One of the worst things about living in Los Angeles was the weather. On any given day in the summer, it could feel hotter than hell, and with the humidity in the air, it was like the seventh circle of hell. The air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife and nothing seemed to do the trick. Air conditioners were working as hard as they could and were barely having an effect; swimming pools and malls were packed full of people; and grocery stores could barely keep ice cream and other cool treats in stock.

The inside of the LAPD provided no sanctuary whatsoever for its workers despite the blasting air conditioning. Several desks inside the Major Crimes division had fans plugged into the nearest outlet and the detectives all sat around sweating as they waited for their next assignment. Since Sharon had her own office, she had decided to turn off the lights but leave the door open to allow the air to circulate. She had drawn her blinds so that the ambient light from the murder room could seep into her private space – not that she was really getting any work done despite the fractional difference in temperature.

Things seemed like they were changing between her and Andy and she wasn't sure what to make of it. On the one hand, she couldn't deny her attraction to the handsome lieutenant; he had the ability to drive her crazy but he had also proven himself to be a man worthy of both her attention and affection. On the other hand, he was her subordinate and having a relationship with him was completely against the rules and out of the questions. Sharon had built her career on following and enforcing rules and regulations; could she really be so hypocritical as to toss the rule book out the window with regards to Andy just because it was convenient? A little voice inside Sharon told her that it was only against the rules if they gotcaught, but then the voice of reason would remind her that it was still against the rules regardless of whether or not they got caught.

She had absolutely no clue what she was going to do about the growing sexual tension between her and Andy and she was worried that the others would start to notice. It would surely be the end of business as usual and of her team's ability to function objectively if things progressed any farther. [i]But only if you get caught…[/i]

Sighing in frustration, Sharon put her pen down and slumped back in her chair. It was too damned hot to concentrate on anything, including the reports at her desk and Andy. She was kicking herself for her choice in wardrobe; a black skirt suit with a turquoise blouse and heels. She had ditched the jacket and rolled up her sleeves first thing in the morning after realizing that the air conditioning wasn't doing much for the heat and shehad even slipped off her heels under her desk; still, it was to no avail. From the looks of it in the murder room, none of her detectives were faring any better. Every member of her squad had rolled up their sleeves and then men had either loosened or completely taken off their ties. She could see beads of sweat and stained armpits across the room and was suddenly very happy to be in the comfort of her own little hell-hole. The only thing missing was a drink with a little umbrella and she would be at the beach…

Her taste buds and brain cried out at the thought of a cold beverage, and soon it was all Sharon could think of. She slipped her shoes on and headed out into the murder room, confirming that her office was in fact a few degrees cooler.

"I'm going to the vending machine… anyone want a soda?", she offered.

It was Andy who responded. "You'll have to go to the one on the first floor… the rest are sold out".

"Of course they are", Sharon replied. "Well, anyone want anything?"

Drink orders rolled in one by one: a diet Coke for Provenza; root beer for Sanchez; Sprite for Andy; regular Coke for Sykes; and orange soda for Tao. All of the heads in the room turned to him as he ordered his drink and he responded by shrugging his shoulders. "What… my kids love it".

Sharon laughed and turned to go when she heard Andy's voice speak up again. "I'll go with you… figured you might need help carrying them back up and I need to take a breather anyway". She did her best to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across her face and nodded in agreement before taking off towards the elevator. Fortunately for Sharon, she missed the look that passed between Andy and Louie Provenza; Provenza gave Andy a sly grin and Andy shot back for him to knock it off.

They walked down the hallway in silence except for the sound of Sharon's heels clacking on the floor. For a fleeting moment, Sharon wondered if the floor would be any colder the rest of the building and she let out a small sigh.

"Penny for your thoughts?", Andy asked as they reached the elevator.

Sharon pressed the down arrow and looked over at Andy. "I was just wondering if the floor would be any colder", she said evenly. After a few seconds passed, she busted out laughing, just as the elevator doors opened. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day", she added as she slid inside. Andy joined her, shaking his head but also taking note of how beautiful Sharon looked when she laughed. There were few things on god's green earth more beautiful than the sight of Sharon Raydor laughing.

As the elevator moved slowly towards the ground floor, Sharon tried her best not to look at Andy. The last thing she wanted was for him to catch her checking him out and so she kept her eyes focused forward. Her prize, she decided, would be watching him from behind as they walked towards the vending machine.

Suddenly, the elevator jerked to a stop and Sharon lurched forward. Andy was there immediately with a hand at her elbow to steady her. "Are you okay?", he asked, despite there not really being a way for her to be injured. Sharon nodded and looked around the elevator.

"There. Hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That".

"I don't hear anything".

"Precisely. Nothing. The air's not running".

"So the power's out and we're stuck? Great. That's just great".

Sharon turned to look at Andy when he said that and her eyes widened. "No no no, we can't be trapped on an elevator together, no sir", she said. "I'll call the security guard and tell him we're stuck, we'll be moving in no time". It was then that Sharon realized that she didn't have her cell phone; the skirt didn't have pockets and she didn't have her jacket with her. "I left my phone upstairs; Andy, can I borrow yours?".

He scowled a little bit at Sharon before handing over his phone. What exactly had she meant by "We can't be trapped on an elevator together"? She had definitely placed a slight emphasis on the word "we".

Sharon dialed the number to the main switchboard but the call wouldn't go through. After the fourth time, she yanked the iPhone away from her ear in frustration and handed it back to Andy. "No reception", she said as she tried to figure out her next move.

"What exactly did you mean by 'we can't be trapped on an elevator together', Sharon?", Andy asked, unable to keep the question in any longer.

[i]Shit[/i]. Had she really said that? Sharon sighed and dismissed his question. "Nothing. Just that we can't be trapped in an elevator. What if there's a murder?"

Andy knew that she was lying but chose to let the subject go. Clearly he had made Sharon uncomfortable, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Not only was she his boss, but this was the woman who had started penetrating his thoughts at all hours of the day. He often thought about her in rather unsavory situations, but he also thought about more acceptable ways of showing her his affection. There were days when his concentration flew out the window the moment he laid eyes on her; primarily the days that she wore those skirts that showed off her long, creamy legs. Oh, how he had daydreamt of having those legs wrapped around him or spread before him…

He sighed and pressed his back up against the elevator wall before leaning against it as he slid down onto the floor. "Great. Just great", he muttered. Sharon looked down at him and rolled her eyes. As much as she had the hots for her lieutenant, there were times where he could be downright infuriating. The air in the elevator was hot and muggy and she was in no condition to deal with Andy's bad mood.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about this either, Lieutenant", she snapped, probably a little harsher than strictly necessary.

"I can think of a much better way I'd rather spend my afternoon".

"Need I remind you that you were the volunteered to come with me? I didn't ask for your help".

"Yeah, but you would have bitched about it if someone hadn't offered to help".

As soon as the words left his mouth, Andy was aware that he had stuck his foot in his mouth. It was okay for him to think things like that about Sharon, but it was in no way okay to say any of them out loud. "I'm sorry, Sharon, I didn't mean that", he offered up quickly.

She stared at him for a few seconds, not really sure of what to say. If the words had come from anyone but Andy, they wouldn't have stung so much. In the end, Sharon responded by not saying anything at all. Instead, she followed suit and joined Andy on the floor of the elevator, shutting her eyes and leaning against the wall. He made a move to apologize again but Sharon raised her hand and waived him quiet.