During free period on Friday, my friend was talking and all of the sudden she says, "Ho Ho Homicide!" And I just had the perfect idea for a story, so I ran with it.
I hate to say but my editor is in South Carolina, so all mistakes are mine. (That's part of the reason I haven't updated 'Counting Cadavers' quite yet.)
Enjoy!
Rusty stared blankly out the condo window, white snowflakes fell from the sky and melted on the sidewalk. It was snowing in Los Angeles. Sharon sat curled in the corner of the couch, her head tilted over the back. The credits of Elf splayed across the screen. Sharon nearly had a heart attack when Rusty announced he had never seen the movie. She went on to say that her kids had complained mercilessly about it being the only movie the teachers played before break.
A soft knock pulled Rusty from his thoughts and down the hall. He stood against the door and peered through the peephole. Andy smiled and waved, he knew Rusty was on the other side. Rusty undid the locks and opened the door for Flynn.
"Wow. This place Fort Knox?" Andy asked, eyeing the locks as he stepped into the threshold.
"Keeps me here, Em happy, and Sharon safe. A win for everyone," Rusty replied re-locking everything.
"Em?"
"Emma Rios."
"When did you give her a nickname?" Flynn questioned.
"Once I realized she was just trying to do her job like the rest of the world."
"A sucky job she has," Flynn mumbled.
"Sharon's in the living room if you're looking for her. I was just heading to bed," Rusty said heading off down the hall to the living quarters.
"Night, Kid," Flynn called out.
A faint, "Night," reached Flynn's ears followed by the soft click of a door shutting. Flynn waited a minute before he slipped silently to the other side of the locks to grab the two sloppily wrapped gifts. One for Sharon and one for Rusty. Andy eyed his work with a frown, he hoped they liked their gifts more than the wrapping. Making sure the door was secure, Andy carried the gifts into the living room and placed them under the tree. He gazed upon Sharon's sleeping form. She looked peaceful, but not comfortable. Knowing from past experience that the couches aren't comfortable, Andy planned to carry Sharon to her bedroom.
Carefully, he slipped an arm behind her neck and under her knees. Carefully, he picked Sharon up and stood straight. Andy waited as he adjusted to the light weight of Sharon in his arms. She shifted drowsily and brought her arms around his neck. Her auburn hair tickled his arm and a small smile teased her lips.
Andy started walking.
Slowly and carefully, he traveled down the hall to her bed. He couldn't just out her down and leave, she was sleeping and now she looked comfortable. He carefully sat (with Sharon still in his arms) against the headboard. Sharon smiled, tightened her grip around Andy's neck, and blinked.
"Hi," Andy said with a smile, hugging her closer to his chest.
"What are you doing here?" Sharon said with a hum as she started to get up.
"No, no, no. Stay here," Andy protested. Sharon's eyes twinkled dimly at the request, but she moved her legs from his arms. Sharon curled up in his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas," Andy breathed, planting a kiss in the auburn mass.
"Christmas is in three days."
"Who says we can't celebrate early?" Andy whispered, readjusting his grip on her body. Sharon hummed in pleasure.
"I'm just gonna sleep," She sleepily slurred, closing her eyes in content.
"That's fine. I'll be right here."
When Sharon woke, she was still in Andy's arms, her body rises with his chest at every breath. The smell of bacon and pancakes flitted by Sharon's nose. She sat up slowly and patted Andy's chest.
"Andy?"
He mumbled something unintelligible back to her. Sharon sat up straight and looked around the room. At the foot of the bed there rested a wooden tray with a plate of three pancakes, two slices of bacon, and two steaming cups of coffee. Rusty must've made them breakfast. Sharon reached and pulled the tray up to where they sat. She raised a cup of coffee to her lips and watched as Andy's eyes sprung open at the smell.
"Rusty made us breakfast in bed. With coffee," Sharon said handing Andy a cup.
"He really is a great kid," Andy muttered drinking deeply from the cup.
"He is. He is," Sharon took another sip of coffee and picked at her pancake. "Will you stay with Rusty and I for the week?" Sharon asked, not looking at Andy.
