Don't own. I know I should be working on Seven but well Chapter Four was depressing so I needed to write something fluffy and sweet. This started off a two page thing that was to make me happy but it turned into something much more massive and ridiculous.
Following a police raid of an abandoned building, a dog is found, Crews is happy, Reese not so much.
Charlie Crews: Pet Detective
There is an old saying in Washington DC that if you are president. Want a friend? Get a dog.
The same could be said of an ex-con who is exonerated, proving wrong the LAPD, getting 50 million dollars and then getting reinstated at said place he proved wrong. A dog might be a good idea.
"Police open up!"
Crews and Reese followed the SWAT team into the warehouse hoping to find something. They found nothing. Reese watched as her partner started walking around the former residence of some scum who was on the lam and wanted in connection with their most recent case.
She noticed her partner was squatted down in a far off corner. Did he find something? She walked over to see he was in fact trying to coax something out from a dark corner. He pulled out from his inner pocket a baggie with Cheerios, Charlie held out a handful. Suddenly a mass of matted fur, the dog's body longer than it was taller, emerged from the dark corner.
The dog walked up, its face almost completely hidden behind hair. The dog started eating straight from Crews' hand.
Crews had that look on his face that he was going to say something that would piss her off and reminded her of her six year old nephew at the same time.
"Mom can I keep him?"
Dani sighed, "Crews that is not a dog."
"I think it is Reese."
"No a dog is big and burly and can actually do things."
"She can do things, look she's rolled over."
"That means the dog knows it is weak and is being submissive."
"Nah she just wants you to rub her belly."
"How about you rub it?"
"Ok."
Charlie squatted down and started rubbing the dog's belly. The dog made a noise that sounded like a sigh of happiness, her tail wagging, brushing dirt on the ground.
"Oh you're so cute. Yes you are. Dani?"
"No Crews."
"Oh come on, she is adorable. Listen two stops that's it."
"No absolutely not."
Crews picked up the dog and held it up to Dani's face, she stuck her hand out to avoid it coming any closer. The dog licked her hand and she looked up to see it giving her a look that would melt Cruella de Vil's heart.
"Fine. We're getting her to the cleaners first."
"Groomers."
"Groomers, cleaners, you take something there it emerges clean."
They dropped the dog off and Dani forgot about it, in fact Crews was downright silent immersed in some book. Until his phone rang mid-afternoon, he picked it up talked and then looked at Reese.
"I have to go pick up Dani Jr."
"Crews I swear to god if you name that dog Dani Jr. I will castrate you."
"What about Reese Jr?"
"Crews," she said sharply.
"Fine," said Crews who went back to reading his book, it was a baby name book.
"Where did you get that from?"
"Carol gave it to me when we stopped at the station."
"You mean the secretary?"
"Yeah she just had a baby."
"Oh, well why don't you just name her Raspberry or Pear or Apple or something?"
"Hmmm…what do you think of Clementine?"
"As in the little orange thing?"
"Yup."
"Sure, why not?"
"She'll be just like me initials CC. Clementine Crews, Clemy for short."
They pulled up to the groomers.
"Longer than 15 minutes and I will leave."
"Don't worry, she'll be ready," said Crews who seemed down right giddy and excited to pick up the dog.
Charlie got out of the car and went inside. Reese sat there wondering what exactly she did that was so bad in a former life that got her this one. Her thoughts shut up when her partner emerged, the book Shih Tzu's for Idiots underneath his arm. The dog on a leash followed him out, she had two pink bows on top of her head and a pink bandana tied around her neck.
Okay maybe she did not do anything that bad and started laughing.
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The rest of the afternoon Charlie called Ted telling him to order the biggest bed, food, toys and then preceded to drive Dani nuts by listing off Shih Tzu trivia from the damn book.
"Crews."
"Yeah Reese?"
"She's not going to be riding around with us tomorrow is she?"
"No, unless you want her to?" said Crews who seemed thrilled about the idea.
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The next day Reese walked into the station to see Crews sitting at his desk cutting up an apple. He took a big bite out of the piece and then handed the smaller piece to something below his desk.
He brought the damn dog, Reese was pissed and sat down across from her partner.
"Why is the dog here, Crews?"
"Not my dog Reese."
"What?"
"Little Clemy here has a chip in her, found that out last night at the vets. Her name is really Lucy. She is owned by a Mrs. Carla Mendoza. She reported her missing after her home was broken into, by our perp, when she was out for dinner one night a few weeks ago. She's so happy that I found her. I've been invited to a celebration, its tonight."
"Crews, I'm sorry, I know how much…"
Charlie did not look at her he just kept feeding the dog and stopped her before she said anything else. "She said I could bring anyone, want to come?"
You're going?"
"Well it's a celebration for me and Lucy. So I figured why not?
"No."
"Come on Reese, Ted's meeting me over there. So you'll know at least one person."
"No, and we have to finish this paperwork."
