So, here is the fourth chapter of my fic! I'd like first to thank all of you who read, reviewed, favorited or followed this story! I love to hear from you, what you thought about the chapters. Your reviews make my day every time. So, thank you!

Special thanks to my amazing Beta, eelise187, for proofreading this chapter so quickly!

Once again, I don't own the show or its characters.


CHAPTER FOUR: 30TH OF JULY 2015

Andy was sitting at his desk, staring at the closed blinds of Sharon's office. He looked at his watch; five minutes had passed since Sharon had shown Gustavo Wallace into her office for the notification. Alice the young girl killed by Slider. The girl whose smile Andy couldn't erase from his mind. The girl that had haunted him for nearly a year finally had a name: Mariana Wallace.

Andy sighed as he focused his attention back to the closed blinds. He wished he could have made the notification, or at least that he could have been by Sharon's side during the whole procedure. He was kind of disappointed by the fact that after all he had done for Alice-Mariana, he hadn't been involved in the final round, the notification. He knew that Rusty had preferred taking Gus to Sharon, as she was his mother and it was easier for him to ask for her help instead of Andy's. Yet, he also knew that Sharon had been a little taken aback and slightly bothered when Rusty had unexpectedly shown up with Gus. Knowing her, she would have preferred to have been informed first, so she could prepare for the delicate announcement.

The door opened abruptly and he saw Sharon placing a sympathetic hand on Gus's shoulder and whispering to him, "I'm so sorry for your loss, Gus." She then handed him her card as she added, "Please, feel free to contact me if you need anything. I'll call you once we've made the arrangements for the identification procedure I explained to you earlier."

"Okay, thank you." He sniffed, wiping away the remaining tears with the back of his hand. "I-I just need some time and… and I don't think I can do this right now."

"I understand." Sharon replied. "It will take about two days for the arrangements." She reminded him. "I'll call you as soon as it is all set."

Gus nodded and without saying anything else, walked away from Sharon's office. He quickly crossed the Murder Room, ignoring the looks from Rusty and the team, and disappeared down the hallway. The squad had stayed silent during the man's exit, but their attention soon fell on Rusty who was standing motionless next to Buzz. The young man seemed lost, not knowing how to react. He didn't know if he should stay in the Murder Room and wait for his mother, or go after Gus to make sure he was okay. Rusty felt someone patting his shoulder and when he looked up, he saw Tao smiling at him and saw that the rest of the team was slowly joining him, surrounding him.

Andy glanced back at Sharon's office and noticed the door was still half-open, but she was nowhere to be seen. The urge to check on Sharon was too strong. He took advantage of the fact that the others were focused on Rusty to discretely slip into Sharon's office, closing the door behind him.

Sharon was sitting at her desk with her back to the door. It could seem as though she was simply looking out the window, but he knew better. He knew she was trying to recompose herself. He slowly neared her desk and whispered, "Sharon…"

Andy saw her tense the moment she understood someone was in her office, but she immediately relaxed when she recognized Andy's voice. Seeing her shoulders drop he quickly walked around the other side of the desk to face her. She didn't move and was still sitting in her chair, her eyes focused at some invisible point out of the window. Andy noticed that her eyes were glistening; he could also see the path the tears had left on her face, even though she had tried to wipe them away. He wanted nothing more than to hug her and to chase her pain away. He slowly crouched down to meet her gaze, ignoring the slight pain in his knees while doing so. He put his hand on her knee before whispering, "Hey Sharon…"

Sharon finally met his gaze and he smiled wistfully at her before asking, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay." She instantly answered, forcing her voice to sound firm.

