Lovesick Fools

by Kadi

Rated T

Disclaimer: The show and characters are not mine… I'm simply borrowing the sandbox for a while.

A/N: This will no doubt be made obsolete by the airing of Return to Sender parts 1 & 2, but I couldn't get it out of my head… Enjoy!

Over the course of the years that they had worked together, Louis Provenza had seen his partner do and say a lot of things. He witnessed the man move through a number of moods, expressions, and emotions. That Andy Flynn was prone to bouts of temper, worry, or guilt was a given. Everyone knew that about him. They also knew that he had a quick wit, a sarcastic mouth, and a way with a punchline. He had a way of getting into, or out of trouble, at any given moment, in any number of different ways depending upon his mood. Provenza had seen them all, and for most of it, he was right in the middle of it.

Rage. That wasn't something he could recall ever seeing before. Anger, sure. Provenza knew all the warning signs for a quick bout of temper, and could usually head it off if he was of a mind to. Fury. Pure, unbidden, completely unadulterated fury. He was a bit thrown by it. He wasn't sure what to do or say, and was left completely speechless, rendered absolutely paralyzed by the emotion which left his partner trembling, teeth grinding together, and pacing the area of the impromptu command center like a caged animal about to strike.

The others were watching him too. Sanchez appeared wary, and his own muscles bunched in anticipation, as though he was prepared to take the senior detective down at a moment's notice if needed. Tao appeared concerned, and lost between offering comfort or staying away. He wisely chose to stay away, and kept the wide-eyed Buzz back as well. They would leave the controlling of Flynn up to Provenza and Sanchez and assist if necessary, when necessary.

His hands were on his hips, fingers tapping out a rhythm against his belt as he walked the length of the police perimeter that had been set up outside the condominium complex. SIS was running this show, and the only thing which had kept him from striding right into the center of it was Sykes promising to find out what was going on. There were officers hurrying here and there, and already the Coroner's office was on the scene. When Kendall walked by, he almost followed.

Commotion nearer to the building drew all of their attention. SIS had spread out and Sykes walked back toward them. She didn't say anything, she didn't need to. They could see with their own eyes that whatever had gone on upstairs, SIS was finished for the time being and the Captain and Rusty were being allowed rejoin them.

Shots fired, one body down, that was all that they had known until that moment. Major Crimes was kept firmly out of it. Uniforms had blocked their way. There would be a reckoning for that later. If SIS and patrol thought they were difficult to handle before, they wouldn't know what hit them next. Provenza could promise them that. He turned when they appeared. Rusty looked pale and drawn, and was shuffling forward, propelled in large part by the hand on his back which kept him moving. The Captain walked behind him, pushing him along and looking less drawn and traumatized, but grim just the same. He knew the moment she spotted them, saw the lifting of her chin and the in drawn breath. It made him wonder how the SIS goons had behaved if she was taking strength from her team's presence. Or was it them at all, or him.

Provenza glanced over, but the movement was wasted. Flynn sprang, like a coiled snake. Sanchez jolted, looking like he was ready to go after him, except that he had spotted the Captain too. He frowned, but stayed back. Provenza caught his gaze and gave a small shake of his head. They would wait, watch. They might have to drag him back after all, but that remained to be seen.

Andy's long stride ate up the pavement between the command post and the front of the complex where Sharon and Rusty had appeared. His eyes darkened further when he looked beyond the cool exterior she typically projected to the rest of the world and saw the shaken expression beneath. Behind her eyes was a well of panic and grief that she was holding tight to, and he was further infuriated that SIS had kept them outside while they handled the search and questioning.

His teeth ground together when he cast a look at Rusty and saw the boy's pale, sick looking pallor. Sharon would take care of the kid, however, and it would only startle him more if Andy got involved, especially in front of so many others. "Are you alright?" Flynn ground it out when he reached her.

She looked up at him, drew a breath at the raw gruffness of his tone. "We're fine, the situation is—" His hands were wrapped tightly around her upper arms at that point, and she was inches away from a furious gaze. Sharon gasped when he drew her forward, staring down at her with such an intensity that the current racing of her heart faltered, and fluttered in an entirely new way. She could almost forget where they were and who was watching them. "Andy." Sharon whispered his name, almost pleading. His eyes were black with emotion. There was fear fueling his rage.

His eyes dropped to her lips and he made a near inarticulate noise as he let her go. Andy stepped back, although it was obvious that it cost him in the tremor that ran through his body at the severed contact. He watched her curl a hand around Rusty's upper arm again and propel the boy forward. Andy fell in step slightly behind her and clamped down hard on his raging temper while they moved through the throng of uniforms and SIS officers.

