DISCLAIMER: I do not own them, much to my eternal sadness. I am but borrowing them for just a little while.

A/N: So, here in the UK we have just gone on hiatus (I know. The schedules here are a total PITA), which means that we had episode 3.10 'Zoo Story' a couple of weeks ago, and we don't get the Winter season until January. It's taken me this long to get this written, as my personal life went crazy again! The last couple of scenes of the episode had me grabbing for the laptop while my muse rattled off a follow-up fic as I tried desperately to keep up! This is the result…

For Ayce. Your ongoing encouragement means the world. And to the rest of the FlynnGirls…your support this last few weeks - for the boy, especially - has kept me going. I write because of all of you. You know who you are, and I love you all.

To Kate04us and lontanissima - much appreciation for forcing me to keep going. I hope it was worth it in the end!

Written for the #ShandySundayHiatus Marathon 2014 - Week 15.

All mistakes are mine alone.

Sharon Raydor stood on her balcony and watched day slowly turn into night across the city. After arriving home from the prison she had immediately changed into comfortable jeans and a t-shirt, then come straight outside, desperate to clear her head of the day's nightmarish events. She had been out here ever since, the footage of her foster child's visit with the woman who called herself his mother playing over and over in her mind. She couldn't stop seeing the look of utter horror on his face - and the blatant indifference on Sharon Beck's - and her heart hurt even more every time she replayed it in her mind's eye.

Rusty had gone to the Tao's to watch a chess tournament and would be staying the night. It had been planned for a while and she had seen no reason to cancel, simply to deliver more bad news. Sharon was actually relieved not to have to face the boy tonight. Maybe she was being a coward, but she did not relish the conversation that they would need to have - nor having to admit to such a private young man that she was now aware of what his mother had wanted him to do.

As for the deal she had made for Ms. Beck… That was gnawing at her, too. If she had her way, the woman would serve her whole sentence and be done with it. However, there was her boy to think of - and Sharon was afraid that he would blame her for his mother having to stay in jail at all. The choice she had made weighed heavily upon her and she could only hope that the decision she made had been the right one. She had done her best. She prayed that Rusty would understand that…

Sharon sighed, leaning heavily against the railing. It was all such a horrible, awful mess.

Sharon wasn't alarmed when she heard the door to the balcony slide open a little while later and she didn't bother to turn to see who was there. She already knew who it was. In truth, she had been half-expecting him for a while now.

"I gave you that key for emergencies," she admonished her visitor, although they both knew the chastisement was half-hearted at best.

"You're upset," Andy answered softly, moving to lean against the railing slightly apart from her, mirroring her pose where she stood. "That is an emergency."

Sharon didn't reply, but he caught the slight smile that tugged at her mouth before it disappeared again.

"How did it go at the prison?" he enquired gently, hoping that she was ready to talk.

Sharon snorted.

"She wasn't happy. Apparently I'm making a big mistake."

Andy rolled his eyes, before a comfortable silence fell over them.

"How could she ask him that?" Her voice was shaking now, both with anger and pain. Her eyes flickered to him before returning to the view beyond her building and Andy could see that she was close to tears. "She's his mother…"

"No," Andy said firmly. "She might have given birth to him, but that is all she did. You are his mother, Sharon."

She smiled weakly at him, before shaking her head sharply, frantically blinking back the tears. She looked tired - defeated, even. There was a vulnerability about her that he had only ever seen a couple of times before.

He longed to hold her, to put his arms around her and pull her close, but he held back. He was unsure yet whether the comfort would be appreciated and the last thing he wanted was to upset her further.

He sighed inaudibly as he studied her profile. He could usually read her so well, knowing instantly whether she would be prepared to accept physical affection. Tonight, however, she was completely closed off, even from him. It was a rarity for them now, this distance, and it tore at him like a physical wound.

He wasn't sure whether she had sensed his conflict, or whether she simply decided at that moment to reach out. Whatever the reason, her hand gradually moved along the railing until her fingers rested against his, although her gaze was still focused on the lights of the city below. His fingers curled around hers immediately and he felt reassured enough by her movement to step closer to her. Slipping his free hand underneath her hair, Andy rubbed her neck with his fingertips, feeling her relax slightly into his touch.

The solid warmth of him next to her was more welcome than Sharon had expected, and she closed her eyes as his firm caress forced some of the tension from her body. The heat that replaced it was a surprise, rivers of flame flowing from his body into hers, coiling into a pool of desire at her core. The feeling was not one she was used to but she craved more, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to indulge in the delicious fire his proximity had created.

She hadn't noticed him moving nearer still, but suddenly he was right there beside her, his lips tenderly kissing her hair as his hand moved down her body to rest at the small of her back. Instinctively, Sharon stepped into his offered embrace, sighing softly as his arms came around her. She nuzzled her face into his neck, inhaling the masculine scent that was uniquely Andy, allowing his heat to surround her as the steady beating of his heart against her cheek began to soothe away her fears.

Tilting her head up, after several minutes simply enjoying being held by him, Sharon made a quiet hum in her throat to attract his attention. When Andy bent his head to look down at her, she placed her hand at the back of his neck, gently encouraging him towards her.

Her lips as they met his were soft yet insistent, a desperate need burning so deep in her emerald gaze that it made him ache. He kissed her reverently, his fingers curling into her hair as his thumb stroked tenderly along the underside of her jaw. His other hand settled at her waist, pressing her more firmly against him as his tongue hesitantly traced along the curve of her lips.

