Chapter 1

PRESENT DAY

Sharon looked back at her team as she climbed into the ambulance beside Andy. It was an all too familiar feeling. They had been here before, it was all happening again. She felt more prepared this time, knew what questions to expect, what answers to give. Her mind and heart were both racing. Thoughts and adrenaline coursing through her body. She was running down a mental list of possible reasons for his sudden collapse, the pain, the paleness, the sweating. Her brain kept coming back to heart attack. Every time she said "next", her brain would flip back to that - it was the most logical conclusion. The symptoms seemed to fit. Certainly that's what the team thought. Amy had given him aspirin. Tao grabbed the defibrillator from the hall. Howard told the paramedics it was a suspected heart attack. While Sharon had no knowledge of Assistant Chief Howard's own brush with a heart attack a few months earlier, Tao and Howard shared a knowing look of concern.

The paramedics closed the doors and the ambulance lurched forward with lights and sirens. Andy was still awake, which was a good sign. Sharon held his free hand while they worked on him, attaching the EKG pads, setting up an IV, and checking his blood pressure. She stroked his forehead as he winced from the pain. As the machines blipped and beeped she tried not to panic. Just stay focused on Andy she kept telling herself.

16 Weeks Earlier

As Sharon put the finishing touches on the paperwork to officially close their latest case, she couldn't help but think about how tragic the circumstances were, the family lost one child because they let go of another. She shook her head, fostering a child was certainly not without its challenges, but she had found the role to be quite fulfilling. Sharon could never imagine turning her back on Rusty the way the Pond family had turned their backs on Tucker. With a deep sigh she turned over the case file and placed it in the box of documents to be sent to Chief Taylor. She leaned back in her chair and drank the remaining tea from her cup, it was lukewarm, another sign it was time to call it a day.

She looked through her open blinds and saw everyone else had already left the murder room, except for the one light left on near her desk. She could see Andy and she felt her heart speed up. She was both excited and nervous about their upcoming conversation. Yes, They had been taking their relationship slowly, and though she had her trepidations, she also felt it was time to take on the next big step. Here goes nothing.

"Andy."

"All done?"

"Yes, I think it is time we call it a night."

Andy stood up and put his coat on, grabbed his gun, badge, and wallet from the desk drawer,

"After you," he said putting his arm out allowing her to walk in front of him. They would wait to hold hands or walk arm in arm until they were out of the building. It had been a challenge to maintain their physical distance at work, constantly remaining guarded for the good of the team and for their careers. While there wasn't a policy against dating in the workplace there was no need to draw further attention.

Andy turned to her and asked, "So where were you thinking about going for dinner tonight? Anything in particular sound good?"

"Well, I have been craving Thai, maybe we could go to Summer Buffalo off Melrose."

"Sure."

They drove in separate cars as they often did, even when spending the night together, in case they got a call out. While not environmentally friendly, an occupational necessity. Their jobs often required them to be at different locations at different times. They arrived in the parking garage and Andy walked Sharon to her car, as he often did, making sure she got in safely. Not that there should be any reason for concern at PAB, but in their line of work one could never be too cautious.

"All right I'll see you over there. Do you want to call and see if they can put our name on the list?"

"Fine." She said grinning, it had become their word, a bit of an inside joke that she could utter in public and no one else would think anything of it. She liked saying it because it would bring a small smile to his face.

"Okay, drive safe."

"You too." He gave her a peck on the cheek, closed her door and walked back to his car.

Both Sharon and Andy had plenty to think about during the twenty minute drive to Summer Buffalo, it was only 6 miles from the office, but in LA, miles meant nothing in relation to time.

Andy was surprised by Sharon's willingness to discuss moving in together, as he thought back on their earlier conversation.

Sharon moved closer to Andy trying to figure out where to start, the words came out faster than she expected, "I know it feels like it's been a long time coming, but before you um put a for sale sign on your house and move into some place in Silver Lake, maybe we should discuss uh alternatives."

"Well you'll get no argument from me on that."

"Okay."

"Is um, one of those alternatives moving in together right away?"

