Wings of Love
by Kate04
A/N: The idea for this one came up after the wedding episode, when our world was still somewhat okay, and was written before the event that shall not be named. It is set in canon, but no one dies. Not in this story, anyway.
A big thank you to my girls Kadi219 and NarcissaNerea for the endless chats about these adorable idiots, for their input and encouragement. 3
Disclaimer: Not my toys, but the last few weeks made me wish they were. I'm tempted to not put them back.
"We become angels when we fly with the wings of love. We can reach any destination and touch any heart without any hesitation."
― Debasish Mridha
Sharon leaned against the bar, a glass of ice cold water in her hand, and watched her friends and family enjoy themselves. The wedding reception had been going on for several hours already, but there was no sign of it winding down any time soon. The food was delicious, the speeches only mildly embarrassing, and the music was divine. Ever since she and Andy had danced their first dance, the moderately sized dance floor had been crowded. She herself had only stepped off of it in order to get a drink and a small break. Her husband had intended to join her, but had been accosted by his step-daughter on their way to the bar. Sharon had continued to get a much needed drink on her own, content to watch from the sidelines.
After three fast-paced songs, Emily finally released Andy. They made their way towards her arm in arm when they were stopped by Ricky and Rusty. The small group was not close enough for her to hear their conversation, but that was not necessary to get the gist of what was going on.
Instead of focusing on what they might be saying, she watched how they interacted. Andy still had an arm around Emily and her head rested against his shoulder, a happy smile on her face. It was obvious that her sons were teasing their sister, while Andy seemed to be warning them to be careful. By now, he had witnessed what her daughter was capable of when suitably riled up.
Sharon had felt so much happiness all day. She had married a man she could not possibly love more, and her friends and family were there to share this special day with her. To be able to witness this absolutely normal family scene made her throat close up with emotions once again.
They really were a family, she realized. She had said the word when talking about them for a while now, but she had never before felt it as vividly as in that moment.
Not only had Ricky and Emily fully accepted Rusty as their little brother, but he was finally allowing himself to believe that he was truly welcome and wanted. And then there was Andy, so easily loved by her children, and loving them just as easily in return. None of them where trying to get along for her sake. That might have been how it started between Rusty and her older kids, and it might have been why Rusty had first accepted Andy in their lives, but in the years since then, they had grown past that.
As she watched them laugh together, Sharon suddenly felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. It had always been there, from the moment she first held Emily in her arms, and it only got heavier with every passing year, with Ricky's birth, with Jack's problems, with Rusty's addition to her family. It was the burden of worry that she carried every minute of every day. It was familiar and comforting in a way, but also very unsettling. Even more so than usual whenever she had to fear that she might not return home to her children at night, when she was unsure whether she would get to see them grow up, finish school, make their first steps on their own, as adults, fall in love and have a family of their own. When she took in Rusty, her concerns became more palpable, first with the fear of losing him and later because of Stroh and Weller. Then Andy stepped into her life, and while he was a grown man and completely capable of looking after himself, she could not help but be worried about his health and about his tendency to kick down doors and jump onto moving vehicles. She loved him for his dedication to his job, for the passion with which he fought for those who were no longer able to fight for themselves, even if it gave her infinitely more grey hairs to cover up.
In that moment, being the happiest she could remember ever feeling, Sharon knew that they would be all right. If anything should happen to her, if this disease that she was still trying to fully understand were to be her end, they would be okay. They would hurt, and they would mourn her loss, but they would have each other to lean on. None of them would have to face the future alone. That knowledge gave her a great deal of peace, and it made her uncertain future so much easier to bear.
It was an arm sliding around her waist that pulled her out of her thoughts, and she leaned into the solid form of her husband with a content smile on her face. He placed a tender, lingering kiss onto her lips when she looked up at him, and she hummed happily when he pulled her even closer.
Her children were still standing a few feet away, quietly talking and laughing. Emily had exchanged Andy's shoulder for Rusty's, and Sharon marveled at how far her youngest son had come. A few years ago, he would have shied away from such a blatant show of affection. Now, he easily returned it, his arm around his sister's shoulder as he rolled his eyes at something Ricky said.
She realized that she was sliding down the back end of her life, that she had more time behind her than ahead of her. It was something that had become even more present in her mind since she had learned about her precarious health. After all that time, after having been married for over thirty years and having raised two children and getting a third child through college, she finally had that life she had dreamed about as a young woman, when she had stood in another reception hall, wearing a different white dress, with a different man by her side. Back then, she had pictured a devoted husband and wonderful father by her side, raising their children, and growing old together. Those dreams had changed over the years. Jack had not been the man she had wanted, and she had taken care of her children on her own. She had found happiness and fulfillment in that, pride, and a sense of accomplishment. She had given up on truly sharing a family with her husband, and then she had given up on having a husband altogether.
It was then, many years after she had found peace in her life as a single, working mother, that Andy had sneaked into her heart. She had not expected any of it, not that Rusty would become such an integral part of her family, and certainly not that she would finally find a man to share that family with. He truly wanted to be by her side, and he wanted to be part of her children's lives. In the time they had been together he had been more of a father to all of them than their own fathers had ever been, and it filled her heart with joy to see them bathe in the love he gave them.
"They will be okay," she finally said quietly on a relieved sigh, wrapping both arms around her husband and allowing her head to rest against his chest, his heart beating steadily underneath her ear.
She felt him tighten his hold on her, his cheek against the top of her head as he followed her gaze until he saw who she was talking about. There was a moment of silence before he finally spoke, his voice low.
"Yes, they will." He drew a deep breath and placed a kiss into her hair. "And so will you," he added, his tone somewhere between hope and conviction.
She wanted to believe him, and there was every reason to do so. She had never been happier in her entire life, and there was still so much she wanted to do, especially now that she had someone to do all these things with. She wanted this time with her husband and her children, and with all her friends, but for the first time she felt that it would be okay if she did not get it. She had spent her life doing truly meaningful work and found fulfillment in it. She knew that she had made a difference in quite a few lives. She had raised wonderful children and helped them to become strong and independent adults. She had loved fiercely and been loved in return. She had been truly blessed with a great life, and if it should end sooner than she thought, she would take comfort in that and in the fact that those she left behind would have one another to lean on.