Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait. Hope you enjoy it! And thanks to all of our guest reviewers.

It's been a week since Thanksgiving and five days since Ricky and Katie had flown back home again. For the past four nights, Bill had picked up Sharon from work and they spent the evenings together. On Monday, they went out to dinner alone, on Tuesday Bill had cooked dinner for Sharon at his place, on Wednesday Sharon was cooking for Bill and Rusty and on Thursday they all went to the movie theater to watch A Hundred Foot Journey. Tonight, since Rusty is going bowling with Amy and Buzz again, and then having a sleepover at Buzz's, Sharon is spending the night with Bill. He is cooking dinner for her again and once they are done, they sit down on the couch together where Bill continues reading to her.

Later on, when they are both lying in bed, Bill asks, "So, have you talked to Rusty yet about your idea to adopt him, to provide a legal and family-based stability for his future?"

"No, not yet. I haven't found the right time yet. But I was planning on spending this weekend with him alone. I hope you don't mind. I haven't had much alone time with him lately and I really want to ask him about it, and I also wanted to talk to him about his plans for college."

"I see," Bill nods understandingly, "Of course I don't mind. I actually have to prepare a presentation for a lecture next week on work safety, so that works out perfectly. Then everyone will be busy and we won't miss each other too much."

Sharon giggles slightly. "Good, then I won't feel too bad about leaving you all alone for a whole two days." Now they both giggle. Bill leans over to give Sharon a passionate kiss and then turns off the light. Sharon snuggles up against Bill's side and puts her head on his shoulder. Since it's been a tough week at work, she drifts right off to sleep. Bill lays awake for a little while taking in the lovely scene of Sharon's hair, enjoying its softness against his cheek and finds peace in listening to her steady breathing. He would love to elope with Sharon right there and then, but he knows she wouldn't really want that and would prefer a sweet little ceremony with her children, and probably her team, present. He has been thinking about the perfect location for a while now and he has come to the conclusion that Sharon would probably want a church wedding considering she's Catholic, so that's where it's going to be. Also, he has been thinking about where to go for their honeymoon. Of course his, soon their cabin would be ideal, but he's thinking about taking her somewhere foreign, somewhere that neither of them have been, maybe Ireland. That would be absolutely perfect and gorgeous. They could stay in a bunch of bed-and-breakfasts as they drive around. With a smile on his face, from planning his honeymoon, Bill soon falls fast asleep as well.

When Bill wakes up, he finds that Sharon is already up and gone. He wonders if she has suddenly been called to a crime scene, but then hears rummaging coming from his kitchen. He gets out of bed and walks over to his closet to grab his bathrobe. While putting it on, he makes his way to his kitchen where he finds Sharon preparing some breakfast. He takes a deep breath – fresh coffee and eggs. He takes a seat at the dining room table, where Sharon has already placed fresh orange juice and some toast. When their eyes meet, Sharon smiles happily and says, "Good morning, darling. How did you sleep? You looked so peaceful, so I didn't want to wake you and thought I would prepare some breakfast."

"I did sleep rather well, thank you. And that smells and looks really lovely. I can't wait to try it. Since when have you been awake?"

Sharon looks at the digital clock on the oven and then states, "About fifty minutes. I took a shower and then started on the breakfast. It will be ready in a minute."

"Alright, I will just go splash some water on my face real quick and then I will be back."

Bill gets up from the chair and leaves the room, making his way back to his bedroom. While Sharon is waiting for Bill's return, she serves the eggs and pours the coffee. Bill likes his coffee black, but Sharon prefers hers with a little bit of creamer and sugar. Just two minutes later, Bill returns and retakes his seat at the table.

"When we're done eating, I need to go get ready to pick Rusty up from Buzz's. He called maybe twenty minutes ago and asked if I could pick him up, whenever we're ready. I told him you're still asleep and I didn't just want to leave. He told me to take my time. He and Buzz have been awake since 7am playing chess all morning."

"Wow," Bill utters, "Once the kid starts playing, it's hard to get him away from the chess board, isn't it?"

"It is indeed," Sharon replies. She remembers the countless times she has asked him to do something and he just wouldn't react at all. It was like talking to a brick wall. The memories make her smile. He is such a precious young man. It was a miracle to have him in her life and she is thankful for it every day.

