Gone But Not Forgotten Chapter 3, a numb3rs fanfic

Disclaimer: Standard still applies.
A/N: For all of those who are worried about me saying that I'm going to be updating slower for this story than the previous - I mean to say that instead of at least once everyday it may end up being every other day or everyday with a few holes were I didn't update. Or every few days. It won't have long holes in the updates. Savvy?
And two main reasons for my updating not as quick.
1) I want to try and make this story better, as stealthy290 said, for character development.
2) I seem to have a mild case of tennis elbow from typing too much these past weeks.
So, yeah. Check for updates daily, because I will still be updating often.

It was cold. It was so cold that it hurt him. His chest was going numb. Why was it so cold? His body felt heavy. He couldn't move his arms in a way to get rid of the cold. Charlie could feel himself crying from the pain. It was just too cold. Heart stoppingly cold. He heard someone screaming. It wasn't someone that was him he was hearing. Something horrible was happening, the cold and numbness was leaving rapidly, being replaced by heat. Blinding heat. It burned and Charlie wished for the cold again.

He was starting to get feeling in the rest of his body. He was lying on his back on a damp, dirt ground. He heard a sizzling noise that frightened him. He could still feel his tears, but he was no longer screaming. He was panting, it was just so painful. He tried to reach up with his hands to his chest, but they got slapped away.

"Don't touch it yet." A voice said.

Charlie heard some jangling noises, before something cold and heavy went around both wrists, and then his neck. He was having trouble breathing with it around his neck, it was so heavy. Maybe if he turned his head a bit ... He had to bite his lip to stop himself from crying out, moving hurt his chest even more.

A man chuckled, "Feel free to scream. I got this room soundproofed. No one can hear you. Only me. And I'd like to hear you scream."

Charlie knew that voice. He couldn't remember what happened earlier, but he knew that if he knew that then he would know who had him in chains in a soundproof room with a damp, dirt floor. Or I could open my eyes. A voice sounded in his head. Charlie started to open his eyes, it was dark in the room. He turned his head and saw a wood burning stove. An iron rod was sticking out of it. His eyes opened wider in horror. "What did you do?" Charlie asked, quietly. Everything hurt his chest. Talking, moving, breathing.

"You are mine now, dear Dr. Charles Edward Eppes." His tone was full of malice, "I bet that was a very rude awakening for you." His voice smug.

Charlie turned his head and grimaced at the pain, before him stood Ben Tirry. "What did you do?" He asked again.

"Why don't you look at your chest and find out." He grinned.

Charlie had trouble lifting his head enough to see his chest. But when he saw it, his head fell fast. He stared up at the dark ceiling. It didn't help, he could still see what had happened. He closed his eyes. That didn't help either.

Charlie was shirtless, Ben had taken it off of him earlier. His chest had never had any scars before. But now, right over his heart was a horrid sight. He had been branded.

Ben knelt down beside Charlie, "Do you like it? I chose the symbol out just for you."

"What is the symbol?" Charlie asked, his mouth had gone dry.

"You couldn't tell?" Ben said, "I thought you would know."

"I couldn't really see it well, what with the blood around it and all." Charlie said, swallowing hard.

Ben nodded, "Yes of course. And you are also upside down." He paused, "I shall tell you what I have branded you with. I think you will be happy with the symbol. Pi."

"Pi?" Charlie said, his eyes opening to stare at Tirry. "You branded me with Pi?"

Tirry nodded, "Yes. I figured you would like that." He smiled, "Soon we shall start the real fun." His eyes gleamed in the darkness.

"No offense, Tirry, but I think you've gone insane." Charlie said, trying to stay calm.

Tirry shrugged, "Takes one to know one right?" He chuckled to himself, "And you are staying rather calm throughout all of this so far." He grinned, "But you can forget it. Don won't save you."

"He will." Charlie said, all faith in his brother.

