Thank you all so much for your continued support and kind words. This story started as a simple idea in my head that had an almost comical feel to it, but somehow, when I sat down to write it, it turned into something rather angsty. So, this story is not my usual Shandy fluff. This was also my biggest challenge to date because I love these two so much it was difficult to think about anything angsty happening between them. I hope I did the characters justice as well as the story. I definitely welcome all of your feedback since this is somewhat uncharted territory for me as a writer.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them.

Chapter One

It had been a while since the team had gone out together to grab drinks at the end of a case. After the most recent one, everyone seemed to agree that it was long overdue. As each member of the squad started to pack up for the day (and hopefully, the weekend), Andy decided to see if Sharon wanted to join them. He knocked softly on her open office door and entered before she had a chance to invite him in. She looked up at him, and when their eyes met, they shared a smile.

"Nice work with the family today, Andy," she said softly. He had taken the victim's family under his wing and really helped them through the loss of their loved one. His careful attention led to the victim's wife opening up more and providing information that ended up solving the case. The fact that she seemed to take a particular liking to Andy did not go unnoticed by Sharon, but she dismissed it. She knew Andy was only doing his job, and he had done it very well.

"It's gotta be tough. I know I didn't die, but I did leave my family in a way. I know how hard that was for them," he said reflecting on his past.

"Except, your family is lucky. They have you back," she said with a sad smile. The plight of the victim's family still weighing on her mind.

"Yeah, I guess. Listen, everybody's going out for drinks. You want to join us? I have to babysit Provenza, so I certainly wouldn't mind the company," he said with a smile.

"I wish I could, but Rusty has that trip this weekend for his journalism class. I want to see him before he heads out," she stated before glancing at her watch. "In fact, I need to get going if I'm going to make it in time". She got up from her chair and started gathering her things.

"How about I go for a few minutes and then bring dinner over to your house? We haven't spent a lot of time together lately, and well... I miss you," Andy admitted while rubbing the back of his neck. She stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. She detected his nervousness at admitting that last part and she found it adorable and sweet. Truth be told, she was planning on spending the night alone. She knew she had nothing to worry about with Andy or the way he felt about her, but she could use a night to work through some things. Seeing the way the victim's wife had come onto him and his friendliness in return had brought old, long-buried issues to the surface. She wasn't angry or upset, and she certainly didn't blame Andy for any of it. She just needed time to herself to regroup and shake off the last of her ex-husband's emotional baggage. But, Andy's offer was tempting and she did want to spend time with him and there was something about the way he said he missed her...

"That sounds great," she decided with a smile. "What about the Lieutenant?" She asked motioning her head in Provenza's direction.

"He's married now. Patrice can worry about that," he replied.

"Alright. Just text me when you're on your way," she decided.

"Ok, yeah. Anything in particular you want for dinner?" He asked. She was making her way towards her office door when she stopped and turned to face him.

"No. Surprise me," and with that she exited her office and headed home to catch Rusty before he left for the weekend. Andy thought she seemed a little preoccupied, but he chalked it up to the case and, more likely, Rusty's looming departure. He knew Sharon and her penchant for worrying. Plus, this was Rusty's first trip out of town without her, and Andy knew the Stroh threat was still in the back of her mind hidden away somewhere. He decided that he would bring home something special for dinner.

Once everyone had arrived at the bar, the drinks began flowing freely. Andy had been sipping his diet soda listening to his partner ramble on about this and that.

"Honestly, Flynn, if you hadn't made nice with the victim's wife, we'd probably still be trying to solve that case," Provenza said before taking another sip of his beer. "Good to see you still got it," he added with a laugh. Wait, had he flirted with the wife? He certainly didn't mean to. He was trying to be friendly, comforting, and supportive so she would trust him and open up. She did seem to be awfully friendly with him. Oh, God! Did Sharon notice? Is that why she was a little distant in her office? She did take him up on his offer, though, so she couldn't be too upset. He vowed to explain everything to her when he saw her later.

