A/N: This story is based on a prompt that was given to me by Quirkette100 a few weeks ago, after some childhood photos of Tony Denison popped on my Facebook home page updates. The prompt was: Sharon finds Andy's childhood photos.

Their laughter could be heard even before they went out of the car. His hoarse snicker and her carefree giggle mixed together in divine harmony as they walked towards the front door to Andy's bungalow. He quickly unlocked the door, tagging on her hand as they went in. They've had a wonderful picnic on the beach, eating sandwiches Sharon made and just relaxing together as they watched the waves curl into each other. When Sharon realized she forgot the brownies she made at home, Andy offered they'll have dessert in his place. He didn't have anything fancy, but he had some really good ice cream and he knew how to make tasty hot chocolate. Sharon thought it was a great idea, and after they cleaned the sand from their clothes, they walked back to the car and drove over to Andy's house.

Andy's hand reached for the light switch, pressing it up and down several times before it became clear it was not working. He tries another switch, with similar results. With a sigh, he went on to another switch.

Sharon's hand went to her gun. Ever since Philip Stroh broke loose, she carried it on at all times. She noticed Andy's hand doing the same as he carefully stepped into the apartment and checked it. He cleared the bedrooms and hall while Sharon cleared the kitchen and living room. There was no one there but them. They met again in the kitchen, both pulling their phones out to use them as flashlights.

"Let me go check the fuse box. Are you gonna be okay here?" he asked, gently stroking her upper arm.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said. Andy gave her a soft smile before he went to the basement to try and look for the source of the blackout. Sharon listened to the sound of his footsteps becoming weaker as he went into his basement and sighed. She's been to his place several times before, and she knew her way around it, but there were parts of it she was yet to see, like the basement, and the bedroom. Leaning against the counter, and sighed. Darkness always made her feel a little on edge, but she guessed everyone felt a little weird in the dark. She heard Andy's footsteps coming closer again and saw the light from his phone ghosting on the floor.

"A rodent ate one of the fuses. Needless to say, it didn't make it," Andy didn't seem too upset by the fact that he had no electricity. He actually sounded pretty amused.

"I'm sorry. Do you want to go somewhere else?" Sharon asked.

"No. We can stay here, actually, but I guess I'll have to make the hot chocolate in a different way than I plannd." He smiled. Sharon's eyebrow quirked and Andy smirked at her. "I will set up the living room for the alternative plan… In the meantime, I have candles in the closet in the guest bedroom. Would you mind fetching a few and bringing them here?"

"You're gonna make hot chocolate over candles?" Sharon narrowed her eyes, although she doubted he was able to see her expression in the dark.

"Not quite. I was saving them for a special event, but now that we have no light, we'll need them."

"Special event, huh?" Sharon felt heat creeping up her cheeks after hearing Andy's little innuendo. She knew what 'special event' he must have been saving it for, and while she was touched that he thought about creating the right atmosphere with candles, she also knew she wasn't ready for anything too intimate to happen yet.

"Sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that," his voice was soft.

"It's okay," Sharon reached for his hand and squeezed it before she went to the bedroom, using her phone to light her way. She found the candles where Andy said they would be and to her surprise there were more than a few. There were at least 10 big multi-wick candles in at least three different scents. She grabbed three, figuring out that they wouldn't need any more than that to light Andy's living room. Leaving the room, she made her way down the hall. With only the small light of her iPhone, it was hard to really make out where she was placing her feet, so when she heard the loud thud as she bumped into something, she nearly dropped the candles to the floor. Andy rushed to her side, taking them from her and lighting them, as she bent down to pick up the item she bumped into. In the soft candlelight she could tell it was the size of a wide book, but the texture of its cover was wooden. As Andy placed the candles in different places around the room, she took a moment to look at the book. It had no title, and she opened it, realizing that it was an old photo album. The first page of photos made her lips curve up in a wide smile. She thought it would have photos of Andy's children in it, but instead it had childhood photos of Andy himself.

"What do you have there?" Andy walked over to her again and peeked behind her shoulder. "Oh, that…" he said when he realized what it was she was holding.

"You were a very cute little boy," she said softly.

"And now I'm a cute big boy," Andy grinned. Sharon chuckled softly and lifted her gaze from the album, only now noticing that Andy moved the coffee table and couch from their original places to the end of the room, to clear space in the living room. Throw pillows were scattered on the floor around a camping burner and it appears that Andy already set up everything he needed in order to make hot chocolate.

"I would have never thought of that," she said as she walked towards the center of the room, followed by him.

"You can sit on the pillows, they're softer than they look," Andy said and Sharon took his suggestion. Andy sat down on a throw pillow next to her and lit the fire in the camping burner. "I took it out yesterday because my sister asked me to look for a certain photo, and I forgot to put it back in place," he explained as he motioned towards the album that was still in Sharon's hands. She reopened it and started to browse through the photos. Andy's looks hasn't changed much since he was a child. He still had those mischievous dark eyes, and the charming smile; even his haircut was sort of similar too.

"It seems like you were a happy child," she said after she finished browsing through all the photos.

"I was. Although some people, my teachers especially, would probably say I was a little demon," Andy grinned. Sharon let out a throaty laugh. That was something she didn't find hard to believe about him. "How about you? What were you like as a child?" he asked.

"Well," she stretched the word longer than needed. "Some of my teachers would probably say I was a demon child too. I argued a lot, especially when gender roles were discussed."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Andy smirked as he filled two mugs with hot chocolate that smelled divine. He threw a handful of marshmallows into both mugs and handed one mug to her. She thanked him with a soft smile. "Do you have any childhood photos to show me?" he asked.

