Author's note: This story is a standalone outside of the Major Crimes Mysteries stories. This story takes place during the time that Andy was thrown from the car by Molly Pace, had recuperated at Sharon's home, but was still under a doctor's care.

The First Time

Sharon sat at her desk writing a shopping list. Her refrigerator was empty except for a half-filled bottle of wine and some random condiments. The team had been so busy the last couple of weeks that Sharon had little time to do anything except shower and sleep when she came home. Eating was delivery done at the PAB or a quick trip through the drive through lane at her favorite coffee place or the pick of the day of fast-food places. Rusty had been spending more and more time with Gus. Sharon realized she hadn't seen her youngest son for days. They checked in by text messages so she knew he was fine, but it dawned on her she hadn't physically seen him for days.

As Sharon was trying to think of all the things her empty cabinets needed, she found her mind drifting to the last two cases they had. Two high profiled cases hit the murder room at the same time and stretched the team the thinnest they had ever been. The murder of a young actress on a movie set and the fall off a young woman off the fourth story balcony of one of LA's poshest condominium buildings occurred within three hours of each other. Both hit the news as breaking stories and stayed in the news cycles for the week until the killers had been apprehended. Lana Pierce, the young actress' murder was by the hand of a young actor disgruntled that she had dared to turn down his romantic gestures. Marisol Estevez, the twenty-one-year-old, young woman from the condo, was thrown to her death following a rape by a guy she had invited back to her place following a night at one of the swankiest clubs in downtown LA. She had been a grad student at UCLA with a bright future ahead of her. Sharon reflected the irony in all of this had been her parents, concerned with her safety, had purchased the condo for her to ensure she lived in a safe part of LA.

To ensure both women got the justice they deserved, the team worked round the clock only coming home to get changes of clothes. Eating, sleeping, and showering was done at the PAB. Rusty would even run over to bring Sharon her clothes and then over to Andy's to get what he wanted. Sharon and Andy had even less time for each other than they had before and Sharon ached to spend alone time with the man she was falling in love with. Now, she wasn't sure when she would see him next. Both left PAB following the arrests without making plans. Due to overtime and exhaustion, Taylor told the team to take the next three days off barring any high-profile murders.

Sharon's concentration was broken by her drapes billowing in the warm Santa Ana winds. The weather was a bit warmer for November and she took full advantage of it by opening all the doors to her balcony.

Suddenly, Rusty was at her side. Distracted, she hadn't heard him come out of his room.

"Hey Mom." Her youngest smiled at her.

"You got in late last night." Sharon responded. "What time was it? About three thirty?"

Sharon looked at her watch. It was now noon.

"It was actually four. Did I wake you?" Rusty asked her.

"Yes, but I was able to quickly get back to sleep so don't worry about it." Sharon told him.

"There is a party out in Joshua Tree that one of Gus' friends from the restaurant is doing. It is a camping trip, but he invited out a couple of his friends to hang out. Gus and I are talking about going and just getting a hotel room versus driving back tonight, so I won't be home tonight. OK?" Rusty waited for a lecture from his mother, but none came.

"OK. Have fun and be safe." Sharon told him.

Rusty looked at her speechless but decided not to push it. He knew she liked Gus a lot and found him highly responsible and level headed.

"You and Andy doing anything tonight?" He asked her.

"Not sure. He has his follow up doctor's appointment today, but it isn't until later. He wanted to do it after work. No one realized we would have a couple of days off following the horrendous couple of weeks we had. We didn't even have a chance to talk last night. I tried to call him on my way home, but it went right to voicemail" Sharon told him.

"Wow. That isn't like you two." Rusty said.

"We'll connect. Probably sometime today." Sharon said hoping she was correct.

Rusty got up and walked to the refrigerator. He opened it and closed it immediately. "Boy, you can tell we haven't been here." He said.

"Yeah, I am working on the list now. You need anything?" She asked him. Rusty listed off a number of different items.

"Mom, why don't I go shopping with you. We can knock out the list quickly and get on with our day. Maybe you can reach out to Andy." Rusty said.

"That sounds fantastic. Maybe we can do burgers for lunch before we go shopping. I'm actually famished. I ate the last banana this morning and it wasn't even a really great banana." Sharon told him.

"Sounds fantastic. I could definitely go for some burgers. Gus and I hit an all-night diner before he dropped me off, but you know me and burgers." Rusty quipped.

"I do." Sharon said and then giggled. "I sure do."

"Let me go jump in the shower and then we'll go. OK?" Rusty asked.

"Yep. I'll get changed." Sharon said. She put her pen down. The list was complete except for the snacks she was sure the two of them would toss into the cart.

At lunch, the two chatted endlessly in their conversation. Rusty would ask Sharon questions about her and Andy and Sharon would ask questions about Rusty and Gus. Both gave tidbits of advice for the other to follow or not follow. Overall, it was just a warm conversation and Sharon relished the time spent with her youngest son.

As they were wrapping up their burgers, Sharon's phone rang with Andy's ringtone.

"Hi." She answered in a soft drawn-out tone.

"Hey Babe. How is it going?" Andy answered her.

Sharon filled Andy in on what she and Rusty were doing and asked him if he needed anything for the house. Andy gave her a small list of little snack items he loved to eat while at her house. Frequently, depending on the busyness of the day, Andy would cook dinner for the family to break up the drive home since he lived so much farther from the PAB than Sharon.

"I got your message last night but the team and I didn't end up getting out of there until ten o'clock. I figured you were long asleep." Andy told his girlfriend.

"I understand and you know me way too well. I came home and walked right into my bedroom to go to sleep; I was so exhausted." Sharon told him.

