A/N: This is a Major Crimes/Battlestar Galactica crossover fic, but I didn't want to post it in the crossover section, because I was afraid that no one would see it there.
I received the following prompt from okaynextcrisis in my Tumblr inbox: Bill/Laura + past lives AU. (By the way, if you're a BSG fan and you haven't read her fics, do yourself a favor and go read them all now; I'll wait. Okay, you're back? Let's continue.)
The story that I came up with is a little different, but the response on Tumblr has been overwhelmingly positive, so I decided to post here as well. To my Shandy shipper friends, Andy Flynn does not exist in this AU. I'm sorry, but I didn't want to have to make a difficult choice. I hope you enjoy, and if you have the time, please drop me a line to let me know your thoughts. As always, thank you for reading!
All This Has Happened Before by Kate Rosen
Chapter 1
"Sheriff Adams, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Sharon Raydor greeted the officer from Bozeman, Montana who had traveled to LA to help them with a case, extending her hand; and as he grasped it in a firm handshake, a strange sense of déjà vu settled over her in that moment—the touch of his warm, calloused fingers feeling familiar, the look in his deep, blue eyes knowing.
"You can call me Will," the Sheriff answered in a gruff but gentle tone, feeling terrible for staring, but the sight of her bright, sage eyes behind her glasses brought him pause, and although he couldn't put his finger on it, he felt like he knew this woman even though he was only meeting her for the first time.
Abruptly they both let go and dropped their gaze to the floor as they found their seats.
After a beat of silence, Will cleared his throat, and couldn't help the words that came next. "Excuse me, Captain, but have we met before?"
"I don't see how," she answered, shaking her head in bewilderment, but not being able to stop herself from studying the lines on his face, their pattern curiously recognizable. "Have you always lived in Bozeman?"
"Born and raised," he answered with a nod. "I don't think I've ever set foot in California until today.
"And I've never been to Montana…" her voice trailed off. "Maybe we should…" she began, gesturing to the photos and other evidence that Will had brought with him.
"Yes, of course," he answered, focusing on the paperwork laid out on her desk as he began to tell the story of the serial killer they had been tracking for over two years until he had suddenly vanished. Then just last month a killer with an eerily similar MO had begun striking in Los Angeles.
x
x
It had been a long time since Sharon had had the nightmares. They started when she was young, so vivid and real that she would wake up screaming. The first one she could remember having involved her father and sisters dying in a car accident. The recurring dream plagued her throughout her childhood, and she constantly lived in fear of it coming true. Late at night, she would jolt awake and need to run and check on her family before she could fall back to sleep. Sometimes she'd curl up in bed with her little sister, holding her close and praying that God wouldn't take her away.
When she was promoted to Captain of Internal Affairs, she began to have new dreams: talking in front of crowds while standing at a podium crawling with snakes, being faced with awful decisions, feeling as if the weight of humanity's existence was on her very shoulders. Which group should die so the rest could survive? Should the traitor be executed or imprisoned? So vivid were they, that she'd wake up flailing and screaming, even hitting her then husband in the face once or twice. (Not that he didn't deserve it.)
Her therapist told her that the dreams were her subconscious way of working through the responsibilities that came with her new position of power at the LAPD. She literally held the lives of her officers in her hands on a daily basis, and that was a lot to grapple with, her therapist explained.
Although Sharon wasn't 100% convinced, she kept going to therapy sessions, and eventually the dreams became less frequent and frightening, although they never completely stopped.
The night after she first met Sheriff Will Adams, Sharon had a new dream. Will lay shot and bleeding on the ground, but she was unable to help him. She was locked in what seemed like a jail cell and forced to watch him gasp for breath as he bled to death. Waking up in a cold sweat, she felt like she should warn him. Her dreams had never come true before, but what if this one did? They were planning a dangerous joint undercover operation for the next day. She needed to let him know, but how could she do that without sounding crazy?
x
x
Sharon rushed nervously into the murder room the next morning, but the place was oddly quiet with Lieutenant Provenza and Buzz being it's only inhabitants. Will Adams and her team had already headed out and were getting into position around the abandoned warehouse where they had determined that their suspect was most likely hiding out. Buzz had the live feed up and running in electronics, and she had no choice but to take the walkie-talkie and give the go-ahead.
