AN:
First of all sorry for the delay, but the last weeks have been very hectic. Real life was seriously interfering with my life as a fangirl ;)
A big thank you goes to all the people who have been so lovely to leave reviews for part one of this story! I really appreciate all the reviews I get. It's nice to know when people enjoy your story.
I rated the story M, in this part mainly for violence in the upcoming chapters.
I hope you all will enjoy part two as much as you did part one. It's finished and I will try to make regular updates. Now on with the story.
Chapter one
Hamilton had only called him in. Not even mentioning what it was about. He must have thought, he would see soon enough. He would have liked a heads up though. In the mean time, Sharon had wondered, why she hadn't been summoned to the talk with those defense attorneys. He had told her to be happy , she shouldn't be too eager to be in one room with those suits. If he would have been able to find a way to get out of it, he would have.
And there they were gathered in Hamilton's office. Three suits. Andy's fist clenched, beside his thighs. His heart beat faster. He wondered whether his face was red, he could feel his own anger flush. Hamilton must have seen it too, as he shot him a warning glance. He was supposed to keep it cool.
Kaplan and Meyers. He had heard about that fancy law firm. Unfortunately he had the honor of dealing with them on previous occasions. The white haired guy introduced himself as Kaplan. The second definitely wasn't Meyers. He couldn't imagine someone so young being a partner. This eager young hound dog, was probably a junior associate or something. The third, that one didn't need introducing. Guess that was the answer to why Sharon hadn't been summoned as well. Andy wondered whether Sharon knew.
'Breathe through, Flynn.'
He couldn't afford knocking Jack Raydor out. Would only help them kill him off as a witness. Besides it wouldn't make his partner too happy. He could not understand what Sharon liked about the man. He was everything she was not. She was so kind and loving. Sharon could only be blinded by love, falling for that arrogant prick.
Andy didn't want to think about the fact they were engaged. The idea alone, that he would marry her one day. He couldn't picture Sharon as his wife, trapped in a marriage. Jack Raydor, seemed the kind of man, who'd want to tell his wife what to do. Andy couldn't help but wonder, how long Sharon would still be on active duty, once she'd be Mrs. Jack Raydor.
Jack already hadn't been thrilled about her decision to stay at Robbery/Homicide after all. Andy had clearly seen the strain in her eyes. She didn't get any support, from the man working around her at work and it seemed like, she didn't get any from the man she loved, at home, either. It hurt her more than she'd probably ever admit. He saw her bloodshed eyes. A clear sign of lack of sleep, crying.
The guy did not deserve her, that was for sure. It was obvious, he took her for granted. The knowledge that she was just always there for him, made him arrogant. Sharon was too loyal. The longer he worked with her, he realized she'd take a bullet for him. He wasn't sure any other would, especially not someone he'd been such an ass to. He hadn't been very welcoming to Sharon, to say the least, but she was still here and tried very hard to build up a friendship.
Kaplan was an old fox. He might look harmless, but the glimmer in his eyes, said something different.
"You were the arresting officer?"
"My partner and I made the arrest, yeah. I don't see why that's important though."
"We're just checking the facts."
"Read the report. I've got more important stuff to do."
"We're familiar with your report 'style'. "
"It's your lucky day, gentlemen. Most of the report was written by my partner. You'll find out that she's very thorough and has a very neat handwriting."
Andy smiled smug. He could tell Raydor hated him mentioning Sharon, as his partner. Guy seemed to him as the kind, who saw a woman as his possession. Although Sharon didn't really seem to him as the kind of woman, who would let anyone treat her that way.
Andy followed Raydor into the men's room.
"Tell me Sharon knows you're representing that guy."
Jack only stared. Andy couldn't believe he hadn't told her. Should she just find out in court?
"You do know that guy stabbed her. He was planning to kill her."
"I'm doing my job. Sharon will understand."
"Right… . That's why you've told her already. You haven't told her, because you know she will not like it, because you know it will cause problems between the two of you."
"Our relationship is none of your business."
"Sharon is my partner."