"Well why don't we discuss that over dinner? I mean I'm only asking you to wait another hour"

"But uh after we order?"

"Oh I think before."

He understood why Sharon wanted to move slowly, he really did, but at times it felt like they were moving slower than the rotation of Saturn around the sun. He knew that he would wait of course, he would always wait for her, she was worth it. But after years of putting his life on hold to repair things with his family and for himself, he was eager to move forward, eager to enjoy what happiness was left in his life. Neither had been looking for love or a relationship for that matter. Certainly they weren't looking for it with one another, it just happened. No, it didn't just happen it grew and evolved into something wonderful that took them both by surprise. He was the first to realize it, of course, he felt it change after Nicole's wedding. It took him a few weeks to sort out his feelings, and though he would never admit it Provenza had been right. They had been 'dating'' long before he finally asked her to Serve. In Andy's mind, the two of them had been together for over a year before their first date, another reason he was eager to move things along.

Andy turned on the baseball game as he drove to the restaurant, it had taken the place of alcohol in winding down from a rough day. Ah good ole Vin. The game will never be the same when he retires. The Dodgers were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Vin's voice came alive over the radio, "Well that closes out the fourth inning. The score remains 2-1 Arizona. Greinke will be back at the mound as we enter the fifth."

As a commercial came on he smiled, he knew Sharon would be fretting all the way to the restaurant. He loved how she turned things over in her mind. Watching her wheels turn was one of the sexiest things about her.

Meanwhile in full contrast, Sharon was listening to one of her favorite operas, Carmen, on her way to the restaurant. It was one of a handful of operas that she enjoyed with or without the singing, the music was so full of depth and passion. While many would laugh in disbelief, it was similar to who she was at home, arguably at work too. She was passionate about her job, about justice, but the passion in the opera goes beyond just the fire and will, it also goes beyond just the sensual into the depths of one's soul. The music matched the excitement she felt welling up inside and took her by surprise.

Sharon was so used to living alone, well-adapted to sleeping in the center of the bed. She never felt lonely. When she had the urge for male company she would seek out a companion. Someone outside law enforcement, usually a businessman in town for a conference or meetings. Unattached. Unaffiliated. It wasn't something she often needed in the twenty years she was separated from Jack. She had long become accustomed to taking care of herself and her needs, and while she missed having a real partner she knew how to live that life. Sharon didn't know how to live life after Andy. Opening herself up again to the potential for hurt and heartbreak was not an easy decision, and continued to be a challenge. She knew this dinner was necessary. She didn't want to lose Andy by pushing him away. He was so patient with her, so kind. It still often took her by surprise, after the years of being married to Jack she had forgotten what it was like to be with someone that gentle, someone that put her needs before their own. And that was many of the reasons why she loved him.

Wrapped up in the music and her thoughts, she almost passed the restaurant. A few minutes later Andy pulled into a spot next to her. She could hear him shouting at the radio, he must be listening to the Dodger game, she mused, her shoulders popping up as she gave a little chuckle.

The two climbed out of their cars and walked hand in hand, engaging in small talk along the way. Andy's mind was still on the game, "Greinke was pitching tonight. Score's 3-2 Arizona. He's hot tonight, it isn't looking great."

"Hmm," she knew better than to try and calm him when the Dodgers are down. He would let it go in a few minutes. At the very least it had kept him distracted from their pending conversation.

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm which she gladly took, now that they were back to being Sharon and Andy and not Captain and Lieutenant.

"I did call, it should just be a 10 minute wait for our table." Sharon checked in with the hostess and sat down in a chair next to Andy. He continued to lament about the ballgame while she listened, it was light conversation, a nice change from work and a pause from the upcoming serious conversation they were about to have.

"This way Mr and Mrs Flynn." They both turned and smiled, neglecting to correct the hostess. Sharon usually left Andy's name for reservations, which naturally lead to this situation happening often. Neither seemed to mind.

"Your server will be with you shortly."

