Hello, All! escapewithstories (formerly MajorCFan) AND IReadAndWriteSometimes finally here with the story that we teased about so long lovely maidenpride brought this prompt to me a few months ago and asked if I or my partner in crime were interested in writing it. We both loved the idea, and after a brief discussion, thought it would be fun to take it on together. Originally, we thought that we would just cover the more significant events of the series, but as we started going through each episode, we had a really difficult time narrowing our favorite parts down. A few pages of notes turned into over a hundred, and a seemingly simple prompt turned into a monster one, but that is not to say we haven't thoroughly enjoyed [almost] every moment of writing it. We have completely written the first season and look forward to writing more if you all so wish. Some scenes are reimagined and some are completely original.

We have had a lot of good laughs throughout this writing process and discovered it is truly uncanny (and really creepy) just how much we think alike, or say the same thing at the exact same time. I could not have asked for a better partner, especially one I respect and whose work I truly admire, in writing this story and am truly grateful for the opportunity to do so. I can honestly say I have become a better writer because of this project and my writing partner is the reason for that. You guys are really in for a treat because some of my favorite things she has written (which is saying a lot because I LOVE everything she writes) are in this story and I can't wait for you to read it. I'm just lucky to be a part of it! I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we did writing it.

~escapewithstories

When escapewithstories messaged me about this prompt idea, asking me of all people if I would be interested in writing it with her, you know what I did first? Squealed. Because she's not just my beta or my friend, she's my favorite writer in this fandom. To have your favorite fanfic author come to you with such a proposition? Unbelievable. The fangirl in me had a heart attack I think. One that I thankfully survived in order to be able to actually go through with it. We anticipated to struggle with dividing parts up, especially once we realized there was no way we could each just take turns writing an entire chapter, but it's crazy how easy that turned out to go. You, readers, will have to be the judge of the quality of our writing, but we had the best of feeling working on this, and so so much fun, even when we hit walls struggling to put our imaginations into words. We learned long before we started working on this that we shared many of the same ideas about the MC characters, but it has become almost disconcerting how well we worked off one another, picking up on the same themes within a single chapter without ever discussing it being just one example of it. Writing this season has been such a wonderful ride and I am just so incredibly flattered to have been a part of it alongside escapewithstories. I hope you will recognize and share in at least a bit of the fun we had along the way and that you will want to read even more!

~IReadAndWriteSometimes


THE SAME, YET DIFFERENT - CHAPTER ONE

Andy winced when the passenger door was slammed shut with enough force to jostle his entire car. He threw Rusty's crutches onto the back seat before gently closing the door and rounding the car toward the driver's side. Once seated, he glanced at the brooding occupant of the seat next to him. He had a death grip on the knapsack in his lap, and looked intently at the glove compartment. "Buckle up, Kid," Andy said as he started the car.

Rusty shot him an almost startled look. When Andy looked back at him, the kid frowned, but finally put his seatbelt on.

"Thank you," Andy muttered. Unsurprised by Rusty's lack of a polite response, he maneuvered the car out of its parking spot and pointed it in the direction of home.

Andy didn't bother starting any kind of conversation. Rusty's glum, irritated mood was practically rolling off of him in waves, and he knew better than to give even idle chit-chat a try. Halfway home, however, there was one thing he needed to ask. "Are you hungry?"

Rusty shifted in his seat and tightened the hold on his knapsack, if that was even possible, before giving Andy a narrow-eyed look. "Why do you care?"

Andy's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He had no idea how that question managed to put Rusty on the defensive. Failing to keep all of his sarcasm at bay, he said, "Because I thought you might want to eat something." On a shrug, he threw Rusty a quick glance and added, "There are a few places on our way where I could pick something up for us."

Andy felt Rusty's long appraising look burning a hole in the side of his head, but kept his focus resolutely on the road. Finally, Rusty seemed to find whatever he was searching for, and replied in a low mumble, "I guess I could eat something."

Suppressing the urge to say, "Thank God," Andy tilted his head to the side. "Got any preferences?"

His question was rewarded with another long look, but then Rusty dropped his gaze to his knapsack and said nothing in response.

Andy frowned. Hooking a thumb around the steering wheel and stretching his remaining fingers out in a display of impatience, he asked, "Well?"

"You don't have to pretend like it matters what I want," Rusty bit out, glaring at him.

