Just Walk Beside Me
by Kate04
A/N: The characters aren't mine. I'm just playing with them, because it's so much fun. I promise not to break them.
Once again, a big "thank you" goes to Robin for her fast and amazing beta job! Still claiming all mistakes as my own.
lontanissima gets a hug for pointing out all sorts of issues along the way and generally being a fantastic cheerleader.
While I'm talking about cheerleading, there's also Kadi219, who deserves a hug for being my the Flynn to my Provenza.
-o-o-o-o-o-o
"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
― Albert Camus
-o-o-o-o-o-o
She touched him frequently, a gentle hand on his arm in order to calm him, to prevent an imminent outburst. Sharon could not recall when that habit had started, but she found that it helped and a small part of her enjoyed having that kind of effect on him.
The first time he had touched her, however, was still very present on her mind. He had helped her out of his car in front of the church. His hand had been warm and his grip firm when it had closed around hers and she had liked the feeling almost too much.
Sharon still wasn't quite sure how she had ended up offering to accompany him to his daughter's wedding. She had been concerned about his unusual moods for days and when Lieutenant Provenza had finally told her what was going on, she had wanted to help.
Taking him with her to notify the victim's parents of their son's death had been the first thing that came to mind. It was a little cruel, but she knew from personal experience that these talks made one wish to be close to one's own children.
As it turned out, the entire case had been an emotional rollercoaster for all of them. Sharon had been very concerned about Rusty's reaction to it, but after his little outburst about breakup advice they'd had a long talk that had put her mind at ease.
The case also had the desired effect on Andy. He had apparently realised that there were more important things than his slightly bruised fatherly ego. When he had stood in front of her desk, looking so lost and somewhat unhappy, her mouth had opened and the words had tumbled out before she'd had a chance to think about them.
After he had left her office, Sharon had groaned, hiding her face in her hands. Not only had she just invited herself to the wedding of two people she had never met, she had also pretty much forced a date on one of her subordinates.
She had told him that it wasn't a date and, thinking about that, he had seemed somewhat relieved at her words. However, there was something about weddings that always got to Sharon and, even though she had told him that she'd go as his friend, there had been a nervous little flutter in her stomach from the moment she had made the offer.
That day, he hadn't only touched her hand. His gentle touch at the small of her back had practically burned through the thin material of her dress as he guided her towards their seats.
Later, during the reception, he had offered her his arm and she had taken it, her shoulders and hips brushing against his as they had made their way through the room.
They had danced that night. Andy was an amazing dancer and Sharon had almost forgotten how much she loved it. His arms had held her, leading her through turns and dips, their bodies almost painfully close.
When he had escorted her to her door that night, Sharon had turned to him, her eyes meeting his. Andy had been the perfect gentleman all evening, never stepping over the fine line between friends and something more. Why she had even doubted him, Sharon didn't know, especially considering that it had been her, who had wanted nothing more at that moment than for him to lean down and kiss her.
The thought of his soft lips on hers had shaken her out of her little dream. She had smiled at him, hoping her desire wouldn't be visible in her eyes, thanked him for the wonderful evening and bid him goodnight.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
In the weeks following the wedding Sharon had tried to keep things between them firmly on professional ground. Shared lunches or after work drinks had always been in the company of the entire squad and the bright smiles she felt appearing whenever she saw him in the morning had been carefully modulated into more appropriate ones. If she had assigned him to work with her more often than other members of her team, no one had seemed to notice.
When he had asked her to accompany him to the ballet, Sharon had known something was up. He had been behaving oddly all day. The way he had asked her and had openly refused to tell her what was wrong had made her even more suspicious.
Over dinner the next day, he had finally told her about that "little misunderstanding" with his family. For some reason, Sharon had found their assumption that she was Andy's girlfriend rather amusing. The situation was so typically "Andy".
She had tried very hard not to let her amusement show too much when she had told him that she expected him to explain things to his family. Maybe the fact that she hadn't let got of his arm all evening hadn't made things easier to explain for him at their next family counseling session, but Sharon had enjoyed herself too much to care.
They had shared their first kiss that evening when he had dropped her off at her door. It had only been an inch that had kept the kiss from being perfectly friendly and platonic. Instead, his lips had landed at the corner of her mouth, way too close to her own. The tingling sensation that had gone down her spine all the way to her toes had been a little surprising and Sharon had retreated as fast as possible without appearing impolite.
