Here is my first real, long attempt at Sharon/Andrea because we all need more of them. I started this around the time Jack left, but have since finished season two. Let's pretend everything basically happens as it did on the show, and this just fills in the time around the actual show. I hope everyone enjoys this. Please read and review so I know you do. :)

Chapter 1

Andrea Hobbs entered her entirely too large Los Angeles bungalow, stepping out of her heels and dropping her bag of case files at the door. Her jacket was discarded next and her keys tossed haphazardly on to the foyer table. She looked in to the mirror above the table and was met with a weary, worn expression. Her eyes were drooping from hours of sitting at her computer working on her most recent, high profile case.

Making her way in to the dark kitchen she flipped on the light atop the stove, and pulled out a bottle of Bourbon and a shot glass. She was probably reverting to this nightly ritual entirely too often, but it just seemed fitting after the day she'd had.

After downing a shot, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at the missed call and the message that had been left after she'd pointedly avoided the call from her.

She moved to her message inbox and poised her finger over the play button, but quickly paused.

She'd need another shot to deal with this. This mess those hours of work had gotten her into in the first place.

Feeling a bit tipsy she closed her eyes and hit play. The all too familiar voice filled the line immediately.

"Andrea, I really wish you'd pick up the phone. The kids are supposed to be at your house this weekend and I just want to make sure that you can keep them. If you can't pick Braxton up at daycare then I'm going to have Dave do it and we can just try and figure out another weekend that will work better for your schedule. If that's possible." There was a pause on the other end of the phone before she went on, "Let me know, okay?"

Andrea held back her tears. Did she have to mention him in the message? Couldn't she have left him out of this? Of course he would be able to pick up Braxton from daycare. He was some kind of freelance artist so he had all the time in the world to spend taking care of her children.

She couldn't pick Braxton up. She knew she couldn't. And that meant, automatically, that she would try to keep them from her. Again.

Another shot of Bourbon and Andrea hit respond on her phone. The phone seemed to ring for longer than necessary for a woman who kept her phone glued to her ear. Finally the other woman picked up.

"It's late." She practically hissed into the phone.

Andrea hadn't looked at the clock. Of course it was late. She worked late often. "Lindsey, I want to see the children this weekend."

"Can you get Braxton? And Kenzie has dance practice until eight. You'd have to be able to pick her up too. I just don't think this is a good weekend." Lindsey immediately became distracted by the deep male voice who was obviously addressing her on the other end of the line. Andrea could hear him talking to her, asking who was calling.

She felt annoyance well up inside and the need to cry quickly passed. "Lindsey, I have a legal right to see my children every weekend. Just because I have to forfeit that right when I have a heavy case load doesn't mean you get to take away my rights as a parent."

"Andy," Andrea cringed at her nickname, "you have to be able to take care of them and I just don't think you can be free to get them. And you know how unreliable that nanny of yours can be. And who knows when you'll get off work."

"Lindsey, I will make time. Just please let me have them this weekend. It's almost been a month."

Lindsey sighed on the other end of the line. It sounded as if she had a short conversation with Dave before she came back on the line, "okay, but you have to prioritize them this time."

Andrea didn't like being chastised by her ex-wife. She didn't like being made to feel like a child. She was a grown adult with a grown adult career but also a grown adult capacity for taking care of children.

She hated that her ex-wife had left her for a fucking man.

"I will. Goodnight Lindsey. Say 'hi' to Dave for me." And with that she hung up the phone and tossed back another shot.

…

"Rusty, did you get that report done?" Sharon peered in to his bedroom and found him seated on the bed looking distractedly out the window. Sharon frowned, "hey, are you okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine." Rusty ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair and turned to look at his foster mother. "Where do you think Jack went?"

Sharon folded her arms over her chest and leant up against the doorframe. She hated that she always ended up with this job; explaining why 'dad' couldn't stick around this time, explaining why 'dad' had to run off to Vegas for the weekend – or rather next year(s). It hurt more that he'd left this time because Rusty had already dealt with too much loss and neglect.

Sharon sighed, "Rusty, Jack has never been good at sticking around. He's a good time guy, he likes to get his way, make himself look good, but when the going gets tough he bows out. I know you liked him, and I'm sorry that he just left the way he did, but you know you still have me."

