Notes: So this chapter...this chapter is a behemoth as far as chapter sizes go for this series, but it begins to incorporate the main idea that got this whole story started. I hope you enjoy it, there will be at minimum a second part to go along with this. To reorient you to timelines and how old the kids are: Nicole 18, Emily 17, Charlie 16, Ricky 14, Twins 7 (Couple months shy of 8). We're about 2 years away from the events of the Closer starting (2005).
November 2003
"College visits," Sharon sighs as she and Andy follow behind the tour group of parents and students. They were on a long weekend of college visits with the kids along with Emily's friend, Sam. The four older kids were participating in the tours while the other three were tagging along on a vacation. They had gotten into New Haven Thursday night and had headed straight to bed. Their tour at Yale was taking up most of the morning while Ricky kept an eye on the twins at the hotel and they had tickets to go to the Yale Harvard football game on the next day. After the game they were making the trip to Manchester to stay with Sharon's parents until their tour at UConn on Monday.
Nicole had already applied at the college as a long shot but hadn't been able to go on a tour yet. Emily promised Andy and Sharon she would take a look at other colleges, but was being hard headed about pursuing a career in dance, and that meant a college education in it as well. They knew she had the chops, but they were worried as parents usually were. Sam was interested in attending but wanted to check out the area and see if it was worth the move across the country. Charlie was along for the ride as well, still trying to figure out what exactly he wanted to do.
"We have our practice kid this year…then we get do two of them at once. And then we get a bit of a break and we get to graduate one from both…And then we don't have to worry for about 7 years."
"You're not helping," Sharon replies wryly as she looks at her husband.
"I will agree that it does seem like yesterday I was asking you to babysit her for half an hour while I interviewed a suspect," Andy smiles, "Last 18 years have been a wild ride."
"Oh yes they have," Sharon nods in agreement. Andy smiles as he hears Nicole ask a question to the tour guide about their finance program.
"I can't believe she wants to do finance," Andy comments, "It's great, but just kind of came out of nowhere."
"She really liked that accounting course that she took last year. She's always been good with math," Sharon comments, "Money's always going to be around."
"True. So a dancer, an accountant," Andy ticks off, "Charlie?"
"Mmm…I think he'll end up in poli-sci or maybe engineering."
"Ricky?"
"Computers definitely," Sharon says with a smile, "What do you think?"
"I could see Charlie doing engineering…maybe something like architecture. Definitely computers with Ricky."
"Early guess, what about the twins?"
"Is lifelong nerd an option?" Andy asks. Sharon scoffs and elbows him in the ribs.
"Did you just call our children nerds?" She glares at him.
"Did I?"
"Yes you did," Sharon responds dryly, "So Libby and Drew don't play sports…that doesn't mean…"
"There's nothing wrong with it," Andy backtracks slightly, "I'm not saying there is. It's just different than it was with the others. You did school and I did sports. I'm hardly the place to go for advice on algebra."
"They're seven, they don't do algebra."
"You know what I mean."
"I do," Sharon nods, "And just because they're geared more towards academics, at least for right now, doesn't mean you're going to connect less with them. You play with them, you watch movies with them, and you're not a moron Andy, you can help them sometimes. But you have given each and every one of our kids the same attention and love that they deserve no matter what they do. You're a great father."
"You're making me blush," Andy drawls with a slight grin.
"I'm just saying, yes it is going to be different with the twins, but we're going to do the same thing we've always done. Love them."
"You're right," Andy nods.
"I do love hearing you say that," Sharon smiles before pausing as she hears her phone ring. She digs it out of her purse and looks at the display before putting her hand over the talk button. They had left Andy's phone with Ricky and the twins and his name was blinking up at her, "It's Ricky. I'll catch up in a second."
"Okay," Andy nods continuing to follow the group as Sharon answers the phone.
"Ricky?"
"Hi mommy!" Drew's voice echoes down the line.
"Hi sweetie, is everything okay?"
"Ricky has a nose bleed," Drew explains.
"Drew! I told you not to call her," Sharon hears Ricky call out in the background before a slight tussle over the phone.
"Don't push me!" Drew yells before Ricky's voice comes in clearer over the phone.
