More Than Luck

By: Kadi

Rated: M

Chapter 4

Sharon Raydor left the station at exactly 6:01 pm. The other members of her squad were already gone, they'd finished their side of the paperwork before leaving for the much needed nine day vacation they'd been given. Rusty was gone with Provenza, his police escort tagging along behind. She was assured that there would be dinner, a movie, and that he would be home no later than midnight. Given the way he had glared at her, then at Flynn, she had a fairly good idea of why he was extending the evening.

Andy had sent her a text after he left, he'd pick her up at seven and asked that she wear something comfortable, casual, and bring a jacket. After finishing her work that had given her just enough time to get home, freshen up, and change her clothes. The knock at her door came as she was pulling an old, brown leather jacket out of her closet. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she walked toward the door. Whatever happened tonight would define the course of the remainder of their association. Whether or not they'd just remain friends or if this… unnamed thing between them would make the turn toward something more. It had been too long since she felt the thrill of that sort of anticipation. She drew a thin, slightly shaking breath as she opened the door.

Andy stood there, his dark leather jacket over a green button down and a pair of jeans. He stared at her. He told her comfortable because where he was taking her, the dress would have been much. Also, because he wanted to be able to use a clear head. He wouldn't be able to keep one as long as she was wearing that, or something similar. It was completely foolish of him to think she wouldn't look just as stunning in anything else. Andy blinked several times. She was wearing a simple, cream colored, cowl neck sweater that hugged every curve exactly the way it was meant to, and a pair of blue jeans and brown riding boots. They looked as though she'd been painted into them and for just a moment his heart stopped beating.

Sharon pressed her lips together. His response sent little sparks of excitement right down her spine to to settle in the pit of her stomach. Her lips curved into a smile. "Andy." She reached for her purse and her keys and stepped out of the Condo after assuring herself that her phone was inside it. If she let him in, they might end up not going anywhere at all. While that thought was exciting enough on its own, they still and things to discuss.

It was enough to snap him out of it. His hand moved to the small of her back as they walked. "You look good," he said, quite unnecessarily, and they both knew it. He smiled at her answering grin and led her down to his car.

"Thank you." She gave him a sideways glance. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell me, now, where it is that we're going?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "It ruins the surprise if I tell you. I need the element of surprise with you. You're too good."

She laughed, but leaned into his side when he took her hand as they left the building. Once they were in the car and headed away from the complex, Sharon turned slightly in her seat to watch him. "So, what happened in the break room this afternoon? Are you going to tell me?"

"How do you always find out these things?" Andy shook his head. "I swear, lady, you've got eyes everywhere. We can get you out of IA but you're still tainted by the dark side of the force."

"Hm." She shrugged at him, amusement lighting her eyes. "Okay, I'll share one of my dark, wicked little trade secrets with you. But you aren't to ever tell another living soul. Agreed?"

Andy's brow lifted. He glanced at her, a grin playing at his lips. "Okay, this I can't wait to hear. You've got me word. Another living soul will never hear it from me."

"I'm going to hold you to that." Sharon reached up and pulled her hair over her right shoulder. "How do you think I always knew when you were naughty? I listen to the gossip. Every station is always full of it. If you're used to being ignored, which I am, you can move around stay pretty unnoticed. You hear things."

"Sharon." He shook his head. "I can't imagine you ever going unnoticed." They had stopped at a light. His look was long, but full of meaning.

Her cheeks colored. Sharon looked away, not in the least uncomfortable with him, but no longer accustomed to that sort of attention. "Yes, well, you might be alone in that summation. Also…" She flashed a grin. "Amy Sykes has a very big mouth."

"Big mouth, bad timing, and usually pretty clueless." Flynn sighed. "If she wasn't capable of learning and a halfway decent kid, I'd tell you to get rid of her."

"The same thoughts had occurred, but she came to us highly recommended, and as you said, she's capable of learning. Which she has. She's not quit the… how does Rusty put it… ah, she's not quite the spaz that she was when she joined us."

"How is that going by the way?" He glanced at her again. "Rusty, I mean."

