They took a seat in the only two chairs inside of the small, stuffy building and waited for Tom to come in and smile his face off at them. Andy could already see himself punching the guy by the time this whole thing was over.

He heard Sharon clear her throat, but before he could say anything, Tom walked in with his arms spread wide and his teeth shining in the dim light of the building. Andy just barely suppressed the urge to gag and slouched down in his chair as far as possible so he didn't have to look at him.

"Alrighty, folks! So..." he looked down at the file in front of him, then looked up at Andy, "you must be Raymond", at Andy's reluctant nod, he turned to Sharon and smiled even more widely, "and this lovely lady must be Ann." Sharon nodded with a polite smile as Tom continued talking, not letting either one of them get a word in edge wise.

"I'm just going to explain a few things, then we'll get you settled in your room. First, just a little background info. We're the number one marriage camp in the western United States for five years running now. We've saved more marriages than all the other camps in the US combined and..."

While he continued to brag endlessly, Andy tuned him out to study the pictures on the wall behind his head. It seemed they were arrogant enough to put up a picture of all the marriages they had "saved". Although he would put down good money that a lot of them were either divorced, or headed that way.

"Ray...Ray...Raymond!" Andy blinked, forgetting that he was supposed to respond to that name, and turned to look at his "wife".

"What?" He saw that both of them were looking at him expectantly, although he had no idea what they wanted from him. He shrugged his shoulders and sat up in his chair. He should probably start paying better attention; especially since not paying attention is what had gotten him in this situation in the first place.

"Tom wants you to sign that paper in front of you so we can go to our rooooom." She had said that all in an annoyed sing song voice out of the corner of her mouth, and he suppressed the urge to smile. He was supposed to be an annoyed husband, not a the potential suitor he wished he could play instead.

"Oh, right." He pretended to be put out as he sat forward and signed his fake name with a flourish, then stood up quickly. "So, can we go to our room now?"

Tom eyed him a little warily as he smiled again and walked around his desk towards the side door. "Yes you can. Don't worry about your car, just grab your luggage and let me show you where you'll be staying, then you can come down to dinner at six and introduce yourselves to everyone else. I'm so excited!"

Flynn couldn't stop the "Oh, joy" that popped out of his mouth, but he doubted that Tom had actually heard him, seeing as he was too busy trying to get Sharon to take his arm so he could escort her outside.

Andy wanted to push the guy out of the way and claim his territory...but again, they were supposed to be estranged, and really, she wasn't actually his; so there wasn't much he could do.

Sharon glanced over her shoulder at him with "help me" written all over her face, but all he could do was shrug and adjust all their bags in his arms. Her suitcase alone felt like she was packing rocks instead of clothes as he trudged slowly after them, cursing Tom for making a move on Sharon, and his supposed "friends" back at LAPD for volunteering him for this.

XXX

As soon as they'd finally convinced Tom that they were OK to unpack themselves and find their own way to dinner, Andy flopped himself onto the only bed in the small casita and rubbed his hands over his face. Sharon sat down on the edge of the mattress a few feet away from him and patted his thigh right above his knee. "Andy, I think you need to act a little bit more husband-like if we're going to convince anyone that we're married."

He moved his head up to look at her and sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I let Tom get to me, but I'm not sure exactly how I'm supposed to act; especially since we're "estranged" and not on good terms." He let his head fall back onto the mattress as he waited for her to reply. Trying NOT to think about how there was only one bed, and not a couch in sight.

When she didn't reply, he turned his head to look at her, and saw that she looked worried.

"Cap-dammit-Sharon, what's wrong?"

She glanced over at him, then stood up to start unpacking her suitcase. With her back to him, she said, "A lot of things, Andy, but I'm mainly worried about Rusty. I know he'll be staying with Lieutenant Provenza, but I don't like being away from him for long; and we don't even know how long we'll be here." She put some undergarments in a drawer quickly and closed it before turning back around to see Andy sitting up on the bed.