Andy raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical. He knew she was just trying to look strong, as she always did in the workplace, but he knew her better. Her eyes, as well as her hands fidgeting with the fabric of her blazer, and the tensed corners of her mouth told a different story. He could tell she was having a hard time in keeping it together. He gently stroked her knee before delicately taking her hand in his and whispering, "Hey, Sharon you know you don't have to pretend with me, right? It's okay…"

Sharon didn't say anything at first, but then she squeezed his hand. When he looked up to meet her eyes again, she admitted in a barely audible voice, "It was so hard…"

Andy silently nodded, stroking her knuckles as an encouragement to keep talking. She seemed to relax under his touch and they stayed in silence for a while until Sharon swallowed and added, "He was so hopeful. I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he thought we had found her and that she had been placed in a foster family… at this point, he would have even preferred we had arrested her. The first thing he asked was where he could find her… I couldn't tell him that she was downstairs." She had purposely avoided using the word "morgue." She looked down at Andy's fingers slowly stroking her knuckles and sighed before whispering, "I explained to him that unfortunately she had been killed and that we had a hard time in finding out who she really was. I can still see his face when the words sank in, how he paled while he was fumbling, trying to tell me that it was probably a mistake. When I showed him Ali-…" She stopped, correcting herself, "Mariana's picture, he just broke down…"

Sharon leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes, trying to stop some new tears that were starting to gather in her eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks again. She wouldn't break down: she couldn't break down. She took deep breaths, progressively regaining her composure when Andy whispered, "I wish I had been there with you…"

Sharon opened her eyes and abruptly stood up from her chair, causing Andy to nearly lose his balance in the process. He slowly stood, ignoring the pain in his knees, and watched her walk away from him as she replied, "And I wish Rusty would have informed me first. I didn't need a full report, a stupid short text would have been enough."

Andy read annoyance and frustration in her voice and he neared her cautiously. She had her back to him once again, so he delicately put his hands on her shoulders before whispering, "I know, Sharon… I wish he would have done that too."

Sharon sighed and rubbed her forehead before murmuring, "I'm sorry. It's not Rusty's fault, he did the right thing. We wouldn't have found Gus without his hard work… I just-I just wish I had handled this notification better."

"I'm sure you did great." Andy told her, reassuringly.

Sharon turned to face him and smiled sadly before reaching for his cheek and stroking it briefly. She then put her hand down and looked around her office before meeting his eyes again and saying, "You can't possibly know that."

"I know you, Sharon… and as difficult as it was, I know you did your best, and offered the kid some comfort."

Sharon crossed her arms over her chest as a way to keep herself together while she distractedly shook her head. She didn't 'do great'. She was experiencing mixed feelings about the situation. She was clearly surprised by the fact that Rusty had finally found Mariana's brother. But at that moment she was still so relieved and happy that informing the Chief about she and Andy's change of relationship status had gone so well. Only to be brought back to the harsh and painful reality of an unexpected notification. She clearly had not had the time to think about how to act, what to say. She felt Andy delicately brush her arm and she looked at him. He smiled sadly at her and opened his arms and whispered, "Come here…"

Sharon didn't move at first. She then felt him carefully take her by the arm and gently pull her close. She resisted at first before reluctantly letting him wrap his arms around her. She hugged him back and closed her eyes as she laid her head on his chest, closing her eyes to focus on the soothing sound of his heart. He laid his chin on her head slowly whispering, "I'm taking you home…"

Andy felt her move and he looked down to see her mesmerizing green eyes staring back at him. She shook her head and said, "Let's first join the team and inform them of our change of status…"

Andy looked at her skeptically and replied, "You're sure you want to do this now? It can wait until tomorrow… It has been a hard day."

Sharon slowly let go of him and straightened her blazer before answering, "That's why I want to do this now. We need to end this day on a positive." She added with a soft smile. She ran a hand through her hair before taking a few steps toward the door and saying, "I want to do this now, everyone is still here. I will first explain the Mariana situation and then…"

"We drop the bomb…" Andy interrupted her with a goofy smile.

Sharon stopped in her tracks and turned around. "The bomb?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow at his choice of words.

"Yeah, they totally won't expect this." Andy said rubbing his hands with a satisfied face. "I can't wait to see their faces." He added smirking before putting a hand on her arm, "Let me go out first."

