Part 10: The Dance

It was almost six in the morning when the phone rang. Sharon paused, leaning over her desk to pull out the finalized settlement that Jack had signed. He was giving up his custodial rights, he was no longer able to earn spousal support and he was no longer able to visit his children unless he called in advanced, giving Sharon time to have someone escort her children and supervise them.

There was going to be an arrest, a trial, Jack would have gotten jail time and a large fine if it hadn't been for the fact that he and his lawyer pointed out it was his weekend with the kids and it was in the previous order that on the weekends he was able to take the children to his home in Las Vegas. Despite the fact that California was the children's 'home state' he had Joint Custody.

Sharon now had sole physical and legal custody of Emily and Ricky. Everything was starting to give her a headache. She was just glad it was over and until her divorce was finalized, which she had filed at her request, she never had to see Jack Raydor again. She couldn't force her children to stay away from their father – they would one day grow up and see for themselves.

Her landline had been silent for seconds before it rang again. Groaning, she stepped into the kitchen and picked up the phone, sighing into it.

"Yes?"

"Captain?" she heard yelled. It sounded like Andy. At least she hoped it was Andy. "Sharon can you hear me?"

"Yeah," she said, pressing a hand to her ear as if it would help. "What's going on?"

"We might need Internal Affairs down here," he yelled. "We've got a standoff between two cops and a body."

"Have they fired their weapons?"

"Not yet," Andy said, his voice lower, obviously in doors now. "They've been at this for almost two hours now."

"They've been at this – it's – where are you?"

"Griffith Park," Andy said. "Up near the Sheriff's station off of –"

"I know where it is," she said quickly. She checked her watch and put her blazer on. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Beth should be here in –"

A knock sounded on her door and she sighed gratefully. She opened the door, the phone cord stretched as she stretched to open it. She gave Beth a smile and a wave.

"I'll be there soon," Sharon said, hanging up the phone.

Griffith Park first thing in the morning was always empty. A few joggers here and there getting their morning routine finished before they headed home and into work. It was a shortcut for early commuters in order to bypass the freeways.

Sharon pulled her car up behind Andy's. The EMT van had been pulled up onto the grass, as was two black and white cars, which she could only assume belonged to the officers who were in their own version of a Western standoff.

She noticed Andy far off, next to his partner and next to a small team of officers. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she pulled out the pen from her pocket and slipped her notebook into her small pant pocket before making her way to them.

"Gentlemen," she called out, earning everyone's attention, but the officer's. "Officers, why don't we put the guns down."

"Not going to happen ma'am," one said, having tossed a quick look in her direction. "This man killed my wife."

"The hell I did," the other officer shouted at him. "She was already dead when I got here."

Sharon snapped her attention up to Andy who looked equally as surprised. He put a hand on his hip and swayed from foot to foot before taking a step forward.

"Craig," Andy said, trying and making it personal. "Let's put the gun down, huh? You don't want IA on your ass for the rest of your career do you?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. He enjoyed reminding her she was part of the most disliked department of the LAPD. She understood that. Didn't mean she liked it when he brought it up. It paid the bills.

"You know Meg wasn't' one to step out on you," Andy continued. "You were gonna have a baby."

Sharon took a look at the woman who was in deed dead but there were no visible signs of pregnancy. Meaning either she was a few months or she already had the baby and Andy was behind on the news.

The woman was blonde and pretty even in death. Her body had been splayed in a way that could indicate just being dropped off and forgotten. There was no personalization to the placement of the body. Whoever killed her did it viciously and void of emotion.

The sound of Andy grunting against Craig, Sharon turned with enough time to grab the other officer before he lunged for Andy and Craig. She managed to pull the man's arms behind his back and restrain him.

"You put your hands on either of them and you will be in my office," Sharon said. "Now, let me ask you a couple questions. Can I do that?"

When the man said nothing, Sharon straightened and took a step forward. She had managed to turn the officer's arms in, creating a discomfort in his shoulders.

"I didn't hear you."

"Yes ma'am," the officer grunted. He sighed with an ounce of relief when Sharon slackened her grip.

"Good." Sharon said. "First question. Did you fire your weapon?"

"No."

"Were you the responding officer?"

"Yes."

Sharon let him go completely. He stepped away and rubbed his shoulder.

"Look Captain," the officer started.

Sharon raised a hand, silencing him, not wanting to hear anything that could further implicate him and give her a large headache. She pointed to the officer she was dealing with and then to the cars.

"Downtown," she ordered. "My office."

She checked her watch.

"One hour," she continued. "Both of you. Understand?"

In unison they both replied, 'Yes ma'am."

Sharon nodded and watched as her officer left and Craig waited, before pushing Andy off of him and stalked away.

Sharon gave him a small smile as Andy approached her, her palm flat against her forehead.

"Detective!" The ME yelled, gaining both, well all four of their attention. "She's not dead!"

The victim had been brutally raped. Violently raped to the point where she was good as dead. The men didn't bother checking her to see if she had a pulse. Not that they would be able to find one, according to the ME; it was faint.

She had been taken to the hospital and a rape kit had been done. Sharon wanted the hair, skin, and anything else that would give her information. Not that she wanted one of the officers from the morning to be charged with rape, not that she wanted to color one of her officers in that kind of light, but if she had to she would. Only if they did it. Only if she had too.

She found herself walking through the wing of the hospital in a daze. She had gotten a call from the hospital herself saying that the girl was awake. When she arrived, Sharon didn't expect half the department sitting in the hallway, glaring at her as she made her way to the room.

