If Sharon didn't leave in five minutes it would be impossible for her to get to the salon on time for her manicure and pedicure. There were two days before the ball but there was no way that she was going to trust the people of Los Angeles to stop murdering each just to satisfy her schedule. The annual policeman's ball was a huge event for the city and one of the few times that wearing the uniform wasn't looked at as a blazing bulls' eye. For most of the year it was sadly an "us vs. them" mentality that the average law enforcement officer held when viewing the supposed people they were charged to protect. On this night the badge was truly an honor and thinking that she was finally going to share that pride with someone else was almost overwhelming. Not that Sharon continued to hide her feelings after realizing to what extent her denial was hurting her girlfriend but it was an opportunity for Sharon to officially admit her feeling in front of their colleagues. After everything that she put the younger woman through it was the least she could do to try and absolve herself. Not even the break-up of her marriage was as painful as those ten days after Andrea stormed out of her home in tears. The captain rationalized that the knowledge of their coworkers in no way significantly impacted the meaning or commitment of their relationship however that night Sharon realized all that she could lose a bit too late.
Looking back Sharon would have given anything for a chance to hold the blonde again. So from the moment Andrea reached out that night in the bar's parking lot Sharon did everything she could to show just how much the other woman meant to her. No one was more surprised by the change than Andrea when she went to get briefed on a new case the next day. Lt Tao was with the DDA as she sat at his desk reviewing the witness statements when Sharon walked into the office. She could have simply called out hello as she walked by in the same manner they exchanged hundreds of time before but the pain in Andrea's eyes was too fresh in her memory. Days before they'd agreed not to lie about the relationship during their off duty hours but Andrea deserved more. For the first time in the twenty years since she was first assigned to IA Sharon didn't think out her every action twenty or thirty steps ahead to consider and reconsider each possible consequence. Sharon saw her girlfriend sitting at Tao's desk as the rest of the squad went about their usual day. There would never be a better opportunity because everyone was in the office and not completely distracted. Hell even the cleaning staff was still tidying the area as she took a deep breath before forcing everyone else in the background except her lover.
Never before had two seconds meant so much than when she walked straight to Andrea's chair and rubbed the lawyer's shoulders as she said hello. "Drea I'm glad you're here I had some cases I need to go over with you before our date tonight." Andrea's eyes couldn't have gotten any bigger if Sharon had offered to give her a lap dance. Whatever Andrea had been saying to Tao was forgotten as her mouth opened and closed a couple of times without any sound. "But don't rush because I'm going to make a few calls to Taylor and the ATF while you finish up" and without another word she left. No one said anything for a few minutes and from the surreptitious peeks Sharon could see that they kept looking at each other trying to understand what just happened. Although she was sure it had come out fairly natural Sharon triple and quadruple guessed herself over the implications of saying 'Drea over Sweetie. She didn't want there to be any doubt that she was speaking to a lover. But did she really want to hit everyone over the head with the statement? It had taken a few days and more than a few puzzled glances but eventually everyone had been very supportive of the relationship. Provenza was his regularly crotchety self but anything less wouldn't have been genuine. Three days later several items were placed very conspicuously on her desk: a rainbow flag coffee mug, an anti-proposition 8 sticker, and t-shirt that confessed "I'm not a lesbian but my girlfriend is". Some people were a little too supportive in Sharon's view. Each time she saw Andy watching as she talked to her girlfriend she had the almost immediate impulse to cover Andrea's body with a thick blanket. His eyes sort of glazed over as he followed them and she'd already warned Andrea if he licked his lips she might strike him.
As amazing as it was to see her squad offering automatic support it was nothing compared to how the recognition buoyed the younger woman. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped because the confidence and the love that radiated from the lawyer was instantly recognizable. It hurt to even think that she'd selfishly withheld something so simple and basic for so long. Once stated Sharon couldn't believe how dramatically everything and nothing changed at the same time. It became commonplace to see DDA Hobbs either picking or dropping Rusty off as she prepared officers for trials. Sharon frequently escorted the blonde throughout the building with her hand in the lower portion of her back. Even Taylor grudgingly accepted the pair after signing up major crimes for a few hours of mandatory sexual harassment and sensitivity training. So when the dispatcher ran up to Sharon just as she was stepping into the elevator she uttered a phrase for the first time since joining the LAPD "I'm officially off the clock. Whatever happens now until Monday morning is Lt Provenza's problem" without once turning around.
"I'm sorry Captain Raydor but ADA Martin asked for you to call her. She said it was important and it concerned your DDA." Twenty years of stuffing her emotions kept her face clear but it didn't help the shake in her hands. "She said that you were to call her as soon as possible no matter what was going on." Detective Sykes just happened to walk by as the blood rushed from her face and caught her before the slight sway took her down.
