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numb3rsflashficTitle: Silence in the Summer Night
Fandom: Numb3rs AU
Pairing: Ben/Brian, Charlie/Colby implied
Rating: PG? Nothing worse than what they'd have on the show, at least
Word Count: 832
Spoilers: The Janus List, Trust Metric
Summary: Ben draws comfort from his family and his lover after the events of The Janus List.
Notes: After watching The Janus List, I felt like writing Ben into the last scene of the episode, but at the same time, I wanted to write him being comforted by Brian. So I wrote both! *G* I highly suggest reading There Is Silence, But No Safety first as Ben makes a reference to the conversation he had with Colby in that fic.
Silence in the Summer Night
Ben sighed softly as he basked in the soft glow of the fireplace and the warmth of Brian's shoulder pressed against his own. In front of the fire, Alan lounged against a couple pillows as he poured whiskey into shot glasses on a tray on the rug; to his left, Don was braced against a column, eyes haunted and pained; to his right, Charlie slouched against a pillow in front the chair, exuding waves of misery and confusion.
"You know, the more I think about this Mr. Ashby, how much you've told me about him, the more I…I feel like I knew him," Alan observed, setting the bottle down on the tray and passing around the glasses.
"Tell me about it," Don murmured.
"Took two of us to understand one of him," Charlie added.
"'Light many lamps and gather 'round his bed, lend him your eyes, warm blood and will to live. But Death replied, I choose him. So he went and there was silence in the summer night. Silence, not safety and the veils of sleep and then far away, the thudding of the guns,'" Alan quoted, lifting his glass.
"Yeah, I like that," Don said softly, smiling, sitting forward with his glass out. "When it's your time just…go in peace, huh?" They all leaned forward, clinked their glasses together and drank. Ben's eyes lingered sympathetically on Charlie as he bolted his drink.
"See, to me, it's more about, having to face a new fight," Charlie said hoarsely through the burn of the liquor. "Tomorrow. So, rest while you can."
Ben glanced at Alan and Don and saw matching sympathetic looks on their faces.
"You know," Alan began, looking at all three of his sons in turn. "This proves something your mother and I always knew about you three,"
"What's that?" Ben asked, smiling fondly.
"You're all right," Alan finished and they all smiled while Alan laughed softly.
*
A few hours later, spooned together on the fold-out couch in the solarium, Ben lay awake in Brian's arms, trying to see the stars through the lights reflecting off the LA smog, thinking about everything that had happened over the last two days. He wasn't sure who felt more betrayed by Colby's deception: Don, Charlie or himself. Maybe they were all equally betrayed, just for different reasons; Don because he'd trusted Colby to have his back, Charlie because he loved Colby, and Ben because he had considered Colby another brother. His shoulders shook with silent laughter as he remembered Colby's threat back in January.
"Hmm?" Brian hummed questioningly.
"Didn't know you were still awake," Ben said softly, reaching down to lace his fingers with Brian's against his stomach.
"The gears workin' in your head are makin' too much racket," Brian grumbled good-naturedly.
Ben huffed a soft laugh. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Brian admonished. "Just tell me what you're thinkin'."
"I was thinking about Colby," Ben replied, rolling over to face Brian.
"Not surprisin'," Brian practically growled. "If I ever see him again I'm gonna kick his ass." Ben buried his face against Brian's neck to muffle even more laughter. "What'd I say?" Brian asked, confused.
Ben pulled back so he could look into Brian's eyes as best he could in the scant light from the streetlamps. "Colby said pretty much the same thing back in January," he explained then added before Brian could speak, "And don't apologize. It worked out for the best."
"Yeah," Brian murmured, resting his forehead against Ben's. "Hard to believe he's a double agent."
Ben shook his head. "Something isn't adding up," he muttered. "How could all of us not have seen some clue? He had to slip up at some point, no one's that good an actor."
"Well, they say the best lies have a bit of truth to them," Brian pointed out.
"He told me that he didn't tell Don because they threatened Charlie and his family to get him to keep spying," Ben said softly, thoughtfully. "I didn't expect to be right after Cass on that list." He shivered. "But looking back on it, it's like he was trying to distract me, like he knew I'd focus on that more than anything else, but there's more to it. I know there is. I just can't figure it out."
"Shh," Brian soothed, reaching up to rub the taut muscles at the back of Ben's neck. "Don't worry 'bout it right now, darlin'," he murmured. "A man in that deep has to have an exit strategy. If there's more to it, he'll let us know when it's time."
Ben sighed and closed his eyes, shifting closer to Brian, moving with him when he rolled onto his back so that Ben was pressed along Brian's side with his head on Brian's shoulder. "Yeah," he sighed. "Guess we get to play the waiting game now."
"Mm," Brian hummed in agreement, nodding. "Wait and have faith."
"I hate waiting," Ben grumbled and fell asleep to the sound of Brian's quiet laughter.
