A/N: Ugh, sorry it took me this long to update! I really really struggled with this chapter (two parter). I tried to make it work several times, but I finally gave up as it wasn't getting any better. Hating it, but skipping the whole thing wouldn't feel right either, so just bear with me...

And So It Begins
Pt 1/2

Sharon was on her third possible-but-not-yet-confirmed date outfit of the day when she dashed through the apartment to check on her coat options. Passing Rusty on the corner to the kitchen she could sense him enjoying her predicament. For the past two days he had been acting like it was oh so very amusing for her to go on a date with Andy. She guessed it beat him being vary and hostile, but the knowing smirks and theatrical eye rolls was getting to her. He was being of no help whatsoever and it didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. He was having fun with a flustered Sharon Raydor in the apartment.

She might have frowned at him.

"I'm only getting something to drink," he said defensively and dived into the fridge in search of a soda.

When he emerged, Sharon was still standing in the foyer, looking critically at herself. After a while she shucked the coat, sighed, and headed towards the kitchen.

"A little help, please, Rusty," she said spreading her arms. The boy looked her up and down trying to gather what she actually wanted. The dress looked fine, emerald green and nicely tailored, hitting her just above the knee. Her hair was in a twisted ponytail curling over one shoulder and the shoes a pair of her hundreds of high heels — he still couldn't tell any of them apart if not for the colour. Evidently he was taking too long as she rolled her eyes and huffed out, "Yes, I'm nervous."

"Yeah? Like, alright?"

"Rusty!"

Sharon twirled on her heel and marched back to her bedroom. Rusty fell in her wake with his soda. He didn't understand why this was date outfit number four. That he knew of. All of the previous ones had been fine, and this wasn't any different. The last one was a short dress too and, well, a nice dress.

"I don't get why you're overthinking this this much. I mean, like it's not even your first date or anything."

Sharon was in the process of putting on earrings, but still had the time to focus on scowling at him.

"It is our first date."

"Really?" He arched a brow in response. "Not this year, not even this month. This week's a bit iffy too but this weekend, yeah, I guess..." He trailed off with a smirk. Yes, he was being a annoying little brat, but this was just too funny to pass up.

"Rusty! It is our first date. Real date."

"As opposed to...?" She gave him a look. "What! I'm just trying to understand." Sharon only huffed and beelined through the bedroom to the en suite. She returned with makeup in hand. "Honestly!" Rusty continued the conversation while she started on her lips, "Like what will you even talk about? People on first dates usually talk about their jobs, their families, their hobbies and stuff. You've got the same job, you know each other's families, you are each others' hobbies and whatnot."

Sharon closed her eyes. This was exactly what she needed at this point, minutes before she was to head out of the door. How to explain the unexplainable? She and Andy were friends who had decided to move into something more. While they had talked about that and agreed on it, there was something unknowable, something undefinable and unexpected in the equation. There wasn't a road map for this. For some reason she had never gone out on a date with someone who was a colleague or a friend first and Andy was both. She was generally comfortable with him, but that undefinable something in the mix was throwing her on a loop.

He made her nervous. She made herself nervous. Intellectually she knew it wasn't supposed to be this much of a deal. But honestly, she didn't know what to expect and she didn't do well with surprises. It would have been better if he had told her details about the evening he had planned, but she hadn't asked, and he hadn't offered. Sharon got the feeling that Andy liked arranging surprises.

"Rusty, honey, I understand you find this exceedingly funny, but—" She paused mid-sentence as her brain caught up to what Rusty had said. Her eyes widened. "Oh my God. What if there's nothing to talk about?"

"Relax, Sharon. You'll think of something. You always do. Or I assume you do since you two talk all the time." Now it was Rusty's turn to be surprised. He had meant it as a joke, well, mostly, but apparently it could be a valid concern. Come to think about it, what did you talk about on a real first date? "The appendicitis is still on the table, your call."

Sharon ignored the offer as she was busy thinking of something to talk about tonight: she had absolutely nothing. And no time to come up with anything thanks to the buzz of the doorbell.

"Well, I guess that's it for the appendicitis," Rusty said. "You want me to get that?"

"No," Sharon said exhaling. "Thanks, I guess this is it." She checked her lipstick once more before swiftly walking to the front door where she took one deep breath and opened it. Andy was standing on the other side acting pretty much as nervous as her. That made her feel better, marginally.

"Hi."

"Hi."

They fell silent. Sharon took him in. He looked spiffy in his new three-piece suit and luxurious grayish silk tie tied to a perfect, tight knot. He smelled good, even from this distance. Something familiar, but new on him at the same time.

While Sharon tried to place the scent, she could feel him studying her in the same detail. The way his eyes lingered over the edge of the lower than usual neckline convinced her she had ended up with the right choice. It made her feel oddly good, warm, and tingly and even a little bit proud. And if she had yanked at the hem of her dress to maximise the amount of cleavage on show, well, that would forever remain between her and her bathroom mirror. She licked her lips and as if summoned his eyes jumped up. After a moment's stop, they bore into hers with intensity that made her back shiver. Yes, she was looking forward to tonight.

"Umm, I had flowers for you. Well, a flower, technically, I guess. Orchid. But I left it at mine and didn't want to be late." He chuckled self-consciously but stopped abruptly. "And I'm not trying to lure you to my place. Though —"

She smirked. "Thank you. It was a lovely thought."

