Disclaimer: I do not own numb3rs.

Peddling as fast as he could, Charlie whirled through the streets of LA, attempting to make it to the bank in time. He quickly approached the bank and flew off his bike, landing, throwing the bike down. Charlie grabbed his bag, piffling through it, searching for his papers. Alan needed his check cashed by tonight, and Charlie had forgotten on his way home. He finally found the check and turned to the bank. There was a man closing the door. Charlie swore to himself and grabbed the door, "NO! Not yet! please! Let me cash this check!"

The man bit his lip, looking nervous and Charlie seemed confused. Charlie sighed, "PLease, let me inside. I need to cash this check."

The man opened the door a bit more, "Are you a cop?"

"What? No. Why?" Charlie was caught off guard when three things happened more quickly than Charlie could register. Charlie's name was yelled from behind him, The man opened the door and pulled him inside, and Charlie saw Don and several FBI agents rushing towards the door. Charlie looked at Don's face, which was full of absolute fear. Charlie suddenly, after registering what was happening, began to struggle. The man holding him placed a gun at his temple. Don was at the door, the brothers watching each other. The man with the gun yelled, "BACK AWAY... BACK AWAY!"

Don lifted his hands, "let him go..."

"Don, what's happening?" Charlie shakily said.

The man thrust the gun harder into Charlie's temple and hissed into his ear, "You keep silent. Why do you know him? He's a fed, and you said you weren't. Perhaps your fed friends want to see you dead."

Don was watching the exchange and Charlie whispered out, "he's my brother... please, don't hurt me."

The man sighed, "You said you wanted in. This isn't my fault. I'm sorry." The man turned to Don, "Get back or your baby brother here dies."

Don glared and despite all his desires to tear apart the man holding Charlie, Don complied and walked back. The man locked the bank door and walked in, holding Charlie against him, gun still in place. The man looked around the bank, noting the amount of people. There were three employees and no customers. Four hostages in total. "EVERYBODY... move," The man said, "To this wall. sit there, or i'll shoot you."

Charlie was shaking. He had walked into a bank heist, as well as messed with one of Don's cases. Don was going to kill him. The man shoved Charlie to the ground, and Charlie fell, slamming his knee. He winced and looked up to see the barrel of the gun. "What's your name?"

"Ch-Charlie..."

"Charlie. You're my star tonight. You've got the brother out there, you know him the best, You're going to be my information."

Charlie shook his head, "I...I don't know... I don't think so... i think... no... you can't get away with this..."

The man bent down and CHarlie got a good look at him. His eyes were large and brown, almost overpowering his small mouth and nose. He had dark, almost black, brown hair, and looked young. The man hissed, "You'll do as I say, Charlie, or I'll kill you, or, I'll walk to the window and aim at Dan."

"His name is Don."

The man laughed, "Whatever. Don. You like Don?"

"He'll get me out of this."

The man smirked, "You sure about that?"

Charlie took a deep breath, "yes."

The man shook his head and with his free hand punched Charlie in the face. Charlie, not expecting it, flew back slamming into the wall. He, intelligently, remained huddled where he landed. The Man stood and began to march up and down the line of hostages. "You see what happens to those who I don't like? Be good, do as I say, and you'll live. If I want you to."

Don watched through the window, seeing Charlie fall to the ground. He immediately got up to move when hands held him back. "Don!" Terry's voice said, "Stop. You know you can't do anything."

"Get him on the phone! I want to talk to him now!" Don yelled.

Terry moved to stand in front of Don, "Who? Charlie or Bryant?"

Don tried to look around Terry before saying, "both. I want to talk to that asshole Bryant, figure out his demands, and talk to Charlie. If he touches Charlie again, I'll kill him."

Terry hated the look in Don's eyes and sighed, "We'll do what we can, Don, but right now Charlie is a hostage, and if we act out of order, he could die. Do you want that?"

Don's head snapped up, "Of course not, Terry, what do you think?"

"Then keep your head."

Don nodded and yelled to the fed to his side, "Get him on the phone."

The phone rang and Bryant paced. "Who is calling afterhours?"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably, knowing it was Don, or some other fed calling. Negotiationgs. All the possibilities were running through his head. The man had six bullets, assuming that he hadn't fired any, and there were four hostages. Charlie thoguht back to yelling at Don. Statistically, Don had died that day at the bank shoot out. Statistically, Charlie was already dead. it wasn't normal to have a gun pointed at you and survive. Charlie chewed his lip and began to recite numbers. He was trying to think back to all the data he remembered from the original bank robbers... Charlie wanted to slip back into P NP, but tried to trick himself from it. He knew Don would be mad. Charlie chewed his lip. He and possibly the three others with him would die, in a shoot out, and Don was just outside... Don wouldn't protect him. Don couldn't. He had no control over the situation. The man in front of him did. Charlie blinked. The man was squatted in front of him yelling. Charlie ducked his head and curled into himself. The man tapped Charlie on the head with the gun, "Your brother wants to talk to you."

charlie looked up, "Don?"

