She scanned the restaurant trying to find him. It didn't help that there were rooms, and tables were somewhat hidden by walls. That did work to her advantage too, but right now, she was just trying to find him. She continued to walk, and her face relaxed, not that she realized it was tense, when she saw him.

He stood to offer her chair to her, something she didn't need, but she felt flattered. It was nice to be treated like a lady, and those types of manners weren't easy to find anymore. She put her hand on his, as she reached him, and he smiled brightly at her, leaning in to kiss her. They'd not been dating that long, but the interaction felt like they'd been dating years.

"Hi," she said breathlessly as she sat down. "Thank you," she told him as she reached to squeeze his arm while he helped her with her chair. He leaned in and kissed her cheek when he had her seated and then moved to his own seat.

"You're welcome," he said quietly. "Long day, huh? I'm still dumbfounded. I'm glad we could meet for a late dinner."
"I am too; it's been a rough day to say the least," she sighed, shaking her head.

"Chief going to be fired?" Andy raised an eyebrow and looked to her, hoping for an answer, but knowing she couldn't say.

Sharon pursed her lips, "Andy, it's horrible. We were all standing there while she assaulted Stroh. Of all people, it had to be him."

"She assaulted him BECAUSE he's that person, the man who always seems to slip out of her grasp. If I hadn't seen it, standing there right by you, I wouldn't have believed it myself. Never would I have imagined Chief would snap like that. Just can't believe it."

"I can't see this going well for her," she waved her hand. "That's just me saying it. I still have to meet with Pope and Taylor about this, but," she shook her head.

Andy nodded in agreement, "Team all thinks they will fire her. Chief won't go like that; I think she'll retire first or move somewhere else. I'm sure Fritz can get a transfer. With her mom just dying, maybe she'll want to be closer to Atlanta, closer to her dad."

The waiter stopped by their table for their drink order. After Sharon ordered an iced tea, her mind started to wander, and she shook her head when she caught Andy staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Earth to Sharon," he said, reaching across the table for her hand. She had it resting lightly on the table, and she smiled when he reached for it, putting her hand in his. The warmth felt comfortable, just what she needed after a long day.

"I'm sorry I'm distracted. My mind was wandering, thinking about everything that has gone on the last two days. The fact that it appears to be Stroh is sickening," she sighed.

"It is Stroh!" Andy said quickly. "Everything we has points to Stroh. You've been there; you've heard the interviews. Chief isn't wrong about this, even if she went about things the wrong way."

"I know," Sharon said quietly and bit down on her lip. "I am not disagreeing; I agree with Brenda on this, but I am trying to remain professional, impartial in a way, just doing my job. She's not making it easy. This case isn't making it easy."

"You sure you don't want something stronger than an iced tea? You know you can get wine. It doesn't bother me Sharon. Moving forward, because that's what I want to do," he eyed her, "you have to feel yourself, be comfortable to get a glass of wine when we are out to dinner. If I'm being honest, I didn't want you to worry about that awkwardness on a first date."

"Thank you, but I'm fine, really," she nodded at him. "I don't want a glass of wine. I want my mind sharp; I'm still processing the case. When I get into a mode like this, I need to focus. I wish I could help Brenda, come up with a plan. I'm going to keep thinking. I want to save her job."

"I am sure she appreciates that," he said with a small smile. "You two have come a long way; we've all come a long way with you."

She smiled and nodded, "Some more than others," Sharon winked. Andy chuckled at that and lifted his glass of water almost in a toast to what she'd said.

