The Proposal

Andy Flynn had decided long ago that he would never get married again. However, since it had so happened that he had changed his mind, he wanted the proposal to be absolutely perfect. Two years had passed since his daughter's wedding and he was now practically living with his boss. She occasionally blamed their cohabitation on her terrible outbursts of empty nest syndrome that she called "sporadic" and he called "frequent", but in reality, they both knew better. Their relationship had been smooth sailing from the start. First the wedding, then the Nutcracker, then dinners, the sudden realization that they were, in fact, very much dating, followed by an "honest-to-god-date", very public handholding and eventually a kiss. A solid friendship had gradually turned into romance over the course of many months and by the time he had stayed over for the first time, there had been no room for awkwardness between them. They were content with the way things were going, even though Provenza was not. Even after months of dating and several semi-awkward dinners involving his best friend and Patrice, the old man insisted that the whole thing was just a disaster waiting to happen. Not even Patrice managed to convince him otherwise and she usually handled him really well. What exactly was supposed to go wrong, however, he could never say. Assistant Chief Taylor knew of their relationship and had approved of it, albeit with a lot of eye-rolling and awkward hand gestures, their kids were okay with it - even Rusty now that he had moved to a dorm room in college - and the rest of the team were mildly enthusiastic, appreciating their captain's newly relaxed demeanor.

Maybe it was because he was old, maybe it was because he was old-fashioned (even though their dating was not anymore) or maybe it was because love was dulling his senses (at least according to Provenza), but Andy wanted to make the relationship official in the most official way possible. And maybe, just maybe, he had also been influenced by his parents who absolutely adored Sharon. Maybe it was because she loved Italian food and had eaten everything they had served her - which had been a lot - or maybe because she was easy to laugh and a good storyteller or maybe because she appreciated their favorite red wine, but they were absolutely smitten with her. It was a nice change from the last woman he had brought there, his ex-wife Linda, who had done her best but had never really fit into the loud bunch that were his relatives. A gathering at the Flynn household was usually large, over the top and always ended with dancing, singing or someone's drunken snoring. It was just the way it was and despite Sharon's quiet grace, she somehow fit right in.

The proposal, however, Flynn had resolved while studying the simple but beautiful ring he had spent a fortune on (much to Provenza's dismay, who had been hoping that they could invest in some baseball memorabilia instead) had to be different. Understated, he had decided, elegant and not overly romantic because he knew how very flustered she could get. Sharon was a practical person and she much preferred an intimate talk and a loving smile over bombastic displays of romantic feelings. Although she tried to hide it when talking about it, he knew that Jack Raydor's proposal had not been quite what she'd had in mind. But then Andy wasn't planning on dragging her to a karaoke bar to sing "Time of my Life" for her and propose on stage in front of everyone, followed by a cake adorned with sparklers being carried in by three of his drunk college friends.

It would be perfect. Just like the ring. Even if it cost him as much money again. Provenza had rolled his eyes when he told him, letting him know that he was an idiot for spending so much on the proposal when he had a goddamn wedding to finance. But somehow Andy knew that the wedding would not be a big affair with bridesmaids, an expensive venue and a giant cake. If he was lucky enough and she said yes, it would be a small, intimate gathering.

Maybe without Provenza present, now that he thought about it.

It had been coincidence that had relieved him of his financial woes. After being told about his son's plans (and she would have been furious if he had not informed her in advance) Andy's mother had let him know that his cousin Luigi had recently opened a restaurant in town. At first, Andy had been apprehensive. Luigi was a spectacular cook, but so far he had relied a little too much on his talents in the kitchen because of which his restaurant's decor had left a lot to be desired. However, it had turned out that Luigi had finally taken the leap and gotten a new place that was quite fancy. And so he had called him up and, after catching up for half an hour in a confusing mixture of English and Italian, had booked a table for two in an intimate corner of the restaurant. Despite Luigi's insistence, he had refused for him to send a waiter out with a bottle of champagne adorned with sparklers. (What was it about proposals and sparklers, anyway?!) It would be quiet and sweet, just the way Sharon would like it.

