Disclaimer: I do not own numb3rs.

Seemingly like seconds later, Charlie opened his eyes. He was on his back, with a rolled up jacket beneath his head. He turned to his side to see two of the bankers. The woman came over and grabbed the male, silently signalling. The male crawled over and placed a cloth over Charlie's head. Charlie blinked, "Who are you?"

"Tommy, and this is Margerie. We work here. Bryant is crazy. He thinks they're going to kill him for hurting you. Is your brother really FBI?"

"Don... Special Agent Don Eppes." Charlie croaked out. His stomach rumbled and he winced, "I hurt..."

The woman, Margerie, came over with some pizza. "here, eat this... it's not much, and its cold, but its all we have."

Charlie slowly took a bite and fell back. "No more."

"You need to eat. You slept through the night. I bet you didn't eat before coming to the bank." Tommy said.

Charlie turned his head away, "You two should convince Marty of what you're worth, and get out. The other lady was worth a pizza... what are you two worth?"

Tommy blinked, "What about you?"

"You heard him. I'll be the last. I might not survive this." Charlie sighed and forced himself up, his head pounding.

"Come on, you don't believe that." The woman said, "He's crazy..."

"What time is it?" Charlie muttered, shutting his eyes from the lights.

"eleven in the morning. You were out all night." Margerie said.

"I want to talk to Don." Charlie curled his knees to himself and blinked a few more times.

The woman looked worriedly at Tommy and crawled away, to get Marty. Marty marched over and threw Tommy aside. "You alright, Charlie? I didn't mean to hit you that hard... I don't know what I'm doing really..."

Charlie looked at Marty, his face pleading, "let us go."

"I can't do that."

"Please..."

Marty shook his head, "no."

Charlie dropped his head, "I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Marty blinked, "not if you're smart. I'm calling your brother again, telling him you're awake. He wants to send an EMT in."

Charlie paused, "what are you going to do with us? Let one of us go for an EMT?"

Suddenly, Margerie, who had been watching frantically, made a run for the door. Marty turned immediately, grabbing a second gun from behind his back and shot it. Margerie fell to the ground, dead instantly. Charlie's eyes widened as he saw the woman's dead body. She was dead, and his mind couldn't comprehend it. He had never seen someone dead like that. He never saw someone alive, and then watch them die. The phone began to ring immediately and Tommy began yelling for his friend. Marty began to shake and ran to the phone, picking it up and barking into it, "What?"

Charlie watched the blood seep from Margerie. He had never thought about the amount of blood before. It was far more than he expected. Her body was at such an unnatural angle. "Get up..." Charlie whispered to her, "Please get up..."

Charlie watched the blood and began to count how many squares of the small tile were being covered per second. It seemed like hours had passed as he thought about Margerie's body, when the clock had shown only five minutes. Charlie touched his face, and noted tears. Marty walked over, Tommy huddled as far from him as possible. Marty crouched down to Charlie, "I had to do it, Charlie, I can't let anyone go unless I say so."

Charlie shook his head, "You killed Margerie."

"Margerie was her name?"

Charlie looked shocked, "Yes. Her name was Margerie. You killed her."

"I had to." Marty said, "your brother wants to talk to you, and he wants you to bring out Margerie."

"Marty... I can't do that. I can't talk to Don. He'll... he'll make me talk about it." Charlie said, leaning back, forcing himself to stop looking at the body.

"Does Don make you do things?"

Charlie snorted, "Sorta... I help him with cases, and he gets disappointed by me easily. I'm sure he's half mad at me for getting myself into this as it were."

Marty raised an eyebrow, "This is my fault, not yours. You're just a hostage."

Charlie shrugged, "I should've figured it out. He always says I'm never paying attention. he says how can someone so smart, be so stupid."

Marty sat down beside Charlie, "I've got an older brother like that. I could never pass school, because it was so boring, and I knew everything, so i never went. He used to yell at me for it. he owns some factory somewhere, hasnt much use for calling me anymore."

"Don left. He came back about a year ago, hasn't left my life since. He came back for my mother." Charlie said. He was blaming his concussion for talking to Marty. "You see, I refused to see her while she was dying... i just couldn't handle it, and he hates me for it. He's hated me since she died. I never saw her, and he hates me for it. He hates how I solve his cases for him. He hates how I'm protected. He hates me. always has."

Marty laughed, "maybe we're long lost brothers. Don sounds a lot like Frank. Perfect Frank who has always hated me."

The two men sat in silence. Charlie sighed, "I should probably talk to Don."

Marty shrugged, "not much else for you to do. I mean, you're my hostage and all, and there isnt much for you to do, and that PNP crap is useless."

Charlie scrunched his nose and took the phone from Marty's hand, he said into it, "Hello?"

"Hello, Charlie, this is Terry."

"Where is Don?"

"He's blowing off some steam. are you alright? Tell me about your medical condition."

Charlie sighed, "I'm not shot. Margerie was shot. she's dead."

Terry inhaled sharply, "How are you feeling about that?"

"It's a part of life. she's dead. Statistically, one of us had to go. I mean, there might be a chance tommy and I will get out of here, but I doubt it. Say goodbye to Don when he stops thinking about himself." Charlie said, his voice deadpan and borderline simmering.

"Charlie, are you sure you're ok?"

"I'll bring Margerie out, like you want to. I'll follow the instructions."

"Charlie, you don't sound like yourself. Tell me what's going on." Terry said. "Don is on his way, here he is."

"No." Charlie said, and he hung up. He paused and looked at the phone, blinking. "Oh my god..."

Marty turned to Charlie, "what?"

"I just hung up on my brother. I'm going crazy."

