This is an episode tag to Targets of Opportunity (4x07). It's actually a couple of ideas thrown together. We're going to assume that Rusty never comes clean to Sharon about his ILLEGAL actions in that episode. (Because that's another story.)

Also…Brothership. At least a little bit.

A Very Long Day

It wasn't much. Two sentences among thousands. In a book that he hadn't expected would mention this sort of thing. Anyone else would read the name and probably forget it two paragraphs later. His eyes were glued to the name, however. Normally, Rusty was of the opinion that if he wanted to read about murders, he could go look through the paperwork on Lt. Provenza's desk. But Taylor, whom he sat next to in his American History class, had recommended the author. Rusty said he'd give it a try. He'd gone to the bookstore a week later and found a book in the series that seemed less about murder and more about legal issues relating to the crime. The summary on the back cover gave no indication that dead sixteen-year-old male prostitutes named Rusty would be talked about.

It had been a shock to read his own name-a piece of his own life-like that. What were the chances that this author would pick the name Rusty for this character? It wasn't a common nickname to begin with. The combination of name and profession must have been even more unique. Add to it the age, and Rusty double checked the publication date to make sure it had been written when he was four.

Rusty's phone croaked. Like a frog. Because his big brother (he really did like calling the jerk that) thought it was amusing to hack into his phone and mess with the settings. Didn't he have anything better to do? Rusty sighed and picked up the phone.

Is Mom home? The text was simple, and Rusty's eyebrows drew together in confusion. Why would Ricky ask him that?

She was. Why?

Two cops were killed.

Rusty was in the process of explaining to Ricky that he was aware of that and why didn't Ricky just call Sharon when… Oh. Ricky knew Sharon wouldn't come home until it was over. He wasn't going to interrupt her. Because…cops. Murdered cops. Rusty didn't text back. With a few taps, he called his big brother while walking towards the door of his room.

Ricky picked up halfway through the second ring. Hello.

"Hey, hold on. I'm getting her for you, now." Rusty noticed the lights in the living room and kitchen were turned off when he stepped out of his room, and instead walked through the bathroom to her bedroom.

The news said they caught the guys, but not much else.

"Yeah. A couple of con artists who dress up like cops," Rusty replied and knocked on Sharon's door.

He heard Ricky mumble "bastards" at the same time he heard Sharon tell him to come in.

Sharon was reclined up in the middle of her bed and set her book aside as Rusty stepped inside.

"Yeah. I know," Rusty agreed with Ricky, coming closer to Sharon. "Here she is."

Sharon took the phone from his hand, with a curious look. "Hello?"

Rusty couldn't hear Ricky's reply but a smile spread over Sharon's face. Though she tended to always smile like that when Ricky or Emily called. "Ricky! It's so good to hear your voice! What are you up to, lately?"

A brief moment later and Sharon's smile faltered. Rusty figured that Ricky brought up the murders. Rusty looked at the floor. Why was this different than any other murder? Different than Alice. Different than two dead children left inside of suitcases. Those things were all horrible. Really. Really. Horrible. But this…this was like a weight in the pit of his stomach. Some of it was probably guilt by not helping out the way he should have. Guilt at letting Sharon and Lt. Provenza and Buzz and everyone else down by not doing everything he could to help catch the people who murdered two cops.

And they'd been so proud of him, too.

What if it had been Buzz? It really could have been. He was still a new reserve officer on patrol. What if Buzz had been shot and left lying on the street by two pathetic criminals? What if next time Buzz went on patrol he was shot? Or Sharon. She'd been in the field a lot on this case. A case with cop killers on the loose.

He'd rather go back to reading the book about his fictional doppelgänger lying dead and eviscerated in a state park than think about Sharon being shot. He started walking towards the door of Sharon's room, so she could talk to Ricky without him eavesdropping.