"Hi mom," He mumbles, his voice slightly nasally.
"Don't push your brother," Sharon reprimands before softening her tone, "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Ricky sighs, "My nose just started bleeding a little bit ago. I'm fine."
"'Just started'?"
"Yeah, it's probably just the dry air. It's flipping freezing here," Ricky reasons, "I'm fine really."
"Okay," Sharon responds skeptically, "Try not to get blood on anything the hotel owns. Call me if it doesn't stop soon. I'll call you when we leave and we'll come pick the three of you up for lunch okay?"
"Sure."
"Love you," Sharon murmurs. Ricky replies in the same before hanging up the phone. Sharon puts the phone back in her purse before going to catch up to the group.
"Everything okay?" Andy asks as she falls back into step next to him.
"Yeah, Ricky has a nose bleed and Drew thought I should know," Sharon rolls her eyes with a small smile and a shrug. They finish up the tour and the kids ask the rest of their questions before they head back to the hotel. The kids immediately head towards their rooms to freshen up after their long morning, "Ten minutes and then we're leaving."
"Okay!" Andy opens the door to their room and lets Sharon in before following behind her. The twins were sitting on their bed watching TV as Ricky was laid out against the headboard of Sharon and Andy's bed with tissue stuffed in his nose.
"Ricky, what are you still doing with tissue in your nose?" Sharon accosts softly as she sets her purse down and walks over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. She notices the small trash can filled with bloody tissues before reaching up to pry the ones in his nose out gently.
"Oh. I kinda forgot it was in there," Ricky says with a wrinkle of his nose as she pulls them out before depositing them in the trash can.
"How long did this go on for?"
"I don't know…half hour, forty five minutes?" Ricky shrugs, "It's a nose bleed, Mom."
"I'm allowed to be concerned about you bleeding," Sharon tells him with a sharp look before tipping his head back and looking in his nose.
"Oh my god are you actually looking in my nose right now?"
"Honey, will you grab that mini flashlight out of my purse?" Sharon asks Andy, thanking him when he holds it out to her before clicking it on and shining it up Ricky's nostrils.
"Mom."
"We'll stop at Walgreens while we're out and pick up some vaseline…" Sharon says as she lets his chin out of her grasp and turns the flashlight off, "Hopefully that should help keep your nose from getting too dry. Go change your shirt so we can go to lunch."
Ricky rolls his eyes and gets off of the bed before heading to the room that he was sharing with Charlie. Sharon shakes her head with her own roll of her eyes as she looks at Andy. She narrows her eyes as he gives her a shit eating grin.
"Why did I ever decide to have kids with you?" She mutters as she throws a pillow at him playfully before turning her attention to the twins, "Did you guys have a good morning with Ricky?"
"Mmhm," Libby and Drew nod in tandem, tearing their eyes away from the tv screen, "He got us snack cakes from the vending machine."
"He did? That was nice of him," Sharon smiles and wraps her arms around Libby as she squirms off the bed, "What kind did you get?"
"Chocolate, duh."
"How could I be so silly?" Sharon laughs and presses a kiss to her daughter's head, "Why don't you two go get your shoes on so we can go get lunch?"
"Where are we going?" Drew asks as he climbs down off the bed himself before starting the search for his shoes.
"I don't know yet, what sounds good to you?" Sharon asks as she lets out a small yawn, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Pizza!" Drew calls out as he slips under the bed to grab his sneaker before sitting on the floor to pull it onto his foot. He pushes himself up and wanders around looking for its mate.
"I don't know how they manage to lose their shoes so fast," Andy comments.
"Gift of childhood," Sharon replies, smiling up at him, "How does pizza sound?"
"Works for me. Probably the easiest to do."
"Definitely," Sharon agrees. Pizza was the most customizable, but cheapest option when it came to taking out all of the kids. Ricky and Charlie could put away massive amounts of food while Nicole was on a vegetarian kick and Emily always wanted hot peppers which only she and Andy would eat. This was all on top of the twins going through a picky eating phase. Sharon pushes herself up from the bed and grabs Drew's missing shoe from behind her, handing it to the boy, "I'm going to go get the others."