Just as Andy was about to take his leave, two blonde women who looked to be in their 30s sat down at the high top table he was currently sharing with his partner. Their attire left little to the imagination, and Andy couldn't help but cringe at the thought that he would have hit on these women just a few short years ago. Provenza noticed them as well, but didn't seem to be too bothered by their presence at the table.

"Now why are you two handsome guys sitting at this table all by yourselves?" The first woman asked with a flirtatious smile. Provenza held up his ring finger while taking another sip of his beer. Great, Andy thought. The two women instantly turned their focus to him.

"And what about you? You married, too?" The same woman asked while giving Andy a once over with her eyes.

"No, but..." He started to reply, but the second woman interrupted him.

"Oh, good! That would have been a real shame! It's so hard to find mature, single men in this city," she said exasperated. Andy wasn't sure how he felt about her use of the word "mature", but he didn't care because he just wanted to get out of there and have a nice dinner with Sharon.

"Especially ones as good lookin' and sexy as you," the first woman added. Andy just gave an annoyed smile and looked down at his phone. He had left it on the table so he could keep track of the time.

"So, you guys cops or something?" The second woman asked indicating Andy's badge on his hip.

"Yup," Andy answered aggravated while taking a sip from his soda. Were the women he pursued this annoying? Probably. How had he never noticed? The one-track mind was a powerful thing, he decided. The second woman leaned in closer to Andy making sure her abundant cleavage was in view.

"Betcha got a big gun," she stated with a look that only meant one thing. At this point, Andy had had enough. He unlocked his phone to text Sharon that he was on his way, but realized that he should hit the bathroom before he left. He excused himself ignoring the woman's suggestive comment and headed to the bathroom. The two women looked at each other and then Provenza.

"Was it something we said?" The first woman asked. Provenza, who hadn't been paying too much attention to the conversation, simply shook his head.

"Nah, he's just moody," Provenza offered.

"Oh, thank heavens. I thought it was me," the second woman answered. Meanwhile the first woman noticed that Andy had left his phone behind and it was unlocked and ringing. She picked it up, and noticed the name "Captain Sharon Raydor" on the caller ID.

"Who's... Sharon?" She asked Provenza. He took a sip of his beer and noticed Tao and Julio in another part of the bar.

"Our boss," he said dismissively and started to get up to join his co-workers. "Oh, and Flynn's girlfriend. Now if you'll excuse me," he added as he walked away. The two women looked at each other and smiled. They waited until the phone stopped ringing and then touched the messaging icon. They easily found an existing conversation between the owner of the phone and "Sharon". Without hesitation, they opened up the text window, touched the camera icon, and snapped a selfie of the two of them. Once they were happy with the result, they hit the "send" button and the picture appeared in the conversation thread. They giggled and placed the phone back on the table sure to close out of the messaging window. They both left the table before Andy returned. As he passed the table on his way out, he grabbed his phone. He had decided to text Sharon once he got the food.

After Sharon had gotten home and spent some time with Rusty before he left, she realized that she had forgotten her coat at work. She was hoping to catch Andy since the office was between the bar and her condo, but he didn't answer. She put her phone down and decided to go change out of her work clothes. As she was undressing in her room, she heard her text chime in the other room. She assumed it was Andy letting her know he was on his way or checking in to find out why she had called. Perhaps, the bar was too loud for a phone conversation. She had resigned herself to the idea of getting her coat on Monday, so she didn't hurry to check the text.

Once she had changed out of her suit and into some jeans and a tight-fitting t-shirt, she made her way back to her living room. She picked up the book she was in the middle of reading and dove right into the next chapter. It was several minutes later when she realized that she had never checked her phone to read the text. She got up from her couch and made her way to her kitchen counter where she had left it after pouring herself a glass of wine a little while ago. She picked up her phone and hit the center button. It was a text, alright, and it was from Andy like she thought. But the content of the message was the complete opposite of what she thought. She closed out of messaging without replying and re-locked her phone before placing it back down and walking back over to her couch. She sunk down onto it, but she couldn't bring herself to continue reading the book she had been enjoying just moments ago.

TBC