It was not unusual for them to go out on a Saturday night and he could tell that Sharon loved the opportunity to dress up for a fancy place, so he found himself sweating nervously in one of his better suits as she came out of the bedroom, smoothing her dark green silk dress down over her thighs. She looked up and smiled then stepped closer and placed a soft kiss onto his lips.

"Are you okay, honey? You look a little out of it."

It had become so normal for them to call each other terms of endearment that it had led to one or two pretty embarrassing moments at work in the past and Andy was sure that he would never hear the end of it from Provenza. ("Honey, could you please take Detective Sykes and interview the neighbor again?" "Don't worry, I have the warrant, Sweetheart.")

"Yeah, yeah. I'm good. Let's go before they give our reservation away."

The drive was short and was mostly spend in silence. Andy held Sharon's hand as he was driving and looked down at her bare fingers. He had never seen her wear a ring before and it had taken him a bit of an investigation to find one in her bedroom that he could take her measurements from.

Proposing, he reflected as they ate their risotto, was a bit of a big deal. The setting was perfect as his mother hadn't lied when she had said that Luigi's new eatery was spectacular. The wide back windows opened over a stretch of lawn that was slightly illuminated and the waiters' steps echoed on shiny hardwood floors while the whitewashed walls reminded him of his grandparents' house in Tuscany. Unlike Luigi's former restaurant that had featured cheap cutlery and red and white checkered paper tablecloths, this one was all white and expensive. He could tell that Sharon loved it.

But when was a good time to ask the question? Before dinner? No, she seemed too hungry for that. During dinner through a mouthful of risotto? Not very classy. Or maybe after dinner? But he was so nervous that he could hardly eat and the food was too good - and too expensive - to be sent back untouched.

"So Rusty and TJ finally got their act together and once they started dating, they hit it off right away. I've never seen him that excited."

Sharon looked a little excited herself as she told the story, a rosy blush having fallen over her cheeks. Andy wanted to blurt out his question right now, but restrained himself. He wanted this to be perfect, he reminded himself.

He would do it over dessert, he reasoned. Over dessert. Exactly.

The risotto felt like cotton balls inside his mouth and he could hardly make out the taste. When he looked back up from where he had been staring at the pristine white tablecloth for what must have been several minutes, he was met with Sharon's worried gaze. For a moment, he was captivated by the vivid green of her eyes which were sparkling in the candlelight. She was so beautiful and sophisticated, how could she ever agree to marrying a doofus like him? Her hand slid over the table and came to rest on his arm.

"Honey, are you alright? You seem a little distracted."

He looked up at her, unable to hide the anguish in his eyes. Somehow he was now completely sure that she would say no. Maybe she would laugh even. Oh God, he should have decided to do this at home where there would be no witnesses to his defeat. Now his parents knew. And Luigi knew. (Which meant that everybody else knew as well.)

"Sharon, I've made a big mistake," he blurted out and felt her fingers tense around his arm for just a second. Her face became impassive, her infamous facade up and impenetrable as ever within seconds. Even her eyes seemed to cloud over as she was bracing herself for the worst.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"What is it?" she asked him in that deep voice that he had heard a million times back when she had still been in FID. ("Lieutenant Flynn, explain to me again why the suspect ended up headfirst in the dustbin." "Don't you dare tell me that you handcuffed Lieutenant Provenza to the steering wheel just because you didn't like his driving." "Lieutenant Flynn, are you aware that there are soil and a sad-looking flower on your shoulder? There would be no point in denying that the suspect threw it at you because you called him a dirtbag.")

"Sweetheart, it's not what you think. It's just-"

"Ahhhhh! AMORE!"

Andy closed his eyes briefly as none other than his cousin Luigi approached them, short and slightly overweight, graying curls a mess, his kind face reddened from the heat in the kitchen and his white apron stained with what looked like spinach. Before Andy had a chance to make any introductions, he leaned down and placed wet kisses onto both of Sharon's cheeks.

"Cara mia! Welcome to la familia!" Half-hugging her, he pulled Sharon to her feet and placed another kiss onto her cheek, dangerously close to her mouth. Andy cringed. Luigi was a thoroughly good person, but sometimes he indulged a little too much in the great red wine he served. Sharon stood rooted to the spot, staring at Luigi which didn't bode well to how she would react to the rest of his family.

