PIECES
Summary: Moments in a relationship, beginning, middle and some things between.
A/N: Small things I wrote because Lontanissima demanded things to read as we waited for the 8th episode this Monday. If there are mistakes, it's because I wrote it under the influence of New Zealand white wine and 90's music wonders.
/Travel/
The beach was calm in the dark night; moonlight lightened the way as they walked along the shore back to their bungalow. It was a remote beach and their bungalow was likewise situated away from the rest of the island's housing. The sand was still warm between her toes and it seeped into her; the warmth from weeks of sunshine from a cloudless sky. Her stomach was pleasantly full and her heart too; the warmth of his hand in hers was still a novel comfort. She sneaked a look up at him, his face lightened by the moon, and met his eyes; they had the dark color of deep desires.
She stopped him, and with a small tug on his hand, pulled him close to her. She stood up on her toes and then drew him into a full kiss; happy that they were alone and she could wholly show him how he lit her on fire. He happily stepped closer to her, his hand letting go of her hand and instead he let both hands rest on her hips, giving a meaningful caress up and down the sides of her stomach.
He guided her backwards and she smiled against his mouth when she felt water envelop her ankles, her feet sinking deeper into the wet sand. The water was warm and she breathed out an excited sigh as she let go of the kiss and instead pulled him with her into the water. He followed with a surprised yelp.
They kissed again when they were waist-deep in the water; small waves gently rocked their bodies as they became swept away in kissing. She felt his hands roam down with more intent, and before long he pulled up the sarong she had swept around her middle, exposing her bikini pants.
"Purple suits you," he mumbled, "but what do you say, we get rid of them, huh?"
She giggled into his shoulder. Her merriment quickly turned to a small moan when he pushed her pants down and swept his fingers to her inner thighs, gliding back and forth with caresses that upon every turn, came closer and closer to her center. She leaned up and slipped her arms around his neck, her mouth on his, as he put pressure on her clit, his mouth soft against hers.
She came bathed in moonlight and warm seawater, stars glittering above when she arched her head back and let out a moan. She came in his arms, with a kiss of promise and of love.
/Picnic/
It was a rarity to enjoy the velvety cushion of grass beneath her feet, even if the long straws of the garden were in dire need of a cutting. The grass brushed by her feet and it felt like walking on a soft carpet. The color was invitingly green; vivid and round, and so full and soft she purposely rested her legs outside the designated picnic blanket. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. The shadow from the sun umbrella fell short just under her face as she lay down, the sun felt warm and vitalizing on her skin.
"You're going to get burned, Captain," Lieutenant Flynn commented to her left.
She hummed in response, keeping her eyes closed.
"It's Sharon when off-duty," she said.
It was her day off and she relished lying out in the sun; the warmth and tranquility enjoyable. It was something she had looked forward to for weeks now. They were all off-duty and she felt little like a police captain now, and more like herself, Sharon. Staying inside, working case after case, and only being able to gaze at summer, got a bit dull in the long run.
"You want the salmon sandwich or the mozzarella pesto?" Flynn asked.
She opened her eyes, her gaze going to her lieutenant giving her a wide smile, waiting. The day was perfect for an impromptu picnic. Originally, it had been meant for the whole team; a way to relax and get to know each other better without murder and gore intervening. At the last minute everyone had been too busy, and so it was just her and Lieutenant Flynn… Andy, she corrected herself with a smile.
"I would take the mozzarella one if I were you," he said with a lifted eyebrow, "Buffalo mozzarella, so fresh it will melt in your mouth."
She shook her head slightly, both amused and curious, "Is that so?"
His voice was certain, "Oh yeah."
"Well, mozzarella it is," she smiled politely, took the offered sandwich and unwrapped it from the foil. It was rye bread with seeds, fresh vegetables and tzatziki and pesto as dressing. The first taste was heaven like and she hummed in appreciation, her eyes closing once again as she savored the bite.
"Good, huh?" her lieutenant asked and there was a strange note in his voice she couldn't quite place.
She opened her eyes and nodded, still chewing.
He chuckled.
She smiled.
Maybe a picnic alone with him wasn't so bad after all. As it turned out, he surprised her in more ways than one.
"You've got a little," he pointed at his own face, at the corner of his mouth.
She quickly reached up to wipe away the little dressing at her mouth.
When she looked up again, there was another thing she couldn't quite place about him; something in his gaze that made her want to both smile and to look away shyly.
Instead she took another bite of the sandwich and wiggled her toes into the high grass, her eyes once again appreciating the color.
/Wake-up/
"Your phone is ringing," his voice woke her up; the tone was strained with sleep, low and like gravel. His hand came to rest on her hip with the thumb caressing in a circle and the skin of his palm warm to touch. Any other morning and she would gladly turn to face him, the feeling of waking up next to him and looking at him was delightfully novel. But seeing he had kept her up all night till four in the morning, she did not feel like waking up at all.
She hummed and turned onto her other side away from him, pushing her head into her pillow as she tried to drown out reality.
"C'mon," his voice beckoned her, his mouth near her ear and his breath tickling.
She mumbled back a reply that was more a grunt than words.
"Sharon," he said more firmly, "c'mon. It's Taylor. If you don't answer, then I will."
