It was a week later when Andy tried to hold back a grin as he spotted Sharon in the break room making a cup of tea. He opened the door, a similar idea in mind, and when she looked toward him, he gestured to her, "Great minds think alike."

"Hmm," she nodded. "I needed a little pick-me-up. I'm drowning in paperwork."

"Whatever you do, don't have any brownies," he chuckled, referring to their current case where they'd discovered the residents of a self-made retirement community had used brownies to kill the new owner. Sharon stood at the counter, dipping her tea bag and smiled. As Andy walked behind her to the coffee pot, she causally turned her head to speak quietly to him.

"Lieutenant Provenza stopped me in the hall earlier and wants to spend some time with Rusty when we finish this case. Rusty is having a rough time with Chris-friendships of all kinds, really," she shrugged. "Perhaps we could make some plans for that evening, whatever evening the lieutenant takes Rusty out for dinner."

Andy's eyebrows perked up, and he nodded to her as he reached for a cup of coffee. Sharon turned back to her tea, content that she'd put the idea on the table. To anyone walking by, the two were doing their own things, taking an afternoon coffee break, but each was being very careful to not appear to be interested in the other.

"I'd like that; I'd like that very much," Andy said to her as he poured his cup. He briefly glanced to her and find her looking at him, casually, as she continued to prepare her tea. "I'm guessing this would be a spur of the moment decision?"

"Well," she paused, "this case should be finalized tomorrow, the day after at the latest when they can get before the judge. If that holds, we can finish the paperwork here in the office, and I believe Lieutenant Provenza will then take Rusty out for the evening. He's done this before, and whenever he's on his way home with Rusty, he always sends me a message. It should give us enough time to, to," she gestured in the air with her hand, but he finished for her.

"Have sex?" Andy said flatly and eyed her from his stance. He added a little cream to his coffee, and he let Sharon compose herself while he put the creamer back into the refrigerator.

"Yes," she shrugged. "I suppose that's the bottom line."

"Works for me," he said nonchalantly. "Your place, I presume?"

"Yes," she almost stammered. "You know the address, correct?"

"Yup," he said quickly and nodded. "Need me to do anything?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Show up, and if it's anything like the last time, I think we will be fine."

"So, it was just fine?" he smirked, now he turned toward her. He leaned back against the counter and sipped on his coffee. She was still turned away from him, both facing the door, as she leaned against the front counter. She sighed loudly.

"You know what I mean. Just bring yourself. This isn't some date; we aren't going anywhere," she told him.

"Okay, okay," he said, crossing his legs in front of him as he leaned back even further on the counter. He sipped his coffee again, "I mean, I was mainly asking to see if you wanted me to bring wine or dinner or anything."

"No," Sharon pursed her lips and shook her head. "I think we can do without any of that. Besides," she gestured with her hand, "we don't have a lot of time."

"Ahh, so you're prepared for a marathon at a sprinter's pace," he grinned and winked to her when she snapped her head in his direction. Her cheeks turned red.

"No, let's just focus on each of us having an enjoyable time with the time allotted. Remind me to thank your best friend for the evening off," she said as she picked up her cup to leave the room.

"Oh, if I could tell him how much I appreciate his help," he chuckled loudly. "He'd probably have a heart attack."

Sharon rolled her eyes at him, cupping her tea, "Nothing to Lieutenant Provenza."

"On my word," he raised a hand. "I mean, though, it is funny thinking that I could be like, 'Hey, Provenza, thanks for taking the kid out for the evening so I could sneak around and sleep with Sharon' right, he'd die," he chuckled.

Sharon sighed and started to the door, leaving Andy there to drink his coffee, "I'll get back to you with the details, Lieutenant," she said just loudly enough for him to hear her. He held up his cup in an almost 'cheers' to her.

"Looking forward to it, Captain," he nodded. With that, she opened the door and walked down the hall, cool and collected, not a glance back toward him.

Two nights later on a Wednesday evening, Andy stood outside her door, a bit nervous and paused before he knocked on it. She'd sent him a text earlier, not even a half hour earlier, saying that Rusty had left with Provenza. Andy was in the area; he had been waiting for that text. Sharon had told the team the evening before that they would plan to wrap the case the next afternoon. With that, later, as she walked by her desk toward her own office, she raised her eyebrows at Andy in question, and he responded with a simple nod. Now, here, he was, ready for the evening. He hadn't gone home. He'd left work before she had, hoping to catch an earlier meeting than he normally attended. He usually went on Thursday evenings, but his ex had started to schedule some family counseling on Thursdays, fully aware of his meeting schedule, but that was Sandra. So, he'd been trying to catch meetings other times, and here he was, fresh from his meeting. Before he knocked, he remembered he'd put a breath spray in his pocket. He fumbled and finally dug it out, giving his mouth a quick minty taste before he schooled his features and knocked on the door, hoping he looked calm.

