The Buddha Said 'Each Mistake Is a Rebirth'

"Reese, you well?"

It is the first thing that comes into Charlie's mind or, actually, not really the first, but surely the most important.

Dani is still staring into space and she doesn't answer.

Cathy and Kristie exchange a questioning look but decide that's better not to ask Charlie the reason for them becoming suddenly darker, or better still, they start collecting their things, blathering about having to go home to prepare for a date-for-four.
They kiss Charlie in turn and greet Dani exiting the room.

She doesn't greet them back.

Charlie looks hard at her while she's staring at the floor.

"Reese-" he starts "-I'm sure there's a mistake-"

"-I don't know what are you talking about." she cuts him off, raising her eyes to him.

"Reese…"

"What were we talking about?"

He isn't sure but her eyes seem brighter in the cold light of the hospital lamp.
Out of the window the sky is becoming darker as the sun is fading down the hills, and he doesn't like to see her like this.

What he's doing to you, Dani? He wants to ask, but he knows she isn't going to answer. Dani has time requirement for things like these.

"We were talking about what you brought me" answers Charlie, smiling feebly, still gazing intensely at her.

Judging from the grimace she makes he can guess that this topic is not good either.

"I-" Dani starts to say absentmindedly "-I bought you a stupid thing, it's there, somewhere, it's not important for you to see it"

Finally, something he is prepared for!

"Oh, nothing is so important like the thing someone tells you that is not important." He smiles brightly "I mean: if you say 'it's not important' that means it's really important, or, better, that it's so important you don't want to-"

"Oh no, not this again! For god's sake Crews!" exclaims Dani standing up "I'll give it to you, so stop zenning me!"

She's upset, but he swears she's hiding a smile of relief, or something like that, when she turns to reach the chair near the door.

xxx xxx xxx

"Sapodillas!" exclaims Charlie opening the plastic bag "I can't believe you found these little treasures!"

"And I can't believe you know them" Dani tells him, partly happy for his happiness, partly disappointed not to have been able to surprise him but mostly resigned for him always knowing everything about fruits.

He looks at her. "I want to tell you a thing about this fruit-"

"-I know" Dani interrupts him "From the sapodilla tree they extract the gum to make chewing gum" or, at least this is what the greengrocer said her.

"No, I mean: yes, but this is not the thing I was about to tell you" Charlie pauses and Dani looks straight into his eyes as them become suddenly softer "This fruit reminds me of you."
He sees her frowning "Outside the skin is hard, but inside-"

"-Crews…" Dani warns him

"-inside it is delicate and sweet and…vulnerable." he ends his sentence ignoring her admonition.

They look at each other for a while.

"We only have sex." Dani says, out of the blue.

Charlie's pupils become larger for an instant.

She gulps and then looks away "It's not a big deal. I had sex with a ton of men before…him-" she pauses "-he's free, I'm free, we are all free to do everything we want." She turns back to look hard at him again "With everyone we want."

The resolution in her speech makes Charlie thinks she is saying those things more to convince herself than him, but her last glance makes him wonder if…
No. Don't even think about that.

"Only sex, uh?" is his unconvinced statement.

"Yes. Only sex." Dani rolls briefly her eyes "Okay: very hot sex, I have to admit."

Maybe is because this is the very first time they touch this question, but Charlie would have never guessed that picturing Reese while having sex –hot sex, he reminds himself unwittingly- would have made him become hard; but the evidence is here, under the thin blankets, and he can do only a few things to hide it: so he bends his knees, praying that Dani hasn't noticed anything.

A doctor and a nurse enter Charlie's room.

More public, how lucky!. He tightens his knees.

"Okay Detective Crews" smiles the doctor "Your exams are very good, so as we promised, you can go home." He pauses. "Of course you have to avoid using your left arm at least for a week before start the physical therapy, but unless you live totally alone, I think you could manage this at home."

While the nurse starts collecting the thermometer, the glass and the upright near Charlie's bed, the redheaded suddenly saddens "To be honest I don't think I-"

"-he doesn't think he's going to have any problem with that and he's happy he's going home so early" Dani interrupts him.

"Good" says the doctor looking at Crews "I'll go and prepare the papers for the discharge, so your fiancé can dress you and bring you home." Greeting the occupants of the room he exits the door.

Charlie's still looking at Dani questioningly.
When the nurse exits the room too, he tilts his head "Reese, but I do live totally alone…Ted is in Jail and I sent Rachel away…"

"Don't worry. Even if I'm not your fiancé-" she makes a face "-I'm going to stay with you for the next ten days: I've still got a ton of unpaid leave to spend, I think this is the right moment to ask for them." She looks away adding casually "And I think you've got hundreds of empty rooms in that mansion."

"But Tidwell…"

"He doesn't need to know where I am when I'm not at work or-" she gulps "-with him."

"Reese…"

"Stop it, Crews. It's the only thing to do." She frowns "Would you like to spend the next two weeks in the hospital, huh?"

"They're only seven days…"

She pretends not to hear him "Or, who is going to take care of you? Bobby? With a wife, two children and a…a badge bunny sister to look after too? Hm?"

"Reese…"

"So. Where are your clothes?" she puts her hands on her hips, giving him her best I-don't-want-to-hear-another-word-about-this-argument look.

He had to admit it has never been so simple for him surrender to something.

"Okay. We're partners, and partners give partners a hand, right?" he says to persuade more himself than her.

"Right." Dani answers, convinced.

