A/N I was bored one day and stuck to bed so my mind started to play with characters of fictions and this came out. It was a nice variation of the series and the dynamics of the ship and I wanted to see where my thoughts would end up going to.

A big Thank You to narcissanerea and kate04us for the picky beta and putting up with the mess in my mind.

Disclaimer: not my characters, not my series (I wish!), just my funny thoughts.

Friday night, 8.15 pm

Sitting on a red stool at the bar, Sharon Raydor was making a mental list of all the reasons why she had to kill her daughter. Not only had she signed her up on a dating site, but she also had arranged a blind date with a man of her choice, of whom Sharon hadn't even seen a photo.

The place was noisy. A woman was screaming at the hostess that her babysitter was going to be off in two hours and she must return home by then. There had been a few delays in the reservations because of the bad weather and the high traffic. Despite the drone of voices surrounding her, Sharon was sitting in silence, her eyes wandering around the place. She was happy her date hadn't picked a very romantic place, the kind where candles were everywhere, soft lighting, and men with violins playing at tables. It was a rather nice looking place, a perfect mix of minimalistic style with small accents of red to brighten the atmosphere. She wasn't familiar with the place; it had to be a new one, but she was fascinated by her date's choice.

Sipping her white wine, she checked her watch. He was late. Another reason why she had to kill her daughter. She was sitting alone at a restaurant bar, waiting for a man she didn't know and who was late. All things that Sharon did not like at all.

The front door opened again, and she was hoping it was him, but yet again it wasn't. Her date, Emily told her, would wear a blue handkerchief in his jacket pocket, so she would recognize him. Blue handkerchief, she thought, I know someone who was wearing one this morning.

After checking her watch repeatedly, two glasses of wine and impatiently looking at everyone that walked through the door, there had still been no sign of her date. Sharon decided it was time to leave. Walking to the door, she was distracted by trying to retrieve her car keys from her purse and she didn't see someone walking up to the front of the restaurant. When the door opened, she jumped, bumping into someone. "Excuse me," a male voice apologized as they collided, "Captain?". Lieutenant Andy Flynn was standing by the door, wet and charming. She took a quick glance at his jacket where she spotted a blue handkerchief peeking out of his pocket. Sharon couldn't believe it. Her daughter could not have set her up a date with Lieutenant Andy Flynn.

"Lieutenant, good evening. You look… wet?" she replied surprised.

"It's raining like hell outside. You leaving? You might want to wait. It's a nightmare out there." He was holding the door open for her. Sharon looked outside and decided he was right. It was better to stay inside.

"Yes. I see. Well, I'll go back to my place at the bar then. Have a nice evening, Lieutenant!" She was quite sure now that Emily had set up the that date on purpose, but she wasn't sure why. A thing she would have to figure out at home later, but she did not intent to spend her evening with Lieutenant 'One Night Stand' Andy Flynn. He had quite a reputation with women.

"You're here alone?" he asked but didn't even wait for a reply. "I am on a blind date. I am not sure why I accepted, but I thought it would be a fun idea. I think she's late, but then so am I!" Flynn had a quick look around the room to search for his date. Sharon was wondering what Emily could possibly have shown him to convince him of going for that date. Maybe she had used a fake photo, or put fake information on the dating site profile. She couldn't believe that, knowing it was her, he would have accepted. "You mind if I join you while I wait?" he asked.

"Sure," Sharon agreed as they sat at the bar "One glass of white please. And for you?" she asked.

"Cranberry juice with soda, please," he replied. "So, what brings Captain Sharon Raydor here on a Friday night?" Andy was willing to make some small talk. He seemed so different from the man he had been in the morning, when he had been venting at her to let out his frustration about the case he had been working on.

"I was…" Sharon wasn't sure if she should mention the date. "I just wanted to have a drink and this seemed like a nice place," she decided a white lie wouldn't hurt.

Andy looked at her, "You dressed up to go out alone?"

"Sometimes a woman likes to do that, yes. Sometimes we enjoy dressing up for ourselves. There's nothing wrong with that, Lieutenant!" Sharon replied quickly, her tone serious.

"Easy, easy. Don't kill me, yet. Let me have a sip of my drink first, okay?" He sipped from his glass. "I was just noticing that you look really great. I like this more than the work outfits," he said, complimenting her outfit.

Sharon wasn't sure if she should thank him or slap him for checking her out. "Thank you, I guess…" She nervously sipped from her glass to mask her embarrassment.

After another twenty minutes had passed, Flynn looked at his watch and said "Well, I suppose my date decided I'm not worth it but I'm hungry. Care to join me for dinner or have you already eaten?" He slid off the very high bar stool and gave her a nice smile. So it's actually happening, she thought.