Sharon opened the door quickly, almost like she was on the other side of it waiting for him. He stood there, speechless and had to shake his head to bring himself out of his stupor.

"Well, hello," he said in a low tone. He raised an eyebrow to her, "That is certainly a way to greet someone. What if I hadn't been the guy at the door?"

"Don't flatter yourself," she rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to enter the condo. The sleeve of her black robe hung down as she raised her hand in gesture. He couldn't stop staring. She had on a very simple, yet elegant-looking black nightgown. He smirked at her.

"I like your nightgown, definitely a better look than anything you've worn at work," he grinned.

She sighed loudly and brushed her hair from her face. Andy noted she had it brushed out, and while it was hanging around her shoulders like at work, it just looked different. Perhaps he was just dumbfounded at finding her in lingerie at the door. Sharon looked at him until he snapped his head to her gaze, realizing he was staring.

"It's not a nightgown; it's called a chemise," she said, closing it.

"New, just for me?" he flashed a grin.

"Hardly," she rolled her eyes and walked further into the condo. He stood where he was, not sure where she wanted him to go. "I've never worn it, but it's not new; I've just not had the opportunity or situation," she explained, gesturing with her hands in the air. "I decided this was better than my work suit to start the evening."

"Well, it's very sexy, sets the mood well, and yeah, much easier to ahh, untangle," he nodded at his choice of words, "better than your suit most definitely," he smirked. "Oh, I brought this," he held up a bag. She narrowed her gaze at him and shook her head.

"I told you not to bring anything," she sighed. "This is nothing more-" she was cut off by him.

"Sex, yeah, I got it," he nodded and shrugged. "Still, after our latest case, I thought this would be well, perfect," he grinned. Andy opened the bag, and he pulled out what looked like a cd or DVD. "First, I brought this, a copy of the music from work. I know how much you enjoyed listening to the special agent sing "Time of my Life," he smirked.

"That was horrible!" Sharon exclaimed and looked to him horrified, yet she seemed to relax slightly. "You copied that?" She shook her head and made a face; the team had already had to endure listening to that during the case, and it had been so bad, no one had wanted to listen to it again.

"Oh, I did," he held up between his fingers. He moved by her, running his hand very lightly along almost her waistline as he walked and put it on the coffee table by her couch. "Want to watch it again?" She just turned toward him now as he stood in the living room.

"Absolutely not," she shook her head. "That's not funny."

He gave her a playful shrug, "Okay, just thought we could get a good laugh. I hope you like my other gift better."

"No gifts," she gestured her hands in front of her. "Andy, this is nothing, just two people."

"Relax," he said, digging in the bag again. "That case had me thinking about brownies, so I stopped at the grocery store on the way and picked up a couple." He pulled out two brownies from the bag and grinned at her, "These do not have any nuts or other potential things that could kill us. I thought maybe after we finished, we could enjoy them, you know, work up an appetite?"

Sharon narrowed her gaze again, "This is not some date."

"Fine," he shrugged and put the brownies in the bag. "I'll just take these home."

"I didn't say I wouldn't eat one," she said, snatching the bag from him. He grinned and nodded to her while she opened the bag to look inside.

"Feisty-I like it," he winked. "You like brownies, noted. I do too."

Sharon scowled loudly at him and crossed her arms over her robe. She stood there, and both felt an awkward silence settle between them. Andy finally broke the silence.

"So, ahh, how do you want to do this?" Andy eyed her and put his hands in his pocket.

Sharon, still clutching the brownie bag, opened it again, almost as if the brownies had disappeared and glanced into it as she answered in a nonchalant tone, "I thought you were some expert. I didn't seem to need to spell it out for you last time."

Andy chuckled and dropped his head, "You are really feisty, in a good mood too. I like this side of you, all sides of you, if I'm being honest," he nodded to her and gave her a seductive grin. "You know what I'm asking. We get along great at work, Sharon, and I think we've been getting closer, I mean, aside from the obvious here, like closer as friends," he gestured toward her. "It feels awkward, but at the same time it doesn't. I don't think either of us want to lose the friendship, I believe we've built, over anything physical. Do you?"

