There wasn't a lot of time to change, but she always liked to make an effort.

The first dress was too flashy, the second too conservative. The third one distracted her with thoughts of a now insignificant other. The fourth, however, sat somewhere between appropriate and running out of time to find another. It was a wedding after all, and it wasn't hers, so formal but understated was necessary.

So what she chose was a sleeveless pale pink dress that sat just above the knees. The colour gave her a certain softness that she felt would bestow a sense of calmness and ease, and she completed the look with a fitted white jacket. While she gently curled the layers of hair that framed her face she heard someone knocking on the front door.

She turned off the curling wand and called out to her visitor to let him know she was on her way. Sharon checked her face from each angle in the mirror, and on her last turn she decided to apply one final coat of lipstick before she heard the door knocking again.

By the time the next knock came about she had begun to open the door.

"Andy," she spoke.

He was sure he was going to say something. He knew before the door opened that he was caught between frustrated and anxious, half-wondering if his captain had changed her mind about attending the wedding with him. But now he just looked at her, this other her that he knew was still his captain but different some how.

"Ah, Captain — ah, I mean Sharon. Sorry, I..." Andy checked his watch. "Oh, sorry to rush you, but we are going to be late if we don't leave now. Are you ok to go?" One part hoping she was ready, another part still at a loss as to why she was coming at all.

"Sure, just let me get my bag."

Sharon turned and picked up her small purse from the lounge and turned back to Andy. She noticed he kept moving his neck about, adjusting his collar as if his shirt wasn't sitting right.

Throughout the course of the last two days she steadily realised he was becoming agitated and despondent. She only had small glimpses into his private life. But, she was starting to understand that his dedication to his job was part a of a need he had to make amends in his personal life.

Sharon looked him over, and came over to his side. She tapped his arm to get him to focus his attention away from his shirt collar. When he did look at her, she held onto his arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm ready if you are," she said.

As she smiled at him, and gently held his arm, he felt his neck loosen and his chest expand. He took a deep breath, and turned them both towards the door.

"After you," he offered.

.

.

They had been stuck at the lights for the last five minutes. Andy had been resting his elbow on the window, tapping the roof, waiting for something - anything to get things moving.

Sharon sighed quietly and pulled out her phone. She scanned through traffic reports, all of them abysmal. Even if they got past this set of lights, the next set was banked up with a traffic accident. She considered telling Andy about the accident, but the only way around the incident would be to pull across to the left lane and push in front of everyone else. She shook her head at the report she was reading. Traffic hadn't even made it to the scene, and the nearest available vehicle wasn't going to be there for another twenty minutes.

"Oh joy the lights are green, but we'll be lucky if we can even crawl past the intersection before they change again." Andy said, throwing his hands in the air.

Sharon looked in Andy's glove compartment. She had an idea.

"Andy, text your daughter. Tell her you will be walking her down the aisle, but you may be another five minutes."

"Another five minutes? More like another thirty," Andy replied, completely confused by her assessment of the situation.

"I have another proposal," Sharon pulled the siren from the glove compartment.

Andy looked at the siren, then at Sharon as if she had gone completely mad, "Ah…" he began. "Are we on our way to a crime scene?" he asked.

"We will be if you miss this wedding. There is a traffic accident two blocks from here, and not far from the church. Traffic isn't on the scene yet, but I can be. Put your siren on and pull into the left lane. We're making a turn here, and we are getting out of this mess now."

Andy started opening his mouth to say something. But he shook his head and laughed to himself. "Okay Captain. I got say Captain, you are full of surprises."

.

.

"Oh god, maybe I should join you at the scene of the accident."

Andy pulled the car into the driveway of the church. He noticed the familiar figure of a woman with her arms tightly crossed in front of her chest, and behind her stood his daughter, looking as beautiful as he imagined. Sharon looked from Andy to the woman in front of them before quickly turning the siren off.

"Well at least they know you're here now," she offered, smiling and nodding her head as the bride cautiously waved to her.

"Yeah, them and the whole church I imagine." Andy replied, unbuckling his seat belt.

He had only just managed to push the seat belt away from him when the short brunette on the other side began tapping on his window.

"Andrew Daniel Flynn—"

"Oh god my whole name," he grumbled under his breath.

"Take a breath Andy, remember your blood pressure," Sharon added.

