I am so sorry it took so long to get this up! It is definitely longer than the last and a little more...emotional. New laptop is here so I hope to be able to finish this story up in the next couple of days.
Thank you again for your warm welcome to this fandom and for all the lovely kindnesses you have sent my way.
XO- Jen
The lights of the city shining around her, Sharon was oblivious to the artificial cosmos through which they rode as she relaxed back against the Mustang's passenger seat, her eyes closed as she held her hands lifted slightly above her lap drawing random curves in the air while lightly singing along with the radio.
...such a lovely place , such a lovely face…plenty of room…
Andy was thoroughly enjoying her little performance but was also concerned that she might crash before they arrived at their destination, and so the sight of a Dunkin Donuts ahead on the right inspired him to weave over two lanes to pull into the drive-thru.
"...to the Hotel Califor…" she was mid-lyric when he suddenly turned the music down as they approached the speaker and a female's voice called out: "It's a good day for Dunkin. How may I help you?"
Andy had managed, "Two large black coffees and two bottles of water, please," when he felt the sudden weight of Sharon leaning on him, her left hand propping her up against his right shoulder as she held onto the steering wheel with her right.
"Oh, donuts!"
Amused by her enthusiasm but surprised at her interest he leaned back to look at her face. "Really? You really want a donut?"
"Yes, please." she answered, her tone sweet and childlike as she all but batted her eyes at him. "Chocolate."
"I don't think I've ever seen you eat a donut."
"Pretty please?"
"Ooh-kay." He chuckled as he turned back towards the speaker and added, "And a chocolate glazed..." before Sharon pressed her weight against his shoulder again.
"Not glazed! Iced!"
"Okay, okay! Settle down, Sally," he teased before turning back to the speaker. "Two large black coffees, two bottles of water, and a chocolate iced donut, please," Turning back to her he asked, "Anything else?"
A satisfied smile on her face, she shook her head as she gave his arm a squeeze and slipped back into her childlike persona as she whispered, "Thank you, Andy."
There were two cars ahead of them in line which gave him the opportunity ask, "Why didn't you get dessert at the restaurant? I'm sure they had amazing..."
Frowning, she shook her head, "Oh, no! I'm too full."
Looking around, he lifted his hand and gestured towards the donut shop. "You just ordered a donut!"
He was met with an enigmatic smile before she closed her eyes and hummed out a bliss-filled, "Mmm...donuts."
Unable to take his eyes off her, a warmth bloomed in his chest as he realized there was no other place he'd rather be and no other person in the world he would rather be with in this moment.
She let her head rest back against the seat for a few seconds before letting it fall towards him. "I'm sleepy, but I don't want to fall asleep."
"Hang in there. Just a couple of minutes and you will have caffeine and sugar. You'll be perked up in no time."
The car in front of them advancing, he was about to follow suit when he felt her soft fingertips stroke the back of his hand as she whispered, "Good. I don't want to miss anything."
Pulling out of the drive thru and into a parking spot, Andy was relieved that Sharon understood his intent as she took the bag holding her donut with her and joined him in moving outside of the immaculate car.
Setting the cups of coffee on the back of the car, he held out a hand and took the bag of donuts which were set next to the cups before he reached out and took her hand to assist her up onto the trunk lid.
Handing her one of the coffees and the bag he admitted, "This takes me back."
"To where?" She asked before opening the bag and inhaling deeply, her eyes rolling back in her head as she basked in the yeasty sweetness consuming her senses.
He took a sip of his coffee, leaning against the car as he allowed himself to enjoy the sight of her delighting in her treat. "Takes me back to high school and staying out all Friday night with my buddies and sneaking into clubs and getting buzzed on cheap beer and then at the end of the night we'd head over to the alley behind our local bakery and flirt with old Mrs. Genovese whose husband owned the place and she'd give us free warm sweet rolls and espresso and we'd sober up enough to go home and pretend we had been at one another's house instead of chasing girls and causing trouble."
"I an only imagine what you were like as a teenager," she teased as she delicately pulled the donut out between her thumb and index fingertips and lifted it to her mouth only to be halted as he asked, "What about you, little miss rule-follower? Did you ever stay out all night?"
She lowered the donut and looked out across the parking lot, her memory less than sparkling giving her slight inebriation.
"I don't think…oh, wait! Yes, actually! Just once. My girlfriend Toni and I and these two guys who were the year ahead of us did."
"And?"