Sharon's eyes met his, and she silently just reached toward him, her finger just barely long enough to touch his belt, but she was able to just get a small grip on it, and that was enough to gesture for him to move closer. Her finger moved to his side and found his hand where she loosely grasped it.

She looked right into his eyes, her eyes almost sparkling, "We have a couple of hours as best as I can calculate. Lieutenant Provenza always sends me a text when he's on his way with Rusty. Rusty still forgets to check in with me; that's still a concept he hasn't accepted, that people care about him. So, we have time." She eyed him, and the two just stood there, looking at each other. Finally, she said, "Come with me. I am thinking the next hour or two could be the highlight of the day," she nodded toward her room.

"Oh," Andy flashed a bright smile as he followed her, his hand loosely clasped in hers while he toed off his shoes as they walked. He continued, "I might say you were pretty sure of yourself, but since we've now already been down this road, I can say I have no doubt it WILL be the best two hours of my day."

Sharon started to laugh, and the two could both be heard laughing as she pulled him into her room, closed the door, and switched off the light.

Later in the evening, after all of the laughter had subsided, the two found themselves lying in a quiet, dark bedroom. Neither had said anything for the last several minutes. Andy had retreated to one side of the bed and Sharon to the other. The lights from the city were casting just enough light into the room to make out each other's form, but not enough light to clearly see the other. Andy finally coughed and cleared his voice.

"Wow, that was great," he finally said quietly. "Thanks for that, this evening."

"Sure," Sharon said in a matter of fact tone, and he felt the comforter shift as he could tell she pulled it tighter around her. "Thank you for coming over here."

"Does this feel awkward?" Andy asked.

Sharon didn't answer immediately, but she sighed and then did, "No, I mean, it does maybe a little, but we are friends, and we both got what we wanted. I think we can handle this. You?"

"I mean, it is a little awkward," he admitted. "Other women," he paused, trying to decide if he wanted to bring up other women when he was lying in bed next to a woman right now. He decided to continue, "Other women, I guess I realize I'm probably not going to see them again. We have gone out, had a good time, ended up at my place, and that's about it. They know it; I know it. With you, it's like the opposite."

"We've made it clear it's not a date or anything," Sharon said.

"I get it," Andy added. "I'm okay with that. I guess what is weird, though, is that I still enjoy hanging out with you. Is that weird? Like if you said you wanted to get lunch tomorrow at work, I'd be good with that, and it's like I feel I can compartmentalize that versus this."

"I think that is the right idea, the right term even, compartmentalize," she agreed. "We put this away until another time. It's like we checked a box."

"Wow," Andy quietly chuckled, "that great, huh?"

"You know what I mean," Sharon said, raising her hand in the air as she gestured. Both were lying on their backs, not touching, but in the dim light, he could see her raise her arm. "This is how we spent our evening. We go home, we get up, we go to work, and we carry on. I enjoy our friendship very much, whether we have a cup of tea in the break room, grab a bite to eat during a case, or if we end up here like tonight, but that doesn't mean any of it has to be more than it is."

"I think we agree on that, saying the same thing. I just wanted to make sure you weren't feeling awkward," he told her.

Sharon shifted and turned to him, propping her head on her elbow. He turned his head to look at her, and he could see her hair falling around her face, "It maybe felt awkward the first time, maybe a little this time, but I think that feeling will die off as we go forward."

"So," he flashed a grin, "you want this to happen again? I mean, I'm game. This was a great evening, much better than watching a baseball game at home with Provenza stopping by."

She wrinkled her nose, "Please do not mention Provenza's name while we are lying in my bed."

"Noted," he chuckled. "Mood killer."

"Yes, this seems to be working for me, you?" Sharon asked. "It's a little tricky with Rusty's schedule, and there is no sort of set plan we can have, but when the time presents?"

"I'm your guy," Andy said. "So, I mean, should I go? I'd really love to hop in the shower before I go if you don't mind. I'm not opposed-you can join me if that's something you'd like."

"Yes, you may use the shower, but let's just keep our little situation in a bedroom, okay?" Sharon asked him.

"Sure, that's fine. I want this to be whatever you want. I'm happy to be here. Are you always a light off kind of person?" Andy asked.

"Does it bother you?" Sharon asked. "There is some light from the city coming in through the window."

"I guess it doesn't bother me, but from what I can tell, you have nothing to hide," he told her.