"He's thinking about it," Sharon sighed. "It isn't easy for him. I knew it wouldn't be. The waiting isn't easy for me, but he is thinking about it, and I won't complain about that. I think he'll talk to Lieutenant Provenza about it tonight, he's a good sounding board for Rusty. He'll be objective about it. I can't… I can't be objective anymore. Which is fine, I sacrificed my objectivity where Rusty is concerned to be what he needs, and I won't regret that. He knows that. So, he has Provenza."

"He's good with kids," Andy stated. "He'll complain about it, make it as loud as he can, but he's good with them. Always was. With his own kids, the grandkids, don't let him fool you. He does alright." His lips pursed. "Don't tell him I told you that."

"Oh no, that's not a place I am ever going." Sharon laughed. "That little reveal is perfectly safe with me, have no fear." She looked around when he pulled the car into a small parking lot. "Okay, I'm all for surprises, but where are we?"

"Nah, this isn't the surprise. This is just a little hole in the wall place that Sanchez turned me onto some years back. It's all great. I promised you dinner, and then you get the surprise." Andy parked the car and once out of it, he came around to open her door. "Stop wheedling." He held out a hand, but didn't let go once she was on her feet.

It was small, but not overly crowded. It was still a Monday night, and this close to Christmas a lot of people were busy with travel plans, last minute shopping, or any number of activities the city was home to during the holiday season. She had to admit, the aromas wafting through the door when they reached it were fairly delectable.

They were seated a few minutes later in a small booth in a dimly lit corner. Their conversation lulled while they studied their menus, but once their orders were given, and their drinks arrived, Sharon found her hand in his again. "Now who can't keep their hands to themselves," she teased.

"Do you mind?" He tilted his head at her, watching the play of the dim lighting bring out the gold flecks in her green eyes.

"No." She leaned forward against the table and turned her tea glass with her other hand. "But I think we've reached that moment when soon is now."

"Hm." He hummed. He was playing with her fingers. Such small, delicate hands. "Yes, I think you're right." His thumb traced the length of her index finger. "We've been calling it complicated, but I'm not convinced that it has to be. If we follow one pretty simple rule, it doesn't have to be complicated at all. You're pretty good at keeping your work life and your personal life separate, Rusty excluded, maybe you can teach me. We keep it out of the office, and let the rest be what it is."

"You make it sound simple, but in practice it's anything but." Sharon met his gaze. Little slivers of warmth were traveling from her hand, along her arm. If he was getting his back for her attire driving him crazy the last few weeks, it was succeeding. "I was only ever successful at keeping the two separate because they were. I didn't take work home, and I didn't bring home to work. That isn't the case anymore. We don't always agree, Andy, not professionally. If we take that out of the murder room, it's where we have the potential for disaster. Worse still, if we bring personal disagreements into an investigation." Sharon shifted in her seat, but didn't remove her hand from his grasp. "The rules concerning this sort of fraternization," she smiled at his reaction to the word rules coming out of her mouth, "are murky at best. It's frowned upon, but is not strictly prohibited. The only clearly defined section of that particular rule is that - number 271 in the manual in case you wanted to check - is that I have to report this to my immediate superior." Her nose wrinkled. "Which is… unfortunately Assistant Chief Taylor."

"No. Really?" Andy inclined his head. "You actually looked it up? As in, went to the manual and actually found it?" He laughed. "I am not surprised, but you are really something. No, don't do that," he leaned forward when he could see that she was blushing. "It's not a bad thing. It's who you are, I've come to appreciate that about you."

She huffed a slightly playful sigh. "I didn't have to look it up." Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "I was PSB, Andy. I wrote half the damned thing myself. Could we focus?"

"I am focused." He had turned her hand over, his thumb swept across the inside of her wrist. He felt the shudder that went through her and smiled. "You wrote the rule book, but then we rescued you from the dark side and all was well in the world again. See, focused. I think I have a way around the part that's got you worried."