She knew he was her date, but he didn't know she was his, and yet they ended up having dinner together. Sharon immediately thought about any excuse she could give to get out of having dinner with him, but not a single believable one was coming to her mind. "Yes, thank you!" She took his hand to let him help her climb off the stool and followed him to the entrance to ask for the table. Flynn for two, she heard him say. They were escorted to another section of the restaurant that was more secluded. There were only 5 tables and all were separated from each other. Very intimate. Sharon ran through her list of reasons for killing her daughter again and added intimate dinner with Flynn to it. He had thought of everything. The table was set up already with a beautiful red rose in the center with lit candles and it was far enough from the other tables to give them their privacy. It was very romantic and it was very wrong, because he was Andy Flynn. In Sharon's head there were two voices talking: one was screaming to run away and the other was telling her to stay and see what happens because it could be amusing. For the moment, she decided to follow the second voice and went to sit down. He was moving the chair for her. When he sat down in his chair and smiled at her, she thought it would have been better to follow the advice of the first voice.

"It's a very nice place. Very intimate," she pointed out.

"Yes. Well, for my date I had planned to be alone so I could get to know her better. So now, you have the honor of getting to know me better. I'm sorry!" he joked.

"Well, as long as you don't try to kiss me, I guess we're fine!" She tried to joke but it came out awkwardly. "I mean… umm.. we're not on a date, okay?" she tried to clarify.

"I would never assume that, Captain. I might risk another complaint in my file if I did anything wrong with you. And my jacket is already big enough. It must be tiring for you to carry it here and there every single time I screw up. I apologize for that." At least at this Andy Flynn was really good. He could ease the tension and turn it into something to laugh about very easily. "Have you ever been here? I heard they do a fillet of sole in a special sauce with lemon and asparagus," he said looking at the menu "It sounds exquisite!" he finished.

"I wouldn't have taken you for such an expert on exquisite fish dishes," she playfully mocked him.

"I am not, but I'm with a beautiful lady. I need to show some manners," he winked at her. Sharon smiled and blushed. He was joking, she knew that, but nonetheless he complimented her.

"What about something simpler like," she read through the list. "Burgers?". In all honesty, Sharon didn't much enjoy fish herself. She wasn't a great fan of meat either, but she preferred it to fish. Although, the idea of seeing Flynn eat an exquisite fillet of sole amused her very much.

"Alright, I'm in for burgers, if they are served on a plate, but nothing too messy. I'm well dressed and I got a manicure. I don't want to ruin it!" He was joking and extremely pleasant for Sharon tonight.

After ordering more juice and wine and waiting for their food to arrive, Flynn kept up the small talk with Sharon, making her laugh more than once and enjoying it. "I have to admit that this is weird and pleasant at the same time. You're nothing like the woman I met this morning at work. Better dressed and better at conversation," he told her.

"Well, on the being better dressed we might disagree because I was equally well dressed this morning, but I suppose that as a man you are appreciating me showing a little bit more skin, than with dress pants and blazers," she pointed out.

"Yes, and as a man I thank you for that!" he continued joking.

"And regarding the conversation too. Well, you're making it easy, I have to admit. It's easier to talk to you when you're not yelling at me because I'm blocking your virility with my orders," she remarked with a satisfied tone.

"That hurts," he pretended to be upset. "But it's also true, I'm a bad guy and I don't like to follow the rules. Or maybe I just do it so that you have to come and reprimand me," he teased. Sharon didn't know how to respond to this. She wasn't sure if it was still joking or if he was actually flirting.

She decided to let it go and change the subject. "So, how far are you in your sobriety program?" She sipped from her glass of water.

"Soon to enter the 20th year. It makes me feel old, but it feels good!" He rubbed his neck.

"Well it's remarkable how far you've come. And admirable for you to admit your faults and make amends for them. Your children must be proud of you." Sharon was sincerely happy for him. Andy and her husband had been old drinking buddies, and while Jack hadn't given up on it, Andy had realized he lost far too much to keep going down that path and stopped before it was too late. If, 20 years before, Jack had made the same decision Andy had, they would probably still be together as a family now, instead of being an estranged married couple with two children who were angry about his refusal to admit he had a problem.

"Yeah, well, they don't seem to care about it that much. Don't get me wrong, they're proud of my perseverance and that I haven't given up even once during these two decades," he fiddled with the table napkin. Talking of his sobriety made him nervous. "But I guess they are too angry at me about the past to completely forgive me and start over from there."

To Sharon he sounded upset and frustrated by the situation. In front of her sat a man who had seen the demons that destroyed his life as a husband and a father. He had faced them and was staying strong in spite of the temptations. In the light of the candles, he looked like a completely different man, one that Sharon Raydor could have appreciated as more than a colleague, and enjoyed his company with pleasure.