Looking back on those last few months, Sharon realised that the outcome had been inevitable, but she had chosen to close her eyes to that fact.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Sitting in her dark bedroom, the lights of the city just enough for her to make out the sleeping form in her bed, Sharon had no other choice, but to look at all the facts. She sat in the chair in front of her bedroom window, her legs tucked underneath her body. She wrapped his shirt tightly around herself, reveling in the faint scent that still clung to it – his aftershave and something that was uniquely him.
Her mind was spinning. The events of the day still felt somewhat surreal. They had almost lost him. It had been a pretty routine situation, or should have been. Julio, Amy, Andy and Sharon had paid the husband of their victim a visit at his home to notify him of his wife's death, ask a few questions and have a look around. Their preliminary investigation had strongly hinted at an accidental death, which had only been assigned to Major Crimes because the victim had some connection with someone who had Chief Pope on speed-dial.
They had not expected the husband to be waiting for them. He had managed to sneak up on Andy when he had checked the backyard once the doorbell had gone unanswered. She had heard the angry "Drop the gun" and the subsequent clatter of Andy's weapon hitting the wooden deck from where she had been checking a side window.
What she had seen once she had made her way to the corner of the house still made her blood run cold. The husband had held a gun to her Lieutenant's head, his trigger finger tightening. Sharon still couldn't remember actually making the decision to shoot. One moment the cold fist of fear had closed around her heart, the next moment the man had hit the ground at Andy's feet.
The hours after that were still a little fuzzy. The paramedics had managed to stabilize the husband, who had turned out to be responsible for his wife's death, after all. After a lengthy 'chat' with her former FID colleagues, which had reminded her why that division was so unpopular, Sharon had been sent home to wait for the result of their investigation. She had sent Julio and Amy back to the office to try and tie up the case as soon as FID gave them access to the evidence they needed from the victim's house.
Getting Andy to agree to take the rest of the day off had been a little harder than Sharon would have liked, but when she had touched his arm, looked into his eyes and told him that it would make her feel a lot better if he did, he had finally relented.
Still whenever Sharon closed her eyes, she saw Andy standing on that porch, eyes closed, waiting for the bullet to hit him. It was what had driven her from the comfort of the bed in the middle of this night.
Her gaze was drawn back now to the steady rise and fall of his chest and the lines of his face, completely relaxed in his sleep. A soft smile tugged at her lips as she thought about how he had ended up in her bed.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Andy had insisted on dropping her off at home if he had to take the rest of the day off. They each dealt with their own troubled thoughts and neither knew how to overcome the oppressive silence between them. The events of the last few hours circled around in Sharon's mind, one thought standing out in the chaos. I almost lost him. Every time that thought appeared, breathing became more difficult until the urge to scream became almost too much to suppress.
When his hand brushed against hers, Sharon took hold of it, her fingers entwining with his. This small contact was enough to pull her back from the brink of her impending meltdown. He was here. He was unharmed. He was safe. She squeezed his hand hard, knowing that she was probably hurting him, but he didn't seem to mind.
Andy parked the car in front of her building and turned off the engine. They sat there for several long minutes, hands clasped and silence heavy between them. Sharon couldn't stand the thought of letting go of his hand. She needed the physical reminder that he was okay.
"Would you like to come up for a cup of coffee?" She wasn't ready to let him out of her sight just yet. As long as she could see him, Sharon could be certain that the body, which had hit the ground earlier, had not been his.
His reply was a short nod and, after giving her hand another squeeze, he got out of the car and walked around to open her door. Her hand found his again as they walked towards her building. They didn't say anything. There simply were no words to express their feelings.
The moment the door to her condo closed behind them, he pulled her into him. They held onto each other as if their lives depended on it. Sharon's head rested over his heart and she took comfort in the strong, regular beat and his warm, masculine scent.
His hands drew comforting circles on her back, soothing her frayed nerves somewhat.
For several minutes they just stood there, wrapped in each other's arms and swaying gently.
His solid presence slowed her racing mind, which made room for other thoughts. She became more and more aware of the other effects his touch, his scent and his calming voice had on her.
At some point their caresses had turned from comforting to sensual to almost desperate.
