Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Numb3rs or the characters therein. All characters are fictional and should not be associated with any other person- real or imagined.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Charlie forced himself to his feet and ran back to the house. It wasn't until he flew into the dining room and almost knocked Alan over that he realized he had the daunting task of informing his father what had happened.

Alan held up the toy rabbit that Charlie had dropped on the way out of the house "Don came downstairs to get this, but I just found it on…"

He knew. Without Charlie saying a word, he knew. And it was too much for Alan. His strong façade cracked and his sanity slid a foot to the left. Grabbing Charlie by the shoulders, shaking him furiously, he yelled, "How could you? I trusted you. Don trusted you. How could you let her take him again?"

Then the sobbing came and Charlie held his father as they sank to the floor together, the older man too big and heavy for his youngest son to hold up. For minutes that felt like forever, they clung to each other, both trying to reel in their emotions, to try and understand why this could keep happening to them, what evil force had been loosed upon the world and directed at them and only them.

The need for action gripped Alan, and he pulled from Charlie, mumbling an apology as he went to grab his keys. Despite Charlie's protests, Alan left the house, got in his car and drove away to search for his son.

The need for reason gripped Charlie, and he called Megan, Colby, and David, knowing they were better prepared to conduct a search than he was. He told them that Thompson had stolen his brother and he was afraid that they were on their way out of town. Being on vacation, Megan easily started searching for Don, calling up the airline and bus terminals, requesting that they be on the alert for a man and woman matching Thompson and Don's description; as a good measure, she also described Gordon Fairfield, thinking he might be accompanying them. Megan left them her private phone number to call instead of the Bureau's; she did not want Director Donaldson to find out she was doing anything that would cause Thompson or her lawyer to file more complaints. When she finished her calls, Megan followed Alan's lead and began to personally drive up and down the streets of L.A., hoping that on the off-chance she might find her lost colleague while she purposefully ignored the fear that was clenching at her heart.

David and Colby stayed at work for two hours, making phone calls to the local police station in what would be a fruitless effort to get outside help in looking for Don: "There is no law that says a grown man can't take off with his grown lover any time he wants" they were informed. They also called the local car rental agencies to try to track down the white car that Thompson was supposedly driving, guessing it had to be a rental after they found there was no record that either she or her lawyer had purchased a new one. That task also got them nowhere; she had apparently borrowed the car, rented it out of town, or purchased it under another name, and they did not have the time to find out which it was.

The two agents were forced to talk quietly during their phone calls, so they would not be overheard by anyone else in the office; they were definitely not supposed to be doing anything that might concern their former boss and Dr. Thompson. When they were finished, they made excuses and escaped from the Bureau, heading to the streets to do the only thing they thought they could, and that was the same as Megan and Alan- drive around looking for Don.

Late in the day, Megan thought to call Bob Anderson in Alta Sierra. She asked the old man if he had seen any activity at his neighbor's house and received a concerned no in response. "I'm not sure what's happening," she told him, "but can you give me a call if you see her come home. I know it sounds insane, but we think Thompson took Don again."

Bob promised to keep an eye on Thompson's house, and Megan continued with her visual search.

Charlie stayed at home, placing himself in the garage with a local area map, continuously walking from one chalkboard to the next, writing down points on grids of all the areas that the team members had searched in L.A., trying to coordinate the calls that came in from the agents while keeping track of his father. He called Alan every half hour and insisted that he come home, but his demands were ignored. As time passed, Charlie was becoming more concerned about him. He knew that the first time Don disappeared it had wrecked his father; he did not want to know what it was going to do to him a second time. When it was past six o'clock, Charlie called the only person he thought might be able to locate his father and convince him to give up his search; Larry readily offered his help and promised to call Charlie if he found him.

By seven, Colby, Megan, and David agreed to group up at the Eppes and form a plan of action. When they arrived, Charlie greeted them at the door and led them to the living room. They all refused an offer of a seat, too much nervous energy flooding their veins to enable them to be still.