"How?" She lifted her glass and took a drink. The ice cold tea was only slightly a reprieve. Yes, he was certainly getting his revenge. She would consider her attire more carefully in the future. "If I don't tell Taylor, then he's got even more ammunition to use against me."

"Ah, but Taylor isn't your immediate supervisor right now, is he?" Andy watched the realization slowly spread across her face. "He's out of town until at least the weekend. You're used to reporting directly to the Chief, you did it in IA, so… Pope owes you. Seriously owes you for pulling all of our asses out of the bind it was in with that damned law suit. You did it for Chief Johnson, but we all benefited from it. Make your report to him. It barely scratches the surface of what he owes you, and you're covered. We behave ourselves, and if Taylor gets his boxers in a wad over it, well, he can kiss my—"

"Andy." She shook her head at him. "That's… actually pretty brilliant."

"You don't have to sound surprised." He smirked at her.

Sharon rolled her eyes at him. "Of course not. That's not what I… anyway," she waved it off. "It could work. Assuages my professional conscience at the very least." Her lips pursed. "Before I do that… do I have anything to report?"

"Hell." He shook his head at her. "Sharon, I've barely touched you and it's a damned good thing. When I start I won't be able to stop, but this…" He gestured between them with his free hand. "It isn't about that, at the very least it isn't only about that. We're old enough by now that we aren't going to be ruled by our inability to keep our hands to ourselves. Which, granted, I'm finding harder and harder to do. This isn't a fling. I'm not just chasing some skirt, and… you've got some very nice skirts by the way. I'm… I want to see where this is going to go. It is certainly showing a lot of potential so far."

"It is," she agreed. "I…" They disconnected and leaned back when their meals arrived. Sharon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her wrist was still tingling. It gave them both a moment to regroup, rethink, and settle themselves. She busied herself by situating her napkin in her lap. When she looked up again he was still looking at her. None of the heat had diminished from his gaze. It made it harder to breathe. "Andy…" It was comfortably cozy within the small restaurant, but still she shivered. "I wouldn't be risking all that I am for something that would turn out to be little more than a fling. I'm… just as vested in seeing where this goes as you are."

"Good answer." He smiled at her. "Eat," he said. "There's still the matter of that surprise." He lifted his fork and let his attention drift, at least superficially. She was an incredibly beautiful woman. He wanted her, that much he had made obvious. More than, if the little hitch in her breathing was any indication.

The remainder of their dinner conversation revolved around lighter topics, plans for the holiday and their kids. Andy was supposed to join Nicole and her family for dinner the following evening. It was their first Christmas together as a family, and he was giddy at having been invited. His ex-wife wasn't going to be there, she was making the drive north to Sacramento to see their son.

Sharon intended to speak to her kids while they were in Utah with her parents, at the timeshare, but beyond that she had little planned except baking and curling up with a movie or two. It was a tradition from when her children were very small. She had dinner planned for Christmas day, nothing extravagant, but she explained that Rusty had never really had much of a Christmas before and she didn't want to overwhelm him. The previous year the squad had ended up working through the holiday, and so Rusty had spent Christmas at the office, with all of them.

After the check was paid, Andy took Sharon's hand again as they left the restaurant. Outside, he led her back to the car, but instead of reaching down to open her door, Andy turned her into him and pressed her back against the side of the sedan. His hands went to her waist, beneath her jacket. He held her there, thumbs stroking her sides. She tipped her head back and smiled up at him, her hands gripped the edges of his leather jacket. Her breathing hitched when his hands slid down to her hips and splayed there. He pulled her closer and she hummed quietly. Sharon slipped a hand up to cup the back of his neck when his head dipped. For just a moment they hovered there, breaths mingled, gazes locked. It wasn't the first kiss, but there was no longer any doubt that it was what they both wanted. When it finally came, his lips were soft, and a low, deep moan was drawn from her. Or that might have been due in part to his finding the edge of her sweater and brushing his thumbs against the soft skin above the waist of her jeans.

