/MAKE OVER/

"What about Wendy?" came George Andrew's voice, somewhat more feminine than the grumbling tone Andrew Flynn still vividly remembered from a decade ago.

"Wendy?" Provenza looked lost in the past, racking his brain for memory of a Wendy. He only ended up with a confused grimace.

Andy sighed for the umpteenth time and continued his never-ending glower at the small red digit that indicated their elevator car was moving slower than usual this fine day, stopping at every other floor in a slow interval that left him almost grinding his teeth together in annoyance. Uniforms came and went with each stop, a few of the older veterans stopping short at the sight of George Andrews dressed as a woman, the younger ones merely trying to appear non-conspicuous by looking at nothing in particular.

Rumor ran like wildfire through an institution like the LAPD and Andy wagered that by now not even the traffic division was out of the loop, hell, even the outcasts working nightshifts in Northridge should be clued in about the whole deal by now. It was the hot buzz in every break room, the fact that detective George Andrews had returned from retirement as a woman. A few vultures would come to have a look or two before the detective disappeared into obscurity again. Not that Andy could blame them; he could hardly believe it himself.

The elevator stopped yet again and the two rookies in the corner exited, gazes thrown over their shoulder at Provenza and George who were oblivious to the attention they were getting. Andy sighed in defeat, watching as a sergeant from Narcotics entered in the rookies' stead.

By this pace they would never reach the garage level and end up getting stuck somewhere on level four.

No, Andy was forced to listen to the two old goats reminisce about all the gals from the good old days as if nothing had changed since then, the two enclosed in their own private conversation that sort of left Andy as an outsider, standing like a fool looking from the outside in.

"Wendy," George punctuated again, "c'mon, you know her. The chick down from Vice, secretary to Captain what-his-name, you know the surly head who was always on our asses about this regulation and that regulation. Wendy with the blond curls and the full lips."

"Ah, that Wendy," Provenza recalled in a nostalgic voice, "Nah, she got married to some uniform from Northridge."

Andrew Flynn shook his head and silently berated himself for suggesting it was a good idea to accompany George Andrews – Georgette, Andy amended himself for the umpteenth time – and his idiot partner to the train station. Georgette, who for someone who had changed sex surely still talked a whole lot like the good old George.

So here he was, unfortunate fool, stuck in a goddamn elevator with the two, both of them equally idiotic to listen to. After the initial shock and grumpiness, Provenza and his old partner were apparently back to comradeship and they were intent on bombarding the elevator ride with their ridiculous raucous talk that had more than one sergeant giving them the eye. Frankly, they had Andy wondering why in the world he did not feign some kind of errand he needed to do instead of taking the fools to the station.

"Northridge," Georgette made a grimace that mirrored the look on Provenza's face, "Pah."

Andy rolled his eyes at being completely ignored.

Provenza shrugged, and then with a boyish smile, "Ahh, remember Rebecca?"

Andy remembered Rebecca – though he wasn't about to tell them that. No, apparently this conversation between the goats out in public space was exclusive. He had learned that when he had butted in five minutes ago.

The elevator stopped at the third floor and Andy blew out a long sigh, pushing a hand through his hair.

The doors opened only to reveal the too familiar figure of Sharon Raydor, straightened hair that tumbled across one shoulder in a neat style, her make-up immaculate and a tad more pronounced than usual. She was carrying a large brown box in her arms, the square taking up most of her frame. She half stumbled into the elevator, mumbling something incoherent, not yet aware that she had company.

This was exactly what had been uncharacteristic about his morning, Andy thought, Sharon in a weird mood and stumbling through his life. She still wore the black form-fitting pantsuit that she had donned this very morning as she had left his apartment in a frantic hurry, reminding him more of a hurricane than of a human. She had completely bypassed him in the kitchen, a glass of water downed before she had waved a goodbye and been out the door in a flurry. Andy had still been in his pajamas, too sleepy to contemplate her departure and why she had not even stayed for breakfast. She had not even kissed him goodbye or anything; it still chafed him.

Silence immediately descended upon the carriage when the two other men noticed her. Andy saw that the lonesome Narcotics sergeant wisely backed into a corner, pretending not to be in the elevator at all. Andy remembered all the trouble Andrews and Provenza used to get into back in the nineties and how most of the time it somehow always ended up with the both of them being sent to one seminar or another about proper conduct, courtesy of none other than Sharon. Andy might have been to a seminar or two but he had never been a complete chauvinistic buffoon – well, mostly not.

Andy shook his head at the situation. It was just his fucking luck to be stuck in an elevator with what could only progress to some form of pissing contest.

Sharon made an awkward headshake when she noticed the company, a momentarily confused expression that was quickly replaced by her usual sly smirk. Andy likened it to an on-duty mask, the smirk always somehow in place when she was faced with other detectives.

Sharon balanced the box in her arms and then gave a nod in greeting, "Hello," she said in the same sly tone, a tinge of mirth in it as if she was having an exceptionally good day.

Andy watched her gaze sweep from him with a smile to Provenza and then to Georgette. It was an almost imperceptible display of surprise in her expression yet it was there. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second, her lips pursed in some form of puzzlement while one eyebrow went up.

Andy wagered that even despite the transformation Sharon would be able to recognize what had once been the bane of her life and judging from the twitching lips she was more than amused at the situation.

"Well, well, well," Georgette drawled with a headshake, "Look what the cat dragged in." He even went as far as to elbow Provenza.

"Detective Andrews," Sharon greeted Georgette, her voice alike syrup that had the potential to become poisonous, "what a delightful surprise."

Oh great, she even looked like the proverbial cat who had caught the canary.

Georgette wore a similar expression and Provenza looked on the verge of either exploding with glee or some other form of vengeance.

Andy grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, it's reunion alright. Now don't you all go get your panties in a bunch."

Sharon gave him a brief scathing look and Georgette merely ignored him.

"Shh, Flynn," Provenza leaned across and whispered, "Don't interrupt the free show."

Andy looked skyward.

"So, how's retirement?" Sharon needled, that too sweet voice meant for nothing but condescend and false security.

"Treating me good, "Georgette said and then with a lifted eyebrow, "How's the husband?"

Andy frowned, watching Sharon's expression crumble into impassive aloofness.

