"It's such a beautiful night," Andy said as he picked up his glass of wine. Sharon nodded absently as she stared out at the beach, listening to the waves crash. There was something so soothing about the sound, and she found herself lulled into a light trance, even as she tried to appear interested in the chatter that he was trying to engage her in. It was nothing against him, but she just seemed unable to hold her concentration that evening.

"It is," she finally murmured, taking a sip of her wine before letting a light sigh slip from her lips.

"Where is your head today?"

Sharon shrugged a little, pursing her lips as she tried to regain some semblance of interest in the meal still before her. "I just miss Rusty more than usual, I guess. And even though I know that we're living as if Stroh isn't out there, hovering over our every move, our every decision, I still can't help but think about the hypotheticals. And wishing that things could have turned out a little differently."

Andy reached across the table and took her hand in his. The touch was sure, gentle, and everything that she knew that she should be desiring. But in that moment, all she could imagine were long, elegant, fingers tripping up and down her arm, a fall of blonde hair obscuring eyes that saw too much, and a smirk that spoke more of dirty deeds than any words could. "There's always that one that got away. And it's not like he'll be under the radar now. Everyone knows his face."

"I suppose," she hummed as she pulled her hand away and picked up her wine glass, taking another sip. She tried not to wince when she saw the quick look of hurt that flickered across his face before he was able to conceal it. "Look, Andy, I know that we've been having dinner together with more regularity," she began, wanting to let him down gently, to tell him that while she might love him as a friend, she wasn't in love with him, she was in love with someone she had least expected and could never even hope to be with, only to be interrupted by the buzzing of her phone.

"One second, I'm getting a call, too, Sharon."

She frowned a little, knowing that meant that they were being called to a crime scene. Given that it was the middle of the night, her first thought was that it would not be a good case. Not that they ever were, but the more brutal ones always seemed to occur when she had let her guard down and tried to relax for even a moment. Bringing the phone to her ear, she said, "Raydor, here."

"Captain, I hope that I'm not interrupting anything. It's just, Major Crimes has been asked to work a case, and I need for you to get here as soon as possible. And if you see Lieutenant Flynn, bring him along, too."

"That shouldn't be too much of a problem, Julio," she replied, listening to Tao prattle on in the background. Now, where do I need to go?"

"I'll text the address to your phone, it'll be quicker that way."

"All right, I'll be there as soon as I can," she replied before hanging up the phone and waiting for his text.

"There's no need, Sharon, I have the address on my phone here. Tao told me what it was right away. I'll drive, since you've had a little bit of wine."

"Thanks, Andy," Sharon said lowly as she got to her feet, shoving her phone back in her pocket as she slung her purse strap over her shoulder and following him out the door. She was a little surprised when he thrust the phone into her hands, and she looked at the address. For some reason, it seemed vaguely familiar, and she tried to put the pieces together as Andy sped away into the night.

It wasn't until the scenery began to look vaguely familiar that she realized they were heading in the direction of Andrea's home. "I know, Sharon. But I wasn't given any of the details, just told that we had to get over here right away."

"Oh." That simple utterance sounded so sad slipping from her lips, and she fought to keep a tight rein on her emotions, not wanting Andy to see how scared she was that something was seriously wrong.

The closer they got to Andrea's home, the more she began to focus in on the lights and sirens that spoke of official police business. The knot that had slowly been forming in her stomach twisted and sank, bring her heart down with it, and Sharon found herself blinking back tears. "Andrea will be fine, Sharon. She's a strong person."

"I know. It's just disconcerting, as always, when the crime scene is so close to a friend's home. Besides, we don't know if it's her home or not. Right?"

From the set of his shoulders, Sharon knew that she was grasping at straws, and she slumped in her seat as he pulled up next to the familiar black and whites. Her frantic eyes darted around to try and see where Andrea was, and then she focused in on the ambulance. "Sharon," she heard Andy say as she pushed open the car door and tumbled out, almost running over to the vehicle, her heart trying to pound its way out of her chest as she got closer and closer.

"Andrea," she whispered as she looked inside, taking in the sheet that was draped over her friend, covering her body from the curious gaze of onlookers. Jerking her head from side to side, she tried to find a paramedic who could tell her what was going on, but there wasn't one nearby. A hand on her upper arm startled her, and she whirled around to see Provenza at her side, a grim expression on his face. "Louie, what's happened?"

"Someone attacked ADA Hobbs in her home this evening. When our boys came to the scene, they recognized her and called us to here. She's pretty banged up."

"Did you get a statement from her?" Provenza shook his head and she sighed. "I suppose that I should ride in with her and try to suss out what happened."

"Good luck with that. She's refusing to speak to any of us. Hopefully, you can get through to her, since you're closer to her than any of us." The older cop reached out and touched her arm lightly. "It's not pretty, Captain. Don't go over there expecting simple little bruises and then blanch when you see what that monster did to her."

A small shudder coursed through her body as she nodded. "I'm prepared for the worst, Louie."

"No, you're not, Sharon. Not in this case. This is your friend, and what you might feel is appropriate for the situation might not be in this case. She's going to want you as friend, but she's going to need you to be Darth Raydor and bring this son of a bitch to justice."

"And you're going to help me do that, right?"

"Would you expect any less of me?" he asked wryly, and she shook her head. "Now head over there and keep her company as she rides to the hospital. Be her friend in the ambulance, that's what she'll need most."

"I'll try, Louie." They shared a smile and then she strode over to the ambulance, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm her spirit, knowing that Andrea needed her to be strong. And she would not let her friend down.