Don turned around, furrowing his brow as he stared at his brother. "What, Charlie…" His brows dipped further, as he sat down on the couch as if he were physically counting down his options. Then everything started to sink in. Things changing after Megan had come back from assignment, looking like she had sunk ship after landing back on ground. And then she had taken refuge in Larry's arms—had grown closer in harmony, except that harmony fell apart when she was around the team. "Something happened on that assignment, Charlie." Don took in a deep breath, scrubbing his hands over his face.

Charlie made a face at his brother's recognition. "Try being the world's biggest jerk." Don glared at his brother as he sat rigidly against the couch, then Don's expression become hard as he sat there staring into the quiet afternoon. What exactly happened on that assignment? His words came floating back to him. What makes you think that I could tell you? Her retort came back loud and clear. "Stop making everything your business and focus what you have in front of you."

"What's that suppose to mean? They are my team Charlie. And the last time I checked, my team was falling apart." Don threw out with a hard edge. "It may not be my business to follow their every move, but you know for a fact that you shouldn't let it parade in the air for the world to see." Don stopped, letting it sink it. It felt like he was eating his own words. And perhaps he was.

"Did you ever stop to think for one minute that somebody on your team would want to move on--" Charlie still held the chalk in his hand, which was now waving and back and forth with his hand motions. "Not because you want them to, but that somebody feels that they are no longer needed and the communication has been broken among the team, that they feel that it would be time to move on. Or perhaps that something deeper is in play here that is not in your line of knowledge."

Don's face screwed up as if he were going to argue his point, but then let it fade into realization, of course with an edge. "No, I didn't think of it that way. And since when did you become knowledgeable on what my team wants?"

Contemplating on how he could further the point to his brother, Charlie gave an exasperated sigh. Since when had his brother become this hard headed? Okay, so Don always added hardness to his methods. So what could he say, other than what he was thinking; since you stopped realizing that your team had feelings and things deep down that could never been told. At least that's what came to mind when he saw the glint in Megan's eyes after she had come back from assignment. Like if she had been warning him of things to come or how things were going to change. And now it all made sense.

With that Charlie went the hard way, the way that meant it was for the best. "Haven't you noticed the change? It's not just your team that is falling apart."

It took a second but realization set in as Don gazed up his brother. Charlie offered his brother a grim look and a nod as if he were telling him 'Megan is falling apart…not just the team… and it was there all along.'

'He was my son, Don' a phrase that had floated over his head at the time but was begging him to pay attention now. 'Was' was the key word here. The emotion in her eyes as she had said that had hit him, at his newfound discovery. And in a way she was giving him a peek of what went on in her life.

Her child had been too small to have made an appearance into the world, when he did. At first it had been hard to take in to find out that she had a son, and was somewhere out there who Megan had to watch being buried into the ground. At least that was the impression that he had gotten. "She hasn't talked about anything. It's like when she came back, she had some kind of heavy burden on her shoulders that can't be lifted."

"Maybe there is." Charlie's eyes flickered up to his, and silence filled the room. He turned back to his equation on the board and scribbled in some more information in the last available space. Even Don could see that Charlie had just found his answer. And there was some initial link to the subject and the equation on the board.

Don sat up, "Something tells me you found your answer."

Turning around abruptly, Charlie grasped in his hand the chalk that he had been writing on, and shook his head. "The answer to your problems doesn't lie in this equation, but this tells me that the answer more lies in your hearts. The connection in the team is breakable but stronger than you know Don. You just have to trust it for it to work."

--

Megan stepped into the office for the first time in a week. An absence of coffee was the only thing that had changed as she walked over to her desk and sat down. Hoping for some silence, she sighed and reached into her pocket as she set her phone on top of the desk. Today would most likely be the day she would find out whether she would have to further worrying to do or if this child should be a symbol of relief.

No matter how much she denied she might be, she found herself more and more thinking about it. This unborn child would be her future, the chance she never got.

A rush of air went past her, causing her to look up, then to the side where a coffee cup had been placed on her desk. There was a sudden aroma of warmth and comfort, something new and refreshing. "Thought you would need a pick me up. It's bound to be a long day."

"Thanks Granger. What's with the sudden hospitality?"

Colby shrugged, leaning against her desk. "Consider it as a peace offering." She gazed up at him cautiously. He let out a laugh, and took a swig of his coffee. "Good comes to those who bring back the gifts."

She smiled graciously. "Ah, so that's the secret to getting good coffee around here." Letting out a laugh, she took the coffee into hand. "Well if that's the case, then maybe I should do that a little more often."

"Yeah," He nodded, amused, as he straightened and began to walk to his own desk. "Who said I brought coffee?"

She raised her brow with a cautious grin as she opened the lid. The aroma was stronger than before. "I smell peppermint, that's a new one Granger."

"Heard that it was supposed to calm a stomach." He shrugged at the look she shot him. "You're not the only one who sees things around here. "She turned around in her chair, and then back as she took a sip.

Moments later she heard him pull up his chair a few feet away from her desk. "It may be none of my business, but I know well enough that something has changed here."

"Before you start asking questions Granger, you might want to fill yourself in." Megan took a look around the office. It was still empty and still too early for too many people to have arrived.

He took her inquiry and nodded. "So besides seeing you worshipping the toilet, what am I going to have to assume here?" She rocked in her chair, his eyes on her as she took another sip.