"Yes Don," Bryant said exasperated, "Are you retarded?"

Charlie blinked, "No. Why?"

Bryant smirked, "You are quite the interesting person, Charlie. Now get up, and go to the fuckin phone."

Charlie slowly got up, his eyes on the gun, and walked over to the phone. He slowly picked it up, "Don?"

"Charlie, Charlie are you ok?" Don said through the phone.

"Don?"

"Charlie, answer me. Are you alright?"

Charlie looked at Bryant, "Yes. I'm fine. How are you?"

Don blinked, "Scared, buddy, but don't worry. we'll get you out of there safely."

"What about the others?"

"We'll get them out as well."

Charlie nodded, "Ok."

"Are you sure you're alright? how are you feeling? has Bryant hurt you?"

Charlie shook his head no. "I'm fine, Don. I've been thinking about... probability and statistically speaking, I think-"

"Charlie, you can't. You can't think math. You've got to do as Bryant says."

"Who is Bryant? Why aren't you in here? What does he want? What are you going to do? Are you going to save us?" Charlie was freaking out. He sank down to his knees, "I don't want to be here. I don't know what to do."

Bryant watched in fascination at Charlie's regression. Bryant suddenly stood up, taking advantage of Charlie's weakness. He grabbed the phone from Charlie, pointing the gun back at the mathmatician. "Listen good, Donnie, that could be the last time you hear from your little brother. I want safety out of here. I don't know how you knew I'd be here, but I am with your family, and will start killing."

Bryant hung up the phone and picked up Charlie by the collar. He leaned closely to him, "You did well, Charlie."

"Please don't hurt me. You're worrying Don." Charlie bit his lip again.

"You're so interesting, Charlie boy. When you're scared, you act like a child, and then you start spitting out statistics. What, you still in school or something?" Bryant said.

Charlie shook his head, "no... I'm a professor of Mathematics at CalSci. I... I'm a Dr."

Bryant raised his eyebrows. "Ok, so if I had three cash registers here, each with 500 dollars, plus a vault, how much would I have? Statistically speaking."

"How much is in a vault?"

"Statistically, millions."

"well..." Charlie blushed, "That would be your answer. You have 1500 up here, plus the vault of money coming in, which usually accounts for a million, due to large accounts. Then the vault has safety boxes, and there's no way to say how muc hthose are worth, or how to get into them."

Bryant laughed, "mathman Charlie... we're in this for the long haul. What should I do?"

"Let us go."

Bryant shook his head, "I can't. They'll kill me."

"No, they won't. Not if you do this peacefully. I'll go out with you, last, to make sure they won't kill you. Trust me." Charlie said, "I know this stuff... Don has taught me a lot."

Bryant shook his head, "They'll send me to jail. I need this money."

"we all need money."

Bryant raised an eyebrow and stuck the gun back into Charlie's face, "Not you. You're a professor of mathematics. A doctorate. You might as well be rich."

Charlie inhaled sharply and ducked his head, "I'm sorry bryant."

Bryant stood up, "Back to the others Charlie. and My name is Marty."

Charlie stood up and let himself be led to the others. He didn't know why Marty was nice to him just then, but decided that it was most likely the last time. The phone rang again and Marty answered, his gun still pointed at the crew, "Sure. One hostage for food? I want chinese. general tso's, and lo mein. Pizza for the others."

Marty turned to look at Charlie, "No. Charlie is staying. He will be the last one to go, or if i don't get out of here alive, he'll come with me."

charlie gulped. Why was he the favorite? What was wrong with him? Why was he such a target. Charlie began to recite math problems in his head. He couldn't focus on the situation. The three hostages next to him, two women and a man, were looking deeply relieved at the negotiations. One of them was going home. Charlie looked down. He was dead. He wouldn't live through this. Marty Bryant for some reason favored him, most likely due to being connected to Don, and he would die because of it. Charlie fell back into reciting numbers. Bryant walked over, "What are you doing?"

Charlie didn't see him and continued on talking. Marty pistol whipped Charlie, sending the curly haired man to the floor, his temple bleeding. Charlie winced in more pain, crying out, "Why!"

"What are you doing, I asked. I am in control, you answer me when I ask you questions." marty said.

Charlie blinked, his eyesight slightly blurring, "I'm sorry... I was reciting P NP... it's a mathematical problem that -"

"Is completely unsolvable. You musn't be very smart to be reciting problems that have no answer."

Charlie blinked, "You're smarter than this, Marty..." Charlie paused, the pain overwhelming, "I mean... you could've been something, and you ruined it."

Marty looked at Charlie, "You don't understand, and yuo never will. You're some rich professor with a fed for a brother. You will never know."

Marty stood up, and Charlie shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

tbc...