She shrugged as she began to lift the donut back to her mouth. "We had to sleep in a cemetery."
Her mouth was open, but his hand on her wrist halted the donut from entering her mouth.
"You slept in a cemetery?!"
She nodded and lifted the donut again, but her third attempt only resulted in a bit of frosting on her lip as he exclaimed, "Wait! You can't just say you spent the night with two guys in a cemetery and leave it at that!"
She pursed her lips at him. "I can if it means getting to take a bite of my donut."
"Wait, please. Come on." Moving to face her, he rested his hands on the trunk on either side of her hips while also mustering a pleading smile.
"Oh, fine." She dropped the pastry back in the bag with a sigh and licked her upper lip before explaining, "I was sixteen and it was my first real date but the only way my father would let me go was if I doubled with Toni, so the boy…"
"Wait. You slept in a cemetery on your very first date ever?"
"Yup."
"The question I find myself asking is how anyone ever convinced you to go out on a second.""
She shrugged. "I'm made of stern stuff, Andy Flynn. Brave soul and all that."
"I forgot. You are Wonder Woman," His comment inspired a bloom to across her cheeks before he encouraged her to go on. "So, double-dating with Toni."
"Right, so, the boy that asked me out was named, and I am not making this up...Winky Winkleman."
"Stop it."
"No! I'm serious!" she promised as she reached out and played with the button just below the opening of his neckline on his shirt. "His name was really William, but no one called him that."
"Winky. Wow. Okay, so Sally, Toni, and Winky…"
"That sounds like a Dick and Jane book, but I was still just plain old Sharon then. I hadn't discovered the delights of cheap wine yet." The fingers that had been preoccupied with is buttons flexed up slightly and she was instantly distracted by the tickle of his chest hair on her skin, her eyes drifting down the length of his face to where her fingers currently toyed.
"So, who was Toni's date?"
She swallowed hard, a warmth on her cheeks as she looked up at him. "Winky's best friend, Tubbs Glenn."
"Tubbs? Hmmm...I take it he was a big fellow?"
"Very. About six feet four and easily three hundred pounds."
"Woh."
"Oh, but he was just a gentle giant, very sweet, and he had a terrible crush on Toni who was barely five feet tall and weighed about 90 pounds. They made quite the couple."
"I bet! And Winky? Was he quite the stud?"
She couldn't help but giggle as she pictured the lanky boy who had had a crush on her since they were twelve years old and whom she had only agreed to go out on a date with because she didn't want to hurt his feelings by saying no. "He was tall, but not as tall as Tubbs, and skinny, but so was I. He wasn't Robert Redford by any stretch, but he was very sweet."
"You felt sorry for him, right?"
She scrunched her nose, not wanting to be unkind. "Not..no…I didn't feel sorry for him. He was just...he was a very nice boy."
He didn't press, although he was quite certain his assumption that beautiful, kind Sharon O'Dwyer had taken pity on the fellow was correct. "Okay, so Sharon, Toni, Winky, and Tubbs go out on their double date…"
"We sound like some Saturday morning cartoon!"
He laughed at the thought. "The Adventures of Sharon, Toni, Winky, and Tubbs!"
"Sharon, Toni, Winky, and Tubbs go to the moon," she added before joining in his laughter.
"So, was it a good date?"
"Mmm..." she let her head fall to the one side as she tried to remember what had happened before the cemetery. "It was. Mostly..."
"Mostly?"
"Well, we did typical teenage first date stuff. We went for pizza and then we were going to go to our local skating rink which happened to be in front of this big, creepy old cemetery and I guess the boys thought they would impress us by daring one another to go in, but Toni and I were pretty…ballsy…and so it became a boys versus girls thing to see who would go further in and then it was who would lay down on a grave and who would go inside a mausoleum, and then suddenly it was getting pretty dark and we all freaked out a little and when we ran back to the gate, we were locked in."
"Holy crap! Who freaked out the most?"
Sharon snorted as she leaned back, her weight supported by one hand resting behind her. "Tubbs! That great big boy immediately burst into tears!"
"Oh, man!"
"Bless his heart. He was so embarrassed! He kept apologizing to Toni. I'm pretty sure he was afraid of the dark as it was, but then add the whole surrounded by dead people thing and he was apoplectic."
"So, there you are in the dark cemetery...the giant crybaby, Winky, the future police captain, and her tiny friend…"
"And I think I suggested that maybe either Toni or I could slip between the bars of the fence and go get help but even with Toni being tiny and me being a string bean, neither of us could squeeze through because the bars were only spaced about six inches apart."