Oh great.

"Look, if you two are gonna throw your weight around, could you at least wait for me to get the hell out of here?" Andy butted into the conversation, trying to do some damage control before one of them said something that would start an avalanche.

He earned himself two pair of eyes glaring back at him, Sharon with an arched eyebrow that clearly indicated he should have kept his mouth shut and Georgette with a puzzled frown that said the idiot had forgotten Andy entirely.

Andy shrugged at them, his hands nonchalantly in the pockets of his pants, "Well, knowing you two it's gonna end up a bloodbath and I would rather just have my eardrums punctured by a large needle."

Sharon rolled her eyes, "Look who's talking," she tilted her head in a condescending angle and shared a smile with Georgette. She then turned to Andy and her eyes were crinkled with amusement, "Like you are any better, lieutenant Flynn."

Georgette nodded and waved at Andy, "Yes, yes, I distinctly remember this one always had a thing against Vice in general."

Provenza joined the conversation, "Not only Vice but the whole goddamn building in general." The old man paused dramatically, "Why, only yesterday dear Flynn here managed to piss off two officers from traffic, intentionally bumping into them. It nearly came to blows. All achieved in under five seconds."

Andy stared at the three of them, not believing they were all ganging up on him.

"Hey, they were talking shit about, well," he stopped, color starting to creep up along his neck. "Never mind," he scowled at the three idiots and rolled his eyes.

Provenza laughed, "Oh, he was defending your honor, Captain."

Sharon raised an eyebrow, "Again?"

Provenza nodded and Georgette grinned, a new look at Andy that was hard to decipher.

Sharon smiled, and then directed her next comment to Georgette, "I see the rumors of your sex change were not wildly exaggerated as I'd first thought."

Georgette smiled, "How rumors fly, indeed. I heard one about you and," Georgette then looked directly at Andy, a toothy smile, "and a certain hot-headed lieutenant in this building. And my, my, I've only been here two days, it was practically the first thing I heard by the water cooler."

Sharon shrugged, lips parting in a smile, "What a peculiar rumor. Coincidently, I heard that you and lieutenant Provenza went on a date last night, detective, among other things."

Provenza grunted sourly, "That can only be the Gang Unit; they come up with the worst sort of bullshit when they are bored."

Georgette nodded and Andy silently agreed.

"I love your heels by the way, Captain," Georgette said all of a sudden with a smile and Andy caught the way the idiot was now ogling Sharon's legs. Andy growled low in his throat, heck, that man had not changed that much.

Sharon laughed, "I am not myself one for flowers on my heels, but oh my, your shoes are something as well, detective."

And somehow that seemed to be it, to Andy's utter surprise. Sharon smiled and Georgette smiled back, without any venom and that left Provenza and Andy standing flabbergasted, the Narcotics sergeant none the wiser about what had just happened.

The elevator doors opened up on the first floor and Sharon made a small move, her head tilted as she gave a little cheerful wave, "Bye bye, gentlemen," she paused and fixed a lingering smile on Georgette, "Ma'am," she ended up saying, a curl to her smile.

Georgette waved back, "Nurse Ratchet."

Andy rolled his eyes and then before Sharon could stride away, he quickly grabbed her elbow and then with his torso half turned he threw back over his shoulder, "Give me a second, I'll join you in the garage, okay."

Andy did not wait for confirmation but immediately shepherded Sharon out of the elevator, quickly away from the view of the closing doors.

"There's no need to manhandle me, lieutenant," Sharon frowned at him, "I can walk by myself."

"Whatever," Andy huffed, and then finding a supply closet on his right he forced her into the small enclosed room, shutting the door after him with a bang.

"What happened to your manners?" Sharon arched an eyebrow at him, her mouth pursed and she wrenched her elbow free from his grasp. She neatly settled her box by her feet so she could cross her arms and glare at him.

"They're non-existent," Andy crossed his arms in imitation and tried not to smile too much. He couldn't contain it though and ended up with a goofy smile, the corners of his mouth curving more and more the longer he looked at her.

"What's wrong?" she sounded half snippety, and in a second she would probably start tapping a foot against the floor.

"You forgot something this morning," he told her as he took a step closer to her, watching her brow furrow.

"No, I did not forget to give you a blowjob."

Andy took his time to dramatically stare at the ceiling, pretending he was suffering, "God, woman. That's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

Andy took another step closer, now standing right in front of her able to reach out and touch her if he wanted. Sharon had yet to move away or put a hand up. His voice came out low and husky, "You forgot something important."

She turned her head up a bit, a glint in her eyes now as she regarded him. "Really? Life or death important?"

"Exactly," he nodded and then leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss.

She sounded breathless when they let up for air, her cheeks with a reddish tinge.

"I would stay here and kiss you all through my break," Andy grinned, "but unfortunately some idiot volunteered me to drive Andrews to the station."

"So don't go," she smiled, and patted his chest softly.

"I have to - I'm the idiot," Andy explained, "In a fit of temporary insanity, I said I would give Andrews a ride."

Sharon laughed and then stood up on her toes to deliver a brief peck to his mouth, "Suits me perfectly. I have a deposition for the Janson's case I need to present and I'm not sure Chief Thompson and the Mayor would allow 'snogging' as a viable excuse for being late."

Andy spread out his arm, pointing at the door, "After you, Ma'am."

/DEAD MAN'S HAND/

"Jack," Andrew Flynn greeted the man because what else was he supposed to do when the last person he had expected to be opening Sharon Raydor's front door did so with a carefree smile, clad casually without tie or jacket and his shirt sleeves rolled up. Andy's first instinct had been to sink to the ground and hope for it to swallow him up into oblivion and the next instinct had been to deck the guy. Neither option was feasible; the second would only end up a calamity however much it would sweeten his life for a short time. Andy was pretty sure Sharon would frown upon punches, no matter who threw it and why.

Instead Andy tried to appear unbaffled while his brain went into overdrive and the taste of something sour rose in the back of his throat.

Shit.

Andy hadn't seen the guy in a little decade and he was really the last person he wanted to see let alone interact with. His existence and now presence in Sharon's life was only an irritant and Andy wondered why she had not mentioned that the bastard was back in town.

"Flynn," the red-faced man greeted him, the voice the same feigned cheerful one that Jack had used back when he had attended AA meetings irregularly.

