Oh man, it's been a long time. Sorry. Really. I've just been trapped in San Francisco, visiting my grandparents and this has been on my lap top sitting and urging me to post it and I wasn't sure, still not sure, it was ready. Thank you for the reviews, you guys are awesome and.....
On with the show:
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Monk thinks about things he wishes he didn't think about. Like Sharona and Disher, Sharona and Disher kissing, Sharona and Disher doing much more kissing. And when that happens he does the only thing in the world that makes him TRULY happy. He cleans.
He scrubs, he sweeps, he wipes until everything just about sparkles and then he does it again. His limbs ache, his head throbs, but he keeps going because as soon as he stops, as soon as he takes a breath, Sharona's face materializes in the suds of his bucket and smiles and laughs and tells him she's having a wonderful time. Not with him, not with him ever. But Disher, Disher is FUN. And they are doing all kinds of things, all kinds of nasty things, and making everything dirty.
Monk picks up the mop, and slams it into the bucket and lets her face disappear into tiny ripples of soapy water. And he mops and mops and mops until he feels like his chest his about to explode. He collapses on the floor, sobs breaking out of him, rough and sharp, echoing in his empty home. He curls his fingers around the stem of the mop, thinks about Trudy, thinks about how he used to make her laugh, thinks about the feel of her hand wrapped around his own.
"Adrian," He squints up, sees blonde curls reflecting the sun. His chest opens up like gate doors, releasing air. Sharona. "Adrian, how come your phone was off the hook, I nearly had a heart attack!" Her hand reaches down, grabs his and germs don't even come into the equation. He just holds on, feels the smooth skin of her palm, bathes in the luscious fact that she was worried about him. And then she lets go and everything turns gray and crooked and something inside him whispers…wipe.
Sharona blinks, twice, and then reaches into her purse. He realizes with a thud that he said it out loud, and he wants more than anything to tell her he didn't mean it, and that she can hold his hand anytime she wants because it's the nicest thing in the world. But he doesn't and when he grasps the wipes in his hand he thinks about Disher and how he would never have said something as stupid as wipe, not with Sharona, not with anybody.
Sharona is already putting groceries away, bustling around the kitchen as if nothing has happened. Monk puts the packet of wipes on the counter and turns to her. Her eyes flick to the wipes then back at him.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Where were you last night?"
"What do you mean?" But she knows, can see it in his eyes. Adrian Monk is a detective and he's damn good at it. "At Disher's, I went to help him, remember?" She shoves some cans away. Monk nods and tries to make himself content with her answer.
"But, you were there," He stares at the tiles as the words rush out of his mouth, spreads his hands apart. "All night. I called Benjy and you weren't home. And there were…loud sounds. Explosions, he had to kill Lord Zorbot. So he hung up," He lands his teeth down on his tongue because Sharona is staring at him as if he's crazy. He knows that look; he's seen it everywhere.
"What are you, a stalker?" She asks, slamming a can down on the counter. Monk's eyes immediately zap to the dent and he knows the moment she leaves, the can is going straight into the trash. But his brain says concentrate because he could lose his footing and end up in a really big mess. Sharona has walked out and she could walk out again. This time, she may never come back.
"No, I was, I was just making sure you got home," And this is partly true. Sharona swallows, her gaze focusing on the can.
"Sorry," She says and resumes putting away the groceries. Monk knows he's on shaky ground and to move any further would be risky but he's never been one to just give up.
"Did you stay the night with Disher?" He says calmly, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She stiffens, and Adrian can feel the floor slowly open up, ready to swallow him whole.
"Are you asking me if I slept with him?" Her voice is hard and dark.
"No," He says letting out a weak laugh. It trickles away and leaves a sour taste in his mouth. She looks at him, because she knows him too well. His hand moves to his eye and he rubs it nervously. Turns so he can't see her anymore. "Yes."
There's silence, so quiet he swears nobody is breathing and for a moment he thinks maybe he never said it at all and he's been given another chance. Then he looks back at her and there are tears welling up in her wide blue eyes and Adrian hates himself. Sharona shakes her head, grabs her purse and clutches it to her chest.