"I will find our last missing shoe," Andy comments as he notices Libby still wandering around looking for a shoe. Sharon presses a kiss to his cheek before heading into the hallway only hearing the beginning of his comment to the twins, "You know if you would just put them by the door…"
Sharon laughs softly as the door clicks behind her before she heads to the next room over, knocking loudly on the door before yelling in, "Let's go!"
She repeats the same thing with the girls' room, jumping back slightly as the door is immediately yanked open and the three of them come out.
"Where's everyone else?" Emily asks.
"Your dad was helping Libby find her shoe and I just knocked on the boys."
"And they complain we take a long time," Nicole rolls her eyes with a laugh.
After polishing off three large pizzas and two orders of breadsticks the family spends most of the afternoon wandering around New Haven and letting the older kids get a feel for what the town had to offer. They stop by the school bookstore and the kids head to the clothing section to each pick out a t-shirt. Andy wanders around next to his wife as she grimaces at book prices, grabbing a small stuffed bulldog off the shelf before wiggling it in her direction.
"Look familiar?"
"Oh my god I can't believe they still make these," Sharon laughs as she takes the bulldog from him, "How long did Emily have hers?"
"Uh, she was…seven," Andy says after thinking for a moment, "The thing literally fell apart when…"
"…when Ricky snapped it out of her hand," Sharon nods, "Now I remember."
"She sobbed for two days straight."
"I distinctly remember through her tears hearing 'Why did you get me a brother? I never wanted a brother, and he ruined my life!'" Sharon laughs as she puts the bulldog back on the shelf, "How could we ever think she would go into anything besides the arts with that kind of flair for the dramatic?"
"How could we indeed?" Andy grins, looking past her as the kids start to trickle back over with their selections. Libby holds up a purple one to show him and her mother.
"Look, it's purple!"
"It is! Your favorite color, you're so lucky!" Sharon smiles and takes the shirt from her before holding her hand out for the navy one that Drew was holding. She checks the sizes before draping them over her forearm and running her fingers through her son's hair, "You didn't want the green one?"
"No," Drew shakes his head, "I like the blue one."
"Okay," Sharon smiles and looks up as Ricky holds out a tag to her, already wearing the sweatshirt underneath the jacket he had brought with for the trip, "A sweatshirt?"
"It's freezing here, I'm cold," Ricky shrugs and wraps his sleeves tighter around his body.
"Honey, are you sure you're okay?" Sharon asks with a worried furrow in her brow. She reaches up and feels under his chin after checking his forehead.
"I'm fine, Mom," Ricky says in exasperation, pulling away, "There's like a thirty degree differential between here and LA, Jesus. It's dry and cold."
"Richard," Andy narrows his eyes at his son and Ricky sighs with a roll of his eyes.
"Sorry. I'm fine, Mom, I promise."
"Okay, okay. I'll drop it," Sharon holds up her hands, "Why don't you guys give me your shirts and you can walk over to Subway with Dad? We can take them back to the hotel and maybe order a movie on Pay-Per-View?"
"Can we get chips and cookies?" Charlie asks.
"Sure," Sharon nods, taking his shirt, "See if we can get a price break on a dozen for the cookies, and get regular sized sandwiches for Drew and Lib."
"Aye aye, Captain," Charlie salutes with a grin that was eerily similar to his father's. Andy laughs and nudges the kids toward the exit.
"Come on, guys."
The family ends up taking their dinner back to the hotel and piling onto the beds in Sharon and Andy's room, deciding to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. They send the older ones off to bed after the movie, reminding them that they would be up early in the morning to go to the football game before getting the twins ready for bed and tucking them into the other queen size in the room.
Sharon sighs as she sinks into the mattress and turns the last light in the room off, looking across at the twins who were already fast asleep. She watches them for a moment before feeling the bed dip next to her. She turns her attention to Andy and smiles tiredly at him before humming as he presses a kiss to her mouth.
"I'm worried about Ricky," She says quietly as she shifts to lay on her side facing him, letting her head rest against her pillow.
"He's fine, Shar. Worst thing is it's a cold and he's being a macho teenage boy about it."
"His nose bled for 45 minutes, that's not normal."
