Plan B.

No suit and no tie but a pair of jeans and a casual shirt with three buttons left open on his chest.
And his old leather boots and belt.
And oh yes, the beard.
Tidwell hasn't shave for three mornings: it is too painful to start a new day without her, so he's begun waking up late.
For fuck's sake, he justifies himself, I'm the Captain, I used to wear long hair, now I wear unkempt beard, and so? Everybody can think whatever they want.
For this reason this evening his beard has the right length to make him appear less "police" and more…"man".
And it turns in his advantage now.

Tidwell wants his after-break-up routine to begin soon. Before what she did to him could start hurting too much.

Yes, he thinks, as if that's possible.

So he decides this is the right night to go to a pub, hook up with a girl, possibly blonde and tall, and make her the luckiest woman in the town for the night. Or for the weekend: he doesn't want to make plans.
He must stop making plans that involve women.

Tidwell collects his wallet and keys and opens the door, but he stops dead with one hand on the light switch and the other on the door handle.

She's standing in front of him in the semi-darkness of the corridor, beautiful as always in her skin-tight jeans and low-necked, skimpy T-shirt.

No, he has to admit painfully, not just 'as always', but more than ever.
Or, better, as beautiful as she was the first time he met her, when she was the woman he couldn't have.

"Hi." Dani quietly says, looking him straight in the face.

He blinks, trying to be sure she isn't a mirage.
"Hi."

They stare at each other for a long, awkward moment.

Tidwell doesn't know why she's standing in the corridor, but suspects if he hadn't decided to go out this evening she'd have been able to stay there staring at his front door all night long without ringing his doorbell.

He shifts slightly, making room for her to enter his apartment.

While passing near him Dani brushes his chest with her arm and shoulder, and this contact alone makes Tidwell want to grab her and hold her tightly, forcing her to kiss him just one more time.

But he resists the impulse and, after closing the door, stands face to face with her, trying to keep his arms at his sides and not around her.

Her brown eyes briefly scan him from head to toe before coming back to his face. There's liquid fire in her glance, but she doesn't say a word.

Tidwell thinks she's trying to take her time.
And he also thinks she has to stop to look at him in this way, because his spirit is strong, but the flesh is definitely weak , and he doesn't know how long he'll be able to control himself.
He's never touched her without her eager consent, he's never forced her, but now his feelings are messed up and he's almost desperate to feel her body against his once again.

Dani, for her part, feels like time is passing too slowly.
She has something to tell him but she has never said a thing like this, maybe she has never thought a thing like this before, so she doesn't know how to start.

"Well…" Tidwell breaks the ice, trying both to end the silence and to distract himself from those lewd thoughts, "I'm…very happy to see you, but I think that if what you said is true…" he searches her eyes "… it's better you avoid coming here…I mean, to me nothing has changed, I still…" he pauses trying not to say that word anymore "…like you…and if you keep visiting me…" he makes a gesture with his hand and briefly, uncomfortably, looks away from her steady gaze "I…I mean at work it's hard, but we're not alone, while here-"

"-Kevin…"

Kevin? Captain Tidwell loses his train of thought and raises his eyes, staring at her.
She has never used his first name. Never. Neither when they were alone together in the office, not even when they were making love - she called him 'Captain' there too.
What's happening?

Dani gulps and clenches her fists.
"I love you too."

She purses her lips.

Dani knows Tidwell's going to laugh and to not believe her, but it doesn't matter. Crews was right: this certainty alone is enough for her. It gave her the strength to go to his apartment this night and the decision to change her mind about the baby.
She hasn't come here to beg his pardon, she only felt he had the right to know.

But suddenly Dani sees a solitary tear rolling on his cheek.
She smiles and a sense of relief pervades her whole body. He's forgiven her.

Kevin covers quickly the short distance between him and his beloved Dani, holds her tight, searches her lips and finds her tongue.
No more women, no more booze, no more adventures. Never more. He's crazy happy.

She takes his head in her hands, fingers tangled in his red hair, caressing it and ruffling it while pulling him closer to her mouth.

"You love me…" he pants between kisses, pinning her against the nearest wall to steady their bodies better, searching a full contact with her, losing the little self-control he had.

"Yes.." Dani whispers in his mouth, trying to unfasten the buttons of his shirt.

"…and we are going to have a baby…" Kevin answers against her parted lips, moistening them with his saliva, while his hand finds its way under her T-shirt, unhooking her bra.

"Yes, we are…" she replies softly, taking off the shirt from his jeans.

He pauses for a moment, moves his face slightly back from hers and looks straight in her fiery eyes.
This moment is too important: he wants to fix it in his memory forever. It is exactly like he imagined it should have been.

He doesn't stop staring at her.
"I love you."

She smiles and draws his face toward hers, sweetly catching his lips with her mouth, kissing him deeply.

When they part Dani places her palms on his bare chest, and caressing him she helps him take off his shirt.
"Captain, we have to celebrate, do you remember?" she taunts him.

Kevin gives her a knowing smile and sweeps her up in his arms "We have the whole weekend in front of us…"

THE END

xxx xxx xxx

Epilogue

A grey dress.
Captain Tidwell would have preferred a black one but she said grey would show up better his blue eyes and his red hair.
He was standing there, in the sun, waiting for her, like he did all those time in the conference room or in his office, or at home, when she asked him to.
But this time is different. He's not alone: at least one thousand people are staring at him. Parents, new friends, old friends and the whole department. Oh, and him: the little Brian Tidwell, the future "fifth generation as a cop". The baby has fallen asleep in Charlie's arms and is going to miss the whole ceremony, but it doesn't matter, he's too young to understand the importance of what is going to happen here between his mom and his dad: they'll tell him everything when he grows up.

The wedding march starts to play and Dani appears at the beginning of the red carpet wearing a beaming smile.

Tidwell looks at her and smiles back.
She has never looked as beautiful as she does right now. Never.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"That's all folks!"

I want to thank you very much for having readed this fic. It was my 'tribute' to the Tidwell/Reese's story. I hope the show gets renewed, but if it doesn't, at least I have made this: my 'personal' ending. :)

I had the big honour to have a real writer as a betareader: she tried to do her best without changing my "voice", and I think she did a great job. Her suggestions were precious and each and every mistake left behind are only my fault.
Thank you very much my dear Astrelita!