Dawn Breaking Into The Night
Chapter 1
by Kate04
A/N: Once again RockinRobinB did an amazing beta job. Not her fault if you find any remaining mistakes. You can keep those. This is for all the girls who wanted Andy to finally get laid. You know who you are. 3
Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, not my toys. Just letting them have some fun.
You'll know when it happens.
It will feel like a hundred sunsets hitting you all at once.
It's a difficult feeling to explain,
maybe you have felt it before.
It's sort of like old friends meeting,
or the dawn breaking into the night
after a thousand years of darkness.
- James R. Eads
The evening had been torture. To be honest, it had started much earlier, when he had stepped into the murder room that morning and casually shrugged out of his jacket to place it over the back of his chair. The red shirt was new and had immediately drawn her attention. He had combined it with a black tie with very faint, white stripes and black suspenders, and the thought of what she would like to do with those suspenders had sent a not entirely unpleasant warmth into her cheeks. His grin when he had caught her staring at his broad shoulders, thoughts of sliding her hands up and down his strong arms occupying her mind, had jolted her out of her little fantasy and sent her scurrying back into her office. Her mumbled excuse of having to finish some reports had been flimsy at best. When the practically endless day had drawn to a close, Andy had appeared in her doorway, leaning against the frame with another one of his distracting smiles firmly in place and both hands shoved into his pockets. He had looked relaxed and confident and way too sexy to be appropriate at work.
"So, how about dinner once we finish here?"
She hadn't been sure if it had been her imagination, but his voice had appeared to sound even deeper, more gravelly, a tone her fantasy connected to soft sheets, tangled limbs, skin on skin and whispered bedroom secrets. It had sent a shiver down her spine and pushed thoughts of food and public places into a remote corner of her consciousness. The effort it had taken to blink away those unbidden images had been considerable. Swallowing a few times to make sure her voice would not reflect her thoughts, she had agreed, asking him for another half hour to wrap things up.
Once they had left the building, his presence had been even more distracting. A gentle hand lingering at the small of her back as they walked, the soft touch sending sparks along her nerves, his familiar, spicy scent stoking the fire that had already been burning in her belly. At the restaurant, they had shared a small corner booth, sitting close enough that her legs had brushed against his every time she moved. She felt comfortable with their closeness, felt secure enough to give in to the sensations his touch created inside her. She was finally ready to let it happen, to simply follow her instincts and it was one of the most liberating feelings she'd had in a long time.
During the months since Stroh's escape, Andy had been a wonderful, understanding friend to her, always there when she needed someone to listen to her worries, when fears and dreams had kept her awake at night and she had called him to escape from the oppressiveness of her own thoughts for a little while. Not once had he pressed her for anything she had not been ready to give. They had talked about their relationship after that awkward situation with Nicole at the evening of the Nutcracker the year before, and they had agreed to approach this thing between them with an open mind and see where it would take them. They were both too old and had too much emotional pain in their pasts to simply jump into an affair and worry about the consequences later. The attraction had always been there, long before they had even liked each other. The decision to explore the possibilities of something more than friendship had not changed a lot. They had still gone out to dinner, caught a movie, had taken long walks or talked on the phone for hours. Only their awareness of each other had changed; affectionate pats on the shoulder had turned into lingering touches and soft caresses, quick pecks on the cheek as greeting or goodbye had slowly evolved into a tender brush of lips. They had relished the unhurried slide into physical closeness, not feeling the need to rush because the journey had been just as enjoyable as their eventual goal would be. And then Stroh had escaped and their lives had changed once more.
She knew that Andy had understood her shift in priorities. He had told her so many times, whenever she had apologized for spending less time with him, for being distant and short-tempered. With working their regular cases, looking into all those reports about possible Stroh sightings, trying to follow leads and figure out what his next move might be, keeping an eye on Rusty and coordinating with the SIS surveillance she had organized for him without his knowledge, she had been spreading herself thin. The secret security detail had been heavy on her conscience, the worry for his safety only narrowly winning over her aversion to dishonesty. She had let all those concerns run her life, steal her sleep and ruin her appetite for five months and it had taken a toll on her physically and emotionally. One of their recent cases and the frank way in which Lieutenant Cooper had addressed her behaviour had finally made her aware that she had done exactly what Rusty refused to do. She had given Phillip Stroh the power to control her life. She had realized that she wouldn't be able to go on in that manner for much longer, something Andy had tried to tell her repeatedly. Although he had been very subtle about it, she had noticed his concern and his growing frustration.
Putting away that file and calling off the SIS detail had been a difficult step, but she had not regretted it. Her concerns were still there, Stroh was still out there and Rusty was now without protection, but the fact that he had spotted his trained SIS shadow and had come to her with it helped calm her somewhat. He was aware of his surroundings and seemed to take his own security seriously. It was all she could ask of him and it made her proud that he could do that and still live his life.
