Ted arrived back in LA with Olivia three days before Christmas, concerned that for the past few days Charlie had not answered any messages, texts or phone calls. Ted was worried as Charlie was not good alone. It seemed like he was down to speaking of work and not much else over the past weeks since he'd been cleared for duty again.

The house had a battered old Buick truck in the drive with both of Charlie's cars fixed up and looking brand new in front of the garage. The front door was ajar, meaning Charlie was at home. There were voices and splashing from the pool. Ted expected to find a bevy of beautiful girls but there was Charlie playing water polo with a tall skinny blond man.

Charlie was the first to notice his best friend standing on the patio looking jet lagged "Hey Ted. Sasha come met Ted, my room-mate."

Ted automatically thought this kid was another stray rescued by Charlie. The young man was beautiful and as scarred as Charlie. Matching scars on their chests. Ted had a sinking feeling he'd left Charlie when he needed Ted and he had gone back to thinking like a con. Ted knew Charlie had a couple of lovers in prison. Charlie had never crossed the line with Ted but Charlie was not adverse from taking what was offered. Maybe he'd got sick of chasing Jen, chasing the never ending string of girls for casual sex and gone back to normal behaviour for Charlie, a new room mate in every sense of the word.

"Hey Detective, this is your big bad banker?" The kid had an LA accent, just a touch of something hispanic in there. The young man smiled and offered his hand "Sasha Sanchez"

"Ted Earley. Umm I'll go get Olivia out of the car."

"I'll put some coffee on." Charlie looked at Sasha with his hard flat expressionless face. "OK not coffee? Tea? Lemonade? Some fruit juice?" At that Charlie face erupted into a big wide smile. Sasha liked to tease Crews, suggesting cops all drank gallons of coffee and ate donuts by the tray. Well, his dad did.

Charlie finally met Olivia and they got on famously. Sasha cooked a large stirfry and Olivia was fine moving into the one bedroomed apartment above the Garage with Ted.

Ted went in the kitchen to help Sasha tidy up after Olivia had retired and Charlie was on the phone to Rachel.

"So have you lived here long?" asked Ted.

"No. I moved in two days ago." Sasha continued to clean off dishes and load the dishwasher. "I guess you want some background. Charlie and I met three weeks ago. He followed me around for ten days and then we started dating. He's a bit of the big silent type." Sasha half smiled with a dreamy look on his face, before turning back to face Ted, fully serious "I know you don't approve. Let me tell you about myself. I had a rough time before Carlos and Ding adopted me. I lived on the streets, I had been used and abused. Complete hell for eighteen months after my fourteenth birthday. I have spent the last five years hiding, afraid and unhappy. I could not allow myself to relax and just be. I had a home but I was continually sure my past would catch up with me and everything would go to shit again. Charlie understood that I surf to get in a moment untouched by pain, hurt and bitterness. Charlie watched me. I guess I liked the fact he wanted to get to know me despite knowing I lie, tell half truths and hide who I used to be. Can you understand that?"

Ted stood and let Sasha's speech sink in. The one thing Ted had learned in prison was how to read people. Getting the shit beat out of you and worse meant you knew who was the type to do it and who had been there on the receiving end. This kid had been on the receiving end. Charlie kept collecting broken people, but then again Charlie was pretty much broken. Ted wished he's known Crews before, but apart from a few short conversations about Jen, Crews did not talk about life before Pelican Bay.

Sasha watched Ted. The man was deep in thought. "You're now about to tell me Charlie's straight. I was sure I was straight when I was 15. I've been pretending to be straight since then. Charlie likes to fuck girls. Who doesn't? Charlie loves, loved, Jen his ex-wife. Christ that woman must be delusional to let a man like Charlie go, but a life sentence without parole kind of scuppers any relationship. Charlie's already told me about Raoul and Manfred at Pelican Bay. You think Prison is different to the real world. Not for him. Love is love. There are no boundaries or expectations. It just is. Deal with it."

Ted could get that, Crews had no restrictions now, in fact he probably could deal with male companionship at a deeper level than females. It wasn't as if he opened up to ny of his police colleagues. "So you think Charlie is a great guy?"

"Yeah. He wanted the whole tamale not just sex." Sasha then followed in a soft whisper "He wanted me completely." The young man then changed subject, back onto arrangements over the next few days "I think Charlie's having a shit time at work. He's on shift over the holidays. We won't be here. I'm spending the holidays at home and Charlie is too, when he's not working." Sasha finished tidying and turned around with arms crossed. "Are you guys staying here?"

Ted thought of the holidays spent in bed with his delightful new wife with no interruptions sounded perfect. "Yeah I guess we are."

