright?' which earned him an impatient nod from Alan. Larry and Millie smiled at Don and at Walker giving small waves to Ian as well. Ian waved back gently as Gary nodded at them.
"Hello Son," Alan replied happily as he sent a wave to Ian and then another to Gary. Both men waved back. Alan's eyes fell on Reynolds and Don could see from the look on his face it took a few seconds for his brain to register she was really there "Who's this?"
"Mellissa Reynolds," she stated proudly. Don closed his eyes and set his jaw to avoid saying anything. It continued to surprise him exactly how proud that girl could sound when she tried. To his ears, he heard her seem almost miffed by the pathetically obvious attempt to salvage ones manners – after all, his father had missed her for a moment and Alan didn't usually miss people.
"Nice to meet you," Alan stated as they shook hands. "Uh…What brings her – you – here?" Ian snorted softly at Alan's attempts at politeness. He of course had heard the stumble over words that Reynolds obviously hadn't. Not that she would have anyway. She was busy trying to impress the father of the great Don Eppes.
"She's acting as a fresh pair of hands on the case," Don muttered. Larry and Millie gave him questioning looks. He knew what those looks meant. He'd seen it from his father a few times before – usually when Charlie was having a melt down of some sort about something at school messing with his consulting work.
"Translation; they won't let you do any more unless you have her around right?" Millie asked softly with a snide wink sent Reynolds' way. Don smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
"Damn Skippy," he growled a bit bitterly. She chuckled in understanding as he shook his head.
"Am I correct in assuming that you require our assistance with your most recent case still?" Larry asked gently. Don glanced to Penfield who did look a bit hopeful in the idea of helping out more than he was already.
"Yeah," Don sighed with a huff. "We need a definitive escape route for Cornel. How he got away from the jail, where he may have hidden afterwards, and most importantly how he'd gotten out of the jail in the first place."
"I do believe we can do that," Millie chimed happily. It was something for her to do. Something other than worry about Charlie. She glanced over to Alan who stood next to a still confused Reynolds, a smile on his face as well.
Yes. Anything to take their minds off of Charles Eppes for a moment was good. Ian smirked at them and then shot Don a knowing look like he was trying to say 'Told you so.' Don ignored the look but clapped his hands together with a firm nod.
"Right then! If you all will come with us to the FBI, I can get all the data we've got and you can get started," he stated, a grin beginning to grow on his face as he spoke. Gary gave Ian an impressed look. He'd been present for the first BOLO put out on Charlie's car…One of his guys had found it and had called him.
The image of the completely undamaged car sitting on the side of the street still haunted him to this day. Sometimes there was something slightly different about it; he'd come up to it to find it stripped bare to he'd find it simply destroyed, Charlie still belted into the seat eyes wide and unblinking. He shook his head to dislodge the train of thought. He blinked after a moment, his eyes barely catching the others moving to their respective cars around him.
Charlie's eyes… That man at Maria's place stared at him through a barely opened door. Charlie's voice spouting off equations…That man asking if he could help him. Charlie's mop of curly hair popping up from one of cubicles of the bullpen…those curls disappearing behind the curtains of Maria's house.
"Hey Gary," Ian shouted as he shook Gary's shoulder. Gary stared at him like a deer in the headlights. Ian gave him a worried look that was chased quickly by suspicion. "You good? We're leaving."
"Yeah," Gary sighed with a forced nod – or six. "I'll follow. I still have to tell you about that house guest don't I?"
"Yeah," Ian stated, his eyes still suspicious. He clapped Gary on the shoulder before trotting off to the black SUV's passenger side and climbed in. Reynolds stood a few feet away, her eyes conveying she wasn't completely sure about civilians coming to the FBI offices for anything if they weren't going for questioning.
Gary suddenly felt himself drifting back to the 'invisible' man at Maria's as Reynolds stepped over to him, Don pulling out of the lot slowly. She smiled at him kindly, her eyes saying what Don's car leaving without her said plainly; she was going with him.
"You piss Eppes off or what?" he asked. She blushed, her smile faltering. He watched her shrug and shook his head. "Get in the car." She tumbled into the passenger seat as he eased himself into the driver's seat. "How long have you been at this job of yours?"
"Not very long Sir," she replied, her smile back. Gary couldn't help but feel she'd have a difficult time getting any kind of attention. "I haven't even had my so called baptism under fire yet. To tell the truth, I don't look forward to it."
"You're basically telling me you're useless," Gary muttered as he revved the car to life. He checked his rearview mirror as he switched the car into reverse, his eyes narrowing when he spotted Sheila, books clutched to her chest as she watched his car pull out. She didn't stay long though, her bag bouncing against her legs as she walked away briskly, a hand digging into her pockets for something.
"I'm not useless," Reynolds muttered bitterly, her face turned away from him. "Who is that girl that's walking away?" He didn't dare look where she was pointing. "She's moving a little quickly isn't she? What could be so important I wonder? School's out and if she has any sense, she'll be heading home or to a library for studying time. What do you think?"
"I think, you should be quiet so I don't run my car up a pole," Gary muttered darkly.
Really seriously guys, the note at the very bottom (that will ask you to review) is not a joke. I like reading them! Just adding me to story alert doesn't tell me jack.
Please review. Thanks.
