I know season 2 ended a while ago, but I reaaally wanted some sort of acknowledgment of the "Dear Sharon" letters plot point. It bothered me a little (ha. "a little" [cue 2000 words of whining]) that we never got to see Rusty and Sharon talk about that, or Sharon and the rest of the team. So, here are some takes on how/when those talks could have happened!

This first scenario picks up right where the finale left off, with Sharon and Rusty in her office, after the Stroh hearing. (Honestly, this is also a bit of an episode tag, because I always meant to write one but was too overcome by ALL of the feels to do it in a timely fashion last winter).

Part One

following 'Return to Sender, pt. 2'

He'd held on tight until his arms hurt from the tension.

Thoughts continued to whirl around in his head the whole while, terrible thoughts, panic-stricken thoughts, but with Sharon standing right there with him he'd managed to keep afloat when they threatened to pull him under. He held on to her, even after the dread and insecurities had faded to a dull roar in his mind. The tears dried up, and when time passed and it didn't all come crashing down around him, even the raging anxiety ebbed somewhat. And Rusty held on still. Because he could. Because Sharon was letting him.

Only when he genuinely started to feel his muscles trembling slightly under the prolonged pressure did he loosen his grip. He felt Sharon rub a gentle hand across his shoulder blades – and unaccountably, that made his throat close up again: it wasn't that he'd thought she would, but...it left him relieved and grateful all the same that she didn't immediately step away from him when she had the chance.

Instead, she let him take a small step back first, and only after that did she do the same. When they looked at each other again, Rusty could feel his face burning and his throat dry, but her gaze was calm and quiet and there was only love behind it, and Rusty was at the same time surprised and not surprised at all...

His breath came out in a truncated sigh.

Sharon... she made it seem so easy, sometimes. Being loved.

Part of him wanted to step right back into her arms, but – he couldn't. Somehow he was rooted to the spot once more, heaving a little, unable to pick the right words or even the right thoughts, there was still plenty of chaos inside him. But he was beginning to feel... not right, not yet, but... better, he thought. Calmer. Safer.

Grounded.

He swallowed dryly, and couldn't help checking again that Sharon didn't look like she was going to change her mind – but she was still there, just two steps away, and she didn't look like she was going anywhere.

If this didn't make her...

Rusty swallowed a second time.

If now she didn't want out, now when she knew – when she knew everything, really everything, if this didn't make her turn away... he didn't think there was anything worse about him. This was it. If Sharon could still love him despite this, despite what he was, then maybe... maybe things would be okay. He could try to make everything else better. He wouldn't cause her any more problems...

"Rusty."

Her voice was soft, and though there was a hint of concern she was also smiling at him, a little.

"What's on your mind...?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but had no idea where to start. After a few seconds he just shrugged, instead, and shook his head. "I... I thought... after everything..." His voice trembled slightly... and then, it came to him. A thought that had been bothering him ever since the hearing. It had been drowned out by the fears and shame and bleak what-ifs, but now...

"You never told me," he whispered staring at the floor.

When he glanced back up, Sharon was looking a little confused, her head tilted a fraction. "What?"

"About the letters." He noticed her brief pause and knew that she'd understood what he was talking about. "You didn't tell me he – that he was writing to you, too. It… came up during the hearing," he explained quietly at her questioning expression.

Sharon bit her lips. She'd hoped that it wouldn't come up, though frankly, with everything that had been happening over the past week, that had been the furthest thing from her mind. But she smiled at the boy now, because no matter what else, it was all over and for the first time in months, the thought of those letters didn't constrict her throat.

"You never told me," Rusty said again, fixing her with an uncertain, searching look.

"I didn't," she acknowledged softly. He wasn't asking a question yet, so she waited in silence to see what it was that he wanted to discuss about the letters. She maybe wouldn't have chosen to talk about that now... but if it was what Rusty needed to get closure from the day and from the hearing, then this was a good time for it.

Rusty's bottom lip quivered slightly as he shook his head. "Sharon, I didn't... I didn't know... " He paused, and his expression took on a note of pleading, "Sharon, I'm so sorry – if I'd known that – that he'd started writing you letters instead, that he'd started threatening you, I – "

"Rusty," she spoke over him, calm but firm. "He'd been threatening me since the very second that you received that first letter," she corrected. "No matter whether it was your name or mine in the address line – every single one of those letters," she gave him a serious look, "was a threat to me."

"But Sharon..." Another headshake. "I'm so sorry... I didn't even think..."

