December, 1989

"Raydor, you alright?"

"I'm fine," she grits out, her breath rising as steam in the cold winter air.

Flynn kneels beside her, a hand on her shoulder and another between her shoulder blades, supporting her upper body. "Did it hit the vest?" he asks urgently, his eyes searching her chest for a puncture or bleeding. Finding none, he watches her breathing slow, the uneven pants slowing beneath his palm.

"Yes," she breathes, "now go! You should be pursuing the sus-"

"Shut up, you infuriating woman," interrupts Flynn fondly, "you took a bullet for me, I'm not goin' anywhere. 'Sides, there's four black-and-whites in pursuit now, so you're stuck with me."

"That's fine," she exhales, closing her eyes slightly against the throbbing pain pulsating below her rib. At least the vest caught it.

Nobody can say that Detective Raydor doesn't protect her own.

December, 2010

Flynn's phone call comes in at an ungodly hour, her phone's ringtone breaking the silence with a shrieking, shrill pitch. Groaning, Sharon lifts her head from the couch cushion it had been resting on, rubbing the bridge of her nose where her glasses had pressed a ridge into it. Glancing at the caller ID, Sharon forcibly suppresses a sigh as she answers.

"Captain Raydor, FID."

"Captain Raydor," she hears, "it's Lieutenant Flynn, yeah, and this is your lucky day."

Ah, shit. She'd know that tone anywhere. Hell, he'd been her partner for long enough – but that was eons ago.

Telling him to give her a few minutes, Sharon bolts up from the couch, taking just enough time to make herself look presentable. Rushing out of her condo, she heads off with Andy at the scene, shocked (but hiding it well) by the state of him. After practically forcing Andy into an ambulance, Sharon calls his team, knowing that they would want to know and (she thinks with a sigh) interfere. Though this time, she's more than willing to be accommodating to their usual disposition (for more reasons than one).

Let it be known that Captain Raydor protects her own, even if it means investigating them, sometimes.

September, 2011

"I don't trust Goldman, and when it comes to this lawsuit, I don't trust you either." Sharon enunciates her words perfectly, tasting the satisfaction in letting her boss know, in no uncertain terms, exactly what she thinks of his behaviour. Of course he's willing to sign the damned deal – he's no longer implicated in the suit! And for him, it's all about number one. Smirking at him with far less than her usual smugness, Sharon turns the handle of the door, taking her leave wearily. This is one of few times she's actually grateful of her position in Professional Standards.

Sharon drops the façade the moment she leaves Pope's office, sighing tiredly as she realises that she's probably turned Chief Johnson against her, again. Weary from dealing with Pope, she grits her teeth as the thought strikes her that attempting to stop Pope from sabotaging her friend's career is almost as difficult as dealing with that sleazebag Goldman. Flipping her hair away from her face, Sharon follows Brenda's footsteps down the corridor. Roused from her thoughts, Captain Raydor runs into Gavin and realises that he's about to storm the murder room to chew her out about this damned deal. Irritated, she stalls him, allowing Brenda to finish an interview and instruct her team on their next course of action.

"Sharon," drawls Gavin in greeting, "Tell me you've talked some sense into Brenda."

Of course he knows; Pope would have told him even if Brenda had, just to make sure that he's aware that his client wants out.

"Afraid not, Gav. But she can't formally submit anything without my say-so."

"And thank God for that, or she'd run herself into the ground and take all of us with her," smirks Gavin smugly.

Although Sharon loves her friend, she's not up for trading insults about Brenda with Gavin.

Brenda needs someone fighting in her corner. Sharon is willing to be that someone.

September 2011

Sharon finishes watching the recording of the interview, hiding the fear she feels for Chief Johnson despite knowing that she's alright. Except that she isn't – not really – and it was a close call. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she glances back at the frozen still – a young man in an interview room, gun pointed at the door as he awaits Brenda's return. If Buzz hadn't stopped her…Sharon represses a shudder at the thought. Sighing, she lifts her eyes to see Chief Johnson standing at the threshold of the electronics room and motions for the officers beside her to take their leave, her voice breaking. Brenda's eyes are still glistening, her expression almost expectant of punishment, and that hideous brown cardigan she wears as a safety blanket is wrapped snugly about her petite frame.