"Maybe it's more about the awkwardness," Sharon said to him. "Maybe I feel it's less awkward if the lights are off for us."

"Okay," he said as he thought about it. "I'm good with that, and yeah, maybe I see your point. So, shower?"

"The door there," Sharon pointed up toward the window, "leads into my bathroom. Rusty and I share it, but you are welcome to use it now. Go ahead and get cleaned up; I'm going to tidy up in here."

"I can help," he offered.

"No, it's fine. It's maybe less awkward if we each have our own time," she suggested.

"How about that brownie when I'm done?" Andy grinned as he looked at her again. "I just realized I never see you without your glasses. That's what is different."

"Glasses don't really fit the mood," Sharon told him.

"That's what was different, not your hair," Andy raised his finger in the air, almost pointing. "You look good either way."

"Well, I need to find them now. I can't remember where I put them, maybe on my dresser, but feel free to shower. I have fresh towels folded in there on the shelf," she told him.

"Sounds good," he said, rolling toward her. She pulled back slightly, not sure of his plan. He leaned over her, just almost teasing her like she wasn't sure if he was going to kiss her or not. He rolled and moved so he was now looking down at her, and quickly, before he climbed off the bed, he leaned in and kissed her cheek. "This was a great idea you had," he grinned. "Thanks for including me." He ran his hand over the top of the comforter, where her hand was resting as he got up and walked to the bathroom. Sharon waited until he was inside the bathroom before she got up to find her glasses and tidy up the room.

While Andy was in the shower, Sharon moved quickly around the room. She stripped her bed and put her sheets in the wash, wanting to have everything back in order before Rusty came home from his evening. Doing that, she almost tripped over Andy's shoes, which were right there in the hallway. As she was making up her bed again, her phone alerted her to a text. She knew it was probably Provenza and thanked herself for the good timing.

"Captain forgot to text you when we left dinner. We just pulled into your building. Rusty is walking into the building now and should be up in a few minutes," he told her.

Sharon knew her face went white, and she flew into a panicked rage, running to the bathroom and throwing open the door, "Andy, you have to go NOW!" Sharon yelled, and Andy, who couldn't hear her well over the sound of the water, turned to her. He opened the shower door and looked over to her. Sharon had thrown her robe on without anything else, and he grinned at the sight of the robe hanging open there, unaware of the urgent problem.

"Change your mind about the whole light thing and shower?" he nodded to her.

"Rusty is on his way upstairs. The elevator is slow, but he will be here any second. You have to go now!" Sharon yelled, and Andy, as the words registered with him, his face went pale as well. He quickly turned off the water and stepped out. Sharon grabbed a towel and started to gesture to the door. "You have to go. He cannot see you here."

"I'm trying!" Andy said, now flustered. He started moving through the room, dripping all over the floor. Sharon was ahead of him, grabbing his things as she saw them. Luckily, he had put his keys in his pocket, and they were still there. She grabbed his phone, his shoes, and he followed behind, trying to dry off. She picked up his clothing, where she'd already gathered it and put it on the end of the bed. Andy moved to the front door, still the towel only around him, still dripping wet. As Sharon thrust his clothing at him, she checked the peephole. Andy threw on his undershirt, boxers, and pants, while she still held the rest of his things-his dress shirt and socks and then took his towel. "There's no time for you to finish. You'll have to do that out of the condo."

"Fine, fine," he said, grabbing his shoes, socks, shirt, and phone from her. She still had a panicked expression as she opened the door. Sharon leaned her head out to make sure she didn't hear the elevator.

"Go," she urged him, gesturing with his hands. Before he did, he smiled at her.

"Thanks again," he said.

"Bye," she said, and without thinking, leaned up and planted a very quick kiss to his lips, no sort of warmth or fire behind it, but just a parting kiss. Andy nodded and started down the hall, his shirt, socks, and shoes in his arms. "NO!" Sharon yelled in a very loud whisper. Andy spun around, and Sharon was there gesturing wildly toward the other way. "You can't take the elevator! He'll see you." Andy looked back to the elevator and then back to Sharon. He had his pants on, but they weren't even zipped up, and his belt was just hanging there, not done either.

"Where am I supposed to go?" he hissed.