"From what you told me just now, it seems like it's more sane. He doesn't care about you, he cares about his jobs. He always has if he's anything like my brother." Marty said.

Charlie nodded, "Lets get Margerie out there... she shouldn't stay here."

Marty turned towards the body and shivered, "I can't believe any of this. It wasn't supposed to go down this way."

Charlie turned to Marty, "I was supposed to cash a check and give it to my father. Not everything goes according to plan."

Marty nodded and dragged Tommy up. Marty had Tommy and Charlie roll Margerie onto one of the rugs. "Charlie, you drag her out, Tommy will hold the doors, and i'll have a gun on the both of you."

Once outside, the FBI had them surrounded, their guns pointed. Charlie blinked a few times in the sunlight. He focused on dragging Margerie while Marty had the gun pointed at Tommy. Charlie dropped her body and bent down, touching her face, her cold eyes open. he shut them and stood up. Don came walking slowly up to him and Charlie backed up. Don said quietly, "Charlie, move slowly towards me, and we can shoot Marty down."

"Kill more people?" Charlie hissed out, while stepping back, "I'm going to die."

"Bryant killed that woman." Don said.

Marty cocked his gun, "Get away from Charlie, or he dies. Don't you treat him badly enough? Do you want to be the reason for his death?"

Charlie stepped back, looking between Don and Marty. Charlie stepped back from the both of them, feeling confused. Terry watched as Charlie's shaking hands rubbed his temples. He looked terrible, and needed a medic. Don looked towards his retreating brother, "Charlie, listen to me..."

Marty pulled his second gun out and said to Charlie, "Hey... stay with me... you understand me, Charlie... You get the mathematics, you get the older brother thing..."

"charlie, don't listen to him." don said, "Don't listen to him."

"Don just orders you around, Charlie. With our brains, we'll get out of this alive, he's willing to risk you. You know that." Marty said.

Charlie looked at Marty and nodded. Marty threw his second gun and Charlie caught it, pointing it at his own head. Don let out a cry of surprise. "Charlie! No! Don't do this, don't go this route. I need you."

"You don't get it, don." Charlie yelled out.

"Charlie," Don said, "You can't trust him-"

Charlie cocked the gun, "I CAN'T TRUST ANYONE! I'm statistically dead, remember? And now I'm beating the odds."

Don put his gun down and took a step towards Charlie, "Just put the gun down, Charlie, and we'll talk this through."

"OK... let's talk... Dad needs his check. I just wanted to cash dad's check. He's probably really worried." Charlie began to pace, Marty watching in fascination, holding the gun tighter on Tommy. It appeared that Charlie was falling apart.

Don nodded, "that's fine, Charlie. You can cash the check today, or tomorrow."

"No, I had to go yesterday and this happened. I hurt and I'm confused, and margerie is dead... she's dead. Did you see me? I carried her body... and ... and there's a lot of blood... and Marty is making sense... I might not live... i don't know..."

"Marty is a murderer." Don said.

Charlie faltered his gun, lowering it from his temple, dropping his head. Marty, realizing that Charlie was being convinced, yelled out, "You degrade him, Don! You hate him, and resent him, and he knows it!"

"Shut it, Bryant, you don't know anything about me and Charlie." Don hissed out.

"I don't?" Marty laughed, "You're all the same. Older brothers who are less intelligent then their younger siblings are all the same. You resent Charlie for being smart. You're jealous. You yell at him, say you're disappointed. Hell, I bet you wish he were normal."

Charlie yelled out, pointing the gun at Don, "I need to think. I need you to let me think. Just let me think."

Marty jumped, "Way to go, Charlie! Stick up for yourself against that bastard."

"Just give me some time..." Charlie said and walked back towards the bank, Marty in tow. The three of them entered, locking the door behind them. Don watched, shocked. Charlie had just went from innocent bystander to criminal in one nod. Charlie turned to Marty, "What do you want to do?"

"Whatever, Charlie, we'll do whatever we want. You're smart. You do as I say, and we'll get out of here alive. we'll use Tommy, get out of here. Rich, free..." Marty seemed excited.

Charlie nodded, his voice deadpan still, "sure thing, Marty... I'm just... confused. I don't understand... what did I just do!"

Marty smiled and draped an arm around Charlie's shoulder, he turned him towards the glass door, waving to the feds. He pointed the gun at Charlie's chest. "we're in this together now. Those people out there... nothing. You and I are smarter than all of them."

Charlie blinked and dropped his head. He just wanted to fall asleep and not wake up. it should have been him dead, not Margerie. He should've listened to Don. Don would hate him for sure now. Don has always hated him. Charlie blinked away tears.

Don stood, gawking at the door and Terry walked up to him, "Don, come here, I've got news on Charlie."

"He's a criminal. He..." Don stuttered.

"Sortof, he's got Stockholm Syndrome, I'm assuming. It's when the captive takes the side of the captor, roughly. It's brainwashing due to abuse." Terry placed a hand on Don's arm.

"He's only been in there-"

"Overnight, with little food and a he's got social anxieties. You saw his face, he was bleeding and bruised, and watched someone die, and then had to move her body. He is forced to sit and look at blood, for hours. Charlie is in rough shape, it makes sense that he and Bryant are getting along, especially since Bryant is a feeding him lies. Charlie feels like there are a lot of things in this situation that are his fault." Terry explained.

"It's almost the same set up as that bank heist. He couldn't handle that his calculations didn't account for the shootout." Don said, "This is making more sense."

Terry nodded, "Charlie is very confused right now. He's traumatized."

"Will he hurt others?"

terry shrugged, "I hope not."

"How about himself?"

"We'll gedt to him before anything happens, Don, I promise." Terry said quietly.

Don nodded.

tbc...