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numb3rsflashficTitle: A Christmas Together
Pairing/Characters: Megan Reeves, Larry Fleinhardt, and the others; LF/MR and a surprise pairing involving Charlie and another character (not Don).
Rating/Category: PG for very slightly adult situations. Nothing graphic or descriptive.
Word Count: 2,233
Spoilers: None that I know of.
Summary: Everyone gathers at Casa Eppes for a little holiday cheer.
Notes/Warnings: I'm going on the assumption that the Eppes at least celebrate Christmas. It doesn't necessarily mean that I think they're Christian. The title is the name of an album John Denver did with the Muppets for Christmas a while back. Takes place during the Christmas between Scorched and The OG. Other fics.
A Christmas Together
"Hello, Megan, so glad you could make it," Alan Eppes greeted her with a smile when he answered the door to find her waiting on the front porch. "Here, let me take those for you."
Megan smiled as he took the stack of gaily-wrapped packages from her hands. "Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Eppes."
"Call me Alan," he told her as she removed her coat and hung it in the closet he indicated. "This is an informal gathering. Besides, you're on a first-name basis with everyone else; it'd be rather silly for you to be formal with just me."
She laughed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. This would be her first time joining the others for something other than work and she'd been a little nervous about it. "Thanks, Alan, I needed that."
"You're welcome." He smiled, indicating the archway off to their left as he returned the presents to her. "Everyone else is gathered in the living room right now. You can put the presents under the tree. I need to check on dinner."
She nodded moving in the direction he'd indicated, pausing on the threshold to take in the scene. Don was stretched out across the couch, talking with Charlie, who was perched on the arm of the couch by Don's head. Colby sat in the chair at the same end of the couch, listening to the two brothers, though Megan was fairly certain that Colby's focus was more on the younger brother than the older one. Larry was lying on his back on the floor, his hands folded under his head, and staring blankly up at the ceiling. Smiling faintly, Megan moved over to the tree and set the stack of gifts with the others under the tree. That taken care of, she sat down next to Larry on the floor, lightly running her fingers through his sandy brown hair. He blinked and glanced around, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Megan. "You made it."
"I told you I'd be here," she replied, smiling, as he shifted to a sitting position beside her. "How could I miss a chance to sample Alan Eppes' cooking?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. "I hope Alan's cooking wasn't the only reason you were so determined to come."
"Of course it wasn't. I also came to see Charlie," she answered, smiling mischievously, indicating the mathematician with a nod of her head.
He returned the smile, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it. "You look very lovely tonight, Megan."
"Thank you, Larry." She felt inordinately pleased by his compliment. "You look rather nice yourself."
He blushed, ducking his head. She couldn't help laughing. He always blushed when she complimented him, no matter what it was about. Apparently her laugh had attracted the attention of the others in the room, because Don's voice drifted over from the couch, "Hey, Megan! You're here!"
"Yes, Don, I'm here." Megan turned so she could look at the others as she spoke with them; her hand still entwined Larry's. "How are you?"
He smiled; looking rather comfortable sprawled across the couch like that. "I'm doing pretty good. How about you?"
"I'm doing just fine, thanks," she replied, sensing that Larry had started playing with the fingers of the hand that he still held in his, bending and straightening them one by one. "How are you, Charlie? Colby?"
Before either could reply, the doorbell rang. Alan's voice floated to them from the kitchen. "Could one of you boys get that?"
"I will, it's probably David." Don reluctantly stood up and paused to stretch. While he was doing so, Charlie took his place on the couch, grinning. Shaking his head, Don padded into the front hall to answer the door.
Megan watched from the corner of her eye as Charlie shifted down enough to give Colby room to sit and still leave a spot open for someone else to join them on the couch. Presumably Don. Turning to Larry, she asked softly, "Is it just me, or is there something going on between Charlie and Colby?"
"You'd be amazed by the number of things you see without meaning to when you walk softly," Larry replied, still playing with her fingers as he tilted his head towards her.
Megan tilted her head closer to Larry's to better facilitate a quiet conversation betwixt them. "Is that a yes, there is something going on between them?"
"Yes," he answered with a nod, their foreheads bumping when he did so. "Oops, sorry about that."
She shook her head, straightening up. "No, it's all right, Larry."
"Hey, everyone, look who's here!" Don announced, drawing everyone's attention to the archway. David stood beside him, smiling shyly, apparently embarrassed by all the attention, and holding a stack of gifts.
