"You ready?" he checked with his partner. She nodded tersely and looked as nervous as he felt.
Charlie felt a bit naked in just his street clothes. Although he thought he looked presentable in a pair of navy slacks and a light tan v-neck sweater, Charlie realized they'd prepared more for dinner with Dani's parents - than for half the search warrants they'd served together. Only this time, they wouldn't have the benefit of bulletproof vests, their respective side arms and couldn't rely on the SWAT Team for backup. He was suddenly glad he wasn't wearing a shirt with a collar, knowing it would feel tight and restricting.
They rode in awkward silence to her parent's house on a street in a quiet neighborhood where sunlight shone through the old growth trees, dappling everything in inconsistent shades of light and dark. It seemed the sun was as nervous as he, as it hid itself amongst the big shade trees.
Charlie stopped once on the way to pick up flowers for Roya, Dani simply arched an eyebrow at him, but said nothing. "Hey, it couldn't hurt right?" he offered. She smiled tightly in response, but it seemed forced. They both just needed to relax, so as they pulled to the curb outside the Reese home and exited the car, Charlie took Dani's hand and tugged her down the sidewalk.
"Where are we going?" she fought him with words, while her body followed to the curb and behind an oak tree whose girth swallowed them both.
"I just need a moment okay?" he admitted.
"And you need me? For this - moment?" She questioned emphasizing his Zen word.
"Yeah, Reese. I kinda do" he admitted and then pushed her gently against the tree's massive trunk. "I need you for this" he said leaning to deliver a searing kiss, pinning her hands to her sides.
They broke breathless, but still wanted more, it was in both their eyes, but Dani struggled with it. "Crews" she hissed "it's Sunday afternoon in broad daylight in front of my parents house" she warned in a low tone.
"I still want you. Now, next week, next month, next year, maybe even in the next life - if you believe in that sort of thing" he whispered leaning impossibly close and releasing her hands and placing his over her shoulder on the tree trunk. She could escape if she wanted, but Dani didn't want to. What she wanted was Charlie.
She reached for him, pulling him closer still until there was no daylight between them. "You are a dangerous man, Crews" she laughed at him, at them. "My father catches you doing this…" she teased.
"Doing what? I'm just admiring this mighty oak tree" he whispered along her throat as he swept her hair back to gain access to the tight lean muscles of her neck. "It's such a beautiful tree" he said distractedly.
"Beautiful tree, my…" she began, but never finished as he captured her lips again and this time her hands wound around his back, pulling him tightly against her. Suddenly, Charlie thought the sweater might not have been such a good idea as his body temperature shot through the roof. Dani was always a good kisser, but the added element of danger did wonderful things to her tongue and her small lithe body moved against his seductively.
He forced himself away, licked his lips hungrily and grabbed her by the hand again. "Okay, that's enough of that - for now" he growled his eyes a curious storm cloud blue.
"Wait" she said, he paused as she tugged against his hand. "Lipstick" she said.
Charlie looked chagrinned as he pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his face. "Did I get it?" he showed her both sides of his face.
"Not like you're going to when we get home, Mister" she grinned.
Charlie stopped at the car to retrieve Roya's flowers and they walked to the front door with barely contained smiles.
Unbeknownst to him, Roya Reese watched the entire episode from her kitchen window, except the part behind the tree, which could quite imagine after their emergence and changed demeanor. It seemed her daughter had made her difficult choice and was down to just one suitor – it just happened to be the one her husband, Jack Reese loathed.
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After the pleasantries, Dani retreated with her mother to the kitchen to put the flowers in water, ostensibly, because Charlie just couldn't envision his partner helping out with the cooking. The Dani Reese he knew - lived on takeout and could barely make toast. Although he desperately wanted to follow her into the kitchen, he restrained himself and remained standing in the Reese family living room, rocking nervously on his heels.
"You want a beer?" Jack offered.
"Sure" Charlie exhaled "unless you got something stronger" he smiled tightly.
"Too rich for my blood, that scotch you drink Crews. Beer will just have to do" Jack shot back at him.