Again silence. He smiled at her, looking somewhat relieved and more at ease. Neither of them seemed to know where to go from here, but luckily her neighbor exiting the lift made Andy look over his shoulder.

"Well, I guess, uh, we better be going. If you're ready and all."

"Of course." Sharon grabbed her coat and slipped it on so hastily she only realized Andy's offer of help when she turned around and saw his hands mid-air reaching out to her. From the outside corridor. She hadn't even invited him in! Sharon gave him a rueful smile before turning around and yelling, "Rusty, we're going!"

The way he popped around the corner made her suspect he had been lying in wait, listening to their conversation. She might have to say something about that when she got home.

"Hi, Lieutenant," he nodded a greeting towards Andy before wishing them a good evening and letting Sharon fuss about his dinner and his knowing of how to contact her.

While she was finishing her goodbyes with Rusty, Andy had already called the elevator up and waited with one hand holding the doors open for Sharon. She locked her door, turned, and faltered in her step as she realized she had barely greeted him and now they were alone together for the night. She had imagined greeting him with a smile and a kiss, then sharing a joke and leaving hand in hand but somehow they ended up with an awkward silent moment and her following him out on her own.

"Sharon?"

She shook her head, walked the rest of the way and stepped in the car. Instead of following her, he stopped on the threshold.

"Everything alright?" he asked, unconsciously repeating the question from their late-night phone call.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing." Andy stepped in but took to looking at the walls and the numbers ticking by in the small screen. He almost didn't say anything but thought better of it. "Well, you went quiet on me last night."

The comment took Sharon by surprise. She liked listening to him and even had made a small quip about Andy again not planning ahead when it came to their outings just to hear him talk some more. She didn't think she had been that quiet, but —

Andy made a helpless shrug with hands in his pockets to fill her silence. "I just... I don't know. Thought that maybe you didn't want to do this tonight, after all."

She heard the implied "or with me" in the silent way he turned to stare the buttons on the wall. She looked down. If her hair hadn't been arranged over one shoulder in its twisted ponytail it would have made his favorite cascade thing.

"You know I need time to adjust, but..." She didn't know how to finish that sentence, so instead she wetted her lips, raised on her toes and gave the corner of his mouth a lingering kiss right before the elevator doors opened. When she was back on her feet, she chuckled in her throat. "Hope that answers your question?" she said tilting her head and slipping her hand into his for a quick squeeze.

"Yeah, I guess so."

He followed her out of the elevator, through the foyer and across the parking to his car. Sharon felt his hand on the small of her back, familiar and comfortable. This was normal, reassuring. She felt herself relax and by the time they were seated in his car and turning towards west they managed some small talk. He asked her how she had slept, told her about his day so far and expounded on the idiocy of his neighbor who clearly couldn't take his sleep schedule into consideration. She might have been a little quieter than usual, but there still was that niggling feeling of nervousness in her belly.

Which wasn't at all helped by them walking through the glass doors of a trendy fine dining restaurant Sharon had only read about. He clearly had gone all out and were she a little less nervous, she would have realized this wasn't something he had arranged only last night, or even on Wednesday.

"Reservation under Flynn," she heard Andy tell the floor manager.

Sharon looked around the restaurant floor. Every table was filled with couples. Couples talking with their heads almost together, couples holding hands, and couples, kissing. And most of them were younger than she was.

Sharon didn't do well with public displays of affection. A fleeting contact, an arm around waist or across shoulders, a quick hug or a peck on the cheek, sure. But she was never comfortable with kissing and clinging to each other and... Good lord, was that couple touching each other?!

Suddenly Sharon didn't know what to think. The intimate atmosphere, the soft music and warm mood lighting set the story for something totally different from what she was used to with Andy. Did he expect her to be one of those women kissing, touching, and, good lord, licking their dates? In front of a window?

"I'm sorry, we're double booked," a pleasant female voice penetrated her thoughts, "but if you'd be willing to wait, there'll be a table freeing up soon."

"What!" Andy barked, but then lowered his voice, "You don't understand, I made this reservation..." He trailed off, not wanting to let Sharon know how long he had planned what he had planned. "Well, erm, I made a reservation well in advance. We were promised a table!"

"I know, and I'm sorry, sir. These things happen and we will have a table for you, but it just takes a little longer, I'm afraid."

"How long?"

"Well, I can't exactly say..."

"How, long?"

Andy's gruff tone made Sharon turn away from the floor and focus on the exchange.

"I could check," the manager wasn't fazed, "But you're first in line, if you..."

"Do." He was done with being polite and he probably was acting like an ass, but they just didn't seem to catch a break. How these things always happened to them, Andy didn't know. This was supposed to be perfect and memorable and not because the night was a disaster!

While the floor manager went to check on what he could do for them, Sharon stepped closer to Andy's shoulder and leaned up to whisper, "I don't want to be here."

"What?" His face went from distraction to shock to panic. He held his palms open, making gestures in the air seemingly undecided whether to reach out or try to stay her with calming signals. He looked around, spoke softly. "I know this is not ideal, but it's just a bump on the road. We'll sit down and wait—"

"Andy—"

"No, no, they'll make it work soon, I promise. Just hang in there a minute. Two secs."

"No, Andy, you don't understand. I... I don't want to be, here."

Seeing the floor manager return, Sharon nodded and stepped back. "I'll... I'll be outside."