End
Fandom: Numb3rs AU
Pairing: Ben/Brian, Charlie/Colby implied
Rating: PG? Nothing worse than what they'd have on the show, at least
Word Count: 832
Spoilers: The Janus List, Trust Metric
Summary: Ben draws comfort from his family and his lover after the events of The Janus List.
Notes: After watching The Janus List, I felt like writing Ben into the last scene of the episode, but at the same time, I wanted to write him being comforted by Brian. So I wrote both! *G* I highly suggest reading There Is Silence, But No Safety first as Ben makes a reference to the conversation he had with Colby in that fic.
Ben sighed softly as he basked in the soft glow of the fireplace and the warmth of Brian's shoulder pressed against his own. In front of the fire, Alan lounged against a couple pillows as he poured whiskey into shot glasses on a tray on the rug; to his left, Don was braced against a column, eyes haunted and pained; to his right, Charlie slouched against a pillow in front the chair, exuding waves of misery and confusion.
"You know, the more I think about this Mr. Ashby, how much you've told me about him, the more I…I feel like I knew him," Alan observed, setting the bottle down on the tray and passing around the glasses.
"Tell me about it," Don murmured.
"Took two of us to understand one of him," Charlie added.
"'Light many lamps and gather 'round his bed, lend him your eyes, warm blood and will to live. But Death replied, I choose him. So he went and there was silence in the summer night. Silence, not safety and the veils of sleep and then far away, the thudding of the guns,'" Alan quoted, lifting his glass.
"Yeah, I like that," Don said softly, smiling, sitting forward with his glass out. "When it's your time just…go in peace, huh?" They all leaned forward, clinked their glasses together and drank. Ben's eyes lingered sympathetically on Charlie as he bolted his drink.
"See, to me, it's more about, having to face a new fight," Charlie said hoarsely through the burn of the liquor. "Tomorrow. So, rest while you can."
Ben glanced at Alan and Don and saw matching sympathetic looks on their faces.
"You know," Alan began, looking at all three of his sons in turn. "This proves something your mother and I always knew about you three,"
"What's that?" Ben asked, smiling fondly.
"You're all right," Alan finished and they all smiled while Alan laughed softly.
*
A few hours later, spooned together on the fold-out couch in the solarium, Ben lay awake in Brian's arms, trying to see the stars through the lights reflecting off the LA smog, thinking about everything that had happened over the last two days. He wasn't sure who felt more betrayed by Colby's deception: Don, Charlie or himself. Maybe they were all equally betrayed, just for different reasons; Don because he'd trusted Colby to have his back, Charlie because he loved Colby, and Ben because he had considered Colby another brother. His shoulders shook with silent laughter as he remembered Colby's threat back in January.
"Hmm?" Brian hummed questioningly.
"Didn't know you were still awake," Ben said softly, reaching down to lace his fingers with Brian's against his stomach.
"The gears workin' in your head are makin' too much racket," Brian grumbled good-naturedly.
Ben huffed a soft laugh. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize," Brian admonished. "Just tell me what you're thinkin'."
"I was thinking about Colby," Ben replied, rolling over to face Brian.
"Not surprisin'," Brian practically growled. "If I ever see him again I'm gonna kick his ass." Ben buried his face against Brian's neck to muffle even more laughter. "What'd I say?" Brian asked, confused.
Ben pulled back so he could look into Brian's eyes as best he could in the scant light from the streetlamps. "Colby said pretty much the same thing back in January," he explained then added before Brian could speak, "And don't apologize. It worked out for the best."
"Yeah," Brian murmured, resting his forehead against Ben's. "Hard to believe he's a double agent."
Ben shook his head. "Something isn't adding up," he muttered. "How could all of us not have seen some clue? He had to slip up at some point, no one's that good an actor."
"Well, they say the best lies have a bit of truth to them," Brian pointed out.
"He told me that he didn't tell Don because they threatened Charlie and his family to get him to keep spying," Ben said softly, thoughtfully. "I didn't expect to be right after Cass on that list." He shivered. "But looking back on it, it's like he was trying to distract me, like he knew I'd focus on that more than anything else, but there's more to it. I know there is. I just can't figure it out."
"Shh," Brian soothed, reaching up to rub the taut muscles at the back of Ben's neck. "Don't worry 'bout it right now, darlin'," he murmured. "A man in that deep has to have an exit strategy. If there's more to it, he'll let us know when it's time."
Ben sighed and closed his eyes, shifting closer to Brian, moving with him when he rolled onto his back so that Ben was pressed along Brian's side with his head on Brian's shoulder. "Yeah," he sighed. "Guess we get to play the waiting game now."
"Mm," Brian hummed in agreement, nodding. "Wait and have faith."
"I hate waiting," Ben grumbled and fell asleep to the sound of Brian's quiet laughter.
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