Annotation

AN: My first Major Crimes fic! This takes place during the first season.

"Goodnight, Rusty." She murmured as she pulled the blanket up, tucking the sleeping boy into bed. She smiled as she picked up his textbook from its spot next to him, closing the book and sitting it on the nightstand. She gathered the pages of notes scattered around the bed and sat them on top of his book.

She made sure his alarm was on and set for the correct time as she padded toward the door. As she pulled the door closed, leaving it cracked just as little, she turned to look at him again. She smiled softly at the rise and fall of his chest, couldn't help the little flutter in her heart as she glanced around the room. His dirty clothes were on the floor (she'd talk to him about that in the morning), his books were lined neatly on the shelf, and his new chess set was set up on top of his dresser. Her guest room was becoming more and more his as the days went on.

She flicked the light off and turned away, walking quietly down the hall, shutting off that light in the process. She gathered her hair up in her hands as she walked through the living room, pulling a rubber band from her wrist to tie her hair back. She smiled at the chaos of her dining room table.

She had gotten home in the early evening, having closed their case in the morning; she spent the afternoon with her team as they finished up paperwork. Rusty had been stressed when she got home, his nose in his textbook and telling her about the big history test he had the next day. She had been happy about his dedication, his willingness to learn, but as they night went on and he didn't lift his head once, she decided that he needed a break.

"Rusty?" She said, coming up behind from where he was sitting on the couch.

He made a noise; she assumed was directed toward her, without looking up from his book. Sharon rolled her eyes a little, smiling as she reached over him, taking the book.

"Hey!" Rusty protested, looking up for the first time in hours. "I need that to study!"

"You," She tucked the book under her arm. "need to take a break."

"You're telling me to stop studying? Are you sick?"

"Studies show that taking frequent breaks while studying help you remember the information more than if you studying without stopping." She told him.

He studied her for a moment. "You're making that up."

"I am not." She smiled a little. "Besides, you've been studying all day, I'm sure you can afford a pizza break."

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Well, if there's gonna be pizza…"

She laughed a little, walking into the kitchen and leaving the textbook on the counter as she opened the cabinet, pulling down two plates. She grabbed two glasses next, getting them both drinks.

As she was setting the table, she noticed him going through is bookbag. She saw a worn cardboard box, could vaguely make out the word 'Chess' along the side. "Didn't I just get you a chess set?" She asked him.

"Oh, yeah," He said. "But that one is really nice so I borrowed one from school to practice with."

She nodded. "I see."

"Want to play?" He asked her, looking up from his bookbag.

Sharon thought about it and was surprised when she realized that in the time he had lived with her, they hadn't played together before. Of course, she was very busy and he was too, with school and everything else. However, she couldn't help but feel bad, wishing she'd shown one of his passions a little more interest.

His eyes looked hopeful with his question; hopeful and unsure, like she was going to turn him away, wouldn't want to spend time with him.

"Sure," She sat the plates and glasses on the table, sitting down in the seat across from him. "but I have to warn you, I'm not very good."

He smiled as she set up the board, placing the pieces delicately in their designated spaces. "I'll teach you." Rusty said, his excitement unable to be contained.

They played a game while they waited for the pizza, which mostly consisted of his walking her through the game, refreshing her on a game she hadn't played in close to her forty years when she'd played with her grandfather. After their pizza arrived, they played some more, each time he beat her more quickly than the last.

He smiled and he laughed, made her laugh in a way she really hadn't since Ricky left for college. Rusty loved the game, it had been so evident in his eyes. He was boy that had been forced to grow up way too fast. During their games, she saw a part of him that she hadn't before. She saw the little boy, the awkward pre-teen that he would have gotten a chance to be if his life had gone differently. She saw the child in him that wasn't buried beneath the weight of his mother, of his time on the streets- she saw an unguarded happiness in him that made her heart swell.

That was her goal. She was going to focus their time together on making that side of him come out; she was going to make sure he had the opportunity to be the happy, brilliant kid that he deserved to be.

If that meant losing to him at chess every night for a thousand nights in a row, she would do everything in her power to make sure that happened.

annotation: (a phrase commonly used in chess) to not only show the moves of a game, but provide additional text and moves showing more detail of what happened – or could have happened.

Kept it short for my first fic. Let me know what you think!