A/N: Hi everyone- any reviews/comments/ideas etc. would be much appreciated as this is my first fic.

The heat hit Don like a brick when he and Charlie stepped out of the airport in DC. Don's button down dress shirt immediately clung to him in all the right places, causing multiple women, and even a few guys to do a double take. Charlie just stood beside him mindlessly thumbing through the pages of notes he had brought with him for the presentation, just as he had done for the entire plane ride. Don initially had thought Charlie was just trying to give him his space, but realized he was giving his brother too much credit. He's actually nervous thought Don.

Don had always been Charlie's go between at the FBI, advocating on his brother's behalf. Even though Charlie could hold his own when explaining a math and its application, he could rub people the wrong way. In Don's experience, the higher ups didn't like being made to realize they weren't the smartest person in the room. His brother wasn't shy about the fact that he was a "genius" either. Charlie's biggest problem in Don's mind was knowing when to close his mouth. When he got excited about something he could prattle on for hours, which wouldn't sit well with the crowd they would be before tomorrow.

The cab ride to the hotel was made in relative silence. Don kept checking his phone. He had reached out to Ian a few times to let him know that the two were on his side of the country for once to see if he wanted to meet up but so far had heard nothing. Ian could just as easily be out tracking someone thought Don. It wasn't unusual to go months without hearing from the man. But he had been hoping for a bit of a buffer between himself and Charlie

After checking into the hotel Charlie and Don made their way upstairs. Charlie's quiet voice broke the silence causing Don to momentarily pause as he opened the door. "Are you mad at me?"

Don didn't want to have this conversation with Charlie but knew he was going to have to some time or later and made his way through the open door. "I wouldn't say 'mad' buddy, but I wish you had talked to me first before I got shanghaied into this trip."

"But it was the director" started Charlie

"But it was your idea" snapped Don, shutting Charlie down. "Look, you know I am proud of you, and your work has done a lot of good for the bureau but do you really think I want to sit around listening to my kid brother impress a bunch of suits while my team works cases back in LA?"

"I thought I was part of your team" mumbled Charlie looking crestfallen.

That comment made Don want to bang his head against a wall. This felt like conversations they would have back in high-school. "Listen" started Don, trying to keep his anger in check, "let's just make the most out of our time here okay." Turning away from his brother, Don threw his suitcase onto the bed.

Charlie went towards the door, determined not to let his brother see how hurt he was. Don could really cut him to the quick sometimes. All Charlie wanted on some days was to be in the same room as Don, to feel like he was part of his life. Charlie and Don had a huge wedge between them ever since their mother died. Consulting for the FBI had been a godsend. But ever since the Pakistan incident Don had seemed to be distancing himself from Charlie. Charlie knew Don had thought what he had done was reckless. Don had drawn a clear line on where he stood on what Charlie's colleague had done from the get go, which Charlie just couldn't wrap his head around. Hadn't Don and the team skirted the rules before? Why was this incident the one incident that was so black and white for Don?

Charlie decided he would go wander around a bit, see some of the sights. Before getting to the door, he thought he heard his brother say "of course you're part of the team," but it was said so quietly Charlie couldn't be sure he hadn't imagined it.

As soon as Charlie had left the room Don through a pillow against the wall. He hadn't meant to snap at Charlie. Hell, he had promised Dad that he would make the most out of this trip with his kid brother. "Well we're off to a great start" thought Don. Only his brother could frustrate the seasoned agent this much.

Things had gradually been getting better since Charlie's hearing had concluded. But the fact that he had been let off with what amounted to a warning was still bothering Don. That thought alone was enough to bother Don. He should be happy Charlie wasn't sitting in jail somewhere. But how the hell would Charlie ever learn that being in Don's world could have serious repercussions. Sure, they had some close scrapes in the past. Incidents that should have scarred Charlie straight and make him think before acting. But somehow, these situations kept popping up. And what really got to Don was that Charlie had clearly thought through sending what he knew to be prohibited information to Pakistan. This wasn't an example of Charlie speaking before thinking. This was an example of Charlie knowing he was right and the rest of the world be damned. And by getting off with a warning, Charlie's actions had in a way been validated.

Had Don pulled the stunt Charlie did, he had no question in his mind that he would be sitting out a lengthy sentence in a federal penitentiary. But Charlie being who he was, he was treated different. Don halfheartedly laughed at himself, knowing his shrink would be having a field day with this whole wretched debate that was raging in him. The shrink would no doubt find a way to link it to "unresolved" childhood issues. But Don knew what it was. He was terrified that one of these days Charlie's actions would blow up into something Charlie couldn't recover from. The world wasn't the nicest of places for someone like Charlie, who was at least sheltered in the walls of CalSci. Maybe Charlie's collaboration with the FBI and their dependence on him had gone too far.