Suddenly irritated, Andy briefly considered just giving up on dinner altogether. If this was how their evening was starting, he didn't dare imagine how it might progress. He reminded himself that the kid probably had good reason to be suspicious of everyone and everything, but he still barked back a response more harshly than intended. "Look, it's just food," he said, slapping the steering wheel. "Either tell me what you like or risk me getting something only I like."

Rusty took a few more moments of silence, and Andy was just about to say more, when finally, on a shrug, he answered. "A burger sounds good."

"Ugh," Andy let out before he could catch himself.

"What?" Rusty instantly asked, on the defensive again. He even pushed himself further into the back of his seat as he looked at Andy warily.

"Nothing," Andy was quick to say, waving a hand through the air. He slanted Rusty a look over a grimace. "Any chance you like veggie burgers?"

Rusty's face transformed into an expression of disgust. "Burgers without meat?" His eyes grew wide. "You're a vegetarian?"

"Y-" Andy started, but was instantly cut off by Rusty.

"Oh, my God," Rusty was back to looking in front of himself, "you'll make me eat nothing but greens and fish, aren't you?" He flopped his head against his seat's headrest and groaned. "This day just keeps getting worse."

Andy shot Rusty a bland look. "Are you done?"

Rusty frowned at him, but made no attempt to say anything more.

"I can get you regular burgers," Andy told him, "but-"

Rusty interrupted. "I'll have to pay for them myself?" he asked, the accompanying scoff revealing it wouldn't be the first time he had to.

"What?" Andy let out in a slightly higher pitch than usual. "No." He shook his head and lowered his voice. "There are no decent burger joints on our way anymore. Unless you want me to turn around, do you mind waiting till we get home? I have a few take out menus there, you can take your pick then and," he shrugged nonchalantly, "just order in."

Rusty considered that for a moment, as if trying to determine how truthful Andy was being. "I can choose?"

It was the incredulity in Rusty's voice that kept Andy from exclaiming an annoyed affirmative answer. "Yeah, kid," he said, a little more gruffly than expected, "you can call the order in for all I care." He chanced a smile and added, "Just don't force me to eat meat burgers."

Rusty didn't laugh, but Andy did note that he loosened the grip on his knapsack a little. "Okay," Rusty agreed on a nod.

Daring to push him just a little, Andy smirked to himself. "Although," Rusty instantly narrowed his eyes at him again, "maybe you could at least try a veggie burger?"

It was the wrong thing to say because Rusty just coolly replied, "Or you could stop trying to be funny with me."

Andy sighed. Resigned, he dropped his hands to the bottom part of the steering wheel and slumped further back into his seat. Not wanting to rile Rusty up again, he fell silent, and for the rest of their ride, Rusty remained quiet as well.

. . .

Andy brought them to a stop at the door that had 715 displayed in gold-plated numbers on the front of it. He twirled his key ring twice around a single finger before catching its contents in his palm, spreading the few keys it held with his thumb to locate the one that would open the door. "So this is me," he said unnecessarily as he slipped the key in the lock and gave it a turn. He pushed the door open and held it in place with one hand, allowing Rusty to hobble through the doorway first, then he immediately followed behind.

Once the deadbolt was locked and the chain was slid into place, Andy began going through his established routine upon arriving home; his keys were tossed into a dish sitting atop the small table resting against the wall opposite from the door, and his badge and cuffs were placed next to it. His gun would remain in its holster until he could place it in its usual place on his nightstand.

He turned to find Rusty surreptitiously peering around the corner, attempting to see the remainder of the condo. "Well," he stepped around the kid, just narrowly missing the end of one his crutches, "I guess I should give you the tour."

Around the corner from the entryway, there was only two ways to go—straight ahead, or to the right. Andy decided to head to the right first, so he flipped a switch and illuminated a small passage that was almost too short to be considered a hallway, and began to move down it. "Behind there," he said pointing to a set of french doors on his right, "is the washer and dryer." With a quick glance over his shoulder, he realized that Rusty was still standing in the small foyer area, eyeing him skeptically. Andy rolled his eyes, but continued the few extra steps towards the end of the hall. "You gonna follow or not?" He didn't have to glance back again to know that the kid was following this time for his crutches made a soft thumping noise against the hardwood floor with each of his steps.

There were three doors just past the laundry room. One on the wall to the left, and two on the wall directly in front of them. Only a portion of the third door could be seen because it was slightly tucked into a little alcove that formed where the laundry room ended and the end of the hall opened up. Andy reached inside the door on the left and flipped on its light, then moving past the middle door, he turned on the light in the far right room as well.

