Skulking and Flying…
Kevin Tidwell was surprised when his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He quickly closed the file he'd been perusing on the Bank of LA robbery and looked around the bay to see if anyone was watching him, before looking at the caller id – "Crews" it read. Great he thought, just great.
Tidwell sighed heavily and opened the phone prepared to do battle with the tall red haired man, who had made it known he intended to make Dani Reese his own. But Tidwell was pleasantly surprised to hear Dani Reese's voice come back to him through the phone line. She sounded tense, stretched thin and a touch angry, but she wanted to see him. Not in the office she'd said, asking him instead to meet her in the parking garage in twenty minutes.
She was coming here to see him, he thought excitedly. He checked his look in the glass of his office. Not bad, Tidwell's looking pretty good today he thought. He still held out hope that Crews might annoy her as much as she said he did, although he believed much of what she complained about regarding Crews were things she secretly became accustomed to and missed.
It annoyed him to no end when she was working with the FBI, how much and how often Crews became the subject of their conversation. He hardly ever got to see her and when they did, no more than an hour into their "time" Crews would come up. He either called her or she him or he came up in conversation. It was when he first realized Dani was far more attached to, connected to, Crews than either of them were willing to admit. Tidwell had no idea why "they" felt it was so important to get Reese assigned to the FBI, but it had damned near killed her - Roman, he thought darkly - fucking miscreant.
"I'm taking an early lunch, got some personal business to attend to, I'll be off my cell for a couple hours" he announced to no one in particular and then climbed onto the elevator. It was nearing 10AM and the parking structure would still be cool and quiet. The next shift change was a 4PM and they were guaranteed silence and privacy. Tidwell foolishly thought this was to his benefit; he had no idea how very wrong he was.
Dani was leaning along side of Crews' Maserati resting her legs and back against the sloping long line of the dark car. She looked well, her color was back and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wore LAPD sweats top and bottom, but she didn't smile as he approached, and he missed a step noticing.
"Hey babe" he said grinning.
"Don't call me that" Dani returned her dark eyes glittering, but no smile on her face or in her voice.
"I see Crews' car, so where's Crews?" he asked wanting to confirm they were alone. He leaned close and kissed her, but she did not kiss him back and seemed cold and aloof.
"You need to worry less about Crews and more about me" she warned.
He laughed. His easy laugh really pissed Dani off. The rage in her face was unmistakable. "You think setting me up? Almost getting me killed is funny?"
"What are you talking about?" he opened his arms in a gesture meant to convey he was no threat and she was angry for no reason. Never show a pissed off former lover your groin unobstructed, it's just too tempting a target she thought raising a knee and doubling him over from the pain. Gratifying, not very Zen, but that felt good she thought knowing Charlie wouldn't approve.
"Hey" he said pained. "What the fuck, Dani?" he grimaced holding his nuts.
His pain made him miss the scoff of laughter from Charlie Crews standing on the other side of the row of car, leaning lightly against a concrete abutment, watching the exchange closely and backing up his partner.
"Why'd you send me to the FBI, Kevin? To give them information on Crews? Because all they ever asked me about was Crews" she taunted.
"They wanted a Detective, babe. I thought it would be good for you" he lied.
"No. No you didn't send them a Detective - you sent them me - Crews' partner and that's no coincidence" she said firmly through gritted teeth. "You came here and immediately began to pursue me, why? It started as soon as you got here. Lots of pretty girls in LA, why me?"
"Look, I don't know what he told you…." Tidwell started.
"This isn't about him. This is about you and me." She interrupted. "Don't make this about him."
"It's always about him, Dani. Isn't it?" He said steadily raising his voice.
"Even when you're with me – you're with him. You may not see it, but I see it, I see they way he looks at you. I see how connected you are to him. Christ the only place I seem to be able to make you forget about Charlie Crews is in bed." He finished shouting, like her father shouted at her. Dani's eyes darkened and narrowed.
Charlie pushed off the wall and stood erect, concerned, but Reese brushed him off with gesture that went unnoticed by their Captain.
Dani looked down and refocused. She was blindingly angry, but she had long since changed her intent from personal gratification to information gathering. She was maturing from the mercurial, always angry young officer to the seasoned, cold, calculating, razor sharp Detective.
Charlie could see the transition, like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. He couldn't know that his love and support gave her the confidence to check her anger in favor of the knowledge they needed.
Dani's eyes flicked to him across the garage, connecting, drawing strength and he watched her poise return. In that moment, he saw the grace, elegance and regality of her mother, Roya. This woman was incredible he realized and she would only get better; he was so very proud of her.
"Tell me why you did it." she said flatly.
"Did what? Fall in love with you? Cause I'm wondering myself right now…" he laughed off her query.
"Don't say that. Don't lie" she countered "Just answer the question"
"I didn't do anything, except see a pretty girl who I liked and I thought liked me. We have fun together don't we babe? Come'on Tidwell knows how to make you feel good, doesn't he?" he tried to tease her mood away with his levity.
Dani was unmoved. "We're through. You will never touch me again."