"You brought me take-away?" the idiot laughed, a goofy smile on his face that once upon a time had seemed sort of charming to Andy. Now it only annoyed him.

Andy stared at the white plastic bag with Thai take-away in right his hand that was supposed to be a declaration of truce for Sharon after the whole debacle with her conniving detective.

Sharon had been awfully tight-lipped with him over the phone earlier in the day when they had just gotten to the bottom of the case, Detective Moore on her way to lock-up. She had practically hung up on him even if Andy had merely wanted to inquire about her dinner plans. If he had to admit the truth then Andy had been slightly tight-lipped with her throughout the whole case, antagonistic behavior she would no doubt call it. The last cordial conversation they had shared was well over a week old and Andy knew from past experience that Sharon carried a grudge with a vengeance.

Andy shrugged at Jack and tried to appear nonchalant. "Nah, just wanted to deliver a report to the Captain before I headed home." The lie slipped easily from his mouth, brought to life by an intense wish to be anywhere but in the same space as Jackson Raydor. It helped that he had a folder with files under his left arm along with his suit jacket; it made for a believable prop.

"Ah," Jack chuckled, "The Captain's not in."

"Oh well, you give her my regards," Andy made to turn around, a smile that was too forced on his lips and a goodbye wave with the arm that carried the white plastic bag with food.

"Hey buddy, why don't you join me?" Jack was none the wiser about Andy's inner turmoil, and shit, back when they had attended AA meetings at the same intervals, Andy would not have hesitated to join the man on the couch and have a friendly talk. That was a lifetime ago, however.

"I'm sure Sharon will be here in a second," Jack smiled invitingly.

"No rest for the wicked," Andy grinned in spite of himself and lied again, "I'm on call."

Jack shrugged, "That's how it goes with you cops, huh. Always one thing or another."

Andy made a face and threw another feigned smile at the man and then he quickly strode towards the elevator before Jack could further protest or say something that Andy needed to respond to. Thankfully the elevator doors opened immediately and Andy was safely inside the carriage before he could count to three.

Andy sighed as he watched the numbers going down, the enclosed space feeling claustrophobic.

Shit.

He had not been prepared for this, or the feeling that came in forceful waves in accompaniment. It reminded him of the nausea that he used to wake up to in the mornings, hungover.

As his luck would have it Andy met a flustered Sharon in the lobby, her auburn hair not to mistake and the clothes he had watched her parade around in all day as they had wrapped up the case. For a second she was unaware of his presence and the way he stopped dead when he saw her, a pronounced frown he could feel tighten his whole face into anger at just the sight of her.

Sharon looked up and did a little jump, "Andy," she breathed out in a gasp, taking an awkward step to the side to avoid colliding with him. Her arms were laden with two brown grocery bags, the top of a bunch of fresh carrots just visible on top.

It took a second for her open and surprised expression to close in on itself, the lines that appeared around her mouth and narrowed eyes indicating she was indeed still mad at him, or at the very least not feeling cordial enough to disguise her emotions.

"What are you doing here?" even her voice had a strain in it.

"Making a fool of myself," Andy snarled back in greeting, his tone full of reproach, "but besides that, obviously wasting my time."

Sharon looked confused for a split second and then she carefully sat down the grocery bags on the pristine floor so she could cross her arms, "What are you going on about?"

"Jack's here," Andy said, matter of fact, watching her expression closely but there was nothing to grasp from it but impassiveness.

"Your delightful husband is here," Andy clarified in a growl, hoping for some kind of reaction.

"What? – in my apartment?" she arched an eyebrow as if the notion was absurd.

Andy shook his head at her obvious stupidity. His voice was drenched in sarcasm, "No, on your fucking roof," he paused to roll his eyes, "Where else would he be but your apartment? Huh! Sure looked mighty cozy."

"Hang on a second, now," Sharon took a step in his direction, eyes narrowed, "You are saying Jack's in my apartment? But how?"

"How the fuck should I know? I didn't ask the guy."

Sharon sighed, "For heaven's sake, Andy, there's no need to huff and puff about it. I didn't invite him, if that's what you are thinking."

Andy grimaced, "Oh really, because I never really know with you, now do I?"

She kept silent and glared back.

"Well, how damn cozy," Andy commented, tone still warm with anger.

Her mouth turned to a fine line, her anger just as visible as his own, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

Andy shrugged, "I want nothing." He handed her the take-away bag with a deliberate push that made her purse her lips when she caught the plastic bag.

"Here you go. Enjoy," he bit out as he turned away from her.

"Andy," she breathed out in an exasperated tone, "there's no reason to be angry."

Andy ignored her and kept walking towards the exit. It was better to simply disappear before one of them said something they couldn't take back. He knew the limits to his own control and at the moment he would end up saying something hurtful just to watch her react. He would end up making her cry, and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Andy," she said in a louder voice, "Don't just walk away."

Andy sighed.

Just ten more meters and he would be outside.

"Andy!"

Two steps from the glass door and a heavy object hit the back of his shoulder and neck, slid down his back spilling its contents on him. Andy looked down at the floor in a stupor, the noodles in a pool on the floor and the white carton next to the spilt food. The sweet and sour sauce was all over his white shirt and neck, smeared on his Italian shoes with a vegetable stuck here and there.

"What the - " Andy spun around furious and watched Sharon scowling at him, armed with another fucking carton of rice. "Shit," he exclaimed, brushing off the noodles that stuck to him, "What the hell, Sharon?"

She looked livid and a little bewildered; he figured she had not meant to throw the carton at all because usually she was able to handle her temper. She sucked in her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away from him briefly, the red tint on her cheeks deepening.

"I am not angry," Andy growled at her, taking a step towards her again, "I am fucking livid."

Sharon rolled her eyes, still eyeing the wall on her left. "Of course you are, because oh woe if for once you managed to not blow a fuse or two for no apparent reason," the words were soft-spoken but there was an aggression to her expression, a sort of bitterness that reminded him of how she had appraised his team when they had showed up at Ally Moore's house, the husband just dead.

"Whatever, Sharon," he shook his head at her, his patience gone. In an attempt to retaliate, he scoffed, "At least I don't make you feel like a cheap affair."

