Epilogue: A Bouquet of Flowers
Author's Note:
This is the last and final chapter of Our Current Predicament. What started off as a small idea for a happy pregnancy story for Sharon and Andy has turned into my first multi-chapter fic. I bid goodbye to this particular Shandy AU and little Lizzie with a tad of sadness. Thank you all for sticking with me throughout the past months, for your reviews, follows and favourites and the many conversations about this story. It's been great and I'm looking forward to writing more Major Crimes stories.
And as always, I'm really curious to hear what you think - even if you're reading this long after it's been posted!
Happy New Year to all of you!
My name is Lizzie Flynn. I'm ten years old and I live in Los Angeles with my Dad and my Mum. They're called Sharon and Andy, and my full name is Lucia Elisabeth Flynn, but nobody calls me that except Mum when I've been naughty. Most of the time though, it's my Dad who catches me and he just says I'm a typical Flynn with a penchant for trouble. When my Mum hears that she shakes her head and looks at Dad in that funny way she sometimes does.
"Andy, really? Do you have to encourage her? I know I married a troublemaker, but that doesn't mean you have to raise our daughter to become one, too."
"I think you married me because I'm a troublemaker."
I'm not sure though, because my Mum really likes the rules.
We live in a house with a garden and my sister Nicole lives next door with my two big cousins Noah and Ben and my little cousin Clara. They really are my nephews and my niece, but we call them cousins because it's easier for other people to understand. Our family is a bit complicated to explain.
Our family is special - that's what Mum and Dad say each year at thanksgiving, and at their wedding anniversary, and my birthday, and at 'pasta day', which comes exactly 19 days after my birthday. It's like their secret and even my big brother Rusty doesn't know why we have it – and he knows a lot of things about Mum and Dad. Dad makes pasta and we are allowed to fight with the flour and even Mum giggles and doesn't complain about the mess. Rusty rolls his eyes, but he still comes over every year and when I was eight, he brought me pink flour with glitter in it!
My Mum says our family is like a bouquet of flowers. We're all different but it's together that we're truly beautiful.
Rusty is my favourite brother. He was my first babysitter and Dad always laughs because Mum apparently didn't like to leave me at all when I was small. Mum smiles and then they look at each other in that funny way.
"You were my little girl, Lizzie, and you really liked being cuddled. I always had to fight with your Dad about who would get to hold you."
Dad explained to me once that I was big surprise for them and that my Mum fought very hard for me even before I was born. I have a picture from their wedding in my room and you can see I'm already in Mum's belly. They look really happy in the picture. I think they must love each other very much. They always tell each other, too.
I don't remember Rusty from when I was a baby, but he is my favourite brother now. When I was small, I visited him at university and he showed me around the campus. Sometimes the other students thought he was my Dad. He doesn't live very far away and sometimes I get to stay with him – like when Mum and Dad go away together on the weekend. Rusty calls Mum his 'own personal Police Captain' and Mum calls him 'Mr. Beck' or 'Beckin' and they both laugh. It's weird, because Mum is Assistant Chief and not Captain.
Today is a really, really important day for my Mum. The most important day of her career, Dad says. I watched them this morning. My Mum was in her uniform and Dad was helping her pin on her medals when he kissed her. She always looks so different with her hair all tied up in the bun.
"Sweetheart, you are going to be the new Chief of Police! You have no idea how incredibly proud I am of you!"
"I couldn't have done this without you, Andy. If you hadn't been there for me and for our family, I wouldn't have made it this far. This is your promotion as much as mine."
"No, Sharon, you don't get to be humble today. Today, you are going to shine and take all that is due to you…and when you come home tonight, I'll get to kiss the most powerful woman in the city."
Uh, my parents! That's so typical, they always say kiss even if they don't mean it. It's not like I'm a baby anymore and Sister Bernadette already explained all that at school!
"Make sure you and Lizzie will be on time. I really want to be able to see you."
"We will be and Sykes has already organised seats for the whole family. You'll see us and we'll be able to see you."
Aunt Andrea said it's the very first time a woman will be Chief of Police in LA and the LAPD is the second biggest police department in the United States. Aunt Andrea didn't say that, but I read it in the LAPD book Dad's friend the Lieutenant gave me for my last birthday. Sister Bernadette said that my Mum is a 'truly remarkable' woman and a role model for little girls all over the country and that I should be really proud of her.
I am, but really, she's just my Mum and she makes me do my homework and brush my teeth. She sings to me at night and reads me a bedtime story. We talk about the day and even if she has to work late, Dad always calls her so we can say goodnight. Mum takes me to ballet lessons, too. My big sister Emily used to be a ballerina and she even was a soloist in New York. I remember seeing her dance when I was small. My Dad looks after me, but Mum and I spend every Thursday after school together. It's our special day. Dad calls it 'Lizzies' Shopping Day' and rolls his eyes.
"Sharon, really? Do you have to encourage her? I know a married a fashion addict, but that doesn't mean you have to raise our daughter to become one, too."
"I think you married me because I'm a fashion addict."
I think Mum's right because Dad really likes it when she looks pretty.
Mum and I do lots of things together, not just shopping. We mostly do that when my Uncle Gavin comes with us. He calls me his little Princess and Mini-Sharon and buys me really pretty dresses. Sometimes we also help Mum choose something to wear for her dates with Dad, but she says Gavin's choices are 'outrageous'. She's weird like that, because I know she puts the outrageous dresses in her suitcase when she packs for the weekends with Dad.
Gosh! There are so many people here, and they are all dressed in their uniforms! I know a lot are Mum's and Dad's friends, but I'm glad Dad is with me. It's all a bit scary. Dad says not to worry, because all the policewomen and policemen work for my Mum now. Mum always reminds him to say policewomen and policemen because she says it's important even if she can't send him to sensitivity training anymore. I don't know what that is, sensitivity training. Maybe I have to ask Rusty…
And then my Mum walks onto the stage.
"Dad, I want to be just like Mum when I grow up!"
My Dad squeezes my hand and smiles, "That's the very best you can want to be, Lizzie, just like your Mum."
Except maybe I want to be a bit like Dad, too, and break the rules. Sometimes, at least.
