Just a fluffy, silly one-shot that was the product of a conversation I had with MajorCFan, who was also my beta on this, so a huge thank you for that.

AN AFTERNOON IN UNIFORM

It was a delightful ceremony. Although only 8 officers were being honored, there were over 800 hundred attendees including other LAPD officers, both higher and lower ranking ones, the award receiving officers' family, friends and colleagues as well as some of the city's higher-ups and, of course, the inevitable people who stood behind the entire event as sponsors.

They had spent nearly an hour gladly listening to each officer's story and what he or she had done to deserve the LAPD's highest honor, but the Major Crimes division perked up when Detective Julio Sanchez's story was being told. They listened to it much more intently, even if some of them had actually been there to witness it firsthand. The tables occupied by Julio's friends and family offered the loudest applause once a medal was put around his neck and it earned them a proud, thankful nod and smile from their Detective as he almost completely forgot about putting on another smile for the customary photo with the Chief of Police who had put the medal on him in the first place.

After all the officers had been adorned with their respective medals, they stood lined up on the stage in front of the many round tables that filled the ballroom they were in. The host once more proudly presented the year's LAPD's recipients of the Medal of Valor. The ensuing applause was this time followed by whistles and shouts of congratulations and support. Soon after Julio's bunch of the audience offered the humble man in-person congratulations and pats on the back, when he joined them in the extravagant lunch that was set to end the huge celebration. They chatted and laughed, enjoying their meal, until late afternoon. When it was time to part ways, they found themselves walking across the parking lot to head to their respective homes.

"Oh, I am so proud of him," Sharon said happily as she took the passenger seat of Andy's car.

"We all are," Andy said, smiling. "I'm pretty sure Provenza even got a little choked up there earlier."

An amused laugh left her. "I didn't want to say anything but," she said, trailing off on a shrug that said she noticed it, too, before turning around to take a look at the back seat where Gus and Rusty had just sat down. "Still want us to drop you off at Gus's?" she asked Rusty, her eyes flickering to Gus. "You sure you don't want to head home and pick up your car?" she added.

Both of them nodded. "Yes," Rusty said. "I can survive a day without my car, mom," he added, giving her a slightly exasperated look.

In response she offered a bland one. "I wasn't insinuating that you couldn't." She looked back at Gus. "I just know it's out of your way to drive him home yourself when you're on your way to work in the morning," she told him.

Gus waved her off. "Don't worry," he gave Rusty a quick smile, "it only means we get to spend more time together," he said, making Rusty squirm a bit in his seat, flattered and uncomfortable at the same time.

"Alright then," Sharon said on a smile and a nod, turning forwards in her seat and buckling up just as Andy got the car moving.

"So, Andy," Gus said, making Andy glance at him in his rear view mirror, "you ever receive a Medal of Valor?" he asked.

"Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "Even if I ever did something to deserve it, I think I caused too much trouble over the course of my career," he shot Sharon a knowing look and she pursed her lips and shook her head at him, "for anyone to really bother checking whether I qualify for it or not."

That had Sharon frown at him and before Gus could respond, she interjected, "That's not how it works." She turned slightly to be able to look at both Andy and Gus, although her gaze lingered on Gus. "The Medal of Valor is awarded to officers who displayed courage," she waved her hand in a circular motion, "or heroism in a life-threatening situation." She turned her focus back to Andy. "Being considered for it usually depends on that one single act of bravery and has little to do with your track record before it," she added.

Andy just shrugged, giving Gus another look through the mirror. "Either way, no, I've never received it," he reiterated.

While Gus nodded, Rusty spoke up. "What about you, mom?" he asked. "Do you have that medal?"

Sharon waved him off, turning forward in her seat again. "Oh, I'm afraid Internal Affairs does not provide one with many opportunities to display that particular brand of bravery," she chuckled, "beyond, of course, the bravery to follow rules," she added sarcastically, quirking an amused eyebrow at Andy.

"Oh," Andy dragged the word out on a long, high note, lifting a couple of fingers to rub over his chin, "I don't know. I think shoving all those rules down our throats is pretty darn courageous if you ask me," he told her.

