Basin of Attraction

Chapter One.

AN: Since I have started writting this fic again, the things that are inconsistant with the show as I know it now, bother me. A hazzard of starting a story when you've only seen two episodes I suppose. So I am going through the first two chapters and fixing them up. Sorry if you still happen to find flubs. - Aug 7th 2005

For the age gap I am leaving Charlie as 27, though in the episode Sabotage we see during a close up of Don's license that he is 37. Bumping him up a year from what I had guessed. (oh, so close!)

The name of this fic is the region inside the event horizon around a black hole. I thought that it was kind of appropriate. Please no Short drop with a sudden stop if you find a typos or mix-ups. I tried my best!

Pairings: Amita/Charlie Amita/Don

Summary: Amita confides in Don about her relationship with Charlie as Don struggles with emotions of his own.

-

-

The light in the kitchen ceiling caused Don's eyes to buzz and he clenched them shut in an attempt to stifle a threatening headache.

He glanced futilely at his younger brothers notations on a stray board beside him. He was currently at his father's house and boards like these could be found everywhere. Ranging from small to classroom wall sized. The house also had stacks of paper and scraps with theories and notations scribbled on them everywhere.

Don tilted his head slightly to view the crooked board better. Not in a million years would he be able to understand what was written on that board. To him it looked like a dissonant jumble of letters, numbers and symbols, some of which he faintly remembered sleeping through in high school math.

But even if he didn't understand the specific meaning of the confusing jargon littering the Plexiglas, he still respected them; the equations and his brother for that matter.

Don sighed and leaned back against the counter top as he studied the math equation. Who would have thought that he would begin to wholly respect his little brother. During high school he'd been a nuisance. At least he had only been stuck with him for his last year. Charlie finished up to grade 9 at home, but it was suggested that he be put into high school to finish his classes. So he would get some time with other students. So not only had it been a pain to have a 9 year old making better grades then him but it had seemed like every other day he was pulling his head from one of the toilets or sending menacing looks to the kids who would try to pick on him. He was mostly known through out his senior year as the guy with the genius kid brother.

After high school they had obviously gone their separate ways. Through his years at Quantico training and then when he had been posted in Albuquerque, he had heard of his brother's accomplishments and awards and secretly he had always been pleased and proud of his younger sibling.

But now it was something different. Over the past year working with his brother, he had learned to trust and rely on him. And through that he had begun to actually respect what his brother did. Sure he had also seen his brother's deficiencies. His most notable one being how when he was faced with an emotion that he was uncomfortable and confused with, he drew away from it and retreated into his world of numbers; the same why he had when their mother had died. But Don was now at least beginning to understand why.

The sound of a door opening and closing brought his attention to the hall to his right. He glanced at the clock on the microwave. According a note that had been left in case he showed up, a note that was being aptly held in place by colorful number magnets, his brother and father had gone out to a late night, old black and white movie a little more than 30 minutes ago. They shouldn't be back for a couple hours.

Aware of the continued movement in the entry, he cautiously moved toward the hall, his hand lightly on the hilt of his side arm. It had been a long day and he was in no mood for some dumb-ass burglar to make it longer.

He peered around the corner and was greeted by a pair of large, and very close, startled dark brown eyes.

Amita gave an alarmed shout and jumped back. "Oh god!" Her hand flew to her chest. "You scared me Agent Eppes!"

His near collision with the small woman caused him to utter a few choice words that would have made his mother glare. "Like wise." He took a calming breath and removed his hand from his gun. "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Don?"

Amita smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, usually I do. But my near heart attack caused me to fall back into old habits," the pretty college student cocked her head slightly, "what are you doing here?"

Don gave her a look. "well this is my fathers place…"

Amita closed her eyes and gave her head a small shake. "Right! Never mind, I just wasn't expecting you."

Don smirked. "Again, like wise," he frowned slightly, "so what are you doing here?"

Maybe she is looking for Charlie. The way she just walked in shows familiarity. They could be dating now. The last though caused an annoying flare of jealously. Don pushed the irrational feeling down. "Charlie is at the movies with Dad right now…you know, if you are looking for him…for something…"

Don frowned yah, that wasn't obvious. Way to use that FBI training.

Amita picked up the not so subtle fishing-for-info tone and smiled. "No I am not looking for Charlie. I talked to him earlier and he told me he would be out tonight."

Don looked at her questioningly. "So…"

Amita smiled again, a smile that had the aggravating effect of making him feel like a moonstruck 15 year old. "I left my workbook accidentally the last time I was here. Charlie told me I could drop by and pick it up while he was gone," She smiled the sheepish smile again. "Though he failed to mention that you were going to be here to scare me out of my wits."

Don grinned and shrugged. "Sorry 'bout that. But Charlie actually didn't know. I got a lot on my mind and I come here when I need to think."

Amita nodded and began to peer into the dinning room and Don realized she was looking for her book.

"Do you know where it is?" he asked gesturing towards the dinning room.

She looked uncertainly at the table; "I left it in there…"

Don nodded. "Well then it probably got stacked by my dad in a pile just behind that plant. On the desk against the wall."

They both moved forward towards the desk. Sure enough as he got closer he could see an inch thick binder stacked between several notebooks and sheets of loose-leaf paper. All covered in Charlie's familiar scrawl.

Don reached in and pulled the binder out. In small and almost computer precise letters he could see "A. Ramanujan" written in one corner. "Charlie leaves his work all over, so there are several designated points in the house where my father will stack…" Don spun and was suddenly aware of Amita standing close to him. Incredibly close. He could smell her light perfume and what he guessed was her shampoo.

She looked at the stack of papers in question before she realized he had stopped talking and caught on to his stare. She brought her eyes up and gave him a questioning look, which slowly turned to one of study and scrutiny, her eyes searching his features.

