"Andy's Revelation"

He was the last one to arrive at work, which surprised him. Usually, he was the second or third one to the office, but this morning, he'd gotten a late start, and traffic had been terrible. He'd overslept, which was annoying, but at the same time, it was the first decent sleep he'd had in a very long time.

His talk with Sharon had gone well, very well. They'd walked on the beach for over an hour, putting in the miles as they walked. After that, both had been hungry and had made their way to their favorite Italian restaurant where they had shared a huge plate of spaghetti with a side house salad. Things felt like they were getting back on track with their friendship. He and Sharon had discussed Jack and Sandra until they felt they had nothing more to say. That chapter was closing, and he felt like, for the first time in a long time, things were getting back to normal.

Andy glanced toward Sharon's office and noted she was deep in paperwork, her head bent over her desk as she was signing forms. He had hoped to make eye contact with her, but she didn't look up; she hadn't noticed he had arrived. Andy turned toward the team and found the opposite; they were all staring at each other.

"It's about time you got here," Provenza eyed him. "We were all beginning to wonder if you were coming to work."

"I hadn't noticed," Andy flashed him a smirk and held up his phone. "I sent you two, no three text messages about traffic and my morning." Provenza just rolled his eyes and gestured to Andy's desk.

"Just get to work. I take it your traffic issues mean that you were staying at your house?" Provenza asked. "Your commute is back to over an hour, I assume?"

Andy rolled his eyes, "Sandra won't be a problem. Promise."

"So?" Julio leaned forward on his desk and glanced around the room before he turned his attention on Andy. "The captain was the first one here this morning. We are all trying to figure out if that's good or bad. What happened?"

Andy now stood at his desk and turned on his computer. Before he sat, he turned to the room and found everyone staring at him. "With what?"

Provenza groaned and put his head in his hands. Amy shook her head, and surprisingly quiet Mike was the one who spoke, "Andy, what happened with the captain? Did you talk to her last night?"

"Or more," Julio grinned as he quietly said that. Andy flashed an irritated look at him before he turned back to Mike.

"Happened? Nothing," he shrugged. "I found her. We talked, and we're good. Sorry things have been tense here. We realized our friendship was suffering."

Provenza looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, "That's it?"

"Ahh, yeah, why?" Andy said as he sat. He took a glance toward Sharon's office and gave her a small smile and nod as he caught her eye. She smiled back at him. He heard some snickering and turned to find the team just looking at him.

"Why? You talked to the captain and are friends again?" Provenza asked, repeating almost what Andy had just said. "Are you 12? It sounds like you are middle school pals again."

"I don't see the problem," Andy gestured. "Look, yeah, like you said, the dirt bag, Jack, is gone. We talked about him. Thanks for the information. She was embarrassed to tell me. I told her that Sandra and I were not a good idea, and that's not going to happen."

"So, what you are saying, Sir," Julio looked to him, trying to keep a straight face, "is that the ex-wife is gone, her husband is almost an ex-husband, and you are both basically single. You're both single, and you're back to being friends."

"Yeah," Andy shrugged as he kicked back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. He continued to look at the team as they now stared at him. "Why are you staring at me? It's like you are trying to telepathically send me messages," he chuckled. The team was silent; they continued to stare while Andy chuckled at his comment. He twisted slightly in his chair, taking in the whole team, well, everyone but Sharon who was back to work in her office. He looked around, and still, no one spoke. "Guys?"

"Are you seriously that much of an idiot? I didn't think you were this stupid, but maybe you are," Provenza scowled at him. Andy's expression changed as he turned and glared at Provenza.

He was about to yell at Provenza, but Amy got his attention. "Lieutenant," she cleared her throat, "have you ever thought that maybe there's more than friendship with the captain?"

Andy dropped his hands that were still behind his head and sat up more in his seat, "Wait, what?" He looked around at the room, trying to see what joke the team was playing on him now.

"Flynn! You can't be this clueless! You've been the single stud of the LAPD for decades! How can you be this clueless about everything? We have all seen it for awhile now, well before you tried to get back together with your horrible ex-wife. It was obvious when you stopped trying to pick up women all over town and started following the captain around the building that she was the one you wanted. No one likes to go to the morgue! You, though, jump at the chance as soon as she mentions it. You jump whenever she enters the room. You spend time with each other outside of work, which the thought, makes me sick to my stomach. Man up, Romeo! Your Juliet is right in front of your nose, and you can't even see it. I don't understand it; none of us do, but whatever," Provenza threw up his hands. He glanced toward Sharon's office where she was now on the phone, and he looked back to Andy and lowered his voice again, "You two need to figure ALL of your relationship out, and don't come in here and tell us you are besties again. We all know that, but we were hoping two DETECTIVES from the LAPD could figure out their real misery."

"You think I want to date Sharon?" Andy said quietly. He shook his head as he looked to the group. "No, we're friends, very good friends."

"Hmm, for a guy and a girl, that rarely ever stays just that," Amy shook her head and shrugged as she looked back at her paperwork.

"Andy, I've known you a long time. You've never had it this bad. Have you ever considered that your feelings for the captain were misplaced and possibly guided toward Sandra? Have you ever thought that maybe the expectations you had for a relationship with your ex-wife were really the things you saw in the captain, possibilities with her?" Mike asked. Andy scowled; the guy always sounded like a psychologist.

