A/N I'm having a bad day, so if this seems a little dark, it's probably because of my mood. Last chapter I gave you all a glimpse of Don and Charlie's argument. Eventually there will be more of it. I know what Don said was a bit harsh, but I think that when two stressed people are arguing, they are going to go a bit overboard. I know my brothers when they fought would get pretty darn intense.

Also, this chapter has a lot of Charlie angst. I personally think that there is a bit of a darker, more emotionally strained Charlie. I apologize though if it seems way out of character.

I've decided that this story falls before Don starts going to therapy. I think it fits with why Charlie and Don are hesitant about them both talking to the therapist.

Disclaimer: Own nothing. The end.

Quantifiable Love

Chapter 7: Constants

Every child shuffles through countless options of what they want to be when they grow up. Parents, guardians, elders, and so on repeatedly encourage them; telling them that they can become anything they want. There are no boundaries in their future. There is nothing stopping them from what they want to achieve.

These are lies.

They grow up with this annoying false-hope that no matter what, they'll be able to choose what they want to ultimately do with their lives.

Charlie had little choice. No matter what happened in his life, two things would control who he ultimately became: Math and Don.

The math was easy to explain. The numbers were always there, always permeating every essence of his existence. They never left him. Math was a constant in his life.

And as much as a constant math was, Don wasn't. At least, that's what Charlie always thought. Don didn't want Charlie in his life as a child. Charlie was the nuisance. Every opportunity Don had, he left Charlie. He left him when he went to play with his friends, he left him in the attic, and he left him right after graduation.

Charlie always made it a point not to cry in front of Don. At first this was because he wanted to be tough around his big brother. He had the vain belief that if he was emotionally strong, then he was also physically strong; at least in the eyes of Don. Charlie wanted to be the brother Don wanted. But in the end, Charlie always failed.

As the years progressed Charlie started hiding the tears for other reasons. In the end, it was all for the same reason: he didn't want Don to know how much he was hurting.

When Don left for college, Charlie fought against everything not to cry in front of his brother. In the end he succeeded. But that feat was something he regretted for a long time. If Don knew how much Charlie would miss him, then maybe he would have come and visit him.

Don's absence was an emotional death for Charlie. And when their mother got ill, he was bordering a physical one.

But Don came home, and his arrival brought Charlie to a point where he had to choose. He had to choose to either continue on no matter how torn he was, or to hide away in his math, letting himself slowly die. Sure, he probably wouldn't have died physically, but everything that Charlie was would have gone.

They day Don announced that he would be staying was the day Charlie smiled for the first time since their mother had died. No matter how much Charlie fought to hide his emotions from his brother, Don was his stabilizing factor. Don balanced his emotions as much as math controlled his life.

Charlie had no doubt that Don would always be there for him from then on. Don would never leave him again. But, as Charlie lay curled up in god-knows where, wheezing for breath, and shivering from cold despite the increasing heat, he doubted Don would be there for him.

It didn't take long for Megan to come to the conclusion that the kidnapper wasn't around. It took less time to determine that the basement she was currently occupying was in an abandoned house. The basement was dank, dusty and filled with spider webs. Sure, many houses might have this problem, but with the boarded window to the basement and the sheer emptiness of it, Megan was almost certain it was a vacated premise.

Also, there were no noises coming from outside. They were obviously not in town anymore.

As far as she could tell it was mid-morning. She had gone to Charlie's around 8 the previous day, with a gift of a nice store-bought chocolate crème pie. They sat outside, eating in almost total silence. It was only after a good hour that she finally got Charlie to actually talk some. She had merely started babbling about how different people can find different things acceptable. Almost like everyone had their own definitions of everything. Charlie had tossed love into the mix. Charlie was lonely, and his best friend was off exploring the stars. Megan felt a bit guilty about showing up at that point. She was, after all, a reminder of Larry's absence. But, in the end she decided it was best that Charlie had some company, even if it was with someone that reminded him of the people who weren't there in his life.

But, Charlie had closed up again, and went inside. Megan wondered if their abductor had been watching them all night, listening to their conversation. She really hoped he didn't. She really hoped that he didn't know she was there with Charlie. But she knew that Charlie's presence was known. Try as hard as she might, she couldn't convince herself that Charlie had managed to escape the same fate Don and her now faced.

Don had called her around 10. Judging by how long she had been awake and how much sun was peeking though the slits between the boards on the windows, it was probably around 10. They had been gone 12 hours. Colby and David would no doubt be well on their way to finding them by now.

But, to be honest, it was getting rather hot in the basement, and it was only going to get hotter. She needed to get to Don and Charlie. And they all needed to get out of here.

But two things haunted her thoughts of getting out safely: If the house was indeed abandoned and out of town, then it would be damn near impossible for Colby and David to find them quickly, unless they got a confession. And, no matter how loud she called out, no one answered her.

A/N Thanks to everyone who has been reading and/or reviewing. Hopefully I'll get another chapter out before the end of the week.