Andy turned to Sharon, who seemed to offer both sympathy and an apology. He wasn't sure what she had to be sorry about, if it wasn't for her idea he'd still be stuck swearing at the traffic.

Andy's ex-wife tapped on his window again. As Andy turned around he watched her move her hands to her hips, waiting reluctantly for what excuse he would give this time.

Looking at Karen he remembered the stubborn gaze of those brown eyes staring back at him as if they had travelled back twenty years. The old excuses started to run through his head. All the ones he had used before, and some he had remembered keeping just in case. They were never outright lies, more like exaggerations to cover misdeeds, or broken promises he glazed over with altruistic intentions.

She had stepped back from his door, and began to purse her lips. She seemed ready to retort before he had even spoke. There was nothing she hadn't heard before. He always had a habit of forgetting how well she remembered everything.

"Hi, I'm Sharon, Sharon Raydor."

Sharon had gotten out of the car and come around to Andy's side in the time that his ex-wife was glaring at him. She offered her hand to Karen, who had flinched at her introduction, and looked over at Andy before accepting Sharon's hand.

"Hi, Sharon you say?"

Andy hummed louder then he had intended, and both women looked over at him as he scratched his head.

"Sharon, hmm, why is your name familiar to me?"

Andy had gotten out of the car. He looked over to Sharon to ascertain if she was going to add something, before shrugging and moving beside her.

"Karen, she was - is, I guess, married to Jack Raydor."

Karen's eyebrows rose and she looked like she was going to say something when Sharon stepped in.

"Excuse me, Karen is it? My apologies for the siren earlier, and delaying Andy, but I actually need to take Andy's car for a moment over to the car accident just down the road. I won't be long, but I need to check it out."

Karen's eyebrows furrowed, and she looked over at her daughter while they both processed the woman standing before them. Why was Andy bringing the wife of an old drinking buddy to his daughter's wedding, she wondered. A woman who appeared to be working with him. A woman who was quite different from the usual women she had seen him with.

"Sharon don't bother," Andy began. He had picked up his phone and noticed an alert had come through regarding the traffic accident. "It looks like someone was able to get to the scene before you."

"What's the hold up?"

They all turned to the middle-aged man with short grey hair as he walked over to Karen's side. "There are a few worried faces in there. Is this wedding happening or not?"

Andy slammed the car door, which made everyone turn back to him. "Hold up Ryan. We're just making some introductions that's all." Andy replied.

Sharon smiled and reached out for Andy. He was too focused on glaring at Ryan to notice her action, but he hid his surprise well when she squeezed his hand.

"Hmm," Karen uttered. She turned her head towards her daughter before looking back at Andy and Sharon. She looked at their hands for a moment before walking over to the both of them.

"I guess you'll need to sit with us," Karen said to Sharon as she turned her head and smiled at the other woman.

"I don't want to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble. Andy, you should probably say hello to your daughter before you walk her down the aisle."

Sharon turned back to Andy to see his expression turn upwards, as if his whole body has become lighter. "Really?" He asked, looking over at his daughter.

Nicole was hesitant, but her eyes never left her father's as she moved past her mother and stepfather and reached out her hand. "I'd like it if you could share today with me Dad." Nicole looked behind her, and reached out her other hand to her stepfather. "I'd like it, if both of you could share this day with me. Could you do that? Both of you?" She asked, looking at both of them.

Sharon watched the faces of the two men, equally touched by Nicole's honest, quiet request. They nodded their agreement, and each took Nicole by the arm as they walked towards the church. Sharon thought of her own daughter, and her heart pulled at her as she wondered if Jack would ever be so eager to walk her down the aisle.

Karen studied the distant look in Sharon's eyes. She followed her line of sight to her own daughter and her two fathers. She wasn't sure what made Sharon Raydor look at her daughter that way, but part of her felt like she was invading a personal moment. The only way she could halt that feeling was by making her presence known.

"Sharon, come with me. Let's get you seated before Dean's family start to wonder if they can get a refund on the reception booking."

Sharon looked over at Andy, his daughter, and her stepfather once more. Happy that the situation between all three seemed peaceful, she stepped back towards Karen.

"Lead the way".

.

.

.

tbc.

A/N: Invite to Self is a play on the term "Note to Self". No real reason for the title beyond that, and the fact that I've always been amused by Sharon inviting herself to the wedding.

In case you're curious, there are three more chapters in this story :)