"There's no way," Andy shook his head and stood. He wanted to pace, but he knew that it would cause Sharon to probably come out and see what was going on with the team.

"Lieutenant," Buzz called his attention, and when Andy glanced at him, Buzz continued, "for what it's worth, we all think the captain feels the same."

Andy's eyes widened, and he looked around the room. Julio grinned and nodded, "Sir, think about it. You both tried again with your ex-spouses to find something. It didn't work, but you apparently patch up your friendship, and you're back here happy again."

Andy's jaw dropped open, and he sat back in his chair again. He could tell the whole team was still looking at him. Before he could speak, he heard the door open, and even before he could turn, he felt Sharon's presence as she walked right next to him.

"Lieutenant, I have been summoned to Chief Taylor's office for a meeting," she explained to him and the whole team. Andy still sat there, stunned, and he tried to look up at Sharon, but as he did, he felt himself getting lightheaded. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done."

"Fine, Captain," Provenza nodded, and Sharon turned toward Andy before she walked away.

"Andy, are you okay?" she asked and put her hand on the back of his chair to check on him.

"Ahh, yeah, just a little warm, Sharon," he said quietly. He glanced to her and nodded, and he then gave her a smile before she could worry more.

"Okay," she looked to him oddly as she nodded, "just, if you aren't feeling well, please tell us."

"I'm good," he gave her a nod, and she stepped back and turned to the team.

"Wish me luck," she said in a teasing tone as she started out of the room. Andy let out a low chuckle, one Sharon didn't hear, as she left. That was her teasing tone, a tone she often didn't show at the office. He knew she must be in a good mood if she was in a teasing mood this morning. He almost got lost in thought, but then he felt the team staring at him again. He looked up and tried to hide his smile at thinking of Sharon. He schooled his features, but he felt like the team had caught him grinning.

He sat there in silence for a few seconds, partly to make sure Sharon was out of the room, and partly to try and pull together his thoughts.

"Guys, we aren't romantically involved," he said as they continued to look at him.

"Not yet," Julio added. "Sir, when is the last time you had a real relationship, one in which you cared for a woman and wanted to just be with her?"

Andy shook his head, skirting an answer. Buzz added another comment, "Lieutenant, you two do everything together, or you did before you both tried again with your spouses. Think about it."

"Andy," the room turned to Mike, "my wife makes me happy. At the end of a day, when I'm ready to throw in the towel, she just makes me happy. It's the little things. Sometimes, we just sit and stare at the tv together. Sometimes, we talk over dinner, and sometimes, we just go for a walk around our neighborhood. My guess is you haven't seen a genuine, healthy relationship to know that you, my friend, are in one, or should be in one."

Andy dropped his head as he tried to gather his thoughts. He stayed that way for a few moments, but then he snapped his head up to the group, "Is Sharon-" he stopped and tried to figure out what word to use next.

"As clueless as you?" Provenza gave him a scowl and a look before he nodded. "She is. She's even worse, if that's possible."

"See, it's not a relationship!" Andy gestured. "We're just best friends. We can work together and be best friends."

"I'd be the first to say I hope that's all it is, Flynn, but this isn't high school! You two have been walking around clueless for a long time. You tried again with your spouses, and shocking," he threw up his hands, "that didn't work because you both had idiots in your lives. You two, as much as it pains me to say it, seem to like each other. Figure it out because we," he gestured to the group, "figured it out long ago."

Andy stood, "I need to clear my head," he sighed. "I'll be back-I'm going for a walk."

"Just walk yourself down to your car, Flynn," Provenza told him. "Go home and figure it out. I'll tell the captain you weren't feeling well. I'd be the first to never advise you to jump from your ex to someone new because that never works out," he frowned, "but, really, this isn't the same. You really have been measuring what you have with the captain to anyone else, and until you figure THAT out, you will be miserable."

"I haven't done that!" Andy exclaimed.

"Not intentionally," Julio added, "but, that's what you have both done. Sir, sometimes you can't see what is right in front of you."

Provenza smirked at Andy, "For this, glasses won't help, but only your friends kicking you and telling you to wake up."

"I've got to get out of here," Andy sighed. "I thought we were good, that we were back on track."

"Lieutenant, dating someone from work doesn't have to ruin everything," Amy told him, and when she felt the team staring at her, she shrugged, "What? Oh, I'm just saying that, not like I have any personal experience."

Andy shook his head, "Just tell Sharon I wasn't feeling well and will call her later."

Julio glanced around and met Provenza's eye, "Sir, do any of us call her Sharon?"

"No, Julio, just the boyfriend. It's always the boyfriend," he added.

"I'm not the-!" Andy exclaimed and then closed his eyes. "I'm leaving."

His drive home felt like an eternity, and he wasn't sure how he'd go back to work in the morning. He wasn't sure what he'd say to Provenza, the team, or even worse, Sharon when he had to face any of them. For now, he needed to be alone. He'd had a rough few weeks with things falling apart with Sandra, his kids irritated because things had fallen apart, his rocky few weeks with Sharon, and now this. Here, he thought things were settling down and his friendship was back on track. In a matter of minutes, Provenza had blown that wide open and now had Andy panicking about his relationship status with Sharon. Provenza. He seemed to be the root of all problems.