Title: Mango
Rating: PG-13 (some violence, angst, a couple f-bombs)
Characters: Charlie Crews, Dani Reese, Kevin Tidwell, Ted Earley, a few OCs
Pairing: Crews/Reese
Summary: Crews and Reese, five years post-series. Life is changing.
Spoilers/Time Period: Set five years after One. (August-November 2014)
Disclaimer: Most of the characters (sans the Ayers) aren't mine, but the situation is.
Author's Note: Right, so... Sorry. I've been... distracted. But I have huge chunks of this sitting on my hard drive, and that's not fair to y'all, since they're the important parts. So I've compressed a little, and hopefully it's not too disjointed. There's definitely a chapter or two left, so I hope you're all still along for the ride, and I'm really sorry it's a bit of an abridged one.
Chapter Ten: Not Yet
"Hey, kiddo! I heard the good news."
Crews's jaw tightens instinctually at the voice, turning around to see the devil he once made a deal with.
"We're done, Rayborn. And we had an agreement."
"What? I can't be excited? You're gonna be a father, kid. Little girl, I hear. Hope she'll be pretty like her mama. If only Jack could see you now," Rayborn smiles smarmily, flanked by two giant bodyguards, dressed in a pressed suit. He's still Mickey, just a little frailer. Unfortunately, he was never dying from any sort of cancer.
Crews attempts to keep walking.
"Don't be rude, Charlie. I heard you inherited a son, too. Poor Katie."
Charlie pauses and gives him a sharp look.
"Hey, I knew Kathryn and Jacob Conroy long before you did, back when they were little kids hanging around the Reese house with your young wife. Is it true Jake killed his own sister?"
"Walk away, Mickey," Charlie smiles too brightly. "Remember, I can turn in the evidence I have on you at any time."
"I'm just congratulating my best friend's son-in-law," Mickey defends, hands lazily in his pockets. The hot L.A. sun beats down on his dark suit, catching on his sunglasses.
Charlie's never felt more suffocated on a crowded street in his life.
"You come close to my kids, Rayborn, and the authorities will be the last of your worries."
"Funny, that's just what the missus said."
Crews snaps, grabbing the old man's shirt. "Stay away from my wife."
"Dani's a big girl, kiddo," he coughs. "She can stick up for herself against her Uncle Mickey."
People have started to stare, and Rayborn's bodyguards are getting antsy. Charlie desperately wants to be home. He reluctantly releases Rayborn.
"Our deal stands, Crews. But Jack Reese is going to be a grandfather, and he's not even around to see it. The old softie in me feels like I should take on his role. I won't touch your kids, kiddo. That's sacred. They will be as my own. I put the word on the street. If anything happens to them, you can hold me responsible."
It's an attractive offer, but Crews knows there will be a steep price later down the line.
"Did you tell Dani that?"
"Something to that effect."
Charlie nods curtly.
"Goodbye, Rayborn."
"'Bye, kiddo."
"He got to you too?" Dani says by way of greeting, picking up on the second ring.
"A little warning would've been nice, Dani," Charlie complains into his cell phone.
"Hey, you didn't answer your phone," she retorts, obviously annoyed with his tone. "And then things got crazy here. Winn and Singh busted up a crack house by accident."
"By..." No, he's not going there. There are more pressing concerns. "You're not upset about Rayborn?"
"Crews. Of course I'm upset, but what can we do about it?"
"And when he wants something in return?"
"We can't make him take it back; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Charlie blows a frustrated breath into the phone, noting with some amusement that Dani is being the more Zen one at the moment.
"Oh, hey," she continues, obviously a little distracted. The bustle of the squad room reaches him across the cell line. "The school called. We have an appointment for Friday. They want us to bring D."
"Okay. How are you feeling? Are you keeping off your feet?"
"Yes, Charlie," she sighs. She's only six-and-a-half months along, but Charlie's hovering has gotten even worse. "Stark, tell him I'm sitting down."
"The Sarge is sitting down, but not happy about it, Charlie," Stark's tinny voice assures him.
"Good. Thank you. I'm coming back to the station. See you soon."
"Mr. Crews, it's so nice to meet you. Will Mrs. Crews be joining us?" Daniel's perky future second grade teacher greets him warmly.
"She's stuck in traffic with Daniel and her mother, so she said to get started without her, Ms. Kong."
"Okay, great. Principal Novak mentioned that Daniel is a bit of a special case. Want to catch me up on the details?" she asks as she offers him a seat.
"Well, my wife and I are D's godparents. His mom died almost fourth months ago in a car accident, and his dad committed suicide. We decided a fresh start at a new school would do him some good."
"Yes, of course. I'm so sorry for your loss."
Charlie nods his gratitude.
"He sees a psychologist on a regular basis and seems to be adjusting pretty well. He has some anxieties about some things. He'll be okay to talk about his mom usually, but he'll shut down completely if you even mention dads. He was in the house when his father shot himself. So loud, sharp noises really bother him. Oh, and my mother-in-law is teaching him Farsi, which he loves to show off, but when he gets in a stubborn mood he will only speak Farsi. I think that about covers it. I know it's a long list."
"Not much worse than kids who haven't been through that kind of trauma, Mr. Crews," she reassures him. "I see Daniel won't be seven until November. That makes him very young for second grade."
"It does. He's very smart, though. His parents started him in kindergarten when he was four. I'm not sure what the circumstances were that lead the that decision; Dani would know more. But his other school said he does just fine."
"That all sounds good. I can't wait to meet both him and your wife."
"Oh, and one more thing... Don't call her Mrs. Crews."