It did not go unnoticed by any of her own people that she put Rusty in the back of Andy's car. Sharon knelt beside him, in the narrow space between the car and open door, and began speaking quietly. Rusty stared down at her, wide-eyed and pasty-faced, and nodded silently. What had gone on inside the building was still a mystery, but while they were both physically in one piece, the boy was not completely unscathed. Sharon stood up a moment later, sighed, and shut the door. Inside the car, Rusty leaned forward and let his head fall into his hands.

The Captain turned, and let her gaze sweep the group that consisted of her own people. "Rusty and I have both given our statements to SIS and FID," she stated quietly. "We should return to the station while they, and SID finish up here."

"Captain!" Provenza wanted to protest, and looked ready to do just that. He gave her an incredulous look and pointed back toward the building. "Major Crimes can't just stand by and—"

"That is exactly what we are going to do, Lieutenant." Sharon exhaled loudly again, but continued to regard him patiently. "Major Crimes is currently in a holding pattern until it is determined whether or not the suspect that I just shot in the head is our suspect or not. If it turns out that he is, you will continue working our investigation and SIS will take a backseat."

"Until then," Sykes continued in a quiet tone, "SIS is going to work this with FID, and the Captain is the suspect. Which means that she has to leave, and we have to go with her, so that nothing gets compromised."

"WHAT!" Flynn looked like he might just shake the younger detective, and he was certainly looking unhappy at this turn of events. He whirled back toward Sharon, hands once again finding his hips.

If it was at all possible for someone to be frozen alive from a single look, Sykes would be a standing ice-cube. Sharon glared at the girl, and with all the force that reminded them that before she was theirs, she was the Wicked Witch of Force Investigation, and not a woman that you wanted annoyed, irritated, or in any other way upset with you. "It's fine." Sharon forced out through thin lips. "All standard procedure." She pushed a lock of hair back behind her ear and shrugged. "My procedures, and believe me, the irony is not lost on me."

"Welcome to the other side." Provenza made a face at her. "I'm sure you're wishing now that you had listened to us all those times we told you that they were unnecessary, preposterous, and completely insane." When she simply stared back at him, not speaking, he huffed a sigh. "No, of course you wouldn't. A normal human being on the other hand…"

"Lieutenant." Sharon swept a hand across her forehead. There was a headache building behind her eyes. "Perhaps this is a discussion we can have back in the murder room?"

Nearby, Flynn glowered at his partner. "Let's go." He walked over and pulled open the front passenger side door of his car.

Sharon shot an exasperated look at him. They were going to need to discuss his ability to control his temper. Especially as it pertained to their work, her, and the situation that had just arisen. "Lieutenant Provenza, surely you can make sure that the rest of Major Crimes makes it back to the station, and does not impede the current investigation in any way?" Although Sharon didn't move, she kept her gaze on Flynn while she spoke.

"Don't I usually?" Provenza snorted at her and turned, grumbling beneath his breath. They were both idiots. His partner was the biggest idiot, but he was going to classify the Captain right there with him, because obviously, there was a reason for the first idiot to be acting so… idiotically. "Alright, you heard the Captain, let's go people, Sanchez… you're with me." Maybe it was time to find a second partner, someone to help him control the idiocy.

"Thank you." Sharon chose to slide into the car at that point. She stepped past Flynn and her eyes narrowed. "Really," she hissed.

"You have no idea," he bit out. He waited for her to pull herself fully into the car and shut the door, possibly harder than was truly needed. Flynn rounded the car and slid in behind the steering wheel. He was fully aware of Sharon glaring at him as he pulled away from the complex and into traffic.

She didn't say a word, instead she glanced into the backseat at Rusty, who was staring out the passenger side window and not speaking. She sighed and shot another glare at Flynn. It wasn't a conversation that she wanted to have with the teenager in the car, so she folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead. While she could feel him fuming beside her, Flynn remained silent.

It took twenty minutes in afternoon traffic to reach the station. After Andy was parked in the underground garage, Sharon got out of the car without waiting for him to open her door as she usually did when they were together. She pulled Rusty's door open for him and waited for him to join her. He was moving more on his own, and she was grateful to see that he had more color than just a half hour before. She was intensely grateful for his ability to rebound quickly. He was made of stronger stuff than people gave him credit for, he had needed to be.

It was a silent ride in the elevator to the ninth floor. Once the doors opened, Sharon maneuvered Rusty out of the elevator ahead of her and did not even look at Flynn when she followed the boy. She waited until they were in sight of Major Crimes before sending the boy on without her. "Wait in my office."

Rusty glanced at her, but went ahead silently. He looked behind her at Flynn and quickly turned to make his way to the murder room, and then Sharon's office. He did not want to be anywhere near the conversation that was about to take place. He almost felt sorry for the Lieutenant, but at the moment he was still thinking about just how close he'd come to being stabbed to death. He'd feel sorry for Andy later.

