Disclaimer: I don't own Monk or Sharona

Monk knew Sharona would fall apart. He knew that she would come unglued and he knew that she needed to. That was way he acted in a bit of an unkind way. He was right. His plan was working. She did come unglued.

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT TALKING LIKE THAT AGAIN! DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! MY FEELINGS MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS YOURS DID- WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND…. ARE YOU THAT CLUELESS! I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL AND BACK AND ALL YOU GIVE ME IS STUPID REPRIMANDS AND CONSEQUENCES INSTEAD OF SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT"

He just let her rant. She needed this. She needed to feel better. She took a tennis ball and through it at his picture. He considered for a minute chiding her for real because it was one of his favorite pictures. Instead he reminded himself that she was upset.

"HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I WAS AS INSENSTIVE TO YOU AS YOU ARE BEING TO ME RIGHT NOW? YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH AND YOU KNOW HOW TOUGH IT IS FOR ME AND YET YOU STILL INSIST ON BEING SO CLUELESS. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY I COULD SCREAM"

You are screaming, he thought to himself, and you need to be

He tried to listen while she ranted but he found himself tuning out a couple of times.

"I NEED YOU TO LISTEN. I NEED YOU TO CARE. I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE ME THE SAME WAY THAT YOU THINK I NEED YOU TO SEE ME BUT I DON'T NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE THAT. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE A FRIEND. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE SOMEONE YOU LOVE… NOT LIKE YOU LOVED TRUDY. YOU CAN'T LOVE ANYONE LIKE YOU LOVED TRUDY. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. BUT I NEED YOU TO SEE ME FOR ME… FOR ME… FOR ME DO YOU UNDERSTAND FOR ME! I NEED YOU TO LISTEN. I NEED YOU TO RESPECT MY FEELINGS AND DAMNIT I NEED YOU TO LOVE ME"

"I do love you Sharona"

"DO YOU?"

"Of course I do"

"DO YOU REALLY?"

"Yes I really do, very much"

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU TALK TO ME THE WAY YOU DID! WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT TO SOMEONE HE LOVES? WOULD YOU EVER TALK TO TRUDY THAT WAY AND DON'T SAY I'M NOT TRUDY BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT TRUDY… THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT I ASKED YOU WAS WOULD YOU EVER TALK TO TRUDY THAT WAY?"

If she need to release her feelings I might.

"Are you done ranting," he asked her

"I'LL BE DONE WHEN I SAY I'M DONE," SHE SNAPPED, "AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS EITHER"

Good, he thought to himself, then I'm accomplishing what I want to accomplish

"AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE TOO," she yelled, "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO NOTHIN' WRONG… I WAS JUST EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS AND CALLING YOU ON WHAT YOU DID"

"Feeling better?"

"I'M NOT GONNA LISTEN TO THAT AND YOU'D BETTER NOT BE A DIRTBAG ABOUT IT," Sharona added using the worst word in the English vocabulary in Monk's mind.

"What I'm hearing in that you're upset"

"WELL GEE NO WONDER YOU'RE THE DETECTIVE. YOU CAN PICK UP ON SUCH SUBTLE HINTS"

Monk had to hold back a smile. She was doing just what he wanted her to do.

"DID THEY TEACH YOU THAT IN SCHOOL HUH TO PICK UP ON WHEN A WOMAN IS UPSET? MAYBE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE BROWN EYES TOO HUH. THE SKY IS PURPLE DID YOU KNOW THAT"

This is good, Monk thought to himself, she needs to ramble. She needs this in order to feel better

"Well," he said, "you shouldn't have been sarcastic earlier"

Sharona stomped her foot like a small child being denied a special treat and slammed the bathroom door.

"DAMNIT YOU PISS ME OFF SO MUCH SOMETIMES"

Good, he thought, someone has to.

"Listen the time passes very quickly"

"YOU CAN'T SEE THIS THROUGH THE BATHRROM DOOR BUT I AM SO GLARING AT YOU RIGHT NOW"

Monk laughed

"OH YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY DO YOU," she snapped, "YEAH REAL FUNNY… HA HA HA HALERIOUS"

"Great play on words Sharona," he said. She wasn't at all even near done ranting.

"Thanks," she said and then went back to ranting, "HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD FEEL IF YOU WERE IN MY SHOES"

"In your shoes?"

"YEAH"

"I would probably feel clumsy because you wear high heals," he said and she laughed then she broke down crying. Now she was done. He opened the door and gathered her in his arms.

"It's okay Sharona," he soothed, "there now there now it's okay"

"What the-"

"What I said earlier I didn't mean it"

"You spoke out of anger?"

"No… I said it on purpose"

"Okay I'm confused"

"Sharona you've been going through hell almost literally. You were like a time bomb just waiting to go off"

"Yeah so?"

"You weren't expressing yourself and you were just waiting for a mess to happen. I knew if I spoke down to you, if I spoke to you like you were a child and your feelings didn't matter you would go off on me an in doing so you would feel better. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," she sniffled, "Yeah I think I- no I know I do"

"That's my girl," he said hugging her, "and I do love you. I'll never love you like I loved Trudy but I'll never love anyone like I loved Trudy"

"Adrian," she said touched, "you did all this just so I would feel better"

"Yes… I did. Now lets go. We're playing charades and I need you on my team"

Monk knew Sharona would fall apart. He knew that she would come unglued and he knew that she needed to. That was way he acted in a bit of an unkind way. He was right. His plan was working. She did come unglued.

"DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT TALKING LIKE THAT AGAIN! DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! MY FEELINGS MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS YOURS DID- WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND…. ARE YOU THAT CLUELESS! I'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL AND BACK AND ALL YOU GIVE ME IS STUPID REPRIMANDS AND CONSEQUENCES INSTEAD OF SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT"

He just let her rant. She needed this. She needed to feel better. She took a tennis ball and through it at his picture. He considered for a minute chiding her for real because it was one of his favorite pictures. Instead he reminded himself that she was upset.

"HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF I WAS AS INSENSTIVE TO YOU AS YOU ARE BEING TO ME RIGHT NOW? YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH AND YOU KNOW HOW TOUGH IT IS FOR ME AND YET YOU STILL INSIST ON BEING SO CLUELESS. IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY I COULD SCREAM"

You are screaming, he thought to himself, and you need to be

He tried to listen while she ranted but he found himself tuning out a couple of times.

"I NEED YOU TO LISTEN. I NEED YOU TO CARE. I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE ME THE SAME WAY THAT YOU THINK I NEED YOU TO SEE ME BUT I DON'T NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE THAT. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE A FRIEND. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT. I NEED YOU TO SEE ME LIKE SOMEONE YOU LOVE… NOT LIKE YOU LOVED TRUDY. YOU CAN'T LOVE ANYONE LIKE YOU LOVED TRUDY. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. BUT I NEED YOU TO SEE ME FOR ME… FOR ME… FOR ME DO YOU UNDERSTAND FOR ME! I NEED YOU TO LISTEN. I NEED YOU TO RESPECT MY FEELINGS AND DAMNIT I NEED YOU TO LOVE ME"

"I do love you Sharona"

"DO YOU?"

"Of course I do"

"DO YOU REALLY?"

"Yes I really do, very much"

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU TALK TO ME THE WAY YOU DID! WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT TO SOMEONE HE LOVES? WOULD YOU EVER TALK TO TRUDY THAT WAY AND DON'T SAY I'M NOT TRUDY BECAUSE I KNOW I'M NOT TRUDY… THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU. WHAT I ASKED YOU WAS WOULD YOU EVER TALK TO TRUDY THAT WAY?"

If she need to release her feelings I might.

"Are you done ranting," he asked her

"I'LL BE DONE WHEN I SAY I'M DONE," SHE SNAPPED, "AND YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS EITHER"

Good, he thought to himself, then I'm accomplishing what I want to accomplish

"AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING ELSE TOO," she yelled, "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO BECAUSE I DIDN'T DO NOTHIN' WRONG… I WAS JUST EXPRESSING MY FEELINGS AND CALLING YOU ON WHAT YOU DID"

"Feeling better?"

"I'M NOT GONNA LISTEN TO THAT AND YOU'D BETTER NOT BE A DIRTBAG ABOUT IT," Sharona added using the worst word in the English vocabulary in Monk's mind.

"What I'm hearing in that you're upset"

"WELL GEE NO WONDER YOU'RE THE DETECTIVE. YOU CAN PICK UP ON SUCH SUBTLE HINTS"

Monk had to hold back a smile. She was doing just what he wanted her to do.

"DID THEY TEACH YOU THAT IN SCHOOL HUH TO PICK UP ON WHEN A WOMAN IS UPSET? MAYBE YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE BROWN EYES TOO HUH. THE SKY IS PURPLE DID YOU KNOW THAT"

This is good, Monk thought to himself, she needs to ramble. She needs this in order to feel better

"Well," he said, "you shouldn't have been sarcastic earlier"

Sharona stomped her foot like a small child being denied a special treat and slammed the bathroom door.

"DAMNIT YOU PISS ME OFF SO MUCH SOMETIMES"

Good, he thought, someone has to.

"Listen the time passes very quickly"

"YOU CAN'T SEE THIS THROUGH THE BATHRROM DOOR BUT I AM SO GLARING AT YOU RIGHT NOW"

Monk laughed

"OH YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY DO YOU," she snapped, "YEAH REAL FUNNY… HA HA HA HALERIOUS"

"Great play on words Sharona," he said. She wasn't at all even near done ranting.

"Thanks," she said and then went back to ranting, "HOW DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD FEEL IF YOU WERE IN MY SHOES"

"In your shoes?"

"YEAH"

"I would probably feel clumsy because you wear high heals," he said and she laughed then she broke down crying. Now she was done. He opened the door and gathered her in his arms.

"It's okay Sharona," he soothed, "there now there now it's okay"

"What the-"

"What I said earlier I didn't mean it"

"You spoke out of anger?"

"No… I said it on purpose"

"Okay I'm confused"

"Sharona you've been going through hell almost literally. You were like a time bomb just waiting to go off"

"Yeah so?"

"You weren't expressing yourself and you were just waiting for a mess to happen. I knew if I spoke down to you, if I spoke to you like you were a child and your feelings didn't matter you would go off on me an in doing so you would feel better. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," she sniffled, "Yeah I think I- no I know I do"

"That's my girl," he said hugging her, "and I do love you. I'll never love you like I loved Trudy but I'll never love anyone like I loved Trudy"

"Adrian," she said touched, "you did all this just so I would feel better"

"Yes… I did. Now lets go. We're playing charades and I need you on my team"