"It isn't a big deal, right?"

"Right."

Wrong.

Charlie discovers soon that being almost naked in front of Dani is a big deal for him. Especially after having imagined her while having hot sex.

"Maybe I'm able to dress without your help…"

"I don't think this is possible Charlie-" answers the woman carrying his pants "-you cannot use the left arm, you can't button these, so exit the bed and let me help you."

"But I'm wearing only my boxers" And a half erection. Is his protest.

"Charlie, I saw your chest when the paramedic cut your shirt, and I don't think your legs are so special"

"Of course you did…but I was unconscious…I didn't know you were seeing me." A quick glance "And the legs are not the problem."

He raises slowly his eyes, meeting hers.

"Okay." She blinks, acting suddenly like she's uncomfortable "I'll call a nurse. But later on I'll have to undress you at home, so prepare yourself. We have to get over this thing otherwise you'll have to stay in the same clothes for ten days!"

"Okay. We'll invent something"

"Okay."

"Okay."

Xxx xxx xxx

Having Reese in his bedroom in the evening hours is strange.

Having to get naked in front of her is even stranger.

But the strangest thing of all is that is Reese that is going to undress him.
It's the first time I'm here with a woman I'm not going to get laid with. He hopes she cannot read this thought on his face as they stare uncomfortable at each other.

"So…" he starts

"Crews, do you remember? It's not a big deal"

"Yep. It's not a big deal…"

"No, it isn't."

"Reese-" he makes a grimace "-maybe I'm able to undress myself without your help, I'll call you if I get stuck…"

"Yes Crews, maybe you'll succeed in exiting your pants, and then?"

"But, Reese…"

She sighs "Okay." Another sigh. "I think I found a solution."

With a resolute look in her eyes she starts unbuttoning her shirt.

"Reese?!" Charlie opens his eyes wide "What the hell are you doing?"

She stops, looking directly at him "You don't want to get naked in front of me because you fear you'll be somehow disadvantaged, don't you?"
He raises an eyebrow in an affirmative gesture. She smiles "If I'm in my underwear too, you are not going to feel that fear. Right?"

Maybe this is actually the only thing able to leave him speechless.
How can a concept be so perfectly logical but still totally crazy?

"Crews, we are only partners…" she half closes her eyes gesturing vaguely in the air with a hand, trying to minimize the things.

"We are only partners…" he repeats, hypnotized.

"And I want to help you out."

"And you want to help me out…"

"Yes."

"Yes…"

She nods and goes on unbuttoning the shirt.

"Wait!" Charlie stops her.

"What again?"

"I'm nervous…" he explains "Maybe it's this silence…" he pauses "Reese, do you know what the Buddha thought about the silence? When the Buddha knew that the questioner was not in a position to understand the answer to the question because of its profundity, or if the questions themselves were wrongly put in the first place, the-"

"-Crews! Stop that, please!" Dani frowns, exasperated "Just…just put some music on, for fuck's sake!"

Charlie gapes and tilts his head "Yeah…I think it's a good idea…" he grabs the remote and pushes the play button.

"Neil Young?" Dani asks raising an eyebrow, and then she smiles finishing unbuttoning the shirts "Not bad…"

Oh my god, very bad indeed, thinks Charlie.
How come she is not aware she's giving him a ready-made strip-tease?

He guesses something seeing her purple bra under her opened shirt, but when she exits her pants he's sure he's going to die. Dani is wearing the purple panties he gave her for Christmas.

And her body is gorgeous.

"Reese, I don't think we can go on with this thing…I…you-" he clears his throat "-you are Tidwell's woman…and I'm feeling like I'm seeing things I don't have the right to watch…"

"Crews, just think we're only partners, think about me as if I'm…I don't know…Bobby…" she says, and her voice sounds strange, softer when she adds "And I'm not thinking about him right now, so…just do the same."

"Reese, I can't. Really." He looks away from her "I…I…your panties…" he licks his lips "They're a see-through panties, you know? I can actually see..." he searches the right words but his mind doesn't want to work "…you, under the fabric."

"Then, turn the light off" Dani whispers to him, taking her shirt off.

Charlie knows it isn't a good idea, but he obeys anyway.

She walks toward him in the dark. He can hear her steps on the parquet and he can see indistinctly the shape of her magnificent body in the gloom. This is the first night of new moon and the room is illuminated only by the faint light of the stars.

Dani stops in front of him.

"You ready?"

BobbyBobbyBobby-God,WhyAreYouWhispering?-BobbyBobbyBobby

His voice exits way more rough than he plans "Ready for what?"
No. Wrong answer. Try again.
"I mean, yes."
Better.

Dani starts unfastening his belt slowly.

YouAreBobby,BobbyIsUndressingMeAndISurelyDon'tWantToFuckBobby

Then she works on the button and the fly.

"Dani." Charlie whispers. "We have a problem." He adds while putting his right hand on her waist, feeling how soft and warm her skin is, stopping her.
"I think I want to fuck you." He growls.

She fixes her eyes on his.

"I was afraid you would have never said that."

TBC

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Many thanks go to my beta, Cigarettes and Monlight for having helped me even with this chapter.

It was very easy to write. Very funny: it seems that Creese is always easier to write for me, even if I love Tideese as well...
I hope you liked this chapter because the next (Ch4: "The Dark Nights Of The Soul") will be the last one.

I have to thank very much the people who reviewed the story till now, I appreciate your comment a lot. (Some of them were VERY useful to improve my fic!)