"Dad won't come home," Charlie told them. He was standing at the front window, tensely twisting the curtain between his fingers. "I told him it was useless to keep searching. We need to figure out where she took him. But he's lost it again, like the first time Don disappeared. I'm sure he's driving up and down the streets seeing Don every few feet." Charlie looked at his friends. "I asked Larry to try to find him, but if Dad doesn't come home soon, we'll have to go search for him."

The sound of a door opening behind them led all four people to turn and stare at the entryway. Alan slowly emerged, followed closely by Larry. The scientist had found him easily enough; the eldest Eppes had been the point car in a long line of traffic. Alan had been sitting at his wheel, staring ahead of him and unable to move, the vehicles behind him honking incessantly until a police officer appeared. Larry had luckily shown up at the same time, and had been able to talk the officer into letting him take his friend home, explaining politely and vaguely that the man sitting at the wheel had just lost his son. After parking Alan's car in a lot up the street, Larry had walked back to where the sympathetic officer held him in the backseat of his squad car. Then, with a gentleness that he alone in the world possessed, Larry had helped Alan to his own car sitting double-parked by the side of the road and driven him home.

Alan's appearance made the team members gasp. His entire body seemed sunk in, his shoulders slumping, his frame thin and worn, his skin pallid. Alan's face was hollowed from stress and forlorn sadness, his eyes surrounded and colored with deep circles that accented the lack of life within them. The only signs the man was a living being were the facial ticks that triggered movement around both eyes and the corners of his mouth. After he entered the room and passed by its occupants, dropping onto the couch, more ticks could be seen as his right shoulder and both knees jumped every thirty seconds on their own accord.

Charlie and Megan both went to Alan, sitting on either side of him. He held his father's hand and gently massaged it, she held her friend's arm and tried to say a litany of soothing words, but it was clear that none of their actions were affecting Alan; the elder Eppes was in his own little world, unconscious of those around him.

Twenty minutes passed, Charlie and Megan continuing their tender machinations while Colby and David moved to stare out the front window, all of them wondering what they could do to find Don and all of them feeling guilty for allowing him to be taken again, but none of them able to put voice to their feelings or come up with a solution to the problem.

"Son of a bitch!" Colby suddenly cried. He and David ran out the front door, Larry close at their heels. Charlie and Megan looked at each other puzzled, curious at the outburst but afraid to leave Alan, who had not responded; his eyes had closed and he was slowly descending into a depressive state of mind.

David and Colby quickly arrived at the curb outside the Eppes' home, flashing their badges and demanding the cab driver to stay put. Don was sadly standing on the sidewalk, his eyes looking at the ground and his thumb in his mouth, Buddy held in his arm. Colby visually checked him for any signs of physical harm while David talked to the cab driver. A few minutes later, and David stepped back to where they were standing.

"She didn't even pay for the cab," David shook his head. "I just shelled out over fifty bucks. That"- but then he realized Don was probably listening to what he was saying, so David dropped the complaint from his lips and lowered his voice. "Hey, Don. It's good to see you."

Don looked up at the two men. He recognized them from the memory game- they were special agents, too.

And his friends.

"Hi," he said around his thumb. His friends observed Don's stance and childish mannerisms. It was horrible to see what Don had been reduced to, knowing the person he had been before. But Colby and David were able to put their own uneasy feelings aside; they were like the Eppes, good people, and this was still their friend standing in front of them, no matter what Thompson had done to him. They concentrated on him and his feelings, not their own, so that they could address him in a manner which would not frighten him.

"Your dad and Charlie are waiting inside, Don," Colby said softly. "I think you need to let them see that you're okay."

Don nodded, and then started towards the house, his eyes downcast, while David and Colby followed quietly behind. Halfway up the stairs, he saw a pair of feet in front of him. Following them up to the face above them, Don smiled when he saw they belonged to Larry, and gave his friend a hug. Then they entered the house together.