Sharon moaned when he pulled her against him. She turned her head slightly to brush her lips against his throat, trailing soft kisses along his jaw and cheek.
When Andy turned to catch her lips with his own, they both groaned in pleasure. He backed her into the wall, pressing his body against hers. Arousal shot through her, making her tingle all over and she felt the evidence of his reaction to her pressed against her belly. Sharon ground her hips into his hardness, drawing another groan from him. Andy's hands moved up her sides, his fingertips grazing the sides of her breasts, his thumbs brushing over her nipples. She arched into his touch, longing for more contact.
She pulled at his shirt, trying to find a way underneath it. She needed to feel his skin under her hands, wanted to revel in his warmth. When she finally succeeded, she let her hands run up the broad expanse of his back, fingernails lightly scratching on the way down.
At some point, Andy had started to unbutton her blouse and was trailing kisses down her throat and chest and along the edge of her black lace bra. He let his hands cup her mounds, flicking her nipples with his thumbs again.
It had been such a long time that Sharon had almost forgotten how unbelievably sensitive she was to the touch of another person.
His mouth suddenly closed around one lace-clad nipple, teeth nipping gently and she moaned loudly once again. It was the sound of that moan that pulled Sharon out of her haze for a moment - long enough to remember where they were and that there was a teenager asleep just down the hall. A teenager who was known to get thirsty at night.
Pushing at his shoulders, Sharon tried to get Andy's attention. It took him a moment to notice the change in her mood, but when he did, he stepped back from her, confusion, hurt and embarrassment evident in his expression.
Sharon reached out to touch his cheek, giving him a reassuring smile. "Andy, we can't do this. Not here. Rusty would kill us if he caught us like this."
Apparently, he hadn't quite received the message. Looking into his eyes, Sharon could see the moment her words registered with him. He shut down completely. His beautifully expressive eyes, full of many different emotions a moment ago, were suddenly completely empty.
When he wanted to take another step back, Sharon grabbed him by his tie and pulled him back towards her and into another passionate kiss. She might have confused him a little at first, but he caught on fast enough.
"I didn't say we can't do this at all," she said after pulling out of the kiss again. "It's just the location I have a problem with, Andy." She gave him a shy smile. It had been a while since she'd had to ask a man to accompany her to her bedroom.
"You know, we could just move this to the bedroom. There's considerably less chance of being interrupted there." She raised a questioning eyebrow and gave him a half-smile. His answering grin spread over his face very slowly. It made his eyes sparkle in that outrageously handsome way that made her insides quiver with want. She took his hand and led him down the hall towards her bedroom.
The door closed behind them and once again they were in each other's arms, their lips and tongues meeting in another hungry kiss. If she were to spend the rest of her life just kissing this man, Sharon thought she might be quite happy.
That thought vanished the moment Andy's hands shoved her blouse off her shoulders before they got to work on the clasp of her bra.
Fumbling hands got hindering layers out of the way as their mouths explored the newly uncovered skin. After what felt like hours, skin finally met skin as they embraced each other once again. The last layer of cold fear around her heart melted away at that moment and a single sob escaped her throat. They clung to each other for a long moment, skin against skin.
It only took a couple of minutes to let the realisation of what they had almost lost earlier in the day wash over them and then they let go of it. It was something they both needed desperately in order to move on.
When that darkness had retreated again, hands and lips started wandering once more. Sharon felt his solid length twitch eagerly against her and the sensation made her shiver in anticipation. Andy presented a glorious sight, all long, lean muscles, softened slightly with age.
Tongues caught in a passionate battle, Sharon slowly maneuvered them around so that, when she gave him a push, he landed on the bed. For a second, she just studied him, sprawled on his back among her sheets, his delicious erection drawing her attention. She took a few steps closer, leaned down until her hands landed on his slightly spread legs and then knelt down in front of him. She pushed his legs further apart, her hand running along his inner thighs, her lips following in their paths. Sharon licked and nipped her way almost all the way up one leg, before she switched to the other, starting at the knee once again. Her slow, torturous pace drew a frustrated groan from him and when she thought he couldn't stand it anymore, she finally let her lips touch him where he wanted her most. Soft, feather-like kisses rained down on his length, making it twitch. She darted her tongue out to taste him, before she closed a hand around his shaft and drew him into her mouth.