Andy looked over at Sharon who seemed a little fidgety now that they were seated, she had said they would discuss things before ordering. He didn't want to come off as pushy, but he did want to know what she was thinking. Sharon took a deep breath and looked up at Andy. Just as she was about to start they were interrupted.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Two waters please." Andy responded for both of them. It was LA after all and with the drought you now had to ask for water.

"Anything else?"

"Not right now. I think we will need a little while to look over the menu." Andy said hoping she would get the hint and leave them be for a bit. She nodded and walked away. A few moments later she brought two waters and disappeared again.

"So?" Sharon began slowly, looking down at her hands anxiously.

"Alternatives?" Andy responded with a grin, he could tell she was nervous. She was cute when she was flustered by something.

"Yes. Well uh, I've been giving it a lot of thought and we have been together for awhile now, and you already spend a lot of time at my condo. If you are serious about wanting to sell your house and move closer to the city, it just seems silly to buy something that you won't spend a lot of time at." She paused, hoping that didn't come off too presumptuous.

Andy nodded, knowing her as well as he did he knew it was best not to interrupt, just let her get all her thoughts out before responding. She continued, "I enjoy having you around. I've gotten used to you sleeping in my bed and I miss you when you're away." She looked down, she knew Andy wouldn't use any of this against her, but it was still hard to show any vulnerability to someone.

He reached across the table and squeezed her hand, "I love it and miss being with you too." He punctuated it with another squeeze trying to provide her a little reassurance. He knew how badly Jack had hurt her in the past, and continues to, all he could do was show her he was different. Match his words and actions.

She smiled back, "so I guess what I'm trying to say is I would like it if you moved into the condo with me, um, as you sell your house." That little statement caused Andy to grin from ear to ear, waiting for her and moving at her pace may be frustrating at times, but well worth it in moments like this. "And I think maybe we should look for something, uh, bigger, together."

Andy was taken aback, he hadn't thought she was ready for that big of a step. It was one thing for him to move into her condo and another to blend finances and buy a house together. He knew she had spent years separating herself from Jack's financial mess, so this was huge.

"So, if I'm hearing you right," Andy paused, he had learned that providing a brief summary of their exchanges helped in moments like this, ensuring there was no misunderstandings later. "You would be okay with me selling my house, moving into your condo, all the while we start looking for a home to live in together?"

She nodded, "more than okay Andy, more than okay."

He squeezed her hand again. This was a monumental day. Being a Catholic himself, he knew she might have reservations about living together. At some point he knew they would need to have a conversation about annulment. She could never live like this forever, and the process could be lengthy and time consuming. They were months away from being ready for that level of commitment, but he wanted things to be in order when the moment did come. For now, though, it could all wait, his heart swelled, he was loved by the most beautiful and intelligent woman he had ever met.

"Well, I will start looking into realtors then, and see what needs to be done around the house before it is ready to sell. Sharon, are you sure this is what you want? You aren't doing this just for me?"

"No, Andy. I love you and I want you in my life, not just part time and not just at work. I want to have that level of intimacy with you where we cook together and fold laundry together…"

He cut her off, "and other more intimate things I hope." He chuckled and she blushed. She certainly wasn't the prude in the bedroom department that he half-expected from her reactions to cases they've worked, but she was easy to get flustered. He tried not to take advantage of that intel often, but he felt the need to lighten the mood.

"Yes, that too Andy."

Before he could respond the waitress returned for their orders. Thankfully, they both knew that they were going to get their 'usual' before they sat down, so they didn't need to send her away again to actually decide on dinner. Once she walked away, Andy realized that the elephant in the room, so to speak, hadn't been addressed.

"Have you spoken to Rusty about this? I mean I know he may have heard part of our conversation the other night, but…"

"He does. I told him that this is what I want and that is the natural next step in our relationship. He seemed okay with you moving in. In fact he said it already felt like you lived there." She let out a small chuckle, he had been there a lot since his medical crisis last fall.

"You are serious about this." He knew she would never broach the subject with Rusty if she didn't intend to move forward with this change.

"I am."

"Well then I propose a toast. Here is to the exciting next chapter in our lives together." They raised their water glasses, "Salud."

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AN: A big thank you to blacktag189 for serving as my beta.