Tirry smiled and shook his head, "He can't! Week away from the job, then a month on desk duty. Besides, he shouldn't be on the case anyway, it's too personal." Tirry sighed, "And I have been planning this for a long time, I have hidden my tracks very well. They will only find you when I want them too." He cracked his fingers, "So, shall we get started then?"

"W-With what?" Charlie knew that part of what Tirry had told him was true, but then Don's team would find him. Don would help. He would be saved. He just had to stay strong until they came.

"The torture of course." Tirry said, as if Charlie were an idiot. "We shall do the five basic tortures before I will start to be ... creative." He grinned. "And you know the five basics, don't you. I'm sure you do, after all you consult for a lot of people." He paused, "So, Charlie, if you can tell me what the five basics are I will start them tomorrow instead of right now."

Charlie knew. But he didn't want to tell Tirry what they were, but then if he didn't Tirry would start the torture. If Charlie had an extra day he could think of what to do and also give his brother more time. He took a deep breath which brought all kinds of new pain in his chest, "Blunt. Sharp. Heat. Cold. Loud." He said quietly.

Tirry nodded and stood up, "Alright. Very good. We shall start tomorrow." He grinned, "Think about which one you want to start off with first. I'd love your input." He turned and left Charlie on the floor, shackles around his wrists and neck, shirt off, revealing a pi symbol branded over his heart.

Ben Tirry walked upstairs to his new house. He sat down on his couch when he heard a knock at his door. He smiled to himself. Let's see if they buy my story. He got up and went to answer it, "Hello?"

"Hi." A young couple where standing before him in the door way, "We're your new neighbors. We live about two miles away, in town." The man told Tirry, "My name is Max Vivi and this is my wife Sandra."

Tirry smiled, "Hello. I'm Mathew Charles Don." He grinned and stepped aside for the two to come in. "Call me Mathew Charles. It is my whole name."

Max nodded, "Alright. I was actually surprised when I heard that someone bought this place."

Tirry nodded, "Yes. Well, I recently divorced my wife and she got the house." He shrugged, "And this place as always enchanted me."

Sandra nodded, "Yes. Me as well. But I do think it is sort of strange for someone to move into a one room school house with a cemetery in the back yard." She smiled, showing that she meant well with her words.

"Yes. I understand. Well, before I moved in I had to update place, of course."

"Of course." Sandra agreed with Tirry. She smiled, "I'll be right back." She ran out the door.

Max laughed, "My Sandra is a great cook and she had made a casserole for you as a sort of house warming gift."

"Oh, that is very nice of her." Tirry said. "So, what do you do?"

"I own the hardware store in town." Max stated, "And you?"

"Teacher. I teach sixth grade math." Tirry said, "Of course last year the school shut down, about the same time my wife filed for divorce."

"Ouch. Rough time?"

Tirry nodded, "Yes. It was a really rough time for me. But now that I'm out of the city I'm feeling much better."

Max nodded, "Yes, I met Sandra in L.A. but we decided when we got married that we didn't want our family to grow up there. That's why we live in this small town." He smiled.

Sandra came back in, "Here. I made this from scratch."

Tirry took the food and put it in his fridge, "Thank you, I'm sure it's delicious."

"Mathew Charles was just telling me about how he moved here from L.A. He was a math teacher."

"Really?" Sandra asked, "That sounds wonderful. I am the sheriff of the town." She grinned happily. "And I love my job. I can try to hook you up with a job at our school."

Tirry shook his head, "No, that's alright. I just want to take some time off before I start teaching again."

"We understand." Max said, looking at his watch, "Oh, honey. We've got to go." He looked up, "I'll see you around Mathew Charles."

"See you around Max, Sandra." He waved to them as they left.

He sank down on his couch and laughed, They bought it, they actually bought it! This will be so easy! He turned on his TV and was as happy as he could be.

His enemies would get what they deserve. Tirry grinned, nothing could stop him now. He had Charlie in his basement of his new home with an alias. Charlie was chained up and already in pain. Tirry smiled at the thought of Charlie in pain, hearing him scream in horror.