"These are the two spare bedrooms," he said as he shifted to lean against the doorframe of the still dark room, providing Rusty a chance to see inside the others. "Pick whichever one you want, but I would go with this one," he indicated towards the room that was inside the nook of the hall, "because the mattress on the bed in that room," he jerked his thumb in the direction of the first room, "is horrible for the back."

The rooms were sparsely furnished and held little to no decorations. They each had a bed and a nightstand, but the room with the better mattress also had a chest of drawers and a slightly larger closet. When Andy had bought the condo, he liked the idea of the two spare rooms just in case his kids, who were teenagers at the time, ever decided they wanted to stay the weekend with him. Unfortunately, they never stayed over, so the rooms remained mostly empty.

"If it's so horrible," Rusty shifted his weight fully onto his uninjured leg, "then why keep it?"

Andy shrugged. "I don't have company over often enough for it to matter. Besides," a mischievous smirk crossed his face, "when Provenza comes over to watch a game and drinks too much, I throw him in that room," he adjusted his stance so that he was now standing just inside the doorway with a hand braced on the opposite sides of the frame "and that bed guarantees he doesn't take advantage of my hospitality too often."

Rusty rolled his eyes, and leaving his crutches resting against his ribs, he gripped the straps of his backpack to pull it tighter around his body. "How generous of you."

"I do what I can," Andy said and his smirk widened. "Anyways," he slapped the door frame with one of his hands, "if you want to take your chances with the crappy mattress, then by all means." His hand made a swooping gesture towards the first room.

Rusty unwrapped a single finger from around the backpack strap, and pointed behind Andy. "What's in that room?"

"This is the guest bathroom," Andy leaned back just slightly to flip on the light for a few seconds so its contents could be seen, then turned it off again, "which you will have all to yourself." He smiled at Rusty, thinking he would be pleased by that news, but the kid just stared passively at him and said nothing in response.

They both stood there for a moment longer until Andy broke the silence. "Okay then," he turned off both bedroom lights once he realized Rusty wasn't going to put his bag in one, "let me finish showing you the rest of the place."

This time when they reached intersection of the foyer and the halls, Andy guided them down the other hallway that was positioned straight off the front door. At the end, it unfolded into one large, long area that consisted of the kitchen being flanked by the dining room and living room. The space was open enough that you could see all three rooms no matter which one you were standing in. A slight turn to the right would take them to the dining table that currently had a mixture of opened and unopened mail spread across it. However, Andy directed them to the left, taking them through kitchen towards the living room that was just beyond that.

A large island stretched almost completely across the middle of the kitchen, separating it into two areas. The far side held the main cooking area with all of the appliances, plus a considerable amount of cabinets and counter space. The side that they walked along had a small bar top extending up and out from the island, and there was a row of four, equally spaced stool-height chairs pushed in underneath it.

"As you can see," Andy came to a stop at the last chair, a few steps from the entrance of the living room, "this is the kitchen." His hand arched out from his body, palm turned up, indicating the area around them. "There's really not much in the way of food in there right now," he scratched his temple with one finger, "which is why we will be ordering in."

Rusty still said nothing, and instead of stopping alongside Andy, he continued on past him into the living room. He slowly made his way around the back of the small sofa that separated the two rooms, taking in everything as he went. There was a larger couch that extended off at a right angle from the one he was walking around, and a recliner directly opposite of it. The three pieces of furniture surrounded a wooden coffee table, and had a perfect view of the sizeable television that rested on an equally big entertainment center.

The wall opposite of the room's entrance mostly consisted of large windows and a sliding glass door that lead out to a rather spacious balcony. There was just enough light from the surrounding city to see a small patio table set and a couple of chaise lounging chairs. To the left, opposite of the wall with the TV and behind the largest sofa, was that door that opened into the master suite.

Andy watched as Rusty leaned his crutches against the end of the sofa before sitting down in the middle and looking over at the small collection of framed photos sitting atop the table that was positioned between the two couches. "Those are my kids, Nathan and Nicole."

"Good for you." Rusty hugged his backpack closer to his chest and didn't bother to look back at the older man. "Just don't expect me to be grateful like them just because you're giving me a place to stay for the night."

Andy snorted. "Trust me, Kid," he walked around the island, opening the first drawer he came to and removed several takeout menus, "they're not grateful for me." He tapped the menus against his open hand and made his way to his recliner, sitting down to face Rusty.