"My daughter hasn't invited me to her Christmas party. I think she might be a little mad about the whole false wedding and Nutcracker insinuation we had," Andy ate a strip of bacon.
"You had," Sharon corrected. "Plus the insinuation your family made wasn't at all too far-fetched. We just didn't happen to have our acts together yet. We were both still in denial of our feelings towards another."
"Do you always use such big sentences so early in the morning? And it was you who was in denial of your 'feelings'," Andy muttered the word with slight distaste. "I wore my heart up on my sleeve."
"Mmmm," Sharon hummed as she finished her pancake and gulped a sip of coffee. She watched as Andy devoured another strip of bacon. "You know, every piece of bacon you eat, you lose five seconds of your life?"
"Just five more seconds I know I need to spend with you," Andy wittily replied, kissing the smirk from Sharon's lips. He knew she didn't like morning breath kisses, but he also knew she'd live. Sharon kissed him back, her lips parting slightly with his. Breakfast had been forgotten, and only the other's touch seemed to register in their minds. Andy's hands roamed through Sharon's hair as her hands trailed up his chest to cup his jaw firmly in hers.
They pulled apart when the need for oxygen tore at their lungs. Andy stared intently into Sharon's green eyes, the world consisted of only the two of them.
Until Andy's phone buzzed in his pocket and demanded his attention. Sighing, Sharon slid out of the position from last night and curled in between Andy and the food tray. She quietly sipped her coffee as she listened to Andy answer the phone with his last name. He listened to the caller and sighed.
"Should I call the Captain?" Andy asked staring at the goddess by his side. "Alright. See you in ten." Andy ended the phone call and dialed a number. Sharon listened to her phone ring, but reached over Andy to the nightstand where it was charging.
"Captain Sharon Raydor of the LAPD Major Crimes Division, I'm currently in bed with a very sexy lieutenant, would you mind calling me back in say, fifty years?"
Andy chuckled and said into the phone, "I've got a goddess with auburn hair on top of me, a home cooked breakfast next to me, and a Ho Ho Homicide on Venice Boulevard. Care to join your division?"
Sharon giggled but said, "Fine, as long as this Lieutenant says he'll spend the week with me and my foster son."
"I think he can arrange that, I see he left some presents under your tree too."
Sharon hung up the phone and crawled across Andy, who let out a small 'Oof!' at the action. She grabbed her rob and tossed it around her pajamas as she padded into the hall. She looked under the Christmas tree decked out in Angels and smiled. Underneath lay two poorly wrapped gifts. One labeled 'Sharon', and the other labeled 'Rusty'. Sharon picked up her gift and ran back to the bedroom.
"Can I open it now?" Sharon asked, turning the object in her hands and shaking it.
"Wait three days," Andy said with a mouthful of his second pancake. Sharon sighed but walked back to place the present under the tree.
She muttered a sassy, "Fine," as she did so.
Andy chuckled and brought the tray into the kitchen. He cleared away the plates and utensil and rinsed the tray. Sharon watched as he ran the dishwasher and placed the tray to dry in the dish drain.
"I've gotta go," Andy sat and he grabbed Sharon's waist lightly and pecked her lips before he walked towards the door.
"Will you stay the week?" Sharon asked hopefully.
"I will," Flynn said. A smile grew on both of their faces. "But right now I have a homicide to tend to. I'll see you in a bit Captain."
"Lieutenant," Sharon said as Flynn walked out the door.
Sharon walked into the living room and stared at the presents begging to be opened.
"Flynn bring those over?" Rusty asked nodding to the presents.
"Yes he did. We can't open them yet," Sharon reported sadly, frowning at the gifts. Rusty smirked. She really did love the holidays.
"You're going to be home today? No murder?"
"Not today. Sorry, honey. I have a 'Ho Ho Homicide' to deal with," Sharon grumbled heading to her bedroom to prepare. Rusty chuckled at her humor. Maybe he could talk the officers into letting him drive to the mall to get Sharon and Andy Christmas gifts.
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