"I will get wine, though," she explained, "on nights I'm feeling up to it. "I can't stop thinking about that boy, Rusty too," Sharon sighed, shaking her head. "There's so much sadness in this world. He's 16, Andy, and we heard his story. He has no one. He's resorted to living on the street doing unthinkable things just to survive. Why? His mother abandoned him, and he can't even see that. He still wants her to come back to him, so much so that he's willing to forget she left him at the zoo who knows how long ago and take her back with open arms. It's so sad. I think of how lucky my kids were, and that's saying a lot," she said with a sad smile. "In one way, they are like Rusty; Rusty was abandoned by one parent. My kids were abandoned too for all practical purposes. Jack dropping in every couple of years is not a parent, but if I look at it like that, I suppose I have to compare myself to Rusty too. For years, I was willing to forget Jack's disappearing acts, welcome him with open arms. It took me a long time to stand up for myself and say that was not okay, to get that legal separation. In a way, I can't believe I was that stupid to just be complacent with his disappearing act, with his abandoning the kids, cleaning out our bank accounts, but I was. I see a lot of myself and my kids in Rusty's situation. It's sad, and I can hope for his sake he is placed somewhere he can catch a break."

Andy nodded as he listened; he hadn't thought of the kid, Rusty, like that, but Sharon was right. He continued to nod after she finished talking and sat back in her chair. She looked tired; he felt tired. This late night dinner had been his idea, not that she'd argued, but he'd called up to her office just over an hour ago, not surprised she was still there. She'd spent most of her day with Major Crimes, but after Brenda's stunt with Stroh in the elevator, Sharon had returned to her office to start the mountain of paperwork that was sure to hit her desk. The team had gone back to their desks and had continued to work the case, securing Rusty for the evening as well. Once that was all done, they felt helpless, still waiting on information for the case, but also without their leader. While they were fully capable of pressing on with things, it seemed like a good place to take a break, get some rest. There would be plenty of work in the morning, and maybe by then, they'd have an idea about Brenda's future too. With Provenza dismissing everyone after they'd stopped working for the night, Andy had called Sharon's office directly. She was the only one left, now that it was after 8:00, and she answered immediately still in her work mode. She compromised with him, to work another half hour, before the two met at the restaurant. Now that they were both here, it was obvious the dinner was a good idea.

"What are you going to have to eat?" Andy asked, pulling the conversation back to the issue at hand, food while sitting in a restaurant.

"Hmm," Sharon said, a slight smile on her face, "I'm not sure. I was thinking of the grilled chicken dish. It has a tangy sauce on it." Sharon pointed to the description in the menu, and Andy studied it.

"Looks like a great choice. I think I'm going to get this salad," he said, pointing to her menu where he'd located his choice for the evening.

"If you don't mind my asking," Sharon said, clearing her throat, "do you ever eat meat? I've never dated anyone who is a vegetarian. It's a little intimidating to me, I mean, thinking about having you over for dinner and what I'd make."

"Oh," he paused and met her gaze. "Yeah, I do eat meat sometimes. It's not something I'm against, more of a health choice. I love turkey. That's my weakness, turkey. You can never take Thanksgiving for me," he winked. "I think if I was even on my deathbed, I'd want turkey for Thanksgiving," he chuckled. "I will occasionally eat it in a dish. I hate being difficult. Here, I'm the guy who doesn't drink and doesn't eat meat. I try to have a healthy diet, and that can be a problem, yeah. Last thing I want to do is come across as an annoying friend, date," he nodded to her, "who causes problems with the meals. I'm not going to sit here and try to convince you to be a vegetarian. People like that drive me nuts. It's for me; it works, and yeah, sometimes, I'll cheat. It has to be worth it," he smirked. "Anything you would cook would be worth it."

She smiled and gave him a nod, "Thank you for being honest. That does take off some of the pressure, and I'll try to remember that come Thanksgiving," she grinned at him. "I try to eat a relatively healthy lifestyle, but that's gone in stages. It was easier when Emily was still at home. She was a dancer, and she watched what she ate. It was much harder when Ricky was the only one at home. He was like a human garbage disposal, and his favorite food is pizza. Now, with an empty house, it's been nice to eat healthy things again, at least without having a teenage son complain he's still starving after a dinner of something like soup and salad."

"Ricky sounds like being around Provenza," Andy grinned. "Provenza is probably worse. I can't see your son at a steak buffet at 3:30 on a Saturday just to 'beat the rush' as he says. Then, Provenza will sit there until 5:30 or later, claiming that he wants to get his money's worth and is waiting on his first round of food to digest.