"Rick's always been a bleeder," Andy points out, "He's fine."
Sharon lets out a small 'hmph' as she drops onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. She blinks a couple times before letting out a soft groan and sitting up again, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Andy sits up further on his elbow and arches his eyebrow.
"You're not going to check on him are you?"
"No!" Sharon glares at him, "I keep forgetting to take these stupid contacts out."
"I don't know why you don't just wear the glasses," Andy says as she gets up to go to the bathroom, "They're hot."
"They make me look old," Sharon grumbles and wanders into the bathroom, wincing when she turns the overhead light on. She takes the contacts out and puts them into the container in her makeup bag before turning the light off again and making her way back to bed. She snuggles closer as she feels Andy's arm snake around her waist before his head burrows its way into the crook of her neck.
"They don't make you look old, they're sexy," He mumbles lazily as he presses a kiss to the soft skin beneath his lips.
"You think so?"
"Definitely," Andy whispers, "I don't know why you think it's such a big deal. Your mom wears glasses."
"That's not a plus in the glasses column. And she's worn them since she was ten, I thought I'd beaten it."
"Well I like them," Andy replies, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before settling in. Sharon turns her head and presses her lips to his forehead as she covers his arm with hers.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Andy groans in the morning when the alarm starts to sound. He reaches over and slaps it off before scrubbing his hand over his face. Sharon burrows closer for a moment before he feels a heavier breath against his neck and then her lips. The two lay in silence for a moment until the shuffling from the twins' bed gets louder. Andy rolls out of bed and stretches before going over to the tiny coffee pot in the room and starting a pot. He takes care of getting the twins started for the day as Sharon calls the other rooms to wake the kids up.
The nine of them manage to get ready relatively quickly before heading to the football stadium. They meet some of Sharon's friends from college who had secured tailgating spaces for the special day. They all had kids around the same age and easily spent the morning catching up over a sizable spread. As the game draws nearer they make their way into the stadium and to the row of seats they had managed to secure together. Andy gets the kids settled with snacks and drinks before dropping onto the bench next to Sharon. During the game Sharon notices Ricky fading a bit, before starting to rally a bit during the last quarter.
The Bulldogs end up going down to the Crimson by a sizable score but the group leaves in good spirits, glad to have been able to take in the game together. They make their way back to the hotel and pack up their things before hitting the road to go to Bill and Mary's, arriving at the house in Manchester later in the afternoon. They unleash the kids on the house as they get their bags out of the back and carry them inside. Sharon smiles as she sees the kids happily greeting their grandparents, loving that they enjoyed coming out to visit just as much as her parents enjoyed having them.
"Emily, did you make sure Sam knows everyone?"
"Oh! Nana, Grandpa, this is my friend, Sam. She's looking at schools with us. I think you've met her before…it's probably been a while though," Emily introduces the blue eyed brunette standing behind her with a small shrug and a smile. Sam was about the same height as Emily with shoulder length, wavy chocolate brown hair that had a light smattering of highlights through it. Her skin was a couple of shades tanner than the pale tone that Emily maintained and her eyes were a bright clear blue. The two had been friends since they were little when both of them were in the same preschool class. Sam had gone to St. Joseph's until they were in middle school, transferring to another catholic school for high school after her family had moved into the Valley. By that point their friendship had strong roots and the girls still made every effort to see each other and talked on the phone constantly.
"Sam, it's nice to see you again," Mary greets, "It's been a few years. You've grown a lot."
"It has," Sam nods with a smile, "Thank you for having me in your home, it's lovely."
"Well thank you, I'm sure Emily could give you the grand tour after dinner and maybe even take you down to the stables. The horses are being taken to their winter boarding next week."
"Oh yeah, the neighbors have horses," Emily explains to Sam, "They've let us come over and ride when we've been out to visit."
"That sounds like fun," Sam smiles.
"Why don't you all go upstairs and clean up for dinner? I'm sure you've had a long day. It'll be about another hour before we sit down. Emily, Grandpa put up a second cot in your room for Sam to use."
