Powder Keg….
"Where are you going?" Charlie asked.
Dani grabbed his keys and hobbled towards the door.
At that precise moment, Charlie could see the stubborn streak in his daughter Jack illustrated with stories the other night. He could envision a determined little eight year old, Dani Reese, pushing her bicycle up the driveway, refusing to give up – skinned knees and all. But as an adult, her fierceness manifested itself in very self-destructive ways, dangerous ways. Her temper was her weakness, she needed peace, she needed calm, and she needed Zen - perhaps more than he did.
"To get some answers" she gritted through her teeth, wincing at the effort it took to walk to the car.
Charlie easily kept up with her and wrapped his long body around hers effectively arresting her movement. "Honey you can't go blasting in there guns blazing, eyes on fire. No matter how gratifying it might be - you won't learn anything and will only expose us further" he counseled.
"Crews let me go," she said angrily, trying to shrug him off.
"No" he pronounced tightening his embrace. "Listen to me Dani." He hissed in her ear. She stilled, because fighting him was ineffectual and tiring, but she was no less angry.
"That sonofabitch set me up" she ranted "he toyed with me, pursued me, gained my trust and then set me up" still furious she continued "and it was to get to you – you….you should be an angry as I am."
"I can't believe I'm going to do this, but…." Charlie began to counsel his mercurial partner "we need to be more patient, we need to think this through." He paused a moment and added "and I am pissed at him, but not for anything he did to me – I'm sorry that you got used and hurt in the process". Dani just grumbled in response, but held her tongue.
Charlie attempted some of the Zen she so much needed on her "You know…holding onto to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone – the only one who gets burned is you."
"He's gonna wish all I had was a hot coal." Dani threatened darkly. "I don't want to think, I want to kill him." She looked like an angry Hindu goddess, the kind who could raze villages to the ground. She was so goddamned hot when she was pissed off Charlie thought, but kept that to himself.
"No, honey, no." He held her tightly and watched as beads of sweat emerged on her lip and in the edges of her hairline from the physical exertion. Anger was fueling her and Dani was not well enough for what she was attempting, but trying to talk her out of it was futile. Charlie realized if her just held on, she would wear herself out, but a healthy Dani Reese would be a real wildcat.
Uncontrollable her father had said – he sure knew Dani. Furious was another word.
Charlie didn't know what else to say to her, so he settled for simply holding her. He loosened his grip and stroked her hair. "Honey, please…." He said kissing her temple lightly and tasting the saltiness of her sweat there. He could feel the anger slowly leave her body like heat from the stones in a sauna, as she relaxed into his embrace. Gradually, she leaned more heavily against him and her shoulders relaxed. Charlie leaned in close and kissed her neckline and nuzzled her jaw and earlobe.
"I know what you are doing" she said sounding as tired as she had in the hospital.
"What's that?" Charlie teased, "Handling you?"
She nodded against his shoulder. She'd worn herself out, her fury was like a sugar high, and once it burnt off she was entirely spent. Charlie gently turned her and began walk towards the house. Nothing was said, she'd didn't admit defeat but allowed him to steer her towards the safety, warmth and comfort of home. Part of her welcomed it, feeling safe and secure in the confines of Charlie's gigantic house and within his arms.
As they reached the stairs, she struggled with the climb, looking up at the long spiraling flight of stairs with a certain amount of trepidation. Charlie stepped in front of her capturing her eyes, they showed tiredness, but not defeat, never would this spirited woman be defeated he knew. "Sweetheart, let me help you" he gently requested of her – no one could force Dani Reese to do anything.
She looked at him, through him and then reached to caress his face. "We shoulda gone to my house," she told him tiredly "I don't have any stairs" she said smiling shyly.
Her eyes wore the same glaze they had in the hospital, pain, she was in pain and that Charlie simply could not bear. He swept her up in his arms and carried her to his bed, gently placing her there under the covers and climbing in beside her. Dani Reese, as it turned out, did not like to sleep alone.
Dani fell asleep right away, leaving Charlie time to think about where they were and where they might be going next. The easy answer was back to work, but that held dangers for them too. Dangers beyond the ones they could see, beyond Tidwell.
Roman had spoken the truth to him the day he and Dani first arrested him for throwing Lena from that window "did you ever think it was one of them who set you up?" Charlie now realized the only safety either of them had was the other, but that's what being partners was about. It didn't hurt that he loved his partner with all his heart.
Looking down, he saw her features relaxed and peaceful, he wanted that for her – peace. But it would take some doing. Charlie stroked her long dark hair tangling his hand in the softness, kissed her softly on the top of her head and surrendered to sleep in her light embrace.
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Dani woke late in the night, to find herself wrapped in the warm embrace of Charlie Crews. He snored lightly, but was sound asleep. She examined him in the light from sliver of silvery moonlight beaming through his open window. His chest littered with scars and a light dusting of orange hair, looking like a flower found unexpectedly in the barren desert landscape. She stroked his chest and she could swear he purred. Charlie was a lot of things – dark and dangerous, so incredibly gentle and patient, but capable of instantaneous vicious lethality and yet, she did not fear him at all.
An image of Chester sprung to mind, her constant childhood companion, a bright orange stuffed rabbit who had come in an Easter basket one year when Dani was about four. Almost all children have a favorite something, be it blanket, toy or animal, for Dani it was Chester. She had him for years, in truth, he still occupied a shelf high in her room at home – her parent's home, a place she hadn't lived in ten years.
Chester was tattered and battered, even melted from a misadventure involving playing hide and seek in a lamp shade that proved too much for her furry friend. Her father complained he was ugly and burnt, but Dani refused to toss him aside for a new one. She'd always been like that, she realized. She saw the worth in the dark horse, the damaged, unpopular or unsympathetic. She rooted for the underdog, always had and always would.
Dani knew she loved Charlie and what was strangest for her is that all they'd done so far was kiss and sleep together and by that she meant just "sleep". He'd never even gotten to second base because of her injury and yet, she was certain he loved her too. It wasn't entirely innocent, but for now it was chaste and unusual for her, but then nothing about Charlie was ordinary, commonplace or usual. He lay there just holding her and Dani had no desire to be anywhere else, with anyone else and for the first time in her adult life couldn't imagine wanting anything more than to just be held by Charlie Crews.
She remembered all those years ago, going to sleep over's at friends and the thrill and excitement of new friends, places and adventures. She also remembered the peace and ease of wrapping her small arms around Chester and breathing in his own unique smell when she returned home. Chester was her touchstone as a child, the thing necessary to rest easily and sleep without bad dreams. Charlie was that to her now.
She thought about the many ways Chester and Charlie were alike beside the orange hair. They were battered, burnt and beaten up, but still her favorite and she wouldn't give either of them up for all the money in the world. He was hers now, just like Chester all those years ago. He was her broken spirit, her tarnished knight in squeaky armor beating back the demons with his Zen. He would never disappoint her, never betray her, never let someone harm her, never stop loving her and Dani knew this deep in her soul.
At that moment she realized, Kevin Tidwell didn't matter – Charlie Crews did.