A/N: I had no idea this story would be so high maintenance, but that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it :)
~oOo~
"Captain, can you answer your damn phone!" Provenza grumbles, "It's been going off for the past hour!"
"Here's a better solution." She replies bitterly, and he watches in shock as she powers off her phone.
She feels Provenza's strong yet tender grip on her shoulder as she is lead into her office, "Tell me what the hell is going on right now." The older man grumbles, slamming her office door loudly, "You've been all shaken up since you came back from Flynn's. Did he finally ask you out?"
Her angry gaze fixates on him, surprised that he knew of the development in their relationship, "No. He didn't. Have you talked to him at all?"
"I haven't." He sighs as they both sit down, "He's that sick, huh?"
"You could say that." Sharon rolls her eyes sarcastically, blinking away the tears clinging to her lashes before meeting his eyes again, "He's not doing very well."
"I watched that girl grow up." Provenza reminisces, "He's not really sick, is he?"
"It's not my place to say." She responds weakly, wiping a tear away with the back of her hand before offering him a weak smile.
Provenza shoots her a questioning look before straightening his tie, "He's the one calling you, isn't he?"
"Mhm." She hums with a nod, "I'm not in the right frame of mind to talk with him at the moment."
"What'd the idiot say this time?" He asks seriously, expecting every possibility except a relapse, "He's never tried so hard to apologize to anyone."
"He said a lot of things." She answers quietly, her focus drawn to her hands, "But none of it was true."
"What the hell." Provenza grumbles, "I can't help you if you don't tell me what's actually going on. I know how happy you two made each other, even if you weren't officially together. I don't like seeing either of you this upset."
"It's not my place to tell you what's happening." Her voice is shaking and Provenza reaches out, gently squeezing her hand.
"Captain, I know I don't show it often, but I do care about you, and Flynn too." He chuckles, "Let me see if I can set him straight."
She looks at him gratefully, offering the strongest smile she can muster, "Prepare yourself."
"If you stopped being so damn cryptic, maybe I could." He replies honestly before exiting her office.
~oOo~
When Andy woke up the next time, he was feeling better. Still guilty and pissed off, but much better. Turning on the bathroom light again, he examines his face, running his fingers lightly down the bruise. He dials Sharon's number again, but it goes straight to voicemail. She was upset with him, and she damn well had a reason to be.
Opening the medicine cabinet, Andy manages to find a bottle of aspirin, taking two with practiced ease. He turns off the light and mopes to the kitchen, pouring himself a bowl of cereal.
The guilt was back yet again, and Andy suddenly lost all motivation to eat his breakfast. Not only did he throw away his twenty-some years of sobriety, he was throwing away Sharon. One of the people -if he was being honest with himself- that meant the most to him. He was loosing her just as quickly and easily as he was loosing control, spiraling down to the bottom of a bottle without any hope of resurfacing.
A loud knock on the door disrupts his thoughts and he sighs deeply. He knew that knock anywhere, it was Provenza. God, he didn't want to deal with him right now, and he certaintly didn't want to get in another fight.
"Flynn I know you're in there. Open the door." He grumbles and Andy finally obliges, opening the door just enough to see the anger written plainly across his partner's face.
"What do you want?" He asks rudely, "I don't feel well."
"Bullshit." Provenza retorts, "Now open the door and let me in."
"Louie, go away." He nearly begs, the bruised side of his face hidden behind the door, "I can't do this right now."
"Well you know what, neither can the Captain. She wouldn't tell me what the hell was going on, said I have to ask you. Spill it."
Andy hesitates but steps aside, opening the door to allow his grumpy best friend to enter, "What do you expect me to say?!"
"What the hell did you say to her?" He questions, taking a seat on the couch, "And what the hell happened to your face? I hope she did that to you." He grumbles.
Andy begins pacing through the living room, running his hands through his hair, "I fell off the wagon last night." He sighs, "She came to check on me and she-"
"She's disappointed in you." Provenza sighs, the acidic tone in his voice now gone, "You lied to her. Hell, you lied to all of us."
"What did you expect me to say to her?" He frowns, picking at the scab on his lip, "I didn't think and I told her all the same bullshit I told Miranda, all the same bullshit she heard from Jack. She laughed at me when I tried to apologize! She laughed!"
"She's heard it all before Flynn. And every other time she's heard it it's been a lie. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told her: You make each other happy. So fix it. And next time you want a drink, go to a meeting or call your damn sponsor." Before he could say anything, Provenza vanished, just as quickly as Sharon had earlier that morning.
~oOo~
His hands are shaking as he picks up his phone and hesitantly types a message to Sharon:
Can we please talk? I know I messed up, but I need to explain some things.
Surprisingly, the word 'read' pops up beneath the message. At least her phone was on now. His heart nearly jumps to his throat when he sees her typing a response:
Fine. Explain yourself.
He rubs his temples and starts typing again:
In person. Dinner at the usual place. Please meet me at 6.
Hisbreath catches in his throat as she starts typing again, but the bubble soon disappears. Whatever she was planning to say, she had changed her mind.
He lets out another deep sigh before curling up on the couch, resting up as best he could for the no doubt strenuous meeting ahead of him.