Speaking of which, Andy thought with horror, as he noticed his mother, father and brothers were beginning to file in. What were they doing here? How had everything gone thoroughly to hell in such a short time?

"Nice to meet you, um..." Sharon raised both brows. Luigi's kissing attack didn't seem to bother her too much but Andy could tell when she was on to something from the inquisitive look in her eyes. How smart she was, the woman who would never in her right mind agree to marrying an idiot like him! Andy marveled at her for a second before he remembered the situation he was in. His mother was looking around in search of them, but had not spotted them yet. With a start, he pulled both Sharon and Luigi down onto the chairs and pulled them in so they were huddled around the table like a team of football players discussing strategy.

"Andy..?" Sharon asked, now on the verge of being annoyed, maybe because Luigi quite liked the close proximity to her. Andy made a mental note to punch him later.

"Sharon, this is my cousin Luigi. This was supposed to be a surprise, but apparently he forgot my instructions." He shot a very dark look at his cousin, a neglectful "Scusi" dying on the other man's lips. "Now I want you, Luigi, to go back to the kitchen and keep any other possible visitors away from our table."

"Any other possible visitors?" Sharon repeated incredulously. "Andy, what's going on?"

"Ahhhhhh!" Luigi's voice was booming and therefore far too loud to be suitable for such close proximity "She does not know, yet. Oh, Andrea!"

"Andrea?" Sharon asked. "She's here, too?"

Andy rolled his eyes. "Do what I told you, Luigi, will you."

From the corner of his eye, he saw his mother turn and sweep the room, eyes narrowed. Maria Flynn was as short-sighted as a mole, but refused to wear glasses, which he was infinitely grateful for right now, no matter how much of a hazard it could usually be to his beloved Mamma. Kicking Luigi's shin, he grabbed Sharon's arm and pulled her off of her chair and under the table. She stared at him wide-eyed as they sat there, the tablecloth disguising them from the world around them. He knew how this had to look. Bad, he was sure, and also completely crazy. Luigi's restaurant was definitely upscale and not the place where you could get away with hiding under a table. Sharon was all for propriety and this had to come pretty close to a nightmare for her.

"What is the matter?" she asked him, wide-eyed and momentarily too shocked to even be irritated. She looked to the side, her expression scandalized. "You are not trying to get me to do something naughty under the table with you, are you?"

Her voice was so feeble and her expression so scared that Andy couldn't help but laugh. This was all so ridiculous! He had wanted to plan the perfect proposal and now he wasn't even sure he should propose to her at all. The evening was pretty much ruined and would probably get worse if his family found them. (Which they would. And they wouldn't even be surprised to find them under a table because somehow they were really accommodating when it came to crazy.)

"No, sweetheart, no!" he told her, placing his hand on her shoulder where she was propping herself up on one arm. "I'm so sorry."

"For what, Andy? What did your cousin mean when he said that I didn't know?"

Just at that moment, Andy felt the little box in his pocket painfully dig into his thigh. He shifted positions to make the pain go away and maybe to forget that it was there altogether.

"Sweetheart, I know it's dumb, it really is. I was just thinking..." He gestured with one hand as he always did when he was flustered and accidentally hit one leg of the table. The pain shot through his hand and he winced, grimacing. Sharon made a strangled sound and when he looked back up from where he was perched awkwardly, holding his injured hand with the other one, he saw her bottom lip quivering. Sharon wasn't one to just burst into tears. She usually had a very practical approach to crises. So this had to be...

Laughter.

Sharon's shoulders were beginning to shake, tremors going through her body as she was trying to contain her giggles. To no avail, it turned out a moment later when she all but collapsed with it, her hand pressed to her mouth to stifle the sounds of it.

"Sharon..." Andy tried. "I'm-"

"We are under a table..." she gasped. "in a fancy restaurant and..." She was shaken by a fit of giggles that she unsuccessfully tried to stifle with her hand. "And you... oh God, Andy..."