"Beer's fine" Charlie offered. Jack disappeared into the kitchen. Charlie folded his arms across his chest so he'd have something to do with his hands, instead of stuffing them in his pocket like he'd normally do.
"Geez, the last time I was this nervous was asking Jen's dad for permission to marry her" he spoke under his breath to himself and then - as though the logical conclusion had just occurred to him – cocking his head to the side, Charlie considering himself married to Reese and part of her family. Interesting….he mused…possible? He wondered.
Jack returned carrying two Corona's one with lime. "Here. My daughter says you'd want it like this" he said darkly, clearly not pleased that she was intimate with Crews' likes and dislikes.
Crews drank a long pull from the bottle and looked around with really nothing to say to the man who was partner's father – nothing nice to say anyway. He busied himself examining the pictures on the mantle. One was of a much younger smiling Jack Reese in LAPD navy blue – the rest were of Dani. Dani on a pony when she was about six with a ponytail and a ribbon in her hair; Dani on a bicycle with a gap toothed grin looking all of about ten years old; Dani in her police uniform from the Academy; and one of their family in happier times Dani perched on her father's shoulders in a Little League uniform, all of them smiling. This was what $18 million dollars did to a family, it made them into suspicious strangers he thought darkly.
"She was a cute kid" Jack offered gruffly.
"Yeah" Charlie wheeled to lock eyes with Jack Reese. "I told her that too" Charlie said brightly.
"Roya had to stop putting ribbons in her hair, right after that photo." Jack gestured at the mantle "Dani hated them. She'd pulled them out hair and all" he recalled of his obstinate young daughter. "She was one stubborn, willful, headstrong girl" Jack said somewhat proudly.
"So…not that much has changed?" Charlie offered somewhat conspiratorially. Jack almost smiled - if Charlie hadn't been looking at him he'd have missed it.
"Crews you didn't tell her about our talk the other night?" Jack prodded.
"She knows Jack" Charlie leveled his eyes at the man "about the Bank"
"Not the boy?" Jack whispered "Not about David"
So his name was David, the man who stole Dani's faith from her he thought. He shook his head. "I won't tell her because it will only cause her pain" he said plainly. "but you Jack? You need to find a way to. If she learns from anybody but you, she won't forgive you" Charlie warned.
Jack return the young man's look darkly, but knew Crews was right.
Dani and Roya emerged from the kitchen with food saving Charlie and Jack from having to find something else to talk about. They all walked uncomfortably to the dining room which contained a single rectangular Queen Anne cherry wooden dining room table, a piece of furniture Charlie remembered again not wanting to have until Rachel explained to him – it was just a piece of useful furniture.
Roya Reese was a very smart woman, a wise woman he realized, as he looked at how she'd set her table. Rather than place someone at the head of the table, she'd set two places on each side, putting them together - allied with their mate on the one side - opposite their mirrors on the other. It was ingenious he thought and smiled at her appreciatively. Roya was impressed he noticed her efforts and the reason behind them, as they shared an unspoken look. Both men pulled out their the ladies chairs, prompting another shared but quizzical look between Jack Reese and Charlie. Shaking their heads both men sat down, awkwardly and silently.
Charlie asked his hostess "is it okay for me to have beer at your dinner table?"
Roya inclined her head in a nod to his deference and replied "Of course, Mr. Crews".
"Charlie. Please?" he implored with a smile. Roya smiled back and both Jack and Dani rolled their eyes. The simultaneous gesture demonstrating for all, just how much alike father and daughter were. After a tense moment, nervous laughter erupted around the table, making even Jack and Dani grin slightly.
Charlie reached for Dani's hand under the table, only to find her reaching for him. Carefully school features showed no indication of their link, but he squeezed her hand tightly and they made it through dinner.
After polite somewhat forced dinner conversation, and a short disagreement in which it was decided Dani would not be doing dishes, based on her healing injury, Jack and Roya retreated to the kitchen to wash and dry the dishes. Charlie found this kind of sweet, but the net effect was that it left him and Dani alone for period of time, before they felt it was reasonable for them to leave.
