They were on their way across town on another homicide. This trip, however, would take a really long time; it was rush hour and despite the fact they had lights and sirens in their unmarked, Reese steadfastly refused to use them, insisting the dead guy would still be there (and still be dead) when they got there. Reese was already in the car, from which she phoned him on his cell and arranged to pick him up out in front of the station, her clipped words and intense tone brooking no disagreement. She was in an exceptionally foul mood and Charlie therefore had lots of time to consider why.
It was Monday, so there was that. It was early, another downward tick on the Reese emotional stock market. She was only half way through her first cup of coffee, which meant cranky in general, but Charlie felt there was more. With Reese there was always more.
Her lean little jaw was tightly set and her teeth clenched so hard he thought she might break them. Then, like the sun breaking over the horizon, it dawned on Charlie, Reese was in pain.
Her dulled reactions, tenseness and agonizing slowness - all spoke of someone whose body hurt - all over. He considered her level of fitness and decided it couldn't be simple muscle aches from over doing it at the gym. Charlie had seen Reese work out; while she seemed to enjoy her punishing routines, she was not likely to have hurt herself – at least not this badly. Not this kind of hurt. That left only one option, someone else had hurt Reese and the mere idea of this caused darkness to cross Charlie's countenance. His own mood and morning took a dark turn at the idea someone had hurt his….partner, his…. Dani.
The fact she hid it from him, meant it was someone he knew. He deliberated quietly, narrowing the list of possible suspects to just two: Jack Reese, Bank of LA conspirator, robber and murderer and Dani's father; and Kevin Tidwell, their Robbery / Homicide Squad Captain and his partner's current illicit love interest. Charlie couldn't remember the last time he'd lost control to the extent he literally saw red – actually he could - it was the day he dug a hole and then filled it up, instead of the alternative, killing Kyle Hollis with his bare hands like he wanted to.
Today his whole landscape was tinged blood red.
To relax, Charlie studied his partner in minute detail. Her dark sunglasses hid her eyes, but he had learned how to read his partner in any situation. He looked at the tight grip she kept on the steering wheel, hands at ten and two, and the stiff motion of her shoulders as she changed lanes and the ways she used the mirrors entirely instead of looking behind her. Normally, Reese was restless, she shifted uncomfortably from being confined to the car in heavy traffic, but today she was still – not calm, but still - stiff.
As they sat through the third cycle of the same light, Charlie softly asked her to confide in him, to trust him. "Reese…. "He began, slowly drawing her name out like a question. Gone was the singsongy, light tone Charlie used when teasing her or intentionally annoying her with idle chatter and nonsense to pass the time.
She did not turn or look at him, she simply sighed, "yes Crews," knowing what was coming next, Charlie Crews needling her using some inane topic or none at all. She knew that he knew and it was conversation she didn't want to have with him.
"Tell me who hurt you," he demanded softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"How did you…." she began angrily and then stopped herself. "It's nothing," she dismissed his concern.
"No," he said sharply and a little louder, "no one gets to hurt you Reese," Charlie said darkly, "now tell me or I will find out myself and make them pay," he promised in a low tone bordering on a growl. He found himself raging on the inside at her pain and his inability to protect her.
"Crews," she complained, "can we not do this knight in shining armor thing? I can take care of myself"
"All evidence to the contrary," he remarked darkly. "But if you don't want to tell me, that's okay…." he paused for a beat before adding firmly, "but I will find out."
Again the sound of Reese's sigh filled the car, but this time it was coupled to an almost undetectable shudder, except that Charlie heard it and in that moment he was certain he could feel his own heart breaking.
"Pull the car over, Reese," he ordered as he opened his cell phone. Charlie called dispatch and advised them to send another team to the scene; he was pulling them off the case.
"Detective Crews," Dani barked as loudly as she could muster, "that is not your call."
"It is today," Charlie said as he dared her to try and stop him.
"I don't need someone else who thinks they know what's best for me, Crews," she said tersely, pulling car to the curb. She winced as she positioned her body to face him. "I am your senior partner and you will get back on that phone and put us back on that call."
"No. No I will not," Charlie defied her, an action that would normally force him to incur her wrath, which Charlie actually kind of feared in some small way. His small partner could be quite fierce and intimidating, but she was not so today.
Charlie reached for her glasses and that was when he noticed her lip was bruised and split. It was not simply swollen; she'd been struck - hard. Reese flinched as he raised his hand and he knew it was a man who'd struck her, but he'd already deduced this fact. His hands shook as they reached for her glasses again, she ducked her head.
"Reese," he said softly, but firmly, "let me see, honey."
His use of the term "honey" caused her head to snap up but the sudden movement cost her. There was a sharp intake of air and her teeth bit into her lower lip as she tried to stifle the sound of her pain. Charlie gently drew the glasses from her glittering dark eyes to reveal a deep purple mark on her cheek below her eye.
"Tell me who did this to you," Charlie said in barely contained rage, the emotion in him boiling over into his normally calm, patient voice.
"No," she hissed and averted her eyes from him.
Charlie's left hand lifted a stray strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear, as his thumb drifted softly across her cheek to catch a stray tear, which escaped her.
"Crews - don't!" Dani warned him, her voice breaking as she reached for his hand. Charlie flattened his hand and stroked her cheek as he asked her again, "Who hurt you, honey?"
"So help me god, Charlie – you call me honey one more time…"she began and then trailed off knowing from the widening of his eyes she'd mistakenly called him by his given name. "Shit," she swore softly and silently her tears began to slide southward, wetting his hand and splitting his heart in two.