Disclaimer: I do not own Don and Charlie Eppes…but oh, how I wish I did

Constants

Chapter 1

Charlie was alone in the garage again. Escaping. Hiding from what he didn't understand. Charlie had spent his life decoding the deepest mathematical mysteries of the universe. With numbers, he was in control. Invincible. He lived for that thrilling moment of clarity when suddenly everything made sense. Numbers made things clear, understandable. Predictable.

But there were a lot of things he would never understand. Things that even the most brilliant of equations couldn't explain. Problems he couldn't solve. Take, for example, why he was here in the garage instead of helping his brother.

Charlie knew how hard it was for Don to ask for help. And he wanted to help. He truly did. But there was that little voice at the back of his mind, whispering doubts. What if I'm wrong? What if I misinterpret the data? What if I miscalculate?

He could never understand how Don did what he did every day. There were so many risks , so many variables. So many unknowns. And if he failed, the consequences were enormous. Charlie could not help admiring his brother.

He scribbled furiously at the board, blinking chalk dust from his watering eyes. He wasn't sure it was the dust that was making them water.

Please, Don, he thought. Don't do this to me. Don't leave me with equations that I can't solve.

He stared at the numbers and symbols scrawled on the chalkboard, his hand frozen in midair. The headphones clamped over his ears blasted Beethoven into his brain. The melodies always helped him to organize his thoughts. There was math even there, he knew. Even in the music. Patterns everywhere.

He had always been able to see these things. Patterns, solutions. He barely had to look at a problem and suddenly they were there, dancing before his eyes. Sometimes they were so simple and obvious he was amazed that everyone couldn't see them.

But they couldn't. Don couldn't. That was why he needed Charlie.

"I want to help you", Charlie whispered to himself. "I know you need me, but I need you more. I need you more…."

He set the chalk down, tore of his headphones, and ran his fingers through his unruly dark curls. He tried to tell himself not to be afraid…but how could he not be afraid when there was so much at stake? Don…lives…people.

Charlie glanced back up at his chalkboards. He knew too well what was holding him back. The ultimate unsolvable equation. The universe's biggest, deepest mystery. People. There were no patterns to describe their behavior, their thoughts, their motivations. The most complex mathematical theories were a walk in the park for Charlie Eppes, but human behavior was the one thing he had always failed to understand. It simply defied analysis.

Charlie sighed and sat down. The late afternoon sun slanted through the windows and he watched the dust particles dance in it. Why was it that he felt more of a connection with those minute particles of matter than with any human being?

Except Don. Don, in his own way, had always understood. He always knew what Charlie was trying to say, even when words failed him, as they so often did. Don was the constant.

Charlie turned and saw his brother standing in the doorway, silhouetted in the light from the dying sun.

"Hey, buddy," Don said. His voice was so warm and friendly. He always used that voice when he knew Charlie was distressed. Dust particles danced in the air, like a veil between the brothers.

"Don, I…"Charlie stammered. His head was too clogged with numbers and consequences. The words couldn't find their way through. He just looked at his brother, taking in the rolled-up shirt sleeves, loosened necktie, concerned eyes and knitted eyebrows. He had that intensely interested look he always wore when Charlie was explaining how some mathematical principle related to the current case.

"It's okay," he whispered. "Look, I know how you feel. And I know it's hard. Believe me, I know." The concern was still there, but his eyes were pleading now.

Note to the reader: THIS IS NOT THE ONLY CHAPTER!" I guess the story (it's more of a drabble, really) could end here, but it doesn't There's another chapter, this time from Don's perspective, and an epilogue. ALSO: I don't know if the Eppes' garage has windows or not. I don't think it does…but for the sake of the story, I'm pretending it does. The dramatic light has to come from SOMEWHERE.