A/N: Sorry for the delay guys, I'm not entirely sure what happened. But the next chapter is half-written, and the next chapter of NSITH is with the beta, so we're back in business.

Review responses:

Little Miss Stilletto: In about… four or five chapters. There's something else coming first, but the showdown will be spectacular. Maybe. I hope, anyway.

I Keep Goldfish In My Bra: Don is one of my favourite characters to write. I'm glad you like my version of him too.

Jenny: I think it was because I was reading some very good CC fics when I started this. And then I realised… my ex is called Colby. And has some similar qualities. Put me right off CC, hence why I struggled with this chapter a bit.

Louisa, AuthorWhoHasntWrittenInYears: Yes, I have made up my mind… but there may be some switches mid-plot. You'll have to keep reading to see who she ends up with in the end.

Helena: Fireworks. And possibly gunfire.

Robertaa: Can't do that episode, since I haven't seen season 3. Sorry. As for the other, something similar will happen, but not exactly like that. The plot-bunnies have overruled your request.

Goddess of the Black Rose: Not the kick in the pants Ian needs… but this chapter gives Charlie a bit of a kicking.

Mjels: You'll just have to read and find out, won't you? ;P

To the rest of you: Thanks for taking the time to review. It does feed the plotbunnies, I promise.

-BDBD-

Chapter Seven: Discussions and Epiphanies. In which several people come to various conclusions.

"Charlotte, can I pick your brains for a minute?"

"Sorry Larry," Charlie called over her shoulder as she hurried toward her office. "I'm running late. I'll find you after class, okay?"

"Very well," Larry nodded, though his young friend was already gone. He sighed and returned to his own office, where a concerned Amit was sitting.

"You were correct," Larry confirmed Amit's suspicions. "She barely paused to acknowledge me."

"I've been doing what I can," Amit shrugged helplessly, "but sooner or later her students are going to realise that she's not doing lesson plans or writing the quizzes herself any more. It's as though she doesn't really care about teaching these days."

"Yet teaching has always been something of a passion for her," Larry mused. "Still, I doubt that she would appreciate us pointing this out to her."

"Yeah, she'd probably say we were meddling," Amit looked glum. "What can we do though?"

"Nothing," Larry said firmly. "In all likelihood, Charlotte is merely readjusting her existence to incorporate Agent Granger. Given time, I'm sure that she will regain her equilibrium."

Amit looked doubtful, but nodded his agreement.

-BDBD-

"Charlie, will you be home for dinner? I've got a casserole in the crock-pot."

"Sorry Dad," Charlie spoke into the phone ruefully. "I've got plans with Colby, then I really need to do some work for my classes."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Colby lately," Alan said hopefully. "Are things getting serious? Are you using protection?"

"Dad!" Charlie shouted, mortified.

"What? I'm just making sure my little girl is being taken care of. I want grandkids, but I'd rather them be born into a family, not have you left to raise them by yourself."

There was a pause for a few seconds, before Charlie answered.

"Yes, we're using protection. And yeah, things could be getting serious."

"That's good," Alan smiled, but something about her tone bothered him. He pushed it aside for now. "Say, why don't you bring him around for dinner tomorrow? Donnie's coming too, we could make it a whole family thing!"

"…Yeah, sure Dad. Listen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure, bye!"

They hung up, and then Alan realised what was bothering him. Charlie hadn't reassured him that she was being taken care of.

-BDBD-

"Charlie, c'mon, you're the best decrypter we've got!" Don pleaded. "Just take a look at it?"

"Don, I just finished the last problem you gave me, I need to write midterms, and I've got plans tonight. I can't help on another case right now."

"Please, Baby-doll?" He shamelessly begged, knowing she couldn't refuse him for long. "It won't take you long, you know how good you are at these things."

"I can't! I've got too much on right now, I can't keep up with it all!"

"Of course you can, Charlie," Don waved a hand dismissively. "Math is your passion, you've always got time for more." At the slightly mutinous look in his sister's eyes, Don realised he'd overstepped the bounds and changed tactics. "Look, this guy's already killed twice, if we crack the code in the notes it could help us catch him before someone else dies!"

Charlie sighed and hung her head. He'd won, and they both knew it.

"Here, I'll just leave it on your desk. Look it over and let me know if something jumps out at you."

"Fine," Charlie sighed again, resigned.

"Great! I'll tell the guys you're on it, and I'll see you at dinner tomorrow if not before."

"Yeah, sure," Charlie muttered as Don left. She rubbed a tired hand over her eyes, knowing that she really didn't have time right now.