His hips bucked to get closer, deeper, but Sharon placed a firm hand on him, holding him in place. She hummed low in her throat as her mouth and hand set a slow rhythm. Her other hand wandered over his stomach and his thighs before it settled between his legs to cup his balls.
She increased her pace slowly, humming and twirling her tongue around his tip, letting her teeth graze along him. She felt his balls tighten and his breathing become erratic moments before he pushed at her shoulders.
"Sharon, please." His tone was desperate and she knew that he was losing himself. Besides, she was getting a little desperate herself.
Sharon backed away from him, placing one final kiss on the tip of his length before she moved to lie beside him, her hands tracing random patterns on his sparsely haired chest.
In one swift move, Andy had her on her back, pinned underneath his body. The sensation of his solid body on top of hers, his hard length between her thighs, brushing against her wet folds, drove her mad.
When he started to rain kisses all over her face, down her throat and over her chest, clearly intent on repaying her for her earlier efforts, she grabbed hold of his head and tugged him back up towards her.
"As much as I appreciate the thought, I'd really rather feel you inside me right now. I don't think I can wait another moment."
Any shyness she might have felt at communicating her needs so openly was lost in a sea of arousal. He gave her another one of those grins and raised an eyebrow.
"A bit impatient, aren't we, Captain?"
At her glare, he finally complied. His lips landed on hers again, tongues tangling while one of his hands brushed along her thigh until it met her warm wetness. He stroked his fingers along her folds, gently teasing her clit before he dipped a finger into her. She was so unbelievably ready for him and the teasing contact made her whimper.
"Andy, please!" He withdrew his hand as hers closed around him to guide him towards her opening. It had been a while and Sharon was grateful that he took his time, gently pushing into her, pulling out, pushing in a little further until he was fully sheathed inside her.
For a few heartbeats they just enjoyed the closeness of being joined like that, neither of them moving. Sharon felt her muscles relax as she adjusted to his solid presence inside her. It was a glorious feeling, the fullness, and the intimate contact with another human being.
When desire finally overrode the need to just connect, they started to move in a slow counter-rhythm. They shared sloppy kisses, soft sighs and heated looks while their hands explored every inch of skin they could reach.
She let her hands wander up along the long muscles of his back, over his wide shoulder and down again until they came to rest on his firm buttocks. She squeezed them gently, drawing him closer to her as her legs curled around him, heels digging into the back of his thighs.
They steadily increased their pace from gentle rocking to almost frantic. He hit bottom with every stroke and the resulting sensation was the most pleasurable pain. Sharon felt the rhythm of his breathing change as his thrusts became more erratic and she knew that he was close. It wouldn't be enough for her, not like this. She was just about to sneak a hand between their bodies when he suddenly stopped moving and pulled out of her. Her inner muscles clamped around the emptiness in protest and she gave a surprised and slightly frustrated grunt.
Andy gave her a long look and a tender kiss before he moved off her to lie on his back next to her, pulling her over his body.
"It's your show now, Sharon." He gave her a wink and a wicked grin and something inside her shifted. Feelings she had refused to face for months bubbled up from their prison inside her, but Sharon was not ready to examine them, yet. Instead she rose to her knees, grabbed his hardness and sunk down onto him. She closed her eyes as he hit just the right spot. She had always loved that position.
Placing her hands on his chest, she set a steadily increasing rhythm, rising and falling over him. His hands captured her breasts, kneading them and tweaking her nipples. His hips met hers thrust for thrust and soon they were both so very close to the edge.
The expression of intense concentration on his face warned her that he wouldn't be able to hold on to his control much longer. Once more, she increased the tempo and when one of his hands trailed down along her stomach, a thumb landing against her clit, she knew she would be right there with him.
It only took another few thrusts, his thumb circling, his fingers pressing against her belly, before Sharon threw back her head, ground down into him one final time and let out a long moan. She thought her heart might have stopped beating for a moment, only to resume its work at double pace. Colours exploded behind her closed lids and she felt her inner muscles rhythmically clamping around Andy. She felt him thrust up into her a few more times, before he joined her, a low groan accompanying his release.
