Just a bit of fluff written to celebrate the revamp of the raydorflynn community on LJ. Make sure you go over and check it out. :)
Andy peeked into the break room. Sharon Raydor was seated at the table, reading through a file as she ate.
This would be the third day in a row their breaks had synchronized; the third day in a row he hadn't bothered to eat at his desk...
He pushed the door open with his hip and strolled in as casually as possible.
After he removed his lunch from the fridge and placed it into the microwave to heat up, he gestured toward the files. "It's lunch time, Captain. All work, and no play..."
"Oh yes, you're right," she said, closing up the file and stretching out her arms. Then she rubbed the nape of her neck. He shoved his hands into his pockets, determinedly avoiding temptation.
"What do you have today?" she asked. "Smells good," she added, prompting him to inhale deeply. All he could smell was her now-familiar perfume - such an unexpected feminine scent.
He cleared his throat. "Melanzana alla parmigiana," he told her, affecting his best Italian accent. "Eggplant," he then translated.
She made a humming noise as if she was eating, and enjoying, the dish herself.
Distracting himself the best he could, he pointed to her lunch, which apparently consisted of a small brought-from-home salad, bottled water and an apple. "Is that all you're having?"
Instead of immediately replying, she glanced down at herself and smoothed the back of her hand over her tightly fitted blouse. His eyes followed the action avidly. He was always achingly aware of the fullness of her breasts, and how their size was such a contrast to her overall slenderness.
She interrupted his appreciative thoughts before he got to the part about her long legs, which were unfortunately hidden beneath the table.
"I need to watch my figure," she said with a sigh.
He rolled his eyes angrily in response to that comment. "I think there's enough of us males doing that for you."
Her snorting laughter filled his senses for a brief moment until she seemingly remembered where she was, and whom she was with, and quickly took a sip of water to stifle any further unguarded emotion.
"I can always bring in extra," he found himself offering after a long moment of silence. "It's no big deal," he added with a shrug when she looked across at him in surprise. "I automatically cook as if my extended Italian family is turning up for every meal, when in fact, usually... You know... They don't."
Sharon's gaze was locked on Andy Flynn's lips. When he was trying to be funny he did this cute sideways smile that made her imagine how he must have looked when he was much younger. Well, she told herself that's what she was imagining...
"You can't blame them," she teased, but almost groaned aloud when his mouth thinned at her intended joke.
"Look, Captain, my past's an open book and if you're insinuating-"
"I wasn't," she briskly injected, startled that once again she'd managed to insult one of the Major Crimes squad members unintentionally. "I didn't mean... I mean, I'd want to avoid your cooking too..."
She lowered her eyes, knowing that her last comment had still sounded insulting. Why did she always seem to say the wrong thing around these people?
"Bringing in leftovers for a co-worker doesn't mean we're dating, Captain," Flynn growled sarcastically.
Sharon pressed her lips together as Andy Flynn turned his back to her. His body was completely rigid as he opened the microwave and stirred his food.
She listlessly poked at her lettuce with her fork. Maybe if she tried a different tack... "Are you dating anyone, Lieutenant Flynn?" she asked lightly.
He banged the microwave door shut and set the timer for another minute. "I'm not the leak," he mumbled. "You don't need to keep questioning me."
How had he leapt to that conclusion? "I wasn't-"
He spun around and glared at her. "Even if I was involved with anyone, my job is off limits. I don't really think discussing scumbag murderers is my preferred pillow talk, you know. Besides, I thought you gotta laugh out of my disastrous love life enough to know I'm definitely single."
She jumped up out of her chair and stared at Flynn. Pillow talk? Why the hell hadn't she thought of that before?
Sharon Raydor was peering out through her glasses at him. How the hell had he managed to bring up dating with her? Sometimes she just got him so damn frustrated, he made an idiot of himself.
In fact, lately, every time he screwed up, somehow Sharon Raydor popped up to bear witness - from shooting at scumbags to being taken for a ride by yet another pretty young face who he'd hoped might have let him forget for a while.
His eyes wandered down again. He was sure she'd make him forget for a lot longer than a while. He knew that thinking that way about her was only going to land him in a world of trouble.
"Lieutenant, I think you might have just helped me immensely," she said as she snatched up her jacket from the back of her chair and tugged it on.
"You're going?" he asked, flinching at the whining way he sounded, even to himself.
"Yes," she confirmed, gathering the remains of her food up. "The leak was right there in front of me all this time and I-"
"You know who the leak is?"
"Not completely," she said carefully. "But you've made me realize how I can find out who it is."
She swung her handbag over her shoulder and headed for the door.
"Let me know first if you decide it's me," he called.
