A/N: A new story for the Eppes brothers. It was fun to write something new after all this time.
Contains an OC.
Us Until The End
Numbers are easy. They came to him like water trickles down a river. They were natural - a part of Charlie for as long as he could remember. They always offered him safety, security, a place to turn when the real world became far too harsh for him to deal with.
But now, when his head is empty and not even numbers can save him, Charlie wonders if this is how he'll remain for the rest of his days.
The day starts relatively normal. They were dealing with a sniper case and Charlie predicted there was an epidemic of copycat snipers. The numbers were telling him his findings were false, there was something he was missing… but no one listened to him.
No one except his and Don's childhood friend, Special Agent Victoria Penhallow.
Victoria was closer to Don's age than Charlie's, and, naturally, she and Don became romantically involved when Charlie was around fifteen. The mathematician knows she was Don's longest relationship, lasting for five years before their jobs became their lives.
The woman remained Don and Charlie's friend. There was never a hint of awkwardness between herself and Don, something Charlie found fascinating. He knows Victoria doesn't have a mean bone in her body, and wasn't capable of hating anyone, so perhaps that was why she could stay in their lives.
She picked on Don endlessly, and he would tease her back, matching grins on their faces as they poked fun at one another. And Victoria would always, always listen to Charlie, no matter if she didn't understand the mathematical side of things. She just listened and offered advice on how to deal with whatever ailment the genius was dealing with.
That… that didn't matter now. Nothing did. Nothing ever would matter again.
He and Victoria were walking to CalSci, Charlie prattling on about why he didn't believe his findings about the sniper case were right, and Victoria offering a supportive ear. Everything changed in seconds.
There was a pop of some kind, and blood splattered on Charlie's shirt and face. Looking over, he sees Victoria on the ground with blood pooling around her frame.
Charlie knows in seconds she was dead. His stomach lurches as he throws up whatever he ate that day, then falls to the ground. His whole body trembles as he tries to process what just occurred. Yet, for once in his life, numbers failed him. He couldn't put a probability or statistic as to why his best friend was lying on the ground, bullet through her heart.
Shaking hands take his phone out of his pocket, not even realizing who he's calling before a familiar voice echoes in his ear, "Eppes."
"D… Don," Charlie says, a pitiful sound slipping free.
"Charlie? What's going on? Are you okay?"
"V-Victoria… Victoria is… oh god…"
"Victoria's what? Charlie, buddy, talk to me."
"She… she's dead… Don, she's dead!"
There's silence for a few moments. Charlie can hear a muttered curse before everything becomes hectic. "Stay where you are. I'll be right there. And Charlie, whatever happened, it is not your fault."
"Jesus, Don- we were talking and the next thing I know she's lying on the ground!"
"Shh, easy, buddy. It'll be okay. Just stay there."
Charlie sets his phone beside him and sobs in his hands. Their best friend, a woman Don dated and always listened to Charlie, no longer with them.
How can he cope without her?
. w .
When sirens echo in his ears and law enforcement surround the scene, all Charlie can do is let himself be manhandled by his older brother. He dares a look at Don and sees the sadness, the anger, the regret burning in his eyes, and Charlie can't bear it.
Don always withheld an air of professionalism when it came to crime scenes. Now, however, he looks like he wishes this whole thing was a nightmare he'd wake up from.
"D-Don, I'm-"
"Don't, Charlie."
His voice sounds so damn sorrowful it makes Charlie close his mouth, teeth clanking painfully. The brothers look at their childhood friend for a few more moments before the coroners put her in a body bag, zipping it up over her face.
Tears burn Charlie's eyes and he scrubs a hand over his face, trying to compose himself. Don squeezes his shoulder and wraps an arm around them, taking them away from the scene and saying a final, silent goodbye to their oldest and dearest friend.
. w .
Charlie wants to distract himself. Numbers still aren't coming to him on his downtime, so he dives headlong into the case and asks David to take him to where Nathan Kramer is, to tell Don and everyone else where he might position himself.