Eyes still closed and her hands resting on his chest, Sharon was lost in the intensity of the moment. She felt his heart pounding out an encouragingly strong beat and their bodies were buzzing with energy. It made Sharon feel more alive than she had in a long time and the fact that he felt just as alive underneath her body took care of her remaining anxiety over nearly losing him.
Sharon collapsed on top of him, their bodies coated in a fine sheen of sweat, out of breath and their heartbeats only slowly calming down. She let her head and hands rest on his shoulder, enjoying the afterglow and the gentle, soothing touch of his hands on her back.
When the warmth between them got a bit too much, Sharon moved off him, curling against his body and feeling secure in his arms. They didn't talk, but this time the silence between them was comfortable. There was no need for words.
Sharon woke up a little later, still safely wrapped in his arms and their legs tangled. She didn't feel the moment of panic right away. Her body felt gloriously sore and more relaxed than it had been in years and, for a long moment, her mind was at peace.
Images of waking up together, sharing a shower, having breakfast together and coming home to someone other than a moody teenager wandered through her mind, before reality destroyed that silly fantasy.
Suddenly, his closeness was too much. She needed space, so she carefully extricated her body from his embrace, making sure she didn't wake him in the process.
Getting out of bed, she grabbed his shirt off the floor and slipped her arms into it. A slight smile pulled at her lips at the cliché.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Sharon tore her eyes away from her bed and its occupant and stared out of the window at the illuminated city. Her mind was a jumble of conflicting thoughts and feelings; so much so, that it almost made her dizzy. Her marriage was the very least of her concerns. She had resolved to put an end to it pretty soon after Jack's last visit. There was only some more paperwork left before she could hand it all over to Gavin.
What really bothered her was the fact that she couldn't decide what to do about this rapidly developing thing between Andy and her. She knew what she should do, what the right thing would be. Yet, she was reluctant to make that decision. It just didn't feel like the right one.
She needed to sort this out before Andy woke up and started to ask for answers she didn't have.
Burying her face in the collar of his shirt, Sharon inhaled deeply, letting his scent wash over her. Once again, her memory took her back to the previous day's events. She had almost lost him. It was the most prominent thought on her mind and it made her throat close up and her heart skip a beat in a very unpleasant way.
Sharon had almost lost many colleagues and partners over the years and she had attended more funerals of officers she knew than she wanted to think about. Never before had she been this deeply affected by that. It happened and they all knew it and had learned to live with it early in their careers. It was part of the job, whether they liked it or not.
So what was different this time? Sharon realised that, in order to find the answer to that question, she would have to delve into that dark corner of her mind where she kept all the things she didn't want to face.
The darkness surrounding her gave her the sense of protection she needed, as she let memories come back one at a time, examining the feelings the invoked.
Gentle touches, entire conversations shared in a single look, words softly spoken, grief and outrage poured out over a cup of coffee, strength provided whenever needed – it all spoke of an amazing work relationship and a strong friendship.
And then there was tonight. Sharon was tempted to put it down to them both being emotional, irrational and irresponsible for a little while, but she knew better.
There had been something intense, something new between them earlier. The way he had looked at her when he had relinquished control to her had awakened something inside her that had been dormant for a very long time. The prospect of giving in to that scared her.
A big part of her problem was their work relationship. While not exactly against the rules, fraternization within a division was not encouraged, either. Given their positions both within the division and the police department, their conduct was under closer observation than that of other officers.
She liked her job and the dynamic they had going within the team. She had worked very hard to get to this point and was reluctant to do anything to jeopardise that.
Another, and if she was honest with herself, the bigger part of the problem was her past. She had loved only one man in her life and he had hurt her badly and repeatedly. Jackson Raydor had not succeeded at many things, but hurting her feelings to the point where she was unwilling to let anyone get close again was certainly one of them.
Sharon was scared of the direction her relationship with Andy had taken. She knew that if she gave this thing between them a chance, she would fall in love with him.
It was the one thing she had sworn not to do again. She had met the occasional man over the years, had even shared a night or two with some of them, but she had always made sure that she didn't get emotionally entangled.
Andy was different, though. If she let him, he would end up with the power to really hurt her and she wasn't sure if she could go through that again. If things went badly between them, she wouldn't just lose a convenient companion for lonely nights.
Her eyes burned with unshed tears and Sharon closed her eyes in an effort to contain them. The thought of losing Andy's friendship and respect was more than she was ready to deal with.