Andy meant it, he wasn't just bugging the man. Sharon was his partner and he had began to care for her. He knew her well enough to know this was going to hurt her. And he did not like to see her hurt. Not by anyone.
"You don't even like her."
"I do."
"You were an ass to her, like you're an ass to everyone."
"I know I was. I was wrong about her and she knows that. I care about her."
"Don't get too attached, Flynn. Sharon's going to quit the force soon enough."
Sharon didn't seem too willing to quit anytime soon to him. She enjoyed her job, she was very serious about it. She liked arresting the criminals. He couldn't imagine Sharon defending some murderer.
"You still believe she wants to be a lawyer?"
Andy wondered whether Jack listened at all during their conversations. He was engaged to her, wasn't he supposed to know her better?
"I don't see Sharon defending the bad guys, she enjoys locking them up too much."
"My wife is not going to be a cop."
Andy huffed.
"Sharon and I will get married and then we'll start a family."
"We don't live in the fifties anymore, Raydor."
"I know Sharon a lot longer than you do, pal."
Yeah, he knew her longer, but that didn't necessarily mean he knew her better. So Andy just nodded and turned around. Jack frowned angry.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to work. We live in L.A., people get killed frequent in this town. I've got a huge stack of paperwork on my desk."
"Don't tell Sharon."
"I'm not going to lie to her."
"Now what does that mean?"
"That I'm not going to lie."
Andy locked eyes with Jack. He didn't care what the man thought about him. He didn't care that he was obviously afraid about what he was going to tell Sharon. Raydor should have thought about that sooner. He should have told her, he was taking on this case.
Andy was very quiet, after he came from the Commanders office. It wasn't like they'd chatter all day, but he never was this quiet. Sharon wondered whether it was something she'd said or done. Now they were in the car, driving to a suicide, possible homicide. She couldn't stand the silence anymore.
Every other minute Sharon's eyes wandered off to him. Her eyes burned on his skin. He didn't know what to say to her. It felt like if he talked to her he'd already lie. That by not telling her about Raydor's involvement, defending the first arrest she'd ever made, he'd lie to her.
"Andy is everything okay?"
"Hm-mm."
"Did I do something wrong? Say something wrong?"
He looked at her, as she sounded so vulnerable. He couldn't stand her believing she'd done something wrong.
"No of course not."
"Okay then what's bothering you? Is it about your meeting earlier?'
Sharon was too damn perceptive. This was what he'd been afraid of. Sharon shouldn't hear this from him. She should hear it from Raydor. He was sure the man would tell her now, the first moment he'd get. So was it really up to him, to tell her about this, before the guy had the chance to inform her?
Although he'd had all the time in the world, to tell her about this sooner.
"You're not in trouble are you? I mean you had to come in alone."
"No."
"Was it about me then?"
"No, it wasn't."
"Andy please tell me, I know something's bothering you."
Andy knew he had to tell her. She'd blame him in the end, if he wouldn't. Trust between partners was very important. Andy knew she'd forgiven him for the way he treated her, when she was first assigned to him, but he couldn't imagine she had forgotten.
"Do you know Kaplan and Meyers?"
Sharon raised her eyebrows, surprised. Kaplan and Meyers. Of course she knew that law firm, Jack was an associate there.
"Yes sure, Jack's an associate there."
"Yeah I know. Met Kaplan, some young dog and your fiancé earlier."
"What was it about?"
"Our serial killer."
"Are they representing any of the victims?"
How was he going to bring this easy to her? Damn Jack Raydor.
"Jack could have said 'hi'…"
Andy knew he hadn't , because he would have had to explain then what he'd been doing there and he could image he wouldn't want to do that in a crowded room.
"So who do they represent?"
Andy frowned. Something was wrong, maybe he had been in an argument with Jack. The two didn't really get along.
"Andy?"
"They represent the killer."
Sharon stared, feeling like the wind was knocked out of her. That couldn't be. Why would Jack represent that guy? Not only had he tried to kill her, the man had killed nine other women. This case couldn't be any clearer. How could he represent someone this sick and still have a clear conscience? No, he didn't have a clear conscience. If he had, he would have told her about it. He must know how she'd feel about this. In fact it made her stomach turn. It made her feel physically ill.
