AuthorWhoHasntWrittenInYears: Hee, your enthusiasm is gratifying. And yeah, Colby's a little OOC in here – he just isn't cooperating with me. I figure, though, that since I've swapped Charlie's gender, people can deal with a bit of weirdness from the rest of the cast.

Mjels: Thanks for reviewing so much! Is very comforting to know I've kept your interest through everything.

I Keep Goldfish In My Bra: Yeah, I figured it would make for an auspicious start to the day. Oh, and I love your screen name. I keep my discman in mine.

Helena: Ian/Charlie is my first love. I dabbled here with CC, but it can't last.

Robertaa: I can say that Ian will be returning to LA at some point in the future, yes. The circumstances surrounding it, however, I'm not revealing yet.

-BDBD-

Chapter Eight: Runaway. In which Charlie is spooked.

Later that evening, Larry gave Charlie a ride home, lecturing her on how she shouldn't pull all-nighters any more. Charlie wondered when she'd gotten an extra father. They immediately headed for the garage to finalise some thoughts that they'd begun in the early hours of the morning, and ignored the bustle that could be heard from the kitchen. Somewhere in the back of her head, Charlie could remember Alan saying something about a dinner party, but the garage was much more interesting.

Especially when Amit joined them, looking slightly panicked.

"What's up?" Charlie asked, curious. The young man frowned, seeming to debate whether or not to tell her something.

"How… how serious are you about Colby?"

That wasn't what she'd expected to hear. Charlie shared a look with Larry before answering.

"Not very. I'm going to call it off. Why?"

Now Amit looked even worse.

"I know I should keep out of this, but I remember how much you hate surprises. Uh, has Colby mentioned marriage at all?"

Charlie dropped the piece of chalk she'd been holding while Larry put a hand over his mouth in shock. Amit quite obviously wished that he was somewhere else.

"But… I told him…" Charlie whispered. "I told him that I wasn't looking to get married yet. He agreed with me! Why would he…" She looked around, eyes darting to the various exits and breathing hard. Larry was quickly by her side.

"Breathe, Charlotte! Breathe. You're panicking. Just concentrate on my voice, and your breathing."

Soon enough, the maths professor had calmed enough to think about the situation. She turned back to Amit, who readied himself for an interrogation.

"Let's think about this logically. He told you that he wants to marry me?"

"He was talking to Don and Alan, about his plan to propose later tonight, and something about proving to you that he wants to stay with you."

"That sounds like him," Charlie muttered. "Rushing in without thinking the plan through, thinking that one big gesture will make everything okay. No matter that I told him I don't want a wedding!" She turned and slammed her fist against the blackboard.

Behind her, Larry worried his lower lip, recognising Charlie moving into fight or flight mode. He knew that she'd never been particularly good at facing her problems, but if she ran now it could make things worse.

After a moment of stillness, Charlie moved over to where her things were and sat down. She pulled some paper and a pen out of her backpack and set about writing a letter. It took several minutes, but eventually she sighed, signed her name and stood again, looking at her assistant.

"Amit, could you give this to Colby please? I can't… I need to get out of here. It's just too much."

"Sure thing," Amit nodded and took the folded paper. "Will you be okay for classes tomorrow?"

"I don't think so," Charlie said softly. "I think I need to spend some time on my own. Away from LA. It's too… crowded here."

"Oh…" Amit and Larry looked helplessly at each other. Sure Charlie preferred running from her problems to facing them, but this was a little extreme.

"Charlie," Amit tried, "I can cover for a few days, but you're the professor. The students come to learn from you. You can't disappear halfway through the term."

"I don't care," came the answer, shocking both men. "I've been trying, but I can't handle it all. Consulting for Don, teaching, my own work, trying to have a personal life… something has to give. I'll call the Dean and ask for a sabbatical. I need to focus on my private life and my own work for a while. Then I can start adding other things again."

Larry nodded slowly. While most people wouldn't understand why Charlie was so stressed, he could. Both of them had only ever inhabited the world of academia. True, her work with Don had shown Charlie what the real world was like, but that didn't mean that she was prepared to face it.

"Do you need me to take you somewhere?" Larry asked, realising Charlie's need to run had won out over all her other instincts.

"Yeah," she nodded, giving him a grateful smile. "The bus station. I'll figure out where I'm going from there. I'll also call Dad… Amit, could you stay here? Give Colby the letter when I call."

-BDBD-

Alan knew that something was wrong.

Amit had come in from the garage ten minutes before, looking too cheerful. Or maybe not too cheerful, but it was the wrong sort of happiness, as though it was a mask for something.

He was certain that none of the agents present had noticed – after all, they didn't work with the young man often – but Alan was sure. He also had a fair idea that it was something to do with his daughter, given the way Amit seemed to avoid talking to Colby or Don.

Figuring that someone would tell him what was going on sooner or later, Alan sighed and went back to preparing dinner. It was nearly ready, even with the addition of the extra guests David, Megan, Larry and Amit. Another fifteen, maybe twenty minutes and all would be set.

Eventually it was all cooked and ready to go out on the table. Alan was just about to call Charlie and Larry in from the garage when the phone rang. He casually snagged it on his way past.

"Eppes house," he answered cheerfully.

"Uh, hey Dad…"

"Charlie?" Alan asked, puzzled. Around him, conversations halted as the agents picked up on his confusion.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Charlie, why are you on the phone? I thought you were in the garage."

Don and Colby were both looking at him with confusion evident on their faces. Then Amit handed a piece of folded paper to Colby, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"I know. Listen, Dad, I have to go away for a bit. I'm not sure when I'll be back, I just need to clear my head and get re-balanced."

"Charlie, sweetheart, you didn't have to leave like this," Alan pleaded, heart pounding. "If you need a holiday, shouldn't you put a little more planning into it?" He could see Colby's face falling as he read the note and passed it to Don, who instead was looking angry.

"Dad, stop panicking." Well, that helped to calm him a little. "I just needed some time by myself. I'll come back, I promise. Just not yet."

"If you're sure. Where are you right now?"

"The bus station… don't tell Donnie."

As though Don could hear that, he snatched the phone away from his father, who winced.

"Charlie, what the hell? You can't just disappear like this, you have responsibilities. You have a boyfriend!" There was a pause for the answer. "I know you've been under pressure, but running away isn't going to fix it!"

-BDBD-

Charlie sighed as Don launched into one of his 'big brother knows best' lectures. She really didn't have time for this.

"Don!" She interrupted loudly, briefly halting the flow of words. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I promise I'll call you later. Promise. Bye."

With that, she hung up the phone and sighed in relief. That was over and done with… now she could leave.

She climbed onto the bus she'd chosen, checking that she still had her wallet and other essentials in her backpack, along with her laptop. Smiling, she realised that she'd have to buy clothes and toiletries when she arrived at her destination, and it didn't bother her. She was doing something different.

She was going to Las Vegas.