"Okay, fine."
That 'Okay, fine' answer was only good for an hour. Charlie kept asking all through out the day, until finally she relented at about an hour before Charlie had to leave.
"Also you want to give me a ride there? Ted has my car."
Dani rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, "Sure come on."
They got in the car, the dog sitting in Charlie's lap and the closer they got to their destination the more excited the dog got. Until finally she appeared to be dancing her whole body wiggling, that it even made Reese smile.
They arrived at the house there was a spot left open, kids were sitting on the curb holding its place.
"Is this the Mendoza residence?"
"Yeah," said a kid.
An older one looked at him, "Are you Charlie Crews?"
"Yes."
"Okay, Lita made us save you this spot for you car."
The two kids got up and Reese backed into the spot. The two got out of the car and followed the kids who ran into the house.
"Lita! Lita! Lita!" shouted the younger boy.
A young woman emerged from a back room.
"Oy, Luke why are you shouting?"
"The guy who found Lucy is here," said the boy pointing at Reese and Crews standing there. Lucy in Crews arms, her tongue hanging out.
The woman looked up and did not even look at the two people just at Lucy.
"Go tell Lita, she'll be so happy!"
"I was," said the boy who ran off shouting for Lita.
"Hi I'm Jesse, please follow me to the back. When Lita heard you found Lucy we just had to have a party."
"I talked to a Mrs. Mendoza, who's Lita?"
"My Grandmother is Mrs. Mendoza also known as Lita, short for Abuelita."
"Oh."
They followed the woman, who was saying how happy Lita will be to see Lucy. How after her Grandpa died, it was just Lita all by herself. That the dog was the first thing to make her smile since the funeral and when she had been stolen it was like losing Grandpa all over again.
"By the way your husband is already here."
"I'm not married," said a confused Dani.
"No Charlie's, Ted, right?"
Dani could not help the smile that broke out on her face.
"We're not married," Charlie protested. "We're roommates."
"Oh so you two are married?"
Now it was Dani's turn to protest and Charlie's turn to smile.
"No we are partners."
The woman just looked at her.
"We're cops."
"Oh. Okay, Lita said you were bringing your partner and roommate. We just all thought… well this makes sense too."
She led them out into a backyard that was full of people. Ted walked up and greeted the two, and asked why did they think that they were married? The trio walked past smiling people, the crowds parting until a small frail old woman in a wheelchair looked up and smiled.
Lucy started squirming even more in Charlie's arms, he set the dog down, who ran up to the wheelchair. The old woman was crying as the dog started wiggling and shaking just below her feet, begging to be let up. Ms. Mendoza bent over and picked up the dog, squeezing her tight in a hug. Lucy licked her nose then settled comfortably on her lap and turned over, her stomach facing the old woman.
"Thank you," she gestured them over and gave each and everyone one of them a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Charlie could not stop smiling, Ted's eyes were shiny with tears and Reese had the most peculiar look on her face. He and Reese were probably thinking the same thing that as homicide detectives they were notifying the families, changing sometimes destroying a family, never reuniting them. That tonight it was different.
"Thank you," she said once again. "Now let's celebrate."
All three awoke the next day at Charlie's house. Dani drove the two home in Charlie's car, promising to return the next day for her own. Ted had a massive hangover from one to many mango margaritas. Dani with a stomach ache from one to many banana chocolate chip cookies. And Charlie with a combination of the two.
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The next week Reese noticed her partner seemed more in his head then usual. When she asked he said, "I enjoyed having Clementine, I mean Lucy. It's strange even though I barely had her for a day. You know?"
Reese made a non-committal sound and kept driving.
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Charlie was coming back from his Saturday morning hike when he noticed something sitting in front of his house.
He approached it carefully. It was a large box and he heard a noise come from it and looked into it.
There sat curled up was a mid-size brown almost red dog. The dog looked up its eyes sad and tired. Charlie held out his hand and slowly petted the dog's head. The dog leaned into the gesture and licked his hand. There was note attached to the front of the box.
My name is Grapefruit, I am three years old, a lab-pit mix. I was in a bad home. I need love, affection and someone to show me that people are not mean.
Charlie smiled and got the dog out of the box. He noticed Grapefruit had a green collar with the words Grapefruit and Charlie's cell just below.
Charlie opened the door and yelled, "Ted, I need you to do research on lab-pitt mixes. Also find me the nearest pet store."
Later that day after they went for a drive to the pet store, breakfast, a swim, played fetch, lunch, and a nap next to the pool, Charlie called Dani's cell.
"Hey Crews."
"Thank you Dani."
"For what?"
"For Grapefruit."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"I called a few shelters, well Ted did and one in particular mentioned a cop who was looking for the dog who had been there the longest. That you picked out Grapefruit. Also the woman said the cop took home a black cat, named Blackberry."
"Crews I seriously have no idea what you are talking about."
"Did I just hear something meow?"
End.