"Not here, but I think I have a few at home," Sharon replied and took a careful sip from the hot chocolate. It was thick and rich, just the way she liked it, and the marshmallows melted on her tongue. "This is amazing, Andy," she leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her side and drew her closer, planting a kiss on the crown of her head. She hummed softly as she took another sip of the sweet beverage. "It reminds me that time my father took me and my sister camping."

"Tell me," Andy said and took a sip from his own mug. He wasn't a big chocolate person, but he liked to enjoy it on occasion, especially in a romantic setting like this one.

"I was nine years old and my sister was eleven. My father took us both on a three-days camping trip next to a lake. I can't even remember where it was," Sharon started. "My sister wasn't into it at all. She was scared of the nature sounds, but I loved it. The first night, I stayed up near the campfire and looked at the stars. I thought it was magical. I think I stuffed myself with marshmallows that night. I had a serious stomach ache the next morning."

"Did your father take you on trips like that often?" Andy asked. Sharon shook her head.

"No. He was a business man, always travelled around the world, but that year, my mother got pregnant and there were some complications, so she had to spend the last three months of the pregnancy at the hospital. My sister and I were having a hard time coping without her, so my father thought the trip would be a good way to unwind."

"Did it help?" Andy asked.

"It did, but unfortunately, shortly after we returned home my mother lost the baby. I really wanted a little brother or sister, so that was quite disappointing," Sharon's words were followed by a barely audible sigh.

"So you only have one sister?" Andy asked. Sharon nodded.

"Yeah, it's just the two of us," Sharon shrugged. "How about you? You're the middle child, right?" Andy responded with an affirmative hum. "What's being an older brother is like?"

"A lot of mess, but I guess it's also quite nice not to be the youngest one anymore. And it's easier to get away with things, if you blame daddy's cute little princess," Andy grinned.

"Oh, that's just so like you," Sharon giggled and took another sip from her mug. Andy looked at her and smiled. He lowered his head and captured her mouth, tasting the sweetness of the hot chocolate on her lips. Sharon put her mug down, trying to place it at a safe distance without breaking the kiss. She let out a soft and lingering hum and Andy swallowed it and responded with his own. Her hands slid up his body and settled behind his neck, at the same time his arms tightened around her waist and pulled her flush against him. One of his palms came to cup her face and slowly descended towards her neck, and then started making its way downwards to her shoulder. He gently used his weight to shift them from a sitting position towards laying on the floor, leaving enough space between their bodies for her to move away if she wanted to. Her arms came around his broad back and pulled him down to her, until he was laying on top of her, supporting his weight with his elbows and knees. Her mouth devoured his own, and she hummed into the kiss. One of his hands lifted from the floor and moved to the side of her body, slowly travelling downwards until his fingers reached the hem of her shirt. He let his hand settle on top of it for several moments before his fingers slid under it, tentatively moving upwards against the soft skin of her stomach. Sharon let out a soft moan and arched her back. She had not expected that being intimate with Andy would give her the rush, but it has. She was rarely surprised by her own emotions.
Andy's mouth was still on hers, and their tongues passionately danced around each other. His fingers moved upwards until they reached Sharon's ribcage. She arched her back again, unable to suppress the excitement within her, and at the same time feeling a nervous chill going down her spine. "Andy," her eyes fluttered open and she tore her lips from between his. She took a long moment to regulate her breathing. His hand was still under her shirt and she struggled between the sudden want that coiled in the pit of her stomach and the urgent need to protect herself. Her hand moved between their bodies and her fingers locked around his wrist, gently pulling it from under her shirt. "I need more time," she said.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to pressure you." An expression of regret and self-blame appeared on his face. Sharon laced her fingers with his.

"It felt good," she admitted. "But it's too early for me to…"

"It doesn't matter, Sharon. I'll wait for you. When the time is right, we will get there too," Andy said and pressed a kiss to her lips before he moved off her to lay by her side. She rolled on her side to face him, their fingers still entwined.

"I had so much fun tonight, Andy. I don't even want to go home," she said.

"Then don't," he responded. Sharon's gaze moved away from his face as she contemplated the idea.

"Okay," she smiled, as she reached the decision. Snuggling against his side, she wrapped one arm around his torso and his arms engulfed her waist in response. "I love you," she said and looked into his eyes, feeling the sting of tears as her emotions washed over her.

"I love you too, Sharon," Andy responded and tightened his hold of her. He felt her legs tangling with his and watched her close her eyes. His fingers caressed her hair and she smiled, not opening her eyes. Leaning down, he kissed the tip of her nose. "Good night, sweetheart," he said softly. Sharon smiled again. He has never called her a pet name before and it felt so natural and at the same time so special.

"Night, honey," she replied and accepted the soft kiss he planted on her lips before she let her fatigue take over her. Andy smiled to himself as he untangled his limbs from hers in order to blow out the candles. He returned to her side everal moments later, and resumed his position. She hummed in her sleep and let out an incoherent mumble. With the living room now dark around them, Andy felt the need to pull her even closer, and protect her even though he knew they were perfectly safe in his house. She was a precious gem, he reasoned with himself, and when one was in luck to come by such a treasure, it was only natural that they would hold it close to their heart. With the thoughts of the golden girl he was holding in his arms, he drifted into peaceful sleep, with a smile on his face and lightness in his heart.

THE END

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