Chapter Text
Shane had been so damn grateful when Bex asked him to drive her home that night.
He'd wanted to stay with her at the hospital, spend the night in one of those uncomfortable chairs so he just had to look at her every time the nightmares hit. But he'd been too unsteady to trust himself, his emotions raw enough they would have slipped right out of him. He might be brave (or stupid) enough to tell Bex how he felt about her on purpose, one of these days, but right now that was the last thing she needed.
Except... it turned out that he was something she needed. That would have been enough of a miracle, but then she kissed him and made the whole world into something brighter than he could have imagined.
And waking up the next morning with Bex in his arms... he wasn't nearly good enough with words to describe what that felt like. She leaned back against him as she slept, letting him keep her sling-wrapped arm steady, her free hand hooked firmly around his arm as if there was any possibility of him going anywhere. She'd even pushed one of her legs back so it tangled with his, like she wanted to be just as close to him as he wanted to be to her.
His heart felt like it barely fit in his chest as he pressed the softest of kisses against the crook of her neck, then tucked his nose into the same spot and let himself just breathe her in. He'd had girlfriends before, even thought he'd been on his way to falling in love once or twice, but what he felt for Bex blew everything else out of the water. This was the kind of love that changed you, that kept you going even in the middle of hell.
It was also the kind of love that left you both laughing but still incredibly turned on as you figured out how to get her shirt and bra off without hurting her injured arm.
He grinned at the memory as she shifted against him with the most delightful morning groan he had ever heard. She turned to look back at him with a soft, still-sleepy expression, slowly breaking into a smile that rivaled the sun itself. "Good morning, handsome," she murmured.
He smiled back at her, helpless to do anything else. "Good morning, beautiful," he murmured back, shifting enough that he wouldn't hurt her arm as he leaned down for a long, slow kiss. She moved to accommodate, hooking her free arm around his neck.
When they broke apart, she pulled him just a little bit closer. "Any plans for this morning?" she teased.
He grinned, leaning in for another kiss. "Oh, I've got a few id—"
They were cut off by the sound of Bex's phone ringing, both of them groaning as they pressed their foreheads together. "Maybe it's not work," Bex offered, more hopeful than convincing. "Sam might be calling me, or—"
Any further options were cut off by the sound of Shane's phone ringing, the two buzzing simultaneously like a pair of annoyed bee chaperones. They both sighed, reluctantly breaking apart as they moved to answer their respective phones. "Shane here."
"We don't have a case yet, but they want the entire team to come in," Jennifer said. "I think they're finally telling us who the new boss is."
Shane smiled a little. "I'll be in."
She paused, hearing something in his voice and thankfully interpreting only part of it. "You know something."
They did a little more back and forth as she tried and failed to get the news out of him, and by the time he hung up Bex had finished with her call as well. "Annoyingly, I'm pretty sure both our morning plans and a shower are going to have to wait," she sighed, dropping her phone on the side table as she narrowed her eyes at her sling. "Now come help me get my bra and a new shirt on over this stupid sling."
He grinned, loving her so much it hurt. "Whatever you say, boss."
She wrinkled her nose at him, eyes dancing. "I'm going to get you back for that."
His grin widened as he leaned over the bed to retrieve her bra. "I'm looking forward to it."
Once he helped her out, he headed outside to change into a spare t-shirt from the go bag he kept in the back. He dressed boringly enough that probably no one would notice if he wore the same clothes two days in a row, but with his luck Beaumont would make a note of it and somehow use it to screw them over later.
Besides, Bex probably didn't want word to get out about their relationship, at least not any time soon. He wasn't about to make things harder on her.
When he got back inside, Bex was making coffee. When she saw he'd changed, her eyes lit. "Good idea. I really don't want to give Beaumont personal information about us if we can help it."
Shane nodded as he got out the creamer and sugar. "That's what I was thinking. And even if he didn't pay attention, it'd be just our luck for Hassani to notice."
Bex went still. "You don't want Hassani to know about us?"
The sudden uncertainty in her voice threw Shane for a loop. "I don't want to make things any harder for you."
His chest tightened as her whole body settled in relief. "I'm not hiding you, Shane. Not from the people who matter." She stopped, smiling a little as a thought struck her. "I'll tell Sam as soon as we have a quiet moment." Her smile widened. "She'll adore you."
Shane's throat closed up. He'd never dated a single mom before, but even he knew how important meeting the kid was. Bex had talked enough about her adopted daughter for him to know they were close, and the idea that she wanted Sam to know about him was so incredibly important. "You really think so?"
"I really do." She pressed a kiss against his cheek. "She has good taste, and you're very easy to adore."
If little pink hearts had been floating around his head, Shane wouldn't have been at all surprised. "Me? That sounds more like you." He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. "I wish my parents, my real ones, could have met you. They would have loved you."
His voice cracked on the word, wanting so much to say it in the context he really meant it. But he'd already gotten so much, they'd already said so much, that it felt impossibly greedy to try and push this further this early. He'd already gotten so much of a miracle.
In his heart, though, he wished he could have introduced his mom to the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
Bex, recognizing his grief but thankfully missing the nuances, caressed her thumb along his cheek. "I would have loved them, too," she said softly. "Anyone who made you the man you are had to be pretty great."
He had to kiss her for that, long and deep and full of everything he didn't dare say yet. She kissed him back just as deeply, holding on tight, and when they broke apart she pulled him down into a hug and didn't let go.
Shane didn't either, pressing his face against her hair. He didn't know how people felt this much and still managed to go through an average work day, but he was going to have to learn. "I'm going to make you late for your big promotion announcement," he managed.
He felt her smile. "Just drive fast. We'll be fine."