First the thanks, then the chapter…I can't begin to say how much all of you reading this story means to me. To be honest I'm not a very confident person so it took a lot for me to post this story but all of you made it worth it. MyLadyLorna, you were my first reviewer ever, you spurred me to write the next chapter and adding me the story to your fav list. D.Lerious, you were a constant support throughout the whole story, and you two thank you for adding me to your fav story list. Anneack, thank you for the pointing out what should have been completely obvious to me. Reannablue, Marie the fallin, Ashboaz, Kippling croft, knadineg, kausar, Ilovecherries123: Thank you for showing me that more then three or four people read and liked the story. ForensicsFreak1988: Thank you for your encouraging and…interesting comments and last (but certainly far from the least) Piccolo Chic, you were there for the whole story and encouraging me the whole way, when it seemed no one was interested in reading the story anymore, you'd pop in with another comment and I knew I had to keep writing even if you were the only one. Of course a HUGE thanks goes out to those who may not have commented but definitely read it (yes that means you Rose), I couldn't have 5467 hits without you. Thank you to the others that have this story on my fav list, and those that have this story on their alert list (I feel silly because I don't know what that means but I'm sure it's a good thing). Ok so enough of the 'thank you's, now to the story
Epilogue
One year later
"Charlie stop fidgeting" Don yelled at his brother while trying to fix his tie in the mirror
"I can't help it, I'm nervous. Aren't you nervous, how are you not nervous?"
"Because I've done this before" Don answered finishing and checking himself over again. Satisfied that he looked ok, Don took the ring boxes off of the dresser
"Yeah but you weren't nervous then either?" Charlie said looking for something to do with his hands
"Not really" Don answered sitting down next to his brother and handing him his ring box "I loved Kim and getting married was the natural step for us to take. Now, I see that I love Terry more then I had loved Kim. I know that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Terry and giving her a ring just is just a physical representation of that. Do you love Amita?"
"With all my heart" Charlie responded without hesitation
"Then tell her you love her, give her the ring, and you'll live happily ever after" Don answered pocketing his ring and giving Charlie a clap on the back. Charlie opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it when the doorbell rang "Breathe Charlie" Don reminded him standing up then pulling his brother to his feet
"Don what if she says no?" Charlie asked shaking slightly. This new revelation seemed to scare him more then the thought of proposing
"She will say yes Charlie, I've seen the way she looks at you"
"Boys, the girls are here!" Alan yelled up the staircase
"You ready buddy?" Don asked straightening Charlie's tie
"As ready as I'll ever be" Charlie nodded and descended the stairs with Don close behind him
The first half of the car ride had been completely normal: an airy conversation between the girls in the back while Don and Charlie battled over the radio. Halfway through the ride however, both girls noticed how quiet the boys seemed to be.
"Amita" Terry shifted over and whispered in her ear. She wanted to talk to her but not let the boys know they were talking
"Yeah" She whispered back
"Is it just me or are the boys really quiet tonight?" Terry commented eyeing the boys suspiciously
"I was just thinking that. Charlie's actually been acting strange for a few days. Is he working on anything with you?" Amita asked. Charlie had taken to withdrawing into himself more lately and she was slightly worried, especially when he swore nothing was wrong but the behavior continued
"No. Maybe he's working on something higher up and Don knows it. I honestly don't know" Terry quickly finished off noticing they were pulling into a parking lot. The girls unbuckled their seatbelts and sat there knowing that in a moment or two the doors would open, and after a moment they did indeed open "Aren't you just the perfect gentleman" Terry teased. Don just pulled her into a hug and walked towards the restaurant. Amita just smiled, gave Charlie a quick kiss, and they proceeded to catch up with Don and Terry. The group was seated quickly, having made reservations (on Charlie's insistence). Again the dinner started out normal but when the waiter asked if they wanted to order desert and took their plates away the boys fell silent. Abruptly Amita excused herself to go to the bathroom, Terry following close behind
"Ok now I know that something has to be going on" Amita exclaimed as soon as the bathroom door shut. Her outburst scared a few other patrons waiting for the bathroom.
"What makes you say that?" Terry asked reapplying her makeup. She for one wasn't worried. So the boys have a secret?
"You may be an expert at reading Don and well everyone else but I'm the expert when it comes to Charlie. He's been quiet for a few days, in fact since he made the reservation, and he's starting to trace numbers on the tablecloth, a sign that he's nervous"
"You know now that you mention it Don has started a few of his nervous habits"
"Like what? I've never noticed any before" Amita asked starting to fix her own makeup (she was already there, why not?)