Her eyes landed on him with a pained expression, her mouth opening but she did not say anything. She simply stared at him for a long moment, stunned, as her brows slowly furrowed together in resentment.

Andy turned to walk away again.

"You don't get to play martyr," she snarled at him.

"Wha -" he started.

She immediately interrupted him, "How many times do I have to tell you I am separated! What, do you just think it's a word I fling around? I am legally and financially separated from Jack."

"What about emotionally, huh?" Andy flippantly snorted.

She inhaled deep, anger further blossoming in her expression, "I'm not emotionally invested in him, however much you seem to think so. Not that it's any of your business but I haven't slept with him in a decade and I have no intention of ever sleeping with him again."

Andy growled, "Then why don't you get a damn divorce. Or tell him to not show up every now and then, crashing your apartment whenever he sees it fit."

She shook her head, "Again, none of your concern."

"And that's our relationship in a nutshell, "Andy said in a brusque tone, "nothing is my concern apparently. What, should I just keep quiet and mind my own business? I'm not allowed to point out that you are doing more harm to yourself when you continue this farce, separated husband and whatnot. I don't understand it."

"I would never see him again," she said, the voice strong but her features crumbling in a distorted vulnerability he rarely was a witness to.

Andy shook his head in disbelief and resigned exasperation.

Sharon sighed and looked away from him, her expression still angry even if she looked ready to cry. "My children would never see their father again, Andy," she paused and then looked directly at him, "As I have said a thousand times now, it has nothing to do with you. It's not relevant to my relationship with you. When are you going to get it through your thick skull?"

"It feels relevant to me," Andy disagreed.

Sharon huffed, "You know what is relevant to our relationship?"

Andy grimaced and answered even if the question was rhetorical, "No, but you are going to hit me in the head with a lecture about it I'm sure."

She ignored his comment, lips compressed together, "You treating me like crap every time our divisions share an investigation."

Before he could protest she spoke again, "Your attitude and temper changes all the time. I don't know where I stand, one moment you're yelling at me, the next you're laughing. You pretend you have no affiliation with me or I.A one minute and the next you are lounging in my break room expecting the world."

"We always get into fights at work, Sharon," Andy proclaimed, "there's nothing new there. And I do not treat you like crap."

"Yes you do."

Andy shook his head, feeling speechless.

"I think you should leave."

"Fine."

Andy left not looking back, his hands turning to fists by his side.

Shit.

/THE BIG BANG/

Andrew Flynn took yet another wrong turn, cursing at the dead-end corridor that loomed in front of him, freshly painted and pristine albeit not what he was looking for. There were no office plates that read Captain let alone Sharon Raydor on any of the doors and he had even stuck his head through a few just to ascertain that nothing in there reminded him of Sharon even remotely.

Trying to find his way around the fancy new headquarters was like trying to find a specific needle in a stack of identical needles; goddamn impossible. It was even worse at night, the building practically abandoned but for those rare night bees who worked later than ten. The floor that was meant to house a large portion of the I.A division was completely vacated. It left Andy feeling eerily alone in a maze, not even a rookie around to direct him in the right direction.

With a resigned sigh Andy turned around and went back to the way he had come, his mission on hold for now. Maybe it would be easier to find the new office of the head of F.I.D in daylight.

His little adventure had nothing to do with finding Sharon.

Andy knew she had left the building an hour ago having enlisted the help of the night security guard – the one who was partial to a dislike towards I.A in general and only seemed amused to be involved in something covert to do with the Captain. Andy wouldn't be surprised if the guard thought it was part of a prank or something equally childish.

No, this whole trip was a matter of organizing the new building into some form of sense in his head, and for a bit of peace of mind Andy needed to know where Sharon would spend her time in the future. It had nagged him for five days straight now, in the back of his head, proclaiming that it was vital he knew this bit of information.

The informational folder about the layout of the building had been no help and so far all Andy had concluded was that I.A had against all odds gotten a rather high level and what could only be a precious view to the city. Andy would bet his paycheck that Sharon had managed to finagle a parking space out of it as well, because heck, who else would be able to manipulate her way to a better office and a parking space.

It amused him, his mouth momentarily split apart in a grin. He could just imagine Sharon droning on and on till Chief Pope simply relented just to get her to stop talking.

Maybe Andy could get Mike to do some computer magic that would tell him the exact office Sharon resided in. Just in case of a fire, he told himself. Just in case the building collapsed on itself and he needed to know her whereabouts or something along those lines.

Andy had no particular wish to see her. The few times they had crossed paths since their argument or whatever it had been, it had been like being thrown into a cold lake in the middle of winter; damn uncomfortable.

"Lieutenant Flynn?" Sharon's voice interrupted his train of thoughts, that distinct strain of derision in her voice that had been there for some time now only pronounced, "What on earth are you doing here?"

Andy looked up and saw her in front of the elevator, the doors just closing behind her. She had a briefcase slung over one shoulder and a small moving box in her arms where upon sat a brown bag with take-away. The bag emitted a warm scent of something spicy the closer he came to her, her eyes narrowed in on him.

Andy stuck his hands into his jeans pockets. He had been finishing up his report on the little op they had conducted with Cherie Walker, a wire and her idiot husband when the night security guard had called him.

"I got lost," Andy gave a noncommittal shrug , knowing Sharon would see through the lie easily, her eyes lingering on his leather jacket. He was clearly in off-duty clothes and she pursed her lips. Andy on the other hand pretended he was not missing her the slightest and yet he couldn't help but let his gaze linger on her, aware that he was staring.

Sharon hummed only it was a deep hum that could as easily have been a growl, "You are truly lost if this is where you have ended up." There was a note of disbelief in her voice, the haughty look in her eyes giving expression to her suspicion.

Andy tried to disarm the tension with a soft smile, "Yeah, I might have been looking for something specific."

Her eyebrow went up high, "Really."

Andy pursed his lips, "I was curious about your new office."

She shook her head but refrained from replying, the tight set to her mouth still full of hostility.

Andy sighed. This was why he would rather not have met her at all – it was too tensile between them and she was on the defensive. Frankly, if he breathed too loudly she would find some fault with it.

"So, you've gotten set up yet?" Andy asked, stepping aside as she moved past him with a harrumph and aloof look. He sighed again; this was Sharon's way of saying 'fuck off' without saying anything.

