For majorcrime3260 on Tumblr. I hope you like it.
Prompt: Someone should write a fic of Sharon traveling and like how she deals with going to airports and planes and she goes to Hawaii or bora bora or anywhere that is beautiful and sunny and she goes to the beach and sun bathes in a bikini. The rest of what happens while she is on vacation is up to you. Please someone! I need this!
All errors are my own, and I don't own Major Crimes (sadly).
Enjoy!
She looked at the two suitcases by her condo door. One she will have checked and the other will be her carry on.
"Purse," she whispered as she hurried back to her room. This will be her personal item. Before she left the room, she double checked her bathroom. The sink was cleared; all of her beauty supplies, creams, and hair accessories and tools were packed. She straightened the comforter corner on her bed and fluffed her pillow. She had half a heart to take it with her. The lights clicked off as she flipped the switch and looked once more, just to be sure. Sharon had done most of her preparations prior to her schedule flight and was mostly confident that she had everything she needed. Her phone was in her purse, wallet, passport, identification, and her plane ticket. Sharon had written the number, address, and telephone of the place where she would be staying.
"Think you have everything?" Rusty asked. Sharon looked around the kitchen and dining room too. There were no items that stood out. She nodded her head slowly. "I wish I could come with you, but with this college and all," Rusty started. The plane ticket to Bora Bora had been a gift from her children.
"You need to get out of this city, Mom," Ricky stated as they sat on her balcony. After Sharon had told her kids about Andy's condition and how he was staying with her for a short time, Ricky offered to help out for a weekend; if he could get away that was. He managed to escape and visited as he promised. The help part, it seems, he forgot about. Ricky and Andy sat on the couch watching the Dodger's game earlier. Andy, hesitant about how her son would bode with their relationship, was timid in the morning. But by lunch, Ricky and Andy had formed a connection that could easily grow into a father-son relationship. Sharon was as nervous, if not more, than Andy. Ricky was too young to remember the times that Jack was actually around, and he certainly did not have a good bond with him when he did show up drunk, and broke. Ricky was used to being the 'man of the house'. Sharon was proud that her son was on his best behavior, but satisfied that he did not seem like a prick. Ricky was comfortable in Andy's presence and, at the moment, that was all that mattered to Sharon.
She sipped her tea gently as she looked out at the bustling Los Angeles night below her.
"And where would I go?" Sharon asked with a giggle. "I could visit Em, but she's in a city too." Ricky watched his mother as she looked at the polluted sky and bright lights from the towers scraping the sky.
"What about Maui, or Hawaii, or Bora Bora?" Ricky asked. Sharon hummed.
"Those all sound like great places. But if I do ever get a chance to get away, I would want to go somewhere quiet, and where I can relax on my own time." She stood from her chair and grabbed her tea cup. "You want anymore?" Sharon asked as her hand hovered over Ricky's glass.
"I'm good, Ma. Thanks though."
"Alright. I'm going to check on Andy, then I think I'll call it a night."
"I'll see you in morning," Ricky said.
"What time do you have to go?" Sharon asked sadly. She, like any mother, wished her kids never left home.
"I think if I leave around two, I can miss the major traffic," Ricky said. Sharon hummed and nodded.
Andy had been in on the trip too. He gave her children some dates that he knew she could get away from work on. And dates that he would be in Patrice's and Provenza's care. Ricky, Rusty, and Emily split the round-trip flight on Air Tahiti to Bora Bora. Andy covered the Four Seasons Resort. The over the water bungalow was quaint, and far from land.
"I'm going to miss you," Sharon said, throwing her arms around her youngest child.
"You'll be back before you know it. Before I know it," Rusty said.
"Alright, let's go."
"Andy should be down in the lobby already. Provenza was going to drop him off."
"Oh," Sharon said. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She fluffed her hair slightly and ran her hand down her the front of her sweater. "Shouldn't he be resting?"
"Wanted to see you off, I guess. We'll get you to the airport and through the check in. I'll bring him back to Patrice and Provenza after that," Rusty explained. "I'll take that." Sharon let go of the suitcase handle and grabbed her purse. She wheeled her little carry on as Rusty hauled her bag.
Andy was standing by the elevator when the doors opened. Sharon and Rusty stepped out.
"Hi," Sharon breathed. "How are you feeling?"
"Good. Good," Andy said with a smile. "Are you ready for this trip?" Sharon matched his smile.
"Absolutely. Thank you so much for everything. You know, I've never been to Bora Bora."
"Never?" Andy questioned as he took the luggage from Rusty. Rusty unlocked the car and popped the trunk.
"'I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list'."
"Who said that?"