Rusty's eyes tracked Andy's movements, his assessing look even more suspicious, if that was possible. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Andy shrugged. "Exactly what I said."

"Look, Lieutenant-"

"Andy." He slid the menus across the coffee table to where Rusty was eyeing him suspiciously. "If you're going to be staying here for a night or two, you can at least call me Andy."

"Okay, Andy," there was a hint of disdain when Rusty said his name, "I don't really care to know about your life." He leaned forward, crushing his bag between his chest and thighs. "I just want to know when you guys are going to hold up your end of the deal."

Andy's brow creased in confusion. "What deal?"

"Oh, my God!" Rusty shot up from his seated position, hopping on his good leg until he regained his balance. "To find my mother!" He threw out the hand that wasn't holding his bag up. "That Captain Raydor lady said she was supervising the search for my mom," he pointed a finger at Andy, "but you guys clearly haven't been looking for her at all."

"Rusty," Andy slowly stood, holding his hands out defensively hoping to calm the kid, "things have been a little crazy with the shuffling of our bosses," he almost groaned just thinking about everything that had transpired recently, "but if the Captain said she was looking for your mom, then it's the truth."

"I don't believe you." Rusty slung his backpack over his shoulder and limped the short distance to the end of the couch to grab his crutches. "The police are all a bunch of liars." He began making his way back the way they came.

"Rusty," Andy called, bringing him to a halt halfway through the kitchen, "I will personally assist the Captain in looking for your mom. I promise you," he brought both hands up to his chest, "if we can, we will find her."

"Right." Rusty turned and resumed his trek towards the spare bedrooms again. "I'll believe that when it happens," he mumbled to himself.

Andy followed him all the way back to the foyer, just to confirm that he wasn't trying to leave. He watched as Rusty moved as fast as possible considering he was on crutches down the short hall, directly into the spare bedroom, the one white the good mattress he noted, and slammed the door shut. Andy then heard the sound of the lock clicking into place "God," he sighed and scrubbed his face with his hand, "what a mess." He yanked at his tie to loosen the knot from around his neck as he headed back the way he just came towards his bedroom.

The door to the master suite opened to a small entryway that was much like a foyer. The door on his left that lead to the ensuite bathroom and the door directly in front of him lead to a moderate sized walk-in closet. To the right, the small foyer unfolded into the main area of the bedroom.

The room contained a king-sized bed that was flanked on each side by matching nightstands. Just to his left, along the closet's shared wall, there was a large dresser that had a few framed photographs and some of his Dodgers' memorabilia sitting on top of it. On the far side of the room, there was a wall of windows and a set of glass french doors which opened up to the same balcony that could also be reached from the living room. Unlike the sheer curtains that hung in the great room, the bedroom windows and doors had custom wooden shutters that could be closed during the day to block out most of the bright sun rays, which was incredibly convenient when he was working a long case and only had time for a short nap in the middle of the day.

Andy unclipped his gun from his holster and made his way over to the nearest nightstand. He opened the drawer and placed his firearm inside before closing it again. He then removed his phone from his pocket, intent on setting it next to the lamp, but instead groaned when he suddenly remembered dinner was never ordered. If it was just him, Andy wouldn't have bothered with eating, but since Rusty was staying with him, he didn't think that was a wise idea.

He glanced at the time on the phone, noting that it was late, but not too late. The kid had mentioned burgers, and Andy knew he had a menu from some gourmet burger place that he used one time when Provenza was over. It was a bit pricey for his liking and it usually took about an hour to arrive, but it was the only place close by that would deliver to his home, and they had a veggie burger option.

Andy walked back into the living room towards the coffee table where the menus still laid. He fingered through the small stack until he found the one he needed. He wasn't exactly sure what Rusty liked on his burger, but figured he could get something basic with all of the toppings on the side. He flipped the menu over, locating the number on the back, and made the call.

He had barely disconnected the call when his phone started ringing again. He groaned when Provenza's name flashed across the screen. "Just what I was missing tonight," Andy grumbled and flopped down onto the couch. Taking a deep breath as he stretched his feet out on the coffee table, he accepted the call by barking, "What?"

"Good evening to you, too, Miss Sunshine," Provenza said cheerfully.

"I'm really not in the mood, Provenza," Andy said, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Welcome to the club," Provenza muttered. "Who would be after Raydor swooped in on-"

"If you're calling just to complain about the Captain," Andy interrupted in annoyance, "you've called the wrong number."

