~You're the One That I Want~
A/N: This is a modern Major Crimes chapter to Better Shape-up that takes place in the Closer era, so I figured with Halloween holiday approaching and Major Crimes season 6 starting on Halloween it would be good timing. You could read the other one first so you're not lost, but this one can stand alone. Also, when Phillip P. Keene (Buzz) mentioned on social media that Mary called them from a cornfield and I knew that this fic needed to take place there.
Oh, and I had "You're the One That I Want" from the Grease soundtrack on replay and used a few lyrics for Shandy. Sung by: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. Written by: John Farrar.
Disclaimer: Sadly for me, I own nothin' of Major Crimes, nothin'!
It was the weekend before Halloween and the team had closed their case last night, just in time to have a rare weekend off. There was an autumn chill in the air, well a chill by California standards. Sharon shivered as she wrapped her long brown suede jacket tighter around herself. The smile on her face grew at the sight of Andy being helped up by his ten-year-old grandson. Her hand flew to her mouth to muffle a giggle. She couldn't remember having so much fun in a long, long time, probably not since her kids were little.
Andy's daughter, Nicole had invited them to go with her, Dean and their kids to pick out pumpkins on a nearby farm. After almost an hour of intense discussions, they made the tough decision on which were the perfect pumpkins. The boys had high pumpkin standards and only the best for carving scary faces would do. Andy wouldn't let them leave unless they experienced the whole-nine-yards. He said it was a tradition with his family back on the East Coast. When they first got there, they took the typical hayride. The boys were very excited about traveling the paths through the pumpkin fields, seeing the petting zoo and the corn maze on the horizon. Since they had finished up the important task of finding the perfect pumpkins, next on Andy's to-do-list was the corn maze. If he could still walk, that is, Sharon thought to herself, because right now he was lying on his back in the dirt with two giggling young boys tugging each of his arms, still trying to help him up.
Grandpa Andy, as the boys called him, was put in charge of the inspecting the pumpkins. When he knelt down to check out the one Seth wanted to bring home, Andy let out a loud groan. Sharon frowned and watched cautiously as he tried to stand up. She took a frantic step forward, worried it was his heart, but he held up a hand and said, "it's just my knees or it could be my back. I was down there too long." He gave her a smirk as he once again attempted to stand with another groan.
"I'll help you, Grandpa. I'm strong." Andy really didn't have a chance to say no before the young boy tried to yank him up, not that he had the heart to refuse his help anyway. Sharon smiled in return knowing age was catching up to both of them, no matter how they tried to fight it. Her smile turned into laughter when both man and boy fell back to the ground. Of course, now the younger brother had to jump in to help.
After catching her breath from laughing, Nicole was relieved to see that the six-month-old baby girl she bounced in her arms was still asleep. In a quiet tone, she suggested, "Boys, how about we let Grandpa Andy get up himself?" There were a few more tugs before she used a stern motherly voice that even made Sharon proud. "Seth and Zachary, let go and I mean right now! I don't think your grandpa needs his arms pulled out of their sockets." As her father got to his feet and wiped off the dirt from his pants and shirt, she added, "Sorry, Dad."
"Oh, it's fine," he waved off his daughter's unease. Andy rubbed his shoulders and moved them in a few air circles to make sure the joints were still in place. "Hey, at least my knees don't hurt anymore." He clapped his hands together and asked, "So, who's ready for the corn maze?"
Sharon watched as Nicole and Dean followed the cheering boys towards the entrance of the maze. Andy then came up beside her and slid his arm around her waist and pulled her up against his side. As she absorbed his warmth, Sharon asked concerned, "Are you sure you are alright?"
He groaned again and with his free hand rubbed his side. "I think I might have broken a hip," Andy said half-jokingly. She started to say something, but he stopped her. "No, don't worry. I really am fine. The more I move the better all the aches feel." With a laugh, he leaned on Sharon and limped as they walked.
When they caught up to the anxiously waiting group, Nicole informed them, "I told the boys that they both have to be with an adult at all times. Dad, Zack wants to go with you and Sharon. He said he'll be there if either of you gets scared."
Sharon took the boy's hand and headed into the maze and said, "That's a great idea. I'm sure Grandpa Andy will need you to protect him, especially now that he can't run too fast."
