Thank you once again for all of your kind words and support for my other stories. I enjoyed reading your responses to "Home", and it means the world to me that you take the time to read my stories. Anyway, this story delves into a case that is a personal one for Sharon. As always, I welcome your feedback.

I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I simply enjoy writing about them.

Chapter One

"Tell me again why you get up at the crack of dawn for this?" Andy Flynn called out to his girlfriend, who was ahead of him on the firm, compact sand of the water's edge. The sun was just beginning to reveal itself over the mountains to the east providing a beautiful setting on the beach Sharon had chosen for her morning run. Up ahead, she slowed to allow him to catch-up.

"Because I like the way the rising sun lights the ocean. It's peaceful," she answered serenely. Andy finally caught up and pulled alongside of her.

"If you wanted to watch the sunrise together, we could have brought a blanket. Because, honey, there's nothing peaceful about running," Andy answered a bit out of breath.

"Maybe if you spent less time complaining and more time keeping up, you'd enjoy this more," she teased. He tugged her arm to get her to stop. He needed to catch his breath. He enjoyed a good workout at the gym as much as the next person, but running "for fun" just wasn't his thing. Sharon stopped and took a sip from her water bottle. Andy stood and admired her for a moment. She was all sweat and glistening skin, and the way the sun lit her was breathtaking.

"I enjoy the sight of you in that outfit and all covered in sweat," he said flirtatiously. She grinned before moving to hand him the water bottle. Just as he was about to take it, she squeezed it, and water squirted out and hit him in the face. She laughed. "That's funny to you, huh?" He asked with mock seriousness. She nodded, still laughing. He grabbed the water bottle and quickly squirted her back. She ran and he took off after her.

Once he caught her, he threw his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her to him. They were both laughing as he turned her around and he leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet kiss that quickly turned passionate. As the waves crashed onto the shore and spread along the waiting sand, Sharon and Andy became lost in one another. She caressed the muscles of his chest before she brought her hands over his shoulders and around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Andy moved his hands up and down her back and then over her toned rear end, pulling her to him and closing the small space between their bodies. Sharon arched her body into him, and she enjoyed the small groan he let out at her action. He could feel every inch of her pressed against him, and it was doing things to him. The combination of the feel of her firm body and her soft, pliable lips was spreading warmth throughout his body. Suddenly, a shrill ring interrupted the moment, and they both reached for their phones hidden in their workout clothes. Sharon took a moment to catch her breath before answering the offensive object.

"Yes, Lieutenant," she said into the phone. Andy smiled at the still breathy quality to her voice. He knew his would have been no better.

"Captain, are you alright?" Provenza asked a bit concerned.

"Just out for a morning run. What is it, Lieutenant?" She explained, and Provenza felt relief flood him. For a second, he had worried that he had interrupted something else and that was a thought he never wanted to enter his head.

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation," He replied. Sharon studied the waves as they tumbled to the shore.

"What type of situation?" She asked carefully. Andy looked at her, brows creased in confusion and concern.

"The kind that requires your attention, Captain," he replied. Sharon pursed her lips.

"You're being awfully cryptic this morning, Lieutenant. What is going on?" She pressed.

"Well, we have a rather cryptic victim. He was found behind a dumpster by a couple of drunk college kids. No ID and Kendall thinks he has only been dead a few hours," he explained.

"Ok," she said, confusion warring with worry about what her second in command wasn't telling her. "And what exactly makes this a major crime?" She asked, and she could hear him let out a sigh.

"Well, Captain, you do," he said carefully.

"Me?" She asked surprised. Andy studied her a moment.

"The man is... wearing a note with your name on it. It's a bit personal," he said hesitantly.

"What does it say?" She asked, patience waning. She was met with silence. "Lieutenant?" She pried.

"Tell Sharon Raydor that I will always love her and the time we spent together was magical. I'll never forget what it was like to hold her for the short time that she was mine," Provenza read, embarrassment evident. Sharon narrowed her eyes.

"And you don't recognize this man?" She asked, she had to be sure it wasn't someone she cared about.

"No, Captain, it isn't anyone I've ever seen before. Anyway, Kendall's about to release the body, so I thought you could meet our mystery man at the morgue. With the body gone, I can call Flynn and have him take over down here, and then I'll meet you at the morgue," Provenza explained. Sharon glanced up at Andy, almost forgetting he was standing there with her. The call had taken such a bizarre turn that she had found herself consumed with curiosity.

"No need, Lieutenant. He's standing right here next to me. Just text him the address and I'll have him meet you there," she replied. Provenza shook off the unpleasant images that were slipping into his mind before assuring her he would text Andy. The two signed off and Sharon ended the call. Andy studied her with concern.

"What was that?" He asked. She looked at him briefly without meeting his eyes.

"Provenza is sending you the address. I need to get to the morgue," she said quickly before rushing off towards the car. Andy followed behind her growing more concerned.

"So we caught a case?" He called out.

"Yeah, and I still need to shower, so we have to move fast," she replied, but Andy could tell she was distracted. When he caught up to her at his car, he gently squeezed her arm.

