I've got a severe cold, and as annoying as that is - since it means I'll most likely miss all or at least most of the "Verzaubert" film festival this weekend -, it does have one advantage: I can huddle in front of the tv with a box of tissues, some chamomile tea with honey, creme for my poor abused nose, sage lozenges, and... re-watch Numb3rs.

I started writing a Numb3rs slash story some time in November last year, and got stuck. And yes, it's Don/Charlie, and yeah, I guess that means I'll go to the special hell (which really should be close to overpopulated by now, but who cares, right, Mal?).

Don. I've always loved Don. He's one of the handful of characters that made it onto my (fictional) list of people I wouldn't kick out of bed for leaving crumbs. Heck, I would damn well drag him into bed if he were real. *eg*

Anyway, Don. But it's not just Don. Right now I'm in the middle of Season 2, and I'm remembering why I've always loved that show, sometimes weak storylines or questionable political background notwithstanding, and it's not just about Don.

It's Don and Billy Cooper's joy upon being reunited. It's Alan's competency with city maps and his desire to help. It's Charlie's rivalry with Marshall Penfield and the math barbs they fling at each other in their intellectual bitch fight. It's the polaroid of a younger, laughing Don having Kim Hall on his shoulders. It's David's unhappiness, at first, at being partnered with a brash ex-Army ranger who's too confrontational. It's David embracing Edgerton during the McHugh man hunt, and Colby's awe at meeting the "legendary" sniper. It's the Eppes family's amusement at hearing about Megan and Larry's first lunch date. It's Don's smirk upon leaving with the second slice of bread stolen off Charlie's plate. It's Megan handing Don a cup of coffee and dropping a wooden spatula into it without asking. It's Don cautiously touching his tongue to a scoop of Larry's self-made ice cream. It's Don's customary shirts (at least early on in the show) with the rolled-up sleeves, and Charlie's "Pi" t-shirt.

It's so many things that make these people real, more than cardboard cut-outs, archetypes, or one-dimensional characters. On the screen, Don and Charlie are brothers, and all the big and small interactions prove it beyond a doubt. They have their problems, but it's undisputed that they love each other. Each other, and their friends, and their affections are returned.

I've always kept watching the show (despite its non-filling, popcorn-y feel) because it made me feel good, and thank God that hasn't changed.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't keep watching Don's ass in those jeans, because I do. If I claimed him fitted out in tactical gear didn't make me drool.

But they're not my only reasons for watching Numb3rs.

And I will finish that story one day even if it kills me.