While they all laughed, Rusty added, "Laws, Andy, don't forget laws," earning himself a halfhearted glare from his mother.

"Maybe Rusty can walk to Gus's apartment?" she pointedly asked Andy.

Rusty promptly sobered, knowing only too well that Sharon liked living up to her threats, sending Andy and Gus into a lighthearted bout of more laughter and putting a smirk on his mother's face.

Once they dropped Gus and Rusty off and arrived home, Andy's first order of business was to loosen his tie, however Sharon put a hand over his and, shaking her head, said, "Uh-uh."

Curious, he looked down her arm before looking up to meet her eyes. "Really?" he asked, his tone of voice going higher in pitch.

She smiled coyly. "Really," she confirmed casually, letting go of his tie to find purchase on his forearm to get out of her heels.

"Huh," he let out, watching her.

When she straightened, she shrugged in response to his smirk and said, "I like you in your uniform."

"I know," he said smugly, toeing off his shoes.

She just rolled her eyes playfully at him and, dropping her purse on the way, headed for the couch.

Hot on her heels, he added, "You know, I can finally freely ogle you myself."

This wasn't the first time they saw each other in uniform. Nor was it the first time they did so since they started their relationship. However, it was the first time their uniforms were dusted off and actually worn for a happy occasion. And now, safe from any possible interruptions and since the uniform wasn't a painful reminder of some tragedy that usually brought it out of their closets, they could take the opportunity to actually enjoy this rare moment.

Sharon chuckled, patting a hand against the spot next to her on the couch. "Are you implying I'm ogling you?" she asked teasingly, the remnants of her chuckle tinting her voice.

"Not implying," he said, taking the offered seat. "I know you do," he confirmed confidently, throwing a smug grin her way.

He chuckled when she gave in on a shrug and a nonchalant tilt of her head.

Changing the topic she said, "We should really thank Julio for this." Andy gave her a puzzled look when her sentence was followed by a sigh as she let her head fall against the couch's backrest so she explained, "We haven't had a day off in two weeks." The final two words left her in a low, incredulous timbre.

"Yeah," he agreed on a heavy sigh, his head imitating hers. He actually felt rather tired all of the sudden as if he had only now realized just how true her words were.

They had three draining back-to-back cases in the last couple of weeks and had it not been for Julio finally receiving his well-deserved Medal of Valor at the LAPD's annual ceremony, they would not have been given this day off. Lacking an active case, they would be pushing paper at work instead. Of course, there was always the possibility of being called in if somebody decided to murder someone, but they've learned to push that threat far away to the back of their heads on rare days like these.

They fell into comfortable silence, enjoying the fact that they could finally just relax and think of nothing, least of all work. It was Sharon who burst their relaxing bubble, when she suddenly chuckled to herself.

Andy's head rolled over the backrest to look at her. "What?" he asked.

"We're getting old," she said, dragging that last word out and looking at him, a smile on her lips.

He laughed. "Speak for yourself," he told her seriously, nudging her shoulder. He smirked suddenly and gave her a smug look, a thought occurring to him. "You know," he eyed her top to the bottom, "if you want, I can think of ways to make you feel young again," he told her suggestively.

She snorted a laugh at him and said, "I take it, it involves our respective uniforms?"

He shrugged and lifted his head. "Only yours for now," he quipped.

"You're terrible," she said, laughing softly.

"Although," he turned more serious all of a sudden and shifted a bit, leaning a shoulder against the backrest to look at her properly, "speaking of uniforms." He tapped a finger against the ribbons displayed under her Captain's badge. "I've never really paid attention to these."

A bit puzzled, she looked down her chest. "Well, I hardly ever wear these," she said, "so…" she shrugged.

He grinned suddenly, tapping each decoration with his finger. "It seems to me, Captain, that I've got more of these than you do," he told her smugly.

She raised an eyebrow at him that all but screamed a sarcastic and unimpressed, "Really?" But then her eyes dropped to the set of commendations underneath his badge. She was actually familiar with all of them, having learned about most of them back in her days of dealing with him via FID. And he was right. There were five ribbons on her, whereas he was sporting seven of them.