With her hand on the door handle, she paused and turned back to him. "I decided a few weeks ago it wasn't you," she told him evenly, "and hopefully later today, I can confirm it."
"How?" he asked gruffly.
She stepped closer and rested her hand on his arm. "When did you last go on a date?"
Sharon tried not to think about how nice Andy's arm felt beneath her touch when he squinted down at her, first disbelief and then confusion, evident on his face. "Okay, I'll play," he finally grunted out. "I've had a date every day for the past three days."
Sharon couldn't help it; she gasped. He had just said he was single and she'd thought-
"The same woman?" she whispered.
"Yeah, but it's no one's business." He frowned. "She definitely has nothing to do with the leak."
Jealousy cut through her so sharply that her vision blurred for a brief moment.
"This girlfriend-"
"Date. I didn't say she was my girlfriend."
She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. Truly, she didn't want to listen to a blow by blow account of what this woman was.
"I just said I was single, remember?" he said, repeating her earlier thoughts. "You need to keep track of these details if you're gonna stay here in Major Crimes for a while longer."
She opened her mouth, but then clamped it shut again. Stay in Major Crimes? She wanted nothing more, but she doubted Pope or Taylor would approve her request to transfer, let alone what Chief Johnson and Lieutenant Provenza would say if they found out she wanted to make her involvement with the squad more permanent.
"Well, this date-" Andy felt her nails uncomfortably dig into his arm as she broke off, but he carefully schooled his features. "You're going to see her again?" she finally finished.
"I'd say there's a chance. Yes."
His smug smile disappeared when she lowered her eyes and looked away. She'd made a couple of off-hand remarks about her estranged husband. The asshole had obviously hurt her more than she would ever admit.
He should remember that she was like any other cop he'd met: vulnerable under her tough exterior.
Sharon slowly eased her tight grasp on Andy's arm. She needed to do something, say something, that would ensure she could eliminate him completely from her list of suspects. But what... Something that he would only tell this mystery girlfriend. Date, she corrected herself.
If it never got back to Goldman, she could confirm that Andy was telling the truth and he didn't discuss work with his... Dates.
"Look, Sharon-"
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," she said before he could finish. "I shouldn't ask you anything so personal. I also shouldn't discuss the source of the leak with you."
"What? You and Gavin have interviewed me several times, and asked my opinion. Now, when you're thinking you know who it is, you're going to pull the confidential card on me?"
"I think it would be for the best. If she-"
"She? You think the leak's a woman?"
"Oh!" She feigned surprise. "I didn't mean to say that..."
Andy frowned at Sharon Raydor. She was lying. For some reason she was trying to imply that his date was the leak.
She gave him one of those dismissive smiles she did so well and headed for the door again.
She was out in the hallway when he finally shook his head to clear it and rushed to stop her progress.
"Captain!"
She let him catch up to her, but gasped when he leaned down to place his lips close to her earlobe. "My date's not gonna tell Goldman anything."
She turned her head so she was, in turn, speaking directly into his ear. "So you say," she replied in a husky tone, sending a ripple of reaction up his spine.
He turned his head again. Her thick hair tickled his cheek. "I know," he assured her with confidence.
Her breath fanned his jawline. "How?" she asked.
"It's you."
She took a step backward, breaking their intimacy. "You think I'm the leak?" she hissed.
"No. You're my date. I changed my mind," he confessed grimly. "I decided that rushing to the break room to see if you're there is proof enough I should class our lunches as dates."
She looked over his shoulder, toward the now-empty break room. The microwave was still prompting him to remove his food by dinging every minute or so.
"You're going to class today as a date? We didn't technically eat together."
He pretended to think for a moment. "Yeah... We still talked. You go on a date to learn whether or not you want to spend more time with a person or not. You don't go on a date just to eat."
She stiffened visibly. "I'm sure you know a lot more than I do about dating," she declared with a wave of her hand.
Her attitude this time only made him laugh. "Probably. I could probably teach you some stuff," he dared to suggest.
She licked her lips, and he had to quickly remind himself that they were only a few feet away from the rest of the squad.
He wondered if she'd had the same thought when she twisted away from him. Then, before she opened the door to the main office she turned and moved closer again.
"I need to go and run a few checks on this leak business," she told him softly.
"Yeah."
Even though they stood apart with no part of their bodies touching - far enough away that no one witnessing this chat would think anything about it - he was sure he felt her tremble.
"And then..."
"Then?" he asked hopefully.
Her tentative smile made his heart pound. For anyone else it was the equivalent to a broad grin. "One o'clock tomorrow? Here in the break room?"
"It's a date," he agreed.