There was a general chorus of hellos as David walked over to put the gifts under the tree with the others and Don sat down beside Charlie on the couch. David took the chair Colby had vacated with a sigh of relief. "How's your family, David?"
"They're fine, Megan. A little disappointed I couldn't come out for the holidays." He sighed gustily. "Maybe next time."
She nodded just as Alan entered to announce that dinner was ready. "So, if you'll all move into the dining room and take your seats, we can start eating."
"Sounds good." Megan got to her feet easily enough, but Larry was another story. He couldn't seem to get the leverage he needed from the coffee table, so Megan offered her hand.
Smiling gratefully, he took it and pulled himself up. Glancing around quickly and seeing that no one was around, Larry tilted his head up and kissed her softly. "Larry, Meg--oop!"
"It's all right, Charlie." Larry, blushing furiously, turned to face his younger colleague. "You'd have found out soon enough."
Charlie was blushing almost as much as Larry was. Megan, for her part, smiled bemusedly. She didn't feel at all ashamed of her growing relationship with Larry and would have gladly kissed him when she first arrived, but he preferred to keep things as quiet as possible for as long as they could. "I suppose I can consider this payback for the time you walked in on, um..."
"You didn't say you'd been caught, Larry," Megan commented teasingly.
Charlie's face turned a brighter red. "You told her?"
"She guessed, Charles, but I did not confirm or deny it," Larry countered defensively.
Megan stepped between them, hoping to defuse the tension. "Look, guys, it's Christmas, let's save the fighting for tomorrow, okay?"
"Thanks, Megan." Larry smiled gratefully.
Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry, Larry. I know the others are going to find out eventually, but I want to enjoy it as long as I can."
"I know exactly what you mean, Charles. That's why I haven't said anything," Larry answered sympathetically. "Let's go in and eat, I'm starving."
Megan smiled, following the other two into the dining room. Alan sat at the head of the table, with Don on one side of him and an empty chair on the other. Colby sat next to the empty chair while David sat on his other side. Charlie sat down in that empty chair, leaving the two on the same side of the table as Don's. Larry stood by the empty chair directly next to Don's, clearly intending to push her chair in for her when she sat down, which she did. Once her chair was pushed in, Larry took the seat on her other side. After Alan said a short grace, everyone began serving themselves from the platters and bowls in the middle of the table.
*15*21*14*9*
"Thank you again for bringing me home, Larry," Megan told him with a smile as they walked down the hall towards her apartment several hours later.
He waved it off as if he was trying to swat a pesky bug. "No, no, thank you for thinking of it."
"I beg your pardon?" She stared at him, wondering if he'd managed to see through her ruse.
He smiled impishly. "Oh, I'm sure your car will need to be towed, but I don't think it's entirely a coincidence that it broke down."
"Ah, you saw through me." She smiled sheepishly, making a point of digging through her purse to find her keys in order to hide the blush in her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind that I staged my car problems."
"No, no, of course not." She glanced at him with curiosity as she unlocked the door. He was grinning as he added, "Why would I mind if I've said thank you?"
She laughed, opening her door and gesturing for him to precede her inside. "Gee, why does that sound familiar?"
"I have no idea whatsoever," Larry replied, stepping into the apartment ahead of her.
She smiled as she followed him inside, closing the door behind her. She could hear the sarcasm virtually dripping from his voice. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Actually, would you mind if I used your couch for a bed?" Larry turned to face her, stifling a yawn. "I don't want to try driving home when I'm this tired, especially with no one to talk to."
"I would mind, actually." His expression darkened and he started to move past her back towards the door. She stopped him, smiling softly. "Why don't you take my bed and I'll take the couch?"
He shook his head vigorously, waving his arms between them. "No, no, I cannot turn a lady out of her bed."
"Would you mind if we shared?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow. The way he stared at her reminded her of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. "Just to sleep. You're not the only one who's exhausted."
A smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, if you don't mind seeing me in boxer shorts and an undershirt, yeah."
"I've seen men in less, I think I can handle it." She winked at him, grinning.
He stared at her for a few moments, blinking, before succumbing to laughter. Laughing herself, Megan led the way to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets before finding a spare toothbrush that she'd planned on using once the one she was currently using wore out. "Are you sure you can spare the toothbrush?"
"They're cheap, I can always buy another one." She dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand rather like he usually did. "Go ahead and do what you need to get ready for bed." He nodded, shrugging off his jacket. She paused in the doorway, holding up a hand. "Just, knock when you're done, I'm going to be changing into my pajamas."
He nodded again and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Okay, I'll be sure to knock when I'm done."