Andy ignored the warning of course and followed her footsteps, easily managing to walk beside her. One of these days F.I.D was bound to rub against Major Crimes and the sooner they managed to exist in the same space without some form of yelling contest, the better.

Sharon pursed her lips and in profile she looked annoyed. She hoisted the box in her arms up, the take-away bag sliding a bit and Andy quickly reached out and grabbed the bag before it could slide to the floor.

She gave him a hooded look out of the corner of her eye, "Barely."

Well, a one-word conversation was a start, wasn't it?

"You need help?" he nodded at the box in her arms.

Her lips curled with disdain, "I'm fine."

Andy nodded and then after a short pause, "So, you got a view?"

She coughed and then with a snide tone, "Is there a purpose to your third degree, lieutenant?"

Andy sighed loudly and looked briefly at the ceiling, anger imminent just under the surface of his skin. "Good grief, Sharon. I'm merely trying to be civil here."

Sharon avoided his gaze and moved along the corridor in a more hurried pace. She took the same wrong turn he had taken a mere minute ago –apparently it had been a right turn after all.

Andy followed her step for step down the corridor, his temper flaring like a spike among an intense need to reconcile. It was two very strange emotions and he wondered which would dominate.

Sharon pushed open a door at the end, no name plate, and he followed her inside her new office, watching her navigate between larger moving boxes on the floor. She did indeed have a spectacular view, the curtains pulled to the side and offering him the vision the moment he followed her through the door.

The office was half dark, the city night-light illuminating from the outside and the light from the corridor at his back. For a brief moment the half dark was a temporary truce between them and he could almost detect the way visible lines around her face flattened out as she breathed in a rhythm he linked to her lying next to him in a bed at night.

He caught her looking out the window with a serene expression and he found himself glued to watching her instead. She looked both vulnerable and strong – both a stranger and yet someone he was too familiar with. It was one of those times where he ached when he looked at her, no idea why it throbbed so inside his chest.

Andy cleared his throat and her face became clouded in shadows and discontent.

"So," the tone was sardonic, "you have decided to harass me till I give up? Is that it?"

Andy blew out a breath through his nose, for a second on the brink of exploding. He breathed out deep before he spoke, trying to make his voice soft, "I simply came to have a look. I thought you were well on your way home."

She placed the box on the brand new desk, her briefcase on the chair, "I am in the middle of something and I needed food."

She stared at his hands for a prolonged moment and Andy understood she wanted him to give her the take-away. He held it out for her but she did not move and after a half-minute of standing like an idiot he sighed and then put down the bag on the desk next to the moving box.

"Right," Andy groused, "so this is how it's going to be?"

She tilted her head to the side, the darkness making her eyes into two pinpoints, "I don't have time for your insecurities or your unpredictable temper and frankly, the sight of you only annoys me."

Andy stared at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you?"

Andy crossed his arms, "Yeah please do so," he bit out, "because obviously I'm stupid as fuck."

"Leave me alone," she said each word with a vehement punctuation.

"So," Andy fell back on sarcasm, "I'm not allowed to talk to you? That's gonna be pretty hard when we work in the same place, huh."

"If you have official business to discuss with me, go ahead. Otherwise, let me be."

"You are goddamn petty, you know that," he paused and then continued, his jaw clenched "You are unreasonable beyond compare. I know I might have overreacted, hell, I'm sorry. But what, you just wanna give up? Not even try to reconcile?"

Sharon moved behind her desk, her arms even more rigidly crossed as she observed him. "It's not working between us," she said in a low voice after a moment of silence. "I'm tired of this charade, going back and forth. Call me petty if that makes you feel better, but I am done."

Andy stared back at her, not sure what to do.

She quickly averted her gaze and instead focused on the desk. Even in the semi darkness he could discern the way her mouth trembled a bit, the way she seemed unsure.

"What do you mean? Exactly?" his tone was still gruff but his stomach was close to crumbling in on itself, well aware of where this was heading.

"I don't want to see you anymore."

He remained silent, watching her not watching him. He intimately recognized that particular tilt to her chin, the determined expression easily perceivable even in the dark and what it meant when she stood rigid like a column of concrete.

Andy inhaled and tried to think but his head was spinning.

Sharon still stared at her desk, hands neatly folded on front of her.

"Hey," Andy said to get her attention, his voice remarkable more soft. Sharon looked up, her eyes hard like steel.

Andy continued nonetheless, "You are the one that made me promise we would always be friends, back when we started all this," he pointed between them, "You made me promise nothing would change – no matter what. Do you remember that?"

Nothing changed in her expression, if anything she looked even more resolved.

When she spoke her voice was soft too, only it did not comfort him in the least, "It's alright, lieutenant. I'm not going to keep you to your promise."

"Is that a fact?" he retorted.

"It is – I don't want you in my life."

Andy stared at her, unable to speak.

Sharon turned around, her back to him as she gazed out the window. It was a dismissal if there had ever been one.

"Well, okay," Andy said, the tone more a whisper than anything. He had no idea how to react to this at all, frankly it threw him into a stupor, "I – I mean," he stuttered, and then with a small headshake, "Okay."

He turned to leave, stopping for a short moment in the doorway unable to move or say anything, wanting nothing but Sharon to turn around and say something; anything. She might as well have been carved out of stone, completely still silhouette against the window.

Andy sighed, "Okay, well. Bye."

The path down the corridor to the elevator and the ride in the elevator to his own floor seemed to become lost in his recollection and suddenly he was standing dumbfounded in the murder room, the many moving boxes alike the chaos inside his head.

"Fuck," he kicked a box and enjoyed the way it slid across the floor with a morbid satisfaction.

He kicked another just for emphasis.

/HELP WANTED/

"You done snooping around?" Andrew Flynn sneered out of the corner of his mouth, leaning sideways on his chair and keeping his voice in a low albeit harsh tone so Sharon Raydor would be the only one in the murder room able to make out the words. Of all the goddamn places for her to sit her ass down, the vast new murder room offering a variety of surfaces that were far away from his desk, Andy took her reclining not even two meters away from him as a declaration of war.

She was too close and it was as much uncomfortable as it was aggravating.