Sharon waited until Rusty was safely inside the murder room before she whirled on the Lieutenant. Her eyes flashed with irritation as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him with her in the opposite direction. Sharon found the first available, empty room, with a locking door. It just happened to be the ladies room. The moment they were inside and the lock was flipped, she turned to let loose with the lecture which had been slowly simmering since the little scene he'd caused at the condo. Instead, she found herself pressed back against the door, and the mouth that she had opened to berate him was completely covered.

Andy pushed his hands into her hair and tipped her face up, capturing her mouth and pressing her against the door before she could do much more than glare at him. She could really have no idea of just how intensely she had worried him that afternoon, and the simple word that came to mind was terrified. She had absolutely terrified him, in such a way that his heart was still aching with it, and the churning knot of fear in his gut had only barely started to fade. When his hands swept down her sides to her hips, he realized she was trembling. And in fact, instead of pushing him away, her hands were fisted in his jacket and pulling him closer.

Her hands ached from the pressure, the force of how tightly she held onto the front of his suit. She intended to push him away, but Sharon pressed herself forward instead. A nearly painful chill settled inside her, and it was as though only the heat of his anger, his kiss, could force it away. When their mouths broke apart, her breath shuddered in heaving gasps. She turned her face into his neck when he gathered her close. She let the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the soap he'd used in her shower that morning wash over her. When SID finished processing her condo they were going to find traces of Andy all over it, and that reminded her that this was not supposed to be happening.

The broken half-sob that seemed to get stuck in her throat made his jaw tense. She shuddered against him and when her nails bit into his back, from where she had slipped her arms around him beneath the jacket, he swallowed the pain filled grunt. Andy tipped her face back instead and looked down into her eyes. He found them moist, and Sharon trying too hard to hold in the emotion. His thumbs stroked her cheeks, and this time his lips were soft against the corner of her mouth, the curve of her jaw. "Breathe, Sharon."

She drew in a deep, shaky breath and lowered her forehead to his chest. A shudder ran through her as she drew a second, and then a third, until it didn't quite hurt to breathe so much. His hands were stroking her back now, and she noticed that his body was not quite so tense. She let her hands fall to his waist, fingers catch in his belt and hang there, loosely. After another minute, Sharon lifted her head again and gazed up at him. "You can't lose it like that." It was not quite the lecture she envisioned during the drive back to the station. Her voice was softer, and she hadn't planned on him holding her either, or her him.

"I know." He wouldn't apologize for it, but he knew the rules. Andy's hands moved to her shoulders, his left thumb gently rubbed the side of her neck.

"We agreed this couldn't happen. When we talked about moving from what your family thought was going on to what we wanted to be going on, we discussed—"

"I know," he said again. "Sharon. Breathe."

Her eyes flashed again, but a smile tugged at her lips. "They're going to process the condo. Between that and the stunt you pulled outside the condo, I really am going to have to report this now."

"Okay." He shrugged. His thumb swept the curve of her jaw. "It's not against the rules for me to seduce the boss." Andy's head tilted. "Now, for the boss to…"

"Andy." Sharon rolled her eyes at him.

It was his turn to breathe, and he sighed heavily. "You get that I'm still pissed."

Her lips twitched. "I know."

"I'll behave when you behave." Her eyes narrowed and he smiled. "Deal's a deal, Sharon." Andy lowered his head, rested it against hers. "You scared me."

She lifted her hand, and her fingers brushed his cheek. "I'm sorry."

He couldn't tell her to not do it again. It was the nature of their work. It was going to happen again, at some point, one or both of them would be in another situation that was dangerous and possibly life ending. All they had were the moments in between. "They'll be here by now," regret filling his tone. The team would want to be briefed, and Rusty was still waiting in her office.

"Yes." She laid her hands against his chest, but did not immediately push him away. Instead she tipped her face up and kissed him again, much softer this time. It lingered for only a moment, and then they parted. Sharon let her hands slide down his front, smoothing out the lapels of his jacket. He stepped back and she moved away from the door, even while he reached past her to flip the lock open.

Andy reached up and smoothed her hair out, gave her a cursory look and then pulled the door open for both of them. "Just for the record," he said as they stepped back into the hall. "Does that count as a fight?"

Her lips pressed together to stop the smile. "That depends."

"On?" He arched a brow at her.

"The lengths to which you are willing to go to make it up to me." She slanted a sideways look at him and rounded the corner toward the murder room.

Lieutenant Provenza watched them stride in, looking far less upset, and almost smiling. His eyes narrowed. No, the Captain wasn't smiling, but Flynn was practically smirking. With a grunt, he pulled open his desk drawer and took out a bottle of aspirin. Suddenly, he had such a headache. It was idiot induced. He would be tempted to retire, except someone had to keep an eye on the lovesick fools.

~FIN