Andy held her there, locked between the car and his body, hands holding her firmly against him while he slowly explored her lips, the curve of her jaw, and that long length of neck that was exposed each time she drew her hair over her shoulder. He slid a hand to the small of her back, supporting her when she trembled against him. He knew that feeling, it was burning right through him, his desire for her. His jaw clenched, he held it in check and turned his face into her hair. The soft sent of her shampoo filled his senses. It pulled a low, thick groan out of him.

Sharon's hands fisted in his jacket. Her face pressed into his shoulder. Her breath came in short, shallow puffs of warm air. His simple touch blazed right through her and left her wanting more. When she could lift her head again, she shook her hair back and found him in much the same state. It was heartening to know that, at this age, she had the same effect on him. She rocked up on the balls of her feet and pressed another kiss to his lips, this one quick, light. They stepped away from the car and he reached around her to open the door.

The car provided a much needed shield which allowed them both to regain their composure. Andy took his time rounding the vehicle to join her, and by the time he was seated and snapping his belt in place, his vision was no longer clouded by a thick haze of want. He started the car and pulled back into traffic. He was tempted, more than he almost wasn't able to control, to turn them back in the direction of her Condo. Her hand in his, again, and the thrill of anticipation that hung in the air between them stayed his impulse. He turned the car away from the city, however, and drove toward the beach.

"You still won't tell me where we're going?" Her voice was lower than before, it had a deeper, throatier quality that sent a thrill through him.

"You're not very good with surprises, are you?" Andy slanted a look at her and grinned. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ear and swept his thumb over the back of her hand.

"No," she drew the syllable out. "I'm really not." Sharon laughed quietly. "I thought we'd established a long time ago that I like to know everything."

"Ah." Andy continued to maneuver them through traffic with one hand. "I seem to recall that about you." His lips pursed. "You know, this is the first date. Tell me something I don't know about you."

"Hmm." She shifted in her seat, turning more toward him. "I'm not sure where to begin. There's plenty that you don't know." Her head inclined while she considered what to share. They'd discussed her kids, her marriage. "I met Jack at Berkeley. We got married right after graduation, the plan was for us to take turns, Jack would go to Law School, pass the Bar, get established, and then it would be my turn. I took a job as a paid intern with the force, PSB was just starting out. At the time, the LAPD was doing a push for recruits and joining would pay more than being an intern, so I joined up. I had Ricky while I was still in Patrol, Katie came along later while I was with Vice. By the time she was two, Jack was gone, and Internal Affairs was the only department with an opening. It worked. I knew a lot of them from my intern days."

"You always did sound a lot like a lawyer," Andy grinned at her. "Any regrets about that? You could have taken it at any time, you didn't have to give it up completely."

"No," she said softly. "No regrets, I didn't sacrifice anything. I liked the career that I chose for myself. It wasn't exactly the life that I imagined for myself when I first started out, but it's what I chose. Your turn." Sharon smiled at him. "Share and share alike, Lieutenant Flynn."

"You've read my jacket enough times," He chuckled. "Contributed to a good bit of it. Don't you already know everything? By your own admission you're little Miss Curious." They left the main strip, cutting across beneath the freeway toward Ocean Avenue.

"That's not fair, you can't make me guess. I never used my knowledge of other officers professional activities to pry into their personal lives." Sharon pouted at him. "Why don't you tell me how you ended up in LA, that accent is… New York?"

"Jersey," he grinned. "Alright, I'll play fair." Andy slanted a look at her and shrugged. "I met my ex-wife in college, her family was from out here. We pissed both our families off by getting married before the end of senior year. After graduation, she wanted to move back out here. She didn't like the winters back east. Too much snow. I promised my Ma I'd go to college, I never told her what I'd do with it when I was done. Once we got set up out here, I was a beat cop by day, finished out my graduate degree at night. Amanda wanted me to do something else with all that hard work, and by the time I got the degree, we had Tony and Nicole on the way. But I liked being a cop. I moved in to Robbery Homicide instead, and you know the rest. I worked too hard, drank too much, and got into a lot of trouble."

"You turned it around." She turned her hand over in his and laced their fingers together. "I wouldn't say you got into too much trouble, you're still here."

