Set after "One". I don't own anything. This has been sitting on my computer for a while so not sure if the quotes from episodes are correct, but you get the idea.

Crews doesn't talk about what happened in that SUV. He doesn't say why, after gone for those long minutes, he suddenly appears again in his orange grove, like a mirage to Dani as she drives up with Bodner.

There's a red mark that will blossom into a bruise on his face between his jaw and left cheek. That seems to be the only damage he's suffered, but there's so much he hides. So much he never reveals. The physical damage is the only way you can tell that something has happened to him, something big, something bad. That and his eyes, but only the most observant can see the pain in them. Dani can see it. She doesn't know the details of what has happened but she can see the depth of his pain.

There's an intensity to Crews that she likes and can identify with, but he also scares her sometimes. All of his emotions, not only anger, are fierce. There's almost a violence to his joy sometimes, the way his smile can be too wide and sharp and his eyes too bright. They joy she sees when she steps out of the car is not that kind. His smile is big but doesn't over power his face. His eyes squint in the brightness of the sun as they stare at her, but the look he has is happy relief.

She wants to run to him, hug him, cry all over his shirt while he holds her. She was fairly sure that one of them would not be coming out of this incident unscathed, but Crews surprised her again. She walks over to him while his face is still turned up to the sun, his eyes closed while he enjoys its warmth. It's such a 'Charlie' thing for him to do that it makes her eyes water but she stops the tears before they can flow. Later, she'll bawl in her shower, alone. When she reaches his side, she slips her hand into his and smiles as he twines his fingers with hers, finishing the touch that the Roman had denied them earlier.

"You all right?" Crews asked, looking down at her.

"Yes, you?" She asked, looking into his bright blue eyes.

He shrugged, "The day's had its ups and downs."

They take Dani to the hospital in an ambulance, which she insisted was not necessary. Tidwell was waiting for her when they arrived, pacing like a good mother hen and it made Dani sad because soon she was going to have to tell him that their relationship was over. It was too bad because she thought she really could have loved him. However, near death experiences had a way of bringing out the truth.

For the entire time that she was Roman's hostage, she was waiting for Crews to come for her, not Tidwell. It was Crews she wanted to see one last time before she was killed and it was Crews who had offered his life for hers. No one had ever done anything like that for her. No one ever cared that much.

"Has anyone ever loved you that much?"

Crews had made that statement during their first case together. A dog had taken a bullet and a finger of one of the men involved in the murder of a child, its master. It made her sad to think that a dog was able to love a human enough to die for them but few humans were able to do that for each other, even the ones they claimed to love.

"What was his plan getting in that SUV?"

"His plan was getting you out of that SUV."

Dani had barely slept sine she was release from the hospital and sent home a couple of days ago. All she could think about as she lay in bed was that damn dog and Crew's comment. The answer was no. No had ever loved her that much. Her mother was probably the only person who came close, but she loved Jack Reese more than anything. In their household, his needs and want came before anyone else's, even his child's. Her mother loved her unconditionally, but Jack came first. Always had and always would.

No. No one had ever loved her that much, before now.

Come on, Dani. He doesn't love you.

Yet she knew that wasn't quite true. He was a good partner, a good friend. He cared about her, trusted her, was loyal to her and protected her. That, to her, was love. The real question was, was Charlie Crews in love with her?

For that moment, before and after he left with Roman, she could have sworn he was. He looked at her like she was the only thing on earth that held any importance. His eyes had burned into hers. She hadn't seen him since he was taken away back to the station as she was taken to the hospital. Tidwell had later told her that Crews was suspended for a month without pay for "going rogue". Funny, the person that really saved her was the only one punished. She had thanked Tidwell for all he did, was able to due and then broke up with him. He took to graciously, which surprised her, but he had said that he saw it coming. She also had stopped at the station and thanked Seever and Stark, shocking him by giving him a hug. She still grinned when she pictured the look on his face and how red it had been when she let him go.

She thought about going to Crews' house to see him, but she still felt a little too raw and exposed for that, afraid he would give her one of his compassionate looks and she would break into tears again. So she stayed away, but she couldn't stop tossing and turning, driving herself crazy with unanswered questions.

"This is crazy. Just grow a pair already and go to him," she mumbled to herself.

Sighing, she got out of bed and turned on her bedside lamp. She quickly grabbed some sweats out of a drawer and put on the sneakers she had left on the floor earlier. She had a visit she needed to make.