He gave her a half smile, one that made her insides do a little flip-flop, and said, "I think the kid is in good hands. No offense, teenagers like it when their parents leave. He'll be fine."

She knew he was right, but she still didn't like being away from him. There was no use in worrying about it though, because she needed to focus on this operation. The sooner they caught the killer, the sooner they could go home. That was motivation enough.

He slapped his thighs and stood up to unpack his own suitcase. Their little casita was small; with only one bed, one bathroom with a shower, one dresser, and a closet. It felt like college all over again to Andy, except this time he had a "wife" to share the small space with, and no TV to buffer the situation. He had a feeling things were going to be a little bit awkward; especially at night.

He was interrupted by Sharon clearing her throat uncomfortably. When he looked at her, she said, "I'm..uh..going to take a shower before we go down to dinner." He watched her grab her shower kit and some clothes, then hurry to the bathroom and shut the door with a quiet 'snick'.

He sighed once more, then grabbed himself a pair of dark blue jeans and a light blue polo to change into.

XXX

As they made their way down to dinner, her dressed in a silky, pink shirt with black slacks, they discussed how they were going to act and made sure to get their background information straight. By the time they were at the door, they both were a little more relaxed and confident about what they were going to do.

He opened the door and let her precede him like usual; she stiffened a little when his hand found the small of her back as they walked into the plain, nondescript hall with tables and chairs lining either side. He made a scratching motion with his fingers to get her moving, then plastered an ornery look on his face as they searched for a seat. The noise had died down a little when they walked in, but as soon as people got over their curiosity, they picked their conversations back up with barely a glance in their direction.

Andy breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then guided Sharon over to an empty section and sat down in his own seat. He really wanted to pull her chair out for her, but to play his part, he ignored his urge to help.

As soon as they were both seated, Tom stood up to welcome everyone to dinner, then he gestured over to Andy and Sharon and beamed. "I'd like to introduce the new couple, who I'm sure you've all noticed by now." He motioned for them to stand up, which they did with reluctance, then said, "This is Raymond and Ann Blake. They're from San Diego and have been married for a little over 12 years. Let's all try to make them feel welcome please."

Andy waved a little, rolling his eyes internally, then sat back down and folded his arms across his chest. The Captain was a little more graceful as she smiled at everyone before sitting down herself.

After Tom finished his welcome, everyone stood up to go to the buffet lined up against the back wall while Sharon leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear as she said, "You play the grouchy, old man pretty well, Lieutenant. Although I can see right through your act."

He looked at her incredulously as she grinned and stood up to get some food for herself, squeezing his shoulder as she passed him. Their roles were simple. He was supposed to be surly and closed off, while she was supposed to be loving and warm. So far it didn't seem to be much different than how they were in real life; although he would be much more of a gentleman if they were themselves.

Just as he was about to stand up himself, a slightly overweight, balding man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt sat across from him with a smile on his face. He spoke before Andy could pretend he didn't see him. "Hi, Raymond. I'm Jake." He stuck his hand out for Andy to shake, but Flynn just rose an eyebrow and nodded his head in acknowledgment. Jake's smile dimmed a little as he lowered his hand, but he didn't seem too put out by Andy's attitude. Damn.

As Jake picked up his fork to begin eating, Andy said, "You can call me Ray. I hate Raymond."

Jake nodded, "Well nice to meet you, Ray."

Andy looked over to see Sharon advancing in line and sat back in his chair again. "So..uh..Jake, how long have you been here at this...camp?"

Jake finished chewing the food in his mouth and smiled again. "Well Janice and I arrived about a week ago, and we're planning on leaving in a few days. This place has done wonders for our marriage." Just as he finished his sentence, a pretty, brown-haired woman sat down next to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She smiled widely at Andy as she introduced herself, then picked up her fork and began eating.

Once again feeling like something was off, he made a mental note to mention to Sharon how unusual it was that everyone was so happy. Everywhere he looked, there were smiles. In fact, he was wearing the only frown in the room. Just. Odd.

