It's been two seasons since this episode aired, so I'm not sure if this counts as an episode tag or not. I'm going to call it a tag. As you'll recall, episode 1.07 -The Shame Game- ends with Rusty staring at Daniel Dunn through the glass of the break room before he runs away back to the Murder Room slamming the door behind him. This takes place immediately after the door slams.

Separation Anxiety

"SHARON! SHARON!" Rusty screamed at the top of his lungs as he came flying into the darkened Murder Room, the slam of the door echoing behind him.

Every detective in the room had their eyes on him while trading weary and confused glances with one another. Only Provenza reacted quickly.

"Rusty, calm down," Provenza spoke as he stood from his desk, making his way towards the very distraught young man. The other detectives in the room watched, not knowing what to do or make of the situation.

"SHARON!" Rusty screamed again standing in the middle of Murder Room, eyes searching frantically for his guardian and completely oblivious to Lieutenant Provenza.

"Rusty?" Sharon spoke, as she came out of the super cubicle where she'd been waiting. Her voice was concerned, and her eyes immediately searched the room for the source of Rusty's distress.

Before she could ask what was wrong, Rusty ran towards her and started to raise his arms. For a moment, Sharon was sure she was going to have a sobbing teenager in her arms while standing in the Murder Room in front of her new division. Instinctively, her arms began to come up as he got closer to her.

Rusty stopped dead in front of her. Just out of reach. He wrapped his arms around himself, and she slowly lowered her own. The look on his face almost took her breath away. His bottom lip was trembling from the effort not to cry, and his eyes pleaded for something that he couldn't bring himself to ask for.

When Rusty spoke his voice cracked and his face crumbled for a moment, but he still kept the tears at bay somehow. "Sharon."

Every part of her yearned to take a step closer and wrap him in her arms. To make him feel better. To take away that look on his face and do anything to make sure it never appeared there again.

But she didn't. She couldn't. He wasn't ready for that. She was surprised that he'd even coming looking for her after whatever had upset him. He didn't normally go to others for help.

"Rusty, what happened?" she asked and raised one hand towards him slightly, not reaching for him, but waiting for him to take it if he desired. "Did Daniel say something to you?"

Rusty shook his head and kept his arms wrapped tightly around his torso. The scared and hurt look never leaving his face.

Sharon glanced at her detectives. None of them were even trying to hide their curiosity and concern. "Let's go in my office."

She took a small step around him, hoping to guide him in the direction of her office and privacy.

Rusty took a few steps with her, but didn't make it far before he started talking, again. "I couldn't. Sharon, I'm sorry, I just couldn't talk to him. He…Sharon…"

Sharon had never heard her name said filled with so much pain and sorrow. In that one word she heard Rusty's entire plea, she knew what he was asking for, she could feel his fear, and she promised herself that she would do whatever she had to in order to never hear him say her name like that again.

"It's okay, Rusty." She shushed him. "It's okay." She was sure that her detectives were surprised at the softness in her voice as she tried to soothe his fears with her voice alone. It felt vastly inadequate.

She took small side steps towards her office watching him the whole time, not surprised when he began to follow if only because he didn't seem inclined to let her out of his sight. His sudden, if distant, clinginess was concerning, and she wasn't sure what to make of it. He was clearly feeling more comfortable with her, which was good, but it would make his father's appearance much more difficult to handle.

"Captain," Provenza called just as Rusty stepped through the door to her office.

She turned to face him, standing half in and half out of her office. "Yes?"

"What would you like me to do with Mr. Dunn?"

Sharon glanced back at Rusty who had stopped when she had and now stood staring at her, his lip still trembled. "Nothing, Lieutenant. I'll take care of him in a moment."

Provenza looked skeptical, but raised his hands in surrender, nodded his head and sat down.

She was about to step into her office and close the door when she realized the Lieutenant's point. If Rusty had just run out on him, it was likely that Daniel would follow and could find his way into the Murder Room at any moment.

She gave Rusty a small reassuring smile. "I'm going to go talk to Daniel, Rusty. I'll be right back."

"Are you going to make him leave?" Rusty asked, sounding slightly hopeful.

Sharon glanced briefly at her detectives again. They were still watching her every move, and could obviously still hear the conversation.

"For now," Sharon answered honestly, even though she knew it wasn't the answer Rusty wanted.

"You're going to come back, right?"

"Of course, I'll only be a minute."

Rusty bit lip as leaned forward a little before immediately leaning back as though he was fighting against some instinct. She couldn't be sure what instinct that was, however. The instinct to run away? Or the instinct to find comfort in the arms of another?

"Promise?" he paused for a moment but continued before she could reply. "Promise you won't leave?"

The absolute, unmistakable, look of fear in his eyes caused Sharon to swallow a lump that suddenly appeared in her throat before replying, "I promise, Rusty. I'll be right back."

Rusty nodded in acceptance, but she could see his nervousness growing and wondered if his mother had made that same promise to him the day she left him at the zoo. She didn't give him or herself time to rethink her decision and softly closed her office door before walking towards the break room.

She'd only taken a few steps when Provenza stopped her.

"Captain," he said softly and cleared his throat, as though he didn't want everyone to know he was offering to do her a favor, willingly. "I can send Mr. Dunn away if you'd like to stay with the kid."

Sharon glanced behind her and saw Rusty watching her through the open blinds. She didn't take her eyes off of him as she replied. "It's all right, Lieutenant." While she appreciated his concern it was not the first time she'd gone through separation anxiety with a child. "The first part of showing him that I will come back is leaving."

Taking her eyes off Rusty, she saw Provenza nodded his head, his half smile showing her both a small amount of amusement and great sadness at the situation.

She returned his look with one of her own before leaving to find Mr. Dunn.

As she made arrangements with Daniel to take her and Rusty to dinner the following week, she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling growing inside her.

Please don't kill me for not making them hug (believe me I really, really, wanted to). I just firmly believe that the first hug that Sharon gave Rusty came in the episode Cheaters Never Prosper, so I couldn't make them hug here.

Let me know your thoughts! I LOVE hearing from you all!