"Perfect," Emily smiles and grabs her bag and Sam's before leading her upstairs. The rest of the kids grab their bags and follow suit, heading upstairs to the bedrooms they'd been assigned. Libby sighs as she rubs her eye, looking up at Sharon.
"Momma, can we lay down for a little bit? I'm tired."
"Me too," Drew echoes with a yawn
"Of course honey," Sharon runs her fingers through Libby's hair and presses a kiss to her forehead, "I'll come get you guys when dinner is ready."
"Okay," Libby nods and drags her backpack behind her as she heads upstairs, Drew trailing along side her.
"Those two are a trip," Mary laughs softly before hugging her daughter, "They are too cute."
"Yes they are," Sharon agrees as she squeezes her mom close before pulling away, "Worse - they know it."
"How was your tour and the game?"
"The tour was good, the kids liked it," Sharon replies as she takes a seat at the kitchen table, "I told you that Nicole has applied and I'm curious to see if any of the other three will apply at all. It's just been a whirlwind taking them to visit places the last year or so."
"I remember when you were applying for college," Bill comments, "You had your heart set on Yale."
"Of course I did," Sharon grins, "I was a Daddy's girl. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I could."
"I feel like it's that second item that kept you out of Wellesley," Bill smiles back, "Do you guys want anything to drink? Your mom just put on a pot of coffee before you arrived."
"I'll take a cup," Andy accepts as he sits down next to Sharon while his wife shakes her head at the offer.
"I am cutting back. I'll take tea though if you have it."
"The kettle should still be warm," Mary tells Bill as he sets the coffee pot on the table with some mugs. She slides a cup across the table to Sharon before Bill fills her cup with the remaining hot water from the tea kettle. Sharon leafs through the teabags in the container in the middle of the table, plucking one out before dunking the bag into the cup.
Once dinner is ready Sharon makes her way upstairs to get the kids, calling out to the older ones before going into the twins' room and waking them up. She hears feet start to thunk across the hall floor and down the stairs as she runs her fingers gently through Drew's hair.
"Drew, Lib…dinner's ready, time to get up."
"Mmm, five more minutes, Momma."
"Nice try, mister," Sharon smiles, "Am I going to have to tickle you?"
"No. I'll get up, I'll get up…" Drew mumbles before yawning and snuggling back into bed, "I'm not getting up."
Sharon laughs and reaches out, starting to tickle both of them. Soon both of them are laughing and squirming on the mattress. She pulls her hands back and stands up.
"Come on, let's go," Sharon tells them, waiting for them to get out of bed before following them downstairs. She frowns when she doesn't see Emily and Sam at the table, "Where are the girls?"
"Em's door was closed," Nicole says, "I assumed they were taking a nap."
"I'll go get them. Will you get them a plate?" Sharon says to Andy as she gestures to the twins before going upstairs. She makes her way down the hall to Emily's room, knocking on the door before walking in without waiting for a response.
"Emily? Sam? What are you two doing? Dinner is…" Sharon trails off as she steps into Emily's room, finding the two of them locked in a heated kiss. The girls immediately pull themselves away from the other and their eyes divert, looking frantically around the room as neither of them dares to look at Sharon, "Oh! Uh…dinner is ready."
"We'll be right down," Emily replies quickly and Sharon retreats, closing the door behind herself. She puts her hand to her chest and takes a deep breath before heading back downstairs. Andy looks up from setting plates in front of the twins, arching his eyebrow at Sharon's shellshocked look.
"Girls coming down?"
"Yes!" Sharon says, her volume a bit loud. She swallows and nods before taking a seat, "Sorry, yeah, they'll be right down."
Emily and Sam wander into the dining room a moment later, both of them red around the edges. Emily takes a seat next to her father as Sam sits across from her. They both quietly load their plates as the rest of the family converses. Sam jumps part way through dinner as she feels a foot connect with her shin. She looks up across the table and finds Emily staring at her with wide brown eyes. She mouths an apology and Sam rolls her eyes, shaking her head with a small smile.
After dinner the kids help clear the table and Emily grabs a stack of plates from Charlie, offering to take them into the kitchen. Sharon was standing at the island in the middle of the kitchen boxing up left overs as Emily brings the plates in. She sets the stack down on the counter and rinses everything off before loading the dishwasher. She clicks the door shut before walking over to the island and resting her forearms against the granite surface.
