A/N: This fic takes place somewhere in season 2, around the middle. Shandy are still just friends at that point.

Shopping always calmed Sharon Raydor down. Something about going down the aisles of products and seeing the wide selection of goods she could buy made her heart flutter happily. Of course, she still remembered the time when she used to look for the cheapest options because Jack went and spent most of their money in the nearest bar. And after he was gone, and she was the only one who brought a salary home, the struggle became even harder. She would buy only enough to feed, dress, and wash her children. Luckily, that time was long gone, and she was now able to afford almost anything she wanted. Today, however, she was short on time and wanted to get her grocery shopping done as soon as possible. Normally, she prepared for occasions like this in advance, but a tough case took away all her time this week and kept her away from the things she needed to do at home. Quickly, she added all the products that she needed into her cart and walked towards the cashier. Her phone rang, and she picked it up as soon as she saw Andy's name on the screen.

"Hi," she said warmly. She and Andy were on friendly terms ever since she accompanied him to his daughter's wedding and later to the ballet with his family. They often went out for dinners and other events together, and she enjoyed his company.

"So, I got the balloons and some other decorations, do you need me to get a cake?" he offered.

"No, Buzz said he'll bring a cake, and I'm just finishing my grocery shopping. I'll head home and start arranging everything," she explained.

"Okay, I'll come early and help you out," Andy promised. Sharon thanked him and hung up. She paid for her groceries and left the store, humming a happy tune on her way to the parking lot.

Sharon unlocked the door to the condo and walked in, carrying the bag of groceries in one arm and her purse and keys in the other. She put her personal belongings down at the hall table and walked to the kitchen to unpack the groceries. A giddy feeling has spread through her body. Everyone who knew her could tell that she had a deep sense of occasion, and even though her foster son did not have many friends at school, she did not intend to forgo his birthday celebration. She invited the squad, the people who have been constant in his life for two years now, who loved him despite his shortcomings and whom she knew he loved back, although he was yet to tell it to them. She knew that even though he was not so much into celebrating, and that most of his birthdays were miserable and forgotten in the past, but he was turning 18 tomorrow and she wanted him to feel loved and adored. She began arranging the snacks and soft beverages that she bought on the dining room table and then started moving some furniture around to accommodate the guests who will be joining them soon. When everything was ready, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed her foster son's number. She was surprised to hear his ringtone coming from his bedroom and hung up as she walked down the hall and knocked on the door.

"Rusty?" she asked. She heard movement in the room, and he opened the door. "I thought you were out." He shrugged nonchalantly, but the silent storm in her eyes told him that he was anything but nonchalant. "What's going on?" she walked into the room and noticed a half-full open suitcase.

"I'm just packing, you know," he said as if it was nothing.

"Why?" she was still unsure what was going on with the boy.

"I'm turning eighteen tomorrow," he responded as he took a jacket out of his closet and began to neatly fold it, just as Sharon had taught him to do.

"So?" Sharon wondered, trying to decipher where Rusty was going.

"So that means that I'm out of the system," his words hit Sharon in the stomach. After two years, did he really see their relationship as a system? Did she really mean that little to him? It was hard for her to believe that he meant it, but it still hurt. She knew it was just his way of pushing people away and avoiding attachment, although she thought they were past that.

"That's true. You're no longer the ward of the State, or under my care," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean you have to leave."

"But that's the way it works, isn't it?" he looked at her with his sad blue eyes and Sharon could swear that he looked so much younger than eighteen, almost like a little child.

"It doesn't have to," she said. "Technically, you're an adult, and if you want to leave, there's nothing I can do to prevent you from doing it, but…" she paused and took a deep breath, trying to get her racing heart under control. "I hoped that you would discuss a decision like this with me first."

"I didn't think it was a decision," he admitted. "I thought that you have to leave when you turn eighteen."

"Oh, honey, of course, you don't have to leave. Turning eighteen does change my responsibility for you, but it doesn't change anything else," Sharon explained. "Remember that we agreed on a thirty days' notice?"

"Yeah, when I thought this arrangement wasn't going to work out," Rusty replied.

"Well, maybe I need a thirty days' notice as well," she sighed and looked at the boy she has come to think of as her son. "I don't want to be blindsided, and come home to find you packing or gone. I think we've developed a relationship that goes beyond that kind of disappearing act."

"I was planning to leave you a letter," Rusty said. Sharon sighed. She knew that ending relationships was a hard thing for him to do, but leaving a letter and disappearing from her life was something she associated with Jack.

"If you left this way, it would make me very upset," she said. "I don't like goodbyes any more than you do, but when I have to part with someone I love, I would want to at least give them a hug."

"I'm sorry, Sharon," Rusty said apologetically.

"If you really want to leave, at least let me help you find a place to live, and a job that can sustain you. That doesn't happen overnight."

"Of course I don't want to leave. I thought that my time here was up and I had to go."