"No" Sharon exclaimed. She put her hand up to her mouth, "He says that?"

"All the time," Andy flashed a smile. "I often get dragged along with him. Those places will make you want to become a vegetarian, but at the same time, you'll never want to eat a salad there. And," he paused, making sure he had her attention, "I'm really excited to hear you talking about remembering my food preferences for Thanksgiving. I like the sound of that, something a few months away-spending that time with you."

Sharon chuckled and sighed, eying him, "Thank you for the laughter and the distraction. I didn't realize I needed it. Before you," she paused and thought about what she wanted to say, "before we discussed something more, dating," she gestured, "I would work late, very late, sometimes until 10:30 or later, drive home, make a cup of tea, and fall into bed. I'd skip dinner, and I'd go to bed still very frustrated about my day. This is nice, relaxing, and I'm glad we are having dinner together."

"Ready to order?" the waiter appeared. The two nodded and placed their orders. When they had finished, Andy nodded to the seat adjacent to Sharon. They were eating at a small, square table, and she gave him an odd look, not quite understanding his intention. He made it very clear when, with his eyes still on her, moved to the seat adjacent to her and reached for her hand.

"Couldn't stand being that far away," he said quietly, lifting her hand to kiss it. "I know we saw each other at work most of the day, but it's not enough. Now that we've decided to explore a relationship, it's taking all of my restraint not to reach out and squeeze your hand at work, not to give you that flirty smile. I constantly find myself wanting to stand by you, to just smell your perfume. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while I'm behaving myself at work, it's tough."

Sharon chuckled and leaned in, resting her elbow on the table, "What would you say if I had many of those same thoughts?"

Andy raised his eyebrow, and before he could speak, Sharon leaned toward him and kissed him lightly, sitting back in her chair while she watched his dazed expression.

"Yes, that's what I've wanted to do all day," she said with a playful shrug. "It's true. The mean Captain Raydor has been distracted by a boy, a crush."

Andy frowned, leaning forward, taking her hand in his. He dropped his voice and looked directly at her, "See, that is a kill to my ego. Is that all I am, a boy? I'm just a crush?"

Sharon closed her eyes and chuckled. She sat forward, the two now just a few inches apart, "Andy, you are so much more than a crush and are very much a man."

Andy winked, "Good answer."

Sharon sat back, fanning herself, "Is it hot in here?"

"Now it is," he grinned. "You are something, Captain. I didn't think you had it in you to be so sexy, so just plain hot and amazing."

"Hmm," she smiled at him, "now you know. I never knew I could be so attracted to you, but right now," she shook her head. "It's a good thing we are at dinner in a public restaurant."

Andy coughed, almost surprised at her boldness. She gave him a playful shrug, and the two stared at each other a few moments. They were interrupted when their drinks were refilled, and after that, they both sat back, the mood now over.

"What do you think will happen to him?" Sharon asked a few moments later.

"Stroh?" Andy asked with raised eyebrows.

"No, Rusty," Sharon frowned. "I mean, sure, he'll go to a foster family, but honestly," she sighed. "He'll end up on the street again."

Andy sighed and nodded, "Yeah, best we can do right now is feed him, try to convince him we're not the enemy, and when all this is over, maybe after he's agreed to help us, maybe we send him on his way, hopefully to a foster family that will keep him more than a few days. We'll give him our cards and tell him to call us when he gets in a jam."

"When?" Sharon nodded, sipping her iced tea.

Andy gave a half shrug, "Pray the kid gets into a decent situation, maybe some help. Sadly, it's just part of the system. We can't help everyone, especially when they don't want help. I'm doing my best to keep myself in check and mend fences with my own family. I'm also doing my best to woo a lovely lady."

Sharon blushed, and they paused again when their food arrived. Sharon waited until they waiter left them alone again, and she sat forward, her eyes locked on his and cleared her throat, "If you can eat all your dinner, I might be persuaded to invite you over for coffee," she shrugged and looked to him again, "even dessert."