"Hey, what do you think of me picking you up after my doctor appointment and taking you to that new little place we found down on Huntington Beach that we both said we wanted to try? Then, maybe a nice stroll on the beach to walk off our dinner." He asked her.

A smile came over Sharon's face as she thought about the night. "That sounds wonderful. Do you think we can get reservations?" She asked.

"I can try. Can't hurt to at least try." He responded.

He ended the call with asking her if he could get ready at her house so he didn't have to drive back out to the valley to get ready. Sharon eagerly agreed. There was something comforting about when Andy came over and did household things at her home. It sealed them as a couple.

They hung up with the plan that Andy would text her the reservation time and would head over to her house once he finished up with the doctor that was near her home.

Rusty was right in that the shopping flew as Sharon tore the list in two and each went their separate ways adding in little treats each of them would enjoy along the way. Sharon made it a point to throw in a couple of extra treats for Andy while Rusty threw in some extras for Gus.

Sharon's phone dinged while they were waiting in the checkout line. The soonest Andy could get the reservation was for eight o'clock. He went ahead and made it but asked if she wanted to do something else instead. She texted him back telling him to keep the reservation that it would be fun to have a later night walk on the beach. The next text to come through was asking if it was ok for Andy to still come after his doctor appointment even though it would be several hours before they had to leave. Absolutely was Sharon's response that she typed with a smile on her face. Anytime spent with Andy made her happy.

As soon as she and Rusty got back to the apartment, Rusty's phone rang. Rusty put it on speaker phone so that he could continue to put groceries away. It was Gus letting him know he got the hotel scheduled near Joshua Tree and asked for Rusty to pick him up around four.

"Gus, that is in two hours!" Rusty exclaimed. "I'm helping my mom with groceries and I haven't even packed. Not to mention the almost hour drive to your apartment."

"Yeah, but everyone is getting there at six o'clock." Gus answered. "With traffic and such, it is going to take hours to get out there."

"I'll do what I can." Rusty told his boyfriend clearly agitated.

Sharon hearing the conversation told Rusty she could handle the rest of the groceries. "Andy isn't going to be here for another several hours, so I have plenty of time. Go." She told him.

"Are you sure, Mom?" Rusty asked her.

Rusty gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and quickly ran to his room to throw some clothes and hygiene products together.

"Text me when you get there." Sharon reminded him.

"Of course. Not a problem, Mom. Love you." Rusty called out the door as he was moving quickly.

Although it wasn't the first time Rusty had told her he loved her, it still made Sharon's heart melt each time.

When Sharon finished putting away groceries, she decided to get ready. She wanted to give Andy a chance to have time to get ready in the bathroom without being rushed.

It was five o'clock when Sharon looked in the mirror at herself for anything she might have missed. Her makeup and hair were perfect. She chose to wear a peasant blouse that Andy had always told her he loved. It fit her curves perfectly and, with her favorite pair of jeans, really complimented her body.

Right on time, Sharon heard keys opening her door and knew Andy had gotten to the condo. He stepped in and she stepped out of her bedroom.

When he saw her, his mouth dropped. "Oh my God, Sharon. You look beautiful." He approached her and took her in his arms. He kissed her deeply and didn't release his grip around her waist.

It thrilled Sharon inside and she couldn't help but smile. "What did the doctor say?" She asked him.

"Oh my God. I was so taken about at how gorgeous you look tonight that I totally forgot to tell you. I'm all good. I'm FINALLY released to go back to full duty. No more desk monkey duty for me." He told her

"Any lasting issues?" She asked him.

"Nope. I'm healthy as a horse." He answered.

Sharon stared at him for what felt like an eternity without saying anything. Suddenly, Sharon pulled Andy even closer than she thought was possible. She tilted her head upwards and kissed him deeper. Andy leaned into it, not sure what was happening. She broke away from him and took his hand leading him to her bedroom.

Andy didn't want to break the mood, but he had to ask. "Sharon, where's Rusty?

Sharon turned to him with an impish grin "He and Gus are in Joshua Tree for the night."

Andy released a deep breath, smiled and allowed her to take him into the bedroom.

In her bedroom, she kissed Andy again and lifted his sweater to remove it.

Andy looked at her. "Sharon, are you sure?" He asked her. "You have so much to lose if this goes wrong. Are you sure you want to do this? I have wanted this so bad, but I want you to be absolutely positive you want to take our relationship to this level."

Sharon looked at Andy shocked. All she could ask herself is how she ever compared this man to Jack Raydor. Jack would never have thought of her first. Jack would have been about Jack. She looked at Andy with even more love and responded to him by taking off her peasant blouse.

Andy took a deep breath in and pulled her to him. He began kissing her all over her body trying to take all of her in. At times, their lovemaking was fast, hungry for each other but not yet getting their fill of one other. Andy thought of it as trying to cure a thirst there was no cure for. At other times, their love making was a slow burn that begged them to take in every inch of each other's body. Their bodies tangled in one another's.

After they finished, Sharon laid on her side with her head on Andy's chest. She played with Andy's chest hair. Neither person spoke a word for a long time enjoying each other's presence.

When Sharon felt Andy's rhythmic breathing, she assumed he was asleep. She quietly whispered, "Please don't leave." Sharon was shocked when Andy whispered back "Never." Sharon smiled to herself unable to look up at Andy.

The two laid quietly and soon Sharon was breathing deeply. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time and she relished the feeling. Andy, assuming Sharon had fallen asleep, stroked her hair. "I love you." He said very quietly thinking she wouldn't hear it. Sharon remained quiet but smiled to herself. She had no intentions of making those dinner reservations.