It was too early in the morning to contemplate a relationship that lay in shambles and it was too soon to even consider being polite; Andy had left her alone per request and that was as far as his courtesy went. He had kept to her wishes and not so much as said a civil hello to her when they coincidently co-habited the same elevator space in the mornings or late evenings.

It was hard to consider her non-existent when she invaded his murder room, however, solid in a black pantsuit and a pursed mouth that twitched whenever she deigned to look in his direction. It was hard to ignore her when she planted herself practically on his desk; she might as well have poked him right in the ribcage.

Half the team was puttering around by the murder board, scribbling facts and data down about Adrianna Gomez and the crime scene, looking through files and Mike adding things from behind his computer. They seemed to have succeeded in pretending to ignore the presence of F.I.D, much to Andy's chagrin because that left him not being able to ignore her presence all by his lonesome.

Well, at least Taylor was still slinking around, impatiently waiting for Sharon to question him. The idiot thought it had something to do with Pope and the new vacant spot for Chief of Police. Sharon, however, purposefully ignored Taylor and Andy was not so sure she was merely doing a background check on Pope.

The chief had disappeared off to somewhere in a flurry, the pace only quickened when Sharon had given a cheerful wave and smile to the other woman. Andy had an inkling the chief had sought refuge in the toilets and he was of a half mind to join her, if only to commiserate about the head of F.I.D and her inherent ability to make his blood boil in well under a second.

Sharon seemed to feel at home in the murder room despite all his best efforts to glare her into leaving the premises, the snide comments and grumbling that emanated from Provenza only bringing a satisfied smile to her face. She alternated between watching the detectives in the room with an amused expression and then spending her time looking at her annoying little note-book, and then she would pout at her wristwatch and sigh in a volume that only reached Andy's ears and made him even more taut with tension.

No, in a hostile environment Sharon was in her element.

She turned her head slowly in his direction at his outbreak, the curl to her lips twitching in what was meant to rub him the wrong way, "Did you say something, lieutenant Flynn?" The words were slow and deliberate, accompanied by a quirked eyebrow that seemed to appraise him the way someone would appraise an ant.

Andy just felt aggravation build up and up, knowing exactly what lay beyond her outward display of oblivious indifference.

"I said," Andy clarified, his voice still low as he made a brusque gesture with his arm, "are you done snooping around with your little rule book or is there a definite purpose to your presence here, you know besides being meddlesome per usual."

"Oh, don't you worry about why I am here, lieutenant. That's well above your pay grade."

Andy glared back at her, his arms crossing in a defensive move.

"Now, shouldn't you be working on a master search on your victim, lieutenant?" Sharon continued to speak as she coolly turned her head back to the murder board, obvious dismissal in her voice, "I am certain that is what Chief Johnson delegated to you not even a second ago, and judging from your lack of typing and telephoning, you have really not being doing much, now have you."

Andy narrowed his eyes and tried to glare a hole in the back of her head, "Shouldn't you be castrating some unfortunate soul somewhere, huh."

He took enjoyment from the way she turned her head once again to regard him, face painted with part disgust, part derision. Her arms were crossed and her fingers tapped against one arm in a staccato he recognized as her being low on patience. Whatever marred her otherwise impassive face or riled her up into impatience was a point in his favor as far as Andy was concerned.

Andy continued, "You see, if you mind your own business, then I will mind mine."

Sharon shook her head at him and then merely smiled, her eyes glinting with malice, "Oh gosh, good thing I expressly made time for castrating unfortunate souls in my calendar, wouldn't you say. So once again, lieutenant, no need to worry about me. I have plenty of time for all my nefarious deeds. So, please," she made a vague gesture towards his computer, "please go back to minding your own business."

Andy rolled his eyes, "Your continued presence in my murder room, with no explanation whatsoever, is deterring me from working and frankly, I find your presence goddamn annoying."

Her eyes went wide in feigned surprise, "Oh really – Is that all it takes nowadays?"

"Oh yeah," Andy growled, "because you have practically seated your ass on my face."

Sharon smiled sweetly at him, "Are you implying I'm only allowed to be in a certain part of your murder room?"

"Yeah, at least five meters away from me. Better yet, why don't you just disappear altogether."

"Asshole," Sharon said, the voice slick and slow as she let the words out along with a passive-aggressive smile.

"Bitch," Andy growled back, raising an eyebrow at her.

Sharon tilted her head and gave a small shrug, "You are the only one bitching, lieutenant."

"Well, sue me, Captain."

Sharon refrained from replying back and instead she simply shook her head and went back to watching the murder board, obvious in her dismissal once again.

Andy huffed and then slid his chair backwards a few inches, his fingers on the keyboard as he went to check the records on Adrianna Gomez. He couldn't contain himself though and with a sarcastic eye roll he directed a tirade at Sharon's back.

"It's damn ridiculous, you know. You tell me to leave you the hell alone, okay, and that's what I am doing. But oh no, what do you do, huh. Show up in my murder room all the fucking time, sitting right in front of me as if that's the brightest idea in the world. I thought the whole point of," he lowered his voice even more, "our damn breaking off was so you wouldn't have to be annoyed by my existence. I thought you wanted to see less of me and yet here you are."

Sharon gave a short bark that drew the attention of everyone. She merely smiled pleasantly and gave a little wave to Provenza who immediately became pudgy with annoyance and looked away with a quick jerk.

Mike quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at Andy but Andy merely shook his head in the negative.

After a short moment everyone turned their attention back to the murder board again and Sharon looked over her shoulder, "However absurd it may seem to you, there are other reasons to be in your murder room than your oh so fine existence, lieutenant. So please, don't go polishing your ego. I'm not sure it can take much more before it collapses in on itself."

Andy fumed in consternation, his blood boiling dangerously.

Sharon continued, "The reason I am here has nothing to do with you whatsoever."

Andy scowled, "Oh right, I forgot. Nothing about you or your life has anything to do with me; you've made that abundantly clear."

She merely shrugged and then scribbled something in her notebook, pretending he wasn't there.

"You are a fucking piece of work," Andy told her, "It's a wonder you are not more popular."

"I have no need for popularity, lieutenant," Sharon replied with another smile.

Andy grimaced, "I know, why would a robot need popularity, right."

She ignored him.