"So…" Emily breathes out, "Maybe we could…take a walk?"
"Sure," Sharon nods, not looking up from her task, "Let me finish and then we can go."
"Okay," Emily nods, straightening up a little bit before heading out to the entry way. She shrugs her own coat on and grabs her mother's, draping it over her arm as she stuffs her feet into the boots she had worn for their vacation. She shifts her weight back and forth as she waits, holding Sharon's coat out to her as she comes around the corner.
"Thank you," Sharon smiles softly, wrapping herself in the warm fabric before pulling on her own shoes, "Em and I are going out for a walk! We'll be back."
"Which way do you want to go?" Emily asks as they step out onto the porch.
"Let's just walk around the block," Sharon offers, "It's getting chilly out."
"Okay," Emily nods. The two of them step off the porch and make their way down to the sidewalk before starting to walk in silent tandem with each other. Only after they're a bit of a distance away from the house does Emily finally speak, "I…uh…don't really know how to start this conversation. Which is probably why I've been avoiding saying anything for a while…"
"How long have you two been…?"
"Six months?" Emily shrugs, "I don't know. It just kind of happened. Sam was…she is the one that I can talk to about things. After I stopped going to therapy she's always been around to listen when maybe I can't talk to you or Dad. And we were talking one weekend and we were saying a lot of the same things about frustrations we were having about relationships and things…and she kissed me. And I liked it. And she liked it."
"Does this have anything to do with what happened with Brandon?"
"Yes and no?" Emily replies with a curious inflection, "Did he turn me gay by attacking me? No. But I think it helped me evaluate a bit. I've never been sure, you know?"
"I can't say that I do," Sharon laughs softly. Emily lets out a small laugh herself.
"I wasn't trying to hide anything from you," She explains as they turn the corner, "It was just easy to…not make it a thing."
"You know your dad and I don't care about who you date right?" Sharon asks, looking over at her daughter, "We just want you guys to be happy and be safe."
"I know," Emily nods.
"Are you happy?"
"Yeah. Being with Sam, like dating her, makes me happy."
"And you're being safe?"
"Mom!" Emily blushes furiously.
"It's my prerogative to ask," Sharon points out, "And I know we didn't exactly cover same sex…"
"No, no, no, no, no," Emily shakes her head and reaches out to cover Sharon's mouth, their slow pace coming to the stop, "Please don't finish that sentence unless you want to scar me for life and send me back to therapy."
Sharon rolls her eyes before prying Emily's hands away from her mouth, "My point is that you still just need to be careful."
"I know," Emily sighs as they start to walk again, continuing in silence until they turn the corner again. An impish smile comes over her face, "At least you don't have to worry about me ending up pregnant before I graduate high school."
"Emily Eileen!" Sharon reprimands as Emily cackles next to her, her breath fogging up in the chilling air.
"Come on, Mom. I thought you could use a little cheering up from walking in on me making out with my girlfriend," Emily teases.
"How did I end up with such wicked children?" Sharon shakes her head. Emily laughs and wraps her arm around Sharon's, leaning into her mother's side.
"We're not that terrible."
"No you're not," Sharon agrees, resting her cheek against the top of Emily's head, "Let me talk to Dad tonight, before you spill the beans on everyone else. Okay?"
"Okay," Emily nods. Sharon sighs softly and tugs her daughter a little closer before she presses her lips to Emily's forehead.
"I love you so much, you know that?"
"Of course."
"You were all I ever wanted for so long," Sharon muses quietly. Her tone had a dreamy thickness to it, "And I'm so proud of everything that you've accomplished already, and how great you are…"
"Mom…"
"I know," Sharon sighs, rubbing her hand over Emily's arm before loosening her hold. They two finish their walk before heading back into the house and hanging their coats up. Emily takes her boots off and stuffs them under the bench before heading into the living room where the rest of the siblings were watching TV with the fireplace going. She sinks down onto the couch next to Sam and smiles as she sits as close as possible without wrapping an arm around her.
"Good walk with your mom?" Sam asks.