Come November, things have settled back into a steady routine, but with Daniel's seventh birthday on the fifteenth and Dani's due date not long after, life in the Crews household is about to be flipped upside down. The first hurdle is Jake Conroy's sentencing. He was found guilty on all charges without their involvement, but the DA's office really wants D on the stand for sentencing, and asked Constance Griffiths to do some good old-fashioned begging to get it done. Standing in her office, Charlie can only tell that it is not going well.
"Charlie, please."
Dani's eyes narrow at the ADA's personal tone, and she looks to her husband to back her up about this.
"No, Connie. I have to agree with Reese on this one. He's not ready. Even his shrink says he's not ready."
"But having him there will be a major boon at the sentencing hearing. You want Jake to have the steepest penalty possible, right?"
"Of course we do," Reese speaks up, arms crossed above her heavily pregnant stomach. "But not at D's expense."
Charlie can feel the room getting tenser as the two women square off, and he's magically saved by his phone.
"Crews."
"D," the little voice on the other end mimics, complete with a giggle.
"Hey, you. What's up?" he excuses himself briefly to the other side of the door, hoping Connie and Dani won't murder each other while he's gone.
"Maaman-bee and I just bought Mango a dollhouse."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. But we have a question for Aunt Dani. Can we talk to her?"
"Yeah, I'll grab her. Everything okay?"
"Mhmm."
"Promise?"
"Pinky swear."
"Munchkin's on the phone for you," Charlie tells Dani as he passes her the phone and switches places with her.
She makes a face and tilts her head, questioning. Charlie shrugs.
"Might be about a dollhouse."
"A dollhouse?"
Charlie shrugs again.
"Okay. Excuse me, please."
Once they're alone in the room, Connie turns sad eyes to him.
"You can't change her mind?"
Charlie smiles widely, easily. "Not even when I want to."
"How far along is she?"
"Due in three weeks. Right around D's birthday, actually."
"Girl or boy?"
Charlie recognizes the almost masochistic nature of Connie's questions and tries to tone down his smile.
"A little girl," he answers softly.
"Are you ready?"
"No, but I will be, when it's time."
"I'm happy for you, Charlie. And as a person, I totally understand your decision about Daniel. As a prosecutor…"
"I know. I'll come and testify on D and Reese's behalf, okay? And I'll talk to the Ayers. Maybe they'll come out."
"Any little bit will help. It's an unusual conviction, first degree vehicular homicide, for a non-driver in a one car accident. The judge will need convincing to hand down the full penalty."
"Tell ADA Solis I'll be there, but the stress is too much for Reese and Daniel."
"Thank you, Charlie."
"The least I can do, given what you've done for me."
"I don't like it."
"One of us has to go."
"I know; I still don't like it."
Charlie leans over and kisses her temple.
"And I wanna drive."
"Dani, you don't fit behind the wheel."
She scowls at him.
"You're very pouty today. What else do you want to whine about?"
"The way ADA Griffiths was looking at you."
"Reese, are you jealous of ADA Griffiths?" he teases, hoping to bring a smile to her face.
"No."
"Good. You shouldn't be. I know you'd shoot me if I ever strayed," he grins, starting the car and waiting for her dry, witty reply.
"Great, fidelity through fear. What every girl wants to hear," she snarks.
He passes a sidelong glance and an open smile. "You know I love no one but you."
He watches out of the corner of her eye as her stern face slips, and she hides a smile behind her hand.
"And the only thing that has to do with your prowess with a firearm is that it's very sexy."
"Thanks, Crews," she says, saying his last name with more affection than any pet name could express. "And, if I was, maybe, a little jealous, hypothetically, of a beautiful, thin, nonpregnant woman who saved your life, I'm blaming Mango."
"Aw, Mango, are you jealous of ADA Griffiths?"
Despite the fact that he is driving, she punches him in the arm.
He laughs and searches out her fist with his free hand, bringing it to his lips.
"Number 1: Connie is pretty, but she's nothing compared to you. #2 and #3: She's thin because she's not pregnant with a tiny little Crews, which is the most amazing and beautiful thing I've ever seen. #4: I cannot argue with the fact that she is a woman."
Dani snorts.
"Number 5…" Now his voice loses its playful edge. "Number 5: you've saved my life more times and in more ways that I can even count. Connie may have gotten me out of prison, but Dani, you've given me a life back, some thing and someone…s to live for. You, D, Mango, that dog I'm soon going to talk you into, you're my life, and I wouldn't have any of it without you."
She closes her eyes against the tears and smiles. Damn, that man talks too much.
"You've proved your case, Detective."
"Thanks, Sarge. I learned from the best."
"Did the judge come to a decision?" Dani asks cautiously as Charlie locks gun and badge into the drawer.
D and Maaman-bee are building Legos in the living room, out of earshot, as Dani prepares a dinner of pasta and meatballs.
Charlie looks troubled but nods.
"And?"
"Fifteen. Up for parole at eight."
She curses under breath. "I know that's good, given the charges, but I was really hoping for more."
"Me too."
Charlie comes up behind her, hands sliding around her stomach, kiss dropped into her neck.
"You okay?"
"I don't like seeing him. Or court rooms. They make it hard to stay present."
"I know. I'm sorry you had to do it alone."
"Sergeant Ayers came."
"How was he?"
"Sad. I said I would bring D over tomorrow."
"Take Mom with you. She mentioned wanting to see Fitz and Tess the other day."
"Are you trying to get the house all to yourself?"
She hums a little laugh. "No. I'll probably just be napping, anyway."
"Speaking of, you shouldn't be on your feet."
"Charlie, I can stir the marinara sauce and frozen meatballs, it's okay."
He grins and continues to hold her close, letting go of all of the bad memories today brought back.
"Oh, hello," he laughs suddenly. "Dani, your daughter is kicking me again."
"Mango, don't kick Daddy. Oof. Or Mama's bladder.
"I think she's ready to come out."
"Not yet."
tbc