A Rose Is…
So We know the title of episode 4.1 "A Rose is a Rose" so I thought I would get a head start and see where Sharon and Andy might be at the start of next season. For now a standalone but maybe a series as we get more episode titles. Don't worry if you are following "Building A Family" I will be getting back to them very soon! As always reviews are awesome and none of these lovely characters belong to me.
Sharon heard the phone buzz on her nightstand, she looked at her clock, 5:30. That could only mean one thing they had caught a case. She picked up her phone and read it:
Looks like an early morning after a late night. No need to come to the scene. Meet you at the morgue with coffee, A
She couldn't help but smile. Their romance was anything but ordinary. Yes, romance was the best word she could use to describe it because damn if Andy Flynn wasn't the most romantic man she had ever met. The Christmas party in the break room. That was the night she stopped fighting it. When he gave her the angel in her office later that night in her office and the blinds were closed she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek and stopped short and looked him in the eyes. He had been so patient with her letting her figure things out after The Nutcracker. She put one had on his face and kissed him softly on the mouth. "Andy, I think I would like to continue dating you." She whispered with a nervous laugh. "Well OK then." He smiled back at her a returned her kiss with one of his own that left Sharon speechless in her office. "Merry Christmas" he told her again.
Sharon reluctantly got out of bed and got ready for what she was sure would be another long day. They had just wrapped a case the night before. Afterwards they had eaten dinner with Rusty and stayed up too late on her couch. She had thought maybe he would stay the night but shortly before midnight he kissed her good night and left. They both knew it was a matter of when not if but they were taking that part slow. "We've taken this long to get to here, let's enjoy this for a while." Andy had said on New Year's Eve when they were on her couch and both of them breathless from kissing. "There will be plenty of time for it. I want to enjoy this." Sharon smiled again thinking of it but wasn't sure that she could wait much longer. Especially when she looked over at the flowers on her dresser. By her count they were the seventh arrangement he had sent her. One for every week they had been officially dating. Rusty rolled his eyes every Friday when they came. That man, once she had thought he would be the death of her because of the trouble he caused, now she thought he might be for an entirely different reasons.
Sharon arrived at the morgue an hour later. True to his word Andy was waiting by the elevators with coffee. He handed it to her and whispered quietly, "I never know how you manage to look so good so early in the morning. But one day soon I'm going to find out." She rolled her eyes at him and took the coffee, "Thank you for the coffee Lieutenant. What do we know" She said back to him walking off but stopping long enough to smile at him over her shoulder.
While they had been listening to Dr. Morales the rest of the team had been working to gather information. Their victim's name was Megan and she was a 20 year old college student based on the ID in her wallet. She had been found in the parking lot of her dorm badly beaten. Julio had been able to get her parents information from her roommates. They were local.
"Lieutenant Provenza, will you and Andy please go do the notification? Amy and Julio go talk to people on campus. Buzz and Mike work on her computer."
Without speaking people began to follow her instructions. "Here is her parents work address, Lieutenant, they own a flower about 10 minutes from here.' Sykes told Andy handing a piece of paper.
Andy took a breath when he saw the address, he knew the shop all too well, he had been in there once a week for almost two months. This was going to be hard, really hard.
"You're unusually quiet this morning Flynn. What's wrong you and The Captain have lovers quarrel?" Provenza said in the car
"We aren't lovers." Andy said truthfully
"Well that's a telling statement beyond the usual we are just friends." His partner observed
"Not today, OK?" Andy said with irritation in his voice. His mind thinking back to yesterday when he had stopped in on his way to work to place this week's order.
"Well, Lieutenant Flynn, you've done daisies, lilies, wildflowers, a potted plant, tulips, and pretty much any other arrangement I can come up with. What will it be this week?" Carl had asked him
"Roses, I think it's time for roses." Andy had told him
"Are you sure my friend? A rose is, well there's no going back from roses." Carl smiled at him
"Yeah, I know what a rose is, no going back." Andy answered. He knew Rusty was going away with friends for the weekend and Andy was looking forward to taking up Sharon's entire weekend.
Andy took a deep breath as they entered the shop and Carl behind the counter. "Andy, you're back, don't tell me you've changed your mind about the roses. I mean any man that orders flowers every week for almost two months is pretty serious about whoever he is sending them to." His new friend greeted him and Provenza stopped in his tracks and stared at Andy.
"No Carl, I'm afraid it's not that. Do you have a daughter named Megan who is a student at UCA?" He asked
"Yes, I do she's a junior pre-med. Why? Andy what has happened?"
Sensing how hard this was for his partner Provenza spoke up, "Sir, I am so sorry to have tell you that Megan was found this morning outside of her dorm. She is dead. I am very sorry."
"No, not my girl." The man started to cry. "What happened?"
"We aren't completely sure yet. All we can tell you right now is that it looks like someone beat her up pretty badly." Andy told the man
"Richard, it has to be him." Carl yelled
"Who is Richard?"