"Thanks." Smiling shyly, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. This was going to be a little more complex than she anticipated. Taking a deep breath, she released it as she pushed away from the door to change into her pajamas. She'd just finished changing and tossed her clothes into the hamper when there was a knock on the bathroom door. "You can come in, Larry."
He edged out of the bathroom, holding his folded clothes in a stack in front of him. As he'd predicted, he was wearing his undershirt and boxers. He smiled tentatively. "I hope you're not too disappointed."
"No, Larry, I'm not disappointed." She crossed to where he'd remained by the bathroom door, as if he could make an escape into it if she was disappointed, and took the clothes from him, setting them on the dresser. Turning back to him, she lowered her head to kiss him lightly. "Go ahead and get into bed, I'll just be a moment."
He smiled, reaching up to comb his fingers through her hair. "Will you leave your hair down?"
"What?" She stared at him, puzzled.
He shrugged, dropping his eyes and his hand. "Some women put their hair up or pull it back when they go to sleep. I was hoping you would leave yours down."
"We shall see." She kissed his cheek before slipping into the bathroom to finish preparing for bed. She brushed out her hair, but left it down as Larry had requested. After she brushed her teeth, she stared at the two toothbrushes side-by-side in the holder. It had been a long time since she'd shared her bed with anyone, male or female.
Shaking her head, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Larry perched on the edge of the bed. "I didn't know which side of the bed you would prefer."
"The right side," she told him, moving to that side and slipping under the covers.
Nodding, he slipped under the covers from the left. After some shifting around, they found a comfortable arrangement, curled up together with Larry's head pillowed on her shoulder. "Good night, Megan. Sleep well."
"Good night, Larry, I'll see you in the morning." She smiled into the darkness as she listened to his breathing slowly even out into the natural rhythm of sleep. Content, Megan drifted to sleep as well, musing that this was the best Christmas present she'd received this year.
End
Post-Fic Note: Nothing at all happened between Larry and Megan apart from sleeping in the same bed. The more intimate part of the relationship is further off. *wink* The Charlie/Colby ship is a tribute to my sister,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dollydani. She's the one you can thank for getting me into the fandom to begin with. *grin*
Pairing/Characters: Megan Reeves, Larry Fleinhardt, and the others; LF/MR and a surprise pairing involving Charlie and another character (not Don).
Rating/Category: PG for very slightly adult situations. Nothing graphic or descriptive.
Word Count: 2,233
Spoilers: None that I know of.
Summary: Everyone gathers at Casa Eppes for a little holiday cheer.
Notes/Warnings: I'm going on the assumption that the Eppes at least celebrate Christmas. It doesn't necessarily mean that I think they're Christian. The title is the name of an album John Denver did with the Muppets for Christmas a while back. Takes place during the Christmas between Scorched and The OG. Other fics.
"Hello, Megan, so glad you could make it," Alan Eppes greeted her with a smile when he answered the door to find her waiting on the front porch. "Here, let me take those for you."
Megan smiled as he took the stack of gaily-wrapped packages from her hands. "Thank you for inviting me, Mr. Eppes."
"Call me Alan," he told her as she removed her coat and hung it in the closet he indicated. "This is an informal gathering. Besides, you're on a first-name basis with everyone else; it'd be rather silly for you to be formal with just me."
She laughed, feeling some of the tension leave her body. This would be her first time joining the others for something other than work and she'd been a little nervous about it. "Thanks, Alan, I needed that."
"You're welcome." He smiled, indicating the archway off to their left as he returned the presents to her. "Everyone else is gathered in the living room right now. You can put the presents under the tree. I need to check on dinner."
She nodded moving in the direction he'd indicated, pausing on the threshold to take in the scene. Don was stretched out across the couch, talking with Charlie, who was perched on the arm of the couch by Don's head. Colby sat in the chair at the same end of the couch, listening to the two brothers, though Megan was fairly certain that Colby's focus was more on the younger brother than the older one. Larry was lying on his back on the floor, his hands folded under his head, and staring blankly up at the ceiling. Smiling faintly, Megan moved over to the tree and set the stack of gifts with the others under the tree. That taken care of, she sat down next to Larry on the floor, lightly running her fingers through his sandy brown hair. He blinked and glanced around, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Megan. "You made it."
"I told you I'd be here," she replied, smiling, as he shifted to a sitting position beside her. "How could I miss a chance to sample Alan Eppes' cooking?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly. "I hope Alan's cooking wasn't the only reason you were so determined to come."
