DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters, except for Matthew and Moxie. The rest of them belong to James Duff and the Major Crimes franchise.

Chapter 10

Sharon answered her phone as she was done speaking with Andrea and she was now waiting in the electronics room with Buzz next to her. "Yes Lieutenant, please tell me you have something" Sharon said to Provenza. "I'm sorry Captain, I don't bear good news. It seems as the Weston boys have disappeared" Provenza said to her. "What? How could that be?" Sharon asked him. "Both of their cars are in the garage, we searched the house twice and there is no sign of either one of them. There was food left out in the kitchen but no other signs of a struggle or anything for that matter" Provenza said to Sharon. "Okay, then head back Lieutenant" Sharon said to him and then hung up her phone. This case was getting more frustrating every minute. "How does a person disappear into thin air?" Sharon said as she got up and walked out the door.

Sharon headed over to the interview room where Andrea was speaking with Debbie and her lawyer. The two patrol officers were in there with them. "Do you have a minute?" Sharon asked Andrea. "I'll be right back Mr. Jennings and then we will focus on a deal for your client" Andrea said as she got up and walked out with Sharon. "What is it?" Andrea asked her. "Both Eric and his brother have disappeared into thin air it seems" Sharon said to her. "Okay, that changes some things" Andrea said as she went back inside the room to discuss it with Mr. Jennings and Debbie. Sharon went back to her office. Buzz stopped her as she passed electronics. "Uh, Captain, can I ask you a question?" Buzz said to her from behind the monitors. "Of course Buzz" Sharon said as she stepped inside. "What's going to happen to this case then?" Buzz asked. "Well, we will keep it open and hopefully, they slip up and get caught" Sharon said to Buzz. "But isn't it frustrating not to be able to get to a conclusion?" Buzz asked her. Sharon looked back at him and then off to the side and hesitated before answering him. "It is very frustrating, Buzz, but there are some cases that can't be solved right away. You know that" Sharon said to him. Buzz nodded back at her. "Yes Captain, I do know that. Thank you" Buzz said to Sharon as he cleared up his area. "You're welcome Buzz" Sharon said to him and then turned around and went into her office. She saw the patrol officers escort Debbie with Andrea and Mr. Jennings walking behind them leaving the Murder Room to head down to booking. Sharon then sat at her desk and waited for her team to arrive back from Manhattan Beach.

Chief Howard arrived in the Murder Room and looked around but didn't see anyone except for Sharon who was sitting in her office. He walked over to her door and knocked before he entered. "Oh, hello Chief" Sharon said to him. "Captain" Chief Howard said back to her. "What am I going to tell the Mayor and the Chief of Police about this case?" he asked her as he sat down. Sharon sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Tell them that we are doing everything we can to make the city of Los Angeles safe for its citizens, we are still looking for the subjects, and hopefully with other law enforcement agencies assistance, we will find the subjects and bring them to justice" Sharon said to Chief Howard. Chief Howard looked back at Sharon and he was impressed with what he just heard. "Wow Captain, perhaps you should tell them that in the meeting I have with them. That was impressive" Chief Howard said to her. "Oh, no I'm not cut out for that job Chief" she said to him. Just then her team arrived back at the office. She saw them walk in and gave a subtle nod to Andy who was walking back to his desk. Andy saw her in with the Chief and decided to wait until he left before he went inside her office. "Besides, I like being in charge of Major Crimes" Sharon said to him. Chief Howard nodded and stood up. "Okay, well as soon as I am done with this meeting, I am heading to the airport to pick Brenda up. She took a couple of weeks off from her new job and we are spending the holidays here in LA" Chief Howard said to her. "That's wonderful Chief" she said back to him and then he left her office.

Sharon joined her team outside her office. "Okay, everyone I know that it's frustrating that we cannot close this case today" she said as she looked around at her team. "We'll start on the paperwork, Captain" Provenza said to her. "Thank you Lieutenant" Sharon said to him and then turned around to head towards the break room. Andy followed her out and caught up with her in the hallway. "Hey, is everything okay?" Andy asked her. Sharon looked at him as he approached her. "How was he able to vanish into thin air?" Sharon said as she continued to walk towards the break room. Andy held the door open for her as she walked through into the break room. "I don't know" he said as she passed him. Sharon walked over to make herself a cup of tea. Andy was watching her do so as he took a seat at the nearest table to her. "Chief of Police Pope wants me to reconsider putting in for the Chief's position" Sharon said to him as she waited for the water to boil. Andy looked back at her. They had discussed that a while ago and he told her back then that he would support any decision she made. "I thought we discussed that already" Andy said to her. She looked up at him and sighed. "We did, but at his last meeting, he insisted that I put my name in the pool for possible candidates" Sharon said back to Andy.