Andy tapped on the keyboard, searching through one of their search machines for a criminal record.

"Too bad you're programmed with a default, huh."

Sharon turned around to fully glare at him, "What's that supposed to imply? That I'm cold and inhuman?"

"Yeah, you said it. There's something wrong with you."

"You are despicable," she hissed at him, the tone low as well as emotional.

"The truth hurt, Captain?" Andy revealed his teeth in a grim smile. Once you got through Sharon's facade it was better to just keep in the same track, and she was obviously not impassive or on a pedestal now.

"The only thing that's been hurting me, Andy, is you," she said, the tone accusatory.

"Which is why you should go sit in a faraway corner," Andy said as he gestured away from his desk and the area around it, "Because, Captain, I'm not feeling particularly inclined to changing my attitude in the foreseeable future."

Sharon opened her mouth and was obviously about to retort back when the chief came sauntering back into the murder room. Sharon immediately forgot all about him as she hopped off from the desk and thankfully strode away from him.

Andy went back to his master search, resolutely ignoring Sharon for the rest of the day. It was easy enough once she moved to the other side of the murder room and even easier when he realized she was placing all her attention exclusively on the chief and not him.

Her presence still annoyed him but he simply threw her a dark look every once in a while and then otherwise pretended she was a speck of dust.

/LAYOVER/

Andrew Flynn clinked his glass with sparkling water gently against his date's wine glass, a half-hidden smile on his lips as his eyes took a dip down, attention naturally drawn to the penchant that nestled in the deep neckline. The restaurant was a tad fancier than what Andy usually went for but judging from the satisfied glint in his date's eyes, it was a hit. He had replaced his off-duty leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans with a pinstriped black suit; grey shirt and nondescript black tie. The jacket lay over the back of his chair and Andy was contemplating rolling up his shirt sleeves.

In the middle of the main course, his vegetarian dish half-way consumed, Andy chuckled as he entertained his date with a story from the good old days on the force, back when he had been fresh-faced and on patrol with a slightly more experienced Ray Hodge. There was always a story or two to share from that time, usually a nice ice breaker to a conversational lull.

Fork an inch from his mouth, Andy caught movement out of the corner of his eye, automatically following the blur of black that swept in from the entrance to the restaurant. The form materialized into a familiar figure when he turned his head and the fork missed the intentional target of his mouth and collided with his jaw instead.

It was the sight of Sharon Raydor in a slim black dress that had him completely stunned, mouth agape in shock and eyes narrowing when he realized the circumstances behind her entering the fancy restaurant.

She was directed to a table by a waiter, the man by her side tall and well-dressed, his hand lingering on the small of her back as he let her walk first. Sharon was unaware of anything but the man who led her to a table at the other end of the establishment. Sharon in a dress that was a dead give-away when it came to why she was in the restaurant with a man.

Andy still felt dazed beyond comparison; unable to really comprehend this was in fact happening in front of him. It hurt like a knife being forcibly pushed into his chest, stuck in the cavity and then torturously twisted around for extra emphasis.

Sharon smiled graciously as the jerk gallantly pulled out her chair for her.

Every notion of cheerfulness went radically out the window and Andy slowly set down his fork and knife, not feeling hungry anymore. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a big slurp of water to drown out the sour taste.

Of all the fucking places, he thought with a frustrated scowl, she had to saunter into this place on the arm of what could only be a damn date.

Andy was sure open bypass surgery without the anesthesia would hurt less than this moment. In hindsight, however, maybe he should have chosen somewhere less exclusive to bring his own date. Sharon had always had a thing for fine dining, small exclusive places and infamous food. But then again, what were the odds?

Andy grimaced and took another long drag from his water-glass, his thoughts a thousand miles away. The presence of his own date buzzed in front of him but he remained quite oblivious to the blonde, the chatter easy to pretend to listen to. It only required that he elicited a nod and a smile every now and then, a 'yeah' thrown into the bunch while he tried to inconspicuously spy on Sharon.

Andy had not contemplated the notion that she might find someone or that she might actively go out on a date. Seeing her now in the middle of it was absurd and frankly felt like a heavy slap to his face. That might have been it, he figured, but no, the well-dressed figure of the man she was with was familiar to him too.

It was only further gasoline on the fire. Not only was she on a date but with that jerk nonetheless. It irked him to no end.

Andy seethed as he watched her settle in, the neckline of her dress lower than usual but still modest, the swell of black material more revealing in itself. Her hair was perfectly styled and straightened, draped over one shoulder disclosing the pale skin of her collar bones and the little gold earring he was able to make out in profile. He watched as she crossed one leg over the other, her pale fingers neatly folded on the table as she continued to wear a mirthful smile on her lips. She conversed in between looking at the menu card, a somewhat shy expression that Andy was only able to detect because he knew what to look for.

Andy shook his head and turned his eyes and attention back to his own date.

It was impossible. His attention wandered every other second, riveting in the direction of Sharon and her date as if he was somehow forced to look that way.

The dress was new, he was certain.

The set to her head as she regarded the other man was flirtatious.

The way she smiled reminded him of sex.

Andy clenched his jaw in raw jealousy, forcing his eyes away.

But no, it was still impossible. Sharon was vividly pictured in his mind however much he tried to glue his eyes to the blonde woman in front of him. Andy tried to inhale and exhale in a slow fashion, the technique somewhat helpful. It got him through the main course even if he wanted nothing more than to stalk to Sharon's table and punch that jerk right in the face for good measure.

Later on, as he was waiting for dessert, Andy saw Sharon excuse herself and head towards the back and the bathrooms. Andy quickly excused himself as well and then made a beeline for the bathrooms even if he knew it was only bound to be a disaster.

He waited for her to finish, his back against the narrow wall and his arms loosely crossed as he leaned with what would appear as outward calm.

Sharon came out two minutes later, even more beautiful up close.

Instead of greeting her, Andy merely huffed at her angrily, "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he paused briefly to delve his hands deep into the pockets of his pants, "Garnett. Really!"

Sharon looked up, surprise evident in her expression, "Excuse me?"

"DDA Garnett, really, that's the guy you choose for a rebound," Andy flippantly commented as he shook his head in partly disgust and partly disbelief, tension heavy in his neck and between his shoulder blades.