Don felt the air between them begin to crackle. He brought her binder up, to put something between them.

"…them." He cleared his throat. "He must've thought it was one of Charlie's," he finished quietly.

Amita gave him a small smile of thanks as she took her binder and continued to study his face.

Don found himself looking back at her with equaled intensity. His eyes connecting with her warm dark brown ones before skimming over her face, her mouth. God that mouth, it took all of his self-restraint to not take that final small step forward and see if it felt and tasted as good as it looked.

Warmth began to bubble in the pit of his stomach and alarms were going off in his head. This was one of Charlie's students for Christ sake! Sure she was beautiful and probably only a few years younger than Charlie himself but Don had a feeling that Charlie, despite his protests, had a thing for his thesis advisoree. It was a common code that you weren't suppose to move in our your brothers interests.

But as Amita continued to search his face with her eyes barely containing a deep smolder he realized that it was gonna be a real fight to adhere to that principal.

He cleared his throat again and tore his eyes from her face, instead staring at a spider plant hanging from a far corner. "So how is stuff going?" he said in a voice a tad too loud. "Your Thesis, working with Charlie…" He let that hang as he took a small step back. When he could no longer feel the faint heat coming off her body he dared look back at her.

She was now studying her binder, a faint smile playing on her lip. Her hand tucked her wavy black hair behind her ear before returning his gaze. "My thesis is going great. So is working with Charlie." She grinned wistfully. "You know, I've been working with him for little over a year now, and right away I was really impressed with him. I mean what's not to be impressed by, he is brilliant, attractive…"

Don felt himself become immediately uncomfortable; this so wasn't where he wanted to go right now.

But Amita continued on, "I know that technically Staff and students aren't suppose to fraternize but it is a rule that has been broken before. And god knows I've tried hinting it to Charlie that I am interested. I've done significant glances, suggestive word play, and lingering touches," she gave him a faintly wicked grin and Don felt his heart rate jump up dangerously. "Every play in the handbook. But I am beginning to think that it would take neon lights and fireworks spelling it out in the sky for him to catch on." She looked speculatively at Don. "Know what I mean?"

Don really wanted to just bolt right then and there, anything but talk to this beautiful woman, who he had just talked himself out of finding out what she tastes like, about how she liked his younger brother. Instead he found himself saying, "Yeah, he can be kind of oblivious to anything outside his numerical bubble."

Amita put her binder on the table and took a step forward and once again Don could smell her, feel her warmth. God this was cruel and unusual punishment! And now the binder buffer was gone.

She was searching his face again, and when she spoke it was almost too soft to hear it, "you're not him are you? Not Charlie."

Don's shifted back slightly, eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not."

Amita smile slightly as she continued to stare at him, like he was a puzzle to figure out. Her eyes rested on his mouth and he had to once again restrain himself from leaping forward and capturing her lips with his.

She moved closer still and Don this time couldn't find the will to back up. "Your face is narrower, body taller and leaner," she surprised him when her hand moved up and lightly brushed over his ear and sideburn before skimming down the side of his face. "Your hair shorter. Eyes more calculating."

Don's hand moved quickly and captured hers as it rested just below his collarbone, the heat of her fingers burning holes through the white cotton dress shirt. He pressed her hand flat against his chest. "Stop comparing me to my brother." His voice was low and had a dangerous trill to it.

Amita took the final step. "If you wanted something Agent Eppes…" her small hips suddenly bumped against his and he clenched his jaw as he barely held in a groan.

Her free hand found its way to his hip and she used to balance herself as she rose slightly onto her tiptoes. As she spoke he could feel her warm breath move over his face. "Would you take it?"

Her hips arched just enough into him that Don felt his resolve crumble. "Amita..." his voice was a low rumble, the sound of a man on the edge. And Don wasn't sure how much longer he could stay on that edge before he fell hopelessly in to the abyss.

But she stayed where she was, her eyes flicking back from his eyes to his mouth. And the more he felt of her hips nestled against his, the quieter the voice in his head, shouting for him to stop, got. Or maybe the roar of blood pounding through his skull simply drowned the protests out. His one hand released hers and slowly worked its way to the back of her skull, fingers threaded through her thick dark hair. Her eyes closed briefly to the sensation before opening and staring intently into his eyes.

He brought his mouth down but stopped just before hers. He murmured a final warning into her parted lips, "last chance to run Amita." His hand slide down her body to pull her hips possessively against him, so she could feel exactly what she was doing to him.

His response was the feeling of her now free hand sliding up the column of his throat, before cupping the side of his face and jaw. Her mouth slowly moved on his lower lip.

At that moment Don lost focus and he kissed Amita with a pent up intensity that he wasn't aware he possessed. Her lips were smooth and she tasted like a sweet rich coffee. Something she had apparently been drinking before she came here.

He released the hold on her hair and circled his arms around her waist, crushing her against his chest.

Amita's hands reached up to rake through the short hairs at the back of his head. She kissed him back with an equaled fervor, her teeth lightly scrapping over his lower lip as a delighted moan escaped her. Her hands were suddenly traveling down his body before they tugged at his shirt pulling it from the waistband of his pants. They were then under his shirt and running up the bare skin of his stomach and back. At the feeling of her hot touch he was lost.

-

-

ALRIGHTY! What chu think? I like odd pair ups, what can I say? I see Terry liking Don but I didn't get the feeling that Don feels the same. That moment in the pilot says it best for this story. Amita comes in, Charlie doesn't even try to help her set his papers up, Don jumps at the chance and Terry looks worriedly between Don and Amita. All the while Charlie is still oblivious to what's going on.

Please Review! It makes me do a dance. A dance not to be confused with the one I do when my brother takes too long in the bathroom and I must, in the words of NCIS. "dehydrate."