Title: Blood Oath

Rating: PG-13 (some mild violence, a couple f-bombs)

Characters: Charlie Crews, Dani Reese, Karen Davis, a few OCs

Pairing: Pre-Crews/Reese

Summary: Crews and Reese pick up a case that’s personal for Dani and allows Charlie to learn a little about his partner’s childhood.

Spoilers/Time Period: Set some time in Season One after A Civil War but before Dig A Hole.

Disclaimer: Most of the characters (sans the Ayers) aren't mine, but the situation is.

Author’s Note: Sequel around the corner. Want to get it half done before I start posting any. If you’ve been lurking, hello! Please tell me what you think of the story as a finished product. It’ll definitely help move along the sequel process. Thanks for reading!

Epilogue

Charlie Crews looks up from his monotonous paperwork and feels a wide, genuine smile spread across his face at the sight that greets him.

“You guys are missing someone,” he notes.

“Not a word, Crews,” Dani Reese reprimands, trying to sound as gruff as her usual self. The grin that escapes her lips as she adjusts eight-month-old Daniel Winthrop Ayers on her hip belies her no-nonsense image.

“Little Danny,” Charlie addresses the blond baby. “What did you and Aunt Dani do with your mommy?”

Daniel gives him a gummy smile, one hand firmly latched in the neckline of Dani’s Henley.

“She’s parking the car,” Dani informs him dryly. She sits down, Little D still in her arms. Still trying hard to be nonchalant, Reese fails and fairly beams at the boy as he grabs for her face, his little legs bouncing on her thighs.

Charlie feels eyes on them, looks back behind Dani’s shoulder to notice Captain Tidwell watching them. He doesn’t alert Reese, because that would make her mad, and she’s too wrapped up in Little Danny to notice, even as the curious captain approaches them. Charlie turns his attention back to his partner, who seems to be talking softly to the infant in her lap, pointing out different objects on her desk.

“Who’s that?” she asks Daniel, just loud enough for Crews to hear it, pointing to the only picture that adorns her desk, tucked back by the computer. She’s using a normal voice, just a tad softer than her normal tone. Charlie’s seen Dani and Danny together a few times, and his partner has never once baby-talked to her godson. “Who’s that monkey?”

Daniel laughs.

“Yeah, that’s you. Your mom wanted me to put up the one of you and me from the baptism, but we were both in dresses.” Charlie grins. “Doesn’t seem right. I like that one more.”

Charlie knows the photo that Dani is referring to, one of Daniel at three months in a Police Academy onesie, on his belly, playing with Reese’s badge.

Tidwell has finally made his way over, so obviously intrigued by the sight of Dani Reese carrying a baby around as if it is an everyday occurrence.

“Hi, boss,” Charlie greets cheerily, not even having to fake it. The sight in front of him is more than enough to cheer him up for the day. His greeting, however, is more of a warning to Reese than actual excitement to see the relatively new captain. Tidwell’s fine usually, but Reese especially will not tolerate his frequent intrusions if they venture into the realm of Katie and Daniel Ayers.

Dani looks up quickly to see Tidwell approaching.

“What ya got there, Detective?”

“I believe that’s a baby, Captain,” Crews pipes up, unable to help himself. Dani shoots him an annoyed look, which Tidwell faintly echoes.

“Thanks for pointing that out, Crews. Whose baby is it? Neither of your personnel files said anything about…”

“You mean Little D’s not in our files?!” Charlie plays, directing his dramatics to the little boy, who smiles appreciatively. “I mean, Captain, he’s practically a part of the squad. We’re gonna get him on the firing range any day now.”

“You’ll do no such thing, Detective Crews,” Katie Ayers interjects, joining the growing party at Crews’s and Reese’s desks. “No matter what his godmama may think.”

“Godmother, huh?” Tidwell directs at Dani, who’s kept quiet so far by keeping her attention on Little Danny.

Dani shrugs, passing the infant off to his mother with practiced ease and an unconscious brush of her cheek against his downy head that betrays her familiarity with and affection for Little D.

“Captain Tidwell, this is Katie Ayers and her son Daniel,” Reese finally introduces. “They just gave me a ride back after lunch.”

Katie shakes the captain’s hand, though Tidwell is still passing confused looks around the group. Charlie sympathizes; someone with only a surface understanding of Dani Reese would find this whole scene hard to reconcile. As someone who likes to believe he knows her just a little better than the average person, it’s still pretty hard to believe until you see it.

“Oh, and Little Danny and I brought this for you, Detective Crews,” Katie grins, producing a plastic container from her large bag. “Aunt Dani said you liked papaya.”

“I do!” Charlie says, excited for Katie’s benefit, but still watching his partner and the captain watching his partner. “That was nice of you, Aunt Dani.”

“Don’t start, Crews,” Dani barks out.

“Oh, I get it,” Tidwell says. “Little D, Little Danny…” He looks to Reese. “Don’t they ever call you…?”

Charlie cuts him off by vigorously shaking his head. Katie lets out a laugh.

“No, Captain. We value our lives. Hey, Dani, do you want to give us that tour now? Unless your partner really needs you…”

Dani shoots Charlie a look that means he had better not need her. He nods encouragingly.

“Go take the tour, Mrs. Ayers. Are you taking Little D or do you want me to keep him?”

“Crews, this is a police precinct…”

“Station,” Crews and Reese correct in unison.

Tidwell shrugs. “Not a daycare.”

“We’ll take him with us, Crews,” Reese informs him, already out of her seat in an attempt to extricate herself from this situation.

“Okay, have fun!”

“It was nice to meet you, Captain,” Katie says over her shoulder as Dani all but pushes her away.

Tidwell turns to Crews and studies him for a few seconds.

“Mrs. Ayers and Detective Reese were childhood best friends. Reese saved their lives, about eight months back. You should read the file,”

With that, Charlie digs into the papaya Katie was kind enough to bring him. He really likes days when Katie and Daniel Ayers come to visit: Reese is always in a better mood, and he almost always gets unsolicited fruit.

“So she likes kids, huh?” Tidwell asks, trying to fish for information about Charlie’s partner.

Charlie clarifies after thinking on it for a moment: “She likes Little D.”

Tidwell looks confused again, following Dani and the Ayers with his eyes as they head towards the elevators.

“Don’t you have some paper work to be doing?” Tidwell then asks.

“Yep,” Charlie tells him as the captain wanders away.