"And there was no way to climb over?"
She shook her head. "The gate and fence were well over twelve feet tall. I could almost reach the top by standing on Tubb's shoulders, but I think I would have probably broken an ankle if I had climbed over and had to drop."
"Oh, man…"
"The good thing was that it was a warm and clear night, so it wasn't a big deal to sleep outside. I was far more scared that my father was going to chain me to my radiator and never let me leave the house again when we got out the next day."
"You weren't freaked out about being in the dark in a cemetery?" Andy asked with a shiver.
Sharon shrugged and frowned. "Not really. I've never been that creeped out by dead people. It's just boxes and bones and headstones.'
Andy considered the fact that she had always been a cool customer at crime scenes and when he had joined her to consult with Dr. Morales in the morgue, but he was still surprised that a teenage Sharon had held it together given the situation. "You're nuts. I would've peed my pants."
She waved her hand dismissively. "I doubt that, still the worst part was just dreading what was going to happen to me when I got home the next day."
He gave her knee a squeeze, and when she didn't protest, let his fingers rest there as his thumb ran light circles over her knee cap. "What time did they open the gate?"
"Sunrise. Toni and I were huddled together on a soft patch of grass on one side of he gate and the boys were laying on the other side of the road and the old caretaker who had locked us in the night before told us later that he thought we were bags of garbage that someone had thrown over the fence until we started moving as we heard his truck get closer to the gate."
"And your folks? What happened when you got home? Were you grounded for six months?"
"Well, the police were there and all my neighbors were out in their yards. It was totally embarrassing at the time and I was shaking, not from the night, but from fear about how my dad was going to react."
"So what happened?"
"Well, my mom was just so happy that I was okay I thought she was going to break my ribs she kept hugging me so tight and wouldn't let go."
"And your father?"
"My dad..." Her gaze shifted to over his shoulder although her eyes didn't focus on anything particular in the distance, a gentle smile breaking as she recalled how her father had simply stood behind her mother with his arms wrapped tightly around his body, tears that she had never before seen him shed rolling down his cheeks.
"You okay?" Andy gently cupped her cheek, his head tilted as he looked at her with concern.
Clearing her throat, she gave her head a little shake before managing a smile. "Yes. I just hadn't thought about that morning in a long time."
Sharon's father had passed away only eighteen months before, and Andy quickly realized she was probably still working through her grief and this trip down memory lane had most likely brought it to the surface. Putting himself in her father's shoes and imagining if it had been Nicole returning home after a night of being missing, he softly asked, "He wasn't mad at all, was he?"
"No. He just stood behind my mom for a few minutes until I looked up at him and before I knew it, he was behind me, pulling both of us into his arms." She let her cheek rest against his palm as she looked up into his eyes. "And then he just kept whispering over and over in my ear: 'My girl. My girl is safe."
He used his free hand to wipe away a stray tear that ran down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"Oh, Andy, you didn't. Not at all." She wrapped her hands around his and pulled them to just below her chin. "It's a good memory, really. It was nice to remember." She cleared her throat again, divining a smile to ease his concern as she added, "I'm just a little...fuzzy. I should've stopped at one glass of wine."
He wiped away a few more tears before offering, "I think I know what would make you feel better."
She closed her eyes as he leaned in towards her and she held her breath as she waited for his lips to touch hers, but she found herself jerking back slightly as the smell of dough invaded her senses and a smear of icing brushed onto her upper lip. If forced, she would have to admit that she was disappointed that he had brought the donut to her lips instead of his own.
Watching her teeth finally sink into the pastry, he anticipated witnessing her slip into ecstasy, but instead was treated to her giving him a firm shove to the right before sending the bite hurdling towards the ground, although it bounced off her toes before landing on the parking lot below.
He stared at her in disbelief.
"Ugh. That was disgusting. How can something that smells so good taste so bad?"
His mouth hung open as he stared at her. "Did you really just spit out your donut?"
Reality dawning, she threw her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
He couldn't help but burst into hysterical laughter. "That...I can't...I can't believe you just did that!"
She shook her head as she pulled her hands away. "I am so embarrassed! Oh, God, Andy! I am so..."
Laughing, he side-stepped the donut bite and took her face in his hands. "You're beautiful."
"Hardly! I'm disgusting! Oh, I am so sor-" She tried to look away, but he held her fast.
"Don't you dare apologize. I had hoped tonight would be memorable and now it definitely is, Captain Raydor!"