Rusty nodded, his eyes having moved downward while Sharon spoke. "I'm sorry I got attached to him." He kicked his bare foot against the rug in his room.

"No, no Rusty. Don't say that." Sharon pushed herself off the doorframe with her hip and moved to sit beside her foster son on the bed. "I'm glad you got to meet him and get to know him. And, honestly, it was nice to see him interacting like a father should. I just didn't want you to get attached because I knew this would happen."

Rusty nodded, "Well he's gone now."

"Yes, he is. But I imagine you'll see him again at some point. Okay?" Sharon ran her hand through Rusty's hair and noticed that his unease had not abetted by her calming, reassuring words. "Is there something else you'd like to discuss?"

Rusty thought about the question for a moment before shaking his head. "No, I just…Jack kept saying things like 'be who you are' and 'we both know who you are' and I'm…I'm not like that. Okay, Sharon?" Rusty turned his pleading, worried eyes to face Sharon.

"Whoa, Rusty. Hang on. What are you talking about?" Sharon placed some space between herself and the frightened boy.

"I think…I think Jack thought I was…was one of those…that I didn't like…but…just because I did it in the past it doesn't…it doesn't mean…does it?" Rusty suddenly looked thoroughly confused.

Sharon folded her hands in front of herself, looking momentarily very uncomfortable. She squinted her eyes in thought, and then turned back to face Rusty. "Is that what you think?"

"What I…I…I don't know." Rusty rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

"You do know that liking boys…men is absolutely normal. I would never think any less of you if you were gay. I've known plenty of gay people in my life. In fact, my brother is gay. He lives in San Francisco with his partner there." Sharon thoughtfully spoke and at the end of her sentence, she caught Rusty peering up at her.

"Really Sharon?" Rusty's face took on a hopeful gleam.

"Yes, really. It's all very…normal." Sharon nodded definitely.

"What about your…religion?" Rusty knew that he was attending the Catholic school with which Sharon's own children had also been affiliated and she constantly brought up the fact that religion was what kept her married to Jack. Didn't that religion also bash homosexuals?

"My religion is very personal to me. I try to do what I think is right and what I believe God would perceive as right. I love everyone for who they are; I respect people for being who they are. I think God would do the same. The times now are very different from what they were back in Biblical times. Homosexuality still existed but the world needed more people, the religion needed more followers and heterosexuality provided children who could also follow their parent's example and beliefs." Sharon knowledgeably rattled off, causing Rusty to look at her with a surprised, albeit excited half-smile. Sharon smiled back at him and sighed, "Rusty you know I'd still love you if you were gay. Do you think that you are?"

Rusty sat back on the bed, his mind processing the information that had just been presented to him. His lacking feelings for Chris and his immediate draw to men – like Buzz – made his head spin for a moment. Certainly he'd fallen in to a life of having paid sexual relationships with men, but that had not brought him joy or happiness or excitement. He had never felt strange having to touch a man or be with one and sometimes the men had been nice to him. He'd liked when his clientele had talked to him before dropping their pants. Perhaps he was gay after all. "I think I could be." He finally nodded.

Sharon's worried expression turned to a half smile. "You don't have to know for sure tonight, but know that I'm here if you ever need to talk about it. Or even Buzz or Provenza or any of the team. They would still respect you."

Rusty nodded and smiled. "Thanks Sharon."

Sharon pulled him in to a slightly awkward embrace and then stood up, smoothing out her skirt. "I think it's time to go to bed."

Rusty moved to get under the blankets. "Good night, Sharon."

"Good night," she smiled again before leaving his bedroom, closing the door behind herself. On the other side of the door she paused. Running a hand through her hair she felt her smile suddenly fade. If only that conversation had been that easy years ago.

But she'd made her decisions and built her life. And so as quickly as she paused, Sharon moved to her own bedroom to put herself to bed.

…

Andrea was reveling in her mid-morning cup of coffee and cigarette perched atop a bench outside police headquarters. She was being handed a new murder case on top of several smaller cases she'd already been working. This was just the icing on the cake that her week needed, but she'd handle it like she handled everything. After her quick break she'd have to dart back inside to interview the suspect and a witness. She'd need more evidence against this guy to really know if they had a case or not. So much for her morning of catching up on the backlog of files she had waiting to be reviewed.