"Of course it wasn't. I also came to see Charlie," she answered, smiling mischievously, indicating the mathematician with a nod of her head.
He returned the smile, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it. "You look very lovely tonight, Megan."
"Thank you, Larry." She felt inordinately pleased by his compliment. "You look rather nice yourself."
He blushed, ducking his head. She couldn't help laughing. He always blushed when she complimented him, no matter what it was about. Apparently her laugh had attracted the attention of the others in the room, because Don's voice drifted over from the couch, "Hey, Megan! You're here!"
"Yes, Don, I'm here." Megan turned so she could look at the others as she spoke with them; her hand still entwined Larry's. "How are you?"
He smiled; looking rather comfortable sprawled across the couch like that. "I'm doing pretty good. How about you?"
"I'm doing just fine, thanks," she replied, sensing that Larry had started playing with the fingers of the hand that he still held in his, bending and straightening them one by one. "How are you, Charlie? Colby?"
Before either could reply, the doorbell rang. Alan's voice floated to them from the kitchen. "Could one of you boys get that?"
"I will, it's probably David." Don reluctantly stood up and paused to stretch. While he was doing so, Charlie took his place on the couch, grinning. Shaking his head, Don padded into the front hall to answer the door.
Megan watched from the corner of her eye as Charlie shifted down enough to give Colby room to sit and still leave a spot open for someone else to join them on the couch. Presumably Don. Turning to Larry, she asked softly, "Is it just me, or is there something going on between Charlie and Colby?"
"You'd be amazed by the number of things you see without meaning to when you walk softly," Larry replied, still playing with her fingers as he tilted his head towards her.
Megan tilted her head closer to Larry's to better facilitate a quiet conversation betwixt them. "Is that a yes, there is something going on between them?"
"Yes," he answered with a nod, their foreheads bumping when he did so. "Oops, sorry about that."
She shook her head, straightening up. "No, it's all right, Larry."
"Hey, everyone, look who's here!" Don announced, drawing everyone's attention to the archway. David stood beside him, smiling shyly, apparently embarrassed by all the attention, and holding a stack of gifts.
There was a general chorus of hellos as David walked over to put the gifts under the tree with the others and Don sat down beside Charlie on the couch. David took the chair Colby had vacated with a sigh of relief. "How's your family, David?"
"They're fine, Megan. A little disappointed I couldn't come out for the holidays." He sighed gustily. "Maybe next time."
She nodded just as Alan entered to announce that dinner was ready. "So, if you'll all move into the dining room and take your seats, we can start eating."
"Sounds good." Megan got to her feet easily enough, but Larry was another story. He couldn't seem to get the leverage he needed from the coffee table, so Megan offered her hand.
Smiling gratefully, he took it and pulled himself up. Glancing around quickly and seeing that no one was around, Larry tilted his head up and kissed her softly. "Larry, Meg--oop!"
"It's all right, Charlie." Larry, blushing furiously, turned to face his younger colleague. "You'd have found out soon enough."
Charlie was blushing almost as much as Larry was. Megan, for her part, smiled bemusedly. She didn't feel at all ashamed of her growing relationship with Larry and would have gladly kissed him when she first arrived, but he preferred to keep things as quiet as possible for as long as they could. "I suppose I can consider this payback for the time you walked in on, um..."
"You didn't say you'd been caught, Larry," Megan commented teasingly.
Charlie's face turned a brighter red. "You told her?"
"She guessed, Charles, but I did not confirm or deny it," Larry countered defensively.
Megan stepped between them, hoping to defuse the tension. "Look, guys, it's Christmas, let's save the fighting for tomorrow, okay?"
"Thanks, Megan." Larry smiled gratefully.
Charlie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry, Larry. I know the others are going to find out eventually, but I want to enjoy it as long as I can."
"I know exactly what you mean, Charles. That's why I haven't said anything," Larry answered sympathetically. "Let's go in and eat, I'm starving."
Megan smiled, following the other two into the dining room. Alan sat at the head of the table, with Don on one side of him and an empty chair on the other. Colby sat next to the empty chair while David sat on his other side. Charlie sat down in that empty chair, leaving the two on the same side of the table as Don's. Larry stood by the empty chair directly next to Don's, clearly intending to push her chair in for her when she sat down, which she did. Once her chair was pushed in, Larry took the seat on her other side. After Alan said a short grace, everyone began serving themselves from the platters and bowls in the middle of the table.
"Thank you again for bringing me home, Larry," Megan told him with a smile as they walked down the hall towards her apartment several hours later.
