Chapter 5

Heaven it was. Manny stirred the ravioli noodles, enjoying the cool of the house. Maybe it was just cooler without the steam on her face. Either or, Manny was enjoying herself so far. She had met Mr. Epps and could tell exactly why each son was like they were. Don embodied the strength and level headedness of his father, where as Charlie gained his deep emotions, guilt and compassion. She could also tell there were a lot of unexplained holes in their personality, probably filled by their deceased mother. Judging by the family she left, she was an amazing woman.

Don had left the kitchen, joining his father in the living room. Alan looked at his son approvingly. "Do you like her?" he asked Don, nudging his with his elbow.

"What? Sure, she's a great agent, really smart and good for the team." Don had a feeling he knew what his father was getting at.

"Well, yes,Don, I figured that, but do you really like her?" Alan suggested.

"No Dad!"He gave his Dad aplayful shove."She's way too young for me anyway," Don laughed, shaking his head. He was right; this was exactly where his dad was going.

"Ah."

"But I think Charlie has her covered Dad."

"Really?"

"See for yourself." Don motioned to the kitchen where Charlie stood next to Manny, both smiling. Alan smiled as well, satisfied that one of the Epps boys was making a move on her. Alan was tempted to go for her himself.

"Today was amazing," Charlie remarked, holding his sore stomach. Neither of them could stop laughing about a story Manny had told.For some reason,tinsel and a can of tunafish was funnier than it should be.Charlie thought changing the subject may help.

Manny's face was still wrinkled, trying to prevent the laugh from coming. "Thanks," was all she could get out.

"How'd you do it?" Charlie asked, calming down and getting a little more serious. Manny saw his change in disposition and let her face relax, the grin still gracing her lips.

"I'm not really sure. I just did. I could never figure out the math that you do, just like it's hard for you to follow my train of thought. I have a pretty good memory for voices and things people say. It's pretty handy when you work for the FBI."

"Incredible. I can understand having hard to follow thoughts though. Not many people can follow what I say, so don't feel bad."

Manny chuckled. "Thanks. I won't then." She leaned in closer to Charlie. He could feel her breath on his chin, her being shorter than him. She was relaxed, not pushing him to do or say anything. Charlie was not entirely sure what he should be doing or thinking. His body tensed up, his skin tingled. Not many women made friends with him, let alone came onto him. He did like her though. He had since she had come to the office. She had such an exotic look to her, with dark hair and almond shaped eyes. She was able to look exotic, sad and radiant all at the same time. Pain and compassion exuded from her pores, kind words always pouring from her lips. He also loved the way she made him feel. It may sound corny, but she made him feel normal and special and different, all at the same time.

Manny was taken with Charlie as well. Something about his manner, how he always looked like he carried the world on his shoulders, the way the burden was lifted when Don would praise him. His curly dark hair fell into hisdark eyesin just the right way. What Manny found herself loving the most was how he looked when he did math. The intense look of care and concentration made her heart skip a beat. When he did math, it made it look like the world made sense, no matter what happened.

Manny and Charlie both were lost in their state of bliss and confusion. Both began to lean in closer. Unfortunately for Manny, as Charlie was taller, she needed something to steady herself. Without realizing it, Manny set her hand on the hot stove coils. She quickly pulled her hand back, screaming some choice words before running into Charlie, knocking him to the floor. Don and Alan, who were both trying to watch without being too obvious, ran into the kitchen. There they found Manny on top of Charlie, clutching her hand and both fighting off giggles.

"What happened?" Don asked, looking at them, quite confused. Manny simply pointed to the oven range with her good hand, laughing despite the tears of pain in her eyes.

"Well I'm happy you enjoyed it," Alan said, helping both off the floor. "Let's get something on that hand. It's not burnt too bad." He pulled her out of the kitchen to the bathroom, leaving Don and a laughing Charlie in the kitchen.

Authors Note: I'm so evil. But I had to burn Manny! They couldn't get too close too quickly. Now that Don and Charlie are alone, as are Alan and Manny, keep an eye out for some good dialogue. Thanks and keep on RR!
-Shelby