He watched Sharon make her way over to him with two plates of food and tried not to show how much her thoughtfulness pleased him. He was beginning to get a clear picture of how it would be to actually be married to her; and it was something he wasn't going to dwell on in a room full of strangers, because he might start smiling.

She put a plate in front of him and set some silverware next to it before sitting down herself. He grunted a thank you, internally cringing at how rude he was coming off, then began eating; not even introducing her to the couple across from them.

He listened to them introduce themselves to Sharon, then make inconsequential small-talk while they finished eating, but his ears perked up when he heard them mention the Cooleys and paid even closer attention as Sharon directed the conversation that way. "So who are the Cooleys? Are they still here?"

Andy looked up to see Jake shake his head with a worried look on his face. "We did all the group activities with them, so we're..uh..a little worried. They didn't even say goodbye."

Sharon nodded in sympathy. He could tell she wanted to ask more, but she couldn't push too hard and seem like she was interrogating them. Instead, she reached across and patted Janice's hand, her shiny, new wedding ring glinting in the low light. "I..I'm sure they'll give you a call as soon as they get home. Maybe he surprised her with a trip or something."

Janice didn't look reassured, but before Sharon could say anything else, Tom stood back up and the hall went silent. "That was a mighty fine dinner! Please be sure to drop your plates in the bins on your way out. Makes clean up lots easier." His voice was so annoying, but Andy tried his best to endure it as Tom continued, "Remember, there's a bonfire/group therapy tonight at nine. I look forward to seeing y'all there!"

Andy yawned behind his hand and looked over at Sharon. She looked as tired as he felt, but they really needed to go to the stupid group therapy if they were going to continue their charade and find out more information about the camp and the Cooleys.

Feeling his eyes on her, she looked at him and reached over to discreetly squeeze his fingers that were laying on his thigh. He caught them and squeezed lightly before she could draw them back, then let go as everyone stood up to go back to their casitas to relax and get ready for the bonfire.

Jake and Janice waved goodbye to them as they slowly made their way back towards the exit. Sharon hooked her hand at the crook of his elbow, and his tall frame made it easy to guide her through the throng of people who were simultaneously welcoming them and walking out of the building.

He tried not to show how happy just her touch made him, so he thought about Provenza and all the annoying things he'd done to him over the years; that soured his mood as quickly as anything, and the scowl on his face was genuine by the time they left the building and made their way back to their casita.

As soon as nobody was around, Sharon tugged on his arm for him to stop. He turned to her, but before he could say anything, she wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tightly. He automatically hugged her back, not even caring why she was doing this publicly; she obviously had a reason.

She turned her head to speak into his ear while running her fingers lightly up and down his sides, her lips once again brushing the shell of his ear. "There's someone watching us closely about twenty feet to your left. I just didn't want you to say anything that would give us away. Kiss my temple, then release me and I'll thread my arm back through yours and we'll continue walking back."

He nodded, holding on to her a little longer than necessary, then turned his face to kiss her temple; simultaneously resisting the urge to not look in the direction of the person watching them, and pulling her even closer to him and kissing her senseless.

Able to tamp down both desires, he released her with reluctance and tucked her hand a little closer to his side as they continued walking.

Now that he was aware that someone was watching, he felt tense and on edge. He also felt like he needed to protect her, which was an instinct that he needed to tamp down quickly. She didn't need his protection, just his support.

They made it back to their casita within minutes, and he turned and locked the deadbolt as she kicked off her shoes and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

She looked worried again, but this time it was for an entirely different reason than before.

Andy had a feeling this "camp" had everything to do with the murder of the Cooleys.

XXX

A man watched as the couple embraced, then as the tall man kissed the woman's temple. His blood boiled with jealousy. The tall man had treated her like shit during the entire meal, how could she just let him do that then hug him like nothing had happened?

He was going to do something about it. Soon.

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think. :)