Andy got up from his seat and went to the counter where she was standing and leaned up against it. He took her hand in his and held it. "Sharon, you know that whatever decision you make regarding this, I will back you up 100 percent" Andy said to her, trying to reassure her as he caressed her hand. "I know, and I appreciate that very much" she said to him as she looked back up at him and smiled. He smiled back at her. "I like where I'm at. I like being in charge of the Major Crimes division. I'm not aspiring to be a chief anymore" Sharon told Andy. "Then tell the Pope that you graciously decline" Andy said to her. She shook her head. "It's not that simple, Andy" she said back to him. He let go of her hand as she poured herself a cup of tea. He took the cup from her and fixed her tea the way she liked it and then handed the cup back to her. "Thank you" she said to him. "When does he want your paperwork in?" Andy asked her as they walked back to the office. "After the first of the year" she said to him as she stopped before entering their office. "Well, that gives us about three weeks to think about it and make a decision then. Sharon, the holidays are coming up, your favorite time of the year. Then we have Matthew's birthday right after that. We will both give it some thought, but right now I want you to enjoy the holidays, you know with your sense of occasion and all" Andy said back to her and gave her his charming smile. "Thank you" she said to him as she smoothed his tie down with one hand while still holding her cup of tea in the other. They entered their office again and started working on the paperwork with the rest of the team.

The afternoon flew by quickly as the team worked diligently on the paperwork for their latest case. Even though they were not able to close it, they still needed to fill in the blanks, so to speak, regarding the events that took place. One by one, the team came in to Sharon's office to drop off their paperwork and Sharon compiled it all into a case folder. Once she received the last of the report from Andy, she placed it all in the file and stamped "Case pending" across the top of the folder and then placed it in the file cabinet behind her desk. Everyone then left for the evening. Andy waited for Sharon to be finished and they left as well, heading over to Matthew's school to pick him up.

Matthew came running out of the school in front of Sharon. "Don't run off Matthew!" she told him and he stopped just short of the car where Andy was still inside. He opened the back door and climbed in. "Hi Andy" Matthew said to him. "Hello Matthew, how was your day?" he asked him as Sharon opened the passenger door and got in. "It was good, we learned about the night sky today in science class, and all of the stars that are up in the sky" Matthew said as he put on his seatbelt. Andy looked over at Sharon to see if she was ready. "All set?" he asked her. "Yes" she said smiling back at him and he drove them to go pick up Moxie. It was a little after 6 by the time they made it over to the doggie day care. Sharon stayed in the car with Matthew while Andy got out to pick up Moxie. "We also learned about the different planets in the solar system and how Earth is the only planet that people can live on right now" Matthew told Sharon as they waited. "That's very interesting Matthew" she said back to him. "I should have asked Santa for a telescope instead of a robot toy. My teacher said that we are going to watch a video tomorrow all about the stars" Matthew said and then Andy opened the back door to let Moxie in the car and then he sat down behind the wheel. "Matthew was just telling me about the stars and planets while you were gone" Sharon told Andy as Matthew was now petting Moxie who was laying across his lap. Andy looked at Sharon before he started the car. He was thinking that maybe they should get him something regarding the solar system. As if she could read his mind and what he was thinking right then. "We'll talk later about it" she said to him and then he drove them home.

They arrived at home and they went inside the house. Matthew ran into the kitchen and Moxie followed him. "No running Matthew!" Andy said to him as he closed the door behind them. "Sorry!" Matthew said back to them and then he went into the bathroom to wash his hands. Sharon waited for Andy in the mud room and she pulled him in for a kiss. "What was that for?" he asked her as they broke apart and she glided her hands down the front of his shirt. "For always being there for me, for protecting me, and comforting me" Sharon said to him as her hands slipped down to his waist. Andy grunted as he pulled her back in for another kiss. Before they could get carried away, Matthew came back in the room. "Can I watch TV before we have dinner?" he asked them not knowing what he had interrupted. Sharon pulled away from Andy's embrace and she headed towards the kitchen. "Sure, honey. Dinner should be ready in a half an hour" she said to him and he went into the family room and put the TV on. Andy took a minute to compose himself before joining Sharon in the kitchen. She was standing at the refrigerator when he entered the kitchen and made his way over to her. He gently caressed her back as he passed her and went to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. "What are you thinking about making for dinner?" he asked her as he dried his hands with a towel. "Well, there's leftovers from last night. Gus made a lot of food for us" Sharon said as she pulled out the casserole dish and placed it on the counter.

About a half hour later, Sharon, Andy and Matthew were all sitting down at the kitchen table enjoying dinner. Matthew was still talking about the solar system and all of the different stars in the sky. "You are really enjoying all of that, aren't you?" Andy asked him as they finished up dinner and he was clearing the table. "Yes, my teacher was talking about a telescope and how that can help you see the stars better" Matthew said as he brought his plate to the kitchen sink. "Thank you Matthew" Sharon said to him as she took his plate and placed it in the sink for him. "Why don't you get started on your homework now" Sharon said to him as he walked back to the table. "Okay" he said as he grabbed his backpack from the mud room and brought it back into the kitchen with him.