That woke her up. She quickly sat up in bed and narrowed her eyes at him.
She took her phone from his hand and then huffed annoyed before she answered in a more polite tone.
"Yes chief?" she answered, glaring as she watched Andy lying down and closing his eyes.
She listened to the chief go on and on about a new case, and as always keeping it less than simple. She catalogued the important details; body count, the method of death and the location. She left out the less than important facts; something about a politician and a media spin that would no doubt generate a headline meant to evoke attention from the general public.
After the call ended, she turned and put her hand on Andy's chest.
"We're being called in," she said.
She waited for him to open his eyes, but he only sighed. "I know."
She waited a short second and when he didn't move, she leaned down and rested her lips just above his mouth. She waited less than a heartbeat before he opened his eyes and then pulled her to him, his mouth locked on hers.
She smiled into the kiss.
She couldn't fully blame him for keeping her up.
/In the field/
His blood was opaque.
Her eyes fastened onto his face, his features were distorted in pain. His nose looked crooked and blood gushed freely; a steady stream that lessened somewhat when he shielded his nose with the palms of his hands.
She rarely felt like yelling and it seldom happened, but suddenly she felt, no, she needed to howl at him.
She walked a little faster and reached his side that much quicker.
When he saw her, his eyes lightened up and he shifted his hands away from his nose, the palms stained red. The grin that split across his face, lopsided and charming on any other day, sunk into the pit of her stomach and clenched into a tight angry knot.
Anger ate her up; hot-white and blazing in its intensity. The full volume of it surprised her and it stopped her short in her stride.
His eyes turned questioning and he shrugged when she narrowed her eyes and neared him again. She stopped in front of him, her arms crossed and waiting for an explanation as to why he had neglected protocol and gone after their suspect without any back-up.
"Hey," he said simply, the wide smile still trying to calm her. His eyes were mischievous yet held a warm greeting as well. The blood staining his mouth and chin apparently not much of an annoyance to him.
She couldn't form a coherent sentence, the words stuck somewhere in her throat.
The panic that had run through her as she had listened to the feed from the surveillance van was still running through her veins, not unlike a stolen breath.
"Sharon?" he ventured, the glint in his eyes turning to concern.
With she did not answer but continued to glare at him, trying to get her breathing under control his eyebrows drew tighter together.
She had run here the fastest she could and not given one minute caring that she looked less than professional doing so.
"Captain?" Andy tried instead, his voice becoming softer.
She breathed in through her nose, trying to expel both anger and fear, the noise loud. She was acutely aware of how she must look to him; hair way out of place, red faced, angry and scared eyes, and heavy, almost uncontrolled, breathing.
"I'm alright," Andy told her, his look understanding all of a sudden, "it's just a broken nose."
She let out a heavy breath, feeling completely drained of energy.
She took his outstretched hand and intertwined her fingers with his; the blood on his palm was still warm. It did not matter, the look in his eyes kept her focus.
He was fine.
/Irrational/
It was an old forgotten emotion that suddenly rippled through her, uninvited and dense, when her eyes landed on Andy and the woman he spoke with. The woman stood with her back to Sharon, the sleek blue dress and the blonde hair was annoyingly well fashioned. Her eyes zeroed in on the hand the woman laid on Andy's arm, rings reflecting the light from a lantern as she tightened her hand around his upper arm and tilted her head in a manner that was not to mistake.
The whole scene took her breath away. She did not mind Andy talking with others, or even lightly flirting if that was what he fancied. She felt secure in their relationship. But there was something about the form the two of them presented out on the balcony, two lone figures in the night, that pushed away any rational thoughts she had.
She made her way to the balcony hurryingly with the drinks in her hands; sparkling water and slices of orange and lime. She tried to school her features and swallowed the bad taste in her mouth. There was no need to make a scene, or to let them onto the unbidden realization that she felt a snip of possessiveness. Jealousy was, at its core, an ugly feeling and even if she felt anxious she could rationalize it; it was simply her past making an appearance.
"Hi," she said, her tone neutral as she stepped onto the balcony and offered Andy his glass.
Andy turned around to greet her with a warm smile and a hand to her hip.
She turned her head slightly and turned a kiss meant for her mouth to an awkward kiss to her cheek instead.
She pretended not to see the wondering look he gave her, and instead she shared pleasantries with the other woman who turned out to be an old friend of Andy's ex-wife. A fact that did not lessen the ugly bout of jealousy she felt.
She quickly stomped on the feeling and kept her smile polite enough to hopefully fool the woman. Andy on the other hand was another matter, his eyes burrowed into hers, darkening suddenly. She knew he had figured it out when his lips slipped into an amused and satisfied smile.
The other woman, Clarice or something, bid her goodbyes eventually, and Sharon watched with resignation as the smile on Andy's lips turned more and more smug.
"And you complain about me being jealous and possessive," he growled in her ear, his hands around her middle when he brought her closer, his scent powerful when she let herself fall into the embrace.
He chuckled good-naturedly.
She looked up and found a smile of her own sneaking forth.
Andy leaned in, his mouth an inch from hers and his eyes expressing amusement, and dark desires.
"You do know you're the only woman I want, in any way, right?" he stated seriously and when she nodded, he leaned further in and kissed her deeply.
She hummed against his lips.
…