Solving the math problem.

By AnitaB

Author's note: I'm not the only one who starting jumping up and down at the Life series finale "One". But my Charlie and Dani decided that, while it was delightfully pretty, the show didn't go quite… ahem… far enough with their reactions. So here we go. We also just sorta ignore that whole Reese/Tidwell thing. He's worthy of someone pretty, but Dani's taken.

I own nothing, and nothing I do own would even balance out the legal fees of suing me. No infringement intended in this happy, committed smut fic. (Like I keep telling you people, I am the queen of romantic smut).

Solving the math problem

By AnitaB

Chapter one: The temperature discrepancy.

Her fingers were cold. They had been for the last hour since the brass had taken Charlie from her side and marched him down to an interrogation room. Dani stared down at the paperwork on her desk. She'd been kidnapped, held hostage, hit and threatened and the LAPD wanted her to sit here calmly and write it all down for them. Alone. They were also the reason that Char—Crews had been made to let go of her hand.

She looked at her fingers. He'd reached for her hand on the lonely road in his orange orchard until that bastard Roman said 'no touching'. Then Dani had been forced to watch as her partner was searched and his badge and cuffs thrown into the dirt like trash. He'd locked his eyes to her face as he was forced into the SUV. //Damn you, Charlie, this wasn't the plan…// But somehow he'd gotten himself back out of that damn car and back to her. Only now Roman wasn't there to keep her from reaching for him. Bodner drove. Crews sat in the back seat, but he leaned forward enough they could touch. One pale hand reached between the front seats to hold hers in a tight, strong grip, fingers intertwined. She'd kept that hand through the drive, the parking garage, and even through Tidwell's welcome back hug.

Crews' grip on her hand was the only thing that kept her from hitting that asshole cop in the face when he and his cronies gave them the 'dirty cop' face and speech. Her partner saved her again, this time from an assault charge, with his hand on her shoulder and a whispered "Just breathe,"

A fucking hour ago. That asshole had better be damn happy that her gun was still in evidence with her cell phone, locked up and unloaded. Dani had maybe five more minutes of patience left in her before she went to get her partner the hell out of there. Bobby or Seaver would give her a gun if she asked them. She forced her eyes off the door and back to her oh-so-important written statement, like they were ever going to need evidence against Roman. Hell, they were never going to find his body, let alone someone, anyone, to prosecute.

They should just let her back in arm's length of Crews so the two of them could get the hell out of here. Maybe then she'd warm up. It was LA for god's sake, Dani shouldn't be cold.

She could hear the Zennish things that Crews would be telling her in her head. And they weren't helping keep her any calmer than when they made her yell at him in person. "Damnit, Charlie,"

Yup, patience gone. Dani got to her feet and passed the worried eyes of Bobby, Seaver, and Tidwell on her way to Crews. The doorknob was in her hand before her brain had figured out what she was really going to do.

"Detective Reese, we're not through here yet. Return to your desk."

//Like hell,// "Is Crews under arrest?" Pale blue eyes met hers, long fingers clenched a little against the table top. Dani made herself turn to the cop on the other side of the table. Clearly Crews had been doing his Zen best to piss him off. And anything he tried to do, he did very, very well.

"We still have a few more questions to cover with Detective Crews. We'll let you know when we're ready for you, Detective."

//Count to ten,// "Is Detective Crews under arrest?" She'd been Charlie's partner long enough to out-stubborn anyone. "It's a simple question, Sergeant. Listen closely and you might find enough brain cells in your head to understand me. Have you arrested Detective Crews?" Out of the corner of her eye, Dani watched Crews fight to hide a smile in a tiny quirk of his lips. So happy to amuse someone. "Well, Sergeant? Should I pantomime the question? Draw you a picture?"

"No, I haven't arrested him… yet. But—"

That's all she needed to know. "Then I'm taking him home. You know how to reach us when and if you actually trump up enough bad evidence to get a judge to sign a warrant." Now Crews was giving her a full smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Dani reached out a hand to him before and before she realized it, Charlie's fingers were intertwined with hers. "Come on, Charlie, we're outta here."

Some part of Dani wondered how this must look. The kidnapped victim led her much taller rescuer by the hand like a small child through the offices and out the doors. But most of her didn't care. She was finally warm and no one was threatening Charlie with jail for saving her. "Reese?"