Sharon hummed in thought, "Ah. Susan Sontag." Andy laughed.
/
Andy climbed out of the car and opened Sharon's door. Rusty, who had driven, took the suitcases from trunk and lined them on the curb. Andy grabbed something from his seat and placed it in his jacket pocket.
"Got everything?" Andy asked.
"Think so," Sharon said. Sharon hugged Rusty again; her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as she took in his scent. "I'll come back to you. I swear it."
"I know," Rusty said. "I'll, like, stay out here. The Lieutenant can take you in."
Sharon smiled brightly at him. Her thumb brushed over his cheek. "Okay. Thank you, for everything."
"Go," Rusty said shyly. "You'll miss your flight."
Andy stood in line with Sharon for her Air Tahiti check in. Her bag was weighed, and tagged and sent from the LAX airport. He walked her to the security line and handed her the carry on she had packed.
"I, ah, I got you a gift. Thought you might need something for the plane," Andy said. He pulled a book from his jacket pocket and handed it to her.
"John Grisham," Sharon stated.
"Figured you might miss the mystery in our line of work," Andy said nervously.
"Thank you," Sharon said while her eyes searched his. "Andy, thank you. For the trip, for checking in on Rusty, for you. Andy?" Andy met her gaze, her wonderful green eyes that sparkled with adventure. Sharon slowly rose on her toes, her hand grasping the standing handle of her suitcase. Her lips met Andy's slowly, gently. His hand rubbed her shoulder gently as she lowered her heels.
"This is a thank you for everything you have done for me, and your kids. You're a great mother, Sharon. You're a great woman," Andy whispered. "Now, let's let you get on that plane so you can enjoy your trip." Sharon smiled and patted his hand.
"I'll call when I land."
/
Sharon got through security without hindrance. She bought a bottle of water from a kiosk and a little bag of overly salted peanuts. She ate the peanuts as the people departed from the plane that had just returned from Bora Bora. Couples held tanned hands as they disembarked. They smiled happily, and stared lovingly into each other's eyes.
She thought of Jack: their wedding, their honeymoon. Their honeymoon was nothing exotic. They decided to spend the time they both had off together to prepare their new house. To prepare for a family. They christened that house like nothing she had ever imagined. She would blush as friends and family would touch tables, or sit on couches because memories of her and Jack would flash before her eyes.
She blushed thinking of it now.
We had a good run, Sharon had always thought that. Sure there were certainly different men to get tied to, different men who might have had an inkling to the responsibilities of fathers, and different to fall in love with. But there was something in Jackson Raydor's charm and attitude that had her thinking it would all get better. It seems they were off a page there. Like any good book that cannot be put down, Sharon had kept turning the page; hoping that the inevitable would be avoidable, that the next page might bring a happy twist, or the following chapter be in her favor.
Sharon's eyes were dragged to the form of a woman. Her shoulders were shaking, and tears glistened on her cheeks as the rays from the Los Angeles sun shined through the window. The plane was almost ready for boarding; the flight attendants were preparing for passengers. The lady's form fitting black tee-shirt had 'Mrs.' embroidered on her back. The 'Mr.' part seemed elusive.
Sharon double checked her seat on the ticket. A window seat (probably Emily's suggestion) right near an emergency exit hatch (that had Ricky and Rusty written on it). Sharon was never a fan of flying. Thirty some thousand feet in the sky over an ocean where anything could go wrong in an instant. She was not paranoid, just cautious.
The flight attendant's calm voice sounded in the gate. Sharon stood to get in line as her row was called. She casted once last glance at the woman sobbing. Her ticket was scanned with a friendly smile, and Sharon boarded the plane. The man that was to be sitting a row behind her lifted her carry-on into the overhead compartment with more ease than she would have been able to produce. She glanced around the plane. The blues and teals contrasted with white were a bit of an eyesore but still very nice.
As far as setting went, there were seats of two on both sides of plane, and the row down the middle sat four. It was a large plane, most likely one of the largest planes Sharon has been on, but it did not seem overly crowded. Her fingers brushed over the cover of the book Andy had given her.
"I'll get this back to you when I'm in LA again," Sharon whispered not wanting to leave the little bubble the two had gotten themselves into. His hand was still on her shoulder, hers on his cheek.
"It's a gift. Never lend a book," he stated. "Serious now, you should get a move on." Andy's warm hand slipped from her shoulder and hers dropped lifelessly from his cheek. "I'll be here when you get back."
"I know," Sharon said with a small smile. She hated to leave him, especially in his condition. But he had insisted, and she had relented.
"Go enjoy your little vacation. You deserve it."