Chief Howard and Special Operations were taking the lead with Major Crimes and Sheriff Adams providing backup. As the raid began, Sharon closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that everyone would stay safe. In reality, the entire operation only took about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity as she stood anxiously watching and listening, her knuckles white from gripping the walkie-talkie so tightly. When the all-clear came over the radio and everyone was accounted for (except the suspect, who had been killed when he had begun firing on the officers), Sharon released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and quickly excused herself to her office.
x
x
When Sharon's team returned with Will and the guys from SOB an hour later, she could hardly contain the relief she felt. Truthfully, she was happy to see all of them return unharmed, but she was most relieved to see Will alive and well. She couldn't believe how much anxiety she had caused herself over a stupid dream. She really should know better, having experienced them for so long, that as vivid and terrifying as they always felt, they were still just dreams and had no basis in reality.
Sharon nodded and raised a hand to greet everyone through the window, thinking it best not to leave her office just yet, with the inexplicable urge to rush out and wrap her arms around Will being so strong that it frightened her. She had no idea what had come over her; she'd never felt this strongly about a man before, especially one she barely knew. As she saw Chief Howard approach, she waved him in so he could give her a full briefing on the events that had transpired this morning. After that, there would be plenty of reports and paperwork to keep her busy and just maybe take her mind off a certain visiting sheriff from Montana.
x
x
Later that evening as Sharon sat at her desk, the sun had just finished setting and a pinkish hue tinted the Los Angeles skyline behind her. A lamp was on low to light her office as she typed her final report of the day. It was time to call it a night, she had decided, and told her team as much an hour ago, but a few of them were still lingering in the murder room. After quickly skimming over what she had written, she saved her report and closed her laptop. Through the window to her right, she could see Provenza, Julio, and Will casually chatting, the three perched on various desk, no doubt commiserating on the events of the day.
As she began to gather her things, she noticed them begin to steal glances in her direction. Suddenly they stood, and Julio and Provenza shook hands with Will as he gathered his things as well. She felt her cheeks flush as he approached her door, but she tried her best to act unaffected, and taking a deep breath, she called, "Come in," when he rapped softly.
"I just wanted to say goodbye and 'thank you,' Captain," Will said, entering her office and shutting the door behind him. Through the window, she could see Julio and Provenza packing up slowly, seeming to stall for time. She couldn't be sure if they were being nosy or protective.
"I know it wasn't the outcome that we all hoped for today, but at least a dangerous murderer can no longer hurt anyone," he continued.
Sharon didn't step any closer to him, but she did nod and smile warmly in reply. "I agree, and you don't have to thank me. I should be thanking you for coming all of this way. Your help with this case has been invaluable."
"It was no trouble," he answered. "Well, I guess I should be going now. I've got an early flight in the morning." He moved toward the door, but then stopped abruptly and turned around to face her once more. "Unless... Have you had dinner, Captain?"
"Um, well, no, actually I..." she stammered, nervously fooling with her coat and bag, which she held in her hands. Was this man actually asking her out?
"Well, would you like to? Have dinner, I mean. With me, I mean." He chuckled softly, rubbing nervously at his forehead with his left hand, and Sharon noticed the gold ring on his finger for the first time all day, and it was as if all of the oxygen had suddenly been sucked out of the room. "Sorry, I haven't done this in awhile."
"What," Sharon asked, her tone suddenly clipped, "had an affair?"
"What? An affair? No, I..." His voice trailed off as he followed her gaze to his left hand. "Oh this? You mean my ring," he said, gesturing toward his finger. "I've been divorced for almost three years now. I just never quite got out of the habit of wearing it."
"Divorced," Sharon said, her tone questioning, and an uneasy silence fell over the room.
"Well, I guess, I'll be going then. Sorry." He turned then, looking defeated.
Sharon couldn't help herself; she believed him. God help her, but she believed him, and the thought of him walking out that door and out of her life forever was almost too much. "Wait," she called softly. "I..." she began, then stopped, glancing down at her hands.
"Yes?" he answered, turning around cautiously.
"Sorry, I haven't done this is awhile either," she admitted. Then, taking a deep breath and gathering her strength, she looked up at him and said, "You can call me Sharon, and yes, I would like to have dinner with you."
TBC