"Not yet, Crews. Let's get out of here first." She wanted to talk to him, but no audience was needed. Dani owed him a piece of her mind for climbing into that SUV without a plan.

000

//God, you're beautiful.// Charlie couldn't help a smile when Dani tore the Sergeant up one side and down the other. He was equally helpless when she reached out a hand to him. There was nowhere he'd rather be than holding her hand. He'd follow her anywhere she wanted to lead him. However there were a few things that needed to be said. "Reese?"

"Not yet, Crews. Let's get out of here first." Charlie waved at Bobby and Seaver on their way by and trailed Dani out to the street and a rental car. He watched the set of her shoulders relax just a little with every step. By the time he leaned against the passenger door, she had actually looked him in the eyes for more than three seconds at a time. Dani leaned against the car still holding his hand and turned to him. "Normally I would never do this… and if you tell anyone, I'll deny it." Her other hand held the car keys out to him. "You can drive this time."

That would mean letting go of her hand, wouldn't it? But he wasn't letting her out of his sight again for awhile. That would have to be enough. "You're not worried I'll get distracted by something shiny and kill us both?" Charlie leaned against her shoulder for a little nudge of his elbow and her smile.

"I think we've used up our near death experiences for the rest of the week, Charlie, just get in the car." He adored the smile on her face, even if she still looked so tired he wanted to cuddle her close for a nap.

//Charlie? Not Crews. // "Your secret's safe with me, Dani." He hesitated for a moment or two more of her hand in his before letting go to climb behind the wheel. Charlie watched her buckle in before putting the car in gear. //You're safe with me, Dani. I'll take care of you.// She folded her arms around herself like she was cold. Safe driving wasn't a higher priority than his partner. Charlie sent one hand across the front seat to claim hers before they'd made it out to the main road. There was a weight of silence in the car, like the quiet before the storm that lasted the drive to his house. A fridge full of food and a spare room would let him take better care of his partner. "We're here,"

"Are we? Or are we just more likely to be here than not be here?" Dani smiled at him a little as she echoed back one of his Zenisms. Her eyes dropped and her hand pulled out of his. Before he could really respond, Dani was out of the car and headed for his always unlocked front door. His cold fingers led him up the walkway after her.

He hurried his step to catch up, walking through the door to find Dani in the middle of his living room with her arms wrapped tight around herself. Charlie needed to touch her. "Dani," He reached out, his fingers were just an inch from her shoulder when she turned. "Are you-" The question cut off on his lips as one strong but tiny hand sucker punched the breath from his lungs. The automatic bending of his torso put his face in her reach and the next punch spun his head. //Wow, my ceiling's textured… who knew?//

The next thing Charlie knew, he was on the floor at her feet, staring up at one very angry Dani Reese. "What the hell were you thinking, Charlie Crews? Trading yourself for me!" She was beautiful, standing there glaring down at him with her hands on her hips. "You're my partner, Charlie. Do you know what it would've done to me if you died in that damn SUV?"

Anger was her shield as always, but there was something else in the eyes burning down at him. Something beautiful, something he needed more than air. Charlie knew he had to get her closer before the emotions behind her shields made her run from him. He got a solid grip on her ankle and dragged her down into his arms. Dani's struggling body ended up on her knees across his stomach, but that was close enough to keep her from escaping. Charlie wrapped one arm tight around her waist and caught her fist with his free hand. "You're my partner, Dani Reese. Do you have any idea what it would've done to me if you died in that damn SUV? When I could have stopped it? I'd had given anything to get you back. Anything. Everything."

The body against his went still, stopped pulling away. Dark eyes searched his face and Charlie dropped all his shields to let her in. //Please, Dani, find what you need, what you want.// He let go of her wrist to slide that hand around the line of her jaw. His arms moved to pull her closer against his chest. Her hands rested lightly against his shirt as her body slowly leaned closer. Her eyes closed and a small sound passed her lips. //Please, Dani, please.// "Damn you, Charlie,"

The soft touch of her lips to his closed his eyes and clenched his hands. //Yes,// Charlie buried a hand in her hair and opened for her kiss, adoring the heat and taste of her. //Dani,// Small hands gripped his shoulders, slid into his hair to deepen the dance and play of this kiss.

*One plus one is one. That word is love.*

000