"It wasn't on you to think about that," she told him plainly, "and you absolutely do not have anything to apologize for. Rusty," she pre-empted when he was looking ready to protest again, "the letters are dealt with – and the man who wrote them, Wade Weller? He's gone. Honey, he's not a threat to either of us anymore."

"Phillip Stroh is."

Sharon's eyes softened. "Today, you took a big step toward putting Phillip Stroh away for good."

"But if he sends someone else..."

She shook her head, "Rusty, Stroh isn't going to have contact with anyone but his lawyer until his trial. The letters were admitted as further evidence against him, and there are strict measures in place to ensure that he will never have an opportunity to do anything else against you. You're safe," she promised. "And I'll be here to keep it that way."

The boy swallowed. Somehow he didn't look as reassured as she'd hoped.

"What is it...?"

Rusty rubbed tired hands to his cheeks, causing her heart to ache a little for how weary and anxious he still seemed.

"What's wrong, honey? If you're still worried about your safety," she tried, "we can –"

"No," he interrupted, "no that's not... I'm – I feel safe." He met her eyes again. "With you – I feel safe with you Sharon."

She smiled at him, "I'm glad."

"It's just – I don't want you to be in danger because of me." He couldn't believe that it hadn't occurred to him before – in months of heightened security it had never occurred to him, and all that time he'd whined about the protection detail, when it could've been what had stopped that psycho from hurting Sharon, and –

Tears welled up in his eyes again.

"Rusty –"

"It's just so – it's not fair, Sharon," his voice almost cracked at the end. "I don't want … it's not fair that you have to deal with all of this because of me, I know that, but … I don't know how to – how to change it...! "

Her hand was on his elbow again, squeezing briefly, and he could hear the air leave his lungs in another ragged sigh. "I understand why you might be seeing things this way right now," she said quietly. "But I'd also like you to try to keep in mind, Rusty, that that's not how I see them. None of this is your responsibility. Alright?"

The worst thing was, he did believe her, he totally believed that she didn't see it that way – because how could she see it that way and still want him around? – and therein precisely lay the problem. One day maybe she would start to see it, there was so much about him that how could she not, really, and then –

"I'm sorry...!"

"There's nothing to be sorry for."

He couldn't help himself – "Please – " he looked into her eyes and pleaded silently and tried to let her know that he would try, as hard as he could, if she could only – "please... don't give up... Don't give up on me, Sharon."

It was hard to tell what her expression meant, but she stepped closer again, standing right in front of him, and one hand reached to gently touch his cheek. "That's never going to happen," she said in a low, deliberate tone. "So you can stop worrying about that right now... because I don't care what comes up, or what we have to deal with – you're a part of my family, Rusty." She lowered her chin to give him a somber look. "And that is something that I have no intention of giving up."

He didn't have to make an effort to believe her.

Despite that, a small part of him couldn't fully let go of the worry, because it really was so much that he was asking her to put up with... but it was a small part that thought that way, small enough that he thought maybe he could handle it. For now. Later, maybe he could work on that. He could ask Dr. Joe for some help, even... Sharon would probably be all for that...

He smiled, a little, and that didn't feel too effortful either.

"Alright...?" Sharon moved a strand of hair from his temple before lowering her hand.

Rusty nodded.

It felt easier to breathe, somehow. Easier to smile. To think. To remember that there was a place after all where he could feel right...

Sharon really did make it seem easy. Being loved.

He let out another long breath. "I think... uh, if that's okay with you... then I think I'm ready to go home now."

The corners of Sharon's eyes crinkled. "So am I," she said quietly, and she took her eyes off him just long enough to reach for her handbag. A few seconds later, she turned back around and nodded to his suitcase on the chair, smiling when Rusty almost tripped over his feet in a hurry to pick it up. "Okay, honey." She opened the door and stepped back to let him walk out first, her hand touching his shoulder blade one last time as he moved in front of her. "Let's go."

Four of the five chapters are mostly written, so I should be able to update pretty quickly (famous last words...!). We'll go in anti-chronological order, with scenes from earlier in 2B, and then from the pre-2B hiatus. And while the 'missing scenes' will mostly be dramatic conversations, one of the versions does have a little action. And the rest of the team, most notably Amy and Andy, make appearances later on as well.

Thank you for reading! Oh - if you have any ideas of your own for how the letters could've been addressed, feel free to let me know! This says 'five times' but I didn't sign a binding contract and could therefore easily add more ;). I want ALL of the resolution to that plot point. All of it!

Have a nice Sunday everyone :)