The young black woman whispered "Captain why don't we get you back to your office?" as she led her toward an empty conference room. The next few seconds Sharon were a blur that she couldn't have deciphered even if ordered to in a court of law. One moment she was on her way to M2 Studio and the next she was sitting in Amy's car speeding towards Cedars-Sinai. The office went out to celebrate a tough win in a high profile case when Andrea fell clutching her stomach in pain. She hadn't been in the ER more than fifteen minutes before she was rushed to surgery. No one knew what was going on or whom to call other than Sharon. Every horrible possibility drifted into her mind as they all sat pacing the uncomfortably loud and garishly bright waiting room. She couldn't lose her. Not after getting her back. God couldn't possibly be this cruel. Sharon's hands were on her badge as she contemplated using it for inappropriate benefit when a harried doctor came forward and gave them a brief overview. The upset stomach Andrea had been complaining of for the past two days was result of a very inflamed appendix. She'd be out of work for at least four weeks and flat on her back for two.
Sharon was sitting in the darkened room holding Andrea's hand as a younger Hobbs looked on from the window and muttered "typical" as the nurse left.
"Excuse me?" Sharon asked looking towards the blonde who looked almost identical to the reclined woman except for the spikey hair with pink tips. "I'm sorry Sarah what did you say?"
"I said that it was just typical for my sister to pull a stunt like this just before her turn driving to Vegas to check on mom and dad's property." If it had been any other person the ice cold bitch persona that Sharon perfected would have made an appearance except that the drying tears and the strained voice belied the sarcastic retort. The sisters were extremely close and only definitive proof that her sibling was completely out of danger was keeping the younger woman from falling apart. "She begs me to switch months with her so that she can take you to visit our brother in Seattle but as soon as it's her turn to pay me back the lawyer in her finds a way to wiggle out of it."
Playing along Sharon laughed "I didn't want to tell you this but she's been planning it for weeks."
"Don't think I don't believe you" Sarah barked out before a fresh set of tears fell.
Sharon pulled the other woman in her arms as she whispered "Hey she's going to be okay. They removed it just before it ruptured. She had the best surgeons in the world."
"I know I know"
"There is no way Rusty is going to let her get out of taking us to Chicago for Chanukah especially if that means he's getting gifts for seven more days." More than that there was no way Sharon was going to lose Andrea. She wasn't a woman that settled once she'd made up her mind and a lifetime with Andrea was what she wanted. Since sharing their relationship Sharon had met Andrea's younger brother and sister and Skyped with her retired parents as they traveled the world. Each week she and Rusty felt even more entrenched in the Hobbs family but this winter they were all going to meet face to face: another younger sister, two nephews, a niece and several cousins.
Just as Sarah was about break down in tears Andrea's eyes cracked opened. "What's going on?"
"You scaring the bat shit out of everyone again. You really are too old to be such an attention whore."
"So says the thirty four year old with pink hair."
"First you got shot and now you fall out during the middle of lunch hour. I have to tell you that it's getting kind of embarrassing how hard you're working to get a five minute segment on KTLA. Is it that hard to get recognition as a DDA?"
Sharon didn't even listen to Andrea's response but she was sure there were several f bombs and a variety of curse words. All that mattered to the brunette was that the love of her life was going to be okay. It wasn't even a consideration when Sharon immediately put in for corresponding time to work from home and brought the blonde back to her condo to recuperate. She was reviewing a transcript from a suspect's interview when she heard a soft knock at her bedroom door. Looking down Andrea was still asleep and had both arms wrapped around Sharon's waist when Rusty walked in holding a tray of breakfast. Everything considered things could have gotten so bad so fast. Rusty could have rebelled when Sharon needed to take care of Andrea but he had shown them both what an amazing young man he was. The fact that both his birth mother and father callously tossed him aside was testament to the stupidity of the world. But Sharon would always count those as blessings in disguise that brought the teenager into her life.
"How is she?"
"Much better every day thanks to you" Sharon smiled as she helped him set the meal down without waking the blonde.
"Do you think that we can work on my project today? This is the last weekend before it's due."
"Honey I don't if Andrea's up to…"
"There is no reason that I can't walk around a museum for an hour or two" Andrea interrupted without opening her eyes or letting her girlfriend go.
"I don't want you to over tire yourself."
"Um maybe I can get one of my friends to take me?"
"If I can walk from the bathroom to the couch a hundred times a day I can certainly walk around the freaking Getty. Besides there are benches every couple of feet in case I get tired. All I have to do is pretend I'm deeply analyzing something every so often." Neither Sharon nor Rusty was convinced but two weeks of pushback from Andrea had taught them to keep their comments brief. The lawyer seemed to keep forgetting that she'd had a major surgery. "We'll go after lunch" Andrea announced before turning over to return to sleep. It hadn't been as easy as Andrea expected and the rest stops became more frequent until Sharon cut the trip short when Andrea's face broke out in sweat. Rusty was beside himself with worry but Sharon assured him that Andrea would be fine and excused him to spend time with friends while she put her girlfriend back to bed.