"Well, I'm glad you don't want to leave because I would miss you," Sharon said. "Would you please unpack and put all your clothes back in your closet?"

"I'm on it," Rusty replied. Sharon turned to leave the room. "Hey, Sharon?" his voice made her turn back towards him. "Thank you." The only response she could muster was a tearful smile. She walked back to the living room just as she heard a knock on the door and went to open it. Andy stood there, holding several inflated balloons and a bag of decorations.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he saw her. She had no idea how he could read her so well, but he was an expert at that.

"I…ugh… Let's talk about it later," she replied.

"Sure," Andy said. "So, where do you want to put these?" he asked and motioned towards the balloons. Sharon took one from him and tied it to one of the chairs around the dining table, and then repeated the action with another balloon. Andy did the same with the rest, and then pulled some of the other decorations out of the bag he brought and placed them around the living room.

"What do you think?" Sharon asked when they were done.

"It looks great, and I'm sure he will be very happy," Andy replied. "Where is he, anyway?"

"In his room, unpacking," Sharon shrugged. Andy arched his eyebrows. "He planned to leave."

"Leave? Why?" Andy wondered. "You didn't have a fight, did you?" Sharon shook her head. "What happened, Sharon?"

"Nothing, just a misunderstanding. Rusty thought that turning eighteen meant that he has to leave. He packed his clothes and planned to leave me a letter."

"Oh, no, really?" Andy looked at her, horrified.

"We worked it out. I think he's going to stay," she said.

"Whatever happens, you know I'm here for you, right?" Andy asked.

"I do. Thank you, Andy," she responded and offered him a smile. They heard a knock on the door and Andy went to open it. It was Buzz and Julio who arrived with the cake. Sharon thanked them and placed it at the center of the dinner table, and then stuck birthday candles into it. Another knock on the door was heard, and Andy opened it to Tao. Sharon greeted the techy lieutenant warmly before excusing herself to go and get Rusty.

"Honey, you have some guests," she said when he opened the door. She could see that he already put most of his clothes back in the closet. The young man looked at her with surprise and confusion. "Come to the living room, please?" he followed her suspiciously to greet the four men who have become members of his odd family.

"Happy birthday, Kid," Andy shook his hand, and Tao did the same. Julio patted his shoulder, and Buzz just smiled at him shyly.

"You didn't have to come all the way here to tell me that," Rusty blushed. "I mean, thank you." There was another knock on the door and Sharon opened it and greeted Provenza.

"Lieutenant," Rusty looked at him with surprise. "I thought there's a Dodgers' game on tonight!"

"When a person I care about celebrates his eighteenth birthday, I drop everything else and come to his birthday party," Provenza muttered.

"Thank you. Nice tie," Rusty pointed at Provenza's balloon-print tie.

"Amy just texted and said that she's stuck in traffic and that we should start without her," Julio informed everyone.

"Alright," Sharon said and started passing plastic champagne flutes to her squad. "This is yours," she handed a flute full of apple cider to Andy and then another one to Rusty.

"So, Rusty, we gathered here to tell you just how much we care about you, and to make sure that you will have an unforgettable birthday," Provenza said and raised his glass. "To Rusty, may you have a long and happy life!"

"To Rusty!" they all cheered for the young man, who became flushed as a tomato.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming, and Sharon for arranging this. It's an honor to know all of you and to have you in my life," he smiled.

A couple of hours later, the members of the Major Crimes division left, except for Andy who stayed behind to help Sharon clean up. Rusty tried to help, but they wouldn't let him, so he thanked them and wished them goodnight before going to his room. It was then that Sharon turned to Andy and looked into his eyes.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Is it crazy that I want more of this?" she asked.

"Of Rusty?" Andy wondered.

"I don't want him to leave. I don't want whatever this relationship is to end just yet. I worry about him so much."

"It's not crazy, Sharon. Not even a little bit," Andy replied. "I think without noticing, you became more than just his guardian. You're more like his mother than anything else."

"You really think that he would one day be able to see me as his mother?" her usual confidence was absent from her voice.

"I think, maybe he just doesn't realize it, but he needs you just as much as you need him. And he will most definitely see you as his mother. Maybe one day he'll even call you 'Mom', who knows?" His words made tears spring in Sharon's eyes, and he patted her shoulder gently.

"There's really only one way to make it permanent, isn't there?" She said, and Andy realized that the thought about adoption must have been in her mind for a while now.

"Take it one day at a time, talk to your lawyer, try to find out just how complicated the process might be, and then come to him with all the information. I'm sure he will make the right choice."

"I truly hope so."

"With a person like you as a guide, I can't see a situation where the kid doesn't choose you to be his mother," Andy said and offered her on of his infamous boyish smiles. She smiled back at him. "Just remember that one day, he will fly off the nest."

"Not today," she sighed in relief. She could be relaxed about Rusty staying with her, at least for a little longer, and she hoped that by the time she gets her thirty days' notice, both she and Rusty would be truly prepared for a solo flight.

THE END

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