Provenza just chuckled. "So the kid and you are having fun together, huh?"

Andy groaned. "I think his moodiness just might rival yours. I know the kid probably has good reason to be this distrustful of everything, but geez," he suppressed another groan, "I did not expect him to be this confrontational."

Provenza barked another laugh. "Because you are always just peachy to be around, aren't you?"

Andy rolled his eyes. "Oh, just forget it." He pressed the phone to his other ear and changed topics. "So, why are you calling?" He waved a hand through the air. "Besides to annoy me?"

"To check up on you and the kid," Provenza answered truthfully. "After his little outburst with the Captain, I figured I'd see if maybe he decided to beat you with his crutches or something."

Andy laughed mirthlessly. "With the way the evening's been going," he sighed, "I think I'd prefer the crutches."

"That bad, huh?"

"Well," Andy dragged the word out, "you tell me." He looked around the room. "I'm sitting alone in my living room, and he's locked himself up in one of the spare bedrooms after throwing a fit."

"Nobody forced you to take him home, you know," Provenza answered pointedly. When Andy just scoffed into his phone, he went on. "So, what made him hide from you?"

"He's not hiding from me," Andy argued. "He's pissed off because I had no clue the Captain promised to look for his mother."

"She did?" Provenza asked in surprise.

"Apparently," Andy said on a nod. "I guess I'll find out more tomorrow."

"I can't believe she's really our boss now," Provenza suddenly said.

"Yeah, well, deal with it," Andy retorted, really not in the mood to listen to his partner rant about her again.

Provenza went on as if Andy hadn't said anything. "Taylor's throwing prosecutors our way, talking about deals and plea bargains." There was a pause in which he took a loud breath. "And then, on top of that, Raydor brings in that ass-kissing rookie Sykes. Haven't we had enough changes this week?"

"Well, we might have even more if you don't stop acting like a child," Andy snapped at him.

"Excuse me?" Provenza's voice went up a notch. "You and I both know that she has no place in our division!"

"Yet," Andy paused pointedly, "the Pope gave her one."

"Ugh," Provenza said on a grunt, "don't get me started on him." Andy looked to the heavens when he did start on him. "Did you know that he gave me an ultimatum? Either I stick it out with Raydor or throw in the badge and retire?"

"Didn't you decide to retire a few hours ago anyway?" Andy asked teasingly.

"I don't want to retire!" Provenza exclaimed.

For a moment Andy thought he'd prefer to go another round with Rusty than deal with his grumpy old partner. "Then what do you want?" he asked exasperatedly.

"I don't want to work with," Provenza almost hissed the next word, "her!"

"Well, too bad. We are all gonna have to," Andy replied.

Provenza suddenly switched gears, and his voice carried a note of suspicion. "I can't believe you're okay with this."

Andy slapped his thigh in frustration as he raised his voice. "I am not okay with this! I just," he lowered his voice to a more appropriate pitch, "don't think that arguing with her is going to help matters. It certainly won't help us solve our cases any faster."

"Well," Provenza spoke petulantly, "of course it won't with her calling all the shots."

"And you refusing to cooperate will?" Andy shot back.

"I am not taking orders from that woman!" Provenza yelled out loud enough to force Andy to momentarily draw his phone away from his ear.

"Look, I don't like this any more than you do," Andy spoke calmly, although there was still a healthy amount of annoyance in his tone, "but butting heads with her won't make her any more tolerable, and it certainly won't make work any easier. Especially, since obviously both Taylor and Pope are more than happy to keep her over any of us." He sighed before adding, "Also, I'm too tired to argue with either her or you tonight, so would you, please, just drop it?"

There was a profound moment of silent defiance on the other side of the line, but Provenza finally relented and asked, "So what the hell got into you to take in a homeless kid?"

Andy sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face. That was not his idea of dropping anything. "What?" he finally said defensively, his voice going higher in pitch. "The kid didn't have anywhere to go, I have a spare bed." He shrugged. "It's not like I adopted him. He'll be out of here as soon as DCFS finds a family that will take him in."

"Ah-uh," Provenza let out sarcastically.

Andy frowned, getting even more annoyed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Provenza quickly replied. "But what if they don't find him a family? Are you just going to kick him out in a couple of days?"

"Of course I won't!" Andy exclaimed, leaning forward and dropping his feet to the floor.

"Ah," Provenza drawled, "good to know you thought this through then."

