A/N: Again sorry for the really long waits between chapters, my free time has been diminished majorly by my school's show and anatomy homework (which is always tons of fun :rolls eyes: ) Anyway, here's the next chapter I hope you like it
Chapter 21
Terry woke up to the sun just beginning to rise and the smell of coffee wafting into the bedroom. Terry smiled at the slight chill she received from the sheets against her bare skin as memories from the past few days filled her mind. She also remembered that now it was Monday and they had to go back to work. Sighing softly she rolled out of bed and started the hunt for her duffle bag that held clean clothes some that were hopefully decent for work.
"Terry!" Don called from the kitchen
"Yeah, I'm up. Just searching for my duffle bag"
"I think you left it in the living room" Don called, Terry could hear the smile in his voice
"You moved it! You just want to see me make a mad dash and back"
"Guilty" Don called laughter backing it up
"You suck" Terry called flying past Don and then into the bathroom so she could finish getting ready…then she'd beat Don up
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"AMITA! WE HAVE TO GET GOING SOON!" Charlie called up the staircase then returning to his seat in the living room, he was a lot more nervous then he was willing to admit. Yeah, the worst that JOHN said they would do would dock their pay but with peers you never really know.
"Sorry I took so long" Amita apologized taking Charlie's hand
"It's ok, I didn't mean to yell…I'm just nervous" Charlie admitted quietly
"I am too" Amita squeezed Charlie's hand then went into the kitchen to grab their food. Alan followed Amita back into the living room
"Good luck you two" Alan said hugging Amita, and giving Charlie's arm a squeeze
"Bye dad. We'll call as soon as we find out what's going to happen"
"I'll be waiting" Alan answered and flashed a smile that was meant to relax and reassure Charlie and Amita but they both noticed that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. The pair left and got into Amita's car. They were silent on their way to the campus. The nerves that had first took hold of them when they went to tell John about them came back stronger then ever. They were silent while waiting for the meeting to start, Charlie stood to start pacing when the door opened and they were admitted.
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"I can't believe what some people will do for money" Don said dropping a case file on his desk
"You can say that again" Terry commented sitting in the chair next to his desk after dropping a case file of her own on her desk
"Wow I can't believe that its three o'clock" Don said rubbing a hand over his eyes after glancing at the clock
"I wonder how Amita and Charlie are" Terry commented leaning forward and looking at the phone as if willing it to ring and give her answers
"As soon as I finish writing up this report, let's call them" Don said placing a reassuring hand on top of Terry's
"I don't know Don…" Terry trailed off looking unsure
"You're that worried about them?" Don asked slightly surprised. He knew he was worried and why. If Amita loses her job, she'll be upset, but Charlie- Charlie loves teaching. It's what he does best, if you don't count math itself. If Charlie loses his job, he may retreat into the garage.
"Yes, I am. I know how much teaching means to the two of them and if either loose their job…I know Charlie said the worst the could happen was docked pay but peers are different. They may be happy that Charlie and Amita are together but that doesn't mean they'll say ok you'll make one thousand dollars less each oh and congratulations. No! Their peers may believe that with the two of them together it might impair their work" Terry sighed when she was finished and Don got the feeling that the little bit at the end was not about Amita and Charlie
"How about I tell everyone that they have the rest of the day off? I'll take the paperwork with me and we can find out what happened directly from Charlie and Amita"
"That would be perfect" Terry said getting up and walking to her desk
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"Dad, Charlie, Amita" Do called into the house as he opened the door (Charlie needed to learn to either give Don his own key or find a new hiding spot for the spare). However, as he and Terry walked through the house they encountered silence. Silence, Don had learned, means either a combination of sleeping and deeply working inhabitants or they're in the backyard. Judging by the total lack of sound (the Eppes men tended to heavy breathers) they were in the back
"They must be out back" Terry commented breaking into Don's thoughts
"That's normally a good sign"
"Normally?" Terry asked as they approached the door
"Well the koi pond is out back and when Charlie broods out there, dad follows"
"Well here goes nothing" Terry said crossing her fingers on one hand opening the door of another
A/N: Ok, so now I'm sure you're all going to kill me but I really couldn't help it. I kept debating back and forth between on how much trouble they should get in so I wrote it one way then deleted it and then rewrote and then deleted and then re-rewrote…you get the picture. I swear you will get your answer next chapter if not, I give permission for Jayne Cobb09/Dr.E. Vance to tackle me in the hallway at school.