"Are you okay?" Sharon's voice shakes, hoarse with the thought that she could have lost her…friend? Superior? The woman who, though still infuriating, had managed to gain her respect and loyalty?

Emotion flashes across Sharon's chest and she works to suppress it, listening to Brenda and Buzz's responses. Though hardly comic, she can just barely suppress a smirk when Buzz lies to her – undoubtedly on Brenda's orders – but is willing to look the other way if it can help her friend.

After requesting that Buzz leaves, Sharon turns to Brenda and shuts the door. Searching her features, Sharon notes the wetness in Brenda's eyes as she attempts to explain herself – hears the tremor in her voice. She really shouldn't be working. Not now. Repressing a sigh, Sharon knows it would be futile to argue with Brenda – she'd insist on staying at work, even if she were dying. Resolute, Sharon promises herself that she would do everything in her power to make sure that Brenda is protected physically and legally from any repercussions that may arise from this situation.

Those who know Captain Raydor know that she's willing to protect anyone who has managed to gain her loyalty.

October, 2012

"What happened?" there is venom in her voice – not directed at Rusty, but at the asshole who did this to her boy. Yes, her boy. She flinches slightly at the sight of the wounds, thrown into sharp relief by the light. As Rusty begins his explanation, Sharon bustles over to the freezer, hiding her face momentarily to allow the briefest flash of rage to overtake her features. That bastard! Controlling her movements carefully, Sharon shuts the freezer's door, returning to Rusty's side with an ice-pack. She presses it gently against his face, feeling him shrink away from her as her rage grows in the pit of her stomach. As if he hadn't already been through enough! Damn right she'd be upset – just not with Rusty. As his explanation ends, Sharon feels sadness wash over her, replacing her rage with grief for her poor boy.

The solution comes to her as she's fixing Rusty up, accompanied by that cold, calculating feeling that is usually followed by a stroke of sheer genius. Like implicating Mr. Dunn and freeing Rusty from that particular familial bond. If only she could rectify the rest of his past, too. If only she could've protected him when his mother didn't.

Both of Sharon's children will attest to it; nobody messes with their mother's babies unless they want to feel the full extent of Raydor's wrath.

August, 2015

"Sharon – ohmygod – Sharon, are you okay?!" Rusty's voice is frantic in her ear, his warm breath making Sharon feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'm fine," she shudders, each breath causing a flurry of pain in her ribs.

"No, Sharon – you..you've been shot Sharon – you're bleeding, I-"

"Enough," grits out Sharon, her voice harsh as she attempts to keep it stable. "I am going to be just fine. Lieutenant Flynn has called an ambulance, you are safe and our suspect has been apprehended. Now, I need you to put pressure on my rib, okay? Just press down hard with both hands – don't worry about hurting me – and keep your hands there until the ambulance gets here. Can you do that, Rusty?" her voice shakes slightly, but she keeps her tone firm and reassuring as she talks to him.

"Of course, Sharon," he replies, voice trembling as he presses his shaking hands to her side, blood soaking through his fingers.

It seems like hours before Flynn's voice wafts above Sharon, his tone calm and reassuring. Opening her eyes to slivers, she can see his arm in a makeshift sling. A bullet had grazed his forearm as he reached to push Rusty down during the confrontation. In the same moment, Sharon had leapt in front of Rusty, her gun trained perfectly on the suspect's shoulder. They'd both gotten a shot in – the suspect had been floored. Unfortunately, the same could be said of Sharon.

"Kid, she's gonna be fine. The ambulance is here – you did good."

Breathing shallow breaths (any deeper would cause too much pain) Sharon is reminded of an incident several years before, only this time she had to concede that she couldn't protect him the way she had last time. At least she'd protected Rusty.

Nobody could ever say that Sharon Raydor does not protect her own.

Hi! This is my first time writing MC/ The Closer fanfic, but I've always loved the protective side of Sharon :) I hope you enjoyed this, and if you did, please leave a review! I wasn't entirely sure where to post this, since it borrows events from the Closer and Major Crimes' canon. Either way, I hope it was enjoyable :)