And Don, oh. Don could not help his brother officially. It would tare the older brother apart.

The part that Tirry couldn't wait for was when Charlie snapped again, all of Dr. Roland's work on the young genius would be for nothing. He would torture the kid until he had no sanity to return to. Or life to return to. He would make Charlie crazy again and then let him die. Maybe he'd let him die by killing himself. Tirry grinned, yes. He'd make sure that Charlie did his job this time. And then Tirry would sneak into the young man's house and put him on the couch, dead. A present for all of Charlie's family and friends.

Oh, but Tirry would drag this out as long as he could. A little torture here, a little torture there. It'd take him five days to get through the basics. Then he could be as creative as he desired. Tirry's grin grew on his face.

Charlie did not stand a chance.

And it was Charlie's and Don's fault that this was happening to them. If they had been smart none of this would have happened to the two brothers. Tirry remembered when Charlie first came to his office, before he had officially gone crazy. Tirry remembered how he didn't want to help Charlie, he just didn't like the kid. It was something about him. But he helped, or tried to. But then he was able to give him ECT and Tirry just couldn't pass that up. Of course the ECT was Tirry's downfall. If he hadn't done that he would still have his license and he wouldn't of had to press an assault case against Don, only to have Don win in the end. It was because Don was an FBI Agent, Tirry knew. Tirry knew that Don should have had a more severe punishment for what he did.

Tirry was temped to go down to his basement and kill Charlie right then and there, but he stopped himself. He had some sweet torture to look forward too. He would nearly starve the kid, and also not give him much to drink. Charlie would be in hell, a hell that Tirry would proudly throw him in.

Tirry's stomach growled. Yes, the casserole that Sandra Vivi made me. I shall have that. He smiled and got up, going to heat up the food. The Vivi's seemed like nice, ignorant people. Tirry knew that he'd have to make appearances in town, so that he seemed normal. He couldn't have anyone looking into him too much. Mathew Charles Don didn't have a past. Tirry smiled as he watched the food in the microwave. He had thought of the perfect name. Mathew for two reasons; Mathew is the closest name to Mathematics and Matt York. Tirry's smiled faded when he thought of the young Matt York, he had never approved of him. Charles and Don where rather self explanatory to why he chose them. Don was an interesting last name for a person, that was for sure. Oh, and the past he picked for himself explained everything. Such as why he moved and why he lived alone.

Tirry took his plate to his table when it was all heated up. The joys of the single life with a captive in your basement. He took a bit of his food. Life just can't get better than this.

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Pi. It showed up in too many places to count. It showed up in many places that had nothing to do with pi. It showed up on Charlie's chest.

He was freezing everywhere. Except his chest which burned. Charlie had long run out of tears. The dirt where his head laid was a little muddy from them all. He tried pulling on the chains, which only caused more pain. So, for who knows how long, Charlie had been laying on the dirt floor, cold, burning, and miserable.

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 I am not strong. 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 I'm already sinking into the numbers. I cannot help myself. 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 Don has to come and save me. But what if Tirry is right? What if Don can't or won't come for me? What then? 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 I'd have to save myself. But how can I do that? I'm not strong.

Charlie sighed and opened his eyes. Maybe he could save himself. Charlie pulled his arms, causing pain in his chest and his wrists. He pulled again and again. Soon he felt blood trickle down them. He didn't cut deep or open up the old scars, he just needed a lubricant so that he could get his hands out.

He had thought that his tears would not come again, but he was wrong. He pulled his arms, trying to get his hands through the shackles. It wasn't working. It only caused pain. Charlie closed his eyes in rage. Already, he was beaten. He knew it.

His stomach growled. He was hungry and he was thirsty. Charlie wanted to get up and run to his family, so that they could protect him, but he couldn't. Not in the basement of a mad man. Charlie tried pulling his hands out one more time.

He closed his eyes and laid down, stopped moving. In defeat.

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