Andy opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but quickly snapped it shut again. It really had been a spur of the moment decision. The idea to take Rusty in for the night crossed his mind briefly when he caught part of the argument between him and his new boss, but he had still been fairly certain some other arrangements would be figured out. However, once their case was wrapped up, and he saw the kid still hanging around the murder room, he finally made up his mind. It wouldn't be the first time he babysat a witness, he didn't think this time would be that much different, even if it was the first time he babysat a teenage witness.

"Flynn!" Provenza's bark of his name startled Andy out of his musings. "Are you still there?"

"Yes, I'm still here," Andy replied, irritated. "Are you done harassing me?" He was really running out of patience now.

"Actually," Provenza said, clearly amused now, "I was just warming up."

"In that case," Andy said with a hint of finality, "I'm hanging up on you. Good night, Provenza."

As he lowered his phone to find the disconnect button, he could faintly make out Provenza grumbling, "Oh, no, you're not." The rest was cut short when he finally did end the call. With a long sigh he dropped the phone onto the coffee table and sank into the couch again.

Maybe he didn't think this completely through, but it couldn't be such a crazy idea if, of all people, the former head of FID gave him her okay on this.

Andy walked toward Sharon's office door when he saw it open. "Good luck with Rusty," he heard Howard say as he stepped out, a big brown paper bag in his hands. He saw Sharon behind her desk smile and offer a polite "Thank you," in return.

Andy gave Howard an inquisitive glance as he moved aside to let the man pass, wondering what had been said about Rusty. Thinking the bag was what had Andy curious, Howard chuckled and bobbed it up and down. "Brenda's secret stash," he said knowingly.

Andy chuckled, too. "Not so secret, I think." There was no doubt in his mind that his former boss left that drawer full of candy there on purpose.

Howard merely rolled his eyes, and continued on his way. "Until the next time, Lieutenant," he threw over his shoulder.

"Yeah," Andy said distractedly, suddenly remembering why he had been waiting for Howard to leave. "Until next time," he mumbled, lifting a hand to knock on the office door frame.

Before he could, Sharon asked, "Anything I can help you with, Lieutenant?"

Andy mentally grimaced when he detected a touch of wariness to her question. Looking at her, he realized she had changed her earlier fairly relaxed stance and folded her arms across her chest. He couldn't really blame her for putting up her guard, not after the warm welcome she had received from them. "Uhm," he rubbed a finger over his eyebrow, and stepped fully into her office, closing the door behind him, "it's about Rusty actually."

"Oh," Sharon said, clearly surprised. "What about him?" she asked, her eyes flickering to the boy still seated at an empty desk in the murder room.

"Well," Andy turned to look at Rusty, too, "I was thinking of taking him home for the night." He turned back to Sharon. "I know you were having trouble finding a family to take him in, and," he shrugged, "since he's a material witness in one of our cases, I think," he rolled his eyes, "there's no rule against my keeping an eye on him for a night or two. You know," he waved a hand through the air in a circular motion, "until we figure out what to do with him long term."

Sharon unfolded her arms, and ran a hand over Rusty's knapsack. The look she gave Andy was an appraising one, but after a moment she said, "If you're sure…"

Andy chuckled nervously. "To be honest, not really." He gave Rusty a concerned look and added, "But I feel for the kid. I know a little about being left to your own devices." He tilted his head to the side, a frown appearing on his brow as he returned his focus on Sharon. "Wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all a helpless teenager."

Sharon's features softened, and Andy didn't know what exactly to make of the look she gave him, but he didn't have time to analyze it because she said, "He poses a flight risk and is in emergency care, Lieutenant. That means-"

"24-hour adult supervision, I know," Andy supplied on a nod. "I can bring him over to the murder room when I get into work tomorrow, or have a uniform keep an eye on him if I get called out in the middle of the night."

Sharon nodded slowly. "He is a material witness," she said, almost absentmindedly, her eyes on Rusty again. "I believe that would justify the extra uniforms, should you need them," she told Andy.

Andy gave her a puzzled look, and shifted on the spot. "So," he started tentatively, "I have your permission to take him?"

Increasing his puzzlement, Sharon suddenly smiled. "I believe you might eventually need DCFS permission," she said pointedly, "but yes, I see nothing wrong with a police officer taking care of a witness for a night," she tilted her head to the side, and added, "or two."

Andy grinned, suddenly less nervous about his decision. "Okay then." He straightened. Hooking a thumb in Rusty's direction, he added, "I'll go and let Rusty know."