"So….. " Charlie said "Show me your room?" he asked. Dani rolled her eyes again.
"What? You're not afraid to show me your room are you, sweetheart? All those teenage boy heartthrob posters, hearts and stuffed animals going to embarrass you?" he teased. Dani snorted, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway, moving far faster than an injured woman a foot shorter than him should be able to.
As door to her room swung open and Charlie stepped into Dani's youth. The first thing he noticed was a large window covered in sun catchers, which lit the room in a number of bright colors. "Did you make all those?" he asked. She just nodded, releasing his hand and sitting down stiffly on her bed.
The bed was covered with a quilt and a couple throw pillows with her name on them. There were a couple posters of surfers and skateboarders, along with a nice vintage skateboard standing in the corner of the room. Charlie did a 360 degree turn taking in a shelf about a foot from the ceiling holding various and sundry trophies and ribbons from school and league play and nestled high on the shelf behind and above her bed was a bedraggled orangish faded stuffed bunny rabbit with a burnt and melted right ear.
"Is that?" Charlie gestured above and behind Dani "the infamous Chester".
"Yup" Dani popped back from her bed. She sat leaning back with her arms behind her and he could see the teenage Dani, with attitude in abundance, occupying this room.
"So….. did you ever bring boys here?" he teased.
"You're kidding right? Have you met my father? No teenage boy would set foot in this yard, much less inside the house and definitely not ever this room" she smiled at him.
The look in Charlie's eyes was mischievous and it made her pale considering what he was probably thinking. "I don't know what you're thinking…." she warned.
"Yes, you do" he said with a sly smile on his face and danger in his tone.
"Charlie" she warned, as he knelt before her and ran his hands up her thighs over the jeans managing to set her skin on fire through fabric. Her breath caught as he moved in close and put his mouth to her collarbone and hummed "Hmmm".
"We can't….my parents are just down the hall" she protested weakly, putting her hands on his shoulders. First she was protesting and then she was kissing him, his hands were in her hair and she moaned into his mouth. Charlie grabbed Dani's hips and pulled her towards him. The temperature in the room soared.
Foot steps sounded in the hallway and Dani ducked her head to break Charlie's kiss. He sat back on his heels rising with an ease she envied and backed himself against the opposite wall, trying to calm his breathing.
"Ah, there you are" Roya Reese stepped into the room and noticed the distance between them – she knew instantly what they'd been doing "see that your father does not catch you" she said coldly to Dani, but she winked at Charlie on the way out of the room – making him swallow hard.
"Ready to go home?" Charlie asked her reaching for his partner's hand. She nodded and allowed him to help her up.
They said their goodbyes. Roya hugged Charlie first, then her daughter, whispering something in Farsi that made Dani blush. Jack stiffly shook Charlie's hand with a very displeased look on his face and then turned to Dani. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear, kissed her on the forehead and grumbled "stay out of trouble kid" gruffly. Dani smirked at him, earning her what passed for a smile from Jack.
Charlie took Dani's hand again as soon as the door shut behind them, walking her to the car. "That was fun, right? Dinner with your folks?" Charlie asked Dani putting her in the car.
"Fun? You need to have your head examined Charlie" she groused.
"I liked your room." He teased. "Never would have figured you for a skate rat, Reese. But it figures" he said softly.
"Huh?" she said quizzically "how does it figure?"
"Well you are balanced, graceful and very tough" he admitted somewhat embarrassed to heap platitudes on his beautiful partner. She said nothing in response and looked a tiny bit embarrassed before looking away and smiling out the window.
"I couldn't wait to get out of here, away from them, you know?" she said wistfully.
"Now you miss them?" Charlie offered.
"I miss how it used to be. I miss not knowing that bad things were out there, that every day one of us could just..." she stopped short, but Charlie understood.
"That was sweet. You and your dad" he added changing the subject and giving her the space he knew she needed.
She scoffed her disapproval and looked out her window, smiling slightly.
It had been a good day, a decent, better than expected visit and her lips still burned from Charlie's kiss. Someday they were going to finish that she thought, some day soon.