Her eyes happened to catch a passing brunette, busy on her phone as she headed to the building's entrance. The Captain looked as stunning as ever in a tight, black pencil skirt and silky blouse which peeked out of a perfectly tailored jacket. Her heels made her legs appear to go on forever and that hair…it bounced perfectly as she stepped, her green eyes hidden from view behind movie star-esque sunglasses. Andrea's stomach knotted at the sight of her sometimes colleague. What she wouldn't give for that woman to be gay.

But she wasn't and theirs was a business relationship, plain and simple.

Exhaling a cloud of smoke, Andrea watched the woman walk with purpose, juggling her purse and a cup of coffee as she excitedly spoke to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

The brunette's head turned and Andrea quickly became aware of those hidden green eyes staring directly at her. Her stomach knotted further when the Captain changed course and began walking towards her, ending her phone conversation as she moved.

Andrea outwardly remained calm, her elbows coming to rest on her trouser clad knees, her cup of coffee posed between both her hands, the cigarette dangling from her right hand.

Sharon pulled the phone from her ear just as she came to a stop in front of the D.D.A.. "You know smoking isn't good for you." A slight smirk at the corner of her lips alerted Andrea to the fact that she wasn't being chastised.

"Bad habit," she brought the cigarette to her lips and inhaled in a feigned show of defiance.

Sharon glanced to either side before reaching out her hand for the cigarette. Andrea looked confused for a moment, but quickly realized what Sharon was asking for.

"I have another one," Andrea smirked.

"No, I just need a little indulgence and then I'll be fine." Sharon's fingers brushed Andrea's as she took the cigarette and elegantly pulled in smoke. Exhaling she sighed, a genuine smile forming on her lips. "God, it's been too long. Since Rusty came I haven't felt it would set a good example."

"Understandable," Andrea took the cigarette back and took a final puff, trying not to think about the fact that the Captain's lips had just touched the cigarette. "I don't smoke often, just when I'm stressed and need to focus." She explained as she butted the cigarette and stood. "Mind if I walk you inside, Captain?" She winsomely offered.

"Certainly, Counselor." Sharon smiled and waited for Andrea to collect her things before walking next to her towards the building again. "What are you doing at headquarters today?"

"I got placed on a murder case. I have an interview." She glanced at her watch.

"Sounds like you have a busy few days ahead of you." Sharon responded.

"Unfortunately." Andrea nodded. "What is Major Crimes working on?"

"A string of murders, actually. It's proving very hard to actually prove anything's connected which is very frustrating."

"Well if anyone can figure it out, you will." Andrea held the door open for Sharon as they entered in to the lobby.

"Thank you," Sharon smiled at her and pulled off her sunglasses as she walked inside. Andrea's stomach flipped. God damn straight women. "I am not too pleased with Rios."

"I am aware of the situation. I don't know why they felt putting her on the case would make any sort of sense. I can only imagine they thought her fresh law degree whims and good looks could win over the jurors."

Sharon snickered, "I think his lawyer will crush her in court. She can't even look at a Goddamn dead body."

Andrea rolled her eyes.

"And I don't like the way she talks to Rusty. Did you hear she called him a 'whorephan'?" Sharon turned to address Andrea as they stepped on the elevator.

"Good God," Andrea sighed. "I really am very sorry, Sharon."

Sharon shrugged, "I hope you will return to us soon. Even Provenza was asking for you the other day."

"Really?" Andrea laughed. "Well I haven't been permanently removed from your office. I'm sure I'll be back soon, probably too soon."

Sharon smiled, "well I will see you soon, Counselor. I hope you wrap up your case so you can enjoy some semblance of a weekend."

"God, I hope so. Goodbye, Captain." Andrea waved as the brunette stepped out of the elevator. The smile that had found its way to her lips seemed to fade a little at the realization that she had no reason to run in to Captain Raydor for a very long time. But what did it matter? Andrea knew from years of experience that running after a straight woman got her nowhere. It got her an ex who'd run back to men the first chance she got.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment and rolling her neck, Andrea attempted to remove all thoughts of women from her mind and instead focused on the man she was about to interview. She hoped this was a straight forward, clear-cut case.