Charlie and Megan sprang to their feet.

Don was walking into the living room, shuffling his feet and trying to avoid looking at them, Larry, Colby, and David keeping guard behind him.

Charlie couldn't believe he was looking at his brother. He ran forward and threw his arms around him, registering in the back of his mind that Don was holding Buddy and that a small stain that looked like milk had wet a circle into the front of his t-shirt. Tears fell from his eyes and he refused to let go, not knowing how to put into words all the fears, anxiety, sadness, misery, loss, and terror that had been undulating through him since he had seen him last.

"Sorry," Don told his brother.

Charlie tightened his arms around Don. "I don't want to hear that your sorry, Don. I want to hear you promise me that you'll never, ever do that again." He released his hold on Don, cupped his face and forced him to lock eyes. "Promise me, right now, say I won't leave again."

But Don knew he couldn't make that promise, so he began to cry.

"Sorry, sorry," he told his brother. He held up Buddy. "Special agent."

Charlie was taken aback with this explanation, guilt ramming him as he blamed himself for Don taking off with Thompson. He never should have told Don he could rescue a friend; that was the old Don, and the one Charlie had been talking to was a child who could not understand the explanations he had been given.

"I'm sorry, Don, I didn't know you were talking about Buddy. I would have gotten him back for you." Charlie pulled him into another embrace. He knew the next day the first thing they had to do was make an appointment with the psychotherapist Wang had recommended. Charlie wanted to know if there was anything else that he or his dad were telling Don that might be confusing or upsetting him.

It was several minutes later that Charlie realized his father was still sitting on the couch, his eyes closed, lost to the world. He led Don by the hand to their father, and motioned for his brother to sit next to him.

Don sat down. He didn't know what to say to make his daddy feel better, so he leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Alan's eyes fluttered open and he stared at Don, shock registering on his face briefly before his features went smooth, relaxed with relief upon seeing his eldest next to him.

"Donny, you came back," he whispered, reaching around Don, rubbing his hands up and down his son's body, planting kisses along his temple. Then Alan began to sob, not trusting that Don's appearance was permanent, knowing Thompson had to have a reason for releasing him to his family, believing it was a wicked ruse of hers to get them to let their guard down so that they would lose him forever.

"Please, Donny, please tell Daddy what she did." Alan rocked back and forth with his son. "Please, please tell Daddy where you went. I need to know."

Don started crying, too. He couldn't tell his daddy what he wanted to know, because he wasn't sure what they had done or where they had gone. All he knew was that Mommy had promised him that they would be together in less than a week and that there was nothing Daddy's lawyer could do about it. And he couldn't tell Daddy about the conversation he and Mommy had; it was their secret. Mommy had made him promise not to tell. He wouldn't have anyway, because he didn't want his daddy or Charlie to try to talk him out of making their lives easier.

Charlie left the living room to join his friends on the front porch, knowing his father would need to hold Don for a long while before he could see if his brother needed to eat and he put him to bed. Megan and Larry were standing with Colby and David, all having discreetly left the Eppes's house once Alan and Don had started crying, wanting to give them some time alone; and embarrassed, feeling like trespassers into the tender and private moment.

David began, "I talked to the cab driver. He said his dispatcher directed him to a parking garage; that a woman fitting Thompson's description put Don into the cab and told him where to go, and then she disappeared. That's all he could tell me. The garage is in the middle of the downtown area, so I don't think its location can give us any idea as to what she did with Don."

Charlie anxiously ran his hands through his hair, pacing in short steps back and forth on the porch. "Whatever it was, it was important enough for her to steal Buddy to blackmail him into doing what she wanted."

Megan leaned against the porch rail. "If that's true, then we have a real problem, because Don has Buddy, which means he did whatever she requested so she was able to give him back."

Charlie continued to pace, placing a finger to his lips. "But what could it have been? Why not just take off with him?"