Sharon rolled her eyes and patted his shoulder lightly before letting him step out of her office. Andy returned to his desk, ignoring the suspicious looks his colleagues were throwing him. After a few minutes, Sharon walked out of her office and looked at her team. Seeing her, Julio asked with concern, "Ma'am, how did it go?"

Sharon cleared her throat and answered, "Well as you can all imagine, it wasn't easy." She spotted Rusty, standing near Buzz and exchanged a look with him before adding, "It wasn't the news Gustavo Wallace was expecting."

"I bet…" Julio sighed.

"I'll talk to Doctor Morales to arrange the body for identification…" Sharon informed them. "Gustavo already confirmed Mariana's identity when I showed him the picture, so it is purely a formality." She pauses and smiled sadly, "Our Alice finally has a name. Mariana Wallace."

"Yeah Captain, your son here did a good job." Provenza said, leaning in his chair to look at Rusty and wink at him.

"He sure did." Sharon answered, offering a sweet smile to Rusty. She was proud of him, of his dedication, and his hard work. She made a mental note to tell him this as soon as she had a minute alone with him.

"That being said, it has been a hell of a day and I think it is about damn time for me to go home." Provenza exclaimed standing up from his chair. He started picking up his things and as he put his phone in the pocket of his jacket Sharon glanced nervously at Andy. She was about to say something when Andy stood from his chair and walked over to stand next to her. He cleared his throat, "Uhm, guys…"

He felt the looks of the whole team focus on him again, making him feel somewhat uneasy. He wondered where the confidence he had shown in Sharon's office had gone. He felt unexpectedly shy and wished he could think of a joke to use to break the news to the team, as he used to do during cases. "Can we have your attention for just one more thing?" Andy finally asked hesitantly.

"Geez, Flynn." Provenza complained, throwing his hands in the air. "Go ahead, but be quick." He added resting his elbows on his chair and looking at him expectantly. "You may not have anything interesting to do tonight, but I do."

"Like what? Crosswords while sitting in your old and dusty recliner?" Andy shot back nervously. He didn't need the teasing of his partner right now.

"What about kicking the ass of a stupid and bragging idiot who…" Provenza answered, faking disgust. He had sensed what it was all about. He wasn't blind, nor was he stupid. His work experience had taught him to pay attention to even the smallest details. Not that Andy Flynn had been very discreet in hiding his feelings for the Captain, or in hiding the details concerning the "big announcement" he was about to make.

"Enough, enough you two!" Sharon interposed, waving her hand in the air in an attempt to stop the two Lieutenants' bickering, barely hiding a smile. Those two were incorrigible.

Tao then chose this moment to bring the attention back to Andy's earlier words, "We?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sharon exchanged glances with Andy who nervously rubbed his neck. He didn't seem to know how to introduce the subject, so before he could faint from high pressure, she took over and said, "Chief Taylor dropped by my office earlier for an interesting talk. I actually asked him to come by, because there will be a little change…"

Sharon saw Amy's eyes widen and Buzz cover his mouth, looking slightly shocked. She realized that her words could be easily misunderstood and she smiled before adding, "Oh no, not that kind of change. I'm not going anywhere." She reassured the team.

She heard a collective sigh of relief and her smile increased when she felt Andy move even closer to her. "Sometimes, working long hours… spending so much time in your workplace can lead to unexpected things. Things you would have never thought would happen. Things you had not been looking for, but that just happen and… it is a risk, but I can assure you all this won't affect the balance of the team and…"

Sharon was rambling; she knew it. She could see the confused faces of the members of her squad and she sighed stopping to reorganize her words. This was going to be a lot more difficult than what she had thought. She turned to Andy for help and he smiled softly at her before stepping in, "What Sharon is trying to say is that… Sharon and I are together. Together as in a romantic relationship, together as a couple and…"

"Yeah Flynn, we all know the meaning of the word together. Thank you." Provenza snorted, rolling his eyes at him.

Sharon and Andy looked expectantly at the team, who silently stared back at them. The couple was starting to feel uneasy at the lack of response. They shared a nervous look when they heard Julio exclaim, rubbing his hands together with a smile, "Bring the cash, Buzz!"