About half-way through the maze, Nicole, Dean, and Seth were ahead of Andy and Zack. Andy glanced behind him to make sure Sharon wasn't getting lost. He took notice of the look on her face. It was an expression she didn't show in public very often, but since they were hidden away behind stalks of corn he figured she thought she was safe. Feeling concerned, he bent down to whisper in the boy's ear and watched Z-man, Andy's nickname for Zack, run up and take his dad's hand. By the time Andy walked back to Sharon she was smiling again. All traces of sadness were gone from her face.
Sharon made sure to stay just a few steps behind Andy so he could have his grandpa-time and it gave her a chance to observe the lighter happier side of man that she cared about. She really liked to watch Andy with his grandsons. He was so good with them; she's learned that the man was full of surprises. Earlier when they first started picking out pumpkins, the oldest dropped his treasured gourd and started to cry. In no time at all, Grandpa Andy had Seth laughing as they hurried off to find an even bigger and better pumpkin. She was enjoying her time there, but it was made her nostalgic for years past. When she noticed Andy coming towards her, she smiled. He stopped in front of her and blocked her path. Sharon tilted her head to look over his shoulder, she saw the boy run ahead of them laughing. Zack whispered something to Dean, who in-turn looked back at her smiling. Then the family all continued onwards. Sharon narrowed her eyes and asked, "What did you tell him?"
Andy shrugged, "Oh, just to go ahead and find their way out. That I would be here to help you not get lost or hold you if you get scared." She rolled her eyes. With a hesitancy, he asked, "I was just about to ask you what was wrong."
"Wrong, with me?" Sharon turned back to him. "Nothing is wrong with me. I'm having a great time." She gave him a quick kiss before saying, "thank you for letting me tag along."
"Tag along? Sharon, we are almost married, everyone considers you apart of the family. In fact, I think they like you more than me," he laughed lightly. She didn't smile at his attempt at a joke and tried to sidestep around him, Andy placed his hands on her shoulder and asked again. "Are you sure nothing is wrong? A few minutes ago, there was a look on that beautiful face of yours. It was a look of melancholy. It was as if you didn't want to be here."
"I'm fine." Sharon smiled up at Andy to show him she was happy.
"With your sense of occasion, I figured this was your kind of thing," Andy said, unsure of himself now. Maybe his idea of spending the day here with family wasn't such a good idea. When he only got a low "hmmm" from her he questioned, "You seems a bit off. Is this place bringing back memories of when your kids were little? Did you used to come here with them and…" his jaw tightened, "and Jack?"
After hearing her ex-husband's name, Sharon snapped out of her haze instantly. Confused, she looked at Andy. "With Jack? Oh, no no no! I never came here with him. When Emily, Ricky, and I came here, it was usually with Gavin. Now, that was quite a sight." She laughed loudly causing her hair to fall in her eyes when she leaned forward. "I don't think the man owns anything but high-class expensive suits. He was the best-dressed man in the pumpkin patch. I lost count on how many times he complained about the dirt on his Louis Vuitton shoes."
He knew perfectly well that she was trying to change the subject. Andy tucked her loose hair behind her ear he all he said was, "Sharon." His tone was soft but strong. His hand lingered on the unruly strand of hair.
Andy looked into her eyes. It was a steady, intent gaze. She knew that he knew she was stalling. He was a detective, she would expect no less of him. She gave in and admitted, "oh, alright, I was reminiscing, but not of Jack or even my kids." Silence hung in the air between them. For a distraction, Sharon reached for an ear of corn hanging on the stalk beside her. She played with the dried strands of silk, while she carefully sorted her thoughts. She wanted to explain and she needed him to understand. "I know this is random and really has nothing to do with what is going on here, but I was thinking about…" She shrugged, "Hummm, maybe it's just this time of year or that Halloween is coming up soon that brought it to mind, but I was thinking back to that Halloween." Sharon solemnly looked up at Andy, her fingers still twisting the crumbling bits of silk, she said, "I'm sure you wouldn't recall it."
TBC…
A/N: Thanks to lissianne for trying to catch all my errors and for sprinkling in her creative magical words.