After wrestling with her conscience for a minute, the mathematician carefully placed the note with the papers she was taking him to work on, and headed to the car park to wait for Colby.

-BDBD-

"Charlie, napkins are for wiping your mouth, not writing on," Colby lightly admonished his girlfriend. Charlie gave him a small smile.

"Well you don't have any chalkboards, so I improvised."

"You shouldn't need to write things down while we're eating." The reprimand was followed by a small frown, and Charlie was immediately on the defensive.

"I can't help it," she muttered. "If I don't get my thoughts down now I won't be able to get them back later."

"What does it matter?" Colby started getting angry as well. "You're not working on a case, it's just scribbles."

"Just scribbles?" Charlie's voice went soft. If Don had been there he would have hit the deck, recognising it as a sign of imminent explosion. Colby, however, hadn't learned Charlie's warning signs yet.

"Well, maybe not scribbles," the agent shrugged, thinking that she was just upset about his phraseology. "But it's nothing important. Just forget about it, focus on the food."

"Yeah, forget about it," Charlie snapped. "Like I can just turn off the numbers, right?"

"I didn't mean it like that," Colby sighed. "Just that you should concentrate on something other than the math for a while."

Charlie levelled a glare at him. Had the man not listened to her when they first started dating? She'd tried to explain the way her mind worked, how she saw the world in numbers and equations, and that there were times when her 'gift' made it difficult to interact with the world. But apparently, he'd had other things on his mind then.

Abruptly, Charlie laid down her pen and fork before standing. Colby quickly did the same, trying to calm her down.

"Look, forget about dinner. How about we just go to bed?" He reached out to run his hand down Charlie's arm, before she stepped away.

"Can't. I have work to finish." She turned and grabbed her backpack before heading to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Charlie…"

"Tomorrow."

Out on the pavement, Charlie sighed. She'd always wanted a relationship like other people, and had really thought that maybe Colby was the one. The ore she thought about it, however, the more confused she became. He had most of the traits she'd always thought that her ideal partner would have, but at the same time he was missing the big one – the ability to understand her thoughts. He was also convenient and willing… but was that really any basis for a lasting commitment?

The professor glanced at her watch and groaned. It was late, and she didn't have a car. If she called her father or brother to pick her up, there would be endless questions, which Charlie really didn't feel like answering right now. Her head was too messed up and fluffy.

She smiled finally as she pulled out her cell to call someone who was just as scatter-minded as she was.

"Hey."

"Charlotte! To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I need a ride. Can you come and get me?"

"Of course. I was just about to head to the computer lab, would you care to join me?"

"Sure, and thanks."

-BDBD-

Charlie didn't get much sleep that night. After helping Larry with some calculations for his Super-Gravity theory for several hours, the two retired to the lawn for some star-gazing. She eventually felt secure enough to pour out her thoughts to her oldest friend, who listened without comment. When the flow of words ended, Larry continued to watch the heavens for a few minutes before speaking.

"You know, some people believe that love is an absolute. That once you love someone, you belong to them for the rest of your life, and there's no way of escaping that. These are usually the same people who believe in love at first sight."

"And what do you believe?"

"I believe that our hearts change as we grow, and the love is fluid. There's no guarantee that the person you love one day will be the person you love the next." He paused for a moment, weighing his words, before continuing. "I also believe that one shouldn't confuse physical pleasure with romantic love. They are compatible, yes, but not guaranteed to be inclusive."

Silence temporarily reigned again while Charlie gathered her thoughts.

"You think that all I have with Colby is lust?"

"No, no," Larry held up a hand. "I never said that. I was merely speculating about the fact that whilst you are quite brilliant when it comes to logic, when it comes to the realm of feelings… you can get a little lost. You're not accustomed to dealing with emotions and as a result, you may be confusing physical attraction and compatibility for lasting love."

Charlie considered this perspective. As much as she hated to admit it, Larry had a point. As usual.

"So what do you suggest I do about it?"

"Oh no," Larry shook his head. "This is for you to figure out. I'm merely a sounding board. It's your life."

"I think…" Charlie started then paused for a moment. "I think that I sorta… latched on to Colby as a knight in shining armour. I like him a lot, he's fun to spend time with, but… I can't see myself staying with someone who had so much trouble understanding how important the numbers are to how I think."

"And?" Larry prompted when Charlie fell silent.

"And I can't lead him on. I'll tell him that it's time to call it quits."

"That's my girl."

The pair of eccentric professors stayed exactly where they were, watching and chattering, for some time. They were woken the next morning by the sprinkler system and both groaned, knowing that they were far too old for this sort of thing anymore.