Andy looked concerned. Sharon's eyes were killing him. The anguish, the betrayal. It hurt to see her like this. How could Jack do this to her? The guy claimed he loved her. He couldn't imagine ever willingly betray her again. He'd do anything to keep her from looking at him like that, as it was like a hand reaching into his chest, grabbed his heart, and squeezed the life out of it. He definitely did not want to be in Raydor's shoes, the next time he'd see her.
The color had drained from her face and she didn't look too well.
"Are you okay?"
Okay? No, she was not okay. This was absolutely insane. Her breathing exhilarated, while she shook her head.
Andy steered the car to the side of the road, putting it to a stop. As soon as the car stopped, he watched Sharon open the car door, turning around in her seat. She bend forward and he heard her retch up, whatever was still in her stomach from lunch. Instinctively he reached out, brushed her ponytail back, his other hand circling her back. Her body shook under his hand, as she kept retching. He felt bad, he shouldn't have told her.
"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said anything."
Sharon gasped for breath, trying to control the sudden nausea that overwhelmed her. Andy's warm hand was on her back, circling, soothing. He held her hair back, his thumb brushing her neck. The last time anyone had soothed her like this, it had been her mom.
"Easy…"
He still stroke her back, as she got up again, trying desperate to breathe through, fighting the urge to bend over again and retch. Andy held out a paper towel to her, so she could wipe her mouth. He looked compassionate. How much about their dynamic had changed. She could clearly remember the first crime scene he took her to, how he had warned her not to throw up over his shoes. Now his hand was still stroking her back.
"I shouldn't have said anything."
He looked guilty for being honest with her. This wasn't his fault. If Jack had told her.. She shook her head.
"No, you did the right thing. I'm glad you told me."
Her eyes told him she needed him to tell her the truth, no matter what. It was the base of the trust between them, their partnership.
"He probably had no say in it."
All he wanted to do now was comfort her, make it all go away. Last thing she'd need was him bashing Raydor.
"Then he wouldn't have had to come to the station. He wouldn't have had to lie to me. There's a reason why he didn't tell me, deliberately kept this from me. He knows how this makes me feel."
She was rightfully angry. He couldn't blame her and he hoped she'd give him hell for it.
Sharon heard the door open. She knew it was Jack, before she even turned around. The room filled with the scent of roses, combined with the scent of his aftershave. He bought her roses, probably a way to create the ideal environment to break the news to her. Ease her up with the flowers, a good bottle of wine and probably her favorite food.
"Sweetheart…"
A shiver ran down her spine. It was hard for her, to hear him call her that. It always brought her back to that night, when the killer had called her just that. She hadn't known how to explain it to Jack, especially not now.
Jack bend over her, kissing the top of her head. She heard him inhale. He loved to take in her scent. He held the roses out in front of her. Probably waiting for some delighted reaction of surprise. She just stared. She was too angry for any way of response. All she could think about, was the fact that he deliberately kept something from her.
He didn't even notice her dispassionate response. Self absorbed. That was a trait in him, she definitely did not like. He walked to the kitchen, putting the roses on the counter, just like the sushi, he told her he'd brought, because she liked it so much. To anyone he must seem like the ideal husband right now. The only thing she saw was a way to manipulate her… and there was one thing she did not like, to get manipulated.
Jack turned around and he suddenly met Sharon's eyes. The unemotional stare in her eyes he met, made every thought in his mind disappear. She knew. Damn that Flynn.
He hated that look in her eyes, the silence. Any other woman would yell, argue. He rather had her yelling at him, than this deafening silence. The disappointment in her eyes, betrayal, hurt. Why would she always speak with those emerald green eyes of hers? She was like a hostage-taker.
What now? Was he to speak first? Should he let her begin and do the talking? How long should he wait? Was she waiting for him? What should he say? Choose the defense or offense? She was too damn complicated. Did he know her at all?
Jack stared at her, he was probably thinking about the best way to approach this. Always the lawyer. This wasn't some damn case. She stared him down, waiting for him to say something. Although she didn't believe there was anything, he could say to make this all better.
