The End

Dani was a typical tidy person. One of those people who can't stand a mess, whose desk at work is particularly tidy, whose bed is always made, whose house is clean, and whose refrigerator is always emptied for expired food and too many leftovers. She had grown up with a mother who told her to clean up her mess, and she had gotten used to it, and therefore followed those rules even after she left home.

She was also a very practical person – if there was something she couldn't quite figure out she would always do something else to clear it up. Like when she hadn't been able to figure out her feelings for Charlie, she had sat down and made a list about it; it was much easier for her to figure out her own thoughts and feelings like that, much, much easier.

One would think that typical tidy and practical went well together, right? Yes, yes indeed, one would be entitled to think so, but… considering Dani Reese? Nah, it wasn't a very good combination. See, usually it would be, but after Charlie Crews got into her life, all had seemed to go wrong for her. She had made the list, which had seemed like a wonderful idea at the beginning, it helped her clear her head. It had started out well then, but because she was such a tidy person, she had no place to place said list, and therefore ended with putting it in her purse.

She thought it was smart because she would always have it with her in case she needed it, and it wouldn't lie around at home and be a bother to her.

Ah… she was wrong.

Because Charlie Crews just so happened to be a very sneaky, curious, looking-into-other-people's-purse kinda person, and therefore Dani was in a very awkward position with him right this second; she stood there, mouth agape, with Charlie in front of her, holding the now very discussed list.

His eyes seemed to curiously scan the piece of paper with Dani's curly penmanship across it, and they read each line slowly, while Dani, as much as she hated it, felt tears come to her eyes; out of pain, hurt, anger, fear – frustration. You name it, Dani felt it. And it made her want to kill herself because Charlie was never meant to find that list, to ever see what she had written about him.

It was embarrassing, and she didn't do embarrassment.

As Charlie looked up to meet her eyes, Dani took a step forward and reached for the list; she had to grab it, didn't she? She had to take it from him before he really had a chance to let it sink in, she had to take the list and run for her life. But unfortunately for her Charlie was a very brilliant policeman, and therefore his actions were fast as hers, and he held the list out of her reach before she even got close enough to touch him.

Normally Dani would whine and force the list out of his hands because she was a brilliant police officer as well, and he would look at her with a sneaky yet teasing smile, but today was no such thing as 'normal'. Dani didn't force the list out of his grip because she simply didn't have the strength, and Charlie's look was far from sneaky or teasing. He looked genially surprised and moved, and Dani just wished that she knew what he was thinking.

She let her out-stretched arm fall to hang limply by her side as she dared to lock eyes with him, "Say something…" she said, fear crawling beneath her skin, because she didn't want to lose him, even if he said he didn't feel the same, "Crews, just say something."

Charlie let his arm fall too, and he held the paper up, quickly scanning the list again, his eyes moving faster this time as he read every word again. She could see a twitch near his mouth and she wondered what it meant, but before she got to answer, he opened his mouth and said, "You made a list of all the things that are wrong with me?"

It wasn't exactly the thing Dani had expected him to say, but she decided to go with it. She stuck her hands into her pockets just to have something to do with them and said, "Yeah… I find a lot of things wrong with you, Crews."

Charlie nodded slowly, "I can agree with number one and seven, but what's up with number three? I do not say humiliating things – I say the truth."

Dani raised an eyebrow.

"I do!" he objected.

"Which oftentimes is very humiliating." Dani elaborated. She knew that he would eventually comment on number ten, but she decided to let him keep the pace; it was much easier.

Charlie's forehead made those cute wrinkles again as he thought, "But Reese… What's up with number ten? That one is quite wrong, I believe."

Dani tore the paper out of his hands even if she wouldn't have had to use her strength because he let it go without a fight, "It is? Really? And how do you know that?" she mocked him, brown eyes moving furiously across his face, "You don't know how I feel, Crews."

Charlie seemed to think about that for a second before he shortly answered, "No."

Dani squeezed the Goddamned list between her fingers, "No you don't." she paused and heard herself swallow loudly, "And that's why you should just stay out of it."

Charlie fidgeted with something in his pockets before he looked up at her, "But what way is it that you love me? And more importantly – and in what way did you wish that I love you?"

Dani could have killed him with her bare hands. He was so annoying – was he really going to let her say this all over, to humiliate herself that way? She was sure he enjoyed it on some level because he seemed to do it all the time, it was infuriating, "I think you know that, Charlie." She got out, using his first name for the first time in a very long while.

There was an awkward silence between them where Dani felt herself breathe and breathe and Charlie looked into the floor like a shy little boy. Dani was slowly beginning to wonder where she should apply for a new job when he looked up at her again, a shy smile playing across his lips. He took a step closer and she felt the butterflies start in her stomach, even if she didn't want to get her hopes up. "Is it…" he paused, right in front of her, his breath tickling her cheeks and her lips, "Is it… this way?"

And before she knew what had happened, he had placed his lips on hers and given her a slow and very light kiss. It didn't last long, mostly because his intend didn't seem to be so, but also because Dani pushed him off after mere seconds.

"What the fuck are you doing, Crews!?" she shrieked.

He took a step back, "Ah, so we're back at 'Crews'?" he mumbled.

"You're damn right we're back at Crews." Dani spat and shook her head at him, "Why the crap did you kiss me?"

Charlie smiled warmly at her, "Because I think you might want to change number ten… unless you think it's really wrong for me to love you the way you want me to."

Dani cocked an eyebrow, "How do I want you to love me?"

Charlie took a small step in her direction and reached for her hand, gently, "You want me to want to wake up next to you in the mornings, to fight with you for the interesting parts of the paper… you want to see familiar rings on our fingers and you want those beautiful kids running across the living room playing cops."

Dani could feel her heart as it started to beat faster, and she couldn't hide her smile as she looked up at him, almost floating off in a boat of happiness, "Oh… so that's how I want you to love me?"

"Yes." Charlie firmly said, knowing that he had figured her out completely.

Dani's finger had for some reason started drawing circles on top of Charlie's hand, "I better change that number ten, then…" she whispered.

Charlie nodded, "Yeah, you better." He said.

"Mhm."

"Can I kiss you for real now then?"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Stop, wait a minute."

"Wait a minute?"

"You just did it. Twice."

"Did what?"

"Repeated what I said… That's wrong thing number one, I believe."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, it's the most annoying thing since it's number one, can't you see?"

"It's number one?"

"I said that."

"Yes."

"So do you think that maybe you could stop that because I actually hate it when people does that. It seems so stupid to repeat something when it's already been made pretty clear in the first place that-"

"Dani?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and let me kiss you."

"Okay."

Hi everyone. I'm so sorry about the slight delay. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I should have written a chapter for my other story, but since this was the last chapter, I decided to just write it so this story would be finished for good. I really hope you liked the ending, I tried to write it as I imagined they'd be like even if it is pretty hard to imagine.

Thank you so much for the many great reviews, I've loved writing this. Please drop off another one?

Disclaimer; I don't own Life.