About an hour later, Sharon and Bill kiss goodbye. "Good luck with your presentation, darling. I know it will be splendid."

"Thank you, dear, and thank you for having faith in my abilities." Bill smiles at her like a little boy and then gives her another quick kiss before Sharon turns to leave.

Making her way to her car, she tries to think about a way to tell Rusty about her idea to adopt him. She knows he loves her like a mother, because he has been calling her mom for months now, but she does not know if he will have any objections to making it legal. "I guess I will know soon," she mutters while parking her car in the driveway of Buzz's house. She gets out of the car and walks up the driveway. When she has almost reached the front door, it opens and Buzz pops his head out. "Rusty will be right with you, Captain."

"Alright, thanks Buzz. I hope you had a great evening. Who won at the bowling game?"

"Amy won, again. I don't know how she does it. Rusty and I are not bad bowlers, but somehow she manages to win every single game."

Sharon can't help but giggle. "I am so sorry for you Buzz. I hope you still had plenty of fun though?"

"Yes we did. You and Bill should come with us next time. Actually, I think the whole team should come. It would be so much fun, especially hearing Lieutenant Provenza gruff about hitting the gutter all the time. I played with him before, I am not making this up." He smiles at his Captain.

"Maybe he will surprise you. Maybe he has practiced since you last played."

"Do you know anything I don't know, Captain?" Buzz teases.

"Oh, no no, I don't. It was only a guess, knowing Provenza," Sharon says and then chuckles.

"Hi mom," Rusty addresses Sharon happily whilst entering the living room. "I am all ready to leave. Hey Buzz, thanks so much for having me last night and bearing with me this morning playing chess. I really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure, Rusty. It's always great to have you over."

"What's on your mind, mom?" Rusty asks, noticing how absent-minded Sharon is.

"What? Oh, well, there is something I would like to talk to you about, but I wanted to wait until we're home," Sharon replies, a little reluctant.

"Did anything happen? Are you okay?" Rusty asks, his curiosity now being sparked.

"Oh god, no, no, don't you worry. I just…" Sharon pulls the car over and puts it into the parking position. She takes a deep breath and starts over, "I was just thinking, since you will start college soon, it might be a good idea for you to have some more stability, legally and morally, provided by a family. You are already a part of my family. You know I love you like I love my other two children and Ricky and Katie both love you like their brother. Theoretically, we are a family, but I would really love to make it legal as well. What I am saying is this," she takes another deep breath, "I would really like to adopt you, Rusty, and officially make you a member of my family."

Holding her breath, Sharon is waiting for an answer from Rusty, or just any kind of reaction. He is just sitting there, staring at her for a while, then he starts smiling – a smile that quickly changes to a wide grin. Suddenly, he throws his arms up in the air, leans over to Sharon sitting in the driver's seat and squishes her tightly.

"Oh my god, I would love that. I was thinking about the same thing, but didn't know how to bring it up. I didn't want to be like 'Hey, do you want to adopt me, a young man who will start college next summer?'"

Sharon lets out the breath she was holding for a good whole minute. She puts her arms around Rusty as well now and starts squishing him too. When they let go of one another, Rusty notices that Sharon has teared up. "Please, don't start crying on me," Rusty begs, "You will make me tear up as well. And you know how much I hate to cry in front of people."

"I am sorry, I can't help it." Sharon says, wiping a tear away. "Your answer just made me so happy. I wasn't sure what you would say. I know you haven't really been on good terms with your other mom, but she is still that, your mom. I don't want to replace her, I wouldn't think of it like that, but I think you could use another mom, who is financially and mentally capable of taking care of you. She hasn't done this in years, to be candid, and it doesn't seem like she will be able to do that in the next couple of years, and you certainly need someone to support you."

"I completely agree with you," Rusty adds in, "which is why I was pondering the option of adoption myself."

Sharon wipes another tear away, which was starting to run down her cheek. She slightly squeezes Rusty's arms and then turns to face the street again. "How about I take you out for lunch, to celebrate this upcoming wonderful news?" Sharon suggests.

"Sounds like a great idea, I am starving. Buzz and I have been playing chess all morning, so we forgot to eat breakfast. Can we go to Café Vida? We haven't been there in ages."

"Of course we can, it's such a good and healthy choice," Sharon giggles, which earns her another wide grin from Rusty.

Hope you enjoyed it! As always, reviews are appreciated!