"Yeah well," he shrugged, slanted a look at her. "There was this hard ass down in IA that wouldn't let me alone. Kept sending me to all these anger management and sensitivity classes. Then, to top it all off, told me if I didn't dry out she was going to forego the next round of classes and take my badge. Pissed me off enough that I listened."

"Hmm…" Sharon leaned her head back against the seat rest. "She sounds horrible."

"Oh, the worst," He teased. "Thing is, I was a real ass, and an ungrateful bastard on top of it. I never bothered to thank her." Andy lifted their joined hands and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "Instead, I was a real jerk. I called her names, made fun of her, and when she could have left all our asses in a clink, she bailed us out again. Damnedest thing."

"Andy." Sharon shook her head at him. "You don't… none of that ever really bothered me and it's all history anyway. Water under the bridge. No one likes Internal Affairs."

"It bothers me," he admitted. "If I had stopped running my mouth for even a second, everyone would have figured out I had a horrible crush, and you were way out of my league. Still are."

"Hardly." She snorted at him. "I'm not…" Sharon gave him an incredulous look. "I'm just… I'm no different than a lot of people, and you're insane if you think I'm going to believe that you even remotely liked me then."

"Oh, I'm nuts alright," he chuckled. "But what can I say? I was always a sucker for a great pair of legs."

Sharon tugged her hand out of his and smacked his shoulder. "You are horrible." She folded her arms over her chest, but was smiling.

"You're cute when you're blushing." He smirked. Andy pulled the car over and parked it. "Come on. We're here." He got out and walked around, opening her door.

"Where exactly is…" Sharon turned and drew a breath. "Oh. The light festival?" She smiled brightly. "I haven't been out here since Katie was about eleven."

"I know," Andy pulled her close and slipped his arm around her. "You said as much a while back."

The Light Festival was comprised of several avenues that ran parallel to the beach. The Christmas lights were arranged with different themes on each block, with the lights dancing to music. There were vendors, impromptu shows, and all of it glowing and twinkling against the backdrop of the ocean. It was a simple, casual activity for something that was only just starting. There was no pressure, no overt expectations. It allowed them to continue talking, although as they walked she was either pressed against his side or their hands were linked.

The layout culminated on the Ocean Avenue boardwalk pier, where couples swayed while music played, or huddled together against the railing to watch the lights reflections dance in the ocean waves. It wasn't as crowded or as insanely bizarre as Venice Beach, but they were anonymous enough in the crowd that they could simply be Andy and Sharon, crazy about one another, sharing heated glances and less than innocent caresses as they moved slowly with the music.

They walked out to the end of the pier, Andy bought lattes from a coffee stand. While they watched the lights play out to the horizon, where they disappeared into the night, Andy folded his arms around her, and marveled at how well they fit together. His lips moved against her air, he nosed her hair out of his way and smiled against her neck when she moaned at his gentle touch. His free hand splayed across her stomach.

He had plans for Christmas eve, but between hitched breaths and low groans, they made plans for him to join her and Rusty for dinner Christmas day. When his hand slipped beneath the hem of her sweater, Sharon moved away. It was, she told him, time that he took her home.

The drive back to Sharon's Condo felt like it took hours, although at just after ten, with little traffic now on the roads, it only lasted twenty minutes. The walk back inside and the ride in the elevator seemed to take just as long. They stood close, hands occasionally brushing, but wisely apart. When it reached her floor, they both sprang quickly out of it. Sharon had her key in her hand before they made the turn down her hall, and Andy was reaching for her even before she had it in the lock. He turned her around and pulled her flush against him, the door at her back while he explored her mouth. He turned the key himself, and they stumbled, bumping against the door neither letting go as they worked their way into the apartment.

She dropped her purse in the entry way and they shrugged out of their jackets while he kicked the door closed behind them. Her hands were in his hair, and this time, as his hands slipped beneath her sweater, she didn't stop him. They moved up her sides, drawing a low, thick whimper out of her.

"Whoa. Way to go mom."