"Jackson." Sharon nods to her estranged husband, "Merry Christmas." She thinks back to the night before and the things he said, the glass he shattered against the wall. Really, that's all she can think about.
"Hi." Finn says to the man, then quickly buries his face into his mother's side.
"Please, come in. Make yourself at home." Quinn nods to him.
Jack glances around, able to feel the tension in the room. He walks in more, "I thought I'd bring my grandkids some gifts for the holiday."
"I invited you here." Quinn nods, "So come in and have a seat."
"Don't the kids want to open-"
"That isn't how we do things. Breakfast first, then gifts. It has been the same way since I was born, we aren't going to change it now." She watches the man, "So, if it's okay with you, have a seat."
Jack takes a deep breath, "Smells like mistletoe." He strolls to the sofa, plopping down and leaning to the back. "Sharon, I wanted to apologize for last night."
Sharon picks her hand up to stop him from talking, "It's Christmas, Jack. I'm not up for a fight now."
"No, I'd love to hear what happened last night." Sam steps out from the kitchen, leisurely leaning his back against the wall with a mug of coffee in his hand.
"He just got in late." Andy interrupts, knowing the kids were baiting the man. He glances from Sam, to Quinn, then Rusty, "Alright, we making breakfast, or what..."
"I've got it." Jack stands, "Tradition and all."
"Tradition? Then it'd be tradition for you to try to get into Mom's pants like you did last year. Though, I think her boyfriend may have a problem with that this time around." Sam nods, watching him.
"He isn't my boyfriend. We're friends." Sharon corrects, following them as they walk to the kitchen.
"With benefits." Jack mumbles.
"Hey now. Shut up, please. There are two little ones out here that barely had me for this holiday last year. I want to be involved and not just a medicated spectator. Do you think you could all possibly shut the fuck up and enjoy one another's company?" Quinn calls out, watching the crowd in the kitchen, "One day we get to be a family. An entire family that is all under one roof."
"Then why is your mother's-" Her father begins, motioning toward the man with a nod.
"He is family as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who my daughter likes that much, is automatically family. Not to mention the amount he helped mom...He is more than welcome to be here." The young woman watches her father, not wanting to finish the sentence. Telling him how he wasn't there. She just couldn't.
"Rusty, you should be getting ready to go to school." Sharon nods to the young man.
"No, I can wait another two weeks. I'll be fine. I have everything set up." Rusty nods, putting chunks of cut up french toast onto the toddlers' trays of their high chairs, "Room is ready, I've talked to my roommate on the computer, I know my classes and the things I need, they've been sent to the apartment and my roommate said he picked them up for me, even showed me the boxes. Don't worry."
"It's your first year of college...all the way on the east coast. It's far away, Rusty. A five hour flight."
"It doesn't matter." He shakes his head, then looks to her, "You can't handle all this on your own. Not with Quinn still not a hundred percent and going to therapy...then with the court stuff. I know it's hard, Sharon. Let me help."
"I couldn't ask-"
"You didn't ask. No one else is here." Rusty looks to her, turning from the kids, "Sharon..."
"Rusty, I've done this before."
"A long time ago."
"Hey." Sharon chuckles softly, looking at him, "Not that long ago. Quinn will get better and she will be able to help me little by little as she recuperates. Rusty, I'm not completely alone in this."
"What happens if she's out of it like she was today and you're due to a murder scene." Rusty watches her, "What then?" He folds his arms, "I can stay a couple more weeks before classes start."
"I can take them to the office. There is a daycare facility on the lower level. Everything will be fine."
He runs a hand through his hair, "I just...I'm worried about you, is all."
"I know you are." She moves to the young man, wrapping her arms around him and placing a kiss against his hair, "I know you are, but everything will be fine. No matter what happens, everything will be fine."
"You'll make it work. You always do." Rusty reciprocates the sentiment, "If the guys in the office want to help, let them...don't be too proud."
"Yes, sir." Sharon smirks.
"And if Jack wants to help, let him too."
"He did not before, I don't expect him to have a change of heart now."
"Just...let people help, alright?" Rusty makes eye contact with her.
Sharon rubs his arm before moving away from him, "You got it."
"Need some help?" Andy smiles to Quinn, the little girl cuddled up to him.
Quinn smiles to the man, motioning to the high chairs next to one another, "She's a mess to put in there. Maybe you'll have more luck."
"A mess?" He smiles, standing from the sofa and walking her over, "How is she a mess?"
"Screams, arches her back, bit me once. She hates to be confined." She removes the tray top of each with one hand to each, "And if you-"
Andy places the girl into the seat, easily strapping her in, "You were saying?"
"How did you do that?" Quinn looks to him, a smirk slowly creeping across her face.
"I didn't do anything." He shakes his head, looking to the young woman next to him.
She laughs softly, "I'm going to call you every day to come and do that." She teases, watching him. The young woman replaces the trays back onto the seat, motioning for the children to wait a moment, "Were you the same way with your daughter?"
"Uh...No." Andy smiles sadly to her, "I should have been, but I wasn't." He looks back to the toddler in the seat who is beaming at him.
"Well, you're welcome over whenever you'd like. Harper needs her buddy." She reaches up and squeezes his shoulder.
Jack watches from his position at the stove, "Sharon, could you throw some plates on the table?"
"Set the table?" Sharon corrects, speaking slowly, almost mocking him.
Sam snorts, taking down the plates from the cabinet, "I've got it."
"Any wine in the fridge?" Jack glances between his children.
"Not for you." The women say in unison to both of the Raydor men, then look to one another.
"What happened?" Sharon asks first after waiting a few awkward moments.