It's an odd sense of deja vu. He hears Don yell, "Charlie, get down!", and, confused, all he can utter is, 'What?' before David throws him to the ground. Bullets fly before Edgerton takes out Kramer, and Don runs towards him, forcing him up and holding him close.
"What are you, crazy?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
Charlie grinds his teeth to the point they hurt and says, "I was just working on some probabilities as to where Kramer might position himself."
Edgerton takes a look and, impressed, says, "Actually it was pretty close."
Don presses his forehead against Charlie's shoulder, tightening his grip on his little brother. "Next time use a phone, okay?"
"Yeah…" is all Charlie can reply.
. w .
Their relationship takes a strange turn after those events. Losing Victoria, then nearly losing Charlie, showed the genius a different side to his normally stoic brother.
Don kept him by his side at all times. Wherever Charlie was going, he wanted to know about it, and when he would be home. He asks if he can swing by his apartment and hang out for a few hours, then drives him home afterwards. There's a strange expression lingering in Don's eyes when they're together, something that Charlie finds odd but still curious about.
Perhaps it was losing a woman he once loved and then nearly losing someone else he cared deeply for. Charlie doesn't know what exactly is going on with Don, but after what seems like an eternity, the numbers start to flow again.
They're determined to figure out this new problem within his older brother.
A month to the day after Victoria's death, Charlie is so absorbed in his equations he doesn't notice someone coming into the garage. He does notice when someone wraps their arms around him and something presses into his shoulder.
Turning, Charlie can't keep back the surprise when he notices it's Don, looking absolutely defeated and broken in a way Charlie never saw before.
"Donnie? Are you okay?"
"...Not really, Chuck."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"...No, but I have to, I guess."
Turning to embrace his brother, Charlie smooths back dark brown locks and says, "Tell me everything."
. w .
"Victoria was the only one who knew. The only one I could trust with such a dark, fucked up secret," Don starts, resting his head on Charlie's shoulder. Charlie hums, continuing to stroke his hair. "I knew I couldn't trust anyone else. If the wrong person found out, I'd be fucked, you'd be fucked, and I'd be in jail."
"Jeez, Don, what secret could be so bad?"
"Bad? Hah… I guess it's bad. I never thought it was. It's just love, y'know? No matter how fucked up it is."
"Love? Who could you love that-" It clicks in Charlie's head and a blush smears across his cheeks. "Oh. Aren't you straight?"
"95% of the time," Don jokes, giving Charlie a playful shove. "I can appreciate anyone good looking, guy or girl."
"I see… but… why me?"
"Why you? Why you indeed," Don mutters, a heavy sigh dripping from his lips. "You're my annoying, pain in the ass little brother."
"Oh haha. You're a funny one, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
"Seriously, why me?"
Don's silent for a few moments before he speaks. "You have this… charm about you. Don't ask me to explain because I suck at that. But it was something that drew me in, always did since the day I realized you weren't a boy anymore, you were a man. A man that I found myself falling for, as fucked as that is."
Charlie's blush deepens. "So you told Victoria?"
"She knew. She knows everything," Don says with a laugh. "But yeah, I did. And she didn't look at me like I was a disgusting freak. She told me you can't control who your heart wants. And that, if anything happened to her, to tell you. She said you would never fault me."
"Well, she's right," Charlie replies easily, making Don look at him with surprise and alarm. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm my own case of fucked up too. Why can't we be fucked up together?"
"Charlie…"
Don's words are sealed off when Charlie seals their lips together. A surprised grunt leaves Don's throat at the forwardness of the action, then, once the shock wears off, he kisses his precious, beloved little brother back with earnestness.
Charlie pulls away after air becomes an issue, a little grin resting on his lips. "Victoria knew of my feelings too."
"...What?"
"I didn't outright tell her, but she knew. Like you said, she knew everything." Charlie looks up at the ceiling, saying, "Thanks, Vic," before holding his brother close. "Us until the end, eh Donnie?"
Don lets out a soft puff of laughter, curling close to his most precious person.
"Yeah, buddy. Us until the end."
Fin.