"Take the stairs!" Sharon said. "He'll see you at the elevator," she gestured wildly to the stairs. "It's that or we tie sheets and slide down from the balcony! We aren't about to do that! Go!" she gestured again, and Andy sighed and nodded, turning to the stairs. He was then out of sight. Sharon closed the door and took a deep breath, closing her robe even tighter. Then, she panicked; Rusty could not see her in just her robe. She was a mess from earlier. Her hair was unsightly, and she needed to disappear quickly. She ran to the bathroom, catching herself as she almost slipped on the wet tile. She really wanted to take a hot shower, but she couldn't do that before Rusty got home. Instead, she turned on the water and closed the bathroom door. Less than a minute later, she heard a knock at the door.

"Sharon, I'm home," Rusty called to her.

"Be out soon, Rusty," Sharon yelled, still standing there at the bathroom sink. She looked in the mirror and let out a deep breath. She knew her room was still somewhat of a wreck. Thankfully, she'd at least put fresh sheets on the bed, even if she hadn't fully made the bed. She chuckled quietly as she looked in the mirror, and then, she turned to the shower. She'd deal with Rusty in a few minutes. Now, she needed to recover from her almost thwarted evening plans.

15 minutes later, Sharon found Rusty in the living room watching television. She was back in her standard evening attire, ready for bed, in leggings and an old, long t-shirt. Her hair was wet, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

"Rusty, how was your evening with Lieutenant Provenza?" she asked, pausing there by the couch to talk to him. She crossed her arms, and he turned toward her.

"Hey, Sharon," he smiled up at her. "We had a good dinner, burgers," he flashed a smile. "Sorry I forgot to text you again."

"Oh, right," she said, her face almost going into a panicked state again. "Lieutenant Provenza did, but I didn't reply. Let me get my phone," she said, disappearing around the corner to the bedroom. Rusty called out to her as she was returning.

"Hey, Sharon, what's the story with the brownies here? Can I have one? " he asked.

Sharon froze, now there right by her desk as Rusty looked in the bag. He looked up at Sharon.

"Sorry, but the bag was sitting here, kinda in the way. I saw it was from the grocery store. You got brownies?" he grinned. "You never get brownies. That a movie too?" he pointed to the cd Andy had brought with him. While she wanted to panic, she took a quick breath and kept her cool.

"Hmm," she gave a small shrug. "I know you've been having a rough time at school. I was even thinking you and Chris could share those after school. She's been a good friend to you. That cd is for work, something with this last case."

He frowned, "I'm not sure we can stay friends. I mean, you know, she doesn't need to be part of my mess, so you can keep the brownies, Sharon," he said, sitting back and crossing his arms. Sharon sighed and took a deep breath as she moved to sit by him on the couch. She reached for the bag and eyed Rusty.

"I think maybe we should share the brownies, hmm? Maybe we just enjoy these few minutes together and sit here with these," she nodded to him, almost encouraging him to take one from her.

He eyed her and shook his head, "You never let me eat here on the couch."

"True," Sharon nodded. "Let's get a glass of milk for each of us, and we can have these as a late-night snack."

Rusty continued to almost glare at her, "Are you okay? Is this some trap? Do you need to tell me something?"

"No, Rusty," she said, ruffling his hair. "I just think that tonight we indulge. It's good to do that every now and then, to enjoy life."

"Ahhh," he grinned and pointed at her, "you've been cleaning. I heard the washing machine going, which is weird for you this late at night. You've been cleaning and must have let the toxic fumes cloud your judgement."

"You rotten child," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, we don't have to eat the little treat," she shrugged, silently grateful he hadn't asked about the particulars of the laundry she had going.

"I'll eat with you," he grinned. "Tell you what-I need to use the bathroom, so if you get the milk ready, I'll be right back."

"Deal," she nodded, and both stood. She watched Rusty walk down the hall and sent off a quick text to Provenza to thank him for the evening.

"Oh geez!" Sharon heard Rusty yell, and she looked up. Before she could say anything, he yelled, "Sharon is something leaking? The floor is soaked!"

"Sorry, Rusty," she yelled back, groaning to herself for not cleaning up all the water from Andy. He'd dripped everywhere, and she had meant to do that after her own shower. She was just out of sorts from almost being caught that she had hurried through her own bathroom routine. Thinking of Andy, she pulled up his name to check on him.

"Sorry about tonight. I hope you got home okay. See you tomorrow," she told him.

"Not sure if I'm irritated more about taking 11 flights of stairs or missing out on my brownie, but the rest of the evening was great. Lost a sock somewhere along the way, so if you see it, you know the owner. Again soon?" he asked.

"As soon as the schedule allows," she replied. She put her phone down and started to the kitchen to pour the milk. Close call, but as she grinned and thought about the evening, she decided it had been well worth it.