"I am a little jealous of this one," she admitted, running the tip of her finger over a gold and white ribbon, two crossed keys etched in the middle of it, in between and underneath them the number 87 written.

He looked at what she was pointing out. "The one for the papal visit?" he asked. When she nodded, he shrugged. "It was kinda cool, I guess, to see the pope," he told her. "Playing his bodyguard, too," he added on a smile.

"I'm sure it was," she said, on a somewhat wistful smile.

"This one's impressive though," he said, his finger on a solid red and white ribbon displayed on the left side of her chest. "Medal of Heroism, right?" he asked.

"Yes," she confirmed, looking down, tapping the ribbon herself. "I'm not doing this job for medals or ribbons though," she told him, looking up.

Andy chuckled. "No, you do it for the promotions," he told her, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She smiled, taking no offense in the words, not that he aimed to offend her anyway. He already knew very well why she did this job. "Well, yes, I did want to move up the ranks." She did not hesitate in admitting that.

"As a woman at that," Andy added, a touch of admiration to the words.

"Exactly," she said, proudly.

His fingers found her two Captain's pins on the left side of her collar. "And you sure moved up," he told her, smiling as he flipped the collar up. "I mean," he spoke more seriously now, "you were the highest ranking female officer in the LAPD for quite some time, weren't you?"

"Yes," she confirmed on a nod. A soft, proud smile played at her lips as she added, "I'm glad there are even higher ranking ones out there now."

"Yeah," he said gruffly, moving on to just watch her silently, his fingers now absentmindedly running over her badge.

"What?" she asked on an amused laugh.

"Nothing," he said looking up at her with a soft expression. "I guess, I just kinda got reminded of how damn impressive you are," he told her, shrugging.

She gave him a soft, almost bashful smile, her eyes dropping to his hand as she put her own over it. "We work for Major Crimes, Andy," she told him, a bit of amusement to the words, "I think we're allowed to say we're both damn impressive," she raised an eyebrow at him over the final two words.

"Nah," he waved his free hand at her, "I'm only there because the Captain has a soft spot for me," he said jokingly.

On a hearty laugh she leaned in, "Don't let that get out, it might ruin my reputation," she told him conspiratorially, before leaning back again.

He joined her laughter. "Wouldn't dream of it, Captain."

"So," there was a touch of finality in the word as she obviously put an end to the topic, "you can think of ways to make me feel young again?" she asked, her tone of voice suggesting she would like to see him try.

A huge grin spread over his face. Clearly he was more than ready to accept that particular challenge, age not a worry in his mind either. He freed his hand out of her grasp and shifted again, getting closer to her. She turned a bit as well, patiently, and even a bit excitedly, waiting to see what he would do.

"First things first though," he said, seriously, putting two fingers on each side of her glasses to slip them off her nose.

With a raised eyebrow and an amused smile she watched him dispose of them on the coffee table. He shot her a crooked smile when he faced her again.

"That all?" she challenged, holding back a laugh.

Instead of proving her wrong, as expected with a kiss, his expression softened again and he said, "You really are impressive, you know that?"

Her eyebrows shot up, surprised by the renewed sentimental wave that washed over him. "As are you," she said on a bright smile, before tugging on his tie and drawing him in for a kiss at long last.

Their hands quickly found their way into each other's hair and as their kiss grew deeper, he slowly lowered her on her back, careful not to crush her with his weight above her. Once settled he pulled back, her fingers intertwined behind his neck not letting him go too far. A content smile was on his lips and his eyes crinkled at their corners as he watched her happily.

"I love you, Sharon," he told her, the wondrous tone of his voice making it seem as if he hadn't told her as much plenty of times already.

She lifted her head just long enough to peck him on the lips and said cheerfully, "I love you, too, Andy."

He sealed the words by picking up where they left off before his interruption.

His tie was just about to come off and his hands only just found the soft skin underneath her police shirt, when the phone in his pocket went off.

He groaned loudly as he broke their kiss and he reached for the phone by propping himself up sideways on a hand, muttering, "This better not be Provenza."