"Is that really what you think of me? Oh yeah, Sharona? She'll sleep with anybody?" Monk thinks no, no, no but his mouth trembles and won't form any words. "Because I really thought, after all these years, you knew me better than that. But I guess not. I guess not." She's marching down the hall, her boots snapping, and he's got to say something before she leaves him behind forever.
"Sharona!" He blurts. She doesn't turn around; her figure is stopped in the hallway. "I love you." The words pour out of him before he can think to stop them and the figure that was in the hallway with her back to his face is now staring at him.
She moves slowly, he can hear the air roaring loudly around them, like furious waves batting the shore. You could have said anything, anything in the world. You had to say that had to give everything away. This will you ruin you, Adrian, she'll leave and you'll have nothing left.
"I don't get you," She says softly. That's all right, he thinks, nobody does. Maybe nobody ever will. Trudy got him, Trudy understood, but Trudy is gone. "First you accuse me of sleeping with Randy and then you say you're in love with me?"
"I didn't mean it," He says quickly.
"You don't love me?"
"About Disher. It came out wrong." He looks at her hand and then takes it in his. Trudy is gone but Sharona is here. And he wants Sharona to get him and understand him and love him. She takes her hand away. That's asking too much.
"I need to think Adrian," She says, heading back to the door. "You hurt me, whether or not you meant it." The door opens, Monk watches her step out and then she steps back in. "It's none of your business whether I slept with Disher or not," She states strongly. He nods, his heart sinks and the door closes.
He shuffles towards the phone and places it back in its cradle. Almost immediately it rings.
"I didn't," Sharona says softly. "Just so you know."
"Okay," He says, hoping she can't hear the relief in his voice, the relief that is coursing through his veins and zipping throughout his system.
"Don't leave you phone off the hook again, you scared the hell out of me," Monk nods like a little child, his heart gushing with love. "I'll see you,"
"When?" He asks. There's a pause and then:
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." He repeats.
"I have to go now," The phone clicks and Monk hugs onto the dial tone. It isn't I love you, it isn't anything close, but she didn't say no, she didn't walk out, and Adrian thinks maybe, just maybe, she might feel something for him too.
On with the show:
.......................................................................................
Monk thinks about things he wishes he didn't think about. Like Sharona and Disher, Sharona and Disher kissing, Sharona and Disher doing much more kissing. And when that happens he does the only thing in the world that makes him TRULY happy. He cleans.
He scrubs, he sweeps, he wipes until everything just about sparkles and then he does it again. His limbs ache, his head throbs, but he keeps going because as soon as he stops, as soon as he takes a breath, Sharona's face materializes in the suds of his bucket and smiles and laughs and tells him she's having a wonderful time. Not with him, not with him ever. But Disher, Disher is FUN. And they are doing all kinds of things, all kinds of nasty things, and making everything dirty.
Monk picks up the mop, and slams it into the bucket and lets her face disappear into tiny ripples of soapy water. And he mops and mops and mops until he feels like his chest his about to explode. He collapses on the floor, sobs breaking out of him, rough and sharp, echoing in his empty home. He curls his fingers around the stem of the mop, thinks about Trudy, thinks about how he used to make her laugh, thinks about the feel of her hand wrapped around his own.
"Adrian," He squints up, sees blonde curls reflecting the sun. His chest opens up like gate doors, releasing air. Sharona. "Adrian, how come your phone was off the hook, I nearly had a heart attack!" Her hand reaches down, grabs his and germs don't even come into the equation. He just holds on, feels the smooth skin of her palm, bathes in the luscious fact that she was worried about him. And then she lets go and everything turns gray and crooked and something inside him whispers…wipe.
Sharona blinks, twice, and then reaches into her purse. He realizes with a thud that he said it out loud, and he wants more than anything to tell her he didn't mean it, and that she can hold his hand anytime she wants because it's the nicest thing in the world. But he doesn't and when he grasps the wipes in his hand he thinks about Disher and how he would never have said something as stupid as wipe, not with Sharona, not with anybody.