It put her on edge. It made her nervous. She didn't like the feeling. It meant that they all knew something she didn't and they were waiting for her to find out what they knew and watch as she sunk into the black hole. Straightening up after faltering for a fraction of a section, she crossed the watching, critical eyes of the men who tracked her.

Carefully she pushed the door open and as she assumed, because she had temporarily cleared them when the preliminary screening came through, both men from the morning were sitting with her victim. In the corner stood Andy – the woman had to be questioned by Andy as well.

"Gentlemen," Sharon said quietly. The officers, void of their uniform, stood, and both offered her a chair.

Touched for a brief moment, Sharon waved her hand, having them both sit. She could stand. She had to stand.

"Morning Meg," Sharon said, matching the eyes of the blonde woman sitting up in the bed.

The woman said nothing, her eyes watered as she looked up at Sharon.

"She hasn't said a thing, Captain," Craig mentioned. "Not even to the nurses."

"Okay," Sharon nodded. "Gentlemen why don't you go tell the boys outside what's going on. Lieutenant Flynn, care to make a call of your own?"

"Captain I need-"

"Same page Lieutenant," Sharon said quickly.

Sitting in a room full of men after being violated the way that this woman had been was traumatizing on it's own. Having to talk about the attack was it's own nightmare Sharon wanted to hopefully spare this girl.

Sharon said nothing more, simply waited until the room had cleared out. Andy had stopped in front of her, his fingers gently on her wrist, and she nodded. She was okay. He was okay. They – not necessarily had to be okay. It was a rough couple of weeks and Sharon wanted nothing more to have a small break.

"Hi Meg," she repeated, taking a seat close to the bed. "My name is Sharon Raydor. I'm here to – do you think you can tell me what happened last night?"

The girl nodded her head, opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She shut it and began to tear up again.

Sharon reached across the bed and put a hand on Meg's, offering a small ounce of support.

"You were raped?" Sharon questioned. The girl nodded. "Do you know who did it?"

"No," she said quietly, her voice breaking. "I was at a – it's – we – it was a party."

It would explain the blood alcohol level and the other contents found in her system after they pumped her stomach. Sharon nodded and put that piece of information into the back of her mind, saving it for later. It would make Andy's list of suspects a tad bit longer, but necessary.

"What else can you tell me?"

"We were dancing," she said, giving Sharon a small smile. "He was like – it's a cliché but he came out of nowhere, asked if I wanted a drink and then danced with me."

"It was perfect," Sharon offered. The girl nodded.

"Like out of those movies," she said wistfully. "And then we- he kissed me and told me he would take care of me."

Sharon nodded. "And?"

"And then we started to," the girl's voice cracked and she shook her head. "I didn't think – I asked if he had protection and then he got angry."

"Okay," Sharon nodded and pushed her chair back, standing. "I've got enough for now. Another officer is going to be coming in after me. He's going to ask you the same questions. I can have him stay out if you'd like me to."

Meg nodded and then looked up at Sharon.

"He said he was a lawyer," Meg said. "Almost a lawyer. I don't know if that helps any."

Sharon smiled and nodded her head. "It does, Meg. It does. Get some rest. I'll be by tomorrow to see how you're doing."

Sharon slipped out and was partially surprised to see the hallway having been cleared out. The only person who was there was Andy, at the end of the hallway, his phone against his ear. As she approached him she was quiet, careful, didn't want to intrude on anything he was trying to take care of.

As far as she knew the case was Andy's. There was nothing left for her to do. The cops had been cleared as far as she was concerned, unless they were both at the party, then she'd have a bigger problem. Meg could be covering for her boyfriend, or lover, or whoever she was trying to cover for.

Nevertheless, she was going to back off. Let Andy take care of it and let him fill her in when he came home, over, she corrected mentally. He was at her apartment more often then not, a few times he had run into Beth, but the girl never said a thing when they both left the kids asleep.

Andy had joked that he should buy the apartment next to Sharon's, break down the wall, and let Beth take the extra room. She considered it, but the girl was almost done with her education, the kids would be able to be in school all day, and the need for Beth wouldn't be as great.

"Everything okay?" Andy questioned.

Sharon nodded. "She was raped by someone who was at the party she went to."

"Would explain the alcohol level," Andy nodded. "Anything else?"

"She had never met him before," Sharon said. "Came in on a white horse, wooed her and tried to take her to bed."

"Almost killed her in the process," Andy remarked. "Okay, good. Thanks."

Andy took a step back, running a hand through his hair and turning around. It was a lot in the short span of time. He had work to do. He had a lot of work to do.

"Andy," Sharon sighed, stepping up behind him at the doors to the elevator and running her hands up his back.

He stepped on the elevator, moved to the side to make room for her and hit the button to close the doors. He waited, watching the floors tick by before turning to her and taking her face in his hands.

He kissed her like his life depended on it. He touched her like it was the last thing he was going to do. That death was going to meet him on the other side of the doors and the only thing in his system that he wanted was her.

He always wanted her. There was no doubt. But having her was a different situation. Having her meant all of her. The job, the title, the kids – all of it. The rumors were affecting his job. The remarks he heard in the morning at the coffee cart on the corner were weighing him down. But he was a professional, he was skilled, he danced around them, between them and pretended that none of them existed.

Too bad she was a better dancer than he was. She didn't fall victim to scrutiny.

As I said before, this is AU. I'm finally getting to the point were this is AU. The rest could be considered pre-canon, but hey, I'm working with what I've got.

Thank you for the reviews. Thank you for the interest in the story. I truly appreciate it.

Happy Memorial Day!