He waved it off as if he was trying to swat a pesky bug. "No, no, thank you for thinking of it."
"I beg your pardon?" She stared at him, wondering if he'd managed to see through her ruse.
He smiled impishly. "Oh, I'm sure your car will need to be towed, but I don't think it's entirely a coincidence that it broke down."
"Ah, you saw through me." She smiled sheepishly, making a point of digging through her purse to find her keys in order to hide the blush in her cheeks. "I hope you don't mind that I staged my car problems."
"No, no, of course not." She glanced at him with curiosity as she unlocked the door. He was grinning as he added, "Why would I mind if I've said thank you?"
She laughed, opening her door and gesturing for him to precede her inside. "Gee, why does that sound familiar?"
"I have no idea whatsoever," Larry replied, stepping into the apartment ahead of her.
She smiled as she followed him inside, closing the door behind her. She could hear the sarcasm virtually dripping from his voice. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Actually, would you mind if I used your couch for a bed?" Larry turned to face her, stifling a yawn. "I don't want to try driving home when I'm this tired, especially with no one to talk to."
"I would mind, actually." His expression darkened and he started to move past her back towards the door. She stopped him, smiling softly. "Why don't you take my bed and I'll take the couch?"
He shook his head vigorously, waving his arms between them. "No, no, I cannot turn a lady out of her bed."
"Would you mind if we shared?" she asked, raising a curious eyebrow. The way he stared at her reminded her of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. "Just to sleep. You're not the only one who's exhausted."
A smile slowly spread across his face. "Well, if you don't mind seeing me in boxer shorts and an undershirt, yeah."
"I've seen men in less, I think I can handle it." She winked at him, grinning.
He stared at her for a few moments, blinking, before succumbing to laughter. Laughing herself, Megan led the way to the bathroom and rummaged through the cabinets before finding a spare toothbrush that she'd planned on using once the one she was currently using wore out. "Are you sure you can spare the toothbrush?"
"They're cheap, I can always buy another one." She dismissed the notion with a wave of her hand rather like he usually did. "Go ahead and do what you need to get ready for bed." He nodded, shrugging off his jacket. She paused in the doorway, holding up a hand. "Just, knock when you're done, I'm going to be changing into my pajamas."
He nodded again and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. "Okay, I'll be sure to knock when I'm done."
"Thanks." Smiling shyly, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment. This was going to be a little more complex than she anticipated. Taking a deep breath, she released it as she pushed away from the door to change into her pajamas. She'd just finished changing and tossed her clothes into the hamper when there was a knock on the bathroom door. "You can come in, Larry."
He edged out of the bathroom, holding his folded clothes in a stack in front of him. As he'd predicted, he was wearing his undershirt and boxers. He smiled tentatively. "I hope you're not too disappointed."
"No, Larry, I'm not disappointed." She crossed to where he'd remained by the bathroom door, as if he could make an escape into it if she was disappointed, and took the clothes from him, setting them on the dresser. Turning back to him, she lowered her head to kiss him lightly. "Go ahead and get into bed, I'll just be a moment."
He smiled, reaching up to comb his fingers through her hair. "Will you leave your hair down?"
"What?" She stared at him, puzzled.
He shrugged, dropping his eyes and his hand. "Some women put their hair up or pull it back when they go to sleep. I was hoping you would leave yours down."
"We shall see." She kissed his cheek before slipping into the bathroom to finish preparing for bed. She brushed out her hair, but left it down as Larry had requested. After she brushed her teeth, she stared at the two toothbrushes side-by-side in the holder. It had been a long time since she'd shared her bed with anyone, male or female.
Shaking her head, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Larry perched on the edge of the bed. "I didn't know which side of the bed you would prefer."
"The right side," she told him, moving to that side and slipping under the covers.
Nodding, he slipped under the covers from the left. After some shifting around, they found a comfortable arrangement, curled up together with Larry's head pillowed on her shoulder. "Good night, Megan. Sleep well."
"Good night, Larry, I'll see you in the morning." She smiled into the darkness as she listened to his breathing slowly even out into the natural rhythm of sleep. Content, Megan drifted to sleep as well, musing that this was the best Christmas present she'd received this year.
Post-Fic Note: Nothing at all happened between Larry and Megan apart from sleeping in the same bed. The more intimate part of the relationship is further off. *wink* The Charlie/Colby ship is a tribute to my sister,
dollydani. She's the one you can thank for getting me into the fandom to begin with. *grin*
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