"Here, Lieutenant," Sharon grabbed Rusty's backpack and offered it to Andy across her desk, "you might need this."

"Yeah," Andy accepted it, "thanks."

"You're welcome," she said.

The touch of finality in her response had Andy start for the door. "See you tomorrow then, Captain."

She let out an affirmative hum, and simply said, "Good luck, Lieutenant."

Andy nodded and stepped out of her office. He had barely closed the door and had only just flopped Rusty's backpack on his desk, when an irate looking Provenza rounded the corner and zeroed in on him. "What did she want now?" he asked, pointing a finger at Sharon's office.

Andy lifted his palms up in surrender. "Nothing!" He shrugged and lowered his hands. "I actually needed a word with her."

Provenza narrowed his eyes at him. "You? What could you possibly have to discuss with," he paused to scowl, "her?"

Andy folded his arms and scowled, too. "She is my boss, you know," he started sarcastically, "we are bound to have things to discuss, whether you or I like it or not." He was just as unhappy about the situation as his partner was, but he was starting to think that antagonizing the Captain was only going to make matters worse.

Provenza rolled his eyes and waved him off. "Yeah, yeah." His eyes landed on Rusty's backpack. "What's that doing there?" He eyed Rusty and lowered his voice. "She decide what to do with him yet?"

Andy folded his arms a little tighter and turned to look at Rusty as well. "As a matter of fact, she has."

Provenza shook his head. "That poor kid, he's headed to a juvenile detention center, isn't he?"

Andy smiled. "Nope," he quipped. "He's coming home with me."

Provenza laughed, but when Andy remained serious, his laughter came to an abrupt end and he shot his partner a wide-eyed look. "He's what?"

Andy unfolded his arms, and leaned against his desk, turning his back to Rusty. "He's got no place to go, Provenza." He drew his shoulders together. "I can keep an eye on him for a couple of days, until we figure out what to do with him."

Provenza stared at him in utter bewilderment. He made several attempts to speak, as if unable to settle on just one thing to say at a time. Finally, he incredulously looked at Sharon in her office. "And the Captain agreed to this?"

"Yup," Andy answered and pushed off his desk to take Rusty's bag. "Gave me this and even wished me luck."

Provenza rolled his eyes. "Ye Gods," he muttered and without another word for Andy, he turned around to start making his way out of the murder room. Andy laughed to himself, when he heard him grumble along the way. "Raydor stealing my job, Sykes kissing her butt, Flynn taking in strays. That's it, Liz can have my pension, I'm retiring."

"No, you're not!" Andy hollered after him, making Rusty jump in his seat. He shot the boy an apologetic look, and when his partner offered no response, finally made his way to him. "So," he told him, "we've got a temporary solution for your little predicament, kid."

Andy was brought out of his thoughtful daze by the chime of the doorbell. That would be their dinner. He hoped he would be able to convince the kid to come out of his room long enough to eat it.

. . .

When Rusty had escaped to the bedroom, he was too upset to even bother turning on the light. His backpack was tossed onto the dresser, the crutches were thrown on the floor at the foot of the bed, and he had flung his body sideways across the mattress. He was still lying in the same position almost an hour later, staring up at the ceiling to where the light was peeking through the curtains of the window.

He was really fed up with all of the adults in his life. They either disappeared, were a bunch of liars, or both. 'Or they're creepy assholes,' Rusty added to his mental list when he thought about his mother's boyfriend and some of the guys he had encountered on the streets. He wasn't getting the creepy or abusive vibe from Andy, but the jury was still out on whether or not the guy was an asshole. Until Rusty knew for sure, he couldn't be trusted.

A light knock on the bedroom door disrupted the silence and Rusty's thoughts. He rolled onto his side, his back now facing the door. "I don't want to talk to you!"

The sound of Andy's muffled voice carried through the door. "I ordered dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Rusty lied, and his stomach clenched at the thought.

"I got you a burger." Andy responded, a hopeful inflection still detectable through the barrier.

At the mention of the word 'burger', Rusty's traitorous stomach growled. He really didn't feel like talking to Andy again, but he was actually quite hungry. He continued to deliberate about what he should do for a few more seconds, and in the end, his hunger won out. There was no reason he couldn't enjoy his burger in silence, only speaking if it was absolutely necessary. As soon as he was done eating, he could retreat back to the room.