"Mmhm," Emily nods, bumping her head against Sam's in a quiet gesture before turning her focus to the tv. Sharon sighs as she drops onto the love seat next to Andy, lifting his arm to wrap around her as she lays her head on his chest and drapes her legs over his lap.
"Comfy?" Andy asks with a bemused smile.
"Perfectly," Sharon replies, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Later in the evening after her parents had already retired to their room Sharon nudges the twins up and tells them to go upstairs and get ready for bed before telling the other kids to not stay up too late, reminding them that they would be going to Mass in the morning.
"I'll be up in a second," Andy tells her, tipping his head up for a kiss before watching her head upstairs. He gets up from the couch and makes his way around the house, checking that all of the doors and windows were locked. He pours himself a glass of water from the kitchen before making his way upstairs, smiling as he hears Libby and Drew chattering away at their mother as they get ready for bed. He puts his water in his and Sharon's room before going into the twins' room where she was tucking the blankets around Libby and pressing a kiss to her head. He tells both of them goodnight and drops a kiss on their heads before they go back to their room.
Sharon picks up the glass of water and takes a sip as Andy shuts the door behind them. She sighs as she drops down onto the edge of the bed and scrubs her hands over her face, digging her fingers into her eyes with a soft groan. Andy frowns as he drops his shirt onto the top of the dresser. He nudges Sharon's foot with his after walking over to stand in front of her.
"Alright?"
"Yeah, yeah," Sharon nods. She drops her hands into her lap and looks up at him, offering a tired smile, "Emily and Sam are dating…I walked in on them making out with each other earlier."
"Oh…" Andy lets out, opening and closing his mouth a few times before tilting his head, "Emily and Sam?"
"Mmm," Sharon nods.
"That's different," He comments before taking his jeans off. He quickly folds them up and drops them on top of his shirt before sitting down next to his wife and leaning down to take his socks off, "Is this new?"
"She said six months."
"Huh…"
"She said she's never really been sure, and that Brandon attacking her didn't necessarily have anything to do with it," Sharon explains, "She and Sam were talking one day and it just kind of clicked…"
"I mean if that's what she wants, that's what she wants," Andy shrugs, scratching the top of his head.
"Exactly, that's what I told her," Sharon says, looking over at her husband, "All we want is for them to be happy and safe."
"Right," Andy nods, "That's just…I was not expecting that."
"Me. Either," Sharon laughs, "She did impart a bit of wisdom on me though."
"Oh?"
"At least we won't be grandparents sooner than we anticipated."
"Oh my god," Andy groans, flopping back on the bed. Sharon laughs and reaches over, patting him on the stomach before getting up to get ready for bed. She changes into her nightgown and wraps herself into her robe before padding across to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, leaving the bedroom door open.
Sharon splashes water over her face to rinse the suds away, reaching out blindly to grab the hand towel hanging up next to the sink. She pats her skin dry and dries her hands before hanging the towel back in its spot, biting her lip as she looks at herself in the mirror. Her fingertips brush over her temples, taking in the crows feet that were starting to crop up, the fine lines settling in.
"DAD!"
"MOM!" Sharon's eyes widen as she hears the yells from downstairs, the panicked tones setting her on edge. She rushes out of the bathroom, beating Andy to the stairs as they both fly down the steps. She could see Nicole, Charlie, Emily, and Sam standing in a circle in the living room. It isn't until she gets closer that she sees Ricky passed out in a heap on the floor. She could see blood smeared across his face and more pouring out of his nose.
"Call 911," Sharon calls out to Andy as she rushes over to her son, kneeling down next to him, "Ricky, honey! Baby, can you hear me?"
[TBC]
Post Notes: I know I've mentioned previously that this has stretched long beyond what I had ever envisioned and part of that is because of the detour that we took of Sharon and Andy actually starting a relationship. They were never supposed to get together, Andy was never supposed to know about Ricky and Emily being his until this, and I never had any intention of necessarily exploring beyond the resolution of this event. And it might seem a bit much to do something to Ricky so soon after Emily, but I really wanted to keep the key idea that got me started writing this. Don't worry though! We're going to keep going strong after this and hanging out with the Flynn family for quite a while!