"Well that's because he suppresses them" Noting Amita's confused look, (which was a feat considering she was reapplying mascara), she added "They make victims, other agents and even suspects nervous. He never really noticed he was doing them until I told him"
"Which one is it?" Amita said taking a seat in the little couch the restaurant had provided, Terry taking a seat next to Amita proceeded to start one of her own nervous habits: drumming her fingers
"Peeling labels and tearing them into smaller pieces. He destroyed that wine label in five minutes. What do you think they're nervous about?" Terry asked not noticing her fingers
"I still want to put my money on the 'project' theory but that wouldn't make Don nervous enough to revert to his nervous habits, right?" Terry nodded "That and I'm assuming if it was a project and not with the FBI Don couldn't know, its classified info" Terry nodded again "So what do you think…oh no" Amita said paling a little
"What? What!" Terry exclaiming afraid that Amita had figured out the reason and it obviously wasn't a good thing
"They're going to break up with us aren't they? I mean, take us to a nice restaurant where we won't make a scene and we'd each have the other there to comfort us" As Amita finished she looked like she was going to cry
"No, that can't be it…can it? It makes some sense but why would Charlie break up with you?"
"What about you and Don? You don't think you have a decent reason to stay together?" Amita said avoiding answering Terry's painful question
"A decent reason to stay together but a stronger reason to break up: we work together and we put our lives on the line, we need to trust each other to do what is best for EVERYONE not just what we want but you still didn't answer my question"
Amita sighed, "I honestly have no clue. Maybe he's gotten tired of me. Maybe I'm getting in the way of his math"
"I don't know either. Lets go and get this over with so we can still catch a cab in time to get to a supermarket to buy a pint of ice cream"
"Quart. Charlie is definitely a quart of ice cream guy for me" Amita fixed
"Wonder what that was all about?" Don questioned watching the girls walk to the bathroom. Don turned expecting to get an answer but found that Charlie was just staring at the tablecloth murmuring something and tracing numbers "Buddy, you ok?"
"Hmm?" Charlie responded stopping everything he had been doing to look at Don
"Are you ok? You're tracing numbers and murmuring"
"Oh. You saw that?" Charlie asked a little sheepish
"Yeah. What were you saying? Tell me you weren't going through marriage and divorce statistics again"
"No. I was practicing what I wanted to say to Amita" Charlie blushed. He was caught practicing how he was going to propose, Bet Don didn't do that when he first proposed to Kim
"You've planned it?" Don said getting a little nervous. He didn't know what he was going to say to Terry
"Not really. Everything I want to say comes out like math. I'm so nervous I keep using mathematical terms to describe how I feel and our situation and I don't want to do that. This is a moment she's going to remember for the rest of her life and I don't want it to involve math"
"That's perfect buddy. Now lets get to those microphones before the girls get back. Take a deep breath and follow me" Charlie and Don stood putting their proposal plan into action
"Terry am I imagining things or are the boys gone?" Amita said gesturing to where she thought there table was but the men that they came there with weren't at the table
"Um, I don't think you're imagining things. I don't see them anywhere"
"They left us! The least they could have done was paid before they left us" Amita said dropping into her seat. Terry sat across from her
"Well screw that. We'll pay tonight and I'll take Don's money tomorrow" Terry said toasting Amita. They were still laughing when the waiters approached them with two plates covered by metal silver tops
"We didn't order dessert" Amita and Terry said together
"The gentlemen you were with ordered them for you" Amita snorted and went to open the dish but the waiter moved the dish away from her and said "Wait one moment. You too" He added when he caught Terry eyeing her own dish
"Um excuse me everyone" A voice came over the system that normally played soft Italian music
"Hmm. That sounded like Charlie" Amita said twirling her fork
"Please everyone be quiet" Another voice called out
"That sounded like Don" Terry said slowly looking at Amita
"Thank you. Hi, um my name is Charlie Eppes-" Charlie said stepping into view
"-And I'm Don Eppes" Said Don stepping into view. The girls looked at each other and back at the boys
"We're here with our beautiful girlfriends, Terry and Amita" Charlie said pointing to the table
"Wave hello girls" Don said smiling. All eyes turned to Amita and Terry. Both blushing they waved "Were not here to provide entertainment. Terry, when we met at the academy I knew that day that I would care for you deeply. I just never knew how deeply until now. When we broke up the first time I felt my heart break despite my saying it was mutual, but I've said all of this already. I'll let Charlie take his turn" Don said placing a hand on his brother's shoulders then they both started towards the table
"From the moment I saw you I knew that I wanted to be with you. It tore me up that because of the university rules we couldn't be together. I waited too long to ask you out and thought I had lost you to another man. Then he turned out to be a jerk and I was overjoyed when I got you back" He paused and Amita thought he was done but then he continued "Amita, that day at the coffeehouse, I thought I would lose you forever. Images from that day will never leave my mind but that day has passed and I realize now what I want to do, need to do" As Charlie finished each brother took the hand of their girlfriend, pulled them away from the table and the picked up their respective dishes then they both got down on one knee
"Amita" Charlie spoke taking the cover off to reveal a ring box with a diamond engagement ring
"Theresa" Don spoke taking the cover off revealing his own ring box with an engagement ring
"Will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?" The boys said together
The girls (crying at this point) looked at each other then back down at their boyfriends and said, "Yes! Yes I'll marry you!"
Both men took the ring out of the boxes slipped it on their FIANCE'S hand and stood up hugging and kissing to the applause of the restaurant. When all the noise died down, and they returned home to tell Alan (for neither Charlie or Don had said word about he proposal), Amita couldn't help but think Perfect
Oh god I can't believe its all over. I think I'm going to cry.