Rusty had taken longer than he realized to come to a decision, for when he rolled to the end of the bed to pick up his crutches, he noticed Andy's shadow had begun retreating, no doubt interpreting his silence as uninterested. By the time he opened the door, Andy's figure was disappearing down the other hall. He must have heard the door open, however, because his head reappeared when he leaned back around the corner. Rusty thought he even heard him sigh in relief before moving out of sight again.

As Rusty approached the dining area, he could hear Andy opening cabinets and drawers, followed by the clinking of silverware against plates. Entering the room, he found all of the mail had been neatly stacked and pushed off to the side, and a take-out bag now sitting in the middle of the table. The smell wafting from the bag reached his nose, and his stomach rumbled once again, thankfully not loud enough to be heard.

"What would you like to drink?" Andy asked when he opened the fridge. "I have water or," he looked over his shoulder at his dinner companion and frowned, "water." He really needed to go grocery shopping.

Rusty leaned his crutches against the table, and pulled out the chair next to them. "I guess I will have water then," he replied dryly.

Andy pulled out the filtered pitcher, then closed the door. "I think I will, too." He managed to carry over all of the dishes to the table in one trip by stacking the glasses on top of the plates along with the silverware. "I wasn't sure what you liked on your burger," he set a plate and glass in front of Rusty, "so I just got a plain cheeseburger with all of the toppings on the side." Andy filled both of their glasses with water. "I hope that's okay."

Rusty pulled his water glass closer to him, and gripped it tightly in attempt to prevent himself from reaching out for the bag. "That's fine."

Andy began emptying the food bag, pulling out each container to open and inspect its contents. "I also got you some fries," he said as he placed a container full of them in front of Rusty.

He smiled to himself when Rusty immediately reached out with one hand, snagging a couple to eat while simultaneously piling more on his plate with the other. From there, an easy silence had settled over them as the rest of the food was divided, and they began eating. Andy observed that the kid seemed to be more relaxed than before and thought he might take advantage of this kid's seemingly good mood. Not liking how their conversation had ended earlier, he attempted to fix it.

"Rusty," Andy paused, trying to figure out what he could say that might comfort the kid.

"Don't," Rusty warned, not wanting Andy to continue with what would surely be more empty promises. "I really don't care to hear it."

Andy took a moment to survey the young man who wouldn't look him in the eye. His gaze was intent on the fry that he was dragging through the ketchup on his plate. He appeared to be defeated, and Andy realized that there were no words that would ease his mind, so he did what the kid asked, and dropped it.

"Okay," he said quietly, and they went back to eating in silence; except now the tension had returned.

Rusty began squirming in his seat. The awkward silence was much harder to endure than he anticipated, and inane small talk was starting to sound more and more appealing. Reluctantly, he reneged on his original plan to not say anything at all and commented on the first thing that came to his mind.

"Is that one of those precious veggie burgers you love so much?" he asked as he looked over his own burger that he held up in front of his face, and nodded towards the one in Andy's hand.

Andy nodded as he swallowed, almost choking on the bite he had been chewing. He was surprised the kid decided to initiate the conversation. "It is." He turned the burger so that he could get a better look at the contents. "Technically, it's a black bean patty, but," he shrugged, lifting it to his mouth, and before he took another bite, he added, "same difference."

"If you say so." Rusty's nose scrunched up in disgust. "Sounds pretty horrible to me."

Speaking around the food in his mouth, Andy asked, "Have you ever actually tried one?" Although he was certain he already knew the answer, he wanted to keep the light conversation between them going.

"No," Rusty exclaimed, sounding almost appalled by the thought, "and I can assure you I never plan to."

A small chuckle escaped Andy's throat at his visceral response. The kid was serious about his burgers. "You might be surprised and find you actually like it."

Rusty scoffed. "Doubt it." He pointed a finger at Andy. "So don't bother trying to convince me otherwise. I plan to continue eating regular meat burgers like a normal person." As if he was proving a point, he took an excessively large bite and slowly began to chew it.

Even though Rusty was mocking him and laying the sarcasm on pretty heavily, Andy decided to see it as a good sign. At least the kid was talking to him and had accepted a peace offering in the form of a burger. Gaining his trust definitely wasn't an easy task, and Andy considered what might seem like a small feat to anyone else, a rather big accomplishment. He didn't expect that Rusty would be with him long, but the few days that he was would go by a lot easier if they were at least mostly civil to one another.

-TBC-


A/N: Please leave a review and let us know what you think!