"You can't tell anyone. Please, Andy!"
Knowing he had a playful upper-hand, he let go of her face and leaned back a bit as he studied her worried countenance. "Hmmm…you may have to make it worth my while."
Her eyes narrowed as she held his gaze and she willed a smile not to betray her lips as she shot back, "You're threatening blackmail against a superior?"
"Technically we're on a date so you aren't my superior…" he reconsidered his statement. "Well, of course you are my superior, being the fairer sex, of course, you're my superior, but it's a different kind of superiority…"
Pulling a napkin out of the bag, she delicately wiped her mouth off as she regained her composure. "Quit flannelling and name your terms, Flynn," she said matter-of-factly as she straightened her posture.
"Hmmm...I better make this count." He rested his chin in his palm as though deep in contemplation. "I know. You have to have dinner with me every Friday for the next month as long as we aren't knee deep in a murder."
His demand wasn't much of one given that they usually had dinner on Friday evenings when work allowed, but she liked the little game they were playing so she pressed: "Just dinner or do your terms require me to partake in other activities."
"Other activities? Perhaps you could provide me with some examples?"
She cocked her head at an angle and looked up for a moment before answering. "Activities like going to the movies or going to one another's house to watch a film, or concerts, you know, long walks...activities of that nature."
Crossing his arms in front of him, he let her dangle for a moment before he asked, "Do you think there might be kissing involved with any of these activities?"
Her eyes widened and she bit the side of one of her blushing cheeks as she forced herself to look into his eyes rather than focus on his lips which suddenly seemed incredibly enticing. "Hmmm…kissing. That's, well, I would say…" She exhaled deeply before relenting. "I would say kissing wouldn't be out of the question."
"So, dinners and other activities possibly with kissing for the next four Fridays." Wanting to retain his slight advantage in the situation, he maintained a business-like tone as he held out his hand. "Well, ma'am, I think we have a deal."
Unable to keep from grinning, she reached out and shook his hand, but immediately let out a yelp as he surprised her by pulling firmly enough that she slid into him. "Andy!"
Their noses almost touching, he moved his free hand around to rest on the middle of her back as he added, "And because I'm sort of sweet on you, not only will I keep the fact that you sent a chunk of slobbery donut flying across the parking lot, but I won't tell everyone that you kissed me first."
His lips were millimeters from hers as he asked the question and she found herself holding her breath as she anticipated him closing the gap between them, but again her hopes were dashed as he moved so that his mouth was only a few centimeters from her ear.
"You ready to take that ride?"
Nodding, she prepared to climb down from the car, but hesitated as she suddenly looked down at the smear of sticky chocolate which covered three of her toes. "My foot. I don't want to traipse chocolate into the car."
Stepping back, he followed the direction of her gaze and then quickly fetched his handkerchief from his pocket. "Hang tight," he whispered before trotting back to the driver's side of the car to retrieve his bottle of water. Wetting the hanky on his way back to her, he lifted his foot up onto the bumper and gently grasped her ankle and rested her foot on his knee as he dabbed at her toes.
"Sorry it's cold," he apologized as he wiped away the last few bits.
Watching his tender ministrations, she was far more affected by the warmth of his touch than the coolness of the water and she felt a sudden twist in her stomach which soon moved even lower. It had been so long since a man had touched her outside of a handshake or a friendly embrace and each time that night that Andy had held her hand or the fleeting moments when he had gently cupped her cheek, she had found herself longing for more of his touch.
Her breath hitched as his hand slipped up to her calf before tenderly lowering her foot to its place beside her other, and upon his release, she felt immediately disappointed as she watched him pick up their coffee cups.
"Here, let's finish these and they we'll take off."
They held one another's gaze as they proceeded to drink the hot coffee which led to Sharon's senses sharpening as the rich, strong drink connected with her nervous system and the slight dull buzz from the wine began to disappear.
"I still can't believe I just spit that donut out," she whispered before taking another sip. "God, I'm such a lightweight."
He closed the distance between them, putting his coffee down before reaching over and gently tapping her knee with the side of his thumb. "How are you feeling now?"
"You mean besides completely mortified?"
"Oh, please. Don't be silly."
She placed her coffee cup next to his on the trunk. "Thank you for the coffee. I feel more alert."
"Good."
She inched forward as she considered climbing off the back of the car but was unsure about her footing given her heels,. "Do you mind helping me down?"
