Acknowledgements:
Omi as always
Beta Kate for agreeing a Larry fic sounded good at 1:30AM
The BTN8rs who've been waiting for me to get back to one shots
The Numb3rs dot org board denizens - you deserve your own appreciation week!
Happy birthday to the brother who made a measurable impact on my life
I miss you so much

Disclaimers:
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I do not own the characters Charlie, or Larry nor do I have any rights
to anything related to the TV show Numb3rs. I plead fair use and
claim only my own writing and characters.

Larry sat brooding at his desk, face propped up by his fists buried in his cheeks - a pose more likely to be seen with a petulant grade-schooler rather than a 40-something physics professor.

He was perturbed. Evaluations had come in and, while he tried not to put much stock into them, they were the worst of his career. Charlie had taken him hiking to try to help him get his mind off them, but for some reason he kept dwelling on the bad news.

It hadn't helped that earlier in the day several of his students, who were waiting outside his door as he went to open it up for office hours, had been gushing about the class they had with Charlie.

"Oh my god! Not only is he like the most fun instructor ever, he is totally hot!"

"Yeah, you have to get into one of his classes next semester! They fill up quick so don't even think about skipping the first class or you'll be so gone!"

Larry had overheard the young women talking and sighed. Students never talked about him that way.

"Larry!"

Larry felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him and looked up into the worried face of his friend.

"I called your name three times and you didn't answer." Charlie settled himself down in the chair across the desk from Larry. "Something wrong?"

"Ah..." Larry waved his hand in frustration, as if to dismiss his concerns. "It's just these evaluations..."

Charlie frowned. "Larry, you can't still be thinking about that! It's not a big deal. So you got a few students who didn't get you. I got you! Lots of your students enjoy your classes! You're just fixating on a few bad seeds."

Larry rubbed his temples with the heels of his hands. "I suppose, but given that my primary role here at Cal Sci is to be a professor rather than simply a researcher, I feel compelled to consider that I might be failing in my duties to both the university and the young minds entrusted in my care."

Charlie made a frustrated sound and got up out of his chair. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Larry picked up a pen from his desk and tried to remember what it was he'd been working on before Charlie had interrupted him. He tapped the pen against the desk for a few minutes before he realized he'd been doing exactly nothing when Charlie arrived, so he put the pen back down.

Just as he realized he'd have to think of something else to do to pass the time until Charlie returned, the door opened and Charlie came in carrying a dark colored box.

"Here," Charlie said, placing the box on Larry's desk in front of him. "I was saving this for your birthday, but I think you need to get your present early."

Larry looked down at the box. It was a very well made leather box, dyed a dark brown with subtle brass accents. Larry realized it reminded him of the furniture in his study at home and realized that Charlie must have chosen it for that very reason.

"It's a very handsome specimen, Charles, and I thank you for it. I'm guessing your time in my study at home inspired the heretofore undiscovered interior decorator in you to come out..."

"Larry. It's a box," Charlie said, with both amusement and a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Your gift is inside. Open it."

Larry pulled the lid off the box and opened it up. Inside was a cache of letters all addressed to Dr. Charles Eppes. Larry looked up at Charlie, raising his eyebrow at him, as he flipped through the letters in his hand.

"Charles, these envelopes are all addressed to you."

Charlie sighed. "Larry, I couldn't exactly have them send your birthday letters to you in advance now could I? That would have ruined the surprise!"

"Birthday letters?" Larry asked, perplexed. He started looking at the logos on the envelopes and his face screwed up in concentration. "JPL, NASA, Lawrence Livermore, MIT, Harvard..."

"Larry, just pick one and read it okay?" When Larry hesitated, Charlie reached over, selected one from the pile, opened it up and handed it back to Larry to read.

"To Dr. Fleinhardt,

I send you my heartiest congratulations on your latest publication as well as my best wishes for a wonderful birthday celebration.

Dr. Eppes asked me if I would like to contribute some memories to your birthday mementos letter box and I would be happy to.

When I decided to pursue a doctorate after I completed my Masters at Cal Sci, I spoke to several professors there, asking for guidance. I was torn about whether I should pursue physics, or if I should simply accept that I would merely end up an aerospace engineer, as my father had before me.

Most of the professors I spoke to counseled me well. They offered me statistics on job opportunities, they provided me with insight into the rigors of a scientific life, some even assisted me with on-site visits to JPL and research laboratories so I could see first hand what others were doing in the field.

Still, I lacked the conviction that one needs to pursue a doctorate. To attempt a thesis without a clear goal in mind is to court failure, and having always been at the very top of my class, I didn't wish to enter into an undertaking that was destined to not be successful.

When I spoke to you however, your words sealed my fate. I had only managed to catch up to you late one evening, well after dark, as you were crossing the campus to your car.

I asked you the same questions I asked the other professors. Why physics? How can I know if it's for me or not?

You stopped and stared off into the night sky and after chuckling to myself, imagining you were searching for an answer written in the stars, you spoke.

"Arthur, I can't tell you if physics is for you or not. I can only tell you that as I gaze into the night sky, I am both humbled and astounded by the vastness and intricacies of the cosmos. I'm a physicist and a cosmologist because I cannot imagine anything in my life that could ever hold a candle to the wonders of the universe. If you don't feel the same way about it that I do, well then perhaps you should reconsider staying with engineering."

You headed off to your car and I... I stood there staring into the night sky long after you left. I had my answer. I applied to the Ph.D. program in physics the next day and included a letter essentially begging them to assign you as my thesis advisor. (To be honest, I am not certain if you ever knew that. I suppose I assumed that the administration would have told you that I requested you, but if they never did, I wanted you to know now.)

With your excellent instruction and guidance, my thesis became my all-consuming passion. To this day, I count my graduation from Cal Sci among my most crowning achievements.

So my utmost gratitude to you, Professor. You lit a fire in my mind that burns brightly every day. I go to work each morning excited about my research and what it might one day mean to the world.

May the wonders of the universe never cease for you...

Best,

Arthur Cheung, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist, NASA"

Larry stared at the letter long after he had finished reading it, his eyes filled with emotion.

Charlie stood up silently and walked to stand behind Larry, placing a caring hand on his mentor's shoulder.

"I'll give you some time to read. I'll be back in an hour or so and I'll take you to dinner, okay?"

Larry managed somehow to nod in agreement. Charlie gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaving quietly, shutting the door behind him.

Once Charlie was gone, Larry pulled the xeroxed copies of his recent evaluations out of his desk. Without even a final glance he tossed them in his office recycle bin and picked up a second letter to read.

"Dear Professor Fleinhardt,

I wanted to let you know that my very first class with you changed my life..."