Once Stroh stopped occupying every waking thought, she had started to resume habits she had done without over the last few months, like lazy, relaxed evenings with a good book and a glass of wine, meeting friends and, most importantly, spending quality time with Andy. The decision to focus on the good things, to enjoy whatever time she had left of this all too short existence had awakened a part of her that had been neglected for a long time – possibly since before her transfer to Major Crimes. She had always been driven when it came to her job, had spent most of her off hours focused on her children, but she had also taken the time to be herself, to live her passion for art and theatre, to meet new people and, yes, also indulge in a few physical relationships. All those things had taken a backseat with her increased involvement with Major Crimes and her subsequent transfer. She had only slowly rediscovered them when she had started her non-dates with Andy, but she had been reluctant to completely let go with him. They worked together after all, and giving in to her passionate nature, as tempting as he made it, was dangerous.
However, over the last year of their personal entanglement they had proven that they could keep their professional relationship separate from what they did after work and if the dealings with Stroh had shown her anything, it was that there were a hell of a lot more dangerous things in life than getting involved with a co-worker. At this point she could be reasonably certain that it was not merely a matter of releasing some sexual tension, of scratching an itch. They were secure enough in their friendship and in their knowledge of one another that the next step seemed a lot less frightening.
It had only been a week since her decision to move on despite the serial killer that might or might not be after her son, and she had enjoyed it immensely. When he had asked her what she needed him for, it had opened a floodgate within her. In that moment in her office, she had merely let him know what she wanted him to do to help Julio settle back in and that she did not need anyone to take care of her, not in that way, at least. Then she had asked him to take her to dinner so they could have that other conversation, which had been long overdue. That night, she told him about her decision to call off Rusty's security detail and to remove the ever-present case file from her desk, her living room table, her nightstand, that she was finally ready to let it go and focus on living again. She told him that, while she might not need him for that, she definitely wanted him to be part of it, if he was still interested.
The ease with which they had slipped back into their slow progression towards a closer relationship had surprised her a little. She had expected a certain amount of awkwardness or tension or maybe some hesitation from him. She was not the only one with a complicated and painful past, after all. It would have been only natural if he had tried to protect himself, but he had not. Instead, he had trusted her, had given of himself freely and appreciated everything she gave in return. There were certain boundaries they had yet to cross. While she knew what it felt like to have his arms around her, to be pressed against his broad chest, what his lips felt like as they caressed hers, she had yet to taste him, to feel his skin underneath hers, to rest her head on his chest and listen to his heart as it beat the slow, regular rhythm of sleep. As they drove the short distance from the restaurant to her condo, the almost painfully heightened awareness of his proximity, the heated gazes they exchanged and the lingering caresses across the center consol made her doubt that she would have to wait long to experience these things.
As was his habit, Andy opened the passenger side door for her and offered her his hand to help her out of the car. He did not let go of it again, lacing his fingers through hers and tugging her against his side. Together, they made their way towards the elevator. Once they were inside and she had pressed the button for her floor, he pulled her against him, back against chest, his arms wrapping around her, holding her close. He buried his nose in her thick, wavy hair, nuzzling it aside to get to her neck. His soft kisses and the gentle scraping of teeth against her sensitive skin sent shivers down her spine as she melted into his solid presence, tilting her head to give him better access. Her moans filled the small space, urging him on in his quest to drive her mad with desire. Covering his hands with hers, she drew his arms even tighter around her, unable to get close enough.
When the elevator arrived on the eleventh floor, they reluctantly parted, but only far enough so that they could walk the short distance to her condo. She felt him right beside her, their hips and shoulders brushing and her hand held securely in his. They stopped in front of her door, facing each other, restless silence between them as they both studied their joined hands. Sharon did not want him to leave. She wanted to close the remaining distance between them and never let go. Looking up into his eyes, she was overwhelmed by the longing and desire she saw reflected in them and it was her undoing. Letting go of his hands, she grabbed his suspenders and drew him against her as she rose to the balls of her feet and pressed her mouth against his. It started like many other kisses they had shared before, only this one lingered until the need to explore became too much to suppress.