Megan shook her head. "I don't know, Charlie. Maybe Thompson thinks if she took off with Don you would appeal the decision the judge made Monday and come after him if you won. Whatever it is, her actions indicate that she wants a legitimate claim to having Don live with her; that way, you couldn't do anything to take him away again."

Charlie's legs stopped moving as he stood in one spot, moving forward and back while he hugged himself. "It's all my fault. Don asked me if he rescued people and I told him yes, it was his job. Maybe he would have asked for my help in getting Buddy if I hadn't tried to convince him he was still the same person he used to be."

"Don't Charlie," David came forward. "You can't blame yourself or your father for any of this. I read what the end results were of Don living with that, that...thing for two months. No matter how bad you feel," he looked around at his fellow team members, "no matter how bad any of us feel, we have to remember that she alone is responsible for all of this- not some or part, but all."

Colby asked perplexedly, "Could that stuffed toy really be that important to him? You know, that he'd risk anything to," he made little quotation signs, "rescue him?"

"Yes," Megan and Charlie said together. Charlie nodded his head towards Megan to proceed. "Colby, the reports from the institute indicate that the toy was Don's sole confidante during his stay with Thompson. Could you imagine being alone in a house for two months with no one to talk to but that woman? He needed somebody for company and that toy was his only option. So, yes, that reason alone is enough for Buddy to be that important to him. The reports also indicate that Buddy provides Don with some sort of protection- only they weren't sure what it was from. That's another reason he would want to get him back."

Charlie stopped moving. "I forgot about that. Megan, do you think Buddy protected Don from Thompson's physical abuse?"

Megan responded, "Yes, that's possible. She could have easily planted that idea in his mind by removing Buddy from Don's possession anytime she hit him."

Charlie smiled. "Megan, Don has been having nightmares in which Thompson was hitting him. Last night, he didn't have any, even though he didn't have Buddy with him. Do you think he might be learning to trust us to protect him over Buddy?"

"That's really possible, Charlie. But that means he went to rescue Buddy out of need for his presence as a friend. That can be worse for Don."

"How's that?" Charlie asked, rubbing a hand behind his neck.

"Because Don is very loyal and protective of his friends. If Buddy's only purpose was to help Don remain safe, then he would not need to keep him by his side once he knew Thompson could no longer hurt him, which his lack of nightmares last night might indicate. However, since he did risk his own safety to save Buddy, it means he is seeing the toy as a friend and will do what is necessary to provide him protection, maybe even at peril to his own life."

All five people stood around trying to understand how the toy could become such an important item in Don's life.

"Hmm," Larry said, gathering the attention of the others. "I think we are forgetting an important characteristic of Buddy, that is, his name."

Charlie's eyebrows lowered and he frowned. "I thought about that before, that maybe Don named the rabbit after me. If that's true," he spoke to Megan, "could that be the reason he is so protective of him- he's transferring the feelings he has for me onto Buddy?"

Megan rubbed her temple. "It's very possible. Alone in that house with Thompson, he might have searched his mind for some memory of another person he loved and who loved him too, finding a memory of you, a person who he also looked out for. Everything he remembered about you and felt for you, Charlie, may have been summed up in that one term of endearment- Buddy, and he placed the safekeeping of this private treasure onto the body of that stuffed toy. This would have made it unbearable for Don when Thompson took the toy away, because she was not only taking away a friend, she was also taking away the last good memory and emotional tie he had to you, which were both wrapped up in that single word and the vestibule that carries it- Buddy."

Tears came to Charlie's eyes. "I hate her, I really do. She knows how to take everything between me and Don and use it to do wicked and evil things to him."

Larry put a comforting hand on his arm. "But everything between you and Don is not wicked, it is all good. And in the end, it will only cause good things to happen to him."

"But when will the end finally come?" Charlie asked sadly, wiping a hand across his eyes.

No one had an answer to his question.