Author's Note: Sorry it took me a while to update. To make up for it, I'm posting two chapters.

Chapter 4

"No, see, that's what most people don't get about playing center. I mean, sure, height helps, but you still have to know how to play. David doesn't have the height of the other team's center, but he's our best jumper and a good defender."

Charlie paused in the open doorway and watched Don and Amita chatting comfortably in the empty classroom. She was seated at one of the front row desks while Don perched on the table at the front of the room, directly across from her.

Charlie didn't bother to wonder why Don hadn't just called. They both had a habit of dropping by unannounced. While they'd never discussed it, Charlie suspected it was a residual effect of the years they had lost touch. There remained a lingering fear that "call first" would become "call instead" and "call instead" would lead to "call you sometime."

Amita responded, "Well, I don't know much about basketball, but I know I wouldn't want to go up against Shaq or Yao Ming."

"Nah, you could take 'em," Don drawled with a slow grin. Looking up, he added, "Right, Charlie?"

"I wouldn't bet against you," Charlie smiled.

Amita turned to look at him over her shoulder and he felt a familiar tiny thrill at her answering grin.

Charlie pushed off the doorjamb he'd been leaning against and stepped into the room. "You know, I'm a little relieved to see you. I was worried Terry might have pushed you out of the car as you left here yesterday."

"Nope. Still in one piece," Don assured him.

Charlie fixed him with an inquisitive look and waited for Don to explain how he'd managed that.

"I mean, I'm not saying I escaped unscathed," Don admitted. With a grin he added, "She challenged me to a little one-on-one last night. Practice for the game, right?"

"And?" Charlie prompted.

Don shrugged, "She still plays dirty, but I managed to survive."

Charlie suspected there was more to the story, but Don didn't volunteer anything further.

Allowing the topic to drop for now, he turned to look at Amita who said, "Don's been telling me about your game next week. He says you're going to be point guard."

Charlie raised his eyebrows slightly at that. It was his favorite position to play, but he wasn't sure he'd be a popular choice with the rest of the team. Since the point guard directed so much of the offensive action, it was important the other players accepted him.

Don shook his head slightly at the unspoken question. "They'll be fine. You have the mind for it and I like that you're ambidextrous."

"Well, who doesn't?" Larry commented as he entered the room. "I assume we're talking about Charles's ability to work in both pure and applied mathematics?"

"Actually, we were talking about basketball. We're discussing his ability to approach the basket equally well from either side," Amita explained. Turning to look at Don, she added, "Right?"

"Right," he smiled back at her.

Charlie couldn't help wondering how long they'd been talking and what exactly he'd missed. He made a mental note to ask Don about it later.

Pushing the thought away for now, he announced, "Okay, well, right now I have a class to teach. So, anybody who isn't prepared to help me teach a combinatorics seminar has to leave." He raised his hands in an ushering gesture to urge them along.

None of them moved.

Charlie focused his attention first on Larry, who rubbed a hand over the back of his head as he replied, "Yeah, actually… I've guest lectured for you on occasion, plus I've incorporated some of your work into my theory on growth processes, so…"

Charlie swung his gaze over to Don, who shrugged. "Well, look, I'm not saying my answers would be right. But I could fake it. Plus, if I get into trouble I could always distract them with stories about your basketball highlights."

"I think they'd like that," Amita supplied helpfully.

Don gave her a little nod in thanks for her support and turned back to Charlie with an expectant grin.

Charlie rolled his eyes and pointed at the door. "Out. Everybody out."

That finally had the desired effect, but it seemed to work a little too well. Charlie placed a lightly restraining hand on Amita's arm as she passed him. "You can stay," he assured her in a quiet voice.

"Oh, good," she smiled playfully at him. He noticed she didn't step away, but instead remained standing close beside him.

As Don followed Larry out, he called over his shoulder, "Practice on Sunday. Four o'clock." Don stopped and turned back slightly to face him. "Okay?"

"Okay," Charlie replied as he stepped back from Amita and held up his hand in a slight wave.

"You gonna be our sixth man, Amita?" Don asked.

"You gonna help me grade special problem sets?" she shot back.

"Think I could?" he squinted at her over the sunglasses he'd just put on.

"Sure. Just try to remember that in enumerate combinatorics RPP stands for Reverse Plane Partition and not Resuming Play Procedure."

Don pursed his lips slightly as he absorbed that. "Good to know."

Resuming his departure, Don called out, "Sunday, four o'clock. Don't be late."

Charlie gave another quick wave in acknowledgement as he watched his brother walk out the door. Turning to Amita with a smile, he joked, "Why do you encourage him?"

Amita happily shot back, "Why do you?"

Unable to come up with a good answer, Charlie shook his head and turned his attention to setting up the overhead projector.

After a minute, something occurred to him and he glanced over at Amita, wondering for a second time just how long Don and Amita had talked. "Resuming Play Procedure?"

Amita laughed.

That settled it. Charlie was definitely asking Don about their little chat.