Buzz sighed and rolled his eyes before putting a hand in the pocket of his pants to grab his wallet. He took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to Tao who then handed it to Julio. Rusty watched them, barely holding back a laugh. However, when he looked at his mother and Andy's shocked faces, he couldn't keep it together, the moment was just priceless and he started laughing.

Sharon looked bewilderedly at Andy who frowned before exclaiming, "There was a bet on us?!"

Julio didn't say anything and kept snorting while he collected Tao's ten dollars and Amy's fifteen dollars. This was definitely a good day for him and he couldn't help the satisfied smile on his face.

"Oh no, it wasn't really a bet on you two being a couple." Amy explained, shaking her head. "We all already knew you two were together."

Sharon threw a deadly glare at Rusty who immediately stopped smiling. His face whitened when he realized what his mother was thinking. He immediately put his hands in the air as if he had been caught, before exclaiming, "I had nothing to do with this, I swear!"

Sharon kept looking at her son skeptically, her arms crossed over her chest. Rusty could tell that she wasn't happy about this revelation, and he truly hoped she would believe him when he said he had nothing to do with it. He swallowed hard, feeling uneasy because of Sharon's intense glare. He was a dead man and it wasn't even his fault this time.

"We bet on when you would finally tell us." Tao clarified with a smile, bringing the attention back to their earlier conversation, and Rusty silently thanked him.

"Yeah, the bet on you two getting together was like two years ago." Julio finally spoke. He put the money in his wallet with a triumphant smile.

"TWO YEARS AGO?!" both Sharon and Andy exclaimed, clearly shocked. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Yeah, lost twenty bucks back then…" Julio remembered with a hint of annoyance in his voice, "But this time I got it right!" He added grinning like a fool.

"But we weren't together back then." Sharon said, shaking her head with a frown.

"Well, Captain, you went with Flynn to his daughter's wedding and after that, you called each other by your first names…" Julio started explaining the events that had led the team to think of them as being a couple.

"Don't forget the looks and the smiles they shared." Amy sighed in awe as she remembered all the times she had caught them sharing meaningful glances and smiles.

"And that one time I… uhm… I saw them at that pizzeria down the street." Buzz added hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What were you doing there anyway?" Andy asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Well, we could ask you two the same thing." Provenza shot back, rolling his eyes.

"We had just wrapped up a case." Andy defended himself as he recalled that night very well. He had gone to Sharon's office to say goodnight before leaving. She was still filling out some paperwork and he had suggested she go home and get some rest. He had added that the paperwork could wait until the next morning, but she had politely rejected his suggestion, until her stomach grumbled. She had blushed lightly while putting her hands on her abdomen, and that was when he proposed the idea of the pizzeria down the street.

"Curious, we all worked on that case." Provenza said, scratching his chin, looking falsely pensive, "I remember I was home by then."

"Since when do you remember what you were doing on a casual night two years ago, old man?" Andy shot back, annoyance creeping through him.

"Since my partner is making up shitty excuses to explain why he was out with the Captain." Provenza answered harshly, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"I didn't make this up!" Andy exclaimed, raising his voice, throwing his hands in the air before letting them fall with a sigh of frustration.

Sharon put a hand on Andy's shoulder to calm him down, as she could sense he was starting to get even tenser and it was only a matter of time before he lost his temper. She added, sincerity in her voice, "By the way, we weren't truly together back then."

"Yeah, but you definitely acted like it." Tao pointed out.

"See Mom? That's what I've been telling you both." Rusty said grinning. "You two weren't together… as far as you know." He added, emphasizing the last part of the sentence, barely holding back a laugh.

"Rusty." Sharon warned him.

Rusty immediately stopped smiling and put his hands in the pockets of his pants, looking down at the floor uncomfortably. He knew that when his mother used that tone with him he should instantly stop whatever irritating thing he was doing, or he would be in serious trouble.

Drawing the attention away from Rusty, Andy cleared his throat and said, "Okay, so now you're all informed." He paused and looked at his colleagues before asking with an exasperated look on his face, "Can we stop with the bets now?"