"A boy she met last year. At first her mother and I really liked him but over the last few months things have changed. She's more distant always making excuses why she can't see us. Then when we did see her a few weeks ago she had a broken arm and bruises. I should have stopped this." Carl sat down crying.
Later back at headquarters Andy knocked on Sharon's office door. "Come in" she answered. "Hi." She said tenderly when he closed the door, "how did it go?" she asked equally concerned about him as she was the case.
"Not good, Sharon. The flower shop Megan's parents owned. It's where I've been ordering your flowers." He told her quietly sitting down on the edge of her desk
"Oh God Andy. I'm so sorry." She said placing her hand on his knee and wishing desperately they were anywhere else.
"Sykes and Julio have gone to pick up the boyfriend who looks pretty good for it. I'm going to take an hour and go hit a meeting. If that's all right." He said
"You know you don't even have to ask.' Sharon said looking him in the eyes. "I will be waiting in case you need me."
"That's supposed to be my line." He smiled at her
"Well it works both ways" she said rubbing his arm for a second.
While Andy was gone Sharon worked with Tao and Provenza to try and trace Richard's whereabouts the day before. "Campus security just sent over video from the parking lot" Buzz said coming through the murder room, " I will cue it up in electronics" The three of them quickly followed him. Andy arrived back just as Buzz started the video he and Sharon exchanged silent glances that did not go unnoticed by Provenza who just rolled his eyes. The video was a bad one, they had seen plenty of bad videos like this but it never got any easier. After Richard had dragged Megan from her car when she was trying to escape from him he had hit her repeatedly, finally banging her head against the sidewalk and the he drove off leaving her there.
"Well, somebody should call Andrea." Sharon said
"No, Sharon no deals. Not for this one." Andy said the anger in his voice coming out
"It's not up to me Andy." She reminded him
"But you have more pull than the rest of us with Hobbs and company." He yelled at her
"Andy, when they see this video he will get what he deserves, please trust me." Her voice was in her Raydor tone but her face was full of compassion. Everyone else in the room was silent watching the two of them. "Now, do you want to arrest him or should I have Lieutenant Provenza do it? Julio and Amy just put him in interview room one."
"I've got the bastard." Andy said walking out of the room with Sharon close behind him.
Andy entered the room and read Richard his rights while putting cuffs on him. To his credit he kept his temper in check and handed him off to the officer in the room. There was a day when he would have punched the guy but he knew that he had too much too lose by doing that now.
As they were finishing up for the night Provenza stopped by Andy's desk, "Don't think I've forgotten about what I heard in the flower shop. Every week for seven weeks? And you still want to tell me you're not sleeping with her?" he whispered. Andy smiled at his friend and answered truthfully "I am not sleeping with Sharon." Just then Andy's phone lit up with a text, "Sure, whatever, idiots." Provenza grumbled as he walked off.
Coming over?
I need to go to another meeting. I'm sorry I yelled at you.
It's OK, I understand.
It's not OK, I will try harder next time
Walk me out?
Of course
Ten minutes later they were standing by her car in the virtually empty level of the lot.
"Sharon, I really am sorry." He said again
"Andy, you didn't yell at me you yelled at your boss. I imagine as this continues that will happen again. I don't like it but I do understand the difference." She told him leaning back against her car holding his hand between them.
He smiled at her, "I need to go before I kiss you."
She smiled back at him, "You know tomorrow is Friday and Rusty is going away for the weekend." She said quietly
He looked at he knowingly, "Oh trust me I know.' He said putting her in her car and closing the door.
Friday was uneventful at work and at 3:00 Sharon ordered everyone to go home and told them that nobody was on call for the weekend, another division could handle whatever came up.
When Sharon arrived at the condo Rusty had is overnight bad and was headed out. "You're leaving already?" She asked him. "Yes, we want to beat the Friday traffic. I will see you on Sunday." He answered, "Besides if this week's delivery is any indication your weekend will be busy." He said before running out the door.
She was stunned to walk in and find Andy already there in the hallway holding a dozen long stem roses in his hands. "For you Beautiful" he said.
'Andy, they are exquisite. You have never done roses before. A rose is.." she started to say
Andy put the roses on the table and pulled her to him "A rose is for love and I love you Sharon. I am love you more than I ever thought possible."
"I love you Andy and I have for a lot longer than I have admitted."
He kissed her slowly at first then more passionately before stopping. "Come with me" he said taking her by the hand out of the hallway and into the rest of the condo. Sharon gasped when she saw the living room and kitchen were covered with roses of different colors. "I didn't know which were your favorites so I got all that I could." He told her with a smile before kissing her again. That kiss in the living room almost did both of them in but Andy had more for her still. "Come on" he said again taking her by the hand to the bedroom kissing her again before opening the door. "Are you ready?" he asked her between kisses. "Andy I've been ready for a while" she said breathlessly. He opened her bedroom door and Sharon gasped to see her bed with new sheets and covered in rose petals. "Andy…" she said quietly
"If roses are love I wanted you to know just how much I love you."
The End