Sharona is already putting groceries away, bustling around the kitchen as if nothing has happened. Monk puts the packet of wipes on the counter and turns to her. Her eyes flick to the wipes then back at him.
"What's wrong?" She asks.
"Where were you last night?"
"What do you mean?" But she knows, can see it in his eyes. Adrian Monk is a detective and he's damn good at it. "At Disher's, I went to help him, remember?" She shoves some cans away. Monk nods and tries to make himself content with her answer.
"But, you were there," He stares at the tiles as the words rush out of his mouth, spreads his hands apart. "All night. I called Benjy and you weren't home. And there were…loud sounds. Explosions, he had to kill Lord Zorbot. So he hung up," He lands his teeth down on his tongue because Sharona is staring at him as if he's crazy. He knows that look; he's seen it everywhere.
"What are you, a stalker?" She asks, slamming a can down on the counter. Monk's eyes immediately zap to the dent and he knows the moment she leaves, the can is going straight into the trash. But his brain says concentrate because he could lose his footing and end up in a really big mess. Sharona has walked out and she could walk out again. This time, she may never come back.
"No, I was, I was just making sure you got home," And this is partly true. Sharona swallows, her gaze focusing on the can.
"Sorry," She says and resumes putting away the groceries. Monk knows he's on shaky ground and to move any further would be risky but he's never been one to just give up.
"Did you stay the night with Disher?" He says calmly, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She stiffens, and Adrian can feel the floor slowly open up, ready to swallow him whole.
"Are you asking me if I slept with him?" Her voice is hard and dark.
"No," He says letting out a weak laugh. It trickles away and leaves a sour taste in his mouth. She looks at him, because she knows him too well. His hand moves to his eye and he rubs it nervously. Turns so he can't see her anymore. "Yes."
There's silence, so quiet he swears nobody is breathing and for a moment he thinks maybe he never said it at all and he's been given another chance. Then he looks back at her and there are tears welling up in her wide blue eyes and Adrian hates himself. Sharona shakes her head, grabs her purse and clutches it to her chest.
"Is that really what you think of me? Oh yeah, Sharona? She'll sleep with anybody?" Monk thinks no, no, no but his mouth trembles and won't form any words. "Because I really thought, after all these years, you knew me better than that. But I guess not. I guess not." She's marching down the hall, her boots snapping, and he's got to say something before she leaves him behind forever.
"Sharona!" He blurts. She doesn't turn around; her figure is stopped in the hallway. "I love you." The words pour out of him before he can think to stop them and the figure that was in the hallway with her back to his face is now staring at him.
She moves slowly, he can hear the air roaring loudly around them, like furious waves batting the shore. You could have said anything, anything in the world. You had to say that had to give everything away. This will you ruin you, Adrian, she'll leave and you'll have nothing left.
"I don't get you," She says softly. That's all right, he thinks, nobody does. Maybe nobody ever will. Trudy got him, Trudy understood, but Trudy is gone. "First you accuse me of sleeping with Randy and then you say you're in love with me?"
"I didn't mean it," He says quickly.
"You don't love me?"
"About Disher. It came out wrong." He looks at her hand and then takes it in his. Trudy is gone but Sharona is here. And he wants Sharona to get him and understand him and love him. She takes her hand away. That's asking too much.
"I need to think Adrian," She says, heading back to the door. "You hurt me, whether or not you meant it." The door opens, Monk watches her step out and then she steps back in. "It's none of your business whether I slept with Disher or not," She states strongly. He nods, his heart sinks and the door closes.
He shuffles towards the phone and places it back in its cradle. Almost immediately it rings.
"I didn't," Sharona says softly. "Just so you know."
"Okay," He says, hoping she can't hear the relief in his voice, the relief that is coursing through his veins and zipping throughout his system.
"Don't leave you phone off the hook again, you scared the hell out of me," Monk nods like a little child, his heart gushing with love. "I'll see you,"
"When?" He asks. There's a pause and then:
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." He repeats.
"I have to go now," The phone clicks and Monk hugs onto the dial tone. It isn't I love you, it isn't anything close, but she didn't say no, she didn't walk out, and Adrian thinks maybe, just maybe, she might feel something for him too.