"Rusty," her voice stopped him, and though she immediately went back to the conversation with Ricky, she patted the bed next to her with a small smile. Rusty sat on the edge of the bed parallel with her hip but not touching her side. She rubbed her hand on his forearm once he settled, and it wasn't until she moved her hand that he realized how much he wanted to be near her. To know she was alive and not about to run out the door and chase cop killers.

"No, I never met them." Sharon's voice held a twinge of…regret? Maybe? At a missed opportunity? Rusty wasn't sure. "Now that I'm not in Internal Affairs I meet fewer officers."

Irony. Rusty thought. Now that officers didn't dislike her on sight because of her job she didn't meet as many.

The call lasted several more minutes, and Rusty wondered if the reason Ricky called was to reassure himself that their mother wasn't one of the officers that had been shot and left lying in the street.

Once Sharon ended the call, she handed the phone back to him. "Ricky called you?"

"Sort of. He texted to see if you were home. He didn't want to interrupt you if you were still working."

She smiled at him. "It has been a very long day."

"Yeah," Rusty agreed. He looked down at the soft comforter covering the bed to watch his thumb slide over a printed flower.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just…different. Than other murders, I mean."

Sharon nodded. "Yes, it is."

He began to fidget with the blanket. He didn't really want to leave Sharon, yet, but didn't know what else to say either. Luckily, Sharon could read his mind.

"Emily was five during the LA riots." When he first met her, Rusty wouldn't have believed she had a story telling voice. "The news was constantly talking about how dangerous it was for everyone including police officers. I don't know what exactly she heard or where she heard it, but one night she came into my room crying. She was afraid I'd be hurt at work. Or that I'd leave. It didn't help that she was still adjusting to Jack's leaving." Sharon paused, looking away. "I spent half the night explaining to her why I still had to go to work the next day, and why I couldn't promise her that I'd never be hurt."

Rusty didn't know what to say. He wanted a promise that Sharon would never be hurt, and he wasn't five. He wanted the same promise for everyone else in Major Crimes, too.

"With Ricky," Sharon continued on a minute later, "it was a little different. He was thirteen, and an IA officer had picked up some overtime by going on patrol. Ricky and Emily spent a fair amount of time at the station, too. While on patrol the officer interrupted a gang initiation, and was killed. Upon hearing that, Ricky looked up new jobs for me to apply to, and even had the partially filled out applications waiting for me when I got home a couple days later. It was actually harder explaining to him why I wouldn't be needing those applications than it had been explaining it to a five year old."

He was sure Sharon was telling him this because she wanted him to know he wouldn't be the first person who tried talking her out of her job. And Rusty knew WHY she wouldn't leave her job. And he knew WHY she couldn't make him a promise to never be hurt. That didn't stop him from wanting those things. He didn't want to talk about them anymore either.

"I was reading a book before Ricky called."

"What book?" Sharon didn't even blink as he switched subjects.

Rusty shrugged. "There's a character in it that's murdered. Not like a really important character. He gets mentioned in one line and probably forgotten about for the rest of the book."

Sharon tilted her head and waited for him to continue.

"He's a sixteen-year-old prostitute." Rusty returned to looking at the blanket. "Named Rusty."

He looked up at Sharon but couldn't decipher the look she was giving him. "His real name isn't Rusty. Only his street name." Rusty laughed, but it came out more like a choked chuckle. "What are the chances, huh?"

She tried to smile with him, but it was a smile that no matter how high the corners of her mouth went it would never reach her eyes.

"And I know what you're going to say. And what Doctor Joe would say. I've talk about it enough because of Alice. And I get it. I really do. I just…it's been a really long day."

He felt her shift on the bed and wasn't surprised when her hand found the top of his. It didn't stay there for long, though, because Rusty quickly moved his hand and leaned into her. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, and he said a silent prayer to anyone that would listen that Sharon would always come home from work.

Thoughts? I really hope this wasn't confusing with Rusty jumping topics around. Let me know! Also, what did you think of the awesomeness that was Targets of Opportunity?