Sharon's expression flickered through an abundance of emotions, anger briefly there to detect among others. She ended up exuding chilly contempt, "Is there someone else you would prefer I date, lieutenant Flynn?"

"Yeah," Andy drawled, "Anyone but him, frankly."

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry," Sharon fired back sardonically, "I didn't know I needed your permission."

Andy pursed his lips, "You could have warned me."

Now her expression faltered into disbelief, "You have got to be joking," she shook her head, "You mean I should have warned you the way you warned me when you started parading around with a herd of stewardesses, is that what you mean?"

"Herd?" Andy raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't say herd."

"Oh please spare me," disdain curled her lips into a crooked twist, "I did not throw a tantrum because you started 'dating' and it somehow ended up as the crime of the week, blabbered about in every break room. Did you even once think about how I would feel about that, hmm? I did not resort to freaking out on you. So stop being immature just because I'm having a good time for once."

"You could have mentioned that you wanted to break off so you could see other people," Andy threw back at her.

Sharon narrowed her eyes, "I'm not the one dating twenty-year old something's."

"Hey, at least I'm not fucking lawyers, huh," Andy shook his head again, "Garnett – what is wrong with you?"

Sharon sighed, "What are you doing here? Besides insulting me and wasting my time like usual?" she paused but only to let her teeth show in a grim smile, "– and for heaven's sake, where you lying in wait out here for me?"

Andy shook his head and ignored her dig at him, "You obviously have a type."

Sharon took a step closer, "Do you really want to play this game?"

Andy shrugged, "What game? – you like sleazy lawyers, the more devious, the better."

Her eyes blazed and she took another step closer, one finger out and poking him in the chest, "And you like them young and barely out of school, is that it? The dumber, the better, hmm?"

Andy smiled placatingly at her as he gave her casual shrug.

Sharon rolled her eyes but refrained from saying anything more.

"So, your date with that idiot lawyer is going splendid, I take it then," Andy commented, not able to keep a little spite from his voice.

Sharon tilted her head as she regarded him, "Why? Do you want details now?" she paused deliberately, her eyes hard and annoyed, "How many dates so far, do you think? Hmm, have we slept together yet? Is that what you want to know?"

Andy narrowed his eyes, "Not particularly. I'm just saying he's not really who I would have pictured you with."

"Funny, I never pictured you with a drug smuggling stewardess either."

Andy grimaced, "They are called flight attendants now."

"Oh really."

"Really," Andy bit out, "and for your information, that was not really a date per se."

"Why thank you, I feel so much better," she retorted, false sweetness.

"I don't understand what you see in that guy, Sharon. C'mon – you can do better."

Sharon took a step closer to him, her eyes narrowed in an intimidating glare.

"Go to hell," she hissed.

Andy shrugged, "Already there, sweetheart."

Sharon pursed her lips in answer, her arms crossed and her chin up, "And whose fault is that."

"My own obviously," Andy bit out and then he did a patronizing salute and turned away from her, walking towards the bathroom in an angry stride.

He was halfway down the hallway when her voice stopped him, "Oh for heaven's sake." She sounded so exasperated that Andy turned around curiously. He watched indecision flitter across her face before she pushed it away and then strode toward him, eyes full of fire. At first he thought she was going to slap him silly but instead she pressed her mouth to his, her hands soft on either side of his face.

She stood on tiptoe, her body leaning in against his own for balance and the kiss continued, soft in its pressure. It was remarkably gentle when he thought about all the vile things they had said to each other lately – most of which had been his fault, sure, but still – and yet her lips slipped between his like velvet.

Andy couldn't help but land his hands on her shoulders, sliding around and up until his fingers could disappear into the heavy hair at the back of her nape, the touch of her skin comforting.

Sharon made a strangled sound in the back of her throat, and for a frightful second he thought it was the start of a sob but somehow it did not go further, and she remained quiet instead moving her lips against his as if she was trying to figure something out.

Andy ended the kiss after a short period, his gaze on her closed eyes. Her fingers travelled down his cheeks and neck, then attached themselves to his tie.

"Can't we have a civil conversation for once?" she opened her eyes and the tone she breathed with sounded despondent.

Andy sighed, "I would like nothing else but it seems impossible."

She looked a bit sad, and he felt a bit sad.

"Wouldn't it be nice to be able to say hello to each other without getting into a fight? Without one of us hurting the other?"

Andy nodded, "It would."

She sighed, "But?"

"I mean, how civil do you want me to be? Do you want to introduce me to your date, huh? Because that will go down so well," Andy groused, "Do you want me to shake his hand, tell him to take good care of you? Huh?"

"Andy," she tugged on his tie, her palm flat on his chest in a little pacifying pat, "There's no need for jealousy. There's no need for hostility. It's not warranted, and moreover you are not entitled."

They stood in silence for a second, her hand still on him.

Andy shook his head, "You say that and yet if I see that jerk up close, I will get in his face. No doubt about it. I can't change that."

"Did you expect me to remain celibate?" Sharon asked him, a quirked eyebrow.

Andy shrugged, "It hadn't crossed my mind – until now."

She pursed her lips, "Delightful."

Andy sighed out in a long-drawn exhalation, his head aching as he briefly let a thumb run across her cheek, "I miss you."

Sharon only looked annoyed at the declaration and she took a stiff step away from him, forcing him to let go as she let her arms fall to her side. "I find that hard to believe," she said with haughty tone that bothered him, her arms now crossed in an unyielding stance.

Andy furrowed his brow, "So, now you presume to know how I feel?"

"Action speak louder than words, you idiot," she paused briefly, red spots appearing on her cheeks, "You've been nothing but spiteful with your words, so really, I'm not sure anything you say can be taken at face-value. Furthermore, you are the one who messed everything up."

Andy threw his hands up into the air, "You know what, let's just forget everything. You go have a nice time with Mr. Slick Lawyer and I'll go mind my own business, huh."

She furrowed her brow but before she could speak, Andy leaned closer, "Just go, Sharon. Okay. Let's not force too much civility onto each other. It will only end up suffocating us."

He watched her grimace and then spin around in an angry huff, striding away and out of the door with rigid movements.

Andy went to the toilet and spent longer than necessary looking at himself in the mirror feeling old.