"Uhm… I can think of at least two more interesting ones we could make." Julio teased him with a smirk.

"Being…?" Sharon asked, her hands on her hips, a hint of annoyance in her voice. She wasn't very pleased with the whole betting idea. She really hoped Julio was only teasing and that they would stop now.

"We'll tell you once you two get to that step." The detective simply replied with a shrug.

"Please stop, we're not horses at the track." Andy told them, exasperation in his voice, while his coworkers tried not to burst out laughing.

"Well, anyway, this is such beautiful news. We're happy for you." Amy finally stepped in with a smile, changing topic for Andy's sake.

"Speak for yourself, Sykes." Provenza barked. "These two are idiots. No offense, Captain, but this is all a terrible idea." He added looking at Sharon in the eyes.

Sharon couldn't hold back a smile and shook her head, rolling his eyes before saying, "Thank you, Lieutenant for your faith and undying optimism!"

"Yeah, per usual, the Lieutenant is acting all grumpy…" Tao said, patting Provenza's shoulder and earning a deadly glare from the older man in response, "But be sure, we're all happy for you both."

"Thank you Mike." Sharon answered sincerely.

"Argh…" Provenza sighed, covering his face with both hands. "Idiots." He muttered. "I was kind of expecting that from the dumbass I have as a partner, but you Captain…"

"It happens, Lieutenant." Sharon said with a warm smile. "Sometimes friendships can turn into something more."

Andy put an arm around Sharon and she lightly leaned against him with a satisfied smile on her face. She felt she had taken a weight off of her chest, and she knew Andy felt this way too. Everybody knew, the Chief, the team. She turned to Andy and smiled softly at him. He answered back with one of his charming smiles that made her heart melt when they heard Provenza whining, "Oh please, God take me now."

They all burst out laughing and Provenza added, pointing a finger at the couple, "Flynn, get your arm away from the Captain. Just don't do that in front of me, I don't need to witness to all this. Good Lord."

"I can't believe it really happened." Sharon said, putting two mugs on the small table before sitting down on the couch next to Andy. Andy wrapped an arm around her and she leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder as she added, "Thank you for staying tonight. It has been a hectic day and it's good to have you here…"

"I'm glad to be here." He simply answered.

Sharon smiled before asking, "Did you…?"

"Yeah, I put my badge on the console table in the hallway." He interrupted her, already knowing what she was about to ask. It was the code to inform Rusty that Andy was there too.

"It shouldn't be long before he comes back from the burger place with Buzz and Tao. I'm glad they offered to go out with him, it hasn't been an easy day for him either…"

"Right…" Andy simply muttered, stroking Sharon's arm delicately.

Andy stayed silent, holding Sharon close to him. He seemed lost in his thoughts. Sharon noticed and lightly sat up to look at his face as she whispered softly, "Hey, what's on your mind?"

Andy didn't answer at first. He just kept staring at some invisible point until Sharon took his chin and gently forced him to look at her, "Andy…"

"You've said it. It has been a helluva day…" he replied, avoiding her intense stare.

"There's something more." She stated. She knew it; she could feel it. He was strangely quiet and she wondered why. "You know you can tell me…" she offered him encouragingly.

Andy sighed and turned his head away from her to look in front of him before reluctantly admitting, "I wish I had been in there… I cared about this case a lot."

Sharon froze as she finally realized the meaning behind his words. She remembered how afflicted he had been a year ago when they had found Mariana's body and caught her killer. She remembered how hard it had been for him to not be able to discover who she really was, and to subsequently not be able to find her family. She remembered how he had arranged a memorial service for Mariana, and how touched she had been when she had found out about it. She remembered how pained he was during the service, and that she had been there to gently nudge his shoulder to remind him that he wasn't alone in this. She didn't know how she had not thought about this sooner. He needed closure just as much as Mariana and Gus needed it.