"Flynn couldn't wait to tell you, did he?"
Attacking Andy surely wasn't going to make this all better. If only he had taken the blame himself, apologized, explained. Instead he choose to put the blame on Andy.
"You know he's doing this on purpose."
Sharon frowned.
"What was that?"
"I asked him not to tell you. Just wait one more day, so I could have the chance to tell you."
"Because you didn't have the chance to tell me before? How long have you been on this case, Jack? What? Weeks? Months?"
Jack looked away.
"Longer?"
Sharon couldn't believe this.
"How long, Jack?"
She couldn't keep the emotion from her voice. Part of her didn't want him to know how much this hurt her.
Jack bit the inside of his cheek, avoiding her eyes, as he couldn't look at her.
"How long, Jack?"
Her voice was more stern.
"Kaplan wanted this case. He's the senior. It's his call."
"How long?"
"He saw the press conference."
That had been shortly after their arrest. Her bruised ribs hadn't been even healed then, the stitches still keeping her stab wound together.
Jack walked towards her, as she turned her back at him.
"It was Kaplan's call."
"Then what were you doing at the station earlier?"
"He asked me on the team, what was I supposed to say?"
" 'No thank you very much, I'm not going to defend a guy who killed nine women, wives, mother's, daughters….' ?"
"Lawyers defend the good and the bad. You know that's my job."
" '….who nearly killed my fiancée.'"
Jack stared at her. She wondered whether there had been one moment he thought about that. Thought about the guy who could have killed her. She wondered whether he could sit in front of the guy and not think about how his knife had sliced through the skin on her abdomen. Through her muscles, retreated, giving way for the oozing blood finding its way out. Think about her blood staining his skin. How could he not think about that?
"You have to understand…"
"Well, I don't."
Sharon took a deep breath and rose from the couch. She walked to the windows, looking out over L.A. . The dark shadows forming the skyline, the numerous lights. It all looked so peaceful. Sometimes it was hard to comprehend the fact, that L.A. could be a dangerous place. It was her job to put the criminals away. In her eyes, a lawyer was their friend, another crime fighter. She had never really thought about the lawyers defending the criminals she helped put away. Especially not Jack.
"I'm doing my job."
"You know it's wrong. That's why you didn't tell me."
"Look, we shouldn't let our jobs interfere with our private lives."
Sharon looked up, biting her lower lip. She couldn't let this go. How could this not interfere their lives?
"How could it not? I don't want you on this case, Jack."
It irritated him, shooting into the defense mode.
"And I don't want you chasing these psycho's, putting your life in danger day in, day out."
Sharon huffed, smiling, as she shook her head. Wasn't that rich?
"I can't say 'no' to Mr. Kaplan. He asked me on his team. This is a great opportunity…"
"It's so nice to hear this is helpful to your career…"
"I'm doing this for us.. I want to be a partner one day."
"Us?"
She didn't care about whether he was some partner at a prestigious law firm. She didn't care about status.
"Yes, us.. We'll get married, we'll have children.. a nice home, in a good neighborhood."
"And then one of those psycho's could come along and kill me."
Jack shook his head. He didn't like the image it created in his mind.
"Would you defend that guy?"
"No, of course not, that's absolutely ridiculous."
He was appalled at the mere suggestion.
"If this guy wouldn't have liked the hunt. If I wouldn't have been able to get to my gun, when I did, I could have died."
"Because you want to risk your life day in, day out."
"I'm doing my job. I like putting criminals away."
"And I'm doing mine."
Sharon nodded.
"What if the lawyer of the guy who'd kill me one day would say that to you? Would shake your hand, say 'I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Raydor, but I'm just doing my job.' ?... You'd punch him down. One of those women was someone's wife, someone's mother."
"I can't always be on the right side. I've accepted you doing your job.. now you accept mine."
Sharon crossed her arms in front of her chest, staring out of the window again. Jack approached her from behind, planting a kiss on her cheek. She closed her eyes, tears trailing down her cheek, frozen, while Jack walked towards the door, closing it behind him.