Sharon sighed and grimaced when he groaned again after seeing the caller ID.

"Please," he was genuinely pleading, "tell me it's not a case," Andy grumbled into his phone.

He rolled his eyes and sat up as he listened to his partner. "Where?" he said, as Sharon sat up as well.

After another pause, Andy asked, "Sharon, too?"

He rolled his eyes, giving Sharon an apologetic look, and after another pause, he muttered. "Yeah, yeah, we're on our way."

With that he disconnected the call and shot Sharon an annoyed look.

"Just our luck?" she offered lamely, knowing they had no other choice than to head into work.

He grunted and got to his feet, fixing his tie. "At least don't change out of the uniform yet?" he asked. He turned around to look at her. "I need some silver lining in all this," he muttered, although he shot her a lopsided smile, too.

She laughed and reached for her glasses before standing up as well. "I won't, if you won't," she quipped, ushering him toward the hallway by waving a hand at him.

"Deal," he said, grinning. "Do tuck yourself in though," he said, looking at her untucked shirt with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes at him, following him, but did as suggested.

…

Provenza, still clad in his own uniform, his white bucket hat on his head though, waved at Andy, when he parked his car at the crime scene, and started walking toward him. Sharon, who was probably going to be able to head into the office sooner than Andy, was following him in her own car and was parking somewhere behind him as well.

"What do we got?" Andy said by way of greeting once he was out of the car.

"Mother and daughter," Provenza said, hooking a thumb behind him at the house that was taped off, "found dead in," he paused and shook his head, deciding to change that sentence. "Well, you can see for yourself," he mumbled.

Andy sighed. "Yeah," he said, looking past Provenza and catching sight of Sharon approaching them. "Just wait for Sharon," he added, tilting his head in her direction.

Provenza looked behind himself and nodded before turning toward Andy again. "Hey, Flynn," he suddenly said, waving a hand at his collar, "no longer a Lieutenant?" he asked, amused.

Andy frowned and tried to catch a look of his collar. "What are you talking about?" he asked, reaching for it with a hand now since he couldn't exactly see it.

"Missing a pin on the left side," Provenza informed him, gesturing at him now.

Andy's eyebrows shot up in realization and he looked up just in time to see that Sharon had heard his partner, for her eyes went momentarily wide and even her step faltered.

Amused by her reaction, but deciding not to show it (yet), he rolled his eyes in response to his partner. "Crap," he grumbled, making a show of looking around for it, as if he didn't know that it was probably somewhere on the couch back at the condo.

"Well, let's hope the Captain doesn't notice," Provenza told him on an eye roll. "Boyfriend or not, I'm sure losing your pins or not having an impeccable uniform is against some kind of regulation," he said, waving a hand at him, oblivious to the fact that Sharon had by now reached them and, standing just behind him, had also heard every single word.

"Some kind of regulation?" she asked pointedly, giving Andy a quick guilty look Provenza couldn't see.

Andy was glad Provenza whirled around to look at her or else he'd have caught him laughing at her silently.

"No kind," Provenza muttered, waving her off. "Come on, Captain, let me show you what we've got," he added, already making his way to their victims' house.

"By all means, Lieutenant," she told Provenza's back, waiting a moment for Andy to catch up.

"Where's my insignia, Captain?" Andy asked quietly.

She slapped his forearm. "Oh, hush," she mumbled back.

Andy chuckled. "You know, Provenza'd never figure out how this," he indicated at his collar with a wave of his hand, "happened unless I told him."

"I know," she said, knowing he was right, but, she was clearly still a bit embarrassed by it, whether anyone knew the real story behind it or not.

"But if Rusty finds that pin in the couch before we do…" Andy trailed off, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.

She groaned quietly and picked up her pace. "Please, go to work, Andy," she told him.

"You mean, Lieutenant," he quipped, just to get a rise out of her, since really only Provenza still went by rank in her book.

She shot him a glare that was rendered harmless by the smile that played at her lips but within the next second she sobered and entered the house.

He, of course, followed.

Time to see what gruesome murder disrupted their day this time.

THE END

Happy to hear your thoughts on this! :)