He felt the upturn of her mouth as she smiled against him, before she parted her lips in invitation to his searching tongue.

Their kisses were languid at first, their lips fitting together as if each had been made for the other. Her taste was divine and he wanted to savour every second as his teeth nipped at her lips and his tongue explored her mouth.

Sharon responded in kind. Her arms locked around his neck as she moaned and pressed herself against him, unable to get close enough to satisfy her craving for his touch. His hands slipped under the thin material of her shirt, his thumbs drawing slow circles against the sensitive skin of her abdomen, heightening the arousal that was already shooting through her body.

Andy couldn't stop the growl that emanated from him upon the contact and he gripped her waist tighter as their kisses became more frantic. The little hums of pleasure that she was making in her throat were driving him crazy, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp sending waves of pleasure rushing straight to his groin.

Sharon's hands had settled at his belt, her fingertips slipping inside his waistband as she tugged him closer still. His touch had her body vibrating with need, soft moans escaping her throat, his hands roaming her skin as his lips moved insistently against her own.

It was exquisite. It wasn't nearly enough.

As his lips moved to her neck, trailing delicate kisses along the length of her throat, she stopped him with a hand against his chest. Andy looked at her with desire-darkened eyes, confusion evident in his expression. She smiled, tracing the line of his jaw with one finger, the look in her eyes unmistakeable.

"Take me to bed."

He obeyed instantly. When he leaned down, cupping her backside with his arms, Sharon grinned. In one smooth movement he had lifted her, holding her safely in his arms as she wrapped herself around him and kissed him hard. With her breath hot on his neck as she dropped kisses across his skin, Andy carried her through the apartment and into the bedroom.

They lay together on her bed hours later, sated and exhausted, their bodies covered only by the sheet that Andy had lazily drawn over them once their lovemaking had ended. Their legs were entwined beneath the expensive cotton, Sharon's foot stroking a slow rhythm along his calf.

She sighed happily and snuggled closer into his embrace, his arm tightening around her in response as her fingertips absently drew random patterns against his chest. His fingers danced along her arm in a similar manner, tender caresses that were completely in sync, even in a state of near slumber.

"Will you stay the night?" she asked softly, pressing her lips to his chest in the lightest of kisses.

"Of course."

Andy moved his hand to play with her hair, twirling a strand of it around his finger as she hummed contentedly and her head lay back against his shoulder. As they held each other, he suddenly found himself wondering where they would go from here. Tonight, she had needed him - but what about tomorrow…and the next day… What then? He had wanted her for so long, he wasn't sure that he could go back to being friends. Of course, if that was what she wanted then he would try, but it would be so very hard…

Andy tensed as he fought an internal battle, unsure whether to give voice to his thoughts. Finally, he decided he had to say something. If this was the only night they would ever spend together, he needed to know now.

"Just tonight?" he asked quietly, almost hoping that she wouldn't hear him.

Sharon lifted herself away from him, propping herself up on her elbow and regarding him quizzically.

"I mean…I guess what I'm asking…" Andy stuttered, wishing now that he had decided to say nothing. "Is this a one-off…because you needed comfort?" She frowned at him then and he mentally cursed himself. "I mean, I am more than happy to be here for you. Honestly, Sharon - at this point, I wouldn't care even if that was the case…"

"Andy, stop digging."

"…But if it's not a one-off…" he carried on regardless.

"Andy…"

"…If it's more than that…"

"Stop!"

"…Then that would be good, too… I mean, that would be better… That would be great…! I mean…"

He stopped abruptly when her finger was placed firmly over his lips as she smiled down at him. Her green eyes sparkled with amusement for a moment, before clouding over with sorrow as she started to speak. Openly and honestly, and in a halting voice, she began to tell him how she felt.

"When I was standing in Electronics, watching that recording…and Provenza and Buzz were trying to prepare me for just how awful it was…" Her breath hitched and her eyes closed for a moment as she fought back her tears. Andy reached up and wordlessly stroked her hair back from her face, his touch lingering on her cheek as she opened her eyes and returned her gaze to his face. "When my heart was breaking…and I felt so sick…and I couldn't breathe…" A single tear escaped then and he caught it with his thumb as her green eyes searched his face earnestly. "That whole time, Andy - in that moment - all I wanted…was you."

"Sharon…"

Her name was a whisper leaving his lips, the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat prohibiting further speech.

"Even though it was one of the worst moments of my life…" she continued, her voice cracking. "I knew that I was safe - that I would handle it. Because of you." She smiled through the tears that were now flowing freely, laying her palm against his chest, above his heart. "Maybe this thing happened the way it did because of today's events, but I think it's been waiting to happen for a very long time…" Her vision cleared then, her voice strengthening as her piercing gaze focused on deep brown eyes that were drowning with the strength of his feelings. "I've been in love with you for a very long time. I've just never been brave enough to say it before."

He moved then, the same all-consuming emotion that was constraining his voice somehow spurring him into action. He rolled them over gently so that he lay above her, his hands at either side of her head, cradling her cheeks with the lightest of touches. Leaning down to her, he brushed his lips against hers, tasting the salt of her tears as his mouth moved against her.

As his senses became consumed by her once again, Andy wasn't sure whether the sob he heard was hers or his own - but it didn't matter. As her arms came around his neck and their kisses became gradually more heated, his heart leapt at the overwhelming certainty that this night was only just the beginning.