She lowered her head so her face was obscured by her mass of hair. Andy couldn't help but reach out and weave his fingers into it, enjoying the feeling of the silky curls.

"Sharon," he said. "I'm so sorry for screwing this up. So sorry. I've been meaning to give you an elegant and classy evening." He chuckled mirthlessly while she rather ungracefully snorted with laughter, her body almost convulsing with the force of the giggles. She was listening, though, he could tell. "I wanted for this to be absolutely perfect and I even wanted to ask you..."

She looked up, her laughter suddenly evaporated. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. Now was as good a moment as any, he decided and grabbed the tiny box.

"I totally understand if you don't want to, Sharon, but I was going to ask you whether you'd at least consider becoming my wife." He hung his head. "Not that I expect you to even think about it after this fiasco..."

He didn't even look up when he felt her take the box from him, complete silence engulfing them. Only when he heard her Captain Raydor voice calling his name, his head snapped up. There was a soft expression on her face, completely at odds with the tone she had used, her cheeks still flushed with the aftereffects of her laughter.

"Andy," she reached out and cupped his cheek. "I would love to marry you. Not despite your perpetual crazy, but because of it."

For a moment he stared at her blankly, so she went on to explain.

"You and Provenza, you've been making my days ever since I first met you." She chuckled again, her eyes shining. "God, how many times did I have to yell at you back then just so I wouldn't start laughing."

"Really?" he asked stupidly.

She nodded. "Really. This is just another example of how much joy you bring to my life."

"I love you, Sharon," he blurted out. "You keep me grounded when everything else is going to hell."

She rolled her eyes. "That's sweet. Now would you please?"

She held out her hand and he took the ring from her, gently putting it on her finger. They both looked down at it for a moment and then leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss never happened as Andy was pulled backwards out from under the table and into his brother's waiting arms.

"ANDY!" came his booming voice. "How fantastic!"

Trapped in his brother's embrace, he looked over at the other end of the table where Sharon stood, equally enveloped in the strong arms of her mother who was a good five inches shorter than Sharon, making the hug look very strange. Over his wife's head, Andy father patted Sharon's cheek and welcomed her to the family.

From the kitchen came a procession of waiters, led by Luigi, who were carrying a large, ugly-looking cake adorned with the dreaded sparklers whose appearance he had wanted to avoid at all costs. Andy rolled his eyes and glanced over at Sharon whose cheeks were pink, her eyes shining at the sight of them. Disengaging himself from his well-meaning family members, he walked over to her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her against him.

"I'm sorry for that." He nodded towards the cake that had been put on the table, the other guests around them applauding politely yet slightly horrified as Luigi cut off the first slice, never mind that he and Sharon were far from finishing their main course.

Sharon looked up at him, a soft smile gracing her face. "Andy, you're terrible," she said. "That's why I love you."

She wrapped his arms around him and leaned in for a deep kiss. They were far from being finished when Andy felt someone poking his shoulder with his fingers. Annoyed, he swatted at the person as if he was trying to get rid of a fly. The person was persistent, though, so he broke the kiss and turned around, finding Luigi there.

"What do you want?"

"I'm pretty terrible, too," Luigi said, winking at Sharon and pursing his lips for a kiss.

"She is my fianceé, you idiot! Stop hitting on her!"

"Who wants cake?" Luigi replied quickly, shoving a plate at Sharon who took it a little awkwardly. While his cousin was busy distributing cake to everyone, Sharon leaned into Andy conspiratorially, whispering in his ear. She didn't have to say it twice as Andy grabbed their plates, put them down on the table and took her by the hand, quickly pulling her out of the restaurant. They were both laughing as they stepped out into the cold night air. Andy inhaled it deeply and tightened his grip on Sharon's hand.

"The sparklers weren't my idea," he said after a moment of silence. "I wanted for this to be classy."

Sharon snorted. "It doesn't matter. My parents will be so happy that we will soon stop living in sin."

"Really?" he asked with a little disbelief.

"Really," she confirmed, leaning into him. "Now get the car so we can live in sin a while longer."

He pecked her lips.

"The wedding will be less of a mess, I promise."

Her laughter was musical and easy as she smiled at him. "I do hope not."

The End