"Hey," he said quietly. "What's going on?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I don't know, but something doesn't feel right," she replied before getting into the car and shutting the door.

A little under an hour later, Andy arrived at the crime scene. It was only a short drive from the house he now shared with Sharon. The alley was located between two popular college bars, and the stench in the air only served to reinforce that fact. The sun was fully awake, its heat causing the air to be more pungent, and Andy winced at the scent of stale alcohol and vomit that permeated as he stepped out of his car. The alley was narrow and dungy with only dumpsters occupying its grimy walls. Andy walked over to his grumpy partner.

"Nothing like the smell of fresh vomit in the morning," he joked. Provenza scoffed.

"Try smelling it for hours now," he replied. Andy looked around a bit confused.

"Where's the body?" He asked suddenly.

"Kendall sent it to the morgue. Now that you're here, I'm going to meet the Captain down there as well," Provenza explained. "How was your jog?" He added sarcastically. Andy rolled his eyes.

"Why anyone finds that fun, I'll never know. It felt more like torture to me," Andy said. Provenza laughed at his friend's expense.

"You're an idiot," he said simply, shaking his head.

"She woke me up before the sun was even up. I'm completely worn out and it isn't even 8 a.m.," he said with a yawn. Provenza looked at him a moment, disgust painting his features.

"Do me a favor and never say those words to me again," he retorted. Andy ignored him.

"Of course, it was nice to have the time together and the setting was perfect," he said with a smile.

"While you're weighing the pros and cons of working out with your girlfriend, I'm going to go meet our captain at the morgue. Make sure every thing gets done here. If you have any questions, Mike should be able to answer them," he said dismissively.

"Yeah, ok. Oh, don't mention that we talked about our run this morning," he said a bit sheepishly. Provenza looked at him like he was crazy.

"We didn't talk about anything. You rambled on about it. And why on earth would I discuss the Captain's workout routine with her?" He asked. Andy shrugged his shoulders. And with that the grumpy lieutenant was walking towards his car.

Sharon arrived at the morgue just as Provenza was pulling on his blue gown. She quickly grabbed her own and put it on while exchanging pleasantries with her second in command.

"Any more information since we last talked," she asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing, but they're still working the scene," he replied, and then he looked at her sympathetically. "I didn't mention any of it to Flynn. I figured you'd want to be the one to tell him," he added. She was about to pull down her mask when she halted her motion.

"I haven't told him yet since we don't even know who or what we're dealing with," she explained. Provenza nodded, and then they both entered the exam room.

"Good morning!" Dr. Morales greeted them, and then his expression soured. "Are you sure you want to be here, Captain?" He asked hesitantly.

"She's here to make the ID," Provenza replied. The doctor nodded and the two detectives moved further into the room.

"Well, your John Doe was strangled, so official cause of death is asphyxiation," Morales explained.

Sharon slowly moved closer to the ashen body lying on the cold, metal table. Even though Provenza had assured her he had never seen their victim before, effectively ruling out her kids and even her ex-husband, she was still apprehensive about the man's identity. She had spent the entire time in the shower and in the car ride over racking her brain as to who this man could be. She had male friends, a couple of which she had allowed herself to blur the lines with between friendship and intimacy, but the only relationships she had been in were her marriage and now Andy. Before Jack, there had been a few short-lived young love type of relationships that burned bright, but extinguished quickly.

She approached the table cautiously, keeping her focus on the man occupying it. Her stomach was in knots, her palms sweaty as she sidled up next to the table and got her first good look at the victim. She studied him closely, examined every inch of exposed skin, but she didn't recognize him. The anxiety that had taken up residence inside her for the past two hours suddenly dissipated all at once. The two men looked at her expectantly. She shook her head.

"I've never seen him before," she sighed.

"Well, then. That makes this even more awkward," Morales said as he retrieved the hand-written note that was safely enclosed in a plastic evidence bag. Sharon grabbed it eagerly and scanned its contents. She shook her head again.

"I don't understand," she replied.

"Well, maybe finding out more about how he died will provide some clarity," Provenza tried. He could tell that this case had thrown his captain off her game. He would pick up the slack for her, he decided.

"Right, so I'd say time of death was somewhere between midnight and 3 a.m. when the body was discovered. He was more than likely strangled from behind. Other than that, I see no signs of trauma," Morales concluded. "I'll send the note off to the lab for analysis," he added retrieving it back from Sharon.

"Thank you, Doctor," Provenza said as he and Sharon exited the exam room. They stood across from each other in the hallway removing their gowns, and he could tell the wheels were turning in his captain's head. "Mike was able to fingerprint him, so we might get lucky," he added, hoping to ease some of the tension.

"Lieutenant, if our victim was strangled from behind, then he might not have known what hit him, leaving him no time to write a note," she said suddenly. Provenza stared at her a moment. Realization finally hit him.

"So, our note may not be from our victim at all," he concluded. She nodded.

"No, but it might be a message from our killer".

TBC