"I'm sorry, Andy…" she said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder and stroking it, "I should have realized…"

"Hey it's okay." He interrupted her, shaking his head. "We didn't expect it to happen, or not today, and not this way."

Andy looked down and swallowed hard. He had promised himself that he wouldn't let the case come back to haunt him. He sighed as he felt Sharon shift next to him. He knew she was coming closer and before he could reassure her that he was fine, she cupped his face before saying in a soothing voice, "I know I didn't tell you this back then… but I'm still very touched and very proud of what you did for Mariana… and I'll make sure Gus knows about it."

Andy smiled and put his hand on hers that was on his cheek. He took it and squeezed before leaning in to capture her lips in a tender kiss. He then pulled her close to him again and they resumed their earlier position. They sat together for a while enjoying the silent condo and each other's company, letting the emotional day slide away.

Andy unexpectedly felt Sharon laugh softly against him, causing him to look down at her with an arched eyebrow. Their eyes met and even if he had no clue as to what was so funny, he couldn't help but smile. Her laugh was infectious; her smile could chase all his pain away. At the end of the day, she was everything he needed.

"I was thinking of the bet the team had on us. I just can't believe they did this…" She paused and frowned before correcting herself, "I just can't believe everyone knew what was going to happen except us. I mean, it wasn't only Nicole and Rusty believing we were a couple… how could we be so obvious and so clueless at the same time?" she added, laughing softly.

"I have no idea… and we're supposed to be detectives." He paused to stroke her hair with a soft smile before adding jokingly, "Let's just say we suck at investigating our own feelings."

"Definitely." Sharon answered back with a grin.

"You know what else is funny?" Andy felt Sharon shake her head against his shoulder as he continued, "Do you know what day it is today?"

"Uhm, Thursday… The 30thof July… oh!" she exclaimed, a smile creeping on her face when she realized what day it was.

"Isn't it funny that some of the most important moments of our lives keep happening on, or near, this date?" Andy asked, then to make his point more relevant, he added, "Nicole's wedding… Rusty's graduation... Notifying Taylor."

"Yeah it is. I guess it is more proof that it was meant to be…" she simply answered as she thought about Andy's words.

Sharon hadn't noticed this detail before and she was still lost in her thoughts when Andy proposed with a soft smile, "We should establish a special day for this date, like some kind of anniversary…"

"Of our one-night stand?" Sharon exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrow as she looked at Andy.

"Of when it all began, silly." He answered back with a soft laugh, pinching her nose.

His smile grew wider when he watched her reaction: the small pout that had appeared on her face at being called "silly" and the smirk that replaced it as she said, "Okay then, and how are we going to celebrate since the day is almost over?"

"I have a few ideas…" he answered, running a hand up and down her arm. "When is the kid coming back?" he then asked, looking around the empty condo.

"I don't know, soon I believe…" Sharon paused to look at him in the eyes and instantly understood what he was thinking. She smiled and added teasingly, "But if you keep quiet, it doesn't matter."

"Oh me?" he exclaimed, faking offense. "I wasn't the one screaming God's name in vain the last time."

"ANDY!" Sharon exclaimed, blushing lightly and covering her mouth with both hands.

"Yeah, you've yelled that name too, quite often." He added with a smirk.

"You. Are. An. Idiot." She answered back, punctuating every word with a pat to his shoulder.

"I'm your idiot." He replied with a grin as he slowly leaned in and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.

Sharon deepened the kiss, running a hand through his hair as she felt Andy's hands run up and down her back. She broke the kiss, their lips still touching as she muttered against his, barely holding back a smile, "Yes, you definitely are."

Sharon felt Andy smile against her lips and she kissed him one more time. She then took a hold of his purple squared tie, "Easy, woman! I love this tie, it's one of my favorites!"

"It is one of mine too, but I will like it better once I take it off." She answered with a malicious smile before leaning in and whispering in his ear, "Come on, Lieutenant. Let's go make our special day unforgettable."


Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fourth chapter!

Don't hesitate to tell me what you felt about it, I'd appreciate it very much!

Stay tuned for Chapter 5!