A Fine Frenzy- Near to You (Life)

Dani Reese recalled hearing a line in a movie once that went "My partner stopped to help a damsel in distress. He's got his priorities all screwed up." She had been both amused and annoyed by the line. Yeah, cops were supposed to help those in distress, but the damsel thing was so over done. And then there was the one partner not understanding the motivations of the other.

It wasn't until she became a cop that she discovered how easy it was to have no idea what was going on in the head of the person you spent the majority of your life with. She never found that special bond with a partner that they talk about, that lay your life down for each other type of partnership. Then she went under cover…got hooked on drugs…got clean, but now she was tainted. No cop wanted to be her partner.

Then came Charlie Crews. God, that was like a kick in the gut, being partnered with the ex-con. But little by little, they fell into sync. She wasn't sure when it happened, but he became the partner she always wanted. Life was good. She even had a relationship that wasn't completely self destructive, and though Tidwell did care for her, she knew it wasn't going to last forever. But she was happy.

The whole thing with getting kidnapped by Roman and his thugs made certain things clear in her mind. The whole time she was there, she knew, knew Charlie would come for her. She knew he would not be arriving as a representative of the LAPD. And she knew he would get her out of there safely.

What she didn't know was that he was going to trade himself for her. They passed each other, fingers barely brushing, trading places and her heart ached. He never broke eye contact as the Russians frisked him, tossing his badge, cuffs and phone to the dirt. She was certain he kept watching her, even through the tinted SUV window as they drove away and she was informed that he had no plan beyond getting her out of the SUV.

Silently, she gathered his things from the dirt before slipping into the mini van. Minutes later, they came upon crews, whole and healthy, basking in the warm sun of his orange grove.

She'd never been so glad to see anyone in her entire life. Again their eyes met and she clambered out of the van, meeting him halfway. Dani had never really been one for hugs, but she went into his open arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Her hands found purchase in the expensive suit jacket and her cheek rested on the starched material of his shirt. She heard his heartbeat, felt his arms tighten around her, engulfing her in the scent of citrus that always seemed to linger around him. He was here, he was safe. She was here, she was safe. That was all that mattered.

One of Charlie's slim, long fingered hand slid up into her hair to cradle her head and he asked, "Dani, you okay?"

Standing there, in the middle of a sunny orange grove, safely held in the arms of the one man who really got her, she found that for the first time in a long time she could answer honestly. "Yeah, Charlie," she breathed into his chest, "I'm good."