More than happy to have the opportunity to touch her, he wrapped his hands around her waist and waited until her hands were grasping his shoulders before helping her hop down.
Safely on the ground, she began to take a step back, but was unable to move as she felt him take a firmer grip around her waist.
"You really okay?"
"I am." She let her hands lightly skim over his shoulders and down his upper arms as she explained, "There's this very nice man taking care of me. He brought me the most gorgeous flowers, and then he took me to a very romantic restaurant in this amazing car, and then he bought me coffee and the world's worst donut and just a minute ago he wiped chocolate off my toes."
He was blushing a bit, but managed a cheeky, "He seems like quite a catch. How in the world did you ever land him?"
She bit her bottom lip, failing miserably at keeping a smile from breaking across her face. "I'm not sure. He hangs around my work."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. In fact, he is constantly outside my office looking in and giving me these goofy smiles."
"Goofy?"
"Incredibly goofy." She lifted onto her toes and whispered in his ear, "But he's also a terrible flirt."
"Yeah?"
Mmm…He has quite the reputation."
"No…"
She leaned back and gave him a reproachful look. "Oh, yes. A total ladies' man."
"Sharon…"
Giving his arms a squeeze, she tried to assure him. "You know I'm just teasing. It's okay, Andy."
"It's not." He took a step back, so he could look at her fully. "You know that's not what…I'm not that guy, Sharon…."
"I really was just teasing."
"No, I'm glad you said it. I want us to be clear. I haven't been on a date in more than two years." He hesitated but decided to take a huge chance by being completely honest with her. "I haven't even considered…haven't wanted anyone but you since Nicole's wedding."
His confession left her speechless.
"Do you remember that day before the Nutcracker, after Nicole stopped by the office and you found out I had…misled her a bit, and you invited her and me to dinner before the ballet so we could set things straight?"
"Of course."
"Well, do you remember what I said when we were in your office figuring out what we were going to tell her?"
She remembered the conversation and how flustered she'd felt, but she couldn't recall anything specific he had said besides agreeing to talk to Nicole at dinner. "I don't remember anything specific. What did you say?"
"I said I didn't want to. I tried, but you didn't really hear me. I didn't want to tell Nicole that we weren't together that night because I wanted it. I wanted it so much."
"Andy…"
"I'm not that guy I was years ago just going from meaningless distraction to meaningless distraction anymore, Sharon. I finally have it figured out, see? I know what I want. Maybe for the first time in my life…"
She was feeling more and more conflicted as he went on, and while she was desperate not to push him away, she also felt it was too soon to be having this particular conversation. As she had in the restaurant, she lifted a finger to his lips to halt his speech before she whispered, "Wait, Andy. We're not there. Not yet."
"Sharon…"
She looked up into his face, a soft smile on her lips. "I didn't say no, Andy. I'm not saying no. Just not yet."
He sighed, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he offered, "Snail speed."
"Sloth speed," she answered with a warm smile.
Giving her waist a slight squeeze he added, "Turtle speed."
She nodded, "Turtle speed."
Releasing her from his embrace, he took her hand, and fingers interlaced, they made their way back to the car, stopping long enough to gather and throw away their cups and the rumpled donut bag before he opened the passenger door for her, his eyes once again landing on her legs as she sat. The door closed, he leaned down so that their faces were even.
"You feel like doing a little dancing, Captain?"
"I'd love to."
He was moving to stand when she placed her hand over his on the car door. "Wait, before we go. There's just one more thing I need you to do."
"What's that?"
"I need you to say something for me."
"And what might that be?"
"I want you to say w-"
Before she could get the word out, his lips were on hers as they shared a longer, deeper kiss than her peck in the restaurant.
Pulling away, he gave her a crooked grin and whispered, "Now we're even," before turning to make his way around to the driver's side.
They had just merged onto the freeway when Andy turned to Sharon and asked if she'd like to listen to music.
Nodding in the affirmative, she relaxed back in the seat as he searched through the stations until finally landing on one that played jazz standards.
The moon high and bright above them, and the breeze comfortable as they coasted down the open road, Andy reached over and took Sharon's hand just as a mellow trumpet filled the speakers followed by the smooth voice of Chet Baker singing:
Lately I find myself out gazing at stars
Hearing guitars like someone in love
Sometimes the things I do astound me
Mostly whenever you're around me
Lately I seem to walk as though I have wings
Bump into things like someone in love
Each time I look at you
I'm limp as a glove
And feeling like someone in love…