"Are you sure you don't need me?"
"Rusty, go."
It was a few hours after dusk when Sharon looked up to see Andrea walking towards her desk. "Feeling better?"
"Okay maybe you were right about me pushing myself"
"Can I get that in writing counselor?" Sharon laughed as Andrea sat across from her.
"Thank you"
"For not letting you fall on your face? I just didn't want to explain to your parents why you suddenly have a broken nose when we skype tomorrow." Sharon said with her usual smirk.
Sticking out her tongue and rolling her eyes Andrea pouted as she said "Fine you were right and I was wrong. Does that make you feel better?"
"Again I ask can I have that in writing?"
Andrea asked "How much longer do you need to work in here?" with a look of innocence that Sharon simply did not trust.
"Just what are you up to counselor?" After a bunch of hemming and hawing Andrea finally admitted that she was exhausted but couldn't sleep without Sharon.
With a look of smugness that hadn't been witnessed since her days in IA Sharon answered "That's all that you had to say" before the blonde threatened to drag her into the bedroom. If being next to her lover wasn't exactly where she wanted to be Sharon might have pushed the point but instead she simply shut down the computer and walked into her bedroom without another word. Not that it stopped her from inquiring as they lay quietly "Are you happy now?"
Taking Sharon's hand by the wrist Andrea slowly slid it underneath the waistband of her pajama and promised "I can show you what would make me really happy." Sharon softly stroked the pads of her fingers up then down her girlfriend's bare mound before attempting to pull them away but Andrea held it firm.
"Drea" Sharon warned.
"You won't hurt me. I promise"
Taking a second slower swipe Sharon finally removed the entire hand and answered "Not until you're cleared by the doctor" as she leaned over to kiss her frustrated girlfriend's brow. "I'm not willing to take any chances with you."
Knowing that a frontal assault was not going to get Sharon to back down Andrea put her nimble mind to work at some subtle manipulation. "Fine you don't have to do anything at all to me. I'll just lay here perfectly still while you ride on top of my face." Early on in the relationship Andrea found Sharon's weakness for dirty talk and right now she was prepared to use every trick she'd learned to bend the formidable captain's will. The immediate flush that painted both Sharon's face and chest let Andrea know that her tactic was working. She just needed a little bit of insurance. "Are you wet for me? I want to taste you so badly baby. Don't you want to feel me licking so deep inside of you?"
There was hardly a sliver of green showing over the dilated pupils as Sharon leaned over and kissed her hard. But just as Andrea was wetting her lips in preparation Sharon shook her head and physically twisted Andrea's body around until they were spooning. "Goodnight sweetheart" Sharon whispered as she kissed Andrea's shoulder.
"Chicken shit" Andrea muttered before falling asleep to the sound of her girlfriend's laughter.
A few hours later Sharon once again attempted to review her detective's file when the soft sounds of Adele filled the room. When she looked up Andrea was standing in the door way as the hallway lights softly illuminated her blonde hair. There was a look on her girlfriend's face that she wasn't familiar with. It was a mix between awe and devilment and Sharon was not sure that she was strong enough to again turn down making love for the first time in two weeks. "Andrea" She hoped to warn her off just with the tone of her voice. Laughing while she held up her hands Andrea promised that she wasn't there to cause trouble. "I'll believe that when I see it" Sharon teased when a mournful expression broke across the younger woman's face. In an instant she was up reaching to pull the blonde into her arms "Baby what's wrong? Please tell me"
"I'm just realized I made you miss the ball. I know how big a deal it is for everyone. I'm sorry for messing everything up"
Pulling back sharply Sharon gave Andrea the famous IA Captain Raydor stare and challenged the younger woman with "I never took you for a fool."
"Sharon"
"I don't give a damn about the fucking ball"
"but"
With a soft smack to the ass Sharon growled "Hush!" before proceeding "as I was saying I don't give a damn about the ball as long as you are alright. The only reason that this ball meant anything at all to me was that I could finally introduce you to everyone as my girlfriend but I think in the last three months everyone that matters knows exactly what you mean to me and Rusty. But if there is any doubt I'm sure the ring I'm got you will make it clear." Again the lawyer imitated a fish out of water. "Thank you for blowing your Chanukah surprise. If your family gets upset I'm telling them it's your fault."
Andrea was able to think fast on her feet as she responded "Of course it'll be my fault. Everyone thinks you can do no wrong. Any time I complain about you Sarah calls me a jackass."
"I always did like her"