Title: Feels Like Home Part 5/?
Fandom: Numb3rs
Pairing/Characters: All main Numb3rs characters including Megan (I'm not ready to admit that she's gone!) plus a few original characters. My muse makes me think that there will be some love in here somewhere. I'm just not sure where yet. I think that he's keeping it a secret!
Summary: When a loved one shows up in LA will Don, his family and his team be able to protect her from the life that she's trying to leave behind?
Rating: I'm not really sure how this whole rating system works, so I'm gonna say given the Warnings that I've provided, you should probably be at least old enough to vote if you want to read this story.
Warnings: Adult Themes. Abusive Relationship. If you are at all sensitive to these things, please don't read.
Spoilers: Everything up to the end of Season 4, I suppose
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a notebook and a pen.
Author's Note: All mistakes are mine, as this story has not been beta'd by anyone other than me. Mostly because it's the first piece of fiction that I've written in about 10 years and I'm really nervous about posting it! So if you are the sort of person who offers comments, I implore you to be honest about what you think! If it's poo, please feel free to tell me! I'm going to put on my thick skin for this!

Coming to stand in front of his eldest son, jaw clenched, Alan hissed "Donald Eppes! What is the matter with you?"

"I'm so sorry dad. I never meant to scare her like that."

"I'm not the one that you need to be apologizing to!" Alan snapped.

"You're right. I'll go talk to her."

"No yelling?" Alan requested, tone softening somewhat.

"No yelling." Don agreed. Slowly getting up off the couch and moving toward the kitchen.

The sight of his cousin when he entered the kitchen nearly broke Don's heart.

Grace was sitting at the counter, back straight, tears silently streaming down her cheeks, staring straight ahead. The sound of the kitchen door swinging shut as Don entered, breaking her concentration.

"I'm sorry Don. I never meant to make you mad." Lowering herself from the bar stool and moving toward the door. "I'm just gonna go."

"Grace," Don sighed. "Don't go. And don't think that you need to apologize to me. I'm the one who should be sorry. And I am. More than I can say. You were right. We do need to talk about this. But in the morning." He had slowly been moving toward her as he spoke and now stood in front of her. "The best place for you to be is here, you know that. It's why you chose to come home again, to the only real family that you've ever had, isn't it?"

Grace smiled at Don, "And they say Charlie's the genius! It is true though Don, this is the only place I ever felt safe when I was young. I guess a part of me was hoping to get that back, even if it could only be for a little while. I just wanted to remember what that feels like. Take it with me."

"And you should feel that way. That really is my intention. But finding out what you've told us tonight put my big brother instincts into overdrive and I got a little crazy! And just so we're clear here, I'm not mad at you, Grace. I'm angry that you had to go through this, for all this time. I have half a mind to get on a plane to Seattle, and hunt the son-of-a-bitch down myself; but I know that won't help you. Why don't we both stay here tonight and in the morning we'll discuss what we're going to do?"

"I can agree to that." Relaxing substantially with those words Grace yawned. "I haven't slept in two days. A good night's sleep would probably be a very good thing at this point."

"Come on then Little One, I'll help you up to your room."