"Maybe, it is hard for them. For many years you've been that type of father and man and kids absorb everything like sponges. It is easier to remember the bad things you did than the good you're doing now. But they will be parents one day, and they'll learn that we make mistakes. We're not perfect and they will forgive you for the past. You're lucky you won't even have to wait so long. I heard your daughter got engaged. Congratulations!" She smiled at him.

"Yeah, she did." Flynn seemed nervous again and looked to see if the waitress was coming.

"You don't like the guy, do you?" Sharon laughed a little.

"No he's okay. He's fine and she looks happy but…"

"She's your little girl, I understand. When I first introduced my husband to my family, my father wanted to kill him. He was just holding my hand and he wanted to kill him. I guess he was right," she said.

"Well, I have some homicidal feelings towards your husband, too, but I know the law and I can't win in court!" he joked to release some tension.

"Really? And why would you want to hurt him? For me?" She was surprised.

"For you and for your children. Because I saw him at his worst, and because he's a jackass. And yes because of you. You don't treat any woman that way. You don't treat the woman who loves you that way. Respect is always need in relationships!"

Sharon was really surprised by his comments. She would never have imagined that he cared so much about what her husband did to her. She didn't think he cared about her at all, but it proved her that he wasn't that bad of a person after all. "Well, I don't know what to say except thank you. Maybe next time he shows up at my door I'll call you and you can let him have it," she laughed.

"Count on me!" He winked at her, just as the waitress arrived with their orders. When he looked at Sharon's plate he was surprised. "You changed your order!"

"Sorry, but you wouldn't really expect me to eat a burger dressed like this, would you? I'm a lady, and I need to show manners and class." She mocked him. Sharon had changed her order to a crawfish salad the moment Andy had gone to wash his hands earlier.

"Well now you'd force me to change mine to that exquisite fish, if I didn't really hate fish! Okay, you won this. You win the manners match," he said.

Sharon laughed quietly. She wouldn't admit it but she was really having fun for a change. The mental list of reasons to kill her daughter was shrinking as the hours passed by.

The time passed quickly with laughter and fun. They talked about many things, such as Provenza dating a woman remarkably younger and who dressed him like a mannequin, or Andy's passion and dedication for old cars. Something they found they had in common, as Sharon loved old cars too. She had spent most of her childhood with her father in a garage, renovating an old Chevy that Mr. Anderson, their neighbor, had abandoned in the local salvage yard. "My father was crazy about that Chevy. My mother was upset because my father was never inside, even for dinner, and neither was I," Sharon added.

"You're becoming more and more interesting, Captain!"

"Sharon," she noted. "It's Sharon. We've been talking the whole evening so easily and we're still referring to each other by rank. I'm just Sharon tonight, Andy!"

"Alright, so Sharon would you like dessert?" He picked up the menu again.

"Actually, I think I'll pass on this one"

"Please, don't tell me you're on a diet, because you really don't need to worry about that," he smiled.

"Well, noticing that you've checked me out from my head to my toes, I will just thank you for the compliment, but it's actually not that." She leaned closer to whisper, "I know a place where the ice-cream is exquisite!"

Andy nodded, impressed by her adventurous thought and signaled for the waitress to bring the bill. "I hope you're looking for your lipstick in that purse, because tonight is on me." He quickly had a look at the bill and gave the waitress his card.

"You're making up for losing the manners match, aren't you?" Sharon joked.

"You caught me!" He stood up and moved the chair back for her. "Shall we?"

"I need a moment!" Sharon walked to the restroom, checking behind her to see if he was looking at her swinging her hips on purpose. Dinner had been very amusing, with jokes, laughs and subtle flirting. She couldn't say she disliked it, but she couldn't fully enjoy it either, knowing he was a colleague and knowing his reputation with women. Washing her hands she looked at herself in the mirror. Okay Sharon, now you had a nice evening, that's true. But don't forget who is the guy and you really don't want to ruin your work reputation for a one night stand. She put on her lipstick, ran her hands through her hair to make sure her soft curls fell how they were supposed to and walked out the bathroom.

She found Andy waiting for her at the entrance, smiling charmingly. She tried to remember the voice that just spoke to her in the rest room. What did it say? She had forgotten already. A man was standing there, waiting for her. He had been charming and nice and funny and romantic for the whole evening, and she admitted to herself that it was pleasant, for once, to be taken care of like that. She smiled back at him as he offered her his arm to take. "All men are checking you out. Let me make them jealous!" He whispered.

"Oh boys, you're all the same. Always checking for the attractive girl in the room," she replied.

"Ah! I'm lucky then. I found the most attractive one." Andy opened the door for her. This time, Sharon couldn't contain her emotions and became all red in face at his words. When Andy was outside as well and close enough, she kissed his left cheek and whispered a thank you in his ear.

to be continued…