Quinn smirks, "Sam got drunk yesterday and I had to drag him onto the blow up mattress, and inflate it around him." She looks to her brother, who appears ashamed.
"Damn." Andy whispers, watching between the two men.
"I'm not going to-" Sharon swallows, shaking her head.
"Let's uh...let's skip the wine this year?" Jack says quietly.
"Mom and I don't have to. The two of you need to learn a little self restraint." The young woman places her hands on her waist, so small that her fingers nearly touch.
Andy watches between everyone, "Alright now. Everyone calm down. Ya got two kids here and it's Christmas. Everybody try and keep a level head."
"Also, it is only breakfast." Sharon glances to everyone in the room, her voice quiet and upset, "Please...One day for us to have peace. Just one day."
Rusty swallows, walking over to her, "Pick your seat?" When she looks to him with a blank expression, he nods, "We're all going to try, just have a seat. I'll get you something to drink." His voice appears to almost instantly calm his adoptive mother, "Apple juice?" The room stills for a moment, silences with exception to the sizzling of a frying pan. He smiles when she nods absently, walking away from her toward the kitchen.
"Whoa, heavy." Sam mumbles.
"Shut up." Rusty snaps, glaring at him, "It isn't about you, or you, or even the kids." He motions to the people as he speaks to them, "It's about her. She's put up with your shit," He motions to Jack, "For almost thirty years. Your comings and goings. Abandoning your wife and children time and time again. Not bothering to even call when you knew Sharon had the twins, more or less offer assistance. And you," He motions to Sam, "She talks about how worried she is about you being on the right path and not that of your father. You try so hard not to be like him when, in fact, you've never been more like him in all your life. And you," He points to Quinn, "She nursed you back to health, almost single handedly. Cared for your children during that time, and when you went to prison...I'm the one who stayed with her for two of those four weeks. I'm the one who helped with the kids, and who listened to her cry at night...the one who held her and made sure she was okay. Not you. You haven't been able to think about that at all. Just about who wasn't there. Andy...you're fine. You've taken care of Mom inside and out of work, and I can't help but thank you for that. So, instead of being fucking selfish, let's give this woman just one day of peace."
Sharon stands from the table as the room seems to focus their eyes on her, "I just need a minute." She says softly, rushing through the front door, shielding her face as she moves.
Andy swallows, glancing around the room, "Kid's right." He motions to Rusty before slowly following the woman. He closes the door behind himself, glancing left and right, finally seeing her. He walks over, standing next to her without saying anything.
She swallows, running a hand through her hair before placing them both on her waist. She takes a deep breath, attempting to keep the tears at bay. Reaching over, she gently takes his hand before leaning her face into his bicep.
He gently wraps his arms around her, adjusting her to hold her more comfortably. "They just want to be the best for you...all of them. Even Jack, I think."
"I had papers drawn up. I wasn't going to serve him until after the holidays." Sharon curls up against him, letting him hold her tighter.
Andy nods, "I remember the kid talking about you asking about divorce papers at the adoption hearing." He smiles softly, "I thought you had changed your mind."
"No...that isn't the man I married anymore."
"Who was the man you married?" He keeps a hand on her lower back.
"I thought I saw him again last year...some of him, when Quinn was in the hospital." She smiles sadly, then shakes her head, "He leaves when things aren't going his way, though. So it didn't last very long."
"I'm sorry, Sharon."
"No, it's okay." Sharon looks him in the eye, "I'm used to it."
Andy watches her, "Do you want to go back to breakfast?"
She stands straighter, taking a deep breath before lacing her fingers between his, "Yeah, okay."
"How did we get here this morning?" Sam leans back, sitting in his chair in the dining room.
"What was that, son?" Jack places bowls and plates of food onto the table.
His eyes slowly rise to meet the man, "I wasn't talking to you."
Quinn rolls her eyes, putting food onto the toddlers' plates, "She sent me a text message. It's actually a better idea because this way I don't have to lug things down the hall. Something about not being sure she cleaned up all the glass."
Rusty glances over the back of the sofa where he sits, arms folded. He snorts, rolling his eyes.
"What's that about?" She notices her adopted brother's motion.
"The sins of the father befall the son. Isn't that what they say?" He smirks.
Quinn raises an eyebrow, looking to him fully, "Bad?" When he nods, she sighs, "Of course."
Sam raises a hand, "I'm lost."
"What else is new..." She shakes her head.
"Peace." Rusty calls out, standing and walking over to the twins with a smile. He shakes his head when the boy offers him a messy handful of eggs, "Nah, I'm good, Finnigan. They're all yours."
Sharon lets go of Andy's hand before they walk through the door. She returns to her seat at the table, not making eye contact with anyone as she puts small amounts of breakfast food onto her plate.
Andy sits next to the woman, glancing up, "Rusty, you want to sit and eat?"
"Finnigan and I were sharing eating techniques." Rusty sits across from him.
Quinn smirks, "Still isn't his name."
"Still funny." The young man offers her a grin, then looks to the end of the table, "This looks good, Jack. Thanks for cooking it."
Jack glances up, not expecting anyone to say anything to him, much less give him a compliment, "Oh...thanks, kid."
Sharon smiles softly toward her son. She may not always get along with her estranged husband, but she always liked when her children, biological or otherwise, were respectful toward him. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it always warms her. Andy's hand rests on her thigh under the table. She licks her lips absently, feeling her cheeks begin to warm with a blush.
Sam leans forward from his place at the table, quickly taking note of his mother's changed disposition, "Mom, you alright?"
"I...I am just fine. Thank you for asking, Samuel." She reaches her hand under the table, taking hold of the Lieutenant's. This is going to be an interesting day.