She did not know who moved first, but suddenly she found herself backed into the wall next to her door, trapped between it and the man in her arms. Moaning into him, she opened her lips in invitation, her tongue teasing his until he deepened the kiss. His hands went into her hair, fingers sliding through the thick curls, keeping her in place – as if she wanted to be anywhere else. She was completely unprepared for the desire that shot through her like a lightning bolt as his tongue slid over hers for the first time, as they explored previously uncharted territory. It travelled through her veins like liquid fire, pooling in her belly and tingling between her thighs. Sliding one leg up along his, her calf caressing him, she ground against him, feeling him respond to their closeness. They both groaned in pleasure when one of his hands landed on her bare knee, drawing it further up before he explored her thigh, letting his fingers sneak underneath her skirt as far as the tight garment allowed. She wanted to feel him against her center, needed more stimulation, but the angle was a little awkward and her skirt too restricting. With a frustrated grunt, she pushed him away, her hands clutching his suspenders once again as she drew him towards the door, her heated gaze locked onto his, full of passion and promises, her voice deep and husky with it. "Oh god, Andy! I want you."
Blindly fishing for her keys inside her purse with one hand, she placed the other at the back of his neck and drew his head down to capture his lips once more. Now that she had experienced what it felt like to really kiss him, she simply could not get enough of it. He had reawakened a long forgotten fire inside her and it was quickly turning into a raging inferno, the intensity of which would probably frighten her if she were inclined to think about it at that time. Instead, she could only focus on one single thing and that was the shortest route to her bedroom and how to make sure she wouldn't have to let go of Andy any time soon. His eager response to her obvious need and the multitude of highly pleasant sensations it created served to remind her how much she enjoyed this kind of closeness to another person and she wondered why she had let so much time pass since the last time.
Only this time was different. Andy was not just someone she shared a mutual attraction with. It was not simply about releasing some tension, of having a good time and then going their separate ways. It went so much deeper than that. While she was far from ready to give a name to this pleasant heaviness inside her chest she felt whenever he smiled at her or touched her or sat next to her in silent support after a tough case, she was aware of it and content to wait for the right time to explore it further and to share it with him. For the moment, sharing the physical expression of that feeling was more than enough for both of them and she hummed into their kiss when her fingers finally closed around the key.
Before she could figure out how to locate the lock without having to stop kissing him, he wrapped a gentle hand around her wrist, stopping her blind search. Reluctantly, he eased out of their kiss, his lips lingering only inches from hers, his breath still hot against them.
"Dammit! I can't believe I'm about to say this, but do you think it's a good idea for me to come in with the kid being just across the hall? I mean sure, he was the one to point it out to you, but this is kinda new. Maybe you should talk to him before we take that step." He sounded breathless and a little choked, his dilated pupils making his eyes appear even darker and for a long moment Sharon was not sure if she wanted to hit him, scream at him or kiss him senseless. He was quite possibly the most thoughtful person she knew and as frustrating as his sudden bout of common sense was, he did have a point. As comfortable as Rusty had been with teasing her about their non-dates, she knew that his past experiences with his mother's boyfriends was problematic. Unexpectedly running into Andy in the middle of the night was not how she wanted to break the news of her new relationship status to him.
Letting out a long, pained groan, Sharon let her head fall against his shoulder in defeat. "I hate it when you're right," she mumbled into his shirt, her arms circling his waist and drawing him closer. They held onto each other for several long minutes, both drawing deep breaths to try and control their racing hearts and the desperate need to tear each other's clothes off. When she thought that she could look into his eyes without the fire inside her flaring up again, she stepped back a little, just enough so that she could see his face, a soft smile on her lips and her eyes sparkling with affection.
Andy cupped her face with one hand, his thumb caressing her cheek, the other resting on her hip. She leaned into him and rose to the balls of her feet to capture his lips once more. This time, their kiss was sweet and tender, an unhurried expression of emotions they were not ready to voice yet. When they finally pulled out of it, she rested her forehead against his chin, her fingers playing with his tie as she tried to find the strength to step out of his embrace. Flattening her hand against his chest, she pushed herself away from him until that was the only connection between them, aside from their locked gazes. "Good night, Andy. I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered, her voice still thick with desire.
He took a step towards her, his lips landing on her cheek and moving along her jaw, leaving soft, barely there kisses until they reached that patch of sensitive skin right behind her left ear. Letting his tongue sneak out for a brief, teasing flick, he grinned at the shiver he felt going through her body. It only intensified at the soft words he growled into her ear. "Don't think for one moment that I didn't want to take you up on this." With one last nip at her earlobe, he pulled away, ready to leave, but not before giving her one of his bright, confident grins. "Good night, Sharon. Sweet dreams." Winking at her, he turned around and walked away, his gait unhurried and relaxed as if they had not nearly committed an act of public indecency only a moment ago.
Slumping against her door, Sharon let her head fall against the hard surface, tilting her head towards the ceiling as a frustrated groan made its way up from deep inside her. She created a monster and it would probably be a long time before his ego would be back to a manageable size. Snorting slightly, she grinned wickedly. She would see what could be done about that. Payback was a bitch and it was time that Andy Flynn learned that.
- TBC -