"Cool. I'm off to bed. If you hear screaming its just the coyotes. Night." Ted stared after the kid, Why had he mentioned the coyotes. Ted hated those animals.

Sasha sprinted up the stairs to find Crews lying on the bed waiting for him, naked, already hard and stroking his cock. The t-shirt, jeans and sneakers were quickly shed and Sasha crawled up the bed to kiss his lover.

Ted woke to find Olivia already up. Ted entered the kitchen from the patio to the sound of Olivia's soft laughter. Crew's dressed for work drinking a thick fruit based smoothy.

"Ted. Have a smoothy. There's plenty in the blender. Sasha brought a blender. He does great shakes and smoothies. His fruit punch is the best. He bakes as well. There's blueberry muffins." Charlie said all this with that open beguiling smile in place. He looked happy.

"Sure Charlie. Any plans for the holidays?"

"Umm no plans. Working until the 28th, then I have four days off. You?"

Ted thought. "No plans. No plans at all. Maybe shopping today. It is the 23rd today."

"I have to go. Sasha and I have a date tonight. Don't wait up."

Reese looked at the restaurant as the valet took away her very average car. The line waiting outside was immense. Tidwell spoke first "Hey This place is fancy. Isn't it?"

"Yeah Fancy. Crews said Sasha knew a member of staff."

They were shown to a booth. Crews stood and pointed at the wall of glass and the great view of the marina. "Hey Reese, Captain. Look at all the boats. Isn't it great here. Number five works here. It is no. 5 isn't it?"

"Yeah Chico, foster kid no. 5 works here." said Sasha with a amused smirk on his face.

Reese sat and looked puzzled "Foster kid?"

"Yeah, we foster kids kind of give ourselves numbers. Ding Sanchez and Carlo Ruiz are my dads." Sasha then smiled and whispered, "Only us kids call Carlos mom. He doesn't like it, but he is mom."

A slow dawning of understanding crossed her face. Ding Sanchez had retired just after she left the Academy. "You're dating one of Sergeant Sanchez's kids. Which number are you?"

"Umm three, the crazy russian one."

"St. Saviours?"

"Yep. Good detecting work there. Bet you heard all the great stories of what little shits we, nos. 2 and 3, were. Angel's inside at the moment. Possession with the intent to supply. A complete frame up job. Angel would not dare to get mixed up with drugs. He's just a bookie, you know."

"Just a bookie." Reese said drily.

"He's gonna have a fit when I tell him I'm dating a cop. Crews is cool though. I guess you guys are cool as well. Is it true you're from New York, Captain? I like New York, its buzzing."

The waitress came over. "You guys, like wine?" queried Sasha.

Crews shook his head, but Reese stated "You guys drink I'll stick to water"

"Umm OK a bottle of Sancerre, and the Bourgone."

Tidwell looked at the menu. "This is french. Christ! fancy does not cover this."

"I taught Chico to speak french. He really milks it, here. His accent is OK, but he really needs to go to Paris. He'd nail his accent then." mused Sasha before explaining, "If the menu's a problem, tell me what you like and I'll order. Its standard food just with pretentious overtones. You know, steak, chicken umm pork. The chateaubriand is like pot roast for christ's sake."

"$120 for pot roast?" Tidwell choked.

"I'm paying" stated Crews. "Just order the pot roast, and fries."

Reese at the end of the meal felt like burping but this was not the type of place you could do that. It had been the best meal she had ever had. The seafood cocktail had been served in a coconut shell. Crews had started with melon and ham. Fillet steak pot roast was new one on her. The salad, the sides and the dessert were all fabulous and she felt like she'd put on at least ten pounds, but hey its christmas.

Sasha was talking in quiet spanish to his one time brother before they left. They had been so engrossed in the meal and Sasha talking of his family, time had passed in a blur.

Crews smiled as they all exited. "We must do this again. Double date. Maybe a ball game or hockey next time"

Tidwell smiled "My treat, we'll talk after the holidays. Meeting my new mom in law tomorrow. Wish me luck. Happy Holidays."

"You talk when your nervous." Crews said as he drove back home.

"Well Reese was not the most talkative person. You talk about fruit or zen when you're on edge and I could talk for months about all the shit I've got into since I came to LA. Tidwell has some cool stories. We should go to New York. I've never done the whole New York thing. Have you?" Sasha was practically lounging in the passenger seat, peasantly full and with a good wine buzz.

"No I've never been to New York. Never travelled really. I fancy Hawaii. Surfs good there. I like watching you surf. I could eat tropical fruit and watch you surf."

"Your nuts Detective. Maybe thats why I like you. "