"Excuse me?" Sharon snapped her gaze from the book. "Do you have any tissues? Or napkins?" Sharon's eyes fell on the woman who had been crying in the airport. Her makeup was severely ruined. Sharon nodded slowly. It seems the woman would be her seat partner on the five hour trip to Bora Bora. Sharon reached into her purse and took out the little pack of kleenex. She opened it and went to offer a single tissue to the woman, but changed her mind. Sharon handed her the whole pack. "Thank you. I'm so sorry. It's just… I'm just… a mess," the woman resolved.
"You're going to a wonderful place," Sharon tried weakly.
"But I'm going there alone. You see, my wedding was supposed to be yesterday. I met this wonderful man who was caring, charming, courageous. But I was jilted. He left me alone in front of all my family and friends. But none of his family. You see, he told me his parents died when he was young, and his father was an only child of deceased parents. His mother had a sister, but her parents were long gone, too. He was raised by his aunt, but he said she died in a car crash and he literally had nothing left. How stupid was I to fall for that pity story? Look at me! I could have thrown myself at any rich man and they would have married me in a second. We planned this stupid trip to Bora Bora as our honeymoon. God, I should have put more distance between us before jumping into a marriage with him. Turns out he cleaned out all of my bank accounts. I'm going to have to sell my house and move into a condo like some old, lonely divorcee. I'm twenty! I'm prime! I should be living a high life in Los Angeles; a movie star with her name in lights. This trip was already payed for, thank gods for my preparation skills, and it is literally the last thing I own. Might be the only place I'll ever visit. I'm alone! All alone!"
Sharon hummed lowly. She was at a loss as to what to say. An older woman, across the aisle from the weeping bride, shot daggers at Sharon. Sharon sighed and slowly lifted her hand to caress the girl's back soothingly.
"Trust me, it'll all work out."
Maybe, Sharon decided, I am paranoid of planes.
/
Thankfully, the not-going-to-be-bride fell asleep before the plane even made it to the runway. She snored the whole trip, but it was better than another heart wrenching rant. Sharon was not prepared to be put in a bad mood about this trip. She gently nudged the girl as the pilot announced their final descent would begin. Sharon held tightly to the book. She was just about halfway through the book, but it had a rather dense plot and took a few re-reads before she understood what was going on. She could already predict what was going to happen, but she wanted to see if she was right. She peered out the window was the clearest water she had ever seen came into view. The wooden huts, modernized to keep appeal, floated on stilts above the water.
She could not wait to jump in for a swim.
/
She had called Andy quickly to inform him that she had landed safely and had all of her bags.
"How are you doing?" She asked.
"Patrice and Provenza are all gross. They kiss a lot," Andy complained.
"We kiss," Sharon argued.
"But that's different." Sharon laughed. "I miss you," Andy stated.
"I miss you, too," Sharon said a little sadly.
"Enjoy your trip. Call when you're settled, or whenever," Andy said.
"I will," Sharon promised. She ended the call.
Sharon had wheeled her luggage herself to her over the water bungalow and unlocked that door. It was perfect. Perfectly decorated, perfectly arranged, and with a perfect view. She opened her carry-on, deciding to unpack after she was able to move again from sitting so long on the plane. Sharon pulled out a black triangle bikini. She had purchased it on a whim, and it was certainly made in the interest of younger buyers, but it flattered her figure. A figure she was more than proud of at her age. Her body was not like the young girl's from the plane, or like Emily's with toned limbs, but it was that of a fit mother. Her stomach protruded a little after expanding to carry two kids. Her breasts sagged a little lower than she remembered. She could not remember the last time she was able to find time to go to the gym, but there was no one here she knew, and she planned to enjoy every indulgence to tan a majority of her body.
She changed quickly, eager to get in the water. The little deck had a table and lounge chairs facing the beautiful, calm water. Sharon found the latter that lead directly into the water below and made for her emergence in the beauty. The blue and green and teal hues were like those on an artist's palette; so refined and blended to absolute excellence.
Sharon's toe dipped to test the temperature. It was as warm as she expected. She soon found herself treading water in the purity of Bora Bora.
Sharon sighed in content and made a mental note to really thank her kids and Andy. This was exactly what she needed. Away from a city, away from murderers.
Sharon took a breath and dove under to wet her hair. She swam a little ways from her bungalow, then floated gently back. She climbed out of the water, and adjusted her suit appropriately as dried herself with a towel. She opened the umbrella just above the lounge chair and relaxed.
She certainly had the right to.
Please review!
Catch the BSG line in there?
I'm thinking of possibly having at least one, maybe two more chapters. Maybe Andy got himself a ticket too….? :)