Her comment flipped a switch in Tidwell, to a dark place she didn't know he had. He grabbed her and slammed her up against the car. "We're over when I say we are babe. I know you and your little vodka habit. I know how you struggle, Dani."
Dani hissed as her back impacted the car. "You working the program, Detective? You wanna stay a Detective? You'll be a little nicer to your Captain" he threatened darkly. Dani gathered herself for a response she never got to deliver. Tidwell was suddenly just gone.
Charlie crossed the distance in a blinding flash of movement that took Dani and Tidwell both by surprise. His fierce anger propelled him across the distance at incredible speed, as Crews lifted the Captain off his feet by the throat, directing him toward the short concrete wall near the front of the car. Tidwell slammed into the three foot wall with a grunt and as his feet came up off the pavement, as Crews stepped to the side and forced the man over the wall.
"Crews" Dani barked, stopping her partner from throwing the Captain over the wall and thirty feet to his probable death. Tidwell grasped blindly, first for a handhold and then for his throat, as Crews squeezed his trachea and blackness edged into his vision as his oxygen levels plummeted.
"Crews" Dani said sharply again. "Put him down" she said in a more measured tone.
Charlie Crews looked ready to kill and he pretty much was all Tidwell could see. Tidwell could make out a row of white teeth, gritted together and registered a deep growl from the man dangling him over the street below. He could make out street noises below and the smell of Dani's shampoo came to him as she walked close to her partner.
"Charlie? He's not worth it" she said more softly. She grasped her partner's arm and again instructed him "Let him go". Tidwell's buttocks rested on the wall effectively making him teeter like a plank of wood on a child's playground. The only thing keeping him from plunging to his death was Crews' vice like grip on his neck.
But Crews was unconvinced, darkness lapped at his soul again in those moments when Tidwell grasped Reese by her arms and pushed her against the car. He wanted to kill the man he was holding by the throat, he wanted him dead for making Reese hurt. No one hurt Dani Reese.
"Charlie? Please… Don't" she whispered and he could hear fear edge into her voice.
Fear of him or for him, he was not sure, but fear in Dani Reese was not something he could bear. He pulled the man back from the brink, stood him on his feet and released him.
Tidwell gasped for breath, wheezing, doubled over and fumbling with his collar. Charlie waited until the Captain collected himself enough to stand upright before he hit him hard in the solar plexus, doubling the man over again.
Crews leaned closed and said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Listen close Captain. If you ever touch her again…you'll just disappear. They'll never find enough of you to identify". When Tidwell turned his head to look at him, Charlie struck a punishing blow to the man's face, spinning him into the side the Maserati hard enough to dent the fender and blood began to trickle from Tidwell's mouth.
Dani was close now, they could both feel her, but she was controlled, restrained. "Tell me why you did it" she demanded.
"I got kids" he admitted tearing up from the pain and fear. "Back home in New York… I got kids. I did something stupid and they own me. I can't go to jail, I got kids." He cried. "I never meant to hurt you Dani. You gotta believe me. I was just supposed to get to you – then they could use you - to get to Crews."
"Who are they? And what do they want with Crews?" she leaned down to ask him.
"I don't know" Tidwell blubbered "I swear on my kids I don't know" he vowed.
She straightened "he doesn't know, he would have told us, he's scared to death" she remarked to her partner. Charlie was still battling his rage and holding back his personal demons who strained at their chains.
"Crews" she barked. He stood in front of her, countenance dark, eyes focused on Tidwell clenching and unclenching his fists. "Crews" she spoke to him again with no effect. "Charlie" she said softly, facing him and placing her small hands on his. He looked down and she said even more softly "Crews? You here?"
Charlie nodded, curtly. "Look at me Charlie" she demanded and watched as his eyes changed slowly returning to the blue she knew and loved. "You here?"
This time he rasped a coarse "Yes" in response.
"Come'on Tiger, let's get you home before you get arrested." She smiled at him. "I'll drive." She offered. Crews handed her the keys and walked to the passenger side of the car.
"Get off my car" Dani said darkly to their Captain who was still on his knees beside the car. She climbed inside the car stiffly, started the engine and put it into reverse, before reaching across the divide to grasp Crews hand and pull it into her lap.
"You're no good to me in jail, Charlie. Don't do that anymore, okay?" she cautioned.
Crews was not certain he could speak, but he cleared his throat to try. "Some times I'm not a cop, some times I'm not a good guy, Dani".
"I know Charlie, I know, but you're my guy." She promised him. "Just concentrate on staying here with me, now - being my guy. You can do that can't you Charlie." She asked.
Dani's unintentional use of Zen caused him to turn in his seat and look at her.
"What?" she asked slightly amused. Charlie had the sneaking suspicion she knew when she said something Zen and she did it on purpose.
"Yeah" he said quietly "I can do that" and after a moment added "Your car?"
"Yes, Crews - they are all my cars." She arched an eyebrow at him daring him to contradict her.
"Whatever you say honey" he squeezed their conjoined hands. Dani smiled at him and Charlie felt himself relax. She was the world to him, she could have everything else - as long as he could have her.