After Matthew was all done with his homework, Andy took a look at it while Sharon was in the den working on something. Andy then told Matthew to put his homework away and which he did. Andy then walked towards the den to see what Sharon was doing and Matthew went back in to the family room to watch TV. The door to the den was closed but the nice thing about a glass pane door is you can see inside. Andy walked up to the door and saw Sharon wrapping some gifts. Andy wondered what gifts they were so he gently knocked on the glass. Sharon looked up at him and waved him in. Andy opened the door. "So whose gifts are you wrapping in here?" Andy said to her as he tried to have a look. "Don't worry, none of your presents are in here" Sharon said back to Andy and smiled as she saw him trying to get a peek. "Awe" he said back to her. "All of yours are wrapped already" she said to him, giggling a little bit. "What?" he said back to her. "I haven't wrapped any of yours yet" he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to distract her. "I know" she simply said to him. He pulled back from her. "Have you been snooping around looking for your presents?" Andy asked Sharon as he gave her a hurt look. "No, I have not done that" she said as she continued to wrap a present. "I know you haven't wrapped any presents yet because I haven't seen any crazy wrapped presents around here" she teased him. "Hey, I thought you liked the way I wrapped presents. It's unique" he said to her. "Oh yes, very unique indeed honey" she said to him and then shooed him away. "Please close the door behind you" she said to him as he left the room.

Andy then went in the family room and found Matthew watching TV there. He was watching Disney's Prep and Landing. "Hey buddy, what are you watching?" Andy said as he sat down next to Matthew. "It's a show about how the elves prep the different houses for Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve" Matthew explained to Andy. "Huh, sounds kind of cool" Andy said back to him and they watched the animated show together. When the show was over, Andy turned off the TV. "Okay Matthew, time to go upstairs, you need to take a bath tonight" Andy said to him as he got up. Matthew reluctantly got up off the couch and slowly walked down the hallway. "But I don't want to take a bath" Matthew said as he went past Sharon in the den and headed for the stairs. Sharon looked at Matthew and then at Andy and she opened the den door slightly. "What's going on?" she asked the both of them. "Matthew is going upstairs to take a bath, isn't that right, Matthew?" Andy said. "Yes, but I don't want to" he said back as he slowly walked to the stairs and then took one stair at a time all the way up to the second floor.

Matthew went in to his room and pulled out some toys to take with him to his bathroom. "How many toys are you bringing in here?" Andy asked him. "Just my trucks and dinosaurs" he said back. Andy picked up his pajamas and brought them in to the bathroom. Moxie followed them in the room. "Okay, but remember you need to also get clean" Andy said to him as he started running the water for his bath. As Matthew was in the tub playing with his toys, Andy was sitting next to him on the toilet seat looking at a magazine. "What did Sharon ask Santa for?" Matthew asked Andy. Andy looked over at him. "Oh I don't really know Matthew" Andy said to him. Matthew continued to play in the tub. "What did you ask Santa for Christmas?" he asked Andy. "Oh, well, I haven't asked him anything yet" Andy said to him. "Why not?" Matthew asked. "Oh, um, because I don't know what to ask him for" Andy said thinking that Matthew would stop with the question. "Well, what do you need?" Matthew asked him. Andy thought for a bit. "I don't really need anything Matthew. I have a house, with the woman of my dreams, and we are sharing our lives with you" Andy said to Matthew. "I have a loving family with my kids and Sharon has a loving family with her kids, whom you will meet in a couple of weeks, and together we have everything that we need" Andy tried explaining to Matthew. Matthew didn't really understand what Andy was trying to explain to him. "Okay buddy, time to get out of the tub and get ready for bed" Andy said to him as he pulled the stopper from the tub.

Matthew was all ready for bed by the time Sharon came upstairs. She peeked in his room and saw Matthew lying in bed and Andy was reading him a story about frogs. When Andy was done reading the story, he turned off the main lights in Matthew's room, leaving a small lamp on for the kid. Matthew then got settled in bed. "Good night Matthew" Andy said to him. "Good night" Matthew said back in a sleepy voice. Andy patted Moxie's head and he closed the door behind him. Andy was now exhausted and he headed for their bedroom to join Sharon. As he walked in their room, he found Sharon sitting up in bed reading one of her books. She had changed her clothes already and was wearing her nightgown, the one that Andy loved. Andy quickly went in the closet and changed into his pajamas and got ready for bed. He then joined Sharon. "What are you reading?" he said to her as he laid back on his side facing her. He was tracing his finger up and down her left leg. "Oh, it's a story based on one of the Hallmark Christmas movies that came out last year" Sharon said to him as she smiled. She enjoyed Andy's little caressing. "Oh really? One of those sappy Christmas movies where strangers fall in love and live happily ever after" Andy said to her as he took one of her hands and brought it up to his lips to kiss it. Sharon closed her book and placed it on her nightstand. She then scooted closer to Andy and kissed him on his lips. He groaned as she moved her hands up around his neck. He pulled her on top of him and they slowly kissed one another, hands caressing each other, and made love to one another.

TBC