Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Fandom: Life/The Departed
Character/Pairing:Dani Reese, Charlie Crews, Billy Costigan
Prompt:Inside.
For: revelininsanity


COMMON GROUND

There was a new transfer in the unit. One Billy Costigan, out of the Massachusetts State Police. Dani hated him on sight.

Of course, the first sight she had of him was leaning against Crews’ desk, stuffing a segment of orange into his mouth.

An orange that should have been hers. She squelched the feeling of jealousy.

Dani hung back, watching them with each other. Crews seemed more relaxed, beyond the Zen-ish guy that he pretended to be with her. And the strangest thing was that the hot-shit kid from Boston almost seemed in awe of Crews.

Dani moved to her desk and turned on her computer.

“When you wake up at night, does it still feel like you were back inside?” Crews asked Costigan.

“Not real often, but sometimes. I always worried that something would get fucked up and they’d toss me back in. I’d have rather they killed me than... you know.”

“Yeah.”

Crews looked at Costigan with understanding. Another flare of jealousy rose up in Dani. This was something that the two of them could share that she didn’t have a part of. Something that Crews needed that was out of the Dani Reese realm of experience.

Crews noticed her. “Billy, this is my partner, Dani Reese.”

Billy set the orange – her orange – down on the desk and extended a hand. “Billy Costigan,” he introduced as she shook his hand.

“Welcome to the department,” she said with a smile. “Crews, we’ve got that woman in Echo Park.”

“Well, I’ve gotta go,” stated Costigan.

“We’ll talk about the orange grove thing.”

“Sounds good.”

Dani’s eyes narrowed as she and Crews approached the elevator. “What orange grove thing?”

“He’s going to check out the orange grove.”

“Hmm.” Dani was irritated and a little ticked at herself because she was irritated.

“You can come too,” offered Crews as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.

“I’ve seen orange groves, Crews. Besides...” she began.

“You like persimmons better,” he said, pressing one into her hand.

She grinned up at him and as Charlie began his litany on the merits of oranges versus persimmons, she began once again to feel that all was right with the world.