The warm hands on her shoulder startled her slightly, but as his arms gently wrapped around her from behind, she relaxed into him, her head resting against his bare chest.
"This is a good look on you." He tugged at the shirt covering her and placed a soft kiss into her hair. When he didn't get a response, Andy pulled her a little closer to him.
"You do realise that you're awfully loud while thinking, don't you? Want to talk about it?"
Sharon thought about all the possible answers she could give him, but nothing seemed right. She should tell him that tonight had been a mistake, that it couldn't happen again, that they should think about their jobs, but the words just wouldn't come over her lips.
Maybe the reason for that was that it didn't feel like a mistake, that she wanted nothing more than for it to happen again, that her jobs were only part of the reason for her doubts.
She felt the tension in every one of his muscles and she felt sorry or causing it. Her continued silence was only making things worse and she dreaded to think what might go through his mind.
"I'm scared, Andy." It was the first thing that had come to mind and, although she hadn't really intended to share that particular thought with him, she knew it was what had needed to be said the moment the words left her mouth.
He kissed the top of her head again before he spoke. "Care to tell me what it is that has you scared?"
His tone was carefully devoid of emotions, but is voice was soft and gentle, encouraging her to talk to him.
"You … us … this." She gestured between them a little awkwardly. "I'm not sure I can deal with it. There's so much potential for it to blow up in our faces."
She paused for a long moment, the silence between them heavy with their respective thoughts, yet not uncomfortable.
"I've done this before and, as you know, that didn't work out so well. That wasn't all Jack's fault. I'm not an easy person to live with."
His snort interrupted her. "How long have you known me? Sharon, you know my history. You know I've made my share of mistakes, that I screwed it up good the last time. Believe me, I know what that feels like and I don't want to go back down that road.
"Let's be honest here. I think what we have between us is something special. I don't want to put a name on it just yet, but we both know it's more than friendship. That thought scares the hell out of me. The last thing I want is to hurt you, but I'm an ass sometimes and I know I will say something stupid at some point. You probably deserve something better, but I can't help the way I feel about you."
Her hands had moved to cover his arms where they rested across her chest and she squeezed them tightly.
"This might compromise everything. We're a good team. Not just you and me, but the entire division. We'd risk all that we have worked for these past two years."
She felt his nod against her head. " I know, but we're both adults and so are the other members of the team. Provenza might grumble a bit at first, but he'll make his peace with it eventually. The rest of the guys will come around. Besides, we don't plan on displaying any indecent behaviour at work, do we?"
His attempt at humour didn't miss its mark and Sharon felt a smile tug at her lips, but her doubts weren't put to rest entirely.
"Can we be sure that it's not just a matter of availability? What if we figure out that there isn't really anything lasting between us, after all? Could we just go back to the way things were? Our friendship is very important to me, Andy. I don't want to lose that."
Her voice cracked at the thought and she closed her eyes against the pain it invoked.
"I can't promise you that we'll live happily ever after. You know that. There are no guarantees in life and we just established that neither of us has a terribly good track record when it comes to relationships." He let this thought hang in the air between them for a moment, before he continued.
"What we can do is take a step back from what happened today. You're right. It might have been fueled by yesterday's events and that's not a good basis for a stable relationship. Why don't we do the traditional thing? You know, proper dating, dinner, movies, walks along the beach, that sort of thing. We take it one step at a time and see where it goes."
She thought about his words for a while, before she gave a hum of approval. Andy was right. They were adults and, even though they had two messed up marriages between them, they did know how not to do it. They would figure it out together.
"Where do you think it's going?" Sharon was pretty sure she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.
He leaned down and let his lips gently brush against her ear and his soft whisper made her shiver.
"I can't say for sure, but I'm sure I'm not divulging any state secrets if I tell you that I wouldn't mind it ending up back here. For whatever reason it happened, you gotta admit that we were pretty great together."
Sharon felt him smile against the side of her face and felt an answering smile tug at her lips.
"Mmhmm. Just promise me that, whatever happens, we'll fight for our friendship, okay?"
He tightened his hold on her again and kissed her cheek.
"I can promise you that I won't give it up without a serious fight and between the two of us, I'm sure we've got enough stubbornness to win that one."
For the second time that night, Sharon felt truly at peace, knowing that they were in this together.